Spencer Tweedy

Share this post

Ode to Patrick Haggerty

spencertweedy.substack.com

Ode to Patrick Haggerty

A hero in music and life, a self-described “screaming, Marxist bitch”

Spencer Tweedy
Apr 22, 2023
61
21
Share
Share this post

Ode to Patrick Haggerty

spencertweedy.substack.com

As we read/write/listen, a bunch of people are in Bremerton, Washington, having just celebrated the life of musician, activist, and anti-fascist rabble-rouser Patrick Haggerty.

Patrick is best known for creating what’s known as the first ever openly gay country record, Lavender Country, in 1973. You might ask yourself, Can a record, which isn’t a person, be gay? The answer, shown clearly and proudly by Lavender Country, is yes. The album is gorgeous, whimsical, serious, energetic and worthy as music regardless of and even more so in light of its social importance.

Patrick Haggerty with Bobby Taylor. Photo: Kyle Johnson

Before Patrick and his collaborators made Lavender Country, he volunteered in Cuba, joined the Peace Corps, and got kicked out for, in his words, “sucking dick.” In the decades since, he raised two children, ran for public office, performed country standards for countless senior home inhabitants, and married one of the most beautiful, light-filled human beings ever, JB.

Maybe the most awe-inspiring accomplishment in Patrick’s storied life was his restarting of Lavender Country some years ago after a Paradise of Bachelors reissue of the album, playing shows around the country with local pickup bands made of acolytes, often led by his adoptive grandson of sorts, Jack Moriarty. I say this was one of his greatest accomplishments not because it’s hard to tour (it is, at Patrick’s age and any age), but because of the way he kept on listening to the young people who loved his music.

The world never stopped changing since Patrick first dedicated his life to celebrating with and fighting for gay people and working people. Language changed, trans people became more visible (though Patrick had always included them in his work), and the needs and desires of myriad different groups evolved. Through it all, Patrick taught himself, kept on listening, kept on respecting the people he set out to help self-liberate. I look up to him for that. How many pioneers have we seen grow curmudgeonly, looking down on newcomers because they can’t possibly understand the hellish obstacles they themselves overcame? Patrick wasn’t that type of pioneer. He was a door-opener, an accomplice, and a jailhouse-burner through his last days.

Patrick, center, campaigning for Washington State Senate in 1988. Credit unknown.

In 2021, Patrick brought his rebooted Lavender Country to Chicago and Milwaukee to headline the Cosmic Country Showcase, backed by a band of Jack Moriarty, Sully Davis, Dorian Gehring, Sophie Sputnik, Colin Croom, and me. We played at The Hideout and Cactus Club. Adoring fans of Patrick and the Showcase came to listen raptly to his stories and dance to his songs. JB, in his seventies himself but spryer and a better dancer than anyone in the room, would often join with the audience, or dance with Patrick during a set, while shirking the limelight for himself.

I remember walking in to rehearsal at Foxhall Studio before these shows and Patrick kind of staring me down. Not in an unfriendly way. On the contrary: I think Patrick looked at any new person in a room and tried to fully take them in, recognize what was sexy about them, and, of course, to see and appreciate their soul. Patrick could talk, and he talked a lot, but as I say, he also listened and watched.

Lavender Country has resonated with people not just because it speaks of Patrick’s life and his struggles, but because it speaks of anyone who is sensitive and hurt by “straight white patterns.” The whole world, truly, is damaged by mangled, malformed versions of masculinity, and by white supremacy. Even if you don’t wear a “frilly blouse,” and especially if you do, you can come to need commiseration, understanding, and conspiracy from people like Patrick who see these dynamics and can rally us into action.

Patrick and Andrew Sa at The Hideout in 2021. Photo: Sarah Elizabeth Larson

When the band caravan headed up to Milwaukee to play at Cactus Club with Patrick and Jack that fall, Patrick rode in my car. Dorian had already put his stuff in my passenger seat, but moments before we loaded out, Patrick took his spot, got in without discussion or worry, the way some sure-headed, older folks sometimes do: I’m riding with him.

Outside the car, JB and Sully looked at me as if to say, “You sure you’re cool with this?” They knew it would be a talk-heavy session of regaling with stories. I told them uncertainly, “I think so.” I should’ve unequivocally said yes. It was a wonderful ride. I learned more about Patrick’s childhood, his time in Cuba, and about his son, whom he co-parented with a lesbian woman, and the pain they faced, as a family, in a racist school system.

By the way, Patrick’s life and the joy he was able to spread to others was facilitated by the love and support of his family when he was a child. His parents were Catholic but they reasoned that God loved everyone. God loved them, God loved their son. So God would not want them to stop loving their son. In 2014, Patrick told Pitchfork, “I like to say the reason that I made Lavender Country when I made it was because my dad said I could.” Patrick paid that unconditional gift forward.

Patrick at The Hideout in October 2021. Photo: Sarah Elizabeth Larson
A photo of Patrick Haggerty and JB Broughton at a dance, wearing formal attire, in 1988. A photo of JB and Patrick in 2022. JB sits wearing a colorful scarf. Patrick holds JB’s shoulders.A photo of Patrick Haggerty and JB Broughton at a dance, wearing formal attire, in 1988. A photo of JB and Patrick in 2022. JB sits wearing a colorful scarf. Patrick holds JB’s shoulders.
JB and Patrick. Second photo credit: Sima Cunningham

We miss you in Chicago and beyond, Patrick. We love you, JB.

—Spencer

Further Patrick reading: Leor Galil’s profile from 2014

Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Share

61
21
Share
Share this post

Ode to Patrick Haggerty

spencertweedy.substack.com
21 Comments
Marianne Spellman
Apr 22Liked by Spencer Tweedy

A thoughtful, sweet remembrance. I am always so appreciative of those rare people who are good listeners, as you noted Patrick was, and who keep their minds and hearts open through their lives.

Expand full comment
Reply
Jessie Hammersmith
Writes Be Fearless and Play
Apr 22Liked by Spencer Tweedy

Oh my goodness, this was beautiful to read. Thank you for sharing, I learned a lot (and felt a lot). 💜💙💜💙

Expand full comment
Reply
19 more comments…
Top
New
Community

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Spencer Tweedy
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing