Scissor Sisters
Encyclopedia
Scissor Sisters are an American band "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York" who took their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism
. Formed in 2001, its members consist of Jake Shears
and Ana Matronic
as vocalists, Babydaddy
as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis
as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real as drummer (who replaced Paddy Boom
).
Scissor Sisters came to prominence after the release of their disco version of Pink Floyd’s "Comfortably Numb" became a commercial success and topped the charts throughout Europe, eventually scoring a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording
. Their eponymous debut album
became an international success particularly in the United Kingdom (a country they call their "spiritual home") where the album reached number one, was the best-selling album of 2004, was later certified platinum by the BPI and accrued them three BRIT Awards
in 2005. Several releases from the album also accomplished positions within the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart
, including "Laura", "Comfortably Numb
", "Take Your Mama
", "Mary
" and "Filthy/Gorgeous
". The latter also scored the band their first number one on the Billboard
chart for Hot Dance Club Songs. Although merely as successful in their native United States, the album was also a chart success in countries around Europe, in Australia and in Canada. The band's following up studio album Ta-Dah
proved to be another commercial and critical success for the band and scored them their second consecutive number one album in the UK as well producing their debut number one single in the UK "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
". Displaying a shift towards a more club-oriented sound, their third studio album Night Work
was released in 2010 and charted at number two on the UK Albums Chart
, number one on Billboards Top Independent Albums
charts and in the top ten of several international territories.
Scissor Sisters are well-recognized for their controversial and transgressive live performances and have performed around the world. They have also collaborated with a number of other well known pop musicians including Elton John
and Kylie Minogue
; these particular collaborations have been received positively by both critics and other notable figures. In 2004, Bono
, lead vocalist of rock band U2
, described Scissor Sisters as "the best pop group in the world". They also collaborated with Global Cool
in 2007 on one of their green lifestyle campaigns.
, a genre that subsequently influenced them.
On a trip to Disneyland, they met a woman named Ana "Ana Matronic" Lynch at a screening of Michael Jackson
's Captain EO
, and on a subsequent teacup ride they discussed the type of music that they liked, they discovered that they had a lot in common. Shears would later remark that "I really thought she was a freak but when I started singing "Just Another Part Of Me
" she showed me the best moonwalk
I've ever seen." Ana Matronic ran a weekly cabaret event known as Knock Off at a club called the Slipper Room, where she liked to hire eccentric and alternative acts; one reporter described it as a place that "served up a racy, multigender revue of kitsch", and that a performer dressed as a giant vagina
"enfolded me with her labia while singing "Lick Me in My Wet Spot" to the tune of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot
"." Matronic invited the Scissor Sisters to appear at Knock Off, which they did on September 21, 2001, 10 days after the 9/11 terrorist attack shook the city. Shears dressed as his character "Jason the Amazing Back-Alley Late Term Abortion" whilst Matronic dressed as a reject from Andy Warhol
's Factory. During the performance, she joined them on stage and sang. Shears and Babydaddy felt she was very effective and asked her to join the band on a permanent basis, to which she agreed. The trio then began appearing at other clubs, dropping the word "Fibrillating" from their name. They primarily played electroclash
, which was popular at the time in the underground Club Scene in New York with bands like Peaches
and Chicks on Speed
.
They were soon joined by Derek "Del Marquis
" Gruen on lead guitar, who knew Shears from when they both worked at the IC Guys club where Shears had been a stripper. They were joined by a fifth member, Patrick "Paddy Boom
" Seacor, on drums, who – being heterosexual – had to explain to his mother after joining that "it's not a gay band … there [are] gay members, but it doesn't matter. It's about the music and about performance."
In 2002 the band signed with a small New York record company called A Touch of Class for a two single deal. Their first single, "Electrobix
", dealt with gay men's obsessions with working out. The single proved to be less popular than its B-side, a cover version of Pink Floyd
's "Comfortably Numb
". Later commenting on their rendition of the progressive rock
classic, Matronic stated that "It's one of those songs that people were either gonna love or hate, and that's really, really powerful, because it basically means you're evoking a reaction in everyone. The first time I heard it, I thought that if it doesn't make us famous, it'll make us infamous because somebody will shoot us!" "Comfortably Numb" became a hit in many dance clubs and, after sending Pink Floyd themselves a copy, the Scissor Sisters received positive remarks from the song's original writers, Roger Waters
and David Gilmour
. The song proved to be particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where various record labels soon took an interest in the band. In 2003 they decided they would tour Europe, which they believed would be more receptive of them and their music than their homeland.
), receiving little attention with the exceptions of British music paper New Musical Express, Channel 4's entertainment programme V Graham Norton
, and the same channel's music programme Popworld
for which they were interviewed. The track also got plenty of radio play in Australia. 2003 also saw the inclusion of the atmospheric "It Can't Come Quickly Enough" on the soundtrack of the film Party Monster; the song played over its ending credits.
Their first hit was in 2004 with the release of "Comfortably Numb", a Pink Floyd cover (reaching #10 in the UK), featuring Paul Leschen on piano and keyboards. This success was followed by "Take Your Mama
" (#17 in the UK), a re-release of "Laura" (#12 in the UK), the ballad "Mary" (#14 in the UK), and the hedonist anthem "Filthy/Gorgeous
" (#5 in the UK).
All the singles came from the debut album Scissor Sisters
, which reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart
and became the best selling album of 2004, beating Keane's Hopes and Fears by 582 copies. As of 2006, it is the 10th biggest-selling album of the 21st Century, and the 51st biggest-selling of all time in the UK. Several media outlets have noted that Scissor Sisters "stick out like a sore thumb" on the list of artists who have sold over 2 million copies of an album in the UK in the 21st Century, the others being James Blunt
, Robbie Williams
, Keane, Dido
, Coldplay
and Norah Jones
— artists considered "mainstream" compared to the Scissor Sisters' brash and controversial image.
The band had been particularly keen on producing an album that fitted together well rather than simply producing a string of singles. According to Babydaddy, their purpose was "to create a perfect pop rock album that would pick you up at the beginning, take you on a journey in the middle, and set you right back down again in the same place at the end."
About six months after its British release, Scissor Sisters was released in the USA. To publicise it the band appeared on the popular morning television show Live with Regis and Kelly
, an event that Shears later recalled: "Kelly Ripa
loved us, after the first time we played, she gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, 'I just want you to know that this is my favorite music performance we’ve ever had.' It was amazing." Nonetheless, neither the band nor the album proved to be a big commercial success in the United States. The major chain store Wal-Mart
refused to stock it, claiming on its website that it contained "a snarling, swaggering attack on conservatism
" in the form of the song "Tits on the Radio". The band refused to produce a "clean" version of the album, and Babydaddy remarked that, "We did have to slap a parental warning sticker on the disc, which is completely absurd. I think a kid listening to Eminem
is getting a much more negative message than what we've been putting forward. We've only got one 'shit' and a few 'tits!'" Band members have shown their dissatisfaction with the decision on a number of occasions. Shears is even heard in a Spanish live performance on the band's DVD saying, "Wal-Mart won't stock our album ... well, ya know what? Fuck Wal-Mart!"
At Halloween 2004 they performed a concert at Brixton Academy, where they asked all the audience to dress up and they themselves performed dressed as the characters from The Rocky Horror Show
.
, commenced in mid-May 2005 at the Discoball; sneak previews of new songs were played at live performances, including "Everybody Wants the Same Thing", performed at the Live 8
concert, "Paul McCartney", "I Can't Decide", "Hybrid Man", "Forever Right Now" and "Hair Baby" (a title that refers to the phenomenon of tumors containing partially formed fetuses
). Among the assumed pseudonym
s used to play a series of secret shows to test this new material were "Bridget Jones' Diarrhea", "Portion Control" and "Megapussi".
The band fulfilled one of its dreams: Elton John
collaborated with them on "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
" (as pianist
and co-writer). The song reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom on Sept. 10, 2006, and remained in the top spot for four consecutive weeks. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
" also peaked at No. 1 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and the Euro Hot 100. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
" became the group's biggest hit to date.
