VOL 3 ISSUE 4 Beige | Volume 3 | Issue 4
BECAUSE YOUR LIFE IS COLOURFUL
BEHIND THE LABEL SHOTS ANYONE? THEATRE WHO’S ACTING UP? SHOWCASE ART THE GIRLS THAT MADE YOU GAY
ENOUGH
Stripping in REICHEN LEHMKUHL BARES HIS SOUL
SURF’S UP
The beach boys of Newcastle
IVANA’S TRUMP CARD We peek inside her luxury London pad
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? How green fingers are the new black
AT HOME WITH... Boogaloo Stu
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER The new face of sperm donation
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Three Fabulous All-Gay Cruises this Summer. Copenhagen to Amsterdam Pride Cruise • 29 July - 8 August
Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, plus an overnight for Amsterdam Gay Pride on the stunning Eurodam
Venice to Athens Cruise • 16 –24 August
Istanbul, Santorini, Mykonos, and the Dalmation Coast on the new Celebrity Equinox
Athens to Barcelona Cruise • 24 August - 2 September
Rome, Sicily, Naples, and an overnight in Tel Aviv on the new Celebrity Equinox
Photography: Kal Yee, Jeff Eason
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Summer Holiday Plans?
We’re sailing Europe. Do you cruise? We’re bringing the biggest and best gay cruises of all time to Europe this summer, with three fantastic new sailings on the newest top-rated ships in the world. We’re even sailing the first cruise into Amsterdam’s legendary gay pride! Unique experiences, custom designed for the way we play. From the beaches in Mykonos to the cafes of Tel Aviv, you’ll relax and explore in style and comfort. Featuring the world’s best gay and lesbian entertainers, innovative parties, and friends from around the world. All at rates you can easily afford. To learn more about these and our other exciting Atlantis holidays, visit our web site, see your travel agent or ring us today at +44 (0) 20 7292 2380.
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atlantisevents.co.uk
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Indulge
your sense of adventure. Since 1972 we have provided worldwide adventures for the uncommon traveler and this year is no exception. Whether your dreams take you to see the Pyramids of Egypt or the polar bears of the Canadian tundra, we have a trip for you. Explore new places with like-minded people who appreciate the finer things this world has to offer, both natural man-made. Over 35 years ago our founder set out to provide and man-mad unique gay travel adventures and we’re proud to keep that legacy going. We hope you can join us for a tour!
A
Is e b o fo tr h
Historic Machu Picchu From Lima to the Sacred Valley, explore the riches of Peru including two days at Machu Picchu.
5 - 13 July, 2010
Polar Bear Dreams
A
Watch Polar Bears from your own private Tundra Buggy on the Manitoba Tundra. Dog Sledding, the Northern Lights and more.
19 - 24 October, 2010
Classical Tour of Turkey Enjoy stunning city sites, archeological wonders and a 3 night boat ride along the coast in a classic vessel.
20 Sept. - 2 Oct., 2010 Nile in Style
Sail the Nile on the SS Karim, a 15 cabin paddle-wheel steamer built for kings.
Cy th
19 - 30 November, 2010
Definitely not
your Grandmother’s group tour! www.HEtravel.com
Celebrating 38 years! You can also book through our UK partner: template.indd 2
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not your style? Adventure Permitted!
Isn’t it time for some adventure? Life’s too short to sit back and watch the world go by, so come on out and experience it! Each Alyson Adventure offers a physical challenge, and the opportunity to experience things by immersing yourself in another world, another culture. You can share your experiences with a small group of like-minded people and receive the best value possible. Alyson Adventures has been providing tours for gay men, lesbians and friends for over 15 years and in more than 30 countries, and in that time we’ve traversed the globe with a unique style. Whether you hike, bike, dive, kayak or raft you can be sure that your holiday will be anything but ordinary and as always... Adventure Permitted!
Biking Andalucia
Icelandic Grand Canyon Rafting Adventure
Cycle the Via Verde through rural Spain.
Extreme watersports, eerie landscapes, and extraordinary fun!
2 - 9 October 2010
31 July - 7 August 2010
White water, red rock, blue sky. 2011 Departures now online!
Antarctica Adventure
A tour of the Southernmost Continent. 10 - 20 December 2010
See all of our tour offerings online!
www.AlysonAdventures.com
Celebrating 15 years!
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VOL 3 ISSUE 4 Beige | Volume 3 | Issue 4
Cover: Model: Reichen Lehmkuhl Photographed by Scott Hoover www.scotthooverphotography.com
BECAUSE YOUR LIFE IS COLOURFUL
BEHIND THE LABEL SHOTS ANYONE? THEATRE WHO’S ACTING UP? SHOWCASE ART THE GIRLS THAT MADE YOU GAY
ENOUGH
Stripping in REICHEN LEHMKUHL BARES HIS SOUL
SURF’S UP
The beach boys of Newcastle
IVANA’S TRUMP CARD We peek inside her luxury London pad
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
contents
How green fingers are the new black
AT HOME WITH... Boogaloo Stu
vol 3 iss 4
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER The new face of sperm donation
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Features
Welcome
12 A World of Difference
Hello and welcome to Beige!
Peter Burton recalls a time when a film’s narrative could be perceived as covertly gay
The image just over there, to the right of this text, isn’t (sadly) of me, but of an alluring gentleman wearing Cocksox underwear. Don’t they fit him just right? We thought so (and we’ve seen the raw image on a huge computer monitor), which is why we’ve brought you a selection of photos from the recent Cocksox shoot, which kicks off on page 42. This month’s coverboy is one of the nicest guys we’ve ever interviewed for Beige. Smart, sexy and cheeky, Reichen Lehmkuhl is an irritatingly well-rounded and talented man with his fingers in far more than his fair share of pies. Torsten Højer talked to him about life, love and his new New York stage role, from page 24. Thanks again to Scott Hoover who photographed Reichen taking off his camouflaged kit for us. Elsewhere, we’ve got an interview with the star of surf movie Newcastle, Lachlan Buchanan; an introduction to an African safari with a difference; the pick of this season’s new sunglasses; an insight into everyone’s cool new obsession: gardening; and we share coffee and campery at Boogaloo Stu’s Brighton home. Plus lots more, of course. Enjoy!
16 Glamour in the Greenhouse Steve Buston asks, When Did Gardening Become So Cool?
24 Stripping in Action
Our coverboy Reichen Lehmkuhl removes his outer shell for Torsten Højer
29 The Fight for This Love
As the Gay Liberation Front celebrates its 4th anniversary, Beige looks back on the demands that made a difference
30 The Heart of the Love Song
Ally MacBeal singer-songwriter Vonda Shephard reveals her all time top ten songs to smooch to
42 Fashion: Cocksox
DOUGLAS MAYO, Editor
Thinking of going abroad for cosmetic surgery? Beige is planning a feature about going abroad for cosmetic surgery. Have you made the journey, or are you thinking about travelling abroad for treatment? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Please email torsten@beigeuk.com with a brief description of your story. It might also interest you that a show is planned for London in June which deals with this subject. Destination Health is ‘the ultimate show for people who are planning to travel abroad for health and medical treatments - with just one single visit you have an opportunity to meet and discuss your requirements with a host of hospitals, clinics and consultants representing the world’s leading health tourism destinations. You can also get free advice, attend seminars and presentations and all the help and information you need to make your decision to travel abroad for treatment. You will meet with hundreds of hospitals, clinics and agencies who will be showcasing a wide range of treatments including: Cosmetic Surgery, General Surgery, Dental Treatments, Orthopedic, Heart Surgery, Weight Loss, Fertility Treatments, Cancer Treatment, Eye Surgery and Wellness And Spa. You will also have an opportunity to attend a programme of free seminars covering all aspects of travelling abroad for treatments as well as in-depth presentations on the most popular medical procedures.’ The show is at London Olympia from 26-27 June 2010. www.destinationhealth.co.uk
Editor Douglas Mayo editor@beigeuk.com Commercial Manager Chris Colman 0203 371 1850 chris@beigeuk.com
07/05/2010 14:45
Sales Executive Craig Davies 020 3371 1425 craig@beigeuk.com
Advertising/ Subscriptions advertising@beigeuk.com 0203 006 3094
Film Josh Winning
Features Editor Torsten Højer torsten@beigeuk.com
Design Phillip Wentworth www.CarlHobden.co.uk
Books Peter Burton
Behind the Label Mark Ludmon
Contributors Adam Lake Martin Roberts Robin Anderson Steve Bustin Tony Tansley
Underwear that hugs in all the right places
50 Whose Festival is it Anyway?
Peter Burton highlights the gayinterest elements of this year’s Brighton Festival
58 Surf’s Up!
Josh Winning chats up to Aussie actor Lachlan Buchanan about baring his butt in Newcastle
62 Love You Long Time
Are gay cruising services fuelling our Boy Next Door or Euroboy fantasies?
70 Ivana’s Trump Card
Designer Robin Anderson guides us through the London home he created for Ivana trump
Beige UK is published by Next Phase Media Suite 404 Albany House 324-326 Regent Street London W1B 3HH T: 0203 004 8133 F: 0871 714 6996 ISSN 1756-7211
www.beigeuk.com
All rights reserved throughout the world. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written consent of Beige UK. The views and opinions expressed by contributors to this magazine may not necessarily represent the views of Beige UK. Beige UK takes no responsibility for claims made in advertisements featured in this magazine. Beige UK can take no responsibility for unsolicited material. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy and completeness, and the opinions based thereon are not guaranteed. Disclaimer: Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organisation, articles or advertising in Beige UK should not be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person or organisation or advertiser. (c) Next Phase Media
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2010 COLLECTION
Hot new designs, same comfortable fit.
Every Angel has a little bit of bad...
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contents
vol 3 iss 4 Regulars
16
10 Fresh!
BBQ special to celebrate National BBQ Week!
18 20vs50
Adam Lake and Tony Tansley talk gay men and the media
21 Wellbeing
White teeth in under an hour, plus, the new face of sperm donation
32 Off the Shelf: Books
The best new queer literature
45 Fashion: Shades and shirts
What does your shirt say about you?
52 Showcase
The Girls That Make Me Gay
24
54 Film
DVD and cinema biggies this month
60 Music
12
22
Does anyone care about Boyzone’s continuing ‘comeback’?
64 Theatre: Upstaged
Holding the Man hits London and makes everyone cry
69 Gay Men and Motors
What does the police car of the future look like?
74 Property
29
Our resident expert Martin Roberts imparts home advice
76 At home with... Boogaloo Stu
The glam-rock superstar opens his doors wider than his flared cords
80 Community
All the numbers you need
82 Nightcap
A shot of Sambuca, anyone?
8 | beige | vol 3 issue 4
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2010 COLLECTION
Hot new designs, same comfortable fit.
...and every Devil has a little bit of good.
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fresh!
BBQ Special to celebrate National BBQ Week • BBQ Special to celebrate National BBQ Week So, you have two options when National BBQ Week comes around at the end of June: invite your butchest of friends around (or your dad, if he’s about) to avoid the usual ‘I’m too gay to light a BBQ’ and ensure it sizzles with the best of them or, get stuck in with these beauties now so you’re practiced and proficient and can be the manliest man in town (National BBQ Week runs from 31 May – 6 June). According to reports, BBQ accidents are responsible for more than 70,000 A&E trips each year, which is why the powers that be have put together this list of safety tips:
• Position BBQs on a sheltered, level site, away from anything that might catch fire and never directly on the grass • Take care when using knives and scissors to separate sausages, chop salads or cut open bread rolls. Minimise distractions by preparing food inside before guests arrive and before the alcohol starts flowing • Only use BBQ fuel or lighters to light the BBQ never flammable liquid such as petrol or paraffin (around 1.7 million Britons have used petrol in order to light their barbeque, with a further 1.2 million having used highly combustible aerosols to get the coals burning. 600,000 have used perfume to light the grill) • Never leave a BBQ unattended and keep children and pets away from the cooking area • Never move a BBQ while it is alight or hot - wait until it has cooled and empty ashes onto bare garden soil, not into the bin • Keep a bucket of water or sand nearby in case of emergencies • Avoid food poisoning – cook meat and poultry until piping hot throughout, the juices run clear and there are no pink bits
Picnic Table Condiment Set At first you might wonder why on earth you’d want a picnic table impaled by a five foot high bottle of ketchup, but then you’d realise that this is a miniature picnic table complete with ketchup bottle, mustard bottle and salt & pepper shaker, that you put on your maxi table.
£14.99, www.iwantoneofthose.com
Barbie kit (no, not that kind) Everything you need is all contained in one useful handheld piece of kit! Featuring 7 tools in 1, the Flameboy not only helps you tend to your barbie, it also features a bottle opener, and a corkscrew to make your garden party flow with plenty of merriment.
£12.99 www.drinkstuff.com
Football on fire Yes, we know it’s a BBQ in the shape of a football, but it’s the World Cup soon and we’ve seen Ronaldo’s Armani underwear campaign, so we like.
£29.50 Marks & Spencer
ENJOY!
Grilletto BBQ Aside from being compact and highly portable, this BBQ will light and be ready to cook in 7-10 minutes, has two adjustable height double cast iron grilling surfaces, will extinguish itself in a matter of minutes, is self cleaning (!), keeps the ash in the BBQ for disposal later, comes with a snuff out pouch (so no waiting for coals to cool), and has legs to stop it scorching the ground.
£69.99, www.iwantoneofthose.com
The Grillslinger It’s quite simple, the Grillslinger will revolutionise your barbequing, no question. Designed and developed by a pair of New Zealand’s top chefs, it’s like wearing a fullon tool belt, but more gastronomic and a hell of a lot sexier.
£49.99 www.iwantoneofthose.com 10 | beige | vol 3 issue 4
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Fold Flat BBQ
Range Grill BBQ MONSTER! It’s a lot of money to spend on a BBQ, but then BBQ is just too small a word for this marvellous monster - heck it’s bigger than most people’s cookers, and probably better. Size matters, boys. £750.00 www.iwantoneofthose.com
This Fold Flat BBQ is the daddy of table-top, garden, patio, balcony, deck and park outdoor sizzlers. It’s brilliantly designed, packs as thin as a wafer thin mint (well not quite) and opens up to provide a 45 x 30cm cooking area. Solidly made from pressed steel, the sides provide a built-in wind break, and being so portable, you can head for the hills whenever you feel the need for the whiff and mouth-watering aroma of a sizzling summer BBQ. What a marvellous contraption.
£24.99 www.iwantoneofthose. com
Crusaid Walk for Life 2010 are your boots made for walking?
Crusaid’s Walk for Life is Europe’s largest fundraising walk for HIV and AIDS. The Crusaid Walk for Life is a 10km stroll through London in the summer, held on Sunday 6 June. 2010 marks Crusaid’s 21st Birthday and to celebrate, this year they’re asking everyone to put their best foot forward in fancy dress. Everybody’s welcome! It’s a sociable event so go along with friends or meet people on the day, and there’ll be free entertainment at the main event village. And while the walk is only 10km, the difference made will go so much further – dramatically improving the lives of people affected by HIV and AIDS in the UK and internationally. Over 2300 people joined the walk last year, raising a fantastic £325,000. Crusaid is keen to make it bigger and better this year, raising more money and offering help and hope to even more people. So register today at www.walkforlife.co.uk!
EVENT INFORMATION
PRO BBQ The Chef’s Grill is the answer to the ‘ultimate gas grill’ and is the barbeque for the professional or serious home chef. With five main burners, one side burner, and a suitably hi-tech infra-red rotisserie burner, you are sure to keep your barbeque garden parties continuing way into the night. £1,296.79 www.
drinkstuff.com
Fire Bucket BBQ Those clever clogs at Suck UK have innovated a new twist: the fire bucket now contains the fire, with a grill pan over the top. Cook your sausages, cook your chicken kebabs, cook some prawns, cook anything that gets you going… And when you have finished chomping on your succulent feast, sit back and enjoy the warmth of the Fire Bucket.
Date : Sunday 6 June Starting Point: Potters Fields Park (that big bit of park between Tower Bridge and City Hall. You can’t miss it.) Fun Level: It’s Crusaid’s 21st Birthday so you can guarantee it’s going to be a corker! Train: Ideal for anyone coming from South London. London Bridge is the nearest overland train station. Nearest Tube: London Bridge (on the Northern and Jubilee lines) is the nearest station. And if you fancy a morning stroll over Tower Bridge, then Tower Hill station (on the Circle and District lines) is also close. Nearest Buses: London Bridge bus station is a major terminus from all directions on the east side of London, so buses are a very good option. Parking: There are parking facilities nearby but we strongly recommend that you stick to public transport. It’ll be easier and a LOT cheaper. Check in Time: From 10am ’til 11.30am Route: Starting and finishing in Potters Fields Park, the 10km route will take in many of London’s most famous sights. Whether you’re striding, toddling, ambling, rolling or strolling, the walk should take you around two or three hours. We do however suggest that you aim to cross the line by 3.00pm, as that’s when our 21st birthday walk after-party begins – and you won’t want to miss it.
£34.45 www.drinkstuff.com
BBQ muscles (no more spare ribs, boys) … and if the thought of carrying a heavy BBQ makes your arms feel weaker by the moment, this might help: Cyclone is a fantastic product that delivers results within seven days. It supplies your body with a unique combination of whey protein and vital nutrients that your body needs to support muscle growth, strength and recovery while training hard.
£37.95 www.homosupplements.co.uk
GROW YOUR OWN PIZZA! Apartment dwellers can now grow their own pizza topping with a novel idea for a container garden from www.boxedgardens.co.uk. It may take a little longer than ringing your local pizza delivery company but there is nothing more satisfying than knowing that the tomatoes, oregano and basil have been grown with your own fair hands. The Pizza and Pasta container garden comes with seedlings, compost and instructions in a woven willow planter for £38. It is one of a range of container gardens ranging in price from around £10 to £50. The idea came from gardening enthusiast and Italian food lover Jackie Linehan, who runs the site from her home near Bristol. vol 3 issue 4 | beige | 11
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beigecomment
A World of Difference Peter Burton reflects on the time when a play about witches in Manhattan could be interpreted as decidedly gay
J
ohn Van Druten’s play Bell, Book and Candle opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York towards the end of 1950. It starred Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer and was subsequently successfully produced in London. It was filmed in 1958, starring James Stewart and Kim Novak and the gloriously outré actresses Hermione Gingold and Elsa Lanchester in support. The play is still occasionally revived; the film is shown on television intermittently. Van Druten was an interesting character. Born to Dutch parents in London in 1901, he was always something of an outsider. In 1938, he emigrated to America (where he eventually achieved most success), becoming a naturalised citizen in 1944. A prolific writer for the stage, Van Druten’s plays include Young Woodley, Old Acquaintance, I Remember Mama (which became a musical), The Voice of the Turtle, I Am a Camera (adapted from his friend and rival Christopher Isherwood’s nouvelle ‘Sally Bowles’ and eventually the basis for the musical Cabaret) and Bell, Book and Candle. Many of his plays were made into films – Old Acquaintance, for example, allowed Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins to go right over the top as two feuding novelists who endlessly interfere in each other’s lives. ‘The odd thing is that on the screen such trash can seem mature and even adventurous,’ commented film critic James Agee.
Kim Novak
Peter Burton
After his death in 1957, Van Druten’s obituarists were less than kind. ‘His plays… cannot be said to have made a lasting impression,’ The Times declared. ‘They show him to have relied on superficial observation rather than on insight, and to have allowed the ready wit and pleasant lucidity of his style to be frequently swamped by a genteel sentimentalism, which seemed to be an inherent part of his view of things.’ Of course, John Van Druten was a gay man and it is quite possible that had he been alive and writing now rather than in the thirties, forties and fifties he might have produced more incisive plays. Yet sight should not be lost of the fact that what he did write was frequently covertly gay. ‘Gay theatregoers interpreted two of John Van Druten’s comedies of the forties and fifties, The Voice of the Turtle and Bell, Book and Candle, as hidden gay plays,’ William H Hoffman wrote in his introduction to Gay Plays: The First Collection in 1979. ‘They saw the first as a disguised pickup situation involving a “straight” soldier, and the second, which is set in an imaginary witch-cult in New York, as a parable of gay underground life.’ Bell, Book and Candle John Van Druten (the title refers to the implements used by a priest in an exorcism) is an intriguing instance of the kind of play that could be written when the world was considerably more hostile towards homosexuality than it is now and that could be viewed as an amusing comedy by straight
“A careful reading of the play reveals numerous passages of dialogue which refer to the witch coven which could as easily reference the experiences of closeted gay men”
Mr Burton’s opinions are not necessarily those of Beige magazine. If you have a viewpoint on this topic, we would love to hear from you. Write to us at editor@beigeuk.com with the subject line ‘Letter to the editor’.
12 | beige | vol 3 issue 4
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It’s the ultimate voyeur experience as a group of young, hot jocks put themselves under the spotlight!
