Homos, Baseball and Food. Oh My.
This is Gay Pride weekend here in Chicago, with the parade capping activities on Sunday afternoon. All of June is officially Pride Month, and you can just imagine the sort of revelry that leads to. You can't? To start, arts organizations, which tend to be fairly gay to begin with, schedule fundraisers and special events, such as Bailiwick's annual Pride Series, About Face Theatre's Wonka Ball and the retrospective of Terry Gaskins photography at Las Manos Gallery (on view through July 4!). There are the usual readings, discussions and book signings, such as David Sedaris' appearance at Unabridged Books on June 4th (yeah, I missed it too). It being an election year, there are a host of political events, including a seminar on gay marriage. But mostly it's parties, parties, parties, with many of the festivities (Pride Jam (mmm, tasty), All Girl Dance Party, Sultry As Sin) occurring this weekend. There's even the Annual Pride Cruise, which seems redundant. The whole weekend is the annual Pride cruise.
The parade, for those of you interested who don't already know, kicks off at noon from Belmont and Halsted (clap, clap, clap, clap, Deep in the heart of Boystown), sashays up Halsted to Grace and then continues down Broadway to Diversey. The parade used to start at 2 (or 2:30 or so), a much more reasonable hour for queers on a Sunday. But a few years ago they pushed the time back, and last year the parade was so organized that the beginning passed our viewing stand (early on the second leg) before we even got there. Generally, this is no great loss, as the first dozen floats or so (if by "float," you mean a guy in a car) are local politicos. This year, that number is closer to 40. Can you tell it's an election year? Da Mare (that would be Richard Daley) is scheduled to appear, alongside John Fritchey, an obscure but well connected politician who is running for Democratic committeeman in the 32nd Ward, which includes West Lakeview. Fritchey is thought to have his eye on the mayoralty in 2011, if Daley retires, a thought which is bolstered by their sharing a car. Barak Obama, the Democratic candidate for the Senate and front runner, since Jack Ryan's campaign imploded, is well placed behind the Gay and Lesbian Police float, always a crowd pleaser, and ward Alderman Tom Tunney, the city's first openly gay alderman. Obama is no doubt cognizant that Chicago's gay community was instrumental in electing his pre-predecessor, Carol Moseley Braun, and gladly turned their back on her the following election, after she had not lived up to her promises.
Absent from the parade is Obama's opponent for the Senate, Jack Ryan. Ryan's candidacy seems to be in flames following the disclosure, from his divorce proceedings, that he (allegedly) dragged his wife to sex clubs and attempted to coerce her to have sex with him in public. In skipping the parade, Ryan is ignoring the one segment of the electorate that is likely to feel more positively toward him since the revelations. John Kerry will not be present, but his "campaign" has its own contingent. The Bush campaign isn't bothering, which is not a surprise, although there will be a float from the Forest Park bar, Nutbush.
I plan to celebrate Pride Day by skipping the parade. It's one of those events that's 40% fun and 60% aggravation. When I lived at Broadway and Roscoe, right off the parade route, it was easy enough to go out to the parade for a while, go home and have a beer, watch the parade, go home and use the restroom, rinse and repeat. For the past few years, I've shared a hotel room in the area with a few friends, which cut down on travel but generally resulted in a poor night's sleep. No matter where you stand on the parade route, within a very short time a crowd has gathered in front of you, composed primarily of the young and the drunk, neither of whom are particularly well mannered. The only problem in skipping the parade is that sinking feeling that something fun is happening without you. I suppose the best thing to do is to get down to a local diner or watering hole at the crack of dawn and claim some ringside real estate, but that seems more trouble than it's worth.
The most accurate advice I've read for enjoying the day comes from chicagopride.com: "Figure out how much money you want to bring ... then double it."
**********
An alternative (or complement) to the Gay Pride Parade is the Dyke March, which takes place tomorrow at 2 in Andersonville, my home sweet home. This parade marches up Clark Street from Foster to Bryan Mawr, and since it's two blocks from my apartment, I may check it out. I'd gladly supply more information if I could, but a visit to chicagodykemarch.org reveals this about the History of the event: " ". Similarly, the Mission statement is " ". The site shows the route of the March and reveals that T's Bar will donate a portion of all alcohol sales on Wednesday, June 30th and July 14th to the organization. And here I thought lesbians were so well organized.
**********
For those of you of a different mind, this is the first weekend of the Crosstown Challenge, interleague baseball between the Cubs and the Sox. The first game starts this afternoon at 3:05, with following games on Saturday and Sunday at the same time. All three games will be played at Comiskey Park, that is, US Cellular Field. Ugh. I don't know if the Cubs got out of the way of the parade or the parade got out of the way of the Cubs, but it's a wise choice. Three follow-up games will be played at Wrigley Field over the July 4th weekend. I have enough sense to not try to go into further detail about this matchup, leaving that to those who have some knowledge of the affair. I will admit, though, that if I were to watch the game, I would of course be rooting for the Cubs. Also, a lack of knowledge does not preclude having an opinion, at least not in my family, so I will offer one insight. This interleague play is fine as long as it's all fun and games. But the notion that these games count toward league standings is shocking to me. It's like the designated hitter rule: it ain't real baseball.
Oh, by the way, you have less than six days left to vote for players for the All-Star Game, so if you haven't yet, go to MLB.com and vote today.
**********
Action packed as this weekend is, it's also the opening of Taste of Chicago, or as it is affectionately known, Eat Out Chicago. The foodfest opens today and continues through the 4th of July. The event is anchored at one end of Grant Park by the Art Institute and at the other by the United Airlines Ferris Wheel, where you can go up and down and 'round in circles, just like the financial fortunes of the sponsoring company. Food tickets are sold in packs of 11 for 7 bucks, reflecting, I suppose, the gambling nature of eating at the Taste. According to the Mayor's Office of Special Events, or "Mose," as it is affectionately referred to on its website, food items will sell for 1 to 3 tickets. If past experience is any barometer, I'd say 5 to 10 tickets is more in the ballpark.
In addition to the Petrillo Music Shell, which will host the major performers (Stephanie Mills? Peter (Still Alive) Frampton? They Might Be Giants?), acts will be on display at the Chicago Living Pavilion, the Comcast Fun Time Stage and the Illinois Lottery Taste Stage. I don't trust a performance space sponsored by a game of chance. And the Comcast Fun Time Stage reminds me too much of the Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour to take it seriously.
With all this local talent on display, it cheese me off that this band I know can't get their act together to perform in any of the festivals that play in Chicago all summer long.
**********
Six Feet Under is back, and I planned to use some space to comment on that, but time's a wastin'. Let me just say that the Fishers are depressed as ever, and I'm getting ready to smack the hell out of the lot of them. On Deadwood, when a character started getting on your nerves, you could at least hope he would eventually be fed to Mr. Wu's pigs. On SFU, no such chance. Which is a pity, as death becomes these characters. Nate Fisher Sr., the patriarch of the clan who died in the first episode yet still appears semi-regularly, is the most lively character on the show. Nate Jr.'s wife and Claire's ex-boyfriend both seem better adjusted and more content in the afterlife than they ever were in this. Which is the point, I suppose, but making me wish everyone was dead should not necessarily be the intent of any television program.
Claire seems prepared - if I'm right about this, and I usually am; you don't need an oracle to see through the dramatic structure of SFU - for a Sapphic dalliance with Mena Suvari. Not that there's anything wrong with that. For Claire, it would be a step in the right direction: her first boyfriend was an abusive addict and her last boyfriend was emotionally dependent and morally uncentered. An angry performance artist seems just the cure for that.
More next week? We'll see.
**********
Finally, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 opens today (at the Century Centre Cinema and Sony Esquire in Chicago, as well as the Cineplex Gardens in Old Orchard and the Century 12 in Evanston). I hope to see the flick this weekend. There are two reasons for this: 1) I want to see the movie, and 2) I want to contribute to the opening weekend's gross, since that's all that matters any more. So I may blather about that next week as well.
**********
One more thing. (It's always one more thing.) Brothers, an art exhibit featuring the work of brothers Joeff and Muller Davis, is on display at the Leadway Bar and Gallery, 5233 N. Damen, through July 7. Check it out. The bar is fun, the gallery is cozy and the brothers are friends.
So don't blame me if you have nothing to do this weekend.
The parade, for those of you interested who don't already know, kicks off at noon from Belmont and Halsted (clap, clap, clap, clap, Deep in the heart of Boystown), sashays up Halsted to Grace and then continues down Broadway to Diversey. The parade used to start at 2 (or 2:30 or so), a much more reasonable hour for queers on a Sunday. But a few years ago they pushed the time back, and last year the parade was so organized that the beginning passed our viewing stand (early on the second leg) before we even got there. Generally, this is no great loss, as the first dozen floats or so (if by "float," you mean a guy in a car) are local politicos. This year, that number is closer to 40. Can you tell it's an election year? Da Mare (that would be Richard Daley) is scheduled to appear, alongside John Fritchey, an obscure but well connected politician who is running for Democratic committeeman in the 32nd Ward, which includes West Lakeview. Fritchey is thought to have his eye on the mayoralty in 2011, if Daley retires, a thought which is bolstered by their sharing a car. Barak Obama, the Democratic candidate for the Senate and front runner, since Jack Ryan's campaign imploded, is well placed behind the Gay and Lesbian Police float, always a crowd pleaser, and ward Alderman Tom Tunney, the city's first openly gay alderman. Obama is no doubt cognizant that Chicago's gay community was instrumental in electing his pre-predecessor, Carol Moseley Braun, and gladly turned their back on her the following election, after she had not lived up to her promises.
Absent from the parade is Obama's opponent for the Senate, Jack Ryan. Ryan's candidacy seems to be in flames following the disclosure, from his divorce proceedings, that he (allegedly) dragged his wife to sex clubs and attempted to coerce her to have sex with him in public. In skipping the parade, Ryan is ignoring the one segment of the electorate that is likely to feel more positively toward him since the revelations. John Kerry will not be present, but his "campaign" has its own contingent. The Bush campaign isn't bothering, which is not a surprise, although there will be a float from the Forest Park bar, Nutbush.
I plan to celebrate Pride Day by skipping the parade. It's one of those events that's 40% fun and 60% aggravation. When I lived at Broadway and Roscoe, right off the parade route, it was easy enough to go out to the parade for a while, go home and have a beer, watch the parade, go home and use the restroom, rinse and repeat. For the past few years, I've shared a hotel room in the area with a few friends, which cut down on travel but generally resulted in a poor night's sleep. No matter where you stand on the parade route, within a very short time a crowd has gathered in front of you, composed primarily of the young and the drunk, neither of whom are particularly well mannered. The only problem in skipping the parade is that sinking feeling that something fun is happening without you. I suppose the best thing to do is to get down to a local diner or watering hole at the crack of dawn and claim some ringside real estate, but that seems more trouble than it's worth.
The most accurate advice I've read for enjoying the day comes from chicagopride.com: "Figure out how much money you want to bring ... then double it."
**********
An alternative (or complement) to the Gay Pride Parade is the Dyke March, which takes place tomorrow at 2 in Andersonville, my home sweet home. This parade marches up Clark Street from Foster to Bryan Mawr, and since it's two blocks from my apartment, I may check it out. I'd gladly supply more information if I could, but a visit to chicagodykemarch.org reveals this about the History of the event: " ". Similarly, the Mission statement is " ". The site shows the route of the March and reveals that T's Bar will donate a portion of all alcohol sales on Wednesday, June 30th and July 14th to the organization. And here I thought lesbians were so well organized.
