Openly gay singer/songwriter/producer Ari Gold will be performing at the 26th Annual Northalsted Market Days Festival on Aug. 11 at 5 p.m. in support of his upcoming album, Transport Systems. He talked with Windy City Times about everything from singing at last year's Gay Games' closing ceremony to getting personal on his latest CD.
Windy City Times: When we talked last year, you said that the upcoming album 'would have a lot of different colors.' Do you still feel that way about the CD?
Ari Gold: [ Laughs ] Most definitely, although I could say that about all the music I've done. There are a lot of different songs with different feels and different messages. That's my goal: to be more specific about what I'm talking about. It's a real challenge in pop music to say something in a way that hasn't been said before.
WCT: How personal is this CD?
AG: It's very personal. I write from personal experience; it's the only thing I know how to do. [ Laughs ]
That isn't to say that there isn't some creative license. You can even write about something that's happened to someone else. But on this album, it's stuff I've gone through in one way or another. For example, let's just say that [ the song ] Ride to Heaven is a cheeky and raunchy song [ laughs ] that's about an act that a lot of gay men understand—and maybe some straight men. But there's also a line about 'buckling up' that's about putting on a condom.
WCT: The themes on the CD range from crystal-meth addiction to the down-low phenomenon.
AG: As far as [ the addiction song ] Feeding the Fire goes, I wrote it about two years ago. After I wrote it, I saw that Justin Timberlake had a song on his CD about meth addiction, and people are going to think I did it after him. But I saw an interview with him, and he said he was inspired after seeing a documentary on crystal-meth addiction. And that's the difference between me and Justin Timberlake; I saw some friends make [ messes ] of their lives.
WCT: And then there's the down-low song, Mr. Mistress.
AG: It's really an empowerment song because I feel that we, as gay men, can do better. There's enough of a struggle with having to come out, so being put in the position of feeling like we're back in the closet...although each person has to deal with coming out of the closet in his own way and at his own pace.
WCT: And I noticed that someone sneaked a little Human League onto the CD. [ Gold grins. ] Where did that inspiration come from?
AG: Human has always been a favorite song of mine, and it's written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, my favorite producers and songwriters of all time. The chorus is very powerful; the original song was about a man apologizing for cheating on his girlfriend. However, I thought that the essence of the lyrics was even more powerful than that, and I reworked it to make the song more about human rights.
WCT: Are there any other songs you might rework in the future?
AG: Actually, there are bits and pieces of inspiration everywhere on this album. I'm not going to say where it is—but there's one part of one song where I'm singing a guitar line from a Journey song.
WCT: What was it like performing at the Gay Games closing ceremony?
AG: That was a blast! I had an amazing time performing in front of 30,000 people and working with this great choreographer, Michael Schwandt. [ Ari's song ] Love Will Take Over was the message of the event. Plus, seeing Cyndi Lauper [ was great ] .
WCT: Talk about your upcoming Market Days performance.
AG: I'll have a special guest with me. Her name is Kelly King and she's a fabulous singer with her debut album coming out. She can sing high and I need a high-singing diva. [ Laughs ]
WCT: Getting back to your CD for a second, you thanked David Barton Gym in your liner notes for helping you 'look better naked.'
AG: [ Laughs ] Well, they've been really kind—and I need the gym to keep it up.
See www.arigold.com .