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Popular Music, Glbtq Identity, and Religion

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Popular Music, Glbtq Identity, and Religion BORN (AGAIN) THIS WAY: POPULAR MUSIC, GLBTQ IDENTITY, AND RELIGION Garrett M. Spatz A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC December 2012 Committee: Katherine Meizel, Advisor Jeremy Wallach Mary Natvig © 2012 Garrett M. Spatz All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Katherine Meizel, Advisor This thesis is an exploration of the relationship between religion and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (GLBTQ) identity in the United States as revealed and complicated through popular music. It is based upon three case studies consisting of the 2011 Chicago Gay Pride Parade, the musical voice of the GLBTQ community as portrayed through gay anthems and historical gay icons, and pop star Lady Gaga’s music and concert “The Monster Ball.” These three case studies build upon one another in order to further contextualize each other: the Chicago Gay Pride Parade uses music in order to redefine spaces in Chicago, the musical voice builds upon the concept of “gay” anthems by female singers, and Lady Gaga is one of the most popular contemporary gay icons. I completed much of the research for this project through ethnographic methods of participant observation and several interviews with community insiders. I examine the 2011 Chicago Gay Pride Parade as a ritualesque event that allows for personal and societal transformations needed in order to promote acceptance of GLBTQ individuals within the United States and as a celebration of a range of identities. By reflecting on my own and others’ experiences as parade attendees and participants, I analyze music’s role in the creation of a safe space that is necessary for these transformations. This study also reveals how the GLBTQ rights movement’s aims and goals draw extensively on narratives of the American Dream, with its focus on narratives iv of transformation, since the movement’s aims are on transforming the GLBTQ community’s role in the United States. Next, to show certain strategic, political aims of the GLBTQ community, I explore the musical voices with which it has identified. More often than not, GLBTQ individuals do not turn to their own voices in choosing their musical anthems but rather the voices of non-GLBTQ individuals, in a manner that I understand as strategic identification. I detail how examining the chosen voices can provide insights into the GLBTQ community. I reveal the way that black musical practices influence popular music now and historically, influencing the current gay anthems. I suggest that gay men identify with voices influenced by these black musical practices in to strategically connect the GLBTQ rights movement with the African American civil rights movement. Finally, I explore Lady Gaga’s use of Christian-inspired language in her support of her GLBTQ fans and detail the political implications of this language. Her language reveals the importance of religious rhetoric in the United States and connects her to a larger history where religion becomes a key component of American identity and reinserts GLBTQ individuals into this discursive framework. v I would like to dedicate this thesis to all of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Americans who find themselves between two communities or two identities. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would not have been able to complete this thesis without all of the wonderful people in my life. First, I would like to thank my parents Martin and Diane and my sister Ashton for years of support, love, and listening to me discuss why the songs on the radio were more important than anyone else believed. Also, I would like to thank all of the friends and colleagues who listened to me discuss and lament my topic and who provided much needed support and a listening ear—with particular thanks to Tiffany Knoell, Igor Munoz, Tony Nagel, Katie Buckley, and Karyn Vogelpohl, Karen Hadsell, Matt Grazulis, Andrew Volk, Stephanie Ewing, and Elise Kinder. I would also like to thank Abbie Brinson Woodruff for planning our trip to see Lady Gaga in concert and for sharing wonderful ideas about popular music. I would like to thank Matthew Christie and Jonas Grey. Thank you for sharing your stories and ideas with me. They helped shape the way I understand these events and their importance in people’s lives. I would like to thank my teachers. To Dr. David Harnish, Dr. Megan Rancier, Dr. Kara Attrep, and Dr. Esther Clinton, thank you for teaching me, challenging me, and inspiring me to look deeper and search for new layers of meaning in my work. To my supervisors—Allison Eckardt Merrill, Morgen Stiegler, Dr. Kara Attrep, and Dr. Sidra Lawrence—thank you for being a constant source of inspiration and guidance as well as for listening to a new scholar. To Dr. Mary Natvig, thank you for supporting me in my topic of research and for inspiring me to always look for another perspective. To Dr. Jeremy Wallach, thank you for being a constant source of inspiration and support within the realm of popular music studies and beyond. vii Finally, I would like to offer my greatest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Katherine Meizel. This thesis would not be possible without you. Thank you for your constant support and for believing in my ideas when I was not sure I did. You have helped me to find my voice in scholarship and have taught me how to look deeply into issues that are often taken for granted. Thank you. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 A Note on GLBTQ..................................................................................................... 3 Background on Religion and GLBTQ Life ............................................................... 4 Methods...................................................................................................................... 10 Theories...................................................................................................................... 13 Situating Myself ......................................................................................................... 15 Overview of Chapters ................................................................................................ 17 CHAPTER 2. PRIDE PARADES, COMING OUT AND THE AMERICAN DREAM ..... 19 Brief History of the Chicago Gay Pride Parade ......................................................... 21 GLBTQ Rites ............................................................................................................ 23 Coming Out as Rite of Passage .................................................................................. 24 Ritualesque within the Carnivalesque: Drinking at the Parade ................................. 27 Music’s Role at the Chicago Gay Pride Parade ......................................................... 29 Overview of the Music at the Parade ......................................................................... 30 Dance Music’s Role in Gay Communities................................................................. 31 Narratives of Inclusion and Belonging ...................................................................... 35 The American Dream, “Firework” and “Faith” ......................................................... 38 Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 42 CHAPTER 3. THE VOICE: STRATEGIC IDENTIFICATION ......................................... 44 Strategic Identification ............................................................................................... 45 Contemporary Gay Anthems ..................................................................................... 46 ix Voice as an Embodied Instrument ............................................................................. 49 Historical Gay Musical Icons..................................................................................... 53 Opera Singers ............................................................................................................ 53 Judy Garland ............................................................................................................ 57 Disco Singers and Clubs ............................................................................................ 63 Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 67 CHAPTER 4. LADY GAGA, RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE AND GLBTQ RIGHTS .......... 68 Lady Gaga and the Gay Community ......................................................................... 69 Lady Gaga’s Music and Gay Men ............................................................................. 70 Lady Gaga’s Connection with her Fans ..................................................................... 72 Lady Gaga as a Diva .................................................................................................. 77 Divas as Public Figures .............................................................................................. 77 Traumatic Origin Story .............................................................................................. 89 Larger-than-life Personality ....................................................................................... 80 Divas as Different .....................................................................................................
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