1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:12,800 Hello and welcome to Tracks of Our My name is Andy Gott, and 2 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,000 each episode I chat to a fascinating guest about a track, 3 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:19,920 an album, and an artist that means something special to them 4 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:25,360 as a queer person. Picture it 7:00 AM here in 5 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:27,880 Australia, 5:00 PM the day before in New York. 6 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:33,040 I'm whispering Leah Delaria, Leah Delaria, Leah Delaria 3 7 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,720 times like I'm summoning Bloody Mary before I join the call for 8 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:39,920 our chat desperately avoiding saying Leah Delaria. 9 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:41,200 Does anyone else have that issue? 10 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,520 Is that just me? However her name is pronounced, 11 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,560 Leah Delaria is a glorious multi hyphener of the unapologetically 12 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,800 queer kind. You may know her like me from a 13 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:54,680 starring role in the entire run of Orange is the New Black. 14 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:57,840 You may know her from her legendary early 90s appearance 15 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,200 on Arsenio Hall, which is widely acclaimed as the first ever 16 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,519 appearance of an openly gay person on USTV. 17 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,040 Saying that out loud just completely blows my mind. 18 00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:11,000 You may in fact know her from her own recording career as a 19 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:12,880 jazz musician and more on that to come. 20 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:17,040 But did you know that Lea Delaria coined the joke about 21 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,360 U-Haul and lesbians? She literally wrote that joke. 22 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,560 If you don't know anything about her at all, you're still in for 23 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:25,160 a treat with this chat. And if you happen to be in 24 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,360 Provincetown, MA or at surrounds in the next few weeks, you 25 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,200 should absolutely make time to see Leah in her career 26 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,040 retrospective show. Those details are attached in 27 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,840 the episode show notes. And finally, Tracks of Our 28 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,480 Queers is a completely independent production, and I'm 29 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,560 so glad you're here listening if you've enjoyed a few episodes 30 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:44,920 and have a couple of dollars or pounds to spare. 31 00:01:45,320 --> 00:01:48,120 Every penny goes straight to costs associated with the show. 32 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:50,960 And you can find the link to buy me a coffee in the show notes 33 00:01:51,480 --> 00:02:01,280 over to Leah. Leah Delaria, welcome to Tracks 34 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:03,160 of Our Queers. Thanks for having me. 35 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,240 Please, Leah, tell me about your earliest musical memory. 36 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:10,479 So what was playing at home when you were growing up? 37 00:02:10,479 --> 00:02:13,520 That kind of earliest memory you can pick out for me. 38 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:15,960 That would be my father playing the piano. 39 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:19,360 That is my earliest musical memories. 40 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:21,920 It was my dad was always playing the piano. 41 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:24,200 Always. And boy, did he want me to 42 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,960 learn, because he could tell that I was very interested in 43 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:34,040 music, that I had great tonal memory and really good pitch, 44 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:38,520 excellent pitch. And he really sat me next to him 45 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,880 on that piano bench and started teaching me little things. 46 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,080 And I wanted to fucking go outside and play. 47 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,360 Now. I would give anything to go into 48 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:52,120 a time machine and go back and learn how to play the goddamn 49 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:52,640 tricks. Yeah. 50 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:55,800 So are you confirming that maybe you're not a qualified piano 51 00:02:55,800 --> 00:03:00,360 player right now as we speak? I am not a piano player even 52 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,520 remotely. I can plunk out notes to find 53 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:06,280 out what key I need something in or something like that. 54 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,640 I certainly know what all the names of the keys are. 55 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:14,200 I have a great grasp of theory. So I've got the map as well, but 56 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,440 no actual the actual playing of the piano. 57 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:18,760 Oh. It's never too late. 58 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,000 I have to hire somebody to do that. 59 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,160 What did your dad do for work? What was his job? 60 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:30,400 He was a jazz pianist that until the music dried up, and which 61 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,080 because rock became the thing when the music dried up. 62 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:37,760 He had five kids. He had to get a job, so he 63 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:42,040 worked as a social worker, but he still played whenever he 64 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:44,320 could. Where is where was hometown for 65 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:46,400 you? I dropped a little town called 66 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:52,240 Belleville, IL, which is east up East Saint Louis, Illinois, 67 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,160 which is where Miles Davis is from, for example. 68 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:59,080 But Saint Louis and East Saint Louis, a real their own kind of 69 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:02,600 style of jazz. My father grew up in Boston. 70 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,760 He met my mom in the USO. My mom was a dancer and he, you 71 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:09,840 know, piano player. And they met in the USO and fell 72 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:13,640 in love and got married. And my mom was from this area of 73 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:16,000 the world, Belleville. So where was your dad going to 74 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,920 do these gigs, whether it was his main job or on the side? 75 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:22,640 Was that in Saint Louis? Yeah, Andy Singulus close, None 76 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:24,880 of which exist. Well, I've got questions for you 77 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:27,480 later on. Spaces which no longer exist. 78 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:29,600 It's something that I'm very interested in. 79 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,320 So OK, back to you. That's really fascinating about 80 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:34,240 your dad. And I'm picturing this very like 81 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,200 musical environment that you and your siblings are growing up in. 82 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,720 So how were you as you moved through your childhood, kind of 83 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:44,280 forming your own taste in music? Like what were you absorbing 84 00:04:44,280 --> 00:04:47,480 from beyond your dad, whether it was at school or your siblings 85 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:50,640 or how are you formulating what you what you enjoyed? 86 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:55,800 So I was born in 1958. So the radio was was big, rock 87 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,800 and roll was big. I loved music, so I listened to 88 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:02,200 everything. I listened to country music 89 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:03,960 because I grew up where there was country music. 