this is fyf

Sex addict tags Queens.

SPANK X STANK!!

It's not MATH, it's MAGIC!!

Have no idea how to even begin that equation, but thankfully, I don't have to... I'm hosting so they'll just tell me, hopefully.

Not surprisingly, I'm very happy to be affiliated with this shindig, so come on down to LIC where the Spank Crew (DJ Will, Sean B.) meets up with my House of Stank boos (Christy Love, W. Jeremy) for a night of luxurious beats and refined tweets (of the melodious sort!). Me and Mr. Eddie Dillard aka Black are reunited as hosts (which almost makes up for the absence of my hosting sister, Tai Chi Alfonso) once more, so there's bound to good vibes abounding on the dance floor...not to mention yelling and whooping and the (Eddie Black) works.

RSVP to spankxstank@gmail.com for exact address, but know that the new spot has an "industrial-chic loading dock patio (complete with nighttime BBQ)"?!?!

Who's got Queens Pride?

I LOVE sexican!

Who else had Queens Pride this past Sunday? I wasn't able to attend, but from the bit I can gather from the world wide interwebs, things in Queens were much as they have been for years: Hot bartenders had boys falling for them, vivacious drag queens turned out in jaw-droppingly intricate gowns and make-up and handsome men glowered - shirtless - from behind smoky-lensed eyeglasses. It's a sight to behold, kids!

Did you attend? Did you snap some shots you'd like to share? Have a story from the day worth recounting? Send them to us and we'll share as part of our ongoing Pride coverage.

Photo via (where there're more of the day's festivities/attendees)

Additional coverage of Queens Pride 2010 worth posting.

...at least in this editor's opinion.

Also via (which - as it so happens - turns out to be FYF friend Jean Paul Zapata's blog. At least we hope you're reading us, Jean Paul!)

Your guide to Queens Pride.

Here's the thing about Queens Pride:  They have it down to a formula out there in Jackson Heights and for the most part, things remain the same every year.  In the interest of laziness, here is last year's guide which essentially tells you all of the information that any post on this Sunday's event would tell you.  (There is the new bar out there, Hombres Lounge which served as a meeting place for me and a Raging Stallion exclusive at one point in the past year so maybe check that out too.)  Also in the interest of laziness, in case you just can't make it out of the house Sunday (and you should as it will be gorgeous out), the stage show will be streamed live.

Photo via.

Conflation. Say it with me, learn it and then try to avoid it, kids! Particularly in cases of rape, gay bashing and other horrific attacks on the innocent.

FYF friend Mike Dawson alerted us to a Florida legislator whose strategy to prevent situations like the gang rape of an 11-year-old in Texas is to impose a state-wide dress code for girls.

"Gay"-bashers who stomped and beat a guy to death in the Bronx last week ("gay" because he, unlike Barie Shortell who was gay-bashed in Williamsburg last month, was not gay.) were all reportedly "in the wrong place at the wrong time" or otherwise innocent of any wrongdoing according to their families.

Conflation is the confusion of one thing for another...like taking flirtation to mean giving permission, seeing "fuck me pumps" as an invitation to actually "fuck me", or believing the way a person is to you is the way he is all the time.

There's a lot of conflation going on in these instances of brutal attacks by groups of kids on strangers: the conflation of the ability to inflict pain and suffering with power, manliness and sexual prowess; the conflation of "faggot" or "homo" with femininity and, in turn, the conflation of femininity with weakness; the conflation of "inappropriate" attire and liability for your own attack.

Bottom line? Regardless of what anyone was wearing, saying, doing, being, fronting, reading, selling, playing...brutalizing anyone is wrong. There is no rationalization for physically harming another...despite the implications of war.

So - conflate all you want - but the fact of the matter remains: rape, beating and murder are never "deserved".

