Geneva Jacuzzi has, over the past two decades, masterfully bridged the gap between pop star and avant-garde visual and performance artist. Her music, art installations, and world-building music videos, along with her wild multimedia performances, evoke the spirit of Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable, creating an immersive frenzy of participation as her sets float into the audience. Her new album Triple Fire (her third full-length LP) was just released via Dais Records, following four singles, including the recent sumptuous “Scene Ballerina.” Loverboy’s Punk Professor and Geneva Jacuzzi superfan George Alley sat down with her to discuss her art, The Cure vs. New Order, DIY ‘scary rooms,’ and identifying as a ‘bossy bottom.’

Geneva!!! Hello! Happy Birthday! I thought you were a Cancer like me, which confused me because the title of your new album is Triple Fire. So, you aren’t?
Today’s the cusp. I’m a 20-minute Leo. I thought I was a Cancer my whole life. Then when I turned like 32, I did a chart and surprise, she’s a Leo. I have both traits. Some people say that early Leo is more Leo than all other Leos, and some say I have Cancer traits, so I don’t know what’s real.

Is Triple Fire a response to your newfound astrological sign of Leo?
Yes. I wanted to be a sneaky astro on this record. Triple Fire also references those three flames emojis people use when they have nothing else to say. I am a Triple Fire sign: Leo Sun, Sagittarius Rising, Aries Moon. It’s like the 4th of July over here; different types of fire.

Was harnessing these different types of ‘fire’ a launching point for your creative process with this album? When I think of your past albums, Lamaze (2010), or Technophelia (2016) they each have a strong unifying theme.
There’s a lot of activity in my life: highs, lows, and lots of drama, much of which I didn’t bring on myself. It’s overwhelming to cope with daily, so I escape into the music writing process, channeling both positive and negative energy. I often don’t know how to deal with life, so I invent dream worlds and very visual fantasies with music; creating escape fantasy pods for the audience to join.

Each record reflects a different phase of this process. My first album, Lamaze, was lo-fi because I had limited resources. I never intended it to be a record; it was just me experimenting with sound and creating pop songs to see if I could. We ended up releasing the 8-track demos. Triple Fire is a funny title too, because when I talk about all that energy, good and bad, that I’m grappling with daily. On the album cover I’m holding the three flames, almost like a goddess. I like the idea of reaching a place where I can harness and control that energy, instead of it burning me up because it burns me alive half the time.

You sometimes revisit your work; you released a short film with Chris Friend this year for your song “Casket” which was from 2016’s Technophelia.
Yes, it took eight years to make. Chris Friend reached out saying he’s a huge fan and had an idea for a music video. We started talking (I’m a huge Philip K. Dick fan, and he’s a cyberpunk) and it ended up with a complex story that kept evolving. We missed the album deadline, and it turned into an eight-year-long process. If I could publish the text message thread between us, it would be a novel. It’s very dense. You have to watch “Casket” 20 times to see everything.

There are many anachronisms that are often present in your music; is time collage something you’re intentionally harnessing?
I always try to make something that sounds timeless, like a pop song that could have been a hit in another dimension. Also, I rarely wear normal clothes in my videos; I don’t like to look like any era. I don’t know if it’s a good marketing business strategy for me, but I like the idea of making a pop song that could have been a hit in maybe another dimension of reality or a matrix where time and space are fused. I mean, it’s very ’80s, but the ’80s were pulling from many eras of fashion, music, and art, everything. I think the idea of something being timeless is just… timeless!

Speaking of the 1980s, you often reference infomercials and commercials, like in the first single from Triple Fire, with “just set it and forget it.” Also your collaborations with video artist JJ Stratford, like the MOCA lotion art infomercial where you sold a product that will remove your brain.
I always like to play with the idea of commodity and how we brand ourselves. Today, everyone’s a brand, which used to be embarrassing and seen as selling out. Now, it’s openly embraced. I believe something happens to the self when commodified into a brand package. Playing with infomercials is my way of poking fun at consumerism and our anxieties about stuff, bodies, money, and self-worth. Though these are heavy topics, I avoid direct approaches. I prefer creating something abstract that evokes a feeling without clear meaning. This is how I express political and philosophical views—through play, fun, and poking fun at things like infomercials. The nature of it is dark, like “MOCA lotion”, is an evil product no one knows about. But I’m not good at being serious; I find humor and play even in dark or serious matters.

Well, I’m very similar that way. I know my mood is always going to completely change in two hours. It’s why I have no tattoos; everything I do has to be temporary and nuanced or I get sick of it. Does that make sense?
That makes total sense. I think my therapist pointed out not that long ago, she told me, she’s like, “Geneva, I noticed that you laugh a lot during therapy, I think that that’s the coping mechanism for you.” And I was like, “Okay, you’re probably right. But I don’t think it’s the worst one in my opinion.” But I think at the end of the day, it’s just vulnerability. Everyone talks about vulnerability and that’s always something that comes up with people in my life too, like, “Geneva you need to be more vulnerable, show your real self.”

I think the last two songs on Triple Fire; “Heart Full of Poison” and “Yo-Yo Boy” have a new texture for Geneva Jacuzzi, they feel a little more vulnerable or sweet.
Yeah. They’re sweet. Thank you. I co-wrote those songs with my friend Roderick Eden, who’s gay.

