Happening Digital Volume 1 | Issue 7 | Jan 2023

KEEPS HAPPENING OVER & OVER AGAIN...

My first paying job was at A&M Comics in Miami, Florida A&M was the only place that my mom would let me walk to with my buddies Lionel Garcia (no relation) and Danny Vega when we were about 12 years old. Being the children of Cuban immigrants, we really did not have extra cash for luxuries like comic books, but my mom always found a way to scrap a couple of coins together so that I was able to buy books off the stand. Back then they were 45¢. What my little pre-pubescent heart really yearned for were the books behind the counter in the glass case. The ones that were wrapped in plastic with a white acid-free cardboard tucked in it to make sure the spine was kept pristine. They were the ones with price tags like $10 to $20 (I didn’t even allow myself to dream passed those prices, though there were also books worth thousands in the same area)

So, one day after school on a Wednesday (new comic book delivery day), I asked to walk over to A&M alone and informed my mom that I was going to ask the owners for a job. My mom barely looked at me, went back to sewing at her machine and said,”Go for it.” When I got to the comic book store the lady that co-owned the place was there waiting for the new boxes of books to arrive. Her name was Maxine (her husband was Arnold, hence A&M) and she recognized me from coming in the store on a regular basis with my friends. I went up to her directly, introduced myself formally and immediately blurted out,”Can I work here?” She corrected my sentence and said,”Do you mean MAY I work here?” To which I responded,”Please.” Maxine went on to ask me why I wanted to work there. I simply explained my parents did not have more money to spare on comics books and that I aspired to buying “back issues” and the coveted comics behind the register in the glass case. She looked me straight in the eyes and asked what do you think that you can do here. I said I could help her unload the boxes of new books every Wednesday, help her pull issues for the subscriber list and file aways the comics from the previous weeks in the long boxes where they were kept. Again, she looked at me and asked if my parents knew I was asking for a job. I responded with a nod. Maxine turned around away from me and said,”You’re hired. You start today helping me with the new comics for two hours. I will pay you $3 an hour in credit at the store. Does that work for you?” Of course it was, and so began my next four years of working at A&M Comics.

Years later, when I was almost an adult I asked Maxine why she had hired me all those years ago when I was a child of 12. She responded that she had experienced kids throwing tantrums in the store wanting their parent to purchase something for them and even stealing, but no child had ever asked for a job. She told me it impressed her and thus, I was hired. Years later due to declining health of the original owners, the store was put up for sale and was even offered to my family for purchase (which sadly did not work out due to my dad’s inability to see the future in comic and toys). But things ended up working out the way the were supposed to - the way they often do. My friend and co-worker at the store Jorge Perez (by that time it was necessary to have 2 employees) ended up being able to purchase the store. Jorge is still there all these years later, on the corner of Bird Road and 67 Avenue in Miami sitting in the store with the hand-painted “A&M” in honor of the original owners on the outside above the door.

Over the years many other kids continue to follow in my footsteps and become “assistants” or “interns” at the legendary comic shop (which coincidentally is the OLDEST COMIC SHOP IN FLORIDA and in the top five OLDEST IN THE COUNTRY).

Through the years I continued to go back no matter how far away I had roamed in my life, when I would come back home to visit my parents for the Holidays and such. In fact, little did I know A&M would become so important to me when I turned 45 and moved back to Miami after my relationship fell apart 7 years ago.

After a very long depression and weeks in bed, I decided to walk around my neighborhood to get some fresh and found myself taking the familiar route back towards A&M walking back almost as if something was pulling me there. I saw Jorge on his now usual perch holding court to all the “regulars” that inevitably show up every week to pick up their weekly “fix” of comics and toys. I saw my friend from childhood and began to cry. My entire life spilled out of me as he hugged me like only a friend that has known you that long can and consoled. I was NOW truly back HOME. I started going back to “the store” (as we call it) and quickly became friends with a whole network of misfit toys just like me. I met Danny, Jimmy, Peter, Kenny, Divaldo, John “Fresh” and so many more. They told me their stories of how they stumbled into A&M and a “band of brothers” was formed. New guys come and go into the store but the OG crowd always comes back. We are a family of friends, from all walks of life, who accept each other and are there when we need them most. With only paper, ink and stories to bond and bring us together.

This year I brought in the New Year with them at the little store we call home (picture inset to the left) and there was no way I would of rather ring in 2023 than with MY BOYS! Best New Years/Birthday Party I’ve had in years. I’m blessed.

Happy Year Of The (Jessica) Rabbit! Come on, a little comic nerd humor never hurt nobody.

