The South Asian-Canadian queer rock star known as MR.Slade is releasing a cover of Blondie’s “Call Me” on August 19th. The release of “Call Me” comes after MR.Slade’s most previous release, “Love Assassin,” which resulted in MR.Slade quickly garnering a strong following of listeners that are eagerly awaiting the release of “Call Me.”
For MR.Slade, music is a powerful platform, in which he can utilize to express his beliefs, especially in terms of identity and of rebelling against the typical rules and regulations of our contemporary society. MR.Slade wants to unify the world and believes that his music can help in doing so.
MR.Slade chose to cover the Blondie song “Call Me” because he heard a powerful message about male sex work and the connection that can come from sex in the words. By putting his own 1980s twist on the classic song, MR.Slade was able to change the intended meaning of the song in order to present the ideas that he hold to be true. Incorporating elements of 1980s hair metal with some elements of 1990s grunge and alternative music has helped MR.Slade create the perfect reinterpretation of “Call Me” that fits into the dangerous feel he was aiming to replicate.
“Not only am I a huge Blondie fan, but I thought a song about male sex workers could have a slightly more grittier, rougher feel to it… I also wanted to explore music that was fun, aggressive, sexy but also questioned our consciousness and our individual roles in making the world a better place for all, while having the most fun doing it.” – MR.Slade
Be sure to check out MR.Slade’s rendition of “Call Me” on your favorite music streaming platform!
Words by Brendon Gardner