Torch Songs of the Mind

. . . every gay man's dream, every straight man's nightmare . . .

Joan Crawford is Turner Classic Movies Star of the Month and that line was in a promo spot.

That gay men identify with torch singers and actresses is a cliché. Seemed fairly true when I came out. They could drop Tallulah quotes nonstop. Myself, Diana Rigg as Ms. Peel is the only woman I can think of that I might ‘want’ to be: omni-competent and good humored.

Charles certainly wouldn’t mind being Joan Crawford. She’s far and away his favorite actress. When I watch her movies all I can think is that I wouldn’t want to be that ill-tempered or in so many fucked up relationships. And she strikes me as too grim and formidable to yearn for.

I wonder how much heteroizing (clearly a word that doesn’t belong in the dictionary) of gay men has diminished if not eliminated the strong, preferential empathy and association with actresses and female vocalists.

While I don’t share the trait its vanishing is another step in the elimination of cultural quirkiness, diversity, which is a good thing in itself.

Been too long since I listened to Amos Milsburn