Tag: 1980s
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Songs That Soundtracked the AIDS Epidemic: Safire’s “Thinking of You”
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born wilma cosmé in san juan puerto rico and raised in east harlem, safire was one of the first freestyle solo artist to land a deal with a major record label after her first two independently released singles, “don’t break my heart” (1986) and “let me be the one” (1987).…
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WAYLAND FLOWERS
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in the early 1980’s, a puppet with big drag queen energy served as a trojan horse sneaking comedic skits that were both camp and queer as fuck into the homes of america every as recurring act on the nationally syndicated variety show “solid gold.” believed to be inspired by actress…
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Remembering the Brilliance & Impact of Vanity 6
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girl groups have long been around since the turn of the 20th century. from the boswell sisters who were hit on the vaudeville circuit of the 1920’s and the andrew sisters, one of the most successful singing groups of 1940’s. but it wasn’t until Black girl groups like the chantelles,…
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The Black History of Freestyle Music
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the late great and house music pioneer, dj frankie knuckles, once said that house was disco’s revenge. and he wasn’t lying. but in the years between the racists- and homophobic-driven disco backlash in 1979 and the rise of house music in the late 1980’s, black, latinx and lgbtq club goers…
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LARRY LEVAN
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there once existed a black queer man who used the art of mixing songs to transform a converted parking garage into an oasis for black, brown and queer folks who were committed to surviving together – on the dance floor. the paradise garage, located on 84 king street in manhattan,…
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That Time When The White House Press Room Erupted In Laughter About The Then Growing AIDS Epidemic
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a few days ago, i logged into this very account and saw that a mutual posted a meme that read, “900 people get coronavirus and the whole world wants to wear a surgical mask. 30 million people have AIDS but still nobody wants to wear a condom.” at first, i…
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IRENE CARA
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a few days ago, i asked a co-worker, “do you know who irene cara is?” he replied, “no. who is she?” after almost fainting, i said, “this why i the world is burning.” sadly, many folks do not know who irene cara is and those who do remember her, often…
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my gay ass christmas playlist
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i love, love, love the holiday season. yes, it is about peace, love and blah, blah, blah. i enjoy and believe in those things but what i love most about this holidays is the music. why? well, for starters, most christmas pop songs are campy af! they are outreagoeus and…
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GWEN GUTHRIE
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dubbed the queen of paradise garage, the notable and beloved new york night clubs of the 1980’s, gwen guthrie entered the mainstream pop music consciousness with her 1986 hit, “ain’t nothing going on but the rent.” the song helped her garner a wider audience but by that time, gwen was…
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SHANNON
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as a kid in the early half of the the 1980′s, i’d watch as my mother and her gay friends shuffle through a crate of vinyl records to choose a song to dance to. one of those songs was “let the music play” by shannon. my mother’s friend, josie, a Black…
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Forgotten AIDS Episode of Forgotten 80’s Sitcom
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in the fall of 1989, i was a 12 year-old fem as fuck youth who hungered for any queer representation on tv when i discovered the groundbreaking sitcom, “brothers.” the show, which was the first weekly sitcom on cable, had just ended it’s five-year run showtime and was now finding…
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Remember June 5, 1981
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on june 5, 1981, the center for disease control (cdc) published an article in its morbidity and mortality weekly report (mmwr): pneumocystis pneumonia—los angeles. the article described cases of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia(pcp), a rare lung infection, in five young, white, previously healthy gay men in los angeles. the report stated…