#I’m saying aside from this shit he’s also been referring to the 22nd as a day to watch out for

[sodalite-fulll]

Sometimes I think I’m immune to the parasocial relationship thing but today I learned my favorite asmr content creator is a raging bigot and I almost threw up

[whatiwillsay]

off topic - let’s talk about gaylena 👀

selena gomez is one of taylor’s oldest and bestest friends and given that she is in the 22 liner notes, a huge part of taylor’s life, and maybe fruity herself it seems like possibly we don’t talk about her here at the blog enough!

i don’t want to do a timeline of selena and taylor’s friendship - you can read more about that here, but they met back in the day when they were both dating jonas brothers and to me this idea of finding a real friendship in the midst of these contrived promances is pretty adorable.

ofc most of y’all think taylor is a fruit basket but i think there’s a good chance that selena is too!  i’m not saying she is for sure but y’all know me.  i’’m here to make a compelling case that everyone and their dog is gay so let’s gooooo! 

Part I - At least one fake rs!  

Selena “dated” Taylor Lautner in 2009 and he’s definitely gay.  Of course, that doesn’t mean she is, it could just be PR, but y’all know I gotta note everything!  We stan our fruity bffs dating the same gays 😍

Part II - Selena x cara delevingne

i feel like there’s a chance they met through taylor but everyone in that squad adjacent circle knows one another.  cara dated michelle rodriguez for the first half of 2014 and then got with annie clark in March 2015 but it feels like it’s possible something has gone on between her and Selena from summer 2014 - early 2015? ...maybe something casual on and off a bit?

August 2014 - Steamy pics surface in Saint-Tropez, France

Selena and and a freshly single Cara vacation together in part to celebrate Selena’s 22nd birthday.

They party together and look cozy!

Pictures such as this surface and spark rumors around the two:

Selena apparently loves the rumors and gushes about being shipped with Cara.

Quote:

You say Selena drag queens were the true measure of success for you. But isn’t it true that you’re not truly famous until you’ve been the subject of a gay rumor? And last year, the tabloids had a field day with photos of you and Cara Delevingne. I’ve made it!

How did you react to those rumors? Honestly, I loved it. I didn’t mind it. Especially because they weren’t talking about other people in my life for once, which was wonderful. Honestly, though, she’s incredible and very open and she just makes me open. She’s so fun and she’s just extremely adventurous, and sometimes I just want that in my life, so I didn’t mind it. I loved it.

Notice she doesn’t deny them?  Now of course she could just be being cool, if she freaked out about it that might be even weirder but hey, it’s still kind of interesting.

Then she admits to questioning her sexuality???

Have you ever questioned your sexuality? Oh, I think everybody does, no matter who they are. I do, yeah, of course. Absolutely. I think it’s healthy to gain a perspective on who you are deep down, question yourself and challenge yourself; it’s important to do that.

(Selena btw, this is cool and all, but not everybody questions their sexuality, maybe you’re just gay 👀)

November 1 - LACMA Art + Film Gala 

they even left the event together 👀

and they hung out earlier that day as well:

They were seen the next day partying for Kendall Jenner’s bday singing to her:

a few weeks later Cara tweets Selena’s lyrics!

In December 2014 they are travelling together in texas:

in january 2015 they get cozy at the golden globes together!

and they leave together again:

January 19th/20th a bunch of gay nonsense happens

They post this gay shit with matching shoes and linked fingers:

then they say this to one another:

Enty says they were hooking up!

then we don’t get any more content that i can find for about six months! perhaps they had a fling from summer 2014-jan 2015 and then it ends, Cara gets with Annie in March?  Then after half a year apart Selena and Cara resume a friendly relationship?  Perhaps!  Selena is seen with Justin a bit off and on during this time but this was in their Style/Heat Death Era imo (tbh i probably shouldn’t give a hetty pairing including Justin that designation 🤢but y’all get what I’m saying - it’s fully possible Selena was hooking up with both of them!

Now I’m not super familiar with Selena’s discography so y’all lmk if I’m missing anything major - lyric wise that point to her not being straight.

Selena’s album Revival that comes out after this relationship has a few songs with some vibes, even though I get the feeling a lot of it is probably about Justin, allow me to reach.  The title track could be translated as someone coming to terms with their sexuality (among other things):

I feel like I've awakened lately The chains around me are finally breaking I've been under self-restoration I've become my own salvation Showing up, no more hiding, hiding The light inside me is bursting, shining It's my, my, my time to butterfly

Good for you, imo, is too sexy to be about a man even if it’s not super queer lyrically it’s a vibe ok?

Me & My Girls might be a bestie anthem a la 22 (oh wait, no 22 was gay too) but I mean...could be about a girl gang of lesbians too!

And if we want it, we take it If we need money, we make it Nobody knows if we fake it You like to watch while we shake it I know we're making you thirsty You want us all in the worst way But you don't understand I don't need a man 

Quinn Fabray indeed!

Nobody feels probably like a retrospective on Justin 🙄but...there is a hint of sapphic craving in there!  Saying this particular lover loves them differently than everyone is a bit 👀 plus this stanza:

No oxygen, can barely breathe My darkest sin, you've raised release And it's all because of you, all because of you And I don't know what it is, but you've pulled me in No one compares, could ever begin To love me like you do And I wouldn't want them to

Is Perfect about some bitch Justin started dating?  Probably but bear with me here this song is actually pretty fucking gay.  Gay enough that I’m gonna add it to one of my gay playlists.  Could this song actually be about Cara moving on to Annie?

Ooh, and I bet she has it all Bet she's beautiful like you, like you And I bet she's got that touch Makes you fall in love, like you, like you

I can taste her lipstick and see her laying across your chest I can feel the distance every time you remember her fingertips Maybe I should be more like her Maybe I should be more like her I can taste her lipstick, it's like I'm kissing her, too And she's perfect And she's perfect

Part III - Selena x Julia Michaels

Julia Michaels is a singer/songwriter known for her song Issues.  I don’t know her sexuality but she at the least has gay vibes!  It seems they met around this time perhaps because Julia wrote on Revival.

They have a friendly enough friendship for a few years, liking one another’s posts on IG from time to time, posing for a photo a time or two and then they seem to get swept up into this very intense friendship in 2019.  They write some music together and Julia goes whole hog in promoting the shoe brand Selena is hawking this time 😭

2019 - The Superior Sapphic Jelena Timeline:

It starts, for some reason with a lot of shoe promotion:

chill, chill

more shoes

but more gayness?

this homo shit

ok...

Then we go into the REALLY GAY NOVEMBER OF 2019:

Then they perform together:

And...actually kiss...on the mouth on stage???

Sure it’s just a peck but still...if that were a guy people would say they were dating.  

Somehow kissing on the mouth isn’t the gayest thing these girls do over this period because these fucking dykes got matching tattoos.  I’ve read enough Larry blogs to know this actually means they’re secretly married.  All jokes aside this is fruity behavior. 

From their IG stories:

Selena gets Julia a very nice christmas gift:

Covid sets in and content drops off but god damn!  It’s possible they just had an intense friendship but if a man and a woman collabed on music together, kissed in public, and got matching tattoos everyone would say they were dating!

Selena, as far as I can find, didn’t have any public boyfriends around this time so who are some of these love songs about?

Rare comes out in January 2020 and perhaps has some gayish songs?

Don’t tell me why but boyfriend lowkey, has a gay vibe.  Don’t ask me to explain it but it’s just the musicality of it.

Crowded Room could be a love song for Julia?  (or by Julia for Selena, since they’re collaborators?)

Baby, it's just me and you Baby, it's just me and you Just us two Even in a crowded room Baby, it's just me and you, yeah

These are general gay vibes, our secret moments in a crowded room tease

It started polite, out on thin ice 'Til you came over to break it I threw you a line and you were mine

It would have started out polite between them, since they worked together for years before whatever 2019 was happened.  And throwing someone a line first of all makes Selena sound like the aggressor but also “throwing someone a line” could be a reference to writing songs together.

Yeah, I was afraid, but you made it safe I guess that is our combination Said you feel lost, well, so do I So won't you call me in the morning? I think that you should call me in the morning If you feel the same, 'cause

Lots of people are afraid at the beginning of a gay rs.  Treacherous tease 👀

In summation!

