Interview: Mixing Music and Politics with JD Samson and MEN

By: Bryen Dunn –

J.D. Samson

JD Samson and MEN will be stopping in Toronto on January 26^th as part of their multi-city tour in support of the latest release, Labor. We had the opportunity to chat with JD about music, activism, sexuality, and life.

Bryen Dunn: Having been in Le Tigre and then on your own, what’s been one of your most memorable experiences to date?

JD Samson: Was when I was toward the end of a tour with Le Tigre, and we were backstage, one of us opened a drawer and there was this rotting banana filled with maggots sitting there. I’m not sure why that is so memorable to me, but it reminds in my mind to this day. With MEN, it was stopping our tour vehicle along the road on the way to our Denver show and picking up some tumbleweed. We then used it as a prop on stage for our show later that evening.

Dunn: The new material sounds different than Le Tigre, which were a very feminist political act. What current political situation currently has your attention that could potentially be spoken about through your music?

Samson: Overall I think when I was with Le Tigre it was more about identity and body politics. When we split I tried to continue that on in the same direction with the 2011 release of “Talk About Body”. After that I felt I had changed and wanted to write more for myself personally, than the pluralistic we. The new album, Labor, is based on very personal and emotional aspects of my life.

Dunn: Comparing both acts from a political angle, tell me about the Le Tigre tune “New Kicks”, and the MEN tune Men “Off Our Backs”

Samson: “New Kicks” is a tune recorded with sound bites from a 2003 George Bush protest we had attended. It was an interesting learning experience for me as I had to obtain all the rights of use, which was even more important with this being our first single release on the Universal label. “Off Our Backs” was the first MEN single released on the I Am Sound Records label, and it was also very political in nature, focusing on power and feminism. The title was taken from a radical feminist magazine called “Get Off Our Backs”. There was later a more sexually positive women-run erotica magazine called “On Our Backs”, so perhaps it’s a combination of both.

Dunn: You’re doing two parties, a weekly Sunday afternoon one in NYC, and a new monthly in Brooklyn. Tell me about these – who goes, what happens, the similarities and/or differences between the two?

Samson: Both parties focus on house and disco dance music, and we get a good solid crowd of regulars at each. The weekly “Scissor Sundays” at the Rusty Knot is an afternoon party where I DJ alongside my friend Amber Valentine. “Pat” is a new monthly we do over at the Union Pool in Brooklyn, which is primarily an outdoor venue with a small enclosed area. It makes it difficult at this time of year to fit everyone in such a small place. The name came from the androgynous SNL character from a few years back.

Dunn: You’re going on tour with the band for over a month. What are the plans for the parties while you’re gone?

Samson: Amber will keep things going at “Scissor Sundays”, and the upcoming tour schedule will have me back home so that I won’t be missing “Pat”. I haven’t had to miss one yet.

Dunn: What sort of preparation is required for the band about to embark on a cross-country journey, both physically and mentally?

Samson: I’ve been touring quite regularly since the beginning of the new millennium, so I’ve got things pretty sorted in terms of packing. We’ll practice a bit more, and I also get quite intense and construct an entire new set before we do the first show.

J.D. Samson

Dunn: Are you currently collaborating with any other artists at the moment, or have plans to?

Samson: I’m always collaborating. I have a publishing deal with Universal where I get to develop songs for artists of all genres. I often don’t even know who it’s for. I just get a call saying we need such and such, and I have to turnaround something back to them fairly quickly. I find it quite fun though.

Dunn: What can people expect at your upcoming Toronto show, and do you cover any Le Tigre tunes at all?

Samson: We’ll all have new costumes, and people get to hear many of the new tunes from “Labor”, as well as our older stuff. We’ve never done any Le Tigre songs at any show, and I think it would feel quite weird. That outfit really was about the three of us together, so trying to replicate that without Kathleen [Hanna] and Johanna [Fateman] would not be right to me.

Dunn: Do you identify within the gay alphabet of diversity? If so, how?

Samson: I guess I would say I identify as lesbian in the traditional sense of the word, as I was growing up during the period where it was being reclaimed by the community. I also identify with the word queer as an all-encompassing and inclusive term for many different types of genders and sexualities.

Dunn: Who do you cite as some of your influences, both in life and music?

Samson: First and foremost, my friends, which for the most part are interchangeable as they are often musicians as well. Kathleen and Johanna for sure, as they taught me everything I know musically and we all remain good friends. James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem is also a very good friend, as are the members of Planning to Rock and The Knife. We’re a large musical family!

JD Samson is an American musician, producer, songwriter, and DJ best known as a member of the bands Le Tigre and MEN. She came out as a lesbian at age 15 and is well-known for her outspoken support of both LGBT and feminist causes. She’s also a co-founder of the performance art group “Dykes Can Dance”.