Jake Shears: Donna Summer Provided Soundtrack To Gay Liberation

Jake Shears, the out frontman for the dance quintet Scissor Sisters, says his band is indebted to the music of Donna Summer, which he says was the soundtrack of the gay liberation movement, during an interview with Britain's Channel 4 news.

"We owe a ton to Donna Summer, as do so many others," Shears says of the late recording artist whose hits such as "Hot Stuff" and "I Feel Love" helped define the era following the Stonewall riots.

"I don't think we would be here without her. You really cannot underestimate (sic) the importance of her music and the influence that she had over pop music, over the dance world. She was the soundtrack to the gay liberation movement of the '70s. It's a massive loss and it's really amazing to think what a huge impact she had."

As for the career-damaging antigay comments attributed to Summer, and which she later denied every making, Shears is understanding. "I think that she said some things as time went on into the '80s and, you know, I think she realized eventually that, you know...She was such a lovely woman and I really think that she really deserves all our respect."

Summer died Thursday of lung cancer at age 63. Magic Hour, the latest album from the Scissor Sisters, will be released May 28.