| Scissor Sisters | |
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Scissor Sisters at Super Bock Super Rock 2007, in Portugal |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City, United States |
| Genres | Pop rock, glam rock, nu-disco, electroclash (earlier material) |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | Polydor, Universal, Warner Bros., Jive, Nonesuch, Motown |
| Website | www.scissorsisters.com |
| Members | |
| Ana Matronic Babydaddy Del Marquis Jake Shears Randy Real |
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| Past members | |
| Paddy Boom | |
Scissor Sisters are an American band "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York"[1] who took their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism.[2] Formed in 2001, its members consist of Jake Shears and Ana Matronic as vocalists, Babydaddy as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real as drummer (who replaced Paddy Boom).
Scissor Sisters came to prominence after the release of their disco version of Pink Floyd’s "Comfortably Numb" became a commercial success and topped the charts throughout Europe, eventually scoring a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording. Their eponymous debut album became an international success particularly in the United Kingdom (a country they call their "spiritual home")[3] where the album reached number one, was the best-selling album of 2004, was later certified platinum by the BPI and accrued them three BRIT Awards in 2005. All five singles from the album reached positions within the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart, including "Laura", "Comfortably Numb", "Take Your Mama", "Mary" and "Filthy/Gorgeous". The latter also scored the band their first number one on the Billboard chart for Hot Dance Club Songs. Although merely as successful in their native United States, the album was also a chart success in countries around Europe, in Australia and in Canada. The band's following up studio album Ta-Dah proved to be another commercial and critical success for the band and scored them their second consecutive number one album in the UK as well producing their debut number one single in the UK "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'". Displaying a shift towards a more club-oriented sound, their third studio album Night Work was released in 2010 and charted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, number one on Billboard's Top Independent Albums charts and in the top ten of several international territories.
Scissor Sisters are well-recognized for their controversial and transgressive live performances and have performed around the world. They have also collaborated with a number of other well known pop musicians including Elton John and Kylie Minogue; these particular collaborations have been received positively by both critics and other notable figures. In 2004, Bono, lead vocalist of rock band U2, described Scissor Sisters as "the best pop group in the world".[4] They also collaborated with Global Cool in 2007 on one of their green lifestyle campaigns.[5]
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The band, originally named the Fibrillating Scissor Sisters, was founded in 2000, after Jake Shears and Scott "Babydaddy" Hoffman, two friends who had met in 1999 in Lexington, Kentucky, both moved to New York, enjoying its openly gay-friendly ethos. They subsequently decided to begin producing music together, with Babydaddy composing the songs and Shears writing the lyrics. The duo released a couple of singles to little success and began appearing at underground clubs on New York City's Lower East Side, which at the time was in the grip of electroclash, a genre that subsequently influenced them.[6]
On a trip to Disneyland, they met a woman named Ana "Ana Matronic" Lynch at a screening of Michael Jackson's Captain EO, and on a subsequent teacup ride they discussed the type of music that they liked, they discovered that they had a lot in common. Shears would later remark that "I really thought she was a freak but when I started singing "Just Another Part Of Me" she showed me the best moonwalk I've ever seen."[7] Ana Matronic ran a weekly cabaret event known as Knock Off at a club called the Slipper Room, where she liked to hire eccentric and alternative acts; one reporter described it as a place that "served up a racy, multigender revue of kitsch", and that a performer dressed as a giant vagina "enfolded me with her labia while singing "Lick Me in My Wet Spot" to the tune of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"."[8] Matronic invited the Scissor Sisters to appear at Knock Off, which they did on September 21, 2001, 10 days after the 9/11 terrorist attack shook the city. Shears dressed as his character "Jason the Amazing Back-Alley Late Term Abortion" whilst Matronic dressed as a reject from Andy Warhol's Factory. During the performance, she joined them on stage and sang. Shears and Babydaddy felt she was very effective and asked her to join the band on a permanent basis, to which she agreed. The trio then began appearing at other clubs, dropping the word "Fibrillating" from their name. They primarily played electroclash, which was popular at the time in the underground Club Scene in New York with bands like Peaches and Chicks on Speed.[9]
They were soon joined by Derek "Del Marquis" Gruen on lead guitar, who knew Shears from when they both worked at the IC Guys club where Shears had been a stripper.[10] They were joined by a fifth member, Patrick "Paddy Boom" Seacor, on drums, who – being heterosexual – had to explain to his mother after joining that "it's not a gay band … there [are] gay members, but it doesn't matter. It's about the music and about performance."[11]
In 2002 the band signed with a small New York record company called A Touch of Class for a two single deal. Their first single, "Electrobix", dealt with gay men's obsessions with working out. The single proved to be less popular than its B-side, a cover version of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb". Later commenting on their rendition of the progressive rock classic, Matronic stated that "It's one of those songs that people were either gonna love or hate, and that's really, really powerful, because it basically means you're evoking a reaction in everyone. The first time I heard it, I thought that if it doesn't make us famous, it'll make us infamous because somebody will shoot us!" "Comfortably Numb" became a hit in many dance clubs and, after sending Pink Floyd themselves a copy, the Scissor Sisters received positive remarks from the song's original writers, Roger Waters and David Gilmour.[12][13] The song proved to be particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where various record labels soon took an interest in the band. In 2003 they decided they would tour Europe, which they believed would be more receptive of them and their music than their homeland.[14]
"Comfortably Numb" came to the attention of British label Polydor, who signed the group to a contract. Their first single for the label, "Laura", had a limited release in 2003 (reaching #54 in the UK Singles Chart), receiving little attention with the exceptions of British music paper New Musical Express, Channel 4's entertainment programme V Graham Norton, and the same channel's music programme Popworld for which they were interviewed. The track also got plenty of radio play in Australia. 2003 also saw the inclusion of the atmospheric "It Can't Come Quickly Enough" on the soundtrack of the film Party Monster; the song played over its ending credits.
