When Brian G was a child there were two 8-tracks that dominated the stereo during the holiday season: the Andy Williams Christmas Album and the Barbra Streisand Christmas Album.  Fast forward a decade (or two) and at family holiday gatherings all of Brian G's siblings are surprised to find that they have all purchased the Andy Williams Album to remind them of Christmas past; it is only Brian G who has purchased the Barbra Streisand Album.

Keeping that in mind, here is a last minute video holiday treat from TheOccasionalFag.  Just a short little bit of visual love from us to you to keep the season bright and - how shall we say it - "gay"...

If nothing else, as we enter the new new year and this podcast gets closer and closer to finding out what it wants to be, we've noticed that it ultimately has much to do with the wonderful community we are discovering out there through its' creation.  Many blessings to all of you and God(dess) bless us, everyone!

Share with us some holiday spirit on the listener line: 206.600.5504

Brian and David b talk about Christmas past and present.

Call the listener line: 206-600-5504

The world lost a Grand Old Fag on Wednesday December fifth when Bob Kohler passed away.  Join us as we celebrate Bob’s life and political activism at his political funeral, held in the streets of Manhattan on Sunday evening December 9th.

New York Times article about the political funeral.

Village Voice article about the political funeral.

Words to YOU’RE A GRAND OLD FAG:

You’re a grand old fag
You’re a radical fag
On the front lines and kick lines with flair!
You’ve got loads of class,
A real cute ass,
And wit you so gen’rously share.
When the chips are down
You are always around
And we know we have nothing to fear!
We swear we’ll keep our butt holes clean
And our eyes on the grand old queer!

Join Brian G and David b with family and friends for a bit of Thanksgiving Day dinner (with no special effects stolen from anyone or any other podcasts).

About half way through everyone has to exclaim what they are actually thankful for.  Thank Goodness...

IATSE Local One, the Broadway Stagehand's Union is on strike closing 22 shows on Broadway.  We comment...  Kinda...

Plus, TheOccasionalFag invites those delicious darlings of Pro-Choice vocal stylizations - The Church Lades For Choice - to rise to the Q-Cast Connection's Chitty Poppinoff Challenge.  Heaven help us!

NOTE:  Donate money to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS!  NOW!

Call the listener comment line 206-600-5504

Another installment of the daily hum drum chores.

Well, if you have been to this podcast's Flickr account recently, you know from the many pictures taken that Brian G had a birthday in which he and the Church Ladies For Choice took in an afternoon of theatre at the Helen Hayes theatre here in New York.

They saw Xanadu On Broadway: The Musical!

And you could also surmise that if Brian G has a bunch of pictures of a single event, he is going to use them to put together one of those video montages of pictures set to music that he gets such a kick out of putting together.

And here it is...

Enjoy.

This past summer Brian G traveled to Las Vegas with his partner David (Mr. Who) and David's cousin Annette.

While there, they took in the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton Hotel finding that it exceeded all of their expectations.  All three being only part-time fans of the films and many series (enough to tell the difference between a Tribble and a bottle of Romulan Ale) they still had a amazing time.

During dinner at Quark's Restaurant in the Experience, they were chatted up by a blue skinned and antennaed Andorian from the icy moon of Andoria of the ringed gas giant Andor in the Procyan System.  Brian G was wearing the binaural mics all night, so presented here is their conversation with the "Commander" about alien sexual politics, alien race issues and our favorite alien - "Admiral" Janeway.

Enjoy

Brian G was playing on the computer with recent pictures from a trip to Lake Compounce Amusement Park; putting together a little video with still images the way he likes to do - very iMovie and all that.

Here is the results of his play. 

Not to get too pretentious or anything, but during his years in film school - in the art department, not the journalism school - Brian G was introduced to a couple of the films of Stan Brahkage.  One of them, "Anticipation of the Night", absorbed him greatly, and while this little video Brian G has made is not that movie he would like to think it shares some of its' concerns - aesthetic and otherwise.  Brahkage made non-narrative films about light through a lens and on to a reflective screen, the formal elements of the film becoming both metaphor and anti-metaphor.

Hey, if nothing else, the sonic armature on which all the images hang is one of the all time greatest rock songs ever.  Enjoy...

