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[title]Soaking up Chicago’s gay nightlife
“[My friend] Chris took me out that night and we hit the bars from Rush Street all the way up to the Closet, a gay bar in Boystown. We called this kind of night, ‘drinking our way north.’ ”
Closet owner Judi Petrouski “We decided that we would have Jane, because she was so funny, see if she wanted to tend bar because she was a struggling actress. I can’t exactly remember how long she worked here. She actually preferred being a customer because she was like, ‘Listen, I can’t do this—these people are too drunk.’ ”
Making a name in the storefront theater scene
“Our friend Mick Napier had just rented a huge filthy storefront on the 3700 block of North Clark Street. He was calling the space the Annoyance. He offered it to the Soloway sisters on Tuesday nights to do what they would…. The headliner was a live performance of one Brady Bunch episode each week in a stage show called The Real Live Brady Bunch. …I chose to play Carol, who was played by Florence Henderson in the series, because I felt I would be a natural what with my hair color and all.”
Annoyance founder Napier “I always thought that no one but Gary Oldman could play Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy. That’s the way I felt about Jane doing Carol in The Real Live Brady Bunch. No one on Earth, in my opinion, would have been more perfect for the role.”
Becoming Sue Sylvester
“Glee was to be upbeat, hopeful and innocent. When Kevin Reilly, the head of Fox TV, suggested that [show creator] Ryan [Murphy]’s script needed a villain whose mission it would be to destroy the glee club, I’ve heard it said that Ryan proclaimed, ‘Her name will be Sue Sylvester, and she will be played by Jane Lynch.’ ”
Costar Matthew Morrison “What’s funny is that I heard they wanted a Jane Lynch–type. I don’t think they actually thought they could get her. She brings such energy to the show. I’m the moral centerpiece and [Sue] is the painful prick in your spine. She’s the most beautiful, ugly character you’ll see in your life.”
Jane Lynch reads from her memoir, Happy Accidents • Women and Children First, 5233 N Clark St (773-769-9299) • Oct 9 at 1pm; free with advance book purchase • Book release date: Sept 13