Feast of Fun: Gay Talk Show

Get on the bus loser, we’re going to the Australian Outback in drag, again! It’s the 30 year anniversary of The Adventures Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the groundbreaking film that shook the world as three queens on a road trip across the Australian desert. The groundbreaking film won an Oscar for fiercest costumes ever and helped drag go mainstream. Now, three decades later after Priscilla, the big pink bus drove across the desert and into our hearts, the original cast is back for a highly anticipated sequel. Today we take a look at how the world changed in the short time from the documentary Paris is Burning scandalized movie screens to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert becoming an international hit, leading to an appetite for similar films like Too Wong Foo, Trick and Girls Will Be Girls. Feast of Fun is made possible because of listeners like you, thank you! Check out Shameless Care: shamelesscare.com/feasts Plus-- • A group of professional German rugby players plan on coming out as gay on May 17 to celebrate International Day Against Homophobia. • Once a drag queen, always a drag queen: ousted Republican Rep George Santos brings back his drag queen alter ego Kitara Ravache to make Cameo videos for “charity.” • Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once again complains about cancel culture making comedians too risk averse to try to make audiences laugh.

It’s Lesbian Visibillity week, where we take a look at some of the most wonderful women who have shaped Feast of Fun over the course of 20 years. Just like no two people are alike, the relationships we develop in our lives will also be incredibly unique. Before open relationships became more acceptable in LGBTQ+ circles, sex-positive writer Tristan Taormino was helping pave the way for people to expand their minds to new kinds of relationships. We spoke to Tristan in 2008 about her new book “Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships” where she said a big factor in fufilling relationships was for people to defnine monogamy on their own terms, and that the best relationships complement each other instead of trying to meet each other halfway in everything. Please enjoy this encore presentation of “Ménage à How Many?” with Tristan Taormino as part of our celebration of Lesbian Visibility Week and the design I made that became the modern lesbian pride flag. FEATURED BOOK: 📘 Tristan Taormino - Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships: Amazon: https://amzn.to/49RkFgG

It’s Lesbian Visibility week, where we take a look at some of the most wonderful women who have shaped Feast of Fun over the course of 20 years. One of my all time favorite musicians is blues singer Gaye Adegbalola. We first met Gaye back in 2005 at the Out Music Awards where she wowed the crowd with her audacious song “Big Ovaries” looking absolutely stunning wearing a white tuxedo with tails that complimented her silver shock of hair and dark skin. Gaye is not your ordinary blues musician, like us she has a sharp sense of humor and passion for restorative justice. An evening with Gaye Adegbalola always proves to be filled with exciting music and a whole lot of fun. Back in 2009 we had the pleasure of having Gaye in the home studio to perform several of her iconic songs, she was in Chicago for a concert at the Old Town School of Folk Music where she and her musical collaborators Ann Rabson and Andra Faye in Saffire performed together one last time. Please enjoy this encore presentation of “The Legendary Gaye Adegbalola” as part of our celebration of Lesbian Visibility Week and the design I made that became the modern lesbian pride flag. Enjoy! FEATURED MUSIC: 🎵 Gaye Adegbalola – Bitter Sweet Blues: Apple Music: https://apple.co/3w7yKJ1

If you wondered where all the male strippers went from your local gay bars, they are now shaking their hips at church. At the Christian fundamentalist Stronger Men’s Conference in Springfield, MO, controversy broke out when pastor Mark Driscoll called out pastor John Lindell for allowing a male circus acrobat to perform shirtless on a stripper pole feats of Christian strength. The audience was divided over the pastor's comments, with some booing the concerned pastor, while others saying he was out of line and should have discussed the matter with organizers privately. Get off the cross and get up on that pole! Today we take a look at all the hot news and trends that are working the pole for your attention. Designing Women star Delta Burke says she got addicted to meth while on the show. • AI does the impossible: transform a photo of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to look sexy. • Japan is now using the sound of crows to scare off crows. • Lesbian Visibility Week Kicks off with airing of classic podcasts featuring lesbian and non binary queer icons. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: ★ instagram.com/faustofernos ★ instagram.com/marcfelion

