User:Rrychik/sandbox
Annotations
1. Juzwiak, Rich. "Village Person Says "Y.M.C.A." Isn't About Gays, Is Probably Lying." Gawker. Web. 04 Apr. 2016.
http://gawker.com/village-person-says-y-m-c-a-isnt-about-gays-is-pro-1493380284
Village Person Says “Y.M.C.A.” Isn’t About Gays, Is Probably Lying by Rich Juzwiak describes the famous song YMCA and states that the song is indeed not what we think it is about. Contrary to popular belief, the song is about the real, non-sexual fun of staying at the Y.M.C.A. The article provides information, which was said by The Village People’s lead singer, Victor Willis. “It's about having a good meal (not of dick). It's about doing whatever you feel (as long as those aren't gay feelings you feel).” Said Willis who wrote the lyrics of the song. The article goes on to quote Willis who furthers his claim by saying that the lyrics were written by him as an expression of urban youths having fun at the YMCA. He said “the words were crafted by me to be taken any number of ways but not specific to gays. It's much broader than that. The song is universal. I don't mind that gays think the song is about them but I won't perform the song in support of any protest.” He summarizes the point of contention, the inherent gayness of the Village People. The content in the article was for the most part written from a non-biased point of view. The information was neutral, aside from the end when Juzwiak inserts his own opinion by stating that Belolo’s argument is more believable. Although his opinion was added, the majority of the article is fact based. The article surely does not come across as a persuasive essay, since the facts and both sides claims are briefly stated. It also clearly states each fact and the group that it is supported by. For example, it states that gay rights activists were the ones who suggested that the song be played at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi during the opening ceremony “to stick it to those homophobic Russians.” This piece is relevant source because it gives information about the group member’s intentions when creating the song.
2. Capretto, Lisa. "The Village People Talk About The Origin Of Disco Classic 'Y.M.C.A.' (VIDEO)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/11/village-people-ymca-dance_n_4763089.html
The article by the Huffington Post describes an interview with one of the original Village People, Felipe Rose. Rose said that he never foresaw the group’s success. When approached by French music producer Jacques Morali to form a group consisting of American male stereotypes, Rose said he was skeptical. “[Morali] told me about the concept of the group and I thought it was pretty out-there,” he admits. “I said, ‘Okay, well, let’s give it a try.’” Another group member, Eric Anzalone (the biker), said that he did not think that Jacques’ intent was to put together a group for a gay audience. Rather, he said “He knew the music industry and he knew if he had a hit in the clubs — which, in the ‘70s, the gay, the Latin clubs — that was the place to be.” He knew that if we would target a specific audience, then he would have a higher chance of becoming successful.
Morali found song inspiration in the everyday. While walking around the Village, he came across a Y.M.C.A sign. According to group member Ray Simpson (the police man), he did not know what the Y.M.C.A was and when he found out, he decided that it was a good topic for a song. This source is unbiased, since the article summarizes a video interview with the members of the band themselves. This article is a relevant source because it gives a sense of what group members were thinking when the band was created. It also gives detail on why a song was written on the Y.M.C.A.
3. "Village People Back at the YMCA." BBC News. BBC, 1999. Web. 04 Apr. 2016. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/515578.stm
The Village People group members were known for their famous macho outfits including a policeman's uniform, a Red Indian, and a construction worker. The group, which launched itself in the late 1970s, chose its name as a tribute to the New York’s Greenwich Village gay district. Their first songs, Macho Man and Fire Island, were known as gay club anthems. In 1978, with the release of YMCA and In The Navy, their songs became successes on the charts. Another hit, Go West was released in 1979. Go West was a celebration of the San Francisco gay scene and the tune later became an anthem for crowds at football games. Since this news report comes from BBC, it is reliable and accurate. The article is news based and not opinioned, thus adding to its reliability. The relevancy of the article stems from a look at the gay masculinity and stereotypes of the group.
4. Burgess, Marjorie. "The Village People." Contemporary Musicians. 1992. Encyclopedia.com. 7 Apr. 2016
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3492500086.html
Jacques Morali created the group The Village People in the late 1970s. Morali went to a New York gay bar one night he noticed dancer Felipe Rose dressed as an Indian. Morali then spotted Rose again a week later dressed in Indian garb. Rose happened to be dancing near one man dressed as a cowboy and another wearing a construction hat. “And after that I say to myself,” Morali told Rolling Stone’s Emerson, “‘You know, this is fantastic’—to see the cowboy, the Indian, the construction worker with other men around. And also, I think in myself that the gay people have no group, nobody to personalize the gay people, you know? And I say to Felipe, ‘One of these days I’m going to employ you.’” Morali began to produce disco records with masculine stereotypes in mind that same week. He is quoted saying that he wanted to do something for the gay market.
This article meets Wikipedia’s standards for a reliable source since it is based on reliable, public sources. Sources are provided at the bottom of the article to check the facts and to ensure that the information is accurate and unbiased. This piece is a relevant source for my Wikipedia article because it provides information on both how the group was started and it also provides information on how the outfits came about.