Wonder Dave’s Safe Words

“I remember growing up with comedy in the household,” said Dave. “My parents were not restrictive about what we were allowed to watch. Rated R? Good enough!”

Through TV and comedy records Dave discovered masters like Richard Pryor and George Carlin. But it was the LGBTQ comics, “like Jim David, Elvira Kurt and of course Sandra Bernhardt,” Dave said, who inspired them most. The early queer Comedy Central specials, something Dave theorizes were designed more to fill programming slots than anything else, were the first time he remembers seeing himself represented in the media.

“I don’t think I saw another queer person on TV until Ellen came out,” he laughed.

that’s probably the worst I’ve ever felt after a show.”

Wonder Dave has since performed all over, honing his craft, hustling from show to show to establish themself. But thinking back to the Bernhardt Comedy specials of his youth, the modern day stand-up scene was decidedly less gay than Dave expected.

by Christopher J. Beale

Have you ever seen Shaggy from the old Scooby-Doo cartoons?” said gay standup comedian Wonder Dave, “I look like that.” Wonder Dave is the host of Safe Words Comedy Showcase at San Francisco’s iconic leather bar The Eagle. The standup comedy night was once booked by straight people, and featured a number of them as well. Then in 2022 Dave and his boyfriend Jonah were offered the chance to take over the showcase.

“If I’m gonna run a showcase at the Eagle, I want it to be a queer showcase,” Dave said. When they took over as host and booker in late 2022, they wanted to create an admittedly rare, queer comedy space.

Asked if being gay makes people funnier, Wonder Dave agreed. “Yes. Gay people are better. That’s what I’m supposed to say,” Dave joked, continuing, “In my experience, where traumatic things happened to me, being funny was a good way to get out of it. And I think that this is true of a lot of comedians, where they had something bad happen to them when they were young and they found out that being funny was a coping mechanism. It’s a way to not get bullied.”

In recalling early efforts, “I think the first time I went up at the San Francisco Punchline,” he said, “I got just one laugh during my set. I think technical, social and cultural level, he excels.

They say the Devil is in the details, but with Kahinde, the angels reside in the results, the perfect articulation of denim, the drape of the crucifix around the neck and onto the floor, the undone shoelaces on a pair of high top Nikes, and lastly the exquisite, lovingly executed textures of hair.

From page 15 of the Gay Liberation Movement of the ’70s, the fight for a cure that still continues from the scourge of HIV/ AIDS beginning in the ’80s, up until the recent Black Lives Matter Movement and the new pandemic all serve as a backdrop for Mr. Wiley’s art.

His massive portraits are colordrenched dense worlds of Black people reclining in deep backgrounds lush with leaves, flowers, branches and vines in various degrees of bloom and decay.

The works are elegant reminders of vulnerability, uncertainty and death, with mythological references in the poses and titles. They are a stunning contrast to the way we nor- mally see people in fine art portraiture, especially young Black people.

Kehinde uses all of the visual signifiers of them in all of their glory, with their penchant of luxury sportswear, statement jewelry, and afrocentric hairstyles. Yet the subjects are posed in stillness instead of the usual manic dynamic performative expressions of the way we normally see them as rappers, athletes, and fashion models.

Wiley’s enhancement and extension of the techniques of the Old Masters of fine art (insert your favorite here) shows a great respect for the history and rigor of fine portraiture and is a great example for all Black creatives in any discipline.

Wiley’s command of technique is also evident in his sculptures. On a

The scale of his work is a joy to behold, simultaneously grand and dark, mysterious and revealing, dramatic but not glaring. Be prepared. Dramatically lit, this exhibit is extremely powerful. For more sensitive attendees, it can be quite overwhelming emotionally, psychologically and thematically. The subtext of mortality, impermanence and death suggested in the exhibit may be triggering. The museum has thoughtfully provided a room for repast and recovery.

What this exhibit ultimately declares is that Kehinde Wiley is in the vanguard of 21st-century artists and personalities. He has created a body of work that is to be witnessed as well as viewed, experienced and rabidly collected, and most importantly seriously studied as a serious critical affirmation of what it means to be Black, as an artist, as a subject, and as a people. t

Kehinde Wiley’s ‘An Archaeology of Silence’ through Oct. 15, 2023 at the de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park. Tuesday–Sunday 9:30am – 5:15pm, free/$15. Audio tours available. www.famsf.org

“It’s kind of bro-ey,” Dave quipped. “Even now, with as much progress as queer comedians have made, it’s hard to talk about your life without people thinking all of your jokes are about being gay. That’s true of women, and people of color. You’re just talking about your life, and suddenly you are that thing. But people don’t question a straight white guy talking about his life because they are like, on a default setting.”

The decidedly queer Safe Words Comedy Showcase soft-launched at the end of 2022, and had a packed launch event in January 2023. The diverse lineup of comedians that have already graced the Safe Words stage reflect the Bay Area, and perhaps more importantly the queer Bay Area.

“I love having a queer event in a queer space,” said Dave, and the Eagle has not disappointed. Each month the team has to add chairs, filling the main room and then some. Safe Words plans to expand and grow – think performances on the patio in the summer, and special events at other venues – but relies solely on ticket sales for financial support.

“The funds at this point are going exclusively to the comics and promoting the show,” said Jonah Price, Wonder Dave’s boyfriend and the show’s producer, adding that tickets are pay what you can ($15-25 suggested).

“There’s no limit on how much or how little you can spend.”t

Safe Words Comedy Showcase takes place on the fourth Wednesday of the month. The April 26 lineup features Emily Van Dyke, with special guests Edna Mira Raia, Justin Lucas, and Marcus Williams. 7pm at the SF Eagle, 398 12th St. www.teamwonderdave.com

Hear Wonder Dave and Jonah Price on Christopher J. Beale’s podcast Stereotypes, at www.christopherjbeale.com

Monday 8am (last seating 9:45pm)

Tuesday 8am (last seating 9:45pm)

Wednesday 8am (last seating 9:45pm)

Thursday 8am Open 24 Hours

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