Cycle 3

We begin our third collection of musings on queer musos with a deep dive into Andy’s second favourite of all time, Mother Björk. Defiantly impossible to compare to pretty much any other artist, queers the world over have clasped Bjork to their alternative bosoms since her 1993 first album Debut, but what exactly is it about her body of work, visual language and legacy that appeals so directly to so many queer fans?

By 1987, it was time for George Michael to go it alone. This Wham-less George was everything a male pop star in the 80’s should have been – a worldwide phenomenon, a master of his craft, a beacon of male sexuality. And then he fell in love with a dude. To commemorate World AIDS Day we celebrate a gay trailblazer who, though never officially diagnosed with HIV or AIDS-related illnesses, suffered a tragic loss at the hands of the disease that would punctuate his career.

We know Kylie’s a gay icon, you know Kylie’s a gay icon, we all know she’s got a stonking arse and a back catalogue to rival any pop queen of reinvention, but what’s so special about Light Years? Where does it sit in her journey, why did it have the impact it did, and why is she so universally adored? Is she even universally adored? One thing we learn and agree on pretty early is that Kylie Minogue is not all she might initially seem, and is certainly not to be underestimated.

In this episode, Drew and Andy take a look at the Indigo Girls' self-titled LP. Released at a time where queer female voices were scarce, the album became a beacon for the lesbian community, its songs speaking to love, loss and longing. Indigo Girls has since gone on to inspire a number of female artists, queer and otherwise. But did they ever ask to be role models?

It’s hard to believe that the Spice Girls were active for less than two years during their initial run as a five-piece. Hot on the heels of their ground-breaking 1996 debut Spice, the gals were on a roll when they put out both Spiceworld (the album) and Spice World (the movie) in 1997. In this episode, we welcome spicy entrepreneur Rebecca to discuss how they planted seeds of authenticity among an entire generation of young people.

A tornado blew around the Aural Fixation recording studio before we came, and, well, excuse the mess it made! A ground-breaking hip hop album documenting the lost loves of a 23 year old finding out who he is, Frank had us shook with the mainstream explosion of queerness in a traditionally not-very-queer music scene. Eight years later, we venture not too far down memory lane to assess how well this early-10s masterpiece has aged.

Released in the disco revolution’s twilight years, diana was the Boss breaking free from the shackles of Motown, helped by CHIC’s very own Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. This episode we look through a queer lens at one of pop culture’s biggest queer icons putting her spin on arguably the queerest sub-genre of music, ever, featuring a song literally written about people being their complete, authentic selves.

Persistently eclipsed by her sister's fluorescence, the other Minogue has always struck a chord with members of the queer community due to her resilience and penchant for a filthy dancefloor banger. Neon Nights is her magnum opus, but how does the rest of the album stand up over 15 years later? This fortnight we're joined by singer-songwriter Tom Aspaul, just before the release of his independently produced pop masterpiece Black Country Disco.

To wrap up our third cycle, the boys once again take a deep dive into the DMs to provide their answers to your questions. This ep is pepped with conjecture on Gaga's upcoming Chromatica (save us Mother Monster), discourse on Whitney's bisexuality (RIP our Queen of the Night) and even questions the queerness of hettie god Harry Styles and his hetty forefather, Robbie Williams.