Pride

Happy Pride Month! Queer and LGBTQ music is incredible for ALL audiences, every day of the year (not just Pride month, of course!). This week we share some under the radar gay anthems and celebrate the queer musicians who made them.

SONGS:

Lavender Country: "Cryin' These Cocksucking Tears" (1973)

Elton John: Philadelphia Freedom (1975)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

Hundreds Turn Out for Wisconsin High Schoolers’ Performance of Banned LGBTQ Song (truthout)

'Don't Sneak': Dad's Unexpected Advice To His Gay Son In The '50s (NPR)

Sissy Podcast: Lavender Country 

50 years of Lavender Country: the radical history of the first queer country album

Philadelphia Freedom Isn't Just a Gay Anthem. It's a Pride Anthem (NYT - Allyson McCabe; Please note: Christine ACCIDENTALLY mispronounces Megan Rapinoe's last name when quoting from this essay.)

Billie Jean King Talks About Philadelphia Freedom (EltonJohn.com) 

Billie Jean King was told not to come out 45 years ago. She did it anyway. (Outsports.com)

Elton John performing Philadelphia Freedom on Soul Train (1975)

Elton John Comes Out as Bisexual In Rolling Stones' 1976 Cover Story

Elton John Aids Foundation

Billie Jean King: “I don’t think people have any idea how hard it is for trans people” (Diva)

Whip-poor-will (All About Birds)

Best LGBTQ Anthems of All Time (Billboard)

BBC Soul Music - Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”

