Thanks to RUclips we can watch this 45 year old video and see how well Lance would fit in in our current society. Imagine someone watching you 40 or 50 years from now and finally getting you.
The first thing I noticed the first time I watched this was how can a person in the early 70s (1974) can look like a person in 1984 in term of hairstyle and fashion? He was unique!!!! RIP
He sure was a flamboyant, fragile and funny character, but also very human, honest and good-hearted. And, as others also have pointed out, well ahead of his time - on many counts, not just fashion-wise.
He was very ahead of his time. But maybe he was also aware of that he was affeminate and mannered enough already to wear that long hair. Look at his brothersin the interview-- now we would say all they were totally gay in all the look. Those trousers, flower-children colours....
I will always miss Lance Loud even though I never had the opportunity to meet him. He was so funny and bright, and his premature death from HIV related causes was an unfortunate tragedy, and just a huge loss. I wish there was a Lance Loud channel that I could tune into whenever I needed a boost. He was a pioneer, ahead of his time and in my opinion“An American Family “ was the best reality television show ever made. All of his critics here can kiss my grits! If you never saw him in anything but this interview, you basically don’t know what you’re talking about.
Aw wow he’s such a great personality Dan he was ahead of his time he seems like extremely intelligent. I just found out about this , dam he should have came out on the show lol … that would’ve been a lot for him though . But yeah can’t believe I never heard of this family like the drama.. it’s more crazy than the Kardashians to me cuz it was in a different time and I feel like this is almost more dangerous and out there . Love this guy good looking too.
+edukder I remember reading something I think Lance's dad said about someone in the neighborhood outing Lance before he was ready who went on to be a famous actor. Any idea who that was? Having heard often how lovely Lance was that someone would have done that to him seems particularly cruel.
I had no clue Lance was gay and I never really saw him much after Howard School. Another friend of mine from Santa Barbara days was Craig Wolf-and he later came out as gay-but back then, I wonder if he even really knew it. We were still so innocent.
edukder I graduated in '79, always knew something was different about a good friend of mine but didn't really know what. I was from San Bernardino. Thanks for your response. I think I have an idea who Bill was talking about but I don't name names without being sure.
edukder My old mum will be ONE HUNDRED in a couple of months and still lives in the house my dad bought them heading out of town toward Fontana. They moved there during WW2 when the armed forces said my dad would be of more use in military industrial development at home than fighting. When the war finished he went back to working as a musician but they stayed in the area. I went to school in Detroit after graduation and remained there until my retirement.
I think he was incredibly brave to come out only 4 years after Stonewall, but given his personality it seems as if he wouldn't have done it differently. He was an open book and, in those days, that was admirable. Most people hid who they were.
Not really. By 1973, society had become much more open and free. In fact,it was much more open and free for many more people than society would be now.
@@unfortunatebeam Just where do you get your information on gay history from? Your assertion couldn’t be further off from the truth than if you were headed for California and ended up in Texas! .
@@unfortunatebeam Utter nonsense. More open and free in some regards, but still oppressive in others. In 1973 in most parts of the U.S. it wasn’t safe for most gay people to be open about who they were. They risked family and social rejection and lack of employment, not to mention violence and even arrest by law enforcement. And America still had Anita Bryant and Jerry Falwell to contend with within the ensuing years. It was probably marginally better than the 1950s but it sure wasn’t “open and free.”
@Gisselle ST Yes true, “Flamboyant doesn’t always mean gay.” but there is such a high correlation of Flamboyant men with homosexuality that it would be idiotic to ignore it. Why is my strong suspicion that he was homosexual prior to his announcement “homophobia” ? How is having a strong suspicion that Lance was a homosexual a fear of homosexuality? Your comment is typical of those who are so politically correct that they don’t think about what they are saying.
michaelterry1000 it’s not a high correlation, it’s a stereotype. So many gay guys are butch, and plenty of straight men are “flamboyant”. I mean, David Lee Roth is about the most flamboyant guy as I can think of, and he is pretty straight as far as I know.
I remember watching this series every week without fail. Lance Loud acted like he was the centre of the universe. He was probably right. His brothers and sisters were interesting as well, but they didn’t have a chance when Lance was in the room. In it’s day An American Family was pretty compelling television.
