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'Homophobia Haunts Indie Rock' & JD Samson loves her job, but it made her poor +++ MEN pics

photos by Amanda Hatfield

JD Samson @ Brooklyn Museum
Men

The first part of this post’s headline is the title of a SPIN article. Here’s a snippet:

“Musicians are particularly vulnerable to anti-gay sentiment because, says Ejeris Dixon of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, they “become representations of their communities. When people are attacking public figures, it’s a way of sending a broader message of homophobia, transphobia, racism, and all these forms of discrimination that can be a way of really fostering a homophobic and transphobic culture. They’re attractive as targets as a message to our community.”

As a result, bashing is not uncommon in the non-mainstream music world (we’ll call it “indie” here, with the knowledge that Merritt, who has released records on the Warner Bros.-affiliated Nonesuch, wouldn’t approve of such a tag). This sphere has more out figures than virtually any other major art form, except possibly theater: [Stephin] Merritt, Beth Ditto, Antony Hegarty, Mark Eitzel, Tegan & Sara, Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke, Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste, Le Tigre’s JD Samson, Sigur Ros’ Jonsi Birgisson, Wild Flag’s Carrie Brownstein, Patrick Wolf, Ani DiFranco, Owen Pallett, the Hidden Cameras’ Joel Gibb, and Bob Mould (who is comfortable enough to detail his 45th birthday present to himself — a male escort — in his recently published memoir See a Little Light).”

The second part of this post’s headline refers to a related article on Huffington Post written by JD Samson who says, among other things:

This summer I tried to rent an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The process sent me into an emotional crisis and awakened me into a whole new realization of our economy, the music industry at large and, more specifically, what it means to be a queer artist in 2011.

I spent days trolling around Williamsburg, looking at shitty apartments with cockroaches lining the doorways, fighting neighbors, rats in the ceiling, bedbugs infesting the linoleum floors, fifth-floor walk-ups and cat-pee-soaked carpets. The rent was exorbitant, availability was scarce, and I was turned down by two different landlords for being “freelance.” To be honest, I don’t blame them. Not only am I freelance, but I’m lesbian freelance. Double whammy. What was the reason they turned me down? Because it was easier to rent to a rich, trust-fund, straight-guy banker who wants to live in the coolest borough in the world? Because when he met me he saw a tattooed gender outlaw who makes “queer electronic punk music” and isn’t sure when the next check is going to come in? Yeah, I don’t blame him. He doesn’t give a shit about how kids email me all the time thanking me for keeping them from committing suicide. It’s not part of his capitalist business practice. “

Last but not least, this post also contains a set of unpublished MEN pictures from that Brooklyn Museum show. That’s the JD Samson band MEN, not to be confused with The Men. The pictures continue below…

Savoir Adore

Savoir Adore

Savoir Adore

Savoir Adore

Savoir Adore

Savoir Adore

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