Are You a Karma Chamelion?
If your colors were like my dreams
When I was in high school I would listen to my music on cassette tapes in my Sony Walkman. I signed up for Columbia House and got 13 cassettes for a penny. I would listen to Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Cher, Van Halen, Pink Floyd, Barry Manilow and Culture Club. Quite the eclectic combination.
ION JUST JACK
The latter featured a cute man dressed as a woman. His name was Boy George. Since then, there’s been many musicians come and go and others like Boy George have had to reinvent themselves several times. This month we highlight this ultra talented versatile artist. Kind of gives a new meaning to their song Karma Chameleon. He goes on tour for the first time in years and comes to the Valley of the Sun at Celebrity Theater August 25. We’re giving away eight tickets. Simply email IONarizona@me.com and put Boy George in the subject to enter. Check out the feature on page
Since my early beginnings I had to reinvent myself many times also including coming out. Always changing always evolving for the times in order to find my happiness. I had to be a chameleon and relied on karma.
ION Arizona has also evolved and changed to become a better magazine. Once a simple nightlife guide now a multimedia lifestyle tool utilizing social media, website, weekly email blast, an app, YouTube channel, and of course, a full color digital and print magazine.
How have you changed and evolved to become a better, happier person over the years? Did you have to be a chameleon and did you rely on karma to find your happiness.
Enjoy this issue, stay cool, play safe, and be your true self.
Jack M Tesorero A Karma Chameleon
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NOTE: The views expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect the views of ION Arizona, its staff, or that of its parent company.
Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization within ION Arizona is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or organization. To our knowledge, all people photographed and published in ION Arizona are over the age of 18. Some photos were submitted by our readers. To our knowledge, they own the copyrights, and they have given us permission to reproduce them. If you see a picture that you own, please call us immediately and we will remove it from future publications. All copy, text, display, photos, and illustrations in the ads are published with the understanding that the advertisers are fully authorized, have secured proper written consent for the use of names, pictures, and testimonials of any living person, and that ION Arizona is not responsible for unlawful use of such content.
PHX ATTRACTIONS
ION EVENTS
Grounds for Connection
I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. Join in this exciting weekly queer meet-up! Conversation, connection, and community. Open to all. Come meet some new friends in a fun environment meant just for you. No Wicked Witches allowed. Brick Road Coffee, 4415 S. Rural Rd. off the US 60 in Tempe.
Every Wednesday, 6 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
LGBTQ Singles Mixer
Tired of Grindr? Sniffies? Scruff? Looking for love? Or at least “like”? Mingle and flirt with icebreaker activities, and bites from the taco truck, and complimentary drinks. Plus, raffles with prizes and more! Search EventBrite.com for tix. Sazerac, 821 N. 2nd St. in Phoenix.
Wednesday, July 10 at 5:30 - 8 p.m.
Summer Spectacular ArtWalk
Perambulate along the avenues where you can visit the fancy-schmancy art galleries and merchants while enjoying cheap muscatel in a plastic glass! It’s free! It all happens along Marshall Way and Main Street in Scottsdale. More info at ScottsdaleGalleries.com
Thursday, July 11 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Paris Chansons
Pretend you’re not sweating in Phoenix and be transported to the City of Light during an evening with an exciting band performing French music with a global twist, including classic songs in Russian, Italian, and other languages. Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Blvd. in Phoenix. Tickets at MIM.org
Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Blow Out Adult Shoppe Launch Party
Celebrate the revamped Adult Shoppe! Meet adult film stars Max Lorde and Jessie Lee, and check out the go-go dancers. Adult themed baskets will be raffled off. You might win dildo! Barbra Seville will be your hostess with the mostest. Stacy’s at Melrose, 4343 N. 7th Ave. in Phoenix.
Saturday, July 13 at 8 p.m.
PHX Takeover’s Salt River Adventure
Wake up! The good time folks are chartering a bus from Charlie’s at 8:30 a.m. to the Salt River and back. Your $50 ticket includes the shuttle and your tube. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today! Get tickets at PHXTakeover.com
Saturday, July 13 at 8:30 a.m.
Back to the 80s
“Oh, Mickey, you’re so fine!” We got the beat and we can dance if we want to, because girls just wanna have fun! Boys do, too! All you man-eaters better beat it to the Thunderbird Lounge, 712 W Montecito Ave. in Phoenix. Free w/ RSVP at TicketWeb.com
Saturday, July 13 at 9 p.m.
