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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 2003)
PEOPLE B oh Smith loves his lesbians. W hich is a gtxxl tiling because he often shares a hill with them. He’ll he performing, for instance, with comedian Karen Williams at Just Out’s 20th Anniversary Party on Nov. 23 at Hollywood Theatre, and he couldn’t he happier about it. Smith likes to make people laugh, by golly, and he takes many opportunities to do so. He’s had his own HBO special and wrote for Mad TV. He travels the country as a standup and is looking forward to his return to the Rose City. “The people are great,” he tells me from his home in Las Angeles. “They’re intelligent, interesting, normal people.” Williams, who was featured in Portland’s recent queer film festival documentary Laughing Matters, got her start in standup at age 30. After years of performing at women’s festivals, colleges and comedy clubs, she went hack to schtxil and designed her own degree at Cleve land State University in humor and healing. While making fun of tofu-eating, Birken- stock-wearing lesbians, Williams is a strong pro ponent of the healing power of laughter. After receiving her master’s degree in education, the entrepreneur founded the International Institute of Humor and Healing Arts (or HaHA Institute) in Cleveland. She now splits her time between comedy tours and leading workshops like “Humor &. Stress in the Workplace" and “Humor & Diversity” for businesses and other groups. B oth Williams and Smith are writers. Williams has been a script, ghost and speech writer. Smith is the author of two books of essays, Openly Bob and Way to Go, Smith! He’s now working on his first novel, which will he set in Alaska. Smith was sent to m m m kœ m /■ m jÆÊÊnamm ■ Funny Gay Male seeks audience Bob Smith joins Karen Williams for a night of queer comedy during the Just Out 20th Anniversary Party on Nov. 23 Bob Smith looks forward, to another visit to normal ol* Portland by the 49th state to write an article for Out maga zine when he got the idea for the kxtk. “It’s a ‘what if’ novel," he explains. “What if you fell in love with someone from Alaska and moved up thereT’ Smith is also pitching a comedy series with his friend and fellow comedian Elvira Kurt to Show time and HBO. “We have a treatment for it, and we know what we want to do,” he says. “Hopeful ly they’ll love the idea.” If they get the go-ahead, Smith and Kurt will write and star in the series. Smith still occasionally writes for Out; his latest piece is for the magazine’s “Hall of Shame” in which he writes about the worst homophobes of the year. The normally nice Smith likes this assignment because “1 get to be mean,” he says. “I like to be mean against peo ple who deserve it.” The president and pope both make the list. Smith got his start in standup as part of the Funny Gay Males in the early 1990s with Jaffe Cohen and Danny McWilliams, whom he met up with this summer in Provincetown, Mass., for a Funny Gay Males reunion. He said he was amazed at how many more straight couples came to the show than before. “The interesting part was that a big part of our audience were not put off by a show called Funny Gay Males,” he comments. He credits shows like Will & Grace and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy for widening the audience for queer humor. K ath y B elge “I do the same material no matter what my audience. I might change the order a little, probably move the more family stuff up front,” Smith notes about performing for a more straight audience. (W hich makes you wonder what the heck he might open with at his Portland gig.) Smith is single, he says, but “will ing to move to Portland for the right man.” He has a love/hate relationship with HollywixxJ. “I love my house,” he says. “I decid ed that L.A. is a city of really nice pri vate spaces and generally not-so-nice public spaces. People’s homes are really wonderful and beautiful, but then there’s the strip m alls....” But for people watching, it can’t be beat. “For a writer or creative person,” he laughs, “there’s always something to observe.’ ’ in B ob SMITH will perform along with Karen Williams arul Pink Martini during the Just Out 20th Anniversary Party 7 p m . Nov. 23 at Hollywood Theatre, 4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd. The shim’ will be preceded by a 5:30 p.m. reception featuring cake, artist offerings and organizational tables. Tickets are $20 (cheap!) from Gai-Pied, It's My Pleasure, Touchstone Coffee House or www.justout. com . mtismmsmetm FREE CONFLUENCE Willamette Valley Mixed GALA Chorus presents Sm 9 Winter ,, Song oR Vic ovR SALEM Sat, Dec. 6 • 8:00 pm Unitarian Church 5090 Center St. N E PORTLAND Sun, Dec. 7 • 4:00 pm Unity of Portland 4525 SE Stark $10 no one turned away for lack of funds Tickets at In Other Words Bookstore (Portland), Jackson’s Books (Salem), from Chorus members, and at door eoM pvteR i öl one dollöR f oR fifteen Minvtei s meets, etc. ( t n r t f i oc o l o r r s X i m p o t t f b con t nr e “ A variety of flavor* In mi our Fudge K ettle ’ old-fashioned candy shop. Stop in for a taste of our own handmade fudge! NEW!! featuring Haagen Daaz milkshakes * We’re OPEN 24 HOURS a Day! Roger's Chocolates from Victoria, B.C . Sweets, Etc. e S p R c iio böR & ¿oc idi cfwb 9 College Square Mall 242nd k Stark Gresham 803-6664710 In the heart o f Multnomah Village 7828 SW Capitol Hwy (503)293-0088
