Macy Rodman performing at The Vale of Cashmere
Hi girlies,
This is The Deviant Dispatch. I’m Mo, your guide to the underground. I write about NYC-based events, gay shit, and cool kid gossip. There will be snark, typos, and lots of Charli XCX updates. If you like what you see, become a paying subscriber, share this with someone, or hit the heart button at the top of the post.
If you take nothing else from this newsletter, please listen/buy/share the new Mykki Blanco album. It’s both tender and tough, great for humid summer days. Stream it below while you read.
I’m pleased to report that there’s once again a bounce to the NYC air. The moisture and smell give it a physical weight, but there’s an emotional buoyancy nonetheless. It carries the promise of potential, where a casual trip to Mr Kiwi’s could turn into a casual cocktail with passing friend. Suddenly you’re talking about Santigold, adderall, and potential collaborations with a cast of new faces swimming into neon-hued view. The mood is light enough that the sex and fetish magazine Phile threw a funeral-themed party for their final issue, underscoring that people are ready for facetious fun after a year of confronting literal death. The mood at the party was far from dour: we all taste the potential of the coming days.
The biggest example of this lush energy coursing through NYC is Willie Norris’ birthday party last Friday. Hosted in the Vale of Cashmere, which Str8 to DVD has introduced as the queer DIY venue of choice, the function was a who’s who of the north Brooklyn queer creative set.
Here’s a few of the faces I spotted in the crowd: Shaobo Han, co-founder of the brand Syro, photographer Hunter Abrams, models Marquis Neal and Cherry Jaymes, actor Angus O’Brien, drag queens Linda Felcher and Serana Tea, musician/reality star Basit, writers Hilton Dresdon and Fran Tirado, meme account admin Boyfriend Dick, and Charlene’s younger sister Mel Incarnate.
Birthday babe Willie Norris proved she’s not just a talented fashion designer but a formidable presence onstage. Opening the show with a the Calvin Harris remix of “Spectrum (Save My Name)” by Florence + The Machine and closing with “My Life Would Suck Without You”, Willie had the crowd screaming with her high energy performances.
Swanning about the party in her black dress and tiara, Norris had also brought a box full of reusable printed cups. Known for her tee shirts and socks with screen-printed sayings like “Promote Homosexuality” and “What exactly is Heterosexuality and what causes it” that night she went for a more opaque message: “there isn’t a rubric that I disagree with more.”
What rubric Willie was referring to is unclear. A rubric of things you need to do in order to be considered trans? Woke? Queer? A successful adult? Whatever the rubric, the message was a rebuke of rules and standards.
While it was a night to celebrate Willies birthday, the true star was Maya Margarita. A longtime DJ by the name of br0nz3_g0dd3ss (she has an excellent Tierra Wack remix) miss Margarita has recently been taking the stage at drag events to thunderous applause. On this fatefull Friday she performed “Your Love” by Nicki Minaj. By the time she got to the emotive bridge the crowd was shrieking and pelting her with dollar bills. Not content to leave without hopping on the decks, she DJ’d for an hour or so, blending Peaches song “Operate” into “Roman’s Revenge”. The crowd couldn’t take it, and from the sound of it neither could the speakers.
Other performers were in fine form as well. Charlene was in in her element on the mic as she announced the performers and DJs with the flair of a boxing announcer. Macy Rodman kicked off the last round of shows with an inspired performance of “Venus” by Lady Gaga, stripping completely naked over the course of the song. Watching her gesture to her vagina, barefoot in the park surrounded by cheering queers, I saw liberation. Even the police sirens lighting up the trees behind her seemed a part of the show, not the sign of the ever-encroaching arm of the state. (The cops did nothing but flash their lights as people walked away).
In a time where June means Colton Haynes describing which Amazon purchases makes him feel “proud”, the party stood as a testament to the pure meaning(s) of Pride. It was an example of queer community without an entry fee and of the magic of trans leadership. With both a verbal acknowledgment of eve of Juneteenth and multiple POC on the stage and behind the decks, the community stretched across racial lines as well. As AFTRMTH played a song from the new LSDXOXO EP, I ran into people having anal sex in the trees. When I returned to the dance-floor, bubbles filled the air. Siri, what’s a synonym for utopia?