Their first hit was in 2004 with the release of "Comfortably Numb", a Pink Floyd cover (reaching #10 in the UK), featuring Paul Leschen on piano and keyboards. This success was followed by "Take Your Mama" (#17 in the UK), a re-release of "Laura" (#12 in the UK), the ballad "Mary" (#14 in the UK), and the hedonist anthem "Filthy/Gorgeous" (#5 in the UK).
All the singles came from the debut album Scissor Sisters, which reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and became the best selling album of 2004, beating Keane's Hopes and Fears by 582 copies. As of 2006, it is the 10th biggest-selling album of the 21st Century, and the 51st biggest-selling of all time in the UK.[15] Several media outlets have noted that Scissor Sisters "stick out like a sore thumb" on the list of artists who have sold over 2 million copies of an album in the UK in the 21st Century, the others being James Blunt, Robbie Williams, Keane, Dido, Coldplay and Norah Jones — artists considered "mainstream" compared to the Scissor Sisters' brash and controversial image.
The band had been particularly keen on producing an album that fitted together well rather than simply producing a string of singles. According to Babydaddy, their purpose was "to create a perfect pop rock album that would pick you up at the beginning, take you on a journey in the middle, and set you right back down again in the same place at the end."[16]
About six months after its British release, Scissor Sisters was released in the USA. To publicise it the band appeared on the popular morning television show Live with Regis and Kelly, an event that Shears later recalled: "Kelly Ripa loved us, after the first time we played, she gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, 'I just want you to know that this is my favorite music performance we’ve ever had.' It was amazing."[17] Nonetheless, neither the band nor the album proved to be a big commercial success in the United States. The major chain store Wal-Mart refused to stock it, claiming on its website that it contained "a snarling, swaggering attack on conservatism" in the form of the song "Tits on the Radio".[18] The band refused to produce a "clean" version of the album, and Babydaddy remarked that, "We did have to slap a parental warning sticker on the disc, which is completely absurd. I think a kid listening to Eminem is getting a much more negative message than what we've been putting forward. We've only got one 'shit' and a few 'tits!'"[19] Band members have shown their dissatisfaction with the decision on a number of occasions. Shears is even heard in a Spanish live performance on the band's DVD saying, "Wal-Mart won't stock our album ... well, ya know what? Fuck Wal-Mart!"
At Halloween 2004 they performed a concert at Brixton Academy, where they asked all the audience to dress up and they themselves performed dressed as the characters from The Rocky Horror Show.[20]
Recording of the second album, Ta-Dah, commenced in mid-May 2005 at the Discoball; sneak previews of new songs were played at live performances, including "Everybody Wants the Same Thing", performed at the Live 8 concert, "Paul McCartney", "I Can't Decide", "Hybrid Man", "Forever Right Now" and "Hair Baby" (a title that refers to the phenomenon of tumors containing partially formed fetuses). Among the assumed pseudonyms used to play a series of secret shows to test this new material were "Bridget Jones' Diarrhea", "Portion Control" and "Megapussi".[21]
The band fulfilled one of its dreams: Elton John collaborated with them on "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" (as pianist and co-writer). The song reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom on Sept. 10, 2006, and remained in the top spot for four consecutive weeks. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" also peaked at No. 1 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and the Euro Hot 100. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" became the group's biggest hit to date.
Elton John also contributed to the song "Intermission" on Ta-Dah and played piano on a demo of the song Bad Shit (that can be found on the Lights CDsingle).
In 2006, they acted as an opening act for Depeche Mode's Touring the Angel Tour. Their first gig in the UK for promotion of the second album took place at the KOKO Club, Camden, London, on Aug. 31, 2006, and was filmed for MTV. 2006 performances at the Bowery Ballroom and Siren Music Festival in New York and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival have allowed the band to showcase an array of songs from the new album. A free concert was given in Trafalgar Square to 10,000 ballot winners on Sept. 16, 2006, to promote the Red charity.
