The Best Birthday Present Ever

Someone had a birthday yesterday, and he got the greatest present a Detroit boy (well, old man) could ever hope for.

I know, you think Kwame getting thrown in the clink is what made me so happy on my birthday, and I won't lie, I was pretty happy about that. 

The Handcuff Double-Down
(Free Press photo)

But really what thrilled me is I found out that the Burton Theater will be hosting a $5 outdoor double-feature this Saturday night, with features chosen just for me!  Or at least it seems.

Head over the Burton Theater on Saturday, May 29 at 10pm and grab a spot on the lawn to see Ken Russell's "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," followed by "Xanadu"!  Yes, I'm serious!  Talk about a movie camp-out!  If you are a gay (or just think like one) and haven't seen these films it is your DUTY to attend.

And then, when you're done there, you can hit everyone's favorite down-and-dirty disco party Macho City at the R&R.  The special guest is Azari & III, a Toronto-based house duo. 

One of the best Macho City nights last year had Mike and Scott playing their patented underground disco sounds until about 2am, and then Nancy Fortune took over and turned the dancefloor into an old school Detroit house music party. Listening to this track, I think we might be heading for that same kind of greatness.  As one friend said, it will be a barn burner!

To get the most out of the evening you may have to cut out of "Xanadu" a little early, but if you've attended Doggy Style at any point in the past three years you've seen the finale anyway.

Talk about a great Saturday night.  Thanks Burton Theater and Macho City for planning all of this.  I know you did it just for me!

Hersch so good

I only dabble in organized religion, and even then really only with officiants, but I have come to truly enjoy downtown Detroit's Central United Methodist church.  That's the historic church right on the corner of Adams and Woodward with the saucy initials.

I have a couple friends very actively involved in the congregation, and their enthusiasm for the church's mission of social justice and community has even enticed me into visiting the church a couple times.  The first was for the wonderful Catie Curtis show two years ago, and the second was for Palm Sunday services this year.  And once I got over the extreme non-Roman Catholicness of it all it was a fantastic experience.  As was post-service brunch, natch.

One cool thing about the church is their music programming.  They often host concerts, and they are often quite renowned musicians.  World-renowned is the case this coming Saturday evening, when jazz pianist Fred Hersh will be performing.

Fred Hersh is a new name to me, but not a new name in the world of jazz.  I discovered this when I started researching him and found a huge piece in the New York Times Magazine from earlier this year.  If I wasn't sure of his prominence as an artist before, I sure was after reading, "And singular among the trailblazers of their art, a largely unsung innovator of this borderless, individualistic jazz — a jazz for the 21st century — is the pianist and composer Fred Hersch."

The Times piece is a highly recommended read, and I think once you are through with it you will agree this is a can't-miss performance!

Hersch, by the way, is also highly relevant for readers of this blog because he is one of the few openly-gay and openly-HIV positive artists in the jazz world.  His story of coming back from the edge of death is as inspiring as the story of his jazz legacy.

Now in the interest of full disclosure, part of my affection for CUM stems from the fact that my dear friend Ed Maki-Schramm is the musical director there.  And being so, well, dear, he has arranged for me to have a ticket giveaway for the Fred Hersch show this Saturday!

If you would like to win a pair of tickets to the show, all you have to do is email me at supergaydetroit (at) gmail (dot) com before Friday morning, say 8am.  At that time I will randomly draw two names and will promptly inform you of your win.  Or loss.

If you don't win, or want to secure your tickets earlier, here's the information you need.  Hope to see you Saturday evening!

Fred Hersch

Saturday, May 8,  8:00 pm 

Tickets $20 for adults, $10 for students

performing at the extraordinarily gay-friendly Central United Methodist Church

23 East Adams, downtown Detroit

Three Things

Number One

I'm going to take a break from not making any money off this blog to mention, just this once, that I'm clearing out a lot of merch from my retail endeavors in the Mezzanine clearance sale in the Hugh space.  Everything is really discounted, like 30-70% off!

 

It's mostly Mezzanine stuff, big and small, so if you like Saarinen dining or end tables, I've got 'em.  If you like ebony knife rests made in Paris, I've got 'em.  If you like Nelson bubble lamps, I've got 'em.  And quite a few great gift ideas for Mother's Day (it's next week, I know you forgot).

There's some Hugh overstocked stuff in there too, so even though I will be selling on the web there are a few things I've just got too much of.  There is decorative stuff, kitchen stuff, tabletop stuff, furnishing stuff, rug stuff ... essentially, if you like good design and good bargains, you should stop by.  And it's only in the store, not much is online.

This weekend is the final weekend, it's open 1-8 today and tomorrow and 1:30-5 on Sunday (do be cognizant of the Tigers' home game schedule).  It's located right behind the Fox Theater, next to Centaur, in the retail space formerly known as Hugh. 

Number Two 
Someone posted this game on Facebook today and I found it to be a more than entertaining timekiller, plus it features unicorns and Erasure!  Perfect!

I hope Mark Maynard and his intellectual property people are on the Adult Swim folks about the clear copyright infringement, however. 

Number Three
Smoke 'em while you've got 'em!  Mercifully, the smoking ban kicks in tomorrow.  I'm proud to be from a state that barely avoided being in the last ten states to take this step.

I'm sympathetic to my smoking friends, but this was a long time coming and I have paid a lot of dry cleaning bills because of your nasty habit.  I am pleased.

If you are looking to see out the smoking era right, the Ruth Ellis Center has a Ferndale-based bar crawl called "The Last Drag" going on tonight that should be fun.  It starts at Loving Touch and ends with a drag show at Club Nine.  With plenty of drinking and smoking in-between.  More details at the Facebook event page.

And with that, I leave you to your weekend.  Have a good one.
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Stormy Monday

Up early this morning and these April showers are kind of fantastic.  Lafayette Park is finally full-on green, the trees are almost filled in, the City has even already been out to cut the grass.  Remarkably even before the management at Lafayette Towers managed to cut their lawn, but that's a different blog post.

I had to clean off the old photos from my phone on this rainy Monday morning in anticipation of a replacement, and I came a cross a couple of unused photos I took for the blog.  So I'm catching up.

Cat mugs at the Indian Village Yard Sale. I guess it was time to move on.

A late summer night on Park Avenue, heading to Cliff Bell's.

A Macho City moment: someone got a Bedazzler!

This poor unfortunate soul didn't even get the courtesy of four blocks for his wheelless chariot.
This happened in early evening in a surprisingly busy area, which will remain unnamed.

Smoke break outside the State of Michigan offices in New Center.
A picture says a thousand words.

A joyful moment at the new dance monthly Private Joy, where Macho City meets

Fierce Hot Mess at Menjo's. Wrap your brain around that!

New Year's Eve at Cafe D'Mongo's Speakeasy.

Marche du Nain Rouge, a view from the rear.
What a day that turned out to be.

Now our rainy Monday morning has turned sunny, but I'll leave you with this morning's rain-themed soundtrack anyway.

I couldn't have said it better myself. And I didn't.

Rather quickly I want to bring to your attention something wonderful written about Detroit.  It appeared in the New York Times last Thursday and seems to have escaped proper attention, despite the fact it's about the greatest thing anyone has said about Detroit in recent memory.

In a glowing review of the Detroit Institute of Arts' new exhibit "Through African Eyes: the European in African Art, 1500 to Present," Holland Cotter writes about the exciting new approach to looking at art this show represents, ending with:

"Enough to say that if you get a thrill from seeing things you’ve never seen and thinking thoughts you’ve never thought, Detroit is a good place to be these days."

This same day Facebook was abuzz with the fact that Campus Martius was named the top urban park, and everyone is all worked up about whether Dateline's Detroit story was good or bad, but I felt like this line about a relatively small show captured much more precisely one of the greatest things about Detroit today. At least for me.
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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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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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Kiss Doggy Style Good-bye!

The day has finally arrived!  Come to the Park Bar tomorrow night for the last Doggy Style of the season, and maybe ever!

It's been a wonderful run.  Come down for one last hurrah.  Tell your friends, and if you don't have any friends come and make some new ones!

Get it while the gettin's good!

Elbow Deep was fantastic this weekend!  Much love to everyone who came out for a packed night at the Elbow Room in Ypsi.  I will post a recap of the evening after I get some more work done today.

Speaking of nights out, mark your calendars, we're down to the last two weeks for Doggy Style!  Tomorrow night, March 30, will be the last new compilation.  Next week will the grand finale and the greatest hits of three years of Doggy Style!  Come join the fun down at the Park Bar these last couple nights!

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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Three

Three years ago pretty much today I started this blog, and a lot has changed in that time.  I started this as an attempt to find and document the gay scene downtown, so that other gay people having a hard time pinning things down here would have something show up in a google search.  And I was surprised that there was no gay voice online coming from the city and I thought I could help plug that hole.

Three years on, I sometimes feel like I don't have much gay to say anymore.  I've got my bearings, I have become part of the community - gay and straight - in the city.  I feel that gay visibility is more important than ever in Detroit, but I no longer feel the drive to build it myself.

