ReCall: Chloe Webb

Where the hell is Chloe Webb lately? Besides a spate of TV guest shots, she's been all but absent from the pop culture landscape.

We were first introduced to Ms. Webb when she played the quaalude-poppin' fag hag Mona Ramsey in "Tales of the City." Of course, she also played the tragic Nancy Spungen to Gary Oldman's Sid Vicious in the classic rock 'n' roll biopic Sid and Nancy. Hell, we even loved her tiny cameo in the you-probably-didn't-see-it 90's indie film Twenty Bucks.

After such landmark roles, we're sad Webb's just a footnote in film history, given the lackluster, hackneyed "actresses" working today. We thought the gal really had somethin'. At the very least, she knew how to play "high," a skill we greatly admire.

Oh well, we'll alway have our "Tales" DVD.

ReCall: The League of Gentlemen

As confirmed anglophiles, we're fans of the grand guignol sketch comedy of The League of Gentlemen(not to be confused with the shit-awful graphic novel-turned-film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). We just finished re-watching the first season of their show, and again we're struck by the complexity of the characters. The Gents are more interested in character development, narrative and mood than the cheap one-liner or repetitive gag, making their fictional town of Royston Vasey a fully-realized vision, akin to a waking nightmare.

Best to start off with a little bit of Tubbs and Edward, the proprietors of the town's shop. "Are you local?"

Recall: "Goddamit Girl, What are You Trying to Do to Me?"

As you know, The Operator has a deep, abiding love 90's sketch comedy troupe The State, and all its varied cast members.

Here's a clip from Michael Showalter's film, The Baxter, where fellow State (and Stella) member David Wain unravels a hilarious yarn about dogs, Johnny Carson, and banana factories. If we were about to kill ourselves, we like to think we'd have a friend like Wain who'd rush in to save the day (and deliver an inexplicable rant).

ReCall: C*ck Ring Warehouse

A mind's a terrible thing to waste, and we've done a terrible thing, meaning we pulled a Lohan and w'ere too fucked up to post something witty. So, enjoy this classic Mr. Show sketch "Cock Ring Warehouse." Remember, Any cock'll do.




Mr. Show ;Cock Rings ;Sketch Comedy

ReCall: Take That

It's time once again to step into our musical WABAC Machine to revisit the Brit boyband Take That, the group that foisted everyone's favorite gay/not gay singer Robbie Williams upon the public. It's a fun bit of nostalgia, but would we want Take That back for good? Eh, not so much.




Related: Boyband Take That Finds Winter Sports a Bit Gay [via Towleroad]
Take That ;Boy Bands ;Robbie Williams

Recall: Deee-Lite

It's time once again to step into our musical WABAC Machine, destination the 1990's, to visit with dance darlings Deee-Lite. Made up of Super DJ Dmitri, Towai Tei, and the colorful Lady Miss Kier, they ruled the scene with their blend of house music, rap, funk, techno and eye-popping visuals.

We could have gone with the ubiquitious "Groove Is In the Heart," but we opted instead for their other club hit "Power of Love," also from the World Clique album. So, children, grab your glow sticks and dust off your platforms. Call us naive, we stil believe.






Deee-Lite ;Power of Love ;Dance Music

Recall: Knowing You, Knowing Nomi

We've been infatuated with cult performer Klaus Nomi after seeing Andrew Horn's documentary The Nomi Song. Nomi's operatic, new wave music and alien-in-a-tuxedo drag made him an art star who went on to sing backup for Bowie on SNL and tour Europe before his fame dwindled. As a sad footnote, he was also one of the first artists to die of AIDS in the early eighties.

East Village performance art doyenne and current L.A. Woman Ann Magnuson, who was a friend of Nomi's, reports on her blog that a production company was developing a biopic of singer, with Alan Cumming in the title role, and had approached Douglas Carter Beane to rewrite the first draft of the script:

"Say WHAT? Alan Cumming as Klaus Nomi? Now I think Cumming was brilliant in CABARET and maybe that 'emcee' character is Nomi-adjacent but........I dunno. Well, maybe.
Then Beane dropped the real bombshell. "And in the notes they handed me" Beane said, "There were explicit directions to write 'An Ann Magnuson character' and "A Joey Arias character'. I had to hold onto my chair. Oh. My. God. This is what happens when you live long enough -- you end up as a character in someone else's version of your life. "

The rest of Ann's musings on the subject are worth a read. A complicated creature, Nomi wasn't an angel but he certainly had the voice of one.