As a 14-year-old, straight but quirky kid I was captivated by Lance Loud on "An American Family." So cute, funny, and creative. I suddenly thought about him the other night and learned he was part of the punk/new wave band The Mumps, which I had forgotten. Just went and listened to some songs -- so Lance!
I think Lance was one of the happiest people I ever met. He even looked at his dying as a new adventure. He was a wonderful man who I loved as my friend!
I never thought of that before but it totally is true! Little Edie and Lance are both my favorite “verite” characters and I only wish they had been able to star in their own TV shows. A TV show with Lance AND Little Edie would have been the best show ever!
He's so adorable! Funny and sexy. He's timeless and this just proves that his mortal soul may not be among us however he is definitely immortal! LANCE LIVES!
When I was 16 I read a review about this series and learned the term "gay" about Lance Loud and I thought wow, this handsome young man is open about his sexuality and no one has arrested him or had him locked away in the looney bin for "treatment". A lot of young people took courage from him, he probably saved a lot of kids from suicide, people who thought they were the only ones like this on the planet. He's open about it and people are not booing him off the stage, wow!
Joe Dollinter Don't believe that back in the early 80's that people went around arresting or trying to put "gay" people in looney bins! I knew and hung out with many gay people, who didn't get arrested! I can say that, they were all very confused, because unfortunately back then, there wasn't counselor who understood it!
Yeah. It's amazing. Can't believe this was '74! He looks straight out of Desperately Seeking Susan. Instead of Cavitt, I keep thinking he's on David Letterman! I picture Madonna to come on any minute.
I grew up in the 70s and there are a LOT of fashions and styles from that decade that are not known today. Way more varied than is remembered, and much of it would be what today is called streetwear. And of course the coolest stuff had an urban origin: for example the military thrift shop look of the mid 70s. And as far as disco: that polyester stuff was worn in the mainstream places because they had dress codes, in the trendier clubs almost anything went - as long as it looked great.
The full 1973 New York Times article that Lance is referring to on the show is still on the NYTimes official website, where the writer, Anne Roiphe, called Lance "an electric eel," "an evil flower" and a "Goyaesque emotional dwarf" among other homophobic tirades. She (the writer) has never apologized. You can read the full article here... www.nytimes.com/1973/02/18/archives/things-are-keen-but-could-be-keener-an-american-family-an-american.html
Pepper Wolf I keep reading about this person. Confident, a little too full of himself, but a very capable solid person who liked life very much. Unlike ME who only met the worst people living in GOD DAMN FUCKING NEW JERSEY!!
I'm not a baby boomer so I wasn't alive around then but for 1973 Lance's unapologetic and cheery demeaner as an openly gay man on national television seems really ahead of it's time. Consider the 1983 tv show Cheers, episodes that were considered 'controversial' because they subtly showed even the slightest acceptance of gay people in their show. Here we are decades later and times really have changed, we're not yet where we need to be, but we're certainly headed in the right direction.
Lance Loud, RIP and thank you. Unfortunately he has become a forgotten trailblazer in gay 'history'. The show about his family was an intellects 'Kardashians'. My mother watched it religiously, as did many of our neighbors and friends in Georgetown. My best buddy's family abruptly stopped watching it and their son and I couldn't understand why. A few years later we figured it out in bed together. (LOL) I think they 'knew' my friend was gay, and it might empower him to come out. In that era, in political charged Georgetown, coming out was something you just didn't do. In fact in many ways it's not that better today.
He liked to camp it up. Take note of his pink socks. I remember when the documentary about the Loud family initially aired on TV. My favorite was his sister who later did a tropical isle dance at a recital. She always turned me on.
I met Lance and Pat separately in New York in the late seventies. Lance was handsome and sophisticated and nice and Pat was a great lady and Lance's life was just too short.
I am really impressed that you got to meet both of them separately. I’m actually jealous too! Pat was really a class act and Lance sadly left this world way too prematurely and that was the world’s loss.
I was watching the TV quiz show 'Only Connect', and, for reasons I needn't go into, one of the rounds required you to come up with a singer or musician whose surname contained only the consecutive vowels 'ou'...I dredged my brain and had a distant memory of reading the NME in the 70's and seeing references to 'Lance Loud and the Mumps'. I wasn't sure they'd even been an actual group, hence a bit of research, which led me here. Incidentally, 'Only Connect' came up with 'David Soul'...
