Hey

Thought we'd fill in the gap here in the Midwest (everywhere besides Chicago.)

We've gone out in most of the surrounding cities, so we'll give our impressions of Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Indy, and Louisville.

XXXOOO
Satori

Cincinnati -

I'll preface the whole scene with the fact that we've had riots. Cincinnati was on the verge of a more diverse club scene and the riots changed it all. The clubs have been sparsely populated over the past year, and are slowly regaining their crowds.

--> Warehouse - Big, dark and seedy. We love it. This club opened in Cincinnati 10 years ago, and has maintained its roots. Located in the infamous Over the Rhine area. (Did you see "Traffic?" Enough said.)

This is officially a str8 club, but pretty much anything goes. You'll see raver types, goths, queens, TV (some obviously straight), TG (here and Venus are the only places you'll see them), some leather, neighborhood types, and one corner of the club is always designated for the fey boys (think "Paris is Burning") "Are they boys, girls? Who knows. But look at her kick!" The owners, security (they've always have 5-6 large guys) and bartenders are all amazing. Whoever you are, you will have fun. Gets hopping at 12:30-1:00 large groups of people arrive around 2:00 when other bars close, and the dancefloor remains crowded until 3:30.

--> Venus - (Right across from Warehouse) Partially owned and operated by Sirocco Cincinnati's favorite 6'3" African-American tranny. She's been on Jerry Springer's (Cincy's ex Mayor) show many times, and also appeared in the short film "Nick Dixon, Private Eye" on the VHS "Men in Shorts" (Out Spoken Productions)

The club is beautiful. Classically-styled first floor. Columns, statues and busts adorn the large space, complete with a stage, and BED shaped go-go box. They've also got a 25 foot leopard print couch. The upstairs is a huge UV-flooded dancefloor. Blacklight murals fill the walls. The music is great, ranges from trance, to house to drum & bass. The only thing this club lacks is a crowd. The majority of gay/lesbian crowd in Cincy is really prissy and conservative. They won't go into Over The Rhine. The typical straight crowd sticks to the Main Street entertainment district two blocks over. We'd love for this club to take off. It has so much potential. Stays open till 3:30.

--> Vertigo - Located blocks from The University of Cincinnati in a shopping strip. Vertigo is one of the most fun nights in Cincinnati,on Tuesday nights. This night at this club has been a clubland constant for 15 years or so. The theme is "Backbeat." they don't play anything newer than 5 years old. The crowd is pansexual, mostly college aged (yum) and there for fun. People start showing up at 11:30 are fairly lubricated (cocktails are $1.50) and damn frisky by 1:00. The dancefloor is a spectacle. Couples and Triples of varying gender combinations bump, grind, kiss and paw. The club closes abruptly at 2:15. No exceptions. There is always an afterhours in some college apartment nearby. These are very hit and miss.

--> Pipeline - Do you like to party with Tina, Carol and her friends? Head here on Saturdays at 3:00 and dance with all the strung-out shirt less party boys until like 5:00 or 6:00am. Watch out for that k-hole! (Can you tell you'll only find us here once in a blue moon?)

Now, we don't recommend anywhere else in Cincy... There are other clubs that are fun, but you have to supply your own entertainment.

[This message was edited by Zazoo and Satori on 05-27-02 at 12:11 PM.]

There is a strange situation here in the southern section of Ohio. Cincinnati has a population of about 1.2 million people. So why is it that when we're spending a weekend in town, do we drive 45 minutes north to a town with a population of less than 167,000?

Dayton has had an outstanding club scene(for its size) for years now. For a time the scene was supporting 2 major gay clubs and a very large str8 alternative club. People drive in from Cincinnati, Columbus and Indy and Miami University every weekend.

--> Celebrity -- ( http://www.celebrity-clubs.com/ ) By far our favorite club in the area. This is a sprawling club. 2 dance floors 4 full service bars a patio, gift shop, pool tables...

The main dance floor doubles as a stage/catwalk. They have drag (queen and king) shows almost every night of the week. These run off and on with dancing in between up until 1:30 or 2:00. They then open the main floor for dancing until 4:00.

The shows are mostly lip synching, some really good dancers... Most are VERY mainstream, some current hit but mostly diva-house favorites. They hold a lot of official pageants here.

They also have strip shows from time to time. (don't get too excited these are local boys)

The small dance floor opens around 11:00, gets crowed at 12:30 and stays packed until 2:00. This side plays more diverse (and more current) music than the main floor.

