Southern gospel weblog averyfineline.com reports that the August 2005 issue of GQ profiles southern gospel singer Kirk Talley.
The article is not available online.
Talley is attempting to resurrect his singing career after a gay-blackmail scandal.
(Previous XGW coverage of Kirk Talley.)
I seriously do not understand this. If he was a good singer (I’ve never heard him sing), why would his audience turn against him because he might be gay? He’s an entertainer, for gawd’s sake. Who cares what he’s sleeping with? He’s certainly not going to be sleeping with most of the people in the audience.
It’s strange.
I’ve never heard of Talley either — outside of his gay scandal. Certainly the scandal had the side-benefit of exposing him to people who don’t normally listen to southern gospel music — landing him coverage in GQ no less.
raj, you obviously don’t understand the popularity of Christian music. The quality of the music is always secondary to the perceived Christian reputation of the performer(s).
I wonder what GQ‘s perspective on the “ex-gay” angle will be. It described his struggle: “Now he’s trying to rebuild—by fighting temptation with every bone in his body.” Doesn’t sound like a glowing description of an “ex-gay” success story.
“Now he’s trying to rebuild—by fighting temptation with every bone in his body.”
Now just what is it about that statement that makes me giggle?
Don’t you just love accidental double entendre!!
You got that right. Whatever happened to Amy Grant anyway?In my time I have also been assaulted by an “all lesbian drum troupe” at a dance party (of all places, cleared the room r-e-a-l fast) and an “all the actors are gay” stage show. They were both hideous, as most things are when someone is selected because of an irrelevant attribute.
Grantdale, hear, hear! I’ve never “got” christian music. It struck me as being especially bland. Not being christian, the words didn’t do anything for me. An All Lesbian Drum Troupe at a dance party?!!! Good grief.
How about something really radical – a stage show where all the actors are straight.
GQ? He must have gotten himself a wonderful ad agency. I wonder what clothing he’ll be modelling.
(GQ used to be Gentlemens’ Quarterly, a fashion magazine.
What has Talley done to warrant being in GQ? I didn’t even realize he was THAT big a star these days on the gospel circuit. They may forgive him for giving in to “temptations”, but I doubt they will forget.
I hope this isn’t some kind of big push from media outlets to seep more ex-gay/anti-gay viewpoints into print. This sounds like it’s going to make him look noble and brave for not wanting to be gay.
Who owns GQ anyway?
James, it is probable that many of the stories in these “lifestyle” magazines are planted by ad agencies. I started noticing it when the “editorial” content of some of the Conde Nast magazines that I subscribed to emphasized their advertisers. After I had realized that, that’s when I stoppped subscribing.
Why Talley in a lifestyle magazine? It’s probable that it was planted there by an ad agency. I can’t prove it, of course. Lifestlyle magazines need editorial content, and more than a bit of the editorial content seems to be planted by ad agencies. Hence my supposition.
Note to mikea: No link. It’s a supposition based on other observations.
raj, you obviously don’t understand the popularity of Christian music. The quality of the music is always secondary to the perceived Christian reputation of the performer(s).
Probably true. I do appreciation of music by the quality of the music.
Actually, when I was younger, I was annoyed by the insertion of the human voice into cultural pieces. But since then, I have become amazed at the incredible tonality of the human voice, as a musical device.
RE: Raj
I could never understand Christian music either; I was raised a Catholic, and even had friends whose friends were into that music – I could never understand it.
For me, I always found it rather corny; its like Metallica singing ‘the wheels on the bus’ but to a rock beat – it sounds crap, no matter how the words are sung.
As for what I prefer, I was always one of those alterntive freaks 🙂 Ben Harper, Marilyn Manson, Rammstein etc. etc.
Kirk Talley fronts for a huge choir
The Sounds of Blackness.
However, Talley shouts and preaches while they are singing and most times I want to scream at him SHUT UP so I can hear the music!
Talley is my maiden name, my father’s family name. Dare I consider Kirk and I might be cousins?
Anyhoo, Kaiwai….I love ALL things Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals!
He’s got a new CD out of religious based songs.
And I”m getting that CD first chance I get.
I don’t mind his brand of such spiritually grown music, he’s great.
RE: Regan DuCasse
Ah, I know the one you’re talking about: Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama, got the cd as soon as it came out; GREAT music, awesome harmonics – and non-cheesy. Spiritual and yet with a cool bluesy mood 🙂
I have been into punk, alt, and indie for all of my life. Christian music tends to make everything bland, but there are some really good bands that are Christian who are not popular in gospel circles.
Low, Pedro the Lion, Velour 100, Tooth and Nail Records, Stephen Sufajan, MXPX. The music comes first and the gospel comes later. They do not shy away from gospel topics, but they do not submit to them solely. The music more effective and wonderful. Unfortunately, some gospel organizations will fight these groups tooth and nail to do the bland music they want. Many will label them as evil for focusing on the music. There are some great Christian bands out there.
RE: Aaron
One I like is Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – specifically the song, “God is in the house” or “Oh My Lord” – some of it pokes at the irony within society and the role religion plays within it.
I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy. But I’m an older guy. I like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Rachmaninoff. (I could go on) I’ve never been a big fan of Brahms, though.
That said, I also like disco music played at gay clubs. And not just the disco music from the 1970s.
The other stuff. I don’t even know whan a Metallica piece being played is a Metallica piece.
/tic
Does anybody else remember that U2’s first big hits where Christian themed? Their first two albums heavily delved into Christian topics, and a very complex Christian spirituality (i.e. not a one-dimensional shiny/happy spirituality) continues to influence their songs even today.
