MIKE JEKNAVORIAN Local Interviews

PETER BISUITO

What other comic can be found in a “traditional” sitcom and on Xtube?  Ladies and gentlemen, meet Peter Biscuito.

By Mike Jeknavorian

Where did you grow up?  In Webster, New York.  What do you miss about it there?  My friends and family.  Well, “certain” friends and family.  How long have you lived in South Florida?  For four years.  Why did you move here?  I was living in Buffalo, New York, and I got tired of the cold winters.  What part of South Florida do you live in?  In the best part—Fort Lauderdale.  What do you like most about living here?  The social life.  Where do you hang out in South Florida?  On my couch.  Do you consider yourself more a performer or a producer/writer?  Bitch, please.  I do it all—perform, produce, write, direct, dictate, manage, control and manipulate…  You name it.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  Least prepared me…?  Um, I worked at a bowling alley once.  Nothing that I do now involves bowling or wearing ugly shoes.

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If you’d like to donate to Season 1 of Vent and Chester, you can go to PayPal.com and make a donation to Peter’s account at MyBigFunnyPeter@yahoo.com.

Other than Vent and Chester, of all of your projects in front of the camera, which one was the most special so far?  I performed a sold-out show at the Broward Center in December 2016.  It was the most successful show of my life, and it convinced me that I can be just as famous as anybody else that’s performed there.  Of all your projects behind the camera, which one do you cherish the most?  I used to own a wedding videography business for many years.  My wedding videos were kick-ass!  What’s the weirdest thing that ever happened to you on stage?  I performed at a gay nudist camp in the Pocono Mountains.  Although I didn’t perform nude, I did get naked for the last three minutes of the show.  That felt pretty weird being naked in front of 700 gay men.  However, I did make a lot of friends (laughs).  Who would you kill to perform with or work with?  Well, I wouldn’t kill anybody, but I’d love to work with Madonna or Bette Midler.  What other comic inspired you the most?  Kathleen Madigan.  She was the one who truly inspired me to pursue comedy.  Will you ever retire?  I don’t think I would completely retire, but when I could afford it, I would only work a fraction of the time.  Perhaps on a fun project here and there…

What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  I have fans…?  When did this happen?  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  I met Lou Ferrigno once in 2001.  I was a huge fan of his growing up.  Don’t worry, I never told him that I used to masturbate to his photos.  What’s the last thing that you watched on TV?  Tom Hanks’ documentary series on Netflix about the 1970s.  Wow, Richard Nixon was quite the douche bag.  What’s the craziest thing that you ever did?  Crazy…?  I wish I did crazy things.  I’m the most straight-forward guy you’ll ever meet.  I have a perfect driving record since 1986.  I don’t even have a cavity in my mouth, for god’s sake.  I did walk my dog and didn’t clean up his shit once.  What’s your favorite book?  The bible.  It’s perfect to prop up a couch.  What’s the best concert that you ever went to?  Bugs Bunny in concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in 1999.  Do you still have your childhood blanket or stuffed animal?  No.  They both got too crusty, so my mom threw them away.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  The promo video for Vent and Chester.

What’s the best place that you’ve ever visited?  Amsterdam!  I love that place.  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  My goal is for millions to say, “Peter made me smile.”  What do you want to live long enough to see?  The ability to fly.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  The sciatica really does hurt.  What did you learn from your parents?  How to laugh at myself.  Who’s your favorite performer?  Me!!  What’s your best characteristic?  My heart.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  I love going to the movies with a big bucket of popcorn and soda.  What celebrity do you have crush on?  Mariah Carey.  Who do you admire?  Anybody with a good sense of humor.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  Wow, that’s a tough one.  I miss my grandmother like crazy.  I never met my grandfather.  He died before I was born, so he’d be kind of cool to meet.  However, I think that I’d bring back my sister.  She was only 35 when she died and still had a whole life ahead of her.

