Izzy Spears
BLACK JEWISH PUNK ROCKER SHOWS OFF DICK TATTOO
Izzy Spears and I first met backstage at Homobloc, the super-huge and super-gay music festival in Manchester, where he headlined alongside some favorite queers, like Hercules and Love, Affair, Christeene, Olof Dreijer and LSDXOXO. Izzy’s blend of horror rap, punk and grunge goes hard – the title of his new album, BLOOD, SWEAT AND DAMNATION, sums up the vibe. We shared a sweaty hug and made plans to meet after the festival for an interview – clothing optional, so Izzy could show me his tribal dick tattoo. After a stroll through Manchester’s Gay Village, Izzy told me about growing up in the Black Israelite community of Atlanta and all his tour trade, though I got too dickstracted to write it all down. (It’s a big, um, tattoo.) A couple days later, between sound checks on his UK tour, we speak again, this time on the record.
Evan Moffitt: How’re you doing?
Izzy Spears: I’m good. We just got to the venue in Glasgow. So, we’re just about to start sound-checking and getting ready to go.
You move fast. I guess that’s tour life.
Oh yeah. Though I spent the last two days sleeping in my hotel room in Manchester. Well, I didn’t really sleep. My body slept. I stayed up on TikTok. (laughs)
How did you find Homobloc?
The festival was lit! I never heard of it before… I’ve done small festivals before. I thought it was gonna be like a tiny, intimate thing. But it was sick.
You brought more energy on stage than almost anyone I saw there. Where’d you learn your moves?
They all come from deeply weird gayness. After years of years of repression, they come out full-form onstage.
Did you perform as a kid?
No. I wanted to do drama. I wanted to do all that stuff. My family thought I was too gay, so I didn’t do it. When I’m on stage I don’t know what I’m gonna do. It’s just all this repressed shit that comes out naturally.
Do you come from a musical family?
No. Though my uncle was an audio engineer, and I remember being enamored of all the technology in his studio.
You grew up Jewish, right? You have a Star of David tattoo between your eyes…
Yeah, I did. I got that to annoy my family. (laughs)
Is there a big black Jewish community in Atlanta? Or did it feel like another thing that made you different?
In the immediate community of my Black Jewish temple, they were everywhere, but outside of that community I was one of a kind. And I was not like the other kids in temple, either.
Why’d you name yourself after Britney Spears?
It was the era when she was fighting her conservatorship. I was just Izzy then. I was like, totally obsessed with everything that was going on with the conservatorship. So, I’d go to the studio to work with my producer, and I’d be like, ‘I’m scared! I need to talk about what’s going on with Britney.’ He’s straight. He’s like, ‘I don’t care. You might as well just be Izzy Spears because you won’t shut up about it.’ And while we were recording it just clicked.
So it’s a #FreeBritney Trojan Horse.
Basically, yeah.
Most underrated Britney album…?
I’d say ‘Blackout’. There was no tour. That was Britney’s punk era, basically. She was losing her shit. People kind of shunned her.
The album still slaps.
Back-to-back, it’s like…banger, banger, banger, banger.
What’s your mood music of choice?
Doo-wop. Like, Johnny Rockets-esque.
Doo-wop? Really? Like, for sex?
Oh, sex. That’s start-my-day music. But music for sex? You know I’m not paying attention to that shit. Just don’t play circuit music.
Do you usually hook up a lot on tour? Or do you find it hard to meet guys?
No, it’s too easy.
Too easy?
No, honestly, people throw themselves at you. When I first started touring, I was taking advantage of the spoils, but now, I don’t know…I can’t always be in control of the situation, so I’d rather not. Unless, you know, the heat is hot.
You’re also pretty forward. You propositioned me, if I’m not mistaken.
Yeah, true.
I noticed you have a tattoo on your dick. Was that painful?
Not really, up until it got down to the head. That’s when it felt like I was getting branded by something. I was ready for it to hurt so bad. But it didn’t until that point.
It’s pretty faded. Is that from overuse?
No comment. (laughs)
How long did it take?
Not long at all. Like 30, 35 minutes. And it was not planned. It wasn’t like ‘Oh, I’m going to get my dick tattooed today.’ The artist, he’s not gay but he had one and he showed it to me. And I said I wanted one. We were drunk and on kratom and he just went for it, no gloves or anything. We were making out. I got hard in the end.
I always wondered if you have to stay hard for those.
No, it’s better if you’re soft, but I couldn’t help it.
Are you into pain?
A little bit, sure.
What else are you into?
When my dick kratom s hard enough, I like it if you bite my dick. That’s fun.
Makes sense.
Alright. I gotta fucking go do the sound check.
Okay. Break a leg!