“A remarkably gentle and astute story of a young man who gradually comes to accept who he is...deeply affecting” – Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Available at:
Out May 10 Watch hundreds of other gay films instantly at
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Out May 17 gay.co.uk !
11/05/2010 07:51:39
beigecomment
audiences and interpreted as an entertaining commentary on gay life by more sophisticated audiences, most especially gay men. In his ruminative and entirely discreet autobiography The Widening Circle (1957), Van Druten almost comes clean. ‘…with my play Bell, Book and Candle… I asked the audience to accept the existence of witches in the modern world,’ he wrote. ‘I made the witches ordinary-seeming people, whom one could meet in Tubes and buses and shops, and never suspect of having more than normal qualities. This seemed the way it should be, and the theatre audiences accepted it. The character who was an ordinary human derided the idea of witches, laughing at it, until he was caught in their toils so firmly that there seemed no other explanation for what had happened to him.’ It is interesting to substitute the word ‘queers’ for the word ‘witches’ to get full impact of Van Druten’s perhaps confessional paragraph. That particular passage from The Widening Circle echoes a speech by the significantlynamed Auntie Queenie which comes early on the Bell, Book and Candle. ‘He’d never suspect, darling. Not in a million years,’ twitters the eccentric old woman. ‘No matter what I did. Honestly, it’s amazing the way people don’t. Why, they don’t believe there are such things. I sit on the subway sometimes, or in buses,
and look at the people next to me, and I think: I wonder what you would say if I told you I was a witch? They’d never believe it. I just know they wouldn’t believe it. And I giggle and giggle to myself.’ Auntie (popular parlance back in the 1950s as a somewhat derogatory description for an older gay man), Queenlier (popular adjective then and now for an especially effeminate gay man) has all the attributes of a certain kind of gay man – it just happens that in Van Druten’s play, she is a woman. Or a man in drag. A careful reading of the text of the play (published by Dramatists Play Services in New York) reveals numerous passages of dialogue which refer to the witch coven to which the play’s heroine Gillian Holroyd belongs but which could as easily reference the experiences of closeted gay men. (A popular novel of the period, about a touring troupe of drag performers, was titled A Chorus of Witches). There was a world of difference sixty years ago and there were precious few positive role models in either history or contemporary life nor positive images in fiction or on stage or screen. However, the picture was far from bleak and writers such as the unjustly forgotten John Van Druten provided the world with sophisticated entertainments which could be deliciously decoded by the legions of gay men who enjoyed them.
14 | beige | vol 3 issue 4
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find out more at
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On DVD 26 AprIL 11/05/2010 07:38:54
beigecomment
Glamour in the
GREENHOUSE Steve Bustin asks, when did gardening get cool?
W
andering through London’s Columbia Road flower and plant market of a weekend, you could be forgiven for thinking the whole thing was being sponsored by Abercrombie and Fitch, such is the preponderance of shaven heads, stubble and the gay Sunday morning uniform of artfully distressed hoodie and t-shirt. These guys aren’t just cruising over the chrysanthemums, however. There are shopping lists, planting plans and surreptitiously clutched copies of Gardeners’ World magazine in evidence. Where even two years ago most of these men wouldn’t have been seen dead in a garden unless it had the word ‘beer’ in front of it, gardening has suddenly become decidedly trendy. If you’re not growing your own, you’re really not with it. Not a moment too soon, either. I got the gardening bug when I moved into a new house in Brighton about five years ago, when having green fingers was about as hip as having a black eye, but then I’ve always been an early-adopter, I like to think. Despite associating gardening with ageing hippies, ladies of a certain age and some seriously bad knitwear, I found the thrill of watching something grow and the ability to create something beautiful (and even edible) in my own back yard strangely addictive. Thankfully for my street-cred, I’m not alone. Suddenly everyone wants a bit of deep trowel action. It doesn’t matter whether you own a garden the size of a small county or just have some pots on your windowsill or balcony, you too can join the gardening fraternity and it doesn’t require you to sacrifice your style or compromise your cool. At the risk of sounding like I’m proselytizing, gardening’s about SO much more than just messing about in the soil. It’s about a healthy lifestyle, as what could be better than being able to pick your own salad or vegetables and get them from plot to plate in minutes? A window box full of fresh herbs will do wonders for your dinner parties and the ‘pose’ value of serving your guests your own home-grown produce can’t be over stated. Put down the dumbbell and try heaving a 100-litre bag of multi-purpose compost (peat free, naturally) about instead. Gardening will find and exercise muscles you didn’t know you had and burns more calories per hour than sex (apparently) while saving you shed-loads (if you’ll pardon the pun) on a gym membership. Research shows that those who garden live longer, have better sex and are more attractive to potential sexual
partners. (I may have made that last bit of research up but look at the evidence – Jesse Metcalfe as the gardener in Desperate Housewives, anyone?) You don’t even need a garden to get into gardening. Some of the biggest names in design and architecture are now working in the great outdoors so get out and visit what are veritable open-air art galleries. It’s no coincidence that this month’s Chelsea Flower Show is considered by many to be the start of the London social season, either. Royalty and celebs are queuing up to put their name to a new flower, design a garden (Kim ‘Kids in America’ Wilde is now part of the gardening firmament) or be photographed draped all over the winning show gardens. As anyone who’s ever been to Chelsea, wandered into a garden centre or stepped into anywhere from John Lewis to Tesco will tell you, gardening also offers one hell of a shopping opportunity. You can accessorise and style your outside space to your heart’s content, from lights to lanterns and fabrics to fountains, and that’s before you even get to the plants. You want a black and white garden? You got it. You want shocking pink pelargonium teamed with lime green petunia? No problem. If you want to be at the avant garde of garden style, it’s all about chrysanthemums right now – dahlias are practically passé and don’t even think about roses (except the wonderfully named ‘Golden Showers’ which you are free to grow in a deeply ironic way). If you want to enjoy gardens without any of the hard work or getting muck under your fingernails, visiting private gardens open for charity really is one of the best ways to spend a summer afternoon. You get to poke round someone else’s home patch, criticise their design aesthetic (or lack of it) and then scoff homemade cake in the sunshine. Bliss. You can also pick up great tips, buy plants for your own garden and cruise all the other queens who are having a nose around with the excuse that ‘it’s for charity, sweetie’. The National Garden Scheme (ngs.org.uk) lists 3500 gardens across the country open throughout the year. So, at the age of 39, I’ve finally become cool. The hobby that I used to make excuses about has suddenly turned me into a trendsetter. I’m a hip horticulturalist and proud of it. Got to go now – my garden needs me.
Steve Bustin
comment “Wandering through London’s Columbia Road flower and plant market of a weekend, you could be forgiven for thinking the whole thing was being sponsored by Abercrombie and Fitch”
Steve’s garden in Belton Close in Brighton is open for charity for three days this summer. Visit roundhillgardens.co.uk for details.
Steve Bustin with partner John in their garden in Brighton Mr Bustin’s opinions are not necessarily those of Beige magazine. If you have a viewpoint on this topic, we would love to hear from you. Write to us at editor@beigeuk.com with the subject line ‘Letter to the editor’.
16 | beige | vol 3 iss 4
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07/05/2010 14:54
Building your
Do you want more confidence in your life, including your sex life? On this one day course you’ll learn practical skills to help build your confidence. It’ll help you talk to the men you like, say yes to the sex you want and no to the sex you don’t and be in control of condom use to ensure sex is as safe as you want it to be. COURSES FOR GAY MEN We are running ‘Building Your Confidence’ classes in cities in England. All places on the course are free of charge. The course starts at 10am and finishes at 5pm
Book your place online at www.gmfa.org.uk/national or call 020 7738 3712 BSL interpreters available by arrangement
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20 50
beigecomment
20
v
Gay men and the media Equal footing by Adam Lake
In an ongoing series, two men, one aged twenty-something, the other fifty, air their views on aspects of gay life.
So are the gays represented fairly in the media? If you take a look through the variety of homosexual characters that have featured in our favourite soaps then I’d say yes. Gay and lesbian characters come across no more vulgar, deceitful, slutty, selfish, egotistical or morally corrupt then their heterosexual counterparts and I think that that is a good thing. What does concern me though is how real gay people are represented on screen and in the wider media. Gay life in London has been thriving for the past ten years and shows no sign of abating. Can we draw parallels between the sexual liberation coursing through Canal Street in the 1960s and the apparent freedoms that gay men enjoy on Old Compton Street today? Are gay men the hippies of today, casting aside the shackles of conformity for a life of free love and chemical stimulation? The media chooses to focus on the more colourful aspects of gay life; clubbing, sex, fashion, sex, drugs and maybe a bit more sex. I think that over the next few years our excitement of being able to express ourselves will take second place to our dignity at being able to live normal, happy and fulfilling lives just like anyone else. Let’s face it: anyone going through years of sexual repression at school is going to go a bit crazy when the freedom to be who you want to be is handed out on a plate. The main problem lies in people like The Daily Mail columnist Jan Moir who see a tragic story about a gay celebrity dying and broadcasts her naïve presumptions to her thousands of right wing fans. I’m not suggesting that we should coerce columnists to write stories about the comparatively boring lives that the rest of us lead but it would be nice if people who had so much influence over public opinion took a bit more responsibility. I don’t entirely blame the media for focusing on the more extreme side of gay life, cameras will always be drawn to the most interesting story after all. What I hope is that we will see a change in perceptions and that the larger heterosexual part of the community realise that the gay scene is a social scene and not a sexuality.
Charlie Hunnam, star of Queer as Folk: a fair representation of young gay men?
“It would be nice
if people who had so much influence over public opinion took a bit more responsibility. ”
50
Fabulous fashion by Tony Tansley
Are gay men properly represented in mainstream media? Looking at recent news coverage in the run up to the election and in plot lines in popular soap operas gay men are portrayed in certain ways. Is this coverage representative of all of us or are the media still working to stereotypes? If so, are we partially to blame for how we are portrayed? Lights, camera, action... Now, let’s see what’s wrong with our story this week. We have old people, young people, Asian’s, oriental, black people, gangsters... hmm, there’s something missing? Yes, it’s gays! I have never accepted the media’s obsession with creating gay story lines, because they are usually sensationalised to the extent of being ridiculous. Gay people don’t seem to die of natural causes, get run over by a bus, get shot in Afghanistan or have successful and ordinary lives. We are portrayed as mentally unstable, sexually deviant, caricatures of music hall comedians, adulterous and bitches from hell. Suffice to say even popular series like “Queer as folk” or “Tales of the City” support this. News stories are constantly biased towards sex, drugs, circumstances surrounding deaths, morality and religious outbursts. It puts us in the super league of celebrities and high flyers! On a serious note, and one that I believe matters more than the celebrity factor. Media coverage of the two most important areas of our lives, are HIV awareness and our struggle for equality and rights. It would be wrong to say that coverage has not been influenced by dramatic and constant intervention of charities like Stonewall, Crusaid and THT who we should be continually grateful for their passion and unfailing dedication. Let’s not also forget that gay men are portrayed in the best way possible in fashion, and so creates an alternative image of a glamorous and exciting lifestyle. Personally, I really don’t care how we are portrayed as long as we get as much coverage as possible. Evelyn Waugh in “Scoop” wrote in 1938 “News is what a chap who doesn’t care much about anything wants to read. And it’s only news until he’s read it. After that it’s dead.” www.abstractdreams.org www.bprlondon.com
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07/05/2010 14:55
SUNDAY 6TH JUNE 2010 Join us at Europe’s largest sponsored walk to support people affected by HIV and AIDS.
Sunday 6th June 2010
at Potters Fields Park Register at
walkforlife.co.uk or call 020 7539 3895
Crusaid’s Walk for Life 2010: 21 years of help and hope. template.indd 1
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beigewellbeing
Razzle DAZZLE them
Q
uite unbelievably, it’s now possible to pop out for lunch after a morning of hard work and coffee (and therefore, stained teeth), and come back for an afternoon of meetings and big, white, deal-sealing smiles. “Within one hour you can have naturally whiter teeth,” promises Tony Bruno, from the SmileVauxhall Clinic. “We’ve invested in the latest technology that gives you the most natural and brilliant white teeth – fast.” Interestingly, the clinic has binned the old Hydrogen Peroxide teeth-whitening method because of its risk to health. “Chlorine dioxide, like peroxide, is an oxidizer and DIOXIWHITE whitens teeth similar to 35% peroxide, but without attack on teeth and gums,” Bruno smiles. “We only use Clorine Dioxide, 100% safe, painless and no more sensitive problems or burning sensations.” Although whitening teeth has become popular recently, the idea is not new. Over time, many technical improvements have been made and the process has been thoroughly studied and safety-tested. Scientific articles have shown that the materials used to whiten your teeth are effective and safe. It does not change the structure of teeth; it merely makes them appear whiter and brighter.
So what’s involved? 1. A specially formulated whitening gel is applied to your teeth. The surface of the teeth contains millions of microscopic pores, over years, compounds from food
and drink, tobacco etc, penetrate these and cause the tooth enamel to discolor. 2. The gel is then activated by a LED light matrix operating at an optimum frequency. This then releases the debris from the pores. 3. There are 6 treatments of 2 minutes each. While you sit back and relax in a comfortable chair, you can listen to music. In less than an hour, your teeth are whitened. Simples! Is laser whitening the same as teeth whitening kits that can be purchased from shops? Definitely not! Firstly, Trading Standards found that 14 out of 17 different whitening kits tested contained illegal amounts of chemicals that could have caused harm. Because of the weakness of the weakness of the whitening gels, and the use of lasers by professional teeth whitening specialists, the laser
Scrub OFF!
results are significantly better and in some cases up to 100% better, whilst costs are only marginally more expensive. With home kits, you often have to wear gum shields continuously at night for up to 14 nights, whereas with laser treatment, its a simple 15 minute procedure. How much lighter will my teeth go? With Smile Spa system in Vauxhall, you can typically expect your teeth to be up to 10 shades lighter immediately. But there is no guarantee as this depends from the condition of your teeth. If they are discolored by nicotine, coffee, tea, red whine, they will go very light. If they are naturally discolored they will not go very light. Some people are born with “grey” teeth or the teeth can be discolored by the use of mediction in the case of diabetics and nothing can be done in those case in terms of teeth whitening. Does whitening work on veneers, crowns etc? Over time the colour of Veneers and crowns fade just like your own teeth. Our advanced procedure takes them back to their original colour. Does whitening damage the enamel of the teeth? Published research shows that there is no risk to the tooth enamel. Is it safe? The procedure is completely safe. Laser teeth whitening has been performed for many years with millions having successfully undergoing this safe treatment. For more, visit www.smilevauxhall.co.uk or call 0207 820 8080 to book
With Shrove Tuesday well out of the way, many people are turning to lemons to make themselves fresh and fruity in time for summer. Really? Well, not quite. But these companies are betting that lemon is a winner when it comes to smooth, sexy skin to show off in the sun.
Lemslip shower butter cream (£2.50 for 100g) … Lush’s butter creams contain fresh lemon juice, lime oil and sweet orange oil to awaken the senses and effectively cleanse dull skin. Cocoa butter moisturises the skin, along with extra virgin coconut oil. www.lush.co.uk
Your skin can look positively peachy, fast, with the help of Love the Planet fruity Sugar Scrubs (www. lovetheplanet.co.uk) - Lime Sugar Scrub (£5.25 120g) to leave skin buffed and glowing with a delicate fruity fragrance that lasts all day.
Pinks aromatic body scrub is made with 89.5% organic ingredients to gently exfoliate and remove dead skin cells without scratching the skin. Infused with cleansing and revitalising lemongrass and mandarin organic essential oils that uplift the senses, nourish the skin and work in perfect harmony with the sweet organic cane sugar grains which dissolve effortlessly into the skin leaving it feeling flawlessly soft and enriched. Available in two sizes - a 125g pot rrp - £17.50 and a 500g salon-size pot (or super-size for those who can’t get enough!) RRP £55 from www.pinksboutique.com
vol 3 issue 4 | beige | 21
20-21 Wellbeing 1.indd 21
08/05/2010 09:29
beigewellbeing
Pride Angel:
‘T
changing the way you think about sperm
he pink pound is losing its glow as more gay couples become parents,’ wrote Nick Baron in The Observer in April, highlighting the fact that more and more gay people are becoming mums and dads and taking on the financial burden that that brings. ‘Could the pink pound be destined to go out of circulation?’ Oh, how heterosexual journalists tend to love the idea that finally, after decades of supposed carefree hedonism, homosexuals are choosing to conform to straight conventions such as marriage, kids and – gulp – suburbia. But the fact of the matter is that increasing numbers of conversations in gay bars across London are focusing on a stable future of partners, pushchairs and prams rather than partying, piss-ups and promiscuity. Professional scientists and partners Karen and Erika set up Pride Angel, a website dedicated to matching sperm donors, egg donors and co-parents in 2009. The site hopes to provide a quality connection service enabling single, lesbian, gay and infertile couples achieve parenthood, through personal arrangement. “We understand the desire and challenges of bringing a child into the world, having ourselves gone through all the stages of choosing a donor, completing health screening checks and performing artificial insemination to achieve successful pregnancy,” says Erika. “We started researching the area of parenting options for single, lesbian, gay and infertile couples two years ago. Since then we have come along way, gaining expert advice from fertility lawyers, fertility clinics, nutrition specialists and using our own expertise on health screening we aim to ensure we offer all our users the information required to successfully achieve parenthood through donor conception. “Whether you are choosing to co-parent, or find a sperm donor or egg donor, choosing to have a baby is such a life changing decision. It is therefore vital to choose a professional connection service such as Pride Angel, which provides all the necessary advice regarding health screening, insemination procedures and the right legal advice.” Of course, sperm donation isn’t a new idea. But Pride Angel is certainly not simply a sperm bank. “Many people don’t use donor sperm from a sperm bank because they wish to know more information about the donor other than the colour of their eyes
or hair,” Erika continues. “There are many other characteristics which are so important in choosing the ideal donor, such as their personality and their general health. “The other reason many people are considering using known donors or coparents through connection sites is because they want their child to know the identity of both biological parents. “Many donor conceived children from sperm banks are now reaching age 18 and desperately wanting to know their biological fathers identity. Sometimes donor conceived children develop health problems related to their father’s genetic makeup, for example they pass down the genes which may make them more susceptible to certain diseases such as diabetes or cancer. Knowing this information can help with diagnosis and even preventative treatment.” Erika and Karen are keen to point out that Pride Angel is not a fertility clinic, but a connection service. Once you have found your parenting match by searching through the site’s profiles, you personally arrange the insemination using a HFEA regulated fertility clinic. Those considering co-parenting may choose to use home insemination using an artificial insemination kit, after arranging all necessary health screening tests as well as having written legal co-parenting agreements in place.
For more information, visit www.prideangel.com
Sun Angel:
the saviour of sunbeds?
T
he Tanning Shop in Holborn, Chiswick, Fulham, Clapham, Bath, Manchester, Bayswater, Leeds, Islington, and Milton Keynes, are among the few salons in the UK to install a revolutionary new sunbed, the Sun Angel from Ergoline, which inventors claim quashes the concerns dermatologists express about sunbathing. ‘The Sun Angel eliminates any risk of over-exposure (burning) with its sensor controlled UV output and it provides a variable UV spectrum that is never more powerful than the natural sun’, they say. So here’s how it works: The intelligent Sun Angel sensor takes just a few seconds to measure the skin’s current UV sensitivity. It then uses the measurement data to calculate a specific and personal tanning session, which ensures any risk of sunburn is prevented. Unlike the natural sun, the Sun Angel emits a controllable and variable UV spectrum intelligently blended to make better use of the UV frequencies (A & B) to create a beautiful and even tan, something millions of Brits strive to achieve every year. Alongside the tan, Sun Angel manufacturers claim it has a number of biopositive health benefits as it activates vitamin D3 synthesis, essential to good health. “We know there are a lot of people who want to tan and use sunbeds but have been put off by adverse and sensationalist media coverage,” says Adam Mooney, Director of The Tanning Shop. “The Sun Angel deals with all of the concerns positively and we’ve seen the results… it’s a totally new dimension for indoor tanning and there’s no doubt this is the way forward for the future of tanning.” Visit www.thetanningshop.co.uk or for more general information on Sun Angel call 020 8498 7277.
22 | beige | vol 3 issue 4
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08/05/2010 11:51
reklama 12 2009
2/22/10
1:12 PM
Page 1
Want to be a Dad? Lesbian couples and single women are looking for genuine gay men willing to donate sperm by personal arrangement. Pride Angel is a new social networking website, forum and blog for the LGBT community wishing to become parents. Visit our site to read more information about legal rights, health screening and home insemination.
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11/05/2010 08:07:41 07/04/2010 15:38:01
Stripping in action:
Reichen Lehmkhul
At 36, actor, designer, author and all-round nice guy Reichen Lehmkuhl is about to embark on his most controversial projects yet. “I haven’t developed a thick sin yet, but I think I may need to,” he tell Torsten Højer.
