Exclusive Interview with Garrett Miller – talks Gay Wedding
“White Wedding” is a song by Billy Idol that appeared on that appeared on his album titled Billy Idol in 1982. It is often considered one of his most recognizable songs, although other Idol songs charted higher. It reached No. 36 on the billboard top 100 on its original release, and reached No. 6 in the U.K Chart upon its re-release there in 1985.
So, let’s talk about Garrett Miller and his hit single “Gay Wedding”
Although sharply divided, public attitudes toward gays and lesbians are rapidly changing to reflect greater acceptance. In addition to a plurality who now approve of same-sex marriage, Americans overwhelmingly support basic civil liberties and freedom of expression for gays and lesbians, in contrast to sharp division on such issues in the 1970s.
I’ve spent a lot of time speaking to people in the wedding industry about same-sex weddings while researching this review, and I’ve noticed that goes on at these fabulous celebrations is:
“Gay couples have huge, over-the-top weddings!”
…and that’s what this retake on Billy Idols “white wedding” is – Over-the-top, and absolutely fabulous!
Check it out below:
This track is an anthem to Gay rights in America and all over the world.
Religious opposition to homosexuality is often a statement on the part of our churches about who really is an American and deserves the protection of the State.
But the reality is that as Americans we all are free, and all religious institutions are Constitutionally bound to honor this. And as a segment of society that benefits from one of the most hallowed principles of our government, the freedom of religion, they should be happy to do so.
We at Exposed Vocals believe in that a truly democratic society respects human persons, as well as the choices they make as law abiding, private citizens.
Check out “Gay Wedding” being played on Kiss 104.7 FM – Sponsored by Exposed Vocals:
Also, scroll down to see our Exclusive Interview with Garrett,
By HBdidit – Exposed Vocals Music Reviewer and Breaking News Contributor.
A NYC fashion designer, music reviewer and lover of life!
Exclusive Interview
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
Garrett Miller: I saw an interview you did with KFIR recently. I’ve been following his recording career the last few years and enjoyed the in-depth feature you shared with the world.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Garrett Miller: I grew up in Salem, Oregon and was always involved in something creative – by high school it was yearbook, architecture club and photography. I even spent 10 years as a freelance photojournalist for Pro Wrestling Illustrated from ’82-92. I’d go to the wrestling matches and take pictures, send the film in, and a few weeks later all of their magazines would have my pictures in them. I thought it was cool. I’d have done it for free, but the magazine kept sending me these big checks, which were pretty staggering for this 16 year old. I was so clueless back then! Most of my free time revolved taking pictures of everything, being a self-appointed movie critic after a year of film studies at the community college, and heading to Tower Records in Portland on Friday nights to get the latest 12” remixes and make mix tapes on Saturday for the following week.
Fast forward to 2013… I started doing my radio show “Rated G Radio” and wanted to come up with a theme song for the show, which I’d write and then sing. It made about as much sense as me doing the radio show. Crazy! The last time I’d sung was in the 6th grade choir. Without a “Becoming a Mid-Life Rock Star for Dummies” handbook to guide me, I just set out to do it.
I was put into contact with my producer, Brian Pothier. We talked about my abilities, or lack thereof, and he assured me we could make something work. The first lyrics I wrote was “Tell Me Something More” and my vocals were truly horrible. After Brian worked his production magic and broke his auto tune, the finished song was pretty good. THAT opened the Pandora’s box. Soon singing was all I wanted to do. We completed a 4 track EP Eyes Wide and released it on iTunes. Without any formal marketing plan or a budget to advertise, the album took on a life of its own and sold well enough to recoup much of the production costs.
Brian suggested taking singing lessons before beginning a full-length album in 2014. By this point, I knew this was something I wanted to take seriously. So off I went to develop my voice with Bill Cinque, bass guitar player for Neil Diamond and an accomplished singer/songwriter in his own right. With each lesson, I became more committed to getting better and was finally ready to head back to the studio.
