Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Favorite Macho City Moments
There certainly were a lot of colorful Macho City moments in our ticket giveaway contest! Thank you to everyone who entered for sharing their real or imagined experiences.
My favorite Macho City moment (of many highlights) is probably the Nancy Fortune night. Mike and Scott had been playing an unusually amazing selection of underground disco that I had not heard before, but that was so immediately likeable that it felt like a series of forgotten favorites. It had such a consistent good disco vibe you could not help but feel elevated.
The crowd was eclectic that night, including a good number of leathermen, some super cool straight folks, and a broad range of ages of us regular gay folks. The visuals were ultra-cool. As an added bonus there were no serious smokers on the dancefloor. It was all just so ... happy.
[As an aside: Not to pick on one group in particular, but there has been a serious rash of girls smoking on the dancefloor at Macho City that is giving me a serious rash. Ladies please, look around. Do you see the gay boys smoking on the dancefloor? No, they do it in the bar area like God intended. Even my friend Chris who can only breathe through a cigarette when he is at the bar abstains. Take note.]
So all is well at Macho City that night, and about 1am Nancy Fortune comes on. The transition to her music was, frankly, jarring, and I was like, "oh well, it was fun while it lasted." But then she got things really rolling (or more likely, my brain adjusted) and suddently there was this fantastic electro/dance/house mix of music - one that rivaled the mastery of the earlier disco mix - that took me back to my after-hours clubbing heyday. You know that feeling you get when you are standing there and the whole world around you is so perfect and you are brimming with joy? Yeah, that. That night wasn't just a Macho City highlight, it was a highlight of my summer.
Now back to the contest. Before I announce the winners I want to address some of the comments.
First of all, to the comments saying people posting about lurid activity at the R&R are missing the point of Macho City (some were deleted by their author), I feel compelled to say ... do we need to be this way in 2009? First off, Macho City can be about so many things. Maybe it is about the music, maybe it is about the people, and maybe it's about the setting. In my opinion having Macho City at the R&R - a place that is a safe space for a niche in the gay community (I sound like a lesbian feminist with that language) - sets a tone that you are free to enjoy the night however you want. Maybe Macho City provides a more comfortable way for attendees to get a little dirty in their lives, I see nothing wrong with that.
It's important to remember that we are guests there, and Macho City is supposed to be enhanced by its setting, and in turn enhance the R&R for one night a month. It's the combination that really makes Macho City so special. Arriving at the R&R and then judging the activity (or people's appreciation of activity) is perhaps an unfair approach. I hope that the regulars at the R&R like having the Macho City crowd once a month and continue to show up, and I hope MC attendees can be chill about anything besides dancing and drinking that may or may not go on.
Taking that one step further, as a community we make no progress if we cannot embrace all colors of the gay rainbow. We don't need to be mainstream to deserve marriage equality or protection from discrimination. It's the non-mainstream parts of the gay world that have been on the front lines, and who make being gay so very interesting! You don't need to partake, just accept.
Secondly, there was a comment about Buju Banton being booked at the Majestic and how we should boycott anything there. I am not a huge fan of boycotting locally-owned businesses or gay-led cultural phenomena, particularly in a recession, because often people just need to be educated about their offenses. But in this instance I think the Majestic has paid attention to concerns. Another comment addresses those:
For the record, the Majestic cancelled the Buju Banto show more than a week ago. They will have to eat the $8,500 guarantee. They are the only independent booker in the country that has flat out refused his performance. The Majestic had no clue about Buju's homophobic song (that he wrote 20 years ago at the age of 16 which he has since apologized for) and once they were aware of said song they immediately cancelled the show. The Majestic are very much accepting of all lifestyles. I am gay and have worked for the Majestic many times over the years. They currently have at least 5 gay employees that I personally know of.
I hope this news assuages any concerns people have about going tonight, because Black Devil Disco Club Macho City will be epic! And congratulations to randomly-selected winners Sparky, Darren, b, Phil, Thomas and Joseph, y'all are getting in free tonight! Your names will be at the door!
Have a great Macho City!
[Hey Sparky, email me at supergaydetroit@gmail.com to confirm your ticket!]
.
My favorite Macho City moment (of many highlights) is probably the Nancy Fortune night. Mike and Scott had been playing an unusually amazing selection of underground disco that I had not heard before, but that was so immediately likeable that it felt like a series of forgotten favorites. It had such a consistent good disco vibe you could not help but feel elevated.
The crowd was eclectic that night, including a good number of leathermen, some super cool straight folks, and a broad range of ages of us regular gay folks. The visuals were ultra-cool. As an added bonus there were no serious smokers on the dancefloor. It was all just so ... happy.
