Aural Fixation: Recent Episodes
Andy Gott and Drew Tweddle
Aural Fixation is a queer music podcast that explores LGBTQI+ themes in music and pop culture. Released fortnightly on Thursdays, each instalment follows besties Drew and Andy as they discuss an album that is loved by queer people, made by queer artists, or speaks to queer experiences. British expats living and recording in Sydney, Drew and Andy bring a uniquely cross-genre and cross-hemispheric viewpoint to being gay and loving music, shared perhaps only by the Minogue sisters. Aural Fixation is recorded and produced by @with.all.drew.respect and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare. Follow us on Facebook at Aural Fixation Podcast, on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com or head to www.auralfixationpodcast.com to learn more. Oh, and if you like us please give us a rating and review.
Andy here – as I'm putting the finishing touches on Tracks of Our Queers' second season, I thought I'd share some previews from my favourite episodes so far.
Here's the first 10 minutes of my conversation with Bonzai Bonner, a DJ, nightlife promoter and activist based in Glasgow.
You can find and subscribe to Tracks of Our Queers wherever you get your podcasts.
Andy here – as I'm putting the finishing touches on Tracks of Our Queers' second season, I thought I'd share some previews from my favourite episodes so far.
Here's the first 15 minutes of my conversation with Jonny Seymour, a producer, activist, and community elder based in Sydney.
You can find and subscribe to Tracks of Our Queers wherever you getyour podcasts.
Andy here – as I'm putting the finishing touches on Tracks of Our Queers' second season, I thought I'd share some previews from my favourite episodes so far.
Here's the first 15 minutes of my debut episode, with Abdi Nazemian, an Iranian-American author, screenwriter and producer based in Los Angeles.
You can find and subscribe to Tracks of Our Queers wherever you get your podcasts.
A note from Andy...
Hello! Tracks of Our Queers is my new podcast, in which I interview a fascinating person on the music that has soundtracked their queer journey through one song, one album, and one artist.
Tracks of Our Queers is available to listen to right now, wherever you find your podcasts. Head on over to subscribe – I cannot wait for you to hear the tales my guests have lived to tell.
The boys are back from their UK adventures and ready for Mardi Gras weekend in Sydney, shooting the shit on Shrove Tuesday, corporate queers and biodegradable glitter.
We also aboard a round-the-world Pride tour from Cardiff and Manchester to Quito and Orlando, soundtracked by Andy and Drew’s favourite Mardi Gras musical classics.
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. And don't forget to check out this episode's playlist.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge both the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
We're coming up so you better get this party started! Aural Fixation's eighth cycle wraps up with a good old fashioned Drew and Andy romp, and this time, it's Missundaztood by the one and only P!nk.
Some of the queer topics we cover around and amongst Alecia Moore's iconic sophomore outing include Shirley Bassey's Marks & Spencer adverts, "Get the Party Started" being about completely nothing, and rifling through Billy B's phone book.
We also muse on Liv Tyler's paternal parentage, shout out to our gaymers, and raise our fists (not glasses) to Max Martin's sloppy seconds sharing. But what is it about P!nk and Australia?
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. And don't forget to check out this episode's playlist.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
It's New Queer's Eve and we're wrapping up an oddity of a year by delving into the magic and mayhem of Pete Burns, frontman of Dead or Alive and bonafide pio-queer.
No one knows Pete better than our old friend and host of various incredible podcasts (The Record Doctor, This Is Disco and the brand new You Can't Mistake Their Anthology to name three), Adem Eve. Adem takes us through possibly the most chaotic album we've covered yet on Aural Fixation, iconically a global flop everywhere apart from Japan... Dead or Alive's Nukleopatra.We also sidestep into figuring out what exactly Discogs is, pay our respects to the spectacular Sarah Harding, and pick Adem’s brains on his recent interview with Dannii Minogue (!). You can find all things Adem and more at his Instagram and Twitter.
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. And don't forget to check out this episode's playlist.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge both the Gadigal of the Eora Nation and the Ngarigo, the traditional custodians of the lands this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
On May 31 1998, Geri Halliwell shook the globe by announcing that she was leaving the Spice Girls, effective immediately. Caught in the tumult of one of the biggest scandals in pop history, Geri she did what any gay icon would – she packed a bag and headed straight for George Michael's gaff. It was there that she decided what the hell she was going to do next. The result was Schizophonic.
Lauded as a parallel universe third Spice Girls album, Geri's debut is a cacophony of frenetic but catchy bops, boasting three UK number ones. But on re-listen over two decades later, does it still lift us up? Or were we just in a bubble?
This episode the boys are joined by reformed groupie Malcolm McLean, author of Freak Like Me, a hilarious, nostalgic jaunt through teenage angst and 90s pop. Join us as we take you back to our sweet la vida and ask – where the fuck is Mi Chico Latino?
Want more from the boys? Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. And don't forget to check out this episode's playlist.
You can find out more about Freak Like Me on @freaklikemebook and order a copy at any good bookstore.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge both the Gadigal of the Eora Nation and the Ngarigo, the traditional custodians of the lands this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
How are you? What's your take on Cassavettes? Who took the bomp from the bomp-a-lomp-a-lomp? And who the HELL took the ram from the rama-lama-ding-dong? All these questions and more are answered in this ep dedicated to dancepunk trio Le Tigre.
We tackle the band's debut self-titled album, the brainchild of Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman and Sadie Benning, which sits at the precipice of '60s surfer bops, 80's new wave and 90's queercore New York... with a healthy splash of third-wave feminism.
So grab yr metrocard and take the train direct to Friendship Station because this topic is hot.
Want more from the boys? Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. Don't forget to check out this episode's playlist. Check out this deep dive into Le Tigre's Deceptacon on the Red Bull Music Academy site, too.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge both the Gadigal of the Eora Nation and the Ngarigo, the traditional custodians of the lands this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
Judy Garland's concert appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall is often described as the greatest night in show business history. After ongoing battles with a variety of substances for most of the 1950s, many had come to judge Judy. Her 1961 return to the stage, however, was a roaring success devoured by a crowd made up almost entirely of screaming queens.
Discussion on the original gay icon must be taken seriously, and Andy and Drew recruited Judy super-stan Alexander Andrews for a conversation that covers the legendary performance.
Want more from the boys? Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. Don't forget to check out this episode's playlist.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge both the Gadigal of the Eora Nation and the Ngarigo, the traditional custodians of the lands this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
What do the forces of Nicki Minaj, Ronan Keating, and those who imprint queerness on successful figures in pop culture all have in common? They all want a piece of Tracy Chapman, ladies, and count us in.
One of the best-selling albums of all time by anyone, anywhere, 1988's Tracy Chapman took the singer-songwriter traditions of the 70s and brought them into a new musical landscape and sparking another decade of heartfelt guitar confessionals – but there's so much more than meets the eye in the Tracy Chapman House (TCH). Press play to find out.
Want more from the boys? Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. For fast cars, and revolutions, don't forget to check out this episode's playlist.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge both the Gadigal of the Eora Nation and the Ngarigo, the traditional custodians of the lands this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
The boys are joined by artist, photographer, DJ, and Andy's mate from uni, Matthew Arthur Williams, to discuss the legendary Joni Mitchell and her 1975 album, The Hissing of Summer Lawns.
An unrivalled figure in pop culture, Joni loves the queers and the queers love Joni but her icon status isn't as obvious or surface level as most of our usual Aural Fixation subjects. Matthew takes us on a memory lane trip back to the mid-00s, when Joni was the soundtrack of his blossoming queerhood.
You can find Matthew on Instagram here, and follow his DJing here. Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. And don't forget to check out this episode's playlist .
Finally, we would like to acknowledge both the Gadigal of the Eora Nation and the Ngarigo, the traditional custodians of the lands this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
Christina Aguilera's masterpiece Stripped has been cited as inspiration by countless pop sensations including Rihanna, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande. From self love, to feminism, to sex positivity, the music gave gals, gays and theys permission to roar when it hit the shelves in 2002.
Nearly two decades later, Stripped still gets our temperatures up. What better way to kick off our eighth cycle than with a full strip-search of the album that made us fighters and taught us to trust the voice within. So here it is – no hype, no glass, no pretence. Just Andy and Drew. And a lawsuit with the Sugababes.
Want more from the boys? Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. And don't forget to check out this episode's playlist which will NOT bring you down today.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge both the Gadigal of the Eora Nation and the Ngarigo, the traditional custodians of the lands this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
After over seventy episodes and several many bottles of chilled Semillon (send me home), we've reached our Cycle 7 finale! As is tradition (of which there are many!) this ep sees us tackling a subject that's a little... left of the usual format.
Second only to Madonna (welcome to her fempire), RuPaul's Drag Race is the cultural touchstone of Aural Fixation. We're hard-pressed to find an episode of the podcast that doesn't in some way reference the show (Tamar, have you ever watched the show?) or its contestants. Beyond the pod, we'd go so far as to say that Drag Race is THE defining piece of queer iconography of the last decade, and there ain't no signs of it stopping any time soon. As such, we felt it important – nay necessawry – to dedicate our Cycle 7 finale to the show that launched a thousand wig lines.
But we couldn't do it alone! We've enlisted Entertainment Weekly reporter and Drag Race herstorian Joey Nolfi to weigh in on his experience of the show's impact and spill the tea on where the franchise might be heading. You ready, girl? This episode will Curl. Your. Hair.
Want more from the boys? Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. And don't forget to check out this episode's playlist!
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge both the Gadigal of the Eora Nation and the Ngarigo, the traditional custodians of the lands this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
We're in for a treat this fortnight with our first of two very special Drag Race episodes. First up, superstar of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, Maxi Shield, regales us with her long and very personal history with... Madonna.
Yes, we know, every Aural Fixation episode is essentially about Madonna, but this topic was Maxi's choice and for good reason. Our album of focus is the incomparable Immaculate Collection, but it was her brush with a diamanté banana on the Rebel Heart Tour that will prick up your ears.
Want more from the boys? Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. And don't forget to check out this episode's playlist!
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge both the Gadigal of the Eora Nation and the Ngarigo, the traditional custodians of the lands this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
April 2020 was a rough time to release new music, but that didn't stop Rina Sawayama from having one of the strongest pop albums of last year. The eponymous Sawayama was an eclectic mash-up of Y2K nostalgia, paying homage to early 2000's manufactured pop, nu-metal and R&B.
The album went on to feature on several best of lists, and Sawayama herself made history after criticising major British music awards such as the Mercury Prize and the BRITs who deemed her illegible to be nominated as a British artist, despite having lived in the UK since she was five.
Join Andy and Drew for a good old fashioned kiki on all things Rina, from her take on chosen family to her relationship with deep pop godfather of the pod, Elton John.
Like the boys? Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. And don't forget to check out this episode's playlist!
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge both the Gadigal of the Eora Nation and the Ngarigo, the traditional custodians of the lands this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
A mere 18 years old and mother of a three week old baby when her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, was released, Sinéad O’Connor shot to stratospheric success off of her haunting vocals, powerful songwriting and give-no-fucks visuals.
In this episode, we use Sinéad's blistering debut as a starting point for an exploration of her distilled queerness, her massive appeal to queer listeners, and exactly why is she so... very... O'Conic? We also touch on the Prince Thing, the Pope Thing, and the Madonna Thing (spoiler alert, we're Team Sinéad on all).
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect. Don't forget to check out this episode's playlist.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge both the Gadigal of the Eora Nation and the Ngarigo, the traditional custodians of the lands this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
When it comes to sweeping romance, earnest lyrics and – let's face it, songs that last six minutes MINIMUM – there really is no topping Ms. Céline Marie Claudette Dion.
From humble beginnings in Charlemagne, Quebec (which is queer) to becoming the best-selling Canadian recording artist in history, Queen Céline has dominated the music industry for over three decades. In 1996, her star was in full ascendence when she unleashed Falling Into You on the unsuspecting masses. Playing host to career-defining tracks such as "Because You Loved Me", "All By Myself" and, importantly, the first single Drew ever bought ("It's All Coming Back to Me Now"), the album went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time, with sales of over 32 million copies worldwide.
We did not have to think twice when recruiting our guest for this episode. The enigmatic and addictive Gwynne is not only a pop historian (and soon to be doctor in his field!) but a Céline stan of titanic proportions.
Are you ready to learn of the power of Falling Into You? Well you're in luck – because a new day has come. Get ready for an episode that is all beauty, no beast, and guaranteed to make you feel... alive.
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare, Drew on @with.all.drew.respect, and Gwynne... nowhere! He's off-grid. Ooh, and don't forget to check out this episode's playlist, which slaps all night.
As always, our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
This fortnight, we're joined by Jared Richards, a cultural critic living on Gadigal land, and writer for NME, The Guardian, The Big Issue, Sissy Screens and more.
Last year, Jared wrote a beautiful article on the evolution of Sufjan Stevens that caught our queer eye, so we welcomed him into the studio (pre-second Sydney lockdown) to unpack the mystery and intrigue surrounding a long-awaited Aural Fixation topic.
We talk grief and catharsis (or lack there of), Lady Gaga's aunt, and the romance wank of Call Me By Your Name. It's all queer.
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare, Drew on @with.all.drew.respect, and Jared on @jrdjms. And don't forget to check out this episode's playlist.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
It's a Bad Queers double dip as we welcome on Kris Chesson, the podcasting partner of Shana Sumers from our Beyonce episode, to explore why her queer icon is... Drake. Just hold on, we're going homo.
In this episode we use Drake's 2011 album Take Care to centre a discussion on the dos and don'ts of 'dirty macking', what it means to be a stud, and why his disdain for toxic masculinity is just one of the things that make Drake queer. We also close off Pride Month with a deep dive into the minefield that is corporate endorsements of queerness.
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare, Drew on @with.all.drew.respect, and Kris on @kris.chess. And don't forget to check out this episode's playlist.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
Start spreading the news because this is one for the ages, Mein Herr. In an ep that might as well be titled "Legends on Legends" we welcome Australian stage actor and drag superstar Trevor Ashley to tackle Liza Minnelli's groundbreaking Live from Radio City Music Hall album.
The show was directed for television in 1992, around the time of Liza's third divorce, and features a concoction of her hits and jukebox standards, as well as original compositions by long-term collaborators Kander and Ebb.
There's no queen better qualified to dish on the performance than Trevor. His Liza cabaret act has taken him across the world, from sea to shining sea, headlining sell-out shows such as "Liza's Back! (is broken)" and "Liza (on an E)".
They-dies and gentle-them, strap in for a discussion on Sex and the City 2's breakout star, the daughter of THE original gay icon. The one, the only, Ms Liza Minnelli. Thank you, mama!
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare, Drew on @with.all.drew.respect, and Trevor on @trevor_ashley. And don't forget to check out this episode's playlist.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
No matter what hemisphere you’re in, a solstice is upon us. And what better way to ring it in than with a heart-to-rabbit heart on British pop music’s sacred moon child, Florence Welch (and, of course, her Machine).
In Cycle 7’s premiere episode, Andy and Drew are accompanied by Sydney drag monarch Peach Fuzz (aka Anthony Severino) to tackle the band’s debut offering Lungs. From the celestial rapture of "Cosmic Love" to the vigorous uproar of "Kiss With a Fist", the trio share their elemental experiences of the album and examine why us queer folks are so attracted to the esoteric.
Light a candle, drape yourself in chiffon and get ready to howl at the night sky because, bitch, the dog days ain’t over.
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare, Drew on @with.all.drew.respect, and Peach at @peachykween_. And don't forget to check out this episode's big, blue, beautiful playlist.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
Icons are a dime a dozen here at Aural Fixation (that's what we do... it's what we live for) but heroes are a different kettle of sea-witch – and they don't get more queer-oic than Howard Ashman.
For better and for worse, the animated motion pictures produced by the Walt Disney Animation Studios have profoundly shaped the media consumed by children since 1928. Like any entertainment behemoth, quality and fortune has ebbed and flowed, but it was the sheer and singular talent of one queer man that steered Disney’s legacy from their lowest trough to their highest peak.
Through a kaleidoscope of Broadway magic and animation mastery, Howard's indelible fingerprints on The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin now reveal, in adulthood, tropes of the queer experience we can all understand. The ostracisation of the 'other'... turning that otherness into a superpower... and wanting to be part of that world.
To help us navigate Howard's legacy across mermaids, beasts and magic carpets, we're joined by Daniel Lammin, a theatre director, writer and producer of Ink + Paint, a joyous podcast deep-dive into Disney's animation history.
We also want to acknowledge Don Hahn, the producer of The Lion King and Hunchback of Notre Dame, who created the two documentaries that have revived the current interest in Howard and his work – Waking Sleeping Beauty (2010) and Howard (2018).
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare, Drew on @with.all.drew.respect, and Daniel at @dlammin. And don't forget to make this episode's playlist part of your world.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
Over the past six cycles of Aural Fixation, we have discussed many artists who have either eluded to their queerness without directly acknowledging it, or generated a vast queer fanbase without actually being qard qarrrying queers themselves. However sometimes there are artists that we deeply revere who just so happen to be out and proud, which makes our hearts burst because it means that we can fast track them straight to the front of the queue.
Enter stage left, Kelela whose debut album Take Me Apart is a delicious blend of R&B, electronic and garage music. Scroll down to the Personal Life section on her Wikipedia and... BINGO! "Kelela openly identifies as queer." You're in, toots!
In this episode, Andy and Drew discuss not only Kelela's 2017 debut but also the follow up TAKE ME A_PART, THE REMIXES and pontificate on post break-up enlightenment, the loaded pressure of "black excellence" and the sound of high heels click-clacking through a multi-story car park.
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney. Don't forget our companion playlist on Spotify.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
There's a lot to cover off when it comes to Tori Amos when it's just Tori Amos – but when your guest star is a former TV producer, current radio DJ and the singular driving force behind the bid to save Sydney's nightlife scene, we somehow filled 90 minutes of your precious time!
Fear not, we've made it worth your while. Tyson Koh joins the Aural Fixation-ers to discuss the myriad of mysteries and treats on Tori's 1996 critical masterpiece Boys for Pele, including Courtney Love, Janice Dickinson and of course, a bit o' (Kate) Bush.
If you’re in Sydney, you can listen to Tyson’s exquisite radio show, Loose Joints, on FBI Radio 94.5 each Sunday from 3-5pm. If you’re not in Sydney, you can play back previous shows here.