Selena does gay stuff like fantasizing ab kissing other women in her music, getting very touchy with famous dykes on vacay, hangs out with Taylor Swift, has chronic mental health issues, dated a jonas brother and a twilight gay, has admitted to questioning her sexuality, and loves being shipped with women.  Is she gay?  I don’t know!   But all she’s missing from her celesbian bingo card is a suspiciously intense friendship with a Glee Cast member! What do you guys think?  Selena fruity or just weird?

Edit to add: so apparently I missed an entire ship and Selena supposedly acted really gay all the time with her backup dancer Charity Baroni.  Exposing SMG has posted a lot about all that.

Also Selena has been cast in a gay role! edit to add: @bisluthq went and found this for me - julia is indeed a fruit queen

[iamafxsh]

week 5 - w/c feb 22nd

february 27th 2021

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I've just finished Red Dwarf's second novel, Better Than Life, and it was great - and the audio book is brilliantly, fantastically read by Chris Barrie which makes it ten times better - and so this is more to write down the big points of what I've taken away from the book about the characters.

*so spoilers ahead*

1. So when trapped in Trixie's body - a prostitute - he's treated poorly by the men around him, and especially he's sexualised greatly and he's expected to do all housework and cleaning and the like. So the usual heavy sexism and misogyny. The thing is, Rimmer acknowledges this. He realises he's being treated as such because he's in a woman's body. And he realises that he's always been the same - sexist and misogynistic - and it genuinely sickens him. He hates that behaviour in himself.

There isn't much later in the book that addresses this or gives him the chance show he's changed, and I also haven't read/listened to the others so I don't know if this carries on at all, but it was interesting for sure. Honestly, Rimmer goes through a handful of crises in this book, but this really stood out to me.

2. Rimmer is probably on the asexual spectrum. The plot from Marooned is in the book, with some changes, but the whole "when did you lose your virginity?" bit is still there. Rimmer's internal dialogue admits he didn't lose it until he was 31, and so he lies to Lister - that lie is what we hear him say in the show.

Now that in and of itself doesn't mean anything, but he also admits to having always had a low sex drive. The reason he lies to Lister is because he doesn't want to be judged for losing it so late (as an aside, not having sex by age 31, ace or otherwise, is not a bad thing) and so he lies. He lies because he doesn't want shit from Lister or to be judged.

Maybe sex just isn't really a big thing for him. His interpretation of love is something I've talked about before and so it's likely he links romance and sex, and that you can't have one without the other (which isn't true) and so he, who strives for love - romantic or otherwise - also strives for sex.

He's probably not repulsed by sex, but it's not he would actively seek out if it wasn't for social pressure and his upbringing.

3. There are references to transness and intersex identities. Now, I am not saying this representation because it’s not; it’s clearly written in a way that’s intended to be funny and poke fun at, but that doesn’t mean it’s something I have to take it that way.

So at Rimmer’s wedding to Helen, there is a bit mentioning the odd grouping for the photos, including “those with an extra y chromosome,” implying a combination of genetics that is not the standard XY or XX. Clearly it’s a job, but as it’s a stupid ass joke, I’ve elected to ignore it. From now on, I’m taking this as Rimmer knew a lot of intersex people, and I’m also taking it as Rimmer is intersex and had an extra y chromosome - you can’t tell me I’m wrong.

Also, Rimmer - in Trixie LaBouche’s body - is said to stand peeing up. I’m taking this as Trixie is a trans woman and Rimmer just being an ass/inconsiderate/ignorant of of the fact that maybe he shouldn’t be peeing standing up. (Just saying as a afab person, peeing into a urinal standing up is extremely hard so yeah idk.)

[joneswilliam72]

Meet Sub Pop's new signing Orville Peck, the masked cowboy making Outlaw Country with a cinematic scope

When Sub Pop announced the signing of outlaw country crooner Orville Peck along with the unveiling of his arcane first single ‘Big Sky’ in early December, I was immediately hooked. It is easy to gravitate to the obvious—a cowboy image and identity veiled by an obscure, fringed eye mask. But there is far more behind Peck’s mystifying essence. In fact, before signing with an immensely influential label like Sub Pop, Peck had never released an album nor an EP, and of course—there’s the seductive allure of the music itself—both of which are substantial enough reasons to keep an eye on this rising talent.

