Singer-songwriter Jay Brannan visited one of your little bird’s offices to play some new music off his new album, In Living Cover, out today on iTunes (or streaming here.) He rolled in alone, set himself up on the floor to talk about touring and his influences, and then impressed the entire room with his laid-back charm and gorgeous vocals. The album features covers of songs by Bob Dylan, Ani DiFranco and the Verve Pipe — with two original works bookending it.
Brannan just did a full interview with our friends at Out, talking about how the internet has helped his career, how he navagates the new music industry landscape, and how he doesn’t necessarily want to be a gay poster boy.
“I’m a gay guy. I dealt with that when I was 11, so, I’m kind of over talking about that and having that always be the focus — more so from gay people than straight people. I just want to believe that we’re in a certain time — at least in this country or my part of the world, it’s certainly not the same way in Iran or places like that — but I want to believe that we’re closer to a time where gay people can just be people and don’t have to be defined by their sexuality. The fact that they’re gay doesn’t necessarily mean they like dance music or that they like to party or that they like nightlife or that they work out 24 hours a day or love musicals or wax their bodies or — there are so many kinds of gay people, just like there are with straight people. And I’d like to just be a musician. Being gay isn’t a part of my career. I like to sleep with men and that’s the end of it.”
Your little birds like how all these anti-poster boy gays are being poster boys in their own way. We think they just redesigned the poster…
My way is to be myself and not having to brand myself in that way and just moving forward. That’s not the topic of anything I sing about but it’s also something that I don’t hide. If I ever had a boyfriend I’d be happy to walk down the street holding hands with him and I think that makes a much bigger statement than a Gay Pride Parade.
Yesterday at the office. <3
