QueerPunks.com: Well, let’s start off with a two for one question; let us know a bit about who you are, and how Queer Control Records came about.

Marlene: I’m a Leo, brown eyes, a dazzling smile and heart of gold. Well sort of, my names Marlene an I am one of the founders and marketing director of Queer Control Records. I reside in San Francisco, CA where I base my operations for total world domination. We started QCR a little over 6 months ago. We thought it would be great idea to start a queercore/homocore based record label since it seemed that the genre was at
a standstill. We wanted to seek out a new generation of queercore for today and get it heard!

Skip: Oh shit man, I too am a Leo and enjoy long walks on the beach but I don’t smile very often. I am a recent Florida transplant to New York City. Most of my time is spent helping to run the label, work my day job and play rugby, so basically I don’t get much sleep. QCR was a vision the 3 of us had since we were younger but thankfully as we grew older we realized it is something we can do now. At this point in our lives I think we are all at the same level and we have a pretty good idea of what needs to be brought to the table to benefit queer music. We’re not looking to take over the world (yet) but as Marlene says we just want to get queer music heard.

M: I wanna take over the world now

S: Our time will come.

QP: Why did you decide to specialize in queercore and riot grrrl punk?

M: Well you have to do what you love. It’s safe to say that queercore/riot grrrl did play a role in our lives and I think we really wanted to give something back that was equal to that or better for today’s generation and for the old skool generation to come back and rock out to.

S: I agree with everything Marlene said. The riot grrrl/queercore music was a big influence on my life as a young queer teen. It allowed me to have a means to network with other people that were just like myself. Growing up in a small southern town the queercore/riot grrrl movement helped me to express who I was and not hide that part of me. Going to shows was a great outlet to meet friends that had similar interests and this helped formed long lasting friendships till this day. We’re not just about getting queer music heard, we are also about giving back to the queer community.

QP: What do you hope to achieve, if anything, with this label?

M: To show the world how talented our artists are, and get people excited about what is happening in the music scene and to show them that this scene still exists.

S: There seems to be a sudden rise in queer pop culture in this country such as queer radio and television, magazines and newspapers, we thought it was a perfect time to strike into our business and get things started. Aside from getting the music heard, our goal is to allow queer musicians to get the same privileges and recognitions as their heterosexual counterparts.

M: Damn your answer was better then mine, curses!

QP: Are there any particular people or bands that influenced who you are now?

M: Team Dresch. I love them and they gave me the words that I needed to hear during that time in my life. All of the musicians that I was into when I first discovered queer music were sent from the holy heavens haha. I really never knew that you could sing about the stuff they were singing about and that it was okay. Thank you Tribe 8, Sleater- Kinney and all those that are on my iPod still to this day. They made me want to start this label and give someone else that same feeling.

S: Amen, Marlene! Main bands that influenced myself would include Team Dresch first and foremost, Tribe 8, Bikini Kill, The Murmurs (I don’t care what anyone says, I fucking love them) Excuse 17, The Need, The Haggard, Bratmobile, Cadallaca, and many more. An awesome thing about this label is that we see so much of our past influences in our present day artists. The end.

QP: How important, to you, is it to see the queercore scene grow?

S: It’s crucial, its who we are, its who a lot of us are and to deny it is to pretend that we don’t exist.

M: Ditto. Beautiful.

S: I know.

QP: What’s your opinion on gay culture as a whole, both in regards to your view from the ‘outside’ in and how you feel you’re perceived by ‘mainstream’ opinions on queers.

M: Gay culture, my how it’s grown, and seems to be something that is more tolerated then before. But I don’t think it should just be tolerated, that’s not a nice word. We should be accepted or just be. For what we are doing, queercore is something that many LGBTIQQ don’t even know exists. I want to change that in our own community and tap into the mainstream world and show that we are here and so what if we’re queer.

S: I believe that queer culture has made significant strides in the media with the creation of gay and gay friendly outlets such as TV, radio and published works. While there is a long way to go, we are light years ahead of where we were from only 5 years ago. I think many minds still need to be opened and much ground needs to be covered in the mainstream, but we’re on the right path.

QP: Any last words or shout outs?

M: Jesus Unit! You know who you are! And HI MOM AND DAD I love you! Thanks for letting me beat on my drums for years and years. As for last words, I really believe that you can do anything you set your mind to, especially if its beneficial to others, I feel that QCR is my baby and I’m excited to watch it grow.

S: I like to shout out to my mom, thanks for having unprotected sex so that I can be here today. Thanks Mom! The sweet baby J and all his manger glory. And last but not least, myself for being so fucking brilliant. Final Words: Keep on rocking, please don’t be strangers and we hope you like what you hear.

M: Can you tell we’re Leos. Now go visit QueerControl.com

S: And check our myspace at myspace.com/QueerControlRecords

M: We sang that whole Queer Control Records plug while we wrote it.

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