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 Talented Mr. You

I am particulary excited about this Talent Show going on tomorrow night.  I am not exactly sure why, maybe because it is something different than karaoke, maybe it's because it's bringing together social groups who don't always mingle in the city.  Maybe it is because it will be a full-on freakshow.  I just don't know, but I am really looking forward to it.

I scrounged some more details of the show, so I'm just going to give a little narrative for you.

Doors open at 9pm at the General George S. Patton Polish Village Veteran's Hall.  This is located at 4930 Central Avenue, which is between I-94 and Michigan Avenue.  There is an actual Central Avenue exit on 94 so you can get off the freeway, head south and you'll drive right into it.  I have never been to this spot, but it's also on the way to the R&R Saloon so clearly I've passed it on my way to Macho City.

There will be warm-up karaoke from 9 to 11.  This is casual and all should feel free to perform their alternate numbers at this time.  There will also be booze, which should help things get rolling once the talent show starts about 11.

What can you expect at the talent show?  Well, lots of second-rate talent.  If you have reservations about performing, let me just pass along the word that ANYTHING GOES!  Without giving anything away, you can expect to see things like Dave Mancini's 30-second talent that got him all the girls in college, or hear Liz Isakson turn happy songs into sad songs (they say so much).  You can hear me - yes me, Supergay - perform the lullaby my Aunt Liza used to sing to me when I was a gayby, and we will even be blessed with one of Robert M. Nelson's famed spoken-word performances! (Robert is also the Cafe D'Mongo's advice columnist and a real card, you're gonna love him like I love him.  Which is platonically.).

You don't need to know who all these people are to know that any doubts you may have had that your performance doesn't rate were completely unfounded.  You should feel free to sign up with some confidence that you actually might win!  And seriously?  Sign up!  Sing a little song, do a little dance, play the piano, photoshop Brad Pitt together with Anderson Cooper - whatever!  It's all a talent to someone!  You have nothing to lose but your dignity!  Call 313-615-3425 or message the organizers on the Facebook page!

 It's a talent!  Call now!

Now the admission is $20, and yes that is US currency, unless you are performing in which case it is $10.  The whole shebang is to benefit Astro Coffee, which you may have read about in this week's Model D.  Don't worry, the owner is not funding the entire start-up through janky talent shows.  This is just to give things a little extra jolt, just like Astro Coffee will do for you once they open up!

Marvin with Model D took this great photo of the future Astro Coffee!

Advance conversations with everyone I can talk to about this lead me to believe this event with have a MoCAD event-like eclectic quality to its crowd:  a dash of hipster, a dollop of gay, a smidge of cool suburbanite and a smattering of Detroit scenester.  It's going to be awesome! 
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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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Three Important Events

Thre are three important events in Detroit this week I need to tell you about, and there are two alternates for you Washtenaw County-based folks.  Sorry for the double-posting today, I don't want to confuse all of you, but really, who doesn't enjoy a little DP every now and again?

Tuesday
Tuesday Nights Doggy Style at the Park Bar continue unabated, although I know you know I know you forgot.  It's been a mixed bag this season, some nights are me and Jack (Daniels) and some nights, like last week, are cram-packed with life-affirming Detroity-crowd goodness.

I should probably tell you that when this season ends the first week in April, Doggy Style is being taken out back and shot. It takes a lot of time to do these video compilations, and while I do enjoy hanging out and watching them with my friends and the intermittent crowd (the straight guys at the Park Bar seem to particularly enjoy them, oddly enough), I don't see a regular season down the road.

One friend suggested just playing re-runs to take the pressure off, and I tried, but it went against everything I set out to do here.  This is supposed to be the anti-Pronto - new videos all the time, more informed, broader in appeal, more fucked up.  Even though there is now a library of 30 compilation DVDs, it just felt wrong.

So come and enjoy the tail end of Doggy Style on Tuesdays this month.  It actually is fun, even if you just sit and watch tv and get a buzz.

Alternate:  If you can't or won't make it to Doggy Style, maybe you should check out Elbow Deep at the Elbow Room in Ypsi this Tuesday!  It's Ypsilanti's own indy gay night, put on by DJ Humanfly and Push/Pull productions the third Tuesday of the month.  They really go all-out and have fabulous production values and great music and drag queens and kings. I will write more about them in the future, because I went in December and it was a great time, but put it on your list of Ypsi things to do this week!

