Island's Aaron Harris: The New Gay Interview

Island's drummer Aaron Harris (2nd from left) has a high tolerance for my gay questions.

The Canadian band Islands had the gall to schedule their DC show last Thursday, right in the middle of the TNG "Party Etiquette" Party. Damn them! I missed out on their mix of smiley pop and morbid theatricality, but those that made it to the show had nothing but accolades. Luckily, I caught up with their gay drummer, Aaron Harris, at the Black Cat before the show. And to everyone who did go see Islands last week — Congratulations, you found the only acceptable reason to miss a TNG party.


The New Gay: I don't know if you had a chance to look at the website at all, but The New Gay is trying to build communities within the larger gay community. Similarly, is there some kind of gay community of rock musicians?

Aaron Harris: There's not a visible scene, but some of the clubs that I've been to in Montreal or even in the Lower East Side there's definitely gay indie rockers and I think its a safe scene for us. And I know quite a few gay drummers, which is weird.They're around, but its not like a tight-knit family. I would like it to be like that, I think it would be really cool, but it's not.


TNG: Would people be surprised at how many bands actually do have gay members?

AH: I think they would. If you're not an Elton John or kd lang, no one's gonna guess anything. Especially if you're part of a band and not just a solo artist. I was surprised when I first joined Islands and went to do festivals and meet-and-greets and you meet other bands and find people who are gay, it's always really nice. There's way more than one would think

TNG: What do you think it would mean to some closeted fifteen year-old to know that every band could have gay members, instead of just the over-the-top, Carson Kressley's of the music world?

AH: I think that over-the-top the top gay people are definitely important in a visibility sense, but I think it's always a positive thing to have one of your idols turn out to be gay. Or just someone who doesn't have to be so visible or make it there total thing, and still successful and happy and safe in the scene.

TNG: Was there any kind of coming out you had to do to the rest of the band?

AH: I joined the band because I was friends with Nick [Thorburn, the lead singer's] girlfriend, and they both knew I was gay. A few other people in the band didn't really know. It wasn't like I was afraid and didn't want to tell them, but for anyone, no matter how comfortable they are with their homosexuality, there's always this "Should I tell you I'm gay or not?" You have to judge some of the characters in the band, but it wasn't really a problem. No big coming out thing, just "I'm here, I'm queer, get used to it."And they have.

TNG: I've also been having perverse fun all day thinking of possible homophobic rock stars. Like I'm picturing you backstage at some awards show with The Black Crows bullying you. Have you had any trouble from other bands?

AH: My first reaction is to believe all these metal/punk bands are [homophobes,], but I think most of them are nice guys. Maybe some rappers, but Islands plays with rappers, and all the ones we've toured with have been totally cool with it. There's not a lot that aren't, but if they aren't fuck 'em.

TNG: Something else cool about your bands is that you've got a couple members who aren't white. People tend to think that indie rock is just this white person genre. Do you hear feedback about this?

AH: I don't think we think about it it in terms of "How can we play up the multicultural aspect" but its definitely a draw, I think people notice it and for whatever reason it makes us a cooler band. When I take a step back I think it's really rad. We have an African guy, we have two Asians, we all just hang out, we're all just bros. It's cool.

TNG: Have you ever dated any other musicians?

AH: No, that's my day dream.

TNG: Have you slept with any?

AH: Umm...I don't think I slept with any of them. I've made out and slept with people who do A&R at Warner Brothers, but my dream is to be the indie "it" gay couple, and I'm not gonna tell you with who.

TNG: Oh, come on...

AH: I'll tell you its a band that sounds similar to us and... [Ed. Note: At this point, Aaron gives me a very obvious hint. It is, unfortunately, off the record.]

TNG: Do you ever hook up with groupies?

AH: I get approached mostly by girls, and I think it goes back to the visibility thing.Girls will talk to me and I'll pass them off to someone else in the band while I go lie on the couch. But no, even if I was approached I'd still feel weird about it.

TNG: It sound too easy.

AH: It is, and it's empty. But then the gay part of you takes over and you think OK, sure.

TNG: Do you have any crazy tour stories?

AH: The most crazy one is when we played in SUNY Purchase, it was the craziest college show. The student union is just this warehouse with graffitit everywhere, and everyone was druk because finals were over. The girls were taking their shirts off and this 350 pound guy got naked, he was spread eagle on the stage and people were coming up and dancing whenever they wanted. They had a roller skating party after. It was insane.

TNG: That confirms everyones vision of what an upstate New York college is like.

AH: Definitely. I was suprpsed at how crazy it was, but i felt like that was going to happen.

TNG: Your current album, "Arms Way," is way darker than your first, "Return to the Sea." Did something change with Nick? Did he get tired of writing sunny music?

AH: I think he wanted to write the perfect pop song and have this perfect pop record. Originally all the songs we played that were new were really poppy, and the same genre as "Return to the Sea", but I think the songs got darker. Not because anything negative happened, I think they just naturally evolved. Even thought he subject matter is dark, , the songs are really enjoyable to listen to, I don't think its a really depressing album.

TNG: What's with all the murder on songs like "Creeper?"

AH: It's Nick's favorite subject to write about, and I can dig it. I enjoy the aesthetic, the Spattered blood.

TNG: Islands were formed by members of The Unicorns, a band that a lot of people loved. Do you find it hard to shake the shadow The Unicorns?

AH: People have this cult obsession with the Unicorns, and especially in reading the reviews of "Arms Way." All the positive ones are great, but all the negative ones I find they don't really give a reason aside from the fact that it doesn't sound like The Unicorns. People are really hung up on it. It doesn't bother me as much as Nick, I wasn't in the band. It's still something I have to deal with, but its getting less and less as we come into our own. TNG