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//PUBLISHER Peter Rayes PETER@FLAME-MAG.COM //MANAGING EDITOR Austin VanKirk AUSTIN@FLAME-MAG.COM //DIGITAL EDITOR Rachel Mann WEB@FLAME-MAG.COM //ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Dorothy “Joan” Stevenson JOAN@FLAME-MAG.COM //MEDIA RELATIONS COORDINATOR LeeAnn Connelly MEDIA@FLAME-MAG.COM //LOCAL ADVERTISING Peter Rayes ADVERTISING@FLAME-MAG.COM //NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 SALES@RIVENDELLMEDIA.COM //PHOTOGRAPHERS Alejandro Garza Murray Grondin Tony Lowe //CONTRIBUTORS Tony Lowe Joan Stevenson Rachel Mann Austin VanKirk //GRAPHIC DESIGN PR Solutions 429 Livernois Street Second Floor Ferndale, MI 48220 313.757.2624 Copyright © 2014. FM MEDIA GROUP LLC. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE PUBLISHER OR STAFF. NO PART OF FLAME, INCLUDING STORIES, ARTWORK, ADVERTISING, OR PHOTOS MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT FROM FM MEDIA GROUP LLC. FLAME MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY FM MEDIA GROUP LLC. FLAME MAGAZINE WILL NOT ACCEPT ADVERTISING WHICH IS FOUND TO VIOLATE LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL LAW. THE PRESENCE OF THE NAME, LIKENESS, PHOTOGRAPH, OR OTHER REPRESENATION OF AN ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS, OR PERSON(S) IN FLAME MAGAZINE IS NOT AN INDICATION OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION.
CONTENTS
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LOLLEY POP SOUND CHECK
Electronic music’s bestkept secret set the dance floor ablaze two years ago with the release of “Da Bop,” her English language interpretation of Irena Santor’s 1968 hit, “Piosenka O Sasiedzie.” EDM fans from all around the world began clamoring for more from the spirited British singer. This month, the wait is finally
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CHRIS AZZOPARDI
FROM HERE TO HOLLYWOOD Very recently I got to photograph and, as you will read, interview the incredibly witty, sassy, and glowing (mostly because of wine) personality that is Chris Azzopardi. He has long been a part of the Metro Detroit community as a valued member of local LGBT publication Between
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NEW GIRL, SAME GAY WORLD
STRAIGHT GIRL GAY WORLD Worn out, yellow tiled floors. Not mustard yellow or lemon peel yellow, it was more like coffee-stained teeth yellow. My feet dangled an inch above those floors as I sat in my “Nicole and Chad 4 Ever” and “Jared was here” engraved desk. The year was
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#WHYISTAYED AND WHY YOU SHOULD GO
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JOAN A professional athlete is seen on video dragging his unconscious fiancee out of an elevator. When the video surfaces he is basically given a slap on the wrist by the NFL, (two game suspension) because
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NEVER FEEL LONELY BECOME WHO YOU ARE
Growing up, I didn’t really have any friends. In a small, conservative town, where conformity was a sacred duty, I was immediately branded as “different.” For this reason, I was kept apart from my peers, either by choice or misfortune. This wasn’t so terrible until I was
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FLAME // SOUND CHECK
LOLLEY POP
SOPHIA LOLLEY RELEASES FRESHMAN ALBUM Written by Mitch Anderson
Electronic music’s best-kept secret set the dance floor ablaze two years ago with the release of “Da Bop,” her English language interpretation of Irena Santor’s 1968 hit, “Piosenka O Sasiedzie.” EDM fans from all around the world began clamoring for more from the spirited British singer. This month, the wait is finally over. Sophia Lolley’s self-titled album, featuring seven brand new quirky tracks, releases to iTunes. Growing up in the farming community of Devon, England, Sophia Lolley could never have foreseen a career in electronic music. “It has been a musical progression to this state,” she reveals from her London home. “I love that EDM allows lyrics and vocals of years gone by to be brought up to date and wrapped in modern beats.” Sophia describes her sound as theatrical disco pop, however the album is sprinkled with colorful music of varying styles including an undeniable cabaret influence born out of her love for 1940’s artists like Doris Day and Glenn Miller. She admits to having multiple personalities, running the gamut from serious to loving, reserved to gregarious, feral to gracious, and fun loving to drama queen. “I’m a falconer; I go fly-fishing. It took me nine times to pass my driving test. I hate vegetables. I have lots of animals including a pet magpie, sparrow hawks, tortoises, hens, cattle and the occasional badger. I also smoke big cigars.” All of her personas are reflected in the album that was born from a series of collaborations over the last five years between Peace Bisquit and Count De Money, the production team that produced and mixed “Da Bop.”
