Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

TWO CHIX in the mix
by Sukie de la Croix
2001-08-22

This article shared 2327 times since Wed Aug 22, 2001
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


After the phenomenal success of the "Black Bra Party" and "Tanked," Kathleen and Julie, the girlz behind Chix Mix Productions, are currently putting the finishing touches to "Party Like a Rock Star," and it promises to be even more of an EXTRAVAGANZA than the other two.

These two hi-energy women recently took time out from their hectic schedules to talk with Windy City Times.

WCT: I'm guessing you two are a couple, so where did you meet?

Kathleen: I'm a Hoosier, born in Hammond, Ind. Julie and I met down there and moved up here together about three years ago. Julie was working in a casino when I met her.

WCT: I've worked for the gay press for over 20 years, so I've watched the lesbian community develop and change over the years. Separatism, invisibility, k.d.lang and Melissa Etheridge inspired lesbian chic, etc. etc. But a lot of gay men still cling to the old stereotypes of lesbians being humorless and feisty. So playing devil's advocate, when did lesbians get to be so much fun?

Julie: Well, lesbians have always had fun, it's just that we do it in public now. I think that began to change a couple of years ago. There are different aspects of the lesbian community and the type you're talking about is the women-only space type. Like the Bear community and the Leather Community, those women get together and do their own thing. So lesbians have always had fun, it's just that it was done in the privacy of their own homes, or wherever.

WCT: "The Black Bra Party" and "Tanked" were huge successes that took everyone by surprise. How did the idea come to you?

Kathleen: We've always had these big parties in the bars, and women kept asking us why there were no big women's dance parties, because the guys had them. Women go to their local bars, but it's also fun to go dance at places like Crobar, where there's a lot of energy. Why do men go out in droves and women don't? So we started thinking about it ...

Julie: Also, when you talk to the owners of lesbian bars, they will tell you that women are fickle and don't support the bars on a daily basis. They come out every so often. So that's why a lot of people don't take a chance on the lesbian community. Nobody was willing to step forward and organize anything this big, in case it didn't work. That's why we don't do these parties every weekend, we're doing this just a few times a year. It's something different, out of the ordinary, and that's why people support it.

WCT: When I came to the first party, I have to admit that I was thinking "Oh this could be a complete disaster." I didn't see women as being a part of that boys' party culture. Of course, when I got there and saw the crowds, I discovered how wrong I was. Drink was packed that night and with a more diverse crowd than a boy's Circuit party; which is mostly muscle queens.

How much of your success do you put down to doing the right thing at the right time?

Kathleen: I think that played a big part in it, people were just waiting for someone to organize something. But I was a ball of stress for four months, thinking that nobody was going to come, and that maybe it was just me who wanted to party with women dancers and a tattoo booth. We had so much praise for the first one, that we were on a high for two weeks after. Since then, we've seen copycat events, and we've even had guys doing parties phoning up and asking for advice. It's been interesting to see the spin-offs from this.

WCT: Women's sexuality is also something that came out of the closet in recent years, it's not hidden away anymore. I noticed that your parties are very sexy, with leather, rubber, Levis and feather boas all together on the dancefloor.

Julie: I think sex is as much a part of women's lives as it is for the guys. I think our parties give an opportunity for lesbians, bi, and gay friendly women to look at other women and see they're sexy.

WCT: Your first two parties were at Drink, so why did you decide not to do them in a gay bar?

Kathleen: Because we needed somewhere big. The estimate for the first party was 1,000 women. You can't fit 1,000 people into any of the women's bars. And anyway, that's where women go all the time, and we wanted something different. There's no way we're going to get a Sunday at Circuit or Crobar over the Fireball Weekend. So we decided to do what the guys do, rent out a place, like Fireball did with the Aragon. At the time, Drink had placed an ad in Windy City Times saying they wanted to do more with the gay community. That's when we had the meeting with them, and when we saw the place, it was unbelievable. So we decided to give it a go. We also wanted to bring the women's bars into the mix, so we got them involved in it too.

WCT: I know there are no on-stage performances at the upcoming "Party Like a Rock Star," because you've got other surprises lined up this time, but how did you choose the entertainment for the first two parties?

Julie: I manage Valerie James and she was very much a part of the process at the first party. We wanted her performing because she sings dance music. Then C.C Carter came in to entertain the crowd in a different way.

Kathleen: C.C. has so much energy, and we knew that if she pumped out something sexy like she does, that the crowd would really be into it. Both C.C. and Valerie were extremely well received. The idea of having dancers came from Drink having go-go boxes. They were there, so we used them.

Julie: We chose DJ Harry T because we had to appeal to a diverse crowd. He had new stuff, old stuff, but it was all fun. We listened to a bunch of DJs and he was the perfect fit.

Kathleen: You have the 20-somethings who want progressive house music, then you have the 40-somethings who want to hear something from the '70s. The music is the hardest part of these events.

WCT: So you had two mega-hits at Drink, so why change the location of the next party to Nocturnal?

Julie: Just to keep it fresh. We want to keep up the level of excitement. "Party Like a Rock Star" is going to be much bigger, and much better than the other two. We have a red carpet outside and searchlights, so there's going to be a Hollywood rock star feel to it. There's also a free champagne fountain, and other surprises.

WCT: Something that's topical right now is the widespread use of drugs at these big parties. I go to a lot of these events, and I see this all the time. It's not a boys do it and girls don't do it thing. I've seen girls overdose at boy's Circuit parties. But I have to say that I never saw any drugs at either of your parties, and I was looking out for it. How do you explain that?

Julie: In some respects, it's encouraged at the men's parties. Circuit parties have that reputation, and the new little gay boys going in there want to be like everybody else. If you don't do drugs, you're not going to fit in. I don't see a lot of drugs in the lesbian community anyway. We may abuse alcohol, but that's it.

Kathleen: Not only do we not encourage the use of drugs, we don't tolerate it either. If that ever occurred at our parties, we'd just stop doing them. Our parties are about dancing, having fun, and dressing up and being someone different for a night. Have fun with clothes, or come in a flannel shirt and shorts. That's fine too.

WCT: What about the boys coming?

Julie: We don't discriminate against men, we get bisexuals and straight girls coming with a boyfriend or a gay male friend, and that's OK.

Kathleen: It's not a women-only space, but we have to use our discretion; if 20 gay guys turn up and want to turn it into a circuit party, that's not going to happen. One of the coolest things about the "Black Bra Party" were the transgendered women and crossdressers who turned up, which was awesome because that's a community that's often ignored.

"Party Like a Rock Star" takes place on Sunday, Sept. 2, at Nocturnal ( 1111 W. Lake St. ) . Tix are $15 in advance or $20 on the door. You can buy them at Buddies, 3301 N. Clark, Karma Salon, 1750 W. Balmoral in Andersonville or on line at Ticketweb.com . Call ( 773 ) 583-5049, or see www.chixmixproductions.com


This article shared 2327 times since Wed Aug 22, 2001
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Kara Swisher talks truth, power in tech at Chicago Humanities event
2024-03-25
Lesbian author, award-winning journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher spoke about truth and power in the tech industry through the lens of her most recent book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, March 21 at First ...


Gay News

Almost 8% of U.S. residents identify as LGBTQ+
2024-03-16
The proportion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to increase. LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as LGBTQ+, according to the newest Gallup poll results that ...


Gay News

Women's History Month doesn't do enough to lift up Black lesbians
2024-03-12
Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by ...


Gay News

No 'explanations' needed: Affinity remains a haven for Chicago's Black queer community
2024-03-12
Back in 2007, Anna DeShawn came out while she was studying for her undergraduate degree. At around the same time, she searched online for "Black lesbians in Chicago." Her search led her to Affinity Community Services, ...


Gay News

COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy
2024-03-08
COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...


Gay News

Affinity Community Services' Latonya Maley announces departure
2024-03-06
Latonya Maley, executive director of Affinity Community Services, announced March 6 that she would be stepping down from her post. The announcement came from a statement with Affinity board members. Maley said that, "It has been ...


Gay News

LPAC celebrates historic wins for LGBTQ+ candidates in Super Tuesday primaries
2024-03-06
From a press release: Washington, DC—Today, LPAC,the nation's leading organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary candidates to public office, proudly announces the outstanding victories of 67% of endorsed candidates ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare
2024-03-05
Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

Without compromise: Holly Baggett explores lives of iconoclasts Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap
2024-03-04
Jane Heap (1883-1964) and Margaret Anderson (1886-1973), each of them a native Midwesterner, woman of letters and iconoclast, had a profound influence on literary culture in both America and Europe in the early 20th Century. Heap ...


Gay News

There she goes again: Author Alison Cochrun discusses writing journey
2024-02-27
By Carrie Maxwell When Alison Cochrun began writing her first queer romance novel in 2019, she had no idea it would change the course of her entire life. Cochrun, who spent 11 years as a high ...


Gay News

Asians and Friends welcomes the Year of the Dragon
2024-02-26
On the evening of Feb. 25, Asians and Friends kicked off the Lunar New Year with their annual dinner and celebration at Pho Viet Vietnamese Restaurant. This year's event was focused on this being the Year ...


Gay News

Brittney Griner's jersey retired at Baylor University
2024-02-20
On Feb. 18, Baylor University retired Brittney Griner's #42 jersey. Griner—a two-time AP national player of the year, two-time Olympic gold medalist and the NCAA women's career blocks leader (with 748)—attended a Bears home game ...


Gay News

Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree
2024-02-16
In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Elton John, Hannah Gadsby, video game, Jennifer Lopez, queer thriller
2024-02-16
Video below - Sir Elton John has sold his Atlanta home and is now auctioning off more than 900 of his personal items that were kept in the 13,500-square-foot condo, The Daily Mail noted. The massive collection includes rare ...


Gay News

WORLD South Africa murder, lesbian couple, Brianna Ghey, Eurovision
2024-02-16
In South Africa, LGBTQ+-rights groups condemned the brutal murder of Diego Jacobs, a queer man in Cape Town, The Washington Blade reported. Reports indicate Jacobs, 21, was brutally murdered (reportedly by a former neighbor) on Feb. ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.