THIS SHIT IS BANANAS!

BRUCE sent me this SHOUT OUT FROM THE TOY SOLDIERS

and TOM sent me THIS LOVELY NOTE

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"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds". ~Albert Einstein

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BANANARAMA

me and my friend TOM have been going ape shit over MONK-E-MAIL.
CLICK HERE to share the insanity.

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PASS IT ON

March and Rally Against Anti-LGTB Hate in New York City

When: Saturday, June 17

Where: Gather at NE Corner of 14th Street and First Avenue at 2PM
March at 3PM to Christopher Park (Christopher & West 4th Streets)

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PUNK'S NOT DEAD

a big part of jewish culture is to pass their history on through stories to the children, who pass it on to their children, and so on and so forth. therefore preserving the culture and traditions, as not to fall victims of the past.

when i was 21, i was blessed enough to be mentored by a gay man named DICK RICHARDS, who was the patriarch of a large network of free-thinkers that had all met while working on McGOVERN'S 1972 presidential campaign in ATLANTA.

i learned more than i can ever begin to tell you from DICK, but more importantly, he nurtured my imagination and made me feel i was part of a huge family that loved and understood me. when i moved to NYC, DICK'S childhood friend, NELSON SULLIVAN, became my guardian and teacher.

NELSON taught me the history of being gay, as it related to film, literature, politics, music, art and NEW YORK CITY. it was understood that i would in turn pass this knowledge on to the next generation of young gays that i encountered, who pass it on to their children, and so on and so forth.

i have indeed done that on a personal and public level, but the new kids clearly need more mentoring, otherwise we wouldn't see so many gay kids with such a cavalier attitude toward the erosion of long fought for rights that so many men and women died for. young gay people today should be turning this fucking country upside down!

maybe this is the result of so many would be mentors being wiped out by the plague, or maybe it's just downright complacency. i don't know. i just feel that we are being clobbered by trying to play it straight___by playing by the rules. fuck the rules___act the fuck up!

we need some radical sissy anarchist who don't give a fuck about getting married or having babies, but sure as fuck demand the right to!

we need a gay political force that is bigger and stronger, but the polar opposite of the religious right-wing!

punk rock, baby! rollin' wit da homos!

otherwise, how will we avoid repeating history?
and who will be left to tell our history, us or them?

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THE WHOLE ENCHILADA

men who possess any form of feminine behavior are demonized by our culture. not only by straight people, but by gay people as well. believe it or not, even i've had to call myself out on certain judgments i've had surrounding effeminate men. of course, i picked up those deep rooted directives from an over abundant number of sources.

i'll never forget the time my mother called me "a punk", which back then meant "screaming little nelly queen". i was about 7 years old. devastated, i remember thinking "damn, i'm not even safe from scrutiny in my own home, with my own mother"!

THE WHITE HOUSE, religion, DISNEY movies, sitcoms... the negative reinforcements are everywhere and they prevail, but why? what is the underlying threat of a man who is both masculine and feminine?

the threat is wholeness ...or holiness.

i believe by fully recognizing the yin and the yang of another person, one would also by default have to recognize and accept the duality and complexity of one's self, therefore setting into motion a spiritual journey that would leave conventional religion in the dust...a spiritual journey that most dare not take... the spiritual journey that begins with the words:

who am i?

go ahead, i dare you to say it.

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"RUPAUL. REWORKED" IS RELEASED TODAY!

IN STORES AND ONLINE


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STRAIGHT MEN ARE OBSESSED WITH EVERYTHING GAY...

...and you don't need a degree in psychology to figure that one out. i agree with my friend MIKE, who so simply points out, "...it reveals to the victim a dark, dark part of human behavior that you can never forget. The bashers are always self-hating closeted homosexuals whose revulsion gets misdirected towards others."

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AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM ARI GOLD

A letter to my community of friends and family,

While I have always in the past tried to keep my emails light and happy with all of my career successes, for the first time I am compelled to say something that I feel very strongly about, something that is quite serious, regarding the terrible, disgusting, despicable and infuriating thing that happened to my very dear friend and beloved artist to the worldwide gay community Kevin Aviance. Perhaps I need to write this for myself for my own therapy, but this time, I don’t care. Most of you have probably already heard that Kevin was the victim of a hate crime. He was verbally and physically assaulted by 5 guys and is now recovering in the hospital from a fractured jaw and a busted knee. His face is swollen and he has bruises on his forehead. His jaw must be sewn shut for at least 2 weeks in order to heal. Coincidentally or not, this has happened to Kevin during gay pride season...a time when us gay performers make a huge portion of our yearly income. I don’t need to go into more details regarding the assault and beating as it has already made the cover of the Post, the Daily News and received coverage in the New York Times and all national news programs including CBS, NBC, and FOX. NYC Mayer Bloomberg has called the crime “unacceptable.”

