Singer and actress Haviland Stillwell definitely embodies the Shakespearean adage that “all the world’s a stage,” as she has spent a great deal of her life being one of its many players.

 

Whether it’s starring in Broadway shows, such as Les Miserables and Fiddler on the Roof with fellow out actress Rosie O’Donnell and Glee star Lea Michele, or stepping onto a soundstage for TV projects, which have included Eastwick and the recent Lifetime movie The Client List, she has made a happy home for herself among the floodlights. 

 

Stillwell has also been making time on the concert circuit, playing coast-to-coast venues and even took her act onto the open seas with O’Donnell’s r family cruises.

 

Now with the release of her new CD, How I Role, she is taking a treasure trove of her favorite songs, including Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out,” Gladys Knight and The Pips’ “Midnight Train To Georgia,” and Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again” (among others) and giving them her own distinctive spin, so to speak.

 

Among the musical odes on the CD, which drops on September 12, is “Until U Love U,” written by songwriting vet Diane Warren (and was first recorded by The Pussycat Dolls), who has penned tunes for the likes of Cher, Celine Dion and Christina Aguilera and many others in the music biz.

 

Stillwell spoke with The Rage Monthly about her life in the entertainment world, and the affable double threat basically let us in on how she rolls.        

 

Haviland Stillwell: Some of these songs were ones that I had performed in concert before, and some of them were songs that I had always wanted to. As I was starting to put things together, I was speaking with my music director, Steven Jamail (who is incredible) and I would throw things out to him like, “Hey, um, is there a way to mash-up John Cougar Mellencamp with Lady GaGa?” And he’d go, “Ah, ok, I can make it happen; it may take me a minute.”

 

So, we kind of did it that way. The way that I’ve always done my concerts is I pick all of the songs that I wanted to sing, and then figured out what’s the through line and how can I connect all of them. And where do I need to add something in to tell the story better or where do I need to take something out that isn’t necessary?        

HS: I would probably say that the one, which is the way the album starts, is “I’m Coming Out,” because I love the line in it “I’m spreadin’ love, there’s no need to fear, and I feel so good everytime I hear I’m coming out.” It’s a very positive and fun, light song—which is what I’m trying to do in life. Keep things light and positive.

 

HS: She is a friend of mine and we’ve known each other through personal connections. When I started working on the album she said, “Are you going to sing a song of mine? You need to sing a song of mine!”

 

I have massive respect for her, because at this point somebody in her position could say, “I’m successful and I don’t need to court any more work.” But, she’s always creating and always wanting to work with new artists…and ultimately wants to get her music out there and have people create with her.      

HS: Definitely it does. I always think of my concerts as being stories that I’m weaving through (the performances). I don’t think I’d be capable of getting up and singing a song without thinking about what it’s about, or connecting to it; so it’s a vital part of the process.  

 

I feel like a lot of it has to do with different sides of myself, and the way that all of us play different roles in our life. The style of singing I do is very reflective of the mood that I’m in, or what character or persona I’ve decided to play that day, which makes it sound like I’m crazy and have multiple personalities (laughter). 

 

I don’t think anything comes in black and white; I think everything’s in shades of, and I don’t want to say gray, everything is in rainbow shades! (laughter)        

HS: I would love that! I love the show. Lea’s a friend, Matthew Morrison’s a friend, Kristin Chenoweth’s a friend and she was a hilarious guest star last season. “We’ll see what happens” is probably the best answer I could say, but it would be a dream.  

 

HS: It’s hard to answer that question without sounding terribly pretentious (laughter), but I like that quote a lot because I feel there’s a lot of humor in it. I would say that I’m a genuinely sweet person.

 

I can be bad ass when I need to be, but I feel that we are all here on this Earth to do as much positive, forward movement as possible. I feel like I, with the rest of the world, am going through a huge evolution, which is really exciting.      

 

HS: It’s been incredibly positive! Most of the time it’s not even an issue at all. And if it is, it’s usually something that’s positive. I have people, like a kid or a teenager, sending me messages on Facebook saying, “I’m gay and I’m coming out and you’ve helped me,” or “People like you are helping me.”

 

So in that sense, that’s been really good because, ultimately, I’m just myself and [gay] is not who I am, it’s just one facet. I feel that anyone, no matter what field they are in, can live their life honestly; it’s going to have a good result.      

 

A staggering 53 million records, countless Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, the title of BMI Songwriter of the Year Award, a Hit Maker Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a coveted star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

 

This would certainly a superstar make. But it’s his humility, accessibility and—now—his versatility that has us intrigued once again.

 

Recently, The Rage Monthly had the opportunity to discuss his latest branch into the music realm, One World One Love, in which he collaborated with a number of exciting talents, including award-winning icons Lady GaGa and Ne-Yo.

Michael Bolton: While working on projects, I don’t really look at a timeline as that big a part of the process as much as I look at the body of music I’m approaching.

 

And then, I go into kind of a homework/study/research of that body of music…You will get pressure from the labels to have it in stores by a certain time, and there’s solicitation realities, doors close by this date and you have to get to retail by that date.

 

But, I’m usually already deep into the recording process and that seems to have a life of its own and a timeline of its own. So, I didn’t really plan on five years before a studio album. It went through a few different kind of manifestations beginning with a combination of major soul covers to half originals.

 

And then, when the originals starting coming I started writing with a lot of these new young artists/writer/producers, the label started getting more excited about the original material than the covers, so I started writing more.

 

So, the process then suddenly changed and the project changed. I wanted more tempo in it. I wanted it to just kind of give you the sense of something…uplifting and hopeful.

 

MB: In the last three years or so of touring, I was definitely reacting from my observation of the hardship people are all experiencing. And not just middle America where three generations of families who had businesses are having to close their doors.

 

I just felt like the world doesn’t need more serious subject matter, and part of my job and part of my gig is to make people feel good about their concert experience… the live experience… and that’s been a pleasure. It reminds me that this is my responsibility from the second I walk on stage to the second I leave.

MB: I was writing with the new hot guns in the music business, and a few of them are artists themselves. One of them being Ne-Yo, who was incredible to work with and I had already been a fan of. He started turning in these songs that felt fresh and young, but very comfortable for me vocally. So, that became the theme.

 

And then, I got a phone call from the person who was working with me on the project, Jolene Cherry, and my manager. We were working some pretty late hours and I just took off and took a break a few hours from Los Angeles.

 

They said that they have a new artist who is a great songwriter and she writes songs for other artists and she’s a big fan of yours and would like to write with you for this album. And I said, “Okay,” but I knew there was a reason that I was on the phone with them about it and it wasn’t a little e-mail communication; they wanted to get my attention on this.

 

And they knew I was taking a break as well, but this apparently had a sense of urgency to it. And it turned out that they were talking about an artist named Lady GaGa, who I hadn’t heard of at the time because her record didn’t come out for about another three or four months.

 

But, they were really excited about this news that she wanted to work with me. I asked them to send me MP3s and I went out and played some golf, got back to my room, opened up my laptop, and in my email were three songs from Lady GaGa and I thought they were amazing.

 

So I called back and I said, “What does she do? Does she write lyrics? Does she play an instrument? Does she just do music?” They said, “She does it all and she’s involved in production as well. She’s kind of pretty much in every part of it.” So I said, “Well, I’d love to write with her. When is she available?” And they said, “Tonight at 8:00.”

 

So, I drove up to L.A. and met her and really hit it off and she was singing to me, she was singing some ideas she had, she knew my range, she knew my records, so she started singing in the range that I had recorded those records.

 

And that was great because I was looking at a real artist standing in front of me, and I was looking at a young new about-to-be released artist who really could sing and really loved what she was doing.

MB: You never know with new records whether artists are created in a studio, in a laboratory environment where we have so many tools and so many kinds of different technologies, whether it’s Pro Tools or Logic.

 

We have all these digital gadgets so a lot of artists that you’re hearing can’t necessarily carry it off live. They can’t really do it live; they need the studio. In this case, I was hearing GaGa singing to me with a great voice, perfectly in tune right in front of me and I was really impressed.

 

And we just then got straight into writing. I realized she had this whole look and this kind of very provocative presence about herself and I said, “If we’re going to write something together, we’ve got to slay people with this.”

 

And she said, “Well, I like the idea because I have a title. I have an idea for the title and it’s called ‘Murder My Heart.’” And that’s how it began. And of course, three or four months later she became the biggest artist in the world. During any interview, the question would always come up, “What was GaGa wearing in the studio?” And I’m not used to that being the center of interview, but I got used to it.”

 

MB: There’ll be 110 shows that we’ll have done in 2010. That’s a demanding schedule.

 

MB: When you walk into a room and you notice that you’re definitely the oldest person in that room…and you’ve got a 25-year old and a 26-year old as your songwriting and production team…We built up tracks and sometimes they were perfect and everything made sense—finally it all fit.

 

And sometimes I would just say, “I can’t get used to this particular drum loop. I’d rather have live drums on this song,” or whatever it was. It’s a constant open dialogue and a lot of mutual respect. And that’s how we went about the project to achieve something that sounds and feels contemporary, but that is vocally for me right in my sweet spot…in a zone that is comfortable for me.

 

And that feels good for me, because it has to speak to your core audience and the people who have all of your greatest hits and every record of yours. You don’t want them scratching their heads and saying, “What’s he doing here,” or “What’s going on with his voice?” It’s got to feel good…well, feel fresh and new.

When of you think of Margaret Cho, a few words immediately spring to mind with “outspoken” and “hilarious” topping the list. However, you can now add a new one to use in conjunction with the comedienne.

 

And rather than simply giving you that information, why don’t we kick it old-school with a nod to the beloved game show, Match Game, and have our imaginary panelists and contestants fill in the blank?

 

Just consider me your own personal Gene Rayburn and Charles Nelson Reilly all rolled into one. Since we have a space constraint to contend with, we’ll just jump into the “Super Match” portion of the show.

 

Fran, a housewife from the San Fernando Valley, has picked Brett Sommers who chimes in with “Cho Mama,” while Richard Dawson offers up “Cho Job.” Fran finally turns to Charles Nelson Reilly, who looks resplendent in his captain’s hat and neckerchief ensemble, spouts out, “Cho Tex, you know, for those heavy Cho days.”

 

Well, even if they didn’t guess that it was “Cho Dependent,” which just so happens to be the name of both her new music CD and current stand-up tour, Fran is leaving with a lovely parting gift. You can never have enough Rice-A-Roni in your cupboard; it is the San Francisco treat, after all!

 

Ok, onto our regularly scheduled interview, already in progress.

 

The Rage Monthly caught up with Cho (don’t worry, this won’t lead to a make-believe America’s Most Wanted scenario, ok?), about her latest tour topics and how she decided to branch out and employ her own special brand of the rhythm method to her Cho Dependent CD.

 

We also literally shot the sh** about what her most embarrassing onstage moment has been, and what fans may be surprised to learn about her, aside from the aforementioned “mishap.”

Something that fans are clearly aware of is the fact that Cho, who is a staunch advocate for LGBT rights, has often used her time onstage to raise awareness on a wealth of issues that impact us as a community.

 

She said that her “Cho Dependent” tour will most definitely touch on a number of hot-button topics. “It’s a lot about Prop. 8 and gay marriage and what’s happening in California,” she explained. “And all of the horrible stuff I’m so angry about it.

 

And also, I’ve been living in the South for the last six months, in Peachtree City, Georgia (where she films the show Drop Dead Diva), which is a really small town and an incredibly homophobic place. It’s weird to confront it where you live, because I’m not used to it.

 

So, it’s a lot about that, a lot about immigration and my family history—stuff about my mom…lots of fun family stories that I haven’t gotten to tell yet. So it’s good, it’s a lot of different stuff.”

One thing that also fell under the “different” category—but wasn’t exactly of the “good” variety—was her most embarrassing onstage misfortune, as she explained.

 

“Well, one time I was taking Meridia,” she recounted. “This was many years ago, and it’s this weird diet drug from the ’90s that would extract the fat from your food and then makes it shoot out your hole. And it’s so disgusting and gross!

 

So I was performing, and wearing all white, and it would shoot out of my hole in orange grease, because the pills have an orange capsule that looks like pepperoni grease,” Cho laughingly described. “And I’m doing my show, and I’m killing, but I’m also shooting oil out of my hole while I’m talking.

 

I realized I had to finish and I walked off stage backwards. Fortunately the car was next to the backstage, and I just left and could hear the applause as I was driving away. Because of diet issues, I have sh** in my car more than any other female entertainer.

 

Some people have Grammys, and I have sh** in my car. That’s the kind of performer and person I am.” Cho is also the kind of performer (anal leakage aside) who tells it like it is, and that sometimes has her asking herself, “Did I cross the line with that joke?”

 

“Oh yeah, all the time,” she responded. “I’m never one to shy away from things; there are just jokes that I think are really brilliant, but so mean that you can’t really do them. Like I was doing one where I said I really love drugs, but I don’t want to O.D.

 

So I made a list of all the drugs that I did, so I won’t die, I made a Heath’s Ledger. I think it’s a genius joke, but it’s so mean, and I love Heath. But I think people should cross the line; that’s just
part of it.”

A new part of her stage repertoire will include performing songs off of her CD, which entailed her enlisting the help of musicians Ani DiFranco, Tegan and Sara, Jon Brion, Grant Lee-Phillips and others. However, there was one artist in particular who motivated the project.

 

“It’s all kind of inspired by Bette Midler,” Cho said. “I always think of Bette Midler as a comedian, and she is not officially, but she really is. She’s a really funny performer, and yet, she has this amazing voice.”

 

“So I wanted to make an album that was amazing musically, and even though I don’t have a voice like Bette Midler, I can belt pretty good. What’s great about the album is that it’s really beautiful music, but it’s also funny lyrics, too. I think it works on a couple of different levels, which I love.”

 

And, what’s not to love about a tracklisting that includes the tunes, “Your D**k,” “Eat Sh** and Die,” “Gimme Your Seed,” “Calling in Stoned,” “My Puss” and “Captain Cameltoe?”

Speaking of the tracklisting…Amazon.com felt the need to let buyers beware that all of the songs, with the exception of one called “Lice,” were “explicit.”

 

One would think that would be fairly self explanatory, ok? And, not-so-surprisingly, customers who buy Cho Dependent are apt to purchase the latest CDs by Scissor Sisters and Kylie Minogue… hmm, that’s queer.

 

“Oh, I love that!” Cho exclaimed upon hearing that bit of information. “That’s perfect!” Something else that struck Cho as perfect is how the songwriting process was a natural offshoot of writing standup material.

 

“Standup comedy, in a lot of ways, is like songwriting in that it’s about the economy of words, using the right words and finding the right way to say things in a brief and clever way that fits the rhythm of what you’re doing,” she stated. “Songwriting is something I was prepared to do; it came fairly easily, because of just understanding the way language works and what I could do with it.”

 

Something that fans may have a hard time understanding is that underneath it all, Cho is actually, gasp, a shy person. She has, after all, been very candid about her personal life during her performances, and was equally so when relaying this part of her that most people don’t get to see. 

 

“I think that ultimately I’m a pretty shy person,” she said. “And I don’t really have an outgoing personality, in general. So the fact that I’m quiet is a really surprising thing for people, I think. I’m often at a loss for words, which is okay, but it’s something that people can’t believe.

 

For me, you want to perform and be strong and be powerful. But at the same time, it takes too much energy to maintain that kind of wild energy all of the time.”

 

Storyteller and monologist, Miss Coco Peru grew up in the Bronx on City Island and got her start as a downtown favorite in the cabaret world of NYC after she wrote, produced, directed and starred in her first show, “Miss Coco Peru in My Goddamn Cabaret,” in the early 90s.

 

On screen, Miss Coco Peru is best known for her roles in Jim Fall’s Trick (Sundance 1999) and Richard Day’s comedy Girls Will Be Girls.

 

Other film appearances include To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, and Straight-Jacket. Coco can be heard in the Disney animated feature, The Wild as Mamma Hippo! Coco has appeared on TV in Arrested Development, Twins, Will and Grace, Bravo’s Boy Meets Boy, Sexiest Moments in Film, Welcome to the Parker as well as in an Orbitz commercial that was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.

 

On MTV’s gay network, LOGO, Coco can be seen in her very own half-hour comedy special taped as part of the Wisecrack series and in the recently released one night stand-up, DRAGTASTIC, which debuted in January.

 

Coco’s live, one-person shows include: Miss Coco Peru in My Goddamn Cabaret, Miss Coco Peru: A Legend in Progress, Miss Coco Peru at the Westbeth Theatre, Miss Coco Peru’s Liquid Universe, Miss Coco Peru’s Universe, Miss Coco Peru’s Glorious Wounds… She’s Damaged, Miss Coco Peru is Undaunted, and most recently, UGLY COCO.

 

Coco’s shows have been performed to sold-out audiences in theatres, clubs, restaurants, ballrooms and cabarets throughout the United States and abroad. Coco’s live shows have won her numerous nominations and awards including MAC and Bistro Awards, GLAAD nominations, a GLAAD Award and an Ovation Nomination.

 

An avid traveler, Coco has appeared in theatres and clubs across America as well as appearances in London, Sydney and Lisbon. Coco is proud to say that she has performed in such diverse places as a yacht in the Mediterranean, a living room in Pittsburgh and a nudist camp in the mountains of Malibu. She is also available for children’s parties!

 

Coco Peru can be seen in Long Beach on Thursday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Theatre. This special engagement will be benefiting Long Beach LGBT Youth. For more information visit misscocoperu.com. The Rage Monthly caught up with her to chat about all things Coco.

Miss Coco Peru: Three reps of 15 and cardio, cardio, cardio!

 

Coco: I love when I get feedback from young gay people who tell me that my show or appearances on Logo helped them in a positive way to deal with their own identity. Recently, a young guy came up to me in Provincetown after my show and said, “I love your anger. We’re not angry enough and you inspired me.” I was in heaven!

Coco: Rinse immediately with water! And stay indoors for at least 12 hours. No one wants to see your red, swollen eye, girl.

Coco: I think you can be an over-the-top painted clown and be both successful and legit, however, I would say that what is most important in the entertainment world is to respect the people you are working with and to be kind.

 

I work with a lot of people and I always hear how they have to deal with “divas,” and the added stress and disrespect they feel. Having to behave like a diva is a sign of insecurity. A true professional must rise above that.

Coco: Talk about a true pro! Bea was my icon and she was so kind to me. I was obsessed with her as a child and that love of her continued in my adult years, so to that fact, I am still amazed that I not only met her, but also became a friend of hers.

 

Her generosity and the time she took to be present with me really meant the world to me and so I try to be that kind of person as well.

Coco: Well, when my partner first came out to his family in Spain, his father didn’t want to meet me or really know anything about me. However, with time he had a change of heart and welcomed me into his home year after year.

 

I think this proves that it is never too late to change and that it is important to come out so that our loved ones have the incredible opportunity to have that change of heart. However, if someone chooses not to accept us, at least we had the courage to be ourselves and give them that gift to perhaps become a more loving person.

 

Coco: My parents were somewhat used to my “creativity” since childhood. They just sort of thought it was another one of my creative phases. They were more nervous about the fact that I was going to talk openly about being gay onstage; they thought people would throw things at me!

 

I am proud to say that both my parents were at my first show. They stood and watched me in my first Gay Pride parade as Coco. And to this day, my mom (my dad passed away in ’94) comes to see me perform.

 

Coco: I think it’s embarrassing that the U.S., a country that was a leader in progressive thought, has fallen so far behind on this and many other issues. One day it will seem impossible that this was even a problem. And to think of all the money wasted having to fight this issue! A double shame!

 

Coco: Being a recovering Catholic and growing up an effeminate boy in the Bronx, you might say I had some “issues.” Later, when I trained to be an actor in university, one of the notes I kept getting from my professors was that if I was ever was going to be a working actor, I needed to “butch up” and “lose the Bronx accent.”

 

I knew these two things were never going to be possible for me but I also had a sense that part of what made me funny as a person was my Bronx accent and my “gayness.” One day I had a calling to do drag and my life changed in that moment.

 

I experienced a liberation that allowed me to know that there was no turning back and three months after that decision to do drag, I performed my first show in a popular N.Y.C. cabaret club and immediately became a sort of cult figure in the N.Y.C. drag/cabaret world.

 

Part of my mission back then was that I wanted people to watch my show and forget that they were watching a man in a dress, and instead relate to the story. If they could do that, then perhaps we could all remember that what matters in life and in our relationships with others isn’t really what’s on the outside, but what’s on the inside.

 

Of course, that was all when I was very young. Nowadays, my mission is to make cold, hard cash!

 

Coco: Well, there have been so many! One time, I wore a very short skirt onstage and my stockings slid down below the hemline of the skirt, and although I was aware that it was happening, I thought to myself, “I’m sure no one even notices.” After the show, my straight, N.Y.C. police officer brother pointed and whispered, “low crotch.” I was mortified!

by tim parks

 

To say that Reichen Lehmkuhl is militant when it comes to raising awareness regarding lifting the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, would not be an understatement at all. 

 

In fact, it perfectly encapsulates the 36-year-old’s passion for spreading the word on the political hot potato, which he will next address during his appearance at Deployment Vegas.

 

The event, being held in Sin City on August 13-15, is an annual gathering for gay military men and those who champion them.

 

Lehmkuhl, who served as a Captain in the Air Force prior to his honorable discharge, has since spent his time in the trenches as a spokesperson for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and has a flight-themed jewelry line, Flying Naked, with proceeds benefiting the aforementioned organization.

 

It has been seven years since Lehmkuhl, and then partner Chip Arndt, won “The Amazing Race”; and he is now in the midst of dipping his toe back into the reality TV pool with his appearance on the upcoming LOGO series, “The A List: New York,” which has been likened to Bravo’s popular “Real Housewives” franchise, and features him and his boyfriend Rodiney Santiago in their day-to-day existence.

 

Lehmkuhl took time out his very busy schedule, which also includes taping of the new series and his starring role in the off-Broadway production of My Big Gay Italian Wedding, to chat with The Rage Monthly about a number of reality-themed topics; from being affiliated as one of its stars to the realism of there being a lifting of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

 

Seeing as Lehmkuhl has been one of the few LGBT faces to win on a reality competition, we thought we’d get his two cents worth on how these shows represent the community as a whole.

 

“I think depending on the show, it’s portraying all different sides of the gay community,” he said, “It’s funny, as I get older, I’ve come to learn that there are so many kinds of people who happen to be gay; that you can’t fault any single show for depicting the gay community any single way.

 

Because who’s to say that straight acting gay people should be more acceptable than feminine acting gay people, or professional gay people should be regarded in a higher esteem than artsy gay people?"

 

“I’m kind of at the point where I’m non-judgmental about all of the different kinds of gay people that are in the community.”   

 

As far as which of the many reality shows that populate the airwaves, he does have a favorite that he’s partial to, in terms of how the community are showcased on it. “‘The Amazing Race’ has done it the best, because they’ve shown a lot of different kinds of gay people,” he answered.

 

“They’ve embraced the whole spectrum of the gay community. Our gay watchdog organizations that we have; there’s almost this pressure to show the gay community in a way that might be more acceptable to the straight community,” he explained.

 

“So that we have a better chance of getting rights, and I’m getting militant in my older age in saying, ‘We should be able to be how we are, and still be respected to have the same rights as everyone else.’ When you’re talking about reality shows, especially ‘The Amazing Race, ‘ I think they applaud that mindset.”

 

One mindset that may not have Lehmkuhl giving a standing ovation to is the labeling of being a “reality star,” as he has branched out into other avenues of the entertainment field with acting roles, including his turn as Trevor on “Dante’s Cove.”

 

He explained his connotation of the term. “Ah, reality star,” he said with a laugh. “Someone who has a really hard time getting respect in the legitimate acting world; I think it takes a special kind of person to really stick with it, and try to parlay their reality world fame into things that are more constructive and respected more in the entertainment industry.”

