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the "official" dish by Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain Email: ripna@ambushmag.com
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month October 2016 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) celebrates its 32nd anniversary. Since its inception, NBCAM has been at the forefront of promoting awareness of breast cancer issues and has evolved along with the national dialogue on breast cancer. Today, NBCAM recognizes that although many great strides have been made in breast cancer awareness and treatment, there remains much to be accomplished. They remain dedicated to educating and empowering women to take charge of their own breast health by practicing regular self-breast exams to identify any changes, scheduling regular visits and annual mammograms with their healthcare provider, adhering to prescribed treatment and knowing the facts about recurrence. The third Friday in October each year is National Mammography Day, first proclaimed by President Bill Clinton in 1993. On this day, or throughout the month, women are encouraged to make a mammography appointment. In 2016, National Mammography Day will be celebrated on October 21. Here in New Orleans, It’s the 20th Anniversary Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® on Saturday, October 22 in City Park. Today Show's Hoda Kotb is Honorary Survivor Chair, and is being joined by her Survivor Squad. It’s a Race for the Cure® you won’t want to miss! Pre-Race Day online registration fees include Adults (18 years and up) $35; Teens (13-17 years) $30; Kids (12 years and under) $25. Register or donate now at www.KomenNewOrleans.org.
HNO 33: A Benefit Weekend for Project Lazarus Oct. 27 – 30 presents "Pirates Revenge: The Curse of Jean Lafitte" "In the early 1800’s Pirate Jean Lafitte pirated many ships, stored the goods and later sold them to the people of New Orleans. He was killed before he could reveal where he left all of his precious goods. Come spend Halloween weekend with us as we search the city for Lafitte's hidden treasures. But don’t get caught because if you do Lafitte will curse you and haunt you until you return his treasures. Come prepared to search for some BOOTY, dance the nights away and enjoy the sometimes haunted city of New Orleans." The mission of the Hosts of Halloween is to provide funding for Project Lazarus, a home in New Orleans for men and women with AIDS, so that they may provide healthcare and support services for their residents. Project Lazarus, which provides direct AIDS services, is the sole beneficiary of all funds which are raised. In its 32 year history, HNO has raised almost $4.5M for Project Lazarus. "We are one of the only 100% donation/ volunteer event weekends left in the US." Thursday, Oct. 27th, 7:30-10:30pm: Join Halloween New Orleans presenting “The Lazarus Ball”, the kick-off for HNO: Pirate’s Revenge Weekend. This year’s event will feature live entertainment, great food, and the incredible silent auction with items from many local businesses, galleries, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The auction is an important part of yearly fundraising, so please come with your wallets open! This is a great event to bring co-workers and friends that might not be as interested in the other parties. Venue: Il Mercato, Lower Garden District, 1911 Magazine St.; Dress: Black Tie preferred; OPEN BAR!; 21+. Friday, Oct. 28th, 9:30-2am: The Neon Party returns! Everyone had such an amazing time last year, they're bringing it back. This year the party moves venues to The Civic Theatre with the amazing DJ Joe Ross! It’s going to be a great night! Venue: The Civic Theatre, 510 O’Keefe Ave; come in Neon attire!; 21+; student tickets available at door only, with valid student ID. Saturday, Oct. 29th, 10pm-3am: The biggest gay Halloween party in NOLA is back at the Contemporary Arts Center with music by DJ Grind and DJ Will Lowe. It boast the giant Costume Contest, Stage Show and VIP Lounge! Costume required for entry... doors
inside halloween new orleans 4 the real cheese 8 snap paparazzi/new orleans 10 a community within communities 12 book review 12 obiturary/tom "rona" conners 12, 34 moments in gay new orleans history 14 email 15 celebrazzi 17 snap paparazzi/new orleans 23 under the gaydar 24
Halloween issue due out Oct. 25 DEADLINE: Oct. 18 classifieds real estate trodding the boards spotlight feature/steve grand ambush paparazzi/new orleans ambush paparazzi/ft. lauderdale mobile paparazzi out front
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open 10pm. Costume Contest starts at 10:30pm with the Show following at 12midnight. Venue: Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St.; hosted bar included with ticket purchase; VIP Lounge included with Host, Patron & VIPirate Pass; 21+; student tickets available at door only, with valid student ID. Sunday, Oct. 30th, 1-4pm: In honor of the pirate theme, Halloween is returning to the water – but this time with a Tea Dance on The Creole Queen!! Come out to dance, eat brunch and catch up on last night’s gossip! Be sure to stay to the end and join us as "we" Second Line from The Creole Queen to Oz! Venue: The Paddlewheeler Creole Queen, 1 Poydras St. in Spanish Plaza behind the World Trade Center building; hosted bar included with ticket; 21+. Tickets include: Weekend Pass (October) $300.00, Thursday, The Lazarus Ball $80.00, Friday, HNO-GLO Neon Party (Presale) $45.00, Saturday, Main Event (Oct) $100.00, and Sunday, Queens’ Tea (Oct) $75.00. Buy tickets/passes at www.HalloweenNewOrleans.com/ticketspasses/. For more information, visit www.HalloweenNewOrleans.com. Ambush Magazine has been a proud sponsor of Halloween New Orleans for almost 3 decades.
2nd Oracle Gala Honors Mike Moreau/Opal Masters, Raises Over $7,000 for LGBT+ Archives Project It was a beautiful Saturday evening in Jackson Square as revelers, many in costume, arrived at the prestigious Presbytère museum for the 2nd Annual Oracle Gala in New Orleans. The costume ball honored Mike Moreau, aka Opal Masters, who is donating his extensive Krewe of Amon-Ra carnival collection spanning almost 52 years to the Louisiana State Museum. Amon-Ra is the oldest gay krewe to ever present 51 consecutive gay Mardi Gras balls in the 68 year history of Gay Mardi Gras. Moreau, an Amon-Ra member since 1965, and one of the founders, has been the krewe’s King, Queen, and Captain at various times. He has collected many costumes, photos, videos, invitations, and sketches that document the history of the krewe. Wayne Philips of the Louisiana State Museum is curator for this collection. Fox 8 (WVUE) Chief Meteorologist David Bernard emceed the event. Revelers enjoyed live music by the Paulin Brothers, entertainment by NOLA Jewels, and catering by The Cheezy Cajun. Both Archives President Frank Perez and author Howard P. Smith addressed the crowd. The chair person of the Oracle Gala Committee was Rose Barbee. The gala is the premiere fundraiser for the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana which raised over $7,000 through ticket sales, and silent auctions this year. Its mission is to promote and encourage the protection and preservation of materials that chronicle the culture and history of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Community in Louisiana The Archives Project purpose is to: 1. Educate the community on the importance of ensuring that LGBT+ historical materials are archived and made available for future generations to access, research, & study;
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Facebook.COM/AmbushMag Gulf South Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 • Texas-Florida Official Gay Easter Parade Guide© Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide© Official Gay New Orleans Guide© Official Pride Guide© Official Southern Decadence Guide© AWARD WINNING:
Saints & Sinners Literary Festival Hall of Fame/2015, Louisiana Excellence Award: Media & Internet/2014, New Orleans Print Media Award/ 2014, 25th NO/AIDS Task Force Humanitas Award/2013, New Orleans Print Media Award/ 2013, Krewe of Mwindo Media Honoree/2009, Krewe of Petronius Carnival Spirit of Gay Mardi Gras XLVIII Award/2009, Forum For Equality Acclaim Awards X Media Recipient/2008, NO/AIDS Task Force Prometheus “Torch of Truth” [media] Award/2001 OFFICE/SHIPPING ADDRESS: 828-A Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70116-3137 USA OFFICE HOURS: 10am-3pm Monday-Friday [Except Holidays] Email: ripna@ambushmag.com PHONE: 1.504.522.8049 ANNUAL READERSHIP OVER 1 MILLION: 260,000+ in print/780,000+ On-line CIRCULATION: Alabama-Mobile Florida - Pensacola Louisiana - Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Metairie, New Orleans, Slidell Mississippi - Bay St. Louis, Biloxi Texas - Houston
STAFF: PUBLISHER/EDITOR R. Rip Naquin, New Orleans PRODUCTION DIRECTOR M. Marsha Delain, New Orleans GULF SOUTH/NEW ORLEANS AD SALES Rip Naquin • 504.522.8049 Lulu Blackwell • Paul Melancon THEATRE/PERFORMING ARTS CRITIC Brian Sands AD REPS/JOURNALISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Misti Ates, Tony Leggio, Hubert S Monkeys, Felicia Phillips, Frank Perez, Rev. Bill Terry-New Orleans MIss Cie, Leon Weekley-Mobile, AL National Advertising Rep: Rivendell Media 212.242.6863 Ambush Mag is published on alternate Tuesdays of each month by Ambush, Inc., R. Rip NaquinDelain, President. Advertising, Copy & Photo DEADLINE is alternate Tuesdays, 4pm, prior to publication week, accepted via e-mail only: marsha@ripandmarsha.com, except for special holidays. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for the claims of advertisers and has the right to reject any advertising. The inclusion of an individual's name or photograph in this publication implies nothing about that individual's sexual orientation. Letters, stories, etc., appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of the Publisher or Staff of AMBUSH Mag. Subscription rate is $45 for 1/2 Year; $75 for 1 year. Sample Copy is $3 First Class Mail. ©1982-2016 AMBUSH, INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NOTHING HEREIN MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER INCLUDING AD LAYOUTS, MAPS and PHOTOS. AMgrant - AMbush Advertising Grant Donation
2. Promote the proper maintenance and preservation of historical LGBT+ materials; 3. Provide an information directory of archival resources where LGBT+ historical materials may be deposited or accessed for research and study; 4. Index, publish, and maintain a current list of locations of archived historical LGBT+ materials; and 5. Develop financial resources to assist in the preservation and availability of certain LGBT+ collections. For more information visit www.lgbtarchivesla.org.
