Hosts Fausto Fernós (left) and Marc Felion (right).
Photos by Jason Smith.
Album art by Fausto Fernós.

The Feast of Fools is the name of a popular podcast based out of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. It is also the name of the live show on which this podcast is based which began in the spring of 1998. This podcast is also identified by the initials "FoF," an abbreviation for the show's name. It currently ranks highest in popularity for both the keywords "gay" and "lesbian" on the iTunes music store and as the most popular comedy-themed podcast based in Chicago. The FoF podcast is one of the highest-ranked iTunes comedy podcasts worldwide and has garnered a large and fiercely devoted GLBT and straight fan base. The Feast of Fools won a People's Choice Award in 2006 for Best GBLT Podcast. Image File history File linksMetadata Fofitunescover. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Fofitunescover. ... An orange square with waves indicates that an RSS feed is present on a webpage. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ... A lesbian is a woman who is romantically and sexually attracted only to other women. ... LGBT (or GLBT) is an acronym used as a collective term to refer to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people. ...

The Podcast

"Gay Fun Show"

The Feast of Fools began in the spring of 1998 as a live theatrical experience performed in many Chicago area venues. It was a variety show that featured music, dance, poetry, comedy and performance art strung together by an outrageous play that took place between acts. Fausto Fernós and his boyfriend Marc Felion wanted to take the show a step further by creating a cable access show, but then podcasting burst onto the scene with the promise of video podcasting in the near future. They decided to embrace this new medium. This podcast became a roundtable discussion of odd news and social trends, peppered with cocktail recipes and celebrity interviews. Nickname: The Windy City, The Second City, Chi Town, City of the Big Shoulders, The 312, The City that Works, Second City (reference to when Chicago was second in population and prestige to New York). ... Fausto Fernós (born April 16, 1972) was the first Puerto Rican to create a podcast. ...

The first FOF podcast was posted on Tuesday, February 8, 2005. It featured Fausto, Marc and the band leader from the live show, Link Pinks. Unfortunately, the show is no longer available for download, due to copyright issues. According to the Apple iTunes music store, the podcast currently ranks as the most popular gay-themed comedy podcast on that directory, with many positive reviews by devoted listeners from every age group. This article is about the computer terms. ... Copyright symbol Copyright is a set of exclusive rights regulating the use of a particular expression of an idea or information. ... The correct title of this article is . ...

The major players of the podcast hold semi-regular meet 'n greet events with their audience. The first out of town meet'n greet was in New York City on April 13th, 2006. It was here that show regular Amanda Steinstein stated that the Feast of Fools was "world's largest gay neighborhood" to describe the show and its fanbase.

The term "Gay Fun Show" was an attempt to translate the show's name into Vietnamese when they began performing at the Ha Mien Restaurant and Music Hall, one of the major Vietnamese venues in Chicago. Ha Mien was closed by the city of Chicago and the Feast of Fools found a new home at Schubas' Tavern.

The show is posted five days a week. Each show lasts about an hour. Margaret Cho, Kathy Griffin, John Waters, Teri Garr, Dee Snyder, Lea DeLaria, Holly Woodlawn, Randy Jones, Charles Busch, Lady Bunny, Jason Adonis, Bruce Vilanch, Levi Kreis, The Wet Spots, Baby Teeth, Miss Understood, George Takei, Jim Verraros and Paula Poundstone have all been special guests on the show. Margaret Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, fashion designer and actor. ... Kathleen Kathy Griffin (born November 4, 1960, Oak Park, Illinois) is an Emmy-nominated American stand-up comedian and actress. ... John Waters (born April 22, 1946, Baltimore, Maryland) is an American filmmaker, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films. ... Teri Garr (born December 11, 1947 in Lakewood, Ohio) is an American actress and comedienne. ... Dee Snider (on right) Dee Snider (born David Daniel Snider, on March 15, 1955 in Massapequa, New York, USA) is the heavily made-up frontman for american. ... Lea DeLaria (born May 23, 1958 at Belleville, Illinois) is a US comedian, actor, and jazz musician. ... Holly Woodlawn Holly Woodlawn (born October 26, 1946) was a Warhol superstar, who appeared in his movies Trash (1970) and Women in Revolt (1972). ... Randy Jones, born in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, on 13 September 1952, was the original cowboy in Village People. ... Charles Busch is an actor and writer who has appeared in many off-Broadway productions. ... Publicity photo of The Lady Bunny. ... Miss Understood (real name: Alex Heimberg) is an American drag queen originally from Levittown, New York, who has been based in New York City since the late 1980s. ... George Hosato Takei (IPA: ) (b. ... James Conrad Verraros (b. ... Paula Poundstone (born December 29, 1959 in Huntsville, Alabama) is an American stand-up comic. ...

Beginning in April 2007, the show opened a listener Question Line, where listeners can call in and ask the Feast of Fools a question. The ground rules are that the listener must give a name, their location, and ask a question. The phone number is: 773-681-3833.

The podcast averages 6,000-10,000 downloads per show and over 1 million total downloads in a year. There have been over 500 shows to date.

The Feast of Fools podcast is notable for bringing gay content to people who live in areas where gay culture is not readily visible.

The Regulars

Fausto Fernós
He is active in the theater and performing arts community. He is also an aspiring singer. Fausto Fernós innovative spirit and sense of inclusivity have shaped his many shows over the years. In the mid 90's he was well known for his cable access show Faustina, which featured him in drag interviewing artists and musicians in the capital of Texas. He met his partner Marc Felion in Chicago, Illinois in 1999 and together they grew the Feast of Fools from a local variety show into one of the most popular comedy podcasts on the Internet.

Marc Felion
Marc Felion became involved with the Feast of Fools in 1999. Marc helped write material and create costumes for the live show. Although reticent at first about podcasting, Marc grew to embrace the new technology and his role on the show.

Amanda Steinstein
Amanda Steinstein found the Feast of Fools through an ad that was placed on craigslist.org. The ad read: “Rejected by American Idol? Humiliated by your peers? The Feast of Fools wants YOU. Bring us your geeks, your misfits, your outcasts, your oddballs. We want big chested, bold women to sing, crack jokes, collaborate and dance in our musical variety shows.” Amanda Steinstein was the only person who shined in the auditions. Her favorite topics are science fiction, general stupidity, and absolutely useless information. (Some folks were "Fool"ed as she announced her departure on the April 1st, 2007 show. She returned the next day to announce the joke, but not before causing much consternation among fans). Screenshot of Craigslist. ...

Miss Ronnie
Ronnie Vanna joined the Podcast in October 2005. Fausto Fernós was familiar with Ronnie's style of humor and encouraged her to participate in the show. Since her debut, she has become well know for her catch phrases using urban slang to illustrate a universal thruth. Ronnie was the only regular that did not perform in the Feast of Fools live show. She is very interested in the mind, hypnosis, natural and alternative medicines. She describes herself as a BMW, Big Mexican Woman.

Sal-E
Sal-E joined the show in February 2005. He regularly contributes anecdotes about the nightclub scene and gives lessons on make up application. Sal-E works as club personality host, makeup artist, hair dresser, model, performance artist, photographer, and DJ. And he's a fabulous fancy napkin in the table cloth of life. Also is very sexy

Marsian De Lellis
Puppetry master with a periodic participation on the show discusses future and past trends each January.

Former Hosts

Victoria LaMarr, engendered by Matthew Bogseth, was a much loved regular character who was on the show from (2005-2006). Victoria use to head up a local Vietnamese band called Chicago Band and performed ion the Feast of Fools Live Shows. She was noted for her open and frank discussion about her life, living with AIDS, alcoholism and depression. In May 2006, Victoria left the show during as struggle with alcohol and depression. Now in rehab, V-Marr returned to the Feast Of Fools in March 2007. She is living in Florida near to a Haitian neighborhood and has many strange and fabulous jobs and a bright future ahead of her.

Meet 'n' Greets

Previous events

• Chicago's Clark's on Clark - (Thursday, February 9, 2006)
• Starlight Bar & Lounge in New York City - (Thursday, April 13, 2006)
• Live podcast recording with an audience at the Apple Store in Chicago, Illinois - (Saturday, May 27, 2006)
• Spider House - (Friday, August 18, 2006)
• Micky's in West Hollywood, CA - (Wednesday, September 27, 2006)

Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC, City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle, The City So Nice They Named It Twice Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1676 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area... Interior of Apple Store in Chicago, Illinois. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... West Hollywoods logo illustrates the citys borders. ...

Future/planned events

To Be Announced

Awards

• The Feast of Fools podcast was announced as the first ever winner of "Best GLBT Podcast" in the "People's Choice Podcast Awards" on August 15, 2006.

• The Feast of Fools podcast was voted "Best Podcast" for the 2006 "Gay Bloggie" in November 2006.

• The Feast of Fools podcast was voted "Best Podcast" for 2006 by "Best Gay Blogs"in January 2007.

• Fausto Fernós and Marc Felion were named "Queers of the Year" by "Time Out Chicago" in the December 28, 2006-January 3, 2007 issue for their work on the "Feast Of Fools Podcast"

External links

• The Feast of Fools Podcast
• The Feast of Fools photos on Flickr.com
• Pictures from the live show
• Pictures of live recording at a bar in Chicago