Come join some of the biggest names in queer online culture at a fabulous soiree to kick of SXSW, the film, interactive and music festivals and conference that takes place every spring in Austin, Texas.

Network with other queer/LGBT bloggers, filmmakers and musicians including Fausto Fernós and Marc Felion from the Feast of Fun podcast.

Feast of Fun SXSW Queer Meetup
Friday, March 9 at 7pm-9pm
Oilcan Harry’s
Facebook Link | Special hookup for SXSW Attendees (bring your badge) or
folks who follow @oilcanharrys on Twitter. (Bring your smartphone for proof)
Light food and refreshments served.

Every year, thousands of internet and filmmaking rock stars and rock-star-rock-stars gather in Austin, Texas for South by Southwest, the interactive, film, and music conference that originally began as a music festival in the late 80s. Today it’s a big deal, bringing the biggest names in the industry together with everyday people for a mixing of the minds– a delicious burrito full of culture and fun.

As a way to say thanks to all the fabulous people who are here for the conference, we’re throwing a party on Friday, March 9 at 7-9pm at Oil Can Harry’s -the- hottest gay bar with the cutest guys and gals.

Come meet me, Fausto Fernós, Marc Felion and a bunch of internet rock stars having a great time knocking down the drinks.

Bring a camera and your iPhone, these things usually get wild.

Come join some of the biggest names in queer online culture at a fabulous soiree to kick of SXSW, the film, interactive and music festivals and conference that takes place every spring in Austin, Texas.

Network with other queer/LGBT bloggers, filmmakers and musicians including Fausto Fernós and Marc Felion from the Feast of Fun podcast.

Feast of Fun SXSW Queer Meetup
Friday, March 9 at 7pm-9pm
Oilcan Harry’s
Facebook Link | Special hookup for SXSW Attendees (bring your badge) or
folks who follow @oilcanharrys on Twitter. (Bring your smartphone for proof)
Light food and refreshments served.

Every year, thousands of internet and filmmaking rock stars and rock-star-rock-stars gather in Austin, Texas for South by Southwest, the interactive, film, and music conference that originally began as a music festival in the late 80s. Today it’s a big deal, bringing the biggest names in the industry together with everyday people for a mixing of the minds– a delicious burrito full of culture and fun.

As a way to say thanks to all the fabulous people who are here for the conference, we’re throwing a party on Friday, March 9 at 7-9pm at Oil Can Harry’s -the- hottest gay bar with the cutest guys and gals.

Come meet me, Fausto Fernós, Marc Felion and a bunch of internet rock stars having a great time knocking down the drinks.

Bring a camera and your iPhone, these things usually get wild.

Hallaloo! The Paseo Boricua Pageant is honoring RuPaul’s Drag Race veterans Alexis Mateo and Yara Sofia by crowning them as Cacica Queens for their extraordinary examples of what a queen can do.

In case you don’t know, “cacica” is a Spanish word for a female leader of a tribe. The word comes to Spanish from the language of the Tainos, the native people of Puerto Rico.

The Paseo Boricua Pageant serves to promote a safe and inviting environment where young Puerto Rican/Latino LGBTQ individuals can shine as role models. It aims to challenge traditional ways of thinking about homophobia and transphobia and these girls are anything but traditional so it’s a great choice.

Congratulations Girls!

The Coronation will be held on Friday, June 17, from 9 p.m. until 4 a.m., at Circuit Night Club, 3641 N. Halsted Street. The show will start at 11:30 p.m. A donation of $10 will be required. Those donating $15 or more will receive VIP treatment.

RSVP at Lifelube.org

Pagan Coming Out Day is May 2! I wonder, is it easier to come out as pagan or as gay?

From the Pagan Coming Out Day website

The Benefits of Coming Out
• Eliminating the worry of what will happen if your ‘secret’ is discovered.
• Ability to live your life honestly.
• Developing closer, more genuine relationships with friends and family.
• Being part of a community with others with whom you have something in common.
• Helping to dispel myths and stereotypes by speaking about your own experience and educating others.
• Being a role model for others.

The Risks of Coming Out
• Not everyone will be understanding or accepting.
• Some relationships may be permanently changed.
• In extreme cases, coming out may cause economic hardship or could have a negative impact on child custody cases.

Seems very much alike.

There is a transgender emergence happening in Chicago. After generations of struggle, transgender men and women are becoming more visible, integrated and finding new admirers gay, straight and everywhere in between. And yet the struggle continues.

