Apparently I'm not noticing something here. Perhaps a non-native speaker thing. Could you please explain? What is so special about the line and the way it was sung back then?
Harold Demure is gay. And apparently a somewhat feminine type of such.
Absolute Peak of Genesis?
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... It's just one of those things - it was acceptable at that time to do that voice, usually accompanied by a 'limp wrist' gesture, but yes any reasonable person would cringe at it now...
I never picked up on that before but I can hear it now.
To be honest, though, if someone had played that line to me before today I would have probably said the voice portrays a toff, or someone of a demure or reserved manner as opposed to a caricature of a gay person.
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BOEF is full of caricatures. Which is fine but the way PG simgs about Harold is definitely a caricature of the limp wristed feminine man , that was poked fun at left right and centre in the UK at the time. Quite clear IMO. Whilst Rob the nob is getting stuck in getting smashed across the gob Harold Demure who still not quite sure ( about his sexuality ) is up tree throwing little acorns , which is of the best a gay could do. Yes I know, I'm certain PG wasn't being serious or harboured any knowing prejudice, but am sure it was seen as a harmless joke . Also pretty sure PG would NOT approve of his young self.
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I see. About Harold Demure, that is. But then "he's still not quite sure", so doesn't that make him the kind of gender-fluid and partner-orientation-fluid person that is discussed so much these days?
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I see. About Harold Demure, that is. But then "he's still not quite sure", so doesn't that make him the kind of gender-fluid and partner-orientation-fluid person that is discussed so much these days?
No, not in Seventies UK . Also the song is far too cartoonish go for that. It s a throw away line. To me much of the song shows the group as a bunch of young men , a public school ladish humour and of their time. (Python made plenty of jibes at the limp wristed man.) Actually in some ways refreshing for the ordinariness of them to be on record . I didn't see it at the time being a young lad myself, and I am looking at it with the perspective of 50 years on , which is why I would like to hear PGs thoughts on it.
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my favourite genesis period is 1976-1981, that is, the blue box set. and, to be more precise, my favourite album is probably 'duke'.
tony, mike and phil created some great music, specially considering that phil was a drummer who became a singer, and mike was a bassist who became a guitarist. tony was the only one who always did "his thing", playing keyboards.
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tony, mike and phil created some great music, specially considering that phil was a drummer who became a singer, and mike was a bassist who became a guitarist. tony was the only one who always did "his thing", playing keyboards.
besides, genesis became more "commercial" if you want, but they always wrote their songs themselves, with no external songwriters. and they didn't resort to collaborating with younger artists that were trendy at that time. not that i'm criticizing coldplay for recording a song with korean boy band bts.