**********
For those of you of a different mind, this is the first weekend of the Crosstown Challenge, interleague baseball between the Cubs and the Sox. The first game starts this afternoon at 3:05, with following games on Saturday and Sunday at the same time. All three games will be played at Comiskey Park, that is, US Cellular Field. Ugh. I don't know if the Cubs got out of the way of the parade or the parade got out of the way of the Cubs, but it's a wise choice. Three follow-up games will be played at Wrigley Field over the July 4th weekend. I have enough sense to not try to go into further detail about this matchup, leaving that to those who have some knowledge of the affair. I will admit, though, that if I were to watch the game, I would of course be rooting for the Cubs. Also, a lack of knowledge does not preclude having an opinion, at least not in my family, so I will offer one insight. This interleague play is fine as long as it's all fun and games. But the notion that these games count toward league standings is shocking to me. It's like the designated hitter rule: it ain't real baseball.
Oh, by the way, you have less than six days left to vote for players for the All-Star Game, so if you haven't yet, go to MLB.com and vote today.
**********
Action packed as this weekend is, it's also the opening of Taste of Chicago, or as it is affectionately known, Eat Out Chicago. The foodfest opens today and continues through the 4th of July. The event is anchored at one end of Grant Park by the Art Institute and at the other by the United Airlines Ferris Wheel, where you can go up and down and 'round in circles, just like the financial fortunes of the sponsoring company. Food tickets are sold in packs of 11 for 7 bucks, reflecting, I suppose, the gambling nature of eating at the Taste. According to the Mayor's Office of Special Events, or "Mose," as it is affectionately referred to on its website, food items will sell for 1 to 3 tickets. If past experience is any barometer, I'd say 5 to 10 tickets is more in the ballpark.
In addition to the Petrillo Music Shell, which will host the major performers (Stephanie Mills? Peter (Still Alive) Frampton? They Might Be Giants?), acts will be on display at the Chicago Living Pavilion, the Comcast Fun Time Stage and the Illinois Lottery Taste Stage. I don't trust a performance space sponsored by a game of chance. And the Comcast Fun Time Stage reminds me too much of the Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour to take it seriously.
With all this local talent on display, it cheese me off that this band I know can't get their act together to perform in any of the festivals that play in Chicago all summer long.
**********
Six Feet Under is back, and I planned to use some space to comment on that, but time's a wastin'. Let me just say that the Fishers are depressed as ever, and I'm getting ready to smack the hell out of the lot of them. On Deadwood, when a character started getting on your nerves, you could at least hope he would eventually be fed to Mr. Wu's pigs. On SFU, no such chance. Which is a pity, as death becomes these characters. Nate Fisher Sr., the patriarch of the clan who died in the first episode yet still appears semi-regularly, is the most lively character on the show. Nate Jr.'s wife and Claire's ex-boyfriend both seem better adjusted and more content in the afterlife than they ever were in this. Which is the point, I suppose, but making me wish everyone was dead should not necessarily be the intent of any television program.
Claire seems prepared - if I'm right about this, and I usually am; you don't need an oracle to see through the dramatic structure of SFU - for a Sapphic dalliance with Mena Suvari. Not that there's anything wrong with that. For Claire, it would be a step in the right direction: her first boyfriend was an abusive addict and her last boyfriend was emotionally dependent and morally uncentered. An angry performance artist seems just the cure for that.
More next week? We'll see.
**********
Finally, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 opens today (at the Century Centre Cinema and Sony Esquire in Chicago, as well as the Cineplex Gardens in Old Orchard and the Century 12 in Evanston). I hope to see the flick this weekend. There are two reasons for this: 1) I want to see the movie, and 2) I want to contribute to the opening weekend's gross, since that's all that matters any more. So I may blather about that next week as well.
**********
One more thing. (It's always one more thing.) Brothers, an art exhibit featuring the work of brothers Joeff and Muller Davis, is on display at the Leadway Bar and Gallery, 5233 N. Damen, through July 7. Check it out. The bar is fun, the gallery is cozy and the brothers are friends.
So don't blame me if you have nothing to do this weekend.
posted by John Bliss at
10:28 AM
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