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NEW ORLEANS
NOTEBOOK
By Patrick Shannon III
Greetings from your New Orleans
xeporter at large. May all of you have
a beautiful Christmas season and a
safe and meaningful New Year. I’ve
been receiving many inquiries about
the BARB and this column. Those of
you who have questions about the
BARB, should address them to the
^editorial staff of the newspaper, and
those of you who have news or
anything you wish to discuss re the
column, please write, me at 1140
Esplanada Ave., New Orleans, La.
70116, or in care of the BARB. If you
must call me, PLEASE call the correct
number, and not collect if outside of
the 504 area code. There are other P.
Shannon listings: the CORRECT
PHONE IS 504-581-4206. I’m in
terested in any info, you might have
regarding group activity (legit of
course) or social functions, or per
sonal. Drop me a note Let me
know about your business establish
ment, bar, cafe, et. al, and maybe I
can do an article on same.
GENERAL NEWS:
Weather in New Orleans is totally
unpredictable, but we have had one of
the mildest winters to date. Maybe
I’m a little hardened to the cold after
living in the BIG APPLE for ten years,
but so far it’s been chilly at night and
warm during the day. The only
problem with the weather here is the
humidityv Very high at all times. That
means that if we have a temp of 45
degrees or lower it’s going to feel very
chilly. So if you plan to visit the wild
and wonderful city over the holiday
period, unpack your furs and
sweaters, just in case. In general the
bars, clubs, restaurants, and the
FRENCH QUARTER especially, will
be crowded with visitors and tourists.
. NEW ORLEANS will do anything;
drop anything; practically walk away
from a funeral if anyone has the
slightest excuse for a party, and even
the funerals for some of the ethnic
groups turn out to be very festive
occasions. I should know I’m Irish-
Cajunl So the bars in many cases will
be open for 24 hours and people will
be having private parties, and if you
make the smallest effort to strike up a
conversation you will probably be
invited. NEW ORLEANIANS ADORE
OUT OF TOWNERS!
MCC OF NEW ORLEANS has
moved from the old Rampart St;
address to one very near the old
FRENCH QUARTER. Rev. Joel
Kauhl advises this reporter, and the
BARB to please mail copies of the
paper to: 134 BURGUNDY ST., NEW
ORLEANS, LA. 70017. The phone
there is 504 945-5476. A note to the
MCC of FT. WORTH. This reporter
had cause to spend a day and night in
your town, and called you hoping to
make contact with another human
being, knowing not a soul, or where to
go or what to do. Had to spend a
solitary night in a noisy hotel with not
even a television set to keep me
company (it didn’t work). That’s what
happens when you buzz into a city
unexpectedly and unprepared. The
MCC phone gave me a somber
recording with an emergency number
to call. So I called, and called, and
called, and got no answer! What
happened? I guess it’s the machine
age. I was glad to get back to NEW
ORLEANS. MAYBE NEXT TIME! I
must commend the NEW ORLEANS
MCC! A VERY ACTIVE organization,
even though a relatively small
congregation, it is currently (along
with interested professionals and
people WHO WISH TO DO
SOMETHING WORTHWHILE)
sponsoring a GAY HOT LINE. In
conjunction with MCC, the DOB,
TULANE GAY STUDENTS, NOW,,
and MIKE STARK and DONNA
MEYER, the GAY HOTLINE will be
operating from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
during the holiday period of Dec. 14
through Jan. 4th, The purpose of the
GAY HOTLINE will be to assist in
averting crisis situations for the GAY
COMMUNITY in general, during a
period when so many members of the
GAY COMMUNITY get very down,
and the ideas of suicide and deep
depression take an overwhelming toll
on our brothers and sisters. We salute
all parties concerned with this noble
undertaking! THE HOTLINE PHONE
WILL BE 504-525-1103 and 04! USE
rr IF YOU NEED TO REACH OUT.
WE IN NEW ORLEANS DO CARE!
NEW ORLEANS MCC also sponsors a
lively Wed. evening discussion group.
Among the interesting speakers lined
up to FACE THE PEOPLE so to
speak, were: Ms. CINDY FULLER of
the NEW ORLEANS VD CLINIC who
spoke on GAYS & VD; FIRST ASST.
TO D.A. OF NEW ORLEANS MR.
WILLIAM WESSEL, who spoke on
GAYS, LAW, AND ORLEANS
PARISH; ORLEANS CORONER, DR.
FRANK MINYARD, who discussed
VIOLENT CRIMES AGAINST GAYS.
These discussion/lectures are held
every Wed. at 8 p.m. at the MCC.
Upcoming speaker will be NEW
ORLEANS POLICE SUPERIN
TENDENT CLARENCE GIARUSSO,
on Dec. 17th., discussing a topic not
yet disdosedat deadline time.
Camp Intelligence Agency
Featurette (CIA)
Talk of the town is a private
ceremony recently held on N.
RAMPART ST. in NEW ORLEANS. A
wedding, complete with 3
bridesmaids, flower girl and ring boy
was witnessed by several hundred
invitation only guests. Spies advise
this reporter that the bride was
stunning in white, with wreath and
vejl as the best man led her to the
groom dressed in a tux, to a
“priest”
who performed the ceremony reading
the ritual out of a 3 ring notehook, and
wearing white tennis shoes. One
'bridesmaid was drag, the other two
real ladies. The bride was drag also.
There were many straights and
relatives among the guests and all
wefe astonished at the 4 tiered
wedding cake which was homemade ,
and decorated by the bride. It is
reported that quite a sum of money
• was spent for the ceremony as evinced
by the great food, drinks, and cake
devoured by the guests. The bride
made all her own clothes and changed
into a smart 3 piece suit after the
ceremony and the tossing of the
bouquet, and left with her husband to
have a quite dinner in, a chic cafe.
Only in NEW ORLEANS! We may
have more on this astounding event
next month.
BarOf The Month:
1 salute the BOURBON PUB and
BAR OF THE MONTH. In it’s genre,
and perhaps the only bar of it’s genre,
is the fantastic BOURBON PUB, 801
BOURBON STREET in the FRENCH
QUARTER. Spotlessly clean
restrooms, to begin with basics, and a
clean spotlessbar in general, it’s now
the IN PLACE TO GO. Imention
basics first, because, like the
classified ads of a hometown
'newspaper tells more about the
hometown than the news, so does a
restroom tell a hell of a lot about a
bar, club, or bistro. I’m sure all of you
know exactly what I mean! So mother
nature can be met in a nice at
mosphere, what about the rest! Well
the rest is too much for- NEW
ORLEANS. GERRY and TEX, the
owners have spent a small fortune
making this the most avant garde club
in NEW ORLEANS. The ground floor,
the PUB itself, is very popular with
the gay community in general, be it
the 5 p.m. office crowd, or the late
night cruisers and party goers.
Featuring a large 4 sided bar in the
center of the spacious room, softly lit
by reflections through very attractive
stained glass windows suspended
over the main bar, you can always
catch a crowd around the walnut
stained counters. The ambience is one
of warm wood tones, an soft light
through stained glass. I have only one
gripe. I know it’s impossible, but I
wish the juke box could go. This could
be a great place and the only place in
the city where people could visit, talk,
drink, and socialize, if only we could
do away with the blaring noise of
music forced upon the ears wherever
/we go. I know the box is revenue, but
maybe it’s an idea to try out for a
THE BARB-11
while. It would be another, first for a
superb club. For those who need
music, there’s the PARADE, on the
second floor, and that’s another story
to follow. Every Thursday night the
PUB sponsors it’s BEER BUST. From
8 p.m. until 4 a.m., all the beer you
can guzzle at 25c the glass. Then on
Sunday from 4 a.m. until Midnight,
Bloody Marys, and they’re good, for
75c each. SPECIAL EVENT on DEC.
21 will be the BOURBON PUB
GUTTER GIRLS, performing at 5
pm. and a possible later show. If you
haven’t seen they you won’t believe
it. It’s the high camp review with
beards and moustaches included at no
charge. Comic drag at it best or
worst? Take your pick but try to see
the show. Tickets will be drawn for
COCKRINGS, SLAVES, and CASES
OF BOOZE. THE BEST PART IS
THAT- IT’S FOR A GOOD CAUSE,
THE TOYS FOR ST. JUDE, A
FUNDRAISING activity being
sponsored by the BOURBON PUB, for
children’s CHRISTMAS TOYS. More
details from the PUB. There will also
be the usual. NEW YEAR’S EVE
celebrations with hats, horns, and
honkers in the main bar, the PUB.
THE PARADE, the un-
believeable bar upstairs at the
BOURBON" PUB, will be featuring a
SPECIAL NEW YEARS EVE event at
$5.00 PER PERSON. I think this is a
very fair price for all the champagne
you can drink, plus the hats, horns,
honkers and poppers (the kind that
make noise) and a special secret super
camp mystery machine which this
reporter has been told about. Balloons
of course filling the air in both bars at
the stroke of midnight. ABOUT THE
PARADE. Owners advise me that the
membership which include a sterling
silver doubloon were purchased by
people from all over the country
reaching a total of 450. THE PARADE
CAN SAFELY HOLD 600 PEOPLE.
That means that in excess of the 450
members, only 150 NON MEMBERS
can be allowed in. So some people
have been turned away. This is the
main, reason. So ifyou’reamemberor
non member, get to the PARADE
EARLY, because when the600 limit is
Continued on P age 12
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