who we are
by Douglas
Messerli
Chris Housman
(composer and singer), Ford Fairchild (director) Blueneck / 2021 [3
minutes]
In country
singer’s Chris Housman’s title song for his album Blueneck, he truly explores the possibility of someone growing up in a
conservative Red state valuing and caring for all sorts of controversial issues, in
including black and gay rights. In this brave song, Housman not only expresses
his commitment to his own gay values, but values that are not all approved in
the country western states to which his singing style and songs reference. He
is, in fact, challenging the very redneck notion of the genre in which her
performs, a quite brave act, and even it his song is not quite profound, I
award him the for his singing talent and the lyrics of this song:
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Grew up with
corn fields in every direction
That’s where I
learned all of my lessons
‘bout life and
livin’ without fences
In the land of
the free to have opinions
If you work a
job, you oughta make a livin’
George Straight
or George gay, there’s no difference
People need
help and I think that we should listen
3 chords and my
truth is...
I’m good old
boy with a bleeding heart
Just a
homegrown hick with a hybrid car
I think y’all
means all
And I know we
all just wanna know that we belong
There’s a lot
more color in the mix
When you’re
loud and proud out in the sticks
I am what I am,
you get what you get
Yeah I guess
I’m a red state blue neck
My American
dream is wide open spaces
Plenty of room
for us all to be safe in
Yeah that’s the
future that I’m chasing
So I’m gonna go
make it
….
Can’t a country
kid wanna see the glass ceiling shatter?
Wanna see a
world where Black lives matter?
Liberty and
justice for just some of us
Ain’t how the
heartland brought me up
How can anyone of conscience argue with
that? Well, of course our current leaders do just that. But Housman continually
reminds us, hopefully, of whom we really are. And that is why he remains an important
performer.
Los
Angeles, March 22, 2025
Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (March
2025).
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