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AE: What's it like finding a band of all gay members to play and work with? Is the comradery and/or inner band bickering any more or less? Any different?

Dave Montana: I really don't see any difference; we all have egos, gay or not. The only difference is that a fist fight is more likely to happen in a band with straight members than an all gay one. (insert laugh here)

Mike Fass: My first experience with an all-gay band was the ill-fated M*Thang. It was founded by Eric Perez who went on to co-found OutMusic back in 1990. It had to be the most uncomfortable band I'd EVER been part of and the ONLY one to which I ever gave my resignation (they held a meeting complete with a moderator to talk me into staying which I agreed to do after which of course they promptly fired me as soon as they'd landed another drummer). I'd stuck it out with Neon Fire for twenty years (1978-1998) and all we did was fight so it had to have been really bad for me to have submitted my resignation to this group. When I join a band, no matter how uncomfortable it is, I expect to be there for the long haul. I regard it as seriously as if I was getting married.

I can't honestly say that being a gay band had all that much, if anything, to do with all the dissent in that group (I always hated the name, by the way) but we got a lot of national press and you may recall that the official slogan of M*Thang was "Gay Rock In Your Face". It was anything but! It was terrific music which was some kind of amalgam of eclectic jazz, folk and world music styles but, if any of us dared to "rock it up", we were swiftly reprimanded. Go figure, man.

I'm noticing difficulties already with the reformation of Woof. They were the world's first-ever bear band and I've just been asked to be their new drummer but already there seems to be difficulty in getting others to commit to it. The LOGO network is currently trying to get us to convert the Doomed Airship TV show to one about an all-or-mostly-gay band. It's still in negotiations.

Chris Ohnesorge: I’ve actually had to suppress the massive amounts of dyke drama I encountered in my old band--they can give us fags a run for our money any day. No really, it can be great in so many ways. It’s nice to know I can talk about my boyfriend or anything related to that aspect of my identity without worrying that I’ll get a negative reaction. My current band, Ex-Boyfriends, is 2/3 gay and that’s awesome. But it’s also secondary in many ways to us wanting to make great music we’re proud of. I like that we bring all of our experiences and backgrounds together in our songwriting. And thankfully none of us are sleeping together. That is the worst idea ever in any band, gay or straight!

Luis Illades: Same problems, same hassles. But the rewards tend to be (along with musical) very gratifying in a more personal way, especially since when I was young and looking up to or out for openly gay musicians, it really meant something when you would discover one. However, in an all-gay band, it’s very easy to be pigeonholed thematically and therefore you feel cornered into subject matter lyrically, when what you really want to be known for is your ability to play music!

AE: As a gay man who's also a rock drummer, what is it like being one of a very rare species? Can you relate any tales from your younger days about being a gay drummer growing up and working within the world of straight drummers/rock musicians around you?

Mike Fass: It's always very strange to know that I belong to what everybody tells me is a small group. As far as I know, there is only one other well known gay drummer out of New York City and that's Animal (he's my official back-up drummer and I'm very lucky although, really, I should be his as he's a better all-around drummer than I and has more than my 31 years of experience behind him).

I did get fired from one recording and touring project years ago when it was learned that I'm gay. It certainly was no secret and my boyfriend used to show up at the studio with a bag of lunch and a soda for me because I was stuck behind the kit for so many hours. The producer had initially told me that she thought I was an awesome hitter and that she liked me because I play with balls. I told her, "You have no idea", and I guess the joke went right over her head. Some time later I got a phone call from her telling me that they'd heard some things about me and had decided that my presence in the band would not be right for the image they were trying to sell.

She was also concerned because her son was the lead guitarist and was only 17 and she thought I would be a dangerous influence on his sexuality. It came from so far out of left field that I was open-mouthed and speechless before she hung up. This from the woman who wrote the pro-Irish song, "Live Free Or Die" (another irony since I happen to be part Irish myself).