Here's the video for his incomparable version of "Lightning Strikes." As much as we love La Cumming, we have to agree that we don't see him in the role. Klaus Nomi was a role created by Klaus Nomi, anyone else would be a second-rate understudy.





Alan Cumming as Klaus Nomi? [Papermag Blogs]


Klaus Nomi ;Nomi Song ;Lightning Strikes ;Ann Magnuson

Recall: Looking Forward, Looking Back

As we prepare to enter into the the bright, shiny new era of a Democratic Congress (Hello, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi), and thereby a hopefully more honest, accountable governnment, we can't help but feel a little sad about the "asses of evil" we're leaving in the dirt. There's a thin line between love and hate, and though we've ousted Rick "man-on-dog love" Santorum, George "Macaca" Allen, Donald Rumsfeld, et al, a little tiny piece of us is going to miss them and their bigoted, homophobic, neo-con, all-star brand of crazy. The were our very own Legion of Doom.

Goodbye, and don't let the door hit you on the way out. We'll always have Ohio.




Vaya Con Dios, My Darlings [Wonkette]

Congress ;Santorum ;Republicans

Recall: Sweet -- 'Fox on the Run'

Omigod, tip o' the chapeau to Bedazzled! for reminding us how much we love this song! Sweet, or The Sweet as the band was first dubbed, may be more popular for "Ballroom Blitz," which has been covered ad infinitum, but "Fox on the Run" will always have a place in our glammy little hearts.





"Fox On The Run" by The Sweet[Bedazzled!]

Sweet ;Fox on the Run ;You Tube

Recall: Drugachusetts

We were in the snack aisle at Duane Reade, watching some stoners try to decide on which Doritos they needed (Cool Ranch? Spicy Nacho? Ahh. Decisions, decisions) when we remembered our favorite sketch from Mr. Show, "Drugachusetts." Enter You Tube, repository of all our strange recollections.

A spoof on the psychedelic children's shows of Sid and Mary Krofft, the sketch is high-larious. As responsible bloggers, we'd never advocate the use of drugs. That said, where did we leave our bong?






You Tube ;Mr. Show ;David Cross ;Drugs

Recall: 50 Years of 'Howl'

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Allen Ginsberg's revolutionary poem "Howl" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Lights Bookstore. When it was released, the poem was banned, leading to a sensational obscenity trial which ruled the work was not written with lewd intent.

"Howl," with its blend of the biographical and the abstract, the political and the profane, turned Ginsberg into a literary rock star and spokesman for a generation, a literary descendant of Walt Whitman.

The poem still resonates today, a gift for anyone who discovers it, with its memorable opening line "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix" both an invocation and a lament.

Sadly, it's been awhile since a piece of poetry so ruffled the feathers of the cultural censors and the literati alike. Is that progress or just lack of inspiration? Where praytell are the best minds of the MySpace generation? Save for maybe Def Poetry Jam, it's unlikely the Tila Tequilas and Jeffree Stars of the world will lead a cultural renaissance of any lasting impact.

God, we sound maudlin. Blame it on the Vicodin. Anyway, we thought it was a good idea to revisit a hallowed work by one of our favorite faggoty forefathers, if for nothing but nostalgia's sake. Viva "Howl."

After 50 Years, Ginsberg's 'Howl' Still Resonates[NPR]

Whitman's Wild Child [LA Times]

City Lights Bookstore [site]

Allen Ginsberg [Wikipedia]

Allen Ginsberg ;Howl ;Poetry

Recall: Michael Alig

What better time than Halloween, the holiday of tricks and treats, to drop in on incorrigible trickster and club kid-cum-convicted killer Michael Alig. Radar recently visited the party monster at his current place of residence, the Elmira Correctional Facility.

In case you're not familiar with Alig, he was the notoriously naughty party promoter who hacked drug dealer Angel Melendez to death. The sensational crime eventually led to his being immortalized on the silver screen by Macaulay Culkin in Party Monster (based on James St. James memoir of the same name).

In the interview, Alig discusses the grisly murder, his former BFF James St. James, and his affair with the Matias Reyes, the infamous Central Park jogger rapist (Only in prison in New York, kids. Only in prison in New York).


What exactly drove you to kill [Angel]?

The argument we were in with Angel that morning was a really stupid, minor one. We were arguing over an outfit, nothing major. But Angel was a drug dealer and we were drug addicts, and though we were friendly on the surface—and we did like him—we were resentful because he was profiting from our addiction. He was taking all of our money, and it created animosity. All the other drug dealers were friends first and dealers second. So, on this day, the animosity came out, and we let it go too far. We didn't restrain ourselves the way we should have. That, and we were high.