90 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:08,040 I listen to jazz because my dad and bebop because that's what my 91 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:11,040 dad did. My mom liked swing, so there was 92 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:13,200 always swing playing in the house as well. 93 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:15,600 And an old, I have an older brothers and sisters. 94 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:18,520 Dana is the oldest. She's nine years older than me. 95 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:21,680 Rick is the 2nd and he's seven years older than me. 96 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,680 So they were listening like Dana was listening to The Beatles, 97 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:29,440 Rick was listening to Jethro Tull and like my own taste as I 98 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:33,200 got a little older, you know, Carole King and and and Greg and 99 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,840 things like that along with all of it. 100 00:05:35,840 --> 00:05:40,920 So I have honestly a crazy eclectic taste. 101 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:42,920 It look like I listen to Klezma music. 102 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,200 I love music. I listen to classical music. 103 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:48,760 I played the trombone when I was a kid. 104 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:51,440 I in both the marching band and in Symphony. 105 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,400 I I played in lots of youth orchestras and things like that. 106 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:59,280 So I just I love music. I love the opera, I love music. 107 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:03,400 I love to hear that. Just such an eclectic mix of 108 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,040 genres to be exposed to. Just on the classical thing, I 109 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:09,480 did not grow up in an environment where classical 110 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:11,920 music was played and I didn't miss it because you don't know 111 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:14,480 what you don't miss. But as an adult, I've really 112 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:17,640 enjoyed this kind of like education that I'm in right now. 113 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:19,880 I'm still being educated in classical music. 114 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:23,680 And it's lovely to discover your body is responding well. 115 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:26,080 Your emotions are responding to this thing which you thought was 116 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:27,440 really like closed off from you and. 117 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:29,560 The ballet I mean. I go to the ballet just to 118 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,120 listen to the music more than to watch the dance. 119 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:37,440 My dad and many jazz pianists play classical music as a warm 120 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:39,760 up. My dad played Kachaturian 121 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:54,560 Kachaturian Takata mostly terribly as most jazz pianists 122 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:57,880 play classical music terribly, but it's a great warm up. 123 00:06:58,000 --> 00:06:59,640 For them. So you've got these old older 124 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:02,200 siblings who are going out and they're bringing probably 125 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:04,040 records home, I'm assuming, and you've got your dad's 126 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:06,240 collection. Do you remember a time where you 127 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:09,200 maybe with your own flight pocket money or whatever, went 128 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:11,520 and bought something for yourself? 129 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:13,920 Carole King's Tapestry was the first record I ever brought. 130 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:16,760 Love amazing album and. It's too late, baby. 131 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:26,360 Now make it, and I actually had that. 132 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:28,960 I got to tell her that. Which was really cool. 133 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:31,520 What was her response? I mean, she laughed because 134 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,760 obviously my age, she she just laughed and she went. 135 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,560 That would be a lot of you. It was cute. 136 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:40,760 What I what blows my mind still about that album is when I 137 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:43,360 remember the first time I was ghouling it, I was like, wait, 138 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:46,440 so she wrote some of these songs when she was like 17? 139 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,240 Like You Make Me Feel, which is such like an Aretha Franklin 140 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:51,760 song for me was written by like a 16 year old girl. 141 00:07:51,760 --> 00:08:05,200 It blows my mind. Your Key to my me survive. 142 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:07,040 Does you make me pain him? Tell me about your move to San 143 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:08,680 Francisco. When? 144 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:10,720 Why? How? 145 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,640 Well, it was 1980 was because I realised I was queer, so I 146 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:16,200 needed to get out of the Midwest. 147 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:22,520 Like that's kind of basically at that day and age in America, it 148 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:24,800 was illegal to be gay in every state of the union. 149 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:28,880 But I mean, once you realise that you were queer, you get get 150 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:31,640 to the coast, one coast to the other, just get there. 151 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:36,400 San Francisco had been in the news a lot with a very strong 152 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,039 queer movement. The white knight riots had just 153 00:08:39,039 --> 00:08:41,480 happened. I thought San Francisco, that's 154 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:43,799 that's the place for me. That's the place. 155 00:08:43,799 --> 00:08:46,800 There was a lot going on. You know, Harvey Milk was in the 156 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:48,600 news. All of this was in the news. 157 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:52,840 You you would prick up your ears when you heard something queer. 158 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:57,160 Your first stand up was 1982, I believe in San Francisco. 159 00:08:57,560 --> 00:08:59,480 That's correct. So we're we're starting at the 160 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:01,760 beginning there. But your career over the last 161 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,920 few decades is so the definition of a multi hyphenate. 162 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:08,440 You've done everything, of course, acting Broadway, you're 163 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:10,800 a recording artist yourself, which we're going to talk about. 164 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:13,320 But a lot of people will primarily know you for your 165 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:18,520 comedy and your stand up. Why was that your first foray 166 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:20,800 into showbiz? Had you considered performing in 167 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:22,640 music? Or was it just like I've got to 168 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:25,640 start stand up? At that time, San Francisco was 169 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:28,920 sort of the place where stand ups came from. 170 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:32,160 There was a style of stand up comedy that came out of San 171 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:34,080 Francisco. Comedy without a net, which is 172 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:38,080 very improvisationally oriented. I was writing plays and was very 173 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,000 involved in the theatre and my plays were comedies. 174 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:46,440 I was writing comedies. So when there was this new thing 175 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:50,400 that that started gay comedy night at this place club of 1/2 176 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:57,240 Rose, I went and I thought, you know, I can perform, I'm funny. 177 00:09:57,280 --> 00:09:59,920 Let me give it a shot. I tell this to my friends who 178 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:01,640 are stand ups and they're like, no way. 179 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:05,640 Because literally every stand up just tanks the first time they 180 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:07,280 do it. Rosie O'Donnell tells this 181 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:11,040 hilarious story about how she went on stage and was doing 182 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:14,160 someone else's material. He didn't know you weren't 183 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:17,320 supposed to do that. Someone else. 184 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:19,320 She was doing someone else's material. 185 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:24,160 And the comics were just go reaming at her from the audience 186 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:25,280 and stuff like, yeah, yeah, yeah. 187 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:27,200 So I mean, her first time, not so good. 188 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:33,600 My first time I fucking killed and but, well, I could get used 189 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:36,880 to this. I came back every week and did 190 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:40,360 it every week until basically I quit my day job. 191 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:45,640 I started, I started doing it in April and by September I quit my 192 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:49,880 day job and I was making a living as a diacomic. 193 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,360 What was your day job? I was a construction worker, 194 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,240 absolutely. Yes, of course I was. 195 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:57,880 Leah, I actually knew the answer to that, but I wanted you to say 196 00:10:57,880 --> 00:10:59,920 it on the mic. Yeah, you had to ask though. 197 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:02,680 I love it of. Course you did you. 198 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:07,160 You're just like your overall perception to me from over the 199 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:11,160 years is someone who you just carry yourself in the world 200 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:15,760 completely unapologetically, completely authentically in a 201 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:17,560 way that it's just like in your blood. 202 00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:20,920 It's just so innate to you to just be who you are out there in 203 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:22,800 the world. And it's take me or leave me. 204 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,000 And I think that's why so many people love and admire you. 205 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:29,920 But back to like your first stand up in 1982, right through 206 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:33,520 to your appearance on TV in 1993, which is often disgusted 207 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:36,440 and queer law. I'm thinking about those kind of 208 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:39,800 sandwich years through these of like, you're building your name. 209 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:42,160 I presume you're out there treading the boards. 210 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:46,520 But you are an unapologetic queer woman. 211 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:50,280 And I can't imagine that that would have always been easy. 212 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:53,200 But I'm also in, I don't want to put words into your mouth, but 213 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,400 just kind of like not taking any bullshit, I guess. 214 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:58,760 I would like to hear from you. How did you navigate that? 215 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:01,720 Incredibly male, I'm assuming quite a lot of the time 216 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,360 homophobic world as you were building your name. 217 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:08,200 You have to remember that I was performing 4 Queers, so I was 218 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:09,920 kind of preaching to the choir, if you know what I mean. 219 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:14,640 However, having said that, within our own community I was 220 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:17,320 too much. Even within our own community I 221 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:20,840 was far too much. I called myself a dike and I 222 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:23,880 just, you know, all of those things that were just, it was 223 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:28,760 just far too much for a lot of people, especially sort of the 224 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:31,040 mainstream middle class kind of gay people. 225 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:33,560 Respectable. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 226 00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:36,120 There's, you know, we're just the we're just like everyone 227 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:40,200 else ass. And then for the dykes, I always 228 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:42,800 wait. I'm sorry, really. 229 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:45,840 I was way too much. I can't I I just. 230 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:48,120 This is blowing my mind. I don't get it. 231 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:51,720 And then I would make fun women's music and people who 232 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:54,560 were cultural icons within the lesbian community, I made fun of 233 00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:57,040 them. You know that that never went 234 00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:59,800 over very well with them. Because we have to laugh at 235 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:02,720 ourselves. Queer people are ridiculous. 236 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:05,320 Like I am constantly laughing at queer people. 237 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,640 I mean, why would I? Anybody can tell a joke about 238 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:10,760 Barbra Streisand. Why would I do that? 239 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:12,600 Geez, You know what I mean? I've got a culture. 240 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:14,040 I'd love to make fun of my own people. 241 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:17,840 And you know, nobody invites mockery more than lesbians as 242 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:19,720 far as I'm concerned. Dice are insane. 243 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:24,840 We're fucking insane. So and I have AI have a ball 244 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:28,960 with all of it navigating that was a little I mean, I was 245 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:32,000 always I was like part of act up. 246 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,920 I was those people, you know, a faggot, a dike and a queer and 247 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,680 and that's always where I was politically. 248 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:42,760 I never was one of those people that because there at the time, 249 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:47,280 there were a lot of people that didn't appreciate the language 250 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:51,720 that thought that I was rocking the boat and I was like, fuck 251 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,720 the boat, break the boat, build the new fucking boat. 252 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:59,840 OK, That's what we need to do. So yeah, I was in a constant 253 00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:02,440 battle with people. My comedy was so loud and 254 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:07,200 outrageous and wild and in your face and screaming and yelling 255 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:10,320 dyke and fuck, you know, like at the top of my lungs. 256 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:14,920 So people actually was, it was just too much. 257 00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:17,240 People would take. People were screaming with 258 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:22,800 laughter and loving it, but it was a lot and after about 5 259 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:24,640 minutes they'd be like mommy, make it stop. 260 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:27,560 So This is why I incorporated the music. 261 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:33,400 I incorporated the music into the work, which kind of lulled 262 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:36,000 them into a false sense of security before I started 263 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:37,080 screaming. I can fuck you. 264 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:39,880 Why it was your way in? It was a way in. 265 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:44,600 I did that almost immediately and that has basically been my 266 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:50,440 technique ever since. It was more comedy than music. 267 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:54,160 Now it's probably more music than comedy, but there's still, 268 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:55,840 you know, a vast amount of comedy. 269 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:59,480 Anybody who wants to come see me be funny, trust you're going to 270 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:01,120 laugh. And then that reminds me of, you 271 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:03,160 know, the anecdote, you know, your dad trying to get you into 272 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:04,960 piano and you just wanted to be outside. 273 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:09,320 But you did have these innate kind of natural talents and a 274 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:13,640 gift for understanding music. And you also if if I'm allowed 275 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:16,800 to say I have an absolutely beautiful voice, there's. 276 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:35,960 Not a morning So you pick up the mic in your 277 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:40,600 stand up and you begin. Did you like have a band on 278 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,320 stage with you? Oh, I first started with an 279 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:45,040 acoustic guitar. Not me. 280 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:47,560 Someone else was playing the acoustic guitar. 281 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:50,560 So we did that then. Then it progressed. 282 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:54,280 It just progressed because the music I was primarily singing 283 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:57,720 was Broadway and jazz, most definitely more jazz and 284 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:00,760 Broadway. So I started using live bands. 285 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:05,480 Which to me now, the idea of a live for a comic or performer, I 286 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,240 think expensive. I think, I mean people are 287 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:10,840 turning away from live bands because they're so expensive. 288 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:13,960 Yeah, with that's their people are stupid. 289 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:17,240 Yes, I wrote this question in my notes earlier and I thought if 290 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:19,040 anyone can answer this, it's Leah Delaria. 291 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:22,000 Here we go. Do you think jazz is or can be 292 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:22,720 queer? Oh. 293 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,840 Yeah, of course it's on the outside. 294 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:28,160 Yes. Jazz has always been on the 295 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:30,720 outside, even though it is even when it was on the inside, if 296 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:33,160 you know what I mean. And I think that that's why 297 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:38,320 there's actually a lot of really famous jazz musicians that are 298 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:40,720 queer now. I may have been one of the the 299 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:43,280 first ones that was unapologetic about it. 300 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:50,280 I came, I came to the the Warner Brothers label through the stand 301 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:53,080 up and the Broadway stop, you know what I mean? 302 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:57,400 But they knew that was jazzing. So that was also part of men. 303 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,480 Did you have to do any convincing of those record label 304 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:04,119 executives that you know this stand up artist who clearly is a 305 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:08,040 talented musician, you know, justifies a jazz album? 306 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:09,960 Was there any kind of convincing or pitching? 307 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:13,240 You know, it was an A&R guy when when there was such a thing as a 308 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:15,720 record label. The whole industry has changed, 309 00:17:16,079 --> 00:17:19,280 but every label had an A&R guy. So this was the guy whose job it 310 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,560 was was to bring people to that label. 311 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:27,839 Yeah, he's the one that saw me. And yeah, he's the one, you 312 00:17:27,839 --> 00:17:30,560 know, did the deal. He produced my first record. 313 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,760 Play Cool was the first one. And that was 2001. 314 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:49,400 You had been you do right? Were you fully in charge of 315 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:52,960 collecting those songs, those pieces for your first album? 316 00:17:53,080 --> 00:18:00,440 The idea was that all popular music at the heyday of jazz came 317 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:02,080 from Broadway. All, all of it. 318 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:06,680 You know, this idea was what if we do that again? 319 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:10,640 What if we make a jazz record that's all Broadway but not 320 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:13,920 American Songbook? What if it's the new Broadway 321 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:15,920 stuff, the stuff that people have never like? 322 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:19,080 Who in their right minds would think that Sweeney Todd would 323 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:30,120 swing? Attend the tale of Sweeney I 324 00:18:30,120 --> 00:18:33,720 actually brought that right. That was my idea, Swinging 325 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:34,560 Sweeney. Yeah. 326 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:35,760 I was like, well, we've got to you. 327 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:37,280 Well, we've got to have Kander and AB. 328 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:43,400 And I'd done a tour of Chicago. I played Mono Morton and did the 329 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:46,400 national tour of Chicago. And I'm like, well, obviously 330 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:49,320 it's jazz, so we should be doing all that jazz, you know, how 331 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:57,760 should we do it? The sun comes up, I think about 332 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:03,440 it and and we just went boom and then off we went. 333 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:05,560 The bass player just started playing. 334 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:11,480 So it was all modern Broadway composers and doing their stuff 335 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:14,640 as jazz. And what was the response from 336 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:17,720 like the comedy world, from the people who loved your comedy? 337 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:19,960 How did they respond to this album that you put out? 338 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:22,160 It took them a minute. I'm going to be honest, it took 339 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:24,200 them a minute. But that happened after my first 340 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:27,800 Broadway show, too. I already had a live band on 341 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:29,880 stage with me, so I was doing these. 342 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:31,840 I was doing. I could cook too, Hannah. 343 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:46,000 What's It was my signature tune. 344 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:52,200 So as music became more and more a part of the show, some people 345 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:56,720 were not really happy about it. Like, lesbians were never happy 346 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,120 when I did comedy. And then when I transitioned and 347 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:01,280 started doing music, they weren't happy that I was doing 348 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:03,040 music. What happened to the comedy? 349 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,920 They were like, I'm like, you guys got to fucking be kidding 350 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:07,920 me. You know this thing called 351 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:11,520 growth that all human beings should do every day? 352 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:14,480 Shouldn't I do what I want to do? 353 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:18,280 Isn't my. Reason I feel like I I'm pulling 354 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:21,280 at the thread is because from the beginning of your career 355 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,920 when you were doing comedy to lesbians who thought you were 356 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:28,400 too much or like respectable gays who thought were too much. 357 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,800 And then you go through your career and you're on TV and then 358 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:35,720 you're in Broadway, and then you follow a passion like music and 359 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:39,360 the people who were there for the comedy all of a sudden. 