A Funny Time to Be Gay - Softcover

Ed Karvoski Jr.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0684818965 ISBN 13: 9780684818962

Publisher: Gallery Books, 1997

Synopsis

In A Funny Time to Be Gay, Ed Karvoski Jr. traces the evolution of gay and lesbian comedy from the few pioneers in New York's Greenwich Village in the seventies, to the mavericks who played San Francisco's famed Valencia Rose in the eighties, to the comics who starred in their own TV specials in the nineties and continue to headline comedy clubs.   
Among the more than 30 humorists spotlighted...
 
· TOM AMMIANO - longtime San Francisco elected official
· JUDY CARTER - three-time author including The Comedy Bible 
· KATE CLINTON - three-time author including Don't Get Me Started
· SABRINA MATTHEWS - star of own Comedy Central special
· BOB SMITH - three-time author including Openly Bob and star of own HBO special
· JASON STUART - frequent TV guest appearances
· ROBIN TYLER - performer, producer and proprietor of a women's cruise line
· SUZANNE WESTENHOEFER - star of own HBO special
· DANNY WILLIAMS - longtime MC at RSVP Cruises
 
... and more!
 
"To the next generation of showbiz hopefuls who are gay or lesbian and choose not to hide it: make a grand entrance onto the comedy-club stages and television and film studios.  The closet door has been set ajar.  As any of these openly gay and lesbians comics will tell you, 'A funny thing happened on the way out of the closet!'"
-- Ed Karvoski Jr., from author's introduction

About this title

From the Back Cover

In A Funny Time to Be Gay, Ed Karvoski Jr. traces the evolution of gay and lesbian comedy from Robin Tyler in the seventies and mavericks who played San Francisco's famed Valencia Rose in the eighties to the latest comics in development for their own sitcoms. With short introductions that reveal the performers' approaches to both their sexual and professional identities, over thirty hilarious monologues capture the diversity of the gay and lesbian comic community, including Lynda Montgomery on being white trailer trash ("I was raised in a paneled hallway); Barry Steiger on Prozac ("I think antidepressants should come in a Pez dispenser"); Bob Smith on being a gay kid ("(My parents) once gave me a chemistry set - I used it to make my own line of skin care products"); and Suzanne Westenhoefer on the distinctions in lesbian culture ("...the butch is the one that holds the remote control, and the femme is the one that sits beside her going, 'change it...change it...change it...'"). From cabaret performers, late-night regulars, and rising stars, these pieces carry a message of joyful celebration: "We're here, we're queer - get used to laughing along with us!"

About the Author

Ed Karvoski Jr. has worked in various aspects of the entertainment and publishing industries for over 30 years. He's the author of five books, including the bestseller A Funny Time to Be Gay, Award-Winning Men, and The Movie Queen Quiz Book. Karvoski and his books have been featured in The New York Times, USA Weekend, Publishers Weekly, The Advocate, and Out. Additionally, The Village Voice called him "an insatiable vacuum cleaner in the showbiz closet!"

Edition details

• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0684818965
• ISBN 13: 9780684818962
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 256