The Road Trip

with Thai Rivera and Marty Grimes at Mcdonald's (for the bathroom)

I engineered a little road trip last weekend with a couple of my favorite comics and gay boyfriends. There’s something cool about driving into a town for the gig – probably because I can’t drive. But I love the car talk and personal info you share on long drives and stopping for crappy food and roadside attractions (see video) along the way. French fries create a bond. It felt like I was in a rock band in an economy car. We drove- by we I mean Marty – all the way up to Humboldt County, didn’t get stoned, but the bartender at our gig at Auntie Mo’s Lounge in Eureka gave us 5 drink tickets each which I thought was way more than necessary. And then (watch video) all my drink tickets were gone. Next morning we went to Eureka’s Omelet Chalet before heading down to play MACLA in San Jose 6 hours south. Both shows were a big hit. Eureka folks really appreciated us making the big trip and I got a standing ovation in San Jose. I love that. Check out these funny boys on the web Marty’s Site and Thai’s Site

With Thai after pancakes and bacon at the Omelet Chalet (check out the front page of the newspaper)

Marty and I at MACLA's cupcake and champagne reception with producer Fred Salas.I'm not giving the finger. I'm trying to throw a gang sign,

Hold it! Beat it!

I live in San Francisco and like too many cities, we face the loss of our daily newspaper. Fortunately we here are blessed with two thriving weekly gay newspapers that you can pick up every Thurs for free. These papers will someday be the only source of national and local news in San Francisco. Almost like the SF Chronicle except with bare-chested men on the front page. I’d like to thank the masseurs of San Francisco for supporting our GLBT press with your advertising. If I ever have back pain or need an escort I know where to find one. I have talented friends who write for these papers but we can’t agree on everything which brings me to the following item in yesterday’s edition -

 ”RIP the greatly gifted Michael Jackson . When all the late-night jokes about pet chimp Bubbles , the Jesus juice, and Jacko’s other eccentricities have died away, what remains is a showman for the ages. He did the term “queer artist” proud.”

No.. No.No. REWIND. Stop the gay presses. That last line has got to go. Who said anything about MJ being queer or proud? I just participated in the National Queer Arts Festival with hundreds of proud queer artists.  The term “queer artist” means you state you are queer in in a direct way. Wearing one glove is not enough. MJ was a tragic damaged genius who married Lisa Marie Presley , Debbie Rowe and hung a baby (maybe his) out the window. Things that queer artists would not be proud to do.. except occasional baby dangling, but only in New York. Michael Jackson had a period of great artistry. I would have been interested in what his summer tour and new album would have been like.

I only love about half of his music but I will concede  MJ’s creative legacy is up there with the greats. However he will never be inducted into the Queer Artist’s hall of Fame. Let’s review. He was batshit crazy for years, maybe he had sex with underage boys and married fag hags. None of that disqualifies him from being considered a queer artist – but it doesn’t qualify him either. The fact that all our gaydar was abuzz when we first saw him moon walk and we believe that his life would have been better if he came out doesn’t make him queer. He never said he was gay. He pretended, however lamely, to be straight. Michael was at best, or worst, a ‘closeted  artist.’ Don’t present him to our LGBT youth as role model. Michael is an example of what -not to do- in your personal life. And as one of the ‘queer artists’ who have been putting ourselves out there at the cost of wealth and fame let us keep our standards please. But I do miss MJ.

What do you think readers?

2 weeks 1 pair of pants

I’m overly excited about my new shoe horn, an amenity from the Ritz Carlton last month. Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to take it home. I sincerely thought the hotel provides these for us like soap. I always take the soaps. I know my career is healthy when I don’t have to buy soap all year. With a shoe horn I’m ballin like P-Diddy. BUT-what if this shoe horn wasn’t fresh and had been forced down a businessman’s wingtips prior to my arrival? Whatevs. I have 3 pairs of hight tops and this will save me minutes putting them on. MINUTES that I can devote to my servitude to the blogosphere. I signed on to some ‘blog everyday for a month campaign’, a big leap from my anemic quasi- weekly entries.

Still lots of catching up to do before I’m even put to the test of getting into issues outside of my navel. And I got lots of pictures to share. Beats reading. In these pictures,

Let’s Get My Blogging Started

 

I am not wearing bubble wrap

I hope that  this works and I am in charge of my domain. These things are way confusing. That photo was taken by Jose Guzman Colon. Thanks Puta!