Wilton Manors and elegant parties might sound anachronistic to some, but the organizations that hosted the Stonewall party at The Manor last Friday could be on the path to changing this precept. The pre-Stonewall event, which featured many glitterati from Broward County, was held in the newly-christened Crystal Ballroom at The Manor. Guests were first received at the event in a small ground-floor bar, before a larger second-floor bar was eventually opened. However, it wasn’t apparent that both of these bars were connected to the much-larger Crystal Ballroom until two employees dramatically and rapidly pulled back blackout curtains mid-way through the event, revealing that guests on the second-floor bar were actually standing on the balcony of the Crystal Ballroom the entire time. The event was hosted by grand marshal Chuck Panozzo, and featured drag performer, Monet X Change. It went from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and it was co-hosted by Stonewall National Museum and Archives, Island City Stage, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida.
Baked by blistering temperatures, which were possibly the hottest the event has ever seen, the Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade and Festival happened last Saturday. The event saw a reduced vendor area as well, with—to some people’s chagrin—an entry fee of $5. Nevertheless, it was well-attended. Unlike other years, the event didn’t have any official entertainment. However, local drag performer Misty Eyez hosted a show on a stage that was in between Southern Nights and The Pub, and Crystal Waters, a.k.a. the “Queen of House,” performed at Hunters. Several other clubs also had stages set up near their venues, including a pulsing DJ set at The Manor. This was the 19thyear for the Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade and Festival. The grand marshal was local resident and Styx bassist, Chuck Panozzo.
As she and her merry band of gospel singers are about to debut their long-running gospel show at The Pub, Lady Fancy discusses her tireless work ethic, including working right up to the lunch of her own funeral
Where did you grow up? In Indiana. How long have you lived in South Florida? For 17 years. Why did you move here? For the weather, but mostly because South Florida is such a gay-friendly place. What part of South Florida do you live in? In Oakland Park. What do you like most about living here? The winters. If you’ve ever lived in Indiana, you could relate (laughs). What South Florida venue do you miss that’s gone, and why? Costello’s (it was called the Gin Mill when we first moved here). It was small, nice and we made a lot of friends there. Where do you hang out in South Florida? We’re pretty much home bodies now, but it looks like I’ll be hanging out at The Pub a lot more often.
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The Happy Goodman Family, is a Southern gospel group that was founded in the 1940s by Howard “Happy” Goodman and performed together for several decades. The Happy Goodmans achieved significant popularity in the 1960s. In 1968, they won the first Grammy Award to be awarded for a gospel album by a gospel group.
What’s your claim-to-fame? I guess that would have to be The Gospel Jubilee Show. How did you come up with your name? I was given that name because of Nancy Ross. We were getting ready to do our first show, and I didn’t have a name yet. So someone said, “Nancy and Fancy,” but I don’t remember who stuck the “Lady” part in front of it. What was your first gig, ever? It was in Bob (Nancy Ross) and Paul’s back yard. What was your first gig in South Florida? It was at Monkey Business Bar. What’s the strangest thing that’s happened to you onstage? I took one step too far to the right once, and I fell of the stage. Talk about humbling.
If you could only do one anymore—play the piano or MC—which would you choose, and why? That would have to be, play the piano. It’s always been my favorite thing to do. Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now? I don’t have an “old job.” I’ve been a hairdresser since I was 17. It’s been a long time (laughs). Will you ever retire? My standard answer to that is that I’ll be working up until the lunch of my funeral. What celebrity did you act like a “fan” around? Liza Minnelli. What’s the best place that you’ve visited, and why? New York City, because Ron and I got married there. It’s just a wonderful, exciting and magical place.
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What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older? To forgive and forget. Life is too short to hang on to so much stuff that is over and done with. What’s your best characteristic? My sense of humor. At least I think so, but I may be the only one. How do you enjoy spending your time? With my husband and our dogs. What celebrity do you have a crush on? There are too many to name. If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be, and why? I’d bring back my best friend, Denise. She was a drag queen trapped in a woman’s body. We could finish each other’s sentences. Where would you go in a time machine, and why? I’d go to the 1940s because of the music, the clothes and the cars.
