The variety/talk show, which claims to be the longest running LGBTQ+ program of its kind, has been on the air at DATV since 2000, two years after the character Ms. Demure was created. The campy variety show makes superfluous use of green screens, while also allowing her a platform to express herself through song, dance, politics, activism and whatever other avenue she chooses to explore.
After filming a dance/lip sync to the music video for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” — the lip sync aspect being a staple in many episodes — Ms. Demure waits around until it’s time to shoot the next segment.
Cheryl, the program’s director for the past three years, positions a robotic camera in front of the green screen wall. She bounces back and forth between the studio floor and the control booth, taking on the role of several crew members throughout the production. In recent years the team of “Harper’s Bazzaroworld” has just been Cheryl and the talent.
Meanwhile, Ms. Demure, dressed as a pink curly haired Mrs. Roper from “Three’s Company,” prepares for her promo for the upcoming Ms. Demure’s Drag Regal Beagle disco party: the second annual caftan-themed event, apropos of Ms. Demure’s current outfit.
In between setups of the holiday show, Ms. Demure reflects on the past 24 years of her long-running program, and offers thoughts on the recent TikTok trend of a similar name — in a very demure, very mindful way.
Ms. Demure said that drag queen RuPaul’s short-lived talk show, “The RuPaul Show” (1996-1998), was the initial inspiration for what became “Harper’s Bazzaroworld.”
“Before that time, there was no rainbow show being represented,” Ms. Demure said. “I remember watching DATV back when it was Access 20 on Time Warner and thinking, Oh my god, I can do this. It’s $20 a year. I have nothing to lose. I shot my pilot and I’ve been here ever since.”
Ms. Demure films three to four new programs each month, which air Saturdays at 9 p.m., with reruns throughout the week. All the studio segments have been filmed at DATV: the “Rolls Royce of public access stations,” as she put it. “Harper’s Bazzaroworld” has been airing in Dayton and Yellow Springs since 2000, and on a New York access station since 2004.
At one point Ms. Demure submitted the show to the Guinness Book of World Records for longest running LGBTQ+ variety/talk show, but couldn’t get the honor because there is no competition.
Notable guests include two-time Emmy Award winner Bruce Vilanch and Village Voice writer Michael Musto.
In the early 2000s, the show often elicited contentious responses.
“There was an alleged mother and child that saw my show at [5 p.m.], and they were horrified that I was on TV,” Ms. Demure said. “There were tiny little battles that were going on. But just like everyone else, I have the freedom to communicate. I wanted to show people that there are exceptions to every rule. I wanted to surpass the stereotype. And Ms. Demure always carries herself with dignity, but I do it with humor also.”
When “very demure, very mindful” broke the internet earlier this year, this writer never quite grasped the concept. But Bohannon, who adopted the term in 1998 for his drag queen character, was inundated with messages about the TikTok trend. Ms. Demure was interviewed by the Columbus Dispatch and USA Today, leading to a “career renaissance,” as she put it.
“I remember seeing an interview with Oprah,” Ms. Demure said, “and she talked about watching Sidney Poitier at the 1964 Oscars. It wasn’t an African American being a chauffeur; it was someone presenting themselves very dignified. I think about that with Ms. Demure; I’m just doing it in a different shell.”
After Ms. Demure shoots the bar crawl promo, the first guest, Rudy, tells the camera her favorite ghost story. She then rides away on a green screen witch/dust broom while lip syncing a Billie Eilish song.
“That’s a wrap,” Cheryl said. She then sets up the talk show segment, Conversations with Ms. Demure — also known as Girl Talk when it’s just the girls.
The Halloween version features spooky tchotchkes, flashy lights shining on a black curtain backdrop and a giant inflatable ghost holding up a sign that reads “BOO!”
With the three cameras rolling, special guests Caleab Wyant (in a Spiderman costume) and his daughter Rudy (dressed as a witch from the previous segment) talk about the upcoming Halloween movie lineup at Yellow Springs’ Little Art Theatre. They also dive into pop culture, politics and news, all while drinking tea and eating Fig Newtons.
Once the talk segment is finished, Cheryl says “that’s a wrap” once again.
It was difficult for Darryl Bohannon in the early years of the show, with many spiritual program producers questioning the dresses, but DATV had his back and Ms. Demure’s. She’s brought together the community — in her own unique and sometimes strange way — via an unquestionably entertaining show on public access television.
“I thought I was going to hang up the show a few years ago, but the universe just keeps calling,” Ms. Demure said. “In my day, the gay bars were a safe space. This has been my safe space for almost 25 years. I can talk about a charity event. I can talk about a nonprofit. I can talk about what’s going on in the world. I can use my platform.”
Very demure, very mindful indeed.
Contact this contributing writer at branberry100@gmail.com.
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