No Stars

Man, I love a Doggy Style night, especially when it follows an Open City.  Open City, if you are not familiar, is a kind of grassroots small business incubator/support group/networking opportunity that's been going on for several years.  It's a good resource if you are thinking about embarking on your own independent retail adventure in Detroit.  Tonight's topic was "Localism" - ways to support and cultivate local business.

Of course I didn't make it despite my best efforts.  I was delayed by an extended meetup with some writing co-horts elsewhere, but I got to talk to a lot of the Open City folks at the Park Bar before Doggy Style.  So I had "Localism" on my mind all night.

Fortunately, I had a little local in the video mix for the evening.  It probably depends a lot on your age, whether or not you remember these guys, but Figures on a Beach were kind of a big deal in the 80s in Detroit.  They were signed to Sire records (in the Depeche Mode heydey) and were included on the first Sire compilation CD "Just Say Yes" with their song "No Stars."

Naturally they faded away, a bit of a one-hit wonder, although I still have their EP "Swimming" which is pretty great.  And man, did I have a new wave crush on the lead singer.

Anyway, "No Stars" made an appearance at Doggy Style tonight and in the spirit of "Localism," let's celebrate one of Detroit's few New Wave breakout bands, Figures on a Beach.

Their Voices

If you recall, last year I wrote about a benefit for the Ruth Ellis Center called Kaleidoscope. And then, I went to it. And then? I meant to write about it but never got around to it. That’s a refrain you should be familiar with by now.

In the interim, I have gotten to know the Ruth Ellis Center quite a bit better than before, in part through my friendship with their outstanding executive director Laura Hughes, and also through a shopping event to benefit the Center we held at my pop-up store Hugh last March. It’s an outstanding organization that benefits some of the most vulnerable members of the Detroit LGBTQ community, homeless and at-risk youth. If you aren’t familiar with the Center please, PLEASE go to their website and learn about them.

Held at the Scarab Club, last year’s event featured the debut of a documentary on voguing produced at the Center that was … what’s the word? … oh yeah, fierce.  I met so many new people at the event, both supporters of the Center and folks involved with operations, and then I had the chance to watch a live performance by some of the young people at the Center. Which I recorded.

Werk.

In my visits to the Center I’ve learned how welcoming it is, and how a real family forms there. The Center’s Highland Park location is so unassuming, you’d never realize the beauty of the work that goes on inside. But the really wonderful thing about the Ruth Ellis Center is the community it has built. The young people who have benefitted from its programs. The staff that genuinely cares about the mission of the Center. And the supporters who are sincere in their dedication, but not so sincere that having a conversation with them is rash-inducing. Basically it’s a lot of great, unpretentious, interesting people.

Tomorrow night there is another benefit for the Ruth Ellis Center, called Voices, which I really encourage you to attend.  They’ve upped the ante in the party department – this one being held at MoCAD – and there is really not a single benefit event you’ll feel better about attending. Why? Well, the good works of the Center and the people who attend, but mostly getting a chance to see the youth who attend the Center put their best face forward and show you what they’re all about!

There will be spoken word performances, where youth from the center tell stories from the heart about their lives. And there will be art, where work produced by the young people of the center will be for sale in a silent auction. All in all, a brilliant night!

If you care about LGBT-related causes then figure out some way to show up. The Ruth Ellis Center is a big part of the Detroit gay community’s non-profit world, and you need to be a part of it!

Voices: A Benefit for the Ruth Ellis Center
Thursday, September 22  5:30pm - 10:00pm
Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, 4454 Woodward Avenue, Detroit
Tickets $175 for VIP, $125 regular admission, $50 for under 30
Dinner, beer, wine.
For detailed event information check out the Facebook invite.
To buy tickets, go to www.ruthelliscenter.org or call 313.252.1950

Some Video Fierceness

The following video was emailed to me from its mysterious producer, Inspire Inspiration, and it has some GREAT video footage from this year's Hotter Than July.  Check it out and see why next year, you'll be at HTJ!

Skip to about the 30 second mark to get to the action!

Raised Voices, Raised Awareness

Continuing in the vein of highlighting Detroit's LGBT community, there's another video making its debut this week.  This one is a partnership between Model D Media and The HOPE Fund.  Read more about it here.

This video highlights the growth of leadership in the gay communities of color in Detroit - KICK, which serves Detroit's African-American community; Detroit Latin@z, which serves the Latino community; and Al-Gamea, which serves the Middle Eastern community.  It's a great testament to the growing voices of *all* aspects of the LGBT community in Detroit.

That growth is so fantastic, by the way, because with growing voices comes increased visibility. That is key as we work to change policy toward LGBT people in Michigan, but also as we work to become a more interconnected gay community here in the city of Detroit.

I also recommend you check you yet another gorgeous photo slide show by Marvin Shaouni, which captures some great moments from Detroit's Black Pride celebration, "Hotter Than July," which took place this past Saturday!

I have to tell you, this has really been quite a year so far for the gay community in Detroit. I feel like our collective identity is really shining. And more importantly, I don't think I can remember when there has been so much bridge-building within the community. It's a pretty exciting time!

A Video is Worth a Million Words

As Motor City Pride approached this year, I got a call from Toby Barlow - friend, former neighbor, and chief creative officer at Team Detroit.  He'd been watching what was going on with Pride moving downtown this year, the Pride Project and the way that the gay (and straight!) community in Detroit was so energized by all of this.  He said (I paraphrase), 'Hey, I want to do something to help show this off, what do you think of a short documentary about gay life in Detroit?"  Naturally I said that would be awesome.

Now just two months later, the video is done and really exceeds any and all hopes I'd had for it.  It's not a comprehensive look at GLBT life in Detroit, it's not a gay history piece - it is just a snapshot of some of the things that make gay life in Detroit so different and wonderful.

I always say, being gay and living in Detroit isn't for everyone.  But if you watch this video and something resonates, then maybe it is for you.  Enjoy!

MotorCity Pride from 4exit4 on Vimeo.

Supergay Home Movies, Part 2

It's been a while since I posted a home video of Supergay as a little faglet, preparing for the world stage.  I came across another one from the vaults so I thought I'd share it with you.

If you are wondering how a 41-year old man was only 11 when Mariah Carey was debuting her vocal histrionics to the world, don't stress your beautiful mind.  Supergay is like Billie Jean.  She's everywhere.

Palate Cleanser

The past week has been invigorating but I'm ready to get away from serious discussions for a bit.

In that vein, let's watch a video that I always revisit whenever I need to remember that this is all supposed to be fun.  Maybe the RoboCop discussion is a good example of why we need a bigger gay community in this city!

And that should get us through until next week, when I have another post about out-of-staters shitting all over Detroit. Seriously, I won't be a grouch much longer.

Talent Time!

Tonight is the big talent show!  I hope you've got an act prepared! Warm-up karaoke starts at 8 and the talent show starts sometime in the 10 o'clock hour!  All at Southwest Detroit's glamorous Polish Village Veteran's Hall!

Just a heads-up though - don't do the following performance.  I am doing it with Toby Barlow, Phil Cooley, Claire Nelson and Torya Blanchard. We are gonna rock it.

See you tonight!

They don't gay up kids like they used to.

There is help.

A very useful service for those of you with little ones around the house! 

And by little ones I mean either gaybies OR inappropriately young boyfriends.

Once Onup A Time ...

Doggy Style has been going great! Thanks everyone for coming out.  And for attending Doggy Style!

This vid was a hit last night, and I bet you can't watch it just once.  Celebrity 70s German transsexual Romy Haag! See you next Tuesday!

Dinnertime!

Kaleidoscopic Eyes

The Ruth Ellis Center was incorporated in 1999 and over the past ten years has emerged as one of the bright spots in the Detroit area LGBT scene, both for its great work with queer youth and for its appeal as a worthy LGBT charity.  I've written about a couple fun fundraisers right here on Supergay Detroit, in fact.

There is another one coming up that promises to be quite a good time, because not only does it benefit everyone's favorite cause, but it also takes place at one of the greatest venues in town, the Scarab Club. (Oh, the times I've been overserved there ...)  This event is called Kaleidoscope and it takes place next Thursday.  Check out the details:

click to make it bigger

Aside from the venue and the company, I am particularly excited about the documentary on vogueing, possibly the one gay thing that still thrills me when I stumble upon it!

So come out Thursday, September 23, to the Scarab Club, at 6pm.  It's right behind the Detroit Institute of Arts.  Tickets are $50 for the under-30 crowd and $125 for everyone else (ageism is the new heterosexism!) and you can buy your tickets here.  There's no note about what you should wear, but why don't you dress up a little bit, for a change?

Hope to see you there!  And in the meantime, why don't you enjoy this video, one of the few relatively authentic appropriations of vogueing in popular culture (nothing personal, Madonna).

Doggy Style?

I stopped by the Park Bar for a bit last night, and it being a non-game night it was really nice and mellow.  Ran into one friend, saw a few familiar faces, all as expected and good times.

What was not expected was a couple random inquiries as to whether or not I'm bringing back Tuesday Night Doggy Style when the baseball season ends.  As you may recall, I buried that dog in the spring, but this isn't the first time people have asked me about bringing it back.

So I guess that's something I will have to think about.  If you have any thoughts on the matter, please weigh in.  And include in those thoughts if you might show up.  We had a truancy problem on the part of the gays last year (at least compared to season one or season two), although Doggy Style did develop a relatively enthusiastic straight following.  Maybe it was gentrified?

In the meantime, here are a couple videos from the old school - in the Doggy Style spirit - to get you through your day.

Teaser

Hey did you see this trailer yet?  Way more interesting than that Detroit 1-8-7 show trailer (what a disaster) and lots o' superfriends to boot!

Speaking of boots, I don't know much about these Palladium boots but if this documentary is as good as it looks I'm gonna have to buy a pair.

Black and White

Tuesday nights Doggy Style may have ended but my YouTube OCD has not.  While I work on a post about something relevant and informative, why don't you enjoy this black & white video duo?

We all feel better in the dark.

It's only the second week without making a compilation for Doggy Style and I kind of miss it already.  I find myself digging around for new videos despite myself.

Some Communards shuffled up on my iPod tonight so I did some YouTube-ing and came across this great live version of "Disenchanted," possibly one of my favorites from the 80s.  If you ever love laying around in the dark listening to music, this is a good one.

And if you love dancing around in the dark then you will be thrilled to know about the one-year anniversary of Macho City this Saturday!

There have been many wonderful things to come out of the alternative gay scene downtown, and I can trace some of my best times in Detroit to evenings at Sass, Atlas Wednesdays, Fierce Hot Mess and recently (dare I ruin the mojo?) Cabaret Night at Cafe D'Mongo's.  But Macho City has been especially especial for me. 

It really hit the mark for this forty-nothing homo, and I could list the things I love about it (and I have) but mostly I just love how informed it is. If you came of age in the 70s, 80s, 90s or the Aughts, there is something for you at Macho City. 

It is important to be respectful of the fact that we are guests in a gay leather bar, because part of the Macho City charm is an accepting and joyful crowd, but I cannot urge you strongly enough to check it out. It is one of the things I am most thankful for here in Detroit!  Thank you Mike and Scott for making gay life in Detroit unique and awesome!

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Westward Ho

There is an extra fun gay event this weekend and it's not Macho City!  Macho City has been scuffling with the R&R over sound system details, so they have canceled this month's event and will be celebrating their big One Year Anniversary in April with something undoubtedly amazing. 

Your Saturday night has another great option though, the One Year Anniversary extravaganza of Elbow Deep in Ypsi, which has the Macho City endorsement as the place to be this Saturday!  Read on for details...

Every once in a while I like to get out of Detroit and head west to Washtenaw County for a break from the routine.  Having lived in Ann Arbor for so many years, it sometimes feels like being home even more than Detroit does, although with the changes downtown has seen since I left (those awful LED street lamps!) and the fact that most of my friends have moved away too, it's really more a case of going to back to visit some of my favorite haunts.

This past December I was flying solo one Saturday evening, so I zipped out to Ann Arbor for a brilliant dinner at Eve.  Eve is, hands-down, my favorite restaurant in the world (which is not to slight some of my other favorite places including Atlas in Detroit or Cafe Zola in A2), and when I am feeling like I deserve a break today, Eve is where I go.

This particular visit was notable in part because Ari, the bartender who bought the greatest thing I ever sold at a yard sale back in the day (a large crushed red velvet bordello-chic hanging light fixture), was so attentive with the wine tastings, and also because I saw another celebrity there. 

This guy was walking toward the door as I was getting situated and he was literally so good-looking I was craning my neck to get a better look at him, and Ari goes, "Stare much?"  And I was like, "Who is that guy?" And he said "Clive Owen."  And suffice to say he is even better-looking in person.  Possibly because he was smiling and laughing instead of brooding, and is pretty tall.  Holy crap.

Anyway, following that brilliant portion of the evening I headed over to Ypsilanti's Elbow Room for a special Saturday night edition of Elbow Deep! 

I am kind of obsessed with Ypsilanti, and Elbow Deep is an Ypsi queer monthly put on by my pals Dave & Kurt, or as they are professionally known Push/Pull Productions and DJ Humanfly.  Elbow Deep is usually a Tuesday night affair, and my Doggy Style obligations had prevented me from attending before this.

Elbow Deep (or in this holiday instance, Noel-bow Deep) is a super fun dance party, but it's also got fantastic visual displays created for each event and drag performances by the House of Chanel!  It makes for a full-featured gay night out on the town with the kind of eclectic crowd you'd expect:  some college kids, some Ypsters, some older guys, some straight folks, some grrrrrls, some twinks.  But you know Ypsi has its own brand of cool, so maybe a few style touchstones will help define it for you:  think sideburns and coonskin caps and leopard print and pink hair and flannel.  All on the same person.  OK not really.  But super cool, and boy I love a gay crowd switch-up!

Anyway, I had a great time AND I got turned onto a great fun song that I subsequently played at Doggy Style:

This month Elbow Deep is once again on a Saturday night, and they are getting a little Detroit Love in the form of Special Guest DJ Super G (that's me) and the comedy stylings of Robert M. Nelson!  Robert and I are taking our show on the road to Ypsi!

Robert, you may recall, had the crowd in stitches at the Astro Coffee Talent Show (another recap is up here), and I did what was hailed as a "passable" and "innocuous" DJ set at Macho City last fall!  The Elbow Room is a great bar (Concentrate media gave it some love here).  And there seems to be a growing contingent of Detroit gays set to descend on the Elbow Room (map) this Saturday for a groovy time.

Me, Robert, Mike from Macho City, Dave and Kurt all hope you can make it out for the big celebration!  That's like 90% of the people defining the alternative gay scene in SE Michigan currently save Adriel and Darren at Atlas, and they're talking about coming too, I just didn't ask if I could have an endorsement!  See you Saturday!

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I'm sure you can relate

Ladies, we all have the Sassy Gay Friend.  For me, it's actually my friend Laura who lives in Chicago and apparently someone from Second City was sitting next to her at the bar and stole her entire schtick.  Watch it here, it's hilarious.  I'm sure you've got someone around like this too - or at least I hope so, for your sake.

The Drinking Expert

A last-minute leaving-work IM from a friend drew me to Roast for their Cocktail Hour yesterday, which never disappoints.  It ended up being a bit of a foodie gathering at one corner of the bar, as you will sometimes find with bargain-priced delicious food in Detroit.

After the Cocktail Hour ended there a few of us moved on to Martini Monday at Atlas Global Bistro where the cocktail hour never ends.  I grilled Dave Mancini (of Supino Pizzeria fame) about what exactly his talent will be in the show on Friday (it's good); and I got to chatting with Putnam Weekley, a man who is possibly one of the most knowledgeable "wine guys" in town.  Specifically we talked vermouth (you know how these things happen.)

I learned that Martini & Rossi vermouths are lame, instead opt for Stock brand vermouth which is less expensive and actually better (to the informed palate).  At least if you are going with a basic vermouth.  If you really want to wow yourself you have to try Carpano Antica red vermouth.  Putnam swears it is the best, like eight times over.

Well, for sharing this information I promised Putnam I would dedicate the following videos to him.  Martini & Rossi may not be the best vermouth on the market, but they hands-down had the best ads in the 70s!

Angie in a white mood.

Jaclyn feeling red.

File this post under "raising standards" ... the more you drink the more you know!  You can glean some of Putnam's extensive knowledge on his blog (being added to my blogroll as I type this) and in the bar zone at El Barzon, where he is charge of their excellent beverage selection.

And now I will expect that I'll be enjoying a glorious manhattan the next time you have me over for cocktails!

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It's one of those mornings ...