Doing this album was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it was also the most fun. I’m continuing to work on my singing every day, every week. When I go on stage I want to deliver a dynamic performance. I want to tell a story they will remember, in a good way.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with the name of your new album? What was your inspiration behind it?
Garrett Miller: The new album is called Blond Jesus. I was at a Christmas party last year for Scott & Renee Baio. Most of the people I was meeting for the first time, and by the end of the night, several of the ladies kept asking “Where is that Blond Jesus guy?” My hair was getting longer, and I’d started growing a beard. And, I was amused. On the way home, the radio kicked on “Stayin’ Alive.” Somewhere on the 405, I knew when I got home I had to write one more song for the album. Blond Jesus tells a story about God loving everybody, and if you believe some of the hate filled nonsense you read about or hear on tv, it’s not the relationship I have with God – all set to a groovy disco beat. Thank you Bee Gees for the divine inspiration! And thanks to a controversial title, people are already up in arms over it before they even hear the message, or that groovy chorus!
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Garrett Miller: I feature a lot of indie artists on my radio show and know they earn every dime they make through cd sales, downloads and live performances. From their stories, and my first hand experience, I know it’s expensive to create, produce and market your indie album. To be expected to give it away for free – is insulting. People don’t think twice about paying $5 for a single cup of coffee consumed once, but then can’t be bothered to spend .99 for a single or $10 for an album you can listen to forever? When was the last time your rent was paid after you worked for free? You can’t give your music away for free and be viable. If you do, you’re devaluing all of the hard work you just poured your blood, sweat and tears into for a few maybe listens.
This June, typically the big Pride month for the LGBT community, I offered anyone visiting my website a free download of the lead single, Gay Wedding (a remake of Billy Idol’s classic White Wedding with lyrics rewritten for the LGBT community). I encourage everyone to support indie artists whenever you can. Go see a live band on a Friday night, and buy their cd. Attend a book signing this Saturday, buy an extra autographed copy for a gift. It makes a world of difference in their world, and you’ll get some great music, art, books or film along the way.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Garrett Miller: Network. Network. Network. Be nice to everybody, even if they might be jerks to you. You never know who you’re talking to, the influence they have (real or perceived) or what memory you leave with people who can help you next month or next year. Most people “get it” and understand when working together everyone comes out ahead.
I want people to think of me as the guy who was great to work with, easy to get along with, showed up on time and gave it everything he had. Be that person whenever you can.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Garrett Miller: Everyday. The show must go on, and you’ve gotta keep singing. You can’t stop the song mid-performance and go, “Oh I screwed that up. Let’s try that again from the top.” Most people are there to have a great time, not critiquing every syllable or note coming out of my mouth. When it happens, I move on because there are more songs to sing! I’ll make the next one really rock!
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Garrett Miller: I am working on a new showcase now and look forward to taking the show on the road later this year. I’m in the rehearsal studio now working on all the details to make this really awesome.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Garrett Miller: I love to tell stories. Each of the songs on my new album, Blond Jesus, expresses different things I was going through emotionally, spiritually, personally. I used to come up with a title for a song and then figure the rest out. Seemed to work okay. Again, I didn’t have any footprint to follow so I made it up as I went along. Then I took a songwriting course from the legendary Harriet Schock and learned a completely different approach – leading to a more powerful, stronger story. Now I sit down with a notebook, red ink pen (I always write in red), no distractions, and write a story. When I’m done with it, I’ll read it again and ask myself if it’s worth reading a second time. Or third. Some stories I completely scrapped because they just didn’t fit, or make sense, or really were just too angry at the world – and these were not the messages I wanted to share – let alone have to sing for the next 30 years! Eventually the stories were pared down and lyrics written for the songs which ended up on the album. I’m proud of each song on Blond Jesus. Each word is exactly what I wanted to sing.