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Carole Pope

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Carole Pope
Carole Pope performing in 2018
Carole Pope performing in 2018
Background information
Birth nameCarole Ann Pope
Born (1945-08-06) 6 August 1945 (age 79)
Manchester, England
OriginScarborough, Ontario, Canada
GenresRock, Electronic
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
InstrumentSinging
Websitecarolepope.com

Carole Ann Pope (born 6 August 1945)[1] is a British-born Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose provocative blend of hard-edged new wave rock with explicit homoerotic and BDSM-themed lyrics made her one of the first openly lesbian entertainers to achieve mainstream fame.

Early life

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Pope was born on 6 August 1945[1] in the rural outskirts of Manchester in England. She was the oldest of four children born to Jack Pope, a salesperson, a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain,[2] and a circus stilt walker, and to Celia, a music hall performer. Pope grew up with two sisters, Diane and Elaine, and a brother, Howard.[3] At the age of five, Pope emigrated with her parents to Montreal.[4] After a couple of years there, the family moved to the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario.[5] She studied at Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute.[6]

Music career

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1968–1988: Rough Trade

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Main article: Rough Trade (band)

Pope met her longtime musical partner Kevan Staples at a band audition in Scarborough. In 1968, they began performing together as a duo in Yorkville, which was Toronto's live music and arts district at the time.[7] In 1970, they adopted the name O, changing it to The Bullwhip Brothers the following year. Clive A. Smith was also a member of O; Smith would later go on to co-found Canadian animation studio Nelvana and play such iconic on-screen characters as Mr. Pencil.[8]

In 1975, Pope and Staples recruited several backup musicians and formed the band Rough Trade. Pope often performed in black leather pants and bondage attire.[9] The band's first album, Rough Trade Live, was produced by Jack Richardson.[9]

Whilst with Rough Trade, Pope sang backup vocals on Murray McLauchlan's album Into a Mystery,[10] in 1980, and would go on to win the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1981 and subsequently the Juno Award for Best Female Vocalist in 1982 and 1983.[11]

Rough Trade released their first studio album, Avoid Freud, and also made an appearance in the Canadian horror film, Deadline, in 1980. They would win a Genie Award[11] and four gold and two platinum records as the decade progressed. She and Kevan Staples co-wrote the 1983 single "Transformation" along with the track "Design for Living", for singer/songwriter Nona Hendryx's second studio album, Nona.[12] Pope also appeared as a guest vocalist on the Payola$ single "Never Said I Loved You," which was a top 10 hit in 1983. She would team up again with Payola$ founder Paul Hyde to sing the duet "My Brilliant Career" on his album Living Off the Radar in 2000. She also sang the role of Primavera Nicholson in the COC production of R. Murray Schafer's Patria I in November 1987.[13]

Although Rough Trade did not record or perform extensively after its final Deep Six in '86 tour, they did not officially break up until 1988. Since breaking up, the band has had numerous reunions, and in 2022, Rough Trade - The Musical, a musical based on the band's music (and the life of Pope's late brother, Howard), debuted at Joe's Pub, in Manhattan.[14]

1988–1999: Solo Beginnings

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After Rough Trade disbanded, Pope released her debut solo single in 1988, which was a cover of The Flirtations' 1968 soul hit, Nothing but a Heartache. The B-side was her self-penned song, I'm Not Blind. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1989 to pursue opportunities in soundtrack work and acting, and produced the soundtrack for The Silencer, a thriller movie directed by Amy Goldstein, which was released in 1992.

In 1995, Pope announced she was no longer living in Los Angeles. That same year, she released her debut EP, Radiate, featuring drummer Jack Irons. A music video was produced to promote the EP's third track, Kiss The Ground.[15] Pope also starred in the cabaret, Quiet Please, There's a Bitter, Petulant Diva on Stage, at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.[16] In 1997, Pope provided the voice for the schoolteacher in the animated version of Pippi Longstocking, and in 1999 playwright Bryden MacDonald staged Shaking the Foundations, a musical revue based on the music of Rough Trade.

