Surreal. That’s how it felt sitting in one of the most historic West End theaters and watching New Orleans’ own Roy Haylock perform in a hit musical. And when he entered in drag and got huge applause from the adoring sold-out house--even more surreal. Anyone who remembers when Bianca Del Rio hosted Drag Bingo at Oz would probably feel the same way. It’s also a word … [Read more...] about Everybody’s Talking About Bianca
Arts & Culture
Trodding the Boards June 18, 2019
Much Ado About Nothing at Tulane’s Lupin Theater through June 30 If you’ve never seen Much Ado About Nothing, you might want to head to Tulane’s Lupin Theater for the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival’s opening production of their 26th season. As is often the case at NOSF, Director Burton Tedesco gives us a mostly straightforward rendering of one of the Bard’s most … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards June 18, 2019
New Orleans Hot Happenings June 4—17, 2019
What have you done to make yourself feel proud? Pride is here, and this issue’s Hot Happenings is filled with exciting events around the city. So enjoy! Go out and show your Pride! (If you have a fundraiser, party, show, or event coming up, and would like to be listed in the calendar, please email me at ledgemgp@gmail.com). Weekly Events EVERYDAY Happy Hour: The … [Read more...] about New Orleans Hot Happenings June 4—17, 2019
Feeling Heard
One random evening, while scrolling through Instagram, I came across a post with a link to a news story. I clicked on the link and watched the video, which revealed my “social media friend” has a disability. The news story was about Chase, a 26-year-old guy in New Orleans who has Becker Muscular Dystrophy. With the help of a group called Ainsley’s Angels, Chase was able … [Read more...] about Feeling Heard
New Orleans Pride Grand Marshal Dr. Dery Interview
New Orleans Pride is excited to have Dr. MarkAlain Dery as Local Grand Marshal for Pride 2019. Dr. Dery is the Chief Innovation Officer with Access Health Louisiana and the Medical Director for the AIDS Education & Training Center Program (AETC). We recently caught up with Dr. Dery to discuss Pride, and HIV in New Orleans. Ordinary is not a word that would be used … [Read more...] about New Orleans Pride Grand Marshal Dr. Dery Interview
Big Freedia New Orleans Pride Interview
Q: You are headlining at New Orleans Pridefest on June 8th, and you will be the Celebrity Grand Marshal of the Pride Parade. What does it mean to you, to headline your hometown Pride? A: I’m humbled to be doing this for my city of New Orleans, and for Bounce music as a whole. I’m sure it’s going to be a great experience, very exciting, and fun for me and the … [Read more...] about Big Freedia New Orleans Pride Interview
The Voice Known as Frenchie Davis: Broadway – Cabaret – World Stage – Baton Rouge
Robyn Vie Carpenter-Brisco, Vice-Chair of Baton Rouge Pride Songbird Frenchie Davis is a world-renowned vocalist from Los Angeles, California, and a graduate of Howard University. Her theatrical credits include the Broadway cast of RENT, Dreamgirls, Cinderella Enchanted, Jesus Christ Superstar, and the National Tour of Ain’t Misbehavin’, for which she earned a Grammy … [Read more...] about The Voice Known as Frenchie Davis: Broadway – Cabaret – World Stage – Baton Rouge
Pepper Mashay at Baton Rouge Pride
Robyn Vie Carpenter-Brisco, Vice-Chair of Baton Rouge Pride What does Pride sound like? I think that the answer really depends on who you ask, and when you’re asking. When I first came out 25 years ago, the sound of my first Pride was the exuberant anthem from the divine Miss Ross, “I’m Coming Out.” That’s also the year I learned about the NYC rock band, BETTY!, who sang the … [Read more...] about Pepper Mashay at Baton Rouge Pride
Jimmy Neurosis
Jimmy Neurosis. James Oseland. Ecco, 2019. ISBN: 978-0062267368. 293 pages. Long before James Oseland was a judge on Top Chef Masters, he was a teenage rebel growing up in the pre–Silicon Valley suburbs, yearning for a taste of something wild. Diving headfirst into the churning mayhem of the punk movement, he renamed himself Jimmy Neurosis and embarked on a journey into a … [Read more...] about Jimmy Neurosis
1977: Pageants and Rags and Courts—O My!
In 1983, Valda Lewis moved to New Orleans and began working at a Randall’s Record Shop on Toulouse Street importing and selling British punk rock music. Here in New Orleans, she found the freedom to be her true self, a lesbian, that proved so elusive in her hometown of Rayleigh in Essex County back in England. After Randall’s, she took a job bartending and met her … [Read more...] about 1977: Pageants and Rags and Courts—O My!
