HEARTBREAK, HILARITY, & HEALING The SORDID Life and Work of

by L. J. Gouveia Del Shores’s website opens with the provocative poster from his one-man show, Naked. Sordid. Reality.—him nestled among gorgeous, carefully arranged, nude men—while an announcer recites the show’s intro: “Brothers and sisters, are you ready for some Del-igion? Grab your Baptist hymnals now and turn to page 92 as we welcome to the stage the twisted, fucked-up, demented mind of oh-so-sordid DEL SHORES!”

ost people might not recognize his name right off, but years as a married, straight man, having two children with his wife a lot of them have seen his work: Daddy’s Dyin’—Who’s Got before finally finding the courage to come out . Not an easy thing for the Will?, Sordid Lives (the movie), Sordid Lives: The Series, anyone, especially not for a man from a conservative Central MBlues for Willadean, the plays Yellow and Naked: My Sordid family . Actually, his former in-laws, actors Newell and Rosemary Life, his one-man show Naked. Sordid. Reality., and coming soon, the Alexander, are supportive and still appear in most of his work . film adaption of his play Southern Baptist Sissies . Sort of like Christopher Guest, Shores employs a strong ensemble Delford Shores grew up in Winters, Texas, and attended Baylor of wonderful actors in his projects over the years . The chemistry evi- University in Waco, before heading out to California to become an dent between the cast (and director) are part of what make Shores’s award-winning producer, director, writer, and occasionally actor . work more than just funny . Plus, it’s fun to see these talented faces His work usually involves a comically dysfunctional Texas family again . It rather adds to the madcap family vibe . and small town life, often while tackling heavier themes like domes- In 2008, Shores brought his Sordid Lives cast to the Logo network tic violence and gay rights . for a hilarious, acclaimed, yet all-too-brief cable show, Sordid Lives: He knows firsthand what he’s talking about—he lived for many The Series . Leslie Jordan played Brother Boy, imprisoned in a Texas

58 RealSouthMagazine.com February 2013 59 Enjoy the original trailer for Sordid Lives: The Series. http://www.shopdelshores.com/sordid-lives-the-series-promo-trailer/ mental institution in 1998, yet still valiantly keeping up his full-drag effect—with some genuine warmth, growth, and social commentary impersonation of his beloved idol, Tammy Wynette . She dies at the that Shores adeptly slips in among the laughs . beginning of the pilot episode, and her ghost entrusts him to carry Sordid Lives: The Series was a smash hit, and it is nothing short of on her legacy . (Her ghost is played by none other than Wynette’s a travesty that the show lasted only one season . Behind-the-scenes daughter, Georgette Jones .) But evil Dr . Eve (Rosemary Alexander) problems with the production company (not Logo) killed it . To this is set on “de-homosexualizing” Brother Boy for her own shot at fame day, nobody on the show has received a dime . The resulting financial and a guest spot on Oprah . His mother Peggy (Rue McClanahan, in and emotional stress caused Shores to lose his house in California one of her final roles) and his sisters try to get him out while dealing and likely hastened the end of his second marriage, to actor Jason with their own crises . Not the least of which is Peggy’s surprising Dottley, who played Ty in the series . affair . McClanahan personally thanked Shores for casting her as Between films, Shores has put on several plays exploring similar Peggy . “I didn’t think I’d ever get to play a woman in love again” . themes, notably Yellow and Southern Baptist Sissies, which will be Meanwhile, their nephew Ty is a young actor out in L .A ., coming to his next movie . terms with his sexual identity . He recently toured to raise awareness and funds for that project Sordid Lives also stars Olivia Newton-John as a parolee newly back as well as promote his 2012 indie film Blues for Willadean, a darkly in town to settle a score and pick out a song or two at Bubba’s Beer comic look at an abused housewife in a trailer park, starring Beth Joint . The beating heart of the show is the three archetypal aunts most Grant, who will be forever endeared to most Shores aficionados as Southerners will instantly recognize: Ann Walker as the shrewd, chain-smoking Aunt Sissy . feisty, flame-haired Lavonda; Beth Grant as the sweetly frantic Sissy; I emailed Shores’ manager that I’d just about sell my last living and Bonnie Bedelia as high-maintenance pill popper Latrelle . aunt for an interview, and I was pleasantly shocked to get a personal Caroline Rhea also deserves praise for her turn as tacky, trail- reply about an hour later from Shores himself, saying “Keep the er-dwelling neighbor Noleta (originated in the movie version by aunt! How’s Saturday?” ) . He managed some time to talk to Real South Magazine by phone, Addictions, busybody churchgoers, good ol’ boys, affairs, arson, an with an email followup . For all his uproariously funny scripts, Del is accidental death, and an errant goat are all played to great comedic somewhat more serious, almost erudite and intellectual, very polit-

