Andy Bell sings about the virtues of grand dames and girlie boys.  And he hopes gays practice their Christian duty and forgive Dubya when he moves to Dallas

This weekend, the godfather of gay synth-pop bestows his falsetto blessing on our 25th Pride celebration.

“It’s Dallas’ silver jubilee — your silver ‘gay-bille,” Andy Bell says from his home in London.

The Erasure frontman is now 44, but 25 years ago, he described himself as a “fresh-faced 19-year-old girlie-boy.” 1983 was a major year for Bell — that’s when he moved from his working-class neighborhood near Cambridge to big-city London.

“I was so shy then,” Bell explains. “So I mostly hung out with punk rockers, hash smokers and ‘musos’” [Brit. slang for “musicians” concerned more with technique instead of raw expression].

In 1983, he was also dead broke.

“At nightclubs, I’d show my unemployment card at the door and get in for free. Then I’d steal people’s drinks. Oh, it was a great time. I’d go star-spotting and follow Boy George and Marilyn around. 1983 was when the whole ‘gay wave’ started: Bronski Beat with Jimmy Somerville, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood,” Bell remembers.

During the last 25 years, Bell has traipsed through Dallas many times: with Erasure, the “True Colors” tour and even spinning discs as a celebrity DJ.

“Eight years ago, I was dating a guy from Dallas. A policeman named Randy, who had an identical twin brother named Andy, who was straight. It was all very confusing,” Bell says. “I love Dallas and hanging out at JRs, but if you showed me a map of it, I’d be totally lost. It’s all spread out, like Los Angeles, isn’t it?”

Bell knows George Bush is moving to Big D once he vacates the White House.

“I suppose he has to move somewhere. Hopefully, the gays in Dallas will do their Christian duty and show George tolerance and forgiveness,” Bell laughs. “Sometimes I’m so nice I make myself sick But I can’t help it.”

Painfully kind, Bell usually shies away from dishing on unsavory celebrities. For example, Boy George, whom he used to follow as a teenager, can be the cattiest queen, when he wants to.

“But he’s never said anything nasty about me. In fact, George has cried on my shoulder,” Bell says.

In 1988, the Culture Club singer released “No Clause 28,” a single that protested a law that prohibited U.K. school kids from learning about homosexuality. “George, he couldn’t understand why it didn’t get played. He was also pissed off at all the Muscle Marys in the gay scene. I just told him, ‘George, fuck them!’” Bell recalls.

While Bell dried Boy George’s tears, he was annoyed when other pop stars eluded the gay community.

“When we were out and going on marches, you knew there others who were gay — including the Pet Shop Boys — who wouldn’t talk about it in the media. And that was quite frustrating,” Bell says.

From the get-go, Bell has been proudly flamboyant. His Erasure costumes — gaudy sequins, Queen Victoria tutus — would have made Liberace jealous. As Bell advances from his girlie-boy status, does he have any advice for the newbies?

“Trust your instincts. Know that anyone that you ever thought might be gay probably is. And know about your history. If I ever meet a grand queen, I just fall in love with them. Like Quentin Crisp and these older gay people who were so gracious. You have to look up to these people and admire them for being on the front line when gay rights weren’t even discussed,” Bell says.

Being a girlie boy isn’t easy. It takes the courage of a fierce diva, Bell says.

“If I hear the tiniest homophobic comment anywhere, it cuts right through me like an arrow. But I just have to let it go right through. I hate having a coat of armor around my heart. I have to be an open person. So I just wear my scars with pride,” he says.

But Bell is no longer a girlie boy.

“I’m gravitating towards being a grand dame. But you can’t be too grand,” he explains. “A true grand dame has no judgment or malice towards anyone. You fill your scars with love and do things without expecting anything in return.”

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This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition September 19, 2008.