The Twin

YOU MIGHT SAY THAT 'THE TWIN' IS MY ALTER EGO, AFTER ALL I AM A GEMINI AND I ALWAYS JOKE 'YOU'RE NEVER ALONE WITH A GEMINI EVEN WHEN YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN. THIS IS NOT MY FIRST TIME WORKING UNDER COVER, BACK DURING THE ACID HOUSE DAYS I FORMED 'JESUS LOVES YOU' WHICH WAS MY FIRST ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE THE PRESSURE OF ALWAYS BEING REFERRED TO IN PAST CONTEXT.

HAVING ENJOYED THE TYPE OF SUCCESS I HAD WITH CULTURE CLUB IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BATTLE TO DIVORCE MYSELF FROM THE CONSTRAINTS OF NOSTALGIA. MOVING ON CREATIVELY IS A NATURAL PROCESS FOR ANY CREATIVE PERSON. IN DOING SO PEOPLE WRONGLY ASSUME THAT I AM ASHAMED OF THE PAST. NOT SO, CULTURE CLUB WAS A MAGICAL AND OFTEN TORTUROUS JOURNEY BUT NOT SOMETHING I REGRET. HAVING CREATED SUCH A STRONG PERSONA WHICH CLEARLY STRUCK A CHORD WITH MANY EQUALLY ALIENATED PEOPLE IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT CHANGE DOESN'T SIT COMFORTABLY WITH LOYAL FANS.

THE IRONY IS THAT I NEVER SET OUT TO BECOME THE TYPE OF ARTIST THAT WOULD END UP AS A BEDROOM PIN-UP. THE LAST THING I EXPECTED WAS ADORATION FROM TEDDY BEAR THROWING TEENAGE GIRLS.

I'M NOT KNOCKING IT BECAUSE AT THE TIME IT WAS A NEW AND THRILLING EXPERIENCE THAT HAS ALLOWED ME TO CONTINUE MAKING MUSIC AND DOING THE VERY THING I DREAMED OF AS A BOWIE OBSESSED YOUTH.

THAT'S REALLY WHERE IT ALL STARTED AS A SEXUALLY CONFUSED KID LIVING IN SUBURBIA. I SAW MY FIRST ZIGGY STARDUST CONCERT AT THE TENDER AGE OF THIRTEEN AND IT CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER.

'THE TWIN' WAS FIRST BORN AFTER PLAYING AUSTRALIAN EXHIBISTIONIST, DESIGNER, IMAGE DISTORTER, LEIGH BOWERY IN THE MUSICAL TABOO. I'D GONE THROUGH A FEW YEARS OF DRESSING DOWN (BY MY STANDARDS ANYWAY) THEN SUDDENLY I WAS PRANCING AROUND A WEST END THEATRE STAGE WITH LATEX DRIPPING FROM MY HEAD, A GREEN MARIBO TUTU AND A CORSET DESIGNED TO PROVIDE ME WITH BREASTS THAT WOULD MAKE A HOOKER SALIVATE. IT WAS ONE OF MANY COSTUMES BASED ON BOWERY'S GRAVITY AND LOGIC DEFYING DESIGNS THAT REMINDED ME THAT BEING A FREAK WAS MY CALLING.

AT THE TIME I WAS ACCUSSED OF TRYING TO BE LEIGH WHEN IN ACTUAL FACT I HAD ALREADY BEEN WEARING EVERYTHING INCLUDING THE KITCHEN SINK LONG BEFORE LEIGH LEFT HIS NATIVE AUSTRALIA TO BE PART OF THE LONDON SCENE.

OF COURSE, LEIGH TOOK VISUAL DISTORTION TO A BRAND NEW LEVEL BECAUSE HE USED HIS FASHION TO EXHAGERATE HIS LARGE BODY. IN THIS RESPECT HE WAS THE BRAVEST OF ALL EXHIBITIONISTS.

MY PORTRAYAL OF LEIGH IN TABOO WAS AFFECTIONATE MORE THAN DILLUSIONAL. IF LEIGH AFFEECTED 'THE TWIN' IT WAS MORE TO DO WITH HIS UNCOMPROMISING ATTITUDE TO PERFORMANCE THAN THE SOUND HE CREATED WITH HIS OWN GROUP 'MINTY' WHO PRODUCED THE SEMINAL DANCE TRACK 'USELESS MAN'

ALONG WITH HIS TALENTED WIFE AND FELLOW FREAK NICOLA BOWERY HE WAS AHEAD OF THE GAME BECAUSE HE UPDATED THE EARLY ELECTRO SOUND OF THE LATE SEVENTIES LONG BEFORE IT WAS GIVEN THE CURRENT MONIKER OF 'ELECTROCLASH'.

AROUND THE TIME 'TABOO' THE MUSICAL WAS IN FULL FLOW ANOTHER STALWART OF EARLY GOTH AND ELECTRO JOHNNY SLUT, EX OF 'THE SPECIMEN' HAD OPENED 'NAG, NAG, NAG, NAMED AFTER THE CABERET VOLTAIRE SONG AND EVERY WEDNESDAY A BUNCH OF US WOULD RUSH TO THE CLUB TO JUMP AROUND TO 'SLUT'S ECLETIC MUSICAL MAYHEM.

FIRST THE TIME IN YEARS I WAS INSPIRED BY THE NOISE I WAS HEARING AND STARTED WRITING THE SONGS THAT MAKE UP 'YUM YUM'. MY WRITING PARTNER AND PRODUCER KINKY ROLAND WAS ESSENTIAL IN HELPING TO CREATE HE MUSICAL BACKING TO WHAT I DESCRIBE AS MY 'DARK DIARY'.

OTHER COLABORATERS INCLUDE, KEVAN FROST, RITCHIE STEVENS, BECCA & CHESKA GROVER FROM THE GLAM PUNK COMBO CC3X AND OF COURSE NEW YORK'S FINEST UNAPOLOGETIC DIVAS 'AVE D'.

'YUM YUM' IS A FAR CRY FROM THE NOISE I MADE WITH CULTURE CLUB AND IT'S DOUBTFUL YOU WILL EVER HEAR IT PUMPING OUT OF YOUR LOCAL RADIO STATION. IT IS SEXUALLY CHARGED AND CAUSTIC MUCH MORE QUEER THAN GAY.

THOSE IN THE DANCE SCENE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT ELECTRO IS THE BASTARD CHILD OF HOUSE AND YET SO MANY 'TRENDY' DJS ARE QUICK TO DISMISS IT AS A PASSING FAD. I PROMISE YOU IT'S MORE OF A FAD GADGET.