That's what he said.
I wrote the cover story of Out's August issue, a profile of Fall Out Boy front man Pete Wentz. For the last year, I've been posting about Wentz on Popnography -- and talking about him all over the place, including commentary in a lengthy piece NPR did last fall about masculinity in rock and roll. (I wrote about him so much my own intern even posted to Popnography mocking my fixation.)
The best thing about a job that straddles the print and digital worlds is that when an obsessive pattern emerges -- blog posts pile up, my suggestions in editorial brainstorming sessions get obviously single-minded -- I have the opportunity to blow it up, to dig deeper. The more I thought about Pete Wentz, and the more I talked with my colleagues about our ever-elusive search for "the new queer," whatever that means, whoever that is, the more I was convinced there was a place in our magazine for Wentz, maybe even a cover. From my first pitch to his management to publication, this story took about four months -- a little less than average for a monthly magazine, but what felt like a decade in Internet time.
Some stories lend themselves to a circus of cross-promotion and publicity better than others; Wentz is a celebrity with an enormous online fanbase -- and a significant number of dedicated haters who seemingly live to blog about the many reasons they think Pete is a douchebag. "Ambiguity makes you a lightning rod for people to hate you," Wentz told me, and it was the simmering, obvious homo-queasy language used in so many of those celebrity weeklies and shit-talking blogs that to me solidified why he belonged in Out.
He got engaged to singer Ashlee Simpson soon after our interview: He got called a fag. He married her (and the photos made the cover of People): He got called a fag. He announced they were having a child: He got called a fag. It was hardly a new pattern -- Wentz's own button-pushing tendencies and genuine open-minded attitude towards sexuality mean he's been talking about making out with dudes for years, and the more uncomfortable it makes a reporter or audience, the more likely he is to amp up his sexual ambiguity.
But when Out's story broke, his make out boy behavior was headline news all over again, with all the same fag jokes to boot. As a bonus, there were the condescending reassurances that Wentz having told me it's been years since he's fooled around with a dude meant Ashlee probably didn't need to worry (much). It was boggling and disturbing to see entertainment media and bloggers both prove our point (no matter what Wentz does, people will think he's a fag) and miss it entirely (he'd rather say he's a fag than waste his breath telling you he's not). There was also a lot of smart commentary from fans, from other bloggers, and from the many Out readers whose knowledge of Wentz's body of work was previously limited to a vague recollection of having seen semi-naked photos of him somewhere online.
The ways that Wentz's work -- in music, in clothing, in his own multi-media displays -- are so naturally intertwined also allowed us to approach this cover more broadly than we generally have the opportunity to. Through his fashion line, Clandestine Industries, he designed a limited edition T-shirt for Out's readers to win. We agreed to allow a TV crew filming a reality show pilot about his entrepreneurial tendencies to crash our photo shoot -- which already featured Wentz filming himself as part of one set-up. I wanted to fact-check the name of an artist he'd mentioned during the interview; he posted the link I'd sent to his blog. And then it all came karmically full circle: a post excoriating the cover story on Gawker led one commenter to complain about my (assumed) obvious straightness, the only possible explanation for Out having anything positive to say about Wentz.
I'm tremendously proud of the piece, and all the many people who helped the full package come together. And Wentz's astute criticisms of the media machine -- the fine line between gay jokes and a witch-hunt -- are still weighing heavily on my mind, especially as my primary occupation remains most days to continue questioning or commenting on the sexuality of celebrities. This story (and particularly the cover line, quoting Wentz's "Yeah, I am a fag" comeback to bullies) seems to have amplified the discomfort ambiguity evokes. Whether it in some way answers or refutes or champions a new kind of queer remains to be seen.
> Out, August 2008 issue: Pete Wentz
+ This Charming Man: Pete Wentz would rather kill himself than live in the closet or keep his mouth shut. Instead, the Fall Out Boy front man is looking to his hero Andy Warhol for lessons on making a lightning rod of ambiguity. (More @ Popnography.) [PDF to come.]
+ Meet Pete's Partner: Behind the scenes with Stephen Westman, the gay businessman who runs Wentz Inc. (More @ Popnography.) I went to Chicago to scope out the Clandestine Industries store and hang out with the homo who helps make Pete's dreams become reality.
+ Everyone is (Still Gay): Equally influenced by Nirvana and politics, Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta goes off on sexual revolutions. (More @ Popnography.) Only two sharp, smart quotes from Gabe ended up in the cover story, but in a rare serious interview the dance-punk singer proved he can walk the walk when it comes to sexual politics.
+ Sleeping for the Wrong Team, with photography by David Roemer. A gallery including outtakes from the cover shoot.
The best part about being an editor -- and the part of my job that's most different from when I've worked primarily as a freelance writer -- is that I also get to commission and edit articles from amazing writers. We did a lot of online content to complement the Pete Wentz issue, including:
+ Emo's Gay Dad, by Barry Walters. The Promise Ring's guitar player came out 10 years ago. Jason Gnewikow tells Out what's changed -- and what hasn't -- since his band helped create a new sound. (More @ Popnography.)
+ Kissing Games, by Jason Lamphier. Rising pop star Katy Perry has released two of the most divisive (and catchy) songs in recent gay history -- and she's not about to apologize for it.
+ Know your homo history: The Smiths' "This Charming Man" @ Popnography. By Noah Michelson.
My favorite source for 
We went to see a man about a stove, or rather a couple of guys who'd
called to say they'd give us a decent offer on the one we
were selling. On the way back to the old house I realized I'd forgotten
to bring a wrench so they could unhook the gas. "But they sound like
the kind of guys who have a tool box in the truck," I said.
> The most recent issue of 
> I'll be making an appearance on Sirius OutQ radio on Tuesday night, lending gossip and entertainment news to my friend Kathy Sanchez, who's filling in for an open seat on their schedule. 
After many months of oiling the Personality Machine until it can nearly run itself, we've been moved and upgraded and renamed. I'm like a second wife. 
