GAY DAD

It wasn't that long ago that even insinuating that someone was gay would bring about such scandal and attention that you just didn't do it. Ten or fifteen years ago, the whispers and innuendo could simply ruin a political, movie or record career. For those that were gay, they protected the secret at all costs. For those that weren't, they would do anything to ensure that such rumors never spread.

Welcome to the year 2000.

"It's ok to be gay!" Times have changed, and hopefully for the better. The generations that are coming along care less and less about someone's sexuality. People care about more important things than with whom someone is sleeping.

Enter Gay Dad. They don't focus on their own sexuality, or on anyone else's. The name is intriguing and is open to considerable interpretation, and that's just the way the members of this British rock band want it. The members of Gay Dad don't care what you make of their name, as long as they've got your attention. Once they have your attention, they reason, then you'll listen to the music and the name won't mean a thing.

We had the pleasure of giving bassist Nigel Hoyle a ride from The Troubadour in Hollywood back to his hotel, then spent some time chatting with him in the hotel's lobby. While we garnered a nice parking ticket for our troubles, Nigel's engaging conversation and easy demeanor made it all worthwhile. Mr. Hoyle, enjoying his second day in Hollywood, and in America for that matter, took in the surroundings while we discussed his aborted trip to medical school and Gay Dad's most interesting rise in the U.K.