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Matt Nadel has quite a connection with the viatical settlement industry – the cottage industry created to purchase life insurance policies from largely gay men dying of AIDS. Based on their life expectancy, policies were purchased and a settlement oHered the client, and investors collected the rest when the person died.
Matt, a gay man and filmmaker, has a father who created one of those companies. It largely paid for Matt’s upbringing, but the nature of the company wasn’t revealed to Matt by his father until only a few years ago.
That is the basis for Cashing Out, Matt’s film that takes us back to the early, ruinous days of the AIDS crisis and some of the characters involved, including those who ran
the viatical companies and some surviving people living with HIV/AIDS who managed to cheat death – and the investors.
Cashing Out is being shown as part of Out on Film, Atlanta’s great LGBTQ film festival. But never fear. Anyone can purchase a ticket to watch Cashing Out in streaming format during the course of the festival, happening now, by visiting the Out on Film website.
I sat down for a zoom call with Matt as part of Out on Film to discuss his excellent film, and discuss those early days, how his father’s business gave his father insight into gay community that his own gay son didn’t have, and whether or not there is a vi llain to be found in this equation.
It’s a fascinating chat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDQUy_JRKkM
The film includes interviews with trans icon Dee Dee Chamblee as well as the founder of POZ Magazine, Sean Strub, who used a viatical settlement to fund the launch of the magazine.
Thanks for watching, my friends, and please be well.
Mark
I’m not sure if many have heard the phrase, “A hard head makes a soft behind” during their childhood. Growing up in South Carolina in the seventies and eighties was interesting because the elders would give life lesson warnings. I remember going to my first gay club in Florence, South Carolina, in 1987, Chain Reaction, and being so clueless. I remember my first so - called boyfriend (who I learned was everybody’s boyfriend, it seemed), and I would go there to see other so - called friends. One night in the club, a high school gay classmate (nicknamed “Pussy”), who I never really knew, pulled me aside, pointed out at least three diNerent people who were sleeping with my boyfriend, and told me to go home because I was better than this. I raced home, shed tears, etc. Weeks later, I found out he was cheating on me with one guy, Dennis, who I met directly, and Dennis was friendly enough to shed light on their interactions. Years later, I found this same high school classmate on Facebook and thanked him for caring enough to pull me aside. Sadly, he said that all those guys who were sleeping with my boyfriend had passed away, including my ex-boyfriend and many of them had HIV/AIDS. My heart sank, and I sat still, thanking God that I was humble enough to listen to his ad vice back then.
One of my maternal male cousins franticly called me years ago, needing to talk as soon as possible. He mentioned that his gay stepson, who was sixteen years old, needed some guidance. At first, I thought he had an issue with him being gay, and it wasn’t the case. He was worried about him having sex so young with older men and asked if I could speak with this young man, but I could quickly tell he would grow up faster than he should. Unfortunately, I received a call a few years later from my cousin who told me this same young man, who was then nineteen years old, was infected with HIV/AIDS by an older man. he had been doing his own thing, etc. The HIV epidemic in the United States and around the world is still shaped by race, class, and sexual orientation; males who have sex with men in Black and Brown communities are disproportionately aNected by new infections. HIV diagnoses among gay and
bisexual men climbed by 25% globally between 2010 and 2019 despite a fall in infections across other groups. Six Nearly 70% of new HIV diagnoses in the US are given to gay and bisexual men; of these, 31% are Black, and 25% are Latinx. Recently, the South Carolina Department of Public Health reported that around 15,000 people in the state including kids and teenagers are HIV positive or have AIDS. Eight of the top ten states or U.S. territories with the highest rates of new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 people are in the Deep South, according to a spokesman for Palmetto Community Care, a nonprofit that oNers free HIV testing. Among the states that fit this description is South Carolina.
It was 1986 in New York City. The Upper West Side was gentrified, commingling and sometimes clashing with the once, very populated Latinx and African Americans who resided in those neighborhoods after New York City went bankrupt many buildings fell into disrepair. They were now being purchased and revived. This trend kept pushing minorities and working poor people further uptown and to the outer boroughs. Everyone, mainly Yuppies, wanted a reasonable apartment in a cool neighborhood.. There was audacious wealth, flaunted by Wall Street baby boomers, that had fled the suburbs, to find a more exciting life. Celebrities were laced throughout the neighborhood, as were aspiring artists, musicians, actors and great reinventors. There were so many people pretending to be “a somebody”. I knew so many people that were allegedly actors, singers and musicians that weren’t working because, in their own words: “There were simply no roles or gigs available.” While in reality there were opportunities, but they lacked the ambition or confidence to go after them. Sometimes clinging to a dream is all that a person needs to explain their way through life.
