6 Don’t-Miss Flicks For Fall
- November 6, 2014 - 10:27pm
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me
Even as her waning health led to her final bow this past July, thespian fireball Elaine Stritch remained an open book as vibrant and vital as ever. Consider it a gift that documentarian Chiemi Karasawa had the chance to capture the Company actress in all her sassy splendor before the curtain closed. This is a role of a lifetime – and not only because it’s literally Stritch’s life. Stritch was never better than when she was just being herself. In what’s now, ultimately, a bittersweet send-off to a national treasure, Karasawa’s Oscar-bound masterpiece strikes a biographical-but-universal balance: It’s a telling, warts-and-all tribute to the tenaciousness of an aging icon, Broadway fixture and blunt force of nature, but it’s more than that: Shoot Me is an enlightening account of the human condition seen through the eyes of one badass broad. Preserving the stage veteran’s legacy with unforgettable zest, and serving it with empathetic heart and humor, you can’t help but raise your glass and say, “I’ll drink to that.” Elaine will have you in Stritches during the supplements, which includes priceless footage of her telling a filmmaker to keep the camera on her for no other reason than she can.
Y Tu Mamá También
Before sending a woozy Sandra Bullock to space in last year’s tour de force Gravity, and consequently winning the Oscar for Best Director, Alfonso Cuarón’s filmmaking was, well, a little more grounded. A road-trip flick through Mexico involving two restless buddies, a bored cougar and lots of butts, 2001’s Y Tu Mamá También was, like Gravity, about the transient journey of life. A young Diego Luna (who’d go on to appear in Dustin Lance Black’s Milk) stars, and an emotionally nuanced performance from Spanish actress Ana López Mercado is fiercely revelatory. With a film that’s liberating, queer, sexy and driven by the “live each moment...” aphorism, Cuarón demonstrated his knack for storytelling even before he had a blockbuster budget. Resurrecting Y Tu Mamá También for this glorious three-disc Blu-ray/DVD set, Criterion Collection’s most noteworthy extras include new making-of interviews with the crew (Luna and Cuarón among them) and also a wonderfully assembled 71-page book of scene stills and in-depth essays. There’s even an “In Memoriam” for Betsabé, the station wagon that changed these characters’– and our lives – forever.
The Birdcage
The modern ‘mo might watch limp-wristed comedy classic The Birdcage, director Mike Nichols’ American version of ’70s French-Italian farce La Cage aux Folles, and gasp at its more-apparent-than-ever clichés: a flaming houseboy, Nathan “Starina” Lane and more male femininity than an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race. But this was 1996; positive portrayals of gay couples were hard to come by (seeing two men madly in love with each other, as depicted in The Birdcage, was as monumental as gay marriage is now). That it starred two gay-for-pay Hollywood luminaries – Lane in drag and the hilarious-as-always late Robin Williams – in a box-office hit was a landmark moment for queer cinema. And besides, some humor is just timeless: Watching Williams school Lane on how a “real man” butters his toast is funny in any era. Disappointedly without any extras, the fab-looking Blu-ray debut of The Birdcage is still a worthy addition to any queer cinephile’s collection.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
There’s absurd, and then there’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. It makes cute of a Fascist regime with a silly “Three Stooges” sensibility. It turns out deadpan dialogue with unforeseen non sequiturs. It kills a cat and makes you feel like a bad person for reacting with belly laughs. It casts Tilda Swinton as a garish old lady who you’ll only recognize because a) the credits and b) I told you. Basically, there is nothing normal about The Grand Budapest Hotel, but it’s not surprising when you consider the source: Wes Anderson, who tells the ridiculous story of Gustave H, a legendary concierge, and his lobby boy. With a premise like that, gay jokes predictably ensue, but its queerness has less to do with homos and more to do with Anderson’s trademark kitsch. Full of supreme oddities, Looney Tunes-esque zip and in-your-face aesthetics, the director and his all-star cast come out on top with this fantastical politically-charged live-action cartoon. Extras, on the other hand, are nil.
The Normal Heart
With advanced pharmaceuticals sustaining HIV-positive lives and PrEP minimizing the risk of contracting the virus, it’s easy for this generation to forget the onset of one of the deadliest epidemics in human history. But not anymore. And not for a long time. Provocative, unforgettable and expectedly heartbreaking, Ryan Murphy’s HBO adaptation of gay playwright Larry Kramer’s acclaimed theater production chronicles AIDS in 1980s NYC, when it emerged as a mysterious “gay cancer.” Winner of Outstanding Movie at this year’s Emmys, an award it certainly deserved, the film also showcases big names in riveting roles. Matt Bomer is fearless, and Mark Ruffalo, as the stalwart Kramer-inspired gay activist Ned Weeks, is intensely moving. Even Jim Parsons’ supporting role packs a punch. The lone extra gives scant insight with Kramer’s selective commentary.
All That Jazz
Stylistically flamboyant and dramatically morose, famed choreographer Bob Fosse’s trippy caper danced to its own beat. Decades later, it’s more apparent than ever that, with his fearless ambition and blatant hysterics, Fosse revolutionized cinema like no other. (It’s hard to imagine many films in the late ’70s celebrating the scope of human sexuality quite like All That Jazz). Released in 1979, this bizarre musical biopic about a drug-and sex-addicted dancer literally suffering for his own art inspired a company of dexterous crazies, including Natalie Portman as an unhinged ballerina in Black Swan. In Fosse’s fever dream of a film, a young (and wildly sexy) Roy Scheider takes center stage in his compelling turn as Joe Gideon, Fosse’s alter ego, with his angel of death, Jessica Lange doing American Horror Story before American Horror Story, standing in the wings. And talk about All That Jazz: Criterion’s newly minted Blu-ray/DVD edition is something to get dancey over. This impressive salute to one of cinema’s great musicals packs special features from Fox’s previous DVD releases – among them: scene-specific Scheider interviews and “Portrait of a Choreographer,” which features Liza Minnelli and Adam Shankman – and dazzling new additions. Archival interviews with Fosse talking in depth about his craft, characters and “the sissiness of dance” are stand outs.
Hear Me Out: Mary Lambert, You+Me
- November 6, 2014 - 10:08pm
Mary Lambert, Heart on My Sleeve
One chorus did wonders for Mary Lambert, the guest vocalist professing romantic interest in a girl on Macklemore’s “Same Love.” The Seattle slam poet was nominated for two Grammys, a performer at the actual ceremony, and now this: her first full-length on a major label. The album addresses her butt (which she loves), how she has bipolar disorder, and her inability to think straight (because “I’m so gay”), so “Heart on My Sleeve” – how apropos. And that’s only the first track. With a pop, Mika-like bounce and an all-around celebratory vibe, “Secrets” rummages through Lambert’s closet in the most bold and beautiful of ways – and then to let you know she doesn’t take herself too seriously, she giggles. It’s a telling gesture, since a lot of Lambert’s debut is, much like “Same Love,” designed to be lyrically heavy – themes of self-image and personal catharsis abound – but radio-friendly. She’s exposed on “Ribcage,” a hypnotic electro slow-burner with a rap cameo from K. Flay, and even if it reads like Live Journal poetry, you can’t help but be charmed by the openheartedness of “Monochromatic.” And then there’s “Jessie’s Girl.” Lamenting atop piano, the original song is ebbed to a crawl as she turns the buoyant ’80s classic into an aching ballad. Throughout the album, Lambert asks for your ears and gives you her heart. As long as she’s this sincere, it’s a fair trade.
Grade: B
You+Me, rose ave.
You asked for it, and the lesbian gods listened. Having already created musical magic with the Indigo Girls on their George W. Bush slam, the lo-fi “Dear Mr. President,” Pink’s first folk release – a joint project with singer-songwriter Dallas Green (collectively known as You+Me) – is the result of the collaborative power of prayer. Not that she’s been slacking pop-wise, but Pink’s sinewy voice – a trove of raw emotions – was always better served by a less-frilly sound (to remind you: listen to “Family Portrait” and “Dear Diary” off of Missundaztood). Now, after two decades of telling guys to suck it and proving herself a bona fide circus act, we have rose ave., a come-down that lands her right in your living room – a long-overdue outing marked with high expectations that meets very few of them. The problem: the songs. With the writing front and center, pretty harmonies and Pink unplugged can only do so much when sentiments about eternal love and hope – and all those things you feel walking through the greeting card aisle – are as broad as these. Even with the lilting beauty “You and Me” and “Open Door,” where the lyrics cut deeper, rose ave. is a personal project that doesn’t feel very personal. An album better in theory.
Grade: C+
Also Out
Betty Who, Take Me When You Go
Cue your happy dance. Betty Who is taking you to the floor and giving you all the good feels with her debut, a disc full of sweet-but-surface pop confections – think aural Cotton Candy – as charming as the same-sex Home Depot flash mob proposal she soundtracked. But “Somebody Loves You” isn’t Betty’s only infectiously cute moment. The synth-tastic ’80s-influenced “Glory Days” sounds like it should accompany the credits of a Molly Ringwald film, and the funky “Just Like Me” is a lotta fun. If only there were more to savor.
Annie Lennox, Nostalgia
Oh, she’ll put a spell on you, all right. Annie Lennox likely already has, but now she’s literal about it with “I Put a Spell On You,” one of 10 classic recreations off the icon’s second covers album (her first, Medusa, was released in 1995). The other selections from the Great American Songbook thrive because two words: Annie Lennox. Her voice is a godsend, and if you don’t get goose bumps hearing her give life to “Georgia on My Mind” and “God Bless the Child,” check your pulse.
Hear Me Out: Taylor Swift, "1989"
- November 6, 2014 - 9:50pm
Maybe you’ve heard: Taylor Swift has a new album, her fifth, and it’s really good. It’s actually the closest thing to a perfect pop release this year (that’s right: Nashville’s darling has gone full-on ’90s bubblegum), which basically means that, if you’re still resisting the T. Swizzle, it’s time you work on that. Because remember how un-cool it was to get down with the Swifties? Good luck hearing 1989 and not becoming one.
Welcome To New York
Taylor’s New York is as picture-perfect as an NYC souvenir shop postcard, and so what? This is her Oz. It’s rainbow-bright, synth-swathed and Ryan Tedder-produced. It’s also at least partly dedicated to “Friends of Dorothy.” “You can want who you want,” she cheers, liberated by the city’s gaydom. “Boys and boys, and girls and girls.”
Blank Space
Anyone who’s pegged Swift as someone who holds onto boys only until she’s written her next hit – this one’s for you. The 24-year-old’s never been this musically self-aware regarding the public’s relationship-challenged image of her, and it doesn’t hurt that she does so over a playful bounce that bridges the luscious sounds of Lorde and ’80s pop.
Style
Love is a fashion statement on “Style,” one of those “guess the guy” confessionals wherein Swift wears her heart – and guitar-accented sonic chicness – on her fabulously tailored sleeve.
Out of the Woods
Leave it to Swift to casually chronicle a hospital trip (20 stitches were involved). Because aside from fun. guitarist Jack Antonoff’s anthemic production, the Polaroid-specific imagery about said accident – and something as seemingly mundane as moving furniture – is a rare pop treat.
All You Had To Do Was Stay
Is that really Taylor Swift channeling your favorite lesbian twins? It sure is. Even down to the synth-pitched “stay,” this Max Martin make sounds like an outtake from Tegan and Sara’s own, equally-dazzling pop transformation from last year, Heartthrob.
Shake It Off
She’s just gonna “shake, shake, shake ... shake it off,” but with its infectious marching-band beat and pointed message to haters, you’re not. You can’t. And to think you were worried about Ebola.
I Wish You Would
Love conquers all – even petty fights with Taylor Swift. “It’s all good,” Swift expresses, moving on from whatever drama came between her and this ex. All the while, some guitar licks akin to “She Drives Me Crazy” and a synth-infused surge hold you captive, leaving little chance for any kind of momentary parting.
Bad Blood
The girl-next-door moves in for the kill on “Bad Blood,” cautioning the nameless backstabber(s) about this word called karma. Note to Swift: You’re really fun when you’re feisty.
Wildest Dreams
She loves cats so much that here, she becomes one. Purring like a sex kitten ready to pounce – what would Reba say? – Taylor channels her inner Lana during a chorus that is undeniably Del Rey-inspired. She even says “hell.”
How You Get the Girl
Tay and her cats obviously spent many a night consuming relationship advice from Cosmo and bopping to Britney Spears’ Oops!... I Did It Again album, and then getting bored by both and switching on the Disney Channel. I mean, how else do you explain this song?
This Love
Fine, Taylor; take my tears. Take them all. If the feelings-tornado triggered by a cherished scarf on “All Too Well” (from 2012’s Red, her last release) made your heart crack open, this lush little dream expressing relationship realness will have you mopping up the waterworks.
I Know Places
Swift steps into dangerous territory here. Overreaching with an edginess that doesn’t suit her in the first place, its brought-to-you-by-Tedder beat is also worn out – confirmation that you can run, but you can’t hide from a not-great song.
Clean
And the “Most Unlikely to Collaborate with Taylor Swift” award goes to... Imogen Heap. Bringing her fantastical brand of folktronica to Swift’s rebirth, the track is proof that there’s nothing the morning sun and a Heap of hopeful electric pings can’t fix.
Taylor Swift Shake It Off Official Music Video
Lisa Kudrow - A Comeback to Cherish
- November 6, 2014 - 9:25pm
Ten years without our favorite cupcake-wearing gonzo, Valerie Cherish, is 10 years too long. But the wait’s over. You were heard.
A decade after The Comeback first premiered, the hilariously cringe-y HBO trailblazer that lasted just one season in 2005 – and starred Lisa Kudrow as Val, a D-lister reaching for (everything underneath) the stars – returns to the network with the Friends actress back as our beloved hot mess.
Lisa, you don’t know how tempting it is to say “hello” three times to you right now. How often do people quote Valerie in your presence? And how often are they gay men?
(Laughs) Frequently and frequently. You know who the next group is after gay men? College students.
Are you surprised by that?
I was surprised… until I got used to it! But it’s fantastic. That’s really thrilling, and then it struck me: “Well, of course! They grew up with Housewives of everywhere, and people humiliating themselves on reality TV.” When The Comeback first came out, I think that gay men were the only ones who were like, “Yes. I understand. I get it. It’s great, and I understand.” (Laughs)
You know, those are the people I care about the most – the people who really loved the show. That was my only fear after it was all done. Doing it, writing it, shooting it, it was, “Yeah, this is right, this is right.” Then afterwards, “Uh oh, what if it’s not?”
When it comes to Valerie Cherish, what is it about her exactly that we gay men are so drawn to?
I’ve been asking myself that too – not cause it’s a mystery, but I wonder why. I was watching Will & Graceonce and there was this hilarious episode where Karen’s at a theater and she throws her flask and it hits someone in the head, and there’s this joke that gay men wouldn’t care because, “Eh, all in a day.” (Laughs) Getting, like, smacked with something is “all in a day.” So I wonder if that’s what it is – because Valerie gets, you know, humiliated – or humiliates herself – all the time. And it’s like, “Yeah, well, that’s the world.”
The other thing that I love about Valerie is, “All right, someone said something not nice, but you know what, can’t use that. Got this other thing I gotta do.” She just ignores that that happened and keeps going.
That’s what it is too: She perseveres.
Completely perseveres! You can agree with her goal or not, but she’s got it and nothing is getting in her way. There’s something admirable about that; there just is. Except, you know, she’s willing to put up with a lot.
When was it first apparent to you that gays were on board with The Comeback? Did you know instantly?
Yeah, pretty much. (The Comeback co-creator) Michael Patrick King said, “You understand how this will go: First it’s gonna be the gays, then the women, then everyone else.”
RuPaul makes a cameo in the pilot episode…
I know. Oh my god – so good!
This means that Valerie could appear as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, right?
You know, I’ve been asked to, but I don’t know how Valerie works on a talk show or as a judge. I don’t know. I’m thinking about it. I’m trying to figure out how it works. I don’t wanna say no!
And you obviously shouldn’t. All I’m saying is that I see many opportunities for you to say, “Note to self: I don’t need to seethat!”
(Laughs) But she could say all kinds of – I don’t know what we’re allowed to (say on Drag Race). I mean, she’s indelicate and gets things wrong and, you know, I don’t know how offensive she’s gonna be.
Valerie is surrounded by gays, and so much of your career has been gay adjacent. You did Happy Endings. You turned Meryl Streep into a gay conversion therapist for Web Therapy. And then, of course, there’s The Comeback. Are you as immersed in the gay community as your career would lead us to believe?
Yes and no. The people I work with are gay. I don’t know who I’m going to offend by leaving them out, but I need to say that I think gay men are superior beings in my mind. I do believe that.
I would love to hear why.
It’s all so tricky. I studied biology and the brains are anatomically different. They just are. There’s a stronger connection with the corpus callosum (in gay men). The two sides of the brain communicate better than a straight man’s, and I think that has to be really important. They’re not women – they’re still men – and women also have thicker corpus callosums, so I think it’s the combination of those qualities that makes them like a superhuman to me.
Even more apparent during this season of The Comeback is the inherent commentary on celebrity culture and age and gender discrimination. When it comes to ageism in the industry – the fact that there are so many talented older actresses not getting starring roles – what do you hope The Comeback accomplishes in spotlighting that issue?
I don’t know what to say about that. It’s something that just is. I think it’s gonna be a much longer process. I’m really not a revolutionary-type personality, you know what I mean? I’m not the activist type, but mmm, my god. I’m really bad at this – communicating this stuff. But we still… we still… (Laughs) Women still have a different place in our society, and it’s changing slowly but it’s still real slow. Because we’re so interested in the male audience more than the female audience, the requirement for women in entertainment is that she turn men on. That really hasn’t changed much.
That’s particularly the focus of the third episode when – spoiler alert – you simulate oral sex on Seth Rogen.
Right! And then you have the two (completely naked) girls standing there for an uncomfortably long time.
Did it feel uncomfortable for you on set?
Well, the girls seemed OK. But, you know, (it’s) always just about making sure everyone’s being treated with respect, right?
Have you ever experienced the ageism that Val experiences in your own career? Roles you didn’t get because of your age?
Not that I know of. I don’t know how to put it, but one of my biggest failings is that I accept things the way they are, and then I just try to adapt. I think it’s incredible people who say, “No, no. It doesn’t have to be this way, though.” It’s like, “Oh. Well, wow.”
Have you worked with someone like Valerie Cherish?
Yes! These people exist. There were people who were like, “Oh, I think I know who this is,” and the answer is, “You don’t know who this is, because this isn’t one person.”
Did you have anyone in mind when you created the character?
No, not one person, because it’s an amalgam of people – men and women.
What do you have in common with Val?
Well, a lot. I think I do have a thing where, if something negative is happening and it’s not serving me, then I’m really not gonna let it in and address it because I gotta keep going. If something’s happening that’s negative, I try to think, “What’s OK about this?” so that I don’t get distracted by having to do something about that.
Which is exactly a Val characteristic.
Right. And then it’s just exaggerated and heightened in her.
Could you ever imagine turning your own life into a reality show?
No. (Laughs) The closest I came was doing an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?
Do you watch reality shows? Are you a fan at all?
I do watch them. They’re so fascinating to me. I like Top Chef, Project Runway – still like that. I watch America’s Next Top Model. And then I watch the Housewives. I watch certain Housewivesof places.
I am fascinated with the level of criticism young people can handle. I could not have handled it. I think I would’ve shriveled up in a ball, so on one level I really admire the Teflon part of them that’s able to say, “OK. Thank you. Good note.” I constantly try to work against that judgmental part of me, and it’s not (easy), especially when it’s the judgmental part that gives you your sense of humor.
And all this is research for The Comeback, of course.
Well, yeah, I can’t really say that. (Laughs) It’s not research, but I am fascinated. I also do have this other theory that, thanks to those Housewives, we finally do have a point of reference for how women behave. We need to. It can’t just be reasonable, good behavior, because that’s how we depict the downtrodden so that no one thinks we’re sexist or racist, so you end up with all of these subgroups in our society that have to be dull. They’re not allowed to have any flaws, otherwise whoever wrote (that depiction) is accused of having bad feelings about them. To me, that’s when things are finally OK – when everyone’s allowed to have flaws depicted in entertainment.
Mira Sorvino recently brought up a sequel to Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. What are your thoughts on one, and do you think it’ll happen at this point?
I have no idea. Robin Schiff wrote and produced Romy and Michele, and we all did get together years ago with a great idea: Romy and Michele Get Married. And yeah, Disney wasn’t interested in it at the time. Now, I don’t know what it would be. My worry is, you know, wouldn’t it involve plastic surgery? (Laughs)
With a sequel like Romy and Michele Get Married, does that mean they end up being lesbian lovers because of the pact they made to marry each other in the original?
No, they’re not, but that’s always the other meaning. Because that’s the relationship. That is the relationship. But I think by now it’d have to be Romy and Michele Get Divorced… Again.
In the spirit of the meta show a la The Comeback, if you could play a version of yourself playing Phoebe from Friends years later, what would that character be like?
Well, I did play a version of myself playing Phoebe. (Laughs) Phoebe is a version of myself. Valerie’s a version. And Fiona Wallice (ofWeb Therapy) is a version. And, well, Michele Weinberger is not a version, I have to say. I don’t know. I have a feeling if Phoebe had to be revisited, she’d be closer to me.
Why do you say that?
I don’t know about you, but I don’t wanna see a woman my age saying “floopy,” trying to be cute. No, uh-uh. It’s too Baby Jane.
Laurie Metcalf -From the Conners to the McCarthys
- October 29, 2014 - 4:26pm
There’s no question that Roseanne, a show centered on the Conners, was one of the most influential TV shows of all time. Just look: Gay marriage is now as trendy as Jackie Harris’ hipster-desired mom couture.
Two decades later, meet The McCarthys, CBS’s primetime comedy about a zany sports-crazed family. One of the sons, Ronny, is gay, and the clan’s matriarch is – because of course – Laurie Metcalf, who played Jackie on "Roseanne" (and, in case you forgot, was outed during the show’s finale in 1997).
Metcalf recently called to chat about how The McCarthys has made her feel like she’s “missing out” on a real-life gay son, the lesbian kiss on Roseanne that caused a stir, and her own lip-lock with a stage icon – her first time kissing a woman (she thinks).
Between HBO’s Getting On and now The McCarthys, you’re spoiling us, Laurie. It’s so good to have you back on TV.
Thanks so much. Yeah, it’s been a long time. I’m spoiled myself right now; I’ve got two wonderful projects. But yeah, I’ve been doing mostly just theater for the past six years.
Which do you prefer: TV or theater?
I have to say, I prefer stage, probably because it’s where I came up. I feel like I understand it best, and I like the immediate gratification of a live audience. You know, it’s been so long since I’ve been on a multi-camera show that it just felt like home walking back onto that set, so that was fantastic. I didn’t think one of those would come back around!
What drew you to The McCarthys?
First of all, I love that multi-camera format. It’s a very collaborative way of working, because you’re in there with the writers, and everybody is trying to contribute to making the show the best it can be on Friday nights for the audience. It’s a group effort, and I really like working that way. Then I talked to Brian Gallivan, the showrunner, who I adore. He came up from Second City, so I felt we had a little something in common. And he’s fantastic. So calm, so supportive and so wonderful to work with. (The scripts) went through so many changes that I know were very difficult for all the writers involved. He’s just a really fantastic leader and he sets the tone for the whole project, and he’s super funny.
Especially as “Sassy Gay Friend.”
When we first talked, I said I was a huge fan of that character and he’s like, “Are you kidding me?” Then we agreed that Sassy Gay Friend should do an intervention at some point on Jackie from Roseanne. Wouldn’t that be great?
Absolutely. You gotta make that happen. Speaking of Jackie, do you find it amusing that her mom style is now a fashion trend among hipsters?
(Laughs) That sounds about right! I mean, it’s about time. We just had our 25th-year anniversary (in October 2013), for God’s sake.
How much of The McCarthys is based on Brian’s real-life family?
The whole thing is his family. He and his mother watched procedural-crime dramas together, and in The McCarthys we’re fascinated by The Good Wife, so that’s where that bonds exists. The way (Brian) writes this family – their family humor is so unique to me. (Laughs) I don’t know people like this! I mean, I’m sure they exist – obviously they do – but the non sequiturs they talk in, and the way they tease each other and the way they misunderstand each other, is so funny to me. And they’re loud and they’re way too needy, but then weirdly totally supportive of each other, which seems to come out of the blue but doesn’t. I really like the family dynamic that he’s recreated from his own family.
What do you think The McCarthys says about the bond between a mother and her gay son? After shooting a few episodes, do you notice a particular connection?
Yes! I guess there is one. I mean, I don’t have that in my own family, but it’s so relatable, you know? And it’s fun and it’s light. It just seems like a really fun relationship. I feel like I’m missing out!
Were you ever one of those mothers who wished she had a gay son?
I didn’t really ever think about it, but now I do! It’s funny: In our show, the one daughter is sort of the misfit and gets the least attention from the mom, definitely because they don’t have the same bond.
Because the LGBT movement has come so far since Roseanne aired in the ’90s, how would you compare Roseanne to The McCarthys when it comes to the portrayal of LGBT people? Do you notice a shift in how LGBTs are represented on TV?
It was 25 years ago when Roseanne brought gay characters onto the show, and it was a big deal. I mean, she didn’t think anything of it, but it was ... it was different. I don’t know what the network thought of it; she had so much pull at the time that she could basically do whatever she wanted. Then she pushed that boundary a little bit with an episode (1994’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”) where she went to a gay bar with Mariel Hemingway and they kissed. I remember that was a huge deal at the time, and they went round and round about pulling the scene. Roseanne was gonna walk off. It was a huge deal.
Now cut to The McCarthys, and the fact that Ronny is gay is a non-issue. The issue is that Ronny is trying to find a partner because he needs to get out of the house; he needs to break away from his family. They’re all horrified and fearful that he will leave if he’s with somebody, and they don’t wanna lose him. So that’s what I mean when I say it’s a non-issue; it’s just about him dating, and the family is hugely supportive.
How much of the show revolves around Ronny being gay?
