‘Transcendent’ a tough but important read

“Mighty Real: A History of LGBTQ Music, 1969-2000.”
Written by Barry Walters
Vikings, circa 2026
$35/496 pages

Step, step, tap, step back.

Shimmy in a circle, wave your left hand over your head, shake your tail feathers, and repeat to the beat. There was a time when you could do any dance in your sleep, but that hasn’t happened in a long time. So please read “Mighty Real” By Barry Walters Make sure you don’t stub your toe.

Fifty-seven years after Stonewall, here we are. LGBTQ musicians continue to face intense scrutiny over their sexuality. Because, according to Walters, music wasn’t made for gay listeners. No problem. LGBTQ artists and writers have carefully written lyrics to say things that can’t be said, and have “coded” songs for gay audiences that straight (and ignorant) listeners can dance to and enjoy, seemingly without a care in the world.

Walters cites “just a few examples.”

Lou Reed sang about transgender people in the late ’60s and provided a rally song for the Gay Liberation Front in 1972, the latter of which felt like a message to then-11-year-old Walters. Although Janis Joplin claimed to be straight, she had several girlfriends. Motown singers often provided sometimes ambiguous lyrics.

John Lennon’s hand placement on the back cover of Sgt. Thanks to Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Walters began to understand that he was different from other boys.

The list includes not only David Bowie but also Bette Midler, Elton John, Donna Summer and Queen. There’s Judas Priest, Green Day and punk music here. The book includes lyrics by The Village People, as well as Grace Jones, Duran Duran, Cher, Whitney, Melissa, Latifah, and several blockbuster movies.

Two of Prince’s band members were lesbians, and they were a major influence on his albums. Diana Ross’s “I’m Coming Out” cemented her place in LGBTQ culture, so including Michael Jackson here should be done with great care.

Read about Olivia Newton-John and the B52s. There is also Sylvester, who Walters has a crush on. Sylvester’s death still makes Walters cry.

In his introduction, author and music writer Barry Walters points out that music is what you make it, and everyone interprets it differently. To that end, this book is naturally comprised of favorite histories and personal opinions about singers, bands, albums, and songs.

Agree or disagree. Therein lies the appeal of “Mighty Real.”

Here, Walters wraps his memories around his choices, giving the reader room for their own views, memories, and list-making. Music-loving readers may also be surprised who isn’t on Walters’ list. For example, there aren’t many country performers here, and the overall list is focused entirely on music from roughly 1968 to 2000, mostly the kind of songs you’d want to hear at a club or party. Talk again and create your own playlist.

Although this is a thick book, the chapters are browseable and usually short enough to be read within 5 minutes. It is nostalgic yet also serious in the history it presents. This is the kind of book you want to have near your album collection or wherever you get your songs. But finding the “Mighty Real” is your first step.

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