TRANS-GRESSIVE ROCK The Cliks
Mar 01, 2010
It's about relationships, not gender issues.
BY HAL BIENSTOCK
Two albums into their career, Toronto alt-rockers the Cliks - Lucas Silveira, guitar/vocals; Brian Viglione, drums; Tobi Parks, bass - have landed their music on TV shows like All My Children and Ugly Betty and have been handpicked to perform with artists ranging from Cyndi Lauper to New York Dolls. Yet they're still known primarily for being one of the few rock bands with a transgendered lead singer.
Silveira is a biological female who identifies as male. His willingness to talk freely about his gender identity issues has helped the band find a devoted following in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. After performing on Lauper's gay-rights themed True Colors tour in 2007 and 2008, the band hoped to further expand its audience by going on tour with the Dolls. But when speaking to BLURT prior to the Dolls tour last year, Silveira admitted he realized that also meant performing for audiences that may not be quite as friendly.
"We also opened for the Cult, so we went from playing for the True Colors audiences to playing for hardcore metal fans, which was interesting," he remembered. "We weren't sure we'd be well-received, but people watched us and said, ‘Oh, it's a rock band.'"
Unlike, say, Antony & the Johnsons, the Cliks don't explore gender issues amid their power chords and big choruses on their albums, 2007's Snakehouse and 2009's Dirty King. For the most part, their songs are simply about relationships, even if people choose to read more than that into it.
"People always say to me that our songs are about identity politics," Silveira said. "If that's what they want to see, that's okay, but I don't write just from the perspective of a transgendered man. I write from a human perspective."
Still, Silveira knows that his androgynous looks and unique story will always draw extra attention.
"I don't blame people for talking about it," he said. "After all, how many people like me are there out there? If I have the possibility to create some understanding for trans people, so be it.
"That's one of the great things about rock and roll. Back in the day, people freaked out when David Bowie came out as Ziggy Stardust because they thought he looked like a chick. Music can open people's minds and allow them to appreciate differences."
[Photo Credit: Robin Roemer]
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