Stories from Our Cherished Fans
Guys, I first heard of you while in college to become a music teacher. It was in the late 80’s and I was oh so closeted. I was out to a friend who did not fear being out.
He encouraged me to attend a concert where you both spoke about the importance of being out. How people need to know gay people or we are just stereotypes from the tv at the time that has us as comic relief and mentally unstable.
You also were sympathetic to teachers who may not have the ability to come out for fear of losing our careers.
I saw you several times and wanted to be more out each time. I was outed by a friend to my other friends and was devastated. I soon adapted and was glad to be out. Most of this was because of your music.
Then I got a job at an art school that had many gay staff and students. I took my boy friend to the prom at this school and ended up marrying him.
We now are retired and living together as a family. (Love is all it takes to make a family??)
Thank you for being with me along my entire journey from scared closet case to proud out man who helps others along their journeys.
You made a difference in so many lives. That is your legacy.
Thank you!
Steven M. Mayo, M.Ed
Romanovsky & Phillips was very important to my coming out. Seeing you and Ron perform in 1990 (in DC, I think at George Washington University) was one of the most joyous experiences of my queer youth.
I have definitely found joy and love in my life, and it all began back in the days when I was listening to your music. You helped me understand that being gay could mean humor and community and courage, not silence and bullying and exclusion. I’ve gone on to share that message with countless students and callers to the Trevor Project, where I’ve volunteered for years.
Thank you.
Michael S.
Romanovsky and Phillips: What their music means to me
I was about 14 or 15 years old when I first started waking up after having wet dreams about my best friend Lucas. As a male, this was very concerning to me and it worried me about the possibility that I might be gay. I called the United Way, and asked if they offered any support groups for homosexuality and I was referred to a gay psychotherapist who specialized in issues around sexuality and sexual orientation.
It was though my connection with him that I learned that what I was experiencing was normal, and that it was okay. He gave me the tools to better understand what I was feeling and to communicate with others about it. I was able to meet other young people who were like me, and it was through those first crucial social connections that I immersed myself in the up until then unknown world of gay culture, first and foremost being the music of Romanovsky and Phillips!
It was incredible and existentially validating to hear such thoughtful and entertaining music that I could really relate to, to such an extent that much of my identify was affirmed through knowing that there is a whole world of gay people out there, and they are really wonderful, cool, and I am one of them.
So many of the songs were hysterically funny to me, catchy, and I quickly learned all the words. My friends and I would drive around in the car, singing the music together- they are fun to sing! Some of the songs were more serious, and I felt in my heart the travesty of injustice and inequity that is inherent in the experiences
of LGBTQ people.
It was therapeutic for me to able to have an outlet to explore and reflect on such complicated themes, during my adolescent and young adult years.
I live on Cape Cod; in the event you are ever able to travel east and visit Provincetown please let me know- even if you don’t perform. I hope Ron and Paul continue to make music- together or separately. I am 44 years old now, and I remain to this day one of your super fans, and I can’t express to you how meaningful of an impact you both have had on my life.
With appreciation,
Mike M
Cape Cod
We have a second page of kind words.
Fans are encouraged to add their memories via email to randpstories at gmail dot com. By using this email address you are authorizing us to publish your message here or elsewhere.