Ari Gold-Transporting Systems: The Gay Groove

Interview by Antonio Capurro

Ari Gold is passionate when he talks about his music as an authentic artist does. He is not a new singer on the block. Born and raised in an orthodox Jewish household in the Bronx, Ari Gold was discovered while singing at his brother’s bar mitzvah at the tender age of five and now he is a gay icon in the scene.

Ari was an outstanding child and starting his earliest job as a professional singer, performing the lead role on the CBS Children’s recording Pot Belly Bear: Songs and Stories. The album went platinum and led to his prolific career as a child vocalist singing on over 400 jingles.  He has also provided various voices for Cabbage Patch Kids, cult-favorite Jem and the Holograms, as well as singing with Diana Ross on her Swept Away album.

Ari has been in the music industry building his own way to make a successful career always with his truth and that journey gave him great satisfactions and lessons. He never imagined he could be one of the most successful gay out singers with 3 albums: Ari Gold, Space under sun and the ultimate TRANSPORT SYSTEMS that he considers his most cohesive album and where he talks about gay problems and relationships.

Award winning independent recording artist Ari Gold is breaking all the rules with his time-tested blend of sexy, sensual, political pop music. He tours the world, tops the charts, and speaks out on being the first openly gay pop singer to be out from day one. 2009 comes to ARI with his TRANSPORT SYSTEMS tour so we will have gay groove in the scene for a long time. Now it’s time to play the CD and get a load of this!

This is my second interview with an out gay singer.  The first one I gave was with an Israeli singer, Yehonathan Gatro.  I am glad to see more gay artists coming out and setting an example for other gays especially the younger generation.  How do you feel about it?

I have not heard of Yehonathan! I need to look him up because I like to find other out singers. I do know Ivri Lider who was a huge pop star who came out and continues to have a great career. Apparently they are more open in Israel then here in the States…same as in their army because they have always allowed openly gay people to serve. But it’s always been very important for me to be out and I have been out from the very beginning of my career, which began in the 90’s! My first album came out in 2000 and included male pronouns and love songs to other men. I can’t believe I’ve had this career for 10 years now.

Is it easy to build a career being out of the closet? Did you have to learn many lessons?

I would never say it’s easy and I continue to have to learn lessons. I think one of the biggest lessons I learned was that sometimes some of the worst homophobia comes from within the gay community. But at the same time it’s been extremely gratifying to do something that can pave the way and make people feel better about themselves and to be making art at a time when its so important for gay people to speak up and speak loudly. The Internet has allowed an artist like me to find an audience as apposed to needing a major label to promote me, which thus far have pretty much shied away from openly gay material.

Since the beginning of your career you’ve shown who you are.  Was it easy growing up gay inside a Jewish community?

I grew up in the orthodox Jewish community, which has traditionally not been very supportive of gay people and gay issues, so it was not easy and I spent a lot of my childhood and adolescence feeling ashamed and like I had to keep a big part of which I was a secret. But lately I’ve actually been getting requests to perform and do things for orthodox organizations that I never would have thought would be interested in having me, so maybe it’s changing. I think art can be very powerful and I definitely think a film like Trembling Before God had a huge impact on the Jewish community and their ability to at least be more tolerant of gay people because ultimately if you want to say homosexuality is a sin, there’s no reason to treat it any differently then eating non-kosher, but unfortunately many religious leaders speak with far more hate in their voices about gay people than about eating cheeseburgers.

You mentioned we need to speak up and speak loudly.  What was the reaction of your family and friends when you told them you were gay?

