kenneth in the (212): 02/01/2018

Maybe Americans aren't as dumb as I thought they were. (But a lot of them still voted for this loon knowing what they knew, so probably not.) Read HERE.

Artist/filmmaker Leo Herrera's "Fathers" asks what life would be like if HIV hadn't claimed so many of our friends, family and queer heroes. Part sci-fi, part "faux" documentary, the episodic project honors the thousands of lives claimed by the AIDS epidemic in the '80s and '90s.

Herrera is the man behind "3 Eras of Gay Sex in 3 Mins" and "50 Years of Gay Culture in 5 Minutes"

“'Fathers' came from our community's reaction to the release of PrEP," Herrera told Plus. "There was so much confusion and anger.” He says it made him think, "I really wish we had some older guides to get us through this. Then the sadness of how fatherless our community is hit me." “That missing generation is an immeasurable loss in every single field," Herrera explains. "Who knows what these men could have accomplished? That's why I'm reaching out to the community to find out and help write the world of 'Fathers.' Part of us think that AIDS gave us a galvanizing cause to learn to be loud and get our rights. Part of us think that AIDS gave us such a stigma after Gay Liberation that it really held us back politically. I do know one thing, with all these men still here, people would have dressed better in the 1980s.”

Watch the enchanting trailer that features chilling age-progression images of LGBTQ heroes like Robert Mapplethorpe, Keith Haring, Sylvester and others -- plus a Vito Russo for President campaign -- then allow yourself to ask: What if AIDS had never happened?

Leo tells me the first episode will be out this summer. In the meantime, I see that he says on Facebook that folks can support this project by visiting iftheylived.org. Donations are tax deductible and benefit the GLBT Historical Society.

He’d better hope his coach can control himself.

Here's a song I haven't thought about in decades. Recorded after the band had withered down from seven to just three members -- by then elegant lead vocalist Jennie Matthias had exited the fold, so guitarist Sarah-Jane Owen stepped into the role -- the girls rode this to No. 2 on the U.S. dance charts only to break up shortly thereafter. Best remembered for their signature song, "Sign of the Times," and their cover of "Iko Iko," I was surprised to read that a cover of the former was a hit in Canada, even though it was not altered in any way. (The Belle Stars original bombed with the Canucks!)

No. 2 dance hit in 1986

For those playing catch-up, a two-disc collection of the band's impressive catalogue was released in 2010, called "80's Romance: The Complete Belle Stars," that's definitely worth a listen.

In case you were curious, he also has them in GRAY.

Jensen-Lewis, the contemporary furniture store that has been a fixture in my neighborhood for decades, just announced that it is closing up its Chelsea showroom. I can remember going there with various friends, potential and actual boyfriends over the years, fantasizing about which pieces we'd buy if we ever had apartments big enough to accommodate their "grown-up" wares. Not even sure how to contextualize this. Chelsea has become a bit of a furniture destination in the 20 years I have lived here. But rising rents -- as I've pointed out time and time again -- have been pushing businesses out. Still, it wasn't that long ago that Jensen expanded into the space just to its north -- and now they're preparing for a consolidation sale. Seems sad now, but might be even more depressing depending on what takes up occupancy in this block-long space.

The company's website suggests the Upper East Side location will remain open.

Future members of the Grigor Dimitrov Underachievement Hall of Fame Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem took a quick helicopter ride to access some mini tennis courts with a view in Acapulco. The guys are south of the border for the Mexican Open, underway now ...

🚁 + 🌊 + 🎾 = 🙌 What better way to start your @abiertomexicanodetenis campaign, right @domithiem & @alexzverev123?

A post shared by atpworldtour (@atpworldtour) on Feb 27, 2018 at 12:02pm PST

P.S.

I sure hope Dom's not too "girl" crazy to concentrate ...

By now I think we've all come to the conclusion that bobsledders are the hottest athletes at the Winter Olympics. Although the Bris are definitely up there, pound for pound, I'd say the Latvian team is the prime cut of them all. Rather than fill my homepage with 10 tons of meat, I've got a bobsled retrospective waiting for you -- including a German gif that just keeps on giving -- HERE.

What would Christina Aguilera sound like singing a lullaby? #crashing

A post shared by Kenneth M. Walsh (@kenneth_212) on Feb 26, 2018 at 10:14pm PST

Here's your tits. You can find your ass HERE.

The very-'80s DJ who warmed up the crowd at Bananarama on Saturday played this gem. How could I have forgotten that there was more to this sister act than "Respectable"? Hard to believe Melanie died of cancer 28 years ago last month.