It Gets Better!

John Quale, the creator of Prince Poppycock gives a message to gay youth and outsiders that are bullied in school, that everything will get better, and dreams do come true. The 1st address was made on Sept 8th, to a broadcast television audience of 12 million. Below is a description of his Yankee Doodle Dandy performance on Sept. 7th, where he discusses the Harvey Milk imagery, Liberace inspired costume and message to Gay Youth: Swathed in a red, white and blue cape and top hat decked with silver stars, the Prince descended from the rafters on a platform backed by whirling sparklers, singing the final verse of "The Star Spangled Banner" before moving into "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Stars and Stripes Forever." With its kickiness, baton-twirling majorettes, and considerable pyrotechnics, the routine was a first-rate piece of entertainment -- one that got Prince Poppycock voted into the Final Four contestants on the #1 show of the season. But underneath the glamorous facade, the number made poignant references to the American civil rights struggle, while still remaining, ultimately, a celebration of American openness and individualism. "As a nation, our strength lies in diversity," Poppycock says. "We are a nation of individualists, and as Americans, we seek to develop what makes us unique to its fullest potential. The more fully realized we are, the more different we are, so it's really our differences that make us strong. And I believe that this country as a whole, which has opened its heart to my theatrics, feels the same way." With a video backdrop that included images of Abraham Lincoln; civil rights leader Rosa Parks, women's rights leader Susan B. Anthony; and gay rights martyr and politician Harvey Milk, Poppycock's act acknowledged the inequalities of America -- and the struggles of those who tried to address them -- in the past and present. Standing in front of the images of Milk and Parks, the openly gay singer solemnly recited, "We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal." Whipping open his cape to reveal a sequined shorts suit and striking a pose, he added, with a wink: "Of course, some men are more equal than others!" and broke into a Busby Berkeley-style production number that included a pinwheel of showgirls dressed as sailors; majorettes; Statues of Liberty; and American flags. But though Poppycock's vision of America isn't blind to its injustices, he's still an old-fashioned patriot with an optimistic view of America's potential. "I love my country," he emphasizes. "This act is not ironic." Instead, he says, it commemorates America's ability to be inclusive, and it is this open-armed image of his country that inspired the spectacular stageshow, which he told television viewers was "Poppycock's love letter back to America." He adds that the number was his way of thanking the American public -- who had put him through to the Top 10 -- for embracing him. "I wanted to show," Poppycock says, "that America is a place that has room for everyone." And his response, when he heard on Wednesday's live results show that he'd be voted into the Final Four, made it clear that he viewed his election as a victory for that vision of American inclusiveness as well as a testament to the power -- and the essential Americanness -- of remaining true to yourself even when you fall outside the norm. As he told the "America's Got Talent" audience after his win, "To every kid out there who gets picked on or feels like an outsider: I want you to believe that life is magical, and I want you to look at me right now and understand that dreams can come true."



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