There was a gold rush of rock and pop musicians jumping upon the MTV dream bandwagon, clawing their ways to the top. It seemed that everybody had a Madonna story, usually the bitter, mediocre, male rocker, slurring her with degrading sexual remarks or just dissing her talent. Then others shared cool stories about her. Lots of people wanted what Madonna had and that is fame. However, the musical theater snobs, Broadway aspirants and opera people wished they could squeeze their talents and gifts into her ability to be ubiquitous and successful. Nevertheless, with Lincoln Center, The Met, Broadway, ABC Studios and Carnegie Hall around, celebrities wined and dined at Upper West Side restaurants that many of my friends had wait and bartender gigs at.
There was an obnoxious, back to basics, return to the 1950s vibe happening. It was actually a dog whistle for homophobia and racism. Ronald Reagan was very hated for ignoring the Aids pandemic and gutting the halfway houses, banishing the mentally ill into the streets. The homeless people. many with psychiatric disorders were bringing a sort of street theater, juxtaposed against a backdrop of chic stores,and pretentiously expensive new restaurants. Though the tragedies of the homeless were horrible, many brought their sweet eccentricities into twisted, sort of a celebrity status. Many of the colorful homeless had some sort of legend attached to them. One was the butter lady that stole butter o[ of cafe tables, taunting my friend John who waited tables on Columbus Avenue. The other was a woman, Ethyl Paster, who was quite the fashion plate, albeit wearing dated, out of season fashions that she claimed to keep in a locker in Penn Station. Another was an eccentric woman that would often say outlandish things, She wore glasses with one blue tinted lens. She also wore very expensive shoes and frocks. She would turn out to be the aunt of a friend of mine. She was an Upper East Side debutante that dropped out, chose to take in the out of doors and would often show up at my friend’s mother’s townhouse to get money.
Amidst all the hope and aspirational dreams in New York City, HIV was everywhere and hard to ignore as I was attending music classes. The Upper West Side was generally a safe place for the Yuppies and LGBTQ people, though bashings and muggings were frequent and often under-reported. I would see local friends and acquaintances that appeared healthy one day, then would be reduced to a walking corpse a few weeks later. People shared horror stories of friends taking ill. My dear friend John, who feuded with The Butter Lady, soon became ill with Aids, as did the restaurant’s bartender: Sherman, a Southern man, whose wealthy family had disowned and disinherited because he was gay.
I would become a frequent visitor to AIDS wards and hospitals, trying my best to encourage my friends to rally, only to see them succumb to this monster called Aids. People were so angry that nothing was being done. Homophobia and prejudice was common, even from some healthcare workers, who were fearful about exactly how Aids was transmitted. There were all sorts of rumors, all sorts of shame, as Aids was used as justification for hating LGBTQ people. Celebrities began to become ill and many that had secret lives were soon exposed and vilified. Politicians, horrible comics and right-wing evangelicals condemned Aids victims as though they were depraved sex fiends that deserved their Aids death sentence.
Everybody started getting paranoid in the early 80s, as to why certain people became ill and others did not. Men and women gay, bi or straight, alike were paranoid. Many women had active sex lives after the sexual revolution of the 60s. It was common fare to hook up with people in both the disco and rock scenes. I loved the East Village where my family were from, for CBGBs, The Pyramid, The Mud Club and the array of dives and cheap to eat, funky, Polish and Veggie restaurants it had. Anyone that ever had any kind of sex life lived in fear that they were infected
and a human time bomb. I had 2 girlfriends that would succumb to HIV and HIV was somehow more ravaging to women, perhaps due to hormones, menses and general ignorance of female medicine. The women I knew succumbed more quickly. I had a friend Ann who hosted events at The Pyramid Club. She seemed fine, then one day appeared like a skeleton and then was dead. The same with 2 other female friends, though the bulk of the victims were gay men.
The music industry was homophobic. Formerly Bisexual musicians were suddenly straight. I had a neighborhood friend that was a jazz musician. He attained a record deal then was in the studio creating a light jazz album. He was told, keep lots of women in the studio, so that no one knows your story. Madonna heroically held an Aids Benefit Concert at Madison Square Garden as she was one of the biggest celebrities at the time. Other music moguls kept very silent until it was expedient to come out. A certain mega music Svengali advised his gifted African American star to not flaunt her relationship with her female “friend” . Prior to her ascent, she had a birthday party thrown by this mogul in The Hamptons. An actor-singer- caterer friend told me that her and her girlfriend were all over one another and very ”Out There”. Though rumors persisted about her and do till today, her carefully crafted brand has kept them quashed.
Everyone wanted to be fit and healthy. I too juggled wild nights out with going to the gym. I was feeling a bit blue after being dumped by my shady, gangster boyfriend who managed nightclubs. He o[ered me a vacation, shopping spree in London if I would accompany him to Scotland, which I did, only to drop me o[ at my apartment with my luggage telling me: “Sorry baby, it’s over!”. I went to the gym 2 days later, telling a friend about how majestic the Scottish Countryside is and lamenting how I was single again. I noticed this guy, a 6 foot something, beefy guy who looked very cute. Then we noticed this weird, lecherous old man that we had nicknamed Bob Skeleton, because he looked like a blend of the famous comedians: Bob Hope and Red Skeleton. He walked up to the mirror and said to the beefy, blond dude: “Take a look at yourself, you know what I see? I see football players' thighs!” My friend and I laughed. We then were noticed by the blushing, modest blond dude and began a conversion. We introduced ourselves, he said “Hi my name is Ken!” We then warned him, Stay away from Bob Skeleton, “he creeps on cute guys and has been warned about not harassing the clientele.”
My friend went o[ to her workout and Ken and I continued to talk. We discovered we lived around the block from one another. He was a writer of fiction, a grad student and worked at NYU as an employee tenure director. He was a very proper academic that weighed his words with careful calculation. I told him I was a hairdresser and musician and part time psychic. He went on to inquire about his hair and I suggested some things. He lived with his husband, a fellow named John who was an aspiring opera singer.
We would meet numerous times at the gym and one night went out for a bite to eat. I would learn that he had gone to Duke University hailed from Durham, NC. We shared in common that we both had lost our mothers at a young age. His dad remarried and my dad was deceased. In truth I very much felt like an orphan as my own mother died when I was 25 and father when I was 26. There is a weird disconnect when a person is so young and they lose their very vessels in which they came from. We had a bond, a dear friendship from there on end. My father was not much of a father at all as he struggled with bipolar and addiction. But, Ken immediately gave me a paternal feeling of protection, while never interfering in my process, I would never doubt that he always had my best interest in mind. I would come to grow close to Ken and his husband John. John was a dear character. John would have the skinny on the newest trendy restaurant he would rave about how wonderful it was. Then on his second visit he would be claiming it all went downhill, even though that wasn't often the case. John was very picky, trying to get his opera career oJ the ground attending The Salzburg Festival. For whatever reason he did not pick up an agent. I became Ken and John’s hairdresser. I created a cool look for both of them.
One day Ken pulled out an elaborately wrapped garment explaining that he had a gig when he came to NYC as a publicity writer for some shows that Divine was in. He explained that the dress was featured on a Christmas cover of a gay, entertainment magazine: In touch. Ken worked on Neon Women and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Graham” for Divine. Divine also signed a photograph that Ken had on the wall of his upper West Side apartment. Ken was friends with Divine. A year later, Divine had passed away on the publicity tour for the 1988 film: “Hairspray” . I wondered about the gown and assumed it was a collector’s item that he cherished. He went on to explain that the dress was a white fishtail dress modeled somewhat after the red one in Pink Flamingos. Only this one had a tube top.
Ken would share all about the novel that he was writing. It was entitled: The Constant guest. The heroine of his novel was a southern society columnist modeled after Ken’s late mother. His heroine had the same hair that his mother had: Fine and unable to hold a proper shape. Ironically, Ken’s mother had died, after suJering a heart attack at her hairdressers. Ken’s heroine was a constant guest of the very rich. While she mingled with the wealthy and was an integral part of their publicity and reputation, she was only a poor girl from the south. Ken would often run concepts by me, what I thought should or shouldn't not be included. Or Ken would just share an inspiration.
I am a singer and songwriter, I too would run ideas by Ken. Ken had a penchant for Opera and theater music, he was not nearly the music snob as his husband John was. But, Ken had some pop, jazz and R&B sense. He would often reference a song incorrectly. He told me a grim childhood tale about his kindly father, trying desperately to get help for an African American family that had a car crash in the rain. He described their car had flipped, blood was pouring out of the car, being washed in rivers of hard rain and a song was blasting. He could not recall the song exactly, only describing it as a Motown song, he thought. I scratched my head over that one, o[ering up options. This, only to realize that the song in question was not a Motown joint, but Ray Charles’s “Hit The Road Jack” ABC-Paramount. Until this day, when I hear Ray’s song, I cannot get that poor family and gruesome image out of my head, thanks to Ken.
Ken and John would su[er through many of my rock and cabaret shows. Ken was always polite and encouraging so as not to bruise my then tender ego. No matter what, Ken supported me through thick and thin, from bad relationships. Tragedies to Victories Ken celebrated me and my e[orts as I did his and Johns. They became my surrogate parents in a way. And family are the people that we share our hearts with.
