Ari Gold has been out since the very beginning of his career.
“I ask myself: ‘Is it worth taking the hits that it entails; worth the box that people sometimes put me in?’” Gold says. However, he admits that his fans help and encourage him.
Those fans have a lot with which to be enamored. Not only has the singer/songwriter produced three well-received R&B-infused pop albums, he is also a consistently outspoken representative of the LGBT community. He’s collaborated with several respected artists, and he maintains an active blog life that includes articles and video interviews with friends like RuPaul.
Gold’s latest album, Transport Systems, takes on spirituality, gender identity, drug addiction, and other less-represented aspects of gay life. The risks have paid off with a critically acclaimed album, and the video for the single “Where the Music Takes You” won Logo channel’s Video of the Year.
Gold will perform before tens of thousands at the Walt Disney World Amphitheater during Come Out With Pride on Sunday, Oct. 11. He’s scheduled to hit the stage at 6:30 p.m. We caught up with him by telephone and asked about his upcoming gig in Orlando.
The theme for Come Out With Pride is “Heroes.” Who is your hero?
My first hero is Wonder Woman. She believes in peace, but is not afraid to fight for what she believes in. She is open and vulnerable, but one of the strongest super heroes that exists. She only speaks the truth, and she’s beautiful with a fierce costume! If you go to my apartment in NYC, she is everywhere.
In your award-winning video for “Where the Music Takes You,” you are rendered as an intergalactic, cartoon superhero. Who would you be if you were a real superhero?
I’ve always wanted to be a cartoon superhero, and illustrator Joe Phillips made my dream come true with that video. In it, I am a superhero pop star who sings and saves the world with an interracial gay kiss. So maybe that would be my power: with a kiss I would bring peace and love to the world!
On the cover of your new album Transport Systems, you look like you’re dressed in pilot’s gear. Is this a sly reference to the armed forces?
Yes! The album is all about moving forward and transporting ourselves beyond hate and pain. I wanted the album cover to look like it was a soldier who just found out the war was over—and by war I wanted to invoke the actual war in Iraq and Afghanistan. But I also wanted to refer to the war we’re fighting to secure our equal rights. And there is also a war we have within ourselves, struggling with all our internalized phobias and hatreds. Of course, military also happens to look hot! So it’s back to that Wonder Woman thing again: looking hot while saving the world!
As a hero to others, what inspires you?
My fans drive and inspire me! Sometimes I get tired of feeling like I have to scream louder than anyone else, especially when it seems like there’s no one in the pop music scene who cares about our liberation and our visibility as much as I do. But as soon as I start to doubt, my fans always seem to find me; they stop me on the street, at the club, email me or Facebook me. They tell me how much what I do means to them, and how much my music has inspired them. It really is a gift to represent the gay experience in pop music during this historical time—when we are still fighting for our rights. I continue to feel passionate about that. And my fans are always there to remind me.
What are you looking forward to about your visit to Orlando?
I would be honored to meet Stuart Milk, as I am hugely inspired by his uncle. I hope he can catch my show, because I really feel like my Pride show takes the audience on a journey of self-love, and also love for who we are as a community. I think Harvey would have really enjoyed it! I’m really excited about this show.
What do you hope Come Out With Pride does for the local LGBT community?
I hope it does what every pride festival should do for our community—leave us feeling a little stronger. We should be a bit more capable of dealing with all the negative messages we receive every day from our families, the government, religious institutions or just people who like to hate. When we feel better about ourselves that shows the rest of the world how they should treat us—and each other for that matter! It also allows us to fight for what we need as equal citizens of this world. I’m really honored to be headlining the festival and to be given this opportunity to help the community feel proud of who we are—because we rock!
