Chris Freeman (born Christopher Mark Freeman, August 8, 1961 in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington) is an American

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

and vocalist, best known as a member of the band

Pansy Division Pansy Division is an American queercore band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1991 by guitarist/singer/songwriter Jon Ginoli along with bassist Chris Freeman. Conceived as the first openly gay rock band featuring predominantly gay mus ...

Early life

Freeman was born in Seattle and attended Weatherwax High School in

Aberdeen, Washington Aberdeen ( ) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,013 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is the most populous in Grays Harbor County and the region's economic center, bordering t ...

. At school, he got beaten up routinely and tried to hide his homosexuality. At age nineteen, Freeman was going to marry a girl that he played in a band with, before breaking it off and admitting he was gay.

Career

Pansy Division

Freeman eventually left Washington and moved to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. In 1991 he met Jon Ginoli through an ad Ginoli placed in the

San Francisco Weekly ''SF Weekly'' is an online music publication and formerly alternative weekly newspaper founded in the 1970s in San Francisco, California. It was distributed every Thursday, and was published by the San Francisco Print Media Company. The paper ha ...

looking for "gay musicians into the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Manchester in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. The ...

and early

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

". With Freeman playing bass, and Ginoli guitar, Pansy Division went through a series of drummers before settling on Luis Illades, who has been in the band since 1996. They became known as one of the founders of the

queercore Queercore (or homocore) is a cultural/social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of the punk subculture and a music genre that comes from punk rock. It is distinguished by its discontent with society in general, and specifically ...

genre of

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

, and received mainstream recognition by being

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

's opening act for their first arena tour in 1994.

GayC/DC

After Freeman moved to Los Angeles in 2001, he later joined a band of gay musicians who started a Go-Go's tribute band called The Gay-Gays, which lasted for 10 years. Freeman started another band with guitarist Karl Rumpf and drummer Brian Welch in 2013 called GayC/DC, an all-gay tribute to Australian hard rock band AC/DC. GayC-DC

The band met their guitarist Steve McKnight after Freeman found an ad he posted on the gay personals site DaddyHunt. They also added former Best Revenge bassist Glen Pavan. McKnight, Pavan and Freeman also formed a side project called Mary and performed at Palm Springs Pride in Palm Springs, California on November 3, 2019.

Discography

Albums

* Attachments on Art & Economix Records (1985) * ''

Undressed ''Undressed'' is an American anthology series that aired on MTV from July 26, 1999, to September 5, 2002. The series was created and executive produced by British director Roland Joffé. Synopsis The series follows the relationships (both rom ...

'' on

Lookout! Records Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California, and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operatio ...

(1993) * '' Deflowered'' on Lookout! Records (1994) * '' Wish I'd Taken Pictures'' on

Mint Records Mint Records is a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based independent record label founded in 1991, by friends and campus radio enthusiasts Randy Iwata and Bill Baker. Mint has put out over 150 releases, several of which have won Juno Awards. His ...

(1996) * '' Absurd Pop Song Romance'' on Lookout! Records (1998) * '' Total Entertainment!'' on

Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 by Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra and guitarist East Bay Ray in San Francisco, California, with the intention to release the Dead Kennedys' self-produced single " C ...

(2003) * '' That's So Gay'' on

(2009)

Compilation albums

* '' Pile Up'' on Lookout! Records (1995) * '' More Lovin' From Our Oven'' on Lookout! Records (1997) * '' The Essential Pansy Division'' on Alternative Tentacles (2006) * '' Lost Gems & Rare Tracks'' exclusively on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

(2010)

7" singles

* "''How Do You Feel About Me''" (Art & Economix Records, 1984) * "''Do You Hear What I Hear / Masques''" (Art & Economix Records, 1985) * "''Fem In A Black Leather Jacket''" b/w "''Homo Christmas''" & "''Smells Like Queer Spirit''" (Lookout! Records, 1992) * "''Bill & Ted's Homosexual Adventure''" b/w "''Big Bottom''" (Outpunk, 1993) * "''Touch My Joe Camel''" b/w "''Homosapien''" & "''Trash''" (Lookout! Records, 1993) (cover art by Anonymous Boy) * "Nine Inch Males" EP: "''Fuck Buddy''", "''Cry for a Shadow''" & "''The Biggest Lie''" (Lookout! Records, 1994) * "''Jack U Off''" b/w "''Strip You Down''" ( Empty Records, 1994) * "''Jackson''" b/w "''I Really Wanted You''" (

K Records K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent mu ...

