Two Free Tix To See Dar Williams at City Winery

Hey QNYers, we've got two free tix to see Dar Williams at City Winery this Saturday. (Her Friday show is sold out.) Leave a comment by Thursday at noon with an email address if you'd like a chance at the tix.

I saw Dar Williams many moons ago when she opened for Joan Baez in Northampton.

Dar’s eighth studio album, Many Great Companions comes out Oct 12th (Razor & Tie). Disc 1 is an acoustic collection of her classics with musician friends like Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Larkin, Motherlode, and Gary Louris of the Jayhawks, who also produced the album.

The bonus disc, Best of Dar Williams, is a musical journey through Dar’s career, following Dar as she transforms from a folk singer just starting out to the seasoned musician she is today.

PS:  Also, she’ll be doing a little intimate performance of a few songs at Housing Works in Soho on Sunday at noon – a little nod to her coffee shop roots!


Update: Don't miss her Friday 12:30PM EST livestream session: www.livestream.com/darwilliams.

Kiss and Say Goodbye. An entirely different meaning of "tighty-whities"

One of the most inevitable aspects of riding the subways (New York or elsewhere), is the busking for bucks by individuals or groups. Want to "see" a collective, but silent groan? Look around when that loud scratchy voice begins "Ladies and gentlemen, I am not a drug addict, but..." The flip side is the enjoyable site of costumed Mariachi bands, holding hats and guitars as they run from their played-out car to a fresh one, or the flip-fantastic feats of b-boys, head-spinning with feet in the air, perfectly missing poles and people as they perform.
Delightfully unexpected this Saturday, Tony and I were on the way to Greenpoint mid-morning, when over the quiet murmur of the weekend workers on the 1 train came a high sweet voice, accurately sustaining and accenting the first word "I.....had to meet you here today..."
As four aged men shuffled through the car, they stumbled over the words and repeated phrases in the wrong order, but the quality wasn't important, the mid-70s flashback had begun, and the tune stayed with me the rest of the day.
Naturally, I wanted to see those giant collars and big-hair heads, and slow, uniformly precisioned steps and hand movements, but also to hear the breathy, quiet spoken-word confessional intro that sets the premise for the song. And then just had to share it. Enjoy.

Christine O'Donnell Gay Ad Parody

by Maurice Michaane

">

My Favorite Block in the City: West 10th Street Between 5th and 6th Avenues in Manhattan

By West Village Bill

My favorite block in the city is one I routinely walk along on the way from my apartment to Union Square: West 10th Street between 5th and 6th avenues. It's my favorite mostly for a simple and shallow reason: It's so beautiful in terms of both architecture and greenery. And it feels like home: It's where I would be living now if I'd actually gotten together with that heart surgeon/gourmet chef with inherited Old Money that I was supposed to have met right after I first moved to the city. :-) Oh, and one more thing: hound-dog fence-post statuary!

A Little Night Music 2.0 - A Review

Posted by David
I recently had the pleasure to attend a performance of the current revival of Stephen (can we just canonize him and be done with it?) Sondheim's musical A Little Night Music, performing at the Walter Kerr Theater.  The production originally opened starring Catherine Zeta-Jones along with Angela Lansbury.  These two leading ladies have left the production and their roles are now being assayed by Broadway veterans Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch, respectively.

I did not see the production with original cast of Zeta-Jones and Lansbury, so I cannot compare the current incarnation to the previous, and perhaps that is for the best as I would have hated to have that little comparative voice whispering in my head throughout the performance and spoiling my fun.

The Divine Sister

"The Divine Sister" at the Soho Playhouse, September 20, 2010


Posted by Mondschein

Charles Busch returns to the NY stage with his latest effort, leading his mash-up tale of nuns in a Pittsburgh convent. The Divine Sister plumbs the borders of The Sound of Music, Agnes of God, Doubt, Song of Bernadette, and Nunsense wrapped up in a strong dose of Where Angels Go Trouble Follows.


The jokes are broader than the Hudson, and the "broads" are among the widest Mr. Busch has written to date.


The absurd plot, of a convent/school in early 1960s Pittsburgh on financial skids includes a new member, Sister Walburga (Alison Fraser), imported from Germany to help with fund-raising )or does she have a plan of her own??). Mother Superior (Mr. Busch) and her BFF and second in command, Sister Acacius (Julie Halston) have decided to approach the rich Jewish, agnostic widow, Mrs. Levinson (Jennifer Van Dyck) to donate her home to the order until a new school can be built. One problem facing the order is that the postulant Agnes (Amy Rutberg) has a tendency toward miracles, healings and stigmata-ism, bringing unwanted publicity. Like any good catholic story, there are multiple mother-child relationships hidden behind secret adoptions, accented by occasion musical numbers dubbed as badly as any Italian western out there, and a couple of flashback scenes to Mother Superior's previous life as a crime reporter in the 1940s. Plots twist and all is revealed to a comic effect only conceivable by Mr. Busch - a lost book of the bible, the Gospel of Saint Gladys which tells the story of the Jesus' sister Joyce - the titular Divine Sister. Brilliant!

John Lennon's 70th Birthday. Strawberry Fields in Central Park.

Early in the morning and the crowd had already begun to swell.

More photos, and video of the crowd singing "I Should Have Known Better", after the break.

Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Plant

Is this not the best thing built in New York City in the last 5 years?

Even with all the starchitect-designed luxury condos that sprouted up along the Hudson and East River waterfronts before the crash, this sewage treatment plant on the shore of the (recently superfunded) toxic sludge pool - quaintly called Newtown Creek, is still the most exciting architectural surprise in the city. I have never been inside, but Open House New York weekend approaches, and plans have been made to tour the "digester eggs".
In anticipation, I dug up some photos I took during previous pilgrimages to this Polshek Partnership (now "Ennead") award winning stunner, New York City's largest waste water treatment plant.

From Long Island City looking across the Newtown Creek.

Lots more photos after the jump; Embiggen them all for full screen display and detail.

Joey Arias in Concert this weekend!

Go see Joey Arias in Concert this weekend at the Abrons Arts Center/Henry Street Settlement, October 8 and 9 at 8:00pm.  Tickets are $25 and well worth every penny.

I saw Joey's birthday show last Saturday.  I was completely blown away.  Joey's voice is an incredible whiskey soprano.  His band for this show is more than just good--they're on the cutting edge.  The guitarist in particular brought a style that I've never heard before.  When he and Joey start vamping together, trading musical growls and squeaks, you'll marvel at hearing something that sounds genuinely fresh and unique, at least to my ear.  The lighting design, while spare, was interesting and did a good job of showing off the bizarrely fascinating costumes, one of which is entirely unexpected.  And on top of all that, Mx. Arias effortlessly delivers in high heels that look taller than some stilts.

Most of all, Joey knows how to enrapture an audience.  No matter whether the song was upbeat, slow and sad, or just off the wall--I couldn't look away and didn't want it to end.  Newer and younger performers would do well to emulate his classic demeanor while telling stories and interacting with the audience--somehow Joey is self-deprecating with pride, filthy with decorum, catty with love, and vulnerable with grace and strength. 

I became a fan when I saw Arias with a Twist, and now I may become a groupie.  Earl Dax pads his reputation for producing solid events, and Joey Arias and his band deliver one of the most musically innovative concerts I've heard in years.  Don't miss it.

Gramercy Tavern and Pure Food and Wine

By West Village Bill

I enjoyed memorable dinners this week at two highly sophisticated yet decidedly comfortable restaurants in the vicinity of Union Square: Gramercy Tavern and Pure Food and Wine.

On Sunday, Bob, Jen, Tony, and I had dinner at Gramercy Tavern to celebrate my birthday, which was earlier in September, and Bob's birthday, which is early this month. Last year, when Bob and I both turned 40, I gave him a bottle of 1969 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges De Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. We said then we'd have to go to a fancy restaurant sometime soon and see whether the bottle of wine had held up as well as us. Or at least me. Ha!

It took us almost a year, but we finally had that dinner, thanks to Jen's initiative. (J&B have young kids, so it was always easier to eat pizza and everyday red wine at their place.) Jen sent an e-mail to Bob and me four weeks ago with the subject "'69 was a very good year": "sept 25 is about in the middle of your birthdays. let's say we go out and drink some 41-year-old wine? invite tony and we'll have a wild and crazy time." Gramercy Tavern has a strict "no wild and crazy time" policy, but we still had a wonderful evening. A day later than that planned date because GT was filled up on that Saturday.

A QNY interview with Austin Armacost

This is in addition to what I posted below. One of the interviews I did with the cast of LOGO's new gay reality series, A-List. A very guilty pleasure.



photos by QNY's Darling!

Bear Hill, Central Park, Last Saturday, 4 QNY Bloggers,

and my empty chair.

