Unapologetically Tym
If you’ve attended any Pride events in and around New York City this month, chances are you’ve seen him: a bright, tall, vibrant bundle of energy that bounds across the stage, making the show, or pageant, or concert come alive like nobody else can. That’s Tym Moss, and he has become synonymous with all kinds of LGBTQ productions, from the grassroots-level LGBTQ Veterans Pride benefit in New Hope, PA, to his unforgettably moving Cabaret show, this journeyman performer has earned a large, devoted fan following. When Tym first came to NYC from Indiana in 1983, he was, as many gay men of the ’80s did, seeking sanctuary in a metropolis, far from the intolerance of places like the Midwest. It was a pursuit of art for a young man with a wide-ranging talent, but no place to express it. Arriving, as Tym puts it, “in Washington Heights, as the only white guy, everybody thought I was either a cop or a drug dealer”. Despite the small-town-to-big-city culture shock, Tym set out to find his way to the stage.
Like countless other aspiring artists, Tym’s dreams of stardom on Broadway was trampled by others who didn’t see his gifts, and Tym “spent the first half of [his] adult life in hell”, working in a real-estate office by day, and drowning his frustrations in bibulous indulgence by night. At long last, however, Tym reclaimed his life by eschewing the naysayers and taking up his true, creative self. He resolved to follow his dreams, and never looked back. Once Tym was free again, his career as a performer burst forth, and he’s been delighting audiences ever since. His story is all about embracing one’s true self, no matter how others try to place you in their own narrow definition of what your life should be.
What Tym’s life “should have been” underwent that transformation to “is”, and today, you can find Tym working with such lights as the Village People’s Randy Jones, drag queen Viki Villainess, legendary LGBTQ columnist Michael Musto, and even hilarious 50 Shades Of Gay funnyman Ike Avelli. Tym keeps everybody abreast of the entertainment industry’s winds and ways on Artists Exposed, a popular weekly talk series, and appears regularly as a guest on other LGBTQ-themed shows. The silver screen called Tym to make his starring debut in JUNK, the delightful musical comedy film created and directed by Michael Penny. Having established himself as a gifted thespian, Tym looks forward to celebrating this fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion by hosting and co-producing Pride Explosion, an official World Pride event, this Friday and Saturday nights. It’s a fitting next step in a journey that has always been all about evolving within the LGBTQ community.
Tym’s process of evolving artistically continues. Look for him at more events, Prides, and shows around the country later this year, and beyond. He’ll be ready to enthrall you in song and prose, right down to his pink feather boa. Get into it!