The crowd is very mixed and balanced. It skews a bit young (18 and up crowd) at times. A bit of a warning... Drinks are strong. Very Strong

--> 1470s - We haven't been to this club in years, but from what we hear it's still going strong. Large bi-level place. We used to go for their "alternative" night, but it got redundant. (you really can only see Skinny Puppy's "Warlock" video so many times)

This club has done an excellent job in filling a void in the gay/lesbian African-American social scene in the region. Again, people travel in from Cincinnati, Columbus, Indy and Miami University to party.

-----
Rumor has it that a large alternative club is getting ready to open, and that it's going to be gay owned and operated...

[This message was edited by Zazoo and Satori on 05-27-02 at 02:03 PM.]

$1.50 Cocktails!! Wow, that's a TIP in New York!

Yeah, Tuesday is not a great night to have $1.50 cocktails available.

Those are 1 alcohol(well)and 1 mixer... They are more if you get top shelf.

Usually, the drinks in this area are about $2.00-$2.50 for a domestic beer. $4-5 for a house wine. Top shelf mixed drinks run $3.25-4.25. Shots are about the same. A Long Island or Long Beach will run you about $6... Red Bull and Absolut $7-8. A bottle of water will cost you $2-3.

Oh, and covers at most place are $5-10.

XXXOOO
Satori

Hi glamourpusses, just catching up on this topic which is great reading in between Jubilee weekend insanity.

Wanted to ask about the riots you alluded to in your first post here: Were these club-related in any way?

I look forward to meeting you both at the party and keep up the fascinating reportage.

Yr. fan-

uly

As in any civil unrest, this is a long story, but the net is that Officer Stephen Roach shot an unarmed Timothy Thomas in the "Over The Rhine" area of Cincinnati.

Full CNN story here: http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/05/07/cincinnati.timeline/index.html

We had multiple days of riots, followed by several weekends of strictly enforced curfews.

How does this effect the clubs?

Well the city decided that we needed one brand new stadium for our champions the Cincinnati Bengals and one brand new stadium for our champion Cincinnati Reds. There was a push to bring this business and wealth into the Over the Rhine area on to some unused land, but this was not popular.

Instead they bought up all the land in the entertainment district on Pete Rose Way by the river and knocked down the bars and clubs. As a result, these bars and clubs moved up into the Over the Rhine area.

So, one major street, Main Street, has been completely gentrified. There are straight clubs running shoulder to shoulder for about 6-7 blocks into this neighborhood. The rest of the neighborhood remains falling apart. This is like a big "Fuck you!" to the area. The clubs have tons of security, and Police were there to protect the white suburban kids from the neighborhood thugs.

If you've seen the movie "Traffic" you'll see all the areas where she was giving sex for drugs... This is Over the Rhine. They did not shoot a select bad street, they are all like that. In fact, while they were shooting the movie, Michael Douglas helped catch a criminal fleeing a crime scene...Even before the riots, If you didn't park your car in a locked lot, there is a very good chance your windows would be broken when you got back.

I was in Social Work for 4-5 years. Many of my clients lived in this area and the "West End" projects. I never had any problems. I was never harassed or assaulted and my car was never bothered. I wasn't welcomed into the neighborhood, but my business there was respected.

That would not be the case now. There are still tensions, If you are white you will have things thrown at your car, you will be harassed, and there are still cases of people being assaulted.

During the riots there was one woman pulled from her car. She was being beaten, punched, kicked... Her car was being bashed with bricks. Then someone in the crowd realized that she was African American. It just so happened that she was also albino. The beating stopped and the mob dispersed. She's been on the news several times saying that she is not bitter, and that she is hoping that her ordeal saved the lives of other innocent bystanders.

All of the bars and clubs on Main Street had their windows smashed. A few streets over Venus had all their windows smashed out. They've replaced their windows 3-4 times over the last year. It is a clear message that these businesses are not welcome in this area.

What has Cincinnati done to make things better? Nothing. (In most people's opinion.)We still have an economic boycott going on. Entertainers are canceling to this day.

Where are we now? Timothy Thomas is dead. Stephen Roach is "not guilty" a free man and facing controversy with his job at a suburban police force. The Over the Rhine neighborhood is recovering, but many of the restaurants are now out of business.

Oh, and we have 1 and 1/2 brand new stadiums.

Sigh,

Satori

Uly,

Now for the second part of your email...

Thanks for the feedback. We're looking forward to meeting you too. You've certainly got us beat for the longest distance traveled to attend this party

We just found out... He will be missed. Corbett opened our eyes to the fun that could be had in Ohio. There have been few nights that can rival the magic of our nights at the "Red Party."