The EP begins with “Live That Day,” a song Sophia wrote as a tribute to her grandmother who died four years ago. “Grandmama was a huge inspiration to me,” she says. “Her motto was ‘everything will always be okay,’ and she was right. The song is about looking on the bright side of life because it is there.” Sophia’s magical musings are also captured in “Everybody Loves It,” a song that encourages all to appreciate the lovely gloriousness of life. “Sophia is an extremely talented artist with a wealthy perspective on life that is engaging, unique, witty and purposeful,” says Bill Coleman of Peace Bisquit. The pair met working on the soundtrack for the independent film, Boy Culture. Coleman used Lolley’s “Hey Kinky” single in the film. They began work on the album shortly thereafter and are currently working on two additional projects: a full length poptronica collaboration with Geoff Hornsby under the moniker “I Like It Electric” (“Do You Want To or Not”) and a spirited electronic spaghetti western collective called Dirtee Lectrix.
“I love that EDM allows lyrics and vocals of years gone by to be brought up to date and wrapped in modern beats.” there are no musical influences or excitement there. She’s anxious to come to the states, particularly Texas. “I’ve always wanted to go to Texas to see if there are still cowboys,” she says. For information, visit peacebisquit.com. //
“The idea for the EP was to create a collection of Sophia Lolley songs that fans could dance to at a bar or pop on during a cocktail party or at fashion runway show,” says Coleman. Sophia Lolley is thrilled the EP and future projects will take her out of England. Though she loves her hometown of rural Devon—she calls it the best county in Britain—
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OCTOBER 2014
CHRIS AZZOPARDI
FROM HERE TO HOLLYWOOD Written by Tony Lowe Photos by Tony Lowe
Very recently I got to photograph and, as you will read, interview the incredibly witty, sassy, and glowing (mostly because of wine) personality that is Chris Azzopardi. He has long been a part of the Metro Detroit community as a valued member of local LGBT publication Between The Lines, but his celebrity interviews have made him a go-to for gay press across the country.
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FLAME // FEATURE: CHRIS AZZOPARDI
So we know you’re the entertainment editor over at Between The Lines; what does that mean exactly? It means I get to do what I always wanted to without ever having to leave Michigan permanently. This is where I’m from, and so to say I work from “home” is literal in many senses—but especially because I actually do, sometimes, interview celebrities on my bed, in just my underwear. But you know how we aspire to that dream job? I’m living it. I get to chat with high-profile people—people I admire, people the gay community admires—and turn that conversation into a story. Being able to write is one thing, but writing about music, film and TV—and how all of links back to the gay community—and doing it from my hometown, I couldn’t ask for a better gig, really. What else are you involved in locally and abroad? Though my career started at Between The Lines almost nine years ago, the scope of my job broadened into something beyond what I had in mind. In 2009, after BTL publishers Jan Stevenson and Susan Horowitz took over Q Syndicate, an international wire service distributing content to over 25 publications internationally, my role changed. In addition to entertainment editor at BTL, I became the Q editor. My goal with the syndicate was to turn it into a vibrant source of celebrity content for gay press across the world, and
that’s what it’s become. So over the last few years, the process has evolved into this: I interview such-and-such famous person, write my story, and then it makes its rounds across the United States, Canada, and sometimes even into Europe. The syndicate’s allowed me to put regional gay press in the same playing field as national media. Do you ever have to travel to interviews or doing anything crazy to land one? Movie studios will sometimes fly me out to interview their films’ stars. I talked drag with Angelina Jolie in Washington D.C. for Salt, and I traveled for a few days to Napa Valley to interview Julia Roberts and Ryan Murphy, the creator of “Glee” and “American Horror Story.” Most recently I trekked to L.A. for a one-on-one with Cameron Diaz—just me and her in a hotel suite talking about “The Penis Song” from The Sweetest Thing. You get to interview all the big celebrities in music, Hollywood, fashion, etc. Who have been your favorites to meet or interview? There’s nothing quite like making Meryl Streep laugh or sitting next to Madonna—both of which I’ve done. But when I think of my favorites, I think of the ones that left a unique impression on me, or affected me in some kind of unexpected way. Beyoncé was fantastic because, umm, Beyoncé. Dolly Parton was a hoot. Katy Perry was cute and silly. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a fave because I respect his work immensely, and also because we’re kind of married and he just doesn’t know it yet. Dave Franco, Channing Tatum, Adam Levine—all good guys, all fun interviews. Someone you think is gonna be cool and then ends up being cooler than you imagined? Whoopi Goldberg. I remember, after she didn’t quite answer my question, telling her that she misheard me. Whoopi’s response was priceless: “I’m on a cell phone. I can’t hear shit, honey!” An interview that really meant a lot to me was Amy Grant. I mean, I spent my childhood enraptured by her and my “Heart in Motion” cassette, and the experience of talking to her for an hour felt like a full-circle moment. It was a major coup, too, because it was Amy’s first gay press interview. Still, to this day, it’s one of the most read articles on PrideSource.com, Between The Lines’ website. When it comes down to it, though, a solid interview, to me, is when it’s over and I can say to myself, “I learned something new about this person.” I love being able to reveal a celebrity in a way that hasn’t been done, in a way that shatters the projections we have of them. I love finding the story that hasn’t been told. Do you have a least favorite interview? Some don’t go as smooth as others, which is just the nature of two people who don’t know each other having a brief interaction. It’s like trying to hit it off on a first date—either you have chemistry or you don’t. And sure, that chemistry is sometimes off. Bette Midler didn’t warm up to me until near the end of our conversation because she misinterpreted a question of mine early on; it set the tone off for a good portion of the interview. Otherwise, here and there I’ll get someone who doesn’t have much to say— Margaret Cho was curt, and Britney Spears was Britney Spears— and those are the ones that make you cringe.
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Who would be your dream interview? By far, Mariah Carey. I mean, part of the reason I’m in this celebwriting business is because of the diva crush I had on her as an obsessed kid. When I was ten-ish, I thought maybe if I wrote about celebrities I’d finally have the chance to meet Mariah. I did end up meeting her backstage after a Cleveland show in 2003, which was before I became a journalist, but she’s still the holy grail when it comes to interviews. Other dream interviews include Sandra Bullock, Oprah, President Obama, and Miss Piggy.
When it comes to our community locally and abroad, what do you think we have to overcome most? Besides major issues that we’re currently facing, like gay marriage, second-parent adoption and HIV/AIDS stigmatization, I’d like to see a greater sense of community in metro Detroit. More kindness, less cattiness. And it starts small—don’t give the cold shoulder to someone at the bar. Smile at them. This means overcoming ourselves and our own issues so that we can be compassionate and empathetic to the people around us. A little love goes a long way.
Do you still get star-struck? Not anymore. I used to get star-struck all the time until I realized that it’s much easier to carry on a conversation when you’re not shitting your pants. Though, I admit, Madonna terrified me. When I flew to New York at the end of 2011 to interview her for her film W.E., and when she shook my hand and asked my name, the whole experience was very wet dream-y.
Is there anything else you would like our readers to know? You can keep up with me at chris-azzopardi.com, @chrisazzopardi on Twitter and on Grindr, where I’m looking to “network.” //
What is the weirdest thing you have had to endure for an interview? Christina Aguilera slurping her bowl of soup like she’d never experienced the deliciousness of chicken noodle before. Like, seriously, she was going to town on that thing. And some may classify this under weird, but Britney Spears also told me that gay people are “somewhat girls.” It didn’t weird me out so much as it worried me. Right after I got off the phone with her, I checked my man parts. Nothing “somewhat girly” about them. Whew! Most interesting story meeting a celebrity? Are they people just like us? The most interesting, profound and life-changing interview experience I’ve had was with big-time Broadway star Elaine Stritch, who’s actually from Michigan. She died this past July, which broke my heart, but I feel so fortunate that she and her people invited me into her Birmingham home one day in February, just months before her passing. Sometimes you connect with an interviewee on a different level, and this was one of those times. It was more than just an interview—it was a heart to heart. It was personal, inspiring and, in many ways for me, revelatory. Elaine shared bits about her life that she said she never told another journalist, and it all felt very special. When I write my memoir, a whole chapter will be dedicated to the afternoon I spent laughing and reminiscing with Elaine. How do you feel about Sam Smith’s coming out and the press reaction (or lack thereof)? It says a lot when a gay pop artist can come out and there’s no fuss about it. First of all, the way Sam Smith handled it did him a lot of good. He made his sexuality known in the subtlest of ways—not because I don’t think he’s proud, but because he wants the focus to be his music. And it should be. Every time I hear “Stay with Me” on the radio, I geek out. It’s a great song, sure, but the thrill for me is that an out gay man is making a name for himself in mainstream music, and the whole world—not just our community—is listening.
