‘From Love to Love to Love”: the Disco Brothers are at it again!
Chauncey Dandridge and Van Hechter met by mistake one night in NYC and began to text daily. Van is an underground pop star while Chauncey is an activist & DJ. The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots rolled in, in 2019 and Van had an idea: to produce an anthem in honor of the mythical landmark venue (Stonewall Inn).
Well, streams surpassed millions and since then, the pair has been releasing LGBTQ-themed singles, each about a different aspect of the ”gay life” a half a century after the big revolution (because those riots caused exactly that)…
This is your 7th duet, guys, and I think it’s a very daring one, because you criticize a facet of gay life, at a time where people are afraid to offend…
C: I’ve never been one to shy away from speaking my mind or pushing buttons to get people thinking in a new way, but I think we took this topic into a poetic direction with a bit of self awareness and a sense of humor. Being gay and looking for love in today’s world of promiscuity and open relationships is not an easy adventure so we decided to dig into those wounds and come up with a song featuring combination of sadness and sarcasm.
V: Yes, we are living in a most peculiar time. People bash people shamelessly behind screens and often fake names on social media then ghost, take no responsibility, while on the other hand you can’t say the slightest thing in public about anyone or any group. Well- I choose to say what I think, about a reality that I know very well. I am not generalizing but, yes, some gay relationships (especially male-male) are fleeting and resemble eager consumption… And I cast myself as that gay guy who claims to have had like 8 ”great loves” in one year. We all know that person.
How do you ”live” out love, as opposed to what you describe in the song?
V: God, I often think I’ll be single forever! I loved the years with my husband, it was extraordinary to share a life, to live together… But I personally am incapable of having back-to-back boyfriends. I fell madly in love only once since my separation. For that I could’ve flipped my whole reality around but it didn’t work out, and when it didn’t, I wasn’t unhappy to return to my routine. I quite like living alone, actually. Plus, I often say this: I am in love with my friends. I think that’s where my highest devotion and loyalty goes.
C: I try to fall in love constantly. It keeps me optimistic with a constant drip of disappointment. A lot of gay men looking for romance and the fairy tale happy ending are a little bit masochistic and I definitely fall into that category. I regularly meet people that I’m fond of that aren’t interested and vice versa. It’s tough out there…there’s always something bigger and better around the corner or on the next swipe. I’m patient. I’ve found love a few times before so I know I’m capable of experiencing it and I know it’s out there.
You are both self-invented characters, does that make it harder to ”find” love?
C: I sometimes don’t realize the character that I’ve invented and the power I posses. People look to me for things: connecting talent, where the next protest is, what’s the best party to go to tomorrow night and so much more. I also work a lot and in many different locations so I meet lots of different people that either know me already or don’t. I think I do much better when I”m in anonymity rather than my comfort zone.
V: Actually, I have to say yes… It’s very hard to find someone who embraces the guy I am at home or running errands AND the night prince I become for work. Men often want one or the other from me, rarely both. Well, I refuse to be loved partially… So, until I find a person who takes me for everything I am, I’d rather be alone even if that means till death…
You guys also make us laugh a lot. Was that always part of the plan?
V: That’s my bad! Hahahahah! We didn’t plan for comedy, originally. But look at us: a big hairy beast with a skinny smooth fragile dandy. He laughs in the face of tornados, I hide from drafts in dressing rooms for fear I’ll catch pneumonia. He’s hot-tempered, I become ice cold when attacked. On our first rehearsal in front of mirrors, it just struck me that we were hilariously dichotomous! Plus, I can’t not laugh when I look at him in the eye while performing so might as well put it in the act!
C: We have so many differences, physically and discipline wise. He gets tons of sleep and needs a lot of prep time. I can be ready from waking up to out the door in thirty minutes and think sleep is a waste of time. The one thing we share for sure is our bizarre and oftentimes childish sense of humor. There’s no way we could do anything together, especially on stage, without that lust for laughter coming through. It’s what makes us Disco Brothers!
Last question: about ”The Golden Girls” pun- who would Fitz Nylund be?
V: Rose’s great grandson! He’s 6’4”, all muscle, looks like a Viking and not to say that he’s dumb but we love him for his humongous attributes.
C: Fitz is probably the only man that Van and I will ever fight over.
Don’t hesitate to follow and even write to the boys on Insta!
https://www.instagram.com/vanhechter
https://www.instagram.com/djchaunceyd
M.T.V.rock 