But then, for them it was the music first.
RE: raj
I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy. But I’m an older guy. I like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Rachmaninoff. (I could go on) I’ve never been a big fan of Brahms, though.
Same here, I have a pretty varied collection, which includes classical, soul, Jazz (right back to the 1940s).
I love Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Dvorak; some say Brahms music is depressing; I prefer his music to the nationalist type that Wagner wrote, and the ostentatious ‘non-classical’ that Gershwin wrote – the best way to describe it – its too American, too ‘happy’ (the best word at this current moment that I can come up with).
Thanks for the review of the new Ben Harper CD, kaiwai…I can hardly wait.
I recommend a DVD called
“Standing in the Shadows of Motown” a documentary about the house band that played for all of Motown’s artists.
Ben Harper is a featured soloist covering two hits by the Temptations.
Joanie Osborne makes a surprising appearance.
Whoa the girl’s got chops!
Anyhoo, Ben Harper just shivers me timbers!
kaiwai at July 26, 2005 02:14 AM
I know what you’re saying but, if I were actually to go through the entire list of classical composers whose compositions I find wonderful, it would be boring. Maybe I’ll do it someday. But not now.
I’ll just mention one point. When I was a child in college in the late 1960s and early 1970s I hated opera music. It seemed that the intervention of the human voice disrupted the music. Since then, I have come to figure that the human voice is the most amazing musical instrument. Not the violin. Not the viola, the bass, or the trumpet. The human voice It really is. I have watched operas and operetta, and did not understand a word that was spoken. But the emotional fascination with the music was amazing.
I’ve been following the Talley story with interest for the past year and a half and am AMAZED that GQ saw this as a story of interest to its readership. I feel sorry for Kirk – the article describes the loneliness of choosing against intimacy with another man. But who knows when the final chapter will be written?
In an odd but happy turn of events, my online commentaries in early 2004 on the Talley scandal resulted in my being introduced to the wonderful man who is now my parter. Two Sundays ago, we went to a Kirk Talley concert in Erie PA to say ‘thanks’ to him for his role in bringing us together! He was actually very cool about it. Kirk-Talley.com has our picture with Kirk taken after the Erie concert – he even captioned it with our names : ) I think he’s probably a lot more gay-positive than he is able to let on if he wants to rebuild a career in gospel music.
I am reading with interest the posts about Kirk Talley… As a Kirk Talley Fan, Let me recommend his new CD… It includes a live recording and his testimony about all of this…
Please know Kirk has not, according to his testimony, ever acted out on his homosexual feelings… that he has had since he was 15…
I read this in his newsletter… available at http://www.kirktalley.com
Q: Did you have a publicist that set this article up with GQ?
A: I guess God was the publicist. I never approached them, they contacted me. I never dreamed that GQ magazine would print such a story.
I am a HUGE fan of Kirk’s brand of Gospel Music… Southern Gospel music, that is… Kirk sang with The Hoppers… The Talley’s and The Cathedrals… before venturing out on his own… I have been a Southern Gospel Music fan my entire life and could never understand anything else… Esp Opera and Classical… Unless it was Classical Southern Gospel like The Speers and The Blackwood Brothers… The popular Gaither Video Series is Southern Gospel… Try it… you just might like it!! Did you know the only Grammys Elvis won were for Gospel music?
For the one who asked about Amy Grant… First of all her music and Kirk Talley’s are not the same… There is a distinctive sound in Southern Gospel music than other Christian or Gospel Genere’s. Most of Southern Gospel is made up of Quartets… As example, The Oak Ridge Boys started off as a Southern Gospel Quartet….
Amy is now married to Vince Gill of Country music fame…
I have been a listener and fan of Gospel music since the womb. I have listened to Kirk all of my life and I love him.
Gospel music is not like most other Christian music though. First, I agree that most Christian music is bland. However, I usually do not put Southern Gospel under the same category as Christian. While Southern Gospel is still “Christian,” it just has a very different sound from other Christian music. “Christian” and Southern Gospel are typically not even played on the same radio station or sold in the same section at a Christian bookstore. They are very separate from each other, which is a whole other story.
Secondly, in my opinion, Southern Gospel music listeners are more old-fashioned, and, I hate to say it, less forgiving than “Christian” music fans. I am in full support of Kirk and what he is doing, but Southern Gospel audiences have been known to exclude artists for having hair that is either too long or too spikey(Signature Sound Quartet and The Gaither Vocal Band both have felt the brunt of this). Imagine what they thought when they heard of Kirk admitting to homosexual tendencies.
I would recommend visiting Kirk’s website http://www.kirk-talley.com and reading his testimony and his reason for doing the interview with GQ, and how it all came about.
I actually have to admit, that I appreciate Southern gospel music, particularly as done by black choirs. In small measure. And I don’t particularly care about the words. But the emotion in the singing is what is interesting.
Its not being gay and its not homosexuality. IT’S SODOMY. Call it what it is. Its sin and GOD hates it.
Why, thank you, Nate for telling us what god has told you. Apparently you have a direct link to him. What else has he told you?
Actually, if you read Proverbs 6 you would understand that there are seven things that god hates, and sodomy is not one of them. A lying tongue is. Also, he that soweth discord among brethren.
http://users.westelcom.com/larabeeg/Hate.htm
Nate, you have committed two of the infractions that god hates.
Well, thank goodness that, according to Nate, being a lesbian isn’t anything to worry about then…