Road Trips : Minneapolis
Lotsa queers go on vacation looking for anonymous sex, exotic foods, and the exitement of the big "urban gay mecca". So what do you do when you live in San Francisco, where these things are a matter of course? I went to the midwest, where I had sex with only one person (whose name I knew...), ate at White Castle as often as possible, and saw the leaves change color. It waa a pretty interesting perspective and a great trip thanks to my hosts Christopher and Bil.
There was rock and roll, allergic reactions, bright lights, big cities, cheap Wisconsin cheese stands, the Mall of America, and lots of driving through frighteningly green areas. There were no woodchippers. Good trip, all in all...
4-6 October 1996
Armed with knowlege gleaned from the Mary Tyler Moore Show and from Whip LeFever's Walk on the Wild Side, I arrived in the home of Target Stores and Prince at about 8PM Friday night. American Airlines hadn't fed me well at all and I was reassured by the first sight I saw on the road to Christopher's house. Like a miraculous beacon, the White Castle called me from Lake Street. For those of you who don't know, White Castle is the northern counterpart of Krystal in the south, serving 39-cent burgers which are basically an ounce of meat on a brown and serve roll. It's an acquired taste. Anyway, I took this as a sign that this trip, which I'd had some reservations about taking, was gonna be just fine.
It was really great to see Christopher and Bil. Bil, who I went out with a few years ago, remains a good friend, and actually LEFT San Francisco, but is now forgiven. I took an immediate and intense liking to Christopher upon meeting him a few months ago in SF when he visited with Bil, and he offered me a temporary home. Together with a drum machine (temporary) and an occasional guest vocalist named Dawn, they form a queer metal band called Lucifag. Part of my trip's timing stemmed from the fact that Lucifag was doing its first show while I was there.
I didn't quite know what to expect, but they fucking ROCKED. One of the best and tightest sets I've seen in a while. And lest you ask, this is from my "former college radio music director" perspective, not my "friends with the band and infatuated with the guitar player" perspective. I think...
The show was Sunady night at District 202, a queer youth center, and was put on by Homocore Minneapolis. Also on the stage were Plain Jane, the Third Sex (love the Third Sex), and another band whose name I forget but they were pretty good too. The show was recommended in the Minnepolis' City Pages and there was also press in the University of Minnesota Daily.
Later that night, I realized that I may be allergic to Minnesota, a condition which haunted me off and on throughout the trip.