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the real cheese by Felicia Phillips Email: fphillips1011@gmail.com Photo by Hubert S Monkeys
Donna Day It’s seems like a lifetime since my last column, and let me tell you between Decadence and a lot that followed soon after, I could’ve spilled more tea than BP spilled oil! Maybe in future issues I will give you a taste or two, but with it being Gay History Month, I decided to share some of my memories of someone who was an ICON in the world of female impersonation, the one and only Donna Day. I know that most gay history is usually focused on activists and events that shaped and guided us to where the LGBT community is at now and I will always honor that, but from my own personal experience as a now somewhere between forty and social security aged gay man, I can honestly say it was the gay entertainment legends that got me thru a many a trying time, just by being themselves and entertaining. Donna Day was one of them, one of the biggest of them. Born Donald Shelton, right here in Louisiana on Jan. 5th, 1942, his family moved to San Antonio, Texas at a young age. After serving in the navy, he returned and soon after started his drag career as Donna (24 hour a) Day in the late 1960’s quickly rising to fame as a headliner at the Red Room in Houston. Donna’s career was to span well over 30 years, literally up until his passing on Jan. 6th, 2003. Upon the opening of The Copa Houston, he was to became a member of the Fabulous Four, along with Naomi Sims, Hot Chocolate and Mr. Tiffany Jones, after Tiffany’s passing Tasha Kohl joined them and they became the foundation that all Texas Drag was based on. After the selling of The Copa in the early 1980’s Donna was moved to Dallas where she became the founding cast member of The Rose Room which is still going strong to this very day. In fact the original location was a small room upstairs at the then Village Station, but Donna was so adored by the owners and patrons that they set their goal out to move and expand it into the mega stage that it is now, for her. Now I realize that this all sounds like a memorial, but I can’t leave it at that, as I will have to share the real cheese about my memories of Donna. She could more than entertain, weighing in at 300 plus lbs. it was nothing for her to turn a cart wheel in the middle of an Aretha mix, and in her days before she got dentures she was lovingly known as no teetha Aretha! She could thrill any crowd, and she could read any audience to filth! Never scripted, sometimes when being read by her, you didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or run. Her quick wit could bite you like a shark. It was for that reason that she was often misunderstood, but what I can attest to after years of getting to know her heart, was that she loved every audience. She also loved her Salem menthol cigarettes, Dr. Peppers and her Cuervo! Cuervo brings to mind my most vivid memories of Donna. I met her when I was but a fledgling queen trying to find my own way, I was lucky enough to get on as a cast member at The Copa Beaumont, which
enabled me to meet her early on, although I was enamored by her sheer stage presence, I was scared out my panties by her, not realizing it was her style of humor and also a way to shield herself until she was really comfortable with someone, as she was a true Gay Star. It was a few years later, when I became a show director and made a nervous call to her, offering a booking, that we clicked and became dear friends until the day she passed. We kept in contact thru out the late 80’s, I wasn’t doing drag and she was based in Dallas and traveling the country with pageants, but upon my return to the stage, she was the first person I talked my bar owner into letting me book, and at that time between air fare and her fee it was a fortune. I picked her up at the airport, and first thing she said was, Miss Thang stop by Popeye’s. Well of course I did, she orders the biggest box on the menu, as soon as we get to my apt. I get plates, and she says, no Miss Thang…the chicken is for after the Cuervo, she had me take out all the pieces, but paper towels in the bottom of the box and put it all back in. While getting ready I tell her, I don’t know how she can drink Cuervo the ways she does, she says, Miss Thang you will, cause you drinking it with me tonight. This show was a big deal as it was the first big named entertainer that had been booked in years, and my job was on the line if it lost money, well it didn’t, the bar was packed, and the minute her foot hit the stage doing Deeper Love, the crowd went wild! Her mere presence made every entertainer in the show do better than ever before, it was as if she shared some of her magic with all of us. She ends the show with her famous strip tease number to Teach Me Tonight, stripping down to pasties and a gstring, or as she liked to say her z-string! Three call backs, and then impromptu To Be Real mix, not a person in the crowd left until it was over, and think they would have stayed all night. Mind you we really had not drank much, and I had forgot about the Cuervo, until we sit at the bar and she says to the bartender, ok Cuervo. He went to pour, she
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Oz Sets Halloween Lineup Oct. 26-31 Dance and Show Club of the Year Oz New Orleans has set an exciting lineup for Halloween running Oct. 26 through Oct. 31. It all begins on Wednesday, Oct. 26 with a Halloween Spooktacular Show Night at 10:30pm! Starring ALL of the Ladies of Oz including Lisa Beaumann, Nicole Lynn Foxx, Chi-Chi Rodriquez, Connie Hung, Coca Mesa, Gia GiaVanni, Dominique DeLorean, and Anastacia Davenport, the show is hosted by Persana Shoulders with the talents of DJ of the Year Tim Pflueger presiding. Thursday, Oct. 27 is the Halloween edition of the Oz Strip Off sponsored by Swiss Navy Lube at midnight! Boys will be battling it out to win $300 in cash and prizes hosted Persana Shoulders. Featuring celebrity guest judges and a performance from Miss Louisiana Leatherette - Gia GiaVanni, DJ Tim Pflueger will spin all night long. Dance all night long with DJ Hector Fonseca headlining Friday, Oct. 28 with resident DJs Kyle D, Tim Pflueger, and JRB taking the reins as well. The sexiest gogo dancers from around the country dancing on top of the bars include Seth Fornea, Jared Bradford, David Emmanuel, Stephen Land, Leo Fuentes, Rikk York, and many says no miss thang, just leave us the bottle! We finished it! By the time they get us home, I had no wig and hers was on backward and her shoes where hanging out of her purse, we get inside and she tells me get that chicken, heat it up, then squeeze the paper towel out on top of it, I’m too plastered to question and just did it. We ate nearly every piece. Next thing I know I wake up, bright and early, clear headed, no sign of a hangover, go downstairs to find her in a caftan, with a Dr. Pepper, a cigarette, feeding my dog what’s left of the chicken, while yelling at The Price is Right on TV. She looks at me with a grin that only she could have and says, now that’s how I drink as much Cuervo as I do! This practice of hers continued until the night that she decided to rent a movie at Blockbuster after a show, and somehow drove right thru the front window, saying all I know is I woke up between the mystery and romance aisle, and I was looking for the comedy section! That was the end of her drinking nights. Without Donna, and others like her many of us would not have made it thru the dark days of AIDS, it wasn’t that she was an activist, of course she did years of fundraisers to help, raising untold amounts of money over two decades, but more so it was her ability to make us laugh, and for that time while she was on stage giving us all she had, whether it was belly aching comedy, or touching our hearts as Effie from Dreamgirls, she made us for those moments forget about our problems, and just pass a good time. She had a voice that I can still here to this day saying; everybody say hey, everybody say hoe, everybody say hey hoe! It took me a while to see that Donna had a heart of gold, though she wrapped it in barbed wire! Now that’s The Real Cheese on Donna Day! Till next time dahlings I’m Felicia Phillips, The Cheese Queen of New Orleans!
more! On Saturday, Oct. 29, don't miss music by Morabito as well as the resident DJs spinning throughout the day and night. The sexiest gogos from around the country will be on top of the bar. DJ Max Rodriquez is headlining Sunday, Oct. 31 with resident DJs spinning throughout the day and night featuring sexy gogos dancing on top of the bar. Monday, Oct. 31 closes out the weekend with a special Halloween Costume Contest hosted by Persana Shoulders! 1st place wins $300 in cash, 2nd place wins $100 bar tab, and 3rd place wins a $50 bar tab. Resident DJs Kyle D, Tim Pflueger, and JRB are closing out the weekend. For more info, visit www.OzNewOrleans.com.
COK Host Marius Cigaral & Brian Bonds Halloween Weekend COK which is located inside of the Phoenix Bar will host Marius Cigaral of Cellblock 13 and model Brian Bonds over Halloween weekend. Marius will be in the store to help you with any of your purchases for the circuit parties or your own private parties, and Brian will be on stage all four nights showing off the latest from Cellblock 13, including the new collection of Neoprene harnesses and jockstraps. In 2012, the Timoteo fashion company launched its new label, CellBlock 13. Created and designed by Timoteo, CellBlock 13 is the go to brand for FASHION MEETS FETISH and people all over the world count CellBlock 13 as the one place to find the latest in ‘gear’. The line consists of jockstraps, underwear, neoprene harnesses, shorts, tanks, tees, neoprene jockstraps and socks. CellBlock 13 is designed with every fetish in mind and is sold around the world. COK is open 7 days a week. Sunday and Monday 4PM until Midnight and Tuesday through Saturday 4PM until 3AM and by appointment.
BB’s Stage Door Canteen Announces 2016-2017 Season The National WWII Museum’s live theater venue, BB’s Stage Door Canteen, announced its 2016-2017 season featuring a new dynamic male vocal trio, and a debut production honoring WWII factory worker turned Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe. The thrilling season lineup serves as a tribute to the men and women who entertained the nation’s troops, while offering a unique opportunity to share the culture of the WWII era with new generations. Staring BB’s Stage Door Canteen favorite Courtney Boe, “Pictures of Marilyn” is a captivating musical that follows Hollywood’s most iconic beauty from her days as a WWII factory worker to her triumphant establishment of Marilyn Monroe Productions. As Monroe becomes one of the biggest stars in the world, she continues to struggles to gain complete control of her life and career. Guests will watch as she overcomes the influences of lovers Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, the controlling grip of studios and her own anxieties to achieve true independence. Featuring a cast of eight, this original production will show at the Canteen through Nov. 27.
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snap paparazzi
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Good Friends Bar
La Scène Sociale ~ Metairie, New Orleans ~ Photos by Paul Melancon, Ellen Miller, Rip Naquin
Bourbon Boylesque Tuesdays @ Oz ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Rip Naquin
Four Seasons & Patio Stage Bar
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a community within communities by The Rev. Bill Terry, Rector St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, New Orleans Email: fr.bill@stannanola.org
Coming Out Again This article ran about three years ago…it is worth telling again. I am concerned about the high rate of suicide among young kids coming out. I am concerned about homeless teens that have come out. I am concerned about the rancor in our national conversations and debates. So here it is again. Stories with a point. Coming out! Billie Jean King was “outed” by her estranged lover according to a recent NPR interview. Celebrities “come out” or are “outed” with increasing regularity it seems. Some who are not “out” are simply quiet. It’s complicated right? A young man sat in the quiet church. It was dark and he was a well known cantor. His tenor voice had sung in some of the most prestigious synagogues and churches in New Orleans. I walked in on that quiet contemplative scene. He looked up and said, “you know that I am gay?” I said, “of course.” He wept. He came out. He had never hidden who he was, at least not as an adult, at least not with his friends, but never ever in his previous church. He looked up and said, “Father, you know I have never been able to say in my church to my pastor that I am gay.” He wept. A tall man with a shaved head and an accent redolent with the Mississippi Delta
book review Then Comes Marriage: How Two Women Fought for and Won Equal Dignity for All. Roberta Kaplan with Lisa Dickey. Norton, 2016. ISBN: 978-0-393-35336-5. 336 pages. $16.95 paperback. by Frank Perez United States versus Windsor is now a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case destined to be studied by scholars and hailed by civil rights activists for generations to come. When Congress passed DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) in 1996, Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer, along with hundreds of thousands of other gay couples, considered it an insult but quickly got on their lives. Edie and Thea knew their love was valid, even if the law didn’t recognize it. After all, they had been together in a committed relationship for thirty years. Eleven years later, they would officially tie the knot in Canada. Then in 2009, Spyer died, finally succumbing to a long battle with multiple sclerosis. Under DOMA, Edie was forced to pay $360,000 in federal estate taxes. Had the federal government recognized their marriage, she would not have had to pay a cent. Written by the lead attorney in the case, Then Comes Marriage is not only an accessible narrative of the legal and political nuances of the fight for marriage equality, it is also the deeply personal story of the author’s relationship with the plaintiffs.
