1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff Mom Never told You from house stuff 2 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,279 Speaker 1: Kristen and I'm Caroline. Caroline. I'm gonna do things a 4 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:22,480 Speaker 1: little backward and start the podcast with a listener email, 5 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: Hold onto your hats, folks. So we got this email 6 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: recently from Emma and she's nineteen and in college, and 7 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: she wrote us with a request. She says, first the backstory, 8 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: My roommate and I discovered the popular band One Direction 9 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 1: at the beginning of the school year. Neither of us 10 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:46,159 Speaker 1: had ever been huge boy band fans, but now we 11 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:49,520 Speaker 1: have more than twenty five posters of these five boys 12 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: up in our dorm room. We have tickets to a 13 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: concert of theirs over the summer, and we have wasted 14 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: countless hours watching videos of them and looking at their faces. 15 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: We we also managed to get a few more of 16 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: our friends to enthuse about them. What I'd like to 17 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: know it's why boy bands such as One Direction get 18 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 1: to be so popular. Back in the nineties, we had 19 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: Backstreet Boys and in Sync, and there have been many 20 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: that have popped up and disappear through time. But why 21 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:20,399 Speaker 1: what makes sense so appealing? Why don't they last very long, 22 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: and what is it about them that pulls girls and 23 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 1: guys in so much? I usually pride myself and being 24 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 1: level headed, immature, but put a picture of one d 25 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: in front of me and I turned to a squealing 26 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 1: twelve year old girl. What's up with that? Oh, Emma, 27 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: I don't know. Short answer soft masculinity and comfortable homo eroticism. 28 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: But we'll get to that and the podcast is over. Yeah. 29 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 1: First of all, Emma, thank you for your email. This 30 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: episode is dedicated to you and your roommate and Harry 31 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 1: Styles of One Direction and his hair and his hair 32 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: and his very large hair. So um, we're not gonna 33 00:01:56,320 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: be able to talk about all of the boy bands. Sorry, 34 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: We're gonna go ahead and apologize and say please don't 35 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 1: key our cars. Yeah. Well, I was live tweeting some 36 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: of the research, and thanks to everyone who tweeted some 37 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: boy band suggestions for me to listen to. But we're 38 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 1: gonna hit on the big names out there, and unfortunately 39 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 1: we can't even get into the entire history of boy bands. 40 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: I mean, obviously we will hit on the Beatles and such, 41 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: but we really want to get into the more modern 42 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: boy band era. But first let's talk about how boy 43 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: bands are totally bad, Caroline, Yeah, and how we even 44 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 1: knew this was happening. Um, I'm perpetually out of the 45 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,240 Speaker 1: loop as far as music goes, particularly if it is 46 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:47,919 Speaker 1: pop music and boy bands. So back in uh Spring twelve, 47 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: One Direction became the first British group to top the 48 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:53,839 Speaker 1: Billboard two hundred charts, a feat that not even the 49 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: Beatles could pull off. They sold a hundred and seventy 50 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 1: six thousand copies of their album Up All Night and 51 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: its first week of release. Meanwhile, The Wanted I'm learning 52 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: so much from all this research. The Wanted had a 53 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: top ten hit single and the group Mindless Behavior's album 54 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: debut in the top ten. Yeah. Speaking to The New 55 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: York Times in about the Wanted in One Direction, Sharon 56 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: dats Or, who was the program director of Z one 57 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: hundred in New York, said, quote, boy bands are so 58 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: back in such a big way. I've been saying it 59 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: for about a month now. Music is always very cyclical. 60 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: We had the New Kids on the Block time and 61 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: the instinct Backstreet Boys time, and now it's that time again. 62 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: And some people also attribute the popularity of Justin Bieber 63 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 1: for getting producers thinking again about oh wait, young females 64 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: listen to young boys singing and they buy lots of things. 65 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: And one of those music moguls who had a big 66 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: hand and bringing the boy band back in such a 67 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: big way is Simon Cowell from formerly from American Idol 68 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: and now with The X Factor over in the UK. 69 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: And what he did was take these five boys who 70 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: competed on The X Factor and he was like, you 71 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: sheld be in a bun together and put them all together. 72 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: And they competed but only came in third, I believe. 73 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: But he was like, it doesn't matter, Harry Styles, your 74 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:23,359 Speaker 1: hair is going to take you straight the top of 75 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:25,919 Speaker 1: the Billboard charts. And so he signed them to his 76 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: music label and it's been pandemonium ever since. Right. But 77 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,559 Speaker 1: they came on the scene a little differently than did 78 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: Lou Pearlman's masterminding of Backstreet Boys in Sync. It's the 79 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: reversal of that pattern, you know, of releasing a single 80 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: on the radio first then taking them to the US. Instead, 81 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: the label mounted a four month marketing campaign to build 82 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,720 Speaker 1: a fan base through social media. They were very sneaky. 