In the previous twelve hours I had torn a pink streak through Arkansas, Mississippi and then Memphis. I was ready to return to more familiar territory like Nashville.
It was raining as I hurried along the sidewalks of the Nashville's West End neighborhood Saturday night. My destination was Play , I'd been here last summer and was looking forward to my return to this gay club.
I was soaked but quickly dried off inside in the mass of people watching the drag show and the Vanderbilt college boys out on the dance floor.
Boys,boys,boys!
It wasn't long before I made new momentary friends. A group of people joined me and I was quickly in the middle of an amateur table dance. Jackson was down to a dental floss thong faster than I could finish a beer.
He might have been twenty years old, built, smooth and a helluva dancer. I think I lost a few dollar bills into his crotch at some point.
Laura the straight girl in the group acting as momma tried in vain to get Jackson's clothes back on him. Those hens, they are always trying to end the fun in the name of what they consider decency.
More drunk hens came along. This time at Play there were more hens than last. I was quite disappointed in that. Hens can ruin a good bar.
"Well, of course this is Nashville," was the response I got from Laura in talking with her about how much more friendly people seemed here versus Atlanta.
Apparently people in smaller cities are more friendly? Maybe so. I've been in gay bars in lots of smaller cities and found them more friendly than Atlanta overall. Outside the gay bars I don't presume to know if Nashville is more friendly or not. But in two visits to gay Nashville I have found the people to be mostly a friendly bunch of people that like to party.
Part of going out is to meet new people if only for one night. I'm not talking about sex I am talking about hearing stories and experiences from people that I wouldn't normally meet in the normal course of living. And mix in alcohol and music and people are more open to talking to strangers.
I love to interview new people that I meet. I'm full of questions and some people may be put off by it . I like to know more about people and situations than what exists on the surface. I love to know their motivations. I've always heard that people like to talk about themselves and I test that theory all the time. I've been surprised that many people don't really want to talk about themselves and just want to control conversations by talking about the people around them instead of themselves. That is boring.
Later in the night Dustin, an 18yo from Clarkesville, came along. He sat in the interview seat, smoked and sipped a Cosmo that someone had bought for him. He was a good guest. He was willing to talk about anything freely.
His motivation for the night was to find love. He had come out with a coworker from Aeropostale that he had a crush on. His heart was breaking as his crush was out dancing with his ex boyfriend instead of him.
At eighteen he was already over the men, the sluts and just wanted to have a boyfriend.
He was out to his parents since last summer, came to Play every weekend, and seemed a little naive. When I mentioned some of things we have in Atlanta like sex clubs he was blown away that such things even existed. It was hard for him to wrap his mind around the idea that men gathered in a building just for sex without the dancing.
I guess Dustin was a romantic. I parted with him just before closing time. We hugged and he called us all gorgeous. Air kisses anyone?
Voices filled the air and slipped across the wet streets, the rain was over and my buzz was lifting. We debated on going to the after hours clubs that go until daybreak but noon comes early at the hotel and I was determined to make check out and head southward.
Nashville for the second time in less than a year entertained me well.
Showing posts with label Tennessee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennessee. Show all posts
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Thursday, November 23, 2006
The Deep Gay South
Gay Bars Around The Deep South, Honey You Ain't in Atlanta Anymore. Time to put on the accent, Old Spice, Levi's and Hanes Tee Shirt.
Sometimes you have to leave the big gay meccas to appreciate what you have. So over the past year I've been out and about sampling gay bars in smaller places around the South. My adventures took me to Birmingham, Nashville, Chattanooga and Panama City. On the surface there are big differences in these places from gay Atlanta but I found the people to be mostly the same. So if you ever feel a little bored with the nightlife here then take a weekend trip and sample queer life on a smaller scale.
My opinions are all based on what would be considered an average Saturday night in each city.
Quest (Birmingham)
412 24th Street South
Birmingham, Al.
- Given that Quest is a 24 hour club it draws a late crowd. It is located in the southern end of downtown in an industrial area. In Atlanta most bars will have an off duty cop working security at the door here though two cops worked the inside of the club. That was a little unsettling to have cops wandering around the club wearing badges and guns. It took a little fun out of the place. The dance area is tiny but they do have a patio. We love our patios in Atlanta so it was nice to have one at Quest. Though this is a gay club the crowd did have a few straights meandering around. Ages ranged from 18 to 60s. The club is relatively small, think Heretic but a few feet smaller with an L-shaped layout. You enter into the bar/gaming area, walk through the dance floor and then out onto a depressing patio completely walled off from the outside. The crowd was found, everyone friendly enough and seemed to know one another. I do advise if you go don't tell people you are from out of town. I made that mistake a few times and each time I was hit up for drugs or wanted to know if I'd like to make a buy. So just tell folks you are from Anniston or something and not Atlanta.
Images (Chattanooga)
6005 Lee Highway
Chattanooga, TN
- In a word it is small with only one bar. It offers an odd mix of a drag show and a couple of go go dancers. Images sits out on a suburban four lane highway near the airport. The crowd ranged from a few twenty year olds to men and women in their fifties. The crowd seemed very regular and everyone knew each other. Being an out of towner I sort of felt like I was sticking out like a sore thumb but I didn't mind all that much. It only meant that more eyes would be on me than a regular night. The staff and patrons were very friendly and welcoming. If you are ever stuck in Chattanooga or need something to do after going to the Tennessee Aquarium then pay Images a visit.
Sometimes you have to leave the big gay meccas to appreciate what you have. So over the past year I've been out and about sampling gay bars in smaller places around the South. My adventures took me to Birmingham, Nashville, Chattanooga and Panama City. On the surface there are big differences in these places from gay Atlanta but I found the people to be mostly the same. So if you ever feel a little bored with the nightlife here then take a weekend trip and sample queer life on a smaller scale.
My opinions are all based on what would be considered an average Saturday night in each city.
Quest (Birmingham)
412 24th Street South
Birmingham, Al.
- Given that Quest is a 24 hour club it draws a late crowd. It is located in the southern end of downtown in an industrial area. In Atlanta most bars will have an off duty cop working security at the door here though two cops worked the inside of the club. That was a little unsettling to have cops wandering around the club wearing badges and guns. It took a little fun out of the place. The dance area is tiny but they do have a patio. We love our patios in Atlanta so it was nice to have one at Quest. Though this is a gay club the crowd did have a few straights meandering around. Ages ranged from 18 to 60s. The club is relatively small, think Heretic but a few feet smaller with an L-shaped layout. You enter into the bar/gaming area, walk through the dance floor and then out onto a depressing patio completely walled off from the outside. The crowd was found, everyone friendly enough and seemed to know one another. I do advise if you go don't tell people you are from out of town. I made that mistake a few times and each time I was hit up for drugs or wanted to know if I'd like to make a buy. So just tell folks you are from Anniston or something and not Atlanta.
Images (Chattanooga)
6005 Lee Highway
Chattanooga, TN
- In a word it is small with only one bar. It offers an odd mix of a drag show and a couple of go go dancers. Images sits out on a suburban four lane highway near the airport. The crowd ranged from a few twenty year olds to men and women in their fifties. The crowd seemed very regular and everyone knew each other. Being an out of towner I sort of felt like I was sticking out like a sore thumb but I didn't mind all that much. It only meant that more eyes would be on me than a regular night. The staff and patrons were very friendly and welcoming. If you are ever stuck in Chattanooga or need something to do after going to the Tennessee Aquarium then pay Images a visit.
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