Re-Mess

I would be remiss if, after all the hullabaloo over the last couple posts, I didn't remind you that the first anniversary edition of Fierce Hot Mess is tonight at Oslo!


I won't rehash why I thinks FHM is great, because I just did in the last post. But if you are in town for the weekend and looking for good times after Cityfest or Baar Bazaar (super cool ... and Macho City dj's spinning!), you need to zip on down to Oslo.

And in a bit of "reporting back" ... Macho City last Saturday was completely off the hook. I had to leave at about 2am so I could head to Chicago Pride in the morning and the party was going strong. That after-hours thing seems to be a hit!

(PS - Happy first anniversary, FHM!)
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The Tinder Box

Wow, who knew the anger (well, irritation) that bubbled beneath the surface in Detroit's little indie gay scene? My off-hand quip about Fierce Hot Mess in my last post upset a lot of people! Check out the comments section if you don't believe me.

I would like to clarify a bit - that comment was intended as a joke about how old I am, not about how fun Fierce Hot Mess is not. That sentence was painting a picture of a very specific situation - me, hearing a song I've already lived through and whose charm is now lost on me, watching a bunch of kids half my age dance around to what is for them a golden oldie. As I've expressed to Adriel, the FHM organizer, a number of times, sometimes I just feel kind of old when I'm there. I do not feel that way at Macho City. That was my point.

What more ringing endorsement could a club night have than some 40-year old guy feels old when he's there? That should get the kids lined up 'round the block!

Man, nobody objected to me calling myself old and creepy, but God forbid I question a musical choice at Fierce Hot Mess. I'm tearing down Detroit's whole cool gay scene!

Lest anyone forget the love I have lavished on Fierce Hot Mess, let me remind you:

Announcing Fierce Hot Mess!

They're playing Sylvester at FHM this month.

I think Andy Warhol said it best ...

Back from San Fran and ready for more Mess

Fierce Hot Mess goes Bi

The upstart competition doesn't rate

A night out to revitalize the soul

I love my indie gay nights/introducting Macho City

Fierce Hot Mess in the Supergay Slate for 'Best of Detroit'


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If you liked it ...

... then you should have put a ring on it.


Macho City has turned out to be a great down-and-dirty disco dance party. The crowd is diverse and looking for sweaty good times. It's the R&R Saloon so you can take that however you want.

I like the Macho City vibe because I don't feel like the creepy old man watching the young hipsters dance to questionable 80s music like I do at Fierce Hot Mess sometimes. This isn't wedding disco either, it's the good underground stuff..

I enjoy Macho City, and I think you will like it too.

Macho City, this Saturday. 10pm until late. The R&R Saloon, 7730 Michigan Avenue, Detroit.

Hey, read this again

This winter I covered a topic that is particularly relevant for Gay Pride Month and I think you should revisit it. Supergay writes about OutWeek.



It's interesting to see where we were at Stonewall's 20th anniversary and where we are at 40. Who in the world would have thought we'd be close to having gay marriage in U.S. in our lifetimes? Crazy shit.

I highly recommend that you take a look at some of those old issues of OutWeek, it's fascinating reading.

Supergay History Month

Gay History Month is here!

This is a very special year for the gay and lesbian community. Forty years ago this month the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village ushered in the modern era of the Gay Civil Rights Movement. Which kind of makes you think ... Supergay turns forty, the modern gay civil rights movement turns forty. Coincidence? Hardly!

To celebrate Gay History Month I am going to try to share some gay history with you. Maybe it will be real gay history, maybe it will be Supergay history. But I need a project either way and you know I've got a lot to share. I am sure I will get busy and my follow-through will be as complete as every other project I ever aborted, but let's give it a whirl.

To start things off, let's take a look at the only trophy I ever won as a youth. I visited my parents on my 40th birthday and my dad had been cleaning out his closets and discovered it, my trophy from the summer sailing program at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. I was so proud the day I won it, especially since I hadn't been expecting it.

Over the years I would tell people "I won Skipper of the Year!" But it turns out I was a bit off. In hindsight, someone knew me better than I thought. At least they were kind enough to acknowledge it.

If you're an Erasure fan ...

You may enjoy this. A guy who performs under the name Haberdashery has done an EP of Erasure cover songs and it's really quite good! No radical interpretations, but he's chosen some relatively obscure album cuts from the Erasure oeuvre (that fans will know and love) and it all makes for some nice mellow listening on a cool sunny morning.


I enjoyed that it's called the Erasure EP with four cover tracks because it echoes Erasure's own cover album, the ABBA-esque EP with four tracks. Now THAT was some fun summer listening, back in the pre-Mamma Mia losical days.

Anyway, if you are the mood from some smooth and well-executed synth-pop, check this out. You can listen to all four songs here. And you can buy the whole EP for only $2.99!

If you happen to be road-tripping this beautiful day, I think this is a good addition to your playlist! Have a lovely weekend!
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Lordy Lordy, look who's forty

On Monday the nation took a day to reflect and celebrate the contributions of one man, Supergay Detroit, as he turned 40.

They said it couldn't happen here. But it did! The halcyon days of youth are now behind me (heh) and the full mantle of adulthood must now be assumed. Am I bitter? Sure. I mean you can be a youthful-looking fellow "in your 30s" and people still think you are a youngster, but a young-looking 40 is still 40.

OK actually I'm joking, I don't really have an issue with turning 40. It's weird, for sure. To me 40 is my uncle's bawdy 40th birthday party and the bounty of boob-related gag gifts he received (I vividly remember a pillowcase with a photograph of a woman's breasticles screened on it, very traumatizing for a pre-teen faglet). It's "wow, 40." Not for other people, of course, just me.

I still look pretty good for 40, though.

But it does kind of feel like I have to take a few things more seriously. When I turned 35 I made some decisions - changing up the career, moving from Ann Arbor to Detroit - and I set 40 as the next milestone. And that's actually been part of the reason for my break in writing here, I've been spending some time reviewing the situation. Well, and working like a dawg on my paying gig. 40 may be an arbitrary review date, but you must agree the timing is good.

A group of my wonderful friends surprised me with a trip to NYC for the weekend - those are seriously good friends - and it was just what this haggard soul needed. A chic little hotel, lots of cocktails, restaurant and bar interiors that actually show some thoughtful design, and laughs and laughs and laughs with old friends.

I didn't return with an urge to flee to New York, but I did come back with a resolve to get the fun back into my life. Not just in the free time, but work used to be fun, and blogging used to be such a joy. I honestly have no idea what is involved with that but I am sure there is a solution that will fix absolutely everything. (To pre-empt questions: I have no immediate plans to leave Detroit and I am reasonably sure I will continue to write this blog. For better or for worse.)

OK enough reflection. Let me leave you today with a pearl of wisdom gleaned from my many years of experience on this earth. To thank you for being a Supergay Detroit reader, I won't even charge you for it.

Moisturize. You can't start too early.
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