The Used

In the video for "Pretty Handsome Awkward," an entertaining track from Lies for the Liars, the latest CD by the Used, bassist Jeph Howard dons drag — and he believes he pulls off the look pretty well. As he points out, "I think I could fit in on Santa Monica...

By Michael Roberts

September 13, 2007

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In the video for "Pretty Handsome Awkward," an entertaining track from Lies for the Liars, the latest CD by the Used, bassist Jeph Howard dons drag — and he believes he pulls off the look pretty well. As he points out, "I think I could fit in on Santa Monica Boulevard" (a Los Angeles strip he describes as "trannie central" in a Backbeat Online Q&A accessible at blogs.westword.com/backbeat/). Not that achieving this level of attractiveness was easy. "I tried on, like, five different dresses," he reveals, adding, "They were doing my makeup for, like, five hours, and they got a little gem-crazy around my eyes." Plenty of emo artists wouldn't participate in such prankishness, let alone flash their testicles for the camera, as Howard does in an alternate version of the clip currently floating around on the web. Then again, the Used, which will appear at the Fillmore alongside the Bled and Josephine Collective, is more straight-ahead rock than whiny pop punk. That's a good thing, whether Howard looks pretty, handsome or awkward.
Wed., Sept. 19, 8 p.m.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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