Though blood ties are supposed to claim precedent, such is not always the case. When I finally met a nice guy and moved to The East Village in 1992, Ken and John were there to encourage me. Ken told me that I would flourish downtown and he was correct. Ken would reassure me when I went on tour with a band in Europe, only to console me upon my return, not as a star, but working in a magic candle shop. He always said :” Never give up hope!”
In 1993 so much hope was soon dimmed as Ken’s husband: dear John became ill. Soon thereafter Ken succumbed to HIV sharing hospital beds, not far apart at the now closed,Saint Vincent’s Hospital. Their lives turned rapidly from being vital, beautiful young men with dreams, to what felt like an elderly couple whose days consisted of ongoing tests, medications, hospital stays and an apartment that became more of a hospice.
One great highlight of my friend Ken’s life was his giving a reading of a rough draft of “The Constant Guest” at New York’s Gay and Lesbian Center, if I can recall correctly, the year was 1994. He was working with a publisher on finishing up his novel. I remember sitting in the audience so proud of Ken, so grateful to hear his voice share his magically crafted words bring to life his heroine as she would address a poignant moment of her story as a society writer, showboating her foxtrot skills at a society gala she attended, Ken’s face beamed with joy, as it often did. He had the look of a Campbell Soup kid from the 60s ads, round, full and delightful. I tried my best to nurture, love and heal them, spending time on phone calls and at bedside. Ken purchased some expensive new furniture: a lush green velvet couch and a grand, king-sized bed. The luxurious bed reminded me of a place where
royalty like Queen Victoria and Albert would rest. I said “Yes, I approve it’s a bed fit for kings!” The idea of imminently losing what felt like two safe parental figures was devastating. Perhaps the multitudes of friends that just kept dying compounded these emotions. I was only skimming my own past traumas in therapy and recovery, but this was all too much. Never in any event, or transition of my life did Ken abandon his encouragement for me. I would visit them as they declined One day near Christmas Ken called me crying, saying ”He’s gone, just gone!” John had su[ered a stroke and was unconscious and was on home hospice laying upon his side of their grand bed. Within a week John had passed, soon thereafter in the new year, Ken would pass away to join John. Of course, to say I was devastated would be an understatement. They both were cremated, and Ken’s parents would come to sort out his belongings.
Ken would will me with some earrings and his Divine ballgown and autographed photo. He left my then fiancé James, Ken’s clothing. I would finally meet Ken’s stepmother who loved Christmas and his wonderful father Hoyt. Hoyt broke into tears saying: “ I lost my boy!” He then handed me the carefully wrapped ball gown, photo and clothing bags to my fiancé. Hoyt said to James, just said: “Please keep what you want and give the rest to goodwill We embraced and said goodbye never meeting again.
Soon thereafter I would marry a di[erent man and raise 2 stepdaughters. My life took
many turns, all the while I had this ball gown in my possession, always wondering what I would do with it? I left New York City, came to New Jersey, left showbiz, worked as a medical assistant for a time, returned to hairdressing then resuming a music and acting career. My dear daughter had a favorite vintage store she loved in Somerville New Jersey called Incogneeto. I would go to the shop occasionally. I just adored the owner Stacy Loalbo. She asked me to model in one of her fashion shows. I one day brought the gown to Stacy. She put it on a model, photographed it, and published on her website that it was available for sale. A wonderful young man: Noah Brodie, a guitarist in Fred Schneider’s band (of B-52s fame) wanted to purchase it. Noah was collecting Divine artifacts and memorabilia to put together a Divine Museum exhibit. We negotiated a price and o[ to Noah Brodie the Divine ball gown and autographed photo went.
I know that Ken is happy that the gown found its true place of appreciation. I asked Noah if I could write about Ken and the gown. He included a piece detailing the life of Ken King and how Ken met Divine and Ken’s favorite photo of himself that was taken in La Isla Mujeres, Mexico Though Ken never finished his novel, at least the Divine Ballgown is in its best new home. Ken wherever you are, I hope that you approve of my story and know that someday we all will be back together again.
I've been a CANFAR Ambassador since 2018. I've met many people plus other activists and this month I am very happy to introduce you to a fellow CANFAR Ambassador...Julio Reyes Cocka (Fashionista, HIV activist, Advocate for Mental Health services for Children & the 2SLGBTQIA+ and HIV/AIDS communities, as well as a teacher for children with autism and on the spectrum). We've got a lot to talk about so let's get started...
JE: Julio...thank you so much for taking time to do this interview. I had been wanting to talk with you about your work and activism for a while. How are you today?
JRC: Today, given the gloomy weather and rather frantic weekend I had - a bit scattered but thankfully I have a couple of work out classes to help me down regulate and refocus.
