Do queer singers have a responsibility to sing about queer things? According to Jake Shears and his Scissor Sisters, no. The American popsters recently sat down with Me-me-me to discuss the art of queering it up. Or, rather, not queering it up.
Debating whether or not the band’s so-called queerness informs their music, Shears insists,
I think it’s shaped our aesthetic. There are no gay lyrics, it’s all totally coded. If you’re looking for a gay message, you totally have to dig.
He goes on,
I’m not interested in singing about gay people… I wanted the music to be accessible. I don’t want to appeal to just a tenth of the population.
The interviewer presses the issue, explaining that straight people identify with “straight” music, so it follows that gay people should be able to identify with ‘gay” music. To this the openly gay Shears claims that being gay is but a mere part of his identity and admits that he finds queer-centric tunes to be a bit of a bore…
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I get bored with it. It’s not an issue. We’re not doing straight stuff. We’re just making music. Anyone can listen to this music and identify with it. If you take a band like Pansy Division, I hate that shit! Number one, it’s crap music and then it’s so going out of its way to be shocking and offensive and gay… It’s like, who cares?
Some may argue that Scissor Sisters’ fag fans may care. What say you, reader?
Meanwhile, Me-me-me also has also posted a chat with another gay favorite, Beyonce. In said interview, Ms. Knowles describes Barbara Streisand as “gansta” and cites drag queens as an inspiration:
I get a lot of my influences, a lot of my lingo, a lot of my mannerisms from watching the drag balls… I’m a frustrated drag queen! Absolutely! The more hair and the more lashes the better!
Greg Scarnici must be so proud.
robert
“crap music?” it’s because of queercore bands like P.D. that jake shears gets to be out of the closet in the music industry at all.
Dawster
i would be quite disappointed if they did “queer it up” (any more than it obviously already is). just like openly gay John Waters has never made a “gay” movie, there is no reason why an openly gay singer of a band should make “gay” music.
music, by definition, is art. you can’t regulate art or demand that art is more or less gay just because. There are certainly more similarities between gay and straight people than there are differences. Music (and all art) should be relatable to all people (Elton John’s love ballads come to mind) if that is what the artist is aiming for.
I’m certainly not against the idea that gay artists can celebrate their sexuality and create art based off of it, I’m simply saying that that don’t HAVE to and they shouldn’t have to bow to public pressure (whoever that “public†might be).
JC
I agree with SS. Just because a performer is gay, and out about it, doesn’t mean that he/she has any obligation to create a product that is centered around their sexuality. JS is right…it would be boring as hell.
Why is it that so many gays feel the need to seal themselves up in such restrictive gay bubbles? There’s a huge world of experience out there and the majority of it has no relation whatsoever to being a homo.
nystudman
two words for why being out in music makes better music: Bronski Beat. Scissor Sisters wishes they could measure up to Jimmy’s belt buckle. Tell me why.
Eric
I’m not certain that what Mr. Shears is saying is stuff he actually believes. Of course music should be for everybody, and they aren’t obligated to write songs solely about gay themes, but if you take a look at the history of the band, their songs, their venues–it’s pretty clear that they have been trying to shed the “gay taint” over time. The business reigns of that band are pretty firmly controlled by Babydaddy, who seems to have a weird disdain for his core fanbase both in the U.S. and abroad as The Gays keep the band from his idea of mainstream success. I would like to be wrong about this and hope that I am; these are just my impressions. Then again, since the band’s second album tanked in the U.S. due in no small part to poor follow-up singles choices, bad videos, and their inability to decide who and what they are, does it really mater now?
el polacko
in their earliest performances scissor sisters were gayin’ it up bigtime and were fun and seemed to have potential.
since then , apparently in their quest for ‘mainstream appeal’ they’ve floundered. both eric and nystudman are onto something .. if you have to search for who you ‘are’ then you’re nobody.. or some hallmark card shit like that.. haha. but yeah, give be old bronski/sommerville over jake shears excuses any day.
el polacko
P.S. … are you listening, mika ?
kevin
Do you mean Scissor Sisters Not “Singing” For The Gays?
el polacko
btw, i’ve had hours of fun bouncing around at pansy division concerts over the years. maybe shears is too young to know anything about homocore punk .. and didn’t get the memo that gay guys like other styles of ‘crap music’ besides disco. his loss.
