"Rowena" from Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941

Check out Cyrilla Baer performing "Rowena" (music by Erato A. Kremmyda and lyrics by Maggie-Kate Coleman) from our recent Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941 at Joe's Pub! 

Go HERE to listen to the entire podcast, and please subscribe on iTunes and rate us.

Sex Variants, Part IV

This is our fourth and final episode of our Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941, taking inspiration from a study conducted in the 1930’s by Dr. George Henry in which he interviewed a couple hundred individuals and cataloged data such as a complete family history with symbols to indicate who had what venereal disease, tuberculosis, alcoholism, who committed suicide, who was psychotic. We set some of these personal histories to song and brought others to life with monologues performed at Joe’s Pub in NYC.

To kick us off, we’ll start with a song written and performed by Max Vernon taking inspiration from the case study of Moses I. And the little intro you’ll hear is taken from Dr. Henry’s own words, performed by Trey Lyford. Also featured, actor Nedra McClyde performing the case study of Myrtle K, a vaudeville comedian. After that, we’ll wrap things up with a sea shanty, “Odd Girl Out” written by Jill Sobule, inspired by Roberta H., and performed by Marykate O’Neil. Many thanks to everyone involved in this project and our project contributors Ian Daniel, Joel Glassman, Amina Henry, Leicester Landon, and Benjamin Viertel.

TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE LET ME ASCERTAIN YOU PODCAST SERIES ON ITUNES, PLEASE CLICK HERE!

Sex Variants, Part III

Welcome to episode three in our series Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941. Recorded live at Joe’s Pub in New York City, this show takes its inspiration from the medical book Sex Variants: A Study of Homosexual Patterns by Dr. George W. Henry. For each of his case studies, Dr. Henry recorded a detailed and intimate personal history, and we are sharing some of these with you now through performances by actors and in original songs. In between, you will sometimes hear Dr. Henry’s own introductions to these case studies; those bits are performed by actor Trey Lyford. Our first piece is a song by the writing team of Erato Kremmyda and Maggie-Kate Coleman. Cyrilla Baer interprets the words of Rowena K. Following that is Rudolph Von H, a monologue performed by David Cale. And to close the third episode, we have a song by Michael Friedman inspired by the case study of Sydney H. Michael’s song is performed here by Dito Van Reigersberg accompanied on the piano by Nathan Dame.

TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE LET ME ASCERTAIN YOU PODCAST SERIES ON ITUNES, PLEASE CLICK HERE!

Sex Variants, Part II

Hi! We’re back with the second episode of Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941 recorded live here in NYC at Joe’s Pub. This series takes its inspiration from a 1941 medical book by Dr. George W. Henry. Subtitled "A Study of Homosexual Patterns," Dr. Henry classified these case studies as homosexuals, bi-sexuals, or narcissists. A little something for everyone. In this episode we’ll start off with the case study of Irene K., played at our live show by Kate Buddeke. The evening’s MC Trey Lyford will first give us a little intro to Irene K., and his words are taken verbatim from Dr. Henry’s "general impressions" of the variant in question. Then you’ll hear "That Crazy Business" a song written by Andrea Grody about the case study Nora M. performed by Jessie Shelton and Nathan Dame. The last two performances are based on the same patient, Donald H. First actor Dan Domingues performs Donald’s own words from his personal history and we’ll follow that with a song, "The Future Looks Very Fine," written by Cesar Alvarez, and performed here by Cesar and the rest of his band The Lisps which are Sammy Tunis, Eric Farber, and Lorenzo Wolff.

If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to “Let Me Ascertain You” on iTunes to hear upcoming episodes in this “Sex Variants” series.

TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE LET ME ASCERTAIN YOU PODCAST SERIES ON ITUNES, PLEASE CLICK HERE!

Brandon Davidson Performs "I Have Had The Earth"

Check out this powerful performance of "I Have Had The Earth," performed by Brandon Davidson. The song was composed by Tim Acito (who also accompanies on piano). It was part of our recent Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941 at Joe's Pub. Go HERE to listen to the entire podcast, and please subscribe on iTunes and rate us!

"(not) Normal" Performed by Grace McLean

Check out the incredible, voice-looping Grace McLean performing "(not) Normal" from our recent Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941 at Joe's Pub! Go HERE to listen to the entire podcast, and please subscribe on iTunes and rate us.

Sex Variants, Part I

We’re kicking off a new series here at Let Me Ascertain You. These podcasts are taken from our live shows performed at Joe's Pub here in New York City and our most recent show was called Sex Variants 1941. As you may know, our shows are typically inspired by interviews we do ourselves but for this one, we are borrowing our inspiration from a medical study entitled Sex Variants: A Study of Homosexual Patterns. The book is a collection of case studies conducted by Dr. George W. Henry of Cornell University. Dr. Henry interviewed over 200 people about the sex lives, their childhoods, their family history - pretty much no stone was left unturned. There are also some really amazing drawings of the subjects’ genitalia, though only those of the female subjects. It’s unclear as to why that is exactly. We are bringing it all back to life in this podcast series.

Dr. Henry provided his written analysis of each case study, starting off with his general impressions. So throughout this series you’ll hear actor Trey Lyford quoting from Dr. Henry’s impressions. Starting off here with his thoughts on Molly N., followed by a performance of her personal history by the actor Nina Hellman. After Nina, you’ll hear Molly N.’s words turned into song by Grace McLean in her song “(not) Normal.” Then, Brandon Miller performs an excerpt from the case study of Louis E. And we’ll wrap up with a song written by Tim Acito inspired by Noel W. The song which is titled “I Have Had the Earth” is sung by Brandon Davidson accompanied by Tim.

If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to “Let Me Ascertain You” on iTunes to hear upcoming episodes in this “Sex Variants” series.

TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE LET ME ASCERTAIN YOU PODCAST SERIES ON ITUNES, PLEASE CLICK HERE!

LMAY: Sex Variants 1941 - Song Preview!

Only three more days till Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941 at Joe's Pub this Monday night! All of the evening's originals songs are inspired by, and derived from, 80 graphic first-person accounts from one of the earliest “scientific” surveys of sexual deviancy. Tickets available HERE! 

Artwork by Gwen Shockey

We wanted to give our friends across the blogosphere a special sneak peek at the evening's entertainment, with this short excerpt from the original composition, "Moses," by Max Vernon, a songwriter lauded as "equal parts bohemia and broadway" by the New Yorker.

Max Vernon

On the genesis of the song: 

Max: This was a tricky song to write because there was a lot to unpack–I wanted to figure out how to honor the sensationalistic and darkly comic tone of the medical journal itself while also being very clear about Moses' depression and dysmorphia and not turning that into a joke. It's pretty obvious to me that Moses, while into some mild kink, was not in fact a "deviant," but rather a transwoman who in 1941 had no language to articulate that. To me, there's nothing funny about that. Writing a song that was equally absurd and painful was the only way for me to make sense of the material.

Check out the lyrics, and take a listen below. And stay up to date on Max's projects by visiting his Website and Facebook!

Excerpt from "Moses" by Max Vernon

Sometimes I dream that I'm a female cat

and another cat is taking advantage of me

sometimes I like to wear my mother's gown

and twirl around while masturbating frantically

until the day my balls shrivel up and die so I can realize

my castration fantasy – and this body will fade

away like a memory.

Hello my name is Moses

I got a cruel and strange neurosis

I get a thrill from panty hoses

doctor what's your diagnosis?

LMAY: Sex Variants 1941 - Meet The Composers!

In anticipation of Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941, we wanted to give you a sneak-peak of our impressive lineup of composers. Check them out below, and then grab your tickets to the show before we sell out. Monday, February 3rd @ Joe's Pub. Tickets available HERE! 

Tim Acito has received three Drama Desk nominations (book, music, and lyrics), multiple ASCAP composer grants, the GLAAD Media Award, and a Sundance residency for his work in musical theatre, which has been performed Off-Broadway, regionally, and abroad. 

César Alvarez writes about theater, music and science here. He’s a Drama Desk-nominated composer, lyricist, performer and writer. Founding member of The Lisps. Co-founder and resident composer of LA-based dance company Contra-Tiempo. 

Maggie-Kate Coleman wrote the book and lyrics for POP! and From a Childhood, written with Erato Kremmyda. She's been all over the place: The York Theatre Company’s NEO Cabaret (with composer Daniel Maté), Joe’s Pub, Barrington Stage, Laurie Beechman Theatre...just to name a few!

Michael Friedman has written music and lyrics for The Civilians' Canard Canard Goose, Gone Missing, Nobody's Lunch, This Beautiful City, In the Footprint, Paris Commune, and The Great Immensity (premiering at The Public Theater in April). He also wrote the music and lyrics to Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Broadway). Check him out performing an original he wrote for The Civilians' nationwide Occupy #S17 here! 

Andrea Grody's recent projects include Venice at the Public Theater, Love Labour's Lost at Shakespeare in the Park, White Christmas at Northern Stage, and a workshop of Carmen set in Cuba and reimagined by Moisés Kaufman and Arturo O’Farrill. Upcoming: Fortress of Solitude at Dallas Theater Center and The Civilians’ The Great Immensity at The Public. You can actually check out Andrea's most recent output on our latest podcast Holy Matrimony!  

Erato A. Kremmyda is a New York based composer, originally from Athens (Greece).  Theatre (selected): Agamemnon (Irondale, NYC), The Dot (Bios, Athens), We Are Theatre(Cherry Lane Theatre, NYC), Wagon Wheel (Loewe Foundation Development Award, Planet Connections, NYC), Field Trip: A Climate Cabaret (Superhero Clubhouse/ Marfa Dialogues NYC)...and many more! Take a trip over to Erato's website.

Grace McLean began writing ditties as a remedy for her pickled love life and has developed a sparse, plunky style that underlines her often irreverent, always truthful lyrics.  In addition to playing with her band Grace McLean and Them Apples and composing music for a performance piece about 12th century German mystic Hildegard von Bingen, Grace currently performs in the pop opera Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. Check out some of her tunes here!

Jill Sobule has made four more critically acclaimed albums, Happy Town, Pink Pearl, Underdog Victorious, and 2009′s California Years, which Jill released on her own record label, "Pinko Records," after collecting over $85,000 from fans who funded the project. She has played the role of political troubadour for NPR stations across the country and for Air America Radio. Check out her nifty corner of the web here.

Max Vernon's work has been performed at venues such as Dixon Place, LaMaMa, Ars Nova, Joe's Pub, and Music Hall of Williamsburg. His musical, WIRED, was a finalist for the 2011 Eugene O'Neill Musical Theatre Conference, and given a 29-hour reading at Ars Nova Theatre.  Learn more about his work on his website.

Come join us at Joe's Pub on Feb. 3rd to hear what these fantastic composers come up with!

Let Me Ascertain You: Sex Variants 1941

Do you consider yourself a “Sex Variant?” Don’t know what that is?

Well, dig out the skeletons from your closet and join us for the next Let Me Ascertain You. Joe’s Pub is having us back on Monday Feb 3 at 9:30 pm for a stimulating look into America’s secret sexual past. Get your tickets HERE!

Ever heard of Havelock Ellis? Magnus Hirschfeld? … no? How about Alfred Kinsey? They are the forefathers of a global sexual liberation movement started in the late 19th century toward the acceptance of people who identify as something outside the norm: Sex Variants.

Another less known (perhaps less liberated) pioneer in the field of sex research is Dr. George W. Henry of Cornell University. In 1935, he teamed up with the Committee for the Study of Sex Variants to publish the subject of next month's LMAY cabaret. "Sex Variants: A Study of Homosexual Patterns" hosts 80 interviews with volunteers who ran the risk of losing their jobs, blackmail, or arrest. We hear everything from the early childhood exploration of the body to orgies. Sometimes funny, often shocking, these stories illuminate the myriad of ways that humans have always explored and expressed the most animal of our instincts.

Here’s a little bit of what we’re talking about...

Nathan T’s personal sex history:

“Since puberty I've had a vague sex interest in dogs. For more than ten years I used to get them to lick my penis. I still feel vaguely sexy about dogs I like… If I saw anybody having sex with a dog I would think it rather nice.”

Rowena K on her endurance: 
“Sex averages four or five hours. We just stop and wait and keep feeling good all the time. It takes her that long. In five or ten minutes I have an orgasm but I continue feeling good. I can have ten to fifteen orgasms and still feel good.”

Henry divided the subjects of his study into three groups: Homosexual, Bisexual or Narcissistic. He was determined to make progress on the treatment and prevention of “sexual maladjustment,” so he evaluated the family history, psychology and physiology of the subjects hoping to find a pattern, maybe even a cause. And there are graphic physical examinations too and diagrams to prove it.

Yes: in the book, you can see a gay vagina compared to a ‘normal’ vagina; there’s a cross-section showing how a dildo works; you can witness studies of dozens of labial folds and areola.

From SEX VARIANTS

Myrtle K: “My clitoris enlarges when I get steamed up...My clitoris natural is two inches long. Enlarged it’s three inches and the thickness of a little finger. I think it’s grown half an inch in the past year. I’ll have to get a jock strap if it gets much more.” 

Salvatore N: “I often ask myself whether I am really a homosexual or merely a person who performs homosexual acts through association. I never want to have an affair with another homosexual. Taking the penis in my mouth does not satisfy me. Homosexual practices disgust me. Men who speak with an effeminate voice, who refer to each other as “she” or who make feminine gestures, are repugnant to me." 

Join us on Monday, February 3rd at 9:30pm at Joe's Pub as we transform these graphic first-person accounts into a provocative, pansexual cabaret of monologues and songs about first times, dreamy fantasies and excessive fetishes. 

The evening will feature original songs written from material in the book from these exciting 8 composers:

Tim Acito, César Alvarez, Maggie-Kate Coleman and Erato A. Kremmyda,  Michael Friedman, Andrea Grody, Grace McClean, Jill Sobule, and Max Vernon.

Pictures and quotes from: Henry, George W. Sex Variants: A Study of Homosexual Patterns. New York: Paul B. Hoeber, Inc, Medical Book Department of Harper & Brothers, 1941. Print.