JE: Would you mind telling our readers a little about yourself? Where are you from? What's your background?
JRC: Well, I was born in Guatemala. In a small pueblo called Morales in the province (departamento) of Izabal. I'm of mixed indigenous Maya decent of that territory along with Chinese & Spanish ancestry from my mother's side and German from my father's side. We're a matriarchal culture so we follow our mothers, grandmother healers & female knowledge keepers/ancestors to guide our traditions, customs and culture. My mother and I emigrated to Toronto in 1991 when I was 3 and only had one other family member here; a first cousin of my mother's to call community or support. I'd say it was a very challenging experience growing up, learning a new language, cultures, territory and governing body that is constitutional, Canada. Like most new comers or visitors to these territories; assimilating into Canadian culture took years or hardship, financial insecurity and countless barriers.
JE: So, we do call this column UP CLOSE & PERSONAL...and I have to ask how long have you been HIV+ and what was it like for you when diagnosed?
JRC: I was diagnosed in March of 2016. Thankfully, at that time I was 27 and growing up in Toronto proper, I had been involved within the Queer scene since I was 16 and was very privileged to have the knowledge from within the community of what had happened in the 80s/90s at the height of the AIDS crisis. I knew there were options and resources available to folks diagnosed and living with HIV to some degree and knew it was a death sentence. But I've been living with ADHD since I was 12 and if anything, THAT was more so my concern - what my thought process and hyper obsession would turn into. Spiralling scenarios, anxiety and worst- case probabilities. Now that I think about it, that is when I more or less started seeing a therapist and that was the beginning of an enormous healing and unpacking process.
JE: You wear a lot of hats. Is it true that you are the founder of FASHIONIGHTS.com (one of Canada’s longest running fashion & lifestyle blogs)? How did you start the site and how do you keep up with fashion trends?
JRC: I am the founder of FASHIONIGHTS and the story of how it came to be was really to get back at an ex boyfriend. Petty, I know - but I was also 21 years old. I won't go into full details into that story because I've grown and I'm not that brat that still had a lot of growing up to do. Regarding trends, I hate them. I've always said that trends are how the industry keeps people with no style coming back to buying more. Style is something you can't buy - anyone can make a piece or item work if they know how to make something fit or work within their closet or personal style. If we're talking about global runways and shows, I watch every single one, globally every season - I also have photographic memory; an ADHD super power (symptom) that's allowed me to remember the most obscure references throughout fashion history.
JE: I know from working with you as a CANFAR Ambassador that you work with children. Could you share with us what it is that you do and how long have you been doing this work?
JRC: I have my diploma in Early Childhood education and had been working in an early learning centre within a Toronto District School Board school since my second placement before graduating from my program since 2008. Being an educator, like personal style are things you can't teach, anyone can be a teacher and stand in front of a classroom but to have authentic meaningful connections with children & students, not everyone can; and
that's to be an educator. I ran a before and afterschool program for nearly a decade with grade 2 & 3 and I loved it - it came so naturally to me! Recently, I was in a multi-service
agency that saw me evolve and specialize my educator role to supporting children under the age of 6 living with autism, ADHD, AuDHD & other neurodivergent traits.
JE: As soon as I moved to Canada, I came out about my HIV status. What made you decide to come out about yours and how did you become an activist?
JRC: I was open to my close friends almost immediately because I had a fairly decent understanding that HIV is a medical condition that with the right treatment is as manageable, if not more, than something like diabetes. I do have to say that my case was caught very early with routine STI checks & bloodwork and I had access to resources like health benefits to immediately start treatment. So that added more reassurance to being more confident about disclosing to all. I unfortunately, already knew that my particular case with accessing health care, treatment and other resources is not the case for many and there's a huge demographic that are misinformed due to stigmas associated with HIV/AIDS. I knew that the stigmas and continued propagations of misinformation is what leads folks to die due to HIV, not the actual condition itself. That's why I shifted and even directed the platform I had created on FASHIONIGHTS to really spearhead a conversation and put myself as an example of living - THRIVING with HIV. Despite being a very visible minority, Queer and of mixed-Indigenous background, I still had privileges that allowed me access to life-saving treatment and I use my lived- experience to create a conversation to those in power, lobbying groups and within my respective fields that HIV is something we can, and should have been managing decades ago. Because HIV egects everyone.
JE: Before I let you go, if you could give advice to your younger self what would it be?
JRC: Hmmmmm, that's a tough one - I'd say continue what you're doing but be mindful on how you view and treat others. You're an authentically brilliant, gifted, kind and fiercely loyal person; but don't outside influences redirect you from the beacon that you are. Listen and watch your ancestors that have always, always been there lighting that path.