Lance, what a honey. Just want to give him a squeeze and a big fat MWAH! Too tragic he's gone. And macho man, father Bill, accepted and appreciated his son for the wonderful person he truly was. Lance was in a very large family, but clearly he was THE STAR!
This is absolutely amazing, what an amazing person, young genius. Without even trying he reminds me of Iggy pop. I think it's a safe bet to say Iggy copped a few Lance Loudisms?
his mannerism is different from the tim he was on american family. i watched several episodes...and he wasn't as effeminate as he is here...not in a negative way.
@6bobloblaw9 ITA! It's like a totally different person. Did he exaggerate himself so much because he saw that it was a successful formula, so he went crazy with it?
@ramboram03 Just a few last comments on this: There WAS a large gap in the 70's between mainstream & what looked good - communication was primitive compared to today's technology; times were not good economically (not that they're good at the moment), and because so much had never been seen before, there were issues with interpretation - some got it right, many people didn't & retailers were often no help at all.
Thanks to RUclips we can watch this 45 year old video and see how well Lance would fit in in our current society. Imagine someone watching you 40 or 50 years from now and finally getting you.
The first thing I noticed the first time I watched this was how can a person in the early 70s (1974) can look like a person in 1984 in term of hairstyle and fashion? He was unique!!!! RIP
I literally just said the same thing!
me too...he looks mid 1980s
Considering the era, his honesty is so refreshing. I don't think he could have imagined how much of a trailblazer he really was.
He sure was a flamboyant, fragile and funny character, but also very human, honest and good-hearted. And, as others also have pointed out, well ahead of his time - on many counts, not just fashion-wise.
I can't believe that this is the 70s: his hairstyle and fashion is 1980s!
He was very ahead of his time. But maybe he was also aware of that he was affeminate and mannered enough already to wear that long hair. Look at his brothersin the interview-- now we would say all they were totally gay in all the look. Those trousers, flower-children colours....
I was in high school in the 70s. That was a hair style of the that time. Many males in my school had that same hair style.
@@timhuggins7069 wrong.
@@Yobbie72 I lived it bud. That was a common cut in the 70s.
Time tends to work like that
I will always miss Lance Loud even though I never had the opportunity to meet him. He was so funny and bright, and his premature death from HIV related causes was an unfortunate tragedy, and just a huge loss. I wish there was a Lance Loud channel that I could tune into whenever I needed a boost. He was a pioneer, ahead of his time and in my opinion“An American Family “ was the best reality television show ever made. All of his critics here can kiss my grits! If you never saw him in anything but this interview, you basically don’t know what you’re talking about.
Aw wow he’s such a great personality Dan he was ahead of his time he seems like extremely intelligent. I just found out about this , dam he should have came out on the show lol … that would’ve been a lot for him though . But yeah can’t believe I never heard of this family like the drama.. it’s more crazy than the Kardashians to me cuz it was in a different time and I feel like this is almost more dangerous and out there . Love this guy good looking too.
"I took two aspirin and it was gone"
gets me every time.
He was just way too intelligent and creative for his surroundings and the era. What a bright light and so fun to listen to.
I went to school with Lance and he was a different kind of a person even then. He was a nice person and ahead of his time.
+edukder
I remember reading something I think Lance's dad said about someone in the neighborhood outing Lance before he was ready who went on to be a famous actor.
Any idea who that was?
Having heard often how lovely Lance was that someone would have done that to him seems particularly cruel.
I had no clue Lance was gay and I never really saw him much after Howard School. Another friend of mine from Santa Barbara days was Craig Wolf-and he later came out as gay-but back then, I wonder if he even really knew it. We were still so innocent.
edukder
I graduated in '79, always knew something was different about a good friend of mine but didn't really know what.
I was from San Bernardino.
Thanks for your response. I think I have an idea who Bill was talking about but I don't name names without being sure.
San Bernardino? lol! I lived on Marshall Street and went to Marshall elementary. I was class of 1969. What a small world!
edukder
My old mum will be ONE HUNDRED in a couple of months and still lives in the house my dad bought them heading out of town toward Fontana.
They moved there during WW2 when the armed forces said my dad would be of more use in military industrial development at home than fighting.