In Party Monster, your friend James St. James characterized you as a spoiled sociopath. Are the two of you still friends?
James doesn't come up to visit. He says he doesn't have any money. I guess he spent all the money he made raking over my life story. He claims he didn't make any money from that though ... he claims they took advantage of him. Poor James was taken advantage of selling my story.

Have you had lots of relationships in prison?
I fell in love when I first was in lock-up at Downstate, but he went home two years ago. He was arrested right away, and I have to tell you, I was sort of glad because I didn't like the idea of him being out there without me. He was caught stealing a car and led his parole officer on a high-speed chase. He crashed the car into a building, got out, and ran onto a golf course. The police found him up in a tree and had to shoot him with a stun gun—it was all in the news. He's a really good example of someone I shouldn't have in my life—the kind of guy who needs fixing. I have such a skewed view of what relationships should be.

That's not surprising, you're in prison.
When I was in Clinton, I was interested in this guy. I wouldn't say we dated, but I thought he was the nicest person—really sweet and interesting. A couple months later I was watching the news and they were talking about the Central Park jogger rapist, and I was like, "That was my boyfriend!" And it was him—his name was Reyes.

How do you pass the hours in prison?
I've been painting a lot. Sometimes I look at the stuff that I paint, and I can't believe I painted it. Right now I'm doing a series of drug ads with kids doing innocent things like making cookies or hugging teddy bears—except the kids are zombies. [Party Monster coproducer] Fenton Bailey looked through the paintings and is going to make a coffee table book to sell. I'm going to donate the proceeds to some charity.

Read the full interview here.

At Home With Michael Alig [Radar]


Michael Alig ;Party Monster ;Prison ;Club Kids

Recall: Sifl & Olly

During college, we often enjoyed quality TV time with our roommates (we're talking about you, Mandi and Paul), drinking vodka stingers and avoiding anything resembling our academic pursuits. Sunday nights were reserved for Mr. Show, and when we could, we always tried to catch MTV's demeted cult hit Sifl & Olly, the best sock puppet show, like, ever.

Thanks to the wonders of You Tube, we can relive those halcyon days of yore (save for having the ability to function on less than an hour of sleep after doing shots of Southern Comfort all night).

Enjoy one of our favorite S& O songs, "Llama School", before one of Google's minions yanks it down.







Sifl & Olly [Wikipedia]

Sifl & Olly ;Llama School ;Sock Puppets ;MTV

ReCall: Jermaine Stewart

OperatorNYC's brain is a repository for pop culture detritus, and often some nugget from the past worms its way to the surface, in this case it was the lyric "We don't have to take our clothes off/to have a good time." Where did it come from, why did it resurface? Who knows? More importantly, we couldn't remember who's song it was, which is where the sweet, sweet internet came in handy. A quick google revealed it to be the work of former backup singer turned one-hit wonder Jermaine Stewart.

Signed to Arista Records, Stewart recorded a couple of albums, but none brought him the success of Frantic Romantic's "We Don't Have to Take our Clothes Off."

Sadly, Stewart died of AIDS in the late nineties. The song however, lives on... Gym Class Heroes rework the track as "Clothes Off!" of their recent album.

We initially assumed the song as an ode to safe sex, but watching the video we picked up on something else; Jermaine clearly doesn't want to take his clothes off...at least not with the ladies anyway. Maybe the song was a subtle way of telling his lady friend he didn't want to get nekkid with her? Nothing worse than an agressive chick with no gaydar.




Jermaine Stewart [wikipedia]

Gym Class Heroes [myspace]


Jermaine Stewart ;One Hit Wonders ;Gym Class Heroes

ReCall: Randall Terry Call Gays Bad Names

We may have just done a post about Randall Terry in the Ring-A-Ding but while researching that little tidbit, The Operator stumbled across an interview that Terry gave to Paul O'Donnell on Beliefnet.com. This interview, which was in response to a piece Terry's son, Jamiel, wrote in OUT magazine about his homosexuality, not only refutes most of Jamiel's media claims but goes on to compare homosexuals with car thieves, alcoholics and drug addicts.

While it is no surprise that Terry would say of Jamiel, "I cannot have him in my home," what is more surprising is that Randall Terry, who espouses family values, has been divorced once and has an estranged relationship with two of his adopted children.

