Drinking With The Jocks

Album: Transgender Dysphoria Blues (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Against Me's transgender frontwoman Laura Jane Grace detailing her attempts at camouflaging herself as a heterosexual man. She told NME: "Being in a punk band, more and more I'm in a situation where it's a bunch of dudes sitting around making homophobic comments, or being sexist or racist, and I would find myself laughing along and feeling disgusted with myself afterwards. I hope it makes people uncomfortable."
  • Grace expanded on the song's meaning to Spin magazine: "That song, in particular, was inspired by a night where I wasn't necessarily hanging out with punks," he said. "It's more self-criticism of knowing that, okay, I'm a transsexual, but no one else in this circle of people here knows that, and everyone else is laughing at faggots and everyone's being homophobic, and you're laughing along, too, and you're lying to yourself."

    "It didn't necessarily have anything to do with punk rock," she added," but at the same time, just being that I've played in a punk band for as long as I have, a lot of my experiences, of course, are going to be around that world or are related to that, and I have seen an unfortunate amount of, be it sexism or homophobia or whatever, in the punk-rock world, where people are like, 'I'm not really racist, but here's a racist joke' or 'I'm not really homophobic, but here's a homophobic joke.' And it's a shame to laugh along."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.

Booker T. Jones

Booker T. JonesSongwriter Interviews

The Stax legend on how he cooked up "Green Onions," the first time he and Otis Redding saw hippies, and if he'll ever play a digital organ.

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Dwight Twilley

Dwight TwilleySongwriter Interviews

Since his debut single "I'm On Fire" in 1975, Dwight has been providing Spinal-Tap moments and misadventure.