Comments on: CAMP DAVID SEPTEMBER 2007: MICHAEL GREER

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 02:56:10 +0000

I remember seeing Michael at a club on La Brea in Los Angeles back in the 1970′s.. Of course I adored his Mona. I guess many don’t remember that he was also a singer. His song about the woman who jumped from the Hollywood sign was a show stopper. Sadly, he was before his time. God, I wish that his act was available on YouTube!

By: Daryl-Atlanta

Daryl-Atlanta — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:09:47 +0000

Ah the memories. Last saw him at a cabaret in Atlanta back in August, 1977. Several friends of mine still quote his “Holden-Holding” and “Oh marone” bits.

By: gypsycurse

gypsycurse — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:26:26 +0000

Speaking as one who knew Greer “after the day”, he became quite the opportunist, ultimately taking monetary advantage of an old friend, to whom he owed a great sum after the elderly, star struck man’s passing, then moving in to prey on the VERY elderly woman that the man had daycare for. He was not pleasant to anyone who saw through his little game. His behavior off screen and off stage more closely remembered his “Queenie” in the final cinema product than the fond remembrances posted here !!!

By: Lewis Sanders

Lewis Sanders — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:36:19 +0000

So.. .. I just finished watching the Gay Deceivers… I didnt even realize Michael was in it.. and then suddenly WHAM.. there is my old screaming queen buddy Mona right there on the screen.

I had the fortune of becoming friends with Michael (and Mona) in the mid-80′s when he would come to Phoenix and perform at Taylors (back then, the best gay eatery and lounge in town). We became fast friends and remained in touch for many years. We lost contact back in the 90′s.. and I think of him often.

After watching the movie, I decided to do a websearch and find the cantankerous old bastard.. only to find this website and the comments above that he is no longer with us… Well Bless Him and you know that whether he went UP or DOWN.. he and Mona are making them all laugh… because.. as Mona always said, “Just remember in life.. that no matter what you do in life.. no matter who you meet…. no matter where you go……. THERE YOU ARE!” I use that line to this day…

By: RickyB

RickyB — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:34:28 +0000

I’m saddened to know that Michael Greer is no longer with us, despite the fact that I hadn’t spoken to him since 1975. He left an indelible impression on me having gotten to know him back in the early 1970′s when he appeared at Reno Sweeney, in New York City. He would pull up to my apartment in a black stretch hearse, driven by his friend Bob Platz. (That was a statement in itself) and off we’d go. We would sometimes have dinner, and go off to the club where he would slay his audiences every night. He loved what he did, and it showed. People, both straight and gay, would often wait in line to get his autograph after the show which he did lovingly as long as they didn’t linger too long (well, SOME of them, he didn’t mind!!!). He was bold, he was talented, he knew his stuff and he was gay. I never gave much thought to his sexuality because I simply took it for granted as, I think, did he. The more I read, and the more I think about it, he was brave beyond comprehension for a performer in that time and place. I can’t imagine that his being openly gay was anything intentional, and I believe he was simply being Michael Greer. Not hiding, showing neither shame nor remorse for who he was or the fact that he was an openly gay man in a covert society. His name may not be a household word but for those of us who knew him and/or experienced one of his shows, he WILL be sorely missed. He fills a void in a time in the early life of a specific type of cabaret in NYC and around the country that can never be duplicated, and a very important time in my life in particular. May he rest in peace.

By: Jon-Jon Stirrat

Jon-Jon Stirrat — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:34:08 +0000

David, Thank you for this wonderful article on Michael Greet, It brought back a lot of memories of the old days. I of course remember Michael from Fortune in Men’s Eyes but I also remember seeing him at a club called After Dark at Beverly and LaCienega in L.A. I remember the Mona bit between Blue Boy and Whistler’s Mother. It was one of the funniest routines I had ever seen. I would go every night he was there just because I could not remember laughing so hard in my life.

By: Leslie Sahlen

Leslie Sahlen — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:33:56 +0000

Thank you for the wonderful article. I first met Michael at the CABARET in S.F. I was a 17 year old budding musician with a fake ID and it was a turning point in my life. He always sweetly endured my gushing silliness at his dressing room door after the many shows I made a point of attending. Charles Pierce, Waylon & Madame and that sweet amazingly talented young man who was tragically killed in Golden Gate park, the CABARET club was a treat always. Michael was the STAR, and rightly so. Let’s not forget Michael’s longtime pianist and musical director, the late Kenny Richardson. Kenny and I actually talked marriage at one point and we all crossed paths over the years in L.A., S.F. snd Dallas. I had the honor of working with Michael and Kenny on stage, one of the girl singers the Killer Tomatahs, at the Bla-Bla club in Studio City. The scratchy, but still hilarious, show tapes are available online as a tribute to Michael. When he passed, I searched to see if any of his show brilliance had been preserved. Nada!!! I felt it important to put it out there. Of course the title of the CD is “Don’t Mess With Mona”

By: david del valle

david del valle — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:48:20 +0000

Joey

Thanks so much for your addtions to the great Michael Greer!!! I nearly fell over at the mention of THE HAYLOFT….as though I would forget a place I had so much fun back in the day…..wish I had this information at hand while I was doing the column.

By: Joey Riso

Joey Riso — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:33:23 +0000

Michael’s Mona Lisa, aka “Mona the Mouth”, evolved over time. Mona started out as a solo character surrounded by a large gilded frame. In the next incarnation, she was flanked by similar sized reproductions of Lawrence’s “Pinkie” and Gainsborough’s “The Blue Boy”. In the final version, he said Mona had moved to Marin, Calfornia, and Michael had replaced the gilded frame with a redwood hot tub.

Once, while appearing at The Hayloft in Studio City, California, he asked that all the lights be turned out, and he launched into an impression of Billie Holiday singing “My Man” that was eerily accurate. He wanted the lights out, he said, because he thought it would be too distracting to hear the voice of a small black woman coming out of the body of a very tall white man.

He spoke very proudly of his role in “The Gay Deceivers”. He said he played his character “like Eve Arden on acid”. He was particularly proud that his character was one of the first gay characters in mainstream cinema who was neither killed nor disgraced nor committed suicide, but instead had a hand in helping the protagonist. He also said that the costume department had turned the costume party scene into something very unflattering, and that he spent a good bit of time early that day bringing the costumes down to a more believable level.

By: Bill

Bill — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:10:25 +0000

Back in the day….somewhere between 1967 and 1968, I spent hour after hour at the Club 524 on Vallejo (below the Coit Tower). Michael’s comedy was so good and so funny that I memorized almost all of it. From Mona between Blue Boy and Whistler’s Mother, to Tallulah’s Toy Box, to Lady Bird, I roared every nite of his act. It was a wonderful time in my life. Michael will be missed. Also saw him in a couple movies. His one line when the woman stepped into his flower garden was classic” BITCH, stay out of my petunias. “She roared back “They’re marigolds you silly queen”. He said..I MAY NOT KNOW MY FLOWERS BUT I KNOW A BITCH WHEN I SEE ONE”. I use some of his lines from time to time.