by Marc
Alexander
AUSTIN/CENTRAL TEXAS
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All good things come to an end and so our Texas Arts Spotlight columnist, Michelle Regnier, is moving on to the next phase of her life. We appreciate her contributions to Ambush Texas and wish her every success in all her future endeavors. The Texas Arts Spotlight contents will be absorbed by this column with reviews, interviews and other items of interest to the arts community appearing from time to time.
Did you make it to at least one of the Mardi Gras celebrations? Texans have caught Mardi Gras fever and brought it home with them...like Mardi Gras insanity on 6th Street drawing crowds of fifty plus thousand, Galveston had even more attending their huge celebration complete with krewe parades and then there was the annual Let Us Entertain You (LUEY) weekend in Houston which broke attendance records...I’m tired just thinking about it all...
He went there and we have photo proof! Recognize him? Apparently Silver Spur bartender Eddie recently suffered a "drag attack" of major proportions but then, I have had my suspicions about him or should I say HER...of course there’s more...the affair began when Eddie donned a wig and began camping around the bar, one laugh led to another and our candidate for Austin Idol found a dress, grabbed a bucket and launched into a poor pitiful Edwina routine onstage to the delight of those in the Silver Spur audience...a couple of folks wondered if, perhaps, maybe they had walked in on an audition for the Austin Babtist Women...you’d be surprised at some of the names expressing a desire to join the ABW’s...finally Austin’s newest drag discovery did the expected thing and crowned herself, Miss(ed) Everything 2005... there are more photos of Eddie/Edwina in the Austin Paparazzi section of this issue - go there...
Itching to learn to boot scoot or just in the mood for a refresher course...then dance on down to the Silver Spur for those Thursday Beginner Dance classes...don’t forget $2. Tuesdays with Boy...he serves up well and domestic beers at $2. per drink...okay, now what did I do with all those two dollar bills I’ve been saving so I can drive Boy nuts...
Hurry, it’s Happy Hour at Oilcan Harry’s with Bobby and that scrumptous Robert who we drooled over at the old Boyz Cellar... you should have been with the Ambush troop the other Monday when they terrorized the gang at Oilcan’s...go on downtown, let the hunky duo brighten your afternoon and they know how to mix a mean cocktail too...stick around, Licious and Bang will be in later to do their postal gig and spin some awesome tunes just for you...
At Rain on 4th it’s Wednesday so it’s all about Bitchin’ Bingo plus Thunder and Lightening...what do you mean you don’t know about Thunder and Lightening...it’s an Amateur Strip Contest with hotties everywhere...while you are there say hello to my buddy Brian for me, tell him I’ll be there later...thanks...
Up on West Fifth the renovations continue...well yes, it is a work in progress but you have to agree Rainbow Cattle Company is looking better than good, it’s great! Andy and the RCC staff are gearing up for March when HOT III opens - what? You don’t know the meaning of HOT III...duh...it’s the Heart of Texas Third Annual Tennis Classic Tournament...uh huh, thought you’d find it easier to say HOT III...we’ll have loads more information for you in the next issue but for now plan on attending a very special show on Saturday, March 12th at RCC...word is Miss T.G.R.A. Wanda Bouvier and her messy sister, Rona Bare-It, along with the notorious Austin Babtist
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Women will be onstage to entertain that night...it’s all sponsored by the Austin Tennis Club and benefits AIDS Services Austin...make plans to be there...coming up the following Saturday (03/19) Mr. RCC Bob Hemby and Miss RCC Simone Riviera crown their successors...Bob and Simone have enjoyed their reign as titleholders of one of the most prestigious bar pageants in Texas...both have represented RCC at home and on the road this past year...plan to be there as they crown their successors...need an application for MR. MISS and MS. Rainbow Cattle Company then ask any staff member at RCC for an application...need more info about HOT III then click on www.austintennisclub.com...
Nothin’ up their sleeves, nothin’ under their hats, nothin’ up their dresses so where did the Austin Babtist Women find that phenomenal magician who will be sharing the RCC stage with them this Saturday night (02/19)...he hails from Florida and is known as Zakari Asiago the Magician! You don’t want to miss this one, besides it is only an hour long show with the ABW’s doing backup for him...imagine that, the ladies are so impressed they are taking a backseat for this show which starts PROMPTLY at nine p.m. so don’t be tardy, you know how Miss Spinster gets when you stroll through the door mid-show...and yes, it is a benefit, would they do anything but...the Wright House Wellness Center like so many other agencies has been hit hard with cuts in their funding so every penny is vital to the work they do for our community...get on over there, maybe the magician can pull a trick out of his hat for you...it could happen...
