Great piece. Just one small remark. Jacques Morali is only one half of the production company "Can't Stop The Music" that was behind The Village People. The other being Henry Belolo. Belolo wasn't gay either. And they were active on the American market well before 1977. The Ritchie Family was their first creation (and success) in 1975.
Thanks for the kind words and thanks for reading. I know about Belolo but didn't find him particularly relevant for this story as he was in support of Morali's vision of making a "gay fantasy" supergroup. I originally mentioned him within the context of the federal ruling that took Belolo's name off of 13 songs as a co-writer. Morali and Willis won the sole rights as co-writers of 13 songs including "Y.M.C.A." even though Belolo slapped his name on there because he translated the lyrics to French. I edited all of that out for word count because it didn't feel relevant to the heart of the story.
Belolo is indeed a strange connection in the Jacques Morali story. I'm planning to go deeper into their peculiar relationship in one of the future episodes. But I always get the impression that he "went along for the ride" after making a very worthwhile bet to back Morali at the start of his career. One of the clearest examples of how a lucky bet can change your life (and finances) forever 😃
I was a kid when the Village People were first big and there was no mention of the group or members being gay-I didn’t know what “gay” was until I was in my late teens! We also had no clue about Freddy Mercury or Rob Halford (of Judas Priest). It was very well hidden.
Loved reading this! I knew the Village People were a bit more on the manufactured side of queer culture, but I definitely didn’t realize how much back and forth there was about intent and the space they meant to hold.
Regardless, I hope someone photocopied the original “Macho Types Wanted: Must Dance And Have A Moustache” ad and that it’s displayed pride of place in a gay bar somewhere. 😆🙌🏼
I love the fact that the song has lines like "you can hang out with all the boys at the YMCA" - a place famous for cruising back in the day! Of course, I always laugh at the ridiculousness of people doing the song's famous arm dance at ball parks without knowing this.
Great piece. Just one small remark. Jacques Morali is only one half of the production company "Can't Stop The Music" that was behind The Village People. The other being Henry Belolo. Belolo wasn't gay either. And they were active on the American market well before 1977. The Ritchie Family was their first creation (and success) in 1975.
Thanks for the kind words and thanks for reading. I know about Belolo but didn't find him particularly relevant for this story as he was in support of Morali's vision of making a "gay fantasy" supergroup. I originally mentioned him within the context of the federal ruling that took Belolo's name off of 13 songs as a co-writer. Morali and Willis won the sole rights as co-writers of 13 songs including "Y.M.C.A." even though Belolo slapped his name on there because he translated the lyrics to French. I edited all of that out for word count because it didn't feel relevant to the heart of the story.
Belolo is indeed a strange connection in the Jacques Morali story. I'm planning to go deeper into their peculiar relationship in one of the future episodes. But I always get the impression that he "went along for the ride" after making a very worthwhile bet to back Morali at the start of his career. One of the clearest examples of how a lucky bet can change your life (and finances) forever 😃
I was a kid when the Village People were first big and there was no mention of the group or members being gay-I didn’t know what “gay” was until I was in my late teens! We also had no clue about Freddy Mercury or Rob Halford (of Judas Priest). It was very well hidden.
Excellent article, thank you!💕
Loved reading this! I knew the Village People were a bit more on the manufactured side of queer culture, but I definitely didn’t realize how much back and forth there was about intent and the space they meant to hold.
Regardless, I hope someone photocopied the original “Macho Types Wanted: Must Dance And Have A Moustache” ad and that it’s displayed pride of place in a gay bar somewhere. 😆🙌🏼
Can I get that as a T-shirt?
The gayest musical group ever....
I love the fact that the song has lines like "you can hang out with all the boys at the YMCA" - a place famous for cruising back in the day! Of course, I always laugh at the ridiculousness of people doing the song's famous arm dance at ball parks without knowing this.
Great read. Thanks! 🙏🏻