Where would you go in a time machine?  I’d go to one day prior to hearing the winning lottery numbers.  How do you take your coffee or tea?  Up the ass.  What would your last meal be?  Angel hair pasta.  What do you worry about?  E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g!  What are you afraid of?  Stupid people.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A skin flute.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A sheep every day, but a wolf in bed.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My dog depends on me for love, affection and food.  Who are you closest with?  My mom.  What would your autobiography be called?  I don’t wanna ruin the surprise.  What’s on your bucket list?  A world tour.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  Not starting comedy sooner in life.  What’s something secretive about you that people don’t know?  That I never pee standing up.  I always sit down.  Where can we see you?  On Xtube or at my website.

 

 

 

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

ARI GOLD

Ari Gold will perform at The Pub this Friday in Wilton Manors.  But before you see him live, keep reading to find out which of Gold’s relatives was a pass-around butch party bottom.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEANS LLAMERA; STYLE BY DELICIA GLAM

You grew up in the Bronx.  What’s special about the Bronx that’s not common knowledge?  It’s the only borough with a “the” in front of it.  It also has more parks than any other borough.  Growing up, it was great being in such close proximity to black and latino people, which greatly impacted my musical tastes toward R&B, soul and dance music.  What New York venue do you miss that’s gone?  The Palladium!  It was such a beautiful space, with such a huge dome ceiling.  I will never forgive my alma mater, NYU, for tearing it down to build an ugly brick box dorm.  Where do you hang out in New York in your down time?  I love going out to eat.  I don’t hang in the clubs like I used to, but there also isn’t the same club culture like there was when I was coming up in the 90s.  That was a heyday.  I just did a big concert in New York at The Cutting Room, which is a great music venue.  I’m always going to the theater!  Do you live in New York?  I live on the lower east side of Manhattan, and I’m a fourth generation Lower East Sider.  My mom grew up there.  I’ve lived in New York City my whole life except for some stints in L.A., which I love, and my brother Elon lives there with his wife and kids.  I would move there if my life allows.

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As a commemoration to the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, Ari Gold and GoldNation will release a new remix every month until June 2019. “Make Music” was the first remix that was released.

If you had to live somewhere other than New York, where would you live?  I’ve always wanted to live in the UK or Berlin, so who knows?  Which collaboration was the most special to you?  I was particularly touched when Peppermint asked me to sing the George Michael cover for “Too Funky,” especially knowing how important George was to me as an openly-gay artist.  I love working with Kevin Aviance, getting to write, record and be styled and photographed by Boy George, working with RuPaul in Starbooty, my ex Billy Porter, and my collabs with Adam Joseph.  But my favorite has been writing and recording my album, Soundtrack To Freedom, with Bob Sandee, a.k.a. Subgroover.  It was the most magical time I’ve ever had recording an album.  Collaborating with both my brothers as a child can also never be rivaled.  I guess I can’t choose one.  If you could collaborate with anyone, who would you pick?  There are producers like Jam and Lewis and Babyface that I’ve always wanted to work with, but I’d have to say the craziest dream come true would be to work with Madonna, because I’ve spent so much of my life worshipping her—and I still do.  If you had to choose one of your songs to launch into space, which one would you choose?  “Space Under Sun,” cause’ its spacey!  Since you’ve toured all over the world, what was your favorite destination so far?  Overseas, the audience in Switzerland was awesome.  In America, performing at SummerStage in Central Park was pretty damn cool.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEANS LLAMERA; STYLE BY DELICIA GLAM

What’s your favorite movie?  Just because it’s the gay bible, The Wizard of Oz.  What drives you crazy?  Being asked to choose my favorite!  How would you feel if your pet was the master in heaven, and you were the pet?  I co-parented an English Bull dog with my first boyfriend—the Lady Bully J. Blige—named after Lady Bunny and Mary J. Blige.  Lady Bully, RIP, was a pass-around butch party bottom, so I don’t think that would work.  Do you like zoos?  My Mother would take me to the Bronx Zoo as a child all the time, and I loved it.  I like aquariums now because they’re environmentally conscious and do work to help the animals and Mother Nature.  Would you give a kidney to a relative or close friend?  If I was healthy enough to do so, I’m sure it would be a huge gift for me to be able to do that.  My percussionist, Hector, just did that for his sister, and they’re both doing great—it’s so beautiful to see how a human can sacrifice for another human like that.  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  First, as a loving son, brother, uncle, and, most importantly, as a good friend.  After that, as someone who sacrificed a lot in order to heal communities with music and storytelling in ways that hadn’t been done before.  

