Generation Y Bother

Originally published on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

Following the Baby Boomers and Generation X, my generation tends to be referred to as Generation Y, or the millennial generation. This group of people are often cited as being born around 1982 and lasting up until 1999/2000. The generation since is as far as I know, yet to be named.

Generation Y has been getting some stick, so to speak, over the last few years, which mainly comes from them being referred to as Generation Me. This is because surveys found people in their teens and early twenties from this generation had an increase in narcissism, and are predicted to switch jobs more frequently than other generations, due to high expectations.

Because of this many young people today are often considered lazy, ungrateful and as often cited in the press; are unwilling to work. But if this is true of members of this generation then whose fault is it? Surely high degrees of narcissism and great expectations couldn't have developed without having a sense of purpose or righteousness bestowed upon you?

When we look back, young people over the past thirty years were quite lucky; they benefited from the ecological and technological boom, many people's parents were much more affluent during this time, and many people had the latest gadgets bought for them because their parents wanted to try them out, or because there was disposable income to buy them. During this time higher education also became much more accessible, which meant more people could go to University, no matter what your background, and consider a career doing something they hadn't previously. No longer where people confined to do what their parents did, or acquire a job for life that they may not enjoy simply because they needed a job.

All the time this was happening, children were constantly being told by parents and teachers they could be whatever they wanted to be, allowing aspirations of being an artist or a writer flourish in young people's minds. Add on top of this a media saturated society that allowed anyone to become famous through reality television, whether they were talented or not, and be adorned by fans across the country in various glossy magazines, its no wonder Generation Y began to think they could be anything they put their minds to.

When you think about all that was happening whilst Generation Y were growing up, there's no wonder that many may have a slightly overinflated ego or feeling of superiority. But when you add on top of this the economic downturn that hit whilst many were in their teens or early twenties, many of these promises from the media and their parents looked far more unattainable, which for a generation brought up on promises can become depressing.

Therefore we have been left with thousands of highly educated being told they can't do what they want to do and that their expensive education was almost pointless. This seems to be breading a new strand of Generation Y; Generation WHY bother?

Many young people now feel as though they have been let down and lied to about their futures, so feel as though there's no point trying any more, and yes some may feel that menial work is below them, but this is a minority.

But what the general population needs to realise is, although there is a percentage of Generation Y that feels this way, there is a much larger portion of said generation trying their best to work with what they have, and live the dreams and promises they were given in the best way they can. This includes doing unpaid work and a more menial job in order to live and hopefully further their careers, which is what the majority appear to be doing.

Despite some inflated egos that were probably achieved because of the hopes Generation X or the Baby Boomers bestowed upon them; the majority of Generation Y aren't thinking 'why bother?' they are thinking about how to be the next great generation, despite the opposition they encounter.

Have Gay People Vilified The Church?

Originally published on www.vadamagazine.com

For as long as anyone can remember people have been in a constant battle with each other for one reason or another. Different countries have waged wars against each other, we’ve seen celebrities involve themselves in public slagging matches, and there’s usually one mega corporation suing another over a patent or something similar. Minority groups have also found themselves warring with multiple institutions such as the government, but one battle that has gone on for as long as anyone can remember is the battle between the Church and the gay community.

There are a multitude of reasons behind this on-going battle, with many people of religion finding homosexuality a sin or life choice, and fighting endlessly in the battle to prevent gay marriage around the world.  Some members of the religious institution have compared homosexuality to heinous acts like paedophilia and bestiality.

Just last week the new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio or Pope Francis, commented on same-sex marriage and gay adoption saying it was a “destructive attack on God’s plan.”

But one thing we don’t appear to have considered in this endless tirade of name-calling and accusations is, have gay people completely denounced the Church and brandished them as an eternal villain?

With comments such as this by the leader of the Catholic faith it is easy to say that the hatred expressed towards the Church by many gay men and women is deserved, but not everyone who has a faith or follows religion should be tarred with the same brush.

We have seen several news articles and feature pieces over the last decade that have discussed topics such as gay vicars or priests and how many gay people, just like the heterosexual community, believe in religion. There’s even a group called Christians for Equal Marriage that support the right for gay people to marry just like their straight counterparts.

