Pride Pop and Politics (Music, Theatre and LGBT Activism, 1970-2021)
Darryl W Bullock
Omnibus Press
(June 9th)
Darryl W. Bullock follows up his award winning The Velvet Mafia - just minted winner of the 2022 Penderyn Music Book Award - with Pride, Pop and Politics - Music, Theatre and LGBT Activism, 1970-2021, published by Omnibus Press on June 9th (pre order here). Mouthful. Anyway, that’s the housekeeping out of the way.
Pride Pop and Politics charts the development of gay culture and the rise of LGBTQ politics in the UK from the formation of the Gay Liberation Front to the present day, through the music that provided the soundtrack. Pride Pop and Politics promises to be an essential book considering the arts, and music specifically, through interviews with Andy Bell, Jayne County, John Grant, Peter Tatchell and more.
When policies of intolerance are being enshrined in law in Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ rulings for schools, and the politicians doing that are being supported by one of the largest media companies in the world - who in turn broadcast the Academy Awards from the other coast, showcasing the hugely deserved triumph of Ariana DeBose (did you see her performance in West Side Story - she just stole every scene, she is so impossibly charismatic), this is a good time to become more familiar with the history of the struggle for equality generations of LGBTQ people have fought for. It is to the shame of a nation that these progressive, hopeful, human rights victories are being reversed.
Pride, Pop and Politics hears from those whose art has been influenced by the campaign for LGBTQ rights and those who have been instrumental in its advancement. It is the first book to focus on the relationship between gay nightlife and political activism in Britain and fifty years on from Britain’s first Pride march, the long road to LGBTQ equality continues and the performing arts still play an influential part in every great stride made.
Discussing Pride Pop and Politics, Darryl Bullock says, “This time, I wanted to write about the musicians and political activists whose courage and bravery helped give us the freedoms that the LGBTQ community enjoy today. Not just the big names that everyone knows, but those who spent decades chipping away at the coalface of equality in order to make Britain a safer, more inclusive space for LGBTQ people. This year sees the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march on British soil. It seemed like the right time to examine the journey made by the LGBTQ community and to celebrate the lives of the many brave men and women who led the way.”
Essential Info
Pride, Pop and Politics Music, Theatre and LGBT Activism, 1970-2021
Darryl W. Bullock
Published 9th June
Pre Order here
Darryl W. Bullock online
Darryl on Twitter https://twitter.com/dwbullock
Omnibus Books website is here
