Spring Spring Spring Spring Spring Spring Spring

It feels so great to sit at my table looking out at Detroit this morning, now that the green is finally returning to the park and the weather is so amazing.  I never tire of this view. Detroit's springtime metamorphosis has never been more welcome, at least in these parts.

I'm re-using a photo. So what?

I spent a little time the other night reviewing this blog and sending links to some new out-of-town friends who are super interested in Detroit, and I was a bit disappointed in how the caliber of the content diminished after the first year.  Of course that first year I said most of what was on my mind, so I guess it was inevitable.  Plus the two subsequent years were such a beat-down for me and everyone else around here, I suppose the fact I trudged along at all is reason enough to be glad.

The arrival of the nice weather has given me an attitude adjustment. Of course the advent of baseball season is a huge loss for those of us who enjoy being downtown, as it is now overrun with a-holes half the month.  I thought the St. Patrick's Day parade in Corktown was disgusting this year until I was forced to witness the debauchery of Opening Day.  From my vantage point at Hugh on Park Avenue I watched near-fights, people throwing garbage in the streets (next to "Clean Detroit" bins) and even into planters directly in front of my store while I was standing there watched them.  I forget that many people in the region think Detroit is one giant garbage bin.

I actually saw one guy across the street holding his buddy's hair (metaphorically) while his friend vomited on the sidewalk.  It was touching, and certainly beat the guy who'd wet himself at the St. Pat's parade for entertainment value. But on the up-side, Sean Harrington of Centaur and the Town Pump said it was his best Opening Day ever, so it's hard to be upset about that.

There is also, for the first time in my memory, some great and realistic discussion of the future of Detroit.  The most reassuring thing is that the folks screaming about maintaining the status quo (ie: grape-throwers) are seeming more and more like the lunatic fringe they represent. Detroit's got a long way to go to be what some people like to call a "functional city," to be sure.  But it's a start.

I'm also undergoing my own springtime metamorphosis and it feels good.  Obviously the duty of putting together Doggy Style at the Park Bar every Tuesday is over, and that is a great relief. It was such a fantastic turnout for the final two weeks, and it made me realize how many new friends I made from putting that on.  Only in Detroit can you create a night so you are meeting only the kind of folks you want to meet AND drink for free!  I'll miss that part (well, both parts) but the work part I don't mind shedding!

And speaking of shedding, my temporary store Hugh has just wrapped up, and that was a bigger success than I expected.  After the tough slog things had been it was a pure joy to create something that was so well-received. Oh, I'm in the Hugh space through the beginning of May with a big Mezzanine clearance sale so boogie on down starting this weekend for cut-rate modern awesomeness!

Lots of people have been asking what's next and it would be premature to even speculate.  What I do know is I'm traveling the country starting mid-May - any of my friends with a guest room are getting visits!  New York, Palm Springs, San Francisco, and Chicago are all on the itinerary.  We'll see what happens after that!

Yeah, it feels like a new day.  Now I'm gonna go ride my bike to work.  I will leave you with a spring song by one of my long-time favorite performers, Jane Siberry.  It's just the song, no video.  But it's so happy!

ah, when spring comes there's nothing you can hide, making all your feelings come alive

and you feel so different inside that you think that in winter you must have been barely alive
the river is rising, the birds are returning, the earth is promising love, or something like that
I don't know

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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 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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Well Hello!

Hey what's going on?

Listen, I'm still completely swamped with real world work. It will be four weeks without a day off by the time things (hopefully) let up. I hate a down economy, you have to work so hard.

In the meantime there are a few random things I would enjoy addressing with you, things that could be addressed in bigger, more comprehensive posts. But sometimes it's just good to clear out the backlog.

The Terrorists Won
I got my car back from its latest repair and I got a Club.


Gayer Than Ever Before
The Dirty Show is going on right now and it has a ton of gay stuff in it this year. Like, super high calibre gay erotic art. Here's an excerpt from the email I got from Jerry Vile, the creator of the Dirty Show.

[We have] the the lovely work of Michael Breyette, funny and clever work spins by Harald Seiwart, gone too far imagination of Marc DeBauch, the disturbing hardcore of Bruce LaBruce and the premiere of Clive Barker's erotic photos (I think he has pretty much redefined beefcake, and has taken the male nude to some place we have not seen before). There are a few local artists as well -- we have more gay art than ever before in our history .... So if your readers like cock, you may let them know we have plenty of sweet juicy cocks all over the place - we aren't a few talking inches here - you'll need a yardstick.

