Listen again: 11th June 2013

Wendyl Harris from the London LGBT + Community Pride brings back the London Community Pride Arts Programme, which is an arts festival that once ran alongside Pride parade. She tells us what queer London has to offer on the weeks around Pride on 29^th June. There is good news: More groups are signing up again to participate, including the transgender community. She also shares with us her memories of her first Pride in 1982, which was an inspiring experience.

Marques Toliver presents his debut album “Land Of CanAan” and remembers his first Pride in New York. Marques was the first unsigned artist playing on ‘Later with Jools Holland’ in 2010 and he tells us what it was like… He currently tours with Paloma Faith through the UK and has his on concert on 1^st October at Bush Hall in Shepherd’s Bush.

Robert SJ Lucas talks about the sitcom ‘Going Nowhere’, which he has written produced and directed for the iPhone. The 15-minute-long episodes revolve around two young marketing execs: reservedly gay Martin and loudly confident Sandra. He tells us about the characters and the inspiration for the scene in a cupboard, which we played. Robert has his own production company and from the experiences he made in the media, he decided, it would be more effective to produce ‘Going Nowhere’ himself rather than trying to find someone, who does it for him. The aim is also to produce an android version. For updates check Robert’s tweets @robertsjlucas. The series is launched on  25^th June.

For rights reasons the music is not on the podcast, but that’s what you could hear on the show:

1)      Rae Spoon: ‘Danger, Danger, Danger’ from the album “Love Is A Hunter”

2)      Tegan and Sara: ‘I Was A Fool’ from the album “Heartthrob”

3)      Marques Toliver: ‘If Only’ from the album “Land Of CanAan”

4)      Ruth Theodore: ‘Slowdown’ from the album “Dear Lamp Love Moth”

5)      Marques Toliver: ‘Weather Man’ from the album “Land Of CanAan”

Listen again: 4th June 2013

Rosie talks to Danni Nicholls, who recorded her latest album “A Little Redemption” in Nashville. Danni has her musical roots in American folk, country and rock’n’roll and got to play with Al Perkins who worked with the likes of Randy Newman, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. She tells us about her experience of funding her album through Pledgemusic, a form of crowd funding, which is popular in America. With the songs ‘Beautiful Game’ and ‘Hey There, Sunshine’, she gives us a taste of “A Little Redemption”, which is released on June 30^th; on 3^rd July Danni is playing at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith.

Dancer Tim Flynn presents Queer Tango London, which he founded in 2008. Queer Tango is a new way to dance Argentine tango. It breaks free from the tradition where a man leads a woman. He explains what the challenges of leading and following are when dancing tango, for example making sure not collide with other couples, or respectively, being very responsive when following. Being trained in ballet, Tim said, helped him picking up tango quickly. He also tells us about the history of Queer Tango and dancing in Buenos Aires. Queer Tango London offers lessons for beginners and intermediate dancers and has regular outings. On 21^st July the Queer Tangueras also have a festival at the Tea House Theatre in Vauxhall.

Rosie speaks to singer-songwriter Ruth Theodore, whose new album “Dear Lamp Love Moth” is out on 10^th June. Ruth shares with us how she picked apart all the songs she had already recorded for the album, when she had to stay in hospital for a long period. The album became a metamorphosis for her. She tells us about the inspiration for the title and plays the songs ‘Bull Fight’ and ‘Slowdance’ for us. She can be seen live on 10^th June at St Pancras Old Church.

For rights reasons the music is not on the podcast, but that’s what you could hear on the show:

1)    Rufus Wainwright: ‘Out of the Game’ from the album “Out of the Game”

2)    Danni Nicholls: ‘Bird of Paradise’ from the album “A Little Redemption”

3)    Danni Nicholls: ‘Beautiful Game’ from the album “A Little Redemption” (live) – on the podcast

4)    Danni Nicholls: ‘Hey There, Sunshine’ from the album “A Little Redemption” (live) – on the podcast

5)    Ruth Theordore: ‘Archmides’ from the album “Dear Lamp Love Moth”

6)    Ruth Theordore: ‘Bull Fight’ from the album “Dear Lamp Love Moth” (live) – on the podcast

7)    Ruth Theordore: ‘Slowdance’ from the album “Dear Lamp Love Moth” (live) – on the podcast

8)    Marques Toliver: ‘Weather Man’ from the album “Land of CanAan”

Listen again: 28th May 2013

Singer Kit Richardson joins Rosie with her band for some live music and talks about her latest album “Love Songs in Age”. Kit tells us how she got her band together, which includes Alison Andrews (Violin), Kate Coggin (Violin), Sam Simon-Norris (Guitar) and James Bourne (Drums). Her upcoming gigs are at the New Cross Inn on 31^st May and  at the Good Ship 22^ndJune.

