Queercore Artist Klovis Gaynor Releases Debut Single
Queercore artist, musician and band leader Klovis Gaynor releases debut solo single in advance of his band’s full-length drop.
Self-proclaimed “singer, songwriter, sl*t” Klovis Gaynor has released his first single “Good Morning D*ck” across all streaming platforms. The sexy, scruffy and ottery New York-based artist began performing this song live in February 2022 to friends and stayed true to these beginnings as he recorded the track’s piano and vocals synchronously, among the company and collaboration of queers and friends.
Through his song, Klovis tells a story that celebrates the letting go of a past relationship as they assertively sing, “I don’t miss you one bit”, while simultaneously coming to terms with the newfound loss and loneliness with the fragile admission of “when I had you/ we used to,” alluding to the absence of something once enjoyed. Klovis’ mastery of piano ushers listeners through this range of emotions— at times the keys are choppy, bright, and rhythmic; at others they are smooth and tender alongside an accompanying cello. The lyrics and sonics together grab the gentle and the callous for one big, cathartic hug.
An audience favorite, the heart of this song holds in the catchy repeated chorus that runs through the sex acts of “flip f*ck, suck, and slurp n*t”; acts that the songwriter misses in his singlehood. Sung by a background choir on the recorded track, these words have been chanted in unison by concert goers at various New York venues over the past years, including The Parkside Lounge, Alphaville, and The Knitting Factory.
Klovis, along with his band The Urinal Cakes, are ramping up to release their first full-length album, SAVE ME 4 THE SPANKBANK, later this year. While the upcoming album features extremely personal and forcefully raw songs, this solo single offers moments of laughter, sing-along, and playfulness. As his first release, this song is a soft introduction to the musician though undeniably Klovis through and through.
The song was produced by Brayden Baird and recorded between Future Field Studios, (a proudly queer operated collective located in Burlington, Vermont) with help from Dan Rome & Mark Balderson, and Secret Beach Studio in Brooklyn. Anthime Miller plays the cello on the track.
The single artwork was created by Valencia-based painter Alfonso Del Moral, and fittingly captures Klovis in the morning light, laying satisfied on top of a mess of bedsheets. The story goes that Del Moral painted this image after a hookup-app hang, completely separate from Klovis’ writing of the song.
We sat down with this Klovis to get to know him and his artistic vision a bit better but before reading on listen to “Good Morning D*ck” HERE.
BWM: Do you identify as part of the bear community? What is your relationship to it?
Klovis Gaynor: While I do not have the body of a Bear (…yet) I am a big lover of bears, their bodies, their hearts & their communities. I get extremely excited about men who are bigger than me, older than me & hairier than me. As a 6’3″ hairy man myself, it can be hard to find lovers who are bigger & hairier and when I do, they are bears.
Since moving to NYC in 2019, I have started attending more & more queer parties. My favorites are centered around armpits & p*ss & other smelly stuff. I find I meet a lot of bears at these parties & that the bear community as a whole has really welcomed me in with a warm big hug, and what beats being hugged by a bear? Nothing. I have become friends with so many incredible bears in the last few years & even though I do not present as a bear myself I have always felt welcomed, respected & cared for by the bear community and always strive to stay closeby.
BWM: Who are your biggest musical influences?
Klovis Gaynor: My biggest musical influences are Lou Reed & Lana Del Rey. As a songwriter who writes primarily about sex & sadness, I continue to look to these two artists for inspiration. They also both walk a graceful line between the experimental and pop. I am trying to ride this line and while my goal is to make deeply personal, honest, queer music; I also want to connect with others and therefore often think of ways to make my music more accessible and pop sensible.
BWM: Your single “Good Morning D*ck” is more classically inspired while SAVE ME 4 THE SPANK BANK would indicate a more punk/ rock vibe. Is that accurate and how do you bridge that gap as a performer?
Klovis Gaynor: SAVE ME 4 THE SPANK BANK is a baroque punk queercore record through and through. I cry, I moan, I scream & scream & scream. I sing about r*pe, being battered, my mother who I no longer speak with, the men who p*ss on me, the diapers I licked while performing sex work for an old man, etc. The content is raw & penetrates the listener.
“Good Morning D*ck” is not on the album, but rather, a standalone single to introduce audiences to the world of Klovis Gaynor prior to the 14 track album coming later this year. “Good Morning D*ck” is less raw & f*gpunk than the forthcoming record, however, it is still quite raw, emotional, meaningful and personal. There is something so universal and playful about “Good Morning Dick” that some of the other songs do not have.
During my live sets, I usually play “Good Morning Dick” acoustic right after my band, Klovis Gaynor & The Urinal Cakes, finishes our rocker “Mysophiliac”. That song ends with me crawling through the audience repeating over and over “nothing turns me on more / than the urine on the men’s room floor.” When the song ends the room is shook. However, then my band sits down criss-cross-apple-sauce and everyone gathers around me at the piano as I bring the mood back up to a lighter place & sing “Good Morning Dick” leaning heavily on the audience to join me in chanting the refrain “flip f*ck, suck & slurp n*t.”
While “Mysophiliac” can really draw in my raunchier fans, it noticeably scares much of the more mainstream crowd. Missing morning sex is an undeniably universal experience – eating sh*t is not. Therefore, I wanted to introduce my music with a more accessible song that doesn’t demand as much from the listener as some of the songs featured on the forthcoming record do. My hope is that “Good Morning Dick” reaches a diverse and wide audience and lubes them up a little bit before forthcoming singles, “Peace Be With Every Little Fa%&$t” (out May 30th), “Mysophiliac” (out later this Summer with a steamy video directed by Adam Baran) & then of course, the full length album, SAVE ME 4 THE SPANK BANK.