David b joins other queercasters with this household chore video!  This one is for you Tim Corrimal and Archerr.

Unlike last year's Dance Festival video where I (Brian G) waited 11 months to get around to editing the darn thing, this year's Fire Island Dance Festival Video is ready now and posted for your viewing pleasure.

As always, the Dance Festival is put on by DRA: Dancers Responding to AIDS. 

It took place back in the middle of July on a perfectly beautiful weekend. Too bad the days surrounding that weekend were a little bit moist.  Not that you'll be seeing any of the rain.  This year's video is mostly about the dancers and the new Community Center out in The Pines.  You will notice, though, that we did get one of the trucks stuck in and eventually out of the wet sand.  All part of the fun...

"Out at the Fairgrounds" is our gay night at Six Flags Great Adventure here in the Tri-State/NYC area (would that we had a Disney Park close by to have a Gay Day at).  It is a Fund-raiser for Heritage of Pride, the group that sponsors our yearly Gay Pride festivities.

Along with Brian and David B, this year our coaster loving congregation includes the delightful VJ of VJnet, Brian's partner David (also sometimes known as Mr. Who so as not to be confused with David B), David B's partner Leon and also his brother Eric and his partner Paul.  Eric and Paul brought two friends (a couple) with them from Ohio, so it was Nine of us all braving the Russian Mountians together.

This podcast is of us in line for Medusa, a floor-less B&M Coaster towards the back of the park at Great Adventure.

Now through September 16th Circus Amok will be performing “BEE Dazzled!? in parks throughout the borrows of New York City.  Presented here is the opening number form opening day in Riverside Park.  If you are in NYC go and get bedazzled!

Join our friends the Church Ladies for Choice as they host a “church bingo? and raise money for Sylvia’s place, a shelter and drop in center for LGBT youth.

Brian and I go and see a circus, talk about ourselves, and skulk through a cruisey area of Central Park.  Go see Circus Amok if you are in NYC in September.  Come see the Church Ladies for Choice at Will Clark's Porno Bing Sept 5th, it’s a fund raiser for Sylvia’s Place.  Or ride roller coasters at 6 Flags Great Adventure on Sept. 14 with some queercasters, buy tickets here.

As summer draws to a close, we at TheOccasionalFag reflect on our outings in the park.  Call our listener hotline 206-600-5504.

Both David B. and Brian first met David Zinn back in 1990 when we were all involved with ACT UP: The AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power.  Mr. Zinn and Brian were both on the fundraising committee and worked together on many events for the group.

Back then, as now, David Zinn was an incredibly talented costume and set designer working with Regional Theatres and Operas across the Country. David has recently broken into Broadway with his costume designs for XANADU, THE MUSICAL, and, as we are huge fans of the show, we called to see if he would be up for dinner and an interview.

He was!

Okay, forgive the background noise.  We should have found a quieter restaurant.  Do we ever?  Not really...  But, enjoy the talk about an earlier show that David worked on, Chess, and then talk of Xanadu.

Broadway Bares is a yearly burlesque/striptease show put on by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS that is now in its 17th year. 

It all started back with the first show where just eight gypsies at the Splash Bar (for a while known as SBNY, now, once again, known as Splash Bar) did two "filled to capacity" shows to raise over eight thousand dollars.  The cast of this year's show topped 250 and raised over three quarters of a million to be distributed to AIDS Service Organizations around the country.

I (Brian) donate my time setting up the show each year (for the past six years) and was allowed this time to bring in the Edirol recorder.

What we have here as a TheOccasionalFag episode is a very loose editing of the almost eight hours of sound that I collected; most of it kinda useless, so I hope you enjoy some of this: there are snippets of the show itself, but being a strip show, it's much funner to watch than to listen to.  There are two interviews with people whom I greatly admire, Armondo Farfalle, the acrobat, and Malan, the designer from Project Runway Season 3, and there is an semi-aborted interview with a big gay celebrity we all know and love. 

And, through it all, commentary from David B and Brian - recorded at a different time just to make it sound oddly removed from the ongoing proceedings...

Enjoy!

As you may remember from last summer, every year TheOccasionalFag, through Brian,  goes to the incredible Fire Island Dance Festival to help set up the stage and house, run the show and then strike everything.

What you may not know is that he takes a great deal of pictures. 

Then, when he gets home, he sits down to his mac and makes a little iMovie with them (much like Rosie always used to do on her talk show...).  It really is his way of enjoying the weekend again as when you're in the middle of anything it is hard to stand back and view it for all the incredibleness that it is.  This is his way of doing just that.

He started to share his little iMovies with the DRA (Dancers Responding to AIDS) staff and now he is sharing them with you.  They're not much more than slide shows set to music, but they capture a bit of the magic and that is something.

This video is of images from last year's Dance Festival ('06).  Brian just got back (2 hours ago) from this year's Festival ('07) and will be posting all from that (both a podcast and vidcast) as it gets edited.

Note: The emphasis of the '06 video presented here is of images of the DRA staff and volunteers.  Not so much of the Dancers.  That will be the '07 vid.  To see similar videos of the '05 and '04 Dance Festivals click here (BG Videos) for Brian Griffin's personal website.

We announce the winner of our Soy Candles by Phebes contest, and talk about upcoming podcasts. ddbean, our winner should email us at TheOccasionalFag[at]gmail[dot]com with contact info as we can put you in touch with Mike Hipp and arrangements can be made to send you your candles.  Or call our listener hot line 206-600-5504.

Here in city of New York we've found a way to celebrate Pride all month long by having Pride Days in each of it's five boroughs.  The first one to come each year on the first Sunday in June is Queen's Pride.

Join David B, Leon, Andrew and Brian as we enjoy this Reader's Digest abridged version of Pride in one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods on the planet - I Dios Mio!

Is listening to people (well, us, theoccasionalfag guys) paint the new Marsha P. Johnson Drop-In Center for Homeless LGBT Youth at 151 West 127th street in any way more exciting than watching paint dry?  We hope so...

We showed up to pitch in and help out getting this new center open in Harlem - recorders in hand - and you know what?  There is plenty of time for you to join in and show up to help as well.  Contact Kate Barnhard at manager@sylviasplace.org to offer your time, things or money.  As Kathy Griffin of D-List fame would say, "It's for the kids!"  And it really is!

Side note: We'll be announcing the winner of the Soy Candles by Phebes next episode and we'd like to thank all who entered by leaving a review on our iTunes Music Store page.

Wishing you all have a great Pride, we did!

Want to join up with TheOccasionalFag in New York City over Gay Pride Weekend?  Here is our schedule, feel free to fall in to it how ever you like:

Friday June 22nd - Drag March - 7PM

Meet up at Tompkins Square Park in the East Village just off of Avenue A and 8th Street at 7:00 pm.  Wear your best worst drag and sensible shoes, we'll be marching from there to the Stonewall Bar in the West Village after the traditional Radical Faerie drum circle.

Saturday June 23rd- Dyke March - 5PM

We line up in front of Marble Collegiate Church on 29th Street and 5th Avenue to salute the Dykes as they March by.  Wear your worst best drag and be prepared to sing the song "God Is A Lesbian" over and over (and over and over) until you fear you will be singing later in your sleep!

Sunday June 24th - Pride March - 1PM

Join TheOccasionalFag in the march itself as we are sponsoring and marching with Erin Davies and her Fagbug (see TOF 25 Fagbug).  We line up at 1PM on 54th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.  We step off when we're told... 

All who are reading this are welcome to all these events.

At the ACT UP 20th Anniversary Demonstration, while David B. was collecting video images, I (Brian) was collecting sounds: the voices of those who will put their bodies and voices out there so as to be counted as someone still furious at the lack of global attention being paid to this plague.

You know though, once you are there, it's not always about AIDS.  Sometimes, as you are marching along through the man made canyons of downtown Manhattan, there is time for talk of knitting, and maybe even a little bit of history about the buildings that surrounded us.

Slice-of-life-y and unfocused, this podcast puts you in the middle of the demo with some of our favorite people on the planet: Gilbert Baker, Karen Timore, Tad Loos, Donald Grove and others. 

Enjoy!

