June 1 - 7, 2020 Vol. 28 No. 22
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YOU MATTER Your legacy matters. Help our community.
Fill out the Census at my2020census.gov
We ARE STILL HERE and Stronger Than Ever! What a long strange spring its been. We are still here and stronger than ever!! Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. It’s hard to believe what our lives looked like coming out of winter, ready to embrace spring in Chicago. That was back before StreetWise merged with YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, moved from Uptown to the South Loop, and completely shifted our operations online to support the vendors who all lost their jobs in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, this sudden loss, sudden change, and sudden shift to a new normal is, well, normal for many of our vendors. Because of you, our readers, supporters, and loyal customers, our vendors ARE STILL HERE! “I am getting most of my meals here so I can save the money to pay rent.” StreetWise has served over 3,000 meals with the help of World Central Kitchen. “This cash assistance means the difference between sleeping in a bed and sleeping on the street.” StreetWise has distributed over $23,000 in emergency cash assistance.
“It’s scary out there. I gotta have a mask so I don’t get sick.” Provided essential PPE including 250 masks, hundreds of pairs of gloves, and containers of hand sanitizer.
I WANT TO WORK: From Magazine Sales to U.S. Census Outreach Workers Like many, our vendors and job seekers are getting anxious to get back to work. The dignity of employment at the heart of the StreetWise mission to give a hand up, not a hand out, is at the core of our hard working folks. Until our vendors can come out of furlough to do what they do best, StreetWise is offering another opportunity to earn an income. In partnership with the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, StreetWise has received a grant to provide stipends to vendors and job seekers to conduct street outreach with homeless individuals throughout the city. This partnership gives vendors a chance to get back to work, perform important civic engagement work, and earn a living. Please stay healthy,
Julie Youngquist
Executive Director | StreetWise
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SportsWise
Vendor Russ Adams discusses ESPN's "The Last Dance."
Arts & (Home) Entertainment
As all Chicago events and gatherings are cancelled until further notice, we are replacing our usual calendar with recommendations from StreetWise vendors, readers and staff to keep you entertained at home!
Cover Story: Pride Month
StreetWise is bursting with Pride! So much so that we had to create 4 covers! As we celebrate Pride In Place this year, we speak with some of the biggest names in pop culture, including rock star Adam Lambert, drag queen Jinkx Monsoon, pop duo Tegan and Sara, and "filth elder" filmmaker John Waters. In addition, we highlight some virtual pride events held online and some important dates to remember for the future.
The Playground ON THE COVERS: Cover A: Adam Lambert (Courtesy photo). Cover B; Jinkx Monsoon (Courtesy photo). Cover C: Tegan and Sara (Warner Records photo). Cover D: John Waters (Greg Gorman photo). THIS PAGE: The spires that punctuate Boystown, along Halsted between Belmont and Addison (Dave Hamilton photo).
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Dave Hamilton, Creative Director/Publisher
dhamilton@streetwise.org
Suzanne Hanney, Editor-In-Chief
suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com
Amanda Jones, Director of programs
ajones@streetwise.org
Julie Youngquist, CEO
jyoungquist@streetwise.org
Office: 2009 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60616
StreetWiseChicago @StreetWise_CHI LEARN MORE AT streetwise.org
Vendor Russ Adams, the last of the original SportsWise team, chats about the world of sports.
Russ Adams
After five weeks, the Bulls' run is finally over. First thing: "Nice job, ESPN." There are so many things to discuss with this series that I’m just going to get into something that means a lot to me: The first three championships were exciting for me because I never believed in any Chicago jinx. I didn't believe in it when the '85 Bears won the Super Bowl, and I wasn’t a believer as it related to the Bulls. The juggernaut Showtime L.A. Lakers featuring Magic Johnson versus the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. Game 1: Lakers win. Bulls take game two, and go on to sweep the Lakers and take the first championship. You talk about excitement at a parade!
ESPN's 'The Last Dance'
fresh and proceeded to take control. Bulls win! Grant Park, here we come again! The '92-'93 season came down to the Charles Barkley-led Phoenix Suns--who had homecourt advantage-versus the Bulls. The Bulls had the opportunity to become the first team in many years to pull off the threepeat. Games 1 & 2: Bulls win both. I'm feeling pretty good about things. But, then, in Chicago, the Suns win 2 of 3, and we have a series. Up 3-2, the Bulls take to the road for game 6 & possibly 7. Game 6: A John Paxson three-pointer makes it a three-peat! Jordan retires. What?! The '93-'94 & the '94-'95 seasons ended in defeat despite Jordan's NBA comeback during the second half of the second season. In comes Dennis Rodman a.k.a. the Worm to
bulk up the Bulls' rebounding game. The Bulls go on in the '95-96 season to rally to a 7210 season, the most wins in a season by any team in NBA history, and they meet the Gary Payton-led Seattle Supersonics. Though the Bulls won the series 4-2, it wasn't as tight as the margin indicated...even with Payton believing he could stifle Jordan. Four rings for Chicago in six years. FYI, I had a ball that year! The '96-'97 season Finals matchup was versus the season's MVP Karl Malone- and John Stockton-led Utah Jazz. They were a good team…but the Bulls were even better. The series was tied 2-2 and the infamous game 5 matchup with a sick Michael Jordan. Jordan was ridiculous--ridiculous and exhausted. Game 5 to the Bulls to go up 3-2, and they are now back home. Aided by a big Steve Kerr
game-winning shot—assisted by his Airness--the Bulls take it. Repeat champions. The '97-'98 regular season wrapped with the Bulls on tap for an unprecedented 2nd three-peat and, again, versus the Utah Jazz, the winningest team in the NBA during the season. Utah had homecourt advantage, but the Bulls still managed to go up 3-2 heading to Utah for game 6. It was a battle, but in the end, Jordan topped his Bulls career with a shot for the ages over Bryon Russell. Second three-peat in eight years. No team had ever done that, so "Thank you, Bulls" for a wonderful run. It was fun and Michael Jordan proved himself to be the greatest of all time. Y'all remember, "I wanna be like Mike"? I know I do.
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SPORTSWISE
Next up in the '91-'92 season: the Clyde Drexler-led Portland Trailblazers. Game 1: The Bulls smashed them to go up 1-0. Game 2: Trailblazers beat the Bulls to even the series. Game 3-5 in Portland, where visiting teams tended to go down in flames-Bulls take 2 out of 3 as Jordan backs up his statement of "I can win anywhere." Game 6: With a chance to repeat, the Bulls fall behind and then, while Jordan rested, the Bulls pulled to within five. Jordan returned
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ARTS & (HOME) ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Since being stuck inside, which shows have you been watching? Which movies? Have you read any good books lately? Any new music releases have you dancing in your living room? StreetWise vendors, readers and staff are sharing what is occupying their attention during this unprecedented time. To be featured in a future edition, send your recommendations and why you love them to: Creative Director / Publisher Dave Hamilton at dhamilton@streetwise.org
Celebrate Community!
(HOME) ENTERTAINMENT
Jane Addams Resource Center: An Evening of Opportunities Earlier in the spring, Jane Addams Resource Center (JARC) had bold plans for its annual event, Evening of Opportunities. This year marks its 35th anniversary, and the final year Guy Loudon will serve as president of the agency. To celebrate with the community, join them via Zoom on Friday, June 5 at 6 p.m. for a virtual toast to 35 years of JARC! The program will feature remarks from outgoing president Loudon, and JARC graduates will share their stories of finding a secure career path in manufacturing. FREE. Donations accepted. Register at https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/jUYggVZCFfgoqhThnD 2I5Q?t=1589578386
Support a Virtual Arts Fest!
Pivot Arts Festival Because of COVID-19, Pivot Arts Festival events -- adventurous, multidisciplinary performances originally scheduled for Uptown and Edgewater venues -- have shifted to online presentations premiering June 5 to 11, with content remaining available through June 30 at pivotarts.org. Live events are postponed to future dates TBA. This year's festival includes performance art, immersive theatre, contemporary and street dance, hip-hop opera, dance creation for film and video, animation and more. Highlights include: Fri. June 5, 7 p.m. VIP cocktail event and welcome with writerperformer Alex Alpharoah via Zoom reservation (minimum $25 donation). Alpharoah, a documentary film about his national tour
of WET: A DACAmented Journey, his experience as an undocumented artist, will go live at 6 p.m. 8:15 p.m. Live dance party by artists from The Rosina Project, a collaboration between Chicago Fringe Opera and BraveSoul Movement. The opera is a contemporary adaptation of Rossini's The Barber of Seville that mixes hip-hop MCs, opera singers and street dance artists with a live DJ and a beatboxer. Sat. June 6, 6 p.m. Red Clay Dance Company's Resilience Reimagined, originally commissioned by Pivot Arts. Dancers will embody the original work recording video from their homes and site-specific spaces. Pivot Arts will also post a recording of Art of Resilience 2.0, an immersive activation of the DuSable Museum Roundhouse that guides the audience through 1920s Bronzeville and the Black Arts Movement impacted by redlining and restrictive housing covenants. Sun. June 7, 6 p.m. Prison and Neighborhood Arts Project presents The Long Term, a hand-drawn animation video that uses personal narrative and research to describe the impact of long-term sentencing policies. There will be a link to the film and livestreamed discussion with Jane Beachy, artistic director of Il-
linois Hu 7 p.m. In short film Impositio varied ex Le Chore tions. Mon., Ju in quaran soloist D ity of tou Thurs., J ence full staged a choosesinister lu All Pivot size are To view p org/festi
Dance Around!
