NOVEMBER 1976

HIGH GEAR

OUT ON THE TOWN

by Aaron Ross

many

"We almost didn't make it to Cleveland"John Paul Said.

here is not the same as now except for Tim Hauser) which Is there a difference between features "Fair And Tender the entertainment and social, Ladies" and "I Need A Man". tastes between gays in this area Their first album for Atlantic, and gays in New York? I thought called simply "The Manhattan of this question on my recent Transfer", has Tuxedo Junction, visit to the Big Apple, Operator, Sweet Talking Guy, Manhattan. Consider entertainJava Jive and That Cat Is High. ment. On my first day there I was Their newest Atlantic Album, hit by a full page ad in The New "Coming Out" (if that isn't an York Times for the upcoming acknowledgement of their most engagement of The Manhattan enthusiastic group, what is) conTransfer at Carnegie Hall. That tains Speak Up Mambo, Scotch quartet had made it the big, big And Soda, and S.O.S. All three prestigious hall. Only a few deserve a place in any record weeks ago I had seen them at collection. the Front Row where they elicited justifiably standing ovations from a packed "Larry Dolin of the Front Row (but not sold out) house didn't think we could draw a big comprising a healthy number of audience in Cleveland, but after gays. Back-stage I asked John! repeated contacts he consented Paul, one of the Transfer to one night. Now he's smiling. members, about his reasons for And Jules Belkin, who was here the group's gay acceptance." in the audience, mentioned that John, a handsome 26 year old, he'd like to book us back at the boastfully talked about how Music Hall as gays were one of the main possible." All in favor say "Ok" reasons for the group's success. or write to Belkin Prod. Euclid "Without gays" John said and 30th streets and request a don't think Transfer would have return engagement. made it. They are so far ahead "As I write this, I think of a of others in recognizing and group similar to The Manhattan appreciating the sophisticated Transfer called The All-Night camp, satirical humor, and Strut. Like Transfer this group is outrageous imitations! The also comprised of two guys and materials and performances two gals. Both use 1930s evenlovingly and frolly emulate the ing attire (tux and slinky gowns) look and style of songs, dances, and sing nostalgic tunes but and delivery of the 30x, 40s, and otherwise they're different. And 50s...from the 1930 big bnad the difference is what separates Tuxedo Junction, Blue New York from Cleveland, the Champagne and Java Jive to the gays from the straights. First1950s Scotch and Soda and the watering holes of these two Speak Up Mambo to the areas where they can be seen. tirneless gospel-flavored Strut started at Pickle Bill's with Operator and Don't Let Go. a pack of matrons, and hubbies in double knits, and then went to

་།

soon as

I suppose the highest accothe canyon lobby of the old lade gays can pay them is to use State Theatre with the intimacy their recordings as a basis for of a football field. Transfer, as drag acts. Their tongue-in-cheek mentioned, started in kneeexaggerations of nostalgic touching little bistros that dot tunes are ideal for the animated the Village and Broadway areas dances and gestures, the colorof New York where faded ful costumes, drags use in panBroadway queens (the real tomiming other artists' recorones) get a rebirth by dings. John further elaborated appealing to the gay's penchant on the group's indebtedness to for championing the durability gay with "we, like Bette Midler, and stamina of the aging stars Barry Manilow, the Pointer who can make it, even with Sisters, Patti Smith, to name a wrinkles, weight and personal few, were first discovered by heartbreak (Barbara Cook, gays. Our appearances in the Johnny Ray, Gretchen Wyler, small night clubs like Brothers etc. all who've recently made and Sisters frequented by Gays comebacks there). Second that brought us to the attention of elusive, hard-to-pinpoint the Straights and to where we element of camp, kitch, innare today. A knowing and with-it uendo. The Transfer KNOWS group able to pick-up on all who they're appealing to. With a those musical and performing gesture, a wink, a bump and a nuances we specialize in like grind, they're telling US what our Andrews Sisters, Carmen they are and who we are. The Miranda, and Swing Band takeStrut, under the direction of a offs and our travesties of the very talented but very straight doo-wop, greaser song-stylists Fran Chernas, plays it straight of the early rock-and roll 50s." no asides to the audience no To readers who are unfamiliknowing glance or movement ar with The Manhattan Transfer they're slick, they're good, but (if that's possible) here's some not sassy or "fancy". Maybe information on their albums: The what they need is the "right" first for Capitol Records is audience in the "right" entitled "Jukin' surroundings. I know they need

"3

(the group

a little more Gay-itynot only in the audience but also in their own make-up.

Which leads to "City Lights". This group, comprising of 4 (or maybe 3) gays from New York, opened at the Playhouse Square Kennedy room in the cellar of the old State or Palace theatre a few months ago. They sing well, they look good, but their material is geared for a middle class, middle age night-out audience from suburbia (exactly who was in the audience when I caught them). But then these same City Lights appeared at the Bayou Landing and a transformation took place.

They camped it up rolled their eyes, hips and whatever, broadened their delivery, and captivated the all-gay audience. Speaking to one of the City Lights group recently at the Shaker Club I got a first-hand report of how they enjoyed that Bayou evening how much it was reminiscent of their New York engagements when they played to gay and mixed groups and how sad it was for Cleveland not have similar clubs here. Can Cleveland make a club like this profitable? The Bayou's tried it. So has the Shaker Club and The Vaults. But physically the lack of audience space is against them. And so is the atmosphere. A cruising place is one thing. A club devoted strictly to ENTERTAINMENT is another. And a bar is not the best place to eat, drink and be gay watching performers too many distractions. Speaking of "mixed" night-out places did the readers catch the recent Newsweek article on Disco? Enlightening to reaffirm what I and many of you know that Discos would never have been without us gays how we virtually started it and are now making it the entertainment and social phenomena of the '70s. Almost all the Discos in New York are mixed. You can't tell a

straight from a gay without a "score" card. And I for one think that's as it should be. But many High Gear readers may disagree.

The recent influx of (socalled) straights into the heretofore exclusive gay places like the Shaker Club and Bayou Landing to disco (and whatever) is making some gays fearful, or shy, antagonistic and all three. They feel threatened, spied upon, paranoic, and many feel that the Shaker and Bayou owners have sold them out, betrayed them, for the almighty dollar. I for one applaud their "straights allowed" policy if there is such a policy because all they've done is opened their doors to BOTH sexes and who is to determine the sexual preferences of the guys and gals who come there. Everybody who goes to the Shaker and Bayou

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Opening

Cami knows it's gay. So why question their motives for being there? OOOPS. I forgot twiggy's. Cleveland's first "mixed" gay

bar.

Everyone 1 mentioned Twiggy's to, gay or straight, knows what kind of place it is. And it's becoming the thing among young straight couples (and straight? singles) to visit Twiggy's as well as the Shaker Club and the Bayou Landing (newcomers to town see the address information of these bars in the ads and listings elsewhere in this paper).

And no wonder where else can you find the best disco music the most attractive and interestingly dressed couples

Toled

Iwith the lowest drink and entry. prices. OOPS. I also forgot Baskervilles. This large and comfortable place in the Flats is having the nearby discos and bars (straight) scratching their heads. What has Baskerville got that they haven't? US! Let's face it, gang, we are the style setters, the music innovators, the discodance creators and exponents. Record promotion men court the favors of disco djs. Disco stars make repeated engagements at our clubs. (By the way wasn't Gloria Gaynor supposed to be in one of them soon?). And if. GQ(Gentlemen's Quarterly) and apparel manufacturers are not courting

the

men's

us, they're awfully naive.