"I think the appeal of my music crossed barriers. When I went to see Prince in the early days, I was amazed by the age, the race, the proclivities of his audience; it was right across the map. I think queer was a good way to describe his audience in those days."
"He felt very fortunate that his parents were very progressive; that we supported him. At the time when he started down this path, we were living in San Francisco. So straight, vanilla people were in the minority there. Then we went to the UK, and he went on BBC morning TV to talk about his experience, to help other kids, and so on."
"People would start to notice things in my songs; they'd pick up on lyrical things. Even before my son transitioned, I had a song called "Simone" that was about a trans person."
Thomas Dolby reflects on his connection to LGBTQ+ audiences, noting his music crossed barriers of age, race, and sexual orientation rather than targeting specific communities like other artists. He draws parallels to Prince's diverse fanbase. Dolby emphasizes his family's progressive values, particularly regarding his eldest child Harper, who transitioned in his late teens before high-profile trans visibility existed. Harper became an activist and mentor for other trans youth and families. Living in San Francisco and later the UK provided supportive environments. Dolby's public support generated positive social media responses, and listeners discovered LGBTQ+ themes in his songs, including "Simone," written about a trans person before his son's transition.
Read at Queerty
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]