David Atlanta Magazine - V. 16 I. 42

10.16.13 V.16 I.42

The Return of

Dragnificent Ross Mathews Talks HIV Testing

Sonia Leigh

Takes Pride in Music

m o r f e t o r N o t A the Edi 10.16.13 V.16 I.42

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In Support of Heteroflexibility

Josh Hutcherson, star of The Hunger Games and a prominent LGBT advocate, made headlines last week when he mentioned in an interview with Out that he considered himself “mostly straight.”

“Maybe I could say right now I’m 100 percent straight,” Josh said. “But who knows? In a fucking year, I could meet a guy and be like, ‘Whoa, I’m attracted to this person.’”

“I’ve met guys all the time that I’m like, ‘Damn, that’s a good-looking guy,’ you know? I’ve never been, like, ‘Oh, I want to kiss that guy.’ I really love women. But I think defining yourself as 100 percent anything is kind of near-sighted and close-minded.”

Josh’s concept of sexuality is one that’s growing in popularity, and it’s one that our community should support. Within our community, we have a bad track record when it comes to anyone who doesn’t claim to be 100% gay or straight. It’s the whole “bi now, gay later” theory that neglects the diversity of anyone’s sexual preferences.

So instead of rushing to say that Josh is secretly gay (and, being the Internet reader that I am, I’ve seen this sentiment pop up a lot since the interview came out), let’s take him at his word. He’s straight. Mostly. A “1” on the Kinsey scale.

Elijah Sarkesian

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TOC

10.16.13 V.16 I.42

Cover >

Dragnificent 20 Ross Matthews 24 Sonia Leigh 28

Feature > Big Freedia Palm Springs

32 48

Seen@ > Out on Film 10 Blake’s 23 Burkhart’s 26 Jungle 42 Swinging Richards 66 Woofs 70

The Rest >

20

24

28

32

Deep Inside Hollywood 12 Untucked with Brent Star 14 Creep of the Week 16 Hear Me Out 34 Screen Queen 54 the Scene 60 Bartab 62 Datebook 64 Comics 68 Fairyscopes 72 Classifieds 73 Favorite Bitch 74 Bitch, Please!

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“Equality means Equality for Everyone. Together we

Let’s turn OUT for Mary!

can make a difference.”

Your Independent voice on Atlanta City Council!

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5th Early Voting begins October 14th

EVERY VOTE IS IMPORTANT—

ESPECIALLY YOURS! www.marynorwood.com Facebook: Mary Norwood Twitter: #VoteforMary Home: 404-237-3774 Mobile: 404-824-1014

By Romeo San Vicente The CW develops teen transgender drama

accident and troubled personal life as an alcoholic, closeted movie star knocked him off course. (At least one irritating Anybody who’s watched Degrassi: The Next Generation news report on this casting suggested that Clift was merely knows that they “went there” a while ago with the whole a dedicated method actor who chose not to “put his personal transgender teenager plotline. But that was then. And belife on display” when, in fact, it was unthinkable for a gay sides, they eventually killed off that character, the only trans actor to be open in that era and there was no choice inkid they had. So here comes The CW with its own trans teen, volved.) Bomer is a wise choice here; he looks the part, he’s one who’ll be the star of the show, and it’s got a very cool talented and he probably knows a little bit about the ongoing creative pedigree right from the start. ZE, from playwright pressure for leading men to keep their sexual orientation a Kyle Jarrow (the Obie Award-winning creator of the hit secret. Next question: Who’ll play Monty’s best pal Elizabeth Off-Broadway play, A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Taylor? Don’t say Lindsay Lohan.

Scientology Pageant) and producer Michael London (Milk), where the title represents a non-gender specific pronoun, Leonardo DiCaprio as Woodrow Wilson? will tell the story of a Texas teenager who transitions from Sure, why not? female to male, openly, while in high school. At the same time, his family comes to experience identity crises of their Yes, it may seem that it’s been a very short leap in time from own. There’s no casting yet, no plans for anything but a pilot, the days of Teen Hearthrob Leo to Only Guy Ever Asked to but fingers crossed this one goes to series and breaks down Portray Historical Figures Leo, but the man is a fully grown more barriers for transgender representation. adult now and it’s clear that his intent is to cement that notion in the mind of the public by playing Howard Hughes, Matt Bomer as Montgomery Clift (a.k.a.

J. Edgar Hoover and Jay Gatsby (who wasn’t real but you perfect casting) get it). His plan continues with a new film being set up just for him at Warner Bros; the studio has acquired Wilson, a Nothing against actors like Sean Penn, Michael Douglas or recently published biography of Woodrow Wilson from writer Tom Hanks, but it can’t have slipped your attention that evA. Scott Berg. Thirteen years in the making for Berg (who ery time a major gay story gets told by Hollywood a straight also wrote the biography Lindbergh and the original story for actor almost always plays the gay character in question. the groundbreaking 1982 gay film Making Love), the film verIt’s harder to find a gay actor cast in a serious gay role in a sion is in the talks stages, but DiCaprio is on board for both mainstream production than it is finding rational thought in producing and portraying the U.S. President who led America Pat Robertson. So the news that Matt Bomer (White Collar, into World War I and created the Federal Reserve. And we Magic Mike) has been cast as screen legend Montgomery assume the war part of that story will get the bigger share of Clift in a biopic about the actor’s complicated life is a major screen time. Not that the Federal Reserve isn’t fascinating, step forward for this sort of thing. At the top of his career, but it doesn’t exactly provide many opportunities for sweepClift was as popular as Marlon Brando, but a disfiguring car ingly cinematic, inspirational speeches, you have to admit.

12 // davidatlanta.com

Queer Eye guys rounded up and reunited for Bravo Sure, you’re very excited about Caroline Manzo’s spinoff series and you’re hoping that if Teresa and Juicy Joe wind up in prison that Bravo will at least have the creative vision to give them their own stand-alone show from the big house. But remember 10 years ago when Bravo wasn’t strictly a network about brawling housewives? Remember Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and how we all watched it and complained about it (they were responsible for way too many poor heterosexual men with sculptured eyebrows, waxed everything and closets full of freakishly embellished jeans) and then kept watching it anyway? Well, it’s time to watch it again as Jai, Kyan, Carson, Thom and Ted come back for a 10th anniversary reunion special airing in October.

Andy Cohen will host, of course, and viewers can tweet questions for the guys. Just be nice with those questions, OK? No fair asking Carson what happened to his acting career.

Matt Bomer

photo: Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

@DavidAtlantaGA // 13

A Diamond Forever in the Heart of Midtown

I

t’s Sunday night, and ever since the restaurant in Midtown,10th & Piedmont, started doing their big Flashback Sundays show (created by the Lady Shabazz) back in May, it has become the place to be at 8 p.m. I was running just a couple minutes behind fooling around across the street at the Flying Biscuit, but once I realized what time it was, I stared flying myself across the street to get ready (with glitter flying everywhere and camera phones snapping as I crossed that street). Once I got in the dressing room, I was greeted by the tallest drag performer ever, Diamond DeDe Dupree, formally known as Diamond Monroe. She may be a giant, but sister girl always bring it with her shows and her wigs! You know what, I haven’t “seent” her in awhile, let’s chit chat.

You’ve always taken your wigs seriously, now how much did you pay for that one? (When she was damn Diamond Monroe, she didn’t mind telling me.)

This one was only $120 Only?!?

That ain’t nothing, child. I spent $150 for the other one.

Lawd, why so much? I mean, I realize diamonds are expensive, but that’s just your name gurl.

Oh, that’s just a part of my whole new attitude, it’s a new me. As Diamond Dupree, I feel more seasoned and mature. I know how to listen more, stay quiet, and keep calm. And it’s actually Diamond DeDe Dupree.

It’s an investment, Brent. I love what I do and in this business, your hair got to be right. My top got to be right and my bottom (her pumps) got to be right. I take pride in my appearance for my audience.

Oh my! I want to hear more, but the show is about to start. Two more questions: Where else can the readers catch you and what advice do you have for these new entertainers?

I love you for it, and I’m glad you’re back! I want to tell the readers you’ve been doing drag for more than 10 years but absent for almost three and just like Patty LeBelle, you’ve come back with a new attitude! You’ve even changed your name. What’s the difference between Diamond Monroe and Dupree?

Club Rush in October and three things: One: know who you are. Two: listen when someone is trying to help. Three: have fun, child.

14 // davidatlanta.com

Thanks Diamond, and for you readers, 10th & Piedmont is starting a new show on Saturdays starting Oct. 5.

Check it out!

- since 1997 -

- since 1997 -

Named People Magazine’s “Best Wedding Cakes in Georgia!” www.metrobakery.com

creep

of the week: Linda Harvey

this kind of love means you can never conceive a new human with the person you love, isn’t this is a big clue that things were never supposed to be this way?”

Harvey seems to be forgetting that there is more to a relationship than meeting some kind of sexual reproduction quotas.

In a particularly nasty move, Harvey claims that since Petro’s daughter is not the birth mother, Petro isn’t really a grandfather. And his daughter certainly isn’t a mother. “[T]he Petros now have a grandson, and they are publicly cooing as most new grandparents do. Ecstatic or not, the reality is, this baby is actually the Petros’ adopted grandchild - no blood relation - because their daughter’s partner was the birth mother. The father? At the time of this writing, no one has said. Friend? Sperm donor? Who knows?”

I would add “who cares?” to that list of questions. It certainly isn’t any of Harvey’s business.

But Harvey is determined to make it her business. She is particularly concerned that the Petros’ grandchild is a boy being raised by two women.

She bemoans the lack of an “identifiable father in a boy’s life, offering heritage, caretaking, known genetic background, wisdom, financial support, spiritual guidance.”

She also claims, “Dadlessness is a significant deficit in a child’s life, but to do it deliberately, cavalierly, is close to child abuse. Every child deserves to know mom and dad.

Homosexual parenting, deliberately excluding either a mom or dad, does not make sense, child-welfare-wise, and is frankly, cruel.”

By D’Anne Witkowski

H

ey, did you hear that former Ohio attorney general Jim Petro recently became a grandpa? That’s nice for him.

The end.

At least that’s how the story should go, but it doesn’t. Why? Because Petro’s daughter is a lesbian. And Linda Harvey of Mission: America thinks that God wants her to use this otherwise joyous occasion to call Petro’s daughter, and all of the other gay or lesbian parents out there, child abusers who don’t love their kids.

Is it close to child abuse or is it actually child abuse? Make up your mind, Harvey!

Never mind that reputable studies have proven that having two parents of the same sex does not endanger child welfare. That kind of information isn’t useful to Harvey because she clearly shuns any and all data that disrupts her “gay parents are terrible” narrative.

And why do gays and lesbians want children to begin with?

Because kids just love parades! Harvey writes, “The adults are the central figures in a play about ‘making me happy according to what I think I want today.’ The kids are essentially props to be trotted out, sadly, at events like ‘pride’ parades. Yet at some point, children are not stupid and will figure this out.”

And how are gay and lesbian parents abusing their children?

Simply by being gay or lesbian.

That’s right. Gays and lesbians are fickle, especially when it comes to children (I mean, just think of how often gays And don’t you go trying any of that “all you need is love” and lesbians have unintended pregnancies). At some point bullshit, either. the kids of gay and lesbian parents are going to wise up to their role as fun props promoting the homosexual life“Because if same sex relationships are all about love, why style. And then all of these kids are going to march over to are people bringing a third, unknown party into a relationHarvey’s house to demand asylum. Hope she has some air ship to be the ‘father’ or ‘mother’ behind the curtain? When mattresses.

16 // davidatlanta.com

free weights • machines • cardio

THE RETURN OF

BY DYL AN MICHAEL 20 // davidatlanta.com

NIFICENT CY L C L E 2

L

et’s do a simple math problem. Ready? Take Jungle, add in Phoenix, a sickening cast of queens vying for the title and what do you have?! You have Dragnificent, the annual competition that showcases the best of drag talent that Atlanta has to offer.

Dragnificent is the brain child of Atlanta superstar and RuPaul’s Drag Race season 3 cast member, Phoenix! She will play head judge, along with weekly judge, the current reigning National Entertainer of the Year, Miss Raquell Lord.

There will be a weekly special guest judge including previous winners, local names and celebrities. And since Phoenix has relinquished hosting power for this season, she has chosen the one and only Princess Charles to take her place.

This competition, along with predecessor Dragnique, has started the careers of many of Atlanta’s biggest rising stars, such as Edie Cheezburger, Violet Chachki and Evah Destruction, who are now all part of the cast of The Other Show every Friday night at Jungle, as well as multiple other shows at other venues. These girls have taken the opportunity they’ve been given and have made the most of it, by appearing in music videos, art galleries and more.

This weekly competition gives the competing girls a chance to show different facets of their drag by doing themed challenges, from showgirls to androgyny, and even the dreaded “pass it to the right” challenge, where contestants must make a split decision on what they want to perform, then pass it to the entertainer to their right. A well rounded queen has to be ready for anything, right?! Eleven lucky queens were chosen for this cycle, so let’s meet ‘em, shall we?

First, we have Kryean Kally and Mo’Dest Volgare as our alternative EAV queens. Both of these queens are bound to bring EBT-swiping realness to the stage!

Next, there are the Redd sisters: River Song-Redd and Marcella Grrleen Redd. Known for their campy off-the-wall drag, these queens will be tons of fun to watch!

Then, we have the queens from LeBuzz’s “Triple Threat” show: Daniella Vess, Jai’Ne Van Micheals and Tanyla Santi Cassadine! These girls are seasoned and they are not coming to play!

And last but CERTAINLY not least, we have Rayna Nixx, Y’Marie Santiago and Peyton Elizabeth White rounding out the cast!

All of these girls are gearing up for war and they’re ready to take the crown of the newest winner of Dragnificent! The winner of Dragnificent not only gets bragging rights, but they will receive $500 in cash and prizes! But there will be more than one “winner” this cycle, as the final four girls will be on cast for a new weekly show at Jungle, hosted by Phoenix herself!

So make sure you come out and support your favorite! And look out for our weekly recaps of Dragnificent online! @DavidAtlantaGA // 21

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@DavidAtlantaGA // 23

Life

As We Know It Ross Mathews Talks About OraQuick

BY DYL AN MICHAEL 24 // davidatlanta.com

Y

ou all know Ross Mathews as the intern on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno or from the round table on Chelsea Lately, but what you might not know about this bright and bubbly personality is that he has a heart of gold. Ross has decided to partner with OraQuick, the at-home HIV testing system, to promote the “Life As We Know It” campaign to promote status awareness. I got the chance to catch him running in between meetings (Ross is a busy girl!) and we got to talk about the system and why he decided to partner with them.

Ross! Hello, darling! How are you?

I’m doing phenomenal! It was my birthday this week, and my talk show just got approved for more episodes until the end of the year. I’m very excited!

That’s awesome! Congratulations! So, for those of us who don’t know who Ross Mathews is, would you please introduce yourself?

Well, absolutely! I am the ultimate superfan of pop culture who won the lottery and got his own talk show. I am just working hard to make this dream life come true. That’s who I am right now! (Laughs) So, you said you have a new show out right now called Hello Ross. Can you tell us what to expect?

Well, it’s so fun and we’re on our fourth episode right now, and the whole show is all about loving pop culture and loving it and obsessing over it. I think there are so many shows that tear pop culture down but on Hello Ross, it’s all about pop culture people coming together! I love this stuff, you love this stuff, so let’s get together and talk about it!

It’s really so fun!

I know that you have just partnered with OraQuick and their 20-minute at-home HIV testing system. Can you tell us more about the “Life As We Know It” campaign and why you decided to partner with OraQuick?

This is so important. I don’t take this platform that I have lightly. I know I talk to millions of people every week, but I know that I have a special connection to the LGBT community. And you know when you look at the cases of HIV in the country, 63% of the new cases of HIV are gay men. And I don’t get that! I don’t get it cause I know knowledge is available, I know that there are bowls of condoms at bars, and the awareness level should be higher in the community but the rates are still going up!

I partnered with this company, OraQuick, because the technology they have created makes it easier than ever before to know your status. There are no needles involved, you don’t have to go to a doctor, you can do this in the privacy of your own home. It’s a quick swab of your mouth and twenty minutes, twenty minutes later, you know your

status. And if you know your status, there is so much power in that. If you’re negative, you know. You can continue to have safe sex, be good. Have fun, but be responsible. If you’re positive, there is a 1-800 number that you can call and they will hook you up with a medical professional right that very moment and then you know. But knowing your status is so important.

Some people may look at the medicines that are being developed to combat HIV/AIDS, and think of that a reason to not protect themselves. What would you say to those people?

Well, I’ve heard that. You always hear that. But I’ll tell you this. If you’re having sex, protected or not, you should know your status. I understand why people would be scared, I get it. The waiting, it takes a lot out of you. It’s torturous! When my partner and I got together 5 years ago, we were both tested and we both came out negative. And the waiting was so scary! I remember the first time I got tested, even though I was a good boy and was convinced that I didn’t really have much to worry about, the wait was a week, between testing and results. And I never want to have to do that again!

But we don’t have to do that now! Twenty minutes, no needles, no blood, no doctors’ offices. Just twenty minutes and you’ll know your status with OraQuick! It’s available at every pharmacy or you can order it online at www.oraquick.com. This is how we do it in this day and age. There’s no reason to not know your status.

What makes this campaign different than every other campaign promoting getting tested?

What makes this campaign different? It’s not asking too much of people; that’s what. I’m just saying, and OraQuick is just saying, just give us twenty minutes and you’ll know your status. And you’ll go from there. All these people who are engaging in any sort of unprotected sex, and don’t know their status, they’re really putting other people in jeopardy. You just HAVE to know. And that’s the difference, is that it’s only twenty minutes.

Where can people catch you? Plug whatever you want!

My bestselling book Man Up is available now! My show is on Fridays on E! right after Fashion Police. I encourage people to interact with me on Twitter using the handle @ HelloRoss, the same name as the show. The stories we talk about on air are the stories we talk about with our fans on social media. It’s really a show that doesn’t exist without the fans so I encourage to join in on the conversation!