What would your last meal be? That’s easy—pizza! What do you worry about? Being left alone after you’ve lost a partner. If you were a musical instrument, what would you be, and why? The piano, just because it’s my favorite. Are you more like a sheep or a wolf? A sheep. Who are you closest with? Ron, my husband. What would your autobiography be called? Oh What a Journey. What music do you listen to when you’re upset? Gospel music. What’s on your bucket list? To have my face pulled back up to where it used to be (laughs). What’s something that you never told anyone else? Well I certainly can’t tell it now in this interview (laughs). Where can we see you? At The Pub!
Six-time Tony-winner Audra McDonald displayed her vocal abilities and charm in Fort Lauderdale last Wednesday
SHADE-O-METER RATING
5 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “10s ACROSS THE BOARD – LEGENDARY STATUS”
Who’s Audra McDonald? She’s an actress and a singer. At six Tony Awards, she’s won more of them than anyone other performer, and she’s the only performer to have won in all four acting categories. What’s the Au-Rene Theater? It’s the main theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. It holds about 2,600 people, and it has three levels. How was the venue? Elegant. How was the parking? They have valet, or you can park in the garage for $12. The garage is about a block away.
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Sing Happy features many songs that are either new to McDonald’s repertoire, or have never before been recorded by her, such as “I Am What I Am” from La Cage aux Folles, “Vanilla Ice Cream” from She Loves Me, and “Children Will Listen” from Into The Woods. The CD also offers a sneak peek at the repertoire she’s performing on her North American concert tour.
Does the venue serve liquor? Yes, and there are multiple bars (guess they must want people drunk). We got one double chardonnay for $19. How were the drinks? There was nothing special about it. Does the venue serve food? They have some snacks. How was the food? We didn’t get any. Where were the seats? At the back of the orchestra. Was the show sold out? It was about two-thirds full. Was there an opening act? No.
How was the concert? A representative from the venue gave a short speech about upcoming shows, and then the concert began when a trio of musicians (a pianist, a drummer, and a bassist) came out, followed by McDonald a moment later. McDonald walked onto the stage without fan fair, and then immediately launching into her first number, “When Did I Fall in Love,” from Fiorello!. As this was a rescheduled concert from March, one of the first things that McDonald said when she spoke was to apologize for the delay, explaining how she loves her kids, but she doesn’t love their germs. “You wouldn’t have wanted to hear me then, because I would have sounded like Bea Arthur. But that’s not a criticism of Bea Arthur, because I love her.” For those who were not familiar with McDonald’s personality, and, in direct contract to the loftiness of her voice, she had a surprisingly homespun charm about her. She also joked and laughed about how her recent concert in Los Angeles was rainy, and how “the clouds have followed her” to Fort Lauderdale. But enough talk about her personality; let’s get into the music. It would be a mistake to interpret McDonald’s undramatic entrance as symbolic of a concert where the audience heard something that was anything less than extraordinary. The concert was primarily composed of musical theater standards such as “Summertime,” “I Could Have Danced All Night,” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.” McDonald also showcased new composers with Jason Robert Brown’s “Stars and the Moon,” amusingly prefaced with, “I think that we need to nurture new composers so that I still have a job.” As McDonald would appear to be the vocal heir-apparent to Barbara Cook, it was no surprise that Cook’s legacy figured prominently in the concert: “She was my mentor. I learned so much watching and performing with her.” McDonald sung several numbers that Cook was known for, including the difficult, “Vanilla Ice Cream” (and if there were one number that got the loudest applause, this was it). It was also obvious that McDonald inherited Cook’s humbleness and wit with the anecdote, “Kids, they keep you grounded. When I called my oldest daughter after The Sound of Music Live!to see what she thought of it, she responded, ‘Mommy, where are the dryer sheets?’ So that was my review.” But what also makes McDonald so great is her vocal versatility, and she showed off her talent in jazz with “Cornet Man” from Funny Girl. And in the vein of that tradition of jazz and big bands, the encore for the evening was not a soprano classic but “Over The Rainbow,” which she dedicated to “Miss Judy Garland.”