When it comes to makeup tutorials, there’s a lot of great stuff on the Internet, but there’s also a lot of bad ideas that at best will make you look like a 10 year old playing with mommy’s lipstick or at worst cause your skin to peel off like Nazi’s staring at the Ark of the Covenant in Indiana Jones. Today comedian The Queeny Bitch joins us to look at her work as a gender queer entertainer who has a lot of hilarious things to say about beauty bloggers since she is one herself. Queeny describes herself as doing what she does best: spreading positivity, love and depending on the test results syphilis. Listen as we talk about cold girl makeup trends, fake freckles and embracing photos of you with zits on your face to show that you’re not some AI monstrosity. CHECK OUT THE QUEENY BITCH: ★ instagram.com/queenycomedy FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: ★ instagram.com/faustofernos ★ instagram.com/marcfelion

Happy birthday Fausto! Today it’s my husband Fausto Fernós’ birthday, he turns 52. Born and raised in San Juan Puerto Rico, Fausto Fernós moved to Texas to go to university and then Chicago to become the performance artist, lesbian flag designer and podcast pioneer you all know and love. Today we’re looking at using your birthday to fearlessly pursue your dreams, a look back on the North American Solar Eclipse 2024 and going from being a fierce drag queen to professional bodybuilder in just 30 short years. Help celebrate my birthday by helping to support Feast of Fun podcast. Visit: feastoffun.com/donate and make today truly magical! Plus-- • A look at the controversial life of OJ Simpson, and no joke, his dad being a well known drag queen in San Francisco named Mama Simpson. • The controversy over Beyonce’s new country album continues. • Farewell to Lori and George Schappell, the world’s oldest conjoined twins, died at the age of 62.

In the 1990s fitness guru Susan Powter rose to fame with her sassy late night TV infomercials, short cut platinum hair and her catchphrase: “stop the insanity!” Do you remember “stop the insanity?” Well the insanity never stopped. For the last 50 years, corporations have been making a lot of money by waging war on our bodies- stressing us out, forcing bad food and bad lifestyles on us, resulting in good people feeling out of shape, sad and broken. Let’s Grow Big Together! A podcast that’s like your very own broken beer bottle in the bar fight for your life. In this series, we’re taking a look at the passion for muscle, adventures in bodybuilding, muscle gods, muscle worship and practical advice to put on the gains. Today fitness guru and 90s talk show queen Susan Powter joins us to look at why there is still so much money to be made in keeping people sick. Susan fills us in on her adventures after being a TV fitness icon, and making right wing haters in Texas drop their jaws over her outrageous passion for muscle and fitness. Please enjoy this classic podcast episode, originally aired June 15, 2012.

The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse is expected to be totally awesome, due to the event happening during a period of high solar activity. Because it’s promising to be something totally out of this world, millions of people are expected to travel to watch the fun without the sun so you better come correct! Today we’re giving you tips and tricks on how to make the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse viewing really gay and more than just looking at the sun playing peek a boo with the moon’s shadow. Feast of Fun is made possible because of listeners like you, thank you! ★ Check out Shameless Care: shamelesscare.com/feasts Plus- ➤ Move over “high water booty” there’s a new way to describe a plump caboose: “High Butt Factor.” ➤ Jennifer Lopez scales back her tour due to weak ticket sales. ➤ Lizzo is back baby--, saying the only thing she quits is paying attention to haters by posting a video that pays attention to haters. ➤ Lesbian Visibility Week starts on April 22 but please don't give visibility to the people who designed the Lesbian Pride Flag. ➤ Virtual Reality Queer Brooklyn set to come to life with Elliot Page.

When you’re busy making gains in the gym, it’s easy to overlook your own vulnerabilities. Because workouts can be exhausting, it’s easy to let your guard down and fall for bad ideas, snake oil supplements, scams or even worse. Let’s Grow Big Together! You got big dreams, you want big muscle? Well here is where you pay, with SWEAT. In this series, we’re taking a look at the passion for muscle, adventures in bodybuilding, muscle gods, muscle worship and practical advice to put on the gains. Today we take a look at bad ideas good bodybuilders fall for. Also known as bro science- how athletes fall prey to scams and conspiracies that stand in their way of success. Feast of Fun is made possible because of listeners like you, thank you. ★ Check out Shameless Care: shamelesscare.com/feasts FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: ★ instagram.com/faustofernos ★ instagram.com/marcfelion Plus-- • A look at the fake fitness profile industry. • How you think about your food may be more important than you… think. • David Laid and Chris Bumstead pretend to be gay lovers for views, and we love it!

