The talented Miss Tiger from the Bijou sent me a copy of Chris ( tian ) Winters new CD album, and it's wonderful for playing during my deeply meditative bubble baths in the morning. "It's A Dream," brings together nine of Chris' ethereal, avant garde, spacey dreamscapes that transport you up to the Mothership for a complete mind-massage. Chris Winters and bubbles, what a perfect way to ease my fat old ass into the day.
__________
I met my friends Joker and Ingrid at Cell Block for a cocktail or two last week, and then we headed up to Big Chicks for the kickoff of the Lesbian Community Cancer Project's 10th year. It was a Saturday, which means it was wall-to-wall chaos, with the Goddess of Fire, Michelle, welcoming everyone at the door, Larissa Sims DJing and some very nice bartenders.
Look out for the big "Coming Out Against Cancer" dance this coming Saturday. Phone LCCP ( 773 ) 561-4662 or visit www.lccp.org . Let's see more boys there this year.
Speaking of women's events, I want to go to the Black Bra Party. Have you seen the ads in Nightlines? And I don't mind stripping down to a black bra and panties either ...
__________
After waving Joker and Ingrid off on the train, I made my way over to the Eagle to visit Chuck Renslow. I'd planned to just drop in and thank him for inviting me to his house for Christmas, even though I couldn't make it; sadly, the Renslow Family Christmas coincided with the Sukie Family Christmas. "Well, Sukie," he said, "I know you're from another country, and I didn't know what your situation was. I just didn't want you to be on your own at Christmas." Through my Chicago Whispers column, I'd recently put Chuck in touch with an old friend he hadn't seen since the '50s, and so I was interested to hear about their reunion. We talked for so long, that I thought I might as well stay and take pictures of the show at Man's Country. The only time I'd ever been to Man's Country was when Chuck gave me a tour once and told me the history of the building, how Bistro Too became the Eagle, and how the Baths had changed over the years.
I met Sarabia, who MC's the show, and I've been trying to remember where I first saw him; I think it was out at Temptations, or the 7301—it was one of those suburban bar go-go boy nights that Israel Wright drags me to every so often.
There were three dancers at Man's Country: Sergio, Christian and Beau ... breakfast, lunch and dinner, I think! Christian I already knew, but this was the first time I'd seen the Full Monty, so to speak. It's always nice to see a man who wasn't mutilated at birth by stupid parents and a greedy medical profession, i.e. uncut.
__________
Met up with WCT's David Guarino at Voltaire recently. I was delivering some pictures I had taken of Diann Burns; she's a sweetheart. David has been interviewing a lot of TV media people: Jay Levine, Mary Ann Childers, Janet Davies, and there are some others coming up.
A few days later he phoned me and told me he was interviewing "a certain person of great standing" at NBC, and would I do the photographs. The guy he was interviewing has enough Emmy's to sink the Titanic. This sent me running to the Eddie Bauer end of my closet, rather than the simple beaded black cocktail dress and slingbacks end. We arrived at NBC and the lobby looked like it was the venue for the "Gangbangers Ball." David asked the receptionist, "Who are all these people?" She answered that it was the Jenny Jones audience waiting to get into the show. I should have guessed!!
