05/09/2007
An Interview with Chris Garneau, Indie Music's New Gay Star
Chris Garneau photographed by Josh Koll in New York City
Last week Towleroad correspondents Josh Helmin and Josh Koll sat down with
twenty-four-year-old singer and songwriter Chris Garneau to
talk about his debut album, Music for Tourists. The indie record, with
Garneau's softly sung vocals and heartrending lyrics, has garnered
praise from mainstream media including The Advocate and National Public Radio, with word also spreading like wildfire
throughout the blogosphere. Originally from Boston, and raised for a
few years in Paris during his childhood, Garneau has settled into the
Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, where he's at work on a
follow-up album and preparing for a nationwide tour that begins on May
12.
How did your debut album, "Music For Tourists," come about?
Duncan
Sheik produced it. I was in the first workshops of Spring Awakening
[for which Duncan wrote the music] when it was being written. I was 16 when they first started it. I did
numerous productions of it with the same
team that is still working on it now. They were like, "Just sing this
song, and that song, but don't
say a word." I was so awkward and I hated acting. Anyway, that's how I
met Duncan. I did these silly recordings in
high school at a studio and I gave them to Duncan, and he said,
"I'm going to produce your record some day." When I moved back to New
York five years ago, we started working on it at his studio. It was a
long process. He's a really busy guy, so there was a lot of
down time. We started when I was about 21, three
years ago.
Originally it was going to be really big and really produced, but the longer the process went on, the more eager I was to complete it, and we didn't really have any money going into it. We were recording everything on our own time, and he was engineering it at the studio in Tribeca. I had the studio to myself for a month, so I would just go in and set up, which I had no idea how to do. I was recording by myself. Four of the songs are just one take.
Do you read your reviews?
I do. I read all of them. I should probably stop. [laughter] It's really hard in the beginning to not do that. I don't know who would do that with their first album, to just be like, "I don't read them." I have to remember half the time that there are people writing to make a point, or to have people just read their reviews. There are writers who sometimes write really drastic reviews, really good or really bad, so it sticks out and people notice it. I understand that that's a factor. I also try and consider that there are writers who truly care about music and really know music, probably a lot more than I know, and there are things I can learn from some reviews. It's a first record, and I was young when I wrote the songs. I don't expect everyone to love it.
While you were recording the album were you thinking about if you were going to be an openly gay artist?
Absolutely Kosher [the record company] asked me "How do you want to deal with press and publicity for being gay? Do you want it to be not mentioned at all, do you want to be out if people ask, do you want to be really forthright?" At that point I wasn't exactly sure. My feeling then was that I didn't want to be the gay piano-playing "fagitor" from Williamsburg who has a new album, "Music for Tourists." If anybody asks, or if gay press wants to run this feature or that, I thought, "Let's do it." I don't feel terribly political. I'm making music and I happen to be gay, and that's what's happening. If you want to hear about it, fine, and if you don't, that's fine, too.
So everybody's going to want to know: Are you single?
Why does everybody ask me that? That's so weird. [laughing, looking embarrassed] My feeling would be like, if I saw someone cute in a magazine or wherever, I wouldn't even care if they were single or not. I'd just be like, "How can I interfere? Who are they in a relationship with, and how can I fuck it up?" [laughter, then a pause] I am dating someone right now. He's a photographer. He just gave me a Polaroid camera -- he mainly does Polaroids -- and he's teaching me how to use it. It has a real lens so you can focus. It's a for real camera, not just a twenty dollar one you can get at a pharmacy.
Did you always know you wanted to be a musician?
When I was really young, and started playing piano, I thought I would want to play music, but I didn't know in what form. When I was in high school I started thinking about what I wanted to do, and it was music. As soon as I started writing music, that's what I knew I wanted to do.
How's the second album coming?
It's pretty much all tracked. There are a lot of big vocals. There's a big choir on one song. There are a lot of big string arrangements, percussion, and horn arrangements. There are a lot of things taken from "Tourists" stylistically, but almost simplified in a way. It's just smarter. It's better. I'm older.
