"TRUE BLUE" From BALTIMORE GAY LIFE / JUNE 2004

You were born in Florida, but your ancestors were British. You're allegedly related to a 15th century king and Frankenstein author Mary Shelley. Is that fact?

Allegedly? Actually it's all hype! My manager made it up 'cause I'm about as dull as a middle class rock star can be! No it's true as far as I know. Perhaps I've been fibbed to, but my dad - who holds a doctorate or two and is very interested in that kind of stuff - had our family history professionally researched more than once and each time those particular anscestors of note kept popping up. Unfortunately there were also lots of criminals and other characters of dubious distinction who I'd rather NOT mention!

You grew up in a very religious house hold that prohibited rock-n-roll music. With such an ardent strictness from your parents, what was going through your head when you were having homosexual feelings?

Well, strict or not - I was still a horny young thing back in the day - just like every other gay boy. I felt like I had to keep it secret but I had a bunch of boy friends and certainly did not make do with just my own right hand! There were some other hands (and assorted bits and pieces) in there now and then. But seriously, when I was a kid, living in that kind of ultra-strict envrionment, I just assumed that I could never live openly as a gay person. At that early point in my life I just didn't have the experience or knowledge or role models to even consider being anything other than closeted. That all changed later on, thankfully.

Your first record was a 7-inch vinyl single called "StereoPornoGroove," under your former group name DARKANGELES. How'd that go over with the family?

Well, my mother gave me a look like, "Honey, couldn't you think of anything else to call your first record?" My father didn't say anything, but I didn't have to ask what they thought. They considered it rudely provocative I'm sure. I think they thought I was just trying to get attention. Which I was! And I did. Although I still like that track and that record got played on like 60 or 70 college radio stations and I'm quite sure the title didn't hurt any.

You're background is pretty diverse. You've done design work for The Discovery Channel, BET, and HBO, among a slew of others. How did you get into that profession? What specifically did you do for the networks?

I started at the very bottom of the television business as a gopher and tape dubber. Later I moved up to grand and glorious level of "tape operator" (not really that grand actually). But I have a background in visual arts (as well as music) so I eventually really did move all the way up to being Senior Designer at Atlantic Video in DC. In that role I worked for pretty much every network of any size in existance. Just for the record, MTV and HBO were the most fun.

You've also worked on four presidential campaigns. Which ones? And how did you help the campaign?

You're doing your best to get me in trouble right? Oh God! I edited commercials for all kinds of political clients - all Republicans I am sad to say. The company I worked for had absolutely no Demoratic clients. None. So, I worked on spots for Reagan, Bush Senior, Dole and our current President. Forgive me! God that looks terrible in print. I hope everyone who reads this understands that I needed to eat and pay the electric bill. Thankfully I no longer lend my talents to any political party. I'm actually not a very political person. I'm an artistic person.

If you worked on Bush's, what did you do to aid it?

I don't think I really did anything to "aid" Bush's campaign. I actually used to choose shots that made him look more sinister or stupid. It was my little way of having a bit of control. And a lot of those conservative ad guys didn't know the difference. They would let me use a picture of Bush looking damn goofy and not realize it. Those guys have very little artistic sense. But it was a job, and I basically carried out the design and editing orders given to me by campaign producers. I did manage to buy some pretty cool recording equipment with the cash I made.

Continuing with your broad resume-tell me about your work with Jerry Falwell.

My dad was working for Falwell as the head of his Moral Majority organization. That's the world that I escaped from eventually. And my dad literally got me a job in the studio there in Lynchburg, Virginia and that really is how I began recording. Some of the tracks that are now out on iTunes were first written in that studio. Falwell himself (if you met him in person) is a very, very likeable guy. And actually quite giving and friendly and upbeat. I think that's part of what makes him dangerous. And of course being gay, and growing up in a less than accepting world, I obviously don't subscribe to his philosophical views. I think his take on homosexuality is absolutely neanderthal. The Teletubbies thing was idiotic. And the unfortunate statement about gays and lesbians, and other folks not like him, being responsible for 9/11 was beyond insulting. Still, I'm grateful that I got into recording and producing by working in his studio. Sometimes fate works in very mysterious ways.

Your most recent album Rush Push dropped in mid-October. What's on this one?

There are some very cool tracks on that disc including one we're doing at Pride called "Body of My Lover". That CD is more varied in style than the first one (The Secret Life of Boys). Neither of those discs is available anymore as a CD however. CD's are kind of on their way out actually, so those tracks are all available on the web at iTunes and the other on-line stores. I had to do "Rush Push" much faster than the the first album but we got it done and I'm extremely proud of the range of styles and sounds on it.

Anything in the works for the future?

Well, we're really excited about working with our label out in San Fransisco - INgrooves - to make more tracks available on line. Delphinium Blue is expanding. I feel like we're now becoming a true multi-format, multi-market act with tracks that appeal to an extremely wide range of fans. For now I'm frantically working literally night and day to get ready for all the performances we have scheduled in June. After that, I've told my manager Eddie Parsons that I must have some long overdue rest. He probably won't give me any, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Your upcoming performance at the Baltimore Pride celebration should be a smash. What do you have in store for everyone?

I'm just going to put my faith in the songs. That might sound obvious but I really feel like we've got some hits, like "Boy Seventeen" and our campy electronica version of "Amazing Grace" that are gonna surprise everybody. The songs are really good. So, I'm looking forward to kind of giving them over to the audience to see how they react. It's all up beat stuff, these tracks. I can't wait.

You'll be along side headliner Ultra Nate. How exciting is that?

Being on the same bill as Ultra is beyond exciting for us. We're all fans of hers and have been aware her for years. I wanna know if she ever met Ryan Philippe from "Studio 54".

She's great. I told her that I was totally gay and asked her on a date. But she shot me down because she's married. Total technicality. So, how's your love life going?

My love life is great. My aforementioned manager Eddie Parsons is "my love life" and we're coming up on our 1 year anniversary June 18th. Eddie is the coolest person I have ever met or known in my life. To say that I love him is a huge understatement.

I saw DelphiumBLUE boxer shorts for sale on your website. I wanna buy a pair, but I think I need someone to model them first. You down?

Have you run this by your boyfriend? OK. Absolutely. But if we ever put out a Delphinium Blue thong I'm gonna have to keep that in the bedroom.