Lost Spaces: Memories from Gay Bars, Lesbian Clubs, and LGBTQ+ Parties

* This episode is sponsored by Spaces, the new group chat app for queer communities - find out more at https://www.queerspaces.com/ (and, come join the Lost Queer Spaces Space after you've set up your profile! * In the three years of this show we've never sat down to talk to someone who actually owned and operated a queer space. But, that's all changing today, as we get to pick the brain of Keaton Kash, current host of the Mod Love podcast, and former owner of Toronto's The Steady.  Now, I don't know if I should be saying that this is a cautionary tale, but there are definitely some important lessons about going in to business to glean from this chat. Keaton tells us all about business partners, business loans, and business woes. But there’s also a lot of pride that comes through about what he built, and how it helped him to feel more a part of his community… so, don’t worry - not all doom and gloom! Do you have any memories of The Steady, or clubbing from your own queer scene that you want to share? Well, if you have please get in touch - I want to create the biggest online record of people's memories and stories - go to www.lostspacespodcast.com and find the section 'Share a Lost Space' and tell me what you got up to! Bonus points for embarrassing photos! You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lostspacespod), Instagram (www.instagram.com/lostspacespod) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/lostspacespod) Visit clubftm.com to find out more about Mod Club, the community that Keaton is building with information and resources for trans guys! And you can also find him on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/modclubftm), or listen to Mod Love wherever you find podcasts. Ooh, and The Steady still has a presence online! Go to https://www.instagram.com/thesteadycafe to find out more! 

* This episode is sponsored by Spaces, the new group chat app for queer communities - find out more at https://www.queerspaces.com/ (and, come join the Lost Queer Spaces Space after you've set up your profile! * On this week's show we're talking to Lil Miss Hot Mess, who is as fun to talk to as her name is to say! Coming up in the San Francisco scene, Lil Miss got started at the legendary T-Shack, a night held at The Stud, which unfortunately we lost at the beginning of the pandemic. And, yes, you can rest assured that you'll be getting me patented dumb questions throughout this conversation about all of the traditions and weird things that happen in the drag scene, and this time I find out a lot about the dynamics between drag mothers and drag daughters. Remember - I ask the dumb questions so you don't have to! At the time of chatting Lil Miss had just been caught in some controversy when a Floridian politician used images of her reading to children as part of Drag Queen Story Hour to drum up some hatred, and, presumably votes. And, that comes up briefly in the conversation. If you want to know more there's a piece in NBC News here - https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/drag-queen-featured-marco-rubio-campaign-ad-speaks-rcna51067 Do you have any memories of The Stud, or clubbing from your own queer scene that you want to share? Well, if you have please get in touch - I want to create the biggest online record of people's memories and stories - go to www.lostspacespodcast.com and find the section 'Share a Lost Space' and tell me what you got up to! Bonus points for embarrassing photos! You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lostspacespod), Instagram (www.instagram.com/lostspacespod) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/lostspacespod) Follow Lil Miss Hot Mess on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lilmisshotmess), or visit her website - https://www.lilmisshotmess.com

* This episode is sponsored by Spaces, the new group chat app for queer communities - find out more at https://www.queerspaces.com/ (and, come join the Lost Queer Spaces Space after you've set up your profile! * This week we are talking all about L-O-V-E love... And, yeah, I know, this isn't the content that you're used to from me, so I totally understand if you feel a bit confused and queasy right now, but I promise you that there's a good ol' dollop of cynicism peppered throughout the conversation. That is not going anywhere! My guests this week are Tony and Marko, a real-life married couple, who are the co-hosts of the Relationsh!t Podcast.  And, their story begins at a gay bar. Georgie's Alibi, a bar in St Petersburg, Florida, is where they first met in the year 2009.  We talk about dating disasters, possessiveness, and... ugh... the nesting phase! Do you have any memories of Georgie's Alibi, or clubbing from your own queer scene that you want to share? Well, if you have please get in touch - I want to create the biggest online record of people's memories and stories - go to www.lostspacespodcast.com and find the section 'Share a Lost Space' and tell me what you got up to! Bonus points for embarrassing photos! You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lostspacespod), Instagram (www.instagram.com/lostspacespod) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/lostspacespod) Find out more about Marko and Tony by listening to Relationsh!t wherever you find podcasts, or follow them all over socials -  https://www.instagram.com/podrelationshit/  https://www.instagram.com/thecritellis/  https://twitter.com/podrelationshit  https://www.facebook.com/podrelationshit

As much as this show celebrates queer spaces and ‘the scene’, i think there’s also always been a bit of a recognition that it's not perfect — it can be exhausting trying to fit in, trying to find people that you like, and trying to just be.  But, sometimes... just sometimes... you find the space where you feel that you're meant to be and it can feel like coming home.  This week we are joined by Scott Flashheart, from the Probably True podcast, who long-time listeners will remember has been on the show before! This time we're talking about the George and Dragon, a bar in London that closed in 2015. But, long before it closed, Scott says that the place helped them to feel like he had found his people.  We talk about the elements of the 'right kind of gay', looking for your tribe, and knowing when it's time to leave the party. Do you have any memories of the George and Dragon, or clubbing from your own queer scene that you want to share? Well, if you have please get in touch - I want to create the biggest online record of people's memories and stories - go to www.lostspacespodcast.com and find the section 'Share a Lost Space' and tell me what you got up to! Bonus points for embarrassing photos! You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lostspacespod), Instagram (www.instagram.com/lostspacespod) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/lostspacespod) Follow Scott on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/scottlovescake/ and Twitter (https://twitter.com/scottflashheart), or listen to Probably True wherever you find podcasts!

Most of the spaces that we talk about on this show closed because they were no longer making a profit or the owner just decided that they wanted a change... But, we've never talked about a space that stopped existing because it was knocked down by a TORNADO!  Until now, that is... This week's guest is singer-songwriter Dylan Rice, who grew up in Salt Lake City, and used to go to The Sun Tavern, a space that first opened in the 70s and was one of the only safe spaces for queer people in the conservative US state of Utah. We talked about mormons (cause, of course we're going to talk about mormons - he's from Salt Lake City!), developing crushes on teachers, and leaning in to the ridiculousness of flirting...  Do you have any memories of The Sun Tavern, or clubbing from your own queer scene that you want to share? Well, if you have please get in touch - I want to create the biggest online record of people's memories and stories - go to www.lostspacespodcast.com and find the section 'Share a Lost Space' and tell me what you got up to! Bonus points for embarrassing photos! You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lostspacespod), Instagram (www.instagram.com/lostspacespod) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/lostspacespod) Find out more about Dylan by following him on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dylanricemusic/ , or listen to some of his songs (available on all the major streaming platforms, and at the YouTube links below. Fits and Fevers (latest album) - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ntBXDEnITZNVNut5FVAC-CLEk6qwBLSyE Check out the song about SoMa leather bars in SF: “Throes” https://youtu.be/Osdgd2gZGiU If you liked this episode I'd really appreciate if you subscribe, leave a review on your podcast platform, or just tell people that you think might be interested!

* This episode is sponsored by Spaces, the new group chat app for queer communities - find out more at https://www.queerspaces.com/ (and, come join the Lost Queer Spaces Space after you've set up your profile! * Are you still friends with the people that you used to go clubbing with? Do you keep in touch with them, or just facebook stalk them late at night when the image of their face pops in to your head?  Do you know what they've been up to since you knew them, and have any of them gone on to do great or not-so-great things...? Well, whatever it is it's probably not going to be as scandalous as the actions of the friend of this week's guest!  And, who is that guest? Well, it's the genderqueer multi-disciplinary artist, educator, and podcaster John Moletress.  John started to go out on Philadelphia's gay scene when they were just 16, and found a core group of people with who they would go to clubs like the lost space Shampoo.  We caught up to talk all about 90s fashion, the etiquette of after parties, and getting frisky with the boy next door...  Do you have any memories of Shampoo, or clubbing from your own queer scene that you want to share? Well, if you have please get in touch - I want to create the biggest online record of people's memories and stories - go to www.lostspacespodcast.com and find the section 'Share a Lost Space' and tell me what you got up to! Bonus points for embarrassing photos! You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lostspacespod), Instagram (www.instagram.com/lostspacespod) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/lostspacespod) Find out more about John by following them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kraftwitch/, or visiting their website http://kraftwitch.com/.. You can also find their podcast 'I Miss You', which is a set of conversations between John and people that they had lost contact with, wherever you find podcasts... 

I learn so much doing this podcast, and getting the insight in to the scene in different countries and cities has been so illuminating to me.  As you probably know one of my favourite things to talk about - one of the things that fascinates me most - is the evolution of language, and concepts and how they're applied and how they're enforced within different communities. And, one of the most fascinating (and, constantly, constantly changing) concepts that keeps getting discussed is this one of butch and femme within the lesbian community.  As an outsider it seems that, at certain points in time, there has been a stringent, unwavering commitment to upholding the roles of butch and femme, with relationship roles and dynamics adhering to this heteronormative standard, and then, at other times, there seems to be a complete and utter rejection of those roles and the expectations that come with them. Why am I telling you this?  Well, this week we are headed to the small US city of Spokane, and visiting their lost lesbian bar, JS Pumps. And, to tell us all about it is TikToker and host of the podcast Lesbian Speaking, Li Isaacs, who first went there when she came out in the late 80s. We talk about her experience of being dubbed butch and what that meant for her dating life.  Do you have any memories of JS Pumps, or clubbing from your own queer scene that you want to share? Well, if you have please get in touch - I want to create the biggest online record of people's memories and stories - go to www.lostspacespodcast.com and find the section 'Share a Lost Space' and tell me what you got up to! Bonus points for embarrassing photos! You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lostspacespod), Instagram (www.instagram.com/lostspacespod) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/lostspacespod) Find out more about Li by listening to her podcast Lesbian Speaking, or following her on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@lesbianspeaking

