CARPENTERS IDLE RUMOURS ......

[PJ]

Read the messages on Dorothy Hamill Special topic , suddenly we took a detour re : Carpenters Sexuality Issues and Family matters .... thought I would start a new topic .....

Whenever individuals become newsworthy , famous or have loads of Fans , rumours abound , gossip multiplies etc.....

As regards Richard's personal life , when the Media attacked their wholesome image ( generated by A&M ) various sources began hinting at drink , drug and sexual issues WITHOUT ANYTHING TO SUBSTANTIATE THESE CLAIMS.

Basically if Carpenters or any of us attempted to keep our personal lives as private as possible , the Media would start their checklist : any family problems , any relationship problems , any drink , drugs , gambling issues , any kinky sexual matters , any keeping sexual preferences under cover and so on , on on on ....

I would be surprised if Richard has been married for 18 years , had five children and been living a different lifestyle all this time aside from hurting all the family ....would anyone need to do this ....?? Surely a few media girlfriends at various events etc is all that is needed , if one is desperate enough. Marriage , Children are not a requirement.....
Yes USA is less liberal in various States / Regions , but Elton John has continued a successful career , just at a less hectic and different level , which probably suits him fine after all he is 55 and recovering from Heart Surgery.

As for Family Presures driving Richard to Prescription Drug Abuse and Karen to Eating Disorders , there is too much blame on others......

Recently several Anorexics who have recovered to lead reasonably normal lives discussed all their problems and admitted it was their own feelings of inadequacy , low self -esteem coupled with some peer pressure from school days that led all of them down this route to non-eating . All paid tribute to their friends , family members etc.

Karen had a weight issue since School and went down this tragic path by herself with the added problem that she felt by controlling her weight , she would be able to control herself and this was not a problem.Too late Karen discovered Anorexia is a serious psychological disorder / illness and she had needed serious help years earlier , around 1977 -1979 to beat Anorexia......

Individuals need to be more honest and look at themselves , before passing blame on others who may just find it all too difficult to deal with .....

I doubt whether Carpenters came from a repressive family ....but it makes good copy for the Media and those who accept easy targets

Peter....looking beyond the Media.......

 

[Grainne]

i also read something about karen being 'more than just friends' with olivia newton- john. now that's funny!

as regards to karen's illness. i do think that her family enviroment added to her anorexia. her mother nerver hugged her or gave her a kiss! can you imagine that? imagine going away to tour europe & your mother doesn't hug you goodbye...? something odd about that. karen needed to feel loved & she didn't. partly her fault , partly her family's fault.

 

[testerguy35]

I agree with Grainne, here. Agnes Carpenter went out of her way to showcase her brilliant son and ignored Karen even when Karen became the superstar in the 1970s. My cousin is an anorexic and her family is messed up BIG time...in ways I can't even go into here. My cousin is the oldest of 5 kids and was like the 'little mother' for her siblings. A lot of pressure there, amongst other things. Obviously Karen had to deal with her problems, and she was starting to, but the combination of a cold, controlling, distant mother and instant stardom at the age of 20, combined with the fact that Karen didn't have other 'escape' outlets (drinking, partying, drugs) or healthy outlets, she chose to starve herself instead.
I'm not a psychologist, but if you study the Carpenters even remotely, this is all pretty obvious.
As far as Karen's sexuality? Well, anorexics become nearly asexual as their disease progresses, so towards the end, I doubt Karen was much of a sexual being at all. The lesbian rumors are just that: rumors and should be taken lightly if at all.
Steve

 

[Bruno]

Karen Carpenter starved herself to death. Ask any psychologist, and he will agree that this was slow suicide.

Now, nobody commits suicide for nothing, and any psychologist knows, that the main problems causing a serious mental illness come from family problems.

About Richard perhaps being gay:
I personally know several gay men, who got married, either because they discovered their homosexuality years after their wedding, or because they wanted to keep up a heterosexual image for professional, religious or personal reasons.

Best example for a gay man getting married for those reasons is ofcourse the German writer Thomas Mann.

By the way:
What would be so bad about Carpenters being gay?

 

[PJ]

Here we hit the tricky areas ....

As Fans we cannot claim Agnes Carpenter never hugged Karen or kissed her....we do not know ....and others have written / discussed that there was some emotional bond between Mother and Daughter

During the 1980's several individuals wrote articles / books that protrayed Agnes and other family members as tryants and responsible for all Karen's problems
However there were no facts , just crude opinons , riding on misconceptions -all these articles / books were never published due to the legal action that would have unmasked the sources and the simple facts there was no supporting evidence......

Anorexia goes far beyond starvation , this is a very complex illness with various causes and reasons and as Richard has written we will never know / understand the full reasons for Karen's Anorexia

As for Richard's Sexual Perferences , no problems from any reasonable person should arise or in the Music Industry.
I would be surprised given that Richard did not have to have Children that he has continued to father Kids from 1987 until 1998 , one would have been enough ...having seen Richard , Mary and Children on several occasions in different situations , there must be some Oscar Winning Acting going on to mask their real lifestyles......

 

[testerguy35]

There are thousands of gay/lesbian man and women who are and were married and fathered many children. Imagination and creativity go a long way, apparently.

Someone told me that Richard was in therapy at one time for 'something unmentionable'...and wouldn't discuss further (Carpenters fans rumors).

 

[Bruno]

I don't say, Richard is gay; I just say, he might be gay, because some things speak for this.

If he should be gay, than there are two possible reasons for him to have five children:
- to prove that he is not gay
- to create a new music group, perhaps called "New Carpenters"

By the way, how old are Richards kids, and what are their names? I only remember his first, Kirsti Lynn, born in 1987, by the time of his solo album "Time".
His fifth child is a son, Paul, I think.
So that's why he has five kids - he continued, until he had a son!

 

[PJ]

Bruno ,

Richard and Mary's Five Children :

Kirsti , Traci , Mindi , Colin Paul and Taylor (the late addition in 1998).

Certainly the two oldest children are musical and have performed at various times with Richard.

Perhaps Carpenters trio of three girls will emerge , with RC as Arranger / Producer.....

Peter

 

[Bruno]

Thanks for the information, Peter!

A Carpenters Trio? That would be great!

I remember a girl trio called WILSON PHILLIPS; one or two of those young women were daugthers of Brian Wilson. They had one or two hits.