Elton John
also contributed to the song "Intermission" on Ta-Dah and played piano on a demo of the song Bad Shit (that can be found on the Lights CDsingle).
In 2006, they acted as an opening act for Depeche Mode
's Touring the Angel
Tour. Their first gig in the UK for promotion of the second album took place at the KOKO Club, Camden
, London, on Aug. 31, 2006, and was filmed for MTV
. 2006 performances at the Bowery Ballroom
and Siren Music Festival
in New York and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
have allowed the band to showcase an array of songs from the new album. A free concert was given in Trafalgar Square
to 10,000 ballot winners on Sept. 16, 2006, to promote the Red charity.
The album was released Sept. 18, 2006, in the United Kingdom, and on Sept. 26, 2006, in the United States. According to Shears, the album is a combination of '60s-era psychedelia, glam rock and disco
. It reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart
in its first week of release, officially taking the top spot Sept. 24, 2006, marking a first for the Scissor Sisters, consisting of a single and album at the top of the UK charts simultaneously. The album Ta-Dah leaked onto the Internet on Sept. 10, 2006, five days before its release in the United Kingdom.
The band has also been in the Latin America Top 40 Airplay. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" is still charting and is so far their biggest hit to date in Latin America, reaching No. 23, charting mostly in South America, particularly Peru
.
"Land of a Thousand Words
" was released as the second single from the album, peaking at No. 19 in the UK. "She's My Man
" was the third single released in February 2007, peaking at No. 29.
"Kiss You Off
" was the fourth and final single released in May 2007 but failed to dent the Top 40, their first single since their debut Laura to do so. The "Kiss You Off
" video centered around Ana Matronic in a futuristic beauty salon.
in October 2008, they assumed the names Queef Latina and Debbie's Hairy. New songs included on the set list were "Television", "Who's Your Money", "Other Girls", "Major for You", "None of My Business", "Singularity", "Do the Strand
", "Who's There", "Not the Loving Kind", "Taking Shape" (with Babydaddy
on lead vocals), and "Uroboros". Shears stated on the band's website there was a possibility that none of these songs would appear on the album, as the band was less than satisfied with most of them. This was confirmed to be the case when the tracklist was revealed. Drummer Paddy Boom
was absent at these gigs and it was later announced that he had amicably parted from the band. The band had come into contact with drummer Randy "Real" Schrager
, who was known from his work on the downtown New York scene, playing with bands such as Jessica Vale and The Act. He was initially brought on as a fill-in during Paddy Boom's leave of absence. Eventually, Randy was made part of the full time line-up.
Scissor Sisters spent much of 2008 and early 2009 in the recording studio. However, after working on new material for approximately 18 months, the band decided to shelve their third album. Shears explained: "In my heart I knew it wasn't right. I didn't really know what it was trying to say. It left me a little bit cold." Reportedly, an entire record had been worked on but that the group had "shelved it about a year ago." Shears admits, "If it wasn't something we could fully get behind and believe in, I think the band was going to be over."
The band returned to the studio and begun to work on new tracks in June 2009, which made it onto their replacement third album Night Work
. Produced in collaboration with Stuart Price
, Night Work was released on June 28, 2010. The album was described as "supersexual and sleazy" with its first single, "Fire with Fire
" as "a really epic song that makes you feel really good". With the album, the band have toured worldwide on The Night Work Tour. As an opening act, they are currently joining Lady Gaga
on her third leg of The Monster Ball Tour
from February 2011.
Shears and Scissor Sisters collaborator John "JJ" Garden are currently providing the lyrics and score for a world-premiere musical adaptation of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City
, a beloved series of novels (and later a television miniseries) about life in San Francisco in the 1970s. The musical will begin performances in San Francisco on May 18, 2011 at the American Conservatory Theater
, where Shears and Garden are collaborating with a creative team that includes playwright Jeff Whitty
and director Jason Moore
, of the Tony-Award winning musical Avenue Q
.
Scissor Sisters are currently working on their fourth, yet untitled, album. Shears tweeted on Oct. 31st, 2011 that the album is in its final stages.
dealt with a number of subjects and issues in a variety of styles, from drug abuse within the gay community ("Return to Oz"), to Shears' deep platonic love for his best friend, Mary ("Mary"). Mary died of a brain aneurysm
in April 2006, news that devastated members of the band.
Scissor Sisters' music can be generally described as a mixture of glam rock
, disco and alternative music. They appear to have been heavily influenced by Elton John
(Elton John also played the piano on "I Don't Feel Like Dancing"). However, Shears has gone on record as not having been very familiar with John's work prior to the release of their record, although he's stated he's since become a big fan. The band echoes not only Elton John but also ABBA
, the Bee Gees
, Blondie
, KC and the Sunshine Band
, Duran Duran
("the reason we got into music", as Ana says), Supertramp
, Siouxsie and the Banshees (Ana said at the 2005 BRIT Awards
that "she wouldn't be here without Siouxsie"), David Bowie
, 1970s-era Kiss
, Queen
, Chic
, Richard O'Brien
and various other dance/disco
, rock, and funk
acts; they admit that their music is hard to categorise. During a public signing in Brisbane, Australia, Shears stated that the Beatles have been an influence for him and that he is a huge fan of Paul McCartney and Wings.
Many of the Scissor Sisters' songs deal with themes in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community
, relating to the fact that three of the band members, including the two founders, are gay. "Filthy/Gorgeous
" is about transsexual prostitutes while "Take Your Mama
" deals with coming out of the closet
to family members. Despite this, the group refuses to consider itself to be a "gay band", with Jake Shears stating that "I don't believe sexuality really matters when it comes to music." In an interview featured on the We Are Scissor Sisters… And So Are You DVD, Jake states, "The fact that some of us are gay affects our music the same amount as it does that some of the members of Blondie
are straight".
named Spookytim, who has a studio in Brighton
called Studiospooky. The artwork was created by a wide variety of techniques and mixed traditional paper-based processes with digital
and photographic elements in order to reflect the multi-referential nature of the band's music.
The Scissor Sisters are known for their extravagant live performances. In some of their early shows, Jake Shears was known to remove all of his clothes onstage, harking back to his former profession as a go-go stripper; while in others he threw inflated condoms into the audience.
In late 2004, Shears and Babydaddy co-wrote and produced the hit "I Believe in You
" with Kylie Minogue
, which featured on the Ultimate Kylie
compilation. They also wrote the unreleased "(Everything) I Know", which leaked online in November 2004 and "Ooh (The Blues)", of which Kylie's version remains unreleased. The Scissor Sisters went on to cowrite a new song for Kylie entitled "White Diamond", which was showcased in her Showgirl Homecoming Tour
that kicked off in Australia in November 2006. A stirring ballad version of "White Diamond" was featured as an exclusive pre-order bonus track from Minogue's 2007 album, X
, as well as being the theme song of her 2007 tour documentary, White Diamond
.
's 2005 hit mashup
"No One Takes Your Freedom" combined "Take Your Mama" with The Beatles
' "For No One", George Michael
's "Freedom '90" and Aretha Franklin
's "Think".
In early 2008, online record label
bastard pop netlabel WHA!?, in association with Scissor Sister fansite idontfeellikedancin.com released a free-to-download bootleg
album entitled Da-Tah. The album featured "Mash-Ups
" of Scissor Sister songs with songs by artists as diverse as Beck
, Peter Gabriel
, Lauryn Hill
and Nine Inch Nails
, the group won all the awards they were nominated for: International Group, International Breakthrough, and International Album (Ana asked Siouxsie to present this award). It was the first time in the Awards history that an act won all three International categories. They also opened the show with "Take Your Mama
", on a set made by The Jim Henson Company
. At the 2007 awards, the group did not win any awards, but opened the ceremony with a rendition of "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'."
In 2004, the gay members of the band, Jake Shears
, Babydaddy
, and Del Marquis
, were honored in the Out 100, Out
magazine's List of the 100 Most Intriguing Gay People of the Year. The band won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist on March 28, 2005. On July 2, 2005, the group performed at Live 8
. Their set included the previously unheard song "Everybody Wants the Same Thing".
