http://www.out.com/out100...ees_36.asp

WENDY MELVOIN, JON GINOLI, LISA COLEMAN & MATT ALBER


Formerly of Prince’s ’80s band, the Revolution, guitarist Melvoin (bottom, left) and keyboardist Coleman (bottom, right) released their album, White Flags of Winter Chimneys, last December and came out on Out.com this year. The duo (stage name: Wendy & Lisa) also compose the scores for the TV series Heroes, Mercy, and Nurse Jackie.

Three years after forming Pansy Division in 1991, guitarist and lead singer Ginoli (top, left) opened for Green Day, and 15 years later he is as prolific as ever, delivering a new album, a documentary, and a memoir, all in the past year.

YouTube watchers swooned last winter when they caught Alber’s (top, right) “End of the World” video, a moody, Mad Men­–style clip in which the musician waltzes with and kisses a handsome man in a barbershop. The former Chanticleer member released his solo debut, Hide Nothing, in 2008.

I love that picture. And it's nice to see them get good attention, because they deserve it all. But it still seems odd to read that they "came out on Out.com this year" when, as far as I'm concerned, they came out in 1984, at a time when it took a lot of balls to do so.

Efan said:

Yeah, it's not exactly a secret that they're gay, and never has been. They've been "out" for a long damn time. That was a very weird statement, I agree.

ernestsewell said:

I must have been blind and deaf back in the day, because it's only when I read their "fancy lesbian" interview that I realised they had been an item, or that they were lesbians.

Isabell said:

while their image screamed queer, this year was indeed the first time they actually acknowledged and discussed their sexuality to the press.

sosgemini said:

Wasn't their former boss wanting them to do this as in "come out" to the world in a news confrence? ( I read it in a article while back)

And since they did looks like the little "brat" got his way.

I say that ONLY cause I think Wendy mentioned it in a article while back about Prince saying something like that to her.


I guess the brat was expecting everyone to be shocked imho. I really wasn't and happy they r comfy in their skin. Maybe princey needs to accept some of his own issues instead of someone elses like his hieght, etc etc.

Efan said:

I was 13 in 1984, and going to Catholic Jr high. No-one thogh Wendy and Lisa were lesbians back then. I know that's hard to believe, but that's true. They were definitely not out. Perhaps Prince let it be implied, as they said in the OUT interview that was referred to, but homophobia was such back then that people didn't really believe in the existence of gay people, even if it was blatantly obvious.

toots said:

The story was that he wanted them to come out and 'renounce' their lesbianism before he would let them participate in the Revolution reunion that happened at Northrup in MPLS during the first Celebration.

Lisa looks beautiful. I swear she musta sold her soul cuz she does not appear to age one bit. In fact, she looks better now than she did in Prain..

JudasLChrist said:

A 13-year-old might not have thought Wendy and Lisa were lesbians (and a couple)...but those of us who were adults in 1984 knew they were.

"People didn't really believe in the existence of gay people"? You're kidding, right?

Genesia said:

I can totally imagine you posting this, looking down beneath your nose, drinking a martini and whipping your head back as you laugh at the "little people" of the world.

sosgemini said:

<--- sips her martini and laughs at sosgemini's grammar. "Down beneath..."

Genesia said:

whatever gets you off

JudasLChrist said:

Ty for the clarification on when that happened just wasn't for sure myself.

JudasLChrist said:

I was 14 in 1984 and that was the summer between Catholic grade school and Catholic high school for me. My friends and I all thought they were gay and a couple. It seemed pretty obvious that that was the point of "Is the water warm enough" and Lisa's arm around Wendy on the poster, etc. I'm pretty sure articles about them made it rather clear too, even if they didn't come right out and say it. My only confusion with Wendy and Lisa came with their second album, Fruit at the Bottom: I listened to that album going, "What the hell are they doing singing about men?!?!"

Genesia said:

I'm not kidding at all. That was absolutely the reality in Minnesota. Of course people knew that gay people existed per-se, but gay people were off in the distance somewhere. They were never anyone that people knew or admired.

I was born in 1983. I wouldnt be able to tell that they were gay if I was an adult in 1984, but I would say that they WERENT GAY EITER... cause 'gay' doesnt truly have a look, etc, but people always think that it does.
[Edited 11/22/09 2:14am]

JudasLChrist said:

Well, I live in Wisconsin (and did in 1984, as well). That certainly wasn't the case here. I still think it's probably a function of your age at the time. How many "out" gay people would the average 13-year-old be aware of?

Genesia said:

Well certainly you can admit it was different then. That's really all I'm trying to describe. There was a big classroom discussion about Wendy and Lisa's 'implied lesbainism' in my morals class, and everyone was apalled that the teacher would try to make Wendy and Lisa into lesbians. Homosexuality was an abstract concept to us. If the adults around us were anything but hostile to gay people, they didn't show it very often.

sosgemini said:

They did in some of the 1998 interviews (like FrightX) as well, IIRC.

Alliasan said:

really? see, i remembered a couple interviews were they talked about lisa being excited that her girlfriend had joined the revolution but i couldn't recall them specifically addressing their sexuality...your probably right though...i'm getting forgetful in my old age.

so, i was thinking of posting a thread over at the mothership, asking if we should prepare ourselves for another almost decade long wait before the next album but I didn't want to sound all stan'ish or pushy.

They just NOW came out?

I've known that Wndy and Lisa were an "item" since I was like 12.

I kinda figured it out when I saw the end of Purple Rain and Prince kissed Wendy and Wendy looked pissed.

(cause I'd have been turning flips if Prince kissed me.)

guarinigirl2000 said:

Actually she is supposed to be crying in the scene ur talking about.Slow the scene down.

Prince knew they were an item back then they or Lisa (cant remember which ) mentioned that that is how Lisa hand ended up on Wendy's waist in the PR poster photo. One said he aka P rushed back put the hand there and now we know the famous PR poster pose

Also watch the 20th Anniversery PR DVD premire party when they aka Wendy n Lisa gets out of the limo Lisa reaches back to grab Wendy to hold her hand.

I knew Lisa and Wendy were gay since in the 90s when I seen them on Mountains video and plus that When Doves Cry poster when Lisa had her hand on Wendy's u know what. So at least I knew Lisa is the gay one and I suspected Wendy is gay too.

I left a comment to Lisa on her facebook page that Out has some nerve trying to take credit of the girls came to them first and officially come out when they already been out not only for a long time but also admitted their relationship to some past interviews prior. Lisa also said the same thing and said something like nice that Out did a feature on us but we already was out.

do they still talk to prince?

angelface22 said:

Via prince's cease and decease letters, yes. Beyond that? Who knows.