In the interview on Beliefnet, Terry fully admits that he thinks homosexuality is a result of some traumatic childhood event:

"I think most of it is behavioral. A crisis occurred in their youth. I've heard that 90 percent of lesbians were assaulted in their youth. It's not quite as high for males. But I believe that a traumatic event happened for most of them in their youth, whether it involved sexual molestation or abuse or viewing pornography, an absent father, or a sexual contact in the pubescent years. God did not design the human being to have these things happen and then to function as if everything was fine."

Furthermore, he believes that homosexuality can be cured but doesn't work in most cases because the homosexuals don't put in the effort:

"At this point in human history, we've got an awful lot of data about breaking addictions, and we have a lot of experienced people out there to aid in the process. So what I have found in my conversations with homosexuals over the years is that they reject the process of healing, because it's too painful and it's too time-consuming. People would rather go to an altar and pray and have all the feelings taken away for good than to spend three months in an in-patient program or in intensive therapy and have the pain of a long healing process. It's too easy to surrender."

What is most disturbing is Terry's view about homosexuals. More than once in the interview he compares the gay "lifestyle" to addiction and crime and even calls it "a self-abusive, self-destructive sexual addiction:

"If I love my son, I can't say to him, "Hey, you're committing suicide on the installment plan. This is a great lifestyle." I have to be honest with him. Take out the word homosexuality and put in alcoholism or put in drug addiction. Would you tell a drug addict, "I accept you?"

"but what I would say to him or to anyone is that you might feel like stealing a Porsche, but as long as you don't act out on it, you're not going to get in trouble. I think a lot of us have feelings from time to time that are rather dark. But it's our behavior that we can modify"

"They're in despair because they know in their heart of hearts that this sexual addiction is self-abusive and a horrifying, degrading lifestyle"

And if homosexuality stems from events in childhood, how does Terry explain his son's childhood and his eventual coming out as gay:

"Any school of psychology will tell you that by the time a child is 6 or 7 years old, so much of their personality is formed, and any traumas that happened to them will be with them for the rest of their life. That's Psychology 101. We didn't get Jamiel till he was 8, as a foster child, and didn't adopt him till he was 14. He'd been subjected to things and had seen things by the time he was 8 that would mar anybody for life"

What is interesting to note is that in an interview given to Beliefnet at the same time, Jamiel Terry clarifies this timeline:

" He stresses so much that this is an adopted child. But we did not feel like adopted children. We felt like we were 100 percent a part of that family. We officially moved into their house when I was eight, with no interruptions. We were living with them on and off from the age of 4. I was calling them Mom and Dad at the age of 4 and 5"

And now, Randall Terry is running for Senate in the 8th District of Florida, where if he is elected he could help shape legislation on gay rights, gay marriage and adoption and family values.

Read Randall Terry's interview on Beliefnet here.

Read Jamiel Terry's interview on Beliefnet here.

Read Jamiel Terry's piece from OUT magazine here.

Randall Terry [campaign site]

Randall Terry ; Jamiel Terry ;Politics

ReCall: History of the Rainbow Flag.

We're here, We're Queer, Get used to it.

How many times have you heard that, but let's think about it for awhile. We may be here, but many times the queer community doesn't know how we got there, nor does it do a good job of reminding younger generations about our history.

In honor of Pride Month and in an effort to better educate ourselves, we will be doing a few history lessons. The first is on the Rainbow Flag.

No symbol is used more internationally to distinguish our community. The rainbow flag may well be the most iconic representation of the GLBT culture and rightly so. In its very design, it incorporates many elements of our people. It's bright and audacious colors are reminiscent of the personalities of our friends and lovers. It's six colors side by side in perfect unison, shows the tolerance and inclusiveness of our community and the flag's reference to a natural phenomenon shows that we, as a people, are natural too.

Planetout gives a very succinct history of the flag here.

This website gives a similar story but also reveals that each color is representative of a component of our community.

And a third story here which includes references to The Rainbow Flag by Steven W. Anderson which appeared in GAZE Magazine.

ReCall: Paul Lynde

With all this recent talk of being "vaguely gay" and Out magazine going for a "Bowie gay" vibe versus a "Cher gay" one, we thought we'd revisit some of the forefathers of faggotry. The queerest of the queer, so to speak, the ones who set off smoke detectors every time they walked by they were so flaming. Our first celebrated gay is none other than Paul Lynde...the center square peg in a boring round world. With his braying laugh, bitchy barbs and terrible double entendres, he was a equally adored and reviled. He was everyone's gay Uncle Arthur, and fey-ed up televison way before Sean Hayes ever minced across the screen.

