Ambush Magazine Volume 36 Issue 05

Volume 36 Issue 05 Feb 27 · March 12, 2018 Facebook.COM/AmbushMag

Award Winning

Welcome Home Bianca & Mardi Gras Highlights @AmbushMag

Celebrating LGBTQ Life, Music & Culture!

Gulf South LGBTQ Entertainment/Travel Guide · 36th Anniversary 1982-2018 · For Adults Only

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The “Official” Dish

by Frank Pizzolato, Publisher Email: frank@ambushpublishing.com

To all the Mardi Gras survivors and the few hangers on who haven’t found their way home YET…Happy Lent.

How’s that penance and fasting working out for ya? For all the dire weather predictions, it turned out to be a great day. While the Quarter crowd was not as jammed as some years past, a good time was had by all. The spontaneous ballooning of crowds in the Bywater, Marigny and areas outside the Quarter were really fun to watch and created a whole new dimension to the day in the city. The Golden Lantern benefited from a packed Royal St. with a totally diverse crowd hell bent on fun and frivolity, I could hardly get to the bar for a Bloody Mary!

We are now knee deep in preparations for The Official Gay Easter

Parade. The new advisory board has been hard at work to make this year’s Parade a great success. The usual fundraising events are planned, along with some new ideas and surprises to make sure this Gay New Orleans tradition continues to be a mainstay of Celebrating Easter in New Orleans for the LGBT community and all of our many supporters and friends in the area. As always the Parade serves as a fundraising mechanism for Food for Friends. Ambush is proud to continue to act as the catalysis for the event. The almost 20 year tradition has grown and we aim to continue that growth well into the future. A partial list of events is listed in this edition; there are some new ones which will be added soon. Watch and join us for the fun build up to the

Inside this Issue of Ambush Ubuntu: Considering Our Humanity

5

Book Review

6

The Gay Easter Parade Is Coming

6

Commentary

6

A Community within Communities

8

Snap Paparazzi

9 10-12

Sports Champion Terence Blanchard

13

From New Orleans with Hate, Bianca Del Rio on Her Career

14

Pride Side

16

Commentary

16

Under the Gaydar

17

LGBTQ Owned/Friendly Business Directory

24

Moments in Gay History

26

Snap Paparazzi

27

Trodding the Boards

28

Double Play Bar in Transition

30

Gulf South LGBTQ Entertainment & Travel Guide Since 1982 New Orleans, Louisiana info@ambushpublishing.com

Parade on Easter Sunday.

We are working to grow the reach of Ambush, the distribution is getting back to where it once was regionally, and in the City we are adding more distribution points weekly. There have been some changes, and I suspect we will see more as we take Ambush forward into a larger print audience and increase our online presence. New Orleans has a vibrant, diverse, and active LGBT community. Ambush needs to be accessible to every part of that community. We are here to report on it, promote it, support it and be an ever increasing part of. Not all of the changes will be met with open arms by some but, even in a city as steeped in tradition, and history as this one, change and growth are inevitable. There only two choices in dealing with change, one can fight it and loose or one can embrace it and make it work for you.

Going forward, we want to make damn sure the ultimate winner here is the LGBT community. All of it!

Job Opportunities Ambush Magazine is growing!

Freelance & Contributing Writers Wanted

We want to hear from you if you are a working or aspiring journalist interested in covering topics meaningful to the LGBTQ community.

Snap Paparazzi Photographer Wanted

Do you frequent the LGBTQ bars and events? We want to hear from you if you are interested in regularly covering the bars and events.

If you are interested, please email your resume, cover letter, and portfolio to info@ambushpublishing.com

4 · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · SouthernDecadence.com

Facebook.COM/AmbushMag Gulf South Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 • Texas-Florida Official Gay Easter Parade Guide© Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide© Official Gay New Orleans Guide© Official Pride Guide© Official Southern Decadence Guide© AWARD WINNING: Saints & Sinners Literary Festival Hall of Fame/2015, Louisiana Excellence Award: Media & Internet/2014, New Orleans Print Media Award/2014, 25th NO/AIDS Task Force Humanitas Award/2013, New Orleans Print Media Award/2013, Krewe of Mwindo Media Honoree/2009, Krewe of Petronius Carnival Spirit of Gay Mardi Gras XLVIII Award/2009, Forum For Equality Acclaim Awards X Media Recipient/2008, NO/AIDS Task Force Prometheus “Torch of Truth” [media] Award/2001 Email: info@ambushpublishing.com ANNUAL READERSHIP OVER 1 MILLION: 260,000+ Print/780,000+ Online CIRCULATION: Alabama - Mobile Florida - Pensacola Louisiana - Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Metairie, New Orleans, Slidell Mississippi - Bay St. Louis, Biloxi STAFF: PUBLISHER/EDITOR/PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Frank Pizzolato, New Orleans GULF SOUTH/NEW ORLEANS AD SALES Jim Tomeny, New Orleans THEATRE/PERFORMING ARTS CRITIC Brian Sands AD REPS/JOURNALISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Misti Gaiter, Tony Leggio, Hubert S Monkeys, Felicia Phillips, Frank Perez, Rev. Bill Terry-New Orleans Miss Cie-Mobile, AL National Advertising Rep: Rivendell Media 212.242.6863 Ambush Mag is published on alternate Tuesdays of each month by Ambush Publishing. Advertising, Copy & Photo DEADLINE is alternate Tuesdays, 4pm, prior to publication week, accepted via e-mail only: info@ambushpublishing.com, except for special holidays. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for the claims of advertisers and has the right to reject any advertising. The inclusion of an individual’s name or photograph in this publication implies nothing about that individual’s sexual orientation. Letters, stories, etc., appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of the Publisher or Staff of AMBUSH Mag. Subscription rate is $45 for 1/2 Year; $75 for 1 year.

Sample Copy is $3 First Class Mail. ©1982-2017 AMBUSH PUBLISHING LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NOTHING HEREIN MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER INCLUDING AD LAYOUTS, MAPS and PHOTOS.

Ubuntu: Considering Our Humanity

by Pastor Allie Rowland, Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans (MCCNO) Email: alisan.rowland42@gmail.com

Ubuntu: Considering Our Humanity

Most of the people I know have been watching the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang South Korea.

The strength, grace, and endurance of the altheletes; and the perfection of the human form when the body has been sculpted and molded to the height of physical achievement…what was I saying? Oh, yes…the Olympics. There have been some glorious moments: watching the American duo of Jessica Diggins and Kikkan Randall earning America’s first gold medal ever in cross country skiing; or watching figure skater Adam Rippon skating a personally triumphant routine as the first openly gay man to compete for the United States.

It occurred to me that while we are watching the human body stretched to it’s absolute limit, it’s also the season when people in the Catholic and Christian tradition, or spiritual seekers, are asking what it means spiritually to be human. The cultural exchange that happens during the Olympics reminds me of the concept of “ubuntu.” For those of you not familiar with ubuntu, the concept of unbuntu was foundational for Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s creation of the Truth and Reconciliation process formed to dismantle the system of apartheid in 1994. He understood the importance of reconciliation. He also understood that it could not happen unless people understood how they had harmed others and made amends for the wrongs they committed. In recent years, Archbishop Tutu has become an advocate for the LGBT Community and allies; encouraging others to view us as God’s beloved people just as we are.

In their book Made for Goodness Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Rev. Canon Mpho Tutu van Furth describe ubuntu as follows:

a person only be a person through other people? There are ways in which the independent American spirit is good for innovation and for new enterprise, but the truth is that no matter how independent we may feel, as humans we are interdependent with one another. We learn our trades and earn our degrees because of our parents, teachers, and mentors. But we have an American ethos, a certain mindset that our country knows best; that we have the most freedom. I value Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s belief that all countries and peoples have qualities and wisdom that we all need.

When tragedy occurs, it sometimes challenges our spiritual beliefs or connection to the greater force of love.

We might ask “how can God be present in a world where 17 young adults were just murdered at their school in Ft Lauderdale?” We’re tempted to ask how God can allow this. If it’s God responsibility to fix it, then perhaps we don’t have to ask ourselves “what can we do?” Admitting that there might be a better way…that’s just not easy for us independent folk.

What if we could deeply understand how much we need each other?

What if we saw the Divine in each other in a way that motivated to examine ourselves more closely? What if we were willing to ask how we have hurt someone else and how we should change.

What if we really listened to another person’s needs? Couldn’t that step alone be a beginning towards healing wounds of racism, sexism, trans or homophobia, or ableism? If we could stop denying each other’s truth what would that look like?

Jesus had such a deep love for humanity that he was willing to become fully human in order to sacrifice for us.

And that to me sounds like ubuntu.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu describes ubuntu as the spiritual attributes of generosity, hospitality, compassion, caring, sharing…This concept speaks about the intrinsic worth of persons not dependent on extraneous things such as status, race, creed, gender, or achievement. ...Ubuntu teaches us that our worth is intrinsic to who we are. We matter because we are made in the image of God. Ubuntu reminds us that we belong in one family - God’s family, the human family.” Ubuntu reminds us that we are our best when we love each other. And spiritually that is how we win the gold!

What if we could deeply understand how much we need each other?

Ubuntu is a Xhosa word used to describe the “tend and befriend” survival behavior.

Ubuntu recognizes that human beings need each other for survival and well-being. A person is a person only through other persons, we say. We must care for one another in order to thrive.

For Americans who are often taught to value independence and individuality above all else, the concept of unbuntu may seem strange. How could

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The Gay Easter Parade Is Coming

Book Review

by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

Cityscapes of New Orleans. Richard Campanella. LSU Press, 2017.

ISBN: 978-0-8071-6833-2. 400 pages.

Local Tulane Professor Richard Campanella’s latest offering is especially appropriate given the city of New Orleans is celebrating its 300th birthday.

Cityscapes of New Orleans is a collection of 77 previous published articles on a variety of topics ranging from vice districts before Storyville to the history of the go-cup. The book is divided into five major sections: People, Patterns and Places; Architectural Geographies and the Built Environment; Urban Geography; Regional Geography; and Disaster and Recovery.

For Campanella, every bewildering street grid and linguistic quirk has a story to tell about the landscape of Louisiana and the geography of its best-known city. Cityscapes of New Orleans starts with an examination of neighborhoods, from the origins of faubourgs and wards to the impact of the slave trade on patterns of residence.

Campanella explains how fragments of New Orleans streets continue to elude Google Maps and why humble Creole cottages sit alongside massive Greek Revival mansions. He considers the roles of modern urban planning, envi-

ronmentalism, and preservation, all of which continue to influence the layout of the city and its suburbs. In the book’s final section, Campanella explores the impact of natural disasters as wellknown as Hurricane Katrina and as unfamiliar as “Sauvé’s Crevasse,” an 1849 levee break that flooded over two hundred city blocks.

Cityscapes of New Orleans offers a wealth of perspectives for uninitiated visitors and transplanted citizens still confounded by terms like “neutral ground,” as well as native-born New Orleanians trying to understand the Canal Street Sinkhole. Campanella shows us a vibrant metropolis with stories around every corner.

Richard Campanella, a geographer with the Tulane School of Architecture, is the author of eight books about New Orleans, including Bourbon Street: A History, Bienville’s Dilemma, and Geographies of New Orleans. A two-time winner of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Book of the Year Award, Campanella has also received the Louisiana Library Association’s Literary Award, the Williams Prize for Louisiana History, and the Monroe Fellowship from Tulane’s New Orleans Center for the Gulf South.

Commentary

by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, and Robert Frost

When candidate Trump first proposed building a wall along the Mexican border, the old English Professor in me immediately thought of Robert Frost’s poem, “Mending Wall.” Then the old political observer in me thought of Ronald Reagan’s famous line at the Berlin Wall: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

Frost opens his poem with the line, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.” Frost knew, as did Reagan, just exactly what walls represent—exclusion, separation, divisiveness, isolation, and tyranny. Donald Trump knew too.

Like most thinking people, I initially recognized the wall proposal for what it was—the worst sort of political demagoguery, a shameless appeal to the worst of human nature: bigotry, hatred, and fear.

Racism has always been the supreme irony of the American Experiment. Trump’s election demonstrates that white supremacy is alive and well and continues to be fertile ground for political exploitation. Trump’s positions on immigration demonstrate he is mean-spirited and devoid of humanity.

Consider the repeal of DACA, a 2012 executive action by President Barack Obama that has shielded an estimated 800,000 illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children. Many of these children have grown up in the U.S., attended college, and have become productive members of society.

Trump’s immigration policies are in sharp contrast with those of the Patron Saint of the GOP—Ronald Reagan. In 1986, President Reagan—certainly no champion of civil rights by anyone’s estimation—signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which gave amnesty to nearly three million undoc-

by Davis Walden Email: joe.davis.walden@gmail.com

The Gay Easter Parade is set for 4:30 p.m. April 1, 2018 and will feature 47 units, including 29 carriages, wagons, and trolleys, 7 convertibles, 2 bands, and 11 walking groups. Additionally, it will pay tribute to parade founders Rip and Marsha Naquin DeLain as well as honor past Parade grand marshals.

The Parade will route through the French Quarter and highlighting fashion and creative works of the New Orleans LGBT community. Visitors will enjoy the participants of the parade in their Easter wear, including decorative and large hats that are often worn at the event.

The 2018 schedule for the Gay Easter Parade features events over the course of the holiday season, including: The Sponsorship Party on March 4, 2018 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the 700 Club.

Eggstravaganze on March 11 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Golden Lantern.

Spring Fever on March 17 from 9

p.m. to 11 p.m. at The Four Seasons.

Purple Party on March 24th from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at The Double Play.

Bunnies in the Big Easy on March 30 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at The Mardi Gras Museum of Costumes and Culture.

Other events and fundraising activities are being planned.

The parade and events will raise money for CrescentCare’s Food for Friends program, a care program for HIV and AIDS clients of the NO/AIDS Task Force supplying groceries, personal care products, household products, and home delivered meals. CrescentCare’s mission is to offer health and wellness services to the community.

The 2018 members of the advisory board for the Gay Easter Parade include Darrin Duplessy, Harry (Tip) Vanadore, Arthur Severio (Reba Douglas), Jeremy Fontinot, Monica Sinclare Kennedy, Tony Leggio, and Anthony Lala Jr.

Commentary

by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

Still No Arrest in Gay Bar Firebombing

building suffered minimal damage.

Pedro Julio Serrano, a human rights activist in Puerto Rico, immediately called on authorities to investigate the attack as a hate crime.

The attack came just weeks after the island was utterly devastated by Hurricane Maria. Circo had just reopened and was using a generator.

Community Organizer Ernesto Loy noted, “It’s sad to think that with all the destruction, people still find time to hate.”

umented immigrants. At the bill signing, Reagan said, “Future generations of Americans will be thankful for our efforts to humanely regain control of our borders and thereby preserve the value of one of the most sacred possessions of our people: American citizenship.” Key word: humanely.

Trump has stated he wishes he could end immigration altogether. Like most racists, he probably inherited his bigotry from his father. Daddy Trump was, after all, arrested at a KKK rally that turned violent in 1927.

