Hangover Playlist

I really shouldn't have had all that tequilla last night.

Thank goodness I have these songs to listen to for helping me cure my hangover. These songs are not by artists that you hear on the radio over and over again. These songs are not crazy clubby dance music but at the same time not elevator music. These songs are catchy but mellow but feelgood and are perfect for chilling out and relaxing with a good vibe.

Runaway by Norweigan singer who calls herself Mr Little Jeans:


Fifteen by Goldroom from Los Angeles:


With You by Flight Facilities feat. Grovesnor


Crave You by Flight Facilities feat. Giselle


Kill For Love by Chromatics


Doubt by Amanda Mair, who comes from the land of Robyn, aka Sweden!


Maybe You by Saint Lou Lou. This is a remix version but I can't find the original on YouTube, which is a totally mellow chill song.

Happy Pride, Vancouver!

It's PRIDE here in Vancouver!



It made me start to recollect and look back on the years. I can't believe it's 2012. I first came out to my friend Yvonne in 1993 when I was 16 years old. Since then, so much has happened, I went through my 20s and can't believe I survived it! I'm happy to be in my 30s now; I feel more aware of who I am as a person, and who I want to be.



I remember going to gay clubs in the city that are no longer in existence, like The Underground on Granville Street, which became Stone Temple Cabaret and I think now is in a new reincarnation as Barcelona. I walked into The Underground to find a man literally swinging from the rafters on some sort of cirque du soleil type sling, and thought WHERE AM I??? Do places like that even still exist anymore?


(above is the location of the old Edge Cafe, now home to Priape)

I remember The Edge cafe on Davie Street, where everyone would congregate after the clubs shut down and would go there for a late night coffee and a last attempt at trying to meet someone. It would get so crowded that people would spill out onto the sidewalk and the neighbouring parking lot.

My friends and I didn't really do The Edge, but rather, we were on the corner of Davie and Thurlow at the Bread Garden-type place called Spuntinos, where we would sit outside on the patio on warm summer nights eating a snack or having a pop and watching all the club-goers walk by.



I remember going to the Dufferin and spending numerous New Year's Eves there and almost getting beat up by a trans Male to Female. That place was always considered the seediest gay bar in Vancouver, but it had its charm. It was a mixed bag of patrons who went there, from older folks to trans people to hookers to the strippers downstairs who looked like street youth. Still, it had a community feel to it, and now that it's gone and fallen to the gentrification of Yaletown, I wonder where all those people went off to. They've all been displaced from their home away from home, so where are they all at now? What happens when you get rid of the Island of Misfit Toys? Where do they all end up?


(Odyssey)

The Odyssey was a weekly hangout, sitting on the patio or laughing hysterically at the amazing drag shows. That too is now no more. Celebrities is still around, and that is one of the first places I went to, before they closed for months and went through countless renovations. Celebrities is also where I first did drag! Numbers is still around as well, where I used to help run a monthly gay Asian club night.



I remember falling in love with someone in 1998, and not having that love returned. It took me four years to get over that, and I guess history only repeats itself years later.

I remember joining the gay group at university and meeting people who would become my lifelong friends.

I remember marching in my first Pride parade. Now it's all old hat, but still a duty I feel I must fulfill for the community, whether as a participant or a spectator.

I like that Pride is a time to celebrate, to party, and maybe to see people you don't get to see all the time. It's nice to also take a breather, look back and reflect on how far we as a community have come, and how much as a person one has evolved.

Happy Pride, Vancouver.

Chicago!

So back in May I went to Chicago and had the most amazing time! It's such a gorgeous city and I had so much fun there!




(Above: Chicago's famous Corn Cobb buildings)

I went on an architectural boat tour, a la My Best Friend's Wedding. If you've seen the movie, you know exactly the scene that I'm talking about! And if not, here it is! Although, I wish I had a Dermot Mulroney next to me!!





And there were so many bridges that we passed under, I didn't know which one was the exact one that Julia and Dermot went through so I obviously relived that scene over and over throughout the entire tour!



