Ring Them Bells

I know you've all been on the edge of your seats, waiting to hear how the Astro Coffee talent show turned out. Since I was gabbing about it so much.

Well it turned out to be crazy fun!  Like, actual crazy.  First of all, you have to see this hall to believe it.  It was super conveniently located just off I-94 at Central and if you blink you miss it, it's that tiny and nondescript.  The inside, however, was anything but nondescript.  I don't have many photos from the night, but this shot of the stage should give you a good idea:

OK, so could it be more perfect?  No way.

Anticipation was palpable as the crowd, an eclectic and electric jumble of Detroiters-about-town, got their beer buzz on and watched the karaoke warm-up.  Sometimes I am not sure if naming names veers into gossip blog territory, so I think it is easier to describe the crowd in general terms.  Folks from many factions showed up to give support, but if you have to break it down it pretty much was hipsters and gays.

As you might expect, there were karaoke highlights even before the talent show began. Event masterplanner and Remains of the D blogger Ryan Schirmang hit a high note while hitting the high notes in the Rolling Stones' "Miss You."  ACLU Power Puff Roland Leggett and man-about-town Stephan performed a dazzling "Proud Mary" to a rapt audience.  Also the guy who runs the karaoke sang a bunch of long songs (Don't you always laugh when they do that?  "OK we have time for two more songs, so I'll be doing Rapper's Delight."  God bless 'em.)

But the main event was of course the Talent Show.  And what an impressive display of talent!  Phil Cooley and Jeff Anderson (in ninja garb) kicked it off with a spooky rendition of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" accompanied on the Casio keyboard.  Dave Mancini's talent was supposed to be drinking a pitcher of beer in ten seconds, but it turned out to be the boot-and-rally.  Good job Dave!!

There was more playing and singing (who did that cool rendition of "Bang Bang"?), and I can't really remember too many other acts before it was my turn on account of the nerves.  Then I got to perform my little song and dance, just me and my tambourine and this Liza showstopper. 

In a gay one-two punch, I was followed by the comedy stylings of Robert M. Nelson, who had the crowd roaring (the gays had tears of laughter running down their faces by the end, although one straight fella told me it was the filthiest act he's ever heard.)  Good job Robert!!

I was super happy that blog reader Miss Cindy Elmwood decided to come to the event and perform too!  She straddled the queer/hipster divide by performing NOT ONLY a song by the Magnetic Fields but also Lady Gaga on the Casio!  Music really does make the people come together!  And all with that fabulous wig - good job Cindy!!

After the show a bunch of the guys who work at Supino's set up their instruments and their band was awesome, everyone was dancing!  Good job Pizzateers!!

When the winners were announced it should come as no surprise that the gays swept the awards.  Hipster irony may be entertaining at the bar, but the gays really know how to razzle-dazzle!  And we take our performing seriously.

Third place went to Robert M. Nelson for his comedy (I told him he didn't have enough jokes to ironically not laugh at).  Second place went to Roland for his karaoke Proud Mary (he didn't even officially enter the talent show and he still beat Robert, it was that great!).  And first place went to me, naturally, for my amazing talent of a complete lack of shame!  Good job Supergay!!

Realistically, I think my win was a thanks for the great job I did of reeling in the queers. So I really want to take a second to thank all the gays for turning out in such large numbers, and giving the event an unexpected element that really helped make the evening a gigantic and entertaining success!

And congrats to the whole event committee for creating the most fantastic benefit I've been to in forever.  I hope thousands of dollars were raised and Astro Coffee will be caffeinating even sooner because of it.  And to the tremendous crowd who paid good money to watch an admittedly crazy show.  And to all the people who pull together to make the city a better place.

Good job Detroit!!

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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!
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Time Again for Macho City!

Well it's the end of the month so it must be time for MACHO CITY! Yes that's right, everyone's favorite underground disco dance party sensation is up on the docket for this Saturday night.

Can we talk about Macho City for one second? Because it just keeps getting better and better. The last Macho City, well, what can I say to describe it. It started like this, as we got in line behind some leather daddies:

[Hip chick in paisley poncho on cell phone in front of R & R]

Girl: How far away are you guys?
pause
Girl: Yeah we're out front.
pause
Girl: A lot of leather.

One of the fantastic things is that the leather crowd turned out and looked great. I hope they don't get irritated with the whole new crowd descending on the place once a month and stay away. I would like to encourage all Macho City attendees to take the opportunity to - at the very least - allow a leatherman to cop a feel in a bathroom or dark corner to make sure we all continue to be welcome at the R&R.



DJ's Mike Tee and Scott Zacharias played, according to one friend, "all this music you've never heard before but is all really great." Which is exactly what I want at a dance party. I mean, when was the last time you went out and heard all great music you don't know? Like, Midnight Sun, 1995? This is the stuff you end up telling 25 year olds about when you are 40. ("When *I* was 25 ...")

He: It's so cool they keep playing these snippets of songs that you know!
Me: Those aren't snippets, those are the songs where the samples came from.

Special guest DJ Nancy Fortune was a total wild card, in the sense we had no idea if she'd be going disco or electro or what. She came on about 1am and played the greatest electro/house set ever ... it WAS like Midnight Sun 1995! Not the music, but the house vibe and the energy. No voguing though. It was a funny transition from disco to electro but man it worked like crazy.

Don't think about it, just do it.

The dancefloor was packed all night (with fantastic new visuals from Nancy Fortune compadre Tommyboy), and I had to bid a reluctant adieu to Macho City around 2am. But the thing goes until like 6am on Monday morning and you very well may not want to leave before then.

I mentioned to a friend yesterday, while enjoying gay Wednesday night cocktails at Atlas Global Bistro, that I don't even drink at Macho City anymore because I don't want to miss any of the evening, and he excitedly proclaimed that he doesn't either. It's so good you just feel great dancing and talking and mixing and mingling.

So I guess my point is, don't miss out on Macho City. Nothing this good lasts forever, and if this blog had an audience of more than 15 people I'd feel bad promoting it as much as I do. But I figure we've got a year of real unadulturated Macho City fun - the kind that gets a great mix of R&R regulars, hipsters, us middle-aged fellas who still like to party and a smattering of cool straight folks. I'm really not kidding - don't miss out!

(details on Macho City for this month, next month and the following month being posted shortly!)
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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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When the party's over ...

This hectic week almost made me forget something vitally important! After the Modernism Preview Party don't forget to head out to the R&R Saloon for Macho City!


Let me put on some music to get me in the mood for this post, I need to go back in time - to four weeks ago.

I was keenly excited about the premier of Macho City last month, and I am happy to report it did not disappoint. It was the perfect old gay meets new gay (and I don't mean age-wise). The R&R is a real leather bar, like with people in it and everything. There were regulars there (and I daresay a nice offering of good-looking guys over 30) plus an onslaught of obvious first-timers. The ages ranged from 21 to who knows. The music was GREAT and not just for dancing - hanging out by the pool table was possibly the best spot in the bar for much of the night due to the constant flow of people and the really good sound system there.

Without going into further excrutiating detail, the dancefloor was almost always packed, the bar was full and fun, the crazy owner kept yelling drink specials randomly over the music, there was possibly some depravity downstairs ... it all came off like a really great regular night at the leather bar (when you imagine how you wish regular nights would always be). I didn't even care that I left the bar reeking of smoke - and that's really saying something.

So don't forget - go to Macho City tonight! It's the right combination of everything wrong. And I mean that in the best possible way.

Macho City, a monthly disco party
It's on a Friday this month! Friday, April 24
R & R Saloon, 7330 Michigan Avenue, Detroit (bet Livernois & Wyoming
$2 cover, includes one drink!

Macho City

There is a gay dance party coming up that, at least in theory, excites me like no other gay dance party has ever excited me before. Well, no local dance party, there are a few I've seen in SF or NYC that have revved my motor too, but they get all kinds and we get few.

If Detroit's hedonistic young gods could pose any real questions about the state of their beloved underground, what would they be? Does dance music keep any dignity when it's been built-to-order, spit-shined and pumped to within an inch of its life, only to be thrown away? Can it flex some real musical muscle? Such concerns loom large for local DJ's Mike Trombleyand Scott Zacharias with their new disco monthly MACHO CITY at Detroit's leather haven, the R&R Saloon.

As party throwers and vinyl purveyors living in a jaded hypermedia age, Mike and Scott have long built an arsenal of (un)classics gleaned from dusty bins and dingy basements, creating sets that move asses, loins and ears in true rearguard anti-fashion. Strengthening their city's own underground legacy against its current nu-rave/blog-house blandishments, the two have built a cadre of support for overlooked and forgotten dance music, fusing Detroit's own well-hung disco endowment with arpeggiated Italo odysseys and Cosmic slow-burners, minted in supple steel colors.

Make your way to the R&R Saloon on March 21st where you can tap the aural traditions and tough love of Detroit's own seedy back alleys.

---

The R&R Saloon is kind of nasty, but what a brilliant way to use its nastiness to a good effect. Al Pacino's late 70's gay leather murder flick Cruising seems to be a point of inspiration for the evening, and what a perfect setting to meet someone who will take you home and kill you.

[Ed note: Not to be flip, but 30 years later and it's the same psycho shit. Don't go home with strangers.]

Regular readers will already know that I love my Fierce Hot Mess and my Sass and my Guerrilla Gay Bar and Latitude Wednesdays at Atlas and Tuesday Night Doggy Style and all nature of grassroots gay barring. These nights tend to work harder to get you in, get a more diverse crowd and, although when bad they can be very bad, when they are good they are GREAT.

And by now you also know about my love of obscure disco, old school gay culture, and hipsters. I am hoping that the content and context of this event brings out a slightly, shall we say, more seasoned crowd to complement the hipster element.

All the pieces are there, let's see if it all comes together!

Macho City is every 3rd Saturday from 10PM-2AM
The R&R Saloon, 7730 Michigan Ave., Detroit
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Manther

Isn't it funny how just when you announce you are out of creative steam a new geyser erupts? And all it took was me getting off my duff and staying out on a Friday past 9pm.

As you know, I am a fan of our grassroots gay scene downtown. One gay night I love is the bi-weekly Fierce Hot Mess dance party at Oslo. Now as much as I love it, I've been actually pretty remiss in attending over this winter season. It seems every time I plan to attend I go home to disco nap and wake up at 3am. Or else I have other plans that don't entail downtown. Or I am clinically depressed and can't leave the house.

Last night I finally had enough momentum going at 11 o'clock to hit FHM. Unfortunately it seemed to be an off night, so while I saw a lot of people I knew, there wasn't the usual party scene going on. Sometimes I wonder if being bi-weekly causes events in general to suffer a bit, cuz when you are thinking of skipping you can always say, "well, I'll go in two weeks." But when it's monthly, you need to get up and get your dance on or you've got a long wait. I dunno, I'm clearly no expert on promoting.

Anyway, I had some fun people to hang out with and I met some new folks so it was good for me. We danced a little bit, hung out, and then decided to head over to D'Mongo's a block over in Capitol Park.

D'Mongo's turned out to be hopping, with a nice saucy gay presence (that wasn't entirely our group). That place is just really so cool, everytime I go is a good time. Anyway, I ended up chatting with this cute boy I'd met at Oslo and we were talking about this and that, and it turned out we went to the same high school. So of course he asked what year I graduated. I told him and there was a pause, and then he said, "That's the year I was born."

Wellll, yeah so that was funny. We did have a fun chat though and now we might be text buddies and that's always a good time. But I put a blurb about it as my facebook status and was accused of being a cougar. A spirited debate ensued about what you call a man-cougar.

A "mougar"? Kinda creepy sounding.

Then my friend Christy came up with "manther." Much better than mougar. And WAY better than Saturday Night Live's offering "cougay." Manther is solid gold.

And apparently I am one, or at least was that night. I can't help it, boys like the moostash (emphasis on the second syllable, natch).

