I'm from normal parents (The Pyramid Club Topic)

This would be the start of a thread about "Whispers", the weekly party that ran at the Pyramid in NYC from 1984-1988 or 9. Modelled after a gay bar in upstate New York, it was billed as an event for the "Complete Suburban Homosexual" and welcomed "Gay and Lesbian Hairdressers, Waiters, Florists, Showfolk...and sensitive straight people" Hapi Phace was the hostess. Does anyone else remember this?

Hapi and Hattie united again!

Oh great legends of Pyramid, hallowed be thy names...

Hello, I'm gender illusionist and Emcee Hapi Phace, you all remember me from the hit Whisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssspers
but you may also remember me from some other lesser known Hatie & Hapi tortured nightclub sagas such as


Cuchifritos
Hapi & Hattie Rock! Thursdays!
and my brief stint at FUCK


and many many more!

Hattie when are you going to start a thread on THE BANK!

Hapster

But who could forget "Hapi's Back Door" with your host and stripper Hapi Phace? And those see-through dresses she wore, her lady-meat hardly covered with a bow.

I have a Pyramid Club memory... and it isn't a very happy one!!! The ONLY time I've ever been fired from a job was by that skinny, chain smokin' excecutioner in chaps and a jock strap... HATTIE HATHAWAY! Yes, it's true, I was fired from my ruling Sat. nite DJ job so this upstart in silver hot pants and antlers named Sister Dimension could DJ. YES I'M BITTER!!!!!

I do have a happy memory of Pyramid... her name is Dee Finley. Now that's a topic!!! Anyone?

To set the record straight, I didn't even own a pair of chaps until the late '90's!
But Dee Finley is indeed a happy Pyramid memory. She must've walked through those golden doors when she was 12. She was the first of all of us to have major tooth troubles. Now, thanks to Elizabeth Taylor, her smile is more perfect than it was that first day we laid eyes on her in 1982!
And to think I owe my very presence at Jackie 60 to Dee (but that's another topic...)
Joey Horatio, the Pyramid's amazing director of decor, used to call 101 Avenue A the "Freak Magnet", meaning that if you were anywhere in its general vicinity and even the least bit twisted, a mysterious, other-worldly force would pull you deep inside. And make you part of the family.

Who could forget the ill-fated Cuchofritos?

I remember going to The Pyramid one Sunday night in the early 90's - just as "Fuck!" was about to end. Being an NYU suck-in-your-cheeks gender-performance snob then (then?), I was anticipating a memorable show. Having read about the legendary likes of Ethyl and the Pyramid ilk, I wanted to be astounded. We were treated to a rather shoddy amatuer strip contest instead. But there was one redeeming factor...Hattie Hathaway and Richard Move MCing the "event". Richard earned a place in my heart when he quipped that the contestant painted blue (genitals et all) with a mohawk hair-do "got extra points for hair and make-up".

Later on when "Cuchofritos" started, Johanna Constantine and myself did a brief stint as Djs in the basement - we named it "The Poontang Lounge" ("Enter The Enigma"). Besides playing mostly unlistenable music, guests (there were a few, I think) were treated to the showboating antics and song stylings of James F. Murphy from time-to-time.

But I'll also never forget seeing Hattie and Hapi together on stage at Cuchi. And Hapi explaining the difference between "habichuelas" and "frijoles", "Puta" and "conyo". It was a valuable Spanish lesson - one which has come in handy as of late. And their Burns and Allensesque on-stage antics were worth the price of admission. I miss the Pyramid dressing room and the years of graffiti scrawled on the walls - especially the "Big Drag Foot" doodle.

Many happy times were had at 101 Avenue A. I won't even go into Blacklips, although I will mention one of my more favorite memories of that era...Blacklips had just disposed of its "Swiss Family Donner Party" set onto the curb outside. It consisted of a pile of dried-up, 2nd week of January-old Xmas trees -someone walked by and threw a lit cigarette into the pile which started a huge bonfire. Hattie, at his wits end (as usual), turned on the lights and said "That's it, everybody out...". Another shining example of Hattie's crisis management skills!

May they someday really excavate The Pyramid and find the treasures of the Queens!

Poison Eve

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[This message was edited by poisoneve on 04-06-01 at 04:49 PM.]

Yes Evie, the blue-painted mohawked stripper still emails me from Florida at odd intervals (thanks to Hapi Phace.) But did you know who his boyfriend was around that time? None other than Angel, who was to later end up dismembered in the Hudson River thanks to Michael Alig & Co. Just a little bit of lunchpail trivia for you!

Great story Evie! But I think we need a Blacklips topic.

Just another Saturday night really.... Our theme for the month of Saturdays was Pyramid flight 101. Basically we're talking about six men in drag as stewardesses hosting an evening of dancing and stewardess type entertainment in the grand tradition. let's see, there were nuts being served on the dancefloor...I remember Sister packaging pairs of almonds in dime bag sized mini-ziplocs.
There was some sort of boarding pass balderdash at the door and annoying the guests with five or ten minutes of classic flim-flam was fun.
I guess the riot broke out sometime during the second set. Just before the police pulled the gates down i was sitting inside the window watching them beat demonstraters with bloody clubs and rifle butts. All their badges were covered with black electrical tape. At this point Hattie was trying to keep everyone calm by saying no one could leave the club because we hadn't been cleared for landing yet. Somehow that actually worked and most people didn't even realize they were locked in a club way over capacity with a full blown riot happening outside. After the dust settled we lined up and dashed out onto the street for a photo op with the cops on horses. I wonder who took the picture? WE MUST FIND THESE PICS.

Later, nothing else interesting happened.

Tabboo on the go go bar, Baby Gregory on the street outside selling handmade"dolls" or painted tiles or little drawings or whatever else he could think of that week to get some more crack money but God how I miss his Janis. My parties there called 101 Varieties, short lived but debuted with Miss Harry reciting her poetry on my birthday night, that big skinny junkie looking man in chaps with a sourpuss face rushing to and from, Greer Lankton and Costa Pappas, DJ's Dany Johnson, Sister Dimension, Sgt.Craig Spencer and that PR looking guy who used to be with Menudo who dj'ed until he was replaced by Sister ( He seemed bitter at the time) So many memories..Linda Simpsons shows, the birth of Sweetie and Faux Pas, Sherry Vine, Mistress Formica, Varla Jean Merman. They all began on that stage. Oh the nights spent smoking pot in the dressing room.

Oh, Billy, I had NO idea there were pictures! I recall a tiny tea cart that we bought for $10 and used for "beverage service" and the barf bags...
I also remember endless interruptions of the disco music with safety instructions ("Two in the front, two over the wings, and two in the back" and "In the unlikely event of a water landing...")

Also, wasn't the next month's theme "News 101" with you as the Asian anchorwoman with your eyes taped?

There were DEFINATELY pictures, I remember seeing the police horses. I wasn''t at the party but I remember hearing about it and seeing the pics.

We did "Come Fly With Us" at Jackie 60 in the mid '90's. It was a House of Domination night with the girls as Stewardesses. I remember asking all the Queens on several Susanne Bartsch trips to collect as many vomit bags as they could. They ended up mopping everything for us- vomit bags, emergency instruction cards, life jackets, anything that was not nailed down. The night was great, although not as dramatic as the Pyramid's. I had forgotten about the Pyramid Stewardess night, I thought we were the first. I stand humbled.

The first... Ha! I was the first! I told my very good friends Wilbur and Orvil. When you finish inventing the airplane let me know, I want to have a stewardess party at the Mudd Club. I paved the way, just click on my profile!

Orville, ha! Wilbur, double ha! I was the one who gave Icarus the feathers for his wings!

Like many of us, I have suppressed this haunting memory for way too long:
well, does anyone want to remember Linda's first and last Lip-singing act? It was at Pyramid back in 1992, when she made a stunning Debutt, singing "strangers In the Night", yes the Sinatra version!!
The audience fell silent, and the number was dead on arrival!
linda has shunned any mention of this topic, however subtle... should this forum force her to finally confront her demons??

I had always wondered why Linda refused to synch. Thank you, Vulgar, for setting the record straight. Perhaps she should have chosen another version of the song to do. Or something by Nancy. (Sinatra, not Isla, Rose.)
Though I have to admit, my version of "A Time For Us", segue-ing from Barbra to Tom Waits went over a little better. Instead of stunned silence, they screamed "Get Off The Stage!"

I think Linda should face her demons of the past. I thankfully was 200 miles away still living in DC at the time and missed such a performance. I don't even think she reads these forums, so we can say anything we want about her.

YOU"RE ALL BITCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does anyone else remember an early Joey Arias Pyramid show called "Mr. Ginger Rogers Neighborhood"? I believe it was at Cafe Iguana (Whispers sunday night predecessor) circa 1982.

Does anyone know whatever happened to Bernard Zette? He was a fabulous entertainer at the Pyramid Club in the mid-80's and usually performed on Wednesday nights.

so the news of the day is that olympia will marry tatti in a few weeks.
more details to follow. i'm sure no plans have been made.

I loved Cuchifrito's, and Channel 69, and Screem!

I miss Channel 69 terribly. I loved the half hour lipsynch shows. I had just moved here and used to wander around friendless, but very curious.

I can't even touch that last comment, I'll let daddy have it.

Channel 69!!!
WOW, you are really old!

Yes, she is very old. One Hundered Million Years old, to be exact.

Does anyone remember Michael T.'s "New York Nights" at the Pyramid around 1992? It was on Monday nights (Blacklips later replaced it) and cost $1 to get in and featured the "Cabaret of Madness" featuring early me, Michael T., Hattie and the ever-talented Countess Jessica (Hattie could delve further into this untapped resource, perhaps). I remember being locked in there one night when there was a mini squatter riot on Avenue A. What ever happened good old-fashioned riots anyway?

I nearly forgot the gothic spoken word by Lauren Vile!

and what about Craig Curiosity... Vanessa Miasma... Gerard... and.. Blue Fucking L'Amour!

those were the days...

... yes, and yet another sighting of the name "Blue", as per daddy's hilarious rant on same in the WOMB topic.

I first discovered Pyramid in late '87. My very first night happened to be a big benefit show, I think for Dee's teeth. Yeah, I know she didn't quite get them for a while, but that's another story. It was one of those super shows with a zillion acts! I was dazzled!


In '87 the pyramid was all painted in crazy black and white trippy swirls, the shows were wild, and I was sold! It broke my heart when they painted it black.

I became a regular at Hapi's party. It's what inspired me to do drag. I think Hattie was the first person to ever PAY me to do drag. I danced a few times at Pyramid. It was there that I met Chuckie, a quite insane, but certainly genius queen that was probably one of the most cosmetically adventurous people that I've ever met! I remember her eyebrows, four over each eye in different dayglo colors!

We had a little mini scene going on in the basement for a while, around '90. I was DJ and all of my friends would come and put on a retarded show. Seen there were early incarnations of Hedda Lettuce, Winona Juggs, Sissy Fit, and a bunch of people I forgot.

Later, the always personable Mitch Amtrak booked me to DJ for a while. My big Pyramid break came in '93. I wanted my foot in the door, so I
threw a HUGE "Freaks For Freedom" benefit to send a bus to the '93 March on Washington. It turned into a 4 hour show!! Everyone who was
anyone performed! I have a tape to prove it. Linda Simpson, Perfidia, Lulu, Kembra, The Murmurs, and many many more.

A few months later, Dany and Ande called me to replace Formika as their hostess for their Sat. nite party "The Ball." I was so excited to have a weekly gig! I think it lasted around 2 years. My# 1 fan was a very hot femme dyke in the crowd, who, years later, shaved her head and became the drag king we now know as Dred!

[This message was edited by Miss Understood on 12-27-02 at 11:05 AM.]

[This message was edited by Miss Understood on 12-27-02 at 11:06 AM.]

About seven or eight years ago or at least sometime before the new moollennium I ran into Bernard, the 101 Ave.A doorman, somewhere near midtown and asked how//where he had been as I hadn't seen him in ages and he said he had moved to Canada to start of all things, a men's ware design shop. Bravo which just got me thinking the 'clubs we loved' should have a gatekeeper topic with all the sagas relevant to it? There's gotta be a trove of dada data there. Maybe dedicated to Haui Montog?

rb//nyc//bronx//bohemia

I first met Miss U at the Pyramid Club (she won't remember). I transpired to the BANK on Houston. Loved the decor and back room where you could always find a "real' vampire! Where hav the real vampires gone? And it's not Second Avenue!

quote:

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Does anyone out there remember Bernard Zette aka Zette who performed at the Pyramid Club Wed. nights, I think?

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I didn't know who Zete was, I just found his dancegoth cover of "Le Freak" in a bin somewhere. I ALWAYS play it when I DJ. I'd love to email him.

But I remember Olympia, her name was Bernard.
The most fun I had was at Pyramid, I met my closest compatriates there, Billy and Sister and Faye, and Madamme etc... I danced on the Bar with Connie Girl, Codie, Shannon,Mr Fashion, Wendy, and Ethel sweet Ethel.Hattie always yelled at me"Zoraya youre late" but I arrived painted and draped thank you.
On monday nights Madamme, Dana (Dead-a) and Olympia would have their sewing circle in the basement, they would bead their costumes for Copa, make drinks in a blender(Olympia) and yak yak yak...I was so happy to be a fly on that wall.
Madamme to Princess:
"Stop wearing that BLACK! black is for old ladies, your'e young you should wear COLOR!"

Beautiful Zette. I think he's in LA.No one deserves that fate. Especially after living life in NYC in the 70's.

He was the first freak gender bender I ever saw who wasn't trying to pass as a GG. And so tiny, maybe 5'1 or 2

Now, where's Kathleen the sh*t lady? That's what I want to know.