Róisín Murphy On Realness And Her Tense New Album

Róisín Murphy’s latest album, Take Her Up to Monto, comes just one year after her last, 2015’s Mercury Prize-nominated Hairless Toys. Both sets of songs are markedly more low-key and experimental compared to the Irish singer-songwriter-producers-style innovator’s 2007 international breakthrough album, Overpowered. But while Hairless Toys had a more laidback vibe, Murphy ratchet’s up the tension on Monto. Queerty chatted with Murphy last week about the new album, her distinct visual style, and her continuing obsession with drag ball culture.

You’ve been releasing new music at a pretty steady clip recently—2014’s Italian language EP Mi Senti, last year’s Hairless Toys and now Take Her Up to Monto. Are you making up for lost time?
Actually, those three projects ran out of one another, the first project being Mi Senti. I got the idea to do that because I’m in love with an Italian record producer [Sebastian Properzi], and I just wanted to do it as a love letter to him and with him. We chose the songs together and he produced it with me. But I also involved Eddie Stevens, the guy mainly involved in these two albums. So once I started to work on Mi Senti with him I realized that I could then go on and write music with him for an album. That was just a very prolific time. We set aside five weeks to write and we just wrote an unbelievable amount of stuff. We finished Hairless Toys and we left it there for a while, we went on tour, and then we came back and finished Monto.

How did you divide up those two sets of songs? Were there themes that helped you decide what belonged on Hairless Toys and what belonged on Monto?
I just think we instinctively finished the ones for Hairless Toys — we finished a few more than went on there… I don’t know, we just gravitated toward the songs to finish first. We maybe in some cases were a bit scared of the songs on Monto, because they’re a bit more insane and a bit more of a headache to work out in terms of arrangements and things like that. Maybe I was a bit hesitant because the lyrics on some of these songs are a bit more raw. So in a sense, I think we went for the easier tracks for Hairless Toys. So what you ended up with is Hairless Toys is a much more cohesive, subtle, kind of all gelled together type of statement. And what we got on Monto was the more extreme parts of the personality. It’s a more pointy and complex record.

The mood on Take Her Up to Monto feels a bit more tense than Hairless.
I think that’s probably true, yeah. Lyrically there’s plenty of that, yeah.

It’s a tense time in the world, in the U.K. and in the U.S.
It is a tense time, yeah. People are really scared.

You’re someone with a very distinct visual style. Do visual aesthetics influence the sound, and the mood of the music you’re making?
Not really, actually. I wait for the imagery. The music is the first thing, always, with me. Not really a visual, but a narrative might inspire a song. I might watch Paris is Burning and then go in the next day and write a song. But I’m definitely not thinking about what the visual of the song will be when I’m making the music.

You’ve talked before about drag and ball culture. What’s the appeal for you?
Well, you know, its just an understanding between us. My kind of performance, and my kind of songwriting as well really, is quite dramatic. I’m trying to kind of push loads of meaning into the performance. I’m trying to get as much across as possible. And I think that’s what I have in kinship there. And all these kind of complex ideas like realness, which has been a big influence on the visual of this campaign—the complexity of that and the irony of it and they dualism of it, it’s what I try to put in the songs, really. I try to do that in my songwriting. There’s an instinctive kind of connection. I don’t k now why.

You keep mentioning instinct. Are you a very instinctual person? Do you just go with your gut all the time?
Yeah, I think all artists are instinctual people. I think that is your currency, honestly.

But you also said you were a little hesitant about some of the songs on Monto. I read that you were afraid “Ten Miles High” didn’t fit in with the rest of the songs. Can you explain what you meant?
Well, Monto wasn’t even a notion at that point. What I’m talking about is that, the way I felt about a song like that was like, is it a bit of a danger zone? It could go into cheese too easily. It had that extremity to it, so we would have been a little bit cautious approaching it. I just mean if you compare songs to people or personalities, extreme personalities are really attractive to me, actually. But there is caution, you know, as you approach. And I think it’s probably the same with some of these songs.

