In an interview with UK glossy Gay
Times, singer Courtney Love discusses the influence of her gay
friends on her career.
The 49-year-old lead
singer of Hole said: “When I was a kid I was definitely what
you would call a fag hag because that's how I learned to dress and be
extrovert and walk into a room.”
“But at the same time, [musician]
Julian Cope taught me a lot about that when I lived in Liverpool and
he wasn't gay.”
“I would say my freshman year of
learning how to be a rock star was just hanging around drag queens,
and my sophomore year was going to Liverpool and spending about two
years with that crew of people and learning.”
Love, who has struggled with substance
abuse and who was married to the late Kurt Cobain, was also asked
what makes her a gay icon.
“I think it's surviving. It has to
be. Surviving, and also the ability to do drag, to clean up nice. I
might look like shit this morning, but you know, I clean up nice,”
she said.
“And also … I've done things other
people can't do. I've crossed over, I've been a movie star, I've
lived through all sorts of crazy things I shouldn't have lived
through. I've had huge ups, huge downs, and I've landed on my feet.
I think that's what qualifies you,” she
added.