The New GeN (Z) of Queer IcoNs KeviN BacoN’s creepy campouT
LeGeNdary: 30 years of peace BisQuiT
Thirty Years of Peace Bisquit!
By John Stein
Bill Coleman photos by Eric McNatt
For thirty years, Peace Bisquit has been a musicindustry force to be reckoned with. Founded in 1990 as a management, production, and A&R agency, the company’s very first clients were Deee-lite (“Groove Is In The Heart”) and Ultra Naté (“Free,” “If You Could Read My Mind”). Since then, Peace Bisquit and its ubiquitous founder, Bill Coleman, has worked with the likes of Jody Watley, Crystal Waters, Neneh Cherry, and a dizzying array of pop artists, including Beyoncé, Lizzo, Lenny Kravitz, Sia, Lady Gaga, and Christina Aguilera.
Peace Bisquit has also made its mark in Hollywood, providing music supervision and soundtracks for films, including 1995’s cult favorite Party Girl starring Parker Posey, Party Monster, and the Another Gay Movie films. The company also collaborated with Academy Award-winning producer Brian Grazer on the documentary, Inside Deep Throat.
Bill Coleman was always attracted to music. During college, he interned at Island Records during the imprint’s most influential era, promoting new rock star Melissa Etheridge, Tom Waits, U2, Propaganda, and Grace Jones’ hit album Slave to the Rhythm. He then landed a position as Singles Reviewer and Dance Music Editor for Billboard Magazine, where he quickly became one of the industry’s most respected voices. Columbia Records, Arista Records, Epic Records, Maxi Records, and EightBall Records commissioned him to write the liner notes for a number of their dance compilation albums as well as pop artists Thompson Twins and 80’s girl group, Exposé.
“I was in my dream job at Billboard when I discovered Deee-lite,” says Bill Coleman. “After releasing our first single, “What Is Love?”, it was
clear that the cool dance project was going to take off bigger than we imagined. Long story short, once the “Groove Is In The Heart” 12” and video came out, I had to make a decision pretty quickly as to whether I was going to stay with Billboard or accompany the band on this new, exciting journey we’d all worked so hard on.”
“I took a leap of faith, left my high-profile gig, signed Deee-lite and Ultra Naté at the same time, and opened Peace Bisquit, truly believing (sometimes naively) that I could make a difference in our dance, queer, black, underground and NYC culture,” Coleman continues. “Peace Bisquit has allowed me to combine my love of multiple music genres, DJ-ing, critical expertise, and inspirations into an independent adventure that helps artists, and myself, express creatively with no limits.”
Peace Bisquit’s triumphs over the past three decades have been legion.
Among Coleman’s favorites are serving as an A&R consultant for Bette Midler and her 2000 album, “Bette”; traveling the world with Jody Watley as her tour DJ; co-producing and DJ-ing Lady Gaga’s first ‘Fame Ball’ and the many plaques the company has received. Bill Coleman and Peace Bisquit have received honors for their works with De la Soul, Sinead O’Connor, David Guetta, The B-52s, Technotronic, Madonna, and Beyoncé.
Coleman also counts his collaborations with some of the most influential DJ/remixers of our day, including Clivilles & Cole, The Basement Boys, NERVO, Tiesto, Morgan Page, David Morales, Todd Terry, Roger Sanchez, Tony Moran, Frankie Knuckles, and WAWA, among his biggest accomplishments.
His collaboration with David Guetta on “Love Is Gone,” “Just A Little More Love,” and “Getting’ Over You” continue to play on dance floors across the globe and introduced vocal powerhouse Chris Willis to the world.
Bill Coleman is not done yet. He continues to DJ and can be heard LIVE every Friday night, from 7-10 pm PT on Andy Cohen’s Kiki Lounge on Sirius XM (Channel 312). He also spins an eclectic, genre-fluid one-hour set every month on Sirius XM “The Morning Chill.”
Visit peacebisquit.com for more.
Kevin at Camp Again
By Chris Azzopardi
Photos: Peacock
Kevin Bacon is back at camp. Not Camp Crystal Lake, where the 64-year-old actor met his gruesome demise in the original 1980 horror classic “Friday the 13th.” But at the kind of camp that is a horrific reality for queer youth — conversion therapy camp. In “They/Them,” Bacon, partly famous for being stalked by Jack on “Will & Grace,” runs the Whistler Camp, a place sold to LGBTQ+ teens as welcoming and inclusive when just the opposite is true.
In openly gay writer-director John Logan’s film, vulnerable queer recruits, led by non-binary actor Theo Germaine’s Jordan, arrive both optimistic and skeptical to Whistler, under the impression they’re seeking ultimate happiness. But when the pressure to conform is dialed up, that future prospect comes at the expense of their personhood.
Known for his roles in “Footloose,” “A Few Good Men” and “Tremors” (some might say his best work was in “Wild Things”), Bacon took a few minutes to chat about the role and how the film challenges LGBTQ+ horror tropes.
When you look back at your career, who is scarier: Owen, Jason or the underground creepy-crawlies of “Tremors”? [Laughs.] This is how I would compare those: The Graboids [in “Tremors”] are actual monsters. Jason is technically a human being, but he seems to have evolved into having almost kind of supernatural power. But the scariest part about Owen is that he’s a real man. He could be in your family.
As the camp leader, you really tap into this sort of warmness that’s very unsettling. That’s something that John Logan and I talked about a lot. We didn’t want to come right out of the gate and have the guy be a drill sergeant or kind of Bible-thumping or terrorizing people
right away. We wanted to bring everybody in in a gentle and warm sort of embrace, you know? And that left us a place to go so that when the anger and the fear and the manipulation and the darkness of Owen’s character come through, it comes as a little bit more of a surprise and becomes more chilling in that way.
You really embody that. For someone who’s long been an LGBTQ+ ally, what was the appeal of doing a movie set at a conversion therapy camp, given the actual horror of that process?
You know, it’s one thing to make a movie about very important issues. But sometimes you can make small dramas about these things and you’re gonna be preaching to the converted because they’re not gonna have any kind of widespread appeal. Whereas if you can take, as John so brilliantly did, this horrible notion and package it in a film that has the possibility of widespread viewing, then there’s something beautifully Trojan horse subversive in the messaging.
I think what John really wanted was for young people on the fringes who are feeling bullied or are closeted or living in some part of the country where who they are is completely unaccepted, to be able to see themselves up on that screen and feel a sense of identity. But the best outcome would be someone who thinks in the same way that Owen thinks or that Carrie Preston’s character thinks and sees this and questions this very notion of conversion. They’ll think, “Oh, well, wait a second. This is just not right.”
Have you known people like Carrie Preston’s character or an Owen and had to have a conversation about why conversion therapy is not the right route for a queer child? I can’t say that I have. I also have a feeling that
if they did feel that way that they probably wouldn’t bring it up with me. But also, maybe that just speaks to kind of [this] rarefied bubble of an existence that I live in.
How do you think the film represents the trans community in a different light, as opposed to the typical way they’re portrayed in horror films — as victims or villains?
Horror can be different genres, as you know. There’s psychological horror and there’s slasher movies. There’s monster movies, zombie movies, ones with vampires. You know, there’s different kinds of worlds. In the slasher world, the tradition was to take things that society had deemed morally wrong such as drug use, premarital sexuality, homosexuality, goofiness, race, obesity, anything, and kill those people. People seemed to agree that that was a good idea. And so this movie is definitely flipping that notion.
I think that horror in general — “Get Out” being one of the great examples of this — is having a little bit more of a pointed view. As far as I’m concerned, it can just be… somebody in a closet with a knife, if it’s done well. But I do think that [“They/Them”] has more of a pointed view.
