Singing telegrams deliver Pride with door-to-door service
SAN FRANCISCO -- Pride in San Francisco takes on all kinds of different colors, as one man in the city shows with his unique type of work.
Grant Thompson is the owner of Baba Loons & Tunes Singing Telegrams. His business took a big hit during the pandemic, but with Pride coming back in 2022, Thompson is seeing an influx of new orders.
His LGBTQ+ business specializes in many characters, but playing Dame Edna is a favorite. On the day KPIX 5 caught up with Grant, he was delivering a singing telegram to a woman for her birthday. Grant says he wanted to make people happy from the early days of his childhood.
"I knew I wanted to perform to help people have happy moments," he explained. "Singing telegrams help people to know they are loved. I didn't always feel that. As a gay kid with weight issues, people were not kind to me."
As a gay performer, Grant spends his life spreading kindness. And he does it with his dog Piper in tow.
Telegram recipient Heather told KPIX that people need more whacky disruptions to remind us to smile.
"To know to celebrate joy and a reminder that we can rise to the best of humanity," she said.