Normally when I sit down to talk to my guests we have a bit of chit-chat to break the ice and ease us in before we get going.  But, occasionally, the chit-chat turns in to something very interesting and I have to scrabble to press record whilst making sure we don't lose the rhythm of the conversation. Which is what you will find with the start of this week's episode, where Mike, one half of the presenters of the Gayish podcast started to tell me about going out to the gay bar R Place in Seattle with his then wife...  And, if the conversation is getting good before you've even started recording then you know you're in for a good episode! I talk with Mike, and his co-host Kyle, all about how they first met, how to spot a Seattle gay, and we reminisce about standing on the pavement at the end of the night after you've been kicked out of the pub scouring around for someone to go home with.... Do you have any memories of R Place, or clubbing from your own queer scene that you want to share? Well, if you have please get in touch - I want to create the biggest online record of people's memories and stories - go to www.lostspacespodcast.com and find the section 'Share a Lost Space' and tell me what you got up to! Bonus points for embarrassing photos! You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lostspacespod), Instagram (www.instagram.com/lostspacespod) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/lostspacespod) Find out more about Mike and Kyle by visiting their website https://www.gayishpodcast.com/, following them on Twitter https://twitter.com/gayishpodcast or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gayishpodcast/, or listening to their show wherever you find podcasts!

If you love episodes where I gasp a lot, you're going to love this week's show! Now, I know you're not going to believe me when I say this, but the whole concept of cruising in bathrooms is totally foreign to me, and something that I thought it was high time I got a little lesson on.  So, luckily for me, Mat Hawley, from Mat Tales Podcast, dropped by to talk me through the basics.  And, I'm in good hands. His show, Mat Tales: 40 Years of Gay Adventures, is a show where he shares stories of his sexual experiences over the last 40 years... And, if he doesn't know about it then it's probably not worth knowing! We talk all about growing up in a small town, the fine art of fuck buddies, and learning to amalgamate both the vanilla and slutty sides of yourself. Do you have any memories of cruising, or clubbing from your own queer scene that you want to share? Well, if you have please get in touch - I want to create the biggest online record of people's memories and stories - go to www.lostspacespodcast.com and find the section 'Share a Lost Space' and tell me what you got up to! Bonus points for embarrassing photos! You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lostspacespod), Instagram (www.instagram.com/lostspacespod) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/lostspacespod) Find out more about Mat Tales by following him on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mattalesgayadventures), visiting his website (https://www.mattales.com/), or.... just listening to his show wherever you stream podcasts!

* This episode is sponsored by Spaces, the new group chat app for queer communities - find out more at https://www.queerspaces.com/ (and, come join the Lost Queer Spaces Space after you've set up your profile! * One of the things I love doing most about this show is, obviously, getting the chance to learn about different people's experiences and circumstances.  But, within that, there's often a really nice reminder of how nobody's journey is the same.  There are so many ways to come out, there are so many ways to fall in love, and there are all of these different ways in which a space can be important to you.  Some of my guests have only been to a space once, some went religiously over a period of years (or decades)... and, then, there are some people who had breaks in-between, going at different periods of their life. One such person is the Canadian writer, artist, historian, and host of the trans history podcast 'One From The Vaults', Morgan M Page. Morgan first went to Goodhandy's in Toronto as a fresh-faced 19 year old, but then had a few different periods where the space wove in and out of her life, each time offering something different... We caught up to talk about call centre scams, conspiracy theories, and having warm and fuzzy feelings for someone who is supposed to be a friend... Do you have any memories of Goodhandy's, or clubbing from your own queer scene that you want to share? Well, if you have please get in touch - I want to create the biggest online record of people's memories and stories - go to www.lostspacespodcast.com and find the section 'Share a Lost Space' and tell me what you got up to! Bonus points for embarrassing photos! You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lostspacespod), Instagram (www.instagram.com/lostspacespod) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/lostspacespod) Find out more about Morgan by visiting her website www.odofemi.com