Former Village Person Mounting A Solo Comeback

Ex-Village Person Victor Willis never intended the song "Y.M.C.A." to become a gay anthem, according to his publicist.

The Canadian Press story, posted yesterday by Yahoo! News, featured an interview with Alice Wolf, Willis' publicist. Willis has written a book talking about his experiences in the band, and the frustration he felt that The Village People's gay image might have been getting in the way of its continued success.

Among such icons of manhood as a construction worker, a soldier, a leather-clad character, and an American Indian, Willis portrayed two roles: cop and Naval officer. As a lyricist, Willis not only wrote the words to "Y.M.C.A.," but also to "Macho Man," "Go West," and "In the Navy." The latter song might have become part of a proposed 1979 arrangement between the band and the U.S. Navy to promote that branch and military, but a final agreement was never reached; Willis felt that the perception of The Village People as a "gay band" was part of the reason why the deal never solidified.

Willis left the band in 1980 to pursue a solo career.

The publicist said that "Y.M.C.A." came about as a collaboration between producer Jacques Morali, who wrote the music, and Willis, but that Willis had not intended for the song to suggest a gay subtext.

Said Wolf, "Victor Willis wrote about the YMCA and having fun there, but the type of fun he was talking about was straight fun."

"When he says, 'Hang out with all the boys,'" added Wolf, "he's talking about the boys, the fellas," but added that, "it's one of those ambiguous songs that was taken that way because of the gay association with Village People."

Wolf clarified that Willis is not homophobobic, but that he was concerned that the band being seen as writing for a gay audience would cut off chances to connect with a broader fan base.

More recently, Willis has been in the news for arrests related to drugs. now 56 and sober for a year and a half, Willis was featured on the program America's Most Wanted.

But now, said Wolf, Willis is ready to return as an entertainer. A Los Vegas show is scheduled for Aug. 31, the date a commemoration of Willis' first recording with The Village People thirty years ago.

A tour will follow, starting in Australia and continuing to Canada in spring, 2008, when Willis' book is expected to hit the shelves.

According to Wolf, Willis recorded a solo album after going off on his own. Willis is now in the process of pursuing the master recordings, with en eye to a release of the material next year.

Willis is not alone in marking the band's thirtieth birthday this year; the current lineup of musicians comprising The Village People will perform Aug. 17 in Toronto. The band is now fronted by Ray Simpson, who was with the band a as abackup singer when Willis was still part of the group, which continues to enjoy a fan base that cuts across demographic lines, including young and old, gay and straight.

Simpson said he shared the same frustrations as Willis at the band's persisting image as a gay gig. As for the band's composition, "They're straight, they're gay, they're Catholic, Protestant... it's black, white, Indian, it's a very diverse group," said Simpson.

As for Willis' forthcoming so-called "tell-all" book, Simpson has these words: "All I can say is, for every story, there's another story."