Feast of Fools (podcast) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Feast of Fun podcast

Podcast

A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...

(formerly titled "Feast of Fools") is a Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

-based talk show

Talk show

A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....

hosted by Fausto Fernós

Fausto Fernós

Fausto Fernós is an openly gay Puerto Rican podcaster, performance artist, and drag performer. He originated and co-hosts the Feast of Fun, an award-winning daily comedy talk show, with his partner Marc Felion. They were the first openly gay couple to win a People's Choice Podcast Award, which...

and Marc Felion that showcases celebrity guests, artists, musicians, actors, and members of the GLBT community and those who support them. A typical program will include one or more of a number of features, including roundtable discussions, unusual news and social trends, GLBT issues, comedy, music, food and cocktail recipes, or interviews.

The Feast of Fun podcast continually ranks as the top-rated gay and lesbian podcast on iTunes

ITunes

iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

and is frequently listed in the Top 100 list of Comedy podcasts. On average, the podcast is downloaded 30,000 times per week, making it the most downloaded GLBT podcast in the United States. On March 13, 2009, the producers changed the name of the show from "Feast of Fools" to "Feast of Fun" to better reflect changes in the program's design and functionality.

Podcast

The first Feast of Fools Podcast was posted on Tuesday, February 8, 2005. It featured Fernós, Felion and former live show band leader (and recurring podcast contributor) Link Pinks. The name "Gay Fun Show" was added to the title of the Podcast to help prospective listeners easily discern what the show is about when searching podcast databases. As one of the earliest podcasts produced, the Podcast is recognized as a pioneer in the podcasting industry, and is responsible for a number of podcasting firsts, such as:

First podcast hosted by an openly gay couple.
First podcast to feature an HIV-positive person discussing living with AIDS.
First podcast to use album art.
First podcast to use show titles.

Show format

A typical Feast of Fun show consists of a round table discussion featuring unusual news stories, GLBT issues and social trends. Other shows may feature celebrity interviews (live or by phone), cocktail recipes, or “how to” sessions, such as "How drag queens lip sync

Lip sync

Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...

and put on makeup". Until 2008, celebrities and other notable guests were frequently asked a series of "Breakdown" questions at the end of the show, such as "Describe yourself as a fancy shade of paint" and "What would you like to see Oprah doing in 5 years?" Since 2005, the Feast of Fools podcast has interviewed many celebrities, including Carol Channing

Carol Channing

Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...

, Cassandra Peterson

Cassandra Peterson

Cassandra Peterson is an American actress best known for her on-screen horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ wearing a black, gothic, cleavage-enhancing gown as host of Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation...

(known for portraying "Elvira"), Margaret Cho

Margaret Cho

Margaret Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music...

, Kathy Griffin

Kathy Griffin

Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...

, Teri Garr

Teri Garr

-Early life:Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. Her father, Eddie Garr , was a vaudeville performer, comedian and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road...

, George Takei

George Takei

George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...

, John Waters

John Waters (filmmaker)

John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...

and Bruce Vilanch

Bruce Vilanch

Bruce Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a six-time Emmy Award-winner Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant; in the entertainment industry he is best known as head writer for the show...

. Occasionally, a show will open with an original cocktail recipe, usually given a name that pays tribute to that episode's special guest. Cocktail recipes feature unique ingredients or put a new spin on classics.

When not interviewing a special guest, Fernós and Felion are often joined by a rotating cast of frequent guests.

Music

Music is an integral part of the Feast of Fun podcast, and the show frequently interviews and features the music of up-and-coming talent, mostly unsigned or signed to independent record labels. Born out of necessity due to copyright

Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...

and RIAA restrictions on the use of music on podcasts, this feature of the podcast has grown into an important avenue for emerging musicians to reach a previously untapped audience. Musicians whose music is featured on the Feast of Fun podcast realize increased sales on iTunes

ITunes

and Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

.
Musicians featured on the Feast of Fools podcast include Calpernia Addams

Calpernia Addams

Calpernia Sarah Addams is an American author, actress, musician, and a spokesperson and activist for transgender rights and issues.-Biography:...

, Gaye Adegbalola

Gaye Adegbalola

Gaye Adegbalola is an American blues singer and guitarist, teacher, lecturer, activist, and photographer.-Biography:...

, Reuben Butchart, Dangerous Muse

Dangerous Muse

Dangerous Muse is an American electropop duo based in New York. The duo comprises vocalist Mike Furey and Musician/Programmer Tom Napack, who is often depicted using a Keytar.-History:...

, Ferron

Ferron

Ferron, born Debby Foisy on , is a Canadian folk singer/songwriter and poet. In addition to being one of Canada's most famous folk musicians, she is one of the most influential writers and performers of women's music, and an important influence on later musicians such as Ani DiFranco, Mary Gauthier...

, Scott Free, Chris Garneau

Chris Garneau

Chris Garneau is an American singer and songwriter and musician. Garneau's sound combines elements of folk, Americana, pop, baroque, and carnival music. Since releasing his debut album, Garneau has toured throughout the United States, Canada, Brazil, Europe, and Asia.Garneau cites Jeff Buckley,...

, Robert German

Robert German

Robert German is a United States singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is known for his unique vocal style which has drawn comparisons to such disparate influences as Louis Armstrong, Tori Amos and Tom Waits....

, Leslie Hall

Leslie Hall

Leslie Merritt Hall is an American satirical rap artist and front-woman for the band Leslie and the LY's and the operator of a "gem sweater museum"....

, Hey Willpower

Hey willpower

Hey Willpower is an American pop band, led by vocalist Will Schwartz and electronic musician Tomo Yasuda , with rotating collaborators including musicians and dancers.-History:...

, Eric Himan, Levi Kreis

Levi Kreis

Levi Kreis is an American recording artist and actor from Oliver Springs, Tennessee.-Music career:His debut album was released on November 17, 2005, accompanied by an appearance on a special XM radio edition of NBC's The Apprentice. Four hopefuls were chosen from thousands of submissions...

, Mystechs

Mystechs

Mystechs is an electronic/punk music group formed in 1998 in Chicago, IL. The band's lineup consists of keyboardist/songwriter Emil Hyde joined by a host of other musicians and collaborators. Their music covers a wide range of genres from indie rock to new wave, hip hop and heavy metal...

, Jen Porter, Rachael Sage

Rachael Sage

Rachael Sage is an American singer-songwriter and producer.She has shared stages with Sarah McLachlan, Judy Collins, Marc Cohn, The Animals and Ani DiFranco, and was named one of the Top 100 Independent Artists Of The Past 15 Years by Performing Songwriter magazine...

, Jim Verraros

Jim Verraros

James Conrad "Jim" Verraros is an American singer/entertainer and native of Crystal Lake, Illinois who is most notable for being one of the top 10 finalists in the first season of American Idol...

, and The Wet Spots.

Awards

In 2006, Fausto Fernós was recognized as one of nine Chicago GLBTQ community leaders for his work on the Podcast by the Chicago Reader.

On September 29, 2006, the Podcast was awarded the 2006 "Best GLBT Podcast" by Podcast Awards

Podcast Awards

The People's Choice Podcast Awards, better known as the Podcast Awards, are an annual set of awards given to the best podcasts as voted by the people...

/Podcast Connect, Inc. In November 2006, the Podcast was named "Best Podcast" for 2006 by Gay Bloggies, operated by Queerclick.com. Fausto Fernós and Marc Felion were named "Queers of the Year" by Time Out Chicago in the December 28, 2006-January 3, 2007 issue for their work on the Feast of Fools podcast.

In 2007, the Podcast was nominated for both 2007 "Best GLBT Podcast" and the "People's Choice" overall award by Podcast Awards

Podcast Awards

The People's Choice Podcast Awards, better known as the Podcast Awards, are an annual set of awards given to the best podcasts as voted by the people...

/Podcast Connect, Inc. On October 4, 2007, the Podcast was awarded 2007 "Best GLBT Podcast."

In 2008, the Podcast was again nominated for both "Best GLBT Podcast" and the "People's Choice" award by Podcast Awards

Podcast Awards

The People's Choice Podcast Awards, better known as the Podcast Awards, are an annual set of awards given to the best podcasts as voted by the people...

/Podcast Connect, Inc. The Podcast was awarded 2008 "Best GLBT Podcast."

In 2009, the Podcast was awarded "Best Gay News Source" by the readers of the Chicago Reader. Also in 2009, the Podcast was again nominated for both "Best GLBT Podcast" and the "People's Choice" award by Podcast Awards

Podcast Awards

The People's Choice Podcast Awards, better known as the Podcast Awards, are an annual set of awards given to the best podcasts as voted by the people...

