“Would you be down for a quikie interview for hivster.com?”

I emailed the night of our first year online. October 4th 2011.

I woke up to this message in my inbox,

“YEAH. I have time now. Let’s do it. C.”

What a great birthday present!

The C was Casey Spooner: Half of Fischerspooner, artist, actor and crooner. We had a chance to talk about his latest work, his connection to the LGBTQ and HIV community and he shared a little bit of business advice.

Brad Crelia: What are you currently up too?

Casey Spooner: Currently, I am working on a film I co-wrote and co-directed with my fiance Adam Dugas. It is called Dust. We shot it in Kansas City starring Jaimie Warren, Peggy Noland and Cody Critcheloe. It is inspired by the Warhol movies Paul Morrissey directed. We shot it very fast and very raw. We are currently in post-production. Holly Woodlawn makes an amazing cameo in the film. I am really excited about the movie and I can’t wait to make the next one.

BC: You had to start up a tour fairly quickly recently, how was that experience and what would you recommend, a small site like Hivster do, in regards to reaching fans in an effort to create appealing content (art, music in your case) and funding?

CS: When The Scissor Sisters asked me to open for them last summer with my album Adult Contemporary. I had no label in place for the release, no band, no time and limited resources. I went to my fans via Kickstarter and raised the funds for a very minimal production in one week. It was exciting but difficult. I am thankful for the generous support I got from my fan base but it is not the way I like to work. I prefer having more time to develop and consider what it is that I am creating. In a way it worked out, I jumped on the tour so last minute no one knew I would be there. It was unannounced. I liked being anonymous and playing to a crowd who didn’t expect or know who I was. It was a liberation. I was free to fail in a funny way.

BC: I have a huge crush on Jake, from SS [Scissor Sisters], how has your solo touring going and how was it too work with the sisters?

CS: Jake is a great friend. We have known each other for years. He is like the little brother I never had. I was having difficulty putting out my solo album that he had contributed to. He and Baby Daddy and Aimee Phillips who works with The Scissor Sisters all loved the album. It was sitting on a hard drive for 2 years while I released and toured the last Fischerspooner album. When I was ready to put it out the economy was in collapse and it was too big of a departure from my work with Fischer. They asked me to open for them at the last minute. It was a great catalyst to finally put it out. And it was a ton of fun touring with them.

BC: Let’s talk about your connection to gay fans?

CS: I have a special connection with my gay fans because I am gay as well. When we started Fischerspooner we treated it like a fiction. I was always in character. It was a character based on my own desires but an exaggeration of my personality not really “me”. It was an excuse to do something beyond my normal behavior. We also intentionally made my character sexually ambiguous in the press. It made it more complicated for the viewer to wonder about my sexual orientation. At the same time my image was extreme and about liberating a new masculinity. I was initially inspired by Bollywood and how expressive the male leads were in these films. It was something I didn’t see in American entertainment and something I personally desired. I wanted the freedom to dress up and to move and to be a expressive and still be a man. A lot has changed since I started this project but I still see that men (gay, hetero, bi, curious, questioning, etc..) are not allowed to be fully expressive and remain masculine. It is a schism in male culture. So in that respect, I have more work to do. I want to liberate the modern male.

BC: Could you share your thoughts on the rise of HIV in urban areas among young alternative men and women?

CS: I grew up in the 80′s so my sexuality is closely tied to fear and death. I was raised on the media hysteria during the rise of HIV and AIDS. So it was a doubly difficult time for me to feel free in discovering my sexual desire. Not only was I dealing with the normal difficulties of growing up in The South and exploring homosexuality. I was also forced to think about health and mortality. I have always practiced safe sex except when I have been in a long term, monogamous relationship. I am not sure why there is a rise in HIV. I can’t speculate. But I would encourage each generation to take simple precautions to protect themselves.

BC: Do you have any personal stories that revolve around HIV/AIDS?

CS: AIDS wiped out the generation of gay men before me. I lost all my heros and mentors. I lost the people that should have been there to help guide me as a person and an artist. I only came to realize this recently. As I grow older I find younger men coming to me for support and guidance. I was kind of surprised. Now I understand what I lost and I feel like I have to rebuild our cultural and social fabric. I had to grow up in a void. Now the next generation gives me energy and excitement. I am happy I get to be the man that wasn’t there for my generation.

BC: Today’s our official ‘birthday’ we launched a year ago, so this is pretty exciting for me ….. It’s been hard doing so much work. Any advice?

CS: Keep going. It may seem daunting at times but somehow the things you learn all connect. I never imagined I would be working in music or entertainment. I was supposed to be a painter but I had a difficult time being alone in the studio. I have moved between many different disciplines and they have all influenced what I make. My only advice is ALWAYS choose work that helps you learn or develops skills.

BC: When we can expect a new Fischerspooner album? And will you incorporate some of that edgey rock style that you used in your solo album, Adult Contemporary, on future Fisherspooner projects?

CS: We are in discussions now about several projects for Fischerspooner in the coming year. Nothing is confirmed. But plans are being made. I doubt the sound of Adult Contemporary will be a part of anything Fischerspooner. My solo album was a bit of an accident. It was Jeff Saltzman who wanted me to front a classic rock sound. Warren and I always make something very different.

THANKS,

CS

CASEY SPOONER PHOTOS BY JASON RODGERS