January 21. 200Û »
i nm T ill mim
in
Queersville
Sundown
^ s u »>”
Just Out
by
dubs
B arb R . E lla ,
than packing your body
hat better way
P® nausea-inducing toxins. (
. 1 1 Portland
M o f m ind-nr b
^
course.) Physical health exclude
hoi and cigarettesmo e^e ^ ^
ufc#
aiter-hours activi-
O
e
c
^
W
^
r
r
^
r
. ^
Once the sun
This particular group came in search of
good karaoke and, based on my previous expe
riences at this night life haven, 1 knew they
came to the right place. T he super charismatic
DJs Steve and Denise were, as usual, in the
control booth, firing up the karaoke burners for
the traditional 9 p.m. start time.
This is the norm at the Alibi, Wednesdays
through Saturdays, and it’s often a sight to
behold. Dykes seemingly migrate in legions to
the vinyl cocoons that are the Alibi’s booths—
and they all come to sing.
1 have witnessed the phenomenon. A t the
Alibi, everyday humans transform into extra
ordinary vocal superstars.
still free for holders of the “preferred customer”
card— the venue is clean and the energy level
is said to be explosive.
I showed up on a Thursday night.
Thursdays are traditionally more devoted to
country music. Judging by the club’s western
interior decor, I was surprised to hear that
Slaughter’s plays such unrelated, thumping
music the following two nights.
The evening I showed up, arm in arm with
three gay comrades, the bar was moderately
packed with well-dressed dudes. Across the
room, a few cowboy couples twirled around the
dance floor. Conversation flowed at a low hum
and wandering eyes moved from friends’ faces
to the flickering television screens that infa
mously display hard-core gay pom. Sometimes
bars can be so surreal.
Though I’ve heard the girl quotient is high
er on weekends, it was Me, Myself and I on
that particular Thursday. I felt less alone in the
world when a drag queen walked through the
door.
Next time I’ll go on a Friday.
I Where the Boyz Be!
Where my Girlz At?
T he E gyptian C lub
¡ hat’s wrong with an old standby? N oth
ing, if you ask me. Just because the
Egyptian Club has very little competi
tion in the lesbian club market doesn’t mean it
won’t do its best to reel you in.
This well-known club rests on the comer of
Southeast 37th Avenue and Division Street in
a queer-flavored area near Laughing Horse
Books. It appears deceptively small from the
outside— once indoors, you’ll find two pool
rooms with a bar, a cafe area and, farther hack,
a full dance floor and another bar. This club
can pack people in, and it often gets quite rau
cous when the numbers are up (good
thing)...but it can also get smoky (bad thing).
Depending on your tastes, you might decide
to visit the Egyptian Club on a particular night
of the week. For example, strippers dance every
Tuesday night in the back room, called the
Tomb. If you like lesbian strippers, you might
want to show up.
Personally, I’m into the DJ dance nights in
the back room on the weekends, while the
OGs (a loosely-defined term for many lesbians
over age 40) generally flock to the front room.
I once ventured into this heralded area to
battle Mindy in a pool match. (Name has been
changed to avoid embarrassment.)
Mindy outweighed me by nearly 100
pounds; her arms were bulging with brutal tat
too imagery, her long mullet haircut flowed
down her neck. Needless to say, she was not
amused by my geeky, albeit charming, self.
Until...
Mindy and I battled silently with our pool
sticks for a good, long while. T he stale air was
only interrupted once when Mindy grunted,
“How old’re you?”
“Um, 22, ma’m,” I replied sheepishly.
“Yer young enough to he my daughter," she
huffed in return. (It was either that or “I could
eat you for dinner.”)
Then we continued the game. The
weirdest part was that I was actually
sinking shots— and 1 was surprising the
hell out of myself, not to mention
Mindy.
The skinny of the story is that I some
how managed to win. Mindy, a proud and
defiant league player, accepted the
defeat, shook my hand and uttered, “I
respect you,” then left the bar arm and
arm with her wife.
She is one of the many reasons I love
the Egyptian Club. Mindy and I embody
the vast personal differences found in
the queer community, hut also the cama
raderie and sense of familial respect we
feel for each other at the same time.
Like it or not, beauty of the human spir
it may be uncovered in unassuming
queer bars. Even your old standby.
Important note to reader: The following inter
pretations o f these three gay bars have been
made by myself, Barb R. Ella, notably a
female. Though l approached each venue with a
markedly unbiased, journalistic edge, my views are
nonetheless skewed by womanly perspective. Stay
tuned to Just Out for more bar reports—filed, o f
course, by gay or bisexiud males themselves.