Thursday
I have been involved with the Detroit Institute of Arts through the Founders Junior Council - the young professionals auxiliary - since long before I moved from Ann Arbor to Detroit.  It's a wonderful group of people whose goal is to engage the under-40 (and sometimes over-40) set at the DIA, as well as to raise some cash for the museum.

Attending their events regularly was a fantastic way for me to extend my network of friends outside of downtown, since it's a mix of city and suburb, east west and northside.  It has also been an opportunity to dress up a bit for events, which every once in a while is a refreshing change for a downtowner.  I have met some of my best friends in the area through the FJC.

Membership in the FJC is an auxiliary membership that you purchase in addition to your DIA membership, and it provides member-only events and an additional level of support for the museum.  This Thursday at 6:30 the FJC is hosting the first-ever (in my long history) promotional membership event in conjunction with the Detroit Film Theater.  For $57.50 you can get your DIA membership AND your FJC membership, as well as attend a members-only screening of this year's Oscar-nominated film shorts.

 

If this is remotely your bag, I really cannot recommend taking advantage of this strongly enough!  It's basically a free FJC membership!

Alternate:  The Last Bookstore Standing is an event to help increase awareness (and cash flow) for the Common Language bookstore in Ann Arbor.  With the internets and the rise of the big booksellers and increased acceptance of gays et al, the GLBT bookstore is becoming an increasingly rare asset to the community.  (This really deserves its own post as well, all in due time.) We are fortunate to have a full-on literary-focused bookstore in our area, but the times are tough. 

For the price of just a few pounds of coffee you can help invigorate Common Language and enrich your own GLBT life, and this special event is a really good opportunity to do that. Won't you please show your support (in person or online?)  If Common Language goes, it's gone for good.

Friday
Hey remember Mercury Coffee Bar?  There were a lot of awesome things about it, but the best thing was the coffee.  It was amazing.  AMAZING.  Well the good news is the coffee guru from MCB is working on opening a new coffee outpost across the street on the Slows block, called Astro Coffee (read his blog here), and there is a fundraising event 9pm this Friday at the Polish Village Veterans Hall to speed things along.

Admission is $20, $10 for performers.  Motor City Beer will be provided, and there are prizes!  Naturally I am thinking of performing because I can save $10 and, well, there is a stage.  You should think of performing too, or at least attending, because I predict this will be some homegrown good times.  And I suspect it might have a bit of a Gong Show vibe, which is always good!

Well that's it for recommendations this week.  Quite a variety I'd say, and you can't go wrong with any of them.  Make the most of your February, and see you out and about!
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Charles in Charge

City Council President and avowed homosexualist Charles Pugh made some good news this past week when he took a stand for commerce and tax collection in the City of Detroit by standing up to churchy calls for pasties and Shirley Temples at strip clubs.  To control crime, you see.

Now, strip clubs are rarely (but sometimes) on my radar, and I can understand a person not wanting to have one perched on the corner of his or her residential street.  But crime in these areas does not start at these strip clubs ... frankly, like good manners, it starts at home ... and Pugh rightly pointed out that they do have a right to exist.  And then he landed a zinger on the Right Reverend Marvin Winans (of the Winans gospel dynasty) that went something like: 

Winans - These club owners don't even live in the city! 
Pugh - And where do you live? 
Winans - *grimace* *scowl* Don't play that game! (actual answer: Bloomfield Hills.)

I am not a Pugh booster, nor am I a detractor.  I've been cautiously optimistic that he won't embarrass us and will be an effective point-person on the City Council.  I do not think his behavior indicates he is the sharpest knife in the drawer, as evidenced in his Black Friday rant on his Facebook fan page back in November.*  Or really any of his Facebook posts. Or waiting a few days to report the damage to his city-owned car (or maybe that was smart, we'll never know.)  Or the fact that he says JoAnne Watson is his favorite Councilwoman (again, possibly smart, keep your friends close etc).

[* For those who missed it: "Charles Pugh will NEVER call the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday". I refuse. There are so many other things to call it "Friday Frenzy" "Super Friday" "Golden Friday", something!! The media should have thought a lil longer about that. Just a thought." Who wants to break it to him that the term Black Friday has been used since the mid-60s, when the media used completely different words to describe the African-American race?]

Either way, I felt kind of hopeful that he took a reasonable stand and didn't give in to the demands of the conservative religious community.

Some friends were visiting a while back and as we drove around the city they kept commenting on the number of churches.  And it is true, no matter how decrepit a commercial strip may be, the Macadamia Jubilation Congregation probably has a storefront on it.  The power of the pulpit is strong in Detroit.  And no matter how poor the population, these churches seem to have no problem raking in the dough.  And they are conveniently tax-exempt (and/or completely cash-based operations).  So they may provide hope to the hopeless, I'm sure I don't know being as full of hope as I am, but they aren't really doing much to alleviate the real problems of the city.

So it is refreshing to see that, like the national religious conservatives, they have real problems on their agenda like putting post-its over nipples and keeping behavior lewd but sober, and not the smaller nuisances in their community like poverty, single- or no-parent homes, high school drop-outs, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse or the spread of HIV and other STDs.

And I mean, the Reverened may have a point that the strip club owners don't live in the city either, but at least their businesses pay taxes.

Most significantly for Mr. Council President (and the reason I bring this up on this blog), the Churches of Detroit fell all over themselves trying to out-ignore his homosexuality during the City Council race (por ejemplo).  Now that he's in office and actually standing up to them, it will be interesting to see how quickly they do a 180 and start using the gay angle to attack him.

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Good Hygiene

While we are on the topic of art and derelict properties, I thought I'd post something purely for fun.

If you get out and about in downtown Detroit you've probably seen the handiwork of the Hygienic Dress League.  We look out the windows of the Park Bar every Doggy Style Tuesday at their mural on the Hotel Charlevoix, which I enjoy mucho.

 

 

 

They also have improved the Grand Army of the Republic Building over at Cass & Grand River.

I came across this video a couple weeks ago, I showed it at Doggy Style last week, and I thought I'd share it with you.  (And to defuse concerns like those in the comments of my last post - that I am a PR shill for my friends or something - yes I do know them, but I am posting this because I think their work is cool and the video is fab.  Although I will say Dorota is also pretty fab. And Steve's mustache is, like, wow.)

Everyone's a Critic

If you read the Time Magazine Detroit Blog, you know there are a couple different voices there.  There's Darrell Dawsey, who's like the real Detroiter voice who tackles the more intellectually challenging issues we face.  Then there is Steven Gray, the embedded Time reporter who gives the "outsider" perspective and is good to follow if you want to see how long it takes someone to start to "get" Detroit (which unfortunately for Time is longer than a year).  And then there is Karen Dybis, who is basically the Detroit Synergy of bloggers with her wide-eyed suburbanite discovery of Detroit and reluctance to say anything at all negative about the city.

So of course it is a post by Karen Dybis that has irritated me today.

Karen has been, in her words, obsessing over the Ice House project.  She's super concerned over the "is it art" question, but apparently also the social implications.  So she goes to visit it.  She is horrified at the "frightening" state of the block, but finds the house beautiful.  And while the artists have been working concurrently to help the neighborhood, she ultimately decides that if she were a neighbor she would want them run out of town.  She would never want to live next to an Ice House.

Seriously?  A burned out block is ok to live near, but God forbid someone create something beautiful or interesting or noteworthy on that block.  What a fucked up perspective.

Karen asks, "Sure, the dazzling ice makes for some fantastic photographs. But who wants to buy a picture that symbolizes the sickest side of Detroit?"  You know who does?  A ton of Oakland County art buyers, that's who.  Just ask the Object Orange folks, they sold a ton of photographs of their Tiggerific Orange abandoned houses at the Paul Kotula Gallery in Ferndale.

I guess it's patronizing to create an art project out of a burned out abandoned home.  I hope nobody tells Tyree Guyton or the Object Orange people.

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Catching Up

New years are good for many kinds of starting over; climbing back on the wagon, going back to the gym, jump-starting long-postponed projects.  Resolutions are really about as useful as a post-it on the fridge - one luxury, or possibly burden, of getting older is accepting that a broken promise to yourself only matters as much as you want it to - but sometimes even post-its are handy.