I was reading some of your comments about the “Ten Miles High” video and I love the way you describe the video as almost like realism in drag.
That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Realness, the concept of realness, which is a kind of drag — but the other way. So, I’m sure you know this, but in the pageants they have these different categories for different types of drag. And one of the major types would be realness, and within that they’ll have “executive realness” — you get away with looking like a real business man. Or “college realness,” just looking like a real college kid when you’re not, when you are really flamboyant. It’s a very observational sort of performance. It’s just fascinating, that you can come from this very flamboyant place and adopt mainstream ideas. It’s a very subversive idea.

What were you trying to subvert in that video?
I don’t know if I’m trying to subvert. Going back to realness, that is a very subversive idea, because you’ve got people at the boarders of society kind of playing the role of people at the center. But in my case, there’s a joy in the realness. I’m looking at these buildings and I’m looking at the city and I’m enjoying it. There’s just joy in it.

There’s pageantry even in that, isn’t there?
Well, yes, of course. I was saying to someone else the other day, in the run up to this I was filming lots and lots of things on me phone all around town, going about filming building sites and things like that, and you see them kind of directing big truck in the center of London through quite complex mazes of temporary traffic lights, into secret gates onto building sites. They go out like in a maneuver onto the street. They would direct traffic and pedestrians all in kind of a ballet. You watch it and it’s so well rehearsed. And you see the guys enjoying it. That’s when things all come together in a sort of big network. I observed a lot of things that were really fascinating about real life.

It sounds a bit like orchestrating album, putting together all the parts of a song.
Yeah. It’s also that thing where you feel connected. You see a team working, and even pedestrians playing along with this whole thing. And you see the balance between living in a nice cohesive society, and fucking chaos! You see the line between it.

I’m sure everyone in the States asks you this all the time, but we are patiently awaiting your next show here. How long are you going to keep us waiting?
I’m gonna try and get there in the winter.

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DVD: “A Sinner In Mecca,” “Luv Don’t Live Here,” “Carl(a),” & More!

Dilemmas and dangers are faced by the protagonists of this week’s notably diverse and multi-cultural home entertainment highlights.

Gay Muslim filmmaker Parvez Sharma (A Jihad For Love) risks everything to document his pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in A Sinner In Mecca. A transgender woman is forced to rethink her upcoming gender transition when someone special enters her life in Carl(a). And a gay black man faces a total life change when disability strikes in Luv Don’t Live Here.

Now for more details and trailers…

Luv Don’t Live Here

($24.99 DVD; Breaking Glass Pictures)

The debut feature from writer/director Mikal K. Odom revolves around a gay black man, Reggie “Luv” Hamilton, who is thrown a real life curve ball by a sudden disability. What will become of his friends and possibility of finding love? And might this actually be a blessing in disguise? Extras include talent interviews and a “Ray Steiner Show” interview.

Carl(a)

($24.99 DVD; Ariztical)

A male-to-female transgender woman who does webcam shows and routinely struggles with a not entirely accepting family (a cool grandfather excluded), Carla must find a way to finance the rest of her gender reassignment. However, a straight guy named Sam throws a wrench in the plans when he proves even more accepting of things as they are. Originally shot in 2011, this thoughtful drama co-stars Laverne Cox as Cinnamon, a friend of Carla’s, and was in fact her film debut!

A Sinner In Mecca

($29.95 DVD; Alive Mind)

Director of the excellent documentary A Jihad For Love, about gay Muslims, Parvez Sharma risked his life by covertly filming his Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality can earn you the death penalty. Besides having to dodge those who might recognize him and his work, he also must confront his own identity and Islamic religion, the ideology behind ISIS, and the truth of what being Muslim can be despite bastardized perceptions… An intense, provocative work that literally could have cost Sharma his head.

ALSO OUT:

The Family Fang

I Saw The Light

By The Sea

Boy & The World

House of Cards: Season 4

Term Life

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Dallas Police Chief: "This Must Stop, This Divisiveness" (Video)

www.advocate.com/crime/2016/7/08/dallas-police-chief-must-stop-divisiveness-video

Three of the Spice Girls are Reuniting as a Trio Called GEM: WATCH

Mel B, Geri Halliwell, and Emma Bunton are reuniting on the 20th anniversary of the single “Wannabe” and announced it in a video posted to social media last night. There is also a website.

The trio (sadly missing Victoria Beckham and Mel C) is called GEM (Geri, Emma, Mel) says they’re going to have a party and we’re all invited.

Is this what you really, really want?

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Christoph Waltz Kissed Alexander Skarsgard in ‘Tarzan’, But Filmmakers Cut It

The Legend of Tarzan featured a kiss between Alexander Skarsgard and Chrisoph Waltz, but the filmmakers cut it, The Australian reports:

David Yates, the director, has acknowledged that in his film the relationship between Tarzan and Captain Rom, played by Christoph Waltz, has homoerotic undertones and told The Times: “We pared it back because it was almost too much. It was this really odd, odd moment when Christoph kisses him.

“We loved it at the time. But early test audiences were perplexed by it and in the end it just felt too clever and overworked.”

The scene saw Captain Rom, sent by King Leopold of Belgium to take control of the region, kiss Tarzan while he was unconscious. Even so, the film keeps the line in which the captain tells Jane: “Your husband’s wildness disturbs me more than I can even express.”

Read our review of The Legend of Tarzan HERE.

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Simon Pegg: I ‘Respectfully Disagree’ with George Takei About Gay Sulu

Simon Pegg, who stars as Scotty in the Star Trek reboot and wrote the latest film, Star Trek Beyond, in which the character of Mr. Sulu as played by John Cho, is revealed to be gay.

After news emerged yesterday of the character’s development in that direction, George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu in the original series, called it a “really unfortunate” turn of events.

Takei told the Hollywood Reporter that he had tried to convince Pegg and director Justin Lin that it was a bad idea.

“I told him, ‘Be imaginative and create a character who has a history of being gay, rather than Sulu, who had been straight all this time, suddenly being revealed as being closeted,” said Takei.

Pegg says he “respectfully disagrees” with Takei, the Guardian reports:

Pegg expressed sympathy with Takei’s sentiment that mainstream gay heroes were belatedly coming to the big screen, but rejected the idea that this meant a new character needed creating.

“He’s right, it is unfortunate, it’s unfortunate that the screen version of the most inclusive, tolerant universe in science fiction hasn’t featured an LGBT character until now. We could have introduced a new gay character, but he or she would have been primarily defined by their sexuality, seen as the ‘gay character’, rather than simply for who they are, and isn’t that tokenism?”

Pegg continued: “Justin Lin, Doug Jung and I loved the idea of it being someone we already knew because the audience have a pre-existing opinion of that character as a human being, unaffected by any prejudice. Their sexual orientation is just one of many personal aspects, not the defining characteristic. Also, the audience would infer that there has been an LGBT presence in the Trek Universe from the beginning (at least in the Kelvin timeline), that a gay hero isn’t something new or strange. It’s also important to note that at no point do we suggest that our Sulu was ever closeted, why would he need to be? It’s just hasn’t come up before.”

Added Pegg: “The viewing audience weren’t open minded enough at the time and it must have forced Roddenberry to modulate his innovation. His mantra was always ‘infinite diversity in infinite combinations’. If he could have explored Sulu’s sexuality with George, he no doubt would have. Roddenberry was a visionary and a pioneer but we choose our battles carefully.”

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Washington Conservatives Fail To Advance Anti-Transgender Ballot Initiative

An attempt to replicate North Carolina’s HB2 in Washington fell far short.

The post Washington Conservatives Fail To Advance Anti-Transgender Ballot Initiative appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/07/08/3796621/washington-transgender-campaign-fails/

HRC Statement on Attack on Law Enforcement in Dallas

Today, HRC released the following statement from President Chad Griffin:

“We are shocked and sickened by the calculated attack on law enforcement in Dallas last night that has left five officers dead and at least nine other officers and civilians wounded. Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those who were senselessly murdered protecting a peaceful protest, and to the Dallas Police Department, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Department, and the broader community they nobly served. There is no justification for this cold-blooded assault on law enforcement officers who go to work each day to protect the public. In the aftermath of Orlando, the LGBTQ community saw police officers across the nation work even harder to protect our safe spaces, and we know how dangerous their jobs can be.

