Mark McQueen is a New York-based performance artist and songwriter. He brings inspiration from musicians such as David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, and Michael Jackson to his theatrical performances. Born and raised in Tennessee, McQueen began playing shows in coffeehouses and at house parties at a very young age, but can now be found in venues all over New York, notably at Pianos in the Lower East Side.
Photography by Odemaris Byrd
At what age did you start performing and writing songs?
When I was five, my mom tricked me into getting into theatre because I was shy and she wanted to help me out of my shell. That was my performance beginning. The following year after I turned six, I started playing piano. As I grew up practicing piano and participating in plays with my theatre group, the house was always filled with music. My mom would play a lot of classic rock, and I remember VH1’s I Love the 80’s playing repeatedly on TV. That was my dad’s doing. Guns n Roses, David Bowie, a-ha, AC/DC, Dexys Midnight Runners, The Cranberries, Def Leppard, Poison, Bruce Springsteen…basically all the greats of the 70s, 80s, and early 90s were my first encounters with music. I don’t really remember what prompted it, but when I was fifteen I decided to write a song. It instantly and forever changed my life. By the time I was sixteen I was playing out at coffeehouses, open mics, and house parties. People were very confused by me in the beginning, so there was initially a lot of doubt. I got so used to convincing people that I was a great artist that once they started realizing (or believing), I couldn’t really stop. My drive is still very contra mundum. It’s all about the struggle, the fight to the top, the journey of the underdog. That’s what inspires me most. When I realize that I’ve accomplished about 2% of the work I’m going to do in my life, I push forward even harder.
Your music seems to cover very personal issues. Do you sing about specific occurrences or do you make up lyrics from your imagination?
For the most part, I write about my life. Whether it’s an event that happened, my opinion on some matter, or my perspective of life or love, whatever it may be. Recently I have been writing some songs that aren’t about my life, though. For instance, I have a song called “Hundred Dollar Bill” from the perspective of a prostitute.
I think “Jump In” (https://soundcloud.com/mark-mcqueen/jump-in) is the best song I’ve written so far. I really, really love it. Especially performing it. I think the reason it means so much to me is because that chorus has been with me for a very long time, and to hear people now who love it and sing along and it gets stuck in their heads…that’s a dream come true. The song isn’t about this, but when I hear that “It’s got to be me,” I think about how it’s so rough when you’re learning to believe in yourself, especially when so many people are chasing the same dream as you. But once you have that confidence, you can’t let it go. “It’s got to be me. It’s got to be me.”
Has being gay had any effect on your work or progress in the industry or do you think it is irrelevant to who you are as a performer and musician?
Well I don’t identify as gay, because I don’t identify as anything at all. I wouldn’t be quick to say it’s irrelevant to who I am as a performer, but it certainly hasn’t had an effect on my work, no. It has had an immense impact on my progress in the industry. I’m from Tennessee originally, and my sexuality (or rather, my perceived sexuality) caused many people to write me off. When I say that, I mean people would say that I wasn’t a musician, I wasn’t an artist. I was just an “attention-seeking fag.” The more I created and shared, that idea faded away and the general public accepted and acknowledged me as a serious part of the music community. As you might expect, my experience in New York has been nothing short of amazing in comparison.
What are your future plans and endeavors?
I’m taking a break from music. I’ve been focusing on it for the past five years and it’s time for me to explore the other facets of my creativity. I’m not just a musician. I’m an artist. I don’t really want to get into the projects I’m involved in right now. You’ll just have to see what the future holds 😉
You make unique and fun fashion choices. Is there an era you love or designer whom you look to the most?
I adore 80s and early 90s fashion. A lot of my signature jackets probably belonged to old ladies in the 80s, and I ended up getting them in thrift shops. I honestly don’t have a style I try to maintain, I just buy what I see and love. Shopping for clothes is actually weirdly emotional for me. The pieces I end up buying are the ones that make my heart beat faster or cause that lump in the throat feeling or inspire visions of performance or video. I’m kind of a huge fashion nerd…
Visit Mark McQueen’s website:
http://www.reverbnation.com/markmcqueen
