There is an irony to it that I recognize, says Against Me!
frontwoman Laura Jane Grace.
This is probably the one time people would have really expected me to be super political.
Credit: Jason Thrasher
That was what I lived, so that ended up being the record.
Weve been making Michigan, where we recorded the album, our home base.
Marc Hudson, who is our front-of-house engineer and tour manager, has a studio there.
We would demo the song, with not much of an intention other than I was writing.
Or these songs here, maybe we should just go ahead and record them and keep the momentum going?
That seemed more in line with the spirit of the songs.
We didnt want to lose that immediacy with them.
The book is a memoir, so it was a lot of reflecting on the past.
And the record in turn became my escape from the book.
I needed the balance between the two.
Speaking of your memoirTranny: Confessions of Punk Rocks Most Infamous Anarchist Selloutcomes out Nov. 15.
And youve got your new album.
And youre going on tour.
Thats a lot on your plate.
Are you doing okay, Laura?
Are you getting enough sleep?
Yeah, and Im also a parent!
[Laughs]Im trying to have a social life too.
Thats the least successful part of my life.
Its in flames, crashing and burning, my social life.
But in addition to the record and the book, Ive been doing a couple producing projects as well.
I did a record for this bandWorrierslast year, just trying to stay busy.
Do you think theres something equally important and revolutionary aboutnotwriting about those topics this time?
Then theres me throwing my hands up in the air being like, F that!
I just want to write about living.
I get burned out on that.
My whole identity is not gender.
My whole identity is not talking about gender.
There are so many other things in my life that are fulfilling that I like to think about too.
Ive moved on from this decision Ive been wrestling with forever.
Maybe I could just live, you know?
[Laughs]Maybe I could do that!
Does writing love songs come easily to you?
Or do you struggle with finding fresh insight into one of the oldest topics in popular music?
She was talking about how war is a cliche topic but still relevant.
I meet someone and dont have something Im holding back.
Theres no secret that Im trans.
And [Im] starting to examine the way thats represented in culture in mainstream society.
I feel like thats maybe something that needs to be leveraged for trans people.
Theres so much focus in the media when it comes to trans people about the idea of transitioning.
This person was this gender before, and now theyre this gender!
What are the nuts and bolts that go along with that?
And historically, sexuality for trans people [has been] degraded down just to being a fetish.
And theres not a lot of trans representation with that.
What emotions are exclusive to one or the other?
Or are they not exclusive to either?
Are certain emotions just there and equally valid for both genders, or genderless?
Are some emotions strictly male or strictly female?
Do you enjoy playing with that?
I immediately got a hold of Tegan [who collaborated with Against Me!
on 2007sBorne on the FM Waves of the Heart] and was like, Oh my God!
Our songs are saying the same thing!
And then having that same sentiment coming from a trans female, how do you hear it?
Thats subversive to me.
A lot of these songs really capture that extreme butterflies-in-the-stomach anxiety.
Its a really strange experience to have at an older age.
But thats literally what happens.
You have a second puberty when youre on hormones.
Thats what I was going through.
Thats the estrogen talking.
That is my body having this big rush of new hormones and freaking the f out.
All of a sudden Im a teenager again in a crazy way.
Its a little more realistic.
With the song Rebecca, [I sing] Lets not fall in love!
Now, youre a little more like, Well…
You feel like a teenager when youre dating now?
I was married for like seven, eight years.
And then coming out of that I was like, Okay, now what?
I guess I would like to date?
Thats a reasonable thing.
Im allowed to have that!
You cant have sex appeal unless thats in a fetish way.
That is something like asking for equal rights.
I dont want this conversation to just be, Hey, wed like to use this bathroom.
We would like to have every single other right that everyone else has in mainstream society.
