Gay punk tribute bands goof on punk homophobia

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Punk and hardcore can be a little homoerotic. Sweaty dudes, drunk and shirtless, touching late into the night. But punk and hardcore can also be a little homophobic -- which is why we need Black Fag.

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LINKS:
BLACK FAG: The "Absolutely FABULOUS" Tribute To Black Flag! (OFFICIAL VIDEO!):    • Видео  
Pansy Division - "Bad Boyfriend" Lookout! Records:    • Pansy Division - "Bad Boyfriend" Lookout! ...  
BLACK FAG [HD 1080p] Paris 23/02/2012:    • BLACK FAG [HD] 23 FEBRUARY 2012  
Gayrilla Biscuits - Gay Edge Revenge:    • Gayrilla Biscuits - Gay Edge Revenge  
Youth of Togay "TOUGH GAYS" Official Music Video:    • Видео  
Youth Of Togay - The Gaychinist (Have Heart parody):    • Youth Of Togay - The Gaychinist (Have Hear...  
Black Fag - TV Party:    • Black Fag - TV Party  

Punk and hardcore can be a little homoerotic. Sweaty dudes, drunk and shirtless, touching late into the night. But punk and hardcore can also be a little homophobic -- which is why we need Black Fag.

In the '70s, Punk demolished arena rock's excess and exclusivity by aggressively demystifying the creation process and bringing back the three-chord simplicity of early rock and roll.

The barriers that had kept women and gay folks on the sidelines were, if not obliterated, severely damaged. But as that first wave new bands crested, hardcore emerged as a more militant and conservative mutation, wearing away at punk's gay-y, art-y edge.

The close-minded suburban rage that fueled hardcore's early years was what drove GB Jones and Bruce LaBruce to craft the queercore manifesto in the mid-80s, paving the way for bands like Limp Wrist and Pansy Division.

But queercore didn't solve everything. Even though most hardcore today -- at least here in Toronto, where I am standing and talking right now -- is inclusive and progressive, there are pockets of homophobes in every scene. And nothing says "go fuck yourselves, bigots" like a bunch of gay dudes aggressively lisping their way through the Black Flag catalogue.

Black Fag are a delightful mess of references -- their stage names and outfits combine Black Flag members with gay icons, like Greg Streisand, who dresses like Dorothy. They've toured the world and released maybe the best version of My War ever. They donate 10% of their income to charities in the gay community. And they made up a dance for "Rise Above."

Outside of changing a few gender pronouns, Black Fag's gay tribute twist is limited to costumes and excessive lisping. If you want to go a step further, you're looking for Gayrilla Bicuits.

Spoofing the Gorilla Biscuits name, old hardcore album covers and classic straight edge songs like Project X's "Straight Edge Revenge," Gayrilla Bicuits paved the way, naturally, for the Youth of Today homage, Youth of Togay.

Not everyone loves Youth of Togay. When they released the "Tough Gays" video, no one knew if they were actually gay. And when they posted a parody of the Have Heart song "The Machinist" on MySpace, the band's label demanded it be removed because, quote, "no one thought it was funny."

Youth of Togay do have gay members -- but some of them are straight. Black Fag also count a hetero or two in their ranks -- which, for some people, raises questions about how acceptable it is to be lisping around as you rip through "TV Party."

What do you think? Do gay tribute bands help expose and address homophobia through humour, or is there a danger in encouraging straight punk audiences to laugh at gay stereotypes? Let us know in the comments, and subscribe for more This Exists every week -- because we didn't even get to the gay Hawkwind tribute band, Cockwind.