Attitude 062015

ATTITUDE.CO.UK SUMMER 2015 £4.85 THE UK'S BEST-SELLING &

AWARD-WINNING GAY MAGAZINE

WE GO PSYCHO FOR FREDDIE HIGHMORE

FREDDIE'S

COMING FOR YOU

WILL YOUNG

SCREAM QUEENS

AMERICAN TV ICON

A COLD, HARD LOOK

AT THE NUMBERS

WHY HE WANTS

IRELAND TO VOTE

YES TO MARRIAGE

ON SEX ED IN

SCHOOLS, USELESS

POLITICIANS AND

JOINING GRINDR

COLIN FARRELL

CAN WE REALLY

TRUST THE TORIES?

ANDY COHEN

THE GAY APPEAL

OF HORROR

FROM THE

CHOCOLATE

FACTORY

TO BATES

MOTEL

ONE,

TWO,

CONTEXT

R U COmINg OUT? READERs’ sTORIEs LIfE LEssONs pATRICk gALE

TRULy mADLy DEEpLy LONg-TERm COUpLEs pROpERTy INDUsTRIAL REvOLUTION hOw gAy ARE yOU? ALEXANDRA bURkE

10

ACTIvE

EDIT

ThE A-LIsT ThINgs wE LIkE ThIs mONTh jOE sTONE is on it

ThE RULEs Of mUsIC fEsTIvALs gADgETs

pAUL fLyNN is over it pARIs is burning CULTURE CLUb shORTbUs mUsIC & fILm REvIEws bgf sTOCk AITkEN wATERmAN ANDy COhEN

gRATUITOUs NUDITy NAT wELLER sUmmER 2015

• ATTITUDE.CO.Uk

6

₁₂₁

135

64

A NEwLy sINgLE

wILL yOUNg TALks

gRINDR AND pOLITICs

EDITOR’s LETTER & INbOX

fREDDIE hIghmORE

ThE fORmER ChILD sTAR TALks Us ThROUgh hIs psyChOTIC TURN IN

bates motel

hORROR: ThE gAy fAsCINATION

hORROR jOURNO sEAN AbLEy ON why wE gET OUR kICks fROm sCARy mOvIEs

CAN wE TRUsT ThE TORIEs?

fORmERLy A pARTy Of EXTREmE hOmOphObIA, ARE ThE TORIEs REALLy A ChANgED pARTy?

EqUAL mARRIAgE fOR IRELAND

As ThE wORLD’s fIRsT REfERENDUm ON EqUAL mARRIAgE AppROAChEs, wE LOOk AT hOw IRELAND hAs ChANgED

why CAN’T wE wIN EUROvIsION?

EXpERTs, ENThUsIAsTs AND CONChITA wURsT ANALysE whERE ThE Uk Is gOINg wRONg

36

fEATUREs

97

sTyLE

T W E N T Y F O U R | S E V E N | S T Y L E

Parka

Ah, isn’t Freddie Highmore a cutie pie? We noticed him in the surprisingly great Psycho spin off Bates Motel, where he plays the baby psycho killer (aww) Norman Bates – as you do – opposite one of our favourite actresses Vera Farmiga. Freddie got his big break in Finding Neverland opposite Kate Winslet, Johnny Depp and Dustin Hoffman – as you do – and then won the Golden Ticket to get his very own Chocolate Factory – as you do – and kissed a boy – as you actually do – when he played the young culinary diva Nigel Slater in BBC’s Toast. We’re very happy to have him on the cover of Attitude.

Horror has always had a specific appeal for many of us. Psycho has queer resonance: A sexually frustrated loner with a somewhat unhealthy relationship (just a bit) with his mother – a character who, it eventually became clear, was played by a bisexual actor; Anthony Perkins. Horror addresses the undoable and unsayable, often centred around sexuality. As a teen I loved Halloween and A

Nightmare on Elm Street, not because I wanted to kill people,

but because on some subconscious level, I connected with the desire for revenge on a mainstream society that had isolated me. We asked writer, director, actor Sean Abley, author of Out In The Dark and writer of the infamous Gay of

The Dead blog to explore this further.

We have a whole bunch of exclusives in this issue. There’s Will Young’s only gay press interview for his great new album, and we meet Colin Farrell’s gay brother Eamon who explains why his movie star sibling is so passionate about Ireland’s referendum and equal marriage. We take a look at what is going on as the country goes to the polls.

Talking of votes (and horror, for that matter) by the time you read this we’ll be about to go to the polls *SCREAMS* THANK YOU GOD, IT’S ALMOST OVER, *coughs* excuse me – to bring in a new government in the United Kingdom. I’ve noticed many people – especially young people – over the last few years who seem to think that because David Cameron brought in same sex marriage that there is now an equal playing field between the parties when it comes to LGBT people. I’m not telling you who to vote for, that’s your business, but it’s important to know the facts – that not only did the Conservative party bring in the most homophobic legislation of modern times in

Section 28 in 1988, they have also, for the last 20 years, voted consistently to DENY you equal rights; many of them MPs who want your vote today.

When we interviewed David Cameron before he became Prime Minister in 2009 he told us that the party was now a party of LGBT equality. He pushed through marriage to his credit, but no thanks to his party. Equal marriage provoked a huge amount of opposition from all areas of the Conservative party, from MPs and commentariat to ground level supporters and – when push came to shove – more than half of the Tory MPs voted against same sex marriage. Compare that to more than 88% of Labour and Lib Dem MPs who voted for it. This mirrors the constant Conservative attacks on gay equality legislation over the last 20 years where they have overwhelmingly voted against us literally every single time.

I know many of our readers who vote Conservative – we are a broad church and indeed I don’t think any other gay magazine has a monthly conservative writer like we do in Iain Dale – but to believe that the Conservative Party is suddenly as gay supportive as the others is simply not true. Someone in the office said we owe the Prime Minister for marriage but with that logic we owe the Labour party for equalising the age of consent, scrapping the armed forces ban and Section 28, bringing in the anti-discrimination act and Civil Partnerships – all of which the majority of Conservative MPs opposed.

Like I say, it’s up to you who you vote for but it’s

important that we all know the facts when the country goes to the polls on May 7th. So we have a look at the numbers and then two writers from opposing sides of the spectrum give us their opinion. And of course you could vote Lib Dem, Green, SNP, Plaid Cymru, UKIP or others if you so desire. Make up your own mind. See you next month.

matthew todd

editor

the uk’s best-selling gay magazine

@attitudemag @mrmatthewtodd

Copyright © Attitude Media Ltd 2015 all rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. Unsolicited contributions must be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope if they are to be returned. We cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs or for material lost or damaged in the post. Letters submitted to Attitude or its editors are assumed to be intended for publication in whole or in part. The mention or appearance or likeness of any person or organisation in articles or advertising in this publication is not to be taken as any indication of sexual, social or political orientation of such persons or organisations. Newstrade distribution by Seymour Distribution Limited, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT. Tel 020 7429 4000. Published by Attitude Media Ltd. Printed by Benham Goodhead Print Limited

S E A N A B L E Y

Sean Abley is a playwright, screenwriter, novelist and horror journalist. His writing has appeared in Fangoria, The Advocate, Unzipped and ShockTilYouDrop.com. In this issue, Sean writes about the fascinating appeal of horror movies for gay men. He is currently working on the novelisation of the fi lm The Disco Exorcist, but in the meantime check out his latest book Out in the Dark: Interviews with Gay Horror Filmmakers, Actors and Authors.

