Here at Ology, there's only thing we love more than talking to our favorite musicians, artists, athletes and celebrities: not talking to them. In our ongoing series of Non-Interviews, we'll be asking hard, probing, no-nonsense questions to a rotating cast of influential men and women who are much too busy to actually speak with us.
As you've all heard by now, Odd Future crooner Frank Ocean's long-awaited debut album channel ORANGE is online now and available in (most) stores next Tuesday. Over the past month, rumors surrounding Ocean's sexuality began to surface when fans and early reviewers began noticing a lot of "he"s and "him"s in songs like "Bad Religion" and "Forrest Gump." Ocean attempted to clear the air by publishing a beautifully written Tumblr post poetically describing an unrequited first love with another man. Yet despite rave critical reviews (including ours), much the buzz surrounding channel ORANGE seems focused on Ocean's apparent bisexuality, a rarity, to say the least, in the world of hip-hop. This week, Target announced it won't be carrying Ocean's album, a move some critics say is a reaction to the singer's "non-normative" sexual preferences. (In an official statement, Target representatives cite the album's rushed release on iTunes as the deciding factor in their decision.)
To shed some light on the whole situation and learn a little more about the sounds and feelings that went into the making of channel ORANGE, I wasn't able to get Frank Ocean on the phone this week shortly before his appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (watch here). Check out our entirely fake non-conversation below.
Hi, Frank. Thanks so much for taking a few minutes to talk with me.
You're welcome. My pleasure.
You're about to make your television debut on Late Night. Nervous?
No, man, I'm feeling pretty alright. I thought maybe I'd get a chance talk about my sex life in awkwardly explicit detail on national television, but I guess I'm just gonna be doing "Bad Religion" with The Roots. We've got a full string section, I think it's going to be great.
The songs from channel ORANGE are absolutely amazing. For instance, I really love what you're doing on the chorus of "Thinkin Bout You." How did those melodies come to you?
That's a really good question. You know, a lot of years of soul-searching and emotional turmoil and stuff went into the making of this album. To me, the songs are like little diary entries, you know? They capture sort of the mood and feeling I was going through at a certain point in my life. So with "Thinkin Bout You," I was remembering being 19, spending the summer with this guy I really genuinely loved and being completely heartbroken that he didn't feel the same way about me. I mean, I was getting nothing, dude. I probably spent at least a good solid 48 hours total masturbating in the shower, thinking about him. That's actually where the song title came from. I probably could've filled a couple Head & Shoulders bottles, I was so heartbroken.
[Pause] Um, actually I was just curious about the chorus melody. The falsetto bits.
Oh. Yeah, I don't know, that just sort of came to me in the studio.
How do you feel about Target refusing to carry the album? They claim it's because you released it on iTunes a week early.
Look man, I don't know. I know everyone's freaking out because Target supposedly supports all these right wing hateful politicians and won't carry my album because I wrote some songs about loving another man and because I once had a foursome with Ru Paul, Anderson Cooper and the ghost of Harvey Milk and because I own a few recent Pet Shop Boys CDs. My fans have been so loving and supportive… this album is for them. They know me, they know the heart and the hurt that went into these songs and they'll find a way to get it. If Target doesn't want to be a part of that, well, it's their loss.
You've said in the past that channel ORANGE is a succinct representation of where you are as an artist right now. How have you changed, personally and creatively, since nostalgia ULTRA?
[Thinks] I don't know, man, I feel like I've lived almost an entire lifetime in this past year. There's been so many amazing experiences… places I've been able to go, people I've met. Heroes of mine I've been privileged enough to work with. Hundreds of anonymous men and women I've slept with that people don't even know about yet. I guess I just hope I've addressed some of that on this album.
You, um… you seem really open and casual about your personal life, Frank. Aren't you worried that all the focus on your sexual preferences will detract attention away from the music?
No, not at all. The music speaks for itself. I've always thought of myself as a visual artist, you know? I'm painting pictures with my words and my emotions and people can look into it and see all sorts of things, they can apply my experiences to their own lives and situations. That's what the best art does, and I feel like I'm really starting to come into my own on this record. The songs are there for people to decode however they like. I just feel like, at this point, it's my job to explain to people exactly how many gay situations I've been in, with whom, how long it lasted and then hope and pray Jay-Z still wants to work with me.
Frank, you don't have to defend or explain your feelings about anything to anyone. I mean, your open letter really inspired a lot of people and showed them that love is universal, that loving a man or a woman when society says you're not supposed to isn't anything something to feel weird or ashamed about. Honestly, though, why are we still talking about it? Wouldn't you rather hear people reacting to your new music?
[Pause] I'm sorry, there must have been some sort of confusion. I'm pretty sure my publicist told me you guys were running a Top 10 Most Bisexual Things Frank Ocean Has Ever Done list. This is Buzzfeed, right?
...No, Frank, this is Ology.com.
[Pause] Oh. Shit, man. I'm sorry about that. Go ahead, what were we talking about again?
I was hoping to get a little insight on what went into the making of your new album.
To be honest with you, I don't even remember what songs are on the damn thing. It's been so long since anyone's asked me about it. In all seriousness, I literally forgot I had a new album out until you just mentioned it. It's all a big bisexual blur, man. Sorry.
Are people really that obsessed with your sex life?
Absolutely. Higgins, Jimmy Fallon's announcer, just asked me whether I prefer the Upside Down Anvil or the Double Octopus. [Pause] Do you want to know what I told him?
Not really. I know you're busy, so I'll just wrap this up and ask what you hope listeners will take away from channel ORANGE and what type of portrait of you… as a person and as an artist… you hope it portrays?
Well, mainly I just hope people like it. I hope it inspires them, I hope it makes them think about things and feel differently than they did before. I hope they continue to focus on the fact that I'm the first openly bisexual figure in hip-hop and I hope that becomes a footnote to every creative endeavor I pursue for the rest of my career. I hope that, no matter how many great songs I write or how many memorable concerts I perform, people will always think of me as "that bisexual R&B singer." I mean, let's face it, falling in love with another man is a big deal. I get it, it's not something that ever, ever happens to straight guys and they just don't act upon it or admit it or whatever. I don't know, I guess it's just my responsibility to be an example. I never really planned on being the poster boy for anything, but I guess these things are out of our control, ultimately. I just want people to hear my music… and if that means letting people dissect and dig through stuff from my life I'm not entirely prepared to share just yet, then so be it. What're you gonna do, right?
Be sure to check back next week, when I won't be speaking with more of the biggest names in music, film, sports and politics. See you then!
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