I'm Back & (Surprise) I'm Complaining
here's yr july 2023 calendar
Me at the Elsewhere Loft with hunty aka cute boys over my shoulder.
Hello
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.
I’m back! Inspired by my good pal Candystore’s newsletter and Paper Magazine firing all of their staff, I’ve decided to bring back The Deviant Dispatch on a monthly cadence. I mean, I hadn’t even typed a word about Ice Spice before my hiatus and frankly I can’t imagine a pre-Ice Spice world at this point. The Bronx-bred rapper is a hit with everyone from underage punk rockers to Nicki Minaj, and helped PinkPantheress have a legitimately hit song. Literally #4 on the Billboard charts!
But if there’s one thing every deviant should know by 2023, it’s that the media sometimes doesn’t tell the whole truth, so we’ll see how monthly my cadence ends up being. For now, I have a box of Peter Pan doughnuts in front of me, “Speed Drive” by Charli XCX on repeat, and a desire to speak to my congregation of devotees.
Charli xcx tweeting about “Speed Drive”
SIDEBAR: Now that she’s not promoting an album, miss XCX has been busy writing songs shit-talking her fellow musicians for her next one. How do I know? She’s been documenting the process on a private instagram account called @360_brat. In between posting shots of herself and Robyn in the studio and leaking demos, she’s assuring fans that this new album is a “return to the clubs.” Apparently it’s inspired by her indie sleaze heroes Uffie and the Ed Banger records crew. She’s also name-checked The Dare. Before that album surfaces, she’s dropping songs in movies like Barbie and the upcoming film Bottoms. Speed Drive is from the former, and it RIPS!!!!
So what’s been up since Oct of 2022? I’ve continued to refine my skills behind the mess of nobs and buttons known as CDJs. Recently on a wholesomely debaucherous trip to the faerie woods of Tennessee, I had the joy of igniting a teadance party with the Frost Children remix of the Rugrats theme. At Elsewhere during Pride Saturday I had the Loft packed and screaming before my fellow DJ cute boys and I went back to back at 160 bpm (for the non-DJs, that’s the song speed equivalent of 200 mph).
The highlight of my last 6 months of gigging was not even one where I felt like my DJing was the best. My good friend Shannon booked me to DJ Pride Prom with an all star lineup of queer rock acts and my beloved boo Diego hosting. Not to brag, but my father showed up in a tux and was elected one of the prom royals. The name on the ballots? Tux Daddy.
The reason for the season was the release of art-punk outfit Big Girl’s new single (check out the flyer for their album release show below), but the whole lineup was a classic.
The first act, Josephine, normally fronts a full band as Josephine Network, but had all the charisma required to pull off a solo set. “I’m a trans girl, which means I’m top of the food chain this month” she quipped before launching into a powerchord-heavy set of pop songs whicth all the melodic punch of the Beatles.
The real story of the night was headlining band Toni & the Kiki. The group blew the shitty retractable roof off Our Wicked Lady. Moving through original songs and a Tina Turner cover with ease, the group embodied the much-needed yasssification of rock. Stay tuned for news of their next show.
If you’re trying to see my next show, it’s next Thursday (7.13) from 6-10 at the Brooklyn gay bar Metropolitan. It should be very trippy, cute, and dare I say relaxing, which not many DJ Gay Panic sets are. Plus it’s free!!! Here’s the poster.
Despite the merriment at Pride Prom, Pride felt off this year. For many in my age cohort, this was the first pride where we noticed a decrease in public support. For us who grew up on Ellen and were used to grumbling about cheesy corporate pride campaigns, their absence this year felt unsettling.
When I came up with the title of this newsletter, I was thinking of ‘deviant’ as a synonym for alternative. Claiming deviancy was more about the 2000s emo-coded website Deviant Art than being accused of grooming children. Queer people have been long characterized as sexual deviants by the religious right, but the idea seemed to have less teeth back in April 2020.
SPEED DRIVE FORWARD and that’s no longer the case. Bills are passing making it illegal for trans people to use the bathroom, for people to be in drag, for minors to get gender affirming health care. Dylan Mulvaney got bullied offline over IG video sponsored by Bud Light. The backlash was so intense that come June, the corporate pride displays of the past few years were largely absent.
In my north Brooklyn transplant pocket, I watch my gender non-conforming friends plan events with a fresh sense of worry. Would some right-winger from Long Island show up to yell at everyone, or even worse, resort to violence? It’s not just paranoia. Recently people yelled the word “pedophile” at Sam Smith as they walked through Central Park. A woman set a pride flag outside of a bar on fire.