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FLAME // STRAIGHT GIRL GAY WORLD
NEW STRAIGHT GIRL, SAME GAY WORLD
Written by Rachel Mann
Worn out, yellow tiled floors. Not mustard yellow or lemon peel yellow, it was more like coffee-stained teeth yellow. My feet dangled an inch above those floors as I sat in my “Nicole and Chad 4 Ever” and “Jared was here” engraved desk. The year was 2010. The class was Civics with Mr. L. The level of my desire to get the hell out of high school was through the water-stained roof. I waited for the rest of my classmates to drag their feet across the ugly tile and take their seats. I watched Mr. L. slurp his black coffee out of his American flag decorated mug and wondered what topic he was going to bore us with. The bell rang. Mr. L. started lecturing us about the differences between being a Republican and being a Democrat. As always, he was making it extremely obvious with his “Fox News is my favorite news station” comments coming minutes after he informed us that people think that Fox News is more Republican driven. I was starting to drift off into daydream-land when Mr. L. abruptly jarred my stupor. “They can choose not to be gay and then gay marriage wouldn’t be an issue,” he said.
“You are the most ignorant teacher I have ever had. Ever!” “Excuse me? You can leave now.” pal. I explained what happened and I told her how seriously offended I was and that I did not appreciate being in a class where I was only being told one side of things. I felt as if I was being forced to choose a side when I didn’t know what other sides existed. She had a private conversation with Mr. L. and switched me into a different Civics class. I don’t know what she said or what actions were taken (if any) against him, but I was at peace knowing that I stood up for what I believed in. I know plenty of gay people and I can imagine that in this day and age, most people do, whether they are aware of it or
“Well, of course it is.”
“Are you afraid of someone expressing their opinion? Is that what Civics class is supposed to be— you telling high school students how to view the world and politics? Fuck that.”
I hurried angrily to the office and asked the secretary to let me speak with my princi-
“Go to the office. Now!”
My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. I couldn’t keep the smart-ass remarks that were chasing their way up my vocal chords from escaping. I interrupted his rant.
“Wait, so you think being gay is a choice?”
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not. I am straight, but that does not mean I don’t understand gay people. I didn’t enter this world with a choice to make. No one approached me as a child and said, “Rachel, do you want to be attracted to boys or girls?” I never made a choice. My attraction to men happened naturally. I understand that this is the same for every member of the human race. Attraction is a natural feeling and action, and it’s not
“My godfather is gay and I am not going to sit here and let you talk about gay people like they chose to be the way they are. I will go to the office and complain about you and your teaching.” something that can be forced, stifled, or controlled. It is for this reason that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that gay people do not choose to be gay. I don’t care. My godfather is amazing. His name is Jay. He plays baseball and lives in Arizona. He’s got brown eyes and is extremely handsome. He’s gay. Is that the first thing I think about when I think about him? Absolutely not. Before he is a gay man, he is honest and loving. He is a man. He is a human being. I treat him as such and I expect the world to do the same. When and if they don’t, you can bet your sweet ass this straight girl will have something to say about it. //
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FLAME // WORLD ACCORDING TO JOAN
#WHYISTAYED AND WHY YOU SHOULD GO Written by Joan Stevenson
A professional athlete is seen on video dragging his unconscious fiancee out of an elevator. When the video surfaces he is basically given a slap on the wrist by the NFL, (two game suspension) because they claim they did not see the entire video. Later the entire video is revealed to see Ray Rice as he coldcocks his then finance, now wife, on camera. In the wake of the media circus that followed, Rice’s team, The Baltimore Ravens, terminated his contract. Rice lost all his endorsement deals, and the NFL has suspended him from the league indefinitely. Many thoughts and opinions were flying in the media and social media from the appalling attitude of the Fox Sports anchors (don’t even get me started on that), to the outrage of the masses on Facebook and Twitter. On Twitter, the hashtag, #WhyIStayed, began to circulate because the main question that was being asked is why Janay Rice stayed with Ray and married him. Oh, by the way, they married the day after Ray was indicted by the grand jury for third-degree aggravated assault with a possible jail sentence of three to five years and a fine of up to $15,000. The #WhyIStayed hashtag had women and some men sharing the reasons that they stayed in abusive relationships. It doesn’t matter if you’re lesbian, gay, bi, transsexual, transgender, this is a HUMAN issue. Far too many people, women and men are in relationships that are not healthy for them, be it emotionally or physically. The more light shown on the subject of domestic abuse the better, so I felt compelled to share my #WhyIStayed story. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship for several years. It just took me a long time to realize, because of how he spoke to me sometimes. He really had no respect for me. What I did not understand at the time is that it was abuse. I believed what this man told me—that no one would ever want to be with me and that I was lucky that he wanted me at all—but he never really claimed me as a significant other. There were very few people he might actually admit that to. Other than that, we were just ‘acquaintances.’ I put up with the left-handed comments that were supposed to be compliments(?) about
