“We should do this every year,” Michael Musto told us.
Huzzah! He likes talking to us.
The openly gay gossip columnist spoke to us last year about the then-impending release of “Fork on the Left, Knife in the Back,” a collection of columns from his 27-year career at The Village Voice, where he reports on New York nightlife and pop culture.
But “Fork” never made it to the bookshelves, stuck in literary limbo until now, with a new release date of Sept. 1
We’d happily talk to Musto even without an impending book, as five minutes on the phone with him is more illuminating than watching two hours of TMZ.
PGN: What delayed the release of the book? MM: It was on Alyson Books, which came to a standstill. So I managed to get the manuscript back a get it over to Vantage Point Press. Now everything is back on track.
PGN: Did you add to the book? MM: It’s been spruced up since, but it’s still the same concept. I added a few more columns and just jazzed it up a bit.
PGN: Are you throwing a party to celebrate the release of the book? MM: Yes. We have a big party Sept. 19 at the Copa Cabana Club in New York and it’s hosted by Countess LuAnn from “Real Housewives of New York” and Lisa Lampanelli, the comedian. It’ll be a big cornucopia of downtown craziness and reality-show lunatics.
PGN: When looking for your favorite articles for the book, did you know exactly the ones you were looking for or did you have to rediscover some of them? MM: I’ve written so many columns when you consider I’m coming up on my 27th anniversary at The Voice. You multiply that by 50 … I used to be good at math … it’s like 1,300 columns. It’s staggering what I’ve lived through and what I’ve reported on. So as I’m going through these, it really jogs the memory. Sometimes a column you thought was a big throwaway nothing now stands out as something more profound and the opposite. Sometimes you thought you wrote something trendsetting and amazing and you read it and it was really lame.
PGN: Is being Michael Musto a 24/7 job or is it something you can step away from for a week and not miss a beat? MM: It’s 24/7. It never lets up. It’s sucking out my soul but I don’t have one so it’s OK. It’s a good thing because I like being Michael Musto and it’s a fun person to be. But there’s no let up. Yeah, if I go away, let’s say for a week in Fire Island, I’m basically there to write about it. So my work is interconnected with my life. I don’t have a life outside of my work. I don’t come home to a boyfriend and pet or even a potted plant. There’s probably something poignant about that but at least everything I’m running toward is glittering, exciting and keeps me stimulated.
PGN: Do you even envision the day when you will retire and, if so, could anyone you know of take your place? MM: No and no. I hate downtime. I don’t want to be able to sit and relax. Relaxation is not relaxing to me. I dread the day when I would have to step down and read old Jane Austin novels. I did that already in college. Not to pat myself on the hunchback, but I don’t think anybody else can do what I do, which is a combination of old-school journalism and column writing, along with the new up-to-the-minute stuff — blogging, tweeting and Facebooking. And do it with a combination of humor, self-deprecation and some kind of awareness. God, I’m fabulous. But you might want to get a second opinion.
PGN: Do you think when people such as Tracy Morgan make public apologies for saying something antigay that it is sincere? MM: No. I don’t think any apology of any kind is sincere. People only apologize when they get caught. And it’s not just gay issues. It’s any kind of indiscretion. Once the word is out and they’re busted, then they’re deeply apologetic. But, whatever. We have to allow for some redemption and education on the part of these people, so I’ll definitely give him the benefit of the doubt. And most people say he’s not a horribly hateful person. I just think it was a lapse in judgment.
PGN: What other projects do you have going on right now? MM: I have a cameo in the “Smurfs 3D” movie, which is very bizarre to see my head that large and in 3D.
PGN: When someone of Neil Patrick Harris’ caliber does a movie like “The Smurfs,” do you think he believes in the project or is he in it for the paycheck? MM: I can’t read his mind but I think part of it is saying how great that an openly gay person is starring in a children’s movie based on a famous franchise. Neil Patrick has broken all the rules. People said you can’t come out on TV and you can’t be an out actor in the movies. And he did. I can’t think of any other out male actor who’s had a lead in a movie. Why didn’t people throw a parade and commemorate what a historic occasion this is? This is something everyone said could never happen. And they just green-lighted a sequel. It’s a hit and nobody had an openly gay man in a children’s movie and he plays a man married to a woman with a baby. This is an amazing breakthrough. Whatever reason he did it, it was a great move. And it also involves me in a cameo and Alan Cumming does a voice and Tim Gunn has a part. I mean, this is the gayest movie since “Priscilla.”
“Fork on the Left, Knife in the Back” will be out Sept. 1. For more information, visit www.blogs.villagevoice.com/dailymusto.