 

As previously mentioned, he is in the midst of filming “The A List: New York” and is both “totally excited and scared to death” to be swimming back in the waters of reality TV, as this experience is far different than his turn on “The Amazing Race.”

 

“It’s scary, the cameras are with me all the time,” he stated. “It’s an eight episode series, and we’re shooting for three and a half months; and the show is with me, basically, six days a week and sometimes twelve hours a day."

 

“And they’re showing everything,” Lehmkuhl exclaimed. “Viewers of the show are going to see my life, like my family and friends probably haven’t even seen it. It’s so intense, this show, and it’s scary to be opened up like that. But at the same time, it’s so much fun and so exciting.”

 

As far as the series being similar to the Real Housewives brand, Lehmkuhl feels that it will stand on its own merit.

 

“It’s definitely a unique show, because it will be the only one that’s totally gay and depicting these six guys’ lives,” he professed.

 

“You’ll be able to relate to it more, and there’s every kind of gay person on the show – name the kind of guy and he’s on there. I think everyone’s going to have a favorite and everyone’s going to have someone they hate.

 

And, I think the show will be appealing to a lot of people outside of the gay community, because it’s a kind of social experiment.”  

 

Another aspect that he sees as beneficial is that it’s a great cross-promotional tool for the gay rights causes he supports through appearances on the lecture circuit, as well as highlighting his attempts to eek out time to write a tongue-in-cheek follow-up to his 2006 memoir Here’s What We’ll Say, which he plans to title It Will Be Great Exposure.

 

“I’m having a time in my life, where I’m not getting the chance to sit down and write,” he recounted. “I’m actually heading to a store right now to buy a desk, so I can sit down and write more.

 

The first quarter will be my time as a gay officer in the Air Force and everything I went through living a double life, and then I’ll go into meeting Chip, doing “The Amazing Race,” meeting Lance (Bass) and going through a breakup on the grocery store newsstand tabloids.

 

“I’ve been through some other really hard stuff that I’m going to reveal and open up about, hopefully to help other people who might have gone through the same things.”

 

And this is the exact reason why he became involved with Deployment Vegas, as he knows first hand about the types of experience the military men have gone through.

 

“It’s really important for me and I feel so lucky to have been invited by the organization to speak to them,” Lehmkuhl said. “And I know it’s an organization that relates to me and what I’ve been through, and I relate to them and what they’ve been through."

 

“I think it will benefit me as much as it will benefit them (the men participating). I’ll love getting together with these guys and having that camaraderie with them, and we can all talk and share stories.

 

To stand before them and tell my story is cool, but I want to hear their stories, as much as they might want to hear mine. When you’re in the military and you’re gay, you withstand emotional torture leading a double life and it’s very difficult.”

 

If Lehmkuhl had his druthers, and in a perfect world, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would become a thing of the past. “If I had it my way, I would be best friends with the President and talk him into signing an executive order to stop the discharges immediately,” he proclaimed.

 

“At two discharges a day, at the rate we’re running, I’d put all those discharges on the shoulders of the President. "We’re really torturing people who are willing to give their lives in their profession; name one other profession where people are willing to give an actual beating heart for that profession,” he stated.

 

“You’re taking those kinds of honorable people and ripping them from their careers, humiliating them, and everyday we’re doing this to a couple of men and women. It has to stop! In an ideal world, which is not the one we live in, that’s what I would do."

 

“In the real world, I have high hopes that the Senate will pass this Defense Budget Bill. It’s a lot of work and will take a lot of convincing.”

by bill biss & brad shaw

 

78-year-old entertainer Mitzi Gaynor is still bringing audiences her specialty, by giving them the old razzle dazzle with her one-woman show, Razzle Dazzle: My Life Behind the Sequins, which she will perform at The Welk Resorts Theatre September 2 through September 5.

 

A rare triple-threat commodity in the world of the business known as show, Miss Gaynor has been singing, dancing and acting her way into the hearts of fans for over 60 years now, and along the way has worked with the likes of Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and even Marilyn Monroe.

 

Her film resume is chock full of stellar celluloid moments, in which she was able to showcase all of her talents, in films such as There’s No Business Like Show Business, Les Girls and Anything Goes.

 

Her turn as Nellie Forbush in 1958’s South Pacific saw Gaynor not only wash that man right outta of her hair in a lyrical sense, but she was also nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actress for the role she is most identified with.

 

However, being the true entertainer that she is, Gaynor also parlayed her film credits into a successful run as a Las Vegas headliner for many years, while she also hit the road with her incomparable knack for song and dance.

 

And, she provided small screen viewers with glimmers of flash and dazzle in a series of annual specials that aired throughout the 1960s and into the late ’70s. A collection of these gems became an Emmy-winning documentary, “Mitzi Gaynor Razzle Dazzle: The Special Years,” which marked the seventh such accolade that the venerable showstopper has garnered over her storied career, while off camera, she enjoyed a 52-year marriage to Jack Bean, who passed away in 2006.

   

The Rage Monthly chatted with the very charming Gaynor about her showbiz past, the slap happy nature of Les Girls director George Cukor, memories of co-stars and the current crop of musicals.  

 

Mitzi Gaynor: Oh, aren’t you dear? Thank you so much, that’s very, very nice!

 

MG: When my husband, Jack Bean, told me who I was going to do a picture with, of course I just really flipped out, because of starring with Bing Crosby. I had been such a big fan of his for all of my life and I grew up listening to him.

 

We got along extremely well; he was a Taurus and I’m a Virgo, and Taurus’ and Virgo’s get along very well together. And Bing used to call me “Brookie,” and I asked him why. He said that when I walked away my little fanny looked like a Brook trout going upstream.

 

And, of course I got to dance with Donald (O’Connor), and in Show Business I was his sister. Some of the best dancing I know that I ever did was with Donald; when we did “De-Lovely” together that was so beautiful.   

 

MG: That was because of Ernie Flatt; Ernie Flatt and I started out in show business together and we were very good friends. And when I got to do this, Zizi Jeanmaire (her co-star) had her husband do her numbers, and the big coup was that I got to do the number for “Anything Goes.”

 

MG: Well, I was supposed to do White Christmas with Donald, and he was sick, so they got Danny Kaye. And Danny Kaye had done movies with Vera-Ellen, so I was out, Donald was out and Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen were in.

