Friday, June 25, 2010

Big Gay, All!


In the spirit of the last and busiest week of Pride month, every day is simply stuffed with LGBT events. Parties, movies, benefits. Before Homo Overload sets in, set your agenda on a Kinsey 7: super-duper-extra gay.

Sunday, June 27 is San Francisco's LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration in Civic Center. Join the largest LGBT celebration in California, which celebrates four decades of pride. Mainstage musical acts in the heart of Civic Center include The Backstreet Boys, Andy Bell of Erasure, Rose Royce, Martha Davis and the Motels. Several DJed dance area in nearby streets should please all tastes. The parade moves from Market St. at Beale west to Market at 8th St., 11am-5pm. And, by the way, don't forget, lots of acts and booths will be open in Civic Center on Saturday, June 26. www.sfpride.org


Pepperspray
Luminous drag stars Peggy L’eggs, Jordan L’Moore, Precious Moments and Tinkle Peterson reunite with SLC royalty Princess Kennedy and band mates Swirly Rat Jr. & Stony Curtis. With go-go dancers the Warm Pepperettes. Special Pride season showcase co-starring Carletta Sue Kay and Brent James. $5. 9:30pm. 398 12th Street at Harrison. www.peppersprayband.com www.sfeagle.com

Pepperspray also performs Friday, June 25, with DJ Lady Miss Kier and others, as part of Art Attack at Supperclub, 657 Harrison St. at 3rd. 11pm-ish. $10-$20

Blackbird @ Mama Calizo's Voice Factory
Seth Eisen's fascinating and funny musical cabaret tour through queer cabaret history, from speakeasy singers to Klaus Nomi and Sylvester. $20-$25. 8pm. Thu-Sat (some Sun). Thru July 10. 1519 Mission St. www.eyezen.org www.mcvf.org

More, much much more at www.ebar.com and www.bartabsf.com

Monday, June 21, 2010

Crude Oil Wrestling






Men rolling around in petroleum (actually canola oil). That’s just about the gayest awareness campaign for the Gulf oil spill. But wait, there’s more.

The Faetopia Festival invades the former Tower Records June 20-26. The groovy Playa Joy folks bring Eco Homo, a fun-filled week of environmental arts, awareness and activist events.

Sunday, June 20, the must-see event was “Crude Oil Wrestling,” a fundraiser for Gulf oil spill relief, with hours of real live (but fake oil) grappling, from 2pm-6pm. Those who got there oily enjoyed the matches in the street in front of the space.

If you missed that there’s more. Partake of environmental education workshops, film screenings, photo sessions and exhibits, and drag shows, including a multimedia recreation of the wild film Aliens Cut My Hair, with Suppositori Spelling, Veronic Klaus, Elvis Herselvis and more.

$20-$45. Check the website for times and tickets. Thru June 26. 2278 Market St. at Noe. www.playajoy.org

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Queeple


It almost felt condescending to remind a rather assertive yet clueless publicist who was pushing her mainstream (i.e. not in the least bit gay) client, that: A; We're a gay newspaper, and B; It's June. Therefore, if it ain't got gay swing, it ain't for Miss Thing.

At the same time I was assuring said publicist that no, there was not room in our publication for her client this week, a fellow writer (who's so gay he should have a varsity letter G) shared (via Facebook) his freshly coined term for perpetually online pals: Tweeple.

So, my queeple (queer people), you know it's Pride Month. You're busy. I'm busy. The week's best is below. Go.

Sunday June 20, Dancing With the Drag Stars at Cheryl Burke Dance Studio is a must-see. The second season of the local drag spin-off of the popular dance TV show, hosted at the studio of Dancing With the Stars pro Cheryl Burke, includes contestants Mercedes Munro, Sasha Soprano, Margaret Cholo, Ferosha Titties, Cassandra Cass, and returning contestants from last year. Donna Sachet, Sister Roma, Bebe Sweetbriar and Patrick Gallineaux cohost/judge. Proceeds benefit the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation. $25-$100. 6pm-11pm. 1830 17th St. www.patrikpresents.com

The Faetopia Festival invades the former Tower Records June 20-26. The
groovy Playa Joy folks bring Eco Homo, a fun-filled week of
environmental arts, awareness and activist events. Sunday, June 20, the
must-see event is "Crude Boys Oil Wrestling," a fundraiser for Gulf
oil spill relief, with hours of real live (but fake oil) grappling from 2pm-6pm. Get there oily.

