It's always been for shock value, to get the kiddies to think that their parents would disapprove of whatever group or song it was, thus rendering it "cool", which translates into "cha-ching!!"After all, the long-haired look and sort of foppish manner of the Stones, Beatles, etc. was at one time considered a definite threat to heterosexuality and masculinity in general... and thus a threat to civilization, by some weird logic. But who got all the girls back then, eh? Funny how that works...
But yes, the whole queer thing is definitely very fashionable these days; can't say I'm opposed to people "coming out" and/or fighting for acceptance (a person's sexuality is none of my damn business), but the whole fad is pretty silly. As far as kids being "turned" goes, if a kid comes out of the closet and thanks some pop star for inspiring him/her to do so, it's because the kid is gay, not because of some nefarious scheme, IMHO. I think the notion that the Western world used to be "straighter" is probably a myth- many people hid their true selves back in the day, and led miserable lives as a result.
Uhh.. and BTW, don't think I've heard any of these "Walrus" covers, but I bet they really can't touch the original!!
