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Gay men are living longer than ever and we need to make sure we continue to keep the healthy bodies we’ve enjoyed in our younger years.

After all, life doesn’t end at forty.

On today’s show we’re talking to Dr. Frank Spinelli, your gay doctor about his brand new book “The Advocate Guide to Gay Men’s Health and Wellness.”

Dr. Frank joins us to talk about why some gay men abuse drugs, transmit sexual diseases and how to keep romance hot well into your golden years.

Dr. Frank says one of the most important things you can do with your doctor is to come out as a gay man. Simply say “Doctor, I’m gay.” But for many of us, we shy away from doing that because we fear being judged or worse, being looked at as a freak because we don’t necessarily share the same sexual orientation as our doctor.

Thankfully, Dr. Frank is gay and fabulous! You can check out his MySpace page here.

Listen up folks, this podcast just might save your life!

The Advocate Guide to Gay Men’s Health and Wellness is a fabulous book that covers all the questions you may want to ask your doctor. It makes a great beside or bathroom book.

I believe that the single most important thing to improve the sexual health of all people in America is for the next President to push in congress a Universal Health Care plan for all people. The reality is that too many people living in the U.S. wait to the last minute to see a doctor because they simply cannot afford it.

I can only imagine the lives that would be saved and the improvement in transmission rates of all sexually transmitted diseases if we all had the same access to health care that almost all western nations enjoy.

For many of Americans, access to adequate health care is sketchy at best and I urge you to get Dr. Frank’s book (it’s $22 on Amazon) to educate yourself about the perils we face as gay men and also about some of the rewards and pleasures we’ve worked so hard to enjoy.

That being said, I urge you to save up and go see a doctor. There are many clinics in most urban areas that offer services on a sliding scale.

Your Dr. Feelgood for your podcasting regimen- Feast of Fools.

[Originally posted on 02.26.08]

Featured Book:
The Advocate Guide to Gay Men’s Health and Wellness
by Frank, M.D. Spinelli: Amazon

Featured Music:
Eric Himan - Everywhere All at Once: iTunes | Amazon | CD Baby
Eric Himan - There’s Gotta Be Something: CD Baby | MySpace

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Most people look insane wearing tiaras. Even still, gay men and women all across the world compete in pageants that cost a ton of money to participate in and for what? The competition is often so stacked against you and it’s more about who you know rather than how fierce a queen you are. And even if you do win, the titles don’t necessarily advance your career.

So why do these ladies do it? Because it’s fun. Just like thousands of young people line up to be rejected on American Idol television show, some gay men just think it’s a blast to go through all the trouble and sacrifice to put on a show.

Drag ties us to something powerful and we enjoy the temporary illusion we create when lip syncing and instead of being just another gay guy, we’re Diana Ross! A little hair and make-up and the right outfit and attitude we’ve become royalty. Queen for a night.

On today’s show one of our local drag queens and behind-the-scenes pageant diva Richard Biasis, better known as Regina Upright, joins us to talk about what inspires drag queens to entertain others and themselves.

Why are these gay men spending so much time and effort to imitate strong powerful women? What makes Cher such an icon?

Listen as Marc Felion, Richard Biasis and me, Fausto Fernós talk about the British man dying from eating too many “fairy cakes” and the 39 year old Japanese man who got caught trying to show up at a high school trying to pass as a teenage schoolgirl wearing a uniform, makeup and long wig.

Oh, and yes, we unveil the DIRT on most drag queens in Chicago. What are Sal-E and Jo-jo really like? Who poured a pint of beer into my suitcase? Who stole my makeup?

Giving you the dirt you love- Feast of Fools.
[Originally posted on 02.27.08]

Featured Music:
Brian Kent - Breathe Life: CD Baby | Site

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How do you get off and have a good time on the internet superhighway without a fender bender?

On today’s show we have the recording of the live forum that Marc Felion and I, Fausto Fernós, moderated at the Center on Halsted last month. The forum was developed and sponsored by our friends at Lifelube to figure out how to have fun and be safe while looking for sex or love online. This forum featured three great experts on how the internet is changing our sexuality.

First, Stephan Adelson, former general manager of Manhunt, a hook up site for men seeking sex with men. He was part of the team that introduced the idea of displaying one’s HIV status in online personal profiles.

Stephan currently works as the Executive Director of the nonprofit Internet Intervention Incorporated. He also works as an internet consultant on privacy issues and recently developed National Guidelines for Internet Interventions (PDF).

Second, Beau Gratzer, director of HIV and STD prevention at Howard Brown Health Center. Beau oversees many sexual health programs including those targeted to gay men online in Chicago.

Beau served on the National Coalition of STD Directors’ expert advisory committee that recently published the “Internet Interventions Guidelines” which provide guidance to health departments and community organizations providing HIV/STI related health information and programs online

And Third, Doctor Brian Mustanski, Assistant professor at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Brian is among the first to study how gay, lesbian and bisexual people interact online.

He developed one of the first online studies of gay lesbian and bisexual people. The majority of his work focuses on the development of “sexual minority” people and how the Internet affects us. He is also working on a study on the health and development of LGBT youth.

Listen as we talk about looking for sex and love online, the mysterious bug chasers, internet addiction and the the hunting instinct,

We also take questions from the fabulous people who attended this very fun and informative questions from the audience.

You can also read a blow by blow account of the forum at Michael Lehet’s blog, “What’s A Boy To Do.” Thank you Michael!

Check out today’s sponsor:

Gay, Sexy, Health- Lifelube.org
Your “big tent” guide to gay men’s health,
from sex and drugs to Faeries and Bears
Your friendly concierge for all that’s gay, sexy and healthy.

Featured Music:
Mystechs - Escape from Planet Love: iTunes | Site

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The city benches at almost every bus stop in Baltimore proclaim, “Baltimore, the Most Beautiful City in the World.” Did the city planners forget about Paris, Rome, San Francisco or nearly every other major city in the world?? It’s a proclamation so bold and ridiculous that if you don’t actually think about it, you might imagine it were true. But it’s not.

Chet was a rare sexy specimen at the parade, but apparently he’s straight. He won the High Heel race again this year. Read more…

 

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Tom Goss has finally found his voice and it sounds like heaven.

Tom was a star high-school wrestler and entered college on a wrestling scholarship. For lack of better direction, he studied to be a social studies teacher. He eventually decided to become a Catholic priest as a way to channel his desire for reconciliation and social justice.

Tom entered the seminary but became disillusioned by the institution in which he had placed his faith. He fell in love with a fellow seminarian but he didn’t leave the seminary until he was stalked by another fellow seminarian.

When the stalking escalated, Tom turned him in and he got him kicked out of the seminary. Tom left of his own accord at that time and says he is still stalked by this guy to this day.

Today he’s happy, in love and a rising star in the national gay music scene. He’s been touring the country with his pal Eric Himan and singing his songs about rebirth and renewal, of love and loss and what lies beyond.

We had such a great time hanging out with Tom! Check out the photos we took in our Tom Goss photo gallery. He’s really good looking, funny, charming and a great musician- his second album Rise is one of my personal favorites.

There’s not a bad song in the album. He may not be the priest in any church, but he’s the priest of rock and roll to me and I wouldn’t mind being his altar boy!

Listen as Tom talks about the hypocrisy of the Catholic church, losing his grandpa, following your own path and his passion for social justice.

A deeply moving interview, plus Tom plays live in the home studio just for you!

God spelled backwards is FOF.

Check out today’s sponsor:

Big Jones Restaurant
Contemporary Southern Cuisine
Located in the heart of Andersonville in Chicago, Illinois
Fresh homemade food made with local seasonal ingredients with contemporary coastal southern flair

Featured Music:
Tom Goss - Rise: iTunes | CD Baby | Site

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Fellas, we’re doing it for the ladies today! Well, not really. It’s all about how you love the stuff for the ladies.

The popularity of the “Sex in the City Movie,” a film adaptation of the tv series that’s popular with gay men make us wonder what’s behind this love affair between gay men and movies made for straight women?

Where does the term “chick flick” come from and what does it really mean? Although it once was used to degrade films made about women, it’s now seen as a legit genre all on it’s own.

The inclusion of gay comedians like comic Mario Cantone show that filmmakers these days take into consideration their loyal gay audiences.

On today’s show San Francisco Drag Queen Peaches Christ joins us to talk about those wonderful chick flicks every gay man must see. Movies made for women, about women but somehow strike a chord in every gay man’s heart.

What is the legacy of Hollywood’s leading ladies like Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe and the men behind these great women like directors George Cuckor, Russ Meyers and Roger Ebert!

Peaches Christ’s fabulous film series Midnight Mass starts it’s 2008 series kicks off on 4th of July weekend, Friday and Saturday night with the film Showgirls.

Peaches Christ is goddess, and this is Feast of Fools.

Featured Movies:
• The Women (1939)
• Rebecca (1940)
• Mildred Pierce (1945)
• All About Eve (1950)
• How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
• Valley of the Dolls (1967)
• 9 to 5 (1980)
• The Color Purple (1985)
• Aliens (1986)
• Beaches (1988)
• Steel Magnolias (1989)
• The Handmaid’s Tale (1990)
• Thelma and Louise (1991)
• Clueless (1995)
• Showgirls (1995)

Check out today’s sponsor:

Steamworks Gym, Sauna and Baths.
Visit Steamwork’s website and register to get a discount
on your next visit. Enter “Feast of Fools” on the promo
code field to get the special discount.