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Transcript

0:04

I'm Christine. And I'm Christina. In 2024, I moved to Texas from LA. And to keep in touch, Christine and I started a weekly game where we each pick a song that fits a chosen theme. This game deepened our understanding of each other and the songs that shape us, inspiring the podcast you're listening to now. Each week we share our pics, swap stories, and dig into tracks you might love and a lot of the time have never heard of. Welcome to Stereo Thematica, your favorite atypical music podcast. Hello, Christine. Hello there. Happy Pride Month. Happy Pride to you. I don't think we celebrated last year, but well, we didn't celebrate on the podcast. We didn't sell, but we did in picking the theme. You picked the theme. Yeah, that's right. That was last year. It was a year ago that you picked it. So Okay, cool. Excited. We we did commemorate. It's top of mind. And I know that we both love queer art and music. And I'm glad that we get to pay homage to a couple of legends this episode. I know, without necessarily the time constraints of the shorty song. The shorty's episode, yes. I know. And um before I jump into my pick, I I do want to say queer and LGBTQ music is incredible for all audiences every day of the year, not just Pride Month, of course. I'm sure you agree with me on that. Oh yeah. And I don't know if you saw this recent controversy, but there was a school in Watertown, Wisconsin, where the marching band was recently barred from playing a song called A Mother of a Revolution, composed by Omar Thomas as homage to transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson. No, never I haven't heard of that. I don't know why it kept coming up in my feed, but Marcia P. Johnson, of course, was a famed participant in the Stonewall Uprising in 1969 in New York City. And the song, A Mother of a Revolution, is an instrumental song. And this school board in Watertown, Wisconsin, which was a town I'd never heard of before. I read about them in the news. They voted seven to one against allowing the song to be performed at the school. That's not stupid. That's very lame. And that just sickens me. But one thing that made me very happy was that the students at the high school and later at the middle school staged a walkout in to protest this. Oh cool. And Omar Thomas, I think, was must have been very moved. The composer of the song must have been very moved by this because he actually traveled to Watertown to conduct a performance of the song played by the students at the Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church of Watertown. So I'll share that story. I think it's a it's a really nice, like as as much as it shows that unfortunately there's still small-minded people who are very alive and well out there. Um, there's also a new generation that is supporting rights and freedom and just standing up for what they believe in. And that makes me really happy. No, that's that's great. I I hope there's a video of that as well. I think so. Yeah, I should find a video as well. But I wanted to say all this because the song I selected for this episode is NSFW, aka not safe for work, and maybe NSF for small children, because there's some cussing. So if you're sensitive to that, and or if you have a small child in your car, this is your warning. So you can go ahead and skip ahead to Christine's part. But I have a feeling I gotta be helpful. No, I mean, we usually cuss. I do cuss. Yeah. We be cussing. Yeah. Yeah, we be cussing. It's okay. It's okay. Carlin would be proud. Yeah. Exactly. So with that being said, my song pick for this week is Crying These Cocksucking Tears by Lavender Country from their 1973 self-titled album. Um, such a remind me, Christine. Did you know about Love in the Country before I shared this song with you? Oh no, not at all. It's it it well, I will say it was kind of shocking, even though it shouldn't be shocking at all. But but I loved it. It was it was not what I was expecting for a pride song, but but the thing with the theme is that you immediately share the song, so it's like I don't have a chance to like even anticipate what you're going to choose. Fair. Yeah, good point. And it probably makes sense why you wouldn't know about this band, and I'll I'll get into it a little bit, but you might have heard of the leader of Lavender Country, which his name is Patrick Haggerty. And this album by the band was the 1973 album, is the first known gay-themed album in country music history. Oh wow. So I think that's such an incredible first. Very cool. It did, you know, speaking of Marsha P. G Johnson, it did come to fruition in direct response to the riots at Stonewall and the kind of gay rights movements that came out of that time and era. And I just wanted to talk a little bit about who Patrick is or was and what brought this project together. So Patrick Hagerty grew up on a dairy farm in Port Angeles, Washington, born in 1944. He was lucky to have a very loving father who accepted him for exactly who he was. Nice. Yeah. And if you're a fan of Story Core, NPR Story Core, there was a beautiful story he told about how he dressed in drag for a high school performance, and his brother was ashamed and called his father. His father drove up to the school in his farmer get up. And he well, actually, the truth was Patrick saw him and hid and ran because he he said, you know, I wasn't hiding because of the clothing I was wearing. I was cleaning because of the clothing my dad was wearing. And his dad said, I know who I am. I'm a dairy farmer. He's like, you need to be proud of who you are. Oh. And he said, Don't sneak, you know. And it really was, it's so beautiful. He told him not to hide his true identity. And it's just so heartbreaking and and and beautiful to think of having that opportunity to be loved unconditionally in that time frame when it was so hard for others. But I also want to link to an excellent short podcast I listened to uh in preparation for this episode called Sissy. That's the name of the podcast, where they interview Patrick about his experience as a gay youth in rural Washington and in creating lavender country. Oh, nice. I I definitely want to listen to this. Yeah, no, it was it was hard for me not to like Google around after you sent this