EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields

Performs acoustic version of Andrew in Drag and I Die

The notoriously grumpy Stephin Merritt, of The Magnetic Fields, is on tour promoting the band’s latest CD, Love at the Bottom of the Sea. The openly gay front man isn’t thrilled to be on the road.

“Really, I just wish nobody had any idea how the music was made at all and that it didn’t come with any photography or filmmaking or interviews or touring,” he says.

Despite this, Merritt is packing venues and getting rave reviews. He even sat down with Xtra to talk about the new CD and his music. Below is a video interview he did with Cliks front man Lucas Silveira.

Merritt also did an exclusive video recording of “I Die” and “Andrew in Drag” for Xtra. See those videos directly below.



On occasion, the number of editors and other staff who contribute to a story gets a little unwieldy to give a byline to everyone. That’s when we use “Xtra Staff” in place of the usual contributor info. If you would like more information on who contributed to a particular story, please contact us here.

Read More About:
Culture, Music, Video, Trans, Arts, Canada

Keep Reading

Here’s why a ‘Rainbow Week of Action’ is planned across Canada in May

Rallies are planned for May 17 in at least a dozen cities across the country, as well as letter-writing campaigns and education events

7 charts that highlight Chappell Roan’s rise

The "Good Luck, Babe!" singer's popularity has exploded in recent months

How AI image generators fail queer and trans people

The "Cass Review" and its use of AI-generated images highlight some of the key issues with depicting queer and trans people using artificial intelligence

Reneé Rapp’s Coachella set introduced by original ‘The L Word’ stars

Leisha Hailey, Kate Moennig, Jennifer Beals and original series creator Ilene Chaiken gave fans a super queer throwback