Gay Musician John Grant Has The Bath House Blues

Posted September 9, 2015 3:21 PM by Harlan with 0 comments

The word “bathhouse” means different things to different people, depending on when you were born or where you live. Or if your name is gay musician John Grant.

John Grant

Gay men “of a certain age” may recall getting a case of crabs there in 1980’s. Those born later may conjure up an images of a mythical hedonistic sex palace from the days or yore. And for some, that may be where you spent your Labor Day Weekend.

It definitely means something to singer John Grant. He is an openly HIV+ artist who literally found his voice “decades of brainwashing.” His music is at times haunting. At times upbeat. And always brilliant. His subject matter has included serodischordant couples, Crisco disco and even actress Geraldine Page. Today, it is drugs, sex, and gay bath houses.

‘Disappointing’ pulls you in with an assault of crunchy synths and bouncing beats that coalesce into a technicolor stew of luscious, twisted disco. And the tag-team vocals with Tracy Thorn is an inspired move.

His new track ‘Disappointing’ couldn’t be more antithetically titled. Building on the strutting disco hooks laid down on his previous album Pale Green Ghosts, this new track reveals that, for his new material, Grant has chosen to set his danceability phasers up to 11.

But Grant’s cheeky lyrics are front and centre as he reels off a list of earthly pleasures that pale in comparison to his target. Safe to say, ‘Disappointing’ is the most infectious track name-checking Rachel Dratch you’ll ever hear.”

The name is “Disappointing.” And it doesn’t.