OUT AFRICA MAGAZINE ISSUE 17

AFRICA M A G A Z I N E Issue 17, SUMMER 2013

THE BEAUTY OF INCOMPLETE THINGS WALKING ON THE WILD SIDE

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FROM THE EDITOR

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he Big News is that this our 17th Issue is also our Fourth Anniversary Edition! Happy Birthday to us! And thanks to our fans, our advertisers and our contributors who have got us this far. It was hard to know when we launched this magazine in December 2009, how we would be received. But we had a vision and we persevered. It’s been an incredible ride so far. Thanks to you all!

One of the biggest debates of the year was about Pride. Is it relevant? Do we still need it? If we still have it, should it be a protest or a celebration, or some combination of the two?

Do we have such a thing as a “gay community” anyway?

The biggest controversy this year surrounded Pride in Johannesburg and the way forward after the demise of Jo’burg Pride Company. The result was two very different Pride events in Johannesburg. But the fact that so many other South African cities are celebrating Pride attests to the fact that Pride is needed. Our correspondent Genevieve le Coq attended three Prides in Gauteng and writes about the experience. And we have loads of Pride photos in our Scene Out pages.

While here in South Africa we are busy fighting amongst ourselves, other gay communities in Africa are just getting on with it. We have a report on the Pride in Zimbabwe which culminated in the crowning of the Jacaranda Queen, and Liberty Banks takes us through the good, the bad and the ugly in the Pageant Scene. We remember SA Gay icon Ivan Toms. We introduce SoepaGuava, a local lesbian Super Heroine, and gay comic Eugene Mathews exposes himself.

We take a walk on the wild side with Lou Reed and reveal the story behind the film being made about Tom of Finland.

We have news on Mr GSA, a stunning Urban Armour jewellery fashion spread and all the usual food, arts and lifestyle news. Don’t say you’ve got nothing to read on the beach! So pick up a copy at your favourite gay venue, or buy a copy at CNA or Exclusive Books nationwide.

Happy Holidays and Play Safe!

Evan Tsouroulis

Cover Credit Magic Mike photographed by Reno Horn at Beefcakes, Illovo MANAGING EDITOR: Tommy Patterson 082 562 3358 ISSN 2304-859X Published by: Patterson Publications P.O. Box 397, Sea Point 8060 Tel/Fax: 021 418 3039 E-mail: outmagafrica@telkomsa.net evan@outafricamag.co.za Advertising Sales: Robert Simpson 072 266 7051 Evan Tsouroulis 072 905 8489 Tommy Patterson 082 562 3358

Contributors: Daniel Dercksen, John French, Gary Hopkins, Genevieve Le Coq, Matthew van der Westhuizen Additional Photography: Biddy Horne Photography, Cobus Benade, Reno Horn, Lebza “Coco Only” Khumalo, Renier Reynolds, Nadia van der Walt Printed by ABC Press, Cape Town

Copyright: All articles, stories, interviews and other materials in OUT Africa Magazine are the copyright of the publication or are reproduced with permission from other copyright owners.

All rights are reserved. No materials may be copied, modified, published or otherwise distributed without the prior written permission of OUT Africa Magazine.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE INTERVIEWS

4 EUGENE MATHEWS: 10 fascinating facts 24 THE BEAUTY OF INCOMPLETE THINGS: Dabiel Dercksen talks about his new play.

REVIEWS 39 WORD PERFECT 44 OUT TO LUNCH: Trying something colonial, Spanish and tequila 45 OUT ON DVD: With Daniel Dercksen 46 OUT ON FILM: With Daniel Dercksen 47 MUSIC MOVES: By Gary Hopkins 48 ON STAGE: With Daniel Dercksen

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FASHION 12 - 13 URBAN ARMOUR: Valkyrie Collection by Duncan Stevens

SCENE OUT

28 - 33 Who’s been spotted out and about on the party scene...

FEATURES 1 EDITORS COMMENT: 3 LET THEM EAT BEEF: We peek at the Beefcakes 2014 calendar 4 THROUGH GOOD & BAD ... IN DRAG: Liberty Banks muses about the highs and lows of the Drag Pageant World 5 DJ TONY’S TOP 10 SUMMER DANCE TRACKS 6 OPENING UP THE CONVERSATION: Where business people meet 7 CAPE TOWN PRIDE 8 MR GAY SA COMES TO CAPE TOWN 9 NEW YEAR’S EVE WHITE PARTY 10 THE FABULOUS JACARANDA QUEEN: A look at Zimbabwe’s annual pageant 14 BLOUBERG’S BEST KEPT SECRET 16 GAY WIT & WISDOM: John French looks at gay humour 17 THE ART OF POP CULTURE: A look at Gaga’s new studio album 18 LOU REED: Walking on the wild side 20 A TRIPLE SERVING OF PRIDE: Miss Le Coq reports back on Prides all over Gauteng 21 STRIKE A POSE: Reno Horn’s new photographic studio 22 THE BUZZ: News, snippets & gossip 26 REMEMBERING IVAN TOMS 34 SUPERGUAVA: SA’s lettie super-hero 35 GUAVATINIS IN DIE VOORKAMER 36 FESTIVE THEATRE AT ALEXANDER UPSTAIRS 40 MEN’S HEALTH ISSUES: H4M Oral Exam 42 FITRAH: One’s natural state

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WIN 3 A BEEFT TAKEAWAY: Win Beefcake’s 2014 calendar of gorgeous boys 3. AN URBAN ARMOUR PENDANT: 3. Lulo Cafe CD

The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by those providing comments in this publication are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinionsof OUT Africa Magazine or any employee thereof. OUT Africa Magazine and Patterson Publications cc., will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in any information contained in the publication.

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THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT EUGENE MATHEWS

Eugene Mathews is an openly-gay radio and TV presenter based in Cape Town. He is also an up-and-coming stand-up comic who is starting to make waves on the comedy circuit, having shared the stage with Marc Lottering, and opened for Kurt Schoonrad and Nic Rabinowitz at Jou Ma Se Comedy Club. He is also a seasoned MC, having hosted the EVH Pink Awards twice as well as the Marguerita Freekshow. Here’s what OUT found out about this man of many talents...

1. Eugene lives in the rather small suburb of Kensington in Cape Town. Whenever he goes to Johannesburg he lives with his friend who resides in the rather small suburb of Kensington.

2. Eugene is a presenter on one of Cape Town’s more popular online radio stations, Taxi Radio (www.thetaxi.co.za), with a weekly show every Tuesday at 3.00pm. He says “Gayling With The First Lady (#Taxi1stLady) is not a gay show, it’s a Eugene show”, which is basically the same as saying it’s a gay show.

3. Eugene decided to pursue a career in stand-up comedy while he was a cab driver for Rikkis. “I used to have some really funny conversations with some of the clients I had to drive and a few of them told me I should give stand-up a try.

One night after seeing Kurt Schoonraad play at the old Jou Ma Se Comedy Club I realised I had no choice but to pursue stand-up, which I did, about a year and a half later.”

4. Eugene is chronically single and is open to meeting someone special. “I believe Mr Right will find me eventually. Comedy has become my boyfriend and he’s a jealous, yet rewarding one.”

5. Eugene is a huge petrol head. “I’m a total petrosexual (homosexual with a passion for cars)! I have a collection of Car Magazines dating back to April 1983, which happens to be the month I was born. I even studied journalism for a year with the intention of becoming a motor journalist but that never went well, to say the least.”

6. Eugene came out on live television. “I am the news anchor on Cape Town TV’s TaxiVision show. Last year my main news item for the morning was the murder of Bruno Bronn who was the owner of the Bronx Nightclub. When I was done with my story, Soli Philander asked me if I’ve ever been to the Bronx and how long I’ve been out of the closet knowing full well my mother was watching the show. (At that point I hadn’t come out yet). After Mag 2

a split second moment of shock and disbelief, I had no choice but to answer the questions honestly and I became a lot more comfortable at television presenting after that. (It was only about the third or fourth episode I’d done at that point).”

7. Eugene’s hair has become one of his trademarks. “When I was a child I always wanted long straight hair like the WWF (now WWE) wrestlers. After matriculating I started growing my hair and now I actually have people inboxing me for hair care tips and advice. I can’t stand wearing my hair the same style for too long. It’s even become part of my comedy act.”

8. Homophobia is his pet peeve. “It’s 2013, almost 2014; we have far more serious things to care about than people’s sexual orientation.”

9. Eugene recently started acting as well. “As far as I can remember the one thing I’ve always wanted to do was be an actor. I’ve done some acting in school and church plays but nothing serious. I was recently offered a role in a pilot for a television sitcom written by Cape Town comedian Christopher Steenkamp. I play a villainous homosexual eco-warrior blogger who has a boyfriend who has a vicious temper. The character I played has such power in his subtlety whereas I am a completely animated drama queen. It was quite a stretch to play that character, with a hint of not so much. The show still needs to be pitched to the TV networks but I’m feeling good about it. Any channel that rejects that show should be burnt down.”

10. Eugene is an only child but has a lot of brothers and sisters. “I don’t easily call someone my friend but when I do, we’re family. My friends have seen me through many tough times and reinventions; I’m a better man because of them.”

To find out where to catch Eugene this Summer, follow him on Facebook or on Twitter: @Eugene_Mathews.

LET THEM

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eefcakes Restaurants in Cape Town and Johannesburg are renowned for fun live entertainment and the Hottest Buns in Town, either in the form of their delicious burgers or the buff waiters and bar staff. Following the success of last year’s offering, the 2014 Beefcakes Calendar is now available for the delight of lovers of the body beautiful. Once again, this new calendar has been beautifully photographed by Reno Horn and features staff from both branches. This year the style of the calendar is inspired by the Charles Atlas type body-building magazines of the 1950s, and has been shot in black and white. This glossy calendar makes a great gift to the man who thinks he has it all and is available at Beefcakes in both Illovo and Green Point for only R150.

WIN URBAN ARMOUR PENDANT

A lucky reader can win a stunning square pendant with 3 Topaz on a silk cord as worn by the model on Page 12 from Duncan Stevens .

All you have to do is answer the following question: “What does Duncan Stevens call his brave butch range of men’s jewellery featured in our fashion spread?”

Answers to: outmagafrica@telkomsa.net by 31 January 2014

LULO CAFÉ CD!

A BEEFY TAKEAWAY A lucky reader in Cape Town and a lucky reader in Johannesburg can each win a copy of the fabulous 2014 Beefcakes Calendar by answering this simple question: Which 1950s Beefcake body builder was the inspiration behind the 2014 Beefcakes Calendar?

Send your reply to outmagafrica@telkomsa.net by 15 January 2014

Lulo Café is an award winning South African DJ known for quality, cutting edge House music as well as a selector of note with his sets varying from down-tempo lounge, deep soulful grooves and funky selections. His latest album Soul Africa released by Soul Candi, is an eclectic collaboration with some amazing artists including Mr January, Black Motion and Selina Campbell, as well as remixes for Berita & Muzart.

Win a copy of this soulful house CD by answering the following question: “Which music label released Soul Africa?”

Answers to: outmagafrica@telkomsa.net by 31 January 2014 Mag 3

THROUGH GOOD g! a r AND BAD ... in D P Glenton Matthyse aka Liberty Banks muses about the highs and lows of the Drag Pageant World ageant Season! This is the term coined in recent times to describe the multitude of pageants taking place in the Western Cape. One could say that this period prepares ‘gender non-conformists’ for the ultimate crown – that of Miss Gay Western Cape. Starting with Miss Gay Ambassador, followed by Miss LGBTI New Woodlands and subsequently the prelims to Miss Gay Western Cape, Miss Body Beautiful. The Glitz… The Glamour… The Elegance… seems to be never-ending!

But what does it take to be a pageant queen?

They – we - enter competitions for various reasons. Some do so either to express their individuality or an extension of their sexuality and gender identity on a public platform to liberate themselves from constant oppression. Others partake for the mere fun of playing with different gender roles whilst showing a conservative hetero-normative society a subtle middle-finger.

And then many just part-take because it is a competition and you get a crown at the end. This last point is the root of all evil in the pageant world.

Well, it is blatantly obvious that many ‘girls’ look at drag culture in a pop-culture context. Hence, the likes of Ru-Paul are taking center stage in how ‘girls’ project themselves to an ever-waiting public and audience. This inspires ‘girls’ to enter pageants either as ‘female impersonators’ or ‘drag queens’. Hence, you would find some ‘girls’ looking more subtle and understated as ‘female impersonators’ whereas ‘drag queens’ look much more over-thetop and dramatic.

I must say in defense though that my experience of pageantry as a ‘female impersonator’ has been quite pleasant and exciting.

My observations have been that the girls are generally courteous and respectful to one another, with tempers only flaring with the odd misunderstanding. Many found common ground in our combined and continued exclusion, marginalization and victimisation within a greater society. Contrary to all the negativity about in-fighting we do find ways to unite and pledge solidarity. However, I do not want to over-exaggerate that the experience is all wonderful, since I still have beef with the girl who threw black ink over my ivory evening gown at Miss Cape Town Pride 2011, and with the girl that almost pushed me down the stairs at a pageant earlier this year! Lol, just joking – we forgive and move on!

On a different note, it is discouraging to see the effect of poverty on the ability of girls to perform well in shows. Yes, the show is about how the girl projects! But it is also about how the girl looks. Grooming usually takes up a large portion of the score.

And it is all about the quality of the hair, the price-tag on a good dress and great pair of heels, the flawlessness of the make-up and the blinging-up of an ensemble. This obviously costs money… a whole lot of cash! A whole lot of cash that will hopefully not be felt should you win the competition. I remember, before winning Miss LGBTI New Woodlands this year, me standing in Jabula Hair struggling to decide whether I should buy the R800.00 lace-front wig or not. I eventually decided to take the monthly installment of an account, add some pocket money and buy the damn wig. You have no idea how hard I prayed to win in order to get my money back. The point that I am making is that there is some ‘gambling’ aspect in pageantry where you can seriously rip yourself off in trying to look perfect.

It is ironic that many of us choose to take this ‘gamble’ for the chance of bearing a crown only to cry foul after the competition.

I believe that one must not enter a competition if you believe there is ‘fixing’ involved. As easy as that! In this way you avoid discrediting something that truly does have credibility. But more so, you steer clear from disappointing yourself. We must stop focusing solely on a crown. The importance of winning a crown should not be more important than the contribution we as individuals can make in our community and society at large.

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DJ TONY’S

Top 10 SUMMER DANCE GROOVES

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J Tony, aka the Italian Stallion, is known for his eclectic uplifting, soulful and funky Euro-House beats. Whether he’s behind the decks at a beach party or in a club, his tunes are bound to get those feet tapping. Tony gave us a list of his ten favourite summer smooth grooves in his DJ box.

Hence, this brings me to my next point – We must subject ourselves to LGBTIAQ education. Our political movement requires all of us to fight homophobia and trans-phobia informedly from all platforms, especially the stage. Neglecting to educate potential queens and fellow entrants on matters affecting our community results in us failing ourselves as ‘supposed’ outcasts of society, our communities and society at large. Education is the gateway to our liberation, however small it may be.

Ultimately, as ‘drag queens’ or ‘female impersonators’ we must realize that our self-worth must never be determined by a crown.

All of us give meaning to a crown – not the other way around.

Through the crown we merely receive an opportunity to impact society. Let us celebrate pageantry as an art-form and compete for the crown. But let us never forget our individuality which will be the driving force behind social transformation for our community, with or without a crown!

Liberty Banks was placed in the Top 5 at Miss Gay Western Cape 2013 and was elected Miss Gay Humanitarian

1 - See Right Through (Original Mix) – Tensnake featuring Fiora 2 - Sonnentanz (Phonique’s Sonnentrance Remix) Klangkarussel 3 - Home Is Where It Hurts (Original Mix) – Solo featuring Syron 4 - Feel What You Want - Phonique featuring Rebecca 5 - Heat of the Night (Crazibiza Remix) - Lissat & Voltaxx 6 - That Feeling (T. Tommy & Victor Perez Mix) - DJ Chus and the Groove Foundation 7 - Free To Go (Original Mix) – Alex Sayz featuring Nadia Ali 8 - The Cleaner (Federico Scavo Remix) - Federico Scavo 9 - Long Day (Stonebridge House Mix) - Crystal Waters 10 - King of My Castle (Crazibiza Remix) - Wamdue Project Mag 5

OPENING UP THE CONVERSATION

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n exciting, new networking and social event targeted at gay professionals was recently launched at the Glen Boutique Hotel in Cape Town. Conversations will be a monthly gathering of gay professionals – men and women – living and working in and around Cape Town.

Founder and director of the event, Andrew Howard, hopes that it will bring a breath of fresh air to the gay community of the Mother City.

He said: “There is currently no regular event for gay professionals in Cape Town looking to meet like-minded people away from the gay bar and club scene.

Conversations therefore aims to create an event for these people that provides them with the opportunity to relax after work, have a few informal drinks, network and enjoy the company of their peers” As well as facilitating face-to-face

conversations between gay professionals, be it for business or social networking purposes, Conversations also aims to be socially responsible by raising money for local charities. Conversations will adopt a charity for a six-month period and give that charity a percentage of the profits from six events. The first beneficiary is the Pride Shelter Trust, a non-profit organisation which manages a shelter offering short-term accommodation to members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community of greater Cape Town during crisis periods. The facility at 1 Molteno Road in Oranjezicht opened in April 2011 and is the only one of its kind in South Africa. Howard said: “I chose the Pride Shelter Trust as the first not-for-profit that Conversations will support because they provide invaluable support to LGBTI people in times of crisis and I think that professionals across the gay community in Cape Town will appreciate the chance to help this great cause”.

The first Conversations event was very well attended and well received, auguring well for future events. Filling a clear niche in the market, Conversations will take place once a month on a midweek evening in a different gay-friendly upmarket bar, hotel or club in or near Cape Town. The network is being run through a Facebook page at www. facebook.com/conversationsza. Gay professionals are being asked to ‘like’ the page so as to receive updates and event invitations.

More information on the Pride Shelter Trust can be found at www.pridesheltertrust.co.za If you would like to contact us for any reason, please email us at conversationsza@gmail.com Mag 6

CAPE TOWN PRIDE 2014

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he Mother City will host it’s 14th annual Gay Pride event since inception in 2001. The event has, over the years, established itself on the LGBTIAQ calender as a festival with multiple events. Cape Town Pride 2014 will take place from 21 February to 2 March.

A few highlights will be the pre-event for International AIDS Day on 30 November in De Waterkant Village, The Pink Party on 21 Feb officially opening Pride. On 22 February is the not to be missed Miss Cape Town

Pride, the hot and happening Mr. Manhunt Competition, a fun Sports Day and the actual Pride Parade on Saturday 1 March.

Many more awesome events are in the pipeline but the planning for the parade and after party is well on the way with legalities and paperwork already being attended to, ensuring everything runs smoothly. On the day a fantastic entertainment line-up will be on offer.

For more up to date information please follow us on Twitter @capetownpride

CAPE TOWN

Sovereign Quay, 40 Somerset Road, Greenpoint capetown@beefcakes.co.za | Tel: 021 425 9019

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and like our Facebook Page: Cape Town Pride Festival. Any people interested in becoming volunteers can email us on info@capetownpride.org

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MR GSA COMES TO THE MOTHER CITY

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fter a successful series of regional finals in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg, the final Top 10 names were announced to the public at the first ever Pretoria Gay Pride at the beginning of October. Part of the competition’s scoring is by popular public vote, so each candidate kicked off their public campaigns with a bang, having received a total of over 2000 online votes in just the first week! The finalists have had two month in which to raise their public image and have been hard at work with their respective Charity functions and community work leading up to the Grand Finale.

This Mr GSA Road Show will arrive in the Mother City a few days before the Finale. In those few days leading up to the contest, the Top 10 will take part in team challenges, individual

SA Idols heart throb Jacques Terre’blanche Mag 8

challenges, undergo a written exam testing their knowledge of both local and international news and strut their stuff in a fashion show at the official launch of Ministry, the new exclusive men’s apparel and lifestyle emporium in de Waterkant, on 12 December.

In another first, this year’s show on 13 December will not be held in a traditional theatre setting, but will be hosted in the main courtyard of the Cape Quarter Lifestyle Village, a stone’s throw away from Cape Town’s gay bars and

For the first time in its five year history, the Grand Finale of the Mr Gay South Africa Contest will be held in Cape Town on 13 December.

This will be the culmination of months of preparation which has taken the Mr GSA team to all of the nation’s major cities in search of the man who will become Mr Gay South Africa 2014!

Information correct at time of going to press. Please check www.mrgsa.co.za for latest updates

clubs. The courtyard will be covered for the occasion and the price of a ticket will include dinner. There are two options: a three course dinner from Voila, or a Mediterranean Buffet from Rocca.

The show will be directed by Warren Batchelor, who will put his experience at producing Miss World 2007 in China and Miss World 2008 in Johannesburg to good use. Vaughan Harris will be choreographing. TV personality Graham Richards will be presenting the show. SAMA nominated recording artist and SA Idols heart throb Jacques Terre’blanche and Drag Diva Roxy le Roux are amongst the entertainers on the night. It promises to be a fantastic evening of glitz and glamour Tickets are R350 and can be booked at www.mrgsa.co.zw. The audience must be seated for dinner by 19h00. The Show begins at 20h30 and lasts for an hour and a half.

Drag Diva Roxy le Roux

THE NEW YEAR’S EVE WHITE PARTY IN CAPE TOWN

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he White Party is the biggest gay dance party in the world. Founded in Miami 1984 to raise Aids Awareness, White Parties have taken place in major American cities such as Miami; New York City and Chicago as well as in other hubs of gay life like Fort Lauderdale and Palm Springs, which boasts the biggest event with over 30 000 attendees this year. Similar events happen in Montreal, Sydney and Pataya in Thailand. The events are independent of each other.

Now Cape Town will be getting its own version of the White Party this New Year’s Eve in the Cobern Street precinct of the Mother City’s gay village. The party will be jointly hosted by the Amsterdam, Backroom Bar and Beaulah. Apart from the dance floor in Beaulah, there will be a specially constructed open air dance floor in Cobern St where some of the city’s best dance DJs, will be behind the decks. In addition, there will be a range of live performances and hunky go-go boys. As is the case at all the similar events worldwide, partygoers are expected to dress in all or almost all white.

Early bird tickets are R150 and are available to buy before the event at Amsterdam Bar, Backroom Bar, Beaulah and Beefcakes.

Limited tickets will also be available at the door on the night. there will also be a VIP zone on Beaulah’s roof deck with its own entertainment and free alcohol all night. VIP tickets are also available at the above venues at a cost of R400 each.

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Mag 9

THE BLOOMING FABULOUS

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hose who doubt that Drag can be a subversive tool against oppression, need only look slightly north of the Limpopo to see how a group of gay Africans continue to stand defiant in the face of hostility. In October, a story about the annual Jacaranda Queen Drag pageant in Harare made international news. Yet, this is really old news as this year the Jacaranda Queen Pageant celebrated its 20th Anniversary! Since its inception it has become the premier event on the gay social calendar in Zimbabwe as well as being an act of public defiance. Despite all the dramas that accompany any pageant, it has survived, and this year at least, it has thrived.

The Jacaranda Queen was by no means the first drag beauty show to be held in Zimbabwe. Although underground, drag pageants were fairly common in the late Seventies. In the early Eighties they used to be called Miss Gay Zimbabwe and they were held at a gay club called Chicken Run on a farm just outside Harare. These were basically very small and clandestine affairs, and the Coloured Queens always won. It took the Ms Outrageous contest in 1986 to blow drag out into the open. But after only two years, it fizzled out. Like in the rest of the world, drag went out of fashion.

But by the Gay Nineties, drag was undergoing a world-wide revival, thanks to the popularity of fabulous queens such as Ru-Paul. In 1990 the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) was founded and in the early days, it was always short of funds. By 1993, Zimbabwe was ripe for another drag pageant and it was thought that it would be a good way to make some cash for the organisation.

And so the Jacaranda Queen was born.

The name was adopted because October was when Harare’s famed jacarandas trees were in full bloom. And like Mag 10

Photo: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi

the queens who were about to take to the ramp, they were lavender and flamboyant. It was also a tongue in cheek subversion of the Jacaranda Festival held in the dying days of UDI, where a blonde Rhodesian girl would always be crowned as Miss Jacaranda. What the new pageant represented was a million miles away from what came before.

The first Jacaranda Queen Contest was held in October 1993, in the courtyard of a small suburban hotel. It was a comparatively small event and there were fears that the police might raid. But they didn’t and Evangelista, who also had the distinction of winning Ms Outrageous in 1986, was crowned as the first Jacaranda Queen. She was almost upstaged by Ms Trash who ripped off her couture gown made entirely of black plastic bin liners to be left standing in nothing but her heels.

Following the success of the first event, the contest went large the next year and was held at the Harry Margolis Hall, the biggest hall in the city. 1994 was the year that Yvonne Chaka Chaka (the six foot six in her stockinged feet Big Black Zim Drag Queen – not the South African pop star) made her tumultuous debut. (She is also famous for having fallen through the stage…twice… just after she was mobbed by fans after winning the title in 1997 and for refusing to tuck!).

By 1995, the landscape for gay people in Zimbabwe changed dramatically.

After GALZ tried to have a stand at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in August of that year, Robert Mugabe went ballistic and outed himself as the world’s most notorious homophobe when he made his infamous speech describing homosexuals as being “worse than pigs

and dogs”. But the tactic backfired, and instead of cowering in fear, Zimbabwe’s gay community united as never before.

Black queens were outraged to be told that they were un-African or that they only existed because they were corrupted by foreigners. The Book Fair became Zimbabwe’s Stonewall. By the time the 1995 Jacaranda Queen was held in November, the mood was triumphant and defiant. Not even Zanu(PF) Youth League thugs slashing the tyres of the cars of member of the audience was going to make it rain on this gay parade!

That year’s event, filmed by CNN, was also memorable for the electrifying performance by the Lemming Sisters, the famous drag trio.

The Nineties were a brilliant time for

Naomi Campbell - 1998 gay life in Zimbabwe. The beleaguered gay community became confident and united in the face of adversity. This small community showed the rest of the country that it was possible to stand up against tyranny. The Jacaranda Queen went from strength to strength, being hosted in very public spaces such at the Harare Showgrounds and the Marble Hall at the National Sports Stadium. But things began to change after 2000 when in the face of electoral defeat Mugabe cracked down on all dissent. The gay community became an easy scapegoat for the country’s ills, and it continues to be so. Yet despite this, GALZ has survived and so has the Jacaranda Queen.

film-screening and a launch of Out in Zimbabwe: Narratives of Zimbabwean LGBTI Youth, a book on experiences of young people coming out about their sexuality to families and society. It must be remembered that although there has never been a gay parade, Pride in Zimbabwe has been celebrated in one way or another since the mid-Eighties. This year, the gay drag pageant has gone full circle, having been held on a farm on the outskirts of the Capital, where Ezmerald Kim Kardashian was crowned as the new Jacaranda Queen. In a year of bad news for Pride events in South Africa, it is heartening to see a sense of community that we seem to have lost. And it all just goes to show that you can’t keep a good queen down! As they say in Zim: A luta continua!

Miss Vac Pack - 1994

This year’s event was the culmination of ZimPride week, which included a

Yvonne Chaka Chaka - 1997 The Lemming Sisters - 1995

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Model Jesse Harms wears a square pendant set with 3 Swiss blue Topaz in Sterling silver on red silk cord.

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Photos: Biddy Horne Photography

URBAN ARMOUR

Urban Armour Valkyrie Collection

by Duncan Stevens

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s a child, jewellery designer Duncan Stevens spent hours collecting polished pebbles off the school playground and learning simple beading techniques from the women working for his mother. So began his love affair with jewellery. Late in 2003 he began the design and manufacture of jewellery in London, creating pieces for his group of friends. Duncan admits that in those early days “the jewellery thing was more of a gas for me...something I loved doing, not really caring about making money from it.” This all changed in December 2007 with the launch of his first collection of dramatic beaded pieces, which he designed and created in South Africa. Londoners ate them up and since then, Duncan’s work has captured a dedicated and loyal following.

