Ask A Straight Guy: The Airborne Toxic Event's Mikel Jollett

This post was written by TNG co-founder Zack.

The Airborne Toxic Event wonders why the crowd is so unresponsive.

L.A. jukebox-rock act The Airborne Toxic Event seperates itself from the rest of the indie-rock, "guitar and catchy chorus crowd" in one distinct way: Their band names references Don Delillo's White Noise. Given that I read "White Noise" at the impressionable age of 17 and it fast became my favorite book (which had as much to do with who I was as how it was written) it is my obligation to mention them on TNG. Their music might not be literary, but their name is and thats a start. Plus it gives me a chance to tell everyone that my 11th grade history teacher totally looked like Babbette.

ATE's guitarist/vocalist Mikel Jollett was nice enough to (very astutely) answer some of my questions about being straight. Full interview and ATE mixtape below the fold.

DC residents can check out The Airborne Toxic Event tonight at the Black Cat. Everone else can take a look at their tour schedule.

The New Gay: When did you first realize you were straight?

Mikel Jollett: 3rd grade. Sarah Heald. She had freckles and red hair and she wore the sweetest little dresses to school. I felt so dirty thinking about her that way since, you know, she was a girl and all. But she was so different. So feminine and pretty and nice. All I ever did was fight with my brother and play with our dogs and get mud on my pants. And so here was this girl, this sweet little red-haired freckled girl in a floral-print frock, and I was like, “Whoa. What the fuck is THAT?”

TNG: What is your least favorite stereotype about straight people?

MJ: You know, just that all we care about is being straight all the time. Like we’re always doing straight things, hanging out with other straight people, marching in our straight parades, watching straight TV shows, going to straight movies, dressing straight, talking all fucking STRAIGHT and everything. It gets annoying. Sometimes we just want to act normal.

TNG: What obligations, if any, do you feel that you have to the gay community?

MJ: Just to not be lame. You know, the whole gay/straight idea is sort of a construct anyway and there are very cool people who are gay and very lame people who are straight and 99% of the world falls somewhere in between both of these spectrums. Anyone who thinks that who you want to kiss is the measure of a person is probably trying to make up for some kind of inadequacy.

TNG: What are the biggest challenges faced by a straight person in today's culture?

MJ: I’d have to say straight marriage. Did you know that almost 50% of straight marriages end in divorce? (Even worse, the rest end in “death.”) It’s a scary world out there.

TNG: If you had to "go gay" for one member of the same sex, who would it be?

MJ: Jason Wishnow.

TNG: Given the seemingly endless number of "indie" artist in existence today, how do you think you set yourself apart from the crowd?

MJ: We hear that wearing feathers in our hair is super-indie these days, oh and so are florescent ray-bans and for some reason, Sweden. We work hard to keep up with it all. You know, “how to be indie,” “how to talk Swedish.” It’s exhausting. We check A LOT of websites.

TNG: Finally, why should Washington, DC come out and see you play tonight?

MJ: The bar has drink specials. TNG