Pictured The incomparable Jinx Titanic. From left: Dave, Posey, Jinx, Mark and Alex.
The quintet's front man, also named Jinx Titanic, opens up about the delay of the third album, steroid use and his involvement in several projects in between his travels.
With sights set to taking the group the next level, the necessary step for Chicago's premier queer punk-pop-rock band Jinx Titanic is to move to L.A. After commuting between the Windy City and the City of Angels, Jinx is making the move permanent this spring. Of course, the outspoken rocker still manages to take jabs at fellow musicians.
Windy City Times: You had a farewell concert scheduled at the Double Door, but factors outside your control prevented it from happening.
Jinx Titanic: We're not really saying goodbye to Chicago; therefore, a farewell show is odd. Actually I'm glad the Double Door show fell through because it looked so final. We're hoping to be back for Market Days ( for a fifth year in a row ) and maybe we can come back to do Pride too.
WCT: You have been busy with several projects and I saw you performing on Q Television Network.
JT: I have been a correspondent for the Q, actually I've been working with Q quite a bit—I also did a segment on flogging. Plus, I have appeared in two films: Hot Chicks and Preserving Disorder: Jean Genet in Chicago by Frederic Moffet. There is a top secret project in the form of print media that will be unveiled in the next six months and last summer we played at the Sundance Film Festival in the Queer Lounge.
WCT: You released a sampler while performing at Sundance and it features one of my favorites: 'There's a Porn Star Shining Down On Me.' But what is the deal with the Gwen Stefani remix of 'Trade?'
JT: I was hating on her at the time. B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Is that really the best lyric of 2005? I certainly enjoy anybody who is committed and does good quality work that can move me.
WCT: That explains why the RuPaul holiday CD Ho! Ho! Ho! is sitting out in plain view.
JT: A friend of mine never heard it so we pulled it out. The RuPaul Christmas CD is the biggest piece of shit I know. He is laughing all the way to the drag queen bank. RuPaul, that CD is an embarrassment. Last summer we shared the bill with RuPaul at Chicago Pride. But lately I have been playing a mash-up of the Black Eyes Peas' 'Shut Up' with Madonna's 'Hung Up.' It's hot!
WCT: Why hasn't the third album surfaced yet? There was buzz at Cell Block that you had already finished it.
JT: We recorded the new album twice and I didn't like it! First, we recorded it at Rax Trax in Chicago, and then we changed our personnel right after we were done. I wanted something that reflected the band we have now. We were unfocused, going every other week to L.A. and it's very hard to establish a life there and to maintain one here at our independent level. It's not like Courtney Love, who can take her panties off in first class; we take our panties off in coach. When we were recording the record for the second time, we were also shooting live footage for the television networks. For the first time ever in my life—I would normally not have done it, but I said what the hell—I did a steroid cycle. The cycle made me gain 25 pounds in a very short time, my vocal range dropped and the only good thing about the 'roids was that I was horny all the time.
WCT: But the third album will eventually come out?
JT: Once we are set up in L.A., we will find a studio to record in and maybe bring in a producer, because I have produced all of our records up to this point. It might be fun to toss this into somebody else's hands. You will see a change, not so much in the attitude or style, but in the overall sound, just from the addition of another guitar player. Songs like 'Happy Fag' and 'Fucked Up Chuck' will have elements of power pop.
WCT: You've been getting lots of recognition too. Your album Boot & Cuffed was the #8 album on David Ciminelli's year-end list on out.com .
JT: Yeah, and Tetu magazine in France named us one of the Top 5 GLBT bands—it's great to be up there with Le Tigre and Melissa Etheridge. By being a member of Out Music and hosting the awards, I got to see how much good and substantial music is out there. It spans genres—a good song is a good song and a good interpreter of music is a good interpreter of music. It needs a place, a bigger home.
WCT: Earlier this year, Sony announced that they are planning on creating a record label, Twist, geared to GLBT artists. Also queer channels like Q and Logo have made their ways into our homes.
JT: We should all have our own network—gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals, instead of being grouped together. I watch Spike TV, because the men on there are hot. I don't need a network to tell me people's coming out stories—I've got friends. If I wanted to hear coming out stories, I'll throw a dinner party. It's so segregated and it's preaching to the choir. Why watch movies we already own on DVD?
WCT: Since you're developing a unique version of the variety show, where are you hoping this program will land?
JT: Well, there's no place this season on Q for us, so we're exploring options, possibly a mainstream market. It's easier to do from L.A. The Jinx Titanic Show was created with Broadway director Phillip William McKinley ( The Boy From Oz ) .
WCT: While you were based in Chicago, you have played with a lot of great local artists, like The Stewed Tomatoes, Scott Free and 3 Dollar Bill.
JT: I am going to miss all the bands we played with over the years in Chicago. I will be forever in debt to the Lickity Split Cheerleaders. They brought a new fan base to us. Every fan letter and e-mail that comes in, I try to reply to. We get something everyday and I love it that people share our music with each other.
WCT: You just opened a merchandise section at cafepress.com . What's in there?
JT: We finally have a Jinx Titanic shirt, T-shirts with lyric excerpts, the original Super 8 Cum Shot t-shirt, coffee mugs with quotes and music can be downloaded digitally.
WCT: What are your plans once getting to L.A.?
JT: I am hoping to move into a bigger arena. Sure I know some changes will come, but I am hoping we will still be able to hang out and have beers with people who see our shows. Hopefully, this move will allow us to really focus, dig in, make a great record and start playing shows like crazy. The West Coast has always been difficult for us to tour, simply because of the distance; now it opens up a whole new world of places for us to play. As a part of LAL ( Los Angeles Leather ) we will be playing April 2 in Silverlake and that week we'll have an in-store performance at Amoeba Records in Hollywood. Check us out on the mainstage for L.A. Pride too.
