INTERVIEW: LYNN BREEDLOVE
Note: The following interview contains sensitive material that could be triggering for some readers.
Lynn Breedlove speaks calmly, honestly and resolutely. Nothing obscured, nothing censored. Through decades of work as a musician ā Lynn was the founder and frontperson of the first American out dyke punk band Tribe8 ā a writer, comedian, activist, CEO and radio personality, he has become a vanguard and visionary, working fiercely and fearlessly on behalf of trans, queer, POC and working class communities. Lynn Breedlove is revolutionary in his thinking, even if just for the radical potential he sees in unexpected things ā the simple act of conversation, the nuances of a joke, a rubber dick, a ride home.Ā In an era of immense uncertainty, Lynn is a light through.Ā
Lynn was a keynote speaker at last weekās New York Live Artsā Mxād Messages Festival, a series curated by Justin Vivian Bond that examinines the idea of a world without binaries ā across gender, politics, theology, sensory perception and race. We were lucky enough to catch up with Lynn to chat about the beauty of vulnerability, the 90s queer punk scene and what daily resistance looks like.Ā
Youāre so prolific. Youāve written novels, youāve toured in bands, youāve had your own comedy show and radio program and youāre the CEO of a ride-sharing company. Do all of these satisfy different artistic parts of yourself? Or do you feel closer to one, and feel the need to constantly experiment with others?
LB: I have two talents, writing and performing, which I have spent some decades honing in to some semblance of skill. There are a million different options to express myself using those two talents. Stand-up comedy, music, books, radio. The easiest thing for me to do is get up and write, but then thereās the way of organizing the writing. Thatās where I have to involve other people to help me, and it becomes a collaboration.
