ZeitGAYst

The Fashion World Mourns the Death of Perry Ellis (May 30, 1986)

Although many of us lost close friends and lovers to AIDS in the early years, it was the death of "names" that communicated the seriousness of AIDS to the general public.  This first happened in the fall of 1985 when Rock Hudson died. Then less than a year later Perry Ellis, a well known fashion designer in the prime of his career, was stricken down at the age of 46.  His death on May 30, 1986 came five months after his partner of five years also died from AIDS-related complications. 

 

In the early years of the health crisis the cause of illness & death of many gay men in their 30's, 40's and 50's was wrapped in mystery & denial.  It was often attributed to conditions other than AIDS because of the stigma attached to it.  (In most cases these other illnesses were caused by an AIDS-weakened immune system.)  Six weeks after Ellis' death New York Magazine ran a cover story about him that discussed his career and the downturn in his health that was whispered about but never openly discussed. 

 

There was concern that the Perry Ellis label might not survive because of its association with AIDS.  Happily, that wasn't the case and hiring up and coming talent like Marc Jacobs (pictured, left) insured that creative inspiration remained.  However, since the fashion industry employed so many gay men the impact of AIDS posed a serious challenge.  The implications were reported in detail in an article in the NY Times from 1990. 

 

Ellis' was just the first notable AIDS death to shake the fashion industry.  Two months later famed make-up artist Way Bandy (far right) died at the age of 45.  The next year Willi Smith (center), a designer just hitting his stride, died at the age of 39.  Then 31-year old Angel Estrada fell in 1989 followed in 1990 by 57-year old Halston (near right).  

 

 

Deadly Fire at the Everard Baths (May 25, 1977)

"Son of Sam" and the July blackout are the two news stories New Yorkers remember most from 1977, but another tragedy that same year is overlooked - the fire at the Everard Baths.  (In fact, while doing research for this post, a Wikipedia article I reviewed about disasters in NYC didn't include the Everard fire - so I added it.)

 

Although it wasn't on the scale of the fires at the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. in 1911 or the Happyland Social Club in 1990 it was still one of the City's deadliest.  Because it was a bathhouse, families of the nine who died and those injured were no doubt concerned about having their names revealed.  One of those who died was 32-year-old Jimmy Stuard, a well known DJ at the club 12 West.

  

The Everard was on West 28th St., just off 5th Ave. and had been a bathhouse for decades.  It's even mentioned in Andrew Holleran's classic gay novel Dancer from the Dance , which was published the year following the fire.  After it reopened it remained in business through the mid-80's when it was closed as part of the City's response to the AIDS crisis.

 

I went to the baths during my first year in New York (1979-1980) and I visited the Everard once in March 1980.  I also visited a number of other bathhouses just once, including Man's Country, the St. Mark's Baths and the Big Apple - that's because I favored the Club Baths.  However, once I began dating someone steadily in the fall of 1980 my adventures at the baths ended.

 

The Swift Downfall of Oscar Wilde (May 25, 1895)

In the winter of 1895 Irish playwright Oscar Wilde had perhaps his greatest artistic triumph when his comedy The Importance of Being Earnest opened in London to great acclaim.  But just three months later, on May 25, 1895, the married father of two was found guilty of "gross indecency" with another man and sentenced to two years of hard labor in prison. 

 

Sadly, he largely brought this misfortune upon himself.  He had sued his male lover's father for libel (after referring to Wilde as a "sodomite" on a calling card) but midway through the trial thought it best to withdrawal the charges.  However, by then too many incriminating things had been said by Wilde and he was brought up on morals charges. 

 

It's unfortunate that Wilde's hubris blinded him to the fact that Victorian England was far from ready to overlook his licentious behavior, regardless of his fame.  After his 2-year sentence was completed he moved to France where he died a few years later at the age of 46, largely penniless and with few friends. 

Recalling My First Visit to Provincetown (May 23-26, 1980)

My first trip to Provincetown occurred over Memorial Day weekend in 1980, which was a week after my 23rd birthday.  I went with a fellow I was dating at the time who I had met in March at the Everard Baths.  Gordon was older, i.e. around 30, and lived in Poughkeepsie where he managed a Best Western motel.  

 

After work on Friday I took the train up to Poughkeepsie from NYC and we drove to the Cape that night.  Rather than stay at one of the charming and much livelier guest houses in town, we stayed at a sterile Best Western (Gordon got a discount).  It was a bit secluded but at least it was close to the beach. 

 

Two popular dance tunes I remember dancing to at the A-House were Funkytown and Call Me (by Blondie).  The weekend was also memorable because it was the first time I tried marijuana - but it wasn't a great experience.  Rather than smoke it Gordon put in a Pepperidge Farm chocolate sandwich cookie (no longer made).  After ingesting it I became paranoid and was convinced that two female friends of Gordon's who we went to a lesbian bar with were witches.  Later that evening, Gordon wanted to bring someone back to the hotel with us but I was still feeling out of sorts and nixed the idea, which annoyed him.

