I grew up in the homophobic rural Midwest in the 80s and 90s. Seeing Buddy Cole monologues on Comedy Central reruns in college really put the first cracks in my narrow and bigoted worldview. Scott Thompson deserves tons of credit for opening so many minds to the hypocrisy of homophobia.
I love this show! Only a select few of us watched and quoted it back in high school when it came out. Always amazed me that this show made me laugh harder in thirty minutes than SNL ever did in ninety.
I met Scott on the mall in D.C. in 1991 during the gay march. He was in a full beard and moustache and alone. I am sure he didn't want to be recognized. Nevertheless I recognized him instantly and asked for a pic. We took a few. I told him I thought he was the funniest ever. Still do. He couldn't have been nicer.
I just heard an interview on the Canadian public radio program, Q, with Scott Thompson. He said Buddy Cole was not embraced by the Canadian gays. I loved his monologues. I’m from America.
I remember watching KITH with my big brother as a young teen and crying laughing and my parents loved them too! Whenever I see any of the skits, even my classmates then mimicked the scenes and even to this day my brother and I will act a few out. Or sing their songs. Scott is so talented and the cast really worked so well together I couldn't imagine the gag reels.
The one "Buddy" monologue that sticks in my soul is where he's at the gravesite of a friend that died of aids.. Gave the best quote that I use to this day.. his friend said to him; "Buddy, life is so full of crap, why bother wiping?".
The New York Times 2022: Even at the time, Buddy was criticized for embodying a swishy cliché. But the Kids’ comedy often embraced stereotypes, the better to smother them. For Thompson, the character was - in an era of gay-panic gags and Tom Hanks in “Philadelphia” - a rare instance of a gay actor’s being allowed to own his sexuality and femininity. “Buddy is an alpha queen,” Thompson says in the documentary. “He is never the butt of the joke.” And could he ever dish it out. In one sketch, Buddy incinerates the homophobic comedy of Sam Kinison, Eddie Murphy and Andrew Dice Clay (whose act, he says, is like someone took your non-English-speaking grandmother, “taught her to swear phonetically” and gave her an HBO special).
I remember this episode in response to Sam Kinnison. We were at a gay bar in West Hollywood and they would stop the music here and there for a clip of TKITH. First, they played Sam's comments on gays and I will say he was an ass hole. When Scott Thompson fired back I heard through the grapevine Sam was infuriated. I just remember the bar lit up with laughter.
Funny how Dice Clay can't get arrested, never mind get hired for any comedy gig. While Scott is going strong. Goes to show that hate will only get one so far. I don't mind the filth side of things in comedy. Funny monologue. Love how he disses so many people in such a camp manner.
I plan to see them live in San Francisco in 2008. They are now on TOUR in America & Canada. The Most Critically-Acclaimed Comedy Troupe of Our Generation Hits the Road for First Major Tour in Six Years
It's funny how so many people said this would set us back as a community, but in reality it pushed us forward. It shoved it in mainstream audiences faces, in a way that didn't demand respect, it circumvented the very notion. Not in any heteronormative stylings, not in tongue-and-cheek nods, not in hush tones so that they didn't upset anyone. No, this was an act of rebellion. It was saying, "You know what, I am a (slur) and far more fabulous and impactful than you or your small words will ever be. And, the world will applaud me for it." Buddy said it was okay to not play by their rules, because under those restrictions, we were never meant to win.
Scott is fantastic! And I'm not saying that because I'm not gay. Between Buddy, and the one he played a psychotic cab driver with a gun, I never laughed so hard before or since. Achingly hard! And I'm not gay!
Buddy says "no stand up comedy allowed" - Scott tried a career in stand-up, but couldn't get anywhere because the scene was too homophobic; on this show he wanted to let the gay community laugh instead of get put down. I'd love to see Scott do stand-up now, maybe the scene has changed since the '80s.
He'd be eaten alive for even considering using the word "fag" passively, hell stand-up comedy is banned in nearly 90% of all college towns because it's "too problematic".
I remember seeing this. It was great to see someone finally taking Sam Kinison and Andrew Dice Clay to task for their rather hateful brand of comedy. Sorry, folks, but they WERE bigots. You rock, Scott!
@mikebott He was on the Larry Sanders show, and that was pretty popular in its heyday, and continues to be to this day. He has certainly made more quality stuff than some of the other KITH's. Plus one can say, that maybe he did not want his own show. Some people thrive in a collaborative environment, and Scott may be one of them.
Scott's new short film is called The Immigrant. He co-wrote & stars w/ Dave Foley, Margaret Cho, Will Forte, Michael Cera & Deb Theaker. The trailer's on our channel so check it out by clicking on our name to be taken there. Thanks!
