The Cliks, a 4 member band from Toronto, Canada is making some big damn waves in musical pools. Besides churning out the hits from their latest CD, Snakehouse, (the videos for “Oh Yeah” and “Complicated” were both at #1 on Logo), The Cliks were also hand-picked by Ian Astbury of The Cult to support them on their recent American and Canadian tours.
Another music icon, Cyndi Lauper, also took notice of them and added them last year as well as this year to the True Colors tour lineup. True Colors is produced in conjunction with HRC and presented by Logo. HRC and this year’s other non-profit partners – CenterLink (the nation’s LGBT community centers) and Parents, Families, Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) National - are joining with the tour to bring together Americans across the country to voice their solidarity for LGBT equality and raise public awareness about the issues that face the LGBT community. The tour kicks off in Boston, MA on May 31. “Part of my mission with the True Colors tour was to provide a platform for some new and exciting acts. A band like The Cliks are all that and more. They are a force to be reckoned with and I am really excited to be sharing the stage with them.” said tour producer and creator, Cyndi Lauper. Lesbiatopia’s special projects editor, Sinnerviewer, recently spoke with Morgan Doctor, drummer for The Cliks:
Shannon: You just finished doing the long Jaegermeister tour opening for one of my favorite bands, The Cult. I read that they hand-picked you to open for them because they loved your sound. I’d love to hear your thoughts about that tour and share any good stories that you have.
Morgan: We sort of did 2 tours with them. One in the states and then, we just got finished doing a Canadian tour. We started in Portland and went all the way across Canada. We went into some really remote places like Grand Prairie. There were some really off the chart places in Canada. It was nice to do the tour with them and then, we went off to do our own thing, and then came back to tour with them again. They are really great guys. We had an amazing time with them. I think what we loved the most was being able to tour with just another rock band whose audience is , well, most of them hadn’t seen us. They didn’t know who we were. To just get up on stage and be received well every night just for our music and our live show - it was really rewarding.
A story? Let’s see… this last tour, there was one. We were in Calgary. We were there for 3 or 4 days because of the Juno’s (awards). We played 2 shows there. The next stop was Edmonton, an 8 hour drive. We were fartin’ around Calgary trying to leave and we were a little bit lost. I got this text from the bass player from The Cult and it said, “Hey, How’s it going? Where are you guys? I’m still in Calgary.” And I was thinking, “Oh, it’s a really nice day to stay in Calgary.” So he calls me up and says, “I missed the bus. I need to get to Edmonton. Can you guys give me a ride?” So he drove with us in the van. The difference between a bus and a van is enormous. It was sort of funny to have this rock star in our van, crashed out and then hanging out with us for the whole day. It was totally fun.
Shannon: You probably won his respect and reminded him of what it used to be like.
Morgan: Yeah, absolutely. I think they all really admired us as players and they really loved the music. We each kind of bonded with one of them. I really got along with the other drummer, Johnny. He played with Helmet and all kinds of incredible bands and people. It was a real honor for me to hear him say “I love your playing”. It was a great experience overall.
Shannon: Cyndi Lauper, she also hand-picked you for her True Colors Tour this year. I thought that was interesting because it shows an obvious pattern here. How does it make you feel to know that you’ve won the respect of all these accomplished musicians?
Morgan: It feels great. It’s really rewarding and it feels like things are happening at the right time. We’re ready for it. What seemed to happen was that Cyndi’s management got a hold of our stuff and really liked it. They played it for her and she really liked it. We were only scheduled to play something like 4 dates on last year’s tour. She had this press time meet-n-greet during the time that we were supposed to play. She moved it to another time so that she could watch us play. She saw us play and that was it! They started changing their schedules and started to move people so that they could add us to more dates on the tour. We seem to really win people over with our live show.
Shannon: That’s pretty impressive to do that. And not just with one person, but with so many people. The True Colors Tour – it’s a special tour. I really see the value of this tour very clearly right now.
I went to see Bon Jovi last week in Atlanta. The thing that struck me was how the band adjusted their pricing structure to their fan base growing older. None of us are 16 year old kids anymore. Most of the audience was suburbian soccer mom-types. Everything from ticket prices to shirts to programs was out of the ballpark when it came to cost. It was disgusting to me how they went from being a Jersey-boy rock band to this huge, corporate entity… a machine. I have to confess, it rubbed me the wrong way.
When I was reading the press release about The True Colors Tour and it’s affiliation with HRC, I learned that the proceeds from the shows will get into the hands of the organizations that work for the rights of all GLBT people. It made me wonder if, besides just promoting your music and expanding your fan base, was there anything that you all hope to accomplish as an act on this tour in that regard?
Morgan: Yeah. Well, I think it’s an honor to be asked to do a tour with such great acts that are on the bill like Cyndi Lauper, the B-52’s, Tegan & Sarah, Joan Jett. To be in that kind of company alone is an honor. I think it makes it even more special to be doing it for such a great cause. The last time we did the tour, it was a really powerful experience at the end of the show during the encore, everyone comes out and we sang “True Colors” together. It was just a very emotional moment when the song would stop and everyone would raise their fists on stage and then they’d shine the light on thousands of people in the audience. It was just this moment of, like, “Oh my God. We’re in this together. You guys are here and we are here on stage. We’re together in all of this.” It was so empowering. It makes it that much more rewarding and takes it out of the realm of being a job… to have a purpose that’s bigger than you.
Shannon: That’s a perfect way to phrase it. One thing that I do know about The Cliks and that is your reputation of having a huge rapport with your fans. You are known for, when your shows are over, to go out there and hang out with your fans. You guys also take an active role in maintaining your MySpace page. You always put up cute little home videos and sending out blog posts and bulletins. It got me wondering: why do you think so many other bands don’t bother to try to make and keep those connections with their fans?
Morgan: Hmmm… it is a lot of work, for one. It can be… when you’re out on the road. That’s pretty exhausting as it is. You’re with all of these other people in the band, you’re traveling all day and you haven’t eaten well. And then to put yourself out there where you have to be social and engaging with people – it can sometimes be a little too much. I don’t know why people don’t do it except for maybe it’s just a lot to manage. I think we’re lucky enough right now where we can sort of manage it. I can see maybe if things continue to grow, we might get to a place where we won’t really get to be out there with our fans as much as we’d like to. It just wouldn’t be possible, you know?
The MySpace is really the best tool to get out and connect to our fans as much as we can. To put up videos and stuff like that…that’s kind of what MySpace is all about – connecting with people. So I don’t know why other bands don’t do those things that help them connect (on a personal level) with their fans. Other than they just might be tired.
(Laughs)
Shannon: You all definitely use that tool well. I am fascinated by the fact that pretty much everybody I know who is a Cliks fan has at least one photo of them with the band.
Morgan: I think we’re also pretty humble people. We’re just down to earth. Maybe it’s just a Canadian thing. It’s just who we are as people. We’re not in it to boost our egos or to be some sort of stars or whatever and I think that when you get off stage and you walk down there and you’re selling your own merchandise, it’s just like, “Here we are. We’re just normal people, too.” I think that it’s just natural for us to engage with people that way.
Shannon: I gotta ask about the song.
Morgan: Okay.
Shannon: Nobody can stop talking about it: the SUV song.
Morgan: Right.
Shannon: I keep hearing about this song and it’s just creating a huge buzz. Can you tell me what’s going on with that?
Morgan: Well, this is a song that Lucas (Silveira, the lead vocalist for The Cliks) wrote for an album of a different incarnation of The Cliks years ago. It was self-titled and put out independently. That song was on there. We decided to just try to play the song again but we totally changed it. It’s a whole other song, basically. Lyrically, it’s the same. Musically, it’s totally new. I think that he wrote that in response to seeing a high-profile band that had done really well and they stopped playing for a while and then they came back to playing and they were riding around in L.A. with their big SUV’s . This is a “socially conscious” band. And he was like, "What's going on here?" - that's how it came about.
Shannon: That one is going to be on the next CD, you think?
Morgan: Yeah, hopefully.
Shannon: Speaking of that next CD (even though I know you all are currently promoting your latest CD, (Snakehouse), when can your fans expect that?
Morgan: Well, if all goes as planned, which often it doesn’t, I can tentatively say that we’re going to try to record it in the fall, which means that it would probably be out in the early spring like February or March.
Shannon: What’s in your iPod, Morgan?
Morgan: What’s in my iPod?
Shannon: Yeah. I always have to know because I’m so interested in what everybody is listening to.
Morgan: I’ve been listening a lot to the new Stars album. A band from Canada. I’m a big Death Cab for Cutie fan. I have some Dave Brubeck stuff… some jazz. The Cocteau Twins, The Pretenders. The Cure.
Shannon: I like The Cure but they’re kind of depressing. Not something you can listen to in the winter.
Morgan: (laughs) Yeah, you don’t want to. It’s dangerous.
Shannon: Tell me about how you got involved with The Canadian Council of Jury for Grants and what kind of work you did there?
Morgan: I was asked to be on the Jury for granting musicians who are professional musicians in the non-classical category. It’s a peer-assessment committee. I’ve gotten a few grants on my own when I went to study in California with my guru and I got another grant to compose my own work. I have a solo album out and it was to compose music for my second album which I am finishing up right now.
They ask people who have gotten grants to be the peers on the assessment committee. They flew me out to Ottawa and it was a great experience. There were just 3 of us and we juried a bunch of applicants who were trying to get some music either to compose or to do travel grants. A lot of them want to go to far away places like India or Mumbai to study more their art form. Usually, it’s in the World Music category so people are studying all kinds of instruments and things that are non-traditional and harder to learn about. You can’t just go to a university for it. I found it really rewarding. I’m also just amazed at the talent that there is in Canada. It’s just really incredible.
Shannon: So was that a one-time deal or do you get invited back later?
Morgan: It was a one-time deal so far but they may ask me to come back. But they try to pick different people for different juries.
Shannon: What a great way to handle that – to leave those decisions in the hands of other professionals who’ve received grants and not in the hands of bureaucrats. (Nice system, Canada.)
You are working on your solo album. What projects are the other members of The Cliks working on right now?
Morgan: I don’t think much, actually. We’ve been really busy focusing mainly on this band. We don’t have time to do much else. Jen plays in a folk band called “August”. Nina, the band that she was playing with, she basically had to drop that so she could play in The Cliks. We haven’t really been home for really a month or two at the longest period of time so it makes it really hard to get into something and then have to leave it. Sometimes, I’ll pick up gigs when I’m in town, but it’s tough to do much else.
Shannon: My girlfriend really wants to know if you and Jen are an item…
Morgan: (Laughs) No.
Shannon: She said, “Well, when I saw them, Jen was playing with Morgan’s hair.
Morgan: (laughs) Jen does that to everybody.
Shannon: Since our readers are mostly lesbians, I’ve got to ask… is there anybody who is single among you Cliks?
Morgan: Nina is single. The rest of us are in pretty long-term relationships.
(Hear that, ladies? Nina is single! Go buy your True Colors tour tickets and introduce yourself!)
Shannon: Who are the chicks that you find smokin’ hot?
Morgan: PJ Harvey & Jennifer Garner.
Shannon: I could not agree more with Jennifer Garner…very nice. The last burning, pressing question that I have for you is what is your favorite junk food?
Morgan: I’m a really healthy eater so even my junk food is sort of healthy.
Shannon: I watched the video on your MySpace page of you all going through your groceries and saw all of that healthy stuff. It is important for everyone who reads this to know what you consider junk food.
Morgan: I’m really into these wheat-free, dairy-free Oreo-type cookies by Newman’s Own. Those are great. I’d have to say that right now, those are my favorite.
Shannon: I shall have to try them. Thanks for your time, Morgan.
The Cliks have been nominated for Logo's New, Now, Next Awards in the "Brink of Fame: Music Artist" category. You can click HERE to cast your vote.
Enjoy Sinnerviewer's favorite Cliks video, Complicated:
Lesbians you should know: Judy Kinney… Inspiring Lesbian, Bi and Queer Woman to Healthier Love
Recently it was my pleasure to make the acquaintance of a very special lady, Judy Kinney.
Judy Kinney is a respected and recognized Life Coach, cultural competency trainer, social service program administrator, group facilitator, public speaker, and community leader, she is also a relationship coach for lesbian, bi and queer women seeking a healthier way to love and the founder of a revolutionary Arizona based relationship coaching service called Dream & Flourish.
An innovator who excels at presenting information in a manner that is fun, compelling and relevant to her diverse audiences, Judy’s mission has been to inspire and support accomplished lesbian, bi and queer women to create the love, romance and relationships they desire through a combination of coaching, events, writing and public speaking. For the past 25 years Judy Kinney, MSW has been doing just that.
With a focus on the principals of “the Law of Attraction”, Judy guides her clients to greater understandings and personalized strategies that help them stay true to themselves while also being deeply intimate.
Wikipedia defines the “Law of Attraction” this way….The phrase Law of Attraction, although used widely by esoteric writers, does not have an agreed-upon definition. However, the general consensus among New Thought thinkers is that the Law of Attraction takes the principal "Like Attracts Like" and applies it to conscious desire. That is, a person's thoughts (conscious and unconscious), emotions, and beliefs cause a change in the physical world that attracts positive or negative experiences that correspond to the aforementioned thoughts, with or without the person taking action to attain such experiences. This process has been described as "harmonious vibrations of the law of attraction" or "you get what you think about; your thoughts determine your experience"
The inspiration for the Law of Attraction is not new; it is a concept that can be found in Hinduism that states the soul attracts what it furtively cherishes, what it loves, and also that which it fears.
Over the weekend I had a chance to speak with Judy about her philosophy on relationships, her thoughts on the “Law of Attraction” and about Dream and Flourish.
Paula: So Judy, tell us a little about you and Dream and Flourish. Why did you start Dream and Flourish?
Judy: I’ve always believed people should be free of life’s limiting messages. This has been a central purpose of mine as a social worker for 25+ years. I really do believe that we create our world, so I started intentionally aligning my life over the last couple of years to enjoy it all. In the middle of all of this, I became away of my strong conviction that “middle aged” and older LBQ women really know that love, relationships and romance can be different than most of us have experienced. And, at the same time aren’t really sure they should believe they can have it all. I think I’m the perfect person to inspire and support them. Why?
I joke that my friends used to tease me about falling in love too easily, so I decided to become a professional. I love love. I’m fun, enthusiastic and like creating opportunities that are welcoming and inspiring for women to flourish. I was ready to have the perfect job, that I create every day. Truthfully, I believe I followed my heart, step by step and here I am-it’s perfect!
Paula: So Judy just what is a Law of Attraction Coach, how long have you been one and what is your background in this field?
Judy: Let me break it down a bit. A Life Coach, like any coach, provides structure, motivation and conviction for you to be great at what you do. As I talk about more below, the Law of Attraction is all about intentionally creating the life you want through your beliefs. So, I inspire and support LBQ women through coaching, classes, public speaking and events, to adjust their beliefs to align w/ what they really really desire. Mostly, I give permission for LBQ women to enjoy their lives, have fun, trust and be true to themselves, and follow their destiny. I’ve been a Law of Attraction Coach for about a year, and a Love Coach for just over 6 months. Yet, because this really is my destiny, I feel as if I’ve been doing this forever.
For the past 25 years I have inspired and supported youth, LGBT community and it’s elders, social service providers, and now, accomplished lesbian, bi and queer women to have the life they desire. I’ve been a cultural competency trainer, social service program administrator, group facilitator, public speaker, and community leader.
Although I was introduced to the Law of Attraction (LoA) almost 30 year ago, I became a committed student and practitioner of LoA in 2005. I’ve always had a strong sense of fun, belief that all things are possible and a willingness to stick my neck out to create things that truly work.
Paula: How long have you been consulting with lesbian, bi and queer women on their relationships?
Judy: Well, as a friend, I’ve doing this forever, right? Professionally, I’ve been a Love Coach for just over 6 months.
Paula: Can you explain the Law of Attraction?
Judy: This is a quick review of how the Law of Attraction works. Everything within the universe is comprised of energy. This energy interacts dynamically with itself, and like a magnet, attracts that which is similar. Even our thoughts and feelings radiate a magnetic energy. For example, imagine that you’re in a stage in your life when you really wish you had a partner. You could find yourself focusing on not having a partner and feeling lonely and not so lovable. You may tell your friends “I don’t think there’s anyone out there for me”. Even though you want love and companionship, the universe will respond to your “not having a partner, lonely and not so lovable” energy and confirm this belief about yourself. It’s also true that when you feel good, sexy, and happy, you’ll attract more good, sexy, and happy experiences. Our perspective on love and romance needs to be a match for what we are wanting. We’ll have what we desire when our stories line up with what we are wanting. This magnetic energy attraction process applies to any situation in your life.
At first, it can appear tricky-how do you attract what you want when you don’t have it? What’s great is that energy is energy- the universe doesn’t discriminate between energy that is a memory, in the present or imagined. It’s all the same energy. So, if you really want love like you’ve imagined then begin living as if you’re already living your dream. You could start telling yourself and your friends “I’m ready to date and have romance in my life” and then do things that support this “story”.
We don’t have to change our story or perspective over night. That can be stressful and send a message that you’re not ok. Just as we’ve learned our way to our present place, we can unlearn, release or turn our focus away from the thoughts and beliefs that don’t lead us to our desires naturally and over time.
Paula: Judy you once wrote an article titled “Your Leading Edge”, where you said you are one of “those people” that walks directly to the edge of a cliff and looks over. As something of an adventurer and someone who has in the past pushed the envelope my self a time or two, I found your article to be a very interesting view on life, can you explain the philosophy behind that article?
Judy: The article expresses my belief that our soul, the spiritual part of our self, is always evolving. We are always evolving, our edge keeps expanding. When we listen to our soul (most often through our heart or gut) and use our minds as a tool to support our desires, we can really tap into a powerful and magical force within ourselves.
I love the feeling of being aligned with my soul. I feel fully alive, capable and free. Just as we are taught to NOT go to the edge and look over cliff, we are most often taught NOT to follow our soul. Instead, we are taught to play it safe. By itself, playing it safe takes away from our soul. However we can be safe AND follow our soul.
Paula: You have talked about how we get that “ooooh ahhhh feeling” when we meet someone new, but can you also explain how we can have that same feeling with someone when have been with for a while…. Just how do you suggest we keep that “ooooh ahhhh feeling” in our long-term relationships?
Judy: We get the oooooh ahhhhhs when we first meet someone because we are tapped into how wonderful and amazing they are. OF COURSE!!! We just let ourselves enjoy and revel in the connection. This is a great example of one of the tenets of the law of attraction at work-what ever we focus on, expands. We’re focused on how amazing this person is, how good we feel and we get more of that!
Conversely, we haven’t been taught that the whole reason for relationships is to enjoy them. We don’t have great role models showing us how to do this well. Often we end up compromising ourselves or trying to ‘fix’ something within our connection with our love. When we turn our attention to trying to fix something, we’re telling the universe that the relationship, ourselves or this person is broken and that energy expands.
I love The Relationship Book by George Pransky
1. always speaking positively to your partner. Sure you’ll have negative thoughts come up, but let those pass without stating them, soon, they will pass also.
2. have conversations or explore any adjustments to how you are relating only when both people are feeling good and relaxed.
Paula: You have also talked about “Managing Your Baggage” and I know that at times I have had a freight train full that I have hauled around with me, so just how do you suggest we manage our baggage?
Judy: Well, I’m not into “managing” anything, really. I think there is amazing power and magic in claiming what you want in life and focusing on the present and the future. Instead of belaboring your past or baggage, ask yourself questions like:
“What am I enjoying”
“What makes me happy”
“What and how do I want to be living and feeling in life”
If you want, do some fun ritual with your baggage, like go on a cruise and dump it over the side of the boat. Bury it on a deserted island.
Occasionally our baggage will resurface. It can be freeing to acknowledge it “oh, there’s my baggage again”, “Those old beliefs, what are they saying, wanting me to do”. So, observe your baggage with out judgment or attachment or believing the messages about your self. Then when you can, laugh at them, they are silly.
Paula: I noticed that you organize Speed Dating sessions and conduct a class called Dating 101; can you tell us about your experiences with the speed dating sessions and what you cover in this class?
Judy: I didn’t know what I was tapping into when I started the Speed Dating events- I just thought they would be a fun way to introduce the ideas behind Law of Attraction and dating. Through the events, though, I came to understand how daunting dating can be sometimes.
So, I’ve had amazing experiences with women walking towards their courage and desire and experiencing new ways of dating and connecting with other women. Often women find new friends, have some fun dates and a few sweet romances have flourished. Two women met through my first Speed Dating event and are enjoying a great romance with each other. They didn’t meet via the mini “dates”, but during an open mingling break. They were out of each other’s dating range, so I didn’t match them up for dates. I see women meeting and connecting with women that they normally would not connect with.
Fun and great things come from this. I had one woman tell me, “I didn’t meet anyone in the Speed Dating Event, but I got motivated to do things differently and went and called 3 women that I’ve wanted to ask out but haven’t”. Many women get a glimpse of what is possible and sign up for coaching and/or classes.
· As for the classes, women can expect to walk away with
· A sense of freedom and confidence to claim exactly what makes you want in life-no more settling! No more urgency!
· Simple and easy practices you can do to align your thoughts and feelings to attract love like you’ve imagined
· A greater understanding and personalized strategy to stay true to yourself while also being deeply intimate
· Permission to have fun, not work hard, and enjoy all that you bring to your relationships
· Great connections to other women just like you!
Topics include an intro to Law of Attraction, exploration of what women are wanting in love/romance, how limiting messages society can deal us as women, LBQ women, as we age and related to our race/ethnicities impact how we approach love/romance and how to live outside these messages, how to be true to yourself.
Paula: When will you next be conducting this class and how can our readers sign up for it?
Judy: My next “This is How We Do It: Law of Attraction Dating 101” class starts Monday, May 5th, 5:30-7:00 PST, 6:30-8:00 MST, 7:30-9:00 CST, 8:30-10:00 EST.
Paula: So what other advice do you have to offer Lesbiatopia’s reader about their relationships?
Judy: We get to have fun and enjoy life-even while we are being responsible-they actually go hand in hand. We get to trust our gut, our hearts, our soul as the truest, most accurate guide of how we should be living our lives. Most importantly, we get to feel good, be relaxed and enjoy life (it’s all good, not a thing needs to be fixed)
If your interested in finding out more about, Judy, The Law of Attraction or Dream and Flourish you can contact Judy Kinney by E Mailing her at judy@dreamandflourish.com or by stopping by her site at dreamandflourish.com
Celesbian Interviews: High School Reunion's "Lesbian" Kat Feller
Many television viewers recently watched the show "High School Reunion" on TV Land. The show was a ratings boon for the network. It featured a cast of 15 real high school classmates from JJ Pierce High School (Dallas, Texas) Class of 1987 reuniting in a house in Hawaii for 2 weeks. It followed each of them through seeing each other for the first time in years, revealing crushes on each other, resolving old conflicts and in the case of hot-ass lesbian Kat Feller, experimenting to see if she might enjoy dating men.
Kathryn “Kat” Feller is an animation voice actress born in Rochester, New York and raised in Texas. Although a “proud” Texan at heart, she currently resides in Santa Monica, CA.
Kat Feller’s brilliant voices can be heard in such places as the yet to be released DreamWorks animated feature Madagascar 2 as the voice of the ostrich as well as numerous video games such as Final Fantasy VII, Crash of the Titans, Dead or Alive Extreme 2, and South Park to name a few. Additionally, Kat has voiced several children’s educational DVD’s such as The Adventures of Andy Applebutter as the voice of Andy, Bear Bear and Messer, and the Wowzies. Her Anime credits include Metal Angel Marie and Variable Geo. You can also find Kat "The Lesbian," as a cast member on the hit reality T.V. show High School Reunion that began airing March 5th on the TV Land network.
Since being a cast member on High School Reunion, Kat has delighted fans with numerous press interviews in forums such as The Advocate, After Ellen, Curve Magazine and a live radio interview with Frank DeCaro and Doria Biddle on their Sirius Satellite Radio show “The Frank DeCaro Show.”
Kat was asked to make her first public appearance at the Dinah Shore event in Palm Springs California in April of 2008. She announced various acts and spoke about her appearance on High School Reunion at the fabulous Splish Splash Wyndam hotel pool parties.
SHANNON: Kat, How did you get involved with, and can you describe your experience with, the show High School Reunion?
KAT: I got involved with it through my page on MySpace. They (TV Land) reached out to me because I had JJ Pierce as my high school graduating class on my profile. They were reaching out to a bunch of different schools and then narrowed us down from our stories. They liked mine and that's how I got picked.
It was fun, it was exciting. It was the best time of my life. I would love to be back there doing it again. Two weeks was definitely not enough for me. It was very bonding of all of us. We've all become like a little family. We stay in touch through e-mails and when I go to Dallas, I visit everybody. Whenever they're all together, they call me and make me jealous that I was still in Dallas. (Laughs) Not really, but jealous to be with them. We just had a blast. We became this awesome community.
SHANNON: I happened to actually watch the whole series – it caught my interest from beginning to end. Initially, I was interested because I was also class of 1987 and because there was a cute lesbian on the show. I saw that you were labeled "the lesbian" but I was kind of concerned that you were there to see if men were going to work for you – the whole "Bi-Curious" thing. It made me worry that it would feed into that misconception that some people have where they think that being gay is really a choice. However, when you went out on your date with your hunky classmate, Robbie, you made the statement that you were there to see if you were attracted to the person, not the gender. That made me see how I was judging you. Have you had any other people give you a hard time for batting for the other team on that one date?
KAT: Not so much because of the outcome. (Kat decided than she was, in fact, a full-on lesbian after the date – GO KAT!) I think people need to understand that just because you're a lesbian, it doesn't mean you're not open-minded. I have so many lesbian friends that are still sleeping with guys from time to time. It's not like just because you're a lesbian, you can't be attracted to a guy, too.
(Shannon is thinking here: Uh, yeah! Has anyone seen Jon Bon Jovi lately??? Sweet Jebediah, that man sets me aflame!)
Kat Continues….
There are bisexual tendencies all over the place. For me, being a lesbian was not a choice. I knew that in 6th grade. As I've gotten older, I do appreciate people for who they are and not their genders. I just thought, "Why not give it a try? Open my options a little bit. I'm single now. I'll see what it's like." It just wasn't for me. It was no big deal at least trying. It was just to see – I was just curious.
SHANNON: I think all of those gay women who were watching gave a collective sigh of relief when you realized you were still gay. It was like, "Phew! Thank God she's still a lesbian."
(Laughs)
KAT: It's so funny the community that lesbians have with each other. Its like, "Don't go over to the other side! Don't do it!" I understand that but it's really not that big of a deal. Let the person be who they want to be and everything should be fine. It's not like I'm trying to dis' the lesbian community. I'm just trying to open my options up and just be myself.
SHANNON: Yeah, we do sometimes have this mentality where we say people should be tolerant but then we're not always very tolerant with each other.
KAT: I know!
SHANNON: That was a good lesson, I think. You did a good job of handling that.
KAT: Thanks. I appreciate that.
SHANNON: On the show, you confessed a crush that you had on a classmate, Heather, to her. She seemed cool about it. Have you heard from anybody from high school since the show aired – any classmates that wanted to confess a crush that they had on you?
KAT: Not so much people that had crushes on me. I have had a lot of people that I haven't spoken with in many years that found me on MySpace or the internet and contacted me somehow. Being on the show has brought so many long lost friends back into my world which has been amazing.
SHANNON: You mentioned that after high school was over, you came out of the closet. We do get a lot of readers at www.Lesbiatopia.com that are not out yet. They can sometimes draw some strength from hearing how other lesbians dealt with coming out. Do you have anything that you want to share with them about your coming out experience?
KAT: Sure. It was terrifying for me because I wasn't exactly sure who was going to accept me, including my family. I hadn't ever even met a gay or lesbian until after high school. The way that it happened for me was I was working in a restaurant. There were 2 gay guys who worked there. I befriended them. We were all out one night partying together and I confessed to them that I liked women. They were thinking that I was just drunk and telling me that I didn't really like women. I said, "No, I'm serious. I really do." And then I started crying. As soon as I started crying, they really listened to me and said, "All right, let's talk about this tomorrow when we're all sober." Then I stuck to my word the next day and so they said, "Why don't we take you out to the lesbian bar for your first time?"
I was so beyond scared. Seriously, I didn't know if I could handle it. They took me to the lesbian bar and everything was great. I just felt – well, I was very, very nervous… don't get me wrong. But it just made sense. Then, my family found out and then all my friends started finding out. I came to realize that I didn't need to be so scared because as soon as I told my family – my sister and everybody – as soon as I got their approval, I really didn't care what the rest of the world thought, to be honest with you. But I know that a lot of families don't accept it, so it's different for everybody.
My advice to people who want to come out is to be as strong as you can be. Be true to yourself. People will love you if they're true to you. Just try to be strong even though it's difficult and scary.
SHANNON: Tila Tequila had a show, A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila, where she was looking for love as a bi-sexual woman and trying to decide on men or women. Would you be open to doing a show like that from a total lesbian angle or would something like that just be too over-the-top for you?
KAT: Uh, I've thought about that, actually. I had someone approach me to ask me if I wanted to do a show like that. Tila Tequila is a totally different demographic than I am. She draws a much, much younger "girls gone wild" party crowd. That's what people expect from her.
One of the reasons why I don't think I would want to do something like that is because I'm older. I feel like I've got a career I'm trying to pursue. I want to be respected. I don't want people to judge me because I'm being a fool on TV. I don't want to feel like a scam artist. I want to be a bit more grounded in who I am in life and I just feel like I want to be respected in my industry and I don't really think that I want to sell myself out like that.
If there was a way to do it where it wouldn't be so cheesy and so over the top and so dramatic, maybe I'd consider it. If it could be something more genuine, I would consider it. You know, The Bachelor is kind of classy – something like that I might be willing to do. I'd like to go on real dates and not do the "show me your boobs and let's get the tape measure out" kind of thing.
(Laughs)
Something classy and more mature – it would be great on the Logo Channel. I don't think that a network television station would broadcast something like that, but I think cable would pick it up.
SHANNON: Would your reality show have all Sarah Shahi-types or would you put a few people like Dani (from A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila) just to see if you really are open to the person and not just a type.
KAT: (Laughs) You must have read some of my interviews from my past, haven't you?
SHANNON: Hey, I had to do my research!
KAT: Ahhhh, Sarah Shahi is the epitome of my type. I would definitely be open to throw in some butch-femmes in there. I think Dani is frickin' adorable and I can see her charm. I'm not that closed-minded.
SHANNON: Shane (Kate Moennig's character on The L Word) is hot. You gotta give Shane some kudos, too.
KAT: Shane is very sexy. I would love the whole gamut. I would have the Sarah Shahi types, the Shane types and then the Dani types – it would be great to have all 3 of those kinds of women on there. I am attracted to all of that.
SHANNON: Well, I think you should pursue that. You need to get somebody on the phone at a network and you need to pitch that idea.
KAT: Easier said than done but I'll try to do my research, for sure.
SHANNON: What's in your iPod?
KAT: You know what's funny? I hardly ever use my iPod. However, when I do listen to my iPod, I have stuff like Air, Radiohead, Uncle… just real kind of industry house stuff. Beastie Boys, Cocteau Twins, Jeff Buckley, David Grey. Old school stuff, 80's stuff… Howard Jones, Duran Duran… just all different things.
SHANNON: I saw that you went to the Dinah Shore weekend in Palm Springs for the GirlBar event. You got any crazy stories for us?
KAT: Well, I had a CRAPLOAD of women come up to me screaming. There was this one girl, I swear, I've never lived though anything like that. She was like, "OH!" and her poor friend didn't know who I was but she was just screaming, "Oh my God! It's Kat from High School Reunion!" and just freaking out. That's flattering, it's insane! So many women wanted to take my picture. It felt so good. It was just like… how amazing to be recognized like that! It wasn't, I'm sure, as much as Dani would have been recognized walking around but I definitely did get recognized. I had tons of people take my picture. It felt really good to have my close friends there to witness it. I even had one of the girls who took a picture of us together and that picture is now her MySpace avatar. That's really cute! It was very flattering and it was very well received.
I don't know if my making an appearance had anything to do with it but after I did it and was put on the GirlBar website and the e-mails went out, the ratings (for High School Reunion) went up, up, up after that. Now, I would like to think that I had a little bit of something to do with it because the community supports it when they know a lesbian's going to be on TV and they'll watch. I don't want to take all of the credit because the show was great regardless.
The finale just boomed. The finale was over a million people, the highest ratings ever. It was great.
The people who walk up to me (like at Dinah) or reach out to me on MySpace or my personal website, I just want to embrace it with love. I try to answer all of my e-mails. I've had 2 fan clubs now that have been started for me. I have links to them under my links category on my website. The comments people are leaving – there is so much love out there. They're awesome!
SHANNON: It has to be because of the way that you came across on the show. A lot of times, people go on those reality type shows and they just become train wrecks. They might seem really cool at first, but soon enough, this other dark person comes out. On High School Reunion, your personality was easily the best one as far as you being the most positive, upbeat, fun-loving and well-adjusted. I think people were just naturally drawn to that. I would think that would open some doors for you. I noticed on your website, www.KatFeller.com, that you were doing voiceover work for the animated film Madagascar2. What other projects have come up or will you be working on?
KAT: Just because I was on that show doesn't mean my voiceover career is having any change of pace at all. Voiceover is a totally different industry. I do have my agency. I've been with William Morris for 5 years and they are helping me put together a hosting reel. That's something I would love to do. I would love to host a reality show.
SHANNON: Dani, when she did the Tila Tequila show, she now hosts all kind of events at clubs. If you were offered work like that, would you be open to it?
