Will & Grace”? Please. “Queer Eye”? Played out. Darling, the latest gay phenomenon is Jake Shears, the fabulous fashion-forward, falsettoed lead singer of the Scissor Sisters.
Virtually unknown last year, the Scissor Sisters broke out after it’s cover of “Comfortably Numb” (yup, the Pink Floyd song) exploded all over Europe. Soon after, the media hype around the New York-based dance group, which features nary a sibling, pushed the group to the forefront of alternative radio and even landed the band a full-page feature in Time magazine.
Now the Scissor Sisters (named for a lesbian sex act) travel the globe and play alongside musical heroes such as Elton John, Duran Duran and B-52’s. Metromix spoke with Shears from the Pukkelpop Festival in the Belgian countryside before the group headed stateside for a headlining tour.
So how cool do you all feel right now?
[Laughs] Pretty cool. Everybody’s pretty excited. There hasn’t been a spare moment to feel anything but excitement and exhaustion.How do you use a spare moment when it comes along?
When there is an evening off, I have no idea what to do with myself. I weigh my options and [usually] end up doing nothing.
Now that you’re getting so much exposure, do you feel like the new gay poster child?
Not at all. Who knows–I could be. Even though we played for gay audiences in New York, we never really thought of [the group] as gay. I’ve always felt that the music and the performances surpass my sexuality. The band is [about] 50-50 [gay-straight] now, but there’s so much gay in me, I think I make up for it.
Has being gay played against you at all?
It hasn’t mattered over here [in Europe] and it hasn’t been an issue. People accept it and move on. That’s been the beautiful thing. The hype never concentrated on the gay thing. It’s a different vibe in America, but I’m not concerned about it. I just don’t care really.
How did you land on “Comfortably Numb”?
It’s one of my favorite songs. I wouldn’t say it was random, but one day I was just singing to myself when visiting my parents. It was a B-side on our first 12-inch. We had no intention of it being successful. It’s just something we did.
Has it pissed off any die-hard Pink Floyd fans?
A while back we’d get mean e-mails, but now we get their blessings. I think we did something different with it, but I still love the original.
You once said Britney was awful and should work in McDonald’s. Don’t you think it’s bad to bash the gay icons?
[Laughs] I said that before I was famous. I think she’s a good girl.Now that you’ve been in Time, do you think you’re overexposed?
Do you fear one-hit wonder syndrome?
I don’t think it’s a fear as much as it’s really enjoying the moment and not taking anything for granted. That’s the lesson: We are fortunate, and not many people get to do what we do. How many bands would have loved what we’ve been allowed to do? It’s a special thing. Fears? No. I’m not scared of anything really. I have a lot of confidence, and I’m really excited to write more music.
