Okay: time for a pop quiz.
At around 10 yrs old, the first time I learned that I was not alone in being trans and that it was OK to be trans was from:
1. David Bowie
2. A Goth Band
3. The Rocky Horror Show
4. A John Waters Movie
5. The Flip Wilson Show
6. A Country and Western Band
7. The Naked Civil Servant by Quentin Crisp
Actually the first time I was exposed to crossdressing was at a play my parents brought me to when I was six. The female actors were playing male soldiers, brandishing their rifles and finally firing them (ok, Fruedian analysts, settle down!) From that moment onwards, the notion that the two sexes were at equilibrium and gender may flow freely back and forth was introduced into my consciousness. No surprise that at seven, I started exploring my mom’s perfume table and closet. Our maid caught me hiding under the bed wearing lipstick that same year.
It was not until the beginning of the Reagan Era that I heard a C&W band called The Dirt Band (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) perform a song called “High School Yearbook” on tv (CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AMAZON SAMPLE with the lines mentioned below.) Having never heard of them, I went about my business with the music playing in the the background. The lines:
Now he’s wearing little sister clothes
Wrapped up in a world of pantyhose
But he’s doin’ what he wants to
roared in my ears even though the tv volume was at a minimum. I was shocked that someone thought to write these words so overtly. No metaphor, no allusions, no hidden meanings. Just flat out statement. I was impressed and remain so till this day. Though some may argue that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, hailing from Long Beach California, is not exactly a full out C&W act, the acceptance and tolerance of the entire song is really unmatched, given the era it was presented in. Here is the rest of it:
Ever think about your high school friends
All the kids that you knew back when
If you’d pass’em on the street today
You just might see they’ve gone a different way
Lovely Linda was a friend of mine
Dressed to kill she always looked sure fine
We all thought she was a star back then
Now she’s entertaining businessmen
But she’s doin’ what she wants to
Macho Johnny from around the block
Always had that funky walk
Now he’s wearing little sister clothes
Wrapped up in a world of pantyhose
But he’s doin’ what he wants to
Gonna have a good time (gonna have a good time)
Wooh oh
Little Four-Eyes was the teacher’s pet
Stacks of books and his chemistry set
Now he’s a rancher down in ol’ Brazil
Mixes powders making little pills
But he’s doin’ what he wants to
Cause it makes him feel fine
Paid for the ticket
Might as well take a ride
The rest of them were born to tears
Or hiding fears and never broke away
Wimpy Andy was a punching bag
Screamed and hollered he was such a drag
Now you hear him on the radio
Sings songs and playing rock & roll
Rock & roll, rock & roll, rock & roll
Doin’ what he wants to
Gonna have a good time
Paid for the ticket
Might was well take a ride, take a ride
Well he’s doin’ what he wants to (doin’ what he wants to)
Gonna have a good time
Doin’ what he wants to (doin’ want he wants to)
Gonna have a good time (have a good, have a good time)
Doin’ what he wants to
He’s gonna have a good time
Hey
(from the Dirt Band’s “High School Yearbook” from the album Make A Little Magic)
