By Lawrence Ferber

Still the cutting edge chronicler of the hip and hopeful, Michael Musto discusses his career, his new book, the politics of outting and proves he is the original gossip gangsta.

Walking over to a cabinet in his Murray Hill apartment, Michael Musto is about to share something precious with me. The Village Voice's loved and loathed gossip columnist, who for 20-plus years has brought us behind the velvet ropes to get a peek at celebrity and NYC's audacious queer nightlife, and scrutinized stars' sexuality long before Perez Hilton existed (and, for that matter, the Internet itself!), is allowing us into his own world, life and apartment to commemorate the release of La Dolce Musto: Writings by The World's Most Outrageous Columnist (Carroll & Graf). The book compiles columns and essays past and present, both fluffy and politically charged, distanced and deeply personal, including ones in which he outs a then-closeted Rosie O'Donnell, shares watching Sandra Bernhard and then gal pal Madonna act zany onstage at a 1989 one-time-only fundraiser, and recounts the horror of AIDS' decimation of the gay community and the activism it spawned.

He also touches on more current scandals involving Jim McGreevy, Mel Gibson and Michael Jackson… which brings us to this moment of sharing, borne when I proposed a hypothetical. “You can spend a weekend,” I propose, “with Michael, LaToya or Janet Jackson to do a Vanity Fair piece. Which do you choose?”

Musto laughs. “First off, I'm touched you think those are three separate people,” he responds. “But I would have to pick Michael. I'm way too old for him to be interested, so I'm safe. And the other two are pale, as it were, imitators of him so why not go with the original.” With that, Musto heads over to his cabinet to produce and share a rare gem: LaToya's priceless 1994 Playboy video. And we watch a few minutes of it.

But Musto is also refreshingly open about his personal life, and reveals much—including the fact that he keeps seizures in check with a medication that prevents him from drinking alcohol—during our afternoon together. Following a tour of his one-bedroom apartment, which is decorated with many portraits depicting Musto and very queer kitsch, we sit down in the living room. Musto, who also contributes to Out magazine and has appeared on numerous networks including VH-1, E!, and MSNBC, proffers a tin of cookies decorated with the faces of last year's best actor Oscar nominees. To discuss his life in gossip we begin at the beginning, when he attended Columbia University as an English lit major…

Did you realize that gossip was what you loved, your true calling, while you were studying at Columbia?

Yes. Even though at Columbia you have so many requirements and we were studying The Odyssey and The Iliad and all the Greek classics, my mind was on Cher and still is.

How easy was it to put this book together?

It was always my fantasy to grab a bunch of columns and collate them and say, “Here's the book!” But then it turned out to be a lot of work because I had to literally read through thousands of columns and try to pick my favorites and also get a good assortment from celebrities and gay politics.

How has a juicy item from your early days changed from a juicy item today?

There are more walls broken down as far as what constitutes a juicy item now. Anything goes, which I actually think is a good thing; it makes for more inaccuracies and more insensitivities at times on behalf of the media, but there's less hypocrisy, there's less columnists saying we shouldn't talk about their sexuality because that's off limits. Now anything constitutes an item, and that is because of the Internet.

But there are still publicists who tell us, “Don't talk about sexuality,” or this, or that.

I know. I was supposed to interview Jennifer Love Hewitt and they said, “You can't talk about her breasts,” and I was like, why would I? I never make deals anyway with these publicists who want to cut a deal. I just say, “Forget it, let's not do it.”

Can you give me an example of a recent question you asked that got you blacklisted with a publicist?

At the New York Film Critics awards I was asking everyone, “What did you think of Bareback Mountain?” I thought it was so cute. I asked Phillip Seymour Hoffman and he went along with it because he didn't catch it at first and was like, “I haven't seen Bareback Mountain.” And the publicist went nuts and after that I wasn't allowed to talk to anybody. You can't ask a humorous question to a celebrity, these are serious people trying to get an Oscar. And their own cookie! It's a tight wire act that I have to perform every week to be snarky, bring celebrities down a peg, and yet still somehow be adorable about it that they're not going to cut you off every single list.