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEANS LLAMERA; STYLE BY DELICIA GLAM

What do you want to live long enough to see?  Peace on earth, LGBTQ freedom and equality, and Trump going to jail.  Will you ever retire?  I don’t think that I’ll every stop being an artist.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  I had a fan tell me that when I wanted “alone time” he wanted to be there to share it with me.  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  I remember being 19 and meeting Madonna’s back-up singer, Niki Harris, at a club in L.A.  I told her that I don’t usually go up to celebrities, but that I was a huge fan, and she sassed back, “I’m not a celebrity, honey.  I’m a real person!”  So thanks to her I now fangirl all the time to everyone I meet and love, and I’ve met almost everyone I’ve been a fan of.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  My new music video for NGOR Radio!  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  I never knew how much an 80s TV theme song would speak such deep truth.  “You take the good, you take the bad, you take em’ both and there you have the facts of life.”  Life is a paradox, so practice cognitive dissonance.  Balance is key.  What did you learn from your parents?  It’s always an opportunity to learn something, and it’s never too late.  Who’s your favorite performer?  Madonna.  Who’s your favorite singer?  Brandy.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEANS LLAMERA; STYLE BY DELICIA GLAM

What’s your best characteristic?  I’m a talker, but I think I’m even a better listener.  How do you enjoy spending your time? With friends and family, and doing anything cultural.  Celebrity or not, who do you have a crush on?  I had a big one on out-actor Brian J. Smith, but I’ve gotten over it, thankfully.  Well, I at least stopped torturing myself by following him on Instagram.  Who do you admire?  Oprah, and Michelle Obama.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  Mr. Rogers.  Where would you go in a time machine?  To the 70s pre-AIDS disco era.  What would your last meal be?  Something Japanese.  Maybe scallops with foie gras.  What do you worry about?  My parents getting older, and this country falling apart.  What are you afraid of?  Trump’s power and stupidity.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A piano.  It’s my favorite instrument and the one that I wished I played well.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A fierce golden Daniel lion. “Ari” means lion, “Gold” is my last name, and “Daniel” is my middle name.  So there.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My parents depend on me to keep them growing, on their feet, and never getting too comfortable or set in their ways.  Who are you closest with?  God.  Where can we see you?  On my website or at The Pub this Friday!

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

SHERRY VINE

From crack whorehouses in Hollywood, to men getting fisted next to her on a movie set while she’s putting on her makeup, international drag star Sherry Vine tries to make the most out of each and every day 

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAX KOYOTE

Where did you grow up?  In Columbia, Maryland.  What do you miss about Columbia?  Absolutely nothing!  Where do you live now?  In NYC, in the Hell’s Kitchen area.  What’s something that’s unique about New York that would surprise most people?  People always say, “There’s too much concrete.”  And I say, “Honey, there’s this little thing called Central Park.”  Surprise!  What New York venue do you miss that’s gone?  Many of the ones from the 1990’s: Bar d’O, Jackie 60, Squeezebox and BoyBar.  If you had to live somewhere else, where would you live, and why?  Barcelona.  It’s my favorite city for culture, food, beach, art and men.  I’m always content there. 

