Truth, Fact or Opinion?
As air feeds an inferno, so too does innuendo breed a feeding frenzy of speculation. And, as we would gaze upon a fire, we can’t help but be drawn to the sensationalism of good gossip. Facts? Who needs facts when you have a feeding frenzy? The dangerous thing about speculation however, is that like the fire it too spreads quickly and sometimes out of control. The saga takes on a life of its own and opinions are influenced solely by passion; but in the absence of truth. Sometimes it can […]
Read moreWigstock 2003; Coming Home Again
“Late one night in the spring of ’84 a drunken group of friends, seeking more diversions, closed the Pyramid Club and traipsed over to Tompkins Square Park, six-packs in tow. Brian Butterick, Michael “Kitty” Ullman, Wendy Wild, The “Lady” Bunny and a few members of the Fleshtones were horsing around in the bandshell when someone (no one remembers who, it’s all such a blur) came up with the idea of putting on a show – a day-long drag festival – and calling it Wigstock. It was Bunny who was foolhardy […]
Read moreYolanda
The Alien Love Child In 1982 a young hippie musician named Roger Anthony Mapes came to NYC from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Armed with a recording contract [with the Chrysalis Records label] he energy was racing and his spirits high. Twelve years later, burned out and tired, with no artistic or personal direction, he retreated to Vermont to join the Radical Fairies — an organic organization that celebrates god/goddess and mother of Earth. It was there, in a communal lifestyle that Yolanda was born. In his own words, “I found a […]
Read moreKiki & Herb; Coup de Theatre
“Herb wasn’t just retarded, he was a gay jew-tard”, she explains, “in an era before it was trendy.” Downtown at the Cherry Lane Theater (38 Commerce Street) singer, writer, actor, and entertainer Justin Bond stars with Kenny Mellman in an off-Broadway play called “Kiki & Herb; Coup de Theatre.” It makes you laugh, cry and think. Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman are brilliant, playing a lounge act duo well into their senior years that reminisce about their 15-minutes of fame. They pal’d around with Princess Grace, and then struggled with […]
Read moreKiki & Herb Interviewed
Kiki & Herb is a cabaret act wriiten by Justin Vivian Bond, and performed by Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman. There have been different shows written around the two characters, some which have been performed all over the world to rave reviews. After attending a performance of Kiki & Herb: coup de theatre (read review) at the off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theater in New York City, I caught up with the stars in the lounge of their dressing room for an interview. It was a quiet space, if you don’t count the […]
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About Brie Austin
Co-author of I'd Do It Again, he is a columnist/reporter for a variety of magazines in the areas of music, lifestyle, nightlife, travel and business. He also writes business documents and creates copy for websites.Follow me
