You Made Me Queer!: a talk show, a comedy show and a game show dipped into a jar of hot pink sprinkles

26 Nov 2021 - photos supplied by Trevor Campbell

"So many interview podcasts rehash the same stories," says podcaster and comic Trevor Campbell. "I centred You Made Me Queer! around a taboo that’s too provocative to be polite about, so things get personal right off the bat.” Personal on the airwaves or online is de riguer, but Campbell is going further out on a limb and will be hosting a live version of You Made Me Queer!  He's excited, I'm curious, and he eagerly agrees to answer questions.

Drew: Question about the basic concept: why is You Made Me Queer! labelled an "accusatory" podcast? Shouldn't we be sending gift baskets and thank you notes?
 
Trevor Campbell: Oh, absolutely. I'm so grateful for all of the metaphorical breadcrumbs that helped lead me to a place where I could be myself and find a community that would support me. And, of course, nothing definitely "makes" you who you are, and the idea that something can "make" you queer has been a huge obstacle in the accommodation and acceptance of 2SLGBTQIA+ people. But at the same time, I and so many people I know, grew up in a world where we were – literally – kept away from the pink crayon or the strawberry lip balm. That moral panic had so much power over me for a huge part of my life and – now that I know it was all a fantasy – nothing is funnier to me than to call that bluff. Like, you were worried about the influence of Sailor Moon on my eight-year-old brain? Turns out you were right!

Queer folks have been tasked with coming out in a gentle, palatable way that dispels myths about who and or what we are, while constantly reminding the people around us that we're not a threat. To me, it's so funny to reframe the whole debate. Imagine sitting your friends and family down and instead of asking "Will you accept me for who I am?" saying, "Okay, punks. I hope you've been to the bathroom because this is gonna take a while. Let's start with nana." It's so empowering to completely abandon the idea that being different is something you have to apologize for – so I flipped the script. YMMQ! is really about finding joy in the discovery of what makes us different. That's something everyone can relate to, no matter how they identify.

How excited are you to take it to a live format with an audience? How much have you been craving interaction with an audience?
 
Trevor Campbell: So excited! My background is in theatre, so for me nothing compares to a live audience. Especially when you're doing comedy! YMMQ! is about joy and community and recognition, and all of these get amped up when you gather people together in the same space. Also, as I mentioned above, I've spent most of the pandemic in a basement so I am desperate for social connection. Although Comedy Bar is also in a basement. Go figure. Maybe I need to reintegrate myself into society with baby steps.

How will the live version be different from the podcast? Are you nervous about not being able to edit the results in real time? How heavily will you edit the results for broadcast?
 
Trevor Campbell: I will hear all of the heckling in real time! And I'm going to have to worry about what I look like, which already sounds exhausting. Maybe I'll set the bar low and just show up in a cardboard box with arm holes. Really, I think the biggest difference will be the reaction from the audience. Comedy Bar is such an intimate space, so both my guests and I will have a real sense of what's resonating with the crowd, and I think that's going to help steer our conversation. Also, I've retooled Queer, Queerer, Queerest! [YMMQ!’s "patented party game which tasks guests with ranking three selections from least to most queer"] to involve the entire audience, so it's really going to be a shared experience. The whole thing will feel like a hybrid of a talk show, a comedy show and a game show dipped into a jar of hot pink sprinkles. As for editing, I'm ecstatic that I don't have to edit this at all. Face-to-face means no Zoom lag! Riffing off of live energy is what comedians do best, so I think things are going to feel even better than they do on the podcast. YMMQ! started as a podcast, but it's definitely meant to be a live show. The pandemic meant that it had to evolve backwards.

Why did you choose Amanda Cordner as your first live guest?
 
Trevor Campbell: Amanda is one of the stars of CBC Comedy's hit show Sort Of, which is getting a ton of well deserved attention for the way its characters imagine and express who they are. But she's a mainstay in Toronto's theatre community and I've always known of her as someone who is really in the driver's seat. She's funny, super creative, and authentic in a way that really seems to make people buzz. Coincidentally, I used to go to a coffee shop she worked at way back in the day so she's always been in my orbit but we've never really met. It's all going to be crashing together at the podcast's first live show!

What sorts of prizes will audience members win when playing Queer, Queerer, Queerest!? 

Trevor Campbell: A few surprises are in the works but the one thing I can guarantee is a custom prize pack from one of Toronto's favourite places, Bellwoods Brewery. And you don't have to drink to enjoy it!

Did you expect the podcast You Made Me Queer to run for 27 episodes? 

