I found this interview from back in 2009. Definitely an interesting read! The link to the archived interview is at the bottom of this post. :)
Jan 20, 2009 11:07:12 PM
Meet Nuglah: The Undercover YouTuber
In recent years we've been bombarded by Internet "celebrities" like Star Wars Kid, The Numa Numa Guy and of course, Chris Crocker of "Leave Britney Alone" renown, who are all famous for gimmicy videos that they devised -- rather than actual talent.
But every once in a while there comes along someone far more deserving of the title celebrity, who just happens to get started on the Internet. Nuglah (b. Casey Jellison) falls into the latter category.
This highly-talented producer, actor and musician from Quincy, IL via Fargo, ND has at the tender age of 18, amassed a very impressive body of work from his already-popular "Under Cover Penis Lover" and "Basement" videos, which meld witty tongue-in-cheek lyrics with electro beats, as well as a collection of dark shorts that pay tribute to the unicorn, perhaps his greatest obsession since childhood.
In fact there are several commonalities between the solitary, elusive, and courageous horned animal and Nuglah, an anomaly in his small, conservative town, who hides away in his basement, producing, editing and starring in videos; but still, when push comes to shove, takes shit off no one.
When talking to Nuglah, one can't help being impressed with the slight, 5'6" tall creative's tremendous courage as an OUT artist with an affinity for unicorns and prom dresses in such unfriendly surroundings. Even more impressive is the level of innocence and optimism he's maintained under such harsh circumstances, as Gay.com discovered in a recent interview with the budding celebrity, whose YouTube videos have already garnered him thousands of hits and a growing fanbase.
The name Nuglah is so unique, but what is its significance?
I used to be called 'Nugget' when I was a little kid, because I ate lots of chicken nuggets, and a bunch of names spun off from that -- and Nuglah was the one that stuck.
When did you start creating Internet videos?
In the beginning of the ninth grade. I wanted to be Internet famous, so I learned to do that all myself, all the writing, filming, editing and such. I really sucked at first, but kept getting better at it.
You're based in the small town of Quincy. Describe it for me.
It's about 300 miles away from Chicago, right on the ass of Illinois. Oh my gosh, it’s a big hick town. 90 percent is hillbillies, and 10 percent is old people. I think there are about 30,000 people here. We have the most horrible mall, with just a cheese shop, a calender store, and a bookstore. I go to thrift stores once a week to buy unicorn stuffed animals and prom dresses. I always think I'll use the dresses, but I never do. I probably have six dresses now.
Are there other OUT gays in your town that you know of?
Yes, there's always twink chasers.
Do you have any gay friends?
Yes, I can think of one who’s my friend. I've also met some in Chicago and tons on the Internet.
Is there are a local gay bar, and if so, have you been to it?
No, I need to go, though. There’s one in Quincy right near the thrift store called 'Cabaret' and they have the best sign that says, 'Entrance in rear.' It makes me laugh. It opens late at night, and it's in such a bad part of town. It needs to relocate next to my house. But I'm shocked that it has not burned down or had a Molotov cocktail thrown through the window.
But other than thrift store shopping, I don’t do anything but write songs in my basement, listen to Britney Spears, and watch 'Xena' DVD’s and plenty of 'Golden Girls.'
Are you a huge Britney Spears fan?
Oh my gosh, she is my heroin; I love her so much. I wish I had a dollar for every time I defended her. I’ve gotten into so many brawls over her. I have 119 of her songs on my iPod, all five of her albums and both remix albums. She’s so beautiful; I want us to make ham sandwiches together.
From what I understand, you've been spending most of your time in your basement instead of in school, in what would now be your senior year. What's up with that?
I am a sassy gay, and I don’t let anyone push me around. If I hear the F-word, I fly off the handle. I go nuts and scream, so I was always in fights. My senior year, the school finally said that I can’t stay there like this, so I decided that school is not for me, and to write songs in my basement and get Internet famous, bitches.
I learned that you also got into trouble for writing erotica in class.
