Not invisible

This video is of “Invisible”, a song taken from the new Pet Shop Boys album Elysium, to be released in September. It was produced by Andrew Dawson and Pet Shop Boys, and the video is by Brian Bress.

I kind of like the song, though I’ve only listened a couple times (the video, frankly, I’m less sure about…). It’s basically about the realities of becoming an older gay man, people who are often “invisible” on the scene. Or, as a commenter said on one site where I saw this said, they become “gay kryptonite”.

Ah, comments! I’ve often noticed on one prominent gay site how bitchy and condescending some of the commentors can be about pop music. This is amplified when the song is by a young person, or popular among the young, but—without any irony, apparently—many of these same older gay men disliked this song. Whatever.

I have a simple pop culture mantra that I often repeat as a sort of caution for others because it’s kept me out of social media trouble: Everything you love, someone else hates; everything you hate, someone else loves. So, relax and like what you like and forget about everyone else.

There’s nothing wrong with choosing to stay out of pointless squabbles on purely subjective matters of taste. We all have far more important things to worry—and fight—about.

As for the theme of this song, well, we’re not really invisible. If younger gay folks choose to make us so, that’s their choice—and their loss. We’re here, we're queer, and we’ve already done that, so get used to it.