DAY FOUR, YEAR FOUR: JANUARY 1, 1996 – December 31, 1996
“DRAGSTRIP 66, HOME ‘NON’IMPROVEMENT AND MOVING ON…”
By Michael Sean McHale
At the beginning of 1996 KOOKIE was traveling around the city to different locations and even made an appearance (4 of the characters) at WHOLE FOODS for the kids. It was magical.
But before I continue on our journey into 1996, there are a few things to note from 1993, 1994 and 1995 that were pretty significant.
In 1993 I booked my first film role in a movie called THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE! Mel Gibson was my director. They hired me to play a 17 year old cadet at a Military academy. I had to squeeze into a size 36 jacket…I couldn’t breathe for the next two days. We carried off the lead cadet at the end of the film. It was pretty magical sitting at the feet of Mr. Gibson (before he became crazy) and he gave us all some great advice. I also met a very good friend on that set. A guy named Michel. He was a wonderful guy and I always wondered what happened to him. We actually met at BILL DANCES office for the audition.
First, in 1994, I attended one of the most magical events in Los Angeles (still to this day) called DRAGSTRIP 66, created by Mr. Dan and Paul Vitagliano! There is a 30th Anniversary event for this remarkable event happening in April this year.
Well, Worthie, who had become one of my closest friends at this time, was asked by his friend, the incredible fashion designer, Chris Newlander, to attend this hot happening club, DRAGSTRIP 66. So he put on a Moo Moo (which is now owned by the one and only RuPaul) and MOMMA was born that night…However…things had an unexpected turn….
Worthie also worked at E.C. 2 Costumes. Bob Mackies Costume house and he was tasked with bringing a bunch of costumes to Japan for a new show called SPLASH. He was just going to fly to Japan, drop off the costumes and return soon after…Weeeeeell…when he got there, apparently the costumer who was supposed to be in charge was no longer there so Worthie ended up spending I believe, 2 months in Japan…he got to go Disneyland in Japan so he loved that part of it. In the meantime, we chatted on the phone on many occasions while he was in Japan (after 9 pm of course. 😊) and I told him that MOMMA had BLOWN UP! Everyone was wondering WHERE’S MOMMA??? It was pretty funny! When he returned to ‘mainland’ EVERYONE knew about MOMMA and if Instagram was around back then he/she would have had the most followers in town.
In the years to follow the two of us would go to many events and parties together…he as Momma and me as well, me…and we would literally spread the gospel of Jesus to hundreds in the LGBTQ community. Dozens would gather and sit and listen to this giant drag queen with the biggest heart on earth and myself telling them THEY WERE LOVED!!! Both of us have backgrounds in preaching and we reminded anyone who would listen that God loved them EXACTLY as they were and not to listen to the hateful rhetoric vomit spewed out of the ‘fake ‘c’hristians mouths that told them they were evil or less than. It STILL fumes me that anyone who calls themselves a Christian uses MY Lord Jesus as a weapon of hate and encourages young LGBTQ kids to commit suicide. I was one of those youth when I was 16 and condemned by ‘christians’ because I had a dream about a male friend and yes I DID contemplate suicide because of this at the time for the first time. Btw, we connected the first time when I shared a song I had written at the gay Bible study that we attended. He was very moved by it and told me so and after that we were inseparable…until we weren’t anymore. 😊
The other thing I need to add is from 1995…Remember that SIMPSONS script I had written “PUPPY LOVE”?
Well…I have to admit right now: I still to this day feel like it’s one of the best things I have ever written and I wasn’t the only one who thought so. A friend of mine from the Bible study was the assistant to the three creators of HOME IMPROVEMENT
and I asked him to read the script and let me know what he thought…Weeeeeell…he came back to me and told me…and I quote, “This is the funniest thing I have ever read in my life! The woman who hires writers for the show wants to meet with you but you need to have your agent send the script over so it’s legally submitted.” OMG!!!!! WHAT??? I wasn’t expecting this at all! I called my agent at the time immediately and she told her and she said she would ‘send it right over.’ Well, 2 weeks later, my friend asked me where the script was. I was confused. I called my agent again and she said “Oh yeah, I’ll get that right over…” Weeeeeell, 2 weeks later the same thing…And this continued for TWO MONTHS!!!!!!!!! And NO I am not kidding you! I had a chance to be a writer for this hysterical show and my ‘agent’ couldn’t get off her lazy ass and just SEND THE SCRIPT to Home Improvement. It was bizarre and MADDENING! To say the least. After two months and no results. And by then my friend told me that the woman from the show was extremely confused and was, in his words ‘over it’ so don’t bother anymore. Needless to say, I fired that moron of an agent. I hope she’s somewhere VERY ‘warm’ at this point, if you catch my drift. 😊
So now, onto 1996. It was a year of hundreds, if not thousands of Mystery Shows. I as a ‘hot ticket’ on the circuit of children’s entertainment. I was known by everyone in the biz now as MYSTERY MIKE…a name sweetly given to me by a six year old boy. I was doing a Mystery Show in Beverly Hills and I told everyone, “Hi! I’m Detective Mumbo Jumbo Columbo (my wacky detective name), but you can call me Mike…and a six year old boy said, “You’re not Mike…you’re MYSTERY MIKE!” So I took it! Out of the mouth of babes right?
I was also a Celebrity escort at the GLAAD Awards this year. This time for a very talented lady name Lily Tomlin. I spent the entire evening with her. Taking care of her and her partner Jane Wagner. They were both so kind and loving to me. I was honored to be in the presence of such greatness. And btw, if you have not seen her new film with Jane Fonda, MOVING ON….GO!!!! It’s a very sweet and powerful film that carries some great messages with it. You are going to fall in love with the little boy who visits Lily’s character at her assisted living apartment. Bring tissues.
Around this time as well and within the past year, I was sitting at a wonderful place called THE ABBEY in West Hollywood with some friends and I heard a VERY distinctive Boston accent loudly behind me. I turned to see a very handsome man named Tony with a group of people. He was making some funny comments and I heard the word ARSE flying around. I was hooked. We ended up dating for a while. He encouraged me to move to West Hollywood because my car kept having ‘parts’ stolen from it once a month. He said “You might as well pay the extra $200 for a locked garage.” He was right…but just before I did, he was planning on moving to another state and he came to my place the night before he was to leave so we could spend what was to be our last night together. He parked his pickup in front of my apartment in Hollywood. Sadly in the morning the truck was gone. He never got it back. I swear I had nothing to do with it. Yes, I didn’t want him to move away but I would NEVER!!!! 😊 He moved to West Hollywood with me to a wonderful complex on Larrabee St where another new friend I had met with Tony, Nancy, lived as well at the time.
I don’t remember when Tony and I parted ways but I know that my mom had come out in ’95 we were already broken up because I was dating a sweet guy from Orange County who ran a piano company, I think it was ROLAND maybe? Tony did remain in my life for many years after and Nancy is still a part of my life now almost 30 years later. We’re actually going to the Huntington Gardens tomorrow. 😊
Two things happened to me in the acting world that really stuck with me at this time as well and not in a good way.
First, I was up for a major role in a Mountain Dew commercial. It’s the one with the four guys walking through the woods…Well, I attempted to check my machine while out with a friend and I couldn’t access my ‘machine’. I DID book the role, but because I couldn’t confirm it, it was given to someone else. Aaaaargh!!!!! And secondly…I got a meet and greet with a commercial agency called Commercials Unlimited…I don’t even know if they’re still around now….but they told my manager at the time, “We REALLY loved Michael-Shaun but we thought he was too ‘fay’ Soooo disappointed in them for that. 🙁
Well, that’s it for now. 1997 was one of the hardest years of my life. It may take me awhile to finish it. Some of you know why but for the rest of you, you’ll find out in the coming days why it still lingers today. ☹