SPOTLIGHT
Rage: Lilith has become such a huge draw for the lesbian audience.
SM: It’s fantastic. We’re all searching for community. As far
as I’m concerned, one of the greatest successes of Lilith was the sense of community created not only for the artists but also for the people who came to the shows. A lot of women have told me that they felt very safe, comfortable, like they could completely be themselves. I tried to create that sense of community and like-mindedness at Lilith to mirror the way I live my life with charitable elements and treating everyone equally. These days we need that community more than ever. We’re in this A.D.D. age of Twitter, sound bytes and IMs where we’re never actually connecting as human beings.
Rage: No Twitter for you?
SM: No, f#*k, I hate it! I get that it can be a useful tool, but I find
it so annoying that people think the minutiae of their day are going to be exciting, interesting and digested by thousands of other people. I just find it so egotistical.
Rage: Have you ever thought of being in a relationship with a woman after your separation?
SM: Oh, yeah, I gave it plenty of thought. [Laughs] But I’ve
talked to enough of my lesbian friends to know that it’s no bloody easier dating women than it is dating men. It doesn’t bother me the least bit if people think I’m gay because I don’t really label or think of people as gay or straight. But who knows? I might fall in love with a woman. I haven’t yet, but the opportunity hasn’t presented itself. I just love people, and the way I define love has nothing to do with gender. You fall in love with the person and soul behind the face and body.
Rage: That’s so true. What do you think about musical artists coming out publicly?
SM: It’s a personal choice, but it is important to live your life
and be truthful about it. It breaks my heart to know that some people feel like they can’t come out. I applaud anybody who has the audacity and bravery to do it, because it’s not neces- sarily going to be easier. Every time a celebrity comes out, it does soften the blow for people in the world who are scared of it or don’t understand it. It makes them question, “I really like that person, but they’re gay. Does that make me like them or the art they create any less?” But I actually think it’s a lot easier for musicians and actors to come out because we exist in the arts, which is a way more liberal-minded community than another career that might be an old boys club.
Rage: Gay marriage was legalized in Canada in 2005. That must’ve been an exciting time to be a Canadian.
SM: Yeah, it was a pretty huge week when that happened.
And the same thing happened in California, but then it went away again, right?
Rage: Yeah. It’s frustrating for all of us even though my partner and I got married in the window of opportunity.
SM: I know it’s one step forward and two steps back some-
times, but that felt like a big slap in the face. I know it’s religion- based, but I don’t understand how people can still think that way in this day and age. It just seems so asinine to me.
36
RAGE monthly | JUNE 2010
Photography by Raphael Mazzucco
“We’re in this A.D.D. age of
Twitter, sound bytes and IMs where we’re never
actually connecting as human beings.”
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