Grindr: A Love Story?
1.4 million males use Grindr every single day. Comedian, Nath Valvo says that he’s spoken to half of them. And while this is said in jest, it does reflect just how full-on the smart phone hook-up is in a young gay man‘s life as he looks for love – but more accurately (as Valvo reminds us), seeks out immediate casual sex.
Valvo shares some amazing but not all together surprising facts including that 10,000 new members sign up each day, and 200,000 guys are on Grindr just in Australia.
This show is appealing to the packed young gay audience. This is their life, their popular culture and story; and like Valva they know all the laughs and tricks of the trade in this increasingly popular man meet man past time.
Who in the room is on Grindr? Valvo asks – and nearly all the hands in the room shoot up.
Valvo is not the most polished performer – his stage craft needs some attention, but his confidence, the data, his range of ways of delivering it, including by screen, and bringing the Grindr stories and audience on to the stage has everyone laughing and feeling – we are all in this together. And it’s lots of fun.
Some of the funniest moments in this show are when he pushes the envelope as far as possible with language, sex descriptions, making fun of the guys he randomly picks out of the crowd and recounting some of his own hook- up adventures.
The show winds up some pretty gross re-enacted bodily fluid fetish acts; very funny for some, a bit of a grubby turn off for others – but a reminder to all that it is not just the looking for a date punter that is out there in the on-line instant gratification internet land.
And does this show have appeal for a wider than gay man audience? I’m not too sure… and hey, at the end of the night who really cares. For FEAST and the Grindr guys – it’s just dandy.
