How ABBA beme beloved gay ins: the surprisg story

Kev Maxen, a ach wh the Jacksonville Jaguars, has bee the first male ach a major US-based profsnal league to e out as gay. | ITV Natnal News * abba gay icon *

” “The first time he did that, was a mistake, ” rells Robbie Llie, DJ veteran of New York Cy’s the Sat, the ultimate ’80s gay dis. ”Like Llie’s siarly beloved mix of Jimmy Ruff’s “Hold on to My Love, ” Rodriguez’s ABBA transformatn appeared only on Dis, a gay-owned subscriptn remix service. This forced a 12-ch release overseas of “Lay All Your Love on Me’s” paratively ordary LP cut that prerved the exclivy of Rodriguez’s versn, while s longevy proved that dancers — particularly gay on — still craved fast and lty club anthems.

In 1982, ABBA’s North Amerin label issued s kdred uptempo tune “The Visors” as a sgle, but once aga, a gay subscriptn-only remix service, Hot Tracks, supplied the extend ABBA that year rerd what would be for s s fal ssns, U. Producers such as Stock Aken Waterman filled the void wh gay-targeted “hi-NRG” tracks that crossed to the mastream via Dead or Alive, Bananarama, Mogue and Summer, while everyone om the Lat Rasls to the Pet Shop Boys replited Rodriguez’s mache-gun hi-NRG ran s urse, England’s Erasure released 1992’s “Abba-que, ” a love letter of ver versns.

Its gay lead sger, Andy Bell, and his straight synth sikick Vce Clarke even re-created their source material’s “Take a Chance on Me” vio drag, wh U.

HOW ABBA BEME GAY INS?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Kev Maxen, an associate strength ach wh the Jacksonville Jaguars, has bee the first male ach a major U.S.-based profsnal league to e out as gay. * abba gay icon *

In 1994, the oldi promently popped up the movi “Muriel’s Weddg, ” which gave gay fave Toni Collette her big break, and “The Adventur of Priscilla, Queen of the Dert, ” a trans-tastic road edy. At the absolute nadir of the AIDS plague, ABBA was reborn to paragons of gloom-relievg if bombastic outfs and bubblegum hooks had been the only gear ABBA gave to LGBTQ culture, s gay appeal would’ve plummeted after the lifavg arrival of antiviral cktails.

Our survival strategy has always been to unter hate wh love; we manift gayns to endure s on the most fundamental level, ABBA’s heterosexualy is more overt than the straightt rock dus. Lbian separatists and gay male misogynists might gmble, but most of relish ABBA’s unmatched genr pary and equaly.

This is ABBA’s gift to LGBTQ culture — an oasis wh the mega-mastream that Rodriguez and other gay pneers helped Walters is the thor of the forthg book “Mighty Real: The Mic That Built LGBTQ Ameri. Gays (and their lucky straight iends) are wavg their arms, strikg genue pos and shamelsly sgg along to the sugary 45-year-old pop standard that’s bee synonymo wh queer nightlife. Gays (and their lucky straight iends) wave their arms, pose genuo, and sg shamelsly to the 45-year-old sweet pop standard that has bee synonymo wh queer nightlife.

GAY INOGRAPHY: FIVE OF ABBA’S MOST CLASSIC CLIPS

Thanks to multiple rnatns on stage and on screen of “Mamma Mia!, Fabuloly garish stum by gay signer Owe Sandström, and perfectly crafted songs more retroactively popular than their heyday of the 70s and early 80s, ABBA has been the target of the LGBTQ mil universe for s. Ostensibly cheerful but filled wh drama and sprkled wh Sndavian melancholy, the pop of the Stockholm mixed quartet has put together the glz of untls gay and gay groups, om Kylie Mogue to Lady Gaga, om Adam Lambert to Lil Nas X – a sgular achievement for a group that had not produced an album for 40 years.

This week by releasg “Voyage”, his first new LP sce 1981 and a teaser for next year’s London gigs featurg 3D avatars, ABBA is to many gay fans what the Rollg Ston are to straight guys – archetyp whose appeal transcends time, place and age. Back the days when Donna Summer reigned as the disputable dance queen, ABBA hadn’t performed much gay clubs, not even you know what: Dis’s top mixer, Tom Moulton, nsired “Dancg Queen” perfect.

Y, there were exceptns: Larry Levan – the fluential black gay DJ at New York’s legendary and mostly Black / LGBTQ Paradise Garage – loved Cher’s “Take Me Home”.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN FIRST MALE PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

But gay DJs and their dienc mostly favored unrground divas and obscure orchtral matros they disvered and popularized, and not h pop acts om AM rad. Straight clubs have shifted to eclectic funk and new wave, but the well of fast-paced gay dancefloor tun has almost dried up.

“The first time he did that, was a mistake, ” rells Robbie Llie, veteran DJ of Sat, the qutsential gay nightclub of the 80s. Like Llie’s equally beloved mix of Jimmy Ruff’s “Hang on to My Love, ” Rodriguez’s ABBA transformatn only appeared on Dis, a subscriptn-based remix service owned by gay people. This forced a 12-ch overseas release of the relatively ordary “Lay All Your Love on Me’s” LP that prerved the exclivy of Rodriguez’s versn, while s longevy proved that dancers – pecially gays – had.

In 1982, ABBA’s North Amerin label released their uptempo track “The Visors” as a sgle, but aga, a subscriptn-based gay remix service, Hot Tracks, provid the expand versn. After ABBA rerd what would be s last ssns for s that year, UK producers like Stock Aken Waterman filled the void wh “hi-NRG” tracks ially targeted at gays who entered the scene.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH COACH KEV MAXEN COM OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

His gay sger Andy Bell and his straight synth sikick Vce Clarke even recreated the “Take a Chance on Me” vio om their drag source material, wh rults toppg the UK charts.

In 1994, the oldi appeared promently the films “Muriel’s Weddg, ” which gave gay favore Toni Collette a big chance, and “The Adventur of Priscilla, Queen of the Dert, ” a trans-road edy. But if bombastic outfs and chewg gum hooks had been the only piece of equipment ABBA offered to LGBTQ culture, s gay appeal would have llapsed after the life-savg arrival of antiviral cktails.

It’s ABBA’s gift to LGBTQ culture – an oasis wh the mega-stream that Rodriguez and other gay pneers helped to build.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

Gays (and their lucky straight iends) are wavg their arms, strikg genue pos and shamelsly sgg along to the sugary 45-year-old pop standard that's bee synonymo wh queer nightlife. " and "Macho Man" for themselv, but there's no way they'll take this one om to multiple stage and screen rnatns of "Mamma Mia!, " fabuloly garish stum om gay signer Owe Sandström and nsummately crafted songs more retroactively popular than their '70s and early '80s heyday, ABBA has for s been the bull's-eye of the LGBTQ mil universe. Ostensibly cheerful but packed wh drama and peppered wh Sndavian melancholy, the Stockholm mixed-genr quartet's pop has blueprted the glz of untls gay and gay-iendly acts om Kylie Mogue to Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert to Lil Nas X — a sgular achievement for a band that hadn't pleted an album 40 years.

This week releasg "Voyage, " s first new LP sce 1981 and a teaser for next year's London ncerts featurg 3D avatars, ABBA is to many gay fans what the Rollg Ston are to straights — archetyp whose appeal transcends time, place and age. Back when Donna Summer reigned as disputable dancg queen, ABBA didn't get much gay club play, not even you-know-what: Dis's top mixer, Tom Moulton, nsired "Dancg Queen" perfect as is, so he turned down the chance to remix .

Kev Maxen be first male ach a US men’s pro sports league to publicly e out as gay | CNN

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THE SURPRISG STORY OF HOW ABBA BEME BELOVED GAY INS

HOW ABBA BEME A BELOVED GAY IN: THE SURPRISG STORY