Light, Love and Peace, Francisco Garcia

Legend has it that in ancient times, the Chinese Zodiac Rabbit had a long, furry tail. Every day, he liked to curl his tail round himself and sleep comfortably in his hole. When hungry, he would stick his head out and lazily eat the green grass at the entrance of his hole.

It didn’t take long for the grass on the entire hillside to be eaten up by Rabbit, revealing a bare hole. One day, a Wolf noticed the bare grassy slope and found the place where the Rabbit lived. It was quietly lurking in the grass not far from the entrance of the hole, preparing to ambush Rabbit

When the sun was up, Rabbit woke up hungry and ate the grass beside the hole as usual. The Wolf bit into Rabbit’s long tail , and only then, Rabbit reacted and kicked his hind legs vigorously. When the Wolf was kicked in the face, its sharp teeth bit off Rabbit’s tail with its own forceful reaction. After the wolf was knocked unconscious for a few seconds, it immediately gave chase in the direction of Rabbit

At this moment, a roar came from the sky and a little White Dragon stepped between Rabbit and the Wolf. He stopped the Wolf who was chasing the Rabbit Rabbit’s instincts made him not stop to think about it, and just use his last ounce of strength to escape.

Eventually Rabbit could barely run any more. Just as he was about to rest under a tree for a while, he seemed to see an Ox standing behind a line in the sand. A Rat sat on Ox’s head, and a Tiger sat behind the Ox. It turned out that Rabbit had accidentally crossed the finish line of the zodiac sign race. When he woke up, he found 11 animals surrounding him, as well as the little White Dragon who helped Rabbit escape the Wolf’s mouth. Therefore, in the ranking of the zodiac, Rabbit comes 4th and Dragon ranks fifth and so on in order of the race which is a metaphor for life. Fun story right? Actually, it’s a parable for how people born on the year of the Rabbit tend to come at life many Asian cultures believe.

2023 is the year of the Water Rabbit, starting from January 22nd, 2023 (Chinese New Year), and ending on February 9th, 2024 (Chinese New Year’s Eve). The sign of Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace and prosperity in Chinese culture. 2023 is predicted to be a year of HOPE. People born in a year of the Rabbit are believed to be vigilant, witty, quick-minded and ingenious. The most compatible zodiac signs for Rabbits are Goats, Dogs and Pigs (heads up GAY Pups and Pigs).

The Rabbit is the fourth animal sign in the Chinese Zodiac cycle. The 12 zodiac animals are, in order - Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each year has an animal sign according to the 12 year cycle according to the Chinese calender. The Chinese Zodiac year is usually said to start from Chinese New Year, whose date ranges from late January to mid-February.

According to Chinese astrology, Water Rabbits (which come around every 60 years) are predicted to be gentle, quiet, elegant and alert as well as quick, skillful, kind, patient and very responsible. Sometimes Rabbits can be reluctant to reveal their minds to others and having a tendency to escape reality, but always faithful to those around them.

Male Rabbits are characterized by always treating people politely, with a gentle smile that makes people feel that they are credible and sincere. When encountering tough difficulties, they are never discouraged but instead remain persistent in their endeavors to find solutions. This means they eventually achieve enviable great success. While female Rabbits are personified as having a pretty and demure appearance and have a pure heart.

Homosexuality and the year of the Rabbit are closely intwined as well. The Rabbit God, Tu Shen is a Chinese deity who manages love and sex between men. His name literally means “rabbit love”. According to the customs of Fujian province, it is acceptable for an older man and and a young man to form a bond or “qi” and to speak to each other as if in love. Each set of couples would each stive to contribute money to erect the temple for such love to be manifested properly in public. They kept silent about this secret vow, which they quickly and eagerly fulfilled. Although other villagers begged to know their reason for building this grand temple, they never found out due to the code of honor between lovers.

The lovers would all go there to pray to their sovereign diety, have philosophical debates and express affection towards each other. There, and only there, were they allowed to enjoy this relationship that was blessed by the Rabbit God Tu Shen. Every year of the Rabbit was celebrated with food, wine, dance and “vigorous love making”

This is still celebrated today. Enjoy the year of the Rabbit 2023!

From makeup tutorials to mukbang to reality TV, Bretman Rock has run the gamut of modern influencing. Known for his unique humor and authenticity, Bretman, 24 years old of Hawaii, remains one of the internet’s biggest stars since he rose to internet fame in 2015.

Bretman, who immigrated from the Philippines to Hawaii as a child, boasts nearly 9 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 18 million followers on Instagram as well as 14 million on TikTok.

