Jonny McGovern
Encyclopedia
Jonny McGovern also known by his character name The Gay Pimp, is an American
stand-up comedian, musician
and podcaster. He has recorded three albums as comedic singer The Gay Pimp, and is also a cast member of Logo
's The Big Gay Sketch Show
.
and Thailand
. McGovern later returned to the United States to study acting
at Boston University
, where he earned a BFA
.
. McGovern has said,
After the songs from the show began to get heavy rotation in New York City nightclubs, McGovern was approached about making a music video
for one of his songs, Soccer Practice. The video for Soccer Practice, which received heavy rotation in dance clubs as well as notoriety on the Internet
, featured McGovern in a shirt that was emblazoned with the sequined words "Gay Pimp." In it, he cavorted and simulated sex with scantily-clad men.
The success of the single garnered attention for McGovern, and he contributed commentary on a variety of VH1
shows (such as Best Week Ever
, Totally Gay, and 40 Dumbest Celebrity Quotes) as well as earned a slot on Comedy Central's
all-gay comedy show Out on the Edge, hosted by Alan Cumming
. McGovern also became a year-long correspondent for The Ricki Lake Show. A second single, Lookin' Cute/Feelin' Cute, continued to endear him to his largest fan base of gay
teenagers, despite missing the heavy exposure of Soccer Practice.
.
To date, these groups include:
appeared on the group's signature track, This Is New York City, Bitch, but is not a member. The group's other song to date is Runway in My Street Clothes. La'Mady's album, Feelin' Like an Orchid was announced in 2006 on the How to F*** a Straight Guy episode of McGovern's podcast.
of the same name), has written and recorded two songs with McGovern. The first is called The Bad Bump and it deals with cocaine
overdose. More recently, she recorded Timebomb, which is featured in The East Village Mixtape Volume 2: The Legends Ball. As part of an ensemble groups La'Mady and Team PIMP, Ms. James has recorded nearly a dozen songs with Jonny McGovern.
-pop
-rap crossover group consisting of McGovern, Linda James, Maxi J, Ericka Toure Aviance, and Adam Joseph
. The group is responsible for the tracks Somethin' for the Fellas (That Like The Fellas), Bossy Bottom, Dick Swang Out!, and the unreleased Run to the Dance Floor.
, a weekly free LGBT themed podcast
based out of Los Angeles since August 2010. Originally based in New York City, (January 16, 2006 - January 11, 2010) it presently ranks as one of the highest weekly comedy podcast under the keyword "gay" on the iTunes
music store.
Note:
Jonny's Latest single a gay parody of "Like A G6" with Tranz diva Calpernia Addams
called "Likin Big Dicks" was a viral video smash garnering over 400,000 views, and a club remix was produced by NYC electro-group Naked Highway.
Jonny's spoof of A-trak's "Barbra Streisand" dance track entitled "Marla Gibbs" (honoring the star of 227) was another viral smash and was mentioned several times by Andy Cohen on BRAVO's Watch What Happens Live!
He also has a popular web series "Celebrity Donkey Punch" which comes out bi monthly.
Jonny's new EP " Songs About The Golden Girls" comes out this spring followed by a full CD Gay Pride 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stand-up comedian, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and podcaster. He has recorded three albums as comedic singer The Gay Pimp, and is also a cast member of Logo
Logo (TV channel)
Logo is an American digital cable television channel owned by Viacom's MTV Networks division. Launched in June 2005, the channel's programs are geared towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community...
's The Big Gay Sketch Show
The Big Gay Sketch Show
The Big Gay Sketch Show is an LGBT-themed sketch comedy program that debuted on Logo on April 24, 2007. The series is produced by Rosie O'Donnell and directed by Amanda Bearse. The program was originally titled "The Big Gay Show" but was renamed during production. As the name indicates, the show...
.
Early life
Jonny McGovern was born to Mary McGovern and Rob Gutowski in Brooklyn, New York. His parents traveled often and McGovern grew up primarily in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. McGovern later returned to the United States to study acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, where he earned a BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
.