Whitney "Hey y'all, dropping in to let you know that we’ll be doing a ticketed live stream with NoonChorus on June 4. We’ll be donating a portion of the profits to NIVA (National Independent Venue Association) to try and help out our favorite independent venues until life regains a semblance of normalcy" - Whitney. Get $15 tickets at noonchorus.com/ the-hideout-presents-whitney
Shop Online!
Wicker Park Farmers Market Wicker Park Farmers Market celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2020, hosted by the nonprofit Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce. The opening date of the Outdoor Market has been postponed due to the pandemic, and will now take place every Sunday from July 5 through October 25 at 1425 N. Damen Ave., operating under social distancing guidelines. A Virtual Market is available now for online orders at www.wickerparkfarmersmarket.com. The Virtual Market shoppers can place orders through the website of vendors that handle deliveries/pickups individually. Pre-order pickups are available every Sunday 8:30–10:30 a.m. at Big Star (1531 N. Damen Ave.) with Iron Creek Organic Farm, Seedling Fruit Farm, and Petals Farm, until the Outdoor Market opens. Additional locations and vendors for pre-order pickups will be added and announced on social media (@wickerpark_farmersmarket) - Recommended by Julie Youngquist, StreetWise Executive Director
umanities, civil rights attorney Sarah Grady and more nMotion International Dance Film Festival, with three ms curated by Executive Director Amy Wilkinson. Perfect on is about questioning at-birth identity; Traces, about the xperiences of two strangers who share a room separately; egrave, about a Christmas dinner without real connec-
une 8, 6 p.m. (Un)Touched video performances created ntine by a number of performers, including Obie-winning David Cale, who capture both the absence and impossibiluch and moments of connection during the quarantine. June 11 Superfluxus, an original sci-fi puzzling experil of humor, suspense and mind-bending twists. Originally as immersive theatre, the artists have reimainged it as a -your-own adventure and video web experience set in a unar landscape in the year 2120. t Arts Festival events are free of charge. Donations of any encouraged to assist with paying the participating artists. performances and make donations, please visit pivotarts. ival
Learn History!
Commemoration: 155th Anniversary of Juneteenth Juneteenth has its 155th anniversary, which was originally scheduled to take place in the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, but has become virtual due to the shelter-in-place order. Sherrilyn Ifill, a civil rights attorney, will be sharing her reflections on Juneteenth. Bestselling author, journalist and filmmaker, Alex Kotlowitz, will be moderating the program. Anyone interested in attending must fill out a reservation. To reserve a FREE spot for the event on June 10 at 7 p.m., visit www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/ pages/programs/events/
Cook & Share!
Taste of Home: Food Stories for the Culturally Curious Do you have a recipe that immediately reminds you of home, a family member, or brings you comfort? Food has the power to bring us together by offering ways to share stories, traditions, cultural values, and create a sense of community. This is why the Chicago Cultural Alliance is launching a new initiative called Taste of Home: Food Stories for the Culturally Curious. Traditional cuisines express cultural identity and are often passed down from one generation to the next along with family stories. Taste of Home is a collection of recipes and stories inspired by the food that defines who we are and where we come from. Share recipies and learn new ones at chicagoculturalalliance.org/ tasteofhome
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Pride in place
t r e m b a Ad Lam
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by Anistasia Safioleas / The Big Issue Austrailia / courtesy of INSP.ngo
When I ask Adam Lambert if he remembers his audition for American Idol, the one that started it all for him back in 2009, he laughs. “I remember my hair! But I haven’t seen the footage in a while,” he confesses, adjusting the oversized bejewelled sunglasses he’s wearing. (Elton John must be swooning somewhere.) “I was really nervous. There was so much riding on it. I was doing "Wicked" the musical in LA and I had to quit. If I didn’t make it through, what the fuck was I going to do? It’s a lesson in taking a risk.” It’s now safe to say that risk paid off. The winner of that series was Kris Allen, with Lambert crowned runner-up. Unlike Allen, however, Lambert quickly found himself on a trajectory that has catapulted him onwards and upwards. There have been numerous solo albums – he became the first openly gay artist to have a number-one record – and world tours, as well as a string of TV appearances for shows such as Glee and Pretty Little Liars. But the key moment came in 2012 when he was asked to be Freddie Mercury’s replacement as the frontman of Queen. “We’re really comfortable with each other. The only time I get nervous is when there’s something new, like performing one of my songs for the first time. But this music, now that we’ve been working together for eight years, it’s like in my body. I don’t have to think about it. And that takes care of the nerves.” Except for the one time they performed at the Oscars, which he describes as “nuts”. Right now, Lambert is promoting the release of new album, Velvet, his fourth. By his own reckoning, he’s been working on it for too long and is “way invested” in it.
