It originated from the acceptance of gayness as effeminacy. Gay people are nothing besides their gayness. The extreme closeness of their friendship is occasionally mistaken for gayness. He was a somewhat tortured concert pianist with overtones of gayness. He is always talking about "gayness" and threatens to "Bum you!", meaning having anal sex. Vaccaro and Ludlam had different attitudes toward gayness and the theater. In the 1980s, Musto did nightlife-related segments for MTV, where his un-self-conscious gayness seemed radical. For Vaccaro, gayness was one theme among many that he used.