Last week, Against Me! singer Tom Gabel announced that she is transgendered and beginning life as a woman.
Coincidentally, his band played the Lollapalooza festival in 2010 and that festival's organizer, Perry Farrell, is bringing Jane's Addiction to the Fillmore Miami Beach this Friday.
Farrell is no stranger to the hazy area between genders. And in a conversation with Crossfade about growing up in Florida (Gabel spent her teens in Naples, Perry spent his in North Miami Beach), he offered some thoughts and support to Gabel as she continues with her transition.
"He's a pretty cool musician. I hope that he will be happy being a woman if he likes to be a woman.
"There are a lot of great musicians who are androgynous from the start. I've played around with the other side of my personality when I was younger. I wore dresses. I was a skinny dude and didn't look bad in a dress.
"As I got older, I wanted to look more butch. It's a natural thing as a fella gets older; it doesn't look as cute to look like a chick. But in his case, he feels it in his soul.
"He must really feel like a woman. In my case, I was just having fun. Who am I to judge a person to force a person to go against his nature? I really do hope he'll be happy."
Jane's Addiction with The Duke Spirit. Friday, May 18. Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. and tickets cost $45.50 and $65.50 plus fees via livenation.com. Visit fillmoremb.com.
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