2019
LIFE IS A
CABARET
Arizona Theatre Company takes you on a trip to 1930's Berlin
LGBTQ NEWS, VIEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT | Vol. 31, #4 | Issue 724 | January 2020 | COMPLIMENTARY
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INSIDE THIS
ISSUE
The company of ATC’s Cabaret. Photo courtesy of Arizona Theatre Company.
Issue 724 | Vol. 31, #4 | January 2020
NEWS 8 Editor’s Note 12 News Briefs 14 Datebook
COMMUNITY 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56
Without Reservations Bands At the Box Office Opening Nights Recordings Between the Covers Talking Bodies Not That You Asked Destinations
Out & About 16 17 18 24 28 30 35 62 64
one•n•ten Fundraiser Sparkle, Glitter, GLSEN Men of Charlie’s Contest Red Dress Ball Anthology at Cash Ain’t Nobody’s Biz Reunion Festival of Trees Condoms and Karambas Wax A Bear
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Cabaret Arizona Theatre Company is kicking off the new year with this classic musical set in 1930’s Germany. Director Sara Bruner talks about the show with Timothy Rawles.
ON THE COVER Sean Patrick Doyle as the Emcee in ATC’s Cabaret. Photo courtesy of Arizona Theatre Company.
2019 2019’s Leaders of the Year: This time, the award goes to Equality Arizona
2019
LIFE IS A
CABARET
Arizona Theatre Company takes you on a trip to 1930's Berlin
LGBTQ NEWS, VIEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT | Vol. 31, #4 | Issue 724 | January 2020 | COMPLIMENTARY
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Voter education is crucial and Equality Arizona knows just how vital it is to the LGBTQ community. They are making it a priority through programs and information sessions. Under the direction of Michael Soto, this organization is building a strong and resilient LGBTQ social movement and culture — that’s why they are Echo’s recipient of the 2019 Leaders of the Year award.
Elena Thurston.
Meet Elena Thurston
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Through interviews like this and public speaking engagements that include her powerful TED Talk in Colorado Springs, Thurston discusses the challenges she faced as her sexuality clashed with her church’s beliefs. She shares her traumatic experience with conversion therapy and how she ultimately found happiness.
An assortment of faces by Fred Tieken. Photo by Jeff Kronenfeld.
Fred Tieken Artist Fred Tieken is a prolific painter these days, but his rich history involves career as a draftsman, as well as a rock-and-roll musician in self-named acts like Freddie Tieken & The Rockers. Jeff Kronenfeld takes a dive into Tieken’s life and work
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WEB EXCLUSIVE Stealing sacred ground again: the crisis at Oak Flat Jeff Kronenfeld investigates what former San Carlos Apache Tribe Chair Wendsler Nosie Sr. is doing to prevent the Resolution Copper Company from taking public land in order to construct a mine with potentially devastating environmental consequences. Visit echomag.com/oak-flat-wendsler-nosie. ECHOMAG.COM
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EDITOR’S NOTE By Amy Young
H
appy new year! We hope you had a good time kicking 2019 to the curb and are now thinking about how to own 2020. We’d love to hear about your resolutions. 2019 was significant on many levels. The current state of political affairs has consumed us; each day brought new stories of challenges to equal rights for the LGBTQ community at-large. There were also great victories, like the repeal of the No Promo Homo law. It’s a time when we can’t be too informed and that is one of the many reasons we selected Equality Arizona as the recipient of our annual Leaders of the Year award. They are dedicated to building and strengthening the social and political power of Arizona’s LGBTQ community through campaigns and programs. Our team met with their executive director Michael Soto earlier this year and were thrilled to hear about what they have put in motion. Soto explicated how important it was to get their goals into action so that barriers that keep people from voting and participating in causes important to them could be transcended. On page 32, you can learn more about what they are doing and find out how you can help. The musical Cabaret — and let’s not forget the ‘70s movie version — has been entertaining audiences for decades. Arizona Theatre Company has assembled a cast and crew who are ready to knock it out of the park. Timothy Rawles talks to director Sara Bruner on page 22. The non-profit TED has been presenting
talks (Yes, TED Talks) since the 1980’s and they’ve gained a massive following. They are excellent ways to learn about people like Elena Thurston (page 26) and hear their compelling, informative stories. A member of the LDS church, Thurston was conflicted about her own lesbianism and struggled with how it clashed with the tenets of her religion. She entered into conversion therapy and has a very important story to tell about it all. Tom Reardon spoke with her in detail. Thurston will also be an upcoming guest on Echo Radio, the magazine’s new weekly radio show. You can read more about that on page 12. Fred Tieken (page 36) started out as a rock and roller many moons ago in Illinois. Today, he is a fine artist and gallery owner who started painting after a serious illness. He and his wife Gail are immersed in the local arts community, as well as charitable activities. Jeff Kronenfeld spent time at their home and gallery in Paradise Valley. Kronenfeld also gives the scoop on Jason Asher and Rich Furnari’s new restaurant Century Grand, that features three bars, one of which — Platform 18 — is situated in a mock train car. He dives into signature cocktails and menu items on page 40. Once again, welcome to 2020. The team at Echo wishes you all the best for a safe, productive, and happy new year. Amy Young is the managing editor of Echo Magazine. A longtime journalist, her work has appeared in numerous publications, regional to international. Please contact her at editor@ echomag.com.
LGBTQ NEWS, VIEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHER: Bill Orovan ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Bill Gemmill EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR: Amy Young CONTRIBUTORS: Kimberly Blaker Grace Bolyard Edward Castro Jenna Duncan Buddy Early Michelle Talsma Everson Melissa Fossum Mark C. Horn Tamara Juarez Justin Keane Jason Kron Jeff Kronenfeld
Laura Latzko Logan Lowrey-Rasmussen Tuesday Mahrle Judy McGuire Ashley Naftule David-Elijah Nahmod Tia Norris Timothy Rawles Tom Reardon Mikey Rox Terri Schlichenmeyer Colby Tortorici
INTERNS Grace Lieberman Brianna Moore ART DEPARTMENT PHOTOGRAPHY: nightfuse.com. ADVERTISING DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING: Ashlee James ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Gregg Edelman NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE: Rivendell Media, 212-242-6863 ECHO READERSHIP: 50,000 SUBSCRIPTIONS: $29/year ACE PUBLISHING, INC. MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 16630 Phoenix, AZ 85011-6630 PHONE: 602-266-0550 EMAIL: manager@echomag.com Copyright © 2016 • ISSN #1045-2346
MEMBER:
Echo Magazine is published by ACE Publishing, Inc. Echo is a registered trademark of ACE Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Written permission must be obtained in advance for partial or complete reproduction of any advertising material contained therein. Opinions expressed therein are not necessarily those of the publisher or staff. ACE Publishing, Inc. does not assume responsibility for claims by its advertisers or advice columnists. Publication of a name, photograph of an individual or organization in articles, advertisements or listings is not to be construed as an indication of the sexual orientation, unless such orientation is specifically stated. Manuscripts or other materials submitted remain the property of ACE Publishing, Inc. 8
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NEWS BRIEFS
Echo Radio: The weekly radio show features lively conversations with in-studio guests
I
Local musician Syeed Poole joins host Bri Moore in the studio for an episode of EchoRadio.
n December, Echo magazine debuted its new weekly show, Echo Radio, in partnership with Radio Phoenix, a local non-profit organization that hosts diverse music and talk programming around the clock, to best serve their mission as the destination “Where the Valley comes to talk, sing, and connect.” The goal of the show is to use this medium to have in-depth conversations with people from the local LGBTQ community, to introduce, enlighten, and inform. Currently, Brianna Moore, Echo’s intern who helped develop the Echo Radio show — is hosting the show but in upcoming months, it will feature a rotation of guest hosts. Moore will rejoin in the spring of 2020. Listen Sundays from 11 to 11:30 a.m. at radiophoenix.org.
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NEWS
DATEBOOK January 6 December 31
Say goodbye to 2019 at The Future is Here. This New Year’s Eve party includes eyewear giveaways, pop-up drag performances, fortune tellers, and a midnight toast. Admission is free and two different VIP experiences are $20 and $85. The start time is 9 p.m. at Stacy’s @ Melrose, 4343 N. Seventh Ave., in Phoenix. stacysatmelrose.com
Feel like a movie? How about Ruth & Connie: Every Room in the House? Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC) hosts this screening about a couple who won a lawsuit instituting domestic partner benefits for all New York City employees. It’s free and starts at noon. Call 480662-1417 for address and directions.
December 25
Celebrate the holiday with food at the Bunkhouse Christmas Buffet. Gather at this fun hotspot for an afternoon meal. This free feast happens from 2 to 5 p.m. at Pat O’s Bunkhouse Saloon, 4428 N. Seventh Ave., in Phoenix. bunkhousesaloonphx.com
January 2-4
The three-day Mr. and Ms. Phoenix Leather 2020 is a contest preliminary to the upcoming I.S.L. and I.M.S.L. events. In addition to the competition, this annual get-together features a cigar social, food events, entertainment, and vendors. Ticket prices vary; visit the site for complete details and schedule. Embassy Suites, 2333 E. Thomas Road, in Phoenix. mrphoenixleather.com
January 5 December 30-31
If dancing is your way to end the year, Decadence AZ is two days of EDM to keep you on your toes. Acts include Skrillex, Diplo, Dillon Francis, and Follow the Fish. Tickets range from $169 to $729. You’ll be partying at Rawhide, 5700 W. North Loop Road, in Chandler. rawhide.com 14
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Holiday shopping is over so now you can get back to buying things just for yourself. A trip to the Melrose Vintage Market can help you spend that money. More than 50 local vendors feature vintage items, art, and food. The KidZone occupies the little ones with old-fashioned toys like jump ropes and hula hoops. Admission is free at 700 W. Campbell Ave., in Phoenix. melrosevintagemarket.com
January 11
The One Community Block Party for Equality is a chance for the diverse LGBTQ and allied community from around the state to gather and promote inclusion and equality. One Community has partnered with Downtown Phoenix, Inc., and The Van Buren for this event that includes interactive storytelling and panels, as well as live entertainment. In partnership with the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild and the Arizona Restaurant Association means tastings will also ensue. Tickets are $10 to $15. The party happens from noon to 6 p.m. at 345 W. Van Buren St., in Phoenix. onecommunity.co
Mark Our Calendars
To have your event considered for Echo’s print and online calendars, submit your event details to echomag.com/community-calendar *All submissions are subject to Echo’s discretion.
one•n•ten Fundraiser
Nov. 16 at Hair Pollution, Phoenix. Photos by Logan Lowrey-Rasmussen.
For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. 16
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OUT & ABOUT
Sparkle, Glitter, GLSEN
Nov. 21 at Children’s Museum of Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.
For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. OUT & ABOUT
ECHOMAG.COM
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Men of Charlie’s Contest Dec. 6 at Charlie’s, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.
For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. 18
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OUT & ABOUT
.uoy rof ereh s'taht cinilc ehT
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Saturday, January 11th.