C O N T R I B U T O R S

Mark is a beauty and fashion photographer who lives and works in London shooting some of the biggest stars in the world today for internationally renowned magazines and brands. We kept Mark very busy in this issue, calling on him to photograph the leading man of Bates Motel Freddie Highmore for our cover, as well as our sports-themed main fashion shoot with the gorgeous model of the moment, Miroslav Cech. Mark likes Scotch, but not scotch eggs.

M A R K C A N T

Editor MATTHEW TODD [email protected]

Associate Editor CHRISTIAN GUILTENANE [email protected] Art Director DAVID GRAHAM [email protected]

Fashion & Grooming Director JOSEPH KOCHARIAN [email protected] Editor at Large PARIS LEES [email protected]

Designer LUCY HENDEL [email protected]

Editorial Assistant & Senior Staff Writer BEN KELLY [email protected] Sub Editor AARON TOUMAZOU [email protected]

Assistant Staff Writer WILL STROUDE [email protected] Fashion Assistant NICK BYAM [email protected] Web Editor NICK BOND [email protected] Web Reporter JOSH HAIGH

Books Editor WILL DAVIS [email protected] Senior Contributing Editors

SIMON EDGE / PAUL FLYNN / PHILIP REAY-SMITH / TIM TEEMAN Interns JOAO ANDRADE / KEVIN LONG / CRAIG LEE

CASEY WATERS / LIZZIE REID Commercial Manager

ANDY GODDARD [email protected] 020 7608 6305 Senior Sales Account Manager

MARCUS JAMES [email protected] 020 7608 6364 Senior Sales Account Manager

JAMIE BOYLE [email protected] 020 7608 6351 Digital Account Manager

HYWEL KENNEDY [email protected] 020 7608 6398 Events Director ANNE-MARIE BRACKEN

P A U L J O R D A N

Also known as Dr Eurovision, Paul is a regular commentator on the Eurovision Song Contest and has attended the event since 2000, having also been a guest on the BBC3 semi-fi nal shows. In 2011 he obtained his PhD from the University of Glasgow and in 2014 he published his book, The Modern Fairy Tale: Nation Branding, National Identity and the Eurovision Song Contest in Estonia. Follow him on Twitter @dreurovision

Chairman JUSTIN SANDERS Finance Director VINCE NICHOLLS

Web Development ADAM OSBORN [email protected] Subscriptions Enquiries

[email protected] 01778 392005 Warners Subscription Department Freepost, PE211, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9BR

Attitude Magazine 33 Pear Tree Street, London EC1V 3AG [email protected] Managing Director MIKE BUCKLEY [email protected]

Editorial Director MATTHEW TODD

ATTITUDE MEDIA LTD

freddie wears top by dior homme, photography: mark cant, fashion: joseph kocharian

@Fiskitoo

@MarkusFeehily The more I read @AttitudeMag’s interview the more I feel I want to hug you and the more I admire that inner-strength.

@TaysunBerry

Reading @MarkusFeehily interview in @AttitudeMag made me feel a little less alone in my #depression. Kudos, Markus, for speaking honestly.

@BarbP11

@AttitudeMag LOVED Adam’s interview and the Mad Men article too!

@Sudipta_Sharmin

Whooooaaaaa @MarkusFeehily & @adamlambert are in the same issue! Loving it @AttitudeMag!!

@barbls23

@AttitudeMag @adamlambert looks so gorgeous and what a great, insightful interview! Mega talent and realness! Winning combination!

@OblaKickinIn

WARNING: @adamlambert cover shoot on @AttitudeMag will self-combust in your hands from pure hotness! #GhostTown

T I N Y U R L . C O M /FA C E B O O K A T T I T U D E T W I T T E R . C O M /A T T I T U D E M A G A T T I T U D E @ A T T I T U D E . C O . U K 3 3 P E A R T R E E S T R E E T , F I N S B U R Y , L O N D O N E C 1 V 3 A G

C O N TAC T

T H E M AG

We got down with Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell in our Rock Special ten years (!) ago, as we prepared for the onslaught of inoff ensive indie pop that was extinguished with the rise of Gaga circa 2008. We also chatted to then-Eastenders star Jake Maskall about coming out. The former Mr Danny Moon can currently be seen playing bisexual Prince Cyrus in E!’s The Royals, FYI.

THE ARCHIVE

ISSUE 135, JULY 2005

AS ELECTRO VELVET HEAD TO VIENNA, WE ASK:

WILL THE UK EVER WIN EUROVISION AGAIN?

No because they keep putting in rubbish acts! Not like in the 60s when chart topping acts did the job – Lulu and Sandie Shaw to name just two iconic voices. But do we really care enough?

PAUL, BELFAST

We can if we send a decent act, we just need a selection show! Internal selection does not really seem to work for us.

ANTHONY, NORWICH

Tony Blair put an end to Europe liking us when he illegally invaded Iraq. The Blue song from a couple of years ago was great, but it’s so political. Even if we sent Adele we still wouldn’t win as they would all just vote for their neighbours or the novelty act.

JOHN, HARROGATE

We will win Eurovision again when we send a great song with a strong performance. We also need to put in more eff ort. The ‘it’s all political/nobody likes us’ argument is wrong – we send mediocre entries and get mediocre results. Europe can’t be that anti-UK, considering British artists dominate most European charts. I refuse to believe that ‘Still In Love With You’ was the BBC’s best option.

JAKE, GENEVA

In a word, yes. Lena’s Satellite in 2010 showed the right song can win it for a Western European act.

JAMES, LONDON

I think that ship sailed for us a long time ago...

FILIP, NOTTINGHAM

Yes, it might be a while though. In the meantime Sweden will have regular victories, and quite rightly so. It’s lazy to blame it on politics – Conchita didn’t win because of politics, nor did Loreen. In 2009 we had a public selection process, Europe gave us plenty of points and we came fi fth. With the right song we can do well.

ED, LONDON

Nope. Still enjoy watching the show but it’s not likely that we will win again.

NATHAN, BRIGHTON

Yes! 14 diff erent countries won in the last 14 years. What did they have in common? Impactful, visual, anthemic songs, not politics.

COINNEACH, LONDON

That’s not the question we should be asking! We should be asking, ‘Who gives a shit!’

DAMIAN, HUCKNALL

R E A D E R S ’ T W E E T S

The

Heated

Debate

ROCK HARD

@glamberlicious

@AttitudeMag are pretty fucking awesome. Gonna get me an annual subscription because they’re so nice!

@VillyKassiou

@AttitudeMag Thank you so much for having the one & only @MarkusFeehily. Such an honest interview. He’s an inspiration.

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L I S T

THE THINGS WE LOVE

THIS MONTH

WORDS: WILL STROUDE & JOSEPH KOCHARIAN

↓THEATRE

IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT

↑FILM

PITCH PLEASE

The sequel to 2012’s hilarious sleeper hit Pitch Perfect promises to be every bit as riotous and ridiculous as the original, with all the cast returning for more acapella fracas as the Barden Bellas fi ght to save the group from dissolution. In cinemas from May 15. pitchperfectmovie.com

Playwright Claudio Macor has brought the classic dark, steamy atmosphere of 1930 & 40s Hollywood noir to the stage – without the social prudery and censorship of the era. It’s all murder, power and sexually-liberated eroticism in this tale of a shady South American town which fl irts with scandal and destruction at the end of World War II.