And I can tell you that [during] the first scene that we shot in the movie, me walking out on that porch and looking at those people, I was really trying to stay in the headspace of the character. I have to say that I felt a tremendous amount of pride with the fact that these young people were standing there in front of me, and brought together in this film by John
Logan and Blumhouse in order to be genuine representations of all different kinds of people that make up this society.
When in your career do you first remember being aware that you had an LGBTQ+ fanbase? I honestly… I’m so happy to hear that. That never even crosses my mind. Great. That’s cool. Maybe I became aware just now, in this moment. [Laughs.]
No way. Not the guy who did “Wild Things.” There’s no way that there weren’t gay men coming up to you on the streets and acknowledging that role. [Laughs.] Well, you know, “Wild Things” was crazy because I didn’t even really think about the fact that male nudity would get so much attention. It was something that I... I don’t know. I mean, it’s just naïve of me, but it didn’t even cross my mind that it was gonna become what it became. But it was great, and I like to be acknowledged in any kind of way, so thank you for that.
Chris Azzopardi is the Editorial Director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ+ wire service. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.
The New Gen (Z) of Queer Icons
By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Photos: Instagram, PR, A24 Films, David-Simon Dayan
They are not only making waves in their industries – music, film, TV, and social media – but they are also bringing much-needed representation to the world. Here are the queer individuals who have reached new icon status right now.
Amandla Stenberg
The girl who played Rue in The Hunger Games has come a long way as a star in various comingof-age films. She came out as gay in 2018 and has been open about her journey to self-realization. Currently, she plays a queer character Sophie, in the dark comedy horror film Bodies Bodies Bodies.
Bretman Rock
His hilarious TikTok videos that explore gender roles and gender-bending have awarded him millions of followers and a platform to discuss issues affecting the queer communities. He made history in 2021 as the first openly gay person to appear on the cover of Playboy.
Emma Corrin
Corrin broke out as Princess Diana in the Netflix series The Crown (season four), and earlier this summer, changed their pronouns to she/they while wearing a chest binder. She has since talked openly about gender fluidity and the experience of coming out as queer and nonbinary.
Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X’s coming out was a personal protest to how the music industry perceived an openly gay Black man. He has since used his platform to make changes to the music industry, hopefully paving the way for other LGBTQ+ artists to come out without repercussions. His image as an unabashedly sexual gay man has propelled him to wide acclaim and platinum album sales.
Tove Lo
The openly bi, Swedish-born singer-songwriter has always written about her sexuality – just listen to songs like Talking Body and Disco Tits. Apart from creating LGBTQ+ anthems, she continues to talk openly about sexuality and gender.
Willow Pill
Willow Pill was one of five trans contestants on season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and she made ‘herstory’ as the first trans winner of a regular season. Willow came out as trans in an emotional statement on social media following her win on the popular drag competition show.
Willow Smith
Actress and singer Willow Smith came out as bisexual in 2019 and has since spoken openly about being polyamorous. She has also touched on topics like gender fluidity with her brother Jaden and uses her platform to discuss sex and sexuality.
Yasmin Finney
Yasmin first gained recognition on TikTok, where she shared her experience of being a Black, British trans woman. She is best known for her role as the charming Elle in the Netflix series Heartstopper. She continues to use her platform to speak up about issues concerning the trans community and beyond.
