1 minute read
WHAT THE DEVIL I S T H A T RACKET?!
Written by Jennifer Collier
Illustrated by Steph Liu
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every queer person knows about this video, and virtually every queer person, regardless of religious affiliation, has been confronted with the “you’re going to Hell” speech at least once, whether directly at you or indirectly near you. It’s the ageold promise of damnation that is burned into our memories. So how do queer people learn to respond to religion-tinged hatred?
On March 26th, 2021, Lil Nas
X dropped “MONTERO (Call Me
By Your Name),” the lead single for his album “MONTERO” and a passionate declaration of queer love and desire. The single by itself would likely have received
While “Call Me By Your Name” was certainly the most explosive instance of a queer artist using Satanic imagery and Hell in their music, it was not the first and it absolutely will not be the last unforgettable declaration of individuality and expression. a largely positive reaction, as Lil Nas X already had considerable recognition. However, “MONTERO”’s music video featured Lil Nas X as an angel who rides down a pole from Heaven to Hell and gives the Devil a lapdance. Virtually
I put together a playlist of songs by queer artists who harnessed the themes of demons and Hell and gave an attentive audience a voice and a face to what was happening inside themselves and around them.
listeN to the plaYlist!
FamilY tree
Ethel Cain
Hayden Anhedönia’s unnerving Gothic aesthetic and disarming, hauntingly beautiful voice are a staple for any demonic-themed playlist.
“Family Tree” is a song off of Anhedönia’s first full LP, “Preacher’s Daughter,” a concept album that follows alter ego Ethel as she escapes her sheltered religious home and embarks on a harrowing journey that ends in her gruesome, tragic death (the story is not for the faint of heart).
Anhedönia mentioned to Billboard last May that she plans on writing a book and potentially creating a movie based on the life and legacy of Ethel Cain, Ethel’s mother, and Ethel’s grandmother in the years to come.
