Ask the Flying Monkey! (February 26, 2008)

Q: So supposedly Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka are the new gay power-couple. But who the hell is David Burtka? And how did Neil meet his boyfriend? -- Kelly, Portland OR

David Burtka, Burtka and Neil Patrick Harris

A: Damn good question, as I’ve wondered about this myself. Not to diss David who was charming on his guest stints on How I Met Your Mother, but he seems to be famous mostly for being Neil’s boyfriend. Don’t you need two powerful people to make a power-couple? Or did Reichen Lehmkuhl prove forever that this isn’t true?

But the truth is, David is an accomplished actor in his own right, especially in the world of theater. I actually remember him, waaaaaay pre-Neil, in the American premiere of Edward Albee’s The Play About the Baby, for which he got major raves (adorable now, adorable then). David also appeared in Beautiful Thing, Off Broadway. He’s not a former child star with a break-out Emmy-nominated turn on a hit sitcom (and a supporting role in one of the weirdest/creepiest/most-misunderstood-and-yet-most-interesting movies of all time, Starship Troopers). But hey, who is?

Incidentally, David was inadvertently instrumental in getting Neil to come out. It was a catty mention on Canada.com (oh, that scourge of celebrities everywhere!) about how Neil supposedly got David a guest stint on How I Met Your Mother that got the gossip ball rolling, and that eventually led to Neil coming out in People Magazine two weeks later.

How did he Neil meet his boyfriend? It’s a mildly amusing, but really long story, mostly about Neil’s bunch of wacky bar-fly friends, and after three seasons, I wouldn’t even be to the part where Neil and David actually met . Or wait, is that the plot of How I Met Your Mother?

Q: I've been looking all over cyber space trying to find out if Dante's Cove, one of my favorite gay shows, would be coming out with a soundtrack. Is the here! Network planning on releasing a soundtrack and if so when? -- Greg, San Francisco, CA

A: According to Luis Lopez, Publicity Coordinator for here! Networks, “There are no plans at the moment to release a soundtrack.” So sorry, Greg! (Insert snarky joke here about one alternative to the soundtrack to Dante’s Cove is just get the soundtrack to something equally painfully acted and written—say, Madona’s Swept Away?)

Q: Are the Pet Shop Boys a couple? -- Jace, Madison, WI

Neil Tennant (l), Chris Lowe(r)

A: Ah, the Pet Shop Boys! The AfterElton Flying Monkey will not wax too nostalgically about the 1980s pop band, for fear that it will date him terribly. Still, their synth-heavy mix of infectious tunes and hip, ironic lyrics made for pop perfection in songs like “West End Girls” and “It’s a Sin”. And their cover of the Village People’s “Go West” still makes the AfterElton Flying Monkey tear up a little (though the video, which turns the gay power anthem into some kind anti-Soviet protest song, is just plain cowardly).

Like the Indigo Girls, The Pet Shop Boys have often been mistaken for a couple. But like the Indigo Girls, they are not now, nor have they ever been a couple. In fact, while Neil Tennant officially came out in 1994, Chris Lowe never has (despite much speculation in the British tabloids).

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