|
PRESS
Here
are some reviews of THE ESSENTIAL PANSY DIVISION:
Got a great review
from the trendy music website PITCHFORK,
I am much surprised.
An astute review from POP
MATTERS
From Blogcritics.org
From the Seattle zine Three
Imaginary Girls
From Zero
magazine (Bay Area)
In German, from In
Your Face de.com
PLUS, a nice blog
entry regarding "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each
Other," from www.chrisgeidner.com:
About That Queer Cowboy Song . . .
Willie Nelson had surprised me with his emotional Brokeback Mountain
soundtrack "He Was a Friend of Mine" ballad, although
it carefully, I felt, avoided distinguishing between a loving friendship
and the love that dare not speak its name. Well, on Tuesday he shot
that fish out of the water with his beautifully moving yet catty
and catchy "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly (Fond of Each Other)."
Released exclusively on iTunes, this is a song that will finally
recruit gay boys who haven't yet gotten themselves sufficiently
immersed in the Cult of Mac.
What lyrics:
There's many a strange impulse out on the plains of West Texas;
There's many a young boy who feels things he don't comprehend.
Well small town don't like it when somebody falls between sexes,
No, small town don't like it when a cowboy has feelings for men.
Everyone's talking about how this song was written in 1981 by a
guy from Lubbock, Texas. And although Nelson himself said in a statement
reported by the Dallas Morning News that "[t]he song's been
in the closet for 20 years," that's not exactly true.
It's quite clear that this song has come out before -- twice. And
it's quite queer, actually. A longer version of the song, with even
more delicious lyrics, was on the very openly, in-your-face gay
Pansy Division's 1995 album, Pile Up. (And that was the second time
the song had been released.) The band is offering it for free download
on their Web site.
A verse not in Nelson's version:
Ten men for each woman was the rule way back when on the prairie,
And somehow those cowboys must have kept themselves warm late at
night.
Cowboys are famous for getting riled up about fairies,
But I'll tell you the reason a big strong man gets so uptight .
. . .
As happy as I am to have Willie Nelson singing this song, I hope
that people -- particularly the gays -- take the time to step back
and think about what it meant when Pansy Division was singing their
version of this song more than a decade ago. For starters, the band
itself has already mentioned Nelson's recording on their Web site.
Also, I found the Internet cache of a teen 'zine that gives an assessment
in May of 1994 from Cleveland: "'Cowboys are frequently, secretly
fond of each other' is one of the better [Pansy Division] songs
that I've heard." The song appeared on a "Stop Homophobia
Compilation" 7" album.
Lastly, there's Julene Snyder, who wrote for the San Jose Mercury
News about Pansy Division's 1994-95 gig opening for Green Day and
reprinted a quote from Green Day's Billie Joe: "As far as I'm
concerned, I think that a band like Pansy Division saves people's
lives. A lot of kids go through life just not knowin' what the hell
they are, or what their sexuality is all about, and they just kind
of go confused. But if someone has sort of the same ideas and feelings
they do -- and a sense of humor thrown on top of it -- then it really
helps."
I'm reading reviews on iTunes from people talking about how they
heard these lyrics and cried. Willie Nelson is kind for taking this
song into the "straight" country world, and it's great
to know that we live in a world in which this can happen.
But, in our happiness for how quickly we've moved forward, let's
not forget about the Pansy Division queens. They were brave to do
what they did. They were singing the song long before Heath and
Jake (hell, long before Will and Grace), and they were actually
-- gasp -- gay.
Nelson is singing a new rendition of the song -- the first mainstream
version, true -- but the song itself is not at all new and was not
at all "in the closet for 20 years." I downloaded Nelson's
version from iTunes, and I love it.
I also downloaded the Pansy Division version of the song. Listening
to the Pansy Division version, I recalled that they were singing
it when I was still in the closet and in my senior year of high
school. Thanks, guys, for being you.
And thanks to you, Willie Nelson, for bringing this song to a whole
new audience.
Here are some reviews of TOTAL ENTERTAINMENT!:
Interview/article in The Advocate:
Return of the Pansys
Plugging its first new album in five years, Pansy Division sets
out to perform more of the live shows that made it famous By Larry
Flick
From The Advocate, September 16, 2003
Even in the midst of the current tidal wave of queers in mainstream
consciousness, Jon Ginoli feels that Pansy Division largely stands
alone. Sadly, he’s right. Despite the ground broken in 1991,
when singer-guitarist Ginoli and bassist Chris Freeman joined forces
to prove that queer musicians are capable of more than disco beats
and confessional folk, the rock world is still bereft of big-name
out, loud, and proud guitar slingers.
“In music at least, it seems to be fine for an artist to come
out after he or she has already become famous—or has passed
his or her peak,” Ginoli says, speaking by phone from San
Francisco. “You don’t hear a lot about major labels,
for example, signing a young gay rock band and spending big marketing
dollars on them. There’s still work to be done—and we
have no problem doing it.”
Thus the release of Total Entertainment! (Alternative Tentacles),
the first collection of new material from Pansy Division in five
years. Also featuring guitarist Patrick Goodwin and drummer Luis
(who gives no last name), the disc is the band’s most varied
effort to date. It has all of the biting, thought-provoking humor
and ornery punk spice that has become Pansy Division’s signature
while also sprinkling the set with slower, more complex arrangements.
“We intentionally took our time with this record,” Ginoli
says. “We didn’t want to rush through the process, not
that we ever really have. But this time we allowed ourselves the
luxury of making music without crazy deadlines. A lot of Pansy Division’s
history has been about working hard and racing to our next level
or destination in our journey as a band.”
Indeed. From 1993 through 1998, Pansy Division issued an album a
year on famed indie punk label Lookout! Records. The group’s
music caught the attention of former Lookout! band Green Day, who
took Pansy Division on tour in 1994 at the height of Green Day’s
popularity.
"It was an incredible experience,” recalls Ginoli. “We
worked a lot, learned a lot. We’ll always be grateful to the
guys in Green Day for taking that chance with us.”
It paid off in a big way. Although Pansy Division never made the
leap to a major label, the Green Day tour sparked mainstream critical
praise and enough consumer interest to keep the queer combo on the
touring fast track as a club and midsize venue headliner for five
years. “We reached a point a few years ago where we had to
choose between being on the road most of the year and having personal
lives,” Ginoli notes. The latter has “been a great thing
for the band. When you’re an active part of the world and
the people in it, it informs and deepens your music. It puts you
in touch with what people care about. It’s easy to get isolated
from life when you’re in a band.”
That said, Ginoli says the members of Pansy Division are champing
at the bit to hit the road again: “You never lose that hunger
or the need to be out there. The day we lose that is the day we
say goodbye to Pansy Division. At this point, I don’t see
that ever happening.”
Flick is the cohost of OutQ in the Morning on OutQ/Sirius satellite
radio.
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Critic's Choice pick in the Chicago
Reader,
8-29-03:
Pansy Division are more famous for being gay than for being great---their
lyrics were always more radical than their music, a charged punk-pop
that was addictive but hardly revolutionary. In the early 90s they
were a beacon for the various emerging branches of the queer punk
movement, but it's been five years since their last album, and the
new TOTAL ENTERTAINMENT ! (Alternative Tentacles) arrives in a different
political environment, at least on the surface: sodomy's good and
legal (but the White House is more hostile), and openly gay men
are all over the idiot box (albeit as unthreatening best friends
to straight girls and fashion advisers to straight boys). What's
more, bands setting their own messages (or nonmessages) to charged
punk-pop have multiplied like horny little bunnies. You really have
to pay attention now to catch the twist a tune like Pansy Division's
"Alpine Skiing" puts on the sexual frankness that's tandard
issue for striaght male rockers (though still fussed over coming
from women of any orientation). On the other hand, the story line
of "He Whipped Ass In Tennis (Then I Fucked His Ass In Bed)"
is hard to miss. But straight men, who last I checked still mostly
runt he music biz, are notorious for shutting down when pushed outside
their comfort zones(c.f. all the bizarre castration anxiety beneath
the surface of Lilith Fair coverage), so it should be itneresting
to watch how this important comeback gets spun. Meanwhile, though
"He Whipped Ass In Tennis" might not strike a chord with
everyone, there are universal themes aplenty running through the
band's wry, sunny music: desire and dread, hope and rejection, and
confrontations at the corner of lust and death ("No Protection").
--Monica Kendrick
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From the Washington Blade, Friday,
October 03, 2003:
(by Dan Miller)
Pansy
Division pleases:
Gay rockers’ new CD is a fun-loving, quirky effort full of
syrupy melodies and in-your-face lyrics that will make you smile.
DESPITE SHARING A reputation for questioning the status quo and
breaking social boundaries, punk rock and the gay community haven’t
really embraced each other. Sure, there are gay musicians who can
be found in the rock section of your local record store (Melissa
Etheridge, Rufus Wainwright), but finding a gay musician in punk
rock can be as fruitless a search as finding a Pennsylvania Dutch
artist in the R&B section.
This is what prompted singer and guitarist Jon Ginoli and bassist
Chris Freeman to start the Pansy Division back in 1991. Now, with
a solidified lineup including guitarist Patrick Goodwin and a drummer
listed simply as Luis, the band has released its seventh album,
“Total Entertainment.”
For the most part, “Total Entertainment” is a fun-loving,
quirky album full of in-your-face lyrics and candy-coated melodies.
Pansy Division isn’t a typical, three-chords-and-screaming
punk band. “Total Entertainment” offers a diverse mix
of pop songs, ranging from the somber “First Betrayal”
to the sugary opener, “Who Treats You Right.” The band’s
listener-friendly songs, energetic and bursting with harmonies,
are sure to win them support from a variety of listeners.
As evidenced by the band’s name, they make no secret of their
sexual orientation. There are no suspicious missing gender pronouns
or ambiguous descriptions.
Any singer, gay or straight, could sing some songs, such as “Not
Good Enough” or “Scared to Death,” but the lion’s
share of the songs, tracks like “Alpine Skiing” or “No
Protection,” are gay enough to merit Pansy Division a parade
of their very own.
The most graphic song on the album is “He Whipped My Ass in
Tennis, Then I Fucked His Ass in Bed.” The narrative of the
song is pretty obvious, but the music is hard to enjoy if you’re
still reeling from the shock of the title.
SOMETIMES IT’S A relief to hear the less explicitly gay tracks
on “Total Entertainment” because it makes the band seem
like genuine artists rather than gay rock poster boys.
Falling into the novelty category is one thing that Pansy Division
might worry about. Ginoli’s sense of humor is the dominant
feature of tracks like “Too Many Hoops” where he sings,
“You put up so many barriers/ I get more calls from long-distance
carriers” and “You offer kneepads/ But I’m not
gonna crawl/ It’s like playing tennis with a basketball.”
