Conor O'Brien talks Equality: 'Our Queen Panti took us there!'

He's been out canvassing for a 'Yes' vote in Dublin today ahead of two sold-out Villagers shows in the Olympia Theatre (tonight and tomorrow), and in the new issue of Hot Press Conor O'Brien talks to Craig Fitzpatrick about where he thinks the country is at when it comes to fully accepting homosexuality.
"I feel more comfortable," says the songwriter. "[Although] I still can't walk down the street holding my boyfriend's hand without getting looks. Even when I go to London, I'm still like 'oh fuck, that's cool, that's okay? I forgot about that.' So we've still a bit to go but we're definitely going in the right direction. Our Queen Panti took us there!"
O'Brien deals with issues of homophobia and discrimination (but most predominantly, love) on Villagers' third, excellent album Darling Arithmetic.
He took great care in ensuring that it is an inclusive listen.
"If a homophobic person was listening to 'Hot Scary Summer', for instance, I tried very hard to make it so that there's just that moment where he goes 'did he just say homophobes?' rather than 'arrrgh, bastard!'"
There's the worry it becomes tagged as a "gay" album – the press still like to get reductive, even if its laziness rather than malice.
"I don't mind it as long as it doesn't put anyone off hearing the songs from their own perspective," O'Brien says. "If I'd done this 10 years ago, it would have been tagged [in that way] more. Even 10 years ago, it would have, which is bizarre to think. I was saying this before, but it wasn't even legal to be me when I was 12. So we're still a bit raw. I was made feel uncomfortable about myself by society from the moment I was born, so it's only slowing coming around to being something I can easily talk about to people with microphones. In my private life, I was fine."
Elsewhere in the extensive interview, the 'Nothing Arrived' singer talks about being uncomfortable at award ceremonies, getting letters from Elvis Costello and that video with David O'Doherty.
The new issue of Hot Press is Out Now
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