There are rock icons, and then there’s Carole Pope. As the magnetic voice behind Rough Trade, she crashed through the polite veneer of Canadian music in the late ’70s and ’80s with a mix of grit, glamour, and unapologetic sexuality.
With hits like “High School Confidential” and “All Touch,” Pope and Rough Trade didn’t just climb the charts, they changed the game. At a time when open queerness in music was almost unheard of, Pope’s provocative lyrics and androgynous style challenged conventions and blazed a trail for generations of artists to follow.
Over her ground-breaking career, Pope has earned three Juno Awards, multiple gold and platinum records, and a longstanding reputation as one of Canada’s most daring and influential performers. She’s been recognized by the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, appeared in films and television, and even penned a critically acclaimed memoir, "Anti Diva", that pulled no punches about fame, sexuality, and survival in a conservative industry.
Now, decades into her artistic evolution, Carole Pope remains as bold and brilliant as ever. This fall, she’s hitting the road for a five-date Eastern Canada tour, bringing her raw rock energy, razor-sharp wit, and fearless stage presence to audiences across the Maritimes. Expect the anthems that defined a generation, reimagined with the passion and bite that have always set her apart.
Wayves writer and host of Out Loud, the radio show celebrating 2SLGBTQIA+music in Canada Kenney Fitzpatrick caught up with Carole to talk about the tour, her impact, and what comes next.
Wonderful, legendary Carole Pope: where are you today?
Hey, thanks for having me. I'm in LA at the moment.
So we're talking today because you are hitting the road, coming out east in Canada for 4 dates on a bit of a mini tour. First of all, very exciting. You're going to be in Halifax on the 30th. I will be there. Make sure you let your bartenders know what you would like to drink. I'm curious about the whole coming out to East on this four-leg tour. What's it like playing out east for you? I know that you've played everywhere, but in Canada, the East is such an insular spot. What's it like coming out here?
Well, we were just there because we played the Jubilee in New Glasgow, and we had such a good time - we actually are doing an added date in New Glasgow on November 2nd, so that makes five shows, and the promoter approached us about doing some acoustic shows. I like the people. I like the land, I like the seafood.
Are there any specific spots, any haunts that you say, “I have to make sure that I get to there”.
No, because it's been so long, the last time I really hung out was in Halifax with my friend Janet Whitman. But everything's new. I mean, because we hadn't played there, we did an acoustic show, God, when was that? In the 90s? I think that's the last time we played Halifax. So, I don't know where anything is.
Much has changed, there's lots of new to discover, so that's a good thing. You're coming with years of experience and an entire sophisticated, stellar and punchy catalog of music. When you do something like this, how do you decide what should make it into the set? You have new music, obviously, but in terms of some of the older stuff, do you play along lines of themes - the political culture right now is chaos, do you try to match it up with that? Or is it just, "these are my faves."
Yeah, especially, "these are my faves." And, you know, a lot of early material is still relevant as hell so we do that. I mean, not that much has changed -- when we originally wrote a lot of Rough Trade stuff, it was during the Reagan era, and we thought he was evil. But that was nothing, compared to this.
You've never shied away from political commentary, social commentary, and that kind of thing. And your new music is really reflective of a lot of what's happening out there. And I'm curious about where you are now in terms of writing. The world is giving you a lot to choose from in terms of things to talk about. How is that impacting your new writing as you create a new catalog for a new era?
We've been working on this musical, Rough Trade, The Musical, forever
I mean, the last single I released was, “I Miss My Land”, which is just about - what hell is going on. And then the other one “Play Fisty for Me”, obviously, about fist fucking. So I don't know. It's just overwhelming what's happening, but I am trying to write something hopeful at the moment, so we'll see how that works.
And also, we've been working on this musical, Rough Trade, The Musical, forever, so I had to write a couple of new things for that and I might release them. I don't want to be a Debbie Downer all the time, but I think that my music has always been dark and sarcastic, and that's not going to change. But I do want to write something joyous, I'm trying to get some joy.
Speaking of which, queer joy is always something that we're always looking for, and the world makes it difficult. Your music is so reflective of the times. When I was young, I didn't necessarily know what I was listening to until I got a little bit older. I've spoken to so many queer artists who reference you a lot in terms of finding your music and listening to you, and it gave them permission or energy, and the confidence to create music for themselves and in what they really want to say. How does that sit with you? How do you respond when artists reference you?
Well, I'm very flattered. I mean, you know, I was one of the first artists to do that, and I know that I inspired other people. But whether you're queer or straight or whatever, you have to be true to yourself as an artist and write about what you know -- or your take on what you know. So, I think that's how I inspired people. There's a doc[umentary] coming out, and in it a lot of people talk about how I inspired them as artists. It's got KD Lang and Peaches and Rufus Wainwright and even Sebastian Bach, who's not queer.
Inspiring the straight dudes even
Yeah, exactly!
