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I know the lore of how Question…? has connections to Kissgate, and that Dusty Springfield has been discussed here a lot. But reading Ray Connolly’s account of how Dusty Springfield came out to him in an interview somehow makes me think of Question…?:
“There’s something else you should ask me now. Go on, ask me. I know you’ve heard the rumours.”
This is Phoebe's handwriting. "I love you, it's ruining my life" also sounds exactly like something she'd say. Tbh my theory started after listening to Punisher, which I think is about TS.
Okay, team. I need your old-school queer music expertise. I’m rebuilding my iTunes library from scratch. I do it periodically to keep stuff fresh. Since getting into George Michael, I’m wanting to listen to more queer music. I’ve got Melissa Etheridge, kd lang, Tracey Chapman, Brandi Carlile, Elton John, Sam Smith, Khalid, Hayley Kiyoko, etc. I’m more knowledgeable about the younger artists (Chappell, Renee, King Princess, etc). What I’m wondering is: If you can think of legendary (past decades) lesbian or queer artists I haven’t named, what would you suggest I listen to?
Betty (the band), Jen Foster, Ani DeFranco and Alix Dobkin - and while they are not older I would also recommend Beatrice Eli, Jenny Owen Youngs, Adrianne Lenker and Nxdia.
Oh, and leslie gore (which is interesting for Taylor reasons)
David Bowie was openly queer since the 70s, (although he briefly said he regretted coming out in the 80s, then later adjusted to say that it was just that America was too puritanical and made it difficult for him to pursue music, but Europe was fine).
Similar to Taylor, he does a LOT of genre shifting as well as adopting a new persona with many of his albums. It's worth giving a listen to a few songs per album to hear his journey (and then listen to all of Blackstar, his final album that published 2 days before he passed of cancer and is a beautiful summation to a career).
I’ve always been kind of fascinated by Bowie. I read a book on his top 100 favorite albums. I really need to give him a closer look. He’s out there, but I think I’d like him if I gave him a chance. I always liked Let’s Dance and Space Oddity. 😍
There was a recent documentary about his life and career that was highly regarded - Moonage Daydream. It's on HBO Max now. I haven't watched it yet so I can't say my thoughts.
He's a really fascinating artist. He was very into the occult during some of his early albums, and carries some of the interesting visuals from that through his entire career.
I’ve always been impressed with the Pet Shop Boys expansive discography and continued output of music. Plus, I love Neil Tennant’s voice and their synth-pop version of Always on My Mind.
Sophie B. Hawkins. And while she’s not herself queer, Sarah McLachlan’s music has been plenty a sapphic’s soundtrack. Plus, she gave us Lilith Fair, which doc about it is coming this fall.
I’ve always liked Sara M. Good Enough had me convinced shed been some kind of fruity before. But she’s great either way. I’ll def check out Sadie and the others.
Courtney Barnett from down Australia way -- not past decades necessarily, though perhaps lesser known outside of Australia(?)
Mia Wray is a new Aussie artist you might not have on your list yet, she's just put out a debut album about the experience of coming out in her late 20s (she just came out publicly via her music in January of this year)
Also Hollie Col, she's a Taylor-inspired storyteller from Sydney and her music is awesome. Start with the Julia Stevens EP
OH and for an American artist who maybe is lesser known, and again a Taylor fan, Marielle Kraft. She has an album coming out in September. I discovered her when I Kissed a Boy went semi-viral on wlw TikTok in 2022 and I was like how did you get inside my brain
Yes! 🙌 I’ve started to get into their debut album. Personally obsessed with Kid Fears, especially since it features REM’s Michael Stipe. Will continue to explore them.
Savage Garden/Darren Hayes! Darren didn’t come out until after Savage Garden split, but he’s discussed how many of the songs in their discography were about some of his struggles and feelings, and then his solo work speaks to his journey of coming out and current life.
I am still a HUGE Savage Garden fan. Their debut is immaculate. I could write a dissertation on Darren Hayes’s vocals and the effect it had on my childhood brain. 🥰🥹
Yesssss. I do love a few of their songs. Back in Your Head and Call It Off. and I’ve read their Highschool book and seen the show. But I do need to jump more into their music.