It was great just to bust out of my rut, though. This winter has been rough, and I only wish I had busted out sooner.
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A Sassy Holiday

Hey look what Santa's bringing us, Detroit! Sass is home for the holidays!

Yay!

Coffee Bar-Hopping

Cafe 1923 in Hamtramck is like my new BFF. It is a great place to work. And even though I am possibly the most rabid anti-smoker I know, if you stay in the front part it isn't really noticeable that they allow smoking in the back room. Of course if you want a comfy chair you have to deal with smoking, but fortunately I don't.

The front is also better for the random run-in. Just yesterday I was enjoying tea and viewing the internet when who should walk in but fellow Detroit blogger D-Tales. While I was reading her blog. That was funny.

After a fantastic old-school liquid lunch with a colleague at the Caucus Club I ventured over to the Mercury Coffee Bar in Corktown.

That place has been buzzing every time I've driven by lately. Sunday night around 5pm it was nuts in there. It was relatively busy yesterday too, lots of folks working on laptops and a few meeting type activities in the lower level, but I think the greatest thing was working and being able to look out at the Michigan Central Depot on an overcast Monday afternoon.

Another thing I've noted before and has been verified by several friends is the very attractive and well-dressed crowd that patronizes this business. Incredulous, one of my friends asked, "where did these people come from?"

Actually the only thing that has been bugging me about Mercury is the fact that their identity program involves using the initials "MCB." First of all, why in God's name would you not fully utilize a great name like Mercury?? Of all the horribly named places in this area (Detroit Breakfast House and Grill comes to mind) you get handed this really glorious name by virtue of your location and you decide to change it to the wholly-uninspiring initials "MCB"?

And secondly, MCB is kind of already taken in Detroit - it's how everyone seems to refer to Motor City Brewing Works.

I feel like I will just call it Mercury all the time and maybe "MCB" won't catch on. Otherwise, I love it.
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Don't Stop Believin'

This was another weekend of Halloween party awesomeness, this time with the MoCAD Believin' party!

Not to belabor details, but since it was on Halloween night the New Wave Committee thought they'd maybe get 500 people. Instead? 1000 people showed up (an exciting fact only mitigated by an overwhelmed bar). Only a handful of people didn't show up in costume, and the costumes were tremendous! You go hipsters!

The music was a great Dorkwave vibe, the decor so cool. Since I was the emcee for the evening (it's a living) I'll just give you some photographic super gay highlights instead of bogging things down with prose. Good job MoCAD!

The trash monster was awesome when he danced!

Big bats and bubbles.

Well, here's what happened to her.

Clearly inspired by this blog.

Have you a little fairy in your home?

It takes a village of dj's.

You have to admit, this is not a costume the hoi polloi would appreciate. Well done!

Something for the ladies.

It's not real. I checked. *sigh*

With a Z!

Making it work!

Nothing gay about this except how cute I thought this boy was.

Yay!!

Winners of Funniest Costume - the Ren Cen was amazing!

The view of an awesome party from the stage.

Happy Halloween!

I should actually say Happy Gay Christmas!

What will you do tonight? I have no rundown of gay events, you're on your own. And I'm sure you'll do fine.

Me? I'll partake in my annual ritual of dressing up and tormenting trick-or-treaters at my friends' house in Grosse Pointe ("What you is?"), and then I'm heading over to MoCAD for the Believin' party. It's put on by their "New Wave" group, which is like the DIA's Founders Junior Council for hipsters (they hate it when I say that).

Admission is only $5 with a costume, $10 without. Cash bar. 8:30pm onward. Lots of DJs. Costume contests & "Thriller" dance-off. Bats. MoCAD.

It will be great! I mean, who doesn't love a "Thriller" dance-off? Plus I hear the emcee is a freak.

Whatever you do, I hope it involves a lot of hair and make-up! Have fun!

Mercury in Retrograde

This past weekend didn't seem busy while I was living it, but when I sat down to write this I realized that an awful lot went on. The most interesting (for you) would probably be the events that bookended my weekend, a preview of the Mercury Coffee Bar in Corktown.

Friday after work a friend and I headed over to check it out. They were having a preview thing, and since I'd passed on all the Book-Cadillac opening excitement, I decided I wanted in on this.

It seems like we've been waiting forever for the Mercury Coffee Bar to open, although in reality the group now doing it hasn't been at it all that long. What is great is that you've got hardcore foodie types, hardcore design-y types and hardcore urbanist types working together to create something special for Corktown/downtown/SeMI/America/the world. You can read the basics on the place here.

The interior is great and kind of shocking! It's defnitely a new paradigm in coffee bar design. The colors and geometry really evoke the graphic design of the 80s, which is absolutely perfect for the hipster vibe of Corktown. You know I just cannot get enough of the hipster appropriation of the 80s! I am sure this assessment is making the architect's head spin - the colors were supposed be be inspired by the colors of a printer test page, but all I saw was the cover of Bronski Beat's "Age of Consent" album. You be the judge; here are some photos I took over the weekend.

The upstairs service area and a cute owner.

Think pink!

If I'm wrong tell me whyyyyyy.

The food we tried that night was amazing - I had this peach chutney and goat cheese sandwich - and the espresso I had after dinner was one of the best I've had in Detroit, and I am not exaggerating! The downstairs dining area has a really different vibe than upstairs - more brick/wood/concrete with nice modern touches. The bar area downstairs will eventually have ten beers on tap and ten different wines. That will be an extra special touch, n'est-ce pas? And the bathroom down there is seriously fab! Designed by king of the hipsters Phil Cooley, the word on the street is that the architect had an aneurysm when he saw it. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but if you want a sneak preview, check it out here.

The almost-finished staircase to the lower level dining room.

After Mercury we went to the Book-Cadillac, so I finally got to check that out. There are some really nice things about it, it's very contemporary overall. There are some missed opportunities too, but what a great thing to have. And by great thing I mean finally a nice hotel lobby bar.

Saturday night was the Kathy Griffin show at the Fox Theater, and that was great fun. She is a freak, and even though I am not as up on popular culture and television viewing as I needed to be to get everything she was talking about, it was a fab show. More significantly, it was a theater packed with 5000 people and the vast majority of them were gay guys. It was the most gay people in one spot I've ever seen, at least in Michigan.

Sunday morning the Detroit Free Press Marathon occurred, and I ran the whole thing in record time! OK seriously, I drank mimosas and cheered on runners and walkers as they passed my friends' house in Corktown. It was the perfect fall morning, I saw many of my fellow Detroit gays out there running their little hearts out. We did some cheerleading cheers to keep their spirits up as they approached mile 12, and to distract them from the fact that the loudspeakers over on 14th Street were blaring "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins ... "gonna take you right into the danger zone." Suburbanites, really, it's not that bad.

"H-O-T-T-O-G-O! You are ... hot to go!"

After the marathon we walked up for a second visit to Mercury. They still weren't technically open yet, but it's all about who you know, you know? The place has a really different feel in daylight and it was crawling with sexy hipsters, boys and girls. But, like, really sexy boy hipsters. A lot of them.

Having a coffee at the little upstairs coffee standing bar is tres european, especially with the train station ruins right outside. I would like to point out that Mercury has that cone-drip coffee that is so good and is all the rage among serious coffee fans around the country. I went to one place in Hayes Valley in SF that had it and someone told me people wait like a half an hour to get that coffee. Crazy. And now we can have that here! Hopefully without the wait.

This is a fierce look that I was not expecting in Corktown. Those shoes!

I then left to go do some work and chill, being exhausted from all that cheering and an unusually early Sunday morning. Plus I had to see how this photo turned out.

I tried not to objectify this hipster worker boy but, once again, I failed.

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More Mess!

My "welcome home" to Detroit not only includes regime change but also another chance to disco with royalty (well, queens) at Fierce Hot Mess! The next installment is tomorrow night, Friday September 5, at Oslo. Show up after ten.