In November 2006, they won the German media award Bambi in the category "Shooting Star".
They have received some heavy attention in the United States by VH1
and magazines such as Out
and Entertainment Weekly
. They have also been interviewed on VH1
's website and Del Marquis has been interviewed by the music section of IGN
.com. It is a little known fact that there are several tracks recorded by the band before their eponymous debut which were never released; these tracks have entered the fan community and, although sometimes difficult to find, can be obtained freely. These songs include "Someone to Touch", "Doctor (I'm Only Seeing Dark)", "Bicycling with the Devil", "Electrobix
", "Monkey Baby", a Elton John
-esque cover of Franz Ferdinand
's "Take Me Out
", as well as demo versions of "Laura", and "Filthy/Gorgeous
".
Former members:
Live shows and performances have included John "JJ" Garden—son of Graeme Garden
of The Goodies
— on keyboards, rhythm and bass guitar.
As supporting act
Tribadism
Tribadism or tribbing, commonly known by its scissoring position, is a form of non-penetrative sex in which a woman rubs her vulva against her partner's body for sexual stimulation. This may involve female-to-female genital contact or a female rubbing her vulva against her partner's thigh, stomach,...
. Formed in 2001, its members consist of Jake Shears
Jake Shears
Jake Shears is the lead male vocalist for the American music group Scissor Sisters.-Early life and education:...
and Ana Matronic
Ana Matronic
Ana Matronic is the female lead singer for the Scissor Sisters.Her stage name is said to be due to "a deep and abiding love of robots"...
as vocalists, Babydaddy
Babydaddy
Scott Hoffman , known by his stage name Babydaddy, is the Ivor Novello Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, backing vocalist and lyricist for the American glam rock band, Scissor Sisters...
as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis
Del Marquis
Del Marquis is the lead guitarist for the group Scissor Sisters.-Scissor Sisters:He was introduced to the Scissor Sisters in 2001 at the insistence of a friend who, at the time, was dating Jake Shears. He originally dismissed the band when he first saw them perform at The Cock, a New York City gay...
as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real as drummer (who replaced Paddy Boom
Paddy Boom
Paddy Boom is a drummer. He was the original drummer for the American glam rock band Scissor Sisters.-Early life:...
).
Scissor Sisters came to prominence after the release of their disco version of Pink Floyd’s "Comfortably Numb" became a commercial success and topped the charts throughout Europe, eventually scoring a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the dance music genre...
. Their eponymous debut album
Scissor Sisters (album)
-Personnel:* Jake Shears – lead vocals* Babydaddy – bass guitar, keyboards, guitar, backing vocals* Ana Matronic – lead vocals* Del Marquis – guitar, bass guitar* Paddy Boom - drums, percussion-Release dates:-Charts:-References:...
became an international success particularly in the United Kingdom (a country they call their "spiritual home") where the album reached number one, was the best-selling album of 2004, was later certified platinum by the BPI and accrued them three BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
in 2005. Several releases from the album also accomplished positions within the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, including "Laura", "Comfortably Numb
Comfortably Numb
"Comfortably Numb" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, which first appears on the 1979 double album, The Wall. It was also released as a single in the same year with "Hey You" as the B-side. It is one of only three songs on the album for which writing credits are shared between Roger...
", "Take Your Mama
Take Your Mama
"Take Your Mama" is a song by American band Scissor Sisters and is the second track on their self-titled debut album . It was released March 29, 2004 as a single in the UK, peaking at #17 in the UK Singles Chart...
", "Mary
Mary (song)
"Mary" is a song by American rock band, Scissor Sisters, and is the fourth track on their eponymous debut album . It was released as a single in October 2004 in the UK, peaking at #14 in the UK Singles Chart....
" and "Filthy/Gorgeous
Filthy/Gorgeous
"Filthy/Gorgeous" is a song by American disco group Scissor Sisters and is the seventh track on their self-titled debut album . It was released as the last single from that album in the UK and despite this, it was surprisingly successful commercially, peaking at #5 in the UK Singles Chart in...
". The latter also scored the band their first number one on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
chart for Hot Dance Club Songs. Although merely as successful in their native United States, the album was also a chart success in countries around Europe, in Australia and in Canada. The band's following up studio album Ta-Dah
Ta-Dah
* *The UK Edition of the album has a pregap, consisting of two minutes of silence after "Everybody Wants the Same Thing". Subsequently, what seems to be the sound of an elevator reaching its destination floor is heard as an 8-second interlude at the end of the pregap...
proved to be another commercial and critical success for the band and scored them their second consecutive number one album in the UK as well producing their debut number one single in the UK "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
I Don't Feel like Dancin'
"I Don't Feel Like Dancin" is the first single from the second album by the American pop band Scissor Sisters, Ta-Dah. It was written with Elton John, who provides piano for the song, and was the band's first top ten single in Australia and Canada. The song was written by Elton John, Scott Hoffman...
". Displaying a shift towards a more club-oriented sound, their third studio album Night Work
Night Work (album)
-Commercial performance:The album debuted at number eighteen on the US Billboard 200, selling 18,260 copies in its first week, giving Scissor Sisters their second top 20 album....
was released in 2010 and charted at number two on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, number one on Billboards Top Independent Albums
Independent Albums
The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels...
charts and in the top ten of several international territories.
Scissor Sisters are well-recognized for their controversial and transgressive live performances and have performed around the world. They have also collaborated with a number of other well known pop musicians including Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
; these particular collaborations have been received positively by both critics and other notable figures. In 2004, Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
, lead vocalist of rock band U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, described Scissor Sisters as "the best pop group in the world". They also collaborated with Global Cool
Global Cool
Global Cool is a green lifestyle campaign run by the Global Cool Foundation, a registered climate change charity in the United Kingdom. Global Cool works with celebrities and the media and entertainment industries to promote green behaviours such as using public transport and taking flight-free...
in 2007 on one of their green lifestyle campaigns.
2000–03: Early career
The band, originally named the Fibrillating Scissor Sisters, was founded in 2000, after Jake Shears and Scott "Babydaddy" Hoffman, two friends who had met in 1999 in Lexington, Kentucky, both moved to New York, enjoying its openly gay-friendly ethos. They subsequently decided to begin producing music together, with Babydaddy composing the songs and Shears writing the lyrics. The duo released a couple of singles to little success and began appearing at underground clubs on New York City's Lower East Side, which at the time was in the grip of electroclashElectroclash
Electroclash is a style of music that fuses New Wave and electronic dance music. It emerged in New York and Detroit in the later 1990s, pioneered by acts including I-F and those associated with Gerald Donald, and is associated with acts including Peaches, Adult, and Fischerspooner...
, a genre that subsequently influenced them.
On a trip to Disneyland, they met a woman named Ana "Ana Matronic" Lynch at a screening of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's Captain EO
Captain EO
Captain EO is a 3-D science fiction film starring Michael Jackson and directed by Francis Ford Coppola that was shown at Disney theme parks from 1986 through the 1990s...
, and on a subsequent teacup ride they discussed the type of music that they liked, they discovered that they had a lot in common. Shears would later remark that "I really thought she was a freak but when I started singing "Just Another Part Of Me
Another Part of Me
"Another Part of Me" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Produced by Quincy Jones for the singer's seventh solo album, Bad , the song was originally featured in Jackson's 1986 3-D film Captain EO. It is the sixth song on the album...
" she showed me the best moonwalk
Moonwalk (dance)
The moonwalk or backslide is a dance technique that presents the illusion of the dancer being pulled backwards while attempting to walk forward. A popping move, it became most popular around the world after Michael Jackson executed the dance move during a performance of "Billie Jean" on Motown 25:...
I've ever seen." Ana Matronic ran a weekly cabaret event known as Knock Off at a club called the Slipper Room, where she liked to hire eccentric and alternative acts; one reporter described it as a place that "served up a racy, multigender revue of kitsch", and that a performer dressed as a giant vagina
Vagina
The vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
"enfolded me with her labia while singing "Lick Me in My Wet Spot" to the tune of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Hit Me with Your Best Shot
"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" is a song written by Canadian singer/songwriter Eddie Schwartz and recorded by American singer Pat Benatar in 1979. It was released as the second single from her second album Crimes of Passion, and reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first top 10 hit...
"." Matronic invited the Scissor Sisters to appear at Knock Off, which they did on September 21, 2001, 10 days after the 9/11 terrorist attack shook the city. Shears dressed as his character "Jason the Amazing Back-Alley Late Term Abortion" whilst Matronic dressed as a reject from Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
's Factory. During the performance, she joined them on stage and sang. Shears and Babydaddy felt she was very effective and asked her to join the band on a permanent basis, to which she agreed. The trio then began appearing at other clubs, dropping the word "Fibrillating" from their name. They primarily played electroclash
Electroclash
Electroclash is a style of music that fuses New Wave and electronic dance music. It emerged in New York and Detroit in the later 1990s, pioneered by acts including I-F and those associated with Gerald Donald, and is associated with acts including Peaches, Adult, and Fischerspooner...
, which was popular at the time in the underground Club Scene in New York with bands like Peaches
Peaches (musician)
Merrill Beth Nisker , better known by her stage name Peaches, is a Canadian electronic musician and performance artist who lives in Berlin, Germany. Her songs are noted for disregarding traditional gender norms and their use of sexually explicit lyrics...
and Chicks on Speed
Chicks on Speed
Chicks on Speed is a multi-national musical ensemble, formed in Munich in 1997, when members Melissa Logan, Kiki Moorse and Alex Murray-Leslie met at the Academy of Fine Arts....
.
They were soon joined by Derek "Del Marquis
Del Marquis
Del Marquis is the lead guitarist for the group Scissor Sisters.-Scissor Sisters:He was introduced to the Scissor Sisters in 2001 at the insistence of a friend who, at the time, was dating Jake Shears. He originally dismissed the band when he first saw them perform at The Cock, a New York City gay...
" Gruen on lead guitar, who knew Shears from when they both worked at the IC Guys club where Shears had been a stripper. They were joined by a fifth member, Patrick "Paddy Boom
Paddy Boom
Paddy Boom is a drummer. He was the original drummer for the American glam rock band Scissor Sisters.-Early life:...
" Seacor, on drums, who – being heterosexual – had to explain to his mother after joining that "it's not a gay band … there [are] gay members, but it doesn't matter. It's about the music and about performance."
In 2002 the band signed with a small New York record company called A Touch of Class for a two single deal. Their first single, "Electrobix
Electrobix
"Electrobix" is a song by American band Scissor Sisters and is the first single from the Scissor Sisters' 2003 demo album. Released as a 12" vinyl EP in 2002, "Electrobix" is not the best-known track on the EP, with its B-side "Comfortably Numb" gaining much more club and air play than the...
", dealt with gay men's obsessions with working out. The single proved to be less popular than its B-side, a cover version of Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's "Comfortably Numb
Comfortably Numb
"Comfortably Numb" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, which first appears on the 1979 double album, The Wall. It was also released as a single in the same year with "Hey You" as the B-side. It is one of only three songs on the album for which writing credits are shared between Roger...
". Later commenting on their rendition of the progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
classic, Matronic stated that "It's one of those songs that people were either gonna love or hate, and that's really, really powerful, because it basically means you're evoking a reaction in everyone. The first time I heard it, I thought that if it doesn't make us famous, it'll make us infamous because somebody will shoot us!" "Comfortably Numb" became a hit in many dance clubs and, after sending Pink Floyd themselves a copy, the Scissor Sisters received positive remarks from the song's original writers, Roger Waters
Roger Waters
George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
and David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
. The song proved to be particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where various record labels soon took an interest in the band. In 2003 they decided they would tour Europe, which they believed would be more receptive of them and their music than their homeland.
2003–05: Debut album and breakthrough success
"Comfortably Numb" came to the attention of British label Polydor, who signed the group to a contract. Their first single for the label, "Laura", had a limited release in 2003 (reaching #54 in the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
), receiving little attention with the exceptions of British music paper New Musical Express, Channel 4's entertainment programme V Graham Norton
V Graham Norton
V Graham Norton was an entertainment programme shown on Channel 4 in the UK starring Graham Norton, broadcast every weeknight as a successor to the weekly So Graham Norton. It aired from 6 May 2002 to 26 December 2003. It featured celebrities who chatted with Graham and became involved in studio...
, and the same channel's music programme Popworld
Popworld
Popworld was a British television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4, offering pop news, trivia, gossip, interviews and music videos, as well as musical performances from the most recent top artists....
for which they were interviewed. The track also got plenty of radio play in Australia. 2003 also saw the inclusion of the atmospheric "It Can't Come Quickly Enough" on the soundtrack of the film Party Monster; the song played over its ending credits.
Their first hit was in 2004 with the release of "Comfortably Numb", a Pink Floyd cover (reaching #10 in the UK), featuring Paul Leschen on piano and keyboards. This success was followed by "Take Your Mama
Take Your Mama
"Take Your Mama" is a song by American band Scissor Sisters and is the second track on their self-titled debut album . It was released March 29, 2004 as a single in the UK, peaking at #17 in the UK Singles Chart...
" (#17 in the UK), a re-release of "Laura" (#12 in the UK), the ballad "Mary" (#14 in the UK), and the hedonist anthem "Filthy/Gorgeous
Filthy/Gorgeous
"Filthy/Gorgeous" is a song by American disco group Scissor Sisters and is the seventh track on their self-titled debut album . It was released as the last single from that album in the UK and despite this, it was surprisingly successful commercially, peaking at #5 in the UK Singles Chart in...
" (#5 in the UK).
All the singles came from the debut album Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters (album)
-Personnel:* Jake Shears – lead vocals* Babydaddy – bass guitar, keyboards, guitar, backing vocals* Ana Matronic – lead vocals* Del Marquis – guitar, bass guitar* Paddy Boom - drums, percussion-Release dates:-Charts:-References:...
, which reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and became the best selling album of 2004, beating Keane's Hopes and Fears by 582 copies. As of 2006, it is the 10th biggest-selling album of the 21st Century, and the 51st biggest-selling of all time in the UK. Several media outlets have noted that Scissor Sisters "stick out like a sore thumb" on the list of artists who have sold over 2 million copies of an album in the UK in the 21st Century, the others being James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
, Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
, Keane, Dido
Dido (singer)
Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong , known as Dido, is an English singer-songwriter.Dido shot to worldwide success with her debut album, No Angel...
, Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
and Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
— artists considered "mainstream" compared to the Scissor Sisters' brash and controversial image.
The band had been particularly keen on producing an album that fitted together well rather than simply producing a string of singles. According to Babydaddy, their purpose was "to create a perfect pop rock album that would pick you up at the beginning, take you on a journey in the middle, and set you right back down again in the same place at the end."
About six months after its British release, Scissor Sisters was released in the USA. To publicise it the band appeared on the popular morning television show Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
, an event that Shears later recalled: "Kelly Ripa
Kelly Ripa
Kelly Ripa is an American actress and television host. Since February 2001, she has served as the co-host of talk show Live with Regis and Kelly, along with Regis Philbin and now solo host of Live! With Kelly...
loved us, after the first time we played, she gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, 'I just want you to know that this is my favorite music performance we’ve ever had.' It was amazing." Nonetheless, neither the band nor the album proved to be a big commercial success in the United States. The major chain store Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
refused to stock it, claiming on its website that it contained "a snarling, swaggering attack on conservatism
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
" in the form of the song "Tits on the Radio". The band refused to produce a "clean" version of the album, and Babydaddy remarked that, "We did have to slap a parental warning sticker on the disc, which is completely absurd. I think a kid listening to Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
is getting a much more negative message than what we've been putting forward. We've only got one 'shit' and a few 'tits!'" Band members have shown their dissatisfaction with the decision on a number of occasions. Shears is even heard in a Spanish live performance on the band's DVD saying, "Wal-Mart won't stock our album ... well, ya know what? Fuck Wal-Mart!"