stood in front of the old church. His flamboyant conversation rang of the deep-south with a girlish twist to his words. The new priest came from the suburbs and things like the Radical Fairies, who this man was a member of, was quiet, to say the least, new to him. “So when did you come to know that you were gay?” the priest asked. I always knew that I was different even as early as age six. One day, I knew that I was truly gay, I guess I was 12 maybe 13. “How did you deal with that?” again the priest queried. “I was walk’n in the woods one day. I lay down in the grass beneath a slash pine and I looked up and saw the clouds. I just knew that Jesus loved me for who I was.” The priest, me, wept. Another story: the short guy had an edge. He was not raised in cotillions environments rather the south side. Yea, I knew it as early as I can remember. I was different. Hell I knew what and who I was by the time I was 15. Yea I dated girls because I had to. It was expected. I’m Italian ya know. But hey, like the guys in my neighborhood said, I might be a fag but I’m their fag so keepa you hands off. The old ladies, hey, they loved me they cared for me and even today, they say about my partner, you have such a nice roommate. Why upset them, they know, I know, the neighborhood knows, hey. Celebrities come out with a flourish. They write books and are hailed as being brave; perhaps. They also have attorneys and publicists to help them with this. Billie Jean King, well that was a bit harder it was much earlier. Today, for many young men and women coming out it seems a bit less of a challenge I think. Yet, for so many taboos, religious, cultural, and social stigma still permeate our land. After ten years of stories it seems evident that choice is not an issue rather being is the way it is. That is to say you are who you are and in large measure you are who you are made to be. I get it; science is Eighteen years prior to the case, Thea Spyer, a psychologist knowledgeable about
all over the place. But the stories aren’t all over the place. The stories are consistent and always start, “I always knew that I was different.” One can only imagine another who would tell his story. I know that his mother would certainly say, “He was always different.” He might say: When I was a young boy I would eagerly leave my parents side to go to my father’s house to learn and then to teach and when I was born they tried to kill me because of who I would grow up to be. I seemed to scare some people. I always knew that I was different. My momma told me stories about how special I was. Then I grew up. I came out. My family that loved me did not understand. They even came to me and my friends and said, “Send him home because he is not right in his head.” They, many of the people around me tried to ‘fix’ me. The people in power tried to silence me. It appeared that the law and all of society stood against me. But I stayed true to who and what I am. – Jesus. Perhaps the foregoing re-telling is a bit gilded but it certainly is not intended to trivialize. It is intended to say that being different as in “I knew I was different” is not a bad thing. In fact our quest for fitting in as a society is so over rated that we have lost some of our passion for being unique, odd, beyond convention. I believe and hope that is changing. There was a time when ‘ink’ was only for hookers and sailors and bikers. Now ‘proper people’ style with ‘ink.’ There was a time when you would not nor could not where white before Easter or black after Easter. Not so any more. Sorry ladies it’s the truth. Perhaps there is hope. Recent studies in evangelical church circles have older leaders confused because human sexuality is not an issue but poverty and violence is. Perhaps things are changing. I hope so. I believe that the confusion, hatred, and rejection of LGBTQ community and by extension any minority are simply a result of not listening, not caring, and are born out of fear. The opposite is true to this extent, do not fear those that fear you. Be who you are. Pray in your churches and synagogues not in darkness and silence shedding a tear but because you have a great deal in common with someone else who ‘came out’ and knew they were different at a very early age. “gay issues,” counseled Kaplan, who was coming to terms with her own lesbianism. The humanity of this angle makes the book far from just a dry recitation of legal arguments. Then Comes Marriage is more than just the story of the first watershed Supreme Court case of the twenty-first century: it’s a story of love, hope, idealism, and, ultimately, equality under the law for all Americans, regardless of whether they happen to be gay or straight. Roberta Kaplan is a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Since winning United States v. Windsor, she litigated the case against the gay marriage ban in Mississippi and filed “The People’s Brief” in the Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges. She lives in New York City with her wife and son. Lisa Dickey has collaborated on 16 books, including eight New York Times bestsellers. She is currently working on a book about life in Russia.
obituary Tom "Rona" Conners by Rip Naquin & Marsha Delain We lost one of the brightest stars to ever illuminate our galaxy on Saturday, October 1, 2016. After years of pain and illness our dear friend Tom "Rona" Conners finally is dancing across the Broadway stages in Heaven, and thank God is no longer su\ffering. We now grapple with the reality of how in the world can you condense an entire lifetime to just a few paragraphs in death? Bob Boler, his life partner, phoned us with the sad news. We reminisced about all the fun times, parties, parades, balls and events all four of us had the pleasure of participating in together as "family".
Tom "Rona" Conners (Photo by Larry Graham) Tom was a friend to many and an enemy to no one. He was alway a funloving, bigger than life personality, who was generous down to his soul. He loved drag and his own vision "of illusion" which bordered on hysterical at times, and serious as all get-go on the other end of the spectrum. For years, he served on the board of directors of the Gay Easter Parade, donating thousands of dollars of faux Faberge' eggs, objects d'art, bunnies, artworks, and more helping insure the success of the parade and it's charity, Food For Friends. He was Easter Grand Marshal VIII serving with Michael Elias in the same role in 2007. Tom was also a member of the King Cake Queen Royalty Club and reigned as King Cake Queen XVIII: The Chrysanthemum Queen in 2011. And for many years, Tom was a member of the Krewe of Petronius, reigning as Queen Petronius XXXVIII in 1999. Please join us for Tom's Celebration of Life on Saturday, October 15 from 4 to 6pm at Cafe Lafitte in Exile, 901 Bourbon Street, New Orleans. It is also Oktoberfest with $5 select beers and Jagermeister plus authentic foods from the Black Forest. Wear your favorite Easter Hat and join in a Bourbon Street Toast honoring Tom at 5pm. His life partner Bob Boler in Florida, who is unable to travel, will be phoned to join in. Tom's home away from home was always Bourbon Street and the historic French Quarter.
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moments in gay new orleans history by Professor Frank Perez E-mail: f.perez@sbcglobal.net Photo by: Larry Graham, GrahamStudioOne.COM
LGBT History Month Profile Owen Dunne: Re-Creating the Box New Orleans has always been home to creative and talented stars within the LG\BT+ community and right now one of the brightest is a rising star named Owen Dunne. Raised in Gentilly, Dunne’s penchant for showmanship manifested at an early age when, at the age of 11, he performed in the Leoncavallo opera Pagliacci. He later attended high school at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA). Recalling his time there, Dunne says, “NOCCA showed me that theatre is doable, that art is a way of life.” After NOCCA, Dunne moved to Connecticut where he was graduated with a B.F.A. from the Hartt School of Music, Dance, and Theater at the University of Hartford. Dunne has also performed with the New Orleans Ballet Association, the New Orleans Philharmonic, and the North American Youth Chorale. Dunne says “the collaboration and teamwork involved in musical theatre fascinates me.” While in Connecticut, Dunne appeared in Rent, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chicago, Bat Boy, and Barnum. More recently, local theater-goers may have seen Dunne at Le Petit Théâtre Du Vieux Carré where he has performed in Pippin, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Hairspray. And while Dunne loves singing, dancing, and acting on stage, he is even more passionate about film. Dunne traces his love of film and performing to the movie Step Up, starring Channing Tatum. Other films that have influenced him include Shelter, Five Dances, Blackbird, and The Normal Heart. Dunne became fascinated with gay cinema after watching HBO’s The Out List. By his own count, Dunne says he has watched over 300 LGBTQ themed films. “That was very hard to do because it was before Netflix.” Today Dunne is very involved with the New Orleans Film Festival, which takes place October 11 through October 20. He has the lead in one of this year’s films. SAMO is a narrative short about a filmmaker being honored at a grant party who wonders if he’s being celebrated for his work or chosen to meet a quota. Dunne has also starred in (and directed) two other films. come + chill is an indie horror film that deconstructs the standard tropes and conventions of horror films. click dysfunction: a story told in music sheds light on mental health issues within the LGBT+ community. He has also appeared in Boxing Day, Roots, and NOLA Love Story. In addition to being talented on stage and screen, Dunne also has a very strong social consciousness. Dunne came out to his parents in high school and observes, “sexuality is very fluid.” After graduating from high school and beginning to encounter the larger lgbt+ community, Dunne remembered, “I want to know about a group
of people who have impacted my life.” When asked about his perspective of the LGBT+ community as a gay black man, Dunne responded, “Of course there are divisions within the community. Just look at the restrictions people put on their Grindr profiles—no femmes, no fats, etc.” He also observes, “If I walk into a room, you know I’m black, but not necessarily that I’m gay.” At the age of 23, Owen Dunne has already stacked up a list of accomplishments that would make many men twice his age jealous. He is talented, intelligent, and articulate. Dunne certainly and effectively refutes the negative stereotypes of millennials, namely that they are lazy, selfish, civically disengaged, and unable to make commitments. Dunne loves discussing art and in the course of our conversation, he remarked to me, “Art is not about ‘thinking outside the box,’ it’s about redefining what a box is.”
the "official" dish ...from 8 Marilyn Monroe isn’t the iconic only
can be purchased by visiting www.stagedoorcanteen.org or calling 504.528.1943. For group rates, call 504.528.1944 x222. Advance purchase is recommended for individual show tickets.
Lords & Sisters to host Phoenix Halloween Party Oct. 29 “BOO!(ty)” Beer Bust will be hosted by the Lords of Leather and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at the Phoenix Bar. Get your Halloween started early on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 9pm - midnight! It's just $10 for unlimited Keg Beer and snacks with $1 Jello Shots for sale. Plus...The Sisters are offering Face Painting (for tips that will go to charity), so wear a costume or your leather gear (or don’t) but at least get your face painted or beard glittered and get in the Halloween Spirit! The night also includes the Annual Halloween Costume Contest for Sexiest, Funniest, and Scariest costumes (prizes
awarded)! Dean Coston will there for boot black services! And, The Phoenix will also have sexy Cell Block dancers (by Timoteo)! So much fun, so much BOO(ty)!
Lady Bunny in TransJester @ Cafe Istanbul Lady Bunny comes to NOLA’s Café Istanbul Saturday, Nov. 19 at 8pm in TransJester. The show, which has brought out a wild mix of celebs like Susan Sarandon, Rupert Everett, Andy Cohen, Patricia Field, Anohni, Bianca Del Rio, Michael Musto and John Cameron Mitchell is a tour de force comedy spectacular which will teach as much as entertain. Michael Musto for Out.com: “Long running drag star Lady Bunny is currently doing the most screamingly, gratifyingly, crap-your-pants funny show in town. Upstairs at the Stonewall which was always a riot Bunny is appearing in Trans-Jester,
star featured at the Canteen this fall – The Vic-Tones are the newest addition to the Museum’s entertainment roster and the talented trio of singers celebrate the of music of the 1940s by performing harmonic vocal stylings of ageless classics such as “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Pistol Packin Mama,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “I’ll be Seeing You.” Museum visitors can stop in for a Wednesday matinee performance by The Vic-Tones through Nov. 2016, and Jan. through June 2017. Tickets for the 2016-2017 BB’s Stage Door Canteen season are on sale now and
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the "official" dish ...from 14 poking merciless fun at pc normatives. She spins and shimmers in amazing voice. The show is all like that—raunchy and eye opening, fetidly appealing yet thought provoking.” In addition to new parodies which rework selections from Adele, Rent and Bruno Mars to hilarious, effect punctuated by zany Laugh-In style zingers, Bunny has widened her repertoire to include some actually insightful social commentary. (Well, she thinks it’s insightful, anyway.) Trashing the current overemphasis on political correctness, Bunny breaks down some of the latest buzzwords that we’re all supposed to remember for every for every occasion as we “evolve.” Sometimes, Bunny feels, that we’re actually evolving away from common sense! Take the new name for our community—LGBTIA. Does anyone even know what that means? While Bunny shies away from politics
in this performance—because one train wreck on stage per night is enough and we all need a break from this toxic election— she doesn’t shy away from gender politics and the new pronoun we’re forced to learn every time Will Smith’s son puts on a dress. After Caitlyn Jenner reached out to Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz to become his “trans ambassador”, Bunny feels that it’s time for the gloves to come off while addressing that car crash. You don’t want to miss Bunny doing Cait’s twisted version of My Favorite Things. Theater queens rejoice! In her loooooong career in nightclubs, Bunny has never delved much into show tunes, but in Trans-Jester, Bunny brings it on home with a show-stopping finale featuring two classics from Gypsy and Follies. The eclectic evening also resurrects songs by country star Lynn Anderson, Millie Jackson and even an original tune which pokes fun at the dating life of whatever sex it is you want to
call this “Lady”. Istanbul is an intimate venue, so purchase tickets now to guarantee seats! The tickets are a low $19.99—as cheap as her humor—and $24.99 for a post show meet and greet where you can get a picture with the outrageous doyenne of drag. There may be be tickets for cash only at the door. There is no drink maximum, and Bunny’s singing will drive anyone to drink. Doors open at 7pm and seating is first come, first serve. Trans-Jester is written by Lady Bunny and Facebook sensation Beryl Mendelbaum. New York/New Orleans concert promoter Daniel Nardicio is bringing Bunny to New Orleans. He is responsible for bringing John Waters, Alan Cumming, Sandra Bernhard, Rumer Willis and Dina Martina to New Orleans in the past year. Cafe Istanbul is located at 2357 St Claude Ave., New Orleans.
email Subject: Roof Repairs for St. Anna's Thank You I wanted to take just a moment to thank all those that contributed to the "Spaghetti Luncheon for Roof Repairs at St. Anna's Episcopal Church" raising $1,164. I am sure that I will leave someone out, so please forgive me. Thank you Mag's 940 (Paul), Ambush Magazine (Rip & Marsha), Big Easy Sisters, Gene Theriot (Gene's Po Boys), Rudy San Miguel, Sharon Barreca & Rachel Bufkin, the fabulous cooks at St. Anna's, Rev. Bill Terry and you the wonderful friends, parishoners and donators for the great success of this event. --"Saint" Princesse Stephaney
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2nd Oracle Gala Costume Ball raises over $7,000 for LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana @ The Presbytère~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Rip Naquin
Honoree Opal Masters joins LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana President Frank Perez and life partner Darwin Reed at the 2nd Annual Oracle Gala hosted at the prestigious Presbytère museum. Raising over $7,000 for the Archives Project, the costume ball honored Mike Moreau, aka Opal Masters, who is donating his extensive Krewe of Amon-Ra carnival collection spanning almost 52 years to the Louisiana State Museum. Photo by Rip Naquin. (www.lgbtarchivesla.org)
celebrazzi Leesa Rumore joins Oz proprietor Cindy Lou Simpson, dance music diva Jimmy James, Oz host Persana Shoulders, Oz proprietor Madeline Schwartz, Oz GM Greg Jones and Oz DJ Kyle David following the singer-songwriter, recording and tribute artist Jimmy James' hit performance at Show Club of the Year Oz New Orleans. Photo by Adrian Claveria. (www.OzNewOrleans.com)
Wood Enterprises' Frank Wingerter joins Saints hero Steve Gleason, and Southern Decadence Grand Marshal XLII Tony Leggio on the field at the Superdome for the Atlanta Saints game, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the time Steve Gleason blocked the punt that brought football back to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina for the first home game at the refurbished Superdome.
"Saint" Princesse Stephaney joins Fr. Bill Terry, and Big Easy Sister Cathi Terr as Fr. Bill gives the blessing before beginning the "Spaghetti Luncheon for Roof Repairs at St. Anna's Episcopal Church" raising $1,164 at Mag's 940 in New Orleans. The event was assisted by Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Sister Gloree Bea Divine, Sister Yoko Ohnoshe Dinnit, and Guard Buddah Bear. Photo by Rip Naquin. LEFT: Shayla and Amy Brown from Plant City, Florida, the Strawberry Capital of The Sunshine State, celebrate their 1 year wedding anniversary at Cafe Lafitte in Exile, the oldest Gay Bar in North America at 901 Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Photo by Rip Naquin. (www.Lafittes.com)
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Cafe Lafitte in Exile
Spaghetti Luncheon Raises $1,164 for St. Anna's Roof Repairs @ Mag's 940 ~ Photos by Rip Naquin
Autour de la Ville ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Tony Leggio, Paul Melancon, Rip Naquin
NO/AIDS Walk
The Golden Lantern
Queen's Head Pub
The Page
snap paparazzi
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under the gaydar by Tony Leggio Email: ledgemgp@gmail.com Photo by: Larry Graham
Hot Happenings Are you getting ready for all the wicked happenings during this Halloween month? Well, this is my favorite month of the year for many reasons, which starts with Halloween and it is also my birthday month. And my birthday just happens to fall on National Coming Out Day, how appropriate. So enjoy all the surprises this month has in store for you. Thursday, October 13, 2016 Welcome to the T.M.I. Talk Show, a live monthly theater show where guests and audience are invited to “overshare” personal stories and real talk about taboo subjects while entertaining with drag, comedy and variety acts! Hosted by LibeRaunchy the BeauxQueen and Eureeka Starfish the show features special guest photographer, Krystal Alayne Chambers and a second surprise guest! There are also prizes and only $8 entry fee plus cupcake and art prizes! Doors open at 8:30pm starting promptly at 9pm. La Nuit Comedy Theater is located at 5041 Freret Street. Thursday, October 13 and Saturday, October 15, 2016 The Anba Dlo Halloween Festival and Water Symposium are FREE and open to the general public. Now in its 9th year, Anba Dlo, in partnership with A Studio In the Woods, a program of Tulane University, and Mama Maji is unique as a one-of-akind, costumed, interactive community festival that celebrates the multicultural and artistic heritage of New Orleans. It is a wonderful kick-off event to the upcoming Halloween celebrations across New Orleans. Come and experience the underwater realm of Lasiren’s VIP Lounge with complimentary food and drinks, private viewings of the main headliners from the 2nd-floor balcony of Café Istanbul, physic readings, and the opportunity to rub shoulders with your favorite bands and performers. VIP tickets are only $25 and can be bought at the door or online at http:// www.anbadlofestival.org/#!vip/c2ad. For more and complete information on artists, lineups, bios, festival history, general questions and more, visit http:// www.anbadlofestival.org/. Friday, October 14, 2016 Marvelous Motel (a spooky evening of unusual delights) is happening at GrandPre’s (834 N. Rampart Street). This event is produced by Eureeka Starfish. Performing alongside her this evening will be Liberaunchy, Lefty Lucy, Midnite Ryder, Mx Mystic and Lucy Anna Sazaerac. Doors open at 9:30 and the show starts at 10:30pm. There is a $10 cover. Friday, October 14, 2016 Come join the Sirens of New Orleans for their annual Halloween bash, Mermaids and Mayhem at Urban South Brewery (1645 Tchoupitoulas Street) starting at 8pm. Enter the Carnival...or should we say CarnEVIL,
filled with mystical mermaids, spooky sirens, and other ominous ocean creatures. Special appearances by 610 Stompers, Krewe of the Rolling Elvi Jailhouse Rockers, Oui Dats, Thrilla Guerrillas, Organ Grinders and more! There will be a raffle and a costume contest. Prizes are available for best female costume, best male costume, and best couple. All proceeds from this event benefit the New Orleans Family Justice Center. Tickets available at http:// mermaidsandmayhem16.eventbrite.com/. Saturday, October 15, 2016 Join the people at The Four Seasons (3229 N. Causeway Blvd.) as they host a benefit show to raise funds for Mr. Gay Louisiana USofA 2016 Eros Sea to compete at the Mr. Gay USofA contest. The show starts at 8pm with performances by the city’s top entertainers. And stay afterwards for the Exotique drag show starting at 10:30pm! Sunday, October 16, 2016 The hysterical Sarah Silverman is coming to New Orleans at the Saenger Theatre (1111 Canal Street). The show starts at 8pm. For tickets, go to www.saengernola.com. Thursday, October 20, 2016 Lipton ain’t got nothing on this! Come spill the tea with Laveau Contraire and Miss Gay Louisiana USofA Dominique DeLorean at Au Contraire, Laveau’s new talk show style drag show at The Four Seasons (3229 N. Causeway Blvd.) will be a new fresh approach to a drag show. Laveau will be interviewing the living legend herself before they tear up the stage with Blazen Haven joining them. The show starts at 10:30pm. Friday, October 21, 2016 New Orleans Pride and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence present Heroes & Villains: A Costume Dance Party with a Purpose at Mag's 940 (940 Elysian Fields) from 8pm to midnight. Proceeds will go to New Orleans Pride’s I’m Bigger Program. Tickets are $5 in advance. Go to www.NewOrleansPrideFestival.com. Enjoy great dance music, shot and drink specials and a costume contest at 11:30pm. Saturday, October 22, 2016 It’s been five years in the making and this is going to be the biggest and best sausagefest yet. Grab your lederhosen and dirndls and come experience and play with the Krewe of Ameinius at Cocktoberfest. The event is held at their den located at 435 N. Broad Street. Be entertained by their variety show featuring singing, drag acts, sausage deepthroating, and so much more. Enjoy German food and bottomless beer while shopping at their fun silent auction just in time for Christmas. Get your tickets early and save. This event goes to help the Krewe of Armeinius put on its yearly ball. Tickets are $25 or VIP at $35.
Tuesday – Sunday, October 25 – 30, 2016 Direct from Broadway, The Illusionists dubbed the world’s best-selling magic show is coming to the Saenger Theatre (1111 Canal Street). This mind-blowing spectacular showcases the jaw-dropping talents of seven of the most incredible illusionists on earth. THE ILLUSIONISTS – LIVE FROM BROADWAY has shattered box office records around the world and dazzles audiences of all ages with a powerful mix of the most outrageous and astonishing acts ever to be seen on stage. This non-stop show is packed with thrilling, sophisticated magic of unprecedented proportions. For tickets, go to www.saengernola.com. Thursday, October 27, 2016 Join as Halloween New Orleans presents “The Lazarus Ball”, the kick-off for HNO: Pirate’s Revenge Weekend at Il Mercato (1911 Magazine Street) starting from 7:30 – 10:30pm. This year’s event will feature live entertainment, great food, and its amazing silent auction with items from many local businesses, art galleries, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The auction is an important part of the organizations yearly fundraising, so please come with your wallets open and invite friends who are interested in great art from the community. For tickets, go to www.halloweenneworleans.com. Friday, October 28, 2016 Back by popular demand, the Neon Party returns and Halloween New Orleans is taking it back to the Civic Theatre (the location of the original HNO party) located at 510 O’Keefe Avenue. The party is from 9:30pm to 2am. The amazing DJ Joe Ross will be taking the reins and promises to BRING it! It’s going to be a great night! Watch for the SKYY neon bar. For tickets, go to www.halloweenneworleans.com. Saturday, October 29, 2016 The main event of Halloween New Orleans weekend returns to the Contemporary Arts Center (900 Camp Street). This time, they’re exploring the world of Jean Lafitte, an infamous pirate. You don’t have to follow the theme, but you do have to come in costume. All welcoming, this is a truly amazing event. Doors Open at 10pm; 10:30pm Costume Contest starts, Show at midnight. Music by DJ Grind. Costume required for entry. For tickets, go to www.halloweenneworleans.com. Sunday, October 30, 2016 In honor of the Halloween New Orleans pirate theme, they are returning to the water – but this time with a Tea Dance on The Creole Queen (1 Poydras Street), 14pm! The boat will remain docked for most of the time, with a short sail and DJ Joe Gauthreaux helping put an amazing stamp on the end of the weekend - tea dance style. Come out to dance, eat brunch and recap the weekend! Be sure to stay to the end and join as we Second Line (a walking parade) from The Creole Queen to Oz! This is one of the most highly rated experiences of the past few Halloweens, so be sure to join us for a truly New Orleans experience. For tickets, go to www.halloweenneworleans.com.
