Queercore
Queercore groups encompass many genres such as hardcore punk, electropunk, indie rock, power pop, no wave, noise, experimental, industrial and others.
[4] Emerging out of the anarchist scene, at first the editors of J.D.s had chosen the appellation "homocore" to describe the movement but replaced the word homo with queer to better reflect the diversity of those involved, as well as to disassociate themselves completely from the confines of gay and lesbian orthodoxy.
[5][6] The first issue was released in 1985, with a manifesto entitled "Don't Be Gay" published in the fanzine Maximum RocknRoll following soon after; inspiring, among many other zines, Holy Titclamps, edited by Larry-bob, Homocore by Tom Jennings and Deke Nihilson,[3] Donna Dresch's Chainsaw, and Outpunk by Matt Wobensmith, these last two later functioning as music labels.
These zines, and the movement, are characterised by an alternative to the self-imposed ghettoization of orthodox gay men and lesbians; sexual and gender diversity in opposition to the segregation practiced by the mainstream gay community; a dissatisfaction with a consumerist culture, proposing a DIY ethos in its place in order to create a culture of its own; and opposition to oppressive religious tenets and political repression.
In 1990, the J.D.s editors released the first queercore compilation, J.D.s Top Ten Homocore Hit Parade Tape, a cassette which included bands from Canada, such as Fifth Column, Big Man, and Bomb from the U.S.; from England, The Apostles, Academy 23 and No Brain Cell; and, from New Zealand, Gorse.
[7] During the period from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, many of the punk rock bands involved in queercore were not necessarily queer but their ethics were motivation for supporting this movement.
Shortly after the release of the tape J.D.s ceased publication and a new crop of zines arose, such as Jane and Frankie by Klaus and Jena von Brücker, Shrimp by Vaginal Davis and Fanorama by REB.
Among the better-known bands from the early 1990s are Fifth Column; God Is My Co-Pilot; Pansy Division; Pedro, Muriel and Esther (PME); Sister George;[10] Team Dresch; Tribe 8; and Mukilteo Fairies.
As well, as Amy Spencer notes in DIY: The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture, "Through Homocore events, they aimed to create a space for men and women to be together, as opposed to the sense of gender segregation which was the norm in mainstream gay culture – They attacked the idea that due to your sexuality you should be offered only one choice of social scene..."[4] In 1992 Matt Wobensmith's zine Outpunk also became a record label, and began to release its own queercore compilations, singles, and albums, and was crucial to the development of queercore.
Mainstream media coverage intensified when Pansy Division toured the U.S. with Green Day (whose lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, is openly bisexual).
[13] In the late 1990s and early 2000s, DUMBA provided an ongoing venue in New York City for queercore bands,[14] continuing in the path of Homocore Chicago and leading the way for other, similar clubs to come in the 2000s.
In Los Angeles' Silver Lake neighbourhood an underground queer music scene was in existence at the monthly queercore club called "The Freak Show" hosted by the leather bar The Gauntlet II for three years, where bands such as Best Revenge, IAMLoved, and Nick Name and The Normals (aka Kent James) played regularly.
Queercore became an increasingly international phenomenon in the early 2000s, with bands such as Low End Models, Triple Creme from NYC, and Rhythm King And Her Friends from Germany, Kids Like Us out of Norway and She Devils, from Argentina.
Butch Vs Femme, formed in 2004, are a riot grrrl inspired indie punk keyboard and drums duo originally from the small town of Dixon, California, saturated with politically powered lyrics surrounding queer issues.
!, a raucous electropop band from Oakland, California, known for their sexually explicit lyrics and onstage antics, has released several albums on Kill Rock Stars label.
Also citing metal as an inspiration are ASSACRE, a one man fantasy metal/spazz noise act by artist Ben Aqua from Austin, Texas, and Gay for Johnny Depp, a hardcore band from New York City.
Music historian Julia Downes additionally identified the following artists and bands in an overview of UK queercore music circa 2003-2009: Candy Panic Attack, Chaps, Flamingo 50, Headfall, hooker [now LIINES], Hotpants Romance, Humousexual, Lake Me, Lesbo Pig, Robin Osterley, Roseanne Barrr, Sad Shields, Sailor Tongue, Scragfight, The Battys, the Jelas, the Rayographs, Trash Kit, Truly Kaput, Valerie and Wetdog.
Collectives in the North West of England such as Manifesta, and Lola and the Cartwheels, promoted and organised alternative queer events whilst simultaneously having a strong feminist identity.
[27] Bands in the post-punk, riot grrrl and indiepop genres continue to be associated with queercore including Dazey and the Scouts, Shopping, Wolf Girl, Martha, ONSIND, Colour Me Wednesday and Guttfull.
2003 saw the premiere of the no budget comedy Malaqueerche: Queer Punk Rock Show by Sarah Adorable (of Scream Club) and Devon Devine, which brought the third wave of queercore to the screen.
Jones released the feature film The Lollipop Generation, featuring many of the participants in the queercore scene, including Jena von Brücker, Mark Ewert, Vaginal Davis, Jane Danger of Three Dollar Bill, Jen Smith, Joel Gibb, Anonymous Boy, Scott Treleaven and Gary Fembot of Sta-Prest, with music by The Hidden Cameras, Anonymous Boy and the Abominations, Bunny and the Lakers, Jane Danger, Swishin' Duds and Mariae Nascenti.
Lynn Breedlove (Tribe 8, writer), Matt Wobensmith (Outpunk Zine and Label, Queercorps Label), Jody Bleyle (Candy-Ass Records, Team Dresch, Hazel), The Psychic Sluts (Queer Performance Group), Wendy-O Matic (spoken word artist, writer), Laura Litter (Fabulous Disaster), Mia d´Bruzzi (Mudwimin, Fabulous Disaster) and Anna Joy (Blatz, Cyper in the Snow, The Gru´ps, writer) were interviewed in the documentary Step Up and Be Vocal - Interviews zu Queer Punk und Feminismus in San Francisco, a DIY-documentary made by German filmmakers Uta Busch and Sandra Ortmann in 2001.
[36] As with punk and hardcore, queercore culture existed outside of the mainstream, so amateur-produced and inexpensively photocopied zines were crucial to its development and to communication between members of the subculture.
[4] Hundreds of zines formed an intercontinental network that enabled queercore to spread and allow those in smaller, more repressive communities to participate and learn about bands, labels and scene activists.
