Why are white gay/bi Mormons so good at music?

Aren’t many of the Killers Mormon too? Not to mention ALL of the Osmonds?

I don’t think most Mormons are killers!

Maybe it's the outfit.

Let’s be a DL hot topic that discovers himself on DL!

Wow, three or four examples!

That's Kinsey level reporting.

I don't know about the gay component, but I have Mormons in my extended family and have known a lot of them over the years; a good deal of Mormons come from upper to upper-middle-class families. I think the reality is that people who come from those environments often are more likely to study music or some instrument from a young age because they have the leisure/can also afford it. Mormons also tend to be very much into "old school" values and ways of life, and music is a part of that. All of my Mormon cousins were classically trained on the piano. Infamous Mormon kidnappee Elizabeth Smart studied the harp for god's sake.

In the dance world, young Andres, here dancing with Charity. Beautiful dancing.

I don't think Brandon is straight. I think Mormons are so emotionally suppressed by their cult that music is one of the ways they can express themselves. It's similar to why Black Protestants are so good at music as music was a way to express things when society oppressed you.

Also I wonder if Community of Christ, a LDS sect that split from Latter Day Saints and aligned more with mainline Protestant churches has any musical traditions.

a large part of goy recruitment is based around pop culture that runs contrary to mormon standards but started getting implemented in temples outside of Utah to compete with the mega televangelist churches that began popping up like mcmansions in the mid to late 90s. While the churches were building these in upper middle class communities, mormons were building theirs in lower class areas. so, their recruitment was quite successful.. as they often provided "free" public services to any of those willing to sign their and their childrens' souls away.

I attended a service with a faghag in a temple that was decked out in the latest tech... my first exposure to the pastor or whatever the fuck they call him was riding a carpet with his daughter projected on a big screen overlaid onto the film Aladdin and their hymn was "I can show you the world" - they would also sing The Presidents of The United States' "Peaches" - I was on a couple tabs, so I remember it as a jaw dropping surrealist experience.

from my understanding, most of the misfits (including homos) often aimed for the choir (as is common with most religious gays and lesbians; stereotyped to theatre roles, gay males as performers, lesbians often as stagehands and tech) that although setup like a very structured bootcamp (truly an aggressive bootcamp) offered a safe space, a loophole for the eccentric or flaming. Or they sought out the independence of becoming a missionary, starting locally with hopes of going somewhere international and isolated from the mormon community at large.

We don’t have gays!

r6 being classically trained on the harp is representative of being upper middle class?

Also, I have tow odner if she was trained on it.,.. how did she not fight off her captor.

You ever try lugging a harp around? Albeit, I had to use public transport. So, I was literally having to haul mine around and only mid-size lever. so, roughly close to five feet.

r9, that is a super weird first sentence. What do you mean by a "large part of gay recruitment"?

r12 mormons refer to non mormons as "goys"

it's an odd bit of trivia.. as most people associate it as "Jewish" but alas, mormons use the term, too.

I beg your pardon.

Mormons are very hardworking, value education and are very nice to everyone. But their beliefs are problematic and very damaging to it's members who are gay, female, people of color and poor. They aren't really Christian either but a polytheistic Abrahamic faith.

R11 how is being trained on the harp not (generally) representative of being upper-middle-class (if not upper-class)? It's an obscure instrument as far as contemporary music is concerned—the lessons are not cheap, and the harps themselves are expensive, even many of the starters. It's definitely not something kids from the trailer park are dabbling in.

R15 is right. The vast majority of Mormons are very pleasant people, socially speaking—most of them are educated, well-dressed (albeit modest), wholesome, and very kind. Their belief system behind closed doors is baffling to me and the church is very cultish, but I have never met one who wouldn't make a good dinner guest. They come across as classier and more rarified than your run-of-the-mill Evangelical or Protestant.

[quote]mormons refer to non mormons as "goys"

Did you mean to write "gentile"? Because that's what is used.

r18 well, yes, there's that. However, you'll find the goy reference as well. Albeit, I'll admit that was hearsay... it wasn't from mormons or ex-mormons directly. The notion was popularized by a few Jewish comedians, I believe around the 50s or 60s.

r17 their dances are overflowing with hyper-activeness and raw sexuality. no caffeine, no alcohol, no masturbation... overflowing.

