Author Alonso Duralde (Hollywood Pride): "Take The Gays Away And None Of This Happens"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Release Date: 06/27/2024
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is join via Zoom by documentary filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz to discuss his newest film Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders, which is about the making of the controversial William Friedkin film Cruising, the real life murders it was inspired by and the gay activist movement it inspired. Jeffrey talks about the first time he saw the film, why he was inspired to make the doc, star Al Pacino's feelings about the film, the surprising discoveries he made along the way that changed the direction of the film and how the film, shot in 1979, is also a visual documentation of a time of sexual freedom...
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by actor Tim Cummings who is currently starring as Arnie in the hit play Grangeville by Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale) at the Rustin Group Theatre in Santa Monica, CA. The play is about two estranged half-brothers, one in Idaho, one in Holland, who connect to discuss the care and finances of their ailing mother but end up reckoning with a whole lot more. Tim talks about seeing the play in New York in 2025 and experiencing a rush through his body that told him he had to bring the play to L.A. and star in it. He also talks about his character Arnie and how, though he's...
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by his friend Nadya Ginsburg to talk about her latest one-person show Feral Fatal, which is hitting LA, New York and the Berkshires in July. The show features her genius imitations of Cher and Madonna but also has plenty of surprises, including a lovely Tom Waits song as well as some thoughtful musings about how we're all just primates. She also talks about getting sober and how it's changed her attitude about her work, caretaking for her elderly parents and waiting tables in NYC. Nadya and Dennis also talk about the recent three-show run of Dennis's first play...
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Actor-Writer-Producer Paul Witten (You Are Here): "My Pinky Is So Extended And I’m Guzzling" Dennis is joined via Zoom by Paul Witten, the creator and star of a new TV pilot called You Are Here, which is having its world premier on June 20th at the Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles. The story centers on a 50-something gay man in Los Angeles and three of his friends who all feel like they're still unfinished in a way. Maybe their lives haven't turned out the way they expected but they have much to be thankful for and, as the title says, they are here. Paul talks about what...
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by writer-director Elliot Tuttle to talk about his debut feature Blue Film, which is about a 20-something camboy who takes a lot of money to spend the night with an anonymous client, who ends up being a former school teacher and convicted sex offender from his small hometown. Elliot talks about why he wanted to tell this story, the knockout performances he got from his two actors, Reed Birney and Keiron Moore, keeping the budget low so he could total creative freedom and why he chose to use old camcorder footage as a visual motif in the film. Other topics...
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Dennis is join via Zoom by Linus O'Brien to discuss his new documentary Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror, a joyful and inspiring recounting of the journey of the cultural juggernaut that is The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Linus's father Richard O'Brien created the original show and played Riff Raff both on stage and in the movie and watching father and son interact in the film and try to make sense of what Rocky means to the world is fascinating, funny and quite moving. Linus talks about getting the whole gang back together to talk about the movie (pretty much...
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Dennis connects via Zoom with his friends Oscar Quintero, Danny Casillas & Kurt Koehler to talk about the return of their long-running drag comedy-musical Chico's Angels 2: Love Boat Chicas, which returns to the Cavern Club Theater this June. The trio talk about what audiences can expect from this installment--Disco music! Forbidden love! Charo!--how drag has changed since they started doing the show over 20 years ago, why the Angels never curse and their favorite moments in the show. They also talk about what doing the show means to them now, the fans who come back again and again and...
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In this episode, Dennis connects via Zoom with Peter Cervantes to talk about his book The Road Back to Me: Six Sacred Tools for Queer Healing Through Shadow, Breath, and Truth, in which he shares his journey from severe physical and mental health crises to healing through therapy, meditation, breath work, EMDR, shadow work and more. He also talks about having severe heart palpitations and anxiety attacks and going into intense therapy because he felt that the only other option was death. Other topics include: dealing with intergenerational trauma, feeling the need to hide his artistic side...
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Dennis is joined by renowned British photographer Brian Aris to discuss his new book Celebrating George: Three Decades which showcases the many photographs Brian took of George Michael throughout his career. Brian talks about the first time he shot George, as part of Wham, at the end of a day that included earlier shoots with Billy Joel and Mick Jagger. He also talks about why George was one of his favorite subjects to shoot, the love he feels from the "George Michael Lovelies" who attend his book events and the intentionality that George brought to all his photo sessions. Other topics...
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by three of the artists behind the Echo Theater Company's new play For Want of a Horse; playwright Olivia DuFault, director Elena Luo and actor Griffin Kelly. The play is about a romantic and sexual triangle between a married couple and Q-Tip (played by Kelly) who happens to be a horse. Olivia talks about the New York Magazine article that first inspired her to write the play, the range of emotions she felt reading it and what it's like to receive emails after the show from people who identify as zoophiles. Elena talks about what drew her to the project as a director,...
info_outlineDennis is joined via Zoom by film critic Alonso Duralde to discuss his new coffee table book Hollywood Pride: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Representation and Perseverance In Film. It's a beautifully written and designed book about at the history of queer people in the movies, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Alonso talks about the artists and films that weren't on his radar before he began his research and shares insights about some of the films in the book like including Prick Up Your Ears, Philadelphia, Brokeback Mountain, Parting Glances, Longtime Companion and Making Love. He also talks about what it's like to be the busiest gay in film criticism with five regular podcasts--Linoleum Knife (with his husband, film critic Dave White), Breakfast All Day, Maximum Film, Deck the Hallmark and the just-launched The Film Library. Other topics include: the gay cinematographer that shot Rocky, why queer millennials love The Mummy, how he cries more watching movies than he does in real life, his seeming unflappability, the 2016 surprise party for Dennis that Alonso attended, getting recognized on the street and the movie that made him cry so hard he had to go to the lobby to pull himself together. Following the interview with Alonso, there's also a short interview with comedian Jim David who appears in the new Netflix documentary Outstanding.