In a recent interview, English
singer-songwriter Andy Bell said that being out in the 80s made
things more difficult, especially in the United States.
Bell and Vince Clarke make up the
synth-pop duo Erasure.
They are currently promoting the band's
latest album, Day-Glo (Based on a True Story).
Speaking with UK daily The Guardian,
Bell said that he was out “right from the beginning.”
“That's one thing I feel really good
about. I think it made it harder for us in lots of ways, especially
getting deals in America,” Bell said. “But it felt correct.”
When asked whether he was asked to hide
his sexuality, Bell answered “not exactly,” then added, “I
don't think people were happy.”
“I think people were starting to look
at it as less risk-taking and more of backing an outsider,” he
said, pointing to other out singers of the time such as Jimmy
Somerville and Tom Robinson.
Bell revealed in 2004 that he has been
HIV-positive since 1998.
He told The Guardian that he was
being provocative when he said that he had been infected
deliberately.
“I didn't go out on purpose to get
it, not at all,” he
said. “I just said that, I was trying to be shocking. It was
stupid.”
Day-Glo (Based on a True Story)
is out now.