Noon - 6pm | 4th Avenue & Van Buren | Downtown PHX
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Sip, nibble, interact and engage with the best of Arizona's LGBTQ inclusive businesses and organizations at the ONE Community Block Party for Equality! Entertainment includes the Arizona Theatre Company performing highlights from the 2019- 2020 season. Songs of lives drawn outside the lines, bending boundaries, defying gender and in the spotlight. Arizona Broadway Theatre & the Herberger Theatre Center will lead a panel on the importance of inclusion in the arts and in our state. You won’t want to miss the cast of La Cage aux Folles performing “We Are What We Are”.
Early Bird Tickets $10 at www.ONECommunity.co Participating Breweries, Wineries and Distilleries
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THA W O N AR C O T TE , PIN
O I ZO D ON & A
B R E WE
T
The Company of ATC’s Cabaret.
“I think it’s timeless and timely,” she says. “And I keep referring to it as ‘unfortunately so’ because unfortunately, it’s not a story we’re done telling, unfortunately, it’s a story we all need to share. Unfortunately, it stays relevant.” If you aren’t familiar with Cabaret, it’s the tale of American author Cliff Bradshaw and his relationship with cabaret star Sally Bowles. They meet at the Kit Kat Club in Berlin where Sally entertains and eventually, they fall in love. The Nazi party is gaining footing in Germany, but Sally appears comfortably blind to the politics even though Cliff warns her of encroaching doom. This may not seem like musicals you’re used to and that’s because it isn’t. This is a story with many facets and depending on how sensitive you are to allegory its message might get lost in all the rousing songs. “There are all kinds of different people who are coming in to see shows,” says Bruner. “Some people do really just want to come and be entertained and too often audiences come in and they see what they want to and get out of it what they want to.” She says her job is to get the audience to think about what they’re seeing, and hopefully, there’s a breakthrough somewhere and the heart of the piece will resonate in a special kind of way. “I think that Cabaret is beautifully built and that it’s absolutely entertaining, but it’s not only for entertainment. Kander and Ebb are masters and they created a show with a lot of glitz and glamour and the wow factor that a musical can inhabit, but then really delivered a gut-punch, starting at the end of the first act and all throughout the second act. My hope is that we can take every single person on that journey.” Whereas Bruner must tell the story by directing her actors, the choreographer must speak through dance. Jaclyn Miller has that responsibility for this production.
The Arizona Theatre Company produces a Cabaret for today By Timothy Rawles
M
ost people might remember Cabaret as a 1972 movie musical starring Liza Minnelli. Or maybe they remember the 2014 Broadway revival directed by Sam Mendes, who originally directed the 1993 version with Alan Cummings, as the Emcee.
But what you may not know is that all of those versions are actually adaptations of the 22
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1966 Kander and Ebb original. And what’s more, each major production thereafter is slightly different from what they originally created. The Arizona Theatre Company is giving Cabaret new life through January 26, 2020, and according to director Sara Bruner, her interpretation is as relevant as ever.
One of the things Cabaret does so well is embody its namesake. Jaclyn has the task of uplifting the audience by way of her own dance interpretations. That includes some of the gritty, hedonistic and seedy natures of the club. “That world was decadent, and people were indulging in everything,” she explains. “We want that to be there but we really try to restore a lot of the entertainment value of it. These people were people who loved to entertain. These cabarets. All these things were based on satire. So, each of these numbers, we’ve tried to look at what’s the satire? What were they commenting on; socially, politically? We’ve tried to find, you know, what’s our in, what’s our point of view to each and every number so it’s all for something, it’s not for nothing.” She adds: “It’s been really fun and challenging to figure out what our version is of this show.” FEATURE STORY
The Company of ATC’s Cabaret in rehearsals.
If anything, Cabaret has always been provocative and is pretty famous for pushing boundaries. Bruner, a self-proclaimed Shakespeare nerd, says her version is still racy, but that’s because it’s ingrained in the story. “I guess by nature this show is more provocative, but my approaches to the Shakespeare plays have been more provocative in their own right. So, it’s a little bit hard to compare,” she says. “The show is just a little bit racier by nature but I’m always examining gender. I’m always trying to figure out really authentic ways of approaching these pieces from where I stand today.” As a queer person Bruner has a distinctive point of view, “I mean it’s being filtered through me and I get hired to have a vision and a point of view and that’s inherent in all of my pieces. Being shocking for shocking sake is cheap and boring.” Miller agrees. She says there is no visual reference for the 1966 version but the ’72 film must have been shocking to some at the time. “You know we live in a very, very different age now so the idea of shocking people, that’s not something that really occurs to me. The intention is not to just be provocative
or shocking for the sake of the show being racy but what are we actually trying to convey, what are we trying to get across? What are we trying to hit the audience with intentionality not just because. So, I don’t think that I even think about shows in the nature of being provocative.” Audiences are going in expecting something. The older ones probably remember the controversial Fosse movie adaptation while the younger ones probably don’t know what to expect. Either way, hopefully, everyone will get a message, especially where we are in history. “I think this is a play that exists on the precipice,” says Bruner. “The play takes place in probably 1930, Hitler didn’t come into power until 1933 and what I’m interested in is the precipice because I think that’s our parallel.” For Miller, the play means giving the audience a feeling of immersion inside a place where everyone was welcome. “I feel like these cabarets were the pinnacle of acceptance at this time; come as you are, be who you want to be, present how you want, and sleep with whoever you want to sleep with. There was just a level of acceptance and getting to feel included and a part of that party and that celebration of life and authenticity and as the oppression of the outside world starts to settle in then suddenly the sort of hard conformity, the strict line, the rigidity of movement that suddenly is inhabiting the walls of the club that wasn’t before.” Mendes famously ended his 1998 show with a glowing white wall that symbolized a concentration camp and the fate of many of Cabaret’s characters.
Director Sara Bruner in rehearsals for Cabaret. FEATURE STORY
As for how this play will end, the women
will only hint at it, but for both of them, it’s personal on many levels. “I think being a Jewish person it’s impossible to not have an emotional shift at the end of this show no matter how it’s told because the truth of it is inevitable,” says Miller. “It’s a part of my history so in any iteration it is impossible to not feel the impact of what happened.” As for Bruner, the ending is really her signature. “’Life is a cabaret.’ My brain and my heart have always been drawn to that one simple sentence which is not so simple at all. This whole story, this whole endeavor is about art and life. And the whole structure of the play is this is art and this is life. We go from real life then we go into the club and its performative. Certainly, as someone who has grown up as an artist, I am so fascinated by life and art and how the two interact. “I learn something from the play every day when we’re working on it. It’s revealing something to me constantly.” Cabaret runs at the Temple of Music & Art from November 30 through December 29, 2019, and then the Herberger Theater Center from January 4 to January 26, 2020. Timothy Rawles is an award-winning journalist and California native who moved to Arizona with his husband and two children in 2019. He attended San Francisco State University many years ago and somehow managed to pass math and continue pursuing his journalism degree. His story is not as interesting as the people he writes about, but Timothy has discovered that everyone has one, and good or bad, they all share the same thing; heart. ECHOMAG.COM
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Red Dress Ball
Nov. 16 at The Parsons Center, Phoenix. Photos by Gregg Edelman.
For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. 24
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OUT & ABOUT
Wilkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome!
Arizona Theatre Company invites you to LGBTQ Night at Cabaret! A reimagined production bending concepts of gender and sexuality! Leave your troubles outside, in here life is beautiful! January 17, 2020 Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Show at 7:30 p.m. LGBTQ Night at Cabaret includes: Special $20 off single ticket discount. Use promo code ECHOATC at checkout. Pre-show reception - no host bar Post-show reception - meet and greet with members of the cast and complimentary dessert buffet
Arizonatheatre.org
Elena Thurston’s Ted Talk in Colorado Springs
Surviving conversion therapy: Elena Thurston thrives in its wake By Tom Reardon
I
magine paying someone a significant amount of money each week to tell you that your feelings are all wrong. That the core of who you are is — you guessed it — wrong. You. Are. Wrong.
They tell you that they can fix you if you just believe it enough. If you just pray enough you have a chance to be right, but in your core, you now believe you are wrong and the feelings you often feel are also wrong. The only correct thing you have done is go to them for their guidance and as long as the checks keep cashing, you will find your heteronormative redemption. In October, Mesa resident Elena Joy Thurston did a Ted Talk in Colorado Springs, Colorado where she discussed coming face-to-face with her own homosexuality and her subsequent experience with conversion therapy while she was (and to some extent still is) a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (aka Mormons). Mormons can’t be gay. For years, Thurston, an Arizona native and mother of four, thought the same thing. 26
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Denial is powerful and, at times, an allconsuming act of self-preservation. Survival, at least for the forty-year-old newly reborn (in the best possible way) photographer is more than a pastime. It is a way of life. While attending Mingus Union High School in Cottonwood, Thurston met the Mandaville sisters, Jessie and Joey, who gave her a glimpse of something she felt she had been missing in her own family which had been impacted by the divorce of Thurston’s parents among other things. “My family was crazy. My mom has borderline personality disorder and my dad was a recovering alcoholic and he’s very functional now but was not very functional then. It was a very chaotic childhood and so when there was this church that was like, ‘There’s a mom, there’s a dad, this is how you play your roles and this is how you can be functional members of a family,’ I was like, ‘sign me up,’” says Thurston. While attending Arizona State University after high school, Thurston’s roommate had a friend named Chad who was just returning from a mission to Japan.
“He was good friends with my roommate. They knew each other from high school. Her boyfriend was on a mission and she was bound and determined that I would marry someone from the group, the high school group. So, she started introducing me as they came home from their missions,” says Thurston. While it wasn’t love at first sight for Thurston, Chad was a good match and they married when she was 20 and began building a family. For 18 years they were the picture of Mormon marital bliss on the outside, but on the inside, at least for Thurston, it was definitely not some kind of wonderful. Thurston does an amazing job of telling this part of the story during the previously mentioned Ted Talk (which can be found at her website, elenajoyexperience.com), and long story short, at 38, she realizes that she’s into women. For some, this might be hard to believe, but it is definitely Thurston’s reality. “In high school you can really frame it around like, ‘yeah, when I make out with a girl, the guys are really interested.’ So, you can really convince yourself that like you’re FEATURE STORY
Elena Thurston
doing it to turn on the guys. Right? And I was always down for that,” says Thurston before continuing: “In the Mormon church, it’s broken down for you. Don’t make out for a long period of time. Don’t touch anything. You need to be chaste. You need to be pure. And that was something I really struggled with.”
this attraction anymore.’ Two months went by, four months went by and I paid $270 a day. I was able to process a lot of things from my childhood,” shares Thurston, but that wasn’t point for her. The point was to get back to what she felt was the right path. The path to check boxes, get to heaven, and not rock the boat.
Thurston became great at repressing her more human desires to be more Christ-like, which is something that the Mormon Church expects of its flock. As a member of the high school theater community, she had many gay friends, but because of the family atmosphere and feeling she was getting from spending time with the Mandavilles and the church, she was able to suppress her true identity so well that she didn’t even realize it existed.
During our discussion, Thurston repeatedly uses the word “fixed” as in she was going to be “fixed” or “I am going to be fixed,” which is heartbreaking. The smart, wonderful, brave woman sitting across from me at Kream Coffee on Central Avenue is about the farthest thing from a person that needs to be “fixed,” at least from the naked eye, but there were revelations for Thurston during her treatment.