[As an aside: Not to pick on one group in particular, but there has been a serious rash of girls smoking on the dancefloor at Macho City that is giving me a serious rash. Ladies please, look around. Do you see the gay boys smoking on the dancefloor? No, they do it in the bar area like God intended. Even my friend Chris who can only breathe through a cigarette when he is at the bar abstains. Take note.]
So all is well at Macho City that night, and about 1am Nancy Fortune comes on. The transition to her music was, frankly, jarring, and I was like, "oh well, it was fun while it lasted." But then she got things really rolling (or more likely, my brain adjusted) and suddently there was this fantastic electro/dance/house mix of music - one that rivaled the mastery of the earlier disco mix - that took me back to my after-hours clubbing heyday. You know that feeling you get when you are standing there and the whole world around you is so perfect and you are brimming with joy? Yeah, that. That night wasn't just a Macho City highlight, it was a highlight of my summer.
Now back to the contest. Before I announce the winners I want to address some of the comments.
First of all, to the comments saying people posting about lurid activity at the R&R are missing the point of Macho City (some were deleted by their author), I feel compelled to say ... do we need to be this way in 2009? First off, Macho City can be about so many things. Maybe it is about the music, maybe it is about the people, and maybe it's about the setting. In my opinion having Macho City at the R&R - a place that is a safe space for a niche in the gay community (I sound like a lesbian feminist with that language) - sets a tone that you are free to enjoy the night however you want. Maybe Macho City provides a more comfortable way for attendees to get a little dirty in their lives, I see nothing wrong with that.
It's important to remember that we are guests there, and Macho City is supposed to be enhanced by its setting, and in turn enhance the R&R for one night a month. It's the combination that really makes Macho City so special. Arriving at the R&R and then judging the activity (or people's appreciation of activity) is perhaps an unfair approach. I hope that the regulars at the R&R like having the Macho City crowd once a month and continue to show up, and I hope MC attendees can be chill about anything besides dancing and drinking that may or may not go on.
Taking that one step further, as a community we make no progress if we cannot embrace all colors of the gay rainbow. We don't need to be mainstream to deserve marriage equality or protection from discrimination. It's the non-mainstream parts of the gay world that have been on the front lines, and who make being gay so very interesting! You don't need to partake, just accept.
Secondly, there was a comment about Buju Banton being booked at the Majestic and how we should boycott anything there. I am not a huge fan of boycotting locally-owned businesses or gay-led cultural phenomena, particularly in a recession, because often people just need to be educated about their offenses. But in this instance I think the Majestic has paid attention to concerns. Another comment addresses those:
For the record, the Majestic cancelled the Buju Banto show more than a week ago. They will have to eat the $8,500 guarantee. They are the only independent booker in the country that has flat out refused his performance. The Majestic had no clue about Buju's homophobic song (that he wrote 20 years ago at the age of 16 which he has since apologized for) and once they were aware of said song they immediately cancelled the show. The Majestic are very much accepting of all lifestyles. I am gay and have worked for the Majestic many times over the years. They currently have at least 5 gay employees that I personally know of.
I hope this news assuages any concerns people have about going tonight, because Black Devil Disco Club Macho City will be epic! And congratulations to randomly-selected winners Sparky, Darren, b, Phil, Thomas and Joseph, y'all are getting in free tonight! Your names will be at the door!
Have a great Macho City!
[Hey Sparky, email me at supergaydetroit@gmail.com to confirm your ticket!]
.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Free Tickets to a Very Special Macho City!
OK back to shilling for Macho City!
As I mentioned last month, this month is a Very Special Episode of Macho City. The Black Devil Disco Club is in town as part of a VERY limited US tour, and Macho City is presenting them this Saturday night!
What, you've never heard of Black Devil Disco Club? Well go read about them and, more importantly, listen to them on their MySpace page, because they are some cool spacey vintage disco. Macho man Mike Trombley introduced me to them last month and I have been listening nonstop (you can buy their newer but equally cool stuff on iTunes).
Macho City will be held at the Majestic this month, with our regularly-scheduled awesome disco DJ's spinning before and after the BDDC performance. It's going to be really cool, and I think it is a testament to how exciting this whole alternative gay scene can be in Detroit that Macho City is presenting this.
Of course the catch is that with the live show situation there is a higher cover charge. Like $15 instead of $2, which is a jump to be sure. But still a deal for a rare live performance by underground European disco legends.
To help a select few of you along, I have free tickets to give away! Six lucky winners will get a free ticket to the show!
To enter the contest, leave a comment (making sure I can email you from your entry) describing your favorite Macho City moment, real or imagined. Winners will be chosen at random on Friday, and your name will be at the door to get you in free on Saturday night.
