Rick Castro's 'Queer Lens,' Liz Garo's Gold Gig & What's Going On in LA This Week
DTLA open for biz, Hollywood Fringe Fest in full effect, Drag Kings on TV, Mariah Carey at the Eagle and more
(Courtesy Mojave Gold)
The Downtown LA curfew has been lifted, which is a relief for the area’s businesses, many of whom lost substantial revenue due to show cancellations and relocations.
And let’s face it, local nightlife has been struggling to get its footing ever since COVID. The recent fires, which kept people home for weeks due to smoke and the collective despair of seeing friends and neighbors lose homes and businesses, didn’t help matters either.
Beloved L.A. booking legend Liz Garo was on the front lines during the pandemic as a vocal member of NIVA California, helping to get local music spaces funding and promoting events that got people out of the house again.
But ever since the pandemic she’s been dealing with even more strife. When the venue she co-owned in Palm Springs, The Alibi, went into lockdown after just opening in 2019, she and partner Melanie Tusquellas (Edendale Grill and El Chavo Silver Lake, Gold Diggers) joined forces with Save Live LLC (Marc Geiger and John Fogelman) to get the business going again. Sadly, they would live to regret it.
(Courtesy Mohave Gold)
According to a Go Fund Me campaign created to help Garo and Tusquellas fight the ensuing legal battle, the LLC “bullied and slandered Liz and Melanie, destroyed the venue and forced it into permanent closure. They even falsely accused these veteran businesswomen of using the #MeToo movement for personal financial gain.”
Read the recent LA Times piece about the situation here.
It was a huge loss for the entire Palm Springs and Coachella Valley music community and residents who finally had a great intimate space to see live music in, booked by the woman who made The Echo and The Echoplex, The Knitting Factory Hollywood (my first ever DJ gig!) and more recently The Regent, must-go music destinations. Her book shop, Stories Echo Park, is also a hub for cool happenings.
On a more positive note, Garo has a new gig that she just announced on her socials this week. She’s the new talent Buyer for the Yucca Valley 300 capacity venue Mojave Gold, a revamped club space that just opened on May 31 under the guidance of music folk Cooper Gillespie, Dale Fox, Greg Gordon and Brookleyn Fox. Read her full announcement here.
(Courtesy Mojave Gold)
I got some scoop on some of Garo’s bookings to come and excited to report that Alice Bag and Kid Congo Powers’ wondrous lounge act Juanita & Juan will be on the schedule and “a deep listening session with Cut Chemist,” to name a couple. Dates will be announced soon.
The desert music space isn’t the only new project she’s involved with either. Now is as good a time as any to announce that Liz, Jennifer Tefft (best known for her scene-making work with Spaceland) and yours truly taped a podcast show last year and though we’re all super-busy, we hope to see it come out soon!
I’ll be revealing more about it here when we get closer to launching, but rest assured a big part of it is about shining a spotlight on women in the music business and the BS we must overcome to share our vision and passion with the world. I’ve dealt with a lot of it myself lately, but hey, I probably wouldn’t be doing this newsletter if I didn’t. Maybe the cliche about one door closing and another opening is true…
(Queer Lens book — available at the Getty Center gift shop now)
If you’ve noticed that the Pride vibes in LA have felt diminished this year, you’re not alone. And it’s not just due to overzealous ICE raids, protests or Middle East unrest. Both of the major LA events this year, namely WeHo Pride at West Hollywood Park and LA Pride in Hollywood, had their colorful processions this month, but the much-needed visibility these events bring has undeniably been overshadowed by world events and political power grabs.
Even before the past couple of weeks, it was clear that many brands who’d been huge supporters of pride events in the past opted out this year in response to the administration's anti-inclusivity orders. LA Pride, which usually has a big concert as part of its festivities just as WeHo has Outloud, did away with it altogether due to lack of resources and sponsors.
In the wake of more federal anti-LGBTQ+ policies announced just this week (including cuts for adolescent gender-affirming care and suicide prevention hotlines), it’s important that we keep the spotlight on all marginalized people fighting for their rights.
(RICK CASTRO: Amputee Hustler, 11x14” Gelatin silver print, signed on verso ~ 1995)
History is an important component for amplifying both immigrant and queer communities, and art is one of the most powerful ways to convey it. Which makes the Getty’s new Queer Lens exhibit as refreshing as it is resonant. The powerful photo show examines gender, sexuality, and self-expression on film with photographs depicting gay life, many of which were suppressed in the past.
