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Comedy & Humor
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 Don't
Get Me Started [ABRIDGED]
by Kate
Clinton
Let's get one thing straight. I'm
not. I'm out and proud. When I'm out and it's raining I
carry an umbrella. I used to be in but I hate the smell of
mothballs. My closet was huge, complete with a foyer,
turnstile, a few dead bolts, and a burglar alarm that had
to be deactivated before I could even touch the door
handle. And then there was the storm door. It wasn't until
I had lived and slept with a woman for a year that it
occurred to me to ask, "Do you think we're
lesbians?" By the way, never come out to your father
in a moving vehicle.
Now I've written a book. It's not as easy as it looks. One
night, I was working late on my computer when a little
message came up on the screen, "You are almost out of
memory." Here are my thoughts and observations on
everything from gay marriage (Mad Vow Disease) to my
morbid fear of mascots (with the exception of the San
Diego Chicken). That's all I'm going to say because I
don't want to spoil it for you. That's a job for Jesse
Helms.
"Kate Clinton
cracks me up." --Melissa Etheridge
"She's funny, she's smart, she's gay. Read her
book." --Ellen DeGeneres
"Girls with mascara--watch out! Kate will have it
running down your cheeks in no time flat. She reminds me
of every mouthy Catholic girl I ever knew in high school.
You know, the one who got you in trouble for making you
laugh during study hall. Thank heaven Kate did get
started. She makes the world a funnier place."
--Rosie O'Donnell
About the Author
A self-described
fumerist (feminist/humorist), Kate Clinton taught English
for eight years before a writing workshop and
improvisational class convinced her that her political
views deserved a public hearing. She quit teaching, took a
job as a window washer, and started her professional
stand-up career in 1981, using politics, Catholicism, and
her lesbianism as basic themes. She performs one-woman
shows across the country and writes columns for the Progressive
and the Advocate. She has appeared on Arsenio Hall,
Good Morning America, Nightline, CNN, C-Span, and many
other places. Although she has four comedy albums to her
credit, Don't Get Me Started is her first book.
 The
Butches of Madison County by Ellen Orleans
Can 50-something,
quasi-yuppie Billie Bold find true happiness with an
semi-straight Iowa farmwife Pasty Plain? You bet, when
you're reading an out-and-out parody named The Butches of
Madison County. Join Patsy and Billie for 4 unforgettable
days of love, romance, and an absent husband. Winner of
the 1995 Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian and Gay
Humor.
About
the Author
Ellen
Orleans is the Lammy-winning author of four books of gay
and lesbian humor, including The Butches of Madison
County, Who Cares If It's a Choice? and Still Can't Keep a
Straight Face. Raised in New Jersey, now living in
Colorado, Ellen's work has been widely-published in
publications as diverse as The Washington Post and Girl
Jock Magazine to Women's Glib (Crossing Press) and Wilma
Loves Betty (Alyson Press)
 The
History of Lesbian Hair : And Other Tales of Bent Life in
a Straight World by Mary Dugger
With the rise of
violence against gay people, the "don't ask, don't
tell" military policy and the homophobic rhetoric of
the right-wing, sometimes there doesn't seem to be very
much fun about gay and lesbian life. That is, until you
read Mary Dugger's The History of Lesbian Hair.
Dugger has a sense of humor that knows no boundaries --
from instructions to how to build you own lesbian
(complete with Birkinstocks) to how to collect right-wing
demagogue trading cards to how all lesbian haircuts have
evolved from Patsy Cline's original 1950s do -- she is
unafraid of poking fun at everyone from right-wing
hate-mongering to the dyke in the bar with a bad attitude.
Dugger has a sense of humor, and she knows how to use it.
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"He's funny and fearsome and deadly
accurate in his observations regarding society in general and
homophobia in particular. Not often do we hear a loud and proud
gay voice, but here is one. Fearless Frank taking on sacred cows
and turning them into burger." Elaine Bowman, Artistic
Director, Dancers' Studio West, Calgary
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Described as "Comic perfection" by the
San Francisco Chronicle, Suzy Berger has enjoyed a loyal following
and unanimous critical acclaim as a comic, actor, and writer.
Suzy is featured in the books A Funny Time to Be Gay,
The Gay Book of Quotes, and Revolutionary Laughter - The World of Women Comics.
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Hamlet as written by Dr. Seuss...a salute to
romance novels...dueling monologues about your worst date
ever...these are some of the serious concerns of Brian Jewell and
Karen Malme, the comedy duo currently known as The Brian+Mal Show.
The pair have performed their original, out
sketch comedy at the Firehouse Multicultural Arts Center, Little
Flags Theater, The Comedy Studio, Old Ship Church, The Comedy
Connection, The Back Alley Theater, Spontaneous Celebrations,
and for Milton Academy, Greater Boston Business Council,
Lead Boston, and Boston Pride.
Brian+Mal were keynote speakers, and workshop
leaders, at The National Conference for Community and Justice's
symposium on humor and social justice. Their recent benefit
performance for the Northampton Community Center Project was
dubbed "a great success." See more picures and kudsos here.
For information on booking The Brian+Mal Show, or
to add your name to our mailing list, send email
or call (617) 290-6809.
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Justin Chin is a writer & performance
artist. His work has been presented at PS 122 and Dixon Place, in
New York; Josie's Cabaret & Juice Joint, the LAB, Center for
the Arts, Artist Television Access, Luna Sea & Southern
Exposure, in San Francisco; East/West Players in Los Angeles; the
Cleveland Performance Art Festival, Hampshire College and Loyola
University.
His poetry, prose & journalism have been
published in Men on Men 5 (Plume), Eros in Boystown (Crown),
Premonitions: The Kaya Anthology of New Asian North American
Poetry, The James White Review & The Progressive, among
others. His book, "Bite Hard," has just been published
by Manic D Press.
