DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley Dennis Hensley

Dennis is joined via Zoom by filmmaker Brian Sloan whose 1997 gay rom-com I Think I Do is coming to streaming this month in a newly restored version. It's also being celebrated at a Newfest screening and cast reunion on April 15th at the BAM Rose Cinemas in New York City. Brian talks about what originally inspired him to write the movie, the thrill of arriving at set on Day 1 and seeing all those trucks and how hard it was to cast the movie because no agents or managers wanted their clients to play gay characters. He also shares memories of working with cast members Tuc Watkins, Guillermo Diaz, Christian Maelen and the late Alexis Arquette. Other topics include: why he chose to feature multiple Partridge Family songs on the film's soundtrack, seeing the movie Porky's behind his parents' back, playing hardball with Elaine Stritch, wanting to be blond Chris Partridge and the thrill of meeting multiple married gay couples who say that going to see I Think I Do together was their first date.

Dennis is joined via Zoom by filmmakers Monica Villamizar and Jordan Bryon to talk about their new documentary Transition, which Jordan is also the main subject of. Here's the film's synopsis: Australian journalist Jordan Bryon gains incredible access to a Taliban unit during the fall of Afghanistan. The countryʼs transition coincides with his own physical transformation as a trans man. While he and his local videographer, Teddy, embed with the Taliban, Jordan conceals his physiology and is accepted as a man. However, if the Taliban were to find out, he and Teddy would likely be in grave danger. The film follows Jordanʼs journey, as he paradoxically gains more freedom as he transitions, while deftly chronicling the increasing oppression of women as the Taliban transitions to power. Jordan talks about why he felt more at home embedded with a Taliban unit than he does at a queer bar in Sydney, how he met his girlfriend Kiana who also appears in the film and why his mom is so cool. Monica talks about what drew her to the story, the frustration of not being able to shoot in certain places because she's a woman and how she'll never forget how shocked she was to learn that many of the young Talibs she met had no idea who Osama Bin Laden even was. Other topics include: bra burning rituals, what things are like in Afghanistan now, nerve-wracking airport checkpoints and the surprising reactions they've gotten so far from the movie.

This is a special crossover episode with the film podcast Linoleum Knife Presents More Linoleum Knife hosting by husbands and film critics Dave White and Alonso Duralde who Dennis has been friends with since the 1990s. They invited Dennis on to talk about one of his favorite movies ever, Xanadu starring Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly and Michael Beck. Dennis shares a slew of memories related to the film, like when he watched it in his hometown of Holbrook, AZ and the power went out during the screening, that time he got to be a paid to dance in front of the screen while the movie was playing and the chilling encounter he once had on stage with an actress from Xanadu: The Musical that haunts him to this day. Other topics include: the Outfest sing-along Xanadu screening where Dennis saved the day, Michael Beck's short shorts, the roller disco trend and Cher's role in it and that time Dennis got to meet ONJ and kind of choked.
https://www.patreon.com/LinoleumKnife
 

Part 2 of Dennis's conversation with author Abdi Nazemian focuses on his latest book Only This Beautiful Moment, which recently won the Stonewall Award from Young Adult Literature. Abdi talks about drawing inspiration for the multigenerational story from his own family, how he was able to write scenes set in Iran despite having left there when he was a child and the longing he feels for the country and it's people. He also talks about what it feels like to have his two most recent books banned in many schools, how that affects his bottom line and how he learned the hard way not to engage with online trolls. Other topics include: being an Associate Producer on the film Call Me By Your Name, going back to school to get his MBA, the power of telling the truth instead of chasing what you think the market wants, why young people give him hope, the perils of social media and why he chose to set a scene in the men's room of the late great Silver Lake piano bar The Other Side. https://www.abdinazemian.com

Dennis is joined via Zoom by author Abdi Nazemian (Only This Beautiful Moment) to discuss his previous book Like A Love Story, which is about three high schoolers in the late 1980's who are obsessed with Madonna. Dennis first met Abdi at a queer writers mixer and commented on Abdi's Madonna T-shirt. They discovered they were both big fans of Madge so it made sense to talk for the podcast after they had both seen Madonna's current Celebration Tour. Abdi and Dennis compare notes about the tour and share the moments they found most inspiring and moving. Abdi also talks about how his Madonna obsession inspired the plot of Life a Love Story and how the book ended up being a breakthrough success for him after publishing several other books. Other topics include: Abdi's obsession with old Hollywood, how he got his entire boarding school into Mommie Dearest, what the label "Young Adult Novel" actually means, the time he almost met Madonna as a kid in France, where he was when he heard she'd been hospitalized and the question he'd really like to ask Madonna about the spoken-word section of "Vogue."

In this special episode of Dennis Anyone, Dennis is joined by five friends he's known since 1986 when he moved from Arizona to Los Angeles to take part in a 12-week long performing workshop put on by American Center for Musical Theater at held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles. This reunion meal happened in 2017 and was held at the Moorpark, CA home of Kristin Dahl and her husband Eric and the other attendees are Sherri Fleming, Karole Forman, Dennis Osborne and Jon Thomas. The group talks about what that intensive workshop meant for them in their lives and share what they remember about that time and each other. Other topics include: bad auditions, dream roles and teachers that hurl insults, play mind games and worse in order to toughen you up for show business.