She is risen! Just in time for Easter, Beyoncé is back in full force with her new album “Cowboy Carter,” which may be her most groundbreaking work yet. Even though the Queen B herself says “[the new album] ain't a Country album, [its] a Beyoncé album,” Cowboy Carter brings the iconic entertainer back to her roots in Country Music, reminding everyone about the genres Black roots and inspiring folks who had rejected it in the past to come back and have a good time. Yee haw indeed! Today we celebrate Beyoncé’s new album Cowboy Carter, how the new songs are spotlighting overlooked musicians and why this isn’t her first time at the rodeo. Feast of Fun is made possible because of listeners like you, thank you! Check out Shameless Care: shamelesscare.com/feasts Plus-- ➤ Lizzo has had it, officially. The full figured pop start says she quits on social media, we’re not sure just what she’s quitting. ➤ Was the melody for the Oscar winning gay anthem “Over the Rainbow” stolen just like the ruby red slippers? ➤ When biological family becomes chosen family. ➤ San Francisco’s hunky Jesus contest draws record crowds. ➤ Fundamentalists lose their mind as Transgender Day of Visibility and Easter land on the same day.

Attention ye lovers of magic, the ballots have been counted! The world’s oldest magic society has a new leader: John Sturk! Just like Dumbledore in Harry Potter, John Sturk is unapologetically gay and a hero for the underdog, but unlike the Harry Potter franchise, John also supports trans inclusivity. As the new head of The Society of American Magicians, John’s mission is to invite everyone to participate in magic-- it’s not just for stuffy guys in tuxes and capes. Doctor Strange you’ve been warned! Today magician John Sturk, the newly elected President of the Society Of American Magicians joins us to look at his love for turning tricks, playing the organ in comedy shows and what happens when magic tricks go horribly wrong. Plus- the wild wonderful world of Harry Houdini. Was he secretly gay lovers with Sherlock Holmes writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? • CHECK OUT JOHN STURK: http://www.johnsturk.com • SOCIETY OF AMERICAN MAGICIANS: https://www.magicsam.com

Dreamgirls, the Broadway musical based on the showbiz aspirations of legends like Little Richard, James Brown, Diana Ross and the Supremes, is about as perfect as a musical can be. It lands running with a wonderful percussive bongo beat and takes us on a roller coaster ride through the struggles Black entertainers faced in the past and how they changed the world for the better. The breakout song “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” became a #1 hit on the R&B Billboard charts when it was released in 1982 and launched Jennifer Holliday into superstardom. Our friend musician and actor Robert Cornelius is now playing the role of music producer Marty in the new production of Dreamgirls at the McCarter Theater in Princeton, NJ. BUY TICKETS: https://www.mccarter.org/ As the nephew of Soul Train producer and host Don Cornelius, Robert was a regular dancer in his teens on the show and subsequently became an indie music fixture as a member of the alt-pop music group Poi Dog Pondering. Today musician Robert Cornelis joins us to look back on his amazing career, being part of Black music royalty and why Dreamgirls and Jennifer Holidays torch song “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” will never leave our hearts.

Everything Beyoncé touches turns into solid gold soul, even country music. Her latest single, 'Texas Hold ‘Em,' is a number one hit on the Billboard country charts, making her the first black woman to ever achieve such a milestone in a genre of music that, despite its roots in black culture, has traditionally excluded artists of color. Even Dolly Parton is a big fan and congratulated her on social media. But whenever you break a boundary, there’s bound to be some backlash. Today comedian Matt Brown joins us to talk about the popularity of Beyonce’s Texas Hold ‘Em, and how popular culture is a powerful tool in breaking down barriers of inequality. Listen as we look back on the new documentary Thriller 40 that examines how Michael Jackson's album Thriller changed the face of music and helped hip-hop go mainstream, The Color Purple Musical Film gets a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for Danielle Brooks and Matt’s third part docu series on Whitney Houston’s musical style is now live his YouTube channel Black Music Archive. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: ★ instagram.com/faustofernos ★ instagram.com/marcfelion ★ instagram.com/msbrowncomedy BLACK MUSIC ARCHIVE: ★ https://www.youtube.com/BlackMusicArchive Plus-- ➤ Did Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” rip off the theme song from Franklin the Turtle, a Canadian Kids cartoon? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AWr-E7ZnuuY ➤ Ricky Martin has a foot fetish. ➤ LGBTQ sections of popular news sites close up shop. Yikes. What does this mean for you and me? ➤ Barbara Streisand says not looking like the girls in the magazine was critical to her success.

