Queer Men Who (Indie) Rock
by Graham Kolbeins
Patrick Wolf + Joel Gibb of The Hidden Cameras

Kele Okereke of Bloc Party + Jonsi of Sigur Ros

Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear + Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy
Robert Urban of AfterElton posted an article on Tuesday called Rocking Out - Male Musicians Straddle the Closet. The musicians discussed in the article aren’t all that surprising— Michael Stipe, Scissor Sisters, Morrissey, Rob Halford, and so forth. Urban tries to keep it fresh by mentioning Kele Okereke and Imperial Teen, but the focus is mainly on pop musicians that appeal to an extremely broad audience.

The article makes the good point that because sexuality has been wrestled with so much in the half-century history of rock music, it has gotten to the point where it no longer really matters, despite what twats like Mika may think. However, it misses out on a huge opportunity to demonstrate that point by failing to mention the ever-growing league of musicians in the indie music world who are quietly out of the closet.

Over the past decade, the pop culture tastes of Generation Y have gradually diverged from what you can see representing them in the media. The Internet has leveled the playing field, exposing kids all over the world to music they might never hear otherwise. At the same time, corporate media (MTV, Clear Channel radio, et al) has grown more staged, offering a reality we know to be false, crafted by marketing experts to appeal to the broadest numbers possible.

This generation’s taste is more niche-oriented, and the popular media hasn’t figured out how to deal with that yet. Instead of proliferating, they’ve downsized. Instead of a buffet, there are now only a few options on the menu of mainstream media, but they’re prepared with mechanical precision— pre-packaged spectacle of the predictable kind.

Armchair sociology aside, it’s impossible to deny that kids these days love their indie rock. Especially gay kids, who have a natural proclivity towards appreciating that which is different. So it’s rad that there are so many positive role models out there, showing all the little gay (and bi) boys out there not only that it’s alright to be queer, but that it’s not even a big deal. I salute you, queer dudes of indie rock!

More queer dudes in indie rock bands:
Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields
Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu
Jeppe Laursen of Junior Senior
Roddy Bottum and Will Schwartz of Imperial Teen
M. C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel of Matmos

Music | July 19, 2007

  • nice :)

    Posted by rudy on July 19th, 2007 at 11:26 pm

  • oh what about gay punks? haha

    Posted by rudy on July 19th, 2007 at 11:27 pm

  • Owen Pallett, ftw!

    Posted by Norg on July 20th, 2007 at 4:27 am

  • Love it – i realized a few years back that an unusually high percentage of the postpunk/new wave stuff i like was fronted by gays. Human Sexual Response, Gary Allen, The Associates (Billy Mackenzie), Arthur Russell, Klaus Nomi, the B-52s, Soft Cell, the list goes on and on. forever.

    And what about Sufjan? I know the jury’s still out, but after seeing him in concert I can confidently say he’s a mo too. Further proof is that when I make out with him in my dreams he seems pretty into it.

    Posted by unclealex on July 20th, 2007 at 10:29 am

  • We should take bets on when Sufjan will come out of the closet. I’m guessing somewhere in between the release of Vermont and South Dakota. And does anyone else think that Stevie from Belle & Sebastian is a total ‘mo? I heard a rumor that Hamilton Leithauser of The Walkmen was gay. :O

    Posted by Graham Kolbeins on July 20th, 2007 at 10:45 am

  • Rad article, nice pictures!
    some other musicians that like weenies: David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Billie Joe Armstrong, Tevin Campbell, Darby Crash, Man Parrish, Arthur Russell, Henry Rollins….

    Posted by AB3L on July 20th, 2007 at 11:54 am

  • MATMOS! BOTH OF THEM!
    and sufjan felt like he had to come up with a bunch of mumbo jumbo to ‘explain’ that palisades song… ‘doth protest’ etc.
    also what seems like part of the new Mum line-up.
    also, i think half of The Books (though i’m not all sure on that)

    Posted by alan on July 21st, 2007 at 11:12 am

  • Right! How could I forget about Matmos?

