Evan Cowden first made an impact on the gay music scene with his cover of Howard Jones’ “No One is to Blame” which became a favorite on Logo (AfterElton.com's parent company). Well, Evan is back with his original song “Label Whore” which recently laid claim to being the number one video on Logo. I recently chatted with ubiquitous Mr. Cowden about his music and what it is like to be on top.

AfterElton.com: In your video for “Label Whore” you come off like the pink haired bear version of Pete Burns (front man for Dead or Alive).
Evan Cowden: That’s funny because I do not know if a lot of people get that or not. The whole holding the “whore” belt buckle thing is totally a homage to Pete Burns. He did something similar years ago with the word “bitch.” It was purposeful. [laughs]

AE: How does it feel to be number one?
EC: It was a huge surprise to me actually. I am thrilled with the positive response to the video; it’s kind of scary to put yourself out there with pink hair and blush.

AE: As long as you don’t do anymore Howard Jones covers. [laughs]
EC: Yes, we know how much you don’t love Howard Jones.

AE: “Label Whore” really showcases your creativity as an artist.
EC: It’s very stylized and aimed very specifically at a gay audience. I had a lot of fun with it, I loved that I did not have to edit myself because of that, like I would if I was doing something that was geared to have a broader appeal. For example “No One is to Blame” was played in stores like Ladies Footlocker; I can not imagine that families going there would take to well to seeing a pink haired drag queen holding up the word “whore.” [laughs]

AE: Is Evan a “Label Whore”?
EC: I used to be, I still like a shiny thing or two sometimes. My focus has switched, now I am into technology more, a “Techno Whore.”

AE: Have you ever asked anyone the question that opens the song “Be honest, do these jeans make my ass look huge”?
EC: That’s a loaded question [laughing] because Evan has a little junk in the trunk.

Check it, don’t wreck it with Evan Cowden. And check out the video for "Label Whore" after the jump!

NewNowNext grabbed Kate and Fred of The B-52s for a quick chat. Check it out!

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• A 1948 W.H. Auden poem about gay oral sex was deemed "too dirty" to mention in a Times book review of erotic poetry. Why? Because it's downright hot filthy!

• Probably the funniest thing I've read all week: Stuff White People Like #88: Having Gay Friends

• TIME magazine is running a readers poll of their best covers, and Ellen DeGeneres' "Yep, I'm Gay" cover is #1, with almost five times the votes of the next entry, 9/11. Take note, publishers: Gay people good, terrorism bad.

• Above, another preview clip from tomorrow's Make Me a Supermodel featuring special guest mentor ... Christian Siriano! He's there to help make their catwalks ... wait for it ... fierce.

• The Stranger's Dan Savage uses this week's column as an opportunity to answer some young readers' questions about coming out, and doesn't bother sugar-coating anything: "In two short years ... you'll be able to come out to your mom and dad - and, even better, you'll be able to tell them to suck it."

• The kids at Cracked list their 6 favorite offensive Hollywood stereotypes, and whaddayaknow, the "Gay/Effeminate Serial Killer is on the list. Glad we're not the only ones complaining about these things.

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...

Jason Antone is a triple threat: not only is he an accomplished vocalist, he is also a songwriter and producer.

This Chicago native first came to the music world’s attention with his first single “With You” which was a breakout at #3 on the Billboard Dance Charts.

His current ditty, “Be Free” (co-written with Georgie Porgie) is in rotation on Logo and has been on the Sirius Out Q chart at #4 for months. The song also peaked at #23 on the Billboard Dance Charts. Let’s check in with Jason and hear in his own words what it’s like to be an openly gay independent artist who has it going on!

AfterElton.com: Hey Jason, your voice really caught my ear when I heard your track “Be Free” ... you stand out in a generic world.

Jason Antone: Thanks, the problem with most music today is you really do not have to sing anymore, all you have to do is go “ah” into the microphone and they can do anything with that.

AE: Yeah, I have this spin instructor who drives me crazy as she keeps raving about the new Britney album, uh, I could have sang that with her team of producers.

