Billy Porter Doesn’t Need a Month to Celebrate Pride
Notes from America with Kai Wright
WNYC Studios
4.4 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 12 June 2023
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
He celebrates Pride all year long through art – and that’s been the journey of a lifetime.
He’s got an Emmy, a Grammy, a Tony. But early in his career, Billy Porter was relegated to roles of comic relief. Things didn’t change until he figured out how to show up authentically in every space. Kai sits down with Billy to hear that story.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I |
| 0:02.0 | Can't with a message of hope today. I want you to turn to your name. We're insane |
| 0:08.4 | Children what's that sound everybody look what's going down |
| 0:14.5 | I'm not |
| 0:16.5 | My father |
| 0:19.5 | I'm |
| 0:25.5 | I try to patronize a little bit |
| 0:32.5 | We can |
| 0:48.5 | I |
| 1:10.5 | It's notes from America. I'm Kai right and welcome to the show and |
| 1:14.5 | And a special welcome to those of you listening from Oregon Public Broadcasting joining us for the first time this week. Glad to have you in the community |
| 1:23.5 | Billy Porter has just wrapped up the tour for his new album black Mona Lisa |
| 1:29.5 | 25 city journey in which he tells the story of his life through music |
| 1:34.5 | I spoke with him late last year just as he was about to drop this album |
| 1:39.5 | And we're going to kick off LGBT pride month by revisiting that conversation |
| 1:44.5 | It's safe to say that Billy Porter has become an icon of queer pride |
| 1:49.5 | The superlatives attached to his name have stacked up. He's already an Emmy Grammy and Tony Award winner |
| 1:56.5 | Which leaves him just an Oscar shy of that |
| 1:59.5 | Rarified group of artists with all four awards to their credit |
| 2:03.5 | And now he's shooting for pop star with this new album |
| 2:06.5 | From the Broadway stage to his groundbreaking role on the TV show pose to his advocacy for LGBT rights |
| 2:13.5 | Billy Porter has found remarkable success while bringing his full self as a black gay man to the work |
... |
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