Weekly Dig
November 2004

Defend Yourself
by David Wildman

Cabaret is supposed to be pretty racy. Do you ever say the word “fuck” in any of your songs?

Bobbi Carrey and I in this show coming up, we do “Fever” and a song from Rent called “I'll Cover You.” That sort of overtly sexy, sensual stuff is basically about fucking.

But do you actually say the word?

(Sadly) No, no we don't get to say the “F” word in any of these songs. I do get to say, “Jesus Christ, is it fun!” in a Sondheim number, though.

Your show is called If I Loved You, from the Rodgers and Hammerstein song. What if you changed it to If I Fucked You? Would people walk out?

Actually, Bobbi gets to say the word “prick.” In this song “Life Story,” she refers to the men she had to battle with in life as “pricks.” So we're getting closer. But Scullers is a different room than downstairs at Jacques, where I used to perform. There's less spilled beer at Scullers.

There's also more men wearing dresses at Jacques.

Yes, and when I performed there, I did indeed wear a dress. We did songs by queer composers..

So you think telling us this is going to get the Dig audience to go out and see you?

Maybe some of the Boston Magazine readers who are going to start living on the down-low because they've started reading the Dig might come out.

You mean come out of the closet?

Maybe.

So that night you're up against Michael Dowling's Medicine Wheel, which is sculpture with song and dance pieces to raise awareness about AIDS. There's also this movie Habit at the ICA, which is also about AIDS. I guess the choice is you either go to some AIDS-oriented event, or you go check out some cabaret.

Oh, yes, that's because it's World AIDS Day.

I feel kinda bad now.

Me too.

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