Man on Man Make Us a Gay Playlist for the Gayest Month

This is SOUND ADVICE, a weekly destination for playlists curated by Interview’s friends, enemies, and lovers. Over the past few weeks, we’ve gathered playlists by Daniel Fisher, a.k.a. Physical Therapy, Alex Anwandter, and Miya Folick. This week, we’re trusting the raucous musical duo MAN ON MAN, Roddy Bottum and his partner Joey Holman, to show us a good time. The California-based couple started the band during the height of the pandemic as a way to “pass the time” and express themselves. But now, Bottum and Holman are doubling down with Provincetown, an LP recorded entirely in, well, Provincetown—one of the Northeast’s foremost gay watering holes. Before they head out on tour with Le Tigre, we asked MAN ON MAN to build a playlist for us and answer our questionnaire, in which they reflect on Pride Month memories and remind us why Janet Jackson is the indisputable Queen of Pop.

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RODDY BOTTUM

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Where do you dance? WRECKD, Horsemeat Disco, Mattachine at Julius, FAGBASH, Hot For You at Parkside, subway platforms, in the apartment.

Fuck, marry, kill: Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Music? Ok, I don’t really play this game but I’m sexually attracted to Soundcloud and I’d marry Spotify and sue Apple for spousal support after a divorce.

What’s the song of the summer? “FEELINGS” by MAN ON MAN.

What’s your favorite Pride memory? I was in LA when I was 17 and was typing for my dad’s office and my sisters and I went to WEHO Pride and I saw Eugene, my dad’s office manager at the parade. He was wearing a colorful plaid and we made eye contact and smiled really big at each other.

Favorite on-the-road meal? I love a bean and cheese burrito from Taco Bell.

What song on this playlist gets you dancing? I love slow grooving to “GERM FREE ADOLOESCENTS” by X RAY SPEX.

What artist, dead or alive, would you most like to write a song about you? Courtney Love.

Do you play an instrument? Which? Keyboards, drums, guitar, what you got?

What song do you have on repeat? “You Better You Bet” by The Who.

What’s the gayest album cover of all time? Roger Daltrey, Ride a Rock Horse.

What’s your favorite movie needle-drop? “We Care A Lot” in the new Guardians of the Galaxy but honestly “Midnight Cowboy” at the end of Midnight Cowboy on the bus when Ratso Rizzo passes.

JOEY HOLMAN

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What’s on your bedroom playlist? A special blend of “Airplane Cabin” and “Fan” on the White Noise app.

Bluetooth or wired headphones? Bluetooth when out and about, wired cans when tracking/editing music.

Whose music are you blasting on Boy Beach? Oh, maybe I’m not the best to answer this. I always think that if you need to blast music at the beach you’re missing the point of going to the beach.

Who do you trust most with the aux chord? Anyone good at reading the room and allowing the energy to go where it naturally needs to go.  People who are good at picking out music are usually just good at not fighting the natural vibe of the environment.

What was your first concert? The first concert I attended that I actually wanted to go to was Silverchair in 1995.  Before that was maybe… Jimmy Buffet? We were on vacation in Florida and one night after dinner we just happened upon a beach where he was playing in front of like 300 people.  Which is what happens when vacationing in Florida.

The artist you’d most like to see play a show in Provincetown: Our friends in Paramore played two shows at MSG a couple of weeks ago, and honestly I’ve never seen a more mixed crowd. The queers turned UP, and the whole show felt like a dance party. Paramore is one of those bands that everyone likes, so I think they’d do well in P-town.  Them, or Lucinda Williams. On a beach. At night.  Like in Florida.

Name your favorite artist no one knows about: Everyone needs to know about Macy Rodman.

Where’s the afters? Up your butt.

What song do you have on repeat? “You Better You Bet” by The Who.

What do you listen to when you’re high? Candi Staton.

Who’s the queen of pop? “Queen” to me implies someone who is currently reigning, so the obvious answer to that is Beyoncé.  That said, the best pop record of all-time is Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation. I’m not going to argue about it.