Out and about in L.A.’s other gay ghetto, the funky, arty Silver Lake

Words and photos by Ken knox

So this is my Silver Lake scene: hot scruffy rocker boys, big beefy leather daddies, jeans-and-denim rough-and-tumblers, and… piano bar queens? You betcha. As I've often said about Silver Lake, it's just bursting with diversity. The WeHo boys are still piling into MJ's every Tuesday night for the immensely popular Rim Job, while theater queens and the fag hags who love them can be found at The Other Side, that charmingly antiquated piano bar located just down the block from MJ's on Hyperion.

I finally paid a visit to The Other Side, in fact. Some friends convinced me to give it a shot, and lo and behold, I enjoyed myself. It was a festive Friday night, so James Lent was at the piano, inviting tons of his friends up to “sing out, Louise” and ham it up. From Peter Nathan Foltz's tongue-in-cheek rendition of “I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No” to Lance Callahan's more intense readings of jazz standards, it was a night of Broadway-inspired wholesomeness. As you can imagine, most of the performers played on our team (save for hottie Leland, who did his best Billy Joel impersonation on “New York State of Mind” and “Still Rock and Roll to Me”), which made for—I'll say it—a gay old time.

On the other end of that spectrum is Heavy Equipment, Jeff Rasul's Tuesday-night shebang over at the Eagle, where Steve Cunningham spins a great mix of classic rock and new-school rising artists. My buddy Kevin and I spent the last two Tuesdays there, in fact, and I even managed to get a phone number out of the deal. Of course, he hasn't called me back. Men!

The Fourth of July weekend was a blast as well. I basically made the rounds. From Eagle to the Faultline beer bust to MJ's and back around to the Eagle again to close out the weekend, it was a great way to celebrate “the American way” (mass consumption of alcohol, empty sex). Just kidding. Or not.

OK, kiddies. That's it for me this time around. But don't forget-there's only six weeks and three days left until the return of Chico's Angels at the Cavern Club Theater! I better see you there! Catch you next time out. Stay in touch via my site, www.hollywoodken.com.