April showers mean gay sketch comedy skits. That was a lame intro, yes, but LOGOs genuinely funny third season of The Big Gay Sketch Show premieres Tuesday, April 13 at 10 p.m. Returning cast members Paolo Andino, Colman Domingo, Julie Goldman, Stephen Guarino, Jonny McGovern, Kate McKinnon and Nicol Paone skewer all things gay and then some (including RuPaul, Anne Coulter, and The View ladies) while cameo players include Rachel Dratch, Sharon Osbourne, Isaac Mizrahi, Bravo’s Andy Cohen, and Exec Producer Rosie O’Donnell.
To get scoop on the seasons highlights, and some skits that didn’t make it, we spoke with McGovern, who plans to release a record later this year; and McKinnon, who provides voices for Cartoon Network’s upcoming Robotomy and performs with N.Y.s Upright Citizens Brigade.
WATERMARK: How does this season differ the most from previous ones?
JONNY MCGOVERN: I think every season we’re together as a collective we know each other better and play to our strengths more and have more freedom to be as gay as we want to be. We’re so gay, every sketch is imbued with tons of gayness even if its not a gay-specific sketch. Some of our things this year aren’t specifically gay.
KATE MCKINNON: We’ve opened it up to lampoon all that is ridiculous in America. The scope is broader. We spoofed The View this year and that was fun. A take on how ridiculous those ladies are. We twist American Idol.
Which are your favorite skits or characters, whether your own or another cast members?
KM: Well, Fitzwilliam, the transgender British boy I play is fun. I pitched Fitzwilliam and my best friend said, “Are you kidding? You can’t.” But they loved it and I can’t believe that got on TV.
JM: One of my favorite things this year, which is not a sketch per se, is they got me out in Times Square interviewing people about the gayest thing they’ve ever done. It was fun and scary because we had really no script. It was just, “Jonny, make this!” It was me, one of our writers, and we got into the Square and they brought people over to me. One person said, “Well, I have been to see The View recently.” One said the interview with me was the gayest thing. I replied, “Yes, you’re correct.”
What didn’t make it past the writer’s room this year? Was anything too much for TV?
KM: There was a Jonas Brothers spoof that died because it was a little too raunchy. There’s only so far you can go without pissing people off.
JM: Well, I had desperately wanted a sketch where I sing a song called, “I Saw Your Cock on Craigslist.” But right before we filmed it, the Craigslist murders were all over the news. Craigslist murderer, you ruined my sketch!
Vogue’s Andre Leon Talley makes a cameo. How did that come about?
JM: I went to a screening of the Valentino documentary and Leon did the introduction. I love his wit, his muumuus, his style, and right before the movie started I went into the lobby to get popcorn and he was there. I went up to say I was such a huge follower and he looked at me and said, “Big Gay Sketch Show? Jonny McGovern!” We chatted and it turns out when he’s having a bad day he loves nothing more than to turn on episodes of BGSS.
KM: I remember Leon came and I had never seen someone so tall. (laughs) And Sharon Osbourne was wild to meet. She just sounds exactly like that in real life and I couldn’t quite believe it.
Jonny, your alter-ego, The Gay Pimp, is internationally known for music, videos and live performances. Will we ever see him appear on BGSS?
JM: Not really. They’re pretty happy to have me do that on my own. BGSS gives me a chance not to do Gay Pimp, which is what I’m hustling all the time. The closest I would have gotten would have been the Craigslist song which will be a new single off my own album! You’ll get plenty of Gay Pimp in the promotion.
Now to shamelessly plug myself: Stephen Guarino co-stars in an upcoming gay romantic comedy I co-wrote, BearCity it takes place in NYC’s bear scene. What’s a fun fact about him?
JM: Stephen is great because when we read the sketches we’re sitting in a conference room, but Stephen will go all out to get his sketches together. A boom box and wig and he’s dancing on the table.
And how much of each other do you see when not making the show?
JM: We all get along great. Julie and I are great friends. We’re planning a standup tour together for the New Year. Stephen, Kate, Nicol and I performed sketches at the San Francisco Sketch Festival this year and had a blast. It included a trip to the Nob Hill porno cinema. We decided we would go out [to San Francisco] and be recognized as the wonderful gay celebrities we are and nobody recognized us at all until we got the cinema. I should have known.
Lets end with a Rosie anecdote, please.
JM: She is our queen. God bless her. During the first season she was there a lot, but now she believes in the people who are running the show and cast and we really only see her on the one day she comes in to film her bit at the end of the show, which is like Statler & Waldorf from The Muppet Show. She’s sweet as pie until she makes jokes about the show, which is in the script. Great to see you read us, Rosie. Bless you.
