Queer the Music with Jake Shears

Jake Shears is joined by David Austin and Chris Porter to look back at George Michael’s Faith era and the friendship behind it. They share memories of George’s early love of Elton John and Queen, Wham!’s breakthrough on Top of the Pops, and the making and live performances of Faith. The conversation also touches on George’s evolving sound and image, his sexuality, and how their friendship changed over the years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 4 of Queer the Music continues with Horse Meat Disco co-founder Luke Howard. Joining Jake Shears, he reflects on the beginnings of the legendary London club night, its journey from a Sunday party at The Eagle in Vauxhall to a global queer institution, and more than two decades spent bringing people together on the dance floor. The pair also discuss Luke’s early experiences of queer nightlife in Sheffield and London, coming of age during the AIDS crisis, the DJs and clubs that shaped him, and the enduring power of disco, chosen family and finding your people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jake Shears is joined by journalist and author Ian Wade to discuss his book 1984: The Year Pop Went Queer and explore how one remarkable year became a turning point for queer visibility in pop.

From the shock and sexuality of Frankie Goes to Hollywood and the radical visibility of Bronski Beat, to Madonna, Divine and the gay club culture breaking into the charts, they unpack a moment when queer music was reshaping the mainstream. They also look at how far queer representation in music has come since 1984, what has changed and why visibility still matters today.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jake Shears is joined by artist, songwriter and performer Tom Rasmussen for a wide-ranging conversation on music, identity and finding freedom through creativity. Together, they look back on Tom’s journey from growing up in Lancashire to finding queer community through drag, as well as the artists who shaped them along the way, from Madonna and Celine Dion to Goldfrapp and Bronski Beat.

The episode also looks ahead to Tom’s new album, Make a Fist, a bold electronic record centred on visibility, desire, resistance and self-expression. Tom reflects on the experiences that shaped the record, the evolution of their identity as a performer, and why being different can be an enviable position.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 4 of Queer The Music continues with Tony, Grammy and Emmy-winning actor and musician Ben Platt. In conversation with Jake Shears, Platt discusses the freedom of playing a queer character on stage in Midnight at the Never Get, his lifelong relationship with musical theatre and why performing live remains the place he feels most at home. He also reflects on bringing his sexuality openly into his songwriting, his marriage to fellow performer Noah Galvin and the importance of queer audiences seeing their own relationships represented in music. Elsewhere, Platt opens up about the uncertain future of theatre and independent filmmaking, the extraordinary long-term process behind Richard Linklater’s Merrily We Roll Along, and the lasting impact of his late friend and mentor Gavin Creel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.