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Lestat de Lioncourt’s face lights up when he talks about his husband. While his relationship with business owner (and rumored protagonist of “Interview With The Vampire” by Daniel Molloy) Louis de Pointe du Lac has been described as tumultuous at best and toxic at worst, the rockstar wouldn’t trade it for anything. His devotion to their marriage was so palpable, I could feel it.
“I know what it’s like to not have that love, l'amour de ma vie … in fact, I’ve spent most of my immortal life without him,” de Lioncourt tells DYKE Magazine. “I fucked up when we were first together… I don’t intend to make those same mistakes...”
The figure by his side, the vampire’s muse and the aforementioned love of his life, had to add a comment to that last thought—almost like the rockstar phrased it that way on purpose—saying: “Oh, he’ll make new ones.”
De Lioncourt is an endlessly debated figure in pop culture right now. Do you believe the aforementioned memoir is real or not? If you do, do you think he should be forgiven for his actions? Do you believe he’s a 300-plus vampire as he claims? Do you enjoy his music, or do you think he’s a faker? Regardless of your opinions on the man, you have to admit… he was simply built for the spotlight and the drama that comes with it.
And du Lac knows that all too well. The couple had a period, in the beginning of De Lioncourt’s stardom, where they kept it lowkey. You might have seen the countless paparazzi pics of them, running around New Orleans in-cognito. But since de Lioncourt’s last tour (and the accident that occurred at their last show in San Francisco), du Lac has taken center stage alongside his husband—with maybe a more behind-the-scenes role.
“Everyone wants a piece of him: his fans, the music industry, the media, everyone. And if I wasn’t here, he’d give it all without a second thought. That’s just who he is,” du Lac says.
I met with the couple inside their beautiful LA mansion, early in the evening—a home that’s both lively and cozy, somehow the perfect domestic combination of them (dog included). Both vampires (if you want to play along at home) are seated across from me, sitting as close as possible without sitting in each other’s laps. Even if one stood up to (graciously) serve me water or put on a record, they gravitated back towards each other. Like they were made to fit together.
At the start of 2030, de Lioncourt announced his hiatus. The news came as a major shock for fans, who were eagerly awaiting the blonde’s annual album release and tour. Most are saying de Lioncourt is giving up too early, just when he’s about to go global. Others are even attacking du Lac’s presence, blaming him for the rockstar’s change-of-heart. “That’s unacceptable,” de Lioncourt tells me. “If they were truly my fans, they’d love Louis.”
While I certainly never thought to blame du Lac for the news, I was very curious about his reasons for this break—since de Lioncourt never explained them, I simply had to ask. The reason ended up being quite simple and shockingly human. Burn out. “Music has always been my escape, that place I go to process my emotions,” de Liouncourt says. “What happened at that show… It was traumatic. And I thought I had to just… keep going and continue to be this star, regardless of the fact that I didn’t feel that way. Louis did make me realize that I didn’t have to do that.”
And this Lestat de Lioncourt wasn’t one I recognized. When I first met the rockstar, he was a hot mess (affectionate). The one sitting across from me now, with his husband next to him in full support, was the man underneath the glitter.
At nearly-300 (or 33) years old, de Lioncourt got his lucky shot when he stumbled across a band (then called Satan’s Night Out) and became their frontman. Together, they debuted as The Vampire Lestat, and released their first single “Long Face” to critical success, debuting in the Billboard’s Hot 100 List. His success could have been attributed to the song's quality (as well as de Lioncourt’s undeniable charm and physique), but many point to the rumors of the band’s name (and frontman) sharing the name of the “Interview with the Vampire”’s toxic love interest. The novel had already taken the world by storm, with its insane overnight fanbase and incredibly mixed reviews from critics—either calling it the next vampire renaissance since Twilight or questioning the mental health of its author Daniel Molloy, who insists on its legitimacy.
One thing is certain, both vampire husbands aren’t huge fans of the book to this day. “Daniel Molloy is a dear friend, and I will always be grateful for that friendship,” du Lac says. De Lioncourt scoffs quietly. “But the book isn’t a true representation of us or our current relationship.”
Whether you believed it was a cheap sequel tie-in by Molloy or simply de Lioncourt’s chance to tell his side of the story, the documentary The Vampire Lestat: The Truth Untold became a sensation. When asked about the series, du Lac preferred not to comment (although it was clear he’s not a fan of that either). “The series shows my truth then. Just like, for Louis, the book shows his truth then. We’re not the same people. We’re moving forward,” de Lioncourt says.
It’s clear to see they’re forging a new path ahead—one even they don’t know where it might lead to. Regardless, they assured me they’re more committed to each other (and working it out together) than ever before. They definitely don’t need anyone mudding their waters. Hear that, fans?
“People think they know everything about our relationship. I don’t appreciate all the ‘advice’ people give me, about how to deal with ‘someone like Lestat,’ they’ve never met someone like Lestat. I guarantee that. And neither have Lestat’s fans ever met someone like me,” du Lac says. “Only we know what’s best for us, and we’re going to be figuring that out together—whether that’s therapy, vacations together, or hanging out with friends outside of each other, it’s up to us. Together. Not the rest of the world.”
As for when fans will be expecting a comeback from The Vampire Lestat himself? Well, we might be waiting a while. “I want to rebuild my relationship with music, away from all the eyes and expectations. I don’t know how long that’ll be, but I’m willing to give it the time that it deserves, and nothing more or less,” de Lioncourt tells me.
Let’s just hope it’s not a century, some of us don’t live that long.
“Oh, trust me, darling. I’ve never been able to stay away from the spotlight for so long.”