Sordidly wicked confessions with Del Shores

Playwright, director, activist and now stand-up comic Del Shores has some shit on his mind, and he is gon' tell you about it, honey. That's right! Del Shores (creator of such plays, film and television such as "Daddy's Dyin," "Sordid Lives," "Southern Baptist Sissies," "Cheatin'," "Sordid Lives: The Series," and a contributing writer for "Queer as Folk") has spent the last four years doing just that, giving us a piece of his mind, with a series of comedy tours such as "Del Shores: Storyteller," "My Sordid Life," "A Sordid Comedy Affair," and his current tour Sordid Confessions.

Known as a master of Texas comedy, Del often simply says what we all would love to but just don't have the gumption to do so, and as Shores has said many a time: "I am off Paxil and just don't give a fuck."

With roughly 4 weeks and 17 stops left on a tour already with a 22-city resume, I spent some time on the tellie with Del while he was in South Florida prior to making a stop in San Francisco with Sordid Confessions.

His sordid life

BeBe: Hello, Delferd? This is your mother! (We both bust up laughing at my greeting which Del regularly uses when imitating his mother's telephone calls in his comedy act).

Del Shores: I love hearing that. I don't get to hear that anymore.

BeBe: It's been a few years since we have had an opportunity to chat in this type of forum.

Del Shores: I think so. I've seen you a lot but we haven't done one of these (interviews).

BeBe: I think our last interview was when you were in San Francisco on tour with "My Sordid Life" and you were at the Castro Theater or something. I think.

Del Shores: I think you are right. Let's see that was three years ago because the show ("Sordid Lives: The Series") was in 2008. So, it was three years old in July.

BeBe: And you have recently released a DVD of your "My Sordid Life" stand-up comedy show, which is a total blast. I laughed so hard I cried.

Del Shores: I had so much fun filming that. And you know the fans were the ones who financed for me, so it was really cool to be able to do it and do it right, and own it!

Story continues on following page.

Watch Del Shores address Victoria Jackson's anti-gay rant from his "Sordid Confessions" tour:

Dissing celebrities

BeBe: Also what was interesting was how many known celebrities, not to name drop or anything, that were in the audience during that taping.

Del Shores: Oh, it was so sweet of everybody to come out for it. I mean people I didn't even know were coming came, like Edie McClurg ("Carrie," "The Richard Pryor Show," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off").

It was so cool to have so many of my "Sordid" family cast members there. I had no idea Ernie Hudson ("Ghostbusters, "HBO's "Oz," "Desperate Housewives") would be there. I had met him for the first time that night.

BeBe: You had some real good folks out there showing some support.

Del Shores: Yeah, it was a little bit intimidating. You know walking out on stage and going "Oh, my God, I'm filming this and Beau Bridges ("Norma Rae," "The Fabulous Baker Boys," "Jerry Maguire," "Sordid Lives," "Stargate" series and "Desperate Housewives") is sitting right in front of me.

BeBe: You know you were dissing so many people that was waiting to see someone you dissed sitting in the audience.

Del Shores: I would have died if Judge Reinhold ("Beverly Hills Cop") or Randy Harrison ("Queer As Folk") would have shown up and said "he's lying, he's lying about me." I would have had a throw down right there. "No, no I'm not lying, motherfucker." I keep thinking I'm going to get one of them to write me and just be furious at me, but nobody has. I know people are aware of it because of YouTube and all of that. But nobody has been brave enough that I've trashed to send a letter. Because if they write me, I'll write 'em back and then I'll read that letter in the next show.

BeBe: That's why they haven't written you. They know it will become a part of the next show.

Del Shores: That's what happens when these fans of Randy's write me and I just read them in front of everybody. All of my letters, when people are mean to me, end the same way: P.S. Fuck You! (I roar).

Remembering Rue

BeBe: Well, you have definitely been busy on the comedy tour front over the last 2-3 years. You haven't stopped at all. It has been one city after another. You've been living out of a plane into a hotel for quite some time.

Del Shores: You know it has gotten to be a little bit of way of life. And in that I get back and do what I have to do and take care of business on the home front (West Hollywood). Before I left, I sold a pilot to ABC Family. I got its outline approved over the phone while here (south Florida). It's amazing what you can do over the phone long distance. You know what I do? I make sure I sleep. I make sure I get 6 or 7 hours a night, and I don't drink too much. A little bit, but not too much (laughs). Otherwise, it gets so tiring.

BeBe: Well it's exciting that we have another pilot on the way.

Del Shores: I got a pilot. I got "The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife: The Movie" coming along really well. I shot wonderful little movie down in Atlanta with Beth Grant ('Sordid Lives," "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar," "No Country for Old Men"), Dale Dickey (the television series "My Name is Earl" and the film "Winter's Bone"), and Octavia Spencer ("Ugly Betty") who is causing such a buzz with everybody saying she is going to get an Oscar nomination for her role in "The Help." And then Debby Holiday (dance music diva with the hit "Party Around The World" with Del's husband Jason Dottley) does a wonderful job in it. David Steen from "Sordid Lives: The Series" is in it. I was able to cast the entire original company from the play. And they just knocked it out. It is so good. I'm in the throws of raising the final financing. We got it in the can just need a little post production money, but we're gonna do it.

BeBe: Well, how is it going with you doing a "Sordid Lives" movie sequel?

Del Shores: Well, we are just now working on all of the rights and everything (Del Shores does not own the film rights), and that is coming along really nicely. We really haven't started putting together the financing, although, I creatively started putting together in my head what I want to do with the franchise. Depending on how much money we can grab, I want to do one or two more, and then call it a day! It feels like we've told the stories and I love, love these characters, and love the actors that I have gotten to work with over the years, but I'd like to do it one more time. You know they aren't fresh chickens anymore (laughs). I'm gonna have to advance the time like they did on "Desperate Housewives" and dim the lights, if you know what I mean.

BeBe: And we all, as an audience, have suffered the loss of Rue McClanahan and we know she was huge part of the success of the "Sordid Lives" series, and I am sure that is a loss to you in whatever ideas you may have had for the movie sequel.

Del Shores: It changed everything! Everyone one has been giving me these horrible ideas like recasting Rue with Betty White. And I'm like I'm sure Betty's fee is about $2 million picture about right now because she is so hot this second. Also, I feel like it would be disrespectful to my friend (Rue). She was Peggy (from the series) for me. And I've said it and I will say it again, when Rue died Peggy died along with her. In the next film version that will be addressed. In the "Sordid Lives" original movie it had her dead anyway, but I had this whole "Dallas" twist planned.

BeBe: Like "Who killed Peggy"?

Del Shores: When Rue read the first season of the series, she said, "Del what are you going to do? I saw the movie. What are you going to do (about Peggy)?" And I said, "Rue, you only need to go into a coma for awhile and have a big long dream when you hit your head on the sick after you tripped over two wooden legs." (Laughter follows from the both of us.) Rue just loved that idea.

BeBe: That would have been hilarious!

Del Shores: I visited with her two weeks before she passed and we had some plans. But they, of course, won't happen. We were the last series she did. She was a wonderful person. It was much more then losing someone I worked with. I lost a friend.

More wicked this time around

BeBe: Well, you recently, earlier this year, finished up your successful "A Sordid Affair" tour here in San Francisco with cast members from the series.

Del Shores: Even though we're not calling it "A Sordid Affair" anymore, I am having Rosemary and Newell Alexander (Dr. Eve and Wardell in "Sordid Lives," respectively) open for me in Los Angeles and Palm Springs on the "Sordid Confessions" tour. Palm Springs is doing a big 10-year anniversary of the film "Sordid Lives." We will be doing a little special "Sordid Affair" for the fans that night (during the "Sordid Confessions" tour stop). We love to get together.

BeBe: You are not going to bring Ann Walker with you? They love her in Palm Springs.

Del Shores: She'll be there for the special showing of the film on September 8 (at Camelot Theaters). But, Rosemary and Newell were already going to be down in Palm Springs during my tour stop, so I asked him if they'd open for me.

BeBe: How does the "Sordid Confessions" tour differ from some of the other comedy tours that you have done?

