Aug. 7, 2002
All publications Front Page Nightspots Blacklines En La Vida Out! Resource Guide Current WCT Issue	King of Queens: Kevin Aviance
	Kevin Aviance performs at at Market Days on the Addison stage Sat., Aug. 10. Later that evening, he performs at Circuit, 3641 N. Halsted and   By Gregg Shapiro   Here is my favorite Kevin Aviance story. A few years ago, when I co-hosted the Friday night queer music show on LesBiGay Radio, I interviewed Kevin, whose album Box of Chocolates had just been released. The interview, which was done via telephone, live on the show, went off without a hitch, and my co-host, a lesbian with a bit of a Southern drawl, also asked Kevin some good and pointed questions. As we were thanking Kevin for being our guest on the show and saying goodbye to him, he thanked us in return, and then said, as his parting shot, "Stay cunty." This, of course, was in reference to his notorious dance club hit, but I think my co-host misunderstood, and said that she would do as he suggested. It was then that I turned to her, with our mics still on, and said, "Dear, I don't think he said, 'Stay country.'" Gregg Shapiro: Your's is the first voice people hear in both the movie and on the soundtrack to the movie Circuit. How did it feel to be associated with both of those projects? Kevin Aviance: To be honest with you, I didn't know the intensity of that project at all, because I had just signed with the label. They got the project right when I was signing to the label. When they were trying to find songs for the album, they said, "Do you want to do this intro for us?" I said I would do the intro and I went in and it was so much fun doing it, because I got to be me. It took me back to when I was doing bitch tracks. I live for that whole "read-y," that attitude, and all that. I don't get to do that much anymore. GS: On the subject of movies, have you done any acting work since Flawless (1999) and Punks (2000)? KA: I have a new movie coming out on DVD this month called Urban Massacre. It's with all these up-and-coming hip-hop artists. I play a transgendered, psychic Jamaican named Miss Leo. I get killed in it. GS: Oh, no! KA: Some people might like it actually (laughs). GS: How did it feel to die on-screen? KA: I was kind of bad at that, but they fixed that all in the editing room. GS: You recently had a No. 1 dance single on the Billboard charts with the song "Alive," which you co-wrote with Tony Moran and others. How did it feel to have yet another No. 1 dance single? KA: Blessed. At the time, I was going through some bad times with my last record label. For this song to come out of nowhere and for this whole group of people to cultivate this record and then Sept. 11 happened, I guess it's my message for the world. Then to get all the accolades for it, was amazing. Once again, it's a case of being in the right place at the right time and having the right song and the right message. GS: I'm glad that you mentioned the new label, because you are currently working with Centaur Music and their Emerge label. Do you feel like you have a good working relationship with the folks at Centaur? KA: I feel like they can hit my market, and that's what's been very important about the whole thing. With my last record label, we got to a market that wasn't directional. The fact of the matter is that my audience is predominantly gay. A lot of times it was hard for them to get the songs and the records unless they heard it in the stores and stuff. The Internet helped out a lot, but you still want to sell your product. GS: The previous label had no idea how to market it? KA: They were basically a house label and they really didn't have a gay direction. They just did songs. When you're someone like me, you need to penetrate the audience. That's what Centaur did. They penetrated the audience and got my audience the music. We concentrated on them. The fact is that I can work for the rest of my life because my gay audience loves me. That's more than what most artists have, so I need to embrace that and enjoy that. GS: I think the feeling is mutual there. KA: It is. GS: You have a new CD, called Entity, which is scheduled for release early next year. What can you tell me about it? KA: With this album, I'm really taking a lot from our lifestyle as gay men, not trying to fit into a mold to where it goes pop. I have a story to tell. I've lost a lot of friends and I've been through a lot of drama. I've also had a lot of fun. We lead glamorous lives. We're kings. Not many people get to act like that. Why can't I talk about it? Why can't I tell people about what I'm feeling? Why can't I tell my emotions, my drama, and my story, through music and through song? That's what music is for...to make it into a universal language for everyone to understand. As long as the beat's good and the melody is fine, the actual message will come later when they read the words. GS: Are they all original songs on the album or will there be any covers? KA: There is going to be one cover. GS: What's the cover? KA: I can't talk to you about it, darling. If you know me, you know the cover. That's all I have to say. There are three songs that I love performing, and this is one of those songs. GS: You have an upcoming appearance Chicago, to perform during Northalsted Market Days. What are you most looking forward to about being in Chicago? KA: We totally redid the whole show because we've been on tour for the last three or four months, doing the same thing in every city. With the last five parties that I'm doing at the end of the tour, we've revamped everything...the costumes, added more dancers, changed all the music. I really want (it to be) uplifting. I don't want to go through any drama. To make sure that you're on, you have to make sure that you do the right songs. With the circuit people, you have to make sure and keep them up. They are not having anybody bring them down. I've learned that from this tour. In Chicago, I really want to make sure that I'm on, that I give it to them, and I want to hear them wanting more. GS: I'm glad that you mentioned the tour. Did you get to go anywhere that you've never been before? KA: I just got back from Tel Aviv. I've been there before, but I got to be there during the war. That was interesting. I had a beautiful trip there. I go to Europe a lot, and to Japan. I travel extensively when it comes to foreign countries. I did California this time around. It's a whole other world over there. GS: How do you feel about the demise of Wigstock? KA: I don't think it should have ended. I really think they should have found a way to keep it. A lot of girls depended on that show to book themselves for the rest of the year. I think they could have maybe made it smaller, made it more of a closed in event. It is a New York staple. There's always a new queen and a new promoter and a new act and a new something. There's always somebody doing something new in this city; that's the beautiful thing about it. It might take two or three years or 10 years, but there's always going to be another queen waiting to give it to the kids to allow them to perform again. The girls will never stop working here, honey.	Kevin Aviance
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