Sunday, April 27, 2008

I thought we were DONE with this subject


There's a new book coming out soon about Gays in Hip Hop. Here's the plug

Everyone wants to know the truth about their favorite celebrities’ heart’s desire. Within the masculine culture of Hip Hop and Hollywood, there is a well-known gay subculture that industry insiders are keenly aware of but choose to hide. Terrance Dean worked his way up for more than ten years in the entertainment industry from intern to executive, and has lived the life of glitz and bling along with Hollywood and Hip Hop’s most glamorous. With a family full of secrets and working in an industry founded on maleness — where one’s job, friendships, and reputation all depend on remaining on the down low and in hiding — Dean writes a revealing account of the journey of coming out from hiding.

Full of startling anecdotes and incredible true stories, Hiding in Hip Hop is not a traditional tell-all. A personal and poignant memoir, it is also one of the most provocative and honest looks at stardom and sexuality.

Ok, I haven't read the book, so I really making a huge assumption. However I see some issues with this book that can do more harm than good.

My views (even though I haven't read book)
  1. Books like these are nothing but tabloids. They are exposing people's private lives without their consent and possibly hurting friends, family, and others. To do a book like this means that you are out to make money at all cost. If you want to help someone discover their sexuality, then present positive role models to show them that it's ok to be gay. But to put them on front street only reinforce the fear and negativity besetting gay issues and gay people.
  2. If this is a memoir, then focus on you, not people that may not have anything to do with you.
  3. Don't market this as a Tell All, it's tacky and trashy. And why do you need to tell other people's business if it's not your own. That's how you get slapped!
  4. Superhead wrote a tell all book and it made her a stain as a black woman. Please be aware of the outcomes. This could make you a target for mess and foolishness.
  5. Please have something in there, that inspires black closeted males to come out, not go back in.
  6. JL King...think about it.
  7. I could care less about who's closeted, I care about who's leading us forward.
  8. And if they're closeted, lets move on. We're out, now what are we going to do. Write about that.
I hope this book don't cause a big stink. This may push us back and dress our community as spiteful, greedy, and silly gays. I hope this brother thought about that before he wrote this book. I don't think it will solve anything that's important to us. It will be another gossip rag to talk about at the salon. And to be honest, I rather hear about hairdresser's wedding plans than who suck cock with a 40 in one hand and sweaty balls in the other.

4 comments:

ChewMouse said...

You know what, V? I totally agree except I don't see it as a Gay Thing, I see it as a Hollywood Thing. Those poor folks are bored. They write "memoirs" that may or may not be true, they ruin lives and it's just sick gossip. I read a biography of Martha Stewart because I hate her (read: "she makes me feel inferior") and it made me sick when the author tracked down the first guy Martha Stewart had sex with and who told, in detail, about how she was in bed. He even quoted her, and she had been seventeen at the time. I admit I read it, but I mentally declared the author as a writer without ethics, the worst kind of person I know.

There's only one thing to do: vote. And how do we do it? We use our consumer dollars wisely.

If they write it and nobody buys it, it's just another bunch of trees.

I hope that's what happens with more and more "tell-all" memoirs.

Anonymous said...

Hi there!

This is my first visit to your blog!

I agree with you that tell-all books are trashy but honestly, heterosexual black women are always waiting to listen to WHO has been on the "DL"... I am not sure why that's so enthralling but it is to some...

Peace,
Lisa

Christopher said...

Uh, I love trashy novels like this.

Invisible Woman said...

These books usually pander to those who don't feel good about themselves, so they can talk about the book and say "look at this trashy/gay/hoeish so and so".

It is low, and ugly, and takes no more than the mind of a piece of wood to write a tell all. I completely agree with your post.

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Viktor is a small town southern boy living in Los Angeles. You can find him on Twitter, writing about pop culture, politics, and comics. He’s the creator of the graphic novel StrangeLore and currently getting back into screenwriting.