“So, I’m on that path. I’m going to church every Sunday. I ended up going through the temple, which is kind of a big deal. You usually don’t do that until right before you get married or right before you go on a mission. But my roommate and I were spiritually prepared. We went through the temple and there’s just no question. I was fulfilling a role. I was being the Mormon girl,” says Thurston.
[If you are curious why it can’t be called therapy, it’s because it legally wasn’t. Her “coach” was no longer a licensed therapist due to some fairly shoddy excuses, one of which was because, as Thurston says, “He said it was too much paperwork and too expensive.”]
As she talks about this time in her life, it paints a clear picture of how her story unfolded. The church gave Thurston boxes she could check off to know she was being a good person, which was all she ever really wanted. She even says at one point, “I just wanted to be a better parent than my parents were for me.” The church gave her the means to prove she was on the right path by scripting out what was needed to get into heaven. It’s really no wonder that Thurston ended up in the office of a “coach” who was going to help her get rid of her homosexual feelings after her relationship with Kile progressed to a physical place near the end of her marriage to Chad. For Thurston, having an affair with Kile was probably the scariest, yet most freeing thing she has ever done. Though she has deep feelings for the Mormon religion, she can’t help but disagree with many of its teachings. The church had given her structure but was also taking away her soul. In a last-ditch effort to save her marriage and the seemingly very full life she had created for herself, she opted to go to conversion therapy, although it was not called that, and while the Mormon church does not offer the therapy, they were the ones who told Thurston where to go when she came forward to her Bishop and asked for help. “The thought is that you suffer from same sex attraction because something traumatizing happened to you in your childhood. So, me as a therapist, I’m going to help you heal that trauma. And when that’s healed, you won’t be attracted to women anymore. He said, ‘Come to me four days a week, two hours a day. We should have it healed in a month or two and you won’t have FEATURE STORY
During her sessions with the “coach,” Thurston remembered being “gang-raped” as a teenager which was another thing she had kept repressed in the deepest corners of her mind for a long, long time. “At two months, the therapist found that in high school I was gang-raped. He was like, ‘That’s it. We just have to heal this. I hadn’t talked about this experience since I was 15 years old. I had never let it bother me, but he was convinced that was it. Two months later, he told me, ‘You’re more broken than I thought,’” says Thurston. At the time this was taking place, the #MeToo movement was picking up some steam in the media and Thurston read a statistic that illuminated for her that there was no correlation between sexual assault and being a gay woman. This was incredibly freeing for her, yet she still had to decide what to do with her future: stay in a “hellish” relationship and pretend to be someone she was not or change everything. During the conversion therapy, the “coach” told Thurston that the absolute worst thing she could do was come out to her children. He told Thurston it would destroy them and to her, that was the last thing she wanted to ever do. She was between a rock and hard place and the stress took its toll. Thurston considered killing herself for an entire weekend and ended up being medicated. During this time, she also decided that she and Chad had to get divorced, but being on anxiety medication gave Chad the upper hand when it came to any pending custody battles, so Thurston did everything she could to take care of her mental and emotional health. Mindfulness became a way of life for her, which is another thing she discusses quite eloquently in her Ted Talk. Today, Thurston is happily living with Kile
and sharing custody of her kids. She receives her fair share of hate mail and will eventually be excommunicated from the Mormon Church. She gets multiple messages each day from women in the LDS community who are also struggling with coming out, so she is slowly and thoughtfully finding the best ways to serve a new spiritual community. After all, as someone who has gone through conversion therapy, she is a survivor of one of the worst things, statistically, that someone can go through. Thurston’s kids love Kile, which probably irks the “coach” to no end, and Thurston is like a kid in the proverbial candy shop with all of the new things she can now experience as she walks her new path. “I got to have a conversation with my kids. Like, yes, there’s a bottle of wine on the counter for the first time ever in your life. I’m going to decide if I like it or not. If I do, I’m going to drink it and if I don’t, I’m not,” says Thurston. The choice is now yours, Elena Joy. Have fun finding out. Tom Reardon loves to write about people who are doing something to contribute to our community in a positive way. He also loves his family and family of friends, his pets, music, skateboarding, movies, good (and bad) TV, and working with children to build a better world. Tom’s favorite movie is Jaws, his favorite food is lasagna, and he loves to play music with his friends. He’s a busy guy, but never too busy to listen to what you have to say so tell him a story. ECHOMAG.COM
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Anthology
Nov. 24 at Cash Nightclub, Phoenix. Photos by Logan Lowrey-Rasmussen.
For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos.
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Ain’t Nobody’s Biz Reunion Nov. 16 at Stacy’s @ Melrose, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.
For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. 30
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2019
A
s we say goodbye to 2019, the team at Echo reflects on these past 12 months, taking time to remember all of the incredible people who work tirelessly to enhance the world we live in, building bridges to a bright future for generations to come. It is with great privilege that we announce the team at Equality Arizona as the group we recognize with this honor for 2019. Earlier this year, we featured Equality Arizona’s executive director Michael Soto in an article. He shared his vision for the organization. Through direct plans of action, Soto is building on the EQAZ mission through multiple effective action plans dedicated to building a strong social movement in the LGBTQ community. Before you read more about Equality Arizona, let’s take a look at the previous honorees who paved the way!
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Meet Echo’s leaders (formerly men and women) of the years past: 1994: Bill MacDonald & Dianne Post
2007: Tom Simplot & Regina Gazelle
1995: Barb Jones & Mark Colledge
2008: Gary Guerin & Annie Loyd
1996: Beth Verity & Ken Cheuvront
2009: Micheal Weakley & Tambra Williams
1997: Linda Hoffman & Neil Giuliano
2010: Meg Sneed & Jimmy Gruender
1998: Kim Charrier & Steve May
2011: Caleb Laieski & Kado Stewart
1999: Amy Ettinger & Steve May
2012: Greg Stanton & Nicole Stanton
2000: Richard Stevens & Marti McElroy
2013: Julian Melson & Trudie Jackson
2001: Kathie Gummere & Doug Klinge
2014: Kit Kloeckl & Angela Hughey
2002: Don Hamill & Jeannie Metzler
2015: Katy June & Stacy Louis
2003: Kirk Baxter & Madeline Adelman 2004: Brad Wishon & Cathy Busha 2005: David Fiss & Kyrsten Sinema 2006: Bill Lewis & Brandi Sokolosky
2016: Sen. Katie Hobbs and Nate Rhoton 2017: Bob Parsons and Renee Parsons 2018: Eion Cashman, Jason Jones, and JayyVon Monroe
FEATURE STORY
Lobby Day 2019.
By Michelle Talsma Everson. Photos courtesy of Equality Arizona.
What Soto does day in and day out is lead Equality Arizona, Echo’s 2019 Leader of the Year. Yes, an organization was chosen for this honor because, as an organization, Equality Arizona is moving the local and statewide LGBTQ community into the future, one initiative at a time.
“Equality Arizona has been around since 1992 and has always worked for policy and political inclusion of the LGBTQ community,” Soto says. Soto was first involved in Equality Arizona, and activism in general, as a student at Arizona State University in the early 2000’s. He was on the EQAZ board for three years
before taking the helm as executive director a year and a half ago. He explains that, this year, EQAZ has many initiatives in place that are worth paying attention to and getting involved with. “The 2020 election, both national and local, is our top priority this year,” Soto shares. “It’s vital that the LGBTQ community Toasting the repeal of the No Promo Homo law.
“I
love our LGBTQ community, and we should have access to everything that everyone else does,” says Michael Soto, the executive director of Equality Arizona (EQAZ). “We [the LGBTQ community] deserve the same promise of life, liberty and freedom. It’s an honor and privilege to do what I do every day.”
Soto explains that EQAZ actually includes two nonprofit branches. The first, Equality Arizona, has a mission to “build a strong and resilient LGBTQ social movement and culture in Arizona by increasing access to safety, wellbeing, and inclusion in society,” according to the organization. The second branch, Equality Arizona Action, aims to “build the political power of the Arizona LGBTQ community for our full inclusion in the social, economic, and civil mechanisms of our society.” Both of these missions merge to fulfill their vision of “An Arizona where LGBTQ people are included in and lead the social, economic, and civic systems of our state, counties, cities, and communities.” FEATURE STORY
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Soto prepping for Lobby Day 2019.
Teamwork equals results.
Ready for signups on Voter Registration Day.
school districts. The organization is currently working on a model with Tucson school districts that provides policies and resources for educators and parents. “LGBTQ students need to see themselves in sex education or they’re at a severe disadvantage when they are making those types of decisions,” Soto explains.
civil society for LGBTQ people of every gender, race, socio-economic class, ability, and legal status, is a barrier to justice and equality. Equality Arizona is here for that fight. Arizona schools are still not safe for LGBTQ students – we beat one harmful law, but now it’s time to work with the department of education and school boards to implement positive and affirming policy and to support them in building inclusive cultures for LGBTQ equality.”
Soto and crew.
is part of the process. Our goal is to show the community how powerful and influential we are if we all get out and vote.” EQAZ is working tirelessly to interview candidates across party lines in both local and national elections to vote on who to endorse. Their criteria includes how supportive the candidates are of LGBTQ causes and initiatives, and new this year, is that EQAZ members (and not just the board) will vote on the candidates that the organization will officially endorse. In addition to endorsing LGBTQ-friendly candidates, another top priority for EQAZ is voter registration. “We’re working on getting our voter registration into high gear,” Soto says. “We also ask that voters pledge to vote for LGBTQ supportive candidates.” Those interested in becoming EQAZ members can easily sign up on the organization’s website at equalityarizona.org/ membership. “Members are obviously mostly members of the LGBTQ community but they are also friends, family, and allies,” Soto says. “Members can be anyone that wants to help build a safer and healthier community for LGBTQ Arizonans.” Some other initiatives that EQAZ has on their full plate, according to Soto, include: Passing comprehensive nondiscrimination policies on a local level, including working with the Arizona legislature. Banning gay conversion therapy on a local and national level. Passing inclusive sex education in local 34
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The organization is doing a lot of storytelling work exploring what it “means to be an LGBTQ Arizonan.” The interviews and stories touch on all facets of LGBTQ experiences—workplaces, schools, therapy, police brutality, and more. Multiple health care initiatives. For example, the organization is working with first responders and those who work in emergency rooms on how to serve LGBTQ community members better in emergency situations. Working with the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS on legal document workshops for transgender individuals who are transitioning. And many more! In 2019, EQAZ had success on many levels, including being a part of the movement to get the “no promo homo” law repealed that banned AIDS and HIV education, citing that it “promoted a homosexual lifestyle.” Soto and EQAZ note that the law had a negative impact on Arizona students for decades. “Every student deserves medically accurate and age appropriate sex education. Every student deserves a safe and inclusive educational experience and we won’t stop until that is unequivocally true,” Soto wrote in a blog post. “Every law, that creates an unequal
So how does Equality Arizona make all of this happen with a small staff and nonprofit budget? They depend on their members and supporters, Soto explains. The organization hosts regular social events and monthly meetings across the state. Events are sometimes political or organizational in nature (for example, membership meetings), but at other times, they’re mainly for connecting likeminded community (like queer poetry potlucks). “Our goal is to build up LGBTQ leadership and provide them support, but it’s always encouraged to be local decisions and topics. After all, they’re the community we are honored to serve,” Soto shares. To keep updated on Equality Arizona’s events and news, follow them on Facebook at facebook. com/EqualityAZ or visit equalityarizona.org. Michelle Talsma Everson is a freelance writer, editor and PR pro. A graduate of NAU, she’s been writing for Valley publications for more than a decade. You can find out more at mteverson.com. FEATURE STORY
11th Annual Festival of Trees Dec. 7 at Arizona Opera, Phoenix. Photos by Gregg Edelman.
For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. OUT & ABOUT
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Artist Fred Tieken in Tieken Gallery.
He who laughs, lasts: Fred Tieken on art, music, and community Story and photos by Jeff Kronenfeld
An exterior shot of Tieken Gallery in Paradise Valley.
W
hen Fred Tieken faced end-stage renal disease, a kind of advanced kidney failure, he started painting. That might not be the usual reaction to such a dire prognosis, but Tieken never cared much for conventions. Whether as a musician, record producer and graphic designer in the past, or now as a painter, gallery owner and philanthropist, Tieken continues coloring outside the lines. Through it all has been his wife, Gail Tieken, who is also a partner, manager and literal lifesaver. In 2011, she gave him one of her kidneys. His first painting — which hangs in their Paradise Valley gallery but is not for sale — commemorates their twin surgeries and love story.
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Nearly a decade on, Tieken has produced over 250 paintings exhibited in over 60 oneman shows and juried exhibitions. Galleries from Germany to Miami to LA have shown his works, as well as venues across the Valley such as the Icehouse and monOrchid. He still draws inspiration from real-life events — as he did in that first painting — using humor to cope with challenges personal and public. The painting “My Fluffy Cat Exploded!” is a recent example. In it, a flaming black cat leaps diagonally across a multi-colored background. The incorporation of text is another hallmark of his playful style. In addition to the work’s title, a sub-feline addendum reads: “but I’m happy ‘cause he’s OK!” Tieken, a big supporter of animal welfare, said this was to assure viewers that no cats were harmed in the work’s creation. A band of young ladies performing at the 2019 Girls Rock Camp Showcase at The Pressroom in June were the painting’s muses. The Tiekens sponsored the main stage for that event, which was the culmination of the nonprofit Girls Rock! Phoenix’s most recent weeklong summer camp. Tieken plans to offer the painting for sale, with the proceeds benefitting the volunteer-run organization. “I think the concept of that
whole Girls Rock is very unique in a way that it exposes children to music, and they have so much fun,” Tieken said. “When I heard that song, it just inspired me to put her words on canvas.”
A painting by Fred Tieken inspired by a Girls Rock! Phoenix performance. Photo courtesy of Fred Tieken. FEATURE STORY
hemp-horned cattle skull stands beside a table topped with spindly robots. The droids are sculptures by Sabine Meyer Zu Reckendorf, who studied design in Muenster, Germany and worked as a special effects engineer in Hollywood. She participated in a recent joint exhibition with Tieken at his Paradise Valley gallery. That show ran from April 28 through May 19. Reckendorf recycles industrial and consumer items into playful mechanical sculptures. Tieken shared 16 works from his Brainstorm Series, which he made while recuperating from a stroke.
Fred Tieken’s first painting.
Other causes the Tiekens support through a private foundation include the Arizona Humane Society, the Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA, and Rescue Train, an LA-based animal rescue organization. More than just donors, the couple adopted an abused Chihuahua mix from the latter group. When they first got Chia, the dog had no hair and couldn’t walk. Today, Chia is hirsute and healthy as he barks beneath a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting hanging in the couple’s home. Nearby are a work by Pablo Picasso and one by Keith Haring. Art is everywhere in Tieken’s home, studio and in the separate
building behind that holds Tieken Gallery. Opened in late 2015, the gallery is between shows for the next few months. It currently serves as overflow art storage, a frequent necessity for the ever collecting and creating couple. Tieken often integrates elements of collage into his paintings. He sometimes attaches photographs of items he finds at rummage sales to canvases, or even affixes the ephemera itself. Inside the gallery, huge paintings hang above smaller ones — carefully propped against the wall below — which have returned from a recent exhibition. A rust-colored sawhorse crowned with a
Temporarily unable to paint, Tieken photographed patterns such as the many generations of paint splatter on his easel. He used a computer program to rework the images into digital collages. For another project not yet completed, he has printed off scores of faces culled from previous works. His paintings are episodic, sometimes possessing a comic book-like aesthetic including panels and text bubbles. This new piece will tie together the many characters dreamed up to populate his artistic universe. The most prominent of these is Uno, a cute but somewhat dystopian bird. Uno has appeared in many of Tieken’s paintings, on stickers, as a human-sized statue in the gallery and may one day even have his own book. “He’s a GMO [genetically-modified organism] bird. He has one leg, no wings, but he can skateboard,” Tieken explained. “Now, he’s got a girlfriend. They’re thinking of having kids, or birds.” However many adventures may lay before Uno, they’re unlikely to match the numerous exploits of his creator. Long before he picked up a brush, he played saxophone as a professional musician and worked as a draftsman. First as The Freddie Tieken Combo and then as Freddie Tieken & The Rockers, he toured throughout the Midwest with musicians like Pat Boone and The Big Bopper. Then Tieken made music that marched to a different beat, as now he makes art that reflects his enduring sense of childlike wonderment. At 84, Tieken is ready for whatever life throws at him because his flank is always supported — inside and out — by Gail, his wife and manager for nearly half a century. “We were always different. I mean, I don’t paint like everybody else. Our music wasn’t like everybody else, but we always seem to bring in people that liked it,” Tieken said. “So, a lot of hard work and a lot of luck. You can be pretty out there and accepted, if you work hard at it.”
Gail and Fred Tieken in front of one of Fred’s paintings in his home studio. FEATURE STORY
Jeff Kronenfeld is an independent journalist based out of Phoenix, Arizona. His writing has been featured in Java Magazine, the Arts Beacon, PHXSUX, and the Phoenix Jewish News, where he received the Simon Rockower Award for excellence in news reporting from the American Jewish Press Association. Links to his previously published work are available at www.jeffkronenfeld.com. ECHOMAG.COM
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WITHOUT RESERVATIONS
(L-R) Rich Furnari and Jason Asher, the duo behind UnderTow. By Jeff Kronenfeld.
A shot of the Platform 18 train car’s exterior. Courtesy of Barter and Shake Creative Hospitality.
A Calming Gentleman. Photo credit Jeff Kronenfeld.
From a railway carriage: A look inside Century Grand, the newest concept from Barter and Shake By Jeff Kronenfeld
S
nowclad pines race by outside despite the fact this train is going nowhere. As I adjust to the illusion of motion created by the over a dozen coordinated flat screens embedded in the walls to look like windows, there’s a moment of mild vertigo. Just then, a server in burgundy slacks and suspenders delivers two flutes of champagne. She says our destination is 90 minutes away with a coy smile. Modeled on a 1920s-vintage Presidential Pullman train car, Platform 18 is one of the threesome of bars within Century Grand. Jason Asher and Rich Furnari, the duo behind UnderTow, again create a unique and immersive experience, this one set amid the splendor of the Roaring Twenties. Their company, Barter and Shake Creative Hospitality, has outdone itself. Whether dining on dim sum or sipping a cocktail, Century Grand is about the journey, not the destination. In September, Century Grand opened its doors in a building on east Indian School Road. Asher and Furnari radically reimagined the rectangular space once
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home to a pizza place and before that a sports bar. First, they developed the narrative. This creative vision guided the design of the three concepts and remodel. They partnered with Mat Snapp to develop and write the story, as they did at UnderTow, located below Sip next-door. Snapp is the Director of Beverage for Fox Restaurant Concepts. He is also a writer and has authored drink menus for a slew of popular venues. Together they developed three distinct but complementary concepts. When entering the building, you check in as a guest at a station to the left of the front door. If you have a reservation for Platform 18, the mock train car mentioned earlier, you’re directed to a waiting area to the left. As you sit, in front is the locomotive’s riveted sheet metal façade. Dan Duey built this, as well as the brass and wood interior. In front of the train are two rail carts topped with vintage steamer trunks, old-timey lanterns and other gear straight out of a Jack London novel. Behind looms another veneer, this one a Colonial brownstone, complete with stacks
of worn wooden barrels. This is Grey Hen Whiskey Saloon, the second bar within a bar. The barrels aren’t all for show either; they are part of a three-score and growing collection of single barrel spirits from across the country. Grey Hen does double duty, also serving as a retail spirits shop. If one of the whiskeys, natural wines or other libations catches your fancy, taking home a bottle is easy. After a few minutes a server — or is it steward — waved us aboard. Travelers get 90 minutes on the train. The oblong faux engine has limited seating. Platform 18 serves no food save for alcoholic ice cream. I started off with a Gas the Trucks, a drink built on a Basil Hayden’s bourbon base. It comes with a dense crown of mint and even a tiny tuft of cotton candy held to the glass by an even more tiny clothespin. This pink amber concoction went down very easy. The sweet fruit notes balanced well with the bitters, lime juice and other ingredients, including tree bark. My teetotaling friend ordered the first selection from the Temperance section, DINING OUT
Spring rolls from Century Grand. Photo credit Jeff Kronenfeld.
Steak tartare from Century Grand. Photo credit Jeff Kronenfeld
the Evergreen. Filled with ingredients that sound straight out of an apothecary’s cabinet of curiosities, he said it was refreshing but not too sweet. As with everything, the presentation was on point down to the smallest detail. For my fourth drink of the ride — I had both glasses of champagne — I went with the Calming Gentleman. It was more sophisticated than the first, bracing yet savory. Lastly, I swallowed a Winchester Rifle: coconut milk ice cream infused with bourbon, chocolate, basil and something called Hericques & Herciques 10-year Sercial Madeira.
We ordered the steak tartare. Levine puts a unique spin on this raw meat classic, particularly the abalone shell-sized sesame cracker that serves as its base. The cracker was crisp and airy, complementing the dense and juicy beef, shitake mushrooms, cured yolk and other ingredients.
Interspersed throughout the menu is a story, like at UnderTow. Instead of a Tiki pirate adventure, this tale centered around a mysterious steel magnate and bootlegger, Hollis Cottley Pennington. Though fictional, he is somewhat inspired by an actual person: the infamous attorney/ moonshiner George Remus. If the UnderTow’s story is Treasure Island meets Jimmy Buffet, then Platform 18’s is The Orient Express meets The Shining, minus the murder. The restaurant proper — Century Grand — is as opulent as the name suggests. The marble bar top and tables gleam beneath chandeliers. Perhaps if Amtrak took a cue from Barter and Shake, Phoenix wouldn’t be the largest city in the country without passenger rail service. The menu is compact but augmented by a delightful variety of dishes almost constantly circulating on dim sum carts. Helming the kitchen is Sacha Levine, formerly of the East Valley gem Singh Meadows and Ocotillo. Despite the menu’s compactness, our party of two just scratched its surface.
