Archive for the ‘Mainstream’ Category

Cash or Credit Cards to the Bars?

Friday, July 16th, 2010

There has (for a long time) been a debate going on about credit cards and if they actually save you money getting cash back or if you spend more because of the high credit limit.  At the clubs and bars it makes it even more of a discussion because you could tip $1 or $2 after you get each beer or cocktail or put a total of 8 drinks on your tab and tip half that in some cases or $12 on the credit card tab instead of $16 in cash on the bar.  But you see when your drunk “feeling” out the form to sign you end up normally thinking “I love you” and tip like $20 or sometimes it might be $40 if your in a really good mood.  So yes credit cards can be scary in some situations but cash can be too. It is what goes flying out of our hands as soon as we see a drag queen.

Nothing is sexier than having both cash and cards.  When you whoop out an American Express Gold or Platinum card or lucky enough to have a Black card you are definitely showing the bartender needs to attend to your services in a timely manner.  Then again I own several credit cards and use my lower credit limit cards at bars so they probably think I am not so well off with my credit score using cards such as Household Bank.  But the laugh comes back to me because I only have to worry about someone frauding the card up to $2,000 and I am also making a FULL TWO Percent back on every purchase with this card.

If I lose the card or if someone writes down the numbers.. um maybe a shady bartender or shot boy then you can throw it away and get another card issued.  If you have good enough credit to use one designated card just for bar purchases it will help you keep track of the good and evil bartenders and make sense of some of your more drunken nights out on the town.

Credit wins hands down when it comes to security.  Do not bring Debit cards to the club at any risk they are the ones that you need to worry about and you could overdraft your account.  The best cards to bring out are credit cards with a low limit and give rewards so you can earn money back on bar, club, and restaurant purchases.  Try and put everything on your card from ticket purchases, door covers, and bar tabs, then have a few twenties for that other stuff you may get your self into or what ever dancer boy or drag queen you plan on tipping.  Hopefully your not taking a cab or you would need more cash since cabs hate credit card machines.

If you are in a foreign country its 4,000% easier to use credit cards and worth the 3% fee because you will be charged a fee to convert to Euros or Pounds or whatever the currency is in that country and at a bar its way too hard to calculate all the differences.  If they can just put the drinks you order on a credit card you are more likely to come out ahead of the other foreigners traveling in their land and not be ripped off.  You should also find an iPhone app to download to help convert that currency while you look over the credit card slip.

The best credit cards to use for the Nightlife scene are the cards that pay you back for dining which is Discover who gives you 5% during some months for restaurants and  Chase Freedom who gives 5% back on dining during certain promotions.  Both cards still give you money back on all purchases and Chase at least gives you a full 1% back whether the dining/restaurant promo is going on or not.

Is Grindr the Mobile Nightclub?

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Could the iPhone app that every gay boy has to have the killer of the club scene or will it help it out?  Clubs across the nation are having Grindr parties celebrating their upcoming birthday in some cases at the clubs expense.

The nightclub scene could be hurt by this revolutionary GPS iPhone app that finds boys near you that want to be friends, hang out, or hook up.  This is not only got Manhunt and Adam 4 Adam scared but has them shaking like Gay.com and AOL chat rooms were several years ago when they were going down.  You can find someone that is 400 feet or 1000 feet or even 2000 feet or say a mile or two away and see their pic and see if they are your type.  You can then even trade more pics.  Say you are on the train, a bus, or even inside a club you can do the same and see who is in the same building as you.

This could be good for the club scene because it will draw everyone out with Grindr apps to meet more people and give the shy ones an easier way to say hi in case they did not want to go up to the person.  Then again it takes away from the dancefloor to have everyone Grinding on the phone instead of Grinding their hard bodies next to each other.  This could also be bad because people will just sit at home and play on their iPhone to meet up with someone and avoid the club altogether.

Can you imagine the Lady Gaga concert and everyone is Grindr instead of watching the show.  I had a friend who kept doing that at her show and I was like um why not watch the concert we paid for and meet boys some other time.

We have actually had clubs email them about throwing a Grindr party and they charge $150 for the banner, some tattoos for dancers to wear, ask for price reduction on drinks, free admission for Grindr iPhone app partygoers, and request they mention Grindr a few times a night from the dj booth and even ask for pics of the event. That is quite a bit of leg work for a club that is not even getting a sponsorship from Grindr.