because I was so curious. And it's such an interesting song. And anyway, I'll I'll let you talk about it. But this is fun for me hearing all this. And I'm kind of getting emotional too now. Had you heard that story core um interview before? No, not at all. It's funny because I had heard it, but I didn't put two and two together knowing that it was him. Like I I very vividly remember that interview, and then I had not even until today put the two together that that was who they're interviewing. And so that's like so much more special and really cool. That is. Before we continue on, I just gotta ask you in general, like, are you a story core fan? Yes, and no. Yeah, I do like a lot of them. I just it makes me cry so much. I know. I have to, I stop. Like there was a time I was driving, and I would always like it, it was I think Fridays, it's released in a certain time, and they'd start it, and I'm like, I can't do it. I don't want to cry. Like it was right before I was getting to work, and it's always like it just gets me so emotional. So I'm like, I can't do this first thing in the morning too much, maybe at night, but not at eight in the morning. I I don't know. Like, I I mean driving into work it's hard, but same with the moth. I don't know if you ever listened to the moth. But usually those are like they I get weepy. Yep, yeah, for sure. Well, Patrick was a long time, well, I don't know if I could say long time, but he in his life he was a gay rights activist. After he was kicked out of the military for being gay, he went on to do a lot of other activism and then released Lavender Country, the album, with fellow original lineup bandmates, including keyboardist Michael Carr, guitarist Robert Hammerstorm, and singer and fiddle player Eve Morris, who has a beautiful singing voice. And you'll, if you listen to the rest of the album, you'll hear some of her singing and on this song as well. Yep. But they only released or pressed a thousand copies of this album. And as a group, the band performed at Seattle Pride in 1974 and a handful of other LGBTQ events over the next few years until they dissolved in 1976. And while their original run as a band was short, the group definitely made their mark on musical history and the country music scene, though awareness of the band and the album faded after all the albums were sold and the band stopped playing. Because you have to imagine only a thousand albums, like those are not going to maybe make the rounds very far outside of the Pacific Northwest or even maybe some very like niche collectors. However, in 2000, the Journal of Country Music published an article on gay country musicians, which focused heavily on Lavender Country. And then in the mid-2000s, the Lavender Country album was uploaded to YouTube, which ignited a new wave of interest and even fascination. Did you ever listen to albums on YouTube? Like when I was very broke when I was young, that's how I would listen to a lot of my music because YouTube didn't used to have ads the way it does now. And so I'd find full albums on YouTube and just like sit at work and listen to it. And you know, it was free. Yeah. No, I don't think I ever I I sometimes will discover music that way, but not like go, I won't go there specifically to listen to music. Okay. And I don't anymore. That was very much like I used to have playlists of songs on my YouTube account that I would like just kind of save and I don't know. It's so funny to think of how like the ways we engage with media or did in the past. But I think that was uh maybe a common thing too, because I think that's what reignited this interest in Lavender Country. And then in 2014, North Carolina record label Paradise of Bachelors re-released the album, which ignited even more attention. Yes, what, Christine? Oh, tell me. I was so lucky to see Patrick perform as Lavender Country in 2016 while I was living in LA. Oh wow. Where? Hell tell me, tell me, tell me. I can't remember the venue. Uh it was over in like Highland Park, I think. I will have to look it up, but it was surreal. It was like just one of those things where like I I do feel like I found out about Lavender Country when I was living in Austin, which would have been, I don't know, sometime in the early what were we calling that time, the 2010s or no, the tens, the teens. Yeah. The teens, you but I mean, at this point in his life, he was an old man, and he's up there with his overalls, straw hat, barefoot, like very leaning into the country look. Yeah. And he was an incredible performer. So if you do listen to the music, like, and I'm sure anyone who's heard the performance thus far, he has a very unique voice. And it's kind of funny, and like there is just a lot of raw playfulness there, if you ask me. But it was just like a very, very fun experience. And also, one of the backup singers was a member of one of my favorite cool girl LA punk bands, Mika Miko. And that made me geek out even more. So I was like, this is all happening. I love LA. Yeah. Oh my gosh. It makes you want to move back, huh? I know, right? Let's work something out. But while I might have picked a more profane song for this episode, there are some truly lovely songs celebrating gay pride and the gay lived experience on this album, such as Come Out Singing, I Can't Shake the Stranger Out of You, and To a Woman. This album also inspired lots of other queer artists like drag queen Trixie Mattel and country singer Orville Peck, who calls Patrick Haggerty the grandfather of queer country. So in February 2022, Lavender Country released their second studio album, Blackberry Rose. And also in that same year, Patrick Haggerty died from complications of a stroke at the age of 78. So I do, while that's tragic and you know, maybe just sad to learn, I love to know that he had the opportunity to see some real acclaim and celebration in his lifetime, considering his bravery and pioneering spirit. For sure. So nice. What a legend. I am so glad we got to talk about Lavender Country today. And I can't wait to talk about another queer icon. So tell me all about your pick. Okay. So when you shared this theme, I immediately had a song in mind. As I tend to have songs in mind, but I wanted to try harder because it's not really a pride anthem in the traditional sense. But kind of as your song