Gay Men Are Hot!: 2014

I was thrilled when the hot and sexy performer and recording artist Sir Ari Gold responded to me on Facebook. I’ve been wanting to add interviews to this developing project of mine. I’m not a music person, but I knew who he was. I’ve collected pictures of him for several years.

Sir Gold, who was knighted by the Imperial Court of New York, is a dancer, a writer and a Billboard top 10 pop artist. Sir Ari has headlined concerts in Europe, Canada, and in over 40 states including his hometown NYC at Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub and Summerstage. He has won many awards including the OutMusic Visionary Award three times. He has more #1 videos on LOGO than any other artist and has received critical acclaim from many notable voices such as Clive Davis, Boy George, People Magazine, and Vibe Magazine. His music has been featured in the films Shortbus and Boy Culture and on the hit TV shows Scrubs and Cougar Town. Ari can be seen acting in RuPaul's cult film Starrbooty.

He has also written some articles himself about sex and relationships, so he’s not shy at all talking about the topic of sexuality. He is also unapologetic for having one. When he was included in Out Magazine’s Out100, it was said that he “has long rejected the idea that the only suitable pop star is a neutered one".

The focus of my interview is sexuality and being gay.

Me: I’m glad you responded to me on Facebook. I’m just getting this blog off the ground and you are a great personality to profile for it. Thank you.

When did you know you were gay? How hard did you try to conceal it?

Gold: On some level when I was five and obsessed with The Wizard of Oz. I hid it throughout childhood and high school until I came out when I left Jewish Parochial High School and my parents’ home. I was very tortured about being gay and though it would be the end of my life if anyone found out. It wasn’t hard to keep it a secret because at that time everything about my world conspired to keep me in the closet despite all evidence to suggest I was not straight.

Did you experiment with women? Try to be straight?

I had two girlfriends in high school. I never thought I was straight but I did think that I could somehow make it work with these two particular women who I found very attractive. I found Madonna very attractive too so...

Did you have any gay celebrity role models or personal role models?

Madonna was really the first and only person I knew of who was saying that it was OK to be gay. Oprah is my personal Jesus. I’d love to work with Harvey Feinstein one day. I love George Michael. The list goes on.

Have you always been out as a performer? Has it cost you gigs?

Well I wasn’t out when I was seven years old on the Joe Franklin show, but as soon as I put out records of my own songs I was out and writing and singing about life as a gay man. I’ll never know what kind of career I may have had if I had been in the closet or listened to the powerful people in the industry who told me to go back in the closet. I would not trade my journey of truth with any amount of fame or riches.

As a performer, were you always comfortable with the sexuality aspect of it, showing skin, etc?

I grew up feeling like a skinny effeminate nerdy Jew although I did always have some awareness that I was a cute kid at the same time. When I started to grow into my body and started working out, photographers wanted to take my picture and that was a big boost in my self-esteem. But celebrating my body and my sexuality was also a political statement for me. I became politicized at the same time that I came to accept my sexuality and I thought as an artist is was important for me to portray a gay man that was comfortable in his body, his gender and his sexuality. I wasn’t seeing that being represented. What I didn’t necessarily know was what kind of new box I would be put in for being a gay man who showed off his body.

What do think of being labeled as a “gay recording artist”?

When I think of being “labeled,” I think of being limited and boxed in and no one should do that to anyone. Now we say “branded” and then we are supposed to define what the “brand” stands for. I resist labeling and branding because I am an artist and a human being, who transcends labels, and brands, which is a very capitalist way of thinking, and I’m not convinced that capitalism is working anymore. I don’t resist language or descriptions and I AM a gay recording artist and very proud of that-especially since I’ve been proud of being a gay recording artist since the 90’s and since my first album came out in 2000. There was a huge gap after superstars like George Michael, Boy George and Elton John came out and I’m very humbled and honored to have been one of the few and some even say first to be out from the start during that time.

Of your songs and/or videos, which is the most gay?

My gayness or queerness runs through every image and every lyric I’ve ever written. You hear a lot of celebrities say my sexuality doesn’t define me and its only one part of me. I say, there’s no separating my sexuality from my humanity—it’s all connected and no one thing can define me completely. “My Favorite Religion” is a gay love story between a Jewish man and a priest and in the animated “Where The Music Takes You” an interracial gay kiss saves the world.

What are the most explicit lyrics in your songs?

“Show me your big stick shift, I’d like to take a test drive” in Ride To Heaven? LOL…”I don’t need any hit of ecstasy or bump of anything to get hard for you?” in Make My Body Rock? Those are the cheekier ones if you will.

Love it! What is the sexiest/hottest thing you’ve done while performing?

I’ve definitely been known to hump an amplifier in frenzy.

Would you ever go full frontal uncensored?

I have. I just haven’t released those yet!

You are teasing me! What do you think is sexiest about your body?

I get a lot of compliments on my skin. Apparently it’s soft and smooth.

DNA magazine called you “one of the hottest men in the world”. What is the best thing about being one of the hottest? The worst thing?

The best and worst thing is that I am one of the three and half billion hottest men in the world!

What is your favorite style and brand of underwear?

I’m really digging this red Calvin Kline pair of briefs lately. I need some more of those.

You’ve had many hairstyles, including no hair. Which of the hairstyles you have had is your favorite?

I used to have fun with crazy designs in my head and now I’m going for a more streamlined fade.

Can you share with us your favorite photo of your sexy self?

Here is the last one my friend Antonio took of me on a red raft in a pool at Deno’s house on Fire Island in my black speedo. Life is good when you’re on a raft in a pool on a hot summer day on Fire Island. (See photo below)

Definitely hot. You’ve done some modeling. How straight/gay is the male modeling industry?

Most of the modeling I’ve done, whether it was for my coffee table book or for editorial has been about working with specific photographers or about my work as a recording artist.

What is your take on porn, especially gay4pay? Do you mingle with gay pornstars?

Some of my best friends are gay pornstars! I don’t discriminate.

What do you think of Truvada? Is it the demise of the condom?

I’m for anything that gives us more opportunity to make responsible choices.

Are you still with your boyfriend? Do you want to be married?

I am single right now and have been for a while. I would love an intimate romantic relationship. For me, marriage is a celebration of a relationship that is solid and since I’m not in one, I’m not thinking about marriage as much as thinking about how do I make sure I am a whole enough individual to be ready to share my life with another person in that way.

As a role model, what is your message to the gay community?

My message has always been that “love will take over” if we learn to love ourselves and “go where the music takes you” which is another way of saying, “to thine own self be true.”

What makes you angry in the gay community or gay movement? How do you deal with it?

When we treat each other worse than the worst homophobes and do the same to each other that was done to us—discriminate, judge, hierarchize. We often don’t know how to be attracted to each other and respect each other. We can treat each other worse than the most sexist men treat women sometimes. Also, when we think we need to look outside ourselves to validate us as a community or a people. I love our straight allies but we could stand to prop each other up more than we prop up those who support us.

I agree. That’s what my blog is about.

Final question. What are your proudest achievements of your career?

The fans lives that I’ve touched who have written to me and told me that my music and my message has helped them to feel better about themselves.

Gold is currently working on his 5^th album Soundtrack To Freedom which is collaboration with Subgroover from Holland, coming out under the name Gold Nation. He is also developing his autobiographical musical “POP OUT”, directed by David Drake.

Find out more about Gold at the following links:
Official Website -Sir Ari Gold
The Real Ari Gold Docu-mini: America’s 1st Openly Gay Pop Star

Videos: