JOE DECLARES "I'M NOT GAY"

It seems that Joe Dolan has hardly been out of the news in the build up to the release of his new album 21^st Century Joe, but this week he's had to come out and declare he's not gay. The veteran showband entertainer who's found a whole new lease of life since he started recording and performing contemporary hits was sufficiently outraged to declare, "it's a load of old rubbish."

The singer claimed the allegations are nothing but professional jealousy. "Whoever is saying these things is trying to pull me down. If people are saying that, I think that's just jealousy. They're probably just people in showbiz who are doing nothing anyway and they can't figure out why I'm doing the business I'm doing.

That's basically what it's at, it's a bunch of jealousy out there. I'm a straight, straight guy and if I wasn't I wouldn't have any qualms about it.

But I'm not. I'm a straight guy. People can say what they want. They are going to say those kinds of things anyhow, but I was never in any closet to come out of, so that's all there is to it."

Speaking of the future, Joe went on to say, "when I decide to retire I'm not going to sit at home saying I remember when I was doing the showbands and I remember when I was singing in such and such a dance hall. All that stuff is over. The future is always better than the present. That's the real Joe Dolan."

When asked about marriage, the eternal bachelor declared, "I am going to marry. I've been too busy to marry before but we've had a wonderful life and things are cool.

When I do get married I won't be getting married in secret. It'll be a hell of a bash. It won't be a secret wedding. I wouldn't do it in secret. Its not going to happen tomorrow. It's very possible in the next few years."

So who is the Irish entertainer Joe refers to when he speaks of professional jealousy? A few months ago there was an interview carried in an Irish music publication, Hot Press, with another showband star of the 60s, which seemed to suggest that Joe was gay. However, Joe was not named, though the inference could be drawn that Joe was the person being discussed. Given that neither that person, nor Joe, has named the other, it would probably be unfair of us to name names at this stage, but it some how seems likely that this story is far from over.
This article appeared in the Irish Music Newsletter