Feast Of Fun : Gay Talk Show

I think I know what love is, it's DeAundra Peek! Yaaaaaaay. Before YouTube and the Internet, people used to record their favorite cable access shows onto VHS cassette tapes in order to pass them along to their friends in other cities. One show that thrived outside of its home market of Atlanta, GA was “DeAundra Peek’s Teenage Music Club” where a very special drag queen, DeAundra Peek, would enthusiastically cook Vienna sausages and sing along to karaoke versions of pop hits.DEAUNDRA PEEK'S VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL62A6D23BAA3B9ADDA contemporary of RuPaul and Lady Bunny, DeAundra continued her cable access show for years and although she was loved by so many, DeAundra mysteriously disappeared, never to be heard from again, until now.Today, we're talking to Rosser Shymanski, the person behind the fabulous DeAundra Peek about her early days in drag, her friendships with all these glorious drag queens and why after all these years she might be ready for a comeback.

RuPaul and DeAundra Peek back in the mid 80s in Atlanta Georgia. Photo: Rosser ShymanskiAfter our podcast with DeAundra Peek, remained on the line to continue talking about how she got her start on the Atlanta based cable access program “The American Music Show,” which also featured a very young RuPaul.Listen as we chat at about the incredible drag scene of Atlanta in the 80s that gave birth to such legends as RuPaul and Lady Bunny, and lots of juicy behind the scenes tea.{Originally posted as FOF #2386 - DeAundra Peek Spills the Tea - 09.07.16}

The club scene in New York City in the 80s was an incredible time for live music:Punk, Pop, the second British Invasion, and Heavy Metal bands dominated a scene where people had plenty of free time and lots of great drugs to take it all in.At the center of this incredible world was Michael Alago, a music superfan who became one of the biggest names in music, despite being a young queer Puerto Rican from Brooklyn.Michael started out booking acts like Duran Duran, U2 and Tina Turner for her big comeback and then as the A&R guy for Electra Records signed Metallica and changed the world.In his new autobiography “I am Michael Alago” Michael takes us on a fabulous journey from sneaking out of his parents house at the age 16 to becoming one of the top A&R reps in music. Michael's stories will have you hooked, from his role in shaping the music industry, to his personal struggles with drugs and alcohol, to fighting HIV and finding a second career as a photographer of hot muscular men.MICHAEL ALAGO: https://ww

Listen to the sound of my voice. You are getting very, very excited. We are in total control of the horizontal, the vertical, but especially the horizontal. We can make things boring, or fabulously exciting.When people think of hypnotism, a lot of them conjure up the idea of a malevolent force like Dracula trying to get them to do their bidding.But in reality people turn to hypnotism to live better lives, from quitting smoking to forced feminization: the art of transforming yourself into a beautiful creation of your dominatrix’s imagination.It seems like hypnosis could unlock the limitless potential of the mind, but is it possible to go too far?Today comedian Chelsea Myers joins us to look at all the wild things people turn to hypnotism for help. Besides being a fabulous queer comedian in Chicago, as a teenager Chelsea was hypnotized at a party and wasnt able to break the spell.CHELSEA K MYERS: https://www.chelseakmyers.comPlus--➤ Cher wants to volunteer at the post office. Rain, sleet or snow won't hold Cher

It’s Madonna’s birthday and it’s also the anniversary of the day Elvis Presley died. But does their connection go deeper than that?Making the rounds again on the internet is an old archive image of a young woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to the queen of pop, trying to get close to Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll.The black and white photo taken in 1970 in front of the Olympia Theater is hotly contested as to whether the young woman is or isn’t Madonna. Madame X isn’t speaking about it and perhaps she’s enjoying the mystery of it all and the wild speculation that the photo might be an artifact from a parallel universe.Today we take a look at the mysterious photo of a young woman trying to meet Elvis. Is this an example of the Mandela effect: the phenomena where large groups of people can recall something that did not happen or remember it very differently from the way it actually occurred.Plus–➤ Dolly Parton says Black Lives Matter, you sexist egotistical lying hypocritical bigot.➤ A woman named Faerie Ar

