Talk To Me Tuesday #2
Last week, I gave a lot of fun facts about the new CD. This week, I?m going to reveal the CD title. It is called:
SWEAT
What do you think it means? What do you think about it? Do you like it? Let me know!
Weekly Contest
Each week, I have encouraged you to enter a free contest by sending me a question (please check the News page on my website for details on how to submit an entry). The best question each week will be entered into a drawing for a free autographed CD and is included in the newsletter. The remaining questions are posted on my website. This week, I received 6 questions ? the winning question was submitted by J.H. in Farmersville, CA, who is now entered into the drawing.
Q. Where did you get that long-sleeved shirt that you wore for the picture that was taken for your photo session? The striped one with the flower/stitched pattern? (J.H., Farmersville, CA)A. The brand of the shirt is 7 Diamonds and it came from a store called Junkman?s Daughter, which is in the Little 5 Points area of Atlanta. As soon as I saw it, I had to have it. Funny story ? I bought it specifically for the photo shoot for ?Stirred Not Shaken.? But because it has been on my CD, posters, postcards, and printed in several magazine articles, I have only worn the shirt once after we did the photo shoot. I didn?t want people to see me wearing it and think, ?Is that the only shirt he?s got?? But it is part of my musical history and I can?t bring myself to part with it. So it waits patiently in my closet.
Here are the remaining questions, in no particular order.
Q. If you could be invisible and follow anyone around for a day who would it be and why? What would you expect to learn from them? (R.M., Minneapolis, MN)
A. Bill O?Reilly, Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity ? just to confirm that they are the tools I think they are.
Q. Does your partner share your interest in being a singer-songwriter-musician? (J.H., Farmersville, CA)
A. No, he is not a musician. At the same time, he has been extremely supportive of my music. He bought me my first guitar during our first Christmas together ? symbolically, it is one of the best gifts I?ve ever gotten. He also goes to all of my shows (he?s only missed a few) and helps set up equipment, sell CD?s, etc. He also does a lot of the web stuff. When we first built the website, I drew out how I wanted it to look and feel, and he made it happen. Speaking of?since I?ve got a new CD on the way, it?s time to give the website a total makeover. We are planning that out now.
Q. Is most of your music influenced by your personal “coming out” experience? (J.J., Dalton, GA)
A. Yes and no. Coming out has ultimately impacted everything I do because it has helped shape my feelings and views on the world. I grew up in church and went to a conservative Christian college. When I finally came out, it was simply an acknowledgement and acceptance that God made me the way He made me. But it was a difficult step. Now I view my sexuality as being one of many characteristics, just like my green eyes and brown hair. It doesn?t define me, but is certainly part of who I am.
On ?Stirred Not Shaken,? I directly addressed issues of sexuality and spirituality in songs such as Natural, Who I Am, and As If To Say. But it is not necessarily my goal to write songs that push a social agenda. There are artists who I really appreciate who do that beautifully ? Scott Free is a perfect example. At the same time, I know that my writing is influenced by being out. I have sometimes wondered if a straight guy would listen to my songs and think, ?I don?t feel that way at all.?
I proudly identify myself as an OUT singer in all of my press and in my shows and often talk about the background of the songs or about my life as a gay man. While I feel that what I write about is universal, what has been most rewarding is to find people who relate to my music because of these shared experiences or feelings. I take that very seriously. So what I ultimately hope to accomplish with my music is to write songs that mean something to me, that people can relate to and appreciate, and that by being visible, I can in some small way help ensure that the next generation of kids coming up doesn?t have to feel ?less than?, or even worse, persecuted because of their sexuality. Because when it comes down to it, sexuality should be a non-issue.
Q. I’ve heard rumors that you are into bondage, water? (J.R., Indianapolis, IN)
A. [Interrupts question in mid-sentence.] Yes, vanilla is my favorite ice cream ? although I?m addicted to birthday cake ice cream from Bruster?s. Thanks for asking?I think.
Q. How is this CD different from the last one? (J.J., Atlanta, GA)
A. It?s much more up tempo, with just a few ballads. It?s more ?up? lyrically than the last one. It?s fun, but still has something to say. We used all live instruments (as opposed to programmed instruments) on this CD. There is less ?genre hopping? on this disc ? it?s much more straight ahead pop/rock. I think I did a better job vocally on this one.
Talk to you next week!
