Last year Loverboy packed up it’s heels and harnesses and moved to New York for a bit. In the last few days of our time in NYC, we ended up on a date with, the man of many talents, Jake Dibeler. Unfortunately we didn’t get to experience ALL his talents that night, time was against us, but him and his band bottoms are coming to the UK this Spring. So in the words of Liza, maybe this time…

Here he tells us what it’s like to ride a dildo whilst covered in blood on stage, why lip-syncing bores him and how he’s no lazy bottom.

Jake, you were telling us over a whiskey/ginger – you have a lot of different ventures, right? But what do YOU say you do?
I’m a performer. I sing for bottoms, but it’s still a performance for me. I most certainly am not a singer. Have you heard me sing?!

We liked it. Ha. Have you ever had shitty jobs to pay the bills while you concentrated on your art?
My parents made me get a job when I was 14. I’ve always worked. My art is a job, I spend a lot of time and money on it, but performance is a hard thing to monetize– it can’t really be sold in a gallery. I make it a point to get day jobs that aren’t the worst– I work at an Apple Store now.
Nothing will ever be as fulfilling as my art, but this job allows me to take the time off when I need to focus on my shows. bottoms is touring in April for two weeks and I have a job when I come back. That’s important.  As far as low points go, all points are low points. That’s why I take Wellbutrin. [It’s an antidepressant – Loverboy]

Were you performing before bottoms?
I’ve been performing my whole life. I’ve been in a dress and heels since I was like, 7. I studied performance in college, and my career really took off after I graduated. I moved to New York from Baltimore in 2010, and have been performing my shows fairly frequently since. I’m always looking for an excuse to be on stage. There was a short period where I tried doing drag in bars, but it was the least fulfilling three minutes I ever spent on stage. Lip-synching someone else’s music is so unbelievably boring. That’s why bottoms is so necessary for me.

Bottoms are totally necessary for us too. Some of your performance pieces could be called more unique. How do you describe them? 
I hate the label “performance art” because I know exactly what people think when I say it, and that’s not what I do. I describe my shows as experimental theater/performance/dance. It’s like a traditional play, but more abstract, and more choreographed. People who see my shows usually have an idea of what to expect, so I don’t think they’re as easy to “shock”, per se. I sometimes have to yell at people in the audience sometimes, and that can startle them. Oh and one time I was in this gallery covered in blood because I broke a mirror while dancing to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” and then I’m riding this dildo and lip-synching “I’m Sorry” by Brenda Lee, covered in blood, and I look up and right across from me is, like, this 10 year old kid reading a comic book. That probably shocked me more than it did him.

What’s been the high to date?
Having JD Samson wanna put our album out was really incredible. It’s all been amazing though. I never really had any expectations for bottoms, I just love doing it, so to be touring Europe is incredible.
As for me as a performer, honestly, it sounds gross, but every time I get asked to do a show is pretty great. I’m lucky to be a part of a community that really allows for me to have a lot of performance opportunities.

How did bottoms come about? 
bottoms existed for a little minute before I joined. It was Simon and Michael and a guitarist and they made this funny noisy music. Simon didn’t feel like singing and asked me on a whim, because we work on a lot of projects together. When I went to “audition” and Simon and Michael heard me scream, they were laughing so hard. It totally worked. I think Michael picked the name though. Good job, Michael. bottoms is really influenced by the Paradise Garage, AIDS crisis era music. I personally am very influenced by Diamanda Galas, Elizabeth Fraser, David Wojnarowicz, and early 90s industrial.

We might have to wiki a couple of those. What has been the weirdest response at a gig?
The weirdest response is no response. I’ll be on the floor doing a split in a gown and heels and people will be slack-jawed standing there not moving. I kinda love it actually. Also one time we played at this metal bar and the sound guy said to me “You guys sound like early Mayhem.” That’s cool because I love black metal, but we most certainly do not sound like early Mayhem.

What are the ideas behind some of the tracks?
On our first album we were pretty interested in this idea of making danceable songs with dark content. This dichotomy of depressing lyrics and upbeat music. It’s important though, to make this tough subject matter something that can be danced to. I think a lot of people use our shows as an excuse to work some shit out, really go wild. Performing, whether solo or with bottoms, is really cathartic for me, and so I hope it can be the same way for the audience.

What are your plans about touring?
We are touring Europe in April! It’s really exciting. I hope my voice makes it all the way through, though. You can go to our facebook to see the dates!

What’s next for Jake Dibeler?
I gotta write a bunch of solo shows! After releasing our record I focused a lot on bottoms, but I don’t want to spend too long without writing a show. bottoms is great because there’s no rules, and my performances are pretty strictly scripted, so I’ve been getting kind of…lazy? No, not lazy, bottoms is just a great excuse to be on stage without any rules. So I’ve really been embracing that, but I have to start writing shows, because that’s really where it all comes from. You can go to www.jakedibeler.com to see what I’m up to as far as that stuffs going. Or follow me on instagram (dracula_) to see what I’m up to.