Roddy Bottum talks about his career as an out rock star and his band's latest album, Feel the Sound.
By Stacey Jay Cavaliere

Praise for Imperial Teen's new album is latest career milestone for the group's founder, Roddy Bottum
The recent release of pop-rock band Imperial Teen's sixth full-length album, Feel the Sound, is just the latest accomplishment for the band's out composer, singer and guitarist Roddy Bottum.
Bottum is something of a rock music legend dating back to his heavy metal beginnings as keyboardist in the rock group Faith No More.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Bottum studied classical piano as a child and relocated with his school friends to San Francisco at age 18. He joined Faith No More in the band's early years, remaining with them until the group's demise in 1998.
Faith No More garnered critical and fan praise, particularly with their 1989 album, The Real Thing, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.
The song "Epic," probably one of the most successful of their hits, features a piano solo by Bottum, and the accompanying video shows the famous shot of a goldfish out of water, flopping around on the ground — an image that propelled their fame, and helped define the band's unique music and performance style.
Fast forward to 1994 when, after coming out publicly as a gay man, Bottum joined forces with Lynn Truell (formerly Lynn Perko) on drums/vocals, another accomplished Bay area music veteran, and formed Imperial Teen, a much more upbeat, pop sounding endeavor. The band also features Will Schwartz (guitar/vocals) and Jone Stebbins (bass/vocals).
The group gained critical praise in 1996 with their debut album, Seasick, which Spin Magazine listed as one of the 50 best albums of all time. Imperial Teen was even praised highly by the New York Times, a huge feat for any debut artist.
In 1998, the band saw their highest peak of success with the release of What Is Not to Love, with several of the songs appearing in mainstream films such as Jawbreaker, starring Rose McGowan, who also appeared in the video for the hugely popular and catchy song "Yoo Hoo."
Throughout the next decade, Imperial Teen toured extensively, opening shows for Hole, The Breeder and Marilyn Manson.
A 1999 article in The Advocate praised Bottum and his band mates for writing candidly about gay subject matter citing their "gay sensibility" and "unique unpredictability."
The band's third album, On, also received fan and critical praise and gained some radio airplay for the song "Ivanka."
After taking a break, the members of Imperial Teen joined forces again in 2007 and released their first album in five years, The Hair the TV the Baby and the Band, which referenced things they had experienced during their hiatus.
In Feel the Sound, which was released in January through Merge Records, Imperial Teen's songs are more polished, but the lyrical content remains tried and true to when the band first formed — honest, forthright, and fun.
The first single, "Runaway," is a masterfully crafted pop song that features each member of the band singing lead vocals.
Other highlights include "It's You," "No Matter What You Say" and "Last to Know," which is possibly the first song written about gay divorce, an issue Bottum and band mate Schwartz both recently experienced. -E
Question: Tell me a bit about the title, Feel the Sound.
Answer: We came up with the title in a roundabout way. Since all of us live in different cities, it is difficult to get together to record or tour. But when we are all in one room making music, we feel really good about it. We do it because we love it, and it is in those moments where we really feel the sound.
Q: What was the writing and recording process like having everyone in different parts of the country?
A: We have been recording off and on for the past two years in Los Angeles, but determined we needed a deadline. Once that was set we really were on the right track to finishing. We hired a couple of great engineers and produced the entire album ourselves.
Q: At first listen I noticed that this is the most polished album Imperial Teen has ever released. How would you describe the evolution of the band, both in sound, and the way you all work together?
A: Well we are still doing what we started out doing but are now more inclined to try new things, such as switching up instruments. But at the end of the day we still do what we're best at, which is writing pop songs. Switching up instruments and lead vocals is fun and allows for more creativity in our songs. We have even experimented with a bit more keyboard and a touch of R&B/soul on this record.
Q: You are known for often singing very candidly about sexuality and gay subject matter. What are some themes on Feel the Sound?
A: We really wrote about what each of us is going through personally which has always been a theme on our albums. I would say that on this album the main topic of the songs are about separating, rejoining, restarting and rebirth.
Q: Any plans for a tour yet?
A: We are really being strategic in our plans for live shows since we all have our own things going on in our lives. We are already confirmed to play the Noisepop Festival, some record release shows in some major cities, and a few shows in New York City. We would really like to play some major festivals to reach a broader audience.
Q: You have always been very up front and honest in regards to your sexuality. What do you think of the culture of the music industry today, in there being so many out and proud artists compared to when you came out in 1993?
A: I think it's fantastic where the world is going and it's great to see that people don't care so much anymore whether or not someone is openly gay. But I must be honest, I kind of miss having gay be a taboo. I guess the struggle for me is that because I bred something to define me as something very specific, it led me to have some issues (laughs). But overall I think the progress we have made is good.
Q: Imperial Teen is always so upbeat, cheerful, and joyous to listen to. It is a great thing, especially for young people today to have musical artists to look up to such as you. What advice would you give a young gay person who may be struggling in their lives?
A: I think that there is indeed huge youth-driven shame tactics going on today. I would tell them to hold out, continue to be yourself, and know that bullying and low self-worth is a fleeting occurrence. I think that bullies are a uniquely awful breed of people, who will end up working at Wal-Mart or being bored crunching numbers all their lives in a boring cubicle. Gay people are the colorful, flavorful people in life.
— Stacey Jay Cavaliere