Corn ribs. Photo credit Jeff Kronenfeld. DINING OUT
Otherwise, we snacked on whatever looked good from the passing dim sum carts. This made for a fun and adventurous dining experience, if a bit of a logistical nightmare for an increasingly inebriated food writer. Of these dishes, the standout was the corn ribs. Having never had the pleasure of this vegan barbeque dish before, its savory flavor and juiciness were a delightful discovery. The texture was like tender shrimp but in a good way. Whether carnivore, herbivore, pescatarian or any other diet, if you can ever try corn ribs, I recommend them. With this dish, maize is ready for its close up. We also noshed on spring rolls and peanut sauce, which were tasty if tiny. Other dishes came and went, all inspired versions of gourmet stalwarts.
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Train stations provide the names for Century Grand’s cocktails. Its narrative is educational if not quite as compelling as Pennington’s story. It describes the history of railroads from their earliest days to the transcontinental lines and into prohibition. By mixing this info with clever, well-crafted drinks, the story blends into the menu without causing distraction. I drank my way through East Coast cities and Midwest hubs, entertained by the friendly staff who were quick to offer suggestions. This is a perfect spot for entertaining out of town guests or for a romantic night. Barter and Shake once again succeed in creating an immersive experience that’s on a track all its own. Jeff Kronenfeld is an independent journalist based out of Phoenix, Arizona. His writing has been featured in Java Magazine, the Arts Beacon, PHXSUX, and the Phoenix Jewish News, where he received the Simon Rockower Award for excellence in news reporting from the American Jewish Press Association. Links to his previously published work are available at www.jeffkronenfeld.com. ECHOMAG.COM
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BANDS
Jason Walker won’t miss a beat in 2020 By Timothy Rawles, photos by Karl Giant
F
or the past 15 years Jason Walker has been belting out dance anthems for the masses. His soaring voice and up-tempo beats are a perfect fit for a gay club’s twirling laser light choreography and maelstrom of fog. People just want something to dance to that makes them feel good, and he always delivers. Just take a listen to his cover of Taylor Dayne’s “Tell it to My Heart.”
A native of Pittsburgh, Walker first came onto the scene with his albums This Is My Life and Flexible, with the help of iconic record producer and DJ, Junior Vasquez. Together they produced five Billboard Dance charttoppers. Then Walker met another legendary producer, Tony Moran, through Vasquez and another hit-making music team was born. In 2017, this new partnership released their first collaboration with “So Happy,” a rousing upbeat club smash that continues to charm hearts. Their follow-up was “Say Yes.” In 2018 “I’m in Love With You” became a club hit, and then in September 2019 they released “Perfect Bitch” which lands at #43 on Billboard’s 2019 Year-End Dance Chart. 42
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Walker took some time away from his busy schedule to talk to me about music, the importance of social media and the one decision he’s having trouble with about his next release. Over the phone, Walker’s voice is distinctive, and his personality is so energetic it must have added an extra bar to my T-Mobile signal. We say our salutations and I immediately tell him how much I love “So Happy” and its video. “It’s one of my favorite records that I’ve done,” he says. “The video is one of my proudest moments. Karl Giant is a genius.” I express what I love about “So Happy” and that it harkens back to the club anthems so popular in the ‘90s. These songs were not only over-played on the dancefloor but made their way up the pop charts thanks to heavy rotation on the radio. Walker says everything is relative and there isn’t a formula for anything. “It makes no sense,” he says. “It really doesn’t. What’s hot today may not be in an hour.” We discuss the popularity of hip-hop and its current reign on Billboard. “I’m a hiphop fan. I don’t like all rap music just because
it’s something that I don’t like, but there’s a lot that I do. I don’t know, it all comes back around. It really does. And I know friends of mine who are singers, we just keep it movin’.” Lizzo is one of his favorites mainly because she exudes confidence. “And I mean honestly, I give it up for Lizzo, honey, she’s doing her thing and she’s a big girl and she don’t give a fuck. And I think honestly that’s the attitude you have to have. You just don’t have to give a fuck. So, my hat goes off to her and what she does, so kudos, kudos.” In this technological age where everything is app-based, Billboard may not be the place that makes or breaks an artist anymore. Services such as Apple Music and Spotify have served artists well and they keep their own tally of popular music. Walker says he doesn’t think Billboard is any less relevant. He knows people who say the publication’s dance chart doesn’t mean anything anymore and they swear by Spotify, but, “trust me, when you’re on it, it does. Until you’re on it, it does and if you’ve never been on it and you’re saying that then the problem lies with you.” ENTERTAINMENT
He explains how Billboard gives independent artists a platform to showcase themselves, It did a lot for him when he first started making records with Vasquez. “And listen, Madonna reigns,” he adds. ”No one has more number one records on that chart than her. It’s a calling card. Major label artists who maybe didn’t get a hit on the pop charts, this was a number one dance record. It means something. And it means just as much to somebody who isn’t Katy Perry — it means the same as it does to Katy Perry. So yes, it matters.” One thing that Spotify can do is pinpoint exactly where his fanbase lies, who is listening to his songs. Most of his listeners are from the United States, but he gets a lot of hits from Brazil, Mexico, and Australia. Those fans won’t have to wait long for a new album, he’s been working on it for two years. It’s going to drop in 2020 and it’s a doozy. Not only will it contain “So Happy,” “Say Yes,” “I’m in Love With you,” and “Perfect Bitch” it’s loaded with unreleased stuff.
album so I’m not sure. But everything is done. I can say that. Everything is finished.” Not that I know anything about the record business, but I suggest that if he releases it as three separate records they could be like chapters of his life, or if he goes with just one it might read like a giant timeline. “Well that’s the thing,” he says then pauses before continuing. “I like and respect both of those schools of thought. I’m just not exactly sure which one I want to do yet. But you know what? It’s nice to have options. But there are a couple of songs on there that I want to get to some larger labels. Even if they were to say you know, we’ll just do a singles deal. Because I do feel like they’re of such good quality. There’s a handful that are, I think, some of the best stuff I’ve ever done. And I want to try and give it the best home that I can.”
But there’s a problem; he doesn’t know if he’s going to release it as three EPs over time or one big album. He’s getting advice from a living legend and one of his biggest inspirations.
We then talk a little bit about social media and it seems to be a bane of his. As a promotional tool, he calls it a “blessing and a curse” and that it has changed the way people do things. He likes the ability to reach countless numbers of people but at the same time, he says you have to stop living because you’re always in front of a computer or phone creating posts.
“Ultra Naté told me you should do three EPs because you’re going to get more ‘legs,’ and she’s right,” he says. “But there’s something about being able to do a whole
“I really don’t like that, I’ll be honest with you I really don’t like that. People tell me all the time you gotta have a better social media presence. And yes, I do and I try to do the
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best that I can, but there’s just sometimes where I don’t fucking don’t want to do this. I mean I just want to have a beer and I wanna chill for a minute.” His might not chill for long. The first single off this next album is going to be released next year. It’s called “Now or Never.” He’s already shot the video, working again with Karl. “I haven’t seen the finished product for it yet but it was a really fun shoot and that’ll be next year.” As for 2020, even though he has an album ready to go, Walker is not slowing down. He lives with his husband and their Great Dane in Brooklyn and when I ask if he has kids, he’s quick to answer, “Oh, hell no!” I ask him if he has any New Year’s resolutions. Or if he even believes in them. “No,” he laughs. ”I’m going to do what I always do — I’m going to try and matter.” Timothy Rawles is an award-winning journalist and California native who moved to Arizona with his husband and two children in 2019. He attended San Francisco State University many years ago and somehow managed to pass math and continue pursuing his journalism degree. His story is not as interesting as the people he writes about, but Timothy has discovered that everyone has one, and good or bad, they all share the same thing; heart.
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AT THE BOX OFFICE
Four films in theaters this month By Tuesday Mahrle
1917 In Theaters 12/25/19 | Rated R | 118 Minutes | Drama, War
Andrew Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Richard Maddox star in this epic World War I drama. Two soldiers are tasked to cross enemy lines in order to deliver an important message which would save the lives of 1,600 men from an ambush attack. Filmed in panoramic view, the director enables the viewer to be in the trenches with hundreds of soldiers without fading to black.
Like a Boss In Theaters 1/10/20 | Rated R | 83 Minutes | Comedy
Two best friends (Rose Byrne and Tiffany Haddish) own a cosmetic company. One enjoys a meager living while the other wants all the finer things in life. When they discover that they are hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, they are offered a loan from a wealthy competitor (Salma Hayek). Hilarity ensues as these two women take on the financier after she tries to steal their products and ideas. Jennifer Coolidge and Billy Porter round out this rambunctious cast.
Underwater In Theaters 1/10/20 |Rated PG-13 | Action, Drama, Horror, Thriller, Mystery
A team of researchers find themselves in a submerged laboratory 5000 miles offshore and seven miles under the sea. While drilling into the Earth´s crust, they are hit with a massive earthquake which threatens their lab. With water caving in, they must evacuate without knowing what dangers lie in the depths of this undiscovered ocean floor. Kristen Stewart, T.J. Miller, Vincent Cassel, and Mamoudou Athie star in this aquatic thriller.
The Rhythm Section In Theaters 1/31/20 | Rated R 109 Minutes | Action, Drama, Thriller
Three years ago, Stephanie Patrick´s (Blake Lively) life was perfect. Then, one fateful day, when her whole family was killed in a plane crash, she lost everything she lived for. After research of her own, she finds out that the crash was not an accident. Set out on a self-destruct mission with nothing left to lose, she seeks revenge from the ones who bombed her family´s plane. Will she succeed or will the secrets stay buried? This thriller sets the rhythm with its heart-pounding action. Tuesday Mahrle is a film critic and host of “Whiskey and Popcorn,” a Phoenixbased movie podcast. 44
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Director Tina Landau in rehearsal by Jeremy Daniel.
OPENING NIGHTS
Seas the day: Creating the world of SpongeBob SquarePants for Broadway By Timothy Rawles
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pongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical might not be the first production you would think about standing in line to see. At first, it doesn’t appear to be as intellectually stimulating as Hamilton or as disciplined as Dear Evan Hanson, but think again, it has two powerful Broadway icons behind it and a boatload of Tony nominations.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical follows the titular character as he tries to save his hometown of Bikini Bottom from impending doom after a foreshock from an active volcano erupts and endangers the underwater town. Some see the temblor as an opportunity to swindle the inhabitants while our absorbent hero tries to be the voice of reason but struggles with self-doubt.
Playwright Tina Landau co-conceived the musical stage adaptation of SpongeBob and went on to direct it. But how does such a symbol of Broadway prominence plunge into a project based on a Nickelodeon children’s cartoon. At first, she didn’t.
The show was a critical hit when it debuted on Broadway in December 2017. Nominated for 12 Tony Awards in 2018, SpongeBob tied as the show with the most nominations that year. David Zinn won for Best Scenic Design of a Musical.
“It took me a moment to get on board with it,” Landau laughs. “It actually came to me about 12 years ago now when my agent called and said Nickelodeon was interested in thinking about a SpongeBob musical and did I want to go in and pitch ideas from it? They were starting with directors, not writers. And I said, ‘No. I have no interest.’”
