Outcast From Down Under

(Kim Smith)
 
The title of Kim Smith’s newest show, Misfit, is closely tied to his experiences growing up. The Australian native was so different from other boys, he practically feared being around them. So he found other ways to entertain himself.
 
“I wanted to either pretend I was Catwoman in the backyard with a skipping rope as a whip and whip my sisters, or I’d sit around drawing pictures and watching old movie musicals, which is pretty faggy,” the singer, who’ll turn 30 next year, says. Smith loved playing dress up, too. Every morning, he tells us, his mother would wait by his bedroom door to see who would emerge.
 
Smith says both of his parents were very supportive and found his theatrics exciting, but school was a different story. He was bullied (though never to the point of physical violence) and got through the tough times by having some good friends and teachers he could turn to. He also reached out to a gay youth organization in Melbourne early in his teenage years and would correspond with others.

To those being bullied because of their sexuality, Smith offers this advice: “I want to say to these kids, ‘Dude, you’ll move away. You have interests larger than the town you’re in—not even in just the fact that you want to be with a man or a woman. You probably want to study something that’s not available in your small town. You want to explore. You will be taken away from this situation and put into one where you can actually grow.’”
 
Smith refers to his current life as “one of exciting upheaval.” Not only does he feel he has a better handle on his career than ever before, he is also fulfilled in his personal life. A year and half ago he married William Ferguson in Greenwich, Conn. The couple, who met while Ferguson was doing an opera in Melbourne, were inseparable for the first few weeks of their relationship. But then it came time for Ferguson to return to New York. After many tears were shed, they agreed to keep in touch, and for two years they talked, messaged and traveled back and forth. Finally, in 2007 Smith moved to New York to be with the man he loved. To this day it remains the thing he is the most proud of. “Out of everybody in New York, it was someone on the other side of the world he chose,” Smith says. “That blows my mind. The magic that he weaves is a potent one.”
 
Smith is currently working on his first CD, about which he’s a bit secretive, but does admit it’s a “pop project.” He’s also planning an Australian tour this summer. But don’t mistake Smith’s ambition for a need to be famous. It’s not something that interests him. “Fame nowadays is different from how I romanticized it when I was very young. Now it’s that grotesque Kardashian show-us-your-vagina sort of thing,” he says. “To get anywhere in America you need to have some bad press written about you. People seem to only want to talk about negative things over here. Soon it’s going to be so and so has an abortion, oh, and here’s their new album.” —Dustin Fitzharris
 
Misfit at the West Bank Café at the Laurie Beechman Theater, 407 W 42nd St (@ Ninth Avenue) on Feb 12 at 9:30pm. Tickets are $15, with an additional $15 food and beverage minimum. Visit beechmantheatre.com or kimdavidsmith.com for more info.