Most of Ginoli’s one-liners aren’t “ha ha”-funny,
as much as they are smirk-funny.
The musicianship on the eclectic album is solid. “Not Good
Enough” has heavy guitars and a stomping beat, while the mellow
“The Saddest Song” incorporates some poignant guitar
parts.
Additionally, Goodwin, Freeman and Luis lend some multi-layered,
barbershop-sounding backing vocals to support lead vocalist Ginoli
(whose high, nasal voice takes some getting used to).
While Pansy Division may not be musically progressive, they’re
all capable musicians. One of the best tracks on “Total Entertainment”
is the safe-sex anthem “No Protection.” It mixes a healthy
dose of humor with a catchy chorus and a positive message. It’s
a danceable song that demonstrates what the quartet is capable of.
“Total Entertainment” runs a little long, encompassing
15 tracks (not including the insanity-inducing unlisted track, “At
The Mall,” which contains 12 minutes of doo-wop vocals and
utterly silly lyrics). Losing tracks like the dramatic “Sleeping
in the Cold” or “First Betrayal” may have helped
tighten things up.
While Pansy Division’s love of kitsch and camp almost do them
in, “Total Entertainment” is a sunny collection of pop
songs that fill a void in gay music. The album may not be a monumental
achievement in music, but it’s hard not to smile at their
energy and good humor.
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On line magazine Aversion:
Being gay just isn’t the big deal it used to be. Will and
Grace, The Birdcage and even Tatu have put alternative sexualities
into the mainstream spotlight – so much, in fact, that it’s
only the Focus on the Family types who still get upset about two
guys getting it on.
That’s a plus and a minus for Pansy Division. While the queercore
act’s worked to get homosexual acceptance in the mainstream,
it’s always done it by pushing buttons and pressing the envelope
of good taste. The new acceptance of homosexuality brings the band’s
agenda closer to fruition; it sure makes it difficult for the band
to illicit the same reactions it did nearly a decade ago. That doesn’t
stop the Pansies from trying, though: “Alpine Skiing”
is an ode to simultaneous dual hand jobs and “He Whipped My
Ass in Tennis then I Fucked His Ass in Bed” shoes in a mildly
ribald tale wrapped up in the snotty So-Cal brat-punk vibe of The
Vandals or NOFX.
Then again, when the Division breaks away from the usual snotty
humor and shock-trooper tactics of ho-hum Californian punk, it occasionally
finds some room for some noteworthy songwriting. Whether the band
tips its hat toward safe sex in its anti-barebacking tune in “No
Protection” or simply writes relationship-issue pop tunes
that show universal themes of doubt (“Scared to Death”),
honesty (“When He Comes Home”) and head games (“Too
Many Hoops”) the Pansies crank out songs that veer from issues
of sexuality to relationships. Thrown over a hearty background of
gooey pop punk in the vein of Screeching Weasel or Lookout!-era
Green Day, Total Entertainment, the band’s first record in
six years, is familiar and comfortable, if a somewhat stilted and
junior-varsity-level take on pre-Blink punk.
It’s tough to separate the Pansies’ sexual identity
from their songs, but Total Entertainment may showcase the band’s
most broad songwriting efforts to date. Love them for their politics
or not, there’s no getting around the fact that Pansy Division
reminds us of a time when pop punk wasn’t a catch-all category
for formulaic and spotty teen guitar rock.
- Matt Schild
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Review of our live show in Spokane, Washington:
total entertainment!
last night i went out to the pansy division show at the b-side with
dan e. (miss m. couldn't join us — she was sorely missed).
we got there about 10:30, right in between the first (horrible disaster)
and the second (mang) opening band. the pansy division guys were
milling around out front next to their van so i said hullo and talked
to jon ginoli for a bit. he said they liked the article i wrote
about them very much which always makes me feel good. he also was
kind of bemoaning the fact that they weren't going to get to go
on until midnight. yeah, jon that IS kinda late for a monday night...
once inside we ran into people we knew (derrick, tracy...), grabbed
some cheap beer and settled in. it was a small crowd but decent
for a monday night. the guy from horrible disaster approached me
and i apologized to him for missing their set (i really did want
to hear them). he's pretty ok. there weren't as many openly gay
people there as i thought there might be but it was still a good
showing. i had my ass grabbed twice — by two different
guys, both of whom i know. (don't get too excited...they're both
straight. i think).
by the time pansy division got up there, people were ready. i know
we certainly were. they were extremely entertaining. jon is totally
unglamorous but the bass player, chris, is a total queen, at one
point donning a purple sequined dress with matching boa (which during
the course of the evening was peeled almost completely off his bod).
their songs are humorous and fun and sometimes flat out hilarious
but they don't come across as a joke — nice trick! lots of
the songs have to do with sports (or "ssthports" as jon
would jokingly pronounce it). there was the countrified "he
whipped my ass in tennis then i fucked his ass in bed" and
the popular "alpine skiing" (yep, the latter is just as
naughty as the former). at one point they informed the crowd they
had no where to stay. some guy in the front row offered. they accepted.
and the songs continued.
all good, sweaty, pop-punk fun. and no hecklers or gay bashers —
right on! dan went over after and said hi to the band then had to
break me away from a conversation with jerrod the band manager dude
so he could get home and get some shut eye. i went home, satisfied
my all-night craving for a smoke and walked around the deserted
neighborhood soaking in the balmy weekday stillness of a deep summer
2 a.m.
it was glorious.
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Album review from Louisville:
PANSY DIVISION Total Entertainment (Alternative Tentacles)
By Kevin Gibson
One of the best things about Pansy Division is that it recognizes
itself in the mirror - four guys singing about homosexuality, interspersing
real live human emotions with humor. Upon first listen, this act
is at best a gimmick. But if you get to know them, you realize these
are mature people who are quite comfortable with their station.
And if you can take them on their terms, you can easily enjoy the
music, whether you're straight, gay, bi or somewhere in between.
Important Asset No. 1 for Pansy Division: These guys know how to
write a pop song. If Blink 182 is a pop-punk gimmick (and it is),
Pansy Division is a band that is so far past that gimmick that it
isn't even in the rear view mirror any longer. Front man Jon Ginoli
has been doing this since his days back in the late 1980s with his
band the Outnumbered.
Important Asset No. 2: Pansy Division is smart enough not to take
itself too seriously. That goes with the comfort level and the maturity.
"When He Comes Home" is a quite serious song about confessing
an affair. It tells the listener to stand up and be honest about
transgressions. On the same disc, PD offers up "He Kicked My
Ass in Tennis ...," a country parody about gay lovers and tennis
partners who even the score in the bedroom. Laugh-out-loud funny.
If you're familiar with the band's catalog, Total Entertainment
is somewhere between Wish I'd Taken Pictures and the last release,
the somewhat more somber Absurd Pop Song Romance. Songs like "Blurry
Down Below" and "Alpine Skiing" (think about it)
are tongue-in-cheek (or wherever) Pansy Division classics, while
"Spiral" is just a damn good rock 'n' roll song.
If it weren't for the fact Bush is in office and conservatism reined,
these guys might be superstars. And I'll bet they could write a
fun song about the name "Bush," too.
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One of my favorite of the album reviews (www.fufkin.com,
Sept. 2003):
Pansy Division
Total Entertainment!
(Alternative Tentacles)
Well, a lot has happened since the last time Pansy Division put
out a record. The United States Supreme Court overturned Texas's
anti-sodomy law, which has now made gay marriage one of the hot
button topics of the year. Television has, in a big way, started
to truly embrace gays -- whether it's on Queer Eye for the Straight
Guy or the much less stereotypical Reichen and Chip, the married
gay couple who just won The Amazing Race.
While ostensibly this would seem to diminish the importance of Pansy
Division, in fact, their mission may be more crucial than ever.
As Jon Ginoli has noted in interviews, an impetus for the band's
formation was the dearth of really good rock and roll music made
by and for gay men. The band found some success in the grass roots
indie-punk scene, even though their music is just upbeat pop-rock,
with bits of punk, jangle pop, power pop and Brit pop mixed in.
Armed with hooks aplenty and clever and funny lyrics, the band's
in-your-face directness about their sexuality was a breath of fresh
air. Whether it was smutty innuendo ("Smoke My Joe Camel")
or a subversive cover (redoing Nirvana on "Smells Like Queer
Spirit"), Pansy Division challenged both gay and straight listeners,
by rejecting ambiguity. Tom Robinson used to encourage listeners
to "sing if you're glad to be gay". Pansy Division consistently
goes a few steps further than that.
For all the attention being paid to gays in the media, the presentation
of gays either falls back on safe stereotypes (the tasteful queens
on Queer Eye) or neuters them (see Chip and Reichen – if they
weren't identified as married, one would never guess). Tolerance
is not acceptance. Which it is great to hear that Pansy Division
is still flying their pink triangle freak flag high. So when they
sing "He Whipped My Ass In Tennis, Then I Fucked His Ass in
Bed", they force the listener to either recoil in disgust,
or laugh along with them -- and if you're laughing along, you realize
how asinine fearing or hating someone over sexual preference is.
Moreover, this frankness isn't just for shock effect, but pervades
Pansy Division's music. Meaning that their songs about the joys
and pitfalls of sex and love have a directness and openness that
is lacking in most rock music. Though, at times, they can hit you
over the head with a message (like the protagonist who won't fuck
a guy bareback on "No Protection"), following in the footsteps
of messengers like Billy Bragg, Joe Strummer and the aforementioned
Robinson, their inherent tunefulness makes it all go down easy.
Moreover, the specificity of the feelings they describe applies
to any of us who've lost (and sometimes won) in love.
So you can dance to garage rocking "Alpine Skiing", a
self-proclaimed dance song, describing how you can ski without any
snow. Yes, if The Fleshtones did songs about giving two handjobs
at the same time, it would sound something like this. Then there's
the light R & B chug of "Too Many Hoops", with Jon
Ginoli rhyming like a wiseacre Smokey Robinson ("You put up
so many barriers/I get more calls from long distance carriers.").
On "Scared to Death", the band plays an early-Beatles
bounce with a jittery energy.
Though the band has such a jokey exterior, they are equally engaging
when they drop the smiley faces. While there is no song as intense
as "Happiness is the Best Revenge" from their last album,
there are some gripping tracks. Chris Freeman's "Sleeping in
the Cold" is basic and foreboding, with dramatic lead guitar
flourishes. Ginoli's "Saddest Song" could have been a
holdover from his old ‘80s band The Outnumbered, a slow jangly
lament. On "First Betrayal" is sad at two levels -- first,
the admission that "I'll cry/when that first betrayal comes";
second, that the singer knows that the betrayal is inevitable.
