The past couple of weeks have been filled with super gay dates with the BF. A couple of weeks ago I got to enjoy the vocal styling and sassy repartee of Joey Arias and Sherry (taste it!) Vine performing their show SINsation. Joey artistically works his Lady Day routine and Sherry provides the trashy drag stuff…which we love so much. Joey is one of the last surviving fierce 80’s artist who defined NY downtown avant garde nightlife that has all but been snuffed out or sanitized to make room for Disney.
Two days later we took in the ACT UP New York: Activism, Art, and the AIDS Crisis, 1987–1993 exhibit at the Harvard Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. The stunning aspect is the lack of gay activist artwork any longer. There still remains a need for it (perhaps I should get started!). I also discovered that Marlene McCarty a designer/artist worked for Gran Fury. She had also worked for my favorite 80’s design company M + Co. before starting her own company. I was surprised and saddened by the thin presentation of ephemera, of which I’m certain most was pulled from designer archives. (As a designer I know we are ardent archivists!)
We topped off the evening with a terrific, intimate queer political concert with Canada’s The Hidden Cameras at the Brattle Theatre. They are so gay they made us gay, gay-er, gay-est! They’re not not my favorite band but are so likeable and uber-queer that I must support them. I’m certain they appreciate supporters…
Here’s a bad iPhone picture from the concert.
Finally, yesterday we took the long pilgrimage to New Canaan, CT for Philip Johnsons intimate, modernist, queer compound—Glass House. The project started in 1947, following purchasing the property in ’45, and concluded in 1999 with remodeling of some of the other buildings on the grounds. Johnson and his long-time companion David Whitney both die in 2005 and in that order. Their relationship is not mentioned which is amazingly disrespectful considering the graciousness of Johnson to donate the compound to National Trust and the fact that both are buried on the grounds.
*UPDATE: It came to mind after posting this how generally underwhelming attendance appeared to be for the Hidden Cameras and Joey Arias and Sherry. I don’t understand it. Poor publicity—perhaps—but are gays losing our culture to neglect. Lady Gaga should not be more important to the gay community than any of these performers.