Just last week the American LGBT religious organisation, Faith in America, spoke out about how the Church must stop harming LGBT people. The groups spokesman, Brent Childers, who was aligned with the anti-gay religious industry said in a statement: “It is critical for all to understand the devastating effects to a young person when their church leadership teaches that homosexuality is a sin and that they are not God’s best.”

“I have come to learn the unintended consequences of those that believe they are teaching what it is to be a good Catholic or Christian. In fact they are the very reason why LGBT teens suffer an unusually high rate of depression, attempted suicides, and worse, suicide.”

Various churches from around the globe have also addressed the issue of gay rights with a particular focus on gay marriage. Many have fought for the cause of the LGBT community, and have shown that not everyone is using God’s name to discriminate. Only last week a Church in North Carolina stated that they would not conduct weddings for anyone until they were able to hold same-sex weddings as well, and a chapel within the Palace of Westminster may be changed so that it can perform equal marriage ceremonies.

Also, in what would appear to be a slight turn in events, a poll conducted by an anti-LGBT rights Christian campaign group found that the majority of American’s believed that, “homosexuality is a civil rights issue like gender, race and age”.

Although there is a clear signifier that many people with a religion, and many within religious institutions around the world, believe in the right for gay people to marry and gay rights in general, there are still a number of people out there using God’s name to justify an anti-gay rhetoric.

We have all seen or heard the rants from the most famous anti-gay group, the Westboro Baptist Church, whose “God Hates Fags” slogan has become a symbol for just how unaccepting many people with faith or religion can be. There’s no doubt that their presence within the media has turned many gay men and women away from the Church as they view it as an ever present evil.

This week alone Washington Times columnist Jeffery Kuhner, accused President Obama of waging a war on the Church with his support of gay rights, he wrote: “Pope Francis is the opposite of a modern American liberal. In fact, he probably finds much of the Democrats’ agenda repulsive. President Obama is waging a war on Christians and on Catholics in particular.

Mr. Obama supports homosexual ‘marriage.’ He has allowed homosexuals to openly serve in the military. His pro-homosexual, pro-abortion and pro-contraception policies violate basic Catholic doctrine. He is an enemy of the church.”

Despite the progression of LGBT people in wider society, it does appear that the combat with the Church will continue for some time, with a number of people within the Church and many who use the word of God to support their own views actively trying to prevent LGBT legislation in a number of areas. However this not only harms LGBT people with faith, who may become conflicted in what they believe, risking psychological harm through this conflict, but also to the Church as it further becomes an outdated institution. However, the LGBT community must remember that not everyone in the Church, or with faith is out to get them, and remember that most people with faith believe that everyone should be treated equally.

That being said, the tense and conflicting battle of rhetoric between religious communities and the LGBT community is clearly far from over.

Charity and Music: Bringing the world together

Originally published on www.sosogay.co.uk

Music is a message that, at its best, is universal in connecting us all through times of trouble, sadness and happiness. It is a way of sending a message that a wide audience can understand. The lyrics speak to us in different yet similar ways and the actual music that can let two very different people, from two very different parts of the world, feel connected through the emotions it set out to convey to its listener.

The power and influence of music is strong. We all have songs, albums and even particular artists that remind of us of times, places, people and emotions, whether they are good or bad memories. It’s strange to think that a few minutes of a tune with sometimes overly repetitive lyrics can convey such powerful messages, and evoke such deep emotions from individuals from vastly different cultures, who may not even speak the same language. But it does.

One particular way in which music has helped connect those around the globe in times of trouble and strife is through the power of the charity single. We’ve all heard the songs; they get played repeatedly during the run up to a particular charity event and many of us may have danced to the odd charity single from time to time. ‘Is This the way to Amarillo?’ anyone?

But despite charities such as the British Red Cross, Barnardo’s being around for years, it wasn’t until nearly thirty years ago that the power of the charity single was truly realised.

