In The Life: Transgender Musicians

In late 1998 Kate Bornsteain called to ask if I'd like to be one of the featured transgendered musicians in a segment for a PBS show, In The Life, sort of an LGBT "60 Minutes." Their stringer met us in Hollywood for our first Los Angeles show in late 1998 before we'd moved there. They later came by our San Francisco rehearsal studio to tape the interview. I sort of regret this was in the days when I made no effort with my voice at all (and smoking all the time didn't help either). Still I'm glad I did the show because so many people have the impression that transwomen are musically all about Donna Summer et. al.

In 1993 I met Shredmistress Rynata and a year later we began actually planning the band and recording our demo and the next year performed for the first time at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco (02/09/1995). We recorded one CD and were recording another when I finally got tired after nearly seven years of lousy spots, little or no pay and 3AM bedtimes that clashed with my successful day job. And, with my 44th birthday approaching (along with the Sex Reassignment Surgery) I finally realized I'd never support myself as a musician and it just wasn't fun any longer. So the Shredmistress and I went our separate ways and I turned most of my creative energies to writing.

There are several chapters that cover the Glamazon years in my upcoming autobiography. See my website at http://www.glamazon.net for more on the band, my archived version of the band website, lots of photos and other details. Also visit the In The Life official website at http://www.inthelifetv.org/