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Finally watched The Bee Gees doc. I’ve always been a fan but I have new respect for their artistry.
I am *especially* glad that the doc explicitly called out the fact that the “death of disco” was pointedly homophobic and racist.
I am *especially* glad that the doc explicitly called out the fact that the “death of disco” was pointedly homophobic and racist.
I do wish a bit more time had been spent on the fact that The Bee Gees, as hard as it was to survive the blowback, were able to do so both because of their musical & writing talent and because they were all white straight men. The latter doesn’t diminish their gifts.
But plenty of extremely talented Black and LGBTQ artists of color never survived the undermining of and blowback against (bad) disco.
Disco-and songs that are really R&B but got that commercial label-is rooted firmly in a Black tradition The Bee Gees always acknowledged.
Disco-and songs that are really R&B but got that commercial label-is rooted firmly in a Black tradition The Bee Gees always acknowledged.
And none of that can be separated from the attacks on it.
The scene of the Black former Comiskey Park usher is one I’ll think about for a long time. “It was a racist, homophobic book burning. That’s all it was.” https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jul/19/disco-demolition-the-night-they-tried-to-crush-black-music
The scene of the Black former Comiskey Park usher is one I’ll think about for a long time. “It was a racist, homophobic book burning. That’s all it was.” https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jul/19/disco-demolition-the-night-they-tried-to-crush-black-music
True tea, which the doc also brilliantly explored: a lot of the “disco” folks hated was actually trash bc straight white men got greedy and commercialized it beyond recognition and quality.
So a bunch of artists who were talented beyond a genre-including The Bee Gees-were harmed
So a bunch of artists who were talented beyond a genre-including The Bee Gees-were harmed
I grew up watching and loving “Behind The Music” and am an avid fan of @TvOne’s Unsung series because so much musical brilliance was either lost-or never fully elevated-because of racism and homophobia.
The amount of Black folks who should be global superstars and aren’t just because they are Black is still infuriating but I’m glad that the stories being told now have more nuance-even when the protagonists are white.
Glad The Bee Gees doc didn’t skip over those truths and glad to see their artistry getting the spotlight it deserves.
I wanna see a good Donna Summer doc next. And one on Sylvester too.
And high key, real disco is some of the best music ever made. Fight me.
. @naima link me to some good disco & 70s R&B music sermons pleassseeee
