LCD Soundsystem’s Gavin Russom: “‘I’m the happiest I’ve ever been”

LCD Soundsystem’s Gavin Russom has shared her experiences as a transgender woman in two new interviews. “I don’t like coming out so much as a term, she told Pitchfork, “but sometimes it’s the only way to say it.”

Speaking to Britt Julious, the synth player and technician - who will continue to go by the name Gavin - said: “I do think the world has changed, to some degree. I have to say that makes me hopeful. Things are different than they were in 1997, despite our current overarching political system. That’s not to say there isn’t a very long way to go. But I think those experiences and then having gone through a period where I was less open about my gender identity meant I had sort of worked through some of those things. It also gave me so much compassion and admiration for people who did live publicly as trans women.”

“Up until this point, I felt comfortable working with my own gender fluidity, my own identification within the feminine end of the spectrum, and the politics that arise from those things through my music. Retroactively, this is a thread that goes through my entire body of work. It’s an interesting way to listen to it if you weren’t already getting that.”

In a separate interview with Grindr, Gavin said:“This is my fifth decade being alive, and in each of those decades, there’s been a time where I’ve tried to say, ‘Hey, I think I’m transgender!’ This was even before that word existed.”

She also added that LCD Soundsystem have been fully supportive, and “the general feeling in the group is that will make the band better.”

“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” Gavin added, “but I have my good days and my bad days. On my bad days, it really sucks and I wait until I get home to go to the bathroom—which is such a basic thing.”

Gavin Russom is set to DJ at LGBTQ club night Femme’s Room in Chicago on 13th July. More details here.