Fausto Fernós - Chicago, Illinois

As a performer and artist Fausto Fernós has achieved acclaim in a variety of mediums. He started performing at 18 in Austin, Texas, where he self-produced a weekly live soap opera called “SoftMen.” He went on to produce and host other variety shows in Austin, Texas and Chicago, including the “The Mininum Wage Art Series,” “The Big Wig Revue,” and “Pe.A.Ch. –The Performance Art Church.” Fernós is best known in Texas for his unusual cable access talk show “Faustina!” which won several awards, including the Austin Chronicle’s “Best of Austin: Best Cable Access Show” in 1995.

Fernós also has written and directed three musicals dealing with such diverse subject matter as gay biology “Homosexual Personæ,” the first complete dinosaur fossil ever discovered “Mary Anning,” and the search for intelligent life beyond Earth “Voices From The Sky.” Fausto also performs regularly with his band, which was featured at the queer rock concert IDA-palooza along with Bitch and Animal & Pistol Pete and Pop-Gun Paul in the mountains of Woodbury, Tennessee. In June of 2001, Fausto Fernós was awarded by Windy City Media Group, the “30-under-30-award”, a distinction given every year to 30 GLBT visionary people under the age of 30 who make Chicago one of the most interesting cities in the world.

In June of 2003, Fausto’s solo work was feautured in the exibition “Confessions of the Avant-Garde” a retrospective of the Cleveland Performance Art Festival history and legacy. Fausto Fernós was selected out of literally thousands of images, artists, and media as one of the 20 featured artists included in that exibition. Others artists included were: Blue Man Group, Karen Finley, Guillermo Gomez-Peña, Goat Island, and Holly Hughes. Currently Fausto produces and hosts “the Feast of Fools”- the worlds most downloaded podcast for a gay and lesbian audience.

FAUSTO FERNÓS PHOTO GALLERY

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Marc Felion - Chicago, Illinois

Marc Felion works as a bartender for a local champagne bar. As a master mixologist, Marc Felion brings his cocktail knowledge to the podcast. He is continually conceiving new and clever drinks. He will often take an old drink recipe and add a new twist to make it new and refreshing.

Marc is natural conversationalist. He uses this a lot at his regular job where he has to talk to complete strangers, sometimes for hours at a time. Marc also credits his large family with his conversation skills. Growing up in a large family in Erie, PA there was always something going on and always something to talk about.

Marc is an avid reader and his brain retains all the bizarre facts and figures. He can finish a book in a day if he sets his mind to it. Marc scours the Internet for unusual, sexy, provocative and stupid news. Before the Internet, Marc use to spent hours at the library reading newspapers, magazine, and telephone books. He is always amazed at the infinite possibilities that exist.

Marc has always had a bit of wanderlust. he has traveled quite a bit. He spent two years in Europe working at a small resort town in Southern Germany. From this home base he made numerous excursions to various parts of Europe. He has traveled to Asia, North Africa, Central and South America. He is very excited about the possibility of taking the Feast of Fools Podcast on the road.
Marc joined the Feast of Fools family in 1999 when Fausto and he started dating and Marc commandeered the kitchen where he worked so that they could make cookies to sell at a bake sale to raise money for the Feast of Fools live Show. He thinks we made about $60.

Marc was always behind the scenes at the Feast of Fools Live Show. He helped write scripts and make costumes. He was ever present at the the actual event, working the crowd, greeting guests, running the video camera and working the spotlight.

Marc became involved in The Feast of Fools Podcast because he had to! It was taking place in his living room night after night. Join in on the fun or go hide in the back bedroom. Marc feels that everyday society is inundated with images and messages that reinforce heterosexuality. He feels its his job to to bring images and messages that reinforce other lifestyles. Marc thinks of the Feast of Fools Podcast helps bring a positive message of what gay men really are like.

MARC FELION PHOTO GALLERY | MARC & FAUSTO PHOTO GALLERY

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Miss Ronnie Vanna - Chicago, Illinois

Ronnie Vanna
and that is Miss Ronnie to you, is the reigning queen of “Making it Real.” This ghetto fabulous BMW (Big Mexican Woman) will put it together for you. If you don’t know what “putting it together for you” means, she will put that together for you as well.

Miss Ronnie hosted a Karaoke night for four years to packed houses at Circuit, a popular Latino gay bar in Chicago, IL. She was called the “Latina Bette Midler” by her fans. Miss Ronnie worked with several major entertainment companies such as Lip Service Incorporated, Jump Start Casting Productions, and Patrick Harms Productions which allowed her to have one-on-one experience with some of the biggests names in music. Miss Ronnie got the chance to work with such divas as Lolita Hollway, Linda Clifford, Cyndi Lauper, Celeda, Daje and Ultra Nate.

A professional bartender and server in Chicago, Miss Ronnie is well known in both in the gay community and latino community as an strong willed outspoken diva in her own right who “puts people together” with brutal honesty and compassionate heart.

MISS RONNIE VANNA'S PHOTO GALLERY

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Amanda Steinstein - Chicago, Illinois

Amanda Steinstein would rather be curled up reading science fiction paperbacks than anything else. Between alternating trips to the gym and Baskin-Robbins, Amanda likes to do improv and sing karaoke.
She also loves to paint on people...kids will do, but she prefers grown-ups because they hold still better. Amanda scours the Internet for what she feels is the weird, the wisdom and the absurd. Her acerbic witt and charm bring a lot to the banquet that is the Feast of Fools.

Amanda Steinstein found the Feast of Fools through an ad that was placed on craigslist.org. “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, and the rest is HER-story.

AMANDA STEINSTEIN PHOTO GALLERY

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John Q. Sanchez - New York City, New York

John Q. Sanchez written & reported for the Chicago Reader, Time Out New York, Index, Latingirl, and, back in the day, the super-seminal Chicago bar rag Babble. He's also a contributing editor to the Web zine Blair, www.blairmag.com, which is home to the famous "Gay or Eurotrash?" He's pretty cool!

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