Del Shores: Coming to a Famous Nightspot Near You!
Comic Del Shores is coming to the Blue Moon in Rehoboth on Aug. 24 for one show only at 9:30 p.m. Letters Feature Editor Fay Jacobs had the opportunity to chat with Del and here is the result. “He’s a damn funny guy,” Fay says, and his act is not to be missed.”
FJ: We’re all looking forward to seeing you at the Blue Moon. Have you been to Rehoboth before? If so, what do you think of us? If not, what have you heard?
DS: I have not been to Rehoboth and have heard nothing but horrible things about it. I’m hoping I can turn things around. KIDDING. Everybody loves Rehoboth and the Blue Moon. My good friend Coco Peru says nothing but wonderful things and you know, she is God to many of us.
FJ: know you are a prolific playwright as well as stand-up comic and now you have been officially dubbed a Storyteller. What exactly do you mean by that?
DS: I’m a big fat liar. When I was a kid, my mother and her twisted Texas family encouraged me to lie by egging me on when I would start to spin a tall tale. I observe, heighten, and then let my imagination take over. My mind is like a bad neighborhood. You don’t want to go there alone.
FJ: While Sordid Lives is your best known play (and I will ask you about that in a minute) I recall being involved in a production of Daddy’s Dyin’: Who’s Got the Will at a theatre in Maryland. It was so incredibly dark and hilarious. Where did you get the idea for that plot?
DS: My mother’s family. Literally, just lifted it from the fabric of life and ran with it. It actually is my most successful play when it comes to productions. Over 3000 now worldwide. Of course it has about 10 years on Sordid Lives so I think the denizens of Winters will catch up.
FJ: As for Sordid Lives, that’s one of my favorite films. How do you feel about it being called a cult hit?
DS: I get on my knees—and pray for once. A little prayer of gratitude. Never expected it to be such a cult crazy thing, but I’ll take it.
FJ: Inquiring minds want to know...how was it working with Delta Burke? Tell us something out of school.
DS: Well, I love Delta. She’s sweet, Southern and has no censor. Much like Leslie Jordan she will tell you things that she probably shouldn’t and we LOVE her for that. My favorite Delta quote—when we were filming Sordid Lives, I missed the Miss American Pageant for the first time in years and asked if she had seen it. She said, “Yes and it has just gone downhill since they want them to be smart!”
FJ: Leslie Jordan has been to Rehoboth to sold out houses...are you two friends as well as theatrical colleagues? I can’t imagine getting a word in edgewise with the two of you in the same room telling stories. Tell me what it’s like.
DS: We are very close. I reach down and pat him on the head often. We actually adore listening to each other. I always say that only a few actors hear lines exactly the way I hear them when I write them. Leslie is one of them. My life and career is better because of that beautiful talented midget.
FJ: Where have you been on your comedy tour recently and can you dish about any of the fun venues or places?
DS: Well, Biloxi was crazy. I got two great stories that are now in my act out of my visit there. And I loved playing Birmingham. They drove to my show already drunk.
FJ: I see that your bio says you are married, with two teenage daughters...when did you marry your husband and where...and what do you think is the timeline for same-sex marriage nationally?
DS: Jason and I were married in a beautiful ceremony in Malibu on October 26, 2003. We then legally were married five years later right before Prop 8 passed. We are in that weird place of 18,000 couples who remain legally married in California. I think we will continue to see momentum and ultimately in my lifetime gay marriage will be legal nationwide, won through the court systems, much like the Civil Rights movement. Jason and I are very active in the fight for marriage equality and we believe we need to kick and scream loudly until we all have equal rights. All this bullshit about working the system and not pissing people off. No ma’am. No sirree, no, no, no, no, NO!
FJ: Who’s YOUR favorite comedian? Favorite Playwright?
DS: My favorite comedienne is my good friend Caroline Rhea. I have performed with her many times now and she was my mentor, teaching me how to engage with an audience and own how funny I am. I also love Margaret Cho, Kathy Griffin, Joan Rivers, and Lisa Lampanelli. I love humor that is raw, edgy and politically wrong—and unpredictable.
Playwright, hands down, Tennessee Williams.
FJ: Can you give us a sneak preview into your next project or anything else you want to tell us?
DS: I just finished filming (writing, directing, producing) an adaptation of my play The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife with Beth Grant, Octavia Spencer, Dale Dickey, David Steen, and Debby Holiday. It is my best work on film, I believe. Much more dramatic than you would expect. I also had a great run last year and lots of new awards with the LA premiere of my play Yellow. I am in negotiations for an NYC production and am excited about that. Oh, and I have a new DVD of my first show—
. It will be on sale at the event at the Blue Moon or you can visit the website sordidlivestheseries.com to purchase your personalized copy. Lots of other merch there—hey, may as well plug my shit, right?
FJ: Right! See you here in Rehoboth! Thanks for putting us on your itinerary!