You can find Ross Mathews on Facebook at facebook. com/SeriouslyRoss or on Twitter at @HelloRoss. And find more information on OraQuick, and the “Life As We Know It” campaign at OraQuick.com! @DavidAtlantaGA // 25

26 // davidatlanta.com

Sonia Leigh

Taking Pride in Making it as a Musician

BY DYL AN GOLDMAN

photo: Thomas Dodd 28 // davidatlanta.com

A

n incredibly experienced and accomplished artist, Sonia Leigh has not only played on some of the Nation’s biggest stages, like Red Rocks in Colorado, the Gorge and the Ryman, but she has shared the stage with some incredible talents, including Eric Church, Brantly Gilbert, Beth Hart, Zac Brown Band, Loretta Lynn, Uncle Kracker, Willie Nelson and many more.

IT took him some time, but he is supportive as much as he can be in his own way. He’s definitely a proud father, as far as my music career is concerned. He’s happy about it.

Let’s talk about your move to Nashville. I know you’re from Atlanta…When did that happen, and what made you decide to go?

The established, experienced artist who headlined the main stage of Atlanta Pride this year seems like a world away from the young, less experienced Sonia Leigh who played Pride for the first time in 2000. Since then, Leigh has under her belt multiple albums, collaborations, song co-written with famous names and years of touring, locally and Internationally.

I’ve always thought about Nashville. I love Atlanta, I’ve been in Atlanta for pretty much all my life. I always wanted to come to Nashville, but I never, things were happening for my music career in Atlanta, and obviously I didn’t want to move away from that. It took my out on the road for like three years straight and when my Mother got sick back in September…she was battling cancer for the past five years and it got worse as time Sonia Leigh brought a gritty Americana/country vibe to Pride’s went on, and back last September and October she got real main stage this year, as well as an example of being able sick. I cancelled all my tours and was with her for three weeks to live the dream of making it in the music industry despite straight until she passed on. It gave me time to think. I just resexual preference. She pursued her career despite hearing the alized there’s not a lot of time to think about one thing in your admonition that a lesbian will never make it…and she made it. life, and sometimes change is a scary leap to make. That’s really when it occurred to me to move and make a change. I’m We got to talk to Sonia Leigh about her life, career and head- kind of an explorer and I like to meet new people, go to new lining at the 43rd annual Atlanta Pride festival. places and learn about different cultures and different styles of living. When she passed, I just made the move.

How long have you been writing and playing your own music?

I’m sure it’s a sensitive subject, your mom’s passing, but from that did there come any music? I I’ve been writing my own music since I learned how to play personally know a lot of music comes from pain. guitar. I started to learn chords around the age of 10, and I just immediately started writing. I guess it all started to make Well, I haven’t really touched on the subject yet. I think that it’s sense around 12. still kinda fresh and I just haven’t really gone there with my writing. I know it’s something that’s going to register, but it’s Nice! Do you have any songs that are from back kind of marinating inside of me right now. I’ve written a couple then that you actually play to this day? of things but I’m still working on them.

[Laughs] Oh….nooo….

So do you just play guitar, or do you play anything else?

How would you describe the difference in the music scene between Atlanta vs. Nashville? I know there’s probably more of a “country feel” in Nashville, but I don’t think it’s all country music.

I play a little bit of drums and bass, and keys, but I’m predomi- I live in East Nashville, which has a really good scene with an nantly a guitar player.

Indie Rock/Americana-vibe. There’s really a lot of room for a lot of different styles here. It just depends on where you go.

You said you learned to play guitar. Did you teach That’s why I moved to Nashville; some of my band members yourself? lived here. That’s is kind of the idea about Nashville, that it’s a country town, but there is a really good Rock n’ Roll and Indie My father taught me some chords, and I actually wanted my scene here. There is just a plethora of music and musicians own guitar. But he was like, “I’m going to teach you these here, a lot of people just collaborating…there’s a lot of people chords, and if I see that you’re practicing every day and that to write with. Everyone who is here is focused on music, so it you’re actually gonna want to [play], I’ll get you your own gui- really separates the bar bands from the people who want to do tar. I practiced so much, and it kind of pissed him off because it for a living. There’s a hustle here.

I was playing his guitar all the time when he wanted to play, and I always had it in my room playing, so he finally got me a How do you perceive the “competitive vibe” in guitar.

Nashville? Do you find most people are supportive or there is an undercurrent of wanting to be the bigWhat does your Dad say now about your success? gest and the best?

You know what, he’s a proud father. There were times when I You would think it would be competitive, since every body is in was young, and coming out, and I wrote a song when I was 17 the pool trying to make it, but everybody is so helpful and supabout my sexuality and it just kinda led me down a long path. portive. It’s a community that appreciates each other’s points @DavidAtlantaGA // 29

of view, even those new to the scene. The people that I’ve met an independent record here now with producer Eric Masse are helpful and supportive here. and artist Jordan Lehning. I’ve got to kick-start a campaign to help get that off the ground. [Laughs] I’m working on it…

I’m glad that you’re obviously doing so well out there.

How do you feel about headlining the Atlanta Pride Festival this year?

I miss Atlanta! That’s my town, though! I’m glad to be from there.

I am super excited! I played back in 2000 when I was just a baby, and I remember I opened for Soul Miner’s Daughter, Let’s talk about touring. How many tours have you Jennifer Nettles’ band at the time. Since then, I’ve played Pride been on, either as a headliner or an opener? quite a few times, and I’ve always been really proud to be a part of it. I stand firmly behind everything that Pride does for I’ve been doing a lot of touring the last few years. I went the community, and I am happy to be able to lend my music to on tour with Eric Church and Brantly Gilbert last February. it. Especially now, with there being so many people wanting to Obviously I went out with Zac Brown…I did some stuff with be artists who are gay…I didn’t know if I could do it and make one of my favorite artists, Beth Hart. I got to play with Loretta it to a certain level, because a lot of people told me I couldn’t.

Lynn, Willie Nelson, Eli Young Band…Uncle Kracker, who So if I could be any kind of inspiration to anybody, to show that is now one of my dear friends. I’ve gotten to go places with your sexuality shouldn’t ever make you doubt your dreams… some of my idols! It’s been amazing. I’ve gotten to play Red you should reach for ‘em.

Rocks [in Colorado], New York, London, California… I once played the Whiskey Go-Go in Los Angeles; that was amazing. One last question for you, Sonia. What does “pride” – the word, the feeling – mean to you personally?

What is life like on the road?

That’s a really good question. I like that.

Life on the road is everything that I’ve wanted. I started out tooling around in my van. I’ve gone back and forth from a bus For me, being proud of all your trials and tribulations, and to a van. There’re different aspects to being on a bus or in a coming through them on the other side, makes the person that van. One thing about being in a van is you can really drive and you are. Pride is making it through all the struggles in your life see the countryside, but it’s really exhausting when you’re do- and still standing on the other side…Being confident in who ing long drives. Being on a b us you get to be in a bunk and be you are and being able to just be yourself. I think that’s pride more relaxed. Touring has always been a dream of mine, it’s for me…Not apologizing for who you are. always been something I wanted to do. But it takes a toll on spending time with your family. It’s definitely a sacrifice that Want to check out Sonia Leigh? Visit her official site every full-time musician makes- the choice to focus on their at www.sonialeigh.com, or follow her on Facebook, careers. You have to learn how to balance your time between MySpace, Reverbnation, SoundCloud and Twitter. Sonia your family, your music career and your personal life.

Leigh’s albums are for sale on her official page. Her latest album, 1978 December, is available on both CD and – how Do you feel like you’ve learned to balance that bet- cool is this – vinyl. Or you can digitally download her ter over the years? songs from iTunes.

Yeah. I think I got caught up in a really big whirlwind when I was out with Zac Brown. We were playing gazillions of places in front of thousands and thousands of people, and we got to do that, like every single night. It’s a lot of pressure.

When my Mom passed, I definitely slowed down and realized that it’s so easy to get caught up…you have to land, and make time for your family. My Mom’s passing has been…I don’t want to say rewarding, but I’ve learned so much and grown so much in my vision of things from that experience.

I guess a good way of putting it is that your Mom’s death has been instrumental in your growth, both as a musician and a person. SO, you’re no longer with Southern Ground Records…are you with a different label now?

No, I’m an independent artist right now. I am establishing my ground and figuring out what my next move is. I am recording 30 // davidatlanta.com

photo: Bryan Allen

SHE TWERKS

HARD For The Money Big Freedia talks new reality series, gender confusion and bounce phenomenon

BY CHRIS A Z ZOPARDI

32 // davidatlanta.com

photo: Kareem Black

B

ig Freedia likes big butts and she cannot lie – but, for – to see bounce reach a bigger audience. Then, it was just a the purpose of the dirty dance du jour known as twerk- high school pastime for her. ing, size ain’t no thing.

Bumping to genre staples like DJ Jubilee, DJ Jimi and “sissy “You just gotta know how to work it,” says the New Orleansbounce” artist Katey Red, Freedia recalls being “at the school cultured bounce-music trailblazer, who asserts that even a little dances, flipping upside down on the wall to bounce music.” It pancake fanny can do the job. “They have lots of flat asses in was at 16 that Freedia’s curiosity piqued regarding the oppoNew Orleans, and they definitely know how to work ’em.” site gender – and not in the sexy time way. Freedia was born a man, is gay, and has a closet full of women’s clothes.

