John Mayer is not only a fan of Frank Ocean's music, he is also a fan of his heroism.
During a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Mayer discussed his appreciation for Ocean's openness both in his music and in his life.
Ocean came out as gay in a July post on his personal blog. The rhythm and blues singer dropped the bombshell just days before the release of his "Channel Orange" album and received accolades from the likes of Beyonce and Russell Simmons.
"I think it's as much about taking a stand against being f**king boring as it is about sexuality," Mayer told Rolling Stone of Ocean's openness. "It's about standing up and going, 'I know what you're going to say about this, and I don't care.' And I think that was the heroic part. I know there were parts that were heroic for other people. For me, it's just the heroic self-expression. You don't even need publicists anymore – people are just as scared for themselves as the publicists would be."
Mayer also likened Ocean to Jodie Foster, who offered a coming-out speech of her own at the Golden Globe Awards.
"What's fascinating to me is not as much what he's expressing -– it's that he chose to just make an expression one time, deeply, honestly," Mayer said, per Rolling Stone. "I feel like Jodie Foster is the same thing. They're just like, 'Here's what I want to say, and I'm not interested in what the response to this is going to be. It's important that I express it.' And I think that's where we need to get to again, where 85 percent of the importance lies in the expression of it and that's all."
Visit Rolling Stone's website to read the entire Q&A with Mayer.
Mayer and Ocean have collaborated on various projects. The "Shadow Days" singer made a cameo appearance in Ocean's video for "Pyramids," riffing a guitar solo next to a neon edifice. The two joined again when Ocean performed the song on "Saturday Night Live" in September.
Mayer, however, has not always been a favorite of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community.
In a 2010 interview with Playboy magazine, Mayer shared an anecdote about kissing Perez Hilton, whom Mayer described as "flitting about this club and acting as though he had just invented homosexuality." The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) asked the 35-year-old to make amends for his derogatory comments.
"As a talented musician who has made comments supportive of the LGBT community in the past, we expect more from John Mayer and ask that he apologize."
Mayer reportedly broke down at a concert following the release of the comments and offered an apology.