We live during an extraordinary time for building muscle. What started out over a hundred years ago as a theatrical curiosity has grown to become a sport and art form that has millions of people pumping iron all around the world. And while genetics certainly plays a factor, from Hollywood to your friends at the gym, there are more jacked up folks around these days than ever. How do they do it? Let’s Grow Big Together: the podcast that starts off wearing a hoodie, then takes it off to reveal the pumped muscle hiding underneath. Today my coach Matt Claussen, powerlifting and bodybuilding legend, joins us to look back on my winning the silver in Classic Physique Masters Division at the NPC Mid American Winter Classic 2023, the content that had the jacked up Santa Claus mascot warning us “Winter is Coming.” What are the attributes of successful bodybuilding athletes and coaches? FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: ★ instagram.com/mattclaussen ★ instagram.com/faustofernos ★ instagram.com/marcfelion Plus-- ➤ Kristen Stewart stars in deadly lesbian bodybuilding thriller ‘Love Lies Bleeding.’ ➤ The Enhanced Games- an Olympic style competition where performance enhancing drugs are not only permitted but encouraged. ➤ The evolution of bodybuilding categories and controversy over the new Men’s Wellness winner, Brazilian non-binary bodybuilder San Moraes. ➤ All your questions that will even make an abductor machine blush!

Suck it haters! Taylor Swift, Joe Biden and the Kansas City Chiefs win Superbowl LVIII (58). Everyone in America now has to be trans for a week, sorry, those are the NFL rules. Today we celebrate 20 years of Feast of Fun- the podcast Apple said helped “pave the way to bring podcasting from an underground movement to a mainstream phenomenon.” To help mark our 20th season, we have a very special guest, y’all need to calm down, Taylor Swift--- on the keys E Ross! Who else? Our friend Taylor E Ross was the musical director for our live show Feast of Fools, and our first guest on the podcast where talked about the Superbowl commercials and the half time show. ★ Taylor E Ross Piano Studio: https://www.facebook.com/share/4Cij1CygwBR67C1k/?mibextid=WC7FNe FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: ★ instagram.com/faustofernos ★ instagram.com/marcfelion Listen as we talk about this and the sizzling hot news-- • Usher roller skates into our hearts during the HalfTime Show. • LA creates mini homes for struggling Mariachi performers who are facing record homelessness due to Covid. • Comedian Larry David chokes Sesame Street’s Elmo on morning television.

Couples that play together, stay together. Creating something fun and sharing it with the world is a great opportunity to connect with someone you love. Today we’re having a double date with musical partners and lovers John Coons and Jonah Wheeler. For John and Jonah a date night usually involves putting on a musical show filled with outrageous humor and grim topics. John Coons background as an opera and jazz singer has gotten him some amazing gigs with the Boston POPS, Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer and my good friend Sxip Shirey. Jonah Wheeler is well known for his sexy videos on membership platforms where he plays it hot all while subverting people’s expectations. For folks who are wanting to bare it all, what’s a good way to strike the balance between embracing the human body and not getting shut down on social media? Listen as we chat with John and Jonah about their Valentine’s Day plans, our new favorite obsession and their hilarious show in Chicago this Wednesday at the Newport Theater “BLEAK: Songs for the Not-Quite-End of the World.” 🎵 GET TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.ch/e/bleak-songs-for-the-not-quite-end-of-the-world-tickets-800222255307 ★JOHN COONS: instagram.com/bluenote27 ★JONAH WHEELER: instagram.com/showoffjonah 🎵 FEATURED MUSIC: John Coons & Jonah Wheeler: https://www.youtube.com/@JohnCoonsMusic

