Morning View - McDonalds

OK, not exactly a "morning view", since I took this on Friday night. This is the entrance of the McDonald's on 42nd Street in Times Square, which bills itself as the world's largest. Isn't that exciting? No? Not really? Embiggen to smell the grease.

Rerun

Probably not much blogging today, will be sleeping all day (or as much as I can), to get ready for tonight's event. In the meantime, here's my (too long) "live blogging" of last year's Black Party. And here's a very short story I wrote about the 2005 event.

DJ Michael Fierman Chats With JMG

Veteran DJ Michael Fierman will play the closing set at this week's Saint-At-Large Black Party. Today, Michael answers a few questions for JMG.

JMG: Tell me about playing at the original Saint. How did you get the gig?

Michael Fierman: Playing records at the Saint was the equivalent of a Carnegie Hall performance for piano recitalists; the ultimate achievement. The prestige conferred on one by giving a successful performance there could launch a career overnight. Naturally, a disastrous first outing there would have an equally chilling effect on a young disc jockey's hopes. In the spring of 1982, the Saint wanted to add a young talent to their staff of veterans much as the Yankees might do today. They launched a series of seven Tuesdays featuring some of New York City's rising prospects with the intention of hiring only one of them as one of their "starters" for the following season. I was fortunate to be the one they chose.

JMG: How many times have you played the Black Party? Is there something different about a Black Party gig?

MF: This will be my 13th appearance as DJ. There are so many differences between the approach to playing the Black Party, and the outlook one might have on other events. Beyond the artistic challenges and opportunities, there was also the issue of orchestrating a cohesive structure for an 18 hour event. In the heyday of the party, and the circuit in general, these musical prerogatives were handed to one DJ, who was entrusted to imbue his or her persona and vision to a musical event. Remember "the trip"? In these days of ADD, where the lowest common denominator is king, these concepts have fallen by the wayside.

JMG: You're known as a "Morning Music" DJ. How would you define morning music?

In an event such as the Black Party, after one has reached the initial "peak", any music that follows could be called morning music. That period of time, what I used to call the "rarefied atmosphere", is where you can be the most creative, delving into all sorts of unusual and eclectic byways, as well as building up to a series of peaks. Each set of music after the traditional 6 am encore would have a different feel and flavor. I always viewed them as movements of a symphony, each one being a viable stand alone piece that relate to and build upon the other. Leonard bernstein's book, The Joy Of Music, was a great inspiration to me as a young DJ, as well as my mentor, Robbie Leslie, and my idol, the great Jim Burgess, whom I still consider to be the greatest artist our profession has ever produced.

JMG:What are some of your favorite classic tracks? Is there anything recent that you feel is a great example of morning music?

MF: Oh dear. The old favorite song question. What can i say? Being pressed for time and space, let's just say one name. Boris Midney. As far as new records, for morning play I'll mention Again by John Legend, Until The End Of Time, by the Sunburst Band, and Karawane by Escort.

JMG: What do you have planned for your Black Party set?

MF: I'm planning an interesting eclectic set. Mostly new, but with a few old friends that we know and love featured.

JMG: What's in your future?

MF: As Albert Einstein said, I never think about the future, it comes soon enough.

JMG: Thank, Michael! Break a leg!
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ACT-UP Anniversary March

Thursday, March 29th, please join me at noon for the 20th anniversary ACT-UP march on Wall Street to demand universal health care, single-payer insurance and drug price controls. Marchers will assemble at 11:30am at the Federal Building, at the corner of Broadway & Worth. Other bloggers, please spread the word. Let's get the gay blogosphere well represented at this important event! I will post another reminder on Wednesday next week.

Sex O'Clock

Last night a feisty pre-Black Party crowd swarmed the Eagle, where I found myself in group of the New York Boys Of Leather, chatting with a cute young FTM named Kyle. I can't recall how the topic came up, but Kyle hipped me to the FTM portmanteau du jour: "clock". Clit + cock = clock. Everybody got that? Now you know. Tonight NYBOL and MetroBears are staging a Bailey House benefit at the Dugout, 8pm - midnite.

