When I program the annual Big Gay Podcast, spotlighting KEXP artists who are members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, I have a couple of goals in the mind. The first is to connect music lovers with a bunch of artists and songs worthy of special consideration. And the second is to do right my teenage self.
When I started making mix tapes in high school, there’s no way I could’ve assembled a compilation along the same lines the Big Gay Podcast. Maybe, with a lot of leeway, I could’ve filled one side of a 90-minute cassette with selections that were kinda-sorta representative of the LGBT community, but the songs wouldn’t have all been from new releases. Back then there just weren’t that many openly queer artists who made music that my friends and I honestly enjoyed and could relate to. Kudos to Sylvester, Phranc, Bronski Beat, and the handful of other “out” musicians who provided much needed role models to teens like me in the ’80s.
It’s really important for young people—or anyone still developing their personal identity—to see themselves reflected in popular culture. Positive examples of the type of person they aspire to be. That’s why I try to survey a wide range of musical styles when programming this particular podcast. Diversity isn’t just a buzzword. Ideally it’s what makes the LGBT community strong and resourceful—and what makes this podcast fun and unusual and, hopefully, a little bit inspiring. This mix includes LGBT artists who are world-famous and others just bubbling up from the underground, tongue-in-cheek punk rock and thought-provoking hip-hop and ecstatic dance beats, all side-by-side.
My inner teenage self is absolute giddy about the myriad queer artists spotlighted in the annual Big Gay Podcast. My here-and-now self just hopes you enjoy the music.
Music That Matters, Vol. 310 – Big Gay Podcast 2012
Tracklist:
1. The Magnetic Fields – Andrew In Drag
2. Light Asylum – A Certain Person
3. Trust – Gloryhole
4. THEESatisfaction – Bitch
5. Sea of Bees – Gone
6. Imperial Teen – Last To Know
7. Amy Ray – Glow
8. Tara Jane O’Neil – The Rainbow Connection
9. Tenderfoot – Hold Your Horses
10. TacocaT – F.U. #8
11. Hunx – Private Room
12. Lindsay Fuller – Libby
13. Kaia – When My Hair Was Long
14. AVAN LAVA – It’s Never Over
15. Bright Light Bright Light – Waiting for the Feeling
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