While it is easy to pigeonhole Pansy Division due to their overt
sexuality, their music transcends genre. They have gone from a being
a band of the moment, to an enduring musical presence. Let's hope
that it won't be another four or five years until the next Pansy
Division disc.
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From Flavor Pill #67:
Pansy Division
The problem with leading the vanguard of a unique cultural movement
is that you ensure your own obsolescence. What do you do when your
once cutting-edge musical message has been co-opted by every hip
troubadour in indie land? In the case of Bay Area quartet Pansy
Division, you keep on rockin', that's what. Twelve years after coming
out loud and proud as the first queer rock band, Pansy Division
still know how to make your ears ring, even though there's probably
a lot less jewelry in them these days. Hopes among the queercore
ancient regime are pinned on the band's first album in five years,
Total Entertainment, to rile up activist spirits again while keeping
the mosh pit packed. Lord knows there's still plenty to shout about.
(MB)
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From the Portland, Oregon Mercury 8/14/03:
PANSY DIVISION, TAKE THE BLAME, THE DIVIDED (@ The Blackbird)
Long-running Bay Area punks Pansy Division--who did for queer punk
boys in the '90s what Le Tigre's JD Samson is doing for mustachioed
lesbians now--have a new record, Total Entertainment, which continues
their tradition of man-love punk rock songs like, "He Whipped
My Ass in Tennis (then I Fucked His Ass in Bed)." JS
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I just found this old review of Absurd Pop
Song Romance on line at Salon:
(09/04/98)
Pansy Division ABSURD POP SONG ROMANCE | LOOKOUT!
BY MARK ATHITAKIS
It's been six years
since Pansy Division launched its career with a Nirvana parody,
"Smells Like Queer Spirit," and front man Jon Ginoli still
can't shake his rep as the "Wierd" Al Yankovic of queercore:
His melodramatic, sensitive side simply couldn't compete with his
goofball homages to S&M ("James Bondage") and cute
Canadians ("Hockey Hair"). Seven albums and one Green
Day tour later, Ginoli finally hits his moment of crisis on "Absurd
Pop Song Romance": It's the San Francisco band's least funny
record, but also its most balanced, hook-wise and contemplative.
Though Ginoli's not questioning his sexual orientation the way Reggie
White wants him to, he is standing frightened at the crossroads
of sex and relationships: He refuses to be the "standard issue
regulation fag" on "Better Off Just Friends" and
finds an old high school bully making gay porn on "Vicious
Beauty," and most of the rest are about getting free instead
of getting laid ("Even though I got erect/I pressed eject").
With producer Steve Albini providing the appropriate sonic whomp,
the band finally channels the punk perfection of early Ramones and
Buzzcocks without stealing outright, even though Ginoli does descend
into more melodrama with the sappy strings on "Glenview."
But now he's become so smart about pop songcraft that he's learned
not to trust it. On "Luv Luv Luv" he notes that "love"
really means "sex" in old pop songs; the Brill Building
and Motown just got scared by the morality thought police. "People
just want to connect," he pleads. Now try telling it to Trent
Lott.
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Here's a long
and entertaining interview with Jon, Luis, and Chris from the website
gay.comL
QSAT: Pansy
Division
Get to know your favorite queer and queer-friendly celebs by reading
their responses to our QSAT. It's the aptitude test that would have
gotten you into Harvard.
In 1991, guitarist Jon Ginoli and bassist Chris Freeman started
Pansy Division, the first all-gay rock band. Bound together by the
shared experience of homophobia in the music industry and a love
of hooky, pop punk with an edge, Pansy Division balanced anger with
humor and politics with songcraft, jump-starting the "queercore"
trend of the early 1990s.
After a stint touring with Green Day and a search to expand the
band -- now a quartet with drummer Luis and lead guitarist Patrick
Goodwin -- Pansy Division was out of the studio for a while. But
in August 2003, the band released its first album in five years,
"TOTAL ENTERTAINMENT!"
When did you first become aware of gay issues?
Luis: That's a difficult question, as far as the fact that there
was a real community of queers that were in need and also there
to support each other. I think in fifth grade, I saw "The Boys
in the Band," and was really shocked that I wasn't the only
one.
Jon: I'm not exactly sure. It took me a long time to figure out
that I was really gay, and that my attraction to guys wasn't going
away. I remember reading about Harvey Milk getting shot (in 1978)
and thinking, I don't think I can ever be gay. But two years later
I was out, and I never looked back. I think I might have dealt with
it earlier if I'd only realized that my two favorite high school
teachers (one male, one female) were gay. But my gaydar took time
to develop.
Chris: Around 1982, when I came out.
If you were to star in a same-sex love story, whom would
you visualize as your romantic co-star?
Luis: Some hot unknown French or Spanish actor. Most American actors
these days are a little too primadonna-ish for me, a little too
delicate.
Jon: Lukas Haas
Chris: Robert De Niro
If you were going to be lesbian for just one weekend, whom
would you want to go out on a date with?
Luis: Ludivine Sagnier (of "Swimming Pool"). She would
probably pull my hair and make me cry.
Jon: People I know, nobody famous.
Chris: Neve Campbell
What's your current favorite CD, book, writer, movie?
Luis:
CD: Interpol, "Turn on the Bright Lights"
Book: "Cruddy" by Lynda Barry
Movie: "In a Lonely Place" with Humphrey Bogart
Jon:
CD: Fountains Of Wayne, "Welcome Interstate Managers"
Book: "Unknown Legends of Rock 'n' Roll" by Richie Unterberger
Movie: "The Weather Underground"
Chris:
CD: Fleetwood Mac, "Say You Will"
Book: "The Operator" (the David Geffen biography)
Movie: "Pirates of the Caribbean"
Do you have a favorite drink?