Shineman
Hmm… I have to say I’m with Shears on this. I’m an “out and proud” gay man. Also a musician, and love pop music (also, like ’em “well enough”, but not a huge Scissor Sisters fan). I would rather listen to good music than music that was explicitly gay for the sake of being “music of the gays, for the gays, and by the gays”. Quite frankly, I’m more sophisticated than that and appreciate the more subtle influence a gay aesthetic exerts on music that’s written for “everyone”. 99% of the time that is way more interesting anyway.
On the flip side, knowing an artist who you appreciate/like/worship (pick your level of enthusiasm) is queer, and especially is comfortable and out with that is really cool. I can’t exactly explain it, but for me it’s a “yeah, that’s one of us” kind of thing that creates a bit of an extra personal attachment to the artist. Don’t ask me to explain why that should matter. It’s just a nice feeling. But, I get the same kind of feeling from Madonna, she being one of the queerest “straight” performers around. And from a marketing standpoint (gah, my day job), that feeling is pure gold.
-S.
john
He doesn’t want to appeal to just 10% of the population? I have a suprise for him – he doesn’t even appeal to 1%. SS sucks ass! I can’t stand their shitty music!!!!
Tom
Who are the Scissor Sisters? And why should I care?
Chris Freeman
As a founding member of Pansy Division, I’m fairly offended by Mr. Shears statement. And further, I’m a SS fan!
We broke ground in ’91 when *no one* else was out of the closet, and we have plenty of songs that can appeal to anyone. It’s safe to say that if it weren’t for us, there’d be no SS.
Most of the time when someone makes a comment like this we find that they’ve really never actually listened to us when pressed.
We’ve got 8 albums and we’re working on the next. My advice is to listen for yourself. You too, Mr. Shears!
c-
Paul Raposo
In ten years, Jake, or rather, Jason Sellards, will be married to a woman with three kids a la Tom Robinson. And both will still be trying to convince us that they’re “proudly” gay.
Since most music is overtly straight, it’s stupid to believe that straight artists are not making straight music; or that gay artists should not make gay music, or try to appeal to a gay audience. As el polacko wrote, they’re trying to de-gay themselves after using gay audiences to reach the spotlight.
Clearly the term sell-out is apropos for SS. I’ll take any disc by Pansy Division over SS any day. I first heard of PD back in 1993 and spent three weeks looking for an album, elated that their were openly gay bands making “music of the gays, for the gays, and by the gays,” thank you very much. Today, I can walk into HMV and pick up “gay music”. Mr. Sellards had damn well better represent and respect what others have done to make the raod easier for him and his glam-crap-tastic band to flourish.
I’ll beleive this line of bull when straight artists start making music that is “accessible” for everyone and not just themselves. Next stop for SS? The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, their dream come true. I’m sure
Eric
Well, SS aren’t required to “represent,” of course, and I don’t think most of their gay fans even expects the band to make All Gay Songs All The Time, either. But it’s awfully weird to read such statements from their mouthpiece (and in awfully bad taste for him to dis another group that’s done nothing to him), which boil down to saying he doesn’t feel like ever writing or singing a song about anything explicitly gay. But his actual rational for such a view is what, exactly? I don’t think it has anything to do with “making music for everybody rather than just ten percent of the listeners.” Tracey Thorn just did an album that has two tracks clearly about gay themes–does that mean that those songs are to be enjoyed only by queers? Plus, at least she’s got a more impressive resume, Jason (and Scott, more specifically). Jake needs to leave his stash bag long enough to reconnect with reality . . .
F.U.
SS look like freaking rodeo clowns in that photo. keep listening to your Paris Hilton album, you probably won’t get punk rock, never have, never will. disco music sucks, not even worth shoplifting for.
Gregg
This interview is strange. “Take Your Mama” is ABOUT gay people, so it’s weird that Shears would say that he doesn’t want to sing about gay people. Isn’t the gorgeous “Return To Oz” about the crystal epidemic? It makes me a little sad, because it sounds like they’re trying to actively distance themselves from their gay fans in pursuit of mainstream fame.
I love their music, but I would love them so much more if they were more honest and in your face about who they are.
Plus, “Kiss You Off” and “Making Ladies” are two of the fucking gayest songs ever! I love ’em!