Book(s) of the Month Keeping up on my reading is difficult during my busy months; hence why Sep-
tember slipped past me, but here is a double whammy book review for October. My first book is by Noah Hawley entitled Before the Fall. Hawley is an Emmy, Golden Globe, PEN, Critics’ Choice, and Peabody Award-winning author, screenwriter, producer and director. He has published five novels and penned the script for the feature film Lies and Alibis. He created, executive produced, and served as showrunner for ABC’s My Generation and The Unusuals and was a writer and producer on the hit series Bones. Hawley is currently executive producer, writer, and showrunner on FX’s award-winning series, Fargo. Before the Fall is a well-crafted character driven whodunit that will keep you guessing until the last page. A private plane with eleven souls aboard crashes shortly after take-off from Martha’s Vineyard. There is a media mogul and his family, a Wall Street Power Broker and his wife, a Texas playboy, a gorgeous flight attendant, a seasoned pilot, a lethal bodyguard and a starving artist, all with secrets and hidden agendas that play out in flashbacks and real time. This novel captures the reader’s attention as each piece of the puzzle unravels until the final plot twist. Add to the story an unscrupulous newscaster, a money grabbing family member and a relentless investigator looking for the truth and you have an intense read. I highly recommend this book. For more information, go to www.noahhawley.com. My second novel is James Patterson’s stand-alone thriller Invisible. Emmy Dockery is obsessed with finding the link between hundreds of unsolved cases, so much so that she has taken leave from her job as an FBI researcher. The problem is no one believes her not even her ex-boyfriend, field agent Harrison “Books” Bookman. To believe her would mean that hundreds of kidnappings, rapes, and murders are all connected. But soon Emmy finds a piece of evidence he can’t afford to ignore. More murders are reported by the day—and they’re all inexplicable. Without motive or a murder weapon, it is hard to uncover the truth, but each murder gets her closer to a psychotic killer. Invisible is a chilling thriller that plays on the reader’s fear of fires. Patterson along with co-writer David Ellis has once again penned a fast moving thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seat up until the last page. With vivid characters and a tight plot, Invisible is a quick read and a must for Patterson fans. For more information, go to www.jamespatterson.com.
Party Down I am so ready for fall and the entire holiday season. But right now, the party scene is now in full swing. There is so much to do. I started my two weeks on Tuesday by attending The Sound of Music at the Saenger Theatre and it was just simply superb. This is what good traveling shows are about. From the sets to the cast, everything was outstanding about the show. Strangely enough, it was my first time seeing the play so I was just astounded about the great score. Definitely a highlight of the week and seeing great theatre in such a historic and architecturally stunning venue is so special. My Friday was all about Mama Leggio. My mother has always been a very special
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TROPICAL ISLE: Home of the Hand Grenade, 721 Bourbon St., 529.4109, TropicalIsle.COM Slidell, LA [985] BILLY'S, 2600 Hwy. 190 West, 847.1921 Biloxi, MS [228] CLUB VEAUX, 834 Howard Ave., 207.3271
bookstores New Orleans, LA [504] FAB - Faubourg Marigny Art & Books, 600 Frenchmen St., 947.3700
circuit/events
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costumes New Orleans, LA [504] QT PIE BOUTIQUE - 241 Dauphine St., 581. 6633
florists Baton Rouge, LA [225] FOUR SEASONS FLOWERS & GIFTS, 3482 Drusilla Ln., Drusilla Shopping Center, 924.1386, 1.800.237.5381
galleries New Orleans, LA [504] CASSELL-BERGEN GALLERY, 1305 Decatur St., cassellbergengallery.com, 504.524.0671
guides AMBUSH Mag, 828-A Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70116-3137; 504.522.8049, AmbushMag.COM; marsha@ripandmarsha.com
bars Mobile, AL [251] B-Bob's Downtown, 213 Conti St., 433.2262, B-Bobs.COM Flip Side Bar & Patio, 54 S. Conception St., 431.8819, FlipSideBarPatio.COM GABRIEL'S DOWNTOWN, 55 South Joachim St., 432.4900 THE MIDTOWN PUB, 153 Florida St., 450.1555 Pensacola, FL [850] THE ROUNDUP, 560 East Heinberg St., 433.8482 Baton Rouge, LA [225] GEORGE'S, 860 St. Louis, 387.9798, SPLASH, 2183 Highland Rd., 242.9491, SplashBR.COM Lake Charles, LA [337] CRYSTAL'S, 112 W. Broad, 433.5457 Metairie, LA [504] FOUR SEASONS & PATIO STAGE BAR, 3229 N. Causeway, 832.0659, FourSeasonsBar.com New Orleans, LA [504] 700 CLUB, 700 Burgundy, 561.1095, BIG DADDY'S, 2513 Royal, 948.6288 BIG EASY DAIQUIRIS, 216 Bourbon, 501 Bourbon, 409 Decatur, 617 Decatur
THE BLACK PENNY, 700 N. Rampart BOURBON PUB & PARADE, 801 Bourbon St., 529.2107, BourbonPub.COM CAFÉ LAFITTE IN EXILE, 901 Bourbon Street 522.8397, Lafittes.COM CORNER POCKET, 940 St. Louis, 568.9829, CornerPocket.NET COUNTRY CLUB, 634 Louisa St., TheCountryClubNewOrleans.COM, 945.0742 CUTTER'S, 706 Franklin, 948.4200 THE DOUBLE PLAY, 439 Dauphine, 523.4517 THE FRIENDLY BAR, 2301 Chartres, 943.8929 GOLDEN LANTERN, 1239 Royal, 529.2860, Facebook.COM/GoldenLanternBar GOOD FRIENDS BAR, 740 Dauphine St, 566.7191, GoodFriendsBar.COM GRANDPRE'S, 834 N. Rampart St., 267.3615, Facebook.com/grandpres KAJUN'S PUB, 2256 St. Claude Ave., 947.3735, KajunPub.COM MAG'S 940, 940 Elysian Fields Ave., 948.1888 OZ NEW ORLEANS, 800 Bourbon, 593.9491, OzNewOrleans. COM THE PAGE, 542 N. Rampart St., 875.4976 PHOENIX/EAGLE, 941 Elysian Fields, 945.9264, www.phoenixbarnola.com RAWHIDE 2010, 740 Burgundy St., 525.8106, Rawhide2010.COM
groceries/delis New Orleans, LA [504] QUARTERMASTER DELI, THE NELLIE DELI, 1100 Bourbon, 529.1416
hair salons New Orleans, LA [504] Two Guys Cutting Hair, 2372 St. Claude Ave., Suite 125, appointments: Adikus 215.519.5030, Trent 504.239.2397
hardware New Orleans, LA [504] MARY'S FRENCH QUARTER HARDWARE, 732 N. Rampart, 529.4465
lodging/accommodations New Orleans [504] AARON INGRAM HAUS, 1012 Elysian Fields, New Orleans, LA 70117, PHONE: 504.949.3110, www.ingramhaus.com/xqey, e-mail us at ingramhaus@yahoo.com. Condos with queen-size beds, private entrances; located only six blocks from Bourbon Street and walking distance to most New Orleans attractions. Several favorite bars are within one block. [0715] BLUES60 GUEST HOUSE, 1008 Elysian
Fields Ave. New Orleans, LA 70117, Phone: 1.504.324.4311, www.blues60guesthouse.com, info@blues60guesthouse.com. The Blue60 Guest House with 5 suites provides a peaceful retreat in the center of the Faubourg Marigny, just blocks from the French Quarter and Frenchman St. [1115] BURGUNDY BED AND BREAKFAST, 2513 Burgundy St., New Orleans, LA 70117, PHONE/FAX: 504.942.1463, Toll Free (Continental US only): 1.800.970.2153, www.theburgundy.com, E-mail us at theburgundy@cox.net. Gay owned and operated in newly renovated 1890's double. Four guest rooms with private baths, guests' parlor and "halfkitchen", courtyard and half-open tubhouse with spa (hot tub/whirlpool). Clothing optional in sunbathing and hot tub area. Walking distance to French Quarter. Immediate vicinity of gay and lesbian bars/venues. [0815] THE FRENCH QUARTER GUEST HOUSES, 1005 St. Peter, New Orleans, LA 70116, Phone: 1.800.367.5858, FrenchQuarterGuestHouses.com, email: Info@frenchquarterguesthouses.com. Four meticulously restored boutique inns located in the heart of the French Quarter's most popular LGBT neighborhood. Each building's individual character and charm provides an unforgettable authentic French Quarter experience! THE NATCHEZ, 530 Natchez St., Phone: 504.881.1243, www.thenatchez.com, reservations@thenatchez.com. Steps from the French Quarter located centrally in Downtown New Orleans with luxury 2, 3, and 4 bedroom suites are available for rent. [10/16] THE ST. PHILIP HOTEL, 612 St. Philip St., Phone: 504.523.2197, www.thestphilip.com, reservations@thestphiliphotel.com. The St. Philip Hotel (circa 1839) is a Mediterranean-style building in the French Quarter that is centrally located to everything in the French Quarter. The hotel is only a 2-3 minute walk to the French Market, Cafe Du Monde, Jackson Square, Royal Street, and Bourbon Street. [10/16]
massage New Orleans, LA [504] RIGHT TOUCH MASSAGE -- Christopher - Full body therapeutic massage (Swedish/Deep Tissue); heated table; private studio; tropical garden; Faubourg Marigny Area, French Quarter. Upgrade (Salt Scrubs Bodywork & Thai/Sport Stretching massage). Call/text 504.458.5996 / For pictures http://www.christophernola.com. License #LA4553 [is2515]
media New Orleans, LA [504] AMBUSH Mag, Official Gay Easter Parade Guide, Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide, Official Gay New Orleans Guide, Official Gulf South Guide, Official Pride Guide, Official Southern Decadence Guide, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 522.8049, AmbushMag.COM; email: marsha@ripandmarsha.com AMBUSHonLINE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137; 522.8049, ambushonline.com, email: marsha@ripandmarsha.co
organizations FOOD FOR FRIENDS, 504.821.2601 ext. 254 FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE MARDI GRAS (FNBMG), 504.319.8261, www.fridaynightbeforemardigras.com GAY APPRECIATION AWARDS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137; 522.8049; AmbushMag.COM/GAA GAY EASTER PARADE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, info@gayeasterparade.com, GayEasterParade.COM GAY MARDI GRAS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, GayMardiGras.COM GAY NEW ORLEANS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, GayNewOrleans.COM HAART (HIV/AIDS Alliance Region Two, Inc.), 4550 North Blvd. Ste. 250, Baton Rouge, LA 70806, 225.927.1269, www.haartinc.org, offers
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a complete continuum of care to people living with HIV/AIDS including housing, primary care, medications, case management, and an array of supportive services. In addition HAART provides HIV prevention education and FREE testing to the Baton Rouge area. HALLOWEEN IN NEW ORLEANS, INC., PO Box 52171, 70152-2171; halloween neworleans.com/ambush KREWE OF AMON-RA, PO Box 7033, Metairie, LA 70010, KreweOfAmonRa.COM KREWE OF ARMEINIUS, PO Box 56638, New Orleans, LA 70156-6638, kreweofarmeinius.org KREWE OF MWINDO, PO Box 51031, 70156; 913.5791, KreweOfMwindo.ORG, krewe@kreweofmwindo.org KREWE OF NARCISSUS, PO Box 3832, New Orleans, LA 70177. Contact: 504.228.9441 KREWE OF PETRONIUS, PO Box 1102, Kenner, LA. 70063-1102, www.kreweofpetroius.net KREWE OF QUEENATEENAS / KING CAKE QUEEN ROYALTY CLUB, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 522.8049, GayMardiGras.COM/KCQ KREWE OF URSUS, kreweofursus@aol.com LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, 1308 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA 70116, 504.475.7911, www.lgbtarchivesla.org LORDS OF LEATHER, 1631 Elysian Fields, #161, 70117, www.lordsofleather.org MYSTIC KREWE OF SATYRICON, 2443 Halsey Ave., New Orleans, LA 70114, 504.906.7990 Todd J. Blauvelt / Secretary, krewe.of.satyricon@gmail.com, MysticKreweOfSatyricon.COM NO/AIDS TASK FORCE, 2601 Tulane Ave., Suite 500, 70119; 504.821.2601; NOAIDSTaskForce.COM PRIDE, NOLAPride.ORG RENEGADE BEARS OF LOUISIANA, PO Box 3083, New Orleans, LA 70177; renegadebearsoflouisiana@gmail.com SOUTHERN DECADENCE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, SouthernDecadence.COM ST. ANNA'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1313 Esplanade Avenue New Orleans, LA 70116 947.2121, stannanola.org
pharmacy Avita Pharmacy, offers personalized care to those affected by chronic illnesses. Avita offers free delivery, co-pay assistance, benefit coordination, and refill reminder calls as well as access to a pharmacy 24/7. www.avitapharmacy.com. Locations: Baton Rouge, LA, 5551 Corporate Blvd, Suite 102, Tel: 225.924.9130 or 888.792.8482, 70808; New Orleans, LA , Tulane Tower, 2601 Tulans Ave., Suite 445, Tel: 504.822.0131 or 877.424.2930, 70119; New Orleans, LA, Marine Building, 3308 Tulane Ave., Suite 102, 70119, Tel: 504.309.2557 or 844.309.2557. Mumfrey's Pharmacy, 1021 W. Judge Perez Dr., Chalmette, LA 70043, 504.279.6312, www.MumfreysPharmacy.COM. Supporting & serving the LGBT Community for over 20 years. Local pharmacy offering personalized family-like service, automatic refills & free metro wide confidential pickup & delivery. Also offering shipping for out-side our delivery area. When you call us you speak to a person, not a machine. See our ad.
photography New Orleans, LA [504] GRAHAM/STUDIO ONE NEW ORLEANS, by appointment, grahamstudioone.com
restaurants Metairie, LA [504] Chef Ron's Gumbo Stop & Pub, 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., 835.2022, GumboStop.com New Orleans, LA [504] The Bombay Club, 830 Rue Conti, 577.2237, www.bombayclubneworleans.com Broussard’s Restaurant & Courtyard, 819 Rue Conti, 581.3866, http://broussards.com
Cheezy Cajun, 3325 St. Claude Ave., 265.0045, www.TheCheezyCajun.com Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon St., 598.1010, www.CloverGrill.com Country Club Restaurant, 634 Louisa St., www.TheCountryClubNewOrleans.com, 945.0742 Gene's Po-Boys & Daquiris, 1040 Elysian Fields Ave., 943.3861,
www.genespoboys.com Ilys Bistro, 1040 Elysian Fields Ave., 947.8341, www.Facebook.com/ILYSBistro Kingfish Kitchen & Cocktails, 337 Chartres St. 598.5005, www.KinfishNewOrleans.com Mona Lisa Restaurant, 1212 Royal St., 522.6746 Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro, 720 Orleans, 523.1930, www.OrleansGrapevine.com Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli, 1100 Bourbon St. , 529.1416, www.QuartermasterDeli.net
REAL ESTATE
Royal House Oyster Bar, 441 Royal St., 528.2601, www.RoyalHouseRestaurant.com Stanley, 547 St. Ann St., 587.0093, www.StanleyRestaurant.com
real estate New Orleans, LA [504] Latter & Blum, Steven Richards Realtor, 504.258.1800, SteveRichardsProperties.com Latter & Blum, Steven Vaughn Realtor, Cell 504.810.4646, Office 504.948.3011, w w w. St e v e n Va u g h a n P r o p e r t i e s . c o m , Svaughan@latterblum.com New Orleans Relocation, Realtors — gayowned boutique real estate agency for locals and newcomers. 504.273.0088 www.NOLArelo.com Gay Real Estate, www.GayRealEstate.com, 888.420.6683
retail/shopping
3215 Chartres Street - $149,000 YES, fixer uppers still exist! Private drive and yard. Located in the heart of Bywater just one-half block to the Crescent Park rainbow bridge and around the corner from The Country Club! Call Mark Boline @ 504.655.2233, New Orleans Relicatiun LLC, Realtors.
New Orleans, LA [504] BOURBON PRIDE, 909 Bourbon, 566.1570 COK (Clothing or Kinkl), 941 Elysian Fields, 945.9264 MARY'S FRENCH QUARTER KITCHEN & BATH, 732 N. Rampart, 529.4465 QT PIE BOUTIQUE - 241 Dauphine St., 581. 6633 XXXSHOP, 1835 N. Rampart St., 504.232.3063
services New Orleans, LA [504] ABC Title Services, www.abctitle.com Formal Connection, 299 Belle Terre Blvd. LaPlace, LA, 985.652.1195 Milavo, www.milavospray.com
theatres New Orleans, LA [504] CAFE ISTANBUL, 2372 St. Claude Ave., #140, 504.974.0786, CafeIstanbulNOLA.COM
tours New Orleans, LA [504] Gay New Orleans Walking Tour, Crescent City Tour Booking Agency, (LGBT Business of the Year) 638 St. Ann St., 568.0717. follow Gay New Orleans Walking Tour @ Facebook.COM
526 Burgundy St., New Orleans Beautiful historic charm,totally renovated French Quarter Single with separate guest quarters. Main house features 2 bedrooms with walkin closets, 2.5 baths, living room, dining room, kitchen and laundry room. Guest house with separate entrance features 1 bedroom, 1 bath plus living room. Total living area 1927sq. ft., includes the 390 sq. ft. guest house. Nice brick courtyard for outdoor entertaining. $869,500.
under the gaydar ...from 24 person in my life, so celebrating her birthday is always a fun ritual. I got us a private car and we went to dinner with some friends of mine to Andrea’s Italian Restaurant in Metairie. Since 1985, Chef Andrea Apuzzo (who was also there that night) has been serving the best Authentic Northern Italian Cuisine. The food was especially delicious and dinner was so much fun. After dinner, we dropped mom off and then my friends and I went bar hopping uptown. It has been forever in a day since I went to the Columns and I forgot how much history is in that place. Sitting outside having cocktails watching the streetcar brings back so many memories of days past in college and my twenties. It still is a great place to hang out and people watch, although the people
The seller is also offering a $30,000 credit towards closing cost & credit. Steven Vaughan Realtor® @ 504.810.4646, Latter & Blum, www.Latter-Blum.com. seem to be much younger these days. Next we tried a new place. We went to the newly restored Pontchartrain Hotel’s rooftop bar called Tin Roof. OMG, this place is phenomenal and the view of the city is breathtaking. The cocktails are well crafted and the atmosphere is very shabby posh. But keep in mind since it is new, it is quite the scene, so be prepared to wait downstairs for a short while and deal with crowds. But the service is good and fast and the bartenders are very efficient. Don’t you hate when you start a day with great intentions, but all plans go slightly awry, well that was my Saturday. Some friends and I went to the NO/AIDS Walk at Audubon Park. It was a gorgeous day and we all had our puppies, Dahlia and Magno-
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trodding the boards by Brian Sands
Email: bsnola2@hotmail.com
On the Road... New York, NY When I visit New York, I usually see a handful of theater offerings. During a recent visit, however, all the shows on Broadway I had either seen or didn’t care to (Aladdin? On Your Feet!? Thanks, but no). So I saw only one off-Broadway play. But it was a wonderful one. Small Mouth Sounds examines the interactions among six people during a week-long spiritual retreat where they’re supposed to stay silent during this “vacation from habits, routines, self.” Using wry humor laced with cunning insights, playwright Bess Wohl allows personal histories to emerge artfully in an almost Chekhovian manner. Beginning with little, obvious conflicts, Wohl builds the narrative into smile-inducing situations and deeper confrontations, all layered with a wise, humanistic approach. Though the diverse, half dozen folks seeking escape or enlightenment (or both?) sometimes break the no-speaking rule, we primarily hear only the soothing voice of the retreat’s leader who comes across as alternately profound and pretentious. Rachel Chavkin’s subtle but pointed direction allows much to be told through subtle body movements as the play pivots
from comedy to drama. Some moments evoke the sublimity of Charlie Chaplin’s brilliant humor. And then there’s the unforgettable passage when a stark naked, absolutely gorgeous man tries to gather a bunch of personal items and keeps dropping one after another with balletic precision as another character looks on with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile. With the audience arrayed on either side of Laura Jellinek’s simple set, Mike Inwood’s atmospheric lighting directs you where to look as Stowe Nelson’s sound design and Andrew Schneider’s videos add to the environment along with the precisely detailed costumes by Tilly Grimes. The entire cast (Max Baker, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Marcia DeBonis, Gibson Frazier, Jojo Gonzalez, Babak Tafti, Zoë Winters) was magnificent. I say “was” because, unfortunately Small Mouth Sounds just concluded its limited run. But I suspect this singular show will have a long life ahead of it in regional theaters. When it’s done here, or anywhere close to you, don’t miss it. If you’re up in NYC in the coming months, there are some other things that shouldn’t be missed as well. The marvelous Morgan Library &
spotlight feature Grand Time at Café Istanbul by Brian Sands Told that I went to college with a guy named Steve Grand, the much more famous singer/songwriter with the same name replied with mock astonishment, “You mean I’m not the only one?!” No, he’s not, but you’ll be able to see that there’s no confusing him with my middleaged straight classmate on October 21 and 22 at Café Istanbul (2372 St. Claude Ave. in The N.O. Healing Center) when the Illinois-native makes his New Orleans debut. Grand sprang to national fame three years ago when the music video of his song AllAmerican Boy went viral on YouTube in less than a week after its release. He wound up appearing on Good Morning America, CNN and in other national media, being dubbed “the first openly gay male country musician to attract mainstream attention.” But Grand averred that it had “Nothing to do with me ever saying I was a country singer,” adding “things are always open to interpretation.” Indeed. When I first heard All-American Boy a few years ago, I admired its gaythemed narrative but wasn’t too keen on the music (granted, my country tastes begin with Loretta Lynn and end with Dolly Parton), and thought Steve Grand wasn’t for me. But then I recently listened to other songs of his and loved them. If I had to dub him anything it would be “a gay male cross between Taylor Swift and Adele.” Grand would probably rather avoid all such labels. “I’m just a singer/songwriter/ arranger,” he said. “Sometimes I’m more country, sometimes more rock, sometimes more 1980s.” Where Grand seems to be consistent, though, is with the stories he tells in his songs and videos. “I set up beautiful stories that don’t end well,” he commented.
