Windy City Gay Idol is off to a rousing start, having had very succesful nights at The Glenwood, The Closet, Jackhammer and Crew. Want to see what all the crowing is about? See you at T’s, Sun., April 29 and again at Touche, Wed., May 2. I will be sitting in as judge at Touche and I am in rare form this year, people. Although Marc ‘Moose’ Moder insists on calling me The Randy, I prefer to think of myself as The Howard (as in Stern) : A foul mouth and nothing to lose. That seems to describe me to a T.
Another accurate description came this past week from CJ, who commented on my photo in the Facebook album of photos from Gay Idol at Jackhammer, that I always looked “so adorably uncomfortable.” Stay outta my brain, CJ, there’s barely room in there for one.
I missed a bunch of events this week as I was honored to represent Chicago’s queer journalists at this year’s International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association’s convention in Brazil. Next year, they are holding their convention in Chicago and they wanted to make sure someone from the community was there to get a feel for it. And feel I did! Check out Windy City Times in the next week or so for my extensive coverage of the sun-drenched, sub-tropical island off the southern coast of Brazil, including my frank conversation with one of the high mucky-mucks from Grindr.
Precious Jewel beckoned me to Taverna 750 to catch her stunning, albeit brief, show this past Saturday. A quick Whitney medley and we were good to go.
See you at Touche’s Leather Eye For the Preppy Guy contest. One lucky J. Crew-wearing boy will be reborn as a leather daddy (or uncle, at the very least), and will be made over on site, thanks to Shel-DON Leathers. Come watch the show and help raise funds for Vital Bridges’ Groceryland food pantry.
Make sure to get caught up in the fantasy of MidTangent’s Alex In Wonderland, now playing Fridays and Saturdays at Hydrate. It’s another gayified retelling of a classic children’s fable from the company who brought you such hits as How the Drag Queen Stole Christmas. The costumes alone are worth the price of admission.
While you’re feeling theater-y, catch Hell In a Handbag’s Sexy Baby at Mary’s Attic, playing Thursdays through Saturdays from now until June. Think backstage of Toddlers and Tiaras. Admit it, you totally watch that shit.
The Bonobos are all a-flurry over the upcoming cover shoot for this year’s Pride issue. The overall theme of the issue will be a ripoff … uh, I mean an homage … to Highlights Magazine. Bonobo Jay Fernandez has been working on a comic strip based on the popular monkey-like boys and I felt it would make the perfect animated cover for the issue. Get ready for some truly bangable monkey cartoons!