Review: Jon Savage’s “How LGBTQ Resistance (1955–1979) Shaped Pop Culture”

Jon Savage’s expansive new book navigates key moments in music and entertainment history across more than 700 pages, shedding light on their significance for the progress and acceptance of queer culture. The Secret Public aptly captures the duality of public and private lives. Early chapters chronicle the brutal dangers faced by singers and artists in the UK and US before the legalization of homosexuality. Savage illustrates how many had public personas that clashed with their private identities, particularly in the stifling sexual and gendered atmosphere of 1950s America, where any perceived deviancy was immediately suspect. The book narrates the journey to our current moment, with LGBTQ+ artists becoming more accepted, and serves as a cautionary reminder to not regress.

Savage wears his knowledge lightly, telling us stories as easily as if we were stood in line for a gig with him.

As expected, Savage is adept at writing about music, capturing its poetry and cadence. He dives into the opening refrain of Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti,” analyzing each syllable of the “first eruption.” He describes the final syllables of “Awopbopaloobop alopbamboom” as having the “force of a fist, a blow, an explosion – a caption in a superhero comic.” By focusing on a concise time span of 24 years, Savage revels in both seismic events and overlooked details. He breathes new life into iconic figures like Bowie, Dusty Springfield, and Rock Hudson. Savage delves into not just Bowie’s stage persona evolution but also the backstage and managerial nuances of his rise.

This meticulously researched tome includes more than 50 pages of notes and references. Yet, Savage’s true achievement is presenting his extensive knowledge lightly, recounting these stories as if casually chatting while awaiting a gig. Balancing academic rigor with broad appeal, Savage brings his expertise to the page. With prior work on the Sex Pistols and screenplays for documentaries like 2007’s Joy Division, he commands his subject with authority.

The Secret Public constantly moves, expanding from glimpses of stars and managers to the collective story of entire nations, transcending LGBTQ+ narratives. Those seeking insights into specific music genres or artists will discover a brilliant examination of postwar masculinity in the UK and US, alongside broader cultural consumption driven primarily by women. Savage notes that postwar consumerism was led by women, whose participation in “massed fandom” brought significant public attention to the power of teenage girls.

Savage writes of shifting historical tides with the precision of a song lyric, noting the complex and vexed relationship between gay pop and politics. The book’s achievement lies in presenting this entanglement through intimate snapshots.

A close cousin in subject, though different in style and focused on later decades, is David France’s How to Survive a Plague. It’s impossible to finish Savage’s book without feeling deeply moved. He concludes with a glance at the cover of Sylvester’s 1979 album Living Proof. The fold-out sleeve shows the singer, “pouring champagne into a glass,” as the quintessential party host, surrounded by a diverse crowd of celebrants, all smiling in pleasure and anticipation.

The author makes a heartfelt plea to “leave them there,” frozen in their fabulousness, with no awareness of the impending future. Less than a decade later, Sylvester would succumb to an AIDS-related illness. One can only hope that this book may lead to a sequel, where Savage can apply his rigorous depth and tender insight to what happened next.

Source: The Guardian