The show is currently touring the country and will land at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix on January 31, 2020 for a limited run. Echo Magazine talked with Tina Landau and David Zinn about what inspired them to get involved with the show and what changed their perceptions about making a musical about, of all things, a sponge.
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As previously noted, Landau was not excited about getting involved at first. She had visions of razzmatazz and circus-like acts filled with giant stuffed animals. To her disdain, she pictured prosthetic costume pieces, character puppet heads, and in her words, “some kind of dumbed-down arena show or something.” “And that’s what I assumed it was going to be until my agent said, well wait a moment. Steve Hillenburg, the original creator, is not a fan of Broadway musicals and has only agreed to this if Nickelodeon could somehow find a way to create it in an ‘indie spirit.’ The same indie spirit with which he created the original.” Enter David Zinn, who has worked on set and costume designs for Broadway’s Fun Home and Dolls House, Part 2 to name a few. He says Landau reached out and asked if he would be on board with the project. “She had called me about a couple of other projects in the past, we didn’t know ENTERTAINMENT
each other, we knew of each other. I knew her work obviously,” Zinn explains. “She called me in the spring of 2012 and said ‘Hey, were doing this workshop on this thing — don’t laugh — it’s the SpongeBob SquarePants Musical.”
meant they had to create something from nothing.
Not exactly a fan of the cartoon, but a casual viewer, Zinn caught it a few times serendipitously on television. From what he saw, there was definitely something he could work with.
Of course, set and costume designs fell on Zinn who struggled a bit at first.
“I recognized it as sort of operating on both levels; adult and funny and also for kids. I think the most successful cartoons are the ones that have been able to operate on both of those levels.” It was this observation that also caught Landau’s interest. The jokes in the cartoon were ambiguous enough to get her wondering. “I thought what does that mean? What do they mean?” she laughs. “So, I started looking into the show and watching it. I had only seen a couple of episodes. And I came to understand very quickly that the show is very idiosyncratic and subversive and surprising and surreal and included so many elements that felt to be so fun and theatrical and fresh. I really had a conversion.”
“He’s a sponge, and he can bend, and he can do things that cartoons do which is break the laws of physics and move in a particular way,” Zinn says recalling his creative process. “I sat in the room with Tina and figured out how to do those things.” Landau worked on the book with Kyle Jarrow and together they created something they hope appeals to everyone. They were even able to make it relevant which wasn’t their intention. “We didn’t set out to make something that is topical and timely,” Landau says, “it just so happens that the piece has become ever more so and I would say it is very much about how community can turn on itself and divide.” She recites a lyric from one of the opening songs with what sounds like pride in her voice: “The town that we hold dear, for all are welcome.” Landau explains that the world of Bikini Bottom is a diverse one and that’s thanks to its creator Steve Hillenburg, “he found a way to express that in the kookiness and variety of his characters.” Which brings us back to Zinn, who is
“I spend a lot of time trying to disappear myself, and so it was fun and interesting to do SpongeBob, which is kind of the opposite of that.” Landau puts it best and probably speaks for both of them when she says, “I hope we took the lead from the (cartoon) show and hopefully achieved the same thing which is, yes, it’s accessible and funny and charming for kids, but there are references and messages and themes that are interesting and relevant to adults as well.” SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical is at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix from January 31, to February 2, 2020. Timothy Rawles is an award-winning journalist and California native who moved to Arizona with his husband and two children in 2019. He attended San Francisco State University many years ago and somehow managed to pass math and continue pursuing his journalism degree. His story is not as interesting as the people he writes about, but Timothy has discovered that everyone has one, and good or bad, they all share the same thing; heart.
Tina Landau by Jeremy Daniel.
Zinn was on board, too. Now all they had to do is come up with a concept. They were appreciative that Nickelodeon wanted to stay away from big foam costumes. But that still
“They didn’t want to do what people expected,” Landau says. “So, I was grateful for that and began working on it and grew ever more in love with it as we went.”
proud of the community of Bikini Bottom he created for the stage. SpongeBob is his biggest scale production in a way that he didn’t quite realize until he walked into it with an audience and realized he was all over the room.
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RECORDINGS
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ome of you, dear readers, will remember the magical days of the record clubs where you could get 10 records or CDs for $1 and then you promised to buy another 10 records over two or three years, which you never did. I did this a few times, which I’m not proud of, grabbing a few classic records I needed in my collection and then taking a chance on a few things that might be good. This month’s records remind me of this time in my musical life a little bit.
By Tom Reardon
The Who — Who Full disclosure: I often tell people my favorite band is The Who. As I listen to their new album, Who, I go back and forth between asking myself the question, “Why do you tell people they are your favorite band?” and telling myself, “This record is not the reason you love The Who.” It’s not that it is terrible, but there are many Who songs that can instantly make me feel something. On Who, these moments of being right there with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend and experiencing the musical empathy their voices and, in the case of Townshend, his guitar work were often so quick to create in the past are just not there. Who is deeply personal lyrically, but the songs don’t grab you musically the way Who fans may have come to expect from this band that is coming close to being a primal force in rock and roll for the last 50 years. Perhaps it is the lack of anthemic guitar hero songs or the biting anger at life in general that Townshend so eloquently portrays in previous offerings, but Who just doesn’t do it for me in a way that promises many more spins in the future for this particular record. Favorite songs on this one: “I’ll Be Back” and “Got Nothing To Prove,” but these are definitely more of the 10 for a buck variety songs than something you’d happily pay full price for if you wanted to fulfill your contract.
No Volcano — Rubber Dagger Local boys done good. Phoenix’s own No Volcano returns with their fourth full-length 48
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and it is a bit of an ass kicker. Fans of good, well-played, well-sung, and big ol’ poppy indie rock hooks will dig Rubber Dagger. Singer Jim Andreas is one of the all-time best lyricists in Phoenix, hands down, and Andreas really shines on his band’s new record. Joined by Lonna Kelley (Cherie Cherie) on “Golden,” No Volcano really sets the tone for the whole of Rubber Dagger as the band blazes through five killer tracks in a row to start things off. “Logged In” follows “Golden” and the song features some nifty guitar work from new guitarist William Goethe in a truly wonderful debut. “Mover” features some Donovan-style bass lines that James Karnes plays with a psychedelic tinge (should that be tingle?) and your brain may melt a little if you leave this one on your tongue for too long. The second half of Rubber Dagger is no slouch, either, with “Morning National” being the standout track with some layered guitar skronk and Andreas leaning into the feeling of things not being “quite right.” This might have been that one record you took a flyer on because of the cool, Beatles-esque record cover back in the day to go along with your Cheap Trick Live At Budokan or Syd Barrett’s The Madcap Laughs selections.
Beck — Hyperspace Hyperspace, which is the enigmatic Beck’s latest album, is only a must for fans of his more electronic work. The songs are pretty forgettable. Kinda like The Who record above, it’s not terrible, but it’s full of songs that you probably won’t connect with right
away and they definitely won’t push any of Beck’s ‘90s or ‘00s work off of your personal 10-best list if you’re a longtime fan. This is the kind of record that if it would have been Beck’s first record, no one would have cared if he was or wasn’t a disciple of L. Ron Hubbard (supposedly Beck is no longer part of the Church of Scientology). Anyway, there are moments here, of course. On the third track, “Saw Lightning,” Beck channels a bit of his early groovy-ness with a little slide guitar mixed in with some electronic sounds that seem to be sampled from a 1970’s pong game, but the best song on the record is “Star.” Short, sweet, and fun. Perfect Beck goodness on “Star.” If you dig on the melancholy Beck, there is some of that here, too. “Die Waiting” sounds like the Pet Shop Boys covering something from Beck’s awesome Sea Change record. Free advice: skip this one unless you are contractually obligated to purchase it through your Columbia House Records club agreement. Tom Reardon loves to write about people who are doing something to contribute to our community in a positive way. He also loves his family and family of friends, his pets, music, skateboarding, movies, good (and bad) TV, and working with children to build a better world. Tom’s favorite movie is Jaws, his favorite food is lasagna, and he loves to play music with his friends. He’s a busy guy, but never too busy to listen to what you have to say so tell him a story. ENTERTAINMENT
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BETWEEN THE COVERS
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Y
ou saw that coming.
It was easy to anticipate because the signs were there. It was plain as day, couldn’t have been easier to see if it was flashing neon. You knew what was going to happen next – or, you would’ve, if you were paying attention. Take, for instance, author Robyn Crawford. In her new book A Song for You, she tells of spotting a star. When Coach Clark called, you responded.
That’s why Robyn Crawford rose early that morning in 1980: her basketball coach needed help registering counselors for summer programs. Crawford was 19 and thinking about college, but 17-year-old Whitney Houston was one of the people waiting to register and Crawford was smitten. In the following days, as the two got to know one another, they became “inseparable.” Crawford liked “having fun with a new friend” but, she says, “something more was growing between us.” Before the summer was over, they were lovers. It was “a typical teenage relationship, with the exception of cocaine,” although they never named their love. Houston introduced Crawford to her world of music; Crawford attended church with Houston and Houston caught Crawford’s basketball games. Sometimes, they had to sneak around to be together and they talked on the phone every night when Crawford was at college. Soon after, Houston’s modeling career rose and she was on her way to being a star in the music industry.
A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston by Robyn Crawford c.2019, Dutton $28.00 / $37.00 Canada 319 pages On the day she signed her first recording contract, Houston told Crawford that she thought they “shouldn’t be physical anymore.”
Robyn Crawford 50
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The end of the love affair, however, didn’t signal the end of their bond, and Crawford gave her life over to Houston. She served as Houston’s assistant, chauffeur, manager, record-keeper, and sounding board. She propped Houston up when Houston needed it, sometimes literally, watching and helpless, unable to save Houston from her addictions. And then came the day, says Crawford, when “I realized that I needed to save myself.”
Be honest: you are only the smallest bit surprised at all this. Whitney Houston’s cocaine problem was pretty common knowledge and it’s not a stretch to imagine the rest of what’s inside this book. Even so, author Robyn Crawford has a few secrets to tell you. That, however, doesn’t seem to be the reason behind A Song for You. All Whitney, All the Time, is perhaps a good way to describe this memoir; indeed, while it’s about Crawford’s decades-long relationship with Houston, it often appears that Crawford is secondary in her own story ENTERTAINMENT
here. That comes across as selflessly joyful but it also seems, at least initially, to be fraught with fear, as if Crawford recognizes something that’s incredibly fragile. As this book progresses, that fear runs alongside a shrieking siren that announces the inevitable, the approach of which, even now, is impossible to stop watching. For fans still looking for scandal, know that it’s there and you’ll be happy with A Song for You. If you’re not necessarily looking for gossip, though, try it anyhow. You can still anticipate a good read.
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ny old stick would do.