I also visited Millennium Park and checked out the famous "Bean" :



I took in a hilarious show at Second City. It's no wonder that everybody funny comes from here! The best part was that my ticket cost only $11! And the show was 3 hours long! That is a complete steal because the calibre was superb!



I went on a Frank Lloyd Wright tour, walking through a neighbourhood full of houses designed by the famous architect.



I had a Chicago hot dog at Hot Doug's, though the next time I go, I think I need to check out the Wiener Circle. I made a quick visit to the Art Institute to see a Roy Lichtenstein exhibit.



In other Art related news, one of the things I really wanted to do was track down the three public works of art done by Keith Haring in the city of Chicago. One is located in a hospital, one in a high school, and one at Mid Way airport. Turns out, I only had time to do one of these and it was the hardest one to get into : the high school!



I called them up and told them I wanted to see the mural in their school and they welcomed me to come on down! So, that was very exciting, although I did have to walk through a metal detector and sign in with security. At a high school!



I definitely got chills being there and seeing this untouched piece of art. The mural was huge and I was surprised that kids in the school hadn't written stuff all over it, which was nice. The staff member who showed me around was really nice, and said he even met Keith Haring when he was there painting it all those years ago. Said he was really nice and approachable and the kids loved him.



The mural was so big I had to take multiple shots of it, and I am kicking myself for not using a Panaroma thing to take it. Oh well!

I had some Chicago Deep Dish pizza, walked down the Magnificent Mile, and just enjoyed the beautiful city that I've always wanted to visit and am so glad I finally got the chance to. I'll see you again soon, Chicago!!

My Keith Haring 1984 Exhibition Poster

So I'm still obsessed with artist Keith Haring. Ever since my visit to his exhibit in Brooklyn this past Spring, I've been completely infatuated.

I had been looking over time for something of his. I wanted something special, but couldn't afford to buy an original piece or anything like that. That would have been too much! However, I did discover a poster that he had made and given out to people at his show in New York in 1984 at the Tony Shafrazi gallery.

The poster was based on a piece of work he did involving choreographer Bill T. Jones, who was naked and had his entire body painted by Haring. The photos were taken by Haring's friend and collaborator, Tseng Kwong Chi.







I was talking to a friend who knew quite a bit about art, and he told me that exhibition posters were valuable because they are somewhat rare - compared to say, a print. It's not an original piece, like actual paint on canvas or anything, but it's still cool because it has the date of the exhibit/show.

So I was on the hunt for this poster, and I did end up finding one online and purchasing it. It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't an arm and a leg either. I absolutely love it! And even more special? It's SIGNED by Keith Haring himself! Yes!! It's not the only one to be signed, as I did see quite a few being auctioned off online with his signature. Here's my Keith Haring poster!



Of course I had unbelievable doubts and concerns that maybe this autograph wasn't real. So I was in touch with the seller, and got him to tell me the story of how he got it signed and the origins of this poster. He lived in New York as an art school student, and I checked him out online and see that he does indeed have his own artwork out. He told me that he was there at the Keith Haring show in 1984 and had gotten this poster straight from the exhibit! Since the artist was on hand, he had Haring sign it for him. How amazing a story is that? Sure, I was still a bit suspect, but then he shared this story with me:

"I was going to art school in Greenwich village in the eighties and remember first seeing the drawings Keith would do in the subways, then came some gallery shows and the rest is Art history! I hung out in the clubs at night and Keith was a regular on the scene. One night I saw him at big party and I asked him for an autograph for my sketchbook. He did this little drawing and I've treasured it ever since."



How amazing is that?! I did ask him permission to post this picture up, and he agreed. So take a look at this rarely seen Keith Haring original drawing! Done in an art student's sketchbook! What a definite treasure, for sure! And I'm glad the guy kept the exhibition poster in such amazing condition. Thank you Victor, for the poster, and even more so, for sharing your memories and stories of Keith Haring with me!