Early career
McGovern stated that he was inspired to create his signature comedic character, The Gay Pimp, after listening to rap songs and interviews by EminemEminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
. McGovern has said,
After the songs from the show began to get heavy rotation in New York City nightclubs, McGovern was approached about making a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for one of his songs, Soccer Practice. The video for Soccer Practice, which received heavy rotation in dance clubs as well as notoriety on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, featured McGovern in a shirt that was emblazoned with the sequined words "Gay Pimp." In it, he cavorted and simulated sex with scantily-clad men.
The success of the single garnered attention for McGovern, and he contributed commentary on a variety of VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
shows (such as Best Week Ever
Best Week Ever
Best Week Ever is a weekly television program on the United States cable/satellite network VH1. It started airing in 2004 and was put on hiatus in the summer of 2009...
, Totally Gay, and 40 Dumbest Celebrity Quotes) as well as earned a slot on Comedy Central's
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
all-gay comedy show Out on the Edge, hosted by Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
. McGovern also became a year-long correspondent for The Ricki Lake Show. A second single, Lookin' Cute/Feelin' Cute, continued to endear him to his largest fan base of gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
teenagers, despite missing the heavy exposure of Soccer Practice.
Other appearances
In 2008, McGovern was also featured as a commentator on truTV's The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest...The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest...
truTV Presents: World's Dumbest... is a cable television series produced by Meetinghouse Productions, Inc. and is airing on truTV...
.
Collaboration
Besides his own music, McGovern is involved with several other groups where he acts in roles as a song writer, producer, and performer.To date, these groups include:
La'Mady
A now defunct, tranny rap "super group" that consisted of McGovern's podcast co-host Linda James, DJ Nita, Ericka Toure Aviance, and Koko Aviance. Kevin AvianceKevin Aviance
Kevin Aviance is an American female impressionist, Club/Dance musician, and fashion designer and nightclub personality. He is a very popular personality in New York City's gay scene and has performed throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He is a member of the House of Aviance, a local gay...
appeared on the group's signature track, This Is New York City, Bitch, but is not a member. The group's other song to date is Runway in My Street Clothes. La'Mady's album, Feelin' Like an Orchid was announced in 2006 on the How to F*** a Straight Guy episode of McGovern's podcast.
Linda James
Linda James (the solo recording artist, not to be confused with the actress, podcaster, model, or Bea Arthur-impersonatorImpersonator
An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for someone to be an impersonator, some common ones being as follows:...
of the same name), has written and recorded two songs with McGovern. The first is called The Bad Bump and it deals with cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
overdose. More recently, she recorded Timebomb, which is featured in The East Village Mixtape Volume 2: The Legends Ball. As part of an ensemble groups La'Mady and Team PIMP, Ms. James has recorded nearly a dozen songs with Jonny McGovern.
Team Pimp
An electronicaElectronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
-pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-rap crossover group consisting of McGovern, Linda James, Maxi J, Ericka Toure Aviance, and Adam Joseph
Adam Joseph
Adam Joseph is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and music producer. In 2003, Joseph began his own recording label, "Jah Records". In December 2003, he released his first album "How I Seem To Be". The album spawned the singles "Flow With My Soul" and "Your Mine"...
. The group is responsible for the tracks Somethin' for the Fellas (That Like The Fellas), Bossy Bottom, Dick Swang Out!, and the unreleased Run to the Dance Floor.
Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern
McGovern hosts Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovernGay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern
Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern is a bi-weekly free gay-themed podcast currently based out of Hollywood, California, originally out of New York City. The show began airing on January 16, 2006. It currently ranks the highest in popularity under the keyword "gay" on the iTunes music store, is the...
, a weekly free LGBT themed podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
based out of Los Angeles since August 2010. Originally based in New York City, (January 16, 2006 - January 11, 2010) it presently ranks as one of the highest weekly comedy podcast under the keyword "gay" on the 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....
music store.
