The Persistence of Pansy Division: An Interview With Jon Ginoli

Long before there was ever a Lil Nas X (seriously, before Lil Nas X was even born), the LGBTQ musical act Pansy Division had the right combination of in-your-face lyrics and unexpected public exposure. With the good fortune of having shared a record label (Lookout Records) with Green Day, as well as a similar punk aesthetic, Jon Ginoli and his fellow Pansy Division bandmates embarked on a massive cross-country concert tour with Billie Joe Armstrong and his Green Day bandmates in the mid-1990s. In other words, a queer rock band from San Francisco was being exposed to a very different audience than the ones to which they were accustomed.

Fast-forward 30 years, and Pansy Division is still at it. With seven studio albums under its belt – the most recent being 2016’s “Quite Contrary” – as well as a handful of singles and compilations, Pansy Division springs eternal. Following a pandemic pause, the band played some live shows in 2022, including the Mosswood Meltdown in Oakland, California. Now Ginoli and his bandmates have tour dates in the Midwest and Northeast. Ginoli was gracious enough to answer a few questions before hitting the road.

Gregg Shapiro: Jon, I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing you a few times over the years, beginning in 1994, after Pansy Division played an all-ages show at a south suburban Chicago record store while the band was on tour with Green Day. Please say a few words about how it makes you feel when you look back on those early days.

Jon Ginoli: Playing arenas with Green Day was a life-changing experience for a band who had not expected to make it that far. We thought we’d be playing small clubs in obscurity. We have incredible gratitude that it happened and that it went so well. 

GS: The last time we spoke was in advance of Pansy Division’s set at the 2022 Mosswood Meltdown in Oakland. What was the experience of playing that show like for you and the band?

JG: It was a great thrill playing at the festival after having attended it for years. And, after the pandemic, it was great to play a big outdoor show. We played a great show and had fun talking to so many fans. And having John Waters give a six-minute introduction of us onstage was pretty unbeatable. 

GS: How much influence did playing the Mosswood Meltdown in July 2022 have on Pansy Division embarking on a multi-city 2023 concert tour?

JG: We already had plans to do so, plans that were underway in 2020 before COVID shut everything down. 

GS: Pansy Division is playing a series of concerts in the Midwest in June. As a native Midwesterner, does playing shows in that region have any special meaning to you?

JG: Not that much, though I’m sure I’ll see a lot of old friends. But I love the Midwest in the late spring, it’s the best season to be there. 

GS: When we spoke last year, I asked you if Pansy Division would be playing any new songs, and you said, “No, it will be kind of a greatest hits set.” Does that still hold true for this tour?

JG: We have almost two dozen songs ready to play when we tour, so it’s going to be mostly the “hits” with a few surprises. 

GS: Have you written, or are you working on, any new songs?

JG: I have several albums worth of songs that may someday materialize as a solo album but probably not a PD album. 

GS: In 2022, I also asked if Pansy Division was at work on the follow-up to 2016’s “Quite Contrary” album. You said that because of the geographical challenge of the band members living in different places, and your dislike of long-distance digital recording, it was unlikely. Have you changed your mind on the subject?

JG: No.

GS: What would it take for there to be a new Pansy Division album?

JG: Possibly retirement [laughs]! I’m 63 now, somehow. Chris is 61, and Luis and Joel are still in their forties. Having more free time would help because we all have busy lives even without having the band. 

GS: With a 2008 Pansy Division documentary (“Pansy Division: Life In A Gay Rock Band”) and your 2009 memoir (“Deflowered: My Life In Pansy Division”) under your studded belt, could a Pansy Division Broadway musical be far behind? After all, Green Day did one.

JG: Great idea! Get the agent on the phone [laughs]!

Pansy Division with Bev Rage & The Drinks and Lumari
June 15
7^th Street Entry
Tickets: www.axs.com/events/469083/pansy-division-tickets?skin=firstavenue