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney. Don't forget our companion playlist on Spotify.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
Perfume Genius has long been synonymous with gay angst but in his fifth and most recent album Set My Heart On Fire IMMEDIATELY, he takes steps towards acceptance. The album's opener "Whole Life" speaks to a reckoning of self that seems to have taken half a lifetime and sets the stage for the personal examination of a gay man approaching middle age.
Recorded and released just before the onslaught of the pandemic, PG followed up SMHOFI with companion album IMMEDIATELY Remixes in March 2021 – arguably one of the more satisfying outcomes of lockdown. Join Andy and Drew as they discuss both the original and remix offerings, wax queer-ical on a post-Covid Mardi Gras and take a deep dive into relationships past.
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney. Finally, enjoy our companion playlist on Spotify.
Techno-instrument inventor, West End composer and globally-renowned baby soother Imogen Heap has come a long way since her groundbreaking 2005 release Speak for Yourself, but we reckon it remains her queerest piece of work and we're about to tell you why.
Tales of Ariana Grande's latent veganism, keeping TERFs out of Hogwarts and the most airtime Jason Derulo will ever get on Aural Fixation are just some of the delights that await you in this queersploration.
Where are we, and what the hell is going on?
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and Drew on @with.all.drew.respect.
Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney. Finally, enjoy our companion playlist on Spotify.
"Forget being cool, I'm going to be honest," states a defiant Beyoncé in her 2013 documentary Life is But a Dream. "I'm going to be sad, I'm going to be passionate, I'm going to be vulnerable. And I'm going to sing from my heart." It was with this mindset that Bey embarked on her fourth solo album, 4.
Fresh from a pretty public separation from her father's management, Bey was determined to prove that she could run things in accordance with her own agenda. The outcome was a reflective and triumphant album that re-introduced R&B to commercial radio, and reminded audiences that the bitch got pipes.
It's taken six cycles – and some change – for us to summon the energy required to tackle arguably the most prolific female solo artist of our generation. As such, we enlisted a card-carrying, honey-making member of the Beyhive to join the conversation. Enter stage left Shana Sumers – former Head of Community at HER, a dating app for lesbian, bisexual and queer womxn, and co-host of Bad Queers, a podcast for anyone who feels like they came out of the closet and immediately got placed in a box. Shana stood for 12 hours with no food or bathroom breaks to secure her place at the front of Beyoncé's 2019 Coachella set so you know she's legit.
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare, Drew on @with.all.drew.respect and Shana on @shanahasagram.
Our big gay thanks, as ever, to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney. Finally, enjoy our playlist which is the best thing you've never heard.
Lesbian Jesus has been done arisen, and sign us up for her flock – this fortnight’s episode of Aural Fixation explores the 2018 debut album Expectations, by Hayley Kiyoko.
Nickelodeon child star to empowered music video director, Hayley knows who is she and serves as a beacon for queer, but especially, female young fans. Does the material live up to our Expectations, and is Hayley more k.d. or Katy?
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com.
Our big gay thanks, as ever, to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney. And check out our playlist here!
Antony and the Johnsons' I Am a Bird Now is a story told from within a chrysalis.
Featuring the unmistakably haunting vocals of lead singer ANOHNI, the album speaks of a yearning to be grown, the confronting nature of evolution and the delicious freedom of eventual self-actualisation. While it’s fair to assume the subject matter was directly informed by the experiences of ANOHNI, a trans woman, the themes of I Am a Bird Now hold assorted meanings for folks across the queer spectrum.
Collaborations from AF alumni Boy George and Lou Reed, as well as (potential deep enemy of the pod?) Rufus Wainwright provide further depth to an already profound album, resulting in a soulful pop masterpiece. Join Drew and Andy as they tackle their first ever Mercury Prize winner and struggle – desperately – to find a connection between Antony and the Johnsons and Madonna Louise Ciccone.
Once again, our eternal thanks to Forbes Street Studios for hosting us. Make sure to subscribe to get a shot of Aural Fixation every second Thursday, check out auralfixationpodcast.com and get lost in this episode’s companion playlist.
This episode we explore Bowie's succinctly titled The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
We journey on through Bowie's legacy to queer audiences, his vast array of bangers, and how we turned death into an art form. Facts are facts – David Bowie made life more bearable for othered people around the world. From the Seventies onwards, queer people could see parts of themselves in an unconventional patron saint – sexually ambiguous, highly successful, and full of joy.
He also probably wasn't gay. As in, putting his d*** in other men. But how does that impact the other facets of his queerness, and how much does it matter?
Further questions we may or may not explore are:
- Does Angie Bowie deserve more than immortalisation as a @loveofhuns meme?
- Is it BAO-ee, or BOH-ee?
- Why did Andy forget to mention how incredible "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" is?
A special thank you to the Bowie stans in our logical families, David Collings and Liam Casey, for aiding this deep dive. Additionally, our undying gratitude to our friends at Forbes Street Studios, particularly Anthony Garvin.
Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com.
Finally, listen to our companion playlist for buckets of Bowie and beyond.
Q: Has cycle five been Aural Fixation's most diverse yet?
A: Possibly maybe, mary!
Over the past eight eps, we've beaten around the Kate Bush, dreamt of Tejano superstar Selena, salivated over Honey Dijon and gotten physical with Dua (to name a few!) We've welcomed incredible guests, gone profesh and moved in-studio (again, a huge shout out to the incredible guys at Forbes Street Studios) and in December we celebrated our most-listened month EVER! And so, in the great tradition of ourselves, we're wrapping up the tour du fierce that was cycle five with another stonking Q&A episode.
Tune in for a rundown of our lockdown anthems, a Madonna tête-à-tête that has the boys at loggerheads, and the full tea on why the hell we haven't covered Beyoncé yet. You'll be simultaneously shookethened to your core, gooped at the padge, and slayed house down boots mawma yes gawd tongue clack.
As per usual, we've curated a playlist to shock, confuse and disgust your friends – check it out here.
Our website is live! Check it out at auralfixationpodcast.com
What do sequels, ghosts, and Christmas all have in common? They're queer!
Join us (won't you?) for our second annual Christmas episode, where we take a trip down Yuletide Lane and dust off festive classiques by previous Aural Fixation subjects. It's mulled wine, it's mince pies, it's... listens.
Despite non-stop merriment, we're still asking the hard questions – is You-Know-What even Mariah's best Christmas song? Who has more Christmas albums, Dolly Parton or RuPaul? Is "These Days" by ARIA-winning Fanny Lumsden actually a Christmas song at all!?
This episode was recorded at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney, part of Universal Music Australia. Thank you for all of your support in 2020, and if you haven't yet, our Christmas wish is that you like, subscribe or follow us – it makes all the difference.
Follow us at @auralfixationpodcast, @with.all.drew.respect and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare and check out our Christmas sleigh-list for the episode.
In March 2020, it's safe to say that the world was in search of a spark to pierce the dark. One such spark came in the form of Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia – a bombastic retro-journey that took pop and dance music cues from the past and thrust us towards a (hopefully) brighter tomorrow.
A few short months later came the lockdown project to end all lockdown projects – Club Future Nostalgia. The companion remix album was created in collaboration with noted DJ The Blessed Madonna and featured guests such as Missy Elliot, Mark Ronson, Gwen Stefani and The Actual Madonna. Taking the already solid gold elements of the original release and made them platinum, Club Future Nostalgia was impossible to not stan.
This episode, we tackle both albums and question if sweet Dula Peep has done enough to earn her seat at the Aural Fixation table.
If you enjoyed this episode, do make sure to subscribe so you don't miss future nostalgic episodes, and follow us at @auralfixationpodcast, @with.all.drew.respect and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare. Don't forget to check out this episode's playlist but don't start now! Listen after you've finished the ep.
Finally, we've also launched our website. Check it out here, where you can find information on all of our episodes, our companion playlists and more to come.
As one fifth of the most successful girl group of all time, Mel C spent her early twenties inseparably tied to her athletic alter ego. Her status as Sporty Spice was so entrenched in her public persona that when the Spice Girls took a hiatus in 1999, Mel C did what any trapped queer person would do; she cut her hair, dyed it blonde, changed her name and reached out to Madonna.
Northern Star by Melanie C was the outcome. The debut tells tales of aggrieved emancipation, potential secret sapphism and the ongoing plight of the homeless through the combined sonic mediums of grunge, R&B, musical theatre, dance music and more. Though perhaps not a wholly cohesive offering, Northern Star granted us access to previously unseen shades of the singer and gave us the best solo single of any Spice Girl ever, thanks in large part to Hex Hector.
From Wembley Stadium to the West End; Manchester Academy 3 to Mighty Hoopla, join Andy and Drew as they take a whimsical glance back over Melanie's twenty year solo career.
If you enjoyed this episode, do make sure to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes, and follow us at @auralfixationpodcast, @with.all.drew.respect and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare. Don't forget to check out this episode's playlist – one listen and you'll never be the same again.
After a winning streak of iconique guests, Andy and Drew sit down this episode with nothing but a bottle of bubbles and one of the world's biggest pop acts... ever.