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my clothes and hair. He never really had any words of support or encouragement, nor did he ever take anything I had to say seriously. Things I was interested in were stupid and childish with no importance whatsoever. While I took the verbal shots I never realized that I was being abused. I thought abuse was only physical. For most girls my age, our understanding of abuse was imprinted on us with the story of Michigan housewife Francine Hughes, who was portrayed by Farrah Faucett in the movie The Burning Bed. The years of physical abuse from her husband drove her to the desperate act of burning him to death. That registered as abuse to me, but my “boyfriend” telling me that I’ll never do anything in life, go anywhere in life and I was lucky that he was paying attention to me did not register as abuse. For the record, he was never physically threatening or intimidating to me. I couldn’t understand why a woman would stay with a man or why anyone would stay with someone who physically hurt them. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. My first words are always “Someone hits you? Get out! Don’t hesitate, just leave!” Yet, I stayed. Why did I stay so long? Because I was young, I believed him. I thought as time went by he would change. He didn’t. Once, quite by accident, I discovered something he wrote about me. It was not complimentary at all; lets just say he was comparing me to a barnyard animal. Still I thought I could change him. I couldn’t. I stayed because I believed what he told me, and I did not want to be alone. As I grew, I began to realize that words can bruise too, but their bruises are not as easily seen. It took several years for me to realize that trying to be with this person was not worth it on any level, because I did not feel good about myself. I allowed this person to make me feel totally worthless until I just couldn’t take it anymore. I realized I would rather be alone than be made to feel like that any longer. No one should be made to feel like they are less of a person, less of a human being, just because someone else’s lack of self worth. Verbal abuse is still abuse, and you don’t have to accept that! Take a look at your relationship. If your partner is making you feel worthless or uncomfortable
in your own skin just for being who you are and living your life, then you do not need to be with this person! This is not the partner for you! You deserve people in your life who are positive, uplifting, and promote healthy attitudes and growth in your life—not people who will drag you down and make you feel low about yourself. If you’re in a relationship that is physically abusive, GET OUT NOW! No amount of “comfort” or money is worth your life! How much “love” is worth a concussion, brain damage, or death? Here are some signs to tell if you may be in an emotionally abusive relationship from healthcentral.com. Not all, but some of these things applied to my situation. If any of these circumstances are present, it may be time to re-think your relationship. • Isolates you from friends/family • Verbally abusive • Blames others • Alcohol and drug use • Instills fear • Punishes you for time away • Expects you to be a servant • Is extremely jealous • Controls you through emotions • Gets physical • Both men and women can be victims For more information, visit healthcentral.com. If you are in an abusive relationship, get help, get out! If your partner abuses you, it is not your fault! You did not bring this on yourself! Do not play the victim and defend this behavior! This behavior is indefensible! You do not deserve to be treated this way—no one does! If you know of someone who may be in an abusive relationship, cast a watchful eye. If you sense something is not right with a friend’s relationship, speak up. Have a quiet heart to heart. Be a source of strength for that person; be a friend. Help them if they need help. Domestic violence knows no gender, so everyone can fall victim. Don’t be a victim. Stand up, get help! Don’t let anyone make you feel that you are any less of a human being. If that means you have to be alone for a while, then so be it. Your health and well being is what’s most important. Just know that you are worthy and deserving of a happy, healthy relationship! //
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NEVER FEEL LONELY FLAME // BECOME WHO YOU ARE
Written by Austin VanKirk
