Gay Pride Special: I, Ivana

Here I am, below, on the recording, at a seriously crowded party in 1989, impersonating Ivana Trump in drag and doing my own singing. I also had some ribald patter to deliver and wrote that myself.

As Sheila Gillerman, I performed several times at Rose's Turn, booked by the fabulous Sidney Meyer. I was a five-time award-winner at the now-defunct Crowbar in the East Village. They had a weekly drag competition hosted by the legendary Mona Foot.

I did my own singing, in character, and considered what I did performance art. I wrote my own patter and almost all of my songs. Everything I performed I considered social satire and a reflection of the times and my perceived direction of pop culture.

My friend, Ron Davis, dug into his archives and found me performing as Sheila as Ivana (audio).

Ron wrote: "a RARE Historic archival recording of Sheila Gillerman in a live performance of another one of her huge hits in the persona of Ivana Tramp. The official title of this number is "The World Is My Oyster But You Won't Get In My Clam (Megabucks)". Most folks just know this number affectionately as "Megabucks". Again this is obviously from a bootleg tape surreptitiously recorded. Sheila's work at the Actor's Studio clearly has paid off especially when, in her character as Ivana Tramp, she exudes such monumental contempt for the less privileged. A tour de force performance. You'll undoubtedly notice the studio audience enjoyment! A rare performance indeed!" 

http://members.toast.net/rldbeverly/sheilagillerman/megabucks-norm-150613.mp3

Can it be I'm the only male Ivana Trump impersonator? Vonder vhy. Happy LGBT Pride Month, y'all!

My Gay Agenda for NYC Pride 2014

Last year for LGBT Pride, it was John Waters at City Winery on Saturday night and, on Pride Sunday, I was at the Pier Dance where Cher and Deborah Cox performed for us live. This year, my gay agenda on Pride Day is to take in the laundry and clean the house. Well, that's how it rolls nowadays in this life.

Yes, I miss the 18 years at 12 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan when the march would proceed past my building and where I hosted many brunches. We'd all go down to the stoop to watch, with refreshments, and the john was right upstairs.

I first participated in the march in 1974 when it was a grass roots one that couldn't be mistaken for a parade. Since that time, I've seen many victories for LGBT people and, yet, the struggle for equality continues, seems endless.

We are now 45 years from the Stonewall Riots and still we observe and celebrate the public uprising that sparked the modern gay liberation movement. Without a group to march in, and hating the crush of the crowds and the abominable long lines to the Port-o-Sans and police barriers to herd the human traffic along and the heat, I will opt to stay home and observe, from afar, a ritual I have participated in throughout the '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s and '10s, often marching, later more frequently an observer, always a supporter in heart and mind.

So, pardon me if I sit this one out. I'm thrilled it's a sunny day for the march, and a nice evening for the dance and the fireworks over the Hudson River. Tomorrow, I will read The New York Times' coverage and head count. It is a tally of the marchers only (not the sidewalk crowds observing) and still often suspiciously low when pitted against our own observations. The New York Post will concentrate on any kind of misbehavior on the street and clutch the pearls at how much skin is revealed, no matter the sweltering heat.

I am glad younger generations of gay men, lesbians, transgendered and bisexual people will participate and take up the cause for equality and social progress while older ones might wonder once more if the event has gotten overly commercialized. In the end, though, we are all part of the same movement and we share a social status; we are all alike in at least one unique way.

And, Buddy Beaverhausen ultimately observes, social protests are always sexy and you might get laid at today's celebration. Play safe as I drop off my gay laundry!

Click Your Heels Three Times: Pride Comes to Manhattan!

We're one week away from Manhattan's Gay Pride March and celebrations (notably the Pier Dance) that culminate in fireworks over the Hudson.

Judy by Avedon

But today, June 22, is the day Judy Garland came to the end of her rainbow. It's said her passing helped spark the Stonewall Riots. There are, respectfully, many Gay Pride celebrations internationally but it all originated in Manhattan, NYC, at the Stonewall bar that still stands at its original location on Christopher Street in the West Village.