In the Dead of Night is at the Landor Theatre, London, from April 22 – May 17. Call the box office on 020 7737 7276. landortheatre.co.uk

↑EVENTS

PRIDE SEASON STARTS

The window of acceptability for feather boas, morning drinking and crushing regrets offi cially opens this month as pride season kicks off , with events in Exeter, Birmingham and Bradford fi nally heralding the start of summer (and, like, politics and stuff . We’re being ironic, double bluff etc.)

EDIT

_A LIST

←Tour

An evening with

DAviD SeDAriS

Don’t miss your chance to see gay best-selling author David Sedaris bring his self-deprecating autobiographical tales to life in front of a live audience this month, as the literary funnyman and BBC Radio 4 star takes his brand of sharp, warm humour up and down the country with a 17-date UK and Ireland book tour. An evening with David Sedaris tours the UK May 30 – June 15. davidsedaristickets.co.uk

←fAShIon

DieSel ZipprounDD

trAinerS

Whether it’s a stud, a rip, or a clothing patch, Diesel love a bit of detailing, and this time they’ve focused their attention on the biker zip on their restyled ‘zipproundd’ sneaker boot. The zip runs all the way around the shoe, fitting in perfectly with Diesel DNA’s biker concept.

Available in red, black and white from mid-May. diesel.com

↑fAShIon

rework it

M&S’s popular menswear brand Autograph has been reworked to fuse tailoring with casual-wear. The collection sees bold blue tailor-fitted suits mixed with trainers, geometric print knits and jogging bottoms. So much more than just a suit.

All styles will be available in store and online at marksandspencer.com

↓DvD

orAnge iS the new BlAck

Litchfield Penitentiary’s finest females will be returning to Netflix for an eagerly-anticipated third outing in June, but if you’re still to get aboard the OITNB bandwagon there’s just enough time to get up to date with the release of the season two box set this month.

Orange Is the New Black Season 2 is released on DVD and Blu-Ray on May 18

←fAShIon

ADiDAS x y-3 reADy for reD clAy

The French Open is upon us (May 19 – June 7) and French pro Jo Wilfried Tsonga will be wearing the new adidas tennis x Y-3 collaboration in his bid to win the red clay Grandslam. The collection is a perfect fusion between performance and fashion.

IS ON IT

THE SIX COMMANDMENTS OF GAY SOCIAL NETWORKING

Guys, I think it’s high time that we did some housekeeping regarding our communal approach to social networking. I know the whole point is to make celebrities of us all, enabling each other to live in under the mass delusion that the whole world fi nds us as fascinating as we fi nd ourselves. There’s no point in complaining about something which is, fundamentally, a catalyst for narcissism (anyone who claims they haven’t scrolled through their own pictures, trying to guess what a stranger would make of their life, is lying.) Believe me, I’m just as unbearable as the rest of you... BUT we have to draw the line somewhere. I suggest we start by following these six commandments...

THOU SHALT NOT HASHTAG GAY ON INSTAGRAM

Look, I’m as thirsty for attention as the next Instagrammer, but every time I see a homosexual captioning his pictures #Gay a part of me withers and dies. It’s embarrassing and reductive, not to mention desperate. Besides, surely any vague prestige associated with potential extra likes is immediately voided when they’ve been harvested from the kind of mouth-breathers who browse the gay hashtag. Unacceptable. Same goes for #Instagay #GayBoy and – obviously – #GayFollow.

THOU SHALT NOT BE A GRINDR DOUCHEBAG

In case you haven’t already, take the time to visit douchebagsofgrindr.com to see the worst that gay culture has to off er – a stew of racism, body fascism and self-hating homophobia which will be a familiar sight to anyone who’s ever stumbled across a profi le insisting on: ‘no femmes, no fatties, no Asians, no blacks, masc only, my age or younger.’ It’s a depressing indicator of how the internet age has helped to replace a culture of sexual freedom with segregation – not to

Joe Stone

AS FAR AS

I’M CONCERNED,

IF YOU HAVE

ARMS AND LEGS,

EVERY DAY IS AN

ARMS/LEGS DAY

YEARS AND YEARS

So nice. :-)

JOKES ABOUT ERECTIONS, SWING VOTES & HUNG

PARLIAMENTS

It’s what the haters expect of us. AND WHY NOT MO-FOS. (QUADRUPLE

BLUFF WITH CHERRIES ON)

PEPPA PIG FOR PM

If the media wants it they’ll make ham sure (Ed – damn sure)

they’ll get it…

NICK JONAS

We were there fi rst,

munchkins. Only has the best single in 140,000 years – Jealous. We’re sure he says ‘Fuck me, fuck me’ on one of the

remixes. #IfYouInsist

THE HILLARY

Something fun to do while the world ends.

DAVID DIMBLEBY

Hot. Go on, say ‘hommer-sex-schewell’ like they do in BBC posh land. Go on, we

like it. You’re allowed. #Fuzzy

THE MEDIA

Brainwashed nation, much? THEY MUST BE STOPPED.

DAVID STARKEY

ACTUALLY the gay Katie Hopkins. Button it sister. Let the pain out. It is clearly fucking IMMENSE girrrl.

#HectorProjector

PIZZA JOKES

Gay people do eat Pizza. Not at weddings, but we do eat pizza. Can we just deal with that. Stop with the ‘Which queen would

be seen dead eating a pizza/staying in a B&B/on a bus? lines’. SOOOO0 90s

PEOPLE WITH DOGS

That don’t smile when you coo at them. FUCK THAT SHIT.

BRUCE JENNER CHASING

Leave her alone.

ARGUING ABOUT POPSTARS ONLINE

No point, really. Waste of life. No, really. Open your curtains. Look: Air. Sky. Trees. Birdies. Outsideness. Flapjacks. Feel it, embrace it. You are not a cave bat.

Madonna does not care. #TruthHurts

DOWN

UP

EDIT

_OPINION

mention, terrible manners. Obviously it’s fi ne to have sexual preferences, we all do, but it’s equally easy not to be a dick about them. It is your social responsibility never to fuck anyone with any of the above on their profi le (‘no off ence, it’s just not what I’m into’).

THOU SHALT NOT DOCUMENT ‘LEG DAYS’

People who bang on about going to the gym are the worst. Actually, they’re the second worst, after people who photograph their progress, alongside #ArmDays and #LegDays captions. As far as I’m concerned, if you have arms and legs, every day is an arms/legs day.

THOU SHALT NOT USE CHARITABLE WORKS AS A SMOKE SCREEN

It’s interesting isn’t it, how some gay guys become unusually charitably minded when there’s an interconnected opportunity to show off all that aforementioned work in the gym – whether that’s by tipping a bucket of ice water over their naked torso, or putting their cock in a sock. It’s especially interesting when they forget to include the donation text number, or any reference to the relevant charity, or to actually send any money. Almost as if they don’t actually care about cancer, and just wanted everyone to see their pecs.

THOU SHALT NOT SAY ‘ICYMI’

In case you didn’t know, ICYMI is an acronym for ‘In case you missed it’, used when re-posting something which didn’t receive the desired traction the fi rst time. Unfortunately, we didn’t miss it, we just weren’t that interested. Life’s hard.

THOU SHALT NOT POST INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

Come on guys, we’re better than this. You know we are. (There are rare exceptions to this rule, including Geri Halliwell: ‘I’m famous enough that the paparazzi want to sit outside my house. They don’t sit outside Mel C’s house.’)