I remembered I had a blog the other day, so I figured writing on here again could be one of my resolutions.  Last year was a rough year for everyone and I was no exception.  The awful distraction of desperate work really monopolized my creative energies and I just didn't have any drive to write.  Plus Facebook is fun, so I dabbled in that just a bit.

I also thought that I'd run out of things to say, at least regarding gay life in Detroit.  I wasn't looking for my people anymore, a decent "downtown" gay scene had evolved, I was actually getting invited to the occasional gay house party, and against all odds I'd met and started dating someone.  I'd assimilated.

But I've missed writing, and I feel like my writing chops aren't quite what they used to be due to lack of practice.  And there are still plenty of things going on that may not be specifically gay or lesbian but might benefit from a gay viewpoint.  And I still like trying to find cool shit first. So I'm going to try to start up again.

The Detroit Auto Show is going on this week. I heard that Daimler was putting all their people up at the Book Cadillac so on Monday a friend and I went to watch for Germans and enjoy the Roast cocktail hour. If you have not experienced the Roast cocktail hour I highly recommend it, it's an outstanding value. We ran into Dave Mancini, the genius behind Supino Pizzeria in Eastern Market, and we had a great time talking about Detroit crazy and future possibilities and foodie stuff. It's funny, but that Roast really does attract a crowd of what I would describe as indy downtowners, the kind of people who support their friends businesses but you don't expect to find at a place like Roast. But Roast has street cred despite its tony digs.

Germans indeed showed up, by the way, along with a bunch of other euro types.  They're all so cute in their auto foreignness.

Great people-watching all over town this week actually.  I headed from Roast up to Atlas to enjoy a half-priced Monday Martini to kill a little time before meeting a friend. It was jumping, I'm sure partially due to the Designer's Party taking place across the street at the Bankle Building. I ran into more friends at the Atlas bar who convinced me to go over to the party with them, and it was great and not platters full of cocaine like the rumors have led me to believe about Bankle parties. Which is good because I like to stay away from that scene, I can only manage one vice at a time.

The Designer Party was a total sausage fest.  There are like *no* women around for auto show week, it's nuts. Break that glass ceiling, babycakes.  Lots of familiar faces though, so that was highly entertaining.  Having attended parties where Camilo and company were co-presenters, I'd seen the furniture and the cars and the costumes/fashions and the art before, but it's nice for the new people to see it all I suppose, and somewhat comforting to revel in the familiar, especially with all the upheaval around town this past year.

Lady Gaga rolled into town yesterday, and being a lazy and last-minute kind of person I never even bothered to try and get tickets.  Jesus loves me though, and I got a text at 4:30 saying "your free tickets will be at will call." What? I know! It's a mary-cle!  But that's how I roll.

It was interesting to go to a show at Joe Louis Arena, I hadn't been in forever.  Walking up and down the steps of death was a particular thrill.  It was kind of appropriate, I thought, seeing Lady Gaga - the heir apparent to the Madonna pop throne, some say - in the same venue where I saw the Virgin Tour back in 1902. The crowd was of course TRAGIC and FABULOUS. Half the crowd looked like they were on their way to Fierce Hot Mess. The other half doesn't even merit description.

That's a lot of gay.

Of course the place was gayer than Ikea on Superbowl Sunday. If anyone tried to use that Grindr app in that place I think their iPhone would have exploded.  The show was really great and frankly a lot more than I expected. It was a little visually noisy with all these giant LCD panels in the background and probably would have come off better if the show had stayed at the Fox, but that girl puts on a spectacular spectacular. It might be because she doesn't have to stop and close her eyes and concentrate to hold a single note for four seconds a la Madonna, so she can concentrate on being a freak bitch. Or it might be just because she says "Detroit" a thousand times and everyone cheers every time.  Every time, seriously.

By the way, did you hear the parody of "Poker Face" done by the Westboro Baptist Church?  You know, the people who brought you the "God Hates Fags" protest sensation?  It's laughably bad, especially because I'm pretty sure Lady Gaga doesn't care if you say she has a "whore-ish face." Of course I listen to this all the time, cuz of my love for the laughably bad.

@LadyGaga "Poker Face" parody by WBC is done! Lyrics: http://tiny.cc/LGL2 Music: sound bite  Lady GaGa sound bites

There have been a few changes in the Detroit blog world, and I was thinking that my links section should better reflect a broader scope for the blog, so I'll be changing up shortly.  In the meantime, a few noteworthy changes.

