White Shirts?

Some time ago, back in the innocent days when we all thought internet anonymity was a thing, I ran a website called handelismygod under a pseudonym. It was great fun but for reasons I’ll go into another time I had to give it up. I’ve missed it, and my fictional identity the opera adventuress Purity McCall, very much.  Especially as it gave me a chance to exercise my twin passions for opera and white shirts. “What’s with the white shirt thing?” you may, or may not, ask. Well Purity offered an explanation ‘back in the day’ (“I have no idea what you are saying young lady” sighs Purity). It went something like this:

I could offer you a complex and closely argued philosophical treatise on this question, dear reader. I would like to, but I can’t. To be perfectly frank I am too busy looking for photographs of my favourite singers wearing white shirts. Yes, sadly, it’s true. White shirts love beautiful music. We love women. We love women singing beautiful music (especially when said women are pretending to be men). And most of all – we love women singing beautiful music whilst pretending to be men wearing white shirts.

So that’s it! Our patron Saint is Christof Loy, opera director of distinction and purveyor of fine white shirts to the opera masses*. Our Empress is Vesselina Kasarova, magnificent mezzo mistress of the white shirt on stage. Needless to say neither of them actually knows this 🙂 So if you are “kinda queer” (however you interpret that; we are a discrimination free group) and you love opera, look for “Officially White Shirt Friendly” Sites. Some of us know a thing of two about music (not me, obviously). All of us know a thing or two about white shirts.

* PS If you get the reference to Desperate Remedies, the greatest film ever to come out of New Zealand, then… well, I’m not surprised you’ve found your way here!