I
n
2006,
the
American
People
publication
newsstands
gossip
magazine
“I learned a lot of lessons at that time,”
rabbit-in-a-
Lehmkuhl admits. “I’ve dated other celebrities
headlights-looking Lance Bass with
who aren’t out, and we made an agreement not to
the oversize, bright yellow headline
talk about our relationship in public.”
a
scared,
the
limelight’.
world
featuring
around
the globe. ‘But he’s just desperate to be in the
hit
‘I’M GAY’.
(Before you ask, he wouldn’t divulge any more
In the exclusive, ‘shocking’ interview inside,
than that).
Mississippi-bred, Southern Baptist-reared Bass,
“I get hurt and take it very personally when I
27, revealed that he was in a “very stable”
get slammed. I can’t read the gossip columns
relationship with model-actor-Amazing Race
anymore – I haven’t developed a thick skin yet.”
winner Reichen Lehmkuhl, then 32.
Unfortunately, he needs to. Despite America’s
Who?
fascination and general unending support for
Well, exactly. Unless you were an avid telly
beautiful and talented people, the claws were out
addict with a penchant for syndicated adventure
for Reichen from the word go, and who better to
reality shows (The Amazing Race, which airs on
have a go at you than the world’s most (in)famous
CBS in America, launched in 2001 and, to its credit,
gossip blogger, Perez Hilton?
has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards so far)
‘Reichen Lehmkuhl is suing Perez Hilton,
you wouldn’t have come across the interestingly-
who initially dubbed the gay twosome Princess
named Reichen. His celebrity was no match for that of Bass, who had enjoyed worldwide success
Former *NSYNC star Lance Bass and Reichen Lehmkuhl on the beach in December 2009 in Miami Beach, Florida.
as one fifth of boyband N*Sync (alongside Justin
Frostylocks and the First Reich [Lance Bass and Lehmkuhl, respectively] for writing other unflattering statements online,’ screamed the
Timberlake, amongst others) and sold in excess of 56 million records.
Monsters and Critics website. ‘Reichen is steamed up over blogged posted entries
But something about Lehmkuhl caught the pop star’s eye. What could it be, boys?
such as, “multiple spies at the party tell us that Lance Bass’ ex-boyfriend got rip-
“Thankfully, three years after Lance and I split up, I hardly ever get referred to
roaringly drunk and was seen getting quite cozy with not one but TWO guys. After
as Lance Bass’s boyfriend anymore,” he jokes. “It was so frustrating: every time
sharing some public kisses with fella number one, Reichen shifted his attention to that a homo”.’
somebody wrote something about me they called me ‘Mr Lance Bass’ or ‘N*Sync star’s hunky
Hilton’s reply was simple: “Now that he can’t
boyfriend’. I was doing a lot of things before I
comfortably ride Lance Bass’s coattails, this
met him – I’d already written my book Here’s
is Reichen’s latest transparent attempt to get
What We’ll Say [where he tells the harrowing
publicity for himself. I applaud him.”
inside story of what happens when cadets who
Lehmkuhl should be being hailed as some kind of
are committed to serving their America’s military
gay American military hero. It was he that became
come, just as he did] and by the time we started
the face of action against the controversial ‘Don’t
dating, I had graduated from the Air Force and had
Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy (issued by President Bill
starred in The Amazing Race – all the things that
Clinton in 1993 intended as a “compromise” —
I consider to be my greatest accomplishments
one that purports to restrict the United States
were already in place. People accused me of
military from “witch-hunting” secretly gay service
latching on to get fame, but the truth is we met
members or applicants, while absolutely barring
quite randomly. When he came out, because he
“openly” gay or bisexual people from joining the
was dating me, the media really started focusing
military, and expelling those already serving) and
on both of us. It took away from a lot of the things
he who continues to fight to end the policy and its
I cared about and the things I want to be know
associated ban on the open and honest service of
for, you know? I want to use my fame for good
LGBT military servicemembers.
things, I don’t want to be known as the boyfriend
Lehmkuhl spends much of his time on the road,
of someone who’s a celebrity.”
takes great interest in studying basic human
Lehmkuhl, whether he liked it or not, was immediately
catapulted
to
rights and is hired to speak to thousands of
international
recognition. ‘Have you heard? Lance Bass from N*Sync has come out! And have you seen his boyfriend? He’s so hot!’ were the murmurs around
people each year at colleges, universities, and Do you want me to look at your plumbing? Reichen Lehmkuhl © Scott Hoover
corporations on this very subject of equal rights. He’s also the creator of a jewelry line called Fly Naked, which is carried by Fred Segal, Saks
24 | beige | vol 3 issue 4
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10/05/2010 10:27
For more, visit www.biggayitalianwedding.com
“
I always wanted to be those kinda of women who go on Oprah and say ‘I’m 64, and I’ve got a hot body’. I remember watching it with my mum and realising I wanted to work out and look good into my 50s and 60s.
“
24-27 Feature 1.indd 25
10/05/2010 10:28
Reichen Lehmkuhl © Scott Hoover
Fifth Avenue, and online at www.LoveandPride.com. Ten percent of the gross
The play, written by Anthony Wilkinson and first performed 2003 at the Actors
proceeds of Fly Naked are donated to Servicemembers Legal Defense Network,
Playhouse in New York City, is about a very traditional catholic New York-Italian
the organisation operating in America’s legal and political system to combat the
family who’s son tells them that he’s getting married to a man. Then, when they’re
continued ban on the open service of LGBT people in the U.S. Armed Forces.
over that, they ask if the guy he’s marrying (Andrew, Lehmkuhl’s character) is at
“I have many interests and my work consists of many different subjects of life.
least Italian. He tells them that he’s German causing outrage. The comedy goes on
One day is never the same as the next for me. I like it this way. My favorite work is
to show this family warming up to the idea and then attempting to actually throw
most definitely that which involves acting, and the opportunity to play characters
a gay wedding for the two guys.
who are different than I am. You could say this is my passion.” With a winning smile and an alluring persona (not to mention a calendar boy body), Lehmkuhl is the right man to be a visible face of gay rights in America. He’s the All-American Boy, living the American Dream, and – most importantly – has served his country. It’s a combination that sits uneasily with anti-gay activists, leaving precious little left to crucify him for. But, of course, not sticking to one career and attempting pursuits such as acting and jewellery design does open you up to criticism.
“We’re hoping that the play is going to run for ten years or more!” says Lehmkuhl. “I’ve signed a lengthy deal, which stops at some point, but I have the option to extend if I want.” Ah, the wonders of being a celebrity. And to top it all off, Lehmkuhl’s just about to immerse himself even deeper into the hands of the tabloids. “I’m half way through writing a book called It’ll Be Great Exposure, he laughs. It’s a tell-all about my time and life in Hollywood. “It’ll Be Great Exposure” is what I’ve found is the line people use in entertainment when they don’t want to pay you
The day we speak, Lehmkhul is enjoying his first full day in Manhattan after
and when there actually won’t be any exposure at all. After the Amazing Race, I
making the cross-country trek from his apartment in Los Angeles. He says he
worked so much for free, and it took me three years to realise I was being taken
likes the feel of the city already; he knows New York but it’s different when you
for a ride.
begin to live there. (“The people seem friendly,” he says. “They’re much cooler
“There’s a chapter called, ‘All the People I Hate in Hollywood’. The publishers are
than I thought they’d be. I went to the grocery store when I got here and bought
going to let me write about these people in full, but I’m going to marker pen out
loads of stuff – start up stuff for my new apartment – and the guy asked if I’d like
the actual names, so when you see the pages, you’ll have to guess who they are.
help carrying it home. I asked how much, and he said ‘a dollar’. I said ‘I have to
They’ll know who they are though! It’s really tongue in cheek though, poking fun,
go to another store first’ but he walked with me all the way until I got back to my
not a bitchy, attacking chapter.
apartment. I gave him a five dollar tip too!”
“I’m going to set everything straight. I really want to tell a story of what it was
The reason he’s moved is what could possible be yet another controversial
like to come out of the air force (literally), play The Amazing Race, live in LA, then
career choice for Lehmkuhl: to star in New York’s St. Luke Theater production of
all of a sudden be on this great show, do national television shows, and have lots
My Big Gay Italian Wedding, which opens on 22 May 2010. Very excited, Reichen
of opportunities. And then I realised that people listen to you when you’re in the
comments, “I’ve always wanted to do theatre but never thought I’d get to do a play
public eye, and the responsibility that comes with that. At the beginning, I screwed
in the Broadway ‘box’.”
up lots of times and said things I’d rather forget. But the biggest thing people can
He will be playing the lead role of Andrew, which includes dancing and singing, including a solo piece (steady, Perez!).
get from the book is how to extend your fifteen minutes of fame – I’ve done it for eight years, and this is how to do it!”
26 | beige | vol 3 issue 4
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Enjoy the Art of Fine Living with Creatively Different Roller Blinds
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template.indd 1
11/05/2010 09:52:33
THE FIGHT FOR THIS LOVE: ANTONY GREY 1927 - 2010
In April, Antony Grey, known as ‘Britain’s first gay activist’, died aged 82. Now, as the Gay Liberation Front – an organisation he “paved the way for” - celebrates its 40th anniversary, did he live to see his dream of equality become a reality? Torsten Højer talks to the GLF’s Stuart Feather to find out. “We have lost a giant of the gay movement,” commented veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell upon hearing of Antony Grey’s death. “As secretary of the Homosexual Law Reform Society in the 1960s, Antony was one of the founding fathers of the gay law reform struggle in Britain. Although a true pioneer, he sadly remains a largely unsung hero of the movement for LGBT equality. “More than 20 years before Stonewall and
OutRage!,
Antony
Grey
was
spearheading the campaign to end the criminalisation of homosexuality, which remained totally illegal and punishable by life imprisonment until 1967.” Although perhaps more keen on political reform (Grey was instrumental part of groups such as Homosexual Law Reform Society) than winning over the ‘hearts and minds’ of the British public, Grey did attend the early meetings of the Gay Liberation Front, which was founded on 13 October 1970. The GLF, as it came to be known, spurred on by the (partial) decriminalisation of homosexual acts in 1967, presented a manifesto in 1971, which began: ‘Throughout recorded history, oppressed groups have organised to claim their rights and obtain their needs. Homosexuals, who have been oppressed by physical violence and by ideological and psychological attacks at every level of social interaction, are at last becoming angry. To you, our gay sisters and brothers, we say that you are oppressed; we intend to show you examples of the hatred and fear with which straight society relegates us to the position and treatment of sub-humans, and to explain their basis. We will show you how we can use our righteous anger to uproot the present oppressive system with its decaying and constricting ideology, and how we, together with other oppressed groups, can start to form a new order, and a liberated lifestyle, from the alternatives which we offer.’ “I started attending from around the third meeting of the GLF in 1970,” recalls Stuart Feather, one of the original members. “We had received leaflets and we were curious to see what gay liberation could possibly mean. The idea of gay power seemed quite extraordinary. So I became involved. “The first demonstration was in November 1970. It was a torchlight rally by about 150 members in protest against police harassment and intimidation. It had been provoked by the arrest of a prominent Young Liberal, Louis Eakes, during a police entrapment operation. Officers alleged that Eakes had cruised several men. He claimed he merely asked them for a light. There was mention in The Times the next day. We were very excited. I wasn’t scared at all.
“We also helped organise gay dances, at places such as Kensington Town Hall,” Feather continues. “The idea of openly advertising a gay event was unheard of! It was a wonderful time. In a way, it was life changing. “The main demand of gay liberation was that people came out, and when we all came out, it opened up a whole new world with a whole different perspective. The new world simply unfolded.” Interestingly, the GLF published a list of eight demands in 1970: 1) That all discrimination against gay people, male and female, by the law, by employers, and by society at large, should end. 2) That all people who feel attracted to a member of their own sex be taught that such feelings are perfectly normal. 3) That sex education in schools stop being exclusively heterosexual 4) That psychiatrists stop treating homosexuality as though it were a problem or sickness, thereby giving gay people senseless guilt complexes. 5) That gay people be as legally free to contact other gay people through newspaper ads, on the streets, and by any other means they may want, as are heterosexuals, and that police harassment should cease right now. 6) That employers should no longer be allowed to discriminate against anyone on account of their sexual preferences. 7) That the age of consent for gay males be reduced to the same as for straights. 8) That gay people be free to hold hands and kiss in public as are heterosexuals. “Although some progress has been made on discrimination in the workplace, for example, it’s amazing that some of these are yet to be achieved,” says Feather. “It’s frustrating. One can only still safely hold hands on Old Compton Street if you’re a gay couple, and this wasn’t too different forty years ago.” Gay campaigners are keen to highlight the fact that there is plenty still to be done to achieve full equality and realise some of the demands the GLF so rightly published forty years ago. Gay Pride events, they say, are still an important opportunity for us to publicly fight for our rights. London Pride organisers agree: this year’s official theme is: ‘Paint the Town Ruby Red: Celebrating 40 Years of the Gay Liberation Front’. Let’s hope there’ll be plenty of same-sex couples holding hands in the streets, as this is surely a sight that Antony Grey would have relished. “I salute Antony Grey and his trail-blazing contribution to LGBT equality and human rights. We all walk in his shadow.” - Peter Tatchell.
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the heart of the love song:
Vonda Shepard
When a hard day’s work had been accomplished in the office of TV’s Ally McBeal, there was one woman who was always there to sing away your troubles and make the future seem that little bit brighter: Vonda Shepard. As resident singer at Ally’s local bar, Vonda would appear, singing songs that just so happened to reflect Ally’s woes in that episode. So you could say she knows a thing or two about love songs, which is why we asked her what her favourite ballads of all time are. Read ‘em, get ‘em, and get loved up, boys. 1. ‘Warm Whispers’ by Missy Higgins
6. ‘Nobody’s Playing’ by Lisa Germano
There is a section in ‘Warm Whispers’ that builds and lifts you up, amplifying the
‘Nobody’s Playing’ by Lisa Germano just sounds like a person who was obsessed
deep emotion you can feel coming from Missy’s lyrics. The song begins to feel like
with someone... this sweet, strange lullaby whispers to the depths of the
a swirling, flying dream... I always rewind and listen 2 or 3 times when I hear the
recipient’s soul. It’s sort of dark and haunting, but beautiful. (Not a happy love
song! Missy worked with my husband on this album... I used to cook her dinner
song, per se!)
(almost every night!)... she loved my roasted potatoes! When listening to this song, think of roasted potatoes with garlic... (kidding).
7. ‘Thinking Out Loud’ by Ron Sexsmith ‘Thinking Out Loud’ by Ron Sexsmith is such a wonderful attempt in a song to have
2. ‘Feels Like Home’ by Randy Newman
a conversation with his lover to discuss where things went wrong and have the
‘Feels Like Home’ is the quintessential love song to me. Some of the most poignant
ability to just talk it through. To be able to be honest enough to face what is actually
songs are the simplest. Many of my own songs that are closest to my heart talk
happening in their relationship. How brave Ron Sexsmith is. I love the part, “If we
about going home... that place we feel safe- and to find this home in someone you
pour ourselves, like this bottle of wine...” Pour themselves into the conversation, the relationship; become closer by talking. This song is on the album Other Songs...
love is just wonderful.
a masterpiece. 3. ’How Will You Go?’ by Crowded House ‘How Will You Go’ by Crowded House isn’t as much a love song, but anyone who
8. ‘Hold On’ by Tom Waits
loves music with LOVE this one! It carries me away in the cello and gorgeous
‘Hold On’ by Tom Waits will always be in my top 10. It seems to be about a very
vocals. I remember having terrible jet lag and just arriving in London to begin a
damaged, wildly creative, original character, to whom the narrator is saying “hold
tour... this song came on at the gym and lifted me up.
on... hold on- take my hand, standin’ right here, you gotta hold on”. He loves her “charcoal eyes and Monroe hips”... what a genius Tom Waits is (and his wife Kathleen Brennen).
4. ‘You Can Close Your Eyes’ by James Taylor As I’m writing about some of my favorite love songs, I’m realising that I’m really drawn to, again, the simplest messages. ‘You Can Close Your Eyes’ by James
9. ‘Losing You’ by Randy Newman
Taylor has that universal feeling of someone who still is in love after many years (I
The song ‘Losing You’ by Randy Newman talks about having a new family now, a
presume!) The song seems to be meant to comfort someone - letting them know
new life which is pretty good, but even with all of this love around him, the chorus
that when they sing that song, they are connected to each other. How sweet. When
says “but I’ll never get over losing you”. Ouch to the current one! We all have felt
my little son was born and wouldn’t sleep, I’d sing it to him, bleary eyed, praying
this, no? The one that got away...
that he’d drift off! (He NEVER did! Ha!) 10. ‘One’ by U2 5. ‘Innocent World’ by Joseph Arthur
‘One’ by U2... a classic. I remember leaving a bar after having had a drink with a
‘Innocent World’ by Joseph Arthur is just one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever
man I had been in love with for many years, but one which never manifested. When
heard. Just listen to it. I was driving in my car and had to pull over to the side of
I turned on the car stereo, this song came on. It is an indelible mark on my soul
the road to wait and listen to the artist.
and heart. Ain’t life grand?
Randy Newman tinkles on his ivory
U2 offer us some Cava
Crowded House
Rock out! Tom Waits
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“
“
I remember leaving a bar after having had a drink with a man I had been in love with for many years. When I turned on the car stereo, this song came on. It is an indelible mark on my soul.
The new album The Best of Ally McBeal, by Vonda Shepard is out on Monday 3 May
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The Philosopher Prince
Off the Shelf
by Paul Waters (Macmillan, £11.99)
Peter Burton reviews the latest queer literary offerings
Following on from his Cast Not the Day, Paul Waters’ The Philosopher Prince continues the adventures of English Drusus and his Roman lover Marcellus as they traverse Gaul. Initially, they are pursued by the corrupt Christian notary Paulus, subsequently they find themselves in the entourage of Julian, soon-to-be-emperor and known to history as Julian the Apostate (subject of one of Gore Vidal’s better novels) because of his attempts to reverse the rise of Christianity. One of the delights of Waters’ novels (this is his third) is the way in which the early Christian church is cast as an intolerant villain, opposed to the ‘old’ gods and to virtually any form of sexuality. ‘It is often said that it is the victor who gets to write the history,’ Waters states in an Author’s Note. ‘In the case of the classical world, it was the late antique and medieval church that acted as censor and interpreter of the past. What the church did not approve of, it suppressed.’ Waters (in the tradition of Mary Renault) is a writer who has both narrative and intellectual gifts that enable him to both tell a story and rescue history from the pernicious church.
The Cemetery of Secrets by David Hewson (Pan, £6.99)
Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves (Macmillan, £16.99) Originally published in 2001 as Lucifer’s Shadow and now retitled and repackaged so as to emphasise its connection to David Hewson’s Nic Costa series, the latest of which, the Blue Demon, disappointed), The Cemetery of Secrets focuses on Daniel Forster, an innocent young academic who arrives in Venice to continue research under the auspices of an elderly gay man and his younger American lover, both of whom are suffering from a mysterious but unnamed illness (evidently Aids). In a parallel narrative, orphaned Lorenzo arrives in the city in 1733 to become an apprentice to his brutish printer uncle. Twin tales of corruption, theft and murder eventually coincide in a surprising climax, which leaves one of the protagonists free to reappear in one of the Costa thrillers. Blue Lightning is the concluding volume in Ann Cleeves’ Shetland series (Red Bones, White Nights, Raven Black – a dramatisation of which was broadcast on Radio 4 earlier this year). Set on the remote Fair Isles and featuring local detective Jimmy Perez on a homecoming visit to introduce his fiancée Fran to his parents, Blue Lightning is a tautly written but essentially old-fashioned locked room murder mystery – though here the killings take place on an isolated island but off from the outside world. The cast of characters (including a sympathetic lesbian recovering from the collapse of a long-term relationship) are all suitably damaged and offers up any number of suspects. Gripping stuff.
A Life Apart by Neel Mukherjee (Constable, £12.99) India and the British seem to have had a strange affinity. The two countries appear to have been made for each other, much as bacon was with eggs, fish with chips and popadoms and relishes. Yet the cultural exchange encompassed far more than the adoption of Indian dishes by the British and British dishes by the Indians. Writers from the two countries have long grappled with each other’s cultures – obvious instances include E M Forster, R K Narayan, Paul Scott and Rabindranath Tagore. The latter, in part, provides the impetus for Neel Mukherjee’s A Life Apart (published in India in 2008 as Past Continuous and winner of the country’s most prestigious literary prize) by way of Miss Gilbey, one of his two main protagonists, a governess in Bengal at the turn of the century and a character lifted from Tagore’s The Home of the World (Where her appearance in but fleeting). In this novel about displacement, assimilation and identity, Mukherjee’s other major character is Ritwik Ghosh, born in Calcutta, educated in England after the death of his domineering mother and, ultimately, a rent boy in England in the dying years of the twentieth century and early years of the twenty-first century. A harshly vivid portrait of strangers in the strange lands who connect by way of a decaying and incontinent old woman in contemporary London, A Life Apart is a distinguished addition to the literature of one culture’s on-going relationship with another.
