Just Like Confection, Flawless

I've never danced so much at Bonbon, Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny's Tuesday night shindig at the gorgeous Juliet Supperclub. Once DJ Michael Magnan came on, he had me on. My. Feet. And forgetting to snap away. I'd come from the Boybox party at G Lounge, where Cazwell was spinning up a storm himself. Unfortunately, I'd just missed Johnny's show on the front stage when I walked in. After a round or two, Eric Halliwell, Demanda Dahling, Tyler, and I thought we should make our way to Bonbon. We didn't want to miss any of the fantasies people had dreamed up for the night. As we walked in, we said hello to Matthew Heresy and Jordan Fox (pictured above). I was still recovering from Jordan's look from last week's Vandam--and told her so.

Soon, though, Michael started spinning, my De La Blanca sister Celso (pictured below) started walking, and I lost all track of time.




Finally, I made my way through the crowd to say hi to Ladyfag (pictured below right) and dance with Amanda Lepore (picture below left). Soon after, though, Eric, Demanda, and Tyler wanted to go to The Eagle. We walked over to discover a $10 cover and a foot fetish party. We decided to call it a night. Well, Heresy and I dropped by Barracuda to say hi to Kyle; but they were closing shop early. We had to rush our nightcap. Nancy Nosecandy was there. So was Matthew Camp, unwinding from go-go'ing at Boybox. By the time I made it home I was newly awake from the night. That's why this is here now.

Nightclubbing: We're What's Happening

I'm still digesting Grace Jones almost five months after her fantastical performance on July 30th at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Luckily, it was my third time seeing her. This time, however, I reveled in a 61-year-old serving eight costume changes with mischievous delight--one of those outfits was a burst of flame that only covered her front as she revealed when she turned around to show her naked body behind it--while bounding across the stage with a commanding energy missing in some a third her age. She chatted with the crowd about how sex brought her back to recording after a 19-year break that could have been her retirement from making new music. She hit her stage marks so that lights and wind would set her just so. She nailed her now 32-year-old standard, her torch song take on Édith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose," with such vulnerable intensity I teared up.

Her stunning showmanship, Grace reminded us bilingually, en Rose, is not artifice. It's a personal communication, uncluttered by background dancers or routines. Her performance was precise, even when a fan unfurled a cape that spread across the stage during "Hurricane," the title track re-recorded for her new CD. I'd seen her perform a different version the number before, without so much ferocious fabric, over a decade ago at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. She opened that show with the white label bootleg remix of "Hurricane" by Peter Rauhofer that I bought from 12" Dance Records and still have after, even shedding so many records with each move. In D.C., she explained why the Tricky-produced album that the original "Hurricane" was supposed to appear on was never released: "We went way over budget."

At the Hammerstein, though, Grace was palpably different. Her ferocious joy was intoxicating. She was chatty with the crowd and thanked everyone who dressed for the occasion: "I appreciate an effort." So do I. That's why going out these days is so much fun--and why the sway and swagger of Grace's "Nightclubbing" was echoing in my head all yesterday, thinking about my Sunday out all over town. The disarming nightlife pageantry Grace sings about, the we who are "what's happening," congregates each and every Sunday at Vandam to show off new looks and get down. They're dancing to a faster tempo, though, at least until a camera comes their way. Included in the sea of paint and lights this past Sunday were (pictured from left to right) Demanda Dahling, Eric Halliwell, and Nancy Nosecandy.

Also there was Kyle (pictured below, with and without a new friend). We were all dancing to DJ Johnny Dynell who broke into some late-night disco, including Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and Odyssey's "Native New Yorker," which I never grow tired of hearing. Everyone was, as the song goes, "dancin' closer and closer / making' friends and findin' lovers."

Dirty Martini (pictured below) was a-go-go-ing her heart out atop of the couches by the front wall. Soon enough, I found myself dancing on one of the glass tables near the back, where Jordan Fox and a group of friends were draining a bottle.

Earlier, I was downstairs, working up a sweat under the leaves, where Ladyfag was holding court. Vandam was my last stop Sunday night--well, Monday morning. Before, I had gone to see Sherry Vine (pictured below) at Barracuda. She had just landed from her whirlwind tour of Germany and she was "dehydratina," as she explained, sipping away at her Jack Daniels between numbers.

Not only did Sherry do her Chanukah song, she showed her new parody video for Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," which Sherry calls for those who have delicate sensibilities, "I Sh!t My Pants." She warned us that unlike Gaga, who had $1 million and a week for her video, Sherry had $1.99 and six hours. No matter. It was hilarious--and not because I was taking advantage of Barracuda's two-for-one drinks before the show! I don't want to ruin it with any details. She said that it would be up on YouTube and Facebook by Wednesday. Check then.