, 1994) (Collaboration with

Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson Jr. (born September 29, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Megatron" after the ''Transforme ...

) * "''Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond Of Each Other''", on 'Stop Homophobia' compilation with Fagbash, Happy Flowers and

Black Angel's Death Song Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''Psyc ...

(

Turkey Baster Records Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, 1994) * "''James Bondage''" b/w "''Flower''", "''Real Men''" & "''Denny (Naked)''" (Lookout! Records, 1995) * "Gay Pride" split EP, with

Chumbawamba Chumbawamba () was a British anarcho-punk band who formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the Brit Awards 1998. Other singles include "Amnes ...

and

Spdfgh __NOTOC__ Spdfgh () were an Australian rock band from the 1990s. The founding members were: Kim Bowers (as Wikky Malone) (guitar, vocals), Liz Payne (as Rosy Glo, Lou Marvel, Belle) (guitar, vocals), Tania Bowers (as Tania May) (bass guitar, ...

, ( Rugger Bugger Records, 1995) * "''Valentine's Day''" b/w "''He Could Be The One''" & "''Pretty Boy (What's Your Name?)''" (Lookout! Records, 1996) * "For Those About to Suck Cock" EP: "''Headbanger''", "''Sweet Pain''" & "''Breaking the Law''" (Lookout! Records, 1996) * "''Manada''" b/w "''One Night Stand''", "''Hockey Hair''", "''Manada (Version Quebecois)''" (Mint Records, 1997) * "Queer to the Core" EP: "''Political Asshole''", "''Two Way Ass''" & "''Expiration Date''" (Lookout! Records, 1997) * "Scutter Fanzine presents 'Tummy Shaking'" split EP, with Bis, Sourtooth & Ozma ( Scutter Records, 1998) * "Dirty Queers Don't Come Cheap" split EP w/ Skinjobs: "''Your Loss''" & "''I Know Your Type''" (Mint Records, 2004) * "''Average Man''" b/w "''Coming Clean''" (

cover) (

, 2009)

Compilation appearances

* "I Can't Sleep" on ''

Outpunk Dance Party Outpunk enjoys the distinction of being the first record label entirely devoted to queer punk bands. The label was run out of San Francisco and began as an extension of Matt Wobensmith's fanzine, ''Outpunk''. ''Outpunk'' ran for seven issues, fro ...

'' (

Outpunk Records Outpunk enjoys the distinction of being the first record label entirely devoted to queer punk bands. The label was run out of San Francisco and began as an extension of Matt Wobensmith's fanzine, ''Outpunk''. ''Outpunk'' ran for seven issues, fro ...

, 1992) * "Homo Christmas" on ''Punk Rock Christmas'' (

Rhino Records A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

, 1995) * "Ring of Joy" on ''A Slice Of Lemon'' (

, 1996) * "Jackson" on ''Project: Echo'' (

, 1996) * "Bunnies" on '' Stars Kill Rock'' (

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in February 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but it was orig ...

, 1996) * "Pillow Talk" on ''Team Mint'' (

, 1996) * "The Summer You Let Your Hair Grow Out" on ''Heide Sez Lookout!'' (Lookout! Records, 1996) * "Can't Make Love" (with

Tré Cool Frank Edwin Wright III (born December 9, 1972), better known by his stage name Tré Cool, is an American musician, best known as the long-time drummer for the rock band Green Day. He replaced the band's former drummer, John Kiffmeyer, in 1990. ...

) on ''Generations, Vol 1: A Punk Look at Human Rights'' (

Ark 21 Records Ark 21 Records was a record label established by Miles Copeland III and Stewart Copeland in 1997. It was based in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. Artists * Kathem Al-Saher * Ragheb Alamah * Aswad *The Badlees * The Beautiful South * John Berry * ...

, 1997) * "Loose" on ''We Will Fall: The

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

Tribute'' (

Royalty Records Royalty Records is a Canadian country music record label and distributor established in 1974."Surprise music industry award leaves Smith speechless". ''Edmonton Journal'', October 5, 2004. Royalty artists * Roy Acuff * After Tuesday * Colin A ...

, 1997) * "Political Asshole" on ''The Last Great Thing You Did'' (Lookout! Records, 1997) * "He Could Be The One" on ''Fer Shure: A Tribute to the Valley Girl Soundtrack'' ( Itchy Korean Records, 1997) * "Expiration Date" on ''Milkshake – A CD to Benefit the Harvey Milk Institute'', ( timmi-kat ReCoRDS, 1998) * "Musclehead" on ''Forward 'Til Death: A Sampler Compilation'' (Lookout! Records, 1999) * "Hockey Hair" on ''Puck Rock, Vol. 2'' (

Sudden Death Records Sudden Death Records is a Vancouver, British Columbia based record label run by Joe "Shithead" Keithley, frontman of D.O.A. Sudden Death Records arrived in Canada's burgeoning punk scene in 1978. Keithley formed the label to release his D.O.A. ...

, 2000) * "The Summer You Let Your Hair Grow Out (Live)" on ''Songs for Summer'' (

Oglio Records Oglio Records is an American record company started in 1993 by Carl Caprioglio. The label issues compilations of rare 1980s modern rock and new wave songs, many previously unreleased on CD. In addition to releasing new material by artists such ...

, 2000) * "Used to Turn Me On (Demo)" on ''Lookout! Freakout'' (Lookout Records!, 2000) * "Luv Luv Luv" on ''Bi the People: A Compilation of Bisexual Artists & Friends'' ( Violent Yodel Records, 2003) * "Luv Luv Luv" on ''Queer Stock Queer Soup'' ( Queer Stock, 2003) * "I Can Make You A Man" on ''

The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show ''The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show'' is a tribute album featuring the soundtrack of the 1975 cult film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' performed by modern punk rock bands, released on Springman Records in 2003. Background The album started as ...

'' (

Springman Records Springman Records is an independent record label founded in 1998 in music, 1998 by Avi Ehrlich that was run out of his parents' garage in Cupertino, California, until late 2005, when Ehrlich moved the label to Sacramento, California, Sacramento. ...

, 2004) * "Musclehead" on ''Plea for Peace'', Vol. 2' (

Asian Man Records Asian Man Records is a DIY record label run by Mike Park in Monte Sereno, California. Park started a record label and began releasing music in 1989 under the name Dill Records, with the Asian Man label established in May 1996. History Asian Man ...

, 2007) * "You'll See Them Again" on ''Kat Vox:A CD To Celebrate 20 Years of timmi-kat ReCoRDS'' ( timmi-kat ReCoRDS, 2011)

Soundtrack appearances

* "Deep Water" in ''

Angus Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...

'', directed by Patrick Read Johnson (1995) * ''Queercore: A Punk-U-Mentary'', directed by

Scott Treleaven Scott Treleaven is a Canadian artist whose work employs a variety of media including painting, collage, film, video, drawing, photography and installation. Artwork ''Artform Magazine'' invoked references to Jean Genet, William S. Burroughs, Ja ...

(1996) * '' Skin & Bone'', directed by

Everett Lewis Everett Lewis is an American independent filmmaker whose directorial credits include: ''The Natural History of Parking Lots'' (Sundance 1990), ''An Ambush of Ghosts'' (Sundance 1992), ''Skin & Bone'' (Toronto 1994), ''Luster'' (Outfest 2000), ''F ...

(1996) * "Sweet Insecurity" and "Luv Luv Luv", '' Luster'', directed by Everett Lewis (2002) * "First Betrayal" in '' Hellbent'', directed by Paul Etheredge-Ouzts (2005) * ''Pansy Division: Life In A Gay Rock Band'' (2008)

Other work

In 2000 Freeman moved to Los Angeles to attend film school. One of his classmates was Michael Carmona, who would go on to direct the 2008 documentary film ''Pansy Division: Life In a Gay Rock Band'', which Freeman edited and co-produced. He was also in the 1997 documentary ''Queercore: A Punk-U-Mentary'' and appeared as an actor in the 2002 film '' Luster''. Freeman has also written for various magazines and publications including '' Frontiers''.

References

External links

The Official Pansy Division Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Chris 1961 births Living people LGBTQ people from Washington (state) Musicians from Seattle Queercore musicians American gay musicians American punk rock bass guitarists Guitarists from Washington (state) American male bass guitarists 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American LGBTQ people