Expect those rumps to work and twerk on Big Freedia’s new reality show, Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce, airing for an “I just always had a taste for different things,” she says. “I eight-episode run on cable music channel Fuse. To kick off was growing up in a house full of women, and being around its Oct. 2 premiere, the network recently hosted a throng of my mom and getting some of my class and style from my ass-shakers in the Big Apple. Drawing 350-plus twerkers, mom, it would make me wanna wear different things, espethe first event of its kind broke into the Guinness World cially girly stuff.”

Records. Why now?

That garb is the reason people often confuse Freedia for “Everything has its time and season,” Freedia says, “and transgender. “I’m not a tranny,” she clarifies, adding that right now is the time and season of the twerking.” she’s not bothered by that – or which gender pronoun people use for her – because “I’m comfortable with who I am and I And for proof, look no further than this year’s MTV Video know who I am and I’m comfortable with my sexuality, but Music Awards in September, where Miley Cyrus generated sometimes mistakes do happen and reporters do tend to a flurry of bad buzz for twerking up on Robin Thicke. Even come up with their own idea of what they think I am or how I Freedia wasn’t impressed. classify myself.”

The “queen” insists, “They gotta get us together so I can give her ass a lesson.”

And no one’s more qualified for teaching twerk; when it comes to hip-wiggle, butt-dropping dance, Freedia’s practically got her Ph.D. Born Freddie Ross, the bounce purveyor has been – and pun intended – behind the movement’s surge ever since the early 1990s, when the genre was just an underground fixture. Singles like 1999’s “An Ha, Oh Yeah” and, more recently, “Peanut Butter” with RuPaul boosted Freedia’s profile, as did an opening slot on a Postal Service tour this year. A singles album, Big Freedia Hitz Vol. 1, was released in 2010.

“We’ve been working hard the last few years making people twerk all around the world, and working to be mainstream,” she says. “We’re so excited about the whole twerking thing that’s going on right now.”

A label Freedia will challenge, a topic of discussion on the premiere episode of Queen of Bounce, is one that plagues plenty of queer performers: “gay artist.” It doesn’t bother her – again, she says, “I am what I am” – but if there’s an opportunity for a commercial breakthrough, where she can just be an “artist,” she’s obviously not opposed to it. As long as she doesn’t have to sacrifice who she is.

“To become mainstream is still hard work,” she says, “and I’m not hiding behind no shield trying to say, ‘Oh, I’m straight’ and then I’m gonna bust out gay later on. They gon’ take me gay full force one way or ’nother, and I’m just gonna keep working and keep on grinding to keep making it mainstream. And I’ll make it mainstream in my own way.”

And now – thanks to Miley, thanks to the Oxford Dictionaries (“twerk” became an entry this year) and especially thanks to Freedia – this is her time. Twerk is a Freedia, of course, has something to dance about because, cultural phenomenon. A reality show about it could be just ever since she was a teenager, this has been a dream of hers the thing to push Freedia all the way to the top.

“I feel really amazing about all of the work that I’ve been putting in the last 14 years,” she says. “I still have a lot I want to accomplish and a lot of work I want to do, so it’s not over yet. But for now, I’m happy with where I stand and what I’ve done so far, but more to come, baby.”

For now, the focus is Queen of Bounce, a show not even its star knows much about. “It’s real and it’s about my life, but there are so many things that were recorded. And I haven’t really been watching the episodes. I wanna be surprised.” photo: Jeremy Simmons

But Freedia makes one promise: “You gon’ see ass everywhere.” @DavidAtlantaGA // 33

opardi z z A is r h C By CHER, Closer to the Truth

ELTON JOHN, The Diving Board

To find the truth on Cher’s first album of new material in 12 years, look beyond that over-polished, Britney-circa-Femme Fatale-era cover art, wherein the diva must’ve confused this shoot for a JCPenney underwear catalog.

The truth, it turns out, isn’t immediately apparent; it exists not in a 67-year-old woman trying to be a pinup girl, but in the frankness of Cher’s always-authentic self, when she preaches feminism (“Woman’s World”), tells a prospective lover to “Take It Like a Man” and, at her most honest, warns of her lethal wig-wearing, sequin-shimmering style (“Dressed to Kill”). Picking up where 2001’s Living Proof left off – when Cher, impossible as it sounds, got even gayer – Closer to the Truth, her 26th LP, keeps the queers at her feet and on their knees; all three of the aforementioned songs pulse and bounce and bang like the icon never left the dance floor. And that’s only somewhat problematic, since some of these aren’t quite as ageless as the diva herself.

“Woman’s World,” the first single, sounds very turn-of-themillennium. One of two Pink-scribed contributions, “I Walk Alone,” exercises a country march that both befits early-era Cher and shakes up the sameness of the more vanilla-produced dance jams. Then she gets back to ballads, making magic out of “Sirens,” a glorious slow tempo that proves the timelessness of her voice, and breaking your heart just a little on her cover of Miley Cyrus’ “I Hope You Find It.” The truth is, Cher doesn’t need to turn back time. She’s fine right where she is.

The advantage of being an aging icon is the artistic freedom to do whatever the hell you want. And when you’re Elton John – legend, diva, grand master of pop – your high-ranking order merits an LP like The Diving Board, a throwback in the sense that he recorded it, upon the request of producer T Bone Burnett, much like the albums of his heyday: by not overthinking it.

This approach makes for a respectable, mostly nonmainstream work still rooted in John’s name-making blues brand and blossoming balladry. “Home Again,” the first single, is the latter – a tuneful adult-contempo meditation that’s primed for Disney film closing credits. That’s not a bad thing, necessarily. It’s a lovely piano composition. It moves you. It’s Elton John postmillennium. The drug-less John. Dad John. Also: It doesn’t flicker out as soon as it’s over like some of the more languorous, here-and-gone melodies on Diving Board (there’s little weight to the bluesier tracks). And that the production slightly falls short of the words that John’s longtime writing partner Bernie Taupin scribed is unfortunate; the album is a lyrical masterpiece in scope and poeticism. There are many times, though, where divine production meets divine songwriting, and during them – the graceful piano piece “My Quicksand,” and the true-story song “The Ballad of Blind Tom” – John reminds you that, yes, at 66 he’s still got it.

Grade: B+

Grade: B

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ICONA POP, This Is…Icona Pop

is a wonderland of ear-sugar and earnest displays of endearing lyricism – its heart beats as much as those delicious hooks. With its stuttered go-oh-oh-ohs and yo-yo sound, “The Mother We Share” wraps your mind Icona Pop instantly in its infectious reverie. “We seemed desSink” does synth tined to fall into circles before one-hit-wonder dropping into an obscurity ominous chorus after “I Love that has Mayberry It” gained warning, “I’ll be a ubiquitous thorn in your side exposure via till you die.” “Gun” club play, whoops into a frenzied commercial confection, the lurchspots and ing “Lungs” finishes – not even with vocal contrast kidding – from bandmate Martin as the theme song Doherty, and the penulfor the MTV Jersey Shore spinoff timate “By the Throat” is Snooki & JWoww. Their other chants couldn’t be a refreshing tonal shift – slowed down and that fun, that infectious, that delicious. Except they are. dreamy, but like the rest of this charming set, easy to The Swedish synth-pop duo of Caroline Hjelt and Aino get lost in. The Bones of What You Believe is the beginJawo – with their endearing, no-pretense irresistibilning of the next big thing. ity – could be your BFFs…if your BFFs wrote joyous dance-pop, bedroom-romping earworms; recorded “In Grade: Athe Stars,” a song that takes you to the sun; and had all the makings for one of the most exciting musical breakthroughs this year. There’s really not a single miss on This Is…, unless you’re a sour puss able to resist the nonstop rush of joyous synth bursts atop ’80s-inspired melodies. From bubbly second single “All Night” to “Then We Kiss,” a fun-loving coda with a Go-Go’s ilk, NATALIA KILLS, Trouble the girls keep the party balloons bouncing. And when they pop and fall to the floor – like on the lovelorn “Just You can just lay off the Lady Gaga comparisons when Another Night,” the closest they come to a ballad, and it comes to Natalia Kills; with Trouble, the English siren its fight-song match “Hold On” – they strike a similar is making a name for herself. Her sophomore follow-up to Perfectionist, featuring breakout single “Mirrors,” is authenticity that expands their girls-next-door appeal.

Yeah, even pop stars get broken hearts. As an introduc- a major step up from her debut. With more to say, and tion to Icona Pop, This Is… sounds both familiar and like with better beats to deliver those childhood-inspired stories, Kills rocks her pop-dance sound with some nothing you’ve ever heard. It’s not a game changer, it won’t revolutionize pop music, but it’s fun and unforget- Pink-ish badassery (see hooky “Trouble”). But there’s plenty of pain, too. “Marlboro Lights” is a wistful song table. I love it, and I don’t care. that cuts deep, and “Saturday Night” dances off the heartbreak of a broken home.

