The trials of St Antony
Antony Hegarty has never conformed, not even to the body he was given. On the "precious side of arty", he transfixed millions with his voice. Always happiest collaborating, he's teaming up on stage with Marina Abramović and Willem Dafoe. Here, he talks about sexuality, fame and why Jesus was a girl
Barbara Ellen
The Observer, Sunday 3 July 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jul/03/antony-johnsons-hegarty-marina-abramovicHow to describe Antony Hegarty's voice? Since the release of his band Antony and the Johnsons' 2005 album I Am A Bird Now (which chronicled his experiences as a transgender gay male and was the surprise winner of the Mercury prize, selling upwards of 500,000 copies), there have been many attempts to categorise his sound, ranging from "chamber pop" to "ethereal torch singing". One of his early mentors, Lou Reed (hardly the gushing type) said: "When I heard Antony, I knew that I was in the presence of an angel."
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"We're raised to believe that there are only two ways of raising children: a pink and a blue model. God forbid you transgress those boundaries."
As one of the few prominent transgender people, does he feels it's his duty to speak out? "I don't see it as a duty," says Hegarty, "I see it as more of a pleasure."