    Posted by Graham Kolbeins on July 21st, 2007 at 5:36 pm

  • MARK EITZEL! BOB MOULD!

    Posted by Rebecca on July 23rd, 2007 at 12:34 pm

  • Coil! Coil! Coil!

    People often seem to overlook Coil, despite them producing amazing, groundbreaking music from 1982 onwards. Scored films for Derek Jarman, also the Gay Man’s Guide to Safer Sex, donated the proceeds of their second single, Panic, to the Terrence Higgins Trust in 1985, had Marc Almond as a guest vocalist, etc, etc. Activism aside, they were important as well as influential (ask Matmos).

    Posted by John C on July 23rd, 2007 at 12:43 pm

  • I’m pretty sure Henry Rollins doesn’t like cock, although he’s very enthusiastically pro-gay. It would be nice, though…

    Posted by DCN on July 23rd, 2007 at 1:13 pm

  • Nice post, Graham! I did a similar post last month with an emphasis on gay indie rockers (http://www.hypeful.com/2007/06/25/hypeful-about-gay-musicians/). I appreciate your commentary and it’s nice to see these musicians being recognized instead of the same tired/obvious gay artists. Nice work!

    Posted by Hypeful on July 23rd, 2007 at 1:26 pm

  • I thought EVERYONE in indie rock was gay?

    Lovely list, though there are far more.

    Posted by James on July 23rd, 2007 at 2:02 pm

  • good show, graham. towleroad link! huzzah!!

    Posted by armando on July 23rd, 2007 at 3:07 pm

  • Pity that no one recalls that DeeDee Ramone was a rent boy, that part of the contract to sign w Sire was that Seymour Stein takes DeeDee to bed, that Joey & Diego Rivera were lovers.

    Posted by zabadak900 on July 23rd, 2007 at 3:38 pm

  • “At the same time, corporate media (MTV, Clear Channel radio, et al) has grown more staged, offering a reality we know to be false, crafted by marketing experts to appeal to the broadest numbers possible.” -Very well put. It seems false to think that the internet has played a very large part in who i am (music i listen to, books i listen to, encouraging interests) but it’s true. I can’t help but think I was “saved” from the tasteless trash and as I look to others my age – they’re slowly catching on, as well, but not at the same pace. Jamie Stewart is by far my favorite on the list.

    Also, I completely missed two Rockaway Armada preformances, both of them within 30 minutes of myself (Muscatine and Burlington). I’m giving myself a hard time about it because I completely forgot in the haze of Harry Potter’s send-off. I was hoping they would arrive after it was all over. It’s so strange being able to identify their surroundings (they seem to be in the same park where a very unfortunate statue of a Clam Digger resides). I promised myself that I’m going to catch their next show and take many photos.

    Posted by Jacob on July 23rd, 2007 at 6:49 pm

  • Well..us!
    We’re gay, we covered Sufjan, http://www.myspace.com/microfilmmusic
    we’re eelctronic, not rock, but hey, the list goes on and on…

    Posted by Microfilm on July 24th, 2007 at 5:03 am

  • [...] וורוד רביעי. גם רוקרים אלטרנטיבים יכולים לנשוך כריות – ×”× ×” כתבה על כמה מהם [...]

    Posted by Ori Oren’s Blog » על סדר היום on July 24th, 2007 at 6:00 am

  • Music, schmusic!

    Let’s get down to the important stuff: Which guy is the cutest?

    (Bloc Party & Patrick Wolf make the best, most accessible music of the 6 listed. Mika, the twat, doesn’t count. And if he did, I still wouldn’t like his music.)

    Posted by Marc on July 24th, 2007 at 12:14 pm

  • Thanks for the comments, everyone! :) As to who the cutest are… haha I’d have go with Kele, or Ed Droste. And though I’d never fall for someone like Patrick Wolf on first sight, he has become irresistible after watching his passionate performance at the Troubadour a few months ago.