How was the crowd? Mostly middle-aged. What could have improved the concert? Given that most middle-aged people are not as enthusiastic as, lets say, a pack of teenage Shawn Mendes fans, the concert would have probably been more exciting if it was sold out and in a smaller venue. Regarding the venue, it has too many ushers—they’re mulling about all over the place. For, example, when I went to use the restroom halfway through the show (there was no intermission), I was faced with a line of about 20 seated ushers, and they all turned their heads towards me in unison, a la the TheStepford Wives, to see what I was up to. My only critique about McDonald herself is that I would have liked to of heard at least one number from Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. Given her notoriety in the show, It was a bit disappointed that she didn’t do any numbers from it. But a review can’t be based on what was omitted but what was presented. And in that regard, McDonald’s voice sparkled to such a degree that she really is second-to-none.
What was surprising about the show? It was hysterical and slightly shocking to hear McDonald cover the Kate Miller-Heidke song, “Are You Fucking Kidding Me? (The Facebook Song).” When McDonald operatically enunciate the lyrics, “And so you want to be my friend on Facebook? Oh you fucking, fucking fuck. Click, ignore,” one knew that he or she wasn’t in Kansas anymore.
5 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “10s ACROSS THE BOARD – LEGENDARY STATUS”
What is Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen? It’s a seafood restaurant in Key Largo. There are two locations, but both of them are on US 1. The original location is on the southbound side of US 1, and the second one is on the northbound side. According to restaurant’s website, the original location is the longest-running restaurant in Key Largo.
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Was there an age restriction? No. Would you really expect Mrs. Mac to dare discriminate against children? What time did we go? At about 1:00 p.m. How was the maître d’? Pleasant. What was the décor like? Nautical-inspired, but with a flair of island artistry.
What was the seating like? They had a fair amount of counter seating. However, most of the seating was tables and booths. What was the atmosphere like? Low-key (no pun intended). What was the crowd like? Who knows what they’re like at night, but at this time of the day, people were there to dine, not to socialize.
How was the cruising? In this area, the only cruising that can be found is the kind that a boat does when it’s in the water. When’s happy hour? They don’t have one. What libations were ordered? Two “House Specialty” drinks. A Bloody “Mac” Mary for $7.50, and a “Macs” Muddled Margarita for $6.50.
Were they served timely? Yes. How were the drinks? The bloody Mary had a celery-salted rim. The margarita was muddled with lemon, lime and orange. They were both pretty good, but neither was excellent. Of the two, the bloody Mary was better.
What was ordered? A cup of Award-Winning Conch Chowder (it came with the entre for $2 more), a bowl of World-Famous Homemade Chili for $5.99, Caribbean-Style Grilled Crab Cakes for $12.99, A Fresh Fish of the Day for $12.99, a Seafood Pasta for $18.99, and a slice of Famous Key Lime Pie for $4.99. Was the food served timely? Yes.
How was the food? The conch chowder was superb and earned its title as “award winning,” spicy and with an aroma of fresh oregano. It was also served with sherry on the side. The chili was also excellent, thick and zingy, but it was a notch below the conch. The crab cakes were made of blue crab that came from a fishing pier that’s right around the corner from the restaurant, and I defy anyone to find crab cakes that have less filling than these ones did (everyone knows how restaurants love to pad them out with filling). The honey-mustard aioli that was served on top of them was excellent as well. The only comment is that the crust on the outside of the crab cakes could have been a bit crispier. The “fresh catch” entre, which is served how you like it (I opted for “blackened), was off-the-boat fresh. With fish of this quality—flounder, I believe—there was no need to pretty it up with a bunch of seasoning. It speaks for itself. The tartar sauce that is came with was also exceptional. Regarding the seafood pasta, the sherry-tinged alfredo sauce was decadent and delicious, and the copious amounts of seafood in it were cooked to perfection. As if all this wasn’t enough, the server said that the Key lime pie was the best he ever had (a woman comes into the restaurant every night and makes 70 of them). With a perfect amalgamate of ingredients, the pie itself was great, but the Cool Whip on top of it must be replaced with real whipped cream.