peach sceNe @
BARS
Dini
ng
10th& P iedmon t 991 Piedmont Ave NE
Camp ag nolo 980 Piedmont Ave NE
G’s M id t o w n 219 10 th S t NE
Bulldo g s 893 Peachtree S t NE 4 Fr iend s 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE
6 My Sister’s Room66 12 th S t NE 7 X Midtown 990 Piedmont Ave NE
BARS not on map 2 Blake's
Henr y ’s 132 10 th S t NE
L a H acienda 900 Monroe Dr NE
Guac y Margys 502 Amsterdam Ave NE
Peach Scene @ SNAPS
BLAKE’S ON
PARK blakesontheparkatlanta.com 227 10th St NE
BULLDOGS 893 Peachtree St NE
FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD BAR friendsonponce-atl. com
736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE
MY SISTER’S ROOM mysistersroom.com 66 12th St NE
X MIDTOWN fb.com/XMidtownX 990 Piedmont Ave NE
THE T modeltatlanta.com 465 Boulevard SE
CHESHIRE
HERETIC hereticatlanta.com 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road
BJ ROOSTERS bjroosters.com 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
868 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW 840ATL 840 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW ANSlEy
MIDTOWN MOON 1492 Piedmont Ave NE
FELIX’S 1510 Piedmont Ave NE THE HIDEAWAY 1544 Piedmont Ave NE
MIXX mixxatlanta.com 1492 Piedmont Ave NE
OSCAR’S oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
WOOFS woofsatlanta.com 494 Plasters Ave NE
EAST ATlANTA, gRANT PARK & EdgEwood
MARY’S marysatlanta.com 1287 Glenwood Ave SE
SISTER LOUISA’S CHURCH sisterlouisaschurch.com 466 Edgewood Ave SE
10TH & PIEDMONT 10thandpiedmont. com 991 Piedmont Ave NE
G’S gsmidtown.com 219 10th St NE
HENRY’S henrysatl.com 132 10th St NE LA HACIENDA lahaciendamidtown. com 900 Monroe Dr NE dEKAlb
LIPS ATLANTA atldragshow.com 3011 Buford Hwy NE
Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Gear Night @ The Hideaway | Aug. 10th (7 PM)
Calling all Doms, Daddies, Sirs, Subs, Boys and Pups! (And everyone/thing in-between!) Join your fellow Atlanta Kinksters for a casual night of gear and good times at the Hideaway. We’ll be slinging kinky cocktail specials from 7pm to 9pm every 2nd Wednesday.
Hideaway and your hosts, Good Boy Productions invite you to brush off your best gear (keep it PG-69 y’all) and come out for a gear-themed happy hour! Bar tab raffle at 8:45pm (with the occasional surprise!)
Earn an entry for every cocktail you order while in gear.
But I’m a Cheerleader @ The Plaza Theatre | Aug. 10th (7 PM)
WUSSY returns with our monthly campy feature fantastico, with the 1999 classic ‘But I’m a Cheerleader’!
* Prizes for the best looks!
* All ages welcome
* We encourage attendees to get rowdy, quote, & interact with the film.
Hosted by Dotte Com & Stella-Pearl Fontaine
Doors open at 6:30pm. Arrive then, grab a cocktail, grab a snack & take some photos before the look contest.
Game
of Thrones
Trivia
Beltline | Aug 10th (7 PM)
at Guac Y
Margys
Calling all Lords, Ladies, Kings, Queens, Knights, Dothraki, and Wildlings! Trivia is coming. Gather your Alliances, Loyal, Noble families, and fight to claim the throne of the Seven Kingdoms (and a $50 bar tab).
Because our trivia nights have become a big night at Guac y Margys, we will be selling tickets for all trivia nights moving forward to ensure everyone who comes gets a seat!
A ticket reserves your seat and gets you two tacos and one 1800 Margarita. We are selling a limited number of early bird tickets so grab one (or 6) while they’re still available.
Teams of 1-6 welcome, 21+ only
As always, we’ll have some great themed drink specials for your team to enjoy, including the Dragon’s Breath.
Signups begin at 6:30, trivia starts right at 7:00 and will be done by 9:00.
Snag your tickets, spread the word, tag your friends, and start thinking of those team names.
The Vast Unsaid! Lesbian Open Mic and Meetup @ Wild Haven Beer | Aug 11th (6 PM)
ANNOUNCEMENT: Save the date for next
The Vast Unsaid, a lesbian open mic & meetup, happening Thursday, August 11th at 6PM at Wild Heaven Brewery in the West End (1010 White
Street SW Atlanta, GA 30310).
