RS: Nice. Your new video is anime for Where the Music Takes You.
Ari Gold: Joe Philips and I have been working together,
collaborating with each other for years now, and he's a dear friend of
mine. He had never done a music video, but he and his brother Lex had
basically learned how to animate, and use this animation, by
themselves. They were not working under any big animation company and
they'd learned how to do this themselves, which was just incredible I
thought. And, they had never done a music video before. We'd been
talking about it for quite some time, and so I thought it would be
great to do something together, and we did it.
RS: It looks like Logo is being very supportive of you and your
music. How did you make the hook up with them?
Ari Gold: I'd been talking to Logo before they even launched the
network. They knew who I was as an artist, because at that time, there
were not that many pop artists, if any, not pop artists who were
making pop music in R&B, who were out, and outspoken in their music.
We had meetings very early on, even before the network had launched,
(talking about) stuff that we could do with each other. Then when they
launched the network they actually aired Wave of You in-between their
programs as a special video. I think it was one of the very first they
aired. They continued to play my stuff and support my videos. It sort
of paid off for everybody, because in a way, I was the guinea pig.
When they started their video programming they were airing all
mainstream video artists. I was the first independent artist to debut
at number one, and I brought Madonna out of the top spot.
If you can't take Madonna out of the top spot on a gay network, as a
gay artist, then we're in trouble. As much as we all love Madonna, we
should at least be number one on our own network. I think that was a
real testing for them, to see that there was actually an audience and
there was a market for people who wanted to see out artists. After
that they really started to play and promote more out artists.
RS: I also notice you're a spokesperson for a certain line of
cosmetics. Can we talk about that a little bit?
Ari Gold: I'm working with a small company. The head of the company,
Irwin Ravenport, had done my makeup for a number of events. I'm not
one to wear makeup very often, but if it's there and I'm under some
bright lights I may get a little something. He approached me to be a
spokesperson for his line and I thought it was really cool. They don't
just have makeup, they have a lot of products, like skincare. I like
to pamper myself, I must admit, and their products happen to be very,
very good and I use them. I think we've come to the day and the age
where it's okay for a man to admit that he pampers himself a little
bit and likes to use creams and stuff. You could also be a man with
good skin, too, whatever it is that you are. Good skin is never a
problem.
RS: You can be a manly man with good skin.
Ari Gold: Yes, absolutely, exactly.
RS: Is there anything you'd like to say to all your fans out there?
Ari Gold: I write this in the liner notes to my CD and it's really
the truth. During this journey I was making with the album, I came up
against a lot of challenges and obstacles, and it was really my fans
and their words – their eMails, and the MySpace messages, and just all
of their support and encouragement – it was that which really helped
me get through it, to know that there are people out there who care
about what I do, and who are really looking forward to what I'm going
to do next. That made me able to keep going on, and press forward
through all the obstacles. So I thank them from the bottom of my
heart. I'm still proud of this album. I've never been more proud of
anything, and I hope that the fans feel as though it was worth the
wait.
