Twenty-one-year-old Jeffery Self has the kind of narcissistic drive that makes people famous for being themselves. He’s charming, witty and willing to spill intimate details of his life. Self is most well-known has half of the VGL
(Very Good Looking) Boys. Along with his counterpart Cole Escola, the duo's kitschy videos have made thousands of YouTubers LOL by poking fun at everything
from the recession to Bernadette Peters (they currently have a development deal with LOGO). This week he performs his "all-true" one-man show, People I Slept With Who Never Called Me Back Feb. 7 at Ars Nova.
I caught up with Self just before he left to perform on an Atlantis Cruise to find out how the Internet helped him gain notoriety and the consequences of airing his dirty dating laundry in public.
How did the VGL Boys Start?
I had an idea for a play about Britney Spears and I thought Cole would be a good person to write with. We started hanging out. The play really sucked but we had fun. Eventually Cole and I made a video and put it online. We tagged our video with the words “very good looking gay boys,” hoping people would be searching for that on YouTube. It stuck and became our nickname.
Are you and Cole dating?
We’re just friends.
What has made VGL Boys successful?
There are a lot of gay bloggers and video types on YouTube, and the big advantage that Cole and I have is that there are two of us. Anyone can sit behind a camera and talk about whatever and that’s all good, but we’re able to riff off each other and that helps a lot.
How do you promote your show?
We really put it out there on Facebook and YouTube. I have an embarrassing number of Facebook friends- 4,100. Our friends will send it to their friends, who will send it to their friends. You can create your own TV network. We were even able to do a live show at Joe’s Pub last summer for people who had only seen us online.
Have you had any bad experiences with Internet fame?
Not yet. But the minute someone’s outside my apartment door, that’s going to be creepy.
Your show People I Slept With Who Never Called Me Back is based on your personal experiences. Who is this show for?
It’s universal. You don’t have to be a 21-year-old gay person to have experienced waiting by the phone, wondering what you did wrong or why that text message isn’t coming.
Was writing this show a healing process?
Totally. You’re able to step back and look at experiences which, at the time, felt like the end of the world. People laugh or are affected by it, and you feel part of something bigger than just sitting at home complaining about someone not calling.
Have any of the people you talk about in your show contacted you about it?
No, but I have run into some of the guys after doing the show. There’s been a weird glance and an acknowledgement. Like, I know you put me in your show, and I know you know that I put you in my show.
Do you use their real names in the script?
I changed everyone’s names except one. His story with was my first experience with another guy. It took place surrounded by community theater and being over dramatic and 15. I’m still a little bitter about that.
How has going public about your relationships affected your dating life?
It’s hurt it. Personally, it’s been good to be able to talk about stuff in front of friends and strangers. But, the show’s title alone sends people running for the hills. I was dating someone when I was first work-shopping it and he had this I’m-going-to-mess-this-up-and-be-in-the-sequel look in his eyes.
Has your family seen your show?
No. My mom is crazy supportive but, I don’t want to hear her talk about people she’s slept with, and I don’t want her to hear me talk about people I’ve slept with.
What’s up next for you and for the VGL Boys?
Cole and I are working for the Logo Network this year developing some online projects. I’m taking “People I Slept With Who Never Called Me Back” to Atlanta this spring, and I’m spending the month of June in San Francisco performing my other show, “My Life on the Craigslist,” at the New Conservatory Theater. And, I’m trying to write a book of short stories and personal essays.
What are your life goals?
To keep writing, pay off my college debt, and to get on The View.
See Jeffery Self perform Feb. 7 at Ars Nova Theatre, 511 W. 54th St.
