Born on August 5: Pete Burns, flamboyant androgynous frontman of Dead Or Alive

Pete Burns was born in 1956 in Wirral, near Liverpool, England, and passed away on October 23, 2016, at the age of 57

A master of provocation, Pete Burns had only one true hit with “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record),” a global smash that remixers eagerly embraced, thereby securing him a level of fame that remains relevant to this day. Long before the LGBTQ+ movement gained a wider audience, the Dead Or Alive frontman challenged gender norms with his deliberately extravagant, androgynous appearance. Often admired for his outspoken nature, he was also vilified by a more conservative segment of British society. While he often played on this ambivalence with extremely caustic humor, he nevertheless suffered from this ostracism. “People always ask me if I describe myself as gay, bisexual, trans, or something else. I ask them to forget all those categories because, in my opinion, a different terminology should be established. And, since it hasn’t been invented yet, I suggest you just call me Pete!” he used to say.

Dead Or Alive (which is also the title of a John Cale song) had a career marked by ups and downs. Despite releasing just under ten albums by the early 2000s, it’s undeniably "Sophisticated Boom Boom" (their 1984 debut) that remains their masterpiece. It’s accompanied by a string of singles whose success grew steadily over time : “I’m Falling” (1980), “Number Eleven” (1981), “The Stranger” (1982), “What I Want, ” and “That’s The Way (I Like It)” —an NRG-style disco cover of KC & The Sunshine Band —and, above all, “You Spin Me Round” and “Lover Come Back To Me” (1984). Later on, he enjoyed a few more notable hits, notably “Jack & Jill Party”(2004), produced by the Pet Shop Boys, and the very disco-inspired “Never Marry An Icon” (2010)—which, of course, is meant to be taken with a grain of salt…

A few weeks before his death from a sudden heart attack on October 23, 2016, he had just completed his final musical escapade—a sort of musical testament—with a collection of nineteen (19!) CDs titled “Sophisticated Nom Boom MMXVI,” centered around his band’s debut album.

Photo: Pete Burns with Dead Or Alive on stage at the Futurama Festival at the Deeside Leisure Center (Anglerterre) in September 1982