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This Saturday (03/19), decadence in the form of magic, mayhem, beauty and fantasy come to life onstage at the Vortex at 2307 Manor Road (half mile East of I35 between Chestnut and Maple)...the Vortex Repertory Company invites you to the Dark Goddess Ball... It’s reunion time for past performances of Dark Goddess making for a flawless fundraiser and party...there will be food and drink, a special Silent Auction, fire dancing, tarot readings by the goddess Suzanne McAnna and polaroid photos with your favorite goddess... it gets better...make plans now to attend as your favorite Dark Goddess or God...Yeth Baby, you can play dress up, do the costume and mask thing, the wilder, more extravagant and decadent the better...Belleview Jubliee and dj Chet Polo will provide music with the always awesome Rob Nash performing as a Mystery Goddess along with the likes of Jo Beth Henderson, Anderson Dear and the Dueling Kali’s with Dark Goddess veterans Z-Helene and Heather Huggins...stop, think, you can help this theatre GROW and have a blast in the process...need more, then call 512.478.LAVA...
They’re almost here...a horde of court folks will be in town this weekend for the United Court of Austin’s annual DIVA and StudMuffin Revue at 10 p.m. onstage at Xtreme...join the festivities and help the Studs as they induct new members into their group and in this one YOUR applause determines wheter they be Studs or Muffins. DIVA’s will be on hand from Houston, Dallas, Waco, Fort Worth and Corpus Christi for a night of entertainment and FUN... Need more info, e-mail EmpressX@austin.rr.com...
At last, the Carver Museum has reopened and it is spectacular! It is more than a museum this time around, it is a campus featuring the famed Carver Museum, a branch library and Cultural Center... the museum has been around for 75 years and is Austin’s only African American Museum and Cultural Center...there is an artist gallery, three permanent exhibits, a 134 seat theater, dance studio, classroom, darkroom, gift shop, offices and loads of parking at the North and South ends of the building...new to town and want to know why we make such a big to do about "Juneteenth"...then call 512.472.4809 for more information...
Musician Alert! Singer/songwriter/actor with the stage name Bobby Jo Cross has a new project of original music and is looking for talented musicians such as lead/rhythm guitarist, bass guitarist, drummers and keyboard artist with an ability to double on other instruments and vocal harmonies to form a band for this project. "Austin is loaded with talented musicians, the challenge is finding the right mix. The music is very Texas oriented, kind of a roadhouse sound with an edge," explained native Texan Bob. Interested in working on this project? Sounds like this is a great opportunity to become a part of this new Austin sound. Want to know more, then talk with Bob, you can email him at outwest@gmail.com or by phone at 512.926.6286...so, you’re like me and can’t carry a tune in a bucket but you have a friend who is a talented musician, well honey, call ’ em, give Bob’s contact info. tell ’em to give him a holla...
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More on the Hat Lady...You got to be quicker than a silver bullet to keep up with Texas Icon Marcy Fletcher especially when she is in the midst of talking about life in Austin in the early days... in the last issue I stated that her first bar was an alternative bar... wrong...it was a gay club!
"This was just after Stonewall and my human rights issues hinged on it not being anyone’s business who you danced with or loved," stated Marcy. In those days the City of Austin had a same sex/no dance policy...two same sex couples were arrested at the Driskoll Hotel which resulted in Marcy openly challenging that policy. "We were fire bombed, set on fire period, I was attacked numerous times. Texas Monthly went out on a limb, having only been in business a year and described Friends and Lovers as a gay club with a sprinkling of straight people."
The club was an in your face gay club with an attitude of non-discrimination, well, they did discriminate against those filled with hatred. Alternative clubs of today pretty much mean "We’ll take anyone’s money." This was not the scene in the early 70’s, entering and leaving a known gay establishment in those days was often a perilous experience, we weren’t gay then, we were QUEERS and it was most definitely intended as a hate filled word. I have personal memories of those days, I was in the process of discovering my "gay side" and would park my car blocks away from the bar, sneak through a couple alleyways in fear of running into one of my straight friends or neighbors. It was a time of grim paranoia for us, bashing unto death was not uncommon, the efforts of folks like Marcy Fletcher gave us the courage to stand up and shout, "We’re Queer, We’re Here..." If you care about your future, take time to talk with someone about the reality of yesterday, visit with folks from agencies like the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and let them bring you up to date on just where we stand in America. What’s that, do I hear the sound of shattering glass...think about it...
Coming up in the next issue of Ambush...lots of goodies, maybe a surprise or three...watch for us because we are watching for you...
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