If you've been to a wedding, experienced a road trip or watched a film starring Meryl Streep, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski, you've probably heard an ABBA song. If you've enjoyed a £2.50 triple gin and tonic at Thompson's on Canal Street in Manchester, you definitely have.
If so, you'll know it's fabulous, you'll know it's joy, but have you acknowledged the slightly unsettling melancholy you feel behind the camp ecstasy?
Sitting in the Venn diagram centre betwixt the Beatles, Robyn and Steps, ABBA practically invented the concept of a sad banger, and Voulez-Vous catches them at the tail end of their imperial phase, smashing out bangers which can be very much sad. Join us as we dive in.
A huge thank you to Anthony Garvin, who helped out so much with this episode and engineered our vocals for it at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney, part of Universal Music Australia.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe so you don't miss future episodes, and follow us at @auralfixationpodcast, @with.all.drew.respect and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
Oh – and, voulez vous a sensational listening experience? Then head over to Spotify to check out our playlist which is, quite frankly, ABBAmania.
Honey Dijon was born in Chicago and leapt headfirst into the club scene as a teenager. Mentored by house music legends Derrick Carter and Mark Farina, it wasn’t long before she established herself as a world-class club and remix DJ and producer.
In 2017, Honey produced her debut album with an array of guests lending their vocals. Aptly named The Best of Both Worlds, the album takes its cues from a plethora of musical references and evades genre. Pretty on-brand for Honey, who renounces gender binaries, lives in two cities (New York and Berlin) and moves in food and fashion circles alongside her musical endeavours.
This episode, Drew and Andy welcome Sydney creative director and DJ Belinda O’Brien to take a brief look at the history of house and discuss how Honey Dijon has influenced a generation of DJs, including Belinda herself.
Follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, the boys on @with.all.drew.respect and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare or Belinda on @brlndr.
Check out our sister playlist on Spotify for some house-y beats!
In 2009, multi-talented queer power duo Wendy & Lisa confirmed that their former bandleader, brother-in-arms and boss, Prince, was definitely not gay, but rather a… fancy lesbian. What a relief.
Not that we’re scrambling for excuses to explore the Purple One for Aural Fixation. Purveyor of assless chaps, a deft hand with eyeliner and a spiritual connection with the fight to be one’s authentic self are just the tip of Prince’s queer iceberg.
To lead Drew and Andy to Paisley Park, we secured the wisdom of DJ Matt Vaughan, the father of Sydney’s own iconic queer club movement Loose Ends and Professor of Princeology. Matt selected the bussy-shattering Dirty Mind for us to explore, and we selected the rosé.
Once this hot mess of a pandemic is over, you’ll find news on the next Loose Ends party on Facebook – we’ll see you on the dancefloor. Matt also assisted with this episode's accompanying playlist, check it out!
You can follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, the boys on @with.all.drew.respect and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare, or Matt on @djmattvaughan.
In the pop pantheon of stars taken from us too soon, few tales are as tragic – or as gruesome – as the tale of Selena.
The lead singer in a family band created by her ambitious father, Selena spent most of her young life on the road playing in restaurants and state fairs. Despite being a first-language English speaker, most of Selena’s music was recorded and performed in Spanish, and Latin crowds swiftly became enamoured by the singer’s voice and charm.
In early 1995, with four Spanish albums and a Grammy under her belt, Selena began to record Dreaming of You. The album was her long-anticipated cross-over into the English language music market. It was slated to be a career-defining moment for Selena, introducing her to new audiences and solidifying her as a global star. However on March 31, less than a month before her 24th birthday, Selena was shot dead by Yolanda Saldívar, an employee of Selena’s and the head of her fan club.
In this episode, Andy and Drew are joined by Selena stan and deep trans-Pacific friend of the pod Rícardo Garcia to discuss the life and legacy of the Madonna of Tejano music.
This week we’ve got TWO playlists for your nerve – check out both the official episode playlist and Rícardo’s playlist, a love-letter to Selena’s range entitled “Selena, con Amor”.
Follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, the boys on @with.all.drew.respect and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare, or Rícardo on wtfisrcdo.
Hey, so glad you could make it! This episode we talk Celebrity Skin, the 1998 crack-at-the-mainstream album by Courtney Love and her band, Hole.
Firmly planted in the mystique and fallacy of Hollywood and California, Celebrity Skin serves as a worthy counterpart to the mystique and fallacy of Courtney Love.
A hotbed of raw talent, yes… a problematic fave, no doubt, but more than anything else, Love’s defining attribute remains being deeply misunderstood.
We look at Courtney before, during and after the album, while exploring other queer aspects of Celebrity Skin and Hole.
Follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, or the boys on @with.all.drew.respect and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare. You can email us at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com, and don't forget to leave us a review and rating – it helps so much!
And of course, this ex's playlist SLAPS!
We’ve reached Cycle 5 of Aural Fixation, and what better way to celebrate than with a discussion on the woman that completes the quinfecta of Andy’s top bitches – the incomparable Miss Kate Bush.
A child prodigy with a penchant for dancing, karate and pianos, Bush released her first album The Kick Inside aged 19 (with some songs written when she was just a young teenager). From there, Bush parlayed her subsequent albums to firmly establish herself as British pop music’s sacred moonchild, before releasing her fifth studio album Hounds of Love in 1985.
Split into two sections; the first five tracks of Hounds of Love act as standalone tracks, with the remainder subtitled “The Ninth Wave” telling the story of… well, you’ll just have to wait and hear.
Our accompanying playlist to this episode tells the tale of Kate Bush and her many descendants from Imogen Heap and Tori Amos, to ANOHNI and Goldfrapp (all coming soon to the pod, we prom).
Follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, or the boys on @with.all.drew.respect and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare. Or go retro and email us! auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com for ya nerve.
The term “iconic” is bandied about on this podcast far too often, but when it comes to describing Madonna’s Vogue, there’s really no better adjective.
At the intersection of old Hollywood glamour and the New York ballroom scene, Vogue was responsible for introducing queer POCs and their art to the mainstream on its release in 1990. Accompanied by David Fincher’s chill-inducing black and white video and that performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, the song immediately became required reading on the Queer Culture 101 syllabus and that position in the canon holds strong thirty years later.
It is for all these reasons and more that we bring you an entire, full-length episode dedicated purely to Vogue.
The subject is too big to tackle alone. As such, we begged deep biological sis of the pod – and Aural Fixation’s answer to Merle Ginsberg – Char to return to the airwaves and give her hot takes. Join us, won’t you, as we honour the human personification of Leo (on the week of her 62nd birthday no less!). Don’t just stand there, let’s get to it.
Follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, or the boys on @with.all.drew.respect and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare. Or go retro and email us! auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com for ya nerve.
We started Aural Fixation's Cycle 4 by paying homage to Mother Robyn, with no idea of the extent we would truly be dancing on our own over the next few months. We found solace with queer giants like Queen, Janelle Monáe and Cher, and explored iconic queer tracks in a streak of mini episodes. We also recorded mostly 600km apart, with technical difficulties, corrupt memory cards and deleted vocal tracks just adding to the general 2020-ness of it all. But dolls – we soldiered.
It’s with relief and well, a surprise, that we reach the finish line, and there’s no one we would rather share our traditional Q&A episode with than @mynameisnotsusanthony aka Anthony from Brisbane aka deep friend and stan of the podtina. This time, Anthony helps us answer questions from other listeners, as we tumble down a rabbit hole populated with Celine Dion’s back, non-binary disco diva Sylvester and Dannii Minogue’s, well, stanniis.
Join Drew, Andy and Anthony for an hour of queer pop gold, as we traverse the transgressive homoerotica of Pete Burns, the sexy stripped carcass of Robbie Williams and, of course, again, Madonna’s career. Oh, and stick around for the bonus segment at the end – something about having brunch with RuPaul?
Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to Aural Fixation wherever you find your podcasts. Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, and email us on email. Oh, and this episode's playlist will leave you gooped at the paj, sis.
If you’re a human being with ears under the age of 40, Queen have never not existed. For decades the iconic four-piece – fronted by the frontman to end all frontmen – pumped out hit after hit after hit. So much so that when Freddie Mercury passed away in 1991 from AIDS-related bronchopneumonia, he had left us with ten careers-worth of music despite only being 45.
Our gateway drug into the land of rock royalty is 1975’s A Night at the Opera. The band’s fourth studio album, and home to their definitive classic Bohemian Rhapsody, is part 70’s stadium concert, part-honky tonk romp by the sea, and part acid-laced chaotic trip.
This episode sees the boys back together in socially distant Studio 1A for the first time since the beginning of this cycle and asking ALL of the important questions. What is it about Queen that resonated with our dads so much? Did they really know what “queen” meant? And what percentage of royalties was awarded to Brian May’s weave?
Check out our companion slaylist which has more Queen songs than karaoke with Elizabeth, Charles and co.
Follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, or the boys on @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare. Or go retro and email us! auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com for ya nerve.
Iconic duos have been cruelly separated by Miss Rona the world over, but finally your most loved audio couple reunite. Against the suitably spectacular backdrop of Australia's Snowy Mountains region, Drew and Andy are joined by a very special guest, for a very special topic.
ARIA-nominated, Golden Guitar Award-winning, chart-topping country singer Fanny Lumsden invites Aural Fixation to swap the Snowies for the Smokies and hitch a ride to Dollywood. No other artist manages to unite the United States (and beyond) quite like Dolly Parton, a fact made all the more remarkable as her flame burns brighter in a time when we've never been more divided.
That topic is fascinatingly explored in Dolly Parton's Americaby WYNC Studios, but on Aural Fixation, we dissect what Dolly means to us as queer listeners, and more broadly, as a beacon of hope in the music industry – a true celebration of Tennessee's third most realistic Dolly Parton drag impersonator.
Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to Aural Fixation wherever you find your podcasts. Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, and email us on email.
Ooh and don't forget to check out our playlist, which is a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll.
At the intersections of Black, female and queer excellence in 2020 sits a Baptist-raised sci-fi nerd who can act, dance, rap, write, and of course, sing. Not remotely intimidating to tackle in fifty-seven minutes at all, but Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer is worth it.
From her first EP in 2007, Monáe has put her money where her mouth is. High concept and intricate imagery are complimented with top tier songwriting, production and bangers, with each piece of the puzzle held to the highest standard.
Features from Brian Wilson, Zoë Kravitz and Grimes litter an equally eclectic tapestry of genres on Dirty Computer filtered through Monäe’s own perception of what America is today, and what it has the potential to be.
We’re still recording remotely, so do forgive any discrepancies in recording quality. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to Aural Fixation wherever you find your podcasts. Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, and email us on email.
Check out our Janelle playlist, which is sheer slappery, here.
Years & Years bound to the top of the UK charts in 2015 with their fourth single "King", the band's unapologetically queer frontman Olly Alexander sitting proudly at the helm. Their debut album Communion shortly followed, an 18-strong cavalcade that spawned a total of seven (!) singles and global recognition among straight and gay fans alike.
As the band started to make traction, so Alexander began to use his ever-growing platform to speak candidly but fluently about mental health, sexuality and identity. This episode, Andy and Drew use Communion to frame a discussion on the band's trajectory and the importance of contemporary queer role models.
We mention Alexander's speech during Years & Years' set at Glastonbury 2019 which can be viewed here, and his open letter regarding the "Desire" music video here.
Be sure to listen to this episode's playlist, filled to the brim with all the synth-pop bops.
We’re still recording remotely, so do forgive any discrepancies in recording quality. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to Aural Fixation wherever you find your podcasts. Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, and email us on email.
Now seems a better time than ever to crack the fire exit and escape Earth, so thank the gay gods for Gaga who's created a whole new planet where equality rules and kindness punks run free. Welcome to Chromatica.
In our inaugural “First Fix”, we tackle Lady Gaga's sixth studio album upon its release to dish our initial thoughts and dissect our favourite bops. Where does Chromatica sit in the pop pantheon? What do Ariana Grande, Elton John and BLACKPINK have in common? And does "Babylon" sound perhaps… a little... familiar?
We’re still recording remotely, so do forgive any discrepancies in recording quality. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to Aural Fixation wherever you find your podcasts. Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, and email us on email.
Mom, she is a rich man – and one of the fiercest icons in the queer canon at that. Cherilyn Sarkisian's inimitable force has carried her from 1965 to the present day. There really is no one like Cher.
A towering goddess of this stature couldn't be tackled by Drew and Andy alone, so we roped in long-time listener and huge friend of the pod, Matthew Harden – aka @slaydydiana. Slaydy dialled in from Melbourne to offer up a deeper understanding of Cher's place in the pop pantheon through the lens of her Believe album, possibly the most commercially successful comeback in music herstory.
Does the album (Cher's 22nd!) stand the test of time? Are the sporadic jumps from dance to disco to Latin to world music a result of Cher's legendary mind, or simply too many cooks in the kitchen? And what is it about the album's title track, specifically created for and marketed towards gay men, that resonated with our three hosts as queer pre-teens in 1998?
She's Cher, bitch. Snap into it.
We’re still recording remotely, so do forgive any discrepancies in recording quality. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to Aural Fixation wherever you find your podcasts. Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, and email us on email.
This episode's companion playlist was curated by Slaydy herself! Check it out!
If you're not listening to Quick Fix, you're only getting half the story – and we've got the full download on the lead single, "Tenderoni", from Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke's first solo album The Boxer.
Released ten (!?) years ago, Kele's bold new musical direction and image was in stark contrast to that curated over Bloc Party's meteroic rise to fame and adoration in British indie. Change was now underfoot, all clues point toward that – but why? What had shifted for Kele?
Quick Fix is Aural Fixation's stickier and sweeter little sister, our run of shorter episodes allowing us to dissect a song, rather than an album, which means something to us as queer music fans. Email your suggestions for new episodes over to auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com, and if you're not already, follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, and leave us a rating/review.
Over 30 years ago, Beverly Glenn-Copeland released Keyboard Fantasies, a six track album that sold very few copies. It wasn’t until a Japanese music stan discovered the album in 2015 and shared it amongst his fellow audiophiles that it was lauded as a new-age, synthesised masterpiece. Before long, a number of record labels were fighting to sign Copeland, now in his seventies.
From there the fascinating details of Glenn’s life began to surface – such as his life living in relative solitude with his wife in the wilderness; or his 25 years spent entertaining children on Canadian kid’s TV show Mr Dressup; or the fact that he happens to be transgender.
Keyboard Fantasies is unlike any album we’ve discussed on Aural Fixation before, so we definitely recommend listening to it before jumping into the ep. We also mention a couple of interviews in the episode which you can check out here:
- Beverly Glenn-Copeland: The Unifying Power of Music by Red Bull Academy
- Interview with Dev Hynes (Blood Orange) for Talkhouse
As we spoke about in the episode, Glenn’s music has gone unheard for so many years and he had a long overdue tour scheduled for 2020, which will sadly not be going ahead. If you’d like to show your support to Glenn via alternative means then you can do by visiting his Patreon here.
We’re still recording remotely, so do forgive any discrepancies in recording quality. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to Aural Fixation wherever you find your podcasts. Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, and email us on email.
This episode's companion playlist is a twinkly Epcot dream. Check it out!
Heaven is, in fact, a Quick Fix on Earth, as well as four minutes of utter pop excellence performed by iconic ally Belinda Carlise. Join us for an exploration of this A grade masterpiece, including but not limited to, topics such as why this song is so bloody good, why this song is particularly gay, and why“San Junipero” is the greatest episode of Black Mirror ever.
If you’ve made it this far into the bio, and you’re gay and/or a millenial, then you’ll likely know precisely what we’re talking about, but if not – do yourself a favour, do Charlie Brooker a favour, do Belinda bloody Carlisle a favour and watch said episode on Netflix before sliding into our take on the eighties electro neon symphony of euphoric boppery.
Actually, you know what, listen to the song right before you listen to any Quick Fix. That way you’ll be riding that iconic queer song wave with us. Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, and email us on email.
What have I done to deserve this? What are we going to do about the rich? I don’t know what you want but I can’t give it to you – musings we should all be considering, or Pet Shop Boys song titles? Both!
We’re well into Cycle 4, and for a supposed queer music podcast we took our sweet time getting to this iconic duo. Nevertheless, here we are with the PSBs, an act who have shaped many of the artists we know and love, queer or not, and continue to pump out their own unique brand of pop to this today.
This episode, we catch them still cruising through their ‘Imperial Phase’ with their 1990 masterpiece, Behaviour. Released after three consecutive commercial successes, Behaviour was their first chart blip but has stood the test of time as Pet Shop Boy excellence – glorious pop medleys paired alongside vivid storytelling, laced with biting wit.
We continue to record remotely, separated by 600 kilometres no less, so bear with us on any technical bumps, but otherwise, we hope you enjoy. Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, email us on email and Spotify us on the companion playlist.
Few break-up tracks capture the boppery, struttery and sheer i’m-so-over-you-ery found soaked throughout Song 4 Mutya, our next selection for Aural Fixation's Quick Fix.
Conceived by UK electronica duo Groove Armada, the song was originally meant for Estelle before being handed to ex-Sugababe (and current hun) Mutya Buena shortly after she departed the band. We couldn’t imagine it in anyone else’s hands; Buena’s chocolatey vocals provided us with the definitive heartbreak anthem of summer 2007.
Join us, won’t you, as we wax quick on what The Guardian dubbed “the finest pop song since Rihanna's Umbrella.”
Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagramor email us on email.
As we’re sure you’re aware, recent developments surrounding Madame Rona and government mandates regarding social distancing mean that for the foreseeable future, Drew and Andy won't be able to record Aural Fixation in the same room as one another for a while.
While we play around with ways in which we can record our episodes remotely, we wanted to share our first ever experiment with you – Episode Zero. Recorded in October 2018, this is the pilot episode of Aural Fixation – just two boys, a laptop and one burning question: do we have what it takes to become podcast sheroes?
Turns out, we did. Well... kinda. While the sound quality will send you further west than Kim and Kanye at a Best Western in Weston-Super-Mare, our discussion of the Spice Girls, Alanis Morissette and a whole host of AF favourites will give you a sneak peak into the origin of Aural Fixation.
Stay safe, be kind, and as always we hope you enjoy listening. Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagramor email us on email. And as always don't forget to check out our Spotify companion playlist!
In the grand tradition of reality TV show companion spin-offs broadcast on D-grade companion TV channels, we're keeping the flame burning at Aural Fixation with Quick Fix: Shorter episodes focusing on a song, rather than an album, which left a similar impact on our queer selves.
We're kicking off with a look at the "finest all-female collaboration between 1988 and 2018" (a big call from Entertainment Weekly), the 2001 cover of "Lady Marmalade" by Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Lil' Kim and Mya. We explore this stratospheric meeting of the minds between late 90s/early 00s icons, and Mya, with short stops at Xtina's journey from Mulan to Moulin (Rouge), Drew's own cover of "Lady Marmalade", and Andy's pre-pubescent slut dropping.
Quick Fix episodes will appear sporadically among our regular album programming, so please do let us know what you think, and which tracks you think we should stop the presses and discuss immediately.
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The world continues to get more topsy turvy, but it also continues to spin, so therefore you have a brand new episode of Aural Fixation. We're kicking off with an artist who, quite frankly we cannot believe we haven't tackled sooner! Hang on – have we done Robyn before?
As you can imagine with three EPs and a lot of heartbreak to get through, it's a bumper episode indeed, which we hope provides a glimpse of escapism (if that be what you're seeking). Andy gets emotional about Candi Staton's life of regrets, Drew muses on a past life when he could actually walk around London listening to Robyn, and we both make a couple of jokes which haven't really aged well in the last three weeks – you just gotta laugh!
This was the final episode Drew and Andy recorded together in Sydney for the forseeable future, but we're working on ways to keep bringing the fix to you aurally, so stay, quite literally, tuned.
Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, email us on emailandSpotify us on the companion playlist.
We can't lie – these are mysterious times. Everything feels a little bizarre and confusing at the moment, but something you can rely on is your fortnightly dose of unbridled queer joy from Drew and Andy. To wrap up our third (third!) season (cycle?), the boys once again take a deep dive into the DMs to provide their answers to your questions.
This ep is pepped with conjecture on Gaga's upcoming Chromatica (save us Mother Monster), discourse on Whitney's bisexuality (RIP our Queen of the Night) and even questions the queerness of hettie god Harry Styles AND his hettie forefather, Robbie Williams.
Be safe, be kind, be understanding, and – always, always – be unequivocally, unapologetically you. We love you all, and we'll figure this thing out together.
Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, email us on emailandSpotify us on the companion playlist.
Have you ever felt like you’re ever-so-slightly less-than? Do you ever get the sense that you’re living in someone else’s shadow? Have you, too, experienced that niggling sensation that there is somebody else – somebody more successful than you, more recognised, more universally revered – consistently beating you to the punch? OF COURSE YOU DO! You’re queer for christ sake, those feelings of inadequacy are literally engrained in us during childhood because of the systemic patriarchal dictatorship we’re born into!
Aaaanyway, the silver lining that comes along with the feeling of never being quite good enough is that we get to identify with icons such as the legendary Miss Dannii Minogue. Persistently eclipsed by the dazzling fluorescence of her sister, the other Minogue has always struck a chord with members of the queer community due to her resillience and penchant for a filthy dancefloor banger.
Neon Nights is her magnum opus. Fresh from the success of solo release "Who Do You Love Now?", Dannii worked with a swathe of dance producers to create an album that epitomises turn-of-the-century clubbing. Reminiscent of her fellow Class of 2003 alumni Stonebridge, and Angel City, Neon Nights boasts modern classics like "Put the Needle on It', "I Begin to Wonder" and "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling". But how does the rest of the album stand up over 15 years later?
It seems impossible to squeeze any more iconnery into one episode but somehow we've managed it, because this fortnight the boys are joined by bona fide pop prince Tom Aspaul. Known for collaborations with Viceroy and Aeble, and his I.C.O.N.I.C. cover of Brandy's "Full Moon", Tom pulled up a mic to discuss what Dannii means to him, and life as an out queer artist.
Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, email us on email and Spotify us on the companion playlist.
We’re coming out, and we want the world to know… that not all gay men are born with an innate, all-encompassing love for disco, ok!? In fact, only 50% of Aural Fixation was, as we discover on a glitter ball-guided tour through 1980’s diana, by Diana Ross.
Released in the disco revolution’s twilight years, diana was the Boss breaking free from the shackles of Motown, the record label which made her in the 60s, and was starting to break her. Helping her out were CHIC’s very own Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, taste-making producers riding the wave of hit after hit, and when we say helping... if you ever wondered what a CHIC album would sound like with Diana Ross vocals, you’re in for quite the treat.
This episode we look through a queer lens at one of pop culture’s biggest queer icons putting her spin on arguably the queerest sub-genre of music, ever, featuring a song literally written about people being their complete, authentic selves. Even if the singer wasn’t completely aware of that fact. Jump on in, we’re out-queering ourselves!
Special thanks to Raymond Day for sharing so many valuable resources on the Disco Demolition/Disco Sucks movement, of which we would encourage you to explore yourself:
- “When a loudmouthed DJ tried to kill disco, the homophobic and racist implications were impossible to ignore” by Josh O’Connor
- Disco Demolition by Red Bull Academy
- “Why 'Disco sucks!' sucked” by Ben Myers
Follow us on Facebook, like us on Instagram, email us and don’t forget the Spotify companion playlist.
A tornado blew around the Aural Fixation recording studio before we came, and, well, excuse the mess it made! Ok, that analogy can only go so far, but nonetheless, the memorable opener from Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You” has endured since it’s 2012 release on Channel Orange.
At the time, a ground-breaking hip hop album documenting the lost loves of a 23 year old finding out who he is, Frank had us shook with the mainstream explosion of queerness in a traditionally not-very-queer music scene. Or, so it seems. Eight years later, Drew and Andy venture not too far down memory lane to assess how well this early-10s masterpiece has aged, and the current state-of-play in queer hip hop today.
This fortnight, we’re asking you to like or follow us on Facebook! Yes, some people in 2020 still actually use Facebook, and we’re expanding our presence in Mark Zuckerberg’s world. Our Spotify companion playlist is as intriguingly diverse as ever, and you can also follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, while the boys are on @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare. Or email us god bless ya! It’s auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com.
It’s hard to believe that the Spice Girls were active for less than two years during their initial run as a (Spice Force) five-piece. Hot on the heels of their ground-breaking 1996 debut Spice, the gals were on a roll when they put out both Spiceworld (the album) and Spice World (the movie) in 1997. By this point they were cooking with gasoline-soaked platforms, overtaking the globe with their trademark Girl Power at a rate the music industry (and impressionable young music stans) had never seen before.
On 31 May 1998 Geri peaced out, breaking our hearts and sending us into a pit of depression. But their work had already been done. Because in just two years, the Spice Girls had recruited an army that would grow up to become feminists, freedom fighters and queer celebrants.
In this episode, Andy and Drew welcome entrepreneur, PR maven and Drew’s boss (!) Rebecca Gibbs on to the pod to discuss how the Spice Girls planted seeds of hope, celebration and authenticity into an entire generation of young people, the trees of which are still bearing fierce fruit nearly 25 years later.
Our Spotify companion playlist begins with Eminem, but gets better from there, we promise. Follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, the boys on @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare, or Rebecca at @rebeccalouisegibbs. Or email us god bless ya! It’s auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com.
For further reading, please enjoy When Kathy Acker met the Spice Girls by aforementioned Kathy Acker.
Amy Ray and Emily Saliers met at school before forming femme folk twosome Indigo Girls in 1985. They’ve performed together steadily ever since, providing the soundtrack to sapphic glances across campfire singalongs the world over.
In this episode, Drew and Andy take a look at their self-titled LP. Released at a time where queer female voices were scarce, the album became a beacon for the lesbian community, its songs speaking to love, loss and longing.
Indigo Girls has since gone on to inspire a number of female artists, queer and otherwise. But did they ever ask to be role models?
Our Spotify companion playlist is a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll and a lot of good. Follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, or the boys on @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare. Or go retro and email us! auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com for ya nerve.
God rest ye merry queers, and step into an Aural Fixation wonderland for our very first Christmas special.
Drew and Andy take each other on a Yuletide journey down and up their respective memory lanes, applying their now trademark Queer Analysis™ to exactly what makes a merry music moment so magical. Each picking their eight favourite festive bops, the boys riff on the spectrum of emotions Christmas music can conjure up - from joy and mysticism, to loneliness and longing.
With cameos from LGBT icons like Tinky Winky, Enya and Carol Vorderman (mentions, really), we're gifting you our own Christmas treat before you open your own sack next week, to round off an exceptional year for queer music icons around the world.
Please enjoy our Spotify companion playlist, perfect for peeling the potatoes to, and tell us what Christmas means to you at @auralfixationpodcast or auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com. Follow the boys at @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare, and see you in 2020.
Does any gay icon better illustrate the Anglo-Australian tapestry of Aural Fixation than Kylie Minogue? Just why it took so long for us to sit down with the Princess of Antipodean Pop is unexplainable and inexcusable, but we’re here now, spinning around, so ploise move out of our way.
After blazing through the late 80s as Stock Aitken Waterman’s poster girl and notching up four UK number ones, Kylie found herself at a reinvention crossroads in the early 90s, trialling different sounds and images over various albums and record labels. Struggling to find her place in the music industry took its toll and was followed by personal losses and a bout of depression, so at the new millennium’s dawn, Ms. Minogue saw fit to strap on the gold hot pants for a triumphant comeback – in the shape of a love letter to the disco ball.