83 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 1: They asked fans to sign petitions and inner video competitions 84 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,159 Speaker 1: to win a concert in their town, and I believe 85 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: Dallas one the One Direction concert. But yeah, it worked. 86 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 1: Facebook followers shot up requests, poured into radio stations to 87 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 1: play the songs before they even had the albums. So yeah, 88 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: not not quite the same as the nineties band. So 89 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: even though One Direction, you know, is using social media 90 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:19,479 Speaker 1: obviously in a way that wouldn't have even been possible 91 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 1: for in Sync and Backstreet Boys, the One Direction songwriter 92 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 1: Carl Falk admits that he stole the one D sound 93 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,039 Speaker 1: from Backstreet Boys, claiming the new generation of boy band 94 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: fans is too young to even remember. Which, wait a second, 95 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: I feel so old. I do have gray hairs coming 96 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:40,839 Speaker 1: in and I think that I sprouted a few more 97 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: when I read that way. Yeah, because Emma, I think, 98 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 1: even as she is a college student, she's old enough 99 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: to remember Backstreet Boys. Well, sure she might remember Backstreet 100 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: Boys and in Sync, and of course everyone knows who 101 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 1: Justin Timberlake is, But does she know all the words 102 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:58,919 Speaker 1: to Backstreets back like this podcast co host does I know? 103 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: I've had Backstreet Boys longs in my huddle week. One 104 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: more similar thing that still persists is racial dynamics Christen 105 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: in one direction, the ethnic bad boy role that managers 106 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:16,800 Speaker 1: have crafted over the years is filled by Zane ma Lead. Yeah, 107 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,679 Speaker 1: this was something that was posted about on the blog 108 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:24,679 Speaker 1: racial Issious, talking about how Saying actually pulled his Twitter 109 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:27,120 Speaker 1: feed for I think it was only a day, but 110 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 1: still he took it down because he said that he 111 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:36,279 Speaker 1: had received so many racial slurs. He's hat Pakistani and Muslim, 112 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: and they've never tried to hide that fact at all, 113 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:41,039 Speaker 1: but people, you know, have made a horrible comments to 114 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 1: him to the point that he took his stuff down. 115 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 1: But this is something the whole thing of having the 116 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: darker skinned boy band member being cast as the mysterious 117 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: one is the same kind of thing that happened with 118 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:57,560 Speaker 1: say a j Who's Latino in Backstreet Boys. Okay, I 119 00:06:57,560 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: was gonna I'm glad you said that because I was 120 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 1: going to cite that example, but I wasn't sure which 121 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:06,240 Speaker 1: band he was in, Patreet Fron Okay. Well, so then 122 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:08,839 Speaker 1: we have a whole issue of whether these new bands 123 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 1: are edgier, whether they're whether they're living on the edge more, 124 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 1: or whether there may be a little bit softer or 125 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: a story from Reuter's in A argued that yes, they 126 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: are edgier because the Wanted is trying to set themselves 127 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: apart by being uncensored about their drinking and partying. And 128 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 1: of course they use the wheel play instruments argument. And 129 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: they actually are managed by Bieber's manager. Yeah, and I 130 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:36,239 Speaker 1: will say watching the Wanted video for Glad You came, 131 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: and yes, that is a double entendre Uh, that's showing 132 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 1: them just partying on a beach. I believe in Abisa 133 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 1: and just you know, being just really young and rowdy. 134 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: I was obviously they're going for that bad boy image, 135 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 1: but with one direction. Though Amanda Hess from Slate and 136 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: Alyssa Rosenberg it think progress and also the Antic would 137 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 1: argue that not so much. Yeah. Amanda has this theory 138 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 1: is that boy bands nowadays are less explicitly sexual because 139 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: today's young women are free to see sex, love, and 140 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:16,680 Speaker 1: friendship as more interconnected. She says, post hookup culture, young 141 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:21,320 Speaker 1: women's relationships with men are more fun and casual and equitable. Yeah. 142 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: And on her Slate posts she has all these screenshots 143 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:30,680 Speaker 1: to compare of videos from in Sync and Backstreet where 144 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,320 Speaker 1: they're all, you know, clenching their fists and looking very 145 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:38,080 Speaker 1: pained and anguish because their love is so intense, whereas 146 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:42,439 Speaker 1: One Direction, you know, they're just bebopping around and bepping around. 147 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 1: You know, I'm suddenly and where podcast? Where's your butter? 148 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: Scotch candy? Um Melyssa Rosenberg every the Atlantic does argue 149 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 1: that they are less edgy and more lovey Debbie. She 150 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: says one d in the Wanted espouse a love beats 151 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 1: all philosophy that's actually squeakier, cleaner, and simpler than that 152 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 1: of the generation of manufactured male teen idols that preceded 153 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 1: them a decade ago. Yeah, she says, even for the Wanted, 154 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 1: you know who are going for the whole bad boy thing. 155 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:13,679 Speaker 1: I just want to get home to the girlfriends at 156 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,199 Speaker 1: the end of the day. And she makes a good 157 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:19,320 Speaker 1: point about how One Direction's biggest hit, What makes You Beautiful, 158 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:23,280 Speaker 1: is quote so worshipful that it feels smothering, And I 159 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:25,920 Speaker 1: do agree. I Mean, I could see though, if I 160 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: were twelve and watching these boys frolic around on a 161 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 1: beach telling me that I'm prettier than I actually know 162 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 1: that I am, that I would totally get on board 163 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 1: with all of that. But it is kind of funny. 164 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: I mean to the point to where they're like, you're 165 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 1: the way you flip your hair drives me Bonkas my quote, 166 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,680 Speaker 1: not theirs, and then you just start obsessively flipping your hair. Yeah. 167 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: And they would say that that nineties bands, in a 168 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 1: very nineties kind of way, were more earnest. Yeah. She 169 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 1: said that their songs were full of doubt about the 170 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:03,319 Speaker 1: possibility of lasting relationships, hence the clinched fists and anguished 171 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 1: faces versus the more casual Devil may care. I have 172 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: big hair attitude of Harry styles. But at the same time, 173 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,560 Speaker 1: though we can't talk about boy bands and not mentioned 174 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 1: that some of the songs and some of the lyrics 175 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:23,520 Speaker 1: are a tad not so amazing and uplifting when you 176 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 1: really listen to them, and not just for the more 177 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:31,679 Speaker 1: modern ones. Even going back to the Monkeys day dream Believer, 178 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:36,000 Speaker 1: which I love, yeah and yeah. Rosenberg Over in her 179 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:39,400 Speaker 1: post on think progress dot org talks about the Monkeys 180 00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:43,199 Speaker 1: using condescending dismissiveness and daydream believers, something that had never 181 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 1: occurred to me, but she cites the quote daydream Believer 182 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:49,960 Speaker 1: in a homecoming Queen. She doesn't have any real concerns 183 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: does she monkeys? Yeah. She also says that the Jackson 184 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:56,320 Speaker 1: five songs Stop, They'll Love You Save is sluge shaming 185 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,719 Speaker 1: that instincts girlfriend is textbook negging with Eric, such as 186 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: does he even know You're alive? And on a factories back, 187 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: the song that I Can't get out of my head 188 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 1: right now is odd and needy in the inverse of 189 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:13,640 Speaker 1: wooing and I had a couple of more examples too. 190 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:16,880 Speaker 1: To me, the one that stands out the most from 191 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:20,920 Speaker 1: my personal boy band experience as from the band five, 192 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,720 Speaker 1: and they had one hit Baby when the Lights go out, 193 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 1: and I can sing all of the chorus, I will 194 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: not do it, but it's maybe I should do it, 195 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 1: but it's it's so creepy. It's talking about how when 196 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:37,440 Speaker 1: they're at a party and all the lights go out, Babe, 197 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,440 Speaker 1: I swear you will succumb to me. So Baby, come 198 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 1: to me when the lights go out, where it's like 199 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 1: whoa five hey take a step back and then even 200 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:50,520 Speaker 1: one direction. In their song little Things, they say you 201 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,240 Speaker 1: never want to know how much you weigh. You still 202 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:56,480 Speaker 1: have to squeeze into your jeans, but you're perfect to me, 203 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:01,559 Speaker 1: which is kind of backhand it as well. And then 204 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 1: of course in the wanted Glad you came, I mean 205 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 1: kind of everything about it, but also the standout line 206 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:11,079 Speaker 1: is I'll hand you another drink. Drink it if you can. 207 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:15,319 Speaker 1: Oh my god. So just daring young women to get wasted. 208 00:12:15,559 --> 00:12:19,080 Speaker 1: These are their audiences, such young girls, though I know 209 00:12:19,559 --> 00:12:22,480 Speaker 1: the scandalized five year old sitting across from you, and 210 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:24,960 Speaker 1: maybe I should bring my hard candy to the next episode. 211 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:27,760 Speaker 1: But okay, so let's you know, we mentioned the monkeys. 212 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 1: Let's look back at some of the history briefly of 213 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,400 Speaker 1: boy bands and where they came from. One major aspect 214 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,839 Speaker 1: of boy bands from the beginning has been dancing. They 215 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:41,680 Speaker 1: all had a piece on this in May. They talked 216 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: about how dancing among boy groups was introduced by Motown 217 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: genius Barry Gordy, who hired vaudeville performer Cholie Atkins to 218 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 1: teach his top acts like the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and 219 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:57,040 Speaker 1: the Four Tops some dance moves. Yeah, and right there 220 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 1: with the mentions of Temptations four Top, Smokey rob said, 221 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:04,559 Speaker 1: we have the first kind of tie into where these 222 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:07,960 Speaker 1: mostly all white boy bands of today take a lot 223 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:12,520 Speaker 1: of cues from black male groups of not only Motown, 224 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: but then moving up into R and B, which we'll 225 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,000 Speaker 1: touch on in a minute. But yeah, the dancing has 226 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 1: always been a big thing up until though these most 227 00:13:21,679 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: modern boy bands, which I mean to me like, yeah, 228 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:27,559 Speaker 1: it was it kind of cheesy, all of the chorey 229 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:30,640 Speaker 1: graph dance moves and dance outfits dance up that the 230 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 1: boy the boy bands of our day would always do. Yeah, 231 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:37,000 Speaker 1: but no more for one direction, what do they do 232 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 1: on stage than if they because I know, like the 233 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 1: Wanted plays instruments, but well, on stage they might have 234 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:47,040 Speaker 1: more chorey graph numbers, but in their videos they're just 235 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:51,680 Speaker 1: prancing around. They're pouring you know, they're doing keg stands, 236 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,840 Speaker 1: not actually keg stands, but they're drinking out of solo cups, 237 00:13:55,400 --> 00:14:00,600 Speaker 1: going it's lemonade. Well, actually, I don't think they Wanted 238 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:03,079 Speaker 1: even wants you to think that it's limited because they 239 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:07,719 Speaker 1: are just such bad boys. But going back though to 240 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:11,720 Speaker 1: the dance moves, all of that motown dancing, so the 241 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 1: president that carried into the seventies when even boy bands 242 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:17,640 Speaker 1: that played instruments such as the Osman's and Jackson five 243 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: incorporated dancing into live sets and TV appearances. And speaking 244 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:26,480 Speaker 1: of TV appearances, Caroline Yeah, February nine, nineteen sixty four, 245 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 1: The Beatles perform on Ed Sullivan and oh my god, 246 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 1: the internet will yell at us so much for saying 247 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 1: that the Beatles are a boy band because they weren't 248 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:39,440 Speaker 1: formed by some mastermind like Simon cow You know, they 249 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:45,120 Speaker 1: met organically playing instruments at school and in clubs. But 250 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 1: they did have those mop tops and dressed the same 251 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 1: and we're you know, coordinated on stage. And they inspired 252 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 1: subsequent boy bands such as The Monkeys that were straight 253 00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:01,240 Speaker 1: up assembled for a television show around owned Davy Jones 254 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:04,280 Speaker 1: who recently passed away, alright, p Davy Jones, and that 255 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:07,640 Speaker 1: became a blueprint for future boy bands have a more 256 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: manufactured sort that we would think of today. And then 257 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 1: in the seventies we have bands like Jackson five that 258 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy had four number one hit singles, And 259 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:22,640 Speaker 1: then in the seventies we also have the very take 260 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:26,120 Speaker 1: home to Mom Osmond's. Uh, they were a clean cup 261 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: Mormon quintet believe Donny Osmond was a part of the 262 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: Osmond's in in nineteen seventies seven. I think this has 263 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:35,640 Speaker 1: to be the longest running boy band of all time. 264 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 1: Get started. Yeah, Minudo starts. It's thirty two year stint 265 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:41,800 Speaker 1: in Puerto Rico. And of course their most famous member 266 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 1: to me anyway, as Ricky Martin. He joined in the eighties, 267 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: I believe when he was thirteen, and he beat out 268 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 1: Howie who ended up in the Backstreet Boys for a gig. 269 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: Now who got the better deal, I don't know, I 270 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 1: say Martin's. Well, okay, So we mentioned how you know 271 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:03,280 Speaker 1: African American groups, uh do wop groups, Berry Gordy, and 272 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:05,720 Speaker 1: we mentioned how these groups really kind of paved the 273 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 1: way for these white boy bands to come along. Well, 274 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: one of those trailblazers in three is New Addition. It's 275 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:16,600 Speaker 1: a Boston R and B group credited with the boy 276 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: band crazes of the next twenty years. Yeah Candy Girl, 277 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 1: I wish you could be playing right now in the 278 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:25,520 Speaker 1: background because it is such a good song. But they 279 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:29,080 Speaker 1: were groomed by this guy named Maurice Starr, who later 280 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:32,640 Speaker 1: developed another Boston group you might have heard of called 281 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: New Kids on the Blocks. Swoon Jordan was my favorite. 282 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:40,840 Speaker 1: In four Star basically takes the New edition model and 283 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 1: it's like, hey, I'm gonna do this with a group 284 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,760 Speaker 1: of Boston white kids. And so he puts together in 285 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:50,280 Speaker 1: Ko TV with Jordan, Joey, Donny, Danny, and John. And 286 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: I was too young to be a real die hard 287 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 1: New Kids fan. But my old one, I'm only year 288 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: older than you, I well, I just didn't. I was 289 00:16:57,880 --> 00:16:59,840 Speaker 1: He wasn't in your sphere. It was not in my sphere, 290 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:02,600 Speaker 1: but wasn't my older sister's sphere. And I remember she 291 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:07,600 Speaker 1: got this Coke brand New Kids poster in the mail 292 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: and she was so excited about it. It It was her 293 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:13,679 Speaker 1: prize possession. And I can't remember who her favorite was. 294 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:16,480 Speaker 1: But anyway, it took a little while though for New 295 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:20,879 Speaker 1: Kids to ascend to stardom. It wasn't until their second 296 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:26,200 Speaker 1: album was released, Hanging Tough, Hanging Tough. Oh my god, 297 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:30,240 Speaker 1: I'm sorry I totally interrupted you to sing that, But 298 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 1: it was released that year and it's sold. It's sold 299 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:38,160 Speaker 1: seventeen million copies, and album step by Step went triple platinum. 300 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:42,200 Speaker 1: But a year later we have the first album released 301 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:46,960 Speaker 1: from another very influential boy band, Boys two Men. They're 302 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,960 Speaker 1: released Cooley High Harmony, and they would go on to 303 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 1: win four Grammys and it released more than ten multi 304 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:56,480 Speaker 1: platinum albums and get a star on the Hollywood Walk 305 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:01,080 Speaker 1: of Fame. Yeah. So, in skipping forward a little bit, 306 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:06,680 Speaker 1: Lou Pearlman, famous manager and con man, formed the Backstreet Boys, 307 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:08,760 Speaker 1: which I never knew. They were named after a flea 308 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:13,280 Speaker 1: market in Orlando, so he held auditions in Orlando, and 309 00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 1: this pretty much sets off our modern era of crazy 310 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:21,400 Speaker 1: boy band fans and everything. Yeah, because Pearlman essentially saw 311 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:23,199 Speaker 1: what Starr was doing and all the money that he 312 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:26,600 Speaker 1: was making from new addition and then new kids, and 313 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 1: was like, hey, I could totally do this, which he 314 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 1: also said later in his career when he started a 315 00:18:32,080 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 1: Ponzi scheme. That's for another podcast made right. Yeah, the 316 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:39,360 Speaker 1: story about Lou Perelman goes on forever, and it's fascinating 317 00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:43,400 Speaker 1: and creepy. But um in a song that I could 318 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:46,120 Speaker 1: not get out of my head for approximately three years, 319 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: uh debut at number one. That's R and B group 320 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:53,959 Speaker 1: All for One. I swear I like couldn't listen to 321 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:55,880 Speaker 1: it for the rest of the nineties because they would 322 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:59,760 Speaker 1: get in my head. Um. So in Perelman turns around 323 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:02,359 Speaker 1: and worms in Sync and sent them on a European 324 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:05,360 Speaker 1: tour to get all of that promotion before he brought 325 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:06,960 Speaker 1: them over to the US. And let me tell you, 326 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:11,600 Speaker 1: the Germans love from justin timber Lake. Oh yeah, oh yeah. 327 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:16,360 Speaker 1: Um in we have Atlanta Quartet one twelve, who got 328 00:19:16,359 --> 00:19:19,359 Speaker 1: their start on Diddy's Bad Boy records. And really, I 329 00:19:19,359 --> 00:19:21,600 Speaker 1: mean you'll you'll notice it's very apparent that these are 330 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 1: just that's one of just a few African American groups 331 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:27,199 Speaker 1: listed in all this. Well yeah, because basically the you know, 332 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:31,320 Speaker 1: the these white boy bands just took the blueprint established 333 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:34,400 Speaker 1: by these earlier R and B groups and we're like, oh, 334 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:37,800 Speaker 1: well we will, we will sing to these legions of 335 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:43,560 Speaker 1: young girls. Um Now, though this one has a special 336 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 1: place in my heart, and it was Hanson. Hanson came out. 337 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:51,439 Speaker 1: They're less traditional because their three brothers, they're like the 338 00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:54,920 Speaker 1: early Jonas brothers. And of course their song was Bob 339 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:58,679 Speaker 1: and I thought that they were so cool because they 340 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:03,119 Speaker 1: were home schooled, and I was like, wow, that's they're 341 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,639 Speaker 1: they're just like me. They're weird, just like me. That 342 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:10,880 Speaker 1: they're millionaires. But by this point, this is when backstreets 343 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:14,480 Speaker 1: blowing up. The instinct rivalry with Backstreet is picking up 344 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:19,000 Speaker 1: because you know, they're starting to blow up. Degrees comes 345 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:21,960 Speaker 1: out and releases its first album, which was signed to 346 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:27,240 Speaker 1: Motown Records. Interestingly, in a throwback there, um and so yeah. 347 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:28,919 Speaker 1: In the late nineties, we have the reign of the 348 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,200 Speaker 1: boy bands, and all the music critics are subsequently pulling 349 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:36,880 Speaker 1: their hair out because all of the hit songs are 350 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:42,840 Speaker 1: these kind of bubblegum pop, super produced pieces of well, 351 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:46,240 Speaker 1: they would say music trash because it's like, oh, Backstreet, 352 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,520 Speaker 1: that's not music, whereas a lot of these you know, 353 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:53,679 Speaker 1: very talented vocal performers are saying, hey, we're doing you know, 354 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:56,720 Speaker 1: we're making We're making good music. Right, Yeah, just because 355 00:20:56,800 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 1: Luke Pearlman is pulling the strings doesn't mean that we're 356 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:02,800 Speaker 1: not good musicians. Well, and that's a question though. The 357 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:07,199 Speaker 1: the whole uh dismissal immediate dismissal of boy bands is 358 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:10,359 Speaker 1: something that Gayle Wald looked into and her paper teeny 359 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:13,640 Speaker 1: Bopper Music and the Girling of boy Bands was published 360 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:16,159 Speaker 1: in the journal Genders in two thousand two, and she 361 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:19,880 Speaker 1: raises a question