Brian Molko says he wishes he kept quiet about being bisexual, like Morrissey and pal Michael Stipe.
The Placebo frontman has found people concentrate on him rather than his music because of his openness.
"I was open about my sexuality because I was filled with a great deal of musical bravado when Placebo started," he explained. "Coming out of the closet seemed to be important to me in terms of making a stand.
"Unfortunately, we became this faggy band in dresses in the eyes of the media. People started to talk about that and not the music as a by-product."
Now Molko understands why stars like Morrissey and Stipe – whom he sings with on new album Meds - are not so outspoken.
"I think that's probably why people like Michael and Morrissey have been relatively quiet," he commented. "REM are a very important band for me. I was a teenager growing up in New York and Michael Stipe's voice was very important to the development of my own voice."
