tragedy Archives - ACOMSDave

Unveiling the Powerful Story Behind Rod Stewart’s ‘The Killing of Georgie”

Rod Stewart’s poignant ballad, “The Killing of Georgie,” provides a unique and powerful narrative that, drawing from the provided transcript, offers a groundbreaking portrayal of a non-straight individual and the challenges faced within society during a period of “changing ways” and “so-called liberated days”. The song traces the life and tragic death of Georgie, presenting a deeply personal story that was remarkable for the popular music of its era.

A Story of Identity and Rejection

The song introduces Georgie as a “Georgia boy”, a “kindest guy”. **Crucially, the narrative immediately establishes Georgie’s identity as non-straight through the reaction of his mother**, who questions “how can my son not be straight after all I’ve said and done for him”. This direct acknowledgement of his sexual orientation and his mother’s struggle with it, was a significant step for a mainstream song. As a result of this lack of acceptance, Georgie was “cast out by the ones he loves” and left home on a Greyhound bus. This highlights the painful reality of family rejection faced by many individuals identifying as non-straight.

Finding Acceptance in the City

Upon leaving his home, Georgie sought refuge and a new life in New York City. The song describes his swift integration and acceptance into a more liberal environment: “very quickly settle down, he soon became the toast of the Great White Way, accepted by Manhattan’s elite”. In New York, Georgie found a place where “no party was complete without [Georgie]”, suggesting a vibrant and accepting social circle. This stark contrast between the rejection he faced from his family and the widespread acceptance he found in the city provided a powerful commentary on the differing societal attitudes towards non-straight individuals. The song further reveals that “in the summer of ’75 he said he was in love,” indicating he found personal happiness and connection in this new environment.

The Tragic End and Societal Indifference

The narrative takes a dark turn with Georgie’s tragic death. While taking a shortcut home from another Broadway show, he was attacked on a side street by “a new church” with a “switchblade knife”. The source states that the assailant “did not intend to take his life, to just pushed his luck”, but the outcome was fatal. The song then poses a powerful question: “George is life and death, but I ask who cares?”. This rhetorical question implies a broader societal indifference or a lack of justice surrounding such incidents, particularly for those on the margins. Although the song doesn’t explicitly label it a hate crime, the sudden, violent nature of his death, coupled with the previous themes of rejection and the societal context, implicitly points to the dangers faced by non-straight individuals.

Georgie’s Enduring Philosophy

Beyond the tragedy, the song immortalises Georgie’s profound philosophy on life. According to the lyrics, Georgie once advised, “never wait or hesitate, get it, get before it’s turn you may never get another chance, cuz it’s a mask but they don’t last, live it long and live at fancy. Georgie was a friend of mine”. This message encourages living life fully and authentically, embracing opportunities without hesitation. In the context of a story about a non-straight individual who faced rejection but found acceptance and ultimately a tragic end, this philosophy becomes even more poignant, advocating for living one’s truth despite the brevity and fragility of life.

A Groundbreaking Contribution

“The Killing of Georgie” was groundbreaking not only for its ‘direct and empathetic portrayal of a non-straight character’s life journey’ but also for its ‘unflinching depiction of the societal challenges, from family rejection to tragic violence’, that such individuals could face. By bringing this personal story into the mainstream, Rod Stewart’s song contributed significantly to visibility and understanding, making it a pivotal work in the broader conversation about LGBT experiences.

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Auth: Tom LENNON
Pub: The O’Brien Press
The central figure (hero, if you like) of this story (When Love Comes To town) is 17-year-old Neil Byrne. He is a sportsman and a good scholar. He is implicitly middle-class (his parents incessantly gripe about money, that’s how one knows). His response to the trauma of coming out, or being outed by circumstances, simply does not ring true.

Neil responds to an ad in what’s Hot Press, but aborts actual contact because the other man (the advertiser) is not as appealing as he claimed. Surely, an intelligent youth would have noticed ads for Tel-a-Friend, or articles on various Gay campaigns. He makes Sean intervene on a radio phone-in programme, but doesn’t hang around for the phone number (or numbers) which usually follow such broadcasts.

There wouldn’t have been much of a story then, admittedly, but one got the distinct impression, reading this, that we were not dealing with the 1990s (it was first published in 1993) but with the 70s, even ’60s. Master Byrne is just going to experience certain emotions and prejudices, whether these ring true or not.

The other characters in ‘When Love Comes to Town’ are rather shadowy, and authorial prejudices show:- sissies (including married transvestites!) are sound; bisexuals-are abused as what people in Belfast called “bendy-tries. “. The blurb claims Neil is “a new type of hero” in Irish fiction, but there are stock characters. The Mother is loving, suffering and forgiving (but, naturally, uncomprehending). The Da’s a bastard – as are nearly all of the heterosexual men, Neil’s fellow students for example. The treatment of the women is a bit off-hand, even slightly misogynistic. Neil’s lover is a grumpy Belfast man called Shane who loves him and leaves him (but not before introducing him to the joys of classical music)!

Tom Lennon (it’s a nom-de-plume [de guerre?]) has his cake of a happy ending, while giving us the full tragic-suicide finale (this happens inside Neil’s head: he is a bit of a Drama-Queen on the quiet). It is a well-made, entertaining naturalist/realist novel. But one is left rather wishing for something a bit more substantial and a bit more real.

Not everything in this island is rosy for Gay people – young, old, women or men – but l7-year-olds knew in 1993 (and know today) that there iSean infrastructure, built by Gay people, of telephone helplines, campaigning and social groups, as well a sporting and religious ones, bookshops, bars, bistros, saunaSean safer-sex projects. There’s a social group in deepest Fermanagh! Since law reform in the Republic, GCN’s listings have grown to include six of the smaller towns.
All of this suggests a dramatic change, which is surely worth writing about.

[Sean McGOURAN]

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