Delicious duo: the gay half of the Danish dance act Junior Senior tells how he's become an unlikely pop pinup.

The walls of New York's famed Knitting Factory nightclub seem to be shaking. A capacity crowd of sweaty, downright joyful men and women are grinding and pogo-dancing in unison to a vibrant new wave-spiked dance groove that delightfully recalls the B-52's during their '80s heyday. When Danish duo Junior Senior--composed of the heterosexual Junior, 26, and out queer Senior, 27--tear into their infectious international hit "Move Your Feet," the room erupts into a virtual explosion.

The songs that fill Junior Senior's debut, d-d-don't don't stop the beat (Atlantic), support that theory, as they run the gamut from the disco-kissed "Move Your Feet" to the cheeky, guitar-laced "Chicks and Dicks" and the anthemic "Go Junior, Go Senior." Throughout the disc the duo gleefully mine '80s-influenced pop terrain while factoring in elements of classic funk and modern rock. Although Senior proudly flaunts his sexuality, there is very little of it in the band's lyrics. (Yes, in "Chicks and Dicks" he does express a fondness for the latter, but that's about it.)

"It's just not a big deal for me, nor is it for Junior," Senior says. "We're just friends who make music about whatever naturally comes to mind. In Demnark sexuality is not really the hot-button issue that it is here. I haven't had to even answer questions about being gay until I've come to the States."

Senior says he feels he owes a debt of gratitude to the "veteran gay people" of music, as their efforts have allowed him to be so matter-of-fact about being out: "Jimmy Somerville, for example, is one of those artists who paved the way for people like me. He made his sexuality a primary political topic of his songs. For me, just being out is political enough."

Not that he minds being a role model by just being himself. "It's a bonus when guys come up and say that it's made them feel proud that I'm gay," he says. "I think they find it to be a relief to see a man up onstage just enjoying himself and not getting all tense about being gay."

Senior finds that some people in his audience are also quite pleased he's not what he calls a "Hollywood type of man" physically. His bearlike stature and quirky fashion sense--you never see him without that visor--have made him an unlikely sex symbol. "People in the U.S. are so hung up on so many issues, like how pretty and buff you are. lt's quite a waste of time, isn't it?" he says. "I hear about sex symbols, and I think about the audiences of our shows. They're the sex symbols to me--they're putting themselves out there and embracing music and each other. Now, that's really sexy."

Flick covers pop music for The Advocate.