The Gospel of Myylo

Welcome to another guest post here on Modern Relics, the newsletter about religion, pop culture and the internet (and all the myriad ways they intersect.) I also often cover queer religion, which feels appropriate to mention for this post in particular. I am on a brief hiatus at the moment but will be returning soon!

But until then, what follows is a repost from , a newsletter by Moose Flores. Moose is a gay, grey-ace Lutheran with an M.Div. and has been an internet friend of mine for years, stretching back to when I was a YouTuber, I think. You can follow him on Twitter at @OpenMoose. Enjoy! — Rohan

This post was originally posted 23 March on Terrible Writing.

Last night I went to a Myylo show

It was my second time seeing him perform in Chicago. I had two tickets, and my friend had to back out at the last minute, so I spent about an hour texting two dozen friends, offering up the extra ticket. Unfortunately, no takers. But no worries! I went and had fun, anyway.

On top of that, I got there early to have dinner next door, and who should be there at the same time but Myylo himself! He graciously let me join him for the meal.

Myylo’s music is very gay & very good

Get excited for some delicious pop tunes like this one. His music explores some really fun queer themes. In case you missed this link from issue 06. Daddy Issues, here it is again.

Myylo’s music is also very good. Intricate arrangements, catchy tunes & lyrics, incredible vocals, and the man knows how to use an accidental. And he’s gorgeous, which is just lovely.

My favorite Myylo songs you should look for: Pink Boy Heart, Cling On, Sad Boys, I Can’t Help But Look, Kissing On Your Dad, I Saw a Boy at the Party.

But let’s look at two songs in particular

Myylo has a full-scale existential breakdown which leads to a four-way conversation with his alter egos. He is visited by Jesus Myylo, Bitchy Myylo, and Detective Myylo as he attempts to figure out exactly why ‘Being Born Kinda Sucks.’ — video description

You’ve probably heard talk about how queer people are inherently magical or spiritual, sent by God to change society. Well, it’s all true and Myylo is no exception. This song grapples, deftly, with classic questions of theodicy, and echoes many themes in the faithful tradition of lamentation (like the book of Lamentations, many psalms, and most of the prophets).

I don’t know Jesus Christ, maybe it’s hard being alive.
You gotta pay bills and rent, and then one day your parents are dead.
People say, “We’re ok” but we’re really not ok.
I don’t know, what the fuck! Being born kinda sucks.

The speaker of the song tells of the harsh conditions that we all live in, and has expectations of something better. They expect God (here, Jesus Myylo) to be aware of our suffering, and they express frustration at God’s lack of awareness. They even go so far as to become an instructor to God, using both direct explanation and invitation for God to do some self-directed learning (“Dude, look around”).

And these complaints before God (both in the song and for us) are not mere quibbles. We are suffering now. We are frustrated now. We feel lost now. The speaker expresses just how high the stakes are: grief like this threatens one’s life.

Hey, am I a pessimist? because I’m pissed off!
Contemplatin’ hurting myself, inhaling exhaust.
No one ever told me I would feel this lost.

The unsaid theme here is that the speaker, and we ourselves, beg desire demand that God would hear our complaints and then do something about it. The messiness of our lives is often too big for one person to address by oneself, so we need God to fix it. And step on it!

May God hear us and act quickly. #GoodLordSaveUs

And now for some Good News

First, we have the image of God welcoming and gathering those pathologized and those marginalized for femininity. Then the assertion that the speaker will, in the next life, also be gathered in to heaven, a return to home.

The speaker describes a heavenly scene: lesbians feasting, those stricken with illness (presumably HIV, once called the “gay plague”) now dancing, and all of them sharing in joy with the saints.

Those of you who paid attention in Lutheran catechism will know that we are all saints, so the scene of heavenly abundance, restoration, and joy is inclusive of all people.

The song is an assurance that, despite what decades of conservative fundamentalist old white men have decried, indeed God is for gays, and for all queer people. God is on our side, and all the promises that God made to her people are made to her queer people, too.

All gays go to heaven.
All gays go to heaven.
All gays go to heaven.
All gays go to heaven.

God loves you dearly.

And so do I.

Now go and support this amazing artist. myylo.com