Photography has played a significant role in spotlighting the beauty and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community and this exhibit features some of the biggest names in the business, from Keith Haring to David LaChapelle. The show is also the first major museum exhibition in the United States to survey gay pioneers both in front of and behind the camera, and many of the latter haven’t really gotten their due in the media.
(RICK CASTRO: Tony Ward with Horsey Tail, 5x7”, Gelatin silver print, 1986)
Rick Castro is a name everyone should know, and the born and raised Angeleno might be one of the most influential of all. From his time as a fashion stylist for the likes of Toni Basil and Bette Midler in his teens, to his photo work chronicling fetishists, hustlers and punks for the past few decades, Castro has always been ahead of his time, creating imagery that pushes boundaries and buttons, but ultimately influences pop culture and the mainstream.
Watch my chat with Rick, who talks about his beginnings and inspirations, his first photo of Tony Ward and his iconic piece in Queer Lens (both seen above) as well as his standing exhibit at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. We also discuss why Meta is anti-queer, the “plushie and furry” scene and much more.
To learn more about Castro’s work check out his great blog, Antebellum or his pages on Instagram and BlueSky. Queer Lens is free and runs now through Sept. 28, and his photos will also be seen in the upcoming Rick Owens Retrospective in Paris at the end of the month.
WHAT’S GOING ON
(Courtesy Hollywood Fringe Festival)
Hollywood Fringe Festival - now through June 29
From weird conceptual stage spectacles to statement-making performance art and everything in between, Hollywood Fringe offers hundreds of shows to choose from each year in a multitude of LA venues. It’s almost overwhelming and hard to decide what to see, but most years, I just go through the list on its website and choose based on intriguing show names and titles alone. I’ve seen comic superheroes, naughty puppets and biting political pieces over the years, in theaters, clubs and on the street, and each time I felt inspired. This unfiltered and uncensored gathering of expression always feels like a crazy adventure and a family gathering at the same time and it’s a reminder that experimental theater is alive and well in this great city.
Miss Spent Youth’s 10 Year Anniversary Show at El Cid - Fri., June 20
Burlesque dynamo Miss Spent Youth celebrates her 10 Year Burlesque Anniversary (she calls it a “burly-versary”) and you better believe it’s gonna be a hot one. I’ve loved her work since the pandemic, when she and other dancers looked to streaming to keep the striptease art—and their livelihoods— alive. This show features some of the best babes in the biz including Angie Cakes, Blanche Bourgeous, Veronica Voss, Kami Oh, Egypt Blaque Knyle, Ginger Lee Valentine, Miss Youth and the newly crowned “Miss Exotic World- Queen of Burlesque” herself, Jessabelle Thunder (pictured).
King of Drag Premiere at Beaches Tropicana - Sun, June 22
Drag has become one of the most popular art forms on reality TV thanks to RuPaul and company, but drag kings (women who dress up in man glam) have been sorely under-represented. The Boulet Brothers Dragula has been a bit better, even crowning a king Landon Cider, but this specific style of showMANship needed its own program and now it’s finally here. Renowned comic Murray Hill hosts King of Drag on gay streaming service Revry and there’s a big party to celebrate tonight at Beaches Tropicana for the premiere. You can also watch the show online for free right here.
FOMO Music Picks
💜My curated live music list💜
Click links below now before they all sell out!
Princess Superstar and Plasmic at Venice West - Fri., June 20
OMD at the Greek - Fri.-Sat., June 20-21
The Pixies at the Palladium- Fri-Sat,, June 20-21
Elvis Costello at the Orpheum - Sat.-Sun., Jun 21-22
Twin Tribes at the Wiltern- Sun., June 22
David J at Zebulon - Tuesday., June 24
Also check out my celebration of LA’s Best Gay Bars from Los Angeles magazine’s Pride Issue, which just rolled out online this week and includes faves like Honey’s, The Abbey, Precinct and The Eagle, the latter of which saw none other Mariah Carey pay a visit and serve an awkward quasi-lip sync of her new track for the Silver Lake meat rack crowd. And yes— she wore leather!