Jake Shears, the lead singer of Scissor Sisters, is ready to get back in the studio.
Our favorite Instagram stud took some time from vacationing in London to talk to us about his plans for Pride, new music he’s written for a certain Drag Race alum and what it was like for his band to face up to Putin and perform in Russia.
Any close encounters with Tom Daley while in London?
No encounters with Tom Daley yet, unfortunately. I would love to see him and Dustin Lance Black out on the town. I will have to say though since the weather’s gotten warmer in London right now, the streets are swarming with extremely hot men.
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Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
How about One Direction, do you listen to them?
I don’t listen to a lot of pop music in general. I love writing it and I love pop craftsmanship, but my tastes don’t usually fall there. I feel like there has been a lot of shrieking girls lately, just not my jam. Lately I’ve just been really drawn to more organic rock music, though I’ll always love my noisy techno.
Any cool gay artists that come to mind?
I’m a huge fan of Bright Light Bright Light. He’s an amazing songwriter, and I love the new stuff that he’s done with Elton John. Sam Sparro and I have been writing a bit lately. He’s hilarious and has a voice that blows me away. Sam and I just wrote some really cool stuff with Courtney Act.
What musical direction is Courtney Act heading towards?
It’s sexy pop. I don’t sing on the record; it’s all Courtney. [Editor’s note: Courtney Act confirms that her Sam Sparro/Jake Shears collaboration will be released in September].
You’ll be DJ’ing in San Francisco at Juanita More’s Pride Party. How did you two meet?
I first met Juanita through Ana Matronic and Del Marquis [Shears’ bandmates]. She’s just one of my favorite people in the whole world. I love playing parties with her.
Will you partake in other Pride-related festivities either in San Francisco or around the world?
Oh, I’m sure I’ll be out and about all over the place. I’m a very social creature. I love running around hanging out and letting my hair down. San Francisco is one of my favorite places to do just that, especially during Pride.
What do you make of the rapid pace of “coming outs” in the world of music, sports and entertainment?
I was just thinking about it today, about how different it was even 10 years ago; just what kind of a big deal it was to be gay. We’ve made huge strides and won a lot of battles. But we’re hardly finished. It’s really time for more focus to be put on on transgender rights, and international LGBT oppression. We should feel just as responsible for our LGBT family in Russia as we do about ourselves.
If invited, would you perform in Russia like Elton John did?
Scissor Sisters did perform in Russia quite recently, as a matter fact. We played in St. Petersburg and Moscow right after Pussy Riot got arrested so our presence was duly noted.
Did you feel you had to self-censor your stage show?
Yes. I was really frightened to be there, but I’m so happy we did it. We walked straight into a press conference that I didn’t know was happening. It was a hairy moment because you have to be really be honest but yet sidestep on certain issues. That happens in many parts of the world. In Abu Dhabi I couldn’t take my shirt off onstage, and in Singapore there was no cursing allowed.
How were you guys received by the Russian audience?
The shows themselves were magical events, and it was clear people were so happy that we came. As a queer band, it was important to be there and show a positive representation. Our fans were hungry for it.
Did you get a chance to experience real gay life in Russia?
I visited Central Station, the main gay bar in Moscow. It’s a big kind of gay club complex, and has now been shut down so it was fascinating to see what was going on and see a snapshot of the moment.
When can we expect new music from you?
I’ve been writing music in Los Angeles, and I’ve been just doing it for fun. Writing songs and not really caring where it’s going or what it is, but just, you know, making music for the joy of it. So who knows? I’m just not putting any pressure myself.
Oscar Raymundo is the creator of Confessions of a Boy Toy.
Cam
Liked it, but also said it was scary, and they had to censor themselves. Additionally they went before the really harsh new gay laws came down.
michael mellor
Thanks for the interview but Jake Shears comes across as a big stereotype. You could predict his answers. Sad.
litper
What a prick! He can suck Putin’s dick!
Kieru
I’m starting to wonder if Queerty even has editors that review articles and their titles…
Scissor Sisters visited Russia in 2012. The Anti LGBT laws Russia is so infamous for were passed in 2013; yet the article is CLEARLY trying to draw a parallel of Jake Shears visiting a Russia of Today and how that should be perceived. Russia was no gay mecca in March of 2012 but trying to force this false association is misleading and appalling.
What’s worse is how oversimplified the title is. He didn’t “Like” being in Russia – in the article he discusses his fears of being there, the need to self censor and how he was scared when he had to take part in a press conference he was unprepared for.
The only positive aspects of Russia he spoke about were meeting fans and visiting a now-closed club; hardly indicative of Russia as it is perceived in modern media.
GymJockTX
This puff piece (pun intended)is in stark contrast to the Night Line I saw last night (June 26th, 2014) in which ABC’s Terry Moran visited Moscow and highlighted the horrific anti-gay violence and hatred being focused on our alternative tribe in the wake of Putin’s rainbow-obliterating agenda. The NL piece also focused on the now-closed Central Station, and featured a storyline in which one of the club’s drag performers gave up on his fatherland (partly at the insistence of his gorgeous young teary-eyed sister), ditched Russia and boldly moved to San Francisco to start over.
What really burned me were the scenes of savage beatings in which street crowds of hatemongers took out their homophobic bs against openly gay boys, oftentimes being cheered on by mobs shouting and egging on the beatings. Putin deserves a huge part of the blame for this godawful ongoing savagery. I sometimes find it easy to picture him as being a big Texas-sized closet case.
Although I was happy the story ended on a somewhat positive(albeit bittersweet)note, with the Russian drag performer getting a good start in our country’s gay mecca, more than anything it made me wish we could ship all of our redneck RepugnantCon “Christian” Evangelical Dumbf8*ks over to Putin’s land of homo hate, where they’d fit in quite nicely. Texas’s very own Reverend Perrywinkle and Teddy-boy Cruz top out that list for me. Hell, I’d even pitch in for one way tickets to Moscow for both of those hate-inciting Repugs (especially the Larry Craig-style, closeted, on-the-DL one of those two stooges).
DarkZephyr
@litper: Did you actually read the article? He didn’t like it. He was scared to be there. @GymJockTX: How is this a puff piece? In the article itself he said he was scared being in Russia and that it was before the antigay legislation.
fagburn
Central Station just opened a few blocks down.
winemaker
If Jake Shears “liked being in Russia”, why doesn’t he stay there. really! He should thank his lucky stars he lives in the USA. He should also get down on his knees and kiss the ground when he gets back, if he comes back. God Bless America!