Barry Walters' "Mighty Real"
About this episode
Eric Newman and Kate Wolf interview Barry Walters about his book on the history of LGBTQ music from 1969 to 2000.
Eric Newman and Kate Wolf speak to journalist and music critic Barry Walters about Mighty Real: A History of LGBTQ Music 1969-2000 . Spanning three decades of pop, disco, rock, funk, folk, and much more, Mighty Real l ooks at the power of popular music to challenge sexual norms and gender categories in ways both coded and overt. Covering headliners such as David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, Motown, Nirvana and Judas Priest, to more obscure players like Lavender Country and the lesbian label, Olivia Records, Walters shows how queerness is encoded in the very DNA of some of our most beloved songs and albums. Mighty Real also testifies to how music both reflects the reality of gay culture and, subversively, brings it into the mainstream.
People in this episode
Hosts: Eric Newman, Kate Wolf
Guest: Barry Walters
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Motown, Olivia Records
Books & works: Mighty Real: A History of LGBTQ Music 1969-2000
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