After gay pay-channel Q Television collapsed, Jack E. Jett, host of the network’s popular show “Queer Edge,” attempted to bring his program to other channels. He met with the suits at Logo, Bravo, Here!, E! and a host of other lesser known channels, and was rejected by all of them.

Most hacks would have given up their TV-hosting dreams and applied for their real estate license or signed up for the refrigeration and air conditioning course at Apex Tech. Not Jack. The crazy whack-job decided if no network would take him, he’d launch his own network. He met with Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, the guys behind hit indie films The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Party Monster, who enlisted Jett in their latest project, an internet TV network launching this fall, worldofwonder.net. With a handshake, FU-TV was born.

Contrary to popular belief, the FU is not directed to gay channels Logo and Here!.

“The FU in FU-TV is a statement to the networks that have bowed down to religious groups, that have censored programs because they may have portrayed drugs in positive light, to the White House for withholding information about the existence or nonexistence of weapons of mass destruction and at the same time filtering what we can see and hear,” ranted Jett in a press conference announcing the new network. “We can not see Janet Jackson’s tit, but Colin Powell can stand before a nation and lie, a lie that ends up killing tens of thousands of innocent civilians. George Bush Sr. is able to travel around the world speaking for companies at over $100,000 a pop and at the same time his pathetic excuse for a son is making laws that effect what we see and hear.”

Could this be the end of civilized television? We sat down with Jett to learn more.

Rocket: Why did the major – and even minor – networks reject “Queer Edge”?

Jack E. Jett: “Queer Edge” is too weird for American TV. The show is a celebration of people who march to a different xylophone.

Rocket: Some of the stars who have appeared on the show are not so shabby: Sandra Bernhard, Alan Cumming, Kim Coles, Lucy Lawless…

JEJ: Yes, and also pop subculture talents like Matt Trample, a dude who likes to be trampled on by women; Rocky, who strips from a tuxedo to jock strap while on a pogo stick; Bridget the Midget, a porn star/rock star/mother; Billy the Mime, [the] most twisted mime in the world; Fakir Musafar, the father of body modification; and Kay Sedia, drag queen/top selling Tupperware salesperson. These are incredible talents with amazing stories to tell and [whose] art and voice has been quieted by the right-wing conservative media.

Rocket: Is it your mission to shine the spotlight on these wacky personalities and offer them a platform from which to spread their weirdness?

JEJ: I get my kick out of sharing these people with others. It’s like a kid with a new toy who wants to show everybody.

Rocket: You’re the modern-day freak show ringmaster. You’re the millennium’s Barnum & Bailey.

JEJ: I guess you could say that. My audience extends beyond the circus tent. The beauty of broadband Internet is that viewers can watch the show in Hong Kong or even Vatican City. People will be able to view some amazing visuals, video shorts, underground films and the new hit series “ROBOSHITHEAD.”

Rocket: Let’s get honest. In your opinion, are the gay networks [Logo and Here!] giving viewers what they want to see?

JEJ: The question is rather subjective, and if I were up to playing the game I would answer it like this. It is an exciting time to be gay in America as we celebrate our diversity with our own television networks. However, I am over playing the game. The Viacomization of gay is clearly evident when you watch five minutes of Logo. As a viewer, I find the programs mundane. While playing it safe is good for preventing HIV infection, it is rather boring on TV. I am not sure whose gay lifestyle they are reflective of, but it is not mine or anyone I know. However, they have the power and own enough gay real estate to ensure that the programs will only be complimented in the press.

Rocket: Wow, that’s honest.

JEJ: As far as Here!, I commend them in bringing in John Waters. That’s a major feather in their cap. The common complaint I hear about Here! is that people are confused if it is a network or a video-on-demand service. To answer the question, ‘Are they giving the viewers what they want,’ one must ask themselves who they know that watches these networks and what [are] their thoughts on the programs. I don’t take it upon myself to speak for GLBT viewers, as that job has been taken by GLAAD, whose award show can be seen on Logo.

Rocket: Ouch, Jack. Are you sure this isn’t sour grapes talking?

JEJ: Maybe a little [laughs]. But, honestly, I’m fed up with the crap they are putting on TV and calling entertainment. You would think that Brian Graden, who brought us such cool shows as “South Park,” would not let them get away with shoving Priscilla, Queen of the Desert down our throats three times a day. You would think that Mr. Graden would say, “Hey, enough Priscilla, enough vanilla; we are gay men and women and we should not only think outside the box but we should throw the box away and start from scratch.” I admire Here! for there openness, even though I am not their cup of tea. I wish I was, because I see them with the most potential. They have a great business plan, from what I can see. They also have attractive employees, so if you have to go in and be rejected, it is kind of cool having it done by someone attractive, kind of like emotional S&M.

Rocket: Not that they will after reading this, but if the big boys at Logo called you tomorrow and offered you a show, would you say “FU” to FU-TV?

JEJ: F no. We are beginning to see the power of the Internet. People on this planet, and I have been given permission to speak for them all, are sick of the filters channels like Logo and MTV impose on its talent. Everyone wants to filter what we see or hear. The filterization of media has become very apparent with this war in Iraq. If broadband Internet and the blogosphere would have been as relevant several years ago, we would never have ended up in this war. Bloggers are raw and in your face. They deal in facts and not on-air personalities. There was so much filtering going on with the major news organizations during the buildup to the Iraq war that I think they should all be fired, from Wolf Blitzer all the way down to that skanky Elizabeth Vargas, who blames Matthew Shepard’s death on his drug use. Remember, the water is always freshest from the spout. The less filtered the fruit, the sweeter its taste. We are all adults; we don’t need someone to tell us we are not allowed to hear the word fuck, or ass or cocksucker. Censorship is by far the most foul word in the dictionary. So to answer your question, the only big boys I like are, in fact, big boys.

FU-TV launches on www.worldofwonder.net this fall. For more information on Jack E. Jett, visit his Web site at www.jackejett.com