Toby Barlow and Phil Cooley, with some help from our buddy Ryan Shirmang (who was objectified on this very blog a while back) have launched a blog called Remains of the D that will highlight the multiple cool side projects they invent to promote and develop the good things in Detroit. I have already learned several things about Detroit I didn't know on the blog, such as the fact that there will be a charcuterie shop in the Cass Corridor this year, and that coffee pro Dai Hughes will be opening up Astro Coffee Company in the Slows BarBQ strip of Michigan Avenue.  The "Twelve Young Versions of Twenty-Ten" entry is a nice one, and we've got our gays representing on that list so right on!

Fabulists in the audience have used the link to Planet Fabulon before, and probably already know the site has gone bye-bye. The good news is that the author has launched a new platform to bring a slightly altered vision of over-the-top fabulous at Chateau Thombeau. Breathe a sigh of relief and dive in.

OK, I think we're caught up. Have a great day.

Going Ga Ga?

Well from the Facebook chatter it seems a lot of you are going to see Lady Gaga tonight or tomorrow.  That is going to be one fabulous show. 

If you are heading downtown for the show and looking for good times afterwards, I thought I'd toss out a couple options.

First of all, both Tuesday and Wednesday night Centaur, on Park Avenue, is hosting an unofficial Lady Gaga Afterparty.  You know how they do it at Centaur ... martinis and shots and you end up making out with some straight boy.  It's always nuts and always fun and great spot to keep the post-glam glam going strong.

Also on Park Avenue, but tonight only, is of course old reliable, Doggy Style at the Park Bar.  Tonight is an all-new video presentation, and the downtown gays and gay-o-philes will love to see your post-gaga face.  It's a popular gay post-concert stop if the Madonna concert last year is any indication!

Heck, hit 'em both tonight, they're only a block apart from each other!  And have fun with that Lady Gaga!  I just heard she's trolling the State Street Starbucks in Ann Arbor, see if you can find her!

My One December Post

Life never gets less busy, so at this rate January will have 1/3 of a post.  So look forward to that.

This isn't even a full-fledged post! It's an announcement of some holiday cheer, though, that you could experience tonight on Park Avenue!

First off let's facilitate a little commerce, as Dyspathy likes to say.  There is a swell party thrown by Toby Barlow, intergalactic ambassador for Detroit, and Phil Cooley, BBQ ambassador and king of the hipsters, at Detroit's newest shop and only retail happening, Hugh.  I've, uh, been in the store many times and it sells very very cool gifts for men.  Get your last-minute holiday shopping done at the Dave Bing Party!

When you are done getting your shop on, head on down the street to the Park Bar for an all-new Doggy Style Holiday Celebration!  Things really get going about 9:30 when the videos start, so have a cocktail and mix & mingle to a jinglin' beat!

Have a wonderful Christmas, a terrific New Year, and maybe we'll talk more in 2010!

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Nothing I haven't said before

I was chatting with someone the other day about a couple Detroit issues as they relate to the gay community, and several times I found myself referencing posts I've made on this blog. Later that day I ended up digging around in the Supergay archives, which was a surprisingly enjoyable experience considering the source.

With nearly 400 posts under my belt (heh) I thought I'd put together a list of what I consider some of my more memorable entries. You know, to save you the hassle of digging through the archives until you have more free time. And because I'm a little lazy and don't feel like writing something new.

The focus of this blog falls into four broad categories: my critical look on the Gayborhood or lack thereof; my insightful perspective on Detroit redevelopment and the whole "Cool Cities" thing; our gay heritage and other things old-timers like me enjoy remembering; and Supergay Detroit, man about town.

Gayborhood
It all started with the Supergay Detroit Gay Bar Blight Tour (Part 1, Part 2). It's like a time capsule of the gay 80s!

The Tigers Stadium preservation debate took a turn for the crazy when Ernie Harwell jumped in with his 11th hour plan, so I figured it was fine for me to propose my own master plan for the site.

All kidding aside, I actually do have some strong feelings about the need for a gayborhood in Detroit, and this led to the idea for the Supergay Detroit Cultural Enhancement Program.

And of course out of this burst of grassroots gay Detroit boosterism was born Tuesday Nights Doggy Style at the Park Bar!

Allegedly Cool Cities
I sat in on some Creative Corridor "visioning" and was kind of appalled by how much people don't seem to get what makes a city cool.

My trip to San Francisco shortly thereafter only reminded me of the great things about Detroit.

The Creative Cities Conference was of particular interest because for once there was some actual discussion about the role the gay community can play in urban redevelopment.

I did a piece for WDET's "Detroit Today" program and talked about how I dealt with the fact all that Kwame and Cool Cities crap was getting me down.

No matter how used to demolitions I get in Detroit, occasionally one bugs me a little more than others, as it was with the Chin Tiki.

Gay Heritage
On the twentieth anniversary of my coming out I drank a bottle of wine and reminisced.

For a while I was obsessed with Hawkins Ferry, the philanthropist, educator and author of the seminal book on Detroit architecture. I profiled him here, and then found more info about his fabulous International Style villa in Grosse Pointe. Nice to stalk someone after death.

Guest blogger "Backintheday" has shared several wonderful stories about Detroit gay bars of the past.

And I took a moment to ogle DAC members of the 1960s as they worked out.

Man About Town
I never expected to end up at a straight stripper club in Capitol Park, but it happened.

I had been critical of the Detroit blog written by Girl-in-the-D (now Girl-in-the-OC), so it was appropriately awkward when I ran into the author at a downtown holiday party right after I snatched her "Best Blog" title from her.

When the monthly party Fierce Hot Mess got started it was a much-needed tonic for my weary spirit.

I never expected to end up at a straight stripper club in Greektown, but it happened.

And of course who can forget my adventures with Anderson's pooper?


Well, I hope you have as much fun on this trip down memory lane as I did. Maybe you learned something new. Maybe you just killed 30 minutes at work. Either way, thanks for reading!

Surprise! No one's surprised.

Well, no one with any sense is surprised that Charles Pugh won a seat on the City Council, and really no one who pays attention to Detroit politics should be surprised he took the top spot, despite his mortgage troubles. The man is a bona fide local celeb, after all.

Nationally the fact that an openly gay man won the Council President spot looks great, though. Nothing wrong with that. And I think he will be a decent President. I don't think he's brimming with ideas that will really take the city forward in a meaningful way, but I think he is the kind of person who is open to the ideas of others. And people like him so there's that kind of goodwill. I've been wrong before though.

Detroit News columnist Laura Berman commented today on Pugh's star status trumping the homophobia of the black churches, and opines that because Detroit needs to be open to more kinds of people, including gays, "his election signals that the city's getting more savvy and open and serious about its survival." I certainly hope that is the case.

I think Pugh's celebrity really did have something to do with his winning, but I don't think he was elected because of his star power. Pugh has been on tv and radio and part of the lives of people in the city of Detroit for so long that people really feel like they know him. And as happens so often, people who normally are anti-gay make exceptions for their neighbors, or relatives, or co-workers. And so they did in this election what they do with those gay or lesbian people in their lives: they overlooked it.

There's no way you are going to see a significant softening of the homophobia in the black religious community of Detroit, but what this election highlights is that Detroiters as a whole are actually very open to gay people as neighbors or friends. I've said before that Detroit needs to make an overture to the gay people of southeastern Michigan that the city welcomes them. Maybe this will help accomplish that.

All I know is that I certainly did not think I'd see a day this soon where not only was the mayor of Ferndale gay but the president of the Detroit City Council as well. There may be underlying factors but that's some kind of progress.

The Scariest Day in Detroit

It's not Devil's Night, and Halloween is NOT what I am talking about - Tuesday is Election Day in Detroit, and this election is a doozy!

To mark the occasion Doggy Style is ON for the night! It seemed too momentous an occasion to let pass, and also there was a technical problem last week so the Halloween videos didn't work out. So it's now or wait until next year.

Join us Tuesday night at the Park Bar to (hopefully) celebrate good election news, and get one last fix of Halloween until 2010!


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I am a secret eater

It may provide fodder to my detractors to confess that I am a secret eater, but it's true. Any objective observer will have to admit, however, that in the true Supergay spirit, I do it with panache.

My dual occupation of man-about-town/man-of-leisure opens the door to many interesting opportunities, and one such opportunity arose recently when the following message arrived in my inbox:

This message is to inform you that you have been chosen to join a select group of aesthetes in an uncommon event - an undergound dining experience in an extraordinary locale. Join us for an experimental feast.

Fancy! Exclusive! I'm in.

So earlier this week we headed to the secret meeting point, got directions to the locale and zipped over to the empty Detroit landmark building that was home of "ClandesDine."

Setting the scene.

It was a secret dinner that was, frankly, brilliant. The guests filed into a space that was neither quite fully abandoned nor close to finished, but had that great Detroit "in between" feel. The fare for the evening was an elegant six-course meal with wine pairings presented by Chef Marc Djozlija of the Wolfgang Puck Grill at the MGM.

And whom did I not know at this dinner? Well, some people, but it was a real collection of Detroit movers and everyone was quite excited to partake in this foodie experiment. From where I was seated all I could see were people cooler than I am, and I had to wonder how I was going to have time to kiss up to all of them in a single dinner! Thank God people were amenable to switching spots.

Not to be purposefully vague, but I'm not sure how much I am supposed to talk about the details of the evening. So instead of a detailed play-by-play of amazing food and wine, presented by some of the most notorious foodies in our community, it might be easier to say that par for Detroit, it was borne of a desire to create something fantastic and altruistic, not something overtly commercial. The creative energy and room for experimentation in Detroit that people love to talk about was on full display, both in the presenters and the attendees. Too bad TIME magazine couldn't be around to witness this Detroit..

Here's your detailed play-by-play.

Our Chef, and our New York Times spokesmodel.

I don't always have the time or the drive to blog on here about how Detroit still revs my motor, but rest assured it does. And I'm not the only one. One dear Detroit friend who can be as critical as I am about the city's shortcomings was celebrating her birthday this night, and days later was still saying, "It's like the birthday party I've always wanted."

But didn't even know existed.
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Supergay Week Continues ...

Thanks so much to all you swell guys and gals who were able to make it to Macho City on Saturday night! I had so much fun being the special guest DJ, I actually lost my bad attitude for a while! Thank you thank you Mike Trombley and Scott Zacharias for inviting me to play my shiny gay disco!

There were a few requests that I post the playlist from Saturday, so for the curious or stalkerly, here it is:

Set 1
I Was Born This Way - Carl Bean
No One Gets the Prize - Diana Ross
Lucky - Donna Summer
Take Me Home - Cher
(thus ends the gay diva sequence)
Fly Me on the Wings of Love - Celi Bee
Shangri-La - La Pregunta
Don't Cry for Me Argentina - Festival
(believe it or not, the producers of Evita commissioned an entire Disco Evita album when the musical debuted, which often was played in its entirety at discos! This track is so much better than the Madonna dance version)
I'm a Cruiser - Village People
(another Village People song about cruising for sex, slapped on the album that also featured YMCA. Hello Middle America!)
So Many Men So Little Time - Miquel Brown
(from 1983, is there a more historically unfortunate lyric than "So many men, so little time ... how can I lose?")
My Knight in Black Leather -Bette Midler
(camp and pathos like only Bette Midler could do it. Until she jumped the shark with "From a Distance")


Set 2
This Is My Life - Shirley Bassey
(an over-the-top disco version of an already over-the-top song)
That's the Meaning - Beautiful Bend
Forbidden Love - Madleen Kane
I Need a Man - Amanda Lear
(no she was not really a transsexual, it was just a rumor)
Stars - Sylvester
(the best of the many wonderful songs in the Sylvester oeuvre.)
Come On and Do It - Poussez
(the only song I've ever seen with a "moaning" credit)
Tahiti, Tahiti - Voyage
Don't Leave Me This Way - Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
(the original version, and the best by far, with a young Teddy Pendergrass on vocals!)

OK so now you can recreate your own Supergay Macho City right there at home! Good luck tracking some of those down though.

I've zipped away to Saugatuck for a night to regroup and will be back for tomorrow night when a new season of Doggy Style starts at the Park Bar! It's the special Halloween edition, to celebrate the biggest gay holiday of the year!

The Scene

In my time in Detroit I have gone down many interesting paths, but I think the most unexpected has been my role in what I like to call the alternative downtown gay scene.