Subsequent days, partake of workshops, film screenings, photo sessions and exhibits, and drag shows, including a multimedia recreation of Aliens Cut My Hair, with Suppositori Spelling, Veronica Klaus, Elvis Herselvis and more. Check the website for times and tickets. Thru June 26. 2278 Market St. at Noe. www.playajoy.org


Thursday, June 24, I'll be at the no-doubt packed Dark Horse Cabaret at Cafe du Nord featuring Planet Booty (the multi-talented and cute Germick brothers), Ethel Merman Experience, Trauma Flintstone, Erika Von Volkyrie, Alyssa Stone, F BJ Browne, Gottie Lux, Kitten on the Keys, Jeremiah Broom, Matthew Martin and Lady Monster in a festive night of queer and curious cabaret. $12-$15. 21+. 8pm. 2170 Market St. at Sanchez. 861-5016. www.cafedunord.com




Equally fab and also June 24 (decisions, decisions!) PepperSpray reunites at the Eagle Tavern. Drag stars Peggy L'eggs, Jordan L'Moore, Precious Moments and Tinkle Peterson reunite with Princess Kennedy, Swirly Rat Jr. and Stony Curtis. The special Pride season showcase includes Carletta Sue Kay and Brent James performing as well. $5.
9:30pm. 398 12th Street at Harrison. www.peppersprayband.com
www.sfeagle.com

Get out and get your gay on, queeple!

More listings on www.ebar.com and nightclub events at www.BARtabSF.com

Friday, June 11, 2010

BBP



No, it's not a new sandwich, like a PPJ. But "Boycott British Petroleum" may be tougher than you think. Most people don't have the advantage of being cyclist-commuters, but many drivers passing this "polite" protest on the sidewalk next to an Arco gas station (owned by BP) honked their horns in approval.

Cyclists and others, about 30 in total, rode and walked to the problematic gas station, whose entrance driveway cuts off cyclists. On a larger scale, I was hoping there would be more direct action, but it's not wise to go civil disobedience on the site of a flammable gas station. Still, a small message was conveyed.




I was also given a mini-flyer for a "Hair Raising Party" (shouldn't that be hair RAZING?)June 12, 2pm-6pm at 250 Loomis Warehouse (way down on Bayshore and Industrial; quite a bike ride, so maybe carpool).

Although BP has refused hair donations (which made me feel like my head-shaving stunt was futile), I was told that Louisiana locals are making their own hair-sopper mats. So Matter of Trust still serves a purpose.

Free punk CDs for anyone getting a Mohawk! I'd go, but I'm otherwise occupied, and don't have much hair to donate again ... yet!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Going Rogue


So, time to play catch-up with some stuff going on.

Elections: I had to go elsewhere to vote, since the nearby middle school is being renovated. Women won big, even though some of them are clueless billionaires who will be awful rightwing tools. Fortunately, some far rightwing nutbags elsewhere lost big, like wack job Orly Taitz.

Lots of dumb stuff nationwide's making headlines. The silliest is dumbass Sarah Palin blaming environmentalists for the oil spill. What a maroon. She conveniently omits the fact that her hubby worked for BP for years.

Locally, the big cycling news is the freak who went on a rampage to deliberately attempt to kill cyclists. The guy was predictably driving an SUV, the ironically named Nissan Rogue.

The Albany man suspected of mowing down four bicyclists last week in the Mission District and Potrero Hill in a six-minute rampage in his SUV was identified Saturday as David Mark Clark.

Clark, 39, was booked into San Francisco County Jail just before midnight Friday, police said. He was booked on four felony counts each of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and hit and run resulting in injury and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

His ex-landlord said the Clark she knew was a kind man, very low key, concerned about health and nutrition and very social. And he was an "avid bicyclist," she said.

"He's really a people person," she said. "This is amazing to me to hear this." Read more:

What's freaky about this? He's not some angry rightwinger, but a "tennis pro, self-styled master natural healer and crystal therapist." Oh, jeez. Hippies Gone Wild.

In the comments section: "If there's a bright side in any of this, it's that his prosecution should be relatively quick." and "Four counts of attempted murder had better result in life in prison."

Another person adds, "Both comments should be true, except for the ointment fly, Kamala Harris." Harris has a reputation for not convicting criminals. Although my paper endorsed her, it was with serious doubt that I voted for her. Her opponents seemed even less competent. But letting this freak off the hook would be truly criminal.