Against Me! and Joan Jett cover the Replacements' "Androgynous"

New transgender poster boy/girl Tom Gabel, now Laura Jane Grace, made a prominent statement during Friday's Against Me! show at New York's Terminal 5 using a familiar gender-bent song by the Replacements. Joan Jett, who notably shared vocals with Paul Westerberg on a cover of Cole Porter's "Let's Do It, Let's Fall In Love," joined Grace for a straight-ahead take on "Androgynous" off 1984's Let It Be.

Back in May, the Against Me! lead singer announced in Rolling Stone: "I'm going to have embarrassing moments, and that won't be fun. But that's part of what talking to you is about - is hoping people will understand, and hoping they'll be fairly kind." But, this showing for the longer-haired Grace was anything but embarrassing.


From the Village Voice review:

Against Me! (check the name!) haven't taken on a whole new heft, identity and meaning for the people now interested in following the travails of the First Transgender Rock Star. And Grace is still full of surprises, like bringing out Joan Jett halfway through to imbue the Replacements' immortal "Androgynous" with a new resonance and sense of inclusiveness.

"One, I'm a transsexual. Two, we fucking love the Replacements," she beamed.

The nearly 30-year-old song sometimes gets forgotten when the finest of Westerberg's writings get discussed, but it has become a favorite among many transgender artists. With Jett by Grace's side, this was artistry with a message that came across without being a lecture. 

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