A member of the 1995 and 1996 San Francisco
Poetry Slam team, his spoken word performances have wowed
audiences at venues in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los
Angeles, Ann Arbor, Boston, Portland and at New York's Nuyorican
Poets' Cafe.
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What's this about Queer Performance? The purpose
of comedy is to make us laugh. But there are some blurry
boundaries these days: Comics doing solo shows that leave
audiences in tears; Spoken Word Artists making observations that
sound like stand-up.
At its worst, the world of Gay Comedy/Queer
Performance can be a self-absorbed exercise in silliness. At its
best, there's Pomo Afro Homos' "Fierce Love" and Marga
Gomez's "Memory Tricks" — these works have roots in
stand-up comedy and comic skits, but they're as pointed and
emotionally powerful as any theatre in the '90s. Mark Davis's
"Faggot With a Gun" and Justin Chin's "Born"
seem at first more lighthearted — but each eventually reveals
the author/performer's anger.
Then there are good old reliable stand-up
comics. They have to think on their feet. They have to think fast.
And when a master is on a roll, it's a joy to behold. When it
comes to connecting with the audience, Danny Williams is the man
(he's also a screaming queen, but he IS the man). Suzy Berger,
Karen Ripley, Sabrina Matthews, Scott Capurro, Mimi Freed, Dan
Rothenberg... these people have given me laughter — often in
times when laughter was a precious commodity.
Performers, producers, or performance spaces,
send info and I'll add you to future postings. —Henry
Mach henry@hanksite.com
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GayCo Productions, Inc. was developed by the
performers as a vehicle to allow for touring. Having performed in
Chicago, Austin, Miami, Provincetown, Vermont, and Amsterdam,
GayCo Productions continues to grow from its modest history.
Its various sketch comedy revues
have received raved reviews.
In addition to strong support from the critics, GayCo has also won
awards
for its ensemble work.
The performing company is comprised of actors/improvisors
who have trained at The Second City Training Center. In addition,
individual founding members have brought other improvisational and
theatrical training from various institutions
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Ed Karvoski, Jr., has worked in various aspects
of the entertainment industry for over twenty years. In the
mid-1970s, he was among the first artists to perform theater at
The Boston Center for the Arts. Soon after moving to New York City
in the late '70s, he appeared in recurring roles on As the
World Turns and Search for Tomorrow. Also in New York,
he wrote and performed with the comedy-sketch troupe Manhattan
Bananas, appearing at theaters and cabarets throughout the
city. In the '80s, Karvoski relocated to Los Angeles, where he
landed guest roles on television shows ranging from Facts of
Life to Fantasy Island.
In recent years, Karvoski has focussed on a
variety of writing projects. As a comedy writer, he has written
material for Jay Leno and radio deejays at CBS, NBC and the BBC.
As an entertainment journalist, his work has appeared in national
magazines such as The Advocate, Out, Poz, and
The Guide. He also writes for a number of regional
publications from coast to coast, from Frontiers Newsmagazine
in Los Angeles to Bay Windows in Boston.
Karvoski's books -- All-Male- Quirky Quotes, Intimate Interviews, and Tantalizing Trivia from the Most Desired Men on Earth,
What's Your Gay & Lesbian Entertainment IQ - The Show-Biz Quiz About What's 'In'--And Who's 'Out'
and A Funny Time to Be Gay
-- have topped numerous best-sellers lists and have been featured
in countless publications, including The New York Times, USA
Weekend and Publishers Weekly.
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This is an online comedy channel
where you can watch gay and lesbian comedians with your computer's
Media Player. This site features the work of Bernie Lubbers,
co-founder of lesbigaytv.com, a full-time professional comic since
1984. |
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Toronto based actor and stand-up comedian David
MacLean has been active as a performer for over a decade and a
half.
Originally trained as an actor, David's natural
comedic gifts soon found him focusing on comedy in a variety of
forms. Before going solo David worked with the sketch troupe,
Bucket of Pucks, participating as both a writer and performer. The
troupe's show, Performance Fit, proved one of the highlights of
the 1996 Toronto Fringe Festival. David's parody of Sister
Wendy, the art critic nun was the show's standout.
As a stand-up comic David has performed at Yuk
Yuks, the
Laugh Resort, Comedywood, and the Rivoli in Canada, and at The
New York Comedy Club, Don't Tell Mama, Detroit's Comedy Castle and
Josie's Juice Joint & Cabaret in the United States.
He has produced and hosted several comedy rooms
in Toronto, and performs regularly at many local comedy venues.
Recent performances have included the Lesbian & Gay Business
& Entertainment Expo in New York and the 4th Annual Michigan
Lesbian & Gay ComedyFest, in addition to numerous Pride Day
Stages. (Ottawa's
Gay Pride)
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This site promotes stand up comedian Lorne Newman available to entertain at your college, club or
LGBT show.
Lorne has performed over 1,000 shows throughout
the US, Canada & England, have appeared on three
episodes of the USA Network's "Up All Night" with
Gilbert Gottfried, and have been written up in the Advocate!
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Parterre Box is the world's only totally queer
opera magazine. At parterre box we don't shy away from the
impolite underside of opera; rather we celebrate opera's otherness
as symbol of the queer experience. Six
times a year your blood will freeze when you read the latest
opera gossip, reviews, humor, commentary, diva worship, camp,
lists and interviews.
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QComedy.com is your source for information on
queer comedy events and venues. While based in San Francisco, the
site also aims to be an international clearinghouse for news on
Queer Comedy.
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An utterly uncensored superheroic gay soap opera
satire by Chris Cooper and John Dennis.
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