Reactions to All American Boy

On June 2nd, Steve Grand launched the self made video for his song "All American Boy," breaking out as a Gay Country Singer.  The video went viral, and Grand has many new fans, including, possibly, some who may not have been fans of Country before.  The sudden fame landed him on Good Morning America this morning.   [The link to ABS's website showed as unavailable as I am posting this, but you can see the clip on Grand's facebook page for today's date, July 9th, 2013.]

Image from Steve Grand's Artist Page on facebook.  I do not own this image.

The majority of responses praised Grand for standing his ground, refusing to go back into the closet for a contract, and instead producing the video at his own expense.

Some naysayers tried to deny Grand the title of the First Gay Country Singer, claiming there are others before him.  I do acknowledge the others, especially Melissa Etheridge.  There may actually be several gay male country stars, but to my knowledge, none of them are admitting it.  So I still hail it as an accomplishment for an openly gay male to break onto the scene.  

I have yet to see any major reaction from the country music scene.  How will fans and other country stars react to this new development?  I'm sure I can search and find both the welcoming and the not-so-welcoming responses on a search.

The response that showed up yesterday was surprising.  Mark S. King, a blogger at The Bilerico Project, criticized the video, claiming it portrays gay men as sad, predatory drunks.  The video paints a picture, and for the most part, leaves interpretation up to the viewer.  The lyrics give us insight into Grand's thoughts, but not the other guy's.  King's interpretation is that Grand takes advantage of the straight friend's argument with the girlfriend, plies him with alcohol, and then makes an unwelcome sexual advance.  Many of the responses point out that sadness and whiskey are common in country music.  They say he was a young man in love who misread the signals and "made a mistake."  

My first reaction was that I could totally relate to the video.  But I guess I need to explain, because I am relating it to my own experience, and I apparently don't see the characters the way everyone else does. 

For starters, the "straight guy" isn't straight.  Maybe he's bi, or questioning.  King feels the video is portraying a gay man pining after a straight guy.  But there's a strong hint in the article that King mentions in his blog.  It states that "Grand sings about his unrequited love for a man in a heterosexual relationship."  Note that it doesn't say he's in love with a heterosexual man.

Grand may be the one offering the drink, but initially, he is not the one "making moves."  King points out that Grand makes his move after they are both drunk enough to go skinny dipping.  I will point out that it's the "straight" friend who first jumps into the water and removes his shorts.  Grand is then seen watching, and then standing at the pier, already nude, before jumping in.  When I was finished appreciating the gratuitous butt shot, the importance of that moment became clear.  The "straight" friend stripped under water ("on the down low") while Grand revealed himself out in the open.  The other guy seems to be enjoying the frolicking and naked playing in the water.  It's only when Grand kisses him - a kiss that he appears to accept momentarily - that he pulls away, shocked.  King sees a gay predator advancing on an unsuspecting straight boy.  I see a guy who is at least partially interested, and at least partly aware of Grand's feelings.  It takes him a second to stop the kiss, and then he pushes away.  Not from Grand, but from the implication of what that kiss means.  "That's too close.  That's too intimate.  That's too gay!"

The video shows the two moving apart.  Grand is shown in the context of singer then, lowering his head as he recalls the pain.  It then cuts to the boy returning to girl, reaffirming his hetero-normalcy. 

I guess I just relate more to Grand in the video (not the washboard abs part.  I wish!).  I don't see him as a predator "stalking" the straight boy.  It's not even, in my mind, completely unrequited love.  The story shows some genuine, mutual attraction.  It's just that one of the men is more ready to accept what it means about him.  The other is racked with gay panic and internalized homophobia.   

Maybe the straight guy represents an unrequited attraction.  Maybe he represents the whole world of Country Music. Is Country Music ready to fully embrace an out gay male, or will it be an arm around the shoulder, then a gentle shove, like the straight friend's "reconciliation" with Grand.  All I can say for sure is that the song will be stuck in my head for a while, and that Steve Grand certainly has many fans and tons of support.