New York's East Village is like Oz to a fag in Tennessee. To this here Dorothy Gale, it's a magical place where the queers outnumber the straights and the Lollipop Guild takes on a completely different meaning with no shortage of things to suck on. Drag Queen witches (both good and bad) strut the streets while all sorts of hot lions, tigers, and bears proudly display their queer pride.
There's no doubt that it's fun to be gay. Homos are handed a one-way ticket to fabulous (if they choose to accept it). But they have to get their butt to a big city. In small towns queers get beaten, shot, and killed just for saying "Oh, snap!"
In 2003, Jonny McGovern scared the crap out of parents with his song and video for "Soccer Practice" which featured hot young men cavorting around teasing each other with towel snaps and furtive glances. It depicted playfully unrestrained gay male sexuality and no doubt it made many a small-town teenager realize that there's more to being gay than being in love with your straight best friend that won't stop talking about how much he likes women. For us gays, McGovern was a clear signal that the world was moving forward, if only slightly. 20 years ago, Queers were viewed like disease-ridden zombies incapable of thoughts or feelings. Nowadays, gays are seen as magical beings that can accessorize, decorate and do hair. And party like it's 1999 every damn day. And THIS IS NYC, BITCH! THE EAST VILLAGE MIX TAPE is the soundtrack to that not-so simple kind of life.
A song-by-song analysis is almost impossible due to the "mix-tape" nature of its presentation. It feels like a collection of songs randomly put together with only one unifying theme: unbridled faggotry. And pretty much every song is some variation on the declaration "We are fabulous and there is no way you can mess with us."
I get the feeling that most of these songs were meant to be performed on stage. This is evident on the MECCA track "How To Read" which begs for a sequined Darth Vader entering from stage left along with satin-covered Stormtroopers. "Showgirl" by Erickatoure Aviance leads us through a step-by-step instruction on how to be a tranny stripper. Including tips on attitude and presentation, Ms. Aviance apparently knows her stuff with the line "Put your head between my thighs and get a big surprise!"
But the song I want to see performed like really, really bad is Jay*'s "This is How You Go-Go" which is as close to hardcore that gay rap can ever get. It's most likely the best gay go-go boy-stripper all-out song you'll ever hear. And in fact, both of my roommates can't stop singing the breakdown part that exclaims "Oops, my c*k's out, I'll put it back in." Which not only confuses visitors to our home, but also excites them.
Ultimately, THIS IS NYC, BITCH! THE EAST VILLAGE MIX TAPE is for a very specific audience. An audience that is underserved apparently since at the writing of this review, actual CD copies are sold out. Thank god for iTunes, where it's also available. And may the fount of faggoty entertainment never run dry.