360 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:43,200 But like, you're continuing to do what you want to do. 361 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:47,720 And there's seems to be someone at every corner who says, Oh no, 362 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:50,120 that's not quite right or whatever, but you don't care 363 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:52,040 anyway because you're just doing what you. 364 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:55,080 Want to do I'm having a ball so it doesn't matter to me. 365 00:20:55,080 --> 00:21:00,560 It's like I love when one of the songs on that album is Michael 366 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:04,000 John Lacusa and I do a couple of his tracks on various records 367 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,960 because I he's a fucking genius and I love him so well. 368 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:11,960 Welcome my party. Which is a big, perfect opening 369 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:13,560 number. It's just a perfect opening to 370 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:15,440 them. Welcome to my party. 371 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,880 Glad you stumbled down. Welcome to my party, baby. 372 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:21,240 Where's the ice? Who hears up for dancing? 373 00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:24,480 Who hears you? Welcome to my party. 374 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:26,000 We help. I did you. 375 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,600 You're here and it's a bit big and it's showy and there there's 376 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:33,120 a belt out of, you know, I belt a really, you know, and that 377 00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:35,440 one, I think it's just AB It's a good it's a good note. 378 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:38,800 I would go to jazz clubs when the album just came out and 379 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:43,640 people had heard the ballad of Sweeney Todd on jazz radio. 380 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:46,400 And what if that of their souls were saved? 381 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:59,200 They went to, they make So people would come because they 382 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:01,760 heard me sing the ballad. Ballad is Sweetie Todd. 383 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,080 They had no idea what I look like. 384 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:07,800 You know what I mean? Because they were hearing it on 385 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:09,600 the radio. And even if you bought the 386 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:14,920 record, yeah, I'm in person. I am so Butch. 387 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:18,560 I am so died. And on the album you're making 388 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:20,440 an album. It's not that I don't look Butch 389 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:22,440 and I don't look died because just that I'm a little 390 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:25,120 definitely you would call it softer than I am as a person. 391 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,960 Your vocals are incredibly feminine, Leah. 392 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:31,920 They're like angelic and feminine, but I love that 393 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,920 contrast in itself. Me too well, that's the thing. 394 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,880 I can sing jazz. I can sing with that small voice 395 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:40,600 that you're talking about, but then I can build AD sharp. 396 00:22:41,360 --> 00:22:44,320 You know what I mean? So This is why I do Broadway. 397 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:47,920 So because I, I got that guy AD sharp is that's a belt, 398 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:50,160 motherfucker. That's a, that's a high belt. 399 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:55,120 But I would walk in and I could just see the jazz like in their 400 00:22:55,120 --> 00:22:59,600 whatever jazz club that I could hear their sphincters slam shot 401 00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:02,720 and then they would cross their arm and they'd all look at me 402 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:05,480 like, what's that, that guy going to do? 403 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:08,200 You know what I mean? And then I'd sit and walk with 404 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:12,960 my party and it'd be like, that's what that guy's going to 405 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:16,000 do. One time what I loved was at the 406 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,920 Sydney Opera House where they had the tent up. 407 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:23,000 Oh. Like outside the venue? 408 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:26,040 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was hired by the Opera House. 409 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:31,040 They were doing shows and we, I came with my musical director. 410 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:34,160 We have a couple local guys playing drums and bass, which is 411 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:36,840 normally normal for what I do generally. 412 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:40,920 And as soon as we started our sound check and we had to run 413 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:44,560 this song with the band. So we did that. 414 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:48,440 Welcome to my party. And as soon as I was done, the 415 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:52,440 sound guys both came up on stage and they were like, we're going 416 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:58,640 to give you a better mic. They're like, this is a good 417 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,920 mic, but this is a great mic. You know what I mean? 418 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:04,360 It was like they were just, they didn't care. 419 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:07,320 They were they until they heard me. 420 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:11,480 They then they gave me respect, so yes. 421 00:24:11,720 --> 00:24:13,960 So I spend a lot of time changing people. 422 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:16,480 'S minds, OK, this is you've just hit them on the head. 423 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:21,040 You're you are describing a career based on one of my 424 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:23,880 favourite, like queer pillars, which is this thing that me and 425 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:26,240 my friend discussed many years ago, which we just love. 426 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:30,440 It unites queer people. But it's this idea of that's 427 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:34,200 what you think you on that stage, watching people in the 428 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:36,280 audience with their arms crossed like this. 429 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:40,120 And you just lock in and you're like, that's what you think I'm 430 00:24:40,120 --> 00:24:42,440 going to show you. It's like, you know, doing sound 431 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,760 check. And then the very well meaning 432 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:46,680 kind of sound check, guys can say, I'm going to give you a 433 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:48,120 better mic. And you're like, yeah, that's 434 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:52,320 because you had a preconception of me and I have completely 435 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:54,920 turned it on its head. Yeah, it's amazing. 436 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:58,160 I love it. Leah Delaria, I asked you to 437 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:02,360 bring track an album and an artist to discuss, which in some 438 00:25:02,360 --> 00:25:04,760 ways speak to, you know, your life as a queer person. 439 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:08,560 And let's dive in. So what track did you pick? 440 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:12,200 And I'd love to know why. OK, so blue skies Ella 441 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:15,360 Fitzgerald off the Get Happy album. 442 00:25:15,360 --> 00:25:29,040 Blue it is. 443 00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:31,040 I had to agonise over which track. 444 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:35,320 I can think of 1,000,000 Ella Fitzgerald tracks, but this one 445 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:39,360 in particular actually has influenced me a lot in the way 446 00:25:39,360 --> 00:25:41,920 that I sing and the way that I scat. 447 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:46,600 Her scat section on this particular track really, really 448 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:50,760 helped me develop my scatting as a musician. 449 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:53,040 I listen to it over and over and over again. 450 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:56,840 I quote it sometimes just because it's in my head. 451 00:25:57,080 --> 00:25:58,960 And, and for those of you that don't know, so when I quote, 452 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,320 when I say I quoted, that means I'm I sing exactly what she's 453 00:26:02,360 --> 00:26:04,800 saying. That's a quote in music. 454 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:09,640 So I quoted sometimes when I'm blowing when I was younger, I 455 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:13,080 quoted it quite a bit more than I do now because I have more 456 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:17,360 music in me now and I when I blow, it's very, very mean. 457 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:22,880 I, I have a very unique style of scouting and that is the 458 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:25,120 important thing. That's what we all try to strive 459 00:26:25,120 --> 00:26:28,360 for. And I found it, and this 460 00:26:28,360 --> 00:26:31,560 particular track helped me find it more than anything. 461 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:48,040 As as a complete scatting. What's the word I'm looking for? 462 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:51,880 I'm new to scatting. OK, you heard it. 463 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:52,640 Yes. I see. 464 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,720 Please could you describe? And we don't mean that like at 465 00:26:55,720 --> 00:27:00,840 the Eagle. Maybe I do mean that like I'm at 466 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:01,560 the Eagle. I don't. 467 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:03,080 Know who knows? Who knows? 468 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:05,840 Hilarious. Please describe scatting to 469 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:10,120 someone who has no idea what it might mean or the concept, or 470 00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:12,760 why actually why it's so important in the culture of 471 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:16,000 jazz. Well, scatting is what jazz 472 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,880 singers do when they forget the words to songs. 473 00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:21,280 Joke. That was a joke. 474 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:24,680 I was like, you actually. Wow. 475 00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:27,160 OK. Tell me more. 476 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:32,080 Scatting is what a singer does, a jazz singer does when they 477 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:36,760 want to solo in the way of any kind of instrumentalist would do 478 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:39,400 it. So you're blowing over the chord 479 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:42,440 changes of a particular song, whatever those chord changes may 480 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:46,520 be, right? Even if it's an AABA song, if 481 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:49,960 it's a 12 bar Blues, whatever they are, these are the changes. 482 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:54,480 You can see where the chords go and what you're doing is you're 483 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:59,480 songling. Or as my wife said to me, after 484 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:03,320 having seen me perform for almost 2 years, she turned to me 485 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:07,960 and she goes, so you know when you scat, I said yeah she goes, 486 00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:12,080 why do you do that? And you just thought you'd done 487 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:13,960 this really beautiful solo number. 488 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:15,440 And your wife is? Why are you doing that? 489 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:17,120 Yeah. Well, that's it. 490 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:22,160 It's a way for myself, for us to express ourselves musically, 491 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:25,600 right. And solo people hum. 492 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:28,680 You know, you be there are many records where people have 493 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:31,680 whistled and hummed and you know, they've done things like 494 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:36,240 this is what we do, this is what jazz singers do, and it's just 495 00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:39,720 expressing the music. I can't I can't go past this 496 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:42,840 conversation without mentioning the iconic YouTube clip of Kim 497 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:52,120 Cattrall scatting, which is. I read poetry and sonnets and he 498 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:57,120 plays the upright bass. Yamaki Piebo set a right for 499 00:28:57,120 --> 00:28:59,320 cable window. Latin equals uje. 500 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:26,040 We just have a good rhythm together, you know, He sort of 501 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:29,920 feels me out, I feel him out and we go for it. 502 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:32,720 Move on. We'll move on. 503 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:35,000 We have to. It's just horrifying. 504 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:40,560 When I, when I was showing it, I was like, why? 505 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:44,960 Why is he doing this? That's a thing too. 506 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:46,840 And a lot of people do that with jazz. 507 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:51,800 It's frustrating for me because they if you're pretty and you 508 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:55,800 have a pleasant voice, then you think you're you can do jazz. 509 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:58,320 It's not the way it is. It's just literally not the 510 00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:02,320 witness. You got to know music. 511 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:07,200 You just have to know music in order to do this thing. 512 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:10,200 Leah, I would love. I've got so many more questions 513 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:13,240 on Ella Fitzgerald, but just in the interest of time, I'd love 514 00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:17,000 to know what album that you picked for this and perhaps why. 515 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:19,920 Book of Mormon. Now you are. 516 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:21,800 I told you I have a collective case. 517 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:24,880 You do, and you are a Broadway veteran. 518 00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:28,880 You've been in so many shows. You mentioned Chicago, Rocky 519 00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:31,280 Horror. I believe your first show was on 520 00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:33,200 the town perhaps. And you've. 521 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:39,880 On the town New York, NY New York, NY It's a hell of a town. 522 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:44,480 So you are very familiar with Broadway, but I don't? 523 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:47,280 Believe my most recent show was called POTUS. 524 00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:50,440 POTUS are behind every dumbass of seven women trying to keep 525 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:52,240 him alive. That was pure comedy. 526 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:55,360 That was a farce. So I'm even more curious to know 527 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:56,880 why you picked the Book of Mormon. 528 00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:59,760 Then tell me. Let me tell you this, If the 529 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:04,120 Jellicle Ball had recorded a cast album, I would have picked 530 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:06,960 that. But apparently they don't have a 531 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:09,280 cast album. I don't know why and I hope to 532 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:14,280 God they get it done because it's the most amazing thing I 533 00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:18,440 have ever seen or heard. And it's unfortunately closing 534 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:22,240 very soon. And anybody within the and 535 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:25,320 within earshot, if you can get to New York and see the Jellicle 536 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:28,280 Ball before it closes, you got to go. 537 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:30,400 It's the greatest, best thing I've ever seen. 538 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:34,120 The second greatest best thing I've ever seen is Book of 539 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:38,280 Mormon. Hello, my name is Elder Young. 