Frost, who was right about every-

thing, comes to mind again: “I see him there. Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top. In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed. He moves in darkness as it seems to me, Not of woods only and the shade of trees. He will not go behind his father’s saying, And he likes having thought of it so well. He says again, “Good fences make good neighbours.”

If only our “old-stone savage” President had read “Mending Wall,” he might not “move in darkness.” Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.

It has been four months since Circo, a popular gay bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was firebombed in what was apparently a vicious hate crime.

No arrests have been made and the investigation appears to be at a standstill.

On Saturday, October 28, 2017, a group of masked persons dressed in all black attacked the gay club by throwing several “incendiary devices” (Molotov cocktails) inside the bar. No one was injured in the attack and the

6 · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · SouthernDecadence.com

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A Community within Communities

by The Very Rev. Bill Terry+ Email: fr.bill@stannanola.org

ZERO SUM GAME

“If you are not with me you are against me” Zero Sum Game. “If you do not accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior you cannot have salvation” Zero Sum Game. “If you are for gun control you want to take away all guns and destroy the Second Amendment” Zero Sum Game. “If I am right you must be wrong” Zero Sum Game.

Zero Sum Game leaves no room for middle ground and has as its foundation the absolute decree that it is or it is not. Yet, my experience of the world is that the middle ground is most often where we encounter reality and humanity. Is it absolutely true that if you do not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior you cannot know salvation? I don’t think so. There is room in the spiritual world for those who either do not know Jesus, or believe in some fiction about Jesus, or believe in other spiritual manifestations. I suspect that even atheists may have a shot at salvation. That said, I am a strident and adamant believer – duh, I’m a priest after all.

This idea of “zero sum game” is becoming more the norm today than ever before. It is permeating the cultural landscape of the United States. It is radicalizing our own thoughts about each other. It is an incipient sickness that is creeping into our political and social way of being. It manages to marginalize everyone that cannot or will not seek common ground. What is prompting this musing are the recent shootings in Parkland Florida. We are drawing our battle lines. The extremes are informing the center. It would seem that as of this writing young folk are rising up to carry a torch that pushes back against the dynamics of big lobbies. The beat goes on.

After the Pulse Shooting we all hoped for something different. But the red herring was that it was a gay club so it was a hate crime; the same with Emmanuel AME Church – a hate crime; it was a crazy man gone off the rails in Las Vegas and the litany goes on. But nothing has been done. If you are a shooter of color you are angry and if you are shooter that is white you are mentally ill. So it goes we polarize ourselves even with the facts or analysis of the facts.

The LGBTQ community above almost all other communities knows what a violent and harmful society we can be. Like our Afro brothers and sisters the LGBTQ community has experienced first-hand the violence of marginalization and neglect, of hatred and scorn, of demeaning behaviors that

ghettoized an entire community. So the nature of violence is not new. It has always been a part of the human condition. St. Augustine would say it is the fall of humans aka the original sin of arrogance and pride that causes such violence, perhaps, and likely in one way or another that is true.

BUT, and it is a BIG BUT: We are also, according to this faith that I believe, made in the image and likeness of God both men and women. So, we have the capacity to love and create.

I believe that most of humanity has such a capacity to love and to create in the finest way that we can think of such states of being or potential. I believe, honestly, that our natures are at war within each of us: the good in us pushing up against the bad in us. So, we share a common spiritual DNA. The LGBTQ community knows this, at least intuitively, better than most populations.

So, shall we neglect the children in schools who become targets of gun violence because it is not a Gay Club? Will we feel the pain or trauma as acutely? Perhaps not as acutely but the pain should and needs to be felt.

Spiritual pain over loss is a way of our conscience telling us that something is terribly wrong in the world or in our lives. I believe it is the Holy Spirit whispering in our soul. Now we can suppress that voice or drink it away or like most of us become very angry and rail against “the target”, “the man”, “those people.” Or, we can gather up that pain and own it as a response to the violence that is upon us and remains increasingly upon us. Do you know how many people were shot and how many were killed in our city this past week? If not why not? Are we turning our sights to other things that are less troubling than the wholesale slaughter of even our own immediate geographical family?

21 people were shot in New Orleans over the past week and of them at least five lost their lives. What will so many people say? “They were violent offenders”, “they were thugs”, “it was all about drugs”, and like Mother Emanuel Church and Pulse there will be reason in our minds that somehow almost makes sense of it. But it doesn’t really.

No matter how we try to understand it, killing outside or war and perhaps even inside of war, makes no sense. So let’s not try to make sense of it or to try and understand it. Killing is killing it is the termination of life by violent means and is absolutely an abomination to our humanity. No child is born a homicidal personality. We create them in many

ways. Some of that dark creation history can be understood and addressed.

But today, today, what do we do and say about this present violence.

Will it go the way of the ever changing news cycle? As a priest and believer I hope to God not. I appeal to you brothers and sisters, Republican, Democrat, political agnostic do not let this conversation end until some form of sanity begins to inspire us as a people. As a Jesus believer I know this: we owe a duty to the poor, disenfranchised, marginalized, and must love humanity in any way that we can, yes even our enemies and perhaps most particularly our enemies.

I also know this that guns are machines. They act upon the will of the owner. However, unlike fists or bludgeons, or bats it requires far less sensation. Most other tools of violence require movement, motion, a looking in the eye, a moment of consideration.

A gun is quicker and much more efficient in its ability to inflict violence and damage. Simply pull the trigger and go.

It also has the capacity, given our advanced ability to develop and design, to inflict violence on multiple subjects in the blink of an eye. As a priest, a believer in Jesus and his messages

8 · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · SouthernDecadence.com

and commandments I must beg you to not withdraw from the community of humanity but to risk becoming a part of the case to be made for some sane gun control laws locally, regionally, and yes even nationally. In the 21st century things are different. I am sure, absolutely confident, that our founding revolutionary fathers would be disgusted with the state of our community and her citizens at this stage of the game.

Even for those Enlightenment sages of the 18th century such national violence would seem pointless, a waste of the potential of the human to transcend its own basest instincts and perversions – the perversion of violence.

Become a part, as a Community that knows violence, a voice for reason and restraint. Yes, I am talking about the restraint of the larger Community to have and bear arms. Join me and others in forging a future that holds the promise of safe schools and safe movies and clubs - not militarized fortifications but sane places for us to cohabit.

From one who knew violence like few do…he said, “I leave you with this last commandment, love one another.”

Make it real.

Snap Paparazzi From Oz New Orleans | Photos provided by Persana Shoulders, Tony Leggio & eyeLucius

GayMardiGras.com · GayEasterParade.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Facebook.com/AmbushMag · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · 9

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LSU’s 2018 football schedule loaded with challenges

by Rene Nadeau, Crescent City Sports

In between sips of your favorite libation while awaiting the parade to arrive, I bet you might have been a part of the talk along the parade route about how the LSU Tigers may fare for the upcoming football season.

My response to the question duplicates my mom’s answer to a question I may have had an a adolescent.

“We’ll see.”

No one really knows since it’s too early in the process that is the offseason. Spring practice pads have not been sized up to fit just yet and the ink is hardly dry on scholarship papers signed by 2018 recruits.

Something is glaringly obvious though. On paper, the 2018 schedule for LSU is daunting to say the least.

Upcoming opponents went 90-63 collectively last season.

First up, the Miami Hurricanes will take on the Tigers in Arlington, Texas.

Mark Richt enters his third campaign at the helm of a team that returns most of a defense that helped the ‘Canes record a 10-3 mark. Senior quarterback Malik Rosier also comes back for the ‘Canes.

LSU then has the home opener against new head coach Frank Scelfo and the Southeastern Lions, an FCS squad in transition off of a 6-5 finish last fall.

A trip to the plains at Auburn follows for a tough SEC opener. Gus Malzahn will have a score to settle after completing the 2017 season at 10-4, but knowing that he let one slip away in Baton Rouge last year.

Junior quarterback Jarret Stidham is once again at the helm after ending up second in the SEC in passing with 3,158 yards, 18 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. The Auburn offense was rated second best in the SEC, producing 34 points and 454 yards per game.

However, Kerryon Johnson and his nearly 1,400 yards rushing must be replaced.

Back-to-back weeks in Tiger Stadium include La. Tech under coach Skip Holtz and Ole Miss , 7-6 and 6-6 respectively last season.

The Rebels will return shifty running back Jordan Wilkins with his 1,011 rushing yards (6.5 yards per tote) and nine scores. Ole Miss was potent on offense with 462 yards per game.

Florida will once again host the Tigers in The Swamp, but this time with a old face in a new place. The Gators are now led by Dan Mullen who put a whipping on LSU as head coach of

Mississippi State last season. He has better players than he did in Starkville and the Gator fans are still stinging after a 4-7 finish under Jim McElwain.

Last season, the Tigers won 17-16 in Gainesville.

The next three are at home. SEC champion Georgia (13-2 record), the aforementioned Mississippi State (9-4) and national champ Alabama (13-1) come to Baton Rouge in a row. Nick Saban will visit with another national title trophy on his mantle and perhaps a dynamic new starting quarterback, sophomore Tua Tagovailoa.

Georgia will have Jake Fromm at the throttle. As a true freshman, he showed lots of moxie by leading the Dawgs to the national title game, passing for 2,615 yards, 24 touchdowns and just seven picks. The Bulldogs managed just under 35 points and 433.6 yards each time out.

New head coach Joe Moorhead was offensive coordinator at Penn State. He will have plenty of talent to mold in Starkville.

Mississippi State returns an offense with some firepower. With Nick Fitzgerald’s return for his senior campaign, the Bulldogs will have a dynamic dual threat with experience. The 6-foot-5, 230 pounder can also hand off to the SEC’s second leading returning rusher, Aeris Williams, who tallied 1,019 yards and 5 scores.

A 2017 true freshman, Keytoan Thompson, is good insurance in case Fitzgerald does not bounce back fully from injury. The Landry-Walker High alum did an outstanding job in the bowl win with Fitzgerald out.

Defensive end Montez Sweat (6-6, 241) is a dangerous speed rusher who had 11 sacks last year.

Enough said about the Crimson Tide with 465 yards each game and 39 points to match their always stout defense. Besides the play at QB with Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts (they’ll sort that out), speed runner Damien Harris returns with his 906 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Tigers then travel to Arkansas where another new coach awaits.

Chad Morris is now at the helm replacing Bret Bielema after posting a 4-8 mark preceded by 29-35 mark during the past five seasons.

Rice visits Tiger Stadium with 41year old Mike Bloomgren as their new coach. He is coming from Stanford where he was the offensive coordinator the past four seasons. The Owls were 1-11 under Dave Bailiff last fall.

The season finale is a matchup with Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies. A 7-6 record last year got Kevin Sumlin fired.

A&M has senior edge rusher Landon Durham and his 11 sacks last season back but theur must improve dramatically on defense to better their record.

Fisher will surely have the offense in good condition.

Before you say that I ruined your day with these facts, remember the unpredictability of college football. To illustrate the strange twists and topsey turns each week, who would have envisioned LSU’s win at Florida on the road last season with the anger and anticipation McElwain spewed out awaiting the stumbling Tigers’ arrival. And then LSU’s huge comeback to overtake Auburn was no easy task. Of course, no one thought the Tigers would lose to Troy and be manhandled by Mississippi State either.

To cite other examples, when Alabama and Florida State squared off in the season opener in Atlanta, many predicted that this game might be a forerunner to a college football playoff rematch. Well, the Seminoles went into a free fall after losing their sophomore quarterback Deondre Francois and limped to a 6-6 finish. If that does not happen, does Fisher end up in College Station?

No one could foresee UCF’s undefeated romp under second year coach Scott Frost. The Knights were 6-19 the previous two seasons.

Who could predict a couple of years ago that a former walk on QB would walk off the college football’s highest prize, the Heisman Trophy?

Well, Baker Mayfield happened.

Yes, the 2018 schedule for LSU is challenging to say the least, but the individuals who will determine the College Football National polls are very aware of the Murderer’s Row schedule awaiting the Tigers. If they rack up the wins, the Purple and Gold will be recognized and rewarded for their efforts.

No one could foresee UCF’s undefeated romp under second year coach Scott Frost.

A 2017 true freshman, Keytoan Thompson, is good insurance in case Fitzgerald does not bounce back fully from injury.

10 · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · SouthernDecadence.com

This article was originally published

by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

Training Flexibility: The Final Piece to the Puzzle

by Michelle Oubre, Crescent City Sports

Placing the final piece in a puzzle brings the picture to life. Each intricate shape is linked together and plays an important role in the overall image.

Like a puzzle, our choice to train in Flexibility could be the missing link in your wellness journey of cardio and strength training.

Flexibility is the range of motion of your joints or the ability of your joints to move freely. This conditioning is important because it allows for better performance when playing sports

or exercising, and during your day to day activities making bending, walking, and lifting easier. Research clearly indicates that joint range of motion is improved acutely and chronically following flexibility exercises.

Flexibility training should be a focus two to three days a week. One should incorporate a variety of different movements and stretching techniques into placing the final piece of their wellness puzzle.

Stretching Tips • Always warm up before stretching.

Stretching when your muscles are cold could lead to injuries • stretch your entire body • hold your stretch for at least 15 to 30 seconds, but do not bounce • each stretch should be pain-free and last for 15 to 30 seconds, taking time to breathe normally Benefits • -improve range of motion and athlet-

ic performance • -decrease risk of injury, back pain, balance problems • -reduce muscle soreness by warding off stiffness to keep muscles loose and relaxed • -Increases blood flow to muscles and aids in recovery This article was originally published

by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

Original Saints play-by-play announcer Al Wester dies

by Ken Trahan, Crescent City Sports

The original Voice of the Saints is gone.

Al Wester, who served as play-byplay voice of the Saints on radio from 1967-70, died Wednesday in New Orleans after a brief illness. He was 93.

In those first four years, Wester called two plays that to this day remain among the most significant in Saints history – the opening 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by John Gilliam in the franchise’s first game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 17, 1967, and the 63-yard field goal by Tom Dempsey on Nov. 8, 1970 – which

stood as an NFL record for more than 30 years – as the Saints beat the Detroit Lions 19-17, both at old Tulane Stadium.

Nationally, Wester was best known for his work with the Mutual Broadcasting System – now Westwood One – working on Notre Dame football radio broadcasts from 1968-82 alongside Van Patrick, Don Criqui, Pat Sheridan, Ralph Guglielmi and Tony Roberts. He also was an analyst on

Mutual’s coverage of Monday Night Football from 1972-77.

While Wester broadcast the Olympics, other NFL and college football games, baseball, championship boxing, auto and horse racing for Mutual, his favorite sport may have been golf. Wester – who is believed to have covered more than 300,000 rounds of golf – founded the U.S. Championship Golf Network in 1983, was a regular at The Masters

The original Voice of the Saints is gone.

for more than a half-century and was honored by Augusta National in 2007, and also received the Babe Zaharias LPGA Journalism Award in 2003.

Wester began his career in 1949 at WGTN Radio in Georgetown, South Carolina. From there, he made the jump to the relatively new medium of television and to New Orleans’ WDSU-TV. This article was originally published

by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

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Similarities link Super Bowl wins by Eagles and Saints

by Les East, Crescent City Sports

NEW ORLEANS — The Philadelphia Eagles’ 41-33 victory in Super Bowl LII on Sunday was reminiscent of the New Orleans Saints’ victory in Super Bowl XLIV. In both cases a team that was expected to be good but not necessarily Super Bowl material prior to the season emerged as the NFL’s best team in the regular season, went into the championship game as an underdog because it was facing a team with greater post-season experience, then demonstrated why it was the best team by winning its first Super Bowl title.

Additionally both victories, including the Saints’ 31-17 victory over Indianapolis, rewarded extremely loyal fans bases that had waited decades to finally experience a Super Bowl championship.

There also were specific elements of both teams that were comparable: Both teams had young, aggressive, unconventional coaches whose boldness and offensive creativity were significant factors in their teams’ championship runs. Eagles coach Doug Pederson completed his second season with his team’s championship and Saints coach Sean Payton completed his fourth season with his team’s

championship.

Pederson twice chose to go for fourth down and his team converted both, the first yielding a crucial touchdown that gave Philadelphia a 22-12 halftime lead, the second extending what proved to be the decisive touchdown drive.

Payton chose to start the second half with an onside kickoff that New Orleans recovered, leading to a game-turning touchdown.

Both teams were balanced with offenses and defenses that were consistently effective in both the running game and the passing game, utilizing everyone in the passing game and a running-back committee as well as a defense that featured pressure and takeaways.

The one obvious difference was at the quarterback position, where the Eagles were led by a journeyman in Nick Foles, who was thrust into the starting

lineup late in the regular season after an injury sidelined MVP candidate Carson Wentz, and the Saints were led by a surefire Hall of Famer in his prime in Drew Brees. (They do have one thing in common, however – the same high school alma mater, Westlake High in Austin, Texas.)

Saints followers can’t help but wonder what would have happened had the 2017 Saints, still led by Payton and Brees at the top of their game, had met the Eagles in the NFC Championship.

New Orleans was one tackle away from forcing such a matchup until a rookie blunder by safety Marcus Williams enabled the Vikings to defeat the Saints on the final play of their divisional playoff.

We’ll never know what would have happened if such a match-up would have occurred.

We do know that Philadelphia and

Both teams had young, aggressive, unconventional coaches whose boldness and offensive creativity were significant factors in their teams’ championship runs.

12 · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · SouthernDecadence.com

New Orleans will meet at some point during the 2018 regular season in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. We’ll learn the date of that game during the spring.

We also know that the defending Super Bowl champions and the Saints, who will be defending NFC South champions, will be among the favorites to win the NFC next season.

The innovative minds and bold spirits of Pederson and Payton as well as the talent on balanced rosters should make both teams’ fan bases optimistic.

In Philadelphia there’s no reason to believe the Eagles can’t have comparable success to this season’s next season and in New Orleans, provided free-agent-to-be Brees returns, there’s no reason to believe the Saints can’t match or exceed this year’s success.

This article was originally published

by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

Champion Terence Blanchard

by Brian Sands Email: bsnola2@hotmail.com

Google “Movies about boxers” and dozens of titles come up. Google “Operas about boxers” and one title appears. Google “Movies about gay boxers” and there are still a half-dozen titles. Google “Operas about gay boxers” and the same title that popped up before reappears.

That opera is Champion by New Orleans native and multiple Grammy Award winner Terence Blanchard which New Orleans Opera will be presenting on March 9 and 11 at the Mahalia Jackson Theater in its regional premiere.

In ten scenes that move as quickly as a boxing match, Champion describes the life of Emile Griffith, threetime World Welterweight Champion, two-time World Middleweight Champion, and a gay or, perhaps more properly, bisexual man. He fought from the late 1950s into the 1970s.

Griffith is best remembered for his 1962 championship fight with Benny “The Kid” Paret in which the seventeen punches he landed on Paret in seven seconds resulted in not only a knockout, but also a coma from which Paret would never recover. Paret died ten days later.

“I kill a man,” Griffith, a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, was quoted as saying, “and most people understand and forgive me. I love a man, and to so many people this is an unforgivable sin.” (Rendered more poetically in Michael (The Shadow Box) Cristofer’s libretto as “I killed a man and the world forgives me; I love a man and the world wants to kill me.”)

Married to Robin Burgess for twenty years and the father of two college-age daughters from a previous marriage, Blanchard was raised in a socially conscious household and said in a recent interview that Griffith’s statement was what drew him to this topic. “It cuts to the ironic core of what happened to him and so many others in his position.” He adds, “For me, the real issue is not that he was gay, but that he was being treated unfairly because he was different. What was important was to show how he was living his life in a secret way.”

Champion began to take shape after James Robinson, Artistic Director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Gene Bradford, Executive Director of Jazz St. Louis, had a conversation about broadening their viewerships.

Bradford, who had previously worked with Blanchard, said “I have the perfect guy for you.”

Though Blanchard had already done many film scores, including Eve’s

Bayou and Spike Lee’s Malcolm X and Crooklyn, he said “When the guys from Opera Theatre of Saint Louis first approached me about this I thought they were crazy. I thought they had the wrong guy.”

They did not. While Blanchard did not see any operas when he was younger, he grew up in a musical household where his parents wanted him to become a classical musician.

“My father loved opera,” Blanchard said. “I used to hear it all the time.”

Blanchard recalls that his father would often be at home, singing opera at the piano. When the teenage Blanchard would bring friends over to visit, he would check to make sure his father wasn’t vocalizing as having an opera-singing father wasn’t exactly the coolest thing.

Yet when composing Champion, Blanchard said of his father, a baritone who studied opera, “It was impossible not to feel an emotional connection to him.” Blanchard remembered about his youth, “I argued with Dad about music but he allowed me to have my own opinions.”

Champion fuses different genres of music--jazz, traditional opera, gospel, parade music--to create something unique. There are even moments of improvisation in it (“Giving opera people free range was new for some of them,” Blanchard said. “They really got into it later on.”)

Because of this, Blanchard claims that Champion is “uniquely positioned to bring people to check out opera who haven’t done so in the past.” Yet he also assures opera fans that they “won’t be disappointed.”

Indeed they won’t. I recently heard a segment from Champion, a soul-searching aria for Griffith that features a soaring melodicism reminiscent of Puccini. Perhaps not surprisingly, La bohème is Blanchard’s favorite opera.

Unlike film scores or his jazz compositions, the challenge of crafting an operatic score, Blanchard said, is “writing for voice over an extended period of time. I’m creating the imagery myself; in film, I’m getting cues from what I see on screen.”

Though this “proud product of the New Orleans public school system” (he studied with Roger Dickerson and Ellis Marsalis Jr. at NOCCA) comes off as the epitome of cool, he says that when he was working on this first opera of his (he’s now at work on his second), “I was a nervous wreck,” recalling that at one point he had to change the key of a passage to accommodate a singer.

More importantly, “I wanted to

Terence Blanchard (Photo by Henry Adebonojo)

make sure that all of the musical lines sounded natural” for the words of the libretto.

Working with Cristofer, with whom he had previously collaborated on the 1998 TV movie Gia and the 2001 film Original Sin, both of which starred Angelina Jolie, Blanchard said “I didn’t want to turn Griffith into a sex-crazed person,” merely for dramatic purposes.

“He was very sweet and not a very outgoing person.”

Blanchard never had the chance to meet Griffith as he was suffering from dementia by time the composer started working on the opera; Griffith passed away in 2013 not long after Champion’s world premiere in St. Louis.

“All the journalists knew Griffith was gay or bisexual but they didn’t say anything,” said Blanchard. “At a press conference before their fight, Paret called him out [with a derogatory slur] to try to gain a psychological edge after each had won a fight against the other.

What people don’t know is that Griffith and Paret were friends. They used to play basketball together.”

It’s clear that Griffith’s situation pains Blanchard. “He became welterweight champion of the world but couldn’t share it [openly] with someone he loved,” he remarked at a recent luncheon sponsored by the New Orleans Opera.

When I asked him later during our interview if any of the music he had written for Griffith’s character in the opera could be considered “gay (or gay-boxer)” (assuming there even is such a thing), he immediately responded “No way. We all have our differences but one’s sexuality, that doesn’t matter.”

Ironically, around the time of Champion’s premiere, basketball play-

er Jason Collins came out and Michael Sam, the openly gay football player, was drafted by the St. Louis Rams so the opera “seemed timely,”observed Blanchard.

Champion would go on to be produced by the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center last year in D.C. Blanchard said that it was “amazing to see a very diverse crowd there.

The cool thing about Champion is that it has been bringing new people in to see opera.” He adds, without naming any names, that “I was shocked to see certain political figures there.”

In the course of the productions, it has been deeply satisfying to Blanchard to observe the evolution of the opera. “Arthur [Woodley, who plays Emile Griffith] has been learning more about his character with each production. I get excited to see what’s going to happen next.”

Despite all the acclaim Blanchard has received over the years, he projects a thoroughly engaging and generous presence, someone who can say with unaffected ingenuousness, “It blew me away to see people on stage singing something I’ve written.”

When asked why someone should go see Champion, he referenced its “stirring story, great vocalists, and profound effect on people who have seen it,” and added “I am so proud to be able to share it with people in my home town.”

Whether you’re an opera afficionado or neophyte, a fan of boxing or indifferent to pugilism, head over to the Mahalia Jackson Theater on March 9 or 11 and get in the ring with Champion. It promises to be a knockout.

GayMardiGras.com · GayEasterParade.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Facebook.com/AmbushMag · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · 13

From New Orleans with Hate, Bianca Del Rio on Her Career

by Richard W. Hébert

Love her, hate her, or fear her, Bianca Del Rio has skyrocketed to fame and established herself as a preeminent figure of drag and stand-up comedy in the United States and across the world.

Early Career

Though most people know her as the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season Six, Bianca Del Rio is a more familiar character to many in New Orleans, where her drag career began twenty-two years ago. Catching up with Del Rio, we discussed her early days of performance in New Orleans, transitioning to New York City, and the impacts of Drag Race and political correctness on the current drag scene.

Before the false eyelashes, clown makeup, and sold-out audiences, Del Rio started out at fifteen assisting in costume construction at a West Bank dinner theatre on weekends–a skill set that would prove invaluable throughout her career.

“It just kind of evolved from there,” Del Rio said. That evolution saw Del Rio begin acting and doing costumes more regularly across New Orleans in shows such as Cabaret, Rent, and Anything Goes.

Del Rio landed her first role in drag when asked to perform in Pageant, the 1991 musical spoof of traditional beauty pageants featuring an all-male cast.

Staff members of Oz New Orleans attended a performance of Pageant, and the former General Manager of Oz, Tommy Elias was one of the first to hire Del Rio in New Orleans.

“Then, I started a drag career,” Del Rio recalled.

Del Rio took a fairly traditional approach in her drag performance in the beginning. “I started out doing lip-syncing and dancing and all that kind of stuff that everybody kind of does, but it really wasn’t for me,” Del Rio said.

Over time, Del Rio became the goto woman at the mic for Oz hosting talent shows on Mondays, drag shows on Wednesdays, and drag queen bingo every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

All the while, she maintained a career designing and constructing costumes for theater and opera throughout New Orleans during the day and becoming Bianca Del Rio at night.

Del Rio’s quick, acerbic wit was the basis of what would later become her stand-up act honed through years at the mic hosting at Oz. “It was kind of like dealing with people and killing time. That’s when I found my niche of being hateful. You’re

dealing with drunk people who really don’t want to hear you or don’t want to be bothered. They’re the people who come in during happy hour to have a drink. They don’t care about fucking bingo.”

After ten years of performing in New Orleans, Del Rio made the decision to relocate to New York City. Hurricane Katrina, “which was not so much a bad situation for me personally,” Del Rio said, presented a moment for her to reevaluate her career and time in New Orleans.

“I was calling [performing in drag in New Orleans] the ‘Golden Handcuffs’ because I was getting paid very well to do it, but I was unfulfilled. I knew there was something I wanted to do,” Del Rio remarked.

Del Rio originally intended to move to New York to work exclusively in Broadway costume companies, which she did successfully, but it was seeing

a string of lackluster drag performers that drove her to break out her wigs, wit, and wardrobe for the Big Apple.

“I thought, ‘Oh god, I gotta go back to this.’ So, I went back to it, and was doing kind of the same thing. I was working during that day doing costumes and doing shows at night.”

The years Del Rio spent developing her talents in costuming and nightlife are what ended up paying the bills in New York despite the exhausting schedule. “That was the scary part– just living in New York because it’s so expensive. I had to maintain some sense of balance, so I would do both, which was taxing at the time.”

After ten years in New York, Del Rio was cast on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season Six, “which kind of changed the whole game for me,” Del Rio said.

New Orleans’ Drag Scene

Bianca Del Rio will always consider New Orleans home as she returns to the city periodically on tour and nearly

14 · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · SouthernDecadence.com

every year for Mardi Gras–not simply because she was born and raised in the city, but also because the drag culture she came up in was one that was resoundingly supportive of her.

In conversation, Del Rio specifically mentioned iconic members of the New Orleans drag community who were influential in her desire to perform and particularly helpful once she began her career.

“Everyone was really supportive.

Lisa Beaumann, Teryl-Lynn Foxx, Tiffany Alexander, and Raquel Chevallier–these were all people that I kind of grew up with. I was in the bars at seventeen or eighteen watching them perform. And then, getting to work with them a few years later was amazing,” Del Rio said.

“That made a very big difference, supportive as far as being who I was,” Del Rio remarked of those performers with whom she maintains contact with still today.

Reflecting on the changes she’s seen in the city over time, Del Rio states, “Sometimes I’m like ‘Who is this new girl?’ Then the next thing, I’m like, ‘Oh my god, the same fag is sitting by the video poker machine.’ So, it’s kind of interesting, you know, in New Orleans, so much changes and so much doesn’t.”

Being the Biggest Joke

Known for simply not giving a fuck, Bianca Del Rio offers sharp insights on her relationship with political correctness and the hyper-critical commentary she faces as a public figure on social media in true Bianca fashion.

“Look at who we have as a president right now. I mean, honestly, you can’t say that the standard is really high. It’s really a fucking joke,” Del Rio said.

While Del Rio openly rails at everyone from the President to celebrities to members of her live audiences, she maintains a thread of self-deprecation that evens the playing field and opens herself up to the same level of insult or criticism.

“I’m the biggest joke there is, so I always make it a point to be an equal opportunity hater. I hate myself as much as I hate everyone else. Nothing is off-limits,” Del Rio said.

Del Rio states, “Let’s be honest.

I’m not running for office. I’m not in the Senate. I’m not in Congress. I’m just some fag in a wig making jokes. If you can’t see that, then you’ve got a problem.”

Social media has become somewhat a necessary evil providing channels of immediate access and immediate, sometimes harsh, criticism;

however, a true legend of comedy changed the way Del Rio approaches the various social media platforms.

“Joan Rivers was brilliant when we had an opportunity to film something together. She said to me, ‘Don’t read the comments.’ I was new to Twitter, Instagram, and all of that with Drag Race. She said, ‘Don’t read it. Don’t bother. The fuck does it matter?’”

That seemingly simple statement resulted in a revelation that continues to ring true for Del Rio as she said, “I thought, ‘You know what? That’s really kind of true.’ It doesn’t affect my life ‘cause I’m never gonna meet these people and they’re never gonna say it to my face. Nothing gets solved in the comments.”

Drag Race & Drag History

Bianca Del Rio put in the groundwork as a drag performer learning the history of drag–especially the icons of the craft. Having this greater understanding of the historical significance of those who came before her and those who continue to prosper alongside her not only humbles her, it contextualizes her position in the history of drag.

RuPaul’s Drag Race has brought drag into the mainstream since its premier in 2009, but it simultaneously leaves many of the foundational drag historical markers behind.

“I knew that there were people like Sherry Vine and Varla Jean Merman and Jackie Beat and Lady Bunny, and– even older than that–Charles Pierce and Jim Bailey who were brilliant performers that were doing this way before I even thought about doing it. I had a good history lesson of who was who and what was what. That benefited me,” Del Rio said.

Del Rio is surprised by the amount of access people have to drag history but also the lack of desire to explore that same drag history.

“For a world that has YouTube and research at their fingertips, it’s amazing how many of them don’t use it, and I think they would benefit from finding out a little more about the drag culture that existed prior to Drag Race,” Del Rio said.

Given that Drag Race has brought about a great shift in public perceptions of drag and drag performance, it has one issue of note for Del Rio. “Not to say that Drag Race is bad, but you know it’s also taken some people who are assholes and made ‘em into stars, which is kind of a fucked up situation. But, you know, that’s the case. There’s good and bad with all of it.”

Blame It On Bianca

Bianca Del Rio returns to New Orleans on March 4th at the Orpheum Theater with her new stand-up comedy tour Blame It On Bianca Del Rio. It is her third time bringing a stand-up tour to New Orleans. Like previous tours, Blame It On Bianca Del Rio delivers brand new material as well as the ever-popular audience participation portion where it is nothing short of a privilege to be read to filth by the masterful hate queen herself.

Del Rio is releasing a book of the same title wherein she describes herself as “The Expert On Nothing With An Opinion On Everything.” You can bring the hate home with you this May by pre-ordering on Amazon.

Visit TheBiancaDelRio.com for more information and to get tickets.

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Pride Side by Kelly McClure Top 10 LGBTQ Movies You Can Stream while recovering from Mardi Gras

Regardless of age, or how long you’ve been out of the closet, or if you’re out of the closet at all, it’s easy to recollect a time during which you found yourself feeling validated while watching a movie. Cinema itself, since the very beginning of the craft, has relied on one major element and that’s the ability to reflect ourselves back at ourselves. When it comes down to it, isn’t that the main pleasure of watching a movie? The ability to see something and think “Hey! That’s me!” Representation is important and now, perhaps more than ever, having a selection of movies at the ready which allow us to sink into the fantasy, or reality, of our own gay as hell lives, is not just a luxury, but a necessity. Here are ten of our favorites that you can stream right now. Get your popcorn ready. Or wine.

Or both.

1) Milk (Netflix) Get your facts in order with Gus Van Sant’s 2008 biopic on the life and death of Harvey Milk, played here by a convincing Sean Penn. Milk, California’s first openly gay official, was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 and was one of the foremost advocators for gay rights ordinances. He was assassinated only one short year after taking office. Bonus: Emile Hirsch is in this and he’s very attractive.

2) Moonlight (Amazon Video) This Academy Award winning film

by Barry Jenkins came out in 2016 and is an emotional reminder that “gay” comes in many different packages.

There are a million different ways to tell a story, and this story of an urban

youth coming to terms with his sexuality is both subtle and jaw-cracking at the same time. Just like the LGBT experience itself.

3) Brokeback Mountain (Amazon Video) It still seems a little bit amazing that a big-budget film about gay cowboys, starring two A-List actors (Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger) was green lit all the way back in 2005, but we’re so lucky it was. If you can make it all the way through this movie without 1) Online shopping for a denim and sherpa jacket or 2) Crying for a full week, then you’re made of literal stone.

4) D.E.B.S. (iTunes) Picture it: The year is 2004 and a $3.5 million budget film about lesbian criminals and secret agents starring Jordana Brewster and Holland Taylor is given wide release. What did we do to deserve this beautiful gift back then? And how can we make it happen again? People will fight and try to say that Blue is The Warmest Color is the best lesbian movie, but they’re wrong.

It’s D.E.B.S. Period. Bonus: It has an amazing soundtrack 5) Lost & Delirious (iTunes) This movie trolls itself by being one of the first of many lesbian films in which all of the main characters are either “crazy,” “murderous,” or “secretly straight.” But that being said, it somehow pulls off being both high drama, and low-key hilarious. Bonus: It’s the first of two lesbian movies that non-lesbian (that we know of) actress Piper Perabo stars in. Three, if you count Coyote Ugly.

6) Imagine Me & You (Amazon Video) Seriously though … Piper Perabo

is a very convincing lesbian. Bonus: Her love interest in this film is played

by Lena Headey (Aka, Cersei Lannister in HBO’s Game of Thrones.) No shame in that.

7) Foxfire (iTunes) Remember when Angelina Jolie was queer? This movie does too. Oh, the 90s. We miss you.

8) My Own Private Idaho (Amazon Video) Another Gus Van Sant classic, this 1991 release stars the late, and tragically beautiful River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves as male prostitutes. It’s stunning and heartbreaking from beginning to end. There’s really no other film like it and it captures the heart break of falling in love with someone who can’t love you back, or at least not in the way you’d like, extremely well.

9) But I’m A Cheerleader (Hulu) This 1999 gem has it all: Natasha Lyonne, OG lesbian powerhouse Clea DuVall, RuPaul, and enough hilarious lines to fill the awkward silences in your next 25 Tinder dates.

10) Basic Instinct (iTunes) Speaking only for myself here, I saw this movie three times in the theater when it came out in 1992 and still feel funny in my pants about Sharon Stone to this day. While, plot wise, the movie itself is only really 15% gay, it’s gay enough.

Bonus Film: UPSTAIRS INFERNO (DVD & Blu-ray) 2018 marks the 45th Anniversary of the deadly Up Stairs Lounge Arson.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 5 years since the community came together for New Orleans Pride’s emotionally charged Remembering

the Upstairs Lounge: 40th Anniversary event. For many, the wreath laying, the reading of the victims’ names and the family members who spoke, provided a large measure of healing. Yet, a lot has happened in the world since then, including another LGBTQ community forced to endure its own gay mass murder. That’s why we believe that in these uncertain and challenging times, we must stay vigilant in the fight for LGBT equality and remain steadfast in the preservation of our history.

The critically acclaimed documentary, UPSTAIRS INFERNO debuted at the Prytania Theater on the 42nd Anniversary of the fire to sold out crowds and rave reviews. It screened again during New Orleans Pride in 2016.

Narrated by New Orleans’ own New York Times best-selling author Christopher Rice, UPSTAIRS INFERNO is a mesmerizing mix of crime drama and human connections that captures the heartbreaking feelings of unconditional love and overwhelming loss. An unsettling snapshot of what was, until the early hours of June 12, 2016, the deadliest single event to affect the gay community in American history, UPSTAIRS INFERNO gets inside the hearts and minds of a handful of vibrant people who experienced one of the most important and underreported moments in LGBT History. Not only is it a story about New Orleans and its LGBTQ community, but it’s about the resiliency of the human spirit and its capacity for forgiveness.

I think you will agree now, more than ever, this film is essential viewing. Even if you saw the film at one of the screenings, this is a “must add” for your home library. The discs are packed with Bonus Features that you didn’t see on the big screen. http:// www.UpstairsInferno.com

Commentary

by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

Fighting Trump and the Alt-Right: Queer Lessons from the 90s

The Newcomb College Institute at Tulane University will host a panel discussion on Friday, March 2, entitled “Fighting Trump and the Alt-Right: Queer Lessons from the 90s.”

Billed as “an intersectional, intergenerational activist conversation about resistance and building community with LGBTQ activists,” the event

will feature author and co-founder of the National Lesbian Avengers, Anne-christine d’Adesky, Juno Rosenhaus, Dr. Earl Nupsius Benjamin-Robinson, and invited members of the New Orleans Lesbian Avenger Archive and LAST CALL: Queer Histories / Queer Futures Project. d’Adesky is an investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker who reported on the global AIDS epidemic for New York Native, OUT, The Nation, and The Village Voice. She received

the first Award of Courage from amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.

She was an early member of ACT UP and cofounder of the Lesbian Avengers. Her books include The Pox Lover: An Activist’s Decade in New York and Paris, Beyond Shock: Charting the Landscape of Sexual Violence in Post-Quake Haiti, Moving Mountains: The Race to Treat Global AIDS, and a novel set in post-Duvalier Haiti, Under the Bone.

Juno Rosenhaus, a photographer, is a member of the Bay Area Queer Anti-Fascist Network.

Dr. Earl Nupsius Benjamin-Robinson is the co-founder of the Behavioral

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and Community Health Group (BACH).

The event will also feature a special one-night only showing of the traveling exhibition of Lesbian Avengers 25, a celebration of the 90’s lesbian direct-action group and movement (including its New Orleans chapter).

The conversation will take place at the Anna Many Lounge at Tulane University, 62 Newcomb Place, New Orleans, LA 70118. Admission is free and open to the public.

Under the Gaydar

by Tony Leggio Email: ledgemgp@gmail.com

Party Down

This was another Mardi Gras for the memory book. From the streets to the ballrooms, the city came alive with beads, boas and sequins. It was a gay dream come true. The week prior to Mardi Gras I spent either working or getting ready for the Krewe of Armeinius’ ball on Saturday night. Many reasons made this year special starting with the fact that it was moved from its normal location at the Sigur Center in Chalmette to River City Ballroom located in the Mardi Gras World facility in New Orleans situated adjacent to the Morial Convention Center along the Mississippi River.

This was the first time this ball has moved locations in over four decades and it was not an easy transition, but it created an exciting and more spectacular setting. Not even rain could keep the record breaking crowds away that night (oh and it stormed). The second major fact was it was our 50th ball. I am a member of this wonderful Krewe.

Each costume was choreographed and orchestrated brilliantly (no one fell down). Each costume was creative and meshed with the theme of Niouvelle Orleans: 300 Years of Fabulous.

Nods were made to some major gay characters both current and past like

Miss Dixie, Chris Owens and Bienville.

Other costumes paid tribute to famous institutions in the city like the Aquarium, the Natchez Steamboat and the My Oh MyClub. There was also costumes that gave a nod to our past like the Krewe of Yuga, the first gay ball in the city that was raided by police.

I was honored to come out as Bienville pushing the ever so lovely Michael Sullivan dressed up as a baby Chris Owens, then breaking into an other dance production with the Streetcar Strutters. The crowning touch was when the incoming queen was presented in a 25 foot birdcage that was her dressed and when the stripped away the skirt produced the King inside, simply marvelous. Congratulations to Queen Brent Durnin and King Ned Pitre. This year was just amazing and what Gay Carnival is all about!

The following day, I was back at another ball, this time in the audience for the Lords of Leather Bag Masque at the Alario Center in Westwego. Once again, the ball was a celebration of the leather culture with the theme Olympus. An array of gods came out for your viewing pleasure in plumed and exotic costumes. These gentleman know how to deliver a sexy show. The royalty this year which was a milestone

year for them (the 35th ball) was Lord King Jason Doyle and Lord Consort John Welch. And may I just say I am in love with Kyle Robin’s sledgehammer.

On Monday, I participated in my second parade ride of the season, the Krewe of Orpheus, and I see what all the hype is about the parade. The moment I walked into the Convention Center where the floats were parked, I was overwhelmed with awe. I felt like a little kid walking amongst those giant floats up close marveling at the color and decor. What also makes this ride incredible is everything is done for you.

You beads are loaded in your spot, you are treated to a delicious lunch and you have a costumer who dresses you and prepares you for your ride. Then we were off, you board your float, get harnessed in and then ride to the start of the parade. Watching the city pass you by from atop a moving float is both magical and very relaxing. It is the calm before the chaos of the ride because once we turn onto Napoleon Avenue, it is no-stop throwing, screaming parade goers and music. I had some fun co-workers join me on the float and we danced (there was a great DJ), drank and threw. There was so many people clambering for the beads and trinkets it was crazy. The parade ends in the Convention Center where the party really kicks into gear. The floats encircle the room while the guests are dressed in tuxes and evening gowns jump around like crazy. Quite a dichotomy of revelers from jeans and shorts to tuxes and dresses, I love this city.

After we got off the float we partied with

our guests who had been at the party enjoying the bands and food since it started.

The entertainment this year was based around New Orleans music different styles, genres and musicians.

It was kicked off by Harry Connick Jr. who is quite the showman and then followed by a host of the city’s finest talents doing one o0r two of their top hits.

Performers included Deacon John, Trombone Shorty, Amanda Shaw, The Dixie Cups, Vince Vance, Big Freedia, Irma Thomas and lots more. It was an NOLA music extravaganza. Even Monarch William Keegan Michael Key got in om all the fun and did a number.

Now this is one way to celebrate Lundi Gras.

Mardi Gras day was as always a blur of costumes and cocktails starting very early. My friend Laura Tennyson and her husband Gary host a Mardi Gras breakfast every year with some of the best friend chicken ever, grilled salmon, king cakes, macaroni and cheese and lots of other delectable comfort food. They have a Champagne and Bloody Mary Bar to start your day off right. We start there and then meander our way into the Quarter stopping to see all the parade goers from St. Ann. This year I participated in the Bourbon Street awards in my Armeinius costume which was fabulousness at its best. Even thought I did not win, I had a front row seat for the parade of incredible costumes.

Congrats to the Krewe of Apollo Baton Rouge for winning Best Leather, Krewe Continued on Page 18

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Continued from Page 17

of Petronius for Best in Show and Best Individual and the Krewe of Armeinius for Best Drag and Best Group.

After the contest my friends and I went to a party at Dustin Woehrman’s home. His home is not only an architectural showplace, but a ideal spot for a party. And his guests list included a bevy of the hottest hunks in the city and visiting. I had never seen so many gorgeous men in one spot. Olympics were the ongoing theme of costumes at that party and there were plenty of body suits galore. Late afternoon parties are also a great way to end the evening, which I did pretty early around seven. As I get older my marathon days tend to get shorter.

The rest of my week was complete recuperation until Sunday when I attended the Treme Sidewalk Steppers Second Line that started at the Saenger Theatre and weaved its way through the streets of the Treme stopping at cool watering holes along the way until it reached its last stop at the Mother in Law Lounge. We followed up our outing with brunch at the delightful Mr. Gregory’s on Rampart Street - incredible food; and a afternoon of cocktails in the courtyard of Bayou Beer Garden which surprisingly was very gay that day.

