Have you ever met a person who's the Mayor of something? You know, THAT GUY. The one people might know as the Mayor of East 3rd street. Or the Resident Emperor of the local bagel shop. Always holding court with multitudes of people as they come in and out of the store.

I guess some people are just gregarious. Everyone seems to immediately love them. And that, my friend, is a great description of Tym Moss. For the sake of this article, let's just call him the Mayor of New York (no offense Mr. de Blasio), or at least, an ambassador of the New York entertainment scene.

Perhaps you've seen him already, in his countless appearances all over the city hosting "this" event and "that" show. Whether it's a street fair, comedy club, or cabaret performance, Tym Moss is often spotted wielding his charm on some unsuspecting audience. He's big, flamboyant and fun.

But where does this type of person come from? What's behind the secret door? I met up with Tym the other day and we had a surprisingly candid discussion about his life, and it's dark. Very dark…

Tym Moss grew up in Indiana with a family that had no understanding of his desires to be in show business. In the 1970's and into the 80's he performed in some community theater and became a lead singer of pop/rock groups in the area, but he knew the Midwest was limited. Without much money in his pocket, he took that big leap and moved to New York City.

But as many have learned, life in this town isn't easy. He found himself in a very bad neighborhood (at that time), swarming with drug dealers and struggling to make a living. He was urged into trying out real estate, and probably because of his outgoing nature, he was good at it. He also hated it. And as the long days and nights selling a product he didn't believe in consumed him, strangely enough, he had more success at it. He moved up the ranks to finally own the company - and any thoughts of being an entertainer vanished for the next 20 years.

The nearness of drugs became too easy. His success supported a drug habit, and he spiraled. In Tym's words: "Lindsey Lohan? She's an amateur!"

It was in 2006 he found himself in a hospital, both mentally and physically ill from years of chemical abuse, and decided to take back his life. While recovering, he was invited to help with the radio show "Radio Meatsauce", which he then co-hosted. This led him to start his own show called "Artists Exposed", in which Tym helps to promote the careers of other entertainers to this day.

He changed his life around. He stopped with all drugs, got out of a career he hated and decided to take a leap into something he could love. Showbiz.

He's embraced life to the fullest, and I think that is what people see in him. Through his darkness he has become a bright and shining light. As Tym says, "The first half of my life was hell, the second is living in heaven!"  His verve and energy is infectious and requests for him to be involved in projects now seem to drop out of the sky. His acting career is starting to launch, with numerous roles in TV, film and theater being added to his resume all the time. He walks into venues around town, and people know him. Why? He's likable - and that brings offers.

But who is he? What does he do? He calls himself an "entertainer", and that's how you can see him in a rare appearance in his own show, February 21st at the Stonewall along with friends Reginald Todd (Recording Artist and Producer) and Dorothy Bishop ("Dozen Divas Show"). He'll be performing his new musical single (which he's currently in the studio working on).

Info about the Stonewall show here:
https://stagebuddy.com/event/tym-moss-a-night-of-music-and-fun-at-stonewall

Tym has recently added his "Artists Exposed" show (which has been running for 5 years) to the StageBuddy blogs. Hear/see it here!
https://stagebuddy.com/blogprofile/artists-exposed-tym-moss

What else to be said?
Tym? He's a nice guy. He's the Mayor of New York.