“I never really ever thought of myself as a role model,” says iOTA. “Since hearing about this I’ve really sat and wondered why someone would see me as influential. Perhaps it’s because I’ve done good things? I’ve always thought that I was more of a bad influence than anything!”

That’s debatable. This six time ARIA nominated gender bender has been a force in the masculine dominated world of rock for years now, and his popularity and influence only continues to grow as he diversifies and moves into musical theatre.

This year, iOTA won a Helpmann award for Best Male Actor In A Musical for his appearance in Hedwig And The Angry Inch. “I remember getting an email from the ‘Hedwig’ people and they said, ‘We know you can sing, we want to know if you can act.’ I auditioned for that role and I got it – but we opened the show in Katoomba, just incase I was really bad!”

He says the first time he performed in the show he was way out of his comfort zone. “Trying to remember sixty pages of dialogue, walking in heels – it was a lot of work. We’d have the slightest distraction and it would just empty my head. It took a while to overcome that.”

The hard work has certainly paid off. iOTA’s currently appearing in Graeme Murphy’s Berlin. “It’s about a heroin addict prostitute in Berlin who falls in love – there’s an angel that watches over the couple as they dance – that’s me. I come down to earth for an hour or two to check things out, sing some beautiful songs - Lou Reed, Talking Heads, Sinatra. I’ve got wings and a harness, and I’m all rigged up so I can fly around.”

While musical theatre wasn’t something iOTA necessarily sought out, he often imagined heading in that direction at some point. “I guess in the back of my head I always wanted to be doing something a little more fabulous than standing onstage with a guitar. I’ve always wanted to be more theatrical, but in the music industry, when you’re playing gigs in pubs and bars, it’s not always appropriate. Most people want to just hear their Barnesy cover, not watch a man swanning around in a frock.”

After the Australian tour of ‘Berlin’ iOTA will be putting the finishing touches on his next album before appearing in ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’, which starts in January. “I feel good about that show, I’ve had the script for a long time now and I know all of those songs, I’ve loved them for years.”

By Christian Taylor