Growing up, I didn’t really have any friends. In a small, conservative town, where conformity was a sacred duty, I was immediately branded as “different.” For this reason, I was kept apart from my peers, either by choice or misfortune. This wasn’t so terrible until I was about ten-years old and it became glaringly apparent that I was missing out on after-school activities like sports, going to friday-night football games, trips to the mall, and sleep overs. I was, in a word, lonely. This sense of loneliness extended into my late teens and lasted pretty much until I left for MSU at eighteen. That’s eight years of feeling alone, dejected, rejected, and friendless. What I didn’t know is that there was no real reason for me to be alone. Had I wanted to or realized this, I could have talked to and potentially made a connection with just about anybody. Although my town was small, I still could have found somebody to make a connection with and not be so
all around me that could be just waiting to make a connection with somebody like me (I say connection because not all people you meet are necessarily good friends, but it’s sure is nice to know your barista by name and talk about what you both did over the weekend while he makes your lattè). Already I’ve done something very similar. In the first couple days I was in Washington, I didn’t have any kitchenware. So, while that travelled to me from Michigan, I got takeout from this Mexican restaurant just up the street from me. There is this one waitress who seems to always be there. I made a connection with her early on by responding in Spanish to her greeting of “Hola, amigo.” Now, whenever I go there we have a little conversation in Spanish. Sure, this waitress and I most likely will not become besties based on these few short conversations, but I’m on friendly terms with her and I look forward to seeing her whenever I go there. When I was in undergrad I wrote a short
The people you pass in the grocery store or on the highway on your morning commute, they are not just ants. They are people, too, with unique thoughts and lives. Who is to say that among the many, there is not at least one of them you can connect with? In a diverse metro area like Detroit, there is the possibility to meet people and make connections with a variety of folks. There are very few reasons I can imagine for a person to not go out to his local McDonald’s and strike up a conversation with the cashier. Naturally, it isn’t going to be a mindblowing experience. Still, it’s a chance for human interaction. Even if it’s only for a few minutes, those few minutes can be enough to remind you that you’re not alone. Seriously, unless you’re a hermit living in the mountains or something, there has got to be a way to shake the tendrils of loneliness from you. There are always people, always opportunities to connect. In this Internet age, it’s possible to even connect to some-
Being alone or feeling lonely are states that are all about perspective. If you allow yourself to see the forest beyond the tree, you begin to realize that your loneliness is simply a figment of your imagination. lonely. It could have been the old lady working behind the counter at the corner store. I had plenty of teachers I could have talked to after class. I could have made friends with “Dan the Can Man” (there was this older gentleman who went around town every day picking up cans to return for money). And if we could have had Internet at my parents’ house (it was a very small town), I could have at least joined some kind of online community. The point is, that loneliness I endured all those years could have been avoided, or at least mitigated. I bring this up now because after being in Washington for a month and knowing absolutely nobody in my town, I’m finding myself not very lonely at all, despite what I had feared beforehand. I think it’s because I remember that, even though I might feel alone, in actuality I am not. There are people
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story called “Alone on the Subway” (The Offbeat Vol. 11. Michigan State University Press 2012). It was about a man living in a non-named city. He leaves his office and takes the subway home and encounters a woman who is making passes at him. They have a sort of conversation, although no words are spoken. Even after this, he is left feeling alone in his apartment. He looks down out of his window to see people returning from a night on the town. Looking down on them from his apartment above, he imagines them as little black ants, distant and inhuman. Despite being in a city full of people he could connect with, including a missed connection on the subway with the woman, he feels incredibly alone. He fails to realize that these are not ants; these are people. They hurt and laugh and cry and bleed just as he does.
body online. And most of you carry a smartphone—at nearly any moment of the day you can pull out that phone and participate in a chatroom or call a family member. Being alone or feeling lonely are states that are all about perspective. If you allow yourself to see the forest (the multitude of people surrounding you) beyond the tree (yourself), you begin to realize that your loneliness is simply a figment of your imagination. You’re never alone. It’s nearly impossible to actually be alone, so don’t allow yourself to feel alone. But what do I know? //
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FLAME //
SCENE PHOTOS
MENJO’S 20//
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GIGI’S
NECTO
CLUB GOLD COAST / SIN OCTOBER 2014
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DIFFA: DINING BY DESIGN Detroit Event 22//
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