This is a big loss for us. We were always so energized before and after Red every year.

http://www.redparty.net/

Past years pictures will stay on the site for a while in his memory:
----------------------------------------------
Corbett Reynolds - April 17, 1944 - May 1, 2002

Corbett, creator and founder of the RED PARTY passed away unexpectedly on May 1st, bringing an end to an era. He will be deeply missed by his many loved ones, and by the thousands of people who celebrated the RED PARTY events that he so artfully created and produced over the past 25 years. He made MAGIC, and with his passing that magic comes to an end. Remember him in your hearts and prayers, for he truly loved us all

Saturday August 3rd:

DJ Greg Haus spins at the Eagle in downtown Columbus.

We'll be there full-tilt supporting our very favorite DJ as he burns up the decks all night.

Feel free to email us if you need
directions or more details!

XXXOOO
Satori

An EXTREME event happening in Columbus on October 31st.

We can't attend, but highly encourage others in the area to do so!!!

http://www.evolvedbodyart.com/traumaoctober31/

What a gorgeous image/invite. Wish I could just hop on the Carrington private jet and come!! Oh well, maybe next year. Please post a full report and some pics after.

Of course you can see the Mother/Jackie 60 dresscode influence in our suggested attire...

The full one was:
Halloweentown meets Christmastown, Erotic Elf, S&M Santa or Domanatrix Claus, Winter Weirderland, Mad about Mistletoe, Grinch Grandeur, Whoring in Whoville, The Borg Who Assimilated Christmas, Dickens Drag, Ghost of Christmas Past, Present or Future, Miracle on 1313 Vine Street, All I Want For Christmas is YOUR Two Front Teeth (punk realism) Or Anything with Bells On.

but it wouldn't all fit on the flier

We've got our fingers crossed. Jojo's coming down for it, and we've heard back from several of Dayton's most colorful queens that they are coming --> full tilt, so good signs so far.

Venus (which I've reviewed above) right across the street, is also having a Friday the 13th party. We're looking at this as a positive, as we'll both be getting traffic from each other's parties.

Of course we'll take lots of pictures (With a new cam, since I left my old one at breakfast in Chicago)and dish when it's all over with.

We're hoping this is the start of something a bit more regular.

XXXOOO
Satori

Hey guys I am coming to the mid west for New Years

Lisa Jackson and Girl Friday will be at Gender Blur New Years Eve at Patricks Cabaret 3010 Minnehaha Ave South. Doors open at 7pm and we go on around 9pm. For more info goto www.genderblur.org


Friday Jan. 3rd @ 10pm we will be at Bryant Lake Bowl 810 West Lake St. Minneapolis. Special Guest Henry Bishop. $6 cover www.bryantlakebowl.com

Sat Jan 4th we will be at Urban wildlife with All the Pretty Horses. Urban Wildlife is at 327 2nd Ave North Minneapolis. Doors open at 8pm and music starts at 9pm. Goto www.urbanwildlifebar.com for more info.

To see more of Lisa Jackson and Girl Friday check us out at www.lisajacksononline.com

Happy New Year

Lisa

Happy New Year, Lisa
Some people have been worried about you for their e-mails to you have been returned these days. Guess your account is full... can't check the mail over there ? 2 more shows in Minneapolis, right? Hope you're having great time

Our friend Darryl Demure in Dayton, Ohio has started a website for her cable access show

Harper's Bazzaroworld. Zazoo appeared on this program last summer.

Darryl is a true original. She's taken the road less traveled and proven that shows of this kind don't have to be limited to large cities.

--Satori

I checked out your friend's site- she is too fabulous!- loved her- I wanted to send an e-mail of appreciation but couldn't find any-

Gi-Gi

I owe her a phone call, So I'll let her know.

I noticed that her email was missing also... I'll mention it.

XXXOOO
Satori

Friday we went to the grand opening of "1120."
Owned by DJ Bob-a-dob from "Lift" fame.

Last friday, and every friday Bob is bringing in a world class DJ. Saturdays will be resident DJs.

DJ Rap spun for opening night. She spun an AMAZING nu skool Breaks set, followed by a Drum & Bass set. They have two full floors, several full service bars.

Here are the details:

1120
1120 Jackson Street
(near the corner of Central and Vine)
513.241.9999
monitored parking

Crowd: 18+ (most of the crowd was 21+) mixed str8/gay, overall friendly and easy on the eyes.

--Satori