One of our favorite oddballs we’ve come across in the decades of doing the Feast of Fun podcast is musician Chris Condren, a comedian whose catchy tunes parody time travel, movie trailers and superstardom. Chris came from the Chicago comedy scene of the 2010s we were a part of, that gave rise to popular queer comedians like Matteo Lane and Cameron Esposito. Today musician, comedian and time traveler Chris Condren joins us to look at 20 seasons of the Feast of Fun podcast, carrying his keyboard in a trash can and the notorious episode “Pagan Christmas” which frustrated a Wiccan witch with his titular song. CHRIS CONDREN: ★ instagram.com/thunderdavis Plus-- • Barbie the Movie’s director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie get snubbed for Oscar Nominations while their co-stars America Ferrera and Ryan Gosling nab the honors. • A new survey reveals 28% of Gen Z identity as LGBTQ+. • How the future of Augmented Reality is going to help you get your freak on, literally. • A gay couple gets married at the Chicago Rat Hole. Listen to Feast of Fun without any ads: ★ feastoffun.com/plus ★ patreon.com/feastoffun

There’s a belief that fitness and comedy are at odds with each other. We’ve seen many comedians get jacked and then they don’t appear to be as funny. Carrot Top famously said he stopped bodybuilding because it didn't fit his style. Dave Chappelle put on muscle and started trolling trans people, and who can forget those awful Bud Light TV ads from the 80s where Joe Piscopo dressed up in drag and flexed his bulging biceps? But even for all those comedic tragedies, Instagram is packed with muscle men who get the laughs and the lifts. Let’s Grow Big Together, I mean, Welcome to Feast of Fun! The podcast that always makes you sore in all the right places. Today comedian and obstacle course athlete Joel Bryant joins us to chat about racing, lifting and comedy. When he’s not working as a comedy host or doing stand up, Joel is dodging giant foam blocks in an American Ninja style race or crawling through the mud in a Tough Mudder. Listen as we pit Joel Bryant against the AI robot to see who is funnier, muscle man or machine? JOEL BRYANT: https://joelbryant.net Plus-- ➤ The Feds issue new guidelines discouraging comedy from highway safety billboards and signs. ➤ The Smithsonian Institution releases over 4.5 Million historic images into the public domain, ➤ Rest in pudding Ron DeSantis’ political career.

When it feels like the whole world is falling apart, the art of comedy can help us laugh and feel better. So why are so many comedy giants bombing spectacularly? Ricky Gervais just failed in a big way in his recent comedy special, Dave Chappelle continues to troll trans people for attention, and Jo Koy bit it hard core at the Golden Globes and blamed his nervous performance on the writers and audience. Where’s our generation equivalent of Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams or Gilda Radner? Are rich and famous comedians so lazy that they are turning to AI bots for help? Today Chicago comedian and comedy writer Dan Cass, who has his own comedy special “Drama Boy” coming out soon, joins us to look at the recent comedy icons’ public failures to make people laugh. Listen as we pit Dan against a killer robot from the future to see who can make people laugh harder. CHECK OUT DAN CASS: https://www.instagram.com/dankkass Plus-- ➤ False claims arise that astrophysicist Stephen Hawking asked little people to solve big math problems on Stephen hawking’ Island of Horrors. ➤ Why you shouldn’t trust anyone named Dick Stroker or Peter Gozinya. ➤ A man in Reno, Nevada complains to the police after finding what he thought was cocaine on his Subway sandwich.

2023 began like a scene from a horror film, when you thought the monster had been defeated, it came back with a vengeance and all hell broke loose. The cancer I had thought was long gone made a comeback. The first half of the year was all about death: radiation therapy, my mom in hospice care, a car accident, and inflation and greed that threatened us all. It seemed like the wrong thing to do: after lifting at the gym for 35 years, for the first time in my life I entered a bodybuilding contest that involved changing everything about your life, and surprisingly I won! Today we take a look back on the rollercoaster ride that was 2023. Death, resurrection and muscles, the terrible people and heroes we met along the way and our favorite words and events that shaped our lives. Plus-- Will Artificial Intelligence destroy the world with hilarious memes? • Twink of the year Aidan Maese Czeropski throws his career away for some really good dong. • And which Republican said: “I haven’t been invited [to be a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race] but I do love to read a bitch.” FAUSTO FERNOS: ★ instagram.com/faustofernos ★ facebook.com/faustofernos MARC FELION: ★ instagram.com/marcfelion ★ facebook.com/marcfelion