The album was released Sept. 18, 2006, in the United Kingdom, and on Sept. 26, 2006, in the United States.[22] According to Shears, the album is a combination of '60s-era psychedelia, glam rock and disco. It reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart in its first week of release, officially taking the top spot Sept. 24, 2006, marking a first for the Scissor Sisters, consisting of a single and album at the top of the UK charts simultaneously. The album Ta-Dah leaked onto the Internet on Sept. 10, 2006, five days before its release in the United Kingdom.
The band has also been in the Latin America Top 40 Airplay. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" is still charting and is so far their biggest hit to date in Latin America, reaching No. 23, charting mostly in South America, particularly Peru.
"Land of a Thousand Words" was released as the second single from the album, peaking at No. 19 in the UK. "She's My Man" was the third single released in February 2007, peaking at No. 29.
"Kiss You Off" was the fourth and final single released in May 2007 but failed to dent the Top 40, their first single since their debut Laura to do so. The "Kiss You Off" video centered around Ana Matronic in a futuristic beauty salon.
After touring the world in 2007, the band had a short hiatus in order to work on their next studio album.[23] Premiering new material of this album at secret gigs in New York City's Mercury Lounge in October 2008, they assumed the names Queef Latina and Debbie's Hairy. New songs included on the set list were "Television", "Who's Your Money",[24] "Other Girls", "Major for You", "None of My Business", "Singularity", "Do the Strand", "Who's There", "Not the Loving Kind", "Taking Shape" (with Babydaddy on lead vocals), and "Uroboros". Shears stated on the band's website there was a possibility that none of these songs would appear on the album, as the band was less than satisfied with most of them. This was confirmed to be the case when the tracklist was revealed. Drummer Paddy Boom was absent at these gigs and it was later announced that he had amicably parted from the band. The band had come into contact with drummer Randy "Real" Schrager, who was known from his work on the downtown New York scene, playing with bands such as Jessica Vale and The Act. He was initially brought on as a fill-in during Paddy Boom's leave of absence. Eventually, Randy was made part of the full time line-up.
Scissor Sisters spent much of 2008 and early 2009 in the recording studio. However, after working on new material for approximately 18 months, the band decided to shelve their third album. Shears explained: "In my heart I knew it wasn't right. I didn't really know what it was trying to say. It left me a little bit cold."[25] Reportedly, an entire record had been worked on but that the group had "shelved it about a year ago." Shears admits, "If it wasn't something we could fully get behind and believe in, I think the band was going to be over."[26]
The band returned to the studio and begun to work on new tracks in June 2009, which made it onto their replacement third album Night Work. Produced in collaboration with Stuart Price, Night Work was released on June 28, 2010. The album was described as "supersexual and sleazy" with its first single, "Fire with Fire" as "a really epic song that makes you feel really good".[27] With the album, the band have toured worldwide on The Night Work Tour. As an opening act, they joined Lady Gaga for select dates on her third leg of The Monster Ball Tour in early 2011.
Shears and Scissor Sisters collaborator John "JJ" Garden are currently providing the lyrics and score for a world-premiere musical adaptation of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, a beloved series of novels (and later a television miniseries) about life in San Francisco in the 1970s. The musical will begin performances in San Francisco on May 18, 2011 at the American Conservatory Theater, where Shears and Garden are collaborating with a creative team that includes playwright Jeff Whitty and director Jason Moore, of the Tony-Award winning musical Avenue Q.[28][29]
Scissor Sisters are currently working on their fourth, yet untitled, album. Shears tweeted on October 31, 2011 that the album is in its final stages. On December 25, 2011, the band announced via Facebook, that a song from the new album titled "Shady Love" would debut on January 2, 2012. [30] The song debuted on Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show on January 2, 2012 and features vocals from Azealia Banks under the pseudonym Krystal Pepsy.[31]
The lyrics of their songs, largely written by Shears and Babydaddy, are known for their mixture of wit and tragedy. The songs on their debut album dealt with a number of subjects and issues in a variety of styles, from drug abuse within the gay community ("Return to Oz"), to Shears' deep platonic love for his best friend, Mary ("Mary"). Mary died of a brain aneurysm in April 2006, news that devastated members of the band.[32]
Scissor Sisters' music can be generally described as a mixture of glam rock, disco and alternative music. They appear to have been heavily influenced by Elton John (Elton John also played the piano on "I Don't Feel Like Dancing"). However, Shears has gone on record as not having been very familiar with John's work prior to the release of their record, although he's stated he's since become a big fan. The band echoes not only Elton John but also ABBA, the Bee Gees, Blondie, KC and the Sunshine Band, Duran Duran ("the reason we got into music", as Ana says), Supertramp, Siouxsie and the Banshees (Ana said at the 2005 BRIT Awards that "she wouldn't be here without Siouxsie"), David Bowie, 1970s-era Kiss, Queen, Chic, Richard O'Brien and various other dance/disco, rock, and funk acts; they admit that their music is hard to categorise. During a public signing in Brisbane, Australia, Shears stated that the Beatles have been an influence for him and that he is a huge fan of Paul McCartney and Wings.