“I had to make a bunch of business changes and that slowed down the process. I changed labels, changed
“If there’s no joy, there’s something wrong. Yes, some music and some material is sad, but it’s coming from a place of passion. If you’re not connected to your passion – whatever emotion it’s taking on in that moment – then you’re not doing your job well. And I was a little burned-out. I’d been travelling and working really hard and I felt like I had gotten sucked into the business side of things: numbers, streaming, competition with other artists, pleasing all the different people that run the label… I lost touch with my integrity. I had to make some changes.” Velvet is a return to the Adam Lambert before mega-stardom with Queen beckoned. He is back in the driver’s seat, the music a truer reflection of his world, friends and relationships. “It feels…it feels like me,” he announces wide-eyed. Surprisingly, the new album found its shape once Lambert stopped listening to Top 40 music. Instead, Velvet has its foundations in the music he grew up with – the stuff his parents played around the house when he was young and living in San Diego. “Sly and the Family Stone, David Bowie, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Prince, Al Green and Chaka Khan…” he reels off quickly. “And I started listening to more alternative stuff, like Tame Impala and Leisure from New Zealand, who I’m obsessed with. There’s a band from the States called Sports who are really cool.” It soon becomes obvious how determined he is about making his own music, away from Queen. “Deep down I need to have my creative outlet. I need to be able to create my own art. The Queen experience is unbelievable – it’s a performer’s dream. I love it. But it satisfies something slightly different than writing my own music. Queen feels very safe because it’s tried and true and people love it. But with Vel-
vet, it’s unknown. It’s like, let me try this and let me put myself out there.” It’s important to remember how different things were when Lambert first appeared at that audition for American Idol. At the time, openly gay performers were a rarity. He has since been an integral part of that wave that has changed things for the better for the LGBTIQ+ community. “That’s one of the exciting things about the last 10 years. The industry has shifted so much in terms of that. Ten years ago, they were still concerned. Is there an audience for this? Is it going to sell? Are we going to recoup our investment? They were terrified; they didn’t know how it would work. Then I did this performance on the American Music Awards that was a bit racy and it freaked everybody out. It is so different today.” To capture this momentum, Lambert launched the Feel Something Foundation in late 2019. Its aim is to help the queer community, with a focus on homelessness, suicide prevention and mental health. “The suicide rates [among LGBTIQ+ kids] are so high because there’s this ‘shame animal’ that happens, it’s a dark evil force. It’s whether your parents are ashamed of you or maybe it’s a religious thing that you’ve been brought up with. The minute you start normalizing it and getting it out in the open and letting it breathe and not making it a secret, it’s not that big of a deal.” While a certain pandemic has put a hold on any touring for the time being, Lambert is happily holding up Velvet as his long-awaited return to form. “I totally went against what was expected and people are telling me this is the best thing I’ve ever done,” he smiles, adjusting his mammoth sunglasses again. “I feel a sense of vindication, like I proved it to myself and to anybody wondering if I’m capable of doing this. I feel really good about it.”
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Courtesy photo.
It’s been five long years since the release of his previous album, The Original High. Duties with Queen have kept him busy. And at one point, Lambert hit the pause button on his solo career.
management twice… A lot of that was prompted by feeling disillusioned by the industry.” According to Lambert, it just wasn’t fun anymore.
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Pride in place
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n o o x s k n n o i J M by Christian Lisseman / The Big Issue North / courtesy of INSP.ngo
“We all have an alter ego, a superhero persona inside of us,” says Jerick Hoffer. “Drag shows us that it’s okay to have different facets of your personality and to want to explore those different sides of yourself.”
Hoffer’s own alter ego is Jinkx Monsoon. Citing influences such as Lucille Ball and Madeline Kahn, Jinkx is, Hoffer says, “all my favourite comedians filtered through a crude impersonation of my mother. At her core she’s a single mother who has big dreams and is desperately grasping at fame. And she’s a bit of a lush and a bit of a slut. “That’s not a comment on my mother’s sexuality. It’s more a commentary on my own. I feel like Jinkx is the place where I put all my naughty behavior. I get my demons out on stage so I don’t carry them with me.” Channelled through Jinkx, Hoffer’s performances include acerbic comedy, satire, impersonations (Bette Davis is particularly spot on) and singing. It was that combination of talents that led to Jinkx taking the crown in RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2013.
Hoffer uses the pronoun “she” when talking about Jinkx, but “they” when talking about having come out as gender nonbinary a few years ago, even recording a song about it: "Just Me (The Gender Binary Blues)." “I always knew I didn’t identify as male but I also didn’t identify as female,” says Hoffer. “And I never really felt like I knew exactly where I sat on the whole gender spectrum. And when we started having the conversation that many people don’t adhere to the constraints that we’ve been given, that’s when I started to realize the way I wanted to live the rest of my life. I’ve become really passionate about spreading that kind of open-mindedness towards the conversation about gender.” Hoffer first performed in drag at the age of 16 in hometown Portland, Oregon. They moved to Seattle to study acting and established Jinkx Monsoon as a well-known presence on the Seattle drag scene while also taking on a number of other theatre roles. Inspired to audition for Drag Race by the previous year’s winner, Sharon Needles – another character-driven avant-
garde performer – winning the Drag Race crown is something Hoffer is immensely proud of.
“I was taught in acting school that there was this term called arte, where better art is created in competition. And I look back at my time on Drag Race and how such a rigorous competition caused me in so many ways to up my game as a drag performer and really focused my passion and my interest. I came out of it a much stronger artist and I’m grateful for that.” Since winning, Hoffer has developed a number of stage shows and released two albums as Jinkx. Jinkx Monsoon is, indeed, more famous than Hoffer. Does she take over Hoffer’s life? “Yes and no. When I go out to a gay bar [before the pandemic] I can assume that I’m going to be recognized so I prepare myself for that. But then I can be in an airport or a fast food place or something – I’ve gotten really good at snapping into Jinkx when I meet someone randomly in the street. “When I feel most sorry is when I’m out with friends or my boyfriend and they have to wait patiently while I take a selfie. But I’m starting to have the career I’ve always wanted, doing things that I dreamt of doing as a kid, and if the trade-off is saying hello and taking a selfie here and there, then I’m cool with that.”
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Tim Harmon photo
For those who don’t know, RuPaul’s Drag Race is a reality TV talent show that started a decade ago. The queen of queens RuPaul presides over the competition alongside a panel of regular and guest judges as a selection of drag artists undergo various trials to be crowned America’s next drag superstar.
Jinkx’s surname comes from Adina Monsoon from the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. “I feel like I’m on the same page with my audiences in the UK. My sense of humor is esoteric and eclectic, delivered with a deadpan dryness and that works really well there.”
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Pride in place
by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen / The Big Issue Australia / courtesy of INSP.ngo
Imagine spending more than half your life working professionally with your twin sister – being so intertwined in every aspect of your life that the public line blurs between your sibling ending and you beginning. You’re both queer, musicians and activists – your lives are so similar that it seems one cannot exist without the other.
Imagine, then, digging up the archives two decades into your career, and finding out new things about each other after all this time. That’s exactly what Tegan and Sara have done with their memoir, High School – a retrospective writing project that became much more. “We never spoke about being gay [early on], or about the secret relationships we were having with girls, and yet our whole adult lives, people have said to us, ‘Tegan must have been the first person you told when you realized you were gay’,” Sara Quin says. “And I would be like, ‘no, that’s not true at all’ – but when I sat down to write the book, in some ways, I also held these kinds of assumptions. “I’d always assumed that Tegan was also suffering the way I was, or that she was also having secret relationships the way that I was, and it turned out she wasn’t – she wasn’t as preoccupied by her body or her sexuality, she wasn’t as insecure as I was. She was just living her life, and that was a surprise to me – that we could be so different and also so similar.” While writing High School, the twins looked for archival material to draw upon. When they unearthed recordings of the first songs they ever wrote together as teenagers growing up in
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Calgary, Canada, as well as early performance footage, they realized they’d struck gold.
“There was something really striking to me, specifically about the video of us performing the music,” Sara says. “When I look back at that young version of myself, it really is this very punk rock attitude of: ‘Here are my songs, we’re the best.’ I really just feel like the kid versions of ourselves are so much cooler and braver than I ever gave us credit for. “The songs were really inspiring and had this energy and excitement. They were addictive to listen to. I found them immediately really hooky and listenable, and I just kept thinking, ‘maybe we should do something with these – not just put them out as they once were, but put some oxygen into them and allow people to hear them as they could have been’.” The result is Hey, I’m Just Like You – the pair’s ninth album, reimagining 12 of those teenage tracks through their signature synth-pop lens. Diehard fans will recognize some songs from crackly old acoustic demos, but it’s Tegan and Sara as they are today, remembering Tegan and Sara as they were 20 years ago: anarchic teenagers figuring out the world through music. The album fits neatly into the cultural fascination with teenage nostalgia, which has driven much of recent pop culture, such as series Big Mouth or PEN15 – deconstructions of the adolescent journey for an older audience equipped with the wisdom of hindsight. For Tegan and Sara, going back to their teenage years was not only
about reminiscing, but also about understanding the roadmap to their current lives and providing a window for queer representation.