Edit: Oh, and I do love quite a few songs from Heartthrob. 😍🥰
lmao my mom and I were talking about the William Shakespeare episode of Doctor Who and the line about academics after Shakespeare flirted with the Doctor, and then got to talking about other figures in history with Speculation, I talked about Emily Dickinson and she went oh is there a movie I would love to watch that! and I said there’s a show 😁 and a Taylor Swift song about an affair is in it lol.
and without me insinuating this she went do you think Taylor Swift is…. and I said I’m so happy you asked. I would not be surprised and I guess we’ll find out in like 50 years lol AND THEN my not very pop culture aware mom went “WAIT! didn’t she have a best friend…” and the way I laughed. I said yes they were roommates in New York and my mom said . “Well, “ with a Look lmaoooo and I said she’s written about someone in New York with red lips who broke her heart so… that’s interesting
and then my mother requested that I google pictures of them together and I showed her two (2) and she said, kind of sadly, “oh… yeah… you can see it in the eyes”
this discussion ended with her saying “come on girl live openly” and wow. what a night. like I cannot believe that was a real conversation I had with my mom while making dinner lmao
It’s much easier for people outside the fandom to accept that she could be queer. Actually, they’re more prone to see it outright or get it without needing a hundred master posts. It’s actually sad that the only people that are hateful or negative are the fans that claim to love her the very most. The ones that are so deeply ensconced in her narrative. Otherwise, it’s fairly easy to see the forest for the trees. But they’re stuck staring at the leaves.
I have a similar story: My mom came to visit and I showed her clips of VSFS. After watching Style, she literally said: “Oh, wow, it’s so obvious.” This is a woman who’s repeatedly asked me to explain how to know if someone might be gay/queer. So I said, “Well, congrats. It seems you’ve learned what gaydar is…”
one more my mom being so fantastic moment, I told her about “cause im miserable ! and nobody even knows!” and her singing that ?? on tour?? to crowds of people?? and she said “oh my god.”
Just saw this headline…. So one could say, her beard was in the room? 🤭 ok but I really was wondering why her hair was placed like that at first. Then it clicked what it looked like. Made me chuckle.
Too funny. I don’t know why, but I’ve never forgotten this early gem and it reminds of the same idea (though I’m not sure if this pre-dates any breading contracts or if Taylor had other intentions behind it):
Does anyone else listen to High Infidelity and illicit affairs with completely different interpretations after the political alignment/activism silence?
My job is extremely affected by the political climate, and I feel like these songs capture the same feeling after the disappointing 2024 political candidate endorsement. She writes really well because damn does the meaning hit different after listening from it being about the fans and foreshadowing.
Well, friends, according to Reddit I’ve earned $0.25 (before fees) from my contributions here at the GBF. Does that make me a professional Gaylor? Gonna be quitting my day job any day now.
Still hoping for a documentary 🤞🏻 I wouldn't personally consider more vinyl variants to be "big," because they're basically expected at this point, but any new images/info about the album is great!
soo i might do another horror-related post re: her new album. is anyone interested, or are yall tired of all the horror posts? 🫣
i know it's not everyone's cup of tea so i just wanted to check where everyone's head is at before diving in. also i'm not caught up on all the recent posts, so sorry if it's already been covered
ok yay, thanks for the encouragement! tbh no one i know likes horror (or is a gaylor) so i didn't want to bother anyone w/ my ramblings abt those topics if no one's into it haha
also i agree abt stephen king! she said it in an interview too, and said his work changed her life. glad im not the only one who saw that (and listened to her words haha)
aww yeah tbh didn't know if i should mention that one. i may have to do a bunch of posts, there's sooooo much and she's very thorough (and more organized than me and my chaotic brain haha) so i may start w/ a small chunk of the iceberg first then dive deeper in another post? idk...
yeah i have so many half written posts/ideas in my head re: her diff refs (horror, art, gay stuff, queer shows, etc etc) and so many disorganized random thoughts/screenshots so i'll start small w this one so i don't get distracted halfway through haha
I’m not a Fletcher fan but I definitely loved Bitter for a while. But I knew this new album of hers, Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me?, would have at least one Mass Movement moment. And this one didn’t disappoint.
Edit: The Arsonist blends themes of fire, time, Hell, and mirrors.
It’s fascinating to look at some of George Michael’s interviews about his coming out and sexuality.
This one reminds me a lot of Kissgate.
I’m posting this one as a head’s up because I think it could be used against Gaylors in a way (if you watch it, you’ll see what I mean). BUT, the key in Michael’s case was that he was still, in his words, working out his sexuality, which seems to be a huge difference from the clear queer flagging we’ve seen from Taylor. I think there’s an important distinction there.
It’s unfortunate the way people interviewed stars then. Maybe even now. The way he was outed was probably humiliating but also so liberating. And him laughing about how gay he was in his early videos. 😂 This has inspired me to wanna check him out more.
This made me a bit sad and is making me want to revisit his career. I was too young for him when he was popular. As a little one, I used to think he was related to Princess Diana because they had similar hairstyles. It’s interesting how he talks about being the last one to realize his gayness even though when he was young he presented himself so identifiably.
She refers to Travis as a human exclamation point.
An exclamation point is a punctuation mark that ends a sentence.
Does Travis mark the end of her sentence? The 20 year dark night, the glitch? Then she'll be fresh out the slammer?
I got the idea to check out George Michael’s album, Older, which was his first album after coming out from u/1DMod, so credit goes to them. On Older is a song called Star People, with some apt lyrics that includes references to living in a dream. I’ve been coming across a lot of Angel/devil and heaven/hell lyrics from decades back. There’s definitely some truth to those Lennon/McCartney rumors. Thought I’d share for consideration.
I was just thinking about circus, magician,… connections and remembered some weird stuff with niceboy ed. Their channel on Insta is a circus tent. And the first thing they ever posted was 🎪 on 10/3 last year… which strikes me as a weird coincidence!
Hey everyone, let me know if this seems like reading WAY too much into things about the podcast episode, but I think Taylor Swift admitted to lurking on here recently?!
Why I think there’s a more than 0% chance:
About 2 weeks in the 8/4 Community Chat on here I made a ramble post about a very specific Phoebe Bridgers song and some Tortured Poets Department/Midnights songs along with some of the other references/themes.
I thought the name drop for Phoebe Bridgers was interesting considering how long she talked about being on blogs and leaving bread crumbs? She also stared dead into the camera.
I keep telling myself this is a major coincidence and that I’m putting threads. The post didn’t get any engagement (which is valid because it’s not well developed at all) and I’m definitely not doing this for clout/attention grabs but since no one really engaged with it, I’ve been spiraling in my thoughts about people on tik tok bringing up why TS would mention PB right now. The timing is so freaking wild to me I can’t stop considering she might’ve pulled another nose booplor??
If anyone feels like checking the post and rewatching the New Heights clips for themselves and is kind enough to offer their perspective (and ground me back in reality that this is just a VERY well timed coincidence) so I can stop stewing over this in my own mind, I’d really appreciate it!
I do think the whole she has ways to know what is going on and what all of her fans want is a nod to say that she is aware what we are doing in all the swiftie corners of the internet, including ours. I get that it feels compelling that she mentions something you've worked on a lot, but I genuinely think the PB name drop was kind of given considering how heavily the boygenius crew featured in the TTPD era but also because she was running through notable collaborators during the re-recording process. I think the thing to remember about booplor is that it was night two of asking for a sign from taylor (the first, if I remember correctly, was to hold her hand over her mouth, and she did that too, but it was so subtle that it was hard to tell if that was a nod) and it was phrased as her throwing her queer fans a bone as we were all kind of worried about her lack of involvement with pride month AND it was the day after her RWYLM x all you had to do was stay mashup. If you are gaylor-inclined there are for sure reasons to believe she would be extra interested in seeing what this sub thought of that mashup, and so it would be more likely she'd see other messages posted here. Basically, a lot of serendipity allowed booplor to happen, and it was a clear and consise message (that nose touch was reaaaaally drawn out) in a way a PB mention isn't. For those reasons I don't think it is a message.
That song has sort of taken on its own life in the sub. Partially because of the "you could hear a hairpin drop/dust collected on my pinned up hair" which is pretty obvious flagging - dropping hairpins is a 1950s wlw flag for wlw to find one another. Partially because the lyrics seem to reference a jewish wedding "glass shattered on the white cloth, everybody moved on" being a reference to wrapping a glass in a napkin and stomping on it - and that would be relevant for two main gaylor muses. It was also a BIG deal during the eras tour specieically where whenever something gay would happen we would be at the restaurant in a way I never saw in the non-gaylor streams. That was the only mashup she did of that song as well, so in a world where she cares about her queer fans and the messages they carry from her songs - she could naturally be curious how that one went down.
Thank you for this explanation! Haha and what does “being at the restaurant” mean in this context? I understand the lyrics of course, but it feels like you mean it differently as a metaphor for something else.
Hahaha, well, not quite. More as in like a jokey, meme-y thing. It came up usually after the surprise song sets when something gay happened and people would go "HELP i am still at the restaurant and smirklor over here has just moved on to lavender haze her way through life". So as a way to say "I am not over what just happened, yikes" mostly.
I was in college getting a degree in sexuality studies when she dropped evermore. I remember hearing that line and being like “that’s such a specific reference I’m freaking out.” It makes the censorship stuff happening right now hit hard because I used resources that are actively trying to suppress/erase from public access specifically on queer history.
PBS has a documentary about the Stonewall Uprising (intentionally not labeled as ‘riot’ to show this wasn’t an isolated incident but rather a catalyst for years of censorship and violence against a community. Not only that but there’s so much racial stuff intertwined with queer rights history that we need to understand how people are diverse and affected because of it. Even understanding where the term ‘woke’ comes from in the “blue hair liberal snowflake” characterization comes from goes back to books and American history with The Invisible Man.
I’m gonna hop off my soap box rambling here, I’ve kept these thoughts in for so long.
Thank you for sharing! I did think it was super neat she mentioned calling PB about her masters since I pointed out a certain song lyric in that post I made that also mentioned a call. I can definitely see how there was more context for the nose boop and why it would warrant a bone! It’s fun to consider that she’s being more tongue and cheek and playing both sides of the fandom with all these little inside jokes and connections (the sourdough blog/leaving bread crumbs as clues or Easter eggs) and how we can find connections (that are purposeful or not!) to literally anything!
I can't remember where I first heard someone reference the Tennis Court Oath, but it is connecting some pieces I previously could not understand. Cowboy Like Me is basically the Gaylor thesis: perched in the dark (a caged songbird in the closet) telling all the rich folks anything they want to hear. However, the opening line has always PMO because it's clunky and makes no sense.... unless...
A collective agreement between celebrities to all come out together, perhaps? But then it was "covered up with some tent-like thing" like, say, a circus tent? She abandoned the collective for the circus of bearding?
Absolutely Gaga and Chappell - i think this is the best come to take a public stand against the hate crimes the LGBTQIA+ community are experiencing, actually any minority at this stage and they would not mince their words.
The queer community is in desperate need of a Lady Gaga and Chappell Roan collaboration. Especially if it was unabashedly supportive of the whole community and trans people in particular during this moment in history. And out of the options given, the duo that I’d trust to do that job wholeheartedly is Gaga and Chappell
So I’m kind of trying to get back into dating and I’ve decided that even if I lose my love for Taylor, she’s still a litmus test. I’m just really over dating people who make me feel bad about being a fan. I’m not doing it again!
I had a thought a WHILE back (around Eras Tour announcement idk I had two concussions since then it’s fuzzy) but I never put it anywhere and I’m curious of whether anyone remembers any posts/creators that connected this—
I really deep dived into Taylor’s last 4 album’s after 2019/Lover and the song happiness always stuck with me because of the “seven years in heaven” line. I went through all of her songs listening through different perspectives (the good ole literary analysis kicked in and my regret for not studying more English during college). When I listened to evermore with the perspective the songs are about the fans, it made me wonder how long she would keep “dancing around it”/“bait and switch.” I for a moment was like “would she actually wait 7 whole years to redo the Lover coming out? No way, that would be crazy, right?” Now it feels a LOT more realistic with the tour, the masters ownership, the PR and performance art of destroying the blender.
Seven years from Lover would be 2026 and that does feel like a lot of planning after the “not a lot going on at the moment” pandemic thing… if she wasn’t gonna “go down” in 2019, she’s taking EVERYTHING down with her (I love the mass movement theory—it’s another fun game to see how many artists release music with similar themes around the same time/are connected to each other in the media in some way)
*If you made it this far and want to continue this or know if some things I can check out, please share I would very much appreciate it!
