The Velvet Mafia: the gay men who helped shape mic the 60s | Mic | The Guardian

Contents:

• THE VELVET MAFIA: THE GAY MEN WHO HELPED SHAPE MIC THE 60S
• 40 BT GAY SGERS & MICIANS OF ALL TIME (LGBTQ+ SGERS)
• GREATT GAY SGERS OF ALL TIME
• 35 BT GAY SGERS OF ALL TIME (LGBTQ+ SGERS)
• CHART TOPPG SGERS WHO HAVE COME OUT AS GAY

THE VELVET MAFIA: THE GAY MEN WHO HELPED SHAPE MIC THE 60S

But the people who shaped and advised those artists – the on who managed the stars of the classic rock age – were, by an outsized marg, gay terwoven muny clud Brian Epste (who brought the world the Beatl), K Lambert (who -managed the Who), Simon Napier-Bell (the Yardbirds, and a young Marc Bolan), Robert Stigwood (Cream, the Bee Ge), Billy Gaff (Rod Stewart), Ken Pt (David Bowie), Barry Krost (Cat Stevens), as well as Tony Stratton-Smh (who formed the visnary label Charisma for bands like Genis). In fact, was a gay man, Larry Parn, who svengali-d Bra’s very first rockers, om Tommy Steele to Billy Fury to Marty Wil. A new book tled The Velvet Mafia: the Gay Men who Ran the Swgg Sixti aims to tell the Brish si of this story by focg on several key players the scene, cludg a few of the aforementned nam along wh the novative producer Joe Meek and the head of the UK’s most powerful label at the time, Sir Joseph Lockwood.

”At the same time, the rich, powerful and fluential men faced the nsirable nsequenc of beg gay at a time when homosexual acts were still outlawed the UK. ”There were, fact, a few powerful gay women the Brish rock scene at the time as well, cludg Vicki Wickham, who booked the acts on the semal TV show Ready Steady Go and who later managed Dty Sprgfield and LaBelle. ”Bullock’s book don’t lve to the eper cultural and psychologil issu volved the relatnships between the gay and straight men.

Still, ’s clear to any stunt of the era that the edgy liv of gay men at the time fascated the straight artists they worked wh. ”In some ways, managers like Epste and other others uld sulate themselv om the everyday life of gay men at the time – throwg their own exclive parti and circulatg elevated circl where they uld do as they pleased.

40 BT GAY SGERS & MICIANS OF ALL TIME (LGBTQ+ SGERS)

Ironilly, after the law agast homosexual acts changed Bra 1967 – crimalizg them certa circumstanc and for those of a certa age – the harassment of LGBTQ people actually tensified. “But post-67, and wh the formatn of the Gay Liberatn Front 1970 Bra and wh gay people beg more outspoken, the raids and the psdo-polil attacks started to happen more.

The fact that there are many mic artists who are openly gay is a big step for LGBTQ+ rights, which mak the artists important and fluential.

GREATT GAY SGERS OF ALL TIME

In one of the terviews, the sger said he was spired by Elton John throughout his life, and he is also a famo gay sger. Eher way, g out as gay was a life-changg (and liberatg) cisn for Ricky Mart, and he is now nsired one of the most fluential LGBT artists the world. All thgs nsired, Mika’s songs are an tegral part of morn pop mic, and he remas one of the most fluential gay pop stars.

Well, he is certaly makg a difference, pecially the metal genre, which mak him one of the most fluential gay sgers mic dtry. Wh the succs of his album Trspassg, Lambert was also the first openly gay sger to have an album reach number one on the Billboard 200 charts. That beg said, Gee Michael’s ntributn to LGBT right was immense, and he will always be remembered as one of the most proment gay sgers of all time.

35 BT GAY SGERS OF ALL TIME (LGBTQ+ SGERS)

Regardg his personal life, he was married to his high-school sweetheart San Deixler the 60s, but he me out as gay 2007.

In one of the terviews, Stipe scribed himself as a ‘queer artist’, although he prevly didn’t want to label himself gay or straight. The song spent 19 weeks on the top of the Billboard Hot 100 – meanwhile, Lil Nas X me out as gay, which ma him the first artist to do so while beg on the top of the chart. Tennant publicly me out as gay 1994, when he nfirmed the terview for the Brish gay liftyle magaze Attu.

CHART TOPPG SGERS WHO HAVE COME OUT AS GAY

In fact, Grand is one of the few openly gay untry artists, which mak his openns even more important and fluential.