“There’s a scarcity when it comes to queer stories – it’s really only in the last couple of decades that we’ve really even seen any queer stories told on a mainstream level,” Sara says. “As we get older, we can see that our audience is interested in seeing themselves reflected at every age. We’ve spent a lot of years writing songs about relationships, and songs about our sibling relationship and the way we see the world, and in my mind it’s almost like there’s this missing gap or story about ourselves as young queer artists trying to figure ourselves out. It is nostalgia but it’s also just an interesting study of ourselves.” The sisters are proud activists, having founded the Tegan and Sara Foundation in 2016 to fight for the rights of LGBTIQ girls and women. Looking back, Sara can see where that fire began. “In some ways we were more hopeful about the future than I remembered,” she says. “A lot of teenagers are like, ‘adults are the worst, they ruin everything, we’re going to be better than the people who came before us.’ That’s what being young is – being critical of the people who fucked up the planet, the world, who did things wrong and treated people badly, made mistakes. “We knew we could be trailblazers and change things, which didn’t always make us outspoken, but it did give us this kind of momentum into our future.”
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Warner records photo.
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Pride in place
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n s h r o J Wate by Ivana Brehas / The Big Issue Australia / courtesy of INSP.ngo
The director and arch-raconteur John Waters has always found humor – however twisted – in his hometown of Baltimore. The result: outrageous cult classics like "Pink Flamingos" (1972), with its notorious dog-turd-eating scene; the odorama melodrama "Polyester" (1981); and the juvenile delinquent romance "Cry‑Baby" (1990). His films earned Waters nicknames like the “Pope of Trash” and “The People’s Pervert,” while their transgressive influence transformed mainstream culture. A pioneer of queer visibility, his deliberately campy work skewered suburban normativity and pushed against the “good taste” standards of the day. Even his tamer works, like "Hairspray" (1988) – a 60s segregation satire, which was remade by Hollywood in 2007 – have proved subversive. “It snuck in middle America and no one noticed,” he explains. “It’s done in high schools, and it encourages gay marriage and interracial dating. Even racists like 'Hairspray.'” Throughout his career, Waters has steadfastly championed rebellion, irreverence and “bad taste,” sporting a pencil mustache and wonderfully kooky fashion sense to match. The queer icon is, unsurprisingly, a hit with young people.
The irony of the speech’s popularity among graduates is not lost on him. “I got thrown out of every school I ever went to,” he laughs. He is also releasing a new book, his ninth, titled Mr. Know-It-All. “My intentions were to show the lessons I’ve learned: how I got through life never having to get a job I hated; never having to, today, be around assholes anymore. It was a gradual thing I learned through years of trying to get through many different systems – Hollywood, the art world. You can do this, but it’s hard. You have to negotiate your way through to even hope to come out still doing what you want to.” Waters is one of those rare 70-somethings who is genuinely considered cool by youngsters – his book fondly recalls Justin Bieber telling him, “Your ’stache is the jam!” Aware of his influence, Waters tries to be a bad (read: good) influence on the youth, urging them to lead the troublemaker charge. “I think it’s young people’s duty to make trouble. That’s what they were put on this Earth to do. With all the politics that are going on – it seems weirdly the same in every country, this
kind of scary right-wing takeover – they aren’t making enough trouble, if you ask me.”
His encouragement of subversion extends to every arena of life, from politics to fashion. “No young people should pay money for lots of designer clothes. When you’re young, you should try and wear clothes that cost nothing, really. Go to the thrift shop and buy the one thing that nobody would wear – the one that, when you put it in a Goodwill box, they throw it back out at you. Wear it militantly, then it becomes fashion. You’ll look the cutest and sexiest you possibly could.” Waters’ affection for outcasts and rule-breakers is evident throughout his work. This year marks the 20th anniversary of "Cecil B. Demented," his comedy about a cult of independent radicals who wreak havoc on the world of commercial cinema. “[Cecil] was not one of the critics’ favorites,” Waters laughs, “but I still have a warm heart for it.” Little has changed since its release – sequels and big profits still rule the box office. “It seems to me that arthouse cinema is vanishing,” Waters sighs, “and that it’s being taken over by films that don’t even want dialogue – they just want special effects. They don’t even want movie stars. “When I go to arthouse cinemas, it’s all old people – and God bless ’em – but I think that there’s a time for activism. Maybe Cecil’s needed today more than ever. But the movies survived television and video, and they’re gonna survive Netflix and all that.”
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Greg Gorman photo.
“There are ones at my spoken-word show that weren’t even born when I made my last movie,” he laughs. Now a fully-fledged, self-described “filth elder,” he’s doing the generous thing and sharing his mischievous wisdom with the world.
Before the pandemic, he was performing his one-man show, "Make Trouble," at respectable venues like the Sydney Opera House and Thalia Hall in Chicago. The title refers to a university commencement speech in which he urged the students to do just that. “It’s a good slogan for life,” he explains. “There’s bad and good trouble, but all trouble changes things, starts culture, and makes life exciting. I always mean it in a positive way.”
