Little Richard = Big Talent
Revisiting The King And Queen Of Rock-N-Roll
Last night, I watched Little Richard: I Am Everything, an entertaining and complex documentary about an equally entertaining and complex man. If you’re even remotely a fan of music history, I highly recommend you stream it when you get the chance.
Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, I secretly loved Little Richard’s music, but I kept it to myself. His rock-and-roll flamboyance, mixed with his fire-and-brimstone piety, left me more than a little confused.
As I was grappling with my own identity and sexuality, I publicly avoided other queer folk, especially ones as openly bold and unapologetic as Little Richard. It felt safer that way, though privately, I couldn’t help but be drawn to Richard like a moth to a flame. His magnetic personality, wild energy, and the raw honesty spoke to me in ways I couldn’t fully articulate at the time.
Little Richard was always a figure who blurred boundaries—not just in his music, but in every aspect of his life. His influence on rock-n-roll cannot be overstated. He didn’t just help define the genre; he set the stage for generations of artists who would follow in his wake, from Elvis to Prince and beyond. His wild, gender-bending style and unapologetic queerness were revolutionary in a time when such things were rarely celebrated, and often shunned.
Yet, Richard’s relationship with his own identity was often complicated, torn between his religious convictions and his flamboyant public persona. The documentary delves into these contradictions, painting a picture of a man who, at once, was both fiercely proud and deeply conflicted. But that’s part of what made him so captivating: he was messy, he was bold, and he was human. And it’s this complexity that’s often missing when we discuss his legacy today.
Watching the documentary, it became clear just how much Little Richard truly embodied the title of both “King and Queen of Rock-n-Roll.”
Today, as an adult who’s more comfortable in my own skin, I can look at Richard’s life and career with a greater understanding and admiration. The confusion I once felt has transformed into a deep respect for the icon who not only shaped rock-n-roll but also played an integral part in shaping our cultural understanding of gender, sexuality, and self-expression.
The next time you hear “Tutti Frutti” or “Long Tall Sally,” don’t just think of them as classic rock anthems. Think of them as anthems of rebellion, of freedom, and of unapologetic individuality—because that’s exactly what Little Richard embodied.
He was, and always will be, the King AND Queen of Rock-n-Roll.
Don’t believe me? SHUT UP! 😜👑
Keep calm and rock on…
Clint 🌈✌️
P.S. Why didn’t anyone tell me “Tutti Frutti” was originally about anal sex? 🍑🍆
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ON THIS DAY = APRIL 8
BIRTHDAYS
1892 = Mary Pickford = Canadian-American actor and United Artists co-founder
1892 = Richard Neutra = Austrian-American architect
1912 = Sonja Henie = Norwegian-American figure skater and actor
1918 = Betty Ford = American wife of Gerald Ford and 40th FLOTUS
1918 = Roberta Cowell = British driver and WWII fighter pilot 🌈
1920 = Carmen McRae = American singer-songwriter and actor
1934 = Kisho Kurokawa = Japanese architect
1941 = Vivienne Westwood = English fashion designer
1942 = Douglas Trumbull = American director, producer, and special effects artist
1942 = Robin Tyler = Canadian comedian and activist 🌈
1943 = Michael Bennett = American dancer, choreographer, and director 🌈
1949 = Brenda Russell = American-Canadian singer-songwriter
1949 = Theresa Sparks = American business executive and politician 🌈
1963 = Dean Norris = American actor
1963 = Julian Lennon = English singer-songwriter
1964 = Biz Markie = American rapper, producer, and actor
1966 = Robin Wright = American actor, director, producer
1968 = Patricia Arquette = American actor and director
1981 = Taylor Kitsch = Canadian actor and model
1984 = Taran Noah Smith = American actor
EVENTS
1820 = The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.
1911 = American cartoonist Winsor McCay released the silent short Little Nemo, one of the earliest animated films.
1959 = A team of computer manufacturers, users, and university people led by Grace Hopper meets to discuss the creation of a new programming language that would be called COBOL.
1990 = Twin Peaks premieres on ABC.
2014 = Windows XP reaches its standard End Of Life and is no longer supported.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Broadway dance is what I know, what I was, and what I am.”
Michael Bennett
Well Clint and others Little Richard never floated my boat back then and still largely doesn't now. Now as an impressionable youth back then in the 🇫🇴🇬🇧 you were either for the Beatles or the Rolling Stones and NO you couldn't have a foot in both camps. Google another 🇫🇴🇬🇧 thing, Mods and Rockers. Rockers were rock/motorcycles and Mods were scooter 🛵 fashion and associated music styles of both genres. It was all the evolution of youth/music/life. I fell more on the Mods side. At the time the two genres were at 'war' over their chosen groupings. On Public Holiday weekends there were many pitched battles when the two groups would meet up at seaside towns. A bit like group rivalries to one another in New Jersey or over in Palisades Park(?) settings. Right cultural history lesson is over for today 😎😁😉👍 Cheers DougT 🇫🇴
I always liked Little Richard. So much energy. One thing against him-a few years ago he announced that he was no longer Gay. Should be PROUD of being Gay.