2000–2005: Release of autobiography and first solo album

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Pope at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2000, Random House published Pope's autobiography, Anti Diva.[17][5] The book included Pope's first public acknowledgement that she had been in a relationship with British singer Dusty Springfield in the early 1980s.[18][19][20] That year she and Staples contributed a track to the Dusty Springfield tribute album Forever Dusty: Homage to an Icon.[21][22] Anti Diva also revealed fleeting 1970s dalliances with comic actress Andrea Martin and music producer Bob Ezrin. Years later, Pope discussed attending Dusty Springfield's funeral where she spent time with the Pet Shop Boys, amongst other notables.[23]

Soon afterwards, Pope re-recorded the Rough Trade single "High School Confidential" for the Queer as Folk season 1 soundtrack and appeared in the Toronto production of The Vagina Monologues in 2001. She would then move to New York City to continue writing and recording.[4] In 2005, 21 years after her last EP, Pope returned to Los Angeles and released Transcend, her debut full-length solo album.[24]

2011–present: Second solo album, EP, and collaborations

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In 2011, Pope released Landfall, her second full-length album, featuring a duet with Rufus Wainwright.[24] That year she also was a guest vocalist on the album The Hills Are Alive by the Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata.[25]

Pope is an ambassador for the Harvey Milk School in New York City[26] and a board director for the Songwriters Association of Canada. In 2015, Pope signed with Squirtgun Records (distributed by eOne Entertainment) to re-release the Music for Lesbians EP on 23 June 2015.[27]

On 22 September 2017, Pope released the single, This Is Not A Test.[28] An accompanying music video, directed by Jasun Mark, was released on 8 May 2018.[29] Later that same year, Pope collaborated with keyboardist Kevin Hearn to release the single, Resist It, on 22 October 2018.,[30] which was later accompanied by a music video directed by Phillip Harder.[31] A third single, I'm There, produced in collaboration with Spoons' keyboardist Rob Preuss, was released the following year.

In 2021, Pope collaborated with Ottawa band Church of Trees to release the song "World's A Bitch". Later that same year, Pope worked with Canadian performer Clara Venice to produce the single "Speaking In Code". Venice had previously added her Theremin skills to Pope's 2017 single, This Is Not A Test.[32]

Pope served as a guest judge on the second episode of the third season of Canada's Drag Race.[33]

On July 21, 2023, it was revealed that a documentary based on Pope's autobiography is currently in the works. The documentary, titled AntiDiva: The Confessions of Carole Pope, is being funded by The Canada Media Fund. The production of the documentary is being handled by Gay Agenda,[34] and it is scheduled to debut on CBC’s Documentary Channel in 2025.[35]

Personal life

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Pope currently lives in Los Angeles,[36] although she has previously resided in New York.[37]

Health

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In March 2018, Pope was forced to cancel a scheduled performance in Toronto due to a fractured ankle.[38] Subsequently, she was compelled to cancel all of her scheduled performances for the remainder of the year due to mobility challenges that she had encountered during her tour. This ultimately resulted in a diagnosis of spinal stenosis. In order to assist with her living expenses following surgery, a fundraiser was established on GoFundMe.[39]

Solo discography

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Albums

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EPs

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  • Radiate (1995)
  • The Silencer (1999)
  • Music for Lesbians (2014; 2015 re-release with Squirtgun/eOne)

Singles

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  • "Nothing but a Heartache" / "I'm Not Blind" (1988) (B-side "I'm Not Blind" reissued in 2022)
  • "Transcend" (1999)
  • "World Of One" (2000)
  • "Johnny Marr" (2007)
  • "Shining Path/Tell Me" (2010)
  • "Viral 01/Viral 02" (2011)
  • "Francis Bacon" (2013)
  • "Lesbians in the Forest" (featuring Peaches) (2013)
  • "Vagina Wolf" (2014)
  • "This Is Not a Test" (2017)
  • "Resist It" (with Kevin Hearn) (2018)
  • "I'm There" (with Rob Preuss) (2019)
  • "All Touch / No Contact Live" (2020)
  • "I Want to Live" (2020)
  • "World's a Bitch" (2021) (with Church of Trees and Rob Preuss)
  • "Speaking in Code" (2021) (with Clara Venice)
  • "More Or Less" (2024)
  • "Play Fisty For Me" (2024)
  • "I Miss My Land" (2024)
  • "Carole Pope (Live)" (2024)

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1996 Dangerous Offender: The Marlene Moore Story Bar Patron TV movie
1997 Pippi Longstocking Teacher Film
1998 Elimination Dance Partner of woman whose urine sample is lost in the mail Short
2009 Suck Club Bouncer Film

