Lost Spaces: Memories from Gay Bars, Lesbian Clubs, and LGBTQ+ Parties

So, if we were to say that clubbing is a religion, then the club is the place of worship, the music is the hymn, and the DJ takes on the role of the Priest.

But what about the go-go dancer? Where do they fit into this clunky, overused metaphor?

Well, according to former go-go dancer, and current author and porn actor, Manuel Skye, the role of the go-go dancer is more than just eye candy—they’re the facilitators of connection.

We sat down with Manuel to talk about Parking, a legendary Montreal, Canada club that became a key part of his life after he moved there from Quebec City in the ‘90s.

For Manuel, it wasn’t just a place to dance or perform—it was a sanctuary for expression and liberation and he was gutted when Parking literally became parking, converted to a car park in the '00s.

Other episodes about Montrealian lost queer spaces

I think that I might have met my match.

For the last few years I've been feeling as though I'm the person who talks the most about lost queer spaces, but journalist David Kennerley might actually be ahead of me.

He loves queer nightlife so much that he's gone and written a whole book about the long-lost gay scene of '90s New York City.

The book, Getting In: NYC Club Flyers from the Gay 1990s, includes flyers that he collected throughout the '90s from legendary spaces like the Palladium, Limelight, Splash, and Tunnel.

But out of all of these lost spaces it was The Roxy that had his heart.

We caught up to talk about his book, his early days in NYC, and his journey with his queerness.

Grab a copy of Getting In: NYC Club Flyers from the Gay 1990s

This week it's time to talk about love...

Now, I know what you're thinking.

Who am I to talk about love when all I seem to be interested in are firey, passionate, fleeting moments on a dancefloor?

Well, yeah, you've probably got a point there.... So, it's a good job that this is a conversation podcast and I have a guest to show me the way!

And who is that guest?

Why it is the author Neil Laird, who is currently promoting his new book 'Prime Time Travelers: a satirical MM Adventure', to tell us all about when he met his husband at the long-gone Caribou Coffee Shop in Chicago's gay village (often referred to as Boystown).

And you'll be pleased to hear that I demonstrate a smidgen of growth here, asking questions and trying to understand this love phenomenon and what it all means...

(baby steps! I'm getting there!)

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We get assigned a lot of roles in life depending on how we look, how tall we are, which family we're born in to...

Sometimes living up to these roles can be a total breeze, but other times can be an incredibly daunting, terrifying task, and overcoming these isn't in any way straightforward.

And so it's always really affirming when I get the chance to sit down and talk to someone who is on the other side of all of that and has taken the time to figure themselves out and be clear on what they want and what they don't, who they are and who they're not...

(I'm making this person sound a bit like the Dalai Lama here).

This week's guest is Matte Namer from the band The FMs.

Matte joined me to talk about The Bushwick Boat, which was an actual boat that was moored in Brooklyn, New York City, and became a party boat for over a decade. Or, as Matte described it, 'the boat with no rules'.

But, this conversation is about a lot more than a big ol' boat where people partied. After all, this is Lost Spaces, the podcast about how spaces and access to community shape who we are and who we become!

As well as the boat we talk about navigating family dynamics, embracing your kinkiness and surviving your 20s.

If you happen to be listening to this episode on Pocket Casts, did you know that they have just unleashed a new feature and you can now rate shows directly in the app?

What do you do if you think the scene isn't a welcoming place for you? If you don't feel particularly excited to be in spaces that are pumping out Top 40 chart hits and offering jell-o shots for £1 a go?

Well, you roll your sleeves up and you make your own night.

And that's precisely what this week's guest did (with the help of some friends, of course).

Before they were a 'self-proclaimed future award winning documentary filmmaker' Ames Pennington was discovering themself in Manchester, England, and found that the gay scene there wasn't really for them. So, before long they got going with their own club night, Disco Opposite Tesco (and, just quick side note - for those outside of the UK, Tesco is a large supermarket chain).

We caught up to talk about DIsco Opposite Tesco, but along the way there's this great conversation about leaping before you look, and attacking the things that terrify you head on.