Del Marquis

Del Marquis
Background information
Birth name	Derek Gruen
Also known as	Del Marquis
Born	August 31, 1977 (1977-08-31) (age 34) New York City
Genres	Disco, alternative, pop
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, bass guitar, keytar, guitar synth, vocals, organ, synthesiser, electric piano
Years active	2002–present
Associated acts	Scissor Sisters
Website	http://www.delmarquis.com

Del Marquis (born Derek Gruen, August 31, 1977, New York) is the lead guitarist for the group Scissor Sisters.

Scissor Sisters

He was introduced to the Scissor Sisters in 2001 at the insistence of a friend who, at the time, was dating Jake Shears. He originally dismissed the band when he first saw them perform at The Cock, a New York City gay bar.^[1] His subsequent membership of the Scissor Sisters is mainly due to his late reappraisal, and is primarily owed to his reply to the band's advertisement in a newspaper for a guitarist.^[1]

Unlike the outrageously flamboyant stage image of Jake Shears and Ana Matronic, Del Marquis possesses^[who?] an image on stage much like that of Paddy Boom and Babydaddy. His signature costumes typically consist of high-waisted trousers and fitted dress shirts.^{[citation needed]} His outfits are often braced, finished with ornate pleated or ruffled neck-wear, and tend to be decorated with jewelry.^{[citation needed]} He is also the focus of a fan group named the 'Deltoids,' who operate a forum on Scissor Sisters official web-site known as "Deltoid HQ."^{[citation needed]}

According to Del Marquis' own account on the band DVD, he has admittedly stalked several renowned guitarists; doing so by sleeping outside their hotels. One of these was Robert Smith of The Cure.^[1]

Solo career

Del has produced the DVD, Kuvaputki released in 2008.^[2]

On Halloween 2008, he began releasing solo material, starting with the song "Hot House Shadow," only available with a digital film from his official site.^[3] The video was made by Embryoroom, the same team who made Kuvaputki.^[3] Further to this, on November 6 it was announced that Del was to digitally release a series of solo EPs, with one to be released the first Tuesday of every month from December 2008 to April 2009. These will contain collaborations with Joan As Police Woman and Basement Jaxx. The first EP, titled "Hothouse," was released on December 2.^[4] The "Runaround" EP will be released in September 2009,^{[dated info]} and includes remixes from Baron von Luxxury and Lifelike.

Del appeared as a guest vocalist and guitarist on the October 2009 single "I'll Sing Like Billy MacKenzie in Heaven" by Portland, OR electronic pop group Microfilm.

Del Marquis is included on a list of openly gay entertainers in The Advocate's "Forty under 40" issue of June/July 2009.^[5]

Personal life

Marquis is of Latvian descent, and his grandfather was born in Riga.^[6]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Scissor Sisters, Ana Matronic, Jake Shears, Del Marquis, BabyDaddy & Paddy Boom (2004-11-27). We Are Scissor Sisters... And So Are You (DVD). Brighton Dome: Umvd Labels. 
2. ^ [1] IMDB listing for Kuvaputki
3. ^ ^{a b} [2] Video page of Del's official site.
4. ^ [3]"Scissor Sister Del Marquis to Release Solo EPs"
5. ^ "Forty under 40: Entertainment". The Advocate. 1 June 2009. 
6. ^ http://vimeo.com/24357857

External links

• Scissor Sisters Message Board
• Official Myspace Page
• Official Scissor Sisters Site
• www.delmarquis.com
• Del Marquis at the Internet Movie Database
• Underground Illusion - The Ultimate Scissor Sisters Database
• Embryoroom Official Site

Persondata
Name	Marquis, Del
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 31, 1977
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death