of whether we think that boy bands 362 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:26,080 Speaker 1: are automatically just kind of stupid because their fans are girls. Yeah. 363 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:30,000 Speaker 1: She talks about a definite gendered hierarchy of high and 364 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: low popular culture that specifically devalues the music consumed by 365 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 1: teenage girls, and she says it's based on the notions 366 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 1: of fickleness, superficiality, and aesthetic bankruptcy of the material forms 367 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:45,320 Speaker 1: that girls desires take in popular culture, you know, because 368 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:47,560 Speaker 1: we're buying sleeping bags with the new kids on the 369 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:50,600 Speaker 1: block on them, and we're buying all these posters of 370 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,440 Speaker 1: the Jonas Brothers and things like that. Well, she also 371 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,760 Speaker 1: points out, too, with this whole girling of the boy band, 372 00:21:57,119 --> 00:22:01,760 Speaker 1: that they symbolically feminize the male vocal groups that have 373 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:05,919 Speaker 1: the special appeal for young female consumers. We think of 374 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:10,719 Speaker 1: them as something for girls. And in driving home this 375 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:14,720 Speaker 1: point about how dismissive we are of boy bands, she 376 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:18,639 Speaker 1: cites a piece by New York Times music writer John 377 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:22,720 Speaker 1: Pariella's and this was back from the backstreet days, he wrote. 378 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:27,120 Speaker 1: When it's directed at males, that squeal signifies romantic fantasy 379 00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:30,560 Speaker 1: while it tests out some newly active hormonal responses Directed 380 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: at females, it's a squeal of sisterly solidarity and fashion 381 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:38,520 Speaker 1: approval and it's surrounding out anything more mature audiences had 382 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:42,760 Speaker 1: in mind. I have to give an eye roll. I understand, 383 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:44,960 Speaker 1: I'm not a big boy band person. I never was, 384 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:47,000 Speaker 1: aside from new kids on the block or and boys 385 00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:49,840 Speaker 1: to men, let's be real, but I mean, we've always 386 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 1: had these bands, and it just seems like rehashing old 387 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:57,919 Speaker 1: grapes when music critics are just like gross little girls 388 00:22:58,040 --> 00:22:59,800 Speaker 1: like it. It's like, all right, come on, we've always 389 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:02,240 Speaker 1: had boy band well, and then it gets into, you know, 390 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:04,960 Speaker 1: the bigger questions of the whole, you know, selling out 391 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:07,040 Speaker 1: of the music if it's really music. I mean the 392 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 1: fact you know today with the Wanted that they and 393 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,840 Speaker 1: with One Direction, that they have a stronger hand in 394 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 1: the music that they play and produce, even though all 395 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:20,560 Speaker 1: the songs that One Direction has written among themselves none 396 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 1: of them have been released as singles. But it is 397 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:25,639 Speaker 1: it is kind of interesting when you step back and 398 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:29,520 Speaker 1: think about why we tend to dislike boy band music 399 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:33,919 Speaker 1: so much, and then also this idea of the girl 400 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:38,080 Speaker 1: ish type of masculinity. It's like it takes all of 401 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:43,680 Speaker 1: this sexuality that they're obviously exhibiting and somehow making it 402 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:47,399 Speaker 1: quote unquote safe, right, Well they are. She writes that 403 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: they're taking black performance styles of the eighties, which were 404 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:55,560 Speaker 1: more frank and staunchly heterosexual, and makes it, yeah, like 405 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:58,959 Speaker 1: you said, softer and safer, and fans use that as 406 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,160 Speaker 1: a way to negotiate their own fluid gender and sexual 407 00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:06,119 Speaker 1: desires well, And that also brings up this racial question 408 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:08,280 Speaker 1: as well that some critics have brought up in terms 409 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:14,120 Speaker 1: of how white these crazy popular boy band empires are 410 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:18,480 Speaker 1: in that you know, well, are we are they quote 411 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:22,640 Speaker 1: unquote safer or more sellable to these legions of female 412 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:26,320 Speaker 1: fans because they are white, Because we still are uncomfortable 413 00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:30,879 Speaker 1: with that black masculinity because it would inherently be too 414 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:35,160 Speaker 1: frank or too strong. So that's something also to think 415 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:37,360 Speaker 1: about in all of this. Yeah, and kind of how 416 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:39,359 Speaker 1: like with which we brought up at the top of 417 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:42,440 Speaker 1: the podcast with one direction, how a lot of times 418 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:46,000 Speaker 1: the darker skin members of groups are characterized as the 419 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:49,280 Speaker 1: mysterious bad boy. Why is that? Why does that have 420 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:52,000 Speaker 1: to be? I don't know. Well, so we mentioned that, 421 00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:54,840 Speaker 1: you know, fans are using this the softer version of 422 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:58,240 Speaker 1: masculinity to kind of figure out their own raging hormones 423 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:02,040 Speaker 1: sociologist Mark mccore mic for the Oxford University Press blog 424 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:08,280 Speaker 1: in July, wrote about One Direction, in particular redefining modern masculinity, 425 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:12,080 Speaker 1: saying that they're open displays of emotion actually helped to 426 00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:15,000 Speaker 1: make them famous. He said, there's no homophobia among these 427 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:18,160 Speaker 1: young guys. They actively thank their gay fans and even 428 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:20,720 Speaker 1: performed at a gay club in London. He said that 429 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,240 Speaker 1: these kids model and mirror the gendered behaviors of today's youth, 430 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 1: and they're part of a significant change in attitudes towards homosexuality. Yeah, 431 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:30,080 Speaker 1: and in the same way that you know, a lot 432 00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:33,400 Speaker 1: of times when we think about girls crushes on boy bands, 433 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,960 Speaker 1: they're assumed to be kind of a way for girls 434 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:41,479 Speaker 1: to negotiate their these first feelings of their their blossoming sexuality. 