Adam Lambert Pisses Off America
It’s really simple America. Out gay megastar and ‘American Idol’ runner-up Adam Lambert has caught out your homophobic hypocrisy. So he grinds his crotch against a male dancer’s face, he snogs a male band member – much much more overtly sexual behaviour by women is shown on the music channels every single day and has been for a long time. There’s no noteworthy outrage from that because it doesn’t offend heterosexual men’s tastes. George Michael never took the risk of being demonstrably gay on stage, any more than Will Young does now; it’s partly because their musical style is completely different to Glamberts, but it’s also because they don’t have the stomach for a media storm such as the one unleashed after this performance. I’m not a huge fan of Lambert’s – that sort of music really isn’t my sort of thing, but to attack him for a sexualised performance is to expose your own homophobia. Good on Adam for not holding back for the sake of the ‘moral majority’ and for being the same kind of artist for which every other heterosexual pop artist is celebrated. But perhaps this letter in the LA Times sums the controversy up better:
Re “Adam Lambert Causes a Fuss,” Quick Takes, Nov. 24: When Elvis Presley first performed a bump and grind on national television, millions of older Americans were apoplectic in their response. After Adam Lambert planted a kiss on a male keyboard player at the American Music Awards, 1,500 people complained to ABC. We’ve come a long way. Haven’t we, baby?
Alan Cantwell
Hollywood
Be your own judge here:
