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

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/

Danny Ramadan is a Syrian-Canadian award-winning novelist, public speaker, and LGBTQ-refugee activist who was born in Damascus, Syria. And it was in Damascus where his flat became a safe space for other queer Syrians. We caught up to talk about the flat, his experiences coming out, sexual citizenship, and the ethics of having sex with your clone. Follow Danny on twitter or instagram - @dannyseesit

Town Danceboutique was the largest gay danceclub in Washington, D.C., open between 2007-2018. And it was really one of those mega-clubs that you don't see much of anymore - split levels, multiple rooms, outside areas, video installations, LED lights, and a proper stage. I met up with singer/songwriter Tom Goss, who lived in D.C. for ten years after leaving the seminary, and first happened upon the Town through one of its events, Bear Happy Hour. Follow Tom on IG: https://www.instagram.com/tomgossmusic/

Joseph Segaran is a British Artist living and working in Amsterdam, and whose art is inspired by the architecture of the city... and you really have to check it out - black and white ink drawings which are drawn freehand using a very fine Japanese ink pen and also papercuts which are cut using a tiny craft knife from a single sheet of black paper. But before he lived in Amsterdam he lived in Newcastle... and before that he lived in York, a small city in the north of England where he grew up. We met up to talk about The Bay Horse, a provincial gay bar in the city.  Expect to hear about incestuous gays, having to come out to your parents twice, and, as a special treat, Josephs reads out a break up note from a man who broke his poor wee heart... Find out more about Joseph at https://josephsegaran.com/

It's our first ever visit to Manchester!  This week I'm joined by the, quite frankly, charming Liz Naylor, who, amongst other things has been a writer and music industry bod, before embarking on her recent adventure as one of the founders of the charity Foundation for Change, We caught up to discuss the Manchester scene in the late 70s, how grim lesbian bars were at the time, butches and femmes, and the overlaps between the punk and queer scene...

Basic white gays - what are they good for? Ok, ok, a bit of a sensationalist headline.... But, what do you do when you don't quite fit in with the commercial queer scene, and how do you find your scene? This week I'm joined by writer, director and filmmaker Joseph Amenta to talk all about The Henhouse, a small, queer dive bar in Toronto's west that closed in 2015 as a result of rapid gentrification in the city. Expect to hear about Celine Dion Dance Parties (which are a thing in Canada, apparently), and taking inspiration from the magic of safe spaces.... Make sure you follow Joseph on IG - https://www.instagram.com/josephtakesphotos  And check our their amazing films here - https://vimeo.com/user6867443

How was it that, in days of yore (ok, pre-internet) queer kids that were scattered all over the world still somehow managed to find and fall in love with the same movies and books and music? I explored this, and a few other burning questions, when I caught up with comedian/singer/host Tranna Wintour to find out about Psychic City, an underground club in Montreal that hosted Trannavision and closed in 2018. Find out more about Tranna by following her on instagram - https://www.instagram.com/trannawintour/

XY had a short run, opening in 2015 and closing in 2018. But, in that time, it firmly established itself as the go-to club for drag and performance within Vancouver, hosting events most nights of the week. I caught up with THE Jewish non-binary drag artist Rogue to find out about their first time there, Drag Race girls, and I got a little advice about the art of sucking up. Follow Rogue on IG - https://www.instagram.com/itsjustrogue/

Did you know that there are three distinct styles of voguing? I didn't, and, in my ask-a-bunch-of-stupid-questions approach to interviewing I found out all about them when I sat down to chat with Gerard Reyes - choreographer, dancer, teacher, video artist, somatic sex educator, intimacy coordinator and Montreal's kiki ballroom scene pioneer. We caught up to talk about Citibar, which, prior to its closing in 2014 served as a meeting point for t-girl sex workers and the men who loved them. The venue was also the initial inspiration for Gerard's choreographed piece, The Principle of Pleasure, and in our chat he shared what was special to him about the place.  Find out more about Gerard at his website - https://gerardxreyes.com/

This week we are joined by Canadian singer/songwriter Ember Swift. Known for her unique, jazz-influenced guitar playing and elastic vocals, Ember has released a whopping 12 albums since her first release way back in 1996! We started off talking about The Coral Reef, a lesbian bar in Ottawa that opened in the late 60s and closed in the year 2000, and a space where Ember went when she was a student in the city.  As is the way with most of my interviews, though, the conversation morphed to discussing, in a broader context, what community means, and the sense of abandonment Ember felt from her own community after she fell in love with a man in the late 00s. Follow Ember on instagram - https://www.instagram.com/emberswift  Ember's website - http://emberswift.com/