My Kitchens of Distinction Top 10
Kitchens of Distinction were a U.K. based Alternative Rock band from the late 80s and early 90s, whose atmospheric sound got them labeled as a Shoegaze band. While the waves of guitar distortion and the walls of sound the band could conjure up were impressive and felt very Shoegaze, the band's vocals were much more pronounced and easier to understand compared to most Shoegaze bands. Also, unlike most Shoegaze bands, Kitchens of Distinction's lyrics told stories and character sketches that made them sound a lot closer to bands like The Smiths or The Kinks rather than acts like Slowdive or My Bloody Valentine. It's what those lyrics were more specifically about though that really helped separate Kitchens of Distinction from not only their Shoegaze brethren, but any music that was being made at the turn of the 90s.
The group's lead singer, songwriter and bassist, Patrick Fitzgerald, was an openly gay man who not only spoke about his homosexuality in interviews, but he also sang about his homosexuality in explicit detail in Kitchens of Distinction's music. This was unheard of back then and even now it's still quite shocking. Most of the gay pop stars I have connected with online recently don't know who Kitchens of Distinction are, but they're blown away when I tell them just how overtly gay Kitchen of Distinction's lyrics can be. Patrick did not hold anything back when writing his songs detailing things like a first date with another man, a bad breakup up with his boyfriend, AIDS, homophobia, finding true love with another man, gay hook up culture and gay sex and he almost always uses the "he" pronoun as if it's no big deal.
Even pop stars who we knew were gay back then didn't get this explicit in the 80s and 90s. The B-52s for all their camp, overt gayness in terms of style & presentation and admitting they all fell somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum, never sang about same sex love or relationships and if they did it was so coded that no one could really detect it unless they were a diehard fan. Kitchens of Distinction on the other hand don't code anything for the most part. There's no mistaking that many of their songs are about homosexuality and sex between two men. That said Kitchens of Distinction never achieved huge success. In the U.K. they remained a cult act. In the U.S. they did score a few top 20 alternative rock hits between 1991-1992, but those hits were the ones where it wasn't as obvious that Patrick was gay. If you wanted to hear the gay stuff you still had to buy the albums for the most part.
I discovered Kitchens of Distinction after college when I started running my own online radio station called Dougystyle's Alternative. The format was Alternative Rock from 1989-1999 and I started doing deep research into the Alternative Rock chart. It was here that I first heard Drive That Fast, probably their biggest U.S. Alternative Rock hit. I was taken with the music first and foremost as it had that great Shoegaze atmosphere, but a lot more drive and forward momentum compared to their peers (besides possibly Ride.) As I began to dig deeper though I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the lead singer was gay, but then hearing the songs was a different story. I was shocked by how explicitly gay these songs were! Before Troye Sivan and Olly Alexander this was the queerest music I had ever heard in terms of lyrical content. It wasn't quite the same as Troye and Olly, because Kitchens of Distinction were a lot more underground and as I said forgotten over the years, but it nonetheless blew me away.
As I have said many times before on this blog, gay people grow up in a culture not built for us. We are conditioned to not expect our stories or points of view to be represented in the greater culture at large so we don't expect to hear music about gay relationships the way we always hear songs about hetero-normative relationships. This was the first time as a music listener that I was presented with music I never expected to hear, because I was trained to think it was not possible. Yet, here it was and this is the first time I started to realize, even if just a little, that maybe there could be music that speaks this honestly and directly about what it's like to be gay.
The best part though was even without the gay lyrics I would have loved this band anyway because they tapped into that early 90s Alternative rock sound that I love so much already. The music itself is equal parts catchy and atmospheric and that's always a good combination for me. The musicianship in Kitchens of Distinction is also phenomenal and like many Shoegaze bands they could build up a huge wall of sound that can shake you to your core. Just for their sound alone I was going to like Kitchens of the Distinction, but the fact that the group also sang about what it's like to be a gay man was the cherry on top that made me love them even more.
At the end of the day though Kitchens of Distinction will sadly be a footnote. They don't seem to get the same kind of love and accolades that their Shoegaze peers get these days such as My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Slowdive. Many Alternative rock fans, including some of the Shoegaze fans, don't know Kitchens of Distinction and most of the Queer pop stars operating at the moment have never heard of them either and that's a damn shame. Kitchens of Distinction made some of the best Alternative Rock of their time, while also blazing a trail for Queer people in music like few before them every really had. Think of Kitchens of Distinction as The Smiths, but with more atmospheric production and their lead singer Patrick owning his gayness in a way Morrisey never really has.
The band's music is easily available now through streaming sites. The group released 4 albums during their heyday between 1988 and 1994 and then had one reunion album in 2013 that went unnoticed, but showed that Patrick was just as gay as ever. If you love early 90s Alternative, The Smiths, Shoegaze or music from a Queer perspective you owe it to yourself to check these guys out immediately. As per usual I am here to help guide you through the group's discography and single out the highlights both from a musical perspective and a Queer perspective as well. Kitchens of Distinction's lyrics tell a story every time you listen to them and the music itself takes you on a journey and it's a journey well worth taking.