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beigebooks
Gay Life and Culture: A World History Edited by Robert Aldrich (Thames & Hudson, £16.95) Kees van Dongen’s portrait of a young Arab (pictured) was painted around 1910 while the artist was travelling through Morocco. ‘Like many Western visitors to the Arab world, van Dongen seems to have been attracted by the self-confident sensuality he encountered. Nearly all northern travellers, homosexual and heterosexual, were tempted to project their fantasies of the “other” onto the cultures of the East.’ The van Dongen painting prefaces Vincenzo Patane’s ‘Homosexuality in the Middle East and North Africa’ – one of the essays included in Gay Life and Culture: A World History. Edited and introduced by Robert Aldrich, author of the indispensible The Seduction of the Mediterranean: Writing, Art and Homosexual Fantasy, Gay life and Culture is a sturdy and compendious volume comprising essays from writer who are attached to universities in America, Australia and Western Europe which trace the history of homosexuality from Greece and Rome to the present day. An authoritative and remarkably comprehensive study of what is (after all) a vast subject, here are essays on everything from Laura Gowing’s ‘Lesbians and Their Life in Early Modern Europe’ to Brett Genny Beemyn’s ‘The Americas: From Colonial Times to the 20th Century’ and Adrian Carton’s ‘Desire and Same-Sex intimacies in Asia’. The text is best defined as accessibly academic; the illustrations lift this coffee table format book into an entirely different category. Particularly well-chosen, Gay Life and Culture includes more than twohundred-and-fifty pictures, over half in full colour. The combination of scholarly text and beautiful (and appropriate) illustrations and the more than affordable price make this book good value for money.
London Calling: A Countercultural History of London Since 1945 by Barry Miles (Atlantic Books, £25) Countercultural historian Barry Miles (biographer of William S Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac) has in London Calling written an absorbing epic which spans sixty-five years of the capital’s alternative artistic and social history. This hefty (almost five hundred page) study is at once impressively comprehensive and yet satisfyingly readable. It is a book rich in characters, many of them extravagantly homosexual, and incidents, often outrageous or improbable. Miles’s grasp of the ebb and flow of the various moments which comprise the subject of his book is such that one chapter segues seamlessly into another as one generation of eccentrics pass the torch of creativity or sheer dottiness to the next. Though London Calling is a broadly-based countercultural history, Miles must be commended for his handling of the many gay threads that have contributed to creativity, socializing and subversion – from Francis bacon to Derek Jarman, Leigh Bowery and Gilbert and George and clubs as diverse as Soho’s Le Duce in the sixties (Jarman called it “the most exciting club in the sixties”) and Blitz twenty years on. A fascinating and richly anecdotal history, London Calling in some ways stands as a monument to a whole way of life that has long since disappeared.
The Surprising Life of Constance Spry by Sue Shephard (Macmillan, £18.99) Born in 1886 into a remorselessly self-improving working-class family, Constance Spry had a peripatetic childhood, (Derby, Birmingham, the West Country, Dublin) before settling in London as a young woman, initially involved with education in the slums of the East End and, ultimately, as an arbiter of taste to high society in the grand West End and country houses of the aristocracy. She is probably most famous now as co-author (with Rosemary Hume) of the 1200 page The Constance Spry Cookbook (originally published in 1956, still in print after fifty-four years from Grub Street at £25) and as the presumed inventor of Coronation Chicken for Elizabeth II in 1953 (in fact, the dish had been contrived by Hume). But in her heyday, Spry was best known for her innovative flower arrangements – which often went hand-in-hand with the décor of interior designers such as the impossible Syrie Maugham (wife of the writer W Somerset Maugham) and the lesbian Elsie Mendl (Lady de Wolfe). Though unhappily married and then in a long term heterosexual relationship, Spry had her moments with women, notably with the painter Gluck, the aggressively masculine daughter of the caterers J Lyons, famous for her flower paintings and highly original portraits, now somewhat forgotten. Sue Shephard’s highly readable (if occasionally hectic) The Surprising Life of Constance Spry enjoyably brings to life a way of life and a world that has long since gone with the wind.
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Beige Mag Advert 1:Layout 1 27/01/2010 15:32 Page 1
visitmanchester.com/gay
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Me, Tarzan
beigetravel
Fortes Safaris takes us on a trip to Tanzania
Dave hadn’t expected this at 7:45 on the M25
S
o, you’ve seen The Lion King and Brunch in the dreamt of being the king of the Ngorongoro Crater jungle. Perhaps you’ve even seen Dame Elton John wearing leopard skin shoes whilst playing along to his West End Lion King ditties. But have you seen the big five live in the flesh? (No, we’re not talking about the most muscular guys in a Vauxhall club on a Sunday morning, but The Big Five: Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo and Rhino). So, is it time for a getaway on the plains of Africa? Fortes Safari, a company that can tailor make safaris to suit your needs, prides itself on being different. “What makes us different from other safari companies is that we know all the ins and outs of putting on a spectacular show for our visitors,” they say. “Granted, much of the theatrical set is already there – for instance the raw, untamed wilderness of the savannahs, the mountains and forest lands! But Fortes Africa goes out of its way to ensure we cater towards your needs. Every safari is individually tailored and our aim is to ensure that you can discover the African Beauty for yourselves, with a little help along the way. Our ‘beastly’ cars - in the good way - are built to withstand the bumpy, dusty roads, whilst making sure you’re as comfortable as you can be. We will show you that luxury and adventure can go hand in hand! Not only can we drive you around, we can also fly you around and even get you on a hot-air balloon!”
Fortes focuses on the Republic of Tanzania - one of Africa’s most peaceful countries. Home to a flourishing democracy and prospering economy, the country is known for its peace and security. A wellmaintained infrastructure and three international airports connect its bustling commercial centres and ensure easy transportation, whether by air or by road. Tanzania’s people are a diverse mix of traditional tribes, village farmers and cosmopolitan professionals united by a common language, Swahili and a strong sense of national community. With an area about four times the size of the United Kingdom, Tanzania’s tourism industry has immense potential. Natural attractions including spectacular scenery, historical and archaeological sites (for example, the Olduvai Gorge and other sites where traces of the earliest man were discovered), abound. Parks teem with wildlife, there are unpolluted beaches, and the rich cultures of the 120 ethnic groups. The southern and northern highlands boast a number of impressive mountain ranges, typically rising 500m to 1,000m above their surroundings. Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru in the northeast are ancient volcanoes rising to 5,895m and 4,500m respectively. The Relief is characterised by Equatorial to Arctic vegetation (passing through near tropical rainforest, savannah grassland, semi-arid to arid, semi-desert, temperate, moorland, and alpine desert to the permanent snows of Mt. Kilimanjaro. vol 3 issue 4 | beige | 35
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The game numbers overall are staggering: 30,000 zebra, 5,000 buffalo, 3,000 elephant, and 2,500 giraffe
‘No, I’m the cute one’ ‘Please don’t run me over, I’m not ready to be a rug’
Fortes Safaris gets you very close!
The coastline is over 804km long with the nearby Islands of Unguja (also known as Zanzibar), Pemba and Mafia. The Islands offer an array of natural, cultural, historical and archeological attractions. Other natural resources are Lake Victoria, the world’s second largest lake and the source of the Nile. In the many game parks and reserves, wildlife roam about free. Tarangire National Park covers approximately 2600 square kilometers and, in the dry season, is second only to Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area in concentrations of wildlife. Tarangire lies to the south of the large, open grass plains of southern Maasailand, and derives its name from the Tarangire River, which provides permanent water for wildlife in the area.
In fact, the game numbers overall are staggering: 30,000 zebra, 25,000 wildebeest, 5,000 buffalo, 3,000 elephant, 2,500 Maasai giraffe and over 1,000 fringe-eared oryx (gemsbok). Predators include lion (prone to tree-climbing just like their Lake Manyara cousins), cheetah and leopard. As a safari holiday destination Tarangire is a lot less busy than other parks in the north of Tanzania. Going on a safari here offers you a chance to savour a real slice of Africa’s wilderness. Be warned though, the going can be rough and many of the tracks are impassable in the rainy season. Happy adventures! For more, visit www.fortes-safaris.com
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Jet Escapes
LUXURY BREAKS BY PRIVATE JET
The expert name in luxury breaks by private jet Your departure time. Your destination. Superior travel your way.
t: +44 (0)20 8742 1300 e: hello@jetescapes.co.uk
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Vienna is one of the most diverse cities in Europe. Thanks to stunning imperial architecture, unparalleled musical and cultural attractions, unique cuisine, and pockets of green space right in the heart of the city, the Austrian capital never fails to put visitors under its spell. Over 100 museums, and about 180 palaces and stately homes give Vienna a special appeal. And somewhere in the middle of all of this there is still plenty of room for modern architecture and design. Vienna has a thriving gay and lesbian scene. The city has something for everyone – from café hotspots, cocktail bars and lesbian restaurants, to gay leather hangouts, discos, clubs and saunas.
There are also a number of large scale events such as the Life Ball, Rainbow Parade, the Rainbow Ball and the Rosenball, and Wien in Schwarz. The city is far more gay-friendly than you might think. For centuries art and politics in Austria have had a strong homosexual influence. On January 1, 2010 same-sex couples in Vienna have been able to officially register their partnerships in ceremonies at some of the city’s best-loved locations. Vienna is changing more quickly than many other cities. Make sure you don’t miss out. Visit Vienna – Now or Never!
For more information on the gay and lesbian scene in Vienna visit: www.wien.info/gay
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São Paulo
beigetravel
Fabio Marcolini explores São Paulo - the largest city in Brazil, the largest and richest city in the southern hemisphere, the world’s 7th largest metropolitan area, and the most populous city proper in the Western World. Arola Vintetres
I
often come across articles regarding Brazil’s fantastic travel destinations, generally covering Rio de Janeiro, the Northeast coast and the Amazon. Yet as gay man about town, I’m a big fan of discovering the great metropolitan cities in the world – and São Paulo, the largest and richest in the southern hemisphere, has endless options to fulfil my curiosity. “São Paulo is for urban tourism. Culture is our beach.” Those are the words of Caio Luiz de Carvalho, president of São Paulo Tourism and anyone who has been lucky enough to visit this vibrant city will agree it’s the perfect analogy. Those who haven’t, believe it. São Paulo is the sophistication of international and Brazilian high fashion on Rua Oscar Freire, its boutique hotels, the antique fair at Praça Benedito Calixto, spas and international gastronomy. São Paulo is its Fashion Week, the Formula 1 race, the Saint Sylvester Marathon and the largest Gay Pride Parade in the world. No matter what your age, no matter what your tastes, you’ll never run short of ideas. More than 3 million people go to Paulista Avenue - the financial hub of the city – for its Pride Parade. Several parties, plays, exhibitions and even one of the largest diversity film festivals are held during Pride Week – with the main events happening from Thursday 3rd June (bank holiday in Brazil) to Sunday 6th June. Despite being winter, temperatures vary around 18°C, and June is one of the driest months in the year, so you can expect good weather. Of course that also means no shortage of half naked Brazilian boys flaunting themselves at the parade.
Gay Pride Sao Paulo © Sérgio Savarese
Explore the city
It is also around Paulista Avenue where you will find many of the city’s attractions. Paulista Avenue is where you’ll find a large number of financial and cultural institutions, besides being a huge shopping area and home to Latin America’s most comprehensive fineart museum - MASP. Known not only for its excellent collection, but also for the remarkable modern architecture of its building, suspended by two vertical concrete columns. A fantastic antique and arts fair is held under the gallery every Sunday – except on the Pride Parade day. Inaugurated in 1968 by Queen Elizabeth II, MASP is a city landmark. The Jardins district, located on the south side of Paulista, is where you will find the city’s best restaurants, hotels and its luxurious shopping district. Rua Oscar Freire and surrounding streets house top international brands, as well as Brazilian fashion labels. Contrasting with Paulista’s ‘posh district’ is the fascinating city centre, a mayhem of people, inexpensive shops and historical buildings. Exploring this fascinating area gives us the opportunity to discover the real Brazilian people, a mix of different cultures – national and international. Its centre point is the Sé Cathedral, one of the five largest Gothic shrines in the world. Guided tours are offered every Sunday, at 12noon and 1pm. You can grasp the city’s magnitude by walking around Vale do Anhangabaú – a giant boulevard with gardens, sculptures and views of the main downtown office buildings. If you would rather have a birds eye’s view of the city, visit The Banespa Tower, one of the best-known skyscrapers of São Paulo that offers a 360° panoramic viewpoint. It’s open on weekdays and you must have your document or passport to visit. The city market is another must-visit attraction in the centre – ideal for finding exotic fruits and spices. It is also an excellent way to admire its architecture and grab a bite. The Mercado Municipal, or simply “Mercadão” as it locally known, is one of the most
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Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. A perfect place to spend a sunny day in São Paulo. Although Brazil is well known for its higher than usual crime rate, it’s important to say that you do feel very safe in these areas of São Paulo. The key point for your safety is always be streetwise. Remember that due to its social difference, tourists dazed with their iPods and huge cameras can be seen as easy targets. So take only what you need and keep your belongings safe. The Pride parade attracts millions of people crammed into one avenue, so it is an easy area for pickpockets. There is no reason to feel afraid, but do take care.
Nightlife
Eterna / The Week
traditional gourmets points of São Paulo, where it’s possible to taste the traditional Pastel de Bacalhau (Cod fried giant dumplings) or the Sanduíche de Mortadela (Bologna’s Sandwich) – the two most well-known bites in the market. For a great place to hang-out on Saturday morning in São Paulo, head down to the flea market at Praça Benedito Calixto. From second hand fashion to intricate knick knacks, it’s a scavenger’s paradise: if you sift through long enough, you’re sure to find a dainty trinket, a charming old book, a lamp, a striking painting or even a frock for the pride parade! Even if you’re not in the mood for shopping, it’s a terrific place to enjoy a beer on the street and meet the locals. If you are in need to chill out in the sun, head to Ibirapuera Park, the second largest in the city, also home to several museums. It is known for its buildings designed by famous
The nightlife is one of São Paulo’s greatest gifts with a vast amount of clubs and parties running non-stop during Pride. The city is home to the world-famous club TheWeek* and also smaller clubs for all kind of crowds and lifestyle, gay bars and hang outs around Avenida Paulista and Republica area. Having started in 2004, The Week* Club came out in force to change the scene in town. Nowadays, the venue is recognised internationally for the special treatment of their clients, structure and success of their parties, which sees the very best DJs from around the world fall over backwards to play there. Last year, they started running the Eterna Festival to mark Pride Week as more than just the parade, making it an unmissable event in the world’s gay calendar. It is the biggest festival of its genre in the continent, a marathon of seven parties in five days and three different venues. The 2010 schedule promises to be bigger than it was last year, when they received eight international DJs, as well as thirteen residents, pumping out the very best in tribal and progressive house. The international attractions already confirmed for 2010 are: Abel (USA), Tony Moran (USA), Taito Tikaro (Spain), Russell Small (UK), Juanjo Martin (Spain), Isaac Escalante (Mexico), Peter Rauhofer (USA) and Enrico Arghentini (Italia). São Paulo is famed for their pool parties and on Sunday 6th June The Week* is running a special Matineé / Circuit Festival Pool Party, so you can head down and splash around with the hottest boys after enjoying the parade. Parallel to the festival, other party labels also hold some fantastic events, so you must keep tuned to the locals as they will inform you of the best parties to go to. Keep an eye out for Flexx and Megga, which also attracts a stylish crowd. For an early night drink, Sonique Bar is the hang-out for the cool, urban and trendy. Although it is not a gay bar, they run special events for Pride Week with top DJs. If partying all night isn’t enough, São Paulo offers some great afterhours at Ultra Diesel, Cantho and the uber trendy mixed Vegas Club. And if ‘tops-off clubs’ are really not your thing, you can party at one of the city’s finest – D-Edge – an award-winning club and on DJ Mag’s top clubs of the world. Cartel Club is also a sophisticated option attracting the crème of the gay scene. You can get caught in the vast amount of parties during Pride, but don’t forget that São Paulo has a lot more to offer. It is a city like no other in Brazil, the more you explore and discover, the more you fall in love.
Hotel Tivoli Mofarrej
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Eterna / The Week
Recommendations L’Hotel Porto Bay With sophisticated and classical design, L’Hotel offers fantastic service, a restaurants and spa in the heart of the city, by Paulista Avenue. It is described as very European feeling, so you won’t miss being home. Pamper yourself with one of their spa treatments to recharge your batteries for Pride. They are offering a special Pride Package which includes 3 nights stay, welcome champagne, butler service, airport transfers, breakfast, Ofuro Bath with essential oils at their spa and two tickets to TheWeek* for U$1250 (approx. £812). More information and bookings: +55 11 2183 0542 reservassp@portobay.com.br / www.portobay.com.br Tivoli Mofarrej Located in the luxurious district of Jardins, a block away from Paulista Avenue, the Mofarrej is a cosmopolitan and modern option, featured as best hotel in São Paulo in the Conde Nast Hot List 2010. Staying there you cannot miss the prestigious Asian therapy spa by Banyan Tree and the amazing fitness centre overlooking the garden. Enjoy a drink and relax away from the hustle and bustle of the city by their famous outdoor orange swimming pool. Special rates for Pride Week starts from R$570 per night with breakfast included (around £212). If budget allows, why not try the largest presidential suite in South America? More information and bookings: +55 11 3146 5900 reservas.htsp@tivolihotels.com / www.tivolihotels.com Arola-Vintetres Restaurant Not only a superb view of the city of São Paulo, but Arola-Vintetres promises to delight fans of good food serving stylish Spanish tapas with a contemporary Brazilian touch. Located on the 23rd floor of the Hotel Mofarrej, the restaurant has been created in a partnership with the Spanish chef Sergi Arola, the first Spanish chef to be awarded two Michelin stars. The restaurant also offers a trendy bar with Dj spinning every night. Opened from Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. More information and bookings: +55 11 3146 5900 arolavintetres@tivolihotels.com / www.arolavintetres.com
L’Hotel
Check out the club programmes: Eterna Festival - www.eternafestival.com.br The Week - www.theweek.com.br Megga Club – www.meggaclub.com.br Flexx Club - www.flexclub.com.br Sonique Bar - www.soniquebar.com.br Cantho - www.cantho.com.br Ultra Diesel - www.ultradiesel.com.br Vegas Club - www.vegasclub.com.br D-Edge - www.d-edge.com.br Cartel Club - www.cartelclub.com.br
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The shape of your manhood:
Treat Yourself To Cocksox
“100% of Cocksox wearers are men - big surprise, I know,” says Nigel from Team Cocksox. “I once saw a young woman wear a pair but it’s not something I want to see again!” Women, Nigel insists, have had domination of the fun side of underwear for too long, so the Cocksox team set about designing sexy, stylish and comfortable underwear for you to wear every day. So what’s new? Well, the combination of superior fabric technology and unique design make Cocksox exceptionally comfortable for extended periods of high activity (“where and what that activity is we’ll leave to you,” Nigel smiles). Cocksox underwear is made from a fabric called Supplex®. Supplex® is a highly breathable, very soft, fast drying, colorfast, synthetic fabric with high wicking properties (means it carries moisture away from your body) created by the Dupont company. It is similar in some ways to Coolmax® (also by Dupont) but according to manufacturers is of even higher quality and durability. In short, an extremely high tech fabric that’s extremely good to wear and will last you an extremely long time. “They’re easy to put on - some people like to have a little jiggle once they’re on to set everything in place but after that you’re good to go!” Indeed. www.cocksox.com
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12/02/2010 11/05/2010 13:46:46 08:03:18
A BRIGHTER shade of cool
beigefashion
The sun’s finally out, which means it’s the perfect time to treat your face to some eye-lovin’ • Wayfarer sunglasses £24.99 from Tie Rack
Silhouette Titan eyewear, £126 (varies - guy not inlcuded)
• Aviator sunglasses £24.99 from Tie Rack
• White frame aviator sunglasses £24.99 Tie Rack
A little too space age? Sunglasses £4 Marks & Spencer
• Denim frame aviator sunglasses £24.99 Tie Rack
• Contrast frame shades, £14.99 Tie Rack
Silhouette Titan eyewear, £126
• Metal frame aviator sunglasses £24.99 Tie Rack
Flying high: Aviator Sunglasses £12 Next Foster Grant Sunglasses £tbc
Red hot Jacamo Sunglasses, only £15 from www.jacamo.co.uk
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What does your shirt say about O.M.G. Is it just us or is there a plethora of fifty-something men still sporting Hawaiian shirts now that the sun is shining (sporadically)? Resist the urge, guys! Most fashion-conscious males understand that Hawaiian is rarely the way to go when it comes to a shirt to suit the summer, but how much do you know about what your choice of shirt really says about you? According to psychologists, the style of shirt a man wears can say a great deal more about his personality than he may realise. A report prepared by leading psychotherapist Jane Firbank to launch new online shirt retailer www.eccentricshirts.com reveals that his choice of shirt can convey that ‘he is more macho than he perhaps appears’, ‘secretly hankers back to those halcyon days of youth’, he ‘loves his work’, ’wants to bring the weekend forward’…. and a host of other things. “A shirt can make a very strong statement: it shows the wearer’s personality, their hidden talents and their buried interests,” claims Firbank. “It can revive their lost dreams of youth, or ones which have been put on hold for a while.” So what would these shirts (all available from www.ecccentricshirts.com) say about you?
you?
TOPSY
‘This shirt is likely to be chosen either by someone who likes iconic images. But it could also be someone who harks back to the good old days. It clearly represents the pre psychedelic era.’
BECKY
‘This shirt will immediately appeal to anyone who likes iconic images. They could perhaps work in the design field, not necessarily in a motor industry related company. The shirt is a talking point. You won’t be huddled in a corner on your own and talking to nobody if you wear this to a party! It also, of course, is a way of telling the world that you’re into classic excellence, you appreciate style and are something of a man’s man … there’s definitely a touch of matured, upmarket laddishness here.’
SHRUTI
‘This design gives a distinct, underlying ‘macho’ message. Besides surfing being a macho sport the design is saying “there is something much more important than me – and it is bigger than both of us.” It is a phallic image, and with surfing being risky, fast and dangerous, the shirt is making a powerful masculine statement. It features well-toned men who give a strong message – even if the wearer doesn’t have his own six-pack – he is saying that underneath he is a superman.’
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TIKKI
‘This is expressing the exotic: the warmth of the sun. It carries with it a breath of warm sea air and an inference that you can afford to travel to somewhere exotic to buy it. If you wear a shirt like this for work, you’re saying that your work is enjoyable and life is one big holiday. It is ideal for someone in a creative job, such as advertising, but whatever office you wear it to, it implies that you enjoy your work, which, after all, is the greatest freedom there is.’
ROSIE
‘It takes a bold man to wear a bold floral print. This shirt makes a really powerful statement. It announces – loudly! – that the wearer is different. He’s a strong man and he follows his own path. He doesn’t need to conform and he’s not afraid to stand out from the crowd. In fact, he welcomes it.’
LULU
‘Wearing this style of shirt states clearly that you are proud to be British and there is also a slight implication that you support the work of our Armed Forces. ‘The vibrant, novel colours deconstruct the traditional Union Jack. They’re about being British in the 21st century … they suggest the wearer is holding on to the nation’s core values but bringing them into a new, wider future. It’s a shirt for a man whose sense of humour conceals a solid, disciplined nature. He plays hard - but he also works hard.’
07/05/2010 15:19
“He’s the one for me.”
Im m e dia te ac c e s s t o yo u r mat ches Find someone really right for you. gay-PARSHIP, Europe‘s leading gay matchmaker, has already brought thousands of gay men and lesbians together with someone who is really right for them. Our aim is to help gay people achieve happiness as part of a couple, but we also believe in equal rights for gay people around the world. That‘s why we support The White Knot, a non-profit organisation which promotes same-sex union.
Take the free test now: www.gay-PARSHIP.com
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07/04/2010 15:39:27
hotspots Places to be seen....
Sex and the City tea party planned for London
T
o coincide with the release of Sex and the City 2, Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill has created the ultimate afternoon tea for all SATC fans, offering them the ideal way to spend an afternoon and become one of the girls! Created with all four girls in mind, the “Sex and the City Par-Tea” includes an inspired afternoon tea, with the option to include tickets to a showing of SATC2 at the newly refurbished and stylish Everyman Baker Street cinema. Guests who choose this option, will also enjoy a chauffeur-driven one-way trip from the hotel to the cinema. The savoury dishes on the afternoon tea menu were inspired by the city of New York and include pastrami on rye, and mini New York bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese. Mini Jack burgers (named after Jack Berger, one of Carrie’s boyfriends) and mini New York hot dogs with a light drizzle of mustard add a little Manhattan glamour to the tea. On the sweet end of the spectrum, a selection of mini pastries was created with each of the girls in mind. For Carrie, a strawberry-flavoured chocolate pink stiletto; for Charlotte, a mini pink strawberry cupcake (which she is seen making in the upcoming film); for Samantha an appletini jelly in a mini martini glass; and, finally, for Miranda, her favourite diet food, mini glazed doughnuts! In recognition of the girls love of cocktails, the afternoon tea will of course be accompanied by one of the girl’s favourite cocktails, with a choice of: a Cosmopolitan, a Manhattan, a Flirtini (champagne, vodka and pineapple juice) or a classic Martini with an olive! “Sex and the City Par-Tea” will be served every day between 3pm and 6pm from Friday 28 May to Tuesday 31 August 2010. This special afternoon tea is available at £39 per person and bookings of parties of up to 6 people are available. “Sex and the City Par-Tea” including a ticket to see SATC2 at the Everyman Baker Street cinema and a chauffeur-driven car to the cinema is priced at £55 per person, subject to availability. All reservations must be made in advance; credit card details and a deposit will be taken for confirmation. For reservations call 020 7299 2037 or email: montagu.hrlondon@hyatt.com. Each reservation will confirmed only when each guest has given their credit card details and has received written confirmation from The Montagu.
HYATT REGENCY LONDON - THE CHURCHILL www.london.churchill.hyatt.com 30 Portman Square, London W1H 7BH. 020 7486 5800 48 | beige | vol 3 issue 4
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beigeHot Spots
World’s first Armani Hotel unveiled in Burj Khalifa, Dubai
F
ashionistas of the world are literally falling over their Manolo Blahniks to book a room at the new icon in luxury hospitality – the Armani Hotel Dubai. The world’s first Armani Hotel opened in April with a ribbon cutting ceremony by fashion maestro Giorgio Armani and Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties PJSC (pictured above). With its landmark location inside the iconic Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, the elegant Armani Hotel Dubai is poised to be the most exclusive hospitality destination in the city and a new benchmark for the industry globally. Occupying floors concourse to 8 and levels 38 & 39 of Burj Khalifa, the hotel features 160 luxurious guest rooms and suites, eight innovative restaurants, exclusive retail outlets and a serene spa. The hotel offers sweeping views of the city complemented with a harmonious and stylish lifestyle environment. Every aspect of the hotel’s design and service offerings has been designed and planned by Giorgio Armani, from the bespoke furnishings to restaurant menus and inroom amenities. On the opening, Giorgio Armani said: “It has long been my dream to have a hotel in which I myself would like to stay and entertain family and friends, where the Armani aesthetic is combined with Italian-style warmth and hospitality. I am thrilled to open the doors of the Armani Hotel Dubai and invite my guests in to experience my world.” So there’s only one question left: does EasyJet fly to Dubai?
www.armanihotels.com
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Whose festival is it, anyway? Alrite mate: Beautiful Thing
It’s the UK’s biggest annual arts and culture festival and it’s in Britain’s gayest city, but just what’s on offer at a decidedly gay lite Brighton Festival and Fringe? Peter Burton dives in.
I
t is interesting to observe that the annual arts festival that every May takes
of Mozart and Strauss. Brighton resident Bartlett will also be taking part in Literary
over the clunkily named City of Brighton and Hove has resolutely remained
Bent (Marlborough Little Theatre, 20 May). This fringe event pairs Bartlett and national
the Brighton Festival. It is also interesting to note – after a careful scrutiny
treasure Bette Bourne (Landmark figures in queer theatre) in conversation, discussion
of the programmes for the festival proper and the rather more adventurous
and readings from their work (Bartlett, coincidentally, is the author of an innovative
and expansive fringe – that a destination that thinks of itself as some kind
study of Wilde, Who Was That Man? A Present for Mr Oscar Wilde). Literary Bent
of UK gay capital should have precious little on offer specifically targeted at
promises to be a sheer delight.
what is after all one of Britain’s largest LGBT communities. But, then, it has long been my contention that festivals are not for the inhabitants of the town or city in which they
Elsewhere, cabaret and comedy and theatre and visual arts all include performances/ experiences that might exert an especial pull to LGBT audiences.
take place but rather for that special breed of tourist trek from Cheltenham to Brighton
Cabaret highlights include appearances from the all-male Der Wunderlich Revue
to Edinburgh and all points north and west, south and east in search of stimulation
(The Brunswick, 5 & 10 May) which features cheerleading, pole dancing, striping and
for the soul.
ukulele playing, and Australian troupe Drags Aloud in At The Movies (The Komedia,
So just what might a gay man (inhabitant or tourists) find particularly appealing in
19-21 May), which promises gender-bending satire and a riot of costume changes. Look out for Miss Hope Springs (The Brunswick, 4 18 & 27 May) in which alternative
2010’s Brighton Festival and Fringe? To be honest, there’s virtually nothing in the festival proper to stir a member of the
drag artist Ty Jeffries plays and sings belting showstoppers and torch songs and a return visit of fringe regulars The Lady Boys of Bangkok (The Sabai Pavilion, throughout
LGBT community’s soul. Two events, in fact. Composer Howard Goodall (The Hired Man) has written a full-scale orchestral work
May).
based on Oscar Wilde’s fairy tale The Selfish Giant. Aimed primarily at Children (it’s
Anyone looking for a laugh will have plenty to choose from the comedy programme.
being promoted as a companion to Peter and the Wolf and Carnival of the Animals),
Here are Adventures in Homosexuality and Social Diseases (Media Centre Studio, 1720 May, Bent Double (The Komedia, 2 May) hosted
it premiers on 1 May at the Dome Concert Hall. No festival or fringe is complete without plenty
Neil Bartlett
by Vauxhall Tavern compere Cathy P, Max and Ivan
of Wilde and there’s also a production of his
(Marlborough Little Theatre, 21 May) in ‘an hour
The Importance of Being Earnest on the fringe,
of joy-soaked trans-genre sketch wizardry’ and
running at the Grand Hotel for selected dates
Terry’s Cat (Royal Albion Hotel, 7 & 9 May) in which
throughout May.
Terry Saunders’ cat has Aids!
Devised be Neil Bartlett and Jessica Walker,
Theatregoers can enjoy productions of Jonathan
performed by Walker and directed by Bartlett,
Harvey’s sentimental but highly popular Beautiful
The Girl I Left Behind Me (Theatre Royal, 22
Thing (Little Theatre, 15-22 May) about a love
May) promises to be highly diverting. Posing
affair between two young men on a London
the question: What is it that makes a woman in
council estate; Down Dangerous Passes Road
trousers so appealing?, the show conjures a world which includes swaggering cross-dressers
Miss Hope Springs
(Marlborough Little Theatre, 10-16 May) in which three brothers face a rite of passage; I Wish You
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National treasure: Bette Bourne
“
Posing the question: What is it that makes a woman in trousers so appealing?, the show conjures a world which includes swaggering cross-dressers of Mozart and Strauss
“
The Naked Homo
Love (Upstairs at Three and Ten, 1-3 May) in which the friendship between gay icons
archetypal butch and femme lesbian relationship hits the rocks.
Dietrich and Piaf is recreated; Philip Ridley’s Karamazoo (Jubilee Library, 15 & 16 May), a
Two exhibition look as though they will be of interest – a new collection of vibrant
play by the screenwriter of The Krays; Martin Lewton’s Naked Homo (Marlborough Little
acrylic paintings by Romany Mark Bruce (Creator of the Brighton Aids memorial) at
Theatre, 17-19 May), ten scenes of naked gay life performed by one naked gay homo;
the New Steine Hotel throughout the festival and You Make Me Gay at The Oriental,
Talking Dirty/Coming Out (Marlborough Little Theatre, 23 May), ‘Real lesbians telling
throughout the festival (see feature elsewhere in this magazine).
their own stories in their own words’ and The Killing of Sister George (Marlborough Little Theatre, 2-4 May), a new production of Frank Marcus’s famous play in which an
So, there’s certainly something for gay audiences to enjoy – but, to my mind, the festival and fringe offer pretty slim pickings.
www.brightonfestival.org | www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk
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Diana ‘Diana was at her most successful back in 1984. She was then Chief Science Officer and in charge of Visitor security on the mother ship that hovered above Los Angeles. She used her power base to manipulate events to her benefit. Ruthless in her ambition and determined to get her way at any cost, she was a leader in a man’s world and pulled it off in killer heels and sequined jumpsuits.’
Heidi ‘Heidi was in charge of several girls who serviced stars from stage and screen all over the world. She got sent down for it and was in the slammer for three years. All the time never cashing in on her celebrity clientele, she did her time quietly and got out to pursue a life looking after exotic birds left to her by an associate. Recently admitting that another year inside would have killed her, Heidi’s resilience and no-holds-barred honesty undoubtedly springing from her roller coaster life story, grants her a place in the hall of fame.’
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Frida ‘Frida worked in the music industry and has had many incarnations before she reached a wider international audience as part of a highly successful group. As fashion director of the group’s image, Frida would always appear in fabulous outfits. Possessing a mischievous and irreverent demeanour behind those quietly haunted eyes, she intrigued me more so than her blonde cohort that all the other boys were looking at.’
Maggie ‘Maggie paved the way for female police officers in a man’s world at the start of the 80s. She tragically lost her husband, who was also in the force, at the outset of her detective career. Heroically, Maggie carried on to tackle a range of intense cases with resilience and empathy and with, what some would say, the gentle touch.’
08/05/2010 08:39
beigeshowcase
showcase ‘You Make Me Gay’ an exhibition of new works by Patrick O’Donnell
L
ast summer, ten of the UK’s most prominent gay men and women were asked to take part in the National Portrait Gallery’s Gay Icons exhibition, revealing their hero for London to see and discuss. Elton John, novelist Sarah Waters, and Labour peer Waheed Alli were among the panelists, all of whom submitted individuals they regard as iconic to both themselves and gay people in general. Those chosen ranged from Diana, Princess of Wales to Nelson Mandela to Lily Savage. Sandi Toksvig chaired the panel. “Each of the selectors is a successful person in their own right who also happens to be gay,” she said. “Their lives in the public eye will not have been made easier by their decision to live openly with their sexuality ... I myself am on kissing terms with the police hate crime squad and often think what an odd thing it is to be reviled by someone simply for being yourself. “Finding out who helped to give our selectors the courage to stand tall is fascinating. Being a gay icon doesn’t mean you have to be homosexual yourself. You need to be something even rarer - you need to be inspirational.” This spring, Brighton-based artist Patrick O’Donnell is taking the concept one stage further. ‘You Make Me Gay’ is an exhibition of personal icons, painted by O’Donnell. Each of them, he says, are figures from his life who have “influenced his gay identity”. His subjects range from school friends who danced to Madonna with him in the playground, characters from 80s television programmes, figures from the music industry and performers from the Working Men’s Club circuit in Yorkshire where he grew up. “The icons I have painted are a result of the personal impact they have had on me,” O’Donnell reveals. “The emphasis of the exhibition is to celebrate figures
who may have been overlooked. At the time of becoming my icon, I felt they were largely mine or championed by a select few rather than belonging to everybody else. Kylie, Madge, Liza et al already have iconic status and painting them wouldn’t prompt the question of ‘who can be a gay icon?’ “There are also fabulous personal acquaintances in the exhibition including my sister Kathy, who took me to see Duran Duran when I was 12 - exposing me to boys who wore blouses and makeup - as well as school friend Katrina, who I performed the dance routine with to Madonna’s ‘Open Your Heart’ in the playground aged 11 to a captive audience. I suppose you could say the exhibition is full of gay facilitators!” Showing at The Oriental in Brighton (formerly the Oriental Hotel) from 1 to 31 May, the show questions the notion of what a gay icon is. “The exhibition also plays with the idea of real and fictional people. As a child, watching these amazing, tough, female characters on TV, they were very real to me, my disbelief was suspended and imagination running wild, hanging onto every word of the glamorous alien bitch in 80s cult TV sci-fi series V, wishing I could be as fearless as Mary Beth Lacey fronting up to New York’s worst crimes while managing Harvey’s latest meltdown, or more recently Jill Tyrell’s resilience and determination to get her man in Nighty Night. “Gay icons are usually famous people, whose iconic status is perpetuated by repeated exposure to carefully selected familiar images,” O’Donnell says. “My icons all have equal billing, regardless of media coverage and column inches. The act of painting each portrait has confirmed equal iconic status to each of my subjects and their actual level of fame becomes irrelevant. They’re all famous to me. And they make me gay.”
O’Donnell’s exhibition is showing as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival – for more, visit www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk. For details of the venue please follow www. orientalbrighton.co.uk. For more on the artist, visit www.patrick-odonnell.co.uk. Ten per cent of sales and all funds raised by collections at the various events planned throughout the show will be donated to Terence Higgins Trust.
Nicola ‘Back in 2003, Nicola successfully made it into an all-singing, all-dancing girl group. For the first few years, despite her obvious talents, she hid behind the layers of fake tan to hide her real self. She looked afraid, like she was trying to blend in, like she wanted to be anywhere other than in front of the camera. I felt for Nicky and kept rooting for her, hoping that she would one day feel comfortable in her voice and skin. That day eventually came and she embraced the ginger hair and pale skin and blossomed into the swan she now is.’
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Liberty & Justice For All
2010
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THE RALLY
PRIDE STARTS HERE! SATURDAY, JUNE 19TH, 4PM – 8PM
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11/05/2010 07:46:44
screener beigecinema
now showing
the
WORDS: JOSH WINNING
BAD LIEUTENANT
Showing 21 May
Is Nic Cage crackers? Plenty of evidence to support such a sentiment (various dreadful movie wigs; any of his dodgy films from the past decade). But never has Cage embraced his loopy-loon reputation more whole-heartedly than in this off-the-wall crime thriller, in which he plays a very, very bad lieutenant. Teaming up for the first time with similarly barmy director Werner Herzog, the resultant two hour thrill ride will leave you dizzy, dazed, and just a little bit delirious. All in the best possible way, of course. Set in a Hurricane Katrina-savaged New Orleans, mere months after Mother Nature did her worst, Herzog’s picture throbs with a wild, wired force as Cage’s lieutenant gets hooked on coke and enters cahoots with the very criminals he’s supposed to be banging up. Cage’s performance holds it all together, nuts as it is, while Herzog infuses proceedings with a neo-noir mood that is as sexy as it is slimy. Oh, and look out for a cameo from the also-pretty-bonkers Fairuza Balk. In short? Bad Lieutenant is very good fun.
HEARTLESS
Showing 21 May
Filmmaker Philip Ridley is renowned for his gritty, material pics, and with Heartless - just his third film in 20 long years - he takes us into the dark, labouring heart of London’s East End. Here, Jamie Morgan (yummy Jim Sturgess) is a quiet hideaway ashamed of the heartshaped birthmark on his face. But when he discovers that demons are skulking about the London streets, and his mother expires in a shocking blaze, he hears of a man named Papa B who could have the power to take away Jamie’s troublesome birthmark... for a price. Yeah, it’s an update of the old Faustian yarn, and giving any more away would be doing the flick a disservice. Stylish and grounded, Ridley’s film takes the idea of demonic teens and runs with it, teasing an uneasy tension from the grungy East End setting. Even if it doesn’t quite hit all the right marks, dragging in places, Heartless at least features a luminous appearance by Brit character actor Eddie Marsan (Happy-Go-Lucky), whose Weapons Man balances perfectly on a tripwire of ridiculously hilarious horror. Hearty if a little too flighty.
HOT TUB TIME MACHINE
Showing 7 May
The ‘80s were all about being big. Big hair, big glasses, big phones. We look back with nostalgic swoons, but would it be a big mistake to want to return to that candy-cane era? The best person to ask, of course, is John Cusack, icon extraordinaire of the era that fashion forgot, whose character Adam is here transported back to 1986 with his teen nephew and two juvenile buddies. Yes, via a hot tub time machine – in keeping with one of the greatest (and most does-what-it-says-onthe-tin-y) titles to come along since Snakes On A Plane. Trapped back in ‘86, this crude quartet find themselves reliving one day, while contending with the butterfly effect – i.e. trying not to fuck anything up. Time travel plots always hover around the question of ‘What if?’, and Hot Tub is no different, offering each of its characters a chance at redemption via re-tread. But by crossing the formula with Hangover-style gross-outs, Hot Tub ends up being just as daft and hilarious as the ‘80s themselves.
EYES WIDE OPEN
Showing 14 May
Jerusalem’s answer to Brokeback Mountain? It’s an inevitable comparison considering the colossal themes at play in Eyes Wide Open, which essentially swaps Mountain’s deconstruction of Wild West machismo with a deconstruction of devout religion and the role it plays in contemporary existence. Beautifully simple in premise, we follow father Aaron (Zohar Strauss), a butcher in Jerusalem’s staunchly traditional Jewish community, who meets handsome student Ezri (Ran Danker) and tumbles into an affair. First-time feature director Haim Tabakman trains his lens intently on these two men as they search for a way to deal with their irrepressible emotions while the community slowly rallies against them. Capturing its vast, expansive ideas within the claustrophobic confines of the Jerusalem setting, Eyes Wide Open is literally an eye-opener, presenting a world alien to most, unimaginable to others. Here, religious devotion deems homosexuality a test, and one that must be surmounted at all costs. The captivating landscapes of these men’s plain-but-increasinglypassionate lives provide insights as fascinating as they are horrifying. Intimate and affecting stuff.