Kevin is strong and he is thankfully doing well. His spirit is as strong as ever. I have personally received an outpouring of mail from people who have expressed their concern. But I do need to take this opportunity to step on the proverbial soap box and say that in case anyone was wondering why we have to be “out” artists or “gay artists” and why we have to make our sexuality an issue and in case anyone has questioned why we are fighting for the right to be married—THIS is why. NOT because so many of us hold marriage as something that we want so badly (although many of us are in real positions of needing those rights when it comes to our real lives with our partners)...but because we need to teach our children and society at large that EVERYONE deserves EQUAL treatment and that EVERYONE deserves to have the same CHOICES as everyone else. If we DON’T have the same CHOICES and if we DON’T have the same rights, we are continuing to spread a message that some people are not as valuable as others and therefore we can beat them and throw them to the curb as was done to Kevin. Incidentally, the 5 people that perpetrated this crime were from the ages of 16 to 20. If we let our President make an amendment for THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY that TAKES AWAY peoples rights as apposed to giving people their rights, then we are saying that what happened to Kevin is OK. And it’s not OK.

Kevin you are a hero. You have been a personal hero to me since I first came out and started to go out to gay clubs. Having grown up in Yeshiva, Gay clubs were the first spaces I knew of where I felt like it was OK to be who I am. And there you always were, Kevin—showing us that we can be whoever we want to be and that despite our differences, we are still a community. Without you in the club world, without your art, without your music, without your performances, I don’t know if I would have ever felt like we really are one community. You have continued the legacy that the drag queens started during the Stonewall Rebellion—being the first ones on the front lines fighting for our civil and human rights. You have been a cherished and loved best friend to me for over 10 years and you were also one of my very first supporters and continue to be a great supporter of artists like myself who are not afraid to be who they are in a world that is clearly still run by hate. I know I speak for many when I say that we are grateful that you have been there for us and grateful that you are here still and that your sprit remains “So Alive” after something that might have taken down a weaker person. Thank you for not being afraid to speak out against the crime done to you even when they physically tried to steal your powerful voice away. Thank you once again for being proud of who you are no matter what the circumstance. We all wish you a very speedy recovery and we can’t wait to see you again and the joy that you bring to our lives. You are the rhythm and soul of this community. We love you, Kevin.

Sincerely, ARI GOLD

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PULL MY FINGER

my XMAS shopping is done, now that i've discovered the VULGAR PEN. last week at the studio, URI (the engineer) showed me his and i was completely captivated and slightly appalled . this genius ink pen shaped like a human finger spewed out verbal obscenities when pulled. fucking brilliant! i've ordered 20 to give as gifts, but something tells me i'll have to order another 20 by the time the holidays roll around. click here to check it out.

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TRIPLE A+ (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje)

i went looking for nude pictures of that irresistible sex machine from LOST & OZ, whose name i can't pronounce, and this is what i came up with (no pun).

click here, then scroll down

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CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD

my current favorite song of the moment is "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" by KYLIE. i was prompted to revisit the song after i saw her perform it in "showgirl", her latest live concert DVD. by years end, we'll see if the song makes my IPOD'S top ten most played list.

so far, this year's list of songs i've played way too much is:

1. Makin' It Last All Night (What It Do)....Mariah Carey
2. Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango)...Bananarama
3. Suddenly It's Yesterday.......................Freda Payne
4. You Got The Love / Now Voyager Mix...Candi Staton
5. Power Of Love (Hani's Extended Mix)...Donna Summer
6. One (Featuring U2)..............................Mary J. Blige
7. Shoot The Moon..................................Patti Austin
8. 2 Become 1..........................................Spice Girls
9. I Want To Go Back There Again..........Thelma Houston
10. If Ever You're In My Arms Again..........Peabo Bryson
11. Take Me To Your Heart......................Rick Astley

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A LITTLE LATE

i had never watched a full episode of SEINFELD until 4 months ago. now, i watch it non-stop in syndication. that fella who plays KRAMER makes my heart beat really fast. i saw him in the grocery store once, and in my opinion, he is one sexy devil.

