A passionate Perfume Genius fan had the opportunity to meet the solo music artist Mike Hadreas after his performance at the Monk Club in Rome this summer. The author’s thoughtful questions cover everything from Hadreas’ scent preference to specific lyrics in select songs.
I met Perfume Genius before his Roman gig in June. The venue had a very nice garden where we sat to talk about his artistic path, his influences and more. He’d painted his nails in red, as usual. Once his skinny fingers grabbed the electronic cigarette from his bag, he laid on a beach chair and kindly answered my questions. Enjoy the reading.
The very first thing I want to know is which is your favorite perfume or smell and which one do you dislike the most?
I like the smell of leather but I like it in women’s perfume, like with something floral on top. I like rosemary too. I really don’t like the smell of the anus.
You stated you’re quite a perfectionist when you have to choose the words of your lyrics; what is the key word of the album “Too Bright”?
I don’t know if it’s the key word but the word I say the most often is “body.” I really didn’t realize how often that word came up until after I’d heard the whole album.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Oh shit! Hum, I guess UNSTABLE, COMPASSIONATE and PSYCHIC.
What do you mean saying “we buried a meal for mama” in “Longpig”?
That song is like a story, it’s not from my life or something I lived. I had this idea of a future where men aren’t needed anymore, to procreate or anything else, so men would be just used as fertilizer to feed a big tree. I was imagining a village of women with guards all around and stuff and this big tree in the middle of the city.
Is the song “I’m a Mother” deriving from an impossible need of motherhood or what?
I guess so. My boyfriend wants to have children. I’d never really taught about it before but now we’ve been together long enough, and I’m old enough, to consider that. I just taught about how mean it is that we can’t have a child together in the usual way. I mean we could have children but it’s a little more difficult. I actually thought about it a lot, wondering if I need him or if I don’t need anyone and should have a baby on my own. It’s almost sci-fi, like other stories I tell.
Is the relationship with your mother something you take inspiration from?
Yes, very much.
What’s the relationship like?
I’d say positive. Like every kid, growing up we fought a lot. Both of us had problems but we supported each other, even if we weren’t always good at it. I live with her now, with my boyfriend too. You know, we’re traveling a lot and we don’t want to pay rent. It’s good to be with her and see her as an adult, as a person, not just as a parent anymore.
What was your favorite Halloween costume when you were a kid?
I was a clown once but usually I liked gross stuff, like open wounds on my face. I wasn’t ever really an actual character. One time I tried to make fake vomit on my shirt, I did it with vinegar and mustard and other things but it was just disgusting and it smelled really horrible.
Imagine you’re back in your teenage years, coming back from school, listening to “Too Bright” in your headphones, how do you think you would react?
I hope it would make me feel like the music I used to listen growing up: less lonely. I mean less lonely in specific ways, like specifically about my sexuality and my feelings on how I looked and seemed and come across to people. Growing up I felt very lonely. I didn’t feel like I had much power at the time. I haven’t solved all those problems but this doesn’t mean my work can’t be powerful. You can have a lot of weakness and power in equal measure I think.
Do you think it’s important to speak about Caitlyn Jenner’s Coming Out or should we all not give a fuck?
It’s important to have visible people talking about things, but this doesn’t mean we still don’t have complications. There’s a new load of atrocity and problems that are going on that are not mentioned when people talk about Caitlyn Jenner. It’s hard when there are so few people to represent you because you want them to be everything, you want them to represent everyone, to say everything perfectly.
Recently the Italian Government has approved an amendment that requires the teaching of gender equality in any school, to enforce prevention against any form of discrimination. The president of the Italian Episcopal Conference firmly opposed to it. Is there anything you want to tell him?
I don’t understand why he opposes to that. That’s very bizarre, kinda shocking. It doesn’t make any sense – he laughs.
You often cover Madonna, do you feel represented by her?
I don’t know, I guess more when I was younger, when my sexuality was secret to me and I listened to her being so open and unapologetic about it. That was sort of badass and powerful to me. I think that’s why a lot of gay men identify with her, because she’s really doing this, she’s like a power we don’t feel we have or maybe because she expresses something that was a shame for us growing up.
A few days ago she’s released the video of “Bitch I’m Madonna” featuring Nicky Minaj, Katy Perry, Rita Ora, Miley Cirus and Beyoncé. This is apparently a thing after Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood”. Which artists would you like to host in your next video?
I’d like to have like a coven of witches celebrities, captained by Patty Smith (only if she could be okay with the idea, I would never want to force her).
That’s very kind of you. Which song are you currently obsessed with?
I’m listening to “Bitch Better Have My Money” by Rihanna a lot. I really want someone to owe me money, so that I could sing that song. I really identify with the song but nobody really owes me money. In these days I’m also listening a lot to “I Believe In You” by Talk Talk, it’s very beautiful.
Do you already have material to record a new album?
I didn’t have time, I thought about it but on tour we don’t have days off and I need a full day in solitude at least. I write music on the piano, it’s kinda hard for me to write on the road and we’ve been going so much. I prefer to be by myself, in a lonely place. I’m very dramatic and I need to be able to work on myself until a fever or whatever.
What’s inspiring you at the moment? In which direction would you like to go in the next project?
I’ve been listening to a lot of Bulgarian women choirs, Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance, a lot of wordless-vocal things, almost kinda choral. I’ve always wanted to make music like that, using a bunch or a lot of my voices in unison or with other people’s voices. I’d like to experiment more vocal melodies.
Which is the song in “Too Bright” that you enjoy the most to play live?
I like playing Fool because there’s a part in the middle that I didn’t think I was able to do every night because the voice gets really high, but somehow I’m able to do it and I’m always proud of myself. It’s like in those nightmares when you want to scream but nothing comes out, that’s what I always think is going to happen. I also enjoy playing a cover “Body’s in Trouble” by Mary Margaret O’Hara; I made it sound like my newer song.
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