Brendan Flowers, lead singer of The Killers, is still a member and does publicity for The Mormon church. Which is a tragedy.

But OP already said that, and I'm totally not high.

r16 because it's an obscure instrument... what's most commonly playyed are "folk harps" . . and chances are it's been handed down the family lines like an old, upright, piano. It's not all classic musical and caviar, muffy darling. Or it's the harp teachers' most hated, the lap harp (usually only runs a couple hundred)... there's a subset of girls that are drawn to them in every generation. An in the age of rentals, even the massive harps were available to anyone willing to pay the fees. . . although, like prior, you usually found those with schools, unis, old theatre companies and of course, various orchestra programs.

R19, I'm sitting here with my TBM sister and brother-in-law, and they've also never heard it. But "gentile" is used constantly.

They both think it's hilarious and now they're saying they're going to start calling me the Shabbos goy and sending me to the store or to do errands for them on Sundays. I said I'd rather be called the Lisa Goy, but they didn't get it.

Luckily, we don't live close enough for them to follow through on their threats.

r23 well, good.. though a little disappointing.. to know. I was trying to pull up audio clips. Lenny Bruce was probably the most famous or at least still most well known that mentioned in his act. The others have said it in passing in interviews. I'm cruising with the Yiddish Book Center's now (great resource for old time celebrity Jews. Well, obviously, mostly ashkenzai.)

R17 Just don't talk about religion, politics, race or sexuality because under the nice facade they deeply conservative and get very very defensive, emotional, bitchy and passive aggressive when their beliefs are challenged. They do proselytize too once they think you are friends with. Brandon Flowers' pouting and angry stare like a child at Richard Dawkins when he challenged his Mormon beliefs is very true. I've seen Mormon missionaries go from sweet and smiling to panicky and passive aggressive once you reject their beliefs

David Archuleta is white?

I worked at a place where a Mormon father and son worked. In an office of a 100 or so. The son was in his 30s but brain seemed to function like a 22 yea old. The wife would call all the time and he argue about petty things. He’d get real animated and hang up the phone.

R27 Great story.

It's the damned year's worth of food they are required to stockpile.

They value musical talent in general. Think of all of the amazing ballroom dancers that come out of SLC.

When I was in middle school we didn’t have dances. But the Mormon church did, they wanted to recruit us young, appeal to our hormones then shut it down so we’d get married at 20 and get started on that baby making.

Music was shoved down our throats constantly. Talent shows; ward choirs; stake choirs; multi-stake choirs; traveling variety shows; piano lessons on Tuesday; violin lessons on Saturday; competing to get a spot in some godawful Temple Square Christmas music video; the embarrassment of being in a band with your siblings, and so much more.

I remember going to a birthday party at a kid's house and thinking there was something drastically wrong with his family because they only had an upright piano. His parents must have sold the real piano for drug money! What else could it be?

Also, a recurring theme for writing prompts was the kid whose parents allowed him/her to quit music lessons. The only acceptable conclusion was that they had sentenced their brat to a lifetime of failure by doing so.

It's not just LDS either. You have to hand it to the Evangelicals that 'MMMBop' is one of the greatest sunshine/power-pop songs of all-time. Written and performed by middleschool kids (at the time) no less.

"The only straight Mormon musician I can think of at this point is Brandon Flowers of the Killers."

What about me, fag?

Don't forget me!!!! We can dance too!!!

Alan and (sadly, the late) Mimi Sparhawk of Low are the two most brilliant Mormon musicians I can think of. Both white, neither gay.

R35 really? As in, 'I Could Live In Hope'? That Low? I loved them as a kid, their spooky sadcore shoegazey sound really got me through some tough emotional moments.

[quote]Why are white gay/bi Mormons so good at music?

I'd argue that one reason might be that when you grow up in an oppressive environment, you take advantage of any opportunity to escape that oppression that is viewed as legitimate by the oppressors.

Music is a relatively acceptable creative outlet. So, many would gravitate toward music. Also, unlike art and other activities, music is often a group activity where you have an excuse to engage with other similar people.

Finally, it's a sample bias issue. When you're not a member of an oppressive group like the mormons, you have plenty of other creative and social outlets. So, fewer NEED to use music as an outlet, so many talented people never discover that they're good at it.