It's not really a new phenomenon, the way that dance parties and "gay nights" pop up outside the standard gay bar scene, but what is a little different here is that it's actually become a series of recurring events and a scene completely detatched from the regular gay bars. With downtown rather underserved in the gay bar department, it's turned out to be a terrific way for locals to get together and socialize, in a geographically-specific kind of way.

To put it a different way: it's really nice to not have to explain what Lafayette Park is to a homo who just told you all about the Barcelona chairs in his living room.

On a monthly basis you can experience the hipster joys of Fierce Hot Mess, which is held the first Friday of each month at Oslo (except in November when it is Saturday the 7th!). You can read how I have enjoyed FHM here, and while I sometimes feel a little old when I go, I do get over it pretty quickly. And the youngsters love it.

The underground disco celebration Macho City, held on the fourth Saturday of every month at the R&R Saloon, is a bit more my speed - partly because I am squarely in the middle on the age scale, and partly because the "old songs" being played weren't popular when I was in high school. I recently wrote about my love for Macho City here, and I am pretty sure that (and a few carefully chosen disco titles dropped casually into conversation with organizer Mike Trombley) landed me a spot as the guest DJ this month!

That's me!

I honestly have to say this is one of the most exciting things to happen to me in my adult life. If you are not a control freak like me then you can't imagine how many times I've fantasized about being the DJ. Well this Saturday night, you (and I) can find out how that goes! I will be playing two sets, and let's just say I am probably gonna pull the "macho" right out of Macho City. I love a big gay disco song.

Dreams can come true, I'm living proof!

On a weekly basis Latitude, the Wednesday night at Atlas Global Bistro, has been pretty bustling this summer! It's a sophisticated setting that usually keeps things classy, and you can have your lovely pinot noir or top-shelf martini, or you can have the weekly "$3 Bill" gay drink special!

My own little contribution to this, Tuesday Nights Doggy Style at the Park Bar, has been a much bigger hit than I ever expected. I hesitate to use the word "sensation" but you know, only slightly. Doggy Style enters its third season this coming Tuesday with a special Halloween Edition!


Doggy Style is really more of a "gay-er" night by design - we didn't want to take over the Park Bar, just switch the perspective. Every week there is a fun video compilation and lots of great downtown residents (gay and straight) come and hang out.

I do have to tip my hat to the Guerrilla Queer Bar, which (along with the now-defunct Sass dance party) was my first exposure to an alternative gay scene with a downtown sensibility. GQB still happens from time to time, like this Friday at the Midnight MASSacre party! Sign up to be on their e-mail list!

So that's what we've got going on, for everyone who doesn't already know, for people desperately looking for someplace suitable to send out-of-town guests, and for new residents still searching for signs of intelligent gay life. Come and hang out sometime.

[And for you Washtenaw County-based folks, be sure to check out Elbow Deep in Ypsi! It's the fourth Tuesday of the month (or is it the last Tuesday? Sometimes it's not the same) at the Elbow Room. The guys in charge are some pop-culturally-enhanced faggots so you know it'll be a fucked up good time!]
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The Return of the Detroit Massacre!

Fall is here and that means one thing: Halloween is approaching! And as expected, the gay good times are starting to line up.

Last year's Halloween was one of the best I've had in many years, and one of the highlights was the Massacre at the Mansion Party, a big gay benefit for the Ruth Ellis Center. Here is how the evening went:


So obviously I was pretty jazzed to hear that this year there will be another Detroit Massacre! This one is called Midnight MASSacre and it will be held at the Spirit of Hope Church, right at the corner of Martin Luther King and Trumbull (that weird intersection where West Grand River cuts through too, on the edge of Woodbridge).

This was a great party last year and you should put it on your calendar immediately or sooner. You will love it! Come in costume though, or else there is mocking and other forms of gay non-sexual punishment.


The party is next Friday, October 23, and it starts at 9pm. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door and proceeds benefit the very worthy Ruth Ellis Center. You can get more info and entertain yourself on the fabulous Detroit Massacre website.

The Midnight MASSacre is only the beginnig to a fabulous gay holiday season, because Saturday night is Macho City, starring special guest DJ moi, and after that is the return of Doggy Style! More on all that soon, in the meantime get to steppin' on that costume!