The A-List - Don't Hate Them Because They Are Beautiful

by Tony Adams

With QNY's Darling!, I attended a mixer at Therapy with the cast of LOGO's new gay reality series The A-List. Great fun. These guys are gorgeous, successful NYC socialites who are enjoying lives that they had barely dreamed about in the smaller towns of their childhood. There's romance, sex, jealousy, back-stabbing and everything else you'd expect from a show described as "Housewives. With balls." I taped the interviews with the cast in the low light of Therapy but when I get a moment I'll put up the audio. I came away liking these guys who are very grateful for their good fortunes.

Orlando

"Orlando" at Classic Stage Company, September 21, 2010

(photo by Joan Marcus)


Virginia Woolf's tale of an Elizabethan nobleman, who lives as a man until age 30, then wakes from a 6 month coma to find he has become a woman who lives another 370 years without aging comes to Classic Stage Company care of Sarah Ruhl.  It's an aggressive challenge to take on a work that Ms. Ruhl herself describes as "...language...so exquisite it would have seemed like a terrible bastardization to just leave the narration behind and make up dialog."  Despite the over theatricality of the novel's premise, that quality doesn't guarantee great theatre.  Ms. Ruhl, in apparent deference to Ms. Woolf's erudition, gives us an evening that is part acting, part exposition where the characters recite their activities in third person more often that portraying a role.  In the end, it feels more like a writing exercise than a play.

Theatre Review: Fat Kids on Fire

Posted by David

Pipeline Theatre Company returns to the stage with Bekah Brunstetter's new play Fat Kids on Fire, currently performing at Wings Theatre, in the West Village, through October 2.  This new play follows the adventures of a slighly chubby high school girl who is sent to fat camp, where she learns that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

Bess is an earnest, insecure young woman trying to navigate the treacherous multi-tiered society of high school.  She longs to be accepted among the "beautiful" people but finds herself thwarted by her physical appearance and her neediness.  When her over-achieving and fitness-obssessed parents send her off to a motivational camp that specializes in overweight kids, she suddenly finds herself much higher up on the social totem pole than she has ever been, and the height, while at first intoxicating, causes her to lose her moral balance.  Brunstetter's play is both bruisingly funny and painfully accurate in its depiction of the ruthless jungle of teenage social politics.  Her language never rings false nor does she allow easy endings for her characters.  Actions have consequences and there is little room for second chances.

Nicole Spiezio and Sydney Matthews

AB SOTO at Phoenix

By Tony Adams

Taking the recommendation of QNY's Charlie Vázquez, we stopped by Phoenix to catch the performance of LA gay rapper AB SOTO, and we are glad we did. Be patient with the sound quality of the video (after the break, with more photos) and enjoy the AB SOTO and backup boys' footwork that reminds me of VogueBallroom X Rap X DaLipstyxx (And whatever happened to that great downtown threesome DaLipstyxx? I did a search, but most of what I found is at least a few years old.) 


AB SOTO is energetic, banjee, kiddy-clown-with-a-dick and fun. I was expecting a west coast version of Cazwell, but that is not AB SOTO. I hope he keeps making music. It will be interesting to see where he goes.

Queer SOS - Join Them On W26th Street

Details after the break

PANIC! and Skeleton Head (How's that for a headline?)

by Charlie Vázquez



Rolling right into fall and all of its inspiration…

Never a dull moment in the East Village—where nighttime usually finds me—and there are a couple of things I wanted to share with you happening this Wednesday and Thursday should you be interested (or already in the hood with us). Myself and some readers I’ll be hosting this Wednesday for the always explosive HISPANIC PANIC! readings I curate at Nowhere were featured in the Daily News a couple weeks back, if you’d like to read that here. My reading series PANIC! showcases various queer writers from NYC’s massive LGBT literary underground. Nowhere is at 322 E 14th St (1st/2nd), 8PM, free, 21+!

And on the following night, the 30th the Phoenix will be hosting two queer live electronica bands. Skeleton Head, which is fronted by the rather handsome Leo Torres, mixes the grooves of 1980s electronic and synth music and tops it off with a laid-back contemporary polish. The group Zbörnak will also perform. Below is a Skeleton Head video for you to look over in the event you want to come hang out with us. Beers. Boys. Music. No drama, no attitude. This is DJ Damian's hot new rock party, Courage, My Love, and he will spin tunes before and after the bands!

Hope to see you soon...xo

Phoenix (13th St/Avenue A, East Village)
Thursday, September 30th:
Skeleton Head and Zbörnak
9PM, no cover, 21+

You Cannot Catch HIV Through A Trial Vaccine.

If I learned nothing else last Friday night in Harlem, I did get that message loud and clear.

The Baad Lamb and I walked across Central Park in tranquil early evening light and went uptown on the 6 train. We attended the screening and announcement of the winning  Generation V videos sponsored by the New York City HIV Vaccine Trials Unit. This event was held at The Poet’s Den, 309 East 108th Street.

We met some very talented and beautiful people, including these men, SeanMichael Rodgers, CEO of EMBRACE TV,  and his partner, the performer/songwriter Dy’Ari.  Their video won the Valor Award for best video targeted to gay men. My interview with them and more after the break.

Laurie Anderson's Delusion: Living,Waking and Dreaming

Photo credit: Leland Brewster

“I love the stars because you can’t hurt them.”

On Saturday Sept, 25, 2010, Tony and I attended “Delusion” Laurie Anderson’s most recent multi-media work that received its world premier at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Many of the stories recounted are from her newest release Homeland, and deeply explore themes of how humans cope with the realities of everyday existence, including the distrustful nature of memory, the blurry lines between waking and dreaming states, and the delusions we engineer to navigate love and loss, life and death.

Delusion unfolds at the BAM Harvey Theater, (an acclaimed Majestic Theater renovation by Hugh Hardy in 1987) a fitting surrounding for this show, since the grand building is more decayed preservation then renovation; the old columned and arched interior looks to have been heavily shellacked in the moment just before collapse.

As the performance begins, a small window high on a wall allows a glimpse of autumn leaves blowing across a grey sky, while an Arabic woman chants and wails (a lament of grief over death?).
Laurie enters dragging her bow across her violin, adding to the sorrow. “I want to tell you a story/about a story…”, she begins, and we soon learn her life of accomplishments is based on her internal construction of tasks and rewards, a carrot and donkey system that served her well. “Then one day, my donkey died”.

Overheard In Central Park This Morning

A young lady to her companion, a young man walking their dog:
"This morning will be beautiful only if you praise me incessantly throughout it."

QNY Theater Review: Lost and Found

Posted by David

The Fringe Festival may technically be over, but I had the opportunity to attend a performance of Lost and Found, a new play by John Pollono, as part of the Fringe Encore series.

Lost and Found is a kitchen-sink family dramedy about an Italian-American family living in Boston and deeply embedded in the police community: the son is a cop, the daughter is dating a cop, and their deceased father was a cop.  The mother is a tough-as-nails police widow.  Life is very combative in the Broncato family household as familial obligations, pressures and expectations ricochet amongst the family members who all live tenuously under one roof.

Into this volatile mix comes an outsider who turns out to be not so "outside" afterall.  If this weren't enough, the new next-door neighbor has stumbled into the lives of the family as well.  Tensions mount and secrets are concealed, revealed, and brandished as weapons as each individual tries to find their footing in a family home that is now situated on emotionally tectonic plates.

8th Annual OpenHouseNewYork Weekend - Oct 9-10

Always a fun and informative way to explore NYC places that are never otherwise open to the public. And free! Each year, the list of places available to tour includes some repeats and some new options. You could never see everything they offer in just one weekend.  Check their site for times and places. Maybe QNYers can make this a group outing? Any interest?

Delusion, by Laurie Anderson at BAM Harvey Theater

Photo credit Lou Reed

Laurie Anderson's newest show, Delusion, debuts in New York City tonight at the BAM Harvey Theater in Brooklyn, and it is running until Oct. 3rd. I wouldn’t miss it.

And since you shouldn’t either, I’m happy to announce that QNY has 2 free tickets to give away to a lucky commenter to this post (details and available dates after the jump).

I've been happy to catch her performances many times over the years, from indoor multi-media computer-tech enhanced events (Calvin Theater, Northampton, MA) to minimalist outdoor collaborations with Tuvan Throat Singers (Prospect Park Bandshell). Why am I a fan? For more than 40 years, Ms. Anderson has channeled her relentless creativity into musical innovation and mixed media performances that prick up our ears, exercise our minds, and both soothe and startle our eyes. She has invented new instruments, collaborated with everyone ever described as avant-garde, influenced everyone else, and is quite likely the first name you’d think of if asked to describe a “Performance Artist”.
Laurie Anderson also completely captivates with her distinctive brand of quietly spoken, matter-of-fact stories, often self accompanied by her MIDI-enhanced violin. With the gentleness of a protective grandmother, she slowly spins poetic yarns that point out the painful and the poignant, the obvious and the absurd of life’s quotidian queerness (in the traditional sense), often with a twenty-first century twilight zone twist that usually packs a sucker-punch wallop or induces head-scratching wonder.

