Tom Goss Rings in the Holidays with New EP “Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas”
A Rollicking Collection of Original Songs that Celebrate
Living Joyfully, Exuberantly, and Authentically Queer
Tom Goss isn’t a fan of Christmas music, but that isn’t stopping him from recording his first holiday album! His new EP, Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas, is Christmas-themed, but with songs like “Santa Slay,” “Put that Ass in Christmass,” “Sassy Santa,” and “Ho Ho Homo,” it’s not a traditional holiday album. “I want people to laugh and smile, then strip down to their undies and dance,” he says. “That’s the Christmas I’m most looking forward to this year!”
Joining Tom on the EP are some of the biggest names in gay hip hop, rock-and-roll and country music: Benjamin Koll, Big Daddy Karsten, Keith Lawrence, de ROCHE and more. “They are all a part of my queer family,” Tom explains. “We may sing in different music genres but we are the same in that we live our lives joyfully, exuberantly, and as authentically as possible!” Tom Goss’s Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas will be available on Apple Music, Spotify and all major digital platforms on November 18.
At first glance, the songs on Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas appear tongue-in-cheek, but those who look deeper will recognize a serious side to the record. “I have spent a lot of my life censoring myself,” Tom laments. “Censoring what I say, what I write, how I dress, what my music sounds like, and so much more. It’s been a constant state of second-guessing, carefully carving out a life that is unoffensive, in hopes that everyone will love me. But that’s not real. With my first holiday EP, I wanted to make something that was big, fun, unapologetic, body positive, and queer as f**k.”
Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas begins with “Santa Slay,” a dance/ballroom track that Tom wrote with Jaake Castro about a Santa who is big, confident, queer and in touch with his feminine side. “This Santa is not only delivering toys, he is throwing it down in bed,” Tom explains. Ned Douglas mixed and mastered the record. Drag queen Roxy Wood is the lead vocalist, Tom sings the chorus, Ryan Satyr provides background vocals and Drake Jensen serves the sexy deep-voiced Santa.
The second track on the EP is “Put that Ass in Christmass,” a song about celebrating Christmas with a booty shake. Big Daddy Karsten raps the first verse and Keith Lawrence raps on verse two. “I’ve been a fan of both guys for years,” Tom reflects. “I just love how aggressively big and queer Karsten is. As soon as I wrote the song, I knew I wanted him on it. As for Keith, we were casually texting and I asked “hey, do you rap?” I sent him the track and he immediately called me, excited. Like me, Keith loves a big boy, so it was wonderful to get giddy about ways we could paint men of size in a positive light.”
Tom Goss wrote “Sassy Santa,” the third track on Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas, with hopes of getting Benjamin Koll on the EP. “I have a huge crush on Benjamin,” Tom confesses. “I love the joy and positivity he brings to the bear community.”
Knowing Benjamin’s affinity for funk and dance runs, Tom worked both sounds into the song’s rough mix that he sent to Benjamin with fingers crossed. To his delight, Benjamin agreed to perform on the record! He added instrumentation, vocals, mixing, and mastering, turning “Sassy Santa” into a slamming retro dance/funk track that Tom loves.
Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas concludes with “Ho Ho Homo,” a beautiful track Tom recorded with his frequent collaborator, de ROCHE. He credits de ROCHE with bringing the song to life with vocals that sound like a group of carolers on the doorstep. “De ROCHE and I have been making music together for over a decade. I want her to be a part of everything I do until the end of time.”
The album’s cover art is by Joseph Fortuno. “Joseph created something so much edgier, cuter, gayer, and more visually stunning than I ever could have imagined,” Tom raves. “It’s the perfect wrapping for this big, fat, gay ass gift of an EP.”
Tom Goss was raised in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a small city on Lake Michigan, between Chicago and Milwaukee. Much of his youth was spent focused on his studies and on wrestling. He didn’t feel much in the way of sexual and emotional desires growing up. In fact, he didn’t go on his first date until he was 22, while in seminary, training to be a Catholic priest.
That was when Tom realized he did have an appetite for sex, only it wasn’t towards women or even the men that society deemed as handsome. His attraction was toward plus-sized men, known as "bears" in the gay community. Many of his biggest pop hits today are odes to the large, furry men he loves.
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Tom Goss and Actor-Turned-Rapper Daniel Franzese Celebrate Plus-Sized Gay Geeks with Fuzzy Cheeks in Nerdy Bear: The Remix
Last summer, Tom Goss paid homage to the subset of plus-sized gay men that enjoy superheroes and video games with his smash anthem, “Nerdy Bear.” Now he returns with “Nerdy Bear: The Markaholic Remix,” a reinterpretation of the song from the bear’s perspective, featuring brand-new rhymes by the gay community’s ultimate nerdy bear, Mean Girls and Looking actor Daniel Franzese. “The remix was my idea,” says Franzese. “When Tom’s original came out last summer, I was like ‘OMG, it's about time we got an anthem of guys pursuing us in song. We should do a remix of this track where the bear responds that he’s down to party—and I should rap on it!’” Tom Goss’s “Nerdy Bear: The Markaholic Remix (featuring Daniel Franzese)” is available on iTunes, Spotify and all major digital platforms. Its music video is on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ymiXYYHrM1k.
The friends have worked on several projects together over the past few years. Most notably, Franzese played Tom’s husband in a series of videos from the singer’s Territories album. “It’s always fun to work with Danny and at this point it seems like we’re just making up opportunities to work together,” Goss laughs.
The original “Nerdy Bear” is a pop track, with a big, snappy sound, an infectious melody, and a sultry R&B vibe. The remix—by LA-based producer Markaholic
(RuPaul, Trixie Mattel, Willam Belli)—raises the BPMs and adds slick and seductive rhymes written by Franzese. He wittily weaves explicit sexual connotations into many of the popular arcade games from the 80s, as in: “If you like whips and chains, we can do the Double Dragon,” referencing the martial arts game. He continues with “I’ll follow you down your Oregon trail and hitch on to your wagon.”
He makes similar playful associations with the shapes from Tetris, the cherries in Pac-Man and the mushrooms in Mario Brothers. The idea is not just about getting laughs; it is meant to convey the confidence Franzese and others in the gay bear community have built by not only accepting their girth, but embracing it. “It’s fun to find unique ways to amplify body positivity and happiness,” says Franzese.
Michael Serrato (Big Gay Sketch Show, Neil's Puppet Dreams), Goss’s long-time collaborator, who directed the original “Nerdy Bear,” returns to direct the remix version. “I always love the movement and cheekiness Michael brings to a project,” Goss reflects. “He can always make me smile.”
Goss brings a few smiles of his own in the video, debuting his stripper moves. He’s not quite sure where he learned them. “I guess years of taking off my clothes to try to get people to listen to my music,” he jokes.
Tom Goss was 22 and in seminary, training to be a Catholic priest, when he realized his strong attraction for plus-sized men, known as "bears" in the gay community, and nerdy ones to boot. “‘Nerdy Bear’ is authentic to my experience and relays my unique perspective that beauty doesn’t fit a standard mold,” he says.
Tom Goss’s “Nerdy Bear: The Markaholic Remix (featuring Daniel Franzese)” is available on iTunes, Spotify and all major digital platforms. Its music video is on YouTube.
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