2007 Glammy Awards
- Best Party Promoter
- Best Male Entertainer
- Best Party - Boys Gone Wild @ Mr Black's
2008 Pill Awards
- Sexy Pill - Somethin' for the Fellas (That like the Fellas)
- Best Dance Video - Somethin' for the Fellas (That like the Fellas)
Discography
| Year | Tracks |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Dirty Gay Hits Dirty Gay Hits Dirty Gay Hits is the debut album by singer/comedian Jonny McGovern . It was released on August 4, 2003 by Gay/Nerd Music...
US Release Date: August 4, 2003 |
| 2006 | This is NYC, Bitch! The East Village Mixtape Jonny McGovern Presents: This is NYC, Bitch! The East Village Mixtape This is NYC, Bitch! The East Village Mixtape is an album by singer/comedian Jonny McGovern . It was released on November 28, 2006 by Gay/Nerd Music.-Track listing:#This is New York City - La'Mady featuring Kevin Aviance...
US Release Date: November 28, 2006 |
| 2007 | Gays Gone Wild
US Release Date: May 9, 2007 |
| 2008 | Keep It Faggity: The Gay Pimp Remix Project
US Release Date: June 11, 2008 |
| 2008 | Dirty Gay Christmas Single
US Release Date: Late November 15, 2008 |
| 2009 | Best of Gay Pimpin' volumes 1 & 2 Volume 1:
Volume 2:
US release date: January 30, 2009 |
| 2009 | The East Village Mixtape Volume 2: The Legends Ball
US Release Date: November 2009 |
| 2011 | Songs about the Golden Girls
|
| 2011 | The Gayest of All Time
|
| Unreleased Tracks | Unreleased
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) "Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the... ) |
Note:
- In the twelfth episode of the third season of Queer as Folk, Soccer Practice can be seen and heard in the background of the bar scene at about 18 minutes into the episode
- Soccer Practice is played in the HBO vampire series True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
in the third episode of season one. McGovern mentioned it on his weekly podcast and says he highly approves - Artist and raconteur Robert W. Richards drew the album cover for Gays Gone Wild
- The photographs used on Jonny McGovern's site and ReMix album where shot by Dick Mitchel
- As of June 2007, The song Somethin' For The Fellas (That Like the Fellas) held the top spot on LogoLogo (TV channel)Logo is an American digital cable television channel owned by Viacom's MTV Networks division. Launched in June 2005, the channel's programs are geared towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community...
's The Click List: Top 10 VideosThe Click List: Top 10 VideosThe Click List: Top 10 Videos is an hour length music video show that airs on the television channel Logo. Viewers vote for their top ten favorite videos at and each week the winners are counted down in a new episode. An episode usually includes Indie and big label LGBT artists such as Rufus...
for over 15 weeks - The video for Don't Fall in Love With a Homo (A Song for the Ladies) was released on May 1, 2008 with 25,000 views in the first day. It eventually hit number 1 on Logo's Click List and stayed there for 6 weeks
Jonny's Latest single a gay parody of "Like A G6" with Tranz diva Calpernia Addams
Calpernia Addams
Calpernia Sarah Addams is an American author, actress, musician, and a spokesperson and activist for transgender rights and issues.-Biography:...
called "Likin Big Dicks" was a viral video smash garnering over 400,000 views, and a club remix was produced by NYC electro-group Naked Highway.
Jonny's spoof of A-trak's "Barbra Streisand" dance track entitled "Marla Gibbs" (honoring the star of 227) was another viral smash and was mentioned several times by Andy Cohen on BRAVO's Watch What Happens Live!
He also has a popular web series "Celebrity Donkey Punch" which comes out bi monthly.
Jonny's new EP " Songs About The Golden Girls" comes out this spring followed by a full CD Gay Pride 2011.
External links
- GayPimp.com The Official Jonny McGovern Website
- Jonny McGovern's MySpace