Joey, have you ever seen a Monegasque with his shirt off? View a post-workout Hugo Nys BELOW.
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Monday, October 14, 2024
Friday, October 11, 2024
Remains of the Day (10/11)
Dallas Voice: Hold your breath, guys. SCOTUS will open session with two LGBT-related cases on the list of appeals it will hear
Undercover Kept: The bigger the better
Washington Blade: Harris talks marriage equality, LGBT rights with Howard Stern
Saturday 'Stache: Imagine looking like "a hotter version" of Cheyenne Jackson
The Randy Report: Teen charged with murder in stabbing death of gay Detroit man
Greg in Hollywood: Happy 47th to the dashing Matt Bomer
Boy Culture: "Can't Stop the Music" television special unearthed
Speedo Sunday: Looks like Alex made a friend
Hot Cat of the Day: When your kitty sings the blues
Song of the Day: Duran Duran covers Electric Light Orchestra’s “Evil Woman”
What the tech? I was forced to buy my first CD in ages because it's a re-issue of a 1985 album that I have been after forever -- Big Sound Authority's "An Inward Revolution" (two discs, 22 bonus tracks) -- but the label, Cherry Red Records, doesn't offer a digital or streaming version. (And I couldn't find an illegal one.) As annoying as this was, I figured I'd just rip it on my old laptop that has a CD drive and then move on with my life. No such luck.
After trying THREE different drives, I'm starting to think the disc is defective. Someone suggested that it might be "copyright protected" -- which would be odd for a present-day CD -- but even trying to use software that works around that, it can't be ripped. Does anyone have any guess what might be the issue? (I could spring for an external CD drive, but I'm worried it won't work there, either.) I've written to Cherry Red but probably won't hear from them until next week -- and I'd love to finally be able to play this over the weekend. I've waited nearly 40 years.
UPDATE:
I was pointed to this, which seems like a plausible explanation. The thing that still doesn't make sense is I'm not trying to play it on an old CD player, like this person says. I'm using it in a CD drive from 2019 (and others that aren't much older).
UPDATE 2:
Whatever it is, the seller never even responded to my query -- they just refunded my money, no questions asked. Must be a known issue. Someone kindly suggested I try to insert the disc and then drag the files into a folder. This worked, except they're in the .cda format, which I don't think is actually music.
UPDATE 3: So no-go on the .cds files. But a friend somehow found a digital copy and sent it to me! Who says complaining on the internet is a waste of time? Thanks, Jimmy!
Thursday, October 10, 2024
On the Rag, Vol. 829
Tomorrow is National Coming Out Day; catching up with Cheyenne Jackson; where art meets healing; and more in this week's rag 'n' mag roundup BELOW.
Rafael Nadal to Retire After Davis Cup Finals in November
By some incredible good luck, I have run into both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in public (at non-tennis events!), so have photos with each of them. But I never had the opportunity to meet the legendary Rafael Nadal, or else I would be making his retirement announcement (even more) about me right now. 🙏
Wednesday, October 09, 2024
Remains of the Day (10/09)
Stolen Holiday: If "My So-Called Life" had lived on ...
The Advocate: A gay Miami meteorologist warns of climate change making hurricanes like Milton the new normal
Phonogenics 101: Discussing Debbie Harry's "Koo Koo," track by track
Wrestle Wednesday: When you positively want to make sure you're in your proper weight class
Retro Pop: Looks like we're going to see Kylie!
Queerty: “It was like nirvana for gay men”: How WeHo nightclub Studio One changed the course of LGBT history
The Randy Report: Is there such a thing as "top privilege"?
Hot Cat of the Day: Talk about a thirst trap!
Actor and author Fiona St. James writes: Come check out this epic, wonderful show and relive a wonderful slice of NYC in its heyday!!! So much fun to be had and am grateful to be part of this iconic show!!! Oct. 10, 11, 17 and 18 at the Gene Frankel theatre. Get tickets HERE!
Tickets HERE.
