"Buzz and Tommy" by Mantaraybryn

English singer-songwriter Mantaraybryn has released "Buzz and Tommy," a joyous, thrilling song celebrating authenticity in the name of those who came before us. Called "Buzz and Tommy," he says the song "started as a list of advice to my younger self, but soon became me trying to throw a lifeline to those stuck in a deep dark closet, and also an homage to the real Buzz and Tommy." The sense of the song and the powerful words make me quite emotional ... and that coupled with a powerful, anthem-sounding banger of a tune makes me soar up high and want to dance like a man possessed. Amazing work, Mantaraybryn!

And here are the real Buzz and Tommy. This photo first showed up on internet at least as early as May 25, 2016 on the IG account lgbt_history. It shows two lifeguards, presumably from 1949, Buzz and Tommy. The inscription on the reverse is heartbreaking not for what it says but for the avalanche of things it doesn't--can't--say, all the things they couldn't at the time. Of course we don't know the actual story of this photo and who these two young men were (or still are? they could be alive in their 80s-90s) but the intimacy of the insciption indicates the strong possibility that they were secret lovers.

Tell me now, what do you dread
Are there monsters under your bed
You’re in the closet and they can’t see you,
So why are you scared

Scrolling through topless men
Reminding yourself again and again
They are paid to look like that
We all age and that’s a fact

And yes some of them hate you
But they’re dying off
So go out dancing
Get with someone hot

Do it for those who wouldn’t
And those who couldn’t
For Buzz and Tommy
Writing letters when they shouldn’t

Wallflower crawling off the wall
Sunflower standing nice and tall
Big Buster, now muster
All the nerve you lost before

Get yourself into a good book
Remember how those words took
All the pain that you felt away
Now it’s all the just the same

Are you a tired Atlas?
Are you holding up the world?
Stop, drop, and roll
And it’s a disco ball

And yes some of them like you
But that’ll wear off
Do you like who you are
Do you like what you’re not

Have you done the work?
Have you put in the time?
Broken the cycle
And the family line?

Wallflower crawling off the wall
Sunflower standing nice and tall
Big Buster, now muster
All the nerve you lost before

Could be a lover boy and Casanova
An overflowing supernova
I want you to escape
Be a no-Houdini
Got chains for days
Are you even breathing

All the nerve you lost before

Wallflower crawling off the wall
Sunflower standing nice and tall
Big Buster, now muster
All the nerve you lost before

Here are what Mantaraybryn calls the main points of his list:

1. Do the things you did fearlessly as a child before you cared about external opinions.

2. Come out sooner.

3. Go out and dance like a man possessed.

4. Even though the future seems dark, you must keep dancing.

5. Feel lucky that you are hopefully in a better situation / timeline than these secret lover lifeguards [Buzz and Tommy] from 1949.

6. Remain kind despite the closet being painful.

7. Time and youth are fleeting. You must act now.

Thanks Big Buster! I've got the dance down now...

https://www.instagram.com/mantaraybryn