One thing this San Francisco trip has demonstrated, as if I weren't already banging this drum, is that a healthy gay community actually participates in the cool shit going on instead of only hitting the same old bar every week. The last Fierce Hot Mess was a fierce hot time, and I hope I"ll see you at this next one!
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Smile.

After a frustrating and few days of work I thought to myself, "I just want something to make me happy." And then I stumbled on this video I had bookmarked on my iPod Touch (I don't rate the full iPhone). And it made me happy. There is something so cute about hipsters appropriating the eighties for their own amusement.

Enjoy Beat Control by Tilly and the Wall. And thanks to whomever it was that told me about this in the first place. It was this spring at the Park Bar ... Doggy Style, maybe? I just can't remember which one of you it was, I was probably drunk. Besos.

I think Andy Warhol said it best ...

OK it's Monday morning and someone (Zamfir?) is playing a pan flute in Lafayette Park. I love that it can't be something normal like a guitar or trumpet around here, you know? It has to be a pan flute or a bagpipe.

In mythology, the music of Pan was said to be capable of arousing inspiration or sexuality, which is the perfect segue to a brief recap of "Fierce Hot Mess" on Friday night at Oslo.

I gotta say, I think this event is tremendous, and I am proud to say I managed to achieve two of the three objectives in the name. The energy was great, everyone was having fun and when things shut down at 2am it seemed like we'd just gotten going.

It was crowded but not packed (the crowd was bigger than the inaugural FHM on July 4, though), and it was full of familiar faces, younger and older, freaky and subdued. One of my friends mentioned that one nice thing about the way the gay scene works in Detroit right now is that there isn't a place everyone goes all the time, but then periodically and sometimes unexpectedly there is a night when just everyone you love to see is there. Which, come to think of it, is pretty much how the straight scene works too, albeit with a touch more regularity.

So the crowd is great, and the music is greater. It was a fantastic mix of disco and new wave dance that you love from the olden days mixed with some house and ital-disco and new stuff you might not know. It's definitely a dance club vibe, but in an old school way. I got my Sylvester, "Do You Wanna Funk," which thrilled me to no end. And I got the song, "You Belong," by Hercules and Love Affair, which is currently in heavy rotation at Chez Supergay. It's got a little Kevin Saunderson/Inner City homage thing going on and is amazing. (And the video is genius, it kind of captures the sound and spirit of the Palmer Park after-hours club Midnight Sun back in '95-'96, before it became Numbers and got that tacky circuit party crowd.)

Interestingly, on Saturday I was up to August 2, 1978 in The Andy Warhol Diaries, and his entry for events exactly 30 years prior was:

"Life really does repeat itself. The old songs come back in a new way and the kids think they're new and the old people remember and it's a way of keeping people together, I guess, a way of living."

That pretty much sums it up. See you at the next one, first Friday in September.

The whistle kills me. It's perfect.

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While I Was Out ...

I am sorry for not posting anything lately, but I am a busy professional.

The DAADS Benefit Preview Party for the Modernism Show was great fun, mostly because I love pretty things. I don't do much shopping typically because what I really love is weird unique shopping and that can be an infrequent option here. But when I get it I rejoice, so obviously a civic center full of cool booths of modern love was exactly what I needed.

Of course the place was gayer than a Key West Christmas, both in terms of vendors and guests. One of the most fabulous booths had about sixteen things in it that cost a small fortune and a mincing Manhattan art dealer looking down his nose at people passing through. Or maybe it was just me. Regardless, his stuff was flawless.

The most wonderful thing about the party was that I ran into so many people I haven't seen in forever, and I mean that in the best way. Suffice to say, it didn't disappoint (except for the fact that everything I loved was a little too expensive).

After the benefit a whole slew of us gays went down to D'Mongo's Speakeasy in Capitol Park.

Now D'Mongo's has been open since last summer, and has been uber cool for a while. I referenced it in my post about "The Deuce" last fall, and I finally made it in a few months ago. It's only open on Fridays, which makes it a difficult stop for a popular scenester with a full calendar like myself.

I took a bunch of photos once when we were there earlier this year, but I hesitated to post about it because honestly, I didn't want to promote it too much. It's an insanely cool spot, not overly fancy, just really authentic and perfect. And I didn't want it to be overrun with people who just don't get it. So I held off about the posting.

HOWEVER, since then the Detroit News and Model D have blown the code of silence about D'Mongo's (I expected more from you, Model D, please learn to keep a secret a secret), so I guess it's ok to tell you that I love it.

Check those links above for the history, but it really feels like the old time Detroit place that was mothballed for a decade that it is. Actually it kind of smells like mothballs until the smokers kick in. The crowd skews accessible hipster, the space is just a gas, and the entertainment varies from awesome whoa to awesome wow.

The little photo montage below will give you an idea of one of my early visits this winter ... the cool staff, the girl playing her autoplay Casio keyboard for entertainment (she was brilliant, by the way), the candles that melted over the years but stayed in their candle holders, the ... well, go check it out for yourself. It's really just great. Just don't be one of those douchebags who showed up last week with cigars and Bayview Yacht Club golf shirts. Thanks again new media.

If I really cared, these photos would align perfectly.

SASS the following night was once again the feel-good gay hipster dance party of the year. I don't what to say that I haven't said before, but I spent half the night just kind of watching it all with a happy glow in my heart. I swear to God you could throw a boutique run by Stirling in there and it's Todd's 1987 all over again (I am remembering that correctly, aren't I?)

Oh and to wrap it all up, Doggy Style has continued to be the fun meeting spot for downtown gays that it was intended to be. I have to say it has exceeded my expectations. My expectations, of course, being me and five friends. But exceeding even exceeded expectations was last Tuesday when, late in the night, the lights were turned down, Nina Simone was turned up, a woman removed her top and we were gifted with the twirling breasts of fire. Doggy Style is on fire.

What do I have to do to convince you to go?

Check out this video: Don’t Worry Darlings - Sass is Here

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Sass is back!

The best gay hipster dance party in the history of Detroit is back! Hurray for SASS!

If you want to know how great I think it is, read this post from last summer.

Saturday, April 19. OSLO. 10pm. $10.

You will not be sorry. I promise.

You are ... Gold

If you haven't discovered it yet, MOCAD events are always a good time for a fun-lovin' gay guy or gal.

Their opening party back in the fall of '06 was possibly one of the best parties I've been to in Detroit - definitely Top Five. It drew a crowd that was eclectic and cool from all over SE Michigan - moneyed Oakland County types, Ann Arbor intelligencia, Detroit hipsters. You had your techno undergrounders, your junior achievers, your party scenesters and of course, lots and lots of gays.

Subsequent events have been smaller but equally diverse and always entertaining. There was a performance art gig by Pat Oleszko there one night that was NUTS and ended with an "Emperor's New Clothes" piece ripping on Bush with Ms. Oleszko spraying red, white and blue paint out of her mouth onto a naked man marching in place wearing W mask. It was a little heavy-handed in that old school New York performance art way, but RIVETING, and not just because some dude's schwantz was flapping around for ten minutes.

The greatest thing about MOCAD is that they exist to push boundaries and they aren't afraid to apply that to their events. They also appeal to an edgier crowd than someplace like the DIA might, and their overhead isn't crazy high so they can have a much more affordable ticket price for events.


This Saturday they are hosting Gold, their first event thrown by the New Wave group, "a MOCAD committee designed to share a common dedication to the arts in Detroit with new audiences." So sort of their young professionals group, although maybe young UNprofessionals group is a better way to put it since there are a lot of hip Detroit entrepreneurial types involved who probably would resent being tagged yuppies. Anyway, lots of hip in that group, and notably some gay representation in there as well!

There's no way this event won't be great and there's no way it won't be swarming with homosexualists. I highly recommend you check it out. Seriously, the entertainment will be local bands covering pop songs from the '80's, how can you go wrong? Show up early because these things can get packed and noisy by later in the evening.

For your enjoyment today, I present the one song they would be crazy to exclude from their playlist: "Gold" by Spandau Ballet. It was the first thing you thought of when you found out they were playing 80's covers too, right?