I did come out in a very loud way, so to speak, because I wrote my family an 18 page coming out letter that I read to them out loud. I held an unprecedented family meeting. There were additional reading materials I stapled to the back. Coming out is a process for both the person coming out and the people you are coming out to. Thankfully my family’s first reaction was very positive. Some of the more raw and negative feelings came out later but we have worked through it and worked through a lot of issues including my not being as observant as they are and they have come to a place where they know if they want to have an adult relationship with me they have to accept me for who I am just like I have to accept them for who they are. It takes time. But I feel just as bad for those parents that shun their kids because I think one of the greatest pleasures a parent can have is to be able to have a real close relationship with their adult children and they are robbing themselves of that when they don’t try to accept their gay children. I mean I feel just as bad for the parents as I do the kids, well maybe I feel a bit worse for the gay kids, but it all I’m saying is it creates a lot of pain for everyone involved when the acceptance of who your kids are can be a huge gift to a parent if they learn how. Thankfully I also always surrounded myself with friends that were open and artistic so most of my friends accepted me wholeheartedly when I came out. In fact I think it helped them understand themselves and their lives better and I think that happens a lot when people come out. They say the truth can set you free and I think that’s true for those telling the truth but also those hearing it but also FOR those hearing it (is what I mean to say)

I am 38 years old and when I was 16 years old I didn’t have any reference of gay artists and I am talking in the eighties. Well we had to Boy George and a closeted George Michael and Elton John, but they never wrote lyrics about what they really liked. Now young gay people can identify as I do, with these lyrics about how we feel. I don’t need to say I love a woman when I am a man loving a man.

Right, they weren’t writing about it and they weren’t talking about it, although they were maybe saying it in subtle more sub textual ways which is why maybe gay people were still able to relate to them more than some other artists out there. It was the time. Nobody was really out and the press didn’t ask that question like they do now. It certain ways the secret allowed people to take things more far. I don’t know if Boy George, who was basically in drag, would be able to do that now, to be in drag and to say I am gay because once you bring sexuality into it people get scared. That’s why I have always made it a point to be sexual in my music and my image because we are not going to get over this ridiculous fear of gay sex until it is out there. And that’s why I felt that it was so important for me to be out because like you, I also didn’t have anyone that I could look to and know that they are gay and it is OK when I was growing up and I think it’s already made such a difference. I get fan mail from people all the saying how it’s helped them and that means so much to me. Those artists that you mentioned and some others too paved the way for someone like myself which is why when record labels and producers told me I should go back into the closet and come out later I said I wouldn’t cause I felt like it was a disrespect the work that those people did. It’s about moving forward–that’s why I named my latest album “Transport Systems”, because I wanted to move forward with it all, with my own personal journey, my artistic journey but also this journey that we are taking as LGBT people who are still fighting for our rights and for our acceptance.

Did you have to fight with heterosexual producers to be who you are?

I fought with heterosexual producers and homosexual producers. Honestly, the worst was the gay producers and record execs. One heterosexual producer who I have worked with on every single one of my albums first told me that he thought it was a mistake for me to be out and to include gay content in my music and that it would never go anywhere and before I asked him to work on my second album he apologized and said he was so wrong and he was so proud of what I had already accomplished. I have yet to receive an apology from any of the gay music industry that told me the same things. I think it goes to show you that the much of the straight world is ready to accept us and wants to accept us cause we all know on some level that like Martin Luther King said, We are not free until we are all free so its now up to us in the gay community to accept ourselves and accept each other more if we want that from the rest of the world.

Why do you think gay people don’t accept themselves inside their own gay community?

I do see my art as a form of activism but I also try to help out LGBT and human rights organizations as much as I can. You can go to my website for a list of charity organizations that I support and have worked with in the past that are doing important work for the LGBT community. I think it’s a real shame when I see some of the kids who are coming up and have no sense of themselves as political beings. Feminism and civil rights taught us that the personal is political and every choice we make effects the greater whole and that helps us and helps future generations to be able to live their lives freely and have the rights to be free and live in a free country and we should never take that for granted. Thankfully I do also see young kids who do get involved like this new gay fraternity that was just started at NYU who are transforming what it means to be in a fraternity in college.

