THEGAYUK

Category: Interview

  • INTERVIEW | Drag Queens Of London: Violet Sparks

    We’re trying our hardest to keep the blues away now that London Live’s ‘Drag Queens Of London’s’ first series has ended, but never fear, THEGAYUK has exclusive interviews with some of the stars. We caught up with Violet Sparks to see how DQOL changed her life and why she’s giving up tucking.

    Since DQOL has aired, how has life changed?
    Hardly at all… which is exactly what I wanted. I wanted to be able to dabble in drag and learn of the fascinating world at my own pace and leisure.

    What are your favourite highlights from the show?
    Everything with me on obvs, but also every time Baga opens her mouth, and every-time Vicki Vivacious is on the screen. I could watch her on mute and still be as fascinated by her.

    Has being involved with DQOL changed you for the better for worse?
    Neither

    For the next series… What more would you, could you, bring to the show…?
    I’ve got a unique mix of a professional non-drag life with very average hobbies and interests juxtaposed with this crazy world of drag. Season 2 would catch up on whether I still have Violet in my life or not and what‘s next for her

    So should the UK have a Drag Race?
    Yes. I don’t watch the US version because it’s too Americanised. British people are funnier and we could relate more to the drag queens on it. Hearing British people faking American accents make me want to dive for their jugular.

    What are your thoughts on Jonathan Ross presenting it?
    He’s amazing but he should run a spin off show for the UK drag race, like Xtra Factor.

    As the war of the words rages on with RuPaul, Logo and Glaad surrounding the word ‘tranny’ where you do you sit on the matter?
    I don’t know enough to make a judgment other than all I can see is a war between a group of people being over-PC and a larger group with the ‘you can’t tell me what I can and can’t say’ mentality.

    To tuck or not to tuck? And if you do – how do you do it?
    I’ve given up tucking. In Episode 5 I gaffer taped it down and it HURT! They know I’ve got a dick, it’s too painful to try to hide that fac

     

  • INTERVIEW | Maurice Vellekoop, Cockadoodle

    Maurice Vellekoop is a Canadian artist and illustrator who doesn’t shy away from the erotic or erogenous and for that we are thankful. His work can be seen in mainstream publications from The New Yorker to Wallpaper, but not necessarily the same subject matter.

    This month, Maurice brings his work to our shores, and his show: Cockadoodle: The Erogenous Art of Maurice Vellekoop can be seen as part of Manchester Pride Fringe festival at Twenty Twenty Two Gallery in Manchester from 15th August till 13th September, and then over to Liverpool as par tot the Homotopia Festival from 25th October till 20th November.

    Go see them while you can! The show, his first European solo exhibition brings together a wide selection of his erotic work alongside his editorial work.

    The Manchester show has some exciting activities running alongside, including the artist himself discussing his practice in: Got Lead – Drawing Sex, Arousal and Desire.

    I managed to get to quiz the great man recently, and ask some of the questions on my mind:

    CJ: So, tell me a little about how you started in this weird and wonderful world of illustration?
    MV: I began drawing at a very young age and was encouraged by my parents and talented older siblings, my sister Ingrid particularly. I idolised her and wanted to follow in her footsteps.

    CJ: How did you arrive at your current style?
    MV: In art school I experimented with a few styles, I had a very scratchy punk-inspired neo-expressionist phase for a while. My current style is simply the way I draw, kind of like handwriting.

    CJ: Do you see this style as evolving? How do you see new media encroaching on older techniques?
    MV: I still draw and paint on paper. I never saw the need to make the transition to computers. I can get all the effects I need the old-fashioned way…

    CJ: What’s your favourite media to use?
    MV: My favourite media are watercolour and gouache on paper. I love the chalky dry texture gouache alone produces.

    CJ: Do you have a favourite subject matter?
    MV: I love drawing people in all their multiplicitous eccentric variety – not for me landscapes or bucolic scenes.

    CJ: Who are your favourite clients and why?
    MV: My favourite clients these days are the ones who call! In the past I’ve enjoyed working for the New Yorker despite shockingly brief deadlines, American Vogue and Wallpaper. Fashion illustration is something I love to do but don’t receive many calls for anymore.

    CJ: How did Cockadoodle come about? Who instigated it?
    MV: It was the amazing Bren O’Callaghan who invited me to Manchester and arranged the venue, curated the selections for the show and has been a warm and generous host! Can’t say enough good things about the guy!

    CJ: What’s your favourite piece in the show?
    MV: Hmm, a favourite is hard, as there are so many different things in the exhibition. I do love “Somebody Always Dies at Christmas” a kind of fairy story scene. I feel like I created a , atmospheric, fantastical scene that would have impressed the childhood me.

    CJ: Do you get involve in many Pride events?
    MV: My bf and I have been running through the Toronto Pride parade in silly outfits for 12 years now. A highlight was the Hitchcock’s “The Birds” year, we dressed as 1960’s children and had mechanical birds attached all over our bodies!

    CJ: And finally, whats next for you?
    MV: What’s next is a graphic memoir titled “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Time Together”, to be published in 2016 by Pantheron/Random House. Wish me luck – it’s long!!

    His site is here:

    Illustration


    Pride Fringe:
    http://www.manchesterpride.com/our-events/pride-fringe
    Homotopia:

    Home

  • INTERVIEW | Kate Clinton, The First Lady Of Comedy

    Every summer for the past 15 years THEGAYUK’s British/American movie critic Roger Walker-Dack has hot tailed it to spend his entire summer in Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod.

    A lot has changed since the first Brits landed there when the Mayflower docked in 1602. They only stayed five weeks then before sailing on to their final destination at Plymouth Rock, and they really don’t know what they missed. This captivating beautiful small seaside town has been an artist’s colony, a Portuguese haven, and now it is an enchanting gay mecca that each summer sees the all-year round population of less than 3000 swell to over 60000 people.

    In a series we are calling POSTCARDS FROM P.TOWN, Roger Walker-Dack will introduce some of the people and things that create the magic that make this such a ‘must see’ destination for gay people from all over the world.