T he A libi
f you have come within a three-mile
radius of the Alibi, you’ve sensed its
presence. Its blinking neon sign calls
out like an aging flasher. Amidst a sea of cheap
hotels and anonymous housing, the Alibi is an
oasis of gaudy decades past and a beautiful relic
to behold.
Though it’s not been officially dubbed a gay
bar per se, the Alibi holds its own in the lesbo
department. Once, upon entering, I stumbled
upon a 20-foot long table lined with well-
dressed butch dykes and their scantily clad
femme dates.
Disclaimer; This is not an authoritative list.
BRIG
Just Out contacted many Portland-area bars;
Monday through Saturday: D J dancing
those that responded by press time are
C .C. SLAUGHTER’S
Monday and Tuesday: karaoke
BQXXES
Sunday: bingo with Misha
Monday: gay movie night
Tuesday: Misha’s 'Make a Date'
Wednesday and Thursday: country music and
free line dancing lessons
Friday and Saturday: D J dancing (disco and
trance music)
Wednesday: karaoke with Poison Waters
Friday: “Fagtastic Friday,' hosted by D J Alex
CHOICES
Saturday: “Boys Night Out,*
Friday and Saturday: D J dancing
hosted by D J Rod the Bod
have witnessed unparalleled acts of human
athleticism.
Three Sisters, a gay strip joint on Vaseline
Alley ( a k a Southwest Stark Street), has a
somewhat humorously deceptive name. My
dear women friends, you won’t find too many
sisters in this club, much less mothers or
daughters. W hat you will find is a slew of fit
young chaps, the majority of them nearly
nude.
Thursdays through Saturdays, many of
these aforementioned chaps like to jump up
on the Three Sisters stage and, to the pul
sating beat of a hip-hop soundtrack, strip
down to their skivvies...and then down to
nothing at all (save for a carefully positioned
garter belt for brave tippers).
Though I am somewhat uneducated in
the school of stripping, I think these young
men are some of the most limber, acrobatic
dancers I have ever seen. I looked on as one
guy— who “bared” a striking resemblance to
a Backstreet Boy— hoisted himself close to
the ceiling, using electric conduits as his
only handholds, and proceeded to thrust his
pelvis vigorously in the upwards direction.
Granted, before this night I had only
seen as many nude men as I could count on
my left hand, but I believe these dancers were
actually kind of sexy. W ith enough peer pres
sure, I even agreed to tip one before I left. (Lit
tle did I know that I would he “tea bagged.”)
•U0O/I'
C.C. S laughter ’ s
’ve heard C.C. Slaughter’s is the most rockin’
on weekends. Ever since the Oregon Liquor
Control Commission cracked down on the
nearby Embers Avenue a few months ago,
Slaughter’s is rumored to have a perpetual line
formed outside on Friday and Saturday nights,
packed with dancers ready to disco. Until
recently there was no cover charge— and it’s
O N G O IN G A C T IV IT IE S AT QOEER SPO TS
listed below.
T hree S isters
■ B arb R. E lla is a freelance writer fo r several o f
the N orthwest’s spiritual guides. In her spare time,
she performs Tarot readings, cooks vegan meals
and weaves m acram é.
EMBERS
PANORAMA
Tuesday: country night in the back room
Friday and Saturday: D J dancing
Wednesday: goth night in the back room
DARCELLE XV
Thursday through Sunday: disco night
SILVERADO
Wednesday through Saturday: femaie imper
Every night: drag queens and kings on stage
Monday: karaoke
Tuesday through Sunday: male strippers
sonation, Las Vegas-style entertainment
THE ALIBI
DIRTY DUCK TAVERN
300 CLUB (Satan)
Wednesday through Saturday: karaoke
Tuesday: fun with Thom
3rd Saturday: Oregon Bears “Bear Bust"
1st and 3rd Fridays: leather night
EGYPTIAN CUIB
Tuesday: female strippers in the Tomb
JOQ’S
Wednesday: men's night
Thursday through Saturday: pool tournaments
Thursday, women's night
Monday through Wednesday:
THREE SISTERS TAVERN
league pool playing
Thursday through Sunday: male strippers
Thursday: open mic in the restaurant
Thursday through Saturday: D J dancing
STARGATE LOUNGE (at fl-pattcfca tiara— I)
Monday through Saturday: karaoke
w