"The Gay World of Kenneth Marlow"...Gay Cartoons, 1966 Style

 

Kenneth Marlowe was one of the gayest and most openly homosexual of personalities of the 1960's. He went from a 1940's/1950's drag performer, to being a madam, to being the author of several books, to becoming a transsexual. In 1964 he published his famous autobiography 

"Mr. Madam: Confessions of a Male Madam," to much attention and several printings. Here is the original book cover, and a later edition.

I have quite a bit of information on Marlowe on a page of my website, here:
http://www.queermusicheritage.com/f-marlowe-kenneth.html

But this blog entry is focused on two cartoon books he published, "The Gay World" and "The Delicate World...of Kenneth Marlowe," both in 1966. The must have been privately printed, as they do not contain any Library of Congress number of information. Here's the cover of the second volume.

This is a rare opportunity to see what passed as "gay humor" as the time. None of this these days would get an LOL, but it's still a sign of those times. Also of note is the never shy Marlowe used himself as a character in quite of few of his own cartoons. A few examples:

 

And, if that's not enough for you, I've scanned every cartoon in both books:

The Gay World of Kenneth Marlowe         The Delicate World of Kenneth Marlowe

Here's some more delicious trivia. 

In July 2010 a thread on Facebook touched on Kenneth Marlowe, and Armistead Maupin added this fascinating comment:"I met Kenneth Marlow in 1972 when he was in the process of becoming Kate Marlowe. He threw a fundraising Big Band dance at which Sally Rand (then 70) performed her famous Fan Dance under a VERY DIM blue bulb. He called the evening "The Ball to End All Balls." When I interviewed her later (Kate) she told me she'd grown up in a whorehouse in Winnemucca, Nevada. I'm not at all sure if that was true but it was a fascinating detail, so I appropriated it for Anna Madrigal in "Tales of the City"

Anthony Rapp, After "Rent"

I love the musical "Rent," and when the show came out I especially became a fan of Anthony Rapp, who played videographer Mark Cohen in the original Broadway cast, in 1996. "Rent" was a success beyond the definition of success, and while this show is, so far, his major claim to fame, he has done a number of prominent roles in the theatre, film and on television. And, I'm kind of also partial to his solo CD "Look Around," from 2000, which has (gasp) some lyrically gay songs.

In 2006 he released a book, a memoir, called "Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent." And last year that became a CD show, of his performance. And...I...loved....it. It not only goes through the story of how he became involved with "Rent," but also is the very moving story of his dealing with the illness and then death of his mother from cancer. More than once I misted up just listening to it. It's a musical and emotional triumph.

Anthony Rapp on Facebook

One Common Heartbeat, A Leather Anthem

Hear "One Common Heartbeat"

In 1998 on the twentieth anniversary of International Mr. Leather, in Chicago, the leather community got an anthem. The founder of IML, Chuck Renslow suggested one was needed and approached Gary Aldrich to write it. Aldrich and Kevin Tyrrell supplied the music and lyrics and Aldrich, known for his operatic singing in venues including Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center, took the lead. Among those supplying backup voices were members of the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus. The CD of the almost five minute song is still for sale, with proceeds going to Chicago's Leather Archives & Museum. And everything you'd want to know about the anthem can be found at its site.

One Common Heartbeat Website

Mary's Naturally - The Song

In Houston, if you ask anyone what was THE iconic gay bar in its history, and the answer would be Mary's Naturally. It closed in November 2009, after 39 years serving as a front-and-center force in gay visibility in the city. Located a block from the gay crossroads of Montrose and Westheimer, it was definitely in your face. And that was perhaps made more visible by the striking mural artwork, done by Scott Swoveland. I've a webpage displaying some of that art.

Mary's Naturally -- The Murals

and also see...
Mary's Naturally -- The Story

But this blog entry is to  highlight something kind of special, which very few gay bars anywhere can claim: its own song, as done by local entertainer.

And the song not only praises Mary's but in its almost six minutes it name checks about every other gay club in the area. I believe the song is from around 1988 and do not know if an actual record was pressed, but I'm glad to share a listen.

Click to hear "Mary's Naturally" 

Mary's was much more than just a bar, it celebrated the community, and there are two Facebook pages dedicated to its memory. The first one listed is an effort to help coordinate efforts for a proposed memorial which would celebrate the human spirit of Houston's gay community during Mary's 40 year existence, 1970-2009.

Make Mary's Matter

Mary's Naturally Closed

Paisley Fields - Windows Fogged Up In Your Pickup Truck

The Paisley Fields

The last time I played the music of James Wilson on my OutRadio show, it was under the name of his act then called Frightened Cellar. But some folks just keep evolving, and how he and long-time collaborator Jessica Kimple are known as The Paisley Fields, and I'm delighted with their new video. And what's not to like, it's a gay love story mini-movie that I didn't want to end. See what you think...

Rev JM Gates - "Manish Women"

Something different for me...an anti-gay recording, or at least one condemning acting like the opposite sex. Rev Gates was probably the most successful ministers in the South. He was definitely of the fire-and-brimstone call-and-response type, and was unique in that many of his sermons were recorded, about 200 of them, done between 1926 and 1941. The label Document Records has reissued nine CDs of his work. But this one track, "Manish Women," is the one of interest to me, as it storms against women of that, ...er, style, who "try to walk and talk like a man," and doesn't leave out "some men trying to walk and talk like a woman." Released on Okeh Records, #8779, in 1930.

Above clipping from October 15, 1897

The Battle of the Bette Davis Impersonators

Okay, sometimes I amuse myself in unusual ways, and for example, a number of years ago for one of my QMH shows...on a show called Gender Benders, I put together a sort of medley of comedy clips from several female impersonators, all doing impressions of Bette Davis. Of course many drag performers "do" Bette Davis, but I picked some of the best. This week I decided to add one more drag artist, and make this medley into a video slide show, and it turned into a 14-minute one. It features, in order, Arthur Blake, TC Jones, Charles Pierce, Ty Bennett and Jimmy James. Jimmy is the only "modern" one and has been performing for many years. I saw him in 2011, and he's flawless. I encourage you to seek out the many "Bette Davis" videos of Jimmy James on YouTube.

You can decide the winner, and they are heard in order:
Arthur Blake, from "Curtain Time," 1957
TC Jones, from "Himself," 1959
Charles Pierce, from "Live at Bimbos," 1971
Ty Bennett, from "Queen for a Day," circa 1961
Jimmy James, from "The One & Many Voices of Jimmy James," 1999