It's always exciting to see gay men strike it big in the music industry. Regardless of my opinion of their music, I'm glad that the likes of Jake Shears, Rufus Wainwright and Will Young are contributing some kind of queer energy to the mainstream. However, it slightly annoys me that I find today's celebrity fags so completely and utterly repellent. I hold a lot of admiration for George Michael, Boy George and Pete Burns but they are older than Jesus by now in gay years. It would be nice to connect with a contemporary gay idol for a change but I just find the pop poofs of yesteryear infinitely preferable. Who could be bothered with an ugly cunt like Mika, for example, when you could be listening to the sheer brilliance of Paul Parker?Paul Parker is club royalty whose pioneering role in the early 1980s dance scene has all but been forgotten. As a native of San Fransisco, Paul Parker was at the forefront of American Hi-NRG music along with fellow legends, Patrick Cowley and Sylvester. Hits like "Right On Target" and "Shot In The Night" are generally considered to be classics of the Hi-NRG genre and helped to make Paul an enduring gay icon. Although, his fabulous image - leather pants, handlebar moustache, omnipresent motorbike - definitely had something to do with it! Paul is, quite simply, my kind of fag. He's a survivor of the 1980s AIDS crisis, who has never been frightened out of the disco. Other queens have moved on but Paul is still a slave to the beat and I respect that. I also imagine he smells of stale beer and boot polish - which is a bit of a turn on!
It seems unfair to introduce Paul with his Klone material. I am Klone's #1 fan but they clearly specialise in one thing - tragic dance music. I'm obviously partial to Klone's output but those with slightly more highbrow leanings might want to check out Paul's early material before writing him off as yet another Klone embarrassment. As far as I know, Paul is still churning out his unique brand of addictive dance music. If anyone has more information on Paul's current activities, please let us know! Paul's early vinyl material, with its fantastic cover art, is now very collectible. However, CD copies can be found at Amazon and regularly turn up on Ebay.
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