BEST OF THE REST Four Lions Tongue-in-cheek terrorism comedy courtesy of controversy courter Christopher Morris. That’s a lot of C words Friday 7 May • A Nightmare On Elm Street Knife-fingered Freddy Krueger is back, this time stalking /Heroes/ hottie Thomas Dekker. Don’t fall asleep! Friday 7 May • Robin Hood Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott team up for a fifth time, resurrecting the Hood myth for a gritty spin on the age-old yarn Friday 14 May • Prince Of Persia Jake Gyllenhaal beefs up for a Disney fantasy adventure with Gemma Arterton. Swoons guaranteed. Friday 21 May
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beigedvd
NOWHERE BOY 10 May, Icon
The blessing and curse of hindsight is that it gives us the impression that things are somehow set or fated. But if you looked at the early life of John Lennon, when he was a rebel searching for a cause and living with his strict aunt in the 1950s, you would never imagine he’d amount to very much. Which is sort of director Sam Taylor-Wood’s point, as she traces those early years of the future Beatles star. It’s a film that relies heavily on its powerhouse performances, with Aaron Johnson holding his own against the likes of Kristin Scott Thomas. Keep an eye on this guy, he’s definitely going somewhere.
dvd
screener the
COLLEGE BOYS LIVE
LEO’S ROOM
10 May, TLA
17 May, TLA
Essentially picking up where last month’s Sex Life In LA left off, CBL initially feels like one of those episodes of Rikki Lake that hit the streets in search of sensational real-life drama. But where it begins as a fairly typical doc about a webcam house – in which teens boys live for free while under the constant scrutiny of 24 hour cams – CBL soon turns into a gripping, shocking exposé of the problems and pressures forced onto young American teens. As court cases pile up against the website owners, and the destructive prowess of one young screw-up wreaks hell on the house, CBL becomes a riveting, emotional ride. Big Brother eat your heart out.
An Argentinean deep-thinker, Leo’s Room is at times devastatingly slow - but that’s all part of its indified charm. Leo (Martín Rodríguez) isn’t happy with his girlfriend, and tentatively chats with gay guys on the internet, but never has the balls to meet them. Meanwhile, he bumps into an old school friend with problems of her own. Featuring many an indie film staple – sweet soundtrack, long, motionless takes, a ton of internalised problems – Leo’s Room slowly casts its beguiling spell as we fall head-over-heels in love with our sensitive lead and his sexual confuddlement. By the end, you’ll wish you were in his room with him.
SPREAD
NINJA ASSASSIN
17 May, Optimum
10 May, Warner Bros
Let’s get one thing straight: Ashton Kutcher flashes a lot of flesh in this here romantic drama. Yes, his bum is the real star, and there are a fair few saucy sex scenes with various glamorous co-stars. But while the explicit dry-humping feels strangely sanitised, there is more to Spread. Mr Demi Moore is indeed a pretty young thing (though at times painfully skinny), but here he brings the emotion as a feckless fucker who likes to rinse rich women of their cash. After crossing paths with gorgeous firecracker Margarita Levieva it appears he’s met his match... Newbie actress Levieva is fantastic, forcing Kutcher to up his game and ensuring that we don’t have to make any cracks about ‘middle-aged spread’.
South Korean pop singer and model Rain takes on the titular role in this squishy, blood-drenched, whiplashinducing actioner. Boasting more gore than five Friday The 13ths combined, Assassin is gorgeously lensed, its scenes establishing the back-story of our firm-bodied lead all lusciously crafted, while a brutal, fire-bathed climax looks awesome. But the involvement of Brits Naomie Harris and Ben Miles as Europol agents is completely unnecessary, merely serving to create numerous scenes in which stupid soldiers are ripped to shreds by nimble-footed ninjas. In the end, it’s hard to get fully involved in either Rain’s traditional plot, or Harris’ modern day investigations. Not quite bloody awful, but darned bloody all the same.
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...and so will you be when you see Newcastle. Probably.
Surf’s up! Bums, blondes and buff boys are all in again this season as Peccadillo Pictures releases Newcastle, a tale of surf, hand-shandies and homosexuality. “It’s fun to run around naked,” star Lachlan Buchanan tells Josh Winning.
R
olling waves, tanned teens and treacherous, pulse-soaring surf contests are not probably things you’d immediately associate with Newcastle. Except we’re not talking about the birthplace of Cheryl Cole and Ant and Dec - this is Newcastle, Australia, an altogether more glamorous and enticing holiday destination. Boys, beaches and bums are the fixtures of that faraway locale, if you believe director Dan Castle and his shimmering teen film, the simply titled Newcastle. On the surface, it’s as iridescent and transparent as the ocean, following a group of gorgeous surfers on the coast of Australia. But dive deeper, and you’ll discover Newcastle is rich with emotion, candid insights into the lives of modern day teens, and takes a refreshing stance on homosexual youths and their peers. “One of the biggest things that the director wanted was the film to have a realistic feel to the teenagers,” reveals 22-year-old star Lachlan Buchanan, all blueeyed and sandy-haired. “Dan had us really intensely working together and hanging out during various acting classes to get us bonding as fast as possible. It was something that was natural for us because we
were all teenagers at the time and you make friends really easy.” Buchanan, now working and living in Los Angeles, plays tempestuous teen surfer Jessie, wallowing forever in the shadow of his successful older surfer sib, and spending his time riding waves with three beach buds. Meanwhile, brother Fergus (Xavier Samuel) is just making tentative attempts to exit the closet. But the pressure of living up to his family’s – and his own – expectations means Jessie is prone to violent outbursts. “I’m a pretty sedate person!” laughs Buchanan. “In Newcastle I’m screaming at people left, right and centre, and that was definitely where all the acting
came in. I hadn’t really done anything that was that intense. I like to challenge myself with this profession, so it definitely appealed to me to go into those places and challenge myself and see what I could do.” Buchanan has spent the past three years using his sun-kissed good looks (and, alright, an impressive ability to immerse himself in characters) to land roles in TV adverts and short films. His previous works, of course, included him passing through that timehonoured rite of passage required from any upstart Australian actor – he appeared in four episodes of Home & Away. “It’s a rite of passage and certainly a leg up, for sure,” nods Buchanan. He then laughs, revealing that if you look at the CV of any Aussie actor now working in LA, “90% of the time they’ve done a stint on Neighbours or Home & Away - no matter how big or small. It’s hilarious.” Is that akin to a yoke around the neck? Not according to Buchanan. “People say it’s soapy television, it’s nothing serious, but it’s definitely not like that anymore,” he argues. “It shows that you’ve got set experience and you can work quickly.” Invaluable skills in these recession-bashed times. Though dipping into soapy territory, Newcastle is a
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different beast entirely. Helmed by gay director Dan Castle, it’s almost the mirror image of an earlier short that the US-born filmmaker shot entitled The Visitor. In that, an elderly gent living by an Australian beach escapes news of his old partner’s impending death by fantasising about nubile young surfers. With Newcastle, the director (a renowned surfing aficionado) tunes his attention in to that of the younger generation. Authentically lensing their lives, he brings a keen eye to both the sun-blushed visuals, and the internal dramas of their shore-side existence. (A real-life drama occurred when one of the ocean liners in the background of the film washed ashore on the very beach that the cast had been filming on just days previously.) And despite all the skin on show (“Having to run naked through a neighbourhood that’s supposed to be a cordoned off set, but 50-year-old ladies are having a champagne breakfasts, was a lot of... fun?” ventures Buchanan light-heartedly), it’s the teens that shine through. Individual hormone hurricanes, they’re fighting like cats and dogs one minute, then the best of friends the next. “If a scene was coming up where we’d be screaming or angry, we’d have a shouting match at each other,” Buchanan tells us. “We’d scream anything it took to get really riled up, and then channel it into the actual scene.”
Meanwhile, the gay angle - with Fergus taking a fancy to one of his brother’s friends - is handled with the kind of knowing, honest realism that only a gay director could endeavour. That dynamic, in which straight boy Andy is unfazed by Fergus’ sexuality and actively encourages his attentions, is a dynamic that “hasn’t been explored much on screen”, according to Castle. He’s right, and it remains one of Newcastle’s greatest assets. Buchanan’s expertise as a surfer also aided him in his legitimate portrayal, as he leapt waves for some of the film’s most stunning footage. What does he love about surfing so much? “It’s difficult to explain it unless you’re out there doing it I suppose,” the actor begins. “I guess the best thing is the escape, it’s kind of going to a different world; you get to play on waves. It’s this peace and fun that you can’t have on land.”
It almost sounds like he’s just described his character, Jessie. “That’s his way out, that’s his escape from his shitty reality,” acknowledges Buchanan. It’s now been a few years since Buchanan shot Newcastle, and the Queensland native is currently jobbing it in LA (a place he repeatedly refers to as “crazy”) - just another Aussie actor dreaming of the successes of the Isla Fishers and Jesse Spencers of the world. “A lot of them have done really well,” he admits. “I’d love to get to their kind of level.” Has life changed much since the shoot? “There’s some funny stuff on the internet,” Buchanan admits sheepishly. “I’ve got a friend who goes, ‘Ha look at this!’, and it’s a frame-by-frame of me running naked from the movie. I’m like, ‘Oh, okay, very flattering.’ There’s a lot of stuff like that.” Fame, if it were forthcoming, doesn’t seem to bother him too much, though. At least not unless it reached the ridiculous heights of a Robert Pattinson fan invasion. “It’s crazy,” says the actor. “I was talking to Emilie De Raven, his Remember Me co-star, and she was saying he can’t walk down the street without being mobbed.” How would Buchanan handle that sort of attention? “I’d certainly be savouring the quiet times and going home a lot,” he laughs. So that’s Newcastle, undeniably fun and moving to visit. And, yes, it’s the film we’re talking about now.
Newcastle is available from 10 May via Peccadillo, visit www.peccapics.com
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★ Dizzee Rascal ‘Dizzee Disco’ (24 May)
Lee Ryan apparently told a reporter, when asked about his new single, that he’d ‘found his voice, but now needs to find his fans’. This, we thought, showed a remarkable grasp of reality, especially as this is the man who openly remarked that the 9/11 attacks has been ‘blown out of proportion’. ‘Secret Love’ is the first solo effort we’ve heard from Ryan since ‘Reinforce Love’ limped to number 101 in the UK charts three years ago (no, we don’t remember either) and it’s not half bad, gov. Sonically, it can only be described as synth-boyband-pop, a fusion of familiar catchy chorus and pounding bass sounds. Let’s hope it’s a hit for him.
With three number one singles under his belt, Dizzee Rascal is the cheeky maestro to reckon with. ‘Dizzee Disco’, coming shortly after ‘Dirtee Cash’ (which reached number 10 in the UK charts), is the weakest song of the last four, and sounds a bit more like Basement Jaxx than Dizzee Rascal. But, the fourth single from the album Tongue ‘n’ Cheek, it’s allowed to be, we guess. New album soon, please!
Lee Ryan
★ Alphabeat ‘DJ’ (31 May) Alphabeat
★ Mini Viva ‘One Touch’ (10 May) Mini Viva
Music
★ Lee Ryan ‘Secret Love’ (3 May)
Is there no stopping Alphabeat? ‘DJ’ is yet another irritatingly catchy ditty from our favourite Danish popsters. Having just finished a UK-wide tour, setting dance floors alight with their blend of ABBA vs Pet Shop Boys songs, this deserves to be a huge hit. Just what summer needs to give it a kick into shape.
★ Justin Bieber ‘Somebody To Love’ (31 May) The NME called Mini Viva’s first single, ‘Left My Heart in Tokyo’, “The Catchiest Single of 2009”, and they were right. This, their third single, is forgettable. Which begs the question: Why can’t producers Xenomania recreate the magic and oddball sound of Girls Aloud when working with these two? They deserve to be much bigger than this.
★ Boyzone ‘Love Is A Hurricane’ (17 May)
When is Mother’s Day? Oh, we’ve missed it? Only housewives could enjoy this, surely? Pop by numbers, lacking all the sparkle of Gary Barlow’s Take That, Love is a Hurricane is dull. Expect this to air on Heart FM every fifteen minutes for the next 1,248 years.
Just when you thought kiddy-pop had taken a backseat, it’s move over Jonas Brothers and enter 16-year-old (but still prepubescentlooking) Justin Bieber. Bieber’s popularity has caused safety concerns. According to reports, Bieber was scheduled to appear at Long Island’s Roosevelt Field Mall, but the performance had to be cancelled after more than 3,000 screaming fans showed up for the appearance. The event got out of control, and over 35 police units had to be called in. Several fans received minor injuries and the police arrested an Island Records senior vice-president, James A. Roppo, apparently for hindering the police’s crowd control efforts by not sending a timely message on Twitter as instructed by the police! The song, however, is a pleasant slice of proper-pop. It’s as if Justin Timberlake was shrunk and cleansed. Marvellous.
Is May another month when the airwaves are ruled by glittery pop? Hell yeah!
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Love you long time
Are cruising services fuelling our Euroboy or Boy Next Door fantasies? Around two years ago Joel Simkhai, a then 31-year-old entrepreneur, experienced
Cheap air travel, interest in foreign cultures and the lure of romantic European
a ‘eureka’ moment when the key to the future of gay dating hit him right between
men has resulted in us Brits adopting a more adventurous attitude towards foreign
the eyes: proximity. Simkhai realised, he says, that what gay men want to know is
affairs. Quite literally.
how far away their next conquest is (before finding out their vital statistics). And
So who’s right? Grindr has the ability to find men wherever you are; so if you’re
so Grindr, the mobile phone application that shows the nearest 100 men using the
holidaying this summer in Europe it’s possible you could find gay men in any town
same app and looking for a hook up, was born.
or village you visit. But websites such as www.gayromeo.com (which originated in
Around the same time, an online dating site, www.parship.co.uk, (the gay version of which is www.gay-parship.co.uk) issued a press release claiming that of the 15 million single Brits, three million ‘are open to a serious long distance relationship.
Berlin, Germany) and www.gay-parship.co.uk (based in Hamburg, Germany) help you weed out that exotic piece of love meat before you travel. “Proximity is a determining factor only when it comes to instant sex dates - good
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old-fashioned cruising on the spot,” says Nikko Koulousios, Press Officer at Planet Romeo (the parent company of www.gayromeo. com). “But in an era of rapid internet growth and expansion, where the world is your oyster, proximity is a rather outdated concept. The web collapses distances and gives us a sense that we all live in one place, close to each other in a virtual portable homeland we call: the World Wide Web. “At GayRomeo we want to realise that potential of the internet and in a way unite our users under a platform that will make them feel safe at home, wherever they are. In that sense, while we also cater for gay men who want to cruise around in their regions/ neighbourhoods. At the same time, we are expanding virtual proximity to include a neighbouring region or country. Gay men are a highly mobile crowd,we love to travel around in different countries, or even continents, and we need a sort of compass to direct them to other hot guys in the area they are travelling to. GayRomeo is that compass.” So what percentage of users of these sites are looking for a serious, long distance relationship? “In our experience most of the singles search for a partner within ten miles,” says Ingo Hoelters, director of www.gay-parship.co.uk. “But it’s true that within the last few years people are getting more open-minded about far-distance relationships. We’re going to provide our service worldwide in June, so ask me again one year later and I can tell you, what happened! “One interesting aspect to Gay-Parship, however, is that we always said we were serious about relationships. Our goal as an online introduction service is to match our members with partners that are really right for them. We know that nearly everyone is looking for sex via our site, but with Gay-Parship we’re aiming for sex with love. That’s the best!” Gay men, searching online for love, as well as sex? Can this be true? Apparently so: Gay Romeo claims that 59% of their users globally said in their profiles that they are looking for sex, whereas 41% said they are looking for a relationship. “A lot of users are actually looking for love and sex at the same time!” laughs Koulousios. “When guys first register their profile, they are mainly looking for sex. After a while they get familiar with the site and its functions and start making friends. They develop their own network and if they weren’t thinking about a relationship in the beginning, they may start thinking about it. With others, we notice that for long periods of time they may be looking aggressively for sex, then they get bored of it and try to diversify their portfolio with options for a relationship or an open relationship. We’ve noticed a kind of “lovecycle” in operation
here!” So what do your intrepid cupids think is the attraction of a foreign affair? “For some opposites attract,” says Hoelters. “It’s probably that easy. Some wish to see familiar faces and a well-known culture and some want to learn something new and different. Maybe it’s also a question of age. What I know is, that Gay-Parship already did match international relationships and I hope they’re all still happy.” “There is a certain charm in dating the ‘other’, the ‘exotic’ one,” continues Koulousios. “Especially for a highly mobile population like gays, and you don’t have to deal with the day-to-day nuisances and little problems that are inevitable in a conventional relationship. When people turn to another country to look for their significant other, that can mean they are fed up with what their own country has to offer… or they’ve simply had their share and now they want to explore new territory. Or maybe they are truly ‘the only gay in the village’ and want to expand their horizons. At the end of day, travelling is a very strong incentive in all this. Some gay people are keen on casual open relationships and they would rather find someone from another country, so that they can combine a loose relationship with a bit of travelling. When it comes to European countries, proximity and cultural cross-over make things a lot easier.” Despite both of these sites’ success, and commitment to the internet as a tool for providing their services, both are working on harnessing the power of mobile applications, just as Grindr has already. “We believe in the future of mobile services,” says Hoelters. “Gay-Parship is going to provide a mobile App for its members in June. People want to use the internet not just in their office or at home, but on the move.” “We are a bit concerned about the content control that we see happening already on mobile applications,” admits Koulousios. “The mobile versions of websites are definitely the next big thing. The GayRomeo mobile version we are developing will work on nearly all modern devices. It will be a free service and users will be able to send unlimited free messages. The most important functions of our website will also feature in our mobile version. The current mobile version we are developing is not standalone – you will still need to create a profile on the website first and then you’ll be able to use the mobile version. We are also busy with various special optimising projects across the whole website. Over the past few years GayRomeo has grown internationally and that has given us the chance to see how users from many different countries are using our site and understanding its functions. Now we’re using what we’ve learned to implement modifications and adjustments that will make our site better.”
To be in with a chance of finding your Euroboy or Boy Next Door, visit either www.grindr.com (to download the app for iPhone and Blackberry phones), www.gay-parship.co.uk or www.gayromeo.com. Or why not try all three?
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upstaged plays and musicals
TAKING HOLD Holding The Man is a gay love story with real heart. Following sell out seasons across Australia it’s about to capture hearts on London’s West End. Beige caught up with Guy Edmonds and Matt Zemeres, the two seriously sexy leads of this modern Aussie play.
Holding The Man, which actor-turned-playwright Timothy Conigrave completed only a few short weeks before he died of an AIDS-related illness, is a frank and heartfelt memoir about his 15 year-long relationship with John Caleo. In 1976, as high school students at Xavier College, the pair fell in love, and started their lives together. In 1985 they were both diagnosed HIV positive. John died on Australia Day, 1992, with Tim by his side. He followed john to the grave two years later. Written in deceptively simple yet detailed prose, Holding The Man details the highs and lows of that turbulent, yet passionate relationship. Told from Tim’s perspective, the story telling pulls no punches as all of Tim’s infidelities are chronicled in as much detail as the depth of feeling he felt for John, the man he loved. The result is one of Australia’s most successful modern plays of recent years. Guy Edmonds and Matt Zemeres recently arrived in London to reprise the roles of Tim & John. Having been with the production since day one, they have experienced
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What a cast! (LtoR) Simon Burke, Anna Skellern, Oliver Farnworth, Jane Turner, Guy Edmonds, Matt Zeremes © Simon Annand
first hand the effect this production has had on it’s audiences. “The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Most of the people who read the book tell us that it has really captured the story and the heart of the book” Matt said. “People would hang around in foyers in Australia to share stories about Tim and how the play affected them. I’ve never done anything like it and may never again” Guy said. Don’t be fooled though, whilst Holding The Man is as emotional experience as you could hope to find in the theatre, it’s heart lies in its humour. “There’s very little sentimentality until the very end” Guy explains, “It’s a show full of humour.” “Gender and sexuality aside, whether you’ve lost anyone to HIV/AIDS or not, the love story drives the play and so many people identify with that”, Matt said, “it makes you think about your relationships and people you love.” Both actors say they were conscious that they were playing real people, not fictional characters. “These are real characters, who have a place in peoples hearts. I know it sounds really wanky but you really do put your soul into each night. If it got to a point where it did become mechanical and it lost its heart I’d stop doing it”. Matt says, and that feeling seems to translate into a dedicated fan following that has followed the play half-way round the world, “We had people who saw the show ten times. I met a guy here through our Producer and on a visit to Sydney he saw it six times. It wasn’t uncommon to bump into people who had seen it again and again as part of big groups. It was almost like a rock concert in Brisbane when tickets started being sold on Ebay”. Meeting Guy and Matt together, you are struck by the bond that has developed between the actors. They respond as a duo and seem exceptionally close knit. Given the amazing response in Australia did they have any trepidation in coming with the show to London? “We started the first season in 2006” Guy said, before Matt continued “When we were doing the show a while back there was talk about the show coming here, bit now that its happening it feels pretty damn amazing to be here if I’m honest”. “It still hasn’t really sunk in yet. We haven’t really seen the bright lights yet as we’ve been busy rehearsing with the new cast (which features Jane Turner, from hit TV sitcom Kath & Kim). We created the roles and have done seven seasons of the show in Australia – we’re proud!!”