PRYNT

Prynt (pronounced print) is a case that allows you to turn your smartphone into an instant camera just like a Polaroid. Perfect for sharing festival photos with new friends, it doesn’t need Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to work so perfect for when you’re standing in the middle of a muddy fi eld. PRE-ORDER FOR £90, PRYNTCASES.COM

EDIT

_

GADGETS

Gadgets

FESTIVALS

FROM PORTABLE CHARGERS TO CASES THAT TURN YOUR PHONE INTO AN INSTANT CAMERA,

GET READY FOR A SUMMER OF LOVE...

WORDS BY STUART MILES, FOUNDER OF POCKET-LINT.COM

TYLT ENERGI TRAVEL 6K

This 6,000mAh capacity portable battery gives you enough to charge your phone around three times from a single charge of its battery, and comes with a built in micro-USB cable and the ability to quickly swap the plug for when you go abroad. £29.99, TYLT.COM

LOMO’INSTANT BOSTON EDITION

If you want to ditch battery-powered tech altogether, this 35mm camera package from Lomography comes with three lenses and loads of features to make even Instagram photos look dull. Setting options include unlimited multiple exposures, four colour fl ash gels, B setting for infi nite long exposures and much more. £129, LOMOGRAPHY.COM

SOULRA RUGGED RUKUS

A Bear Grylls-esque, all-terrain solar-powered, splash proof, knock proof, lightweight, wireless Bluetooth travel speaker that sounds superb - but does so much more than just play music. It also features a USB output to charge your smartphone on the go with a simple one-touch Bluetooth pairing, while just fi ve hours of sunlight will provide eight hours of music playtime.

£89.99, SOULRACORP.COM

travel speaker that sounds superb - but does so much more than just play music. It also features a USB output more than just play music. It also features a USB output to charge your smartphone on the go with a simple one-touch Bluetooth pairing, while just fi ve hours of sunlight will provide eight hours of music playtime.

WORDS: BEN KELLY

T H E R U L E S : F E S T I V A L S

YOU’LL ALWAYS ARRIVE

FEELING LIKE THIS…

BUT YOU’LL ALWAYS

LEAVE FEELING LIKE

THIS

ACCEPT NOTHING

LESS THAN DIAMOND

ENCRUSTED WELLIES

AND IT’S A LONG WAY

TO A SHOWER, SO GET

DOWN AND DIRTY AT

YOUR PERIL

IT AIN’T OVER TILL

THE BIG TITTED LADY

PLAYS THE BENNY HILL

THEME!

THREE DAYS IN AND

YOU ARE DEFINITELY

TOO SMELLY FOR SEX

SAME APPLIES FOR

BEING MEGA ORGANISED

AND EQUIPPED #HATRED

IF YOU’RE THAT DICK ON

SOMEONE’S SHOULDERS,

EVERYONE HATES YOU

BEING SUNBURNED AND

HUNGOVER AT THE SAME

TIME IS THE WORST

THE TABLET EDITION OF

ATTITUDE. WITH A MOVING

COVER, EXTRA PHOTO GALLERIES,

INTERACTIVE MUSIC, FILM AND TV

D O W N L O A D

THE TABLET EDITION OF

ATTITUDE

COVER,

INTERACTIVE MUSIC, FILM AND TV

D O W N L O A D

PETTY HOMOPHOBES OF THE WORLD, LET US EAT CAKE!

A little quiz for you: what four-letter word, starting with ‘C’, is the thing I most enjoy putting in my mouth? A clue you say? It’s got a ‘K’ in it. Oh for goodness sake, it’s cake you fi lthy pups. The sticky stuff has become an unlikely political weapon, and bakeries political battleground.

Not just any cake though: seditious, homosexual, blasphemous cake, like the Bert and Ernie confection that’s been causing a commotion in Northern Ireland for over a year now – perhaps the most ridiculous controversy around baked goods since Marie Antoinette told all those poor old French paupers to just suck it up.

It all started when a man called Gareth Lee asked for a cake to be decorated with the Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie alongside the logo for ‘Queerspace’ group and the slogan ‘Support Gay Marriage’, in honour of Andrew Muir – Northern Ireland’s fi rst openly gay mayor. For who could complain about Bert and Ernie and a bit of fondant icing, eh? Ashers, the bakers. That’s who. Turns out it’s run by evangelical Christians. Nightmare!

The situation has now gone all the way to the courts with the bakers saying it’s an infringement of their religious beliefs – and the guys still wanting their cake! I’ve no idea if the powers that be will decide that Christian bakers are compelled to ice pro-gay propaganda onto Victoria sponges from now on, but the icing afi cionado in me prays they’ll be forced to with gritted teeth. This all feeds in to a much bigger debate raging in the States right now about so-called ‘religious freedom’ exemptions from equality laws. The American state of Indiana is seeking to allow religious people to discriminate against gay people if they want to because

THIS MONTH:

JAMES HUNG OUT WITH ELTON.

GO JAMES!

BURNING

EDIT

_OPINION

Paris

FRANCOFILES

It all started when a man called Gareth Lee asked for a cake to be decorated with the Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie alongside the logo for ‘Queerspace’ group and the slogan ‘Support Gay Marriage’, in honour of Andrew Muir – Northern Ireland’s fi rst openly gay mayor. For who could complain about Bert and Ernie and a bit of fondant icing, eh? Ashers, the bakers. That’s who. Turns out it’s run by evangelical

The situation has now gone all bakers saying it’s an infringement the guys still wanting their cake! I’ve no idea if the powers that be will decide that Christian bakers propaganda onto Victoria sponges from now on, but the icing afi cionado in me prays they’ll be forced to with gritted teeth. This all feeds in to a much bigger debate raging in the ‘religious freedom’ exemptions from equality laws. The American state of Indiana is seeking to allow religious gay people if they want to because

After plans for Sacha Baron

Cohen to play Freddie Mercury

fell through for the fifth

time, the production team have

decided enough is enough, and

released a statement saying,

“we’ll just have to get

Meryl Streep.” The 65-year-old

appears set to play the

showman in a movie spanning

his life. She has already been

measured up for a crown and

is learning about the infamous

hanky codes. An inside source

said, “She’s played fierce

queens many times now, from

The Devil Wears Prada to The

Iron Lady, but this will be her

biggest challenge yet.” As her

star turn in Mamma Mia showed,

Meryl will be more than capable

of doing all her own vocals

too, in addition to yet another

legendary accent. When asked

for a comment, Meryl simply

said, “Ayyyyy-oh, darling!”

homosexuality is an aff ront to their religious beliefs. Famously a Pizza joint said it would refuse to cater a same sex wedding.

What else are the bigots trying to spoil for us? Well, if you’re transgender and happen to live in a handful of States in the US, they don’t even want you to take a pee in peace. Lawmakers in Kentucky, Florida and – yes – Texas are currently considering legislation that will punish trans people who use the ‘wrong’ bathroom. They could get a fi ne or, worst-case scenario, arrested. It’s all based on that old lie that trans people are somehow sexually deviant, a threat to lovely non-trans people, from which women and children must be protected.

And doesn’t it just seem really, really mean? It’s like being back at school and having the bullies think up ways that they can exclude the queer kids. No, you can’t have any cake! No, you’re

not coming in these toilets! No, we’re not playing with you!

