INTERVIEW: Big Guy & The Very Large Men Champion Guilty Pleasures
Songwriter James Droll approaches queer country with his new project Big Guy & The Very Large Men. In our interview, we talk guilty pleasures, collaborators, and what it really means to come out.
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As a songwriter, James Droll’s pen has been behind tracks now streamed well over 180 million times including Vintage Culture’s breakout song “Pour Over,” gavn’s “Hit the Dirt,” and Joy Oladokun’s collaborative anthem “We’re All Gonna Die” featuring Noah Kahan, earning the Pleasantville, Ohio-reared artist a reputation as one of Nashville’s most distinct queer voices. But it’s Droll’s latest venture, a project dubbed Big Guy & The Very Large Men, that provides his most creative outlet yet, highlighted by amplified expression and having the audacity to say the quiet part out loud. His EP, soft hands, hard times will be out on June 26. In our interview, Droll tells us more about his musical roots and what it means to come out.
Do you play covers at your shows? Why or Why not?
I don’t believe in guilty pleasures so I am an out and proud lover of covers. My favorite artists find their sound in any and every song they touch and it’s a great way to break the ice with a cold crowd. Also, in my touring experience learning a few Foo Fighters songs to play during soundcheck also really got us in good with the grumpy 40 year old men behind every mixing board at every locally owned music establishment.
What are some of the best venues you've played? Why?
My first band feels like a past life but I’ll always have a soft spot for Newport Music Hall where we opened for Twenty One Pilots for their sold out release show. I’ve been in Nashville for 10+ years but I grew up going to Newport so it was a special moment.
Who would you love to collaborate with? Why?
My dream collaborators in no particular order (they’re all my favorite.) Kacey Musgraves was the first country artist I found that made space for queer people in her music and I know we’d have fun! Max Bemis from Say Anything because nobody does lyrics like Max and I am genuinely such a super fan. Last I’d say Madi Diaz, who I saw perform the first time I visited Nashville right before moving here in 2013. I was mesmerized and still am such a huge fan to this day.
How are you using your platform to support marginalized people?
I’m using my platform to tell queer stories without pulling punches. I want to sweep people off their feet, give them the full Big Guy fantasy, then invite them to spend a few minutes in my really big boots. There are so many queer songs that get buried or rewritten with heteronormative language.. I want my platform to be a place where we just say the thing, how we want to say it, full stop.
What words did you need to hear as you explored your identity?
Coming out isn’t a one time thing, it’s every day, each new person you meet, every new job you get, any new friends you make, it’s at the dentist with a dental hygienist's hand in your mouth. It’s at the grocery store when the cashier wants to set me up with her daughter.
soft hands, hard times will be out June 26. You can pre-save the EP here.
Big Guy & The Very Large Men will celebrate the EP release that night, June 26, at American Legion Post 82. Click here to purchase tickets.
Big Guy and the Very Large Men – Instagram