I don’t think it’s ever gonna be the A-storyline, though it might be the B-storyline.
Roseanne was so ahead of its time in how it portrayed LGBT characters so matter-of-factly. How do you reflect on the influence the show had on the perception of gay people in mainstream culture?
I actually have no idea what it did for Middle America. I really don’t. When I think of Martin Mull and Fred Willard as this couple (one of TV’s first gay couples) who got married on the show – I mean, I didn’t realize how big it was. I really didn’t. I was on the inside of it, in a bubble, not knowing. Roseanne knew. That’s why she pushed to do stuff like that. I was very much out of the loop of that. I just saw the humor of it, and I saw these guys who have worked together forever (Mull and Willard both starred on Fernwood 2 Night in the ’70s) and how fantastic it was that she cast them as this married couple.
But, in retrospect, you must realize the significance of having a gay married couple on TV in the ’90s, right? For you, what does it feel like to have been a part of a show making big strides for the LGBT community?
I was so lucky to be a part of that show for so many reasons. People who talk to me about it, and just because they’re talking to me about it, relate to the sister (Jackie). The writing was so high-quality, and still, all these years later, it maintains that level. Every episode, Roseanne (Barr) was just willing to sacrifice laughs to make the show about something. She hit on so many things while also portraying characters, and she just wasn’t concerned about any backlash for anything. To have been a recurring character on a show that did that is one of the highlights of my whole career. I just was so lucky.
Premiering in November on HBO is the second season of Getting On (the first season is available on DVD/Blu-ray Nov. 11), and recently Betty Buckley talked about the two of you kissing for one of the episodes. She said it was her first girl kiss. Is this your first girl kiss too?
I think so, yeah. I mean, I may have done it in a play or something. I don’t know. I can’t remember. But no, I think so. I don’t mean to build it up or something, but the kiss is a metaphor for that show. It’s not a big deal on the show; it’s just something that happens very spontaneously, and then it’s over and you’re like, “What was that?” But it’s odd, and yet it’s kind of funny because you don’t expect it, and it’s kind of weirdly heartbreaking because Betty’s character needs to connect to somebody and it just comes out of her. So, it just runs this gamut of emotions, but then it’s over in two seconds and you think, “Wow, I don’t know how to feel about that.”
I have to reflect on some of the crazy characters you’ve played: Mrs. Loomis in Scream 2, and the nutcase who shot up that grocery store on Desperate Housewives. Is it true that actors live vicariously through their characters?
(Laughs) Yes! I get to play a number of freaks, and I don’t know if I’m getting cast as a freak or if I bring my own freakiness to the character. I really don’t know anymore.
Stylish Subscription Services to Wake Up Your Fall Wardrobe
- October 24, 2014 - 1:21pm
There’s more to autumn than apple pie this and pumpkin spice that. One of the best things about fall, in fact, is that we get to unpack the sweaters, scarves and other cool-weather clothing (most of us anyway), which provide many more outfit options than we have during summer. Sure, there’s plenty to be said about the lack of layers when the mercury is at its peak, but the latter months of the year have their own perks – like dapper dudes in button-downs, blazers and kick-ass boots. Now you can join the club – quite literally – and step up your own style this fall with these subscription services that bring fresh perspective to your wardrobe, delivered direct to your door.
1. Five Four Club
If you’ve ever wanted a personal stylist to help you look your best even though you’re on a budget, Five Four Club may just be your materialistic messiah. The service – which if you do the math equals a “one-of-a-kind service with a one-of-a-kind value” – provides members with deep discounts on fresh duds that your closet already covets. Four distinct boxes are available – for personalities that range from “Dress to Impress” to “T-Shirt and Jeans” – the cost of which is less than half the retail price of the items inside. fivefourclothing.com
2. Trunk Club
For high-end clothing handpicked to reflect your personal style, Trunk Club has you covered. Unlike many of the other clothing boxes, however, this isn’t a monthly service and there’s no upfront membership fee. Rather, you can request shipments at any time, try on the surprises inside at home, and decide what suits you. Whatever you don’t like you can return, and after 10 days you’ll be charged for the items you decide to keep. Trunk Club isn’t for everyone, though; this premium service is on par with top-tier shops that offer denim, casual shirts and sweaters in the $100 to $300 per-piece range. trunkclub.com
3. Bombfell
Like other monthly boxes, Bombfell personal stylists are hard at work handpicking each item specifically for you, but you can maintain some measure of control if you’d like: You have the ability to skip the uncertainty and personally select the type of items that you’re sent, like “2 button-downs and a pair of jeans,” for instance. Once your box is prepared, you’ll be sent a preview e-mail so you can cancel or change anything you like within 48 hours of receipt. Individual pieces hover at an average of $69, and shipping is free both ways. bombfell.com
4. Curator and Mule
Now that you’re all set with tops and bottoms, you’ll need accessories to personalize those new outfits – which is Curator and Mule’s speciality. Each season, the service discovers the hottest hats, shades, wallets and more to make you stand out from the crowd. Four or five pieces are then packed into a box and sent your way for $60 per season with an option to sit one out. Past brands have included private labels like Wovenn, UrbanCow and Evolution Man. curatorandmule.com
5. Zoraab
Give your feet a pick-me-up with funky-fresh socks from Zoraab, a monthly subscription service that lets you customize your experience until your piggies are content. Choose your socks from four broad categories (“Laid Back,” “Fashion Statement,” “Strictly Business,” and “Walk on the Wild Side”), then choose the number of socks you’d like to receive every month, from two to five pair. Gift subscriptions also are available for the fashionistas on your list. zoraab.com
6. Underwear Society
You’ll love gettin’ your undies in a bunch when they’re sent from Underwear Society, a subscription service that sends four pairs of skivvies once a month or as a one-off purchase. Designate your favorite brand from one of three choices – Kings and Jaxs, Stonemen, or XVII (or let the Society mix it up for you); pick your favorite cut (brief, boxer brief or trunk); and select your size. Prices vary based on brand, which range from the very affordable $18 per shipment to a more competitive $40 a box. underwearsociety.com
7. Bespoke Post
If you’re a gambling man, Bespoke Post could be in your cards. This box club features several different themes from which to choose – focusing on accessories, personal grooming and more – that you’ll get to peek at on the first of every month via e-mail. You can “skip it, swap it, or let it ride,” and if you choose one of the latter two options you’ll be billed the $45 per-box fee when the goods ship around the 5th of the month. bespokepost.com
8. FreshNeck
The guys at the office will start to envy your professional style (assuming they don’t already, of course) with a subscription to FreshNeck, which bills itself as the “Netflix for Ties.” For all intents and purposes, that’s an accurate description of this service that lets you fill your virtual closet with dozens of ties, bow ties, pocket squares and cufflinks, the top available items of which will arrive on your doorstep within one to three business days. Wear the items as long as you want, or send them back frequently to receive new items. Membership starts at $20 per month, shipping is free both ways, and there are never any late fees. freshneck.com
The Gayest Halloween Costumes of 2014
- October 24, 2014 - 1:10pm
As holidays go, Halloween is undoubtedly the gayest. It’s the one time of year where homos can pretend they’re hetero, straight boys step out in short skirts, and grown women turn every respectable profession they can think of into slutty versions of their former selves.