In All-American Boy, a gay guy develops a crush on a straight friend that is not reciprocated. In Time, a pop yet soulful tune, a chance meeting seemingly leads to a rela-
Museum (225 Madison Ave. btw. 35 & 36 Sts.) is currently showing Hans Memling’s magnificent Triptych of Jan Crabbe with its five constituent parts reunited for the first time in America. This small but fascinating exhibit (through Jan. 8) also features a number of Memling’s independent portraits, including the Morgan’s Man with a Pink, as well as highlighting the links between panel painting and manuscript painting in fifteenthcentury Flemish art. In addition, the Morgan has an exhibit of drawings by Jean Dubuffet for which he used unorthodox materials and techniques, the better to subvert expectations with his outrageous depictions of everyday life, and one celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charlotte Brontë’s birth in which you can see the author’s earliest surviving miniature manuscript, her portable writing desk and paintbox, a blue floral dress she wore in the 1850s, and most importantly, a portion of the original manuscript of Jane Eyre, being shown in the U.S. for the first time (both through Jan. 2). There’re always incredible Old Master paintings galore at The Frick Collection (1 E. 70 St.), but from Oct. 25-Jan. 22 the focus will be on Guido Cagnacci’s Repentant Magdalene. This Italian Baroque masterpiece is in keeping with the eccentric 17th-century painter’s style combining mostly religious subjects with an often unsettling eroticism as you see a hunky angel about to beat a seminude woman with a large stick as a devil looks on. Shocking! At the Museum of Modern Art (11 W. 53 St.), the entire fourth floor is given over to works exclusively from the 1960s. There are paintings, sculpture, videos, photographs, architectural works, design ex-
amples and even a car. If my favorite pieces were an Alex Katz painting and a Louise Nevelson construction, I was also rather pleased to see that my Beatles’ White Album is now considered museum quality. Other exhibits include Kai Althoff’s and then leave me to the common swifts which takes up a large gallery and is like stepping into someone’s attic filled with reminders of their childhood; Tony Oursler’s Imponderable which examines technological advancements and occult phenomena over the last two centuries, and includes a sly feature length film with a cast of characters including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini; and The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, Nan Goldin’s renowned deeply personal photographic narrative capturing love and loss in the late 1970s and ’80s. There’s certainly lots more to see and do in New York but while we wait for Bette Midler’s arrival in the Spring in Hello, Dolly!, these spots should satisfy your cultural cravings.
tionship that ultimately falls apart. In the bouncy Stay, Grand asks a potential boyfriend to “Stay with me all summer.” Frankly, if a guy as cute as Grand has to plead with someone to stay, something ain’t right. Even the charming ballad Back to California may be about friendship, but it’s clear that the gal will be heartbroken when she discovers her guypal is gay. Grand, however, observed that “this is just life and it’s not good or bad. Most relationships don’t work out but that doesn’t mean it’s all bad or sad. We should take away something from each of the people who come into our lives. I just reflect life and let people make of it what they will.” When I complimented Grand on how convincing the relationships in each of his videos appear, he modestly responded, “I’m just playing a version of myself so it’s not heavy acting. But I find co-stars who I like and enjoy spending time with, and let it [the video] be its own little journey.” If only we could all cast handsome, inshape 20something guys opposite us. But for Grand, who tries to keep his private life private (or as much as one can in 2016), this is part of his artistic expression. If he’s been named to Out magazine’s annual “Out100” list of the year’s most compelling LGBT people, he realizes he’s not yet a household name. Which may suit him just fine as his videos show men kissing, cuddling, and in bed together. “Compared to well-funded mainstream artists,” he noted, “I have more creative control on all aspects of my career.” That career has expanded now to embrace advocacy as well. Grand toured Europe last year as an openly gay artist/
ambassador for the State Department. “It was a real honor to represent my country and my community,” Grand said. In addition to Vienna and Lithuania, Grand appeared in Latvia’s capital Riga for Europride, the first time it’s been held in a former Soviet country. “There were more armed guards there than I’ve ever seen at a parade,” Grand remarked, “but so much overwhelming support that it didn’t matter.” Closer to home, Grand is “really excited to come to New Orleans for the first time. My sister was just here and loved it. My video director lives here. My sense is that it’s a unique and soulful place, and I’m looking forward to exploring it.” Asked what we can expect from his act here, this former model answered that in the cabaret-sized Café Istanbul it’ll “feel very personal and one-on-one.” Trying to get Grand to share with me some of the more interesting experiences he’s had on the road, he demurred, saying that he’s “saving them for the shows,” so who knows what tales he’ll be telling, but I suspect they’ll be grand ones. When I inquired of this entertainer who asserts that he’s now “in a better place than ever and at peace with myself” as to which of his performances I should attend, he replied without hesitation “Both shows are going to be amazing.” I’m sure they will be. After you’ve had a Grand time at Café Istanbul, you can follow this talented, engaging young man at http://bandsintown.com/SteveGrand You should be following him for quite a while. At only 26 and with an underlying restlessness in his voice that suggests he wants to get wherever he’s going, it looks like Steven Grand has a long and successful future ahead of him.
London Away from London for nine years, this culture vulture found lots of opportunities to satisfy his cravings there. Having toured Buckingham Palace previously, I returned this time for the special exhibition Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from The Queen’s Wardrobe which charted significant events in The Queen’s life and the nation’s history through an unprecedented collection of dresses and accessories designed for these occasions, from her childhood to the present day.
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trodding the boards ...from 28 The first room gave a decade-by-decade panoramic view of her style by selecting one iconic outfit for each decade from her christening gown to the coral-colored dress and headpiece she wore when she appeared in the James Bond spoof for the 2012 Olympics’ opening ceremony (wanting to keep it a surprise, it was so hush-hush that few in the Palace even knew about it). It’s an excellent start to the exhibit. The show continues with a small display of military outfits, including HRH’s WWII service uniform, which are followed by a long corridor of the Queen’s hats, always colorful so she can be seen in a crowd. Fashionable and occasionally even
avant-garde, they expand the notion of what a woman’s hat can be. Cannnily saving the most spectacular for last, the final room opens with QEII’s sumptuous wedding dress, inspired by Botticelli’s Spring, and continues with dresses worn to birthday celebrations, weddings (including Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s), and anniversaries. A fascinating accompanying film shows upclose how craftswomen embroider pearls and other ornaments onto fabrics. HRH’s 1953 coronation dress, displayed for the first time alongside the wedding dress, is grandeur incarnate as it delicately incorporates emblems of the United Kingdom and all its dominions into
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The Corner Pocket
GrandPre's
The Double Play
ambush
paparazzi
Cafe Lafitte in Exile
Rawhide 2010
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C'est si Bon ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Paul Melancon, Ellen Miller, Rip Naquin, Jeremy Weinberg
The Phoenix Bar
under the gaydar ...from 27 lia were especially enjoying their stroller. Well, we started with one Bloody Mary, then we ran into some other friends and that turned into two, then a few vodka drinks. Well as you could imagine, we started the walk, but somehow veered off and ended up at a salon all getting mani-pedis while drinking champagne, which personally seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I love my purple colored toe nails. Next we went to The Cheezy Cajun for bottomless mimosas and cracklins. After eating brunch, we went swimming at a friend’s house in the Quarter then happy hour at Lafitte’s in Exile where my purple pirates met up with Jeff’s Blue Quistadors followed by hilarity and more drunkenness. I finally ended up pouring myself in bed at 7:30pm. Now how did an innocent walk in the park turn into an all day party? Only in NOLA, that’s how! I ended my first week on Sunday by attending the Fried Chicken Festival at Lafayette Square. I could not believe no one had thought about this festival before now, but it was not without its flaws. It was ultimately a S**t show. I know it was their
trodding the boards ...from 29 the luxurious design. How the Queen used her wardrobe for diplomacy is addressed in a multitude of gorgeous dresses that took account of cultural references and religious customs in the various countries she visited over the years. Symphonic in its layout, Fashioning a Reign concludes with a grand flourish with seven dazzling evening gowns. A section of this landmark exhibit contrasting gowns worn on official occasions with Princess Elizabeth’s fancy-dress costumes from wartime family pantomimes continues at Windsor Castle through January 8. I went from the incredibly sublime to the more down-to-earth sublime by then visiting The Royal Mews, home to the Royal Collection of historic coaches and carriages. I’ve seen such displays before but this beats all others for the remarkably high craftsmanship evidenced throughout. From the impressive Irish State Coach (1853), which the Queen often uses to travel to the State Opening of Parliament, to the jaw-droppingly opulent Gold State Coach, used at every coronation since that of George IV in 1821, you get a powerful sense of the continuity of British history. You also get to see Royal Livery outfits, four of the Queen’s horses, a collection of leather harnesses, and, interestingly, a handsome boxed set of five horse bits plus some other equine metalwear “Presented [according to its inscription] to HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh by Barack Obama, President of the United States of America and Mrs. Michelle Obama on the occasion of their State Visit to The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland May 24–25, 2011.” Now you know what to get for the person who has everything. Though I just missed an Alex Katz show, I did see three other most worthy exhibits. Whitechapel Gallery is presenting five nonpareil audio-visual installations by the audacious South African artist/filmmaker William Kentridge. Cerebral yet underpinned by a deep humanity and accompa-
first year, but boy they need to pull it together if they want me to make an appearance again. No place in this city is worth waiting over an hour to get two pieces of overpriced fried chicken. The lines for each booth were wrapped around in every direction you could not see which was the right one to get in. Then the prices were shockingly outrageous especially for cocktails (seriously $9). I was tempted to run down the street to Rouses and buy some fried chicken and start selling them to the people waiting in line. I went with a group of people and we were in and out in an hour. My advice to anyone wanting to go next year. Go to Brothers, buy a six piece chicken box and a six pack of beer and it would probably be cheaper than one beer at that festival. Afterwards I recently saw how the festival was touted as a success, obviously they are looking only at attendance numbers and not attendee satisfaction because I think they might revise their thinking. They need a bigger space, more vendors and start dropping their prices, remember it is fried chicken, we know how much it costs. So after dealing with that hot mess, my friends and I went to the much more civilized
nied by luscious music, in lesser hands these could come off as precious, but in Kentridge’s they’re visually bewitching, intellectually engaging, playful, and even moving on a subliminal level. Best of all was Right Into Her Arms consisting of a miniature model theater and two mechanized 3’x2' panels that seemed to dance (or fight) with each other and were overlaid with filmed images related to Kentridge’s production of the opera Lulu. If this unique, ingenious contraption is hard to describe it’s because I’ve never seen anything like it before. At the Royal Academy, David Hockney’s 82 Portraits and 1 Still-life was just that—a series of portraits of friends and colleagues all sitting on the same chair against the same wall (the 1 still-life was due to a model who didn’t show up). Yet something about this fairly straightforward, almost repetitious collection brought a smile to my face as Hockney puckishly captured the individual personalities of his subjects in all their imperfect humanness. Sadly, 82 Portraits has closed but for you fans of abstract expressionism a major show with lots of Pollocks, Rothko’s, de Koonings, Reinhardts and Stills continues at the Academy until January 2. The Tate Modern is offering Georgia O’Keefe through Oct. 30 and if it’s more an overview of her career than a “greatest hits” blockbuster, it’s still very interesting. I particularly enjoyed seeing her My Backyard on loan from our own New Orleans Museum of Art. I felt the same way about the Tate’s other large show, a chronological survey of the career of Chinese-Cuban artist Wilfredo Lam (through Jan. 8), but enjoyed it nonetheless. But never mind the special shows— the Tate’s permanent collection, with Picasso’s, Monets and many important British artists, is world class...and free. The recently opened Switch House has doubled the exhibition space, expanded the Museum’s offerings, and provides a phenomenal view of London from its 10th floor terrace. On a clear day, you’ll have a perspective that Shakespeare, whose Globe Theater was nearby, could only have dreamt of!
Ace Hotel for coffee at my newest obsession, Stumptown. I had never tried cold brewed coffee but it truly is amazing and so smooth. We took our drinks to the rooftop of the Ace and relaxed people watching for the remainder of the afternoon. Monday was another special day for the city. I attended the Falcons/Saints game at the Superdome which marked the 50th anniversary of the team, the 10 anniversary of the re-opening of the dome after Katrina and the sixth anniversary of the famous blocked punt by Steve Gleason that helped win the Saints/Atlanta Game and ultimate led us on the road to the Superbowl. Well, unfortunately we did not win this game, but I have to say I had a great time hanging out first on the field, then in the Saints VIP tent behind the field and finally in a suite. I honestly believe wholeheartedly that the actual game is window dressing, people actually attend the games for the party and the social aspect of it. It has to be that because who would keep going back year after year to support a losing team? New Orleanians do because we are a crazy, stubborn, experience life to its fullest group of people. I laid low up until Friday when my friends Beaux and Barrett treated me to an early birthday present by flying me to Fort Lauderdale for the weekend. And all I have to say is that city is amazing in every way. We arrived via Spirit Airlines, who has very cheap and direct flights where we had a hysterical flight attendant who started our drinking by throwing a few extra cocktails our way. We landed hopped an Uber to our hotel which was the Westin Fort Lauderdale (which is right on the beach), checked in, dropped our bags and we were off to the gay bars. Since, we were just getting in town, we did not throw it down too much, but we stopped at Progress bar which is a mixture of upscale lounge/dance club and fun outdoor patio bar. The bartenders were cute and fun. We then walked right next door to Rumors which reminds me of a large Good Friends. It was a neighborhood bar with a wide appeal to locals and visitors alike. They serve food, in fact most of the gay bars in the area serve food. There are three rooms, one large one that they do drag shows, another one with a pool table and a smaller bar, not to mention their outdoor patio area which is also large. I started doing martinis there and talking to the locals and the bartenders and before we knew it we had closed the place down at 3am. Another point, bars close at 2am except Friday and Saturday when they stay open to 3. Saturday was a non-stop day of excitement with waves, haute cuisine, shopping, boat rides, gay bars and iguanas. We got up in Fort Lauderdale and walked along the beach to Los Olas Boulevard which is their main strip. Las Olas has it all from fashion boutiques and art galleries, to restaurants, sidewalk cafes and bars. The road stretches from the beach, immaculately lined with palm trees and beautiful people, rising over the fabulous Intracoastal Waterway with magnificent views of million dollar homes and spectacular yachts. We stopped at a French Bakery called Nanou for coffee before we started our trek. It was a cute bistro with a delightful French couple running it with their two gorgeous sons. Then we were off, we decided to walk the entire stretch passing through these gorgeous areas with gigantic million dollar mansions and even larger yachts. One thing about this city is their inhabitants lean
toward the money side. After about a mile we reached the shopping area where we enjoyed going into the different boutiques and shops that aligned the street. We ended at the Riverwalk area which had some historic homes, more shops and a park where you can sit and watch the harbor and marina. But be warned there are huge iguanas overhead in the trees. Barrett and I were lounging in one of the chairs when one particularly dinosaur looking creature came down to say hi. Talk about squeal like girls, we broke sound barriers. We decided to take the free water shuttle around the Riverfront area to see the sites form the water, stopping for lunch at this festively decorated restaurant called The Briny. As you can imagine with the name, it was a maritime theme restaurant with lots of good food and atmosphere. The prices were reasonable and the waiters, very hot. Their lobster bisque was divine. After shopping on Los Olas, we took a motorized golf cart driven by a very handsome young shirtless man back to our hotel. Once back at the hotel, we changed into our bathing suits and hit the beach. The waves were high, the boys were hot and the sun was bright. This is definitely an eye-candy beach. After hanging out on the beach, we went to the hotel pool, where there was a DJ spinning great music. We had some cocktails form the pool bar before calling it an afternoon. After resting and doing a quick change, we went back to the gay district which is called Wilton Manors. We went to an incredible restaurant that I highly recommend called Thirteen. It was truly one of the best dining experiences I have had in a long time. The prices were sensible, the service was outstanding (our waiter David was the best), and the cuisine was delectable. From the fresh seafood to their steaks, all of our meals were incredible. After hanging out there for a while we started our gay bar crawl and it was quite the adventure. In no particular order, we hit Gym, Village Pub, Rumors, Progress, Matty’s, infinity, Wolf, Hunter’s and Alibi. These bars ranged the gamut from dance clubs, sophisticated lounges, sports bars, and neighborhood dives. There was a bar to fit everyone’s style. We though had a blast (and a cocktail) in each one so you could imagine the shape we were in when we got back to the hotel. On Sunday, Beaux and I got up early and walked along the beach before heading back to the gay area for brunch. We ate at a popular restaurant called Rosie’s that had a DJ on the patio area. The place was packed and the atmosphere was lively. This is one of those “in” hotspots to be seen at and we fit right in. We ordered lots of champagne cocktails and Bloody Mary’s. The food was delicious and the staff was hustling. The professionalism and hospitality we experienced across the board was exemplary in this city. Whether it was waiters, bartenders, hotel staff, uber drivers, and even strippers, everyone was gracious. Rosie’s is one of those restaurants that lifts your spirit when you walk through their front door. All the waiters have a saying on their shirts that are wise words to live by “Don’t sweat the petty things, and don’t pet the sweaty things.” After brunch we strolled back over to Thirteen to see our new friend David and partook in their bottomless champagne. We hung out there for a few hours speaking
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under the gaydar ...from 31 with the owner Carol, who has family in NOLA and the bartender Tracy. By the time we left, we felt like one of the family. We next went to Village Pub then Alibi where they too had a great champagne special $17 bottle of Prosecco. After two cocktails and Beaux buying a pair of silver lame assless chaps, we decided it was time to move onto our next stop. We hopped to Le Boy which is a short cab ride away to enjoy an afternoon of boys stripping. This is quite the nifty little hideaway and their courtyard has such a tropical appeal, you feel like you are in the islands. They have great bartender Darryl in the patio who not only serves great cocktails but he also sings very well. He will croon everything from Elton John to Disney hits while you watch sexy men in their showers or on their stages inside. I love this bar, it is sexy, naughty and the guys are spectacular. After a few hours of mischief, we were on our way back to the hotel where we had a few cocktails closing the pool bar down before bed (actually a quick nap since our flight was so early in the morning. So if you are looking for a fun getaway, Fort Lauderdale is definitely a great place to hang out. Until next week, keep calm and stay wicked.
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The Social Scene... ~ Mobile, Alabama ~ Photos by Miss Cie
Travel Adventures ~ Ft. Lauderdale, Florida ~ Photos by Tony Leggio
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out front Amon-Ra Halloween Party Oct. 23 @ The Corner Pocket The Krewe of Amon-Ra will host its annual Halloween Party on Sunday, Oct. 23 at The Corner Pocket, 940 St. Louis St. in New Orleans. Join the krewe from 4:306:30pm for entertainment, food, 50/50 raffle and some wild surprises. There's a $10 donation at the door. Proceeds benefit the krewe's 52nd Gay Mardi Gras Ball on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017 at the Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center in Chalmette, Louisiana. For more on the krewe, visit www.KreweOfAmonRa.com.
Lulu Blackwell Joins Ambush Sales Staff Local French Quarter personality Lulu Blackwell has joined Ambush Magazine as a member of its sales rep team. Don't miss out on the opportunity to get great exposure in the upcoming Halloween issue welcoming thousands to the Big Easy for five great days of festivities. The issue runs Oct. 25Nov. 7, with an ad deadline of Tuesday, Oct. 18. Lulu can be contacted at 504.220.1471 or lesleysblackwell74@yahoo.com.
Lulu Blackwell with Frank Perez You can also contact fellow sales reps Paul Melancon at gpaulynola@gmail.com, Frank Perez at f.perez@sbcglobal.net, or Rip Naquin at ripna@ambushmag.com. All sales reps can be reached at the Ambush Office: 504.522.8049.
Bourbon Boylesque A Hit @ Oz Tuesdays Got any plans for Tuesday nights it the City That Care Forgot? Well, Ambush has a hot choice for you. Every Tuesday night around 8ish pm, it's Bourbon Boylesque at Oz New Orleans. Let Bobby B., Danger Rockwell, emcee Trixie Minx, Atomyc Adonis and 007 Gag-non (below) tantalize you proving why Oz is voted Show Club and Dance Club of the Year by the voters of this
magazine every year. From tap dancing, to roller scatting, striptease to flying through
the air, and singing live with sex appeal, this show has it all. You will not be disappointed.
Match Reveals Data on National LGBTQ Study To celebrate National Coming Out Day on Tuesday, Oct. 11, Match reveals data from its 2016 LGBTQ in America study, the largest U.S. national study of American singles who identify as LGBTQ. The data uncovers new insights around singles’ personal journey of realizing their sexual orientation and coming to terms with who they are. “The data reveals our understandings of sexual orientation and gender identity have come a long way over the last few years. New scientific research, coupled with dozens of public figures embracing
their identities, has ushered in a new era of understanding and acceptance around sexuality and gender. The data from our LGBTQ in America study highlights the many different personal stories of people realizing their sexual orientation and gender identity: while 1-in-4 single LGBTQ people surveyed came out in the same year they realized their identify, the remaining three quarters felt compelled to not share who they are with others in their life. While the tides are changing, we still have work to do, to reduce stigma and instead celebrate America’s rich diversity.” Justin Garcia, Research Scientist at The Kinsey Institute and Scientific Advisor to Match.
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Advertising Info 504.522.8049 ripna@ambushmag.com
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36 • The Official Mag© © : AmbushMag.com • Oc t . 11-24, 2016 • Of fic ial Gay Mar di Gras Guide • GayMar diGras.c om