Original Boy- Tim Cain

My band, Boys' Entrance goes all the way back to 1991. I went to San Francisco and met up with my old pal, Jon Ginoli, who had just recorded his first demos as Pansy Division. I sat on his bed and couldn't believe my ears. This was WAY OUT QUEER MUSIC FOR QUEERS! It was sex positive. It was bold. It was funny. I was probably the first queer musician Jon ever knew, (we worked together on and off for years at record stores) he first heard my music while he was a DJ and later Program Director at WPGU Radio at the University of Illinois. My songs as Talltrees were in rotation for 4 years on WPGU- and while I was always Out, my songs came from a more universal standpoint, and hid behind genderless pronouns. This new music from Jon was different. It reveled in same-sex pronouns, and straight-up sex talk. He blew the doors off polite closets everywhere.

I heard his songs before almost any one. I sat on his bed and laughed my ass off. He laughed too. I even contributed a line to his song, "The Cocksucker Club". He sang, "Do it on your parents King size bed". I said, "No, no, no. That has to be 'Do it on your parent's QUEEN size bed.'" It took a minute, then he got the joke. We both laughed with glee. Later, when he re-recorded the song, he recorded it with the altered line, thank you very much.

I returned home from San Francisco with a fire to be more forward and unapologetic. One day I was driving down Belmont Ave. in Chicago and passed a school. Carved above the door were the words, "Boys Entrance". "That sounds like a band I should be in.", I thought. That is where the name came from.

Next I had to find a way to compose and record on my own. I found an Ensoniq VFX workstation, on which I would write 4 cds. The Ensoniq allowed me to layer performances and build a sonic landscape from the ground up. I could not have created Boys' Entrance without it.
I am on my third VFX, and love working with it still.

In 2005, I received a "Special Recognition Award" from the Outmusic Awards. It celebrated my 30 years as an Out Musician. I attended the award ceremony alone. None of my family came. I shared the evening with J.D. Doyle, and was buttressed by my friend Timmy Samuel who was on hand to photograph the event. Scott Free and Jinx Titanic were both there. I received my award the same night Randy Jones of the Village People won his. Randy had been an acquaintance for years, since his partner Will Grega put him on the phone with me. I had released "The Queer Punk Folder." In the song, I sing, "We hate The Village People and the disco scene, Donna Summer and pissy queens." It was a satire about there homocore scene, and Randy got it. Hell, he loved it.

While Boys' Entrance has always been a solo project under a band name, it was supported by a cast of musicians throughout the years. The first two were Cie Fletcher- an old friend who I collaborated with musically back in Champaign, Illinois. He had moved to Chicago and we lost touch until he responded to an ad I placed in Gab Magazine. Also responding to that ad was Mike Ferro. Mike would become the rhythm guitarist in Boys' Entrance, and Fletcher was the lead player. That was an important and formative time in the band's history. It set a course. But it was short lived. Interpersonal conflicts erupted, and eventually, I fired Fletcher. Within 6 months, he died as a result of AIDS and drug abuse. I had no idea he was afflicted by either- such was his need for privacy.

Mike hung in there, and we searched for new players. We went through a couple of line-ups. Eventually, we recorded "The Queer Punk Folder", as a three piece, joined by Timmy Samuel on drums. Unfortunately, I had a major accident- resulting in an extended stay in a hospital, and then a long convalescence. I think we played one show as the three piece. Eventually, I just let the band go into hibernation. I didn't play a show with Mike for another 8 years.

In between, I released a single or two. I did a couple of shows with a new ensemble. I started to play out as a solo performer at Homolatte' shows. I took my act to New York and played at an Outmusic Open Mic, then brought Outmusic back to Chicago where it continues today.

A year ago on April Fool's Day, I played a Homolatte' show with Mike Ferro backing me. It was a great experience. It was great to be with my old friend again. Then the following October, he called me and propose we put Boys' Entrance back together again. We started rehearsing when disaster struck again. I fell off a ladder and broke both arms. This set back our plans till the new year. In the mean time, I met Brett Alan Basil, and found a simpatico fellow traveler. We shared a vast body of musical references. I asked him to join Boys' Entrance too. Now I am recording with both musicians, and building Boys' Entrance back up. It has been a rocky start, but really, when has it ever been easy for Boys' Entrance. I just hope we can build on what came before, adding to our recorded legacy, and avoid breaking any more bones!

Tim Cain 2010