REVISTA DE LENGUAS MODERNAS, N.° 26, 2017 / 387-401 / ISSN: 1659-1933 Glam Rock and Funk Alter-Egos, Fantasy, and the Performativity of Identities MONICA BRADLEY Escuela de Lenguas Modernas Universidad de Costa Rica The emergence of desire, and hence our biological response, is thus bound up in our ability to fantasize, to inhabit an imagined scenario that, in turn, ‘produces what we understand as sexuality’ (Whitely 251). Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality” (Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody”). Abstract The following article explores different conceptions of fantasy and science fiction that characterized many popular music performances in the 1970’s predominantly in the genres of glam rock and funk. By focusing on a few artists that were at the peak of their music careers at this time, such as David Bowie, P-Funk, Queen, Labelle and others, it attempts to un-earth some historical conditions for women, queers, and people of color and reveal how these artists have attempted to escape and transform certain realities by transgressing the boundaries of real/fiction, masculinity/ femininity, race, sexuality, and the “alien”. Key words: Glam rock, Funk, music, science fiction, queer, gender, race Resumen El siguiente artículo explora las diferentes concepciones de fantasía y ciencia ficción que caracterizan muchas formas de actuación en la música popular de los años setentas, predominantemente en los géneros de glam rock y funk. Pondré especial atención en algunos artistas que estuvieron en el ápice de su carrera musical en este tiempo como David Bowie, Recepción: 29-03-16 Aceptación: 12-12-16 388 REVISTA DE LENGUAS MODERNAS, N.° 26, 2017 / 387-401 / ISSN: 1659-1933 P-Funk, Queen, Labelle, y otros quienes intentaron traer a la realidad temas sobre condiciones históricas en mujeres, queers y personas de color . Asimismo, demostraré la forma en que estos artistas intentaron escapar y transformar ciertas realidades mediante la trasgresión de los límites entre realidad/ficción, masculinidad/feminidad, la raza, la sexualidad y el “alien”. Palabras claves: Glam rock, Funk, música, ciencia ficción,queer , género, raza he two quotes by Whitely bodies of discourse, and discourses of and Queen at the beginning bodies intersect to foreclose any easy Tof this article point to a distinction between actor and stage, fairly obvious connection between between sender/receiver, channel, fantasy, desire, and popular music. code, message, context” (2). Both listening to and performing In the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” music is, in part, a projection of our quoted at the beginning of this paper, fantasies and desire to create (or the line that immediately follows is: exist in) a world we do not quite “Open your eyes, look up to the skies and inhabit, yet these fantasies are also see.” It is this “looking up to the skies,” constructed by our social “realities”. not toward a god or a ‘heaven’ but As Butler explains, construction is towards the stars, the universe, and the “neither a subject nor its act, but a “alien” in popular music that interests process of reiteration by which both me. Therefore, this paper explores ‘subjects’ and ‘acts’ come to appear at different conceptions of fantasy and all” (Bodies 9). In effect, what fantasies science fiction that characterized many we are afforded and what personas popular music performances in the we are able to perform and ‘absorb’ 1970’s predominantly in the genres of into our identities are set into action glam rock and funk (although many of (and limited) by the social conditions these performers queer the boundaries of a particular time and place, yet of the genres). By specifically focusing these performances also (often quite on a few artists that were at the peak of skillfully) put into affect future social their music careers at this time, such as “realities”. So considering that certain David Bowie, P-Funk, Queen, Labelle genders, sexualities, and races have and others, this article attempts to been figured outside of the realm of the un-earth some historical conditions ‘human’ in Western history, this paper for women, queers, and people of color questions how various Glam Rock and and reveal how these artists have Funk performers in the 1970’s have attempted to escape and transform subverted these claims and created an certain realities by transgressing the alternate reality where they can forge boundaries of real/fiction, time and a unique existence through fantasy space, masculinity/femininity, race, and performance. As Halberstam and sexuality, and the “alien” as well as Livingston write, “Posthuman bodies the limitations of their performances. are not slaves to masterdiscourses Like Whitely, “I have chosen to focus but emerge at nodes where bodies, primarily on the 1970’s—a period BRADLEY. GlaM ROCK AND FUNK ALTer-EGOS... 389 when fantasy was