Now get to steppin', and see you Saturday!
.
As I mentioned last month, this month is a Very Special Episode of Macho City. The Black Devil Disco Club is in town as part of a VERY limited US tour, and Macho City is presenting them this Saturday night!
What, you've never heard of Black Devil Disco Club? Well go read about them and, more importantly, listen to them on their MySpace page, because they are some cool spacey vintage disco. Macho man Mike Trombley introduced me to them last month and I have been listening nonstop (you can buy their newer but equally cool stuff on iTunes).
Macho City will be held at the Majestic this month, with our regularly-scheduled awesome disco DJ's spinning before and after the BDDC performance. It's going to be really cool, and I think it is a testament to how exciting this whole alternative gay scene can be in Detroit that Macho City is presenting this.
Of course the catch is that with the live show situation there is a higher cover charge. Like $15 instead of $2, which is a jump to be sure. But still a deal for a rare live performance by underground European disco legends.
To help a select few of you along, I have free tickets to give away! Six lucky winners will get a free ticket to the show!
To enter the contest, leave a comment (making sure I can email you from your entry) describing your favorite Macho City moment, real or imagined. Winners will be chosen at random on Friday, and your name will be at the door to get you in free on Saturday night.
Now get to steppin', and see you Saturday!
.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Hey there
I know I've been lax on the posting thing, and it seems like lately all I do is shill for Macho City. Although in the interest of full disclosure that's about the extent of my Detroit gay life right now.
See the thing is ... Facebook. I have such a good time tending my personal Facebook garden that I just never get around to the blog posting anymore. First of all, blog posting - the physical act of - is a pain in the ass. There's getting photos onto the computer and formatting them and uploading them, and there is writing and formatting the post in the TRS-80 composition window of Blogger. And then there's the going back and fixing formatting and ... well, it just takes so damn long that lately I've opted in for opting out.
Plus on Facebook ... people respond. You post something, people comment back. It's exciting and interactive!
There is also the sense that I've run my gay course in this city. Like I really think I've just reached this comfortable end point where I can't be bothered anymore. I've figured out the weird gay scene, I know the neighborhoods, I have someone to call if I want a gay night out, and frankly, I've got a routine going that is not that interesting to document weekly. Oh, he's at Atlas again? Crazy.
OH there are some posts that never happened but probably should, like some trips to the gay bars (if only it wasn't such a pain in the ass to get video off my phone). And the story about the dinner I had with the Birmingham gay who used to live in Lafayette Park and told me what a gay ghetto it was in the early 90's. And the crazy Indian Village/West Village yard sale and all the gays swarming that thing.
The stories are there, I guess, but my motivation is lacking. Well, and I've been a bit busy with work.
So here's to trying to ramp up again. I can't make any promises, and yes you will hear more about Macho City, Fierce Hot Mess, Atlas Wednesdays and Doggy Style, but I think I can finally get a bit more into the blogging groove.
.
See the thing is ... Facebook. I have such a good time tending my personal Facebook garden that I just never get around to the blog posting anymore. First of all, blog posting - the physical act of - is a pain in the ass. There's getting photos onto the computer and formatting them and uploading them, and there is writing and formatting the post in the TRS-80 composition window of Blogger. And then there's the going back and fixing formatting and ... well, it just takes so damn long that lately I've opted in for opting out.
Plus on Facebook ... people respond. You post something, people comment back. It's exciting and interactive!
There is also the sense that I've run my gay course in this city. Like I really think I've just reached this comfortable end point where I can't be bothered anymore. I've figured out the weird gay scene, I know the neighborhoods, I have someone to call if I want a gay night out, and frankly, I've got a routine going that is not that interesting to document weekly. Oh, he's at Atlas again? Crazy.
OH there are some posts that never happened but probably should, like some trips to the gay bars (if only it wasn't such a pain in the ass to get video off my phone). And the story about the dinner I had with the Birmingham gay who used to live in Lafayette Park and told me what a gay ghetto it was in the early 90's. And the crazy Indian Village/West Village yard sale and all the gays swarming that thing.
The quilt of Danielle Steel paperbacks at one of the Indian Village houses ... even better than the cat mug lady!
Did I ever tell you about how my mom bought me DS's "Family Album" when I was leaving home for the
summer at age 16 andit was the first book I ever read with a gay character and I had an intense bonding
moment with that book? Well now I have.
The stories are there, I guess, but my motivation is lacking. Well, and I've been a bit busy with work.
So here's to trying to ramp up again. I can't make any promises, and yes you will hear more about Macho City, Fierce Hot Mess, Atlas Wednesdays and Doggy Style, but I think I can finally get a bit more into the blogging groove.
.
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