That concludes my Mardi Gras adventure. I hope you had a great holiday, until next week, keep the party

going.

Hot Happenings

Now that Carnival is over, the cold weather warms and we prepare for Spring, the city comes alive. Here are just few hot happenings to get the lenten season started right.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018 Kocktail Karaoke: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphione Street; 8 p.m. midnight Join us at Good Friends Bar for Kocktail Karaoke with the winner gets a $25.00 bar tab.

Country Dance lessons: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 8 p.m. Tuesdays are Country Dance lessons with dancing from 8 - 11 p.m.

Bourbon Boylesque: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 8:00 p.m. See the men of Oz like you have never seen them before. The show stars Atomyc Adonis, Bobby B, Franky, Phathoms Deep and other special guests. Hosted by Trixie Minx.

Tacos, Tequila and Tiaras: Buffa’s Bar and Restaurant; 1001 Esplanade Avenue; 8 p.m. Tacos, Tequila, and Tiaras is a one of New Orleans’ only family friendly drag shows! Join hostess Vanessa Carr Kennedy every Tuesday, have a taco or two, and learn a little bit about the art of drag.

Wednesday, February 28, 2018 WednesGays at LPK Uptown:

steve richards __________________ properties 504 258 1800 steverichardsproperties.com ____________________ 504 948 3011 712 orleans new orleans, la 70116 licensed by the louisiana real estate commision

Louisiana Pizza Kitchen; 615 South Carrolton Ave.; 5 p.m. Join us every Wednesday to celebrate diversity.

See old friends or make some new ones and find out what’s happening in the Nola community. All this while enjoying 1/2 price drinks from the bar. Invite your friends...

You Better Sing Karaoke; Lafitte’s in Exile; 901 Bourbon Street; 7 p.m. Join DJ Kory and DJ Derek as they play Karaoke at Lafittes in Exile.

Behind the bar slinging your drinks for you are Jeremy, Ryan, and Tim. Oz Show Night: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 10:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Nicole Lynn Foxx, Lisa Beaumann, Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; Chichi Rodriguez and Dominique DeLorean.

Game Night: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 7 p.m. Wednesdays are Game night with Honey Bee at 7 p.m. with free jello shots and Bar Tabs.

All About Evil New Orleans Screening: Always Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 7 - 10 p.m. My Good Judy Artist Residency presents the New Orleans’ screening of All About Evil. This is the directorial feature debut by Joshua Grannell aka Peaches Christ. This film is a Horror Comedy starring Natasha Lyonne, Mink Stole, Thomas Dekker, Noah Segan, and the one and only Cassandra Peterson (Elvira Mistress of the Dark). In this film a mousy woman inherits an old movie house and starts making a series of grisly shorts, but her fans do not realize that the murders in the films are all real.

This event serves as a fundraiser for the My Good Judy Foundation.

Joshua Grannell and the film’s composer Vinsantos will be on hand for a post show Q&A. There will be a special raffle of one of Vinsantos’ famed art dolls and other fabulous prizes. Tickets for the raffle will be on sale at the event from 7-8pm and you must be present to win.

As an added bonus, three of New Orleans’ most HORRORible Drag performers, Apostrophe, Fabigail Tchoupitoulas and Cece V Dementhe will dazzle you with their demented talents. Doors for this event are at 7pm and the event starts at 8pm. This takes place in the newly furbished Allways Lounge Theater. Seating is very limited and advanced tickets are suggested.

Tickets are $12 advanced and $15 at the door. For tickets, go to https://allaboutevilneworleans.brownpapertickets.com.

Thursday, March 1, 2018 Honey Bee Trivia: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Thursday is Honey Bee Trivia at 7 p.m. Four rounds with jello shots to the winner of each round and a Bar Tab to top person/team of the night.

Girl | Crush: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 9 p.m. Girl | Crush is

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bringing you a weekly event for girls who like girls, and their friends! This flavor of CRUSH entitled DTF is exclusive to New Orleans’ #1 Dance Club, Oz and happens every Thursday night.

The Jeff D Comedy Cabaret; Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 10 p.m. The Comedy Cabaret stars Jeff D. featuring Gia Giavanni. Enjoy hilarious comedians, amazing talent and the Ladies of Oz. Strip Off: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; midnight Persana Shoulders hosts the Strip Off every Thursday night. Sign up begins at 11 p.m. and the show features a spotlight performance by Miss Gay Louisiana America 2013 Mercedes Ellis Loreal. Winners receive 1st PLACE - $100 Cash • 2nd PLACE - $50 Bar tab Friday, March 2, 2018 Music of Senator Ken: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy live music with Senator Ken playing all your favorites.

Play Girlz: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 10 - 11:30 p.m. Drag show featuring Gia GiaVanni and special guests.

New Meat Amateur Dance Contest: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis Street; 6:30 p.m. Hosted by Lisa Beaumann, anyone can enter - $100 cash prize.

Saturday, March 3, 2018 Piano Bar with Trey Ming; Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine Street; 4 - 7 p.m. Sing along with your favorite songs with Talented piano player Trey Ming.

Music of Vanessa Carr Kennedy; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy songstress Vanessa as she sings some of the tops hits of yesterday and today.

Divas R Us; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 10 - 11:30 p.m. This wonderful drag show directed by Monica Sinclaire Kennedy includes a special guests stars.

Blame It On Bianca Del Rio: The Orpheum Theatre; 129 Roosevelt Way; 7 p.m. AEG Presents Blame It On The Bianca Del Rio Comedy Tour at the Orpheum Theatre. This show is for all ages. Doors open at 7 p.m.

BIANCA DEL RIO, the alter ego of seasoned comic Roy Haylock and season 6 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, is a self-professed “clown in a gown.”

This hilariously hateful comic is known for her foul mouth and unapologetic humor, but her victims hardly have time to feel the sting before she zips on to the next topic. Besides, Bianca is quick to point out that she’s the biggest joke of all. The NY Times calls her “The Joan Rivers of the Drag World,” and Joan Rivers herself called Bianca’s humor “So funny! So sharp!” Bianca’s first stand-up special, “Rolodex of Hate”, is available on Vimeo OnDemand, and her first feature film, “Hurricane BianContinued on Page 20

In adults with HIV on ART who have diarrhea not caused by an infection

IMPORTANT PATIENT INFORMATION This is only a summary. See complete Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com or by calling 1-844-722-8256. This does not take the place of talking with your doctor about your medical condition or treatment.

What Is Mytesi?

Mytesi is a prescription medicine used to improve symptoms of noninfectious diarrhea (diarrhea not caused by a bacterial, viral, or parasitic infection) in adults living with HIV/AIDS on ART. Do Not Take Mytesi if you have diarrhea caused by an infection. Before you start Mytesi, your doctor and you should make sure your diarrhea is not caused by an infection (such as bacteria, virus, or parasite).

Possible Side Effects of Mytesi Include:

Tired of planning your life around diarrhea?

Enough is Enough Get relief. Pure and simple. Ask your doctor about Mytesi.

Mytesi (crofelemer): • Is the only medicine FDA-approved to relieve diarrhea in people with HIV • Treats diarrhea differently by normalizing the flow of water in the GI tract • Has the same or fewer side effects as placebo in clinical studies • Comes from a tree sustainably harvested in the Amazon Rainforest What is Mytesi?

Mytesi is a prescription medicine that helps relieve symptoms of diarrhea not caused by an infection (noninfectious) in adults living with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Important Safety Information Mytesi is not approved to treat infectious diarrhea (diarrhea caused by bacteria, a virus, or a parasite). Before starting you on Mytesi, your healthcare provider will first be sure that you do not have infectious diarrhea. Otherwise, there is a risk you would not receive the right medicine and your infection could get worse. In clinical studies, the most common side effects that occurred more often than with placebo were upper respiratory tract (sinus, nose, and throat) infection (5.7%), bronchitis (3.9%), cough (3.5%), flatulence (3.1%), and increased bilirubin (3.1%).

For Copay Savings Card and Patient Assistance, see Mytesi.com

• Upper respiratory tract infection (sinus, nose, and throat infection) • Bronchitis (swelling in the tubes that carry air to and from your lungs) • Cough • Flatulence (gas) • Increased bilirubin (a waste product when red blood cells break down) For a full list of side effects, please talk to your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Should I Take Mytesi If I Am: Pregnant or Planning to Become Pregnant?

• Studies in animals show that Mytesi could harm an unborn baby or affect the ability to become pregnant • There are no studies in pregnant women taking Mytesi • This drug should only be used during pregnancy if clearly needed A Nursing Mother?

• It is not known whether Mytesi is passed through human breast milk • If you are nursing, you should tell your doctor before starting Mytesi • Your doctor will help you to decide whether to stop nursing or to stop taking Mytesi Under 18 or Over 65 Years of Age? • Mytesi has not been studied in children under 18 years of age • Mytesi studies did not include many people over the age of 65. So it is not clear if this age group will respond differently. Talk to your doctor to find out if Mytesi is right for you

What Should I Know About Taking Mytesi With Other Medicines?

If you are taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicine, herbal supplements, or vitamins, tell your doctor before starting Mytesi.

What If I Have More Questions About Mytesi?

For more information, please see the full Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com or speak to your doctor or pharmacist.

To report side effects or make a product complaint or for additional information, call 1-844-722-8256.

Rx Only Manufactured by Patheon, Inc. for Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. San Francisco, CA 94105 Copyright © Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mytesi comes from the Croton lechleri tree harvested in South America.

Please see complete Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com.

NP-390-35

RELIEF, PURE AND SIMPLE

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Continued from Page 18

ca”, is available on Netflix. Her second stand-up special, “Not Today Satan”, is also available on Vimeo OnDemand.

“Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia with Hate” will be released in 2018. For tickets go to http://bit.ly/BiancaDelRioNOLATix. Sunday, March 4, 2018 Bottomless Mimosa: Cafe Lafittes in Exile; 901 Bourbon Street; 1 - 4 p.m.

Bottomless Mimosas are offered upstairs from 1 - 4 p.m. for $12.

You Better Sing Karaoke; GrandPre’s; 834 North Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Join DJ Kory and DJ Derek as they play Karaoke at Good Friends Bar. Behind the bar slinging your drinks for you are Jeremy, Ryan, and Tim. Jubilee: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 5 p.m. This Sunday Funday show stars Reba Douglas and special guests.

Zingo: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis Street; 6:30 p.m. Play Bingo with hosts Opal Masters followed by the Barry BareAss Dancer of the Week Contest.

Oz Show Night: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 9:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Nicole Lynn Foxx, Lisa Beaumann, Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; Chichi Rodriguez and Dominique DeLorean.

Drink Drown and Drag: The Pub;

801 Bourbon Street; 6 - 9 p.m. Sunday Funday upstairs at The Parade. $15 Draink and Drown from 6 - 9 p.m. with a star studded drag show starting at 8 p.m.

aras is a one of New Orleans’ only family friendly drag shows! Join hostess Vanessa Carr Kennedy every Tuesday, have a taco or two, and learn a little bit about the art of drag.

Monday, March 5, 2018 S.I.N. Night: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis Street; Starting at 9 p.m.

Come drink with Ashlee. Get your SIN card and receive $2.50 canned beer or well drinks and $1.50 draft.

Margarita Mondays: Grand Pre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 p.m. From 7 p.m. till close enjoy margarita specials with your bartender Michael

Wednesday, March 7, 2018 WednesGays at LPK Uptown: Louisiana Pizza Kitchen; 615 South Carrolton Ave.; 5 p.m. Join us every Wednesday to celebrate diversity.

See old friends or make some new ones and find out what’s happening in the Nola community. All this while enjoying 1/2 price drinks from the bar. Invite your friends.

You Better Sing Karaoke; Lafitte’s in Exile; 901 Bourbon Street; 7 p.m. Join DJ Kory and DJ Derek as they play Karaoke at Lafittes in Exile.

Behind the bar slinging your drinks for you are Jeremy, Ryan, and Tim. Oz Show Night: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 10:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Nicole Lynn Foxx, Lisa Beaumann, Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; Chichi Rodriguez and Dominique DeLorean.

Game Night: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 7 p.m. Wednesdays are Game night with Honey Bee at 7 p.m. with free jello shots and Bar Tabs.

Tuesday, March 6, 30, 2018 Kocktail Karaoke: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphione Street; 8 p.m. midnight Join us at Good Friends Bar for Kocktail Karaoke with the winner gets a $25.00 bar tab.

Country Dance lessons: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 8 p.m. Tuesdays are Country Dance lessons with dancing from 8 - 11 p.m.

Bourbon Boylesque: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 8:00 p.m. See the men of Oz like you have never seen them before. The show stars Atomyc Adonis, Bobby B, Franky, Phathoms Deep and other special guests. Hosted by Trixie Minx.

Tacos, Tequila and Tiaras: Buffa’s Bar and Restaurant; 1001 Esplanade Avenue; 8 p.m. Tacos, Tequila, and Ti-

Thursday, March 8, 2018 Honey Bee Trivia: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Thursday is Honey Bee Trivia at 7 p.m. Four rounds with jello shots to the winner of each round and a Bar Tab to top person/team of the night.

Girl | Crush: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 9 p.m. Girl | Crush is bringing you a weekly event for girls who like girls, and their friends! This flavor of CRUSH entitled DTF is exclusive to New Orleans’ #1 Dance Club, Oz and happens every Thursday night.

The Jeff D Comedy Cabaret; Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 10 p.m. The Comedy Cabaret stars Jeff D. featuring Gia Giavanni. Enjoy hilarious comedians, amazing talent and the Ladies of Oz. Strip Off: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; midnight Persana Shoulders hosts the Strip Off every Thursday night. Sign up begins at 11 p.m. and the show features a spotlight performance by Miss Gay Louisiana America 2013 Mercedes Ellis Loreal. Winners receive 1st PLACE - $100 Cash • 2nd PLACE - $50 Bar tab Friday, March 9, 2018 Music of Senator Ken: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy live music with Senator Ken playing all your favorites.

Play Girlz: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 10 - 11:30 p.m. Drag show featuring Gia GiaVanni and special guests.

New Meat Amateur Dance Contest: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis Street; 6:30 p.m. Hosted by Lisa Beau-

20 · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · SouthernDecadence.com

mann, anyone can enter - $100 cash prize.

Saturday, March 10, 2018 Piano Bar with Trey Ming; Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine Street; 4 - 7 p.m. Sing along with your favorite songs with Talented piano player Trey Ming.

Music of Vanessa Carr Kennedy; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy songstress Vanessa as she sings some of the tops hits of yesterday and today.

Divas R Us; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 10 - 11:30 p.m. This wonderful drag show directed by Monica Sinclaire Kennedy includes a special guests stars.