Of course you can head to your local costume shop and pick up a played-out, plastic-wrapped outfit, but we know you better than that. That’s why we’ve compiled this comprehensive list of the most topical, haute and hilariously gay-friendly Halloween costumes of 2014. From hairy howlers that roam the night to John Travolta’s most memorable characters, this year’s hottest TV shows, news stories and pop-culture juggernauts are now the must-wear, one-night disguises of the season.
1. Early 20th Century Underbutler
You don’t have to blackmail your blue-blooded undercover lover to play the part of Thomas Barrow – the conniving gay underbutler on the sharp and soapy PBS period drama Downton Abbey – this Halloween. Dress to impress both nobles and peasants without dropping too much dough by assembling your post-Victorian-era attire from thrift shops and consignment finds. Pleated black trousers and a crisp band-collar button-down lay the foundation for this outfit that’s completed with a white bowtie, U-shaped satin vest and tuxedo tailcoat. Part your full head of hair on the side (or don a bowler hat) and puff on a fag (the British term for cigarette; not whatever you’re thinking) to fully embody the baddest bitch in Grantham House.
2. Dancing with the Stars Contestant
Aaron Samuels (Cady Heron’s crush in the insta-gay-classic Mean Girls) played it straight at North Shore High School, but his real-life alter ego – sometimes actor Jonathan Bennett – has had the Internet abuzz about his sexuality since the film’s release in 2004. Now that JB and his twinkle toes are back in the spotlight on the couldn’t-be-gayer Dancing With the Stars, there’s no better time to pay homage to the guy who may or may not have (he’s not officially out) already broken a million girls’ (or boys’) hearts. To pull off this light-on-your-feet look, tango your way into a brightly colored button-down, an equally-loud-but-contrasting satin skinny tie, black slacks, black suspenders, and the snazziest tap shoes you can find. Because you never know when the rhythm is gonna get you.
3. Teen Wolf
It’s hard to put your finger on the queerest thing about MTV’s Teen Wolf – the quiver-inducing howls, the rampant homoeroticism, Colton Hayne’s Instagram profile – but that just makes pulling together pieces for this costume all the easier. You can go as protagonist Scott McCall (played by self-professed Gindr user Tyler Posey), or you might prefer sticking to your own kind as Danny Mahealani (Keahu Kahuanui), Beacon Hills High’s out-and-proud lacrosse player/computer whiz. Suit up in authentic lacrosse gear that you can find at a second-hand sports store (or by pilfering through your cousin’s super bro-y wardrobe) and work your makeup magic on a canine bite for the ages – which we know you wouldn’t mind getting legit if you lived in their world.
4. The Cast of Looking
However you feel about HBO’s Looking (viewer reviews were staunch and varied when it premiered at the top of this year), showing up at a party as the show’s cast is not only tres chic this Halloween, it’s also perfect for a coordinated group costume. You’ll have to pull up past episodes (which you can watch on demand) to get a better idea of each character’s personal style, but you’ll likely discover that you can recreate their looks from your own wardrobe. Tack on a commitment issue or two and throw in a penchant for threesomes for posterity’s sake, and you’ve got the looks down pat. Do us all a favor though, won’t you? Post photos of your group’s Russell Tovey; the world needs more of that going around.
5. Dallas Cowboys Fan
Given the staggering amount of negative publicity that the NFL has received this season (thanks to woman beaters, child abusers and drunken drivers), it should consider itself lucky that the gays are finally getting in on the game. And it seems that no team is embracing its friendly neighborhood homosexual makeover more than the Dallas Cowboys. First there’s the addition of defensive end Michael Sam to the roster, but there’s also a new DirecTV Sunday Football commercial depicting a gay couple – one of whom is a Cowboys fan – that has largely flown under the radar. Give the latter the relevance it deserves this All Hallow’s Eve by pulling together whatever Dallas gear you can find (and convincing your boo to sport a Giants jersey) while trying your best to avoid a brush with the law. A night in the slammer only sounds good in theory.
6. Hedwig
The East German transgender singer with an “angry inch” between her legs experienced somewhat of a renaissance this year as actors Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannells, and Michael C. Hall all stepped into the punk-rock role on Broadway. And now you too can milk John Cameron Mitchell’s cash cow for your own benefit by raiding your wacky Aunt Barb’s closet for late ’70s/early ’80s-inspired fashion, BeDazzling a pair of cutoff Daisy-Duke-style denim, and rockin’ a sick ‘Hed’-wig that you can score on Etsy.
7. Lovechild of Jared Leto and Justin Theroux
There’s been a sizeable amount of buzz about what’s beneath Jared Leto and Justin Theroux’s respective boxers lately – and nobody’s complaining. Justin gave us full-frontal floppage in a few jogging scenes on his very violent and ultra-strange HBO drama The Leftovers, while the ghost of Jordan Catalano will not be satisfied until he’s officially crowned Biggest Cock in Hollywood. And for this, they both should be celebrated. To imitate these forces of nature yourself, mash-up the pair’s signature styles (Justin’s into leather; Jared is a little more “la boheme”) and stuff a swingin’ Richard down your crotch. Even better if you’ve got the natural goods so you don’t disappoint the evening’s potential paramour(s).
8. Any John Travolta Character
Oprah’s dear John will deny that he’s a Golden Girls -watching, Folsom Street-walking, magic-hair-growing, happy-ending-loving friend of Kevin Spacey’s until the day he dies, but he has given us nearly 30 years’ worth of iconic characters that we can pilfer for Halloween getups – and that’s gotta count for something. Which Travolta character will strike your fancy this year? Vinny Barbarino? Tony Manero? Danny Zuko? His cringe-worthy Edna Turnblad? Whatever poison you pick, kindly keep it in your pants. Unless, of course, you’ve got enough paper to pay that boy off.
9. Delusional Reality Star Brother of Mediocre Pop Star
This summer’s season of Big Brother was a breath of fresh air (thanks to gratuitous displays of rock-hard flesh being flaunted around the house for three glorious months), especially when you consider what a homophobic and racist disaster last season was. And in keeping with traditional reality-show formula, there was one over-the-top gay in the latest cast who just had to go and ruin it for the rest of us on a thrice-weekly basis on the most watched network in America. Frankie Grande, the ironically removed-from-reality “media mogul” (yes, that’s actually what he calls himself), spent the entirety of his time on the show prancing around the house, pining for every smidge of bromo affection he could get by forcibly invading their personal space, and generally being an all-around despicable human being who wasn't afraid to take the wheel of the bus that he was about to throw you under before he backed up and finished the job. Oh, and did we mentioned that he’s the half-brother of so-so pop star Ariana Grande? Don’t worry, he won’t let you forget that part. Immortalize this walking, talking caricature this Halloween by frosting your tips hot pink, slipping into a pair of too-short shorts, layering a sequined faux-fur-collar vest over an American Apparel T-shirt, and flashing double sideways peace signs until you’ve effectively hypnotized your straight crush into questioning his sexuality. (Uh huh. Some guys have all the luck.)
HEAR ME OUT: Melissa Etheridge, Lee Ann Womack, Lady Gaga, Lucinda Williams
- October 24, 2014 - 12:55pm
Melissa Etheridge, This Is M.E.
Since going indie, Melissa Etheridge must be feeling as free as when she first came out gay two decades ago. Throughout the punny, super-charged _This Is M.E._, the loose feels of liberation are ever-present as the lesbian icon gets her feet wet in foreign waters (2010’s _Fearless Love_ suggested experimental restlessness). But when you team up with Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis, producer of the Fugees, and RoccStar, who’s laid down tracks for Usher and Chris Brown, you don’t get straight-up rock ’n’ roll; you get smatterings of R&B and soul. Considering this is the same scorned woman who bit into “Bring Me Some Water,” a song like “A Little Hard Hearted,” with its full-on sing-along pop hook, is initially jarring. A few listens later and you’ve got that thing on replay. Then there’s the flirty, seemingly autobiographical “Take My Number,” which rumbles with the rock-lite flair of her commercial ’90s-era zenith. Come chorus, a catchy “drink / think” rhyme makes it so convincing, so irresistible, you won’t be able to help yourself – you’d better take that number. With vexed kiss-off “Ain’t That Bad” and the soaring Wonda-influenced “Monster,” and even the raging “Stranger Road,” Etheridge maintains her essence, but she’s also wearing many different hats. They don’t always fit – the rambling “Who Are You Waiting For” is Melissa’s faltering attempt at a mushy power ballad – but sometimes finding the right one takes a few tries.
Grade: B-
Lee Ann Womack, The Way I’m Livin’
Lee Ann Womack’s mega-ballad “I Hope You Dance,” your mom’s favorite song, and the sleek crossover LP “Something Worth Leaving Behind” thrust her into the mainstream, but, at heart, Lee Ann Womack was always more of a country girl. Reveling in the traditional Southern sounds she’d eventually pursue, the Grammy winner’s first album in seven years – a grower – is a roots-based disc centered on down-hominess, heartbreak and devil worship. Most reminiscent of her pop-country phase, “Same Kind of Different” imparts a ties-that-bind sentiment as its a cappella opening eases into a drum-driven, fiddle-strung ditty. “The Way I’m Livin’,” the title track, leans closer to the deep Texan twang of ominous, snake-slitherin’ badassery. “If I ever get to heaven, it’s a doggone shame,” Womack sings, sounding as fiery as the flames she’s dancing in. “Don’t Listen to the Wind” sends a simple guitar into a tornado of sonic madness. It’s a satisfying adrenaline rush. Womack, who’s even better at fragile laments, could dry out a drenched towel with piano tearjerker “Send It on Down,” an inspiring ode to getting your shit together. Not every song on _The Way I’m Livin’_ reaches that caliber of melody and poignancy, but the album’s still like having a devil on your back. Some of it’s just so hard to shake.
Grade: B
Also Out
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, Cheek to Cheek
After the dire non-success of Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP, it was time for Mother Monster to take a step back. Arm in arm with Tony Bennett, she does just that on Cheek to Cheek, harkening back to the old-timey jazz classics of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Duke Ellington. It won’t do anything to advance Gaga’s career, and the 88-year-old Bennett’s legendary status is obviously already well established, but there are moments of undeniable sweetness on an otherwise dull venture, where the sole purpose seems to be bridging the gap between gays and grandpas.
Lucinda Williams, Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone
In a singles-driven industry with less interest in the full-album format, it’s ambitious of Lucinda Williams to release two of them at the same time. The alt-country icon’s 11th outing, a music purist’s dream, is a double-disc set steeped in Williams’ signature line-blurring. From country to blues and folk and rock, Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone encompasses it all. Its biggest feat: never feeling as long as its actual runtime. With music this powerful, even 103 minutes is too short.
Perfume Genius: Killing You Softly
- October 24, 2014 - 12:28pm
Mike Hadreas is tapping his “really long” nails on a table. “Can you hear that?” he asks.
The act seems insignificant, but for the Seattle-based musician – better known as Perfume Genius – it’s a rite of passage. That tap, tap encapsulates independence, bravery and rebelliousness – all facets of his confrontational third album Too Bright, where Hadreas redefines his musical genius to reflect a revelatory breakthrough.
Are you trying to make a statement with your androgynous look?
Originally it wasn’t a protest-y thing – I was just allowing myself to do whatever the hell I wanted. When I wear women’s clothes and makeup, to me I’m not dressing like a woman. I’m just doing whatever I want to do! I feel like I was being more myself when I did that, not more like a woman. When I first allowed myself to do that, I went nuts and I was wearing tons of costume jewelry and paisley maxi skirts all the time. I really went for it! (Laughs) It’s kind of evened out now.
I have my nails done. I’ve figured out where I naturally want to be. You know when women tap their nails on the table? Growing up I was like, “That is the bomb!” I wanted to do that. Now I can. One time before a show in Chicago I actually got acrylic nails and I wanted them long, but when I got up on stage I couldn’t play my guitar. It was really embarrassing! (Laughs)
How intentional are you being with your subversion of gender norms?
As much as it is just me being myself, I know it is a defiant act to leave the house or make a video with these things in them, and so there are times when I exaggerate it. I push it a bit just because that’s what I like to do. It’s important to me.
I like that when I play shows boys wear crazy outfits because they feel like they can. It’s super, super heartwarming. I mean, it’s a really corny feeling, but if I’m ever kind of contented for a moment or feel like I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to, it’s when I’m doing things like that.
Is Too Bright a response to the fact that some people have pigeonholed you as a downer?