When listening to the mysterious nomad’s recently announced debut album Pony (out March 22nd), it is clear the dusty roots of country music flows heavily through Peck’s bloodstream. Adopting and expanding upon an outlaw demeanor best illustrated by the likes of Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn and Waylon Jennings decades ago and more recently, Sturgill Simpson, Peck renders the timeless genre with otherness.





Though the masked singer-songwriter pays homage to the greats, Peck distinguishes himself by imbuing the deeply-rooted sound with emotional dissonance, shadowy flares of shoegaze-y guitars, cinematic crescendos and vocals that combine the love-sickness of Roy Orbison with the menacing gravel of Johnny Cash. Although desolate badlands are a mere mirage of yesteryear and continue to give way to concrete jungles, the wild west throbs within the shrouded nomad’s heart, and his art—music, outfit, live performances and all—is an earnest reflection of this sentiment.





In an attempt to get beneath the mask and inside his fascinating headspace, I spoke to the 10-gallon hat-wearing cowboy to discuss his debut album, where he places his identity and what it means to be a cowboy in the 21st century.





-----------

In other interviews you revealed yourself to be like the sort of like mysterious nomad. You stated that you hail from many places, including five different countries and that you really don't like to settle anywhere for too long. So what is it about settling in one place that unnerves you?




I moved around a lot when I was young and I've been traveling a lot since, and then throughout my young adult years, I played in bands and was always constantly on tour. So I think overall, I live with a pretty healthy amount of anxiety and sitting in one place makes me feel nervous. I think it's a compulsion at this point—sometimes I battle with myself—wondering if I am just trying avoid settling down. But for the most part, I think of this as a positive thing because I've been to so many places, lived in so many places and met so many different people. It has really enriched my life as an artist and as a person.




Has moving around your entire life made you readily adaptable to any setting you immerse yourself into?




I think the older I've become, something I've noticed about myself that's a pretty strong quality is being able to kind of navigate different kinds of people, and that just comes from the numerous places I've been and lived. Exposure is an interesting tool that helps you open up, learn a lot about other people and in turn, allows you to learn a lot about yourself.




Aside from the music that you have consumed in your lifetime, are there any pieces of literature, movies, fashion designers or anything of that nature that have influenced the way that you express yourself through your own art?




A lot of what has built Orville is definitely drawn from more than just the music in my life. I grew up in a household where we learned about various art forms—cinema and all different types of music. I'm a huge fan of film. I really like David Lynch, [Alejandro] Jodorowsky and Gus Van Sant. At the same time, I also love old movie musicals from the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s. I don't read as much now as I would like to, but I come from a family that read a lot, so I've read many, many books when I was young. I'm a fan of fashion as in style, I just don't really care about the fashion world per se. I was in it for a moment when I was younger, but I think especially in this day and age, a lot of it's complete bullshit.




I'm glad you mentioned David Lynch as an influence because not only does the album portend a noir-like atmosphere, but the two music videos you've released thus far for ‘Big Sky’ and ‘Dead of Night’ are pretty surreal. I can't really place my finger on what either video means, but the Lynchian influence is evident.




The kind of aesthetic I like for cinema, and I suppose art overall, tends to lean more surreal. But as much as I love something like Lynch or anything considered "Art House Cinema," I also really enjoy garbage Hollywood shit [Laughs]. While there are obvious reference points that people can pick up on in my music videos that are Lynchian and so forth, there are a lot of pedestrian references scattered throughout my record too. They just aren't as current and people might not catch them. I'm also a huge fan of John Waters. What I love about him is that he's a perfect example of someone who's inspired by the funny, the mundane and the things in life that aren't necessarily weird, but become weird and obscure in the end.




If there was a film that reflected your music or vice versa, a western would not do your music justice, however, some weird John Waters or Lynch film certainly would. What is so appealing to you about country music and what albums or artists initially drew you to the genre?




I've been listening to all kinds of music since I was very little. I know people like to say that, but I come from a very eclectic music background. Country music has always really stuck to my heart. I do like contemporary country from the '90s, but not so much these days. The kind of country I've always been really drawn to is "outlaw country," like Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and then of course the female equivalent— Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn.




