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Adam Rippon on new life, loves, memoir and skating naked

Rippon says Ashley Wagner abuse allegations, Coughlin suicide rocked skating world

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Adam Rippon, gay news, Washington Blade
Adam Rippon says the time was right for his new memoir, ā€˜Beautiful on the Outside.ā€™ (Photo by Peter Yang; courtesy Grand Central Publishing)

Adam Rippon

In conversation with Liz Dolan

Wednesday, Oct. 16

7 p.m.

Sixth & I Synagogue

600 I St., N.W.

Tickets: $20

ticket+book: $32

two tickets+book: $45

(books will be pre-signed but photos with Rippon will be taken)

We blitzed through a torrent of questions with Adam Rippon by phone last week. The bronze medal-winning gay breakout star (and self-proclaimed ā€œAmericaā€™s sweetheartā€) releases his memoir ā€œBeautiful on the Outsideā€ Oct. 15. He and skier pal Gus Kenworthy each came out in 2015 and last year became the first openly gay male U.S. athletes to compete at the Winter Olympics. Rippon is in Washington (at Sixth and I Synagogue) Wednesday, Oct. 16 as the second stop on a 13-city book tour. His comments have been slightly edited for syntax and length.Ā 

WASHINGTON BLADE: How did the book come about?

ADAM RIPPON: Well, right after the Olympics, my team was saying that it might be a fun idea to write a book and I thought that this, like, really felt like a full chapter of my life sort of coming to an end and a new one was starting so I felt like it would be a really therapeutic almost experience. And I thought it would be a good thing for me to do, to kind of debrief and sort of be my moment to soak in everything that was like going on. So it was my teamā€™s idea but then ultimately it was something that I did truly want to pursue.Ā 

BLADE: How long did it take to write?

RIPPON: About six-seven months. It wasnā€™t too long but it was a substantial amount of time.

(Book cover courtesy of Grand Central Publishing)

BLADE: A lot of your appeal is the way you come across on camera. Were you concerned that that might not translate to the written page?

RIPPON: Totally. One thing that I really focused on was (making sure) the writing felt very in person, so that whatever you were reading felt like I could have been sitting right next to you like on a couch telling you this story and you were hearing my voice. So that was really important to me because I feel less like a writer and more like a storyteller. So I wanted to make sure, especially when I would be doing the audiobook, that it really felt like I wasnā€™t adding any words or saying any words that I wouldnā€™t say in a conversation.Ā 

BLADE: You share a lot of hard-won wisdom in the book. Were those convictions about life already in your head and bones or did the process of writing the book kind of help you distill and articulate some of that?

RIPPON: I think when I wrote the book, that was such an important thing for me to add into it because those are lessons and scenarios and things that I had learned and they were just so important to me, that was something really I wanted to add into the story. ā€¦Ā Ā Sometimes I just laugh at myself and move along through life through different struggles and things of that nature, but I really did learn a lot about myself, it really prepared me for the bigger moments.Ā 

BLADE: A lot of the book is about how what was going on in your head affected your skating. Did you ever work with a sports psychologist when you were competing?

RIPPON: I did but ā€¦ itā€™s funny now, post skating career, I see a therapist but when I was skating, I felt like, no thatā€™s weak, Iā€™m not going to go to a sports psychologist, Iā€™m going to just suck it up. I wish I had, but itā€™s harder because when youā€™re a competitive athlete. One you donā€™t have a lot of means to go out and find someone on your own and they do offer someone but itā€™s like someone that everybody uses, like all of your competitors are going to use the same sports psychologist, so in a way I was like, ā€œAm I really going to tell my deepest fears with somebodyā€™s whoā€™s then gonna work with all of my competitors too?ā€ I was like, no, Iā€™m gonna tell this bitch that yeah, everythingā€™s fine and Iā€™ve never felt better. So itā€™s hard but now as an adult, I can go out and find someone on my own whoā€™s personally mine and that was just something I did not have access to when I was competing because it was really expensive.

BLADE: How often are you on the ice these days?

RIPPON: Maybe once or twice a month now. Just skating for myself. Sometimes if I have a day off, Iā€™ll go work with one of the skaters I used to train with, Mariah Bell. Working with her some makes me feel connected to skating, but I donā€™t skate very much on my own anymore.

BLADE: Would you like to do more skating exhibition tours?

RIPPON: I would, but they take so much time and energy to prepare for and I would not ever want to do one and not feel like I was giving my best. ā€¦ Right now I really do want to focus on pursuing these other endeavors that are available to me now and I do want to pursue them because I do think the time to do that is right now and if there is something comes up in skating, itā€™ll make sense. Right now, I think Iā€™m really focused on writing this book and that kind of hustle.Ā 

BLADE: It looks like youā€™ve stayed in great shape. Do you feel pressure to have perfect abs? I mean the shape you were in for Olympics has to be impossible to maintain I imagine.

RIPPON: Well, you know what? Iā€™m gonna be super honest. After the Olympics, I went to the gym and I was like, ā€œI canā€™t do this anymore. Iā€™ve gone here every day of my life for 20 years and I just donā€™t have the motivation,ā€ and that was OK. But I didnā€™t go to the gym for maybe a year.