Blades Of Bore-y

Last night Aaron and I attended a preview of Blades Of Glory, starring Will Ferrell and Jon (Napoleon Dynamite) Heder. Will Farrell plays the same character we saw in Anchorman, a deluded megalomaniacal ladies man, who along with Heder is banned from men's figure skating after a gold medal ceremony fistfight. Thanks to a loophole pointed out by Heder's creepy gay stalker, the two champions return to competitive skating as the sport's first-ever same-sex pairs skaters.

While Aaron enjoyed the flick as an allegory for America's discomfort with male couples, I grew increasingly annoyed and bored with the film's one-note joke premise. "Ew! He's totally holding that guy by the butt!" "Ewwwww, his balls are totally in his face!" "Ha, ha! The blond has to skate as the girl!" Ferrell and Heder rolled their eyes and curled their lips in disgust at every touch. After the film, Aaron and I stood in the lobby with the Manhattan Offender and Josh & Josh trying to decide if what we'd seen was homophobic. I was in the minority, the other guys just thought it was typical gross-out the audience humor. However, when that gross-out point is the act of two men touching, what else could it be but homophobia?

I do have to give props to the who's-who of figure skating who lent cameos to the movie: Peggy Fleming, Sacha Cohen, Brian Boitano, Nancy Kerrigan and Dorothy Hamill, even though the film relentlessly skewered the sports' over-the-top costumes and drama. Scott Hamilton was quite good as an announcer given to bad metaphors. And the camera trickery made it look like Ferrell and Heder were indeed performing.

Aside from the stalker character, gay men are noticeably absent from this movie, rather odd, yes? Heck, my own ex is at this moment in Tokyo with his boyfriends, attending the world figure skating finals. However, eagle-eyed Aaron spotted what may have been a deleted sub-plot when he noticed that a stained-glass window in the ski-lodge of Ferrell & Heber's coach (played by Craig T. Nelson) that seemed to depict Nelson and his choreographer in an embrace, wearing matching shirts with a red heart. This movie will be bullet-proof to reviews, the preview audience applauded at the end. As for me, meh.
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Morning View - Times Square

From the southwest corner of 42nd & Broadway, looking north. At 60 degrees, it would almost feel spring-like this morning, if not for the overcast sky.

Mike Jones Tries Again

Mike Jones has managed to get his "Ted Haggard Massage Table" relisted on eBay. And now Rev. Karen Booth, the fundie that got it pulled the first time, in once again calling on her minions to barrage eBay with complaints. From her site, Transforming Congregations:

MEMO TO EBAY

From: Rev. Karen Booth
To: Customer Relations
Re: Offensive Listing

To Whom It May Concern:

I want to draw your attention to eBay item 290092184603 “Ted Haggard Massage Table.”

This item is not only offensive to any person in the eBay community who might be personally connected to Mr. Haggard, but is also highly offensive to Christians, particularly conservative evangelicals. I think it is a violation of eBay’s stated Community Values and I ask you to remove the listing from the eBay website.

I have put an alert on my ministry’s national website and have also informed other national Christian ministries, including the American Family Association. (The auction is also being discussed on several Internet blogs.) If the offensive listing is not removed, I will encourage my supporters to boycott eBay, which I also intend to do.

Rev. Booth is typically fundie-obsessed with homosexuals, check out her "hot topics" under "be informed" Or maybe just send her an email, laden with "Christian love", as I just did, @ transcong@aol.com.
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The Junior Voguer

Yesterday a friend sent me this video, in which a very young boy vogues, struts, and poses to Beyonce's Irreplaceable. The kid is adorable and definitely has talent, but when I read the accompanying comments I found a barrage of anti-gay vitriole calling for the child's mother to find God and intervene before her boy grows up into another RuPaul. Poor kid. Fortunately, there are also some wonderfully supportive messages too.

John Edward's Wife Has Cancer Again

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of 2008 Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, announced this afternoon that her cancer has recurred, this time in her bones. She was treated for breast cancer in 2004. Mrs. Edwards says that she is currently asymptomatic and that her treatment will not affect her husband's campaign and fundraising. Talking heads are already speculating on how this news may change public opinion on John Edwards. Will this news spur "sympathy" support or will it cause some to expect that Edwards will eventually be forced to pull out? Edwards is currently polling fourth nationwide, but is #1 in Iowa, the critical first primary state.