Country music has this very theatrical element it and I love how it can be very robust with storytelling. It is essentially just folk music if we consider "folk" in its truest sense, which is all about telling a story. Even though some of the tracks on the album stray a bit from the country sound and have other influences, I wanted each track to capture real situations from my past and from my current life by emphasizing the traditional country music way of telling a story. I think that's why country music really resonates with people, because even if the story is slightly different, I think it'll eventually connect with a lot of people.

I like how you used the word theatrical to describe some country music. I feel like your song ‘Hope To Die’ really captures that as it gradually crescendos into this very cinematic explosion.




When I'm in the studio, I feel like I'm a very visual person. So when I'm trying to get a mood across, I want that song to be exactly like you said— "cinematic." [The track] ‘Hope To Die’ is a perfect example of this, where I envisioned this scene where everything is in slow motion. I find it more helpful to look at music through this visual lens first and foremost, because I can assess the mood and what emotions a song is going to evoke in other people. I'm glad you picked up on that because I definitely try approach music with that mindset.




Let's dive into the album's content a bit more, what is the significance behind the record's title, Pony?




Well for me, Pony has a lot of different connotations regarding country music. To me, it has a gay connotation. It has a sad, lonely connotation. It has a has a connection to something that like a 16-year-old girl wants for her birthday, but it also has a connection to something a cowboy has a take out back and put down [Laughs]. It has a lot of different layers and just made sense for the album.




Can you take us behind the decision of releasing a ‘Big Sky’ as the "Introduction" of Orville Peck to the world?




I got asked a question awhile back; if there was biography being made about me, what would I want it to be called? I said ‘Big Sky’ because I think that song and maybe ‘Dead of Night’ probably sum up who Orville is and the big themes within Pony. I think ‘Big Sky’ speaks a lot about regret and the inability to sit still, not really understanding why we react to things the way we do. It even speaks to the absence of feeling something we think we should be feeling.

Yeah, it seems as if ‘Big Sky’ serves as some sort of a launching pad into who you are without completely revealing who you are.

’Big Sky’ is a very, very personal song to me because it discusses tumultuous, failed relationships of mine, and then me moving on from those relationships. It doesn't seem like a typical first single because it's obviously very much a ballad and is very stripped down. But I think that track is kind of a good 101 to what Orville Peck is about.




Now, I’d like talk a little more about Outlaw Country. You don't really hear it anymore and It's no secret that its rebellious nature of has been kind of compromised for pop leaning radio hits, especially within the last decade. That being said, what would you say is missing in today's popular realm of country music?




Definitely. However, as much of a fan of Merle Haggard, I can also get behind listening to [Carrie Underwood's] ‘Before He Cheats’ [Laughs]. I do enjoy a lot of pop country, like I'm a big fan of Kacey Musgraves who's obviously very popular right now, winning CMA's and stuff. But it is very interesting with someone like her, because she is bringing this new rebellion to mainstream, huge label country radio. This whole idea of her singing about smoking weed or like getting her nose pierced is pretty rebellious for mainstream country [Laughs].

Artists like Musgraves are starting to kind of open up something new, even though she seems to be this all-American white girl. But I think for me, what I find missing in country music today, is that it just doesn't feel very country anymore. It just feels like people singing pop music with a Texan accent [Laughs]. Don't get me wrong, I do love pop music and I have a lot of respect for pop music. I just think a lot of today's popular country music doesn't feel very—country.

People frequently ask me the whole "why do I make this kind of country music?" question, and I just don't know why someone wouldn't want to. I love the sound of banjos, slide guitar and I think those sounds complete the fantasy of what country music is, without them the story is incomplete. Because those elements are often missing, I'm left to make up for it.




You mention elements like banjo and slide guitar, which were elements made synonymous with outlaw country. Would you say that your music is reviving or reliving that country outlaw attitude from long ago?




Probably both. I'm not the only person doing it. People like telling me that it's something very new and has never been done before. But I’ve simply taken elements of different genres and specific musicians that have inspired me and put them into one big cattle [Laughs].

