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Jordan's substance abuse and subsequent full recovery are key themes in his autobiographical plays. His life serves as an important testimonial to the dangers of addiction, and his story is especially significant for gays.

“I'm sitting here, 51 years of age,” he says. “I survived growing up in the '50s. I survived the '60s where I was a hippie smoking dope. I survived the '70s where I was staggering around in Elton John platform shoes, swallowing quaaludes and going to Studio 54. I survived the '80s where I made a whole lot of money and did a whole lot of cocaine. Then crystal meth came on the scene — that was me in the '90s.”

He continues: “And now I'm sober. I buried an entire phone directory of friends to AIDS. And yet I survived. I feel I have to give back. I'm still at the AIDS walks and the marches.”

“You know what really saddens me?” he asks. “In the early '80s you'd be walking down the street and you'd see someone you hadn't seen in a while, and they were gaunt and really white. It was just heartbreaking. You thought, ‘Oh my God — it has got them.' And now in this day and age, it's almost the same thing. You see someone walking down the street and they are gaunt. Crystal's got 'em. It's a huge problem in our community. It really messes with you.

“I see these young, beautiful gay men jerking and twitching and thinking they look so fabulous, yet their eyes are completely dead. I do a lot of work with recovery programs and houses. It's sad so many young men are getting wrapped up in it.”

He adds: “But one thing I'll say about gay people: We take care of our own. We learned that in the AIDS crisis. And we'll take care of this.”

Another recurring theme in Jordan's plays is his lifelong attraction to rough young hustlers — “traysh,” as he labels them in his sugary southern drawl.

“Coming out in the late '50s, early '60s, all that was available to gay men was bathrooms and truck stops,” he recalls. “I was 24 years old before I ever had intimate sex in a bed — where someone looked at me and kissed me. At age 51, I look at myself and see someone who is really damaged because of that.

“God knows I've had therapy and worked through it. Many of these bad boys are straight — they're there for pay or drugs — but there is no real intimacy. So I've ended up with a fear of it [intimacy]. It's gonna take a lot of work. I'm not attracted to people that are attracted to me. It's just insane.”

By finding a creative outlet in writing and acting, Jordan has been able to make peace with not just his inner demons, but also with the constant grind of working as a comic relief type of character in what he has called “sitcom hell.”

He explains: “For so many years on sitcoms — and this includes Will & Grace — I was the actor who came in with the zingers. I never had very much to do with the story line. I always wanted to try something different, but they kept saying, ‘No, no honey, just do what you were hired to do.' And so I just did it over and over.

“But then I discovered this talent I have of getting up in front of people and telling stories. I began to develop these one-man shows that leave me artistically satiated. I couldn't ask for more — I get to tour!”

He reflects: “I think that right now is a wonderful time to be gay in Hollywood. They all want a gay character. Some people say, ‘Aren't you afraid you'll be typecast?' But what I say to young actors is, ‘Honey, let them typecast you — that's when you work! When you become famous enough, then you can do what you want to, but in the meantime, you gotta put food on the table.'

“I can go to sleep at night knowing that if they need a short, somewhat fey, mama's boy type, I'm covered. I know that that's my job. I get the check. I am very proud of it.”

He says with a laugh, “I'm just like an aging show pony. They just trot me out here and there! I don't have to worry, and that's a wonderful feeling for an actor.”

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