Valkyrie VI, Sterling silver single wing wrap ring

Signet ring in 18ct yellow gold set with diamond & onyx

But he is more than a jeweller. He is a proliferate artist, having produced numerous pieces of high-end and minimalistic jewellery, installations, graphic designs and art for private clients, including a collection of jewellery, handbags and scarves for All Saints Retail Ltd’s 2005 collections and a 4 1/2 metre high crystal installation for their flagship store in London. He has been part of group exhibitions in London, Paris and Johannesburg. He has begun a series of inked sketches of work; studies on the contour of organic objects collectively called BrainCandy available for purchase through Saatchi and Society6 as laptop and iPhone skins as well as limited prints. His body of poetry entitled Journey in a Black Cab, published in the USA in 2006, is a sardonic view on things he had seen and experienced whilst living in London

Claw ring

Now back in Cape Town, Duncan Stevens has been exploring his Urban Armour Valkyrie theme in 2013, growing the story throughout the year to include ear cuffs, ready-to-wear pendants, rings, earrings and bangles. He describes the collection as being “about armour, flight and the strength present in all of us. The imagery of birds and flight has long been a symbol of the struggle of man’s ascension to a higher reality. I wanted to explore this theme of flight, winged-helms, armour and the fierce nature of the Valkyrie themselves in this collection.”

Men’s wedding bands - 18ct gold set with diamonds & satin finished

Double wing ring

These butch Urban Armour rock-star pieces feature sweeping geometric blades, styled after the winged helms and armour of the Valkyrie, some becoming modern wing knuckle-dusters. Savage razor-sharp edges and highly finished, he creates freedom through exquisite futuristic wing motifs, banded metal rings, sharp pendants, stacking bangles, pins and shirt collar chains all the while maintaining a sleek minimalistic aesthetic that is quietly evocative.

Limited to a hundred items in each style, each piece is stamped with its number, making this niche collection one for collectors. All pieces are handmade Sterling silver and gold, crafted by Duncan himself, and available through his new e-store on www.duncanstevens.com Follow Duncan on Twitter: @DSJewellery Facebook: www.facebook.com/duncanstevensjewellery Tumblr: duncanstevens.tumblr.com

Spike cufflinks in sterling silver & bullet London blue topaz abochons

“STICKY” pendant: A subversive word, a harlot with many faces. Made in Sterling silver with a 5cm long - this pendant is naughty.

Talon men’s bracelet Mag 13

BLOUBERG’S BEST KEPT SECRET I was recently invited to gay-owned and managed Secret Garden Guest House. Normally I would not think of Blouberg as weekend getaway, but in desperate need of escaping my daily grind, once I got there, even though Table Mountain was still in sight, I felt like I was a million miles away from the Mother City.

T

he guest house manager Brandley Gallant, whom I knew since he won the Mr Cape Town Pride a couple of years back, welcomed me and showed me to the Orchid Luxury suite, which is one of only five in this bijou establishment. The suite, like the others, is fully equipped for every need. There is a very comfortable lounge with a plasma TV, a full DSTV bouquet, a mini home theatre system and free WI-FI access. The luxurious bedroom leads on to its own private balcony patio.

There is also a fully equipped kitchenette, which is good to have if you don’t feel like going out to one of the very many excellent restaurants in the vicinity.

The next day, after an expansive Continental breakfast, I was left to my own devices, and decided to explore the area. I took a leisurely drive through Melkbosstrand on the way to the West Coast National Park to catch the tail end

Although all I wanted to do after a tough week was to rush out for a takeaway and chill, I was persuaded to join the proprietors for a home cooked dinner.

It was an offer I could not refuse and I didn’t expect such warm hospitality.

While partners Joao de Freitas and Damian Bellairs prepared the meal, assisted by Brandley, they told me that they had acquired the Secret Garden in May and had slowly been renovating and upgrading the house. After a quick predinner tour, I discovered why the place is called the Secret Garden. Behind the modern façade, there is a surprisingly huge lush tropical garden full of bird life, a braai area and a fantastically decadent Hollywood size pool. Joao told me that he had celebrated his 40th Birthday with a huge party in the garden.

They say that the devil is in the detail.

After what turned out to be a long and delicious meal with much wine, I decided to decline the offer to be taken to the local gay-friendly bar, and I finally turned in.

Instead of the usual mint on the pillow, there was a bouquet of flowers on my bed with a trio of Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

Nice touch!

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Well rested and relaxed after a good night’s sleep, I did some more sightseeing before heading back to Cape Town. I was very well looked after by Joao, Damian and Bradley, and I felt that I had made some new friends.

Secret Garden Guest House, just 30 minutes from Cape Town, is within walking distance of Bloubergstrand and five minutes away from Big Bay with its popular restaurants. The rooftop terrace offers uninterrupted views across Table Bay and Robben Island. Secret Garden can also accommodate small conferences and is an ideal venue for birthdays, weddings and other celebrations. of the spectacular spring flower display.

I discovered Atlantic Beach, one of the many pristine beaches in the area, on the way. If one’s not in the mood for sand and beach, then there is always the fab pool. That evening I toyed with the idea of going to the Gat Party in nearby Milnerton, but decided to stay in

Secret Garden Guest House, rated Four Stars by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa, is located at 33 Gull Rd, Blouberg, Cape Town Reservations: 021 554 4789.

Email: reservations@secretgardencapetown.com www.secretgarden-capetown.com

REVITE SUPER B FIZZY For overall anti stress and energy support!

R

evite Super B Fizzy contains Biotin which unlocks the energy from food necessary to maintain energy levels, as well as support a healthy nervous system. Zinc, which has been shown to have the strongest effect on our all-important immune system as well as activating areas of the brain that receive and process information from taste and smell sensors. Selenium which helps the body to maintain healthy thyroid function. Folic Acid, which helps the body make healthy new cells. Choline Bitartrate, choline is very important for the prevention of many pathologic conditions, and has been used for the purpose of treating or preventing several human diseases including arteriosclerosis and certain deficiencies of brain function and memory.

Also the very special B vitamins, with the following approved claims: • (B1, B2, B3, B6, B12) Contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system • (B1, B3, B5, B6, B9,B12)Contributes to normal mental/ psychological function • (B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12)Contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue Try great tasting Revite Super B Fizzy for overall anti stress and energy support!

Mag 15

GAY WIT & WISDOM John French examines the history of gay humour and offers you some priceless gems…

E

very person on the planet knows that a queen’s second biggest weapon is his tongue (and it’s the tongue that tends to create way more hysteria and havoc!)

Gay men are generally widely known and respected for their intelligence, wit and razor sharp retorts. Just mention a topic and in an instant we can create a moffie melodrama on the scale of an exploding extravaganza show in bright Technicolor with rainbow fireworks … and we can even do it with every alternate sentence ending with a punch line!

Gay men have used humour over the centuries to protect themselves as well as to entertain. Gays are naturally drawn to the Arts and many comedians and gay entertainers have depended on on their agile tongues to make a living and handle the societies around them.

Throughout the ages humour has also been used as a defence mechanism. It offers us a buffer and softens the harsh reality of a challenging situation. It manages to lessen what is heavy and humour always, always makes us feel better. The Jews used humour in the concentration camps to cope with the psychological, physical and emotional torture they were enduring. Dark humour or black humour has been used by many victims to create camaraderie and make light of challenges people have found themselves in.

The only tool many persecuted gay men have had at their disposal has been to retaliate with their razor sharp tongues. Gay comebacks were often the best way to hit back at oppression and bigotry. There is absolutely no recovery from a brilliant comeback.

Gay people have been persecuted throughout the world and humour has always been a large part of our defence strategy.

Research shows that gay men have a tendency to be of above average intelligence, are worldlier and also more creative. These Mag 16

ingredients combine to create some of the best humour that the world has ever seen.

Our gay witticisms are colourful, fabulous and remind us of what it is like to be human, gay, and at the wrong end of an awkward situation.

♦♦

I wore make-up at a time when even on a woman eye-shadow was sinful…

From that moment on, my friends were anyone who could put up with the disgrace. – Quentin Crisp

♦♦

There’s nothing I need from anyone, except love and respect, and anyone who can’t give me those two things has no place in my life. – Harvey Fierstein

♦♦

If I am absolutely frank, I prefer women to men, but if I’m brutally frank, I prefer chocolate to either. – Anonymous

♦♦

Try a boy for a change. You’re a rich man. You can afford the luxuries of life. – Jo Orton

♦♦

Better blatant than latent. – Early activist slogan

♦♦

I may love Judy Garland, but ultimately what makes me a gay man is that I want a big one down my clanger chute.- Marcus O’Donnell

Here are some gay gems that you can use to liven up your conversation at that next fabulous summer party: ♦♦

Homosexuality is God’s way of ensuring that the truly gifted aren’t burdened with children. – Sam Austin

♦♦

Is that a gun in your pocket or is your penis just engorged with blood? – Julian Clary

♦♦ ♦♦

Today’s top is tomorrow’s bottom – Edmund White I adore to dance with them and to take them to theatres and private views and talk about dresses and plays and women, but I’m really much more fond of men. – Cecil Beaton

♦♦

Dip me in chocolate and throw me to the lesbians. – T-shirt slogan

♦♦

Remember… you’re only as old as you look. – Bob Downe

♦♦

Everyone is born naked, and then after that everything is drag. –Ru Paul

♦♦

If you wish to see someone at their worst, observe them coming in or out of a relationship. – Kerry Bashford

♦♦

I was once asked if my first sexual encounter was homosexual or heterosexual. I don’t know. I was too polite to ask. – Gore Vidal

♦♦

♦♦

To tell the truth, I think that every man should be fucked up the arse as a prelude to fucking women, so he’ll know what it is like to be the receiver.

– Germaine Greer

“I married Peter Allen, and he didn’t tell me he was gay. ... Everybody knew but me! And I didn’t find out until I found out. And I found out ... let me put it this way: I’ll never surprise anybody coming home again as long as I live. I’ll call first.” -Liza Minnelli to The Advocate.

♦♦

♦♦

It is better to be hated for what one is than be loved for what one is not. – Andre Gide

I felt very close to God … my friends say that’s because I was always on my knees. – Armistead Maupin

♦♦

♦♦

Two men can defy the world. – E M Forster

And remember to be nice to straights.

It takes two of them to make one of you. – Boy George

Matthew van der Westhuizen ponders the return of Lady Gaga and her third full length studio album Artpop.

I

s it fair to say that the queen of pop culture controversy has calmed down by taking a new lease on musicality? Known for her outrageous outfits and controversial lyrics, Lady Gaga’s new offering, Artpop has proven to be an album of pure modern pop with barely a hint of controversy. Little Monsters were blessed in August 2013 when the pop star released the album’s lead single, Applause. While the music video was done in typical artistic Gaga style, the lyrical content of the song was a dedication to her fans who have been supporting and following her career since she was an underground artist in New York.

Whenever Lady Gaga releases new material, majority of the critics are expecting something completely out of the ordinary. While her shock factor may not be as shocking as what it used to be, her musicality never fails to surprise. Artpop is a blend of pop hits, club bangers, old school Rock influence and even an introduction to Gaga’s experimentation in Southern style Hip-Hop with the song Jewels n’ Drugs which features rappers T.I, Too Short and Twista. Most of the production on the album tends to focus on Electro Pop which seems to be the latest pop craze with artists and bands such as Icona Pop, Disclosure and M83.

One of the most interesting elements in Gaga’s music is the lyrical content of each song. She has been slammed in the past by critics and religious parties alike for her use of religious imagery in songs such as Alejandro and Judas. The lyrical content of the most of the tracks on Artpop, however, have proven to be of pure positivity. From dedication to

her fans in songs such as Applause and Dope to messages of self-motivation in songs such as Gypsy and Fashion! (which is a completely new song for those who thought that Gaga was re-using a song of the same name which she did for the Confessions of a Shopaholic soundtrack).

Gaga has mentioned in concerts that one thing in life that she hates is the truth.

She has even expressed her sarcasm for it in the song Teeth (from The Fame Monster) where she stated, “The truth

is sexy.” Her approach to the truth on Artpop is expressed in the lyrical content of the opening track, Aura (which was produced by Trance act Infected Mushroom), where she sings, “Do you want to see me naked lover?” This can be interpreted as Gaga’s response to the media and critics in her revealing herself and baring her soul. This can also be the only song where Gaga uses religious imagery in the lyrical content when she sings, “Behind the curtain, behind the Burqa.” Of course when a demo version of this song was leaked, she received

criticism from religious parties for mentioning the traditional religious wear for Muslim women who wear the garment as part of their faith.

For people who have not been fans of Gaga before, or for those who miss the Lady Gaga of The Fame days, this album does not wish to push the boundaries of controversy but rather express the state of positivity and light heartedness. The most controversial element on the album, apart from the Burqa line in Aura, is the expression of sexuality in songs such as G.U.Y (which becomes an acronym for Girl Under You) and Sexxx Dreams which hints towards bisexuality in the same way that Poker Face did back in 2008.

One of Gaga’s recurring themes in her music is the use of fashion. She pays homage to fashion designer Dontella Versace in the song, Donatella where Gaga questions the listener as to what will be in for spring. The song also comes across as a bit snobby when it opens with a glass of champagne being poured and Gaga saying, “I am so fab!” Something that would go down well with reality television shows such as the Rich Housewives of . . . New Jersey, Atlanta etc. and Made in Chelsea.

For those of you who think that Lady Gaga is trying to gain a new fan base along with her existing one, you may be right. All artists need to change their image and musicality constantly in order to keep their fans, the public, the media and critics entertained and on their toes at all times. Gaga is definitely not one to fail at this as we have seen over the years of her career. Art, pop culture and liberation, Lady Gaga is back and here to stay!

Mag 17

L

ou Reed, Rock’s arch art icon, may not exactly be the most positive of role models, but for a generation of gay men, his life story and what he sang about still resonates. He opened the way for the likes of Jimmy Somerville, Marc Almond and Rufus Wainwright. As a member of the Velvet Underground, one of the musical projects Andy Warhol’s took under his wing, he was immersed into the world of musical, cultural and sexual experimentation that being part of Warhol’s Factory collective allowed.

In his songs for the Velvet Underground, Reed found his subject matter in the lives of New York’s destitute, defiled and debauched and was deeply inspired by the Beat writers like Kerouac, Ginsberg and Burroughs. The Velvet Underground was actually a commercial failure at the time, but has achieved cult status and was a crucial influence on New York punk scene. Reed left the group in 1972 to embark on a solo career which also brought him mixed fortunes. But he was always telling it as it was, in poetic Mag 18

“

You want to know the real Lou Reed? Turn around. Now bend over.

language and gripping music. Much of his work was brutally autobiographical and often described the underbelly of society that he was witness to. For example, his song Kill Your Sons was based on an episode in his own life when his parents tried to “cure” his homosexual tendencies with electroshock therapy.

When Reed went solo, it seemed logical that David Bowie, who had successfully mixed rock with theatre, androgyny and glitter, would want to work with him.

When Bowie first heard Velvet’s music he said: “I had never heard anything quite like it. It was a revelation to me.” Bowie had previously covered the Velvet’s I’m Waiting for the Man. Lou Reed was a willing participant in a makeover which transformed him from an austere street poet into the Glam star. Angie Bowie described the new Lou as “wearing heavy mascara and jet black lipstick with matching nail polish, plus a tight little Errol-Flynn-as-Robin Hood body shirt.” The result was the Transformer album in 1972, produced by Bowie, which

“

Lou Reed: March 2 1942 - October 27 2013

Walking on the Wild Side with the Phantom of Rock

contained the hit single Walk on the Wild Side. The song was an ironic yet affectionate salute to the misfits, hustlers, and transvestites who once surrounded Andy Warhol, including Candy Darling, “Little Joe” Dallesandro and “Sugar Plum Fairy” Joe Campbell. It all fitted with his melding of art and glam and his embrace of sexual ambiguity. On Make Up he sang: “We’re coming out of our closets/ out on the streets” thus becoming one of the first American rock stars to show solidarity with the nascent gay rights movement.

But no sooner had he invented the whole make-up-sleaze-bisexuality-and-art package, he was turning against those who adopted it as a lifestyle choice.

As he told Lester Bangs in November 1973: “The makeup thing is just a style thing now, like platform shoes. If people have homosexuality in them, it won’t necessarily involve makeup in the first place. You can’t fake being gay, because being gay means you’re going to have to suck cock, or get fucked. The notion that

everybody’s bisexual is a very popular line right now, but I think its validity is limited.” He said of Transformer at the time: “There’s a lot of sexual ambiguity in the album and two outright gay songs --- from me to them but carefully worded so the straights can miss out on the implications and enjoy them without being offended. The gay life at the moment isn’t that great. I wanted to write a song which made it terrific, something you’d enjoy”. Explaining the song Sister

else in the place and was completely disinterested in who I was and what I did.

Nothing could impress her. He’d hardly heard my music and didn’t like it all that much when he did. Rachel knows how to do it for me. Rachel’s something else.”

The artistic outcome of his new romance was Coney Island Baby in 1975, which marked a new direction for Reed: ‘All the albums I put out after this are going to be things I want to put out. No more bullshit, no more dyed hair, faggot junkie

they’re liking a man, that it’s a gay one --- from top to bottom.”

Ray, Reed said:”I wrote about this scene of total debauchery and decay. I like to think of Sister Ray as a transvestite smack dealer. The situation is bunch of drag queens taking some sailors home with them and shooting up on smack and having this orgy.”

trip. I mimic me better than anyone else, so if everybody else is making money ripping me off, I figure maybe I better get in on it. Why not? I created Lou Reed.

I have nothing even faintly in common with that guy but I can play him well --really well”.

But despite Transformer’s commercial success, artistically Glam was a dead end for Reed, because it substituted coyness and cheap theatrics for the lyrical profundity he had always craved. Reed quickly rejected it and spent the rest of the 70s searching for an alternative. This led to the bohemian cabaret of Berlin in 1973, which had very mixed reactions.

After he finished his Berlin album, Reed divorced his wife and started going off the rails. Then he met Rachel (transvestite/ transsexual --- nobody really knows which). Reed’s account of the encounter: “It was in a late night club in Greenwich Village. I walked in there and there was this amazing person, this incredible head, kind of vibrating out of it all. Rachel was obviously in a different world to anyone

His Street Hassle album in 1978 was mainly about this breakup with Rachel and included the lines; “Love has gone away / took the rings off my fingers / and there’s nothing left to say / but oh, how I need him baby.” Reed elaborated: “They’re not heterosexual concerns in that song. I don’t make a deal of it but when I mention a pronoun, its gender is all important.

At the end of Street Hassle that person really exists. He did take the rings right off my fingers and I do miss him.

I have such a heavy resentment thing because of all the prejudices against me being gay. How can anybody gay keep their sanity? I just wouldn’t want listeners to be under a false impression. I want them to know, if

Reed continued to release his solo albums and towards the end of the 1980s he collaborated with John Cale on Songs for ‘Drella, their tribute to Andy Warhol who died in 1987. The early 1990s saw a short-lived Velvets reunion. In later life he collaborated with a range of artistes as diverse as the Gorillaz and Antony & the Johnsons attesting to his on-going fame and influence. Upon his death from liver cancer Patti Smith said: “Lou brought the sensibilities of art and literature into his music. He was our generation’s New York poet.” Lou Reed chanted his songs of gay prostitution, S&M, paranoia and drug abuse to an audience that had never heard anything quite like it before. Along with David Bowie and Iggy Pop, Lou Reed completed the unholy triumvirate which broke down all kinds of barriers between pop and performance art, male and female, lyricism and cacophony.

There was fluidity in their world; nothing was strictly defined. Lou Reed took us on a walk on the wild side that we are unlikely to ever recover from.

Despite this declaration, Lou Reed married Sylvia Morales in 1980 after meeting her in a gay SM club, but they divorced in the early 90s. In 2008, Lou Reed married experimental performance artist Laurie Anderson. It kind of made sense that two of the most unorthodox icons in avant garde music should hook up, regardless of sexual orientation.

Mag 19

A TRIPLE SERVING OF PRIDE Genevieve Le Coq writes about the three Pride celebrations she recently attended in Gauteng 2013 has seen its ups and downs with regards to the various Prides in Gauteng Province, where it seems that we actually have a Pride Season with very many diverse Prides taking place over a very short period. In this article I will briefly review Soweto, Pretoria and Johannesburg Prides, which were the three Prides out of the seven Prides in Gauteng that I attended.

I did not manage to attend the People’s Pride or the Vaal, WITS and Ekurhuleni Prides.

SOWETO PRIDE

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he 9thAnnual Soweto Pride took place on 28 September in the heart of this historical township. The streets resonated with the chants of freedom to reclaim it as a safe space. Roughly a thousand people attended the march that stretched for 6km starting at Credo Mutwa Park and looping back for the festivities and entertainment. One could not help but experience the palpable spirit of a long standing LGBTIAQ history in the area – both gruesome and hopeful.

The parade procession was halted several times to make clear statements that LGBTIAQ members of the community had a right to be in the streets and to claim their rights to exist as and for who they are. It was my second Soweto Pride and returning to it gave me a feeling of somewhat a pilgrimage. It’s a no frills declaration of territory and the reactions of onlookers clearly reflected the different perceptions held by people. We, as a pink community, may have the Bill of Rights in our favour but by no means does it change cultural, religious or social norms and values to be accepting of us. I walked this Pride in flats and in some ways it brought me down to earth in that it reminded me of how far we’ve come but that we still have a long road to travel to full equity. Well done to the organizers.

PRETORIA GAY PRIDE

C

enturion played host to the first ever Pretoria Gay Pride on the 5th of October. A quick assumption can be made about Pretoria being conservative and Afrikaans, but the turnout in the end showed the true need of a Pride in the area. More than 5000 people joined in for the procession and the festival. A general feeling of excitement could be felt as this in essence was a ground breaking event.

The march ended opposite Centurion Mall and the festival was hosted on an open field with a beach theme. Despite little shade and much heat, the event was triumphant for a first attempt.

No long queues and great entertainment made it an overall fantastic event to attend and I am looking forward to Pretoria Pride 2014 with great expectations.

JOHANNESBURG PRIDE

M Mag 20

y last Pride was Johannesburg on 26 October which took place in Sandton. It was originally supposed to happen on 27 September at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newton, but was postponed.

There was much concern that the rescheduled date would affect attendance, but Johannesburg Pride did indeed take place for the 24th year. Simone Heradien and I led the parade from William Nicol Drive to Sandton Sports Club. I got the distinct impression that many people who arrived only came and see if Pride would actually take place. Well it did and I personally applaud the organisers for pushing forward despite facing controversy and obstacles. Perhaps it did not meet certain expectations, but we must take into consideration that the current organisers put it together in less than five months.

The parade itself was humble with about a thousand people marching. I personally felt it started too early and that a vast amount joined the festivities later on in the day after their recovery from the previous night’s patsy. By late afternoon it was clear that the need for Johannesburg Pride to continue was indeed still there. The festival grounds had various areas where Pride goers could sit, drink, eat, chill, dance and mingle.

From the main stage, where I was the Mistress of Ceremonies, I picked up good vibes and the need for everybody to just have a good time and to celebrate.

Needless to say that there has been and probably always will be political issues surrounding Pride. Diverse groups are represented by these various Pride events, and opinions are as diverse as the people attending. In my opinion we can never have enough Prides. Wherever there is a pink family, the need to be acknowledged and celebrated and to further our rights.

Awareness in the end is not created by being silent but by an out and proud attitude. We, as a collective pink community, are actually all the custodians of Pride and the responsibility to continue this tradition lies with all of us. It is easy to say do more or organize Pride in whichever other manner, but it easier said than done. Almost all the Pride organizers are executing their initiatives on a voluntary basis because they are passionate about our community. They do their part to contribute and usually do so without any financial benefit. What amazes me is the amount of criticism freely dished out versus the amount of people willing to volunteer their time to bring about the very changes they complain about. Pride will prosper everywhere, if those commenting put action to their words.

I want to congratulate every person that played their part in organizing the various Prides. It is your unbreakable spirits that is keeping Pride going and however unthankful and stressful at times, know that you are doing highly valuable work to further the awareness of our rights.

Aluta Continua!

STRIKE A POSE!

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ne of OUT Africa Magazine’s favourite photographers, Reno Horn, has just had his dream fulfilled. He has recently opened his long-anticipated, glamorous new photographic studio in Cape Town’s Wale Street, in a neighbourhood which is becoming awash with modelling studios, art galleries, designer boutiques and trendy eateries.

Reno himself has been on the cover of our third issue. He has also photographed four of our 17 covers, two of which have featured legendary Cape Town Drag Divas Odidiva and Princess Pop. He is equally at home photographing sexy hunks as he is drag queens and he has also shot the Beefcakes Calendar for two years in a row. The photo of sexy hunk featured on the cover of this our Fourth Birthday Issue was taken from the latest very sexy Beefcakes calendar photo-shoot. His professional and no fuss attitude makes him a dream to work with and he has a way of bringing out the smouldering best in his subjects – just take look at our cover! His work is not limited to magazine covers and fashion features. He also specialises in architectural and

interior shoots; corporate and product shoots; and all events including birthdays, weddings, etc. And his talents are not limited to photography; Reno is also a fabulous makeup artist. In fact, his new studio provides a one stop service.

So if you need to strike a pose, he’s your man. Reno Horn Photography is located at 53 Wale Street and can be contacted at renohorn@hotmail.com

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Mag 21

THE BUZZ C E ALISON MOYET IN SA

lectro-pop diva and soulful torch singer Alison Moyet is coming to South Africa.

This original Essex Girl came to fame as the one half of British synth-pop duo, Yazoo in the early 80s with hits such as Only You and HiNRG dance tracks like Don’t Go and Situation. Moyet’s 1984 solo album, Alf, became a huge hit worldwide.

Between 1984 and 1987, Moyet was Britain’s best-selling female solo star with hits like All Cried Out, Is this Love and Love Resurrection. She is currently enjoying great success with her eighth album The Minutes.

Alison Moyet will be performing at the Emperors Palace’s 15th birthday Anniversary on 13 & 14 December, followed by a concert at the Liqui-Fruit Amphitheatre in Paarl on Sunday 15 December. The concerts will feature the

W

DEAR MOM, LOVE CHER

ith a new album burning up the charts, Cher is on a roll! Now her family is the subject of a fascinating documentary.

A couple of years ago when her mother Georgia Holt turned 85, Cher made a video birthday present for her family, telling parts of her mom’s extraordinary life story.

When husband and husband producer/director team Todd Hughes and P David Ebersole heard about the Superstar’s version of a home movie, they were intrigued, contacted Cher and persuaded her to let them make a full-fledged documentary. Dear Mom, Love Cher chronicles the family matriarch’s life story from her humble beginnings in rural Arkansas through her six tumultuous marriages and her career as a singer, actress and fashion model. Despite a series of dramatic personal and professional setbacks, Holt overcame the odds to successfully raise two loving daughters, one of whom would live out Holt’s own unfulfilled Mag 22

very best of Alf’s songs from her current hit album to hits from her days with Yazoo, and everything in between.

Book with Computicket.

dream to become one of the world’s biggest stars. This truly rare peek into Cher’s fascinating family history features a never-before-heard duet by Holt and Cher, along with long-lost recordings Holt taped more than three decades ago,

G’DAY SHEILA

omedian and Radio DJ Rhys Woods has just unleashed the third of his triumvirate of outrageous drag personalities just in time for the silly summer season. Meet the original 1960s Dinner Party Hostess Jackie Osmosis, or just Jackie O as she prefers to be called by her friends. This Australian good-time party girl is a mash of Amy Winehouse’s yesteryear style mixed with the comedy of that aunt we all have who smokes too much pot. She’ll have you laughing till your socks fill up with shrimp fresh from the Barbie. Jackie can currently be seen exclusively at Beefcakes in Cape Town. Woods’ other drag alter egos, Namibian Biltong Baroness Champagne le Roux and foul-mouthed beer swilling lesbo punk rocker Mary Scary will also be appearing throughout season at the same venue. To find out about upcoming performances, please contact Beefcakes Cape Town on 021 425 9019 or check out www.beefcales.co.za.

re-mastered by Cher to make her mother’s lifelong dream a reality. The film features interviews with Holt and Cher, as well as Cher’s sister Georganne LaPiere Bartylak, and Holt’s grandchildren Chaz Bono and Elijah Blue Allman.

ULTRA FABULOUS MUSIC FEST

I AM DIVINE: MORE THAN A DRAG QUEEN

T

he World’s premier electronic even, the Ultra Music Festival boast the hottest names and the finest talent to be found anywhere on the planet. It continues to transport the matchless experience from its Miami flagship event to an ever-growing number of destinations all over the globe. It will now be heading to South Africa in February 2014. The first ever Ultra South Africa will be the biggest event of its kind to hit the African continent. Headlining the event will be Dutch DJ superstar Tiësto, and he will be supported by Nicky Romero, Swedish superstar Alessso, and Chicago-based electronic dance music trio Krewella.

Joining these international big hitters will be a whole host of local South African heroes including Goldfish, Mi Casa and underground house star Black Coffee. Legendary house masters Euphonic and DJ Fresh will also take to the decks. Having already established massive success in Miami, Argentina, Chile, Croatia, Brazil, Korea and Ibiza in its 15-year history, Ultra South Africa

will be the 8th international edition of the Miami super party. Ultra will be held on February 14 at the Ostrich Farm in Cape Town and at the Nasrec Showgrounds in Johannesburg on 15 February. Tickets available at www. ultrasouthafrica.com. Also check website for latest additions to line –up.

QUEER EYE: 10 YEARS LATER

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t’s been a decade since the fab five — Ted Allen, Carson Kressley, Thom Filicia, Kyan Douglas, and Jai Rodriguez — changed television and pop culture perspectives on gay men by essentially giving straight-ish guys makeovers on Bravo’s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Ten years on and the guys have made a reunion special to celebrate the impact of what was a revolutionary

show. Queer Eye introduced the concept of gay “lifestyle experts,” opened up reality TV for gay people, and made metrosexual living something for everyone to strive for. The must-see special, hosted by Andy Cohen, reveals some fascinating facts: Carson Kressley and Ted Allen were not out to their families when the show was about to air.

Kressley admitted that he literally told his relatives he was gay just weeks before the show just aired. Allen, who hosts Food Network’s hit series, Chopped, says he too had to come out right before the show aired. “They did not like the idea of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy at all” but, he adds, once the show became a hit they changed their minds.

“The funny thing about being semi-famous is it sort of makes everything okay.”

D

ivine was a cinematic terrorist who broke all the rules of Drag. S/he was part outlaw, part serial killer as well as being simultaneously sexy, monstrous & terrifying. Film critic Pauline Kael once compared the midnight movie star Divine to W.C. Fields in drag: both were outrageous, fat, and hilariously funny. But Divine was more than a drag queen. With John Waters, she they created a new genre of comedy that was camp and subversive. Now the actor born Harris Glenn Milstead gets the touching tribute he so deserves in the new documentary I Am Divine by director Jeffrey Schwarz. It is a cinematic love letter to the filthiest, funniest and most beautiful ‘woman’ in the world. It is a rags-to-sequins saga, showing how Waters and Milstead first created the Godzilla-in-heels Divine persona to later years when he was a dance music diva and character actor. It is a candid portrait of the man behind the makeup who People Magazine called “Drag Queen of the Century”. The documentary includes interviews with John Waters, Ricki Lake, Bruce Vilanch, Tab Hunter, Michael Musto, and many more of Divine’s friends and contemporaries. In these days of panty-less, porn taping starlets, one forgets how twisted and subversive the John Waters characters were — whether it’s the fashion-crazed serial killer Dawn Davenport in Female Trouble; Francine Fishpaw in Polyester; or glamorous coprophilous Babs Johnson of Pink Flamingos. Divine remains an inspiration to outsiders everywhere. He took the very things that made him a freak in society—being gay and chubby—and made them into his trademark. He triumphed over his banal middle-class upbringing and cruel high school tormentors to become the self-described “most beautiful woman in the world.” I am Divine is the long overdue valentine to a true queer pioneer.

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THE BEAUTY OF INCOMPLETE THINGS 10

Daniel Dercksen talks exclusively about his new play The Beauty of Incomplete Things premiering at Cape Town’s Intimate Theatre in January 2014

years before the shocking Sizzler massacre, when the young boys who worked as masseurs at the popular massage parlour were senselessly executed, I had tea with a long lost friend in Sea Point, not realising that this youthful exuberance would end in tragedy. The ordinary tea party turned into a something out of Alice in Wonderland when half-naked young men stumbled into the kitchen and I realised that I was sitting in the middle of another popular male-to-male massage studio.

This encounter with those who lived behind the headlines and adverts of the ‘sex trade’ awoke the writer within and my play Yes, Masseur about the confrontation between a young masseur and a client was born.

Photo: Gavin Povey

The young men I met became some of my best friends. I discovered that they all had family and friends, and most were married with children and working in the sex trade trying to support their families. This was of course sneered upon by my ‘friends’ in Cape Town society attending opening nights at the theatre. During that time I was in a relationship with PieterDirk Uys, and our collaboration not only saw the birth of Evita se Perron, the entertainment palace of one of the Most Famous White Woman in South Africa, but was preceded by the staging of Yes, Masseur at David and Renaye Kramer’s Dock Road Theatre at the Waterfront (since demolished, where the Food Market is now situated).

This was 1995 in a still very conservative South Africa, and the no holds barred play Yes, Masseur, featured the raw and real encounter between a masseur and his client (featuring the superb Calvin Hayward and Johan Mostert). Although the tour of the play was cancelled due to the personal demise of my relationship with Pieter-Dirk, it gave Capetonians and intimate glimpse into the world where young men became the object of affection to their older clients. William Darling, an American National Lecturer and reviewer who travelled the world on the SS Universe found that Yes, Masseur was by far one the most interesting and moving productions he’d seen during his world tour. “Do not miss the hit play,” wrote Darling, of “lost love, loneliness, and what will the future brings to them in the coming years of the New African Democracy.” Darling continued: ”The struggle for power and deceit, along with not being able to love, or be loved, and a constant conflict of reality and fantasy between two men, the client and the masseur, is both mind boggling in our present society in today’s world. One becomes so absorbed in the constant conflict in the game of love. This play should be seen Mag 24

Rowan Studti

crashes his fantasy. “It’s just a fantasy, savouring forbidden fruits. It’s painless to worship what we can never truly have,” says Lawrence about the relationship between a client and his conquest. The vulnerable and extremely raw Tommy sees it as “an unwinding road spiralling into a happy ending” for his clients, but not for him. “I make them come alive as I slowly die, moment by moment.”

Photo: Gavin Povey worldwide, as it has a message to be learned by one and all: Money does not buy happiness!”

The impact of Yes, Masseur, my close friendship with those who worked at the massage studios that were quite popular in Cape Town, and the end of a 15-year relationship with Pieter-Dirk Uys, were ever haunting ghosts, but constantly fed my creative mind. They eventually gave birth to The Beauty of Incomplete Things, which is now almost twenty years later is about to enjoy its world premiere.

During the last ten years The Beauty of Incomplete Things went through a miraculous transformation, mutating into its final draft after countless rewrites, as well as six reading with actors throughout South Africa that helped shape its future.

It is not a rewrite of Yes, Masseur, although it celebrates its spirit, but a new play that explores what happens when both a masseur and one of his most loyal clients, cross the line and become friends outside the massage studio.

Andre Lombard & Wojtek Lipinski

Photo: Gerhard van Straten

Tommy, one of the play’s three characters says: “Everything changes when you cross the line. You feel like a thief, like you have done something wrong. It’s a rotten exchange…. Before you know it, there is nothing left. There is no winner, you look inside the mirror and see that it is all gone, the stuff inside you head has killed you. You will never be able to love again…” For David, a flamboyant artist who takes Tommy to his cabin in the woods for his birthday weekend, “Falling hopelessly in love with a soul can be soulful. Freefalling for a tainted soul can be deadly.”

David`s intimate birthday celebration is interrupted when one of his best friends, Lawrence, a renowned actor, gate-

The Beauty of Incomplete Things is not an issue-play, but one that most definitely celebrates the frailty of humanity and digs deep into fractured relationships and the dark side of human nature. Despite its sombre darkness, it also has some great humour, particularly when these three vibrant characters explode in a sea of raw emotions and kick into survival mode. The Beauty of Incomplete Things is also filled with nostalgia, celebrating a period in South Africa that now lives in the shadow of society, and pays homage to those who added colour to our lives.

With myself as independent producer, playwright, director, and designer, and with the three talented actors who breathe life into characters that have become some of my closest friends, The Beauty of Incomplete Things is more than just a play.

It celebrates creative expression and the freedom of expression at its most extreme, and equally salutes the talent of great actors like Rowan Studti, whose Tommy is going to steal and break your heart; Wojtek Lipinski as the larger than life David whose obsession with divas like Madonna and Callas indulges his fantasies; and Andre Lombard as the bombastic and arrogant actor who bursts their bubble and devours David’s fantasy.

The Beauty of Incomplete Things definitely shows that everything in life does not have to be perfect to be conventionally acknowledged. It is in the flawed lives of our fragile existence, lost loves, and lonely survival, that the true beauty of our humanity surfaces. The play definitely speaks to everyone, as its voice echoes the memories that feed our fantasies, and the fears that prevent us from finding true happiness in world that has lost control. The world has changed drastically, today people are imprisoned and crucified by their sexuality and sexual preferences, and not accepted for who they are and how their uniqueness indeed makes our world a much better realm to embrace our wildest fantasies.

As a teacher and mentor of storytellers for 19-years through my independent training initiative The Writing Studio, it still amazes me how fearful writers are to fully express their uniqueness and celebrate the freedom of expression; to just be who you are has become a cliché. With The Beauty of Incomplete Things, I sincerely hope that its candid and sometimes brutal onslaught will awaken the senses and allow for an emotional theatre experience that will lead to a transformation and realisation of who we are and where be belong in this world..

As David says: “Maybe now, after this, we will think more carefully before we whisper ‘I love you’. It is not simply words, but a bond that will always serve as a reminder of who we are.

How we tried to love. Maybe too much, too soon. Too real.”

For more information on The Beauty of Incomplete Things and bookings, email beauty@writingstudio.co.za Join The Beauty of incomplete Things on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-beauty-ofincomplete-things/263575130320881 Mag 25

IVAN TOMS

PEOPLES DOCTOR WAR RESISTOR - GAY ACTIVIST Health4Men’s Clinic in Woodstock is called the Ivan Toms Centre for Men’s Health, but a surprising large number of gay men who use this wonderful free health facility have no idea about the man whose name is remembered here. Ivan Toms was a doctor, an anti- conscription campaigner and a gay activist, whose life was a testament to non-violence, humanity and the belief that change was possible. Like other activists at the time, such as Simon Nkoli, Toms believed it was impossible to separate the struggle for gay rights from the broader human and civil rights struggle in South Africa. His life was one of public service. As we commemorate World Aids Day, it is fitting that we should remember this gay and human rights activist and Aids campaigner, who is a true South Africa Gay Icon. This is his story.

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orn in 1953, Ivan Toms completed a medical degree at the University of Cape Town before being conscripted in 1978 for national service in the South African Defence Force (SADF). Leaving South Africa was not an option for him and he served in Namibia as a non-combatant doctor. On his return to Cape Town he played a leading role in setting up a vital clinic in the burgeoning squatter settlement of Crossroads, 15km outside the city. There he was the only doctor caring for about 60 000 people. The brutality committed by members of the security forces clearing the area of shacks made Toms decide that he would never again serve in the army, in which he then held the rank of lieutenant.

He said: “As a Christian I am obliged to say no, to say never again will I put on that SADF uniform.” He was a founder member of the End Conscription Campaign, and in 1985 fasted for three weeks in Cape Town’s St George’s Cathedral in support of the campaign’s call for troops not to be deployed in townships.

As a result, he, like other members of the campaign was subjected to systematic Mag 26

conscientious objector, he was sentenced to a year and a half in jail for refusing conscription (of which he eventually served nine months). The magistrate, Mr A P Kotze conceded Ivan Toms’ allegations of military atrocities in Crossroads, and acknowledged that “You are not a menace to society. You are the opposite, an asset”. In the months leading up to his trial, Ivan Toms was subjected to a vicious and persistent smear campaign by South African security forces.

Posters claiming he was HIV positive and giving intimate details of the break-up of his relationship were anonymously posted on major streets in Cape Town. Both his house and his car were attacked, and he lived through a period where he was receiving 25 or more threatening and abusive phone calls a day.

This was nothing new as he had been the subject of homophobic smears and rumours since the inception of the End Conscription Campaign. intimidation and harassment by a defence force dirty-tricks brigade. David Beresford wrote in The Guardian that Ivan Toms “sinned on two counts in the eyes of the Apartheid security forces. He was known to be homosexual

- a criminal offence at the time - and, as a founder and leader of the End Conscription Campaign (ECC), was also active in discouraging the compulsory recruitment of the country’s white youths to the ranks of the military. As a

In 1980s South Africa, the End Conscription Campaign was a powerful vehicle for liberal and progressive white South Africans to demonstrate their opposition to apartheid. From the beginning it attracted

support from many gay men. As Ivan Toms once said, “you can’t choose what kind of oppression you’re going to oppose.

One must actually oppose all forms of oppression whether they be on race, sex, sexual orientation or religion.”

Toms was also a co-founder of Lesbians and Gays Against Oppression in Cape Town in1986, an organisation formed in part to link the struggles of gay people with those of the broader anti-apartheid struggle. In 1987 when LAGO was disbanded, Ivan with a number of other activists organised themselves into the Organisation of Lesbian and Gay Activists (later the Organisation of Lesbian and Gay Action - OLGA). OLGA was a multiracial organisation that saw the struggle for gay rights in South Africa as being tied to the fight against apartheid. In this respect, their position stood in stark contrast to the white-only Gay Association of South Africa, the main national gay organisation at the time. Toms once described OLGA as “working within the struggle as a lesbian and gay grouping to bring about liberation in our country”. He was involved with meeting ANC leaders in exile to discuss gay rights in working towards the inclusion of gay rights in the draft constitution of the ANC in 1991. Toms was also an active member of the Western Cape Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality.

While South Africa was moving into transition, Toms became more involved in the third phase of his activism as dictated by events surrounding him as a medical professional: HIV care and prevention. In 1991 Toms became national co-ordinator of the National Progressive Primary Healthcare Network, responsible for developing a national Aids programme. In 1993, he became director of the Students’ Health and Welfare Centres Organisation, a nongovernment organisation which ran mobile clinics in townships staffed by medical students. He pushed for public health messaging and putting AIDS in the forefront of the public consciousness. In 1996, he moved into local government, and in 2002 was appointed Cape Town’s Director of Health, where he led the battle against tuberculosis and HIV/Aids, which included pioneering the use of anti-retrovirals. In 2006 President Thabo Mbeki awarded him the Order of the Baobab, in recognition of

what the citation said was his “outstanding contribution to the struggle against apartheid and sexual discrimination”.

