Pansy Divisn – That's So Gay | Geni

pansy division gay

In the early 90s, the punk band’s unabashed sexualy enuraged other gay artists to e out. The days, they say, they’re livg ‘the world we wanted’

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SMELLS LIKE QUEER SPIR: HOW '90S PUNKS PANSY DIVISN BLAZED A TRAIL AS ONE OF ROCK'S FIRST OPENLY GAY BANDS

"We loved rock mic before we even realized we were gay," says ontman Jon Goli. "It seemed like there were a lot of people wag for somethg like to happen." * pansy division gay *

One of the very first openly gay rock bands, they formed 1991 right the middle of the AIDS crisis, and almost lerally lghed the face of tragedy wh their sophomoric but ultimately unifyg and healg humor. Their NSFW songs — image, say, a gay Blk-182 —over the years have clud “Bill & Ted's Homosexual Adventure, ” “Touch My Joe Camel, ” “The C***sucker Club, ” “That’s So Gay” “Dick of Death, ” “Blame the Bible, ” and a rto ver of Prce’s “Jack U Off” and Weird Al-style Nirvana spoof brilliantly tled “Smells Like Queer Spir.

PANSY DIVISN’S JON GOLI REFLECTS ON ‘UNDRSED’ TURG 30: IT SHOWED ‘THE JOYFUL SI’ OF BEG GAY (EXCLIVE)

Thirty years after Pansy Divisn their but album, Jon Goli spoke about how 'Undrsed' was meant to show the joyful si of beg gay. * pansy division gay *

”And while Pansy Divisn didn’t exactly w over the mass, the unpromisg pop-punk band quickly veloped a cult followg among queer rockers seekg an alternative to the Hi-NRG dance mic pumpg through SF’s gay clubs. ”Much has changed over the past three s, but the dark and creasgly homophobic tim, Pansy Divisn’s si-spltg lyrics and balls-to-the-wall powerpop jams are clearly still as need as ever.

(Freeman's si gig GayC/DC, an all-gay live tribute to AC/DC, is also highly remend. ) To celebrate Pansy Divisn’s anniversary as well as Pri Month, Yahoo Entertament spoke wh the band's founrs about Jon & Chris’s 30-year homosexual Entertament: I feel Pansy Divisn hered a lot of change, and you've certaly wnsed and experienced a lot of change sce your first album. We thought we uld have fulfillg, happy liv as gay people — spe all of the prejudice, spe all of the bias — and we thought, “We're jt gonna go out and show our bt selv, and we're gonna do that by g humor and beg fiant about the suatn that we fd ourselv .

Speakg of early punk, sce you vered Pete Shelley’s “Homosapien, ” how big an fluence were his band the Buzzcks on Pansy Divisn? We’d done that ver of “Homosapien, ” which was a real landmark song for me, and I told him, “You know, you are a gay hero. ” And he said, “Well, I'm not gay…” And I said, “OK, how do you fe yourself?

