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 youāre 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 Richardās 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 couldnāt 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 couldnāt fully articulate at the time.
Little Richard was always a figure who blurred boundariesānot just in his music, but in every aspect of his life. His influence on rock-n-roll cannot be overstated. He didnāt 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, Richardās 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 thatās part of what made him so captivating: he was messy, he was bold, and he was human. And itās this complexity thatās 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 āKing and Queen of Rock-n-Roll.ā
Today, as an adult whoās more comfortable in my own skin, I can look at Richardās 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 āTutti Fruttiā or āLong Tall Sally,ā donāt just think of them as classic rock anthems. Think of them as anthems of rebellion, of freedom, and of unapologetic individualityābecause thatās exactly what Little Richard embodied.
He was, and always will be, the King AND Queen of Rock-n-Roll.
Donāt believe me? SHUT UP! šš
Keep calm and rock onā¦
Clint šāļø
P.S. Why didnāt anyone tell me āTutti Fruttiā was originally about anal sex? šš
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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 š
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 š
1943 = Michael Bennett = American dancer, choreographer, and director š
1949 = Brenda Russell = American-Canadian singer-songwriter
1949 = Theresa Sparks = American business executive and politician š
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
āBroadway dance is what I know, what I was, and what I am.ā
Michael Bennett
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.
Pop culture has never been a major influence in my life. I considered Little Richard a more visible sort of person but essentially rather like the black queens and trans figures that led up to Stonewall.
The law had changed (though not enough) in England and Wales (not yet in Scotland) when I was 20 (and at university in Scotland). My politicism was directed at gay rights and changing public opinions and attitudes in the 70s. I was fascinated by his camp persona but not very impacted by his or any other pop music. (In my mid-teens I was attracted by the Beatles for a time.)
I can value him as a more visible part of the gay rights movement in the US.