Alexis Michelle in Alexis, I Am!: One Eyed Jacks; 615 Toulouse Street; 8 - 11 p.m. One Eyed Jacks welcomes Alexis Michelle, one of the last queens left standing on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9, in her new one woman show ALEXIS, I AM! “Breathe in… I. Breathe out… Am.” This simple meditation has seen Alexis Michelle through the most exciting and challenging year of her career. From the exhilaration of being thrust into the reality tv spotlight to the struggles of the social media age, Alexis has lived it all and is stronger for it. Through a repertoire of songs made famous by divas like Liza, Judy, and Gaga as well as some of her own signature tunes, including “Thank You for Being a Friend”, Alexis shares the experiences that have challenged her and have made her brave enough to say “ALEXIS, I AM!” Celebrated New Orleans singer Anais St. John joins Alexis as a special guest for this engagement.

Alexis, I Am! features music direction

by Brandon James Gwinn. The evening is written and directed by James Will McBride. It is produced by James Will McBride, C. Patrick Gendusa, and Michael Benedetti. The evening will be co-presented by Fifi Mahony’s .

There is a $20 cover charge.

Tickets and information are available at www.oneeyedjacks.net.

Sunday, March 11, 2018 Bottomless Mimosa: Cafe Lafittes in Exile; 901 Bourbon Street; 1 - 4 p.m.

Bottomless Mimosas are offered upstairs from 1 - 4 p.m. for $12.

You Better Sing Karaoke; GrandPre’s; 834 North Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Join DJ Kory and DJ Derek as they play Karaoke at Good Friends Bar. Behind the bar slinging your drinks for you are Jeremy, Ryan, and Tim. Jubilee: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 5 p.m. This Sunday Funday show stars Reba Douglas and special guests.

Zingo: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis Street; 6:30 p.m. Play Bingo with hosts Opal Masters followed by the Barry BareAss Dancer of the Week Contest.

Continued on Page 21

Continued from Page 20

Oz Show Night: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 9:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Nicole Lynn Foxx, Lisa Beaumann, Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; Chichi Rodriguez and Dominique DeLorean.

Drink Drown and Drag: The Pub; 801 Bourbon Street; 6 - 9 p.m. Sunday Funday upstairs at The Parade. $15 Draink and Drown from 6 - 9 p.m. with a star studded drag show starting at 8 p.m.

Monday, March 12, 2018 S.I.N. Night: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis Street; Starting at 9 p.m.

Come drink with Ashlee. Get your SIN card and receive $2.50 canned beer or well drinks and $1.50 draft.

Margarita Mondays: Grand Pre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 p.m. From 7 p.m. till close enjoy margarita specials with your bartender Michael Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Kocktail Karaoke: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphione Street; 8 p.m. midnight Join us at Good Friends Bar for Kocktail Karaoke with the winner gets a $25.00 bar tab.

Country Dance lessons: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 8 p.m. Tuesdays are Country Dance lessons with dancing from 8 - 11 p.m.

Bourbon Boylesque: Oz; 800 Bour-

bon Street; 8:00 p.m. See the men of Oz like you have never seen them before. The show stars Atomyc Adonis, Bobby B, Franky, Phathoms Deep and other special guests. Hosted by Trixie Minx.

Tacos, Tequila and Tiaras: Buffa’s Bar and Restaurant; 1001 Esplanade Avenue; 8 p.m. Tacos, Tequila, and Tiaras is a one of New Orleans’ only family friendly drag shows! Join hostess Vanessa Carr Kennedy every Tuesday, have a taco or two, and learn a little bit about the art of drag.

Wednesday. March 14 - Sunday, March 25, 2018 The Phantom of the Opera: Saenger Theatre; 1111 Canal StreetCameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera comes to a city near you as part of a brand new North American Tour.

This production, which retains the beloved story and thrilling score, boasts exciting new special effects, scenic and lighting designs, staging and choreography and has been hailed by critics as “bigger and better than ever before.” Tickets for The Phantom of the Opera Cstart at $30 and are available at the Saenger Theatre Box Office (1111 Canal St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70116),BroadwayInNewOrleans. com, all Ticketmaster outlets and by phone at (800) 982-2787.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018 WednesGays at LPK Uptown: Louisiana Pizza Kitchen; 615 South Carrolton Ave.; 5 p.m. Join us every Wednesday to celebrate diversity.

See old friends or make some new ones and find out what’s happening in the Nola community. All this while enjoying 1/2 price drinks from the bar. Invite your friends...

You Better Sing Karaoke; Lafitte’s in Exile; 901 Bourbon Street; 7 p.m. Join DJ Kory and DJ Derek as they play Karaoke at Lafittes in Exile.

Behind the bar slinging your drinks for you are Jeremy, Ryan, and Tim. Oz Show Night: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 10:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Nicole Lynn Foxx, Lisa Beaumann, Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; Chichi Rodriguez and Dominique DeLorean.

Game Night: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 7 p.m. Wednesdays are Game night with Honey Bee at 7 p.m. with free jello shots and Bar Tabs.

Thursday, March 15, 2018 Honey Bee Trivia: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Thursday is Honey Bee Trivia at 7 p.m. Four rounds with jello shots to the winner of each round and a Bar Tab to top person/team of the night.

Girl | Crush: Oz New Orleans; 800

Bourbon Street; 9 p.m. Girl | Crush is bringing you a weekly event for girls who like girls, and their friends! This flavor of CRUSH entitled DTF is exclusive to New Orleans’ #1 Dance Club, Oz and happens every Thursday night.

The Jeff D Comedy Cabaret; Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 10 p.m. The Comedy Cabaret stars Jeff D. featuring Gia Giavanni. Enjoy hilarious comedians, amazing talent and the Ladies of Oz. Strip Off: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; midnight Persana Shoulders hosts the Strip Off every Thursday night. Sign up begins at 11 p.m. and the show features a spotlight performance by Miss Gay Louisiana America 2013 Mercedes Ellis Loreal. Winners receive 1st PLACE - $100 Cash • 2nd PLACE - $50 Bar tab Friday, March 16, 2018 Amazing Grapes Wine Tasting and Auction: Hermann Grima House; 820 St. Louis Street; 6:30 - 10 p.m.

Come out for a fabulous evening under the stars in a historic French Quarter courtyard! The Amazing Grapes Wine Tasting and Auction benefits the Hermann-Grima + Gallier Historic Houses’ education programs and preservation.

PATRON PARTY - Bubbles and Bourbon Happy Hour feat. Veuve Clicquot and Woodford Reserve 6:30 p.m.

- 7:30 p.m. Specialty bourbon cocktails, champagne and delicious bites to Continued on Page 22

to our

lgbtq community:

we see

you & you

matter. no matter what the administration says.

www.crescentcare.org | 504.207.CARE(2273)

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Continued from Page 21

eat and silent auction preview AUCTION & DINNER 7:30 p.m.

- 10 p.m. Wine tasting, exciting silent auction, Creole cuisine by Broussard’s and live music This fun and festive auction features special wines, experiences, unique art, travel, jewelry and much more. For tickets, go to https://501auctions.com/amazinggrapes New Meat Amateur Dance Contest: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis Street; 6:30 p.m. Hosted by Lisa Beaumann, anyone can enter - $100 cash prize.

Saturday, March 17, 2018 2018 Irish Channel St. Patrick;’s Day Parade; Magazine Street; 1:30 p.m. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day New Orleans Style with the annual Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Parade! Enjoy this truly essential New Orleans St. Patrick’s Day experience and catch our throws which include flowers, beads, kisses, cabbage, and much more! As always, mass begins at Noon at St. Mary’s Assumption Church. 2030 Constance St. and is open to the public.

The parade begins after mass.

Piano Bar with Trey Ming; Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine Street; 4 - 7 p.m. Sing along with your favorite songs with Talented piano player Trey Ming.

GCPAH Beer Bust: Four Seasons

Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; 8 p.m.

Come out from 8 - 10 p.m. for $5 all you can drink beer and $1 jello shots at the Beer Bust.

Sunday, March 18, 2018 Bottomless Mimosa: Cafe Lafittes in Exile; 901 Bourbon Street; 1 - 4 p.m.

Bottomless Mimosas are offered upstairs from 1 - 4 p.m. for $12.

You Better Sing Karaoke; GrandPre’s; 834 North Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Join DJ Kory and DJ Derek as they play Karaoke at Good Friends Bar. Behind the bar slinging your drinks for you are Jeremy, Ryan, and Tim. Jubilee: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 5 p.m. This Sunday Funday show stars Reba Douglas and special guests.

Zingo: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis Street; 6:30 p.m. Play Bingo with hosts Opal Masters followed by the Barry BareAss Dancer of the Week Contest.

Oz Show Night: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 9:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Nicole Lynn Foxx, Lisa Beaumann, Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; Chichi Rodriguez and Dominique DeLorean.

Drink Drown and Drag: The Pub; 801 Bourbon Street; 6 - 9 p.m. Sunday Funday upstairs at The Parade. $15 Draink and Drown from 6 - 9 p.m. with a star studded drag show starting at 8 p.m.

Golden Lantern Events 3/2, 3/9 Fridays 7:30–9:30 p.m. - The music of Senator Ken Fridays 10–11:30 p.m. - Play Girlz hosted by Gia GiaVanni 3/3, 3/10 Saturdays 7:30–9:30 p.m. The music of Vanessa Carr Saturdays 10–11:30 p.m. - Divas R Us starring Monic Synclaire-Kennedy

If you want to make sure your upcoming event is listed, email the information to me at ledgemgp@gmail. com.

3/4, 3/11 Sundays 5–7:00 p.m. - Jubilee: Dragging for Jesus with Reba Douglas

Obituary: Jerry Zachary

by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

Jerry Zachary, Founder of the New Orleans Gay Men’s Chorus, Dies at 72

Jerry Zachary, a fixture in the French Quarter since 1980, died on February 6, 2018. He was 72.

Zachary is survived by his partner, Henry Bernstein. Zachary and Bernstein met in 1990 on the outdoor volley ball court in Cabrini Park in the French Quarter and were inseparable for the next twenty-seven years. He is also survived by his brothers John Zachary and his wife Jo Anne of Benton Arkansas, James Zachary and G. W. Zachary and his wife Betty, all of Homer, Louisiana.

Born in Homer, Louisiana, Zachary obtained B.A. and M.A. degrees from Louisiana Tech and Louisiana State University, respectively. After finishing school, he then moved to Chicago and became a professional singer with the Chicago Symphony Chorus while working for Harris Bank. He subsequently became Assistant Choral Director to the legendary Margaret Hillis. During his career in music, Zachary had the pleasure of participating in concert performances at Carnegie Hall, as well as being an integral member of a Grammy Award winning chorus.

In 1980, Zachary moved to New Orleans, and instantly became a very active member of the French Quarter community. He was a member of Patio Planters, and he and Bernstein enjoyed opening their French Quarter backyard garden to tours of French Quarter gardens. Zachary was also an active member, and former board member, of Vieux Carre Property Owners and Associates.

After moving to New Orleans, Zachary continued with his choral performances and was a long-time choral member in the New Orleans Symphony Chorus and was one of the early singers in the New Orleans Vocal Arts

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Chorale. Zachary was a devoted follower of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the New Orleans Opera, and served as a member of the Opera’s Board of Advisors.

An avid theater goer, Zachary also performed in various local theater productions in New Orleans—his most memorable role being the part of Judge Turpin in Le Petit Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd. For many years, Zachary was the conductor of the student chorus at Our Lady of Holy Cross College. He also served as choral conductor of the New Orleans Chapter of the Sweet Adelines.

Zachary’s main source of pride was his founding of the New Orleans Gay Men’s Chorus in 1981. Noting the apathy of the gay community and the negative connotations that were often associated with it, Zachary once observed “The Chorus was always about putting a face on the community that wasn’t drag or sleaze.” Zachary served as choral director for a number of years.

Zachary was also a volunteer in many local organizations including the NO/Aids Task Force, from which he received its Volunteer Service Award.

A memorial service for Jerry Zachary was held on Friday, February 16, 2018, at Temple Sinai in New Orleans.

Snap Paparazzi From the Bourbon Street Awards | Photos Submitted by Tony Leggio

Friends of the Cabildo Celebrates New Orleans at 300

by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

The Friends of the Cabildo will celebrate New Orleans tricentennial with a series of public lectures.

The Second Thursday Lecture Series is held on the second Thursday of each month, beginning at 6 p.m. at the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint. Every month a different topic is explored from Louisiana’s unique history. Programs are free of charge and include refreshments.

Upcoming topics include: March 8: “Fests Before the Fest”

Dave Thomas & Al Harris April 12: “LSM New Spanish Exhibit” Robert Freeland May 10: “Importance of Spain in Colonial Louisiana and Beyond” Robert Freeland The Friends of the Cabildo is a private non-profit volunteer group that provides financial and volunteer support for the Louisiana State Museum, its projects and its properties.

Since incorporating in 1956, the Friends of the Cabildo has grown into

a large statewide membership organization, a dynamic and motivating force in broadening and supporting the aims of the Louisiana State Museum.

The Louisiana State Museum operates five properties in New Orleans: the Cabildo, the Presbytere, the 1850 House, the old U.S. Mint, and Madame John’s Legacy.

The Friends of the Cabildo operates the 1850 House Museum Store, the official gift shop for the Louisiana State Museum properties in New Orleans.

The 1850 House Museum Store is located at 523 St. Ann Street on beautiful Jackson Square in the historic Lower Pontalba Building. In addition to

membership and fundraising endeavors, the Friends of the Cabildo is able to provide financial support to the Louisiana State Museum through the sales of our daily French Quarter Walking Tours and merchandise at the 1850 House Museum Store. At our store you can find handmade art, jewelry, pottery and crafts by local artists, books on everything from history to food to voodoo, exhibit-related merchandise from our museum properties and much more!

For more information on the Friends of the Cabildo, contact Rachel Strassel at 504-523-3939.