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Will you do anything fun while you’re in South Florida?  Yes.  I’ll go to the mall (laughs).  What’s your claim-to-fame?  International drag darling, YouTube sensation, and the creator and star of She’s Living for This.  How did you come up with your name?  There was a building on Vine Street in Hollywood that looked like a crack whorehouse.  Appropriate.  Other than your own TV series, what’s your favorite TV show or film that you’ve been in, and why?  Scream, Teen, Scream.  We had so much fun filming it, and 20 years later, it’s still funny.  Did you watch the sex scenes being filmed in The Raspberry Reich?  No, but someone was getting fisted next to me, at 7:00 a.m., while I was doing my make-up.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF EASON

What town did you perform in that was most unique, and why?  Bisbee, Arizona.  It’s the strangest mix of people: gays, lesbians, trans, bikers, and copper miners.  But they all get along, and it works.  What’s your dream gig or role?  My own variety show, like She’s Living for This.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  Folding sweaters at Benetton.  How would you like to be remembered?  “Sherry made me laugh when I needed it.”  Will you ever retire?  I hope not!  What’s the weirdest question that a fan has asked?  “Why?” (laughs).  Literally, that’s what was asked.  A guy came up to me and just said, “why?”

ADVERSTISEMENT

Featuring Sherry Vine, Canadian sexploitation filmmaker Bruce LaBruce goes to Germany to write and direct the satire, The Raspberry Reich, inspired by real-life ’70s radical group the Baader-Meinhof gang.

What celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Carol Burnett and Madonna.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  Press-on fingernails.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited, and why?  Budapest.  It’s a stunning city.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  How to peel away the layers of bullshit and the things that don’t matter, and how to focus on what does.  Let go, girl!  What did you learn from your parents?  Unconditional love and empathy, and how to laugh.  If a politician that you didn’t like was drowning, would you save him or her?  Yes. 

What’s your favorite drink?  Jack Daniels and ginger beer.  What’s your most treasured possession?  I’m not materialistic, but I treasure my photo albums.  Do you believe in ghosts?  Yes.  Either living or dead, who would you love to have lunch with?  Carol Burnett.  What performer do you admire, and why?  Jackie Beat.  She’s lightning fast.  What’s your best characteristic?  That I genuinely care.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Watching the same Marvel movies over and over.  What celebrity do you have a crush on?  Joe Manganiello.

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If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be, and why?  Douglas Sanders, who passed away too young.  He was my best friend and co-conspirator in theater.  Where would you go in a time machine, and why?  To Studio 54, in the 1970’s, so that I could dance and party!  What would your last meal be?  Popeyes fried chicken and a milk shake.  What do you worry about?  The next gig (laughs)!  What are you afraid of?  Spiders.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be, and why?  An electric guitar.  It’s so sexual.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  Both, depending on my mood.  Who depends on you?  I don’t think that anyone depends on me, actually.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTTOBY

Who are you closest with?  I’m very close to my parents.  I’m also close with Josh, Erik, Bruce and Jackie.  Oh, and Joey Arias.  What would your autobiography be called?  Little Votive Nights.  What music do you listen to when you’re upset?  I play the guitar.  It always lifts me up.  What’s on your bucket list?  I don’t have one.  I try to do what I wanna do as it comes up.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  Je ne regrette rien.  What’s something that you never told anyone else?  I’ll never tell.  Where can we see you?  You can see me this Friday and Saturday at The Pub.  I’m also all over the world with lots of exciting shows.  Check out my website for my schedule!

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN Local Interviews

MICHAEL TRONN – PART 2

In a two-part exclusive, founding club kid, artist and promoter Michael Tronn tells us why he’d like to travel into the future, and how reanimating evil could help save the world

PHOTOGRAPH BY NATALIE CAROL

What Los Angeles venue do you miss that’s gone?  “Osko’s,” a.k.a., “The Zoo.”  I never made it there, but the film Thank God It’s Friday was shot there, and it looks amazing!  What’s the best event that you produced in Los Angeles, and why?  Halloween at Avalon was incredible.  I transformed the old theater into a haunted house, complete with a castle façade.  We also had gruesome acts of dismemberment in the lobby and dozens of chandeliers made of skeleton bones hanging over the dancefloor.  What opportunity did Miami miss out on?  Developing an industry other than tourism and retail.  The worst offense is the missed opportunity to have The Whitney Museum from New York open a Miami branch.  What project are you the proudest of?  I’d like to think it hasn’t happened yet.  However, I’m very proud of my two major solo art shows in Miami.  How would you like to be remembered?  As a good person who helped heal the world.  Will you ever retire?  That’s unlikely, but I’ll take long sabbaticals to travel and create art.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  The Studio 54 book by Ian Schrager.