At Halloween 2004 they performed a concert at Brixton Academy, where they asked all the audience to dress up and they themselves performed dressed as the characters from The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
.
2005–07: Ta-Dah
Recording of the second album, Ta-DahTa-Dah
* *The UK Edition of the album has a pregap, consisting of two minutes of silence after "Everybody Wants the Same Thing". Subsequently, what seems to be the sound of an elevator reaching its destination floor is heard as an 8-second interlude at the end of the pregap...
, commenced in mid-May 2005 at the Discoball; sneak previews of new songs were played at live performances, including "Everybody Wants the Same Thing", performed at the Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
concert, "Paul McCartney", "I Can't Decide", "Hybrid Man", "Forever Right Now" and "Hair Baby" (a title that refers to the phenomenon of tumors containing partially formed fetuses
Parasitic twin
A parasitic twin is the result of the processes that produce vanishing twins and conjoined twins, and may represent a continuum between the two...
). Among the assumed pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s used to play a series of secret shows to test this new material were "Bridget Jones' Diarrhea", "Portion Control" and "Megapussi".
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
collaborated with them on "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
I Don't Feel like Dancin'
"I Don't Feel Like Dancin" is the first single from the second album by the American pop band Scissor Sisters, Ta-Dah. It was written with Elton John, who provides piano for the song, and was the band's first top ten single in Australia and Canada. The song was written by Elton John, Scott Hoffman...
" (as pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and co-writer). The song reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom on Sept. 10, 2006, and remained in the top spot for four consecutive weeks. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
I Don't Feel like Dancin'
"I Don't Feel Like Dancin" is the first single from the second album by the American pop band Scissor Sisters, Ta-Dah. It was written with Elton John, who provides piano for the song, and was the band's first top ten single in Australia and Canada. The song was written by Elton John, Scott Hoffman...
" also peaked at No. 1 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and the Euro Hot 100. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
I Don't Feel like Dancin'
"I Don't Feel Like Dancin" is the first single from the second album by the American pop band Scissor Sisters, Ta-Dah. It was written with Elton John, who provides piano for the song, and was the band's first top ten single in Australia and Canada. The song was written by Elton John, Scott Hoffman...
" became the group's biggest hit to date.
Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
also contributed to the song "Intermission" on Ta-Dah and played piano on a demo of the song Bad Shit (that can be found on the Lights CDsingle).
In 2006, they acted as an opening act for Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
's Touring the Angel
Touring the Angel
Touring the Angel was a 2005/2006 concert tour by English electronic group Depeche Mode in support of the act's 11th studio album, Playing the Angel, which was released in October 2005....
Tour. Their first gig in the UK for promotion of the second album took place at the KOKO Club, Camden
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
, London, on Aug. 31, 2006, and was filmed for MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. 2006 performances at the Bowery Ballroom
Bowery Ballroom
The Bowery Ballroom is a music venue in the Bowery section of New York City. The structure, at 6 Delancey Street, was built just before the Stock Market Crash of 1929. It stood vacant until the end of WWII, when it became a high-end retail store. The neighborhood subsequently went into decline...
and Siren Music Festival
Siren Music Festival
The Siren Music Festival was an annual summertime outdoors concert held in Brooklyn's Coney Island from 2001-2010. It was run by the free arts/politics/current-events newspaper The Village Voice, and was completely free-of-charge...
in New York and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...
have allowed the band to showcase an array of songs from the new album. A free concert was given in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
to 10,000 ballot winners on Sept. 16, 2006, to promote the Red charity.
The album was released Sept. 18, 2006, in the United Kingdom, and on Sept. 26, 2006, in the United States. According to Shears, the album is a combination of '60s-era psychedelia, glam rock and disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
. It reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
in its first week of release, officially taking the top spot Sept. 24, 2006, marking a first for the Scissor Sisters, consisting of a single and album at the top of the UK charts simultaneously. The album Ta-Dah leaked onto the Internet on Sept. 10, 2006, five days before its release in the United Kingdom.
The band has also been in the Latin America Top 40 Airplay. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" is still charting and is so far their biggest hit to date in Latin America, reaching No. 23, charting mostly in South America, particularly Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
"Land of a Thousand Words
Land of a Thousand Words
"Land of a Thousand Words" is the second single from the American band, the Scissor Sisters' second album, Ta-Dah. It is the fifth track of Ta-Dah, and it was released on 4 December 2006 in the UK and Ireland...
" was released as the second single from the album, peaking at No. 19 in the UK. "She's My Man
She's My Man
"She's My Man" is a song by the Scissor Sisters, released on 5 March 2007 as the third single from their second studio album Ta-Dah. The song became another UK hit for the group, peaking at number 29....
" was the third single released in February 2007, peaking at No. 29.
"Kiss You Off
Kiss You Off
"Kiss You Off" is the fourth and final radio-released single from the Scissor Sisters' second studio album, Ta-Dah. Plans for a fifth radio-released single from Ta-Dah had been cancelled due to poor charting positions on prior single releases. The single was followed by the limited edition...
" was the fourth and final single released in May 2007 but failed to dent the Top 40, their first single since their debut Laura to do so. The "Kiss You Off
Kiss You Off
"Kiss You Off" is the fourth and final radio-released single from the Scissor Sisters' second studio album, Ta-Dah. Plans for a fifth radio-released single from Ta-Dah had been cancelled due to poor charting positions on prior single releases. The single was followed by the limited edition...
" video centered around Ana Matronic in a futuristic beauty salon.
2008–present: Night Work and other projects
After touring the world in 2007, the band had a short hiatus in order to work on their next studio album. Premiering new material of this album at secret gigs in New York City's Mercury LoungeMercury Lounge
The Mercury Lounge is a club/music venue, in the Lower East Side section, of New York City. The structure, at 217 East Houston Street, housed the servants to the Astor Mansion, connected to it by an underground labyrinth of tunnels...
in October 2008, they assumed the names Queef Latina and Debbie's Hairy. New songs included on the set list were "Television", "Who's Your Money", "Other Girls", "Major for You", "None of My Business", "Singularity", "Do the Strand
Do The Strand
"Do the Strand" is the first song from Roxy Music's second album, For Your Pleasure. In contrast to the songs from Roxy Music's eponymous debut album, this song starts suddenly without any instrumental fanfare.-Lyrics:...
", "Who's There", "Not the Loving Kind", "Taking Shape" (with Babydaddy
Babydaddy
Scott Hoffman , known by his stage name Babydaddy, is the Ivor Novello Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, backing vocalist and lyricist for the American glam rock band, Scissor Sisters...
on lead vocals), and "Uroboros". Shears stated on the band's website there was a possibility that none of these songs would appear on the album, as the band was less than satisfied with most of them. This was confirmed to be the case when the tracklist was revealed. Drummer Paddy Boom
Paddy Boom
Paddy Boom is a drummer. He was the original drummer for the American glam rock band Scissor Sisters.-Early life:...
was absent at these gigs and it was later announced that he had amicably parted from the band. The band had come into contact with drummer Randy "Real" Schrager
Randy Schrager
Randy Schrager is the live drummer for the American glam rock band Scissor Sisters, as well as being a freelance musician in his own right and a member of the goth pop band Jessica Vale. He previously played in a New York glam-punk band called The Act.-Early life and education:Schrager is from...
, who was known from his work on the downtown New York scene, playing with bands such as Jessica Vale and The Act. He was initially brought on as a fill-in during Paddy Boom's leave of absence. Eventually, Randy was made part of the full time line-up.
Scissor Sisters spent much of 2008 and early 2009 in the recording studio. However, after working on new material for approximately 18 months, the band decided to shelve their third album. Shears explained: "In my heart I knew it wasn't right. I didn't really know what it was trying to say. It left me a little bit cold." Reportedly, an entire record had been worked on but that the group had "shelved it about a year ago." Shears admits, "If it wasn't something we could fully get behind and believe in, I think the band was going to be over."
The band returned to the studio and begun to work on new tracks in June 2009, which made it onto their replacement third album Night Work
Night Work (album)
-Commercial performance:The album debuted at number eighteen on the US Billboard 200, selling 18,260 copies in its first week, giving Scissor Sisters their second top 20 album....