    Kate Clinton describes herself as a faith-based, tax-paying, America-loving political humorist and family entertainer. She is also one of the funniest and quick-witted lesbian comics with her no-holds barred, often-controversial take, on all the hot button topics of the day. Now in her third decade of performing, the woman is seemingly unstoppable with TV appearances ranging from ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’ to ‘The L Word’, several off-Broadway shows, countless sold-out nationwide tours, movies, radio, MC‘ing events and even doing a turn at The Gay Games in Chicago one year. She has worked with some of the greatest performers of her time from Lily Tomlin to Oprah Winfrey. Her summer show is one of the first dates I put in my diary when I arrive here in P.Town. I’ve sat in her audience at least once a year for the past 15 years, and have also exchanged the odd quip or two as we passed each other at Joe’s Coffee Shop, but now she is taking time out of her busy schedule to give her first ever UK magazine interview to The Gay UK:

    RWD: You shocked me one year by revealing in your show that you were once a schoolteacher.
    KC: Yes, I taught English in High School for years but I always wanted to try my hand at Stand Up Comedy. In March 1981, after I only had just ‘come out’, a friend booked me into a local gay club in Syracuse New York. To my great relief it was a huge success, although it did help that all my friends had turned up to support me. However two weeks later I did the same show at a Women’s Club in Boston where they had no idea of who I was. And the same lines that had slayed them before, now just died an instant death, and from the back of the room a voice shouted out in a broad South End accent ‘you’re on your own now dahling!’ And I was.

    RWD: Did that floor you?
    KC: (laugh) No. I knew from Teaching just to go on regardless. So I did, and got through it.

    RWD: How long did you juggle both careers?
    KC: Actually I didn’t. My partner at the time said after my first show ‘I don’t know how to tell you this, but you have to do it again.’ So I immediately gave up teaching and went into performing fulltime and she became my manager. Then another good friend who used to perform in a band booked me for a first summer season touring the North West in a red camper van called Ruby, playing one nighters in an a varied assortment of small and… how can I put it politely… ‘interesting venues’.

    RWD. Wow! The touring part doesn’t amaze me but the camper van part is too hard to swallow. You are without doubt THE most elegantly-dressed woman in P Town and even when you whizz past on your bike here you look like you are suitably attired to have tea with The Queen…or a queen at least.
    KC: (laughing very loud) I only had a few outfits in those days. But in 1985 I started travelling more and Eastern Airlines had this amazing deal where you could fly to 21 cities for a pittance. The only catch was that you always had to fly through Atlanta, so if you wanted to go from Portland Oregon to Seattle it added 5000 miles to a 173-mile journey.

    1985 was also a turning point for me as the AIDS crisis started to hit hard and I played less lesbian only audiences and began playing more gay audiences along with fund raisers and benefits as well. And then I also went on to do memorials and services for friends that were lost.

    RWD: A very tough time…
    KC: Yes, but I also saw it as a great coming together of our community too, as a way of healing.

    RWD: Have you always been so very political?
    KC: Coming out as a lesbian in those days was in itself considered a political act. After all, some women can’t say the word lesbian… even when their mouth is full of one.

    But on a professional level I feel that we have to deal with a barrage of news and information on a daily basis and I think it is the job of the comic to filter and give it the benefit of a thought that people generally don’t tend to do. I like to contextualize it and to put it in historical context.

    RWD: I find what you do is to articulate something that concerns us all and put a funny spin on it, even topics that are considered very serious. You are unashamedly a fervent and passionate Democrat and so I love the stand you take on every issue as I feel completely in tune with your political beliefs, however I am wondering how they go down with an audience that is a tad more conservative?
    KC: Maybe it’s the teacher in me, but I think it’s all-educational still, and anyway I just presume that we are all in it together.

    RWD: Even though a third of gay people voted for George Bush. Twice?
    KC: That’s still hard to believe, but people do come up to me afterwards and say I’m a Republican BUT I loved your show.

    RWD: And those that don’t?
    KC: When they find it too tough to take, like when I was including pieces on the Iraq war, I simply pretended that all the people who walked out during my performance had just gone to the bathroom and so I carried on. And anyway, I’m a moderate lesbian, I only hold grudges for six generations.

    RWD: (laugh) But do you ever censor yourself thinking you may be going too far?
    KC: I don’t deliberately set out to provoke outrage. If I am confident in any piece and feel good about it, then I will do it.

    RWD: P Town is not just the place you perform. It is also very much home for you and your partner.
    KC: I came here first in 1984 and performed for a week. The next year I did two and so on, and I very quickly fell in love with the place. I started to think why am I going back to Upstate NY when this is the place to be all summer. I love all the natural beauty of the town, and the way that people still come here for both that, and also the wonderful sense of community we have here.

    RWD: The thing most baffling about you is why have you never ever performed in the UK? Many of your books and CDs are available on Amazon there and sell very well so I know you have a big British fan base.
    KC: I’ve got very close to it twice but on each occasion I had family emergencies and had to cancel. BUT I am really hoping it‘s going to be 3rd time luck. I do get a lot of Facebook mail from the UK from people who seem to like that my take on the US is quite raw.

    RWD: You would have a great deal of fun giving us your very incisive take on British politics too. I think if you had been born there you would have become one of our great stately Institutions, the sort of person the Queen would have made a Dame.
    KC: Thank you.

    RWD: Here in Provincetown despite all the many changing fads and trends that have occurred over the years you are still here, and obviously having a great deal of fun, and in fact this season you are the ONLY lesbian comic performing. Whilst all the other acts are ‘barking’ on the street trying to entice people in to see the shows, you don’t and yet you play to packed houses every night.
    KC: I think sometimes they come simply because I don’t plaster the beaches with flyers when everyone is simply trying to catch some rays! (laugh) But it’s also a longevity thing, as after all these years I have become part of people’s regular schedule. In the winter I travel a lot around the country: I do workshops, conferences, host award dinners etc. and so many of the people I meet there come to see me when they are on vacation here.

    RWD: Over all these years that you have been performing you have won countless Awards, been lauded with praise from the likes of writer TONY KUSHNER (Angels In America) who called you a ‘political visionary’ and ‘incredibly funny’, and rave reviews from the media such as the NY TIMES whose critic said he was in tears from laughing so much, but I am wondering what your favourite compliment is that you have ever received after a show.
    KC: After a show in Lexington, Kentucky, I was having dinner with the producers and a young woman came up to me and clapped me a good one on the back, and exclaimed, “Kate Clinton! You made me want to f**k again!”

    RWD: (laughing) I am for once speechless.

    Follow Kate Clinton on Facebook

  • INTERVIEW | Well Strung

    Every summer for the past 15 years I’ve hot tailed it to spend my entire summer in Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod. A lot has changed since the first Brits landed there when the Mayflower docked in 1602. They only stayed five weeks before sailing on to their final destination at Plymouth Rock, and they really don’t know what they missed. This captivating beautiful small seaside town has been an artists colony, a Portuguese haven, and now it is an enchanting gay mecca that each summer sees the all-year round population of less than 3000 swell to over 60000 people.

    In a series we are calling POSTCARDS FROM P.TOWN, I will introduce you to some of the people and things that create the magic that make this such a ‘must see’ destination for gay people from all over the world.

    For the past 3 years when you bike down Commercial Street (the main drag of P Town) at dusk, it’s hard not to notice the dulcet tones coming from a String Quartet playing on the sidewalk outside The Art House to advertise their Show. These are the boys who comprise WELL STRUNG: they are four classically trained musicians who put their own spin on a repetoire of pop and classical music: and they sing too. They also are without doubt the best looking guys on the block, which is more than an added bonus. They have very quickly become a big hit with audiences and when they are not performing in P.Town they are on the road touring, and last year they actually made their London Debut at the Leicester Square Theater.

    In their first ever-exclusive UK magazine interview these four disarmingly charming men who the New York Daily News said were ‘the hottest thing with a bow since Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games’ sat down with TheGayUK to talk about making music, meeting men and lots more.

    First things first guys. How did Well Strung start?
    In the summer of 2010 Chris (Christopher Marchant) was here in P.Town appearing in ‘Naked Boys Singing’ and in between shows he was busking shirtless in the streets and playing his violin and attracting quite a large crowd.

    Yes, I remember him very well.
    And one person who heard him was Mark Cortale, the Artistic Director of The Art House who immediately offered him a Show at the Theater. That initial idea soon went from being a Solo Performance to maybe forming a String Quartet.

    And how did the four of you come together?
    Daniel Shevlin: (Cello) Chris called me and I was in Denver finishing a National Tour of ‘Rent’ and was wanting to move, so I jumped at the chance.

    Edmund Bagnell: (1st Violin) I was based in NY doing mainly musical theater playing Tobias in the first national tour of Sweeney Todd directed by John Doyle, and I wanted a change.

    Trevor Wadleigh: (violist) My career had taken a totally different path and at the time I was actually working in Financial Services, so I was very happy indeed to get back to performing again.

    We had out first ‘staged reading’ within a few months and then later in May 2012 we made our official debut at Joe’s Pub in N Y, and then we were ready to hit the streets of P Town with our first ever summer season.

    How conscious are you of the fact that you all look as hot as hell?
    WS: Well as artists you are always concerned with your appearance as well as your performance but we think we have evolved more since then, so now it’s much less about how we look and much more about how we sound.

    But your name alone is intentionally provocative!
    Well, our instruments are very well tuned. (laugh)

    And you were all shirtless in your first poster.
    Well, sex sells (but we don’t sell sex) and we will admit it did help us get our first few audiences in before we could depend on ‘word of mouth’.

    I remember sitting in the audience that first year and hearing people somewhat in disbelief saying ‘Wow, these boys can really play, and play well.’ But what they related to as well was how you all shared stories of your life in between your playing which really bonded you with this P-Town crowd.
    I think we also opened up the whole potential of listening to classical music to a brand new audience too, which we are so thrilled to continue to do.

    Who decides the balance of pop vs. classics in your show, and is the choice of the program a collective decision?
    We have a whole team that includes Donna Drake our Director, and David Lavinson our arranger, asides from Mark Cortale our Manager, but essentially we all get a say in what we want to play as we think it an important part of us performing is that we too enjoy all the music.

    What immediately strikes me talking to you all is that you are very close to each other. Has that closeness ever led to anything romantic between any of you?
    NO! (laughing)

    And are you all currently single or?
    Two of us are single, one is involved in a relationship and one is in the ‘its complicated ‘ stage.

    Which is which?
    That would be telling. We’ll let you try and work that out for yourself. (laugh)

    What’s your favourite thing about being Well Strung?
    Being able to combine all the things we love: namely playing our instruments, singing and getting to be actors too. We love the fact that we are a very unique group, in fact so different from the norm, that it’s tough describing it adequately to people meeting us for the first time. And most importantly we have a great deal of fun just being together and performing especially with a new audience and winning over new ‘converts’.

    And now in your third Season here in P-Town and putting the ‘sold out‘ signs up nearly every night you perform, it’s clear that visitors and locals alike love you. What do you think about the magic of this very special place that we get to call home each summer?
    It’s the Never Never Land for gay men (and women).

    (laughing) Beautifully put. What happens next for Well-Strung after the summer ends?
    We have a very extensive nationwide tour with our brand new show POPSSICAL which features the music of Beethoven, Ravel, Madonna, U2 and Miley Cyrus that is going to keep us very very busy. (dates & venues on the website) What we love about our work is that we keep discovering new audiences everywhere: young and old, gay and straight. This year we played to kids at Schools and we also performed at the International Mr Leather (IML) Convention in Chicago.

    When you say ‘perform’ at that raunchy venue you mean…?
    (laughing) Just on our instruments. But they were such a lovely crowd, and we had a blast and learned a lot too (ahem).

    And do you ever think about a life after Well Strung?
    NO! (Very empathically). We all feel that there is so much more for us to do and achieve professionally together, and as long as we and our audiences are happy, we will keep developing and creating and playing our hearts out.

    At TheGayUK the first story we ran on P-Town this summer was entitled ‘Everything Old is New Again’ which was about the remarkable fact that there are a whole plethora of both veteran and ancient stars performing here even though some are in their 80’s and beyond. Can you see yourself being in that group in the far distant future?
    (laugh) Only if you promise to hang on to review us then!

    Touché! So what did you think of London when you played there for a week at the Leicester Theatre in the Fall?
    It was our first time and we LOVED everything about the City. Everybody was so welcoming and friendly, and in fact, we had our first ever groupies there, which made us for once actually feel like rock stars! (laugh) The Brits were very generous and even though we were newcomers, by the end of our run we had ‘sold out’ which was very exciting

    And what did you think of British men?
    For some reason, we had this concept of them all being the big rugged types like the Host on TV’s ‘Restaurant Impossible’ and more than a little bit different than the average American gay man.

    I think you mean Robert Irvine who is different, and STRAIGHT!
    (laugh). Well, the Brits we met turned out to be completely different than that, and a very welcome change. Charming, good looking and very fit but not gym-body obsessed like the men in NY, and very hot indeed!

    So you like British men?
    (laugh) What’s not to like?

    And more than ‘like’ even?
    That would be telling, but let’s just say that we are putting a great deal of pressure on our Manager to close the deal that will take us back to London very soon. And not just so that we can perform on the stage!!

    Watch this space for the exclusive news when the next Well Strung London dates are announced. Meanwhile get an another taster of the Boys with their latest video Mozart meets Kelly Clarkson.

