Get Out! GAY Magazine – Issue 474

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PHOTOS BY BILLY HESS
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BY EILEEN SHAPIRO
CELEBRITY CORRESPONDENT
HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY AND
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION,
DIONNE WARWICK
THE COMMEMORATION OF LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT
AND ICON DIONNE WARWICK WILL
BE CELEBRATED WITH HER VERY
SPECIAL 80TH BIRTHDAY, ALONG
WITH CHRISTMAS, THE MOST JOYOUS
TIME OF THE YEAR, ON SATURDAY,
DECEMBER 12, 2020 AT 7:00 PM EST/
4:00 PM PST.
PORTIONS OF THE PROCEEDS WILL
GO TO BENEFIT HUNGER NOT
IMPOSSIBLE, A TEXT BASED SERVICE
THAT CONNECTS KIDS WITH FAMILIES
IN NEED WITH PREPAID, NUTRITIOUS,
TO-GO MEALS FROM NEARBY
RESTAURANTS. “EVERY YEAR, THERE
ARE FAMILIES THAT CANNOT AFFORD
TO EVEN BUY BASIC FOODS FOR THEIR
CHILDREN. WITH THIS EVENT, WE’LL
BE ABLE TO HELP THIS WONDERFUL
ORGANIZATION WITH ITS EFFORTS TO
FEED KIDS” SAYS DIONNE WARWICK.
JOINING DIONNE WILL BE FRIENDS
INCLUDING JOHNNY MATHIS, THE
OAK RIDGE BOYS, JOHN RICH,
CHLOEXHALLE, AND ALOE BLACC.
THEY WILL BE VIRTUALLY PERFORMING
THOSE MAGNIFICENT HOLIDAY
TUNES FROM DIONNE‘S BEST SELLING
ALBUM “THE VOICES OF CHRISTMAS”.
JOIN THE MOST HEAVENLY VOICES
IN THE UNIVERSE FOR THIS GALA
EXTRAVAGANZA. FOR TICKET
INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO: WWW.
OFFICIALDIONNEWARWICK.COM. HERE
IS MY INTERVIEW WITH DIONNE.
PHOTO CREDIT DAVE VANCE

INTERVIEW
Are you celebrating your actual birthday
on the night of your spectacular event?
Yes, it is--the 12th of December.
You have had the most extraordinary
career thus far. Do you recall a moment
that changed the entire trajectory of
your life?
I had a hit record. It’s that simple.
So you then
decided it was your
destiny?
It was decided for
me. It didn’t stop at
one. It keeps going.
Fortunately, thank
God.
You’re doing your
show with Johnny
Mathis. He’s an icon
as well.
An absolute icon. John
and I have recorded
about four or five
duets together. We
did a tour together.
John has been a friend
since the beginning of
my career. He’s more
family than he is a
friend. We’ve gotten
to be very, very close.
What was it like for
you the first time you
ever heard yourself
on the radio?
I was in my car
and [DJ] Frankie
Crocker came on.
I remember it as if
it were yesterday.
“Don’t Make Me Over” came on and
my goodness, I said “I know that voice!”
I pulled my car over and turned up my
radio as loud as I could. I opened all of my
windows so everybody going by me could
hear it. It was very exciting.
After so many hits, was there ever a time
that you heard yourself on the radio and
you lost that first excitement of hearing
yourself?
That never happens. You’re happy that
people still want to hear you.
If the soundtrack
of your life was
recorded, what
songs would be
on it?
It would start with
“Jesus Loves Me”
and every gospel
song that I have
ever sung, and
of course every
recording I ever
did. But it would
start with that
one song, “Jesus
Loves Me.” It’s
the very, very
first song I ever
sang in front of
my congregation
at my grandma’s
church. I was six
years old.
You came from
such a musical
family.
I come from a
family of singers.
I sometimes sit in
awe. All of these
voices that I came
from!
Have you ever
had your ultimate stage fantasy?
Oh, my. I’ve had three or four of them that
come to mind. Singing with Joe Williams,
which was a thrill of a lifetime. Singing with
Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. and
Johnny Mathis, Luther Vandross--the list is
very long.

PHOTO CREDIT DAVE VANCE

Is there still anyone that you
wish to sing with that you
haven’t?
Yes, as a matter of fact. I keep
saying this to everyone who has
asked me the same question
and I give the same answer:
Earth, Wind, and Fire. Eventually,
it’s going to happen. I’m putting
it out to the universe again
and I’m sure that they are too.
They’re my ultimate group. I love
them so very, very much. They
are incredible. We have been
procrastinating for years. They are
absolutely the best.
Out of everyone on the
planet, who are your biggest
influences?
My family.
You are a huge family person.
You raised your boys so well.
They are so nice and talented.
How did you juggle your career
and still manage to raise your
boys so well?
Absolutely, family first. You know
their mother is crazy....I prioritized.
My boys came first. Everything
else came after. They were on the
road with me during the summers.
I had the opportunity of exposing
them to different countries,
languages and people, and now
that they are grown, they go with
me on the road again. So it came
full circle.
If I could ask you any question in
the world, what would it be?
None...It’s true. Everybody knows
more about me than I do, so
there’s nothing else to know.
Well, then, good, let’s talk
about this show. Do you have
your costumes ready?
It’s going to be casual. We’re just
going to be people. That’s all. I
think that’s the best way to be.
We can’t socialize like we normally
would during the holiday season
and normally for my birthday,
I usually have a huge party.
Unfortunately, this year, I can’t
do it and it’s a big one for me.
But we’re going to do the best
that we can and have some fun
anyway.
During these crazy times, a lot
of artists say that it has been
a very creative time for them
since they can’t do anything
else. What is your point of view
on that?
You know what? I have utilized
this time. I am on the road well
over 230 days a year. So very
seldom do I get an opportunity to
literally even look at my home or
sleep in my own bed. So basically,
when everything shut down in the
entertainment industry and I was
sitting home like everybody else,
I got to know it very, very well
and I’m loving it. I’m discovering
rooms that I didn’t even know
were there. My bed is not
rejecting me, and I’m able to get
up in the morning and eat cereal
or eggs and bacon and think of
myself. I’m using it kind of as a
vacation, so I’m not going crazy
yet. I’m waiting for that period
of time to happen to me, like
everybody else. But right now, I’m
just kind of enjoying.

What’s the first thing you’re going to do
when all of this ends and it’s safe again?
Well, I have tours that will be made up
and I’ll be going back out on the road and
doing what I do best and enjoying it. And
hopefully, those who anticipated my coming
to them will be ready to accept me and
have some fun
with me, as I always do.
Will you be going back
to Vegas?
That’s anticipated, yes.
Is there anything else that you want to
add?
I would like everyone to know that the
celebration on the 12th of December
will be my birthday and Christmas. I
have a Christmas CD called “The Voices
of Christmas” and the people that are
featured on the CD will be at my
birthday party, as well as my
Christmas party. We are doing
something that is so wonderful,
I feel. I give myself a gift every year.
This year, I’m giving the gift of
giving. We have decided that
we’re going to be selling happiness
at different levels for those who
join my party, and portions of the
money will go towards an organization
called Hunger Not Impossible.
It is basically to feed those who
are hungry and cannot afford
food and have not been able to
eat, which I find truly appalling.
There is no reason why anyone
goes hungry here in the U.S.,
considering as much as we have.
We need to make sure that this
doesn’t happen. So this way,
those funds will go towards
Hunger Not Impossible and we
will be able to feed some people,
and that will make me happy.
That’s my gift to me and a gift to
themselves.
For tickets, merchandise and
entertainment alerts go to:
OfficialDionneWarwick.com

HUGO
LIVING WITH HIV SINCE 1995
REAL BIKTARVY PATIENT
KEEP
CONNECTING.
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ABOUT BIKTARVY
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ZACH
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@ianmichaelinwonderland
An Audacious Autumn
BY IAN-MICHAEL BERGERON
Essays from a breakup
Read the rest of this series
on getoutmag.com.
Dictionary.com
Intermission: noun, a pause
or break (or weekend
getaway upstate).
I Am a Beautiful Butterfly
The morning of our trip, I
made the decision not to
go.
I could hear everyone in
the other room. It was 10
AM and I was still in bed.
Several times, I attempted
to text them that I wasn’t
going, but every time I
picked up my phone, I set
it down again.
In a way, the trip came at
the worst time. The reality
of my relationship ending
set in, and all I wanted was
to cocoon myself in my
best friend Jack’s Green
Lantern quilt, hoping to
emerge as a butterfly and
not a fatter caterpillar with
baby wings (like in A Bug’s
Life). In another way, this
trip came at the best time:
when I needed to force
myself to get out of bed,
whether I was ready to
fly like a butterfly or drag
myself along like a fat
caterpillar about to topple
a leaf.
“Someday, I will be a
beautiful butterfly, and then
everything will be better.” I
decided to get up and take
a shower.
Art for Art’s Sake
We made a pit stop at
Magazzino, an Italian art
museum in Cold Spring,
for Jack’s boyfriend Teddy,
who works at a gallery in
Chinatown.
There was a particular
piece I was drawn to, a
large muslin-like canvas
covered in writing. Closeup
it was just chicken
scratches, but from farther
away, it looked like dozens
of pages, lined out in
pencil directly on the
canvas, filled with writing.
Like a journal, I thought, or
maybe a manuscript.
I should be writing more.
Mystery of the Single
30-Something Gay
Before arriving at the
Airbnb in Saugerties, the
four of us stopped in town
for a little retail therapy.
I wandered into Pop
Vintage on Main Street,
knowing exactly what I
was looking for. When my
parents got divorced and
the weekend trade-offs
ensued, I was collecting
Hardy Boys books. Over
the next few years, I found
every single one of the
original blue-bound books,
some at flea markets with
my dad and some at used
bookstores with my mom.
They coordinated with
each other to make sure we
didn’t get any duplicates,
and to this day they are my
shining example of how a
breakup should go.
A year ago, I’d suggested
to my (now ex-) boyfriend
James that we do the
same with Nancy Drew.
The only rule: We couldn’t
buy online, we had to find
every last one in person at
hole-in-the-wall bookstores
and small-town markets.
Sure enough, the detective
in me found the yellowbound
clue easily: Number
31, The Ringmaster’s
Secret. I told the clerk the
story of my parents and
The Hardy Boys. “I started
collecting them with my
ex,” I told her, shrugging.
“But it was my idea.
The Hardy Boys are my
memory. So I’m going to
keep at it on my own.”
El Tango de Roxanne
When I first entered the
bedroom, I was surprised
at how big the bed was,
then remembered it was
meant for two.
I put Moulin Rouge on
my laptop and scrolled
through Instagram without
looking at any of the
images. I should download
Grindr, I thought,
immediately deciding
against it. I wonder if
James is on Grindr already,
I wondered. I was spiraling
fast.
I shifted my focus to the
musical at hand. Will I ever
find my Nicole Kidman?
Will we sing to each other
on a rooftop? (Will he die a
tragic death in my arms?)

I moved the pillows to the
middle of the bed. You’re
single now. Spread out.
When I woke up, I’d
shifted all the way to the
left side of the mattress
in my sleep, hugging a
pillow. “One day, I’ll fly
away, leave all this to
yesterday…”
The Road Also Traveled
Before everyone else
woke, I put on a pair of
shorts and went for a run.
this anymore.” She smiled.
“But this is nice.”
“It is.”
“I guess we’re always
changing.” I found that
comforting. Always
changing, always evolving.
Always finding ourselves.
Good Vibes Only
While searching for a cute
place in town to lunch, we
couldn’t help but notice
butterflies everywhere.
raspberry compote. Then
I had a bigger bite. Then
another.
I finished the whole
thing in five minutes flat,
realizing that it was the
first real thing I’d been
able to eat since the
breakup.
Alma Mater
We had started the trip
with a pit stop for Teddy,
so it was only fitting to
end that way as well.
Saugerties is beautiful,
each house unique and
bursting with personality.
Every person I passed
waved and said “Good
morning,” and I suddenly
felt like I was in Knoxville,
Iowa, where I grew up.
I caught my breath at a
stop sign. A spider had
woven an intricate web
between the sign and the
post, adding storybook
small-town charm. (I half
expected “Some Pig” to
be written in it, though I
would have taken offense.)
When I got back to the
house, my friend Mallory
was sitting on the front
porch. “It’s so weird doing
this,” she said.
“Doing what?” I asked,
sitting on the chair next
to her.
“Sitting on a front porch.”
She sipped her familiar
tea from an unfamiliar
cup. “Maybe it’s because I
had this life, when raising
the kids in Colorado. I
had the house and the
neighborhood and…”
“The front porch?”
“Yes. And when we
moved to New York, I was
so certain I didn’t want
Not actual butterflies--
metal ones, about the
size of watermelons,
displayed prominently on
each block. I took a closer
look at one. It turned out
they were for sale, each
painted and modified by
a different artist. This one
was purple with mosaicinspired
wings, a plaque
proclaiming the title
“Good Vibes.”
Good vibes.
I smiled and
hurried to
catch the
others a block
ahead of me.
For Crepe’s
Sake
We landed on
Ohana Café,
not because
Ohana means
family but
because they
had crepes.
I ordered a
“Crepe-ing
Me Crazy,”
their twist
on a Monte
Cristo. I had
one small
bite, tasting
ham and
turkey and
Swiss and
PHOTO BY STEVE BRENNAN
We parked the car and
walked around his alma
mater, Bard College.
While touring Blithewood
Garden, I found a small
caterpillar, fat and beige
and fuzzy, crawling along
the garden wall. Surely,
he’d be making a cocoon
soon. When he was ready.
We’re doing our best, I
thought. One leaf at a
time.
PHOTO CREDIT: STEVE BRENNAN

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ISSUE #474
COVER:
DIONNE WARWICK
PHOTO CREDIT:
DAVE VANCE
PUBLISHER MICHAEL TODD
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DESIGN AGOTA CORREA
AGOTA@GETOUTMAG.COM
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> BY JIMMY NEWSUM
BEAT BOX
WINTER’S HOTTEST TRACKS
Baby, it’s cold outside. Pack away
those summer jams for another day;
it’s officially time to chill to some
new beats. These songs are seasonappropriate
in the best way, from
lovesick ballads to all-night party jams.
Here are the sounds you should be
adding to your personal playlists right
now.
“Cry” - Faultlines
John Flanagan and Ashley Morgan are a
folk duo, but their latest single leans more
country than twang. Written by Flanagan and
Jeston Cade, the song shines the spotlight
on Ashley Morgan, who
flexes some serious
vocal chops. Some will
miss the harmonies that
make this duo so special,
but give the song a
chance. The raw quality
of Morgan
singing alone
without backup
makes perfect
sense for a
brooding song
that reflects on
memories of
a relationship
long gone.
“Give a F-ck” - John
Duff
There is no hidden
message in Duff’s R&B track.
Its opening lyric refers to his
desire for connection and his disdain for
masturbation. The piano intro is followed by
lush accompaniment, dramatic turnarounds,
and clever wordplay before escalating into
its soaring, octave-jumping climax. Written
by Duff and produced by Alex Delicata
(Rihanna), it’s his most Mariah Carey/
Babyface-inspired piece yet.
“Radio” - Kory Burns
Produced by Sean McMillion (Nicki Minaj)
and Carlos Battey (Grammy winner for
the David Guetta One Love Club Mix of
Madonna’s “Revolver”), the upbeat single
is reminiscent of 90’s smooth crooners who
were always inviting that special someone
home to put nothing on…but the radio. It’s
a fun and flirty track that celebrates being
single and doing what, when and who you
want.
“A Part of Me” - Yanni Burton
Yanni Burton turns the spotlight on his
own struggles of moving on from past
relationships in this dreamy and trippy single.
Though darker and more emotionally intense
than his previous releases, it still contains the
pop/dance feel the artist has become known
for. As heavy as the lyrics may seem, the beat
allows listeners to cut loose a bit.
“Disco Dance” - Guy Scheiman
Guy Scheiman delivers another hand-andarm-raising
track that urges listeners to
forget all the mess that has been brought
on by the pandemic.
It’s the perfect beat to
transport you back to
the dance floor while
you’re sweating alone
in your home gym.
“Ridin’ This Wave” -
N0t Listed
The love child
of La Bouche
and NSYNC,
this debut
single from
NYC’s hottest
new band is
a downcast,
electronic pop
song that flawlessly
combines R&B
vocals with fierce
house beats. About
the magic of instant
attraction, the
single is super dancey and 90’s poppy,
with a beat and hook all its own.
“Missing” - John Chandler
Each single on John Chandler’s new Running,
Missing, Changing, Growing EP tells a
unique story with sad but hopeful lyrics set to
piano, guitars, and minimal drums. “Missing”
chronicles the artist’s road to self-discovery,
where he questions if he is in a healthy
relationship, working the right job and living
in the ideal city. Produced by Joe Crow and
cowritten with American Idol finalist Brandon
Rogers, the emotionally charged track sets
Chandler on a journey that finds him making
some major life changes and in the process,
writing an incredible song.