What are the positive and negative repercussions of increased trans visibility and integration? How and why do different bodies and identities provoke the fear, violence and injustice this community continues to face in the midst of progress? What can the LGBT and allied communities do to change the story?

Featured panelists include Alexandra Billings, performer and community leader, Jamison Green, PhD, University of California, San Francisco Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, and Lara Brooks, manager of the Broadway Youth Center. Moderated by Fausto Fernos and Marc Felion of the Feast of Fun.

This event is being sponsored by the University of Illinois – Chicago Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement. Please join LifeLube, Project CRYSP, and the Feast of Fun for an invigorating, LIVE, podcast forum.

Thursday May 19, 2011

Doors open at 6 p.m. for light nibbles and schmoozing. Taping begins at 7 p.m.

RSVP at Lifelube.org

Ginger Heat

This event really caught my eye- it’s called Red Meat – A Monthly Party for Gay Redheads and the Men Who Love Them!

Reheads get in free but does San Francisco have a large enough population of gingers to make it really rock? And are they the hot Prince Harry types or they the Ronald Weasley types?

OK, Ron’s not so bad.

via

Did you go this year? I know I did! I have pictures of me playing twister with gay porn stars at Steamworks’ booth to prove it! Unfortunately, my game didn’t end with me tangled up with near naked porn stars. But I got a pretty awesome t-shirt as a consolation prize!

If you want to see the rest of the pictures I took, go check out the Market Days photo gallery I’ve created over at my blog, The Big Gay Welcome Wagon.

This was my second year going, and as usual it was fun.  Like most IML newbies, there’s always an adjustment period. It can be an intimidating environment, but always fun by the end.

I was talking with a couple Facebook friends about it and it occurred to me that there is a generation gap that exists between younger generations and older generations.  My friend, who has felt that he always got the “who’s this boy” kind of attitude. While it is a generalization, there is a little truth in the statement. Guys from younger generations are in the minority at these types of event.

Why is this? One could argue that the generation that started the leather community is the one who is drawn to it based on what the “ideal” used to be in the gay community. Masculinity is always attractive, but to what degree has “ideal masculinity” that changed?

I do find myself somewhat in the minority at an event like this and would love to see more gay men expand their horizons.

What are your thoughts? How can this be fixed? Or is this even a problem that needs fixed?

In a recent trip to Los Angeles, I found a lot of great ways to have fun at the theatre. First of all, the Center Theatre Group has addressed tough times head on by offering hot tix to certain performances for $20. This collection of live theatres always have high-end touring Broadway shows or even some terrific Broadway-bound productions. If you act quickly (as it closes Dec. 21), you can catch “The Little Dog Laughed,” which won a Tony for its lead actress Julie White, who is in the LA production as well.

This is a gem of a show about a closeted movie star who gets caught with his hands in the cookie jar (or actually in the arms of a male hustler). But the story really shines with the acid-tongue, fast-talking, riotous White as his agent who is the one who really holds nothing back. White’s performance and the witty dialogue of Douglas Carter Beane are worth the price of admission.

The Center also has an original musical coming up early next year – “Minsky’s,” a fact-based telling of the famed burlesque club. Written by Bob Martin (“The Drowsy Chaperone”), this will likely be a crowd pleaser, but we will certainly keep you posted. It opens January 21, 2009.

And as long as you’re in LA, you must catch “I Love My Wife,” closing Dec. 14 at the Brentwood Theatre. This is a seldom revived musical dealing with wife swapping and the 1970s, this clever show has a great ensemble cast with Jason Alexander, Patrick Cassidy, Lea Thompson and Vicki Lewis. It seems the cast is mostly made up of TV stars, which one might expect from an LA production. But many forget that before “Seinfeld,” Alexander won a Tony award for best actor in a MUSICAL and Cassidy also has done a lot of regional, touring and Broadway musicals.

The show is a nice flashback to the 1970s with the cast all in top form. Alexander, who also is the theatre group’s artistic director, makes you forget George from “Seinfeld” and Cassidy is in good voice as his more debonair friend. And, he looks a lot like his late father Jack Cassidy with his distinguished white hair. But his hot body, much on display at the end of the second act, makes him less distinguished and more just hot!

And let’s not forget the ladies. Both actresses are amiable TV stars that you expect to find pleasant but they actually bring more character and personality to their roles then you’d expect. Get your last minute tickets at www.reprise.org. Oh, and if you don’t know LA, you should ask everyone to help you find the theatre as the address is not on a GPS system! But it can be found in a tree lined country backroad behind the Veteran’s Administration building.