Kevin Rebe, a doctor at the Ivan Toms Centre for Men’s Health, remembers Toms as a passionate activist: “He was a confident, sexy guy who didn’t just talk the talk…he was out there in the gay community. For him it was about a community looking after itself. The Ivan Toms Centre in Woodstock is the kind of gay men’s health facility he wanted to achieve for this community” The stand taken by people like Ivan Toms and Simon Nkoli, as gay men in the struggle against apartheid, as well as the quieter conversations that were taking place around that time with leading members of the ANC and the PAC (both inside South Africa and elsewhere) about gay rights, undoubtedly helped to lay the ground for the inclusion of sexual orientation in the ‘equality clause’ of the post-apartheid constitution. But Toms concurred with Nkoli about how difficult it was to come out within the liberation movements. In his story Ivan Toms is a Fairy in the book Defiant Desire: Gay and Lesbian Lives in South Africa (1994), he recounts that the loudest voices telling him to keep quiet about his sexuality at his trial came from other gay members of the End Conscription Campaign. This is yet another example of his courage and his commitment to both causes.

Ivan Toms died unexpectedly in 2008 after a bout of meningitis. He was 55 years old. Gay ally Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said Toms had been physically small…”But what a dynamo for goodness, for justice, compassion. He stood up for justice too against the awful wind of homophobia, as a gay person comfortable with his sexuality....”

Zackie Achmat said: “I met Ivan Toms in 1982, he was always committed to public health. He was an energetic, humorous and dedicated activist.”

His brother, Charles, said Toms had led a truly remarkable life, and though strongwilled and highly principled, had also been a “fun-loving party animal”.

Ivan Toms, doctor and activist was born July 11 1953 and died March 25 2008

CAPE TOWN

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Mag 29

PEOPLE’S PRIDE - JOZI

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PRETORIA GAY PRIDE

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WITS PRIDE

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NELSON MANDELA BAY PRIDE Photos: Nadia Van Der Walt

HOT HOUSE 15th BIRTHDAY Bambi

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SEEN ABOUT TOWN Crew barmen

Shangela & Dr. Johan

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Mag 33

In a society starved of role models and a skewed viewed on morality, SoeperGuava offers a satirical look on everyday life in contemporary, post-apartheid South Africa. As a social commentator and critic SoeperGuava aims to expose injustice and discrimination and “normalise” the other in society through the use of her own unique mixture of skills and persuasion powers to achieve this. She, however, does not stand alone. All the characters in this series are heroes in their own right and each has their own ‘soeper power’ (they just might not be aware of this yet).

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et in the small town of Lettiespan (which looks suspiciously like Riebeek Kasteel or Tulbach or any fabulous small South African town now attracting a myriad of homos escaping the fast lane), the series will follow the antics of a very colourful cast of characters as they try to make sense of an ever changing world.

SoeperGuava is a social satire celebrating the breaking of prejudice in modern-day South Africa through the adventures of an ingenious small-town superhero.

Mag 34

And just who is SoeperGuava? In a vanilla world of political correctness, SoeperGuava is the accidental hero that flies in the face of convention and challenges and encourages South Africans to show their true colours through her leftfield social commentary.

She says: “Hey, WADDEFOK gaan aan!”

By day she is Heidi Lentelus, bookstore owner with a big ginger hairdo, and a tendency to cry out ‘lippe teenie klippe’ whilst imitating the sound of a 1920s Model T Ford’s hooter and groping her tieties. She is ingenious yet unassuming; zef yet cool. She has a deep love for feminist literature, Karoo sunsets and Riekie Louw (Richelieu Brandy) and an even deeper hate for prejudice, hence

her motto: Waddefok! She shares her life with her wife, Letitia, and their telepathic dog, Peanut. In her spare time she enjoys Braai-Chi and DJing at the Gat Party.

If she were a building she would be the Voortrekker Monument and if she were a plant she would be a watermelon: hard on the outside but sweet and soft on the inside. She hates injustice, animal cruelty, hypocrisy which has spurs her to transform into a superhero.

Some of the other quirky characters include: Letitia Papenfus is Heidi Lentelus’ fiercely loyal, sultry and ever-so-cocky wife. She is the proud owner of Bosbefok Nursery and a white Toyota Hilux Bakkie.

She coaches Lettiespan’s only women’s rugby team, the Baby Bull-Dykes. She loves her mamma bear Heidi, trance parties, space cakes and makes a mean Guava-tini cocktail.

Banky, Lettiespan’s very own friendly hunk o’ spunk who believes he’s the only straight in the village. OK, he’s the village idiot. There, it had to be said. He is also blessed with a pornographic memory and is double-jointed.

Mannon is Lettiespan’s theatrical yet resilient Ghries-Guru (Fairy-cum-Mechanic) (S)he is literally and figuratively finding

GUAVATINIS IN DIE VOORKAMER

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ust when you were about to slash your wrists wondering what to get the lettie or moffie in your life for Kwanza/Hanukkah/Christmas, a bright and colourful solution presents itself from the dorp of Lettiespan and the creative team behind the new lesbian Super Heroine Soeper Guava! Wayne Durno and company have been working on a range of merchandise for your buying pleasure. They currently have lovely cushions for sale, but they are wide open to suggestions and specific requests… in case you prefer a pouffe or two. The cushions come in two sizes: 50 x 50 cm at R350 each, and for the size queens 75 x 75 cm at R500 each. A small price for something local, lekker and original to sit on in die Voorkamer while sipping on guavatinis! Other items in the range include bags, aprons, placemats, lamp shades, T-shirts, etc. Someone mentioned a duvet cover, nogal! ... That can be organised!

her real voice (also brought on by the hormone treatment) - one never knows what to expect: one day it could be the soothing voice of Mary Ellis Young in Desperate Housewives and the next minute Patricia de Lille. But, after a few slukke from the Bonteheuwel Briefcase (boxed wine) Mannon’s 100% Cape ‘Flêts’.

To purchase contact Wayne at: waynedurno1963@gmail.com

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09 ON h30 OP DA T I EN Y - LL2 SA 2h TU 00 RD AY

Mevrou Dominee is the Robin to SoeperGuava’s Batman. She is Lettiespan’s own antagonist, albeit a bit more frumpish and frustrated. She is a known hypocrite and hasbian (exlesbian) with a preference for bigotry and a deep love for Jesus, and charity work amongst the poor and stupid. Her immaculate Nice ’n Easy bun has the tendency to start spinning when she becomes vexed (which, truth be told, is most of the time).

SoeperGuava is the brainchild of Thys de Beer, George le Roux, and Wayne Durno, who drew the images. SoeperGuava is meant to unite South Africans by embracing their own dysfunction. She will make us laugh at ourselves and inspire us to get the fuck over ourselves and get on with our lives. She will make us blush and sometimes squirm as she calls a spade a spade.

We can’t wait to meet her in 2014.

Until then follow her progress on www.facebook.com/SoeperGuava

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TOM

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here cannot be too many gay men who are unfamiliar with the work of the artist known as Tom of Finland.

He produced thousands of illustrations, many composed of muscle-bound men in various states of undress, including complete nudity, often in pornographic poses. He skirted censorship laws in the 1950s and 1960s by placing his subjects in physical fitness poses but later emphasised more overtly sexual settings. His work has had a huge impact on the self-image of gay men all over the world.

He created the archetypes that now form an integral part of the iconography of popular gay culture.

His work is celebrated because of its ground-breaking presentation of homosexuality into the expository world of art. He is still the undisputed master of pencil and has been hailed as one of the five most important artists of the 20th century. The fact that New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art have several Tom of Finland works in their permanent collection attests to both his popularity and credibility. The artist’s illustrations have been published in several books by the publisher Taschen, including the 666-page Tom of Finland XXL. He was the subject of two documentaries, Boots, Biceps and Bulges: The Life & Works of Tom of Finland made in 1988, and 1991’s Daddy and the Muscle Academy.

But while the art is well-known, not much is generally known about the artist. As fate would have it, there are now two Finnish films about the life of the artist in production. The first, Tom the Movie, tells the story of how the artist Touko Laaksonen became the international gay icon, Tom of Finland. Born in 1920, Touko began drawing pictures of naked men in childhood. As a young man, he fought in the World War II and was a decorated war hero who had sex with both Finnish and German soldiers. After the war, like many gay men, he lived a double life. By day, he was a talented, successful advertising artist, a pianist and composer. The young ladies of Helsinki considered him to be the most eligible bachelor in town! But by night he was drawn into the underground leather Mag 36

scene and was a genius creator of homoerotic drawings. In a society where gays were characterised as weak and effeminate, Touko’s subjects were strong and masculine The movie is set in the 50’s, an unspoken era in Finland’s history, when Touko became Tom. Until 1971, thousands of gay men were persecuted and arrested in police raids and house searches. Those caught had their names published in the newspapers and could be sentenced to jail. Many couldn’t cope with the shame of being exposed and committed suicide. Yet Touko did not compromise with his art although for a long time he had to hide both his artistic genius and his sexuality from even those closest to him. Hence the need for an alias: Tom of Finland.

He became an international gay icon through his art, a gay war hero in a largely homophobic country that reveres its veterans.

He was a paradox whose courage to keep on drawing during a time when it could have cost him dearly freed a whole generation of men.

The film’s directors, Henri Huttunen and Vesa Kuosmanen, speak to the artist’s continuing relevance: “Touko wasn’t just an artist. In many ways he was a herald of a new era. Many gay men were proud of who they were for the first time because of his art. We don’t think he is revered as much for his muscular, often leather-bound gods among men than for what they symbolise: openness, courage, freedom to love and pride. The most captivating thing about Touko’s art isn’t boots, asses or muscles. It’s the eyes. No shame, no fear, during a period of time when the society forbade you to feel those things if you were gay.”

Olli Rahkonen, (pictured left) who looks good both in a ‘50s tailored suit and in full leather, will be playing the part of Touko Laaksonen.

A second biopic of Tom of Finland is also in the works, and as yet has no title. It is being endorsed by the Los Angeles Tom of Finland Foundation as the only authorized portrayal of the artist.

Mag 37

FESTIVE THEATRE AT ALEXANDER UPSTAIRS

I

n the just over a year that he bijou Intimate theatre at Alexander Upstairs had been opened, it has offered a mouthwatering buffet of theatrical treats, showcasing the best in new and established local talent, as well as the occasional import.

This holiday season Alexander Upstairs prepares for their most daring project to date for the holiday season. Cape Town’s littlest theatre will be hosting another first: the Camissa Festival. “Why isn’t there a theatre festival in Cape Town capitalising on the amazing talent of our industry and the local and international tourists?” asks Nicholas Spagnoletti, co-owner of Alexander Upstairs.

“For this festival we’re putting up 6 shows in our theatre and mixing them up over a 6 day period with four performances a day. This year is the first step to the festival Cape Town deserves.”

Headlining the festival are three amazing productions from Johannesburg based companies: Love & Prozac: the naughty girls’ (mis) guide to dating, bonking and other disasters is a new and utterly fabulous comedy on love, dating and everything in-between. Shape shifting from one hilarious character to the next, Sonia Esgueira ponders being single in ones thirties with uproarious results.

The Epicene Butcher and other stories for consenting adults The Japanese story-telling art of Kamishibai is given a darkly hilarious, profane and utterly original revival. Jemma Kahn performs seven eclectic Kamishibai stories with the use of beautifully illustrated paper panels that slide out of a specially crafted wooden stage stories that take in such divergent themes as heaven and hell, pornography, gothic tragedy and the dream life of cats.

Boylesque Four cast members, 15 songs, 22 costumes and only one hour! It’s an outrageous, fun, tonguein-cheek musical and dance extravaganza showcasing the naughty art of burlesque performance, inspired by 1930s and 1940s American-style striptease performances, but with a twist – all performers are male. Or are they? It’s a journey through comedy, song, ballet, disco and drag. It’s a sexy celebration of

Mag 38

talent, versatility and, of course, the male and female physique. Boylesque stars singer, actor, choreographer, dancer and TV personality Sibu Radebe, who also choreographs the show. Stanimir Stoykov of Doo Bee Boobies also stars along with Koko, an Asian model and go-go dancer and winner of many beauty pageants, including Mister Physique Singapore 2011. And not forgetting gorgeous busty Italian actress and dancer Gabriella Cirillo. If Dita von Teese can do it, why can’t they?

Other show featured are Tape and the award winning hit of the Edinburgh Festival London Road.

The Camissa Festival runs from the 9 to 14 December. Book by visiting shows. alexanderbar.co.za. For telephone bookings and enquires: 021 3001652 Photo’s: Dean Hutton

WORD PERFECT THE SONG OF ACHILLES Madeline Miller, Bloomsbury, R160 Exclusive Books Hollywood has the tendency to de-gay some of the gayest stories ever told.

Gore Vidal’s screenplay for Ben Hur had the elements of homoeroticism largely expunged from the final version of the film. In Troy, Brad Pitt’s Achilles finds that his companion and lover Patroclus has been downgraded to a “cousin. So it is a pleasure to come across a book that celebrates the love affair between the Greek Hero of The Iliad and his companion. Madeline Miller has master’s degrees in Latin and Ancient Greek from Brown University, and has been teaching both languages for the past decade.

She has breathed life into the ancient

Homeric myth, brilliantly evoking love and war in the ancient Greek World.

The beautiful demi-god Achilles, who is the invulnerable son of King Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis, takes to the shy

Patroclus. Together they are educated by the satyr Chiron before they join the Greek forces sailing to Troy to rescue the kidnapped legendary Queen Helen of Sparta, supposedly the most beautiful woman in the world whose face launched a thousand ships.

The ten year Trojan War forms the backdrop to the ill-fated love affair.

Hubris and arrogance on the part of Achilles leads to tragedy. Miller won the 2012 Orange Prize for this novel and critics have compared her to Mary Renault. But she lacks Renault’s deep insight to the ancient Greek world or her lyricism. However, The Song of Achilles is a jolly good read, perfect for consuming on the beach this summer.