When the war finished he went back to working as a musician but they stayed in the area.
I went to school in Detroit after graduation and remained there until my retirement.
"That was the only one that really hurt me but I took two aspirin and it was gone." Best comeback I've ever heard in my life,
LOL, I looked this up trying to see what the first reality show was like.
@@JustinJayC lol same
I think he was incredibly brave to come out only 4 years after Stonewall, but given his personality it seems as if he wouldn't have done it differently. He was an open book and, in those days, that was admirable. Most people hid who they were.
Not really. By 1973, society had become much more open and free. In fact,it was much more open and free for many more people than society would be now.
@@unfortunatebeam Just where do you get your information on gay history from? Your assertion couldn’t be further off from the truth than if you were headed for California and ended up in Texas! .
@@serenawilliams6138 from knowing history, try it sometime
@@unfortunatebeam Utter nonsense. More open and free in some regards, but still oppressive in others. In 1973 in most parts of the U.S. it wasn’t safe for most gay people to be open about who they were. They risked family and social rejection and lack of employment, not to mention violence and even arrest by law enforcement. And America still had Anita Bryant and Jerry Falwell to contend with within the ensuing years. It was probably marginally better than the 1950s but it sure wasn’t “open and free.”
I remember watching this series on PBS Channel 13, in NYC... 1973-74 ?
Amazing. It was a shock when this man announced that he was gay?
The shock to me is that there are people who would think that he was straight.
🤣
At that time 99% of America actually believed that Liberace was straight.
Maybe it was just shocking to see somebody announce it so publicly, regardless of how obvious the proclamation is.
@Gisselle ST Yes true, “Flamboyant doesn’t always mean gay.” but there is such a high correlation of Flamboyant men with homosexuality that it would be idiotic to ignore it.
Why is my strong suspicion that he was homosexual prior to his announcement “homophobia” ?
How is having a strong suspicion that Lance was a homosexual a fear of homosexuality?
Your comment is typical of those who are so politically correct that they don’t think about what they are saying.
michaelterry1000 it’s not a high correlation, it’s a stereotype. So many gay guys are butch, and plenty of straight men are “flamboyant”. I mean, David Lee Roth is about the most flamboyant guy as I can think of, and he is pretty straight as far as I know.
I love you Lance. you are so missed so refreshing. so fun. so honest
I remember watching this series every week without fail. Lance Loud acted like he was the centre of the universe. He was probably right. His brothers and sisters were interesting as well, but they didn’t have a chance when Lance was in the room. In it’s day An American Family was pretty compelling television.
Americas 1st and true reality t.v. series.
As a 14-year-old, straight but quirky kid I was captivated by Lance Loud on "An American Family." So cute, funny, and creative. I suddenly thought about him the other night and learned he was part of the punk/new wave band The Mumps, which I had forgotten. Just went and listened to some songs -- so Lance!
I think Lance was one of the happiest people I ever met. He even looked at his dying as a new adventure. He was a wonderful man who I loved as my friend!
His father just died in July 2018!! He was almost 100 !!!
Holy shit, he is the male version of Lil Edie Beale/ Grey Gardens - Amazing guy
I never thought of that before but it totally is true! Little Edie and Lance are both my favorite “verite” characters and I only wish they had been able to star in their own TV shows. A TV show with Lance AND Little Edie would have been the best show ever!
So true!!!
He's so adorable! Funny and sexy. He's timeless and this just proves that his mortal soul may not be among us however he is definitely immortal! LANCE LIVES!
When I was 16 I read a review about this series and learned the term "gay" about Lance Loud and I thought wow, this handsome young man is open about his sexuality and no one has arrested him or had him locked away in the looney bin for "treatment". A lot of young people took courage from him, he probably saved a lot of kids from suicide, people who thought they were the only ones like this on the planet. He's open about it and people are not booing him off the stage, wow!
Joe Dollinter Don't believe that back in the early 80's that people went around arresting or trying to put "gay" people in looney bins! I knew and hung out with many gay people, who didn't get arrested!
I can say that, they were all very confused, because unfortunately back then, there wasn't counselor who understood it!
Even in the 60s they wouldn’t get locked up and put in institutions. That was mostly in the 50s.
His appearance and mannerism remind me a lot of Jim J. Bullock.
I watched all the episodes of An American Family on PBS. In '71 things were really different still. He was great in the series and added a lot.
everyone's favorite older brother. Handsome kids in that family
He was just being his real self....
He was really interesting and painfully self aware it would appear from just this brief clip.
Rest in peace brother man
Wearing 80s clothes 10 years ahead of the time...
Yeah. It's amazing. Can't believe this was '74! He looks straight out of Desperately Seeking Susan. Instead of Cavitt, I keep thinking he's on David Letterman! I picture Madonna to come on any minute.
I grew up in the 70s and there are a LOT of fashions and styles from that decade that are not known today. Way more varied than is remembered, and much of it would be what today is called streetwear. And of course the coolest stuff had an urban origin: for example the military thrift shop look of the mid 70s. And as far as disco: that polyester stuff was worn in the mainstream places because they had dress codes, in the trendier clubs almost anything went - as long as it looked great.
Lance’s shirt might have been vintage at the time because the collar was small. Collars were big in 73/74 - look at Dick Cavett’s shiryn
Lance was truly amazing. He had more personality than anyone else I can think of today. What a joyous soul. I wish I had known him.
The full 1973 New York Times article that Lance is referring to on the show is still on the NYTimes official website, where the writer, Anne Roiphe, called Lance "an electric eel," "an evil flower" and a "Goyaesque emotional dwarf" among other homophobic tirades. She (the writer) has never apologized. You can read the full article here... www.nytimes.com/1973/02/18/archives/things-are-keen-but-could-be-keener-an-american-family-an-american.html
I met Lance several years ago and he was one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He also wanted to sleep with me! RIP Lance you were a great person!
I wish I could have met him. He wouldn’t have wanted to sleep with me, but I would have loved to hang out with him!
Absolutely beautiful person inside and out!💖
Pepper Wolf I keep reading about this person. Confident, a little too full of himself, but a very capable solid person who liked life very much. Unlike ME who only met the worst people living in GOD DAMN FUCKING NEW JERSEY!!
WOW. not What I was expecting, but a great interview! and Lance Loud actually impressed me. enough to learn more.
Lance didn't act camp! That was the way he was!
I love all the sly innuendoes he keeps dropping.
Rest In Peace Lance
he had quite a sparkle and charisma -really ahead of his time in a way.wish i could have known him too
I'm not a baby boomer so I wasn't alive around then but for 1973 Lance's unapologetic and cheery demeaner as an openly gay man on national television seems really ahead of it's time. Consider the 1983 tv show Cheers, episodes that were considered 'controversial' because they subtly showed even the slightest acceptance of gay people in their show. Here we are decades later and times really have changed, we're not yet where we need to be, but we're certainly headed in the right direction.
You are totally on the mark.
Several generations were here in 1973 but that's the GenX era(late 60s- late 70s) lol
I miss him on earth
Lance was Lance, He knew he was fem but he was always himself unlike a lot of gay guys. RIP Lance!
I knew Lance from the Hollywood Y. He was a nice person.
I just caught the "Blondie, Dagwood" joke, nice!
I love the way Cavett plays along.
Lance Loud, RIP and thank you. Unfortunately he has become a forgotten trailblazer in gay 'history'. The show about his family was an intellects 'Kardashians'. My mother watched it religiously, as did many of our neighbors and friends in Georgetown. My best buddy's family abruptly stopped watching it and their son and I couldn't understand why. A few years later we figured it out in bed together. (LOL) I think they 'knew' my friend was gay, and it might empower him to come out. In that era, in political charged Georgetown, coming out was something you just didn't do. In fact in many ways it's not that better today.
He liked to camp it up. Take note of his pink socks. I remember when the documentary about the Loud family initially aired on TV. My favorite was his sister who later did a tropical isle dance at a recital. She always turned me on.
Wow, pink socks. How...."camp" * cough cough *
I think he over did it. Almost stereotypical. He is annoying.
So amazing..wish we could have been friends....
One of a kind!
charming kid then. He actually stole the Am.Fam. show....totally.
In loved the Mumps. Go Lance.
I met Lance and Pat separately in New York in the late seventies. Lance was handsome and sophisticated and nice and Pat was a great lady and Lance's life was just too short.