Come out to meet other folks, share experiences, and participate in the open mic - where you can share music, poetry, performance, resources, or even just your Instagram! PLUS a live performance by Yani Mo!
This event is all ages. Doors at 6PM. Event begins at 7PM.
MASKS ARE REQUIRED AT THIS EVENT.
If you don’t have one, we will provide one for you. The event cover is a suggested $7-$20 sliding scale; no one turned away for lack of funds. This is an intentional space for those who identity as lesbian.
Drinks and food are available from Wild Heaven.
Flyer by Beaux Xavier (@thebeauxxavier)
Parking: Parking can be found in the front parking lot of Wild Heaven. The event takes place in the Garden Room at Wild Heaven which is on the right end of the building. MARTA buses run in front of Wild Heaven. The closest MARTA Stations are the West End & Oakland City MARTA Stations.
Southern Fried Queer Pride is an Atlanta based organization empowering Black & QTPOCcentered communities in the South through the arts! For more info, find us at: southernfriedqueerpride. com. For questions, email us at: contact@ southernfriedqueerpride.com
NeonBlk @ Mary’s | Aug. 11th (9 PM)
Come see this show created to make a space for black queer performers to shine. The only allblack drag show in EAV is at Mary’s every second Thursday of the month at 9:30pm with a cast full of ya faves. $5 cover. VAX CARD REQUIRED. There’s also something extra special happening this month at Neonblk! Not only do we have THE Laveau Contraire from New Orleans, LA joining this talented all-black cast, our friends at Obsessed (@ObsessedINTL) have gifted us a pair of tickets for the Sibling Rivalry Live show on October 3rd at Center Stage Theater to giveaway! Sit back, relax and don’t touch that remote because this is a battle royale of lip-syncs, costume changes, and low blows you do not want to miss. Are you team Bob or team Monét? Get your tickets now and tune in to the in-person Pay-Per-View event of the year. bobandmonet.com
Featuring:
Laveau Contraire
Yutoya Leon
EllaSaurus Rex
Majik Sebastian Cassadine
Nia Simone Braxton
Hosted by Dotte Com with an ever-rotating cast!
Boys of Summer Competition w/ Molly Rimswell @ Felix’s | Aug. 11th
The Other Show @ Guac Y Margys Midtown | Aug 12th (8 PM)
Starring Edie Cheezburger, Dotte Com, Edna Allan Hoe, Orchid and Miss He.
Second Fridays at Guac y Margys. Doors open at 7. Show starts at 8pm.
This is an all ages show but please be aware that there are adult themes and dirty language throughout the show.
Guac Y Margys will be serving beverages and food. You can find the menu on their website.
Ritual Horns and Halos 14th Anniversary Party
@ Heretic | Aug. 12th (10 PM)
RITUAL invites you to an infernal evening of heavenly delights. Whether you wear horn or halos, all angels and demons are invited to the Sanctuary at the Heretic for a night of divine revelry. This is RITUAL’s 14th anniversary party!
DJ Synth Dolli and DJ System Fail will have the dance floor moving all night long.
V$10
21 to enter 10pm doors
House by Definition feat. Jalen Jackson @ Future | Aug 13th. (2 AM) HOUSE by DEFINITION
A new event that celebrates all genres of House music. From Tech, Tribal, Soulful, Deep, Techno, Melodic and Afro house. Hosted in the brand new beautiful FUTURE night club in downtown Atlanta. Featuring local and international Djs/producers, this new event promises to bring the best of the best in the house music scene. Come experience state of the art sound in this amazing new venue for a night of true House Music. Tickets will be available for pre-sale for $10 visit future-atlanta.com
DILF DP by Joe Whitaker @ Heretic | Aug. 13th (10 PM)
SPECIAL SATURDAY NIGHT EVENT!
MEN’S NIGHT JOCK/UNDERWEAR PARTY!