Del Shores: Well the one thing about "My Sordid Life," it did incorporate a lot of the stories that drove my work in "Sordid Lives" and "Trailer Trash Housewife," and I started doing stand-up as a result of that and sort of adding this story or that story. When I do this one ("Confessions"), it is much more observational. It's much more wicked. I just say whatever I want. I interact more with the audience. And I read from Bristol Palin's new book ("Not Afraid of My Life: My Journey So Far"). It's a masterpiece (condescendingly tongue-in-cheek).

BeBe: Oh, what an easy read.

Del Shores: Exactly (laughing). I talk about Wynona Judd's weight loss. And, you know, just sordid confessions that I have that I would never say publicly before. I have gotten off Paxil, and I'm just bitter and mean, BeBe. I have just decided to say whatever the fuck I want. The show changes every night. I literally sit down and say what do I want to do tonight, and I write it out exactly what my set list is. Then, I step on stage and don't do it! (Major laughter). It's a map, and I don't follow the map very well.

BeBe: It's like driving with a husband that doesn't want to take direction.

Del Shores: That's sort of what it is. I veer off. I go, "Oh, I'm gonna take that turn." But my favorite thing about this show is that I have really allowed myself to engage with the audience. So, I talk to them. I talk back to them. It's just fun. And sometimes that's your best material for the night.

BeBe: Where you are playing here in San Francisco on Thursday, August 18, at the Risque Lounge will give you that type of intimate space to play with the audience for sure.

Del Shores: The room is so perfect for me, it's like 50 people, so it is intimate. But, I need San Francisco to step up and love me like some of these other cities across the country. Because my daughter is going to college up there and I have a lot of material I want to try on San Francisco so I have a way to pay for my hotel stays (laughs). It can't cost me now! If I wind up playing to 25 people, I'm just going to get drunk like everyone else on those $5 drinks. 'Cause you know what, if I get drunk on stage, I get real mean and the show is wonderful.

BeBe: Well, I'll have to feed you drink after drink regardless of the audience size. Because we have a wonderful mayoral race sizing up here that I'd love to here your commentary on.

Del Shores: I always think if I run for office, I'm going to start my speech by saying, "I have sucked a lot of cock. I have crawled through a lot of places I should not have. Let's just get all that out in the open." You know I'll admit anything.

BeBe: That's right. Diffuse it all.

Del Shores: Don't come saying I got a massage by you and got a happy ending. You are one of many, bitch!

BeBe: Don't have them saying you hired some illegal pool boy. Yeah, I did. Why? That's not a problem.

Del Shores: I always ask my audiences whether or not they have seen a hot homeless guy that they want to take home, wash them and fuck 'em. I have to this day more people in San Francisco raise their hands yes then any other city. So, I have to get caught doing that or something.

BeBe: Have we seen it? We've done it! (I think I just called myself out)

Oh, Mr. Del Shores, how I love your spirit and wit. Keep the stories, the plays, the movies, and the television sitcoms coming because you definitely take the seriousness out of life so we can all laugh at ourselves. Del Shores for President! You've got my vote.

Del Shores, along with special guests Jason Dottley and BeBe Sweetbriar, will be appearing at the Risque Lounge in Union Square, San Francisco, this Thursday, August 18 at 8pm. For more information and tickets Remaining dates on the Sordid Confessions Tour are: August 19, M-Bar, Los Angeles, CA; August 20, Georgi" s="" Alibi,="" Palm="" Springs,="" CA;="" August="" 21,="" Paradise="" Nightclub,="" Mesa,="" AZ;="" August="" 23,="" The="" Rainbow="" Cactus,="" Virginia="" Beach,="" VA;="" August="" 25,="" Town="" Club,="" Washington,="" DC;="" August="" 27,="" Re-Bar,="" Seattle,="" WA;="" August="" 28,="" Red="" Cap="" Garage,="" OR;="" August="" 30,="" Mary's="" Attic,="" Chicago,="" IL;="" September="" 1,="" Grey="" Fox="" Pub,="" St.="" Louis,="" MO;="" September="" 2,="" Talbott="" Street,="" Indianapolis,="" IN;="" September="" 3,="" Below="" Zero,="" Cincinnati,="" OH;="" September="" 4,="" Cocktails="" Cleveland,="" Cleveland,="" OH.
Follow Del Shores on Facebook at www.facebook.com/delshoresfanclub and Twitter at www.twitter.com/delshores.