Way before Melissa Etheridge and k.d. lang came out of the closet as loving the ladies, Gretchen Phillips wrote songs about the joys of being queer. Being a lesbian in her view was not only fabulous, but hilarious! One of her biggest hits was with the band Two Nice Girls and their song “I Spent My Last $10 (on Birth Control and Beer)” gained national attention, including a mention in Rolling Stone Magazine.
The band broke eventually up, but their music lives on. Last year, they re-released their first album on iTunes for everyone to enjoy.
Since then, this living lesbian legend has been part of The Gretchen Phillips Experience, Dusty Trails, Joan Of Arkansas, Phillips & Driver, Lord Douglas Phillips and The Gretchen Phillips Ministries as well as performing as a solo artist.
She has more bands than I have ex-boyfriends!
Listen as Gretchen plays some hits from the past and performs songs from her first new album in five years, I Was Just Comforting Her.
Join us as we talk about how survive creatively when your band breaks up, appropriating Southern Christian religious right wing culture and the magic of low-fidelity music in a digital world.
Featured Music:
Gretchen Phillips – I Was Just Comforting Her: iTunes | Amazon | CD Baby
Two Nice Girls – 2 Nice Girls: iTunes
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25 Comments
Comments
I have to admit that I too, am a lesbian on birth control.
Thank you FOF, for introducing me to yet another unsung queer pioneer that the mainstream gay media has overlooked. Gretchen is awesome! I especially enjoyed the last song that she performed– so moving, and illustrates beautifully the joy and fear of loving someone.
I also got a kick out of hearing about the best lesbian bar in Austin that I will never, ever, get to experience.
Fausto, was this the same lesbian bar where you met Ellen DeGeneres?
Yes it was Rhea! Of course it was!!!
I was standing in line waiting to use the unisex bathroom. Next to me stood this 5′11, muscular, attractive blond man.
I turned to him and asked, is this the line to the bathroom? He turned to me and said with a very annoyed look on his face. “YES.”
That hot guy was Ellen Degeneres, way back in 1991. Nobody believed me when I said she was a lesbian. Now she’s one of the world’s most famous lesbians. True story, cross my heart.
Hey Fausto. Thanks for a great interview with Gretchen. She and I go way back! Love her to pieces and Love you too for having her on your show!
xoxo
Jamie
Glad you figured out how to comment with facebook connect!
Great show, guys! “I Spent My Last $10 (on Birth Control and Beer)” was one of the first songs by a lesbian artist that made me realize that lesbians can be funny. It’s made a regular appearance on mix tapes throughout the years. Thanks for the reminder to go check out the rest of Gretchen Phillips’ work!