2012 saw the release of Hairdresser Blues, an album recorded sans Punx, plus the timely Halloween-friendly, Dracula-inspired release under the H.U.N.X. moniker I Vant To Suck Your Cock. “Well H.U.N.X. is a gay bathhouse trashy thing, Hunx And His Punx is what it normally is, and Hunx is when no one will put up with me and I have to do it on my own,” Hunx explains. “What I’m bringing over [to Australia] is all of the above minus the dance music.”
As for new material in 2013, Hunx will assemble his Punx once again for a full length offering. “We’re releasing our brand new album as Hunx And His Punx, tentatively titled Street Punx. It’s going to be super punk and crazy. Kind of more like early ‘80s LA Red Kross, Germs kind of punk.”
Delving into a myriad of genres through his various guises, Hunx has his sights set on charting more musical territory. “I secretly want to make a really faggy pop record, that’s more like [venerable Kiwi label] Flying Nun type stuff. But I don’t know, I kind of like all genres, but I tend to veer towards crazy punk stuff rather than dance. I’m gay, so dance appeals to me a bit. But I’m still so into punk.”
With a penchant for the trashier aspects of life, Hunx loudly professes his worship at the church of celebrity. “Well I just really love Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber so much because I’m really like a teenage girl mixed up with an old grandpa. I’ve been like that since I was born and I’ll probably be like that until I die. I’m a teenybopper at heart. I’m actually working on an art show right now that’s all paintings of Paris, Britney and Lindsay,” he reveals.
Judging by the multitude of devotees dressed as Hunx (as he appears in the I Vant To Suck Your Cock film clip) the past Halloween, it’s apparent that Hunx has become a celebrity in his own right. “I really love it, but I don’t really feel that it’s real. But it is flattering and nice. I don’t let it go to my head. I don’t really think about it, I just know it’s weird and funny and I move on. I’ve always been obsessed with celebs, but I don’t really think of myself as one, you know what I mean?”
From his (and his cock’s) appearance in the NSFW video for Girls’ Lust For Life onwards, a projection of hyper-sexuality has underpinned Bogart’s work. As he explains, the use of sex as a tool of power is more of a joke than a perfunctory assertion. “Honestly I involve the whole ‘being sexy’ and music purely as a joke. I consider myself more of a comedian. But, I think talking about sex is more funny than being powerful for me. However, sex does have a weird power to it and sometimes I can use my body to get what I want,” he states flirtatiously.
With his Punx originally called Punkettes, Hunx has maintained a mostly female backing band. “Oh my god I am such a feminist. Well it’s mostly girls, I’m not sure what sexuality our guitar player is. Besides that we’re all female. I dislike a lot of men. Not all of them, there are definitely some great ones. I grew up listening to Bikini Kill and that kind of stuff, so I’ve always felt like that. It’s very important to be a feminist.”
With his contemporary Jay Reatard passing in his prime, plus the breakup of the aforementioned Girls, Hunx stands as a survivor of sorts in a harsh industry. “This whole industry is a joke and you can’t take it seriously. Everyone wants something from you. You just have to keep doing what you love and try to ignore it. I get meaning from what I do, that’s the only reason I’m alive,” he beams. “But you can’t take the industry seriously because it is such a joke.”
As for what Australian audiences can expect from Hunx And His Punx’ debut on our shores, Hunx provides a segue into the tweet which immediately followed our interview. “Really hard dick. Just one hard dick onstage, and many in the audience.”
BY LACHLAN KANONIUK