arguably preferable Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh to the continuing problems associated Bulsara on the African Island of with gay identity within the real and Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania) of unforgiving world of popular music,” Indian Parsi heritage, and went to but I also want to explore how fantasy boarding school in India, where he and science fiction became a more started going by Freddie (Davis 1). viable ‘reality’ for multiple subject After he finished school, he returned to formations in popular music and put Zanzibar, but did not stay long before future relations into effect (260). he and his family moved to England Considering the racism, sexism, during the Zanzibar revolution. In homophobia, the Vietnam War, Wa- England, Mercury started the band tergate, Cold War politics, Nixon, anti- Queen and legally changed his name colonial struggles, the assassination of to Freddie Mercury (2). According to Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm some of Mercury’s friends, changing X, the intensification of capitalism as his name also signaled a moving away well as the emergence of Star Trek and from his former identity. As quoted to the “success” Space Program in gen- David Bret, “[Farrokh] Bulsara was a eral, we can see how certain artists name he had buried. He never wanted who were marginalized in regards to to talk about any period in his life gender, race and/or sexuality or simply before he became Freddie Mercury, rejected the values of the white hetero- and everything about Freddie Mercury sexual suburbia might look to space, was a self-constructed thing” (Bret not as more territory to colonize, but as 20). His family suggested that by not a place not yet colonized, and a place highlighting his Parsi heritage, he was that can be utilized in the subversion sheltering himself from the racism of an oppressive society. As Whitely against British Asians (Taraporevala writes, “Popular music provides a spe- 172). Yet it wasn’t just Mercury’s cific insight into the ways in which Parsi heritage that he did not embrace fantasy…can signal both what is de- publicly in his identity, he also was not nied and what we would like to experi- open about his sexuality for many years ence. Likewise, fantasy, as is a setting and did not disclose his HIV status for desire, provides a particular space until right before he died. Obviously, for the performer herself, allowing ac- this is due to homophobia as well as the cess to otherwise prohibited thoughts intense fear by a mainstream public and acts via subversion of performance and many rock fans of HIV positive codes associated with particular music or people with AIDS. Even though genres” (251). So when we apply this the early 70’s was characterized by understanding of fantasy and desire to more acceptance of gay and lesbian artists such as Freddie Mercury from identities (after the Stonewall Queen, who gained popularity towards Riots, England’s decriminalization the end of glam rock, we see the emer- of homosexual acts, the Sexual gence of stage personas that are creat- Revolution, as well as the gender ed directly from lived reality, but also fluidity that characterized glam rock), function as an attempt to escape and there was also considerable backlash subvert certain realities. towards these accomplishments and 390 REVISTA DE LENGUAS MODERNAS, N.° 26, 2017 / 387-401 / ISSN: 1659-1933 many people still voiced their overt rejection of some of the sacrifices that hatred of gay and lesbian individuals have been (often forcibly and violently) and communities. Furthermore, made to keep humanity ‘human’ for a when AIDS was first discovered, it select few. was (and is) characterized as a gay So to exist as a ‘human’ or even disease and god’s way punishing the ‘super-human’ performer, oftentimes queers. As Whitely points out, “While one must allude and leave the fantasy Queen’s popularity can be related to intact and the mask in place, as Queen the ascendancy of glam and glitter in reveals in their 1991 hit “Innuendo”: the early to mid-1970’s, it is apparent that the flirtation with androgyny and While we live according to race, colour sexuality that characterized many of or creed, While we rule by blind mad- its prominent performers…was not ness and pure greed, Our lives dictated accompanied by an acceptance of gay by tradition, superstition, false reli- sexuality by the general public” (253). gion…Through the sorrow all through With so many barriers threatening our splendour, Don’t take offence at to hurt his musical career and personal my innuendo. You can be anything you life, it is not hard to understand why want to be. Just turn yourself into an- he would create an alter-ego identity ything you think that you could ever be. that subverts these systems (while maintaining his commercial success This song signals a rejection of some and sanity).