My one criticism is that the sex scenes are few and far between and a bit pedestrian, but that hardly detracts from a book that was hard to put down.

THE DAYS OF ANNA MADRIGAL Armistead Maupin Published January 2014

of her Depression childhood to unearth a lifetime of secrets and dreams and attend to unfinished business she has Armistead Maupin began writing long avoided. Needless to say, Anna vignettes of gay life for the San encounters more intrigue and adventure Francisco Chronicle in the late 70s. and disproves the adage that you can’t By 1978, the serialised stories built on teach an old dog new tricks! The Days of cliff-hangers owing as much to Charles Anna Madrigal is suspenseful, comic and Dickens as it they did to Jacqueline touching and a fitting return to form.

Susann, became so popular that they were published in novel form as HOW BIG MUST MY Tales of the City. The Days of Anna DICK BE? Madrigal, is the ninth novel in the series, and follows one of modern Lance Heath American popular literature’s most Amazon $5.99 unforgettable and enduring characters - Anna Madrigal, the legendary Cape Town clinical psychologist Dr Lance transgender landlady of 28 Barbary Heath, has spent over a decade teaching Lane - as she embarks on a road trip Sex Ed classes in schools and universities. that will take her deep into her past.

This book contains 417 most frequently Now ninety-two, and committed to asked questions by young males. Almost the notion of “leaving like a lady,” Mrs Madrigal has seemingly found peace with her “logical family” in San Francisco who we have come to know and love in the course of the last four decades: Jake Greenleaf, Brian Hawkins, Michael Tolliver and Mary Ann Singleton. Some members of Anna’s family are bound for the otherworldly landscape of Burning Man, the art community in the Nevada desert which attracts 60,000 trance bunnies every year. Anna herself has another destination in mind: a lonely stretch of road outside of Winnemucca where the 16-year-old boy she once was ran away from the whorehouse he called home. She journeys with Brian into the dusty troubled heart

needless to say, the title-question is the one most frequently asked. Dr Lance answers their unedited questions with informed good sense - and a large dose of quick wit! It’s a Sex Ed book but should appeal to anyone who was ever a teen (not just their parents and educators). Some gems include: Q: Why do girls use toy penises?

A: They don’t come with a whole lot of baggage attached.

Q: What is the average size of a prick?

A: The average prick is about 1.75m tall. His average penis is somewhere between 13.3cm & 17.2cm when erect.

Q: How long does full on sex take?

A: Typically, too long (for him) and too quick (for her). That’s in straight sex. Gay sex doesn’t have this problem of course Q: Is it OK to make fun of gays?

A: Only if you are one Mag 39

ORAL EXAM

J

ust how much do you really know about the ancient practice of oral sex, more specifically, the delicate art of fellatio? Fellatio or fellation, also known as a blowjob (BJ), giving head or sucking off, is the act of using your mouth or throat to pleasure a penis – your own (autofellatio) or someone else’s.

When contemplating giving or receiving a blowjob there is a mouthful of information worth considering: Just getting started, it takes about two tablespoons of blood to get a man’s penis erect and a blow job is a fun way of speeding up this process. The term blowjob actually dates all the way back to Victorian times when prostitutes were referred to as a “blowsy”, hence the logical progression of acquiring a “blowjob”. In some cultures oral sex is a taboo and in Japan the celebrated Geisha considered it a demeaning act. Nowadays there is a common misconception that oral sex is more casual and less risky and that a person’s virginity remains intact after engaging in oral sex if there has been no penile vaginal or penile anal penetration.

But the mouth may not be such a safe hole after all.

Whether or not you believe giving or receiving head constitutes having actual sex, there may be consequences to being generous and giving them out “willynilly”. In fact there is more at risk than just having a weak gag reflex and losing your lunch in your lover’s lap.

Blowjobs expose you to the following diseases and infections. Here are some tips on what to look out for and how to be safer about popping a “lolly”. Take a good look at the penis before you put

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“She thinks fellatio is a character in Shakespeare” – Cherry Falls (2000) it in your mouth. Look out for sores, blisters and warts. Similarly, don’t let a mouth with sores and blisters envelope your penis! To date there is no confirmed medical record of anyone contracting HIV from oral sex but it is possible if the person performing the oral sex has cuts and abrasions in their mouths and/ or bleeding gums and the person being blown is HIV positive and ejaculates into the other persons mouth. Some sores and blisters can be hidden from view and it may be awkward to ask your partner to open their mouth wide so you can take a look. There may be more at risk than just herpes or syphilis for example; your partner may have gonorrhoea in his anus that won’t exactly alert you of its

presence. Mutual masturbation may be a safer option if you harbour any doubts.

Oral sex can put you at risk for syphilis, gonorrhoea (of the genitals and of the throat), warts (HPV), hepatitis A, gastrointestinal infections and parasites brought about by poor hygiene. If you are having oral sex regularly with

different partners you should be getting tested every 6 months for syphilis.

Now that you have considered the risks involved you may want to score some pointers on how to improve your technique. Even though it is called a “blowjob” it is much more effective if you do the opposite and suck. Not everybody was born with the “deep-throat” gene, so if you have a very sensitive gag-reflex place your hand around the shaft of the penis, to the point that you feel comfortable taking the penis into your mouth, and focus on the head of the penis. This way even if your partner gets excited and thrusts, you will be able to control how much of the penis you take into your mouth. Generally speaking, using your teeth is a “no-no” and folding your lips over your teeth to resemble someone with their dentures removed may not look sexy, but it feels infinitely more comfortable. Take your time and experiment with flavoured lubricants to make the experience easier if you struggle with foreign objects in your mouth. Being open to discussing what your partner enjoys and sharing your own preferences will help to enrich the experience even more.

Health4Men is a project of the Anova Health Institute NPC funded by PEPFAR/USAID. The views in this article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funders.

Health4Men supports sexual health services for MSM. For free screening and any information about your sexual health, visit your nearest Health4Men supported clinic, h4m.mobi (on your phone) or www.health4men.co.za.

DECEMBER diary Sunday 1st Dec World HIV/Aids Day: Free Entrance for Activists · Friday 6th Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Friday 13th Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm + Sunday 15th Reconciliation Day Party: Reconcile with your lust · Tuesday 17th Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Friday 20th Fetish Night – Indulge your fantasies · Wednesday 25th Xmas: Make Santa Cum · Thursday 26th Family Day: Escape the family · Friday 27th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund · Tuesday 31 New Year’s Party: Free Champagne at Midnight JANUARY diary Wednesday 1st New Year's Day Cum Spend it the right way · Friday 3rd Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Friday 10th Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm + · Thursday 16th Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Friday 17th Fetish Night – Indulge your fantasies · Friday 24th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund · Friday 31st Fire Crotch Night – Free Entrance with Red Pubes FEBRUARY diary Friday 7th Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Friday 14th Valentine’s Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm + · Saturday 15th Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Friday 21st Fetish Night – Indulge your fantasies · Friday 28th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund

FITRAH ONE’S NATURAL STATE Gay people are often at odds with society. But one of the greatest dilemmas remains around the question of religious faith. It sometimes becomes difficult or even impossible to be true to one’s self and practice the religion one was brought up in. This is more true of some religions than others, and much also depends on which country one lives in, or how tight-knit one’s family of community is. Fundamentalism, dogmatism and blind faith in ancient allegorical texts are all the enemy of reason, and by extension, hostile to people of alternative sexualities. But that is not to say that there is no room for gay believers even in the mainstream religions.

I

n Cape Town, the Good Hope Metropolitan Community Church provides a spiritual home to gay Christians. Then there is the Inner Circle, a Cape Town based gay and human rights organisation devoted to educating and creating awareness about homophobia in Muslim communities, as well as providing social, spiritual and psychological support to gay Muslims.

The Inner Circle has just released a fascinating film, Fitrah – Negotiating Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Islam. This documentary explores the dilemma queer Muslims face when negotiating the troubled space between sexual orientation, gender identity and Islam. It also highlights the struggles Mag 42

queer Muslims experience in various Islamic contexts and the often disobliging messages from the orthodox Muslim clergy. Gay Muslims (as well as two transsexuals) from Somalia, South Africa, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia, were interviewed about how their sexuality often clashed with their own religious beliefs, or those of their families and communities. The documentary makes an interesting comparison between the different levels of negotiations open to queer Muslims and how most of these negotiations lead to self-limitations and religious despondency. This is evidenced by some of the very moving and disturbing storied told. Some of the interviewees were just forlorn, whilst others realised that to find happiness, they must be true to one’s

natural state - the meaning of the Arabic word fitrah.

Also interviewed were various medical professionals, activists as well as religious leaders who were quite happy to use the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as a blanket condemnation for homosexuality.

Perhaps the most telling was the interview with Cape Town’ main Imam, who appears to share the same myopia as fundamentalist Christian clergy when it comes to attitudes towards members of his flock who also happen not to be straight. His ranting served as a reminder that gay people from all faiths often face similar issues when it comes to religion, but more particularly, conservative and fundamentalist religious leaders in all denominations are often the problem.

Fortunately South African Muslims can turn to men like Imam Muhsin Hendricks, an openly gay cleric who founded the Inner Circle, and who also co-directed this film.

Fitrah is a thought provoking and ultimately optimistic film. It is codirected by Latheem Nair, who also wrote and performed the song War is Where the Heart Is which is featured in the film.

Fitrah is available on www.theinnercircle. org.za/fitrahmovie for R120.

Mag 43

OUT TO LUNCH with Gary Hopkins

TRYING SOMETHING COLONIAL, SPANISH AND TEQUILA-ISH Kloof Street House 30 Kloof Street 021 423 4413 On the first Thursday of every month Cape Town hosts First Thursdays. The art galleries in the CBD stay open till 9 so art lovers can wander the streets sipping wine whilst pretending to be art snobs when they are really perving at Aidan of Top Billing fame. It’s a must do if you haven’t experienced it.

Finding somewhere to eat afterwards can however prove to be a challenge. Our search lead us to Kloof Street House which is billed as an “Eclectic Colonial Experience”. It has three distinct dining areas: the garden; veranda and the main body of the restaurant. The new owners of the space have erased any traces of the former grey Manalo shell and filled it with all manner of decorative eye candy.

We settled on the enclosed veranda which allows you to enjoy all 3 settings, albeit vicariously.

The menu is smartly split into two budget pleasing categories House Regulars (R85 each) and Mains (R95 – 155). We ordered across the menu including a starter to share and were delighted with the selection. The Whole Calamari with the Harissa explodes with flavour. The Steak Roll is delicious, especially the hand cut chips but the Fillet with the mushroom sauce deserves its place at the top of the menu. The meat was beyond

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tender and the sauce rich and delicious.

The atmosphere buzzes without being obtrusive and the service is really, really good. The waitrons are not for once spotty teens with acne and give the level of attention that is all too rare in Cape Town. Don’t wait for the first Thursday; the restaurant should be visited as soon as possible.

Cabrito 88 Main Road, Green Point 021 433 2364 Here’s a quick lesson in Tequila. The dreck that Olemca and Jose Cuervo pass off as tequila is actually 50% raw spirit which is why it needs to be thrown down your throat as quickly as possible. The real McCoy is silky smooth and best savoured slowly like the rare whisky. During the World Cup a pop up tequila bar opened up just off the fan walk. Sadly it didn’t last long after the final whistle so news of El Burro’s new Tequila Bar put a spring in my step. It tries hard but to call Carbrito a Tequila Bar is like calling Spur the home of the salad. It does a roaring trade in Craft Beer and Ciders and offers a range of so called Margaritas (orange mint margarita anyone?) and four brands of the authentic stuff but I suspect it will leave purists cold. It has very stylish decor if that’s your thing.

La Parada 107 Bree Street 021 424 2235 Very new on the tapas scene is La Parada which is owned by the same folk as Harbour House and can be found across the road from Heritage Square.

I discovered it the week it opened and sampled a cocktail and calamari with salsa verde along with the complimentary olives which alone were tasty enough to plan a return visit.

A small group of us came back two weeks later and found it bursting onto the streets but were lucky enough to score a table after 10 minutes. Put it down to recently opening but there is very little to recommend about this place. Despite having a Spanish chef, the tapas are just OK. One or two dishes rise above average but on the whole they are forgettable.

Maybe I am missing the point that tapas are something you have with a drink, but when the setup is more restaurant- like, you can’t help feeling disappointed (an opinion shared by most reviewers on their Media 24 site). The owners plan a club a floor down (currently viewed through a glass floor) so expect their focus on good tapas to shift even further.

OUT ON DVD LET’S WATCH DVD’S WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN There were some great films that were only released on DVD in South Africa in 2013. Daniel Dercksen picks his Top Ten of the year.

1. In the superb indie dramedy Struck By Lightning, Carson, the head of the school’s writing club masterminds a blackmail scheme targeting the popular kids in school, that he carries out with his best friend and partner-incrime, Malerie Then there’s Carter, the wealthy closeted student who is secretly involved with Scott, the flamboyant drama club president.

2. “I tried to write something about how real monsters are made,” says Jennifer Lynch about her disturbing and shocking Chained. It tells the frightening story of a young boy raised by a serial killer, with great performances

by Vincent D’Onofrio and Eamon Farren at the teenage Rabbit.

6. Citizen Gangster is based on the true story of a WWII vet turned bank robber. Frustrated and disillusioned by his circumstances, Eddie Boyd is a man torn between the need to provide for his young family and an unfulfilled dream to head to Hollywood to become a star. When he discovers a way to satisfy both needs - robbing banks “Hollywood style” - his dream for stardom leads him down an unexpected path of gangsterism, danger and tragedy

7. A Beginner’s Guide to Endings is a zany comedy about a family with a few fatal flaws. Scott Caan, Paulo Costanzo and Jason Jones are in top form as the three brothers who make a shocking discovery that causes them to reassess their lives and their relationship with their recently deceased reckless gambling father. .

3. Dirty Girl is a charming coming-of-age story about the friendship between the dirty girl of Norman High, circa 1987, and an innocent closeted gay teenager. When Danielle’s misbehaviour gets her banished to a remedial class, she is paired on a parenting project with Clarke and is determined to find the father she’s never met. Clarke is desperate to escape being sent to military school by his homophobic dad. Together they set out for California, and discover each other and themselves through a funny and serendipitous friendship.

