Naughty Boy

For a man whose baritone booms out lyrics like “Shove it in my mouth / Pump it up my ass,” Houston Bernard is surprisingly soft-spoken on the phone. “The reason I decided to do a whole North American tour is to promote human rights and free speech,” says the Brooklyn-based musician. “It’s really a gay issue right now, as far as human rights. I think the biggest thing is how gays are supported and looked upon as superheroes in many ways, but also looked on as freaks. They’re accepted but not accepted at the same time.

“There are gay people who do not fit the mold of flamboyant and entertaining,” he adds. “There are very straight-acting gay men that play sports.” No doubt these fellows were the inspiration for Bernard’s song “Str8 Actin’,” with its refrain of “I’m a straight-acting, huge-dick faggot / I’ll fuck you in your mouth.” Yes, Bernard is a dirty man, but that doesn’t mean he’s all curse and no verse.

His first EP, I Love Houston Bernard, is a frenzied fusion of guitar riffs and electronic beats. “You have to put labels on things for people to understand it at first,” he says, naming his style “bi-porno electro-punk rap.” Call it what you want, but it’s catchy as hell. Listen to it long enough, and you’ll find yourself singing along to lines like “Lick, fuck, suck, dick / Clit, cunt, ass, tit” without even realizing what you’re saying. “A lot of people either don’t get what I do or they love what I do,” he says. “They either really hate me or they really love me.

“My stage show is always enough to keep people interested,” he says. “Sometimes I have people that just come up to dance. Or I just invite them up and they end up taking off their clothes.”

Houston Bernard has a threesome of shows this week: 10 p.m. Sunday, May 16, at the Proletariat, 903 Richmond, 713-523-1199, $5; 8 p.m. Monday, May 17, at Super Happy Fun Land, 2610 Ashland, 713-880-2100, $6; 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 18, at the Axiom, 2524 McKinney, 713-522-8443, $7.