Happy Halloween...Fuck....
my dislike of writing online, a list of halloween events, and some sponcon
Hi Divas,
It’s Mo AKA DJ Gay Panic and this(!) is The Deviant Dispatch. I keep a faggoty ear to the ground, delivering you the latest news from my corner of the NYC underground: sloppy/artful drag shows, it-girl gossip, buzz bands, cultural speculation, and ravey dance parties. There will be typos. There’s also shit behind the paywall for the real insiders.
Sometimes I wonder how I used to keep this newsletter going so regularly. It ran weekly! filled with shit! I thrust forward with my desire to speak the truth as I saw it, ignoring the knowledge that I didn’t want the smoke the fire of truth brings. Cliche I know, but the older I get the more cliches start to appear.1
The entire idea of writing, of critiquing, feels fraught as hell. How is one to write bravely in a sphere where context is constantly stripped, a kid’s game of telephone times 100. Where video is king? AI Video!?!. Plus, so many people churning out discourse every day, echoing each other, killing new jokes and unearthing new trends to discard. Where shiny pictures rule and people prefer to listen to podcasts, quoting other peoples jokes. endless callbacks callbacks callbacks.
SPON CON: Wavelength
Wavelength is a queer-owned and operated hair salon/barber shop started by Sid Nichols, the drummer of Razor Braids and a member of the Brooklyn music scene for almost a decade. Sid has been doing hair professionally since the tender age of 17 and specializes in barbering, razor cutting, and fantasy hair color. If you go to the website, you’ll see my signature green bowlcut! “I wanted to create a space that embodies the intersection of my love of hair, music, and helping people create hairstyles that reflect their true self-which is how I came up with the name Wavelength,” Says Sid. After 2 years, the salon now boats multiple stylists, and a supergraphics-inspired pastel rainbow wrapping around the walls, and a waiting area full of comics. “The salon is diy af and I put everything together all by my fricken' self over the course of a single weekend (aside from the plumbing and electric)” Sid boasts, continuing “I want Wavelength to feel like a relaxing escape from the normal day-to-day harshness of living in NYC.”
instagram: @wavelength
website: wavelengthhairbk.com
When I started the newsletter it was 2020 and the vibe was there “nothing to lose.” We were in the midst of a global pandemic, the first one anyone in living memory had faced on that scale. I had no job, a steady unemployment check, and plenty of time to spend writing/editing. As the world slowly emerged, I slowly fit in the newsletter in-between my emerging new life, the new life for us all. But increasingly as I left isolation, I stepped into my power as someone who exists in the cultural center instead of just observes it. With the realization that other people perceived (and even respected) me, the attention of other eyes2 felt too intense for writing frankly.
Plus, as I continued to try and make this newsletter, I realized that my recommendations were deeply influenced by my social sphere and who I wanted to be friends with. Unlike other columnists, this insiderness wasn’t appealing to me. Instead, it reminded me of the media I already saw, full of conflicts of interest, cloying profiles written in order to get access to stars, no strong foothold (monetary or otherwise) to lobby a critique. Anyone could put on their friends parties, indeed people with thousands and thousands more followers than my newsletter could. People writing behind the screen who are better than schmoozing than I am, better at catching typos, people whose writing was actually what went viral in this climate, that garnered an audience willing to become paying subscribers.
So after I got to Elsewhere, and was doing work everyday to promote music and nightlife, the drive to write the newsletter slowly went away. Plus, once I got off the weekly treadmill, I was hard to get back on. Suddenly I had the joys of watching tv with my boyfriend, of going out to eat, and delved into telling my friends juicy gossip and working thru the intricacies and nuances real time.
At a certain point, the work of doing this newsletter and the anxiety I feel is not worth the reward. Sorry dear readers! You’re simply not dear enough. Still, Candystore asked for a Halloween issue of this newsletter, so here’s an event roundup. I’m not sure I’ll be back.