KAT: I would definitely be open to it. It's almost frustrating in a way because I still keep hearing about how Dani is traveling all over and getting paid for all of these appearances and I wonder, "why can't I be doing that? I have a good heart. I might be older but…" The answer to my own question is that it's because (Tila's) show had such a massive audience because it was on MTV and because of the age group that watch those kinds of shows. The age range that watched High School Reunion was people that were more in my age bracket.
A lot of those people don't have MySpace pages. None of the cast members on the show except for me and Justin had a MySpace page until the show aired. Then they all got them to help them keep in touch with the fan base.
It's not as easy to be recognized and appreciated when you've reached my age.
SHANNON: I don't really think that you wouldn't be able to cross over to a younger crowd because younger people would still be attracted to your fun and laid back personality.
KAT: I'm open to all of it so if I start getting phone calls for stuff like that, count me in!
A few weeks ago it was my very great pleasure to head over to the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, here in the Big Apple, and attend the comedy show of none other then the star and creator of Lesbiatopia’s favorite-featured web-series, The Time Traveling Lesbian, Ms. Rebecca Drysdale.
Beck’s improv show, called "Happy Hour", is a performance by Beck and a group of very witty and talented actors doing some of the funniest shit I've ever seen. They have a few drinks, tell random stories and then make up skits about them. It was a really great show and I laughed my ass off. I can highly recommend that if you live in the area or if you are visiting New York City, pop into the UCB and check out one of these performances.
After the show, I drifted around the theater trying to find her. She's very tiny and hard to spot but I soon found her chatting it up with some of the other performers. I have to say this was my first interview and I was a little nervous, its not everyday that I get the chance to chat with someone whom I consider a comedic genius. But my nerves eased up as soon as I met her, because she was very real and very talkative. We then made out way over to a local pub where I got to talk to this very talented lady over some drinks and an omelete about her Time Traveling Lesbian project, her comedy and some current and future projects she is working on.
Rebecca Drysdale was Born in Akron Ohio, has lived France, Canada, Chicago and now finally New York City and she has been doing comedy since she was sixteen years old. She has preformed at Amsterdam's BOOM Chicago Theater, with The Second City National Touring Company, and at the Second City ETC in Chicago. She has also appeared at IO East and West, UCB East and West, The Magnet Theater, and The PIT.
Ms Drysdale is also the first ever recipient of the Break-Out Performer Award presented at the HBO Comedy Festival in Aspen, and she was named one of the "100 women we love" by GONYC magazine in 2006. Time Magazine called her one of the "Comedy Innovators" of 2006, and Variety said she is one of "Ten To Watch In Comedy". She also writes for one of my favorite comedy shows, LOGO's Big Gay Sketch Show. and it was Drysdale who wrote the "Lesbian Speed Dating" sketch we featured here on Lesbiatopia last week. ( FYI: she if you take a second gander, the girl in black you see in the skit is none other than Ms. Drysdale.)
Beck is a self-proclaimed drama master, sci-fi nerd and dork. She also says of herself, “Basically I am an eight-year-old boy who fucks girls.”
She buys most of her furniture in the children’s department at Ikea, is obsessed with her pets and watches kids movies.
Rebecca Drysdale's My Space page says this about her:
Just your typical 28 year old Jewish lesbo in the city, except that I'm not in a burlesque show and I will never give you a flyer for anything.
I love this town and my apartment and my dog and cat and two rabbits. ( well she used to have two but one died. She told me, "it got involved in gang violence... it was only a matter of time.")
I sleep late, drink iced tea, smoke camel lights, love star wars, legos, and a good PS2 game.
I like to spoil myself and make impossible things possible.
I like to splurge and indulge and play and I am a terrible speller.
I know the greatest people in the world and consider myself lucky to know them and get to watch them do what they do so well.
I like to think that everyone has super powers and are just being really responsible about using them. I like toys and farts and forts and time travel and pretending.
I'm not a big reader and I don't care.
I love Pixar movies and sci-fi and good pop music.
I have recently become very good at saying "I don't know", and find its a good way to learn things.
I find that having heroes is the most important thing, and you should tell them they are your heroes if you are lucky enough to get the chance.
I've been asked many times how I think being a gay woman effects my life in comedy.
I think being gay is like being in an a cappella group. Amazing and awesome, but also retarded and faggy.
A LITTLE SOMETHING I LOVE.
We started our interview with Rebecca telling me how her web-series Time Traveling Lesbian came in to existence. She says, "I was talking to my writing partner Jordan about ideas I was pitching to HBO in the development deal that I was in with them. In talking he said, “Well, why does it have to be anymore complicated than your Time traveling Lesbian.
She explained to me that in her one woman show,One Woman In Several Pieces, she did a lot of things that were personal in nature, but there was this one scene where she dressed up as a time traveler in a gladiator costume. She says, “It was kind of goofy but fun.” Drysdale liked the idea of using this concept to sell to HBO.
So she brought up the idea to her manager and agent.She continues, "they said, Nobody is ever going to buy that, it’s too niche…it’s not going to work.”
Not willing to give up so easily she told them, “Alright, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll work on the project that I’m working on with HBO but in every meeting I have with them I get to mention Time traveling lesbian.”
Her can do attitude paid off. She says, "We had this meeting with HBO in which we were talking about this pilot that I had originally written. We were talking and talking and at one point I said, “ It’s no Time Traveling Lesbian but it will do. There was this woman in the room, her name was Amy, and she was like, “What?” And I was like yeah…Time Traveling Lesbian… and gave a very nutshell version of the idea. And then they decided through their broadband department to buy time traveling lesbian.”
“I think for me it was less about making it funny then it was about making it watch-able. This idea is something that I really love and It’s very goofy…but, Originally I wanted it to be a show, but I got a web deal. So I had to turn this larger idea into three minute little installments. So, I tried to take the larger idea and make each episode be about one aspect of the show. Then, over the course of the eight episodes, you would think, this is what the show would be.”
She goes on to say, “When I watch it I’m like, “Oh My God, this isn’t funny.”… but I was trying to make it so you had to watch the next episode… in the end you have to stay on top of it. That was my goal. And that, I feel like I succeeded in. Even though it may not be the funniest thing you’ve ever seen.”
Then she went onto explain how her favorite television show helped formulate her idea.
“And, of course I owe all of that to Battle Star Galactica, which is the best show on television. In terms of telling a story that you have to watch the next episode to find out what happens. And of course, every episode of Battle Star begins with, “Previously on Battle Star Galactica.”
She continues, “So in the process of making TTL, I was like, I don’t have the luxury of making full episodes, but I can pretend that those episodes existed by putting all that information in recap form. I can tell a whole hour of story in three minutes. That was very much borrowed from Battle Star, which I thank them for. And I do have people say to me, Is it really previously on?” or “Is it really a show?”.. and that was they type of interest that I was hoping to start. I was excited about that…and now it like if I have another go around I can focus on it being funny.”
“My writing partner Jordan and I left school together and spent all of our time watching science fiction and writing comedy. Watching the type of sci-fi that we watched, in this way or that, thematically found its way into our comedy. I mean Sci-fi, when it’s good, is satire. You talk about something without talking about it. You use certain themes but set them in a different place and time and I learned a lot about comedy through sci-fi… especially Battle Star Galactica. It is seriously the best show on television, it’s a drama about what is going on in the world now… but being allegorized… like a metaphor for what going on now… I call it “The West Wing in space”. Seriously, It’s so well done and it’s incredible television… I get so many people into that show… it’s pretty brilliant... and beats the shit out of LOST."
"I know I talk about
Beck then went on to say that the making of the TTL was really fun. “I had a lot of great people working with me. The girl who played the disco girl was my girlfriend at the time. The girl who plays my girlfriend is my best friend Drea”. Beck also had some performers from LOGO’s Big Gay Sketch Show helped her out and was joined by Nicole Paone who played a Roman queen in one episode and Kate Mckinnon who played the hippie in another. “It was really great having them with me.”
But Beck did say that the shooting schedule was fairly grueling; “ It was a five day shoot. We shot Rome and the whole hippie thing on the same day in the same vicinity. We started at like 5 o’clock in the morning. It was like a bazillion degree below zero. So during the shooting of the Rome segment I was freezing my ass off… everyone was freezing. Every time we changed shots people ran to us with blankets… it was so cold. Whenever I watch that episode I hate seeing how cold I was…I look so terrible… and it was so early”
As our time together started wind to a close I asked Beck about the future, both hers and that of Time Traveling Lesbian and she told me, “I would love to do another eight episodes, because I would love to find out what happens and we still have a bazillion hours of footage from Time Traveling Lesbian we didn’t use that I would like to do something with. The only issue I have with that is sitting there and going through every fucked up take to find the funny stuff.”
“But with the original TTL we were just trying to pack in cliffhangers at the end of it and now everyone says, “What happens?” and I have to tell them, I don’t know… I just don’t know. But my theory or maybe my issue (with the fist installments) is, if the girlfriend was part of THE LEAK from the get go and Carl is part of THE LEAK from the get go, is THE LEAK even bad? I wanted to leave the TTL viewers with a sense of, “Wait, who are the bad guys? You know, intense drama and that’s what I liked about TTL… you got hooked and you got into watching it.
Beck continued on to say; “The reaction I’ve gotten from you guys and from the folks at AfterEllen is, “We want more episodes.” And that’s what I wanted too. So now I can go back to HBO and say, “Look, people want this to be a show.”
“But there are so many things that I wanna do that are like TTL... or on a spaceship… like an L Word drama in a toy box and make it like my one woman show which was, very political and edgy but still had a cowboy and Indian aspect to it.”
“Then I’m also working on a rap video that is about the L Word. I was working on trying to get a cameo on the L Word, but that never panned out…so I was like ( laughs) fuck it then… I’ll take you down. The song is called 'I’m gunna fuck my way through the L Word cast'… and its about me fucking my way through the l Word cast… yeah I’m trying to get funding for that… I love the L Word… I watch it… everyone does, but yeah trying to work on that.
“I’m also working on another web-series about the last two people who are left at the end of the world… a man and a woman in a post apocalyptic situation and their job is to repopulate the world… but the woman is a lesbian.”
“ And there is one other project that I’m working on… but it’s embryonic at best, it’s about video games… not about video games themselves, but using a lot of video game language and graphics… the show is called Nintendo Mii. I love video games… I don’t play a lot… but the culture is fascinating and the Wii is amazing. I also think its interesting how something that has always been considered reserved for the nerdy 14 year-old boy demographic is no longer confined to that."
But Beck confided to me with the writer’s strike at a stand still, the comedian says she is mostly just trying to do things that make her happy. “It’s hard for me because I support the strike…but I’m also broke.” She jokes, “As you can see I have a very high standard of living to maintain.”
Currently, Rebecca Drysdale says she spends a lot of her time at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City performing shows on Wednesday and Saturday nights, were she is surround by alumni from Chicago’s second City, which she says has made her transition to NYC a little easier… (She’s only been here for two and a half years but she feels as though now she considers herself a real New Yorker) and she is also lending her time to teach improve to kids.
I would like to thank Beck for taking time out to chat with me. It was my sincere pleasure and a very enjoyable evening. All of us here at Lesbiatopia wish her the best of success (not that she needs it) and we hope to see a lot more from Beck in the future.
So now, without further ado, I present our final installment of Time Traveling Lesbian.
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