  • INTERVIEW | Andrew Lancel on playing gay music manager, Epstein

    As Epstein – The Man Who Made The Beatles, opens in London’s Leicester Square Theatre, we catch up with ex-Corrie star Andrew Lancel, who plays the gay, legendary music manager to find out what made the man tick.

    Do you think that if Brian Epstein was around today that he would have been out and proud?
    I think Brian was as out as he could be then. It was a different time of course. He would never have done anything to compromise the boys (The Beatles) then or now but in short – yes I think he would be. One of the great things about this play is that Brian is very much ‘around today’ – he’s very now, his footprint is very clear in the business.

    Is it difficult playing a character like Brian Epstein who was so discreet and behind the scenes?
    He’s by far the most complex and fascinating character I’ve played. Many layered but a man full of wit and charm. He was very famous and successful so there is a lot out there to draw from. Plus speaking to people who knew him – extremely difficult but hugely rewarding. The Liverpool run went down very well and hopefully London will latch on this play too and get to know this amazing chap better. He deserves it. Everybody who knew him says the same thing. He was full of charm. He shone.

    What are your thoughts on Epstein’s untimely death? Do you think it was entirely accidental?
    Tragic. He was 32 and had a big hand in changing the world. This play is not a tribute to a tortured soul. If you look at the pictures of him most have him smiling. He had to have wit, energy and life to look after those 4! – so yes for me – entirely accidental and again watching the play people will be able to decide.

    Do you believe that Epstein struggled with his sexuality?
    Not really.

    Did he have to work harder because of it?
    He had to work harder because of many things – his sexuality, his religion, his background, his families success – but mainly because he couldn’t quite find where he should be. Until NEMS and the record store and then ultimately . The Beatles he was searching. I think he found himself in them.

    Which one of the Beatles do you think he fancied the most?
    I have theories and some inside knowledge but I’m declining my answer.. Ha ha.

    What do you think Epstein would think of X Factor and BGT if he were around today?
    Would The Beatles win X Factor? Would Cilla win Britain’s Got Talent? I think yes and anything that would boost his stable he would be behind. Brian did what he did without any of that, no text, twitter, Internet – it’s incomprehensible what The Beatles achieved in the time there were together and likewise what he did from a phone in an office.

    What’s the most interesting fact that you’ve discovered about Epstein since undertaking this role?
    Far and away that he was funny, charming and had a great sense of humour. It’s easy to assume because of what happened to him he was depressed and don’t get me wrong his life was a roller coaster and he had some dark corners (which we show). Will, Jen, Andrew and I work very hard on showing the life of this guy. It’s highs and lows.Another one would be that he held out for America until he felt it was right. That took some balls and clear genius.

    As a celebrity yourself, can you understand the pressures that Epstein has felt?
    Every job has pressure – celebrity or not. What The Beatles did was incomprehensible – their fame and their meteoric rise to it. Elvis never toured outside of the US. These guys were breaking the mould, the rules and the records daily. So I doubt anyone but Brian would really understand that kind of pressure. There’s no training for that. No guide book.

    Playing him I’ve got to understand him a fair bit – but he was under immense pressure – I think Andrew (Sherlock) has captured that brilliantly.

    Self medicating in Celeb Land seems to be such a common occurrence – and untimely deaths too, can you understand how someone can fall into the trap?
    It’s tragic. My generation seem to be saying Gone To Soon far too often. But looking back it’s always been like that hasn’t it. The highs are high… As Brian ultimately knew. He was gone at 32!

    LISTINGS INFO:
    Epstein: The Man Who Made The Beatles
    Leicester Square Theatre
    6 Leicester Place, London, Greater London WC2H 7BX
    30 July – 6 September 2014
    Preview Performances: 30 July – 2 August
    Mon – Sat Evenings: 7.30pm I Thurs mats 3.00pm I Sat early shows 4.00pm
    Ticket Prices: £30-£42.50

    HOW TO BOOK:
    Book online at www.leicestersquaretheatre.com |telephone 08448 733433 or in person at Leicester Square Theatre box office (Booking fees may apply)
    Writing co-commissioned by Homotopia.
    Supported by Arts Council England, Orange Amplification, Liverpool Vision and Liverpool Echo.
    Production partners: The Beatles Story (Liverpool), Hard Day’s Night Hotel (Liverpool), Hard Rock Cafe (London), The Beatles Coffee Shop/Beatles Walks (London), Gieves & Hawkes (London).
    The official hotel partner is Radisson Blu Edwardian, London.
    The official production charity partner is CALM – www.thecalmzone.net.

    Running Time 2hrs approx

    Suitable for age 14+

  • INTERVIEW | Bourgeoisie

    Missing Drag Queens Of London? Well in our second instalment of our Drag Queens Of London Interviews we snuggle up with Bourgeosie to find out how life has changed and why Mrs. Doubtfire is her inspiration!

    Since DQOL has aired, how has life changed?
    I get recognised quite a lot, which is exceptionally surreal. From a couple in the Earls Court Tesco who proudly proclaimed to me that they were #teamBOUGIE, to random guys on Grindr. I’m becoming a major SUBlebrity. I’m also happily finding niches of the scene where being arty is celebrated.

    What are your favourite highlights from the show?
    My absolute favourite moments in the show have been my ridiculous one-liners. Re-watching conversations and interviews, its been interesting to see what the producers have thought are my wittiest moments.

    Has being involved with DQOL changed you for the better for worse?
    Absolutely the better. I had a great time filming and being a part of the show. After the show aired, I’ve had support from people all over the world reaching out and to affirm that they love what I do and my particular flavour of drag.

    For the next series… What more would you, could you, bring to the show…?
    I’m not so secretly hoping for a Familyyy Fierce spin-off. If there’s this much drama with just a group of unrelated queens, just think how much more there’d be in a Familyyy of queens with egos. If that’s not an option, I can definitely see the show following me in getting into producing nights and further expanding my career.

    As the war of the words rages on with RuPaul, Logo and Glaad surrounding the word ‘tranny’ where you do you sit on the matter?
    I have so many feelings about this topic, there’s absolutely no plausible way that I can answer it here. Perhaps Meth and I will put our #FFFeels together in a piece on the issue. (HINT HINT, GAYUK!)

    Is drag getting its 2nd wind?
    With the influx of new blood and innovative performers like myself, Meth, Ruby Wednesday and the rest of the Familyyy Fierce, I think drag in the UK is on the cusp of a change. I think Drag Queens of London has helped to expose a whole array of styles of drag that perhaps weren’t as visible before the show, and the British public are hungry for something they haven’t seen umpteen times.