435 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:43,439 Speaker 1: But in you know, and that's in a very kind 436 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 1: of heteronormative box. But in the same way, boy bands 437 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:50,399 Speaker 1: have always had gay boy fans as well. There was 438 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:54,400 Speaker 1: a two thousand article in The Advocate talking about this 439 00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:57,199 Speaker 1: and they cited Mike Glass, at the time was the 440 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:01,080 Speaker 1: managing editor of the magazine x Y, which was for 441 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:03,719 Speaker 1: gay youth, and he said, all these bands have always 442 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 1: had young gay admirers. Now there are media outlets that 443 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:09,479 Speaker 1: represent young gay culture and provide an opportunity for young 444 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:13,800 Speaker 1: gay people to be more vocal and um. Some say 445 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:17,400 Speaker 1: too that since everything is driven so much on social 446 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:21,520 Speaker 1: media now and all of these websites, that that facilitates 447 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:26,399 Speaker 1: even more um. I guess adoration among gay fans that 448 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:29,560 Speaker 1: can you know, access not just the music, but also 449 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:32,199 Speaker 1: you know, all of the different kind of rituals that 450 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:38,440 Speaker 1: girls have with boy bands, including fan fiic, poops, slash 451 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:44,439 Speaker 1: fiction is apparently huge and apparently a lot with One Direction, 452 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: to the point that one girl who wrote a one 453 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:51,480 Speaker 1: story about a love triangle between her and two members 454 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:54,120 Speaker 1: of One Direction got a book deal from it from 455 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:58,120 Speaker 1: like Penguin Books. M man, you can make money off 456 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:00,359 Speaker 1: of these boy bands? That you can? I had no 457 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:04,480 Speaker 1: idea well. Jennifer Margaret smith over at a blog from 458 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 1: the University of Wisconsin in April wrote about what she 459 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:13,639 Speaker 1: called comfortable homo eroticism and called the interpersonal relationships the 460 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:16,440 Speaker 1: interactions between the guys of bands like One Direction as 461 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,359 Speaker 1: a variation on the bromance trend, which we've talked about, 462 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:22,640 Speaker 1: very very browy. And yet these guys are a lot 463 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 1: more comfortable exhibiting their affection for each other. She said 464 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 1: that quote they can play with their queerness because their 465 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:33,080 Speaker 1: heterosexuality is constantly reinforced both in the reports of their 466 00:27:33,119 --> 00:27:36,840 Speaker 1: personal lives, like when Harry Styles dated Taylor Swift and 467 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 1: and they're aggressively heteronormative song lyrics. Yeah, she talks about 468 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:43,400 Speaker 1: how they hug, grope, fall asleep on each other, constantly 469 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:46,160 Speaker 1: pretend to kiss each other for laughs, and even joke 470 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:51,359 Speaker 1: about queer relationships between them. So, um, you know, this 471 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:53,480 Speaker 1: is another way that you know, I kind of like 472 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:57,240 Speaker 1: the idea, though, of one direction at least being more 473 00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:00,600 Speaker 1: open about all of that as being kind of that 474 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:05,680 Speaker 1: bridge between childhood and sexual maturity, not just for female fans, 475 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:08,520 Speaker 1: but for male fans as well. I think that's great 476 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:11,719 Speaker 1: that they openly thank they're gay fans and know that 477 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:15,440 Speaker 1: they're a strong part of their their fan base. So 478 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:19,560 Speaker 1: even though songs like what Makes You Beautiful might not 479 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:24,840 Speaker 1: have the most lyrical depth, there's obviously a lot within 480 00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:28,439 Speaker 1: boy band history and you know why they exist and 481 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 1: why they do hold such appeal that you know that 482 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:34,439 Speaker 1: we can kind of learned about I don't know, like 483 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: girlhood boyhood. Well, yeah, I mean, I honestly never I 484 00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:40,800 Speaker 1: mean because I just don't think about boy bands, but 485 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 1: I never thought about the gendered aspects, the racial aspects, 486 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:48,560 Speaker 1: the fact that you know, just like they repackaged Elvis 487 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,680 Speaker 1: as a white version of black music back in the day, 488 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:53,800 Speaker 1: they're doing the same thing and they have been doing 489 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 1: the same thing for decades with these boy groups. But 490 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,520 Speaker 1: my only question though, is that in the same way 491 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:03,040 Speaker 1: that you know, boy bands seem to facilitate this kind 492 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:07,400 Speaker 1: of opening of girl girl ish sexuality, if that makes sense, 493 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:11,120 Speaker 1: I want to know how music or if music facilitates 494 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:14,600 Speaker 1: the same thing in boys and not just s gay boys. 495 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:17,600 Speaker 1: I'm talking about like when we think of more boy music, 496 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: you know, or