The Greatest Gender Benders of Music Podcast

Gender Benders Episode 1 - David Bowie

Born in 1947, David Bowie became one of the most influential musicians of the 20th Century, and continued to make and release music up until his death in 2016. Known for his fluid personality and musical adventurism, he was a fitting feature for the first episode of our Gender Benders series.
With recordings from live concerts and interview snippets, take a look at the person behind the performance and gain some honest insight into why, perhaps, androgyny became a hallmark of David Bowie's life and legacy.
 
 

Gender Benders Episode 2 - KD Lang

K.D. Lang is a Canadian singer-songwriter best known for Ingénue, the 1992 album that earned her a number one single and a Grammy Award for best pop vocal. An androgynous lesbian rising to iconic success was not the norm in the 1980s, and her bold integrity is inseparable from her lasting legacy as an artist and musician.
She never compromised comfort in her butch presentation, claiming it would be detrimental to her art, and unfair to her audience. With regard to modern pop-stars she told the BBC: "I don't know who they are necessarily, but when I listen to the radio, I hear a guy singing about a guy or whatever. It's all over the map. "It's almost the eradication of gender categorisation, which is beautiful, which is what some of us always wanted."

Gender Benders Episode 3 - Prince

Prince's early music drew attention for its fusion of religious and sexual themes, and he is now regarded by many as having been one of the world's greatest musicians.
With style, swagger, attitude and musicality, Prince didn't just push the boundaries of gender and sexuality, he kicked straight through them- in platform heels- and helped open doors for so many others to do the same. 

Gender Benders Episode 4 - Annie Lennox

Many people were exposed to a female presented as androgynous for the first time by the legendary Annie Lennox, most famous for her timeless, eerie and emotive "Sweet Dreams" (1983).
According to Lennox, she wanted to generate a sense of being equal with her Eurythmics partner Dave. She certainly had an influential image, but maintained that it also served the purpose of making people think. This it certainly did!

Gender Benders Episode 5 - Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury was a British singer-songwriter, and front man of the band 'Queen'. He captivated audiences with his larger-than-life vocal range and flamboyant stage presence before his tragic death from AIDS related illness in 1991.
While Mercury's sexuality wasn't publicly acknowledged until after his death, his music and showmanship have come to symbolize celebration and acceptance of queer identities. He broke the rules, took the rigid concepts of gender and not only bent them, but transcended them.

Gender Benders Episode 6 - Lou Reed

Lou Reed's classic 'Take a Walk on the Wild Side' famously explores forbidden topics of New York's underground scene. He sang about the lives of queer and transgender friends whose stories went otherwise untold in mainstream culture.
He is quoted as having said to art critic Anthony DeCurtis: “Maybe listening to my music is not the best idea if you live a very constricted life (Kitty Empire, Guardian). Lou Reed wasn't afraid of speculation about his gender or sexuality, which served him and the queer community well when it came to interviewers with a more... constricted view on things!

Gender Benders Episode 7 - Patti Smith

Patti Smith, self-described as a female- but 'a weird one'- was a multi-disciplinary artist and member of the NYC punk rock movement of the 70s. In 1978, her most widely known song, "Because the Night", co-written with Bruce Springsteen, reached 13th on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and fifth on the UK Singles Chart.
She challenged gender norms, followed her vision unapologetically and experienced what she described as total freedom as an artist! Her social and political influence changed the way fans thought of women in music. 

Gender Benders Episode 8 - Kurt Cobain

Nirvana front man, the late Kurt Cobain, was one of the most popular rock musicians of the 1990s and acted as inspiration for a generation of boys to borrow style from the girls for a change. 
He was a pioneer for his time, regularly experimenting with gender, and proving that you didn't have to be macho to enjoy, and make it big in, rock and roll. 

Gender Benders Episode 9 - Marilyn Manson

Marilyn Manson has been a member of his band of the same name since its formation in 1989, earning platinum status with their albums and multiple grammy nominations. Despite his controversial influence, Manson undoubtedly had one of the most distinctive images in musical history.
With a moniker alluding to the masculine and the feminine, he represented an undefinable persona, concluding: Labels are for journalists. I think Rock'n'Roll is what it's always been about." Deconstructing stereotypes never sounded so good!

Gender Benders Episode 10 - Bambi Thug

The future is in safe hands when it comes to continuing to push the boundaries of gender in music - and we may look no further than Ireland's most recent Eurovision success, Bambi Thug.
Haunting and highly theatrical, their persona and talent paves the way for daring artists and performers everywhere, and shows there is a place for gender non-conformance in the music industry... Bambi is one to watch.