Get Out! GAY Magazine – Issue 571

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BY JIM SILVESTRI OF THOTYSSEY.COM
Keeping It Classy (& Classical)
with Crystal Waters
The house music legend
teams up with the queen
of NYC nightlife to bring
us an evening of sonic
symphony splendor
INTERVIEW >>>
Hello, Crystal Waters. Thanks for
finding the time to chat with us. I
know this is a busy time! I don’t
know if you’re currently in the New
York /New Jersey area, but as of this
writing, it’s still quite warm in early
October. Do you long for sweater
weather, or do you like this overlong
summer?
Hi, how are you? I’m mainly on the east
coast. I like jacket weather, but I prefer
summer, hands down.
You’re very well known as a performer
for queer Pride events across the
globe! How did this summer go as
far as Pride shows went...and did you
notice a different energy in the air
with the current political climate?
The Pride shows went very well, always
fun as usual.There was a bittersweet
ending with Mariah Hanson’s last event
with the Dinah Shore party. I’ve been
doing this party for decades and was
honored that she chose me as the
entertainment for her final year with
the party. As for the political climate, I
didn’t notice a change of energy. What
I do notice when I travel is that despite
what you hear on the news, people are
out still having a good time just trying
to live their best lives.
What inspired you to start working
Pride events and collaborating with
queer artists? I remember seeing you
in the Wigstock documentary back
in the day and being shocked to see
a “mainstream” artist performing
with drag queens! Well, the Queer
community has had my back since
day one When my first song hit, it was
mainly queer parties that I performed
at. Mainstream events came later. The
dancer community took me in and a
drag queen taught me how to do my
makeup. Back then, most mainstream
artists didn’t want to be associated with
Pride events, but I loved it, and I still do.
Right now, I’m trying to finish up my
album so I’m constantly trying to find
time to do it. So it’s a back and forth for
me. It’s business, then music, then back
to business. I would love to spend more
time just being creative.
You have a very interesting story
because you come from a long line of
amazing artists. (Your great aunt Ethel
Waters was groundbreaking in music,
theater, film and TV, your father
was a jazz musician, and you were
an award-winning poet as a child...
but ultimately you went to school
for computer science!) Do you think
if you were a kid coming up today,
you’d end up creating your own
electronic music, lol?
Yes I do ! Oh how I wish I had a laptop
back then, lol. I used to spend hours in
my bedroom, listening to music, making
my own mixtapes. I’m sometimes
surprised that I didn’t become a DJ, but
I definitely would have created my own
electronic music.

And I understand you got your
start in music as a background
singer.What was that experience
like, and did you have an
understanding and appreciation
for house music from day one or
did that appreciation come more
gradually?
My first background singer
experience was for a South
African singer. I wasn’t very
familiar with that style of music,
but when I did it, the lightbulb
went off and I knew I wanted to
be an artist. Back then, it wasn’t
specifically called House music.
It was the music they played late
night in the club. I was familiar
with it, but it wasn’t until I met the
Basement Boys (the producers of
“Gypsy Woman”) that I got into it.
That’s when I started hanging out
in clubs in New York and I got it,
I loved it and I knew this was the
community I wanted to be a part
of. Please understand that House
music is more than just the music,
it’s a community full of love and
positivity.
Who were some of your
favorite musical artists growing
up, and did you have many “meet
your idols” moments over the
years as a performing artist?
Oh, my favorite was Michael
Jackson. Never met him, but I would
have probably fainted if I did. I
also loved Prince, Chaka Khan, Ella
Fitzgerald and Gil Scott-Heron.
“Gypsy Woman” was such
a masterpiece, and a really
unconventional dance track...it’s
an actual song based on a real
woman set to an amazing beat,
and it’s probably been sampled a
hundred times. What is it like to
have contributed to pop culture
and people’s enjoyment in such a
way?
It’s amazing! I thank God every day
for this song. I had no clue that this
song would still be so relevant all
these years.
“100% Pure Love” is my jam! I
remember watching people cut
up to that on the Dance floor!
Does it annoy you that folks
don’t generally go out and dance
the way they used to, being
preoccupied with their phones
or just very self-conscious about
looking crazy?
Yes, it does annoy me! I think they
are missing the whole point of
“dance music”. It’s supposed to
make you dance. The dance floor
should be a place where you can
let all your troubles go and just be
yourself. Let the music flow through
you, uplift and inspire you. Can’t
do that with a phone in your hand,
worried about your next instagram
post.

“Umm Bop” totally puts us
right back to the glory days
of House, but also feels fresh
and Very Necessary! It’s one
of many fantastic recent tracks
you recorded with Swedish
production duo ManyFew. How
did you all come together, and
what was that collaboration
like?
I met ManyFew thru my Apple
podcast “I AM HOUSE Radio”,
which is on 39 stations in 63
countries and can be heard on
SiriusXM Utopia, Saturdays at
7pm, Sunday & Thursdays at
8pm. I mainly play new House
vocal tracks. I’ve been doing this
show for five years and every
time these guys sent in songs,
I loved every one of them. So I
reached out to them and they
sent me several tracks. They are
very talented, great producers.
They saw my vision and
were a joy to work
with.
PHOTOGRAPHER: TAKAHIRO OGAWA
STYLIST: CARLOS ALONSO-PARADA
MAKEUP ARTIST: MARC CORNWALL
HAIR STYLIST: MARCO MARANGHELLO
When you’re not
working or performing,
do you still go out and
experience nightlife?
That’s a funny question. I spend
so much time in nightlife, I can’t
tell if I’m working or not, lol.
But I do go out after a show
if I know one of my friends is
Djing somewhere. Sometimes I’ll
sneak out on the dance floor.
When did you meet the
goddess of NYC nightlife,
Susanne Bartsch, and have you
worked with her often?
I’ve been trying to remember
if I ever met Susanne back
in the day, but as far as I can
remember, we just met back in
the spring of this year.

I’m really interested in this
upcoming collaboration you have
with her: I AM HOUSE live on the
Sony Hall stage in Hell’s Kitchen,
November 20th! You’re going to
be performing dance numbers, as
you often do...but accompanied
by a live orchestra! How did this
idea come about?
I’ve been doing performances
with orchestras in Europe for years
and I always said I want to do one
of these in New York with American
House artists. Europeans have been
doing orchestrated dance music
for decades and I can’t explain to
you how much fun, it’s so uplifting.
So when me and my team started
producing the event, we knew we
needed a premier promoter! That’s
when I had a meeting with Susanne
to see if she would join the project.
As if seeing you perform with an
orchestra wasn’t exciting enough,
you’ll be joined by fellow house
music legends Robin S., CeCe
Peniston, Blackbox, Inaya Day and
more. That is going to be a kiki
backstage, isn’t it?
Yes, it will be. We see each other
often, so it’s going to be a lot of
fun. I have to give big love and
thanks to each of the artists. I know
they all have busy schedules, but
when I asked them to be a part of
this, no one hesitated to say “yes”
and I thank them from the bottom
of my heart. Just a note: Inaya Day
is also a co-musical director of the
orchestration, along with Simon
Jay.
You’ve also been touring and
performing all year, and will
continue to do so ‘til it’s 2026
(and then some)! Local fans
can see you on the Dance Now
America Tour with a legendary
lineup, and November 1st they
can see you at Westbury Music
Fair’s Flagstar on another great
bill: the 14th annual Monsters
of Freestyle! Do you still enjoy
live performance as much as you
always have? And is the house
music community you came up
with very tight with each other...
Are you all on a text message
chain, lol?
Yes, I still love it, but I will tell
you as the end of the year comes
close, I looked forward to some
time off in January. Yes, we all have
each others’ numbers, singers and
the Dj’s. We all have no problem
reaching out to each other if there’s
ever a need.
I have 6000 more questions,
but you are a busy woman, so
I’d better stop myself! What
else is coming up for you, or is
there anything else you want to
mention or
discuss?
Thank you. Those were great
questions! Let’s see, I told you
about my IAMHOUSE Radio show.
My new album is coming next
year. I am planning on having more
IAMHouse Orchestrated events
in the future. I’m also planning an
IAMHOUSE DJ-fueled event at
Art Basel Miami December 4th at
1800Lucky and a documentary is on
the way. I have my fingers in a few
more creative events, but hopefully
we’ll talk again.
Finally: When you’re not touring
or making music or being with
family, do you binge-watch
anything fun on TV or streaming?
No, I stopped watching TV years
ago. If I watch something, it’s on
my laptop and it will probably be a
home improvement show.

>> INTERVIEW BY KARI KERNING & BRUME JESSA
PHOTO CREDIT: LEYDA LUZ
Miss Big Adam’s Apple
Comedy Queen
Brume: You’ve really created so much
during your reign. One of the reasons I
joined Miss Big Adam’s Apple this year
as co-producer is because of the unique
drag art that you see here. What is it
about this pageant that sets it apart from
other pageants? What made you want to
compete?
The NYC prelim to National
Comedy Queen is back Nov 9th,
honoring reigning queen Lori Lu
and welcoming a new group of
contestants vying for the crown. Copromotors
Kari Kerning and Brume
Jessa sat down with Lori Lu for a
conversation:
Kari: Lori, you’ve been such a great
representative for Miss Big Adam’s Apple
this year. Winning the NYC prelim, going
to the National pageant last March,
and encouraging so many talented
contestants to compete this year. How
has your reign been?
Lori: So I started looking because
my friends have done pageants and
I’ve seen their experience. But I found
out that a lot of these systems do not
accept AFAB (assigned female at birth)
performers. National Comedy Queen
is one of the few systems that actually
welcomes everyone. And I think that
was, like, pretty fucking amazing. I still
think there’s things to improve, but I feel
like National Comedy Queen is one of
the few pageants that is moving in the
right direction. I don’t care what’s in
between your legs, only if you’re doing
drag.
Lori: I mean, it’s been fantastic. It
validated and calmed down my imposter
syndrome. I love being creative and like
having a theme and a challenge, and it
has pushed me to create different things,
which I love. I also have met a lot of
other artists and I got to hone my craft.
That’s like really cool.

Kari: I’m really proud of that fact. It’s one of the
reasons I love being a promoter for this prelim.
Our system is by far the most inclusive national
pageant out there, and that inclusivity shows
every year in the strength of our contestants.
We attract so many unique perspectives on
what drag can be, and that’s what makes it so
special.
Kari: We’re keeping that in (laughing). The
perfect Comedy Queen answer: thoughtful,
smart and with a burp at the end!
Brume: What advice do you have for the new
comedy queen contestants this year?
Lori: As cliched as it sounds, the best thing to
do is just follow your intuition. Be authentically
you, unapologetically you, and do what you do
because no one’s’s gonna do it like that.. Like,
this...We need to stop glorifying microwave
drag.
Kari: AGREE! Drag with a perspective! It’s
what we need more of.
Brume: That’s where great comedy comes
from! Unique perspectives and original
performances. What are your inspirations for
your drag and your comedy, Lori?
Lori: I’m a drag orphan, but in my delusion,
I feel like Divine is my drag mom and John
Waters is my drag father. Divine taught me to
be unhinged. And Bugs Bunny, who taught me
comedy timing and was the first drag queen I
ever encountered. There’s also Juan Gabriel,
a queer Icon in Mexico. And Astrid Hadad, a
Mexican diva as well.
Brume: One of the best parts of your MBAA
win was the way you included your Mexican
identity into your pageant package.
Lori: The best comedy comes from truth.
My drag is about reclaiming these things. I
mean, it’s very obvious you can hear it with
my accent that I am a Mexican immigrant. And
unfortunately, America has never been a very
nice neighbor. They love the culture, but hate
my people. Crazy. Crazy. So my drag is about
reclaiming my Mexican identity and celebrating
it. If I can make it, like, funny and people can
relate, that could be amazing, you know?
Brume: That sounds like a campaign slogan.
I’d vote for you! Okay, that segues perfectly
into the last question. Lori, if you were the
President of Drag, what would your first
executive order be?
Lori: Funny answer? It will be illegal to go
outside having fucking breakfast in your face.
No more oatmeal eyebrows! Mandatory master
class on how to cover your fucking eyebrows
or just fucking shave them! Oh, my God.
Okay, non-funny answer? I want healthcare for
everyone.
Kari: Lori, you are leaving some really big
shoes to fill after this year. You’ve elevated this
prelim so much. What an incredible reign. And
these girls really gotta work fucking hard to
follow you up!
Brume: We’re excited to celebrate with you,
Lori, and watch the new girls compete for the
crown. We will see you all Sunday, November
9th at Industry Bar!
Drag is my therapy and truthful drag is
important. Wait… (Pause)... I was burping.

week in pictures >> BY WILSONMODELS / wilsonmodels.blogspot.com
NEWFEST OPENING NIGHT AT SLATE

week in pictures >> BY WILSONMODELS / wilsonmodels.blogspot.com
NEWFEST OPENING NIGHT AT SLATE

