Afternoon Dance Break - Voices

Voices inside my head

Echoes of things that you said

It's time to work off some of that holiday booze and food - and what better way than bustin' a move to one of the fiercest House tracks of the 90's? This song was always a crowd-pleaser on the dance floor of the Roxy (pictured above) ...

Afternoon Dance Break - Appreciate Me

Appreciate Me by Amuka was one of the last big anthems at the Roxy before it closed in 2007.

Afternoon Dance Break - Where Love Lives

Where Love Lives by Alison Limerick takes me back to my younger days spent on the dance floor of the Roxy.  Ah ... memories.

Morning Dance Break - Pearls (Hallelujah) by Sade

From what I remember, this was a totally unauthorized, early 90's bootleg remix of Sade's heartbreaking song about Somalia - Pearls.  The DJ's at the Roxy must have played this song every Saturday night for at least a year - and the Queens would pack the floor as soon as they heard Sade chanting "Halle halle halle halle halle ... lujah".

Looking back, it seems weird that we danced to such a sad song - but most of us were too wasted to know any better.  The beat was slammin' - and that's all we cared about at the time.

Afternoon Dance Break - Your Loving Arms

Billy Ray Martin's Your Loving Arms was HUGE in the mid-nineties, and the queens at the Roxy went nuts every time the DJ played it.

Dance Floor Flashback: Liberty City - Some Lovin'

If you went to a gay dance club in the early 90's, chances are you heard Murk/Liberty City's song "Some Lovin".  A lot.

This little ditty immediately takes me back to the many Saturday nights I spent on the dance floor of the Roxy.  Actually, I spent more time at the Roxy's bar, in the bathrooms, and upstairs in the Crystal Room, but that's for another post...

Manhattan's Gay Bar Graveyard

Next Magazine did a piece this week on all the Manhattan gay hotspots (and not-so-hotspots) which closed during the past 10 years.  Many of these shuttered bars/clubs were places I hung out - especially when I first moved to NYC in the 90's (Limelight, Roxy, Tunnel, etc.).  If those walls could talk...

But the one name which really hit home was Stella's (circled in red).  I have mentioned that bar many times, because it was simply a great place to hang out.  Not only was I friends with the owner, the staff, and half the customers - I became very "close" to some of the dancers as well.  EXTREMELY close.    :)

Good times...

Thanks to Kayce.

Return Of The Roxy?

OK, I realize about once a year I do a post about my favorite gay mega dance club possibly reopening - but this time it REALLY might happen.

If you recall my earlier writing, THE place to be on Saturday nights if you were gay in NYC was the Roxy. The roller-skating-rink-slash-nightclub ruled Saturday nights from 1991 until the night it closed in 2007. The club shut down due to its proximity to the High Line (see below). Developers wanted to demolish the Roxy and build condos which could take advantage of the views of the park next door.

But the real estate market dried up just as fast as New York nightlife. Ever since 2007, there has been no big gay dance club night in all of New York City. Sure, there is Splash and and a few other places to dance, but in my day "Splish" (as we called it) was the place you went for cocktails BEFORE heading over to Roxy. Then again, I am old as dirt.


Former club owner Gene DeNino has reportedly submitted a liquor license application, and rumors are he might team up with former Saturday night promoter John Blair to drum up enough investors to get the club up and running again. The rent is said to be around $60,000 a month - but that could be easily covered on one Saturday night with 3,000 queens paying $20 a piece at the door just to get in.


Then again, every queen in NYC thinks they are fabulous and deserve comped admission (or at least reduced-priced admission) - so maybe "making the rent" isn't as easy as it looks on paper.

Regardless, I am declaring for all the world to hear: Even though I stopped going to clubs many years ago - I WOULD drag my fat ass back to Roxy. I have so many memories (well, not really memories ... more like VAGUE IMPRESSIONS) of good times there. And if my bartender Cathy goes back at her post (and I wouldn't be surprised if she did), then I might even consider making a Saturday night habit out of the Roxy again. Lordy, those kids HAVE NO IDEA what kind of mess that could be.


If Roxy happens to open up before October 23rd, we will take a trip there for Drunken Dust Bunny Weekend II. Plan ahead...

The View From High Line Park

Yesterday I posted pictures taken during my first stroll along New York City's fabulous High Line Park. Today I'm sharing pictures of the VIEW from the High Line - which stands two stories above street level. The pics above and below are of the Hudson River - with New Jersey in the background.

The modern building (below) is InterActiveCorp Headquarters (designed by Frank Gehry). The low-rise building on the lower right is the late, lamented Roxy nightclub. If those walls could talk...

Views of the side streets...



Big Mama - the Empire State Building ...


Wildflowers on the High Line, and tenement buildings on the street...

Return Of The Roxy?

Towleroad reported yesterday that NYC gay megaclub The Roxy might re-open. It closed last year and was supposed to be demolished to make way for condos. But apparently even MANHATTAN real estate is in a slump. Read the story here.

I LOVED The Roxy. Before I even moved here, I would take weekend trips from PA to NYC – and Saturday nights were ALL about the Roxy. And when I finally did move to NYC, I went almost every weekend.

Over the years, I saw performances by Chaka Khan, Gloria Gaynor, Cher, and Madonna (where I got a glimpse of Boy George and freaked out). I saw a totally wasted Calvin Klein picking up a go-go boy (something I saw him do in MORE THAN ONE bar!). Writer Michael Musto – one of my earliest gay heroes – was also there every Saturday, although I was always too chicken-shit to talk to him. Roxy doorman Derek always let me bypass the line, and Cathy (the head bartender) always made sure my drinks were strong and quick. It was always a good time.

Perhaps the most unique thing about my Roxy experience was the method by which my friends and I would find each other. The Roxy is an old roller skating rink, with the oval-shaped “rink” acting as a huge dance floor. The whole way around the oval was a walk way, allowing you to literally walk in circles (actually, ovals) all night. When I was there, I always walked in a “clockwise” direction – ALWAYS. When someone wanted to find me, they would walk “counter-clockwise” and eventually we’d meet. It was a foolproof system that was so effective it made us giggle.

Back when I was REALLY young and reckless, when the Roxy would close at 4:00 or 5:00 am, we would head 10 blocks north to the old Sound Factory and listen to DJ Junior Vasquez spin until the next afternoon. THOSE were the days…

Boy George Denied U.S. Visa

Boy George has been denied a visa to enter the U.S. for his upcoming tour. Read the story from Towleroad here.

In addition to his touring, George was to perform a free concert for the NYC Department of Sanitation, for whom he performed community service as a result of a minor drug conviction in 2006 (see picture below).

Boy George also happens to have been my boyhood idol. I was the HUGEST Culture Club fan in high school – which allowed me to be a little bit gay without being officially GAY. Discovering Boy George and Culture Club was like a breath of fresh, gay air to a closeted boy living in Central Pennsylvania.

I once had a Boy George sighting here in NYC – and almost lost my friggin’ mind. My best friend and I were in the middle of the dance floor at the legendary (and now closed) Roxy nightclub. We were awaiting a “surprise” performance from non other than her Madgesty herself – Madonna. Back in the day, Madge liked to hit the big gay clubs before releasing a new CD to get the queens talking and generate media interest – and this was one of those performances. So here I was, waiting for the biggest pop star in the world to come on stage, and I look to my right and see Boy George in a roped-off VIP area.

I lost my mind and became a complete nervous wreck. I wanted to go over and say something SO badly, but didn’t. Eventually George noticed me staring, and looked over at me – and I practically started crying. At that point, I could have giving a shit about Madonna, I just saw BOY GEORGE!!!!!

I was considering buying a ticket to Boy George’s tour this summer, but decided that seeing Yaz next month more than satisfied my concert quota. I’m glad I didn’t get my hopes up.