Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Jobriath

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: 

Jobriath

In my big gay church there is a wing dedicated to The Divas Who Represent. They're not all flashy or cocks of the walk - in fact, some never officially came out of the closet during their lifetime - but they are all extraordinarily gifted, sharing their songs, music, and insights, allowing the world at large to learn, in the most subtle of ways, what it's like 'being green'. Thanks to their gifts and their bravery, they help make the world a little more gay every time their voices are heard. And that's been their true super power all along... their voice; they were heard. They mattered. And, whether they liked it or not, they represented!

The queen that started it all?

Jobriath.

Biology? Psychology? Mythology? 

Jobriath was the first openly-gay rock star signed to a major label. 

And, no, my dears... he was not quiet about his sexuality. When he came out to the press, he blew the doors off the closet. 

Always a bit of a mess (drugs, alcohol, prostitution) little Bruce Wayne Campbell got his start on the stage, appearing in the west coast production of Hair. He got fabulous reviews, and the boot for "upstaging the other actors."

He and his band, Pigeons, were signed to Decca, producing an album ahead of it's time and going nowhere fast. 

That might have been the end of Mr. Campbell. The military caught up to him (draft dodger) and he spent the next six months in a psychiatric hospital, writing song and planning his next step towards world domination.

Upon his release, he returned to his life of debauchery, drinking like a fish while turning tricks in an unfurnished apartment. He did manage to put together a demo tape, which fell into the hands of  Clive Davis. Davis hated it, but someone else was walking by his office and heard something completely differently - the sound of a cash drawer opening!

Enter Jerry Brandt, Carly Simon's manager. In 1973, Mr. Campbell showed Mr. Brandt a few new tricks and Mr. Brandt was sold. So was Mr. Campbell - signed to a ten-year contract.

Mr. Campbell became Jobriath and the rest is rock 'n roll history.

Lots of hype. The two had the press eating out of their hands. 

An album was released to rather stellar reviews - but there was no tour (Paris, cancelled due to a skyrocketing budge), and therefore - no record sales. 

As his second album was being released (made up of leftovers from the first), a tour was put into place and Jobriath and his band, Creatures, began to gain quite a following. Sadly, it was too late. Mid-tour, Brandt dropped them and so did his label, Elektra. Still... the band played on, culminating in a final performance at Tuscaloosa University resulted in five ovations and the fire alarm being set off by the fervor of the crowd. 

Jobriath announced his retirement from the entertainment community and moved into a glass pyramid perched atop the famed Chelsea Hotel. 

He reemerged as Cole Berlin, doing cabaret where and when he could. You see, he'd contracted that big disease with a little name, and, in the end, it killed him. 

Still. What a story. What a moment. What a star!

The gospel according to him? 

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from his lips. 

The topic? What else? Jobriath!

 

"I'm a true fairy!" - Jobriath, introducing himself to the world at his first press conference.

"Asking me if I’m homosexual is like asking James Brown if he’s black."

"Mad, unstructured and destructive to melody - That coming from the man who discovered Patti Smith and Barry Manilow! So much for sanity and structure." - Jobriath, commenting on Clive Davis' assessment of the demo tape which launched his career.

"Mr. B.T. Barnum Brandt was so busy getting his name on posters and buses, he neglected to get me on tour or my album played." - Jobriath, on why Jerry Brandt failed to deliver and his career stalled.

Selections from the musical HAIR!

featuring Jobriath and Jennifer Warnes

1968

I'm A Man / Rock Of Ages - Jobriath

1973

Sunday Brunch - Cole Berlin (aka: Jobriath)

1983

And one, last parting shot...

"Sexual fulfillment is the banana life dangles in front of us just to keep us running."