Luis: Herradura Silver tequila
Jon: Southern Comfort
Chris: Water
Does your favorite drink reflect your personality?
Luis: I guess it would reflect my Mexican nationality more than
my personality.
Jon: No, it reflects that it keeps my voice in good shape.
Chris: Yes -- I'm bland and see-through, but ultimately satisfying.
Who's your favorite Village Person? Angel? Brady? Backstreet
Boy?
Luis: None of the above
Jon: I liked the middle Brady brother, way back when.
Chris: The late Glenn Hughes; Kate Jackson; Mike; Donnie Wahlberg
What is your soap character name, according to these specifications:
first name = your middle name; last name = the street you grew up
on?
Luis: Gabriel Manzanillo
Jon: Latimer Christine
Chris: Mark Richards
Fill in the blank: I am the _____ of my generation.
Luis: Lost prophet
Jon: The most brazen hussy
Chris: Fringe
What was the most important event in your life in the last
year?
Luis: Being able to return to my hometown (Tijuana, Mexico) without
feeling completely neurotic
Jon: Having my boyfriend move back from New York City and move in
with me
Chris: Quitting smoking
Fill in the blank: I always have _____ in my refrigerator.
Luis: San Pellegrino
Jon: Rice milk
Chris: Jell-O
Who inspires you the most?
Luis: Seth Bogard (of Gravy Train!)
Jon: My boyfriend
Chris: My best friend, Sally Dana
Tell us something nobody knows about you.
Luis: Yeah, right -- what are you, my new bestest girlfriend?
Jon: When I was 10, I got hit on the head by a baseball bat.
Chris: I secretly loathe single-ply toilet paper.
Describe your ideal mate.
Luis: A blind deaf-mute
Jon: Yeah, right -- what are you, my new bestest girlfriend?
Chris: Probably older, Jewish or Italian, shorter, dark, hairy,
versatile, reciprocating, humorous, sweet, honest, kind, good kisser
What do you consider the most groundbreaking concept or
idea of the last year?
Luis: The breakthrough of the Gay Shame movement in San Francisco.
They are marching and protesting against the capitalism and dormant
activism in the gay community.
Jon: Pre-emptive war. It's a horrible, HORRIBLE idea that will backfire
against this country in the long run. It's mortgaging our future
against Bush's vindictive politics.
Chris: Tie: gay marriage, sodomy-law dissolution
Two words:
Luis: Al pastor
Jon: FUCK BUSH
Chris: Fuck Bush
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Luis: Sherman from the "Sherman and Mr. Peabody" cartoons
Jon: Davy Jones of The Monkees
Chris: Sean Connery
What pushes your buttons/makes you angry?
Luis: People gettin' all up in my business (you're getting close,
pal).
Jon: John fucking Ashcroft. And all the patriotic propaganda we're
brought up with in the U.S.A. We're told that this is the greatest
country in the world, but we're never given much information to
make comparisons with -- our country is woefully ignorant about
the outside world. As kids growing up during the Cold War, we were
told that Russians weren't free, and that they only learned propaganda
in school. Trying to point out that we were also being brainwashed
tended to make enemies. ... As far as I can tell, we're behind Canada,
France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Iceland,
Finland and Denmark -- at least -- in terms of rights and freedoms.
So when you hear people say, "We're number one!", tell
them we're number 11. That'll confuse them.
(And why do we have amusement parks called Great America? Do other
countries call theirs Great Belgium or Great Iceland? Ridiculous.This
kind of propaganda is so prevalent we don't even notice it anymore.)
Chris: Injustice
Squelch or confirm (or start) a rumor about yourself.
Luis: I am the illegitimate son of David Niven and Charo.
Jon: I'm so short I can't go on rides at Disneyland.
Chris: I'm actually straight!
Fill in the blank: The last movie I cried at/laughed out
loud at was ______.
Luis: I cried at the end of "My Dog Skip" (so embarrassing
to admit). I laughed out loud at "The Magic Christian,"
for the millionth time.
Jon: I cried at "A Time for Drunken Horses" (a Kurdish
film). I laughed out loud upon hearing Pansy Division mentioned
on "Queer as Folk."
Chris: I cried at "Finding Nemo." I laughed out loud at
"Terminator 3."
What's your biggest guilty pleasure?
Luis: Eating meat
Jon: Baseball
Chris: Chocolate
Would you appear nude in a movie?
Luis: Nope
Jon: Possibly
Chris: Yes, please
Who is your favorite designer?
Luis: None. I like saying the name Issey Miyake a lot, though.
Jon: This question is way too stereotypically gay for me. Please
forward to Graham Norton.
Chris: I never pay attention to designers. I didn't get that gene.
What is your favorite/least favorite feature of your body?
Luis: My favorite is my salt-and-pepper hair; least favorite is
my feet, I guess.
Jon: My smile
Chris: Favorite: treasure trail; least favorite: chest
Fill in the blank: In high school, I was ______.
Luis: Stealthy
Jon: Completely alienated
Chris: Teased
What's your favorite getaway?
Luis: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Jon: Sonoma County, California
Chris: Hanalei Bay, Kauai
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Interesting
article in SF Weekly,Why Pansy Division still
matters -- and not just to suburban kids.
