Thorpe comes out, Colter bursts out
Although the rain dampened the 4th of July celebrations in Provincetown, the silver lining was that I had time to check out the new show of the dashing Cheyenne Jackson. The newly-sober Jackson was a bright light in an otherwise dreary weekend. I know this will surprise some of you who think I have something against Cheyenne — would that that were true. I think Cheyenne is very talented; my issue is that he hasn’t given me that “Wow!” performance I’ve always felt he’s capable of … until now. Perhaps it was the intimate confines of the Provincetown Art House. Perhaps it was his friendship with host/accompanist Seth Rudetsky. Or maybe it was because he wasn’t playing a role, he was just being himself. But for the first time, I really felt Cheyenne connect with his audience in a way that brought him to another level (he was so well received, he’ll be back for another round of P’town shows Labor Day weekend). Needless to say, Jackson is physically gorgeous, and his voice has never sounded better, particularly in the blues-tinged material. You can see exactly what I mean by checking out an exclusive clip from the show on BillyMasters.com. Since I know my fans, I’ll also re-run his infamous jerk-off video. Just because he’s changed, doesn’t mean I have!
As I made my way into Cheyenne’s show, I discovered that I was seated next to Ryan Murphy and his hubby, David Miller. We’d previously met in several social and unmemorable ways, so we exchanged a quick hello and then the show began. Afterwards, I turned to them and said, “Aren’t congratulations in order? Isn’t your anniversary today or yesterday?” Ryan smiled and said, “Today — how did you know?” Well, I was with them on their wedding day two years ago. They had a lovely afternoon ceremony and then went to see Patti LuPone — I was sitting close by that night, too. My congratulations led to some pleasant chit-chat before we went our separate ways … but not without putting a friendly face on my often caustic wit. Happy anniversary, guys.
The next night, Joan Rivers hit Provincetown Town Hall for two fabulous shows to the capacity crowd of Independence Day revelers. Her opening act, Tony Tripoli, was eagerly embraced by the plethora of gay men in the audience — fingers crossed that enthusiasm continued after the show. As for Auntie Joan, she was treated like visiting royalty, which she most certainly is. Her act is as sharp and caustic as ever. In fact, the first half was all new material she delivered with rapid-fire energy. In the second half, she revisited some of her favorite stories — including numerous anecdotes about her vagina. It is a dubious distinction, indeed, for someone’s vagina to get laughs, but Joan is a trouper.
Our Ask Billy question comes from Darren in Chicago: “I just read that [Olympic swimmer] Ian Thorpe came out as gay. Is it true? He’s always denied it.”
The sexy Aussie sat down with U.K. host Sir Michael Parkinson for a fascinating (paid) interview, which clearly had an agenda. Parkinson quoted a section from Thorpe’s 2012 autobiography, This Is Me: “For the record, I am not gay and all of my sexual experiences have been straight.” Sir Michael asked: “Is all of that true?” Thorpe: “Well, that’s true. But, um, you know, I’ve … thought, well, I’ve thought about this for a long time.” Parkinson: “I bet.” Thorpe: “I’m not straight.” Parkinson: “You’re not.” Thorpe: “And this is only something that very recently — we’re talking in the past two weeks — I’ve been comfortable telling the closest people around me exactly that.”
Speculation that Ian was gay started when he was 16. Apparently, not only was he not sexually active, but it didn’t occur to him that he might be gay. So he denied it. Problem was, as he grew up and began to realize that he was gay, he had an issue — he had denied it so often in public (and, apparently, to himself), he felt that if he suddenly came out, people would question what else was a lie. Now, at 31, he feels differently. “I am telling the world that I am gay, and I hope this makes it easier for others now. And even if you’ve held it in for years, it feels easier to get it out.” Bravo, Ian. We’ll run the entire interview on BillyMasters.com.
This leads perfectly into the story about a man who was almost arrested because he was wearing a Speedo in a water park, which has the following dress code: “Kentucky Kingdom is a family-friendly theme park and reserves the right to determine whether a guest’s attire is appropriate.” Certainly a Speedo could be considered inappropriate — as could a thong, certain bikinis or see-through swimming attire. The young man in question says that a public safety officer for the park said his Speedo was suitable. But an officer from the Louisville Metro Police allegedly called the lad “queer” and threatened to arrest him. The officer said that several of the park’s public safety officers had already warned the young man, which he denies. Rather than risk jail time, he left.
To fill in some of the gaps, the man in question is Jessie Colter, pictured, a gay male porn star who does bareback videos online — not that this is germane to the story, but it bears mentioning. Maybe Jessie’s prodigious “talent” was too visible whilst sheathed within his red Diesel Speedo. Or maybe it was how Jessie carried himself. He recently tweeted, “I think is funny when people ask me if I’m gay, lol! I think it’s pretty obvious, especially if you’ve met me.” Of course, it’s also possible that the cop recognized Colter from his, ahem, “work.” Whatever the specifics, Jessie seems to indicate that — as with all his endeavors — this one will have a happy ending. “It appears that justice will be served in the matter of my recent incident involving my brief cut trunks. That’s all for now stay tuned folks.” I’m sure I’ll post some photos of Jessie in his offensive Speedo.
When Cheyenne Jackson is bringing people together, it’s definitely time to end yet another column. Of course, all are welcome to check out BillyMasters.com— the site that hasn’t yet been banned in Kentucky! If you’d like to ask me a question, send it along and I promise to get back to you before people ask, “What Would Ian Thorpe Do?” Yeah!
Until next time, remember, one man’s filth is another man’s bible.
Contact Billy by email at Billy@BillyMasters.com.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition July 18, 2014.