    Posted by Graham Kolbeins on July 24th, 2007 at 5:42 pm

  • What about The Dead Betties, a REAL rock band from Brooklyn who were just signed to Cordless/Warner Bros. and who have members who are openly (quite openly) gay?

    http://punkmusic.about.com/b/a/007494.htm

    Posted by Michael on July 25th, 2007 at 9:02 am

  • I guess Rufus Wainwright doesn’t count as an indie musician because he’s so popular??!! God knows, I don’t know what other niche he fits into. How else to explain this particular omission? P.S. Thanks for the shout-out to Stephen Merritt: 99 Love Songs is effin brilliant.

    Posted by Mark M on July 25th, 2007 at 1:03 pm

  • Yeah, Rufus could be considered indie, but I just think he’s probably the most well-known young gay musician today, maybe next to the Scissor Sisters. I was just trying to point out queer musicians whose sexuality less commonly comes up.

    Posted by Graham Kolbeins on July 25th, 2007 at 1:59 pm

  • Bob Mould…but what about Grant Hart from Husker Du as well! Everyone figured Greg Norton was because of the huge ‘stache though. And Gary Floyd from the Dicks…the Big Boys!…Dave Dictor from Millions Of Dead Cops. Shit, MDC and the Big Boys were gay and out in hardcore bands in damn Texas in the early 80′s.
    I’m glad someone mentioned Dee Dee…Lou Reed too.
    Rob Halford I mention as a metalhead…and an openly gay member in metal bands no less…but
    there’s always the Phil Anselmo rumor, as well as David Lee Roth and Paul Stanley.
    It’s a long list if you think about it.

    Posted by Henry on July 25th, 2007 at 2:29 pm

  • yes, that patrick wolf show at the Troubador is what made me a total fan too. before he was just OK to me, now he’s amazing.

    Posted by unclealex on July 25th, 2007 at 5:28 pm

  • Patrick wont admit it though, in interview he says, i dont fall in love with sexes, i dont know I could end up marrying a horse. Bless him.
    There all gorgeous, i couldnt pick
    I had my suspicions about Xiu Xiu fellow, I’m glad there now confirmed.
    xx xx xx

    Posted by Mathew on July 28th, 2007 at 10:43 am

  • also i hate mika
    he is a cunt, i hope he isn’t gay i wouldn’t want to be associated in anyway with that!
    xx xx xx

    Posted by Mathew on July 28th, 2007 at 10:51 am

  • Great great article, nice that you mention Will Scwartz too, though I am only familiar with his Hey Willpower stuff. Also gay (and handsome): the lead singer from ´Evripidis and his Tragedies´ – great indie pop group on the rise http://www.myspace.com/evripidisandhistragedies

    Posted by Spyros on January 23rd, 2008 at 6:00 am

  • R&b singers Donnie and Rahsaan Patterson. ALL the B52′s except Cindy Wilson (YES kate Pierson is too !)Doug Pinnick frontman of Kings X. Meshell Ndegeocello.

    Posted by Steely Dan on February 24th, 2008 at 10:23 pm

  • Don’t forget Chris Garneau, Conor Oberst, Andy LeMaster, Bradford Cox, and Kevin Barnes!

    Posted by Tom on May 31st, 2008 at 8:04 am

  • Ha!, I love indie rock. Bloc Party is one of the best bands ever. Mmhh I didn’t know so many gay/bi kids liked indie music. Why can’t I find One!? I want an indie bf, shit. Maybe I should come out lol.

    Posted by Stevenseven on November 23rd, 2008 at 3:44 am

  • Don’t forget Pansy Division. Out punk pop that you just gotta love – 20 years of cock and they still rock. Also Xiu Xiu & Jinx Titanic. Also don’t forget 70′s new wavers The Mumps and the groundbreaking Jobraith.

    Posted by creationix on January 9th, 2010 at 3:16 am

  • No one here has mentioned the 2 greatest queer bands ever. Both groups are extremely out and wonderful. Pansy being more punk, The Hidden Cameras more emo-folk-alt-rock. The greatest gay CD ever is “The Smell Of Our Own” by Hidden Cameras.

    Posted by creationix on February 5th, 2010 at 4:09 am