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Hey, sweet transvestites! Come see this camp classic at Lambda Phoenix Center. Advance tickets are $25 and include a props package. Alcohol-free Refreshments will be available at event. Tickets: RenewalinTheDesert.org 2622 N. 19th St. at Virginia St. in Phoenix.
Wednesday, July 20 at 9 p.m.
PHX TAKEOVER SALT RIVER ADVENTURE
Hey There,
We tumble 4 the 80’s pop icon performing live at Celebrity Theatre
by Deon Brown
The entertainment world today is a scene that’s exploding with wannabe celebrities and fame whores. Some of them last. Most don’t. The internet, cable TV, reality TV competition, and streaming platforms have provided a forum for candidates to make their mark. Or at least try. The weird ones. The wicked ones. The wild ones. The wonderful ones, too.
If you’re under 30 years old, it’s hard to imagine how the British, sexually androgynous, fey, gender-bending singer George O’Dowd made such a splash and made audiences gasp in the early 1980s. Full-make up. Braided hair. A wild wardrobe. Who was this, exactly? We knew him better as “Boy George,” the lead singer for a pop band called “Culture Club” because their original name – Sex Gang Children – was just a little too much for the public to swallow. The band released their debut album, “Kissing to be Clever” in 1982, loaded with hits.
Georgy Boy!
The public zeroed in on Boy George’s sexuality. “I always feel that my whole life is representing the LGBT community. It’s kind of what I do all the time. A lot of people come to me all the time and say, ‘Thank you for helping me be who I am.’ So my thing wasn’t just about sexuality. It was about anyone who felt different; anyone who felt out of place.” He went on to say, “I would rather have a cup of tea than sex.”
Nonetheless, back then the public was still baffled and shocked by the flamboyantly flashy Boy George. “I wear makeup and dress this way because I think it makes me look better,” he explained. “I am not doing it to get people to stare at me. If I wanted to do that I could just put a pot on my head, wear a wedding dress, and run down the street screaming.”
Back then, the singer who crooned “Karma Chameleon” astonished a shocked public. Now, a little bit of eyeliner, rouge, and lipstick on a man isn’t shocking at all. But
Despite the progressiveness and permissiveness of the decade, the public was still getting used to the wildly swinging pendulum of sexual identity which exploded in the 70’s. Boy George pointed out, “Being gay isn’t so easy, either. I’ve always said that if anyone thought I was straight they must need glasses — but when I finally came out and said, ‘Yes, I do sleep with men and I’m gay,’ yeah, I lost record sales. There’s no question — big, big time.”
Still, Boy George’s impact on culture is so noteworthy that in 2002 he was voted 46th of the “100 Greatest Britons” in a BBC poll. And that’s coming from a country with hundreds of years of history and thousands of heavy-hitters, like William Shakespeare, Sir Winston Churchill, The Duke of Wellington, Princess Diana, Charles Dickens, Guy Fawkes, and both Queens Elizabeth. Pretty stiff competition.
However, the quirky Culture Club queen snubbed the Queen back in 2010 when the performer was approached to receive the honorary knighthood of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), giving Her Majesty a not-so-royal snub. Later Boy George admitted he “regretted” rejecting the invitation. “I was a bit belligerent at that point, and my mum was so upset.”
Then there was the time Boy George, dressed in a pink sack dress and cashmere coat, was presented to the Queen’s sister, party girl Princess Margaret, who sniffed, “I don’t know who he is but he looks like an overmade-up tart. I don’t want to be photographed with him,” according to a report in London’s Sun newspaper in 1984. (Boy George stormed off in a huff.)
Times change. With the break up of Culture Club in 1986, Boy George began
George fought his much publicized addiction to heroin. He found full sobriety in 2008. “You find out so many interesting things when you’re not on drugs,”
Boy George has penned his memoirs in Take It Like A Man (1995), continuing on with Straight (2005), and Karma: My Autobiography (2023). An audience favorite, in 2017 he competed on The New Celebrity Apprentice (post Donald Trump with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hosting) coming in at second place.
Flash forward, the icon just ended his three-month run as the expansive nightclub impresario Harold Zidler in the Tony AwardMoulin Rouge! The Musical,” from February through May 2024. Making music is still part of Boy George’s soul. On April 5 he released the heart-pumping, jumping, thumping “Them There Crows” with beat drops and guitar riffs that’s genuinely thrilling.
Boy George announced he’s going on the road co-headlining with Squeeze this August and September, 2024. Squeeze are an English rock band that rose to prominence in the United Kingdom during the New Wave period of the late 1970s, and continued recording in the 1980s, 1990s and 2010s. In the UK, their singles “Cool for Cats”, “Up the Junction”, and “Labelled with Love” were top-ten chart hits in
And Boy, oh, Boy! When George takes the stage expect to hear about a dozen songs, like Iggy Pop cover, “Funtime,” and David Bowie’s “The Jean Genie” as well as the Culture Club hits including, “Church of the Poison Mind,” “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” “Miss Me Blind” and more with “Karma Chameleon” as the encore.
With so many incarnations of Boy George through the decades, the ups, the downs, the highs and lows, he’s optimistic and recommends, “The best thing you can do is work on your personality because we’re all gonna get ugly.” Not with a little bit of makeup and a powder puff. It’s a miracle!
See Boy George with Squeeze on Sunday, August 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd St. in Phoenix. For tickets visit CelebrityTheatre.com or email boxoffice@celebritytheatre.com
VIP Tickets with Meet ’n’ Greet available.
Box Office Phone: 602-267-1600
Model: Jacob McNew
Photography: LeakedGlass
Stacy’s @ Melrose Trey Cabaret (W)
JUL
Walter Studios Weekend Brunch (W)
Charlie’s Sunday Funday (W)
Walter Studios Weekend Brunch (W)
30 14 7 21 28 2 16 9 23 30 1 15 8 22 29
Charlie’s Sunday Funday (W)
Sazerac Karaoke (W) 8pm
The Adult Shoppe (24th St) Meet Max Lord JUN
Thunderbird Lounge Happy Hour Specials (W)
Sazerac Karaoke (W) 8pm
Stacy’s @ Melrose Karaoke (W)
Charlie’s Undie Mundies (W)
Sazerac Karaoke (W)
Charlie’s Blackout Bingo / Karaoke (W)
Thunderbird Lounge Trivia (W)
Stacy’s @ Melrose Rising Star Drag Show (W)
Charlie’s Blackout Bingo / Karaoke (W)
Charlie’s WTF! Wednesdays (W)
Sazerac Whiskey Flights / Cigars (W)
Charlie’s Turnabout Show
Stacy’s @ Melrose Communion Goth Night (W)
WEDNESDAY 3 17 10 24 31
THURSDAY
Thunderbird Lounge Loteria (W)
Stacy’s @ Melrose Milkshake Fetish Ball (M)
Sazerac / Roosevelt Row
Flex Spa’s Phoenix Blackout Night (W)
Thunderbird Lounge Loteria (W)
Charlie’s Pipin’ Hot Friday’s (W)
Sazerac Whiskey Flights / Cigars (W)
Sazerac Weekly DJ’s (W)
FRIDAY 4 18 11 25 1 6 20 13 27 3 5 19 12 26 2
Flex Spa’s Phoenix Blackout Night (W)
Charlie’s IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY BITCH!
Stacy’s @ Melrose Dance Party (W)
Stacy’s @ Melrose Communion Goth Night (W)
Sazerac Weekly DJ’s (W)
Charlie’s Pipin’ Hot Friday’s (W)
Sazerac / Roosevelt Row First Friday (M)
Charlie’s PHX Takeover Salt River Adventure
Stacy’s @ Melrose Adult Shoppe Blowout Party
Charlie’s Foam Party
Stacy’s @ Melrose Dance Party (W)
Walter Studios Weekend Brunch (W)
ION STREAMING
Trixie Motel: Drag Me Home
Pushing the envelope during their first year as motel mavens in Palm Springs, Trixie Mattel and her partner, David Silver, look to do something some might say is even scarier: taking the leap into home ownership and cohabitation with the purchase of their dream home in Los Angeles.
Fantasmas
From the creator of perplexing Los Espookys, Julio Torres writes, directs, and stars in the immersive miniseries where he embarks on a hunt for his missing golden oyster earring in New York City. This isn’t an easily digestible show, it’s so weird and strange that it’s going to turn a lot of people off. The bizarre Torres is hailed as a “genius,” but you bet the judge.
