Jake Shears has come a long way, baby. When he first hit New York, the aspiring songwriter worked as a stripper in a bar that changed its name every two weeks to avoid paying taxes. In 1999, he became friends with a multi-instrumentalist by the name of Babydaddy. Then they met performance artist AnaMatronic at a Halloween party; Shears caught her eye because he was dressed as "Jason the Amazing Back-Alley Late-Term Abortion."

Taking their name from a lesbian sex act, all three misfits united as Scissor Sisters. They made their debut at Ana's cabaret just 10 days after September 11, singing a song called "Bicycle of the Devil." They probably shouldn't have gotten any further than Manhattan Cable. But with the addition of guitarists Del Marquis and Derek H and drummer Paddy Boom, Scissor Sisters have become one of our liveliest groups.

First their cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" took Europe by storm. The band reinvented the gloomy anthem as a clubby floor-filler, complete with throbbing bass and Bee Gees-style falsetto vocals. Elton John came out as a big fan, and no wonder. Packed with catchy songs like "Take Your Mama," the Sisters' self-titled debut album gleefully pilfers from pop history – incorporating everything from Michael Jackson's vocal vamping to the breezy ballads of John's Honky Chateau.

Despite their questionable origins, Scissor Sisters are almost respectable. Yes, they came from New York's haughty downtown scene. But with their crocheted dungarees and campy sense of humor, you can forget about them being too cool for school. The emphasis is on fun. We hit up Shears with some burning questions. He told us about Stephen King, Snow White and pot brownies.

VH1: Can you be a Scissor Sister without an alias?

It's definitely not a full-on requirement. If your real name has got zing, then that's okay. I've always been called Jake, so it's kind of a nickname. Shears also has other connotations that I don't really like to talk about. But Babydaddy has been Babydaddy as long as I have known him, even before we thought about having a band. Ana Matronic was always Ana Matronic. So the names were already there.

VH1: Where are you originally from?

I grew up in a little island north of Seattle called Friday Harbor. The island was beautiful. It was an incredible place to live, but that was what made it a boring place to live, too. I spent a lot of time in Seattle just ‘cause the island was so dull. Seattle is a great city to be a teenager in, especially a gay teenager.

VH1: Do you have any scars?

I have one on my eyebrow from hitting my head on a sharp corner table when I was very little. It looks like I tried to do a little Vanilla Ice thing on one of my eyebrows, but really it's just a scar and the hair doesn't grow back.

VH1: What's the worst trouble you've ever gotten into with your mother?

What's so funny is that I got away with everything! She's this incredible Southern woman who is just a blast and everyone loves her. She was helping me move into an apartment a few years ago in Seattle. I walked into the kitchen and she's chowing down on a pot brownie! I had a plate of pot brownies that a friend of mine had made for me for my birthday. I didn't know what to do, so I screamed "Mom, those are Vegan!" which didn't seem to faze her. I think her response was "Oh, they're very good" and she ate the whole thing. It took me six years later before I actually told her.

VH1: When did you first discover that you could sing falsetto?

I think around 4th grade. I was always in plays and stuff growing up; I was kind of a diva kid. I remember trying to sing like Snow White and I could. In the movie, she's got a little falsetto. Have you ever seen Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? It's a beautiful movie.

VH1: Were you in any bands before the Scissor Sisters?

In high school in Seattle I had a band called My Favorite Band. I wrote all the songs and they were really bad, but they were kinda sweet. I made a lot of electronic music in high school. After I was in college for a while, I came to the conclusion that I hated making electronic music. I'm more interested in the actual song rather than the nitty gritty numbers in it.

VH1: Who is your favorite writer?

I'm a big horror buff. Stephen King is my favorite. I'll always be able to pick up a Stephen King book and plow through it. I was in elementary school and read The Tommyknockers, which was terrifying. I took it from my sister and I would read it behind the couch. I wouldn't let my mom know that I was reading it.

VH1: Do they still scare you?

One book that always slipped through my fingers that I had never picked up was Pet Sematary. Then I read it one summer in Brooklyn and f*ck if it didn't scare the living shit out of me.

VH1: When was the last time you wore a suit and tie?

It was the GQ cover shoot for their fashion supplement issue. It comes out very soon I think. Do I have fashion sense? Absolutely not. People call us a fashion band and it's so far from the truth. Actually Dell, our guitar player, has great taste in clothes. But I have no sense of dress. I hate shopping more than anything. I'm not a good gay in that way. I've got really f*cked up feet, so I have to wear really ugly horrible orthopedic shoes when I'm not onstage, and they're unsightly.

VH1: Who was the last celebrity that you met?

Elton John. We played a couple of shows with him. It blew my mind. [He's been] extremely supportive of us. He's just extremely charming, warm, and very friendly. The first time I met him, when he came to see us the first time, he made me feel great. I think he's one of the best performers alive today that we've got. Tonight I get to meet Peter Gabriel, which I'm really excited about. We're opening up for him.

VH1: What's the worst drug experience you've ever had?

I've never really had any bad ones. I ate some mushrooms at Glastonbury last week and that was pretty f*cking great.

VH1: Fave album of all time?

God that's so tough. Let's Dance by David Bowie. The best song off that record is "Without You." It's right after "China Girl," I think. Its just one of those sailing off into the sunset tunes. It's just gorgeous. It's probably my favorite album of all time because it was the first record that totally opened my eyes up and it will always be very dear to my heart.

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