YOU CAN CALL ME SIR
“I methodically humiliate and torture men for money,” reveals pop singer!
I methodically humiliate and torture men for money. What more is there to tell? – SIR
You Can Call Me SIR features dominatrix Cristy Michel on vocals and Matt Petty on “moody elements” . Marc Andrews submits.
DNA: You’re the first person we’ve addressed as Sir in a long time.
SIR (Cristy): Would you prefer to call me Mistress? [Laughs.]
Why “SIR”?
SIR: About 10 years ago, a friend called me at 10pm and asked me to attend a party. We were co-workers at a commercial dungeon in Los Angeles called The Dominion. They needed the skills of a professional dominatrix. As soon as the door opened a woman asked my name. I smiled and said, “You can call me Sir!” She never forgot my name after that.
What made you decide to form a band? SIR: Music is freedom. It’s the purest way of receiving emotions and vibrations. It enters your body and possesses you. It triggers parts of your brain and body other art forms cannot. Music is a complex and powerful force. It could definitely impact the future. We are very fortunate to harness that power.
The band’s music is so hard to pigeonhole. How would you best describe it, Matt? Matt: Post-experimental-indie-electro-rock. We have experience in performing within multiple genres including jazz, experimental and classical music, rock, electronica and punk. Coming from the Southern US has also had an influence on our sound. The fact that we use an alternative instrumentation – guitars, bass, electronic trombone, found sounds – and have a larger picture of what our music represents brings it more toward the genre of popular art music.
Your music also sounds quite sexually charged. Was that the idea?
Matt: It is sexually charged and also psychically charged. It’s driven by the forces that make us tick as individuals and lovers. Our first tune, Jackalope, was about our shared feelings toward ghosting and those manipulative individuals who leave you feeling obsessed and empty.
In your day job you’re a dominatrix. Tell us more about that.
SIR: I methodically humiliate and torture men for money. What more is there to tell? [Laughs.] How do you define yourselves sexually and gender-wise?
SIR: Queer and gender fluid.
Matt: Queer and gender fluid.
Are the days of being male and female, gay and straight, gone now?
Matt: There are still gender repressive structures that define our society. More people are starting to realise the damage caused by sexual repression throughout history.
Fortunately, there is now a new non-binary vocabulary that allows us to discuss these issues in a way that is relatable to one another despite our genitalia. Unfortunately, years of brainwashing, religion and the dualistic nature of the human mind seems to repress a lot of that conversation still.
Has trans visibility, as on shows like Pose, changed things for the better?
Matt: Absolutely. It’s empowering to feel comfortable in our own skin, but also a form of expression so connected to physical being. It’s inspiring to see that freedom. Pose is a great TV show. It is reckoning. It’s especially powerful considering how influential queer and trans
people of colour have been on the community itself and the rest of the world. Billy Porter’s push toward gender-fluid expression in fashion is amazing.
What are the issues closest to your heart?
SIR: We live in such a fucked-up world right now and being in America I’m concerned about the unpredictability of our narcissistic, mentally ill president.
Who are some of your heroes and heroines?
SIR: My friends and chosen family. Anyone who is fearlessly themselves, is generous, genuinely kind and works hard for what they deserve. The list is endless, but it’s people of this nature that inspire me to be a better human.
You’re from Louisiana. Isn’t Britney Spears from round your way originally?
SIR: Yes, from Kentwood! There is a museum dedicated to her there. What’s your message to the gay boys of the world?
SIR: Don’t be afraid to explore yourself, your gender and your sexuality. Don’t forget your brothers who came before you, AIDS, and the time when being a homo was illegal. Don’t get too comfortable, we have more work to do for our community.
Our music is sexually and psychically charged. – Matt