References

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  1. ^ a b "'High School Confidential' singer Carole Pope focus of documentary 'AntiDiva'". CityNews 24/7. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Pop-up Video: Rough Trade performs 'Dyke by Default' | from the Vaults". YouTube. 12 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Excerpt from Anti Diva". Penguin Random House Canada. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b "A Brief History of Rough Trade With Carole Pope and Kevan Staples". laventure.net. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Carole Pope unpeeled". The Globe and Mail, Elizabeth Renzetti. 25 November 2000
  6. ^ Dave Bingham (22 October 2015). Noise from the North End: The Amazing Story of The Ugly Ducklings. FriesenPress. pp. 99–. ISBN 978-1-4602-6651-9.
  7. ^ Bernie Finkelstein (2012). True North: A Life Inside the Music Business. McClelland & Stewart. pp. 224–. ISBN 978-0-7710-4793-0.
  8. ^ "Toronto Mike'd Podcast: "Clive A. Smith: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1535". Toronto Mike'd Podcast, 14 August 2024
  9. ^ a b Bob Mersereau (1 March 2015). The History of Canadian Rock 'n' Roll. Backbeat Books. pp. 145–. ISBN 978-1-4950-2890-8.
  10. ^ Marco Adria (1990). Music of Our Times: Eight Canadian Singer-Songwriters. James Lorimer & Company. pp. 112–. ISBN 978-1-55028-315-0.
  11. ^ a b "Carole Pope: Not Going Gently". GO Magazine, 24 April 2012. by Andrew Vail
  12. ^ Nona Hendryx - Nona, 1983, retrieved 16 November 2022
  13. ^ Littler, William (23 November 1987). "Schafer on to something in trying to reform opera". Toronto Star. Toronto. pp. D6.Green, Robert Everett (23 November 1987). "Undisciplined script detracts from Patria's superb music". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. pp. C9.
  14. ^ "ROUGH TRADE". publictheater.org. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  15. ^ Carole Pope Interview (1995), 2 June 2023, retrieved 19 August 2023
  16. ^ Carole Pope Interview (1995), 2 June 2023, retrieved 19 August 2023
  17. ^ Rak, Julie, ed. (2005). "Camp, Kitsch, Queer: Carole Pope and Toller Cranston Perform on the Page, by Andrew Lesk". Auto/biography in Canada: Critical Directions. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-55458-771-1.
  18. ^ Pope, Carole (2000). "Dusty". Anti Diva: An Autobiography (1st ed.). Toronto: Random House Canada. p. 109. ISBN 0679310487.
  19. ^ Pope, Carol[e] (2000). "The Only One Who Could Ever Reach Me". Saturday Night. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  20. ^ Richards, Linda (January 2001). "Auntie Diva: an interview with Carole Pope". January Magazine. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Forever Dusty: A Tribute To Dusty Springfield (Homage To An Icon)". discogs. 2000. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  22. ^ Paoletta, Michael (9 May 2000). "They're Still the Ones". The Advocate. p. 62.
  23. ^ "Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 823: Carole Pope". Toronto Mike'd Podcast, 21 March 2021
  24. ^ a b "JUNE FEATURE INTERVIEW: MUSIC ICON AND PIONEER CAROLE POPE". Tuck Magazine, 1 June 2012
  25. ^ "Album review: Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata, 'The Hills Are Alive'". Metro West Daily News, 22 March 2011
  26. ^ Carole Pope, 24 August 2016, retrieved 16 January 2020
  27. ^ Fuller, Cam (17 August 2015). "Carole Pope Still Doing it Her Way". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  28. ^ Wheeler, Brad (27 March 2018). "What Carole Pope loves (and doesn't love) about living in Los Angeles". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  29. ^ Carole Pope (8 May 2018), This Is Not A Test – Official Video by Carole Pope, retrieved 12 January 2019
  30. ^ Pope, Kevin Hearn & Carole. "Carole Pope + Kevin Hearn Release Politically Charged Single "Resist It"" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  31. ^ KevinHearnMusic (31 October 2018), Resist It (Official Video) – Kevin Hearn & Carole Pope, retrieved 12 January 2019
  32. ^ "This Is Not A Test, by carole pope". Carole Pope. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  33. ^ Major, Michael. "VIDEO: Watch the Trailer For CANADA'S DRAG RACE & Guest Judges Announced". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  34. ^ Anderson, Justin. "CMF invests over $14M across Indigenous, POV programs". Playback. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  35. ^ David Friend (17 April 2024). "'High School Confidential' singer Carole Pope focus of documentary 'AntiDiva'". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  36. ^ ON the COUCH with Carole Pope. Retrieved 30 April 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  37. ^ Fox, Darren (26 June 2020). "NEO.RETRO.FM Welcomes CAROLE POPE of ROUGH TRADE 6.26.20 Pt 1". Spreaker. Retrieved 14 July 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  38. ^ Friend, David (11 March 2018). "'Not a celebration': Carole Pope on why she'll play the #LoveWins concert". Canada's National Observer. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  39. ^ Média, Bell. "Carole Pope Seeking Donations From Fans". iheartradio.ca. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
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