James St. James next to photos of his club kid days in NYC. Photos courtesy of James St. James.Youth gay culture is exploding online and in high schools everywhere. Just take a look at our community forums here at Feast of Fools. Youth gay culture, GLBT teens, or whatever words you want to use to use to describe it: teenagers all over the United States are speaking up, talking about their sexual identity with the support of their parents and schools.You've come a long way, gay baby! Just PLEASE wait until you're old enough to understand the ramifications of your actions before you do "it," and when you do, please PLEASE use a condom.{Originally posted as FOF #527 - High School is Such a Drag - 05.04.07}Freak Show is now a movie on Amazon Prime! Gay culture folks like us or writer James St. James are thrilled to welcome these fresh faces into the fold and share our stories, experiences and ideas. Today we're delighted to bring legendary NYC nightclub performer (or club-kid) James St. James on the show to talk

It’s been a huge year for drag queens and their fans, not just with RuPaul’s Drag Race’s move to a major cable channel, but also with the many web series and reality TV shows featuring drag artists- Dragula, Celebrity Big Brother, Trixie and Katya Show and of course Cooking with Drag Queens are all serving up piping hot drag goodness.So why are people saying drag is not the shiny happy party it promised to be? As Morgan McMichael says “why you mad girl?”{Originally posted as FOF #2577 – Miz Cracker and Cheese – 02.14.18}Today, one of New York’s hottest drag queens, Miz Cracker, joins us to talk about the way drag queens have taken over media and what that means for the goils who grew up pounding the pavement in heels to perform at the local queer watering holes.Plus--➤ RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3– who does she think will snatch the crown?➤ The gayest openly gay Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon sends a love letter to his haters.➤ The controversy over Kehinde Wiley’s verdant portrait of President Obama.

In the world of female impersonation pageants there is no title more coveted than being crowned Miss Continental.Founded in 1980, The Miss Continental Pageant attracts contestants from all around the world and even some of the most beloved Ru Girls had their eye on the crown first before they went on to Drag Race.But with so many other pageants in the world, what is it that makes contestants so willing to sacrifice everything and return year after year in hopes of snatching the Miss Continental crown?The new documentary film, The Queens, looks at the allure of the decades old Miss Continental contest and what it takes to win the one crown that rules them all.GET THE QUEENS DOCUMENTARY:https://www.thereporters.orgToday, The Queens’ filmmaker, Mark Saxenmayer, joins us to talk about how the documentary showcases the Continental Pageant system with a behind the scenes look at the run up to the competition and interviews with the legends who run the prestigious contest.MARK SAXENMEYER:https://www.facebook.com/mar

Callooh! Callay! Kamala Harris has been selected by Joe Biden as his running mate for the 2020 U.S. presidential election.Harris makes history as the first Black woman and the first Asian American woman to run as a vice presidential candidate on a major US party ticket.Although she wasn’t most progressives' first choice as VP, Harris strikes a delicate balance between the desire for representation and candidates who will aggressively pursue reform while calming down the more conservaitve factions of the party.Today comedian Lindsay Shaw joins us to take a look at the announcement of Kamala Harrris as Vice President and how Republicans are already sharpening their knives.LINDSAY SHAW: https://www.instagram.com/linsasha/Plus--➤ RuPaul is back in the tabloids as folks scrutinize why the host of Drag Race unexpectedly deleted her social media accounts.➤ Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion have a new hit song WAP about the power of the wet vajayjay.➤ Madonna’s masterpiece performance of Vogue at the 1990s MTV Video Mu

One of the hardest gigs on reality television is to be the first queen sent home on RuPaul’s Drag Race. For many drag queens, getting on the program is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to show an international audience what they got.[Originally posted as FOF #2307 – Naysha Lopez Won Our Hearts – 03.16.16]Unfortunately, for the gals who go home early, it’s tough because they invest so much into their costumes they never get to show on TV.Today Naysha Lopez, the first gal to go home from Season 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race joins us to talk about winning the prestigious Miss Continental 2013, and how it compares with being on Drag Race.NayshaLopez-group-IMG_5929-2Plus– Is there any truth to the urban legend of pageant girls poisoning each other’s makeup? The challenges of being Miss Continental. Who is she rooting to win this season 8?

One of the most influential LGBT documentaries of all time is The Queen, Frank Simon and Flawless Sabrina’s 1968 film that takes the viewer behind the scenes of a tumultuous drag pageant held in New York City two years before the Stonewall riots.The landmark film, which has now been remastered and is available on Netflix, inspired the likes of Paris is Burning, Wigstock, Pose and RuPaul’s Drag Race.[Originally posted as FOF #2824 – Pageant Queen Aurora Sexton Looks at the 1968 Documentary The Queen]Today, Miss Gay U.S. of A pageant winner, Aurora Sexton, joins us to look at drag pageants over the decades and what it takes for a gal to make it big in the pageant circuit.Aurora Sexton painted for the gods.Aurora Sexton snatches the crown.Aurora Sexton as Melania Trump in her solo show “Let Them Eat Cake!”Plus–➤ RuPaul brings queer and drag culture to Saturday Night Live and gives Pete Davison a drag makeover.➤ Aurora’s “LET THEM EAT CAKE! Diary Of A First Lady” A one woman show about the excitement, stress and

With the weekend coming up, we thought today we’d kick back, put a pizza in the oven and take a look at the goodies from the week and all the hot news--➤ A medical miracle: doctors grow a dong on a man’s arm to replace it.➤ Jennifer Hudson wows the internet with her powerful and dizzying musical tribute to the late Civil Rights Leader John Lewis.➤ As if Ellen didn’t have enough troubles, the ratings to her TV show are plummeting.➤ Lilly Wachowski says she likes that "The Matrix" is seen as a trans allegory.➤ Good News- all Chicago Public Schools will go fully remote to start the fall 2020

How you talk and the way you sound matters, like, you know? A whole lot. Really!Our speech patterns, accents and word choices make a strong first impression. It influences the way people think about somebody when they know absolutely nothing about them.If you spend a lot of time around gay men, black women or drag queens, chances are you’ll greet them with a — hey girl!Many young male actors coming to Hollywood, some of them gay, some of them not, secretly hire speech coaches to train their voices to sound more sexual orientation neutral, so they can pass better and take on leading man roles.[Originally posted as FOF #1550 – This is the Voice I Want to Use – 03.26.12]MyIt’s very common for business people from other countries take speech classes to help them communicate more clearly.The way we talk has a lot to do with not just where we come from, but who we surround ourselves with. Are you a fraud then if you change the way you speak?Today we’re joined by speech pathologist and video blogger Jennifer Tarle t

Celebrities have always been welcome in our homes for their ability to entertain and help us escape the troubles of the world.But during the Covid pandemic, there’s a reckoning, and many celebrities that we adored before all hell broke loose are now facing their own crisis over their inability to relate to people and at worse, spreading misinformation that can cost people’s lives.Today we’re taking a look at Ellen, Madonna and RuPaul: three beloved gay icons in crisis.From Ellen saying she’s going to quit her show if people don’t quit saying she’s secretly a meanie, to RuPaul’s mysterious disappearance from social media and even Madonna spreading a quack doctor’s claim that there’s a Covid cure being kept from the public and that demon sperm is out to get you!Plus--➤ The dubious health claims presented whack as fact in Zach Effron’s new Netflix Daddy/Son travel romp “Down to Earth.”➤ Solving the mysterious case of the haunted mirror.➤ Lifetime channel movies go gay and Asian, what’s next, fats and femmes? We

Muscle is the new drag. A lot of folks fell in love with the she larious Varla Jean Merman after seeing her play the ingenue in the iconic camp film Girls will Be Girls. When she made the film, she was already over a decade into the world of drag and ever since, she hasn’t stopped selling out shows across the globe.VARLA JEAN MERMAN: https://www.varlaonline.com/But some things have changed for Varla, for the past several years she’s been hitting the gym hard, and it shows. While riding a New Orleans float at a Provincetown parade she got too hot in the summer sun so she took off her top and showed the world that the beauty is also a beast- a stunning, muscular hairy beast, with a fish tail!Today Varla Jean Merman joins us to talk about how folks have reacted to her rocking bod and how she alters her drag to make room for bodybuilding.Welcome to my wedding. Deven Green officiates Jeffery Roberson and Dewitte Loe’s wedding. Photo: Jeffrey Roberson.Jeffrey Roberson (Varla Jean Merman) out of drag at the gym. Pho

