Stacking The Deck with Bunny X
Stacking The Deck is a feature exclusive to Adam’s World where I bring packs of 1991 Pro Set Superstars MusiCards to artists, and we discuss who they find in each pack.
The Bunny X duo of Abigail Gordon, and Mary Hanley (photo: L to R) have been bringing ‘80s synth vibes to NYC’s indie music scene for the past decade, and after packing the house for their recent show at Arlene’s Grocery, it’s clear the city is dancing right along with them.
Earlier this year Bunny X released a sci-fi inspired album titled Love Minus 80, which marks a conceptual change from 2021’s Young & In Love. Change is something the twosome embrace, which is what makes their catalog so diverse. A synth-based backbone, and the harmonies of Gordon and Hanley, are the common threads that tie everything together, and make each project distinctly Bunny X.
After their set at Arlene’s Grocery, I caught up with Bunny X’s Abigail Gordon to open up some packs of MusiCards, and the artists we found sparked conversations about a $60 music video, the allure of Sting, and a childhood talent show memory she’ll always be “Hangin’ On” to.
I want to start with Janet Jackson because I feel like she might be an influence here.
Oh my God, 100%. I love her. She definitely was a huge influence.
I think the first song that really struck me was seeing – of course hearing the song – but seeing the video for “Pleasure Principle.” For some reason that song in particular just grabbed me. I loved the visuals. I loved how tough she was. The dancing was incredible, and the song itself, I just love the pop, I loved everything about it, and I think that was the song that really got me into her initially.
She has so many hits, and I’ve loved all of her different eras, and genres. I got super into “Love Will Never Do Without You.”
Great song. Great video.
A beautiful song. A beautiful video. Just a stunning video. The use of black and white, and kind of blown out a little bit, and the contrast. I love that song. I love all of her use of different octaves. She’s got a huge range.
Don’t judge me for knowing this, but wasn’t Antonio Sabato Jr. in that video?
He absolutely was. I wouldn’t have remembered it unless you said it, but as soon as you said it I’m like YES HE WAS! {laughs}
I have a bit of a hot take on Janet, I actually think her catalog is far better than Michael’s.
Oh, 1,000%. Yes.
When you have Control, Rhythm Nation, Janet, The Velvet Rope, you have all these different eras …
So many different eras.
Bunny X just went from Young & In Love, to Love Minus 80, so you’re having your own set of eras. With that in mind, where do you see Bunny X going next?
You know, I feel like we’ve done so many different types of genres – thank you for noticing that – anything ‘80s adjacent, we are there. We see you, we are there.
I want to revisit our Italo (disco) roots. We have all these disparate releases, and I would love to go back and compile them as like a Greatest Hits, and also to work on a few new tracks.
Long story short, during COVID we worked with our old producer, Conrad Kaneshiro, and we have a lot of half done songs, all Italo disco stuff. I would like to go back and revisit some of the ones that were the really good ones, and get them off the cutting room floor, and finish them. Maybe that’s gonna be three or four songs, and then have them be part of like a Greatest Hits compilation, and release that – all of our Italo songs with some new fresh material, and maybe some of the older ones like “If You Say Yes,” remastered. That’s kind of my goal for next year.
To stay on Janet for one more question – music video-wise, as you noted, she’s made a plethora of amazing music videos. When are we getting some Bunny X music videos?
We only did one for the album. We did “The Forever War,” which is a homemade video which cost literally $60.
Nice!
Yeah, I’m a little cheap. {laughs}
We spent the majority of the money on the production of it, and recording, and everything.
There are people spending more than $60 at the bar right now.
This is true.
I’m frugal when I need to be.
We rented a space, which was around that cost.
(The video) might have cost more than $60, because I may, or may not have ordered a long cape from Amazon. Yes, that happened. But we had everything else we needed, and we just danced around this cool space that we rented in Brooklyn, then I did all the editing myself, and did some more shots from home.
(It was) a ring light, and a dream. {laughs}
Where do The Police fit into your life. Hopefully no arrests.
It hasn’t happened, but you never know.
I just remember being, as everybody else was, so transfixed by “Every Breath You Take.” It’s such a classic song.
A lot of their other songs, too, “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” that song in particular, just with the subject matter, and the lyrics, it got me, I don’t know … it was kind of a bit of an awakening. It was kind of dark, and it started to awaken – I don’t know how old I was when I first heard it, or really thought about it that way – but it started to awaken some kind of something inside. I don’t know, hormones.
Sting does that for a lot of people tantrically. He just gets out there.
I mean, right? {laughs}
But yeah, that song in particular is so sexy, and dark, and I like that aspect, too. I like pop, and all that, but I like a darker sound, as well, so I feel like it just expanded my knowledge of music.
There’s just a gazillion hits that he’s had. I shouldn’t say he, (I mean) the band.
He also recently had something on Broadway.
He did. In fact my good friend Jenny (Bates), who’s in there {gestures towards Arlene’s Grocery}, who’s in Diamond Field, her partner Tony is (Sting’s) engineer. He goes on tour with him everywhere they go. The fact that he’s here tonight is a surprise, because he’s always away. And Jenny helped to put on the Broadway show. She works in Broadway, and she helped to organize that show before COVID hit.
Which ruined everything.
It ruined everything.
My brother is a huge influence.
Older brother, younger brother?
Older brother.
So much of the music I got into – Italo disco, new wave, new romantic music, Depeche Mode, The Cure, all that kind of stuff, and all the ‘80s pop, and of course heavy metal – pretty much anything my brother listened to, I was like “I”m gonna get into that,” and Scorpions was no exception. I love them, and “Wind of Change” is such a beautiful song.
Was there a middle school talent show where you may have done a Scorpions song?
No, but I did do a Kim Wilde song. So that did happen. I pretended to lip sync with a wooden spoon with aluminum foil on top to make my microphone. That was Kim Wilde’s “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.”
That was my claim to fame as far as talent shows go. I don’t know how talented I was.
Was there a photograph taken?
There was not.
You won, right?
You know {fake sighs}, I don’t remember who won. It was a long time ago.
Ouch.
But I won in my heart.
I chose GWAR and KISS because they are pure performance, and you were just on stage at Arlene’s Grocery, with your neon flamingo with you. In terms of performance, other than demanding fun, what are your main goals when you hit the stage?
Selfishly, I choose a lot of songs for the set that I personally like the most, and that for me elicit the most joy, and the most pleasure.
I like all of our songs, all of them are like my little babies, they’re all important to me, and I love them all, but there are some that really stand out for me, and still pull on my heartstrings, and I like that the songs in the set are all different. We go from high to low. We have summer songs, almost like ‘80s prom style, and then the fun party songs, like “Perfect Paradise,” and “We Demand Fun,” and I just like to ride that wave of pulling those different types of emotions.
For more Bunny X, check out linktr.ee/bunnymusic.com.
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