WATCH: Queer fans get emotional sharing how lesbian rockers Indigo Girls saved their lives
way up).But what no one saw coming was that it was also a major boost for the Indigo Girls, the lesbian indie folk-rock duo made up of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, who have been making music together for nearly 40 years.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.That’s because, tucked in among Barbie‘s best-selling soundtrack of sparkly new pop songs and Billie Eilish’s Oscar-winning “What Was I Made For?” was the Indigo Girls’ throwback breakthrough track, “Closer To Fine,” an introspective anthem released on their self-titled second anthem—which shows up a few times in the film.So, how did a 34-year-old alternative hit by two queer women end up in one of the biggest blockbusters ever?It’s simple: Writer-director Greta Gerwig was a massive fan, and she had been since she was a teen.“The Indigo Girls were part of my growing up,” the filmmaker told the New York Times last year. “‘Closer to Fine’ is just one of those songs that meets you where you are, wherever you are.
It has spoken to me throughout my life, like a novel you revisit.”And though Gerwig doesn’t identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community herself, she’s getting at something true for many of us: no matter where we are or were on our journeys with our queerness, the Indigo Girls have been there to call us home.Queer romance.
Indigo Girls songs. Appearances from icons like Peppermint and Tig Notaro. ‘Glitter & Doom’ has it all!That’s a truth explored in the fantastic new documentary It’s Only Life After All from director Alexandria Bombach, which is now playing in select theaters after premiering at Sundance last year.Featuring interviews with Ray, Saliers, their contemporaries and colleagues, and a number of fans, the doc recounts the trajectory of their groundbreaking careers and what made them into the celebrated artists and activists they are today.Perhaps most affecting of all are the scenes dedicated to the profound effect.