The when & where details:
Delusion by Laurie Anderson at BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton St)
Sep 21—25, Sep 28—30, Oct 1 & 2 at 7:30pm
Sep 26 & Oct 3 at 3pm
Tickets start at $20  http://www.bam.org/delusion

New! Shiny! Clean!

Gutting a kitchen in a per-war building in Manhattan is not for the faint-hearted and it helps that I have a husband who is handy. The new floor is done. For the abbreviated saga, go here. Part of the problem is the tendency of contractors to promise the world, demand astronomical fees and then disappear into outer space. I've been managing this myself and have an electrician and a plumber who know the building and have the super's approval. Here's a photo of the spacers between the new tiles. Eerie.

My film debut - Bear City The Movie

As a dancing extra. Inauspicious. At 1:43.

American Idiot

posted by Mondschein

"American Idiot" at the St. James Theatre, September 12, 2010

Green Day comes to Broadway with this staging based on their 2004 album of the same title, broadening the original concept into a story of three friends, Johnny (John Gallagher, Jr.), Will (Michael Esper) and Tunny (Start Sands) who plan to abandon their small-town, suburban upbringing for the bright lights of the big city.  Will gets shot down before the trip begins when he learns his girlfriend is pregnant.  Johnny and Tunny make the trek, but Tunny joins the military in the aftermath of September 11 and ends up in Iraq.  Johnny falls victim to the lure of drugs under the spell of his dealer, St. Jimmy (Tony Vincent).

TOO FUNNY......

It's true.  You CAN make your own art to hang it on your wall as part of a new decorating scheme and have everything in the world be right for just a few great moments.

Cabfare for the Common Man

"Cabfare for the Common Man" at The Crowne Theatre at The Producer Club, September 16-18, 2010

I'll be appearing in the last act of the first half, a piece called "Passed Hordes" with the lovely and talented Sandy Trullinger, directed by the lovely and talented Brad Caswell, courtesy of Sweet & Tart Productions.  Tickets available at www.theatermania.com.


Bring your friends and neighbors!

To Celebrate Fashion Week at Lincoln Center

Young guys get away with murder. Did this Lincoln Square Starbucks patron deliberately mismatch his socks? Is the LEGO backpack ironic? None of the colors he chose (or did not choose) relate well. The hat is an odd hybrid of military/engineer with a preppy tan band. The beard/sideburns are hesitant. The whole composition works because it appears to be careless, although he may have spent significant time making it look that way. It also works only because he is young and cute. His day will come when he will be forced to match his socks before appearing in public. I'd say he has another ten years until that day arrives.

Upper West Side Housing

Having ripped out the kitchen sink and dismantled the range and D/W and busted up all the old cabinets, I slog onward through the lowest point in the journey to new kitchendom.

My situation made me empathetic when I saw this Upper West Side "residence" on Central Park West.

Daniella, Why You With That Felluh?

Here's a sweet song with a plaintive Appalachian lesbian vibe by the group Hurray For The Riff Raff. They are veterans of the LGBTQ scene, performing every year at Idapalooza, and also at GayBiGayGay at SXSW. Ani Drifranco is a huge supporter and comes to all of their shows in New Orleans. 


Hurray For The Riff Raff is currently on tour (Here are the dates), I am terrifically looking forward to seeing them in Brooklyn at Coco 66 on October 15th.


Listen to Hurray For The Riff Raff's Alynda Lee Segarra sing Daniella. Pure and Classic.

TONY WARD ~ DOLCE&GABBANA

Model Tony Ward has been tapped by D&G to be the face of the brand’s new, sixth Anthology scent. The scent, called 11 The Force, was described as a blend of spice and vanilla bourbon and adds to the existing five scents with names that reference tarot cards.

OMG! Colton Ford on the Subway!

By West Village Bill

Earlier tonight, when Tony; Nick and Jason, his visiting friends from Buffalo; and I were on the 1 train, former porn superstar Colton Ford got on at 18th Street. We all got off at 42nd but unfortunately not in that way. Man, I so wanted to take a bite out of him.

