Blues is for straight guys

Last night, sitting around on the porch shooting the breeze with Gareth’s dad (Gareth and Jenny are getting married today), he spoke of his love for the blues scene in London in the late 60s. I told him that I had just taught the 12-bar blues form to my students this week. He continued to wax nostalgic about how Brits really “got” the blues — Americans would come over and try to do the blues but failed. I responded: “I’ve never been a blues guy. Blues is for straight guys. And I say that because I’ve never met a gay man that liked the blues: its’ a straight guy thing. And being a composer, I love harmony, and in the blues, there are only 3 chords — BORING. Yes, I understand that the blues is a perfect venue for improvising, but I am just not interested.” He looked mildly surprised but smiled and acknowledged our difference.