We know Kylie’s a gay icon, you know Kylie’s a gay icon, we all know she’s got a stonking arse and a back catalogue to rival any pop queen of reinvention, but what’s so special about Light Years? Where does it sit in her journey, why did it have the impact it did, and why is she so universally adored? Is she even universally adored? One thing we learn and agree on pretty early is that Kylie Minogue is not all she might initially seem, and is certainly not to be underestimated.
Our Spotify companion playlist features pretty much every song and artist mentioned in the episode, as well as some Kylie nuggets we know you’ll enjoy. Follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, or the boys on @drew_down_underand@andrewdoyouthinkyouare. Or go retro and email us! auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com for ya nerve.
PS a huge shout out to Richard Croft, the creator of many an online pop treasure trove, but specifically the Impossible Princess episode of his Into the Groove podcast, and endorse it as a wonderful follow-up episode to... this one!
As part of teen pop two-piece Wham!, George Michael was every little hungry schoolgirl’s – and statistically one tenth of all little hungry schoolboy’s – pride and joy. With his hair feathered, his torso bronzed and his shorts shortened, George spent the first seven years of his career selling more than 30 million records globally alongside ghost of pop past Andrew Ridgely.
By 1987, it was time for George to go it alone. His debut album Faith heralded the death of Day-Glo George and the birth of George 2.0. This George was everything a male pop star in the 80’s should have been – a worldwide phenomenon, a master of his craft, a beacon of male sexuality. And then he fell in love with a dude.
To commemorate World AIDS Day we celebrate a gay trailblazer who, though never officially diagnosed with HIV or AIDS-related illnesses, suffered a tragic loss at the hands of the disease. A loss that would punctuate his career, and perhaps inform his incredible philanthropy, until the very end.
We’ve made a Spotify playlist brimming with all things gorgey Georgey – check it out! Follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, or the boys on @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare. Or go retro and email us! auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com for ya nerve.
We begin our third collection of musings on queer musos with a deep dive into Andy’s second favourite of all time, Mother Björk. Defiantly impossible to compare to pretty much any other artist, queers the world over have clasped Bjork to their alternative bosoms since her 1993 first album Debut, but what exactly is it about her body of work, visual language and legacy that appeals so directly to so many queer fans?
Drew and Andy take her commercial and critical peak, 1997’s Homogenic, as a starting point for a journey attempting to answer those questions, inevitably coming across many more along the way. Are the rewards worth the listening experience’s challenges? How much yarn can a drag queen unravel from her breasts? Why is there an Iceland supermarket in Iceland?
This episode’s companion playlist features all the songs we discuss, and serves as a nifty introduction to Björk herself if that is what you seek. Let us know what you thought by emailing at auralfixationpodcast@gmail.com, sliding into our DMs at @auralfixationpodcast, or even better, rating and subscribing on your podcast provider. Follow the boys at @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
Q: Can Andy and Drew last an hour without talking about Madame X or Mother Monster?
A: No.
Q: Can Andy and Drew last five minutes without talking about Madame X or Mother Monster?
A: Also no.
By popular demand, the boys wrap up the second season (!) of Aural Fixation with another bumper Q&A session. But this time there’s a twist – any word of either of their #1 bitches comes with a punishment.
If you sliced Aural Fixation straight down the middle, this episode’s companion playlist would come gushing out so be sure to check it out on Spotify. Follow the pod on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, or the boys on @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
Aural Fixation’s second season of queer icons wraps up with our most contemporary yet. Ariana Grande might be the most popular artist among queer people under the age of, erm... twenty-five, but in recent years has trodden a path taken by very few, if any, of her peers.
Released just six months apart, Sweetener and thank u, next both represent a different side to the complex coin of Grande’s career in 2018. Common threads carry through both, of relationship woes, mental health struggles and inevitable resilience, not to mention the bangers and bops galore. Grande also continues to demonstrate visible allyship with queer people, as she has since the beginning of her career – however, she’s not entirely without controversy herself.
In episode 18, Drew and Andy are joined by noted Ariana authority and Canadian-Australian Friend of the Pod Maheena to consult on the completely unique career of one of the world’s biggest pop stars, framed through the lense of two outstanding albums released half a year from one another. Thank u next, bitch. Yuh.
You can find this episode's companion playlist on Spotify, and follow us on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Follow the dolls on @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare. Our special guest this episode can be found at @maheenamae.
It’s the early seventies and Dame Elton John is spaffing out music like it’s nobody’s business. As part of his songwriting sisterhood with Bernie Taupin, Elton had already gifted us with six albums by early 1973, featuring hits such as “Your Song”, “Tiny Dancer” and “Crocodile Rock”. You’d think at this point the gal needed a break. Actually – if you’ve seen Rocket Man, you’d know the gal needed a break. But anyway...
Break he did not, for it was straight back into the studio with our Elt. What came out what undoubtedly Elton’s most experimental offering to date – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. A celebration of bravery, fantasy and bold brassy lassies, GYBR is lauded by many as Ms. John’s best album – but what makes it so (in Andy’s words) qwee-yah? Join Andy and Drew as they take a deep dive into the ultimate diva.
You can find this episode's companion playlist on Spotify, and follow us on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Follow the dolls on @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
*This episode is dedicated to Elton’s eyebrow during his performance of “Candle in the Wind” at Princess Diana’s funeral.
Whether you've been a regular on the fan forum since 2002 or you simply know them as the band that did the song from Romeo and Juliet, chances are you know a little about this episode's subject – Garbage. But there is no way in gay hell you know anywhere near as much as this episode's guest, Liam, who has deeply stanned the band ever since discovering an obscure Garbage remix on his 12th birthday.
Experimental and unapologetically queer, Garbage cut their tusks in the nineties with their inimitable cocktail of genres across grunge, trip-hop, pop and rock. The method behind the music was frontwoman Shirley Manson who, a good decade younger than most of her bandmates, lead the foursome to victory, winning commercial success, critical kudos and even a Bond theme.
Here we explore Beautiful Garbage the band's third, and arguably most divisive, album. Released just three weeks after the September 11 attacks, the record initially received mixed reviews from fans and critics. But so like a rosé, Beautiful Garbage has matured over time to become a beloved curio in the band's canon that celebrates self-expression, deliberate weirdness and gender fuckery.
Join Drew and Andy as Liam showers them with Beautiful Garbage and leaves them positively shooketh at the true identity of Cherry Lips' muse, JT LeRoy.
Check out this episode's companion playlist on Spotify and if you don't slide into our DMs on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, we'll be deeply offended. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
Gimme a beat! This is a story about Control – Janet Jackon's Control, the 1986 album which quite literally birthed an entire genre (Siri, what's 'new jack swing'?), and placed the Jackson Five's little sister on a path to international stardom, selling 100 million records worldwide and directly influencing artists as diverse as Britney, Beyoncé and, erm, Heidi from the Sugababes... according to Wikipedia.
At just twenty years old, Janet set out to cast off her family's astronomical shadow, while repositioning her image and sense of self as firmly in Control – control of her sexuality and relationships, control of her independence, and control of putting out complete and utter bangers. Teaming up with bubbling-under songwriting and production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for the first in a long, fruitful partnership, Control birthed five US top five singles in succession, a feat superseded by Ms. Jackson herself on her next album, and not touched until Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad.
Join Drew and Andy as we work out what's up with this album, do we really like it that much, and what has it done for us lately, while journeying through a glorious eighties pop masterpiece and the genesis of many a female popstar's mission statement of independence. Aural Fixation episode 14, if you're nasty.
As ever, we've compiled a companion playlist on Spotify which follows this episode's journey, and showcases the best of Control and beyond. Please feel free to slide into our DMs on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are exceptional Virgo @drew_down_under and iconic Scorpio @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
What do maketh a queer icon? Pop princess blighted by tragedy – tick. Indie darlings, misunderstood by their contemporaries but retrospectively lauded – check. Alexandra Burke – say no more, dot com.
How about an effeminate, sexually ambiguous teenager pulled from small town 70s England to front a reggae-influenced pop rock band who would go on to sell 150 million albums, and soundtrack wedding dance floors for decades to come? Boy George confused and bewitched men, women and everything in between, and in some ways, continues to do so.
Colour by Numbers is Aural Fixation's look at a fully-formed body of work, released at the height of Culture Club's success and reach, as we delve into what made the band resonate with so many mainstream listeners while impacting young and old queers alike. Boy George is a gay icon, a music icon, and a British icon, and we want to know why. Just don't call him gender fluid. Also, what does Dannii Minogue have to do any of this?
For further reading, check out “Back in bloom: How queer male pop reclaimed its star status” from The Guardian, and “Learning to love Boy George” from The Stranger.
Don’t miss this episode's companion playlist on Spotify and please feel free to slide into our DMs on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
Let us take you back to 2011. Egypt is in revolt. The people of London are rioting. Earthquakes are wreaking havoc in New Zealand and Japan. Amy Winehouse is dead, for christ sake. Life is bleak.
