When he discovers a bigger pond, in the form of gay discos, filled with sailors and the promise of love and understanding, he cannot wait to dive in. The baseline throbs of 70s disco and Donna Summer’s I Feel Love momentarily shut out the 60s soundtrack. It feels new and vivid and fresh. In this woozy underworld of wonder, he alights on one “sailor”, the epitome of masculinity, only to discover that he himself is not a sailor, but is a merboy.
Against the musical accompaniment of The Marvelettes’ Too Many Fish In The Sea, there is an ending to innocence for Merboy. His mother declares that this disgusting boy has disgraced the family while fretting about the the diseases he may acquire by his behaviours. Simultaneously, his fellow Merboys explain the rules of the gay game: that Merboy has to talk less, feel less, suppress any tears and use the word “mate” more. To the strains of Fever, he enters into a dark pact with a sea witch to become a “sailor” on the understanding that he could not return to life as it was previously.