Ironically, this kind of hostility is what what made queers of yore invest in pride as a rallying cry. When loud people in public are implying that you’re a child molester, standing up and being proud in the face of that is a brave act. At moments like during Pride Prom when Toni & the Kiki led the crowd in chanting “Fuck Ron DeSantis”, we had that spirit. Still, it’s tough to claim being a proud gay citizen when the country you belong to is spiraling.
This unease carried over into 4th of July. We’ve been doing this “is it the end of america?” vibe for a few years now, and it’s only continued to sour. One of the big buzz acts for trans girls and New York Times critics alike is Ethel Cain. Her despondent music draws from southern rock and the haze of shoegaze. One of her big songs is called “American Teenager” which features such cheery lines as “the neighbor’s body came home in a box” and “Jesus if you’re listening let me handle my liquor” and the clincher “Jesus if you’re there why do I feel so alone in this room.” The kids are not ok, at least when they think about being Americans.
Who could blame them? Who has the energy to be patriotic about a country whose Supreme Court just mandated they had to stay in student loan debt? Or a country where even though gay marriage is legal it’s okay for someone to refuse you a gay wedding service? Where books are being banned in schools? One that builds cop cities in Georgia forests despite people screaming in their faces not to? One where even though 73% of Democrats don’t want Joe Biden to run again for president, the party establishment refuses to entertain a fair primary election with televised debates? Do the fireworks sound like death rattles to anyone else, or is that just me?
In the words of Lana herself, “when the world was at war before, we just kept dancing, and we’ll do it again.” So here’s your friggin dance schedule for the next month you american queer deviants1.
XOXO,
Mo
THIS AIN’T A SCENE, IT’S A DRAG SHOW
When: Thurs 7.6, 9ish pm
Where: Purgatory
What: A drag show all about Fall Out Boy masterminded by Bri Joy, the former Haus of Quench bovine boy in drags. A truly stacked lineup of spooks await, with one of my fave DJs Purp behind the decks in between shows.
How much: $11.33, plus some dollar bills to tip ur fave performer
Synthacide
When: Thurs 7.6, 10 - 4am
Where: Bossa Nova Civic Club
What: This party has been giving goth fans of dance music a place to twirl for almost a decade. A member of the band Boy Harsher is DJing, alongside some other cancer suns at Bossa Nova Civic Club, the so-called “Techno Cheers” of Brooklyn.
How much: Free
KANDI SIMULATION 2: A SIMULATED KANDI RAVE
When: Sat 7.8, 11ish pm
Where: Purgatory
What: The drag queen and video artist ESTER is creating a simulation of a classic plur rave of clubs past, with Vicks Vapor Rub galore and lights shows. Kandi Bracelets will be provided. There will be dancing interspersed with drag from some BK heavyweights.
How much: $17
MGNA Crrrta (LIVE)
When: Tues 7/11, 7pm
Where: Elsewhere - Zone One
What: This post-hyperpop duo boasts a chaotic yet surprisingly listenable album, and whipped a slew of Gen Zers into a frenzy at a fashion week basement show (despite the mics not working). I suspect the sound at my place of work will be better. Plus, the aspiring pop princess Miss Madeline is a support act.
How much: $20.55
BOILER ROOM: NEW YORK CITY
When: Sat 7/15, 6pm
Where: The Great Hall @ Avant Gardner
What: Boiler Room, the youtube channel documenting dance music, is coming to New York to take stock of it’s talent. While in the past Boiler Room was a techno snob’s paradise, this lineup is all about the new school. Post-hyperpop parties sksksks + Subculture have helped curate the bill with everyone from Slayyyter, Lustsickpuppy, and Doss.
How much: Sold Out, so you gotta find a way on the list my deviants
Pleasure Jams ft OSSX
When: Fri 7/21, 10ish
Where: Good Room
What: Pleasure Jams is “a night where anything goes, expect to hear balearic, house, acid, cosmic, new wave, disco and whatever else they pull out of their bags” according to Resident Advisor. OSSX what really caught my eye here. The trio that makes some of the best club music out right now, blending regional styles of Jersey and Baltimore club with nationally recognizable samples for high energy sets.
How much: $12.90 for early bird tickets, $17.15 for regular ones
Big Girl Album Release Show
When: Thurs 7/27 9:30pm
Where: Baby’s All Right
What: A show for Big Girl’s album on modern riot grrl label Weird Sister Records. The theatrical 6 piece who are known for dancing in sync to their song “Instructions To Say Sorry.” They’re playing alongside local heroes OK Cowgirl.
How much: $20
•´¯`•. 🎀 𝐵𝒴𝐸 🎀 .•`¯´•
you may notice there’s no flyers. That’s cuz this newsletter is too long to include them! : )