Greatest & Gayest Albums of All Time: John Cameron Mitchell's top 10

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Knowing that everyone loves a good top 100 list, Out made the crowning glory of their October music issue its first ever Top 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums of All Time, which we tabulated by using top 10 lists submitted by over 100 musicians, filmmakers, DJ's, writers, and rock critics.

All month long Popnography is featuring some of our favorite individual top 10 lists from some of our favorite respondents, like John Cameron Mitchell. The writer, director, and actor is best known for his films Short Bus and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the soundtrack of which came in at an impressive #11 on our top 100.

John Cameron Mitchell's top 10 Greatest, Gayest Albums of All Time:

10. Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane over the Sea: Another of those albums that launched a thousand bands (like Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes). Every song makes me cry. "Two-Headed Boy" has to be the best.

9. Nina Simone, Little Girl Blue: The first album by the most imperious genius queen jazz/blues bitch of them all. "My Baby Just Cares For Me" is one of the great songs of all time.

8. Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes: "Why can't I get just one fuck? Why can't I get just one fuck? I guess it’s something to do with luck. But I waited my whole life for just one..."

7. The B-52s, The B-52s: I remember in high school being floored (literally) hearing "Rock Lobster" when I sneaked into a frat party in Albuquerque. Fred Schneider screamed, "Down! Down!" and everyone was falling to the floor. Nobody did it when I saw them last month at Radio City.  Gays are so dumb now. "Dance This Mess Around" is their best song of all time. Their genius guitarist Ricky Wison was the first person I truly admired who died of AIDS. I remember auditioning for the character of Duckie in "Pretty in Pink" and bringing in "Planet Claire" to dance to in front of the director. I still hate Jon Cryer.

6. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground and Nico: They say hardly anyone bought this album but everyone who did started a band. It's so gorgeously decadent. Femme Fatale, Venus in Furs, Waiting for the Man. Brilliant, brilliant.

5. Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, Live at the London Palladium: No comment.

4. Queen, A Night at the Opera: My whole childhood I had no idea he was a fag.They were called QUEEN.  Freddie, we hardly knew ye.

3. Diana Ross, Diana Live: "Touch me in the morning, then just walk away."

2. Elton John, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy: This was my first album and the first album ever to enter the charts at #1. I used to rock around the coffee table to "(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket". "Someone Save My Life Tonight" was about Elton's last minute decision not to marry a woman.  The title song is still my favorite -- later I heard it was about his songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin but it's pretty queer to me (Brown Dirt Cowboy?)

1. David Bowie, Hunky Dory: Whether Bowie was a fake bisexual or not, this is the best queer rock album of all time. Look at the cover photo! Listen to "Queen Bitch" with the drag queen screaming "I can do better than that!"

Check out more music madness from October issue, including our gorgeous Roisin Murphy fashion story, at Out.com -- and while you're there be sure to comment on who you'd select for your own personal Greatest, Gayest Albums of All Time list.

Previously > Amy Ray's top 10 > Boy George's top 10 > Perez's top 10

Comments

[jess]

I like imagining the alternate universe we might live in if JCM had played Duckie.