VH1’S “LOVE & HIP HOP ATLANTA” STAR MARGEAUX SIMMS TAKES OVER THE DINAH

Reality TV star and provocative controversial artist, Margeaux Simms is confirmed to perform at the highly anticipated 27th anniversary of Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, CA.

Men and women have swooned for Margeaux Simms since she was introduced to reality television on Love and Hip Hop Atlanta (LHHATL) and gained instant international recognition.

Simms was introduced as the “secret wife” of Nikko London, a music producer/aspiring rapper. Although married, Simms and London had been legally separated and remained friends. During that time Simms began dating her equally stunning partner, androgynous model Merike Palmiste. 

It’s not every day that you come across someone from a reality TV show franchise who actually has talent and isn’t afraid to showcase it. But Margeaux Simms surely is the exception. While on Season 4 of LHHATL, she released her single “Start a War”, which single-handedly connected hiphop R&B and electronic music and cultivated a massive fanbase.

This multi-talented stylist/recording/visual artist of Canadian-Jamaican heritage grew up surrounded by farmland, but by the time she was 14 was pursuing music. She sang on hip-hop tracks while attending Ryerson Polytechnic University to study fashion design. 

The visual entrepreneur adopted the brand moniker “HOFM” which stands for House of Margeaux – a music production and entertainment company, with her own line of merchandise.

Even though she moved to the U.S. to pursue a career as a fashion designer, the trailblazing artist, named after a French queen, soon realized she wanted to be a professional musician. 

Since then, she has worked with Nellee Hooper and Timbaland put out two albums Animal House and Illegal Alien and has toured all over the US and Europe wth performance at SXSW, Dallas Gay Pride, NYC Pride, Houston, New Orleans Atlanta and the Flow music Festival in Finland with New Amsterdam Vodka this past summer.

She is now readying to drop her new visual EP “Black Cocaine”, set to be released later this year. 

Simms also recently debuted the video for her new single, “Girl On the Left” featuring her partner Merike Palmiste.

Every year more than 15,000 women flock to Palm Springs to see celebrities, party and be entertained by the year’s newest breakout female performers. And this year it’ll be Margeaux Simms who will grace The Dinah’s stage and she is one in a long list of chart-topping talent in years past that have taken over the epic event’s main stage including Lady Gaga, Iggy Azalea, Katy Perry, Kesha and Meghan Trainor and more.

Don’t miss your chance to meet Margeaux Simms and her gorgeous girlfriend, Merike Palmiste at The Dinah, and see her live.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets go to: http://www.thedinah.com

​#thedinah #thedinah2017

Burn It All Down

I have been out and visible since I was 18. I came out through the fire of a fanatical Christian cult (still hard to admit). I have been an out lesbian, dyke, butch, in all its glorious splendor for almost 30 years. I have fought first for gay rights, then lesbian and gay rights, then LGBT rights, and, most recently, queer rights. I have participated in civil rights rallies for Latinos and African Americans. I have protested attempts to restrict a woman’s right to choose. I have fought for change in the legal and corporate world. On the one hand, I am a liberal feminist, bordering on fanatical, adamant for equal rights for all. Since I’ve never been arrested protesting, I don’t think I get to be “radical.”

On the other hand, I am a daughter, a wife, a mother, a neighbor, a friend, and an employee. And the thought that someone might harm my mother and father, wife, kids, neighbors, friends, or coworkers makes me want to burn that person’s village to the ground. I want to climb to the top of something very high and pick off those who would harm me or mine with methodical precision. And doing so would most likely require one of these “military grade” “semi-automatic” weapons. Who am I kidding? I would want a weapon that rivals anything Dead Pool or Batman might have access to. 

That is how I feel right now. I want to find a way to identify everyone that wants to harm my many-layered community and unceremoniously remove them from existence. Punish them for their hatred by taking out anyone “they” love and then them. The anger is blinding. I want to burn it all down. 

But here is the thing. I will never burn it all down. I will never climb to the top of anything high and pick off anyone. Unless of course, social media counts as a high point and my words can be considered the weapon.

The irony, the absolutely ridiculous and beautiful irony of America is that “they” have the right to hate me. “They” have the right to try and change the laws to make my life uncomfortable. “They” have the right to shout at the top of their lungs in a public square, “I hate you, Butch. I despise you and your equality, your gayness, your lack of conformity!” Yes, “they” get to say whatever the hell “they” want. And to think whatever “they” want. And so do I.

Maybe the paradox of our free-speech, free-religion society is that the more rights we have individually, the more important it is that we not have guns. Or rather, if you will, that “they” not have guns. Fair enough. Now, if we could just figure out who “they” are.

Imagine this (tortured) example…I am standing in a public square eloquently shouting my beliefs of equality and fairness to an LGBT crowd. On the other side of the square, “they” stand shouting that a woman’s place is in the home, homosexuality is a sin, and extolling the virtues of white pride. Everyone in the square has a gun – of any type. How does this rally end?

When Mateen walked into Pulse, he used weapons of mass destruction on a micro scale. He did not use freedom of religion. He was not exercising his constitutional right to hate. He brought down a permanent and unappealable sentence on hundreds of people based on his hatred. He should not be able to do that. It should be very, very hard to do that. Or impossible even. 

Since he (and all of us) has the right to hate, we must remove the awful temptation to turn that hate into violent action. Without a gun, he’s just a homophobic asshole. With one, he is a homicidal maniac. No one should be allowed to burn it all down.

We suck at this. America needs to get better. Right now. The rest of the world already thinks we are idiots. We have such resolve, such strength. Why can’t we work together to change this landscape once and for all?

It’s Butch to fight the urge to burn it all down. Be Butch.

It’s Butch to not Be Butch?

This morning as I walked into the office, I stopped dead in my tracks at the sight of giant black spider on the bottom of the glass doors. I mean giant.  The spider was at least 4 inches from leg to leg. There was another guy walking in at the same time. He stopped with me and looked at the spider. I was completely engrossed for a couple reasons: 1) fascination with nature, 2) concern for safety, and 3) eerie curiosity.

1) fascination with nature

This was a big beast. Much bigger than the normal spider. How amazing it is to see things that are out of the ordinary. Though I get excited to see the bunnies that live in my yard every night, too, this seemed extra special. Certainly worthy of a moment to observe.

2) concern for safety

I am always watching out for others – my wife, kids, family, friends, coworkers and strangers. I am the person who will alert housekeeping or a store employee when I come upon someone else’s spill in the aisle. I am the parent who picks up a glass bottle on campus, and the neighbor who will always stop to grab a stray dog (or moves a dead coyote out of the street). I know I am not unique in this – but some people are the ones leaving the spills, bottles and passing the dogs. At work, I am on the Medical Emergency Response Team. That means that if someone gets hurt or sick in the building, one of the MERT members gets called to the scene to help until authorities arrive. I have a vest and everything. As I saw the spider and tried to figure out if it was a Brown Recluse or some other coworker-eating variety, I imagined donning my vest and running down to help an unsuspecting victim just trying to get in to work on a Monday.

3) eerie curiosity

I am afraid of sharks (at least a little), but I still like to see pictures of them in all their ferociousness. I can’t stand scary movies – I mean, like for real can’t stand them – but I like to listen to the creepy music from them. Its like a little taste of scary, without the full dose.

I don’t like spiders, but I am not afraid of them. I wasn’t in a hurry to grab it and hold it, but I did want to check it out. Whenever I am called upon for spider duty, I am able to catch and relocate the little guys from inside our home to a more appropriate place outside. We always leave spiders outside alone, because that is their home. Though this spider was outside, it was not quite at home. As I stood for a few seconds trying to decide what to do, the guy next to me flicked the spider off of the door onto the ground. “It’s fake,” he said.