Hot time, summer in the city, back of their necks getting dirty and gritty... especially if they had wigs on! The Stonewall patrons lost their icon, Judy G, and were NOT having it that night in 1969!

Today, however, a very fair one in NYC, Folsom Street East, an outdoor LGBT fetish festival, was celebrated. The tres-gay event for "sexy kinksters" took place on west 27th Street between 10th & 11th Ave. after a hiatus last year.

The time is right to come out, come out wherever you are in NYC! Pride is in the air!

The Day That DOMA Died

Today, the Supremes struck down DOMA and Proposition 8. It's going to be one big, happy Pride celebration in NYC come Sunday! I'm pumped!


Here, the late Ellie Greenwich sings the song she wrote with Jeff Barry as a very sweet ballad:



A Very Happy Pride to Everyone!

Pier Dance Divas: Do You Believe in Cher after Deborah Cox?

This morning, it became clear what I'd be doing this year at New York City's LGBT Pride Day (the original). It was announced on Cher's official Facebook Page that the diva would be performing at the annual pier dance. O! M! G! Drop everything and order a ticket! That's what I told myself and, honeys, that's just what I did!

When Heritage of Pride announces its annual events (including the March, known by many as the Parade, now that it includes floats, marching bands and on-the-street merchandising), it includes information about the Pier Dance. So we know who the Djs are, we know the start and end times, we know the fabulous, climactic fireworks from a barge off the Hudson River will be back. But it's not until the event draws near that the live appearance by the diva -- always a gay icon -- is announced.  Whitney Houston appeared one year! Janet Jackson! Martha Wash! Madonna! You just never know until the last minute. This year, a double-diva delight: Cher, promoting her new album, and Deborah Cox!

So I'll be there, I'll be queer, they'll be fabulous. Originally, I just thought I'd go into the City from Bay Ridge and watch the Parade until I got bored (GayDD setting in). Now, I think I'll go in late for my date with the Divas! This is the 27th year of Dance on the Pier, again serving as the official closing to NYC Pride's official events. Hudson River Park’s Pier 26 in TriBeCa is the new home for this event; entrance at North Moore and West Streets. Do you Believe it?

Buddy B's Dish on the Latest Dance, Disco and Diva Tunes in Time for Pride

Believe me, nobody's going to accuse the latest Tony Moran/Deborah Cooper dance song, "Heartbeat," of being verbose. And its minimalist lyrics are not all that's indicative of the laziness inherent in modern house music; it has virtually no melody and relies too heavily on its calculated and clumsy beat. This producer and singer are capable of so much better, together and individually; we know because they've done so in the past. And this Heartbeat is half-heartedly cynical, released during international Pride month and hoping to exploit the credentials of its talents to a target audience. It is #6 on the Billboard dance chart, and got there in eight weeks. I think that's a sad statement about the current dance-music scene and the power of payola.

Yet, there is hope! The disco-funky "Get Lucky," by Daft Punk featuring vocals by Pharrell, hangs onto the #1 Billboard club/dance position, which is a very promising sign. In the #12 spot: the return of the simply sublime Abigail, the UK's brilliant hiNRG songbird, here in a kind of trancey, dreamy mode. The Bouvier & Barona-produced number is called "Surrender" and I believe you'll surrender to it if you give it a listen at the YouTube link below.

Canada's groovy diva, Annie, returns with a catchy dance tune, "Tube Stops and Lonely Hearts." Another biggie on Dj Buddy Beaverhausen's current play list. I love the FNM remix especially. Also rather beautiful is a promo I received for the song "Disco Compilation," a well-produced number with a virtual wall of sound surrounding songstress Serafina Steer's strong vocals. I highly recommend it and will be spinning it, especially the Jarvis Cocker remix.

I also received a dance remix of Agnetha Faltskog, essentially a bootleg remix, from her new album, A. http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/05/agnetha-faltskogs-a.html  The song is, surprisingly, "When You Love Someone," a mild ballad on the album, but it works in this "Alias" mix as what could be a club floor filler.

Finally, there are no words to describe how fierce the Ralphi Rosario remix rework of Chaka Khan's new "It's Not Over" is! It will positively lift you to the disco floor. 

