First Tuesday in November

I must say I haven’t seen this much hope and excitement from my party since Bill de Blasio ran for New York City mayor in 2013!

Decrescendo: A Gay Ear’s Lament

 

I always say that I stopped paying attention to new music after the Bangles’ "Everything" came out in 1988. But the truth is a little more … melodramatic.

After five long years of dating a Colombian control freak -- the kind of guy who thought Carlos Vives, Luis Miguel and the Gipsy Kings should provide the score to every waking moment -- I emerged from that relationship musically shell-shocked. Picture me, trapped in a BMW 352i with “Bamboleo” blaring for the thousandth time, praying for death -- or at least for Blondie.

Once I regained custody of the stereo, I discovered that the ’90s actually had some incredible music -- and, unsurprisingly, it was mostly the women doing the heavy lifting. Saint Etienne, Ivy, Garbage, Shakespears Sister, Belly, the Breeders -- they were the cool younger cousins of the divas we grew up worshipping. And of course, some of my childhood faves -- Everything But the Girl, Paul Weller, Divinyls, Aimee Mann, Sade, Chris Isaak -- were still carrying the melodic torch into adulthood, making it safe for me to sing along without irony.

Then I stumbled upon this list of the best-selling albums from each year of the ’90s. Out of the 10, eight were by women. Artists like Madonna, Whitney, Mariah and Cher strutted through the decade like the legends they were and still are -- with Alanis doing her best angry-diary thing in the corner.

But by the end of the decade, things started … well, hitting a sour note. The music got worse (Celine), then worse (Shania) and somehow even worse (Britney). By the 2000s, I wasn’t sure whether to turn on the radio or flee the country. (At least Argentina never stopped believing in rock.) 

Maybe I’m just nostalgic, but sometimes I miss when music had a pulse -- when choruses soared, bridges mattered and the girls sang like they meant it. Today’s playlists sound like background music for a skincare commercial, or worse.

So yes, I still joke that I stopped paying attention after the Bangles' eternal flame figured out a way to extinguish at the end of the '80s. But if I’m being honest, I think music just hit its own decrescendo -- and I never quite recovered.

In fairness, maybe it isn't reasonable to think you wouldn't be let down when you grew up in an era when the average Top 20 includes the likes of Stevie Wonder, Prince, Diana Ross, Madonna, David Bowie, Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Hall and Oates and Cyndi Lauper.

Tennis Tuesday

 

Reilly Golden is a "big" tennis guy. More to love and love BELOW.

A Case of Us

 

It’s a special day, as Damian and I met (in person) 11 years ago this evening, on a rare night I had off from work. Although we both generally shied away from anything beyond “coffee” or “a drink” for first-time internet dates, we’d actually been chatting online long enough -- including a later-discovered spate dating back to 2002 via Gaydar(!) -- that I made the executive decision to invite him for dinner in Chelsea, to which he agreed. The meal (and pitcher of sangria) at Coppelia, followed by drinks at the lounge at Le Zie, flew by -- and we’ve been lovers and best friends ever since. 

Since we’re going to see Sophie Ellis-Bextor tomorrow night at Webster Hall -- and he caught IAMX last night at Le Poisson Rouge -- we decided to celebrate our special day on Saturday by going to see "Joni Mitchell: Take Me as I Am" at the SoHo Playhouse.

The one-woman show -- which was the toast of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival -- stars Rainee Blake as the titular singer-songwriter, who’s just gotten back to Los Angeles in 1976 from a solo road trip across America. In what feels like a laid-back night at the Troubadour, Rainee -- perfect Canadian accent in check -- embodies Joni, who is feeling vulnerable and ready to bare her soul after spending so much time away from home. 

“Blake is technically flawless -- the phrasing, the tunings, the sly, sidelong humor -- but it is her emotional intelligence that astonishes. Understated, brilliant and quietly transcendent."

The 65-minute set spans eight studio albums (from "Song to a Seagull" to "Hejira") and finds Blake -- through many devoted years of research -- transporting the audience back in time, playing the dulcimer and channeling Joni’s unique guitar style. (The way she single-handedly filled the room with "Help Me" left us with chills.) 

Because we were at the penultimate NYC performance, my strong recommendation will need to go unheeded for now. But this sounds like something Blake dusts off from time to time, so I encourage you to follow her on social media to keep track of her next outing.

From there, we returned to Lupe’s Mexican Kitchen, where we once had an incredible Valentine’s Day dinner right before Covid hit. We hadn’t been back since and half-feared that, like many places, it might not be around anymore. But Lupe is alive and well, and the meal -- and the company -- were as delicious as ever. xo

Remains of the Day (11/03)

RIP: Sad to hear about the death of Diane Ladd, who was wonderful in everything she did -- and stole every scene of HBO's "Enlightened" 

Mamba: Turkey moves to outlaw LGBTQ people in leaked draft law

DNA: Rob Jetten will be the first openly gay prime minister of the Netherlands -- and how about his "first gentleman"!

EdSource: Principal resigns after allegedly using Grindr to pursue "secret school tryst" with student

Boystack: A look at the first and last sentences from LGBTQ novels and novellas, and how they can be powerful enticements to dive in 

Lad Bible: Olympic team GB hopeful on two-year ban after explicit video on plane

The Hill: Two men accused of plotting terror attacks at LGBTQ bars in the Detroit area

WBAY: Accused stalker used Grindr to send strangers to victim’s home for over a year, police say

LGBTQ Nation; Lufthansa faces renewed legal action after a gay couple accused the airline of exposing their marriage to Saudi authorities, a move that allegedly forced one partner into exile

Out: Russell Tovey breaks the internet with horny T-shirt -- sells out in 48 hours

People: Former news anchor charged with murder after allegedly stabbing elderly mother

THR: Max Parker on "Boots": Boot camp, memorable scenes and research

PrideSource: Antoni Porowski wants you to talk about sex -- and PrEP -- like you talk about food

Attitude: Jonathan Van Ness addresses claims he’s no longer "body positive" after 70-pound weight loss

PinkNews: Diplo claims he dated both Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau

Hot Cat of the Day: And I thought Harvey was a Blondie fan! 

In memoriam: Marcia Resnick will be remembered on Nov. 19 at the Cooper Union's Great Hall

Oh, Daddy!: After nearly dying while lost at sea 250 miles from shore, James Morris was inspired to become both a firefighter and a steamy centerfold

Weekend Tennis Roundup

 

Titles for Sinner, Mboko, Tjen and Blinkova; Martina returned to Czechia to be honored by the president; plus all the ATP beef that's fit to post BELOW.