Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts

Friday, October 13, 2017

A Conversation With Bruce Vilanch


Bruce Vilanch and Drew Wilson on the 16th Street Mall in 2010
Famous funnyman Bruce Vilanch has worked with everybody, won every award, and he'll be back in Colorado on Saturday, October 14 as part of Boulder Jewish Family Services' fifth annual Reel Hope Boulder. This fundraising event will include a wine and beer reception and all proceeds support the life-transforming work of Boulder JFS, which provides older adults, adults with disabilities, their families, and individuals in crisis with services to enhance their quality of life.

We had a chance to talk to him about being gay and Jewish, legalized marijuana ... and taint.

Drew: Hey, Bruce, it's Drew with MileHighGayGuy.
Bruce: MileHighGayGuy? A gay thing? Good, so we can talk about taint and all of that.

Drew: I’m hoping that the majority of the conversation will be taint-related but first, tell me about your upcoming appearance at Reel Hope Boulder with Jewish Family Services.

Bruce: Well, the Jews have got me. I’m visiting my people. I was wandering in the desert and now I’m visiting my people.

Drew: Your people are both the Jews and the gays. How would you say your Jewishness and your gayness have shaped your life, personality and career.
Bruce: Interesting question. When you’re Jewish you’re kind of automatically in show business and I think that’s because that was what we were allowed to do early on. So we became showpeople. There’s a lot of emphasis on that. Same thing when you’re gay. When you’re gay you’re always kind of in performance mode. At least we used to be, because that’s what made us distinctive. Now that we’ve become so mainstream, not so much.

But what really binds them together is the idea of being outside of the mainstream, a fairly exotic minority. When you grow up Jewish you learn that a lot of people hate you and they’re not going to help you so you have to do it yourself. You have to take care of your own because you can’t rely on anybody else to do that. And that is also a great mantra for the gay community. There’s a joke Jewish people have that every Jewish holiday can be summed up in three lines - They tried to kill us. They lost. Let’s eat. And it’s the same thing with the gay community.

There are valuable lessons to be learned from the Jewish experience by gay people of all creeds. I love that word, creeds. So I guess that’s part of it. Other than all of that, nothing.

Friday, June 2, 2017

A Q&A With Michael Dale Kimmel, Author of The Gay Man’s Guide to Open and Monogamous Marriage by Michael Dale Kimmel


San Diego therapist Michael Dale Kimmel is the author of The Gay Man's Guide to Open and Monogamous Marriage ...

What inspired you to write The Gay Man’s Guide to Open and Monogamous Marriage? When I was a young gay boy, I dreamed of the prince who would carry me away on his horse, make me happy and take care of me forever. Reality appeared shortly after, and I realized that I was going to have to be that prince if I ever wanted my dream to come true.

I never, as a young gay boy, imagined that I would be able to legally marry that prince someday. And here we are, now, with marriage to that prince not only possible, but very real: what do we want to do with this opportunity, now that we’ve finally got it? That’s the question that motivated this book.
 

Legal gay marriage is a relatively new phenomenon. What are some of the issues that gay men are facing now that they have the option to marry?
For centuries, heterosexual people have defined marriage. Now, as two men considering getting married, we don’t have to do it “their” way any longer. This is a cause for rejoicing! So why aren’t we more excited? Because, it’s quite daunting to re-invent a cultural institution like marriage. It’s much easier to just follow what other people have done.

This book is an invitation – a radical invitation – to not settle. Instead, the book asks readers to really examine and investigate the idea and institution of marriage and come up with their own version of what works for them and their partners.

How are gay marriages different from heterosexual marriages? In what ways are they the same?
In many important ways, marriage between two men is dramatically different from heterosexual marriage. It’s a double testosterone marriage. We will probably not handle sex the same as our heterosexual or lesbian counterparts: we are likely to desire more of it and with a wider variety of partners.

Many of our relationships start off monogamous. However, it is my experience that about half of them – over time – do not remain so. Many gay relationships – married or not – begin to “open up” after the first few years (I call it “The Three Year Itch”).

Our marriages are probably the same in that we share challenges such as: loving someone as imperfect as we are, weathering financial and emotional storms, challenges of aging, not losing our identity in our relationships and working hard to stay interested in someone that we’ve seen burp, fart, and load the dishwasher in a way that drives us crazy.

Is an open marriage often a good choice for gay married couples, or do you find that monogamy can be a better option? What should couples look for when trying to decide which option to choose?
An open marriage is a pretty high-maintenance experience. Both partners are inviting new people and personalities into their lives, and jealousy and insecurity often come along for the ride. On the other hand, many gay men in monogamous marriages find that – over time - sexual monogamy doesn’t work well for them. They want to go through life with one man they “love” but need to have other men that they have sex with. And many gay marriages go through both “closed” and “open” periods (this is much more common than many think).

In this book, we follow two married couples: Tomas and Larry, representing a harmonious open marriage, and Ethan and Jake, representing a fulfilling monogamous marriage. Each couple will experience the joys and difficulties of their double testosterone marriage, giving readers a wide range of options and possibilities for their own marriages.

Many gay couples struggle with other issues besides whether to be sexually open or monogamous in their marriage. What are some of the other common issues you see in your practice when working with gay couples?
Over the years, I have observed that relationships between two men typically have more conflict and competition, in ways that opposite sex and lesbian relationships do not. Is it biological or cultural? As men, we are trained to compete with each other; we are trained to win, to want to be the best. This is how we’ve been socialized, isn’t it?

And yet, more-and-more often, I meet young men who don’t make all those traditional assumptions about what a man “is” and who we “should” be. I wrote a chapter about redefining gender roles, because we have an amazing opportunity to determine who we are, as two men married to each other. How do we divvy up the household tasks? How do we decide who is the more nurturing one? The more aggressive one? The more career-oriented one? The more childcare-oriented one?

Moving from a partnership to being married can often be as difficult for gay men as it is for opposite-sex couples. What advice do you have for those who are finding the transition to marriage difficult?
Having common goals, good communication skills (being able to talk about almost anything) and some degree of “structure” both partners can fall back on, make the transition easier. Creating a marriage is like designing a house: wouldn’t two partners decide what are the elements/features that each want in their house? What is important to both partners? For some guys, the kitchen may be really important, for others, it may be low on the priority list.

I encourage gay couples to look at their marriages in the same way: what elements of the marriage are most important to each? In the book I call this “designing your marriage” and, ironically, very few couples – gay or straight – are ever encouraged to do this. It’s a great way for gay couples to communicate about what matters to each of person in the relationship, while the partners - mutually - create a structure/framework for a happy, fulfilling marriage.

Do you plan to write more books on gay marriage and relationships in the future and, if so, what can you tell us about them?
I get my ideas for my books and columns both from my clients and participants in the workshops I facilitate. I’ve already begun two more books: one will focus on successfully aging in the gay community (a topic that often terrifies gay men) and the other on psychology, spirituality and humor for gay men (humor and spirituality are such underutilized resources).



Wednesday, February 18, 2015

A Q&A With Marc Freden, Author of 'Not Too Cocksure'

Producer, entertainment journalist and on-camera personality Marc Freden has promised to reveal the ‘dark side of the bright lights’ with a explosive series of sexually charged scandalous novels revealing Hollywood’s unspoken truths. The first, Not Too Cocksure, introduces the recurring character of Mica Daly—an ambitious entertainment journalist who becomes the topic of his own story when his involvement with the meteoric rising star, Chad Martin, goes from the murmurs of gossip to the stuff of Hollywood lore.

Who is Mica Daly?
Mica Daly is an aggressive, ambitious entertainment reporter and a keen observer of the world around him. But unlike many reporters in today’s media world, he is not fishing for the lowest common denominator, trying to ruin lives or find the scandal. He still believes there can be entertainment in entertainment reportage. As you see in Not Too Cocksure his moral high ground gets him in trouble as he becomes a fall guy. But as you see as the books evolve, you can only push him so far and soon his experience become his education. 



