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We interviewed Shane Gentry, lead singer of the Nekkid Monday Band, the funk/blues trio that made headlines because they play completely naked. We were surprised to learn that the Nekkid Monday Band is no longer. We asked him what happened, and here’s the long and the short of it… |
Nudist Day – When was the decision made to drop Nekkid, and was it only the money issue that led to that decision?
Shane Gentry – “It wasn’t a matter of money totally, it was just a lack of support. We created this band because of our own interests in the nudist lifestyle and it just so happened we were all musicians and it was a no brainer at that point to put out this record. We did have quite a bit of success and lots of press which was all good but what we really wanted was the support of the nudist community and it just wasn’t there.”
ND – Were all members of the band nudists?
SG – “Nudism is as much a state of mind as well as of being, so yes in that respect, we were all nudists. Neither of us had been to a nudist resort when we started this project but all three of us did enjoy nude time at home. Honestly, where we live, it had never crossed my mind to look for a nudist resort. There have been many hours spent nude in the woods and anywhere else I could be so. I think Cheri Alexander, Travelites in South Carolina, summed it up best: Nude when practical and clothed when necessary.”
ND – Now that you’ve “disbanded”, what would you say to the nudist resorts and clubs where you played?
SG – “I would say thank you for being the few out of a huge industry that understood what we were trying to accomplish and allowed us to come do our thing.”
ND – What about your fans in the nudist community? Were they, and are they supportive?
SG – “We do and still have a few Nekkid Monday Band junkies out there. But for the most part, the most interest and support we got was from the textile community. Oddly enough we just can’t bring ourselves to play this music clothed. It just wouldn’t be right!”
ND – Would the Nekkid band come back to life should someone make the right offer for a gig?
SG – “Absolutely ! What a lot of people don’t understand is as much as we love what we do, this is a business. We are also all professional musicians and on different levels we all play for our total or partial living. So to go across the country or out of the country just to say we did it doesn’t pay the bills! Welcome to the music business. The record cost thousands of dollars to make, plus promo, and etc.,etc.,etc. That expense has to be made up somewhere like live shows and cd sales or it all of a sudden becomes a bad business decision. So… absolutely, if the right deal crossed our path we would love to go do another show!”
ND – Has the “guys who play naked” concept been a boon or a bane in your “textile” music?
SG -”We are definetely ‘those guys that play naked’! We love it . It gives us a chance to tell folks how wonderful it is and that it’s not what they have in their mind that nudism is. So even when we’re not playing a Nekkid Monday gig, we’re still promoting the clothes-free lifestyle like crazy!”
ND – Where can people get your cd?
SG – “The cd is still available at www.cdbaby.com , www.amazon.com , walmart.com , itunes.com , the list goes on forever. but its as available as it can possible be online. Its up on evey digital download site plus numerous music websites. It should be very easy to find.”
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