That Guy

Chad Stowers of Bear Bones Clothing here is pretty handy. He had his whole operation set up recently at The Glenwood’s Glenwoof bear party, creating and selling an amusing array of bear- and bear-adjacent-related T-shirts. I simply chose the design I wanted, the size and color T-shirt I wanted and he whipped it right up. Of course, as Chad confided in me, one of the best parts of such a job is watching man after man take their shirts off to put on his new creations. Let’s all cry a tear for poor Chad, amirite?

To see more of Chad’s wearable wares, visit www.bearbonesclothing.com.

Meeting TV’s JDA (of both Windy City Gay Idol and American Idol fame) was a distinct pleasure. In addition to being crazy talented, JDA’s story is inspiring and relatable. Thanks to Windy City Queercast’s Amy Matheny for conducting a hard-hitting interview with JDA about his life-long love of music, his nervous foray into the world of public singing and his rocketship to stardom. Catch some of that rocket dust as JDA performs (as well as gay singer/songwriter/cutie Levi Kreis) at the Windy City Gay Idol finals, taking place this year Wed., June 26 at Mayne Stage in Rogers Park. For tickets, visit www.maynestage.com/gayidol.aspx.

Of course, before the finals, there are the semi-finals, Sat., June 15 at Sidetrack. Doors open at 2 p.m., show at 3. See this week’s Windy City Times for a handy-dandy voting guide. And with 23 contestants, it needs to be both handy and dandy. Trust.

kirk@windycitytimes.com

MAIN COVER IMAGE: JDA. Photo by David Victor Pavon