cut/ Michelangelo Di Battista
ItÕs Britney, bitch.
No, really, it is. SheÕs on the phone. And Britney Spears - the meek, reserved, media-shy entertainer - doesnÕt get on the phone with press very often these days.
SheÕs speaking to me from L.A. on a busy day full of frenzied promo leading up to her eighth release, "Britney Jean," when she drops the word that elicited eye rolls from some in the gay community.
The word is Òadorable,Ó and Spears - who, in a radio interview with San Francisco radio station 99.7 NOW FM, used it to describe her beauty team (theyÕre also Òhilarious,Ó she said at the time) - mentions it to me when I ask her how wild the gay boys go when theyÕre in the midst of their pop princess.
ÒTheyÕre adorable,Ó says Spears, 32. ÒTheyÕre absolutely adorable.Ó
It seems like an appropriate time to tell her how that Òadorable and hilariousÓ comment went viral and rubbed some the wrong way.
ÒWait, what? Who felt the other way?Ó she asks, sincerely concerned sheÕs offended people, and even a little lost. You get the impression Britney Spears doesnÕt Google herself.
So, I fill her in.
ÒI would never say anything to be mean to them. I love my gay fans. Gay people are always usually my best friends in the whole world,Ó she says. ÒI completely adore them.Ó
Considering the pop star√ïs clout in the gay community, it√ïs obviously mutual. From the then-17-year-old√ïs sexually suggestive breakout hit √í… Baby One More Time√ì - when the once-Mouseketeer, dressed in that iconic Catholic schoolgirl getup, merged childhood innocence with the onset of sexual desire - to √íToxic,√ì easily one of the greatest gay club jams of the aughts, Spears has influenced the queens and queers of the dance floor as much as they√ïve influenced her.
ÒI get inspiration from them on almost all of my songs,Ó Spears says of her gay fans. ÒTheyÕre somewhat girls, so itÕs so inspiring to do stuff that they like to hear, like the cool ÔinÕ stuff. Whatever I do for each record is definitely inspired by them.Ó
If youÕve heard 2007Õs defiantly bold "Blackout" and its pop-dance follow-up "Circus," and then, obviously, "Femme Fatale," you know Britney isnÕt just full of it. These are really gay albums. But her gayest? Is it "Britney Jean"?
√íI would say so, yes,√ì Spears says, sounding almost unsure, as if the gayness exists equitably on all her releases (and, really, it does). √íI just feel like it has that feeling. You can√ït really put your finger on it. It just really has that feeling of … that.√ì
ÒWork BitchÓ has the feeling of ÒthatÓ - of gay - so much so that Spears herself has said itÕs a salute to her queer fans. The title is Òa term of endearmentÓ and was inspired by gay patter among her pals. What other queer street slang has she picked up from them?
She snickers, letting her Louisiana drawl fully flex. ÒI donÕt really know that much. I mean, I hang out with gays all the time. They always surprise me. It changes weekly, you know?Ó
ÒThe slang you learn?Ó I ask, just to be clear.
ÒYeah.Ó
So maybe Britney doesnÕt watch "RuPaulÕs Drag Race" on the regular, maybe she isnÕt out getting all crazy at the gay clubs (she tells me that being a mom doesnÕt allow for nights out with her friends at queer bars, but before children: ÒYeah, alwaysÓ), but part of her - a part sheÕs not really addressed until now - can empathize with the plight of growing up gay.
ÒAlien,Ó one of the most self-reflective tracks on "Britney Jean," alludes to her own feelings of being an outcast, of being alone, of being Britney Spears: ÒHad to get used to the world I was on / While yet still unsure if I knew where I belong / That was then, like an alien.Ó
ÒThe song is basically about when youÕre all alone and you feel like youÕre alienated from the world,Ó Spears says. ÒI think itÕs human nature; we all innately do that sometimes and keep to ourselves, and thatÕs what the song is about.Ó
It was during her second release, 2000√ïs "Oops! … I Did It Again," with its self-empowerment mantra √íStronger,√ì that she recognized a big gay following. √íI really started noticing more coming to the shows,√ì Spears recalls. √íPeople were emulating my clothes and wearing the same outfits, and it was just really fun.√ì
Through the years, sheÕs met many of these gay boys after shows, where, she says, Òa couple of them have told me about their heartbreaks and shared stories about their boyfriends, which has been really kind of sweet.Ó
I tell her we relate to people who fall down and get right back up. Britney, for all her success, has been to the top, but not without seeing the bottom. Between 2006 and 2008, Spears divorced Kevin Federline, fought tirelessly for the custody of her two boys and sobered up at a drug rehab facility. There was also the panty-less partying, the British accent, the head-shaving and the time she attacked a paparazzo with an umbrella. Life was looking bleak for Britney then, and she knew it. On ÒPiece of Me,Ó a track off "Blackout," Spears called herself ÒMiss Bad Media Karma.Ó
But when she talks about the time she felt alienated, thereÕs no mention of this more recent regrettable history. ItÕs clear - not just from our chat, but the rare times sheÕs been on the phone with a journalist in the last five years - that she doesnÕt care to look back. For the most part, anyway.
ÒSince I was in high school, IÕve been kind of a shy person,Ó Spears admits to me.
I ask, ÒWould you say you felt like an outsider then?Ó
Her voice drops. ÒA little bit, yeah.Ó
Because she felt different as a kid, but also, of course, musically - Spears, despite her public ups and downs, has been a mainstay in the queer scene for the last 15 years - I wonder if Britney considers herself what many call her: a gay icon.
ÒI donÕt know about that,Ó she says, surprisingly frank. ÒBut I know I do have gay fans.Ó
I remind her that a large part of the community sees her as a gay icon.
Her response? ÒThatÕs nice. I donÕt know about that.Ó
But surely sheÕs thought about her status in the gay community, right?
ÒNot really, no.Ó
What about equal marriage? Would Britney like to see her gay friends - she tells me later, via email, that she has an ÒamazingÓ relationship with them, many of which are her dancers - get married?
ÒYeah,Ó she says. Then silence. (I give her the opportunity to elaborate over email after our phone chat: ÒYeah, it would be a special moment.Ó)
ÒSo you believe gay people deserve equal rights?Ó
ÒYeah,Ó she assures. (Via email: ÒI think everyone should be treated equally.Ó)
At this point, seven minutes into the conversation, a publicist grabs BritneyÕs attention. She tells me to hang on a second. Because sheÕs getting whisked away for a "Britney Jean" listening session that sheÕs already late to, ÒThis has to be the last question,Ó she informs, sounding distracted.
I ask about Las Vegas, where sheÕs launching her two-year residency, "Britney: Piece of Me," at Planet Hollywood.
Expect half-naked men - she says, because obviously - but also Òlook forward to a really good time. TheyÕre gonna definitely feel like theyÕre a part of a show.Ó
Milking every second of my scheduled 10 minutes with her by sneaking in one final question, I ask her which girl kiss she preferred: the cheek peck Rihanna gave her during the 2011 Billboard Awards, or the legendary Madonna lip-lock at the Video Music Awards?
ThereÕs brief silence, a Òthank youÓ and then a sudden click. ThatÕs it. Our eight minutes together.
And just like that, Britney Spears gives exactly what she promised: a piece of her.
Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com.
