Sunday 01.10.16
RYAN McGINLEY’s WINTER
If you are young and don’t know who Ryan McGinley is, then I don’t know what to tell you. This man has been popular forever, I learned about his work years ago going to one of his exhibitions, waiting in line for hours to see photos of thin naked boys. The exhibition is closing this week and this is your last chance to check it out. Team (gallery. inc.) is showing in their New York gallery, and in the LA one simultaneously, two different shows. Both of the shows are closing on the same day (January 10th). The one in NYC, which is the one that I am gonna tell you more about, it’s titled Winter. The photography show exhibits nude subjects in frozen landscapes, “There is virtually no photographic or cinematic precedent for these works: to capture naked bodies in such extreme conditions took profound measures of precaution, audacity and sacrifice on the part of all involved. The artist and his team invented and improvised manifold contrivances, employing the likes of ice-fishing tents, propane tanks and rock-climbing gear, in order to enable the production of these images.” It’s really cool, you get the familiar natural nude subjects common in McGingley’s work but in this case they are nude in nature, it’s surreal and wonderful.
FREE, 10:00AM-6:00PM, TEAM GALLERY, 83 Grand Street, NY, NY. …
Saturday 01.09.16
Event: SUSPENDED FOREST OPENING RECEPTION
This sounds pretty awesome. After Xmas New Yorkers throw away thousands of Christmas trees, most of them are abandoned like used tampons, thrown in the trash (or street curb). A very clever artist named Michael Neff decided to collect these trees and turn them into an art project. This is how he came to create the Suspended Forest, "a room-filling forest of discarded Christmas trees collected from the streets of Brooklyn. Suspended Forest has been shown twice previously in an unauthorized, unused space under the BQE along Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg. Those installations were removed by the city within days. The exhibition at Knockdown Center, on view for a month and configured in a grid, allows for a much different experience, most importantly time for the trees to shed their needles into halos on the smooth concrete floor below. Paired with the subtle pine fragrance of the trees and the opportunity for quiet contemplation, the exhibition encourages repeated viewing." Sounds wonderful. Saturday night the show opens with a reception between 5-7pm. Nothing like spending a Saturday night with some dying trees.
R.I.P. The Spectrum
Check out the images from their final party
The Spectrum came from nowhere. Someone said, “Are you going?” and two hours later we were there, looking around a windowless room, trying to decide whether it was good. That was in 2012. I guess it could be called “underground” since if you were walking by it, you wouldn’t know it was there. The façade was plain. The steps were crumbling. The windows were covered in bars. It looked like every other building in East Williamsburg.
Founded by Gage of the Boone and Nicolas Gorham, Spectrum promoted itself as a community space for queer artists, musicians and performers. There were self-defense classes, disco yoga and queer pilates but nobody I knew went during the day. Everyone went at night, when lights went off, the cover went up and the DJs took over. There were music shows (Cloud Soundz), performances (Mama Said Sparkle!) and readings (Dick-tionary).
After midnight, you couldn’t move without stepping on someone’s platforms. The parties were wild and Dagger was king. It was the monthly “LEZ dance party” and it had the most punk pay scale. Entrance was $10 for queer ladies, $15 for queer guys and $50 for str8 cys dudes. Ova the Rainbow was good too. It was always themed something campy like “oil spill,” “snake skin” or “gold.” I once saw dueling Dolly Parton’s perform in the middle of the room. Everyone circled around them and clapped. It felt like we were watching the best Show & Tell ever.
The Spectrum was legitimately not legit because they didn’t check IDs. …
Party: The New Cock
It’s not often that a new gay bar opens in NYC, new parties pop up pretty often, but new bars, they’re rarer. While this is not technically a new bar, it’s pretty damn close. The Cock recently moved to a new space at 93 Second Ave. This Friday they continue at the new space with their party King Size featuring DJs Ernie Cote and Sammy Jo. The new bar is laid out over two levels and here’s how it all plays out: upstairs is a casual hangout area with a DJ and downstairs is where the real fun is had as on busy nights they open it up as a cruising, darkroom space. It’ll take a few years for this new bar to acquire the grot and grime that made the old Cock so special (whatever you thought of the bar, you gotta be thankful that it has kept some sleaze in the East Village). If you have a chance to check it out this weekend let us know what you think on our Facebook page. New Year, newish bar.
Thursday 01.07.16
JOHN ARSENAULT’s BARMAID
We are big fans of ClampArt Gallery, Brian Clamp (the director) has such great taste in art — I always wonder about his personal art collection. We are always excited when we hear there’s a new opening at the gallery. Brian reached out to tell us about the gallery’s first exhibition in 2016, “John Arsenault: Barmaid.” He told us that Arsenault worked as the bar-back at the Eagle LA for nearly two years, and his new body of work is a visual diary of his time there. It’s the artist’s fifth solo show at ClampArt and it coincides with the release of Arsenault’s first monograph which was published by Daylight Books. “He shot thousands of photographs — largely with his iPhone…The collection of images includes customer and employee portraits, interior shots of the bar itself, and a wide array of self portraits.”
I peaked at some of the photographs and they show an obvious connection between the photographer and his subjects — the images feel real, unpretentious and very honest.
Here’s a preview of the show:
FREE, Opening Reception 6:00PM-8:00PM, ClampArt, 531 West 25th St. NY, NY. …
Wednesday 01.06.16
Event: GLITTERING WORLD
This wonderful exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian — which by the way is a fucking MAJOR museum, like BEAUTIFUL and old and really cunty, I mean who knew this gem existed in the Financial District — is about to close. Called ‘Glittering World’ it features Navajos jewelry by the Yazzie family (I was yasssing for the Yazzies all afternoon). There’s over 300 gorgeous pieces made by the family in silver, gold, and all kinds of stones (I loved the opal pieces). This family is a big deal in New Mexico where their workshop is based. In fact “Lee Yazzie and his younger brother, Raymond, have won every major award in the field.” It was smart of them to keep these beauties behind glass ‘cos when I visited with my friend Beatrice last Sunday we were ready to nab a few pieces for our own collections. Wandering around the peaceful rooms of the museum, examining these intricate and colorful jewels, was exactly what the doctor ordered. Hurry to see the show before it closes on Jan 10th.
Blessings bracelet, Raymond C. Yazzie, 2002–2003. Height, 1½ in. Collection of Daniel Hidding. Photo by Gregory R. Lucier, WindSong Studio, LLC.Blessings bracelet, Raymond C. Yazzie, 2002–2003. Height, 1½ in. Collection of Daniel Hidding. Photo by Gregory R. Lucier, WindSong Studio, LLC.
Daniel Pitout is my man
If there’s one thing South African–born, Toronto-dwelling Daniel Pitout hates, it’s laziness. As the singer, guitarist and songwriter for alt supergroup Eating Out and drummer for scuzzy Vancouver punk trio Nü Sensae (not to mention his former stints in Hunx and His Punx, Shannon and the Clams,Terror Bird and Groovy Temple), Daniel has a brand of restless energy that has manifested itself into a consistently strong work ethic. That energy bleeds into Eating Out’s ’90s-indebted music videos, too. For the catchy song “That’s My Man,” Daniel drew inspiration from classics like Clueless for a distinctly retro feel in line with the group’s alt-rock style. Daniel also happens to be one of the few openly gay members in the D.I.Y. punk scene, and he’s a very active, forward-thinking one at that: In 2012, he launched the AIDS Day Music Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes HIV/AIDS awareness through music and art every December as part of AIDS Awareness Month.
We dropped Daniel a line to ask him a few questions about Eating Out, skateboarding, gay groupies, the ’90s movies that inspire his music videos, and what being queer in the D.I.Y. punk scene has meant for him.
Who came up with the name Eating Out? I did. I just thought it was a funny name for a band and thought it would be funny to have a gay guy front a band called Eating Out.
What’s your process for writing music? I usually start with a gui- tar line because Eating Out songs are pretty melody-driven, and then I build everything on top of that. …
Trouble
A brand new Sunday beer blast in the LES
Welcome to 2016! I am so excited to tell you about this brand new weekly party called Trouble, only because it’s the premiere. It starts today, January 3rd, 2016 and it sounds super chill. Paul Short (from the parties Snaxx, SPIT and The House) who is hosting the party, along with DJ Mirch, sent us an email to inform us what to expect from this new event. It’s a “Hunky and Humpy Hair-O-Da Dog, Dance-n-Drink Beer Blast!” Do you follow? Trouble is hosted at Fontanas Bar in the Lower East Side, it’s a “two level multi-room bar, pool table. Bartender Patrick serving up cheap drafts and shots. Wig and Merkin Contest with Special Guest DJ Mike Grimes.”
Paul also told us about how this is all got started: “DJ Mike Grimes and I used to throw a notoriously successful sleaze-fest party called Spit. Ever since Spit, we’ve been looking for the appropriate party venue to try something new.” The party also promises cheap drinks, “a spicy ballroom, no rules, crazy contests, dick dunkin, sassy sluts…” I’d say check it out, you have nothing to lose, and who doesn’t like a little bit of trouble?
FREE, 2:00PM-9:00PM, Fontana’s, 105 Eldridge St. NY, NY. …
Saturday 01.02.16
BABY TEA: 12/20
The Dauphine of Bushwick X Wise Men say goodbye to 2015 in this last Baby Tea of the year. Music by LVJjay and XOXO QOSSIP QURL! Performance by The Dauphine of Bushwick. Happy Birthday Larissa Velez-Jackon!
Wednesday 12.30.15
NYE NEW YORK CITY GUIDE 2015
2015 Sashay Away...
We hope you are ready to say goodbye to 2015 and hello to 2016! Yes queens it’s time for a whole new year. 2016 is gonna be all about Hilary and Rihanna’s new album, and Beyonce finally making an effort with her Instagram account and Seamless orders being delivered by drones, and Rupaul coming back, and dick buffets (more about this in 2016), and all sorts of other wonderful things. We figured we’d make this week’s GAYLETTER an all New Year’s Eve affair.
So please enjoy our selections for the last night of 2015 and the first morning of 2016. Happy New Year!
PARTY: LGND – THE SPECTRUM: NYE 2016 #LASTCALL
The Spectrum is closing and this is the last chance you’ll have to dance in this space. For those of you that never had a chance to go there, I am sorry you missed out. We hope another place like this will pop up soon. Say goodbye to 2015 with a legendary party. Music by Iz Hero iQ, De’se, HD, Sadaf, A Village Raid and one of our faves Michael Magnan. There’s an installation by Dreamhouse and performances before 12AM by Kevin Aviance, Dick Van Dick, Raul De Nieves, Davon Rainey, Gage Of The Boone, Richard Kennedy and more. …
