Out jazz singer Spencer Day will be performing his signature brand of music at the Mayne Stage Oct. 4.
He has released four albums: Introducing Spencer Day, Movie of Your Life, Vagabond and The Mystery of You.
He spoke with Windy City Times about his life, career and what people can expect at his upcoming show.
Windy City Times: How did your early years in Utah and Arizona inform your future career as a musician?
Spencer Day: I think my lack of access to culture growing up is what created my musical sensibilities. My Utah town was very G-rated and there was only one video store that had limited options so I watched all the MGM musicals they had. I think because I grew up Mormon, musicals and classic movies were considered wholesome forms of entertainment so we were given free rein to explore those things. In retrospect, there are a lot of adult themes in classic movies and musicals but as a kid it was a way to experience something other than church music. There wasn't much going on in Layton, Utah.
My parents had an unhealthy and unhappy marriage and they eventually divorced. I was already dealing with clinical depression at the age of 9 and my parent's divorce affected me the most. I was sent away to live with my grandparents for a couple of years and then my mom and siblings joined me in Arizona. I'm very close to my mom and my siblings but I am not in contact with my father. I am really happy to report that I just keep getting happier and happier and that is a great thing especially considering I got off to a pretty rocky start.
I had a tough childhood [in Utah and Arizona] because I was artsy and didn't fit in. Once again being an outsider can be a really good thing for an artist's creativity.
WCT: What it was like coming out to your Mormon family?
Spencer Day: As it is with most families not everyone was entirely surprised by my coming out. My mom actually asked me when I was 21 because I was living with a lot of shame and guilt and then said if you are it's alright I just don't want you to get sick or be alone. Then she started crying and it was really sweet. I think her fears weren't about me being gay, she was afraid that I would be alone and unhappy. It's been great for her to meet my friends who are gay and living happy and fulfilling lives. She's been a staunch supporter of mine and an advocate for the church changing their policy around LGBT issues. I think I've also helped my siblings think differently about the LGBT community.
WCT: You've said that music and movies were used as a means of escape. Which musicians and movies provided the greatest influences on your career?
Spencer Day: Any movie that was about escaping to somewhere else, like Oklahoma, South Pacific and Singing in the Rain; I was more interested in the role that music played in those movies.
Julie London, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra were early influences. Chet Baker and Jeff Buckley are the men who've influenced me more recently.
WCT: Your music has been described as a mix of jazz, folk and contemporary styles. Why did you decide on those styles of music?
Spencer Day: I was asked to be in a boy band when I was around 20 years old and I didn't do it because it wouldn't ring true. People can sense authenticity on you and it wouldn't have been an authentic career move.
WCT: Tell me about your early days performing in piano bars and retirement homes.
Spencer Day: They were the first places who would pay me. I started playing in Palm Springs and I met a number of Hollywood veterans like Anne Miller, Betty Hutton and Carol Channing. I was surrounded by all of these older supportive creative people and I think they saw a talent in me even when I didn't. They would bring in sheet music and say check this out and that helped me explore great songwriters.
WCT: As an out musician, do you see yourself as a role model for other aspiring singers who are LGBT?
Spencer Day: I would like to be remembered less as a role model for the LGBT community and more of a role model for someone who wants to live their life in a positive, honest and authentic way and me being out is just a part of that. That is the biggest form of activism a person can do.
I've been so moved when I've had mom's come up to me and say I have a gay son who loves your music and I'm so happy you are there. There is something revolutionary to living your life openly and kindly.
WCT: Tell me about performing at a number of non-profit events, especially the ones focused on LGBT and HIV/AIDS activism?
Spencer Day: I have several friends living with HIV so the issue is very close to my heart. I've performed for a number of HIV/AIDS organizations, the Trevor Project, and HRC. If I have the night free and I can be singing to help raise money for a cause I believe in I would rather be doing that than staying home and playing Wii.
WCT: How would you describe your newest album, The Mystery of You?
Spencer Day: I wanted to chronicle all of the stages of a relationship I had and sound-wise I wanted to pull from the Dusty Springfield era of music that I really loved.
WCT: Who are your role models/inspirations in the music industry and have you met any of them?
Spencer Day: Rufus Wainwright and k.d. lang are two artists who are uncompromising with what they do and how they live their lives as openly gay artists. k.d., Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe have inspired me more than traditional male crooners.
My biggest role models are my family and two gay dads that I met while living in San Francisco who are now my godfathers.
WCT: Do you have any funny or interesting stories to share with our readers?
Spencer Day: I did a gig in Brazil with a friend and really wanted to try to communicate with the audience in Portuguese because think it's a nice gesture in a foreign country. I meant to say "It's great to be here this time of year" and instead I said, " It's great to be here in your anus!" I couldn't figure out what I had said that was so funny until afterwards, but it made for a pretty great story.
WCT: What should people expect when they come to your show at the Mayne Stage on Oct. 4?
Spencer Day: This is a new show for me. I'm stringing together some of my original songs as well as covers with a narrative about my life and how music became my vocation and passion.
WCT: Is there anything else you would like to tell the readers of WCT?
Spencer Day: I'm excited to share some new songs with everyone and make some new friends. I hear nothing but great things about Chicago and I'm excited to get to explore it a little more.
See www.spencerday.com for more information.
Day will be performing at the Mayne Stage, 1328 W. Morse Ave., on Friday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.maynestage.com/spencer-day.aspx .