 

If I could live my life over again I would, honest to God, live it at Paramount; because the studio powers-that-be wanted Donald and I to do musical versions of Preston Sturges’ Miracle on Morgan Creek, The Palm Beach Story and all of those wonderful movies. But Donald wanted to do something else, so that didn’t work.

 

 

MG: One time Gene Kelly said, “He’s so full of sh**!” Cukor was a slapper and he couldn’t slap me, because I would have punched him out. So, he couldn’t smack me, he couldn’t smack Gene Kelly, and he certainly wasn’t going to smack Kay Kendall, so he kind of smacked Taina Elg. So, we did our very best to not do anything wrong, so Taina wouldn’t get smacked.

 

I’m telling you all kinds of bad things, but it was fun, and his personality would just radiate in the morning when you’d come in. As soon as you’d walk in on the set there would be music and he’d say, “Darling, my beautiful cast, come darlings, come, come, come and give me a kiss,” and then we’d go to work. He made everything fun.     

MG: Jack Cole did the choreography, but he came down with Hepatitis and had to quit. So, Gene did our motorcycle number that he and I did together. And, I think that’s really good work.

 

Gene, the dear heart that he was, was let go and this was going to be the end of his tenure at Metro, after all he had done for musical films, my God; and we never ever knew a thing, because he didn’t have any cross words with us or anybody.

 

MG: Marilyn worked like a dog for Jack Cole for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Jane Russell would say, “I’m tired, I’m going home.” And Marilyn would practically be on her hands and knees saying, “No, but I’ll do it another time.”

 

Because she wanted to do such a good job, and I thought she was fabulous in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. And think of how great she was in There’s No Business Like Show Business in that number that she did, “Heat Wave.”   

 

MG: I can say that it wasn’t hard, because I was lucky enough that Jack could be with me all the time. I didn’t go on the road by myself, in other words. Jack and I were like one person.

 

MG: Ten years ago, there was no such thing as a musical. And now, of course, with “Glee” and with “Dancing with the Stars” and all those things, life is changing a lot and kids really want to learn to dance. 

 

I’m the president of the board of directors of Professional Dancers Society, and one of our members is Joe Tremaine, who has these fabulous schools; and he says that his teachers have never been so busy, because people want to dance, dance is joy.    

 

by tim parks

 

Musician Dave Koz is experiencing the professional equivalent of being on cloud nine, as he has been nominated as “Entertainer of the Year” for the inaugural American Smooth Jazz Awards, being held in Michigan City, Indiana on October 29. 

 

As if this weren’t enough of a celestial boost, Koz literally saw stars, in the singular sense, when he was presented with his very own on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last September. 

 

The venerable saxophonist is currently touring with guitarist Jonathan Butler and percussionist Sheila E., and Southern Californians can catch him at the Long Beach Jazz Festival on August 14 and the Thornton Winery in Temecula on August 28 and 29.

 

The 47-year-old is also readying his forthcoming CD,   Hello Tomorrow, for an October 19 release date. His latest effort features the openly gay performer’s rendition of Herb Alpert’s song “This Guy’s in Love With You,” on which he sings.

 

This is quite indicative of the new musical ground he’s treading upon by stepping outside of his comfort zone, as he told The Rage Monthly. 

 

Dave Koz: I was born and raised in California and Los Angeles. I kind of grew up where stars were in the back yard. I use to go with my parents and walk down the street and look at those names. I’d ask my mom, “Who’s this and who’s that?”

 

Now, somebody can be walking with their parents and walk over to my star and say, “Who the hell is Dave Koz (laughter)?” It all comes full circle. To say the word “surreal” doesn’t even do it justice. It was such an outrageously “pinch me” moment.

 

How did this happen? How did I get here? I just kind of embraced it. I had a great time and was surrounded by family, friends, colleagues and fans. It was a day I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.

DK: I went 20 years on Capitol Records as an artist there. When I found out that the star was coming, I scoped out a spot. I kept my fingers crossed and prayed that they would actually give it to me. And they did! It’s right at the front door.

 

You’ve got Garth Brooks, Bonnie Raitt, all The Beatles, Natalie Cole and all these huge megastars and there’s me (laughter).

DK: Jonathan and I have known each other for years. He and I are like kindred spirits. He likes to call us, “brothers from another mother.” As for playing with both of them, what is most exciting or exhilarating is that they are completely on the edge of unpredictability.

 

They’re so much alike, the two of them in that you never know what really is going to happen. There is a lot of spontaneity on stage. For someone like me, even though sometimes it’s terrifying or scary, I really love being pushed and prodded that way on stage. It makes for an always interesting and entertaining show. Inside of that well-rehearsed show are huge chunks that are completely improvisational.

 

I love watching the reaction of the audience to Sheila. First of all, she’s gorgeous. She wears these huge high heels. Then, she gets behind a drum set and kills it!

 

DK: It’s kind of an important thing now, especially because radio’s been so strange, with a lot of radio stations flipping formats. So, it’s nice to have this organization set up to pay some attention to the music that’s been on the airwaves for a long time, and in a lot of people’s hearts, too.

 

DK: They put on a fantastic show there, and also because you are surrounded by your contemporaries that are there with other bands, every group that’s on the stage realizes they have to bring their A game, so the music’s always great. It’s nice to see friends that you may not see very often, too.   

DK: I’m very excited about this album; it’s my debut for Concorde Records. I work with the great Marcus Miller, who’s a bass player and producer, and John Burk who is the other producer. This is a very live recording with live musicians – the best musicians on the planet.

 

And what the title signifies to me on a personal level, and I think for a lot of people of a certain age – myself included – who are trying to figure out how to embrace the amount of change that’s going on in the world; and how do we see ourselves in this next chapter as we turn the page.

 

Because there is so much going on, everything we counted on as the pillars on which we built our lives, everything has changed; trying to find solid ground right now is very difficult.

 

So I wanted to combat that with a recording that would hopefully awaken people on a musical level to, in a sense, embrace the future. There’s a lot of embracing the discomfort zone on this album for me, and it’s a very hopeful album.