I Kissed A Boy
The U.K.’s first-ever all gay male dating show starts with a kiss, as sexy singles are matched with a compatibility test and then asked to lock lips before even saying hello. Will the couple stick it out to the end, or will they be tempted by the others while living in a gorgeous Italian villa? Pop icon Danii Minogue as the host.
TRIXIE MOTEL
ION PRI(DE MON)TH PARTIES
NKOTB “Magic Summer Tour”
Get your 80s & 90s pop music freak on! NKOTB has the right stuff and Paula Abdul is still forever your girl, plus DJ Jazzy Jeff is … still a DJ, I guess? Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N. 83rd Ave. in Phoenix. TicketMaster.com or call 800-653-8000
Tuesday, July 9
ION ARTS
Idina Menzel
“Let it go! Let it go!” Hey, Show Tune Queens! This is your big chance to see Adele Dazeem, one of the most influential stage actors of her generation. She defies gravity live, on stage at the Mesa Arts Center, One E. Main St. Get your tix at MesaArtsCentercom or call 480-644-6500
Thursday, July 25
Janet Jackson
Her first name ain’t “Baby.” It’s “Janet. Miss Jackson if you’re nasty.” She’s still in control and you won’t want to miss this this legend perform at the Footprint Center, 201 E. Jefferson St. in Phoenix. Get your tickets at TicketMaster.com or call 800-653-8000
Tuesday, July 30
JANET JACKSON
DANCE PARTY
ION CIRCUIT OVERLOAD
Genderfluid Muscle Fem Singer Queen Sir JET
Embraces Solitude in New Single “Stay with Me”
The genderfluid, muscle fem pop singer Queen Sir JET admits that she has never had a real relationship. “I’ve gone on many dates, but despite my wanting to be in a relationship, I have never quite reached that level of connection with another person,” she explains.
Queen Sir JET is alone, but not necessarily lonely. She has learned to embrace life’s sadness, the same way she embraces life’s joy, and she hopes her new single, “Stay with Me,” inspires listeners to do the same. “Sadness is part of the process in everything we experience; you can’t find true happiness until you find who you are without it, and that’s only found through grief and isolation.”
It’s why every song the artist writes showcases the power of sadness and also why she recently changed her name from Sir JET to Queen Sir JET. “People often ask me what it is exactly that I think I’m the queen of. I’m not a queen because I think I’m fierce, or because I’m the ruler of a certain population,” she clarifies.
“I’m a queen in the sense that I have mastered sorrow and solitude. I am the queen of sadness and my songs are a reflection of that.”
Queen Sir JET grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and later Scottsdale, Arizona. She was a two-year-old male who wanted to play with dolls and wear sparkly leotards that grew into a teenager who despised his body hair and his changing voice. A doctor diagnosed her as having a mental disorder, gender dysmorphia, and put her on anti-depressants.
Queen Sir JET explains, “I was the quintessential bullied kid as a youth; as a teenager, I had no friends. I didn’t have the opportunity to develop social skills so as an adult, people thought I was odd and off putting. In the early stages of my music career, gay media tore me apart for being a typical gay muscle guy but then when I finally came into my own as a cross-dresser, they said I was too different to be relatable. It wasn’t until I was 28 living on my own in Hollywood when I began to understand it was safe to come out of hiding,” Queen Sir JET says. She bleached her hair like her idol Marie Fredrikkson of Roxette, started wearing female clothing and painting her nails. She was thrilled to finally escape the heteronormative world and embraced her new identity in her music.
Queen Sir JET says that an undying pattern throughout her life has been “you’re just not what we’re looking for.” It was from the constant rejection that “Stay with Me” came to be. “When you’ve been told so many times, everywhere you go, that you don’t belong, you eventually break and simply resign yourself to being alone.”
“Stay with Me” is a mid-tempo, electronic song, and in it, the artist dives into her psyche, asking questions that she often ponders about in real life. Quandaries like: “Am I a good person? I sometimes wonder if my motives are pure and if I’m putting other’s needs before my own. Did I say the wrong thing to that person?
Should I have given more when I noticed someone was hurting? I don’t always know how to put my feelings into words.”
She admits she is also guilty of not giving herself emotionally to a person in the same way she gives to them physically. “All too often what I offer to the person lying next to me is my body and sexual gratification when what they really need is an empathetic hand.”
“In the end, ‘Stay with Me’ is about recognizing that not everything in life is sunshine and rainbows,” Queen Sir JET reflects. “Emotions are all temporary, so there’s no shame in giving in to the dark side from time to time. We can be happy later and fully feel our grief now. I tend to be a lone wolf myself, so this song was my way of coming to terms with the fact that I might always be. In other words, I’m ok with my own loneliness.”
Queen Sir JET’s “Stay with Men” is being distributed by So Fierce Music and will be available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms on July 12.
Follow Queen Sir Jet on Tik Tok and Instagram.
HYDRATION
PHOENIX FRIDAY SATURDAY
DRINK & EVENT GUIDE
NAVIGATION
Use the ION ARIZONA APP for Google Maps turn-by-turn directions with links to UBER & LYFT! DON’T DRINK & DRIVE!
fezoncentral.com
flexspas.com
ftrooftop.com
hulasmoderntiki.com
karambanightclub.com
kingpingrill.com
kobaltbarphoenix.com
mipatioaz.com
nutownebar.com
ozbarphx.com rewinedphx.square therockdmphoenix
sazeracphoenix.com
ION FABULANCE
ION HOMOSCOPES E
xpect transformation all around you. The Sun travels through Cancer and your intuition is heightened. ¶ Dreamy Neptune is in retrograde through December 7. This is a time to encourage introspection and spiritual reflection. It’s not that scary. Reassess everything you believed before. Does it hamper who you really are? Look at those fantasies you’ve cultivated; time to make some of them come true. Some, not all! ¶ Mercury makes a splashy, fiery entrance on July 2 giving you energy. ¶ The New Moon on July 5 brings an emotional locomotive to the station; invite the “Feelings” to stay for a while. ¶ Celestial shifts promise a dynamic month ahead. Flirt wildly!
ARIES Mar. 21 - Apr. 20
It’s all about making a fresh start. But you can’t just wait for something to “happen” on its own. Oh no. You have to make an elevator pitch that lures others into investing in them.
TAURUS April. 21 - May 20
Your creativity is running full throttle and it’s a good idea to follow your natural impulsive curiosity. You’re feeling stifled but the Full Moon helps you redefine your fabulousness.
GEMINI May 21 - June 21
It’s a good time to do something you’ve been intending to do for a long time. No, it’s not rearranging your sock drawer. But if that’s what makes you happy, go for it.
CANCER June 22 - July 22
It’s Cancer season! Get outta your head and examine what’s in your heart. Self-care is your priority. Is it your birthday? Indulge! In everything! Do something slightly ridiculous.
LEO July 23 - Aug. 22
Experience a wealth of rejuvenation happening all around you. Express your feelings – but be aware others might express theirs, too. Birthday cats will show off their natural charm and work their magic.
VIRGO Aug. 23 - Sep. 22
It’s all about communication. Choose your words carefully and work at not pissing anybody off. Roll up your shirtsleeves and pitch in. See that Capricorn over there? The cute one? Yep. That one. They like to help.
LIBRA Sep. 23 - Oct. 22
Things are looking juicy for you! Your vibe attracts your tribe, and you have an army of kooky kindred spirits. Take a crack at something you thought was was long since buried. Surprise!
SCORPIO Oct. 23 - Nov.23
Intense discussions take place with family and with friends. This has been building up for a while now but try to go with the flow. Otherwise you won’t get invited to any pool parties.
SAGITTARIUS Nov. 23 - Dec. 23
Are you searching for the Truth? It all starts with Mercury, the planet of communication. Expect lots of exciting conversations. Maybe a few revelations, too. But just remember, sometimes what you don’t know won’t hurt you.
CAPRICORN Dec. 23 - Jan. 20
How do you get your message across to others? You’re blunt and notorious for not sugarcoating anything you say. Is that always the right approach? A gentler touch might be helpful.
AQUARIUS Jan. 21 - Feb. 19
It’s all about the power of manifestation. It’s all about visualization. Who makes it happen? You do, cupcake. When it comes to your creation process, damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead! Just put on your seatbelt.
PISCES Feb. 20 - Mar. 20
This is a moment for you to embrace the Divine! Your intuition and artistic abilities are at their peak. Create something special … like music! Or a painting! Or even a lemon meringue pie. We like pie.
