Thank you so much Jill. I'm so glad you've been turned on to Sylvester. There are some great tracks but I find his story even more powerful than the music.
What an ending: "Even in death, Sylvester is still saving queer lives. In his will, he named two HIV/AIDS charities (Project Open Hand and the AIDS Emergency Fund) as the beneficiaries of all royalties from the future sales of his music. Sylvester’s contributions to queer culture and activism are monumental. The least we can do is remember." As today is his birthday, soundtrack your party with this newly released live album: https://open.spotify.com/album/4OJ90h3NzQpoqfZsdewf7a?si=Cf-iJvo5R4KCmxQhqMX0OA
Great piece Jami! I must admit to only knowing a couple of Sylvester's songs but your overall assessment of the artist's life and career make me want to check out more!
And part of that survival was screwing people, including Sylvester, out of money owed to them, lol. Sylvester had to sue Fuqua and Fantasy for over $200k in money owed and only ever saw $20k of it.
Another amazing write-up. I feel like the backlash to disco is not appreciated today for what it was - racist and homophobic - and instead it is viewed as being a reaction against a form of music they didn't like, without examining the reasons why. So much queer history from this time period seems to have slipped through the cracks and I applaud you for keeping Sylvester's memory alive.
This one certainly saved my life. I was 19, trying to be impeccably cishet, feeling like gender was a stupid charade that made no sense to me - wondering why the hell everybody else seemed so happy to play it. This song hinted to me at layers and layers of irony and understanding. It was also a dancefloor banger that I must have got down to now about ten zillion times. Dancing and singing along in a gay bar to this is always,but always, something powerful - by now, a shared queer ritual.
Years later, in the 1990s, when Judith Butler's technical discussion of gender performativity hit, this song came back to me. I used to use it with students as an example of how performativity works and what it is - not a willed performance, but a more complex thing, where the gaze of others becomes crucial.
('You make me feel like a natural woman' and 'I'm every woman' were also teaching materials. Runs deeeeeeep).
I admit I had never heard of Sylvester and really appreciated learning more. You are great at helping us UNforget the past. Thanks!
Thank you so much Jill. I'm so glad you've been turned on to Sylvester. There are some great tracks but I find his story even more powerful than the music.
I confess I'm here for the stories, and the histories, more than the tunes. The stories give me the reason to listen more closely.
Ha, well that works for me. I also love the history and stories.
What an ending: "Even in death, Sylvester is still saving queer lives. In his will, he named two HIV/AIDS charities (Project Open Hand and the AIDS Emergency Fund) as the beneficiaries of all royalties from the future sales of his music. Sylvester’s contributions to queer culture and activism are monumental. The least we can do is remember." As today is his birthday, soundtrack your party with this newly released live album: https://open.spotify.com/album/4OJ90h3NzQpoqfZsdewf7a?si=Cf-iJvo5R4KCmxQhqMX0OA
Great piece Jami! I must admit to only knowing a couple of Sylvester's songs but your overall assessment of the artist's life and career make me want to check out more!
Thanks so much Dan! Great to see you today btw.
U2!
Many of his Fantasy recordings were produced by doo wop legend turned Motown producer Harvey Fuqua, a true music business survivor.
And part of that survival was screwing people, including Sylvester, out of money owed to them, lol. Sylvester had to sue Fuqua and Fantasy for over $200k in money owed and only ever saw $20k of it.
Oh, boy....It's always about money....
Another amazing write-up. I feel like the backlash to disco is not appreciated today for what it was - racist and homophobic - and instead it is viewed as being a reaction against a form of music they didn't like, without examining the reasons why. So much queer history from this time period seems to have slipped through the cracks and I applaud you for keeping Sylvester's memory alive.
So well said Dan. I hear that all of the time from folks who don't want to look back and examine that more closely. And thank you for reading!
LOVE Sylvester.
This one certainly saved my life. I was 19, trying to be impeccably cishet, feeling like gender was a stupid charade that made no sense to me - wondering why the hell everybody else seemed so happy to play it. This song hinted to me at layers and layers of irony and understanding. It was also a dancefloor banger that I must have got down to now about ten zillion times. Dancing and singing along in a gay bar to this is always,but always, something powerful - by now, a shared queer ritual.
Years later, in the 1990s, when Judith Butler's technical discussion of gender performativity hit, this song came back to me. I used to use it with students as an example of how performativity works and what it is - not a willed performance, but a more complex thing, where the gaze of others becomes crucial.
('You make me feel like a natural woman' and 'I'm every woman' were also teaching materials. Runs deeeeeeep).
Thanks for this beautiful piece and for the mems.
https://binarythis.com/2013/05/23/judith-butler-explained-with-cats/