Chelsea Boys

Sao Paolo, Brazil- Maria Eugenia, the enigmatic and extremely talented Brazilian artist and illustrator, has given the Enemies a wonderful Christmas gift: an illustrated video for Spottiswoode’s “Chelsea Boys” carol.

“I’m stunned,” said the Englishman over a recent mug of eggnog.

Maria Eugenia has illustrated more than 60 books and her books have won prizes in Brazil and abroad, including the Bologna Ragazzi Award [“Nas ruas do Bras “ – Cia das letrinhas ] and the White Ravens in [“Bichos que existem, bichos que nao existem” – Cosac & Naify]. Her works have been shown internationally at the Society of Illustrators NY Annual Show, American Illustration Show, Bologna’s Illustrators Exhibition, the Itabashi Art Museum Exhibition (Tokyo), the Bratislava Biennial of Illustrations, and “The fabulous colored pencils,” an exhibition with 40 women illustrators (in Italy) from all over the world and many other art shows in Brazil. Maria has also illustrated for the cover of Time Out São Paulo, and frequently illustrates for the Folha de São Paulo newspaper.

Spottiswoode wrote “Chelsea Boys” very early in the millenium – Christmas 2001.

“My recollection is that I wrote the opening two melodic lines with the clear intention of composing a Christmas carol (only realizing later that the melody was, of course, similar to ‘Hark The Herald’)…. and then the words for the first two lines came out:

Boys in Chelsea holding hands
Whistle as they watch us dance

“Had I intended to write a gay carol?,” Spott muses. “I don’t remember. My guess is that after mouthing those two lines my curiosity was piqued and I wanted to see where the song would go. I understand that many people may dismiss the tune as a novelty song or just think that it’s a little clever and twisted ditty, but to me it’s an achingly romantic song. It’s a love song. It’s not just a love song to the girl the singer is addressing who is about to share a dance with some leather-clad homosexuals in the snow. It’s a love song to Gay New York and thereby, in Christmas spirit, to human brotherhood.”

Will you sing a song of joy and peace
With the Chelsea boys on Christmas Eve?

Spottiswoode wasn’t confident that he and his Enemies could capture the nuances of this delicate song. “We were in a studio in New Jersey where we recorded 33 songs in six days. It was a little strange to be singing a Christmas carol in August, especially in the midst of a very intense session, but John Young’s bass somehow breathed in time with my uncertain guitar while Tony Lauria played his beautiful accordion part and Riley McMahon plinked perfectly on the glockenspiel. Candace DeBartolo and Kevin Cordt later played a simple Christmas horn chorale at the beginning and end. I remember at the time thinking that it may have been too much, but I’m very pleased we kept it. Their horns completely set the Christmas tone. Then Tony and Kevin, the two gay male bandmembers, sang the middle vocal chorale with the added help of Tony’s boyfriend, Axel. And then… Riley, our ingenious producer, pulled out his sleigh bells!”

“Chelsea Boys” is a tune from Spottiswoode & His Enemies’ album entitled “SALVATION.” You can download the song here on iTunes

“…a moving musical ode to the beauty of boys frolicking in the snow.” (Kevin Scott Hall, Edge Media)