Pablo writes:

>Donald Satz wrote:
>
>>John seems to assume that we all know about the so-called connection
>>between "gay" and classical music.  Personally, the only source where I've
>>ever heard of this connection is from classical music *lovers* on this
>>list.
>
>Me too.  I thought that gay people liked Broadway musicals.  Actually,
>I've heard much more about CM as a resource to pick up girls.

Very amusing Pablo, and unfortunately probably true.  I only have one gay
friend that is a hard-core CM fanatic.

But you, Don, and myself are CM insiders, and we know better.  The
whole point behind my posting was that a 17-year old CM lover was made
uncomfortable by friends who know nothing of CM except for when they see
occasional references in movies, or know of a CM artist who has transcended
the genre and enjoys name recognition even among the popular culture.
Let's look at some of those references in movies, and let's look at some
of the genre-busting names of the last 30 years.

As an outsider, you may know nothing about Classical pianists, but when
independent film-making was all the rage, you might have found yourself
at the movie, "Shine," where the pianist at one point is seduced by a
transvestite.

Imagine the aging baby-boomer, (whose only classical record was
"Switched-on Bach," that runaway hit of the '70's), walking into Dallas
Tower Records today and asking Kevin Sutton if, "he could be directed to
the *Walter* Carlos section....

Not knowing who Maria Callas is, you certainly would now after that aria
scene in the movie, "Philadelphia," where a gay male tries to explain his
love of opera.

Liberace--need I say more.  (yeah, yeah, but he dabbled in CM)

And speaking of musicals, in the movie "American Pie," the main character
discloses to his teammates that he "can't make the game because he is
going to appear in the school musical," and one of his teammates retorts:
"What?" "Are you kidding?" "Are you a f*g?" (I know this might be
distasteful writing to some, but the movie was a hit, and therefore seen
by countless, countless youth.)

Two ballet greats that even made it to the covers of People magazine:
Baryshnikov(sp?) and Nureyev: Nureyev died of aids-related causes, and
Baryshnikov can be seen indignantly asserting, "I like *girls*!" in the
movie, "The Turning Point," after being taunted by a female dancer.

These are some of the snapshots of the CM lifestyle that get stuck in the
popular American psyche.

Of course, to be fair, as an outsider I would be able to identify the Three
Tenors, and Charlotte Church; I might have the CD "Chant" in my collection,
and I might have seen the movies, "Amadeus," and "The Competition"--no
unusual lifestyles represented.

------

As a teacher, I have lost a few very promising instrumentalists to negative
peer pressure, and have even attended inservice meetings at band director
conventions dedicated to "counteracting negative peer pressure and keeping
your middle-school musicians.

So Don, "shaky premises and inaccurate conclusions?"

I look forward to your reply.

John Smyth