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Pride in place
e al u d i t r r i P V ents Ev
JUNE 1-AUGUST 31 One City Virtual Festival When: 12 p.m. Where: www.starevents.com/ event/virtual-festival/ What: StarEvents presents a completely virtual festival for everyone in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. People can choose to donate money to the COVID-19 relief effort, as well as their local non-profit partners like Edgefest, the Edgewater Chamber and the Roscoe Village Neighbors. The online festival presents plenty of music from local musicians, a variety of vendors to shop from, a talent show gallery and more! FREE. JUNE 1 - 29 Behavioral Health Virtual Therapy Groups When: Mon 6 p.m. for black and indigenous people and people of color Tue 6 p.m. for queer women Wed 4 p.m. for trans, gender nonconforming and nonbinary people Wed 6 p.m. for queer men Thurs 6 p.m. for people living with HIV Where: TBD What: The Center on Halsted is continuing its therapy groups online amid the pandemic. Each meeting is meant to be a safe space for the corresponding group of people. The meetings provide their attendees with a range of discussion top-
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ics such as self-care, oppression, sexuality, dating, intersectionality and the coming out process. These meetings help give marginalized groups of people a chance to find a community and a new way to connect with others like them. For more details about all meetings and what they offer, visit www.centeronhalsted.org/supportgroups.html Up to $15. JUNE 4 'Buyer & Cellar' by Jonathan Tolins When: 7 p.m. Where: Zoom What: Pride Arts showcases this one-man comedy. In a desperate attempt to get an acting job, Alex Moore finds himself taking a job where he manages an imaginary shopping mall in Barbra Streisand’s home in Malibu. Anyone who purchases a ticket will be given specific instructions to stream it 24 hours before the show. For more details about this show and others, visit pridefilmsandplays.com/pride-inplace/ $10. JUNE 5 T-MAC: Transmasculine Alliance Chicago When: Every 1st, 3rd and 5th Friday of the month 6:30-9 p.m. Where: Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/923680089 What: Anyone who was assigned
female at birth but identifies as male, is questioning their gender or identifies as non-binary is able to attend meetings with T-MAC to gain a better understanding of the community. Every meeting consists of a different topic of discussion, announcements and introductions with everyone's preferred pronouns. Email transmaschi@gmail.com with any questions or concerns. For more info, visit transmaschi.com FREE. 17+.
JUNE 20 - 21 Virtual Pride Fest When: 7-9 p.m. Where: pridefestchicago.com What: Northalsted Business Alliance is planning to bring Pride Fest into the digital age to provide a connection and hope to the community and beyond. The event will feature entertainment, activism and special greetings, all TBA. Donations accepted for Center on Halsted. FREE.
JUNE 12 Andersonville at Home: A Midsommarfest Experience & Fundraiser Livestream When: Pre-show at 6 p.m. Main event at 7 p.m. Where: Andersonville Chamber of Commerce’s (ACC) Facebook Page What: Proceeds help fund the community and businesses. Molly Callinan from the local band Catfight will be hosting the event. Some of the bands performing are The Oh Yeahs, Laura Doherty and Lynn Jordan. Andersonville businesses such as Rattleback Records and Swedish American Museum are also taking part in the event by doing video tributes. Anyone interested in attending can RSVP to the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce Facebook event. Donations will be collected via Venmo @AvilleChamber. More details can be found at andersonville.org/midsommarfest/ $10.
JUNE 27 Global Pride 2020 When: TBD Where: Facebook Live What: Plenty of international LGBTQ organizations have been working with InterPride and the European Pride Organisers Association to create a Pride celebration online. It is expected to be live-streamed on Facebook. Pride events all over the world needed to be cancelled due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Global Pride 2020’s goal is to unite people for Pride and provide an accessible way for everyone to celebrate the month. It has the potential to attract the largest number of attendees because of its accessibility. To get updates on the event, go to the Global Pride 2020 Facebook page and mark “going.” For more information, visit matadornetwork. com/read/global-pride-2020/ FREE.
Studs Terkel’s epitaph reads “Curiosity did not kill this cat.”
e JUNE 28 'The Last Sunday in June' by Jonathan Tolins When: 7 p.m. Where: Zoom What: In this play, Tom and Michael have been partners for seven years. They are planning to move from New York City to a town called Nyack. However, their plans continue to change as their friends keep stopping by their apartment to watch the Gay Pride Parade outside their window. Conversations about relationships emerge from the drop-ins. People will be given instructions for how to watch it 24 hours prior to the show and after they’ve purchased a ticket. For more information, visit pridefilmsandplays.com/pride-in-place/ $10. JUNE 30 Virtual Author Conversation: Carter Sickels & Rebecca Makkai When: 7 p.m. Where: Women and Children’s First’s Facebook Page What: Join authors Carter Sickels and Rebecca Makkai, in a discussion about Sickels' newest novel, The Prettiest Star. The book explores the life of Brian Jackson in the middle of the AIDS epidemic. After losing many people he loved, he decides to move back to his family’s home to ask for their acceptance. He moved to New York City to get away from them six years prior when they rejected him, but has now considered moving back during his last few months of life. The novel showcases the reality behind the men going back to families they’ve left behind in the midst of the epidemic. To order the book or learn more about the author, visit womenandchildrenfirst.com FREE.