    Who do you consider to be your drag Idol?
    My drag idols at the moment are this amazing latex Marnie Scarlett and my dearest drag auntie Holestar. Marnie speaks in the same visual language that I do and discovering her catalog of looks and performances has been an amazing process. Holestar is like my queer fairy godmother, enough said. Both queens are such amazingly kind, open-hearted people, its always a joy to see them perform or just be around them.

    The best drag movie is….
    I’m tied between Mrs. Doubtfire and Party Monster. The former was the first experience with drag that I ever had and I used to watch the movie nonstop as a child. Before the film I thought drag meant that you had to be aiming for a purely feminine illusion, but Party Monster was the film that made me want to start doing drag though making me realise that the illusion doesn’t have to be the goal.

    What’s the most common mistake for a new drag queen?
    Not wearing enough makeup: Invest in a good Kryolan TV Paint Stick and powder EVERYTHING. I personally think that if you can take off your makeup with a single makeup wipe, then you’re not wearing enough cosmetics.

    Is it easy to get into drag as a business?
    It’s incredibly difficult. It’s expensive as f**k, and for the first few years you have to spend loads of money supporting the craft before it starts to support itself. Frocks, lashes and wigs are quite pricey, especially if you’re uncomfortable wearing high street tat.

    If you weren’t doing drag for a living what would you do?
    I’d probably be working in some other visual artistic field, perhaps fashion or fine art. My training in university was in fine art and costume design, so perhaps one of those fields? I’d still quite like to go back to school for my masters and perhaps a doctorate. Dr. Bourgeoisie does have a ring to it. ;]

  • INTERVIEW | Chris Mason-Johnson, Director And Writer of Test

    Chris Mason Johnson’s new movie TEST (that we reviewed in THEGAYUK on June 23rd) finally opened in the UK on July 14th on VOD & the DVD will be available on July 28th and is set to repeat its Stateside smash success over here.

    It is the tender and heartbreaking story of Frankie a young male dancer in 1985, which had to deal with the early onslaught of the AIDS epidemic and see if he could find the resolve to take the first ever HIV Test that had just become available. It’s a stunning tale, powerfully told and will undoubtedly be on our list of Top Ten Movies of 2014.

    Director/writer Chris Mason Johnson took time out of his busy schedule to sit down with our movie critic Roger Walker-Dack to give this EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW to THEGAYUK.

    RWD: About a decade ago there were some tasteless and opportunistic gay movies that made AIDS another clichéd plot element, do you think the recent outpouring of movies on the epidemic are more responsible and relevant?
    CJM: It’s a hard subject to tackle. Sometimes it takes a culture a while to process and digest so maybe it’s time for people who experienced the sheer horror of it all and now have something relevant to say creatively to have their say.

    RWD: Did raising the finance through Kickstarter give you a freer hand creatively?
    CMJ: (laughing) You say that as if I had the luxury of being offered studio funding! Both of my movies were truly independent. Although you have much less money and a smaller audience as you don’t have enough funds to market it properly, the trade-off is that you have total creative freedom. What Kickstarter did give me was connections to an audience in a very personal way as many of the donors, whether they were giving $10 or $500, wrote to tell me why the subject mattered to them so much.

    RWD: You had such high production values in your film that the finished product is so good that it’s hard to believe you did it all on a shoestring.
    CMJ: Thank you. I am a filmmaker that really cares about image and the camerawork whereas a lot of other directors are just interested in the script and the acting, and see the camera as a means to an end. I am very much interested in the language of cinema and I try to write the script and film in that way.

    RWD: Congratulations on your truly wonderful new movie, We at The Gay UK repeated the well-deserved honour you got from the NY Times who very happily gave it a very rare 5 Stars. Setting this in a very crucial and tough moment in gay history in the context of this contemporary dance troupe was a major element in why this film succeeded on so many levels. Can you tell us about how your own background as an ex-dancer led you to making this decision, and how it affected the film?
    CMJ. Although I was a teenager when this all occurred I drew a lot through autobiography and what was happening to people close to me. As an ex-dancer, one of my pet peeves was that male dancers hadn’t been represented well in movies at all. They are either ultra straight or they are outrageously gay and something of a joke. I’ve never seen a male ballet dancer especially taken seriously in a movie.

    I wanted to tell the story of a group of young frightened men, well one in particular, that didn’t have a lot of language to deal with. Most of the movies dealing with AIDS up to now have been mainly deathbed stories, and I didn’t want to do another one of those. Drama is usually played out by dialogue and is talk, talk, talk, and my experience as a very young teenager in the early epidemic was that we didn’t say a word about it, as we were too petrified. Talking about it would make it real. So by using dance as a metaphor to tell this story, I could use all the facets of the body particularly, the vulnerability and the sensuality. I could represent that all through the image of dance without having the characters talk about it.

    RWD. One of your characters in your first movie in The New Twenty was also HIV +, and now after this latest movie, I am wondering how important that aspect of his character was to you.
    CMJ: It’s very important. To any gay man in their 30s and up, this was such a critical moment in our lives, with the fear and urgency of so much ignorance, fear and paranoia, it just left an indelible mark on who we are. Now with recent alarming rises in infection rates today, it’s even more important to remember these things.

    RWD: Your two lead actors were as hot as hell! And you took a major leap of faith in casting SCOTT MARLOWE a non-actor as Frankie, which really paid off. Can you talk us through your casting process?
    CMJ: I knew they had to be real dancers, as you cannot fake this kind of dancing, as there is a lot of pure choreography in the movie. I interviewed countless actors and dancers and looked for someone who was very natural and had a great sensibility. And when I found Scott we spent a whole six months whilst I was raising money constantly workshopping scenes as we developed the role of Frankie between us. He considered it acting lessons where I thought it was the rehearsal, so it was a kind of a win-win. He learnt that as an actor you cannot put on a show, you must feel and believe it to make it real.

    MATTHEW RISCH, however, is a classically trained actor and not only did he manage to fit in with the dancing but he really helped Scott with their scenes.

    RWD: They had a great chemistry together
    CMJ: I‘ve never experienced that before when it worked so well, even in the intimate sex scenes.

    RWD: No need for a ‘sex choreographer’ like they used when they filmed The Normal Heart?
    CMJ: (laughing) NO!

    RWD: The dancing was impeccable and completely moving. It was erotic with a touch of danger about it, is that how you intended we should see it?
    CMJ: I wanted it to be both erotic and macabre. I had written a lot of the detail into the script and I worked very closely with the very talented Sidra Bell, the choreographer who created all the dances in just 2 weeks. I was by her side the whole way through with my suggestions, as an ex-dancer who has worked with some major choreographers I knew what I wanted.

