One recent Thursday night, after watching NBC's
"must-see" lineup, I drifted off to sleep on my couch and
suddenly found myself surrounded by all the people I've ever met
who expressed dissatisfaction with the gay and lesbian images on
television. They were all talking at once, complaining about how ABC canceled Ellen and how a certain unnamed medical show was homophobic and
how Bill Brochtrup never got laid. I raised my hand, and the endless
crowd fell silent, and these words poured from my mouth:
Suddenly, in that hallowed land
Where TV shows are made
A brand-new kind of family
Has stepped out from the shade
Into the spotlight of media hype
And rightfully seized their place:
That funny and loving and touchingly true
Family of "Will & Grace."
Isn't this what we always wanted?
Isn't this what we were after?
This is the way the world is changed
Not with a bang, but with laughter.
Ellen may have blazed the trail
Without her, would "gaytime" TV
Ever have landed on Thursday night?
and gutsy, this "must-see" for me.
But let history record this one true fact:
It really wasn't until
Mutchnick and Kohan (and Burrows et al.)
Gave us the grace and will
To make TV finally find a place
For a family sharp-witted and true
It was Jack and Karen and G'race and Will
Who finally, fiercely broke through.
Isn't this what we always wanted?
Isn't this what we were after?
This is the way the world is changed
Not with a bang, but with laughter.
Now, Karen may booze it up a bit
And Jack puts the "q" into "queen"
But I marvel each week at how well they fit
Together and with folks that I've seen
All of my life (and all over the world!)
They've transcended the stereotype;
Two gay friends at the heart of a show!
Getting better amid all the hype.
My brothers laugh, my mother cries
They are touched by these people -- this show
Knows what it's doing and what it's about
And we bask in each episode's glow.
So join me in singing this song of salute
(The whole crew deserves out embrance)
For they've done what no one has ever done
Our heroes at "Will & Grace."
Isn't this what we always wanted?
Isn't this what we were after?
This is the way the world is changed
Not with a bang, but with laughter.
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