TYLER GLENN OUT AMONG NEON TREES by joel martens
“You are never gonna get Everything you want in this world First things first Get what you deserve”
And I’m still deciding if I’m something else I’m a million different people all the time But there’s only one of me to get it right”
“It began when I learn how to face myself Two different song lyrics from Neon Trees’ Pop Psychology that offer a fair bit of insight into
the man, the band and the changes that have occurred over the last year. In particular, Tyler Glenn’s journey can be heard and witnessed in pretty much every tune off the group’s album. All of which chronicle the struggles of coming to terms with life—its many fragments—just as they are. For Glenn, coming out was a major piece of that story, his acceptance of life, on life’s terms and learning to live authentically as a complete human being. His “out and proud” transformation is enigmatically laid out, particularly in the song “Living in Another World,” if you listen carefully. These are not unfamiliar struggles. Growing up, trying to understand what that even
means, love, pining for things you believe you want and think you need, trying to figure out what’s important, who’s important and how to relate and manage all of those challenges... Maturity and perspective that doesn’t always come easily. Growing up as a Mormon com- plicated the process, partially due to the church’s stance on homosexuality as a “serious transgression,” though Glenn is quick to point out that he still identifies as one. As Neon Trees’ success grew, so did the challenges of managing his feelings and there
were moments when they were on tour that things got out of control. That is what eventu- ally created the impetus for Glenn’s “stepping back.” That and a confrontation with those who cared most about him. He talked about how he’d always known about his sexuality, but wasn’t ready to deal with it publicly, starting in small steps.“The process of coming out was a long one obviously. Once I started doing it with the people I loved and trusted, they showed a lot of excitement for me—and a lot of love back—it made it easier.” Deciding what to do next according to him was much less difficult and he chose to take
the next step in a big way, “The piece that I did in Rolling Stone wasn’t really scary to me because, really, the scariest part had already been done.” Though he said outing himself in the article was easier, when asked what the biggest surprise was about the process he of- fered this, “I guess maybe it was the fact that my mom didn’t know. I thought she totally did, so that was a surprise. Most of my life I thought that she had probably figured it out and was just waiting for me to do it. But she was genuinely surprised—which is interesting.” Most parents tend to see their children as they want to see them, not always as they are, though as he says, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “I think that some figured that they [his parents] must have known. I actually think that in some ways it’s really kind and sweet that they weren’t focused on my sex life. They were actually more involved in all of the other parts and that makes sense to me.”
JUNE 2014 | RAGE monthly 35
(l to r) chris allen, elaine Bradley, tyler glenn and branden campbell. photo credit: andrew-zaeh
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