Skip to Content
Talkhouse home
Talkhouse home
Music

Revisited: Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV) Talks with Laura Jane Grace (Against Me!) for the Talkhouse Music Podcast

Two gender pioneers talk transitioning in public, paranormal phenomena, courage, boobs, Caitlyn Jenner and the way we perceive gender and sexuality.

For the latest episode of the Talkhouse Music Podcast, we invited Talkhouse Music's new editor-in-chief, Amy Rose Spiegel, to choose one of her favorite episodes from the vault. The one she picked happens to be one of my faves, as well: Genesis Breyer P-Orridge with Laura Jane Grace. The episode, which originally aired in 2015, is presented here in its entirety with a new introduction from Amy Rose and me.

Subscribe now on iTunes or Stitcher to stay in the loop about future Talkhouse Podcasts.

Also, we want to hear from you! Head on over to bit.ly/TalkhouseSurvey to fill out a two-minute survey about you, our audience, so we can hear about how to bring you the best conversations. To sweeten the deal, we’ll be raffling off a Fender Mahogany Acoustic Guitar, a rad nine-LP prize pack courtesy of the great crews at Secretly Group and Dead Oceans, a custom Levi’s jean jacket, and four $25 Amazon gift cards. Good luck!
—Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Music Podcast host and producer

New introduction recorded and mixed by Mark Yoshizumi.

“Transsexuals are the stormtroopers of the future.” So says Genesis P-Orridge, the iconic, visionary musician who has fronted influential bands like Psychic TV and Throbbing Gristle. While P-Orridge isn’t transgender — they* call themselves a pandrogyne — their partner in this Talkhouse Music Podcast, Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace, came out as transgender in 2012. Still, as P-Orridge points out, both musicians have done something very brave: they’ve transitioned, in one way or another, in front of their audience. And it was P-Orridge who paved the way. As Grace says here, “Someone like yourself is so important to me.”

P-Orridge and Grace might hail from different generations, countries and musical communities, but they found plenty to talk about: what it was like to transition in public, the mind-body duality, paranormal phenomena, the perennial bathroom problem, the perennnial airport screening problem, courage, death, Caitlyn Jenner, a hilarious exchange about what to wear on stage, dealing with photographers who want you to show your boobs, and what P-Orridge calls “a gradual shift in the way that gender and sexuality are perceived in our species.”

This is one of the more fascinating and potentially visionary exchanges we’ve ever had on the Talkhouse Podcast. It’s also one of the more risqué, so if you’re easily offended, maybe you’ll want to check out one of our other podcasts.

* A word about pronouns: P-Orridge call themselves “we” because they feel at one with their late wife Lady Jaye. Much more about that in the podcast.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

Related Stories

Daisy the Great and Harmony Tividad Are Freaky With It

Kelley Dugan and Mina Walker tell Harmony how the band started with a Pinter scene, their love of musical theater, and more.

A Nuanced Analysis of AI Music

Adam Schatz (Landlady) offers an even-keeled take on Suno's new grant for artists.

July 15, 2026

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That: Stephin Merritt

A giddily fun and freewheeling conversation with the musical mastermind behind the Magnetic Fields.

Joshua Bailey and Brendan Canty on the Punk Origins of Stolen Kingdom

The filmmaker and the Fugazi drummer/composer talk the new documentary, and more.

July 14, 2026

On Being Fired

Actor and singer Alicia Witt, whose David Lynch-inspired album Between Heaven and Earth is now on preorder, shares a universal experience.

July 13, 2026

Talkhouse Weekend Playlist: A Sampling of the Illegal Art Archive

Matthew S (Myth Math) shares a collection of his favorite tracks from the sample-based label’s history.

July 10, 2026