DK: I ended up singing because I heard it with different ears this time. It’s always been one of my favorite songs, but I heard it within the framework of the time that we’re living in, especially as a gay man, the time for gay marriage is now. It’s not even let’s argue about it or have a conversation about it; it’s so much like, “Yes, now’s the time.”

 

And I heard that song as being somewhat of a gay marriage anthem, I just heard it that way. I called up Herb Alpert, whose one of my chief mentors in life, because I wanted to get his blessing on this reworking of the song.

 

And he said, “Not only do you have my blessing, but send me the track, I might see if I can play a couple of notes on it.” So he does play on it, and that makes it extra special to have the guy who made the song famous be on this version of it.

 

DK: I think this music digs way deeper down and drills down to another place than I’ve done in the past; a lot of it has to do with him. His overriding musicality is so entrenched and so deep, and when you have that kind of thing that goes way down deep, you can build these much more elaborate structures on top of it, because you have the foundation there to hold it.

 

And that’s what he provides, both figuratively and also phonically, he was a major source of foundation for me to try these things. He really pushed and prodded me in a bunch of different ways. I was so out of my comfort zone, that for the first couple of days of recording I was not enjoying it.

 

Then I settled into it and realized this is what the album is exactly about, which is the essence of being alive in 2010. It’s been a real journey, in fact, he wrote a song for this album called “The Journey,” and that’s really what the album making process was like; and what I feel that my life process has been.

 

It’s been a wonderful journey up until this point, and, in many ways I feel that the best is yet to come.

by bill biss

 

In the history of popular music, sometimes “it takes two, baby, to make a dream come true.” Such is the case with the magical and very musical duo of Nikki and Rich.

 

The combination of Rich Skillz’s musicianship, production and music writing combined with Nikki Leonti’s amazingly powerful, sensual and chameleon-like voice and lyrical skills create major sparks on their Reprise debut CD called Everything.

 

The Rage Monthly spoke with the two of them just weeks before their release drops on August 17. Let’s find out more about this dynamic duo, shall we?

Nikki and Rich: (laughter)

 

Nikki: I like that.

 

 

Nikki and Rich: Thank you.

 

 

Rich: It was amazing. I just heard this power in this voice. I think the first thing that hit me was not so much how I was blown away…that was an instant. But, the fact that I was excited to get something. The music that she had played me, I felt she wasn’t using what she had in her.

 

She had acoustic and country and all that. It was all great, but I really thought with her voice and us doing this kind of soul and pop thing that we do, would really work with her. I completely changed my whole production style accordingly. She was just this raw talent that came in and I was just blown away.

 

Nikki: Yes, but that was definitely a collaboration with Rich and myself. It’s a subject matter that maybe strays a little differently from what a lot of people speak of when they talk about relationships. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album.

 

Rich: That’s the funny thing about that song is the false sense of “this is the woman allowing the guy to take the lead.” It’s not like: you can take the lead…you’re being allowed to (laughter).

 

Nikki: Wow. We had a few different orders on the record before we determined how it would be done.

 

Rich: We got some input from our A&R person, Watts Russell. He was very intricate in helping with that. We had our original order and then the new order kind of changed very lightly.

 

Nikki and Rich: (laughter)

 

Rich: I agree with you there.

 

Nikki: I was 16 at the time. At the church we were going to, somebody snuck me a copy of Mariah Carey’s Music Box and her Christmas album. So, when my parents would leave, I would play that record.

 

That was my first exposure to anything non-Christian. I was blown away by the vocals and everything she did.

 

That was the first. Later, when I was 18 and out of the house, I was listening to James Taylor and Chicago.

 

Nikki: The whole Wizard of Oz movie has been like my life-obsession. I always wanted to infuse something of that into a song lyrically. The well-known concept of the yellow brick road was something that meant something to me.

 

I have an “Over the Rainbow” tattoo on my arm. I’m pretty crazy. For me, that song was an opportunity to be a little more poetic and to not be as pop with the lyrics. 

 

I’m such a daydreamer and you want to believe that there is this happy road that leads you exactly where you need to be. Sometimes, it’s not that way.

 

Nikki: Richard here. Mr. Rich Skillz’s music is so exciting for me to hear. The music is what always inspires me when I’m going to write something. It got me completely excited and I knew it was something that could really go there, and indeed Rich took it there (laughter).

 

Rich: Awww.

Rich: It’s funny. That song was particularly inspired by Barbra Streisand. We were listening to her and Barry Gibb’s record when we were outside while we were making this record. We both kind of caught on to how effortlessly she sings and how beautifully she hits everything.

 

Nikki: And lazily sometimes, she just flows completely with the rhythm of a song. Rich was telling me to try something like that and to really relax on the vocals.

Rich: Absolutely. We’re jumping right back on the road. We’re just going to be doing a ton of shows. We also have a couple of big album release shows that we’re going to do.

 

We have Jimmy Kimmel Live set up and a bunch of other things set up right around the album release time.

 

 

Rich: We appreciate that. We definitely love that era and we incorporated that into our record. We like it. But…we definitely made sure that we got everything that we loved. That’s true R&B, true Soul. Even like a Lauren Hill-type of music to even having Hip-Hop in there, we tried to blend all the things we like.

 

Nikki: Yeah. It’s not a throwback record. If you listen to “Next Best Thing” it’s obvious it’s using part of the sounds of the 1960s but like you said, there is a common thread. It all fits but it’s not a throwback-stylized record.

Nikki and Rich: No problem. Thanks so much.

by bill biss

Devo hasn’t lost a bit of their zip on the new CD called Something for Everybody. It’s very clean Devo and as the band is known for, the songs combine a double dose of clarity and cleverness.

 

The group is headlining the San Diego Pride Festival this year. So, for those across Southern California who have “devolutionized” with Devo since their very first album in 1978, come on down to the festival on Sunday night, July 18 at 7:15 p.m. to be thoroughly entertained with their live performance.

 

Mark Mothersbaugh took a few minutes out of his schedule to talk with The Rage Monthly about the new work and share a few memories along the way.