BLADE: Oh wow.

RIPPON: Yeah, I know. It was a lot.

BLADE: But you didnā€™t gain 300 pounds or anything. I havenā€™t seen you lately but you look like you were in great shape on ā€œDancing With the Stars.ā€Ā 

RIPPON: Iā€™m not 300 pounds yet, but no. ā€¦ I realized I just needed to find new goals at the gym because itā€™s something I really enjoy. So Iā€™ve been going for like the past month and have been working out pretty regularly with my old trainer again and, of course, the workouts are totally different, because itā€™s no longer about trying to be as good a skater as possible. But I really love the rush you get from finishing a workout.Ā 

Adam Rippon (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

BLADE: You make a joke in the book about your hook-ups not believing you had an office job because nobody with a desk job would have an ass like yours. What kind of currency has having that kind of butt given you in your personal life? Is it something your boyfriends have gone on and on about or it something that maybe seems more exaggerated from afar? Tell me about your ass, Adam.

RIPPON: Well, here we go. How much time do you have? (laughs) No, Iā€™m kidding. Um, the one thing Iā€™ve noticed, now surrounding myself with people who are not athletes by profession is that everybody who works out and goes to the gym, the hardest thing for them is legs. Iā€™ve noticed going back to the gym, thatā€™s always been my upper hand because Iā€™ve done only legs for so long. With my boyfriend, heā€™s mostly envious that I have these bigger legs and, like, a butt that really fills out my pants. Mostly heā€™s jealous but he does like it, which is good because I canā€™t really get rid of it.

BLADE: At one point in the book you say you were having trouble with quad toe so you had to switch to quad lutz. Why not quad sal?

RIPPON: Itā€™s a little different with the quads. Thatā€™s why you see these Russian junior girls and some of them wonā€™t do triple axels but their only two quads are toe and lutz. The lutz may be the hardest because that entrance is so hard but when you have the torque just right, it really snaps the quickest into rotation. I think when youā€™re learning triples, the skill of how you should learn them is correct, but with quads, itā€™s more like which do you feel and I think difficulty sort of comes in second.

BLADE: Did you ever play around with quad loops or flips?

RIPPON: Yeah. I think in my life, Iā€™ve landed a (quad) flip, a salchow. It was just one day and itā€™s going really well, then the next day Iā€™m just doing like cheated triples and Iā€™m like, ā€œOh, OK, here we go.ā€

BLADE: Have we hit the ceiling on quads? Is it realistic to think somebody might land a quad axel someday?

RIPPON: I think so. I never thought Iā€™d see a day where somebody has a program like Nathan Chenā€™s planned programs and itā€™s something he actually does and itā€™s not, like, a joke. And itā€™s the way he does it really effortlessly and you donā€™t really actually notice heā€™s doing all these quads ā€˜cause theyā€™re so well done, which is the scariest part of his skating.

BLADE: Have you stayed in touch with him?

RIPPON: Iā€™ve stayed in touch with pretty much everyone I competed with and with Nathan, we had the same coach for a while. I have such a soft spot for him and the things that he does. Iā€™m always cheering for him. Heā€™s just a really, really good kid and, you know, works super hard and is so well rounded. I love catching up and seeing how heā€™s doing.

BLADE: I know itā€™s probably hard to put into words, but how much harder is the triple loop than the triple toe as the second jump in a combination?

RIPPON: Adding the triple loop onto something is much harder because the room for error and correction on landing the first jump is so small. When youā€™re doing a triple loop in a combination, the biggest thing is you cannot readjust or fix the landing position of that first jump because it happens so quickly and it immediately needs to come together. With the toe loop, you can readjust the tap into the ice, you can tap a little further, tap quicker, you can jump a little more from the assistance of the free leg, so itā€™s still incredibly difficult but a triple loop combination is by far much harder than a triple toe loop combination.Ā 

BLADE: Were you more team Zagitova or Medvedeva in the ladiesā€™ event last Olympics?Ā 

RIPPON: You know, I think that I was really impressed with Zagitova, I thought she skated very well, but I do have to say the way that Medvedeva handled herself as like a two-time world champion, and then to go out and skate two clean programs, I just felt she had a lot of substance to her skating maybe her style wasnā€™t the I donā€™t know, wasnā€™t everybodyā€™s cup of tea. She performed, she had everything that an Olympic champion should have and I really felt that she kind of earned it. Zagitova skated a little bit like a really excellent junior lady in her first year senior. It wasnā€™t as refined and Medvedeva was a two-time world champion heading into that event, she was very refined and in that moment and was incredibly young, but yet had some womanly flair to her, which I really admired. I completely see why Medvedeva was the silver medalist and Zagitova was the gold medalist, I understand, but if I were judging I would have had Medvedeva first.

BLADE: Did it bother you that Zagitova back-stacked all her jumps? (Jumps completed in the second half of the long program are weighted in scoring.)

