Contents

Carole Pope
Rough Trade, & the Queen West scene

From the "verdant rolling hills" outside Manchester England to the depths of "Scarberia"; from "infamous gigs" to artistic partnerships on Toronto's most incendiary stretch of cultural turf.

Sky Gilbert
& Buddies in Bad Times

Spinning from Don Mills to naughty digs on Spadina; from "Very Good Boy" to alter-ego Amazon Warrior, finding true buddies who'd build the world's biggest queer theatre.

What's a diva to do?
Thoughts off-stage

Life beyond the spotlight, lives beyond the solo act; finding fresh visions in "the chaos that surrounds us," and freedom in "embracing fear and pain and the unknown."

Dropping names
Carole, Sky (& myself)

From Dusty Springfield to the Rolling Stones to Marshall McLuhan to Rudolph Nureyev -- to "picture perfect pervert" Tim Guest and Carole's "beautiful baby brother" Howard Pope.

Shocking!
Who... me?

Getting beyond media "shock and scandal," prying the claws of censorious prudes and the righteously "respectable" out of your flesh -- and celebrating lives and loves truly worth paying attention. (With a digression on the US "Queer as Folk" as truly American: "swamped in a heritage of Puritan extremism.")

Go to: Carole Pope, Rough Trade, & the Queen West scene