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F.E.A.R.=FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL

if religious people accept gay marriage, they would also have to re-examine and restructure their whole belief system... and who wants to do that?

very few people possess the chutzpah it takes to search for the real truth, because that journey would call on you to recognize "who you really are", and that responsibility is much too much for most.
most people want to be told what to think.

just ask yourself, "are my actions motivated by love or fear?".

remember: love accepts, fear condemns.

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THE WHOLE WORLD

i watch the film LOVELY & AMAZING the other night and i must say it was both. the movie is from 2001 and i'm surprised the whole world didn't stop back then and say "hey everybody, we got a really good one on our hands. go and see this movie!" but the whole world didn't say that.

hmmm, i'm trying to think of something the whole world unites in love for.

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GO PAULA!

one of the really great things about KANSAS CITY is the abundance of empty warehouse spaces and vacant old buildings. the downtown area reminds me of MIDTOWN ATLANTA twenty-five years ago, before everybody and they mama converged on it.

when i visit cities that have clearly had a much grander past, i often fantasize about moving to them and starting up an underground art community. AKRON, CLEVELAND and JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE are three that come to mind.

could i live in KANSAS CITY? i think so. it all depends on how sweet the christians and the police are. they were very sweet in ATLANTA, all those years ago, which made it easy for me and my friends to do all of the experimental stuff we got away with.

how does the RUPAUL COLLEGE OF DRAG sound?
how about MISS PAUL'S INSTITUTE OF VIBEOLOGY?
they both may be coming soon to a city near you!

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REVISITED

the new remixes of SUPERMODEL have been sent out to DJ's, and one of my favorite of the bunch is also used for a video megamix done by WORLD OF WONDER. to check it out CLICK HERE.

be a part of the RUPAUL. REWORKED street team by adding the video to your MYSPACE page.
hell, add THIS ONE TOO while you're at it.

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OUT OF SIGHT

we are still in the process of re-doing the website in anticipation of the new cd "rupaul. reworked", which drops june 13th (although i've been told they're already selling it at the Virgin Megastore).

in the meantime, check out THIS RuPAUL SITE and then take a gander at THIS OTHER RuPAUL SITE.

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RON IN KANSAS CITY WRITES...

"...can't wait to see you perform this coming Sunday. hope i win the raffle drawing
that Missie B's (nightclub) is doing to get the chance to meet you and thank you in person."

hi ron. i'm really looking forward to sunday in KC, too. a raffle? a meet & greet? i know nothing about that, and neither does anyone in my office.

technically speaking, MISSIE B's is not fraudulent because they are raffling "the chance" to meet me. based on my extensive experience watching JUDGE JUDY, i know that any JOE SCHMOE can legally raffle "the chance" to meet JACKIE JUGGS or MELODY MELONS or whomever, because "the chance" is not something tangible.

when i'm booked to perform at a venue (Liberty Memorial Park-KC Gay Pride), the only professional appearance i make in that city is at the venue i have an exclusive contract with, but that doesn't exclude you hooking up with me in any number of the city's public restrooms. (that last part is a joke, ye tiresome world of little humor)

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ROCKIN' ROLLERS

as we approached the PENSACOLA CIVIC CENTER, where my show with MARTHA WASH was being held, i saw 15 people on the corner with signs that i couldn't really make out except for the word "sin". one guy out there was carrying a 12 foot cross! that is fucking fierce.

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JUST ANOTHER GIRL ON THE M.T.A.

after the "town car" dropped us at LA GAURDIA on saturday, we were told our flight was delayed, which meant we'd miss our connection to PENSACOLA.

rebooked on a later flight, and bags checked through to our destination, we chose to catch the bus/train back to our respective homes rather than wait at the airport for 6 hours until our new flight departed. normally, we would have just jumped in a cab, but neither of us had ever taken the bus/train to and from LA GAURDIA, and since we didn't have to any bags to carry and plenty of time on our hands, we were thrilled at the experience.

it was a breeze! in just over an hour, i was back at my apartment, where i took a 3 hour nap before making the same journey in reverse.

click here for bus/train info.
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