No doubt I've had some awesome experiences because of the Supergay Detroit thing:  I've met people I'm sure I'd not have met otherwise, I've created a gay(er) night with amazing videos and a small but fun following, I've been a guest dj at Macho City, and I've been able to make a lot of jokes and hone my writing skills.

My writing on this blog has slacked off, however, as I have expanded other creative endeavors, so I think it is time to start to integrating.  Writing anonymously certainly has had its advantages, among them being able to grouse about things and not be held personally accountable, but anyone who knows the civilian me, or knows of me, probably already knows I write this blog.  My identity has been called "the worst kept secret in Detroit" and in fact, most people don't even know they are supposed to keep their yaps shut about my secret identity. So it's time to just come out.

My name is Joe Posch and I am pleased to make your acquaintance.  I run a small retail operation in downtown Detroit called Mezzanine, a relatively high-end modern design store that until last fall operated in the Harmonie Park area.  With the local economy in the shitter I moved out of my super amazing but gigantic loft showroom and took things online, and instead opened a lower-priced short-term bachelor pad "retail happening" called Hugh on Park Avenue.  Just for fun, believe it or not.  Well, and also a little bit for profit.  I also do a little freelance writing on the side and a bit of design/styling work.

Writer (remember the 'stache?).  Man about town.  Idiot.
(top & bottom photo: Marvin Shaouni for Model D)

I've been a bit of a joiner in my time in Detroit, even before I moved here from Ann Arbor in 2005.  Most significantly, I was on the board of directors for the Founders Junior Council at the DIA for about 9 years.  That's the young professionals auxiliary.  I co-chaired a couple Cirque parties and was the chair of Fash Bash back in 2006.  I got booted because I termed out and was too old to re-join the board, but I met some of my best friends in the area through that group and it really forced me to acknowledge that not everyone who lives in the suburbs is hopeless.  I say that with a wink, of course (not that I'd live there).

I've lived in Boston, Washington DC and Ann Arbor, but Detroit is my fave and that's no lie.  Without being blind to the shortcomings, I have been captivated by the creative energy of the people who live here.  If you want something here, you create it.  I have been able to try anything I want and am supported by a diverse, wide range of friends.  And there is never a shortage of friends doing cool things to support.

So that's the official coming out.  I'll still be writing as Supergay for the time being because that's a very specific voice that lives in my head.  And, as it turns out, it is also the voice I use on Twitter, now that I have taken to Tweeting on specific occasions (such as the Detroit Story event last week, and maybe the State of the City tonight).  Follow Supergay Detroit on Twitter or Facebook if you want.  Do not friend me personally on Facebook though, that's only for my 700 closest friends.

In the meantime, and here's where the integration starts, you can read the blogging I've done for Hugh and for Mezzanine (the Semi Modern blog).  They are both a lot more attractive than this blog.  I guess now I have to figure out where the whole Joe Posch brand will be housed eventually (three blogs is a little much).

So there we go.  Smell ya later.

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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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A Date with Hugh

I've given notice about benefits for the Ruth Ellis Center here in the past, specifically the very fun Detroit Massacre Halloween parties that have been held the past two years, and I'm about to do it again!

The Ruth Ellis Center, located in Highland Park, provides short- and long-term residential and support services for at-risk GLBT youth in the Detroit area.  This means all those kids who get kicked out of their homophobic homes have a place they can go and don't have to take to the streets.  The story of Ruth Ellis is inspirational for anyone interested in the history of the gay and lesbian community in Detroit, and the Ruth Ellis Center does an amazing job of carrying on the spirit of her work.

This Thursday there will be a super fun shopping event called "A Date with Hugh" that will benefit the center.  10% of all sales that night will be donated to the center, and as an added bonus champagne will be served and I am happy to report that Ruth Ellis Center supporters tend to be more attractive and interesting than your average gay bar riff-raff.  Everyone is probably familiar with the whole "shop for a cause" thing, so if you haven't done it lately now's a great time!

The event is this Thursday, from 5 to 10pm at Hugh, the bachelor pad boutique, located directly behind the Fox Theater on Park Avenue.  Read more about Hugh at www.lovehughlongtime.com!  And why not post this on your Facebook page and get your friends to come?

To get you in the mood, you may now listen to one of my favorite Pet Shop Boys songs!

The Final Countdown

Hey kids, only four more weeks to partake of the downtown excitement that is Tuesday Nights Doggy Style at the Park Bar!

Yes, you have to.

In other news, Fierce Hot Mess was a fierce hot frenzy on Friday night at Oslo!  You go girlfriend.

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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 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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