I am really impressed that you got to meet both of them separately. I’m actually jealous too! Pat was really a class act and Lance sadly left this world way too prematurely and that was the world’s loss.
Poor Dick. Lance's campy humor just goes right over his head.
Not at all. He was in on it.
I thought he was going to fly out of the STUDIO.
I think he was pretty awesome and yes, the LBGTQ community owe a lot to people like him. Thanks Lance!
He is gorgeous
@rydizzleism Agreed. I'm straight, but I loved him and the show. It's on tonight in fact. Wish he'd lived and been healthy.
Where can we see the entire series?
The guy who played him in the film (Thomas Dekker) was spot on.
ahead of his time
He was a good looking man.
RIP
this may be the first reality show.
The View brought me here. Lance is adorable!
I was watching the TV quiz show 'Only Connect', and, for reasons I needn't go into, one of the rounds required you to come up with a singer or musician whose surname contained only the consecutive vowels 'ou'...I dredged my brain and had a distant memory of reading the NME in the 70's and seeing references to 'Lance Loud and the Mumps'. I wasn't sure they'd even been an actual group, hence a bit of research, which led me here. Incidentally, 'Only Connect' came up with 'David Soul'...
so personable and approachable
Lance, what a honey. Just want to give him a squeeze and a big fat MWAH! Too tragic he's gone. And macho man, father Bill, accepted and appreciated his son for the wonderful person he truly was. Lance was in a very large family, but clearly he was THE STAR!
I thought this was from the early 80s , he is dressed liked its 1979-82,
he was way ahead in terms of his fashion
He was such a cute guy.
Oh my heavens. First in the family to pass away, too.
Loaded up with AIDS.
Happy birthday Lance! ❤️
So ahead of his time.
@Tanya1976 To be fair, he's pretty much 'being' on that clip. He was allowed to be who he was. That power was always with him.
Cool young dude.
He liked the series because at the end they throw all the drama with some music..Yup that's exactly what "reality" tv does today
has there ever been anything more beautiful than Lance in 1973?
Quite the character.
The kid was brilliant.
I was too young for the show - the first reality TV show. I saw it years later. Lance is dead. Check out Lance Loud & The Mumps.
Lance Loud was way before his time. RIP.
sometimes it's such a shame not being an american.
This is absolutely amazing, what an amazing person, young genius. Without even trying he reminds me of Iggy pop. I think it's a safe bet to say Iggy copped a few Lance Loudisms?
Rodney Thirteen or maybe loud copied iggy?
his mannerism is different from the tim he was on american family. i watched several episodes...and he wasn't as effeminate as he is here...not in a negative way.
I wish I could watch the series.
Lance and Lil Edie Beale (Grey Gardens) would have made great BFFs
@ramboram03 Wait, is this really 1973? I agree, he's dressed in 1980 style clothing. WAAAYYYY ahead of his time. Damn.
I agree...very sweet guy. One of a kind for sure.
How lucky you were able to know him.
@6bobloblaw9 ITA!
It's like a totally different person. Did he exaggerate himself so much because he saw that it was a successful formula, so he went crazy with it?
SOMEBODY CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT!! THERE'S A FLAMING MAN ON THE SHOW!! Haha!
@rydizzleism wow, so well said & undeniably true. this comment from a 25 y/o? so proud ;)
I liked his band though
@rydizzleism so true, it's taken me years to realize this
People look up to this guy?
@dmegill820 whats so heroic, hes just an honest guy
what gets not recorded at 11:51 ,comment after mystery?
He was quite the entertaining character. He use to say "he'd never met a man he didn't like but a few women made him nauseous!
@ramboram03 Just a few last comments on this: There WAS a large gap in the 70's between mainstream & what looked good - communication was primitive compared to today's technology; times were not good economically (not that they're good at the moment), and because so much had never been seen before, there were issues with interpretation - some got it right, many people didn't & retailers were often no help at all.
And that my friends is a flaming Queen.
and u my friends are a colossal douche bag. and good lord, were you hit with the ugly stick at birth, or what?
@peterzang I am watching the marathon now, the episode where his Mom is visiting him is on.
@Tanya1976 That may or may not be true, I don't know. But you put a finer point on it and that's a good thing.
LOVE LANCE!!!!