Sheena Metal, host of the Sheena Metal Experience on LA Talk Radio, held a cast reunion broadcast featuring 7 members of the "Queer as Folk" TV program.
Online PR News - 16-January-2011 - After scheduling a "Queer as Folk" (QaF) cast reunion show on the Sheena Metal Experience daily radio program, even Sheena herself was surprised that it would become one of the most popular programs in the history of LA Talk Radio. With programming like that, the station is a refreshing contrast to all the blather that is clogging the airwaves, and Sheena is showing there is a growing audience for funny, witty and irreverent chat.
The show, which aired on 1-11-11, brought together seven cast members of the much-loved QaF series, including Sharon Gless (Emmy winner for "Cagney & Lacey" and now on USA's "Burn Notice"); Gale Harold (CW's "Hellcats"); Peter Paige (just featured on TNT's "The Closer"); Michelle Clunie (now on ABC Family's "Make it or Break It"); Scott Lowell (NBC's "Heroes"); Thea Gill (SYFY's "Riverworld"); and Robert Gant (just featured in Fox's "Bones" and TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland" with Betty White).
"The audience response was tremendous for this program," Sheena notes, "with so many people attempting to listen live that the servers crashed for several minutes. The station very quickly had us up on the air again and they immediately scheduled a repeat airing for the 9-11 p.m. slot so listeners could hear anything they missed and new listeners could join the fun."
The "Queer as Folk" episode is not the first time the SME has hosted cast reunions, having previously featured seven members of the cast of LOGO TV's "Sordid Lives" including interviews with star Rue McClanahan and creator Del Shores (who was also a producer/writer on "Queer as Folk").
As an oasis of intelligence in radio broadcasting, LA Talk Radio is offering programs on a whole spectrum of content. Leading the way is the Sheena Metal Experience, taking place every Monday through Friday from 5-7 p.m. West Coast time. It is heard live on LATalkRadio(dot)com and then lives on with the complete programs hosted on both the station site and the free podcast section of iTunes.
The Sheena Metal Experience takes the idea of a talk radio show into new realms of entertainment. "It can be happy or sad, funny or profound, depending on the wishes of the guests," notes Sheena. A radio personality in Los Angeles for the past sixteen years, Sheena Metal is dedicated to the proposition that anything serious can be made to be funny and anything funny can be taken seriously. "Which probably will make it funny," Sheena adds.
When Sheena and her guests get together, it's always unscripted, unpredictable, uncensored, unusual, and "un-normal," Sheena adds, "because in today's world, who has time for normal?"
Link to the show: (1st hour is with cast of USA Channel's "Psych") (2nd hour is with cast of "Queer As Folk")
Huge thanks to Gale Devotee and Tea Bag Me Kinney for the transcript! Click the link to read the full transcript!
Sheena: Robert Gant is with us as well.
Robert: Hey, how are ya doing?
Sheena: Wonderful! How did you ... how did you come to this place? 's voices I gotta tell ya.
Sheena: Yeah. It's great.
Robert: It's just like family just walked through the door. The most amazing thing.
Michelle in the background: God, I'm already crying.
Robert: I uh ... I came out here, I was from Tampa. I kind of actually was like on a law track very briefly, left it and started doing the acting thing, and was bouncing around doing mostly sitcom stuff. And of course, I came on ... the show was already a big hit. These guys had been busting their asses for the first season. And kind of was the talk of the town. I remember an actor friend saying to me at one time that you'll just ... I was saying how I wasn't going to get that part. I just want to get the right thing. He said, you know the right one all of a sudden will come across your desk, it will all line up. I remember getting the facts information on this role and just the description was such that I completely had that moment where it was kind of scary, sort of terrifying because I was so largely closeted as an actor, yet I had the feeling that there ... that I had never read a role more right for me or like my role. So I went through a very long drawn out process. They had had some issues with the guy who had gone before. They were really careful about umm ... replacing ... you know finding Michael's next partner and so I can't ... I had to go in four or five times auditioning here in Los Angeles. And I finally actually ... uh ... you know they said that I was their pick but they weren't sure. And so I finally ... I did what I had never done before. I wrote a long and sort of impassioned letter to let them know what it meant to me. And then the next day or two they said ... you know ... they called and said I have good news and bad news. You're good to go meet the part but you don't have it yet.
(Scott makes a compassionate noise)
Robert: You pack as if you're gonna ... in case you get it. So they flew me to Toronto I didn't know if I had it or not. I had to meet them, meet with Hal and uh umm .. yeah. So I went and it was amazing.
Sheena: But I mean honestly don't you think ... and all of you are very talented and wonderful actors and let me say that, and I meet a lot of actors, part of what made the show special was that there was no weak link you were all so good. But also, sometimes I think as actors we come into the point that we kind of step into our universal purpose that's more than just playing roles it's also affecting the world and being a citizen of the universe, and writing a letter when you think that something shouldn't be cut, or campaigning for a candidate, or coming out and speaking. And that makes you even ... you know it almost trumps the creativity. I mean It doesn't really, but it's a whole different ball of wax.