How was the service? Excellent. And the servers are locals, so they’ll chat with you, if you get them going. What stands out about the restaurant? The quality of the food! What could be improved? Other than that the drinks could be better, and the minor comments about the food, hardly any improvement is needed.
What was surprising? Although not quite surprising, it was certainly interesting to hear the server reminisce that his family would vacation in Key Largo every year, and his mother would “smuggle” 20 lbs. of blue crab back to Buffalo and ration it over the year.
Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen is located at 99020 Overseas Hwy., in Key Largo, Florida. They’re open from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. They’re closed on Sunday.
Shania Twain gave a rousing performance in Fort Lauderdale on June 1 in her Shania Now Tour. But the tour name is apropos if this is her last foray on the road, as she’s threatened.
SHADE-O-METER RATING
5 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “10s ACROSS THE BOARD – LEGENDARY STATUS”
Who’s Shania Twain? She’s a cross-over country/pop star, who’s one of the best-selling female country artists—if not the best-selling female artist—of all time. She’s also one of the best-selling female music artists of all-time.
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Now, the first studio album for Shania in nearly 15 years, releases on September 29th. The new album offered as both a 16-track deluxe and a 12-track standard album, both feature Shania s current single, “Life’s About To Get Good,” playing on country radio now. All songs on Now were written solely by Shania, who also served as co-producer on the project.
How was the venue? It’s a nice venue. The staff is certainly more friendly at the BB&T than they are at, for example, the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts (one can encounter cranky ushers there). How was the parking? They have ample parking. The cost was included with the ticket.
Does the venue serve liquor? Yes. How were the drinks? A double whiskey was $19, and a double wine (which was really more like a triple) was $20. The drinks were fine. Does the venue serve food? Yes. How was the food? We didn’t get any.
How much were the tickets? $115. Where were the seats? On the first level and directly on the side. Was the show sold out? It was about three-fourth fill. Who was the opening act? Bastian Baker. How was the opening act? We didn’t see him during his solo set, but he did a duet with Twain during her set.
How was the show? It was apparent from the first moment that she was on the stage that there’s no one who’s more comfortable on the stage, or loves entertaining, more than Shania Twain. Although certainly not a novelty—but nevertheless, impactful—Twain opened the show by walking through the crowd, starting on the opposite end of the stage, before making her way to it. Twain then launched into a two-hour set, where she fluctuated through hits and lesser-known songs, which also featured an economy of performers, where they served different functions—sometime as an instrumentalist, sometimes as a dancer, and sometimes as a backup singer—in different numbers. Regarding the visual element, the show could have rivaled Cirque du Soleil in set changes, a proliferation of costumes, and theatrics. However, unlike some stars, where theatricality is strategically calculated to detract from the performer’s lack of aptitude, this was not the case with Twain—she’s the real deal. Twain also did a fair amount of chit chating, which, at times, bordered on rambling. In the hands of a less-skilled performer, it might have been irritating, but with Twain, it was actually endearing. Towards the end of the show, a la Cher in her last tour, Twain flew over the audience on a guitar case, but she actually one-upped Madam “Half-Breed” when she not only sung but accompanied herself on the guitar during the flight. Twain performed “Rock This Country” and the requisite “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” for her encore, before she was consumed by a snowstorm of confetti. And then, she was no more.
How was the crowd? Composed of more woman than men, and with a fair representation of the LGBT community. Strangely—and, I suppose, lazily—the crowd didn’t give as much as they took.
What could have improved the show? I would have said that the dancers should have done same-sex dancing, but there was no couple’s dancing of any sort, either gay or straight. The set design could have been a tad more varied.
What was surprising about the show? Although Twain was recently a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and her image is certainly consistent as a LGBT ally, Twain still is a country star. And we all know that things are not as liberal in the country scene as they are in, for example, the world of pop music. Considering this, it was commendable that Twain subtly, but frequently, advocated the LBGT community with comments such as, “Things are getting better all the time,” “I love men” [with an obvious nod to gay men in the audience], and, the more flagrant, this song is “dedicated to guys who like men.”
Ladies and gentlemen, meet your grand marshal for Stonewall 2018—LGBT activist, local resident, and founding-member of Styx, Chuck Panozzo.
How long have you lived in South Florida? For 12 years. Why did you move here? I moved to Miami first. I had a friend that lived there. I lived in Miami for five years. I wanted to buy a house, and I wanted to be near the gay community, so I choose Wilton Manors. What part of South Florida do you live in? In Wilton Manors. What do you like most about living here? I know it’s a rainy day today, but, besides that, it’s an easy lifestyle here. The traffic is never a problem—you can get around. Also, the conveniences are close—it’s a walkable town. What South Florida venue do you miss that’s gone? There was something called the Davie Casino in Davie, but I don’t think that’s it’s around anymore. We played there a few times. It was a good venue. I’m also glad to see that Tropics is opening up again. Where do you hang out in South Florida, and why? In my house (laughs). I think that there’s a certain time in your life when you just say, enough is enough. When I go out now, I say to myself, “why does everyone look like my nephew, and why do I look like everyone’s father?” We used to say that a good test was, “Would my parents be here?” But then again, they never went anywhere. Also, if you’re looking for romance, you’re not gonna find it in the bars. If you want to find the drunk of your dreams, go to a bar (laughs).
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Styx’s fans will enjoy Panozzo’s detailed look at the band’s internal conflicts, but the heart of Panozzo’s autobiography is a sensitive and insightful look at “one gay man’s struggle to come to terms with himself” while performing in a rock world where “the things that would make the other guys laugh—a female fan lifting up her skirt, a pair of panties thrown on stage—just didn’t do it” for him.
What was your recent performance in Key West like? It was raining in the morning, and then it was cloudy in the afternoon, but the evening was great. But we play rain or shine, regardless. We were coming straight from a gig in Orlando, and the tour bus didn’t get to Key West until 6:00 a.m., so that part was hard. But they were so gracious to have us there that it made all worth it. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it’s important for a major act to play in an area that’s been negatively impacted by a hurricane. Maybe we didn’t bring a lot of awareness to Key West itself, but probably to the smaller neighboring islands. How did you get involved with the Stonewall Festival? Well, I feel strongly about Stonewall and how that event changed our lives. I remember when it first happened, but I educated myself about it more by reading about it. As far as the festival goes, it’s an honor to be asked to be the grand marshal for it, so I made it happen. I’m leaving the tour two days early, and they’ll have a replacement for me (they had to do this for some of my illnesses as well). I feel that the Stonewall Festival is an important event, so we need to do things as a community to keep getting the message out there. After all, we all want the same things in life. A better life, to live in peace, and to enjoy ourselves, so that message needs to be reiterated, because it seems like some are trying to take it away from us.
How will you celebrate after the parade? I’ll probably be asleep (laughs). I’ll be coming off a three-week tour, and I’m flying in on Friday so I can make it to the pre-Stonewall event at The Manor on Friday. If you had to pick one of your songs to be included in a welcome package for aliens, what one would you choose? “Come Sail Away.” And sometimes I dedicate the angels part of the song to people who are in trouble. But, speaking of inviting aliens to earth, we better be careful what we wish for. Assuming that they’re even physical, who knows what me might get? They might have some pathogen that could wipe us all out. What do you attribute Styx’s longevity to? If anything, I think that Styx has survived because we’ve been able to evolve after every tour. But rock and roll has become generational. Everyone knows Elvis, but when you say Guy Lombardo, they say, “Who?” Many bands are only around for five years, but we’ve been around for the 70s, the 80s, the 90, the 2000s, and now this decade. That’s five decades, but I’m just glad that we’ve been able to do it. And after all that, we’re still learning as a band.