Once I told one of my young gay friends that he can go to party and to gay discos because many people before him fought and still are fighting to provide a support system, but sometimes I feel like all these buddies want is to dance and have sex.  That’s great but we also need to have a background to know what you need to know about your own world and that is not to be in the ghetto.

I totally agree. I don’t know what has allowed me to both be so passionate about gay issues but also maintain ties to lots of different worlds that go beyond the gay ghetto–maybe its because I am still close with my family who live in such a different world, or perhaps its having grown up in Yeshiva but also being in show-biz as a kid where I learned that there were so many different worlds that are all ultimately connected. I can’t pretend like I am a history buff but I am always trying to learn and listen and it is important to see the context of things and to have a bigger perspective than ones own life.

I read you started to sing at 5 years old and grew up in a music environment, how was it? Did you think about becoming a singer, standing up in front of an audience, and recording albums as a child?

Yeah, I started singing professionally when I was 6 and I pretty much wanted to be a pop star by age 12–at least. But I thank god it didn’t happen for me when I was 12 cause lord knows what kind of person I’d be or trouble I’d be in. I’m so glad I had a chance to figure out who I am before getting out there and I think I’m a better artist because of it too.

You know what happens to child pop stars with so much pressure around. Sometimes they lose their way.

Exactly! And I lost my way for a bit for sure because even though I wasn’t famous I had a lot of success at a very young age and that’s not always easy to deal with. Add fame to the mix and then it’s really crazy.

The first time I read about you it was in an OUT magazine print edition 2 years ago. I saw a review of your album and then later I went online and searched for ARI GOLD and I discovered a sexy video Wave of you and I downloaded your song. I found it very funky, sexy, with a great deal of rhythm and a very sensual voice. I was captivated. You said you show that you are very sexy and sexual in your music. Are you like that when you perform? Do you consider yourself to be a very sexual person?

Yeah, I’m pretty sexual and I like to have sex and I think having a healthy attitude about sex is important to not be ashamed of sex because so many of us spent so much time being ashamed. But it’s also important to be responsible and safe about it. Like I said before, It’s important for me to be out there about my sexuality because at the end of the day that is what we are asking for acceptance of whether that sexuality gets expressed in a long term relationship or a one night stand. So many times gay people are represented as being asexual creatures who are there to make straight people look better or to make us laugh and I think we need to be accepted as full fledged multi-faceted people. That means that we should not be reduced to our sexuality or hyper sexualized, but that we can embrace all of it and sexuality is an important part of most people’s lives, gay or straight. It’s hard to get people to look a bit deeper and I think maybe sometimes they might see a sexy photo and not also listen to my music or lyrics and see what else I am saying aside from the sex part. But sex does also go hand in hand with pop and R&B music and that is the genre I love most and work within.

When you write your lyrics and make music, what is your creation process like? How do you get inspired?

I usually write from my own life and what’s going on in it. Sometimes I’ll elaborate with things I see or hear around me but it usually starts from something I am feeling so it’s coming from an authentic place. But I’d say that every song I’ve ever written has come about in at least a slightly different way, whether its the lyrics that come first, the music, the chords, the track and idea, a melody…it all depends I have no formula, just a set of techniques and skills I guess I have developed over the years that I draw upon…But there’s always an element of magic that goes into the creative process which makes it every exciting and always somewhat mysterious. I never seem to get bored with being in the studio.

You talk about love, sex, male relationships, passion and more subjects that pertain to your life. Do you think that as a songwriter and singer you need to live your life to the fullest and deepest so you can express those feelings in your music?

I don’t know. All I know is what works for me. I think some songwriters can write very deep stuff without going through it. I write from experience.

From your experience, what is the best and worst lesson you’ve learned about life?

I always say that one of the worst pieces of advice was when I was just starting out a boyfriend told me I couldn’t rely on the opinions of my friends and I’ve found that to be really bad advice cause my friends were my very first supporters and if you cant rely on your friends to be honest then maybe you should get new friends! It was my friends that helped me to start my career and who came to my shows and spread the word around to other people.

