Virtual Memories Show 400:
Michael Musto
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“I learned you have to only interview people you love, really do your research so you’re not asking them obvious questions, and treat it like a conversation, so you can get something human out of them, something spontaneous.”
Legendary entertainment columnist Michael Musto joins the show to talk about the evolution of gossip, nightlife, New York City, celebrity, and queer representation over the years! We get into the origins of his La Dolce Musto column in The Village Voice (and what led to the magazine’s decline and death), the parallels and differences between the AIDS crisis and COVID-19, the highs and lows of ’80s NYC and how the city will bounce back post-pandemic, the impact of RuPaul on the culture, his Warhol story, the generational gaps in gay upbringing, the bridges he’s burned, the reason he never had the nerve to talk to Madonna face to face, the best gift-bag he ever received, how his folks came around about his being gay but were always worried about his being a journalist, why he only reads celebrity memoirs, and more. It’s a heck of a way to celebrate our 400th episode! Give it a listen!
“In the COVID era, celebrities have become extra-irrelevant, because they can’t do what they do: make films or do live performances.”
“I felt not only survivor’s guilt, but the need to live for everyone who couldn’t live.”
“I’d wave at a celebrity I was quote-friends-unquote with, but who I’d written something maybe not positive about, and they’d always give me the side-eye. I learned the valuable lesson: keep on writing the truth, because who cares if you’re friends with celebrities? My job wasn’t to be their friend.”
Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!
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About our Guest
When I asked Michael for a bio, he wrote, “I wrote the La Dolce Musto column for The Village Voice, I have written four books, including Downtown and Manhattan on the Rocks, and I have long also been a TV commentator on pop culture topics.”
Follow Michael on Twitter and you’ll find so much great stuff, including these recent pieces on COVID’s effect on queer culture, and being a misfit gay.
Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded remotely via Zencastr. I used a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone
