Meet the Boys of Gay Radio

AE: Do you think that the success of Sirius OutQ will inspire more gay radio in the years to come?
MS: I sure hope so. We need as many forums as possible.

DH: There has been gay radio for decades, and I don't want to discount the work that people have already been doing for years in this field. I do think, however, that having a whole channel on satellite radio will encourage more high-profile gay shows, or even more of a willingness to create mainstream radio shows with gay hosts.

TC: I hope so. I'd hate to think we're the end of the line for the development of gay radio.

AE: How much of your real life/real experiences do you speak about on the air, and how much is fictitious or embellished for radio's sake?
LF: Fictitious life stories don't play well on the air. It's too hard to keep track of your tales, and people can smell a phony pretty easily. I've learned that the more you share with the people who listen, the more connected and invested they become in you. If you share, they'll share. As a rule, people will follow your example and go as deep as you're willing to. You build a loyalty that transcends the actual boundaries of radio.

FD: Thank heaven, my life is colorful enough that I can talk about it on the air and make people laugh with my stories. But when it comes to celebrity gossip, we make things up all the time on the show. We took a gossip item a year ago about a dolphin that got a little worked up around Jessica Alba during a shoot and turned it into a story that Jessica Alba likes to bang dolphins. We still talk about it. We know it's crap, but we're sticking to our story.

MS: Nothing is fictionalized. Life in America today, particularly as a gay person, is crazy and unpredictable enough, and the kinds of things that happen each day on the show are a testament to that.

JH: We used to have a sign in the Sirius OutQ studio that said "Tell the truth." Perhaps I took that too seriously, as I do discuss certain aspects of my life on the air that I wouldn't bring up in normal face-to-face conversation (i.e., my humbling experience at the proctologist's office last year and some of my bizarre sexual conquests). I can't think of any time that I have really embellished anything. It's all me. Demented, but me nonetheless!

AE: Have you ever said/done anything outrageous on the air that's upset your significant other, family or friends?
LF: I'm a natural exhibitionist, and it's my natural inclination to just spill my guts. I have lived most of my relationship with Shane, my husband, in front of the people who listen to my show. It started with the first bouquet of flowers he sent me during the show when we first started courting, and it has included speaking with his dad for the first time ever on the air and nearly splitting up with Shane on the air. We even recorded our wedding vows to play on my show.

Shane doesn't always love how much of our lives are played in front of America, but he's accepted it as being part of life with me. I've also learned to figure out what is on and off-limits for the show.

DH: The biggest problem I have as the success of the show grows is talking casually about other people. I used to be able to tell somewhat scandalous stories about nights out on the town with friends, but now when I do that, their friends call them and say, "Derek was talking smack about you on the air," and then I have to go and explain myself to my friends about something that a listener blew way out of proportion. Just one of the perils of success, I guess, but we do need to be careful and take responsibility for the things we say on the air, large and small.

JH: Well, I haven't come home with the locks to my apartment door changed without my knowledge, so I am going with "no" on this one.

AE: Do you get recognized by gay fans off the air?
LF: Yes. I was at a press junket for Brokeback Mountain during which Heath Ledger kept looking at me with a funny facial expression every time I asked a question. We ran into each other at the sinks of the men's room, and I found the courage to introduce myself. He started laughing. He said, "I knew I recognized your voice. We listen to you on the radio all the time. You're a funny bloke." I blushed and then committed every second of the experience to memory. I re-tell it every chance I get!

DH: We do get recognized a lot because we travel a lot. Romaine and I emcee about 15 pride events around the country each year. So people know we are coming to town and they do spot us. That being said, we have a strict no stalking rule with the show. I love it when people come to meet us next to the stage at an event; just don't show up at my house and expect me to invite you in and make a pot of coffee.

AE: Time to dish. Does being a hot gay radio star net you lots of X-rated or bizarre fan letters from your adoring and obsessed listeners? If so, does any one fan stick out in your mind?
LF: Naked pictures and sexy letters are a fun fringe benefit of my job, for sure. Mostly they're harmless. I think my favorite was the guy who sent me a video of himself wanking off while he listened to my show, and then licked my picture. He wanted to fly to New York and do this in person. When I laughed it off, he was pretty bummed. He now writes me from time to time, telling me that I'm horrible and ugly and that he only listens Frank DeCaro now.

FD: I always say, "You're nobody 'til somebody stalks you."

JH: I remember an incident with an individual who was sending me mail quoting Bible scriptures. He drew weird symbols within the letter (I think some of them were Star Trek emblems) and photos of Matthew Shepard and me side by side like I was "next." It was like a weird "I am going to have sex with you and then kill you because you're gay" sort of thing.

After a time, we had the mail room intercept those letters so I didn't get them any longer. I wasn't sure if this guy was eventually going to send an envelope with Anthrax in it. I haven't heard from him recently. It kind of makes me lonely. I miss him.