Do you keep your eyes and ears out there for up-and-coming artists, or do they ever reach out to you?
They don't reach out to me that much. I just listen to music in general, and I have to say, dislike a lot of new music. I don't think people know how to write songs anymore. But, yeah, some people have reached out to me but in general... I think I'm a cult artist. And Chappell Roan, people like that, don't know who I am, but I'm their godmother.
I like the whole experience to sit down with an album and hear a whole story.
I think that a lot of them do know who you are but yes, I think that there's a strange disconnect with today's queer artists. And if I think of some of the older artists that have come through the music industry, they had to maneuver themselves a little bit differently, and now with streaming it's such a different world for music. How do you feel about some of those changes? Where we've gotten to from where we were? I'm still a kid who loves the CD, even vinyl. I like my liner notes. I want to read it. It's like a book to me when I sit down and I want to listen to the album, start to finish, because there's a story that's being told there. What do you think?
Well, I hate streaming because we don't really get paid for it, but you are able to release singles kind of quickly. But yeah, I love vinyl, I love cassettes, I love CDs. I have cassettes and they sound pretty good, and actually people are recording cassettes now. But definitely I like the whole experience to sit down with an album and hear a whole story. I think Taylor Swift releases a lot of vinyl; people are kind of embracing vinyl once again.
And also: you don't own digital, they could take it away from you. You don't own those downloads. It's better to have a physical copy in your hands and you own that.
With things that have changed in the music industry, what still needs to change? What do they have to get right? What does the industry still hang on to that is keeping artists from advancing the way that they should?
Well, definitely streaming, because you don't make any money from it. I think that has to change. We're just getting ripped off, especially by Spotify.
But you know, streaming the whole digital thing was better when people actually downloaded songs. So basically, it's just making a living, because that has all been taken away from us as artists by streaming. And you have to perform, I have to perform live to make a living, or, license my music. Otherwise, I'm really screwed -- I think most people are -- because you used to sell records and you used to actually make okay royalties, but that's not the case anymore.
I've had this conversation with a few artists who have removed their music from Spotify and will only keep it on things like Bandcamp or on Apple because of that specific issue.
And the guy who owns Spotify, is also financing wars, so that's another reason to leave Spotify and not support them.
Coming up, you are one of the 2025 champions for the Pink Triangle Press Awards; you are somebody who does give back to community. What will that night be like for you? It is a dual award where you are one of the champions and you get to name a charity that they sponsor.
That's why I'm doing it, because I get to donate money to an AIDS charity, and because my brother was an AIDS activist and passed away from AIDS.
I also think this is a last gasp of the patriarchy, and that's why it's so horrific right now. Like all these scary old dudes are really trying to defend their disgusting way of life and control.
I know that you're on tour; what else should keep our eyes and ears open for?
Well, the documentary based on my book, “Anti Diva”, will hopefully get into theatres next year. And it's also going to be on CBC Gem I believe, and they've just submitted it to some film festivals, and Rough Trade The Musical, we're going to workshop that yet again in New York in the winter.
I wrote a second book. I don't know when that's coming out. It's the continuation of “Anti Diva”. It starts at 9/11 because that's where "Anti Diva" ended.
So much in our world is now so referential of not only your music but also of the things that you stood for in the past; it's kind of come back around again so you're more important than ever.
Oh, thank you. I mean, it's just terrible that we have to. This is kind of like the Nazi era, and it's kind of like the 1950s McCarthy Era. I mean, it's really scary. It's like everything keeps going around and around. But I also think this is a last gasp of the patriarchy, and that's why it's so horrific right now. Like all these scary old dudes are really trying to defend their disgusting way of life and control.
Well, let's hope it's the last gasp. Hopefully we can push through it.
Don't doom scroll, because that just is not a healthy thing to do. Just don't do it.
And half of what you're reading is not real anyway
Yes, I agree.
For young queer artists out there, what advice would you have for them?
Take care of yourself, your health, your mental health, your physical health. Stick close to your friends; have a support group of some sort. And read a book. Read a damn book. Don't doom scroll. I just started reading more because it's very joyful and serene to sit somewhere and read. I think slowing down is not always a bad thing; it's important to be present with something like that.
Carole, I want to thank you so much. You have so much going on that I don't know how you maintain it all. Are you doing more dates in Canada after this?
We're doing a Rough Trade tribute concert at the Phoenix in Toronto on November 28 and then I'm playing in Kitchener the next day with my band, my totally rad rock band. And that's all I have so far, that's everything I think I have for this year. And then next year, I'm sure that I'll be promoting the doc, and we have more shows coming up.
I can't wait to see you on the 30th in Halifax, and I think it'll be a stellar show. And I know that the other dates are going to be equally, if not more, raucous and riotous. People are going to be so excited to be able to just be in your sphere for a bit.
Well, we're excited to be in everyone's sphere.
Carole Pope’s Maritime tour
Kylie Fox will be opening for several of these shows.