(Laughs) I guess. A lot of people call my albums “depressing,” and I don’t feel that way. I think that some of the songs are very sad, but that’s very different than depression to me. I’ve been depressed in my life, and I didn’t do anything. I couldn’t even bother to microwave a burrito let alone write a song! (Laughs) Some people mistake patience or compassion for wimpy things when they’re some of the toughest and strongest modes you can be in. Maybe I was a tiny bit of resentful of that (for this album).
You know, people qualify me as a “gay musician” right away. I have interviews in France, and they’ll do the introduction on the radio and they’re like, “His name is Mike Hadreas. He’s very depressed. He’s very gay.” Because of that, people told me before I made this album that maybe I should tone it down or talk about less explicitly gay themes. I did the opposite. People think that because I’m tiny or because I’m wearing a lot of silk that I can’t hurt you, but I can. I’m just as capable of murder as everybody else.
How much of Too Bright is a representation of you currently? Is this how you want to perceive yourself?
Yeah, hopefully. I mean, a lot of it is how I’m feeling now, and a lot of it is about how I hope to feel. I guess the first two albums were all about me processing and thinking about what had already happened, but I didn’t feel like it was important to do that anymore – to look back. This album is very confident and sort of confrontational, and I have some of that in me, but the music is almost more that than how I am. Some of it’s a projection.
How did you get into that mindset for Too Bright?
(Long pause) I did a lot of things for many years that sort of … it made me lost. I just wasn’t really present or paying attention or recognizing what was actually going on with me or outside of me. Then, when I got sober, there were a lot of really big problems that needed to heal and that I needed to figure out. Now, I’ve been healthy long enough that those big issues have sort of gone, and I’m just kind of left with myself for the first time as an adult. I’ve been thinking about things that I never really thought about, like my place in the world and how I want to feel. You know, it was just a very complicated and weird thing, and I guess this is sort of a therapeutic figuring out.
How long have you been sober? And how long have you felt like a grown up?
Well, I don’t feel like a grown up yet. (Laughs) But I’ve been sober for four years.
On the album, you express feelings of anger, empowerment and defiance. How have they manifested within you? Is that part of the recovery process?
It’s partly that. But a lot of it is... I don’t know. (Long pause) I mean, growing up people would give me shit in class or on the street and it would magnify this otherness that I feel. Originally I would be ashamed at myself or feel like something was wrong with me, and I also just felt very victimized. Parallel to that is this resentment and anger about the whole thing. When I got older, that whole victim-y outlook was not working for me anymore. I mean, it never did, but it’s very clear to me that that was not helpful, so I wanted to deal with these things and think about them in a more defiant and badass way, I guess. That’s how I feel and that’s how I want to feel, and I thought it would helpful for others to hear it put that way.
I remember being bullied and then growing up to feel victimized by the whole world. Then, you get to a point where you say, “Fuck everybody.” I mean, not everybody – not the good people.
But it feels like everybody. That’s how it gets twisted, and that’s how it got twisted for me. Even though I would be in situations a lot where probably nobody was gonna pick on me or nobody was gonna say shit, I still carried myself as if they were going to. I have a guard up all the time just in case, and I’m very resentful and pissed off about that. I don’t feel like doing it anymore.
When you shot the video for “Queen,” the first single from this album, what did it feel like to get on top of that conference table looking all lesbian chic in front of a group of presumably heterosexual men? Was it cathartic?
It was. That was my main idea, you know what I mean? Doing it, I was a little timid at first, but then I was like, “Fuck y’all. I’m gonna give it to you.”
What kind of kid were you?
I was just a little weirdo. On top of being feminine, I’m a very tiny person. I’m also weird – like a Gollum lady-like creature. But, you know, creatively I’m strange. I’m proud of that, though. I don’t think of that as a negative thing.
I felt strange, too, when I was a kid, so I tried to counterbalance that by doing “normal” kid things, like playing soccer. Have you always been proud of your weirdness?
I guess I worried about it and was very self-conscious and thought a lot about how I carried myself, but never to the point where I really changed all that much. (Laughs) I was getting shit, but I rarely if ever did it differently. I mean, I don’t think I could’ve even played soccer even if I felt like it. But maybe. I was on the wrestling team until my sophomore year in high school. I would’ve kept doing it except I came out when I was 15 and didn’t think I could stay on the wrestling team, which is a shame – there’s nothing really sexual about it. If anything, it’s the opposite.
At what point in your life did you feel empowered as a gay man – not just identity-wise, but sexually too?
Oh god. When I was writing this album, there were times where I was actually giggling afterward because I was going for it so much with some of the things I was saying. I actually surprised myself by how swagger-y and middle finger-y I was being about things. I was very insecure my whole life, so when I just do shit anyway is when I feel empowered. I’m still nervous and I still get that frightened feeling a lot, but I just do everything anyway now.
Do you remember when you first felt sexually liberated?
When it happened for me was (during the music video for Tupac’s “I Get Around”) where these girls are sponge-bathing Tupac. I originally went in thinking I wanted to get in the bath, but then I started to realize that I wanted to bathe Tupac. I wanted to sponge Tupac! Then I was like, “You know what, let’s just be real.”
How does somebody who’s naturally nervous like you get on stage and perform?
You just do it. I commit to everything. I also realized that how I’m feeling is not real a lot of the times. You can lie to yourself and things wax and wane, so I never really feel like I’m in the right spot to perform. I never feel like I’m 100 percent ready, but I know that’s a lie.
How important is it to you that people connect to your music on an emotional level?
I like the idea of singing songs about things that people might feel lonely in. Maybe I’m giving myself too much credit, but that’s at least my intention.
I think your music is capable of that. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think there was truth to that.
I know. It’s just that I’ve noticed now as I’m doing interviews that I kind of have to be pretentious. There’s no way getting around it. I’m sort of embarrassed to ... (long pause)
To talk about yourself?
Yeah.
Which song on Too Bright do you feel closest to?
“My Body.” It’s not an uplifting song, but I can always get in the right mood for it.
What do you mean by “the right mood”?
The song is about body image issues and feelings of just feeling icky – of just being an “icky” person. Icky physically. Just icky in general. But during the song I’m almost yelling at people. There’s no apologizing or feeling bad for myself. It’s almost like an exorcism; there’s something very cathartic about it. Telling these secrets about myself in a really big way to people is weirdly liberating.
Perfume Genius - 'Grid' Video
FUN HOG RANCH LAND: THE SIEGEL GROUP PURCHASE
- October 24, 2014 - 12:10pm
A rumor has been spreading that the Fun Hog Ranch had been purchased and would be closing its doors. The rumor began when information got out that the land where the gay bar currently resides had been purchased. According to a representative from the purchaser, The Siegel Group, does not intend to have the Fun Hog Ranch close its doors at this time. They are happy to have them as their tenants and said the purchase of the land along Twain just made sense.