4. In Wild About Harry, teenage sisters Madeline and Daisy move to Cape Cod with their recently widowed father Harry. Everything seems fabulous in this idyllic beach community until one night Madeline and her high school friends sneak out to an underground disco where they discover that her father has a boyfriend.

Cast of A Beginners Guide to Endings

8. Offender is an engaging, raw and gritty drama is set in the aftermath of the London riots. Tommy, a decent young man, deliberately gets himself sent to a young offenders’ institution in order to exact revenge on the vicious thugs who beat up his pregnant parole officer girlfriend.

9. The Return of Joe Rich is a sensational crime drama that takes us into the heart of Chicago’s gangsters and the soul of Joe whose confrontation with his mobster Uncle and his friends has tragic consequences. Writerdirector Sam Auster’s gripping and provocative gritty documentary style infuses this emotional human drama with realism. Joe who realises that the “straight world” isn’t so perfect when he sees the wreckage of The Great Recession and tries to find content happiness in his life.

10. White Irish Drinkers is about two brothers Sam Witwer in The Return of Joe Rich

5. Frankie go boom is an insane and wacky story of Frankie who has been tortured, embarrassed and humiliated on film for his whole life by his horrible brother Bruce. When Bruce uploads a naughty video of a disastrous one-night-stand of Frank’s, it goes viral with a bullet and then things really hit the fan. Will Jack, Bruce’s violent drug-fiend buddy find out it’s his daughter? Can Phyllis, Bruce’s transsexual computer hacker prison buddy get them out of trouble?

living with their abusive father and their well-meaning but ineffective mother who are caught up in a life of petty crime. Older brother Danny concocts a daring scheme to steal enough money for the two to escape, timed around the chaos of an upcoming Rolling Stones concert. The sensitive younger brother, Brian, ultimately has a choice - remain loyal to the brother with whom he shares a powerful love-hate bond, or use his hidden talent as an artist for his own ticket out of their dead-end existence.

Visit Let’s watch DVDs on Facebook or visit www.writingstudio.co.za for other commercial DVD releases Mag 45

OUT ON FILM MOVIE BUFF DANIEL DERCKSEN CHOOSES HIS 15 FAVOURITE BIG SCREEN FILMS OF 2013 1. Charlie Chaplin once said: “We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity; more than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.” Films like The Place Beyond the Pines echo this sentiment with passion and honesty, and not only make us reconnect with our past, but give us a wonderful opportunity to think about how our actions shape and influence the world and the people who share our lives.

2. True talent is priceless. The magnificent independent Australian film The Sapphires follows the lives of four gutsy young Australian Aboriginal women. It is an emotional and rewarding journey that shows how important it is for one to stay true to one’s self and not be blinded by the aphrodisiac of reality talent shows.

3. Profound films like Song for Marion make us re-evaluate our lives and our relationship with those who share it. It is a feel good movie which powerfully expresses how music can unify a community and heal broken hearts.

4. Stoker is a deliciously dark and twisted shocker which shows that secrets are sacred and should remain buried. If we dare to probe its surface, the result is petrifying and perturbing.

This film is a journey into the mindscape of madness, where sanity is your mortal enemy.

5. The Paperboy is a powerful film, with powerhouse performances and potent direction. This distressing and sometimes shocking psychological drama is directed with insistent vigour by Lee Daniels, who already revealed the desolate obscurity of humanity in the outstanding Precious, now plunging willfully into the murky abyss of despair.

6. Love and passion are shattered by the malevolent corruptness of fame and fortune in Behind the Candelabra, an intimate odyssey into the madness that was Liberace. Ultimately, the film is about the art of forgiveness and how hope is manifested in impossible dreams. Beauty can be grotesque and deceptive and jealousy can be destructive..

7. Les Misèrables is a provocative and commanding visceral experience that offers a refreshing rebirth of musicals on the big screen. Les Misèrables is a rare and dignified masterwork that strips the genre of its pretention and deception.

8. There are seven good reasons to indulge in the deliciously wicked and insanely wacky Seven Psychopaths. You will shamelessly fall hopelessly in love with the feral characters Mag 46

that vividly burst to life in writer-director Martin McDonagh’s highly entertaining crime-comedy.

Madness has never been so much fun!

9. The scariest thing about the terrifying The Conjuring is its truth. Conquering your fear is not an option. This film takes us on a journey of what we think we know, then takes our comprehension and makes mind-bending mincemeat of it, putting all logic and meaning through a blender.

10. Nothing is more terrifying than when the dark side of human nature reveals its monstrous face. Killer Joe is a shocking and disturbing encounter with malicious consequences and sensitive viewers are warned that there are scenes that will offend the senses when Killer Joe’s inner demon is triggered.

11. Man of Steel offers an ultimate high for anyone seeking escapism and provides everything you could wish for: relentless action, spectacular fantasy, suspense and intrigue and a charming sense of humour.

12. Deep Sea monsters have been attacking us on the big screen for more than 80 years and with the release of Pacific Rim, we’re fighting back with spectacular retribution. “Vengeance is an open wound”, in this jaw-dropping cinematic tour-de-force where our world is under attack by legions of monstrous alien creatures. Although it’s an epical disaster film with apocalyptic proportions, it’s a significant reminder of how the human spirit battles overwhelming odds, and how friendship rules adversary.

13. Henk Pretorius’ Fanie Fourie’s Lobola is a heavenly Romeo and Juliet fable that happily buries old worn-out issues and cliché’s and celebrates an optimistic New South Africa. With heartfelt honesty, passion and wit, 30-year-old Pretorius knows how to tell a story that unites his upbeat age group with older generations whose futile views of life in South Africa are less hopeful.

14. With the mind-blowing Star Trek into Darkness, master storyteller and visionary J.J. Abrams travels beyond the frontier of the imagination, delivering a super spectacular space opera.

15. Killing Them Softly is a provocative film filled with suspense and intrigue that will definitely change your views on what happens in the underbelly of society. It offers discerning cinemagoers a potent crime drama that explores characters tainted by corruption and driven by greed.

Visit Let’s go to the Movies on Facebook or visit www.writingstudio.co.za

MUSIC MOVES

by Gary Hopkins

Summer is finally here. So is Cher, Moby and a girl on a wrecking ball...

DONNA SUMMER

MOBY

CHER

MILEY CYRUS

Love to Love You Donna

Innocents

Closer to the Truth

Bangerz

Who is she? Donna Summer is the undisputed Queen of Disco and a gay icon to millions of fans. In her lifetime she sold over 150 million records. She died in May last year.

Who is he? Vegan singersongwriter and DJ who ruled the airways back in 1999 (can it really be that far back?) with a CD called Play, spearheaded by the song Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad

Who is she? If you have to ask who Cher is, please stop referring to yourself as gay.

Seriously stop it.

Who is she? She is the daughter of Billy Ray and the death of Hanna Montana

What’s her bag? Glossy dance tracks that got feet and groins moving the world over.

Sounds like? She had an incredibly distinctive voice that was lush yet seductive as all hell.

The CD: The project is literally a labour of love as it was overseen by the late queen’s longtime collaborator and husband and features remixes from Giorgio Moroder, who put her on the map originally, to current dance floor darlings Hot Chip and Holy Ghost! Be warned when you hit the first groans and moans thirty seconds into opening track you’ll be in the mood for sex faster than if you’d taken a double dose of Viagra. And this was the essence of Donna. She managed to put sex into songs without the sleaze. Even though some of these vocals were recorded over 3 decades ago I wouldn’t be surprised if it picks up a Grammy for Dance Album of the Year. It’s a stonker of a CD. She truly was one of a kind and to quote lyrics from MacArthur Park “we’ll never have that recipe again.”

The track to download: Love to Love You Baby

What’s his bag?

Electronica with a dose of gospel and blues samples that is often imitated but never bettered.

Sounds like? Much like Massive Attack, his sound depends largely on who is on guest vocals but he never leaves home without a driving beat, a tinkling piano and full set of strings.

The CD: Although he has released five CDs between Play and this one, Innocents seems to be the one that is catching everyone’s ear again. This time around he has added both massed choirs and an interesting retro feel to the mix. Whether it was intentional or not, the vocalists channel the spirit of Grace Jones, Annie Lennox and David Bowie. As with all his recordings, the tracks are layered and lush but instantly accessible. A really sterling effort.

The track to download: The Perfect Life

What’s her bag? She’s been providing gay anthems for years and shows no signs of slowing down.

Sounds like? A lot better than singers half her age and that says a lot for someone who is 3 years shy of 70.

The CD: Mostly it’s a dance record but with tinges of rock and country in parts. This time out for the most part she’s ditched the auto-tune which took her to the top of the charts with Believe and pulled in Paul Oakenfold and Pink! as collaborators (note to artists: unless you’re Adam Lambert, don’t attempt to sing Pink! songs). Without the studio wizardry you get to enjoy the Cher warble that made her famous and gave a career to impersonators the world over. Cher once joked that when the world ends all that will be left will be ‘roaches and Cher. I for one will be very happy to have her around for another 70 years.

The track to download: Pride (Bonus track on deluxe edition only)

What’s her bag? Her sole purpose is to scare off grannies and other closed minded individuals Sounds like? A young woman reveling in the joys of losing her virginity in and out of the public eye.

The CD: This CD makes no apologies and has no regrets.

If you think you are man or woman enough to listen to it don’t run crying to mommy at the first F-bomb. Make no mistake this is hardcore Hippop. It is liberally scattered with collaborators from Britney Spears to Ludacris who for the most part add little or no value. Hopefully next time she’ll ditch them in favour of more Wrecking Ball gut wrenching tracks Notable exception is My Darkin’ (Featuring Future).

Apparently she wrote the album off the back of her now defunct relationship with Liam Hemsworth, so expect plenty of dirty laundry. All I can say is, Miley, you can toss my clothes into the street but based on the strength of this CD I ain’t going nowhere.

The track to download: Wrecking Ball Mag 47

ON STAGE

LETS GO TO THE THEATRE WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN MAIN FESTIVE GOODIES Jo’burg

Take a magic carpet ride in Johannesburg and have some panto fun with Janice Honeyman’s Aladdin. Steeped in magic, full of wonder and packed with surprises, Evil Abanazar (Jeremy Mansfield) wants the magic lamp, Widow Twankey wants a husband, Aladdin wants adventure and Wishee Washee wants a clean vest - can the Genie of the Lamp grant their wishes?

Piekaan’s hit one-man comedy, Wrongly Accused, follows a young man from the Eastern Cape who finds himself in deep trouble with the law when he is accused of robbing an Indian cell phone-shop owner. Funny man Nik Rabinowitz is back with an all-new show Stand Up embarking on a thrilling journey through contemporary SA’s political and social landscape that will tickle your funny bones.

Christopher Jafta is Alladin

Durban

In Cape Town Marc Lottering plays the much-anticipated title role of Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s classic A Christmas Carol. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future are performed by Surtie-Richards, with Andrew Buckland and Christo Davids playing multiple characters.

Cape Town dance lovers can also enjoy the Cape Town City Ballet in Belles and Beaux and the Cole Porter ballet Night and Day, as well as The Firebird and Les Sylvides at the Maynardville Open-air Theatre. The Cape Dance Company’s annual end of year season features the highly anticipated Cadence

ROCKY HORROR HITS JO’BURG Following its run in Cape Town which ends on January 12, The Rocky Horror Show will be on at The Montecasino Theatre in Johannesburg from January 24. ‘In the velvet darkness of the blackest night’, The Rocky Horror Show is most definitely a beam of ‘light in the darkness’ of musical theatre in South Africa that streams like a guiding star into ‘everybody’s life’.

Brendan van Rhyn is Frank ‘n Furter

The lives of three men unite on a heartbreaking journey that is filled with pathos, humour and candid revelations in The Beauty of Incomplete Things, a new South African play for discerning theatregoers that will enjoy its world premiere at The Intimate Theatre in Cape Town on January 24. David (Wojtek Lipinsky), a flamboyant and dramatic diva-worshipper takes Tommy (Rowan Studti), a studly young masseur to his cabin in the middle of the woods for his birthday weekend.

David intimate birthday celebration is interrupted when one of his best friends, Lawrence (Andre Lombard), a renowned actor, gate-crashes his fantasy.

The hills will certainly be alive with The Sound of Music from February when the world’s most loved musical comes to Cape Town with Andre Schwartz as Captain von Trapp and Bethany Dickson as Maria.

Fresh from their international tour of Australia, the UK and Europe, the awardwinning Follow Spot Productions round off the year with their trademark highenergy, super-slick entertainment with the follow up to their smash hit, Big Boys Don’t Dance, featuring Ash and Brad.

For more information, visit Let’s go to the Theatre on Facebook or visit www.writingstudio.co.za

Also in Cape Town, comedian Waseef Mag 48

Death of a Colonialist tells the story of Harold Smith, an aging, eccentric, unpredictable but extremely passionate history teacher at a high school in Grahamstown. Dealing with questions of identity, history and terminal illness, this is a funny, sad, profound and passionate play that weaves between the tragedy of our past and the challenges of our present. Ultimately, the play reinforces what it means to be South African.

The Beauty of Incomplete Things

It has long been a tradition in Durban to celebrate the festive season with a trip to the naughty adult pantomime at The Zone at the Suncoast Casino: always a version of a well-known story with a decidedly grown up twist, a smattering of well-known songs and a fair amount of risqué one-liners. This year it’s one of the world’s most famous tragedies - Romeo and Juliet- an East Side Story … and nothing is sacred. Set in the East Coast in the late 1950’s - it stars the glamorous Anthony Stonier and of course Romeo and Juliet themselves are played by Jacobus van Heerden and Katy Moore.

There’s more panto fun in Durban with Jack and the Beanstalk, where Peter Court and Bryan Hiles reprise their hilarious performances as the two incompetent crooks, Cecil and Claude.

Cape Town

THEATRE IN CAPE TOWN

Photo: Jesse Kramer

It’s the season of giving and receiving Whether you’re naughty or nice

P U T I P WRA Using recreational drugs or alcohol impairs your judgement and increases your risk of HIV. Reducing substance use, limiting the number of your sexual partners and always using condoms with waterbased lube reduces your risk of STIs including HIV. Health4Men clinics will be open over the festive season except on public holidays.

Health4Men

@H4Mtop2btm

www.health4men.co.za

h4m.mobi

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