I don’t mean to detract from all the truly serious crap that’s still happening to gay people, but in the West, bigots are starting to look increasingly pathetic. Good. In the past, the enemies of gay and trans people were just as mean and petty, but the diff erence was that they had much more power over us. Back then they could throw us in mental hospitals and prisons and stop us from fi nding work, marrying or having children. In Britain, at least, we’ve won every major ideological argument and secured our human rights. As inspiring veteran activist Maureen Duff y told the crowd at last year’s Attitude Awards, though, we can’t hang our boots up just yet. When we fi nally win the right to have whatever icing we want on our cakes, well, that’ll be the icing on the cake.

MERYL TO

PLAY MERCURY

■ TERRESTRIAL:

CHANNEL 4’S ALTERNATIVE ELECTION NIGHT

If Dimbleby nods off over on BBC, and Kay Burley has run out of venom on Sky, you’ll be in for a few laughs at least as the holy trinity of Jimmy Carr, David Mitchell and Charlie Brooker lead up the Channel 4 coverage.

There’s even an Election Come Dine

With Me with

Edwina Currie and Brian Paddick.

Paul Flynn

_{IS OVER IT}

Paul Flynn

CUCUMBER EXPLORED GAY LIFE IN A WAY THAT'S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE

About halfway into its run, I came to a conclusion of sorts about Cucumber, the divisive gay sex drama that Russell T Davies persuaded onto national primetime TV. There were lots of loud, unsettled rants about the show from its target audience. Because it was a programme covering an area that isn’t usually covered anywhere in the mainstream, this was to be expected. But the vitriol started to bother me. I despise that gay male voice that slashes the windpipe of every interesting, blossoming conversation as it opens up. Now this was becoming collective. So that was my conclusion: Are we really this stupid?

In some convoluted way, the initial reaction to Cucumber echoed exactly what it was saying – that there is a gaping chasm between the told gay male experience and the felt one. As a conceptual broadside, that wins for me. Then Russell began to really pile the layers on, talking in brutal, stark new language. That gay men who see themselves as the good ones can be petty, mean, vitriolic and disloyal. That copping off with someone who identifi es as straight isn’t a victory lap taken for the team but just another deeply-rooted anxiety action. That a new generation may emerge for whom ‘gay’ is not interesting. That gay sex, in and of itself, is not all that sexy and might look less like the shadowy silhouette of Heath Ledger rogering Jake Gyllenhaal in a tepee on a picturesque Texan mountaintop and more like a bald man with weak shoulders getting a wank off somebody he’s not even bothered to work out whether he particularly likes or not. That stuff .

These are dismal subjects to stare at. But that doesn’t mean gay audiences should turn away, having hissy fi ts on

our laptops when someone puts their specs on to do so. Once the dream-state that our lives were going to carouse around with the hot bounce of Michael Tolliver’s in Tales

of the City took root, the feel-good,

comfy gay fairy-tale felt set in stone. But that was a story that needed to be told in the 70s. It’s almost half a century later now and Russell T Davies is the closest Britain has got to unearthing an Armistead Maupin of its own; a chronicler of gay life exactly in tune with his moment, telling stories from the inside.

Once the uncurious wall of complainants disappears, I suspect

Cucumber will be regarded as

something of a minor-key classic. Then we will wow at the fact that Davies got half a million Britons in front of their telly to watch a gay man get clobbered to death with a golf club in his search to feel desirable one Thursday night in early 2015. How many of the screeching Facebook massive have done that?

There’s that fantastic line from the Shelagh Delaney play, A Taste

of Honey. “Whatever people say I

am. That’s exactly what I’m not.” For 20 years now, Russell Davies has been at the coalface of brilliant storytelling. For me, with Cucumber he joins the ranks of Delaney. This was provocative, hard and provincial. It dared to say we are not as sexy as we think we are. We are not as metropolitan as we say we are. Sometimes, anchorless, we get scared and we are right to be scared. Before Cucumber, I thought of Russell as a gay Richard Curtis fi gure, a full-hearted romantic with an enviable habit for fi nding circuitously happy endings. Cucumber fi nishes all that. His dark side is even more thrilling still.

GAY SEX MIGHT

LOOK LESS LIKE

THE SHADOWY

SILHOUETTE OF

HEATH LEDGER

ROGERING JAKE

GYLENHAAL IN

A TEPEE

■CABLE:

GAME OF THRONES

Season 5 of everyone’s favourite fantasy drama is arriving on Sky Atlantic this month, with the plot devised from George R. R. Martin’s fourth

and fi ft h novels. Look out for cameos from Jonathan Pryce, Mark Gatiss and Hannah Waddingham.

■ONLINE:

GRACE AND FRANKIE

So you gorged on Kimmy Schmidt all at once? So did we. Luckily Netfl ix’s latest original comedy Grace and Frankie is premiering in full on May 8, with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin starring as two rivals brought together aft er their husbands elope with each other. Made by the creators of Friends, this is defi nitely one for us!

■BOX SET:

CUCUMBER/BANANA

Russell T Davies’ Channel 4 dramas can now be enjoyed together, in a box set for less than £20, so you can relive the story of Henry and Lance, mull over your favourite Banana

subplot, and freeze frame that Freddie Fox kitchen sex scene.

EDIT

_OPINION

TOPTV

EDIT

_fIlm rEvIEws

Masie WilliaMs, Maxine Peake, Florence Pugh

In a British girls school in the late 60s, a mysterious sickness epidemic seemingly takes control of its students; yet the school’s authorities put it down to the behaviour of the intelligent yet disturbed Lydia (Maisie Williams). While there’s something deeply troubling bubbling at the surface, it remains an entrancing and alluring watch throughout. This is a film with perhaps too many ideas, rather than too few, but the ambience of this drama is entirely unique. Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) gives a chilling performance as Lydia. While, director Morley shows great promise in his sophomore feature film. jp

releasedon aPril 24th

carey Mulligan, Michael sheen, toM sturridge

Thomas Vinterberg’s Far From the Madding Crowd takes us back to Victorian England, where Carey Mulligan’s Bathsheba Everdene stands strong against the lure of three different suitors and the threat of relinquished independence. This adaptation of a Thomas Hardy classic has been given the dark romantic treatment, with grand sweeping shots of rolling landscapes and formidable weather, with themes of love bubbling lustily throughout, all bathed in a golden light. Vintergberg has assembled a platinum cast, too: Mulligan is stoic and strong-willed as Everdene; Matthias Schoenaerts’ Gabriel Oak is a silent yet robust beast; Michael Sheen draws out audience pity as the rich but lonely Boldwood and Sturridge’s recklessly charismatic soldier charms his way into your affections. Each are solid components of a beautiful piece of cinema, with grit and power in equal measure. jk

releasedon May 1st

scarlett Johansson, aaron taylor-Johnson, chris evans, chris heMsWorth, robert doWney Jr

