Jake Shear Of The Scissor Sisters Regrets

One of the surprises of the year was the Scissor Sister’s excellent Night Work dogging. As major a work as disco or dance got all year, it detailed the drugs and clubs dissolve of the world Bowie chronicled in his mid-70s opus.

I might not always be right about these things but I am not usually this wrong. Jake Shear blamed it on choosing “Fire With Fire”.

“That’s the heartbreak about it – it’s something I always follow, always going with my instincts. Because, if you put something out when you’re following your instincts and it fails, it’s all on you. ‘Invisible Light’ should have been the first single.”

Perhaps.

I really don’t understand.

I called my good friend Steve Diamond, who is a huge fan of Scissor Sisters, and caught both nights at T5, and he had this to say.

1. It didn’t really dog as bad as I’m claiming. It did alright in Europe and reached #2 in the UK.

2. The band is so gay-centric it makes mainstream poppers uncomfortable (they actually advertised on a gay escort service website called “Rentboy”)

3. The club sound on their third album is less commercial.

4. There is no radio stations except niche Sirius types, willing to promote them.

All of which may well be true. Plus there was no sure shot “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” hit. Whatever Jake may believe “Invisible Light” wouldn’t have quite done it.

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