R. Eric Thomas is a television writer (Dickinson on AppleTV+, Better Things on FX), playwright, and national bestselling author of Here for It, or How to Save Your Soul in America and Congratulations the Best is Over! His latest venture is writing the nationally syndicated advice column Asking Eric.
We caught up with Thomas shortly after the Philly debut of his fabulous new play, An Army of Lovers, for the low down on his new turn as an advice columnist, Rehoboth Beach tips, and some insight on what it’s like to be on a big gay book tour.
GAYCITIES: I have so much to congratulate you on. First of all, your new column! Tell me all about it.
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The column is called “Asking Eric.” It’ll be nationally syndicated by the same company that syndicates “Asking Amy,” which is in 150 newspapers around the country. Much like “Asking Amy” and Ann Landers before her, it’s, it’s meant to be a column for general advice for people.
Did you grow up reading Ann Landers as religiously as I did?
I grew up reading Ann Landers in the paper. I was also interested in Dan Savage and his column “Savage Love” in The Stranger. I stayed interested in the idea that you could just ask a stranger questions, and then they would tell you what to do in life. I’d love to do that. I’m a person who is always looking for someone to tell me exactly what I need to do to get myself out of the jams that I create for myself.
When someone reaches out “Asking Eric,” when can they hope to hear from you?
The soonest would be three weeks. I’m already getting more questions than I can answer. People may see their questions answered in a month or two months, just depending on how things shake out.
I’ve been immersed in your literary work. How do you keep up with all the projects you’re engaged in?
I try to be really regimented and create different blocks on my calendar. Today, I have three blocks because I need to turn in a batch on Wednesday. Tomorrow I’m supposed to work on a television pitch and a new musical. It’s an idea to be regimented, but it almost never completely works that way because the work is inspiration-based. If I catch the spirit to go work on a play instead of the column, I sometimes have to follow that. But sometimes, it needs to be deadline-based. I’ve been using an AI-powered calendaring app. Instagram targeted me with an ad; they were like, “You look like a chaotic person; try this.” So I did, and I just put all of my tasks there, and my little AI daddy tells me what to do. It’s so nice.
Ha! We all need a little AI daddy, don’t we? Hey, congrats on your latest book, Congratulations, the Best is Over. Tell us about it.
I describe it as a coming-of-middle-age book. It’s about moving back to my hometown for my husband’s job, a place that I didn’t want to return to, even to be buried, and trying to figure out all those life things that I thought I had already figured out, like making new friends, having a house, working out marriage, and going through different life stages.
It’s a book of comedic essays. It’s very similar to my first book Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America.
I understand you had a pretty big book tour. Tell me, what is it like to be on a book tour?
They gave me the largest book tour that I was able to do. My first book came out in February 2020, so half the tour was chopped. Then, the other two books came out during the height of the pandemic. I talk to a lot of other authors at festivals, and there are really two camps: some authors are like, I’m in the city, I want to see everything, I want to eat everything, I want to dance on the bar. Other authors are like, “I’m gonna do my event, and then I’m gonna go to bed.” I think both of those are super valid. I get anxious and want to make sure that I’m all set. I don’t do as much tourism as I maybe would like, but I’m trying to push myself more. I love traveling and love seeing different places.
Did you have a favorite stop on your book tour?
I was in San Antonio for the San Antonio Book Festival. I’d never been to San Antonio, and it was lovely. I went and checked out a couple of different gay bars, and they were super fun. There was a taco truck outside of one of them; it was perfect, exactly what I wanted. And then there was like a vending machine that had condoms and poppers, and I was like, fascinating! Later, I googled “best late-night street tacos” because I wanted more. And one of the places that was pointed out to me was a stand outside of a Coyote Ugly. Um, so then I went from gay bars to Coyote Ugly, which was a very different experience. I got my street tacos, walked along the river, and went back to my hotel room. With travel, I’m always interested in having an experience that’s rooted in what is authentic about the space. I know, of course, that everything is filtered through my newness and that I don’t have to go to my job here. I don’t have to water my lawn, I just have to go back to my hotel room and watch The Fugitive which is what I always do.
Is that your go-to hotel film?
It is. I’m trying to write it into my next book. I’m obsessed with it. I think it’s so good.
Mine is Horrible Bosses.
Oh, that’s so good. I love it. I want to know everyone’s travel films.
Did you make it to the Alamo when you were in San Antonio?
You know, I didn’t. It’s so weird, I don’t always do the big tourist things. I’ll try to go to museums more sometimes. People always say, “You should see the Liberty Bell or whatever.” And I’m like, Nah. But I will see local theater. I always want to find out what’s going on in the gay scene. I wanna eat. And I love seeing a weird museum exhibit that I wouldn’t have caught otherwise.
Do you have any favorite weird museums that you’ve been to?
My favorite weird museum is the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. It’s for visionary artists, artists who are not formally trained. Many of them are incarcerated or experiencing housing insecurity, homelessness, or experiencing mental health crises. The art is just extraordinary. A lot of the art in the museum could be considered “outsider art,” which can mean so many different things; because of what it has meant in the past, there is a lot of queer art, as well. There’s this beautiful sculpture of an angel [Andrew Logan’s Black Icarus]. It’s sort a nude with wings, and the wings are rainbow mirror balls. The statue was created at the height of the AIDS crisis. And it continues to hang over the staircase today. It’s a stunning piece, just gorgeous.
I was lucky to catch your recent play, An Army of Lovers, through Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre here in Philadelphia. What do you have in the pipeline creatively?