60 RealSouthMagazine.com ical and socially aware, but with a prevailing Southern charm and strikes, and you have this craziness . Octavia’s great—she’s the good graciousness . kind of celebrity . He calls while driving to his next show, accompanied by his long- haired chihuahua Bitsy Mae (after Olivia Newton-John’s character) . RSM: This film is your first with such a strong African American She is ten months old, a pound rescue his daughter got for him on presence . PetFinders .com . “Or as I say, she rescued me after my marriage,” DS: I always explored some racism, like in Daughters of the Lone Shores says .“She goes with me everywhere . She just sits up in the Star State, and I’ve always had a love of the African American com- front seat with me ”. munity . My mother started the First—and this was an accepted word back RSM: Your comedy was obviously inspired by your family and then—Negro Baptist Mission, in Winters, Texas, so I actually grew growing up in Texas . What do they think of your stuff? up worshipping with black people when I was a little boy, and the DS: Mixed reactions . Many are proud of me . As documented in first girl I kissed was at five years old—Patsy Kaye, behind the church My Sordid Life, my aunt Reta didn’t speak to me for seven years after house . I think this is why white song services always bore me . Daddy’s Dyin’ came out . RSM: The play actually won an award from the NAACP . RSM: Blues for Willadean is adapted from your play, The Trials and DS: Yes, that was the most shocking award I’ve ever won . I was so Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife, and stars Beth Grant, Dale happy when we were nominated, and thought that would be it … Dickey, and , who since then has won an Oscar for Then one day I just thought, I’d like to see this in a film . This is a The Help . How has that been? story that still needs to be told . There’s still a lot of abuse going on … DS: It was so great to work with Dale and Octavia, whose stars This play has already caused at least one person to leave a marriage have risen since then . They are both red-hot now . It’s pretty cool to that was abusive . see one of your friends win an Oscar! Every now and then lightning DS: This is a bit of a departure from what people may be expecting .

Del explains the story behind Southern Baptist Sissies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaO-i8TNXd4&list=PLSW43hutx2Y1H8ZC1XV5N_EpyXnuVIxL1&index=1 RSM: But it’s not totally without humor . It does have some humor voice in the world says, “No, that’s not right . Everyone deserves civil as an important counterweight to the heavy subject matter . rights ”. That is just HUGE . DS: Yes, it does, and I don’t know how not to do that . It’s part of Here’s what I’m finding . More and more Republicans are quick to the way I write and how I live my life . I like to mix those tones . say “I’m only fiscally Republican, but on social issues I’m liberal ”. A RSM: And next up? lot of people have different priorities, so for them the rights thing DS: Southern Baptist Sissies will be filming next, and I’ll be doing is further down their list, and I get that, but for me, no matter how it old Playhouse 90 style—I’ll be filming the play . fiscally conservative I’d like to be, I can’t support a party that doesn’t support basic rights, you know? RSM: Leslie Jordan, , Emerson Collins, Ann Walker, Rosemary Alexander all will star in it . RSM: These are colleagues and also fans saying this . DS: And I’m changing one character . I’m making the mother the DS: Yes . I have a lot of women fans who write me and say they’re grandmother instead so I can cast Ann Walker . I told her, “I want Republican, but they support gay rights . you to play an old slut ”. She said, “Well, the slut I can do, but the ‘old’ I’ll have to work on ”. (laughs) RSM: How do you think it will play out, politically? DS: You’re going to see a change in that party because we vote for what affects us . I honestly believe this is the last election that that party so embraces the fundamentalists . As more woman and gays “I’ve done it all,” he says, come into their party, they’ll have to change that hateful platform . “I’ve married a woman Because we vote for what affects us . RSM: Will you ever revisit Sordid Lives? I read that Whoopi Gold- and a man, and I guess a berg had been written in to the next season at her request, so what will happen to that written-but-not-shot season? Will it just termi- midget is next.” nally languish in jail with Sissy and Noleta? DS: I don’t have the rights to the threads in the series, so if I do RSM: Why did you choose to film this play at this particular time? another movie of Sordid Lives, I will have to rethink and use the DS: This is another story that needs to be told . It has helped and characters . The series is lost . healed a lot of the people who’ve suffered so much from the churches’ stance on these things . RSM: I’m so sorry to hear that, and sorry that it cost you your house and forced the auction of so many of the show’s props . RSM: But things in general are progressing some, even in the DS: It’s fine . I did what I had to do, and am now thriving and back South . on my feet . DS: I do notice some progression . I hang out more with the theat- rical community and the gay community, who tend to be a bit more Yes, he is . Del Shores is a survivor who uses his talents to help of a liberal mindset . I get so pissed off when people use the word himself and others laugh through heartbreak and continue to push ‘liberal’ as if it’s a bad thing . The word ‘liberal’ means ‘generous,’ and for social justice and healing . I’ll take that any day of the week … We’re not hiding in closets any- more, but we will continue to have to fight for a while . We’ll have to “I’ve done it all,” he says at the end of our followup, “I’ve married win through the court system rather than the ballots, like with a woman and a man, and I guess a midget is next ”. civil rights . For more about Del Shores and his work, visit RSM: What else do you think needs to be done? DelShores.net and ShopDelShores.com. DS: Sometimes I think the gay community has to celebrate more and not complain so much, like when Obama made that statement in favor of gay marriage, and a lot of them just said why couldn’t he You can also click these links to see the trailers have done this sooner? He did this the day after that horrible thing in for Blues for Willadean and Daddy’s Dyin’— North Carolina, their amendment . So you have this kid who’s maybe Who’s Got the Will? feeling all alone seeing that, and then the next day the most powerful

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