WOW

[Mike Weaver <72210.2035@CompuServe.COM>]

(Matt wrote:)
-> Theatre actors wear heavy make-up known as greasepaint. After the show it
is removed by rubbing it off with vaseline. Hence "he's too busy hitting the
vaseline" means he is too busy back in the dressing room cleaning up to
receive any applause/accolades etc. No dressing room with a star and make-up
girls for him. There is no implied reference to homosexuality.
 
And what did they wipe the vaseline off with?  :-)  Seriously, assuming Kate
was aware of the above practice (not unlikely), then the line's at best an
intentional double entendre, that or Kate also unintentionally emphasized
the posterior portion of her anatomy whilst performing the tune (in case you
haven't seen the video, she slaps her butt).  Beyond that, it's difficult to
explain away why a SWM would ever want to be a 'movie queen'.
 
-> Please feel free to comment/flame if you still believe that Wow is
a "queer positive" diatribe, but personally I think you've got hold of
the wrong end of the stick.
 
Not particularly positive or negative.  The character is sort of a tragic
failure; the sarcastic edges of the lyric seem to serve mostly to illuminate
the cruelty of the powers-that-be in the theatre who tell the actor he's
amazing and fantastic, but won't give him the lead role, but the role of the
fool instead.  The "diatribe" you're looking for is "Kashka from Baghdad",
as it's definitely about a gay male couple, and it definitely portrays the
relationship in a positive and very romantic light.