Grade: A-

ALSO OUT

CHVRCHES, The Bones of What You Believe Mark my word: The whole world will soon be worshipping Chvrches (pronounced churches, but not because they’re holy rollers), one of the best new bands to enter the electro-pop fold in the last few years. Their shimmering alt-pop singles – the tremendous “Lies” and “Recover” among them – have already boosted their profile from Glaswegian basement band to blog-born new-wave Einsteins. With their ’80s-chic-meetsRobyn-bleak spirit, and the childish sweetness of lead vocalist Lauren Mayberry, the Scottish trio’s debut LP

GLORIA ESTEFAN, The Standards There’s no body shaking for the conga queen on her second album of covers (you remember 1994, when Estefan released a single off Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me with drag queen lookalikes). This, however, is Gloria’s first go at the Great American Songbook, a low-key collection of cabaret-style numbers that find her reinterpreting classics from Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. The proceedings are fairly standard themselves, as the production, which includes Dave Koz on sax, faithfully sticks to the originals. It’s all kind of “been there, done that.” @DavidAtlantaGA // 35

PATTY GRIFFIN, Silver Bell Patty Griffin’s career-defining Silver Bell is the little engine that could – “the lost album” that her thenlabel A&M Records shelved and is now, 13 years later, thankfully getting a proper release. Treasured within the singer-songwriter’s fan circle for those poetic compositions and her musical eclecticism (among those diehards are the Dixie Chicks, who covered two of the album’s best tunes, “Truth #2” and “Top of the World”), the LP is another diamond in Griffin’s crown. And newly mixed by Glyn Johns, Griffin’s painterly voice is front and center – right where it belongs.

SHERYL CROW, Feels Like Home Sheryl Crow’s rebirth as a bona fide country artist shouldn’t surprise anyone. Throughout her career, the genre-bender has bounced between R&B, soul and rock, and there’s always been – even on her biggest hits – the kind of just-down-home-enough sound to make this changeover almost seamless. “Easy” rides out a’70s beachside breeziness, and “Shotgun” has the bite of a Miranda Lambert single. Where Crow really taps into tradition, though, is on the genuine story-song heartbreakers: “Waterproof Mascara,” a clever-if-hammy Brad Paisley co-write, and the sentimental “Homesick.”

Her house is our house. Pull up a chair.

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42 // davidatlanta.com

OUT OF TOWN:

PALM SPRINGS: THREE-DAY WEEKEND

BY ANDRE W COLLINS

A

desert hideaway nestled beneath the dramatic San Jacinto Mountains, Palm Springs has been popular with LGBT travelers for decades. It’s home to dozens of gay-owned clothing-options resorts, friendly bars and lounges, hip restaurants, and stylish shops, and it’s also surrounded by spectacular natural scenery that’s perfect for hiking, wildlife watching and photography. Easy to reach by car or plane, it’s a perfect destination for a leisurely weekend in the sun.

exploring. If you do plan to ride the aerial tram, as recommended here, be sure to pack at least one outfit for cooler weather (and possibly a light hike) - the temperature at the upper tram station is usually about 30 degrees lower than in town.

Day 1 Upon arrival, spend time relaxing by the pool and, ideally, combining this with a spa treatment or perhaps poolside cocktails and appetizers. Obviously, the earlier you get to Palm Springs, the more time for planning time at the spa. If partaking of a massage, facial, or body scrub is a priority, you’ll probably want to stay at a property with an on-site spa, although you can always book a visit at a spa elsewhere in town (most of those inside hotels welcome day visitors).

Palm Springs has its own airport just a couple of miles east of downtown with direct flights from most big West Coast cities as well as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, New York City and Toronto. Fares can sometimes be a little steep, especially during the late fall–early spring high season, but you may save money by not having to rent a car, as much of central Palm Springs is within walking distance, and cabs work for short trips. If you’re staying Among gay resorts, both the upscale East Canyon Resort outside the downtown core or planning many side trips, a (www.eastcanyonps.com), which primarily draws gay men rental car is helpful, though. but also welcomes women (swimsuits are required at this property) and the men-only La Dolce Vita (ladolcevitaresort.

Another option is to fly into one of the many major airports com) have intimate, relaxing full-service spas offering an in Southern California, which may offer more competitive extensive menu of treatments. Both facilities are open to fares or better direct flights from your home city. The closest nonguests, but these are great places to stay on property, big airports are Ontario (75 minutes), John Wayne in Orange too, with their expansive pools (two of them at La Dolce Vita) County (90 minutes), Burbank (2 hours), Long Beach (2 and attractive rooms. hours), Los Angeles (2 hours), and San Diego (2.5 hours).

From much of the country, if you catch an early flight, you Many of the other LGBT-exclusive properties in town do have can be tanning by the pool of your Palm Springs hotel by massage services, some with separate massage rooms and early afternoon. others providing in-room treatments. For example, at the well-established clothing-option women’s resort Casitas Here’s one itinerary for making the most of three days in Laquita (casitaslaquita.com), you can book Swedish, deepPalm Springs, with a mix of lazy downtime and more scenic tissue, and reflexology. Palm Springs’ other popular women’s 48 // davidatlanta.com

resort, Queen of Hearts (queenofheartsps.com) also has on-site massage.

Additionally, some great mainstream but very gay-popular resorts have fabulous spas as well as big, gorgeous swimming pools. Consider the boldly colorful, moderately priced Saguaro Palm Springs (thesaguaropalmsprings.com), where you can enjoy date-shake wraps and hydrating facials, perhaps before dining at the superb on-site restaurants El Jefe (fun for tacos and cocktails) and the swankier Tinto (specializing in Basque cuisine). Down the street, the ultrahip Ace Hotel & Swim Club (acehotel.com/palmsprings) is another fine place to sip cocktails by the pool and book a spa treatment. Also consider the lavish Palm Springs Riviera Resort & Spa (psriviera.com), an alluring crash pad for a decadent weekend in Palm Springs - its SpaTerre offers Thai and Indonesian-inspired treatments, and the pool is among the prettiest in town (for dinner, Circa 59 restaurant is exceptional).

Of course, at mainstream properties, you’re going to have to keep your swimsuit on - if you prefer tanning and swimming au naturel, stick with one of the clothing-optional gay resorts mentioned above. These may have smaller pools, but the intimate vibe can also make it easier to meet new friends, and with fewer guests than at the bigger hotels, these smaller gay hideaways can actually feel less crowded in and around the pool. Check out gaytravel.about.com/od/ hotelsresorts/tp/PS_GayHotels.htm for a list of notable Palm Springs resorts, from the laid-back, friendly, and well-kept Triangle Inn (triangle-inn.com) to the new-ish, bear-centric Bearfoot Inn (bearfootinn.com). Another newcomer with a lovely pool is the 29-room Skylark Hotel (skylarkps.com), the stylish transformation of the former Camp Palm Springs - it’s still gay-owned, but the clientele is mixed and the pool area is no longer clothing-optional.

As the sun sets over Palm Springs your first night, if you’re looking for a terrific dinner option, head for the Tropicale (thetropicale.com), an eclectic and fun restaurant-lounge that’s perfect for just about any mood or budget, and very popular as a gay-date venue - everything from gourmet pizzas to Asian-inspired tapas to creative takes on Southern fried chicken and Cuban-style skirt steak are served. Dine inside in a space that has the sophisticated ambience of a modern supper club, or out on the quieter patio beside the gurgling fountain. The owners are planning to unveil a stylish, mixed gay/straight nightclub, Copa Room (coparoomps. com), next door toward the end of 2013.

Design District (palmspringsuptowndesigndistrict.com), checking out the many shops and galleries specializing in everything from Mid-Century Modern furniture to contemporary photography and art. Cheeky’s serves a tantalizing bacon flight, featuring five slices, each a different variety (perhaps jalapeno or brown-sugar). Open just for breakfast and lunch, it’s a good pre-hike source of sustenance, serving such hearty treats as eggs Benedict with cheddar scone and grass-fed burgers with pesto fries.

Next, make your way to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (pstramway.com), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013. From the tram base, a rotating car carries passengers to the 8,516-foot tram station, which offers access to miles of hiking trails in beautiful Mt. San Jacinto State Park.

East Canyon Resort

Tropicale

Cheeky’s

Day 2 Now that you’ve hopefully settled in a bit, worked your tan, and perhaps refreshed your skin and body, your second day in town is an ideal time for some outdoor recreation.

Start your day at what might just be the best breakfast spot in town, Cheeky’s (cheekysps.com), but beware that the crowds tend to inundate this cheerful cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. If there’s a wait, put your name on the list and spend some time strolling around the lively Uptown @DavidAtlantaGA // 49

When you walk out the door of the upper tram station (you can obtain trail maps and advice at the small visitor center inside), proceed down the winding paved pathway a short distance to the bottom. For a longer hike, turn right and stop inside the ranger station to sign in and obtain a free backcountry permit.

Hikes from here include a 5-mile round-trip jaunt through mountain meadows and a rigorous 11-mile round-trip trek to 10,834-foot San Jacinto Peak. For a shorter, easier hike with amazing views, turn left at the end of the concrete path and follow signs for the Desert View Trail, a 1.5-mile loop with five short side legs leading to spectacular panoramas of the Imperial Valley, from Salton Sea to Joshua Tree National Park. Many visitors stop for drinks or dinner at the Peaks Restaurant or more casual, cafeteria-style Pines Café in the tram station - the food is decent, but it’s the views that make it worth dining here.

Returning to Palm Springs, assuming you’re still in the market for dinner, head back to the Uptown Design District. Trio (triopalmsprings.com) is one of the hip, see-and-be-seen dining options in this lively neighborhood, serving globally inspired modern dishes like pan-seared rare scallops with honeydewwatercress sauce, and center-cut pork chops with tangerinehorseradish marmalade. Nearby, the owners of Cheeky’s operate a couple of outstanding - and reasonably priced - dinner venues. Birba (birbaps.com) serves modern Italian fare, while newcomer JIAO (jiaops.com) turns out creative Pan-Asian cuisine, including addictively delicious tempura cauliflower with a tangy dipping sauce, roasted pork buns with kimchee, and miso black cod with sautéed spinach and coconut rice. Don’t miss the roster of regularly changing house-made ice creams.

