Neal Medlyn

Neal Medlyn (born Jerry Neal Medlin on May 21, 1975 in Palestine, Texas) is a New York City-based performance artist and musician. His works include Champagne Jerry,[2] his reenactment of a Beyonce concert DVD, his Pop Star Series[3] of performance pieces, and his work in the variety show, Our Hit Parade.[4] He has appeared on Bridget Everett's Comedy Central special,[5] in the online series People Are Detectives,[6] and in video work by the artist Guy Richards Smit.[7]

Neal Medlyn
BornJerry Neal Medlin[1]
(1975-05-21) May 21, 1975
Palestine, Texas
OccupationPerformance artist, musician
Alma materFrankston High School
Stephen F. Austin University
Period1999–present
SpouseAda Calhoun m. August 21, 2004

Early life

Medlyn attended school in Palestine, Texas and Frankston, Texas. He studied theater at Kilgore College and worked as an actor at the Texas Shakespeare Festival.[8] He received a bachelor's degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1999.[9] He has published personal essays about coming out as bisexual[10] and about how the Gathering of the Juggalos helped him understand his Pentecostal upbringing.[11] His video "East Texas" includes a TV clip of him winning a rap contest at the Tyler Mall as a teenager.

Career

He performed in punk and noise bands in East Texas and was part of an avant-garde music scene in Nacogdoches, Texas, before moving to Austin, Texas, in 1999. In 2000, he began performing each week at coffee shops, public parks, and hotel rooms in Austin.

In 2001, he moved briefly to Berlin, Germany, and then to New York City.

From 2001-2005, he performed at the downtown theaters Surf Reality and Collective:Unconscious. He was named "Mr. Lower East Side" in 2003.[12] In 2005, he had a weekly show at the Apocalypse Lounge bar, where he debuted The Lionel Richie Opera.The Lionel Richie Oper was the first of what became a seven-show series of performances, each built around a different pop star.

In 2004, he co-starred with Karen Finley for a theatrical run and subsequent tour of George and Martha, in which he played George W. Bush to Finley's Martha Stewart.[13]

In 2005, Medlyn became a regular in the show Automatic Vaudeville at Ars Nova, performing alongside VIDS, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Billy Eichner, and the show hosts, Bridget Everett and Kenny Mellman.[14]

Medlyn was cast as a dancer by Adrienne Truscott in they will use the highways in 2000 and appeared in three dances choreographed by David Neumann, including "feedforward". He designed sound for Miguel Gutierrez (choreographer), winning a 2010 Bessie Award as part of the creative team for Gutierrez's "Last Meadow".[15]

The Neal Medlyn Experience Live
Main article: The Beyoncé Experience Live

Medlyn reenacted a Beyoncé concert DVD, The Beyoncé Experience Live for the New Museum called The Neal Medlyn Experience Live.[16] The show toured through the United States and Canada and was featured as a part of Gang Dance in New York City.[17]

Our Hit Parade

Medlyn was one of the co-founders and co-hosts of Our Hit Parade,[18] a monthly top-ten pop music countdown show which ran for five years at Joe's Pub. In 2011, it was named one of Best Cabaret Shows by Time Out New York.

The Pop Star Series

'The Pop Star Series' comprises seven performance pieces:

  • The Lionel Richie Opera[19] (Apocalypse Lounge, Ars Nova, and tour performances in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Portland, Oregon, Austin, Texas)
  • Coming in the Air Tonight[20] (Galapagos Art Space)
  • Unpronounceable Symbol[21] (PS122)
  • ...Her's a Queen[22] (Dance Theater Workshop, American Realness Festival and tour performances in Portland, Oregon)
  • Brave New Girl[23] (The Chocolate Factory)
  • Wicked Clown Love[24] (The Kitchen and tour performances in Kittery, Maine, Los Angeles, California)
  • King[24] (The Kitchen, American Realness Festival)

The series was presented as part of the American Realness Festival in 2015[25] and as part of the Live Art Festival at Kampnagel in Hamburg Germany in 2014.[26]

In 2015, 53rd State Press published a coffee-table book featuring photos and text of the shows.[26]

Champagne Jerry

In 2013, Medlyn began performing as the rapper Champagne Jerry at venues including the Brooklyn Academy of Music,[27] The Kitchen,[28] New York Live Arts,[29] Union Pool, and Pianos.[30]

Champagne Jerry was named one of the top ten best performers in New York by Time Out. He was profiled in Rolling Stone,[31] Brooklyn Vegan,[32] and Interview.[33] In 2016, he appeared as the musical guest on The Chris Gethard Show on Fusion TV.

Champagne Jerry's collaborators include Max Tannone, Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz)), Sophia Cleary, Farris Craddock, and Gillian Walsh, who performs as "the Ghost of Champagne Past."

Champagne Jerry has produced two albums: For Real, You Guys and "The Champagne Room". He has posted several videos on YouTube, including one for "Yo Kev" that features Adam Horovitz, Murray Hill, and Bridget Everett.

Personal life

At age 18, Medlyn married and had a son. The marriage ended in divorce. In 2004, he married author Ada Calhoun,[9] with whom he also has a son.

References
  1. "Jerry Medlin". MyHeritage. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  2. "Champagne Jerry". Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  3. "Must Like Loud: Neal Medlyn's Explosive Seven Part Opus". Art F City. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  4. "Our Hit Parade". Time Out. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  5. "Bridget Everett: Gynecological Wonder". Comedy Central. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  6. "People Are Detectives". Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  7. "The Grossman- Full Episodes". Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  8. "Will Anybody Ever Love Neal Medlyn?". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  9. "Weddings/Celebrations; Ada Schjeldahl, Jerry Medlin". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  10. "Come As You Are". Nerve. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  11. "How I found a home with the Juggalos". Salon. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  12. "Murray Joins the Howl". Gay City News. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  13. "He's From the White House, She's From a Clean House". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  14. "From the Basement to Broadway". New York Press. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  15. "Last Meadow (2009)". Miguel Gutierrez (choreographer). Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  16. "Boys Will Be Beyoncé". New York Public Radio. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  17. "WERK: PUT A RING ON MEDLYN". Buddies In Bad Times. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  18. "Our Hit Parade". Time Out. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  19. "Neal Medlyn's Lionel Richie Opera". TheaterMania. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  20. "Pencil This In". Gothamist. Archived from the original on 5 November 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  21. "The Ultimate Outsider Under a Purple Umbrella". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  22. "Dance in Review". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  23. "One Man's Fascination With Miley, Real and Not". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  24. "Neal Medlyn and Kathleen Hanna Talk 'wicked Clown Love'". MTV News. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  25. "Pop Star Series, The 2015 Emerald Edition". American Realness. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  26. "Live Art Festival 2014 Neal Medlyn: Pop Star Series, VOL 1-6". Kartentelefon. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  27. "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry 2016- Night 1". Impose Magazine. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  28. "Synth Nights: Champagne Jerry, Penis, and Tami Tamaki". The Kitchen. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  29. "Ad-Rock & more playing Champagne Jerry's release shows; Mike D DJing Panorama". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  30. "Say Something Ridiculous – Celebrating With Champagne Jerry". Creative Capital. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  31. "Ad-Rock Plays Ball With Champagne Jerry". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  32. "Champagne Jerry". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  33. "Inside Champagne Jerry's Champagne Room". Interview. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
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