    RWD: Here in the UK at the same time in 1985 we had some 275 people diagnosed with AIDS (out of a worldwide total of 20303). We also saw the introduction of the Test that year too. Although you set your story so firmly in San Francisco, which then seemed to be one of the worst affected cities in the world, do you think a worldwide audience will relate to your film as well as American audiences have done so far?
    CMJ: I didn’t have any thoughts on that when I made is as I had no idea when I made it that it would get such a wide distribution. I’m sure that the backlash and the homophobia were the same for all of us as we were paranoid and constantly looking for signs of Kaposi Sarcoma. The sheer panic of not knowing what this fatal plaque actually really entailed beyond the media hysteria was by no means an American phenomenon.

    RWD: Certainly not. And the way that you so poignantly portray this in your movie was so spot on, that it brought back many personal uncomfortable moments that none of us would ever want to re-live.
    CMJ: Thank you.

    RWD: This movie certainly establishes you as one of the leading members of this new wave of ‘queer cinema’ alongside the likes of Ira Sachs, Andrew Haigh, David Lambert and Xavier Dolan. Is that important to you, and do you want to make more gay themed movies?
    CMJ: Yes, it’s important to me and it’s one of the main reasons that I started making films. When I questioned my motives for why I was taking on yet another difficult profession after dancing, and one of the reasons I decided was that core representation made a real difference in my life. Few positive influences as opposed to the many negative ones that I experienced when I grew up were extremely important and shaped who I became. It also mattered to me on a political and moral level.

    I want to keep on doing gay themes but I also like the idea of them becoming more assimilated with other content so that it is not so marginalised or ghettoised. I like to see gay characters who are not stereotypes, I like seeing a world of characters whose sexuality has not been explored much in cinema so far. So in terms of a being part of new queer cinema, I am honoured if I am considered a part of that.

  • INTERVIEW | Lady Lloyd, Life after Drag Queens Of London

    Have you been missing your weekly dose of Drag Queens Of London? Never fear we’ve got an interview with a fierce queen or two – starting of with Lady Lloyd, who isn’t afraid to say how she feels.

    Since DQOL has aired, how has life changed?
    Dramatically! I find people hiding in shop doorways to avoid me!

    What are your favourite highlights from the show?
    Pushing Vanity’s piano over has to be the one. That show is such dirge! Everyone was falling asleep – something had to be done.

    Has being involved with DQOL changed you for the better for worse?
    Hasn’t changed me at all, apart from the roses that arrive on my doorstop everyday… it’s the other ones you wanna watch!

    For the next series… What more would you, could you, bring to the show…?
    Oh c’mon, more of the same, drama is never far away from me, and theres no denying Buffalo Girls have been a force of energy on the show.

    So should the UK have a Drag Race?
    Only if RuPaul does it, and Lily is too old!

    What are your thoughts on Jonathan Ross presenting it?
    I like him as a presenter, but it has to be RuPaul. It’s Ru’s baby and she does it so well.

    As the war of the words rages on with RuPaul, Logo and Glaad surrounding the word ‘tranny’ where you do you sit on the matter?
    TRANNY TRANNY TRANNY!

    Is drag getting its 2nd wind?
    It seems to be very ‘in’ right now, like back to the 90s when Ru was ruling. People will always love drag though, it’s just the media that dictates what the masses are ‘consuming’. At the minute the media is on it.

    Who do you consider to be your Drag Idol?
    Tasty Tim and Princess Julia. They haven’t had a night in since ’79 and are consistently fashionable and fabulous. My heroes!

    The best drag movie is….
    Definitely NOT Priscilla. The original La Cage is amazing, and of course Paris is Burning is an inspiration to so many. 10s across the board.

    What’s the most common mistake for a new drag queen?
    Shaving the eyebrows! It’s ok for an extreme drag look, and looks fabulous on real character drag but when the more femme queens do it, it just looks stupid. Women have actual eyebrows you know!

    Is it easy to get into drag as a business?
    No, very hard I think. Its still a niche market – there aren’t many jobs going, and most fail after a year or so, the hot new thing comes along in a while, but you never actually see them getting many paid gigs. I’ve been lucky that I have worked as a DJ consistently for almost 10 years now.

    If you weren’t doing drag for a living what would you do?
    Something in music, I went to the BRIT school and studied music, so I’m very happy that I have been able to work with music. If I wasn’t doing drag I’d probably have studied more production side, as it’s something I would love to do but can’t find the time in between hangovers.

    What’s the worst thing a drag queen could do to another?
    Pull their wig off – but it’s also the most satisfying. Ha.

    To tuck or not to tuck? And if you do – how do you do it?
    Never, I like it all on show, let them know what’s going on – front and centre.

  • INTERVIEW | Belinda Carlisle

    Heaven is a place on Earth especially when we had the the chance to speak with the delightful Belinda Carlisle about life in France, Putin’s hidden sexuality and how to deal with a gay son. Oh and if you miss her tour she’ll come and spank you!

    You’re living between two places now France and India?

    I was in India off and on for three years and in the past couple of years I’ve been between France and LA.

    You must have a lot of air miles?

    Oh my God I do. and I use them too!

    What’s your most extravagant spend on air miles when did you go on them?

    Well you can off course go first class, but my most extravagant flight without air miles was first class Emirates, which was the most amazing experience. They had a huge bathroom with a shower and I just had to go take a shower and wash my hair and blow dry it, so I could say that I’ve blow dried my hair on the flight. It was pretty luxurious and it just kicked butt on everybody.

    Have you ever bagged a free upgrade?

    No, I haven’t because I’m too embarrassed to do that. Sometimes because I’ve been a gold BA member for sometime they’ll recognise me and say ‘oh we have an extra seat up here come with us Miss Carlisle’, but I never really do because I feel kinda funny doing stuff like that.

    Have you a message for Putin and the president of Uganda? (Yoweri Museveni)

    I would say compassion, empathy. There’s so much hatred and fear in the world. Putin is f**king scary, they’re both f**king scary and obviously living on a different planet. I don’t know if Putin’s fearful or he’s just a complete megalomaniac. You know most people who have issues with gay people are fearful.

    Fearful of what?

    Fearful of their own sexuality. I don’t understand why it’s an issue. That’s my take on it, that they just can’t deal with their own feelings towards their own sexuality, so they have to act the complete opposite way which is with a complete lack of humanity.

    Were you worried for your son when he told you he was gay?