. Produced in collaboration with Stuart Price
Stuart Price
Stuart Price is a three time Grammy-winning British electronic musician, songwriter, and record producer whose remixing and production skills are in demand by artists including New Order, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Take That, Missy Elliott, Scissor Sisters, The Killers, Pet Shop Boys, Brandon...
, Night Work was released on June 28, 2010. The album was described as "supersexual and sleazy" with its first single, "Fire with Fire
Fire With Fire (song)
"Fire With Fire" is the first single taken from American pop band Scissor Sisters' third album, Night Work. The song is featured in the video game, FIFA 11.The song was featured as the opening theme for the first season of MasterChef Greece....
" as "a really epic song that makes you feel really good". With the album, the band have toured worldwide on The Night Work Tour. As an opening act, they are currently joining Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
on her third leg of The Monster Ball Tour
The Monster Ball Tour
The Monster Ball Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American recording artist Lady Gaga. Staged in support of her album The Fame Monster and comprising a set list of songs from that and her debut album The Fame , the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 2009 through 2011...
from February 2011.
Shears and Scissor Sisters collaborator John "JJ" Garden are currently providing the lyrics and score for a world-premiere musical adaptation of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City
Tales of the City
Tales of the City refers to a series of eight novels written by American author Armistead Maupin. The stories from Tales were originally serialized prior to their novelization, with the first four titles appearing as regular installments in the San Francisco Chronicle, while the fifth appeared in...
, a beloved series of novels (and later a television miniseries) about life in San Francisco in the 1970s. The musical will begin performances in San Francisco on May 18, 2011 at the American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater is a large non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. A.C.T. was founded in 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Carnegie Tech by theatre and...
, where Shears and Garden are collaborating with a creative team that includes playwright Jeff Whitty
Jeff Whitty
Jeff Whitty is an American playwright. His works for the stage include the musical Avenue Q, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Book of a musical.-Career:...
and director Jason Moore
Jason Moore (director)
Jason Moore is an American director of theatre and television. He was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas and later studied at Northwestern University.-Career:...
, of the Tony-Award winning musical Avenue Q
Avenue Q
Avenue Q is a musical in two acts, conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. The book was written by Jeff Whitty and the show was directed by Jason Moore and produced by Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, and Jeffrey Seller...
.
Scissor Sisters are currently working on their fourth, yet untitled, album. Shears tweeted on Oct. 31st, 2011 that the album is in its final stages.
Content of music
The lyrics of their songs, largely written by Shears and Babydaddy, are known for their mixture of wit and tragedy. The songs on their debut albumScissor Sisters (album)
-Personnel:* Jake Shears – lead vocals* Babydaddy – bass guitar, keyboards, guitar, backing vocals* Ana Matronic – lead vocals* Del Marquis – guitar, bass guitar* Paddy Boom - drums, percussion-Release dates:-Charts:-References:...
dealt with a number of subjects and issues in a variety of styles, from drug abuse within the gay community ("Return to Oz"), to Shears' deep platonic love for his best friend, Mary ("Mary"). Mary died of a brain aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
in April 2006, news that devastated members of the band.
Scissor Sisters' music can be generally described as a mixture of glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
, disco and alternative music. They appear to have been heavily influenced by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
(Elton John also played the piano on "I Don't Feel Like Dancing"). However, Shears has gone on record as not having been very familiar with John's work prior to the release of their record, although he's stated he's since become a big fan. The band echoes not only Elton John but also ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
, the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
, Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, KC and the Sunshine Band
KC and the Sunshine Band
KC and the Sunshine Band is an American musical group. Founded in 1973 in Miami, Florida, their style has included funk, R&B, and disco. Their most well known songs include the disco hits "That's the Way ", " Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "Keep It Comin' Love", "Get Down Tonight", "Give...
, Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
("the reason we got into music", as Ana says), Supertramp
Supertramp
Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming to Supertramp in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music...
, Siouxsie and the Banshees (Ana said at the 2005 BRIT Awards
2005 BRIT Awards
The 2005 BRIT Awards were the 25th edition of the biggest annual pop music awards in the United Kingdom. A Special BRITs 25 Award for the best single from the past 25 years was awarded to Robbie Williams "Angels"...
that "she wouldn't be here without Siouxsie"), David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, 1970s-era Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, Chic
Chic (band)
Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
, Richard O'Brien
Richard O'Brien
Richard Timothy Smith , better known under his stage name Richard O'Brien, is an English writer, actor, television presenter and theatre performer. He is perhaps best known for writing the cult musical The Rocky Horror Show and for his role in presenting the popular TV show The Crystal Maze...
and various other dance/disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
, rock, and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
acts; they admit that their music is hard to categorise. During a public signing in Brisbane, Australia, Shears stated that the Beatles have been an influence for him and that he is a huge fan of Paul McCartney and Wings.
Many of the Scissor Sisters' songs deal with themes in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
, relating to the fact that three of the band members, including the two founders, are gay. "Filthy/Gorgeous
Filthy/Gorgeous
"Filthy/Gorgeous" is a song by American disco group Scissor Sisters and is the seventh track on their self-titled debut album . It was released as the last single from that album in the UK and despite this, it was surprisingly successful commercially, peaking at #5 in the UK Singles Chart in...
" is about transsexual prostitutes while "Take Your Mama
Take Your Mama
"Take Your Mama" is a song by American band Scissor Sisters and is the second track on their self-titled debut album . It was released March 29, 2004 as a single in the UK, peaking at #17 in the UK Singles Chart...
" deals with coming out of the closet
Out of the Closet
Out of the Closet is a nonprofit chain of thrift stores whose revenues provide medical care for patients with HIV/AIDS. The chain is owned and operated by AIDS Healthcare Foundation , a Los Angeles-based global organization that provides medical, preventative, and educational resources for patients...
to family members. Despite this, the group refuses to consider itself to be a "gay band", with Jake Shears stating that "I don't believe sexuality really matters when it comes to music." In an interview featured on the We Are Scissor Sisters… And So Are You DVD, Jake states, "The fact that some of us are gay affects our music the same amount as it does that some of the members of Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
are straight".
Visual
The visuals for Scissor Sisters' self-titled first album and its singles featured artwork by an English illustratorIllustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
named Spookytim, who has a studio in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
called Studiospooky. The artwork was created by a wide variety of techniques and mixed traditional paper-based processes with digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
and photographic elements in order to reflect the multi-referential nature of the band's music.
The Scissor Sisters are known for their extravagant live performances. In some of their early shows, Jake Shears was known to remove all of his clothes onstage, harking back to his former profession as a go-go stripper; while in others he threw inflated condoms into the audience.
Impact and influence
Several fan societies have sprung up in the official forums. These include the "Jake Groupies", "Ana Matronic Appreciation Society", and the "Scissor Sisters Party Bus", the latter two having spilled over to their own sites. The band have a close relationship with the fan community, even holding a small private gig for select forum members on Aug. 14, 2005, at which a number of new tracks were previewed, and fans had the opportunity to meet the band and give birthday cards and presents to Ana Matronic. In the fan community, those fans who hold a special affinity for Ana are known as "nuns".In late 2004, Shears and Babydaddy co-wrote and produced the hit "I Believe in You
I Believe in You (Kylie Minogue song)
"I Believe in You" is a dance-pop song performed by Australian singer Kylie Minogue and written by Minogue and Scissor Sisters members Jake Shears and Babydaddy...
" with Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, which featured on the Ultimate Kylie
Ultimate Kylie
Ultimate Kylie is the third compilation album by Australian singer and songwriter Kylie Minogue, which was released in November 2004 by Parlophone Records. This collection superseded Kylie's 1992 Greatest Hits compilation and the 2000 compilation Hits+. It was released with the Copy Control...
compilation. They also wrote the unreleased "(Everything) I Know", which leaked online in November 2004 and "Ooh (The Blues)", of which Kylie's version remains unreleased. The Scissor Sisters went on to cowrite a new song for Kylie entitled "White Diamond", which was showcased in her Showgirl Homecoming Tour
Showgirl - The Homecoming Tour
Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour is a concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. Minogue was originally scheduled to perform in Australia and Asia during Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour in 2005, but she was forced to cancel the tour when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.Minogue resumed the...
that kicked off in Australia in November 2006. A stirring ballad version of "White Diamond" was featured as an exclusive pre-order bonus track from Minogue's 2007 album, X
X (Kylie Minogue album)
X is the tenth studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It is her first release since the greatest hits compilation Ultimate Kylie , and her first studio album since Body Language . X was preceded by lead single "2 Hearts" and released worldwide in November 2007...
, as well as being the theme song of her 2007 tour documentary, White Diamond
White Diamond
White Diamond: A Personal Portrait of Kylie Minogue is a 2007 documentary film directed and produced by William Baker and chronicling the life of Australian singer Kylie Minogue during her Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour...
.
Appearances
- The group were one of the headlining acts at the British V FestivalV FestivalThe V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
in 2005, where they collaborated on stage with Scottish rock group Franz FerdinandFranz Ferdinand (band)Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
to perform a cover version of David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's "Suffragette City". - Sept. 10, 2006, saw them headline the BestivalBestivalBestival is a four-day music festival held at the Robin Hill country park on the Isle of Wight, England. It has been held annually in late summer since 2004. The event is organized by DJ and record producer Rob da Bank and is an off-shoot of his Sunday Best record label and club nights. The initial...
festival on the Isle of WightIsle of WightThe Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. - The Scissor Sisters ended their first UK tour at Wembley ArenaWembley ArenaWembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
, London, from Nov. 24 to 26, 2006, supported by new artist Lily AllenLily AllenLily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...
, who performed during the three days there. - On Sept. 15, 2006 the group were invited to the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
s Maida ValeMaida ValeMaida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
studios to perform different songs on every show broadcast on BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
. The event, dubbed "Scissor Sisters Day", culminated in them actually standing in for presenter Pete TongPete TongPeter "Pete" Tong is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for...
and hosting his three-hour slot themselves. The show took an unexpected turn when a woman in labourChildbirthChildbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
telephoned the show to share her experience with the band and they played "Push ItPush It (Salt-N-Pepa song)"Push It" is a song by the group Salt-N-Pepa, released as a single in 1986. It peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987 and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA...
" by Salt-n-PepaSalt-N-PepaSalt-N-Pepa is an American hip hop trio from Queens and Brooklyn, New York, that was formed in 1985. The group, consisting of Cheryl "Salt" Renee James, Sandra "Pepa" Denton, and Deidra "DJ Spinderella" Roper, was one of the first all-female rap crews....
for her. Several performances, interviews, and a humorous jingle that was written in an hour, were filmed and edited into a special seven-day, looped broadcast on BBCi. - The group was the main event during the New Year's Eve celebrations for 2007 in Berlin.
- On Feb. 8 and 9, 2007, the group appeared on the American daytime soap opera PassionsPassionsPassions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
. They performed "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" and "Land of a Thousand WordsLand of a Thousand Words"Land of a Thousand Words" is the second single from the American band, the Scissor Sisters' second album, Ta-Dah. It is the fifth track of Ta-Dah, and it was released on 4 December 2006 in the UK and Ireland...
", from the album Ta-Dah.
In popular culture
DJ EarwormDJ Earworm
Jordan Roseman is a San Francisco/London-based mashup artist who has achieved recognition for his technically sophisticated, songwriting oriented music and video mashups...
's 2005 hit mashup
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
"No One Takes Your Freedom" combined "Take Your Mama" with The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "For No One", George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
's "Freedom '90" and Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
's "Think".
In early 2008, online record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
bastard pop netlabel WHA!?, in association with Scissor Sister fansite idontfeellikedancin.com released a free-to-download bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
album entitled Da-Tah. The album featured "Mash-Ups
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
" of Scissor Sister songs with songs by artists as diverse as Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...
and Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
- "The Skins" was used in Season 5 of the Showtime original series Queer as Folk and also appeared on the soundtrack album.
- In the Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episode "Last of the Time LordsLast of the Time Lords"Last of the Time Lords" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 30 June 2007, and is the thirteenth and final episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series...
", the song "I Can't Decide" was used in a scene of the MasterMaster (Doctor Who)The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
singing along to it in a mocking fashion towards the DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
. Subsequently, the song debuted at #64 on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, despite not officially being released as a single. (Only the final verse of the song was used, as the previous two verses contain swearing. While not named, it is referred to as "Track 3", so it is presumably from the Ta-Dah! album,) - "Filthy/Gorgeous" serves as the theme music to the U.S. version of the sit-com Kath & KimKath & KimKath & Kim is a Logie Award-winning character-driven Australian television situation comedy series. The series was created by, and is written by Jane Turner and Gina Riley who play the title characters: a suburban mother and daughter with a dysfunctional relationship...
. - "Take Your Mama" was featured in the episode "Six Months AgoSix Months Ago"Six Months Ago" is the tenth episode of the first season of the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. The entire episode is set six months before the series' premiere, displaying how all the characters initially developed their powers.-Plot:...
" of HeroesHeroes (TV series)Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
, in Season 1. - "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" is featured in the Nintendo Wii video game "Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party" And is also included in the game Singstar, by Sony Computer Entertainment, on the PlayStation 3.
- Also in 2005, "Filthy/GorgeousFilthy/Gorgeous"Filthy/Gorgeous" is a song by American disco group Scissor Sisters and is the seventh track on their self-titled debut album . It was released as the last single from that album in the UK and despite this, it was surprisingly successful commercially, peaking at #5 in the UK Singles Chart in...
" was licensed by ActivisionActivisionActivision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
and appears in Neversoft's Tony Hawk's American WastelandTony Hawk's American WastelandTony Hawk's American Wasteland, abbreviated to THAW, is a video game that was released for the PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube and PC on October 18, 2005. Part of the Tony Hawk series, the game was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision.The PC version of the game was ported and...
. - EA Sports' FIFA series had two Scissor Sisters's songs on its soundtrack. "Take Your Mama" for FIFA 2005FIFA Football 2005FIFA Football 2005, also known as FIFA Soccer 2005, FIFA 2005 or simply FIFA 05, is a football video game released in . It was developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Xbox, PlayStation Portable, GameCube, mobile...
and "Fire with Fire" for FIFA 11FIFA 11FIFA 11 is the 18th title in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it was published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label...
. - In the movie "How to Lose Friends and Alienate PeopleHow to Lose Friends and Alienate PeopleHow to Lose Friends and Alienate People may refer to:*How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, a 1937 best selling book by Irving Tressler* How to Lose Friends and Alienate People , a 2001 memoir by Toby Young...
" "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'I Don't Feel like Dancin'"I Don't Feel Like Dancin" is the first single from the second album by the American pop band Scissor Sisters, Ta-Dah. It was written with Elton John, who provides piano for the song, and was the band's first top ten single in Australia and Canada. The song was written by Elton John, Scott Hoffman...
" is featured in the costume party. - In the movie "Flushed AwayFlushed AwayFlushed Away is a 2006 computer animated British film directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell. It is a partnership between Aardman Animations of Wallace and Gromit fame, and DreamWorks Animation, and is Aardman's first completely computer-animated feature as opposed to the usual stop-motion.The film...
", one of the "Slug Songs" in the Special Features menu is "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" with the slugs singing the chorus. - In the movie "Shrek Forever AfterShrek Forever AfterShrek Forever After, taglined as The Final Chapter, is a 2010 animated fantasy-comedy film, and the fourth and final installment in the Shrek film series, produced by DreamWorks Animation. The film was released by Paramount Pictures in cinemas on May 20, 2010 in Russia, and on May 21 in the United...
" "Isn't It Strange" is featured in the film. The track was created during the band's recording session for their Night Work album.
Awards, nominations and press
At the 2005 BRIT Awards2005 BRIT Awards
The 2005 BRIT Awards were the 25th edition of the biggest annual pop music awards in the United Kingdom. A Special BRITs 25 Award for the best single from the past 25 years was awarded to Robbie Williams "Angels"...
, the group won all the awards they were nominated for: International Group, International Breakthrough, and International Album (Ana asked Siouxsie to present this award). It was the first time in the Awards history that an act won all three International categories. They also opened the show with "Take Your Mama
Take Your Mama
"Take Your Mama" is a song by American band Scissor Sisters and is the second track on their self-titled debut album . It was released March 29, 2004 as a single in the UK, peaking at #17 in the UK Singles Chart...
", on a set made by The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company, an American entertainment organization, traces its origins to the founding of Muppets, Inc. in 1958 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The Muppets helped the company gain worldwide acclaim in family entertainment for more than four decades...
. At the 2007 awards, the group did not win any awards, but opened the ceremony with a rendition of "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'."
In 2004, the gay members of the band, Jake Shears
Jake Shears
Jake Shears is the lead male vocalist for the American music group Scissor Sisters.-Early life and education:...
, Babydaddy
Babydaddy
Scott Hoffman , known by his stage name Babydaddy, is the Ivor Novello Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, backing vocalist and lyricist for the American glam rock band, Scissor Sisters...
, and Del Marquis
Del Marquis
Del Marquis is the lead guitarist for the group Scissor Sisters.-Scissor Sisters:He was introduced to the Scissor Sisters in 2001 at the insistence of a friend who, at the time, was dating Jake Shears. He originally dismissed the band when he first saw them perform at The Cock, a New York City gay...
, were honored in the Out 100, Out
Out (magazine)
Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
magazine's List of the 100 Most Intriguing Gay People of the Year. The band won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist on March 28, 2005. On July 2, 2005, the group performed at Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
. Their set included the previously unheard song "Everybody Wants the Same Thing".
In November 2006, they won the German media award Bambi in the category "Shooting Star".
They have received some heavy attention in the United States by VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
and magazines such as Out
Out (magazine)
Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
and Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. They have also been interviewed on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's website and Del Marquis has been interviewed by the music section of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
.com. It is a little known fact that there are several tracks recorded by the band before their eponymous debut which were never released; these tracks have entered the fan community and, although sometimes difficult to find, can be obtained freely. These songs include "Someone to Touch", "Doctor (I'm Only Seeing Dark)", "Bicycling with the Devil", "Electrobix
Electrobix
"Electrobix" is a song by American band Scissor Sisters and is the first single from the Scissor Sisters' 2003 demo album. Released as a 12" vinyl EP in 2002, "Electrobix" is not the best-known track on the EP, with its B-side "Comfortably Numb" gaining much more club and air play than the...
", "Monkey Baby", a Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
-esque cover of Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
's "Take Me Out
Take Me Out (song)
"Take Me Out" is a song by the Scottish band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the second single from their debut album Franz Ferdinand in the United Kingdom on the 12 January 2004 and in the United State on 9 February, both through Domino Records...
", as well as demo versions of "Laura", and "Filthy/Gorgeous
Filthy/Gorgeous
"Filthy/Gorgeous" is a song by American disco group Scissor Sisters and is the seventh track on their self-titled debut album . It was released as the last single from that album in the UK and despite this, it was surprisingly successful commercially, peaking at #5 in the UK Singles Chart in...
".
Members
The members of the band:- Jake ShearsJake ShearsJake Shears is the lead male vocalist for the American music group Scissor Sisters.-Early life and education:...
(born Jason Sellards): vocals, piano, guitar (2001–present) - BabydaddyBabydaddyScott Hoffman , known by his stage name Babydaddy, is the Ivor Novello Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, backing vocalist and lyricist for the American glam rock band, Scissor Sisters...
(born Scott Hoffman): bass guitar, keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar (2001–present) - Ana MatronicAna MatronicAna Matronic is the female lead singer for the Scissor Sisters.Her stage name is said to be due to "a deep and abiding love of robots"...
(born Ana Lynch): vocals, 'Mistress of CeremoniesMaster of CeremoniesA Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
', percussion, keyboards (2001–present) - Del MarquisDel MarquisDel Marquis is the lead guitarist for the group Scissor Sisters.-Scissor Sisters:He was introduced to the Scissor Sisters in 2001 at the insistence of a friend who, at the time, was dating Jake Shears. He originally dismissed the band when he first saw them perform at The Cock, a New York City gay...
(born Derek Gruen): lead guitar, bass guitar (2001–present) - Randy Real (born Randy Schrager): drums, electronic drums, percussion (2008–present)
Former members:
- Paddy BoomPaddy BoomPaddy Boom is a drummer. He was the original drummer for the American glam rock band Scissor Sisters.-Early life:...
(born Patrick Seacor): drums, electronic drums, percussion (2001–2008)
Live shows and performances have included John "JJ" Garden—son of Graeme Garden
Graeme Garden
David Graeme Garden OBE is a Scottish author, actor, comedian, artist and television presenter, who first became known as a member of The Goodies.-Early life and beginnings in comedy:...
of The Goodies
The Goodies
The Goodies are a trio of British comedians who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.-Honours:All three Goodies now have OBEs...
— on keyboards, rhythm and bass guitar.
Discography
- Scissor SistersScissor Sisters (album)-Personnel:* Jake Shears – lead vocals* Babydaddy – bass guitar, keyboards, guitar, backing vocals* Ana Matronic – lead vocals* Del Marquis – guitar, bass guitar* Paddy Boom - drums, percussion-Release dates:-Charts:-References:...
(2004) - Ta-DahTa-Dah* *The UK Edition of the album has a pregap, consisting of two minutes of silence after "Everybody Wants the Same Thing". Subsequently, what seems to be the sound of an elevator reaching its destination floor is heard as an 8-second interlude at the end of the pregap...
(2006) - Night Work (2010)
Filmography
- We Are Scissor Sisters… And So Are You (2004)
- Hurrah! A Year of Ta-DahHurrah! A Year of Ta-DahHurrah! A Year of Ta-Dah is the second DVD by the Scissor Sisters, that was released on November 12, 2007. It contains a live concert filmed at London's O2 Arena as part of the "Kiss You Off" tour in July 2007, as well as a 40 minute documentary, behind the scenes footage from the 2007 tour and a...
(2007)
Tours
- Untitled European Tour (2003)
- The Ta-Dah Tour (2007)
- The Night Work Tour (2010/2011)
As supporting act
- Vertigo TourVertigo TourThe Vertigo Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the band visited arenas and stadiums from 2005 through 2006. The Vertigo Tour consisted of five legs that alternated between indoor arena shows in...
in support of U2U2U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
(2005) - Touring the AngelTouring the AngelTouring the Angel was a 2005/2006 concert tour by English electronic group Depeche Mode in support of the act's 11th studio album, Playing the Angel, which was released in October 2005....
in support of Depeche ModeDepeche ModeDepeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
(2006) - The Monster Ball TourThe Monster Ball TourThe Monster Ball Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American recording artist Lady Gaga. Staged in support of her album The Fame Monster and comprising a set list of songs from that and her debut album The Fame , the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 2009 through 2011...
in support of Lady GagaLady GaGaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
(2011)
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
External links
- Scissor Sisters Message Board
- Interview with Jake Shears from PhillyGayCalendar.com
- KEXP Interview and Live Performance
- Shear Madness OutOut (magazine)Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
magazine interview, April 2005 by Matthew BreenMatthew BreenMatthew Breen is a journalist and entertainment writer living in Los Angeles, CA, United States. He is the editor-in-chief of The Advocate, a national gay news magazine, and editorial director for The Advocate Group.... - Out.com interview with Scissor Sisters
- Exit Fest 2006 Interview with Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters
- Out magazine interview with Jake Shears and Baby Daddy, September 2006 by Tom DonaghyTom DonaghyTom Donaghy is a playwright whose work has been produced by major theatre companiesacross the United States, including Atlantic Theater Company, Lincoln Center Theatre, and Playwrights Horizons in New York City, the Goodman Theater in Chicago, the La Jolla Playhouse and South Coast Repertory in...
- Scissor Sisters interview at elevenmagazine