The treasure at the end of the rainbow: An interview with Randy Rainbow

By Gregg Shapiro

Photo By Dirty Sugar Photography

Not to brag, but we gays do many things incredibly well, including music and comedy. Few gays do

both as fabulously as Randy Rainbow. Since the 2016 presidential campaign, and subsequent years,

Rainbow amassed a tremendous following via his YouTube videos, with views in the millions, many of

which addressed the political situation in the U.S. Not one to rest on his laurels, Rainbow has

continued to create content that provides much needed laughter and relief during these increasingly dark times. Currently performing his National Freakin’ Treasure tour to delighted audiences across the

country, Randy graciously made time for an interview.

Gregg Shapiro: For a considerable number of people, your videos skewering Trump during his disastrous first term were a panacea, a source of necessary laughter in what was a very dark time. Did you ever imagine that he would not only be elected to a second term, but would be doing far more irreparable damage than we could have dreamed?

Randy Rainbow: Did I ever imagine it? No, I don't think I did. I don't know what I imagine anymore

[laughs]. Everything is so fucking crazy. I'm trying to be as genuine as I can, but maybe I did. I don't know. I don't have the most confidence in anything anymore on this planet. I don't think I ever planned to be where we are now; I didn’t think in those terms. I'm coming at it from a very interesting perspective, as you mentioned. I’ve been covering this hot mess since the beginning. The

way I thought about it: Trump would just be sort of like a temp job for me, and now I'm gonna end up retiring on the fucking thing.

GS: Your fantastic new “He Just Can’t Wait To Be King” video includes a clip of the rainbow crosswalk in front of the future site of the official Pulse Memorial in Orlando, as well as comedians and late-night TV hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, both of whom are under threat from Trump and his followers. Does this give you cause for alarm as a comedic performer?

RR : I'm alarmed about everything. I’m a gay Jew, so I'm scared of every fucking thing there is to be

afraid of. I always say, I don't know that I'm really on Trump's radar. It would look pretty foolish for him to come after the song parody YouTube guy. That would be really, low hanging fruit. Of course, you never know. By the fourth term, he might have run out of talk show hosts. It’ll be slim pickings. No, I don't have any immediate concern, except for the impending doom of this country on the whole. Otherwise, I feel great!

GS: Yes, you sound like it. As someone who spent his formative years in Florida, Randy, what do you think about Governor DiStractus, as I call him…

RR: … that’s a good one.

GS: Thank you! About the way he’s trying to erase our community?

RR: I think it's just heartbreaking and infuriating. You said it, everything is just a political

move and a distraction. It's based in that kind of nonsense. We seem to be a little more fragile as a

community than ever before. I don’t want to be Debbie Downer because my job is to uplift people

with humor, and I'm so thrilled that I get to do that. But, from my perspective, trying to tackle these episodes with musical comedy and satire becomes more difficult by the day. Because, first, it's already spoofing itself; it's just getting more absurd. And it's a little darker than we've known before, so it is becoming more of a challenge.

GS: Moving on to a happier subject, earlier this year, your third book, “Randy Rainbow and the Marvelously Magical Pink Glasses,” for readers of all ages, was published, featuring wonderful illustrations by Jaimie MacGibbon. Were you involved in selecting Jaimie as illustrator?

RR: The publisher brought a few people to me, and I got to look at their work and choose. I loved what I saw from Jaimie from the beginning. Then I got to be kind of a part of her process and submit pictures. It’s based on a true story [laughs], as far as being inspired by my grandmother, who was a big

inspiration for me. I submitted pictures of all the real people, and cats, who are involved in the book.

She drew a lot of inspiration from that.

GS: Bette Midler’s “The Saga of Baby Divine” is one of my all-time favorite books for readers of all ages. Do you have a favorite in that genre?

RR: Do you know what? You can print that I'm saying this, but don't you dare print [laughs] that I don't

think I know of it! I don't think I have ever actually seen it.

GS: Did you have a favorite book in the readers-of-all-ages genre when you were growing up?

RR: I loved a lot of things. I had all those Golden Books. I loved “Balloonia” and “Magic Shoelaces” (by Audrey Wood). My mother introduced me to those. Also, the Berenstain Bears were big for me. When I said that, someone said, “Aren't you Jewish?” I didn't realize there was a kind of religious component to them. I guess there is, but not enough [laughs] to deter my mother.

GS: I don't think they were members of the tribe, if I remember correctly.

RR: No. It was just lovely life lessons and things. That was a new revelation to me. When I was a kid,

and this won't surprise you, it was all about musicals.

GS: As I mentioned, you now have three books to your name, as well as two albums. Are there more books and albums in the works?

RR: We're in developmental stages of many things. I will say yes, but I don't have anything to report at this time. Certainly, an album. We're talking about starting that project next year, because it’s time.

GS: You have dates from now until mid-November on your National Freakin’ Treasure tour. What are you most looking forward to about this tour?

RR: As is always the case with my live shows, people, particularly in my audience, know what they're coming for and they're all there to feel a sense of community and to get a little bit of relief. It really is a lovely experience, aside from hearing the roar of the crowd and the smell of the greasepaint, and all that stuff. It’s kind of an added layer of people coming together and being like minded. Not necessarily left or right. I do actually have people from all across the spectrum in my audience. People who gravitate towards kindness and common sense, and those sorts of things. And musical theater! We’re having a lot of fun. I was afraid that, because of the times we’re in, that it might be a little bleak

feeling, but it’s just the opposite. People are being uplifted by the comedy and the music. Music does

that to people.

GS: Finally, I still have my Randy Rainbow for President t-shirt.

RR: Good! It’s a collector’s item.

GS: We need your wit and wisdom now more than ever. What would your

platform be if you ran for office in 2028?

RR: I would make things much gayer. I would implement my full gay agenda. I

would select my vice president on Grindr, the way it’s supposed to be. I would continue to gay things up. Whether they know it or not, people need more of us. We

need a little light and joy.

Photo By Dirty Sugar Photography