540 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:42,200 Hello, did you know that Jesus lived here in the USA? 541 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:47,280 Which I know inside, out, sideways, backwards and 542 00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:50,600 forwards. I've probably seen it 1000 543 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:53,840 times. Anytime I'm in a really bad mood 544 00:31:54,640 --> 00:31:57,160 I go see Book of Mormons. It lifts your spirits. 545 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:00,040 Yeah. OK, so you actually do a benefit 546 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:02,480 of being in New York as you just go and see the show. 547 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:04,080 Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. 548 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:07,840 And that is just recently, in fact, was right after they had 549 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:11,400 their 15th anniversary. I saw it the day the theatre 550 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:14,320 caught on fire that night. I think people know about this. 551 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,240 Yeah, There was a day it was dark for a minute because the 552 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:21,880 theatre had caught on fire. Interestingly enough, the 553 00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:26,760 theatre caught on fire when they added Charlie Kirk and Donald 554 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:31,560 Trump to spooky morbid hell Dream in. 555 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:36,040 Less than a week later, the theatre got caught on fire. 556 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:40,720 And now I've gone and done it again. 557 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:44,920 I committed another awful thing. I love my vision companion all 558 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:49,880 along, but I was having a really shit. 559 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:52,040 I mean, I was. Anything that could go wrong was 560 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:55,480 going wrong for me. I was done and my wife and I, we 561 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:57,160 just looked at each other and went Book of Mormon. 562 00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:01,520 We went online and we got really great tickets, like really great 563 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:07,880 tickets for 75 bucks and went in and just screamed with laughter. 564 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:09,400 Just screams of. Laughter. 565 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:11,480 I haven't seen the Book of Mormon in years. 566 00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:14,280 Probably like over 10 years ago I would have seen it in London. 567 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:17,200 Like those stand out songs. Like tell me what your stand out 568 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:18,960 tracks are? What are the best moments for 569 00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:21,120 you? Well, spooky Mormon hell dream 570 00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:23,960 cassava, you lie. Come on. 571 00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:36,200 Fuck God. Come on. 572 00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:40,680 Turn it off. Like the lights with turn it on 573 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:43,680 like a light switch. Just go click. 574 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:49,520 It's a cool little Mormon trick. It's a neat little Mormon trick. 575 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:54,200 So good. Every fucking song in the show 576 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:58,240 is great. They are so fucking genius, 577 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:03,240 these boys. And the show is brilliant and 578 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:07,960 the music is brilliant. The whole concept just making 579 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:10,040 fun of Mormons. Oh please. 580 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:15,719 I believe just the lyrics to. I believe that in 1972 God 581 00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:18,360 changed his mind about black people, and I believe that in 582 00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:30,040 19, people believable. So they've taken what would be a 583 00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:34,080 power ballad in any other musical and turned it into the 584 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:38,719 just torturing of the Mormon faith and people. 585 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:43,120 It's brilliantly funny. So I can listen to that anytime, 586 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:47,120 anywhere. Sing along and laugh my ass. 587 00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:49,440 Off your artist. I'm so excited to talk about 588 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:51,840 this artist Leah. Tell me who you picked to 589 00:34:51,840 --> 00:35:03,800 discuss and why. David Bowie David Bowie was the 590 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:10,400 first person that taught me that it was OK to be me, that I could 591 00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:15,080 do anything I wanted to do and still perform anything. 592 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:21,160 He wore dresses, he sang, he acted, he wrote, he played 593 00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:23,760 terrible saxophone. We all know this. 594 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:29,120 But he did teach me my little queer heart in the Midwest, 595 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:34,160 where I grew up, when I first heard Starman, which was the 596 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:38,080 first song that we had in America of David Bowies, there's 597 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:50,320 a Starman us, but he thinks he blew our mind. 598 00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:53,240 I was obsessed with him and continued to be obsessed with 599 00:35:53,240 --> 00:35:54,720 him. And of course, Labyrinth. 600 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:58,000 Of course, Labyrinth. Which is entirely about David 601 00:35:58,000 --> 00:35:59,080 Bowies. Yeah, entirely. 602 00:35:59,240 --> 00:36:04,960 That entire movie is about his. You recorded an album in 2015 603 00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:07,720 called House of David, and I know that for many years after 604 00:36:07,720 --> 00:36:10,840 that board you performed here in Australia, you performed a show 605 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:14,000 based on that music. So your love for him is strong. 606 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:16,080 But I find it interesting that the album came out actually a 607 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:23,760 year before he died. She wants the young American, 608 00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:29,880 young American. He died six months after that 609 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:31,520 record. Came out, yes, yes. 610 00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:33,480 But that album, you marry your passion. 611 00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:36,080 Because it's jazz. But in my ears it's also very 612 00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:38,280 swing. There's songs on there which 613 00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:41,760 have boys keep swinging. It's a little bit Doo woppy with 614 00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:43,360 the layered vocals. Boys keep swinging. 615 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:54,440 Boys keep swinging. Yeah, that's a just a classic 616 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:57,280 swing tune that's basic swing from the 30s. 617 00:36:57,440 --> 00:36:59,960 Whereas. And then there's also funk on 618 00:36:59,960 --> 00:37:02,880 there. It's a major funk on there. 619 00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:04,960 Fame is a big funk. Fame. 620 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:15,840 We tried it on that particular review. 621 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:19,720 Like Everett, there's so many different styles of those honky 622 00:37:19,720 --> 00:37:22,560 tonk. Young Americans is a honky tonk 623 00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:27,760 song, you know, so it's like we really kind of went for it. 624 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:31,880 We even do gene genie and that's wild. 625 00:37:32,240 --> 00:38:00,600 Get back home. Oh, modern love. 626 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:02,720 It's a gospel song and we do one in. 627 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:07,400 I know we do one in 7-8 as well. We try to get everything that we 628 00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:08,400 could in there. It was. 629 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:09,600 To me it's just a love letter to. 630 00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:10,960 You, absolutely. That's how it reads. 631 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:12,600 That's how it sounds to a listener. 632 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:15,640 It's a love letter from you to him and I love that. 633 00:38:15,640 --> 00:38:18,040 I've spoken to many people on this podcast about David Bowie 634 00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:20,680 and I hope to continue to do so because everyone brings their 635 00:38:20,680 --> 00:38:24,200 own different interpretation. But hearing you about that kid 636 00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:26,680 in the Midwest, knowing that you're different. 637 00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:30,440 David Bowie is often described by people of like, he's like a 638 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:33,560 bat signal. He's like this laser beam that 639 00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:36,240 went into kids bedrooms through the vinyls or whatever. 640 00:38:36,240 --> 00:38:39,360 That said, be different, be different, be different. 641 00:38:39,560 --> 00:38:42,720 You don't have to look like the people you're growing up with 642 00:38:42,720 --> 00:38:45,040 that you're going to school with in your hometown. 643 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:48,760 You could look like this. You could sound like this. 644 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:50,840 And he and it came through loud and. 645 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:53,200 Queer, loud and queer. Loud and queer. 646 00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:56,720 Yeah, it really did. I owe everything I do to him. 647 00:38:56,720 --> 00:38:58,720 I think you want to hear at David Bowie's story. 648 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:01,480 Oh yeah, go on. Well, when I decided to do this 649 00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:04,320 record, that's when the Warner Jazz label went under. 650 00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:06,560 Basically, there was no Warner Jazz anymore. 651 00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:11,480 I had been signed to the UK, Water Jazz, the UK once America 652 00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:16,640 went, but then it was just gone. And I was like, I don't know, I 653 00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:19,400 guess I'm, I'm going to have to do this myself is basically what 654 00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:21,200 I did. So I did one of those Gofundmes, 655 00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:26,040 did a GoFundMe and it was, and my GoFundMe was just weirder 656 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:28,120 than other people's Gofundmees as you can. 657 00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:35,760 If you give me, if you give me $1000, if you give me $1000, I 658 00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:43,000 will fly to your hometown and take you out to lunch at your 659 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:45,640 airport. But then the flights, that's not 660 00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:48,160 sounding very economical to me, yeah. 661 00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:53,960 Just it's saying shit like that. My GoFundMe stuff was just 662 00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:55,600 stupid. Most people, it's like, give me 663 00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:59,960 $50 and you get an album. I was just like coming up with 664 00:39:59,960 --> 00:40:03,800 the dumbest, funniest shit. And just having the time of my 665 00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:05,760 life. So it was going well. 666 00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:08,120 We were on track. I think I was looking for like 667 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:11,760 30,000 or something. And I went to bed one night and 668 00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:14,280 I had looked at it, it had been up for about two weeks. 669 00:40:14,280 --> 00:40:16,800 And we, we're halfway there. And I was like, OK, you know, 670 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:17,800 we're going to be able to do this. 671 00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:20,360 This is great. And then I woke up the next 672 00:40:20,360 --> 00:40:24,560 morning and I just checked it because it's been overnight and 673 00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:28,040 we had made all the money. We made all the money overnight 674 00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:32,120 and then some. We were well over $30,000. 675 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:34,920 And I was like, wow, that was weird. 676 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:37,840 And my girlfriend at the time called me and it's like looking 677 00:40:37,840 --> 00:40:40,840 at my phone and she called me and she went, Leah, David 678 00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:44,040 Bowie's tweeting at you how it's like, what? 679 00:40:45,760 --> 00:40:51,240 And apparently he had gone out to his fans and told them all to 680 00:40:51,240 --> 00:40:54,880 contribute to this record. And what? 681 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:58,440 He was a huge supporter. And we even broke the album 682 00:40:58,440 --> 00:41:00,520 cover on his website. Oh, wow. 683 00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:02,280 They can't. You're asked to do that. 684 00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:02,760 Yeah. Yeah. 685 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:07,480 The first place you saw my album cover, which is changes with me 686 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:11,040 doing the David Bowie look, was on his website. 687 00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:13,760 So he was a big supporter, and I put it out. 688 00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:15,280 And then he died six months later, so. 689 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:17,880 Special that is so special to have. 690 00:41:17,880 --> 00:41:21,080 That I know, I know. Shocked. 691 00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:23,960 I was shocked. You don't really get a better 692 00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:26,280 endorsement, especially just before he passed. 693 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:29,000 That's incredible. And so then you that would have 694 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:31,560 made it, I'm sure, even more special to then go and perform 695 00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:35,360 those songs around the world. And various members of his band, 696 00:41:35,360 --> 00:41:39,080 they've all at one time or another come to see me do it, so 697 00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:40,520 it's kind of fun. I love it. 698 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:43,160 OK, let's wrap this up though, because it's been so good. 699 00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:45,400 I'm going to ask you some quick fire that you have not been 700 00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:47,440 prepared. For love it, let's go. 701 00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:51,240 A song that reminds you of an X. A song that reminds me of an X 702 00:41:51,840 --> 00:42:03,360 Thank you Next. Oh OK, a song that reminds you 703 00:42:03,360 --> 00:42:08,600 of your wife. Oh, I can't help falling in love 704 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:10,160 with You, Beautiful. Yeah. 705 00:42:25,120 --> 00:42:26,920 A song that makes you feel powerful. 706 00:42:27,040 --> 00:42:28,440 Oh. Yes. 707 00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:32,680 When I sing AIM, I feel really powerful when I think when I You 708 00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:33,760 want to live forever. Do it. 709 00:42:33,800 --> 00:42:35,760 You want to learn how to fly? OK. 710 00:42:35,800 --> 00:42:47,410 Yeah, yeah, I love it. Now I just want to hold that 711 00:42:47,450 --> 00:42:51,090 fucking belt note for as long as I do and the audience goes 712 00:42:51,090 --> 00:42:53,610 insane. It's so much fun. 713 00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:57,520 Alia Delaria, you are queer and thank you very much for your 714 00:42:57,520 --> 00:43:00,880 tracks. Oh, thank you very much for the 715 00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:05,120 tracks of our queers. It's good, my little ginger 716 00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:07,200 friend. And then my wife's ginger. 717 00:43:07,840 --> 00:43:10,240 You like gingers? My best friend is Jesse Tyler 718 00:43:10,240 --> 00:43:12,040 Ferguson. Oh of course I have. 719 00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:15,040 I've heard this story where he like helped you go to the 720 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:17,240 bathroom like 3 times in a day or something. 721 00:43:24,800 --> 00:43:28,040 How good is Leah? Definitely check out her 722 00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:30,160 upcoming shows if you can. I've linked them in the show 723 00:43:30,160 --> 00:43:32,640 notes, and one thing we did run out of time to talk about was 724 00:43:32,640 --> 00:43:36,600 her advocacy for the Lesbian Bar Project, an initiative founded 725 00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:41,160 in 2020 when bars for queer women dwindled to as low as just 726 00:43:41,160 --> 00:43:45,160 20 in the US from a peak of 200 in the 1980s. 727 00:43:45,680 --> 00:43:49,040 I love anything related to saving precious queer night time 728 00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:51,560 spaces so definitely check that cause out. 729 00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:55,520 This episode of Tracks of Our Queers was recorded and edited 730 00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:57,880 on Marajorie Land. See you next time.