 

Another memory I associate with this first visit was the eruption of Mount St. Helens in the Pacific Northwest.  It monopolized news headlines that entire week - and there was another eruption over the weekend.  

 

 

The trip back on Monday was trying because of heavy traffic on the only road leading off the Cape. (NOT a good idea to leave in the early afternoon at the end of a holiday weekend.)  Then there was another major bottleneck around Hartford.  This made Gordon very testy and we barely spoke for the rest of the trip.  In total the trip took seven hours (1-8:00), three hours longer than Friday's stress-free drive to P-town. 

 

 

Between 1980 and 1995 I'd vacation in P-town seven times (the other visits were a lot more fun).  Then, beginning in 1996, I took a share at Fire Island and began spending many summer weekends out in the Pines - and I haven't been back to P-town since. 

The Novel "Running in Bed" Revisits Gay New York of the 1970's & 1980's

I'm not much of a book reader but I just finished reading one that had me captivated.  The book is Running in Bed .  No, it's not a sequel to Running With Scissors, but rather the semi-autobiographical debut novel by Jeffrey Sharlach which arrived in bookstores a few weeks ago.  It recounts the life of gay protagonist Josh Silver during his early years as an adult living in New York between the years 1977-1987.  It touches upon coming out, work life, sex, romance and the AIDS crisis.

 

 

Since I often write about my own memories and experiences on my three blogs it was refreshing to read someone else's, especially since the character Josh's experiences were somewhat similar to mine, e.g. we both moved to New York in the late 70's to work in advertising and we lived in Greenwich Village.  One big difference was that he immediately took a summer share in the Pines while I waited until the mid-1990's.  

 

The book mentions lots of familiar places, e.g., Sandolino's restaurant, Uncle Charlie's Bar, Balducci's, Company restaurant, the Ice Palace disco on 57th St., Driftwood Walk in the Pines et al.  However, although the story begins during the hedonistic, sex-fueled late 70's, Josh doesn't explore the baths or Fire Island's Meat Rack, which were rights of passage for many gay men back then - and key plot devices in Larry Kramer's and Andrew Holleran's acclaimed novels Faggots and Dancer from the Dance, respectively.

 

The story would have benefitted from more scrupulous fact checking.  For instance: 

• The disco hits I Will Survive, Ring my Bell and Move on Up were popular in 1979, not 1978. 
• The Monster bar/disco on Grove St. in Greenwich Village wasn't around in December 1979.  It opened its doors in 1982.
• The royal wedding of Prince Charles and Diana didn't occur on a weekend but rather on a Wednesday.  (However, Diana's funeral was held on a Saturday.)
• The entire winter of 1982 wasn't mild since January 1982 was, in fact, one of the ten coldest Januarys of the 20th century.     

 

Nonetheless, despite these quibbles, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and found it time well spent.

Mets Catcher Mike Piazza Goes Public to Deny Gay Rumors (May 22, 2002)

Sports stars regularly call press conferences to dispel rumors about dissention in the clubhouse or deny fathering illegitimate children, but never before had an A-list star spoken to reporters about his sexual orientation - until May 22, 2002.  On that day New York Mets All-Star catcher Mike Piazza held a press conference to end talk running rampant that he was gay. 

 

 

The issue of his orientation may have been brought to a head by an article in Sports Illustrated in which Mets manager Bobby Valentine opined that Major League Baseball might be ready to have openly gay players on team rosters.  Some thought he may have been alluding to Piazza to pave the way for his coming out. 

 

After all, some rumors had him paired with WABC-TV weatherman Sam Champion (now with Good Morning America).  And then there was the time when he went all Jean Harlow and sported a blonde coiffe!  Of course, despite the 34-year old bachelor's denials, and subsequent marriage 3 years later, some still beg to differ.  

 

 

 

So Piazza's name was added to a list that includes the likes of Ron Reagan, Jr., Hugh Jackman, Ben Affleck, Richard Gere, Troy Aikman, Isaiah Thomas, Jake Gyllenhaal, Derek Jeter - and a host of others.  

"Glee" Debuts (May 19, 2009)

A preview of Fox's musical dramedy Glee aired the evening of May 19, 2009 following the penultimate telecast of American Idol (the next night Kris Allen won in an upset over Adam Lambert).  I was on vacation in Yosemite National Park that week and watched both shows from my hotel room.

 

 

I've written in a previous post of my affection for Disney's High School Musical, but I never became a fan of Glee.  While I liked HSM for being a happy fantasyland in bright colors, I found Glee's angst-filled storylines annoying.  Furthermore, too much attention was paid to Jane Lynch's villanous Sue Sylvester, who became more of a comical character.  She became a tiresome presence, not unlike Fonzie on Happy Days, Kramer on Seinfeld and Mimi on Drew Carey.  Also, as blasphemous as it is for me to admit, the gay character Kurt made my skin crawl. 

