Cole Escola and Jeffery Self, aka the VGL Boys, are soon to be on their way to Australia for some shows! Conjuring up a cult following through their YouTube videos, the Jeffery & Cole Casserole and various solo ventures, the duo are going to be presenting Desperate Houseboys at the Seymour Centre in Sydney as part of the 2014 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras! The boys took some time out to answer some questions the AU had about the show, their beginnings and more!
This show marks a “reunion” of sorts… but let’s take it back to the start. For those that don’t know the story, what are the origins of VGL Gay Boys?
[Cole] We started making our VGL Gay Boys videos in 2006 (I think?) because we had very little else to occupy our time. We were getting together to write a play we’d drunkenly had an idea for and when we got bored with that, we’d make a video and throw it on YouTube, mostly just to amuse ourselves. We called the videos ‘VGL Gay Boys’ because we figured that perverts looking for free porn on YouTube might stumble upon us and we’d have an audience. The crazy thing is that it worked.
It’s set both of you on certain paths… do you think without YouTube and these videos that you’d be having the sort of success you are today?
I think YouTube was 100% our big calling card or platform, it’s definitely where our audiences found us. If it wasn’t for YouTube, we’d probably be performing in crappy cabaret venues in NYC for ten bucks to pay our rent… wait a second…. that’s exactly what YouTube got us!
Would you have ever predicted the path you took, or was VGL all part of your plans to take over the world?
I think we’re both pretty ambitious but pretty much always believe any mild form of success we have is an accident.
Where so many videos disappear into nothingness, why do you think the VGL clips connected so well with audiences?
We were making them before there were so many sketches on YouTube. Back when we started, the majority of YouTube videos were vlogs where people spoke directly to the camera and complained about stupid stuff. I think we lucked out in the fact that there was very little competition. Now you can’t go a day without seeing five billion new videos from funny gay people.
How does your playful banter in your videos translate onto the stage? What can fans of your videos expect when the two of you hit the stage together?
Our stage shows are basically the live version of the sitcom we hope to someday have. We play versions of ourselves, just like in the videos, and write a fun, weird little storyline. We always describe it as “Laverne and Shirley” on acid.
How did this particular show come together conceptually?
We always write shows around the situation we’re experiencing. In this case, coming to Sydney for the first time. So we took everything we knew about Sydney (which is very little) and everything we expected or imagined and wrote around those ideas.
Will you be bringing any particular “Australian” flavour into the performances? Yes, that’s how we spell “flavor” here. So I’ve got you started…
Definitely!
The shows coincide with Mardi Gras celebrations in Sydney – are you planning a VGL float? If not, there’s probably a missed opportunity here.
[Jeffery] I don’t think I’d be comfortable allowing Cole on a moving parade float.
Have either of you travelled to Australia before? What have you heard about it / what have you experienced before / what are you looking forward to?
[Cole] Neither one of us has ever been before, so we’re both really excited.
[Jeffery] I am very excited to kiss as many sexy Australian boys as possible.
[Cole] I’d like to meet someone who went to elementary school with
Nicole Kidman.
And after the reunion comes to an end, what’s next for the two of you?
We’re doing a new live show in NYC in May, and hopefully making the feature film we wrote if we can rob a bank or trick someone into producing it.
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The VGL Boys will bring Desperate Houseboys at the Seymour Centre in Sydney from February 18-18. For more information, head to http://www.seymourcentre.com/