Nick Field carries us away chatting about his new show “Adventure/ Misadventure”, which is a mix of spoken word, physical theatre and music on themes of travel and freedom. Nick  admits he is a ‘compulsive traveler’, continuously searching for something and at the same time running away from something. This motivated him to pick travelling as the subject for his show, which was directed by Rachel Mars. It also includes movement and – very spectacular – a scene on roller skaters. “Adventure/Misadventure” runs at the Ovalhouse from 4^th to 22^nd June.

Rosie discusses with Juliette Prais and Emma Ziff from Pink Lobster Dating the lesbian dating industry and whether gay women are still more monogamous than their male counterparts. Nick remained in the studio to represent the male side. Pink Lobster Dating is unique in the UK and is primarily aimed at lipstick lesbians, where it is tricky to tell from their appearance whether they are gay or straight. Although it is set up as a dating site, some also use it to find friends. They discuss the need for different kinds of relationships such as companionship, the excitement of an affair and the fact that lesbians still stay close friends with their ex-girlfriends.

For rights reasons the music is not on the podcast, but that’s what you could hear on the show:

1)    Tegan & Sara: ‘Closer’ from the album “Heartthrob”

2)    Kit Richardson: ‘You Always Did’ (live) – on the podcast

3)    Kit Richardson: ‘Better’ (live) – on the podcast

4)    Kit Richardson: ‘All Heart No Brains’ (live) – on the podcast

5)    Wallis Bird: ‘Encore’ from the album “Wallis Bird”

6)    Marques Toliver: ‘Weatherman’ from the album “Land of CanAan”

Listen again: 21st May 2013

Bourgeois & Maurice
Photo: Kamil Kustosz

Amy Lamé sits in for Rosie and brings a lovely bunch of guests:

Journalist Beth Williams and DJ and club promoter Baylen Leonard talk about the appeal of country music to the LGBT community and its increasing popularity in the UK. They chat about icons such as Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline, their relationship to their gay audiences and coming out. Beth’s feature about country music is in the latest edition of Diva and Baylen recommends events that celebrate this music: There is Rednecks, which he hosts Sundays at the Manbar in Soho, and Stark Dallas Reloaded in Hackney from 12th to 15th June.

Founding editor of GayStarNews Tris Reid-Smith keeps us up to date with this week’s top LGBT news stories. There is the equal marriage bill, which is now one step further (Hooray!). Unfortunately there is also still homophobia related crime in London and New York City and Tris and Amy discuss how important it is to report it. Finally there was fun at the Eurovision with a kiss not to be missed.

The cabaret duo Bourgeois & Maurice chat about their new show at London Wonderground on 31st May and their new album “The Third”. They tell us their fantastic story about how Bourgeois & Maurice came into being and the reason why their songs became more political. The duo further reveals an intriguing element of their performance: their undefined relationship with one another on stage as the audience always seems to have the need to figure out what it is. Brother and sister? Husband and wife? Father and daughter? It always gives their show an interesting twist.

For rights reasons the music is not on the podcast, but that’s what you could hear on the show:

1) Loretta Lynn: ‘The Pill’ from the album “Back to the Country”

2) Chely Wright: ‘Single White Female’ from the album “Single White Female”

3) Bourgeois & Maurice: ‘Goodbye Europe’ from the album “The Third”

4) Bourgeois & Maurice: ‘Tolerance’ from the album “The Third”

Listen again: 14th May 2013

Rosie Wilby stages with fellow students a same sex wedding demo at York Minster on Valentine’s Day 1991

Rosie goes down memory lane with Sharon Holloway, a former fellow student at York University. They talk about a same sex wedding demo that they and other students staged outside York Minster on Valentine’s Day in 1991 and how far the gay rights movement has come since then, especially considering that Sharon is now married. They also remember the student magazine ‘Matrix’ on which they worked and discussions about fashion. Sharon now runs a vintage hair lounge in Southampton. The interview accompanies Rosie’s new show ‘Nineties Woman’.

Performance artist Stacy Makishi talks about sequels as her new show “The Falsettos” is one, and about taking risks in the arts, especially in a recession. She also remembers funny and not-so-funny moments on stage, which are part and parcel of a performer’s life. She also gives us a small insight into Dalston, where she lived over 20 years. Stacy’s new show “The Falsettos” can be seen on 24th and 25th May at Chelsea Theatre, where she also reprises her previous show “The Making of Bull – The True Story” on 20th May.

Clayton Littlewood joins Rosie in the studio again talking about the adventure of turning his novel “Goodbye to Soho” into an audiobook. It’s more a radio play rather than an audiobook as he and actor David Benson bring the narration to life, incorporating sound effects and music to create the right atmosphere. Clayton tells us about his meeting with Quentin Crisp, which is described with much humour and very touchingly in “Goodbye to Soho”. The book captures the time when Clayton ran the clothes shop ‘Dirty White Boy’ in Soho. The extracts ‘The Silver Screen’ and ‘Quentin Crisp’ can be heard on the podcast. The audiobook is available on amazon and iTunes.

For rights reasons the music is not on the podcast, but that’s what you could hear on the show:

1) Rae Spoon: ‘Danger, Danger, Danger’ from the album “Love Is A Hunter”

2) Girlyman: ‘Nothing Left’ from the album “Supanova”

3) Clayton Littlewood: ‘Silver Screen’ from the audiobook “Goodbye to Soho” – on the podcast

4) Secret Affair: ‘Soho Dreams’ from the album “Soho Dreams”

5) Clayton Littlewood: ‘Quentin Crisp’ from the audiobook “Goodbye to Soho” – on the podcast

6) John Grant: ‘TC and Honeybear’ from the album “The Queen of Denmark”

Listen again: 7th May 2013

Rosie speaks to voice specialist Rebecca Root, who helps transgender people making their transition to male / female. Since she is a transsexual person herself, Rebecca has a unique insight into the process. Rebecca tells Rosie what motivated her to pick up the profession, the way she changed her own voice and a voice workshop she gave to the LGBT community in San Francisco.

Lucie Barât and Zoe Zammit from Little Episodes Publishing talk about “Queer Episodes”. It is an anthology of poetry and prose that celebrates identity as Little Episode’s mission is to de-stigmatise depression and see more equality for the LGBT community. They highlight the therapeutic effect of writing and art and how their workshops support its participants as they realise they are not alone with their problem. They also point out the importance of humour as a survival strategy.

Rosie is also on the phone to the American writer and performer Peter Michael Marino. His new show “Desperately Seeking the Exit” takes a comedic look at writing, staging and seeing the closing of “Desperately Seeking Susan”. Peter reveals how difficult it was coping with the failure of “Desperately Seeking Susan” and how grateful he was to turn this experience into something positive. He also tells us about the differences in working in America and in London and the way the new show reaches out to people who don’t work in theatre. He calls his performance Rock’n'Roll story telling. “Desperately Seeking the Exit” runs at the Leicester Square Theatre from 24^th April to 20^th May.

For rights reasons the music is not on the podcast, but that’s what you could hear on the show:

1)      Tegan and Sara: ‘Red Belt’ from the album “Sainthood”

2)      Douglas Hodge: ‘I Am What I Am’ from the Cast Recording of “La Cage Aux Folles”

3)      Hannah and Maggie: ‘Not the One’ from the album “Fine Being Here”

4)      Marquez Toliver: ‘Try Your Best’ from the album “Land of CanAan”

5)      Annabelle Chvostek: ‘End of the Road’ from the album “Rise”

Listen again: 30th April 2013

Rosie talks to the director of ‘Joshua Tree, 1951’, Matthew Mishory, who is on the phone from California. He tells us, where the idea for this film portraying James Dean’s youth came from. Mainly shot in black and white and with a dream-like quality the film follows Dean when he attends drama classes at UCLA and explores his sexuality. Matthew gives an insight into his research and the balance between truth and fiction and the gay relationships Dean had but denied. Matthew also remembers the casting of James Preston who plays James Dean. The DVD of ‘Joshua Tree, 1951’ is out on 13^th May.

Journalist Patrick Strudwick gives a passionate review of Damian Barr’s book ‘Maggie and Me’ - a memoir of growing up in a small town in Scotland during the Thatcher years. He praises the fact that, although describing Damian Barr’s unique life, ‘Maggie and Me’ is representative for a whole generation. Patrick also enjoyed Barr’s captivating writing style.

The TV sitcom ’Vicious’, on the other hand, received a much cooler review by Patrick. In ‘Vicious’ Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi play an elderly gay couple that conforms to many clichés. The series started on Monday 29^th April on ITV. More by Patrick on @PatrickStrud.

Rosie also chats to Bea Flatt who presents her new show ‘Pianoke’. At the piano she dedicates the evening to songs and silent films – a cinematic sheet music karaoke. In ‘Pianoke’ Bea covers an extensive range from Cole Porter to Schubert to Bond theme songs. Bea also strokes the keys of the piano in the studio playing Irving Berlin’s ‘I Love a Piano’ with much verve. She plays Sundays at the AlleyCat Bar and Club.

For rights reasons the music is not on the podcast, but that’s what you could hear on the show:

1) Marcus Reeves: ‘Black Tears’ from the album “Quicksilver – The Masquerade Macabre”

2) Boogaloo Stu: ‘Book of Love’ from the album “Magic Soul”

3) Erin McKeown: ‘Proof’ from the album “Manifestra”

4) Bea Flatt: ‘I Love a Piano’ – live (on the podcast)

5) Heather Peace: ‘Fight For (Jack Guy Remix)’ from the album “Fairytales”

6) Queen: ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ from the album “Greatest Hits”