An artist is always looking to face new challenges in their career and prove different things, with which of your 3 albums do you feel more satisfied with?

I definitely am the more proud of the most recent one, Transport Systems. It was the first album I was able to really conceive of from beginning to end and I think because of that it works as a cohesive whole. It has a theme and all the songs relate to that theme and to each other in some way plus, I think I have just grown as a singer, songwriter and producer. I went through a lot and really wanted to talk about everything I learned and wanted to make an album that gay people did not have up until this point which is a pop album that really speaks to what we go through in a direct and explicit way. That’s why there are songs about trying to have a good relationship with another man, gender identity, drug addiction, affairs with married men, getting fucked, all of it!

So gay people could be identified with the whole spectrum of things related to their concerns?

Absolutely!

How much time did you spend to ensemble “Transport Systems”?

It was about a two-year process. With this album I refused to not let anything not be the way I wanted it to be whereas sometimes in the past I would let a producer convince me that something was finished when I didn’t think it was

Young people look for you on youtube or the internet and they love your music.  You are a gay icon and have many people who adore what you do. How do you feel about receiving awards and being so popular?

Thank you! The response I get from fans, young and old is what allows me to keep going everyday because this business can be really crazy and sometimes you do have to scream very loudly in order to get heard–especially when you are competing with major record labels that have millions of promotional dollars. I get judged as if I was like any other artist and I think ultimately that’s a good thing, but a lot of people don’t really know what’s going on behind the scenes with anything so I just try to make sure that I am putting out the best stuff that I can and be the most creative and visionary as possible because I don’t want to cheat the fans even if I wasn’t able to spend as much money on a video as Britney Spears or even Lady Gaga.

You use a futuristic stylish way in your videos and clothes.  How do you work that into the concept of developing of your videos? Also, tell us about your video, directed by Joe Phillips, that became the #1 Video of the Year on LOGO.

Yes! I do give all the credit to the amazing directors I’ve worked with like Joe Phillips, Aaron Cobbett and Guy Guido. I didn’t know Guy very well when we did “Wave of You” but I have known Aaron for years and was photographed by him for the cover of HX twice and he has one of the most amazing eyes in the biz. And Joe Phillips…I am a huge fan of his work and he has become one of my closest friends. I think I’ve been really lucky at finding some of the most amazing people to work with because there is a lot of mutual respect and not simply because they are going to get a fat check from Universal Records and I think because of that we get to take risks and experiment in ways that when you have a big corporation behind you can’t cause there are so many opinions and everyone is just scared of losing their jobs.

Joe is a very nice guy I interviewed him too.

He’s the best! I stay with him whenever I hang out in San Diego and he and his brother Lex are like family to me.

In 2005 you released “Love Will Take Over” and The Remixes compilation, will we hear more remixes?

I am about to release the Maxi-single for “Human” so yes, hot remixes for your nerves coming up!

You are an activist.  You’ve participated in the forefront of the fight for human rights with “Marry me” and “Love Rock”.  You are also close to other great artists.  How did you get involved in them?

“Marry me” supports the ACLU and “Love Rocks” supports HRC, which are two great organizations that I support so when they asked me to donate one of my songs, I was thrilled. For the “Marry Me” CD I gave them my song “Bashert” (Meant to be) which has become kind of a gay wedding song and I personally got to sing it at a few myself which was amazing. It’s from my “Space under Sun” CD and there’s a dance remix on my remix album.

How was your experience as music supervisor for IFC’s documentary The Story of Queer Cinema?

It was great. It was directed by these two fierce feminist filmmakers who were fans of mine and they asked me to help out with music for the film. Because of that I also got asked to be a talking heads on another IFC documentary series about Sex in Film.