RIPPON: No. I mean, of course I want to be like, yes, it doesnā€™t make for a nice program, but then at the end of the day, we have rules and we have points and you know I think if Eteriā€™s goal, their coach, is that she has a student who wins, and that they compete and thereā€™s no pecking order of who should win and who shouldnā€™t win, youā€™re gonna go and youā€™re gonna do the most that you can do. So, I mean she played the game within the rules and she knew that Medvedeva had better style, so the way to make Zagitova more competitive against Medvedeva would be to just technically you know, put everything at the end. So is it annoying, like a little bit, but is she cheating? No. Everybody had that option and everybody knew that, so it doesnā€™t bother me. I kind of look at it like I donā€™t like it, but youā€™re smart.Ā 

BLADE: Why are they wrapping everybody up in those goddamn jackets now the second you step off the ice? They never used to do that.

RIPPON: Itā€™s a sponsor thing. While youā€™re just sitting there in kiss and cry, they want the sponsor logo to be visible on TV. Obviously you couldnā€™t skate with a logo, but when youā€™re just sitting there waiting for scores, you can see what it says on the label.

BLADE: I wasnā€™t a big fan when they changed the rules to allow vocal music. You took advantage of it. What was your opinion?

RIPPON: I didnā€™t like it at first, but then I really enjoyed it as a skater. I just thought it opened the door for a lot of really cool ideas.Ā 

BLADE: How was Tonya Harding on ā€œDancing With the Stars?ā€ Did you develop any camaraderie with her?

RIPPON: I wouldnā€™t say camaraderie, but she was super nice and sheā€™s fun. Sheā€™s super funny, really personable. You know, I doubt Nancy (Kerrigan) would think that, but sheā€™s super personable. I had no problem with her. She was nice.

BLADE: Did you admire her skating back in the day?

RIPPON: The first competition I ever watched was ā€™98, so I never grew up with her, but once I went back and started watching things, Iā€™ll always remember that opening at 1991 nationals with the ā€œBatmanā€ theme and that mint green dress.Ā 

BLADE: Did you like the movie ā€œI, Tonyaā€?Ā 

RIPPON: I mean Margot Robbie when she does press for the movie, she says itā€™s Tonyaā€™s side of the story and I think she did a really good job of that. But I think even Margot would tell you that the truth probably lies in the middle.

BLADE: So many skaters ā€” Brian Boitano, Jeffrey Buttle, Johnny Weir ā€” came out after they stopped competing. Iā€™m not asking for names, but are there still closeted skaters that you know of or is that era finally over?

RIPPON: I think weā€™re becoming past it and I really feel that like I hope that I had something to do with it, where people felt like it didnā€™t really matter and you could still be successful. But I do think that the pressures of someone like me and someone like Brian Boitano or Jeffrey Buttle are so different. I was never a favorite for a world title, there was no pressure like that. I was just trying to kind of make my world team and see if I, if someoneā€™s having a bad day, could swoop in for a world medal. Or like at the Olympics, know that I could be a really good asset to the team event. So I knew that like the pressures for me were totally different, they were not the same as somebody trying to win a world title, I wasnā€™t going to be as scrutinized. I mean especially compared to somebody like Brian Boitano in the ā€˜80s. So itā€™s a totally different time but I do think that because a lot of the attention, I did get at the Olympics, I think it broke down a lot of stigma. Because yes, there was a gay athlete but everything else wasnā€™t about that, which I think was great. I think it was a really good thing.

Adam Rippon at the 2018 Human Rights Campaign National Dinner. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

BLADE: Why are there so many more medal opportunities in the summer games? Can you imagine if figure skaters had the number of medal opportunities as Michael Phelps?Ā 

RIPPON: I think when you get into subjective sports where itā€™s all based on human judging, itā€™s really hard to break those into different categories. And itā€™s part of the drama of skating that there arenā€™t all these opportunities. Thatā€™s one reason I love the idea of a team event, not only because Iā€™m a medalist from it, but I love that itā€™s brought different stars from the Olympics forward. I mean look at Yulia Lipnitskaya from Sochi. In the team event, she was the star of the whole competition and when we think about the individual, I even forget that she competed in it. So it gives other people the chance to be Olympic stars in a different capacity. The whole point of the Olympics is to inspire people to get into sports. That really is truly what it is. And I think the team event really does that.

BLADE: You obviously came up long after compulsories were eliminated. When you go back and watch old performances, do you think skaters in the ā€˜70s and ā€˜80s had better form, better edges, because of having to learn the school figures or not so much?

RIPPON: I think the quality of skating is going up because the demands of what you have to do now technically are so high. You have to do so many transitions into jumps and so many turns and steps into all of your elements so you get a nice transition score and I think thatā€™s pushing people to learn these turns and steps in the proper way and faster than if theyā€™d started with figures. This way you jump right into it and the learning curve is a lot quicker. You know you have to do it this way because thatā€™s how itā€™s judged so itā€™s the only way to be competitive.Ā 

BLADE: Were you really fully nude except for your boots for the ESPN shoot or did you have some kind of little loincloth on or something?

RIPPON: I was 100 percent naked and it was actually at the rink I trained at. There are three rinks and one is all the way at the end in the corner and they blocked it off and had security and everything but yeah, it was fully nude, and for the first two minutes it was like, ā€œIsnā€™t it weird that I can see my dick and Iā€™m skating,ā€ but then you get going and youā€™re like it doesnā€™t really become a thing anymore and nobodyā€™s really fazed by it because theyā€™ve shot like a million naked athletes before so itā€™s a very cool experience.

BLADE: Isnā€™t it hard to skate with your dick flopping around?

RIPPON: No, because at that point, everything gets so small itā€™s like, ā€œOK, this is what weā€™re dealing with.ā€ Itā€™s nothing to write home about. (laughs)Ā 

ESPN’s 2018 ‘Body Issue’ cover

BLADE: What did you think of Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinskiā€™s commentary of your Olympic performances?

RIPPON: They bring such excitement to skating. People tune in to watch the skating, but also to hear their opinions. Theyā€™re like Dick Button and Peggy Fleming for this generation, where you wanted to hear if Dick Button thought you were a good skater or not. They arenā€™t mean, theyā€™re honest and now, being able to be more subjective, I see that. I remember there was one performance where Johnny said he thought I wasnā€™t interpreting the music well and I was like, ā€œWhat? He doesnā€™t know what heā€™s talking about.ā€ But as I watch it back now, Iā€™m like, ā€œNo, heā€™s totally right.ā€ He was just giving an honest opinion and itā€™s his job do to that. ā€¦ They add flair to the whole competition.

BLADE: Did you ever hear from Mike Pence after the Olympics or was that just a big dog-and-pony show?

RIPPON: Well I knew that I never would, so I havenā€™t.

BLADE: Do you keep the Mirror Ball Trophy (from ā€œDancing With the Starsā€) with all your skating medals? Or they displayed?

RIPPON: All my skating medals are in a container from the Container Store. The Mirror Ball Trophy is in a guest bedroom on the night stand. I have it out if somebody wants to see it, but itā€™s not something Iā€™m looking at all the time. I want to focus on getting more things and ā€” I know this is just in my own head ā€” but not feel complicit in what Iā€™ve achieved so far.

BLADE: You donā€™t even keep your Olympic medal out?

RIPPON: They came in beautiful boxes so I have it in the box on a side table with the medal inside. So itā€™s there if somebody wants to see it but itā€™s not like, ā€œOh wow, itā€™s hanging on the wall.ā€

BLADE: Any hint of sexual tension between you and (out Olympic skier) Gus Kenworthy or is that just totally a gay bromance?

RIPPON: Itā€™s very much a brotherly sort of relationship. I adore him. We donā€™t talk all the time, but heā€™s just somebody I think Iā€™ll always be kind of close to.

BLADE: You say in the book you and (figure skater) Ashley Wagner were close friends. Do you have any comment on her decision in August to say she was sexually assaulted (11 years prior by pairs skater John Coughlin, who committed suicide in January under similar allegations)?

RIPPON: I think it was brave. Iā€™m sure it was really hard for her to do it. I think itā€™s going to hopefully create some good conversations with people within the sport.

BLADE: You say in the book you two were super close. Did she tell you about this shortly after it happened? Did you know John Coughlin?

RIPPON: I did know John, I thought, pretty well. But I had no idea any of this was going on and itā€™s been pretty tough ā€˜cause I wish I could have said something to someone or said something to him, but I didnā€™t have that opportunity. Itā€™s something I think a lot of skaters are struggling withĀ because we donā€™t agree with it. Itā€™s not good. So many athletes arenā€™t equipped to deal with the suicide of someone that they knew. So it was really something challenging for a lot of people to get through and it was just something that was still, you know, pretty raw I think for a lot of people.

BLADE: What did you think of Yuzuru Hanyuā€™s (gold-winning) performances in PyeongChang?Ā 

RIPPON: I thought he was amazing. Heā€™s incredible. Such a legend.

BLADE: Is he approachable or kind of in his own world? Whatā€™s it like being around such a great skater?

RIPPON: Thereā€™s a level of respect for everybody like that that all the competitors have regardless of who they are or what theyā€™ve achieved. Heā€™s always been super nice and I would say that I enjoyed competing with him as both gold older. One thing that helped is since he moved to Canada, his English got better so we could actually chat. As an adult, I enjoyed seeing him and getting to cheer for him and watch him compete.

BLADE: How do you feel about turning 30 (in November)?Ā 

RIPPON: I canā€™t wait. Iā€™m really excited.

BLADE: Why?

RIPPON: I just feel like itā€™s perfect timing. Iā€™m retiring from skating and starting this new phase of my life and career so the time feels really good. And I donā€™t know, I felt like I was 30Ā for a few years already anyway, so itā€™s all good timing.

BLADE: Does (boyfriend) JP (Jussi-Pekka Kajaala) live with you now in L.A.? How are things there?

RIPPON: JP goes back and forth between L.A. and Finland. Iā€™m actually going there Friday.

BLADE: How often do you get to see each other on average?

RIPPON: We probably spend about five months out of the year together.

BLADE: Are you and (ā€œDancing With the Starsā€ dancing partner) Jenna (Johnson) still BFFs?

RIPPON: Um, yeah. I love her. We talk, like, very often.

BLADE: Are you a morning person by nature or did you kind of just force yourself to be one all those years getting up to train?

RIPPON: Iā€™m not, but if I donā€™t force myself to be a morning person, I could stay in bed for like years.

BLADE: What do you have coming up? What do the next six months look like for you?

RIPPON: Iā€™m on the book tour for two weeks, then right after that I have a few stops and Iā€™m working on a few other things that will be announced soon, which is cool. I also just filmed another series of Breaking the Ice, the little videos on YouTube. Yeah, just stuff like that. Itā€™s all good, nothing super busy.

BLADE: What would you like to be doing in 10 years?

RIPPON: I would love to still be working in entertainment, in comedy, and be successful. Letā€™s see, I donā€™t know, I just would like to be really successful, have more awards, right? Iā€™m an athlete, I love a good trophy. So I think I really enjoy the kind of stuff Iā€™m doing now and just continue to be a performer but like in a different way. Iā€™d love to still be doing all this in 10 years.

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ā€˜Tigerā€™ burning bright: an interview with Mary Timony

Todayā€™s female-driven music scene wouldnā€™t be the same without her

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Mary Timony is back with a new album. (Photo by Chris Grady)

Itā€™s hard to imagine what the current female-driven music scene would be like without Mary Timony. From Sleater-Kinney to Haim, from Angel Olsen to Mitski, the influence of Mary Timony is in every note being played, every word being sung. On her new solo album, ā€œUntame The Tigerā€ (Merge), with its sly nod to Joni Mitchell, Timony has brought her many years of musical experience to the fore, resulting in what is easily her most accessible release. Beginning with the incredible six-plus minute opener ā€œNo Thirdsā€ and continuing through the first single, ā€œDominoes,ā€ and gorgeous numbers including ā€œThe Guest,ā€ ā€œThe Dream,ā€ and ā€œNot The Only One,ā€ Timony is assured to keep listeners purring along. Timony made time for an interview shortly before the album was released.

BLADE: Mary, Iā€™d like to begin by talking to you about your musical lives in D.C. and Boston. I went to college in Boston in the early 1980s and was constantly amazed by the bands of the era such as Mission of Burma, Human Sexual Response, and ā€˜Til Tuesday. I moved to D.C. in the mid-1980s to go to grad school, and at the time, the music scene there was dominated by go-go music, and a smaller indie music featuring BETTY and the late Tommy Keene, among others. What do you remember about the music in D.C. as someone who grew up there?

MARY TIMONY: Thatā€™s interesting. We kind of did a switcheroo. Iā€™m from D.C. and I moved to Boston. (In D.C.) I learned, as a teenager, about rock shows and rock music from being involved in the punk scene, the post-hardcore scene of kids here. Those are the shows I went to in high school. Basically, the Dischord (Records) bands and stuff. I saw every single Fugazi show from when they started in ā€™87. Before that, whatever was happening in 1985, hardcore shows by Swiz and Soulside and Kingface and I loved Ignition. Other than that, I would go see bluegrass out in Virginia and I loved go-go. I would go to see (go-go bands) Rare Essence and Trouble Funk. I was very into that stuff; that was really exciting. I think I liked go-go the most out of all of it, actually [laughs]. I would go to DC Space and 9:30 (Club), mostly for local (acts). I don’t think I ever saw BETTY, but I was a teenager then.

BLADE: Was the active music scene in Boston in the early 1990s part of the appeal for you when it came to relocating to Boston to attend Boston University?

TIMONY: The reason why I went there was because I wanted to go to a music program that was in a big university, in case I didn’t wanna study music the whole time, which is exactly what happened. I studied classical guitar for a year and then I didn’t really like the program much, so I transferred to study English. I found out about the (Boston) music scene from friends. We went to The Middle East (nightclub) and TTā€™s (T.T. The Bearā€™s nightclub). Then after college, I ended up living right down the street from The Middle East and I was there constantly.

BLADE: Good old Central Square! As a performer playing in bands including Autoclave, Helium, and Ex Hex, and as a solo artist with her own band, itā€™s not unreasonable to say that Mary, you are someone who plays well with others. 

TIMONY: [Big laugh.]

BLADE: What makes you such a good team player?

TIMONY: I didn’t know I was [laughs]. I’ve gone back and forth between doing solo stuff and being in bands. Mostly, I’ve done projects where I’ve written a bunch of songs and I’m trying toā€¦I haven’t done a ton of collaborative stuff really. Ex Hex was fun because it was more collaborative. Wild Flag, the same thing, totally 100% collaborative in every way. But Helium was really my thing, but I got some great people that totally influenced it. I’ve always been doing my own thing but tried to find really good people. Music really is about connection. Itā€™s never as good if it’s only one person’s vision. Usually, if it’s good it’s good because of the connection between the musicians. Music is a social art form, I think.

BLADE: ā€œUntame The Tigerā€ is the title of your new album. In 1999, Joni Mitchell titled her album ā€œTaming The Tiger.ā€ Are you, in any way, making a nod to Joni?

TIMONY: A little bit because I am a huge fan. I have been since I was 18. But, it sort of came to me because I have a song called that on the record and I’m sure that probably came from ripping off Joni Mitchell. Then I just thought thatā€™s a cool name for a record. Then I thought, ā€œOh, shit!ā€ [Laughs] Itā€™s already been taken! Then I thought about it and then I forgot about it. Then I thought about it again and finally, I was like, ā€œItā€™s OK. It’s a little bit different.ā€ And I love her!

BLADE: Iā€™m currently reading Ann Powersā€™ book ā€œTraveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell,ā€ which comes out in June.

TIMONY: Oh, I’m definitely going to have to read.

BLADE: Yes, please add that to your reading list. ā€œUntame The Tigerā€ is your first new solo studio album in 15 years. Are there things you write and sing about on your solo records that might be out of place on an album you would record with another one of your musical outfits?

TIMONY: Yes. That’s why this ended up being a solo record. I guess it was because of the tuning of my guitar. They were more or less finished songs. I wanted the songs to sound kind of acoustic. I also wanted to play with a bunch of musicians who I really love. All those things just made it seem like a solo record. If I’m writing for a band, like Ex Hex, which is basically the other band that I do right now, they’re not finished. I bring them in (to the band members) with that band in mind.

BLADE: I love the lush instrumental section on ā€œThirdsā€ and the psychedelic sounds of ā€œLooking For The Sunā€ and ā€œThe Guest.ā€ Were there things you were listening to while writing the songs for ā€œUntame The Tigerā€ that were inspiring to you?

TIMONY: I was listening to a lot of music, a ton of stuff. I don’t ever try to purposely emulate anything very often, but I can’t help it. I’d rather be influenced by stuff without really thinking about it too consciously. I always have loved listening to The Left Bankeā€™s instrumentation and The Moody Bluesā€™ string parts. Most of the string parts come from trying to emulate The Moody Blues [laughs] or The Left Banke. I’m obsessed with The Left Banke.

BLADE: ā€œWalk Away RenĆ©e,ā€ right?

TIMONY: Yes. This guy, Michael Brown, was such a genius. He wrote so much stuff as a teenager. His dad was a string arranger. Anyway, I love those string parts. I was listening to this prog-rock band The Strawbs and this early (Ronnie) Dio band Elf. (The Flying) Burrito Brothers and The Byrds, too. I love Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. Richard Thompson and I was really obsessed with Gerry Raffertyā€™s early solo record called ā€œCan I Have My Money Back?ā€ I love that record. I was listening to it a ton when I was arranging the songs.

BLADE: Why was the song ā€œDominoesā€ selected as the first single from ā€œUntame The Tiger?ā€

TIMONY: I don’t know. I let other people tell me [laughs]. I really hate sequencing records and I hate choosing singles. Iā€™m just too close to it. I can’t tell what people are going to like or not. A lot of times, the ones that I like are not the ones that other people like. I asked (the people at) the label and they suggested that. I think it’s more poppy sounding. Dave Fridmann mixed that one and ā€œDonā€™t Disappearā€ and heā€™s a genius mixer. and these mixers are always very pleasing and accessible sounding. I think that has something to do with it, too.

BLADE: Earlier, we talked about your long history of playing music with others, which reminded me of your guest spot singing ā€œAll Dressed Up In Dreams,ā€ written by gay singer/songwriter Stephin Merritt for his band The 6thsā€™ ā€œWaspsā€™ Nestā€ album. 

TIMONY: Heā€™s such a genius!

BLADE: How did that come about?

TIMONY: When I moved to Boston, for a year I lived with Claudia (Gonson of Merrittā€™s band The Magnetic Fields), who is his drummer. I lived in a group house in Cambridge. I was friends with Claudia, and Stephin lived a few blocks away. She told me he was making this record with guest singers they wanted to go over and sing on it. I went over there one day and he taught me the song and I sang on it.  I think he’s one of the best songwriters of the last 50 years or whatever.

BLADE: I completely agree. As someone who has collaborated with Stephin, are you aware of an LGBTQ+ following for your own music?

TIMONY: I don’t know. I think maybe a little bit. Iā€™d love that. I love everybody who can connect with it, because all I’m trying to do is connect with people.

Mary Timony (Photo by Chris Grady)
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Sherry Vine is turning 60 ā€” and sheā€™s not quitting anytime soon

Legendary drag queen coming to D.C. for new show, ā€˜Smoke and Mirrorsā€™

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Sherry Vine performs in D.C. on March 9. (Photo courtesy of Sherry Vine)

There are many things Sherry Vine is proud of. Throughout her 33-year-long career, the drag queen has accomplished so much ā€” sheā€™s released music, launched her own variety show and toured across the United States and Europe. 

But what she loves the most about her career is making people laugh. 

This calling to be a comedy queen started before her formal drag career. In high school, she remembers taking part in the musicals, and Vine would find joy in making people laugh by wittily changing song lyrics. 

ā€œThen it just evolved into doing that as the act,ā€ Vine said in an interview with the Blade. 

From the beginning of her career, sheā€™s made singing live parodies a central part of her performance as a drag queen. And for her 60th birthday, she knew she wanted to put on an extravaganza. 

Vine is coming to the Woolly Mammoth on March 9 while on tour for her new show ā€œSmoke and Mirrors,ā€ performed and written by her. Itā€™ll include new parodies, from Bruce Springsteen to ABBA. The D.C.-based drag queen Tara Hoot will be a special guest at the show.Ā 

Thereā€™s a lot that led up to this milestone year for Vine. It all started with developing her character more than 30 years ago. 

Developing Sherry Vine

Vine describes her persona as a down-on-her-luck showgirl from Las Vegas with a heart of gold. 

She was always obsessed with stars like Joey Heatherton and Stella Stevens. Not to suggest those stars are down-on-their-luck showgirls, Vine said, but she wanted to evoke a sex kitten mentality. Her character eventually morphed into what it is today from these inspirations. 

But at first, Vine said she thought she had to look funny to be funny. 

ā€œI didn’t care about the makeup. I didn’t wear big breasts. I just thought I had to look like a clown,ā€ Vine said. 

When she moved to New York City in 1992, she was surrounded by queens who balanced being funny and gorgeous simultaneously. That was eye-opening for her, she said. 

Now, she relishes surprising people, she said. Sheā€™s been told she looks ā€œtoo prettyā€ to be taken for a comedy queen, but thatā€™s OK with her. 

ā€œI want to walk out on stage, and anyone who’s never seen me, maybe they’re like, ā€˜Oh, she looks good,ā€™ā€ Vine said. ā€œAnd then I started singing about poop and penis and they’re like, ā€˜Oh my gosh, she’s so stupid.ā€™ā€

When she was starting out as a drag queen, Vine reflected that she didnā€™t envision doing drag as a career. She remembers not wanting to commit to it. She wanted to be a movie star, she said. 

ā€œI kind of fought it. I loved it,ā€ Vine said. ā€œBut I was like, I’m not doing this as a career.ā€™ā€

But once she let go of fighting it, her career exploded. She got connected with RuPaul and was on two television specials in the 1990s. That support was crucial, Vine said, and helped her believe in herself more. 

ā€œI was like, ā€˜Oh, OK. If this person thinks that I have something, then maybe I do,ā€™ā€ Vine said. 

Drag has changed ā€” a lot 

(Photo courtesy of Sherry Vine)

The drag scene has changed drastically. Vine credits a lot of this transformation to ā€œRuPaulā€™s Drag Race.ā€ 

ā€œWhen we started doing drag 30 years ago, no one in their right mind would have been like, ā€˜I’m going to do drag so I can make a lot of money and be famous,ā€™ā€ Vine said. 

Before RuPaulā€™s iconic single “Supermodel (You Better Work),ā€ one of the only examples of drag the average consumer saw was ā€œMrs. Doubtfire,ā€ Vine said.  

ā€œYou had to have a passion for it,ā€ Vine said. ā€œYou had to have a calling.ā€

When Vine started, drag was a fringe art form that had an audience of mostly gay men. 

Nowadays, itā€™s mainstream. Drag is enjoyed by a much wider audience, and is more of a way to become famous. When Vine was coming up in the industry, there were few ways to get on TV and in films as a drag queen, short of playing a character that was murdered on ā€œLaw & Order,ā€ she said. 

But even though drag has evolved and grown in popularity, Vineā€™s advice to drag queens has stayed the same over the years. 

ā€œDon’t try to do something because you think someone else is doing it successfully,ā€ Vine said. ā€œFind what you do, and then exploit and explore that.ā€

Looking back, looking ahead 

Out of her multi-decade run as a drag queen, Vine said sheā€™s most proud of the longevity of her career. There are a few people who have been in it as long as she has ā€” Lady Bunny and Miss Coco Peru, for example. Few others have made it as long as Vine, she said.  

She stresses that she canā€™t take credit for creating things, but she takes pride in being one of the first drag queens to go viral on YouTube in the 2000s. Her ā€œBad Romanceā€ parody, released in 2009, racked up more than 6 million views over the years. 

In the next few years, sheā€™s looking into doing more television and film projects. Her latest show, ā€œThe Sherry Vine Variety Show,ā€ just wrapped filming its third season. Creating this show is fulfilling a childhood dream of hers, she said. Itā€™s an homage to ā€œThe Carol Burnett Show,ā€ which Vine grew up watching. 

Whether itā€™s performing on camera or onstage, Vine doesnā€™t see herself quitting anytime soon. 

ā€œI love performing and drag as much now as I did 33 years ago,ā€ Vine said. ā€œSo I don’t see ever stopping.ā€

To get details on how to buy tickets to ā€œSmoke and Mirrors,ā€ visit woollymammoth.net/productions/sherry-vine.

(Image courtesy of Sherry Vine)
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Girls Rock! DC empowers young people through music, social justice education

Organization founded in October 2007

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Youth leaders of Girls Rock DC! (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Girls Rock! DC, an organization operating at the intersection of art and activism, is dedicated to empowering young people through music and social justice education. 

Since its founding in October 2007; Girls Rock! DC has been creating a supportive, inclusive and equitable space that centers around girls and nonbinary youth, with a special emphasis on uplifting Black and Brown youth. At the core of Girls Rock! DC’s mission is a unique approach to music education, viewing it through a social justice and equity lens. 

“It’s a place where people can come explore their interest in music in a safe environment, figure out their own voice, and have a platform to say it,” Board Vice Chair Nicole Savage said.

This approach allows D.C.’s young people to build a sense of community and explore their passion for social change through after-school programs, workshops and camps.

The organization’s roots trace back to the first rock camp for girls in August 2001 in Portland, Ore. Similar camps have emerged worldwide since then, forming the International Girls Rock Camp Alliance. Girls Rock! DC is a member of this alliance, contributing to the larger community’s growth and advocacy for inclusivity in the music industry.

Girls Rock! DC’s annual programs now serve more than 100 young people and 20 adults, offering after-school programs and camps. Participants receive instruction on the electric guitar, the electric bass, keyboards, drum kits and other instruments or on a microphone and form bands to write and perform their own original songs. Beyond music, the program includes workshops on underrepresented histories in the music industry, community injustice issues and empowerment topics that include running for office and body positivity.

“I’ve been playing shows in the D.C. music scene for about six years, and I feel like Girls Rock! DC is the perfect amalgamation of everything that I stand for,ā€ said Outreach Associate Lily MĆ³nico. ā€œSo many music spaces are male dominated and I think there is a need for queer femme youth in music.ā€

Lily MĆ³nico (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident not only in its leadership but also in the way it creates a safe space for queer and nonbinary individuals. Language is a crucial component, and Girls Rock! DC ensures that both campers and volunteers embrace inclusivity. 

“It is a very open and creative space, where there’s no judgment,” Zadyn Higgins, one of the youth leaders, emphasized. “It is the first time for a lot of us, to be in a space where we’re truly able to be ourselves.”

In creating a safe environment, Girls Rock! DC implements practices that include name tags with preferred names and pronouns, along with pronoun banners that help kids understand and respect diverse identities. 

“It’s really cool to watch these kids understand and just immediately get it,” said Higgins.Ā 

Zadyn Higgins (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Girls Rock! DC is also more than a music education organization; it’s a community where individuals can embark on a transformative journey that extends beyond their initial participation as campers. Many start their Girls Rock! DC experience as enthusiastic campers, learning to play instruments, forming bands and expressing their creativity in a supportive environment. The organization’s impact, however, doesn’t stop there. This inspiration leads them to volunteer and intern within the organization. 

The unique progression from camper to volunteer or intern, and eventually to a full-fledged role within the organization, exemplifies Girls Rock! DC as a place where growth is not confined to a single week of camp but extends into an ongoing, impactful journey. It’s a testament to the organization’s commitment to nurturing talent, empowering individuals and fostering a lifelong connection with the values for which Girls Rock! DC stands.

One of the highlights of Girls Rock! DC is its summer camp, where kids between 8-18 learn to play instruments, form bands, write songs and perform in just one week. Higgins shared a poignant moment from a showcase,

“To see them go from, like, crying a little bit about how scared they were to going out on the stage and performing their little hearts out was so sweet,” said Higgins.

(Photo courtesy of Frankie Amitrano of Girls Rock! D.C.)

Nzali Mwanza-Shannon, another youth leader, agreed that the camp is the highlight of the program. 

“The summer camp, I’ve met so many friends, and it’s always kind of scary coming up to the end, but after we get to perform and everything, I’m so grateful that I’ve gotten the opportunity to perform and meet new people and be so creative and do it all in a week,” said Mwanza-Shannon.

Forty-three young people who showcased their original songs and DJ sets at D.C.ā€™s legendary 9:30 Club attended the first Girls Rock! DC camp in 2007. They performed to a crowd of 700 enthusiastic fans. The organization since then has grown exponentially, with each passing year bringing more energy, vibrancy and fun to the camp experience.

Since the pandemic, however, the organization has struggled financially, experiencing a funding shortage as well as reduced growth in attracting new members. 

Augusta Smith, who is a youth leader and a member of the band Petrichor, expressed concern about the potential impact on the unique and friendly environment that Girls Rock! DC provides. 

“We’ve kind of been really slow and barely making enough money. And this year, we’re having a funding shortage,ā€ said Smith. 

The impact of Girls Rock! DC extends beyond musical skills, fostering leadership, self-expression and a passion for social change through creative collaboration and community power-building. Mwanza-Shannon hopes to be a part of Girls Rock! DC for a long time, 

“I want to keep on meeting new people,ā€ said Mwanza-Shannon. ā€œI want to keep on being able to perform at these different places and have different experiences.”

(Photo courtesy of Frankie Amitrano of Girls Rock! DC)
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