UTAH, Aug. 12, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Neon Trees front man Tyler Glenn, who in April made headlines with single “Trash” and its LDS church-bashing video, will release his debut solo album on Oct. 29.
It’s called “Excommunication.”
“This album is a break-up record,” Glenn said in a news release. “It’s been liberating to find a greater sense of purpose, but it’s not been without its sadness. I wanted this album to feel the way it feels to have a crisis of faith. The highs, the lows, the dark and the light — with the end result being a paradigm shift.”
Glenn, a longtime member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a returned missionary who served in Nebraska, revealed he is gay in an April 2015 issue of Rolling Stone. In fact, Glenn declared himself equally proud of being gay and a practicing LDS church member.
Things reportedly changed for Glenn with the November 2015 revelation that the LDS church would no longer allow the children living in households with gay parents to participate in church rites, such as baptism and blessings, until they reach age 18 and denounce their parents’ homosexuality.
Glenn talked with Rolling Stone reporters again before the April release of “Trash,” which features a painting of masked LDS founder Joseph Smith, and other iconic Mormon art, to which Glenn sings angrily. Read the lyrics here or watch the full video below.
“My entire life and perspective on God, the afterlife, morals and values, my self-worth and my born sexual orientation has been wired within the framework of this religion that doesn’t have a place for me,” Glenn told Rolling Stone three months ago.
“I served (this church). I was the square peg trying to fit into the round hole. I believed it till six months ago.”
On Friday, Glenn released his next single, “Shameless.” And on Thursday, he posted an emotional video to his Facebook page explaining his journey away from his religion and shame, toward self-acceptance.
“I’ve been fighting off a hurricane inside me,” Glenn sings in “Shameless.” “It’s the darkest time of the night/God and vodka might save my life/you judge but I don’t give a damn … I live a life so shameless.”
“I feel liberated and more creative than ever,” Glenn said in his news release. “I thank God for that, whoever she is.”
It’s interesting how we talk about “hate speech” all the time, but ignore it when it is directed at religion. If the situations were reversed here, Tyler’s hate would be shouted down. We have developed quite a double standard.
Violet
Compassion is a difficult trait for all of us. There is really no double standard here. The difference is this isn’t hate speech against the LDS church, or Christianity, or anything. If you had heard Tylyer’s story, or ever tried to understand how he feels, you might see that this isn’t about your faith, it’s about him. I think he has earned the right to feel hurt, even betrayed by something he loved. And he certainly has earned the right to voice his pain. You have the right to ignore that pain if you want.
This would of course be different if this were just a guy spouting off hate against the church, but you know that is not the case. This is a man that served it for his entire life and was hurt by it. I served it for 35 years, 10 of those in a crisis trying to defend it and hold my faith together. It is excruciating. Hardest thing I ever did was to leave the church. After 30 or so years of working for it, giving everything for it, I think we that leave it have earned the right to speak up against some of the things we really disklike(d) about it and the hurt we have experienced.
Let’s wish Tyler the best. He is launching a new line
of anal wart removal products on Monday. It is called Brightenyourbutt.