Gay Rapper AB Soto Brings his Tricks to the Resurrected Phoenix

by Charlie Vázquez


One of the East Village’s most notorious haunts is now featuring live (and queer at that) entertainment in addition to the standard “DJ” culture that gay bars have locked themselves into. Back during Pride Week the Phoenix unveiled its new house with a bill entitled “Gay Rage,” which showcased four of New York City’s up-and-coming queer music acts. Since then a few others have followed and more are on the way (see below).




In-house star DJ Larry Sparkman’s Saturday night party, “Suspicious Package,” has developed a strong following all its own, and how could it not with such compelling graphics to seduce the restless queer eyes (also see below)? On Saturday, September 11th (10PM), he’ll be presenting Los Angeles-based gay rapper AB Soto, an internet and social media sensation both whimsical and sexy. I’ve included a video for your perusal:








Upcoming concert dates for the Phoenix:

Thursday, September 9th:
Little Victory and Brothers
9PM, no cover, 21+


Thursday, September 16th:
TBA


Thursday, September 23rd:
Horoscope and Sammy and the Supremes
9PM, no cover, 21+


Thursday, September 30th:
Skeleteon Head and Zbörnak
9PM, no cover, 21+

NY International Fringe Festival, 2010

New York International Fringe Festival, August 2010

I managed to get to three offerings in this year's Fringe, Rites of Privacy, 3boys,  and Open Heart.

True to Fringe form, they were all very different, both in premise and quality.

Cocktails: California Gimlet With Lemon Verbena Vodka

By West Village Bill

I made Lemon Verbena Vodka this past weekend by steeping one bunch of lemon verbena from the farmers market in a bottle of 360 Vodka. And this week, I've been making California Gimlets for Tony and myself. And now his new pet nickname for me is Gimlet. Aw.

The lemon verbena sat in the vodka for three days. I maybe could have left it in a few days longer. It's verbeny but not terribly strongly so. The next time I make it, I'll leave it in for a week. And I'll break up the leaves and stems smaller so they'll come right out of the bottle along with the vodka. This time, I ended up fishing out the large bits of herb with a bent paper clip before I poured the vodka back in.

Dale DeGroff calls the type of gimlet I made a California Gimlet because it's made with fresh lime juice rather than Rose's lime juice, which is what bars are likely to use in a gimlet.

When I was visiting my buds Dan and Paul in Cape May a couple of weekends ago, Paul whipped us up some cocktails that Saturday night with what he found lying around the trailer (besides me): Rose's lime juice, vodka and amaretto. I'd write the recipe here, but he doesn't remember the proportions of the ingredients, which made for a fun combo. He dubbed the drink Fun With Fags, or the FWF for short.

Bryant Park At 8PM On The First Day Of September

Summer in the city is not yet over.

A Night On The Town With Darling........

Last night was just too amazing.....there were three events one after the other.

First was the premiere social party for MAKE UP FOREVER, for professional makeup artists only. They were promoting their latest range of lipsticks called ROUGE ARTIST INTENSE, which are amazing......50 highly pigmented shades (my favorite was a violet color #15 which I think I will use in my makeup design for one of the fashion shows coming up for Spring 2011) which were truly divine. The event was held at their charming little boutique on E.12 St. just off Fifth Ave.and the place was packed with so many beautiful artists trying out all the fabulous colors. Michael DeVilles of THE POWDER GROUP invited me and didn't he look dashing in his new black and silver facial hair.


I was featuring a new look myself having recently tinted my hair a lavender silver shade. I wore a deep silver gray silk suit with a matching gray vest embroidered with purple flowers and a cravat of iridescent violet. Hmmmmm there's something about that color.....can you tell? It must be in the air, along with the rain that night.


I couldn't stay very long though as the humidity was so intense plus I needed to get to the Leslie-Lohman gallery in Soho to attend photographer MIKE RUIZ photo exhibit "TRANSFORMATIONS". The camera crews and paparazzi were in full force as I arrived interviewing Mr.Ruiz in front of giant blowups like the beauty shot above. Mike is still the most handsome guy in town and so talented. But again the heat and humidity was so overwhelming from the lovely crowd of fashionistas I was forced back outside to find some cool air.

Just in time to give a kiss to 60s Icon Linda Morand of THE SUPER MODELS HALL OF FAME before jumping into a taxi to go off to Amanda Lepore's after party at the nightclub Carnival in the "BIG TOP" room which was over flowing with freaks, geeks, and Go-Go boys all to celebrate Mike Ruiz triumphant showing.

Finally after shaking my bootay to the retro disco hits it was time for me to go-go home.

Another Poseidon

Poseidon of Herring Cove

America's 10 Dying Cities

By Tony Adams

If you are planning to visit Albany or Buffalo, you might want to wear something funereal.

Gobo and the Empire State Building's Lights

By West Village Bill

Yesterday evening, my squeeze Tony, my buddy Lou, and I had a terrific dinner at the West Village outpost of Gobo, a mostly vegan restaurant at which I relished almost every dish. And my dining companions enjoyed everything they had.

To begin, we shared a plate of Avocado Tartare with Taro Chips. I asked our waiter why it wasn't vegan; this dish was the only one I saw on the menu with a note indicating that it wasn't. He said it was because there was honey in it. I imagine that was in the fruity sauce beneath the pile of avocado.

For our main course, we shared three of the items the menu indicated were gluten free or could be made gluten free with minor adjustments: Grilled Oyster Mushrooms with Asparagus, Vietnamese Stir-Fried Rice Noodles, and Butternut Squash Risotto with Toasted Almonds. (Tony can't eat gluten or dairy. *sigh* He's still a keeper, though. :-) ) I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms in general, so I tried one of the 'shrooms and focused on the asparagus and the other two dishes. I especially enjoyed the risotto even though it seems early in the year for something winter squashy. Which leads me to believe Gobo doesn't use locally grown produce. Which is mildly disappointing.

All This Bronx Girl Ever Wanted Was To Be A Cop

By Tony Adams


“It’s all in my high school memory book where I said I wanted to become an undercover agent, a detective and a member of a SWAT team. I accomplished my goals. Now I’m 40 and things didn’t work out the way I thought, but I know who I am and I have never been happier.”

Christina Rodriguez is able to say this wistfully but without anger or bitterness while describing her life as a Hollywood, Florida policewoman in a profession that some might call a deck stacked against her because she is a woman, a Latina and a lesbian.

Originally from the Bronx and of Puerto Rican descent, Christina grew up in south Florida where she was a popular girl who had a passion for physical activity and for helping others. She did not realize her passion for women until she began dating one within the ranks in 2003. 

Check out the rest of the article in the latest SFGN.

FLASH IN THE PANIC! this Wednesday...

By Charlie Vázquez

I’ll be happy to be hosting FLASH IN THE PANIC! this coming Wednesday, an experimental reading that will feature various queer poets, writers, and other text-shapers who will strive to dazzle you with one page (and only one side of that one page) of their words. If you can make it, feel free to come see and hear the razor-sharp edge of New York flash fiction, spoken word, and other experimental and erotic genres, plus fun music afterward!

The readers will include: Rachel Kramer Bussel, Tod Crouch, Garrett Ford, Matthew K. Johnson, Patrick Kelleher, Tomas Rafael Montalvo, Jennifer Ortiz, Gabrielle Rivera, Meriam Rodriguez, Roberto Santiago, Charlie Vázquez, and John Williams

Nowhere
322 E 14th St (1st/2nd) – East Village, NYC
Wednesday, August 25th
8PM, Free, 21+

Practicing Safe Ex

By Tony Adams

(A hat tip to a friend who suggested this subject and title but had only examples of horribly Unsafe Ex illustrating what to avoid but not what to practice.)

 As the highest form of animal life on the planet, we ought to wonder why no species performs worse than we do at ending relationships. In our evolution, have our relationships become too complex for us to handle? Have our pairings evolved (devolved?) beyond our natural capacity to manage them? If so, we ought to do one of two things: improve the quality of our relationships (our general and ordinary preoccupation) or master the fine art of becoming an Ex, which is the subject of this post.

Here are my ten rules.

Cabin Fever

By Knucklecrack

At first they were just bug bites. Simple bug bites. They were a part of urban lore. Something that would happen to a friend of a friend of yours and finish stories that began with "So I know this guy who went home a girl and..."

But then they started to appear.

My first experience with bedbugs was three years ago when a coworker curiously noticed itchy bites on the back of his neck. It was the dead of January. "That's odd," I thought "what kind of bug bites in the winter" and continued typing. How funny not to think anything of them then. It only dawns on me now that's that what those bites were. The beginning of it all.

Over the years the stories grew more frequent. They seemed to heighten during the summer. The friend of a friend became your friend and the consequence for drunken one night stands now included the only STD you could get without actually having sex.

