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

Remember the days when you'd put on your fanciest/glitter-iest/sluttiest outfit and then.... catch public transport to the club? Big Dipper, rapper and podcaster extraordinaire,  sure does. Before moving to his current home in LA he lived for a few years in New York City, where he cut his teeth performing at Westgay, a queer night hosted by the influential Frankie Sharp at a bar called Westway (see what they did there?) every Tuesday night from 2012 to 2015. We talked about waiting in line even when your name is on the guest list, avoiding fluids so you don't have to deal with the club toilets, and the magical feeling of leaving the club when the sun is rising. Make sure you listen to Big Dipper's podcast Sloppy Seconds, and follow him on Instagram and Twitter - @bigdipperjelly

It is frequently listed as the most progressive country in Europe for LGBTQIA+ rights, but what is life really like for queer people in Malta? What’s it like spending all your savings on drag? How could your parents not realise you're gay when your they world's biggest Mariah Carey fan? I found the answer to these questions (and more!) when I caught up with drag queen, stand-up comedian and writer Chucky Bartolo to reminisce about Klozet, a beloved lost gay bar in Malta. Make sure to follow Chucky on instagram - @chuckybartolo

Will Warren is the co-host of Track by Track, a podcast that reviews, track by track (see what they did there?), brilliant pop albums from the past. And, we're talking unashamedly pop - think Girls Aloud, Pet Shop Boys and Kylie Minogue. But long before he was reviewing albums online he was drinking a ridiculous amount of alcohol at Flamingos, a bar in Bristol, England that billed itself as THE South West Gay superclub. We caught up to talk alcopops, pre-drinks, and all you can drink alcohol for £20.... Find out more about Will by following him on twitter - @willwpw AND, also check out @trackbytrackuk to keep up to date with the podcast and the albums they're reviewing!

Rory Boyle is the host of Queer Ear, a podcast that shines a light and spills the tea on unexplored queer issues Before he moved to London to study he had a gap year in his home town of Dublin where he got to explore his sexuality safely and dance all night (on the podium, no less) at cult club night WAR at Andrew's Lane Theatre. We caught up to discuss the weird etiquette with bathroom attendants, conversations that happen in smoking areas, and favourite Spice Girls songs....  And, after you've done listening to this episode go and check out the Queer Ear podcast, and follow it on instagram - @queerearpodcast 

This week we are doing something a little different and visiting a lost website. Launching in 1997, long before the likes of Grindr and Scruff, Gay.com was a chat, personals, and social networking website catering mostly to gay and bisexual men. which operated up until 2017. I caught up with Chicago based drag queen, co-host and creator of hit youtube show IMHO Darby Lynn Cartwright to discuss what the site meant to her as a queer kid growing up in Tennessee in the late 90s. Follow Darby on instagram @darbylynncartwright.  Also, make sure you follow IMHO on youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/IMHOtheSHOW

Have you ever been clubbing on your own? Is it thrilling, exciting, or... terrifying? If you've had experience standing awkwardly against the wall, unsuccessfully striking up a conversation with a stranger, or loitering at the end of the evening in the hopes of to wangling yourself an invite to an after party, then you'll love hearing all about singer-songwriter Venn Smyth's adventures at East London basement bar East Bloc. We talk about the magic of London, long walks home, and deep and meaningful conversations with drunken strangers!  Find out more about Venn on instagram @vennsmyth

Holestar is an entertainer, DJ and bio-queen. and, she'll hate me saying this, but, after knocking around for nigh on 17 years is a true veteran of the London drag scene. We caught up to reminisce about Too2Much, which was a theatre bar and club in Soho, London, open between 2004 and 2006 before changing its name to Soho Revue Bar.  We discuss the T-word, army life, and the joys or packing your performance gear in to neat little bags!  Follow Holestar on IG - https://instagram.com/theholestar 

Casey Mecija is a multi-disciplinary artist, academic and musician, who used to be the lead singer for indie-pop band Ohbijou, and now records as a solo artist. We caught up to talk about The Beaver, an alternative queer space in the heart of Queen West, Toronto, that closed in 2020 primarily because of restrictions in place due to coronavirus. Find out more about Casey by visiting her website - http://www.caseymecija.com/ And, if you want to hear more about The Beaver check out my interview with Prawn Waters about the very same bar and their experiences there.

Spin was a multi-level, 9,000 square-foot, super club in what was then called Chicago's Boystown district. Opening in the 90s it quickly established itself as the place to go for cheap drinks, house music, and wet t-shirt competitions before closing in 2014.  I caught up with Alexis P Bevels to find out about her first days in drag, serving drinks on roller skates, and being one of the founding members of the coolest gang in town, the Drag Mafia....  Make sure you follow Alexis on instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alexisbevels/

Melissa Ferrick is an American singer-songwriter whose career exploded when, in 1991, she was a last minute replacement support act for a Morrissey tour. Since then she has released an impressive number of albums, and has even had one of her songs, 'Drive', named as a 'lesbian anthem' (and, trust me, that song is FILTHY). We caught up to talk about Manray, a bar in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which closed in 2005 after nearly 20 years of business. Follow Melissa on instagram - https://www.instagram.com/melissaferrick/