“Yesterday, in speaking out against the tragic police-involved murders of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and so many other men of color, we noted that the LGBTQ community reflects people of all races, backgrounds, and faiths. There are also thousands of LGBTQ law enforcement officers bravely serving our communities in every state from coast to coast.

“In the coming days, we hope we can all come together in a meaningful search for solutions to break the cycle of violence, hate and discrimination that has plagued our country for too long. The innocent people who have lost their lives to senseless shootings, and all those left behind to mourn them, deserve no less.”

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-issues-statement-on-attack-on-law-enforcement-in-dallas?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

In Advance of Hearing, HRC Releases Recommendations for Welcoming LGBTQ Refugees

Today, HRC released guidance on assisting LGBTQ refugees ahead of a U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing next week on global human rights, the first ever to include a witness focused exclusively on the human rights of LGBTQ people.

While LGBTQ people around the world have long faced persecution and discrimination, the rise of ISIL (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) in recent years has resulted in horrifying acts of violence targeting this community. HRC’s new document provides background on the situation, particularly for those fleeing ISIL in Iraq and Syria, and offers much-needed guidance to both governments and advocacy groups on helping LGBTQ people seeking refuge in more welcoming countries, including the United States. The July 12th Congressional hearing, entitled “Human Rights Under Siege Worldwide” will include a particular focus on LGBTQ people and  provide lawmakers with an opportunity to learn more about the challenges they face and the ways the United States can help them.

“With LGBTQ people facing persecution and danger every day because of ISIL and other extremists, we need a more comprehensive, cohesive strategy to get these refugees out of harm’s way,” said HRC Global Director Ty Cobb. “The U.S. and the international community must stand up for and support LGBTQ individuals worldwide, not only because it’s the right thing to do but because it makes our world more peaceful, safe, and stable for everyone. ”

The guidance was developed in part during an HRC-sponsored summit last month convening representatives from top LGBTQ and refugee organizations to discuss the plight of LGBTQ people fleeing violence from ISIL and others in the Middle East, and hear from LGBTQ refugees about how non-governmental organizations and advocates can remove roadblocks on refugees’ paths to safety. The document is an important step toward creating a cohesive strategy to get LGBTQ refugees out of harm’s way, with recommendations for the U.S. Government, the United Nations’ Refugee Agency and non-government organizations (NGOs). While some of the recommendations are particular to the areas in and around ISIL’s control, many are applicable to all LGBTQ people seeking refuge:

• Allowing LGBTQ Iraqis to claim refugee status while still in their own country, reducing their processing time and allowing them to reach safety more quickly;
• Authorizing additional qualified NGOs to refer individuals directly to the United States Refugee Admissions Program for resettlement in the United States;
• Assisting organizations that provide critical services and support to LGBTQ refugees;
• Providing additional training for staff at organizations that serve LGBTQ refugee populations to ensure that LGBTQ cases are handled properly, and to create safer, more welcoming environments for refugees disclosing their LGBTQ status;
• Allowing lawyers to accompany LGBTQ refugees to protection and resettlement interviews;
• Making the LGBTQ status of refugees available to U.S. refugee resettlement agencies during the refugee allocations process, provided this information is voluntarily given by the refugee, is transmitted securely and does not risk retribution;
• And conducting more systematic data collection and analysis of the number and condition of LGBTQ individuals seeking asylum or refuge, in order to better identify needs and gaps in services.

This document follows on HRC’s previous work highlighting ways to address the needs of LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers. In October 2015, HRC partnered with the LGBT Freedom and Asylum Network (LGBT-FAN) and The National LGBTQ Task Force to release a guide for direct service providers on supporting LGBTQ asylum seekers in the U.S.. HRC will continue to work on behalf of LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers from Iraq, Syria, the broader Middle East and from around the world.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-releases-recommendations-for-welcoming-lgbtq-refugees?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed