Exclusive Profile Valerie Quinn and Caleb Sloane
EXCLUSIVE PROFILE: Valerie Quinn and Caleb Sloane
By Mary Kate Hampton, Staff Writer, Buzzword
Valerie Quinn sits at a hotel bar sipping a Moscow mule. (I’m not going to tell you the name of the place, because it’s where the Glitter Bats are staying as they rehearse for their reunion at the Hollywood Stadium on August 15th. I have too much respect for these musicians to betray their privacy.) Quinn’s hair is back to bubblegum pink, and she’s wearing a cropped tank, high-waisted shorts, and a denim shirt—she looks every bit the pop punk queen she was years ago, and she’s not alone. Caleb Sloane sits next to her, back in that famous eyeliner. (He tells me it’s Perversion by Urban Decay, for anyone curious, and the name is too perfect for those bedroom eyes.) He’s drinking a glass of rosé, which seems to be some kind of inside joke between the two, and he’s fiddling with the leather bracelets along his wrists.
Sloane’s wearing tight black jeans and a throwback Foo Fighters T-shirt with the sleeves cut off. He’s embodying the rock star look the way he always did, but there’s something different about him. Maybe he’s more guarded than he used to be, but to Sloane’s credit, he’s trying to keep his new private life private, and I’m going to do my best to respect that. But when these two offered Buzzword an exclusive interview, I couldn’t turn it down. We’re all desperate to know what’s going on behind the scenes as things ramp up for the concert.
Mary Kate Hampton: Thank you both for meeting me today. We didn’t have a chance to catch up the last time we saw each other.
Valerie Quinn: [ laughs ] Yeah, that was a wild night.
We’re referring to the performance at the karaoke bar in Venice, which I’m sure you’ve seen as it’s been all over the internet. I was lucky enough to witness that night unfold firsthand. If you haven’t seen a clip of their fabulous rendition of “You’re the One That I Want,” visit our Glitter Bats page: buzzword.com/tag_glitterbats.
MKH: Was that the first time the two of you shared a stage since Glitter Bats broke up?
Caleb Sloane: Yes. I’ve been working outside of the industry for the past six years, so that spontaneous karaoke night was the first time I’d performed in a while.
MKH: Well, you sounded fantastic.
CS: Thank you, that’s very kind.
VQ: If anything, being away from the industry has made Caleb better than he ever was. Wait until you hear him play our stuff again.
MKH: We’re all excited to see the Glitter Bats perform together again. Can I ask you something I’ve always wondered?
CS: [ grins ] You can ask.
MKH: Where’d you get the idea for the band name? It’s so unique.
Quinn and Sloane lock eyes with a grin, and something that I have no words for other than intimate passes between them. These two have always seemed to communicate onstage without words, but it’s a sight to behold in person.
VQ: Caleb was high off his ass.
CS: [ flushes ] You make it sound like I have a drug problem—I was on painkillers!
He turns to me hurriedly, clearly wanting to set the record straight.
CS: I’d just gotten my wisdom teeth out! Valerie came over to keep me company because my mom had to work, and my little sister was too young to take care of me.
VQ: But he was very high. They don’t mess around when they give you painkillers after surgery, and Caleb was trying to entertain me, since I was “the guest.”
She uses actual air quotes for that.
MKH: That sounds very sweet.
VQ: [ bites her lip ] That’s Caleb for you. But I was trying to force him to rest, and he made me pick a movie. I put on Twilight since neither of us had seen it. When we got to the part where Edward Cullen becomes a sparkly vampire, Caleb asked if the vampires in the movie turned into glitter bats.
CS: I have no memory of this, but I still think it’s a valid question.
VQ: When I was relaying the story to the rest of the band, Keeley said Glitter Bats would be a great band name, and the rest was history.
CS: I kept trying to come up with alternatives, but they wouldn’t have it.
MKH: So this whole time, it’s just been an inside joke?
CS: [ nods ] At my expense, of course.