    Well we were driving and he said ‘I like boys’ and I had to pull over in order to stop because even though I always had a suspicion that he probably was gay, when you hear from your child’s mouth, no matter how gay friendly you are, it’s a shock. For me the first thing that came to mind was what kind of world was he gonna have to live in? It is getting better but there’s still long ways to go.

    What’s the best way for a mother to deal or process that information?

    After I thought about what kinda world he was gonna live in, I then thought what am I gonna tell my husband. Because, even though he’s gay friendly, for a lot of men their son is a reflection of their masculinity. There’s a few friends that I told and I needed to process it myself and it took me a while actually because I went through all of the cliché thoughts that I think probably a lot of parents who have gay children go through. I thought was it something I did was it something I said all that kind of stuff which it’s not and I knew it’s not but I had to process that and I actually went to my therapist just to put my mind at ease and also to figure out how to tell my husband.

    Was James very good at giving you plenty of time to come to terms with his sexuality?

    What he did, which I was really annoyed about, is that I said ‘Ok, well let’s keep this between you and I until I tell your Dad,’ because I didn’t want everybody knowing and not his Dad. Of course my son went to his school the next day and at the big student council meeting, they have in front of the whole school, he said ‘I AM GAY’. I heard about it and I was like oh my God can’t you just wait? I decided to tell my husband instead of having my son tell him in case there was any kind of bad reaction, I didn’t think there would be, but just in case, and then I just let them two deal with it. They would come to me as the go between and I was like na-ah I can’t do this anymore you two have to figure it out. Actually they went back and forth for about a year before my husband finally accepted it wasn’t just a phase. Now he or myself can’t imagine it any other way. My husband went to West Hollywood and bought him a rainbow bracelet and so he’s like right in there and is very, very proud of our son.

    You must have had some outrageous moments especially in the 80s and 90s in your career, can you tell us a story?

    Ah, not off the top of my head. It was was all one big outrageous moment blurred into another outrageous moment but I don’t have them any more so much. I mean I have them in different ways, but the Go-Go’s… we were in our early 20s, we were famous, we were rich, we had no responsibilities, we weren’t married, so we went wild, as we should, and we took advantage of the circumstances.

     

    Are these exciting times to live in compared with the 80s?

    I think probably it was better then because first of all we couldn’t get away with now what we could back then. There’s just no way, there’s too many cameras around. There’s still lots of drugs now I’m sure but back then it was a bit more innocent and I thought I was invincible and most youth probably think they’re invisible so I can’t imagine having as much fun now as we did back then. The world’s a lot more dangerous now then it was back then.

    When you look at the tragic death of Whitney, does it make you angry?

    The thing that makes me angry about drug deaths, like Philip Seymour Hoffman and Whitney, is that people make assumptions about addicts or alcoholics. There’s not a lot of understanding. The press sort of cheapens it in a way. We didn’t need to know there were 70 bags of heroin around Philip Seymour Hoffman’s body. We didn’t need to know about Whitney Houston drowning in the bath tub having a heart attack on coke. Unless you’ve really gone through an addiction with a family member or yourself, people don’t really have that much understanding about it. When I grew up we had to watch this stupid drug movies in school and all that made me want to do is go out and do drugs. We all know that they’re bad and they’re always going to be around. I think to legalise, regulate and tax them and put money into education and take away the stigma. I think the public needs to understand the nature of addiction more than addicts themselves as they’re living it.

    Who would make up the ultimate Girl/woman band now? Cher, Dolly?

    Oh god, those are both amazing choices. I love Cher. I love Dolly. Who else, Liza, and Ann Margret. I think that’s enough females. Believe me I know it’s hard working with too many females.

    You’re now a Vegetarian and Buddhist?

    I’m a vegetarian and I’m a practicing Nichiren buddhist. I chant every day.

    Is this a recent thing?

    No I’ve been chanting probably for about 12 years and vegetarian for years and years and then I fell off the wagon but then got back on the wagon about a year and a half ago. I just couldn’t support factory farming anymore it was just wrong, really wrong.

    Do you have a non vegetarian food now you still go back to?

    No. The one thing I was worried about missing, especially in France, was rotisserie chicken because it’s so f**king good and I don’t miss it at all. It took me a while because I was loving meat, living in France there are vegetarians but people are pretty much meat eaters and I was struggling with going back to vegetarianism, so I’d have vegetarian days and then I’d have meat days but after a while it was just too gross and I felt it was wrong for me to do it. Factory farming, it’s not good for the planet, it’s not good for your body it’s eating a living thing’s consciousness. none of it’s good at all.

    You look incredible still… what’s the secret?

    Well I haven’t had plastic surgery, I haven’t had Botox, but I’m not opposed to one day cutting. I have cheek bones from my father who’s an American Indian and I have really good skin from him too. But besides that I do a lot of breathing exercises everyday and I think it’s really getting a lot of oxygen. And I don’t drink or smoke, I do lots of cardio, hiking and yoga and that’s probably pretty much it. But my Mum looks great and she’s 75 and she hasn’t had any work done. I think there’s a good gene pool.

    Complete these sentences:

    I’m never happier than when I’m….

    In yoga class.

    If I see a girl with her knickers tucked in her skirt I…

    Tell her.

    Life’s most valuable lesson is…

    Don’t do drugs.

    Heaven On Earth is….

    The Pacific Ocean

    People should come see me on tour because if they don’t…

    I’ll spank them.

    Readers Question.

    Which has been your favourite Pride event to perform at and why?

    Oh gosh, I love doing the LA Pride that was really a lot of fun -probably because it’s my home town but I used to love doing G-A-Y.

    Can club remixes for “Sun” be released?

    Oh I think that would be amazing if there was a club mix on Sun. It lends itself for that for sure.

    You’re a bit of a twitterer, aren’t you…. Is there one person you were genuinely excited was following you?

    William Dalrymple. He’s one of my favourite authors and he writes all these amazing books on India and Afghanistan and amazing non fiction. I followed him on twitter and said ‘what I would give to meet my favourite author at William Dalrymple’. He tweeted me back saying ‘Oh it’s mutual admiration I’ve been a fan since the Go-Go’s.’ He follows me and sometimes we tweet back and forth and I’m flattered because I think he’s an amazing, amazing writer. ∎

    The Anthology book set includes 3 cds and 2 dvds and is available from iTunes and Amazon

    You say you felt invincible back in the 80s was this a factor of why you fell into drugs?

    Oh yeah. Because I didn’t think I’d ever become an addict. I didn’t understand and most people didn’t really understand the nature of addiction, not like they do now, so I thought, ‘oh not me I can control everything’ and of course I found out otherwise.

