He seems to be using the term "gay" to indicate a man who isn't interested in women, as in "Just look the other way...and pretend you find women attractive."

Wow, who says gay men don't get off on women? That's such a stereotype! Gays are just as attracted to women as straights.

Boycott!

I saw queens of the stone age open for nine inch nails last november and they were awful. In between each song the lead singer would spout off on these horrible drunken tangents. At one point he said "IS EVERYONE HERE READY TO GET WASTED? I'M SO WASTED!"

Uh, they don't serve alcohol at the key arena, jackass.

This "Jennifer" sounds like a parody.

Aaand yeah, looking back on it, it's hilarious. Whoever did this is brilliant.

It's not necessarily homophobic, it's more likely stoner humor. Stupid, yes, but more Bevis and Butthead than genuine Cro-Mag. Viva Feminista!

Matt,
They do serve alcohol at KeyArena. This state's ridiculously stringent liqour laws prohibit booze from being taken into a "dark house." That is what you experienced at the NIN/QOTSA show.

And, for what it's worth, NIN did not give QOTSA a sound check at the early dates on that tour. It was an enormous point of contention for QOTSA and it affected their performance.

Regarding the "gay" comment, I agree that it is more stupid than homophobic and not boycott material.

A reader named Oscar posted this in Line Out: "Sorry, but homophobic propaganda? I don't think so. Using 'gay' as a dumb high-school type insult? Yes.And there's this:The band's name is intended to tweak the noses of the homophobic rednecks he used to see at K yuss concerts. 'It’ll be interesting if they can say the name ‘Queens of the Stone Age’ to their friends,' he smiles."

That jock-taunting quote is heartening, and makes me think Homme's comment might be a classic case of ironic comedy gone wrong. Then my internal devil's advocate wonders if we'd be as cool with it if Homme had dropped the word nigger; then my internal devil's prosecuting attorney reminds me that homosexuals were never forced into slavery, and "gay" isn't close to being comparable to the mother of all slurs. (It's comparable to "African-American," no matter what Ken Hutcherson shits from his mouth.) Then I feel like an asshole for trying to quantify suffering and the relative offensiveness of hate speech.

Anyway, rock on, and be careful with those gay/Jew/tard jokes. Context is everything, and if a joke flops, it's your fault.

No need to be careful. Just stick w/ one simple rule. If you're not a gay, a jew, or a tard, don't make gay/jew/tard jokes. Your internal devil's advocate will thank you.

If you're not a gay, a jew, or a tard, don't make gay/jew/tard jokes.

There go the careers of half the world's comedians…

In the words of Patton Oswalt:

"There have to be gay retards, right?"

Anyway, I think QOTSA is a great band, and Josh Homme might be kind of a meathead, but I don't believe he harbors any serious anti-gay feelings. I thought they played pretty well at the NIN show, but the lack of a soundcheck was apparent.

Talk about an overreaction. This is the same use of the word gay that Savage Love touched on a few months ago, it doesn't really mean gay and it isn't meant to be homophobic. When they tell them to look the other way, they mean not be such a stickler for the rules. Gay in this instance is meant to mean lame and many people, gay and straight alike, use it in their daily venacular.

I heard there were no Magnetic Fields songs on Josh Homme's iPod. BOYCOTT!

PS
QOTSA had more testosterone in their little fingers than every other band on Sunday had in their entire bodies combined. It's all anyone could talk about backstage. They were great. Great!

QOTSA had more testosterone in their little fingers than every other band on Sunday had in their entire bodies combined.

You must have missed Jamie Lidell.

Maybe he didn't experience Jamie Lidell's little finger. ;)

--"QOTSA had more testosterone in their little fingers than every other band on Sunday had in their entire bodies combined. It's all anyone could talk about backstage. They were great. Great!"--

I have never been a QOTSA fan but would have to agree that their set was one of the evenings highlights. (Ben Gibbard of Death Cab even commented that following QOTSA made them feel like wimps.) I did cringe when I heard the "gay" comment. Poor choice of words and as a slur it's become sort of LAME.