Do clubs feel that have to give in to the Grindr craze?  For some it may be worthwhile but in most cases its helping Grindr more than anything.  It would be neat if the Grindr app actually served up clubs near you as well now that might be something the clubs could sponsor but until then the app people should be paying the clubs for sponsorships or send their product for free for giveaways and mentions.

Anyway shut your Grindr off and dance! Save your iPhone battery for when you want to get someones number who you actually talk to… like a human.

Beware the thieves in the night

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

or the light… it is sad we have to worry about such things but it seems the stolen phones and wallets seem to be skyrocketing lately.  I have had more and more people telling me stories about wallets and smart phones being stolen in the past few months.  It seems to be getting out of hand and the clubs may need to keep an extra eye out for some of the con men doing this.

Your out drinking and having a good time or trashed on who knows what and you are somewhere you feel that you can trust the environment around you because you felt safe there before.  You dance away the night then you look in your pocket to see what time it is from your iPhone and realize that it is missing from your pocket.  You then freak out wondering where you could have put it hoping it is at the bar or in the bars lost and found.

With no luck you have asked everyone where the phone could be and feel naked without that nice iPhone bulge in your pocket.  You have most likely been pick-pocketed from someone who goes out everynight or mostly on busy nights to get in your pants.  Get in your pants the way you did not intend.  The same happens with your wallet which may be what happens most often because most people leave the wallet in their back pocket.

I find myself on busy nights putting my wallet in my front pocket or splitting up my ID and one credit card in a front smaller pocket in case someone does steal it.  I find myself in the busiest of clubs such as this Prague club where I had my iPhone stolen.  That just ruined my trip to the Czech Republic and made me think they were all theives.  But then again I should have just left my cell phone at the hotel and had it locked up in the safe.  I mean if you can’t keep it in your front pocket with tight jeans on there where can you keep it?  maybe we need crotch pockets for this…

I learned to put a lock on my iPhone and bought insurance on it online.  AT&T does not offer any kind of loss insurance for its Apple based smart phone even though it will offer insurance on all of its other phones including Blackberry’s.

Just in the past month I have known 4 people personally that have had incidents where their wallet was grabbed from their back pocket in gay bars.  This is really surprising to me that it is getting so bad you have to be in defense mode all the time that something can be stolen like this.

I think that in some of the 18 and up clubs that they should have the monitors who watch for underage drinking also watch for these wallet and phone thieves.  Catch some of them in the act.  The bad thing is that most of these crimes do not get reported so we never hear about it unless someone tells us personally.  We know the clubs  do not even get it reported en0ugh so they may not know how bad the problem is… Losing your ID or passport is normally the worst thing that can happen because then you are really SOL.   I guess the best thing to do is to keep one sober eye open and one hand on your front pocket and one on your butt at all times lol.

The Year of Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Barbara Walters interviews both Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert as one of the 10 most fascinating people of the year. Lady Gaga outperformed everyone in 2009, even though she did not have the best “video” of all time according to MTV or Kayne West she was the hottest artist to pop music, dance music, and the gays… the people who really counted. We love Taylolr Swift and all but hey Gaga is so much more talented. Here is the interview with Lady Gaga and Barbara Walters. Miss Gaga even takes off her sunglasses for this interview with the legendary 20/20 anchor.

Boycott Jamacia, Myers Rum, and Red Stripe Beer

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Some of the gay bars and clubs in the UK seem to be serving up a drink that is toxic to the rights of gay culture.  Which is anything from the country of Jamaica.  We noticed the Red Stripe canned Lager was a popular beer in London at clubs such as Heaven nightclub a.k.a. G-A-Y club.

In order to stop giving money to all things Jamacia because by doing this we are supporting their stance on anti-homophobia.  The same goes for supporting Iran or Iraq with our wallets.  The hate for GLBT needs to be stopped and by not buying this brand of beer is a start.  It clearly says it is from Jamacia.  I could not drink this and feel good about the gays beaten, killed, and imprisoned in this fourth largest country in the Caribbean..

If two consenting men shag this can mean up to ten years in jail.  Jamaica is considered the worst place in the Americas for gay people.

Just like the HRC and other organizations ban certain products I think we should urge Heaven, G-A-Y, and other establishments to stop the sell of beverages that aid this type of discrimination that Jamaica clearly shows in their music and political actions.  Pick up a Tecate, Corona, or a Bud Light or even a Vodka Redbull but throw the Red Stipe down the filthy toilet.