This photo and opposite: Matt Zeremes and Guy Edmonds © Credit Simon Annand
Holding The Man is now playing at Trafalgar Studios, London til 3 July. www.holdingtheman.co.uk
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HAIR - Gielgud Theatre, London www.gielgud-theatre.com It’s a musical that once empowered a generation, but following an award winning season on Broadway it was recently announced that the production, with full Broadway cast intact would head to the West End. Would it pack the same punch as it did all those years ago. London’s original production was the first production to be staged following the abolition of the Lord Chamberlain’s draconian theatrical censorship. So does it still hold up after all these years? The answer must be a resounding YES. Diane Paulus’ production under the auspices of New York’s Public Theatre is slick, heartfelt, and brilliantly performed. Scott Pasks’ set and Kevin Adam’s lighting provide this modern tribe with a kaleidoscopic palette of colour and the ability to bring all the action into the audience on nearly every level of the theatre. There are some standout performances in this production particularly from Caissie Levy as Sheila, whose rendition of Easy To be Hard ranks as one of the best I’ve heard in any production of Hair. Will Swenson’s Berger is as loud and ebullient as any Berger ever, his swaggering non conformism makes him immensely likeable although perhaps a tad misguided when viewed from a modern standpoint. This production of Hair though allows Gavin Creel as Claude a chance to shine. Creel’s Claude is in fine voice, his tenor voice soaring above the tribe in numbers including Manchester, England. Claude is likeable, thought provoking, and a real star in this production. Cameron Mackintosh is to be commended for bringing this entire production to the UK. It must be an expensive exercise but well worth every penny as for the first time an American cast is allowed to present such an iconic musical from a very specific point of view. At the end of the production though cast and audience are one as everyone is invited to dance and celebrate on stage. This is truly the dawning of a new age of Aquarius.
STUDIES FOR A PORTRAIT Kings Head Theatre, London www.kingsheadtheatre.org It’s incredibly refreshing to enjoy a play which although containing gay themes and issues could be considered almost mainstream. Studies For A Portrait is such a play. When world famous artist Julian discovered he is dying of cancer, he retreats to his Hamptons home with Chad, his younger lover. Later joined by Justin, Chad’s younger lover and with the interjection of Marcus, Julian’s former lover, the scene is set for some interesting character studies and some great interactions between generations, lovers and other interested parties. Adam Spreadbury-Maher’s production is simple yet devastatingly effective. The story is told simply allowing Daniel Reitz’s prose to deliver maximum effect in both it’s humour and dramatic gravitas. This is truly an ensemble piece. Travis Oliver (interviewed in last months Beige) plays Chad, Julian’s business savvy lover who is to be left to pick up the pieces of Julian’s legacy. His performance is polished and assured, with just the slightest hint that he may crack and come apart under the emotional weight of the current circumstances. John Atterbury as Julian is suitably gruff and bolshy. Determined to drink his way through his valuable wine cellar his concerns are with Chad and his final attempts to be passionate about creating art. Tristan Summers plays Justin, Chad’s younger lover. A carefree, underwear model, Justin is unaccustomed to be anything but the centre of focus in any room he enters. Summers plays this part with ease, he lounges around Julian’s house, like a predator, awaiting his moment. Perhaps one of the most interesting performances though comes from Simon Wright as Marcus. Wright makes the most out of every line of dialogue afforded him. His delivery is razor sharp as he verbally assassinates Chad. His delivery is devastating and as an audience you cannot help but wince at the impact of his delivery. Studies is a show that truly deserves an audience. It’s a winner! 66 | beige | vol 3 issue 4
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The Ultimate Road Trip? Renault Launches Contestant Search For A Summer Road Trip - on TV Fancy spending a month this summer driving across Europe, in Renault’s latest two open-top cars, and being in with a chance of winning the £40,000-plus pair of striking two-door models in the process? If this sounds too good to be true, it isn’t. To support the launch of its two new drop-tops - Wind Coupé-Roadster and Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet - Renault is offering 16 people across Europe the chance to take part in a free trip of a lifetime in a unique online adventure in reality TV called ‘Very Good Trip’. The latest series of Big Brother and X-Factor finished several months ago, and The Apprentice has yet to come around again, so Renault is plugging the gap for reality show aficionados with Very Good Trip. From 14 June to 9 July 2010, teams of two from eight European countries, including the UK, will drive across the Continent in Renault’s new Wind Coupé-Roadster and New Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet, immersing themselves in some of the region’s best scenery, cuisine and culture. Every week, they will each tackle a series of tasks encapsulating the idea of freedom, pushing themselves to the limit in the process, vying to become Europe’s favourite dynamic duo to win both cars and several other prizes. Throughout the pan-European journey, each team will be accompanied by a TV crew 24 hours a day, to capture key moments on the 5,000 kilometre route. The end result will be more than thirteen hours of film on the portal, www.verygoodtrip.renault.com. For more, visit www.renault.co.uk/verygoodtrip
Who needs an iPod? Introducing the world’s biggest record player. In a car. An upturned modified car with wheels that serve as turntables has been developed by a team of Buckinghamshire engineers to create the world’s biggest record player and the most mobile of mobile discos. The Chevrolet Spark DJ car - which can be transformed from being legally roadworthy to a fully-functioning DJ booth in under 20 minutes - measures 3.6 metres in length and stands 1.6 metres high. Once converted into a DJ deck the motor powers two vinyl turntables, a CD deck and mixer. Car-maker Chevrolet has created the unique DJ set up to mark the launch of its new Chevrolet Spark model. For more, visit www.sparkunscheduled.co.uk
Electric Cars A Reality For Ireland The Irish Government, the ESB, the nation’s largest electricity utility, and the Renault-Nissan Alliance are launching a comprehensive partnership to position Ireland as a ‘European leader in electric transport’. Those who purchase electric cars can take advantage of a 5,000 grant as incentive to use electric vehicles. Irish buyers of electric vehicles will be exempt from Vehicle Registration Tax. Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan described the announcement as on-the-ground delivery of Government policy. “The Programme for Government announced our intention to transform the Irish energy and transport sectors. We have made great strides in renewable energy, energy efficiency and now we begin the electrification of our transport fleet,” he said. The Irish Government’s target is for 10% of Ireland’s vehicles to be electric by 2020. Today’s Agreement with Nissan-Renault will see 2,000 cars on Irish roads by 2011.
Ford unveils cop car of the future Ford’s vision of the future for American cops, The Police Interceptor, has been unveiled. According to reports, the new sedan was designed to handle the rigors of police work, including industry-leading powertrain, safety, and technology innovations. “Police nationwide asked for a new kind of weapon in the battle for public safety, and Ford is answering the call with a purpose-built vehicle – engineered and built in America – that’s as dynamic as it is durable,” said Mark Fields, Ford President of The Americas. Manufacturers claim the car can withstand a 75-mile-per-hour rear collision!
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Ivana’s
trump card Sofa and fireplace shot: - ‘Cosy, huh?’
When a headstrong highflier like Ivana Trump requests your services to transform her London apartment from dull to diva, you know it’s time for decadence and diamante. Robin Anderson, Beige contributor and Ivana’s chosen interior designer, gives us a tour.
T
he phone call was succinct; the accent distinct. ‘Honey, rrrring me!
I vanna tok!’ I immediately called back. ‘IVANA! You rang?’ ‘Sure, honey. You busy? I just bought zee most divine, bijou pied de terre en I vanna you to see ziz as soon as you can. Zis afternoon at four? I give you zee address!’ There is no shilly-shallying with Mrs Trump. No hesitation. She knows what she wants, relies completely upon whomsoever she decides should be helping or giving her advice resulting with the project or contract in question running like a well oiled piece of machinery. IVANA mentioned a mutual friend and client. ‘Za house is za dream,’ she had told me, ‘En I hear you did zee whole verks in zee given time. Fabulous!’ ‘Fabulous’ was a word I was also (happily) dubbed with at the end of our project together. As arranged we met at the new property at a scheduled time – IVANA in all the time I have known her is never late – and took it from there. ‘Honey, I vant it fabulous, like a jewel casket and I vant it vairy, vairy comfortable!’ Waving an elegant hand airily at the high ceilinged room she announced, pointing up towards a small gallery-style library. ‘Zee apartment is only to be my pied-á-terre in London but I must have somevere for zee children to sleep (the small but very elegant
apartment only boasted one bedroom). Vat do you zink of zee balcony, honey?’ ‘I’m sure I can come up with something, IVANA,’ I said gallantly (IVANA does bring out the gallant in one!) ‘Leave it to me!’ ‘Zis I do, honey!’ came the quick response accompanied by a dazzling smile to which was added. ‘So, honey. Zee designs en zee estimates? I go to Paris tonight and vill be back in zee two days. Vee meet at zee uzza apartment, yes? Saturday morning? And zen we have zee lunch at zee San Lorenzo.’ And there you have it in a nutshell – or in the case with IVANA – a Fabergé nutshell! IVANA TRUMP is no rich dilettante, far from it. A formidable business woman in her own right she runs a vast cosmetic, jewellery and haute couture empire as well as boasting a proud property portfolio which even ex-husband, billionaire Donald, can only admire. IVANA’S love of animal prints was also to be taken into account but – and here arose the undisclosed multi dollar question – where? The main room was to be more jewel box than safari park; the master bedroom (my work team and self of course – along with most of my other contractors – unerringly referring to all the master bedrooms we designed as ‘the fuckery’!) had to be warm, elegant and seductive which left only the gallery as a sanctuary for our spotted and striped friends. IVANA had given me, literally, a blank canvas to work on. Every item, from bed linen to the rarely used champagne stopper (an unfinished bottle of Dom Perignon in the Trump household? Unheard of!) had to be purchased and installed or positioned by the lady’s return. IVANA purchased the property in May with the present occupiers staying in residence until the beginning of September. With her summers always spent in St Tropez it was therefore arranged that she would return to London and go straight
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beigehomestyle to the apartment ten days after myself and the work the scheme, I now introduced a second animal skin, team had moved in. The schedule was tight but I namely tiger, for the whole new snuggery/gallery area assured IVANA it would be ready on time and it was. flooring. A bold velvet leopard print was used for the On presentation of the schemes; terracotta, gold, throw over spreads and for the walling to the back aquamarine and ivory for the drawing room; gold, of this now magical space. The word ‘safari’ hints of ivory and terracotta for the bedroom; ivory marbled tents and so the low ceiling was duly tented in a gold walls with gold embellishments for the entrance lobby taffeta. and the inevitable leopard and tiger skin scheme Mirrors are a godsend when it comes to creating for the snuggery – IVANA nodded her approval with that extra special effect. Apart from the gallery and murmurs of ‘fabulous, honey!’ when seeing the its spectacular height, the main room was completely raced-through colour cards – and, with a computer/ dominated by the impressive bay window with a series calculator-like mind – then going on through the basic of dull, white painted, panelled wood shutters. Having quotations and some ballpark figures. Giving me painted the walls in a soft terracotta glaze reminiscent yet another of her dazzling smiles she ended up by of those wonderful tones rich, warm reddish tones you saying, ‘OK honey! Tell me zee deposit you require and see in Rome (another favourite haunt of IVANA’S) I was zen on zee Monday vee go for zee shopping. Now vee about to highlight the aforesaid panels in a matching go for zee lunch! paint tone when I hit upon the idea of substituting the Shopping with IVANA TRUMP is a never-to-bepaint work for peach coloured mirrors instead. The forgotten experience. Whilst I had estimated for the effect was nothing short of sensational. Window shot, curtains and shutters, dining table: ‘Zee takeaway is late!’ basic essentials necessary to move IVANA into her Complimenting the elaborate chandelier were a pair new home; curtains, carpets, soft furnishings which of elaborate gilded wall sconces. I, in turn simply had included a pair of sofas, queen-size bed, matching bed head and so forth, a to compliment IVANA on finding such a perfect companion to these. After all, the separate list had to be made up which included the likes of an armoire to house a sconces were English through and through but with IVANA as match-maker they television and act as a bar cupboard, six dining chairs, a desk, side tables, bedside ended up with their Italian suitor in what can only be described as designer heaven! tables – in fact, the whole caboodle! And don’t forget crockery, cutlery, glassware, Drapes were theatrical to the extreme and the draped effect further enhanced by bed linen and all the relevant bathroom requisites. the very elaborate cloth made for the round dining table. Having prepared a list for IVANA’S approval I duly alerted a host of antique dealers Along with the chandelier from Murano came a splendid Italian canvas of our impending, whirlwind visit plus organised a personal shopper at a large, reminiscent of Canaletto which was duly placed above IVANA’S desk. Another popular and – naturally – very upmarket departmental store. Within a morning all ‘guest’ from Italy was the elaborate Florentine mirror positioned above the head the furniture had been viewed and either approved of or rejected. Having done my board in the bedroom. homework and breathlessly paid a rush visit to all parties concerned the evening But one must not forget the additional personal touches introduced by IVANA beforehand, most of the items viewed had met with immediate approval. Being a herself. The glorious mirrors from Italy, a selection of paintings, rich tapestry firm believer in the term ‘up-dated trad’ I also suggested the introduction of a sleek cushions, framed photographs of her children and the several exquisite white glass and brass two-tiered table for telephones and fax machine to sit alongside cachepot containing white orchids, IVANA’S favourite bloom. the antique desk. Similar units were purchased for the bathroom and the eventual The carrying through of the work by all trades involved within the project was snuggery and gallery. The complete shopping spree was completed within a day. one of military precision. With the months in hand all basics such as fabrics and On my second visit to the apartment I had noticed running alongside to the furnishings were immediately put on order and duly completed way ahead of the gallery at the top of the stairs, a deep storage cupboard seemingly twice the depth scheduled starting date for any actual physical work on site. On the day we were of the gallery itself. On checking the backing to the gallery and finding it to sound able to begin my crack team moved in with a vengeance. hollow I took the liberty of making a small hole which, in turn, turned out to be an Ripping out where required, new stud-partitioning work and basic preparations unmitigated glory hole! By inserting a measuring tape I discovered a completely for my specialised painter was all completed within three days. This was followed wasted void which immediately gave answer to a major problem. Whereas I had by papering, mirror work and any final ‘touching up’ to the newly painted areas. envisaged the gallery housing a pair of narrow temporary camp beds set up on Carpets were laid, followed the next day by the draperies. Furniture was delivered the rare occasions the sons would have been staying with their mother in London, three days before IVANA’S scheduled return, pictures hung, the apartment I now had the added floor area, if not the height, for two mattresses in the newly thoroughly cleaned, the bed in the master bedroom made up, towels, soaps and acquired space. As a major sufferer from claustrophobia I added an extra feel other essentials set out and - as would be expected – a ‘Welcome Home’ bottle of of openness by walling the two sides of the newly created snuggery in bronze Dom Perignon with suitable terracotta satin bow attached, left in the fridge. mirror. In contrast to the gold toned carpet as used throughout the remainder of IVANA’S phone call was, like the first, succinct and distinct. ‘Honey! It’s fabulous!’ Leopard snuggery: ‘Fabulous, honey!’
The bedroom shot: ‘Mirror, mirror on zee wall! Don’t you do zee stupid fall!’
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beigehomestyle
Sleep zzzzzzz
EASY T
hose Scandinavians, eh? They know a thing or two about design, don’t they? And us Brits, eh? We certainly know how to import it so that our homes can showcase our good taste and modern thinking. One company helping to transfer Scandi-quality to UK buyers is does-what-it-says-on-the-tin Sit and Sleep. Established just over five years ago, the company is the creation of three friends who brought together their individual skills and experience (including design, manufacturing, accountancy, IT, customer service, logistics etc) to form an exciting, modern and innovative company. What they offer is affordable, contemporary and above all, interesting sofa beds (all of the models in the images on the page are from the INNOVATION (of Denmark) iStyle range). “The INNOVATION range is stylish as well as being incredibly comfortable – the whole range has upholstered decks that are pocket sprung, so very similar in construction to a normal bed mattress,” says Andrew Folbigg of The Sit & Sleep Partnership. “Each model in this range cleverly conceals the fact that they convert into a bed so they are equally at home in a lounge, study, games room, cinema room, breakfast room, spare bedroom wherever. The iStyle range offers a much more comfortable nights sleep than many of the usual sofa bed options commonly found on the high street or elsewhere online at a price that is far less than what you would expect for a product of this quality”. The starting price for models from this range is £369.00 . “Our product range has changed massively over the years since our foundation – we have moved from selecting items that achieve a particular price point to items that have been chosen because we think that they look fantastic and are well made and operate easily,” Folbigg continues. “These are products that we are all very happy with from a design, style and build-quality perspective and which we feel represent great value for money. We make a deliberate decision to select product that is not found elsewhere in the UK, and it certainly makes us stand out from the crowd. So the vast majority of the items that we have chosen are unique to Sit ‘n’ Sleep in the UK. Many of the ranges that we have added have a serious wow factor and we would all be very happy to have these products in our own homes. We hear time and time again from customers that they have been searching for a sofa bed that’s different to the same old and stuffy designs that are found on so many other websites selling this type of furniture. If you look at many other furniture websites you feel like you’re in some sort of time warp from the 1930s – it really is that bad! We have great fun travelling to various furniture fairs in Cologne, Paris, Stockholm, Milan etc and searching for interesting and exciting products to add to our range.”
Cassius Deluxe black Leather Textile 582 sofa, £875
Luxe Red suede style 560 - sofa, £635
Cubed 90 Deluxe black Leather Textile 582, £495.00
Bifrost & Bifrost Footstool black Classic Textile 634, £845 (sofa), £195 (footstool).
Clubber 03 white Leather textile 588 bed, £745
Riddle Deluxe in white leather textile 588 with legs in stainless chrome and wheels on the back side of the sofa, £785
Cubed Deluxe black Classic textile 634 - sofa, £755.00
Tripleback Yellow leather, £625
The Sit and Sleep Partnership, Unit 2 Randswood Industrial Estate, West Wratting, Cambridge CB21 5LR Tel & Fax 01223 290941 www.sitnsleep.co.uk
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beige
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11/05/2010 10:11:00
beigeproperty
Share and Share
B
uying a flat or apartment in a large block is often the first step onto the property ladder for first time buyers. The idea of owning a property in a building where the upkeep of communal areas is handled jointly by all the owners is quite appealing - particularly if you don’t want to spend your spare time mowing the lawn, maintaining the garden and painting and decorating hallways and ‘common areas’. Often flats that are in blocks are sold on a leasehold basis with the Freehold of the building being owned by a ‘Management Company’, shares in which are allocated equally between each of the property owners. The Management Company will then be responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of these shared areas and this will be paid for from a collective fund - made up from regular (usually monthly) payments made by the individual property owners. What some people don’t realise however, is that as a part owner of the Freehold of the building, each owner is also jointly liable for the upkeep and repair of the actual fabric of the building itself. So, if there’s a leak in the roof - it’s not just the person that owns the top flat that has to sort it out. It is a shared problem (and bill) with the person living in the basement flat being equally liable even though their property is not directly affected. This shared liability situation was not made clear to a couple that I met recently that had purchased their first property in Glasgow at auction recently. Whilst they were delighted to have secured their first home (and at a really keen price as well), they were unaware that part of the bill for repair work to the building
ALIKE itself would fall on their doormat. The flat they had purchased was in good order - albeit that it needed updating, but the building itself was suffering from subsidence due to the fact that it was built in what had been, a mining location. Many of the properties in this area suffered a similar problem and I recommend that anyone buying a property in an area which historically has been a mining location, has a full structural survey carried out before committing to buy. In our Glasgow property, the flat itself showed no signs of any issues - with no visible cracks but the common areas of the building showed the tell tale signs of the area’s past and large cracks can be seen. Now, it is possible that these are from historical movement and pose no threat to the building - they’ve been there for a long time and are not getting any worse, but should they be evidence of an ongoing structural problem, then the bill to rectify it could be enormous. The other thing to be mindful of, is that a property displaying evidence of subsidence in this way may be unmortgageable. This wasn’t an issue for our Glasgow couple as they were cash buyers - but if they want to sell up in the future then this could make the property unattractive particularly given that it is most likely to draw first time buyers who invariably require finance of some sort. So, whilst the idea of sharing the upkeep of common areas is a great way to reduce general maintenance costs of owning a property, like a marriage, it is ‘for better and for worse’. You have to accept that you may also have to pay for repair work that you don’t have any direct benefit from.
