Edie Sedgwick: More Than A Woman

Self-described as 'the transgendered reincarnation of a vacuous Andy Warhol muse', Edie Sedgwick is the alter-ego of former El Guapo/Supersystem and Antelope member, Justin Moyer. Dressing in drag, Moyer fuses humour with scathing commentary and striking visuals atop a backbone of funky electronic jams to deliver energized and informative performances and recordings, inspired by various social stimuli - particularly the absurdity of celebrity culture.

His most recent effort, last year's Things Are Getting Sinister And Sinisterer - produced by fellow DC neighbour Ian Mackaye (Fugazi/Minor Threat) and released on Dischord Records - is his third and, in referencing everything from the child adoption antics of Angelina Jolie to the lifestyle of the dangerously skinny, is easily his most potent to date. Making a brief appearance on U.K. soil as part of Extensive European tour, I caught up with the man behind the sequined dress and bobbed blonde wig to get a bit of insight into this most peculiar concept.

Joined in an awkwardly silent press room by a noticeably less flamboyant yet considerably laid-back Justin Moyer, he begins by musing on his beginnings. "When i started doing this, people were making a lot of music about politics, like 'issue' songs or songs against George Bush and stuff like that... and that doesn't really interest me so much. I'd rather make songs about things that impact us in more immediate ways every day, like popular culture." Driving the point home, he adds, "I'd rather write a song about Martin Sheen playing the president on the west wing, than write a song about George Bush, that's more interesting to me."

Most of the tracks written and performed by Moyer under the Edie Sedgwick guise are named after celebrities/performers - like Sissy Spacek, Angelina Jolie and Rob Lowe - and though not always directly linked to the subjects themselves, these personalities are often used to delve into abstract and often amusing territory. One particularly striking example being the song O.D.B., named after the Wu-tang Clan's Ill-fated, yet legendary Ol' Dirty Bastard.

According to Moyer, this song explores particularly significant depths. "Those lyrics are pretty oblique and that song's kind of strange. It doesn't necessarily reference anything related to the Wu-tang Clan, but it's more about O.D.B. as an outsider artist and as a figure who sorta defies the conventions of rap music and what's expected of hip-hop artists and artists in general. He's just so out there."

Though perhaps not seeming the most obvious inspiration behind a band fronted by a man in drag, the spirit and style of Ol' Dirty seems to have significantly shaped the essence of the project. "In a way, i like to think I model myself on him, because my act is so strange." Moyer explains. "Y'know, I don’t look very good, I'm not necessarily the greatest singer, but I like to think that what im coming at the audience with is so left field and bizarre that it'll make people think something."

Regardless of any sexual connotations, or whatever it might mean to dress in drag these days, this approach has served as a liberation of sorts for Moyer, and provides a highly visual vehicle for the deeper meaning carried in the music. But what inspired such a stark aesthetic jump? "Having been in a number of punk bands with all dudes with their beards and their serious attitudes, I was like, i don’t wanna do this anymore. My music's still serious and hopefully it makes people think - I don’t like to think I’m just like a comedy routine or something - but that whole routine of going to a show with big, burly hardcore guys, is just something i wanted to escape, so this is my way of escaping it."

Motivated to avoid any kind repetition or stagnation, there are already some interesting ideas and changes on the horizon. 'I'm writing my first songs that aren’t specifically titled about celebrities - I don’t know how long it'll last! I'm trying to do something like a more soul kinda style with backing singers, and I play guitar - which is something new." Continuing, Moyer offers his take on the key to artistic satisfaction. "Too many artists are precious about their bullshit, like their aesthetic has to be a certain way, but to me, as long as you're making songs, playing in front of people and experimenting with your format, to me, that's what's interesting about making art."

Having been an ongoing side-project for around a decade now, this will always be a separate experiment from which people can take what they can or want. Regardless of whether people really get it or not though, the engaging live performances, hilariously biting lyrics and amalgamation of musical styles created by Edie Sedgwick are a hidden gem for those brave or willing enough to seek it out.