When you were a child, that’s what it took to become a wizard: a stick became a makeshift wand, an old towel turned into a cape, and you were ready for spell-making. It worked for imaginations everywhere although, as you’ll see in Ian McKellen: A Biography by Garry O’Connor, sometimes, reel magic helps, too. On May 25, 1939, mere months before the beginning of World War II, Ian Murray McKellen made his debut into the world. The only son of parents who lived large, passionate lives, young McKellen grew up securely happy despite the War. Alas, that ended when his beloved mother died of cancer when McKellen was just 12 years old. As years passed, he always regretted that she never knew about him what he knew about himself: he received his “first gay kiss” at age nine and understood even then that he preferred boys to girls. Though his original plan was to graduate school and work as a journalist, McKellen was denied the chance and instead opted to attend Cambridge. There, others noticed that he had a great aptitude for Shakespearean acting; it was nurtured and a “most extraordinary explosion of talent happened.” His time at Cambridge helped him sharpen his craft; it was also there that McKellen lost his virginity to another man. O’Connor says that McKellen is “a slowprogress stickler” and never minded using “modest roles” as stepping-stones; every role he played led to bigger parts on better-known stages in larger venues. In 1964, he landed a small part in a BBC-TV production as his first foray into television, and he continued to eye a career in film — a career that “still eluded [him] until the late 1990s.” At that time, he was able to transition from stage to screen, fast racking up awards including a Tony, a Golden Globe, a SAG, as well as earning an Oscar nomination. And then a “quick perusal of the Marvel comics caught his fancy.” For readers who are wild about Shakespeare, Ian McKellen: A Biography will be a delight. Those who are not, however, may find this book quite tedious. Author Garry O’Connor, who’s ENTERTAINMENT
Ian McKellen: A Biography by Garry O’Connor c.2019, St. Martin’s Press $29.99 / $39.99 Canada 356 pages known McKellen for decades, explains in his first chapter how this book came about, in opening words that are carefully off-the-cuff. That chumminess feels as if you’re real-time eavesdropping on a semiscripted conversation between two friends. Get past the account of McKellen’s early life, though, and much of the rest of this book is uber-deep into theater, with the occasional reminder of McKellen’s gayness in the narrative. Serious followers of British stage performances will find the former to be irresistible and the latter to make one feel like a close backstage insider. Those who prefer
McKellen’s later work might find this all mildly interesting, but far too extra until toward the end. And so, there’s the break-down: Theater fan, yes. You’ll love Ian McKellen: A Biography. If you’re a fan of McKellen’s later movie career only, this book is okay if you can stick with it. Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm, lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 13,000 books. She’s been reading since age 3 and, to this day, she never goes anywhere without a book. ECHOMAG.COM
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TALKING BODIES
the time. If it’s extreme, it won’t last and it therefore won’t work! Here are some more hard truths: walking does not count for 90% of the population, and more is better when it comes to exercise. The minimum recommended exercise prescription is 3x moderate/vigorous sessions per week. More workouts equal more results. Three times per week is the gold standard; less than three sessions will likely not yield appreciable results. While we’re cutting to the chase: you cannot completely avoid either diet, or exercise, and only do one of the two. Err on the side of more activity and less dietary restriction to achieve better physical fitness, aesthetics, and quality of life. My tried and true equation is: exercise hard, diet moderate, for best results. Emotional fitness:
Making It Last: Fitness in 2020 By Tia Norris
T
While people almost always have the best intentions in eagerly embarking on their wellness journeys, I’ve seen too many fall short of reaching their often overambitious goals, only to doom themselves to a perpetual cycle of start and stop on repeat.
three before you upgrade to four; and get used to four before you upgrade to five. Although this gradual progression may not yield as immediate of results as a more aggressive program, ultimately it’s the one that will go the distance and produce more results over time. If you progress too quickly, you increase your risks for injury, overcommitting, and burnout.
The pursuit of “getting healthy” is multifaceted, involving more than just physical fitness; it also includes critical mental and emotional components. Here are some of my trainer tips to set yourself up to be more successful in all three of these domains in pursuing goals in 2020.
Additionally, if you’re like most people, you might need help with making a good plan or instead hiring someone to make it for you. Trainers and coaches are both educated and experienced in what works, fastest, and most comfortably. Don’t underestimate the value of paying for expert advice!
Mental fitness:
Physical fitness:
One of the smartest things you can do in setting fitness goals is to start small. Sure, people get excited about making changes and want to hit the ground running; but unfortunately, many people overcommit and make things far too hard on themselves too quickly. An example of this is going from exercising zero times per week to five times per week; of course, this is quite an adjustment. Effort must be scaled appropriately based on your starting point. My advice would be to start with exercising three times per week at first.
Newsflash: you should not hate your diet or exercise program. Pick activities and diets that you actually like and can sustain. Your fitness life is too short to trudge through something that you despise, multiple times per week, for months or years. There are an infinite number of options out there – find one that you like and can tolerate most times. And perhaps more importantly, this goes for diet, too! Read this very carefully, five times: crash and extremely restrictive diets, cleanses, magic pills, and cosmetic treatments do.not.last! Long term results hinge, critically, on your ability to like your diet most of
he number one New Year’s Resolution, every year, is some kind of diet or fitness-related goal.
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Focus more on the process, less on the results. I have a saying: “if you play the numbers game, you will lose, every single time.” On one hand, you need to have goals and a direction to shoot for; but on the other hand, you must not live and die by your numbers. This includes: weight on the scale, pounds on a key lift, time on an endurance effort, and more. Long story short, you cannot hang your entire self-worth (and the success of your program, which involves dozens of other factors!) on achieving a number. Focus on doing your best; let the numbers fall where they may. Don’t complain, it’s not cool. Frankly, I am not impressed with how hard you think your fitness program is. Stop complaining on social media about the difficulty of your diet or exercise. Stop vocalizing your dread for your upcoming workouts or meals. You chose this; no one is making you do this. Change your attitude, not only out of consideration for others, but also for your own improved success. Connect healthy choices with positive outcomes. More movement and better food choices make you feel better. Doesn’t everyone want to just feel better? Sure, I love burgers and fries and pizzas, but I can’t eat that shit mid-day during the week when I’ve got hours more of hard work to go. Sure, I love sleeping in and lazing around and having fun; but none of that will bring me accomplishment, pride, and success. Do the work, to get the results. And even better, if you can connect the work to the outcomes, you’ve really got it made. Remember, it’s not just physical choices that make you successful in fitness; you’ve got to be sharp mentally and emotionally, as well, to achieve holistic results. Tia Norris is the president and head trainer at FitPro, LLC, a local fitness company. Find out more at fitprollc.com. HEALTH & FITNESS
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NOT THAT YOU ASKED
you know, like in the Olympic figure skating arena. At the risk of sounding like your high school guidance counselor who told you to look into trade schools, I believe every job has value. Ok, maybe not the ones that require employees to call me 27 times a week with great deals on windshield replacement; I’m not here to defend those people. But the rest of us. Whether we are handling auto insurance claims (like me), or serving coffee, or doing other people’s taxes, or dressing up like a woman and moving your lips to hits of the 70s, 80s, 90s and today … there’s no shame in doing a job that isn’t your greatest passion. To be fair, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a drag queen say, “I do this because it’s the only job I could get.” But I have met a ton of them, and it seems completely plausible.
Love the job you’re with By Buddy Early
M
y senior year in high school I wrote in multiple yearbooks: “Watch for me on Saturday Night Live.” That’s when I thought I was really funny. More importantly, that’s when other people thought I was really funny. For more than a decade, though, I actually had the privilege of performing live comedy. The dream of doing it as a career did not exactly rise to the level of a goal. Neither did my dream of being a talk show host. Or a professional game show contestant. However, I did get to work as a writer and editor for 12 years. I’ve had a love for stringing words together since I wrote my first horror story about an ill-fated trip to the White House with my sixthgrade class – a story that resulted in the brutal murders of each of them. We’re talking decapitations and swallowing IEDs and other red flag stuff. (I was working through some issues … apparently.) The point is, I was able to do what I love for a considerable period of my life, before switching things up and going to work at places that merely allow me to make ends meet.
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There’s a popular saying that goes “Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.” Another saying goes “If you don’t love what you’re doing, quit.” When someone utters one of those phrases to you feel free to respond with a saying that goes “Get the hell outta here!” Only about 13 percent of Americans are working at jobs they truly love, which is a statistic I made up but sounds totally reasonable. Most of us are working to pay the bills and I’m here to say there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. There’s nothing wrong with quitting and pursuing your dream, either; but do it because you want to, and not because you’ve been shamed into thinking you should want to. While working jobs I tolerate but don’t love, I have been able to find satisfaction and purpose in them. And I carve out a few hours each week to do what I love. (I mean, you’re reading this, aren’t you?) Having after-hours pursuits helps make the more dreaded aspects of the 9 to 5 endurable, even during those times I wish my workplace had a “Kiss ‘n Cry” area –
Sometimes the worst part of my day is simply being cursed at by someone who has also compared me to Hitler and, honestly, I’ve been called worse. (If you think there’s nothing worse you could be called besides “Hitler,” you haven’t participated in the comments section of an azcentral.com story.) And sometimes the best part of my day is getting an elevator to myself so I can pick my nose during the 12-second trip to the 7th floor. I figure it all balances out. I wasn’t always this comfortable with my station in life. For years I spent all my free time searching for another job, because the one I had wasn’t my dream career. I used to sleepwalk through my day. But I’ve made tremendous progress. I no longer respond to a co-worker asking me “Why are you still here?” and referring to me working past my shift with “Because I haven’t found anything better yet.” And when a newer employee asks me if I am too busy to offer help, I restrain myself from telling them “I’m currently working on a hilarious meme featuring that blonde lady and the cat. Yes, Gloria, I am busy!” And even though I still scroll immediately to the bottom of a letter from the CEO to see if there is mention of a monetary award or cake, I have learned how to take pride in a job that isn’t my dream. Now I’m working on accepting a different phenomenon: how some person you barely know brings in peanut butter cookies or baked mac ‘n cheese and we’re all “Sure, I’ll eat that.” Buddy Early grew up in Tempe and has been involved in various communities across the Valley since. He is a former managing editor of both Echo Magazine and Compete Magazine. COMMUNITY
DESTINATIONS
Fun in the Sun awaits LGBTQ travelers in Puerto Vallarta By Jerry Jones, NEMA News Network
for visitors who truly want to “have it all” on vacation. From the beaches in the Hotel Zone to downtown, the Zona Romantica (which some refer to as the Gayborhood) and beyond, there is no shortage of fantastic coastal access in Puerto Vallarta for the perfect beach holiday. In the Hotel Zone, visitors will find sideby-side beaches that stretch along the allinclusive properties, ideal for taking pictureperfect sunbaths, enjoying an afternoon cocktail or taking a sunset selfie.
