Summer Special 3: Music, Meaning, and Making It Through

Summary

This special episode brings together five queer musicians reflecting on how music shaped their identities and artistic paths. From Aruan's transformative encounter with Soft Cell on Top of the Pops in 1981 to SADBOY's mission to normalise emotional expression in Black masculinity, each artist reveals how music provided both refuge and resistance.

The conversation spans continents and generations, weaving together stories of discovery, survival, and ultimately creation. Whether it was Brendan Maclean finding salvation in high school musical theatre, Paul Andrews learning harmony from songbooks, or JSky recording tracks on a PlayStation, these artists demonstrate how queer people have always found ways to decode, create, and claim space through music.

Timestamped Takeaways

• [00:01:26] Soft Cell's Tainted Love awakens queer possibility: Aruan recalls being terrified and fascinated by Marc Almond's androgynous performance in 1981
• [00:02:30] Musical theatre becomes a lifeline: Brendan Maclean discovers "the brightest, shiniest version" of himself through performance
• [00:05:01] Afrofuturism meets family musical heritage: SADBOY describes growing up surrounded by house, hip hop, neo soul and electronic sounds
• [00:05:50] Weekly record shopping creates musical foundation: Paul Andrews' mother would sing songs to record store staff to find the right 45s
• [00:12:09] Prince models gender fluidity and rebellion: Aruan finds life-saving escapism in Prince's androgynous high-heeled defiance
• [00:13:43] From remixing Madonna to finding authenticity: Paul Andrews discusses working on "Ghost Town" and creating his own album
• [00:15:04] PlayStation production to professional recording: JSky's DIY journey from making beats on Music 2000 to booking studio time at 14
• [00:16:16] Decoding hidden queer messages in mainstream music: Brendan explains how queer audiences find Easter eggs and codes in songs
• [00:20:25] Hip hop as emotional revolution: SADBOY challenges hypermasculinity in Black communities through vulnerable music
• [00:21:32] The politics of pronouns in pop: Paul Andrews argues for authentic representation in lyrics to normalise queer love
• [00:22:24] Gay semiotics sparks creative breakthrough: Brendan's discovery of a book in a London sex shop leads to artistic revelation
• [00:23:43] Independence enables authentic expression: JSky celebrates not needing anyone's permission to create and release music

Links

• Read deep dives into our queer lives at the blog HERE.
• Check out the official podcast playlist on Spotify.
• Follow the podcast on: Instagram • Tik Tok • Facebook
• See producer and presenter Dan Hall's other work HERE (subtitled version HERE).
• Find composer Paul Leonidou HERE.
• Listen to other episodes at HERE.

Visit the guests' homepages:

• Brendan Maclean HERE
• Paul Andrews HERE
• JSky HERE
• SADBOY HERE