Seattle Gay News
Issue 16, Volume 39, April 22, 2011
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The incomparable Robbie Turner
Legendary Paul Simon masterful in tour opener
see Simon page 33
Robbie Turner, 29, is doing exactly what he was born to do: entertain. Robbie is a triple threat: he can sing, he can dance, and he can act. As long as there is an audience – and with Robbie, there is always an audience – he will knock ’em dead every time. You’ve seen him perform with the Seattle Men’s Chorus; you watched the YouTube video of the Seattle Lady Gaga flash mob; and you’ve cheered as he emerged as the standout performer of An Evening at Le Faux at Julia’s on Broadway. And now, Robbie has been gracious enough to grant Seattle Gay News an exclusive interview to learn that behind all the glitter, there really is gold. Every Friday and Saturday night, Robbie transforms from boy to girl – not just any girl, mind you; he’s given us Liza, Kylie, and most recently, Gaga. Surrounded by feathers, costumes, and makeup, like an artist painting a canvas, “he” becomes “she” with one little hitch … Robbie is no blank canvas. NEW YORK IS A LONG
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Paul Simon April 15 WaMu Theater Six months away from turning 70, Paul Simon is peaking again. No stranger to success or critical acclaim, the legendary performer is wowing the industry with So Beautiful or So What (his best album in decades), and when he takes the stage, he can kick the asses of artists half his age. Appearing to a sold-out crowd at WaMu Theater, Simon not only led off last weekend’s concert with “Crazy Love, Vol. II,” but he launched his entire U.S. tour here in Seattle, as well. “Thank you, my
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by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
by Albert Rodriguez SGN A&E Writer
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Seattle’s Lady Gaga opens up about Le Faux, Liza Minnelli, and love
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Robbie Turn
WAY FROM CHEHALIS Contrary to popular belief, Robbie Turner is not the love child of Bette Midler and Nathan Lane. Neither did he hatch like Lady Gaga at the Grammys. Robbie hails from a town in Lewis County with a population less than that of a capacity audience in Key Arena.
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In 1982, baby Robbie was one of 6,100 residents of Chehalis, Washington. “I was born in Chehalis but grew up in Centralia,” he explained. “When I was a little boy I dreamed of becoming an actress.” He laughed. “I’m kidding. But I see turner page 28
see dahlquist page 32 Missy Cruz
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
Paul Dahlquist
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With his Walt Whitmanesque white hair, beard, and piercing, playful blue eyes – and enough stories to fill volumes – Paul Dahlquist is a Seattle institution, albeit one I had not encountered before. He has been taking photographs for many decades, after discovering that photography – rather than drawing or painting – was his métier. His images range from the spare still life (a deserted lunch counter) to the gritty (pedestrians fighting a rainstorm with shaky umbrellas) to the playfully erotic (three young men entangled in sensual contact). Dahlquist works exclusively with black-and-white film, which he happily processes himself, claiming that he is “not into computer-land.” He clearly likes the film medium, which lets him work at a slow pace. I met him for the first time just as he finished hanging his latest show at the Alchemy
Gallery in Pioneer Square. The show opened the following evening to an interested and interesting crowd. (There will be a closing-night party at the gallery on April 28, so mark your calendar.) He still had energy to spare to talk with me, and clearly relished
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by Ron Anders SGN A&E Writer
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SGN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Pride Idol has a Photographer Paul Dahlquist diva-licious week four gives form to his “wows”
The LGBT community loves us some divas! With their big hair, beautiful gowns, and lots of attitude and talent, we Gays just can’t get enough of our Madonna, Cher, Lady Gaga, Bette Midler, and … well, you get the point! We love them and we celebrate them.
On April 17 at Pride Idol, we got to meet eight local divas. And as one has come to expect from this year’s competition, the show was fierce! Pride Idol is a citywide singing contest produced and presented by SO&P, Verizon Wireless, FUZE, Seattle’s Best Karaoke, and Seattle Gay News that takes place every Sunday night at see pride idol page 33