Soho was the first to be hit. A giant warehouse sized clothing store shuttered for business because of these "little critters." They were nothing at the time. A minor inconvenience. But then South Street Seaport became infested. The expensive clothing stores were quick to act. They covered all stock clothing in plastic garment bags. Their newspaper ads touted "plastic encased clothing" in the same sunny manner as things like "free range chicken" or anti-bacterial soap. But then the New York Times and The New York Post reported stories of people leaving movie theaters with bites. Soon it was less about where you were shopping, and more about where you were going, and who you were seeing.

The bites continued. People stopped riding the subway. They stopped getting in cabs. The risk was potentially everywhere. People began wearing garbage bags over their clothing. Some even went as far as putting surgical masks over their mouths. The paranoia was setting in. And then, as if it were ordained, they began to appear. They flooded the city.

The laundromats and supermarkets were the first to be looted. Food and water was ironically much less of a commodity than containers and anything plastic. People started running for the exits with such haste they forgot about Manhattan being an island. The subways stopped running. The traffic clogged the tunnels. Ferries capsized due to overcrowding. People jumped into the Hudson. The power went out.

That was four days ago.

Ganymede Unfinished and Remembering John Stahle

I remember when the late John Stahle contacted me back in 2008, as I was establishing my queer reading series PANIC! and blazing my own trail through the labyrinthine New York City gay literary world. Mr. Stahle’s publication GANYMEDE was a huge boost for my work, as I was suddenly published alongside names like Edmund White, David Sedaris, and Oscar Wilde (¿que carajo?), and pieces such as my short story “An Old Man in Paris,” were published with contextual photographs that brought the words to life in a way I had never experienced. This was John Stahle’s magic…

Well, we lost him earlier this year and writers Bryan Borland and Matthew Hittinger stepped up to the plate to finish and publish the issue John had been working on at the time of his death. It has been published as GANYMEDE UNFINISHED, a 298-page paperback book including the edgy works of a couple dozen or so gay writers and artists. A tribute to John Stahle has been organized for September 18th, 2010, at the LGBT Center on West 13th St and Seventh Avenue, and several people, me included, have been asked to read in his honor—the honor being all mine, of course.


Memorial details:

September 18th, 2010
2:30pm - 4:30pm
LGBT Center
208 West 13th Street
New York, NY

(This tribute memorial of readings, reflections, music and visual art will honor the life and work of John Stahle, writer, graphic designer, and editor of Ganymede, a journal devoted to gay men’s art, literature and culture based in New York City.)

Canned Ham

"Canned Ham" at The Art House, Provincetown, MA, August 15, 2010

Like every good actor in New York, Tom Judson has written a one-man show based on his life as an actor in New York.  He does have a good gimmick, particularly suited for this summer run in Provincetown, that he spent a number of years as a gay adult film star under the suitably butch name of Gus Mattox.

There are elements of Mr. Judson's story with a sad, but familiar note - his lover fell victim to AIDS in the mid-90s.  This becomes part of his road to porn.

The script itself, is still a work in process as Mr. Judson has published on his own blog promoting the show, Canned Ham.  Mr. Judson, remarkably handsome as you can see here, is a capable actor and a talented musician (which you can't see here).  The story provides an opportunity to demonstrate his skill one a number of instruments from the accordion to the clarinet, sometimes simultaneously.  In this, he seems to be trying just a bit too hard.  Moments described of significant pain come across occasionally glib, whether from him not wanting to make the audience too sad, or just spilling all the words out to get to the next line.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of laughs and he certainly enjoys that part the most.  This is when he is the most charming.

Credit to William Ivey Long for selecting the jockstrap and wifebeater.  Credit also to David Drake for producing this engagement.  It's excellent summer fare at the "gay national park" that is Provincetown.

Canned Ham runs Sundays and Mondays through September 6, 2010.

Kronos Quartet with Gamelan Galak Tika World Premiere -Christine Southworth’s Super Collider.

by baad lamb

Kronos Quartet has always been the string quartet as enjoyable to watch as they are to listen to. Their cool clothes and hip hairstyles once seemed revolutionary, and garnered as much attention from critics as their completely original approach to contemporary classical music.

Last night's free concert at Lincoln Center Out of Doors in Damrosch Park bandshell continued their tradition of pushing musical boundaries, but their fashion-forward role was usurped by their collaborators, Gamelan Galak Tika, collectively in wine and gold colored Balinese robes and headdresses.

This world premier piece, which closed last night's show, is called "Super Collider", by Christine Southworth, who is also the general manager of Gamelan Galak Tika.

Two more vids from this piece, and more, after the jump