UK pop sensation Mika recently topped the charts in the UK with “Grace Kelly,” a bouncy slice of “Queen lite” that some found grating. Despite the, well, glammy nature of his music (and a song about a gay love affair on his CD), Mika has famously refrained from revealing his own sexuality, recently appearing on the cover of Out magazine beside the headline: “Gay/Post-Gay/Not Gay?”
But, of course, Mika’s not the first guy to play the “sexuality is a private matter” card, and it’s interesting to note that many of the musicians we now take for granted as torch-bearing homophiles were just hinting at it for years. Logo’s After Elton site has a fascinating look at male rock and pop stars who have “straddled the closet,” as they put it. It’s actually kind of depressing: does every gay artist have to blather endlessly about not wanting to be “pigeonholed” as a “gay artist?” Even Jake Shears of gayer-than-a-thousand-Liberace-candelabras combo Scissor Sisters has the eye-rolling quote of “I’m not a gay man first and foremost.” Jeez, lighten up! Do ya wanna make out, or not?! It’s heartening to see up-and-coming musicians like (super-cute) Dan Sells of The Feeling who’s utterly blasé about it, saying he marched in his first pride parade at age 4. Check out the article here.
And yes, just to be clear, your writer is absolutely a gay man first and foremost. Before being a geek, and a fan of snack foods, even. …Okay maybe not before snacks.
