How untimely. Jinx Titanic makes his grand return to the Chicago stage—his first in two years—just to bid his fans adieu. Not only does the Fri., April 4, Flesh Hungry Dog Show at Jackhammer, 6406 N. Clark, mark the three-year anniversary for the LGBTA music showcase, but it will be Titanic's farewell concert. Titanic is planning on performing his solo work from Stuporstardom! as well as rocking out with a reunited Super 8 Cum Shot.
It has not quite been six years since Chicago's premier queer punk band formed. Facing a constant change in line-up, only the devilishly handsome frontman and drummer Posey Parker remained throughout the outfit's legacy.
Whether under the name Super 8 Cum Shot or Jinx Titanic, these guys are renowned for their live shows at Pride Fest and Northalsted Market Days. The fast-paced delivery of authentic rock numbers like 'Oh Daddy,' 'Check Your Nuts' and 'Homo Go Home' is not overlooked by stage antics like cock rings and bags of peanuts being tossed into the audience and, of course, the gutting of a watermelon during the set.
Windy City Times caught up with the outspoken Titanic on an early spring afternoon at his Gold Coast home, while we recount the band's history and the consequences of the previous night's decadence.
Titanic still finds himself indebted to WCT Publisher Tracy Baim. He elaborated: 'This band would have never have started without Tracy. In 2002, the Windy City Times sponsored a series of queer music nights at Nevin's Live in Evanston. On our first night, we were on the bill with Ellen Rosner and Dylan Rice.'
Strolling down memory lane, he even finds himself amazed at the feats he has been through. It is quite impressive, considering this is a true DIY venture.
'Finally, I had the rock band I couldn't quite get together while in high school or college,' Titanic said. 'There's something funny about doing this when other people in your age range are buying property in Andersonville or Edgewater.' He continued: 'The first reviewer got it, saying 'This is the kind of fun you should have at a gay bar.''
Titanic will tell you how his music mirrors gay culture, albeit humorously. Look at the narcissism depicted in 'Hollywood Beach' and the true story within 'Happy Fag'. Some of his work even has a gospel feel, reflecting his previous inspirations to be a country or gospel singer. A favorite is 'There's a Porn Star Shining Down On Me' from Booted & Cuffed, a song that definitely has ties to church music. Then there's the rendition of 'Trouble of the World' from last year's Stuporstardom! Mahalia Jackson's version is the standard, where she sings in a deep dirge-like manner. Titanic speeds it up, capturing a modern-day, overly caffeinated chaos.
The rugged rocker returned to the conversation with a chest filled with magazines, porn and clippings. As he opened it, he insisted he is not having a Gloria Swanson moment. Upon going through a stack, including an issue of Tetu, he said, 'France really digs us; I don't know why. Out magazine picked me as one of the top independent artists in the country and now it's all over. We worked really hard and plotted things out. Stuporstardom! is a great peak to exit on. It was recorded with Steve Albini ( Pixies, Nirvana, PJ Harvey ) , one of the best recording engineers of our generation.'
'We had so many things happen that we never believed possible. It was five years of unbridled recklessness. Like a speeding train. So there is no turning back to country. It was crazy, such a fun, great run,' he quipped.
Unfortunately, Super 8 Cum Shot encountered obstacles other than being a queer punk band. Three TV deals fell through, but the frontman shrugged it off: 'Now that I see what is on gay TV, it doesn't upset me at all.'
Stuporstardom! came out last year, but back surgery prevented any live performances to promote this solo bow. It also received mixed reactions from the LGBT press. Titanic added, 'Some say it's homophobic. Well, I fear a community that screams diversity that's not.'
What's next for Mr. Titanic? A clue lies in the Bible sitting out in plain view in his living room. 'I want to create an aggressive ministry that is really an excellent guide book to living well with other people,' he said. 'The supernatural is far too exciting to have some conservatives make the rules on how to live. There is no reason to fear supernatural belief, the cosmic collective or eastern religions. Eventually I would like to moderate a comparative religions show for people with alternative lifestyles. After the concert, I am going to go away to study, form a new band and kick ass all over the mother fucking place in perspective of fighting back.'
He even embraced the oft-forgotten golden rule, saying, 'There are all different kinds of factions. If you want people to respect you, you should respect them. If somebody has been able to find something that gives him or her peace and solace without hurting anybody else, so what? Don't attack all of Christianity because it is abused.'
This should not be such a revelation to fans. Super 8 Cum Shot's eponymous debut has a track called 'Manifesto', on which Titanic warns listeners, 'They will use the words of Jesus and the book to kick you down/ they'll distort science and reason/they will beat you to the ground.'
'Those were fun times, but now I have souls to save. Religious under-currents have always been there. I still believe it 5 years later,' Titanic said. 'After pausing to do some math, a laugh fills the room: 'That's when you gotta stop—when you mix up the years.'
Also slated to perform at the April 4 are the Joans and Bric-a-Brac. Plus there is always a chance that Titanic's farewell show will shadow those of Cher or Ozzy Osbourne, both have had drawn out farewell tours. But Jinx assures me, 'by the way things are going, by saying this is the last Jinx Titanic show, it's the last.'
Read the timeline of Jinx Titanic and Super 8 Cum Shot at www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Jinx-Titanic-Super-8-Cum-Shot-A-Time-Line/17936.html .