Journalism for the people, by the people:
RESCHEDULED Chicago Pride Fest & Market Days When: Rescheduled for September 5-6, 2020 Where: Boystown What: The effects of the pandemic have caused Pride Fest to be postponed until Labor Day weekend. It is normally a two-day pre-parade for Chicago’s Pride Parade and celebrates the rich culture of the LGBTQ community. It features multiple musical acts, over 100 art and merchant vendors, a pet parade, drag shows and plenty of dancing. Anyone planning on attending the street festival can take the Red Line to the Addison stop or a range of buses. For more details, visit www.chicagoevents.com/events/chicagopridefest/ FREE. Chicago Pride Parade 2020 When: TBD Where: Boystown What: Due to the way COVID-19 has impacted Chicago, the Pride Parade is postponed until further notice. This year was meant to be the parade’s 51st anniversary. It’s known to be a celebration of the LGBTQ community and the rich culture and life it has. The parade serves as a reminder of the Stonewall Riots, which started the Gay Rights Movement, andusually features a range of companies and organizations that march in support of the LGBTQ community. Last year’s parade had over one million people attending and featured hundreds of colorful floats. For more information about the parade, visit chicagopride. gopride.com/info.cfm. FREE.
-compiled by Camille Baranda
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Streetwise 5/4/20 Crossword To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the
numbers 1 to 9. Sudoku
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12 Repair, like 38 Big name in socks Argentina 13 Residents 39 After curfew (Suffix) 40 Historic times 22 Terhune 44 Close relative, novel, ___: A briefly Dog 46 Short 23 Walked into wn compositions the water 1 Street fleet 47 Miscues 24 Wine choice 2 Achilles, e.g. 48 Maid’s cloth 3 War god 25 Neptune’s 52 Date place 4 Soccer star realm Hamm 26 Story starter 53 Haunch 5 Black tea 27 Colossus 54 Isaac’s eldest 6 Type of play 28 Spiral-horned 55 It’s overhead 7 Audio effect antelope 56 Spew out 8 Easily tamed 30 Meat cut 57 Dresden’s river 31 At no time bird 58 Skedaddle 9 Dowel 32 Field’s partner 59 Tiny bits 33 Dispatched 0 1943 Bogart 61 Female sheep 34 Waiter’s film 62 Grazing ground offering 1 Black, to poets 64 Rascal Copyright ©2020 PuzzleJunction.com Lion’s pride Low dam Sink Places Diner sign Foil relatives
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Solution LastSudoku Week’s Puzzle Answers
Solution
Sudoku Solution
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Crossword Across 1 Where the buoys are 4 Basilica feature 8 Make eyes at 12 Russian city 14 Try for a part 15 Unsophisticated 17 Not yet final, at law 18 Phoned 19 Run the show 20 Farm 22 Singer Shannon 24 Swiss canton 25 Indications 26 It may need a boost 28 Way to stand 29 Slipshod 34 Acknowledge 37 Breaks 64 Back of the 38 Word of neck possibility 65 Astronaut John 39 Nicaragua’s 66 Loud laugh second-largest 67 London’s ___ city Gallery 40 Thick soup 68 Send to the 41 Flower holder canvas 42 ET’s ride 69 Shade trees 43 Sheer curtain 70 Part of some fabric uniforms 44 TV show information 45 Some monsters Down 1 Dance partner? 47 Hero 2 Mideast leaders 48 Make a choice 3 Molto, in 49 Patriots’ Day music month 4 Collar 52 Leveling 5 Stew vegetable wedge 6 Hourglass fill 55 Rummy 7 Halftime lead, 58 Slanted e.g. 60 Radio output 8 Indivisible 62 Reason for an 9 Frolic R rating
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10 11 13 16 21 23 27 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 40
Vermin “Did you ___?!” Top dog Poetic time of day Picnic pest River embankment Heating fuel Actress Lombard “I’ll second that” Muslim leader Life of Riley Some whiskeys Astringent substance Thumb one’s nose at Like some points Sushi staple Ancient Scots
41 Colorful 43 Touch of frost 44 South American Indian 46 Grits starter 47 Cavalry swords 50 Composer Albéniz 51 Former Greek coins 52 Lose resilience 53 Comic superhero 54 Inspiration 56 Grimm villain 57 Hammer or sickle 59 Abstruse 61 Plastic ___ Band 63 Battering device
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June 1 - 7, 2020 Vol. 28 No. 22
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June 1 - 7, 2020 Vol. 28 No. 22
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