Gag Reflex

Do you know what I really miss? No, it's not related to the title of this post. Would you get your mind out of the gutter for a second? KIDDING! I like your mind to be dirty at all times. But seriously, do you know what I've really missed this past year of lockdowns and pandemic and all social distancing? Artists. LGBTQ artists. Seeing LGBTQ artists live is always such a joy.

I like supporting queer artists because one, I think it's the thing to do (I'm a militant gayling) and two, I can RELATE. It's fun to go see, let's say, Kathy Griffin (she's hysterical, witty and sharp) because she's queer-adjacent. But she's not queer. I miss humor from gay performers because they speak my language: gay. One thing is to laugh our heads off when a stand-up comic tells about their lives and times and another one is to laugh our heads off when a stand-up comic tells us about OUR lives. Especially when our lives tend to be marginalized and demonized by many.

One of my favorite stand-up comedians is Joel Kim Booster. He, along with Bowen Yang (who is now on SNL) have provided me with hours of laughter. They both use their experiences as gay men to infuse their comedy with a biting, hysterically funny edge that always leaves me rolling on the floor. You see, what I find funny about queer stand-up comedy is that it does not shy away from the dark parts of being queer. It goes in with gusto and brings it all out to the light. They say what many refuse to say. They see what many do not see. They make lemonade with the unmentioned bitterness that comes with the queer experience. And once that comes to light, you realize it's not powerful anymore. 

So when I read that Grindr (that now is starting to dip its toe into creating content aimed towards queer people) was having a zoom stand up special, I decided to join in and watch them in real time. And who do I find in the lineup? Joel Kim Booster. So I was sold. Joel is very handsome and slutty and extremely funny. It's empowering seeing a queer man of color using his navigating life as the driving force to remind us in ways that may not be quite orthodox that living our lives as queer men is not always a bed of roses. There's thorns there, honey.

I don't know if you know, but Grindr is notorious for its 'no this or that' filtering (yeah, the horny Masc4Masc crowd on Grindr can be real dicks) want an example? Oh, here:

"Too short, or too tall (“over 5’7” and under 6’1”), Asian (“not into rice,” “gook free zone”), fat (“175lbs or less”), fem (“no broken wrists,” “masculinity is not subjective”), black (“no chocolate,” “All blacks, keep moving cuz I ain’t interested unless u can prove not all blacks are the exact same mkay?”), not as hot as the profile owner, Latino, ugly, hairy, old (“no older than 30”), closeted, uncloseted, bisexual, not bisexual, not a college guy, not a jock, a fag, into the scene, a ginger, Catholic, Republican, not “musc,” not “prof,” not “VGL.”

HUFFPOST

The fact that Grindr has included Black and Asian  as well as Trans comics in this lineup as well as a lesbian comic, may signal that they are on their way to make amends with what seems to be its core audience: white cis gay men. Who knew hunting for dick could be educational? So I that's what I brought for you today: Gag Reflex: a live set (well, it was live yesterday, when it launched) with queer comedians talking about life and dating. I believe it streamed in the actual app too (hopefully some men decided to stop hunting for dick in the middle of the pandemic to stream it) and many watched it on YouTube (it has thirty thousand views, so I think many watched with me). And now I bring it to you. 

I know, it's not groundbreaking to watch stand up, but you would have to accept that it is unusual to have stand up on Zoom in the middle of a pandemic. COVID-19 has changed many things. It's very difficult to make people laugh when they are not THERE (as Maddie tells us in her latest RPDR take of the Good Girls Roast) but these comedians try (and succeed, IMHO) to make us laugh. So there you go. Make yourself a cocktail/grab a beer/bring the popcorn, put your feet up and get ready to chuckle (or laugh out loud, like I did). These comedians are funny and some of their zingers go deep. After all, being gay is not all rainbows and butterflies. And they're here to say the silent part out loud.

Enjoy!

XOXO

P.S. I could not pass posting some pics of Joel Kim Booster. Because, damn! 

And here's Joel being his funny self: