Jon Savage...

The Secret History of LGBTQ Resistance in Pop Culture: Jon Savage’s New Book Shines a Light on Hidden Heroes

Jon Savage’s name is synonymous with music journalism. His 1991 book ‘England’s Dreaming’ remains the definitive account of punk rock and its socio-political context. Now, Savage brings his sharp, insightful gaze to Belfast International Arts Festival, where he’ll discuss his latest book, ‘The Secret Public: How LGBTQ Resistance Shaped Popular Culture (1955–1979)’. This new work unearths the lesser-known history of how the LGBTQ community laid the groundwork for much of the modern pop culture we take for granted today.

We often credit straight artists, producers, and executives for creating the sounds, aesthetics, and attitudes that have shaped the last fifty years of pop culture. But in ‘The Secret Public’, Savage shines a light on how queer resistance to oppressive norms created fertile ground for artistic revolution. This isn’t just a story of stars like David Bowie, who embraced androgyny and fluidity, but of the countless unsung queer artists, fans, and activists who fuelled the movements that forever altered music, fashion, and media.

Savage’s latest work arrives at a time when LGBTQ history is finally being recognised as integral to the broader cultural landscape, and it comes with the depth and rigor we’ve come to expect from him. But it’s also deeply personal. Savage himself, as a gay man who came of age in the punk era, has lived through many of the societal shifts he documents. In ‘The Secret Public’, he doesn’t just recount history—he is part of it.

Queer Resistance as Cultural Catalyst

‘The Secret Public’ places queer resistance at the heart of cultural change. Savage shows how central queer individuals were to the movements that redefined music, fashion, and visual media, from glam rock to punk and disco.

The book begins in the 1950s, a decade often remembered for its buttoned-up conservatism. But Savage flips the script, revealing how LGBTQ people were already challenging this conformity. Post-war America and Britain were gripped by a moral panic over sex and decency, but beneath this veneer of respectability, queer communities were forging their own spaces. From secret bars to underground clubs, LGBTQ people created refuges where they could express themselves freely, often through music and performance.

American performer Johnnie Ray, dubbed the “Prince of Wails,” is one of the figures Savage brings into the foreground. His emotional, uninhibited performances were unlike anything mainstream audiences had seen before. Ray projected a vulnerability that resonated deeply with marginalized groups, especially those stifled by rigid gender norms. Although the tabloids speculated about his sexuality, Ray’s persona as an outsider defined a new kind of cultural defiance. These outsiders, often unacknowledged, would soon become the innovators.

Savage also explores the underground music scenes in places like New York’s Greenwich Village and London’s Soho, where LGBTQ communities gathered to create new cultural forms, often out of necessity. In an era when homosexuality was criminalized, queer people learned to navigate society’s oppressive structures while developing their own artistic movements, using music and performance as forms of resistance.

The Birth of Glam Rock and Punk: Queerness Goes Mainstream (Almost)

As Savage moves into the 1960s and 70s, he charts the rise of iconic figures like David Bowie, Lou Reed, and the New York Dolls, whose androgynous looks and queer-coded personas began to infiltrate mainstream culture. But ‘The Secret Public’ makes it clear that these artists were standing on the shoulders of LGBTQ creatives who came before them.

David Bowie, for instance, drew heavily from the performance styles developed in gay clubs and drag shows. The theatricality and shock value that made glam rock so revolutionary were first honed in these underground spaces. Savage doesn’t shy away from the fact that mainstream music often borrowed from queer culture without fully acknowledging its roots. Yet, he celebrates how artists like Bowie and Reed provided rare forms of representation—however coded or ambiguous they were at the time.

The book’s title, ‘The Secret Public’, encapsulates this tension. LGBTQ people were everywhere, shaping culture from within, but they were often hidden from view, or their contributions were co-opted. Punk rock, often viewed as a hypermasculine genre, is recast in ‘The Secret Public’ as deeply influenced by queer culture. Punk’s DIY ethos allowed LGBTQ people to carve out spaces for themselves, even in a hostile cultural environment. Savage highlights figures like Jayne County and The Cockettes, showing how punk wasn’t just about guitars and anti-authoritarian lyrics—it was about rejecting societal norms, including norms around gender and sexuality.

Savage also points to the importance of fanzines and other DIY media created by queer punks, which provided an alternative to mainstream publications that often ignored or misrepresented LGBTQ issues. These fanzines weren’t just about music—they were about building community and resisting erasure.

Disco: A Queer Revolution on the Dance Floor

The book takes a different turn when it arrives at disco, which, as Savage argues, was one of the most overtly queer cultural movements of the 20th century. The genre was born in the underground gay clubs of New York, where Black and Latino LGBTQ communities used music to create a space where they could be free from the prejudice and violence of the outside world. Disco wasn’t just a sound—it was a form of liberation.

Savage delves into the rise of iconic venues like the Paradise Garage, where legendary DJ Larry Levan spun records that defined the disco era. These clubs became sanctuaries, places where queer people of colour could dance, socialize, and express their true selves without fear. Disco’s unapologetic celebration of diversity and sexuality made it a target for backlash, most notably with the infamous “Disco Demolition Night” of 1979. Savage argues that this was more than just a reaction to a musical genre—it was rooted in homophobia and racism. The mainstream’s rejection of disco was, in part, a rejection of the people who had created and sustained the culture.

Even after the so-called death of disco, its influence persisted, seeping into house, techno, and the broader spectrum of electronic music. Disco’s legacy, much like the queer resistance that birthed it, lives on today, even if its origins are often overshadowed or forgotten.

The Secret Public’s Legacy

By the time The Secret Public’ reaches its conclusion, it’s clear that Savage has written more than just a history of music and pop culture.

Jon Savage’s latest work isn’t just a history lesson—it’s a call to remember, celebrate, and honour the trailblazers who dared to be different in a world that wanted them to stay invisible. For anyone who cares about music, culture, and the fight for equality, ‘The Secret Public’— and Savage’s festival appearance—is essential.

Jon Savage appears at Belfast International Arts Festival on Friday 8th November at 2 Royal Royal Avenue. Tickets are just £7 and available from belfastinternationalartsfestival.com.