twenty-something

VH1 rocks. I thought I Love The 80s was amazing, but the new rounds of programming this channel is pumping out... my god, sheer brillance.

Screw music videos. Their original programming is just nutso pure pop culture pleasure. Best Week Ever... Motormouth... John Mayer Has a TV Show... Most Awesome Bad Songs...

Today I caught the new Mayer show, and also an ep of their "I Loved My High School" talking-head-fest -- which happend to be "The Gay Episode." Hysterical, honest, sometimes stereotypical and often universal, My Coolest Years: In The Closet was just suberb. It featured various "celebrities" like Survivor's Richard Hatch, Jonny McGoven (aka Gay Pimp), and Jill Sobule (ya know, the 90s song "I Kissed a Girl"?) talking very frankly about porn, first times, gym class, and various other teenage experiences. I'm sitting there watching, just sort of mouth gaping, shocked my the imagery and dirty talk, by the honesty, but the lack of censorship.

This isn't Queer Eye gay. This isn't five guys running around, mugging it up, playing it up for the straights without really pushing any buttons. This isn't just Carson making harmless, "witty" little comments about fashion and body odor. This is actually brave and, as much as a single episode of some little basic cable show can be, ground-breaking.

This is the oddly sexy Gay Pimp talking about being "faggoty," "jerking off" (with no bleeps!), and his first time "knocking on the gay door."

This is uber-annoying Ant (from "Last Comic Standing") talking about feeling up stoned straight guys at the movies.

This is beautiful Tammy Lynn Michaels (aka Mrs. Melissa Etheridge) talking about her first time in a gay bar and saying "Muff Diver" (with, sadly, a bleep).

This is real and true. I think it was the most honest gay thing I've ever seen on TV. Bravo, VH1!