Soul Man: An Interview with Ari Gold

Ari Gold is hot. And his new album is cool. Ya dig?

NYC-based pop/R&B singer Ari Gold is no stranger to most of us gays. The out-and-proud performer has been working hard for years, getting his upbeat soulful tunes out to the masses the hard way—by performing in nightclubs and Pride events and always showing up to lend his support and killer talents for good gay causes.

Right now, he’s got a really personal cause he’s pushing: His new album, Transport Systems, which you can listen to, as it's now streaming on LogoOnline, and which you can order from his own website, AriGold.com. The animated video for his new single, “Where the Music Takes You” is currently playing on Logo as well (where his video for “Wave of You” was voted among the top three Ultimate Sexy Videos of all time, besting the likes of Xtina, Janet, Britney and Kylie, even!).

Transport Systems becomes officially available tomorrow (on Oct. 2nd), so now seems like a good time to chat up the foxy performer about his new musical product, his dedication to tackling tough queer-relevant topics in his tunes, and how his family feels about their big gay pop star son. And yes, we get a little dish about Diana Ross, Beyonce and emo-rocker Chris Carabba, too.

Read the full-on Q&A with Gold after the jump. And watch “Where the Music Takes You” right here...

The entire new album, Transport Systems, is put together really well. It's impressive!
Thank you.

I noticed from the lyrics and subject matter of the tunes, that you’re being a lot more direct about sex and sexuality and love on these songs on this record, aren’t you?
One thing that I’ve got attention for early on—because my first album came out in 2000—was that I simply used male pronouns on my album, when I was singing about love. It’s funny, when I think back to that album, it’s like I’m a baby, my ideas about love back then... But I’ve always written from my experience, always. And that’s why I wrote about gay stuff and men... Though one of the first, earliest songs I wrote was called “Experienced Girl,” which was about the fact that I was dating this older girlfriend who had a reputation for being a slut. Of course, she’s now a lesbian, by the way. And I sang at her traditional Jewish lesbian wedding... [Laughs.]

But once I came out, I had to write about my experience and about being a gay man. My last album had some really personal stuff on it, too. So it’s not just now. But that’s always my goal, to be as specific as possible. I appreciate writers who write more poetically or use metaphors well—and it’s not that I ever do that—but I tend to just like to say what I mean.

Which leads me to “Ride to Heaven” in which you sing: “Show me your big stick shift / I’d like to take a test drive.” And then there’s the line “And if it’s in an old school Cadillac / You know I like it like that (right here in the back)”... You’re talking about butt sex! Has anyone ever done that in a song before?
Hmmm... Maybe Jimmy Somerville? I assumed he must have talked about butt sex. You know, I think I did used to want to use more double entendre about stuff, but I let go of that...

And in the song “Mr. Mistress,” where you’re saying “I won’t be your Mr. Mistress,” I thought you’re equating yourself with the female which, strangely, is so often a no-no in gay male culture--in that sometimes gay men feel the need to be very aggressively masculine, or buff and “manly.”
Well, I feel that that song does come out of the tradition of the female empowerment song. You know, that sort of “You ain’t done me right, so I’m going to leave you.”

Which is a classic theme, from “I Will Survive” to “Irreplaceable.”
But it’s interesting, it is feminine. And it’s powerful. Which is something that gay men are attracted to. And I am a feminist! [laughs]

There are so many issues going on on this record: There are trans issues discussed, drug issues... You’re addressing lots of important stuff within this fun, pop/groovy context.
That’s because I’ve always loved pop music, and music on the radio. But gay men, we’ve always had to insert or interpret ourselves into that genre, as opposed to having something that’s actually speaking directly to us.

Speaking of “Mr. Mistress...” Have you ever dated a married man? Have you been the mistress?
[Laughs.] The song does come from my personal experience... It’s kind of an amalgamation of a bunch of different relationships that I’ve had. But yeah... Especially, if there are children involved, you just don’t really want to get involved in all that, until that guy gets his life in order. Gay men spend so much time—or most of us, not all of us—spend so much energy coming out of the closet, and learning to accept ourselves, so why would you put yourself back into a situation where you had to shroud yourself in secrecy again, for someone else.

How did jazz sax legend Dave Koz come to be on the record?
Well, he came out on the cover of The Advocate, and I read that interview. And he’s legendary; he’s been signed to Capitol Records for 20 years. I thought that it was cool in a genre—jazz—that’s not known to be very tolerant of gay artists. It’s a pretty conservative genre. And I love his unabashed love for smooth jazz, which totally gets a bad rap. Critics lambast it, but there are some incredible musicians who play within that genre! People like Sade and Anita Baker—they’re smooth jazz artists.

I thought it would be so cool for us to make music together. And then we met at a gay wedding in L.A., and we bonded and then I basically hounded him for a year via email to play on the record. And I kept pushing, and finally we were both in L.A. at the same time, and he called up and said, “Okay, I’m bringing my saxophone. Let’s bang it out!” And we did. And he told me he was really glad that I was such a pushy Jew about the whole thing... [Laughs.] And he’s a Jew, too; so he can say that.

And I cried when he played it. It was one of those things where you have the vision and you actually get to see it through, and that doesn’t happen all the time.

And Diana Ross... As a teenager, you sang backup on “Swept Away.” What was that like?
The long version of the story is that my dad got a call from my agent to do it, and I was in yeshiva, and he told my agent that it was going to take me an hour or more to get to the studio. And they told my dad, “That’s going to take too long. Forget it.” And I guess my dad had the number of the recording studio—and now I can’t believe this really happened, but I remember it—he called the studio and was like, “Hello. Who am I speaking with?” And the person is like, “This is Diana.” Which is weird that she would pick up the phone. So he says, “My son just got the call but I have to pick him up for school first, but he really wants to do it...” So she was like, “Yeah—bring him by! Don’t worry.” So we came to the studio—and I think I was about 13, my voice hadn’t changed yet; I hadn’t reached puberty.

But Diana Ross would make you a man...
Right? And we get to the studio, and all of her daughters were there singing; it was for the song, “We Are the Children.” And she was so sweet. And she sat us all in a circle on the floor, and she just talked to us all... And she was telling us about all the music she was listening to at the time, but she had kids of her own, so she was talking “kid culture.” And she told us that her favorite song at the moment, the song she wanted to cover, was the song on the Cabbage Patch Kids record. And that was my solo! So where does a budding gay pop star go from there, after Diana Ross tells you she wants to cover your song!

And what did she look like?
She just had her long, big hair. I don’t remember the exact clothes—I guess I’m not that gay... [Laughs.]

And how does your family respond to your music?
My parents are still orthodox. They’re very supportive, and it’s been a total journey as far as their acceptance of me being gay. It was much more difficult for them to accept me being not religious anymore. That was a much bigger issue, though I think that that is sort of a way to talk about their discomfort with the gay thing, but.... But if I’m performing, even at a place like The Cock, they will be there.

Have your parents ever really been to The Cock? I mean, Splash maybe, but The Cock?
Definitely Splash. I mean, if I told them to come they’d be there... That’s what I’m saying. It’s a funny thing. I’ve been in show business my whole life, but I’ve also been in yeshiva and orthodox my whole life. So it’s weird duality, and it continues to exist in my parents. Especially with this record, they’ve been very supportive of me. They listen to this record in their car!

Somebody asked me, with all the strong sentiments on this record—and I talk about my parents on the record, too—“Do you get scared of how people will react?” And I don’t get scared of people in general, but I do sometimes think “God, my parents are going to hear this lyric...”

Are you scared they’re going to hear sexually graphic stuff, or they’re going to hear lyrics about them?
Both! When we’re in the car and they’re listening and I’m singing “show me your big stick shift,” I’m like... [laughs] But they don’t care. It’s very odd. They’re very sweet.

And where do they live?
Here, in New York.

What’s been your favorite song this year?
The other day I was still listening to “Golden” by Jill Scott, but that’s like two years old. I like the song called, “Ghetto” on Kelly Rowland’s album. That’s what I’ve been listening to non-stop. And you know, people hated on it, and it was underrated, but I thought that “Deja Vu” by Beyonce was a great song. But that was a while back, too.

Did you see her at Madison Square Garden?
Yes, she’s incredible. What I said after the show is that it’s just further proof that Beyonce is a computer-generated pop star. She’s just not real, because she’s just perfect. She’s completely gorgeous, she can sing her ass off, she can perform. Her features are perfect, and she’s still got legit street cred, too.

And, from that concert, I’ve heard she’s like a workhorse. She sang everything and danced her ass off... And just kept going and going.
Yes, look at what happened in that video when she fell. She just got right back up and kept on. And that was a hard fall... But she just picked herself up, and made it work!

What pop star would you wanna shag?
You know, who’s really hot? That guy from Dashboard Confessional.

Chris Carraba...
He’s hot. I’m not about chasing after straight men, but he is hot.

And what about Playgirl? Weren’t you going to be showing some skin in those pages?
No, that’s not happening. But I did do Fox News, which was interesting.

Was it a news piece on gay musicians, or just about your music or...?
It was just about the album, but the reporter did ask me about crystal meth and the gay community. But she was cool, her questions weren’t offensive. But I was conscious of the fact that “I’m talking to Fox News here...” so I wanted to make sure that she knew that crystal meth didn’t only affect the gay community and we’re not all on crystal meth. But I have a song about addiction, so it was cool. So, yes, I’ve been doing more mainstream press, stuff.

And the video’s been playing on Logo. It’s all animated and stuff!
Yeah, Joe Phillips did the artwork. It’s really weird... It’s very surreal and futuristic. And I wanted a gay kiss in there, so there’s a gay cartoon kiss in there. Did you ever watch that show Jem and the Holograms?

Umm, no. I’m too old. But I know people who did.
Right, and I did a voice on the show, but I was a big fan of the show even before that, and one of the things I always loved was that she had this hot cartoon boyfriend on the show, and they used to kiss. And it would turn me on to see the cartoons kiss. [Laughs.] So I wanted to make sure my video had a gay cartoon kiss.

And what is your relationship status right now?
I’m single. Newly. Well, it’s been nine months actually... Can you find me a good one, John? [Laughs.] You can be my yenta.

Finally... There’s the song “Good Relationship” on the record. What’s the secret to a good relationship? What do you think makes for a good relationship?
God, if I had the answer, I’d be in one. I’m really proud of that song, because in it I say some things that are pretty harsh... Like the line, “Sometimes I feel more love in a moment with a stranger than I do after a year with you.” I mean, that’s not so great to say to someone. And then I say, “All I am is damaged goods, trying to do some damage control...” But I feel the chords give the song a hopeful feeling, and a lift. I wanted it to be a hopeful song. Throughout the record, even though I touch on dark or serious stuff, there’s a hope for something better. But... The secret to a good relationship? They say communication, but I’ve had that. [Laughs.] So, I’m still figuring it out.

Ari Gold: A good man--and a good relationship--are hard to find.

Ari Gold will perform at his "Transport Systems" record release party in NYC at Splash on Tuesday, October 2nd at 10pm.

And here's a clip of Ari from this weekend's NewNowNext show, talking up Transport Systems, too!

Peace out, Ari!