Featured Music:
Don Juan Dracula - Young Debutantes II: iTunes | Amazon | CD Baby| Site

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Peaches Christ talks about films originally made for women, but that have taken on a life of their own as camp classics for gay men in “Chick Flicks for Gay Men” .

Here’s a clip from the 1953 film “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” where Jane Russell’s character is on a cruise ship surrounded by the U.S. Men’s Olympic Team. For for some reason this all male scantily clad group is not attracted to poor Jane at all. Could it be that they are all gay? Well, all the butt shaking routines choreographed by Jack Cole could certainly suggests exactly that.

Jack Cole was one of Hollywood’s great gay choreographers and is noted for creating “theater dance.” Cole’s unmistakable style influenced the work of people like Bob Fosse and Tommy Tune and countless other directors of music videos, theater and film. I wonder how many drag queens in the world today owe their style of performance to this great man?

From his biography, he was said to be a demanding and relentless taskmaster in his pursuit of dance excellence. Check it out for yourself.

Unsung Genius: The Passion of Dancer-Choreographer Jack Cole
by Glenn Loney
Get it on: Amazon

Which one do you like better?
Older and confident, or younger but insecure? How about both?

For a high-quality version of the video, subscribe with : RSS | iTunes | YouTube | Blip.tv

 

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Taste the rainbow and we don’t mean Skittles!

Gay Season reaches it’s apex this Sunday as cities across the U.S. and abroad celebrate the modern gay rights movement by holding a Pride Parade.

Some may not know that the Parades commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots, a series of violent conflicts between queer folks and New York City cops that began on June 28, 1969 and lasted several days after the police raid of the Stonewall Inn gay bar.

The riots are seen as a critical turning point in the modern gay rights movement and helped galvanize people all across the U.S. to organize, protest and shape the future of sexual acceptance.

On today’s show Sal-E joins us to talk about his Muppet themed float for Green Dolphin Street bar in Chicago and follow up on all the drag queen drama happening these days.

If you’re going to the Pride Parade in Chicago hang out with us on the West side of Broadway, just South of Belmont, in front of the chili place. It’s shady there and you cna arrive to the parade late as it ends nearby!

Here are some pics of the parade in 2005, where we were trolling some hunky gay yuppie who was really enjoying watching the parade of hunks and skunks rolling on by.

Connell O’Donovan joins us for a phone interview to discuss the Mormon Church’s plan to aid the passing of a proposed amendment to the California constitution that will define marriage as the the union of a man to a woman.

Connell is a member of the support group “Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons” and a Mormon historian. He has written many works on Mormon history, including a history of homosexuality and Mormonism from 1840-1980 which is an interesting read.

O’Connell also shares with us his personal experience of growing up Mormon and the various ways they tried to change his and other people’s behaviors through such torturous methods as electroshock, vomit aversion, and exorcisms. They actually wanted to show him gay male porn and and give him a drug that would make him vomit and then later show him straight porn and give him a drug to experience euphoria. Can you believe it?

Drink Responsibly? You always hear those words of concern by liquor companies in ads, but we’re not sure what they mean by that. For many GLBT folks, our role with alcohol is a complex one, where bars bring us together, but for some the consumption of alcohol can ruin their lives.

How can we all have a healthier relationship with alcohol? How can we talk about drinking without pointing fingers?

Join me Fausto Fernós and Marc Felion and LifeLube, Project CRYSP, and the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse at Sidetrack as we ponder these important topics in an alcohol friendly environment. Did I mention they serve purple slushy drinks? Yum.

Seating is limited please RSVP by clicking here.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 - 6 p.m.
Sidetrack, 3349 North Halsted
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Taping begins at 7 p.m.

The podcast that loves you back, and in a totally cool and not creepy way- Feast of Fools.

Check out today’s sponsor:

Gay, Sexy, Health- Lifelube.org
Your “big tent” guide to gay men’s health,
from sex and drugs to Faeries and Bears
Your friendly concierge for all that’s gay, sexy and healthy.

Featured Music:
Kennidi Monroe - Voluptous Diva: MySpace

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I just love the hot tranny of the moment on YouTube, chilean little in size but not in fabulousness, La Pequeña!

Joy of joy’s she’s back with a new video impersonating Chilean actress Marisela Santibañez, whomever she is. I guess she’s like the Angelia Jolie of Chile, or the David Beckham, since she’s kicking a soccer ball in the video.