H
aving been recognized as having some of the best “gay beaches” in the world, Puerto Vallarta opens her arms to LGBTQ travelers as one of the most welcoming destinations on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. If travelers have not considered a vacation to Puerto Vallarta and its world-famous
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beaches before, this winter might just be a perfect time. Puerto Vallarta is a jewel of a historical city cradled between the Bay of Banderas and the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. A combination of colonial Mexican charm and barefoot beach escapes, Puerto Vallarta is one of the best destinations in Mexico
Puerto Vallarta is the only destination in Mexico where the historical colonial city center meets the sea. The bohemian offers some of the most beautiful beaches in the city. Playa Los Muertos — lined by beach clubs, bars, and restaurants — is always happening. By day, the beach is alive with activity, day parties and boat trips departing from iconic Los Muertos Pier. By night, a visit to this section of town immerses visitors in Puerto Vallarta’s eclectic gastronomic scene and high-energy, electric nightlife. Puerto Vallarta is the most popular gay beach destination in Mexico and its LGBTQ ENTERTAINMENT
popularity continues to grow. If you want to hang at the gay beach (just south of the famous Playa Los Muertos Pier), you can check-in at one of the exclusive LGBT Beach clubs that front the gay beach area, or just lay a towel on the sand for free. Blue Chairs, Sapphire Ocean Club, Ritmos Beach Club (often referred to as ‘green chairs’), and Mantamar Beach Club, a favorite of actress Zendaya, all offer drink, food and chair options for LGBTQ beachgoers. The Gayborhood (Zona Romantica) in Puerto Vallarta comes together at the intersection of Lazaro Cardenas and Ignacio L. Vallarta. Multiple gay bars and nightclubs are in a block radius of that crossing. Try the Vallarta Gay Bar Hopping Tour for an easy lay of the land. Two new upscale gay nightclubs opened just this past year, Code, and Industry, which bills itself as Puerto Vallarta’s largest gay nightclub. Industry is next to what may be the city’s second-largest gay nightclub, CC Slaughters. Mr. Flamingos and La Margarita Bar are smaller but popular bars in the area and La Noche’s private atmosphere made it Tamar Braxton’s spot to go while she was in town filming Braxton Family Values. Reinas, which means Queens, is devoted to all things royal as you will see from the decor. The newer Ella Bar, gives you “Divas” throughout the decades from Ella Fitzgerald and Barbara Streisand to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, along with delicious tapas. Puerto Vallarta also has its share of great LGBTQ hotels, including Hotel Mercurio, Casa Cupula, and Pinata PV, all of which are gay-owned. The hotels are all within easy walking distance to the gay beach. Two other hotels are right at the gay beach — Blue Chairs, which sits on the gay beach, and Mantamar Beach Club, part of Almar Resort right up the hill. Top Sky Bar on (surprise) the top floor of Almar has views as incredible as their food and creative drinks. Their house talent, Sassy Queens, is top notch entertainment. Moving south from Zona Romantica, travelers will discover more of Puerto Vallarta’s “hidden” beaches, frequented mostly by locals or travelers in the know. Playa Las Gemelas, or “The Twins Beach,” is a pair of small beaches just a few miles from downtown. These quiet, off-the-radar strands are known for turquoise waters, gentle waves and crisp, white sand — the latter a rarity in Puerto Vallarta, renowned for the warm golden sands of most of its beaches. The gayfriendly Costa Sur Resort and Spa provides great access to these beaches. Another picture-postcard beach on the south side of the city is Conchas Chinas, also heralded for its turquoise water and sugary sand. Visitors love this beach for the rock formations that create fun pools of water. This is a very glamorous part of town, so be on the lookout for the gorgeous mansions up in the hills, or A-list weddings down on the shorefront. ENTERTAINMENT
Model Tess Holiday fell in love with Conchas Chinas and made it the location for her cover shoot with Nylon magazine this year, completely worth the extra effort. Pamper yourself and rent a private yacht to enjoy a day on the Bay of Banderas and access some of Puerto Vallarta’s most secluded beaches. The most popular is Playa Las Animas, a remote stretch of sand that’s one of the most famous in all of southern Puerto Vallarta — and entirely worth a day trip. It’s packed with restaurants and bars perfect for spending the day lounging underneath the palm fronds of a traditional palapa shelter, frosty margarita firmly in hand. Visitors can rent paddleboards, take banana boat rides, snorkel or simply relax on one of the many lounge chairs that line the shore. Las Animas can be the starting point from which to explore some other hidden beaches, such as El Caballo Beach — a hidden oasis of calm, clear water and bleached sand with just a single bungalow-style hotel and beach restaurant/bar. Another such hideaway is Colomitos Beach, a small strand fringed in the greens and blues of the jungle-covered mountains above it and the rolling waves gently lapping against its sands. One stop farther lies the private paradise cove of Yelapa, where attraction and activities include not only the fantastic beach but jungle hikes to a stunning nearby waterfall. This safe, beautiful walk to the falls takes about 30 to 40 minutes and ends at a refreshing natural pool perfect for a refreshing dip. While Yelapa makes for a wonderful day trip, those looking for a wellness retreat should consider the Xinalani or stay the night at the gay-owned Casa Pericos and enjoy the area’s other attractions including Rolling Stone magazine’s favorite Los Chicos Beach Club. Another way to access the distant beaches is to take one of the many LGBTQ boat tours available. Diana’s Tours, run by Diana DeCosta, a Canadian expat lesbian, boat excursion is an LGBTQ favorite. The tour runs every Thursday and includes a continental breakfast and stop for a beachfront lunch. The first stop is at Puerto Vallarta’s famed Los Arcos — giant rocks with hollow swim-through passages. Diana’s Thursday tours are made up mostly of gay men but are also straightfriendly. The Wet and Wild tour is marketed to gay men, and, as the name implies, is a sexuallycharged version of Diana’s cruise. Jet’s Private Board Tours is also a LGBTQ favorite and also offers special nude cruises, and you can request a gay tour guide. So, no matter your vibe — from peaceand-quiet to maximum-party-and-adrenaline — Puerto Vallarta has the gorgeous beach to match. There’s no time like the present to start discovering the beauty of what the beaches of Puerto Vallarta have to offer. ECHOMAG.COM
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PHOENIX BARS 18
6
21 4 24
20
17
15 9
14 25
5th
8
32nd St.
7
23 19 2
e. Av
1 13 22
11 3
16
12
10 *MAP IS NOT DRAWN TO SCALE
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5
11
ANVIL
2424 E. Thomas Road
602-334-1462
M, D, L
32
BAR 1
3702 N. Sixteenth St.
602-266-9001
M, E, N
43
BLISS/ReBAR
901 N. Fourth St.
602-795-1792
MF, N, R
54
BOYCOTT BAR
4301 N. Seventh Ave.
602-515-3667
MF, D, E
65
BS WEST
7125 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale
480-945-9028
MF, D, E
76
BUNKHOUSE
4428 N. Seventh Ave.
602-200-9154
M, L, N
87
CARAVAN TAP ROOM CLOSED
4835 N. Fifteenth Ave.
602-592-9386
MF, E, N
98
CHARLIE’S
727 W. Camelback Road
602-265-0224
M, E, D
11 9
CRUISIN’ 7TH
3702 N. Seventh St.
602-212-9888
M, E, N
2 10
DICK’S CABARET
3432 E. Illini St.
602-274-3425
M
11 13
FEZ
105 W. Portland St.
602-287-8700
MF, R
12 14
FLEX SPAS PHOENIX
1517 S. Black Canyon Highway
602-271-9011
M, A
15 13
KARAMBA NIGHTCLUB
1724 E. McDowell Road
602-254-0231
D, E
14 16
KOBALT
3110 N. Central Ave., Ste. 175
602-264-5307
MF, E, N
17 15
LOS DIABLOS
1028 E. Indian School Road
602-795-7881
MF, N, R
16 18
NU TOWNE SALOON
5002 E. Van Buren St.
602-267-9959
M, L, N
17 19
OFF CHUTE TOO
4115 N. Seventh Ave.
602-274-1429
MF, A
20 18
OZ BAR
1804 W. Bethany Home Road
602-242-5114
MF, N
21 19
PLAZMA
1560 E. Osborn Road
602-266-0477
MF, E, N
22 20
ROYAL VILLA INN
4312 N. Twelfth St.
602-266-6883
M, A
23 21
STACY’S @ MELROSE
4343 N. Seventh Ave.
602-264-1700
MF, D, N
24 22
THE CASH NIGHTCLUB AND LOUNGE
1730 E. McDowell Road
(602) 244-9943
F, D, N
25 23
THE CHUTE
1440 E. Indian School Road
602-234-1654
M, A
27 24
THE ROCK
4129 N. Seventh Ave.
602-248-8559
MF, E, N
25 28
2601 ON CENTRAL
2601 N. Central Ave.
602-466-2074
MF, E, R
MAP CODES: M F MF
Mostly Males Mostly Females Mixed Male/Female
A Adult Retail & Accomodations D Dance Club E Entertainment (Karaoke, Drag)
L N R
Leather/Bears Neighborhood Bar Restaurant
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BAR SPECIALS
Condoms & Karambas
Nov. 23 at Karambas, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.
BUNKHOUSE S HH and $1 Drafts all day. Indian Fry Bread M T W T F S
with Joe Jackson Thames 12 p.m. - 9 p.m., Live Jazz with Kenny Thames 7:30 - 10 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m., Pool tournament 9 p.m. 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m. 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m., Karaoke 9 p.m.-close 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m., Underwear/Gear night $1 off drinks if in gear or underwear 8-close, WMW dancers 10-12 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m. $2.50 Miller 8- close 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m., $2.50 Bud 8 - close
CHARLIE’S S Super HH 4 - 7 p.m., $3 pitchers; $3 Long
Islands open - close
M 2 - 8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles,
T W
T F
S
$3 pitchers; 8 p.m.-close, 1/2 off drinks for wearing underwear, $3 Jack Daniels 2 - 8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; 2-4-1 cocktails & beer 8 p.m - close 2 -8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; $3 Three Olives vodka, 8 p.m. close 2 - 8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; 2-4-1 drinks open - close 2 - 7 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestics, $3 pitchers; HH 7 - 9 p.m.; $1 well & domestics, $1 drafts 10 p.m. - midnight Noon - 7 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestics; HH 7 - 9 p.m.; $1 well & domestics, $3 Absolut & Bacardi 10 p.m. - midnight
STACY’S @ MELROSE S $2 Wells, RR & BL Drafts, 2-7; $3 Bud Light
M T W T F S
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Bottles, 2-Close; $3.50 Fireball shots, 7-Close; Happy Hours & $5.00 Absolut cocktails, 10-Close Happy Hours & $3 RR & Bud Lt Draft, 4-Close; $3.50 Fireball, 8-Close Happy Hours, $4 Margaritas, $3 RR & Bud Lt Draft, 4-Close; Taco Tuesday, $1 Street Taco 2-4-1 all day, No Shots, 4-Midnight; Happy Hours, Midnight-close; 2-4-1 Chits good all night Happy Hours, 4-close; We Accept 2-4-1’s from Other Bars, 4-close Happy Hours 4-8.; $3.00 RR & Bud Lt Draft,4-Close; $5.00 Deep Eddy flavors & Fireball, 8-Close Happy Hours 4-8; $3.00 Rolling Rock & Bud Light Draft,4-Close; $5.00 Deep Eddy flavors & Fireball, 8-Close JANUARY 2020
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For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos OUT & ABOUT
Call Jeffrey today to find out about his personal approach to limiting your tax burden. If you owe the IRS or have unfilled tax returns I am authorized by the US Treasury to help you negotiate a settlement option you can afford, sometimes for less than you owe. Have you been charged a penalty? Let me see If I can eliminate it, and have the money refunded to you.
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For more information, visit echomag.com/classifieds. ECHOMAG.COM
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11th Annual Wax A Bear Nov. 23 at Anvil, Phoenix. Photos by Gregg Edelman.
For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos.
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