From here you’re a short walk to several very fun downtown bars, including LGBT-favored Azul Tapas Lounge/Georgie’s Alibi (azultapaslounge.com), the chic new Clinic Bar & Lounge (clinicbarps.com), the darkly seductive craft-cocktail spot Bar (barwastaken.com), and the always packed gay dance spot Hunters Nightclub (huntersnightclubs.com).

Day 3 How you spend your final day in town again depends largely on how early you have to leave. With any luck at all, your flight isn’t until late in the day, and you can arrange to store your bags and linger by the pool a bit longer. In the morning, you might consider one of the other inviting breakfast options in town, such as King’s Highway in the Ace Hotel (acehotel.com), which serves delicious chilaquiles; the uber-gay java spot Koffi (kofficoffee. com), with two locations serving superb espresso drinks and pastries; or open-air Norma’s in the glam Parker Palm Springs (theparkerpalmsprings.com), where the lobster-caviar frittata ranks among the most decadent and expensive breakfast meals in California.

If you still have a little time on your hands, check out the excellent Palm Springs Art Museum (psmuseum.org), continue your shopping adventures downtown, or pop into Great Shakes (greatshakesps.com) for a sweet treat on your way out of town - the unusual flavors here include a fun take on the traditional Palm Springs date shake (with crushed walnuts) to the imaginative blueberry-butterscotch.

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eyes wide shut

A SCANDALOUS Masquerade Experience

Get Wicked at the #1 Halloween Party in the South

Saturday October 26, 2013| 10pm-3am

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263 Decatur St, SE, Atlanta GA30312 More details @ www.rockstarsproduction.com

Screen Queen:

By Chris Azzopardi

Behind the Candelabra Looking beyond the razzle-dazzle – though plenty of sequins shake out in this Emmy-loved HBO telepic – director Steven Soderbergh evades camp kitsch for a sexually fearless and captivating exposé on the vanity, fame and obsessions of the iconic Liberace. The intimate/bizarre story takes a magnifying glass to the entertainer’s mutually toxic relationship with younger beau Scott Thorson (his 1988 memoir inspired the film) – and it’s a

dark, dangerous rabbit hole they go down, rife with insecurities, codependency and superficiality – all the way through Mr. Showmanship’s AIDS-related death in 1987. Michael Douglas slips into the role – and in and out of some very feathery fabooshness – with an uncanny ease, illuminating every idiosyncrasy of Liberace’s narcissism and musicianship (he, and/or some really convincing camera tricks, even works that piano with impressive finger-dancing dexterity). Displaying as much skin as he does dramatic acting chops, Matt Damon, as Thorson, is also spectacularly uninhibited. And Soderbergh, who’s already demonstrated you can make magic out of male strippers, does career-best work finding the humanity in an otherwise cartoonish story. He bails, though, on the special features, leaving just a short EPK featuring the two leads.

Tales of the City The television adaptation of gay novelist Armistead Maupin’s classic saga premiered 20 years ago – and it looks it. That’s no reflection on the greatness of this zeitgeisty miniseries, which ran for six episodes back in 1993; it’s a terrifically scripted coming-ofager about a fish out of water getting acclimated with the bohemian, anything-goes lifestyle of pre-AIDS San Francisco in the ’70s. There are gays and pot gardens and nakedness and … wait, this was on PBS? Considered ahead of its time, the series cast a riveting Laura Linney, as a Bay Area newbie, into the limelight, and endeared us even more so to Olympia Dukakis, the free-spirited trans woman who takes Linney’s character under her wing.

The show, of course, is an absolute delight – a time-capsule yarn that revels in an emphatic cast of colorful characters as seen through the innocent eyes of Mary Ann Singleton (Linney). Its DVD is not. The two-disc set is marred by the same distracting graininess of its initial now-out-of-print 2003 release, which is to say it looks a lot like watching it on VHS. Carried over from that same set: cast commentaries on three episodes, nearly 40 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage and a color insert with a Maupin intro.

The Sapphires How do you hate something with Motown music? With a heartwarming story based on fact?

And with Chris O’Dowd, the Irish dreamboat who wanted to make cupcakes with Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids? You don’t. You can’t. Unless you also hate kittens. So while its trite, shameless sentimentality and loosely

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explored social commentaries can seem a little Lifetime, this entertainingbut-flawed musical dramedy – about singing Australian sisters and their gal pal who get a gig in 1968 Vietnam performing for the troops – is big on charm, laughs and soul sing-alongs. And O’Dowd, as the bum manager with a heart of gold, is a delicious lead – a role requiring tart humor, bold dramatic turns and unexpected sweetness that he handles with awards-caliber capability. His sudden romance with one of the girls rings false in the end, when the film falls into sappy histrionics, but a few sour notes can’t ruin the flash and fun of seeing these girls make their dreams come true. The real Sapphires talk about the movie and their lives in a too-brief bonus interview.

Girls: The Complete Second Season The drama gets heavy in season two of Lena Dunham’s Emmywinning HBO hit show, where Hannah (Dunham) and her girlfriends continue navigating life as a 20-something: being broke, complicated, relationship-challenged ... and, you know, letting Patrick Wilson put it in you. The second season makes the piss-in-theshower scene of the first look like batting practice, because here, Dunham – whose riskier writing polarized as much as it titillated the water-cooler talk – goes

@DavidAtlantaGA // 55

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in some very unexpected and audacious directions that make your 20s look so boring. HBO gives the sophomore chapter an impressive set of special features, most notably Dunham’s sit-down with the show’s male ensemble.

Amour There are moments so real in Oscar winner Amour you forget those are actors you’re watching. You forget there’s a director behind the camera. And you certainly forget, as is often said about horror films, that this is just a movie. Michael Haneke’s Amour is the worst kind of horror – the real kind. It’s what Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) experiences when his wife Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) suffers a heart attack, putting their love – and his loyalty – to the test. It’s grim, poignant and wrenching, and the roles Riva and Trintignant play are beyond performances – they’re as honest as life. They discuss their parts during a short making-of.

The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition Call it a kid classic if you want, but the Muppets – going from TV variety show darlings to silver-screen stars with this 1979 flick – did more than entertain with songs and silliness; they got to your heart. But aside from “The Rainbow Connection,” this road-trip rollick about hope and dreams and destiny, where Kermit and his flamboyant puppet posse (and real peeps like Cloris Leachman and Steve Martin) hope to bring people to their happy place, is a film for the ages. All ages. With just some sing-alongs and a short Kermit interview, this Disney release surprisingly skimps on extras. But still, these are the Muppets.

This is their first film. For all you dreamers, this is a must-have. @DavidAtlantaGA // 57

theScene 1

10th & Piedmont 991 Piedmont Ave. NE

14 Cowtippers

27 Jungle

40 The Model T

2

Amsterdam 502 Amsterdam Ave. NE

15 Daiquiri Factory

28 Las Margaritas

41 Tripps

3

Atlanta Eagle 306 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE

16 Einstein's

29 Manifest 4 U

42 Urban Body Fitness

4

BJ Roosters 2043 Cheshire Bridge Rd.

17 F.R.O.G.S

30 Mixx

43 Woof's

5

Blake's 227 10th St. NE

18 Felix's

31 Oscar's

44 XS Ultra Lounge

6

Bliss 2284 Cheshire Bridge Rd.

19 Flex Spa

32 Opus 1

7

Boy Next Door 1447 Piedmont Ave. NE

20 Friends

33 Roxx

8

Brushstrokes 1510 Piedmont Ave. NE

21 Gatsby's

34 Sam's Hair Salon

Le Buzz 585 Franklin Rd. SE Marietta, GA

9

Bubbles Salon 1579 Monroe Dr. NE

22 Gilbert's

35 Southern Nights

Mary's 1287 Glenwood Ave. SE

10 Bulldogs

23 Gravity Fitness

36 Ten Atlanta

My Sister's Room 1271 Glenwood Ave. SE

11 Burkhart's

24 Heretic

37 The Den

Club Rush 2715 Buford Hwy. NE

12 Capulets

25 Hobnob

38 The Fifth Ivory

Sister Louisa’s Church 466 Edgewood Ave. SE

13 Club Eros

26 Joe's on Juniper

39 The Hideaway

Swinging Richard's 1400 Northside Dr. NW

893 Peachtree St. NE 1492 Piedmont Ave. NE 1510 Piedmont Ave. NE 2219 Faulkner Rd. NE

1600 Piedmont Ave. NE 889 W. Peachtree Str. NW 1077 Juniper St. NE 931 Monroe Cir. NE 1510 Piedmont Ave. NE 76 4th St. NW

2115 Faulkner Rd. NE

699 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE

1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd.

