Why Mika Can't Get American Radioplay.

[JackViolet]

I wrote this in response to some posts on the last OUT interview thread in the News section, but it turned out so long and detailed I thought I'd give it its own thread.

 

 

 

America has, in all recent history, been a country divided by halves. North vs. South, Black vs. White, Conservative vs. Liberal. Over time, we have become very invested in this one-or-the-other world view, and equally invested in identifying and enforcing these divisions in order to preserve it as a means of preserving our perception of social order.

 

Look at our political spectrum--we are one of the few countries that has only two viable political parties, and people who refuse to choose either the Republican or Democrat candidate are seen as almost traitors, as evinced by all the hostility that followed Ralph Nader voters over the past few elections. Other Western countries are far more comfortable with matters of nuance. We are not.

 

One of the divides that's particularly vital in American culture (and that is underlaid by a lot of panic) is the one between man and woman. Americans are very much uncomfortable when anything breaches that divide: we want our gender differences clearly marked and unassailable. As such, the position that homosexuality occupies in our popular culture is rather interesting. Americans en masse are still somewhat uneasy with homosexuality (since it so threatens perceived gender roles), but thanks to the after-effects of gay rights movements, it's been becoming more and more prominent in society--which, in some ways, makes it even more troubling for people, since it must now be acknowledged rather than ignored. Americans occupy a unique position here in relation to the rest of the world, where homosexuality and "feminine" behavior in men is either accepted with a lot less fuss (Britain, France), or else the culture as a whole is so conservative that it refuses to notice certain traits as being indicative of homosexuality unless absolutely forced to, and thus manages to coast by in blissful ignorance (Romania, Turkey). America, on the other hand, is both excessively sensitive to possible markers of homosexuality or gender difference, and also not particularly comfortable with it.

 

However, we have learned to make peace with male homosexuality in popular culture provided that it occupies a very specified, easily discerned and defined role.

 

"Acceptable" male homosexuality has been relegated to the sphere of "the feminine," and also the "asexual." The types of gay men that American pop culture embraces are the fashion designers, the stylists, interior decorators and chefs: all of these professions are generally designated as feminine, and none of these are especially sexually provocative. The job of such people is to make the lives of straight people more comfortable or interesting, and to help straight people better realize their sexual desires (in the case of hair stylists and fashion consultants), but the desires of the gay men can be conveniently removed from the field of thought, and chefs or interior decorators are not themselves considered to be particularly "sexy." When these gay men do express sexual desire for other men, it should be done in a joking way that would be funny for the straight audience, or else it should remain out of view and largely academic. Basically, America's decided that gay men are all right so long as they are there to serve for the straight people's use and entertainment. This is also why the amusingly camp, fussy, flamboyant homosexuals are especially favored on tv. (Additionally, flamboyance makes it easy to recognize these men as "gay" and "not a real man" so there is no danger of the aforementioned dreaded confusion between the feminine and the masculine.)

 

Now then, let's move from tv to music. The problem is that gay men's place in music is even more limited than their place in television. There are two main types of musicians: the rock star and the pop star. The rock star is not, in the American consciousness, compatible with "gay man," since a rock star should be swaggeringly masculine, while "gay man" is feminine. Obviously a lot of rock stars play with androgyny, but that's all right so long as they assert their heterosexuality by also being notorious womanizers.

 

The pop star is coded as more feminine--right now especially, the idea of "pop star" is most closely tied to women singers. But the problem with pop stars is that, as feminine, they are seen as sexually desirable--and sexually desirable to straight men--while as gay men (or men in general), in mass American consciousness, are not.

 

The only way that gay musicians can navigate this minefield is either by making their sexuality invisible (ie, acting in accordance to gender roles and also being so unremarkably asexual that their orientation becomes irrelevant), or to offer their sexuality up as a joke. Thus Rob Halford is able to be a "rock star" and gay, but his sexuality is also reduced to a joke among American audiences. And the Scissor Sisters are seen as pop stars, but also as a "gay novelty act"--so that the mass audiences can consider them amusing rather than sexy.

 

Where Mika enters into all of this is that neither his sexuality nor gender identity can be easily fit into this structure. He is a pop star, and male, and some aspects of his self-presentation code him in what Americans perceive as being sexually appealing in a feminine way--but without being able to put that under the label "gay." Meanwhile, since he keeps his sexuality secret, he is simultaneously seen as "sexy" to girls who hope he's straight. His stage theatrics, flamboyance in terms of dress, frequent use of falsetto, etc, mark him out as "feminine," but he refuses to either cement this categorization by admitting homosexuality or to deny it by publicly sleeping with groupies and being such an extreme womanizer that it would off-set his feminine image (like Prince). As long as he remains mum on his orientation, the tension of his sexual appeal and his more feminine characteristics cannot be defused and he cannot be dismissed as a joke, and this makes Americans very uncomfortable. His image and behavior, being unsuited for clear distinction between "masculine" and "feminine," "heterosexual" and "homosexual," is bothersome and threatening to American audiences and their neat conceptions of simple dualities, and so he is not accepted.

 

Since Mika seems neither willing to go and sleep with a bunch of girls in order to lay speculation about his homosexuality to rest, or to validate that speculation by admitting he is gay and allowing his sexuality to be reduced to a joke on the part of American media, it is not likely he will break America in a big way anytime soon.

 

Their loss.

 

--Jack

[suzie]

Jack, I haven't read your post yet (just the posts on the Out mag thread), but want to be first with reply and say that the US does not need a woman or a black president but a gay one who comes out in the middle of his term.....

 

The level of hypocrisy over there is unbelievable...

I have just read that people were demonstrating against Heath Ledger because of his role in Brokeback Mountain...

[elanorelle]

Boy you and Scut are our scholars!!!!!!!!!!

 

wow Jack...I do agree with you! Anything different seems to make much of USA uncomfortable. I know that here in Canada, at least where I live no one really cares who you are with etc and all that. However it must not all be like that because most Americans I know are very open minded. It used to not be like that I am sure! Did you know that Canadian is a very bad word now (in the deep South)

When will they stop . (did you here of that article?) sorry its something I read recently!!!!

[zoots14]

Really thoughtful and insightful post Jack.

 

For some reason I'm suprised that the same thing is happening in Toronto. I guess it makes sense that it would happen in Toronto vs Montreal (Montreal welcomes him with open arms), but I would have thought Toronto would be more welcoming than the States. Unfortunately it doesn't seem that way... he gets almost no radio time here these days, and he's playing a much much smaller venue tonight than Montreal - and it still took until last week to sell out. Kind of sad.

 

Hopefully he won't give up on us... it might take longer for him to crack the Toronto market but (trust me Mika!) there are TONS of people here who would love him if there were more awareness of him here. I know it may seem crazy to the rest of the world, but many people in Toronto haven't even heard of him... he gets so little air time here. But give it time!

[elanorelle]

Really thoughtful and insightful post Jack.

 

For some reason I'm suprised that the same thing is happening in Toronto. I guess it makes sense that it would happen in Toronto vs Montreal (Montreal welcomes him with open arms), but I would have thought Toronto would be more welcoming than the States. Unfortunately it doesn't seem that way... he gets almost no radio time here these days, and he's playing a much much smaller venue tonight than Montreal - and it still took until last week to sell out. Kind of sad.

 

Hopefully he won't give up on us... it might take longer for him to crack the Toronto market but (trust me Mika!) there are TONS of people here who would love him if there were more awareness of him here. I know it may seem crazy to the rest of the world, but many people in Toronto haven't even heard of him... he gets so little air time here. But give it time!

 

that makes no sense! its a bigger city than Vancouver and Vancouver has two huge contests going on right now , Ticket give aways , and many articles !!!!!!!!!!!!plus the venue is twice as big as Toronto's! Very odd!

[JackViolet]

the US does not need a woman or a black president but a gay one who comes out in the middle of his term.....

 

Oh, I think we need all three... the amount of covert racism and misogyny here is pretty impressive, too. (The misogyny feeds into the homophobia.)

 

However it must not all be like that because most Americans I know are very open minded. It used to not be like that I am sure!

 

Oh yes, America's really a diverse country... more like 3 countries in one, really. This is why I tried to be clear about the fact that I was generalizing and that my generalizations apply only to mass culture, whatever it is. You will meet plenty of people who do not fit into the stereotype. And of course it depends on the geography, a bit like zoots14 says...

 

For some reason I'm suprised that the same thing is happening in Toronto. I guess it makes sense that it would happen in Toronto vs Montreal (Montreal welcomes him with open arms), but I would have thought Toronto would be more welcoming than the States. Unfortunately it doesn't seem that way...

 

Yeah, we've got the same thing going (on a smaller level) with cities like New York and LA, where he is fairly well known, and well... everywhere else.

 

--Jack

[pinkunicorn123]

*Has missed Jack's rants*

[Mikafish]

Jack i have to say I love reading your posts.

 

They are always well thought thro and not just a rant from one point of view.

 

You have again demonstrated this here.

 

Very insightful and rather thought provoking, a great read.

 

I whole heartedly agree with what you've said.

 

Also 100% right, it's there loss!

[hmitts]

this was very interesting to read.

 

when it comes to commercial promo, almost everything relies on the industry/label's support and whether or not they think certain exposure will help or hurt an artist's career (in terms of sexuality it is usually the later). when it comes to how they want to present themselves, most artists will comply with their label as opposed to getting dropped, which has happened. this is something, mika has said he refuses to do. while it works for him and he is quite successful in other parts of the world, many musicians aren't like this.

 

there is also the fact, that mika is still somewhat "new". a lot of people are ADD when it comes to music and it will just take longevity on mika's part for people to notice him. i think his north american tour will help him a lot. if anything, touring small venues will be extremely beneficial in gaining him a larger fan base in the US. another thing is, it takes a lot for americans to notice something that isn't from here. it took a long time before bands like the arctic monkeys even gained a little publicity from US magazines and music stations. mika also doesn't have anything that will feed the media craze that americans crave for that will gain him immediate attention, unlike amy winehouse and lily allen did.

 

overall, when it comes to america, i think he just needs more time. he's uber talented, the rest of them are going to figure it out sooner or later.

[Suzy]

*Suzy goes to get her morning coffee first, then will come back and read this*

[zoots14]

I've just sent the following email to my local radio station, along with the article that was just written about the Montreal concert:

 

Hello guys!

 

There has been a LOT of chat on some music forums lately trying to figure out why Mika gets no airplay in Toronto while he's a massive hit everywhere else (he's won a million awards this year).

 

He's playing at the Kool Haus tonight, and I've been really suprised to hear almost nothing about it on [your station].

 

I thought you might be interested to read this review of his concert last night in Montreal.

 

Thanks very much & have a great day,

-a huge Mika fan

 

Here's the article:

(I included the Montreal article here. It's in this thread: http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12501 )

[suzie]

I agree with all what you have said and simply adore how you put it in a cultural perspective.

I would only like to add one more point to your arguments, namely, the underlying reason behind such simplified thinking in the States. The key to this lies in your first paragraph:

America has, in all recent history, been a country divided by halves. North vs. South, Black vs. White, Conservative vs. Liberal. Over time, we have become very invested in this one-or-the-other world view, and equally invested in identifying and enforcing these divisions in order to preserve it as a means of preserving our perception of social order.

 

So why is it so important to make people think like dummies and never present them with a choice of more than two options for fear it would confuse their little brain? It’s because people who have never been taught how to develop and express their own opinion, can easily be manipulated. It’s exactly those dummies needed to be sent to wars in order to boost America’s declining economy...

 

What’s more, in order to keep that social order you mentioned, you always need a clear picture of THE ENEMY – one that anyone can easily identify (e.g. communists, gays, Muslims.. etc.– in historical order.. )

[CazGirl]

my own personal opinion? (now no offence to YOU Americans on here, cos like, you guys see the light...) but to the rest of em...

 

 

GROW UP, GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR BUM HOLES AND GET OVER IT

 

interesting. since his dad is american, i wonder what he makes of Mika's music? Of course I am not saying all American's are the same as they obviously are not, and they have lived in England for a considerable amount of time, but it's still a proposing question.

[Marilyn Mastin]

That's a really good post JackViolet. There's also the fact that America is more religeous that a lot of other countries. But speaking as a Christian myself, a lot of the Christianity in America is of the Hell Fire and Damnation type, which leaves no room for the love and forgiveness, actually preached by Jesus himself, who, if he had been around today, would no doubt have included gay people as his friends, because HE excluded no one.

And really, if gay people are destined for hell, because they are gay, and for no other reason, that is stupid and ignorant. There are far more important things going on in the world, for God to deal with, than whether a person is in love with a member of his/her own sex! I fully expect to meet Mika in Heaven, when he joins the heavenly choir. God is not going to send a man of morals and principles, like Mika, to hell!

Anyway, as I always say, love is never wrong. But there are people in this world who don't know the meaning of the word!

 

Love today, from Marilyn

[hoochatootch]

subscribing to this...

(gotta run to work)

and because i love the way jack's mind works!

[Guest]

I think the simple reason he doesn't get airplay is because he doesn't drive with babies on his lap.

 

I don't know who these other gay artists getting radioplay are. At least not in this part of the state/my uncle's part of the state. Everybody's like "OH YEAH, we're totally cool with gay/camp artists!", but yet I never heard them on the radio. I never hear The Gossip. I never hear Scissor Sisters. The only gay musician I ever hear is Elton John. They don't even play Queen that much here.

 

I don't think it's really anything to worry about, though. He just happens to be bigger in the UK. So what? If anything, he's getting more famous on the underground, and more of his albums are being bought because nobody hears him on the radio. I'm not going to go buy Fergie's CD (not only because I don't like her music) because I've heard practically every song she has on the radio.

 

I don't think it's really a "get your head out of your bum hole" situation... different strokes for different folks. America (as a media-hungry soul whore) just isn't that into Mika. Sorry, dollface.

[Niki27]

To be honnest I wonder if the lack of support of the US radios is due to this pseudo-homosexuality theory or simply to the fact that Americans are just not interested in what happens outside of their borders in general.

[Guest]

To be honnest I wonder if the lack of support of the US radios is due to this pseudo-homosexuality theory or simply to the fact that Americans are just not interested in what happens outside of their borders in general.

 

I think it's the second one.

 

I think Americans have sort of found a comfort zone. That's why alot of people here are very much into the British scene. It's so different from what we have. I've never heard of a Brit being obsessed with the American scene. That's why I've heard of alot of the music my Brit friends listen to, but they have no idea who I'm talking about when I talk about our musicians.

 

And just to be clear, when I said "dollface" in my last post, I wasn't talking about you Caz. I was referring to Mika. (just so you don't think I was being belittling or anything)

[Gatagordinha]

If anything, he's getting more famous on the underground, and more of his albums are being bought because nobody hears him on the radio.

 

Yep, that's a good thing. It usually means longevity too. I honestly think the best he can hope for over there is an underground following - albeit a totally manic one

[JackViolet]

To be honnest I wonder if the lack of support of the US radios is due to this pseudo-homosexuality theory or simply to the fact that Americans are just not interested in what happens outside of their borders in general.

 

Well, Americans are certainly insular, but artists like Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Joss Stone, James Blunt, and others have made a much bigger splash here in terms of general-public knowledge than Mika.

 

In fact, British pop is hot right now. In my local Starbucks, they are currently playing a "British Invasion II/New British Pop" soundtrack, featuring everyone from Sia to Calvin Harris, and basically everyone who's been in the British charts lately... except Mika.

 

And SPIN just did an issue with best albums and best singles of 2007, and it seemed like half the artists on their list were British, but again, no Mika.

 

--Jack

 

P.S. Oh, and Sarie--I agree with you that openly gay/queer artists tend to not get much play in general. When I mentioned Scissor Sisters and the like, I didn't really mean "if openly gay musicians do this, they will be successful" but more "this is one of the few options they have, and even then it's not a guarantee."

[hmitts]

look at morrissey (the smiths). he has never disclosed his sexuality throughout his career, yet still remains one of the most influential figures in music. questioning of his sexuality never stood in the way of making the smiths one of the biggest bands of the 80s. even in america.

[Guest]

Well, Americans are certainly insular, but artists like Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Joss Stone, James Blunt, and others have made a much bigger splash here in terms of general-public knowledge than Mika.

 

In fact, British pop is hot right now. In my local Starbucks, they are currently playing a "British Invasion II/New British Pop" soundtrack, featuring everyone from Sia to Calvin Harris, and basically everyone who's been in the British charts lately... except Mika.

 

And SPIN just did an issue with best albums and best singles of 2007, and it seemed like half the artists on their list were British, but again, no Mika.

 

--Jack

 

P.S. Oh, and Sarie--I agree with you that openly gay/queer artists tend to not get much play in general. When I mentioned Scissor Sisters and the like, I didn't really mean "if openly gay musicians do this, they will be successful" but more "this is one of the few options they have, and even then it's not a guarantee."

 

I've noticed that (about Spin). It seems like it's mostly the drugsoaked British artists that get the radioplay.

 

And don't worry, I knew what you meant. I probably just worded it wrong.

 

Gotta go get a money order, be back shortly.

[JackViolet]

I've noticed that (about Spin). It seems like it's mostly the drugsoaked British artists that get the radioplay.

 

Aha! New theory! Mika doesn't get raidioplay because he doesn't do enough drugs!!!

 

(The sad thing is that I think you're right, too...)

 

--Jack

[ashtea]

America craves scandal....Mika just isn't interesting enough for them.. They want sex...not creative quips about hookers on street corners or keeping lollipops outta your mouth. That's too difficult for them to envision. They don't want creativity, they want booty shaking bull****. The just want breasts (or something they can shake their tatties to in the clubs), loud bass and controversy in the media (i.e. baby shaking, wreckless driving or gun toting). Mika just can't live up to that. Maybe he should go blonde, get implants and get pregnant!

 

Even Perez loving him and promoting him can't seem to get these people to follow suit and he's one of the biggest addictions for the American public. If he's nice, they don't like it. Silly people. (NOT ALL OF YOU OF COURSE).

[Marilyn Mastin]

America craves scandal....Mika just isn't interesting enough for them.. They want sex...not creative quips about hookers on street corners or keeping lollipops outta your mouth. That's too difficult for them to envision. They don't want creativity, they want booty shaking bull****. The just want breasts (or something they can shake their tatties to in the clubs), loud bass and controversy in the media (i.e. baby shaking, wreckless driving or gun toting). Mika just can't live up to that. Maybe he should go blonde, get implants and get pregnant!

 

Even Perez loving him and promoting him can't seem to get these people to follow suit and he's one of the biggest addictions for the American public. If he's nice, they don't like it. Silly people. (NOT ALL OF YOU OF COURSE).

I agree, Mika is a good guy! The problem is, they don't want him to be a good guy, because they don't like the fact that a young man, who might be gay, is actually a GOOD PERSON. Like I said before, it goes against everything they were brought up to believe.. for example... gays are evil!

Mika isn't evil. They don't like the fact that he is not evil. They would be more comfortable with his presence, if he was as bad as they'd like him to be.

 

Love again, from Marilyn