/Podcast Connect, Inc. The Podcast was awarded 2009 "Best GLBT Podcast."

History

The creator of the show, Fausto Fernós

Fausto Fernós

, was born and raised in San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

. Fernós moved to Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

at age 17 to enroll in art school at the University of Texas at Austin. At the age of 18 he started the "SoftMen Show" above an alternative clothing store in Austin, Texas in the well-known music area known as Sixth Street. In 1993, Fernós created a successful Public-access television

Public-access television

Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...

cable TV how entitled "El Chow De Faustina," which featured Fernós in drag

Drag (clothing)

Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...

interviewing artists and musicians from the local area. In 1995, the Austin Chronicle

Austin Chronicle

The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...

named the program as the "Best Cable Access Show" and featured Fernós on the cover of its publication alongside Texas Governor Ann Richards. In 1996, his solo performance work was featured in The Cleveland Performance Art Festival, a then-world-renowned festival of experimental art and live theater.

Fernós met his partner, Marc Felion in Chicago, Illinois in 1999, and together they developed Feast of Fools, a live theatrical variety show performed in various Chicago

Chicago

area venues. It featured music, dance, poetry, comedy and performance art strung together by a play that took place between acts. The name "Feast of Fools" was chosen by Fernós to pay tribute to Harry Hay

Harry Hay

Henry "Harry" Hay, Jr. was a labor advocate, teacher and early leader in the American LGBT rights movement. He is known for his roles in helping to found several gay organizations, including the Mattachine Society, the first sustained gay rights group in the United States.Hay was exposed early in...

, a gay activist from the 1970s, who felt gays should "embrace a certain frivolity." Hay envisioned a future where people felt free to express themselves fully and honestly, and therefore “act foolish.” In September 2000, Fernós, identifiable around Chicago by his distinctive blue hair, gained notoriety as a 'fire-eating drag princess' and performed as part of the Radical Faeries of Chicago at Chicago's HotHouse. By April 2001, Fernós and Felion expanded their show at the Randolph Street Gallery to be a "performance art cabaret."

By 2005, Fernós—whose friend, video artist Kerthy Fix described as "a celebrity waiting for the technology to catch up with [him]"—and Felion aspired to take the show a step further by creating a cable access show; but at the same time, podcasting

Podcasting

A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...

burst onto the scene with the promise of video podcasting in the near future. Taking a chance on the up-and-coming technology, they decided to embrace the new medium.

In 2007, the website was overhauled and two new podcasts were added: "Show Me Now," a video podcast; and "Mini Bites," which featured short skits and sound bites that users could download and use as cellular phone ringtones. The original audio podcast was named "Gay Fun Show" to distinguish itself from the other, newer shows. In addition, a Community Forum was started which allowed listeners to create personal profiles and share stories and information with each other. In 2008, the video podcast was re-launched and re-named "Video Player," which coincided with the launch of the Feast of Fools YouTube channel and another re-design of the main website.

In 2009, the name of the show was changed to "Feast of Fun" to better reflect the show's content, which focuses on odd news stories, food and drink recipes, music, comedy and irreverent humor. The show intends to include both gay and straight community members who are open to GLBT-related subjects and topics.

Also in 2009, a complete redesign of the website introduced new features, including "Fresh," which gives listeners the ability to contribute stories, photos and original articles freely; and "What's Hot," a summary of the most popular podcasts, topics and stories.

In July, 2010, Feast of Fun featured interviews with a series of "Legendary Divas of Comedy": Cassandra Peterson

Cassandra Peterson

, Carole Cook

Carole Cook

Carole Cook is an American actress. She has appeared in many theatrical productions, in films and on television.Born as Mildred Frances Cook, she was a protege of Lucille Ball. Ball gave her the stage name of "Carole", after her friend Carole Lombard because, Ball reportedly told Cook, "you have...

, Mink Stole

Mink Stole

Nancy Paine Stoll better known by the stage name Mink Stole, is an American actress from Baltimore, Maryland. She began her career working for director John Waters, having appeared in all of his feature films to date...

and Carol Channing

Carol Channing

Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...

Podcast

Show format

Music

Awards

History

Further reading

Notable celebrity interviews