THAT’S SO GAYPANSY DIVISNTRACK 5 ON THAT’S SO GAY PRODUCED BYPANSY DIVISNMAR. 31, 20091 VIEWER7K VIEWS7 CONTRIBUTORSTHAT’S SO GAY LYRICS(INTRO)I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID, I'M NOT STUPID, YOU KNOWWHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR? HETERO?THE NEXT TIME YOU SAY , MAKE SURE I N'T HEAR'CSE YOU'RE PISSG ME OFF, IS THAT CLEAR?(CHOS)WHAT'D HE SAY? HE SAID "THAT'S SO GAY"WHAT'D HE SAY? HE SAID "THAT'S SO GAY"AND IF YOU SAY AGA, THERE'LL BE HELL TO PAYI'LL SHOW YOU WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAY[SHORT INSTMENTAL]I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID, JT A FIGURE OF SPEECH?IF YOU MEANT NOTHG BY , PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACHTHE NEXT TIME YOU SAY , YOU BETTER THK TWICESOME PISSED OFF FAGGOT MAY NOT TAKE TOO NICE(CHOS)WHAT'D HE SAY? HE SAID "THAT'S SO GAY"WHAT'D HE SAY? HE SAID "THAT'S SO GAY"AND IF YOU SAY AGA, THERE'LL BE HELL TO PAYI'LL SHOW YOU WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAY(INSTMENTAL)I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID, I'M NOT STUPID, YOU KNOWWHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR? ...BREER.THE NEXT TIME YOU SAY , MAKE SURE I N'T HEAR'CSE YOU'RE PISSG ME OFF, AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN QUEER!(CHOS)WHAT'D HE SAY? HE SAID "THAT'S SO GAY"WHAT'D HE SAY? HE SAID "THAT'S SO GAY"AND IF YOU SAY AGA, THERE'LL BE HELL TO PAYI'LL SHOW YOU WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAYWHAT'D HE SAY? "THAT'S SO GAY"UM, GUS WHAT? THAT'S NOT OKAY!AND IF YOU SAY AGA, THERE'LL BE HELL TO PAYI N MAKE YOU FEEL WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE GAYEMBEDCANCELHOW TO FORMAT LYRICS:TYPE OUT ALL LYRICS, EVEN REPEATG SONG PARTS LIKE THE CHOSLYRICS SHOULD BE BROKEN DOWN TO DIVIDUAL LUSE SECTN HEARS ABOVE DIFFERENT SONG PARTS LIKE [VERSE], [CHOS], ETC.USE ALICS (<I>LYRIC</I>) AND BOLD (<B>LYRIC</B>) TO DISTGUISH BETWEEN DIFFERENT VOLISTS THE SAME SONG PARTIF YOU DON’T UNRSTAND A LYRIC, E [?]TO LEARN MORE, CHECK OUT OUR TRANSCRIPTN GUI OR VIS OUR TRANSCRIBERS FOMABOUTTHIS SONG B IS UNREVIEWEDGENI ANNOTATN1 NTRIBUTORA SONG BY A GAY BAND REBUTTG THE IA THAT “THAT’S SO GAY” IS AN ACCEPTABLE SULT AS BELTL THOSE WHO ARE GAY.EXPAND +5SHAREASK A QUTN ABOUT THIS SONGASK A QUTN *‌WHO PRODUCED “THAT'S SO GAY” BY PANSY DIVISN?WHEN DID PANSY DIVISN RELEASE “THAT'S SO GAY”?WHO WROTE “THAT'S SO GAY” BY PANSY DIVISN?THAT’S SO GAY (2009)PANSY DIVISN1. TWKIE TWKIE LTLE STAR2. AVERAGE MEN3. RI BABY4. SOME OF MY BT FRIENDS5. THAT’S SO GAY6. OBSSED WH ME7. 20 YEARS OF COCK8. WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME9. YOU’LL SEE THEM AGA10. DIRTY YOUNG MAN11. IT’S JT A JOB12. PAT ME ON THE ASS13. NEVER YOU MD14. LIFE LOVERSCREDSPRODUCED BYPANSY DIVISNWRTEN BYJON GOLIRELEASE DATEMARCH 31, 2009TAGSNON-MICEXPAND COMMENTSADD A MENTSIGN UP AND DROP KNOWLEDGE ?GENI IS THE ULTIMATE SOURCE OF MIC KNOWLEDGE, CREATED BY SCHOLARS LIKE YOU WHO SHARE FACTS AND SIGHT ABOUT THE SONGS AND ARTISTS THEY LOVE.SIGN UPGENI IS THE WORLD’S BIGGT LLECTN OF SONG LYRICS AND MIL KNOWLEDGE

Pansy Divisn: Life a Gay Rock Band: Directed by Michael Carmona. Wh Chris Freeman, Jon Goli, Larry Livermore. Unniably one of the most important and fluential gay mic acts the last twenty years, Pansy Divisn pneered the "queerre" genre long before other gay micians had the nfince to e out of the closet, and whout major rerd label support or mastream rad airplay. Usg origal and archive footage and verg over fifteen years as a group, Pansy Divisn: Life a Gay Rock Band is a fast-paced, timate and humoro acunt of one of rock's most fearls acts. From their first days San Francis's unrground mic scene to a full-fledged stadium tour wh Green Day and beyond, foundg members Jon Goli and Chris Freeman overe creasgly difficult le-up chang, prejudice and near-poverty to keep the band together and create mic that has tly ma a difference. The film also exam issu that faced the gay muny the 90's, as well as the adversy one enunters simply by beg onelf. Featurg terviews and appearanc by Lookout Rerds founr Larry Livermore, Jsie "Lc" Townley (The Crimals, Alternative Tentacl), Jello Biaa (Dead Kennedys, Alternative Tentacl), Rob Halford (Judas Prit) and Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day), Pansy Divisn: Life a Gay Rock Band provis an sential history of a genre of alternative mic that is only now begng to be appreciated." data-id="ma * pansy division gay *

” [lghs] But I thought that “Homosapien” was a song that had a great msage that took some darg to do.

We thought we were gog to be playg for a gay dience that wants somethg else bis dance mic, and we'll be big the gay ci and probably won't be that popular elsewhere. And stead, we got all the kids and a followg om all over the place — cludg the gay crowd we first thought we would get, but a much wir dience than we expected.

PANSY DIVISN & GAYC/DC’S CHRIS FEEMAN SAYS PRI IS A GOOD TIME ‘TO BE ANGRY AGA’ (EXCLIVE)

* pansy division gay *

[lghs]I image there were some parents who were unfortable, but I bet you've been told by many lennials or Gen-Xers that you sparked an awakeng for them — whether was regardg their own sexualy, or jt makg them even aware of homosexualy at What was really important, I thk, was that we were prent a i where gay people [were ually shunned]. So, for to be there legimized what we were dog, wh a bunch of kids who were like, “They're really gay, aren't they? ” They'd actually e up to at our merch tabl and go, “Are you really gay?

I feel like kids get a lot of propaganda agast whatever you want to ll , the “gay liftyle, ” so actual gay people talkg to them and not censorg ourselv, I felt like that was Green Day tour gave you a taste of what would be like to be big, mastream rock stars. But we weren't terted, bee we knew people the bs that we asked about The guy who signed Green Day, Howie Kle, he's gay, and I remember askg him, “What do you thk our future would be like on a major label?

PANSY DIVISN: LIFE A GAY ROCK BAND

Pansy Divisn is an Amerin punk rock band formed San Francis, California 1991. Comprised of primarily gay micians and focg mostly on gay-related them, Pansy * pansy division gay *

And we were mentned that you wanted Pansy Divisn to be an alternative to the dance mic that ually domated gay bars and clubs. How do you thk you guys filled that niche, or even smashed stereotyp about “gay mic”?

As much as we're proud to be gay, we didn't want to be too horned to stereotyp — even wh the gay world. I mean, Chris and I grew up lovg rock mic; we loved rock mic before we even realized we were gay.

PANSY DIVISN ARE STILL HERE, STILL QUEER ON 'QUE CONTRARY'THE FLUENTIAL BAND OFFERS POP-PUNK FOR A POST-ORLANDO WORLD ON THEIR NEW {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}MICBY ERIC TORRSEPTEMBER 9, 2016/1:01 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}MART MEYERSPANSY DIVISN ARE CELEBRATG THEIR 25TH YEAR AS A BAND WH A NEW ALBUM, 'QUE CONTRARY.'BY ERIC TORRSEPTEMBER 9, 2016 / 1:01 PM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"PANSY DIVISN ARE STILL HERE, STILL QUEER ON 'QUE CONTRARY'","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2016-09-09T17:01:08.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2016-09-09T17:01:08.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"MTV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"MTV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1280,"HEIGHT":720}},"CREATOR":"ERIC TORR","KEYWORDS":"ROCK","ARTICLESECTN":"MIC"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN 1992, BAY AREA LABEL LOOKOUT RERDS SIGNED AN UNRGROUND SAN FRANCIS BAND NAMED PANSY DIVISN TO S ROSTER. THE BAND’S LYRICS, UCHED NO-ILLS, EARWORM-Y POP-PUNK, CENTERED ON TWO THEM, BOTH OF WHICH BOUGHT THEM FAMY: GAY ROMANCE AND GAY SEX. LOOKOUT WAS A POWERFUL FORCE EARLY- TO MID-1990S PUNK ROCK, KNOWN FOR RELEASG MIC OM GREEN DAY AND OPERATN IVY, AND THE LABEL HAD GOOD REASON TO SIGN THE THEN-FLEDGLG PANSY DIVISN, WHO WERE QUICKLY GAG STEAM WH ANK, FUNNY LYRICS AND MEMORABLE LIVE PERFORMANC ALONGSI UPSTARTS LIKE BIKI KILL AND TRIBE 8. THE BAND — NOW TAGGED AS “QUEERRE,” THOUGH THEY IALLY BRISTLED AT THAT INTIFIER — PUT OUT S BUT FOR THE LABEL JUNE 1994. THREE MONTHS LATER, LOOKOUT PROVID THE BAND THEIR BIGGT BREAK YET: AN OPENG SPOT FOR GREEN DAY ON AN UPG NORTH AMERIN TOUR. PANSY DIVISN’S LEAD SGER AND MA SONGWRER, JON GOLI, WAS ONLY VAGUELY FAIAR WH GREEN DAY AT THE TIME — HE’D GONE TO SEE THEM SAN FRANCIS TWICE, AND THEY’D NCELED BOTH TIM. “AND THEN, SUDNLY, WE WERE GONE,” GOLI WR HIS 2009 MEMOIR OF THE BAND, DEFLOWERED: MY LIFE PANSY DIVISN, “ON TOUR WH ONE OF THE HOTTT BANDS THE UNTRY.”{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}PANSY DIVISN HAVE NOW MA TO THE QUARTER-CENTURY MARK, A TONE CELEBRATED THIS WEEK BY THE RELEASE OF THEIR SIXTH ALBUM, QUE CONTRARY. IN RETROSPECT, THE BAND WAS CLEARLY CENTRAL CHANGG ATTUS ABOUT LGBTQ PEOPLE CERTA PUNK CIRCL — PLAYG SONGS LIKE “FEM A BLACK LEATHER JACKET” AND “JAM BONDAGE” TO SOLD-OUT SPORTS ARENAS, PERFORMG NU TO DRAW DIENC SMALL BAY AREA CLUBS, SO PROFOUNDLY -YOUR-FACE GAY WHEN SO MANY REFED TO BE. IN DEFLOWERED, GOLI RELLS THAT TRé COOL, GREEN DAY’S DMMER, TOLD THE BAND THAT THEY WERE CHOSEN AS AN OPENG ACT TO KICK BACK AGAST THE “DUMB JOCK FOLLOWG” THAT HAD E WH GREEN DAY'S MTV EXPOSURE. THE NEW FANS WERE OFTEN A HOSTILE CROWD FOR PANSY DIVISN, WHO WERE OCSNALLY PELTED WH S WHILE THEY PERFORMED. “GREEN DAY AND NIRVANA’S SUCCS HAD BLOWN OPEN SOME DOORS, AND WE WERE TRYG TO WALK THROUGH ONE OF THEM,” GOLI WR — TRENCHANT HOMOPHOBIA OF THE ERA BE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}TODAY, PANSY DIVISN ARE LD AS QUEERRE LEGENDS WHO CHALLENGED THE BOUNDARI AND ACCEPTANCE OF ROCK AND PUNK FANS, AND QUE CONTRARY IS A SUBTLE RENFIGURATN OF THE ETHOS THAT GOT THEM THERE. SETTLG TO THE ALBUM'S MIC IS AN EASY TASK FOR THOSE FAIAR WH PANSY DIVISN’S TALOGUE, OR ANY NUMBER OF OTHER HAPPY-GO-LUCKY POP-PUNK PROTOTYP. FROM THE ALBUM’S OPENG ELECTRIC GUAR RIP, ’S OBV THAT PANSY DIVISN HAVEN’T CHANGED AS MUCH AS THEY MIGHT HAVE YOU BELIEVE — THOUGH THE GROUP HAS TONED DOWN THE OUTRIGHT HORNY LYRICS OF THEIR EARLY ALBUMS HERE, THE BAND’S ADRENALIZED POP-PUNK AND GOLI’S TREMORO VOICE ARE UNCHANGED. PLAYG “DICK OF DEATH,” OM 1996’S WISH I’D TAKEN PICTUR, BACK-TO-BACK WH QUE CONTRARY’S “HE’S TROUBLE,” ’S AS THOUGH BOTH WERE RERD THE SAME MID-’90S PRIME. IT DON’T HELP THAT THE MOLS ON THE VER OF WISH I’D TAKEN PICTUR ARE REPTURED MIDDLE AGE FOR QUE CONTRARY’S ARTWORK, A TENR MOVE LE WH THE BAND’S ONGOG BID FOR HONTY AND {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;POSN:RELATIVE;PADDG-BOTTOM:56.49999999999999%;} .TWTER-TWEET-RENRED, {M-WIDTH:65%;WIDTH:TO !IMPORTANT;} {WIDTH:100%;} {MARG-LEFT:TO !IMPORTANT;MARG-RIGHT:TO !IMPORTANT;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;WIDTH:100%;} > IAME{BORR:NONE;MAX-WIDTH:100%;} > *{MAX-WIDTH:NONE !IMPORTANT;POSN:ABSOLUTE;HEIGHT:100% !IMPORTANT;WIDTH:100% !IMPORTANT;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}PANSY DIVISN HAVE NEVER NECSARILY BEEN VTED PHG THE BOUNDARI OF POP PUNK’S SOUND — WAS ALWAYS THEIR SEX-POSIVE, PHEMISM-EE LYRICS ABOUT BEG GAY THAT WERE THE DRAW. QUE CONTRARY, TE TO THAT VER ART, MOSTLY HON ON THE PASSAGE OF TIME AND RELATNSHIPS, WHICH N FEEL AT ODDS WH THEIR CHEEKY FORMER ATTU. “I ONCE WROTE A SONG ABOUT BEG A SLUT,” GO THE OPENG LE OF “LOVE CAME ALONG.” “NOW I’VE GROWN OLR AND THAT LIFE A’T MAKG THE CUT.” THERE ARE SIARLY SOBERG MOMENTS ON QUE CONTRARY THAT FEEL LIKE GROWNUP VERSNS OF PREV PANSY DIVISN SONGS FTED FOR A NEW ERA — “YOU’RE ON THE PHONE” NONTS A DISTRACTED, TECH-PENNT PARTNER, WHILE THE LARGELY ATIC “(IS THIS WHAT IT’S LIKE) GETTG OLD” EARNTLY FAC S NOMAL EXISTENTIAL CRISIS HEAD-ON. THE BOYS HAVE GROWN OLR, AND MORE IRASCIBLE: THE CENSED “BLAME THE BIBLE” SETS A FLAME TO RELIG HYPOCRISY, AND ON “TOO MUCH TO ASK,” GOLI GRIP, “WHY DO GAY MEN TREAT EACH OTHER SO BADLY? / WORSHIPG SOME APP LIKE A SAVR / WH NO PENALTY OR NSEQUENC FOR YOUR BAD BEHAVR.”{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}PETTS ASI, THE ALBUM PICKS UP AGA WH A WELE TAKE ON PET SHOP BOYS’ “IT’S A S,” BEEFED UP WH GUAR PLACE OF THE ORIGAL’S SYNTHS. PANSY DIVISN ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR VERS AND SEND-UPS — THEY’VE DONE PRCE, BEAT HAPPENG, AND MANY MORE OVER THE S — BUT THIS ONE FEELS NSEQUENTIAL. BACK 2001, THEY TRIED AND WERE TURNED DOWN FOR AN OPENG SLOT ON WOTAPALAVA, A “QUEER LOLLAPALOOZA” PUT TOGETHER BY PET SHOP BOYS’ NEIL TENNANT THAT ALMOST MATERIALIZED BEFORE SUCCUMBG TO POOR TICKET SAL AND THE DROPPG OUT OF S HEADLER, SéAD O’CONNOR. THE PRENCE OF “IT’S A S” ON QUE CONTRARY, THEN, FEELS LIKE AN OLIVE-BRANCH TO TENNANT AND PET SHOP BOYS AS WELL AS A SALUTE TO THEIR QUEER LEGACY — ONE OF THE MOST ACPLISHED OF THEIR OR ANY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}ASI OM BEG ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS ROCK MIC’S SOCIAL CHANG THE ’90S, PANSY DIVISN WERE ALSO WNS TO WHAT OTHERS WERE DOG. BIKI KILL WERE STCTIVE — BOTH BANDS TRAD BLUNT LYRICS FAVOR OF EQUALY RELATNSHIPS THAT BUCKED AGAST PATRIARCHAL NORMS. BEG ON TOUR WH GREEN DAY, TOO, EXPOSED PANSY DIVISN TO THE WAYS THAT QUEERNS WAS BEG NEWLY ACCEPTED (OR FIRMLY REJECTED) LS-TRAVELED POCKETS OF THE UNTRY. THE BAND’S PRENCE AT THOSE SHOWS ADD SOME POSIVE RERCEMENT TO STGGLG LGBTQ PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY — MANY FANS FELT FORTABLE OPENG UP TO THEM ABOUT THEIR OWN ORIENTATN, STORI OF WHICH ARE PTURED AT LENGTH GOLI’S TOUR DIARI. PANSY DIVISN ALWAYS DID ASPIRE TO BE ROLE MOLS, AND WH QUE CONTRARY, THERE’S AN OPPORTUNY FOR THEIR OUT-AND-PROUD PRENCE TO ONCE AGA BE OF E TO QUEER MICIANS AND ARTISTS G OF AGE A POST-ORLANDO {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}“YOUNGER PEOPLE ... THEY'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHG LIKE ORLANDO. THEY DON'T REMEMBER THE BAD OLD DAYS WHERE WAS MUCH MORE DANGERO TO BE OUT,” GOLI RECENTLY TOLD ROLLG STONE. “SO I THK ’S SRED SOME PEOPLE BACK, AND THAT’S UNRSTANDABLE, BUT OUR MSAGE IS TO BE BRAVE, TO GO OUT THERE. WE’VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT THE BT FENSE IS A GOOD OFFENSE.” AS AMORPHO AS THE QUEERRE GENRE HAS BEE SCE S MID-’90S PEAK, S ARCHECTS ARE STILL OFFERG TRIED-AND-TE METHODS OF FIGHTG BACK AGAST FEELG ISOLATED AND SRED BEE OF YOUR SEXUALY — WH NERVY, ENTHIASTILLY GAY POWER POP AS A WORTHY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