But wait – what’s that we can hear in the distance? It’s a girl with a sugary voice. And it sounds like she’s... imploring a boy to... pick up the phone and... give her a call? Oh happy day mama, it’s Carly Rae Jepsen! Come to remind us all that there is joy in the world, through the twinned arts of addictive melody and sassy flippance!
And so after that, 2011 felt better for a spell. But as quickly as she swooped in, Carly seemed to disappear, destined to be banished forever to the dusty catacombs of early teenies one-hit-wonderdom. Right?
Wrong. Flashforward to 2015 and Carly was back with E•MO•TION, a juggernaut of solid-platinum pop. Except this time – she was here, she was queer, and she weren’t goin’ nowheer.
From the blaring trumpets of 'Run Away With Me'reminding you of the one that got away, to the rhythm of 'Warm Blood' made to match your throbbing heartbeat, to the multi-layered intricacies of 'Boy Problems', it’s no wonder the album has been so revered by the queer community since its release. And rightly so. But, girl… did you know about E•MO•TION: Side B?
Don’t miss this episode's companion playlist on Spotify and please feel free to slide into our DMs on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
We came across some superb articles by likeminded individuals which inspired this episode. We strongly recommend you read this Stereogum article by James Rettig, "Carly Rae Jepsen's Queer Rennaissance" by Michael Waters and "The Enduring Appeal of Pop Stars Who “Flop”" by Chris Stedman.
After slyly dominating the first ten episodes of your new favourite music podcast, we're finally giving a much-deserved hour to the pop monolith that is... Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone. Madame X, if you're nasty.
Fourteen studio albums, three hundred million records sold and a superlative-exhausting run of smashed records later, the Queen of Pop has been thrusting queer sensibility to the forefront of mainstream pop culture for nearly 40 years, spanning from her early 80s association with Keith Haring and Andy Warhol right through up to her 2019 World Pride performance marking five decades since the Stonewall uprising.
True to Aural Fixation form, however, this album... may not be what you expect us to start with.
It’s 2003, and Madonna is angry – at celebrity culture, overconsumption, and yes, Bush and Blair – but she’s also full of love. Still in the happy years of her second marriage and with two young children, American Life was Madonna’s opportunity to reflect on growing older and wiser, with her musings brought to life via one of her most successful creative relationships, with French producer Mirwais.
Still confused as to what makes this album, once seen as her biggest flop, the queerest Madonna choice of all? Hit play, and buckle down. It’s no Easy Ride.
Don’t forget to listen to this episode’s companion playlist on Spotify, and follow us on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
Any typical conversation about Kelis will almost undoubtedly centre around that dairy-based beverage, and its power to lure ~the boys~ to her front lawn for a taste. Of course, Drew and Andy aren’t interested in typical conversations. This episode, the boys have gone lactose-intolerant – they didn’t come here to talk milkshakes; they came here for flesh.
2010’s Flesh Tone was recorded in collaboration with visionary – if not ever-so-irritating – Black Eyed Pea will.i.am and marked the beginning of a new era for our Kel. The R&B soul sister of the early 00s was dust and an emancipated Kelis rose from the ashes, her wings thick with electropop hard-G bangers.
But it’s not just the bangers that make Kelis’ fifth studio album queer.Created when the artist was pregnant and unsigned, the album speaks to taking control and writing your own rules – not afraid of the unexpected, but fuelled by it. Flesh Tone is a primal scream to anyone who’s ever taken a risk to stay true to themselves and come out feeling super cool, super tough and super strong.
Don’t miss this episode's companion playlist on Spotify and please feel free to slide into our DMs on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
Our email servers have crashed time and time again underneath the sheer influx of mail, and our fans have questions which need answering. It was time to give the people what they want.
Drew and Andy settle down with a glass of cask wine and give our listeners insight into what makes us tick, what gets us razzed, and what makes up our pop DNA. Forty-five minutes isn’t enough to get through all the enquiries, but tune in to find out who soundtracks our seduction techniques, what we’d love to see our icons cover, what music makes us feel… old...? And much more.
We cover a lot of music in this episode, so don’t forget to check out our companion playlist on Spotify. Follow us on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast, @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
The year is 2004. The likes of Katie Melua, Jamie Cullum and Dido dominate supermarket shelves, as the UK charts are pervaded with an overwhelming sense of beige – that is, until, a glamourous quartet from the streets of New York storm through with a disco Pink Floyd cover to punctuate the gloom with glitter.
The Scissor Sisters channelled the peacocking showmanship of Elton John and Freddie Mercury through an early 2000s sensibility, which remains futuristic, yet timeless, to this day. In this episode, we appraise a purposefully, performatively queer band with something to say, and the bangers to back them up.
You can find this episode's companion playlist on Spotify, and follow us on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
When 23-year-old Lady Gaga strode boldly into the flashing lights with 'The Fame' in 2008, she was lauded as a new kind of pop princess – honest, opinionated, perhaps a little extra but with the vocal chops to back it all up.
Her eight-track 2009 follow-up 'The Fame Monster' dug its gilded heel into the zeitgeist with instant classics like 'Bad Romance' and 'Telephone', clinching Gaga a spot in the sonic hall of fame. From here her war cry was clear: Be your authentic self, celebrate difference, and party in the margins.
In this episode, Andy, Drew and their first guest star – Drew's sister Charlotte, of 'Only in Miami' fame – take it back to when the star truly was born and dissect Mother Monster's early years.
You can find this episode's companion playlist on Spotify, and follow us on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
From daughter of a preacher man to empress of New York nightlife, Grace Jones has spent her career challenging, scintillating and titillating listeners, audiences and baffled onlookers, with panache like no other.
Andy and Drew meet underneath the disco balls of Manhattan, dancing through Grace's early greatest hits, before skipping thirty years ahead to a decade-in-the-making comeback, recorded in the heady hills of Jamaica. Through 1985’s ‘Island Life’ and 2008’s ‘Hurricane’, we tackle one of the few pop culture icons who can lay genuine claim to the title of, well, ‘icon’.
You can find this episode's companion playlist on Spotify, and follow us on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
Step aside, we're back again – and frothing to spill ALL of the tea on RuPaul's political juggernaut 'American'. Released as a direct response to the 2016 US Election, the album speaks to civic disenfranchisement, administrative unease and, of course, lady cowboys.
With a career trajectory unlike any other, RuPaul has solidified his status as an icon in recent years with the growing success of RuPaul’s Drag Race. But as he approaches his sixties, is he still a Champion of the queer community – or are his opinions trapped in the past?
So, kitty girls, call us mother as we cast the spotlight on one of the most influential, and divisive, figures in herstory.
You can find this episode's companion playlist on Spotify, and follow us on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
Birthed from the profits of Cher’s ‘Believe’ and Geri Halliwell’s blink-and-you-miss-it reality show judging career, Girls Aloud are the biggest UK girl band ever… who no-one outside the country actually knows.
With twenty consecutive top 10 UK singles, four million albums, and some of the most bonkersly brilliant bangers of the 21st century to their name, the band hit their commercial and critical summit with 2007’s ‘Tangled Up’, and we think it’s time that this pop masterpiece got the international respect it deserves.
Spanning the spectrum of 80s synth-pop and 90s house to 60s psychedelia, garage and ska, we dig deep into how Girls Aloud shaped our music tastes for years to come, whether or not Nadine is that Gemini we knew she was, and why Sarah Harding's bum note on GMTV should be hung in the Lourve.
You can find this episode's companion playlist on Spotify, and follow us on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
Let us break the ice and give you more in our third episode, an exploration of a pop masterpiece created at the most tumultuous intersection of Britney Jean's career.
Released four years following her commercial zenith with 'In the Zone', 2007's 'Blackout' gathered innovative producer upstarts, like Danja and Bloodshy & Avant, alongside industry veterans, like the Neptunes, to mark Britney's personal struggles with futuristic-sounding anthems of frustration, sex and independence.
Drew and Andy dive into their own personal histories with one of the widest-reaching gay icons in recent years. There's Timbaland-related tension and some tough Britney love as we get closer to the truth: Was she actually born to make us happy?
You can find this episode's companion playlist on Spotify, and follow us on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
Episode two of your new favourite podcast plunges deep into The Velvet Underground and their debut album 'The Velvet Underground and Nico'.
Produced by Andy Warhol and featuring the trickley tones of German songstress Nico, 'The Velvet Underground and Nico' is lauded as the first indie rock album ever, and one of the greatest of all time.
Join Drew and Andy as they wax intrigued on the mysteries shrouding the album's inception and the sexuality of frontman Lou Reed.
You can find this episode's companion playlist on Spotify, and follow us on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.
Drew and Andy kick off Aural Fixation with a personal analysis of the Divine Miss M, the wind beneath our wings, Bathhouse Bette herself: Bette Midler.
In our inaugural episode, the conversation centres around Bette's 1993 greatest hits collection 'Experience the Divine' – a childhood favourite of Drew's – featuring beloved hits such as 'Chapel of Love', 'From a Distance' and 'The Rose'.
Allow us to put a spell on you as we discuss, arguably, the best Bette, in which Drew and Andy pose all the important questions such as: What makes a gay icon? Is 'Beaches' overrated? And is Bette Midler, in fact, a big old drag queen?
You can find this episode's companion playlist on Spotify, and follow us on Instagram at @auralfixationpodcast. Your hosts are @drew_down_under and @andrewdoyouthinkyouare.