T.H.E.M. on Logo

Thee Human Egomaniacs, aka T.H.E.M., are Justin Nylander and Christiana Eastman, two childhood friends who got their start in the dance pop world working for Stacy Q's fan club. I met the duo in 2002, when they released their debut album Sin, Win and Grin. At the time, West Hollywood wasn't the Z-list celebrity cesspool that it is now and I was DJing at this small club called The Parlour that turned into a bit of a hang out for every crazy club kid who worshipped Klaus Nomi and Grace Jones. One night, Justin and Christiana came to the party, which was called Transmission, and introduced themselves, handing me a copy of the new album. I immediately fell for a song called "Here We Go Again" and, afterwards, their cover of "Sex Shooter." Both became regular features in my Wednesday night DJ sets. T.H.E.M. then played live at the club (I think they were the first live act I booked there). They drove up that night in their cotton candy-colored limo and started unpackin a bunch of mannequins dressed in T.H.E.M. gear, who would surround Justin and Christiana as they played. It was great fun and probably one of the most successful live performances at Transmission.

Later on, I think right around the time I was ready to end Transmission, Justin and Christiana announced that they were moving to Florida. I haven't actually seen T.H.E.M. in person since, although we do keep in contact online, and I quite miss seeing the pink limo pull up to the side of the club and hanging out with them on Halloween (they always have great costumes, the best being when they came in drag as each other). But, despite moving across the country, T.H.E.M. hasn't lost their creativity or sense of humor. "Beautiful," the video above, is a good example. The video was released last year and is still making waves on Logo's video show "The Click List". In fact, you can vote for it, if you so choose on the television station's website.