Here are some choice Lynde-isms from Hollywood Squares[source]:
Peter Marshall: What is a pullet?
Paul Lynde: A little show of affection...

Peter Marshall: Paul, true or false. Nylon is stronger than steel?Paul Lynde: But steel panties don’t turn me on!

Peter Marshall: What do you call a man who gives you diamonds and pearls?
Paul Lynde: I'd call him "darling"!

and from IMDb:

Peter: Paul, Smokey the Bear warns children about forest fires. What does Mr. Yuck warn them against?
Paul: GIRLS!

Peter: Paul, how many balls are there on a billards table?
Paul: Depends on how many guys are playing.

ReCall: You Can't Stop the Music

The "music" being disco and yes they could stop it apparently. This film gem, starring the Village People, was unfortunately released as the 70's dance music craze was dying a painful death. It's campy, stilted, and everyone in it is so gosh darn perky about putting together the musical act it makes you want to get in touch with their dealer. It's so bad (so bad that it was the recipient of the very first Razzie Award) that it is deliriously good. There are several musical vignettes -- the best of course being the YMCA number, complete with wrestling, gymnastics, and aerobicizing.
The movie was produced by Alan Carr (Grease), "introduces" Bruce Jenner as an actor and features a (very) young Steve Guttenberg as roller skating musical composer Jack Morrell.

It als features the memorable lines:

Housework is like bad sex. Every time I do it I swear I will never do it again. Until the next time company comes.

Leathermen don't get nervous.

Lulu: Oh, the Indian is hot. I go for exotic types, especially when they're half-naked.
Samantha: Lulu!
Lulu: You tell him I'll make up for all the indignities they suffered in "Roots."

One of the worst aspects of the movie, in hindsight, is their enduring optimism for the 80's. Everyone was so convinced it was going to be their time. Like Samantha says "The 70s are dead and gone. The 80s are going to be something wonderfully new and different, and so am I. "
Yeah, that didn't work out so well.

The movie is the perfect guilty pleasure. Don't believe us, watch the opening scene of Guttenberg rollerskating through New York City. Then rent the DVD. We dare you.

ReCall: Recess, No More!

Remember all those fun games you used to play as a child in elementary school? Fun stuff like tetherball or four square. Well, operatorLA just joined a league that he is assured will take him back to the glory days of childhood. Yes, friends, operatorLA will be playing his little gay heart out on a kickball team!

It's true, there is a national kickball association and the sport is sweeping the nation. With divisions all across the country and regional and national championships, people are taking this shit seriously.

just check out their website and see if there is a league near you.

Oh, and if you are in Los Angeles, you should come out and cheer for operatorLA's team, The Trey Stafford Explosion.

ReCall: Valley of the Dolls

OperatorNYC had the pleasure of revisiting this film recently, and like a fine wine it only gets better with age. Sure, the first part is still a little slow, but once those gals start their descent into booze and dolls it's hi-larious. If you've never seen this over-the-top classic you need to right away. Watching it again made OperatorNYC understand his addiction to melodrama and his penchant for pill-popping.

The plot synopsis from amazon is as follows:
Anne Welles, a bright, brash young New England college grad leaves her Peyton Place-ish small town and heads for Broadway, where she hopes to find an exciting job and sophisticated men. During her misadventures in Manhattan and, later, Hollywood, she shares experiences with two other young hopefuls: Jennifer North, a statuesque, Monroe-ish actress who wants to be accepted as a human being, but is regarded as a sex object by all the men she meets, and Neely O'Hara, a talented young actress who's accused of using devious means by a great older star (Helen Lawson) to reach the top, pulling an "All About Eve"-type deception in order to steal a good role away from her.

But it's so much more. The camp, the catfights, the quotable lines. The way they toss around the word "fag."

Fox Home Entertainment is set to release a special edition DVD. So if you haven't seen it, do. If you have, see it again. It's like getting wasted with a bunch of old friends.

Here are some of the more memorable quotes:

*The only hit that comes out of a Helen Lawson show is Helen Lawson, and that's ME, baby, remember?

*You know how bitchy fags can be!

*Boobies, boobies, boobies. Nothin' but boobies. Who needs em?

*Ted Casablanca is NOT a fag... and I'm the dame who can prove it.

*I have to get up at five o'clock in the morning and SPARKLE, Neely, SPARKLE!

*They drummed you out of Hollywood, so you come crawling back to Broadway. But Broadway doesn't go for booze and dope. Now get out of my way, I've got a man waiting for me.

*NEEEEEEELYYY O'HARAAAAAAAA!