Grayson: Hello, and welcome to GaysMaking the podcast where I interview LGBTQIA creators, musicians, artists, and performers. Today, we are here with Kent Whipple a storyteller and story coach who has previously on the moth and was the best of bawdy storyteller 2019. So I'd like to welcome Kent Whipple.

Kent: Hello? How are you?

Grayson: I am doing great.

Kent: No, I'm good. I'm good.

Grayson: So, you are a storyteller which means you like to tell stories let's just like, kind of get into why did you start with storytelling

Kent: well, I really started as a kid and my family. I come from a family of storytellers and I'm the youngest of four. And to pretty much get any attention from my parents, you'd have to tell a good story at the dinner table. So I grew up hearing amazing stories. My grandfather on my mother's side was a brilliant storyteller.

Kent: Yeah. As I got older, I started writing for newspapers. I started writing for magazines and I was always telling stories. And about 10 years ago, I got involved in doing the moth and just had so much fun with it and went, this is what I want to do. I work for an improv theater and those folks are so grilling.

Kent: And I don't know how they come up with it. And the only way I can compete is just by being able to tell stories. And so it's my, it's my artistic outlet. It's what I love humans connect through stories. You know, the minute we get home and someone says, how was your day? Boom. You share a story. That's, it's how we learn.

Kent: And I just love it in a world that's becoming so mechanized that people sit down and listen. To a story, then you go to a storytelling show and it's all about listening then what a great skill to have in this day and age.

Grayson: Yeah. I mean, I think that I think that listening is one of those things that is in, in today's world. So hard to do because there's so much coming at you, right. On a, on a daily basis. So how when you're, when you're crafting your stories like obviously you're pulling from life, right.

Grayson: And life is a multitude. How do you like hone the story that you, that you want to present at any given event?

Kent: Well, quite often it's, if you're doing a storytelling show, it's based on the theme. And so you try to come up with a story of your life. That's based on the theme of the show, but really it's comes from those stories that you've shared at a million dinner tables or. Campfires or bars or coffee shops that you've told if that's a story that you tell over, and if there's a story that you tell over and over, that's likely going to be a really pretty good story from stage on stage.

Kent: You know, if it's past the dinner party test, then you know, you've got a decent story. And so then you get, you follow some techniques, rules, formulas. I don't know what you want to call it, that, you know, make it interesting. Is better than you'd never believe one time I saw this hold on. I forgot a part.

Kent: You never, I went out one time. No, you've got to have it concise and entertaining because you also have to respect. If somebody's coming to a show to listen to you, then you have to honor them by sharing a good story and not getting up there and be in a putz.

Grayson: Nice.

Kent: Does that make sense?

Grayson: Yeah. no, totally. It's just kind of like echo back what you said it's it's about. Honoring the content of the story and giving it to the audience in a way that allows them to receive it in the most entertaining way.

Kent: Yeah. Now whether it's a funny story or a more dramatic story or sad story, you have to honor your listener. Honor the memory of your memory. So a lot of storytelling is a lot of what I teach and in storytelling is how to go back and be in that memory. And, and we have rules in storytelling. Like a, you tell from your scars, not from your wounds.

Kent: So if it was something dramatic that you went through recently, probably not yet a good story to stare at share on stage because you're still processing it and living it. But if it's something that you went through a few years ago, and then you're pretty good with it. Because when you're sharing a story, a really good storyteller shooter is hopefully lost in the memory and helping the listener, try to see it in their mind.

Kent: You know, we're trying to a storyteller, try to give the gift of letting someone live through our see-through our eyes for seven minutes. And and I think that's one of the reasons I love stories because. It's hard to dislike someone after you've heard something from their lives. You know, if we listened to more stories, we'd be a kinder culture.

Grayson: I totally agree with that. Like, I think that when we, when we connect on that personal level, like that intimate level of like sharing our lives with somebody, I think that it just. All the other bullshit, I think just drops away, Right, Because so much of life is bullshit.

Kent: Right, right. I mean, when you get down to the core of a shared human experience, then you know, and it's funny, I was using this in class last week. Yeah. When we share a story, we all relate to it. If you're listening to a story on the moth or at a risk show, and you're listening to this story, you may not have gone through the experience that that storyteller is sharing, but you've gone through enough of a similar experience that it's related.

Kent: And you go, oh, I, one of my favorite things after a storytelling show is having someone walk up and go, you know, I went through a similar experience when blank, blank, blank, blank, blank. That means you. You told the story. Well, if you get that, but it's hard to dislike someone after really hearing their story another great.

Kent: I don't want to speak in, in greeting cards, but, you know, I heard a great quote just a while ago. Stories are like hammers. They can build bridges or break kneecaps. And then it's that building bridges part that I really relate to. And I really love, and I think that's the reason they do it.

Grayson: Nice. Yeah.

Grayson: I so I mean, you sent me a couple of links of some of your some of your performances and. Wouldn't you know, it, the first one though that I watched was the one with brisk where you talked about coming out to your mom. And like that was like, I think the way that you presented that there was enough, like there was levity, but there was seriousness in it that I think, like, I felt a really strong connection.

Grayson: Like I'm also from the south. I also like I definitely had very interesting upbringing because of that. And, but my lived experience of coming out to my mom, I waited a really long time to actually come out to my mom. Like I was much older and about to get married

Kent: Hey.

Grayson: but like, right.

Grayson: I did it and You know, but the, the way that you relayed kind of like how that went down, like, I mean, you both had me laughing and in tears throughout the story. And I think that, that as a, as an audience member that granted like, you know, watching a video, but as an audience member, I think being able to evoke that type of emotion through your words, I think is just super, super powerful.

Kent: Oh, Well, thank you as well, being a southerner. You'll appreciate what is it? In, in steel Magnolias when Dolly Parton says laughter through tears is one of my favorite emotions.

Grayson: Yes, yes. True story. I went to a high school in the town. Where did that? That was a filmed.

Kent: Oh, no way. That's

Grayson: Yeah. Yeah. so I I've been in Shelby's house.

Kent: Lucky lucky. Of course the gays were going to take it. We're going to steer it back to golden girls or steal magnet. Yeah, it's weird though. The funny thing is, you know, a lot of folks Southern culture, you can say Italian culture, you can say because it gets relatable because if we have a strong culture cultural background that does become a little inner relatable.

Kent: Yeah. My mom. That's the story. He says, I got to come out twice.

Grayson: Yeah.

Kent: I was like, I don't want to do that on third time. It's pretty draining.

Grayson: Yeah,

Kent: But thanks. That was a fun story to do in a hard story to do and talk about telling from your scars, not your wounds. I couldn't have done that story 10 years ago.

Grayson: yeah. It, it definitely felt like the scars were there, but that it wasn't, it wasn't bleeding.

Kent: Yeah, no it's and, and, you know, I love in real life, there are funny things and dramatic moments. There are dramatic things in funny moments. And if we, if we can see them and share them, then again, it goes back to that relate-ability and building bridges. That's what we're trying to do as storytellers is to build bridges.

Kent: And to see each other through our eyes, our world. I know I keep harping on that, but I'm kind of stuck on it right now. I'm working on a book on storytelling and that keeps coming to me. As you know, we, we get to see the world through someone else's eyes and what a gift that is to be able to sit in an audience and see something that is different, you know, that may not be your.

Grayson: Yeah.

Grayson: Have you since, you know, like, I, I know that you've done something called the gay uncle times which I saw one of the, the videos from that. But have you. Have you used your storytelling in ways to try to bridge since, you know being queer in America, being queer anywhere in the world currently is difficult.

Grayson: Right. Have you used any of your storytelling to kind of like try to create bridges to people who are maybe a little bit more conservative in their views?

Kent: Totally. Totally never. When I loved that show, the gay uncle time by Geoffrey Roberts who created it here in Seattle, he has since moved to Tucson. I think that was the goal of his show is to show, Hey look, straight people come see gay people in a safe environment, and don't worry. We don't all want to sleep with you.

Kent: And we don't want to. So I did one of my favorite stories that I did. It was actually from when I lived in Oklahoma or was visiting Oklahoma city where I used to live in high school. And it's really the stories about being high in my mom's car. Being scared though, I'm being in Oklahoma and being gay.

Kent: It's like there are people getting beaten up daily from that. So I love that story because. It shows humorously that gay people. Yeah. Sometimes we smoke pot or we have smoke pot, but anybody that sees a giant yellow cat jump out of a car, a police car, I've told that in very conservative and environments and you know, when they can relax and laugh, And they got again, it's that seeing the world through someone else's eyes.

Kent: So if they get to go, oh wow. Gay people are human too. Wow. What a concept? You know, it hopefully makes it a safer place for everyone. I want to do a show that I've been thinking about a lot for older gay folks called six over 60,

Grayson: Okay.

Kent: because I remember as a young gay man. Listening to these don't mean this in a derogatory or crass way, but old Queens sit and, and share their stories in bars.

Kent: And these are the folks that paved the way that are creating the freedoms that gave folks in the U S are now enjoying and hearing some of the struggles. And and some of the things that things people went through. No. I mean, yeah, I mean, I was beaten up for holding my boyfriend's hand in downtown Santa Fe that we got beat up because we were holding, had the audacity of holding hands.

Grayson: Yeah.

Kent: But to share a story about that and the emotion that's feeling, hopefully if some buddy who hasn't really liked to gay people realizes, oh, well, nobody should be beaten up for holding hands. Then it helps make the world a better place for everyone.

Grayson: definitely. Yeah.

Kent: it's so funny. Cause I was telling a friend about this the other day. I remember the same boyfriend. We were holding hands, walking in the street and someone drove by and yelled out.

Kent: And my only thought was really that's all. That's so original, dude. I haven't heard that a million fucking times before. That's all you got. And so then if somebody hears that a straight guy hears that and they have done that and they realize how foolish that they looked or how unkind they looked, then stories help change things, stories make it better.

Grayson: Yeah.

Grayson: definitely. I mean, we have that happening here in Seattle, so it's not like isolated to more conservative areas. We definitely like get that on the hill. So yeah, I think that, I think that using stories to, to help bridge that gap, I think is, is great. I would love to, to see that six over 60 show if you need help with any of it, let me know.

Kent: Oh, thank you. I will, I will.

Grayson: like that sounds like a kind of project I can get behind.

Kent: Well, I just think there are stories that need to be heard. And my old roommate, I hope I'm not going too far off topic, but my old roommate and best friend Jeff, we were talking one day about the aids crisis. And we're both gay guys in our fifties who lived through the aids crisis. And I remember, I remember.

Kent: My 23rd year going to three funerals on on my birthday. One day, one day, three funerals. And Jeff was talking about, you know, this younger friend of his who just didn't even know the stories of the aids crisis. Then I'm like stories that need to be heard.

Grayson: Yeah.

Kent: Those are stories that need to be heard. So that's what inspired me to actually start thinking about the show and to do this show, because I do think a lot of younger gay folks have heard of, you know, the aids crisis, but don't really know what it was like, and God know what I don't want them to have to live through.

Kent: Time or that type of time and trauma, even though we are ironically, you know, somebody was talking about the pandemic and I'm like, yeah, first time, huh?

Grayson: Right.

Kent: is my second one,

Grayson: Yeah.

Kent: you know?

Grayson: I mean, I, I definitely was a, a baby gay during the aids crisis. So a little bit removed from it, but like you know, it definitely like had an impact for, for me. So.

Kent: We were locking ourselves up against we're locking ourselves to churches, to government buildings. And my God people were throwing the ashes of their loved ones. Onto the white house lawn just to get heard. And not a lot of people remember that. And again, I don't want anybody to have to live through that, but I think they need to hear the stories of what it was like, just because if, if they listened, you know, it's so funny.

Kent: I was sitting there thinking a Republican administration. That's ignoring Dr. Fowchee boy. Oh boy. Have I already gone through this?

Grayson: Yep.

Kent: Sorry, I've really gone off topic.

Grayson: No.

Kent: but it leads me back to the stories that were so, so many things that happen in so many people's lives change. And so many young folks, I was going to say young men, but there were many young women that died too. But even my stepdad once said to me, he was stepped. He was a world war II veteran, and he goes, you know, he goes, it's kind of weird for you guys because.

Kent: For us and world war II and how many of our buddies we lost. And then you lost a lot of your buddies and I'm like, wow, Bern, Bernie was his name. Good catch, pretty observant.

Kent: Anyway. So that's why I want to do six over 60. That'd be six, six storytellers. And so when we do, we'll let the audience know when it's happening so they can come up.

