This episode is a celebration of Leslie Jordan, whose birthday is this Saturday (April 29).

Known for his Emmy Award winning role of Beverley Leslie on NBC's Will & Grace, Leslie was delighting audiences on FOX's hit comedy Call Me Kat before his untimely death in October 2022.

In March 2022, I got to interview one of Leslie's best friends, Del Shores, creator of the Sordid Lives franchise, live on Instagram.

Leslie Jordan originated the role of Brother Boy in Sordid Lives the play, then reprised his role in the various Sordid Lives films & TV series.

At the time this interview took place, Del was releasing his new book, The Sordid Lives Saga: Before The Trip, in which Leslie Jordan wrote the forward.

Throughout this interview, Del talked about his friendship with Leslie along with some fun, never-before-told stories about him.

Happy Birthday Leslie Jordan! Wherever you may be on this day, I know you are making those around laugh!

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Special Thanks:

• Theme Song by Bobby Cronin
• Podcast Logo by Liam O'Donnell 

Del Shores has written, directed, and produced successfully across studio and independent film, network and cable television, and regional and national touring theatre. 

Del Shores is the writer/director/producer of the films Sordid Lives, Blues for Willadean, Southern Baptist Sissies and A Very Sordid Wedding. He wrote and executive produced the MGM feature Daddy's Dyin'...Who's Got The Will? 

His plays Cheatin’, Daddy’s Dyin’ (Who’s Got The Will?), Daughters of the Lone Star State, Sordid Lives, Southern Baptist Sissies, The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife, Yellow, This Side of Crazy and A Very Sordid Wedding are all published by Concord/Samuel French.

In television, Del Shores wrote, directed, executive produced and created the LOGO series, Sordid Lives: The Series. He also wrote and executive produced Showtime's groundbreaking Queer As Folk for the last three seasons, wrote and produced for Dharma & Greg and Ned & Stacey. 

He has directed Academy Award winners Octavia Spencer and Whoopi Goldberg, Grammy Award winner Olivia Newton-John; Emmy winners/nominees Beau Bridges, Delta Burke, Leslie Jordan, Bonnie Bedelia, Bobbie Eakes, Patrika Darbo and Rue McClanahan; Spirit Award winner Dale Dickey; Screen Actor's Guild Award-winner Beth Grant; as well as Caroline Rhea, Debby Holiday and David Steen.

As a performer, Shores has performed in hundreds of standup gigs and in 2018 completed a national tour of his critically acclaimed award-winning one-man play Six Characters In Search Of A Play directed by Emerson Collins. The play was filmed and is now streaming worldwide.

His tenth play A Very Sordid Wedding (based on his 2017 film) had its world premiere in September 2021, playing to sold out houses at Kalita Humphries Theatre in Dallas for Uptown Players. Shores directed. 

In November 2021, he directed his eleventh play, the world premiere of In Memoriam of Lena, at Theatre West on the campus of Northwestern State University, Louisiana with an all student cast and crew. 

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