Cindy Lauper, Duran Duran, Boy George and Kylie Minogue are coming to Peru, later on this year.  Would you like to bring the “TransporTour” here as well?
Yes! I just signed with new management for 2009 and so we are starting to put together the second leg of the tour. I haven’t done a lot of overseas touring yet with this album and I know I have a lot of fans who want to see the show and so I’m so excited to get over there! The shows I’ve done so far in New York, Miami, Switzerland and Cali have been some of my favorite ever and I have a really great guest vocalist who’s with me and well, its a pretty cool show and connecting to the audience and seeing how well everyone has been responding to all the new stuff and of course the older hits as well has been incredible. And anyone that wants me to come and perform in their city should contact their local clubs or music venues and let them know! All the pertinent info is on my website www.arigold.com! My latest show really takes the audience on a journey, kind of like the album itself and by the end I think everyone including myself feels uplifted and we need that right now–especially in this country after the government we just endured for 8 years and especially the way gay people have been treated and that has ripples of effects all of the world so we all need a little love…we all need to believe that love will take over!

Which artist did you enjoy working with the most? Which one provided the best experience? What artist would you like to wok with in the future?

I just got to interview Brandy for my new “Naked City” VLOG for LOGO and she is one of my all-time favorite singers! I sang “Time After Time” with Cyndi Lauper at a private party and that was pretty awesome even though I was a bit drunk and nervous because it was on the spot! I’ve been saying this for years, but I really would like to work with George Michael. George if you’re listening, how many interviews do I have to do where I say this in order for you to pay attention!!?! (hahah) I’ve been really lucky though to work with so many great people RuPaul, Boy George, Dave Koz am I name dropping now? Ha ha

Tell me about Naked City.  Did you accept it as soon Logo proposed it to you? How is it to work with such a popular gay TV channel?

Naked City was an idea that came out of some meetings with LOGO and me. LOGO played my video during commercial breaks when the network first launched and then once they started having an official video show I was the first indie artist or gay artist to debut on the countdown and I debuted at #1 and bumped Madonna out of the top spot! Which I think is a triumph for the gays cause if a gay artist can’t beat out Madonna on a gay network then I think we are in trouble! I mean, all hail the queen, but we do need to support our own just like we have supported her all these years! Anyway, I digress. So the VLOG is just an opportunity for my fans and LOGO fans to get to know me better, know the kind of art I like and am interested in and I plan on interviewing a very wide range of artists. I’m just getting started with the VLOG so it’s going to be morphing and changing and it’s going to be interesting so stay tuned!

As a gay man, what do you expect from the Obama administration? Would you like to get married one day?

I certainly don’t expect change overnight or for Obama to be some kind of miracle worker, but I do hope that once he gets into office he will make a real difference beyond all the good talk that he gives. He’s probably the first president that said anything about gay and straight people in his acceptance speech, which was cool, but how he is on gay issues remains to be seen. It’s disappointing to hear someone who’s so smart and has such a good grasp on history and human rights to say that he is not for gay marriage because whether I get married or not is not the point. The point is to have the right to and what message having that right sends out to the country. We’ll see, I’m giving him time and only history will tell. Of course being alive to see the first black president in office is a huge thrill

I love the remixing of “Human.”  It is very funky and sensual.  You did a fantastic job! What are your next projects? What is the next major ambition for you in your career?  Would you like to win a Grammy?

I need to be nominated before winning a Grammy so we can start there! But that would be a dream comes true. I plan on releasing more singles off “Transport Systems” and doing more touring. I’m always writing and working on different projects and finding new ways to tell my story.

You are invited to Peru, I hope you can come here and enjoy our music, our rich food and our beautiful sceneries. What else would you like to tell our readers?

I would love to come to Peru! Maybe you can help to bring me out there! And to your readers–they can join my emailing list through my website and also become My Space http://myspace/arigoldtheartist and join my official Facebook fan page to find out all the latest news and tour dates.  Also check out AriGold.com!