Issue 117 - ScotsGay Magazine

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A weekend
of furry fun!
a taste of BearScots
www.bearscots.org.uk
glaschu
GLASGOW
As far as bars and clubs go, August is
sometimes the quietest month of the year. In
Edinburgh the Festival keeps everybody
occupied while in Glasgow the heat means
days in the park, sangria, and cider. With
fewer gaylings heading out to the
commercial scene during the summer
months, things might be expected to chill
out a little, but not this year! There really has
been plenty going on!
Ticking my culture box I had the
unparalleled joy of attending one of now
many exhibition launches to take place in
the Virginia Gallery under Luke and Jack.
The exhibition (‘John, I’m Only Dancing’)
showcases the photographs of Michael
James, that sneaky genius whose
photographs always seem to catch people
through the crowd, in the throes of intimate
conversation at parties, clubnights and gay
occasions. It’s one thing to see the man’s
work on the old laptop screen, but to see his
pictures mounted and in a gallery helps us
to consider each piece for what it really is;
often a simple observation of people
having a great time. That is, after all
what clubbing is all about, and
very few of Scotland’s club
photographers manage to capture
the energy of the club without
resorting to the old ‘pose and say
cheese’ tactic. The gallery also features
the artistic creations of Robin Burgess,
an often abstract painter whose
contribution has been largely inspired by
the work of Michael James. Part of the
charm of the exhibition is moving between
the work of these two artists and seeing how
Robin has developed the mood of Michael’s
images to create striking original
artworks. I would definitely
recommend a trip to the gallery
which is free and open until Sep
12th under Luke and Jack on
Virginia Street. As ever, the Luke and
Jack staff team are welcoming and
friendly.
Across the street things have
been bustling along nicely in
Delmonicas, still the busiest of
Glasgow’s gay bars with a strong
lineup throughout the week oscillating
between the ever-present DJ Darren
whose quiz takes place each Thu, and
Barbra La Bush the foul-mouthed
‘Granny’ of Dels. This pair come together
on Sun nights for the irrepressible
karaoke night which is, let’s face it, an
institution in Delmonicas. However be
warned – few of the punters can carry a
tune and it’s not in Darren or Babs’
nature to sugarcoat it if they think you
were horrendous! This healthy dose of
reality is the perfect balance to the
dreamgirl that is Bella Houston. The
poor confused dear looks after Dels’
clientele on Fri nights with a new Tue
slot on its way. How Bella will choose
to entertain the Tue night crowd, an
increasingly busy night on the scene,
remains to be seen but she really is
very good at what she does. Bella
brilliantly keeps the crowds laughing
throughout the night without having to
curse, swear or adopt a bullish tone. Hers
is drag your granny could enjoy! Pair her
up with the vicious Babs La Bush and you’ve
got the makings of a wild night in Dels!
Speaking of wild nights, every time I set
foot in Milk, formerly Scene Glasgow, it
seems to be rammed! Nobody’s quite sure
what the difference between Milk and Scene
is, but it seems to be appealing to the public
ThomGlow
glasgow@scotsgay.co.uk
who have flocked to
the biggest gay bar in
Scotland in their
droves this summer.
In fact the whole of
John Street seems to
have become busier
this year. With three
Italian restaurants to
choose from (Tony
Macaroni,
Mediterrano and
Piazza Italia) gays
fancying pizza and a
drink in the sun in
the John Street
area are spoilt for
choice. Let’s be honest though, contrary to
popular belief portion size isn’t everything
(ahem) and Piazza Italia is the better
restaurant of the three, with Mediterrano a
close second. Tony Macaroni have delightful
waiting staff and are reasonably priced, but
if I was hankering for some authentic Italian
food I would jump the fence and stick to
Piazza Italia, the mainstay of John Street
dining which has seen new restaurants
come and go around it but held strong for
many years.
John Street has
also become the
site of dramatic PR
showdowns
between
competing
teams for
Bennets, Polo,
C U Next Tuesday,
Mansion
House et al. If
handing out
flyers and
making
friendly
conversation
with potential
customers is
the traditional
approach, it
must be too
old fashioned
for the Polo Lounge’s Club X
team which usually consists of
half naked teenagers being
flogged in the street by a
dominatrix. I personally have no
problem with half
naked teenagers
being flogged in
the street by a
dominatrix, but
there are mumbles
that the ‘full on’
approach is a little
much for the
quieter midweek
nights out. I reject
this argument on
the basis that the full
on approach is fun and
can be sexy (there’s nothing quiet about
some of Glasgow’s midweek nights) I
can sympathise with the boys on the
receiving end of their mistress’ lash
and hope that come winter they are
permitted to wear a little clothing.
When Scene Glasgow first opened
its doors two years ago there were
criticisms of their ‘tops off’ policy
for bar staff at weekends. A double
standard seems to exist when people don’t
like seeing bar staff serving shirtless, but
are happy to watch kids take a lashing on
GayScene
the
streets wearing next to nothing.
Perhaps Scene paved the way for this new
PR approach, and in many ways Glasgow is
starting to liven up its take on club
promotion. Had I not better things to do
with my time I might set up a wee fold out
chair on John Street, sit with a bag of
popcorn and watch the feuds unfold as the
teams go head to head.
Across the road from
John Street, Bennets has
gone from strength to
strength, and their
official relaunch party
was, quite frankly,
jamming! DJ Leah took
to the decks, Gay Men’s
Health were there in
force, Vanity von Glow
hosted proceedings,
and in a departure from
male-pageant
stereotype, Mr.
Scotland took his shirt
off. Ahem. The staff
team have finally
settled following the
required reshuffle
and are a genuinely
chatty bunch who
are as happy to
serve you a drink as
give you a cheery hello! There will be more
to say about the club as they continue to
make changes – already the place resembles
the inside of a discoball and it is quite
amazing what a duster, mop and tasteful
sprucing up can do for a club. The guys
have worked this summer and are reaping
the rewards. I have not
forgotten my
promise in previous
months to do a sit
down interview with
new General
Manager Paul Stirrat
and we can hopefully
look forward to
getting his take on
what a gay
community’s venues
should provide next
month.
Well all in all it’s been a grand wee
summer! If you want a chatter and a
shimmy you can find me on a Tue night at
Chambre69 for C U Next Tuesday. It’s a
party, after all, and every cunt’s invited! By
the time I next pick up my quill to write (or,
since this isn’t the 1800’s, when I next open
my laptop) it will be term time again for the
student crew, the evenings will be getting
darker and autumn shall be on our doorstep.
Who knows what exciting writings shall take
place in Sep! Until we find out, cheerio!