It wouldn’t be a Deviant Dispatch without a check in with the queen of autotune Charli XCX. Last weekend she performed as Wynwood Pride in Miami, looking tastefully festive as you see above. She gave a shoutout to Sophie, spoke how her career would be dead with the gays, and reluctantly signed someone’s vaccine card.
That’s all I have for this week. Scroll on for a heaping helping of pride parties. As of writing this they all still have tickets, but act fast!
See you in the park babes.
XOXO
MO
The Return of Misster
When: Wednesday 10pm-4am
Where: The Woods, 48 s 4th st
What: The return of the go-to lesbian weekly, during the final week of Pride month no less. I can hear the sapphic hum in the air.
How much: Free
Gigs: Pride edition
When: Thursday, 8:00 pm
Where: The Sultan Room @ The Turks Inn
What: The Pride edition of GIGs has many of the faces who tore the stage at Willie Norris’ birthday party. A rare appearance is the out-of-towner Remy Black. It’s possible that Macy Rodman might perform her new single “LOVE ME!” (out July 1st). Or she might just get naked.
How much: $17
Emotional Carnivore’s Get Proud 4 Pride
When: Friday, 8pm
Where: The Cell Theatre, 338 w 23rd street
What: The first Unforgivable Emotional Carnivore actually at a theatre not the basement of a bar or on a sidewalk. This drag collective / theatre troupe isn’t afraid to get political, and is always bizarre. I trust they’re going to give Pride™ the ridiculous and critical treatment is deserves.
How much: $15
Str8 to DVD: DiscHorse
When: Saturday, 6pm
Where: The Vale of Cashmere
What: With a theme that mocks the tenor of online conversations, a lineup including stars like Emi Grate, Vena Cava, and C’etait Bon Temps, this is worth trekking to the park for.
How much: $5-10 suggested donation
Psychic Reset
When: Saturday, 10pm-4am
Where: a secret warehouse
What: In addition to the lineup of DJs headlined by the likes of Pauli Cakes and Ant Puke, rappers Cakes Da Killa and Quay Dash will be performing. We love a secret warehouse rave as an antidote to slick corporate pride parties, and now it’s safe to enjoy them again.
How much: $20-25
Collective Pride Fam
When: Sunday, 2pm-10pm
Where: The Knockdown Center
What: This show is a collection of various cliques of the Brooklyn nightlife scene, from the drag king collective Cakeboys to Junior Mintt’s show In Living Color, to the asian party Bubble T. The event will be outside at the same space that hosts Bushwig, and looks like it’s have the same fuzzy chosen-family feeling.
How much: $40-100
Legion Pride Brunch
When: 12:00-2:00 pm, 3:00-5:00pm
Where: PJ Clarke’s, 250 Vesey Street.
What: If you’re looking for a taste of Brooklyn while you’re in Manhattan for the pride parade, head to Angelica Sundae’s Legion Pride Brunch. “Its inside Brookfield Place (a MALL) in Battery Park, outdoors on a beautiful, tree canopied promenade by the river with fabulous yachts floating in the background” Angelica Sundae told me. There will be queer musicians as well as drag performances to go along with your brunch.
How much: $20 + $30 food and drink min
Barfmitzvah
When: Sunday 8:00 pm - 1:00 am
Where: C'mon Everybody, 325 Franklin Avenue
What: For almost as long as I’ve known Mini Horrorwitz she’s talked about doing a birthday party called Barfmitzvah. Helping her execute her vision is Macy Rodman DJing, Angelica Sundae and XAINA X giving shows, and even a gogo dancer. I’m sure the numbers will have gags aplenty.
How much: $15, tickets here
That’s it for this dispatch. If you liked it please consider hitting the heart button on this post or forwarding this email to a pal! If you’re the pal please subscribe. I write once a week about upcoming worthy events underground, news & gossip, and gay shit. You can send me tips about those things by emailing thedeviantdispatch@gmail.com. If you care about drag queens, illegal parties, independent music/art/film/fashion, Charli XCX, and rebellion, you need to support The Deviant Dispatch.