We are also urging to boycott Jamacia for a beach vacation.  Going there would only support their intolerance and hate towards GLBT people.  Here is a site that explains more about alternative vacations you can take and still get a tan and be in a more tolerant, loving atmosphere.

To Red Stripe’s defense they have stopped sponsoring the music festivals with the violent music towards gays but they did not come out and say it specifically.

Brands to Boycott – Anything from Jamaica including Myers Rum, Red Stripe.

OldSchool Underground Dallas Club Scene Found Online

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

I knew there was a site or two that consisted of ihategirls.com and ilikeguys.com which used to have all the good info when it came to Dallas and the alternative club scene,  There would be columns that could benefit your health, your music purchases, and even your guide to tell you what is going on that weekend.  As I remember there were lots of pictures of the legendary days of the club that was open for more then a decade and some comments that were mostly out of control.   DJ Red Eye and DJ Ronnie Bruno both had top countdown lists of their music as noted here:

DJ BRUNO

1. Don’t Want Another Man Dynamix presents Tina Ann Star 69/Kult US
2 Your Child MARY J. BLIGE CD R (Junior’s Marathon)
3 Music Madonna Maverick US (Original mix)
4 I Try Macy Gray CD R (Junior’s Marathon)
5 Scream Shout The Committee Miami 2000 US (Original)
6 Am I Here Yet? Billie Myers Universal US (Junior’s Marathon)
7 Dive In The Pool Barry Harris feat Pepper Mashay Nervous US (Vocal)
8 Stronger Kristine W RCA-US (Junior’s Marathon)
9 Your Song EJ vs JV white label
10 Airwave Rank 1 Tommy Boy-US (Junior Vasquez)

DJ Red Eye
1. Audio Soul Project – Spirit Repair Ep
2. PQM- The Flying Song (Yoshitoshi Rec./u.s.)
3. 6400 Project – Method (Siesta Music/ U.S.)
4. Fiorello – Azzurro (Rise Rec.,uk/ promo)
5. Basement Jaxx – Camberwell EP
6. Josh Wink – How’s Your Evening So Far/ French Kiss
7. Armand Van Heldan- Egyptian Magician
8. Junior O. pres. Starchild – 2 Much Happened
9. Traffik – Never Get Lonely (Fat Mix)
10. Shaker – Sucka!

Here is a bit of old school talk from the site I thought was interesting.  This is on ilikeguys.com Betty Ford’s Lack of Sex and the City Column:

April 6 , 2001 (Friday) – I spent a good part of my day preparing for tonight’s adventures out to the Bronco Bowl. DJ extraordinaire PAUL OAKENFOLD was going to be spinning there live, along with a few other DJs (D:FUSE, Jeremy Dawson, DJ Merritt, & Kid Icarus). This was a show we didn’t want to miss because Paul Oakenfold is such a big DJ and he was in Dallas. From what I understood, this was going to be a major event for the party promoters at PROTOTYPE, who happen to be personal friends of ours. They were kind enough to offer Bryan and I each V.I.P. entry plus several guests. So, I pretty much contacted every close friend that I thought was worthy of coming along with us. As my shitty luck would have it, no one was able to go for one reason or another. So, it ended up being just Bryan and me. That was fine though because it was less drama to deal with and less people to keep track of.

Right as we pulled out of our apartment complex and started driving underneath the overpass, all of a sudden, Bryan and I see this wrecked car zig-zagging right towards us. I slammed on my breaks faster than and the car missed us by just inches, crashing into the underpass curbside. Whoa! Neither Bryan nor I actually saw the accident happen. But, we did stop and called 911 for the people. In the meantime, one of the guys from one of the cars came running up to us and asked us why that person in the distance was smashing liquor bottles. Ooops! Busted! The guy thought that we were involved in the accident and that the person destroying the evidence was with us. We quickly informed him that we were innocent bystanders offering a helping hand. But, let me just tell you that it was not a pretty accident. Through legal obligation, we gave each party our business card and pressed on to the Bronco Bowl to get our groove on.

Also on this site they had Scott Huffman break down the new music that was coming out-

DESTINY’S CHILD

“Independent Women Part 1”

Columbia

From the Charlie’s Angels soundtrack, Destiny’s Child delivers yet another dance floor hit with “Independent Women Part 1,” a song that is gracing radio airwaves around the country. And with singles like “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “Say My Name” under their belts, these women from Houston, Texas, are no strangers to the world of remixes. Side one of the 12-inch vinyl release, along with the Album Version (3:41) and Instrumental Version (3:41), includes Maurice’s Independent Man Remix (7:30). Maurice Joshua, who has remixed most, if not all, of Destiny’s Child’s singles, chooses to give the song an unmistakable Latin feel, complete with congas and trumpets. However, the Victor Calderone Club Mix (9:36), my pick, resides on the flip side. Calderone speeds up the vocals a bit to keep pace with one of his trademark drum and synth foundations and peppers the cut with vocal effects. Rounding out this release is the percussion-heavy Victor Calderone Drum Dub Mix (5:30). Give it a spin.

**** — Scott Huffman

RICKY MARTIN

“She Bangs”

Columbia

Ricky Martin, the crown prince of Columbia Records, has emerged with “She Bangs,” the first single from his sophomore album, Sound Loaded. While this cut does not rival the intensity of last year’s runaway single “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” it should be sufficient to satisfy Martin’s followers. The 12-inch promo for “She Bangs” offers four cuts and features the HQ2 12” Club Mix (9:02) crafted by Hex Hector and Mac Quayle. Spanish guitar strings highlight Martin’s vocal prowess in this mix that does not stray too far from the song’s album version. I like it. Next, the bass-filled Miami rhythm of the OBADAM Afro-Bang Mix (7:22) by Frank Lord and Albert Camara promises to heat any dance floor. On the record’s flip side are the HQ2 Instrumental (9:02) and the English Version (4:40). You’ll be hearing this one.

**** — Scott Huffman

MIKAILA

“So In Love With Two”

Island Records

Following the footsteps of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, Mikaila is the latest teenager to arrive on the pop scene. Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Mikaila is locally noted for her seemingly effortless delivery of the national anthem at Texas Rangers games. “So In Love With Two”, the first single from her debut album, is now commercially available. The CD single features both the Album Version (3:25) of the song (which has already received considerable airplay in Dallas) and a superb Hex Hector remix. The Hex Hector Club Mix (8:55), an intense and mesmerizing production, features tribal rhythms and seductive synths underneath Mikaila’s powerful vocals. Building and dropping at all the right times, this blazing remix promises to heat any midwinter dance floor. And, as a bonus track, the CD single also includes the Album Version (3:53) of “The Art Of Letting Go.” Don’t let this one slip by you.

***** — Scott Huffman

VERNESSA MITCHELL

“Issues” (Friburn & Urik Remixes)

G2

With crisp new remixes by the team of Friburn & Urik, Vernessa Mitchell will be once again be testifying in dance clubs across the country. Mitchell, in her solid and compelling style, delivers some gospel truth that will ignite both dance floors and souls. The A side’s Vocal Mix (11:31) is a percussive New York big room anthem that never loses momentum. In signature fashion, Friburn and Urik use simple tribal rhythms as the foundation for this progressive house record and increase its complexity and energy by adding layer after layer of percussion and vocal effects. The song climaxes with Vernessa’s raw vocal presentation, supported by dark synths and tribal rhythms. The track then comes full circle as simple drum rhythms close the track. A solid Dub Mix (9:49) dominates the record’s B side, but I prefer the Vocal Mix. In all, this is a powerful release that you won’t want to miss.

***** — Scott Huffman

TOP TEN PICKS FOR 2000

ARTIST TITLE MIX BEL
1 Madonna “Don’t Tell Me” Thunderpuss Club Mix Maverick
2 Whitney Houston and Deborah Cox “Same Script, Different Cast” Jonathan Peters Club Vocal Mix Arista
3 Shannon “Let The Music Play” Junior Vasquez Circuit Mix Contagious
4 Ultra Nate “Desire” Thunderpuss Club Anthem Strictly Rhythm
5 Abigail “If It Don’t Fit” Thunderpuss 2000 Club Mix Groovilicious
6 Olive “I’m Not In Love” DJ Skribble and Anthony Acid Trance Club Mix Maverick
7 Toni Braxton “He Wasn’t Man Enough For Me” Junior’s Marathon Mix La Face
8 Angel Clivilles “Show Me” Johnny Vicious Trance Mix Jellybean
9 Paula Cole Bank “I Believe In Love” Jonathan Peters Anthem Mix WEA
10 Mary Griffin “Perfect Moment” Johnny Vicious Extended Mix Curb Records

Neat stuff! I miss this site!!

Johnny Dangerous gets Dirty

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

johnny dangerous gay rapper If you do not know who Johnny Dangerous is then you do not watch the countdown on LOGO often. Johnny Dangerous is the gay rapper similar to the Gay Pimp Johnny McGovern. You will see him playing on LOGO’s The Click List for his Dirty is the New Black. I recently saw him on my visit to Chicago at a nightclub called Berlin. Johnny Dangerous rapped up his hit Dirty is the New Black, Take Your Man, and Curious. His music sounds a little like the Beatsie Boys but with some gay aimed lyrics.

I sort of like some of the nastiness in his lyrics. You do not get to hear such dirty in many songs like you do in his Take Your Man lyrics. Heres some pics from the album release show. You can check out his myspace at myspace.com/johnnydangerous.

The Low Down on Poppers

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

You know… The stuff (one of the many) you saw Bryan doing on Queer as Folk in the clubs and in the baths.

What are poppers?
Poppers is actually the more common, street or slang name for various alkly nitrites; these are chemical compounds of structure R-ONO, for all you chemists out there, and the most popular forms for recreational use are amyl nitrate, butyl nitrate and isobutyl nitrate. (You can see why they’re simply called poppers!) You may be surprised to learn that these chemicals also appear in some over the counter air fresheners and video head cleaners; they were also used in the past, from 1875 and unsuccessfully, to treat angina and as an antidote to cyanide poisoning.

Why do people use them during sex?
Actually it’s not just during sex. They are popular on the dance floor too. People use them because you get an instant burst of dizzy energy for a short time. As Urban 75 says: “The rush kicks in immediately, and for a few moments you’ll feel like the bass drum has got inside your head, the lights have been turned up to a zillion watts and your heart is attempting a solo flight.” It’s a big, quick rush. Imagine an effect like that when your partner is going down on you or when you are taking his hard cock in your ass.

When did they come about?
For medicinal purposes they were first used in the late 19th century. As a recreational drug they first became popular around the early 1970’s, particularly among gay men. Since then their use has become widespread and they are freely available by mail order, in shops and at clubs. They tend to go by the name of ‘room odorizers’ so, if you see a row of small glass bottles in a sex shop calling themselves by this name you’ll know what they are.

Are poppers safe to use?
There are a few answers to this question and opinions vary. In the main they are not considered addictive though there have been stories of some guys not being able to have sex without them. Some people find them disorientating, they don’t like the smell and a regular side effect of sniffing them is a pounding headache immediately after and sometimes during the ‘rush’. As they open up blood vessels and increase heart rate they can be dangerous for anyone with a heart condition, high blood pressure, glaucoma and liver disease.

Therefore proceed with care and never take poppers if you’ve taken a Viagra (or similar).

It was thought, for a while, that poppers might be the cause of Kaposi’s sarcoma, or even AIDS itself, but that is now disproved. However, it does lower your inhibitions and therefore makes you more likely to think ‘what the hell’ and go for a sudden moment of madness, fucking before the condom is on. (It opens blood vessels remember, which will make your ass more susceptible to bleeding and infection.)

There is another danger too: Many years ago I was dancing in a club with a friend who, unbeknown to be, had dipped a cigarette in his bottle of poppers in order to inhale them through the filter. I just assumed he was looking for a light and lit his cigarette for him. Poppers are highly inflammable and the thing went up like a flamethrower. Luckily no one was hurt. But don’t smoke when using them, don’t drink them, don’t get them near your eyes and always put the lid on the bottle as soon as you have taken a sniff.

To answer the question: do poppers make sex better or are they to be avoided? They can make sex more intense, but only in short bursts of time. To use them or avoid them is a decision that only you can make.

I do have a funny story about a friend that had them in his car when he was in traveling. He got pulled over and the police were questioning him what they were. They found it strange he had this small odor-full bottle in his car. He for some reason told them too much information about how we use it for being able to "take it". I think the officers did not want to hear anymore after that or wished they would not have asked lol.

They are not illegal but it may be illegal to actually inhale them but you are free to purchase them of course under the name of video head cleaner or Room Odorisor. The more popular names of the products are The Dogs Bullocks, Liquid Gold, Bang Aroma, and Pure Gold. If you walk into a head shop to order do not say the word poppers but ask for Rush or Jungle Juice or Video Head Cleaner. Also, make sure if you do happen to sniff it by accident that you are aware you might have a headache from too much of it.