1984: the year mainstream pop took gay subculture overground.
In 1984, pop came out of the closet - even if not all of the artists felt that they could - and, in the process, charted the course of the rest of the decade.
In 1984: The Year Pop Went Queer, writer and pop fanatic Ian Wade traces where these artists, including Queen, George Michael, David Bowie, Bronski Beat, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Madonna - who all enjoyed chart success in 1984 - were during that epoch-making year. It studies the impact these groundbreaking musicians had before, during and after on the gay community and popular culture, and it demonstrates how they were able to break down barriers, raise consciousness and set in motion the first nascent pop cultural ripples that are still being felt today.
As a backdrop, it explores the strides made in the name of the cause and how the wider surrounding culture reacted with equal parts glee, bafflement and disgust.