KICK OFF THE WEEKEND in your JOCK at DILF! DUDES, DADDIES, DISCREET, DUNNO...DILF is for ALL MEN!
FEATURING MUSIC BY: THE PERRY TWINS
Los Angeles Music Link: https://soundcloud.com/theperrytwins
The HOTTEST & BIGGEST “JOCK PARTY” in the Country is back in ATLANTA and at the HERETIC!
ENCOURAGED to WEAR: *JOCKS *HARNESS *GEAR *LEATHER
*A Clothes Check will be Available at this Event so you can get down to your jock or underwear! Not Required though.
Madonnathon @ Hideaway | Aug 13th (10 PM)
Celebrate Madge’s Birthday with our Special Guest
DJ - Bill Berdeaux, the master of Madonna Remixes and Mash. Ups. NO COVER. The Best Tall Drinks in Atlanta with our Featured Vodka of the Night Ketel One. Come Early, Stay Late.
XION w/ Kardona @ Believe Music Hall | Aug 14th (3 AM)
Kardona is back at XION!
YeahBuzzy @ Atlanta Dairies (Georgia Vintage Goods) | Aug 14th (12 PM)
We’re headed back to Atlanta Dairies with our friends Georgia Vintage Goods!
We’ll be with 50 other vendors in what is surely to be a rad day. This event is always raging with good vibes! We look forward to seeing you all again.
Switch! A Queer Dance Party & Drag Show @ MSR | Aug. 14th (8 PM)
It’s time to SWITCH it up!
Make your way to SWITCH, a queer dance party & drag show, now happening every SUNDAY at My Sister’s Room!
Brought to you by the House of ALXNDR, every week we SWITCH it up - new performers and new DJs from Atlanta and beyond!
Come out this week’s SWITCH featuring: Arrianna Parris
Nia Simone Braxton
Yutoya Avaze Leon
DJ Lisa Couchlocker
Hosted by TAYLOR
ALXNDR
Doors & music at 8PM. Show at 9:30PM. 21+.
$5 cover before 9:30PM. $10 after 9:30PM.
PARKING: Parking can be found on the street and in nearby lots. There is a parking garage on 12th street that is sometimes free on Sundays if the gate is up. We highly suggest you take a Lyft. Parking is free on the Sunday.
ACCESSIBILITY: The show happens on the main entrance level of MSR. There are 2 gender neutral restrooms on the main level. All of the performance space is flat. This event does involve high energy and sometimes loud music.
House of ALXNDR is an ATL based drag house and events hub bringing inventive, inclusive, draginfused events to the city. Follow our FB page or our Instagram for more info: instagram.com/ houseofalxndr
Chris’ Move&Groove Playlist
Now y’all know I love a good party! Here are my throwback tunes to take you back to the 90s and early 2000s and make you relive those good times with your friends! Whether you were 42, 32, 22, 12 or 2 these jams were IT and they definitely bring some shake to that ass! Enjoy!
How do I measure my happiness? I know that folks tell you that money doesn’t buy happiness but in todays climate where there’s so much inflation it seems as though money truly is the only way to buy happiness. Not necessarily the material objects that bring many people happiness, but necessities to live. I feel cheated by life! Any advice?
I personally have always said that money makes the world go round. And unfortunately, it’s true. There’s no alternative to having money this day in age. Because it’s so difficult to try and make a living nowadays it becomes a burden to even spend money on the necessary things in life; let alone if you wanna spend money on things, vacations or days off that are a stress relief for you.
I guess what you have to look at is if you are truly HAPPY. But, what does happiness look like to you? Are you someone who values the roof over their head and that’s about it? Are you someone who needs a new car every few years to feel better and more secure? Whatever the case may be, you need to find what YOUR happiness is and measure it by that. If you can take the good and realize that it may be enough, then your happiness may grow exponentially. If you only need material wealth to make it, then you might be in a pickle in todays age.