New York City's own Church Ladies For Choice, those daring defenders of Abortion Rights, Youth Condom Distribution and Queer Hegemony (don't we wish there really was a "Queer Hegemony", I mean, there kinda is, but really, who's kidding who; takes some mighty rose colored glasses to see it...  anyway...) were asked to entertain at the ACT UP Twentieth Anniversary Gathering/Party that followed their 20th Anniversary Demonstration/Action.

Now, anywhere that the Church Ladies For Choice go, TheOccasionalFag is sure - recorders in hand - to follow.  Always seems to happen.  Funny that.

Lucky you!

Well, maybe.  The Church Ladies sing and recount tales of activism past and then sing some more - with the audience joining in.  I'd say to "pray for pitch", but even heaven can't help us here.  Remember in the end, its the activism that counts. 

Enjoy...

No show notes for today as they would be the same as the show notes for TOF29 Bloomberg Pt 1.

On a recent ArcherRadio gang bang show, Mike Hipp of Podcastsoup.net asked something along the lines of, "Who really is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and what would he have to offer if he were to run for the Presidency?"

David B. decided to pick up this ball and run with it.  Invited into this "Fone-in Fag Fest"  on the concept of a Bloomberg candidacy and administration are Mike Hipp himself, Mark Tafoya of Remarkably Mark, Archer of Archer Radio, our friend Jon, the "Occasionals" themselves David B. and Brian and - later in part two of the podcast  - Ann Northrop of Gay USA.

-Does the conversation get heated?  Yes!
-Do people talk over each other?  Oh yes...
-Does the conversation get messy?  Well...
-Do things get personal?????  Not really by New York standards...  
(Is that a cop-out?)
-Should TheOccasionalFag learn to moderate things better...  Hey, there is a learning curve here and evolution does take place!

-Did all who participated in the conversation come skidding out of it charged up and wanting more?  We think so, which is why we're posting it, in the hopes that it charges up our listeners.

Points are made from all sides about personal responsibilities, whether that be the individual's responsibility to educate themselves and participate politically, or the responsibility of wealthier individuals not take unfair advantages of the ambiguities of huge collective activities such as voting.

Hey, If you already miss Rosie and Elizabeth going at it on The View, download and tune into this podcast!  Ahh, if only we had a split- screen of sound on hand.  We don't...  but we did split this podcast in two with the second half being posted this coming Wednesday, the 6th of June.

Leave comments or call the listener Hot line 206-600-5504.

Many have asked, "So what about this 'occasional Roller Coaster'?  What's this all about?" 

We here at TheOccasionalFag are proud to introduce our very first roller coaster podcast, and where else would we record from first other than that East Coast Mecca of all things carnival, Coney Island, NYC.

On the opening day of one of the best woodies on the planet, the Coney Island Cyclone, the first one hundred people in line ride for free.  We were there as well as many ACE'rs (American Coaster Enthusiasts) and Brooklyn-ites celebrating that little bit of "good-to-have-wood" heaven in their own back yard.  Interviews all around at the Cyclone and later at Nathan's Famous over Hot Dogs and Frog legs.

Also, we interview Kate Dale (Pictured), mermaid extraordinaire and Board Member of Coney Island USA, about the up and coming changes sweeping through the area (developers have purchased Astroland making it this park's last year) and what it means to be the best mermaid in the yearly Mermaid Parade three times over!

(If you are anywhere near New York City this summer, come see what Coney Island is before it does what it has been famous for in all of it's history: becoming something else.  The Mermaid Parade is always on the Saturday of the Summer Solstice (this year - June 23, 2007) and always the most fun.)

Enjoy the ride!

Call the listener line and leave comments 206-600-5504
Email your comments to TheOccasionalFag@gmail.com


For more images of Coney Island and Mermaids, click on Flickr badge below:

It's not always about changing the world.  Sometimes you just have to take a break and get away from it all.

Here in the tri-state area, if you wish to invest the money, or - like me (Brian) - you have friends that have invested the money, you get away for the weekend out on Fire Island.

My friends Mark and Jay have me out each year at the beginning of the season to help them open up their house.  This podcast is an interview with Jay Pagano about the new community center in The Pines, and a, on my part, stream of consciousness "sound-seeing" walk along the beach wearing the binaural mics.

David B. is out of town the weekend of this posting, so - like it or not - this is a Brian podcast.  (I hope David B. likes it...  ).

Enjoy!