FUSE TV - John Grant Seconds Gaga's Cry to Boycott Homophobic Russian Olympics

When Elton John played Madison Square Garden on December 6, the rock legend took a break from his hit-stuffed set to urge everyone in attendance to buy John Grant's Pale Green Ghosts, which he called the best album of 2013. As surprising as it was to hear a classic rock legend giving props to a comparatively obscure singer-songwriter, no one was shocked more than Grant himself, who was in attendance and had no idea Elton was going to call him out by name.

But for anyone who's listened to Pale Green Ghosts, Elton's adoration of John Grant isn't terribly surprising. While the former Czars frontman went folk for his solo debut Queen of Denmark, Grant's second solo album is a startlingly effective combination of the confessional acoustic and the chilly electronic, held together by his versatile voice and incisive songwriting. More than that, Grant is an inspiring human being (despite his admitted self-loathing). The openly gay singer weathered a fiercely homophobic environment growing up, kicked a drug and alcohol addiction in recent years and helped break the stigma over HIV infection by publicly acknowledging he was positive in 2012.

We recently spoke with Grant about everything from Woody Allen movies to collaborating with Sinead O'Connor to that Elton shout-out being "one of the greatest nights of my life." Additionally, Grant told us why he agrees with Lady Gaga that the U.S. is morally bound to boycott the Russian Olympics, but why it's important for artists to keep touring Russia despite the government-sanctioned oppression.   

What was it like hearing Elton John praise you in front of everyone in Madison Square Garden?

Well, I didn't know he was going to do that. He's been in touch before. Things have been going on for a year but we hadn't met each other yet, so we were both in New York when he was doing the Madison Square Garden show and I was able to go over and hang out with him a little bit. It was really a great moment for me. His shout-out and having a song dedicated to me in front of 20,000 people was one of the greatest nights of my life, for sure.

Elton called Pale Green Ghosts his favorite album of the year. The electronic textures are very different from what you've done before. Did you recently get into that kind of music or have you always loved it?

It's basically always been the plan to go there. The album I was working on before [Queen of Denmark] wasn't conducive to that sound, but it's the music that I've always loved since the early '80s. It's the music I grew up listening to. I just didn't have the wherewithal to do it before.

What do you mean?

I was too busy doing cocaine and drinking—I didn't have any money for the $3,000 for software. I wasn't doing anything but that. But once you wake up and have all sorts of time and options on your hands, then I was able to go and figure out how to do it.