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Interview: Sara Quin pushes the boundaries of sexuality and music

Interview: Sara Quin pushes the boundaries of sexuality and music

By Greg Toland

Writing music together since age 15, twin sisters Tegan and Sara have gone from teen-angst emo band to indie-rock visionaries, writing some of the most respected songs in their field and becoming icons of a new LGBT generation. We recently caught up with Sara Quin by phone, just in time for their upcoming performance at the 1st Bank Center (supporting The Killers) on Thursday, Nov. 29.

I understand you just finished touring England, are you still on the road now?

No, I’m actually in New York. We have the week off for Thanksgiving.

Are you and Tegan spending the holidays together?

She’s up in Canada at the moment. She lives up there and I live in New York. We have the week off and then we start back up in Denver. It’ll be good to be back in one of our favorite cities – we have a few members of our crew that are from Denver.

You just missed Springsteen coming to town. I understand his Live 1975-85 was a big influence on you at a young age. Yet whenever I point this out to people they struggle with hearing the link between Tegan and Sara and The Boss.

Sara Quin

Yeah. It’s funny, because influence manifests in many different ways. A lot of what we get compared to by journalists is not necessarily what we listen to or what we’re influenced by. It says a lot more about what the journalist really likes. A lot of the music I listen to that inspires me is in no way in the same stratosphere as the music we make.

I listened to a ton of Springsteen growing up – he’s probably the most consistent artist I’ve listened to from then to now. What was really impactful about that live album was the storytelling element – he would talk between songs and tell a story. And that informed how Tegan and I shape our shows; talking between songs is very important to us.

And like Springsteen, you both really lay bare your emotions on stage and in your songs to a degree that most artists would be uncomfortable approaching. Was achieving that very difficult in the early years when you first began performing on stage?

It must have been. We were aware that we were crossing some barrier of intimacy when we’d perform, but it was also so effortless. We gravitated toward performing – I never experienced any stage fright at the time.

A lot of artists talk about the anxiety of being recognized by strangers, and becoming successful, and how that can be both addictive and stressful. But in a way Tegan and I experienced that phenomenon our whole lives before we played music, just because we were twins. We were singled out all the time. There are very weird parallels between being in a band and being different as a kid.

There’s a lot of insecurity when you become successful, wondering if people only like you because you’re in a band. And it’s funny because I remember thinking that as a kid about being a twin. I asked myself: are we popular at school because we’re interesting, or are we only cool because we’re twins? You start to doubt your worth.

And I imagine that also applies to being an LGBT musician. I assume it can help your career, but then also marginalize you and make people question if you’re popular just because of your sexual identity and role in the gay community.

It makes me insane to think that our music isn’t accessible to people because of our sexuality or our gender, but on the other hand those things are so valuable and important when describing me as a person. It’s a fine line. We often say “it’s not gay music, it’s music made by gay artists.” I don’t think our music should be limited to a certain audience, but then I also don’t think [our sexuality] should be swept to the side. I already am marginalized so much in my life, I don’t want to be any more in my career. But these things are so important I don’t want to not talk about them.

I think sometimes journalists or record execs look at us and think: their demographic is only gay people or girls. But we’re out touring every day and our audience is pretty broad. It’s no surprise to us when straight guys like our music. And we don’t think there’s anyone in the crowd who’s like: can you believe I’m here and I’m a straight guy?

When I first encountered your band in 2006, I assumed it was a packaged gimmick: Two pretty, fashionable, lesbian twins writing melodramatic music. And it was only after I spent some time with your albums that I was blown away by the depth and value of the music.

And I’m not invulnerable to that, either. We are products of a society where these types of things are totally institutionalized. We’re all vain and we need these identity politics to figure out who we are and what we are. And you try not to feel infuriated by the idea that, because of who we are, people think [Tegan and Sara] is a gimmick. I often become envious of bands that didn’t have to prove themselves so many times. We’ve been doing this for 13 years, we’ve toured the world, we’ve made seven albums, we have a broad audience, we’re as legitimate as anyone else. And then I’ll see a band that’s played five shows and made an album in their basement and people are like this is the most legitimate thing around! Some times I feel like we’re still trying to prove ourselves, prove that we’re not a band dreamed up by some record exec. It’s offensive, it’s terrible, but at the same time I’m someone who is affected by that kind of strategic marketing. So just because I know that we’re not the thing people think we are, doesn’t mean I don’t understand why they think that.

And when you first began making albums you were known for giving voice to the fears and insecurities of youth, but then you began dealing with more adult themes and began making more sophisticated music. Has it been difficult shedding that image of teenage angst?

I think that’s accurate for most bands that began putting music out at 18. Journalists and certain people are going to think “these are just kids, this isn’t for me.” And it’s interesting, because now I feel the same way, just as I was saying before. I’ll listen to someone writing a song at 19 about their broken heart and I’m like, what do you know? I’m 32. But people were saying that to us when we were 19. I think it all comes down to writing about your experience. And as you get older you make it smarter, or cooler, or whatever. And we’re lucky that we’ve had fans that have stuck through that with us. Most bands, after 10 years and a half-dozen records, that’s it.

To get tickets to Tegan and Sara live at the First Bank Center opening for The Killers, go here. More online at TeganAndSara.com.

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