For a woman who has graced the cover of Maxim magazine and whose marriage dissolved in front of a national audience, red-headed Republican and reality-TV darling Gretchen Bonaduce is surprisingly down to earth. Now divorced from former child star Donny Bonaduce, and thrilled about her engagement to “an amazing, wonderful, kind man,” Gretchen spoke to the Windy City Times about her band, her love for Chicago and her feelings about her gay fans.
Windy City Times: Are you excited to perform in your home state?
Gretchen Bonaduce: I am absolutely ecstatic to play these shows. I was born in Waukegan, and still have many friends and family members in the area. My daughter, Countess Isabella (who my clothing line at Hot Topic is named after), was born in Chicago at Swedish Covenant hospital. You can imagine, as a mother, Chicago will always hold a special place in my heart.
WCT: Was performing always a goal of yours?
GB: I have been performing in bands and choirs for most of my life. I certainly was never the most talented singer in the class. Usually the teacher would throw me a bone and let me sing lead on a minor part in a show or concert. [They] knew I wanted to be the leading lady, but just didn’t have the talent to pull it off. I have somehow reached a new level of confidence in my 40s that I did not possess in my 20s or teens.
WCT: You’ve been involved with several reality shows—Breaking Bonaduce and Gimme My Reality Show, to name two. Any regrets?
GB: I have no regrets about doing anything I have done. To give comfort to people [by doing] a silly little reality show, how can I be sorry for that? People always ask if I think the show had anything to do with my marriage collapsing. That was my life whether the cameras were rolling or not. Cheating, drugs and alcohol abuse [and] ruin marriages, not reality shows.
WCT: What was it like to pose for Maxim?
GB: Shooting those pictures was quite nerve-wracking. They certainly were the most provocative photos I had taken at that point. I was convinced there must be a gas leak at the Maxim headquarters, and they were so high on fumes that they thought making a 43-year-old a Maxim girl was a good idea! I also received a six-figure offer from a men’s magazine to pose semi-nude, but I turned it down. I kept thinking, my dad’s disappointed face vs. six figures. My dad’s disappointed face vs. six figures. My dad’s face won out. I figured the fact that I was married to Danny Bonaduce for 17 years was embarrassment enough for my family. Sit down Danny—just a joke!
WCT: What with the men’s magazines and reality TV, how do you keep from being, shall we say, overexposed?
GB: Ha. I wish I were overexposed. I have tried to get on Dancing with the Stars and they think I am not a big enough name. Let’s all work on overexposing me.
WCT: You’ll be playing a show at Circuit, a gay Chicago club. How do you feel about your enthusiastic gay fan base?
GB: My gay fans are the most loyal and dependable. My lame straight fans say they will show up and never do—just kidding, of course. But I know if I call on the gay community for support they have always come through for me. Always.
WCT: It’s rumored that you do a bit of work for gay rights. Tell us about that.
GB: I have so many gay and lesbian friends who are family to me. My GLBT friends in Hollywood know that they can always count on me for support if they need me to show up at their events or fundraisers.
WCT: As a Republican, how do you reconcile your political views with your personal relationship with LGBT friends and fans?
GB: I think you would be surprised to find that a lot of Hollywood Republicans would support gay rights—if you could find a lot of Hollywood Republicans. This town was built on many of the gay communities’ sweat equity. I cannot believe that there is an issue with gay marriage. To me it goes back to the Bible and the Ten Commandments; treat thy neighbor as thyself. I think people spend far too much time worrying about what the other guy is doing, when they ought to be worrying about themselves and treating people with human kindness.
Gretchen and her band, Ankh, will perform at Circuit Night Club Friday, Jan. 15, at 9 p.m. See www.myspace.com/gretchenbonaduce.