Tuesday, October 08, 2024
Tennis Tuesday: Andy Samberg
A quick search of my archives shows I was aware of "SNL" alum Andy Samberg's tennis fetish as far back as 2011. But I don't think I knew the extent of his ass until last week. See BELOW.
Monday, October 07, 2024
‘Pissed’ Neko Case Threatens to Bail on Sold-Out Crowd in Tarrytown, N.Y.
UPDATE: The man who was ejected from the show has posted a statement. See what he had to say about the incident at the bottom.
Editor's note: It kind of makes me queasy to even write this because Neko Case is such a wonderful and talented artist, whom I want to believe meant well. (She came into my life at a musically significant time as I was coming to terms with the tragic loss of Kirsty MacColl.) But just as she had a visceral reaction to events at last night's show in Tarrytown, so did I. And I too need to get it off my chest.
What started as a romantic trip out of the city for my husband's birthday -- a walk along the reservoir, dinner at a fancy restaurant, and a concert in quaint Tarrytown -- ended up being a needlessly melodramatic bummer.*
While enjoying a wonderful meal at Tarry Tavern -- Damian had pumpkin soup and pan-roasted Rohan duck breast while I opted for the honeycrisp apple, endive and blue cheese salad followed by bucatini all' Amatriciana -- we double-checked to see if there was an opening act for Neko Case, whom neither of us had seen in concert before after two decades of fandom of her most famous side project, the New Pornographers.
Once determining there was, we leisurely had dessert (white chocolate bread pudding) and coffee before heading a few doors down to the Tarrytown Music Hall, a charming venue built in the late 19th century where we had seen Graham Nash years ago, also for Damian's birthday.
We were very excited!
When we arrived at about 7:20, the opener -- a singer/guitarist and songwriter named Imaad Wasif -- was finishing a cover of Bill Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine," at which point he announced that he was going to "break the fuckin' fourth wall" and jumped down into the audience as he began his next song.
Damian and I immediately tensed up. Neither of us can even attend drag shows because that type of audience interaction makes us both incredibly uncomfortable, so it was unexpected -- and unnerving -- to have it happening in a seated theater filled with people who were largely over 50. (I've been very open about my battles with social anxiety, for which I take prescription drugs.)
After making his way through the crowd, Wasif eventually stopped for a second near a man and woman in the row directly in front of us, which caused us to further recoil. (At the exact same time a server happened to be bringing drinks to people near us -- which isn't even something typically done at this venue -- further complicating our ability to make sense of what happened next.)
Wasif then casually walked back to the stage, at which point he blurted out something about just being a “messenger of God” -- and then he started berating “New York” for “doing this to him” as he stormed off, saying he could no longer perform after someone in the crowd was “taking swings” at him. (Others heard him say he'd been "punched" while another person told me Wasif told him after the show that he had been put in a "headlock.")
Huh?
A few minutes later, the man in the row in front of us was removed -- apparently based on this. Curiously, the security guards hadn't come anywhere near him until after Wasif's meltdown. In fact, Damian recalls that they didn’t come until after Wasif had exited the stage completely, as if it took a while for even them to figure out who was being accused of something.
Everyone started looking around, completely confused. I asked the people sitting directly next to "the bad guy" what had happened, and they too had no idea.
Nearly two hours passed with no announcements and no explanation as to what was going on. Easily 90% of the crowd or more had not even a slight clue about the alleged “incident" -- many weren't even there when the opener was on -- as rumors began to swirl that Neko was canceling her performance.
Groups of people began leaving.
Finally she came out at about 9:10, immediately snapping that she was “fuckin’ pissed” -- and then threatened the crowd that if we "said anything" she would “leave.” (Damian recalls her saying something to the effect of she'd leave "if we did anything shitty.")
Huh?
Again, most people had little to no idea what was happening -- so another sizable group walked out, understandably offended by this hostile greeting after having waited hours.
The mood was tense as the band began to play but after a few songs someone tried to lighten things up, by screaming: “We’re sorry about one asshole!”
Rather than seize the opportunity to make it clear that we were all on the same "side," she seemed even more disgruntled -- reprimanding him, saying that she had asked that no one say anything. (I had been looking forward to this event for months and now felt like I had done something wrong.)
From there, she finally tried to offer some sort of conciliatory words, explaining that she wasn’t “pissed” at us, she was pissed about being asked to “mask being pissed.”
I don't think anyone quite understood what that meant. (To me it sounded uncomfortably similar to when Joan Crawford maniacally told daughter Tina in "Mommie Dearest" that she wasn't mad at her, she was "mad at the dirt, as they scrubbed the bathroom tile, Comet flying through the air.) But then Neko added: "That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy this fucked-up evening.”
Before long, it became apparent that her decision to not start at the typical time was going to cause the show to be cut short. She then, at last, relayed her first hint of gratitude to a formerly packed house that had been made to feel guilty for giving her money, saying she appreciated that we had "stuck around" for this “fucked-up night” and then signed off, no time for the rest of the set much less an encore due to the curfew. (Grumpiness aside, she sounded great.)
At this point I don't even think what actually transpired between the opener and the man who was ejected really matters. Eyewitness accounts are notoriously inconsistent. But suffice to say that everyone agrees that no one was "punched" -- which is how it was described on social media last night -- and no one was assaulted. (As I said, security had zero reaction until they were sicced on the guy, and neither we nor the people to the left noticed anything untoward.)
The version I think is most likely came from the two women sitting directly behind the man and the woman he was with who said this: The opener -- who was touching people as he made his way through the crowd and had actually sat on another audience member's lap as he came toward our section -- is said to have reached out to run his hand through the man's hair (or possibly tried to touch his companion) at which point the guy attempted to brush his hand away, with the force an 8-year-old might use on his annoying little brother who won't stop pestering him.
While I think on paper it’s commendable that Neko stood behind Wasif -- and her being big-sister protective and empathetic (even to a fault) struck me as on brand from what little I know about her -- it seemed cruelly myopic to punish all of her fans present for the behavior of one person. What’s more, she chose to fully accept just one side of the story. (Clearly Wasif sold her a bill of victimhood goods because, frankly, I don't think the guy did anything worthy of ejection.)
Someone close to the situation told me the band came very near not performing at all, which might have been for the better. I considered following others out but opted to stay -- it was a birthday celebration, after all -- and it ended up feeling like a rushed and joyless affair that only went on because she couldn't afford (monetarily) not to go through with it -- for reasons that still are not clear. (The guy had been evicted!)
I was also told that it's "worth knowing" that "you don't always know what someone's going through and what it takes to go on. One thing can trigger another thing can trigger another thing."
I couldn't agree more, which is why I don’t fault the crowd -- not there to see Wasif -- that sat politely during his performance and clapped after each song. We lived up to our end of the bargain. (No one jumped on the stage and got in his face.) Plus it cuts both ways. Wasif had no idea what the audience members were going through or what it took for him and his companion to travel to the show, so trying to touch him (or them) without consent hardly seemed well-advised. One would think someone as seemingly sensitive as Neko Case would be appreciative of that fact -- surely she understands the importance of respecting people’s boundaries and the meaning of consent -- rather than taking it out on a crowd of people who adore her.
The onus isn’t on the audience to be an interactive part of a show. But if a performer chooses to go down that road, it's very easy to tell who is game. If someone isn’t -- even if they’re not “nice” about it -- a professional simply moves on. What a professional doesn't do is throw a tantrum on stage and poison the entire event for the person kind enough to ask them to provide support.
Worth noting that we heard that the police were called but Wasif declined to speak with them. Make of that what you will.
*Free album title.
In happier times ...
UPDATE: Although it's helpful that the man at the center of the incident has spoken out, you really didn't even need the details for it to be abundantly clear that the situation was horrifically mishandled.
Here's what he posted on Reddit:
Hey, I’m the guy who got ejected last night and I just want to set the record straight about exactly what happened between me and Imaad. My wife has trauma related anxiety about being touched by strange men, she was sitting on the aisle next to me during Imaad’s performance. As he approached us I saw my wife getting uncomfortable because she didn’t want to be touched by him. I reached my arm across her and was trying to make a barrier between him and her while also shaking my head no and trying to convey that we didn’t want him to approach. He grabbed my arm and leaned across my wife to sing directly into my face, I extended my arm to create distance between us and told him to go away. He got visibly upset when I did this, got even closer to me and said “what the fuck bro I’m your friend”. At this point I extended my hand again to create space between us and raised my voice and told him to get the fuck away from us, which he did. After this was when he got back on stage, said I tried to punch him (I never did) and that he could no longer continue. Security ushered me out and police arrived immediately. I relayed my side of the story but nobody from Imaad’s side was willing to come out and speak to the cops and so I was just told to leave. I don’t hold anything against the venue or the police, they were just responding to what Imaad accused me of. I do think that he’s unfit to be on tour right now and to me it looks like he needs help which I hope he finds.
To be my most charitable, I can understand Imaad's being momentarily taken aback, although I stand by the notion that the fourth wall should be kept intact. (You know how this could have been avoided? Stay on the stage.) But once someone signals they’re not wanting to play along, why are you forging ahead? Why are you trying to cajole him? Move on. (And why are you being so aggressive to begin with?) Then to paint yourself as the victim and storm off the stage? That's a bit much for even the most seasoned drama queen. As I wrote the other day, it was a needlessly melodramatic bummer.
UPDATE 2: A reader just wrote to say:
In the same thread a bit later, he stated that he was in contact with the venue. They reviewed SECURITY CAMERA FOOTAGE, which corroborated his account of the incident. They refunded his and his wife’s tickets to the show AND offered him free tickets to any show of his choice in the future. He also said the venue apologized and told him that they were wrong for ejecting him.
Interesting to see that Imaad Wasif isn't the opening act for the Neko Case show at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Md., as planned. He's been replaced by Lucy Wainwright Roche.
UPDATE 3: And now it seems he's been removed from the rest of the tour. I would like to think Neko finally got the full story and made this decision, but I'm not sure we'll ever know for sure. (He posted this then removed it, which seems on brand.) My friend saw it and said: “Circumstances out of his control” = “I got fired”!
Friday, October 04, 2024
Heartbreak Beat
Tonight I'm with the almost-birthday boy seeing the Psychedelic Furs, a band I first saw live 40 years ago(!) at the Mesa Amphitheatre with my brother Bill.
The Furs were having an MTV moment with “Mirror Moves” (“The Ghost in You” and “Heaven” videos were in medium rotation, as was “Love My Way” from two years prior) and the Bangles opened, supporting their debut LP, “All Over the Place.” (Jesus and Mary Chain, about whom I somehow know nothing, are opening tonight.)
Crowd this time is less patchouli oil and clove cigarettes and more Bengay rub and hip replacements — Damian’s never felt younger! 🎂❤️🙏
UPDATE:
A fellow concertgoer's clip of "Heaven," which may have reduced me to tears, as well as the equally wonderful "Ghost in You."
Remains of the Day (10/04)
Doctor Love: If you're wondering what "my type" is ...
Saturday 'Stache: The ole singlet-hairy chest-bulge trifecta
Attitude: Kit Connor praises approach to gay sex on "Heartstopper": "This is really sweet and tender"
Gr8er Days: When Charlton Heston was a hot piece of ass ... and my former porn-star roommate would have been 61 today
SF Bay Times: Why are all gay journalists named Randy?
Speedo Sunday: Your lifeguard has no training
Hot Cop Cat of the Day: Does Officer Flanigan want to "rescue" me, too?
"60 Degrees": Brian Ferrari spins your favorite '60s chicks and girl groups, including hidden gems, cult favorites and unreleased obscurities of the decade ... and the Gray Lady just wrote about East Village Radio HERE!
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