How to Sound Gay

Soundcheck | May 3, 2010
Can a piece of music sound gay? Sony-BMG and AOL Music are just a few media outlets 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 with his analysis. Also with us is Nadine Hubbs, a musicologist and cultural historian at the University of Michigan, 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.

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