And for people who are in San Francisco, you can get camp and trannies for $20! See some of our popular drag queens, including my dear friend Heklina, in “The Golden Girls Christmas Episodes.” These campy reenactments of classic TV can make any grinch give back Christmas. Learn how to get tickets through Heklina’s website. But it plays Thursday, Friday and Saturdays through Dec. 27 (except Christmas).

And the New Conservatory Theatre Center always has great prices for shows! Closing Dec. 21 is another gem from Douglas Carter Beane – “As Bees in Honey Drowns.” But I can’t wait to get out there to see “Zanna Don’t!,” which plays through January 18. I saw the off-Broadway musical about a topsy-turvy world in which being gay was the norm and straight was the minority. It’s a cute and clever show and as I couldn’t get through Fausto and Mark’s heads, it is not a retelling of “Xanadu” – it just plays with the title. (The musical “Xanadu” just starting touring – so keep your eye for it – and it’s book is by Douglas Carter Beane, I guess he’s our savor for good theatre in this poor economy.)

And last but not least, regional theatre is getting more cutting edge – and regional is always less expensive. In the Bay Area, I have enjoyed many a show at the Willows Theatre. Starting next month is “Evil Dead – the Musical” – can’t wait to see that and I will tell you all about it. And then coming later in the season is “Pageant,” which did very well a few seasons back in San Francisco. Since the Willows is in the East Bay, I hope they maintain the drag queens play the parts of competing beauty queens instead of having women play the roles, God forbid. And the Willows will also present “Hats” (about red hat ladies) and “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” – you can get a better season than that!

Now that’s enough about theatre!

And to get the most out of San Francisco during the holidays and through the winter, the Hotel Mark Twain’s shopping package, through February, has hundreds of dollars in savings at stores, restaurants and other service providers – from Macys to Nordstrom to Go Car to free wine at First Crush to discounts at Fish & Farm to discounts at the factory outlet. Check out all the participants on the specials at Hotel Mark Twain. Oh, and if you notice, the hotel is also offering FREE valet parking with all deluxe rooms this winter for reservations made directly with the hotel. Book both of these great offers online or by calling directly at 415/673-2332.

And if your travels take you to New York City and you want a good hotel deal, I truly enjoy the hotels part of the Empire Hotel Group or there are often deals at the Hotel Edison or the Skyline Hotel which has an indoor pool!

As mentioned on the show, for those who want to win someone over for the holidays with cookies, Monster Cookies with Red and Green M&M’s would make anyone happy. There are several recipes for these cookies online but this is my favorite. Hints: to make nuttier I use peanut M&Ms and use a metal spoon to stir – a wooden one will break!

And once Christmas is over, New Year’s is right around the corner. Most hotels in metropolitan cities are at their premium on New Year’s Eve. But if you are going to be downtown San Francisco, ask for the FEAST rate at the Hotel Mark Twain and you’ll get $20 off your room for New Year’s Eve!

And if you’re looking for something in San Francisco to do downtown that’s fun and festive, Infusion Lounge, which technically opens in January, is having a special New Year’s Eve event. They are promoting themselves as “Nightlife Defined” and in my recent tour of the facility, they are absolutely right. Infusion Lounge features two posh rooms of Asian-inspired decor and a great VIP area. They have great packages for New Year’s Eve-whether you’re going solo as a couple or need a reserved table for a group.

6pm, Hyatt Regency. Join us at HRC-Chicago’s Annual Gala “Summer Chic” Saturday, July 19th at the Hyatt Regency with special celebrity guests actress and comedian Jane Lynch and hunky performers from Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity. It’s always an incredible party and we’ll be there to celebrate! Get your tickets here

Monday, July 21 – The M-Network

6pm-9pm, Center on Halsted. The Feast of Fools is proud to host the first ever M Network event on Monday, July 21, 2008, from 6-9PM at the Center on Halsted’s roof with comedian Adam Guerino and special guest, the internationally acclaimed performance artist Tim Miller.

The M Network is a men’s social group at Center on Halsted where men and their admirers can meet in a safe, supportive atmosphere outside of the bars to build community, discuss life topics, and network. One complimentary drink ticket is included in the $20 admittance, which also includes food, music and comedy.