Civilization Progress Report: Everybody grows up, even Zelda and Link

Y'all. It...has...been...a week. As we crash-landed back to New York City on Tuesday after a blissful getaway to a quaint New England town that involved marathon rounds of She-Hulking our way through Marvel vs. Capcom 3, we were greeted with news of epic unrest in Libya and natural disaster in New Zealand (and breathed a deep sigh of relief when we learned our brother, temporarily residing in a remote Kiwi 'burb, wasn't affected at all by the quake.) And frankly this, piled on top of everything else in the world was enough to make us want to crawl under a rock and listen to Adele's sweet singing until the madness ends. But if that were the case, we'd never leave the house. So instead, go into the weekend looking positively golden, with proper posture, and the knowledge that lovelier things are still happening around the world.

• Gordon Bunshaft is not a porn entrepreneur, but an architect. One of his works, "The Snow Queen" is currently on display at the Lever House on Park Avenue and you'd be a fool to miss it! [NYT Magazine]

• 30 Rock's Jenna Maroney made the internet yesterday. [Gawker TV]

• Google has again proven itself to be a tech giant of the times: Presenting Recipe View. [Google Recipe View]

What happens when a queen tries to escape her party lifestyle?

She just gets dragged back in.

Dispatches from a blizzard (Pt. 1)

 

Jamie Stuart shot and edited this film in a day during New York's blizzard of December 26th. Roger Ebert sees in it a whole homage to a 1929 silent film classic, "Man with a Movie Camera" (perhaps he dubbed it "Man in a Blizzard" instead of leaving it "Idiot with a Tripod", then?) but - even without a film school pedigree, this film is a great piece...evoking the blizzard succinctly and even beautifully.

More of Jamie's work here and here.

This weekend: 1) Stay Warm 2) See below

Reindeer games, indeed!

Tonight, shop at Limelight with Next Magazine, bring a new toy for the toy drive at David Barton - Astor Place, check out Justin Bond and the Pixie Harlots in Christmas Spells at The Abrons Arts Center and then press to the function at The Chelsea Hotel...Clubber Down Disco, I mean. There's also the aforementioned grand opening of Uncut out in Queens (very Krash circa 2001?).

Tomorrow, don your best Santa suit and join the drunken hordes of Santacon. Make them all stop in at Art Jamboree #3 and buy stuff from your talented artist friends. Later, if you missed Justin and her harlots, they're on again tonight (and until the 18th, in fact! Don't sleep though...they may sell out - or be already!). Afterward, there's a swirl of parties to decide amongst...from Sugar Daddy (see Paul Short's promo photo above.) to Family Function; from Mister Saturday Night to Spank Actions 3-D: Spank's 3 year Anniversary, and from Cheryl: WYZZRD BLYZZRD to Miracle on 36th Street with Steve Travolta, Quentin Harris, Cevin Fisher and DJ MSG and the New York Cares Coat Drive. Choose wisely!

Specially for the hefty set, Bearracuda hits New York for the first time tonight, as well. Apparently, it's the next Blow-off? Better? Something.

Sunday, the Art Jamboree and Justin Bond continue, while Griffin Sundays and 718 Sessions help you keep your blood moving (unless you're too busy posing?).

And that, my friends, is what to do this - the first truly cold weekend of the winter.

For more, hit the FYF Calendar.

Just say "Ho Ho Ho", a drug-friendly guide to your New York holidays.

Note:  This post is part of NYC BLOGGERS DO THE HOLIDAYS, a compendium of holiday stuff for the city dweller:

• A Child Grows  Where to See Santa in New York City and Brooklyn
• Eater's Digest  10 "Warm-You-To-the Bone" Holiday Eats in NYC
• Give and Get NYC  Give and Get for the Holidays
• 'the improvised life'  Design (or Hack) Your Own Holiday E-Cards
• Manhattan User's Guide  The Gift Guide: 21 Over $21
• Markets of New York  Festive Food at New York's Holiday Markets
• Mommy Poppins  11 Experience Gifts for NYC Kids
• NY Barfly  Holiday Cocktails, And We Ain’t Talkin' Egg Nog
• offManhattan  The Anti-Holiday Travel Guide: 5 Quick Getaways from NYC
• the skint  11 free and cheap non-holiday things to do this holiday season
• Patell and Waterman's History of New York  Christmas with Andy Warhol
• Walking Off the Big Apple  A Mortal's Guide to the Angels of New York City
• We Heart Astoria  The Best Places To Shop Local - WHA Holiday Gift Guide

So, like, this past weekend on Thanksgiving night, it was just shy of four o'clock in the morning, and this compulsion to head home hit me.  On went the coat and hat and goodbyes given to the guys and ladies assembled in the lovely Chelsea home which served as the post-dinner meeting spot.  Stepping outside though, there was the invigoration of fresh air (and whatever), so a walk was taken.  Somehow my location shifted to Fifth Avenue, walking north in the Flatiron, and suddenly there they were, shoppers getting "special discounts" at Baby Gap at, like, four in the freaking morning.   A long pause later and my eyes perused the shoppers who, well, were just in a different state of mind than me.  A moment of consideration happened, but the store was not entered, because, yeah, these people and me didn't need to see each other.

Something about the holidays, brings drugs to the fore.  Maybe it's the festivity or the twinkling lights or the long nights or the bonus checks, but yeah, drugs are everywhere.  You can't just pair them randomly though.  Otherwise you'll be outside a Baby Gap feeling perky, yet horny, and that's creepy.  With that in mind, please consider the following pairings, all of which totally work!

Cocaine
All coked up and up late at night?  Head out to Astoria or Bay Ridge and take in all the twinkling lights of the lawn displays that fill the lawns of these neighborhoods.  They really go all out.  And you can go on Grindr or Scruff or Radar or whatever and make a new friend!

Anti-anxietals
Popping a Xannie and sitting on those red steps in Times Square is a great place to go to write out Christmas cards.  You get the energy from the tourists milling about, but you don't get annoyed with them!  Since cards tend to go out to your out of town people, they'll enjoy that you are in Times Square.  PROS ONLY:  Step up to a manly pill and pop an aprolazam and go to Queens Mall or Paramus orWoodbury Commons and just sort of mill around, picking up holiday merchandise and considering it briefly before dropping it to the floor.  Bonus round?  Say hello to the elderly!

Marijuana
Spark up a holiday bud and head uptown a little to the Origami Christmas Tree at AMNH and then visit the planetarium or wander the exhibits.  Go even further uptown and go full on boho, making candles of your own design at the Dyckman Farmhouse!  From there a holiday visit to the ever-cruisy Cloisters and Fort Tryon Park.

Liquor
The holidays can't be fully self-indulgent, so dig into your closet or buy new a coat for the city's GLBT homeless youth.  (Seriously, the city just slashed their funding.)  Anyway, bring that coat to Excelsior in Brooklyn this Saturday for the annual LGBTQI Homeless Youth Coat and Clothing Drive.  Get nice and toasty drunk and then gather your funnest buds and sing out carols in Park Slope.  (The event ends early and those Slopers will be charmed.)

Ecstacy
Party like it's 1999 and take a hit of ecstacy.  When you're starting to roll head out and give a visit to Santa Claus.  No, not the commercial version at Macy's or Bloomingdales or ABC Carpet and Home.  Go to the REAL Santa in Central Park's Belvedere Castle.  Just don't ask him to suck your finger.  You can head down to the Ramble for an afterparty.

Psychedelics I
Mushrooms, hooray!  Don't go overboard and you can enjoy a hilarious trip to F.A.O. Schwartz.  Follow it up with a trip to view Simon Doonan's latest window creations at Barneys.  (This year's theme is food?!) Then giggle your way up Madison stopping by Hermes, Ralph Lauren and oddly-named shops that only trophy wives know, arriving at the Met where you can buy all your friendsBaldessari-themed gifts, like the "Wrong!" eraser!

