Soundcheck

"Out Classics" CD cover

Can Music Sound Gay?

Friday, June 23, 2006

Can a piece of music sound gay? Media outlets like Sony-BMG and AOL Music are trying to cater to the gay audience through special marketing efforts. But some critics say they're making assumptions about taste that stumble into stereotype. Jim Farber, music critic of the New York Daily News joins us along with Nadine Hubbs, a University of Michigan cultural historian, whose latest book, "The Queer Composition of America's Sound" has generated fierce debate in music circles. Also: Jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut has a new CD that features unusual covers of songs by Roberta Flack, Fats Domino, and 70s soft-rock band Bread. He joins us with a live performance in the studio. And finally, an appreciation of the Greek composer and architect Iannis Xenakis. This is a repeat edition of Soundcheck

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