proves, there's no such thing as traditional when it comes to gay pride. So I said, fuck it, and went with my gut. Elton John's Philadelphia Freedom. What was your reaction to this pick? Can I be honest? Please, I didn't know this song. Oh, I love that. Isn't that weird? It feels like I should definitely know this song. And it's kind of one of those ones that you have like, I had to listen to it over and over to be like, what is this about? Yeah. Why is a British man singing about Philadelphia? I know. I will get to it. Okay, good. But funny enough, I am not an Elton John fan. Like this and the Kiki D song, you know, Don't Go Breaking My Heart, those are the two that I love. Everything else, I'm like, eh, okay. Like even that almost famous song that like it's I I could appreciate the talent, but just not for me. But this song, love it. It's good. Yeah. Yeah. It's it's I mean, it's very much an anthem. Yeah, very much, very much. The first few bars of this, every time I hear it, I'm like immediately locked in. I kind of remember re-hearing it for the first time, I don't know, several years ago. I was in a parking lot at like West Fields Century City. Yeah, like a long time ago, probably like 2016, 20. I maybe I it doesn't matter when, but it I'd been so long. And for some reason I was listening to the radio and it came on, and I'm just like, oh my God, this is so good. It's so joyful, it's so celebratory. And since that rehearing of it, and I remembered it from like childhood because like I'm a child of the 70s. This is you know, I don't know. It feels gay in every sense of the word, but dude, it's not overtly about gay pride, and maybe not even covertly. No, I'm curious. Obviously, you don't know anything about it, like you haven't learned anything since I shared it with you. Yeah. Okay, cool. So I actually had no idea until I started researching for this episode. Okay. I wonder if our listeners are familiar and we're just dumb. Um, so it it all started with Elton John and Billy Gene King's friendship. Sorry, the tennis player. Yeah, the tennis player, I was sorry to assume. Yes. They met at a party in 1973, shortly before King's famous Battle of the Sexes match against Bobby Riggs. You remember that from the movie Battle of the Sexes? Well, I didn't see it, but I remember hearing about it. Yeah. The historical knowledge. Sure. The movie starred Emma Stone and Steve Carell. I feel like probably best casting. Oh, really? Yeah. I mean, not best casting ever, but that casting was excellent for these two roles. I I it was they're cute. But according to an interview with King on the Elton John website, by 1974, Elton was regularly watching King play for the team, the Philadelphia Freedoms. And that was a part of the world team tennis, which was a mixed gender professional league that King co-founded. Then one day he told her that, you know, in Elton John fashion, that he's gonna write a song about her. Yeah. And when they wondered what to call it, Elton landed on Philadelphia Freedom because of the tennis team. Okay. So while the song has been the closing track on Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy since the 1995 CD reissue, it was originally recorded in between sessions for that album. And it was the only song at the time that Elton John and his longtime lyricist and creative partner, Bernie Toppin, had ever consciously written as a single. But according to the book His Song, The Musical History of Elton John, the author Elizabeth Rosenthal said that Toppin maintains that the lyrics had nothing to do with tennis, Philadelphia, or even flag waving patriotism. And I mean, she's not saying this, but no mention of gay pride whatsoever. So I always thought that certain lyrics might be alluding to a gay relationship. Like when he says Philadelphia freedom took me knee-high to a man, gave me peace of mind my daddy'd never had. Like that seems not sure how, but it seems like that is gay friendly. Queer coded. Thank you, queer-coated. But dude, the lyrics, I don't you've you've tried to listen to the lyrics. They're kind of all over the place. Yeah, they are. No, I'm curious if you're gonna get this one. He sings till the whipper will of freedom zap me right between the eyes. Do you know what a whippo will is? It's a bird. I knew you would know that. But I'm thinking, like, I don't know. What's a whippo will? Like, I try why would it zap you right between exactly? And so I'm like thinking, maybe it's whip, like whip or will, like your will. And maybe that was some like BDSM. Oh wow. This is what's going in my mind. Like cancel. I mean, whipper, I don't know. So interestingly, and you might know this, but whipper wills are easy to hear but hard to see. So I didn't know that. So then I'm thinking, okay, maybe Toppin is unconsciously trying to say something about Elton John. Because he's easy to hear, but he can't be his true self. Yeah, exactly. And at that time he he wasn't. So anyway, Elton told King that people didn't need to understand the words literally because the feeling was the point. Amen. You can't give Don't Babble. I like to do it, Babylon. I mean, you can't not get down when this song is played. Can I I don't think I would be very good at dancing to this song? Well, okay, maybe it's not that kind of like dancing song. However, Olton John performed this on Soul Train in 1975. And it'll be linked to it. Oh yes, I will. And they were dancing to it. But it's funny you say that because I had a similar, like, like it's not like a disco dancing song, but it's you can't sit still like when you're hearing it. I don't know. I'm just like, it makes me want to like jump around, but it's not like super like dancy. Like, I don't know how in the rhythm one could be. Let's just be real. Anyone who's on Soul Train is gonna be a really good dancer. Yeah, no matter what. They're not just letting any old freak in there. They're gonna be like, dance for me. Oh yeah, they prove they earn their way on to the show. But even then, they're like compared to other people like you've seen on the show, like the dancers are more subdued, I'd say. But still, it is a very bouncy song. But despite what Rosenthal mentioned. In her book, which was quoted on the Wikipedia page for the song. The page also confusingly notes, without citation, which was annoying, that the song did honor Philadelphia soul in bands like the OJs, The Spinners, and MFSB. In fact, the singles label had a dedication with love to BJK and the music of Philadelphia. But the Elton John website had it quoted as the sound of Philadelphia. So who knows? But I did like truly lose a couple hours trying to confirm the information. Like, oh my God. No, I hate this. Like, I will spend that much time just trying to find the right sources because Wikipedia said this. But then all of a sudden, there's a quote on the Elton John website that's conflicting. And I mean, given how like well known, popular Elton John is, you'd think like the sources would be more consistent and verifiable. I have his number. You should have just asked. Okay. Yeah, next time. Thank you. Um, hello, Elton. No, I don't. Okay. Well, anyway, it was it was a journey, but you know what? Even in those moments, like it's kind of fun going through and and you learn other things as you try to confirm. True. So I could say that the chart info was clear at least. And Philadelphia Freedom hit the Billboard Hot 100 at 53 in March of 1975. Then it reached number one five weeks later, stayed there for two weeks, and remained on the chart for about five months. Just as the US of A was gearing up for the bicentennial in 76. I was wondering if that was gonna come up. Yeah. So naturally, Philadelphia Freedom sort of became an unofficial anthem, celebrating the nation's freedom in the City of Liberty, of course. But what I found very interesting was that no one, I mean, in my research at least, no one save for an op-ed in the New York Times and me is talking about this being a gay pride song. And maybe that's because it's not, but um the article which I share, she talks more about it resonating with her personally, the out the writer Allison McCabe. And she actually wrote, without Billie Jean King, there's no Megan Rapone, without Eln John, there's no Lil Nas X, we still have a lot of work to do, but equality isn't achieved simply by playing the game. It's done by showing up, even when the court isn't ready for us. This is why I see Philadelphia Freedom, not simply as a gay anthem, but a pride anthem. It's a song about what it feels like when we manifest our truest, fullest, and freest selves. So I felt like with that, at least I got a little bit of like justification. Okay. I'm also glad that this is all the explanation that you're giving. Because I was like, if I've never heard this song and it's a pride anthem or a gay anthem, I'm gonna feel a little bit embarrassed. Yeah, but but remember, it's all about the vibes. You're manifesting. You're manifesting a new anthem. Yeah. So in 1975, both King and John were still in the closet. King came out in 1981, and John came out as bisexual in 1976, and then officially as gay in 1992, both times in Rolling Stone magazine. So the pride connection becomes more apparent through King and John's activism, obviously. King was the first openly gay pro-athlete at the time. She was an advocate for women in sports and LGBTQ rights. She won 39 Grand Slam titles and helped establish Women's Tennis Association. And she pushed for equal pay in tennis. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Obama in 2009. Yeah. And yeah, Elton John, I mean, he's dedicated so much of his life to fighting HIV AIDS, founding the Elton John AIDS Foundation and raising millions through events like his annual Academy Awards viewing party. I mean, he's he's got too many honors to list. Really? So while Philadelphia Free Adem doesn't mention queerness directly or indirectly for that matter, it is a tribute to like a gay sports icon whose public life became a symbol of equality, visibility, and courage. So I feel like that counts, no? Everything counts. Right. I love it. I I also especially love your your research, dedication, and your commitment to extrapolating the meaning from this this song. It's it's fantastic. I'm intrigued by your mania. Okay, good. I mean, I could have just chosen like erasure's chains of love. That's a good song. I know. I mean any erasure song, so much fun. Yeah. But yeah, I'm happy with my choice. I love it. And I hope it becomes a pride anthem. And again, we're manifesting it. No, and well, it's funny because I did look up to see if it was, you know, obviously, I did my research, and in the best 100 LGBTQ anthems, not listed. Not there. No. Interesting. Very interesting. Well, I got mine. No. So then no. We're fine. Yeah. No, we're good. Okay. All right. Well, thank you for participating this week, Christine. No, thank you. I I appreciate get having the chance to celebrate pride. Me too. It's pretty exciting. And um, if I can actually give you some incredible and unsolicited advice. Yes. And and and everyone, not just you, but especially you. Go see a concert outdoors this summer. Whether it's your absolute favorite band at Red Rocks or a community orchestra at a local park, there's something magical about sharing a musical experience with your fellow music lovers under the stars. And the lack of walls means less crowd anxiety and more fresh air. I personally love that feeling of unfurling your picnic blanket, cracking open a bottle of chilled wine or a fizzy water, and people watching to your heart's content while you're serenaded, or whatever the instrumental version of a serenade is, and the summer breeze. Do you actually have summer breezes in Houston? Never mind the weather. As long as it's not raining, or even if it is and you have cover to protect you from the elements, you won't regret seeing a concert outdoors this summer. Pack your bug spray, some snacks, and enjoy the ambiance. This is such good advice that I think I'll actually go see two concerts outdoors this week. Hmm. I wonder if the Hollywood Bowl PR team listens to this podcast. If so, reach out. Christine, want to give the listeners a hint about what next week's theme will be? Next week, let's do something familiar, but in another language. We. Thanks for listening to Stereothematica. If you like what you're hearing, please consider a review, a rating, or sharing with a friend. And follow us on Instagram where you can share your favorite pride songs. We've also got our infinite Spotify playlist linked in our show notes. And visit stereothematica.com for more fun.