Denise Chanterelle DuBois has lived an outrageous life right out of a TV show like Narcos or Orange is the New Black. A closeted trans woman in the 80s, Denise was a cocaine dealer in Southern California until she got caught with a kilo, went to prison, and then managed to get out after serving only four and a half months.In her new memoir Self-Made Woman, Denise takes us on a roller coaster ride through her adventures as a transgender gal surviving drug addiction, alcoholism, car crashes, risky sex and life behind bars.[Originally posted as FOF #2532 - Fortune's Favorite Daughter - 09.25.17]Listen as Denise Chanterelle DuBois joins us to talk about her life as a cocaine dealer, being a tour guide in Costa Rica and why she handed out donut holes to the public to celebrate a major trans victory.Fausto Fernós, Denise Chanterelle DuBois and Marc Felion. Photo: Fausto Fernós.Featured Book:Denise Chanterelle DuBois - Self-Made Woman: A Memoir: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0299313905/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&c

Celebrities are just like us except when they fall on hard times, they get a boat load of money for endorsing embarrassingly crappy products. From useless fitness gadgets, to psychic phone services, to horrible food, the products that they are now schilling makes their fall from grace even more spectacular.Today comedian Matt Brown joins us to take a look at the most ridiculous celebrity product endorsements ever.[Originally posted as: FOF #2639 – The Most Ridiculous Celebrity Endorsements Ever – 08.02.18]Listen as we take a look at the best and worst celebrity themed restaurants, why everyone was a spokesperson for Pizza Hut and how computer generated graphics forced celebrities to endorse products from beyond the grave.Here’s a celebrity endorsement we love, Lauren Bacall for High Point Coffee. It’s a coffee lover’s dream:Plus–➤ Women who can’t sing who are famous for singing.➤ Amanda Lepore gets photoshopped out of Travis Scott’s album cover.➤ Who the hell is Rula Lenska?

Although we like to think of our LGBT spots as permanent places that will always be there, the reality is that they come and go. Afterall, for much of human history, people were nomads, moving from place to place.Today writer and historian Owen Keehnan joins us to talk about the rainbow magic at the Belmont Rocks, a very public space in the heart of Chicago’s lakefront park where gender and sexual non conformists hung out in the sun to find community and a little bit of love in the early days of the gay rights movement.The Belmont Rocks are not what it used it be but so many people have fond remembrances of the place that Owen has started a community project “A Place for Us: LGBTQ Life at The Belmont Rocks” where people can submit their photos or stories of their time spent at the Rocks.Listen as we talk about why the gay beach isn’t the same thing as the Rocks, the legacy of Chuck Renslow and IML, Jim Flint and the Baton Club and how Chicago became an international city of crossdressers and leathermen.

Gigi Isn’t just good, she’s incredible. For top three RuPaul’s Drag Race queen Gigi Goode, theater and art is a family affair- Her mom inspired her passion for fashion and performance and even her brothers are designers and engineers.After growing up watching RuPaul’s Drag Race on TV as a teen, Gigi Goode’s dreams came true. Not only did she get cast on the show, she got to showcase her talent all the way to the season finale. Then the pandemic hit and instead of a non stop whirlwind tour of drag, Gigi’s at home on the internet like just all other queens shaking their hips, syncing their lips and hustling for tips.But don’t worry, Gigi’s about to drive the crowds wild in Chicago, live, from a sensible distance of course.VOSS EVENTS - DRIVE N' DRAG: https://vossevents.com/drive-n-drag/Togay, Gigi Goode from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 12 joins us to talk about Voss Event’s Drive ‘N Drag, her first public performance since the pandemic shut everything down and her season of Drag Race wrapped up.GIGI GOODE: https

For much of history, the rich and powerful avoided the limelight because they knew once everyone knows your name and how rotten you are, the guillotine comes next.But then, something changed- “Keep my name out of your mouth” became “fake it til you make it" and fame and power became the ultimate goal. The rich hired publicists to capitalize on their image and now celebrity culture is another tool to keep terrible people in power.How did we get here?Today, gossip reporter Ben Widdicombe, joins us to talk about how celebrity culture is destroying everything, which he details in his new book: “Gatecrasher: How I Helped the Rich Become Famous and Ruin the World.”Listen as we chat with Ben about how the media machine that gave us Paris Hilton made it possible for Donald Trump to become president, celebrity sex tapes and lunching with gay legend Quentin Crisp.Featured Book: