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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2007)
SEPTEMBER 7. 2007 justioutfo Separated at Birth SIZE In the mix with Brian Johnson have a doppelganger. One day a friend said: “I saw you jogging at 6 a.m. outside the post office. I waved, but you didn’t see me.”' No, 1 certainly didn’t because it wasn’t me. I’m often up at 6 a.m. but never jogging. However, I know who does, and I’ve been mistak en for him before. Brian Charles Johnson, guiding force behind the ultra-successful Salon Q (which celebrates its third anniversary this fall), also guides the new lifestyle magazine M jx , published by The Oregonian. 1 took the opportunity of the magazine’s launch to sit down with the handsome 6-foot ("and shrink ing,” he says) ex-dancer with the gleaming bald head, bright blue eyes and big smile. My Maxi-Me. MATTERS me help you find the perfect ¡pai r! creating inspired spaces couxveix BAMIÇeR a Synergy Staging provides designer quality Staging to highlight the appeal of your propet ty ao it will anil faster and for inoro ino noy. Call us for a free proposal so wo can make your propeity irro’ eistibfe to buyers. let Randall Smith «CAI tSTATt ««O*C« (5*3H7i-5573 ®H*CCT r«ndultnn>lrtröNfhw.«l rwai SEAL rtortRTII> (503)643-7325 driving through Copenhagen and stumbled onto Mus. That was all it took. We fell in love. Auto, Home, Life, Health & Business Floyd Sklaver: What’s the new magazine about? Brian Johnson: It’s Portland’s hottest new food and drink publication. It’s designed to focus on the 25- to 49-year-olds. ..who dine out in the city, drink fine wine, beer, cocktails. People we love, those near and dear to our hearts. FS: Are you implying that I’m a drunk? BJ: I’m not insinuating anything other than the fact that you have good taste. FS: Flatterer. You’re publishing a lifestyle magazine. How would you describe your lifestyle? BJ: Oh my gosh, right now, my lifestyle is all work. FS: You went to Europe to buy a car? BJ: I bought a Volvo and did the European delivery package, which means you order your car, pick it up in Sweden, then they let you drive around Europe, ship it back to the U.S. and deliv er it to your house.... You actually save about 8 per cent, and you get a free trip to Europe. epb&b FS: You still dating Mus? BJ: Mus the man, as he calls himself. FS: Where’s he from? BJ: Denmark. FS: But he’s Pakistani. BJ: His parents are from Pakistan, but he was bom and raised in Copenhagen. FS: Why’d you go halfway around the world to get a boyfriend? BJ: I went on this wonderful trip to Europe to buy a car, and after I bought it in Sweden, 1 was U : ' Elliott, Powell, Baden & Baker, Inc. FS: Do other manufacturers do that as well? BJ: I think BMW and Mercedes Jo. FS: You started as a dancer. What happened to that? BJ: Well, aging.... I went to the University of Oregon on a track scholarship. 1 was a high jumper. This was during the glory track years there. I wasn’t talented enough really, and so as a P.E. elective, I decided to take a ballet class.... During that time, in the late ’70s and early ’80s, there weren’t a lot of male dancers in the Northwest, so I worked a lot.... I ended up dancing at Disneyland, which was so demoralizing for someone at my skill level. MARC BAKER Downtown Portland (503) 227-1771 • www.epbb.com Per more information ptease visit our website at www. synergystaging.com 503'557'2244 Nik Morrow, asp , iahsp nik^ synergystaging.com Accredited Staging Professional™ Laser Hair Therapy Treats Men and Women THINNING? BALDING? STOP YOUR HAIR LOSS!! THRÌV e Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Center, LLC FS: What’s it like to be gay at The Oregonian! BJ: Well, in 1999 1 left The Oregonian, and in my exit interview I told the general manager that we didn’t have a domestic partnership policy and I didn’t feel the paper supported our community, my community.... Within a year, and I’m not saying I had anything to do with this, but within a year the company adopted a domestic partnership policy and it’s very, very robust. Í “Your Independent Insurance Agency" insurance FS: Were you in costume? BJ: 1 was a chimney sweep in the Mary Poppins float for a summer.... I also did the opening of the L.A. Olympics. I was a pioneer in a covered wagon, then a Fred Astaire look-alike. Floyd (loft) meets his doppelganger, Brian Johnson. ing FS: What’s your theme song? BJ: This is a total homosexual response, but 1 would say my theme song is “Listen” from Dreamgirls. * NO PAIN * NO SURGERY * NO SIDE EFFECTS Revolutionary Laser Technology CALL FOR A FREE CONSULTATION FS: How come? BJ: I think one of the challenges, especially in my new role, is for me to really listen, to understand what motivates people, what creates change—and also I want to be heard.... The intention behind Salon Q, for instance, is to provide an environment for people to come together and create their own experiences. I’m a person who’s really motivated by—1 know this sounds trite—but by love, just love, understanding, compassion, really asking others, ‘What makes you tick?’ That’s where 1 get my energy, and that’s what makes my life so fun. I ACTUAL CLIENTS • 6 MONTHS RESULTS 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE FS: And what makes you so Out Going. © SALON Q, a monthly mixer for men and women to socialize in a smoke'free environment, starts 7 pm. Sept. 11 at Vendetta, 4306 N. Williams Ave. | I F loyd S klaver wants to know about your event. E-mail him at floydsklaver@comcast.net: I 503-241-3579 www.thriveaesthetics.com 832 NW NINETEENTH AVE • PORTLAND, OR 97209