What? Seriously? It didn’t look fake. I had to keep myself from jumping back when he flicked it off the door. I am sure that I moved a little bit anyway – hopefully he didn’t notice. I felt so silly! Here I am, the spider relocator of my home, and I was ready to jump away from this… fake spider. Sigh. Clearly the absence of anyone relying on my role as the spider relocator, the protector, the defender, the door opener, the Butch, meant that I got to be… scared, creeped out, and jumpy.

Sometimes it is Butch to not be butch at all. Be Butch.

Lea DeLaria: The “Bull Dyke Santa Claus”

[Originally published on Huffington Post March 18, 2016]

Lea DeLaria is busy. Sure, she is the most famous Butch on television – indeed, perhaps the only Butch that most of America knows. But did you know that she is also an extremely talented musician? Last year, she ran a successful campaign to raise money to record a tribute album to David Bowie — House of David (I have a signed poster on my wall). In addition to that, Lea also speaks at college campuses all across the country – at places like Allentown, PA, Asheville and Cullowhee, NC, Cincinnati, OH and San Bernardino, CA. Not exactly gay meccas.

I got to ask the Orange Is the New Black star a few questions, for the second time — call me one lucky fanbutch — about her upcoming Evening of Comedy and Music at The Dinah in Palm Springs in April. First there was a very sincere apology from Lea because she was late. It was a scheduling error and I was not at all irritated, but how nice is it that she cared and apologized? Then there was some witty banter, because, as you know, she is very funny. She is also very genuine and personable. She may or may not heckle me at her show, she explains, because she doesn’t usually heckle people she knows. Then again who knows? Lea says she never knows what she is going to say.

Photo: Sophy Holland

Are you ready for Dinah and the thousands of lesbians excited to see you?

Oh Lord, Save me from thousands of lesbians.

Somehow, I think you can handle yourself.

I’ll be just fine, honey. I know how to handle the girls.

Have you ever performed at Dinah before?

Oh yeah, a bunch of times in the 90s.

I should have known that. In my defense, that was back when I was going for the golf.

You are the one going for golf! Honestly, every year that I was there working I would run in to like four girls who would say, “No, I am here for the golf.”

What are you looking forward to about Dinah this year?

Palm Springs. I love Palm Springs. Very much looking forward to seeing my buddy Taryn [Manning]. Kate [Moennig] will be there as well. So that’s always fun.

Will we see you out by the pool?

No, you are going to see me at the show and that is probably it. As much as I enjoy being “Bull Dyke Santa Claus.” My fiancée calls me “Bull Dyke Santa Claus” because just the sight of me makes people happy. We find that really funny and have adopted it. As much as I love being “Bull Dyke Santa Claus,” I am going to stay away and if you want to see me, you will have to pay for a ticket.

Did you have fun making House of David?

Hell yea. It was a fucking awesome experience all the way around.

The timing on the album was perfect.

If you mean by that that David died 6 months after I released the record…

Everyone was really upset when he died. Your album meant there was a whole new body of work that people could connect to and that was really powerful.

Huh… Yeah, I just sort of felt like I killed him. That’s probably because of my Catholic upbringing that I think I am responsible for everything, so I felt really responsible for that. I was devastated by his death. Really, really bummed me out for quite a long time. I still talk about it with disbelief. I am still one of those people who can’t quite believe it, but there it is.

Tell me about “A Man for All Seasons”

They hire me to lecture at universities and I go in and do a little talk(to the student body, and a Q&A and that, as they say, is that.

[I note that the current dates are in very small cities and ask how well she is received.]