How much of the book is based in fact? It is all based in fact. The truth is far more entertaining than the fiction. The fiction stems from placing these amalgam characters in certain circumstances which link the fact based plot line together. That is certainly the case in Not Too Cocksure.
 

Are you concerned that you will be biting the hand that feeds you? No! I am more concerned that the reader is sated. I have no problem pulling back the curtain on Hollywood and the world of celebrity and entertainment and telling what I know. My anecdotes have been the subjects of years of cocktail chatter, I am excited about sharing them with a broader audience.
 

More and more actors are coming out of the closet. Is the threat of outing still relevant? Coming out in Hollywood is still a ‘dollars and sense’ situation for many actors. Will the studios back you in the same way? Will there be roles available for you? Are you relegated to character roles versus leading roles? But, moreover, coming out is a personal decision and should not be thrust upon you. What Mica faces is a moral dilemma as much as a career crossroads. This is also a story about how low the media will sink to get the story and at what cost. As such this story is relevant on many levels. 

What can we expect from Mica as the books progress? I think Mica can’t help but become a product of his environment. The entertainment industry doesn’t change because you have a moralistic ideology. In order to succeed, he is going to have to find a way to exist in a system that is unfair, favors cronyism, rewards mediocrity and protects the scandalous. And he will. The question is: will his success reveal a darker, more ambitious, Mica? Let’s face it, in order to be a player, you have to play the game.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

A Quickie Q&A with Singer/Songwriter/Actor Ben Caron

Who is Ben Caron?
I am an Iowa-raised, Los Angeles-based artist who works in a lot of different mediums. I'm a singer-songwriter, an actor, director, writer and producer. I love being creative and expressive, and I aim to be as truthful and honest in my work as possible.

When did you know you wanted to make music your career?
I don't remember an exact moment, but I do remember in elementary school filling out a teacher's questionnaire that asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I wrote: "singer/veterinarian." I was really clear that I was going to do both of those things. I used to plan how I would use the money from my album sales to open a veterinary clinic where animals could get care for free. Maybe the second part of that dream will still happen someday. For now, I'm just happy making music.

For that year it took for the album to come out what were you working on between EP’s?
Well, the recording process was pretty constant throughout that year, but in the time that I had in between organizing sessions and promoting my crowd funding campaign, I would also train as an actor, audition, write plays, and try and maintain a personal life.

Who is Molly May (Bonus track on your self-titled album)?
Molly May is my best friend, who's currently working as a graphic designer in Minneapolis. We became friends in middle school, in a small town in Iowa called St. Ansgar, and we were pretty inseparable all the way through high school. We went to prom together our senior year, we were in most of our school activities together, and we hung out almost every day. Our last Summer together in Iowa, I wrote a song about her, and I performed it for her on her birthday. She grew up on a cattle farm, so I sang it to her in the feed room of her cattle shed, just me, her, my guitar and the cattle. We remained close friends all throughout college, and recently she was able to fly out for my album release and join me on stage for her song. It was one of the most memorable moments of my life.

Vodka or Gin?
Depends on the mood, but I mostly stick to gin. I love the crisp, clean taste of good, cold gin.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Tranifesto: An Interview With Choreographer Sean Dorsey

By Matt Kailey

Sean Dorsey is an award-winning choreographer, dancer and writer. Recognized as the United States’ first out transgender modern dance choreographer, Dorsey has won audiences and accolades from San Francisco to New York with his powerful dance-theater. Dorsey is the founder and Artistic Director of Fresh Meat Productions, the first U.S. non-profit dedicated to the year-round creation, presentation, and touring of transgender arts.

Dorsey’s current show, The Secret History of Love, will be in San Francisco from March 28-31 as part of a 20-city national tour. Dorsey was able to talk to me via e-mail about the show, the LGBT history project upon which the show is based, and being out and trans in the dance world.