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David Bethune’s homage to the incredible murals of Miami’s Wynwood district, the largest collection of street art in the United States

What’s the best place that you’ve visited, and why?  Petra, in Jordan.  To have seen firsthand this city from 312 BC, which was carved into a mountain, was awesome and awe-inspiring.  It’s an incredible feat of designing and engineering.  What did you learn from your parents?  Love, tenacity and creativity.  What performer do you admire, and why?  As cheesy as it is to say, the greatest showman of our time is Madonna.
Obviously, it’s not innovative to cite her, but nobody else has so many facets, and nobody else has done it the same way.  Most people don’t see all the hidden meaning—the subconscious—that’s in her art.  This is especially true with the Music album, which is laden with numerical, color, and geometrical symbolism, and the video for “What It Feels Like for a Girl,” where every shot contains a visual riddle about spirituality and Kabbalah.  What are your best characteristics?  Creativity, empathy and spiritual understanding.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Creating art and literature, plotting my mission out, meditating in the sun, and swimming in the clear ocean when it’s like bathwater.  What celebrity do you have a crush on?  Matt Bomer and James Franco.

Who do you admire, and why?  Everyone who’s courageous enough to be unique who’s brave enough to think both deeply and critically.  Specifically, Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Buddha, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, Rumi and Carl Sagan.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be, and why?  The worst person in the world—and you can fill in the blank there—and Jesus.  I believe that after we leave this body, we’re able to see ourselves in hindsight clearly.  If I brought back a malevolent spirt, with everything that’s going on in the world right now, he or she could teach all of the prejudiced, hateful, scared-shitless people how wrong being that way is.  And, hopefully, they would listen.  As far as Jesus goes, I’d expect that the bigots who think they’re very “Christian” would deny Jesus if He told them to stop acting that way, which is pathetic and tragic.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL TRONN

Where would you go in a time machine, and why?  I’d travel to the future—and I’d go as far as I’d have to go—when there’s peace on earth.  I’d go there because I want to see what I want the world “to be.”  What would your last meal be?  As reprehensible as it is to admit it, I love the taste and texture of fois gras.  I learned about it as a child, way before I knew how it was made. I feel very bad for the geese, but I can’t say that it’s not delicious.  What do you worry about?  How I can be a catalyst to help cure the ignorance of mankind.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be, and why?  I can’t be just one; I have too many sides.  I’d be the flute, the electric guitar, the Theremin, a giant gong, a crystal singing bowl, an organ, and a sitar.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  I’m a sheep in wolf’s clothing.  I’m soft and sweet on the inside, but I have to be strong on the outside to get things done. Who depends on you, and for what?  My friends and family.  I give them love, support, unconditional loyalty, and I help them make decisions (when they ask for it).

PHOTOGRAPH BY DALE STINE

Who are you closest with?  My immediate family.  What would your autobiography be called?  Probably Fuck Shame.  Strip Fear.  Do you ever put music on when you’re upset?  Yes.  I listen to lots of downtempo electronica, plus, my go-to’s—Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of The Moon, Tracy Chapman’s New Beginnings, Audioslave, Moby, Deva Premal, meditation music and Creed.  What’s on your bucket list?  To accomplish all of my artistic goals.  That way, I’ll leave a legacy that helps transform mass ignorance and fear into mass understanding, wisdom, acceptance, love and enlightenment for every soul in the entire universe.  Also, I’d like to publish the children’s book that I’ve been working on, which is about the universe.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  That I can’t stay younger, longer.  But it’s not for vanity.  I need more time to accomplish my goal.  Can you tell me something that you never told anyone else?  Maybe one day.  Where can we see you?  At michaeltronn.com and michaeltronnfineart.com.  And, always, at the Bareback Follies at El Tucan.