Wes Smoot 6/10/22 Wes Smoot 6/10/22

Peacock Reboots a Gay Staple with Unexpected Success QUEER AF

By Arnold Wayne Jones

If you’re old enough (and gay enough) to remember watching when Russell T. Davies’ original British series Queer as Folk debuted more than 20 years ago – I, sadly, am – then you will never forget the adrenaline-rush of seeing sexually-active gay men engaged in realistic-seeming sex without AIDS, shame or suicide being the dramatic driving force. It was staggering in its radicalism. There was no marriage equality; it was still GLBT – the “A” hadn’t been added, the letters reversed, the Q codified. It was sexy, frivolous, and its politics was that of stentorian outrage at closet-cases, homophobia and hypocrisy. The original QAF – and its American remake, which ran on pay-cable for five seasons – was a kind of fantasy soap opera of bed-hopping, shade-throwing and melodramatic cliffhangers. (Question: Should we call a gay soap opera a “lube musical”? But I digress.)

We live in a new world now, although not always a better world. Gay weddings are now called “weddings,” Grindr gets joked about in primetime, COVID has replaced HIV as the virus of the moment, trans kids are… well, a thing. But there’s also the Pulse nightclub shooting, anti-trans legislation and the current SCOTUS membership. We’ve come far, but there’s still far to go.

Which is why, as I discovered slightly to my surprise, that we really needed a reboot of Queer as Folk. I needed convincing; I’m generally opposed to rehashing old properties simply because Hollywood is so bereft of courage or originality that it assumes audiences only want what they already know. (Unfortunately, they are often right.) Why revisit the same characters, or “new” characters regurgitating the same ideas, just for clicks and a 4.5 in the demo? The fact that this QAF was coming to NBC’s Peacock – the buggiest and boringest of the major streaming services from the most middle-brow of networks – gave me little hope.

Then I watched the first episode. And the second. And third. And it dawned on me that, of all retro series reboots out there, this may be the one that has the best chance to seem more relevant than the original.

In some ways, this is a critique of the American version. A dirty little secret: Most gays will concede that we often hate-watched that show. We wanted to see idealized versions of our own lives on screen (hard bodies glistening with perspiration in soft-core lighting), but these scenes were sandwiched between stereotypes, often painfully overwrought dialogue and predictable plotting. Most episodes left you with the same dissatisfaction as a Diet Coke: You asked for it, but the empty aftertaste left you wanting something better. The Peacock version needed to improve upon those feelings, and so far, it has.

The first amazement for me was the opening scene: A fairly explicit and rolicking anal sex scene that shows more ass and abs than I expected from NBC. The second amazement: Diversity. Another reason why the earlier incarnation was so disappointing was the total lack of color in the primary cast: Of the dozen or so regulars, every single one was as white as a Trump rally. There were token lesbians, a mix of tops and bottoms, twinks and doms but virtually no bears, no queens, and no POC. Not so this time out. The lesbian couple are mixed race – a butch black dyke and a thin lipstick transwoman; the local slut is mixed, the adopted son of white parents (including an almost unrecognizable Kim Cattrall, doing excellent character work) with a brother on the spectrum (Special star Ryan O’Connell); there are Latinos, gender-fluid teens, otters, a disabled guy and Juliette Lewis. (Sadly, no senior queers – hey, it’s still a gay fantasy.)

Another big difference is how the stakes seem contemporary and relevant. There’s less worrying about HIV (PrEP!) and molly overdoses and more mass shootings, social media awareness and criticism of faux allies. But there are still the cliches: Young gays having/wanting kids (heteronormative ideals are the flesh-eating viruses of most mainstream portrayals of gay culture); superficial conversations about overwrought emotions; secondary characters praising/apologizing for the anti-heroic stars; and so, so many pretty boys fucking wildly to fill in for plot (OK, I admit I like that part a lot). The trade off works, though.

I’ve enjoyed the acting (other than O’Connell, who is sweet but never convincing in his line delivery) and the mancandy helps the bad dialogue go down easier. I’ll definitely watch all eight episodes and probably wait for another season. And maybe two decades from now, another version will come along and rewrite the gay script over again for a future generation. And maybe it will be Queer AF too.

Wes Smoot 5/12/22 Wes Smoot 5/12/22

GOGO FOR THE GOLD JONNY McGOVERN AND GREG McKEON SEARCH FOR AMERICA’S NEXT CHAMPION GOGO BOY IN OUTtv‘S

Everyone’s favorite Hey Qween host Jonny McGovern and his bestie, GoGo veteran and Only Fans top earner Greg McKeon are on the hunt for America’s next champion GoGo superstar star in OUTtv’s hilarious new competition series, GOGO FOR THE GOLD. “The queer community has spent the last decade celebrating the queens on Drag Race, but the other stars of the gay club are the GoGo boys,” says McGovern. “They, too, serve the looks with tons of personality and style and they never hold back on the drama. We’re crowning America’s #1 champion GoGo superstar star … and the competition will be fierce!”

GOGO FOR THE GOLD co-creators McGovern and McKeon have assembled a diverse cast of GoGos that encompass a wide range of body types from traditional masculine hunks to thick ‘n juicy bears, smooth twinks and even femme dancers who serve it up in heels. One of the contestants is a trans man. All are competing for a $10k cash prize.

To win, they must undergo a series of challenges that comprise the many facets of being a champion GoGo. Being a skillful dancer is pivotal, of course, but GoGo boys are also influencers, fashion models, and nightlife representatives. As contestants on GOGO FOR THE GOLD, their journey will be packed with humor, dramatic twists, and tongue-in-cheek fun. There may even be some tears shed along the way.

Judging the boys will be the “GoGo Gods,” headed by supreme GoGo veteran Greg McKeon. Each judge scores based on four important criteria: Fantasy, Body, Dance and Individuality. One or more GoGos are eliminated each week until the final strip down when GOGO FOR THE GOLD crowns its STUD — super talented underwear dancer — and officially proclaims him as ‘America’s #1 Champion GoGo Superstar Star ’.

“I started GoGo dancing while I was a student at UC Berkeley,” says Greg McKeon. “I was really shy at the time and when I first stepped up on top of the bar, my heart was racing. But I relished in the attention! That first night, I made over $500 and I never looked back.”

McKeon credits GoGo-ing with launching his career in Hollywood. He has landed multiple roles in movies (including Eating Out) and TV shows (Nip / Tuck and Teen Wolf). He was the resident lap dancer on Jonny McGovern’s popular OUTtv talk show, Hey Qween.

“Greg and I first met on the set of my ‘Sexy Nerd’ music video,” Jonny McGovern explains. “We started our partnership by throwing some of the hottest parties in LA.”

“The parties we threw all centered around the GoGo boy,” McKeon jumps in. “We would develop the guys, teaching them the ins and outs of being successful on the box and working with them individually to elevate their art.”

They aim to do the same on GOGO FOR THE GOLD, but this time in front of millions of fans cheering the GoGos on at home. “There’s never been a reality competition show that showcases the talent, ingenuity and sexiness of the GoGo boy,” McKeon reflects. “This will be the first time that GoGo boys will be given the spotlight they have long deserved.”

Jonny “The Gay Pimp” McGovern’s career in nightlife entertainment began twenty years ago with Dirty Gay Hits, his collection of hilarious gay themed songs that received over three million downloads and was added to rotation on MTV. It led to McGovern appearing all over the airwaves, on The Ricki Lake Show, VH1’s Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Out on the Edge, and eventually catching the eye of Rosie O’Donnell, who cast him as a lead player on her LOGO-TV comedy show, The Big Gay Sketch Show. Today, Jonny is best known for his popular Netflix shows Hey Qween and Look at Huh. Most recently, he became a TikTok sensation with “Man Areas,” a song from his Gayest of All Time album. The song has appeared in TikTok videos viewed over 12.5 million times and has received over 7 million streams on Spotify. Jonny is currently touring the UK with burlesque legend Dita Von Teese and has been performing “Man Areas” nightly to standing ovations.

Greg McKeon is currently working on his book, “GoGo for Love,” chronicling his ten years as GoGo dancer. He is one of the top earners on OnlyFans and he and his husband recently purchased a Christmas tree farm in Portland, Oregon. “It’s a wild dream for a city boy like me to be living in the middle of nature, but thanks to Onlyfans, anything is possible,” McKeon says. He and his husband often invite other top models from all over the world to the farm to film new OnlyFans content with them. “I am so grateful to my fans for making this possible.”

“Success is not an overnight thing,” McKeon attests. “I have acted in web series and indie movies, performed at big party festivals and small dive bars and everything in between. Just like GoGo-ing on the box, an adventurous life is unpredictable and a constant hustle.”

Jonny McGovern agrees. “A career in the spotlight is about moving forward, shaking what your mama gave ya and always finding new, innovative ways to shine.”

For more information on GOGO FOR THE GOLD, visit OUTtv.com.

Follow Jonny McGovern on Tiktok @JonnyMcGovern and Instagram @jonnymcgovernisyourdaddy and tune into to his Gay Pimpin/Gayest Of All Time podcasts exclusively on Patreon at patreon.com/gayestofalltime

Follow Greg McKeon on Twitter, Tiktok, Instagram, PornHub and OnlyFans @GrgistheWerd