Unfortunately, in 2006 I did not have cable. Honestly, I still don’t have cable and I usually go to bars to catch stuff (read: Chicago Bears games) on TV. But if I did have cable and if it was 2006 again, as a young musician I probably would have taken great interest in the Logo show, Jacob and Joshua: Nemesis Rising.
The show followed identical twin brothers Jacob and Joshua Miller who navigated the music business as openly gay artists. I had the opportunity to catch up with Jacob after a recent visit of his to Nashville.
During the show, you spent a lot of time in Nashville. Do you come back to visit often?
Jacob: I love Nashville and I always feel like I’m home when I’m there. It is where I grew up as a man, really. I was finally away from my parents’ watchful eyes and had the freedom to discover who I am. I come to Nashville two or three times a year.
Was it weird to work out some of those more personal issues on TV?
Jacob: I think the dramatic scenes of constant arguing and bickering and conflict is just what goes with the territory in reality television … It’s going to be edited in a way to maximize the dramatic impact. That all makes sense to me but there were certainly scenes that made me cringe a little. The two episodes filmed in Montana with my family were important episodes and I’m proud of them. I think it gave families who are struggling with the complicated emotions of a family member “coming out” a bird’s eye view of my family dealing with the same issue.
Speaking of your family, what is Joshua up to these days?
Jacob: Joshua has been in a relationship with his boyfriend for several years now and they spend a lot of time traveling. He is also in school getting his audio engineering degree. He and his boyfriend live about seven blocks away from me so we spend a lot of time together just like always. He has also been writing a lot of great music over the last couple years. I’ve always thought that Joshua is such a talented songwriter.
And what about you? What have you been up to since the show ended?
Jacob: After the show ended Joshua and I continued to tour for a while and then I took a long break. My relationship ended and I was pretty heartbroken and I just didn’t feel like singing anymore. I also felt like I wanted to record an album by myself, without Joshua. I just wanted to tell my own story through my music and I felt like a lot of the real reason why I sing and perform got lost in the drama of the television series. I pretty much just sat around for a few years and tried to figure out what to do with myself. I wrote a lot of new music during that time so I guess if anything good came of that period it is the music.
What’s next for you?
Jacob: I’m getting ready to record some new music and I’m excited to get back on stage and start singing again. Come out and see me when I do and I’m sure I’ll bump into you in Nashville sometime soon.