1931 Piedmont Cir. NE

2103 Faulkner Rd. NE

500 Amsterdam Ave. NE

1492 Piedmont Ave. NE

2425 Piedmont Rd. NE

1510 Piedmont Ave. NE

708 Spring Str. NW Not Shown: Cockpit 465 Boulevard SE

1086 Alco St. NE

736 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE 931 Monroe Dr. NE 219 10th St. NE

1824 Cheshire Bridge Rd. 2000 Cheshire Bridge Rd. 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd.

2201 Faulkner Rd. NE 2069 Cheshire Bridge Rd. 1551 Piedmont Ave. NE 1049 Juniper Str. NE

990 Piedmont Ave. Ne 2135 Liddell Dr. NE 794 Juniper Str. NE 1544 Piedmont Ave. NE

Bar/Cocktails

Retail

Dining

Billiards/Darts

Dancing

Dancers

Non-Smoking

Leather

Hair/Beauty

Fitness

Drag

Baths/Spa

60 // davidatlanta.com

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@DavidAtlantaGA // 61

Bartab

MONDAY

got an upcoming event? calendar@davidatlanta.com

oscar’s Ruby Redd’s After Party - 10 pm swinging richards 2-4-1 VIP Room tripp’s Free Taco Bar 5pm xcess ultra lounge Raquell Lord’s Talent Show 10:30pm, Sophia Mcintosh & Fab 5 +1 11:30pm, 18+

cockpit DJ Diablo Rojo, guest VJ/DJ’s eagle DJ Dance Party BLAKE’S Game Night - Trivia / Family felix’s Karaoke w/ Brett & Tyler 10pm Feud 11pm | Back to back episodes of Will friends Free Pool and Cheap beer with DJ! & Grace 9pm upstairs 2 pm - 6 pm BURKHART’S Blue Monday Karaoke w/ Gilbert’s All you care to eat brunch Angelica D’Paige 11:30pm (cooked to order) 11-4pm COCKPIT Big Red Cup All Day, specials heretic Varies: Club Night or 3 Legged EAGLE Music Videos with Scotty Cowboy Night - 10pm blake’s Texas Hold’Em Poker 7pm, “Guys FELIX’S Free Pool hideaway Open at 12:30pm! Saturday FRIENDS Manic Mondays DJ opens - 2 pm & Dolls” with Shawnna Brooks. 11pm Night Party BURKHART’S Twisted Thursday w/ HERETIC Jukebox drag with Knomie Moore jungle Ruby’s Redd Light District 9pm; Phoenix 11:30pm HIDEAWAY $2.50 Domestic Beer Club Night, Various Guest DJ’s JUNGLE Stars of the Century Show 11pm cockpit Dirty Boy Bingo w/ Ruby Redd lips atlanta Glitz & Glamour Las Vegas eagle Balls Deep Karaoke w/ Mikey MODEL T Monday Night Madness Free Style felix’s Karaoke w/ Brett & Tyler 10pm Pool - 10pm - 2am model t Texas Holdem Poker - 3 pm | OSCAR’S Service Industry Night with Eric friends Where Girls Who Like Girls Meet Party with the M&M Boiz - 9 pm Girls with Regina Simms 8-closing swinging richards Hip-Hop Night, oscar’s DJ Christopher Kind Gilbert’s Wine tasting 6-10pm Sponsored by Hennessy 8:30pm swinging richards T-Shirt Review $10 ten atlanta Texas Hold’em Poker 7pm heretic 3 Legged Cowboy Night 9pm ten atlanta Music & Videos by DJ Rob hideaway

Service Industry Night TRIPP’S Monday Nite Madness w/ Tana 9pm Reum 10pm jungle Crazy Bitch Bingo 8pm tripp’s Afternoon Cookout 3pm lips atlanta Dinner with the Divas xcess ultra lounge 25+ FREE til 12am model t Party Time with Michael - 9 pm BLAKE’S POP! Karaoke w/ Sasie Monroe oscar’s Twisted Thursday with Eric 11pm | Back to back episodes of Will & swinging richards 2-4-1 VIP & Entry Grace 9pm upstairs ten atlanta Thursday Night Live! All 10th & piedmont Bellini Brunch 11 AM BURKHART’S Trivia Tuesday Karaoke w/ Request w/ DJ Daryl Cox 10pm & T-Dance 4 PM Angelica D’Paige 11:30pm xcess ultra lounge Turnt Up Thursday blake’s Open at 1pm - High Energy Muclub rush “Tipsy Tuesday” 18 & up sic & Video w/ Bill Berdeaux & Daryl Cox Open until 4am BURKHART’S Armorettes Drag Show COCKPIT 80s Party 9pm, specials 5-8pm club rush Hip Hop and R&B - 18 & up 10th & piedmont Live DJ 10 PM EAGLE Tuesdays w/ Tony Open until 4am blake’s 5-9pm TGIF, Charlie’s Angels FELIX’S Smirnoff Martini Night cockpit PBR Beer Bust FRIENDS Let’s Make A Deal with Ken 6 pm Drag Show w/ Charlie Harding 11pm felix’s Bloody Marys & Mimosas BURKHART’S Fab Five w/ Angelica Gilbert’s Industry Night (complementary friends Open @ 2pm; Dinner @ 4pm D’Paige 11:30pm pizza after 10pm) while it lasts HERETIC 2-Step Tuesday, dance till 11pm club rush “Got Leche” Free entry until Gilbert’s All you care to eat brunch 11pm 18 & up Open until 4am HIDEAWAY Trivia with Wil 9 pm (cooked to order) 11-4pm and Karaoke cockpit DJ Diablo Rojo, guest VJ/DJ’s JUNGLE We Are Family 9pm 6-11:30pm eagle DJ Dance Party MODEL T Wii Tuesday Afternoons 2pm hideaway Atlanta’s Favorite Bloody Mary friends Happy Time Friday Kelly & Ken 6 pm 9pm $2.50 beer / $3.0 well vodka Bar! 12:30 pm OSCAR’S Show Tune Tuesday with Chad- heretic FUR Friday Jungle Harness @bckspce atl behind hideaway Kick Back Fridays!

8 pm Jungle (No shirt, No cover) 6pm jungle Dinner and a Movie 7 pm; The SWINGING RICHARDS 1/2 Price cover lips atlanta Other Show with Edie Cheezburger 9:30pm las margaritas All You Can Eat til 3pm lips atlanta Glitz & Glamour Las Vegas model t Sunday Dinner with Ron 3:30 pm Style oscar’s Sunday Fun-day BLAKE’S 5-9pm Doug’s party pop hits, model t Friday Bagels - 10 am | Texas ten atlanta Brunch 11am & Music by Charlie Harding’s Hard Body Party 11 pm Holdem Poker 8 pm DJ Rob Reum 4pm BURKHART’S Humpday Karaoke w/ oscar’s Music Video Night tripp’s Buffet of Goodness - 3 pm | Darlene Majewski 11:30pm swinging richards T-Shirt Review,$10 Karaoke - 7 pm COCKPIT Balls Deep Karaoke 10pm ten atlanta Music & Videos by DJ EAGLE Underwear Night with Tony Shane V / DJ Daryl Cox 10pm Friends Hump Night with Regina Simms tripp’s Afternoon Delights 4pm Gilbert’s Karaoke 10pm-2am heretic Pig Dance Black Out Party DJ Stan Jackson 10pm-3am NO COVER 10th & piedmont Live DJ 10 PM hideaway 1/2 Price Beer blake’s Open at 1pm, Daring Divas 11pm lips atlanta Bitchy Bingo BURKHART’S Extravaganza w/ Shavonna model t Party with Elvis - 9 pm B. Brooks 11:30pm

THURSDAY

TUESDAY

SUNDAY

FRIDAY

WEDNESDAY

SATURDAY

62 // davidatlanta.com

theRundown Salon LGBTQ: The Inclusive Social Media Conference

Thursday, Oct. 17 - Saturday, Oct. 19 • 6 p. m. • Renaissance Atlanta midtown (2450 Galleria Pkwy SE) Salon Q is a celebration of the power of LGBTQ publishers. Bloggers + Producers + PR Pros + Designers + Advocates + Entrepreneurs + Trendsetters + Activists + Storytellers + Connectors + Entertainers + Digital Artists + Brand Marketers + Business Builders. For more information, visit salonlgbtq.com

Friday Jazz at the High Museum

Friday, Oct. 18 • 5 p. m. • High Museum of Art (1280 Peachtree Street NE)

Datebook

The 23rd Atlanta AIDS Walk Sunday, Oct. 20 • 11 a.m. • Piedmont Park Join the journey to fight AIDS end at the 23rd annual AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run. The event starts with a performance by American Idol alum RJ Helton. For more information, visit aidswalkatlanta.com

This month featuring Kevin Bales and Friends.

For more information, visit high.org

Living Room Live

Friday, Oct. 18 • 7:30 p. m. • W Atlanta Buckhead (3377 Peachtree Rd., NE)

Living Room Live welcomes Birmingham indie rock band, The Great Book of John. For more information, visit thegreatbookofjohn.com

Chris Mann with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Friday, Oct. 18 • 8 p.m. • Atlanta Symphony Hall at Woodruff Arts Center (1280 Peachtree St) The Voice all-star vocalist Chris Mann brings his voice to the Atlanta Symphony. For more information, visit atlantasymphony.org

Kenya Jackson

Saturday, Oct. 19 • 7-9 p. m. • Charis (1189 Euclid Ave NE)

Kenya Jackson Presents: Navigating the Quarterlife Crisis with Wisdom and Skill: Part Four. For more information, visit charisbooksandmore.com

The 23rd Atlanta AIDS Walk Sunday, Oct. 20 • 11 a.m. • Piedmont Park

Join the journey to fight AIDS end at the 23rd annual AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run. For more information, visit aidswalkatlanta.com

This Week in Theatres The Fifth Estate: Benedict Cumberbatch stars as WikiLeaks head Julian Assange in this dramatic thriller based on Assange and WikiLeaks’ rise in power.

