Bearforce1 -- composed of Robert Brown, Yuri Leeuwerik, Peter Schoonheim, Ian Draaijer, and Eddi D'Ella -- has spread like "wildfur" since Perez Hilton gave its debut music video, a hi-NRG medley that includes Donna Summer's "I Feel Love," Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)," Yaz's "Don't Go," and a slew of Frankie Goes to Hollywood-inspired "Hoo-Ha!"s, a plug this August. It didn't take long for the bear community to catch on and help the group cross overseas: On October 3, as part of promoter Max Scott's weekly bear party, the band kicked off its first North American tour at Manhattan's Splash bar.
As Bearforce1 broke into choreographed routines and song -- including an admittedly cool electro-dance cover of David Bowie's "Fashion" and all-too-cliched party staple "Y.M.C.A." (for which the group apologized) -- a throng of bears, cubs, chasers, and those enjoying the infectiously happy vibe danced along with gusto. It's probably too grand to state that Bearforce1 is altering the queer landscape or filling a pop culture void that desperately required filling. In fact, quite the contrary. Some active members of the bear community later voiced criticism: One told me that by aping the boy band model, a la 'N Sync, Bearforce1 is contradicting the bear scene's inherent masculine, adult identity. More superficially, another scoffed at the group's ensemble of white pants and pastel-colored shirts, which bears simply don't wear (to which a friend of mine, long ingratiated within the bear scene, rebuffed, "I wear white pants!"). And another said that, while amusing, the act simply wasn't refined or well-practiced, and the novelty only sustained itself for 15 minutes. Regardless, consensus appears to be that, at least for 15 minutes, Bearforce1 entails a certifiably fun party act.
The history: Belfast, Ireland-raised DJ-singer Robert met Peter around three years ago, and while the pair were visiting New York City they spotted Yuri and Ian -- whom they already knew through Amsterdam's Furball parties -- in a karaoke bar singing '80s hits. Inspiration struck. Back home in Amsterdam, with the aid of "plenty of alcohol" and prodding from producers Goldschmidt & Rockefeller, they officially became an act, recording the "Bearforce1" medley and making a first public appearance at Amsterdam's gay pride festival this past summer. Eddi, an Italian-born, Australia-raised fashion designer, was drafted as a "spare bear" to fill in for Ian this tour (Ian had to stay back home due to his airline day job).
Following a photo call with the likes of A Bear's Life magazine, the quartet absconded to Splash's downstairs for a little fan interaction and choice interviews, first and foremost with The Advocate.
If you were the Spice Bears, which would you be? Robert: I would be Marshmallow Bear! Peter: Tattoo Bear! Yuri: Horny Bear, maybe. Eddi: I'd be Cuddly Bear. Yeah.
How do you see the band? As a novelty act or urgently needed representation of or for bear culture? We already have openly gay bears in music--LD Beghtol, Morel, and Limp wrist's Martin Sorrondeguy among them. R: As far as I'm concerned we consider ourselves to be bears. We don't represent bear culture. We're only a segment of it. Bears can be serious... Unfortunately, up till now the bear community seems to be very strict. No fun. Come on guys, lighten up. It's about energy and fun. P: We want to bring a lot of joy into the world, fun, so you can be proud of who you are and also openly gay. Y: I think because it has been so short [a time] since we've been doing this, we can't really tell what's going on. We hope the people are going to like it and they see something in themselves we show to them.
While you guys have been embraced as a whole, have there been any weird or negative reactions? R: Well, I'm annoyed by the people who say "You're not real bears." These are the guys who obviously own the bear club. But [true] bears are accepting of everything, so as far as I'm concerned anyone can be a bear -- whatever a bear's meant to be. You can be thin and be a bear. You can be hairy, not hairy. It's a mentality. A complete and all-accepting mentality.
There's been some talk about that fascistic element of the bear community, which can be as elitist and exclusionary as the gym queen set. E: I think the bear community is on a whole very accepting. Out of all the gay scenes, they're probably the most accepting of all. The way they've accepted us into the whole culture and scene has been overwhelming. There are parties in Amsterdam called Furballs, and there are smooth guys, hairy guys, muscle guys, fat guys, and thin guys, and it's nice to see gay people interacting in all different shapes and sizes. The only community that I know that happens in is the bear community.
The Bearforce1 medley is available on iTunes. Will you also be recording and releasing original songs in the near future? P: Absolutely. We're next going to record a Christmas song, a medley as well, and then original songs. R: We're writing. The best songs in the world are about love, but what I'm interested in is, from a gay angle, is we don't have any hate songs! Like, "You left me, you bastard, and get out of my house, I hate you!" But we're going to do it in a nice way. We will address the issue without being negative.
How exactly did this U.S. tour come to be? P: Perez Hilton. Our management was able to organize it with the help of Perez, and we're very much overwhelmed by the warmth of the American people.
Would you like Perez to join the band, since he's also a bear? R: He's already in the band [laughs].
If you could have one member of a famous boy band join on, whom would you choose? Nick Carter got a little husky there for a while... R: Mick Jagger.
Do you guys ever fight over the song selections? E: No! We've been mates for long enough to respect each other's wishes and we get along pretty well. It's a team effort.
Now that we have a "bear band," should there also be a "chub band"? R: If you can sing and entertain people, it shouldn't matter what you look like.
Sometimes you hear about boy band managers sleeping with the boys, like Menudo. Did you have to sleep with any managers to get into Bearforce1, Eddi? E: No, no sleeping required. Just a bit of dancing!
