Deflowered
: My
Life In Pansy Division
by Jon Ginoli
The
Inside Story
of the First Openly Gay Pop-Punk Bank
Cleis
Press, 2009 $1895 paperbound 275pp.
Reviewed
by Carl Macki
Jon
Ginoli's journey from the hometown of Peoria to Champaign-Urbana,
Ilinois;
and to the West Coast and to the genesis of the
first major
all gay pop-punk band in the United States,
in
which he played lead
guitar;
and which formed out of the matrix of punk rock revolt revolt
and
dissatisfaction due to the initial apathetic response
in American
to the AIDS epidemic, is affectionately recounted
in
this autobiography.
Pansy Division eventually
toured with many punk and alternative rock
bands. Perhaps their heyday was opening for Green Day.
Nevertheless,
trying to cope with issues raised by homophobic rock fans and apathetic
support from its two major
alternative music record
labels, led to a general
dispiriting amongst its members and the band in the 21st Century seemed
to decline in activity.
On a positive level, hopever,
the DVD, "Pansy
Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band," directed by
Michael Car,mona --
recently 'came out,' to pardon
the pun, amidst generally
favorable reviews.
In addition to the
DVD. "That's So Gay," an album, was released on Alternative Tentacles,
in 2009. The tremendous
acclaim the book
is receiving cannot but help to revive the prospects for Pansy
Division. They have also announce a summer tour.
Pansy Division (from left): Luis Illades, Jon Ginoli, Joel Reader, Chris
Freeman.
Photograph by Lauren Bilanko.
