My Pride: Vance Garrett’s New York

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Vance Garrett has been described as “the Ziegfeld below 14th Street.” At 28 Vance already has range of production roles with icons such as Kylie Minogue, Tori Amos and Jennifer Hudson. Lately he’s worked in theater, as director for Saint At Large events, including some biggies for New York City LGBT Pride, June 20-27. GayCities contributor Barbara Wilcox caught up with Vance in full pride preparations stride.

What was your first Pride like?

My first Pride was actually in Chicago while I was on summer break from college (at Northwestern University). My apartment-mates and I all made the trek down into Boystown for the adventure, not really having a clue as to what to expect. We had zero expectations, but had the best time. Found my closest male high school friend walking shirtless in the streets; my favorite junior high school teacher perusing the gay bookshop; floats blaring perpetual Madonna. The whole thing felt like one big family reunion.

What’s special about NY Pride?

Pride in New York City is unlike any event in the world. The gay rights movement began here with Stonewall, so there’s a lot of rich history in the streets of this city for gay people. It’s a fantastic, rare thing in Manhattan to see crowds of people taking over city avenues and sidewalks — just enjoying one big celebration of life.

Stonewall’s 40th anniversary is going to be one nonstop party. The city itself is already decking out the streets with its “Rainbow Pilgrimage” banners, reclaiming NYC as the ultimate international gay destination. Some activists are using it as a wake-up call for an effort to push gay rights legislation, and others are using this hot moment to put together the best celebrations the city has ever had. The organization I, professionally, work most closely with, the Saint At Large (New York’s oldest gay production powerhouse), is opening up the Nokia Theatre in Times Square on June 27 to the community for a five-part marathon extravaganza, kicking off with OutMusic’s Stonewall: the 40th Anniversary Commemorative Concert, featuring the best of today’s gay musicians.

Immediately following the concert is the Saint’s “Love Ball: Where Broadway Meets the Runway” (it’s the official opening night party for “Heritage of Pride”), paying tribute to widest spectrum of our community’s movers and shakers. Bringing together dozens of Broadway performers, club gods, circuit legends and voguing icons, all in the center of the Great White Way, it’s going to be the first dance-along Broadway extravaganza and is sure to be history-making. Think “RuPaul’s Drag Race” meets “West Side Story”.

_w6i8326What’s the best Pride float you’ve ever seen?

The vehicle that carried last year’s Grand Marshal, Candis Cayne, with apocalyptic ominous dark storm clouds trailing her entire procession through Manhattan. Just when her trademark windblown hair unfurled across the finish line in the Village, lightning crackled across the sky, thunder boomed, the clouds burst open, and down came the deluge, like in “Flashdance.” Candis calmly tipped into the nearest building for shelter before one drop touched her skin. The crowd went wild, and, in her words, it was simply “gorgeous.”

How do you celebrate Pride? I hope it’s not all work and no play.

I do spend almost every Pride working on some events, but I find a moment each year to connect with my friends at Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street to watch parts of the spectacle for at least or drink or two. I’ve also strangely, randomly run into this makeshift ukulele chamber concert on some 10th Street fire escape at sunset for the past couple of years, so now that it looks like it could an annual thing that could start to be a tradition of mine soon. Their performance may have no correlation to Pride, but I love it.

What about gay life in New York should out-of-towners know?

Gay life in New York is part of every borough and building in the city — maybe not as compartmentalized as it is in other cities — so there’s not need to just explore Chelsea, West Village or Hell’s Kitchen. Just walk down any street, or pick up an HX or Next to get the lay of the land, and go exploring. If all else fails, head over to old faithful Barracuda at 22nd and Eighth for a drink and advice on where the next party is that night. Scott or Anthony there will treat you right. Albeit biased, I feel comfortable saying the Saint’s Love Ball on June 27 will draw the most diverse and authentically New York crowd. Between that and the Pier Dance on Sunday night, a visitor will certainly see NYC at its most vibrant.

Tell us about some places to hang out–Manhattan or outer-borough–that you like.

  • Zoma: An Ethiopian restaurant in Harlem near where I live. Prepare to get your hands dirty. Yum.
  • Indochine: Across from the Public Theatre at Astor Place, it’s an institution now in its third decade of fabulousness. Great food, drinks, and staff . . . all the cool kids are still there (with cameos from New York’s legendary Joey Arias on the best of nights).
  • Cowgirl: This is where I go when my family is in town. It’s down-home cookin’, a Village Tex-Mex hangout at its best (and the girls particularly love it).
  • Moustache Pitza: It’s a small, cozy joint on Bedford Street in the West Village and is part of the Slow Food Movement. The price is right, and the ouzi is delicious.
  • Downtown Cookie Co.: This is New York’s best-kept, sexiest secret. Meeting the baker alone is worth investigating the tasty morsels.

I’ve heard young folks say that Pride is really for the older set.

I say the young folks are welcome to come to a parade or Pier Dance meeting (open to all) if they have opinions and advice on how to the make the city’s biggest parties and events more appealing to them. There is such opportunity there for any individual to help shape Pride into what he or she believes it could be. Having fun is never going to go out of style, and the celebrations’ spirit of “being out” need not be restricted to just the announcement of one’s sexual preferences — or the obstacles that faced previous generations. Being proud of bringing the entirety of yourself to the table is as socially relevant as ever, regardless of where one feels we are with gay issues in 2009. I’m sometimes one of the youngest people sitting in on the meetings where these decisions are made about these biggest outdoor bashes for NYC, so if anyone else wants to be a part of the merriment, come on board.

What’s the saying? “Eighty percent of success of showing up.” Show up and make it want you want.

Much more New York on GayCities

Photos courtesy of Vance Garrett

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