“No guilt, all pleasure,” sings Ben Lee on his forthcoming album, The Rebirth Of Venus (due April 28 on New West). Lately, the 30-year-old Australian singer/songwriter has been on a mission to deliver radio-ready pop songs for the rest of us, mixing up hooks and politics and letting it all hang out. Shortly before he appeared on Jay Leno last week, Lee did a Q&A with MAGNET on the topics of Venus, his recent marriage to Ione Skye and the “mistake-pop” of his past and future.
As guest editor of magnetmagazine.com this week, the world’s most enlightened pop star shares thoughts about his latest revelations—from music to monkey gods.
Lee: Los Angeles-based clothing label Band Of Outsiders is awesome. The creator, Scott Sternberg, used to be a CAA agent. so you never know … Anyway, Scott got frustrated with the fact that all American button-down shirts were so boxy and huge and never fit a slight guy the way European cuts did. So he started this label just making shirts and ties, but it has now expanded to suits, jackets, sweaters, hats and shoes. Last year he even started a women’s line (Boy.) that is really great. No clothes fit me the way Band Of Outsiders’ do. It makes it hard to go back to anything else.