 

Despite my lack of overall enthusiasm, props go to Glee creator Ryan Murphy for writing plenty of thought-provoking gay storylines.  And I did like quite a few of the show's song "mash ups", twenty of which are on my iPod, especially Marry You, Halo/Walking on Sunshine and Cherish.  Oh, and Darren Criss was a scrumptious addition during Season Two.  

 

Of course the show wasn't produced for my demographic and it became a ratings success.  However, since its first season it has lost a sizable portion of its audience.  Some speculate the fall-off was due to its emphasis on gay storylines.  The show will air for at least one more season, which will be its fourth.  Whenever the show finally goes off the air, perhaps a fitting last episode might have a Wizard of Oz theme with a tornado striking McKinley High.        

Marilyn Monroe Sings "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to JFK (May 19, 1962)

Marilyn Monroe was one of many well-wishers from the entertainment world who paid tribute to President Kennedy at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962 on the occasion of his 45th birthday. (His birthday was actually ten days later.)  However, because of her slinky "va-va-voom" gown and breathy singing of "Happy Birthday", only Marilyn's appearance is remembered.  Curiously, First Lady Jackie Kennedy wasn't among those in attendance that evening.  (Ironically, she died on this very date in 1994).

 

Looking back, this performance was quite audacious for its time.  (And it's been a part of every gay man's repertoire ever since.)  Back then, however, who knows how long it took for Marilyn's performance to be communicated to the general public.  Perhaps her appearance was muted to a degree because she was one of a roster of performers that night, among them Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Maria Callas (pictured).   

 

That evening Marilyn was very late for her appearance and in a creepy bit of foreshadowing, master of ceremonies Peter Lawford (one of the president's brother-in-laws) introduced her as the "late" Marilyn Monroe.  Shockingly, less than three months later she would be dead. 

 

 

 

Julie Andrews & Ann-Margret Star in AIDS Drama "Our Sons" (May 19, 1991)

In 1985, in the early years of the AIDS crisis, the TV movie An Early Frost aired.  Six years later, with AIDS-related deaths over 100,000, and climbing steadily, another AIDS drama, Our Sons, aired on ABC.  (Both movies were directed by John Erman.)  Starring Julie Andrews, Ann-Margret and Hugh Grant, Our Sons tells the story not only of how AIDS impacted families but how mothers dealt with their children being gay.  The movie happened to air the same day as GMHC's annual AIDS Walk in New York.  

 

Andrews portrays Audrey Grant, a buttoned up businesswoman from Southern California.  At the behest of her son (Hugh Grant) she travels to Arkansas to deliver the news to Ann-Margret's white-trash character, Luanne Barnes, that her estranged son is dying of AIDS.  (Despite both being British, Hugh Grant had an American accent but not Julie.) 

 

Audrey has a strained reltaionship with her son while Luanne wants nothing to do with hers.  Their vastly different backgrounds leads the mothers to clash, eventually driving Audrey to scream at uncaring Luanne, in Dynasty-like fashion - "He's dying, you bitch!"  Ultimately, there was resolution as Audrey and Luanne bonded over shared feelings about coming to terms with their sons' homosexuality.

 

 

 

Although I wouldn't call the ending "happy", Luanne went to California and was with her son when he died and had him buried in Arkansas.  As often happens, movies from different eras seem quaint and outdated when viewed in the present, as is the case with this movie.  Nonetheless it was a brave undertaking at that time considering the dearth of open discussion about AIDS.    

Disco Diva Grace Jones Born (May 19, 1948)

30 years before Lady Gaga, Grace Jones was making herself known with her striking presence, outrageous fashion sense, distinct singing voice and inventive performance videos. 

 

Born and raised in Jamaica (birth name: Grace Mendoza), she moved with her family to the snowbelt city of Syracuse in New York state when she was in her teens.  Before becoming a singer she was a model who became part of Andy Warhol's glam circle.  To me she resembled an Amazonian version of Eartha Kitt.   

 

 

Every year between 1977 and 1982 Grace released an album (and ten overall) but none became big commercial hits.  Her highest charting LP, 1981's Nightclubbing, made it to only to #32 on Billboard's album chart.  However, songs such as I Need a Man (her first); Do or Die; and Pull up to the Bumper were big club hits.  Besides those, favorites of mine include La Vie en Rose; Nipple to the Bottle; Unlimited Capacity for Love; and Slave to the Rhthym.  Her music style was hard to categorize - a bit disco, a bit new wave, a bit R&B.

 

 

In the 1980's, her Warhol years behind her, she tested her mainstream appeal by appearing in action movies such as Conan the Destroyer and was cast as the villain in the James Bond movie A View to a Kill.  She also appeared in TV and print ads for Honda scooters.