XOXO,
Mo
Arca: Mutant;Destrudo
When: Wednesday, October 11–Sunday, October 15,
Where: The Armory
What: “Directed by Arca, Mutant;Destrudo congregates her close friends and collaborators around a shared vision of creating space to allow for deconstruction of preconceptions. This ambitious new project is steeped in electronic music sound design to induce various states of embodied physicality and synthesize new ways to mediate both the ego and identity at large. The resulting Armory commission continues her ongoing practice of creating instances which merge all forms of creative practice, reexamining the ritual of the concert as a moment of heightened connection between those present.”
How much: $60 for non-members
BLACULA 3
When: Friday the 13th, 10pm
Where: Purgatory
What: Sylvester, the best monthly art-drag show in Brooklyn (which as a bonus, is always all black) is paying homage to Dracula.
How much: $17
Light Asylum (LIVE)
When: Thu, Oct 19, 6 PM
Where: Elsewhere
What: The internationally celebrated dark electronic project of vocalist, producer, and performance artist Shannon Funchess plays my favorite room at Elsewhere.
How much: $27.40
Sissies of Mercy
When: Friday Oct 20th, 10pm
Where: Trans Pecos
What: Sissies of Mercy is a trans-run goth dance party full of dolls, queers and freaks who lurk in the shadows.
How much: $15
NIGHT OF 1 MILLION STARS
When: Sat, Oct 21, 7pm
Where: Union Pool
What: a costumed affair feat. the glam rock stylings of Tony and the Kiki, Josephine Network, Theophobia. Plus I’ll be playing electroclash, indie sleaze, and italodisco. Come dressed as your favorite classic star of yesteryear! Winner gets a special grand prize from each of the bands.
How much: $18.54
CRITICAL HIT: 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
When: Sat 10/21, 11pm
Where: Trans Pecos
What: Critical hit is a Trans POC led and prioritized party that merges the worlds of gaming and techno. This is thier two year anniversary, which is a long time in partyland. As always, there will be PS2 games to play all night.
How much: $10-20
Shattered Memories
When: Sunday 10/22
Where: Purgatory
What: My crew The Nobodies are doing a drag shadow casting of the horror movie Silent Hill. I haven’t heard of it but I seem to be the only one, so maybe you know it!
How much: $22.66
HEX APPEAL
When: Sat Oct 28th
Where: Brooklyn Made
What: Garage Punk bands covering female pop icons, organized by my friend Shannon who is one of the minds behind the annual show Bands, Bikes, & BBQ and the collective Booked By Grandma.
How much: $22
DIET ZHUZH: ZUZHNOBYL
When: Sat Oct 28th
Where: The Parkside Lounge
What: In the words of fake-energy drink company Diet Zhuzh: “In August to celebrate our 2 year Anniversary we bankrolled the launch of the Zhuzhtrak Express High Speed Railway across the USA. We then started to notice some issues with the project. Being the successful corporation that we are, we had to ignore them. 🚊One of our trains carrying illegally toxic amounts of Diet Zhuzh has now derailed in New York City. Causing a sickening amount of energy and an environmental disaster unlike society has ever seen. Head Office is not happy people found out about this. “ The party’s premise is to go over the company PR plan.
How much: $15-$25
Elsewhere Halloween
When: Tues, Oct 31, 7pm
Where: Elsewhere
What: 2000s crunk icons Ying Yang Twins headline Elsewhere, alongside indie sleaze icon Uffie DJing and Brooke Candy.
How much: $65.92
NY NIGHT TRAIN HAUNTED HOP
When: Tues, Oct 31 6:30pm
Where: Knockdown Center
What: Jonathan Toubin’s annual rock fest returns yet again. There’s too many people to list, but it’s worth the treck to queens on a tuesday.
How much: $38.89
•´¯`•. 🎀 𝐵𝒴𝐸 🎀 .•`¯´•
The increased loneliness of your 30s. The rapidly changing body of your 30s. Plus a group of friends who now have things to do, responsibilities to tend, and grudges to nurse.
and opinions