totally honest question

[emchy]

why is ani difranco - who is a very out bi-dyke. who is very political. who is often on the covers of lesbian magazine.

why is she considered "not hip"

in other words - i often hear of her performing at social justice and folk events. but rarely at pride / lesbian events. places that have edgier folks like bitch n animal or le tigre will often include the indigo girls or other sort of folkier people, but ani never seems to be in that crew.

am i nuts? is she invited and performs and i am under a rock? is it because she's bisexual? is it because she refuses to play or charges too much to perform?

i am serious that i really don't get it.

she play politically aware queer music, often has some good rocker fashion going on, and it just seems like...

at prides and homo a gogos and the like - donde esta ani?

anyone with insight to share, really, this is an honest question.

when did ani difranco become 'uncool' and did this ever actually happen or is it an assumption on my part that is not accurate.

Comments

[bionicfemme.livejournal.com]

Ani Difranco is becoming uncool? YESSSSS!!!! LOL. I have been waiting for this to happen all my gay life!

I mean I guess she's talented and makes political statements, but her music is so depressing! I guess the problem i've had with Ani and lesbian culture in general is that you HAVE to like this stuff or else you're not considered gay enough in our community, the same way that guy who performed at Smack Dab wrote that rant about being gay and hating Judy Garland.

I am actually in the process of preparing a piece to perform at your next open mic in lieu of the recent certain events that have sparked my rage into creative anger. And i'm addressing this Ani thing in the piece, lol.

[cindymonkey.livejournal.com]

maybe it is all about the resisting of what we are 'supposed' to like to be 'officially' gay enough.

i too hate being told what 'as a gay' i should like. and then i find myself singing show tunes while i organize my shoes and alphabetize my ani, amy ray, tribe 8, judy garland and stone fox records.

funny - i don't think she is depressing. but then again, i don't think leonard cohen is depressing either and most people think that's a bit crazy too

yay! to the new piece you're writing. looking forward to it.

[thelizquiz.livejournal.com]

you know i have never thought about this. come to think of it is kind of baffling. could it potentially be a cost issue? i mean, since en vogue was headlining, and they're fairly...well...dare i say it...yesterday's news?

i would be pretty surprised if it were the bi thing...i mean...she's all over magazines, like you said...i don't know enough about how these things are funded, but i am tempted to think it is some kind of mysterious logistical issue with booking her, maybe cuz she's her own label...makes it difficult...i guess i'm just really hoping it's not the bi thing.

[cindymonkey.livejournal.com]

i don't really think it's the bi thing either especially with many str8 yet allies sort of folks performing at pride

maybe nadinelet is right...

more about social politics than queer politics for her...

[thelizquiz.livejournal.com]

yeah that makes sense, although in a way that's even a bigger shame than the bi thing, that pride organizers don't want social politics, and only queer politics...as if you could separate them!

[charliegrrrl.livejournal.com]

Wish I knew the answer to this... I think she does perform at the Michigan Women's Music Festival. But MWMF isn't exactly what I'd call a "hip" event.

I do know some people who put down Ani, but those people also hate the Indigo Girls, and most other folk/pop stuff.

I actually love Ani's music -- she totally won my heart by touring with Maceo Parker a few years ago, and they jammed together a bunch and cross-fertilized funk and folk/rock, it was awesome. I don't listen to folky music that often, but I was totally blown away.

And of course she's (indirectly) given tons of money to other magazine.

[cindymonkey.livejournal.com]

i totally dig her music as well
but i am SUCH a lover of folk - speaks to my psuedo commie roots :P

and yes it is so rad what she has been doing with other musicians and mixing it up. i love that she tours and performs with people that force her fans to broaden their horizons a bit and bring fans of different music together.

and no... i wouldn't call mwmf hip either

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

I get the impression that a lot of people have drifted out of the Ani camp over the past few albums, starting at about the time she was touring with a band instead of on her own. She shifted musical styles, and it seemed to me that her audience stayed stuck in place, still re-playing all her older albums.

I also get the impression that she doesn't want to do the Pride circuit so much, b/c her focus isn't on queer politics but on other social (labor, economic justice) issues. Not that she's antagonistic to us, but oriented toward other things. But I could be wrong about this.

[cindymonkey.livejournal.com]

i think its true some fans have drifted. i found myself drifting only because she becoming prince like in her releasing of so much material and i couldn't afford to keep up or to really delve into each album like i previously would

i do think her intentions are more in the social justice camp. that probably has the most to do with it.

it just seemed like in the last few years there has been a shift, and where before she was this cool bi-dyke singer that folks were into, now it's almost like a dirty secret that no one wants to admit. maybe it happened after she got married and people felt betrayed? i heard some of that around for sure. maybe she became too much of a requirement like lesbian 101 or something.\

i remember when i was coming into my gay and i felt a lot of pressure to like the indigo girls, and i was SUPER resistant. years later i did finally listen to them and i was all - oh - i do like this. cool.