I started off the night at The Stonewall Inn, too late to see Jacqueline Dupree, as I'd wanted to, but early for Porsche (pictured above), who was back in New York, finally, after weeks of taping The Wanda Sykes Show in L.A. She talked about meeting Megan Mullally, whose Karen Walker character for Will & Grace Porsche is known for doing onstage, and said Megan was "an absolute fucking doll." Porsche also told the crowd that she'd missed New York, "where we can drink until 4:00 a.m." Amen. Somehow that didn't make the Reasons to Love New York '09 New York magazine cover story. Editorial oversight, clearly.

I Want Your Ugly, I Want Remix Friday

It's Friday; so it's time to post another fantastical PhDJ revision. This week, it comes with my post about the debut CONTROL party hosted by Johnny and Glammy-nominated Go-Go Boy Chris Harder (both pictured above) at Uncle Charlie's new Lower East Side location. I DJ'ed while Johnny, Chris, and the other scantily-clad boys worked the crowd, which included Daniel Nardicio. (These photos are by Hao Zeng since I was busy spinning and saying hello to friends).

During my set, I debuted my revision of "Bad Romance" by Lady Rah-Rah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Roma-Ra-Ma-Ma-Gaga-Oh-La-La. Below are my mix, Gaga's walk-walk-fashion-baby in all that Alexander McQueen, and a link so you can write your own "Bad Romance."

Bad Romance (PhDJ revision) by fantasticalPhDJ

We all had a blast and more rounds than we could count, starting with the open bar sponsored by Bulldog Gin. We weren't ready to go home yet once we were done at Charlie's; so Johnny and I cabbed over to Eastern Bloc to catch the last bit of their anniversary party. Ladyfag was there, dancing away. Cazwell was there, too. Of course, I'd played his new cut, "Tonight" earlier. Check out his video:

We all had another round for the road. And I told Cazwell how excited I am for his party next Wednesday called B*tch @ss Trick, where he's performing "Tonight." Of course, Amanda Lepore's going to be there. So will America's Next Top Dance Crew's Vogue Evolution. Check out their flawless choreography for Beyoncé's "Dejà Vu":

We Carry On (Despite The 2009 OUT Music Awards)

A certain amount of chaos attends any produced event. Finessing it does more that reflect prior planning; it douses whatever firestorm said chaos may spark in the event's attendees. Mismanaging it, as the people working the door for last night's 2009 Out Music Awards at Webster Hall did, left most people who waited up to 45 minutes to get inside hot under the collar despite the blustery night. I refused to let anyone disturb my night. I was there to accompany the fantastical Dina Delicious (pictured below left) and the gang to celebrate the year in LGBT music.

Apparently, however, no one seemed to know exactly where Dina's VIP list was. Each door person barked us toward another. Finally, we made our way inside, into the street level hall where the pre-show presentation was already underway. I managed to make out that Amanda Lepore didn't win Outstanding Video for "Cotton Candy" (although I'm not exactly sure who did) and to see Acid Betty's hair among the sea of people. Kyle, Demanda, DivaSteve, Heather, and I wandered about, lost each other, found each other again, and waited for King Ralphy and Dina to arrive. Betty said hi as she made her way to find some free booze.

My Wonder Twin Brian Mills (pictured above, far right) was texting me to tell me that he and Mike Diamond (pictured above, in the middle, with Jesse Archer) were on their way. Once Dina arrived, the list was still nowhere to be found; so she had to commandeer some OMA Special Invited Guests passes for us to get to the balcony. No worries, we thought. We'll just get situated, toast the evening with our bottle, and enjoy the show.

Once upstairs, we discovered that there were no VIP vodka bottles. At least we weren't told we had to move like the people seated in the first three rows by the stage. Even though they were not marked reserved, these seats were meant for presenters and performers, like Kevin Aviance (pictured above, with Dina). The show itself had its own mishaps, with microphones selectively working and video screens sometimes listing a different award than the one being presented.

Two highlights of the evening that we witnessed: a Gay Hip Hop Evolution performance featuring Tori Fixx, J.R., Mack Mistress, and Da Fresh Geex; and Acid Betty bumrushing the stage when Chelley lip-synced "I Took the Night." I wish I'd been able to get a good shot of Betty. I was laughing too hard, not only because she took the stage from Chelley's "Night" but also because of Chelley's false start. She was nowhere on stage when they first started the song; but her vocals were. I was also happy that Jasper James won for Outstanding Single of the Year for "Rocket." Check out the video, which made it onto MTV, here:

We were excited to see Kevin Aviance receive his Lifetime Achievement Award. I also wanted to see the late Willi Ninja honored with the OUTMusic Icon Award. (America's Next Top Model regular Benny Ninja was in the house, no doubt to accept the award on his behalf). But we were feeling deflated since half of VIP had trickled out already and rows of empty seats below were looking up at us. Dina and I decided to go hit the VIP after party at the Grace Hotel before the show actually finished.

We were greeted by the gorgeous AlieNation duo (featured in Vogue magazine) who threw their suction cup arms up against the elevator doors. Later, as we sipped our cocktails at the bar, we noticed that AlieNation had jumped into the pool. Their arms looked like tentacles as they hypnotically drifted about. We shook off the Award show with a few more rounds and bonded with new friends over stories of our night.

I wanted to go to Amanda Lepore's (pictured below, with Dina) birthday party at BONBON. So Dina and I hopped in a cab. It was so packed that we could barely make our way through the crowd to find Amanda. Along the way we saw Ladyfag, whom I congratulated on her Best Host/Hostess Glammy Award.

Also there was Celso (pictured below with someone she was saying hello to at the time), grooving to a set of 80s electro funk. The synth driving Shannon's "Let the Music Play" slapped me as it always does.

I lost track of Dina for a bit but found two Danny's (pictured below) I hadn't seen out in a while. I also said hi to the rest of my De La Blanca family who was there. I found Dina, too, at a back table with Demanda, DivaSteve, Heather, Kyle, and Tiana.

After a bit, Dina wanted to go to Barracuda. Kyle (pictured below right), Dina, and I cabbed it over. Kyle got us a round of Stoli O shots. I'm not sure when Kyle disappeared or when Logan Hardcore (out of face) and Bianca Del Rio (still out from hosting karaoke at Splash earlier) appeared. Next thing I know it's last call, Logan's going home, and Dina, Bianca, and I are headed over to Cafeteria for a late night/early morning stomach sponge, or what some might call breakfast. Another complimentary round came to our table with our wonderful waiter named Cash, who was Indian; so, of course, Bianca told him how much she loved him in Slumdog Millionaire. Much to our delight, our carrying on about anything and everything seemed to annoy a senior and his several-generations-younger date. After all, Cafeteria is known for its quiet candlelit moments after last call. Then, suddenly, it was almost 6:00 a.m. I had to get a couple hours' sleep before talking to an NYU class about Michael Jackson. I bid Dina adieu to beat the sun home.

Chase Them Down Until They Love Me: Glitter, Glitterati!

A fantastical night out bears physical remnants. Sometimes it's a hangover. Today, I awoke to find glitter and confetti all over me. Just as sparkly was Epiphany's smile as she swept into G Lounge for the weekly Küte party. I'd come by to say hi and to accompany Jane Lane, Jonni Rendi, and Yuhua to Barracuda, for my weekly dose of The All-Live Sherry Vine Show. Sherry (pictured above) never disappoints. She gave us all the dirty parodies we needed, including her takes on Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" and "Bad Romance," "Papa, You're a Nazi" and "I Sh!t My Pants." She told us that she's filming a video for the latter poop-fest this Wednesday and that she'll premiere it during her next Barracuda show in two weeks, when she's back from Germany. The crowd cheered--well, everyone except for Cherry Jubilee (pictured below).

Cherry was playfully heckling Sherry, making me laugh as much as Sherry did. "Why must I endure this," Cherry sighed into my ear after Sherry's first couple songs, just before she asked me to pass along postcards for The Glammy Awards Show hosted by Sweetie next Sunday December 6th at Splash. After the show, Jane (pictured below) was texting, calling, and conferencing with Rendi about what to do next: Hiro or Vandam.

I chose Vandam and zipped there in a cab. Upstairs and downstairs were packed, with everyone club dressed to impress, working the floor like a runway. Camera flashes complemented each floor's light show, quickened the pulsing beats.

Upstairs, DJ Johnny Dynell was working everyone into a lather. That's where I found Nancy Nosecandy (pictured below), Kyle, and Demanda Dahling. It's also where I accumulated the glitter and confetti that's now all over my bed.

We roamed and sashayed the floor, said hi to Epiphany, who'd come down once she was done at G Lounge. Nancy and I shaked our groove thangs to the 12" version of Sheila E.'s "The Glamorous Life." Kyle (pictured below) sprayed the crowd with silly string.

We made our way to the room overlooking the DJ booth and the floor. Demanda (pictured below) gave everyone a show.

I was tired since I'd only fully recovered from the night before while on my way to G Lounge. So, after making the rounds up and downstairs, where I finally saw and said hi to Ladyfag by the bar, I decided to head home.