Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern

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Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern
File:Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern (title card).jpg
L-R: Jonny, Linda and Martin
Presentation
Hosted byJonny McGovern
Julie Goldman
Brandy Howard
GenreComedy, LGBTQ
UpdatesWeekly (Tuesdays 12AM EST)
Publication
Original releaseJanuary 16, 2006 – present
Websitehttp://GayPimp.com

Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern is a bi-weekly free gay-themed podcast currently based out of Hollywood, California, originally out of New York City. The show began airing on January 16, 2006. It currently ranks the highest in popularity under the keyword "gay" on the iTunes music store, is the number #10 overall comedy audio podcast and has five out of five stars. The show hit #1 in mid-2006.[1]

McGovern announced on the January 11, 2010 episode that Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern was ending as a regular podcast. He cited his upcoming relocation to Los Angeles and co-hosts Linda James and Martin Beauchamp's desire to spend more time with their respective families as the reasons.[2] McGovern began re-releasing earlier episodes and recording occasional episodes updating listeners on the activities of the cast and friends. On September 1, 2010 McGovern re-launched the podcast from Los Angeles. In late 2012 he began adding Mixtape Editions (featuring music curated by regular and semi-regular cast members) between regular editions of the podcast.

Regular features[edit | edit source]

  • Spillin' the Tea (formerly The Five/Six): A rundown of activities McGovern and the cast have participated in, often glamorized.
  • Celebrity Donkey Punch (formerly "How to Read") : Headlines from the tabloids and pop culture news.
  • New Music at Your Leisure: Featuring debuts of remixes of McGovern songs and tracks from podcast guests.
  • What Sophia Lamar Hates: A semi-regular, formerly regular, rant on what the nightlife legend hates in gay culture and popular media, also featuring "Because You Asked Me", where Lamar answers fan mail from her website.

Cast[edit | edit source]

  • New York:
Jonny McGovern Host and Gay Pimp Daddy.
Linda James Jonny's co-host, trans-identifying individual and a Team PIMP member.
Martín Beauchamp aka Straighty Martín, token heterosexual and confirmed computer nerd.
  • Hollywood:
Jonny McGovern Host and still Gay Pimp Daddy.
Julie Goldman Comedian, McGovern's co-star from The Big Gay Sketch Show.
Brandy Howard Actress, self-proclaimed "lesbian lurker," and Goldman's writing partner (particularly for Joan Rivers' "Fashion Police").
Michael Serrato Actor and comedian, a former castmate of McGovern's on The Big Gay Sketch Show (no longer a regular).
Calpernia Addams Actress and singer, star of Transamerican Love Story (no longer a regular, but an occasional guest).
Nadya Ginsburg Comedian (no longer a regular).
Sam Pancake Actor.
Todd Masterson Comedian.
Nico Santos Comedian.

Regular guests[edit | edit source]

Pom-Pom Joined the cast in Cycle 3, Pom-Pom is a New York University student who worked for free as the show's intern. May 6, 2008 was Pom-Pom's last episode. Pom-Pom was renamed by co-host Linda James after comedian Kathy Griffin's dog of the same name from My Life on the D-List.
Erickatoure Aviance A transgender-identifying mulatto individual and member of La'Mady, Team PIMP and show performer.
Adam Joseph Soul hummingbird, singer-songwriter, producer and member of Jonny's Team PIMP whose single "Faggoty Attention" spent several weeks at #1 on Logo's music video charts.
Andy "Krunk" Jones aka Mother Krunk Sparkle Magick Originally hailing from Tennessee and mother of the (conceptual) House of Sparkle Magick. Krunk is a self-proclaimed (conceptual) double Dutch champion.
Kevin Kiss Jonny's ex-boyfriend. Also known as "The Moosch"; following a text message mishap temporarily became "The Miisch." McGovern announced their breakup on his October 13, 2009 podcast.
Sophia Lamar An original club kid who expresses her views on what has irritated her lately. Until cycle 5, Sophia's rants were usually weekly. After cycle 5, Sophia's rants became monthly before disappearing.
Julie Goldman Comedian, songwriter, Jew, and butch lesbian, also McGovern's co-star on The Big Gay Sketch Show (now a regular on the Hollywood edition).
Michael Serrato Comedian and former cast member of The Big Gay Sketch Show, Serrato is a frequent correspondent, providing the Hollywood perspective on celebrity gossip (a regular when the Hollywood edition began).
Maxi J Is an African-American woman and soul singer who is one of Jonny McGovern's sources of "Black Lady Screamin'" and a member of Team PIMP.
Davey Makeout A receptionist at the Mud Honey Beauty Salon in NYC. He is an American Idol junkie and was almost chosen for Project Runway 's third season.
Vanilla Makeout Davey's wife. She is the daughter of a Polish consular official, leading Davey to (erroneously) claim that he has diplomatic immunity.
Donavan and Tim/Tammy Two interns who joined the show in cycle 6. Tammy got his nickname from Adam Joseph. Donavan did not return for cycle 7. Tammy followed Jonny to LA and eventually was "promoted" to regular cast member, developing the drag persona Tamantha Taintawoman and an obsession with Liza Minnelli.
Jaytee Starr A New York intern from cycle 8.
Lex An LA intern.
Greg McKeon Actor and gogo boy, also known as Grg.

Recurring characters[edit | edit source]

These are characters, not celebrity impressions, who have appeared on the podcast more than once.

Joanie McGovern: Jonny's fictional aunt who is the editrix of Star Magazine. She is from Mineola, New York, and speaks with an accent from that region.

Chocolate Puddin': A psychic, transvestite, prostitute, nanny and star of several fictional Blaxploitation films. Owner of the Spooky Fry Hut, which is a haunted snack shop that serves "spooky fries" and "zombie BBQ".

Waffles: The morbidly obese backup dancer for performer Jennifer Hudson.

Joanie, Puddin' and Waffles have joined together as singing group That Lady after Puddin' was refused admission to La'Mady. That Lady has had two songs appear on the podcast. McGovern brought Chocolate Puddin' to television in the first season of The Big Gay Sketch Show and Waffles appeared in season two.[3] Waffles premiered his debut single, "Eat That" (a parody of Janet Jackson's "Feedback"), on the February 25, 2008 episode.

Tranny-Tron 2000: The first ever transgender identifying robot, built by Martin only to be smashed by Linda. Tranny-Tron 2000 begat Tranny-Tron 2001, who was also destroyed by Linda after performing an anti-Linda diss track.

Numb Fat Tiger: A fictional tiger that eats human fat for sustenance and has an anesthetic bite.

Choo Choo: The fictitious security guard of the Gay Pimpin' studio.

Jojo The F to M Penis, Made from a Clit: A talking penis formed from a clitoris during female to male gender reassignment surgery. Jojo performs consensual rape and sexually harasses or molests (consensually) lesbian and lesbro guests.

Moanie McGovern: Joanie's sister, Moanie is an F2M transsexual undergoing hormone therapy. These treatments have made her very aggressive. She works as a bouncer at a number of local clubs.

Wendy McBurgerking: a socially awkward, mildly mentally challenged young woman whose sole conversational gambit is to randomly blurt out the names of fast-food restaurants where her mother had worked.

Rape Ghost: The diminutive spirit of a raped and murdered young girl (as in The Lovely Bones). She spends the afterlife constantly reminding loved ones of her rape and murder.

Britney Spears: More than just a celebrity impression, she evolved into a full-fledged character with her own parallel life, which has included her court-appointed minder Chubs as well as an attempt to sell her own babies to a pet store. Her sister Jamie Lynn is obsessed with "The Jewel of the Nile".

Notable guests[edit | edit source]

Kate McKinnon Openly lesbian Emmy Award winning actress, best known for her work as a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live, as well as The Big Gay Sketch Show. Also well known for her character Dr. Jillian Holtzmann in Paul Feig's Ghostbusters (2016).
Kevin Aviance New York nightlife superstar, trendsetter, and gay icon who sings the theme for "Spillin' The Tea." multiple appearances
Martha Wash Singer, songwriter, and founding member of The Weather Girls (It's Raining Men) and voice of several 1990s dance anthems.
RuPaul Singer (Supermodel (You Better Work)), songwriter, talk show host (The RuPaul Show), and gay icon.
Xander Fashion superfan and 'number one door bitch', Xander often stops by to give his opinion on celebrity fashions all while describing his own look in detail.
Blu Kennedy Noted adult film actor and go-go boy who has starred in several films.
Damon Demarco Porn star, go-go boy, blogger, and boyfriend of Hunter James.
Hunter James Porn star, go-go boy, blogger, and boyfriend of Damon Demarco. No relation to co-host Linda James.
Robert W. Richards An illustrator who has worked in many artistic genres, covering the New York, Paris, Milan and Los Angeles fashion collections for American newspapers. multiple appearances
Richard Jay-Alexander Entertainment producer and director of Barbra Streisand tours and Bette Midler's Kiss My Brass tour. Mentor to Jonny McGovern and producer of his first music video.
Calpernia Addams Transgender actress and activist. First appeared on the March 11, 2008 podcast, later a regular in the Hollywood edition.
Brandy Howard Hollywood starlet and "number one lesbian lurker". McGovern and James met her on a Rosie cruise to Canada, now a regular in the Hollywood edition.
Junior Vasquez DJ and producer. Appeared on the March 30, 2009 podcast.
Larry Tee DJ, club promoter, music producer in New York.
Man Parrish Underground music scene icon in the late '70s / early '80s.
Selene Luna Actress, comedian, burlesque star, model. Personal assistant to Margaret Cho on her reality series.

Merchandise[edit | edit source]

McGovern sells "Faggo-tees," T-shirts with slogans inspired by his music and jokes from the podcast, through his website.[4] He has released two compilation albums of material from the podcast through iTunes.

Vernacular[edit | edit source]

Jonny McGovern, co-hosts, and friends frequently use slang and vernacular that is commonly referred to as "queen's speak" in the gay community; some of said vernacular are references to inside jokes on the podcast as well as the drag queen community in New York City's pier areas. Much of the vernacular is often quoted from the documentary "Paris is Burning". They include:

  • Fran: A contraction of "friend fans", Frans are fans and frequent listeners of the Podcast, its host and/or its cohosts.
  • Gwen: A disambiguation based on the word "queen" being mistakenly transcribed by a speech-to-text service on cellular telephones. "Queen" being often used as a pronoun i.e. "hey queen"/"hey gwen"
  • Sexo Sexo Pharmacia: A phrase uttered by then guest Brandy Howard, now used a popular catchphrase.
  • UnProfessional, gurl.: First used in a story Jonny told about Erika that was adopted into the podcast lexicon (unsurprisingly) used to describe unprofessional behavior

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Diamond, Mike (2007-08-24). "Pimp My iPod". Retrieved 2007-09-16. 
  2. McGovern, Jonny. "Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern" (Podcast). Retrieved January 12, 2010. 
  3. McGovern, Jonny. "Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern" (Podcast). Retrieved February 1, 2007. 
  4. Baxter, Paul (2008-07-16). "Feeling Faggo-tee: Jonny 'The Gay Pimp' McGovern Releases New Shirt Collection". HX magazine. Retrieved 2008-08-23. 

External links[edit | edit source]