Wednesday, July 23 – Live Podcast Forum

“Let’s Take a Glass Together”
6pm, Sidetrack. Please join the Feast of Fools as we record a live podcast forum on the LGBT community and alcohol at Sidetrack. Come discover how we can have a healthier relationship with alcohol in this unique event presented by LifeLube, Project CRYSP and the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse.

Light food and refreshments and a cash bar. You must be over 21 with a valid photo ID to attend on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at Sidetrack. Doors open at 6 p.m. Please RSVP here.

Thursday, July 24 – What Not to Wear, Reveal Party

5-8PM at Green Dolphin Street. We can finally announce it! Come see Amanda Steinstein as you’ve never seen her before as we celebrate and react to the transformation, courtesy of TLC’s hit reality tv show “What Not To Wear.” Show your support for the brand new Amanda.

This is your chance to be a part of our exciting reality tv show project. Green Dolphin Street is located at 2200 N. Ashland St. Chicago, IL 60614

Here’s the list and hope to see you there!

Feast of Fools Live Podcast: Akbar
Sunday Sept. 30, 7-10pm.
Akbar, A Neighborhood Oasis
4356 Sunset Blvd. at Fountain Avenue in Silver Lake, 90039
Free admission. Click here to add yourself to the guest list.

Feast of Fools Live Podcast: The Stud Bar
Wednesday Oct. 3, 7-10pm.
The Stud Bar, A Queer Establishment Since 1966
399 9th Street @ Harrison, San Francisco, California
Sponsored in part by Steamworks

Don’t miss coming to Podcast Awards ceremony!

People’s Choice Podcast Awards
Friday, Sept. 28, 4-5:30pm
Podcast and New Media Expo
Ontario Convention Center, Ontario, California (suburb of Los Angeles)
You must register in advance to get a free to enter.
Click here to register now.

All events are free and open to the public. The events are bars are 21 and over and the Podcast Awards is an all ages event.

We encourage you to show up early and to bring your Feast of Fools t-shirts so we can sign them, if you’d like. Bring your cameras and take as many pictures as you like.

We still need donations to pay for our transportation costs, any donations would be greatly appreciated. Click here to make a donation.

Feel free to click on them and download your hi-rez versions, print them out and post them around your town.

IF you want to see the postcards in person or want to meet me, Marc, Miss Ronnie, Amanda, Sal-E, Justin McPhee, or listeners Enzo, Gary or Rick the Rocketman, come to the Northalsted Street Market Days this weekend!

We’ll be out and about recruiting for the Feast of Fools army at the Halsted Street Market Days this Saturday and Sunday from 11am-4pm near or in front of the Steamworks Booth. Last year I was taking photos of all the hot guys at the street fair asking them to make out for me. Check out the photos from last year by clicking here.

Come join Marc Felion, me Fausto Fernós and Jim Verraros tomorrow as we groove with all the great queer indie music and check out the sexy and angelic voiced Chris Garneau. That’s him pictured to the right.

A wine reception follows the show where you can talk & stalk all the musicians (and us). We’ll be recording some audio at the event as well as taking photos.

The winner of the pair of tickets to the music festival is Maia Wright. Congratulations!

Here is the 411:
Feast of Fools Mini Party at the ALT Q Festival
Saturday May 12, Old Town School of Folk Music
4544 N. Lincoln Ave (South of Wilson, West of Damen)
[get your tickets now]

Be sure to pre-buy your tickets, as most of the good seats go quickly.

Be sure to cheer for us when they announce the Feast of Fools as a sponsor on the stage.

here is mine….


I ran into Jay Jay

Aurorra was there


Mimi and Aurrora told me everything that Happened that Night……………..


So I told Teri Yaki

Tina spoke through her fan


Steve and I were Amazed

I do not even know this guy but he was HOT!!!!!!
Looks better shirtless….


Monica did not understand what I was talking about


Well this is me at the end of the Night when my eyes are Burning from the bar smoke and yet I deal with it…………………why………….
Cuz I love what I do.

Love ya
-SAL-E

Come celebrate with us this Tuesday, March 20 at a special Pressie Awards ceremony and OPEN BAR (yes you heard right) at Sidetrack, 3349 North Halsted Street in Chicago. Come meet us, come say hi, and come get photographed with the award. After all, you voted for us.

See you there. Dress is anything you want, but I always suggest “dress to impress.” Click here to get the printable invitation.

(Make sure to bring a printed copy at 7pm to get in for the private VIP reception.)