Back in the mid 90s, the radio was not all that queer. There were hints of queerness – there’s always something, amirite? – kd lang was around, as was Melissa Etheridge, Prince and Madonna were always there, and so was George Michael even if we didn’t entirely realise what wavelength he was on. If you were young, hungry, and possessed the digging skills, you could uncover zines, underground radio, mix tapes, even early dial-up internet places to learn about loads of queer artists – but you still wouldn’t hear much of them on the radio stations that the rest of your friends all listened to. In 1995, my ears perked up when I first heard Jill Sobule playing on the same mainstream stations that played TLC and Oasis songs.
Jill Sobule in 2013 – image via Michael Borkson, Wikimedia Commons
The biggest hit Sobule ever had was the catchy “I Kissed a Girl”, also known as the O.G. I Kissed a Girl, because ten years later when Katy Perry tried that shit – after having a failed single called UR So Gay, ugh – the real ones knew what was up. Sobule rolled with having her sweet song ripped off, continuing a long ranging indie career way after 1995. My fave song of hers was “Supermodel”, which came from the God-tier soundtrack to the movie Clueless and shares it’s wicked wit. I wore the hell out of her self-titled album, which was followed by a series of great, odd, idiosyncratic albums that never did supernova sales. But Sobule had found her audience and kept making music.
She started her own label (Pinko Records), was an early proponent of crowdfunding, collaborated with many fellow cool people – like Warren Zevon, Jonathan Lethem, Vendela Vida, Julia Sweeney, and Richard Barone (they wrote a song called “Everybody’s Queer” together!)
This month, news of her death, at only 66, hit me hard. I have been going back to that first album, with it’s story songs, pop hooks, and sharp lyrics.
I came across this story about the main character from Karen By Night on her website, which features the legendary lesbian club The Cubby Hole, a fist fight, expensive footwear, and Barbra Streisand. That’s a great tribute to one of my favourite songwriters and a queer pioneer. RIP, Jil, and let’s turn the music up.