GayMardiGras.com · GayEasterParade.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Facebook.com/AmbushMag · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · 23

LGBT Owned & Friendly Business Directory

947.3735, KajunPub.COM MAG’S 940, 940 Elysian Fields Ave., 948.1888 OZ NEW ORLEANS, 800 Bourbon, 593.9491, OzNewOrleans. COM THE PAGE, 542 N. Rampart St., 875.4976 PHOENIX/EAGLE, 941 Elysian Fields, 945.9264, www.phoenixbarnola.com Rawhide 2010, 740 Burgundy St., 525.8106, Rawhide2010.COM TROPICAL ISLE: Home of the Hand Grenade, 721 Bourbon St., 529.4109, TropicalIsle.COM VALIANT THEATRE AND LOUNGE, 6621 St. Claude Ave., Arabi, LA, 504.900.1743 Slidell, LA [985] BILLY’S, 2600 Hwy. 190 West, 847.1921 Biloxi, MS [228] CLUB VEAUX, 834 Howard Ave., 207.3271

bookstores

New Orleans, LA [504] FAB - Faubourg Marigny Art & Books, 600 Frenchmen St., 947.3700

circuit/events

Easter Sunday, April 11, 2018, 19th Official Gay Easter Parade, New Orleans, sponsored by Ambush, GayEasterParade. com

costumes

New Orleans, LA [504] QT PIE BOUTIQUE - 241 Dauphine St., 581. 6633

galleries

New Orleans, LA [504] CASSELL-BERGEN GALLERY, 1305 Decatur St., cassellbergengallery.com, 504.524.0671

guides

AMBUSH Mag, 828-A Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70116-3137; 504.522.8049, AmbushMag.COM; marsha@ripandmarsha.com

groceries/delis

New Orleans, LA [504] QUARTERMASTER DELI, THE NELLIE DELI, 1100 Bourbon, 529.1416

hair salons

bars

Mobile, AL [251] B-Bob’s Downtown, 213 Conti St., 433.2262, B-Bobs.COM Flip Side Bar & Patio, 54 S. Conception St., 431.8819, FlipSideBarPatio.COM GABRIEL’S DOWNTOWN, 55 South Joachim St., 432.4900 The Midtown Pub, 153 Florida St., 450.1555 Pensacola, FL [850] THE ROUNDUP, 560 East Heinberg St., 433.8482 Baton Rouge, LA [225] GEORGE’S, 860 St. Louis, 387.9798, SPLASH, 2183 Highland Rd., 242.9491, SplashBR.COM Lake Charles, LA [337] CRYSTAL’S, 112 W. Broad, 433.5457 Metairie, LA [504] FOUR SEASONS & PATIO STAGE BAR, 3229 N. Causeway, 832.0659, FourSeasonsBar.com New Orleans, LA [504] 700 CLUB, 700 Burgundy, 561.1095,

BIG DADDY’S, 2513 Royal, 948.6288 BIG EASY DAIQUIRIS, 216 Bourbon, 501 Bourbon, 409 Decatur, 617 Decatur THE BLACK PENNY, 700 N. Rampart BOURBON PUB & PARADE, 801 Bourbon St., 529.2107, BourbonPub.COM Café Lafitte in Exile, 901 Bourbon Street 522.8397, Lafittes.COM CORNER POCKET, 940 St. Louis, 568.9829, CornerPocket.NET COUNTRY CLUB, 634 Louisa St., TheCountryClubNewOrleans.COM, 945.0742 CUTTER’S, 706 Franklin, 948.4200 THE DOUBLE PLAY, 439 Dauphine, 523.4517 THE FRIENDLY BAR, 2301 Chartres, 943.8929 GOLDEN LANTERN, 1239 Royal, 529.2860, Facebook.COM/GoldenLanternBar Good Friends Bar, 740 Dauphine St, 566.7191, GoodFriendsBar.COM GRANDPRE’S, 834 N. Rampart St., 267.3615, Facebook.com/grandpres KAJUN’S PUB, 2256 St. Claude Ave.,

New Orleans, LA [504] Two Guys Cutting Hair, 2372 St. Claude Ave., Suite 125, appointments: Adikus 215.519.5030, Trent 504.239.2397

hardware

New Orleans, LA [504] MARY’S FRENCH QUARTER HARDWARE, 732 N. Rampart, 529.4465

accommodations

New Orleans [504] AARON INGRAM HAUS, 1012 Elysian Fields, New Orleans, LA 70117, PHONE: 504.949.3110, www.ingramhaus.com/xqey, e-mail us at ingramhaus@yahoo.com.

Condos with queen-size beds, private entrances; located only six blocks from Bourbon Street and walking distance to most New Orleans attractions. Several favorite bars are within one block. [0118] BLUES60 GUEST HOUSE, 1008 Elysian Fields Ave. New Orleans, LA 70117, Phone: 1.504.324.4311, www.blues60guesthouse.com, info@blues60guesthouse.com. The Blue60 Guest House with 5 suites provides a peaceful retreat in the center of the Faubourg Marigny, just blocks from the French Quarter and Frenchman

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St. [1115] BURGUNDY BED AND BREAKFAST, 2513 Burgundy St., New Orleans, LA 70117, PHONE/FAX: 504.942.1463, Toll Free (Continental US only): 1.800.970.2153, www.theburgundy.com, E-mail us at theburgundy@cox.net. Gay owned and operated in newly renovated 1890’s double. Four guest rooms with private baths, guests’ parlor and “half-kitchen”, courtyard and half-open tubhouse with spa (hot tub/ whirlpool). Clothing optional in sunbathing and hot tub area. Walking distance to French Quarter. Immediate vicinity of gay and lesbian bars/venues. [0815] The french quarter guest houses, 1005 St. Peter, New Orleans, LA 70116, Phone: 1.800.367.5858, FrenchQuarterGuestHouses.com, email: Info@frenchquarterguesthouses.com. Four meticulously restored boutique inns located in the heart of the French Quarter’s most popular LGBT neighborhood. Each building’s individual character and charm provides an unforgettable authentic French Quarter experience!

media

New Orleans, LA [504] AMBUSH Mag, Official Gay Easter Parade Guide, Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide, Official Gay New Orleans Guide, Official Gulf South Guide, Official Pride Guide, Official Southern Decadence Guide, 828A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 522.8049, AmbushMag.COM; email: ripna@ambushmag.com AMBUSHonLINE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137; 522.8049, ambushonline. com, email: ripna@ambushmag.com

organizations

FOOD FOR FRIENDS, 504.821.2601 ext. 254 FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE MARDI GRAS (FNBMG), 504.319.8261, www.fridaynightbeforemardigras.com GAY APPRECIATION AWARDS, 828A Bourbon St., 70116-3137; 522.8049; AmbushMag.COM/GAA GAY EASTER PARADE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, info@ gayeasterparade.com, GayEasterParade.

COM GAY MARDI GRAS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, GayMardiGras.COM GAY NEW ORLEANS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, GayNewOrleans.COM HAART (HIV/AIDS Alliance Region Two, Inc.), 4550 North Blvd. Ste. 250, Baton Rouge, LA 70806, 225.927.1269, www. haartinc.org, offers a complete continuum of care to people living with HIV/AIDS including housing, primary care, medications, case management, and an array of supportive services. In addition HAART provides HIV prevention education and FREE testing to the Baton Rouge area.

HALLOWEEN IN NEW ORLEANS, INC., PO Box 52171, 70152-2171; HalloweenNewOrleans.COM KREWE OF AMON-RA, PO Box 7033, Metairie, LA 70010, KreweOfAmonRa. COM KREWE OF ARMEINIUS, PO Box 56638, New Orleans, LA 70156-6638, KreweOfArmeinius.ORG KREWE OF MWINDO, PO Box 51031, 70156; 913.5791, KreweOfMwindo.ORG, krewe@kreweofmwindo.org KREWE OF NARCISSUS, PO Box 3832, New Orleans, LA 70177. Contact: 504.228.9441

522.5565, www.cafesbisanola.com Cheezy Cajun, 3325 St. Claude Ave., 265.0045, www.TheCheezyCajun.com Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon St., 598.1010, www.CloverGrill.com Country Club Restaurant, 634 Louisa St., www.TheCountryClubNewOrleans. com, 945.0742 Gene’s Po-Boys & Daquiris, 1040 Elysian Fields Ave., 943.3861, www.genespoboys.com Ilys Bistro, 1040 Elysian Fields Ave., 947.8341, www.Facebook.com/ILYSBistro Kingfish Kitchen & Cocktails, 337 Chartres St. 598.5005, www.KinfishNewOrleans.com Mona Lisa Restaurant, 1212 Royal St., 522.6746 Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro, 720 Orleans, 523.1930, www.OrleansGrapevine.com Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli, 1100 Bourbon St. , 529.1416, www.QuartermasterDeli.net Royal House Oyster Bar, 441 Royal St., 528.2601, www.RoyalHouseRestaurant.com

real estate

New Orleans, LA [504] Engel & Völkers New Orleans, Michael Styles, Realtor — Michael specializes in helping first-time homebuyers and real estate investors find the perfect New Orleans properties. 504.777.1773, NolaStyles.com Latter & Blum, Steven Richards Realtor, 504.258.1800, SteveRichardsProper-

ties.com New Orleans Relocation, Realtors — gay-owned boutique real estate agency for locals and newcomers. 504.273.0088 www.NOLArelo.com

retail/shopping

New Orleans, LA [504] BOURBON PRIDE, 909 Bourbon, 566.1570 COK (Clothing or Kinkl), 941 Elysian Fields, 945.9264 MARY’S FRENCH QUARTER KITCHEN & BATH, 732 N. Rampart, 529.4465 QT PIE BOUTIQUE - 241 Dauphine St., 581. 6633 XXXSHOP, 1835 N. Rampart St., 504.232.3063

services

New Orleans, LA [504] Formal Connection, 299 Belle Terre Blvd. LaPlace, LA, 985.652.1195

theatres

New Orleans, LA [504] CAFE ISTANBUL, 2372 St. Claude Ave., #140, 504.974.0786, CafeIstanbulNOLA.COM

tours

New Orleans, LA [504] Gay New Orleans Walking Tour, Crescent City Tour Booking Agency, (LGBT Business of the Year) 638 St. Ann St., 568.0717. follow Gay New Orleans Walking Tour @ Facebook.COM

Job Opportunities Ambush Magazine is growing!

KREWE OF PETRONIUS, PO Box 1102, Kenner, LA. 70063-1102, www. kreweofpetroius.net KREWE OF QUEENATEENAS / KING CAKE QUEEN ROYALTY CLUB, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 522.8049, GayMardiGras.COM/KCQ LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, 1308 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA 70116, 504.475.7911, www.lgbtarchivesla.org MYSTIC KREWE OF LORDS OF LEATHER, 1000 Bourbon St #B415, New Orleans, LA 70116, www.lordsofleather.org MYSTIC KREWE OF SATYRICON, 2443 Halsey Ave., New Orleans, LA 70114, 504.906.7990 Todd J. Blauvelt / Secretary, krewe.of.satyricon@gmail.com, MysticKreweOfSatyricon.COM NO/AIDS TASK FORCE, 2601 Tulane Ave., Suite 500, 70119; 504.821.2601; NOAIDSTaskForce.COM NEW ORLEANS PRIDE, info@neworleanspridefestival.com; 504.321.6006; NewOrleansPrideFestival.COM; NOLAPride.

ORG; New Orleans Pride fully embraces the message of “One CommUNITY” as we celebrate our history and promote the future prosperity of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region. We use public awareness and education about the LGBT+ community as a way to combat “phobias” and discrimination. Our programs, seminars and events leading up to, and during Pride weekend, are meant to include individuals from all walks of life.

RENEGADE BEARS OF LOUISIANA, PO Box 3083, New Orleans, LA 70177;

renegadebearsoflouisiana@gmail.com SOUTHERN DECADENCE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, SouthernDecadence.COM ST. ANNA’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1313 Esplanade Avenue New Orleans, LA 70116 504.947.2121, stannanola.org

pharmacy

Mumfrey’s Pharmacy, 1021 W. Judge Perez Dr., Chalmette, LA 70043, 504.279.6312, www.MumfreysPharmacy.COM. Supporting & serving the LGBT Community for over 20 years. Local pharmacy offering personalized family-like service, automatic refills & free metro wide confidential pickup & delivery. Also offering shipping for out-side our delivery area.

When you call us you speak to a person, not a machine. See our ad.

Freelance & Contributing Writers Wanted

We want to hear from you if you are a working or aspiring journalist interested in covering topics meaningful to the LGBTQ community.

Snap Paparazzi Photographer Wanted

Do you frequent the LGBTQ bars and events? We want to hear from you if you are interested in regularly covering the bars and events.

If you are interested, please email your resume, cover letter, and portfolio to info@ambushpublishing.com

photography

New Orleans, LA [504] GRAHAM/STUDIO ONE NEW ORLEANS, by appointment, grahamstudioone. com

restaurants

Metairie, LA [504] Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop & Pub, 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., 835.2022, GumboStop.com New Orleans, LA [504] The Bombay Club, 830 Rue Conti, 577.2237, www.bombayclubneworleans. com Broussard’s Restaurant & Courtyard, 819 Rue Conti, 581.3866, http://broussards.com Cafe Sbisa, 1011 Decatur St.,

Get Listed

Want to see your business, organization, or event in our next issue?

Email Ambush info@ambushpublishing.com

GayMardiGras.com · GayEasterParade.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Facebook.com/AmbushMag · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · 25

Moments in Gay New Orleans History

by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

Gay History Goes to the Armeinius Ball

The Krewe of Armeinius recently celebrated its golden anniversary as well as New Orleans’ tricentennial at its annual Bal Masque.

The theme of the ball was “Nouvelle— Orleans: 300 Years of Fabulous” and featured the following historical characters from New Orleans history: The Lady Bugs of New Orleans (mosquitos, termites, cockroaches, and lovebugs), Poke-A-Hot-Ass, Jean Baptiste LeMoyne Bienville, Bayou St. John’s Three Queens and a Bear, The Delta Queens: The Great Steamboat Race, Fat Monday Luncheon, Streetcar Named Disaster, The My-O-My: Lady Slurs the Booze, Krewe of Yuga, Ms. Dixie, Shrimp Boat, Chris Owen’s Easter Parade, Audubon’s Aqueerium, Burning of the French Quarter: Interview with a Vampire Movie, and King and Queen Armeinius 50: Miss Big Nelly and Her Storyville Playground.

Some of the aforementioned referenc-

es are obvious to anyone familiar with New Orleans’ colorful history, but others, however, are more obscure. Miss Big Nelly, for example, was the Madam of a brothel on the edge of Storyville that catered to gay men in the 1890s.

Historian Al Rose describes it as the site of “large-scale, noisy interracial functions.”

Many of the allusions were, appropriately enough, to Carnival. The Krewe of Yuga was the progenitor of Gay Carnival, and queens of a certain age will remember Ms. Dixie, who not only posted bail for the 95 men arrested at the ill-fated 1962 Yuga Ball, but also hosted fabulous parties on Mardi Gras afternoons at her home on lower Bourbon Street after she closed her bar in 1964. Begun in 1949 by Bob Demmons, the Fat Monday Luncheon is the oldest continually operating annual gay social event in the nation. And Bienville, the founder of New Orleans, lived into his 80s and never married. Just saying.

In addition to paying homage to the

city’s and our community’s heritage, the Armeinius Ball also honored its own history. Originally, Armeinius King and Queen 50 were slated to be Wendell Stipelcovich (a founding member) and Albert Carey (member since 1969), both of whom served as the Krewe’s first two Captains. Health concerns prevented Stipelcovich and Carey from participating in the Ball; consequently, they selected as their surrogates Ned Pitre and Brent Durnin.

In a poignant personal reminiscence printed in the Ball program, Carey writes, “I am inclined not to think about the people that were horrible to us as gay men. I like to remember the men and women that were nice to us.” And later, “Krauss Department Store had a fabulous selection of trims and the ladies would even let us try on opera gloves on the main floor close to the entrance. Betty Heckman’s on Elysian Fields was the go to place for leotards.”

Ball programs, coveted by archivists and researchers, are often discarded by attendees after the ball but the Armeinius 50th Program is one people should keep. The program is chockfull of interesting articles. In addition

to “As I Look Back on These Past 50 Years,” Carey also wrote “The Almost True Gay Fun Facts of Our 300 Years of Fabulous” and “Does Your Mother Know? How Publicity Evolved in the Gay Mardi Gras World.” Ray Durand’s “We Loved Dixie’s Bar of Music” is a beautiful tribute to Ms. Dixie and Kevin Hemenger’s “A Mardi Gras Reminiscence” perfectly captures Mardi Gras’s magical ability to seduce Carnival virgins.