10. Come One Now
Come One Now is a gay love story about facing impossible odds together. The song details how hard it is to live in a culture not built for Gay people, but with the love of his man Patrick finds a way to keep going every day. Patrick also says these ideas against homosexuality are lies that should be torn down and someday they will be.
"I must keep it together
I hate to compromise
But when the felons are out feloning
He is a place to hide
And his laugh, it gets me through
Those troubled hours of men in suits
And his face, it gets a smile
Erases their skyscraper lies."
My favorite line is "And His Laugh it Gets me through." It's such a simple yet relatable detail about how when you love someone so much it's their little quirks that make you love them even more.
09. Breathing Fear
Breathing Fear deals with the horror of homophobia head on. The song starts from the point of view of a young man who is eagerly awaiting for his boyfriend to come pick him up. Yet when his boyfriend arrives, he can tell he has been beaten up by a group of men who attacked him solely because he is gay.
"But when the boy arrives, he's got a black eye,
From the lads who plague us outside.
He laughs, calls for the world to die,
Then hugs and kisses it better."
What I love about these lines is that it doesn't shy away from the horror and violence gay people have to live with every day. We always have to be on high alert and yet as awful as it is, it's the love we find from our own community that can heal us both physically and emotionally. Kitchens of Distinction wanted this to be the lead single to their 1992 album, but the record company was way too nervous and made them pick another song instead.
08. Quick as Rainbows
This is one of the few Kitchens of Distinction songs that sings about hetero-normative relationships, but that's because lead singer Patrick sings from the point of view of a woman. The woman in the song is looking for love, but seems to only encounter one night stands hence why the men in her life disappear as quick as rainbows. One of the great things about early 90s Alternative was the way it not only removed the toxic masculinity that had infected rock in the 80s, but that there were also songs about women sung from men that felt empathic and real (Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam springs to mind first.) Of course, Patrick being gay and more in tune with his femininity as a result probably made singing this song a lot easier. Naturally since this song was not gay in lyrical content, Quick s Rainbows did become one of the group's minor hits on the Alternative Rock Chart in 1991/1992.
07. Sand on Fire
While I've talked a lot about the Kitchens of Distinction's lyrics so far in this countdown it must be noted that their music is just as thrilling as well. Sand on Fire off their final album from 1994 before they broke up has a great guitar riff/guitar tone that holds the song down right from the start. That riff just brings you right back to the height of the Alternative Nation in the early to mid ‘90s, which as I have noted before was my favorite era and genre of music until Queer pop arrived in the late '10s.
06. Mad as Snow
Kitchens of Distinction can produce massive amounts of sound and distortion while still being melodic and demonstrating what great musicians they truly were. Mad as Snow might be the most epic song in their whole catalogue. Think of this song as their Stairway to Heaven where it starts softly but builds & builds until it erupts into an extended guitar solo, which creates a huge wall of sound that feels like you truly are in the middle of a snow storm. Yet, for all the power and noise this song creates, it's still melodic, beautiful and emotionally affecting. Kitchens of Distinction's music could affect you just as much as their lyrics and the musical coda to this song gives me goosebumps. Mad as Snow remains a highwater mark for the Shoegaze genre and is one of the most satisfying epics of 90s Alternative.
05. When in Heaven
When in Heaven sees the group at their poppiest in terms of the music. It has a very catchy opening that gets your toes tapping. It also doesn't seem as overtly gay at first singing about Marilyn Monroe up in heaven, but beneath its hooks and gloss this is a darker song about mortality and death. This is only fitting since this song was released around the height of the AIDS epidemic in 1992. Nonetheless since the lyrics were not as explicit as they usually were, and the music video played up the song's lightness, it ended up becoming a minor Alternative rock hit in the U.S.
04. On Tooting Broadway Station
On Tooting Broadway Station describes the moment when you know a relationship is not only over but dead. Yet, despite that you still mourn its passing and you try everything you can to move on despite how hard it is. This isn't anything new or novel for pop music, but the fact that Patrick keeps describing his ex-lover as not only a he, but his "John of Arc" because he's burning all his ex-boyfriend's clothes and belongings makes it much more engaging. At least it's more engaging for me as a gay man. Here Patrick sings about having a complete breakdown on a Tube station where he is sobbing because he is in so much pain. Yet he knows he must move on from his man when he sings:
"I will cut him out of my heart,
I will leave these tears in pools.
Tripped over these pourings, tripped over his feelings,
I've cut him out of my heart.
Burn, burn his clothes,
Burn everything he owned"
This is one of the most emotionally charged songs Kitchens of Distinction ever did and the fact that it's clearly about the end of a gay relationship and has another amazing wall of sound coda at the end just makes it that much more powerful.
03. 4 Men
Along with When in Heaven, this is the poppiest song Kitchens of Distinction ever did. In fact, this song sounds like it easily could have been recorded by The Smiths. The difference here though is that Patrick once again does not hold back describing his life as a gay man. Here Patrick sings about gay hook up culture where men are randomly picked up at gay bars for a night of meaningless sex. Yet, despite his misgivings Patrick finds he is starting to fall for a man in this bar, but he thinks he doesn't have "The Fattest chance in hell" due to not being attractive enough. To his surprise, Patrick is picked up by this man, but that just means Patrick's doubts and self-loathing go into overdrive now.
"I slip off my shirt and shoes.
Time to hate myself again
My small voice and freckled skin
Till the safety of the dark.
Oh here I'd lie between your thighs
Looking up into your eyes
Wondering if this is allowed
But fear rules me easily
It takes lust and strength
To turn to you and say
"I want you and I need you"
Eventually Patrick finally begins to relax and enjoy not just the sex, but the company of the other man who he is now falling for deeply.
"Because I want you and I'll have you,
I'll crush my arms around
Until I melt inside of you.
Oh god I want you and I need you,
I'll be your son your slave and keeper."
Yet even after all that there is still some nagging doubt at the back of Patrick's head when he finishes singing.
"There were four men in this room
Why did you have to go and pick on me?"
This is honestly one of the best songs Patrick ever wrote, because it captures the gay hook up scene and the self-loathing of gay culture with such accurate detail. We are constantly lusting after men out of league, while thinking we are never hot enough or good enough for anyone else. Plus, the fact that there is still a lot of internalized shame within most gay men since we grew up in a culture not built for us, makes for a very toxic view on relationships and hence why hook up culture is so prevalent within the gay community. This a brilliant pop song that is equal parts hooky and smart. 4 Men in completely on point from start to finish.
02. Prize
Kitchens of Distinction's debut single must have turned more than a few heads back in 1988. It starts off as just 2 people meeting at a pub for a drink. You think it's about a man and a woman until Patrick sings:
"The guilt was thin then, his hair long
Brown to match his eyes
It's none of your business what his name was
Would I even get a prize?"
There's no doubt this is about a man and they are obviously on a date a together now, yet Patrick is also not impressed with his date either when he sings.
"There's been a hundred and that's not boasting
Just the ways of this world
How dare he even ask this?"
What I love about this line is that it truly sounds like Patrick is not boasting. In fact, he sounds tired and weary as all these hook ups and quick relationships have slowly worn him down over time. These countless hook ups have also made him smarter and he's not willing to settle for less anymore when he sings
"Your glass is empty just like your heard
It's these times I don't know you
And how about you can you remember?
You shake your head and say drunk
It's a small thing why am I angry?
These words are signs of warning
Because behind them there's the implication
The pub is burning down."
Prize feels like a watershed moment for Gay visibility in music, because of how low key the lyrics are. You can easily just picture two men on a first date where one of them is starting to lose interest in the other quickly. It feels natural and real and that's what makes it so shocking, especially for its time when gay people were not treated as normal by the mainstream. Still as great as the lyrics are it's the wall of sound coda at the end that pushes Prize all the way up to #2 on this list. Kitchens of Distinction were the masters at creating guitar solos that sounded massive thanks to the production and this is maybe their best one ever. The date may not have ended well, but that wall of sound coda definitely ends things on a high note.
01. Drive That Fast
This is the song I first heard by them that caught my interest. Drive That Fast is probably the song Kitchens of Distinction is most remembered for if they are remembered at all. This became a minor hit on Alternative Rock radio in 1991, because this one does feel coded in its lyrics. It's obvious the song is about first time sex, but knowing what we know about Patrick, it's clear this is about gay sex for the first time. Patrick feels a rush of excitement yet he is still cautious.
"I would never want to take you with me
Unless you're open
And trust my hand
I would never wish this much on you
When what you have might be enough
I would never want to drive that fast
Unless you're ready, willing, happy
Take me
Away from these simple feelings
I know
There's places on the other sides of her."
Here we see Patrick letting his potential lover know that this could be a scary experience and that either way it will probably be life changing for the both of them, which is why he doesn't want to rush into the things until both of them feel comfortable and ready to do so. There's something really sweet and endearing about all this in all honestly, especially since hooking up for fast flings are so prevalent within gay culture. At the same time Patrick is done playing by the rules in a culture that is not built for him, which is why he truly wants to go the distance with his potential lover and leave this world behind. He wants his simple feelings (daydreams) to become real and he wants to make sure this is something that lasts.
The reason Drive That Fast is #1 though is because of how great the song is, especially the waves of distortion and guitar solos that erupt during the bridge and especially during the coda at the end. That closing coda where it feels like the guitars are speeding ahead at 100 miles per hour is one of the most viscerally exciting moments in all of 90s Alternative. While it's not spoken it's clear this coda represents the moment these 2 gay men finally give in to their passion for one another and the music here fast, exciting, sexy, adventurous and freeing all at once. A high point for the Shoegaze genre as a whole and one of my favorite songs of the 90s period!
