|
NIGHTSPOTS
|
|
|
DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE
by Marc “Moose” Moder 2012-07-18
|
|
This article shared 3913 times since Wed Jul 18, 2012
|
|
We're still weeks from Gay Christmas (Market Days) and the girls are already planning their lives around seeing Olivia Newton-John LIVE at the fest. As a lifelong fan, I've seen her a few times and while time has dulled her "Shake Shack" level moves, she's still a must-see icon.
As a young boy, I was obsessed with all things Olivia Newton-John. Starting from about age seven, when Grease was not only "The Word," but my first album, I was hooked. The following year my aunt was taking me to the dentist while my mom worked. She bribed me with "anything I wanted" as long as I was good at the dentist. After a dental exam, filled with ONJ dreams and silver material, I made my aunt stop at Venture* and get me her new album, Totally Hot. And it was. I wore that thing out. It was Olivia getting "dirty" and trying to wash away her pure Sandy image. It didn't turn me on as it may have most young boys, it just made me lip-sync her cover of Eric Carmen's "Boats Against The Current" while my cousin Jeff played guitar on my badminton racket. Utterly gay. Sorry Jeff. You're exempt.
The grand gay finale came the next year when a shy farm boy (and his family) moved to the big city of Pekin, Illinois. I was terrified for like a year straight, like a home school kid dropped in the middle of the Fame school. But my breakout came one Saturday morning when I was reading the local Pekin Daily Times and saw a small add in the bottom corner for Olivia's new movie Xanadu. I begged, begged my mom to take me to see it but no one would budge. Finally she relented and dropped her budding queeny little boy off to see who she thought was his first crush. I saw my first movie alone at age 10 in Pekin Mall and it was bliss. It was 90 minutes of roller-skating, disco, Gene Kelly (who I even loved then), ELO, art deco and Olivia. I was in heaven.
I'm sure looking back, it was a bad judgment on my mom's and my parts. And I do realize now it's a shit movie at best, but it broke me out of my shyness and apparently closer to coming out of the closet seven years later. I've since given up my leg warmers and white roller skates, but have not given up the joy that Xanadu holds. Seeing the play brought a huge smile to my inner gay kid. Thanks, Kira**.
* Venture was the Target of the '70s. I'm old.
** Kira is ONJ's character in Xanadu.
Moosebox will be spinning tons of ONJ at The Glenwood's Tea Dance on the 29th of this month. |
|
|
|
This article shared 3913 times since Wed Jul 18, 2012
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | THEATER 'Mamma Mia!' returns to Chicago with 'Daddyhunt' star Jim Newman 2024-04-24 "Who's your daddy?" That's the key plot question driving the global hit Mamma Mia! The global smash jukebox musical famously features the song hits of Swedish pop group ABBA, and it returns for a three-week run ...
|
| | Local queer opera composer premiering her first show, a coming-of-age tale with LGBTQ+ themes 2024-04-23 A Lake View woman is debuting her first opera as a composer, a coming-of-age story with LGBTQ+ themes. Gillian Rae Perry, a fellow with the Chicago Opera Theater's Vanguard program for emerging artists, composed The Weight ...
|
| | Cher, Dionne among Rock & Roll HoF honorees; Mariah snubbed 2024-04-22 On April 21, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced its 2024 inductees, per an ABC press release. In the performer category, the inductees are Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter ...
|
| | The importance of becoming Ernest: Out actor Christopher Sieber dishes about the Death Becomes Her musical 2024-04-20 Out and proud actor Christopher Sieber is part of the team bringing Death Becomes Her to life as a stage musical in the Windy City this spring. Sieber plays Ernest Menville, who was originally portrayed by ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Celine Dion, 'The People's Joker,' Billy Porter, Patti LuPone, 'Strange Way' 2024-04-19 I Am: Celine Dion will stream on Prime Video starting June 25, according to a press release. The film is described as follows: "Directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, I Am: Celine Dion gives us ...
|
| | Kokandy Productions now accepting submissions for Chicago Musical Theater Fest returning Aug. 8-11 2024-04-18 --From a press release - CHICAGO (April 18, 2024) — Kokandy Productions is pleased to open submissions for the 2024 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, returning this summer following a four-year hiatus. Kokandy is thrilled to ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Jerrod Carmichael, '9-1-1' actor, Kayne the Lovechild, STARZ shows, Cynthia Erivo 2024-04-12 Gay comedian/filmmaker Jerrod Carmichael criticized Dave Chappelle, opening up about the pair's ongoing feud and calling out Chappelle's opinions on the LGBTQ+ community, PinkNews noted, citing an Esquire article. Carmichael ...
|
| | Judith Butler focuses on perceptions of gender at Chicago Humanities Festival talk 2024-04-10 In an hour-long program filled with dry humornot to mention lots of audience laughterphilosopher, scholar and activist Judith Butler (they/them) spoke in depth on their new book at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., on ...
|
| | Andersonville Chamber announces Andersonville Midsommarfest entertainment lineup 2024-04-09 --From a press release - CHICAGO (April 8, 2024) — The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce (ACC) is pleased to announce the full entertainment line-up for Andersonville Midsommarfest, one of Chicago's oldest and most beloved summer ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Outfest, Chita Rivera, figure skaters, letter, playwright dies 2024-04-05 For more than four decades, Outfest has been telling LGBTQ+ stories through the thousands of films screened during its annual Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival—but that event may have a different look this year because ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Dionne Warwick, OUTshine, Ariana DeBose, 'Showgirls,' 'Harlem' 2024-03-29 Video below - Iconic singer Dionne Warwick was honored for her decades-long advocacy work for people living with HIV/AIDS at a star-studded amfAR fundraising gala in Palm Beach, per the Palm Beach Daily News. Warwick received the "Award of ...
|
| | 'Rumors' performers create alternative drag playground 2024-03-24 At first glance, Dorian's Through The Record Shop (1939 W. North Ave.) looks like a brightly-lit shop with a handful of records on the wall, but there's a secret world behind those unassuming shelves. Visitors are ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman 2024-03-21 Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...
|
| | THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar' 2024-03-21 Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...
|
| | Lollapalooza announces lineup; SZA, Skrillex among headliners 2024-03-19 Lollapalooza has released its line-up for the event that's taking place Aug. 1-4 at Grant Park. Headliners include SZA, Blink-182, Skrillex, The Killers, Hozier, Melanie Martinez and Stray Kids, among others. Some of the other acts ...
| |
|
|
|
|