Like Tori Amos, Bjork and Cher before her, Sarah Slean has a huge gay following. It's easy to see just from scanning through the messageboards, and I'm sure it's even more apparent when you attend one of her shows. (I'm a Sarah Slean virgin, I've yet to see her live :cry: )

Why do you think it is that some artists seem to claim more gay fans than others.

In Sarah Slean's case, I think it's her dramatic nature, and her artistic flair that seems to draw the gay crowd, among other things.

Lets gather some thoughts here folks

.fierce.

a huge gay following?
interesting. i didn't think it was that big.

Cher and Sarah Slean mentioned in the same sentence just ruined my day :P kiddin.

wait wait... what message boards are you scanning and seeing this gay following? I'm assuming your talking about guys when you say gay. I don't remember a "sexual preference" topic popping up on the official message boards before.

As to your question I wouldn't say she has a noticable gay following. Not like Tegan and Sara or anything.

But ya... I certainly wouldn't put her in the same category as Cher.. yuck..

Everyone please tread lightly... so far, this thread seems like an innocent discussion but one wrong turn, any kind of bashing, name calling or personal attacks (which thankfully I haven't seen yet) and I'll pull the whole thread.

I'm sure it is everyones best intention to play nicely here!

Cathy Hendrix
Michael Dixon Management

[quote:8b1bcd8c09="johnathan"]Cher and Sarah Slean mentioned in the same sentence just ruined my day :P kiddin.

wait wait... what message boards are you scanning and seeing this gay following? I'm assuming your talking about guys when you say gay. I don't remember a "sexual preference" topic popping up on the official message boards before.

As to your question I wouldn't say she has a noticable gay following. Not like Tegan and Sara or anything.

But ya... I certainly wouldn't put her in the same category as Cher.. yuck.. [/quote:8b1bcd8c09]
heehee the cher comments made me giggle
maybe sarah does have a large gay following. i've never really noticed it like i have with the above mentioned tegan and sara (i think 99% of the crowd at the show i went to was lesbian). anyway
in response to your question, fierce, i tend to think that a lot of artists have gay followings but some are just more noticable than others due to the level of fame the artist has (and their lyrical content to a degree as well). take tori amos for example. her song 'raspberry swirl' is blatantly about lesbian sex, so of course that would draw a lesbian fan base. and songs like 'crucify' or 'silent all these years' have lyrics that could be interpreted in personal ways to apply to the lives of a gay individual.

First things first

I used Cher in that sentence as a joke, I know sometimes it can be difficult to portray humour on a message board.

I didn't make the observation to be controversial, I made it because it was merely something I noticed. I brought it up not so much to bring attention to Sarah Slean, but rather to the concept of gay people being attracted to particular artists... What is it that drives a group towards a certain artist?

.fierce.

i figured it wasn't said to be controversial.
its probably their level of acceptance of the community that the artist has, or their sexual orientation. ani difranco has a rather large gay following and she writes lyrics that speak to those fans (In or Out, Two Little Girls for example).

I would tend to agree that Sarah has quite the gay following
Maybe we just have good taste in music! hehe. I think the first time I saw Sarah as a headlining artist was at Trinity-St. Paul's United Church on Bloor St. in Toronto... I remember being so happy when I walked in and there was a giant rainbow flag draped on the wall.
As to why she attracts a lot of gay men (and women, yes there are quite a few)... Can't say I know... I do know that most gay men I know are huge fans of empowered female singers... the female singer-songwriters almost all have large gay male followings (Tori, Alanis, Damhnait/Tara/Kim Stockwood (Shaye), Emm, etc, etc, etc, etc)... Anyways I could rant for ages but I won't. Happy Thanksgiving everyone

I can't say that I've noticed this with Sarah Slean. Maybe I'd have more luck in making some more Aussie fans by sharing her music with friends of mine who are gay.

I think it's the female singer/songwriter/vocalist/emotionalist that turns off most straight males. (This coming from a psychology graduate... but is purely my own speculation).

I think that most straight men are intimidated and/or uninterested in a female s/s/v/e. They just don't speak to their "musical needs".

In addition, if a straight male were to identify with a musician like Tori (for instance), he would have to potentially face social stigma b/c it's not cool for a "man" to look up to a woman who is so open about her feelings. Such is our culture.

Not to say I don't have straight guy friends that I have dragged to a Slean show or have bought her album... but they are definitely much more sparse than my gay male friends and less interested overall. They might throw the album in after a break-up or while they're studying (and especially when no other guys are around) but that's it.

To those die-hard straight male fans out there, KUDOS brothers! Much respect.

I guess I answered more of why straight males [i:39500e0fbe]don't[/i:39500e0fbe] like artists like sarah slean.

I imagine the draw to the gay community is that female musicians are strong yet "weak" at the same time. For lesbians, they may admire the female's strong, dominant character and willingness to open themselves emotionally in such a huge, public way.

For gay men, perhaps they are just more vocally emotionally, more interested in feminine empowerment and more willing to face social stigma than the rest of the male population.

That's my best (somewhat educated) answer to your question. Interesting to think about!

~ng

"To those die-hard straight male fans out there, KUDOS brothers! Much respect."

cheers

[quote:f62b565e9a]And [b:f62b565e9a]nikolita[/b:f62b565e9a] spake thusly...
[i:f62b565e9a]To those die-hard straight male fans out there, KUDOS brothers! Much respect.[/i:f62b565e9a][/quote:f62b565e9a]

You are a sweetie, [b:f62b565e9a]nik[/b:f62b565e9a].

[quote:168a2cabfb="nikolita"]To those die-hard straight male fans out there, KUDOS brothers! Much respect.[/quote:168a2cabfb]

Thanks, Nikolita!!
Your views are very insightful indeed.

^ ^ ^ ^
I love it
Yay for straight men who like Sarah Slean!

There are a couple of more visual ques here to homosexulaity then some other boards i am on. I think the posts above have explained why there may be larger gay following for sarah slean (singer songwritters) then other artists.

I did give a thought about having a purple faerie AV I made giving the impression that i am gay. i didn't see that a reason to change it.

glad to see that this board will be moderated but i think everyone will get along pretty well

i hope to learn who all of you guys are. sometimes when i hear sarah sleans music i really think my parents would like this. when i see sarah though it normally is the younger almost hipster crowd.

Take Care,

Cameron

*edited and maybe re-edited to make sense.