Many of the Scissor Sisters' songs deal with themes in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, relating to the fact that three of the band members, including the two founders, are gay. "Filthy/Gorgeous" is about transsexual prostitutes while "Take Your Mama" deals with coming out of the closet to family members. Despite this, the group refuses to consider itself to be a "gay band", with Jake Shears stating that "I don't believe sexuality really matters when it comes to music."[33] In an interview featured on the We Are Scissor Sisters… And So Are You DVD, Jake states, "The fact that some of us are gay affects our music the same amount as it does that some of the members of Blondie are straight".
The visuals for Scissor Sisters' self-titled first album and its singles featured artwork by an English illustrator named Spookytim, who has a studio in Brighton called Studiospooky. The artwork was created by a wide variety of techniques and mixed traditional paper-based processes with digital and photographic elements in order to reflect the multi-referential nature of the band's music.
The Scissor Sisters are known for their extravagant live performances. In some of their early shows, Jake Shears was known to remove all of his clothes onstage, harking back to his former profession as a go-go stripper; while in others he threw inflated condoms into the audience.[34]
Several fan societies have sprung up in the official forums. These include the "Jake Groupies", "Ana Matronic Appreciation Society", and the "Scissor Sisters Party Bus", the latter two having spilled over to their own sites. The band have a close relationship with the fan community, even holding a small private gig for select forum members on Aug. 14, 2005, at which a number of new tracks were previewed, and fans had the opportunity to meet the band and give birthday cards and presents to Ana Matronic. In the fan community, those fans who hold a special affinity for Ana are known as "nuns".
In late 2004, Shears and Babydaddy co-wrote and produced the hit "I Believe in You" with Kylie Minogue, which featured on the Ultimate Kylie compilation. They also wrote the unreleased "(Everything) I Know", which leaked online in November 2004 and "Ooh (The Blues)", of which Kylie's version remains unreleased. The Scissor Sisters went on to cowrite a new song for Kylie entitled "White Diamond", which was showcased in her Showgirl Homecoming Tour that kicked off in Australia in November 2006. A stirring ballad version of "White Diamond" was featured as an exclusive pre-order bonus track from Minogue's 2007 album, X, as well as being the theme song of her 2007 tour documentary, White Diamond.
DJ Earworm's 2005 hit mashup "No One Takes Your Freedom" combined "Take Your Mama" with The Beatles' "For No One", George Michael's "Freedom '90" and Aretha Franklin's "Think".[38]
In early 2008, online record label bastard pop netlabel WHA!?, in association with Scissor Sister fansite idontfeellikedancin.com released a free-to-download bootleg album entitled Da-Tah. The album featured "Mash-Ups" of Scissor Sister songs with songs by artists as diverse as Beck, Peter Gabriel, Lauryn Hill and Nine Inch Nails[39]
At the 2005 BRIT Awards, the group won all the awards they were nominated for: International Group, International Breakthrough, and International Album (Ana asked Siouxsie to present this award). It was the first time in the Awards history that an act won all three International categories. They also opened the show with "Take Your Mama", on a set made by The Jim Henson Company. At the 2007 awards, the group did not win any awards, but opened the ceremony with a rendition of "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'."
In 2004, the gay members of the band, Jake Shears, Babydaddy, and Del Marquis, were honored in the Out 100, Out magazine's List of the 100 Most Intriguing Gay People of the Year. The band won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist on March 28, 2005. On July 2, 2005, the group performed at Live 8. Their set included the previously unheard song "Everybody Wants the Same Thing".
In November 2006, they won the German media award Bambi in the category "Shooting Star".
They have received some heavy attention in the United States by VH1 and magazines such as Out and Entertainment Weekly. They have also been interviewed on VH1's website and Del Marquis has been interviewed by the music section of IGN.com. It is a little known fact that there are several tracks recorded by the band before their eponymous debut which were never released; these tracks have entered the fan community and, although sometimes difficult to find, can be obtained freely. These songs include "Someone to Touch", "Doctor (I'm Only Seeing Dark)", "Bicycling with the Devil", "Electrobix", "Monkey Baby", a Elton John-esque cover of Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out", as well as demo versions of "Laura", and "Filthy/Gorgeous".
The members of the band:
Former members:
Live shows and performances have included John "JJ" Garden—son of Graeme Garden of The Goodies — on keyboards, rhythm and bass guitar.[41]
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