Chelsea Boxers New York City
Masked Men of Boxers Bar in New York City, where the patio is open

One of the few reliable distractions through the current crisis has been the chance for repeat viewings of Tiger King, the instant phenomenon crime doc miniseries about a sketchy zookeeper and his menagerie, which premiered in March on Netflix.

I happen to know the show’s co-director/producer, Eric Goode, because he co-owned the legendary 1980s nightclub Area (which artfully changed its theme from top to bottom every five weeks or so) and also B Bar & Grill, which played host to Beige, the head-spinning Tuesday night gay soiree, from 1994 to 2011.

And what’s next for Eric is very Goode.

I hear that he, Serge Becker (another Area co-owner), and Jennifer Goode are working on a documentary about NYC clubs of the golden age, and it will be full of colorful clubby remembrances and archival material. With NYC clubs and bars still flying at only a quarter mast, the time is riper than ever to look back at the ‘70s and ‘80s, when face to face contact was essential, especially if framed with the proper music, lighting, and go-go boys.

And as someone who was crawling around the glitter dome every night and even remembers it, I’m pretty certain I will be in this–and then I can surely get on Dancing With The Stars!

In current gay bar news, Rise Bar in Hell’s Kitchen is bucking the trend and looking to buy another boite they can open, whenever that becomes possible. Amazing–I thought the only thing expanding in the age of covid was my waistline. Another HK bar, Boxers—which has been serving customers, under the current rules–is planning to move to the nearby location of 735-9TH Avenue sometime next year, plus they’ve renovated the Chelsea Boxers and will open it when they can. Some HK bars won’t ever come back, but many keep fighting, so raise your imaginary happy hourglass for a toast and pray it becomes real.

The Strand bookstore (at 828 Broadway) has long been a treasure trove of used, discounted books, but they’ve been in financial trouble lately and the owner, Nancy Bass Wyden, has desperately asked for help from the public. But ex-employees have come forward to say that though Wyden got PPP loans and is reportedly wealthy enough to have bought millions of dollars worth of stock this year (including in the competition, Amazon), she’s laid off many union employees and is still crying poverty. I could read her faster than I could read a Tolstoy novel, but I need that store to stay open since it’s the only place on earth that sells my body of work!

An unstoppable club staple, Drag Race star Peppermint, has released her A Girl Like Me: Letters To My Lovers album and a “Best Sex” single, so I asked her to name the most exciting sex she’s ever had outside a bedroom. “My kitchen in San Francisco,” Pep replied, readily. On the counter? “Yes,” she said, “and floor.”

Some people will do anything to save money on a Swiffer.

Perhaps hoping for a career in the toilet, Kendra Kinx (Nigel Ryan), a Florida-based drag queen known for Fire Island and Key West appearances, recently came out as a Republican in a video, as some applauded the honesty while others called her misinformed and self-defeating. One Facebook commenter replied, “Good riddance. I wonder if your conservative friends would enjoy pissing on you in the Ice Palace bathroom also.”

My response? I’ve never heard of you, darling, but I suggest you do a little more research as to the Republicans’ queerphobia, the xenophobia, the treason, the corruption, the rampant disease, the lies, the racism, the economy, the debt, and the way they’re clearly plotting to reverse same-sex marriage, abortion rights, and the Affordable Care Act while attempting election fraud. OK, KK?

Let’s move on to my votes for something even more important to the theater queen community–the Tony awards. The recent announcement of the nominations reinvigorated our love of Broadway, though they had hemmed and hawed so long that we are all now desperately trying to remember the shows that are competing, lol. And it was basically half a season!

There’s buzz that the actual awards ceremony might be on December 6th. More certainly, I feel the winners will be Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Slave Play, Adrienne Warren for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Aaron Tveit, and Danny Burstein for Moulin Rouge!, Lauren Patton for Jagged Little Pill, Tom Hiddleston for Betrayal, Mary-Louise Parker for The Sound Inside, and Lois Smith for The Inheritance.

And next year, I predict a sweep for the inevitable Tiger King: The Musical.

One final round of applause: Tan Mom (Patricia Krentcil, a/k/a Patricia Marie), who famously browned her own daughter, has an online chat show with Adam Barta called Tan Talk. As an esteemed guest recently, I was there when the dark lady revealed that she recently had hot phone sex with someone while both parties exchanged photos. Barta commented that Tan Mom has pendulous breasts and those must have been “a treat for your male suitor.”

“Who says it was a male?” replied Tan Mom, drolly.

Love it! Sounds like Tan Mom has actually come out of the oven.

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Once Monthly Annually

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated