Everybody was gay for 15 minutes in the 80's

[bec_87rb]

http://tmbw.net/wiki/Myke_Weiskopf_Interviews_Adam_Bernstein

That this phenomenon has recurred 20 years later is so funny to me.

Comments

hee

[bec_87rb]

Oh, I try to be gay for 15 minutes every day. It's like yoga - you just have to set aside the time to do it.

Do what?

[bec_87rb]

To just be gay. It's all the rage, baby - where have you been? :D

[tardis60]

The 'I'm gay' remark reads like one of those off-the-wall things he says to make fun of himself or his environment without any real conviction. Sort of like 'I'm Helen Hayes' or 'We're Jump Little Chicken.' Especially with his Rat-Pack- or fifties-sitcom-father-type duds around 1986, so at odds with nail polish. I can't help but think of Nathan Lane in 'The Birdcage' -- "One does want a hint of color." Maybe I'm wrong, and those were his fifteen minutes of gay. The theory goes that everyone is in some percentage bisexual, even if the pecentage is very small. At times it's hard to decipher Flans.

I love that even though they've evolved so much as a band and as people, this is still true:

The minute they're performing, they immediately want to act as funny as possible.

(I wonder which one he thought of as Dean Martin, and which one was Jerry Lewis to Mr. Bernstein's mind?)

At times it's hard to decipher Flans.

[bec_87rb]

Agree. As Ren once said, "Flans says lots of things." XD He tries on ideas and personae like hats, to see if he likes them, and this might have been during that era in their performing careers where Mr. Linnell remarked that they were probably the only guys in their building who weren't cross-dressers. I can see a young Mr. Flansburgh thinking, "Hm, cross-dressing, I could do that. That could be fun

I never got my tote bag...

[tardis60]

Which John do you see with a mic, at hour 27 of a telethon, urging you to give for this worthy cause?

Good point.

Remember how excited Linnell got in the Leno interview describing seeing poor old Dino Martin at his table in Hamburger Hamlet?

Yup! I remember how Leno wasn't buying it, either. It's interesting that though Linnell, when he's telling an anecdote, is usually sincere, because he hangs out with 'I'll say anything if it gets a laugh' Flans the disbelief sort of spills over into his court. Those of us who've been exposed enough to it understand the dynamic duo's comedy stylings and can at least guess at the shape of the underlying truth. Outsiders are left milling around, scratching their heads, bewildered by laughter over something they missed.

Y'know, I never thought about that

[bec_87rb]

Good point, I can see how a person might assume They were both into "deadpan lying" humor, and to be in on the joke, one must decypher what is bogus

An Ironic Twist

[tardis60]

My dear friend Joe has been known, in various airport lounges, bathrooms, and actual airplanes during return trips, to apply makeup, tint his hair, and paint his nails. Inevitably he is the recipient of odd looks, and rather than admit he is homosexual and cause those around him even more discomfort, he will say, "It's all right, I'm in a band."

The onlookers' brows smooth, relieved smiles appear, and make approving, understanding noises. They'll ask, "What kind of band?"

"We do eighties punk rock covers."

"Oh yeah? Like who?"

"Oh... The Dead Milkmen..."

Re: An Ironic Twist

[bec_87rb]

Ha Ha! It was all the rage for a while there, men painting their neatly trimmed short nails. I remember painting a boyfriend's toenails for him, for instance. I think it was a culture me-too because pop stars were doing it? I'll be interested to see if it comes back around; do goth guys paint their nails black?

Your agent has a good dodge, though, very clever. :)

Re: An Ironic Twist

[tardis60]

do goth guys paint their nails black?

The ones I know do purple or green or red or clear varnish.

Although I don't think the one with red nails should count because in addition to being goth he's crazy. Also he might be painting for non-goth goth purposes, e.g. he's an artist and also gay, either one of which is suitable grounds for nail decoration.

Your agent has a good dodge, though, very clever.

I love that Flans, being in a band, explained away his nails with, "I'm gay," and Joe, being gay, explained away his nail-painting activities with, "I'm in a band." Perhaps no matter what the truth is, it feels embarrassing?

Re: An Ironic Twist

[bec_87rb]

Perhaps no matter what the truth is, it feels embarrassing?

Which is kind of weird. What does nail polish have to do with masculinity? I mean, it's like, I dunno, skirts. Scotsmen wore skirts at one time, like their neighbors wore pants, and in the past, men wore tights, so who's to say how a man properly covers his legs?

This nail polish thing is so crazy! If a man wears nail polish, he's still male, right? Isn't being a man a thing of the heart, a process, a slowly won aspect of character?