 

Mark Mothersbaugh: I tell ya, TCM is my favorite TV channel. She’s embedded in my brain, that’s for sure. I see her movies all the time. I’ll tell you the history of the song. I actually wrote the music to be the main theme for a movie I was scoring at the time called Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

 

It was the first piece of music I played for the two young directors. It was their first film. They reacted to it really positively. Then I wrote something else for the picture and that first piece didn’t get used. I loved the theme so much and thought it was a great song.

 

So, I took an instrumental copy of it and gave it to Jerry [Casale, Devo bandmate]. He came back the next day with a whole set of lyrics. So, we have to ask him about Judy Garland (laughter).

MM: We started writing music because Jerry and I were at Kent State. We were there and my brother was there too. We were there protesting the war in Vietnam and they shot kids at Kent. They killed kids at Kent.

 

So, our school got shut down. We were both art students and collaborated together on visual projects. We were talking about the world around us and decided that we were seeing things devolve rather than evolve.

 

We felt like during the early 1970s, it became this time when people realized there was an upper barrier or glass ceiling to democracy and to things in our culture. You could protest but not too much, or want to try and change things but not too fast.

 

MM: We saw music that all of a sudden…the Bob Dylan’s disappeared. The people with messages disappeared. Music kind of took a turn to the right with concert rock…bands like Foreigner, Styx. With a lot of the music, the politics were “I’m white. I’m stupid. I’m a misogynist and I’m proud of it. I’m a conspicuous consumer.” Those things.

 

The music that sounded the best was disco. But, disco was like a pretty girl with a beautiful body but no brain. Most of the lyrics were like “I’m gonna party all the time.”

 

MM: We were thinking we want to take the best of what was going on with electronic music and Rock and Roll and still talk about ideas.

MM: Ah, thanks.

 

MM: It seemed kind of counter-intuitive back some thirty some years ago and going “been there, done that.” But, when we went into Warner Brothers, we went in there and talked to people six months ago, it just seemed like a good time.

 

The one thing that we asked for was, we said, “Can we use an ad agency to do the marketing for the record?” The ad agency put together a lot of video with us. It was just a way to try and engage people with a band that had let our branding kind of dissipate over the last 20 years. It’s been a lot of fun.

 

MM: Just the idea that we can do it in a different way is exciting for us. You have to understand. In 1978, when we went into Warner Brothers, they said, “Come on in. We’re going to have a marketing meeting. We went in to find out what they were going to do to sell our record.

 

We walked into this room with all these people. One guy goes, “Okay. Here’s our marketing plan. We’re going to make life-size cut-outs of you guys and put them in every record store in the country.” Then, he smiled and folded his arms leaning back in his chair. That was their marketing strategy! It was that easy back in those days.

MM: One of the things that worked to our benefit was we spent a lot of time in West Hollywood at the studio. Our first album…we got to put three or four years into it before it came out. Every album after that, it was like three months. You had to get off tour and then quickly turn around a new album.

 

Write it, record it and make a video and go out on tour again. This album, we put almost three years into it. This was the first time we had the luxury of putting all that time into the record. I think we ended up with a good record because of it. The idea, that we didn’t just fire something out as fast as we could.

 

MM: I’m totally pleased we get to do this show. It was really a nice phone call to get…when we got invited to it.

 

by bill biss

Ariel Aparicio is a husband, father, restaurant owner and rocker. This dynamo of Rock and Roll energy mixed with his fiery Cuban spirit will take the Latin stage of this year’s San Diego Pride festival stage.

 

His latest hit on LOGO is called “Lucille” and is a fun spin through the nightlife scene and a few transvestites along the way. Right in the middle of Pride season, Ariel spent a few minutes on the phone from New York with The Rage Monthly.

 

He’s got a great sense of humor, obvious musicianship and he is furthering exposure to other out gay artists also. For performance time on Pride Weekend, July 17-18, please go to sandiegopride.org or arielaparicio.com.

Ariel Aparicio: I call it Rock n’ Roll. Wow. What a surprise huh? My influences run from classic rock, “New Wave” and punk…it’s all in there. I’d rather just generalize it and call it “rock.”

 

Hopefully those who listen, maybe they’ll come up with their own term of endearment (laughter). It’s constantly trying different things. It probably will never be just one particular sound.

AA: Thanks, now “Lucille” sounds totally different than anything else we’ve ever done.

 

AA: It’s been fantastic. I’m really excited. I’m kind of like a twitter geek and I’m constantly on there and it’s got amazing response. Right after it debuted, it also hit the MTVmusic.com website. It was phenomenal. Just under twenty-four hours, it went to number 21 on the charts. It’s just been great.

AA: The truth is the band is called “The Hired Guns” because that’s what they are. I collaborate really with Steve Dawson who is my lead guitar player. We’ve been a team for seven or eight years now. The rest of the musicians kind of just come in and out.

 

Paul Garisto on drums when he’s available. He is actually a regular member and drummer for The Psychedelic Furs.

AA: I worked at The Pallidium as a busboy and actually, even more interesting, was as a bathroom attendant. That was the best gig I’ve ever had! I made so much money. That’s really where I met so many people…everyone has to go to the john. It was actually the cool place to hang out.

 

People would come down and go into the stall and do their thang (laughter). I always had music blasting. I always brought my own box of music. Literally, I hung out with Boy George many times. Mick Jagger came down once and Andy Warhol always! There were quite a few characters there.

 

AA: “Freedom of Expression” is sponsored by OUTMusic. They are in the forefront of allowing gay artists to be comfortable with their sexuality, basically. The “Freedom of Expression” campaign was a commercial that several out artists did to just do that and express our thoughts freely with our music and our art.

 

To not at all, hide our sexuality. That’s one thing I’m very “pro” on. I hope younger artists today do the same. When I was younger and playing music, I was a little intimidated and afraid to be “out.” Fortunately, I overcame that and it just made me a better person and a better artist. I just hope we can do the same for others.

AA: That was really amazing! Queens Pride was just packed. So many people! I didn’t expect it to be that packed and that hot. They situate the Pride right in the heart of Queens so it felt like it was 120 degrees.

 

I felt like it went on for a mile. I could just see heads forever. Everyone was very receptive and the sound was good! It was a great way to kick-off our Pride tour here.