Scott: Yeah, I ...
Robert: It's made life afterward an interesting fitting. It's really hard to compare when you get to do something you love and the lines with the notion that is impact in the world. I mean how do you follow that up? It's really tough tough to find that sort of scenario.
Sheena: Thank you so much for being with us Sharon.
(everyone saying bye (lots of inaudible)
Peter: I love you!
Scott: We love you Sharon!
Sharon: Thank you, Sheena. I love you guys!
Scott: Love you Deb!!
Robert: Goodbye Angel.
Robert: What's interesting now that you bring up the sexual factor is that the gay community arguably has more openness around sexuality. Arguably. We were really taken to task over that representation. And of course all the drug aspects of it. But also just the rampant sexuality, it seemed I think too many liked airing dirty laundry, and people weren't willing to own it, you know, and they .. and some people really had a problem with the show with some of the representations that were too out there, even if they were true.
Sheena: I agree!
Well, Robert, what was it like for you? Cause you kind of came out during the course of the show.
Robert: I uh ... I came out here, I was from Tampa. I kind of actually was like on a law track very briefly, left it and started doing the acting thing, and was bouncing around doing mostly sitcom stuff. And of course, I came on ... the show was already a big hit. These guys had been busting their asses for the first season. And kind of was the talk of the town. I remember an actor friend saying to me at one time that you'll just... I was saying how I wasn't going to get that part. I just want to get the right thing. He said, you know the right one all of a sudden will come across your desk, it will all line up. I remember getting the facts information on this role and just the description was such that I completely had that moment where it was kind of scary, sort of terrifying because I was so largely closeted as an actor, yet I had the feeling that there ... that I had never read a role more right for me or like my role. So I went through a very long drawn out process. They had had some issues with the guy who had gone before. They were really careful about umm ... replacing ... you know finding Michael's next partner and so I can't ... I had to go in four or five times auditioning here in Los Angeles. And I finally actually ... you know they said that I was their pick but they weren't sure. And so I finally .. I did what I had never done before. I wrote a long and sort of impassioned letter to let them know what it meant to me. And then the next day or two they said ... you know .. they called and said I have good news and bad news. You're good to go meet the part but you don't have it yet.Scott: Well, you know it was something we were enormously proud of you for doing it. I mean .. the uh... the uh... the .. I don't want to say the difficulty .. but you know it was a decision you didn't make lightly ... and ...
Michelle: Right. You're life was going on as the show was going on.
Scott: Exactly. And you .. you.. I remember having discussions with you and you talked with everybody and really weighed it all out and .. you know the courage you showed in doing it ..I thought... you know.. it made the ... it's a great memory of mine from doing the show is like to have that kind of thing happen with the show in some ways help you found the courage ...
Robert: Well it's .. it's fun. Thank you Scott, I appreciate it. It's funny retroactively you know to ... it's almost a little embarrassing quite honestly that it was such a big deal you know but ... you know.. of course there were lots of reasons for that ...
Sheena: But it was a good time! Absolutely it was a good time!
Scott and Thea: Right. (agreeing)
(Sheena and Scott are inaudible)
Michelle: Robert, you shouldn't be embarrassed at all. Look, we all know actors right now, very big actors ..
Sheena: (scoffing) Oh, yeah! ..
Michelle: .. who are still in the closet..
Sheena: Sure! (laughing) And that's their right.. (inaudible) fearful! ..
(Sheena and Michelle talking at the same time)
Michelle: ... because they're fearful and that's absolutely their right but what you did was ... yeah... took enormous courage and umm ... you know I .. I don't know if I could have done that but .. umm ... it's .. it's .. huge and umm... we all looked up to you a great deal. It's huge what you did.
Sheena: I agree ..
Robert: Well thanks. I appreciate that and at the same time I do want to say that there are folks on the front line who are in vastly more challenging more circumstances who .. who .. (inaudible someone coughing) .. yeah ... I'm just .. grateful to be living the truth you know and ..
Scott: Yeah..
Sheena: That's nice ..
And my sense is that it's all perfectly unfolding. I'm sure that there. I imagine there are opportunities that haven't come my way because of it and many that have .. and many with ... that make no difference one way or the other ..
Scott: Well I want to say first that Robert Gant's battery died on his phone.
Sheena: We lost Robert. Yes. Look Robert up and google him, he's amazing.
Michelle: Awww.
Scott: Yes, he is amazing. He's everywhere as well and he’s wonderful and see everything that Robert Gant does. So .. uh.. I'll say goodbye for him. And me? Scott Lowell.com , Facebook, and Twitter and ... um ... my porn site.