Gay? Like me!
Who is gay like you! He sweetened me up, bringing a layer of romance that I didn’t have to the writing process; we co-wrote the lyrics on those songs. I love it because I structured Triple Fire how I structure my shows; someone called it a horror movie in reverse, basically. They start off intimidating, strong, a little bit scary even, overwhelming, and then it turns into play and party and ends up sweet. The final song on Triple Fire, “Yo-Yo Boy,” is probably one of the sweetest songs ever.

You are playing September 18th at Elsewhere in NYC.
In New York, I still don’t know what I’m going to do for that. But anyone who’s reading this, don’t worry. This is how I do all my shows. They always come together in the last few weeks, the spontaneity of the idea that literally downloads into my brain, and then it’s like, go. I always receive it at the last minute, and then it’s like insanity, building, staying up all night, painting, taping, God knows what.

I know there is going to be huge sets involved. Where do you keep all this stuff?
There’s always sets involved. Oh, I store it in my scary room. [laughter]

You have a scary room? Is it a portal?
It’s the scariest room in the house. I live in a two-bedroom apartment, but basically, I live in a one-bedroom apartment, because the master bedroom is Geneva Jacuzzi’s room and it’s the scary room full of cardboard, wigs, paint, props, just pieces from last shows; it is like an episode of *Hoarders*. I like to have things close to home to work. I know the healthy thing would be to plan to go to my studio and work for eight hours, but I just do it when I’m inspired. When the shows are happening, the scary room gets pulled out into the living room and then the courtyard of my apartment complex, everyone who lives here has basically resigned to the fact that I’m going to be doing some weird shit and take over the whole complex. I do my rehearsals at the pool courtyard!

Half of the sets get destroyed during the shows. I build them out of foam core and things that we can break apart because I love the idea of the set bleeding out into the audience and the audience becoming part of the show. By the end of the show, the whole room is covered in the set, and it’s a beautiful experience because it just expands like in my apartment complex. The good thing about that is I don’t have to store anything as people take pieces home for souvenirs.

I was first introduced to your music by your cover of “The Walk” by the Cure.
What’s funny about that cover is “The Walk” was a parody of “Blue Monday” by New Order. When I did the cover, I tried to make it sound as much like “Blue Monday” as I could. I didn’t have to change the key or anything. It completely fit right in with the lyrics. Not only did they parody it, but they did it in a way that it’s the same structure, key, and the lyrics fit into the other song. No one notices it because it just, it feels so, it’s effortless. But I’m using the “Blue Monday” vocal melody.

Speaking of dance floor tracks like “The Walk” and “Blue Monday”, there’s some big dance tracks on Triple Fire.
Yes, there are a few that are pretty dance-y. “Art is Dangerous” is mid-tempo dance, “Lapse of Luxury” is kind of an Italo Disco type of track. And “Bowtie Eater” is funky and dance-y. That’s basically the ‘Bossy Bottom Anthem.’

I caught those gay lyrics in “Bowtie Eater!”
Yeah, they’re ridiculous. I was with Roderick and someone used the term ‘bossy bottom.’ And I never heard the term before. I said, “Pause, wait, Bossy Bottom?” And he was like, “Yeah, Geneva, duh.” And I thought, “Wait, Bossy Bottom? I’m a Bossy Bottom!” I was dating some kind of domineering top type of guy at the time, and I incorporated that into the lyrics. I thought, we must write a song about this. ‘Nobody likes the Bossy Bottom unless it’s me.’

People love dancing to Geneva Jacuzzi tracks! I’m love watching the clips from choreographer Neil Schwartz who does large-scale dance studio videos to your songs.
Yes, they’ve done three or four songs. I’ve never felt so much like a rock star with this whole troop of people doing these amazing dances to my music. The crazy thing about this whole process of making music and being an artist is I’m constantly dealing with my ego getting smashed. I’ve had those bad days, and Neil Schwartz would put out a dance video and I thought, “Okay, this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Thank you.”

You’ve maneuvered successfully for a while in a music world where the market and how we’re accessing music is constantly changing. How do you keep it creative and interesting for you?
Well, it’s part of my personality to love a good challenge but it’s very challenging to put music out now because PR, labels don’t know what to do. I think it boils down to your mindset, intention, and ego. I follow my inspiration, and whatever ideas come to me and if I stay true to that, something good is going to come out of it. It’s never the classic, “My video just got one million views.” That could happen or instead I get invited by some interesting person to go to some beautiful place to do some crazy art performance and have a completely magical experience.

Very DIY. I teach a college course at Temple University called ‘DIY Punk’s Ethos’…
Oh my God, can I be a guest teacher? I’ve got two hard drives plugged into my laptop right now. One is for graphic design; one is for video editing. I’ve got tons of props in the other room. I’ve got emails of all these ideas and people. It’s insane and it’s all DIY.

Loverboy Magazine is named after the hit single from Mariah Carey. Do you have a favorite Mariah Carey moment or song?
There are three types of Mariah Carey that I like. For dancing, I love “Fantasy” with the Tom Tom Club “Genius of Love” sample in it; it hits the dance floor hard. I used to sing “Can’t Let Go” as a little girl. I used to watch *Star Search* and would fantasize about performing it on the show. Finally, just out of respect, she basically owns Christmas. Mariah Carey, Paul McCartney, and George Michael own Christmas, as far as I’m concerned. I made my own Christmas song once (“Another X-Mas”), and I was using those three as gold.