After the 1984 BBC report by Michael Buerk about the famine that had devastated Ethiopia, future saint and former Boomtown Rat Bob Geldof and Ultravox singer Midge Ure sprang into action and put together ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas?’. We all know the story after this. They roped in some of the biggest names in 80s pop music like George Michael, Boy George, Bono and Phil Collins to create Band Aid, and then recorded and released one of the biggest selling singles in UK history and help raise millions for famine-hit Ethiopia.

But it didn’t stop there for Band Aid. They held benefit concerts in 1985 and the single was re-released in 1989 by the Hit Factory, this time featuring the likes of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, for the same cause. We also saw the release of Band Aid 20 in 2004 in order to benefit the troubled region of Darfur in Sudan, which was followed by a number of Live 8 concerts in 2005.

All three versions of the song hit number one in the UK, selling millions of copies worldwide and helped raise millions for their charities. For a time it helped the people of the UK to feel as through they were helping others around the world, and allowed those receiving the aid to realise that the rest of the world cared.

Not to be outdone by the British, the Americans soon released ‘We Are the World’ in 1985 to help raise money for Africa. Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian, the single featured vocals from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper and its writers. It unsurprisingly reached number one around the world, selling more than 20 million copies, raising an astonishing amount of money for charity and giving the world a greater sense of togetherness on the back of Band Aid.

‘We Are the World’ received a re-release itself in 2010 following the devastation caused in Haiti after an earthquake hit the country, this time featuring the likes of Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber and Barbra Streisand. Although it wasn’t as successful as the original it still managed to reach the top 20 in many countries and helped raise money for the cause. The earthquake in Haiti saw the UK emerge with their own single to help raise money for the people of Haiti, a cover of the R.E.M single ‘Everybody Hurts’, which sold close to half a million singles in its first week, with all proceeds going to the disaster struck country.

The charity single has come in many different shapes and sizes, from original songs like ‘We Are the World’ and ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas’ to covers like ‘Everybody Hurts’, with singers from all generations jumping on board to sing their part for charity. We’ve seen megastars like Britney Spears and Destiny’s Child collaborate with several other artists on a cover of the Marvin Gaye song, ‘What’s Going On’, to help raise money for Aids programs in Africa and other disadvantaged regions. This song had been covered previously as part of Live Aid Armenia to help raise money for victims of the 1988 Armenian Earthquake.

Even the godmother of British music, Annie Lennox, roped in a vast array of singers for her song ‘Sing’, taken from her fourth studio album Songs of Mass Destruction. Madonna, Pink, Céline Dion and another 20 prominent female singers from around the world came together to raise money and awareness for the HIV/AIDS organisation Treatment Action Campaign.

Whereas these other songs may not have been as commercially successful as their 1980s counterparts, the singles still raised the profile for a number of causes and issues around the world through the power of song, with the aim of bringing the world together.

However, despite the success of these stand-alone charity singles, and the occasional benefit concert, two great British institutions have capitalised on the success of the charity single in order to help raise millions for those both in the UK and around the world.

Children in Need began back in 1980 and has helped raise over £600 million for charity, but it wasn’t until 1985, after the success of the Band Aid charity single, that they began releasing the all-encompassing charity single. After a few failed attempts and a brief breather from the single, ‘Perfect Day’ was released in 1997 and went on to sell over 1.5 million copies and raised more than £2 million for Children in Need.

Whereas Children in Need is a British-based charity raising money for children in the UK, Comic Relief, its counterpart of sorts, helps raise money for impoverished people further afield and, like Band Aid, was itself a reaction to the Ethiopian famine.

Set up in 1985 by comedian Lenny Henry and scriptwriter Richard Curtis, Comic Relief has raised over £620 million (1988-2011) for people suffering in third world countries. The power of music has also played a huge part in raising money for the cause. From 1986 onwards artists as diverse as the Spice Girls, Cliff Richard, One Direction and Susan Boyle have all lent their vocal abilities to help raise money for Comic Relief, with all but one of the singles reaching the top ten and amassing an impressive 13 number one singles. TheComic Relief single has often been talked about and with the UK population buying it by the bucket-load, with proceeds going to charity.

It’s clear to see that music has the power to evoke emotions and bring not only a community or country together, but the whole world to help others during a time of need. With the most recent comic relief single, a cover of Blondie’s ‘One Way or Another’ by One Direction, reaching the UK top spot and reaching top 10 or 20 in countries all over the globe, including America, its clear to see that the charity single is here to stay and will continue to help those in times of need.

Movie musical adaptations: Compromise over talent?

Originally published on www.sosogay.co.uk

When it comes to a big screen adaptation of a popular musical, there will always be a few grumbles from theatre snobs and fans of the original stage show. This is because stage musicals don’t always adapt well onto the silver screen, as some things can be done on stage that can’t be replicated in a film, whilst some musical adaptations achieve success at the box office when others don’t, it’s always a tricky genre to get right.

However, there appears to be a trend to getting some success out of a musical film, and that’s through the power of the cast. Big stars in musicals make big money, probably because everyone’s curious about the quality of said stars singing voice. But musicals that feature theatre stars, unknowns or the original cast don’t tend to fair well at the box office.

Perhaps directors thought they could get away with using stars of the Broadway stage, in the hope that the musical would carry itself. But in the case of Rent, which used the original cast in the film production, the name itself didn’t carry it and despite winning four Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize, the film failed to recoup its budget of $40 million grossing just over $31 million.

Maybe it bombed due to not having a big star in any of the title roles, or maybe audiences just felt it hadn’t made the transition from theatre to film very well. Although, when you look at musicals like Hairspray, the implementation of an all star cast that included Zac Efron, Michelle Pfeiffer and John Travolta, may have been the reason why the film grossed over $200 million worldwide.

This overlooking of Broadway and West End musical stars is truly a sad state of affairs, as talented actors and singers are not given major roles in musicals. Why would they, when the promise of a big star can draw in a wider audience.

Of course there are a few stars of the Broadway stage that made the successful transition to film, such as Barbara Streisand and Liza Minnelli. However these are two cases that occurred over 40 years ago, whereas today the performance appears to be compromised to get more people in the cinema, to see the big star of the moment struggle through two hours of singing.

Recent musicals have seen a few successes like Catherine Zeta Jones, Jennifer Hudson and Anne Hathaway, who all walked away with the Best Supporting Actress trophy at the Academy Awards. But when you remember that Miss Zeta Jones had a background in theatre training and Miss Hudson belted her way through a few weeks on American Idol, their performances were hardly surprising. For every nice surprise however, there’s a pretty nasty one waiting right around the corner.

In the 1996 adaptation of Evita, stars like Meryl Streep (who can sing it turns out) and star of Cabaret, Liza Minnelli were both turned down for the lead role in favour of the popular singer, yet questionable actress Madonna. The role of Eva Perón had originally been played in the West End by Elaine Paige, and had been originated on Broadway by Patti Lupone, who won a Tony Award for her turn in the lead. With the signature song of the musical being ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ the Broadway and West End versions carry some weight behind them, whereas the Madonna version, despite being successful in the charts, fails in its attempt to covey the message behind the song in a limited vocal range.

This compromise of performance can be seen once again in Pierce Brosnan who struggles to sing his way through the film adaptation of Mamma Mia.  Even though Abba weren’t the most vocally talented group in the world, it’s clear that they had a bit more pitch that Brosnan. Wh not give the role to somebody who could sing it? The use of stage actors for a relevant supporting part has been done before (just look at Samantha Barks in Les Misérables), and in this case the role could have been played much better by someone from the stage.

More recently we have been treated to the film adaptation of Les Misérables, which has so far grossed more than $400 million worldwide, and in part has been carried on the strength of it as a well loved musical, but that didn’t stop the use of an all star cast. Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman, and Oscar winner Anne Hathaway proved to be brilliant in the film, whilst other weren’t so great. Russell Crowe seems like the perfect choice for Javert due to his size, look, stage presence and notoriety but the key thing missing was his vocal ability, seen and heard clearly as he struggled next the other cast members for the whole 158 minutes. Helena Bonham-Carter also had difficulty with her part as Madame Thénardier, for anyone who has heard the original cast recording the role had a much larger voice unlike Bonham-Carter’s weak vocal, but she has admitted that she can’t sing herself so at least she’s honest. The two of them stand out for all the wrong reasons in the ensemble songs, and at times almost ruin them.

Although these performances don’t spoil a film – with the exception of Madonna in her lead role – they do take some magic away when you expect a big booming and belting voice, only to be met with someone talking through the song, as they can’t sing.

With the recent news that a movie adaptation of Wicked could happen sooner rather than later, due to the success of Les Misérables, one can only hope that the studio goes with a stage actress or the original actress, Idina Menzel, as anything less than this could compromise the musicals big voiced songs, especially ‘Defying Gravity’, which would ruin the musical altogether.

The same can be said for the long talked about Gypsy and Sunset Boulevard adaptations that have seen people like Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Glenn Close and Madonna’s names thrown around them. With the exception of Madonna any of these three Tony winners would be great for the film adaptations, that’s if the studio go with talent over star power, as these actresses popularity has waned over the years as young and brighter talents appear.

We can only hope that the future of musical film stars will rely on talent alone, and not how many column inches they can attract, but if they do stick with this formula lets hope the person they chose for the lead role won’t need the showstopper song changing too much. There’s only so many keys you can take a song down to…

Review: Stereophonics - Graffiti on the Train

Originally published on www.soundblab.com

Being Welsh I was brought up on the likes of Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers and Catatonia. So when I found out the 'Phonics were releasing their first album in nearly four years, the biggest gap between any of their album releases, I was pretty excited. As a massive fan, I was a bit dubious about listening to the album at first because, let's be honest, the first two singles from the album, 'Indian Summer' and the title track, didn't exactly set the charts alight. Also, you can pretty much guess what the album sounds like as they've been around for ages. You know what to expect.

Of course, album number eight doesn't buck this assumption, but with Kelly Jones' vocals sounding as strong and gravelly as ever, coupled with their mix of sadness and upbeat melancholy, the record isn't entirely rubbish. Despite the first two singles bombing, there are some really good tracks on the album, such as 'Catacomb', 'Roll the Dice' and 'We Share the Same Sun', which try to recapture the best of the 'Phonics back-catalogue. However, this is counteracted by some pretty Goddamn awful tracks, like 'Take Me' and 'Violins and Tambourines', which are just dribbling messes of moping and tedium.

Although the album isn't the best one they've made, it is something you can listen to and enjoy. The band mix it up between complete depression, happy-yet-sad songs and angst-ridden, guitar-driven tracks. The vocals from Kelly are the highpoint but there isn't a stand out song at all, which is disappointing. Overall, an alright listen.

Self Scan Kind of Life

Originally published on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

Recently I've been thinking that with the rise of the self scan and self service machines, and with the impending closure of the entire high street, you may laugh but you won't be laughing in five years time when the high street resembles a scene from a zombie apocalypse movie, that we appear to be heading for a self service life.

Firstly I blame the supermarkets for this, or more importantly all those people who wondered how amazing it would feel to scan their own food just the once, well that came back to kick you in the face didn't it, because now the chance of getting served by a real person is about as remote as finding a unicorn in the Sahara desert.

Although they do come with their perks, because lets be honest some times you wonder how the person serving you managed to get a job in customer service as they send a scowl in your direction, whilst scanning your vegetables because you disturbed them. However if I had to sit there and scan someone's ten bottles of wine knowing they were off to a party I think I'd be annoyed too.

But despite this one minor perk of the self scan, we now find ourselves regularly shouting at machines in the supermarket because there's an "unexpected item in the bagging area," which was once reserved for your own living room when your computer told you that you'd "performed an illegal operation.'

The worrying thing is though, we seem to have become our own shop assistants when in store, in Ikea there's a machine so you can locate an item in store so you don't disturb the otherwise overly busy staff. In Argos there's also a self-service machine so you can go and sit on those horrible little chairs and stare at you item on the shelf for ten minutes before they call your name.

