On the radar: MAN ON MAN
MAN ON MAN are the new, cool, queer-pop-post-grunge, two-man, and indeed couple, band from New York. After an imposter showed up during soundcheck to take pictures of the band, our very own ZERO.NINE co-founder Christian sneaked into the dressing room just before Roddy and Joey got on stage in London. We talked to them a couple of weeks later when they just finished their first UK & Europe tour.
Interview & Photography Christian Trippe
Hello both, thanks for taking the time for a chat. How have you been? When I saw you in London you had some technical issues. What happened?
Joey: We’re not entirely sure, actually. Something to do with the soundboard. We appreciate digital boards because it makes soundcheck and resetting for our show way easier, but in this scenario the sound tech was having trouble because the board was going haywire. He had to install and reroute a completely new board just in time for doors to open. The show was a lot quieter than our usual shows but we’re glad we were able to pull it off in time.
I loved your matching shirts. Do you often (always?) wear matching outfits on stage – is there a reason for that?
Roddy: Yeah. As if our public portrayal of love and commitment isn’t enough, we like to present a unified front visually onstage. It speaks louder to have a cohesive visual bond onstage.
“I’ve never played in Europe before, and all my friends always tell me how amazing it is. I didn’t fully understand it until I experienced it.”
You have just finished your first European tour – 13 shows in 7 countries! Apart from technical issues and minor meltdowns, what’s the most memorable thing that happened during the tour and what has surprised you the most?
Joey: I think overall the tour was just amazing. I’ve never played in Europe before, and all my friends [who have played there] always tell me how amazing it is. I didn’t fully understand it until I experienced it. I think the crowds were really strong and engaging and sweet. I loved meeting all the new people. Also we stayed with Courtney Love in London for the weekend and that was a real treat. Also it still blows my mind how audacious that guy was who walked in during our soundcheck in London and took photos of us, pretending he had permission – he was the guy we thought was you. So wild.
You started writing songs during the pandemic and they are very personal – more like songs to each other really. How do you feel about performing these personal songs for an audience?
Roddy: It’s empowering to put personal stories, feelings and sentiments at the forefront of our delivery. There’s already a jumpstart in the delivery because we base our presentation on the assumption that gay people understand gay people. To an extent we all share a collective trauma in issues like coming out and discrimination so there’s already a language code that we share. My take is that gay people like to bond with gay people and I feel real comfortable being upfront and honest with our people.
“Opening up creatively is kind of the window to the soul, so I think we can appreciate each other in new ways through our music and creative decisions.”
Even though you are both musicians you previously never wrote or performed music together. How has the band and playing together changed your personal relationship?
Joey: It’s introduced a level of patience and understanding we didn’t really have before. And it’s not that we weren’t patient or didn’t understand each other before, but opening up creatively is kind of the window to the soul, so I think we can appreciate each other in new ways through our music and creative decisions. It’s also highlighted our strengths individually, which translate also into “normal” life. Honestly, though, MAN ON MAN topics can sometimes dominate our conversations, so we do well taking time off and just chilling and being partners first. If that dynamic gets off balance, it can make our relationship feel more like work. But we’re both good at recognising, fairly quickly, when that happens. Ultimately to make music and tour the world with my partner is a literal dream.
You have been pretty much non-stop on the road since March this year. Is touring together more challenging than living together?
Roddy: There are a lot of intricate decisions that are made on the road. Every step of the way is a different decision. We are in each other’s company literally 24/7, it’s insanity. That said, at this point it just feels normal. There was an initial learning curve on how to decide things together and leave room for compromise but it’s become easy.
You always stood up for the queer/gay, and especially the bear community. Do you want to reach people outside of the community? What would you say is the ‘mission’ for Man On Man?
Joey: I think our mentality is very much “If we build it, they will cum.” In this age of ads and digital noise, it can be very hard to get our people’s attention. And knowing what people want and are interested in can be very hard to understand, or even guess. So maybe in that way our mission is to just stick to what we like and think is cool and hope people can get it too and come along for the ride. We never want to be too clever.
“I think our mentality is very much “If we build it, they will cum.”
June aka Pride month is here! How do you think companies (and individuals) can make this time meaningful?
Roddy: Tricky question. The benefits that big companies reap through associating with the LGBTQIA+ community are plentiful. I like to remember that. I’m way more interested in the personal interaction of different factors of our community working together. Young people/old people, gays/lesbians, cis/non-binary and every imaginable combination of us within our community. I’m kind of anti-establishment and like to think there’s little to be gained from corporate involvement. That said, we’re taking part in multiple Pride events this season and are putting our best foot forward.
What’s next for MAN ON MAN, assuming we will continue with some kind of ‘post-pandemic’ normality? Are you planning a new album? Have you started on new songs?
Joey: We’ve written maybe 8 or 9 new songs. We’re working on more. We have a couple of shows for Pride in June, a show in Provincetown during Bear Week, and we’re opening up for Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum at the end of July. After that we’ll figure out where and how we’re going to record these next few songs. We’re also working on our second zine and already thinking about another tour in Europe hopefully in the Fall.
Do you have a dream band or musician you would love to collaborate with?
Roddy: We’ve got a lot of heroes in our community. Christeene, Macy Rodman, Liam Benzvi, Peaches, JD Samson, serpentwithfeet, Tegan and Sarah, Torche… our sound has been pretty specific and personal. Opening up to a collaboration would be a stretch but I’m sure we’ll welcome the opportunity when it presents itself.
Thank you both and see you in Ptown!
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