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This makes me so sad.

Jeff was one of the first guys I flagged with back when I
was just beginning. He was there the day 8 years ago when
I first "got it" while flagging; he was there the day I was
set on the path that led to the Men’s Inner Journey and
everything that followed from that. He was in the very small
group of men who were the biggest influences in my life from
those formative times.

Beyond that, musically he was a rare fellow traveler – dancing
with one foot grooving in Terrapin Station and the other
stomping at Pleasuredome.

It is a bright, warm, blue sky day in San Francisco… and in
my mind’s eye I see Jeff smiling and flagging from on high,
conjuring light and beauty and energy and love. Thank you,
Jeff… when I look at this community and think of the word
"tribe", you will always be a major reason why.

Be tender with yourselves and with each other, my friends…
- Randy

ANY Tyrone party is reason enough to come to San Francisco.

But I’ll give you another one: my 50th birthday is that same weekend!

So… come! Dance! Spin! And revel with joyous wonder at the Living
Proof (for all you ‘young folk’ out there) that the best is yet to come!

-R

— In SpinTribe@yahoogroups.com, "xavier" <xdcaylor@…> wrote:
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> Any body looking for a reason to come to San Francisco in February?
>
>
>
>
>
>
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<http://www.leatherpost.com/email/lt/t_go.php?i=275&e=NTIxNTk=&l=-http–www.
> playtdance.com>
>
> _____
>

The local dance music station (92.7) is hosting a giant party on the Saturday night of SF Pride this year.
The party is called Queen (info at http://www.energy927fm.com/page5_sub.php?id=62).
With DJs Chris Cox + Murk (aka Liberty City, aka Funky Green Dogs, aka Oscar G and Ralph Falcon) and a cool new venue (the 100 year old warehouse on the waterfront at Pier 27), this sounded to me like it had the potential to be a REALLY awesome party.
BUT, given the radio station’s target demographic, it also has the potential to be a miasma of nervous young straight boys who won’t take their shirts off and drunk girls with big sweaty hair spilling their drinks on everyone.
And, of course, it has an unknown environment for flagging.
Can’t do anything about the potential for a straight boy/drunk girl train wreck… but I figured I *could* do something about the flagging. So, I wrote the marketing/PR director of Engery 92.7 a nice letter introducing myself, introducing flagging, explaining the beauty and joy flagging would bring to their party, and so on. I also explained that club flagging, to be the most enjoyable for both flaggers and dancers, required a set-aside space (stage, box, or even just a small reserved section of floor) and blacklights.
I then made her an offer: if she could assure me that flaggers would be welcome and that a space would be provided for us to flag, I would promote that fact and her party to to the many talented flaggers who will be in town for pride. (I even included a short list of some of the big parties my flagger friends and I have performed at.) I also volunteered to provide the blacklights.
I made it clear I wasn’t asking for money, or a formal performance time… just for a place to flag. In effect, I told her, she would be getting an exciting, talented, and beautiful addition to her party at no cost and with almost no effort.
________
Sidenote: My attempts to set up flagging at the Queen party should NOT be seen as being in any way “against” the Gus Presents Colussus party that same night! Nor is it in opposition to any flaggers who might want to perform or party at Colossus. Rather for me, it just came down to the old and familiar vs the new and unknown: I’ve been to the Colossus space many times. I’ve danced to the Colossus DJ (Brett H.) many many times. In both cases, I’ve had some *amazing* experiences (and god knows, easily half the peak experiences I’ve had in my lifetime have been at a Gus Presents event).
BUT… I’ve never heard Chris Cox spin live, I’ve certainly never got to hear the Miami magic of Murk live (on the West coast, who has?)… and I’ve never been to a party at pier 27. I wanted very much to go to Queen, but I didn’t want to go without my friends and without the ability to flag. That’s all.
________
ANYWAY, now for the punch line. Here is the response I got to my exquistely crafted, very generous offer from the person at 92.7:

Hi Randy – Thanks for your email.  We will not be providing an specific area or stage for flaggers but of course you are welcome to bring your flags if you want to.  Thanks!

So… there you go. Take it for what it is.
As for me… I usually just hang in the Castro that night and groove on all the out-of-towner energy anyway, and call it a fairly early night so I can enjoy everything on Sunday… this year will probably be no different.
Looking forward to seeing many of you this year in just… 2 (yikes!) weeks…
-R

Hey teamI just posted an annoucement for the
upcomming Ascension Party (Fire Island, August 20) on Flagger Central. In
that annoucement I made some fairly broad claims about the history of
flagging and the genesis of the Ascension Party… and it occurs to me
now that I don’t really know if what I wrote is entirely true or not.
Mabye some of you old-timers (older than me? Yikes!) or NYC folks will
be kind enough to fact check me and provide feedback? Thanks.Here is what I wrote:

In
one popular version of flagger mythos, flagging as we now know it was
born at an early rendition of the annual Morning Party held in August
on Fire Island.The Morning Party ceased to be in 1998 after 16
years, when a number of overdoses and bad press about “rampant unsafe
sex”caused the GMHC to pull it’s sponsorship of the event.This year’s Ascension Party – despite it’s name – is essentially the Morning Party reborn under new sponsorship.I
haven’tbeen able to find out yet whether there will be “official”
flagging opportunities at the Ascension Party. Still… if you believe
in the power of pilgrimages, this might be one to make.

If anyone thinks I’m way off base, please let me know and I’ll correct the posting.If anyone has information about flagging opportunities at this event, please let us all know.Thanks!
Randy