Bretman found virality as a beauty guru on YouTube and Vine in his teenage years through comedic rants, makeup videos and travel vlogs. He became one of the first male YouTubers to make his mark in a growing pool of online beauty influencers.

One of his first viral videos took viewers on a roller-coaster ride of raunchy commentary as he gave a tutorial on how to contour.

“I didn’t even think I was funny. I used to just talk on Snapchat, say random shit, and people thought it was funny,” he told The Philippine Star in 2016. “And I’m like, ‘Am I maybe funny?’”

At 19 years old, Rock was named one of Time’s 30 Most Influential Teens for 2017. There was “nobody on the internet more fabulous,” the magazine wrote. The next year, Forbes listed Bretman in its annual 30 Under 30 Asia, recognizing him for his achievements in the world of digital content creationt.

As the brand deals began rolling in, Bretman has released makeup collections in collaboration with Morphe, Colourpop and, most recently, Wet n Wild

“I’m gay, I’m an immigrant, I’m a POC and in the 2020s, I’m taking affordable beauty to the next level,” Bretman said in a news release about his Wet n Wild collection. “A makeup line by a man will be in-store across the globe. That’s my power. That’s OUR power.”

Having dominated the internet, Bretman is dipping his toes into television. MTV early last year began airing “MTV Following: Bretman Rock,” a reality show centered on Bretman’s personal life in Hawaii. Rock said in February 2021 that he doesn’t remember seeing anyone like him on TV growing up — especially as an immigrant from a low-income background.

“I know I’m not the only kid that moved to America and had to live with 30 cousins in one house,” Bretman said. “I kind of just wanted to be like Manila and represent ... other immigrant kids coming to America with nothing but a dream.”

Bretman broke boundaries in October as the first openly gay man to appear on the cover of PLAYBOY magazine. Posing in a bunny suit complete with a corset, tights and a fluffy white tail, Bretman told PLAYBOY that the moment proves he can do anything.

“For PLAYBOY to have a male on the cover is a huge deal for the LGBTQ+ community and for my brown people community. It’s surreal,” he said. “And I’m so pretty.”

Legendary journalist Barbara Walters has died at the age of 93.

Known for her groundbreaking interviews with celebrities, world leaders, and everyone in between, Walters spoke with figures from Monica Lewinsky to Margaret Thatcher to the Dalai Lama to L ucille Ball to Muhammad Ali to Barack Obama . Throughout her career, she blazed the trail for women journalists, chronicling decades of world history–and making her own–in the process.

In 1974, she became the first woman to co-host the Today show. In 1976, she again made history as the first woman co-anchor of a network evening news show when she was hired by ABC Walters was fired after 2 years due to low ratings and tensions with her co-anchor . Nevertheless, her career continued to blossom. Walters continued to cement herself as one of the nation’s great journalists, with a relaxed, yet piercing interview style that kept viewers coming back again and again.

In 1979, she began working for ABC’s 20/20 and became a co-host in 1984. In 2000, she became the highest paid news host in history with a $12 million per year salary from ABC News .

Walters was also know as the creator of The VIEW , an all-woman panel-style talk show that premiered in 1997 and continues today. She co-hosted the show until retiring in 2013.

Walters won countless awards throughout her career, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Women’s Media Foundation and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences . She was nominated for dozens of primetime and daytime Emmy awards, winning 5. She was also inducted into the Television Hall Of Fame in 1989 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2007. But, for Walters , one award stood out above them all: that given to her by LGBTQ media advocacy organization GLAAD for her groundbreaking 2007 20/20 special on transgender children.

In that special, titled My Secret Self: A Story of Transgender Children , Walters interviews a 6 year old Jazz Jennings , who went on to become a renowned transgender activist with her own TLC documentary series, I am Jazz

For that special, GLAAD gave Walters an award for television newsmagazine journalism during the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards . Upon accepting, Walters said, “You can forget all the Emmys . This means more to me.”

Of course, Walters didn’t always get it right. In June 2021, music artist Ricky Martin said he was still traumatized by a 2000 interview in which Walters asked him directly if he were gay.

In 2006, Walters acknowledged that problematic moment during a segment on The VIEW , as well as other moments in which she probed subjects about their sexuality. Walters called these moments “ painful” to watch and admitted this kind of questioning was one of the big mistakes of her career.

“Unless someone is openly gay, and happy to talk about it, it’s nobody’s business—including mine…” Walters declared.

Walters’s vast influence on television journalism, and especially the glass ceilings she shattered for women–will undoubtedly live on.