Grayson: Yeah, definitely. And anything I can do to help if you. need lighting sound, whatever.

Kent: I'll take you up on it.

Grayson: all right. Cause I definitely think that's a project that needs to happen.

Kent: Thank you.

Grayson: yeah. So let's let's move on to slightly more upbeat topic. Just

Kent: Yeah. Sorry.

Grayson: No, no, no, it, it, you know, the conversations go where they go.

Grayson: And, and that's why I like doing this. Right. But so

Kent: It is a part of gay history in America,

Grayson: exactly. Yeah. I mean,

Kent: gay artists. I mean, so many gay artists do

Grayson: oh yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, we

Kent: gay people in the arts.

Grayson: oh my gosh. What would art be without, without us? Boring.

Kent: Funny.

Grayson: yeah. And a lot less aesthetic. But let's talk about body storytelling because what, you know, what, what do queer people like more than art sex?

Kent: And sex and art. Yep.

Grayson: So body storytelling is a show by Dixie Della tour. If I remember correctly where people are invited and it's not just professional storytellers, it's anyone who has a story they'd like to tell, to tell naughty stories or body stories. Stories about sex. And I hear actually you told me that you did win best of body storyteller in 2019.

Grayson: So I'd love to hear the story of that.

Kent: Well, number one, Dixie is a very dear friend and she's so funny. And I tease her about the show, as I said, it's like the Mott's really naughty sister and she does a wonderful job coaching folks. Who've a lot of folks who've never been on stage and never shared stories before. And I've, I've told them I've been on it four or five times, but I think the story that I got one for was called the gay camp.

Kent: Because I told the story about falling in love with a guy that I met up at the gay camp ground here, that here in Washington, who I thought TRC. Exactly. And I, we connected, but we didn't hook up. We didn't have sex. We were romantic. And then. Before the, well, I thought the night we were, we were going to pick up, he had to take care of a really drunk friend, took him back to his campsite and went to bed.

Kent: Well that night while I was sleeping, I turned and I caught my penis and my zipper of my sleeping bag.

Grayson: Yeah.

Kent: And then. an injury like that, who wants to hook up with someone. But that was the story, but I had so much fun with that story in body audiences are so giving and so loving. And so every time I said gay camping, I had to have them say it with me.

Kent: So I made it very participatory that I said, you know, gay camping. It's like, Real camping only much more comfortable with better food and a lot more throw pillows

Kent: and lots of discussions. Oh, Hey, Hey. And I have a little posse that we, I go up with camping and, oh, we have so much fun, but that was the, the body storytelling, but I've had fun with that. And Dixie. Understand story. She gets it. We geek out and have storytelling Sundays where we geek about story concepts.

Kent: We get coffee and we're both early risers. So we'll get our coffee. I'll sit on my patio. I don't know quite where she sits and we'll just start geeking about different. Did you hear, did you listen to the month this week? What'd you think of this? I thought like Bubba, Bubba, Bubba. And we just have a blast because we're both story geeks.

Kent: Have you, did you read that article about sharing stories? So we have a lot of fun than that show. If you ever have a chance to go see that, go have a show. Cause she also always has a musician and she also shakes her blossom. So how could you go wrong and gay boys, gay boys love

Grayson: Yeah, true story.

Grayson: Yeah, I definitely like I've, I've gone once when it was at rebar before they shut down. And it was just such a fun experience. Like my coworker had invited me knowing full Well that it was like something that I would say yes to And yeah, we just, like, we had such a good time.

Grayson: I was basically me, her and her husband though not husband at the time fiance at the time. And we just, we went to rebar and it was such a fun time. We all got drunk. It was great.

Kent: Though, the fun thing is you, you, you hear stories that are of a more naughty nature that you may not hear and that you get to live and experience that you may not do yourself, but go, oh, okay.

Grayson: Yep.

Kent: Like I listened to a storyteller who was really into the whole puppy lifestyle, which is completely new and different to me.

Kent: And I was like, oh, okay, now I get it. That's why they like that. hearing this story, now I get to be a little more understanding and relatable and appreciative of something that's out of my safety zone.

Grayson: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think the time that I went, it was mostly like straight people. So that was a, you know, novel for me.

Kent: So you got to know what gets straight sex.

Grayson: Exactly. But yeah. Yeah, I mean, I think Yeah. So body storytelling is both a podcast as well as live show, correct.

Kent: Correct. Correct. And then some people just so they know BA w D Y body

Grayson: Oh yes,

Kent: think it's B O D Y body, like a body old time.

Grayson: yes. I, and I will put links to everything

Grayson: in the show notes so that people can find stuff. Yeah. Cause I like to do that. Just, you know, I like to, to promote the people who are the people in the things that people are

Kent: Well, and she has been so Dixie and body has been so good in promoting gay artists, artists,

Grayson: Yeah. I mean, I think they didn't, she start off as like, mostly focusing on LGBTQ artists.

Kent: I don't know, but that wouldn't surprise me. She does live in the bay area. And not that everybody in the bay area escape, where did I just do my own stereotype? Well, you know, the gays in San Francisco, all the gates down there But yes, she has an almost always she has. And the shows that I've done and there's always been, well, I guess I was going to say there's always at least one queer artist, but I'm like, oh yeah.

Kent: Well, wait a minute. than me, there's always been one additional queer artist.

Grayson: Right. So let's see. There's other things that I wanted to ask you about. So beyond being a storyteller, you're also a story coach. So you teach classes at unexpected productions which is I used to. I do improv they're having an awhile because of COVID. And I also like helped out with tech stuff there.

Grayson: I was just kind of like, I think I did one of your shows, like a lit one of your shows at one point. Could you just talk about like what your classes are like at UOP.

Kent: Yeah. Well, what we do is. Just get down and we geek about story and learn the basics of storytelling, but it's more, what I tried to teach is the skills to be free enough to share a story because it's so funny. Everybody comes in and almost everyone in my classes. I don't know if I have any stories that will be worth listening to, and then by the showcase.

Kent: Shut up. What the fuck were you thinking? Listen to that brilliant story. Yeah. And the audiences just eat it up. We have, so we have a showcase this weekend that I promised everyone that I taught three classes on zoom during the pandemic. And I promised them all back when we could open up that we would do a live showcase.

Kent: And so we had a rehearsal that last weekend and it was so neat to see the folks that I got to know online. Yeah. And see them share their story on stage, which is very different than, than storytelling online, both good and bad. I mean, there were some there's great storytelling shows that take place on zoom that are intimate and gorgeous.

Kent: And so seeing them develop the skillset of connecting with audience. And then my favorite part of teaching storytelling is seeing people develop the conflict. To go up there and share the story and feel so comfortable in their skin that they're sharing an intimate moment of their lives with strangers sitting in the dark and having a ball doing it.

Kent: And so we study story structure, we study narrative description versus scenic detail, which are the nuts and bolts of, of how to drive a story. Advance or color. If you remember from improv classes, you're advancing, then, then we learned some different techniques, but then to just see people who aren't storytellers normally.

Kent: But then what I love even more are some of my students have gone on and been on the moth have been, and risk are doing shows. One of my students created her own storytelling company. Now she got into it so much that she now teaches storytelling. Is the greatest joy for me, that means, okay. If I can share this passion, then that's, that's why I'm here.

Grayson: And that was Melissa, right?

Kent: That was Melissa shout out to Melissa Reeves, then her, her company story fruition.

Grayson: And we'll, we'll also drop a link to all of this,

Kent: But in, in this fall, I'm doing a show on PBS called stories from the stage and out of the eight storytellers that they picked three of them are my students.

Grayson: Oh, nice. Nice.

Kent: that makes me really, really proud. You know, John Cocteau used to say, when my friends succeed, I succeed with them.

Kent: And every time I see them up there and I'm like, yeah, Go out, teach the gospel, teach the gospel, teach storytelling. Because again, I think the world is a better place when we share our stories. And I know how trite that sounds, but I really mean it. It's hard to dislike someone after you've heard their story.

Kent: Okay. I said it again like a third or fourth time.

Grayson: It's okay. I think

Kent: When, when, when, when, when was I redundant?

Grayson: I think it's a fantastic message. Right? Connect through story and the world would be a better place.

Kent: I really think so.

Grayson: so.

Grayson: For the PBS show stories from the stage is it like, do you know, can you talk about like, I don't know if there's like an embargo on exactly what you can talk about, but

Kent: Yeah, no, I mean, I can, I know that it's going to be out. they came to, they were doing cities and cities that had BBS stations in them. And Seattle, I think was the last online show that they did.

Grayson: Okay.

Kent: So they, they recorded us sharing this story and it was really wild. Then I felt really famous cause it was like TV and we had producers there that were, were watching it and they were so lovely and supportive, but you know, the suits were there as well as the, and, and I was amazed at what they could do on an iPhone.

Kent: The iPhone became a TV camera. I mean, and they have all this stuff. That's good enough to create something that is going to be on PBS. So it was really neat to share the story. And I shared a story that I took a class with someone about how to share a story of you being a bad guy

Grayson: Okay.

Kent: of when you were a bad guy.

Kent: And so I really, that was in my head when I created that story. So I can't really talk about the story yet. They did ask us not to do that. And it was so neat. It was so neat and so fun

Grayson: Awesome. Yeah. I could expect nothing less that it's going to be exciting and gay. So

Kent: And Hey, it's PBS. So they did tales of this.

Grayson: they did do details of the city. So we are getting close to time, but speaking of tales of the city, I hear maybe from a story that you've told previously that you might know someone famous associated

Kent: Oh, you mean my, my close personal friend, Armistead muffin.

Grayson: that's yeah.

Kent: friend? Yeah. I told this story at gay uncle time about him and how much tales of the city meant to me. it on, on Facebook and he liked it. He liked it. Armistead Maupin liked it, but then he was here. He was the, what do you call it?

Kent: When you're head of the parade?

Grayson: Grand Marshall.

Kent: grand Marshall. He was grand Marshall one year and I met him and hung out with them here at the camp. He and his husband, Chris and people were walking up to us and they're like, is that helping them? I mean, my close personal friend, Armistead mop, and yeah, we're like, we're like this.

Kent: He knows, he knows my pin number. We're so close and it was pretty exciting, but it, he, as a storyteller is probably one of the greatest influences on me as a storyteller. So not that I nearly as good as he is. Even in his league, but he inspired me. I used to not share stories about being gay

Grayson: Hmm.

Kent: and Armistead gave me the freedom to do that, to share my story.

Kent: Nobody else can share my story. I got to do it. So yeah, love him. I just love him.

Grayson: Nice. Well, I think I think that's probably a good place to to stop. Let's see.

Kent: I think it's really neat that you are giving a voice to gay artists to share their process and a different, all the different types of gay artists. So thank you for doing.

Grayson: Of course, this is an opportunity for me to talk to amazing people who do creative things. Like I've. I find that it's hard to find people in Seattle. I think that community is really difficult to build here. And part of this is because I. I need community. This is why I'm doing this. It's because I need, I need community of artists to, to inspire me and to be inspired by.

Grayson: So.

Kent: You too.

Grayson: And, you know, hopefully this will help get people to explore other forms of art that they may be aren't used to exploring. We definitely know that storytelling is one of those things that like, I mean, I think when we were talking before the show, I specifically said I don't think I have any stories worth telling and.

Grayson: So I think I need to take one of your classes. I need to look at ups schedule for the fall. And now that I'm moving out of the suburbs, back into the city, it'll be a lot easier. So,

Kent: Well, come on down.

Grayson: Yeah.

Grayson: And I'm sure you'll see me around the theater as I start to actually put in my time for the tech side of things.

Grayson: Again.

Kent: Okay.

Grayson: Well it was great. Talking to you and getting to know you a little bit better and just make sure I. Want to replug everything that I that we talked about. So one thing that we didn't mention is that you have been on the risk podcast, a number of times. So back catalog of the risk podcast, you can go and find stories.

Grayson: There's the show on PBS coming out this fall stories from the stage as well as teaching and performing at unexpected production.

Kent: Yeah.

Grayson: all of that information will be able to be seen in the show notes and on the website, gaze making.com/ 1 0 5. And of course I would not be a good podcast or if I didn't ask everyone to rate and review the show so that more people can find us because that's the thing that I need to tell people.

Grayson: So, and with that thank you so much for taking your time. And speaking with.

Kent: Thank you very much Grayson and thanks to everyone for listening

Grayson: All right. See

Kent: and rate the podcast.

Grayson: Yes. Yes, please.

Kent: Bye.

Grayson: you so much bye!