  • INTERVIEW | Cody Simpson Talks Life On The Road And His Man Crush

    INTERVIEW | Cody Simpson Talks Life On The Road And His Man Crush

    We hang with the gorgeous Australian born 17-year-old Cody Simpson. We find out about his passion fruit fetish, his love of Elvis and his man-crush on Leonardo DiCaprio

    You do so much travelling and are away from home a lot, how does that feel?

    I miss home a lot actually, I don’t get to go back to Australia all the time. I miss family and friends when I’m gone for sure.
    How is this tour different from your usual shows?

    It’s different. I’ve called it the Acoustic Tour. It’s much more intimate, smaller venues and more of an intimate experience with the fans. Something they haven’t seen from me really before. Very musical. Kinda transcending the stereotypes of what people in my genre usually do…
    Which are?

    You know… It’s all live. No tracks. No backing tracks, just me and two musicians up there. Me and my guitar. We have cello and we have bongos. It’s just a very live musical experience. I just kinda want to make it a little story telling session. Get really close to the fans and do something different.
    Is that safe?

    Honestly, what I’m doing on this tour is something I’ve been doing since I was six years old. Just with my guitar. I can do it either way – and I want to show people that I am able to do a show this way, which is not something that a lot of people can get up and do. I’m really looking forward to getting up there and chilling and helping my fans get to know me.
    Is this your first trip to the UK?

    I came last year around February and that was the very first time I came and did a couple of shows there. It was really nice, I enjoyed myself so much. It’s so cool.

    What 3 things must you take on tour with you?

    Lots of guitars, lots of clothes and my iPhone.
    What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve done on tour?

    Oh man! I don’t know what’s appropriate to say in an interview. I have to filter through and see…
    So you’re well behaved?

    Not constantly… No! (laughs).
    We gay Brits love a bit of Aussie life… Kath and Kim, Matthew Mitcham, Kylie… Are you hoping to become the object of our desires?

    Yeah, I mean for sure! I love people from the UK in general. I definitely think that’s a goal of mine. Looking forward to coming out and doing the show… It’s gonna be cool.
    Duets with anyone dead or alive – who and what would you sing?

    I would love to sing Blue Suede Shoes with Elvis.
    If you were gonna take any male celebrity out on a date, who would it be and where would you go?

    Oh man (laughs).
    Who would you have a Bromance with?

    Probably Leonardo DiCaprio. I basically just have a crush on him anyway. He’s just the best. He’s the best actor. We’d probably go sing Karaoke

    Read the full interview in the latest issue of TheGayUK – out now from all good digital Newsstands
    iTunes | Android
    Cody Simpson will be on tour in the UK in June/July

    Mon 30 June London, Indigo at The O2

    Tue. 1 July Norwich,Waterfront

    Wed 2 July Edinburgh, Queen’s Hall

    Fri 4 July Dublin, Grand Canal

    Sat 5 July Manchester,Academy 2

    Sun 6 July Birmingham, Institute Library

  • INTERVIEW | Cory Krueckeberg

    Getting Go – The Go-Doc Project is one of the hottest and sexiest independent films we have seen in a very long time and it is finally being released here on DVD and VOD. To celebrate we caught up with Cory Krueckeberg, the director and writer who sat down with THEGAYUK to give us this exclusive interview.

    Firstly congratulations on the film that THEGAYUK review was happy to give a well-deserved 5 out 5 rating. We are intrigued to know how you actually came to making this film in the first place.
    Well, the whole process of getting a movie off the ground can take years and requires not only a lot of money but a great deal of patience too. I had many projects in the works but was getting so frustrated with waiting so I pitched the idea of Getting Go to Tom (Gustafson) my filmmaking partner as something to do whilst we waited.

    We raised $10,000 quickly via Kickstarter, and polished off a script and then he and I spent the summer filming. Just us, the two actors, and no crew whatsoever. Real hard-core guerilla filming at its best.

    And where did the idea of the slightly nerdy film student boy pursuing this hot go-go dancer that he obsesses over come from?
    To be honest, it was slightly autobiographical, as I had spotted someone online that was as hot as Go and I was thinking about how to meet him, but the way it panned out in the movie, especially the hot make-out scene, was purely fictional.

    Are you sure?
    Sadly yes! Lol.

    And how did you find your two leading actors who were so key to the success of this film?
    Well, I found Matthew Camp online via a NY nightlife blog and I reached out to him with a very similar email as Doc does in the film. I quickly discovered that beyond the dancing he is also a successful clothing designer and a very committed artist and he was more than happy to come onboard once I outlined my idea to him. Tanner Cohen had worked with us before and starred in ’Were the World Mine’ and was a natural fit as Doc once we had signed up Matthew.

    There was not only a great on-screen chemistry between the two actors, but all of their scenes were very fluid. Were you shooting from an actual script or just an outline?
    A little of both. It seemed natural to let them improvise at times especially when they both got so into their characters.

    How important was it to you that the two men were more multi-dimensional than we could have expected in a low budget film of this genre?
    Well with Matthew in particular as he is an artist off the screen it seemed an easy fit to make that part of his character. I also always look for something in culture to help root my movies in real life and in this case I was doing a wee homage to Warhol which seemed very relevant also in how this film was being made.

    The lovemaking scene was tender, extremely sensual and very hot. Was that easy for the actors to play?
    Matthew wanted to shoot that scene right away to get it over and done with, but Tanner favoured leaving it to the end hoping that the connection they made by then would propel them along.

    Well, who won?
    We actually filmed the entire movie in sequence as you see it on the screen, which is a very rare organic thing to do.

    Well, it certainly worked as by the time that these two very different characters were getting down to it, we were all rooting for them to succeed.
    Thank you.

    You mentioned your reasons for why this was made on a micro-budget using video cameras and even laptops to feel, but did you have any sense at the beginning of this whole project that the end product would be hailed as part of this breakthrough of new queer cinema?
    We set out to make something that was both informing and entertaining but more importantly to me we treated their sexuality as part of their psyche and not what totally defined who these men are. That made it much easier for audiences to relate to them and the fact as characters they were very related.

    And why do this story in particular?
    This story follows a path we all wish we could take. To come face to face, body to body, with our obsessions, our idols… and I felt this particular connecting of a naively academic country boy to the object of his desire, who turns out to be a nuanced, thoughtfully provocative soul, could satisfy the audience’s need for both sex and substance.

    Oh, and I wanted to meet Matthew Camp.

    GETTING GO is out on DVD and on demand from Peccadillo Pictures. It can be ordered now from Amazon.