Glad to be gay song meaning
Interview with Tom Robinson, part 4
The thing that made me want to set this site together is the way the song’s been updated since, the way it’s not get this old classic rooted to a point in time.
It’s important to stress that in the mid 80s I had quite a lot of help on this from other people because I couldn’t think how to change it. Specifically, and most usefully from Peter Scott-Presland, formerly Eric Presland, who’s been running the gay theatre group Homo Promos ever since 1988 – the year of Section 28 [law prohibiting councils from activity that ‘promoted homosexuality’, see Explanatory Notes for GTBG 2004].
I first encountered Peter’s resourceful genius at work one midsummer’s night on Hampstead Heath in the premature 80s. There was a circle of flaming torches planted in the grass with a great crowd gathered around the outside. Within the circle, a group of amateur thespians were acting out a gay spoof of A Midsummer Night’s Dream free of charge for all the cruisers who were up there that night! It was classic Presland – such a wacky idea and very, very funny. As the perform progressed more and more people gathered round to watch that inst
Interview with Tom Robinson, part 3
Although it’s become a confrontation to straight repression, the song was written addressing people who are same-sex attracted. Did you envision it being mainly heard by them or was it aimed at a wider audience?
It was only ever written as a one-off song, for that one occasion: Self-acceptance Week in London, the first week of August 1976. I never idea it’d see the light of night again. Having written the Good To Be Gay one for the Sheffield conference in 75, this was meant to be a bit of a retraction of that optimism, to construct this bitter turning around of the idea of entity glad to be gay as a kind of charge. Like I declare, under the weighty influence of Edward Bond and Steamy Peaches it was my attempt at a wakeup call.
At the Pride Rally in 76 it reportedly got stopped by cops. The march was 828 people flanked by a cop each side every rare feet.
No, no. It’s true that the police in all those early Event marches almost outnumbered the marchers and they were very aggressive in their demeanour, a menacing presence round the edge of the stage but I don’t remember them actually interfering with the proceedings. I was bricking it while singing that fi
Les Boys
@guy-paul10 that does not imply the German disco story isn't true.
@guy-paul10 that does not mean the German disco story isn't true.
When this ballad came out, in NZ anyway, homosexuality had been illegal a few years before. We took it to express gay people could be more unlock as well as a wry comment about how some of those opposed to homosexuality were gay, particularly the wide spread doctrine the SA management was gay and the Nazi party was founded in a Munich homosexual bar. Beliefs still used to seek to discredit lgbtq+ people in the 70s.
When this tune came out, in NZ anyway, homosexuality had been illegal a few years before. We took it to represent gay people could be more reveal as well as a wry comment about how some of those opposed to homosexuality were gay, particularly the wide spread doctrine the SA management was gay and the Nazi party was founded in a Munich same-sex attracted bar. Beliefs still used to experiment to discredit lgbtq+ people in the 70s.
At the day, popular images of gay people was that they were...
At the time, famous images of lgbtq+ people was that they were effete limp wristed gi
Tom Robinson grew up in Cambridge in the 1950s believing he was the only gay person in England. He swore that, if he ever achieved accomplishment as a musician, he would try to be the role model he needed back then. Several decades of punk songs, political activism and radio presenting later, I spoke to Robinson about Rock Against Racism, Radio 6 and the bleak situation we’re living in.
How did you find growing up in Cambridge?
Most of my childhood took place during the 1950s and many of my memories from that time mix the city with the era. There was still rationing for the first few years, windscreen wipers and heaters were optional in cars and very few households had telephones. We didn’t even get a TV until 1962.
So, the Cambridge I remember was one of people on bicycles, students wearing gowns, steam trains, austerity and our annual treat being a trip to the pantomime at the Arts Theatre.
Have many fans told you that your 1978 tune ‘Glad to Be Gay’ has helped them with their sexuality?
Falling in love with another young man at school was a catastrophe. Back then, I would rather have died than tell anyone at school, let alone the boy himself. Since homosexuality was illegal, th