BY EILEEN SHAPIRO
CELEBRITY CORRESPONDENT
Melba Moore
A Life of Triumphs, Truths and Timeless Grace
In a world where legends
are often defined by their
accolades, Melba Moore
stands apart for her courage
to reveal the woman behind
the voice. From her early days
teaching in Newark to the
bright lights of Broadway and
the stages of the world, Melba
has lived many lives—each
one marked by reinvention,
faith and fierce perseverance.
Now, as she turns a new page
with the release of her longawaited
memoir, she invites
us to witness not just her
triumphs, but her humanity.
With honesty and grace, Melba
reflects on a journey that has
taken her from tqhe classroom
to the concert hall, from
heartbreak to the Hollywood
Walk of Fame. Guided by
wisdom, resilience, and an
unshakable belief in divine
timing, she shares how every
setback became a stepping
stone. Her words are not
simply a recollection—they are
a revelation.
In conversation, Melba radiates both
strength and humility. She speaks
of faith and friendship, of mentors
and music, of the delicate balance
between the public persona and
the private woman. Through it all,
she remains deeply committed to
inspiring others to rise, to try, and to
rediscover their own voices.
As she says, “The story of my life is
reinventing, backing up, and starting
over again.” With this book, Melba
Moore proves that her greatest
performance has always been the
one called life.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ESKINE ISAAC/I-VISION PHOTO AND THE GALLERY ENTERTAINMENT

What inspired you to write
this book now, at this point
in your remarkable journey?
My daughter told me it was
time I had a book. That
everybody in my age category
had one. I asked her where
to start. She spearheaded it.
She found the ghost writer.
They actually help you write
and outline it. We assumed it
would be an autobiography.
Because that’s all you hear
about. And if you’re not
experienced, that’s where
you start. But Kevin told us
that would take a long time.
He suggested we start with
something a little narrower.
And so we did the memoirs.
When you look back on
your early years in music
and Broadway, what
moments still feel the most
alive to you as you were
writing?
The beginning. How I got
into it in the first place.
Because my first job was in a
public school as a teacher in
Newark, New Jersey. Which
is a far stretch from broadway.
That was the first thing that
impressed me. How things
actually happened. Looking
back on it, tens of thousands
have seen me publicly but
they don’t know you. They
only know the part that is
finished and polished, well
rehearsed and well-dressed.
So no one knew that I was
so smart and I planned this
all out. But the story is that it
didn’t quite happen that way.
Your story is filled with both
triumph and challenge—
how did revisiting those
experiences on the page
affect you emotionally?
It was more than emotionally.
It involved other people. If
I’m just talking about what
happened to me but nothing
happened in the background,
now the good thing is fine you
can mention everybody. You
can name drop. But when
some of the things are kind
of negative you have to be
careful what you say because
you could hurt other people.
That has been the greatest
challenge. Because there
were a lot of downfalls that
I had to recover from. But
that is what makes a story
interesting and of course
a memoir interesting. The
triumphs, we broadcast
those. But the downfalls are
not all known and you can’t
tell them all. I want to say
something for the biography,
it involves other people and
it’s not meant to hurt anyone.
It’s not a tell all kind of book.
Downfalls and Triumphs, How
You Got Up. It’s my story. I
don’t want to inadvertently tell
somebody else’s story.
Was there a particular
chapter or memory that was
hardest to write, yet most
important for you to share?
Kind of like where I am
today. I have a great deal of
triumphs to share. I just got on
the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
I get paid attention to because
I was very instrumental in
getting the Negro National into
the Congressional Record.
But some of the downfalls
are still kind of affecting me.
I can’t really talk about them.
But those are the greatest
challenges. They affect you
emotionally too because they
involve things that were very
devastating and hurtful. In
some cases people lost their
wives. So it is a very serious
matter to consider about how
you culminate the book and
let you know there’s more to
come first of all. I’m not trying
to tell you the whole story.
Because if I don’t say that
people will assume -well what
happened here? I hope we
ask the right questions about
what’s happening next. But
also there are some things
that are public knowledge that
I’m not talking about. Some
people will say she’s not
telling the whole story, and no
I’m not telling the whole story.
You’ve broken barriers
as a woman of color in
entertainment—what
message do you hope
younger generations will
take from your story?
Try hard even though you’re
scared. Even though you may
not have what people say are
all the requirements to have
success. Try to investigate
what it is you want to do and
try to get some good counsel.
But I would say try. You never
know. Sometimes things
happen in ways we can’t
anticipate.
How does writing a book
compare to performing
on stage—does it offer a
similar sense of connection
or release?
It is very different. You
know why it’s very different,
because I haven’t really had
the experience of facing
people that have read this
book yet. That is going to
be more comparable to
performing on the stage. On
stage you rehearse. You got a
concept. All these processes
you may try to piece out to get
a feel of what it is going to be.
But I don’t have that here.

I think that’s going to be the
telltale. When you’re standing
in front of people you can
have a whole reaction from
them. I had that experience
with a song that I absolutely
adore. I stood up in front of
some people that absolutely
adored it. Then I realized
there’s some other things that
somebody else has recorded
that is going to be compared
to you. They have another
whole story to bring behind it.
There is so much more than
just how do you feel about it.
You’re only half of the story
and then there’s the people’s
response. I believe it’s going
to be successful because my
career has been successful.
And people want to know
about it. But as to actually how
they’re going to respond to
the book, I believe it’s going to
be positive. But you just don’t
know.
Many of your fans have
followed you through every
phase of your career. What
new truths or surprises will
they discover about Melba
Moore in this book?
Absolutely. I think that is
why the book is going to be
successful. People are going
to assume that they knew but
realize they thought they knew
but they really didn’t know. I
think that’s
going to be
the success of
this book. You
thought one
way, or you
assumed this
or I gave you
part of it but
you had no
idea the other
part was so
surprising.
Faith,
perseverance and
reinvention seem to define
much of your journey—how
have those themes shaped
not just your life, but your
voice as a storyteller?
Well, you know you can’t really
separate them. You don’t
have a story to tell unless
you live a life. The story of
my life is reinventing, backing
up and starting over again.
Persevering. That is the story
of my life.
If you could have one
reader—past, present or
future—discover your book,
who would it be and what
would you want them to feel
when they close the final
page?
Oh, it would be a couple of
people. It would be someone
like Dr. Cissy Houston. It would
be Pastor Shirley Caesar.
And I’ll tell you why. Because
when I was having some
really, really difficult moments
and there was no one that I
could really share that with, I
spent private moments with
them. They shared with me the
wisdom and difficulties they
went through. They actually
work together. Pastor Shirley,
she’s in gospel music. We
were at the Oprah big party
and she asked me who that
was over there? And I said
that’s Mary J Blige. Pastor
Shirley is at the top of gospel.
She’s a woman of God. She’s
really important to me. We
are personal friends. Just by
nature of her work, she doesn’t
have anything to do with
people she calls seculars. So I
will want her to read my book.
Because she would be really
proud of me as a woman of
God. She is a person I kind of
have as an idol.
After completing this deeply
personal project, how do
you see your legacy today—
and what’s next for Melba
Moore, the woman beyond
the legend?
Well, it’s deeply private and
personal. Not a secret but I’ve
wanted to touch people. With
things they don’t talk about.
Not that they’re ashamed,
necessarily. They could be.
I want people to look at their
inner selves and see who
they are. We have so much
interplay, which is good. But
at certain points, you need to
be on your own or you don’t
know who you are. You get
measured with everybody else
and you lose your identity. I
want them to take a similar
journey that I am taking. See
who they are. They are going
to find out that they’re great
people.

Here’s to the ladies who
Drag Brunch
HOSTED BY
Fonda Koxx & Freeda Kulo
ON SATURDAYS ON SUNDAYS
Seatings at
1:00 PM & 3:30 PM
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$30 minimum consumption of food & drinks per person
34-10 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103 (917) 231- 1932

ISSUE #571
COVER
CRYSTAL
WATERS
PHOTOGRAPHED BY
TAKAHIRO OGAWA
PUBLISHER MICHAEL TODD
MIKE@GETOUTMAG.COM
DESIGN AND WEBSITE AGOTA CORREA
AGOTA@GETOUTMAG.COM
CELEBRITY INTERVIEWER EILEEN SHAPIRO
@EILEENSHAPIRO3
CONTRIBUTORS WILSONMODELS, JIM
SILVESTRI, & OTHERS TITLED WITHIN.
MJT / Gooth Entertainment, LLC is a free publication designed to promote
events, individuals and venues. in and around the LGBTQ+ community.
All content - including but not limited to photographs, interviews, articles and
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photos / GET OUT! MAGAZINE >> GETOUTMAG.COM
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PHOTOS BY BILLY HESS

week in pictures >> BY MIKE TODD
DUA LIPA

week in pictures >> BY MIKE TODD
DUA LIPA

PUERTO VALLARTA
POOLSIDE GLAMOUR
& BRUNCHTIME DRAMA
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