Even though the high street may die a death, machines powered by us will probably run the shops that remain open. But this technique of doing things ourselves appears to be running into other areas of our lives.

Just look at hospitals and doctors surgeries. I have spoken before about how difficult it is to get an appointment at a doctors surgery, in fact by the time you get there you'll probably have already recovered from your illness or died a horrible yet convenient death for your GP. But just in case the wait at A&E is too long or your problem isn't that serious and you can't get into your GP surgery for another six weeks, there's always NHS direct.

Anyone who's used the NHS direct system, either online or by telephone will tell you that it is about as much use as a chocolate teapot. When you phone you can sometimes be on hold for about thirty minutes, if not a full hour, and if you check online the categories and questions are so vague that you end up being told you have bubonic plague.

After this mass struggle to find out what is wrong with you via this efficiently rubbish system, the person on the other end of the phone or the computer usually tells you to make an appointment with your GP or go the A&E anyway, rendering the whole experience pointless.

Although during the journey into the self scan life, some people bypassed the whole NHS direct thing and became self-diagnosing self-trained doctors, well if you can become a shop assistant yourself why not a doctor?

This has then lead to a nation, if not a world population turning into a bunch of screaming hypochondriacs who think they have some weird sub-tropical disease that hasn't existed since 1906 because they Googled 'what is wrong with me if I have a red rash on my stomach.' Basically no matter what your symptoms, Google is going to tell you you're dying, no matter what.

Certain aspects of our lives such as doing the weekly shop or popping to Argos or Ikea have become the first casualties to the self-service lifestyle. But I wonder how long it will be before we are doing everything ourselves? If we've already began developing into Google trained doctors, who knows what else will come next in our ever evolving self-scan/self-service kind of life.

Sci-Fi Is Definitely A Little Bit Gay

Originally published on www.vadamagazine.com

I’ve never really been a big fan of the Sci-fi genre, apart from a bit of an obsession with Doctor Who and a childhood love of Star Wars. But everyone’s allowed to like the odd film or TV show from a selection of different genres. However, recently I’ve found myself to be quite partial to the odd bit of Sci-fi.

Over the last few weeks I’ve basically shut myself out from the rest of the world, and immersed myself in the television show Heroes. After 77 episodes and copious amounts of hours dedicated to watching this show I can honestly say I’ve been converted to the Sci-Fi cause, but one of the main things I took away from the show was how much you can read Sci-fi, and this show in particular, as an allegory for gay rights.

This may sound a little strange, but let’s take a look at the whole thing. If you don’t like spoilers then stop reading now, but if you don’t mind them then carry on.

Firstly the show centres on a group of people who have certain abilities like telekinesis, mind reading, the power to heal themselves, stop time and fly, amongst many other different abilities. These people, also known as specials to those in the show, are hidden away in society afraid to come out so to speak, and show ‘normal’ people what they can do.

Throughout each season we see various scenarios about what will happen if they do come out. In some of these scenarios they are accepted, and in other scenarios, other members of society hunt them because they are scared of them.

This can be seen as reflective of what happened to gay people in society as for many years gay people stayed hidden, feeling that they were not the same as straight people and many lived in absolute fear of persecution, and many in certain countries still do, just like the specials.

Throughout the show, during flashback segments and primarily in season one, the majority of people with abilities don’t realise that there are others like them, just like many young people when they first realise that they are attracted to members of the same sex.

By season four of the series we are introduced to a group of specials living at a carnival as they were either rejected by friends or family, or simply had nowhere to turn, as they were different.

As many of us are aware, over the years many gay people around the world have suffered issues of rejection from friends and family and society in general, this in turn has resulted in communities being formed, the fact that we have LGBT pride parades are a prime example of this.

Sadly Heroes was cancelled at the end of season four, and judging by the final episode of the show, season five would have seen the specials integrating into society, being proud of who they are. However we will never know what would have happened to the specials. We can only assume that like gay people they would have integrated and gradually people would have learnt that they were not to be feared.

