Men
Words by Kristen Cochrane
“Thank you for supporting the local sex trade!” shouts the drag queen host of the apparent fundraising night, sporting 8 inch black platform heels, sequined booty shorts, and enough makeup to make Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter himself very jealous indeed. My jaw slightly agape, I turn to my photographer, who is trying to hide her surprised laughter. I figured that this explained the table at the entrance which was adorned with condoms of all sizes and flavours.
In spite of our accidental attendance at an event in favour of legalizing prostitution, describing an expression of amazement would be mistakenly understated. Watching JD Samson (formerly of Le Tigre) bounce around with such flair, with a hat crafted as a house, I knew I must have felt that same feeling when audiences were graced with musicians like the Sex Pistols, or the Talking Heads, or even Marilyn Manson. It’s that gratifying feeling of being a part of something that will never leave the dimensions of one’s mind. Proof of this was a quick turn around, to see that everyone was dancing. Every single person. Whether it was the gay couples, the local American Apparel employees, or the cliques of lesbians, everyone was feeling it. Devoid was the embarrassment or self-consciousness of dancing foolishly. One could hardly dance without wishing to simply watch the compelling performer-to-audience chemistry.
I had a feeling I would lose my sense of objectivity when I met the individuals behind Men. Not only are they sexy, but Ginger, Michael, and JD have astoundingly insightful minds, and when they speak, it’s rather laconic, without any filler conversation. They continuously hold interesting conversation, with incredible modesty. In terms of their sex appeal, I ask about the crush Perez Hilton has on JD. “He always tells me that,” replies JD, palm to face. This is truly an honour indeed, for the infamous blogger and self-proclaimed Queen of the Media certainly has his heroes and villains, and JD seems to be quite the hero. “I guess it’s because he recognizes performers in the gay community, and appreciates certain people as icons,” asserts JD.
When the question on possible alternate careers arises, the laughter in unison begins. “I would want to be a surgeon, I like doings things,” adds JD, lost in a daydream of medical aspirations. Michael is shocked by this sudden revelation. After his exasperated reply complete with raucous laughter, he claims “I just want to open a nude beach in Maine, or become the Mayor of Old Orchard Beach.”
Relaxed, cool and continuously cracking jokes about the positive experiences of their recent gigs, these evident amigos also share a strong awareness concerning their integrity, and always consult one another to ensure things progress smoothly. “We’re all control freaks in the sense that we know when we’re given bad advice,” says JD, to which Ginger adds “we analyze everything and determine all the possible twists and turns, and we would never take advice we didn’t agree with wholeheartedly.” With the evident forward thinking kept together with a dedicated and friendly bond, the insightful Brooklyn musicians are passionate about the queer community, and this undertaking is exemplified by Men’s rather socio-political lyrics.
Although many attended the gig with hopes of a Le Tigre reprisal, fans were welcomingly and surpassingly surprised by the fresh sound of Men. Fundamentally difficult to describe, Michael describes it for us ; “We shred over disco beats.” But why the name Men? “We decided that we were going to stand up for ourselves, and get paid by promoters, and be treated equally,” says JD. With an exceptional new sound accompanied by real instruments and lacking the zombie-like stances over one single laptop, Men are sure to get the equal treatment they deserve.
Posted Mon, July 20, 2009