If the last 15 months of being homebound (for many of us) felt like everything was monotonous and nothing ever changed, I think we should all be prepared to see A LOT of changes in the people around us. Because, of course, 15 months of being free of social pressures, and spending a lot more time in your brain, means that a lot of your friends likely confronted Big Gender Feelings. Do not be surprised if at least one person you know changes their pronouns if they haven’t already in the past few months — I know several. Likewise, this is as good a time as any to say that I’ve spent the last few months researching top surgery for myself, and what that means about me and my gender. Happy Pride!
(FYI, the conclusion: actually, nothing! But if I’m willing to wear a binder long enough to fuck my shoulder up so that I have to attend physical therapy for a year, maybe I should skip the binder and make it a permanent change.)
While things are still pretty far off in that regard, I am constantly pinballing between excitement, hope, joy, fear, and body horror. Rascal Miles’ new song “Tailor-Made” touches such an intense chord with me that I actually need to take breaks listening all the way through — especially at the bridge. Miles gets to the core of my feelings around the process: as exciting as the results will be eventually, there is still a lot of weird and frustrating bureaucracy and gross (IMO) invasive medical procedures to wade through first.
As Miles transcends his multi-layered harmonies in the bridge, the lyrics get more graphic, highlighting (in my interpretation) the body horror necessary in this life-affirming surgical procedure. You’re probably going to have to take a break, too — an dthat’s a good thing.
Trans / non-binary indie musician in Portland, OR. Rascal Miles is a self-recorded, one-man-band whose songs often include at least 4-part harmonies and guitars, bass, drums, cello, trombone, keys, mandolin, banjo, glockenspiel, percussion, and soundscapes. Rascal Miles is here to steal your heart, change your mind, and help you dream of the world you didn’t know to dream of.
“This is the anthem that transgender kids are asking for,” they write. “I wrote this song about my experience having gender affirming top surgery, and the lyrics tell about it through a scavenger hunt of metaphors. As a trans non-binary man, I want to share my story to help pave the way for other genderqueer kids from small backwards towns. Self-recorded in my home studio during the pandemic shutdown, everything you hear (guitars, drums, cello, keys, trombone, 4-part harmonies, bass, sewing machine!), I played/sung myself.”
Rascal Miles — Official, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Bandcamp, Spotify