In today’s piping-hot issue of Just Out, our own Nick Mattos chats with Perez Hilton, aka Mario Lavandeira, regarding his new Perez Hilton Presents music tour, which hits the Wonder Ballroom September 29. We couldn’t fit the whole thing in print, though, so here’s the stuff that didn’t quite make it or had to be trimmed for space.

Just Out: What made you decide to start the Perez Hilton Presents music tour, and new record label?
Perez Hilton: My love of music! It’s something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, and I’m excited that it’s finally happening! I’m just as excited about my new record label and that my first artist, Sliimy, released his debut album Paint Your Face on September 15.

JO: Anyone that you really wanted for the tour that couldn’t participate?
PH: Lots of people, actually. It was quite an undertaking to pull it off—coordinating schedules, booking people who could do it at the same time. I’m really happy with the lineup we have, though—it’s all artists who I’ve supported for a long time and who have played my events [such as the One Night In... showcases] in the past.

JO: It sounds like it’s been quite a year for you…
PH: It’s been an amazing year—it’s been an eventful year. Now I’m happier than ever.

JO: What have you learned about yourself this year?
PH: That’s a good one. I’ve learned a lot about life, but what have I learned about myself? I don’t want to give a cliched answer… I don’t even know. God! Let me think! [silence] Well, nothing, really. I feel like I’ve only been reminded of things I already knew this year, or things that I already knew were reinforced. I learned a lot about life, and things I would or wouldn’t do again in the future. Actually, I learned about myself that I need to be more aware of my setting. On my website I can do and say whatever I want, but when I’m taken out of that context I need to be much more careful about what I do and say.

JO: You’ve come under fire before for “outing” closeted celebrities. Why do you feel it’s important for gay and lesbian celebrities to be out?
PH: I feel it’s important for gays and lesbians to be out, whether they’re public figures or not. The more visibility we have, the easier our quest for equality will be. However, I don’t call what I do outing, I call it reporting—and I’d never report on the private life of a private person. Celebrities, politicians, and professional athletes, on the other hand, made a choice to live their lives in the public eye for their careers. They need to be prepared for the public talking about their private life.
I do it because I believe in equality. I treat everyone the same—I don’t hold a double standard, and I don’t believe that gay and lesbian people should be given special treatment.

JO: Portland is full of folks who would consider themselves celebrities but who wouldn’t be recognized outside of the city limits. What do you feel defines a celebrity?
PH: Anybody who has a following. If your following is just five people, you’re a celebrity to those five people.

JO: Andy Warhol asserted that in the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes, but the Scottish artist Momus asserted that in the future everyone will be famous to fifteen people. Which of these do you feel is more accurate, and why?
PH: I would say that the most accurate statement is that everyone will be famous for fifteen seconds! The internet has really changed things, and now celebrity is such a malleable concept. It can come and go so quickly!

JO: You made an agreement with Tyra Banks that you wouldn’t gossip about the children of celebrities. Why’d you make that agreement? Have you kept your word?
PH: I made that agreement because I had a moment of weakness and I was on television! I’ve broken that agreement because, well, fuck it! I don’t care if Tyra thinks I’m a bitch—I am a bitch, and I own it!
That’s one of the great things that happened this year, actually. I suffered so much backlash from so many things I did … that there came a point where it started to affect me. I started to care what people were thinking about me, but then I realized, “You know what? Don’t care! The worst thing that’ll happen is that people won’t like you or think that you’re a bitch!” If people think I’m a bitch, I don’t give a fuck. It’s liberating not to care.

JO: You’re the self-described “queen of all media” and have established yourself as a powerful force in celebrity news, cultural criticism, and music. Now you have a record label and a new artist to promote. What’s the next addition to your media empire?
PH: I’d love to do a TV show—that’s definitely the missing piece of the puzzle. I love doing TV and I think I’m good at it!

JO: What would the TV show consist of?
PH: I’m open to suggestions! Whatever gets on the air, so long as it’s good. I don’t want to do a TV show just to do a TV show!

JO: Why should (or shouldn’t) queer people care about healthcare reform?
PH: The gay and lesbian community shouldn’t care about healthcare reform, because healthcare reform has nothing to do with sexual orientation. They should care about it as people! It has nothing to do with sexual orientation. It’s abhorrent to me that someone can go bankrupt in this country because they don’t have health insurance. It’s abhorrent to me that full-time employees aren’t insured in many big corporations! For example, I recently did the MTV Video Music Awards. I know for a fact that MTV hires many so-called “perma-lancers” who are long-term full-time freelancers who never receive benefits. That is fucked!
I went through the majority of my twenties in this country without health insurance, and thank God nothing serious happened to me. There was one time, though, when I had a bike accident and had to go to a county hospital to be treated. It literally took them over twenty hours before I received treatment. Literally twenty plus hours before I saw a doctor! It’s just retarded.

JO: You support PETA, which directly opposes biomedical HIV research; you also support HIV research and advocacy groups such as Keep A Child Alive. Do you personally oppose biomedical HIV research? Should the gay community support or oppose biomedical research?
PH: You know, it wouldn’t be fair to say I support PETA—it’d be fair to say I support some of the things they say, but at the same time, fuck—I eat meat and own some leather shoes. I don’t wear fur, though. You know, I’m a human being, and human beings are walking contradictions! I think we should explore all avenues for finding a cure for HIV and AIDS—and all diseases! Like stem cell research—I’m all for it!

JO: If biomedical research shouldn’t be opposed, why do you support PETA, who believes research should be stopped, and not another animal welfare organization that is pro-research?
PH: I don’t support PETA—I support some of the things that PETA does. I support that they’re kind of like me, in that they’re loud and sometimes obnoxious. Underneath that, a lot of the things they do and other things I don’t agree with.

JO: You’ve been a pioneer in advancing blogs as a news source. What do you feel is the next frontier in reporting?
PH: Twitter! Definitely! That’s citizen journalism at its best.

JO: A couple of questions submitted by JO readers: Kanye West versus Taylor Swift – whose side are you on?
PH: Taylor Swift, definitely!

JO: If there were no repercussions (legal, social, or otherwise) what celebrity would you like to give a black eye to?
PH: I wouldn’t, because there are always repercussions.

JO: You’re one of the most polarizing public figures currently in the media. Do you feel a kinship with other polarizing media figures—say, Sarah Palin or Kanye West?
PH: No! I mean, I like Kanye even though he’s a bit of an ass. He’s very talented, which is why it’s even more baffling. He doesn’t need to act out and do all the crazy stuff he does, because he’s so talented. However, it’s because he’s so talented that he’s been able to get away with all this stuff. He’s done this before, acting out like [the way he did at the MTV Video Music Awards, when he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech].

JO: Have you spent much time in Portland? What are your favorite things in the city?
PH: I’ve never been! I definitely hope to go soon.

Perez Hilton Presents Ida Maria, Ladyhawke, Julian Perretta and Semi-Precious Weapons at 8 p.m., Tuesday, September 29 at the Wonder Ballroom. Tickets are $12.50, available at Ticketmaster.com by phone at 800-745-3000, and at the Wonder Ballroom box office, 503-284-8686.