JE: Great advice....thank you again talking with me today. I think we should have a "shopping day" so I can get some of your fashion tips. You always make a splash when you arrive at a function. I wanna learn how to do that! If anyone would like to contact you, what's the best way to reach you?
JRC: I love personal shopping with people! But when it comes to me I'm a huge believer of thrift shopping but I've also built great relationships with many local and Canadian talent that often lend me pieces that I incorporate with pieces in my archives. These days I'm mostly active on Instagram, but make the occasional appearances on X & Facebook and that's FASHIONIGHTS on all social platforms!
HIV/AIDS is not over!
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Just as I predicted last month, we are in for a lot of new music and new remixes of hits gone by. And with the U.S. election just a month away, Pop Culture and News Cycles are exploding with content and rhetoric to confuse those who are uninformed. Hopefully our twenty-four selections will give you something to enjoy, learn and think about. We have four out LGBT artists and a couple who are questionable. This month we have a little something for everyone.
There’s a lot to talk about…so let’s get started.
Our first track is as Pop as it can get and it’s by one of my favourite LGBT artists…John Du,
As a fellow gay artist, I appreciate him being unapologetic in his lyrics. So, I definitely fell in love with “Forgotten How To Fuck”. The music video is a throwback to an Elvis production and the sound is pure 60s Pop. Love it! Not sure if I can work it into my DJ sets but it will definitely be something I will play for my video mixshows.
Then we take a drastic turn to a collaboration that I did not see coming…Quavo and Lenny Kravitz on “Fly”. At first, I thought Quavo just sampled Lenny’s “Fly Away” but Lenny actually plays on it. I like to see Hip Hop expand from the boundaries that most of its audience has put on it. If I hear another 70 BPM downtempo 808 Beat and a mumbling
rapper release I’m gonna puke! It all sounds the same and the content of the lyrics are redundant.
And speaking of redundant, I kinda feel like Mary J Blige has been stuck in a rut for a while now. I don’t need another downtempo Hip Hop song from her. If she wants to have another hit, she is going to have to get new producers and get back to some Dance inspired tracks like “Family A,air” and “Just Fine”. But her latest “Breathing” with Fabolous is not gonna do anything (unless they remix the hell out of it and give a Club feel).
I’m sure you were wondering about what I said in the opening paragraph about questionable LGBT artists. Well, our fourth selection is “Thank You” by MC Lyte featuring Mary Mary & Muni Long. Apparently, the rapper who has been rumored to be a lesbian has come clean that she had a period of experimenting, married her first husband and divorced after three years in 2020 and now has found God and is engaged again to a man. It reminds me of all the accolades Keanu Reeves got for his role in “My Private Idaho”. That was River Phoenix’s movie all the way! Keneau is not a great actor…at all! But because his character at the end turns away from being a gay street hustler and leaves that life behind to be straight, Keanu is the hero. And Mary Mary has had their comments about homosexuality in the past. So, this rubs me the wrong way. You can be gay and love God.
Okay…let’s jump in BPMs up to the follow up single for Katy Perry called “Lifetimes”. And because music releases happen almost every other day, of course she dropped another single right after I finished this mix. “I’m His, He’s Mine” with Doechii is a hot track and we’ll possibly get to it next month. But for now, let’s talk about “Lifetimes”. I like this one way better than “Woman’s World”. It’s a cute Pop Dance song. I have heard a few remixes, but I find the original just as functional for my sets.
It was kinda funny that our sixth selection is a remix of a 2009 collaboration between Ciara and Justin Timberlake popped up right after I saw Justin on the news pleading guilty to his DUI back in June. So, while DJ Je,’s Give It Away Remix is a great House mix of “Love Sex Magic”, it was the perfect excuse to include it in our mix and talk about the bad luck Mr. Timberlake has experienced since Britney Spears disclosed about him forcing her to have an abortion. And since abortion is one of the main topics in the U.S. right now, he looks really bad. His music has su[ered and his shows are not sold out. All I can say is “what’s done in the dark will always come to the light.”
I guess we are going to see a bunch of features of Pop Divas to ensure hits. Our seventh track is the Mentol Remix of “My Oh My” by Kylie Minogue featuring BeBe Rexha & Tove Lo. As a DJ I think I speak for most when I say that we don’t love everything we have to play. But my advice to those who choose this profession is to find a version or remix that you can live with to play. I didn’t care for the original, but I can live with this remix.
Ever since it was announced that “Espresso” was the song of the summer, Sabrina Carpenter has been the new Pop Darling. And her latest video for “Taste” pays homage to the classic comedy movie, “Death Becomes Her” and co -stars Jenna Ortega. With the new politically correct site watch, some sites like Twitch are censoring this video because of all the violence depicted in it. It’s just stupid. They wanna censor that but girls in string bikinis with their tits and asses all out are just fine. And I left Twitch because of their homophobic decision to ban my account for playing Colton Ford’s “Let Me Live Again”. But I digressed…the Promenade People Dance Remix is the perfect production and length for today’s audiences.
