In the long line of firsts that Johnny has inspired in my life—first trip to an ice show, first time to meet an actualfax international skating star, first trip to upstate New York, first trip to Manhattan (I drove through the Lincoln Tunnel in rush hour!), first attendance at an Ice Theatre Gala, first Twitter convo with someone from Japan / China / Russia / England / Czech Republic / Germany / Finland / Australia / Taiwan, first time to watch any number of TV shows that I have never even heard of until Johnny appeared on them, which soon will include Rachael vs. Guy on Food Network—we have now come to the one where no matter how I say it, I sound like the beginning of a bad joke:
So this blogger walks into a gay bar....
Yep. That's me. The setup for a story in which obviously awkward hilarity ensues.
But that's OK. I am beyond excited that Johnny will be in Chicago this Sunday, a scant six miles from our home, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Scarlet, an establishment that has both a beautiful website and a fascinating history, and which is—
a gay bar.
See, I don't go to bars. I don't even drink. Not that I have any objection to either. It's just—my favorite people on earth, with whom I spend most of my time, are ages 14 and 19. So not a lot of drinking and bar-hopping happening here.
But not only am I going to the event, I actually stopped by the bar this past weekend to figure out where it is, how long it takes to get there, and what is the parking situation, a question I asked the extremely patient and kind manager, Robbie, who got sort of a faraway look in his eyes and murmured, "Hmmm... parking... " as he contemplated a parallel universe in which available parking was, in fact, a thing. (Note: There IS on-street metered parking on Halsted, but it's rare, in the way that sightings of live mastodons are rare, to find an open spot, even on a Sunday. Robbie recommends a parking garage a block or so south of Scarlet, while savvy Chicago fan Gary Podschun suggests parking on Broadway between Roscoe and Aldine, a short two-block walk to the bar. There also are various public transportation options to help you avoid the parking conundrum completely.)
Anyway: It has been almost a year since I last saw Johnny. So I don't care if he's leading hymns in sparkly leather priest garb at the neon-emblazoned JESUS SAVES! church down the block (which BTW would be waaaaay more of a stretch for me at this point than a gay bar). I'm there. As thrilled as ever to get to see him in person, maybe give him a hug, and perhaps—if time permits and herculean effort prevails—to actually form words, which, if I could get them right, would be: Thank you for inspiring me to take those first steps out of my comfort zone nearly three years ago, which have now led me here.
To an awesome gay bar.
And to living out loud in an amazing and beautiful way I had never even imagined was possible until the fierce and fabulous Johnny Weir changed everything.
At Last!
The Election Is Almost Over!
The Election Is Almost Over!
No, not that one. This one: The final round of voting has commenced in the ISU "Fan Favorite Costume" poll! Please go here now and vote for Johnny!!
Yes, Of Course There's Picspam
Today we have a new exclusive set just for fun from the endlessly generous Nadya Vasilyeva. This series was taken at Johnny's hotel in Moscow on Friday, November 9, after that morning's practice.
As always, please click any photo twice for larger view.
Johnny has just returned from practice....
...and off-camera, John Coughlin asks him how it went.
So, Nadya explains, "Johnny decided to show him. :)"
Fans present Johnny with a banner
brought from Japan...
brought from Japan...
...the back of which has been signed
by countless members of the Japanese fan forum.
About 20 minutes later....
IDK what he's doing but I love the hat.
Johnny and his wonderful guide, driver,
and photographer, Arthur Lookyanov.
Posing for fans.
And one more from Nadya.
Bonus video!! Johnny Gangnam Style.
Because it had to be done, according to Suzanne Larson,
the creator and my lovely friend. LOL.
Binky’s Johnny Weir Blog is now on Pinterest,
in case you needed a gazillion Johnny pics
all in one place without those pesky words
cluttering things up…
We've also added a "Pin It" button to the sidebar
in case you'd like to pin blog stuff
to your own Pinterest board!
Photo © David Ingogly.
Very special thanks to
Nadya Vasilyeva
for the exclusive photos!!
Holiday Dreams On Ice 2012!!
NOTE NEW DATE AND LOCATION!
NOTE NEW DATE AND LOCATION!
Visit the HDOI website for info and tickets!
Yes!! More Johnny on our TVs!
Check out the Rachael vs. Guy website for more info!
Johnny's blogging regularly
about his comeback journey for ESPN!!
His first entry, "A Fresh Start"—personal, honest,
very Johnny—was posted last Friday and is the source
of the quote on the Spirit Day photo above.
Looking forward to reading more from him
as the season progresses!
Please alert absolutely everyone you've ever met
to "like" and follow the new
Because he should be on all the things.
With or without ice.
But definitely with Viacheslav.
Please vote for Johnny!!
Please be sure to check in with GetGlue
anytime you're watching the show...
or thinking about watching the show....
or wishing you were watching the show....
anytime you're watching the show...
or thinking about watching the show....
or wishing you were watching the show....
Yes, YOU can be a part of Johnny's comeback!
Please visit Johnny's Comeback Gift Fund today
and chip in as little as $1 via PayPal.
Our small gifts can help make his dream of competing
in his third Olympic Games come true!
And now you can leave a message
of support for Johnny, too!
in his third Olympic Games come true!
And now you can leave a message
of support for Johnny, too!
Please click to vote for Johnny
once a day as "Best Sportsman"!
Because he retweeted Luisa Lotka to tell us
he wants us to! (Note: With his "58.132" rating,
he is currently in 1st place in both
Figure Skating AND across all sports!)
Q and A! Go read it now!
At last: Pop Star On Ice is now available on DVD!
Order yours today from the Pop Star On Ice website!
Johnny tweeted:
"Buy my single,'Dirty Love' via iTunes.
Tell all your friends to as well. The more copies sold
takes me one step closer to making a video! №1!"
IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT NEEDS AIR.
You know what to do.
Please buy the song from Johnny's website,
or just click the "Buy" button on the player
at the top of the blog!
at the top of the blog!
Hey, Welcome to My World also is available
as an eBook! More info on Johnny's website!
copyright 2012 / Binky and the Misfit Mimes / Lynn V. Ingogly / all rights reserved
2 comments:
Oh, Binks...I wish I was in Chicago this weekend...not that I will survive that long anyway, THANKS TO VICTOR and his penchant for ANXIETY-INDUCING midnight "Pic of all Pics" blasts!
Have an awesome time tis weekend, Binky...and I want to see some "dancing blogger" pics...VICTOR!!
Thanks, Binky, for keeping on top of everything and providing the logistics and a steady stream of photos.
And thanks for the reminder and for everyone for continuing to vote. By the way, Johnny is within 1.3% of Evgeni Plushenko. Clap till "Tinkerbell" revives!
Post a Comment