This would have been similar to when gay people finally came out of the closet, and after much persecution and resistance society learned that people from the LGBT community were not to be feared either. However, as we know this is not true of all places around the world, and many gay people are still persecuted and their fate at the moment is very much as mysterious as what happened to the specials. But as they mentioned several times in season four, the world and people can change, and one day this will hopefully be true of the whole world when it comes to LGBT rights. If many Sci-Fi programmes are to be believed, then it most definitely will.

Gay anthems aren’t all sparkles and belting

Originally published on www.sosogay.co.uk

The gay anthem is something that has become synonymous with the gay community over the last couple of decades. From ‘Over the Rainbow’ to ‘I’m Coming Out’, all the way through to ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Born This Way’, sung by Judy Garland, Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga respectively; and that’s only a few songs and singers off the top of my head.

There are plenty more where they came from as the gay anthem can date back to as early as the 1920s with ‘The Lavender Song (Das Lila Lied).’ The song is often thought to be one of the very first gay anthems as it was produced during a brief moment in time when the quality of life for gay men and lesbians was improved in the German Weimar Republic, and was written after the first international conference of sexual reform. Even ‘Over the Rainbow’ is more than 70 years old, and when it comes to listing gay anthems today we can usually see the formula used to create it: a bit of struggle, a dash of hardship and the mandatory big voice to belt it out.

However, the one thing I have noticed when it comes to the lists of gay anthems is that they are always rather mainstream and obvious choices. These lists tend to contain a number of artists closely associated with the gay community in one way or another. It’s not unusual to see gay anthems being listed as everything in the back catalogue of artists like Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Barbra Streisand, which in all honesty is a little limiting. After all, there are plenty of songs from other genres, besides disco and Broadway show tunes, that contain songs that can be viewed as gay anthems and in fact convey a message that many of these often-recognised anthems do.

There are two very specific songs that spring to mind from the rock genre, which may surprise you because it isn’t an obvious place to look for a ‘gay anthem’. The first of these songs is ‘Minority’ by Green Day. The song unashamedly shouts out about wanting to be the minority and not, as they put it, ‘the moral majority’. You can see that this song is giving a voice to all those people who are persecuted because they aren’t the white, straight, middle class American suburban family that are married with two children and a white picket fence. In a way, this song, much like Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way‘, is giving a voice to anyone and is a song about rights and embracing who you are. However, as a rock song it doesn’t really make the standard lists which are filled with big voice divas belting their way through four minutes of self-discovery.

The second song that stands out is ‘Standing in the Way of Control’ by American rock group Gossip. The song itself was written as a response to the denial of gay marriage in America, something that the gay community across much of the world can understand. Despite receiving considerable chart success here in the UK thanks in part to its use in the promotional advert for teen drama Skins, and being heavily considered as an alternative indie floor-filler, it is often overlooked for what it is actually about – equal rights, which automatically puts it in the alternative gay anthem category. Furthermore, a lesbian with a big voice sang it and, even though Beth Ditto isn’t your conventional diva, that surely gives it enough credit to be a gay anthem.

There are many more songs by various artists that could also be included on this list of alternative gay anthems. Just listen to a handful of songs by Placebo whose songs were used throughout Queer as Folk USA due to their subject matter, specifically ‘Taste in Men’. Then there are artists such as Peaches, whose gender-bending stage antics and controversial lyrics about sex and sexuality automatically put her high on the ‘gay icons’ list. But songs such as ‘I U She‘ convey a message that, although we are forced into boxes, it is ultimately ourselves who choose how and who we have sex with, something that many in the gay community know about. Clearly there are more songs out there other than Broadway tunes that give gay equality a voice, and in many cases they have far more substance to them than those by the big voiced divas.

Even though stereotypically rock and indie music aren’t considered to be favourite genres of gay people, it certainly has many songs that the gay population can relate to.

My Favourite Foreign-Language Track: Edith Piaf – Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien

Originally published on www.sosogay.co.uk

It’s not often that a foreign-language song becomes big in any music market other than in the one it was originally released. Occasionally we get song’s such as PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ or ‘Joe Le Taxi’ by Vanessa Paradis that manage to break into other markets and become commercially successful worldwide. Though these seem to come by once every so many years, one foreign-language song that became known worldwide and has also stood the test of time since its release over 50 years ago, is ‘Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.’