Matt Kailey: How did you get interested in dance and choreography?
Sean Dorsey: I have always loved dance and movement. I spent a lot of time twirling around my living room in my leotard, dancing to records as a kid. I didn’t grow up at the ballet barre, though – I came to dance “late,” and didn’t start my professional dance training until I was 25. When I did start, though, I hit the ground running!

MK: Did you become a professional dancer and choreographer prior to your transition? If so, how did your transition affect your career? If not, did you enter the profession as an out trans person?
SD: I started my dance training prior to my physical transition, but I was trans and queer identified. Changing rooms and gendered movement in dance were very challenging, painful. I would do everything I could to avoid using bathrooms or changing rooms, even once I started dancing professionally.

It was hard. I didn’t know a single trans dancer in the world, had never heard of a single one. I became very driven to create space in dance for transgender and queer people – both through my choreographic work, and by founding Fresh Meat Productions (the nation’s first nonprofit to create, present and tour year-round transgender arts programs, including our resident dance company Sean Dorsey Dance).

MK: Do you think that being an out trans person has hurt or helped your career overall and in what ways? How are you and your shows perceived/accepted by non-trans, mainstream audiences?
SD: There have been plenty of painful parts about coming into the dance world as a transgender person – but I feel very, very blessed to be transgender. It really is an enormous blessing to be a trans person.


In terms of my shows, I have had totally a positive response from both LGBT and straight audiences, from trans and non-trans people alike. I have trans and queer people come up to me after shows, saying they were in tears during the show, that they were so moved, or that they’d NEVER seen themselves onstage, in dance before. That’s huge.

I’m blessed that my shows tend to draw sold-out audiences – and my audiences are this AMAZING mix of people that you’d NEVER see in one room together normally: transgender people, mainstream dance-goers, lesbians, gay men, seniors, youth, activists, theater-lovers. I’m proud of my work, and I’m proud of my audiences! There’s activism in bringing those people together into a room, into conversation.

TheSecretHistoryOfLove1__ByLydiaDanillerMK: You have also worked on this LGBT Elders Oral History Project, upon which your current show is based, for two years. Did you start the project with the idea of turning it into a show, or were these two very different things (your choreography and the history project) that just converged?
SD: The inspiration for the show came first. I am passionate about uncovering and sharing transgender and LGBT history. Our lives get left out of mainstream history books and family albums. It’s critical that we celebrate, document and share our history, or our lives and struggles and accomplishments will be lost.

I knew I wanted to make a show about how on earth LGBT people managed to survive and find love and community and relationships in decades past, long before Stonewall. I wanted to go to the source, to talk to elders and ask them how they did it. And so my LGBT Elders Oral History Project was born.

I spent two years talking to transgender, lesbian and gay elders across the U.S. – asking them about their first crushes, their first loves, coming out and living as LGBT in the earlier decades of this century. And you hear these elders’ own voices and real-life stories in the show. It’s very powerful.

I also did a ton of reading and archival research – getting my hands on real-life love letters, handbills for speakeasies from the 1920s, a cocktail napkin with a love note and phone number written on it from the 1950s. I read hundreds of love letters going back decades, centuries even.

MK: What would you like to say about your show, The Secret History Of Love?
SD: The Secret History Of Love reveals the underground ways that LGBT people managed to survive and love each other in decades past. I created the show through the two-year National LGBT Elders Oral History Project.

The Secret History Of Love features the voices and life stories I recorded in these oral history interviews – along with powerful, moving and hilarious episodes from the LGBT community’s remarkable history of finding love and community against enormous odds. Everything from 1920s speakeasies to wartime love affairs to police raids to steamy underground cabarets and more, performed by my company with special musical guest Shawna Virago (a brilliant trans woman singer-songwriter).

Over the next two years, we’re taking the show on a 20-city national tour: Philadelphia, San Antonio, Tampa, Claremont, Chico, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and more.