I am incredibly well received. I am on a very, very, very popular television show. I don’t think those questions are as pertinent in the 21st century as they were in the 20th century. So, instead of thinking that they are in small towns, it is a university town. I am speaking at a university, to the student body. So, these are educated liberal universities or I wouldn’t be there in the first place. And it’s ridiculous for us to ghettoize ourselves and think of ourselves as only queer people. Yes, there is still a lot of stuff to work through and work to be done. But we have to recognize who our allies are and work with them. And they are in every university in the country – every liberal university.

Back to Dinah, what can we expect from your show?

There will definitely be music there. For those of you who only know me fromOrange Is the New Black, and let’s be fair, that may be a whole lot of the women at Dinah, they need to know that I am also a pretty accomplished stand-up comic as well as a jazz singer, and I incorporate those things into a show. I am incredibly improvisational. I will talk a lot about the election, but not like in a really heady way. More like the politicians can suck my big, black cock, which might be a little rough for some of these girls. As I said, I have been to Dinah before and there are a lot of big-haired lesbians, so I’ll see what is going on.

What can your fans look forward to from you?

The new season of Orange comes out on June 17. Season 4. I normally would insert some kind of crazy joke here, but instead I am just going to say that. That is really all I can talk about in terms of Orange. My calendar comes out once a month with whatever dates, whatever universities I am speaking at and where I might be doing House of David because I am starting to tour that out. There are a couple of big things coming down the pike that I am not yet at liberty to discuss. That is about it. I think that is enough for anybody isn’t it? It’s a lot of fucking shit.

Yes, Lea. It is enough. I am exhausted just thinking about it. Catch Lea DeLaria at her show at Dinah on Saturday, April 2 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Check Lea’s website to keep up with her – or at least you can try.

It is totally Butch to interview the most famous Butch there is. I am very excited to Be Butch!

20 (Selected) Things I Love About My Wife

Perhaps it is telling that I started this post as 10 things. I had to keep going. And, I could keep going further. But blog best practices suggest that lists should be limited to 10. I think double-flouting that is enough rebellion. Plus, she might get a big head if I listed 30 things. 25 things would be safe, maybe 26, but not 30. So, I give you 20 (selected) things that I love about my wife.

20 Things I Love About My Wife

1. The Scottish lilt of her voice
2. Her total devotion to her friends and family
3. Everything, absolutely everything, about her body
4. Her colorful and fun sense of style
5. The passion she has for the sea and all of its inhabitants
6. Her stunning eyes – with no makeup and with dramatic cat eye makeup
7. The way she remembers everything and is so thoughtful with details I seem to forget
8. Her brilliant mind
9. The fact that she laughs at almost all of my jokes
10. Her ability to wear heels and other uncomfortable clothing gracefully
11. The way she holds my hand – actively squeezing, rather than lazily
12. Her inability to tell a striker from a quarterback
13. The way she drapes herself over me and fits no matter how small the available space
14. Her crinkled up nose and other funny faces
15. The fact that she will grab the screwdriver to tackle a project if I am not fast enough, but stills sees me as big, strong and capable
16. Her passion for life
17. How sparkly she is
18. The unjaded way she sees the world
19. Her laughter, and her tears
20. And, last but certainly not least, the fact that she loves me

It’s Butch to proclaim your love loudly, even if you don’t have a blog on which to do it. Be Butch. 

DJ Mary Mac to Spin at The Dinah

  Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend has just added NY-based DJ Mary Mac to its 2016 roster. The international DJ is slated to bring her limitless talent and magnetic personality to the largest lesbian event in the world: The Dinah.

Mary Mac is an icon and pioneer for female DJs. Her impressive DJ chops has taken her around the globe to spin for world-class events and celebrities. 

From her origins touring with Def Jam to her residencies at upscale nightclubs across the globe, DJ Mary Mac has arrived! Early on, DJ Mary Mac was inspired by Grandmaster Flash, DJ Camilo, and DJ Yoni to create and perform exuberant, addictive sets. While DJing for a trailblazing female gangsta rapper, Mary Mac was embraced by NWA, Easy-E, and Snoop Dogg as one of their own.

