Jon
Gilbert Leavitt Wing "Mr. Pride" Interview |
We
thought it appropriate that our Special Pride Issue should also contain
the interview with who we call "Mr. Pride", Jon Gilbert
Leavitt. Jon's song "Pride"
has become a known standard at many Pride celebrations, and with good
reason. A consummate professional, who is known throughout our community
as not only a "great guy" but very supportive of other
artists. Stonewall Society: Congratulations on your awards. What is it like to be OUTMUSIC's 'Songwriter of the Year', as well as a nominee for the 'Out Musician' of the year? |
Jon Gilbert Leavitt: Thank you. It was a great honor to be
nominated, and then winning Songwriter of the Year was amazing. It felt really
good because it was a members' choice award, and the votes came from fellow
musicians, songwriters, performers and people in the media and that's very
special. What was also special was that it's the 1st OMA Awards, hopefully the
first
of many years of OMA's.
SWS: You have played in many venues; pop/rock, cabaret, country, blues,
new age, and salsa. Do you have a favorite?
SWS: I understand you have also written Gospel as well as in German,
what brought you to those areas?
JGL: Dispelling any myths of enlightenment, writing Gospel came
solely as a career attempt. My uncle, who passed away years ago now, was an
executive with Arista/Savoy Records, and produced and signed many well-known
Gospel acts like Rev. James Cleveland, the Barrett Sisters, who I got the
pleasure to meet. So for me, it was a shot at writing those songs to try to get
an 'in' into the publishing world. It didn't work, but I guess it's for the
best. The songs work as songs, but I don't think a Jewish boy from New Jersey
could truly put his whole heart and soul into Gospel
music and have it sound believable. For the German songs, I went back to school
and studied German, here in NY and in two university programs over there. I love
the language and it works
really well with pop/rock music, but again, I feel more comfortable writing from
the soul and my soul generally speaks English. It's doubly hard writing good
lyrics in a language that's not your mother tongue, and I didn't want them to
sound like some Europop from the '80s and '90s where people said 'the song is
good, but whoever wrote those lyrics isn't a native English speaker.'
SWS: As an artist, songwriter, ASCAP member any thoughts you would like
to share with us on the subject of internet file sharing?
JGL: This is a double-edged sword, but I'm really vocal on this one. The
simple fact is that file
sharing, like Napster, is just cheating the artists. People think, the big
labels have tons of money, so
what does it matter? But most of the big label artists are signed under
contracts that are so binding, most of them have to pay back the labels. And
it's the indie artists who suffer the most- they are the real innovators, they
spend they're hard earned money, and they get back close to nothing, if
anything. So for me file sharing is no different than shoving CD's in my coat in
a record store and walking out.
SWS: The song "Pride", now also in two dance mixes, the
OUTVOICE song of 2001 on their top 40 tracks chart, did you have a feeling it
would turn into such a mega anthem?
SWS: What was the inspiration of "Pride"?
JGL: In the summer of '99 stories about the new millennium and history of
the 20th century starting
popping up everywhere. The subject matter was the same- the big stories, the big
names. Realistically I knew GLBT history wouldn't be mentioned, but at least the
Stonewall Riots. I didn't even see that, so I thought what about us? Our history
is not even mentioned in looking back at the 20th Century. So I sat down and
started jotting down some names and events, and when I realized some of them led
to rhyme, that's how "Pride" was born.
SWS: How has the acceptance of "Pride" effected your
life?
JGL: It really has effected my life knowing that a 4+ minute song
could actually make a difference. At the very least, driving the idea home that
we've come a long way but still have a way to go. That's why I ended the song
with the lyrics "Matthew Shepard, God bless you, what else can we look
forward to?" It's sort of a little 'push' to the GLBT community that we
shouldn't feel like we've reached our goal and sit back just because things were
much tougher years ago.
SWS: You consider yourself a songwriter/musician over singer, why?
JGL: I love to sing and perform, but the best feeling for me is working
on a song, finishing it and thinking that this musical message just came out of
thin air. It's a great feeling. I also see myself in the role of songwriter,
because seeing another artist with a knockout voice take a song and add their
own style, shows that a song is a living, breathing entity and not just a finite
object.
SWS: What is your wish of achievement for GLBT art with regard to the
total art community?
SWS: What do you feel is the strongest issue for the GLBT community
pertaining to the infrastructure of our community?
JGL: I think it's learning about our diversities and differences. Just
because we're gay doesn't mean we have the same outlook on everything; it's like
saying just because you have blue eyes means you think the same way. We have to
learn to move forward together, but it's not one a one-lane road to follow. The
horizon's a big place, and whatever way we get there, as long as we help and not
hurt each other, is OK.
SWS: Is being an "Out" performer/artist had any effect on your
career?
JGL: Definitely, and in a very positive way. First, it gives me the
freedom to write from the heart instead of writing lyrics that lie. If I write a
love song, I'm going to use the pronoun 'he,' and the growing numbers of out
performers and artists are paving the way to a time when that can happen without
any backlash or fear. If you can't be honest with your music, you can't be
honest with yourself. The other effect is a feeling of community; there is a
sense of camaraderie among musicians anyway, but the GLBT music community is
even more of a support group. It's like a
team of diverse people coming together and supporting one another.
SWS: What advice would you give to young performers just getting started?
JGL: I think Casey Kasem says it best with his line 'keep your feet on
the ground and your eyes on the stars.' I'd tell young artists If you want to
pursue a life in music, plant your roots first: work on your music and keep
working at it, learn about the business of music, get out there and play, get
involved in music groups and get feedback from people you trust.. Keeping the
dream alive is essential, but going into music with the single goal of just
getting rich and famous will usually backfire. The most important thing: if you
really want something, you'll get it, so be careful with what you want.
The lifestyle, the ups and downs and the insecurity about tomorrow isn't geared
to everybody.
SWS: If you could give just one message to the GLBT community through
music, what would that message be?
JGL: Be open to diversity. There's still the myth that gay men's music is
club mixes and gay women's music is acoustic folk. Our music family creates
every type of music there is, and if gay venues supported that more, I think
people would get the message. They'll never know how good it is until they hear
it. Not to single anyone out, but there aren't enough pride committees out there
willing to book an out performer to headline an event, but will book a straight
female dance artist and promote her to death. Or the local gay bar magazines
will devote pages to a review of the latest diva's new CD, but totally ignore
the ten other new CDs by indie out artists being released at the same time.
SWS: What is your most memorable moment as a
songwriter/musician/performer?
JGL: There are many, but the ones that stick out that are really special
are the one-to-one moments: when people tell me a song really touched them, or
they cried or they were motivated to do something. Once I surfed into a college
student's web site listing all the songs that made a difference in his life, and
"Pride" was on it. That's what it's all about. Of course I can't
forget the first time I heard myself played on the radio, and that was an
amazing feeling.
SWS: Several movies, books, and plays have been based on the subject, is
it really more difficult for an entertainer to maintain a relationship?
JGL: I think so, especially if your other half is not in the business.
It's not easy being married to a
musician and no matter how many times we deny it, we are self-consumed. It's the
artist in us, and not to be confused with ego, it's just the way we operate.
I've been with my partner for 15 years, and it's had its moments of disagreement
when I had to go out to play or rehearse or attend a music conference or go out
of town. The key is compromise, but that's easier said than done sometimes.
SWS: Is there one overall influence which has brought you to this point
in your life, or more like a collage of people, places, and times?
JGL: Definitely a collage of everything, and every day is a new
picture to add to it. I can't even start to pinpoint!
SWS: The topic is all yours now Jon, is there a special project, subject,
passion you would like to
tell us about?
JGL: Right now some of my songs have been or are in the process of being
released by other artists, and it's great to hear what they've done. Another
thing is my online group of stations: I've set up 11 stations under the name
"Radio
Stonewall" on the mp3.com site, with over 400 GLBT and supportive
artists. Through them, not only have I gotten to know many musicians all over
the world,
and it's wonderful how much talent and passion there is out there. Last fall it
even came to life as 'Radio Stonewall Live,' a benefit for God's Love We
Deliver, a NY-based organization that supplied nutritional needs for homebound
people with HIV/AIDS. We had 11 bands/artists and comics perform at a NY club,
the place was packed, and we raised a lot of money for the cause. We even got a
big mention in NY's second largest newspaper. I'm also involved in Outmusic,
which is an international organization supporting and promoting out GLBT
artists, as well as general music organizations, like ASCAP and the NY Circle of
Songwriters.
I want to thank the Stonewall Society and Codi Pendance for all your hard work
and support of our community!
You are most welcome Jon! We will be bringing more reviews of Jon's music to Equal Pride in the future, but don't wait, check it out at his site!!! Also be sure to add Jon's RADIO STONEWALL ! to your Internet radio listening bookmarks!
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