Martin Roberts, TV property expert, author and presenter of ‘Homes under the Hammer’ offers advice and guidance on getting the planning permission you need to make those property changes
To find out more about Martin Roberts and for property advice visit www. martinroberts. co.uk vol 3 issue 4 | beige | 74
74-75 Property.indd 74
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At home with
beigeinterview
Boogaloo Stu D
oes Boogaloo Stu make you horny baby? Perhaps it’s the sparkly platform shoes? The tighter-than-could-possibly-be-comfortablefor-your-bollocks pants? Or his colourful use of synthetic fabrics that would chafe in all the right places should you get the opportunity to gyrate with the man himself? (You wouldn’t want to, his polished 70’s disco moves would outglitter yours any day). The reason we ask, you see, is that Boogaloo Stu’s home is a love pad everyone’s favourite wonky-toothed bespectacled British special agent Austin Powers would kill to seduce his latest shag in. Well, what did you expect from the man who for almost twenty years has brought naughtiness and sparkle the gay scene? “You won’t believe me, but with this flat I actually decided to go minimalist,” Stu smiles as we walk in, wide-eyed with wonder at the treasure that greets us. “In my last place I had pink floor tiles!” The building that houses Boogaloo Stu’s flat is a beautiful 100-year-old warehouse, tucked away in Hove, that until very recently was used as a van hire storage centre. It’s huge; two intimidating iron gates guard the main entrance, making you feel as if you’re entering a high-security prison. But inside, a transformation has occurred: there’s space-age technology, open indoor gardens, and, er, Julie Burchill bumbling around as a neighbour. “I love it here,” says Stu. “And after three years of living here, my boyfriend James has got used to the paintings of me on the walls and pictures of me littered around the place!” The décor is fabulous. What began as a white-walled shell has blossomed into a glam-rock treasure trove of 70’s objet d’art. The low sofas are 1970’s Ligne Roset, the ‘bubble’ TV an “Aphelion”; the neon mirror that Stu poses in on this page is called “Ultrafragola” by Ettore Sottass, from 1970.
“The 70s is a really underrated period, everyone just remembers flares and what everyone considers ‘bad taste clothing’,” he says. “But actually, the fabrics that were produced in the 70s, like nylon, trylon and crimplene were able to be mass produced and patterns could be printed on them – the ink would hold really well. Some of it was really hideous, of course, but to me it’s exciting. Everything now has to be toned down now – it’s much more bland. “Fashion and music in that decade is nothing short of brilliant, starting with Glam Rock, then Disco, and ending with Punk. So many movements crammed into 10 years. It’s a really rich seam in our social history. And design-wise, the 70s was streets ahead of any other era. They used lots of chrome and plastics and moulded shapes. They were obsessed with space travel so there were lots of designs that have that ‘bubble’ look. In the eighties, things went back to being boxy and spiky.” In June, Boogaloo Stu releases ‘Forever More’, an EP designed to serve as a taster to his third studio album, due for release early next year (the first, 2004’s The Glambassador, “was sort of lounge pop, the second album [Enough About You… Let’s Talk About Me] I created entirely on my own, which was quite a challenge, sounding more glam-electro than the first”). To our ears, it’s more commercial than previous material, offering a Kylie-like bleepy intro and Pet Shop Boys-inspired synth pads, before Stu’s vocals slice into the mix providing a surprisingly melancholy sound. “The only people that buy my records live in Japan!” he jokes. “The label that I work with out there have added two of my songs to a Japanese compilation album, and they sell by the bucketloads. I’m on there with the likes of Coldplay and Lady Gaga! It’s already number 9 on the iTunes album chart there.” So will he be moving there at some point? “No, I like Brighton too much. It’s practical, beautiful, and above all, fabulous!”
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For more, visitwww.boogaloostu.com Clockwise from top left: Stu relaxes with his as yet unnamed pussy with artworks by John Lee Bird (www. johnleebird.com); bed time fun; the fabulous 1970s neon mirror; Stu puts Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Physical’ on the jukebox; a boy’s gotta garden; the bubble TV © Carl Hobden
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Community
gaytoz.com search and find
(www.gaytoz.com) - the search engine for gay Britain. Find thousands of gay and lesbian businesses, organisations, listings and events in the GAY to Z Directory
COMMUNITY GROUPS East London Out Project - ELOP 020 8509 3898 Gay Bikers Motorcycle Club
Boot Scoot Line Dancing 07912 641 562
(www.gaybiker.co.uk)
Gay Gordons
Gay Birders Club 01732 360 527
(www.gbc-online.org.uk) Gay Outdoor Club - General Enquiries 01673 861 962 Gay Surrey 01932 571 286 Gay West 01225 858 528 (www.gaywest.org.uk) GUMMI – rubber club
(www.gummi.org.uk)
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays is a national voluntary organisation and registered charity dedicated to supporting parents and their gay, lesbian and bisexual sons and daughters. FFLAG offers support to local parents groups and contacts, in their efforts to help parents and families understand, accept and support their lesbian gay and bisexual members with love and pride. FFLAG members are parents of lesbian, gay or bisexual sons and daughters. These young people and their families face serious homophobia in our society, which brings in its wake prejudice, bullying and alienation. For more info visit www.fflag.org.uk
Herts Gay Community 07071 880 103 (ww.hertsgaycommunity.org.uk) HuGG - Huddersfield Gay Group (www.hugg.org.uk)
Hull LGBT Forum 07743 520 928
(www.lgbtforum.co.uk) Icebreakers - Manchester 0161 235 8035
(www.icebreakersmanchester.org.uk)
Jewish Gay & Lesbian Group 020 8952 0137 (www.jglg.org.uk) Kairos in Soho 020 7437 6063 (www.kairosinsoho.org.uk)
LMG - London Monday Group 020 7229 8272 (www.slago.org.uk) London Gay Reading Group (www.lgrg.org.uk)
Long Yang Club - for guys and girls from the East & West 020 8311 5835 (www.lyclondon.com) Manchester Lesbian Community Project 0161 273 7128 (www.manchesterlcp.org.uk)
Metro Centre - Greenwich 020 8305 5000 (www.metrocentreonline.org)
MSC London
ADVICE & HELPLINES Antidote - at Hungerford Drug Project 020 7437 3523 (www.turning-point.co.uk) Bede House - Domestic abuse hate crimes 020 7232 1107 (www.bedehouse.org)
Dazz-elle - drug and alcohol support for women 020 8257 3068 (www.dazz-elle.org.uk) Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays - FFLAG 0117 942 9311 (www.fflag.org.uk) Frank - information and advice on drugs and drug use. 0800 776 600
(www.talktofrank.com) GALOP Shoutline - for victims of hate crime 020 7704 2040 (www.galop.org.uk)
London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard 020 7837 7324 (www.llgs.org.uk)
Mobility Advice Line 0121 486 2155
(www.mobility-advice.org.uk)
UK Lesbian & Gay Immigration Group 020 7620 6010 (www.uklgig.org.uk)
choirs & Music Diversity Chamber Choir 07976 896 809 www.diversitychoir.org.uk) London Gay Men’s Chorus 08458 382 059 (www.lgmc.org.uk) London Gay Symphony Orchestra LGSO 07963 853 099 (www.lgso.org.uk)
– Motorcycle Club
(www.msclondon.co.uk)
Manchester Lesbian & Gay Chorus 07931 703 371 (www.mlgc.org.uk) Rainbow Voices - Birmingham’s Lesbian & Gay Chorus 07841 755 379 (www.rainbow-voices.org.uk)
CLINICS Ambrose King Centre Whitechapel 020 7377 7307 Camberwell Sexual Health Centre Kings College Hospital, Camberwell 0207 346 5000 Jefferiss Wing Centre for Sexual Health Paddington 020 7886 1697 Marlborough Clinic Royal Free, Hamsptead 020 7830 2047 Mortimer Market Centre Off Tottenham Court Road 020 7530 5050 Victoria Clinic Westminster 0845 811 6699
COMMUNITY GROUPS Barnet Lesbian and Gay Group (BLaGG) 07845 055 966 (www.barnetgay.co.uk) Bearhug 07967 101 887 (www.bearhug.net)
Out & About 020 8989 5295 (www.outandabout-london.org)
Outsiders - for people with social and physical disabilities seeking partners (www.outsiders.org.uk)
Plymouth Pride Forum 01752 265 653 (www.plymouthprideforum.co.uk)
South Asian Group 020 7791 2855
(www.bootscoot.co.uk) (www.thegaygordons.org)
Pink Jukebox at the Loom Bar 07774 443 627 (www.pinkjukebox.co.uk)
(www.goc.org.uk) (www.gaysurrey.co.uk)
FFLAG: PARENT SUPPORT
DANCING
- Himat
(www.positiveeast.org.uk)
South London Gays - SLG 020 8674 5191 (www.slago.org.uk/slg) Surrey and London Assocation of Gay Organisations -SLAGO 020 8660 5619
(www.slago.org.uk) TAGS - The Arun Area Gay Society 01273 204 050
(www.tagsonline.org.uk)
Wandsworth LGBT Community Network 07967 101 887 (www.wandsworthlgbt.org.uk)
West London Gay Bridge Club 020 7537 2481 (www.wlgbc.co.uk)
COUNSELLING PACE - Project for Advice Counselling & Education 020 7700 1323 (www.pacehealth.org.uk)
DINING CLUBS Gusto Dining Club 07941 045 102 (www.gusto-dining.co.uk)
FESTIVALS & EVENTS Bear Pride (www.bearpride.co.uk) Birmingham Gay Pride Festival (www.birminghampride.org)
LGBT History Month 07960 493 544 (www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk)
London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 020 7928 3232 (www.llgff.org.uk) Manchester Pride 0161 236 7474 (www.manchesterpride.com) Pride in Brighton & Hove 01273 775 939 (www.brightonpride.org) Pride of Leeds (www.leedspride.com) Pride London 020 7494 2225 (www.pridelondon.org)
Queerupnorth 0161 234 2942 (www.queerupnorth.com)
HIV & AIDS Crusaid 020 7539 3880 (www.crusaid.org.uk)
Elton John AIDS Foundation 020 7603 9996 (www.ejaf.org) Food Chain 020 7354 0333 (www.foodchain.org.uk)
GMFA - charity for Gay Men’s Health 020 7738 6872 (www.gmfa.org.uk) National AIDS Trust – World AIDS Day 020 7814 6767 (www.nat.org.uk) Sexual Health Information Line 0800 567 123 (www.playingsafely.co.uk) Terrence Higgins Trust THT - helpline 08451 221 200 (www.tht.org.uk)
HOUSING Albert Kennedy Trust - Housing Advice for L&G Teenagers London - 020 7831 6562 Manchester - 0161 228 3308 (www.akt.org.uk)
Lewisham Housing Support Team 020 8463 1170 (www.thamesreachbondway.com)
Stonewall Housing 020 7359 5767 (www.stonewallhousing.org)
OLDER PEOPLE CAFFMOS for older, mature gay men (www.caffmoscommunity.com) Polari 020 7255 4480 (www.polari.org)
Croydon Area Gay Society - CAGS 020 8686 1550 (www.cags.org.uk) Ealing Gay Group - EGG 020 8870 4549 (www.ealinggaygroup.org.uk)
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Community PARENTING Group For LGBT Adopted Adults 020 7284 0555
(www.postadoptioncentre.org.uk) LGB Post-Adoption Group 020 7284 0555
(www.postadoptioncentre.org.uk) Pink Parents - Bristol 08701 273 274 (www.pinkparents.org.uk) Rainbow Families - for lesbian parents (www.rainbowfamilies.co.uk)
POLICE LIASON Islington LGBT Forum 07989 747 824 Out in Southwark 020 7525 5659 (www.southwark-lgbt.org)
POLITICAL Abortion Rights 020 7923 9792 (www.abortionrights.org.uk)
Birmingham Community Pride Trust 0121 236 0537 (www.trustinpride.org.uk) Broken Rainbow LGBT Domestic Violence Service 08452 604 460 (www.broken-rainbow.org.uk)
Consortium of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgendered Voluntary and Community Organisations 020 7064 8383 (www.lgbtconsortium.org.uk) DELGA - Liberal-Democrats for Lesbian & Gay Rights 020 7227 1395 (www.delga.libdems.org) Hall-Carpenter Archives 020 7955 7223 (www.hallcarpenter.tripod.com)
Lesbian and Gay Coalition Against Racism LAGCAR 020 7247 9907 (www.naar.org.uk/lagcar)
Outrage! 020 8240 0222 (www.OutRage.org.uk)
School’s Out! 020 7635 0476 (www.schools-out.org.uk)
Stonewall 020 7593 1850 (www.stonewall.org.uk)
Stonewall - free info line 08000 50 20 20
PROFFESIONAL GROUPS Circa UK 0906 716 0098 (www.circa-club.com)
Gay Business Association - GBA 0844 562 4005 (www.gba.org.uk) Gay Police Association - GPA 07092 700 000 (www.gay.police.uk)
GLADD Doctors and Dentists (www.gladd.org.uk)
Jake 020 7268 3476
(www.JakeTM.org)
LAGLA Lesbian & Gay Lawyers Association 020 7940 4000 (www.lagla.org.uk)
Suit & Tie Society 020 8883 0394
(www.suitandtie.org.uk) village drinks
(www.villagedrinks.co.uk)
RELIGION & HUMANITY Absolute Freedom Group of SGI-UK Buddhists 07950 900 516
(www.sgi-uk.org)
Brightwaves Metropolitan Community Church 01273 681 101 (www.BrightwavesMCCBrighton.co.uk)
GETTING ACTIVE Gay Outdoors Club The Gay Outdoor Club operates throughout the UK and provides a wide range of outdoor and indoor sports and recreational activities for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender men and women. These activities include walking, cycling, swimming, badminton, rock climbing, canoeing, caving, mountaineering, and skiing. GOC has over 1500 members and offers up to one hundred meets per month, in this country and overseas. For more info visit www.goc.org.uk RELIGION & HUMANITY
SPORTS GROUPS
G&L Humanist Association - GALHA
KB Fitness 020 7681 0114
LGBT Catholics’ Mass 020 8986 0807
KB Kickboxing 07881 957 977
(www.sohomasses.com)
(www.kbkickboxing.co.uk)
L&G Christian Movement LGCM 020 7739 1249 (www.lgcm.org.uk) LGCM - Roman Catholic Caucus
Kings Cross Steelers Rugby Football Club 07761 045 654 (www.kxsrfc.com)
(www.galha.org)
020 7226 0847
Metropolitian Community Church of Brixton 020 8678 0200 (www.mccsouthlondon.co.uk) Quaker Quest 020 7251 0376 (www.quakerquest.org)
QUEST
- G&L Catholics 0808 808 0234
(www.questgaycatholic.org.uk)
SOCIAL GROUPS Bromley Gay and Bisexual Men’s Group 01689 866 698 London Friend - LGB Art & Social Group 020 7837 3337 (www.londonfriend.org.uk)
OUTeverywhere 08450 060 050 (www.outeverywhere.com)
SPORTS GROUPS 4Play Squash Club (www.4PlaySquash.org)
GALA Badminton Club 020 8952 8293
Gay Cycling Touring Group 020 8747 4640 (www.gaycycling.wfour.co.uk)
Gay Outdoor Club GOC 01673 861 962 (www.goc.org.uk) Gay Sailing Group - Brighton 01273 721 933 Goslings Sports Club 020 8802 9639
(www.GoslingsSportsClub.com)
Grace’s Cricket Club 020 7278 3294
(www.gaycricket.org)
Duns ‘n’ Roses Hockey Club Iain - 07931 984 930 (www.pinkhockey.com)
International G & L Skiers & Snowboarders Association IGLSA
(www.kbfitness.co.uk)
London Amateur Wrestlers 020 7388 5463 (www.law-wrestling.org)
London Frontrunners 07092 346 340 (www.londonfrontrunners.org)
London Raiders Softball Club 07931 721 377 (www.rainbowraiders.com) London Spikers Volleyball Club 020 8281 6295 (www.londonspikers.org)
Manchester Stingers WFC (www.manchesterstingers.net)
Moseley Shoals GOC Swimmming Group Birmingham 0121 622 6589 (www.moseleyshoals.org.uk)
Out to Swim 07843 616 100 (www.outtoswim.org)
Pride Games
- Manchester
(www.pridegames.org)
Remnants Hockey Club 020 8850 9518
(www.remnantshockey.org.uk)
Stonewall Football Club 020 7565 4254 (www.stonewallfc.org) Village Manchester Football Club 07976 939 205 (www.vmfc.co.uk)
TRADE UNIONS Fire Brigade Union L&G Support 020 8541 1765 (www.fbulgbt.org.uk) GMB LGBT 020 8947 3131 (www. members.lycos.co.uk/gmblgbt)
Spectrum - TSSA LGBT Group 020 7249 7996 (www.tssa.org.uk) TUC 020 7636 4030 (www.tuc.org.uk) Unison National LGBT Committee 08453 550 845 (www.unison.org.uk/out) Unison - North West 0161 211 1000
(www.gayskiers.org)
Irons Golf Society (www.ironsgolf.co.uk)
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cap New cocktails and long drinks have been developed as an alternative for enjoying everyone’s favourite party shot, sambuca, writes Mark Ludmon
Luxardo’s Mikey’s Mojito cocktail made with spiced apple flavour
Twister shot glasses from Antica
I
f you think sambuca is just for slamming, think again. Or at least that’s the message coming from producers and distributors of the aniseed-flavoured liqueur. Bars, pubs and clubs are coming under increasing pressure to move away from “shots” and “shooters” because of fears about binge-drinking, so long drinks and cocktails are now on the menu. For most Britons, sambuca is a bypass on the journey to inebriation, downed in one to kickstart a party, but it has been a sipping liqueur in Italy since at least the 19th century. Although there is some debate over its history, it is thought that its name comes from Sambucus Nigra, the Latin for elderberry which, along with aniseed, is one of the drink’s two core ingredients. Other herbs and spices tend to be added and, on the back of its success in the UK, there are increasing numbers of flavours available. Sambuca was little known outside of Italy until after World War Two, when Molinari led an export drive to countries such as the UK. Since then, other brands have been introduced into the British market although Molinari itself remains strong. One of the bestselling brands is Antica, which ranges from the core Antica Classic through to an expanding choice of flavours such as raspberry and chilli. “When we launched Antica in 2004, sambuca was a speciality in the old-fashioned sense,” says Jeremy Hill, chairman of HiSpirits which distributes Antica. “While it was served in Italian restaurants as an aperitif, in the classic way with three coffee beans, in bars it tended to be ‘flaming’, in which case the taste wasn’t too important.” His sambuca comes from the Antiche distillery between Venice and the Dolomite mountains using star anise from China. “Our emphasis on the quality and heritage of the brand helped position it alongside other authentic spirits, while the addition of flavoured variants enables you to create an ever-growing roster of cocktails and long drinks.” The UK’s number-one brand, Luxardo, has been promoting mixed drinks from refreshing summer pitchers through to
complex cocktails. As well as the original Luxardo Sambuca, there are now black, cream, cranberry, pomegranate, spiced apple and raspberry styles. Catherine Rigby, marketing manager for Luxardo at distributor Cellar Trends, says that pubs and bars are increasingly starting to use sambuca for long drinks. “A whole new generation of consumers are discovering Luxardo in this way, and summer is a good time to trial sambuca more adventurously and even simply with lemonade, ginger beer or cranberry juice.” The original black sambuca was Opal Nera, which was created in 1989 by Alessandro Francoli, heir of the Francoli distilling dynasty. He wanted a modern twist on sambuca – instead of being clear, he used the natural colourings found in the dark skins of elderberries to create the liqueur’s distinctive violet black hue. Its UK distributor Inspirit Brands has created cocktail recipes such as the Pot of Gold, which sees 25ml of Opal Nera shaken with ice, 25ml of Kahlúa and 25ml of El Dorado rum, served in a Martini glass. However, shots remain the most popular choice, especially with the ever-growing choice of flavours. The full range of Luxardo flavours is now available at Walkabout bars, where sales development manager Jeni Fine comments: “The products add a new dimension to our shot category, giving our customers greater choice and variety.” With most sambucas containing around 38 to 40 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV), a “lighter” alternative has been developed by drinks company ICB. Its Sambuxo range has an ABV of 22 per cent, from Original to flavours such as black, blackcurrant and cherry. “We have watched sambuca grow hugely in popularity in recent years, especially with flavoured extensions,” says ICB’s managing director John Mills. “It is a delightful drink for people looking for something distinctive, flavoursome and fun.”
Mark Ludmon is editor of Bar magazine, the leading monthly publication for people working in the bar trade. www.barmagazine.co.uk
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