The gang are back together, but not for very long, as Iron Man/Tony Stark's A.I creation turns on the team and humanity. Add in a rather buff Aaron Taylor Johnson (minus points for his dyed blonde weave) and Elizabeth Olsen as Quicksilver, complete with her best Russian accent for a robust action thriller with all the trimmings we've come to expect from the Marvel franchise formula. This film gets a little more personal, but keeps all your favourite touches, including Scarlet Johansson (who has not been given her own stand alone film in the franchise, which looks set to keep going until 2018) grabbing the scenes she is given. jk

releasedon May 1st

Far From the madding Crowd

the Falling

4

/5

3

/5

4

/5

4

/5

words: Joe Passmore and JosePh kocharian

reese WithersPoon, arnold oceng,

ger duany

Three Sudanese men escape the horrors of the ongoing civil war in their homeland, taking refuge in Kansas. Employment agency worker – Carrie, played by an irritable Reese Weatherspoon, takes on the difficult task of finding them jobs. Performances here are solid throughout and there is plenty of substance for a great drama, with the opening sequences in Sudan being especially poignant and provoking. However, an overly American and often too syrupy script act as a hindrance to what could almost have been a powerful, honest and gritty drama. jp

releasedon aPril 24th

the good lie

3

/5

avengers: age oF Ultron

the new girlFriend

roMain duris, anaïs deMoustier, isild le besco

After losing her childhood best friend, Claire (Anaïs Demoustier) goes to check in on Laura’s (Isild Le Besco) widowed husband (Romain Duris). Upon this impromtu visit Claire finds David dressed in his late wife’s clothes. Though making a confident move at observing common LGBT ideologies, the drama here plays out too much like a frivolous soap opera. There are still moments of poignancy and humour, as well as interesting commentaries on gender, sexuality and labelling, but The New Girlfriend just misses the mark. jp

WORDS: BEN KELLY

JERMAIN JACKMAN / POLYDOR

It’s third time lucky at giving a winner of

The Voice a winning career, and Jermain

has delivered an album that’s both middle-aged and middle of the road, falling somewhere between late-teen Jacksons and Luther Vandross; with a few attempts to line up alongside Sam Smith. To his credit, he’s co-written most of it and the vocals melt like a bar of Galaxy chocolate, but there’s little evidence this will do any better than the past two forgotten winners.

JERMAIN JACKMAN

HOUSE MASTERS FRANKIE KNUCKLES / DEFECTED RECORDS

This album is the culmination of a project that began in February 2014, with Frankie hand-selecting what he wanted to include on a retrospective release of his career. Following his untimely death, it’s going out as planned, fi lled with the classic songs he put his hands to, plus his various remixes. It’s a collection of some of the best house music of the late 80s and early 90s. Better still, all proceeds go to the Frankie Knuckles Fund and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

FRANKIE KNUCKLES

BRANDON FLOWERS

THE DESIRED EFFECT / VERTIGO

The second solo album from The Killers’ frontman is one of the best pop albums of 2015 so far, and has inspired levels of approval in the Attitude offi ce not seen since Swifty’s 1989; Flowers too has stuck to straight-up, easily accessible pop harking back to music of the 80s.

The Haim-inspired, bass-pulsing single Can’t Deny My Love is a good indicator for the rest of the album – big anthemic tracks which are lyrically fl ippant but serious on pop. On big epic sing-a-longs like Come True and Digging

Up The Heat, Flowers is undeniably

channelling Springsteen; singing about highways and money trouble over acoustic drum beats, piano and pop horns. On Between Me And You he even sounds like The Boss as he sings “These hours I’m working aren’t nearly enough/ Chasing every dollar, girl is this what I was born to do?” Tribute is also paid to the camp electro-pop on which Flowers was raised, with backing vocals from Neil Tennant, and a sample of Bronski Beat’s

Smalltown Boy on I Can Change.

Easily remembered melodies and lyrics make for a glorious run of perfect pop songs, on a ten-track album, the likes of which we never thought we’d see again (you can listen to it twice over and Rebel Heart would still be going): A further breakthrough solo moment for a man who we can safely say is not just a pretty face.

WILL YOUNG

85% PROOF / ISLAND RECORDS

We’re always keen for the success of a Will Young album, since he and we go back a long time, but we were a tad thrown upon fi rst hearing his comeback single

Love Revolution. It’s a foot-stomping,

Motown-esque track built on Tomcraft’s 2002 hit Loneliness, which fi nds Will in much the same territory as he himself was in that same year. Reader, we fretted. But the rest of the album tells a diff erent story.

Elsewhere, he’s writing more honestly, about his own life and loves, following on the same musical path as his previous album Echoes, with that album’s producer Jim Eliot – whose work with Ellie Goulding also hints through. Will channels the epic synth-pop of Hurts on Brave Man and

Like A River, without sounding try-hard,

and both songs are among the most personal lyrically. Joy is a track that recalls Kylie’s All The Lovers – and with about as much lyrical content – but it’s a fun pop song all the same. Thank You is a track that’s got the feel of a modern Take That doing some old school Beatles, and it’s on point for Will.

The album hangs together well, and is a good solid off ering from Will after a couple of years away, but it doesn’t smash the mould from which we’re used to hearing his music cast. Nevertheless, it’s become a regular fi xture on the Attitude iPod, and we’re very happy to see this great British male back on the scene alongside newbies like Sheeran and Smith.

9

/10

7

/10

5

/10

8

/10

EDIT

_MUSIC REVIEWS

▀

5%

▀

10%

TELL-ALL AUTOBIOGRAPHY

▀

85%

▀

5%

▀

5%

▀

90%

%

%

A m e r i c A ’ s o n l y g A y l A t e n i g h t t A l k s h o w h o s t

pAys A fleeting visit to see Attitude in london

COHEN

ANDY

Shirt by Burton

S

tripping from tuxedo to dressing gown in a suite at London’s Andaz Hotel, I suggest that Andy

Cohen may like some privacy. “Relax,” he says brashly, “I’m not shy, I’m American!” And indeed

it’s in his USA homeland where TV mogul Andy Cohen can consider himself a huge star. He hosts

his own late night talk show Watch What Happens: Live, he’s the creator, executive producer and all round

ringmaster of the popular Real Housewives franchise, and his high flying New York socialite ways are

well documented on his social media accounts as well as his book The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at

a Shallow Year. But here in London – where he’s come to see ‘friend’ Ralph Fiennes on the stage, to dine

with Joan Collins, and crucially, to talk to Attitude – he still enjoys some levels of anonymity. “I went out

last night and it was interesting being in London. Some people knew who I was, some people didn’t, and

it was very fun, it was very... refreshing,” he grins. Bubbly and chatty with everyone on set, and happy to

take well positioned selfies, Andy is clearly someone who delights in his work, and every aspect of it. As

we sit down for a chat he asks me gleefully, “Are you a ginge?!” expressing his preference for red tops.

Sadly Andy, I’m not, but there’s a copy of RED HOT in the post with your name on it.

andy cohen_

aTTITUde

Do you know London well?

I love London. I came out of the closet in London. I was studying abroad here when I was in college. Our flat was in Earls Court, and I thought there’s no way I’m going to be able to stay in the closet if I’m here, and I came out. It was a great time.

Who did you tell?

I told my friend Amanda, who’s still one of my best friends to this day. She’s a shrink now, which makes sense.

Your show, ‘Watch What Happens: Live’, is a lot more fun than most other U.S. talk shows right?

Way more fun! It’s the only live show on late night in America, it’s totally spontaneous, and there’s something really dangerous about it. These huge stars come on and feel like they’re not really on TV because it’s in this teeny little room and we just get them to reveal crazy shit about themselves.

A lot of them are your friends, too.

It started with my friends doing me favours and coming on the show to get it established – like Sarah Jessica Parker, Liam Neeson, Anderson Cooper – and now it’s really legitimately famous people who I’ve never met before.

Who’s been your favourite guest?

Maybe Oprah or Cher.

It’s weird when you see Oprah as a guest isn’t it?

Yeah it is, but she’s a great guest. She’s very engaging. Talk show hosts make great guests. Always.

You’re also behind ‘The Real Housewives’ franchise, which is hugely popular here. How

did that come about as an initial idea?

Someone came to us at Bravo, which was the channel I was in charge of programming, and said “I have these neighbours and their boobs are bigger and their hair is blonder and they have huge houses, and they’re unlike anything you’ve ever seen before,” and we said well that sounds intriguing, and we just shot some footage of them and then tried to figure out what to do with them. It was the beginning of The Real Housewives of

Orange County, and in my mind I thought,

‘Well this could be like a modern soap opera,’ and that’s really what it’s become. It’s become a water cooler churn in the United States, and around the world, and it’s really become this kind of, cultural lightning rod.

How much of it is staged?

It’s real. We cast very highly volatile, emotional, driven, opinionated women, and because of that, they go to town!

And you sit down with them at the end of the season and they all have it out with each other.

Yes, I do, exactly. It’s really fun.

What’s the most vicious you’ve ever seen them get?

You know sometimes it just gets really personal about their family. The show works so well because it’s all people who have long histories with each other. So it’s not just throwing people together in a Big Brother house and seeing what happens.

And it kind of led to your cameo in Lady Gaga’s video for G.U.Y. didn’t it? What were you meant to be, God?

ANDY COHEN_

ATTITUDE

directed me, it was fun. She’s a huge Real

Housewives fan, and she was great, she’s been

a guest on my show.

That was a big video, and she kind of did it off her own back didn’t she?

She did, it was a huge video, and she put

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in that

video too.

But you didn’t shoot on set at the Hearst mansion did you?

No, she set up a set for me, because I wasn’t able to make the actual shoot, and I did it in a sound stage in Los Angeles. It was cool, she was very cool.

So although you’re a TV host, you’re also running the business behind the scenes.

Yes, I have been a TV producer for 25 years, it’s only been the last seven or eight that I’ve been in front of the camera, so it’s been a crazy transition for me. My life has totally changed over the last few years.

And I guess as a producer you have the power and control that you don’t get being just a presenter?

Yes, and I’m executive producer of my own show too, so the buck stops with me. I love it.

In the UK Graham Norton is similar in that respect, he has his production company too.

Absolutely. And he’s an infl uence on me because he has an ‘anything goes’ attitude on his show, and I always admired him for years.

Though our gay TV hosts in this country still tend to be quite fl amboyant...

Well I’m not exactly Clint Eastwood!

No, but guys like you and Anderson Cooper, you’re seen to be a bit more butch.

I can be caught in a dainty moment! Almost every episode! Don’t get me wrong, you know, it’s a great honour being the only gay late night TV host in America, but being gay doesn’t defi ne me, it’s just part of who I am. That being said I hide nothing on my show, and if you watch my show regularly, I drool over guys and talk about men and dating and I objectify them, so there’s an honesty and an authenticity with the way I present who I am on the show that I think is certainly diff erent from anything that is on TV in America.

‘WHEN I WAS YOUNGER

IF I WANTED TO GET A

DRINK I WOULD GO TO

A GAY BAR ALONE, BUT

NOW I DON’T DO THAT

BECAUSE I FEEL SELF

CONSCIOUS ABOUT IT’

Dressing gown by Zimmerelli at MR PORTER

Shirt by Burton; bow tie by M&S

And how does America respond to it?

Really well. You know, the people who I think have a weird response to me are gay people. Some gay people. Whenever there’s something about me on a gay website, they love to comment on it, “Oh he’s such a queen, he’s a bottom, he’s this, he’s that.”

Is any of that true?

What? Am I a queen? Am I a bottom? I can be queeny... I’m a top! The response has been great though. I’ve actually had a really nice response. I’ve gone on these big book tours and it’s cool to meet young gay guys who live in America and watch me and say, “Oh it’s cool watching another gay guy just being himself on TV”, that means a lot to me.

Let’s talk about your books, ‘The Andy Cohen Diaries’. It’s kind of an homage to ‘The Andy Warhol Diaries’, right?

Right, I have two books. You’re a young fella so I’m glad you know about The Warhol

Diaries, and that was the inspiration for

my book, I thought, ‘Wow here I am living in New York, going to these parties, and travelling around the world, and meeting these people that I never dreamed I would and hanging out with them,’ and I thought, ‘This could be cool to do a year in my life,’ and it’s a little Bridget Jones’ Diary, I date, I fall in love with the dog, I kind of hob nob, and it’s fun, I love the book.

It’s funny because with social media, people are following your lifestyle in real time, but there’s still a missing art of letter and diary writing nowadays.

Totally, and it’s great. You know, you can put down what you were really thinking. Look, I’m highly active on social media, but I’m also highly edited. And part of the reason is that people are just waiting to jump on everything you say. I keep telling my bosses, “I am one tweet away from getting fi red.”

Isn’t everyone?

Yes! Everyone is. Because I’m going to be in the back of a cab drunk some night and I’m going to tweet something horribly inappropriate, and it’s all going to come crashing down on me.

You share a lot about your dog on social media.

Yes, Wacha, he’s two and half.

And you rescued him?

I did, I found him online, I fell in love with him. It was like Grindr for a guy and a puppy. But I didn’t fuck the dog of course! He’s great, he’s so cute, I love him. He’s a mix between a beagle and a foxhound. He’s got great disposition, and he’s a good guy. He sleeps with me, we cuddle, it’s lovely.

And he’s actually famous in his own right.

He is, he’s famous. He has 120,000 Instagram followers! He’s got a great Instagram. It’s my hobby!

I follow lots of dog Instagrams, but they’re not as prolifi c as his.

Well thank you, he has a big platform. I bring him out at the end of all my shows too.

So he’s the man in your life?

He is the man in my life, I’m single.

What’s it like dating as Andy Cohen – because it must be hard when you’re a big name, especially in the gay world.

Well, when I was younger if I wanted to get a drink I would go to a gay bar alone, but now I don’t do that because I feel self conscious about it. Other than that, for me it’s normal. I don’t think of myself in terms of, ‘Oh I’m famous’. I mean, I’m not Madonna!

Do you like Rebel Heart?

I do, I listened to it like 20 times on the plane over here yesterday and I love it.

It’s a diffi cult one isn’t it...

It is a diffi cult one, but like everything, the more you listen to it, the more you understand it, and there is some really melodic beautiful stuff on there that I’m connecting to. Living For Love is not my favourite.

How did you feel about her fall at the BRIT Awards?

I just feel like there is a crazy ageism thing going on with Madonna, where if she falls people are making fun of her, ‘she’s a grandma,’ ‘she’s an old lady,’ but she’s Madonna. You know? I fi nd it gross the way people are saying she shouldn’t dress this way, or she shouldn’t be putting out this kind of music. She’s Madonna. You can’t tell Madonna not to be Madonna. She is the one who is redefi ning what it means to be a

56-year-old woman. So it’s everyone else’s problem with that, it’s not hers.

Do you think there’s ageism in the gay community?

I do, although... I don’t know, because I think people like a daddy a little bit.

Are you a daddy?

I might be. Yeah, I think I am. [laughs] I’ve got no problem with it.

What were your thoughts on Russell Tovey’s comments about masculinity?

My thoughts are that people in this world are just waiting to be off ended, and this is a proudly out gay actor who is talking about his experience of feeling – for whatever reason or another – as we’ve all felt, that we had to fi t in, and that was his experience, and I don’t think it was him saying that he didn’t welcome all kinds of people, I think that it was grossly overblown.

You don’t accept this implied notion that there’s a ‘right way to be gay’?

No I don’t. What I gathered from it was he was talking about his own experience, feeling for whatever reason, that he had to butch it up to fi t in.

You’re always someone’s type in the gay community aren’t you?

Yeah, you are. Look, it’s a cruel little pond we all swim in, but everyone has a type. Some gay people like really skinny guys, some people like twinks, some people like bears, fat guys. There’s something for everyone.

You and Anderson are one and the same in that respect.

What? We’re both daddies? We’re both silver guys? We are! He’s my good mate. We have a great time. He and I are going on tour together, starting this month, in Boston. We travel extensively together actually. We’re doing a speaking tour soon. But yes, we’re both daddies.

Who gets more attention, you or him?

Well when he takes his hat off , it looks like he’s Katniss Everdeen, girl on fi re, because his hair is so silver. He is very hard to miss.

You’re very well put together now, but I’ve seen some old pictures with little afros, long curly hair...

I know, terrible. I thought I looked good!

Do you feel you’ve got better looking with age?

I think I look better now than I ever did, thankfully. I’d rather have it be that than the opposite. I can’t believe what I looked like when I look at old pictures. Yeah, I looked pretty bad. Now I have great suits, I love my suits, that’s my style. You gotta keep it tight if you’re on TV every night!

ANDY COHEN_

ATTITUDE

Suit by M&S Collection; shirt

STYLIST ASSISTED BY YASMIN WALKER AND JOAO ANDRADE / GROOMING AND HAIR BY NIBRAS USING CLARINS AND OJON

With your Attitude, whether it’s traditional or contemporary,

we can make yours an Original Bathroom

143 - 145 Kew Road, Richmond, London TW9 2PN T +44 (0)20 8940 7554 E [email protected]

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WORDS: MARK LINDORES

BIG GAY

FOLLOWING

STOCK AITKEN WATERMAN

TO CELEBRATE THEIR 30TH ANNIVERSARY, THE HITMAKERS HAVE REMASTERED THE FOUR ALBUMS THEY MADE WITH THEIR MOST

SUCCESSFUL ARTIST, KYLIE MINOGUE. WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT HOW THE LABEL DEFINED THE SOUND OF THE MID-1980S

In the 27 years since Kylie Minogue released I Should Be So Lucky, she has performed the track in a myriad of styles, from torch song to techno rave-up to reciting the lyrics at the Poetry Olympics (in trackie bottoms and trainers with a face scrubbed free of make-up, no less). However, it is the moment she climbed into a bubble bath to recreate the now iconic scene from the song’s video on her Kiss

Me Once tour that will go down as the defi nitive live rendition of the

song. Remaining faithful to the original version, the performance was an unabashed love letter to Kylie’s apprenticeship at Stock Aitken Waterman’s Hit Factory, where, under the guidance of the chart-topping triumvirate, she was veered to becoming the pop icon we know and love today.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the Hit Factory, Kylie’s four

Stock Aitken Waterman-produced albums have been given the deluxe edition treatment, digitally remastered and packed with remixes, B-sides and videos.

“These really are the defi nitive versions of the Kylie albums,” says Pete Waterman. “Everything we did with Kylie is on these reissues, there is nothing else left. We don’t have any unreleased demos of any artist because we never did them – that isn’t how we worked. We wrote the song specifi cally for them, recorded it, then put it out. We didn’t have time to write songs we weren’t going to use.”

As well as the wealth of material contained on the CDs, the reissues feature bonus DVDs featuring scarce TV performances – the ultimate souvenir of the retro-Kylie experience and, says Pete, an integral part of the Stock Aitken Waterman phenomenon.

WKEN MCKAY/REX

KYLIE WAS THE DARLING OF THE LABEL

releases, they explored gay subculture further, teaming up with Divine for You Think You’re

A Man, which became their

first Top 20 hit. Along with Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s seminal anthem, Relax, the song helped to propel the sound of the underground to the top of the charts. They followed Divine with Hazell Dean’s Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go), which became the first song written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman to hit the Top 10 and established their trademark sound.

“Most examples of Hi-NRG were short on song,” recalls Mike Stock. “I was keen to bring structured songs into the style. We saw the club scene as a genuine way to reach people who might buy records. We took forward some of the dance elements into the more poppy projects. After Hazell Dean’s song, Dead Or Alive approached us and were really keen to work with us.

“The elements from Hi-NRG that we put into Hazell’s tracks and how we incorporated them into a full-on pop song were what Pete Burns loved. He was keen to do a similar thing.”

Dead Or Alive had been working on their second album when Pete Burns heard the Stock Aitken Waterman tracks and decided they were the logical sound choice for the “glittery disco record” he had in mind. He presented them with a demo tape containing four tracks, one of which was the now-infamous You Spin Me

Round (Like A Record).

“As soon as I heard the demo I knew it was a No.1 hit,” says Pete Waterman. “There was a magic about it. We had been fighting to make a living and make a name for ourselves and Pete Burns walked in with a piece of gold and asked us to shine it for him. Of course we were going to do it!”

The song was released in

November 1984 and steadily climbed the charts before hitting No.1 in March 1985, kick-starting a cacophony of smash hits for Stock Aitken Waterman, with each usurping the success of its predecessor, and firmly establishing them as a pop powerhouse. The chart-dominating trio would go on to write and produce over 100 Top 40 singles and sell over 60 million records.

“Just as had happened with Dead Or Alive, we were approached by Bananarama because they wanted elements from them.” says Mike. “That set the way forward for us. But I was keen not to be too repetitive and Princess, a soul singer, was our next hit. But dance orientation was always going to figure in our records.”

Having enjoyed a run of hits in the early 1980s, Bananarama were struggling to maintain their momentum and turned to Stock Aitken Waterman to revitalise their sound. “They were unsure of who they were when they came to us,” Mike recalls. “I had a strong directional sense for them. We got the first album past them without too much debate following the first couple of hits because we were able to point to our records as highly successful, so they couldn’t put up much argument.”

The huge success of Venus determined the direction Bananarama were to head in next. Deciding to work exclusively with Stock Aitken Waterman on their subsequent album, Wow!, the sessions were fraught, with the girls frustrated at the lack of control they were being afforded. They were also said to feel that Stock Aitken Waterman were spreading themselves too thinly, thanks to a burgeoning roster of new artists including Mel & Kim, Rick Astley, Sinitta and Samantha Fox.

By 1987, Stock Aitken Waterman had become an unstoppable force in pop music with their newly acquired Hit “Those performances were

hugely important to our success,” says Pete. “That was how people found out about the songs – they heard them on the radio or saw them on Top Of The

Pops or the Saturday morning

TV shows, then went out and bought the record. The music industry today is vastly different to what it was then. There was no social media – those shows were like the Twitter of their day.”

The Stock Aitken Waterman story began in 1984 when Mike Stock and Matt Aitken, a pair of songwriters/musicians who had been touring the working men’s club scene for years, approached Pete Waterman, a DJ/producer who had recently enjoyed success with acts including Musical Youth and Nik Kershaw, to form a writing/production company which would provide songs to a roster of artists. Their business model was loosely based on the legendary Tamla Motown record label of the 1960s. Waterman loved the idea and started to seek out talent to write and produce for.

Inspired by the music that Pete was playing in the underground gay clubs, the trio decided that Hi-NRG would form the basis for their sound. After the flop of the first Stock Aitken Waterman

memorablia from the Stock aitken waterman

archiveS

William

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