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?Music Lovers Hate Being Lied To? An Interview with Lucas Silveira of the Cliks
July 29, 2007
by Danny Bright
After I first heard of the Cliks, who will perform Aug. 5 at Kansas City?s Grand Emporium, all I knew was that they were a rock band with three females and one male lead singer. Well, I was right, in a way. The band members, Nina Martinez, Jen Benton and Morgan Doctor, joined up with Lucas Silveira, but when they started, they might have known him as a woman. Silveira is a transgendered male who recently came out, telling all the world who he really is.
But that?s not what he is about. The music is what it?s all about. The Cliks? album, Snakehouse (Silver Label/Tommy Boy Entertainment), is loud, moving, intense, raw rock ?n? roll music. The Cliks (www.thecliks.com, www.myspace.com/thecliks) have been compared to the likes of the Pretenders, the White Stripes and David Bowie. This band rocks out with such raw emotion and powerful energy, it?s hard not to imagine them in the center of a dark stadium someday with the glow of thousands of lighters, all for them.
Danny Bright: Hey there, Lucas, how are you?
Lucas Silveira: Hey man, I?m good. How are you?
Fantastic, thanks. So, where are you at right now?
We are actually just now driving to the United States border. We?re starting our tour so we?re, of course, on the road again!
Well, there?s a lot to talk about, so I?ll get to the ?you know what?s coming? issue.
(Laughs.) Cool.
OK, so for the record, you are transgendered, correct?
Yes, I am.
Does that mean you went through the full surgery?
Um, no. I had top surgery [the chest">, and that?s as far as I?ve gone.
So when did you come out of the closet as transgendered?
I came out basically two and a half years ago, and it?s been almost a year since I?ve had top surgery.
Were or are there any people in the music industry who told you that you shouldn?t go through with it or wanted you to hide the fact that you were transgendered?
Oh, you know what, man, I have to say absolutely not. Not once! I?ve been so lucky! In fact, I decided to come out of the closet after talking with my manager [who was not yet his manager at the time of their conversation">.
Really? What did he say?
It was an amazing conversation, and it completely changed my entire opinion of the music industry. He essentially told me that I had to be myself and never lie about it. He said that the worst thing you could ever do is hide who you are. Music lovers hate being lied to. He said if people don?t accept you, then you have something to fight for. It was such an inspiring conversation, man!
So what did you think of the industry prior to that conversation?
Well, I had this preconceived notion of ?the man? in the music industry, you know?
You mean like all the people you think of that represent Britney [Spears"> and people like that?
Exactly! But this guy changed all of that. He had nothing invested in me at that time, so I took it to heart.
So would you say that the outlook on being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, etc., has changed or is improving in the music industry?
Yeah, I think so. It?s always been interesting to me that there was homophobia or transphobia now, or even racism in the industry. We?re all supposed to be artists and the leaders of the world in that we can tell people what?s going on and the right path to take with music. We?re artists, and music is about uniting people! But it?s been great, as I really haven?t encountered that. We?ve been lucky!
Now I?m sure you?ve gotten a lot of requests from the transgendered community to be a speaker, go to festivals, parades, interviews, and things like that. Do you have any interest in becoming a ?poster child? for them?
(Laughs loudly.) You know, I?m very happy to take part in events that promote visibility and education, especially to younger kids going through some of our same issues and coming to terms with it all. I just did this sit-in at a youth community center in Halifax where we all talked about who we were and how we identified ourselves, and it was fantastic! I don?t like the term ?poster child? because it?d make me feel like I have a weight on my shoulder and the responsibility to be perfect.
Well, that?s why I asked. It?s like what happened to Ellen [DeGeneres"> and becoming the ?poster child? for lesbians.
Exactly, and she did a good job at being perfect. Except in the right-wing world, the only thing that?s wrong with her is the fact that she?s gay.
Yeah, she?s like the gay Oprah!
Hilarious! Exactly! But yeah, I?m just a human being, and if my visibility causes awareness and dialogue, then I?m cool with that.