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The Mission is a thrilling return to Styx’s progressive roots, across 14 tracks. With a sound as big as a galaxy, and two years in the making, it embodies a throw-back progressive-rock feel. Recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, The Mission, which is Styx’s first album in 14 years, comes complete in a true hi-fidelity analog recording and mixed with a larger than life sound.
What’s touring like? The traveling is a nightmare. The show is the easy part. If it wasn’t for the show, I would never do it! What’s are your future plans with Styx? To live to 75 (laughs). If I make it to 75, Styx will have been together for 50 years! I always joke that I’ll live until 75, just so that I can reach that goal with Styx, and then I’ll drop dead an hour later. What award do you cherish the most, and why? Every year I get invited to speak to a gay youth group in Canada, and they named the award after me. I said to them, “I thought you had to be dead for that to happen?” (laughs). But seriously, it really is a great honor to be able to help people. For them to see someone who’s gone through the same things that they’ve gone through tell them, “don’t give up hope. It will be okay.” A lot of it is overcoming the negative things that we learned in our youth. If you wrote a sequel to your book, what would it be called? Maybe Touring 101? But I might just publish something like that online. It might just be my own personal travelogue. I go to so many places. Other than your bandmates, what musician do you admire, and why? The one who impressed me the most was Barbara Streisand. Oh, Bette Midler, as well. I talked with her for quite a while, and she’s so down to earth. It’s funny but the ones who you think are gonna be the biggest snobs end up being great.
Who would play you in a movie? Anyone but Scott Baio. What kind of music do you listen to that might surprise someone? I like classical music a lot. What dead musician would you like to have lunch with, and why? I might pick my dead brother. What’s the best concert you ever went to? I saw Boy George recently, and he was really good. Sometimes, when they’ve been gone for so long, you don’t know how they’re going to be. But he didn’t disappoint. What gay activist do you admire? I’m from the Harvey Milk generation, so I would say him. I was at bars with him as well. How would you like to be remembered? I want to leave two marks: I’d like to leave one for my music, and one for my gay life. But I never thought that in a million years that I’d still be performing after all these years. Look at me—I’m a gay man living the American dream. And if I can do it, you can do it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it, or that you have to be lucky, or that you have to be in the right place at the right time. That’s all nonsense. If you keep plugging away, your dreams will come true. Will you ever retire? No. I told someone once, “the person who leaves their own band, a band that they helped form, is an idiot.” As long as I can keep doing it, physically, I’ll keep doing it. Even if you have a chronic condition, you can manage it and still work. What am I gonna do? Stay at home and watch TV? I wanna be the rock star on TV, not the one at home watching them on TV.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WARING ABBOTT
What’s the weirdest question that a fan has asked? I was talking with a fan once. He left after the conversation was over, but then he came back to me. He started talking with me again, but this time, he thought that I was my brother John, who had already died! I guess he didn’t know that John had died. He said, “Don’t you have a twin brother?” What celebrity did you act like a “fan” around? Barbara Streisand. What’sthe lastthing that you watched on TV? Judge Judy, just this morning, at 6:30 a.m. What’s the craziest thing that you ever did? A few years ago we took my nephew to an amusement park and we went on all those roller coasters. What’s your favorite book? How about, “what’s my favorite magazine?” (laughs). I try to read something light when I’m on these airplanes. I’ll flip through the magazines that are on them. But I do try to get as much information from as many sources as I can. I also read The Wall Street Journal every day. What’s the last thing that you looked at online? My email. Do you like Facebook? Not really. All they seem to do is argue on there. They’re arguing with each other, about politics and other things, but they’re not really hearing each other. At first, I thought that social media was going to bring us closer together, but I think that it’s made things worse.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WARING ABBOTT
What’s the best place that you’ve visited, and why? I’m looking forward to going back to Quebec, San Francisco and Denver. You look forward to seeing your fans in all of the various cities, but in these cities, particularly. It’s funny, but people remember the last time that they saw you perform. They remember the exact time and place—they keep it in their consciousness. It’s amazing to me, and it means more to me than everything. What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older? That you shouldn’t let the government, your religion or your family stop you from your dreams, because if you listen to them, you might give up. What did you learn from your parents? Hard work and love. When my father got cancer, I went through all the histrionics with God, such as, “Take me instead.” He died when he was only 56, so I didn’t get to spend as much time with him as I would have liked. Who knows what more I would have learned from him? What’s your best characteristic? That I’m a loyal friend. What celebrity do you have a crush on? Everyone in The Avengersmovie (laughs). I don’t know. I’m more attracted to someone’s personality rather than to some guy who thinks he’s so great looking.
WITH TWIN BROTHER, JOHN
Who do you admire, and why? I admire my brother’s love of music. I also admire my sister, Emily. She has MS, and she’s totally paralyzed from it, but she never complains. She still has a great sense of humor as well. I talk with her every day. I have a deep love for her. Where would you go in a time machine, and why? I wouldn’t go backwards. If I did, they’re probably curse me as witch. But I’m also afraid of the future. All this technology, with the iPhone, and what-not. And I’m NOT ready to see myself as a hologram yet. I’m more worried about the hear-and-now and how to keep the planet safe for future generations. But I think that there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done here first. And if we’re going to colonize space one day, the last thing that we want to do is bring the problems that the world is having right now up there (laughs). What would your last meal be? Good fried chicken. If you were a musical instrument, what would you be, and why? I wouldn’t mind being a big double bass in a symphony. Are you more like a sheep or a wolf? I think that I’m becoming both of them. I’ve learned some boundaries, so I’m not such as easy target as I used to be. Who depends on you, and for what? No one in particular depends on me, but I think that a lot of younger gay people are interested in hearing the experiences of an older guy who’s gay. Older people have the history behind us, and that can’t be replace. But the kids will have that one day, too.
Who are you closest with? My sister, Emily. It’s hard to put the emotions into words. I’m still alive—I had two bouts with cancer, so I’m supposed to be dead. But she went from being this very attractive woman, to being confined to a wheelchair full time. Life is hard, you know? I’ve yet to meet the person who hasn’t been beaten down by it in some capacity, so I just try to be thankful for each day. What’s on your bucket list? I’d like to go back to Southern Italy, to Pompeii. That’s where my mother’s from. To think that there are things there that were locked in time 2,000 years ago blows my mind. Do you think that you’ll ever find romance again? I’m married to my music. And if that’s how it is for the rest of my life, I’m okay with that. What’s your greatest regret in life? Not coming out sooner. I didn’t come out until I was almost 60. If I came out, I thought that it might hurt the band in some way, but it was foolish of me to think that. I officially came out at a human rights convention in Chicago, and it immediately changed my life—for the better. What’s something that you never told anyone else? They always say that you shouldn’t give away your beauty secrets (laughs), so the same stands for this question. You have to keep some things private. Where can we see you? You can see our tour schedule on our website, and you can also see me as the grand marshal at the Stonewall Festival in Wilton Manors on Saturday, June 16!
What’s your claim-to-fame? I guess that would have to be The Gospel Jubilee Show. How did you come up with your name? I was given that name because of 
If you could only do one anymore—play the piano or MC—which would you choose, and why? That would have to be, play the piano. It’s always been my favorite thing to do. Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now? I don’t have an “old job.” I’ve been a hairdresser since I was 17. It’s been a long time (laughs). Will you ever retire? My standard answer to that is that I’ll be working up until the lunch of my funeral. What celebrity did you act like a “fan” around? 