The troubled yet endearing French singer Edith Piaf, whose other famous songs include the widely covered ‘La Vie en Rose’, sang the song. Piaf herself has received a little bit of a career revival over the last decade with the release of the film La Vie en Rose, a biopic about her life that won lead star Marion Cotillard the Academy Award for Best Actress.

However, despite the success of the film it’s the song that has become widely used in recent years. Many may be familiar with the song as it was the final one used in the film. Alternatively, you may have heard it on the advert for Specsavers, which was a strange choice to say the least. Some may also remember the cover of the English language version by Janey Cutler on Britain’s Got Talent.

The English language version translates to ‘No Regrets’ and has been covered by stars such as Shirley Bassey and Elaine Page, who also played Piaf in the stage show based on her life. But where as the English language version is good, it just doesn’t compare to the original by Piaf.

The song talks about having no regrets, and this being sung by a singer who struggled with morphine and alcohol addiction, endured several near-fatal car crashes, entered rehab multiple times to no avail and was seemingly unlucky in love most of her life, you can feel the passion and conviction in her voice as she sings, apparently about her own life, all the time letting the audience know they shouldn’t regret a single thing.

In a way, due to her fame and struggles, Edith Piaf is almost the French version of Judy Garland and this song is her version of ‘Over the Rainbow.’

Despite the translated versions being sung by great singers, which also means I can understand them better, when it comes to passion and conviction in a song it doesn’t matter whether you can understand the lyrics or not, you can hear it in the vocal performance and that is definitely true of ‘Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien’, which is why it is my favourite foreign language song.

Review: Liza Minnelli live at the Royal Festival Hall

Originally published on www.sosogay.co.uk

If there’s one person you should see live before you die make sure its the queen of showbiz herself, Miss Liza Minnelli. At the age of 66 the legend of stage and screen showed the audience at the South Bank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall just how she became a living legend.

Minnelli’s performance was part of The Rest is Noise Festival, which was billed by London’s South Bank Centre as being a tribute to the Weimar era, though Minnelli herself didn’t perform much from the era attributed with inspiring the reason for her performance. However, this didn’t stop her from being mesmerising, witty and funny, or from giving an all-round triumphant performance.

From the moment she walked onto the stage she had the audience in the palm of her hand as they sat their enthralled by her. The performance was her first at the Royal Festival Hall since 1973, when she performed Liza with a ‘Z’, and we got a reminder of this when she performed the song in question.

Despite her vocals being a little shaky at the beginning, they improved significantly as the show moved on, giving the audience a look at her memorable belt that, despite everything, she has managed to maintain. While the voice was incredible for someone her age, she looked a bit shaky on her feet and required a rest at one point allowing her pianist, Billy Stritch, to perform a solo number, ‘No Moon At All.’ Stritch was a big part of the show in fact, as he performed a duet of ‘I Can’t Give You Anything But Love’ with Liza, to a roaring applause.

The applause and laughs throughout the show continued as Minnelli told hilarious stories from her past and gave impressively big performances of ‘Maybe This Time’ and ‘Cabaret’, which received standing ovations; there were also a couple of humourous songs such as ‘He’s Funny That Way’ and ‘You’ve Let Yourself Go.’ But one of the best performances of the night came when Liza performed Charles Aznavour’s ‘What Makes A Man A Man.’ Lit by a spotlight, the audience could see Minnelli, and Minnelli only, as she sang the song about sexual identity and told her audience to be themselves. I’ve heard the song on a number of occasions but seeing it live gave me chills.

Minnelli ended the stellar show with her signature tune, ‘New York, New York’, giving the audience a glimpse of her signature “YEAH” before the song and ended on an incredible high note that saw waves of applause fill the room.

After 90 minutes on stage and being every inch the professional non-diva, Minnelli gave a number of encores for her fans – something you wouldn’t see at a Madonna concert – and ended by singing a cappella to fans; proving that despite the ups and downs of her life, the voice is still as big and strong as ever.