In case you weren't aware, years before the formation of the band Scissor Sisters in New York, Ana Matronic (b. Ana Lynch) was a young fixture in the S.F. nightlife scene and an occasional performer at Trannyshack back in the late 90s. She went on to partner with Jake Shears, Babydaddy, and Del Marquis to found the band in 2001, and they released their fourth studio album, The Magic Hour, last year. This weekend, Ana is here in S.F. performing on Sunday, April 28* at Public Works at a party dubbed "Shall We Kiki?" hosted by Juanita More. And she's here with her husband Seth Kirby, both as members of the psychedelic Joshua Light Show which is performing with Medeski Martin & Wood at the Mondavi Center in Davis tomorrow night. She spoke to SFist by phone today from Davis.
So, tell us what you're doing in Davis.
My husband, Seth, has been in The Joshua Light Show since 2006. So, I was a light show wife, sitting on the sidelines for many years, and in 2010, one night they needed someone on "liquids" the giant overhead projectors that use the pscyhedelic liquid imagery, with oils and water and glycerin and they called me in. And Joshua [White] said I did a better job than he'd ever seen. So now I'm officially a member, and have been working with them ever since. My official position is Lady of the Lake.
How long have you known Juanita More?
I moved to S.F. in '96, and that's when I met her. She's one of my dearest friends. The first time I saw her, I can't ever forget, was on stage at Trannyshack, and I was just blown away. I was like, 'I need to know this woman and be her friend and I need her approval.'
What initially drew you to New York?
I was a kid who was raised by older parents, and really early I got into black-and-white movies. I was obsessed with Humphrey Bogart and Fred Astaire. Old musicals, too, the kind that were often shot in New York. The first time I went to the city I was 13. I was with my dad and it was 1987, I think. I just knew from the minute that I set foot there that I was going to live there someday
the architecture, so many people living there, trying to make it work in their own way. Years later I had friends move there, the same friend who made me move to San Francisco in fact. And he was like, 'It's time for you to move here, Ana. You're ready and New York is ready for you. And he was right.
What was the biggest surprise, would you say, about your most recent tour and the new album, Magic Hour?
The biggest surprise was the success of "Let's Have a Kiki." That was never meant to be a single. It represented just this fun moment in the studio for me and Babydaddy - no one got it, the label didn't get it, the executive producer didn't get it, but everyone in the band insisted it had to be on the album. It was just this fun tribute we all wanted to do to our friends in New York and the world that raised us. The fact that it became the underground hit that it became was just incredible. There were moments, for instance like one in Madrid, where the audience was so loud and crazy asking for it that we had to come back on stage and do Kiki again. It's the greatest feeling when your band can connect with an audience like that and have a surprise hit like that song turned out to be.
You've probably talked about this a lot before, but explain who Pickles is.
Pickles is the nickname of Sammy Jo, our tour DJ. He's someone who started using the word "kiki" a lot around us, and we all started using it. That was Jake's voice on the record, and I told him to do it in his "hooker" voice - all butched up, you know. When I lived in San Francisco I had so many friends who were hookers and had ads in the BAR, and you'd call their number and their voicemail greeting would be all deep and butch like 'Hey, what's up.' So, that's what I meant when I said "hooker voice."
And now you're working on a solo album?
It's been in the works for a few months now, and it's still far from finished. It's been really fun and gratifying, and my husband is doing all the promo stuff for it. It's been a really great family-style operation. The solo record is quite a bit of an extension of what you've seen me do in Scissor Sisters. The music about going out and having a great night out with your friends, and bringing that inspiration home with you afterwards. It's definitely going to be a record for the dancefloor, but hopefully it will go deeper than that, and will inspire some sort of inward journey in the listener.
Tell us what's happening at Public Works.
It's going to be a really fun night. I'll be DJing with my amazing husband Seth, who is a really great DJ himself, and there will be a light show element via Joshua Light Show, and Juanita will be DJing. I'll be performing three songs, including a couple Scissor favorites. And my backup dancers are Benny and Javier Ninja from the House of Ninja. They have, amazingly, never been to San Francisco and so this will be their S.F debut. Benny founded the House of Ninja back in the 90s and Javier is really part of the future of vogue-ing. I'm really excited to get them on the stage at Public Works.
Do you have any rituals when you come back to San Francisco?
Always breakfast at Dottie's. Always mani-pedis with my dear friend Damon in the Castro. Always dinner with Juanita, hopefully at her house. Catching up with friends. Going to the Badlands. Getting my hair done at the Glamarama. San Francisco for me is all about friends, food, and catching up. It will always feel like home, and whenever I come back I never want to leave. Seth always says the same thing. We'll be hanging out doing some fun, ridiculous thing, and he'll ask, 'How did you leave this place?' I definitely see myself dragging him back to live here and spend our twilight years.
* This post has been corrected to show that the party, Shall We Kiki?, is happening on Sunday, April 28.
