DAVID SCHMADER is a writer and performer devoted to exploring his obsessions, from homophobic rock stars and pray-away-the-gay Christians to trash cinema and legalized drugs. His solo plays--Letter to Axl, Straight, and A Short-Term Solution to a Long-Term Problem--have been performed across the US. From 1998-2015, Schmader worked as a staff writer and editor for Seattle's Pulitzer-winning newsweekly The Stranger, where he wrote the issue-opening column "Last Days: The Week in Review" for 18 years. In his spare time, he is the world's foremost authority on the glorious terribleness of the movie Showgirls, hosting annotated screenings of Paul Verhoeven's notorious stripper drama at cinemas all over North America and providing the commentary track for the Showgirls DVD. His first book Weed: The User's Guide was first published by Sasquatch Books in 2016.