During dinner, we got a preview. My pal Phil was trying to light his chopsticks that he had made into a cross while the restaurant played Like A Prayer. I guess they had the whole goddamn 13-disc set, since we heard like every song (but just the 3 minute radio-edit versions, the bastards!) while we ate.

Earlier in the day, I found on audiogalaxy the Patrick Cowley megamix of I Feel Love. See, for me, growing up in Chicago in the 70's, we were taught that disco sucked. I was totally into rock n roll, gosh, even Ted Nugent! But by the time I was old enough to go to gay porn theatres, I began to hear disco in a whole new light. Red light, in fact. Dark, smokey, humid, dim red light. Porno movies playing on the screen, heads bobbing in the seats, groping in the aisles, and my first exposure to the sounds of Sylvester. And yes, donna summer sounded good for the first time...... the context can sometimes make all the difference to me when listening to music, and disco is, for me, sexmusic. Anonymous, glory holes, porn-watching, group gropes, backrooms, poppers, thump thump thump music playing as you lick, or suck, or just watch.... And this 15-1/2 minute version of I Feel Love is totally 1982; porn theatre, dope-smoking, head-bobbing.....

Sometime after 2am last night, holding up a wall, drinking beer, I heard the first few notes, and although I'm not at all a fan, who wouldn't recognize it. Apparently, everyone did, several whoops!, bodies started shaking, and the crowd was all moving, bumping, shaking, throbbing. I guess she's in town for a few days, and you won't be able to escape it, so I walked over to a pal, and, very "high school", I lit up. We used to always do that back then, a cool song would come on, and no matter what, you lit up. This wasn't my idea of a good song, but the crowd was real happy. Red lights, only a few feet from the speakers, smokey, sweaty, and all this dancing, who couldn't help but grin, and enjoy. It took me back several years, (10? 12?) back to The Bar, a Saturday Night, out with the BF, and tons of friends scattered throughout the packed place. The first few notes of Groove Is In The Heart, and the place was hopping! Nobody could resist, we all moved our heads, our feet, everyone was smiling, and moving, and thumping, and nodding, and it was all one big love-fest for those few minutes....... with Larry, and Paul, and Mark, and David, and all those cute Act-Uppers.....

So, Barry and I inhaled, and the room got warmer, and more packed, and the next song came on, and then the 3rd song from, as NY1 keeps calling her, the "Material Mom", blasted, and yeah, it was good, it felt real good, and then Prince, Grandmaster Flash, Grace Jones, and several more really good ones that kept us all moving (even me and my barely noticeable, twitch-like, head-barely-nodding attempt at dancing)..... I stayed out way too late, wasn't even thinking about sex, specifically; just the rhythm, the thump in my heart and head kept me there, watching, absorbing, feeling this great vibe from the crowd, even the guy who always comes and dances right next to me with his booty bouncing way way too much, way way too high..... and the french guy, who I "did it" with, so many years ago in that video booth on 14th st , his pants always dipping just below the top of his ass-crack....

Who knows? Suddenly I thought, just before I hopped on my bike to go home for my nightly food-fest - any out of town Madonna fans need a place to crash? plenty of room here, just don't expect much in the way of lighting.... dark red light, humidity, smoke, and yeah, be sure to bring some poppers.....