OK Then
Why Pansy Division still matters -- and not just to suburban kids
by Garrett Kamps
Published: Wednesday, September 3, 2003
Imagine this: It's 1992 and Bill Clinton is squaring off against
George H.W. Bush for the chance to eat lunch in the White House
for the next four years. At this time, Bush has recently pulled
the armed forces out of Iraq, the economy is faltering, and I am
just starting high school while living in a suburb in Orange County,
listening to Pearl Jam. There is no Ellen, there is no Will &
Grace. People still think Elton John's "Daniel" is about
one of the singer's close, personal friends. Straight guys are a
long way away from having the benefit of queer eyes.
Then two things happen: The gays-in-the-military issue comes to
a head, prompting Clinton to institute his dubious "Don't Ask,
Don't Tell" policy; and Pansy Division forms, a band out of
San Francisco that likes to write songs about doing it in the butt.
To a historian, these must be significant events in the time line
of gay acceptance in mass culture. To Pansy Division, it was just
a case of good timing.
In 1994, Green Day laid a Dookie and punk rock announced to the
mainstream that it wasn't just crashing on the couch for a few days,
that it would be staying for quite a while, that, as a matter of
fact, it would never leave. And because a) its three-chord pop-punk
was no better or worse than Green Day's, b) the two bands were once
labelmates on Lookout!, and c) being gay was, at the time, more
punk rock than being vegan, Pansy Division was snatched up as the
opening act on Green Day's nationwide stadium tour, which exposed
both groups to a throng of conservative suburbanites that included
yours truly.
To a 15-year-old, Pansy Division's shtick was mind-boggling. I mean,
I was a music-theater dork, so I thought I had a sense for what
being gay was all about: lisping, emoting, and an odd prescience
for fashion trends. It was not, as far as I knew, about penises
the width of beer cans and something called the "Cock Sucker
Club." Needless to say, that shit was news to me.
Now I have a 14-year-old sister, and in addition to having openly
gay TV, she's also got openly gay classmates and teachers, not to
mention Ricky Martin. And while there are still battles to fight
on the gay-rights front -- when I last checked, I think a quarter
of the Episcopal dioceses were still screaming "Schism!"
over the ordaining of the openly gay Rev. Gene Robinson -- it's
fair to say that the members of Pansy Division could look around,
see what's become of their cause over the last decade, and nod to
one another, muttering, "Our work is sorta, kinda done here."
It's been more than two years since SF Weekly first ran a story
on the return of Pansy Division ("Boys' Band," by Joel
Engardio, Aug. 15, 2001). Not that many of you noticed, but the
group hadn't returned -- until now. The act's latest album is Total
Entertainment, and its long-overdue release (the last record dropped
in 1998), according to bassist Chris Freeman, can be blamed on the
label that first signed Pansy Division.
"We had explained to Lookout! that we were coming up on our
10-year anniversary, and it would have been perfect timing for all
these things we had planned," says Freeman, calling from the
band's van en route to the next stop on its first tour in five years.
"Basically, Lookout! sat on the plans for six months and wouldn't
return calls. Finally, at the 11th hour we said, 'Look, if we're
going to institute this plan, we basically have another couple of
weeks to get you some of these things in order to make it work.'
And they said, 'You know what, we're not interested in going forward.
We'll keep your back catalog or whatever, but you know ....' So
we thought, 'Well, thanks a lot Lookout! Thanks for supporting us
in our 10th year and putting us so behind schedule' -- 'cause we
had everything all set to go."
Chris Applegren, president of Lookout!, remembers that "[e]xpectations
were really high with [1998's Lookout!-released] Absurd Pop Song
Romance, and I don't think we had quite achieved everything that
we'd wanted. That prompted the band to take an extended break and
not be really active like they are now. The reality was they had
just fallen off our radar as an active band," he says, adding
that while he "loves the band," his label's enthusiasm
had waned to the extent that he no longer felt comfortable releasing
Pansy Division's new material.
Stranded without a label, the band members spent the next few years
finishing the record themselves and shopping it around. Alternative
Tentacles ended up putting it out. But at the group's recent CD
release party at Cafe Du Nord, the minuscule turnout seemed to indicate
that record-label execs aren't the only ones who have forgotten
about Pansy Division. So have fans in San Francisco -- and elsewhere.
"I think in L.A. we expected a few more people, but you never
know. It's hard to know," says Freeman.
I wish I could say that those of you who missed out on Pansy Division's
recent shows should be kicking yourselves right now, but sadly,
I can't. While the aforementioned SF Weekly story reported, in addition
to a comeback, a change in musical direction, that change turned
out to be barely noticeable. The songs are still anthemic to the
point of being cheeky; you can see the choruses coming from a mile
away. And although, as promised, some of the lyrics deal with more
universal themes and are, in their own ways, subtle (like Elton
John's "Daniel"), there are still tunes like "He
Whipped My Ass in Tennis ...," whose chorus proclaims, "He
whipped my ass in tennis/ So I fucked his ass in bed." This
kind of gaudy confession isn't necessarily a bad thing -- if you
liked Pansy Division before, you'll probably still like the group
now. It's just that, as Freeman notes, songs like these are no longer
all that shocking.
"The climate now is very different than when we started out,"
says the bassist. "We've got all these gay movies and gay characters
and blah, blah, blah, which we didn't have when we started. [Back
then], it was like, 'We're alone out here.' Now we've got seven
albums under our belt and 12 years. So I think we've proven the
point wrong that you can't have a career and be out of the closet.
That was what we were always told at the beginning. But as we went
along, the themes of our songs had to change because we couldn't
just keep rewriting the same song over and over again."
In my opinion, though, those themes haven't really evolved, which
on second thought may not be so bad. Because what I find myself
wondering is, did Pansy Division, its explicit lyrics, and its followers
in the queercore movement really change things? Or did sending up
gay issues in a crass and humorous, not to mention catchy, manner
merely make suburbanites like myself feel a little more comfortable
with those issues, so that now I can watch Queer Eye for the Straight
Guy and think, "Oh, how cute and funny," while at the
same time there are recent polls which reflect that the percentage
of people in this country who oppose gay marriage is on the rise.
Perhaps, then, it's no coincidence that Pansy Division is mounting
a comeback during an economic downturn, in a time when another Bush
is fighting off the Democrats, the policy of gays in the military
remains "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and we're back in Iraq.
The band's message may not be as fashionable or as punk rock as
it once was, but it's just as relevant.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Review from
OUT.COM:
After a five-year recording hiatus, seminal queer band Pansy Division
is back with its seventh album, Total Entertainment! Comprised of
Jon Ginoli on vocals and rhythm guitar, Chris Freeman on bass and
vocals, Patrick Goodwin on lead guitar and vocals, and Luis on drums,
the band is tighter than ever and delivers an hour’s worth
of playful power punk pop. Time has not mellowed the Division: Its
lyrics are still in-your-face gay (as in the song “He Whipped
My Ass in Tennis, Then I Fucked His Ass in Bed”), but the
band seems to be taking steps in different directions from the punk
it has excelled at for a decade. On “No Protection”
the Division rolls out a disco confection that would pique the interest
of any circa ’70s Blondie fan, and “Sleeping in the
Cold” is dark, ominous, and, well, cold. Despite its growth,
however, the band still throws together great and smart pop songs.
The chorus to “Who Treats You Right” will stick with
you for days, and influences such as XTC, Cheap Trick, and the Ramones
are apparent throughout. Though it’s not the only all-gay
rock band anymore, it’s hard to top Pansy Division for queer
humor and smarts. --Bryan Buss
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From NOW magazine, JUL 31 - AUG 6, 2003
PANSY DIVISION
- Total Entertainment!
Way before Jack on Will & Grace made a career out of making
Mary for
mainstream audiences, there was Pansy Division, the sex-positive
poppy punks from San
Fran who celebrate in the campiest corners of queerness. Their fourth
full-length, Total Entertainment!, is a goofy alt-rock amusement
park ride of a
record, with more hooks than a crocheting bee in a doily-happy nursing
home and the
gayest lyrics this side of Rufus Wainwright. It's heavier on the
pop side of
the punk-pop equation, and ridiculously simple, but what's not to
love about a
Dolly Parton-style country stomp called He Whipped My Ass In Tennis,
Then I
Fucked His Ass In Bed? Girlfriend, it's mahvellous!
SARAH LISS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
online review from eMusic:
Total Entertainment! meanders from balls-out garage rock to the
Motown strut,
from dance club grooves to banjo-soaked bluegrass: their spontaneous
verve and
mastery of pop songcraft is the common thread that ties up this
delicious
jumble. Always humorous but never frivolous, Pansy Division mixes
baudy
mischief with personal politics that has universal resonance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Review from the current
issue of Jersey Beat:
PANSY DIVISION - Total Entertainment! (Alternative Tentacles)
I'd be hard
put to think of another band that wound up releasing its best album
a dozen years and seven LP's into its career, but here's Pansy Division
- back after a 5-year hiatus - with Total Entertainment!, not only
the best overall full-length they've done but, far and away, the
best punk or pop album of the year. Back in 1991, the idea of an
all-gay punk band - singing, unabashedly, about the joys of queerness,
right down to the Vaseline and eyeliner - seemed nothing less than
revolutionary. In 2003, with Queer Eye For The Straight Guy reveling
in the fabulousness of homosexuals (and on prime time TV no less,
) being gay doesn't seem that big a deal anymore; but that's okay,
because singer/guitarist Jon Ginoli, bassist/singer Chris Freeman,
and the rest of Pansy Division have cranked up everything else they
do - the songwriting, the singing, the playing, the arrangements,
and the production - at least a dozen or so notches. Yeah, the fag
jokes are still funny, and the lyrics still bristle with sassy bon
mots and innuendo. But whereas Pansy Division was always catchy,
new songs like "Who Treats You Right" and "When He
Comes Home" rock like the best of the Dave Clark 5 mixed with
classic Brill Building rock 'n' roll, complete with hooks, harmonies,
and singalong choruses. And the silly funny queer songs - which
used to be all this band did - are balanced now by a newfound maturity,
hinted at on 1998's Absurd Pop Song Romance but fully realized here.
Even the adorably campy Chris "Dick Of Death" Freeman
is showing a more introspective and responsible side, with songs
like "When He Comes Home" (about getting a lover to admit
he's cheating with you on his boyfriend,) "Spiral" (in
which Freeman sadly watches a friend lose control and plummet toward
self-destruction), and the singalong pro-condom anthem "Protection."
Kudos too to producer Chris Xefos (of King Missile) for giving the
band a bright, brassy pop sound that's much fuller and multi-dimensional
than any of their earlier records. Total Entertainment! is totally
fabulous. I really doesn't matter who you sleep with, you can still
rock 'n' roll with Pansy Division. - Jim Testa
A few older
pieces:
Our SF
Weekly cover story from July 2001
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