MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

JUDY GOLD

From fielding queries about raising her sons as homosexuals, to making sure that all of her cash faces in the same direction, to being a piano in a gay bar, it’s all in a day’s work for comic Judy Gold.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIC KORENMAN

Where did you grow up?  In Clark, New Jersey.  What do miss about it there?  What do I miss?  Nothing.  Where do you live now?  I live on the Upper West Side of New York City.  What’s special about it there that isn’t common knowledge?  The Upper West Side is home to the city’s four remaining phone booths.  What’s the strangest thing that even happened to you on stage?  I was performing on a RSVP cruise in the main theatre, when the captain came on to say that there was a small fire on board and that everyone should remain in place.  While he was talking about how minor the fire was, he kept having to interrupt himself so he could cough. Then the electricity went out, the generators went on, and I just kept on going and finished the show.  People still stop me to this day to tell me they were there.  It ended up being a great and memorable show!

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Can comics go too far, or does it only come down to if the material is funny or not?  It’s 100 percent about “the funny.”  You can talk about any subversive topic, but it better be funny.  What comic do you admire?  Joan Rivers.  What’s one of the funniest TV shows ever? The Office.  What’s harder to handle—an audience member who gets offended and visibly walks out, or one who stares at you with no reaction?  They both suck.  But often times the starer is deaf.  What audience member was the worst so far?  There’s not enough space or time.  What’s your dream role?  Maude.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  I’ve been doing stand-up since I was 19-years-old, so I haven’t had that many “job” jobs.  Although, I was a toll collector on the New Jersey Turnpike the summer in between my freshman and sophomore years in college.  I still make sure that all of my cash faces the same direction.

If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  As a good mother, kind, funny and honest. Oh, and really thin.  Will you ever retire?  Absolutely not.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  Whether or not I’ll be raising my kids as homosexuals.  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Michelle Obama.  What do you want to live long enough to see?  Trump in handcuffs.  Oh, and my grandchildren.  What’s your favorite drink?  Strong black coffee.  What’s your most treasured possession?  Memories.  Do you believe in ghosts?  Sometimes.  Either living or dead, who would you love to have lunch with?  My father.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  How many phone booths there are on the upper west side.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited?  Israel.

What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  To trust your gut.  What did you learn from your parents?  That just because someone has a big house, nice car, and lots of jewelry, doesn’t mean that they have money.  Who’s your favorite performer?  Really…?  Okay, Barbra…  Young, raw, ambitious Barbra.  What’s your best characteristic?  My sense of humor.  What politician don’t you like?  I can’t believe that you’re even asking me this question.  If that person was drowning, would you save them?  Probably, out of guilt.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Watching my younger son play basketball, eating, reading, eating, tennis, eating, swimming in the ocean, eating, listening to music, eating, and hanging out with my girlfriend and my kids.   Did I mention dining out?  What celebrity do you have a crush on?  You have no idea how jealous my girlfriend can be.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIC KORENMAN

Who do you admire?  Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  Only one…?  I can’t pick.  But I’d love to see my parents.  Where would you go in a time machine?  To 1920s Berlin.  What would your last meal be?  My mother’s stuffed red cabbage, egg noodles and challah.  What do you worry about?  Everything.  What are you afraid of?  Not being able to speak.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  An upright piano in a gay piano bar. Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  I’m a sheep in wolf’s clothing.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My sons do, for unconditional love.  Who are you closest with?  My iPhone.  But we spend way too much time together.  What would your autobiography be called?  The Jewish Book of “Why Me?”.  What’s on your bucket list?  To act on Broadway.  Where can we see you?  On tour or on my website.  I’ll be in Aventura on January 18, and at the Boca Black Box on January 19!

 

 

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN Local Interviews

JOE POSA

Despite touring the country with his one-man show impersonating Joan Rivers, actor Joe Posa still has time to enjoy the “gayness” of Wilton Manors.  But what kind of balls would he have for his last meal?

PHOTOGRAPH BY DENNIS DEAN

Where did you grow up?  I was born in the Bronx, but I grew up in Thiells, New York, in Rockland County.  How long have you lived in South Florida?  For seven years.  Why did you move here?  After living in Manhattan for many years, and then in Boston with my husband Frank Ribaudo, we settled in our home in South Florida.  What part of South Florida do you live in?  In Wilton Manors.  What do you like most about living here?  The gayness!  And of course, the weather.  What South Florida venue do you miss that’s gone?  I so loved The Coliseum.  Where do you hang out in South Florida?  I love the many restaurants, and, of course, the clubs on Wilton Drive.  What’s your claim-to-fame?  I’m an actor, and I also impersonate Joan Rivers, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli and Michael Jackson, to name a few.

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What’s your most cherished experience with Joan Rivers?  Performing at an event in Houston with her but AS her.  We then hung out in her dressing room and talked, and that was amazing.  What’s the best role that you ever did?  Of course, Joan!  I was also Erica Kane on All My Children with Susan Lucci, and Liz Lemon on 30 Rock with Tina Fey.  What’s your dream gig?  I’m living it now performing my Joan Rivers tribute show, The Bitch is Back!, with Joan’s head writer, Tony Tripoli.  We’ve taken it across the U.S. and Mexico!  Other than Joan Rivers, what performer do you admire, and why?  Barbra Streisand, because of her work ethic and her striving-for-excellence in the work.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  All of it prepares you!

WITH TINA FEY

How would you like to be remembered?  Besides as a kind and generous human being, I’d say as a master of illusion in the art of impersonation.  Will you ever retire?  As long as I’m able, I will be onstage!  What’s the weirdest question that a fan has asked?  The ole “where do you put it” question (laughs).  What celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Babs!  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  A new wig (laughs)!  What’s the best place that you’ve visited, and why?  Besides having worked for nearly two decades with my shows in Provincetown, and loving it, I so enjoy working and being in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  What’s your guilty pleasure?  A full-bodied red.  What’s your best characteristic?  My infectious laugh!  Also, my compassion toward others. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY DENNIS DEAN

What’s your fondest childhood memory?  The morning of a “snow day!”  What are you afraid of?  The state that our great country is in.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  That the days are long, yet the years fly by.  What did you learn from your parents?  Humility.  What performer do you admire, and why?  Joan Rivers.  Not only was she the best in what she did, but she defied the odds and was a survivor.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Being with my amazing husband.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be, and why?  Joan Rivers, because we need her humor now more than ever!  Where would you go in a time machine?  I like being in the here-and-now.  What would your last meal be?  Being Italian, I’d have to say my husband’s pasta and balls!

What do you worry about?  Our country, politically, and how we as a people are so divided on many levels.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  I’m a wolf in my work, yet a sheep when I chill.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My husband and my closest friends.  They depend on me for positive words of advice.  Who are you closest with?  My husband, Frank Ribaudo.  What would your autobiography be called?  Me, Myself, and Her…  What music do you listen to when you’re upset?  Light classical.  What’s on your bucket list?  To be a talk-show host!  What’s your greatest regret in life?  I honestly feel that it’s all an amazing journey.  What’s something that you never told anyone else?  Well, I can’t tell you that.  Where can we see you?  At the Mizner Park Cultural Center in Boca Raton on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.!

 

 

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

FIONA O’BRIEN

Through the pain of a recent loss, rising comedian Fiona O’Brien keeps her sense of humor intact as she reveals her likes and dislikes, including how quality control at Cadbury would be her ideal job

PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHELLE DUNLEAVY

Where did you grow up?  In Sutton, Dublin, in Ireland.  Where do you live now?  In Toronto, Canada.  How long have you lived there?  For five years.  What do you like about it?  Tim Hortons.  If you could live anywhere, where would it be?  At my mom’s house. What’s your claim-to-fame?  Being a shit-cool mother fucka.  What comics follow you on Twitter?  Among others, Rosie O’Donnell and Lisa Lampanelli.  Who’s your favorite female comic?  Joan Rivers.  Who’s your favorite male comic?  Tommy Tiernan.  What makes a good stand-up comic?  Confidence, and faith in yourself.

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Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work takes the audience on a year long ride with legendary comedian Joan Rivers in her 76th year of life. Peeling away the mask of an iconic comedian, the film is an emotionally surprising and revealing portrait of one the most hilarious and long-standing career women ever in the business.

What performer are you inspired by?  Joan Rivers, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams.  What’s your favorite film?  Jaws.  What’s your favorite comedy film?  This Is Spinal Tap.  What’s your dream job?  Quality control at Cadbury.  Will you ever retire?  No.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  Lego.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited, and why?  Egypt, because I love the Egyptian history.  What’s the last thing that you watched on TV?  The Sound of Music.  What’s the craziest thing that you ever did?  Gate-crashing a wedding with my friend.  What’s your favorite book?  Watermelon by Marian Keyes.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHELLE DUNLEAVY

What’s the best concert you ever went to?  Tina Turner.  What did you learn from your parents?  That you can’t stop tomorrow from coming.  What’s your best characteristic?  My sense of humor.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Playing around on my phone.  What celebrity do you have a crush on?  Keanu Reeves, but only if he was a mute.  Who do you admire, and why?  My mom and dad, for loving us unconditionally.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be, and why?  My dad.  He died this year, and he was my favorite person.  Where would you go in a time machine, and why?  Back to the day before my wedding.  The “why” is obvious.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN TRUDEAU

What would your last meal be?  Ice cream.  What do you worry about?  Money.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  My daughter said a trumpet.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A wolf.  Who depends on you?  My favorite child does, and also the other two.  Who are you closest with?  My sister, Orla.   What would your autobiography be called?  Are You Feckin’ Serious?  What music do you listen to when you’re upset? The Pointer Sisters.  What’s on your bucket list?  To write a book.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  Not visiting Ireland as often as I could of.  Can you tell me something that you never told anyone else?  Yes.  Where can we see you?  At www.fionaobrien.ca, on my Facebook Web Series, on YouTube, on Twitter, or at a comedy club!