That is a very astute take on The C**k, fluffernutter. And our Great Society in general.
In NYC, in the mid-eighties, all the gay bathhouses were shut down because it was thought (erroneously, I feel) that men were more prone to unsafe sex there. Well, now, in 2003, there a few bathhouses and they are all hidden away on the second floor and don't really make a big splash or advertise too much. So that's OK. Out of sight, out of mind. Don't ask, don't tell, etc. Kinda like The C**k, no?
But, back to this topic...
I have no problem peforming for the khaki-clad personally. In fact, I kind of like it. If I remember correctly, the fact that there were a few Wall Streeters mixed in with the audience in 1985 helped make it a very heady experience-- they were folks who never got a chance to see us at night and it's always a pleasure to "reach out and touch!"
I guess some of us were just hoping a few more people would have bothered to dress up. And that some of the entertainment was a little bit more than dated Michael Jackson jokes and bitchy onstage cattiness. Oh well.
But perhaps the audience demographics had more to do with the way the event was publicized. Indeed many outside the East Village had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned the HOWL Festival and Wigstock 2003. There was heavy email promo from HOWL (as well as their oft-confusing website) and very little from the Wigstock producers themselves. Certainly there were none of the tried and true hardcopy methods used in the past such as posters, invites. One benefit of the pre-Wigstock fundraisers of yore, is that it worked everybody up to a fever pitch. And as a result, many flew in from all over the world just for the day. And dressed. And wigged out sublimely.
Certainly also I missed some of the performers due to my side stage brou-hahas, as well as waiting to go on (in an area where you could not see a thing,) so perhaps I should not be so severe in my judgement.
[This message was edited by hatches on 08-27-03 at 12:59 AM.]