Sloane and Quinn share another of those secret smiles, and I nearly feel like I’m intruding. So many people have suggested the chemistry between them was manufactured for the stage, but there’s nothing fake about this ease they have with each other. Forget music—someone should cast these two in a romantic comedy.
MKH: It seems you have a lot of stories like this.
VQ: [ smiles ] That’s what happens when you start a band with your best friend.
MKH: And that’s all it’s been between the two of you? Just friends?
CS: [ clears his throat ] No comment.
VQ: [ blushes ] What he said.
MKH: Fair enough. There’s been a lot of speculation about you two, though, both before and after the Glitter Bats broke up. People have also made a lot of accusations about you specifically, Valerie. Do you want to discuss any of that?
VQ: Yes.
Sloane squeezes her hand under the bar. It’s subtle but impossible to miss. Quinn squares her shoulders and turns to me.
VQ: I know certain people have made allegations about my behavior. I’ll call it what it is—misogyny and biphobia. I’ve done a lot of things wrong, but I’ve never cheated on anyone in my life.
CS: The media hasn’t been fair to Valerie, and the way they’ve framed her love life is a thinly veiled commentary on her sexuality. It’s beyond problematic.
VQ: [ mouths thank you to Sloane ] I hate to name names, but I want to make it clear that I was no longer in a relationship with Theo Blake when I was spotted with Roxanne Leigh. When Theo booked the Fantastical Mysts gig, we ended our relationship amicably. F-ck, it was his idea to break up. If he was hurt by the way things ended, it was news to me, but we had broken up more than a month before I went out with Roxanne. And nothing really happened that night.
MKH: So you didn’t do anything wrong, but your reputation was still put through the wringer. It seems like that’s happened to you more than once.
VQ: It has, but I’ll also be the first to admit I haven’t always made the best decisions in the past. We got a record deal ten years ago, when I was just seventeen…I had a lot of growing up to do. Going viral, finding that instant success…it’s hard for anyone to navigate, and even worse when you’re still a kid. I was cocky and immature and sometimes careless. I made plenty of mistakes.
MKH: But you’ve grown up a lot, haven’t you?
VQ: I hope so. I know I’m not perfect, but that has nothing to do with the specific night we’re discussing—even if the media tried to spin it as yet another of my so-called wild escapades. My only regret was the negative attention that landed on Roxanne as a result. She’s an incredibly talented, intelligent woman, and it was never my intent to put her in a position that could harm her image or career.
Quinn is selling herself short—she’s definitely grown up since our first interview. She handles herself with the grace and poise of a star twice her age. It’s clear by the look in her eyes that this whole experience has caused her pain, but she’s trying to protect other people—Leigh, and maybe even Sloane.
CS: I know I said no comment, but I will say this about my relationship with Valerie: the two of us have known each other since we were kids, and there’s a complicated history there. If we are together…[ pauses suggestively ]…or back together, as has been implied, it’s not a rebound, and people should stop treating it that way. We have a lot of love and respect for each other.
VQ: I think Caleb summed it up.
It’s clear they’re still being coy, but these two have been involved in too many headlines for me to add to the noise. We’ll leave any speculation up to the fans. But I can attest that the warmth and respect between these two is palpable.
MKH: What can fans expect during the concert?
Sloane and Quinn share yet another private glance.
VQ: Of course we’re planning to play songs we love, that we hope the fans love, but it’s not just going to be a blast from the past. We have a surprise up our sleeve.
CS: I’m just excited to get back out there and give the fans the closure they deserve.
I wouldn’t miss the concert for the world—I got my ticket when they first went on sale, and they’re nearly sold out. If you want to try your luck at nabbing one of the remaining seats, or if you’re interested in the livestream, visit TicketChampion.Live for details.
Sloane and Quinn invited me to a closed practice next week, and I can’t wait to share what I can with readers. Keep following Buzzword for more exclusive Glitter Bats content.