OK, now on to your music. How would you describe your music to someone reading this article?
I think it?s just straight rock ?n? roll with a little bit of a pop edge.
Justin Timberlake?s ?Cry Me a River.? Why did you decide to do a rendition of it?
I had gone through a break-up and the same thing had happened to me, and I heard his song and really identified with it. So I just took it to rehearsal, and we all just put our rock sound into it and I feel a little more aggressive about the lyrics than Justin did.
Have you heard from Justin or heard what he thinks about it?
No, but I know he?s been given a CD. His booking agent actually was the same [as the Cliks? agent"> at South by Southwest [music festival"> who loved the band and the CD and asked us for one to give to him. I?d love to hear what he says, though!
How do you feel being compared to the Pretenders?
Well, I always say, if I?m going to be compared to any band and they?re one of them, then I have no problem with that. I really don?t think we sound too much like them, though.
No, I?d say it?s more of the attitude you guys have and the way you play.
That?s it exactly! But yeah, great band. I love them!
What type of music do you like, besides rock ?n? roll?
Oh, I grew up listening to music of all types. You know, I went through everything from George Michael, Michael Jackson. I went through a soul music phase like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye. Then when I was a little older, I started to listen to a lot of metal and hard rock, and that?s the music I felt most connected to. But I listen to everything and listen to bands now like the Bloc Party and Jeff Buckley.
What bands are you and the girls just dying to play with?
Oh wow! Um, I think like the Killers or Bloc Party. I?d love to open up for Hole if they?d ever get back together!
Yeah, if she [Courtney Love"> can get over her craziness for awhile!
(In a rock yell) Yeah! But bands that we sound kind of like and bands we know we?d get along with.
Do you write all the music, or is it a group effort?
Yes, I do. The band essentially does their own parts, and them making the song sound a certain way is the key. But, yeah, I write the song and I bring them in, and we all work on them.
When you?re performing, what is the crowd like? Is it mostly gay people?
It?s really diverse. We do have a core queer audience, but then we have everyone from middle-aged dudes who are straight, to moms who come with their kids and love us more than the kids. So we have a real diverse crowd, and I love seeing that!
Is that what it was like on the True Colors Tour?
Yeah, it really was. Everyone kept calling it a gay tour but it was just a tour of humanity. I mean, obviously, it was a tour to promote awareness for the LGBT community, but it was a really unifying kind of tour. There was just this energy from the audiences. At the end of each show, there was an encore where everybody sang and every single night the hair on the back of my neck went up. Especially in Chicago, Cyndi [Lauper"> was crying her eyes out because the energy was so overwhelming.
So, do you guys party like rock ?n? roll stars after your shows and while out on the road?
Yeah, we do! (Laughs.) But we?re learning that we probably have to chill out a bit on the drinking. Driving 18 hours when you?re hung over isn?t the most fun thing to do. Yeah, we have our spiritual guru, Morgan, who doesn?t drink, so she?s the designated driver a lot. But this tour will be me trying to be healthy and drink a lot of orange juice.
On your band?s Web site and your label?s too, your MySpace page is heavily promoted. How do you see the progression of Internet music as opposed to selling hard, actual CDs?
Well, that?s definitely the way it?s going. See, I come from a generation where I like to have things in my hand, you know? I like to have the artwork and lyrics and I like to know that what I have is just mine. But people want their music now. It?s about convenience. I really hope the hard stuff stays around. But MySpace is such an amazing tool for artists who are just starting out. Years ago, a band like us would never have been able to get the kind of coverage that we?ve gotten from it. I think it?s really, really good, but I just hope that people focus on the reality of the music.
It?s almost as if a lot more people and bands just want the fame.
Yes! I want people to focus on my music. Fame comes second to me.
Well, this has been fun, Lucas! Thank you, and let?s grab an orange juice after your show at the Grand Emporium Aug. 5!
Definitely, man. Thanks!
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