Carrie: The classic Stephen King story gets a remake with Chloë Grace Moretz as the titular character, plus Julianne Moore as her deeply religious mother.

12 Years a Slave: Based on a true story, this tale of Solomon Northup, a free man in New York abducted and sold into slavery in New Orleans in the 1800s is an early frontrunner for Best Picture.

A.C.O.D.: This comedy, shot in Atlanta, stars Adam Scott as a man who discovers his childhood therapist was actually doing research on the effects of divorce on children.

Escape Plan: Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger team up for a film outside of the Expendables franchise.

Mystic India

The Summit: In August 2008, 22 climbers converged on K2 in the Himalayas. Forty-eight hours later, 11 had been killed or otherwise vanished. The film is a mix of firsthand footage, post-incident interviews and reenactments.

The extravagant Indian dance and music spectacular has taken the world by storm and is coming to Atlanta. For more information, visit cobbenergycentre.com

Wadjda: This is both the first film entirely shot in Saudi Arabia and the first feature film from a female Saudi filmmaker. It tells the story of a young girl determined to raise enough money to buy a bike, in a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s virtue.

Sunday, Oct. 20 • 7 p.m. • Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre (2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway)

64 // davidatlanta.com

@DavidAtlantaGA // 65

66 // davidatlanta.com

Comics

68 // davidatlanta.com

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70 // davidatlanta.com

fairyscopes ARIES (March 20 – April 19): You’ll brag to others

LIBRA (September 23 – October 22): You’ll get

today about all the action you’ve been getting lately. You’ll go into gory detail and leave nothing to the imagination. But they’ll look at you in skepticism, and wonder why your nose keeps getting longer and longer.

good responses to ideas you pitch to your boss today. So hit the social scene tonight filled with the confidence of having such a positive day. But don’t expect to get a similar reaction from the guys you hit on tonight, and be prepared to have more than one drink thrown in your face.

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20): You may find yourself

SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21): Beware

attracted to a sexy new neighbor today. That tingling sensation in your loins may be telling you that a romance could be in the offing. But asking him out could be risky, especially if you’re not sure which team he plays for.

of persuasive people today. They may strike when your will is weak and talk you into performing some unsavory acts.

Unless, of course, you’re into role-playing where he’s the naughty king and you’re the naked serf. Then you’re on your own.

GEMINI (May 21- June 20): Preaching about people’s fashion choices today won’t get you anywhere. They’ll be loath to take your advice and you won’t understand why.

But one glance in the mirror will tell you everything. So lose the pocket protector and suspenders before pointing out the fashion flaws of those around you.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 20): Expect the unexpected today. It could come in both positive and negative forms. You could win the lottery, get fired from your job or meet the man of your dreams. The latter will sound promising until you realize that he doesn’t speak your language and he’s wearing adult diapers.

CANCER (June 21- July 22): Your energy flow will

CAPRICORN (December 21 – January 19): Like the

be reduced to a dribble today. A lack of sleep could be the culprit. So do your best to get through the day and stay off the Internet when you get home tonight. Staying in the gay chat rooms until the sun comes up could be the indicator of a deeper problem.

twin giants Jupiter and Saturn, most of the men you’ll meet today will be bloated and gassy. There won’t be anything wrong with that; they’re just not your type. But hang in there.

There’s sure to be a Venus or Mars willing to orbit your sun, although at this point you’ll settle for Uranus.

LEO (July 23 – August 22): You seem to have

AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18): A glimpse of heaven today may lure you into a descent into hell. Looks can be deceiving; an angel may be the devil in disguise. So keep your eyes wide open today. There won’t be a ladder in the world tall enough to lead you out of the abyss you’ll so willingly fall into.

boundless energy today. Or do you? Pass on that fourth cup of coffee -- it may loosen your tongue enough to tell your coworkers all the sexy details about your latest conquest.

That’ll be too much information for some of them, but others will want to hear even more ... and that’s just plain creepy.

VIRGO (August 23 – September 22): You may have to dive headfirst into the abyss today if you want to find romance. Risks can be a good thing, but you’ll never know unless you try. So give your phone number to the cute guy at the coffee shop. And try not to look surprised when he asks what took you so long.

72 // davidatlanta.com

PISCES (February 19 – March 19): Luck will be on your side when you find yourself sitting on the bus next to the hottie you’ve been pining for. But luck can only go so far, and it’ll be up to you to take the next step. Will you say hello or sit there tongue-tied and stammering? Better decide soon because the next stop is his.

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B

abies, let me begin by saying that the PRIDE floats have docked and it’s back to life and drama as usual. I opened my mailbox today and it looks like that scandalous hot mess from last week’s column wasn’t the only one spreading his ass during the parade! But I’ll save those stories for another kiki because this week, your Favorite Bitch is doing the dirty laundry - literally. You know I had to wash this load twice and dry these bitches’ bullshit on high heat, hunty!

Dear Miss Tiger, My boyfriend Armando has a cute face and I want his body to match it. He won’t lay off the fast food! How can I get him to control his eating habits because his ass is getting too big for his jeans?

-Greg Dear Jenny Greg,

Dear Miss Tiger, I can’t afford expensive clothes. How do I look good on a budget?

-Gina

Look here, bitch. I love me some big fat ass - so stop hating on Armando. A lil’ junk in the trunk is a good thing ... as long as he can still close the goddamn trunk!

P.S. You sound like a skinny white bitch who needs to eat, so do us all a favor and choke on Armando’s chorizo and shut the fuck up!

Dear At Least You’re Writing For Advice And Not Out Boostin’ Couture All Over Atlanta, Dear Miss Tiger, Look, boo - A sprinkle of good smelling powder, a squeaky clean I look after this little tranny. I’ve taught her everything about tranny pussy and freshly shaven legs go a long way. life including how to do her makeup and pass for a real girl. I even paid for the silicon that’s in her cheeks and hips. I’m upset that she Once you’ve managed to accomplish that, you’ll have no probdisrespects me by wearing my gowns without asking. I’ve had lem with finding a motha fuckah who can afford to buy your enough. Please give me some advice! ass those expensive clothes! NEXT! -Toya Dear Miss Tiger, Dear Don’t Touch The Bob Mackies, Me and my boyfriend were washing clothes at the laundromat.

His wet underwear turned me on so much, that I decided to take Instead of teaching her how to pick up straight men who get the him behind a vending machine and give him head. We weren’t shock of their lives once she pulls the panties down ... ya shouldda aware that there was an attendant there. Now the guy looks at been teaching that bitch how to fill out a goddamn job application. If me funny when I do laundry. Any advice? she had a job, she wouldn’t be soiling your gowns, now would she?

-Justin Dear Maybe He’s Lookin’ At You Like That ‘Cause He Wants Some Head Too,

Furthermore, I’m sure ya’ll have shared the same anal douche bottle and tranny chasers, but when it comes to those gowns, you wanna go and cut a bitch!

Need advice? Write me and get the goddamn answers you’ve Gurl, what the fuck do you expect? There he was, minding his been looking for! own motha fuckin’ business, drinking a Dr. Pepper and counting quarters ... and then you went and gave him a show in which he Miss Tiger didn’t have to deposit any of those goddamn quarters.

Advice columnist • SiriusXM radio personality ... and everyone’s #FAVORITEBITCH Find yourself a new laundromat, or a new man that has a Website FavoriteBitch.com Twitter @MissTiger Advice ask@ washer & dryer or sashay to the nearest Rent-A-Center! misstiger.com 74 // davidatlanta.com

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If you cannot get hard enough to fuck a good bottom like me, you better use your tongue!

To the bitch who thinks that having numerous partners makes you a whore - that makes you a SLUT. I know.

I’ve been both!

If you’re 5’9”, don’t be a top. Just makes your life difficult unless you’re getting at midgets.

Y’all make cracks about country guys and the way we talk. BUT what’s up with all y’all tryin’ to talk and dress like us. Be proud be you. Not a wannabe!

If we can`t get married, you can`t get divorced.

76 // davidatlanta.com

If you’re gonna hit on guys at the bar, you might wanna shower once in a while.

I felt like the cat in a Pepe le Pew cartoon.

To the guy labeling guys as whores: whores charge for sex. Guys who sleep around are sluts. Embrace your inner slut and get it right!

I don’t judge people for doing porn, but don’t be mad when I show everyone what 17 cum shots look like on your face.

Dear “Embrace Your Label”: fuck you and your slut-shaming tone. I’m a whore that owns it. I just use common sense and a fucking condom, and I DON’T label others’ sexual practices for them. Sincerely, Whore.

Tired of all you fake guys trying to be bears...if ya open your mouth and a purse falls out ...ya might not be a bear! Second, if ya have to wear the latest trends or start buying colored leather gear...ya sure the hell ain’t no bear! *This page reflects the bitchiness of the community not David Atlanta or its publisher (although we’re bitchy too!)

Hot ’n horny hookups.

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