What are your thoughts on the new wave of gay gossip personalities like Perez Hilton?

I think they're terrific and Perez has cited me as somebody who is a pioneer in what he does so I'm honored to be acknowledged. I think it's more in-your-face gay gossip. I think the sexuality coverage is extremely political because it's saying to the world there's nothing wrong with saying a celebrity is gay. Even if this rumor is wrong it's OK to put the rumor out there with the denial because we're not projecting any more homophobia by acting like this is an unspeakable topic. That's a huge political advance.

How do you feel about outing?

It's my favorite pasttime. I collect stamps, Russian dolls, and I like to out celebrities. And I don't feel there has to be a legitimate basis of exposing hypocrisy. That's always fun, like a Mark Foley or a Jim McGreevy, who were both against gay rights and gay marriage and are caught, but I don't think that should only be used as a weapon against hypocrites. I think it should just be OK to say Clay Aiken is gay, what's the problem. And increasingly it isn't becoming a problem anymore to report it.

Of all the columns in the book, which one got you into the most trouble?

Definitely when I was outing Rosie O'Donnell. Few people will remember that she was the “Queen of Nice,” an ambiguous single mom in love with Tom Cruise and the media was going along with the whole charade. I was going, “Excuse me, people, she is the biggest diesel since Martina!” I didn't even know this was getting to Rosie, but apparently it was burning her up and driving her nuts. When she hosted the Tony Awards one year, during a commercial break she said something to the audience, only the live audience, “Oh I would love to be the one to strap in Raquel Welch for her costume in Victor/Victoria.” So that was her first lesbionic thing, but it wasn't on the telecast, and then at the party afterwards she came up to me and said, “That remark was for you and now maybe you'll stop talking about my private life.” And I was like, “No, I won't!” And I kept going at it and I'm extremely proud of her now that she came out. Not only did she come out, she came out with fucking dyke vengeance. I watch The View. I love it.

What is the difference between East Coast and West Coast gossip? I will say that everything I have ever heard in L.A. has proven to be true.

I think, because of the Internet, differences in East and West Coast gossip have gotten less. But I think in L.A. it's more about stars, starlets and attractive people, and in New York you read more about power brokers.

Has anything during your career haunted you?

I've never been haunted by anything I've written because I really don't regret anything I've written. I think it's all true, I've never even been sued in over 20 years. Can you imagine? I'm more haunted by my own personal choices. Like I'll turn down a TV show or I'll screw something up. I have a self-sabotaging quality on some level, but on another level I am very hard working and never screw anything up. It's this weird dichotomy, craving the spotlight and working at it very hard and then sometimes blowing opportunities to go bigger.

Has anyone ever reported or exposed something about you?

Someone once e-mailed me and said they saw me at some gay sex party. Oh, that's really… Your next scoop is going to be the sky is blue, or the pope is Catholic. I've written about my sex life, I'm quite openly gay so there's really nothing anyone has on me.

Madonna comes up a lot in the book. Have you ever, though, actually had a one-on-one experience with her?

I had a band called The Must, which was a Motown cover band, and before she was famous we were on the same bill at a nightclub. We were equal. That's how low down Madonna was at that point. And she behaved every inch the superstar as if she were already queen of the world. We never got a sound check because she tested the mic from every angle until the club opened. And afterwards, we were sharing a dressing room and her manager didn't want us to receive friends because Madonna was getting ready. Which was ironic—she didn't want strangers to see Madonna naked. Now the whole world is her gynecologist. Interestingly, I've never spoken with Madonna. Our paths have crossed 8 million times. But I'm not trying to become friends with celebs. Like I don't want to go bowling with Meryl Streep or anything. I'd rather keep a distance and write what I want. Plus she's not calling so it works out!

Who would you pass your torch to? Is that something you think about?

No. I want to die while I'm RSVPing. And then I want to be put in a Hefty bag and leaned against a garbage pail. But I'm not one of those noble people who wants to anoint a new me. I think having a new me would be a nightmare for me.