Jane Fonda‘s appearance on Jake Shears new album Last Man Dancing may seem like an odd celebrity cameo.
But the pair go way back to the singer’s Scissor Sisters days, and Shears tells 9Honey the Hollywood icon’s “mind blowing” house parties are something that bonds them.
“This record is very inspired by my house parties, I love to throw and having that connection with her loving to throw house parties, so it just all ties in together,” he says over Zoom from his new London home.
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The American performer, who now lives in the UK, spent some time living in LA where actress and activist Fonda hosted monthly mixers filled with “the wildest cast of characters you’ve ever seen”.
“One Thursday night a month, she would throw the most insane parties,” he recalls.
“I’ve just never experienced anything like it… they were just like, mind blowers.
“When you imagine all the people that would have been [invited to these parties], those are the people that were there, it was just everyone.
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“Seeing all these people in the same room, these Hollywood legends and stuff, all there, they were magical parties.”
After asking Fonda to do a voiceover on a short film he was working on in 2013 with Luke Gilford, Shears later decided to use that on his new album.
“When I was making this, I got to a point in the record where I was like, ‘God, I really would love something like that thing that I recorded with Jane’,” Shears tells 9Honey.
“And then I was like, ‘Oh, why don’t I just get the raw takes of what I did with Jane?’ and I contacted her and I was like, ‘Is it OK if I put you in this full crazy techno track?’ And she was like, ‘Have at it, I don’t care’.
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“It’s probably my favourite part on the record.”
House parties, like Fonda’s epic ones, are the inspiration behind the 51 minutes of tracks designed to get you on the dancefloor.
“I always am notoriously the one at house parties … my friends and I throw these raves out in the desert, I’m always the last person up,” Shears explains of the title Last Man Dancing.
“I never want to go to bed, I’m always having too much fun. I will DJ until I can’t DJ anymore, until everyone’s passed out.”
The 44-year-old adds the title also hints to his longevity on the music scene, with Scissor Sisters releasing their first album back in 2004.
But for those hoping for a house party-themed music video featuring the 85-year-old Fonda and Shears, you may have to wait a little longer.
The singer says there’s “no plan yet” but hopes it can come together, saying: “Wouldn’t that be amazing?”
Last Man Dancing is out in Australia now.
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