JA: I know, and that whole CD sounds like you could have too, it is so over produced. It is catchy and whatever, but….I am always disappointed when I go to see people live and it sounds so different from the CD. It’s so disappointing, you think: “Oh, they are so great I can’t wait to see them” then it’s a huge let down.

AE: You have, and this is meant as a compliment, a real Karen Carpenter quality to your voice.

JA: Totally! I do!

AE: Glad you understand what I mean by that! Her voice was pure, like a clear line to her soul.

JA: I get what you mean by this, I definitely express myself more when I am singing. Singing to you I could say more than talking to you. There is a complete honesty when I am singing.

Metalheads gay and straight got the chance to bow down before the Metal God in Toronto last weekend at the North by Northeast Music and Film Festival, and my friend, photographer/videographer Clint Gilders from Club Kingsnake, was there and shared his impressions and some great photos and video clips with us.

The Metal God is, of course, out gay heavy metal legend Rob Halford, lead singer of iconic metal band Judas Priest. Halford's homosexuality was an open secret in the music world for years, but in 1998 he made if official, coming out in an interview on MTV.

For those who don't follow the metal scene -- and that would include me, I'm more of an alternative/indie kind of gal -- Halford is credited as being the first artist to really bring metal out of the underground and into the mainstream. He was also the first leather-garbed, Harley-straddling metal star, and his image has gone on to be adopted by a generation of metal-god-wannabes.

Last week we had the opportunity to interview Rufus Wainwright (who is currently promoting his new album, Release the Stars) and gave our readers the chance to lob in a few questions. While we only had the time to ask Rufus a few of your questions during the full interview, he was kind enough to do a follow-up Q&A on some of the other items. Here's what we learned, along with a few behind-the-scenes shots from the interview. Enjoy!

Tomorrow we're interviewing gay musician Rufus Wainwright, and we thought we'd give you, our wonderful readers, a chance to send in questions that you'd like to hear Rufus answer. We can't guarantee that we'll be able to ask him everything, but we'll certainly try to run the most interesting queries past him.

In case you didn't know, Rufus has a new record, Release the Stars, hitting stores on May 15th, and he's also playing a few stops of the True Colors Tour with other class acts like Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, and Erasure (the tour is sponsored in part by Logo).

Rufus also notably recreated a legendary Judy Garland performance at Carnegie Hall and has spoken publicly about his struggles with crystal meth addiction (which left him temporarily blind in the early 2000's).

So what would you like to know? Just drop a question with your appellation of choice in the comments, and we'll see what happens!

While the gay community often focuses on homophobia in mainstream hip-hop, many of us don't know there is a whole scene of out LGBT rappers who are ripping mics all over the country. From the East & West Coasts, from the Midwest to the Dirty South, queer hip-hop artists are building local, national and international fanbases. Tori Fixx, a black gay MC, DJ, and composer (he's written the music scores to The Ski Trip and How Do I Look?), sat down with AfterElton via email to talk about his music, gay hip-hop, and the upcoming HomoRevolution Tour, which kicks off next week in the southwest.

After Elton: So tell our readers about the HomoRevolution Tour. How did it come about?

Tori Fixx:Well I was first made aware of the tour and invited by Deadlee and his manager. I know Deadlee wanted to have a sponsored, major tour that consisted of a bunch of LGBT hip-hop artists, both newcomers and old, that toured the US and of course I couldn't say, "no."

AE: You have a new disc, Code Red. Tell AfterElton readers about the CD, and what they can expect to hear.

TF: Code Red is my 6th CD release and marks my 10th year of being an openly gay, hip-hop recording artist. This is my most universal record to date, meaning that I still talk about "hot boys" and "LGBT issues," but I do it in a way so "anyone" can hear the songs and hopefully relate to them in their own way. If anyone is experiencing Tori Fixx for the first time then Code Red would be the record to start with. This is me now. Funky, humorous, political, romantic and all.