THANK YOU BARBARA ! Now, it is your time to enjoy YOUR VIEW

Over the years there have been thousands of gay bars across the United States  and thousands more across the globe. Most of them are sadly no longer around but the memories survive. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and reminisce about our gay old days! STUDIO ONE

652 La Peer Drive West Hollywood, CA

The vision of optometrist Scott Forbes, Studio One was described in a Wehoville review as a “debauched Hollywood pleasure palace, if you were lucky enough to be white and have two X chromosomes.” This massive 17,000 square foot industrial space, originally constructed as the Mitchell Camera Company factory in 1927, was converted into “a dynamic spot, a place of prominence” in the local gay bar scene, according to Forbes. One long-time patron remembers the crowd as “3000 of the most beautiful men you have ever seen in one club”. Unlike other discos of its day, Forbes claimed Studio One was “planned, designed and conceived for gay people, gay male people.” This now legendary club opened its doors to the Los Angeles gay community in May of 1974 and was an instant success. The huge 2000 square foot dance floor was outfitted with more than half a dozen disco balls, a myriad of laser lights, several strobe lights and a red neon Pegasus. Open 7 nights a week, you might find as many as 1,000 men gyrating to the pounding beats at any given time.

The men’s restroom showcased another memorable feature. Perched above a circular sink, a FISH TANK dispensed a stream of water for hand washing. Allegedly some patrons thought it was a urinal. The complex also included four large bars, a game room, a TV lounge and a jewelry boutique. The adjacent dinner theater, known as The Backlot, helped launch the careers of dozens of entertainers and featured live performances by such icons as Sylvester, Eartha Kitt, Luther Vandross, Chita Rivera and Thelma Houston. Despite its high ceilings and great acoustics, it maintained a sense of intimacy. Seating more than 200, The Backlot Theater was popular with such celebrities as Liza Minelli, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft, Tina Turner, Joan Rivers and Patti LaBelle [among many others] Billed as “the hottest live music venue in town”, the club literally set the standard for gay entertainment in Los Angeles

While not as famous around the world as other discos, Studio One was reportedly the inspiration for Studio 54 As the story goes, Steve Rubell visited Forbes’ club in West Hollywood before returning to New York and planning Studio 54 with Ian Schrager Rubell’s club took the world by storm but only lasted 3 years. By contrast, Studio One endured for nearly 2 decades.

Some patrons may have slightly different memories of Studio One but, to paraphrase legendary comic Bruce Vilanch,“If you say you remember it well, you probably weren’t there.” Fortunately, award-winning director Marc Saltarelli is about to release a documentary featuring vintage photos and video from the heyday of Studio One as well as interviews with performers and employees who want to keep the memory alive.

Visit StudioOneForever.com or facebook.com/studiooneforever for more info.

Studio

Studio One Revival Ad 2019 By MarcSalterelli.com

One Logo Designed By Randy Dunbar Archival Images Provided By StudioOneForever.com

ANETRA - @iamanetra 25 Years Old

Straight outta Sin City, Anetra is a self-described stunt queen who can deliver splits, dips and all the tricks to slay the stage. She may seem low-key at times, but still waters run deep. Plus, with serious Taekwondo skills, she’s ready to take all the other queens out, one by one. Chop ‘til ya drop!

Anetra is a Las Vegas drag entertainer who you may have seen from her weekly performances at Piranha Night Club, drag brunch performances at Senor Frogs Vegas. Anetra brings high fashion, eye-catching drops and warmth to each and everyone of her performances.

Anetra explains,“I took my drag name from a stripper that I used to work with, she was a co-worker of mine and she was the hottest thing I ever seen in my life. And now I’m the hottest thing I ever seen in my life.”

Anetra warns her fans (and future fans) that she is not a vocalist so we will not expect any whistle notes from her anytime soon. Get ready for her world, Anetra is coming at you.

AMETHYST - @thatssoamethyst 27 Years Old

A mix of pop princess and meme queen , Amethyst is here to make it crystal clear,”She’s pretty, witty and…she came to slay.” Her kooky comedy has scored her millions of views on TikTok, and now she wants to show the world why she’s the jewel in the crown of the Connecticut drag scene!

Pretty, witty and fabulous, Amethyst has already garnered hundreds of fans on social media and she’s pretty sure her kooky comedy will win her a top spot on Season 15 of Rupaul’s Drag Race.

Though Amethyst has the goods to win the crown, she has no idea why she joined the show or how she was even selected.“I don’t know. I still can’t believe that I’m on the show! I was like - are you sure you have the right girl? It’s Amethyst! ”

However, now that Amethyst’s on the show, she’s confident that her personality will excell over that of others and this will be her key factor in winning the show.

Amethyst is definitely a precious stone worth keeping close to your heart!