17c起草社区

BRENDAN Maclean has forgotten his lines.

Or rather, he鈥檚 deliberately decided to ignore them.

When asked to describe his role in stage show Velvet, the musician and one-time Triple J radio host could simply quote the Adelaide Advertiser that said the production 鈥渃ompletely redefines cabaret as a disco inferno鈥�.

[showads聽ad=MREC]But with the 17c起草社区 in the room, he鈥檚 gone off script.

鈥淲ith other papers, I have to sit there and say it鈥檚 about self discovery,鈥� Maclean says.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about someone finding out they鈥檙e fucking fabulous when they let themselves be themselves 鈥� that鈥檚 what Velvet is about.

鈥淚t鈥檚 gay heaven, it鈥檚 about somebody who had no idea they had it in them walking into a club for the first time.

鈥淔or me it was Stonewall when I was 15 and got arrested because I was a little too young and realised I kind of adored the people who were being themselves.

鈥淪ome people find themselves in music and in dancing and sweating until 5am and it鈥檚 about that journey, it鈥檚 about learning if you love the club scene.鈥�

Maclean first appeared on the radar in 2008 when his self-penned song Airport People won Song of the Year and in 2010 when his EP White Canvas saw him win Writer of the Year at the National Youth Week Awards.

Since then he鈥檚 worked with musicians such as Paul Mac, Jonny Seymour and Darren Hayes, with a bent towards indie and electronic.

Yet in Velvet, which is coming to Brisbane in September and Sydney the month after, his character stumbles across a club where divas belt out the Bee Gees and Weather Girls while acrobats fly across the stage.

鈥淢y life had nothing to do with disco,鈥� Maclean admits.

鈥淚 had to figure out what it meant for me, why some of the greatest gay bars right now are playing stuff that is verging on beautiful disco tracks and people in Brooklyn and in Sweden are leaning on disco again.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why it鈥檚 been interesting for people to see me, quite literally, battling with my pop folk world and finding soul.鈥�

It鈥檚 been a learning curve, with director Craig Ilott urging him to build up to a big finish with his performances.

鈥淐oming from my indie pop world you have to start with a bang, bang in the middle and bang at the end 鈥� it鈥檚 a banagathon 鈥� but in this I鈥檝e had to learn a completely new skill,鈥� Maclean says.

He has an expert guide in the shape of legendary performer Marcia Hines.

鈥淭he first day we were recording, and I was singing 鈥榶ou to me are everything鈥� Marcia turned to me and said 鈥楤rendan, its every-thang with an 鈥揳ng鈥�,鈥� he says.

Did Maclean ever imagine that someone with his musical background would be working with a former judge of Australian Idol?

鈥淢e and Marcia get along because we both love performing so our commercial world, our indie world, was really pushed aside the second she embraced me and said, we鈥檙e going to have fun,鈥� he says.

The costumes have also taken some getting used to.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a moment 鈥� it鈥檚 is as if a disco ball has melted on top of me and then a peacock transferred itself into my soul,鈥� he says.

Maclean sees a lot of his own journey in Velvet鈥檚 transformative story. He grew up in Sutherland Shire, in Sydney鈥檚 south.

Today, he鈥檚 just as home in the Big Apple as the Harbour City, sofa surfing at Alan Cumming鈥檚 place, hanging with RuPaul鈥檚 producer Lucian Piane with who he鈥檚 working on music for Drag Race or drinking hot chocolate in Central Park with Rufus Wainwright.

Maclean has cultivated a circle of musicians and actors, many gay, who he says have a different role to his biological family.

鈥淚 call them my logical family,鈥� he says.

鈥淚 can ask them anything like why it鈥檚 not working when I鈥檓 douching, what does this drug too, nothing will embarrass them because they鈥檝e been through it and made the mistakes themselves and they have love and information to give.

鈥淚t鈥檚 another family in New York, which once again I would not have if I wasn鈥檛 gloriously homosexual.鈥�

He is also grateful to Sydney鈥檚 LGBTI community.

鈥淚 would have no career without community, without people from ACON and the Honour Awards, the Aurora Ball and Alex Greenwich,鈥� he says.

鈥淎ll these people have let me perform for them at parties and told somebody else 鈥榤aybe you should get Brendan鈥�.

鈥淲e should be really happy that we are bizarre and sparkly and doing shows like Velvet because we鈥檙e the queer community and fuck everyone else.鈥�

will be appearing at the Brisbane Festival from September 16-26 and at the Sydney Opera House from October 6. Details:

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**This article was first published in the September聽edition of the 17c起草社区, which is . To obtain a physical copy, to find out where you can grab one in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and select regional/coastal areas.

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