Gay Bar Fly

I'm excited that Damian bought me Jeremy Atherton Lin's "Gay Bar: Why We Went Out," although I haven't started it yet. (Coincidentally, I see it's also Dr. Eric Cervini's current Book Club selection.)

As gay bars continue to close at an alarming rate, "Gay Bar" looks back to find out what’s being lost in this indispensable, intimate, and stylish celebration of queer history. 

Strobing lights and dark rooms; throbbing house [music] and drag queens on counters; first kisses, last call: the gay bar has long been a place of solidarity and sexual expression—whatever your scene, whoever you’re seeking. But in urban centers around the world, they are closing, a cultural demolition that has Jeremy Atherton Lin wondering: What was the gay bar? How have they shaped him? And could this spell the end of gay identity as we know it?

I rarely go out these days -- I'm 55 and married -- but cannot imagine what my younger days would have been like without bars, where I lived to watch videos, dance and hear new music, and met several of my closest friends. 

They say you never forget your first -- I sort of have three because I first "accidentally" went to the London Hippodrome (above) in Leicester Square on gay night in 1987 while on vacation with a high-school gal pal (she immediately turned around to go back to the hotel but I opted to stay since I'd "already paid cover") and then accompanied my out Michigan best friend Mark to Backstreet when I was bicurious(!) before finally going to one in my actual hometown of Phoenix, The Connection, with the first openly gay friend I ever made (Kurt) and his boyfriend (RIP, Tim). 

Curious to see how many of my old haunts (some open, some long closed) got a mention, including but not limited to:

Backstreet (Detroit)

The Connection (Phoenix)

Al E. Gator's (Phoenix) 

Brazil: (Scottsdale; East 4th Street east of Scottsdale Road, I believe) 

My last two years at Arizona State are kind of a blur. Once I came out I was out -- every chance I could get. While I don't remember all that much about my classes, friends or work from that period, the one thing I do vividly recall is Black Box's "Ride on Time," which seemed to be playing on a loop wherever I went. With its take-no-prisoners vocals and heavy sampling of Loleatta Holloway's "Love Sensation," all the partying in the world couldn't erase the memory of dancing at Brazil to this one! (If someone has pictures, please send.) 

Preston's (Phoenix)

Cute doorman

4102 E. Thomas Road

Bartenders at the patio bar

Wink's Cabaret (Phoenix)

Nu Towne Saloon (Phoenix)

Fosters in the Melrose District (Phoenix)

Hotbod's Desert Dance Palace (Phoenix) 

Label this a near-miss. When I was a junior in high school I briefly worked at the Salad Bar location in Mesa, where much to my sheltered surprise the staff all did drugs and invited me to go dancing at Hotbod's Desert Dance Palace (aka Hotbods, no one really knows the correct way to spell it), which I later learned was the Valley's answer to Studio 54! (I stupidly declined, in horror, but in my defense I was 16 or 17.) 

PHOENIX: The Connection, Al E. Gator's, Taylor's, Wink's, BS West, Nu Towne Saloon, Preston's, Brazil, Charlie's.

Rage (West Hollywood)

The Spike (West Hollywood)

Arena (Los Angeles)

Boom Boom Room (Laguna Beach)

L.A./LONG BEACH/ORANGE COUNTY: Rage, Revolver, Micky's, The Abbey, Studio One, Arena, Motherlode, Numbers, Fubar, the Spike, Gold Coast, Ripples, the Silver Fox, Mineshaft, Oz, the Boom Boom Room, Lion's Den, Frat House, Newport Station.

JR's (Washington, D.C.) 

WASHINGTON, D.C.: JR's, Trumpets, Badlands, Cobalt, Lost and Found, Tracks.

Uncle Charlie's (West Village) 

XL (Chelsea) 

Champs (Chelsea)

NEW YORK CITY: Splash, G, Roxy, Hell, Uncle Charlie's, the Works, XL, Champs, XES, King, Pyramid Club, the Lure, Eagle, Rawhide, Julius's, Beige, Boiler Room, the Break, Popstarz, et al. 

What were your earliest and go-to bars when you were coming out?  

Forget About Going to Town

Damian and I were just in Washington and marveled that unlike New York City, it still has a big gay dance club. Not for long. Read HERE.

Boxers Looking to Open New Bar '19th and 9th' in Chelsea

Hot off the heels of news that REBAR is opening this month in the old home of G comes word that the owners of Boxers have applied to open a tri-level bar/restaurant to be called 19th and 9th at 148 Ninth Ave. in Chelsea. (Perhaps a nod to the famed retaurant 18th and 8th from Chelsea's heyday.) Not sure if the Chelsea boys of a certain age are tiring of traveling all the way to Julius', or if Gym Bar's ongoing success has been an inspiration. But I'm happy to hear people are trying to make the ole gayborhood a little gay again!

Lee Iley

8 hrs near New York · 

Well it's official: Boxers is coming to 9th ave! Ironic that the people who want peace and no Riff Raff (the gays) are the very people that forced them out of the gay hood in the first place! Fancy quiet and nice place for your kids? Then don't live in the city. Move to the suburbs.

REBAR to Open in Former Home of G Lounge in Chelsea

Excited to hear that a team of guys that includes Facundo Rodriguez will be opening a new night spot called REBAR in the space G Lounge occupied for 20 years on 19th Street in Chelsea. Scheduled to open in April, the hunky Argentinian tells Get Out! magazine this about the new watering hole:

We’re recreating the neighborhood bar where the focus is on personal interaction. We’re taking away all the distractions: no TVs, no shows, no go-gos and focusing on our staff as the entertainment. They are all eclectic, something sexy for everyone. They all have great personalities and they are all expert bartenders who will serve up delicious drinks from our specialty menu. You’ll want to come visit on a daily basis. We think it will be a welcomed change in the neighborhood.

Personal interaction with the staff? Now you've got my interest!

Meet the staff -- like hunky Jon -- HERE.

Construction time again.

TimeOut Ranks the 16 Best Gay Clubs in America

I didn't even know there still were gay "clubs." But by using the loose definition that includes all kinds of bars, I've shockingly been to seven of them! Read HERE.

Uncle Charlie's Midtown Closes After 10 Years

You know you're getting really old when you're lamenting the closing of yet another gay bar, and you haven't even gotten over the closing of the bar's first iteration back in the 1990s. (I went to the original Uncle Charlie's on Greenwich Avenue after nearly BEING SHOT in 1993!) The staff of Uncle Charlie's Midtown says they are looking for a new location -- here's hoping they're successful. xo

There's a great Facebook page with lots of Uncle Charlie's memories HERE.

Village Gay Bar Uncle Charlie's Bombed in 1990 by Terrorists Behind 1993 WTC Bombing

While I remember the 1999 neo-Nazi bombing of the Admiral Duncan in London like it was yesterday, I had no idea that Uncle Charlie's -- the popular gay video bar on Greenwich Avenue that I used to frequent in the early and mid- '90s when visiting from D.C. -- was once the scene of a bombing as well. And what was the motivation? The bombers -- one of whom later infamously sketched pictures of Princess Diana(!) while on trial (and convicted) for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center attack -- were Muslims who "objected to homosexuality on religious grounds." (Sigh.) Read HERE. 

"Can I get your number?"

Read about the bar's demise -- all its customers started to party in Chelsea! -- HERE.

Order HERE.

The son of bomber El Sayyid Nosair later wrote a memoir about what his father's decision to choose terrorism over him did to his life. Read about it HERE.

I'll Toast to That

Mark C.O’Flaherty explains why Julius’ isn’t just the best gay bar in New York, but might well be the best bar in the world. (He's right!) Read HERE.

XES Lounge Being Forced Out by New Landlord

More depressing news for Chelsea's gay scene: The owners of XES Lounge posted a notice on the bar's Facebook page on Tuesday saying the building's new owners have given them until the end of the year to vacate the premises. (Read below, they say the new investors want to tear the building down.) I'm heartened by the fact that they say they intend to fight this, which actually worked for Pieces, which went through a similar thing in the West Village a few years ago. Here's hoping there's a similar happy ending for XES -- it's become my Chelsea go-to in recent years and its closure would be yet another devastating blow to the neighborhood. 

Show the boys your support on Facebook HERE.

Candle Bar Flames Out

   I've always believed Julius' was the oldest gay bar in New York, but REPORTS of the Candle Bar closing say it was. (Wikipedia explains the discrepancy HERE.) Either way, sad to hear. My Upper West Side days were mostly at The Works, which feels like it's been gone forever, but now I'm wondering if the area has any gay haunts at all.

Battle of the Bars

Uncensored image HERE.

I never really understood the fascination some people have with "gay sports bars." What's so great about having (annoying) sports events on big-screen TVs while a bunch of (annoying) queens squeal about the latest Madonna album? (I'd rather watch the Madonna videos and tune out the chatter.) The only one I ever had any use for was Champs on 19th Street back in the mid-'90s, where a boxing ring in the middle of the joint doubled as a "back room." But Gym Sportsbar seems to be here to stay (I think they've opened a, um, sister location in Los Angeles), so of course no reigning champ would be complete without a contender. First up is Boxers NYC Sportsbar (on 20th between 5th and 6th avenues) who, despite just opening this week, has already dubbed itself New York's "premier" gay sports bar. Sounds like a typical upstart to me, although the calendar is sort of boast-worthy if not the least bit sports-related ('80s Night, "Show Us Your Boxers" night, etc.). If anyone goes, let me know how it is. I finally made it to Eastern Bloc last night -- the first time I'd set foot in the joint since it was Wunderbar back in '98 -- so I figure I should have my own review of the new "buds, suds and sports" joint in about 2015.

In this corner ...

Vs.