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Garrett Miller: www.GarrettMiller.com covers my music, radio and other projects I’m working on. People can find my music on the traditional platforms like iTunes or Amazon – pretty much anywhere you purchase music online, you’ll find me there. If you go to YouTube, you can also find my music and listen to the entire track for each of the songs.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Garrett Miller: Embarrassing songs? Wow. I tend to really like the music I listen to. I’ve got everything from Def Leppard to George Michael to Enya to Madonna to Tina Turner. I’m heavily influenced by 80’s music. Probably most of the newer music I listen to today come from indie artists like Joseph Eid, Jordan Adams, The Worry Dolls, Sasha’s Bloc, Tom Goss, Nikkole, Rachel London, Carmen Lundy – and I’m loving the new album KOCHI by the San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Garrett Miller: I would pre-pay my rent, insurance, utilities, etc.. for the next 5 years – so I can let my creativity flourish without distraction. For the next 12 months I’m working on me. I’ll take a vacation – a genuine vacation – no cell phones, internet, satellite tv. Nothing. Completely disconnect from the world. I’ll head to someplace tropical like Tahiti or Bora Bora for a month to decompress. I’m really good on a beach with good books to read. That is heaven! When I get back, I’ll hit the rehearsal studio, work with my coaches to improve my vocals and performances. Right now, I’m “all storied out” and focused on promoting Blond Jesus, but I’m sure in a couple more months the creative juices will start flowing again and I’ll begin writing stories for a new album for 2017. But whatever I do, I will make it fun, creative, inspired and musical.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Garrett Miller: Again… Network. Network. Network. It’s all about the network. If you don’t have the big label machine behind you with a gazillion dollars booking you on Ellen and getting you on the cover of Rolling Stone, you’re looking for other examples of what’s working for indie artists and finding your own way to use the same concept for your project. For me, promoting my music is helped by people hearing Gay Wedding, Blond Jesus or Sweat & Testify and become mega-fans. They’re my best support and word of mouth to encourage others to get on board. The power of the social media Share/Like/Favorite/Re-Tweet/Review is crazy today!
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Garrett Miller: Billy Idol. I want to perform a mash up of Gay Wedding/White Wedding with him at the Grammy’s next year. I just love his energy and his voice is stronger today than it ever was. George Michael. He’s another artist who doesn’t compromise his musical vision, and, to me, he’s got the best voice ever. I click my heels every morning and say, “There’s no voice like George. There’s no voice like George.”
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Garrett Miller: I’ll be working on new music videos this fall for Sweat & Testify, The Witch Sisters Halloween and I AM. I’m exploring how to put these into motion with the right team now, and on an indie musicians’ budget.
I’m also finishing the last few chapters on my first book – not really an autobiography, per se, but a collection of short stories I’ve put together in the last couple of years which tell tales – some funny, some tearful – about my “transformation” from a starchy suit-n-tie to an authentic man who believes in his dream and is making it come true. Maybe this will be the “How To Book” I needed to read when I started realizing who I wanted to be?!?!
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Garrett Miller: I’ve always written. Stories. Newsletters. Columns. Emails long enough to be considered encyclopedias. I’ve spent years doing other things that I’ve enjoyed doing, but given my choice to live doing something other than music, it would definitely involve writing, telling stories.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Garrett Miller: I think the first album I had was The Village People’s Macho Man. I had a record player in my room and I’d come back home after my paper route and start blaring Macho Man at 7:00 a.m. waking up my sister and creating all kinds of havoc in the house. You just gotta love Macho Man at full blast at 7:00 a.m.! Unless you’re my sister!
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Garrett Miller: Every day is a challenge. I time block pretty much everything 7 days a week. If it’s not on my calendar, it’s not happening. Or, it’s happening without me. I try to find time to sing, practice, promote, interview and sell my music every day in some capacity. Some days are more productive than others. I make sure to get my cardio in every day – whether it’s an hour of elliptical in the morning with weights, then a beach walk later in the day, I make sure the exercise is always included. Plus, healthy eating – lots of salad and grilled chicken. I keep myself healthy and that helps everything else in my life run a lot smoother.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2015?
Garrett Miller: New music videos coming later this year. A sitcom is in development. A new book. TV appearances. Live gigs. Fans are going to have lots of opportunities to see me perform live and rock out with me.
