Key West tour operator Cody White: "You Have to Start Building Your Costume Repertoire""
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Release Date: 09/15/2017
Singer-Songwriter-Actor Levi Kreis: "I Don't Walk Around Showing It To People"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis connects via Zoom with singer-songwriter-actor Levi Kreis from his home in Knoxville, Tennessee to talk about his latest EP Bad Habit and his upcoming series of virtual concerts (October 20th, November 18th and November 15th). He talks about drawing from his experience as a recovering addict in writing the song "Bad Habit" and shooting its accompanying video. He also discusses his cover of George Michael's and the controversy it stirred up on line. He talks about being outed as gay at his Christian college while signed to a gospel record label and having his whole life blow up...and...
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Neon Trees Frontman Tyler Glenn: "Elder Glenn Demos Were Floating Around My Mission"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis connects via Zoom with Neon Trees frontman Tyler Glenn to talk about the band's terrific new album I Can Feel You Forgetting Me. Tyler talks about the inspiration for the record, his songwriting process, the delicious retro sound of the record and what it’s like to drop a new album when no one can leave the house. Tyler and Dennis also talk about their shared background in the Mormon church. Tyler recalls the crisis of faith that inspired his 2016 solo album Excommunication, the church's "Word of Wisdom" which forbids drugs and alcohol, hearing from young LGBT mormons who he's...
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Comedian Misha D: "I Am A Little Extra"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis welcomes to the Zoom room comedian Misha D to talk about his debut comedy album Dolphin of the Land, which has just dropped on streaming services like Spotify and iTunes. Dennis and Misha recall the talking-head pop culture TV show they met on Ultimate Countdown that never aired in the states. Misha talks about being drawn to standup after the 2016 election, finding humor in dark subjects, how he deals with homophobic material from other comics and that time he bailed on show and wished he hadn't. He talks about his decision to donate all proceeds from the album to charity, his...
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Author Byron Lane ("A Star is Bored"): "This Is Downton Abbey and You're the Downstairs"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis connects over Zoom with author Byron Lane to talk all about his delicious new novel A Star Is Bored, which is inspired by his 3-year stint as personal assistant to actress-author-intergalactic princess Carrie Fisher. He talks about deciding to write the book in the wake of Fisher's passing, what he thinks Carrie would think of the book and recalls how working with Carrie changed his feelings about life and himself. He also gives us and inside look at the lingo and protocols of the celebrity assistant world, from the all-important Assistant Bible, to fraternizing with other assistants,...
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Author Matthew Todd ("Pride"): "I Needed to Hear 'Express Yourself' When I Was 16"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
All the way from London, author Matthew Todd joins Dennis via Skype to talk about his beautiful new coffee table book Pride: The Story of the LGBTQ Equality Movement. Matthew talks about how the book came about, some of the unsung heroes he writes about in the book, the similarities between the US and the UK in terms of the movement and how moments in pop culture like gay characters on soap operas and shows like Will and Grace helped move the mainstream culture forward. Matthew also talks about being profoundly moved by Princess Diana's AIDS activism as a teen, recalls how one journalist at...
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Author Brent Hartinger ("The Otto Digmore Decision"): "A Transendant Bag of Doritos"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis chats with author Brent Hartinger via Skype from Port Washington, Washington about his career about his 14th novel The Otto Digmore Decision, a sweet and funny a gay burn victim trying to make it as an actor in Hollywood. He also talks about his breakout first novel Geography Club, one of the first YA novels to feature gay teens, how it tapped into a market no one knew was there and went on to become a film in 2013. He also talks about growing with his young readers, going to self-publishing after being with Harper-Collins, and his 2007 novel Project Pay Day which was shot as...
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Filmmaker Jeffrey McHale (You Don't Nomi": "We're Not Done With It"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis chats via Skype with Jeffrey McHale, the filmmaker behind You Don't Nomi, a film about the afterlife of the 1995 camp classic Showgirls. He talks about what inspired him to make the movie, his choice to have his interviewees appear on audio but not video, how he was able to include so many clips and the thrill of being at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery screening with Elizabeth Berkley showed up at thanked the crowd for embracing the movie. Dennis and Jeffrey discuss the elegant look the film, the magic that is the doggie chow scene, the rape scene that some say ruins the campy fun and...
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Filmmaker John Paul Su ("Toto"): Oh Wow, I Have a Feature Now
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis connects via Skype with filmmaker John Paul Su whose debut feature film Toto, about a hotel worker in the Philippines who dreams of moving to America, is currently screening on Amazon Prime and ITunes. He talks about infusing his own experiences as an immigrant into the story, shooting the film in the Philippines, how he financed the film, how the film was received in the Philippines, shooting the comedic sex scenes and how proud he was that his father didn't fall asleep watching the movie. He also talks about loving movies as a kid, how his mother would cry at the movies but was...
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Author/Actor Maulik Pancholy ("The Best at It"): "I Wrote the Book I Wish I Had at 12"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis chats via Skype with author, actor and activist Maulik Pancholy about his debut novel The Best at It, which tells the story of Rahul Kapoor, an Indian-American sixth grader in suburban Indiana who sets out to become the best at something. He talks about where the idea to write the book came from, the bidding war that erupted when the book went to publishers, the parameters he faced when it comes to talking about LGBT issues in books for young people and getting emotional while recording the audio book. He also talks about his whirlwind national book tour, the kids who would open up to...
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Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Brian Mahan: "That Car Wreck Was Just for Me"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis connects via Skype with Brian Mahan a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner based in Los Angeles who Dennis saw for treatment back in 2016. Brian explains what exactly Somatic Experiencing is, the difference between stress and trauma and the car wreck on the 10 Freeway that led him to this work. He also talks about the work he's doing around the issue of shame, toxic shame vs. healthy shame, shame in the LGBT community, how shame impacted him growing up and how he became a chameleon in order to get by. Other topics include: where emotions go if we don't express them, healthy aggression,...
info_outlineFrom Dennis: This week, I had planned to post a collection of short interviews I did with the people I met on my recent press trip to Key West, Florida for Man About World magazine. Then Hurricane Irma happened. One of the people I met and interviewed while I was there was Cody White who runs a small tour company with his husband Ryan called Nomadic SUP (SUP stands for stand-up paddleboard, which is the type of tour the company specializes in). Our group didn't get to go out on the water because it was too windy that day but Cody showed us the beautiful area where the tours usually happen and talked a bit about the local ecosystem. After dropping our group off at The Equator resort where we were staying, I talked Cody doing an interview over blizzards at a nearby Dairy Queen. Leading up to the storm, I read Cody's Facebook posts about all the preparations he, his husband and their friends were doing. Then the storm hit. There were no posts for a couple of days and then Cody posted that he was okay. "Some in Key West are uncomfortable but most are okay and the town is bouncing back quickly as we now have emergency cell service and power and water are coming back relatively quickly." I asked him in the interview if he had ever gone through a major hurricane and he said, "Nope, knock wood." He also talked about how he ended up in Key West, what it' like to have an Airstream trailer, Key West's passion for costume parties, how tourists react when they learn he's gay and why Key West is the place for him. www.nomadicsup.com