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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 1998)
dsn Misfits Assuage the Rage? Continued from page 19 I can’t,” he says, citing his attorney’s order. As for the current status of Swerdlow’s life, he says he’s looking for part-time work— thus far to no avail— and writing a novel. “Gone with the Wind will become G ay with the Wind,” he laughs. yan knows he’s got his work cut out for him as the owner of Misfits. P First, he concedes Swerdlow continues to have a loyal fol lowing among some queer youth. “Lanny is wor shipped,” he says. “It’s pretty stressful and it is like walk ing a fine line.” Second, Ryan’s business and person al style is vastly different from Swerdlow’s. For example, Ryan says he has voluntarily agreed to a curfew call in his club alerting underage patrons a few min utes before the city’s curfew takes effect. He’s alienated some by zapping Hollyrock, as well as choosing the name Misfits. “Some of the kids feel it’s a slam at them,” he admits. “But I don’t think being a misfit is a bad thing.” Indeed, he notes, “queer” used to be consid ered a derogatory descriptive; now it’s embraced by many in the gay, lesbian, bi and trans communities. Nudity and graphic displays of sexuality were sometimes incorporated into performers’ acts at Swerdlow’s clubs. That kind of stuff is a no-go at Misfits, says Ryan, who also has a “zero tolerance” drug policy. During the grand opening weekend held Aug. 7 and 8, one performer flashed a little tit, and “that person will never perform [at Misfits] again,” Ryan says. n a particular Thursday evening at Misfits, Pete Ryan looks pleased. He’s proud to show off how he’s changed Lanny Swerdlow’s Evolution, a k a the Rage, into his own club. People are starting to drift in, though it’s still early. A nondrinking lesbian group should arrive any minute, Ryan expects. They come to Misfits, says Ryan, because they appreciate the alcohol-ftee environment. Another change is Ryan’s office, half of what was once called Hollyrock. Ryan turned half the room, which previously offered differ ent music than the main dance floor, into his office. T he other half now offers an area to sit near the dance floor. I Ryan stresses that he’s enacting these poli cies because he’s striving to create a safe, fun, healthy and inoffensive environment for his patrons: "I want to give this club back to the community." Despite the changes, the layout remains generally intact, as does— perhaps most impor tantly— the music. The omnipresent icon Darcelle XV, a gay nightclub owner herself, performed during the grand opening. “I think the club will play an important role,” she says. “It keeps kids off the street and gives them a place to get together.... Unfortunately, in 1998,1 don’t think any place can be kept totally drug free, but hopefully it will attract a higher balance of people who don’t do all that stuff.” Maria Council of the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court also performed. Council, 34, says she “grew up going to the City.” “And I have to admit, sometimes I felt like poor service from a limo company. According to Ryan, as part of a birthday surprise for his partner, Pat Arnold (whom he repeatedly refers to as his “other h a lf’), he request ed “two things: a Lincoln and a driver who was gay-friendly.” Much to his dismay, Ryan says, a Mercury Marquis pulled up, driven by a “very unap pealing man” who Pete Ryan kept peeking at the duo during the ride. “I paid about $300 for that lousy service,” he says. “I decided then to start my own company.” T he Pantheon fleet features chauffeur-driven six- and 10-passenger limos— including a custom-made baby acquired from the Pointer Sisters that includes a three-way vanity. One Pantheon package is called “A Night with Darcelle,” which includes a ride to and from Darcelle XV s club in Old Town, door cover, dinner and a group photo. Council says Ryan donated Pantheon services to escort per formers to Peacock in the Park, the annual queer drag bash in Washington Park. “It was quite gracious,” she notes. Ryan and his brother, Jerry, have also estab lished the Still People Foundation, designed to raise funds for spinal cord injury research. Ryan explains that Jerry was in an auto accident a few years ago, leaving him paralyzed. Recounting the incident still brings tears to his eyes. “You know, I just want to give something back,” he says, later adding, “I know how quickly life can change. I want to do what I can while I can.” ■ M isfits C afé «S i D iscotheque is located at 333 S.W. Park Ave. in Portland. For more infor mation, call 242-2899. it was unsafe, given the drugs and drinking,” she says. “I didn’t feel any of that [at Misfits]. No longer were there those nooks and crannies and dark spots where that kind of activity could happen." She adds, “I truly believe Pete has the kids’ best interest at heart and wants to help main stream them into the adult community.” Meanwhile, Lt. C liff Madison of the Portland Police Bureau says the department looks forward to “keeping the lines of commu nication open with the new owner.” or his part, Ryan will tell you he loves peo ple and enjoys helping out when he can. He’s also a doer. Two years ago, he founded Pantheon Limousine Service. He did so after getting F Ryan says Hollyrock attracted a “G oth ” element. T h e cliché holds that these are the brooding kids dressed in black. They don’t lend themselves to easy definitions. Neither do they lend themselves to winning any favors with Ryan. “T h e first change I made was to shut down Hollyrock,” says Ryan, explaining that he thought it was a magnet for dmg traffic and that the space hardly paid for itself with the clients it brought in. He offers an anecdote of a customer look ing for dmgs at Misfits: Ryan says this cus tomer, after soliciting a large number of other young club-goers and coming up dry, congrat ulated Ryan on his strict anti-dnig policy. “T hat really made me feel proud,” recalls Ryan. Other patrons have remarks about the changes as well. Joshua Bullock, 20, is a bisex ual from Portland who frequented the Rage and Evolution. W hile Bullock offers that he’s not into the “drug scene,” he doesn’t think there ever was much of a problem with dmgs at die club, or that the situation has changed. And he misses Hollyrock. He also misses some of the old patrons. “A lot of the regulars have stopped com ing,” he says. Kevin McIntosh, a gay 18-year-old from Portland, agrees that the loss of Hollyrock is a big difference ftom Evolution, but he also points out a change for the better: cleanliness. McIntosh agrees with Bullock that a lot of Evolution regulars have chosen not to patron ize Misfits. “I know a lot of people who stopped com ing— a lot o f people loved Lanny,” says McIntosh, implying that some would see patronizing the site in a post-Swerdlow era as an act of betrayal. Similarly, McIntosh himself is a big fan of Swerdlow. But that doesn’t stop him from lik ing new owners Ryan and his partner, Jerry, too. “I think they’re awesome guys," McIntosh admits. “They’ll do an excellent job support ing gay youth.” And it’s the youth Ryan says he has in mind when enforcing his tough anti-drug line: “I have no tolerance when [drug use] can shut down the future for gay kids in Portland," warns Ryan. “You’re affecting future genera tions.” ■ Reported by Will O’B ryan
