You know Peter Tatchell. He’s the man that has consistently campaigned for LGBT rights since the 1980s. He has attempted a citizen’s arrest on Robert Mugabe. He is a key figure of the radical gay-rights non-violent direct action group OutRage! He is someone that even the Daily Mail recognises as ‘an example to us all.’
But what about the Peter Tatchell that is a fan of Tinie Tempah and ‘loves’ Chris Brown’s music? Or the Peter Tatchell that partied at Heaven in the 80s? We don’t hear much about him. I sat down to find out more about the man that listens to Whitney Houston and considers both Madonna and Britney to be in his ‘good books.’
We also discussed how he believed Whitney was having a relationship with her best friend Robyn, the times he has feared for his life and how he wouldn’t be surprised if Louis Smith eventually came out.
Peter, you’ve accomplished so much already and been in some pretty precarious situations. What has been the scariest moment of your life so far? Well there have been two. One was being beaten by Robert Mugabe’s bodyguards in Brussels in 2001. The second was being badly beaten by neo-nazis in Moscow in 2007. During both attacks I thought ‘Am I going to make it out alive?’ It was terrifying. Those two attacks have left me with minor brain and eye injuries. I have got problems with my co-ordination, balance, concentration and memory. Plus the sight in my right eye has been quite severely damaged. It doesn’t stop me campaigning or living my life but I am slower. It’s more of a struggle than it used to be. But I count myself lucky compared to LGBT activists in Iran, Russia or Zimbabwe. They are at risk of being arrested, tortured, jailed and perhaps even killed.
What’s sexier than one hot, scruffy, hipster bear cub? Two hot, scruffy, hipster bear cubs. Who are in a relationship together. And did we mention they’re Irish?!
Yes, Adrian+Shane have been taking artsy photos of their life together since 1998 of which you can see more of at the below links…
Now let’s see what secrets they’ve picked up over the years.
Which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle did you want to be? Adrian: I was never a fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I wouldn’t like to live in the sewers. Shane: I didn’t really watch the TMNT but I did want to be He-Man, mainly for the harness and boots … and he rode a big cat.
What’s your favourite Diana Ross lyric? Adrian: “Every time you touch me, I become a hero” from ‘When You Tell Me That You Love Me’. I was a teenager when this came out. One night, I got very drunk at a teenage disco and was dancing to this song on top of a table, grabbing my crotch, when suddenly a bouncer shone a flashlight in my face and next thing I knew I was getting my coat. It was the first and only time I’ve ever been chucked out of a club. The shame of it all. Shane: “I’m in the middle of a chain reaction, You give me all the after midnight action.” Probably because I was an innocent 9 year old gay child singing about having sex …
It’s our first date. Where are we going? Adrian: Yikes. Let’s go to Tokyo and visit a cat cafe. We can drink coffee and fondle pussy. So much fun. And Tokyo is the coolest city in the world. Shane: It’s you, me and Anna Wintour in the front row of Tom Fords new A/W 2013 collection and we’re eating pot noodle … and Anna’s just dropped some acid in hers cos’ you know she’s mad like that … and then Tom comes out to take a bow and he spots me and asks me to leave with him … and I go … Thats an amazing first date … you’ll be talking about that for years … You’re welcome.
Which group were you in at High School? Adrian: I hated sports so I definitely wasn’t a jock. I hated school. I spent most of the time daydreaming and fantasising about being anywhere else. Shane: Probably girls who eat their feelings. I loved carbs … mashed potato in white bread sandwiches … for real.
If you got arrested for stalking anyone who would it most likely be? Adrian: Maybe Geri Halliwell. Anytime I’ve seen her I make a show of myself… Shane: I’m far too lazy to stalk but I’d probably stalk Tom Ford…and let him do anything to me…ANYTHING TOM!!!!
Who is your favourite supermodel? Adrian: There’s something about Linda Evangelista. I loved her in the Isaac Mizrahi documentary “Unzipped”. She seems like such a spoilt bitch. Funny though. Shane: Naomi Campbell, “babywoman”, Love and Tears, throwing mobiles at servants … she has got it all quite frankly.
What is the most expensive item of clothing in your wardrobe? Adrian: Mmmmmm, I’m not really into spending loads of money on clothes. Having said that, I recently splashed out on a Karl Lagerfeld jumper/sweater. Shane: A pair of Puma Black Label boots by Mihara Yasuhiro.
Which song do you wish you could hear again for the first time? Adrian: ‘Hung Up’ by Madonna is such a great track. It just blew me away when it first came out. Amazing on so many levels. Shane: ‘Scream and Shout’ by Will.I.AM and Britney … just for the shock value of Britney’s accent. We have started a petition for her to do an entire album of her singing in different accents, it would be so amazing.
Would you sleep with Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock (Alec Baldwin)? Adrian: Erm, no. Maybe if he was 30 years younger. Shane: Yes, he’s incredibly charming, beautiful eyes, funny … and hairy.
Finally, tell us a secret… Adrian: I’ve never been inappropriately touched by a catholic priest. Shane: I once peed at a urinal next to Will Young at Horse Meat Disco and I didn’t look … I’m a gentleman … a stupid, stupid gentleman.
Lady Gaga may have been Born This Way, but Madonna was Born To Be A Dancer and more in these freshly dug up clips from 1979. Enjoy. My favourite is Roll Over It.
The self-proclaimed ‘biggest disco queens of the XXL Century’, Hard Ton are a Venetian duo comprised of Max, on vocals, and DJ Wawashi, on the decks. The pair met in 2008, immediately bonded over their love of Giorgio Moroder, Chicago House and Heavy Metal and together, have been making sweet disco goodness ever since.
And although he may be lacking hair on top, we delve into Max’s delicious beard below and see what secrets he’s hiding with our new brand new set of questions.
Oh, and next Thursday Hard Ton play London’s ICA as part of ICY Gays alongside some of the city’s other hunty queens including Trixie Bellair and Jonny Woo. We’ll see you down the front…
From Gilbert & George to John Waters, Wolfgang Tillmans has shot some pretty iconic photos over the years. I caught up with him to discuss his work in Butt magazine - the one that started the “whole hairy naked men as art” scene and also Madonna who “pretended to know who [he] was.’
So what was the original idea behind Butt? Well the good thing about the gay community is that it’s become so acceptable over the last ten years. But now it’s become a bit too mainstream, a bit too normal. There’s more to it than spending money and getting drunk. Butt is like a club magazine for a group of gays and we just interview people we are fascinated by.
Who is the typical Butt reader? There is no typical Butt reader. That is the beauty of the magazine. Butt came out of a mood that different people shared in different countries around the world, that there should be a more adventurous voice for the gay community.
For your exhibitions as a photographer, do you ever finding yourself toning down your work to attract a wider audience? No, in Chicago I had the horniest show ever. I had a three-metre tall man pissing on a chair. It was wild. I had very few complaints.
Do you ever interview people just because you’re attracted to them? Yes, sometimes. But I’m not about to say who! I think you can see in my pictures. Everybody I photograph I love in some way, although obviously I don’t want to sleep with the women, but I still love them.
Who is your favourite celebrity that you have shot? I don’t even like the word ‘celebrity’ because I think the word, by very definition means people who are famous for not doing very much. That said, I did meet Madonna at The Turner Prize. She pretended to know who I was.
What did she say? She asked ‘Are you an artist? I think I’ve heard a lot about you.’
Did you say the same back to her? Haha….no it was only a three-minute encounter.