I’m working on a couple of TV things, but everything has been slow to start back up since the strikes. I do have a new production coming up in Philly next year. And then I’m working on a new musical with a New York-based team, which hopefully will be out in about two years. I would like to expand into the Atlanta theater market. There’s a great scene down there: Alliance Theater, Actor’s Express, and a bunch of other great places. I had a production in Indianapolis this past year, and that was fantastic. They have a great gay scene and a lot of different gay spaces. I’d love to keep working with them. One of my first plays was produced in Chicago, which is obviously a great theatre town. I’ve got my eyes on it, too. I’m knocking on doors and trying to be the right person at the right time.
What was the theatre in Indianapolis?
Indiana Repertory Theater. They were great. They actually did my play Mrs. Harrison during the pandemic, which they filmed on stage in a theatre with no audience. Their production of The Folks at Home was the first time they did a play of mine with an audience, which is about an interracial gay couple whose parents have to move in with them. It’s like a Norman Lear sitcom on stage. I love that show. I really would love for a Philly theater company to do it. No bites yet, but we’re still trying.
Did you make it out to Indiana for the show?
I did. Yeah. I loved it. I had never been to Indiana. I was like, “Where do I eat? What do I do? Who was gay here?” Those are my big questions. They have a great acting community. It’s this nexus space where a lot of people come from many different places. There’s not as much going on in all directions for a while, so Indianapolis becomes this hub, which was great.
Let’s talk about Dickinson on Apple TV+.
Oh, yes.
I love the show so much. I’m curious: did you get to go on set while you were filming?
Unfortunately, because of COVID restrictions at the time. I didn’t get to go on set. It was one of those things where they filmed in New York and Long Island, and I lived in Maryland. At that time, the quarantine rules would have meant that I would have had to quarantine in New York for five days and then go to the set. It wasn’t feasible, which is a shame because it was such a fantastically vibrant show. I would have loved to see them filming and putting everything together.
Was your writer’s room virtual?
Yeah, it was all virtual. It was my first writer’s room. I logged in and was like, “What am I doing here?” Comedian Ken Greller was in one of the squares. He went to my high school a little after me. I knew he was going to be there. And then Lynn Nottage was sitting there, and I was like I’m in the wrong room, I have to go, this is just too much for me. But it was lovely. So lovely. Lynn talked about going on Instagram Live with Jeremy O’Harris that night and asked us what we should ask him. And so, we were throwing questions out, and Lynn was in her camper, I think, heading up to Maine or somewhere. It was a strange and fantastic introduction to TV writing.
Changing gears, I saw you were in Rehoboth Beach recently.
Yes! I love Rehoboth Beach. A lot of my friends stay at the hotels, but I always like I like to rent a house further down, away from the boardwalk. It’s just an easier walk to Poodle Beach, the gay part of the beach. It’s a very chill beach scene; you’ll find a huge influx of people from DC, Baltimore, and Philly. You can always tell where a person’s from or which city is “winning the beach” that day. I like Blue Moon, which is a piano bar and restaurant. It has a nice chill atmosphere. It’s down the street from Aqua, another popular gay space. My favorite is Blue Moon, though, because you can dance a little if you want to. You can listen to somebody play the piano earlier in the evening. You can eat, or you can just sit outside. That’s my favorite.
My other recommendation is Funland. They have an arcade and a mini roller coaster bumper car gazebo. It’s a great way to spend the night at the beach if you don’t want to go out and do the scene or just sit at home and play games. I think I like going out and coming back with a couple of stuffed animals that I have no idea what I’m going to do with.
What’s on your travel bucket list?
Iceland is really big on my list right now. My parents have been twice, and they love it. I think Iceland tourism has done a great job of raising the profile over the last ten years. It glimmers in the distance for me. I love a hot spring in cold places.
They have the Blue Lagoon, after all.
Yes! And everyone is like, “It’ll transform you; you won’t have knee problems anymore.” I love magical solutions. Sign me up for Iceland. And Berlin is high on my list. You know, a lot of friends have talked to me about it, and I’m just trying to figure out if I’m going to formulate a clear plan for this, like “this is how you do Berlin,” or if I just want to go and see where the wind takes me. That feels exciting but also dangerous but in an exciting way. Right?
Is there a destination that you want to go back to?
Yes, I love Mexico City. Mexico City is one of the greatest places in the world. I’ve been there twice. Best food city in the world. I love how vibrant it is. Every time we go down, we talk about buying an apartment there. I think there are a lot of expats living down there now. And so I don’t think that’s an original idea. But it’s great. And if my Spanish improves, I think it’s something that I will consider more and more. It’s also got a wonderful queer scene in Zona Rosa. It’s a gorgeous city, gorgeously maintained. It’s busy, and a beautiful mix of modern and ancient, which I really like.
What’s on your travel playlist?
Beyoncé. Right, probably, honestly, a lot of Broadway. Kelly Clarkson’s latest album, there’s a song called “That’s Right”, and it’s great for striding quickly and with purpose through an airport when you’re trying to make a connection. And probably a little bit of Taylor. I like Taylor, but she’s not always the vibe for a trip. And then, you know, a couple of different Broadway shows, The Notebook has been on heavy rotation recently. I am always going to go for Caroline, or Change. And you know, I love Chicago. So, you know, for throwing a couple of different tones or energies on rotation in there.
How about a good beach read?
My first book, Here for It, is a great beach read. You’re gonna laugh, and you’re gonna cry, and it’s got a beautiful pink cover because we know one of the most important parts of a beach read is making sure everybody knows you’re reading it. I just finished Miranda July’s All Fours, and I think it’s a great beach read. If you know Miranda July’s work, you know that she is poetic and weird and curious. And this book is all of those things. I tore through it, and I loved it.
How do we stay in touch?
On Instagram and on X, my handle is @oureric And then I write a weekly(ish) newsletter. And you can find that at letter.rericthomas.com
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