is quote unquote boy music considered neutral 497 00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:25,440 Speaker 1: and therefore has no effect on boys. But because boy 498 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 1: bands are for girls, then it has this effect and 499 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 1: the boy bands themselves are feminized because of that gendered 500 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:37,640 Speaker 1: hierarchy and pop culture astute observation. Caroline, Well, I think 501 00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:40,960 Speaker 1: it's now time to turn it over to our listeners 502 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:46,520 Speaker 1: and see what they think about boy bands. Who's your favorite? Um, 503 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:49,880 Speaker 1: do you find any other creepy lyrics as well? We 504 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:52,440 Speaker 1: would be happy to hear about. Do you have any 505 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:57,040 Speaker 1: any boy band feedback? In particular, you'd like Caroline, who 506 00:29:57,120 --> 00:30:00,040 Speaker 1: is your favorite in any of them? In any of 507 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 1: them at all? Who is your favorite boy bander? And 508 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 1: if you're in the boy beend Harry Styles. If you're listening, 509 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,280 Speaker 1: you can go ahead and write in how heavy is 510 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:14,640 Speaker 1: your Hair? Dot com is where you can send your email. 511 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:17,480 Speaker 1: And now we got a couple of letters in responds 512 00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:23,080 Speaker 1: to our episode Tampons and Toxic Shock Syndrome. This one's 513 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:26,360 Speaker 1: from Jamie. She said, When I started using tampons, my 514 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:28,920 Speaker 1: mom frequently warned me not to wear them to bed 515 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:31,640 Speaker 1: because I would get toxic shock and die. I know, 516 00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:34,920 Speaker 1: aren't Mom's the worst. I never asked any questions about 517 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:37,880 Speaker 1: what it was or why I would die. These warnings 518 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:39,920 Speaker 1: didn't stop me from wearing them to bed, but rather 519 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:42,440 Speaker 1: scared me into thinking that I would die in my sleep. 520 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: I'm twenty five now and sometimes still worry about this 521 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:48,680 Speaker 1: silent killer as I saw it. But now thanks to 522 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:50,800 Speaker 1: you gals, I think I can sleep a bit easier. 523 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:53,960 Speaker 1: I think it's craziness, but I never researched this on 524 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:57,520 Speaker 1: my own or even ask questions before thank goodness for 525 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 1: you girls. Great job. Thanks and thank you Jamie. I'm 526 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:03,120 Speaker 1: glad we could help, and I hope you're sleeping better 527 00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:06,160 Speaker 1: after all these years. Well, I've got one hair from 528 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 1: Allison about a bit of a tampon horror story as well, 529 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,480 Speaker 1: and she says, like Caroline, my mom never gave me 530 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:16,040 Speaker 1: the talk, and instead I got to read her romance novels. 531 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:19,000 Speaker 1: So I was on vacation with a friend and her 532 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:21,920 Speaker 1: mom was at the beach. Of course, periods have perfect timing, 533 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:24,040 Speaker 1: and I started right then, and I was all in 534 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:26,120 Speaker 1: a tizzy what to do, because you can't wear a 535 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:28,400 Speaker 1: pat in a bathing suit. So I decided it was 536 00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:32,160 Speaker 1: time to use a tampon. As you might imagine, since 537 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,720 Speaker 1: we didn't talk about sex, my mom never talked to 538 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:37,720 Speaker 1: me about tampons, so I had no clue how to 539 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: use them. Que me in a porta potty in the 540 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:43,080 Speaker 1: parking lot by the beach, trying to insert my first 541 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:46,800 Speaker 1: tampon for twenty agonizing minutes. I'm in tears because I 542 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,840 Speaker 1: can't figure out this labyrinth called a vagina, and I'm 543 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,320 Speaker 1: shaking because I'm nervous and embarrassed that my friend and 544 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:55,280 Speaker 1: her mom are waiting on me? Oh, it was terrible. 545 00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:58,680 Speaker 1: I finally made myself calm down and reread the instructions 546 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 1: for the twelfth time in figured out that I wasn't 547 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,800 Speaker 1: doing the whole angle thing and just basically stabbing myself 548 00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:06,560 Speaker 1: repeatedly trying to shove this piece of cardboard into me 549 00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:10,040 Speaker 1: at a ninety degree angle to the ground and searching complete, 550 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:12,640 Speaker 1: I finally exited that porta potty of terror and went 551 00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:15,480 Speaker 1: and had fun at the beach. Ya happy ending. Sorry 552 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:17,320 Speaker 1: if this was a little more info than you wanted. 553 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:22,280 Speaker 1: Love the show and I loved that story. I'm glad 554 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:26,320 Speaker 1: you've figured it out. Oh I sympathize, Yeah, me too. 555 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:29,640 Speaker 1: It that the first time is usually a memorable talk 556 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:33,320 Speaker 1: of the wrong reasons. So if you have any tamp 557 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:37,120 Speaker 1: on horror stories or boy band love stories to send 558 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:39,440 Speaker 1: our way. Mom Stuff at discovery dot com is our 559 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:43,120 Speaker 1: email address. You can also message us on Facebook, tweet 560 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:45,960 Speaker 1: us at Mom's Stuff podcast, and while you're at it, 561 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 1: you can follow us on tumbler stuff mom Never told 562 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:52,320 Speaker 1: You dot tumblr dot com, And as always, you can 563 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:55,280 Speaker 1: make yourself smarter by heading over to our website, It's 564 00:32:55,280 --> 00:33:02,960 Speaker 1: how Stuff Works dot com. For more on this and 565 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:13,760 Speaker 1: thousands of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com.