Cock Of The Talk

[October 19th, 2005] John McMullen's queer radio station sucks.

But it's not his fault. The broadcast veteran is just the guy who created it. That is, he was a key player in the formation of "OutQ" the nationally broadcast GLBT network on the Sirius satellite system.

I wrote about OutQ at the start of the year (WW, Jan. 19, 2005), because I was excited to finally listen to a radio station devoted to queers. Now the novelty has worn off and I barely ever listen to the shit. That's due in large part to the fact that most of the DJs on the network are so friggin' stereotypically queer (read: tired, trite and more than willing to say "twat") that it makes me wish for the day Howard Stern arrives.

But McMullen is the exception.

At the ripe age of 42, the talk jock is considered by many to be the "grandfather of gay talk radio." That's because, in 1996, this Northwest native became the first person to produce a weekly talk show on the Web for GLBT folk. He followed that up with other queer Internet radio gigs, and was asked in '02 by Sirius (which now brags about 2 million subscribers) to help create OutQ. That's where you'll find him today, broadcasting "The John McMullen Show" live from NYC (and soon to be Los Angeles) five nights a week (7-10 pm PST).

Recently this queer pioneer escaped the myopic media capital to take his show on the road across the good, old U.S. of Gay—by car. That's when I had a chance to see the man in action at Southeast Portland's queer coffee hangout Haven. Thankfully, there was no talk of twats. Rather, McMullen, unlike his fluffier counterparts, asked his guests real questions, grilling City Commish Sam Adams about our local meth problem and pressing the queer-friendly Republican state Sen. Ben Westlund on the Oregon Legislature's inability to pass the civil-unions bill.

McMullen was gentle, but gruff. With his flat-top haircut and large frame, he looks like an ursine state trooper—Smokey the Bear. But, after I sat down to talk with him the following day, I realized McMullen was just a big old dinosaur. He had called himself that during the previous night's show but dismissed the idea when I asked him about it at lunch.

"I've just been around the block," he said.

Around the block or not, the truth is, being a time-worn triceratops suits McMullen well. Fearless jocks like McMullen are on the verge of extinction in our new Information Ice Age, where beauty and booty outweigh real content. While many of the other jocks on OutQ are still toying with the notion that they can swear on the network, McMullen is actually trying to figure out what makes queers tick—including himself. It's not easy stuff to listen to, which is why I won't be surprised if he is eventually replaced by people more willing to talk about Nick and Jessica than the real problems facing the queer community. He may be a "grandpa," but at least he still has something to say—and shouldn't we be listening to our "elders," anyway?