Popping My Theatre Cherry...Again!
Gearing Up For My First Live Show Since 2019
Tomorrow night, I’m going to my first live show since before the pandemic.
And the man responsible for coaxing me out of my cave is comedian, podcaster, and Substacker extraordinaire Eric Williams.
Over the last year and change, I’ve been slowly finding my way back into the world.
Like a lot of people, the pandemic scrambled my social wiring. Then life piled a few extra things on top of that. Before I knew it, leaving the house felt less like a casual decision and more like a mission impossible.
Bird by bird and bit by bit, I’ve been easing myself back out into the world. Art shows. Brunches and lunches with friends. Small gatherings. Happy hours. With a few bigger events mixed in to expand my comfort zone.
So tomorrow night feels like a real milestone.
While I don’t know Mr. Williams personally, I’ve spent enough time listening to and watching his Gay Ass Podcast that I’m starting to feel like I do. It’s become a fave in my podcast rotation. The kind that always makes me laugh out loud.
Eric has what I can only describe as “funny and furry hostess with the mostest” energy. He’s quick, curious, and gloriously horny. One minute he’s riffing about gay internet culture. The next he’s deep in conversation with a guest about relationships, sex, community, or whatever rabbit hole the conversation wanders into.
The title alone tells you a lot about the vibe. Gay Ass Podcast is loudly and proudly gay as fuck. Don’t like it? Don’t care. But it’s also more than that. It feels like a place where people show up as themselves, talk a little shit, laugh at the absurdity of the world, and occasionally stumble into something truly touching along the way.
Over the last few weeks, Eric’s been touring the country and making the rounds on the podcast circuit. Gurrrl has been popping off across the web like a glitter bomb.
Aidan Wharton + Eric Williams
On Getting Close
Brian Rubin-Sowers + Judson Morrow + Eric Williams
On Dads And Daddies
Tomorrow night, Eric is performing his one-man show WHY ALL THE DRAMA at the Lyric Hyperion Theater & Cafe in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. And I’m going. The venue is close (enough) to Pasadena and I’ve been meaning to check out the space…since way back when I lived in Silver Lake.
I’ll admit I’m a little nervous. After spending so much time in my own quiet bubble, stepping into a room full of strangers again feels strange. Exciting too. Like remembering how to ride a bike you haven’t touched in years.
But there is something fitting about Eric being the one to (re)pop my theater cherry.
His humor lives in that space where queer culture, internet nonsense, and everyday human behavior collide. It’s playful, messy, and never takes itself too seriously. That kind of energy feels like the perfect bridge between the strange isolation of the past few years and whatever comes next.
If I’m going to reenter the world of live shows, I might as well start with someone who makes me laugh about life, liberty, and the pursuit of gay ass happiness.
For those not familiar with Mr. Williams and his work, I highly recommend subscribing to his Substack and Gay Ass Podcast. He’s funny, weird, and full of the kind of chaotic queer energy the internet occasionally gets right.
And if you happen to be in Los Angeles tomorrow night, consider grabbing a ticket and joining me for WHY ALL THE DRAMA. If you’re going, please let me know. It would be fun to run into a few familiar names or faces in the crowd.
After a long stretch of staying home, it feels good to finally have a reason to go out on a Monday night and laugh again.
Keep calm and laugh along!
Clint 🌈✌️
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ICYMI = IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
SUNDAY = Did It Really Happen Like That?
MONDAY = Wiped Out
TUESDAY = Lawrence Ferlinghetti
WEDNESDAY = 'Stop Making Sense' + 'True Stories'
THURSDAY = What? + When? + Where? + Why?
FRIDAY = Burnt Out?
SATURDAY = Community + Creativity = Cure
BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
03-29 = Bruce Weber (1946- ) = American photographer 🌈
03-29 = Dora Carrington (1893-1932) = English artist 🌈
03-29 = Edward Burra (1905-1976) = British painter 🌈
03-29 = Philip Ahn (1905-1978) = American actor and activist 🌈
MAN CRUSH OF THE DAY
“I’ve always been shy and that’s partly why I chose a life behind the lens. I like people to look at my work and hopefully it speaks for itself.”
Bruce Weber
I am so glad that you are emerging more from your hidey hole. Good therapy. I haven't listened/watched Eric's videos yet.
Back in the UK, I went to the theatre (broadest sense) at least once a week. (I lived within 20 miles of three cities). Many weeks I went to see live performances 2 or 3 times.
Oooo Matron, now Clint remember to enjoy loosing your cherry around this time 😝 Now me, I'm not a culture vulture by any means but have been enticed by C&C, my good friends, to accompany them to a local theatre company at Hope Mill Theatre in Ancoats, Manchester. It's a small venue in a converted old textile mill. It's a very 🌈 friendly theatre and regularly put on 🌈 themed productions. Manchester has plenty of main stream theatres and concert venues as well as plenty of other local arts theatres and venues. The internationally renowned The Halle orchestra at the Bridgewater Hall is 5⭐ The Halle did(?) a summer evening 'picnic by the lake' at Tatton Hall a country estate. Take your own picnic and the Halle brings the music and it finishes with a firework extravaganza. I don't know if it's still held post Covid. So Cheers DougT 🏴🇬🇧