For more about Chris Garneau and his touring schedule, or to listen to tracks from his new album, check out his website and MySpace profile.
Music for Tourists [iTunes]
Posted 3:45 PM EST by Josh in Chris Garneau, Interview, Josh & Josh, Music, Music Recommendations, News | Permalink
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PS eric
You really are a mother fucker
How dare you come in here preaching about how wonderful it is to not be political when your country CANADA legalized gay marriage in 2005
dude, fuck bashers getting you....I would bash you with a baseball bat myself for being such a little twit. You are legaly entitled to marry the man you love and you come in here preaching to us americans who can't marry the men we love about this other american who can't legaly marry the man he loves shouldn't get all political. Shouldn't expect others to be political. etc. In canada your home you have the right to be in the hospital room of your dieing partner where as in america we can get our asses kicked out. You little shit.
I can't even express in words how much you need to have your ass kicked for the audacity of saying the things you did. having as you do the full 100% legal right (for the past 2 years) to marry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AGHHHHHHHHHHHHH, my head is F'ing exploding
LOL
:-)
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | May 9, 2007 9:50:13 PM
(The following is non-sarcastic, just for clarification) Yeah, sorry, but I totally love my snobbish Canadian ivory tower and I do realize that things get worse as you travel on down south. That being said, Canada rocks.
Posted by: Eric | May 9, 2007 9:51:32 PM
Am I the only one who feels like the paid advertisements on this site are seeping more and more into the content? I realize this is a J&J post, but it got me thinking: would Andy tell us if he received money to spotlight an artist in one of his posts?
Don't get me wrong: Towleroad is a good site. But sometimes, looking at the right side of the screen makes me question the motivations of the left.
Posted by: Sean | May 10, 2007 4:49:35 AM
Actually Andy has given a heads up in the past when promoting a sponsor, as he does for DNA magazine every now and then. I really doubt Andy is getting paid to promote Chris Garneau; his music is indie music through and through, and is not on a huge label where overly-aggressive promotion would even be an option...I mean, the kid couldn't even get the production he wanted.
On comments from the haters above, give the kid a fuckin chance. Don't be so eager to draw lines on the floor based on one remark in an interview. So a young indie artist says at 16 he didn't feel political about being gay...so what? The boy just stated that his music is currently apolitical, and his stance on being publicly gay unrelated to his music. Sure, you have the right to feel that every gay person in a spotlight should use it as a soapbox or charity-event, but who made you spokeman for the gay activist community? Plus, he might write just as many emails and concerned letters as you say you write, and you have no idea, so stop acting like you own gay activism. You yourselves are not the stonewall dragqueens, and for all you know Chris is a very political guy, just not musically.
All this to repeat again: Give the kid a fucking chance. This is his first album, he made it when he was 16, he's not even in the spotlight yet. Is he Jack Shears or Elton John? He's new indie artist trying to make his first break, and you're already tearing him down for not living up to your rather arbitrary and uncompromising standards. Let him at least GET into the spotlight first. I think at this early stage in his career, it's promising enough that he's openly gay. He might not be aware of it, and you guys certainly aren't admitting it, but there is activism even in that decision. He is an artist living in Williamsburg Brooklyn; chances are he will feel political in some way or other soon enough, if he already hasn't.
Meanwhile, I find comments like "I would bash you with a baseball bat myself" really disturbing, and I don't see how that furthers activism or the gay community in the least bit, whether someone is from Cananda or not.
Posted by: James | May 10, 2007 9:22:12 AM
james, Boo freaking hoo, get over it.
If you can not see the utter hypocricy of a Canadian who has the right to marry the man he loves telling us americans who CAN'T to not bother with expecting people, who also can't marry the man he loves being also american, to be political then you need help.
While we in america do have justification to fear if the police would even take our reports if filed when bashed, a Canadian who doesn't share that same fear thinking its no big deal.
If you can't understand how someone's head could explode, like mine did last night, over finding out the person preaching about how he doesn't need to be all political.....turns out because he has it 1,000 times better than you.....then you have a few screws loose.