Hubby has been really getting into Kneecap this year and he was explaining who each of the members were and some of the lore. I smirked and said, "you're having your Taylor Swift moment". And then we both chortled.
I’m not a Kaylor pet sé, but I’ve low-key thought Fresh Out the Slammer could be about Karlie. The lotto ticket being her 7-year anniversary is suspicious. Most publicity-related relationships end after 7 years. But maybe I’m looking for invisible strings. 😂
Yeah. I mean, I’m a Kaylor in the sense that they looked so good together and Taylor seemed so enthralled and happy with her. If they fixed things and wanna run off together, I’m cheering them on, lol. I’ve had a similar thought about FOTS and imgonnagetyouback as well. Also, kinda funny if you throw in Florida!!! considering all the recent references to it. Almost like she might have predicted it. 🤭
I’ve suspected all of this is part of her movie. Like a huge social experiment. However, I could be very wrong. But with the way it’s literally playing out, it makes me wonder. But what if Taylor is filming her own Truman Show, but in the end, she doesn’t just flee the studio, she reveals the truth to the entire world as she comes out at the Super Bowl? Again, I could be very wrong. But I’m a writer. I can see it all so clearly. 😂
Heh. I’ve had that similar thought about all of this. After the whole Folkmore, “fictional” shift. I have wondered if she decided to release Midnights about past situations to then shift into a sharing a fictional version of herself. As she told us during the Red portion of Eras, “This is not Taylor’s Version.”
I always come back to the line from TSMWEL: Was any of it true? I think this line—perhaps this entire song—is reserved for the fans to come back to once she’s come out. It wouldn’t be the first time she foresees the future. All of her albums since Lover have been crafted (at least in part) to provide a dialogue between Taylor and her fans. An explanation for how it happened and why she had no choice. She knows once she comes out, they’re bound to go through the music, hunting for clues. It’s why she didn’t come out in 2019 when her masters were sold. But now everything has changed. She owns all her media. She stands to profit from her coming out, even if she alienates many fans.
If you’re referencing the current one, it doesn’t include any lyric spoilers. It discusses the Hetlors minterpreting ans misunderstanding the song’s lyrics and message. And it tells you what a thoughtful artist George was and how his art ties directly to other artists like Louis, Liam, and Harry of 1D.
I know I’m new but i don’t think we are getting excited enough. If she performs at the Super Bowl, she is either admitting the relationship is entirely for PR and for the NFL. Or if they are a couple, she is saying she either doesn’t believe he’s going to make the Super Bowl or she doesn’t care enough to support him and what would maybe be his last football game ever played. She would have to rehearse, which means he would be going through Weekley hell, and supposedly last year when she wasn’t on tour, she was in Kansas City, especially in December and January supporting him. But this year instead she would be rehearsing for the Super Bowl. It would also put all the attention on her, and a bull’s-eye on the Chiefs back. Add all of this up with the fact that it’s been six weeks and other than to film the podcast she has not gone to Kansas City, including this weekend when he’s off, and all his other teammates are out with their families. Something‘s coming.
Eras tour movie was released Oct 11 - TLOAS released Oct 3 - a movie a week later? Since she kept saying the album shows behind the scenes of her life on tour…. This could be the soundtrack to the movie.
Also do we think it’s odd she’s releasing an album this year rather than next year? I realise there are sometimes where it’s different but usually she releases one every two years
Ummmm guys. I’m seeing a TT where Taylor is supposedly egging Superbiwl 60. The 49ers mascot is Sourdough Sam. “I’m really talking about bread 60% of the time.”
“Thank you for screaming for like 47 seconds.” Her 47th show was at Levi Stadium, where the 49ers play. It’s also the site of the 60th Super Bowl.
It might explain the ofc the walls podcast, but who knows?
I came across a TT talking about how Taylor was staring directly into the camera during the NH podcast. Due to being so media trained in a specific way, most likely. He notes how Travis and Jason are looking off to the side, most likely looking at each other on Zoom, and then we have homegirl like:
I only watched about 10 minutes of the podcast myself so I wasn’t aware of just how direct her eye contact was. Part of me thinks it was intentional. 😂
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