The Secret History Of Love is a very powerful show – it features full-throttle dancing, riveting storytelling, luscious partnering and first-hand tales of tremendous risk, passionate love, impossible courage, heartbreaking loss, and bold resistance – revealing the great resiliency and strength of the human heart, even in the face of great danger and devastating violence.

People can see where we’re touring next at www.seandorseydance.com/calendar.

SeanDorsey_ByLydiaDaniller-1
MK: What other projects are you working on now?
SD: I’m starting work on my next project, The Missing Generation and The Source Of Joy. The work will explore the contemporary impact of the loss of part of an entire generation of LGBT people to AIDS during the 1980s. I will create the work in five cities across the U.S., through a LGBT Inter-Generational Oral History Project and extensive archival research.

It’s big and intense and emotional, and we’re just jumping in now – along with our partner theaters in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Lewiston and Tampa. We’ll premiere Part One of the show in March 2014 in San Francisco, and the full world premiere in 2015. I’ll keep you posted!

People can join my email list at www.seandorseydance.com to get updates about my work and where we’re touring next!

This post originally appeared on Matt Kailey's award-winning website Tranifesto.com. Republished with permission.  

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Newly out comedian Todd Glass gets serious (Part 1 of 2)

By Drew Wilson

Todd Glass has been doing stand up for 25 years and appeared on both the second and third seasons of "Last Comic Standing." 

He came out publicly only a few months ago, on the podcast WTF with Marc Maron in response to recent headlines about the bullying and subsequent suicides of gay youth across the country, and now Glass will be appearing at Comedy Works South at The Landmark tonight through Saturday (May 17-19). I had a chance to chat with the comedian about some pretty serious subjects including his passion for equality, his coming out process, and how homophobia hurts us all. 

Here's part one of our interview. Check back tomorrow for part two.

Drew Wilson: So Mr. Glass, I hear you got your start in comedy at a very young age.
Todd Glass: Yeah, I have been doing stand up comedy for about 25 years now. I started in high school and it’s still my favorite thing in the world to do. I started at a club in Philadelphia when I was 15. I used to watch acts like Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Seinfeld and Roseanne Bar.

Wow, that's like the Golden Age of Stand Up. Didn’t you have school or somewhere to be?
I did but you know, my parents were very supportive because I didn’t do very well in school. I had dyslexia and it wasn’t really well known back then. But I’ve always just loved stand up – even when I was 10 or 11 I would watch it on TV and I’ve just always loved it.

And you've been touring ever since. You're coming to Comedy Works tonight. You must have been here before at some point, right?
I have been. Comedy Works is a great club with a great reputation for a reason. Wendy knows how to run a comedy club and it’s just a great place for the audience as well as the comedians. 

Was appearing on "Last Comic Standing" very different from what you usually do?
Anytime you’re doing anything like comedy or music, it’s basically the hardest thing in the world to do. And when you make it into a competition it doesn’t make it any easier. It’s always nerve-wracking but basically I just hung out with my friends and had a good time. Overall it was a great experience and it changed a lot for me. It brought me into peoples’ living rooms in the prime time hour.

So after so many years on the road and in the public eye, you recently decided to come out as gay. What was your thought process behind that decision?
You know, I thought that not doing it was just adding to the validity of the thought that it was something worth hiding. I have a podcast on Chris Hardwick’s Nerdist Industries and I do shows on Earwolf and there’s a very young audience that comes out to see comedy and I just thought that, if I was honest with who I was then other kids and adults could maybe be honest with themselves as well. I don’t want to die having never been real with myself. 

But, I also have to say that I was ready to do it. I knew nobody in my life would be horrified and I’ve been happy to find out that people in my life have been accepting and supportive.You should never push anybody else. Everybody comes out at the same time and that’s when they’re ready. Matter of fact, I always say - rather then tell kids to come out, why don’t we just make sure we're laying out a welcoming mat for when they’re ready?  

