Charles Alexander
Parting Glances: Then there was Marion
Just in case you're wondering — what with our blasted weather of late — tropical storms are named by the World Meteorological Organization six years in advance, alphabetically. After Wilma we're back to square A. (The rumor that Rita was named for a [...]
Fateful Encounter' unfolds at DIA
There's one bit of poignant information that may affect how one views the "Camille Claudel & Rodin: Fateful Encounter" exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts, now running through Feb. 5, 2006. It might be better to see this stunning exhibit [...]
Parting Glances: Pause that refreshes?
I find myself indulging in the delectable savoring of one, two, and sometimes three of what in the greasy spoon trade are called "sliders": small hamburgers with cheese slices, fried onions, kosher pickles, and garnishes of chili, mustard, and [...]
Parting Glances: Knowing when to no
Older gays — those ready at fifty or thereabouts for the other $250 sneaker to drop — are sometimes seen by those younger as founts of eternal wisdom, keepers of universal truths. Maybe it's the grey hair. The expanse of waistline. The wizened brow [...]
Parting Glances: Get thee to a seminary
Fans of Sr. Serena Scatterpin, Renegade Sisters of Mary, will be intrigued to know that the popular iconessa — who calls herself a "metrosexual for Heaven's sake" — says the inspiration source for her high-fashion life is "Lesbian Nuns Breaking [...]
Parting Glances: Note: it's pronounced 'coom'
I was 23 the year I enrolled at Wayne University, now Wayne State. It took me 14 years to get my B.A. in English, with 12 hours toward an M.A. in teaching Community College Writing. It took so long because I worked days and (in)attended nights. I [...]
Parting Glances: Don't read Trixxie's lips
I don't want to ignite panic among that ever-radiant breed of entertainers known as drag queens — bless their birdseed boobs and padded hip huggers — but a staple of their high art — lip-synching — has been declared illegal for straights, gays, or [...]
Parting Glances: Reruns as metaphor (Pt. 2)
It's the damnedest thing. I plucked this exotic-looking plant while out for a Sunday stroll. It had bright red blossoms, blue-white, intricately woven, pentagonal leaves. I put it in a glass of water at my bedside. And so . . . I awoke to find my [...]
Parting Glances: Reruns as metaphor (Pt. 1 of 2)
I rented "The Vanishing." My second go-around was still disturbing: a creepy crawler. For those who haven't seen the films — Dutch (1988) and American (1993) — both versions are about being buried alive, a kink dear to few beating hearts. (TEN [...]
Parting Glances: One ray at a time . . .
When I was five my mother — very gently putting me into the bathtub for my Friday night scrub — would say, "Easy does it." Years later it dawned on me, she really meant, "If you're going to get yourself into hot water take your time." "Hot water" — [...]
Parting Glances: Young hearts (and Mary) Pt. 2
I went to my first gay bar at 19 — a lesbian bar — the Silver Slipper, near downtown Detroit. I had fake ID and was escorted by two regulars. Lesbians sat in the balcony. Gays and "tourists," downstairs. "So, this is what I've been missing since [...]
Parting Glances: Young hearts (and Mary): Pt. 1
Years ago bars were the only places gays could socialize in. There were no community centers, no organizations, no newspapers. Gay life was by word of mouth (and often hand to mouth). The ideal bar was on a side street, had a back entrance, and paid [...]