Now I missed the boat on telling you about this before the opening last Friday, but the show is still on this Friday and Saturday. A few years ago I went with my friend Laurita Guarita Los Angeles Jara Perez and we had a filthy charicature drawn of me banging her (what else?) doggy style, which she kept on her fridge for an uncomfortably long time.

So if you want to see yards and yards of cock (plus some great people watching) I definitely recommend a stop by the Dirty Show. It's at Bert's Warehouse Theater in Eastern Market this Friday and Saturday.


Closings
So Zaccaro's Market in Midtown announced their closing today. Even though they were a bit expensive they were a convenient stop for some nicer grocery-type items, and I will miss them. After I take advantage of their 20% off clearance sale.


Business As Usual
Cutting up to Cafe 1923 on McDougall today I passed some kind of resale/fencing operation and saw somebody loading one of those Grosse Pointe art frogs into their car. It's not so much the weirdness of seeing a questionable operation on the near East Side, but the fact that someone actually swiped one of those stupid frogs, and that someone else wanted one.


Of course it could have been a fully legit repair operation too. Surrounded by burned-out houses.

I Love the Theatahhhh!
University of Detroit-Mercy's Theater Company is putting on a show! "Speech and Debate" is a play is about misfit teens, two dealing with their sexuality through the speech and debate club they are trying to form - all the while exploring the drama of a scandal in their high school.


This touching comedy runs through this weekend, so check it out early and often! Shows are Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 and $13, with students only $9 and UDM and Marygrove students only $5. The performances are held at the Marygrove College Theatre, 8425 W. McNichols Rd, Detroit, MI 48221.

It's great to see some gay-themed work being presented at our fine Catholic institutions of higher learning. A good turnout can insure more creative gay-friendly content in the future!

Gotta Nickel?
So I have been obsessed with the gay mustache for a while now, ever since wallowing in 70s nostalgia early last summer. Not the hipster handlebar mustache, but the gay stays-on-the-upper-lip mustache.

When Milk was released with James Franco looking sexy with a 'stache I became even more obsessed. And then the New York Times weighed in in the Thursday Styles a few weeks ago, ironically right at the time I had started growing my beard just so I could save the mustache for a bit when I shaved it off to see how it looks.


Well anyway, during the growing-in period I decided that I wanted to help bring back the gay mustache, so for late winter/spring I am sporting one proudly. I have to say so far the reception has been mostly positive, it's about 75/25 wants-to-make-out vs. shave-that-off-now. We'll see how it goes.

This is the way the year ends

Not with a bang but a whimper.

Where did the month go? Did the holiday even happen? December was like triage this year, just jumping from one immediate concern to the next. I suppose its imminent conclusion is a bit of a relief.

Things were pretty exciting around here this fall, that is for sure, so I'm sorry for fizzling out this month. But overall this year was pretty great. Sure, there were Supergay stories that went untold. Missions unaccomplished. Travels and travails that have lost their timely relevance.

But we won that Metro Times thing again, and Doggy Style is a dog-gone good time every week (NOTE: this week it's DIY - I'm out of town! Have fun without me!).

I was extremetly heartened by all the interest aroused by the election fallout, and I hope the gay community here continues to increase its visibility. And I thank our straight friends for their great support too.

I'm not sure how the Supergay Cultural Enhancement Program turned out, since I never even did my profile on the neighborhoods I thought had gay potential. Maybe in the new year? Also with no actual way to track the influx of gays into Detroit I can't give an estimate on whether or not we reached the magic number of 30. Anecdotally I know of at least four!

I am happy that the Supergay Media Infiltration Program has gone well, with a couple more pieces for Model D and the debut of an exciting new voice (me) on Detroit Public Radio's Detroit Today (did I ever mention that my election piece made it into the Detroit Today Weekend program too? Exciting!)

On the personal front, despite a rough summer I continue to enjoy my life in Detroit. The wonderful people I continue to meet really make this city the greatest I've ever inhabited, despite a lack of what many people commonly refer to as "amenities."

2009 will undoubtedly bring many changes. Certainly for SEMi, what with this whole auto industry thing going on. And personally, I'm turning forty this year, and that milestone has a number of big decisions attached to it. I can confidently predict that 2009 will be a much more interesting year!

As for now, I'm off to Palm Springs to see some of those gay friends who moved away over the years. Maybe there will be something interesting to report, maybe not. All I know is that my liver will need a vacation from this vacation. And maybe this year will end with a bang AND a whimper!
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Screw Secularism

Friends report that the Castro loves a religious holiday!

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Rambling

Nothing special to write about here, just some thoughts on a Tuesday morning.

Had breakfast with a mover/shaker pal at Mercury Coffee Bar this morning, which I am continuing to love. We talked about how irritating all the marketing of Detroit stuff continues to be, and just how ass-backwards the thinking of the people holding the pursestrings is in this town.

On the one hand it is always nice to know folks who are on the ground running like my friend and who feel the same way about that stupid time-wasting. On the other hand, it doesn't change the fact that right this minute there could be some dude in pleated pants out there deciding it's a good idea to throw half a million bucks at another website to attract the creative class.

We segued into how genius it would be if the downstairs of Mercury stays non-smoking when they get their beer/wine license. Which they should do since they are all foodie and everything.

Left there to drive around and find a place to get some wi-fi and ended up in Hamtamck. On the way up here saw another closed up big old building half devoured by scrappers, what the fuck is this city gonna do about that? It's insane. I never cry a tear when I hear of one getting electrocuted, I will tell you that much. If that makes me a bad person then fine.

Angry, I drove through some of the Ham-town neighborhoods, drove down Jos. Campau, went by my brother's house from when he first got married, watched kids playing in schoolyards - that all calmed me down a lot and put me in a good mood again. And I saw this, which was awesome:

A sign of tough times.

But read the fine print.

Ended up at Cafe 1923 to work. It's actually my first visit here - I've shied away in the past because they allow smoking, but mercifully there's no one smoking here now. They've really got their act together, and it's more coffee-housey than the Rowland Cafe. So here's another good coffee spot in Detroit (well, Hamtramck is technically inside Detroit). And oddly, the people I've seen here are mostly quite well-dressed. So if you are wondering where the nicely-dressed people in Detroit are, they are at Cafe 1923.

I do like Hamtramck a lot.

OK, another mover/shaker friend just walked in (dressed fabulously) so I gotta go.
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Honesty is the best policy.

I saw this on the bathroom wall at Honest? John's Bar and No Grill today and it actually made me laugh really hard.

I have one thing to say...

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... Mummenshanz.

And foreskin.

Um, Disney?

She's a beauty, but I don't think she's sleeping.

"No, the other hole."

Job Opening?

"Hello, Fecal Face Dot Gallery, please hold. Hello, Fecal Face Dot Gallery, please hold."

OK that was weird ...

Someone I know was just mentioned in the The Andy Warhol Diaries.

It really is a small gay world.
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Is it a gay thing?

Is there some switch that just flips at some point and you all of a sudden like Judy Garland?

This morning I was rummaging through some old LP's I've had laying around (long-playing records, not Little People) and came across "Judy at Carnegie Hall."

And that was that.

This monophonic microgroove recording is playable on monophonic and stereo phonographs. It cannot become obsolete. It will continue to be a source of outstanding sound reproduction, providing the finest monophonic performance from any phonograph.

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Lady Elaine Fairchilde

Was she a lesbian?

Does she drink too much or is that rosacea?

Does she suffer from fibromyalgia?

Is she really British nobility?

So many questions.

Heel-arious

OK, all I am going to say is ... someone needs to relax.

High heels for babies. Your whorey teenager, 14 years premature! Inspired by "Kayla" and "Brook," the daughters of "Britta" and "Hayden."



I am pretty glad to be gay, but I don't think I've ever been happier than this moment right now.

New York Report

My friend Darren Locke is a great musician who, until last fall, resided in Woodbridge. But now he lives in Manhattan. He is making a go of it there and getting gigs and good internships and was even on OutQ radio's morning show. Very exciting! Go to Darren's MySpace page and you can hear some of his music, which I predict you will like a ton and you can buy on iTunes and CDBaby. Everybody loves "Carolina" although my favorite is "City of Trees" because the guitar is amazing.

Soon to be famous.

Last night we were chatting and he told me about a news story that was filming at a restaurant where he was eating. It was a news story about Bacon Salt. Which I looked up and it is such a weird idea I feel like I need to post about it.

Bacon Salt is a seasoning salt that makes everything taste like bacon. Which sounds weird and strangely gross until you start to think about it. How good would that be on spinach, or mashed potatoes, or fries (well, anything potato really), or chicken, or a hamburger? You're intrigued, aren't you? I know I am, and I don't even really love bacon.

It is also allegedly calorie-free, fat-free, vegetarian and kosher. It's like a strange substance from another dimension.

There is nothing really gay or Detroit about Bacon Salt, but you have to admit it does sound kind of super.

And that's the news from New York.