What kind of reaction have you gotten?
One thing that really is overwhelming to me is that I’m surprised both by how many hateful people there are as well as how many people are accepting. And sometimes they aren’t the people you would expect. I have people come up to me after shows that I may perceive to look like someone who wouldn’t be OK with it but they don’t give a shit and they say the kindest, warmest things. 

That’s why, on my podcast The Todd Glass Show, I say that to take someone who is homophobic and make them not be homophobic is a challenge, but it's doable. What’s less of a challenge is for gay people and people aren’t homophobic to just be more vocal about it. Matter of fact, I want to start a campaign for straight people to put message videos online, a very simple message, "I don’t give a shit!" and that’s the whole campaign. Just straight people saying “My name is" and "I don't give a shit!"

Why is that an important message for straight people to express?
 I think it’s important to ask people who aren’t homophobic to start being a little bit more vocal. If you hear someone saying something homophobic, treat it as if you heard someone using the N word. You wouldn’t just listen to it, you would go, “whoa, whoa, whoa!”

And what is your message to gay people?
Don’t let someone who is misinformed and unhealthy make you have a shitty life. I get so many emails from people – some of them make me cry – because people are hurt and outraged by what’s going on. But you don’t have to be gay to be outraged. I’m not a woman, I’m not black or Mexican but I have the same zero tolerance and outrage for any kind of hatred against any group of people.

You seem really passionate ...
All my life, I’ve never been really able to discuss this stuff. My rage comes from every single human being on this planet who oppresses someone else. That’s why I get so excited about this topic. Because I haven’t been able to before. But at the end of the day I’m just out on the road doing the same stuff I’ve been doing for the last 25 years, just being funny and that’s what I’ll continue to do.
Todd Glass will be appearing at Comedy Works South at The Landmark on May 17-19. Click here for tickets or more information.


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Stand Up Proud: A conversation with openly gay comedian Thai Rivera (Part 1 of 2)


By Drew Wilson

Openly gay comedian Thai Rivera (along with pals Shawn Pelofsky and Dina Martinez) brings the Stand Up Proud comedy tour to Denver's Comedy Works this Sunday, April 29 at 7pm for one show, one night only of comedy by, for and about the GLBT community. 

I caught up with Thai on the road recently and we had a chance to talk about the tour, his personal brand of politically incorrect comedy, and homophobia in the world of stand up comedy. 

Here's part one of our two part interview.

Drew: Hey Thai, tell me how the Stand Up Proud Comedy Tour came about.
Thai: I was on the road with a comedian named Jo Koy for about a year and while I was on the road I would always meet other gay people and a lot of them told me they were glad to see me because they don’t usually go to comedy shows because sometimes they don’t feel comfortable because a lot of times comedians will say things that are homophobic. So I decided to put together a tour.

And how did you go about putting together a "gay" tour?
Well, this is gonna sound bad but I get tired of watching the same stereotypes on stage over and over. Whenever there’s a gay person, they’re ridiculously flamey and that’s cool and I know that’s a part of the gay community but that’s not all we are so I wanted to show a different side of what we are.


What different side of who we are do you feel you represent?
Actually I think I represent the majority of the community. When it comes down to it I don’t think gay people are that much different from straight people. I just think that a lot of times people are pushing the same things over and over again when it comes to being gay, like we’re all trying to get married. The gay media seems to be pushing the sames things over and over.

How would you describe your comedy?
I'm not politically correct at all. I say pretty much anything I want. I hit every demographic in my act, including gay people. It’s all in fun. It’s all good-natured. It’s very rare that people don’t get me. I just poke fun at everyone.

How did you end up teaming up with Shawn Pelofski (pictured, with friends) and Dina Martinez, the other performers on the tour?
A friend of mine named Steve Trevino brought it up to me. I don’t even know why but he thought I should start a tour in Texas. I don’t know why he was thinking of me so much but he called me out of nowhere and suggested that I have Shawn Pelofski and a different lineup but then I stumbled onto Dina Martinez who I think is great and asked if she wanted to come along and that’s how we ended up.

And how did you get hooked up with Comedy Works here in Denver? Did they jump at the chance for a night of gay comedy?
I worked there with Jo Koy so I already had a little bit of a relationship so when I came up with the tour I figured I’d give a call. It seems that Denver has a pretty good population of gay people and I’ve noticed that straight people in Denver don’t really seem to have an issue with gay. I haven’t noticed much homophobia when I’ve been there. Denver has this live and live attitude.

Check out part two of the MileHighGayGuy/Thai Rivera interview later this week. And stay tuned for free ticket giveaways to Stand Up Proud. Tickets are now available for Stand Up Proud at Comedy Works. For tickets or more information click here

Thursday, March 4, 2010

An interview with DJ Shane Stiel

Born and raised in Colorado, Shane Pfannenstiel, a.k.a. DJ Shane Stiel,  caught the music bug while still a teenager. Before too long he had broken into the Denver gay nightlife scene spinning at Traxx 2000, Club Matrixx and, more recently, with high-profile gigs at Vinyl and Mo's in Denver as well as a residency at The Endup, San Francisco's legendary gay dance club.

I caught up with him the other day to talk about breaking into the DJ biz, his Going Away Party this Friday at Mo's,  and his plans for the future.

Shane, I hear you’re not gonna be a local boy much longer. Say it isn’t so!
That's right, I’m moving back to San Diego. I love it here too but I just can't be in the cold anymore.

It seems like there's a lot of gay migration back and forth between Denver and San Diego. We're like sister cities.
There is a lot of that, actually. I really love both cities but I'm just really ready to pursue my music out in Cali. I have some strong residencies and a strong following out there so I'm moving back to take advantage of that.

How long have you been DJing?
Thirteen years...

No way, how old are you?
I will be 30.

So you got into it when you were a tot?
Oh, yeah, I actually started way back in the rave days.

That was you with the glow stick?
I have to admit I’ve done that. I got into dance music when I was 15. A couple of years later I met and befriended a bunch of local DJs and promoters - Denver has a really strong scene - and I just thought to myself, 'I can do that.'

And I just started doing it.

I had to take a bit of a break when I joined the Navy, but when I got out I just pursued it again. And that’s how it kind of all began.


How would you describe your musical style?
I'd say I have kind of an eclectic house sound. I like to bring in a little bit of the gay circuit but I also like to explore outside of that whole circuit gay thing and bring in some electro, some progressive, a little bit of trancey. I just like to kind of create my own sound.

You've been a popular fixture on Denver's gay nightlife scene...
Yeah, Friday at Mo’s has been great. And I did Vinyl a lot. I will actually be back to Vinyl this summer. DJ Tatiana and I talked about me coming back once a month this summer. I'll also be doing Gallery 22 once a month so I won't be gone from Denver completely.

You're going-away party is this Friday at Mo's, right?
Yeah, it's a going away party plus a Madonna Revolver party …

Whoo-hoo!
I know right? What a good note to go out on. It’s being co-promoted by DJ Ken-E, me, and B&G Productions so it should be a good event.


Sounds like a real recipe for success.
Yeah, it’s gonna be in the new space downstairs so it’s gonna be kind of intimate and the sound is great down there. Both the Milk Bar and the Jazz Bar will be open so it'll be a really fun event.


What else should we know about DJ Shane Stiel?
I'd love for everybody to check out my podcast WERQ – I might be doing a live set for the podcast this Friday at the going away party.

And I can’t really go into too much detail right now, but I’m gonna be working with some producers on a couple of my own tracks in the near future so let's just say that people will definitely be hearing more about DJ Shane Stiel.

What message do you have for readers of MileHighGayGuy.com and the Denver gay community?
Thank you so much, Denver. You’re truly where my heart is. The people here have always been great and welcomed me with open arms and I appreciate it. Don't forget about me.