LGBTQ news and entertainment
Not only did RuPaul see his new Netflix series AJ and the Queen premiere this past Friday, but the same day he also dropped his latest studio album titled, You’re A Winner, Baby. But wait – there’s more! At the end of January, Ru’s uber-popular TV series, RuPaul’s Drag Race will become a live stage show on the Las Vegas Strip at the Flamingo Las Vegas. It’s good to be ‘queen,’ henny.
Burt Ward as Robin and Adam West as Batman (promo photo via ABC)
Tony Award winner Gavin Creel turns ‘Something Wonderful’ into pulsing pop goodness
Creel made his Broadway debut in 2002 as “Jimmy Smith” in the hit musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. That was followed by acclaimed performances in Hair, The Book of Mormon, She Loves Me, Waitress and finally his Tony-winning turn as “Cornelius Hackl” in the Bette Midler revival of Hello, Dolly! Later this month he heads to London to reprise his role as the hunky Dr. Pomatter in Waitress with pop star Sara Bareilles. This track is the latest from the R&H Goes Pop! series which puts contemporary twists on timeless classics from the Rodgers & Hammerstein catalogue. The series began with a rocking “Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin” by Jeremy Jordan (Supergirl, SMASH), and has since featured a same-sex take on “We Kiss In A Shadow” by Jelani Alladin (Frozen) and Matt Doyle (The Book of Mormon).
The Pet Shop Boys dropped their latest track, “Monkey Business,” from the forthcoming studio album Hotspot. The new collection from the pop music icons is available January 24.
PSB previously dropped two other tracks from the forthcoming LP, “Burning the Heather” and “Dreamland” featuring Years & Years.
Marty Thomas In a recent chat, Thomas shares the inspiration for the collection: The Randy Report: Slow Dancing With a Boy is described as exploring the memories of a young gay man coming of age and questioning “the possibility of having lived those memories honestly.” Can you talk a bit about that journey in relation to these songs? Marty Thomas: School dances in my hometown were kind of a big deal. Small town living can make you blow special events out of proportion and can create impossible expectations. It was also the 90s in small-town America and I definitely didn’t have the confidence or feel a sense of safe space to come out and live honestly in high school. Looking across a dance floor and seeing a boy I had such a crush on, but couldn’t let anyone see me talking to, made those moments kind of excruciating. As grateful as I am to the girls who accompanied me to my school dances, those moments would have been vastly different if I could have danced with someone I was organically attracted to. All of the songs on this album have a specific meaning or memory tied to a life moment where I felt unable to live truthfully. Taking them back to rearrange them and place them firmly in the light was like cheap therapy. TRR: Is there a favorite song on the new album? MT: I’m so proud of this project, and I love so many tracks from the album. One tune that stands out is a country two-step cover of Mariah Carey’s “Dreamlover.” It was a song that was HUGE when I was in high school. I grew up in a farm town in Missouri, and we had a school dance every year that was country themed in an old rock barn in town. It was definitely a dance that made me feel like a bit of an outsider and giving the song a two-step vibe definitely gave me a laugh. My producer Jamey Ray and my country singing friend Rachel Potter helped me bring this song to life. TRR: Was it hard to choose the songs on the album? MT: Oh yeah, there was a long list of possibilities for this record. I went back and forth with my producer to narrow it down. Though I’m thrilled with the final tracklist, NOT covering a Whitney Houston song from The Bodyguard soundtrack will probably be one of the great regrets of my gay life. TRR: What was your approach to finding your version of these songs? MT: I let the concept marinate for almost two years before I really started narrowing down the song list and creating the arrangements. Every time a jam would come on the radio that took me back to a nostalgic place, I would write it down and categorize it. Once I sat down with my producer, Jamey Ray to begin crafting the album, I really started picking and choosing the music that brought me back to specific, difficult emotional places. There is endless material that has inspired me as a performer, but this project really wasn’t about that. The songs on ‘Slow Dancing With A Boy’ had to be attached to specific memories of self-doubt and fear of fitting in. There were certain covers where the original version was incredibly important to honor, like “Remember Me This Way” by Jordan Hill from the Casper the Friendly Ghost soundtrack. It was the theme to my Junior prom and Jordan (who I also knew from my Star Search days) was cool enough to fly in and go to my country prom with me. Other songs like ‘Somewhere’ from the musical West Side Story and “As” by Stevie Wonder got a whole new approach to bring a renewed joy to the songs and contribute to the healing process. TRR: Do you approach recording projects differently than live performances? If so, how? MT: I definitely think about recording pretty theatrically. Studio work and stage work are very different skills and I’m always so excited about the opportunity to work in the studio. The concept of this particular project is a bit dramatic, I admit, but the process has been incredibly cathartic. 
TRR: When not working on music, what fuels your creativity? MT: I’m a hairdresser. It started as a fun passion project and turned into a second full-time career. I have a private salon where I take clients regularly and I also work with wigs for Disney International. It’s a constantly evolving business and art form that’s always exposing me to new people and situations. I feel like my two careers effectively support each other. TRR: Is there any particular piece of professional advice you’ve gotten that really resonated with you? MT: When I was a kid, I was on a show called Star Search with Billy Porter (Emmy Award winner – Pose). We were both working on Broadway at the time and for years after, Billy acted as a mentor to me. I sang backup vocals on his record, ‘On The Corner Of Broadway And Soul” and while we working on it – I was auditioning for anything and everything that would see me. He sensed my frustration and gave me some advice that I’ll never forget. With experience, he shared that the industry might take a while to get hip to who I am and what I have to say. He encouraged me to not try and change myself to fit in, or even to book a job. He encouraged me to just do me, and wait for the world to be ready for it. He lives his own advice and it sure has paid off for him. TRR: What’s next on the horizon? MT: I’m doing a concert on December 14 with Broadway composer Jason Robert Brown at the venue Subculture, where he has an artist’s residency. Slow Dancing With A Boy is a prom/school dance-themed project, so I’m throwing myself a “second chance prom”! January 5, at the Green Room 42 in NYC I’m inviting friends and fans to get dolled up and come dance with me. I hired a party band, DJ and a prom photographer for an authentic prom do-over! I’ll sing from the album and then open up the floor to some good old fashioned Footloose-style celebrating. Check out Thomas’ take on “Crazy For You” below and look for the new album, Slow Dancing With a Boy on all digital download sites December 6. And while we’re here, let’s revisit that moment in the 1990s when Thomas won the top prize over Britney on Junior Star Search.
Matt Zarley & Jake
L-R Sam Perwin, Kyle Motsinger (photo: Tyler William Milliron)
In a parallel universe I stayed / After college I moved back to town / No other plans were made / Got a job, got a dog right by my side / Settling for a slower life / Completely satisfied / Wouldn’t know any better, any worse, In that parallel universe
Then there’s the other side of the ‘what if’ coin – what if Motsinger’s hometown beau moved with him to the big city?
Opportunities I couldn’t find here / In a town not ruled by courage but by fear / In another universe you moved with me / We rented an apartment in the heart of NYC / We’d explore the city side-by-side / End our days making love completely satisfied
“I wrote ‘Parallel Universe’ after an encounter with a former lover while visiting family for the holidays in Illinois,” says the handsome artist. “I started imagining different scenarios in which we could be together. It felt like each scenario was a different parallel universe. What if there were multiple versions of us out there that were living these scenarios? I do love a good science fiction story!” 
L-R Sam Perwin, Kyle Motsinger (screen capture)
Singer/songwriter Tom Goss (photo: Daren Cornell)
In addition to embracing a different soundscape (which the artist describes as ‘electro-groove-pop’), Goss says that while he’s written six albums about his relationship with his husband up to now, “To write material about intimate thoughts and feelings about someone other than my husband, it was so different.” Goss says the piano ballad “Berlin” would begin what would eventually emerge as Territories saying, “48 hours in Berlin turned my world completely upside down. Have you ever accidentally fallen in love? I have. This experience, and song, started what would eventually become Territories.” The video for “Berlin,” alternating between black & white imagery in a private, backroom cabaret setting and Goss exploring the city with his new beau, mirrors the dreamlike and ephemeral texture of the track. It’s notable that Goss, who’s extolled the attractiveness of bears and more full-figured guys many times in the past, continues that pattern versus using only gym-bound, muscle men in his videos.
The song “La Bufadora” focuses on the issue of domestic violence among LGBTQ couples. The music video, co-starring actor Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls, Looking), dramatizes a couple’s Mexican vacation gone awry as the duo’s disagreements turn violent.
Goss says the reaction from fans has been overwhelmingly positive, and that he’s “grateful by how people have put themselves in my shoes and have understood and accepted my experience.” He recently told Q Magazine that he hopes listeners will “understand that love doesn’t always look the same for everyone.” “Sometimes it looks different,” he added. “Whether you’re in a traditional relationship or a nontraditional relationship, you should be proud of the love that you share.” Earlier this year, I chatted with Goss in-depth about the genesis of Territories and the issues explored within it. Hit play below to hear him discuss its evolution in candid detail. Territories is now available on all digital download sites. For all things Tom Goss, head to tomgossmusic and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Out singer/songwriter Christopher Sorensen’s touching new music video, “Way. Way. Back” chronicles a gay coming of age romance between two teenage boys. The video tells the story of a gay man who returns to his hometown for a funeral. He’s haunted by the memories of a former love from his youth and the events that tore them apart. “The video explores how we collect trauma throughout our lives, weighing us down as we try to move on,” says Sorensen. “Sometimes, by facing our pasts, we can find a new beginning.”
Now I’ve Got A Map Of My Youth / The Way Way Back / It Leads To You
The video, like his music, is well-crafted and offers some unexpected turns through its emotional journey.
I had a chance to chat with the talented artist about the project and how he brings his art to life. The Randy Report: What was the inspiration for “Way. Way. Back?” Christopher Sorensen: “Way. Way. Back” is about a trauma in the past that determines all future outcomes in your life. I was really hurt by a guy in my past and didn’t think I’d be able to recover from it. Writing the song was a way of transforming that pain because music is healing. I’m still learning to let go and to not hold onto things that don’t serve me now. For the sake of the music video, I wanted to give myself and my audience a resolution with a happy ending. TRR: What’s your favorite part of the creative process? CS: My favorite part of the creative process is definitely writing. Whenever I’m feeling anxious or angry or depressed, I can sit down with my guitar and write, and it’s kind of a catharsis for me. Whether I’m writing a song or creating a music video, I’m a storyteller above all else and love collaborating to bring my visions to life. TRR: Do you have a “process” in writing/recording? CS: My best songs come to me when I least expect them. Words and a melody will come to me together when I’m in the shower or the car, and I’ll record them on my phone. There are times when I hear the melody first and the lyrics come second, but for me, I never hear the lyrics first. From there, I usually lay down tracks on Pro Tools and create my arrangement. Sometimes I’ll bring my song to another producer who can help me take it to another level. It’s very exciting when I later add visual elements and create a music video. 
Christopher Sorensen
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Lil Nas X
LETS GOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! 🐎⚡️ https://t.co/QjcZTvp09h
— nope (@LilNasX) November 13, 2019