Trevor Campbell: [politely correcting me] We'll have 30 episodes by Nov. 25, 31 by Dec. 2 . . . Yes and no! I knew I had enough excitement to produce the first season. I'm an optimist but I'm really critical of my own work, so I had no idea how the show would be received. I was so surprised and grateful that people rallied behind the show in those first few months. It's a weird experience to launch a project from a basement during lockdown – it felt very one-way, and I know that I would have been able to convince myself that I was just shouting into the void and wasting my time. But people all over the world have reached out to me to let me know that the show means something to them. I think queer people see themselves in the stories on the show and other folks get to laugh with and cringe at and learn from the experience of queer awakening. YMMQ! quickly became a really important outlet for me. Before I finished the first 20 episodes, I'd already signed with Sonar Network to produce the second season – so now I'm contractually obligated to keep going. Legal consequences are a great motivator.
 
Did the podcast come about because of the pandemic or was it already an idea in your fevered brain?

Trevor Campbell: Before I started YMMQ!, I'd been working as a freelancer for CBC Podcasts for about a year and a half. I loved working with CBC, they helped me learn how to tell a story through the lens and voice of a big network and with a big team. But I wanted to find my own voice without any constraints. The cliché prompt is to write what you know, so I came up with a few concepts for projects that were already right in my wheelhouse. It turns out that being a loudmouth queer satirist who overstays his time at the mic comes naturally to me.
 
What is the most surprising or shocking revelation that a guest made?
 
Trevor Campbell: My sixth episode was with Franny McCabe-Bennett, an actress and producer that I've known since I was a teenager. Franny told me the story of how I came out to her – which I had no memory of at all – and how it intersected with her own queerness. It's very funny and embarrassing and I'm so happy to have it on tape.
 
Which guests have been the most entertaining to interview? 

Trevor Campbell: Heather Matarazzo the star of Welcome to the Dollhouse and The Princess Diaries was so surprising. Somehow our conversation went from hotwiring a boat in a post-apocalyptic wasteland to whether or not Gumby would be able to go down on himself - Heather says he could - while being emotional and honest and really cathartic. Also, Heather's an artist I've admired since I was a kid so this one was a real trip for me. Also, one of my favourite stories is from RuPaul's Drag Race season 5 winner Jinkx Monsoon. All I'll say is that he had a middle school teacher with a very famous name. I can't think about it without laughing out loud.

 
Which guests got the best audience response?
 
Trevor Campbell: A lot of people reached out about my episode with Jeigh Madjus. He's one of the quartet that sings "Lady Marmalade" in Moulin Rouge on Broadway – just explosively talented, but he had a really interesting journey through gender expectations that led him to where he is today. He talked about this Filipino term "OA," which means that you're being excessive or overacting. When he felt like he didn't have to limit himself or worry about being "too much," his personal and professional life really boomed. A lot of people seemed to connect with that experience.
 
Who was the best at Queer, Queerer, Queerest!?
 
Trevor Campbell: I'm gonna have to go with Tranna Wintour from CBC's Chosen Family podcast. She came on the show ready to ace the game and with some serious expectations about the three things I'd chosen for her episode. She schooled me at my own game and I was thrilled about it.
 
Who was the queerest?
 
Trevor Campbell: It's a very tight tie between every guest I've ever had and ever will.

Podcasts are having a moment in the zeitgeist. Do you think this is a trend or the wave of the future? How has the pandemic and the pause in live stand-up affected comedy?
 
Trevor Campbell: It's an interesting phenomenon because it's essentially old technology. But I think people are really digging radio because there's almost no barrier to entry, which means we can hear from a huge variety of voices on topics that are incredibly niche. I don't think podcasts are necessarily going to be our enduring artform, but I think people are hungry for stories beyond the mainstream – they feel raw and unproduced in a way that film and television can't capture. I think it's part of the reason why platforms like Instagram and TikTok have been so incredibly successful. You don't have to wait until something gets numbed down through network notes. Now you get to sit in the writer's room. Also, podcasts are incredibly intimate. I've listened to hundreds of my favourite podcasts and I feel like I have a deep personal connection with some of the hosts, even though we've never met. It's like getting to sit at a table or go on a long car ride with someone, every week, for years. Which sounds like a nightmare when you say it out loud, but I can't get enough.
 

How has podcasting affected you as a comic?
 
Trevor Campbell: Making YMMQ! is how I found my voice as a comic. I think I started the show with some really good instincts, but I've had to listen to hours and hours of myself tripping over my words, blowing punchlines and generally dropping the ball. It's been comedy bootcamp and really helped me to figure out the juiciest parts of a bit. Over the past 30 or so episodes, I like to think I've really tightened up my game.

Anything else we should know?

You Made Me Queer! – Live will be held in the Comedy Bar Cabaret Space, 945 Bloor Street W, on Thursday, December 2 from 8 to 9pm.