It may be June, but I feel like a little girl on Christmas morning! I’m just as excited as I was all those years ago, racing downstairs in my footie pajamas to see if Santa delivered on his annual promise of toys, treats and toenail clippers. (My family was weird.) Will Santa bring me a Barbie? A GI Joe? An emery board?
The weather may be sunny, but a Yuletide spirit of joy abounds! It’s Pride Month, and I’m decking the halls with all the rainbow-colored crapola I can get my hands on. Whether you observe Pride Month by tossing back a few libations with friends, viewing an LGBT film, hitting PrideFest or marching in the Pride Parade, this is a wonderful time to celebrate the freedoms we have, the relationships we value and the struggles we’ve overcome.
Relish this Pride Month with the gusto of a kid at Christmas. Whether Pride 2014 brings you a Barbie, a GI Joe or sore toes from dancing your keester off, enjoy this celebration of you and all that you are! Happy Pride!
Sandra Bernhard Brings Sizzle and Sass to PrideFest
You can’t imagine how excited I was when the editor of Wisconsin’s Quest magazine asked if I wanted to interview the one and only Sandra Bernhard. After all, she’s someone who has delivered enough laughs to last a lifetime…and she’s not slowing down. In fact, she’s appearing at PrideFest on Sunday, June 8, at the Miller Lite Mainstage. I talked with Sandra for a special PrideFest edition of Quest. Below is an excerpt from my interview, but you can find the entire article in the June issue of Quest, or read it online at quest-online.com.
Ruthie: I can’t wait to see you perform your new show, “Sandyland,” at Pridefest. You describe it as “a ride through your world.” Tell me about it.
Sandra: It covers the landscape of modern-day culture. It runs the gamut of everything from the craziness of the Internet to my travels, including my personal stories involving my 15-year relationship with my girlfriend and my daughter. It really covers a lot of the things that have happened in my life over the last several years—things that have happened since [my previous show] “Without You I’m Nothing.”
Ruthie: This show is described as a blend of rock, comedy, burlesque and cabaret. Was it complicated to put together?
Sandra: Not really. I mean, this has been my approach to doing live comedy from early on—a one-woman musical extravaganza. The show goes in and out of songs, telling the whole story with musical punctuation. Some of the songs are covers and some are original. Music is really my first love. I wanted to pursue it and was sidetracked by comedy.
UPCOMING EVENTS
June 5: The Big Gay 5K Walk/Run at Veterans Park (1010 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive): Billed as “Milwaukee’s most colorful walk,” this event is celebrating its third year, and it’s still running strong. (Get it? “Running”? See what I did?) Benefitting AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, the run’s fee is $35 the day of the event or register for less at aidswalkwis.org. Chow down on some pasta, grab your running shoes and sign in at 5 p.m. near the kite stand before the run starts at 6:30 p.m.
June 5: The Indigo Girls at the Pabst Theater (144 E. Wells St.): The earthy performers who were so friendly and unassuming backstage at PrideFest last year are back. Visit pabsttheater.org for more if you’d like to hear them sing that song. You know the one.
June 6: Cher at the BMO Harris Bradley Center (1001 N. Fourth St.): Here’s your chance to see a true legend! Everyone’s favorite diva struts her fabulosity during her “Dressed to Kill” tour with gal pal Cyndi Lauper in tow. Destined to become a highlight of Wisconsin’s 2014 concert lineup, this is one performance you don’t want to miss!
June 6, 7 & 8: Milwaukee PrideFest at the Henry Maier Festival Park (200 N. Harbor Drive): PrideFest throws open its gates on June 6 at 3 p.m. Between headliners such as Macy Gray, Sandra Bernhard and Lisa Lampanelli and hot spots like the dance pavilion, market place and tiki bar, I don’t know what I’m looking forward to most.
Whether you celebrate the opening ceremony (Friday, June 6, 5 p.m.), check out the film Queen of the Castle at the Stonewall Stage (Saturday, June 7, 7 p.m.), take in the fireworks (June 7, 9:30 p.m.) or treat the kids to a magic show at the Children’s Stage (Sunday, June 8, 12:30 p.m.), you’re guaranteed a great time at one of the best pride festivals in the country. Be sure to bookmark pridefest.com for schedules and anything else you might need for the perfect pride party.
June 8: Milwaukee Pride Parade: Pride month just wouldn’t be the same without a pride parade, and Milwaukee’s has come a long way! Floats, marching units and more promise that no one is going to rain on this parade. Step off is at 2 p.m., with a route that begins at Second Street and Lapham Boulevard, runs up Second and concludes at Second and Oregon. Be sure to hit the bars afterward as the parade concludes with an informal street party.
June 10 & 11: Eddie Izzard at the Pabst Theater (144 E. Wells St.): The English comedian/actor brings his hilarious show, “Force Majeure,” to America…and Brew City is a stop on the tour. The on-again-off-again cross dresser shares his one-of-kind take on the world, and it’s a trip you’re sure to enjoy! See pabsttheater.org for more information.
Hey Ruthie,
Can u find me a sexy white boy, please?
—Ebony Hottie in Waiting
Dear Hottie,
Thanks for the photo, and you’re right! You are a hottie! You could hit the clubs, subscribe to a dating site or join an interracial social group. Or, you could simply stop looking and enjoy life. The universe works in strange ways, so give it the chance to surprise you. If that doesn’t work, you know where to find me, honey!
Have a question you’d like Ruthie to answer? Contact her at DearRuthie@Shepex.com.
SIDEBAR
Hey Gang!
If you add an extra $1 to your admission at PrideFest, the money will go toward the American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit to help reverse the ban on same-sex marriage in Wisconsin. Best of all, every dollar raised will be matched by the jewelry company Diamond Nexus…up to $10,000!
Want to learn more about the life-changing case involving eight Wisconsin couples? Be at PrideFest’s Stonewall Stage on Sunday, June 8, for the “Love Will Win” presentation at 3:30 p.m. Tell ’em Ruthie sent ya!