I meant what I said last night in the heat of the moment. this morning, not so much. besides ERIC seemed to appologize for his stance. Militancy does work obviously. Again, i point out....the canadian in the discussion who has the legal right to marry ended up appologizing. Nice words did not bring that about. It was militancy that got through to him the vast difference between his life as compared to us gays still struggeling here in america.
But if the only thing you can focus on is one phrase, then I think you probably are very inclined towards civil rights for our community to begin with. You wouldn't happen to be canadian yourself would you with the full legal right already to marry? Or worse yet a log cabin repub who thinks playing the uncle tom routine is what is the best course of action.
On the kid being a young artist, without the activism of the past he wouldn't be able to get a contract as an openly gay artist. He is more than happy to hypocriticaly feast upon the efforts of the past militants and political activists, but not aknowledge their efforts nor give a little pay back by being political himself so thaqt maybe an even younger gay musician can benefit in the future. He is a hypocrite who wishes to feast upon the efforts of activists like a leach and provide nothing back.
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | May 10, 2007 9:43:29 AM
james
How about this analogy to help you get past your obv ious denseness.
Imagine a FREE black man living in canada telling enslaved black men back in america to not bother with the whole trying to get freedom, it isn't that bad being a slave.
If you can't see the point via that analogy then there is no hope for you.
How about this analogy in refernce to chris. A mother sacrifices her life so her son can live and grow up. Yet when older, said son says "Mother? Sacrifice? I don't bother with the idea of such. There are other mothers out there sacrificing for their sons? I don't care enough to know or aknowledge such. I don't have the time nor desire to even thank the blood, sweat, and tears shed on my behalf. Let them eat cake, give me a glass of champagne, and lets party." (not realizing that without the sacrifice of said son's mother in the past he would be on the end of some pitchfork dieing for trying to party with other shallow self absorbed and ungrateful sons)
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | May 10, 2007 9:50:33 AM
LOL
LOL
LOL
numbnut
How's that for activism? Go take your medication PacificOceanBoy. Then, when your head isn't boiling over with insanity and misplaced fury, you can realize that 1) yes, it is an injustice that gays do not have the same partnership rights as straights but also 2) that there are other issues that gay american AND gay canadian activists are fighting for, and Eric has every right to speak about activism as you and and 3) that this issue is not at all comparable to slavery. I realize you are trying to make use an analogy but like everything else you say it is exagerrated beyond any meaningfulness; I am sure things are quite chaotic in your unstable mind, but when you write them down they are judged by people that live in the real world.
Now, if you want to compare gay rights with the civil rights movement, rather than slavery, please tell me when Martin Luther King Jr ever said it was okay to threaten violence against anyone, let alone members of the black community? Also, not everyone that disagrees with you is a republican. Believe me, your incoherent cooptation of near any issue is enought to drive liberals up the wall too, especially because you claim to speak for our cause. I do not want anyone on my side that thinks the best way to stop hate crimes in the US is to threaten militant violence against members of the gay community, whether it is effective in forcing an apology or not. No one should lie down and take abuse but that doesn't mean psychos like you should dole it out either. You don't speak for us Jimmypsycho.
Your attack on Chris runs on the same logic: a divisive hardline that seeks to break apart the community and wrap yourself in the acivism of Stonewall even though your activism is directed against the community, not hateful heteros. Chris did nothing that you said you did, you are merely delusional and again getting caught up in the moment just to write something down. I am well aware there is no convincing you though, I don't think anyone can change the mind of volatile personalities, just thought someone should call you out on your shit.
LOL
LOL
LOL
numbnut.
Posted by: James | May 10, 2007 10:24:47 AM
EVERYONE is political, if they want to acknowledge it or not, because EVERYONE is affected BY politics.
The only question is, do you want to affect the politics that WILL affect you, and those you love, or do you want to sit on the sidelines and let others do it for you; "others" meaning those who will fight for your rights and those who will fight against your rights.
If you want to sit on the sidelines and let others do it for you, that's fine, that's your prerogative, but when you get treated like crap as a result of the politics that you didn't want to get “involved” with, STAY on the sidelines and DON'T DARE bitch, complain and cry. Accept the fact that you left it up to others to decide your fate and suffer in silence.
I feel the same way about people who don't vote, but then bitch, moan and cry about every little thing that their ELECTED officials do.
When an issue that you didn’t want to get involved with bites you, or someone you love, in the ass just shut the hell up already and have another cocktail.
Posted by: Zeke | May 10, 2007 12:17:56 PM
James you do know Martin's dream didn't get equal rights. It was the riots after his death + Malcolm's militancy + the black panthers that scared the crap out of white middle class america and equal rights were given grudgingly to keep the country from exploding in violence.
The militancy of the founding fathers brought us amewrica while compromising = torries who supported the crown.
History shows beyond all shadow of doubt that militancy works.
Oh, and I am sure you do think there are oither issues greater than equal rights. aren't you one of those who have posted here about only caring about getting your tax cut?
James blah blah blah. you owe a lot to militant activists like Act up who through there militancy got funding for aids research. Your "more impoortant issues than gay rights" attitude would have sided with reagan and falwell "its a judgement from gawdddd"
You are a fool. When you get bashed and the police refuse to file charges (go back and read some towleroad news articles) try andf see what your "there are more important issues than equal rights" will get you.
By the way, i have never once ever claimed to be sane and s\table. :-) Quite the contrary in fact. Sane and stable is boring. BUT i do make the claim of being right. Equal rights are important. Political apathy will be the death of us. You, chris the musician, etc need to be praising the militancy and activism of those before you. hypocricy of a canadian who has the right to marry should not be tolerated. etc. I am far from sane and stable, but usualy always right.
:-)
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | May 10, 2007 12:18:49 PM
sorry for the typos
zeke, again you say with fewer words and much much nicer words what should be said.
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | May 10, 2007 12:24:25 PM
sorry for the typos
zeke, again you say with fewer words and much much nicer words what should be said.
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | May 10, 2007 12:26:09 PM
PacificOceanBoy/Jimmyboyo= the joke of Towleroad.What a complete embarrassment.
Congrats on the new album, Chris.
Posted by: Greg | May 10, 2007 4:30:31 PM
I agree it's depressing whenever a young person says they are not political. But we are singling Chris out because he's not "gay political" when a majority of people his age do not vote. Straight, gay, black, white... the voting rate among 18-25 year olds is depressingly low. Take a poll of Senior Citizens in your neighborhood and you'll find an overwhelming majority of them DO vote. I, for one, wish it was the other way around.
So yes, apathy is a sad sad thing. But I also noticed how quickly many jumped on poor Chris and sat in immediate judgment of him because of this one unfortunate comment.
How many of us here have ever typed something in the heat of the moment and wished we hadn't? My guess is, most of us have. So why are we holding Chris to a higher standard than ourselves?
We want any gay man or woman in the spotlight to say and do EXACTLY the right thing at all times.
Would you? Really??? Hmmmmm.
Posted by: Mark M | May 10, 2007 4:50:03 PM
For the record, my comment was a general statement about political apathy.
I didn't mention Chris or any particular political issue.
I don't care if gay men and women in the spotlight say and do exactly the right thing at all times but I get so sick of hearing them go out of their way to tell everyone that they don't want to be anyone's poster child or that they don't get into politics. Just saying that, in my opinion, IS a political statement.
Posted by: Zeke | May 10, 2007 9:53:14 PM
Having said all that, the kid's purtier than a new set o' mud grip tires. ;)
Posted by: Zeke | May 10, 2007 9:56:20 PM
I'm sure no one will read this, but anyway, oh Pacificoceanboy, how I disagree with you about everything. In one your many, many posts you mentioned something about americans fighting the crown... yeah, we Canadians decided to resolve that whole self-governing thing by not killing people. It was pretty fun. I mean, not to mock american methods, cause you guys are just do darn good at killing people. And no, I don't think I will ever come down from this tower of canadian snobbery.
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