On the Phone with Cazwell

Homo:interview 

Waiting for a call from Cazwell is a lot like waiting in line at the Ice cream truck.  He is an artist with many different flavors on his menu. He is a fowl mouthed rapper, a cutting edge Dj, poetic advocate, and Tv show host.  As it became time to order, I still wasn't sure which flavor I would get. 

When the phone rang, and his number showed up on my caller ID, I froze for a moment. Skimming over my notes, I wasn't sure which question to ask first.  While my natural instinct was to scream "I love your Ice cream truck video,"  I decided to answer my phone with a more tasteful "hello."

He was on a filming break for his new show on HERE! Tv "boombox."  A Music video showcase and entertainment show reaching back to a time when MTV still played music videos.  "Im excited to talk with people and have a dialogue with people" he explained. "I get to rewrite my script in my own words."  

HereTV, is a Gay channel launched in 2002.  With sexy  shows like "Dante's Cove"  & "Three some,"  it provides  more...adult... content than the other gay tv channel Logo  (and I guess would should count  Bravo too, It is only two shows away from becoming an all gay channel).    HereTV is  on cable which means that Cazwell doesn't have to sensor his language or his subject selection. An aspect  of his new job that Cazwell really appreciates.  

Freedom is good for Cazwell and his Ice cream truck boys. I image them as his daily entrouge, only way more fun than Diana Ross had with the Supremes or even Gewen Stafani had with her harajuku girls.  Their official title is "Cazwell and the ICT boys" or "Cazwell and the Ice Cream Truck boys."   I decided NOT to tell Cazwell what I was imagining in my head while we talked about his Ice Cream Truck boys.  But I think  it every time the "Ice Cream Truck" video plays. 

That song has really been a fire starter for Cazwell.  In its first week on youtube, the song had over 1million hits.  (In addition to being in non-stop rotation at both Lush and the Saloon).    While "Ice Cream Truck" is all about having fun, his new single,  "Get my Money Back," is actually more political.  The song is all about what happened to the nightlife economy when the recession hit.  As people lost their jobs, they had less to spend on going out. (you see where that is going)  As everyone knows, New york has a huge thriving  nighlife cultre.  "Nightlife is the reason everyone I know moved to New York City" he said.  The song is about "the whole feeling of wanting to keep nightlife alive."  I didn't understand that as six-pack monkey men danced around.  (but I liked it)

If you can't tell from his sexy SEXY  S-E-X-Y videos, he has a type.  When I asked him , he slowly  replied "I like brown eyes, more toward olive skin."  I don't even know why I asked him.  Anyone who watches his video could have guessed that. Before I had time to ask my next question,  he added "Voice has a lot to do with it, It can really be sexy." 

And just like that, I got another flavor of Cazwell.  Hearing him talk for 2 seconds about his physical attractions and then go on for two minuets about what attracts him emotionally to someone...  It was the side he isn't showing when he is rapping while buff and tan boys grind on each other behind him...   There was a strong, yet gentle tone to his voice.  A reminder that he is so much more that just his videos. 

One of those skill will be featured at RUSH pride week at Lush.  He (and yes 4 of his Ice Cream Tuck Boys) will not only perform, but Cazwell will jump on the decks and do a DJ set.   When the conversation turned towards his performance at Lush, I asked which he preferred more, DJing or Performing. 

Before I could even finish my sentence, Cazwell blurted out "Performing, hands down."  While my natural instinct was to assume he hated DJing, I was immediately  reassured that wasn't the case. "What I like about Djing is I can be more casual, I can roll in and roll out."  When discussing his live performances, he said "I try to make my live show a spectacle,  Its all about expressing yourself, I like doing that on mic." 

     

I'm excited to see him do that here in Mpls 

-Mo

Click HERE to learn more about RUSH pride week at Lush