Last year I reviewed “Fierce” by Ultra Nate, Angelica Ross & Mila Jam. The video was almost a year late because of COVID. And while I do my best to support and play my fellow LGBT artists, not all of those tracks become hits or catch on. But when I heard this new mashup by Ricky Sixx with Dave Aude’s production for “Bulletproof” it made me wish that this was the original release. It may be too late to be a hit but I’m definitely gonna play it in my sets.
Our tenth track is by a new artist on the scene. Jane Bell’s latest single is “Mother Ate” will probably get her noticed. The cultural appropriation of Ballroom lingo continues. While I think this is a cute track, it reminds me of when the Scissor Sisters released “Let’s Have A Kiki” and RuPaul making a career out of quoting “Paris Is Burning”. Neither had anything to do with the Ballroom scene but furthered their careers by quoting it. And I predict this will be the case for Ms. Bell.
And our next track is a collaboration between Paris Hilton and Megan Thee Stallion “BBA (Bad Bitch Academy)” is another stab into Pop Culture for Paris to flaunt her fortune. It’s kinda like watching and worshipping the Kardashians. Sure, it’s a fun track and the gays
are gonna love it...for a month or two. It’ll come and go as quickly as Megan’s other collab with Renee Rapp on “Not My Fault”. But for now, Paris is a “Bad Bitch” at the moment. And speaking of a “Bad Bitch”, I need to give props to Wendy Williams for telling us about Pu, Daddy, P Diddy or whatevah the fuck he calls himself these days. He had her fired from her radio show at Hot 97 after she talked about and showed a photo of him tipping a male dancer. He was that powerful. Well, since his arrest on September 16th, everyone is coming forward with all kinds of stories of his notorious parties called Freak OLs and the video of him beating Cassie in that hotel hallway is just horrific! So, it gave me the excuse to dig up the DFA Bootleg House Mix of “Last Night” featuring Keyshia Cole. Now the investigation is into sex tra[icking and racketeering…and he’s been denied bail. I kinda think a lot of people are going to come down with him and they should relook into Tupac’s death.
And in other Pop Culture meets Politics news, Taylor Swift got the last word in the presidential debate between Harris and Plump by endorsing Kamala in a Twitter post. She had previously said she would not endorse anyone this election but AI ads using her image for Don’s website really pissed her o[. And because she did so, I found a remix of her latest track - the Russ Rich & Andy Adler Club Mix of “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” that I can live with to play. I had been over her for the past few months because of the hypocrisy
of Beyonce getting such a backlash from Country Radio and now being snubbed by the CMAs while artists like Taylor, Post Malone and Jelly Roll can straddle the Pop Charts anytime they want.
The fourteenth song in our mix is a cover of the Classic House track “Finally” by Kings Of Tomorrow featuring Julie Knight. I don’t think anyone can come for Julie’s vocal on the original but Swedish House Mafia has attempted to turn the song into an Arena Anthem with vocals by Alicia Keys. It’s okay…but it’s not the original. The Big Room production takes away from the soul of the lyrics.
The thing I like about this month’s mix is I tried to really include a little of something for everyone. And the fifteenth artist on this playlist is Contemporary Gospel vocalist, Yolanda Adams with Sir The Baptist, Donald Lawrence & Company for the Terry Hunter Remix of “Church Doors”. I loves me some Gospel House. And the music video reminds me of the joy that a good ol’ Sunday morning choir could bring to one’s heart. I don’t miss the sermons about how being gay will send you to hell, but I do miss singing along and feeling that sense of belonging to my people. Gospel is a declaration of something that really only Black People can produce and rejoice in. And this video even has a “duck walk” in it (so, it’s a nod to the Ballroom kids that you can love God too).
If you live in the states, you probably don’t realize that not all music that you have access to is not available in other countries. Since I relocated to Canada, I have discovered that some remixes and music videos are blocked here. I went on a search for Luther Vandross videos since I was thinking about another questionable gay person and discovered just that. Well after rallying the troops in a few DJ groups I tracked down quite a few videos and
remixes. I was inspired to do one for a classic cover Luther did of “Always And Forever” by Heatwave. So, I give you the Relentlessly Touched Vocal for you listening pleasure. Let me know what you think
About a year ago I reviewed a cover of Amber’s “Sexual” by Shab. It was an okay cover, but I said that her name would probably hold her back. I hadn’t really heard anything else by her but in my video pool I found her latest release called “Afterglow”. It sorta sounds like she is going for an Afro House production, but it somehow doesn’t work for me. In this world of marketing and images, I believe with the right gimmick and catchy lyrics she could make a dent (not a splash) in the scene, but she’s gonna have to find her niche.
And speaking of Afro House…Rema’s “AMAMAN” is a good example of how it’s done. I don’t get many opportunities to play Afro sets, but I do try to sneak a couple in here and there to signal that I will play some if asked.
I had finished this month’s mix and then the Diddy arrest happened followed by Tito Jackson’s death. So, I had to go back and add a couple of tracks. So, I grabbed the Steve Aoki Remix of “Dancing Machine” by The Jackson 5 to pay tribute. And then a bizarre story came out about Janet Jackson repeating misinformation about Kamala Harris’ race. In an interview with The Guardian she said that she had heard that Kamala’s father was white on September 21st. Then on September 22nd it appeared she walked back that comment with an apology. But according to NBC News she didn’t give an apology:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/janet-jackson-apology-kamala-harris-remarksnot-authorized-man- claimin-rcna172300
Gyrl…you don’t wanna be in Jennifer Holliday & O.J. Land where black folks turn on you! This is not the time to be spouting rumors or “shit you heard”! And you definitely don’t wanna be on the wrong side of history. And besides…didn’t you get enough hate after “TittyGate”? And I’ll do what you did to Kamala right here….I heard you are a Republican.
Our twentieth selection is the Danny Diggz Hype Edit of “Barcelona” by Cheyenne Giles featuring Cody Bolan. Really cute track for that balance between Deep House with some Latin overtones. I’m gonna use this as a bridge between genre(s).
Which I did by going into “Voce x Copacabana” by Valentina right after it. If you wanna be a really good DJ that can work anywhere, you gotta have a diverse and inclusive library.
And since hits never die…they are just reborn with remixes. This is definitely the case with the Starbinzky Club Mix of “What Is Love” by Haddaway. I have gone from hating this song because it was so overplayed back in the 90s to not minding it by the 2000s. And now I kinda love this mix.
I guess after being the second Transwoman to win a Grammy folks are lining up to have Kim Petras featured on their tracks. She has popped up on a few over the past year. Her latest collaboration is with The Chainsmokers on “Don’t Lie”. I have to say…she looks
better with darker hair in this video. Is a cute Pop song. I don’t think it will climb too high on the charts though.
And to close out our mix I chose the Scooter Tech House Bootleg of “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan. I still haven’t had any requests for her music at all. Probably because I have been spinning for an older demographic lately. But if I had to play her this would be the track and remix I would grab. I wasn’t understanding all the hub -bub about her until I read a dissection of her outfits for the VMAs. Apparently, she paid homage to some historical lesbians and I thought that was really cool. She is educating our young LGBT about our history. And for that I must give her props. But then this happened. NBC News reported this:
Pop star Chappell Roan revealed in a TikTok video Wednesday (September 25th) that she’s voting for Vice President Kamala Harris in November, though she stopped short of endorsing the Democratic presidential candidate. The singer-songwriter’s announcement followed an intense and dayslong online backlash from her liberal fanbase.
The criticism was fueled after Roan, 26, told The Guardian in an interview last week that she didn’t “feel pressured to endorse someone” in the 2024 presidential election because there are “problems on both sides.” Some critics slammed her for the “both sides” comment in particular, pointing to widespread di[erences between Republican and Democratic policy positions on LGBTQ issues. Others called her a “closet Republican.”
In response to the backlash, Roan released a TikTok video Tuesday saying she was not voting for former President Donald Trump, though that message did little to quell the fan fury.
https://x.com/madisonkittay/status/1839517757152317576?s=49&t=YqF4MatfnoujYwC8I6zY8g
Visibly frustrated with her critics, Roan on Wednesday tried to clear the air for good on where she stands on the 2024 election.
“I’m not going to settle for what the options that are in front of me, and you’re not going to make me feel bad for that,” Roan said in a TikTok video that has been viewed more than 3 million times. “So yeah, I’m voting for fucking Kamala, but I’m not settling for what has been o[ered, because that’s questionable.”
Seems the flu[ piece interview that she was basking in after her VMAs performance turned a lot of people against her. You can watch her TikTok video here:
https://www.tiktok.com/@chappellroan/video/7418582700141055278?embed_source=121374463%2C1214 51205%2C121439635%2C121433650%2C121404359%2C121351166%2C72778570%2C121331973%2C12 0811592%2C120810756%3Bnull%3Bembed_pause_share&refer=embed&referer_url=iframe.nbcnews.com %2Fz5FQ27Q%3F_showcaption%3Dtrue%26app%3D1&referer_video_id=7418582700141055278
