David Bowie Made Me Gay

October 1, 2017
The music that so fills and enriches our lives owes a great and too often unsung debt to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender musicians. In his encyclopedic overview, Bullock corrects that oversight by turning the spotlight squarely on LGBT musicians. Presented chronologicallyit begins with the early twentieth century and concludes with the twenty-firstthe book is often as much social as musical history, the former providing a welcome context for the latter. But it is musical history, and especially the many LGBT performers who have populated it, that occupies the heart of the narrative. Bullock seems to have done prodigious research (the book boasts 503 source notes), though one wishes that some of the sources he identifies were not offered so uncritically, and occasionally his judgment may raise an eyebrow: Was Liberace really the embodiment of the American Dream? But, on the whole, the book is a pleasure to read, being insightful and highly informative, as it clearly establishes the center-stage position in the music world that LGBT composers, musicians, and performers occupy so ably.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

Starred review from October 15, 2017

Bullock's (Florence Foster Jenkins: A Life of the World's Worst Opera Singer) comprehensive yet concise history of LGBT music from the earliest records in the pre-jazz age to the 21st century is an enthralling journey covering multiple genres, and serves as both a cultural and sociological study of the history and impact of various artists and music styles. Bullock examines jazz, blues, country, singer-songwriters, disco, punk, and dance while traveling both the main roads and especially the byways of popular music, highlighting artists who may be unfamiliar to many, narrating a story of a community that over the decades has created original, influential, and singular music. Using dozens of sources as well as his own interviews, the author demonstrates that the story of LGBT music is both a personal and a political one, set against the backdrop of key events in the gay rights movement, which also mirrors the changing societal attitudes toward LGBT people over time. VERDICT Bullock spotlights dozens of LGBT artists, examining their lives, lyrics, and struggles, both in society and within the music industry, in an entertaining narrative that will also encourage readers to seek out fascinating work that helps define a community's rich history and heritage.--James Collins, Morristown-Morris Twp. P.L., NJ

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2017
An encyclopedic look at the lives of formative Western LGBT musicians and performers. From the acclaimed British biographer of Florence Foster Jenkins (2016, etc.) comes a sweeping overview of LGBT musicians from both sides of the Atlantic who have had a pivotal influence on recorded music. Bullock argues that while the "LGBT community has spent over 100 years pioneering musical genres and producing some of the most lasting and important records of all time...far too many LGBT musicians have seen their stories 'straight-washed' or completely brushed under the carpet." Turning the spotlight on modern creators of popular music, the author presents the struggles and triumphs of gifted artists who paved the way in the realms of pop, punk rock, folk, and disco, noting how "LGBT people were there as jazz gestated" and "in the maternity ward during the birth of the blues." Fans looking for ribald details from the lives of gay pop idols like Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Boy George, and Dusty Springfield won't be disappointed, but it is Bullock's bringing to light more hidden stories, like those of Alberta Hunter, Ma Rainey, or jazz pianist Tony Jackson, and his close historical examination of queer performative movements that make the book compelling. The author calls as much attention to the private lives of these gifted, often closeted musicians like Little Richard--the song "Tutti Frutti" originally described anal sex between men--as to their impact on their genre and later artists like David Bowie. Particularly powerful is the story of Wendy Carlos, a path-breaking inventor of the synthesizer and collaborator on the soundtracks of A Clockwork Orange and The Shining, whose work not only introduced the disco sound, but, with Bob Moog, helped make the equipment affordable. Born in 1939, Carlos underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1972 and found the public reaction to her revelation in the late 1970s to be "amazingly tolerant." Well-researched and brimming with intrigue, Bullock's comprehensive study not only makes the work of scores of musicians sing anew; it also demonstrates how the pendulum of acceptance can swing from era to era.

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