Love, peace and disco! And welcome, to the island Mauritius, to my blog!

LGBT Pride 2013: Busting Out All Over!

June is Pride month and it's busting out all over! Ninety-plus degree weather in NYC, coming out of a chilly, damp spring, and it's time to celebrate. President Obama issued a Proclamation today that began: "The story of America's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community is the story of our fathers and sons, our mothers and daughters, and our friends and neighbors who continue the task of making our country a more perfect Union. It is a story about the struggle to realize the great American promise that all people can live with dignity and fairness under the law. Each June, we commemorate the courageous individuals who have fought to achieve this promise for LGBT Americans, and we rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."

You can read the whole Presidential Proclamation by visiting this White House page: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/31/presidential-proclamation-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-pride-mon

Meanwhile, in Beaverhausen World, my blog has hit an all-time high regarding views for the month of May! 13,338 views, topping my previous monthly high of 12,529 for December. I love the international stats reflecting my audience; you guys (and gals) are fantastic! It's a disco world & we're all united. Dance on, dance for peace, for equality, for love and for a positive future!

For Pride, I highly recommend reading my ongoing Q & A with classic-disco producer Bob Esty, as he talks about Donna Summer, Cher, Giorgio & much more:

Part 1: http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/05/exclusive-q-with-bob-esty-part-1-once.html

Part 2: http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/05/exclusive-q-with-bob-esty-part-2-from.html

Also, from guest blogger The Engin33r, an essay on hip hop and LGBT people:

http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-engineer33r-my-first-guest-blogger.html

Of course, hep HBO brought us the Liberace gay tell-all in time for Vegas Pride which kicked things off on the Memorial Day weekend:

http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/05/life-with-liberace-behind-candelabra.html

Queens (NY) Gay Pride kicks off this Sunday, with the original Manhattan one set for the very end of the month.

Finally, my Pride memories:
http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2012/06/gay-pride-ghosts-of-pride-past-present.html

And, post-finally, Hildegarde! (Are we sure she and Christine Jorgensen aren't the same person? Have you ever seen them together?) Enjoy this and Happy LGBT Pride to all:

Gay Pride Anthem 2013?

With Memorial Day weekend nigh, Gay Pride events will be launched, lasting through the month of June. And what will the club anthems be on the floats, decks and dancefloors this year? Who will our Pride 2013 divas be?

Christina Aguilera's strong pipes send "Let There Be Love" up the charts. It is #2 on Billboard's Dance/Club and looks bound for #1 next week despite its less-than-memorable melody.  The very same criticism can be said about dance mixes of Kelly Clarkson's club charter, "People Like Us." The tune is meant to be anthemic, yet all that really registers is its hook. There is something cold and robotic about this "anthem," too. Kelly's vocals are strong but punched across without much genuine feeling; a technical exercise.

Sometimes, it's all in the remix. Chris Cox works wonders with Kat Deluna's "Stars," letting the young diva's vocals skim above the haunting electronica that's sure to draw you to the dancefloor. The disco-influenced Jump Smokers remix of Rod Stewart's "Sexual Religion" also brings that '70s "diva" back to the limelight. Nice work, Jump Smokers! And people, do you want Rod's body? Still?

Celebrating 40 amazing years in the industry, Chaka Khan has a new release to drop just in time for Pride. And her new body's looking very sexy, indeed. "It's Not Over" is a well-written, soulful tune with a powerful hook that is bound to chart and make you want to move onto the dancefloor. Ralphi Rosario's remix is distinctly the cream of the crop. And, yes, when Chaka socks it to you, it's from the gut.

But the true club divas rule. Ultra Nate's latest tune, "Everybody Loves the Night" is a dancefloor-designed beauty produced and mixed by Brinsley Evans, RedTop, Bill Coleman and Count DeMoney with back-up vocals by Inaya Day, joe DNA, Lisa Molina, & Toni Seawright. Irresistible!

Inaya Day has her own new club song out, done with Dj Escape, "Make Some Noise!" And she does make noise. Beautifully. These are the divas who may dominate this year's Pride around the world. Check them out. And download. MP3s available from Amazon.com.

It's time to party!