Now, with a combination of passion and cultural music influences from her Haitian background, Mary Mac stands as an irrepressible force and is one of the most sought-after female DJs.
Catch her behind the turntables the Dinah. For more information go to: http://www.thedinah.com

Clark Kent > Superman

  

Butch: My New Permanent (marker) Tattoo

Tonight, while writing our Christmas cards, my wife got bored and started drawing on my arm with a pen. What did she write? “Butch,” of course. Just like Lea Delaria.

Now, I would never claim to be as Butch as Lea. Nor would I claim to be as talented a singer as Lea. I would never claim to be as funny as Lea. And obviously, I am nowhere near as famous as Lea.

But then, I have interviewed her. I have had drinks with her. I am taller than her. And, I do drink better beer than she does…  At any rate, I am a huge fan of Lea’s. She is one of my heroes. Really, only one of a very few Butches that I look up to. So, when I saw the tattoo that Lea has on her arm on my own arm, I of course said, “Grab the camera!”

The following ensued…

  

  And, because I feel ridiculous when I try to “look sexy” or even “look extra Butch” for that matter, so did this…

  
I may not be as Butch as Lea, but I am Butch enough for me. It’s Butch to proclaim your Butchness in whatever way you see fit. Be Butch.  

All Elle (the) King!

    

She’s dominating the airwaves and ruling the Billboard charts with her foot-stompin’ hit single “Exs & Ohs”, but Elle King’s world domination has only just begun. She just received her first Grammy Nominations in not one but two categories “Best Rock Performance” and “Best Rock Song.” The platinum blonde with the free-spirited personality, loads of rad tattoos and the perfect rebel attitude to go with it has already become a household name.

Now the self-described soulful rock’n roll artist who plays lots of banjo and a mean guitar is set to conquer the largest lesbian event in the world with a headlining performance at the epic Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, CA.

Elle King is having more than a breakout year. A force to be reckoned with, her sound shook up the music scene with her bluesy pop/rock anthem to ‘badass bitches’ (her words), “Exs & Ohs,” the lead single off of her 2015 debut album “Love Stuff.”

“Ex’s & Oh’s” was recently certified platinum by the RIAA, and has topped the radio charts at #1 at 3 formats – Alternative, AAA and Hot AC. “Ex’s & Oh’s” has been Top 10 on the Billboard Digital Songs Chart for the last 10 weeks, #1 on the iTunes Alternative Songs Chart for 13 weeks, #1 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart for 8 weeks and #4 most viral track of 2015 on Spotify.

The Brooklyn-based rock, blues-pop singer made history when her infectiously catchy rockabilly single hit the #1 spot on Billboard’s Alternative Chart – making her the second woman in two decades to achieve that feat (the other artist being Lorde with her 2013 tune “Royals”).

Raised on everyone from AC/DC to Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton, the sexy sassy blonde with that raspy voice a la Janis Joplin, blends blues, country, rock, soul, and honky-tonk into a sound that’s uniquely Elle.

She’s arrived and is definitely here to stay. But King’s music reign didn’t happen overnight, and she’s certainly paid her dues!

After years of playing small gigs in New York City when she was only sixteen, the Ohio-raised singer finally landed a major record deal with RCA in 2012. She released the critically acclaimed “The Elle King EP,” which produced the single “Playing for Keeps” that was picked up as the theme to VH1’s “Mob Wives Chicago,” and made her broadcast television debut on the “Late Show with David Letterman.”

Entertainment Weekly just named Elle King “Rock’s New Badass,” and she has been described by The New York Times as “a sassy, hard-drinking, love-’em-and-leave-’em hellion with bad tattoos and a broad pedigree across rock, pop and country. She has Adele’s determination and Joan Jett’s stomp, Brenda Lee’s high-voiced bite and some AC/DC shriek,” and she has been featured by The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Teen Vogue, People Magazine, Cosmopolitan, USA Today, and many more.

She debuted “Ex’s & Oh’s” on Late Night with Seth Meyers and has also performed on the season finale of Dancing with The Stars, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Today Show, Late Late Show with James Corden, Live with Kelly and Michael, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Talk and VH1 Big Morning Buzz Live, and VH1 Big in 2015, in support of her debut LOVE STUFF which has received overwhelming critical acclaim. 

Who else names her debut album after a sex shop in Florida (true story), picks up the banjo (of all instruments) after seeing a cute boy in Philly play it, and then writes her first real song on it, which got her signed?

She’s toured with James Bay and Ed Sheeran, appeared at festivals like Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, and sold out her first two headlining tours.

Elle King oozes the kind of raw talent that is charismatic and leaves you wanting more; it’s electrifying and undeniably best experienced live!

Don’t miss her Dinah performance. If 2015 was the year she conquered, there’s already every indication that 2016 will be the year King will rule the music world!

An Angelika Date Night

The San Diego location of Angelika Cinemas

Yesterday, my wife got official notice she’d been awarded her PhD. We were both ecstatic. Date night tonight, we decided. I worked late – much later than we expected – and so we weren’t sure if our previously planned dinner and a movie would work. We decided to do dinner (The Habit) and then see if we had time to make the 8:05 showing of The Martian at the new cinema practically next door. As we finished our chips (French fries to most Americans), we decided the movie was a go. The cinema we headed to is brand new. Like, been-open-maybe-3-weeks new. It’s called Angelika and it is a high-end, reclining seat/foot-rest, fancy food, digital projector cinema. We’d heard good things and were eager to try it. Normally, if we want to go to for a high-end film evening, we have to drive over to the coast. This new theater is only 15 minutes away.

We got to the lobby at 8:05. Recall our movie start time? Anyway, there was quite a ticket line and the two registers weren’t plowing through it fast enough. We tried to use the self service option, as well as Fandango, but neither was working (maybe they are connected). I politely asked a manager if there was any other way to get our tickets. He apologized for the delay but said there was not.

It’s not his fault we were late, obviously, so we thanked him and waited. My wife went to grab our snacks and I joined her with our tickets. Not only do they have those neat soda machines with 10,000 flavors, but Angelika serves craft beer, 8 taps of local beer to be exact (with 1 visiting beer from Avery Brewing in Colorado).

Chris, General Manager, Angelika San Diego

There was a glitch with the register and so they happily sent us into the theater and said they’d bring our credit card to us later. Again, us being late not their fault.

We went and found our dedicated seats: big, leather, comfy ones with a swing-out tray (like an old school desk, only much, much cooler). Only down side? Not loveseats like some have. Cuddling over the soft armrest still achievable, though. The cashier brought my card in almost immediately and asked me to stop after the movie to sign. We thoroughly enjoyed the movie, but we did not eat our caramel popcorn. It seemed a bit burned.

After the movie, we went out to sign the receipt and ask if they would refund us for the popcorn. Not only were they apologetic and happy to refund our money, they gave us a fresh bag and offered me another beer while they handled the refund. The manager from the ticket line came and found us to offer us 2 free tickets to return. Again he apologized for the delay in ticketing – though they didn’t do anything wrong. A different manager, Chris handled the refund and I complemented the beer selection. When he said he was responsible for the drafts, we had a nice chat. I asked Chris to pose for the glamorous tap shot above.

My wife and I wandered to the lobby to finish my beer and our popcorn, marveling at the outstanding customer service. To a person, they were kind, polite, and extremely helpful. We were both so impressed we thought a review was fitting.

If you are in San Diego, come check out our newest high-end cinema. If you are not, check Angelika’s website as they are in several other states (NY, VA, DC, and TX). Oh, and in case you were wondering, I had the Lost and Found from Lost Abbey.

It’s Butch to have date nights. Be Butch.