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Del Marquis, lead guitarist of the Grammy-Award nominated pop/rock/alternative/glam band, Scissor Sisters, is taking a personal journey and wants to you join the ride. During a break from the group, Marquis started to work on a few solo EPs that feature unseen sides of his music, including blue eyed soul and pop. His latest, Litter to Society, which is also the latest installment in the further adventures of his alter ego, Viz, has darker tones and more experimental synth sounds. Below is the video for his latest release, “Litter to Society,” as well as his previous release, “Character Assassination.” TNG Chicago Editor Adam interviewed Del and asked him some interesting questions with even more interesting answers.

TNG Adam: How big is the ratio of freedom to pressure from when you are in band compared to when you are solo? Is one feeling ever more overwhelming than the other?

Del Marquis: I miss the things I thought were overwhelming being in Scissor Sisters. I have a completely different perspective now. I have to be my own cheerleader because as it stands, it’s up to me or it’s my fault. It’s a different focus and a different level of attention. I actually kind of miss the pressure of Scissor Sisters. It’s completely different. I can go off on the sideline if I don’t want to be bothered with what’s going on, and I can’t do that now.

TNG: Is the freedom worth it?

DM: I just think it was just necessary to do these EPs. I have no other explanation. I just had to make this music. I had to record these songs and I have no regrets.

TNG: Did you always know you were going to become a solo artist eventually?

DM: No, and I never really knew I was going to do music. I started off in design and being in the [Scissor] Sisters was a really fortuitous accident. I’ve fulfilled so many fantasies with that band that left me with a hole saying “What haven’t I done? What would I like to do before its all over?” because you never know when it might end. I felt like this was necessary and I need to do this.

TNG: I noticed that Litter to Society has darker tones and rhythms than most of your work with the Scissor Sisters. Do you think that your time being with the Scissors Sisters, with their upbeat tones and lyrics, drove you to show your darker side?

DM: I think it’s just my inherent nature. The atmospheres I like in music tend to be darker. There are definitely pop songs I have done for this release, not “Litter to Society” but songs I recorded, and there are dark songs in Scissor Sisters, but they may get over looked because it’s easier to say we are a party band.

TNG: There is a lot of rhythm and funk in your solo work. Is that something that you intended on incorporating in your work or did it come across organically?

DM: It’s organic and I think that growing up on R&B was important to me. It came from both black music on the radio and blue-eyed soul that was directly influenced by Motown, but gave its own interpretation of that. I like funk music, I like R&B and I knew I was going incorporate it into what I was doing.

TNG: There is a lot of attention to detail within your music, videos, and promo shots including the inclusion of your facial hair which wasn’t seen much when you were in a group. Do you think your attention to detail comes from your experience as a furniture designer?

DM: You know, for better or worse, I think it comes from being a Virgo and slightly obsessive [laughs]. With this project, I’m in control of the photos and the retouching of the photos and I decided that it was more appropriate to have no face for that specific release with the lead song being “Character Assassination”. The facial hair simply comes down to I don’t like to shave as much anymore [laughs].

TNG: Simplicity.

DM: Yea, that’s a direct answer to your question.

TNG: So would you say your attention to detail comes from being obsessive or from the freedom of being a solo artist and being able to have more say in the details?

DM: It’s both. In order for me to feel like it’s a fully realized project, every detail is important. I didn’t just go in, write a song and record it and say that was the end of the story. You have to see it through. It’s all important, so there is no detail left unturned.

TNG: How did you get involved with Embryoroom (the multimedia production company that produces Del’s videos)? How did you get to know them?

DM: They’re long time friends. What they do is definitely darker than the pop level I was coming from. We have similar interests and wanted to create something that we thought would be a just addition and would run parallel to the music. And that’s how the video element of this project came to be.

TNG: What do you want people to take away from hearing your solo work?

DM: That I can write songs, that I can do more than just play guitar. For me, it was proving to myself that I belonged in music as a career. I think that I wasn’t quite sure. It felt accidental. And part of the reasons for doing these songs was to prove it was more than just an accident that I became successful [laughs]. I can write music and that there is more to me than just being the guitar player for the Scissor Sisters.

TNG: Do you think being gay plays a bigger or smaller role in your solo work than when you were in Scissor Sisters?

DM: I wouldn’t say either are appropriate. If I said it had nothing to do with it, it would be a lie and a rejection of my sexuality. As a performer or a writer, if you negate something that integral to your being, it’s a disservice. It’s part of what makes me whole. Am I a gay artist? I wouldn’t classify myself as that, but I know that its important to what I do.

TNG: Do you have a certain songwriting process or is it more of a free writing thing?

DM: It was my first go at writing songs, so it was a learning experience. I probably had many different ways that songs came about, but it was usually around a hook. Whether it was accidental or not, I built many songs around a hook. Very rarely did I start with lyrics. It started with a rhythm idea, then building on top of the music, I would usually sing nonsense, then I would hear words from that and would write songs based from what I thought it said [laughs]. I’m not sure if other people used that technique but that’s how I came about writing these songs.

TNG: Does it surprise you that you’ve become a gay heartthrob in music?

DM: Does it surprise me? I think that I try on stage to be less self-conscious than I am in my normal day-to-day life. And I think that when a person’s on stage, they’re instantly attractive by nature of projection on people. And I think that I make an effort to be uncensored in the fact that I’m a man, and I’m sexual, and I’m angry and I’m happy and all these things that when you see a person on stage doing that its immediately interesting, immediately sexy. So I don’t think you necessarily have to be a good-looking person to achieve that goal. I’m really trying to brush this one off [laughs]. I would say I’m lying if I wasn’t trying to project a strong image when performing, and if someone finds that’s sexy, then I’ve achieved that goal. I think that when you put anyone on a podium or on a stage, there’s always someone that’s going to be in tuned to what you do and find you attractive. I think putting yourself out there is sexy.

TNG: Awesome. Do you think you’re going to go on tour in support of your solo work or is it more of a personal journey?

DM: It’s a personal journey. It’s a studio project and I’m doing a couple live shows, but I’m going to be on tour sometime soon with the [Scissor] Sisters cause that’s my main gig. No major touring for this. I hope to do a couple more live shows before I have to switch my hats.

TNG: Do you think that after taking this personal journey you’ll take on a different, more outspoken role in the Scissor Sisters?

DM: That remains to be seen. I like my role in Scissor Sisters. If anything, this has helped me to appreciate it.

Litter to Society

Character Assassination

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