Psychedelics II
Again, moderation is key here, so like, just one hit of acid, and then go to the best windows in the city at Bergdorf Goodman.  Then decide you are on a secret mission and go stealthily down to the Lord & Taylor (which are possibly better than Bergdorf's while tripping).  Finally, PULL IT TOGETHER and go full force to Bryant Park for ice skating (yes, really) at "CitiPond" (being sure to wonder aloud why Citibank is doing this and not protecting your money).  Then put on your own Skating with the Stars performance of Swan Lake.

 

Everything you always wanted to know...but couldn't shut up long enough to listen to the answer.

Via: Pharmacy Technician

Just when you thought every queen you knew was on Facebook, another one joins up.

Yes, Queen Elizabeth II now has a Facebook page where you can send her funny kitten pics, Ke$ha videos, and party invites.  Apparently she needs three more cantaloupe plants to afford a silo on Farmville, so maybe you can help her out? 

New York tornadoes pinpoint gay areas of Queens and Brooklyn to the delight of Pat Robertson, Ruben Diaz, and other wackadoos.

Call your favorite evangelical tea party cray-cray!  The (possible) tornado that sashayed its way through Queens last night knocked down trees in Jackson Heights where part of the gay pride festivities take place.  (Note the purple line remaining from this year's Queens Pride in the photo above.)  Also affected was Park Slope in Brooklyn, where every Lily has two mommies and gay/dyke bars line the streets.  (Anyone know if Excelsior made it through unscathed?)

Obviously, this is Goddess throwing shade down on the faggotry, and you know they love blaming bad weather on the gays.  So give 'em a call and make their day!  

First episode of Gay.com's Queens of Drag stars Ms. Sherry Vine

Hey!  It's pretty good, taking you behind the scenes as Keith Levy transforms into Sherry Vine, giving up the origin of the name (crack/whore house!), some great personal history (chicken legs childhood!) and just getting together with the other girls.  Full video after the jump.

Did Spank tag the Hells Gate Bridge?

Spank, that rapscallion of an art zine/party either has a new marketing campaign or a really intense fan.  Over 200 feet high on the Hells Gate Bridge in Astoria, the tag is visible for quite a distance:  SPANK.

Queens Pride summarized in one picture.

Your guide to Queens Pride.

 
Getting to Jackson Heights is fairly easy, as any train that goes into Queens (with the exception of the N or W) will take you to Jackson Heights. From there, it's simply a matter of following the crowd that will lead you into Vaseline Alley (named as such for shenanigans that occur at night on this strip of 37th Road).

If you arrive early enough, you must bypass the street fair to capture the splendor of the parade. Without going into detail, imagine straight Latino families intermingled with a melange of gays from Queens and all over watching an eccentric eclectic mix of a parade. (Or watch this video I shot a couple of years ago, just for Latina Tranny Wonder Woman.) The parade kicks off at noon and typically runs about an hour. Essentially, if you're reading this on Sunday morning, you need to get your ensemble pulled together now.

Post parade, everyone goes to the street fair, which has, sadly, become more generic over the years. Dubbed the "Multicultural Festival", it is composed of the cultures of French crepes, Italian sausages, and Mozzarepas that you typically find at a street fair, sprinkled with advocacy group booths. (Perhaps the most out of place booth I've seen there was for a local plumber, but as he is supporting "the people", I'm all for it.)

In the street fair, there are two stages. The main stage is hosted by Jiggly Caliente and Candy Samples this year. Typically, traffic around this stage is a clusterjam and the sound system is set to "Fistula Rupture", but a cross-section of drag queens, politicians and rocker Ariel Aparicio will be sharing the stage.  The second stage is hosted by Club Atlantis and tends to be drag-performer heavy (including the occasional heavy drag performers).

The swirl of the fair will drive you in time to want food and drink.  There are many great options along Roosevelt Avenue, but they will be packed and the best restaurants will have an hour wait.  Consider instead hitting 37th Avenue.  Removed from the hubbub of the festivities if Urubamba, one of the best spots for Peruvian food in the city.  All of the seafood dishes are amazing and the ceviche is mind-blowing.  (Fun fact:  potatoes originated in Peru and spread to Europe (including Ireland) from there.)  Also on 37th Avenue is Pollos a la Brasa Mario for melt-in-your-mouth chicken.  

