Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, will present Charles Busch: That Girl, That Boy on Jan. 29-30 in The Broadway in the center—marking the first time the legendary drag figure/storyteller will play his solo show in Chicago.
Accompanying Busch will be Tom Judson, who himself has quite the background in entertainment, especially musical theater. However, he also has done everything from composing film scores to acting in gay adult films—and discussed all aspects of his life in his one-man touring show Canned Ham. Judson recently talked with Windy City Times about Busch, film scores and even workout routines.
Windy City Times: I'm curious as to how you met Charles Busch.
Tom Judson: Well, Charles and I have known each other for more than 35 years. I met him around late 1984 or early 1985, and it was one of his very first shows; it was at this place called the Limbo Lounge, and it was on East 9th Street.
I was so enamored of his show, "Theodora: She-Bitch of the Byzantium." I was so in love with his show that I went back the following week and brought a cassette tape of some of my music. I worked up the courage to talk with him afterward; I offered him the cassette and said I'd love to work with him. Lo and behold, they were in the process of raising money to transfer Vampire Lesbians of Sodom off Broadway. I wrote the music for both one-acts [in Vampire]—and that's how we know each other.
We've been friends since then, but there were gaps when we didn't each other. I had written this one-man show, Canned Ham—about my kooky life, working in porn and as an escort, although it's really a memoir about my life with my late husband, Bruce. I sent it to Charles to read it, and he was encouraging; that's how we resumed our active friendship. That was maybe eight years ago.
About five years ago, Charles had been asked by RSVP Cruise Lines to do a cabaret act on their ship. He really didn't have a show at that time, so he called me and we threw something together. We've been working together ever since, having a fantastic time.
WCT: What is "That Girl, That Boy" about, and what's your role in it?
TJ: After we did the show on the cruise ship, we then sat down and constructed a show that consisted of a lot of music, Charles telling a story and this one set piece ( a monologue where he inhabits this character ). The format of the show worked really well, and we've stuck to that skeleton since then. "That Girl, That Boy" is based on a show we did at [NYC club] 54 Below last year. It's a pretty strong show, if I say so myself; Charles is a brilliant writer and an amazing raconteur.
It's a traditional cabaret-show format—except, because it's Charles, it's more than just patter. The spoken part is just as strong as the musical part. As for my contribution, I am the musical director; we collaborated on the song choice, but I do all the arrangements and we duet on several songs.
WCT: You mentioned 54 Below. I've heard interesting things about that spot.
TJ: It's one of my favorite places to play. It's in the basement of [famed nightclub] Studio 54; in the '70s, some crazy things happened there. The club was designed by John Lee Beatty, a famous Broadway set designer; he made it look like a 1920s speakeasy. It's a beautiful room and it's shaped like a shoebox; the stage is at the center of one of the long sides of the room, so everyone's relatively close to the stage. I love it there.
WCT: I was looking into your background...
TJ: Oh! They never proved anything. [Both laugh.]
WCT: ...but I didn't know you were involved in writing music for the movie The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love.
TJ: I'm glad you've seen the film. The woman who wrote the score for that, Terry Dame, was a good pal of mine—and I actually play in the orchestra for that film. One day, I was talking with Terry and the film's director, Maria Maggenti, and Maria mentioned that she was looking for a song for the scene in which the two girls are cooking dinner. I sent a song to her, and that's my record playing in the scene.
WCT: When did you know you wanted to be an entertainer?
TJ: I'll answer that in two ways. I always knew I was going to be a musician; I was playing the piano since before I can remember. But I never meant to be a performer until I moved to New York. It sounds very Mickey-and-Judy, but in the '80s we'd get our friends to be in our shows, but I was in my own shows. Then friends asked me to be in their shows—and it just happened and progressed from there. Of course, I was a big ol' hambone as well. Right now, performing is my sole creative outlet regarding theater.
WCT: I admire people who are able to perform publicly.
TJ: You either do it or you don't—although a lot of people who perform publicly are terrified.
WCT: That's true. Barbra Streisand is known for her stage fright, as I'm sure you know.
TJ: And I wonder how much of that they feed on—that is, how much of the terror is the high?
WCT: True. Switching gears, how many people recognize you from your porn career?
TJ: Well, they're either very old... [Both laugh.] Actually, Andrew, I don't run into people who know me from my porn career. [Note: Judson, under the name Gus Mattox, made adult films for two years during the 2000s.] It's been over 10 years since I've made a movie. But even when I was in the business, I'd be completely oblivious to people recognizing me.
WCT: I'm also curious about the name choice.
TJ: I chose it. I don't remember where the "Gus" part came from—it sounds rough and mechanic-like—but I chose "Mattox" because of school. In 11th grade, I remember my teacher saying that whenever "x" in print, your eye goes toward it because you think of "sex." And I also like double letters.
From now, you're going to automatically go to the letter "x."
WCT: But how will I know that's not the power of suggestion? I look at "q" and "x" because they're not used that often.
TJ: "Q?" Interesting... [Both laugh.] Paging Dr. Freud...
WCT: You had a strong social-media presence a few years ago—but now you're not there?
TJ: I've completely disappeared from social media. Everyone has a love-hate thing with social media, but it was getting to the point that the tenor and vibe of conversation were so negative. People were trying to be clever, and became bitchy, instead; also, people were sharing very personal stuff that nobody should know.
One thing that would bug me on Facebook was when someone would hijack the conversation and make it about something else. And I soon as I left Facebook, I didn't even think about it. At least you can access Twitter and find out what people are saying, without actually participating in it.
WCT: Regarding musicals, are there a couple you wish you could be in?
TJ: I've always wished that I could be in a production of Titanic, because I think the score would be really fun to sing. I wouldn't even care what part it would be—even if I was just in the chorus.
In terms of other musicals, I love A Little Night Music—although I could play Fredrik at this point, which is a little sad. ( I could be either Fredrik or Carl-Magnus. ) What else would I like to be in? I don't know. It's a very interesting question.
If I'm listening to A Little Night Music, that's my favorite Sondheim score. If I'm listening to Sweeney Todd, that's my favorite Sondheim score. I'm fickle that way.
WCT: Lastly, apropos of nothing, you're known for your physical prowess almost as well as your musical talent.
TJ: That makes me so happy! [Both laugh.] I actually have a very simple routine. I have a basic set of dumbbells that go from 20 to 50 pounds, a couple of bars and plate weights. I don't have any machines at all; I have a pipe on the wall that I do chin-ups and pull-ups on. It's like a YMCA in here.
I gave up my gym membership because the rate doubled and it got really crowded because the other one in town closed. My gym equipment cost about $750, and it paid for itself in six months. I wish I had done this years ago. I also eat very well.
Tickets to the Charles Busch show are $40-$75 each; visit bit.ly/charlesbuschatPAC or call 800-737-0984.
Also, Tom Judson sells T-shirts at www.etsy.com/shop/TomsTrendyTees. The items cover three areas: political statements, movie-related imagery and flop Broadway shows.