I would do nothing in school but write about my non-existent boyfriend -- Aaron -- who was tall, hot and muscular. At first they were cute little love stories, and then I started writing erotica.
Was that a form of escape for you?
Yeah, I wished I was somewhere else, so I made up my own little world filled with songs and a non-existent boyfriend and whatnot.
Another fantastical escape for you, I'd imagine, is playing with your unicorns, which you also make movie shorts about. How did that develop?
OK, so I loved My Little Pony when I was little. So my grandma would always give me stuffed unicorns, and then a really pretty ceramic painted one. They're so pretty and I relate in every way: a lot of people think that they're bullshit, they’re brave, probably the gayest animal that I can think of, and they’re so peaceful and go about their business and do their thing. They’re hated on, called 'gay' just like me, but they keep their horn held high.
How did you go from unicorns to "Under Cover Penis Lover"?
So I decided one day that there are so many horrible words that I've been called as a gay person, and I couldn’t think of a single word to call a homophobe. So I made up a word, because I think homophobic people harbor gay feelings, themselves, and the only way they can reject them is by being bastards. I wanted to burn them with a song, and that’s how the song came to be.
Who's that starring opposite you in the video?
That’s JJ, my sister’s bestie. I wanted her in the videos, 'cause I think she’s glamorous.
Who is the woman in your "Unicorn Kingdom Club" video?
She is Emily, my best friend in the whole entire world. We met in high school -- she was a grade older -- and we would do the craziest stuff together. Once we took the rolling choir steps and we waited till the bell rang and she pushed it while I sat on it waving like a diva singing the Miss America song, and pushing the whole hallway back. We also loved hiding in trash cans and scaring people and throwing smashed cafeteria hamburgers around the school.
What would you do if you couldn't make more videos?
Sell my body on the street corner.
Will you be leaving Quincy anytime soon?
I want to move to Chicago later this year, get some roommates, and get a 9-5 job.
How do you think your life will change in the big city?
Oh my gosh, I think it will a lot. I want to perform in clubs and meet other musicians to collaborate with, which will help a lot with writing songs. Plus, I need more of a social life, and I imagine that I'd have one up in Chicago.
How is your relationship with your family? Are they supportive of what you do?
It’s really good, I guess. I love my sister. She’s probably the person that I'm the closest to. I live with my brother. But I think my mom is in denial. The other day, she said, 'Just in case you have a wife and kids someday,' and I said, 'No mom, I will not have a wife -- not in this life.'
Where do you see yourself in a year, career-wise?
Hopefully, in a year from now, I'll be Internet famous. Then I really wanna make a record.
Will you be doing more unicorn videos?
Yes, I’m just getting started. My arsenal of unicorns has definitely grown into an army. I wanna keep making videos with those. I also have a huge hunting deer that I stole from a neighbor’s house, which I totally revamped into a unicorn. I'm quite the crafter. Watch out when I have a glue gun in my hand.
What songs are you working on now?
I'm always writing songs, and am working on three right now. One is called 'Turn Off the Lights,' which is a sexy song; one is called, 'You Can’t Have Cake and Eat It Too,' about guys who want polyamorous relationships, and 'Arcade Kids,' which is in homage to all my gay-mers.
I noticed that your existing YouTube videos get a lot of hits and comments. With Chris Crocker's "Leave Britney Alone" video and that recent Beyonce cover video among many others, it seems that every queer in America can claim their 15 minutes of fame on YouTube today. But the challenge, it appears, is maintaining it. How will you attempt to do that?
I guess after Internet fame, I'm going to work to achieve real-life fame. I wanna be a star, and although the first way is getting Internet famous, I wanna get there by writing good music.
To see more of Nuglah, check out his YouTube page: youtube.com/nuglah. https://web.archive.org/web/20090308164552/http://www.youtube.com/user/nuglah
archive.org:
https://web.archive.org/web/20090610025856/http://music.gay.com/2009/01/britney-spears.html#more