Three Little Gay Maids

Embedding is disabled for some reason, but do check out this hilarious video from a recent LA Gay Men's Chorus show. And wait for the end. More great clips here. UPDATE: Ooh, this one too!

HomoQuotable - Peter Tachell

"This vote is another nail in the coffin of homophobia. The defeat of the religious fundamentalists is a just reward for their deceitful scare-mongering campaign." - British gay activist Peter Tachell, celebrating that despite vigorous protest and lobbying by British fundies (remember Monday's video?), the Sexual Orientations Regulations was approved by the House of Lords yesterday. Zod saved the queens!
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Stella Wants Her Dough Back

Best-selling author Terry McMillan is suing her gay ex-husband (who is now a hairdresser) for $40 million, saying he tried to defame her during their divorce. She originally settled her divorce for an "undisclosed sum". What will the sequel be called?
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Uncivil Servants

An interesting story in today's NY Times reports on a new website, Uncivil Servants, which allows NYC residents to upload photos of city employees, cops, and film crews who are violating city parking regulations using their city-issued permits to park just about anywhere they want.

The rules for using government-issued parking permits are complex. But the permits are intended for specific locations, like blocks around courthouses or precinct stations, and not as a way to avoid paying parking meters or as an excuse to block fire hydrants and bus stops.

Critics, like Transportation Alternatives, say lax enforcement has, in essence, transformed the permit into a salary bonus, a perquisite for holding certain city jobs. An uncounted number of permits are counterfeit, the group says.

The Web site allows anyone to anonymously post photographs of cars that seem to be parked illegally and include as much information as possible to identify the offender. In just a few days, the site also has become a popular forum for impassioned exchanges in the city’s survival-of-the-swiftest struggles over one of its scarce resources.

This issue used to piss me off, back when I had a car, especially knowing that a huge portion of the parking permits are counterfeit. Cops in particular are angry about Uncivil Servants, saying that publishing pictures of their license plates puts them in danger. I imagine that this site will spread to other cities. What do you think of this tactic?
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Open Thread Thursday

Spring is here, sort of, and I'm dying for a road trip. I really need to get off this tiny island. What's your favorite quick getaway destination?
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Justice For Kevin Aviance

All four assailants charged in last summer's brutal assault of drag entertainer Kevin Aviance pled guilty in NYC court today, receiving prison sentences ranging from 6 to 15 years in plea agreements that included hate crimes embellishments. The four young men, who range in age from 17 to 21 years old, had faced up to 25 years each for the attack, had they been found guilty in a trial. All had been charged with gang assault as a hate crime.

The above hefty sentences, satisfied readers, are the result of New York's hate crimes laws. To ensure that such justice is available to LGBT people nationwide, please read the post below this one and make sure that your representative in Congress hears from you.
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LGBT-Inclusive Hate Crimes Bill Introduced In Congress

Yesterday, with the support of a broad coalition of professional organizations, including many law enforcement groups, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) introduced the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which will extend hate crimes protection to the LGBT community. Today the American Family Organization issued an action alert to stop the legislation, saying that the hate crimes bill will be "the first step toward silencing any opposition to the homosexual lifestyle."

To dramatize the horrible perversions about to be wrought upon God-fearing society, the AFA imbedded a video of a Chicago gay pride parade, with the red-lettered warning: "The video is highly offensive, but it is real footage from the actual parade." The video is nothing but standard pride parade footage, shirtless hunks gyrating on floats, boys holding hands, an occasional drag queen. (It was clearly made by a gay man, who laid a great dance track under his footage. I feel sorry for this guy whose home movie has been hijacked by the AFA.)

Visit the HRC's site where they have made it very easy for you to find and contact your Congressperson to urge support for this very important bill or to thank them for already being a co-sponsor. My representative, Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), is already onboard and I just sent her an appreciative note. Go to the HRC link above and find out where your Congressperson stands. Do it NOW.

UPDATE: The owner of the video has made it private, preventing the AFA members from seeing it. Good boy!
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Azis

Azis, the fascinating Bulgarian bear, drag queen, pop singer, politician and Eurovision 2006 semi-finalist, was recently voted by his countrymen as the 2nd greatest living Bulgarian and 21st greatest of all time. Check out his smokin' hot new video, which is probably safe for work as long as your co-workers don't mind you checking out some really, really hot men oiling up and checking each other out. I have no idea what he's singing about, but does it really matter?

JMG Hits 2 Million

Pam Spaulding's mention that her vital site recently hit 2 million visitors reminded me that I meant to mention that this here website thingy recently did the same, last Sunday or so.
Crazy!

Wayne Besen On The Daily Show

Wayne Besen, founder of Ex-Gay Watch and Truth Wins Out, appeared in a Daily Show segment Monday night called Diagnosis: Mystery, which hilariously lampoons looney Richard Cohen, the "conversion therapist" and author of Coming Out Straight. One of the funniest Daily Show bits ever! Well done, Wayne!

Homophonics

The Eagle, Sunday, 10PM

Man 1: Well, sure, you are kinda nelly, but some guys like that.

Man 2: What are you talking about??!!

Man 1: What?

Man 2: You asshole, I said I was a feminist, not effeminate!

Man 1 (shrinking): Oh.....

Man 2: And I am NOT nelly!

(Man 2 stalks away.)

Man 1 (to himself): Whatever, girl.
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Few NJ Civil Unions So Far

Early figures are showing that gay couples in New Jersey aren't exactly rushing to be civil unioned. Only 229 couples have applied for licenses in the first month (although not all municipalities have reported in), which some activists say is indicative of a feeling that gay marriage will eventually come to the state, causing many couples to wait. If true, it seems curious to me that gay couples in New Jersey wouldn't at least go ahead and get the civil license, if for no other reason than to show their numbers and support for full marriage equality. However, I can understand rejecting civil unions as "less than". New Jersey civil union licenses cost $28 and can be applied for here.

Still In The Two-One

I've already posted too much about the rents on the Upper East Side, but I'll mention this too. Today I wandered across the street on my way home from the subway to peek at the signs in the lobby of a new apartment building almost ready for tenants. The posted rents are pretty much in line with the neighborhood, but as I was peeking through the glass, a woman next to said, "Please. They're out of their minds. This place won't even be in the two-one."

On July 1st, the post office is splitting the vaunted 10021 zip code into three, creating 10065 and 10075, which is causing a huge outcry from zillionaires who are worried that their apartments will lose value once no longer in 10021, which was the #1 zip code in the country for federal election campaign donations in 2000 and 2002 Remaining smugly silent, of course, are those who will keep 10021. My semi-shabby (but not chic) 3rd-floor walk-up will stay in the "two-one", and I'm sure that news will make all the working stiffs on my block feel so much better about their rent.

UPDATE: Gothamist has a map of celebs in the two-one.
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Iraq: Year Five Begins

Yesterday an anti-war vigil in the East Bay marked the 4th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. In San Francisco 57 demonstrators were arrested in a massive die-in. Our hearless leader marked the anniversary yesterday by warning Americans not "pack up and go home" and demanding that legislators immediately approve additional war funding.

Larry Kramer Interview

Veteran reporter Rex Wockner has posted an interview with Larry Kramer, done after last week's ACT-UP Army demo in Times Square, in which Kramer talks about the new ACT-UP Army and rails against the HRC and the Clintons. Kramer:

I want this new ACT UP to be an army confronting this hate in every way we can, whether it is Hillary and her constant waffling -- which, of course, isn't hate, yet -- or the judges ruling against us. Gen. Pace's disgusting talk is hate. As I say in the speech, there is not one elected official or candidate for president who, given half the chance, would not sell us down the river. Bill Clinton was the prime example of that, with his "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and his support of the hateful Defense of Marriage Act. Gays at HRC and elsewhere lining up to give [Hillary] big bucks is a big mistake. We demand now, and pay off later -- after they show us the beef, not before.

Read the entire interview.
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Two Daddies Or Ten Daddies

Here's a bit of YouTube nastiness courtesy of British fundies who are planning to protest Parliament's plan to enact a "Sexual Regulations" bill allowing schools to educate children about gay families. Unbelievable.

Facehook

About 500 of you lovely folks have loaded your mug into my Reader's Photos thingy in the sidebar. Cool! Keep 'em coming and keep the photos safe-for-work, por favor. Longtime JMG readers might recall the interstate romance that was struck up between two readers who met via those photos. Those guys emailed me last week to say that they celebrated their first anniversary in December. Congrats to them!

Buck In The Box

Last night the lovely Manhattan Offender and I went down the The Box, a beautiful new/vintage theatre/nightclub in the Bowery, for a screening of Schwarztwald: Rites XXVII, filmmaker Richard Kimmel's fascinating part-fantasy, part-documentary about NYC's immortal Black Party. All the leatheratti were in the house, including Testosterone photographer Joe Oppedisano, New York Boys Of Leather members Christian and Blaze, and NoiZe Magazine's Michael Taylor.

MO and I had a chat with the movie's star and the evening's host, transsexual porn star Buck Angel (NSFW!!!) who was charming and funny. Trivia: The Box was built by Simon Hammerstein, great-great grandson of the namesake of Saint-At-Large New Year's venue Hammerstein Ballroom. And his grandfather was the second half of Rodgers & Hammerstein. BELOW: Filmmaker Richard Kimmel and Buck Angel toast the film's conclusion. More pics at Manhattan Offender.

Ow Ow Ow

My houseguest is a cranky, cranky old man.

Ebay Pulls Jones' Massage Table

Mike Jones emailed me last night to tell me that after letting it run for 9 days, eBay has pulled his "Ted Haggard massage table" for "violation of charity policy". Before the auction posted, Jones spent 30 minutes on the phone with an Ebay representative ensuring that he met their criteria. But the fundies rallied to deluge eBay with complaints and eBay caved, depriving Denver's Angel Heart HIV/AIDS food service of the proceeds. Shame on eBay!
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Garrison Keillor Apologizes

I didn't comment on last week's mini-furor about A Prairie Home Companion host Garrison Keillor's Salon.com essay that seemed to slam gay marriage, because knowing Keillor's deadpan delivery so well, I thought the piece was pure satire.

The country has come to accept stereotypical gay men -- sardonic fellows with fussy hair who live in over-decorated apartments with a striped sofa and a small weird dog and who worship campy performers and go in for flamboyance now and then themselves. If they want to be accepted as couples and daddies, however, the flamboyance may have to be brought under control. Parents are supposed to stand in back and not wear chartreuse pants and black polka-dot shirts. That's for the kids. It's their show.

Many did not agree with me, including Dan Savage, who responded with a lengthy column titled Fuck Garrison Keillor. Today Keillor has issued an apology, sort of, in which he argues the Salon piece was meant as a gentle jab at his dear real life gay friends. Most of the commenters aren't buying it, but I think I still tend to take Keillor's side on this. What do you think?

UPDATE: Rex Wockner has extensive follow-up on this story, including Dan Savage's reaction to the apology.
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No Hangers

Three North Carolina men were sentenced to time already served for performing at-home castrations on six men who willingly submitted during SM/dungeon scenes held in a remodeled carport. "Master Rick" and "Slave Danny" will now have three years of supervised probation. I wonder if that means they can still go to IML this year?

Morning View - Reading Material

Other than TV Guide, this is all my Christopher Street barbershop offers to waiting customers.

Donnie Davies At SXSW

Blogger St.Murse attended the Donnie Davies concert at SXSW yesterday. Check out his review. Donnie and his band Evening Service were on the same bill as the Buzzcocks, a nice little bit of pairing for the homo-interested.

March Gayness

I was thinking about writing a post soliciting your recommendations for some new blogs for us to check out, but Matt over at Malcontent has come up with a creative and fun game that has the same result. Check out his March Gayness, a take on basketball's NCAA March Madness, in which Matt has created a 64-blog playoff system where readers vote their favorite blogs into the next round. In the first round (Matt used a number randomizer), I'm bracketed against Republic of T, so check him out. There are lots of familiar and unfamiliar blogs in Malcontent's playoffs, and I've already discovered a few that I really like. Thanks, Matt!
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