In celebration of (and sadness about) tonight’s season finale of The Fabulous Beekman Boys, we caught up with Josh Kilmer-Purcell, one half of TV’s most dynamic farming duo and author of the best-selling book, The Bucolic Plague (now out in paperback with extra tidbits in the P.S. section). We like to think his partner, Dr. Brent Ridge, was standing over him watching him type as he answered our probing, in-depth questions. In galoshes, of course.
So tonight's the big finale of Season 2. Are there any big cliff-hangers? A wedding? Surprise pregnancy? Who Shot PolkaSpot?
I'd pushed the producers for a Moldavian Wedding Massacre but the budget wouldn’t allow for travel. We had to settle for a catfight between PolkaSpot and Linda Evans. She was cheap.
Are there plans for a Season Three?
Short answer: We dunno. Long answer: We're looking at several options. We love the attention the show brings to Sharon Springs and small farming in general. We've had a great response for portraying the first actual long-term gay relationship on television, and have received many positive e-mails from straight and gay couples – even homophobes who've had a change of heart. But we're acutely aware of the toll being under a public microscope can bring to a relationship. It has to be us first, everyone else second.
Now that you are a reality TV star, are there Josh and Brent groupies hanging around outside the Beekman?
We love the (self-named) Beek Geeks! Sharon Springs is like Woodstock for people looking to experience small town America. It's a little odd to discover stealth photos of our house on people's Facebook pages, but everyone is really respectful of our privacy. If we ever wake up to find someone in our bedroom, chances are it'll be because they're bringing us jars of homemade jam or hand-knit scarves.
In a strange moment of multiple coincidences, we were prepping for this interview by reading the new pages you wrote for the paperback release of The Bucolic Plague. As we were reading, our iPhone reminder to send you questions went off just as our boyfriend was texting us with “Josh is on NPR.” All that is a long lead-in to this question. Did you ever think the day would come that your book would be a thank-you gift for pledging to NPR at the $120 level?
I have a strange history with NPR. One of their largest programs sent a producer to Sharon Springs for several days for interviews, but later killed the story because there wasn't enough tension between the “gay city slickers” and the “local townsfolk.” When you're too normal for NPR, you know LGBT acceptance has come a long way. That in no way answers your question, but I stopped reading it halfway through.
We loved that every time the NPR interviewer came back from a break, she introduced you as “Josh, writer and farmer.” Do you like the sound of that?
I prefer writer, farmer, ex-drag queen and crackhead-hooker lover, but it was Pledge Week. There are boundaries.
In your book and on your show, you warn people that farming is not glamorous and not to romanticize your adventures at the Beekman. But I can't help but want to live in the “reality” of your world. We think we need a baby goat now. Advice?
Well, first you should know that baby goats are called “kids.” And secondly, you should know they can't be house trained. And thirdly you should know that they firmly believe that designer clothes taste no different than Wal-Mart jeans and that all clothes are pretty darn delectable.
Our boyfriend has been threatening to start an herb garden for years now. How can we motivate him to get his ass out there and harvest us some parsley and tomatoes?
Like every issue in relationships, you have two choices – nagging or blowjobs. One is fun for both of you.
What part of owning the farm has been the most rewarding? Most frustrating?
The most rewarding aspect of farming is being able to wear the same thing you woke up in for the rest of the day. The most frustrating is that animals don't take holidays off.
It seems Sharon Springs pretty much has you and Brent to thank for revitalizing their town. Any plans for a Fabulous Beekman Boys statue in town?
Everyone always thinks that we saved Sharon Springs. But the truth is that their creativity and refusal to die was what attracted us there in the first place. It takes a village to raise a village. That said, a statue would be nice. Preferably not a nude.
Any new Martha stories (or anything juicy) you'd like to share with your loyal Gay List Daily fans?
We just ran into Martha at Gwyneth's cookbook party. I don't really have a story about that, but I like to drop that sentence into as many conversations as possible. Did I mention that Mario Batali asked us if there was a place he could land his helicopter at our farm? Well now I did.
What's next on the horizon for you and Brent? Cambodian babies? Beekman Ghost Tours? Swimsuit-and-galoshes calendar?
We have our first cookbook, The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook coming out in October. Depending on how well that sells, one may or may not expect a sex tape leaked in time for Holiday sales. Depending on how well that sells, one may or may not expect a farm-animal sex tape for New Years.
‘The Fabulous Beekman Boys’ season finale airs tonight on Discovery Planet Green
planetgreen.discovery.com
Paperback version of ‘The Bucolic Plague,’ $9.37
www.amazon.com
www.beekman1802.com