Disver That's So Gay by Pansy Divisn released 2009. Fd album reviews, track lists, creds, awards and more at AllMic. * pansy division gay *

Freeman: What people don't realize is that when you e out and jo the gay muny, there's a whole different set of rtrictns and l about what you n do and what you n't do the gay muny, or what's acceptable the gay muny or what's normal. But we bucked those trends as much as we you ever feel ostracized wh the gay scene bee you were playg rock?

[lghs]Pansy Divisn are often creded wh beg the first openly gay rock Well, there were other bands who me out at the same time as who were not well-known and didn't make as far as we did, so our appearance me at a certa moment where seemed like there were a lot of people wag for somethg like to happen. … But when we started the band, the ter wasn't available, so there was nothg you uld do to fd out, “Are there any other gay [punk] micians? ’Why queer band Cub Sport dropped 'J at the Gay Bar' on Good Friday: 'It uld be read as provotive/ntroversial and I'd be lyg if I said I didn't like that'The 'sleazier, more extreme Village People': How KISS associat Skatt Bros.

There have been gay micians hidn throughout rock mic history, but Pansy Divisn when began 1991 San Francis, they were the first to be so boldly open about .

THAT'S SO GAY

Found by guarist/sger Jon Goli and soon joed by bassist/volist Chris Freeman, wh the tent of formg a gay rockband, Pansy Divisn blew the closet doors open. Not only did their mic and stance fy stereotypil norms of rock miciansbeg openly gay, they also broke gay cultural stereotyp that rockwouldn’t tert gay people. Wh album tl like Undrsed and Deflowered, and song tl like “Bill & Ted’s Homosexual Adventure, ” theirbluntns and humor stood out amidst the ’90s alterna-rock scene.

SaysChris Freeman, “there was a lot of gay culture we uldn’t relate to, sowe tried to vent a place for ourselv , an alternative forother queer misfs. ” Havg had the experience of beg ostracized byother micians for beg gay and by other gays for beg to rock, “wetried to turn our alienatn to somethg posive, ” says Goli.

SaysGoli, ”When we started our band we thought we’d be playg our micto people their 20s & 30s who were gay or gay-iendly. In 2009 the band released That’s So Gay, both r and rnchy as well as beg ser-md.

'WE'RE NOT HIDG': GAY AND LBIAN RSIANS SAY A CULTURAL SHIFT IS UNRWAY

A documentary film about theband, Pansy Divisn: Life In A Gay Rock Band, played filmftivals throughout 2008, and me out on DVD (wh a bon live DVD)at the same time. In some ways, the world has drastilly changed sce Pansy Divisn, the first openly gay rock band featurg predomantly gay micians, released Undrsed 1993. “At the time we were formg the band and dog that first album, ” says Jon Goli, Pansy Divison’s -founr, when talkg wh HollywoodLife, “that was the era of if you were gog to have gay sex, you have to e ndoms, or else uld kill you.

12, 000 Amerins had died of the vis by the time Ronald Reagan said the word “AIDS” 1985 (his prs secretary famoly lghed when asked if Reagan was monorg the “gay plague”). It was a dark time, one that was rife wh homophobia, ignorance, and vlence.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* PANSY DIVISION GAY

How Pansy Divisn blazed a trail as one of rock's first openly gay bands: 'It seemed like there were a lot of people wag for somethg like to happen' .

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