You will by this time be wanting to carouse, and the options are many, but these are the main three: 

• Friends Tavern (78-11 Roosevelt Avenue), will be packed with all types.  The longest standing gay bar in the neighborhood, it also sports a backyard patio that will have a grill fired up.  Typically though the space is too packed for simple functions like breathing.  Your best bet here is to dance on the tiny, but electric dance floor.
• Music Box (40-08 74th Street).  This is invariably where I end up instead.  Off the main strip of Roosevelt, the tiny backyard is navigable (no grill though) and the inside offers the best sound system.   Somehow the crowd here just seems "right".
• Atlantis (76-19 Roosevelt Avenue) is the club offering a large dance floor, shows and, well, club-ness.  There will be a cover charge here, but it's a fun time inside.  If you stay late enough, hang toward the back bar (with barstools featuring saddle-seats for the fun crowd there.  (For those of you inclined to shenanigans, there has been some of this in proximity to this room in the past.  Follow your nose.)

Side note I:  There are other options along the strip and many of the clubs will be "gay for the day".  Not to be exclusionary and not to be thankful for the "gay day" treatment, but my inkling is to patronize the gay-owned/managed establishments.  Sort of how Christmas keeps many retailers afloat, this event is key for the Jackson Heights bars.

Side note II:  If you end up going into the night in Jackson Heights, you may begin to hear whispers on some street corners, "Bazooka, terico." These men are not offering you bubble gum.  Bazooka is crack; terico is cocaine. And an informed source tells me, emphatically, that the prices there are not proportional to the quality or quantity offered, so stick to your regular or avoid it all together.

It's the beginning of "pride season" yet again.  Last year I actually marched in the Queens Parade (and Brooklyn and Manhattan) with Marriage Equality.  This year is more "attendee" than "participant", although both are always fun.  We'll be dipping a little into the "pride" meme more as the month progresses, and we'll be wanting your field reports along the way.  But for now:  HAPPY PRIDE, QUEENS!

This weekend...

Queens Pride is this weekend!

So...if you haven't been keeping up on Facebook/wherever...there's a (VIRULENT!) rumor that Ms. Minogue will make an appearance at the F Word's reactivation at Splash tonight. Personally? It all sounds too much like a PR wet dream, but I look forward to receiving first hand reports/twits/stat updates! Question though...why do these pop princesses ONLY show up at Splash?! Used to be the Roxy was the spot, now it's Splash?! What's the common element here, gayleuths? Give us the tea!

Pyromaniacs, hose lovers and hotties at Pyrophilia in deepest Greenpoint tonight. The venue is t.b.d Bar and sounds super cute! Part of an ongoing series from The Blood Dumpster. Sounds very Dexter!

Also in the wilds of Brooklyn (Deepest Bushwick to be exact), Mark Louque and Miss Pappas bring you XOO at Tandem Bar with special guest Michael Magnan. Crunchy, crusty fun!

On the opposite side of town and with (perhaps?) a little less edge/crunch, but as much soul/steeping (makes a good tea!), Snaxx at Westside Tavern (Back of the bar, down the stairs...DANCE!) is earthside on its bi-weekly transit.

Just up 8th Avenue, who knew Upright Citizens' Brigade was up so late!? Funny folkster Ben Lerman performs with t h i n s k i n j o n n y. Funny songs is what you'll hear. Funny ha ha. 11:30pm is showtime!

The weekend continues below...

Politician in Unfortunately Named Borough is either hilarious or clueless.

 

Don't get me wrong; Daniel Dromm is an awesome advocate in the City Council.  One can be awesome and hilarious and/or clueless at the same time.  We're assuming his tongue was firmly planted in his cheek.

More on Queens Pride later.

Via John Rambow's Flickr.

6/10:  Hi Atlantic readers .... don't just do a drive by, look around!  Maybe you can follow us on Facebook or Twitter or whatever it is you do, friend?