| Subject: Jade Esteban Estrada in Lavender Magazine |
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Douglas
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Date Posted: 20:20:14 08/07/04 Sat
ISN'T IT ICONIC?
Latin pop meets Queer History
By Chris Nelson
LAVENDER MAGAZINE
August 7, 2004
In 2000, a record label turned Estrada down for a solo deal because he was Latino and out. In the aftermath of the so-called Latin explosion that has pulsed through American pop culture over the past five years, it's hard not to look around, and feel like you've walked out of a high-budget, overhyped, sexed-up flick 20 bucks poorer, and quickly crashed off a candy and soda sugar-high.
To add insult to injury, you now can get round-the-clock analysis of J. Lo's ass, Enrique's ex-mole, or Ricky's new song (set to the tune of "La Vida Loca") on VH1.
Ah, nothing like a regurgitated pop-culture fad-hangover.
But it turns out you might want to reconsider writing off all Latin pop artists to commercial-clatter short on substance.
It's time to meet one up-and-coming, openly gay Latino entertainer who's bound to get your mind buzzing, while making your ass shake. "I've always been a one-man shebang. I'm a Virgo. I'm a perfectionist," Jade Esteban Estrada states.
A Texas native, Estrada is a virtual Jack McFarland of showbiz, a self-described "singer, dancer, actor, choreographer, comic."Of course, Estrada is a bit more successful than his TV counterpart.Estrada is in the midst of his third one-man show, Icons: The Lesbian and Gay History of the World, Vol. 1. A mix of song and monologue, it's Estrada's first take on queer history.
The show traces that history's evolution through Estrada's interpretation of six famous queers: Sappho, Michelangelo, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Sylvia Rivera, and Ellen DeGeneres.With more than 100 performances nationwide, the show came to the Cities in early July.
Vol. 2 is slated for release this fall. Plus, that telling benchmark of success, a film deal, is in the works for Vol. 1.It's hard to believe that Estrada would be one to spread queer history across the country with a little song and dance.
Raised on a military base in San Antonio, and caught up in Latino traditions that aren't always welcoming to homosexuality, Estrada could be the ultimate rebellious child."I think my rigid, military upbringing steered me completely the opposite direction of what my father was," Estrada observes.
Estrada's dad, a U.S. Army officer, who hasn't been thrilled by a son publicly bursting at the seams with gayness, has asked Estrada to keep his homosexuality off the family radar.
In Estrada's words, "Not only was I out, it wasn't even a question. I came out to everyone very young. My father to this day is very upset. He's pretty homophobic."
Of course, it didn't help when Estrada grand-marshaled Pride in his hometown in 2002, or when he performed on a gay-themed Jerry Springer Show.
And you thought you pissed-off your parents!"
In the Latino culture, there is religion, tradition. You don't talk about things like that," Estrada says of his family's struggle with his homosexuality.
Not only does religion make homosexuality taboo within Latino culture, but the tight-knit, affectionate nature of family and community makes it hard to live quietly, privately, or without a good deal of ridicule, Estrada explains.
"Because we live in a household that is multigenerational, everybody is all in your business. Everyone knows about it," Estrada emphasizes."In mainstream society, we have our secrets. We respect that.
"To illustrate, Estrada puts it to me this way: "If we were speaking in Spanish, we'd be seated side by side. I wouldn't mind touching you to explain a point. That's the way Latinos are.
"Estrada feels gender also complicates homosexuality within Latino communities. "Men are expected to marry," Estrada notes, while women more easily can live a "single" life as teachers or in other community-service roles.
"Men doing that would be a little weird," Estrada remarks.This tradition of knowing silence around homosexuality has given Estrada a sense of dedication with his Icons show."I care about the community a great deal. It's important to take my show to places where people are not even out yet. They're not out, because it's not accepted. It breaks my heart," Estrada shares.
Defying odds by being an extremely out Latino man, Estrada has brought a needed and admirable openness to his music and entertainment career.Trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, Estrada dabbled in comedy, musical groups, and theater before larger success came when he released the single Reggae Twist in 1998.
Estrada recounts that music executives didn't quite know how to manage a gay artist.
One record big shot, trying to be helpful, once told Estrada, "Listen, we can get a guy and dress him up like a woman for all your public appearances.
"In 2000, a record label turned Estrada down for a solo deal because he was Latino and out. "We really don't know what to do with you," he was told.
In September of that year, Estrada sidestepped industry homophobia by opening his own record label and production company. He put out his first solo LP, Angel, in February 2001.The idea for Icons soon grew out of Estrada's desire to bring gay and Latino themes together.
Rivera, a transgender activist who helped set off the Stonewall Riot, was Estrada's initial focus. Not far into Estrada's research for the show, Rivera died, in early 2002. Estrada attended her funeral, and was inspired by what he saw.
As Estrada recalls, "The same group of people who maybe started the Stonewall riots were there. It wasn't the upper-class gay people. It was street people. She was like a mother to them. I realized in that moment that I wanted to do something to honor her.
"Icons runs just over an hour, as Estrada performs what he quips is "a history of lesbian and gay people in a way that isn't boring." Estrada realized queer history couldn't be played out fully in one show, thus titling it Vol. 1. He'll present a new chunk of a new history this September, as Vol. 2 reanimates Freddy Mercury, Alexander the Great, 9/11 hero Mark Bingham, and others."I hope people walk away knowing where they came from," Estrada sums up. "This is their history. People just haven't claimed it.
"Salsa cynics, be warned: Let the queer Latino invasion begin!
For more information, visit www.IconsVolume1.com.
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