Again, there's something about old country music that's really ultra-personal. Whether that be of my past, things I've done and things I've experienced, I would hope my music is just as exposing. I think that vulnerability and rawness is also missing from a lot of country music these days. If you look at older singers like Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline, those women were singing about pretty crazy shit, especially for the time—referencing things like mental illness and alcoholism. I think the content used to be a lot more significant, which is why I really tried to make this album personal—so that it resonates with other people. I think the more personal a story is, the more it will resonate.




You mention how very personal and revealing country music should be, yet there's seems to be a darker flare to Pony that even surpasses the essence like outlaw country. That being said, would you, to an extent say there's a bit of goth-country to this collection of songs?




That’s a fair assessment. I'm a big fan of like ‘80s, goth-y synth bands. I grew up playing in a lot of punk bands, which brings in a tongue-in-cheek element to the album, but underneath it all, my music comes from somewhere pretty damaged. I really love artists like Nick Cave and Patti Smith, who both probably influenced Pony and pushed it over the edge of just g-rated country.




I would like to dive into the story and significance—if any—behind your leather-and-fringe eye-mask without revealing too much of your true identity.




There's not a huge amount of significance and symbolism. Hmm, maybe that's not quite true, because it's not that I don't want people to know, I just think the fringed references are obvious enough for people to kind of piece it together themselves and understand, which may be more rewarding than just reading it. So I think I'll probably pass on revealing too much [Laughs], because I just don't want to take that away from someone who wants to know.




I think I may have any idea behind the imagery of the mask, but I think I enjoy not really knowing for sure, myself.




I will say, the look of it is based off two or three obvious references that I think people could figure it out.




I know you don't want to necessarily discuss into the significance of the look of the mask itself, but I did notice that each of the two videos that have been released for ‘Big Sky’ and ‘Dead of Night’, you're wearing two variations of the same mask—one of black and one white. Was it intentional to include both variations?




I just like to include different ones. There are about 14 different masks now. In fact, I just made one with all chains. When I perform live I usually try to rotate them in and out to keep it interesting. There are a few I haven't worn yet because I can't really play the guitar with while wearing them [Laughs]. There's even one that's hangs almost down to my feet.




Will you ever reveal your true identity or is it essential to like the mystique of your sound?




It's funny, because the mask seems to be this weird, mysterious phenomenon and people think I'm like dead set on holding something back. I see the mask as part of me... people always ask me what I'm trying to hide, but I'm not necessarily trying to construct any type of mystery or allure—it just goes with the story of who Orville Peck is.




It's interesting, because after my live shows, people bring up the mask and I'm like "Oh yeah, the mask!" I really do forget that I'm wearing [the mask] sometimes. I guess it's not a real point of interest to me. I think when people first see me performing with it, they tend to think it's maybe some shtick or costume piece. Of course, in some ways it is, but as the show goes on, people eventually forget about the mask and that I'm wearing these quote, unquote "crazy outfits."




I'm a firm believer that masks don't actually hide anything at all. Masks actually expose a lot—and in this case—allows people to connect way more with me than If I wasn't wearing the mask. Wearing it lets me stay honest and not hold anything back, if that makes sense. If anything my masks are actually way more exposing than anything.




I guess I never really considered the concept of masks in that way. So, when you're covering yourself like that, you can be who you are, who you want to be without any fear of judgment almost.




Exactly!




When you aren't wearing the mask, does anyone ever recognize you as Orville Peck?




Nope.




Are there any plans of maybe selling variations of your mask as merchandise so people can wear them to your shows?




Hmm, nope [Laughs].




Has there ever been any worry that maybe your image will overshadow or distract listeners from the music itself?




I don't necessarily think that everything has to be theatrical or always has to be over the top and that people have to be wearing these crazy costumes. But there have been many times where I'll go out to see a band and I'm let down because I just don't see a fully realized effort or show a lot of times. Sometimes I'll go see a show and I'll be like, "oh, you know, the music is right and I see your references," but then I just want people to go a step further from whatever it is they are doing.




I guess if your aesthetic is like wearing jeans and a tee shirt and you play in like Oasis or whatever, then that's great, that's fine. I don't think everyone has to be wearing an Orville Peck mask, but if you look at a band like Oasis—who I'm actually a big fan of—they created an entire cult-like following solely based on their shitty personalities [Laughs]. However, it does go without saying that I'm glad my music holds up on its own, regardless of the outfit.