The cover of the program was designed by local artist and Co-Captain Frederick Guess. The artwork depicts a plethora of local icons and legends posing at Café Lafitte in Exile, the oldest continually operating gay bar in the nation. Ball hosts Varla Jean Merman and Ryan Landry figure prominently; Stipelcovich and Carey appear as Bienville and a church lady, respectively; Jeff Palmquist, representing Southern Decadence as a former Grand Marshal, is behind the bar mixing drinks; the city’s African-American heritage is represented by a Mardi Gras Indian and Voodoo Queen Marie LaVeau; Zak Gillespie appears in drag as Ms. Dixie; a Corner Pocket dancer brandishes a sword as legendary pirate Jean Lafitte; timeless showgirl Chris Owens is also there.

Visit us for Mardi Gras!

Join the

Big Easy Stompers For Country Dancing Tuesdays 8-11

Scorpio Boys Presents

Bayou Boylesque Starring

Eros & Poseiden

Happy Hour Daily noon - 9 $3 well and domestic

Every 4th Friday10PM $5.00 cover

26 · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · SouthernDecadence.com

Snap Paparazzi From Blanche Debris’ “Bal du Blanche II”, Mardi Gras party, and Armenius | Photos by Tony Leggio, Chris Leonard, and Aaron

GayMardiGras.com · GayEasterParade.com · Feb 27 - March 12, 2018 · Facebook.com/AmbushMag · The Official Mag: AmbushMag.com · 27

Trodding the Boards

by Brian Sands Email: bsnola2@hotmail.com

On the Road--Motown, Mo’ Better Now I hadn’t been to Detroit in fifteen years. I have cousins in one of its suburbs and a friend in Ann Arbor. Its Black Pride Festival, Hotter Than July!, is held the last weekend of that month.

So last year I figured why not visit for a long weekend getaway from New Orleans’ summer heat’n’humidity. I’m happy I did.

The previous time I was there, I had a good time but, driving around, I was struck by the devastation of block after block of burned out houses. It reminded me of images I had seen of Berlin after World War II. Things have improved significantly since then. Though urban blight certainly appears too frequently, more often you’re now likely to see newly renovated homes or crews working to repair houses. Downtown is vibrant and the Riverwalk, from which you look south towards Canada, is booming.

A Saturday visit to Eastern Market, the largest historic public market district in the U.S., is practically like being in Times Square during rush hour

what with the huge, diverse crowds its wildly divergent offerings attract. It truly amazed me that there could be so many farmers and other such produce vendors in the metropolitan area.

What I could comprehend, as indicative of Detroit’s revitalization, was a statistic my cousins relayed to me.

For many years, up until 2015, on average, one new upscale restaurant opened annually in the area; in 2016, 40 such restaurants debuted.

I went with friends to one of these establishments, Antietam (1428 Gratiot Ave.), and enjoyed an excellent, and reasonably priced, tasting menu that featured smoked whitefish dip, grilled house-made sausages, chilled corn chowder, pan roasted rainbow trout, and s’mores much more fancily done than the ones you used to have around the campfire.

Though I only had the opportunity for a drive-by and quick pic outside the Motown Museum (2648 West Grand Blvd.), my cousins and I were able to spend more time at the fabled Detroit Institute of Arts (5200 Woodward Ave.) and its Beaux-Arts, Italian Re-

With “The Wright Brothers” at The Henry Ford Museum’s Greenfield Village

naissance-styled building.

Of course, the immense Diego Rivera murals, collectively known as Detroit Industry, or Man and Machine (1932), still hold pride of place in the large central inner courtyard. A stroll through the galleries, however, will enable you to discover extraordinary works by Caravaggio, Zurbarán, de Ribera, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Mary Cassatt, Pissarro, Seurat, van Gogh, Degas, Picasso, and many others. You could easily spend the better part of a day there.

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Other art can be enjoyed alfresco. My friend took me to Robert Sestok’s ongoing City Sculpture exhibit at 955 West Alexandrine Street in the Midtown area near the John C. Lodge Freeway. Sestok welds various metals into towering phantasmagorical structures with names like Dream Machine and New Gold Standard. Some of the sculptures are abstract, some are seemingly anthropomorphic, and all are utterly charming.

From there we went back to EastContinued on Page 29

Continued from Page 28

ern Market to see some of the many Murals in the Market, an extensive collection of outdoor murals. Each year for the past six years, 30-40 artists have been invited to create these exuberant works. Over 100 now exist in the Eastern Market area and 200 more are scattered throughout the city.

For better or worse, there seems to be no shortage of spaces on which these works can be done. In addition to the walls of warehouses and abandoned buildings, murals have been painted on water towers, utility boxes and garage doors. 1xRUN and the company’s fine art gallery, Inner State, curate and produce the murals, and each area where they’ve blossomed has seen a significant visual impact on the surrounding neighborhood as well as increased traffic, additional economic development, and increased safety.

There are hyperrealistic murals, anime-inspired ones and some featuring geometric designs. Some have political connotations, others evoke earlier uses for their site. I saw images that sprang from a graffiti heritage while some proffered a calming lyricism.

One of this year’s murals was done by New Orleans-based Brandan “BMike” Odums whose Studio Be at Press and Royal Streets is adorned with his large image of a young girl with upraised arms.

Murals in the Market now offers maps to tell you where the murals are and who did them. It’s a great way to get to explore Detroit.

We explored the University District in the northern part of the city when we went to Hotter Than July! which offered a family-friendly atmosphere and lots of booths sponsored by community organizations and local merchants. Not long after we got there, Mayor Mike Duggan, who was running for re-election at the time, arrived and made some remarks from the stage where he donned a festival t-shirt (he would go on to be re-elected in a landslide).

It’s hard to imagine any of Detroit’s previous white mayors attending an event where they would’ve been surrounded by drag queens and gay men of color.

My final full day was spent at The Henry Ford, a large indoor and outdoor history museum complex and a National Historic Landmark in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn. It bills itself as “America’s Greatest History Attraction” and with 26 million artifacts spread over 250 acres, that’s no exaggeration.

While The Henry Ford does include a Ford Rouge Factory Tour and a Giant Screen Experience (which showed Star Wars: The Last Jedi in December and January), I concentrated on the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village which took up the better part of a day to visit. And what a memorable day it was.

The bus on which Rosa Parks made history

Occupying a vast building, The Museum is nirvana for those into planes, trains & automobiles...and a whole lotta other things. On display is a locomotive, cars of all types and a Sikorsky helicopter. But a few of its items especially stand out.

In the “With Liberty and Justice For All” section, which focuses on items dealing with the Civil Rights Movement, is the actual bus Rosa Parks was riding when she refused to obey the driver’s order to give up her seat to a white passenger. In fact, you can sit where she sat. That said, as the bus has been lovingly restored to look brand new, you’ll be sitting in the same location but not touching the same seat upon which Parks sat. Still, the sense of history is overwhelming.

How do they know it’s the genuine bus? Persistent detective work that uncovered a remarkable journey in which its value went from $1 to $500,000.

Want to know more? Ask one of the well-informed docents who’ll gladly tell you the background story.

Not far from the bus is another incredible part of America’s history--the actual upholstered rocking chair Abraham Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated on April 14, 1865 in Ford’s Theater. Truly mind-boggling.

Another section I enjoyed was “Presidential Vehicles” where you can view a circa 1902 brougham (a horsedrawn carriage) used by Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Sunshine Special, the first car expressly designed and built for a U.S. President.

The most notable car is the 1961 Lincoln Continental Presidential Limousine that John F. Kennedy was riding

in when assassinated on November 22, 1963. Somewhat surprisingly, the vehicle was rebuilt and used regularly

by Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon.

Also well worth seeing is a prototype Dymaxion House developed by inventor and architect Buckminster Fuller who hoped to make affordable housing available on a large scale using factory kits that could be assembled on site. Stylistically, the result offers a Father Knows Best meets The Jetsons aesthetic.

As it turned out, the weekend I visited was the annual Maker Faire for budding inventors. Youthful brainiacs and their parents were swarming around the Museum so we first headed out to the even more fantastic Greenfield Village.

The Village, which reopens April 15 after its winter hiatus, has everything from a working farm to historic homes to a carousel plus shops offering handcrafts created by skilled artisans all spread out over 80 beautifully landscaped acres. The only other place I’ve ever been to that remotely resembles Greenfield Village is the Shelburne Museum in Vermont.

Some of the many highlights include the George Washington Carver Cabin which Henry Ford erected in 1942 as a lasting memorial to the great scientist and where Carver actually stayed for two nights; the 1823 New Haven home of Noah Webster, creator of America’s first dictionary; and the Pennsylvania birthplace of William Holmes McGuffey of McGuffey Readers fame.

But not all the buildings are associated with celebrated people. The cir-

ca 1880 building from Bryan County, Georgia was home to the Mattox Family, sharecroppers who may not have had a lot of money but did have the ingenuity to cover their walls with newspapers and thus insulate their home.

The great inventor, and friend of Ford, Thomas Edison is well-represented here with his grandparents’ house, a reconstruction of his Menlo Park Laboratory, and even the Widow Sarah Jordan’s Boarding House, one of the first homes ever to be wired for electrical light, where more than a dozen unmarried male workers from the Lab lived.

Perhaps my favorite stop was the Wright Cycle Shop on Main Street.

Wright as in Orville and Wilbur. Not only can you visit the original building where the Wright Flyer was born, but you can see one of their original bicycles, the making of which was their “day job.” Plus the presenters portraying the Brothers--many such re-enactors can be found strolling around the grounds--were cuties.

Should all the walking you’ll do in the Village make you a bit hungry, head over to the Eagle Tavern, where yummy locally sourced meals inspired by 1850s recipes (I had the broiled ham and baked egg) are presented by knowledgeable servers in period clothing. There are other food options as well.

And at the risk of sounding like a midnight TV pitchman (“But, wait, there’s more!”), do not miss the Davidson-Gerson Gallery of Glass which opened just last year and includes stunning examples of art glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Dale Chihuly and Continued on Page 30

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many others.

Detroit has been nicknamed “America’s Comeback City.” With its rapidly improving cityscape and gems such as The Henry Ford nearby, I certainly hope to go back there very soon.

In memoriam Lyla Hay Owen

I was saddened to learn of Lyla Hay Owen’s passing on February 7. A native New Orleanian and playwright, director, author and producer, she had trod the boards here for over five decades.

I had been casually acquainted with her work and then, in March 2009, I saw her as Amanda Wingfield at the Marigny Theatre in The Glass Menagerie. What a performance!

At that point I had only seen three

mediocre productions of Tennessee Williams’ breakthrough play. At last, I saw the real deal. Owen played Amanda like a virtuoso musician, hitting every note in Williams’ score with just the right dynamic and giving every line the most expert of shadings. She was the living incarnation of a friend’s mother, another Southern belle, who had passed away a few years earlier.

Seven years later, when reviewing another, lesser production of Menagerie, I wrote in comparison of “Lyla Hay Owen’s unforgettable performance, a complete, bone-deep admixture of charm, steeliness, desperation, and an innate patrician-ness.”

She would go on to win the 2009 Ambie Award for Best Actress in a Play for her Amanda, a year in which there was fierce competition in that category.

Alas, Lyla’s candle has now been blown out. She will be missed.

Please send press releases and notices of your upcoming shows to Brian at bsnola2@hotmail.com.

Lyla Hay Owen at the 2011 Ambie Awards

Double Play Bar in Transition

by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

The Double Play Bar was recently sold to longtime regular Dr. Randy Speights.

Speights, who is from Austin, Texas, and who worked briefly as a stock-broker in New York, has a long track-record of turning around failing bars. While pursuing a pre-med program at the University of Texas, Speights began managing gay bars in Austin, including Uncle Charlies and The Crossing. Building on his experience with those bars, he eventually opened his own bar in Austin—the legendary Oil Can Harry’s.

During his medical school residency in Alabama, Speights would often come to New Orleans, especially for

Mardi Gras and Southern Decadence.

In 2004, he moved to New Orleans to work full-time as an emergency room doctor at an area hospital. After settling in New Orleans, Speights became a regular at The Double Play.

The Double Play bar has a long and colorful history. Originally called Gregory’s, it eventually became The Wild Side and was owned by the larger than life Lee Featherston, better known as Ms. Fly. Fly’s best friend Ms. Do, a former prizefighter, managed the bar.

After Featherston’s tragic murder in 2000, the bar was sold to Chuck Turner and Bill Miller, who recently sold it to Speights.

Speights understands and appre-

Obituary: Shane Scallan

by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

Shane Scallan, Jewelry Designer, Dies at 48

Shane Scallan, 48, lost his battle with cancer on February 8, 2018.

He is survived by his mother, Kath-

erine Bordelon of Plaucheville; sister, Buffy James (Michael) of Plaucheville; nieces & nephews, Alie Mayeaux, Nola James, & Michael James, Jr.; aunt, Connie Thevenot. He is also survived

ciates the bar’s history. He plans on keeping the current staff and expanding it. Long-time manager and bartender Will Antill has been retained and is working with a new full-time manager, Charles Felderhoff. Speights plans on installing a new sound and video system. Limited food service is also in the works. Physical renovations of the bar have already begun. The interior has been repainted and the ceiling has been raised.

Speights and Felderhoff ultimately envision a Steampunk theme for the bar.

What the hell is Steampunk you ask? In an article in the Huffpost titled “What the Hell is Steampunk” blogger William Higham writes, “The term itself comes from science fiction novels. It was allegedly coined by author Kevin Jeter as a way of distinguishing him

and fellow tetro-tech sci-fi writers from future-loving “cyberpunks” like William Gibson. But it’s grown into a whole visual style, and even a philosophy. It’s all about mixing old and new: fusing the usability of modern technology with the design aesthetic and philosophy of the Victorian age. Or as US young fiction author Caitlin Kittredge put it: “It’s sort of Victorian-industrial, but with more whimsy and fewer orphans.””

According to Urban Dictionary, Steampunk is “What the past would look like if the future had happened sooner.”

In short, Steampunk has evolved from a literary subgenre into an aesthetic sensibility that may be manifested in fashion, music, and interior design.

The motif of blending the old and new should be appropriate for New Orleans.

by his partner Billy Hogan as well as several aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, and many dear friends.

Born in New Orleans, Scallan grew up in Cottonport, Louisiana, and studied fashion design at Louisiana Tech University.

In addition to working at Deanie’s Seafood, Scallan also owned his own jewelry business called “Sellfish.” Scallan’s creative talents were also expressed every major holiday in the Deanie’s Seafood window display

in the French Quarter. He was also known for the innovative costumes he donned for Halloween and Mardi Gras.

Scallan’s love of life was rivaled only by his love of New Orleans. He lived his life proudly and cheerfully and will be missed greatly by the many people whose lives he touched. According to his family, “One of the most important things Shane wanted was for everyone to accept everyone, stop judging, get to know people for who they truly are not by what they are.”

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