I think if someone listened to an Orville Peck song before they even saw the mask, the cowboy hat or any of that stuff—I feel that my music could stand alone. To me, the outfit and the show is an added bonus. If I'm [performing] a song and then look out to the crowd, there should be some vibe where you can really sink your teeth into.




Even with a lot of great bands, their performances can be underwhelming. The music could sound great, but then it just stops there—the experience often leaves out that "show" element.




I'm seriously considering adding a scent to my performance [Laughs]. I think shows need to be a full experience, however that may look. I'm someone who appreciates going out to a show and being left to pick my jaw up off the floor because of something that was fully performed. I'm not interested in... doing something halfway—it's 100 percent or nothing. No matter the genre of music or whatever it is you do, it's clear when something hasn't been given 100 percent.




When you come do a show in L.A., I'm expecting some incense burned during your performance.




[Laughs] We're going to get some horses in there too.




Considering that country's music identity has been traditionally and culturally monolithic with its stereotypical pieces of Americana, like the pickup truck, the high school sweetheart, the bottle and the gun, etc; what does it mean to create country music as an LGBTQ artist?




I still think my music has everything to do with the things you mentioned and maybe even more. My aesthetic in general involves the pickup truck, the high school sweetheart and those type of things, but the exciting part is taking all those elements and not necessarily reinventing them or trying to turn them on their head. Actually respecting and admiring those things allows us then to just do it our way.

Sometimes people expect that when they're going to talk to me about country music that I'm not going to be into like mainstream country or I'm not going to be into this or that. I have such a huge love for country music and so I don't see myself as someone from the outside coming in and stirring it up. I feel in my heart, I am already a part of that and I'm just doing it my way. I love everything stereotypical about Americana, country, all that stuff. So to me—however I identify—country music is just a part of who I am—they aren't separate to me.




What does it mean to be a cowboy in the 21st century?




[Sigh] Well, It's a lot of anxiety [laughs]. I think I've been one all my life, so being a cowboy doesn't necessarily mean having a hat or horse. I'd say a lot of us are cowboys, especially in this moment. Being a cowboy in the 21st century has a lot to do with remembering yourself and also forgiving yourself.

As someone who has always felt a bit like an outsider to everything, I feel like cowboys are kind of like the reluctant hero to a story, which is something I definitely relate to because I have a very dichotomous personality. On one end, I love freedom, the adventure that comes with being able to travel a lot and not needing to conform to sitting at a desk. At the exact same time, I struggle with finding normalcy and never really feeling security—it's a constant battle in my head and is actually what the song ‘Turn To Hate’ is about.

With being a cowboy or having the spirit of a cowboy, it's becoming harder and harder in this day and age to find things to believe in and anchor ourselves to. At least for me, I find myself easily getting jaded, which is why I sing in the song "Don't let my sorrow turn to hate." As I navigate other people and navigate my own emotions, I have to make sure that resentment doesn't build within me. So in that sense, I know a lot of cowboys. I think in all of us, there is a spirit of solitude and just packing up and running off into the sunset, which seems like an easier option than having to deal with the shit that's going on around us right now.




Who would you say is the model cowboy?




Hmm, I have a couple in mind. It sounds so cliché, but I feel like James Dean was very much a cowboy-spirit figure. Aside from the characters he played in film, I think in real life he exemplified the dilemma of having this drifter spirit and trying to kind of make that fit in the world around him, especially in the industry that Hollywood was and is.

With a lot of people I really respect in popular culture, a lot of them are not typical cowboys with a hat and horse. Someone like Nina Simone was pretty incredible. She was like a really crazy cowboy who even had a gun, so she fits the mold perfectly [Laughs]. But she was also somebody who by nature, was forced to live as an outsider. Given the day and age she lived, she was such an incredibly poignant woman who wasn't afraid to sing and speak her mind. I think she definitely lived her life as a cowboy.




Even with the little background information regarding who Orville Peck is, what do you hope listeners are able to take away from your music?




My focus with this album was telling stories about me. So, I just really hope people will listen and relate to some of them.

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Orville Peck’s debut album Pony comes out via Sub Pop on March 22nd.

from The 405 http://bit.ly/2UcEeK7