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"A last Summer fling I kept telling myself; something to raise the spirits and take my mind off approaching Autumn. And thus, my little trolls, I found myself on August 25 in Dublin's newest gay venue - MINSKY'S at 2 Ely Place (off St. Stephen's Green). The night's fare was advertised as Male Stripper and Exotic Snacks. I'll have a bit of both I thought smugly. Disporting myself with cute escort Timmy we arrived at our destination and were shown downstairs by the shockingly tall but sculptured David the Doorman. At the foot of the stairs we bumped into Tommy, an old (as in years of friendship) flaming queen from Phibsborough who's now earning a packet and living it up in London. Similar story for many of our closest, n'est-ce pas? We sidled over to a plush sofa in the 'conservatory', just off the bar area. As we sipped our martinis we surveyed the crowd which included many of the leather boys spotted earlier in the Parliament. There was a pleasant atmosphere with Alfred, the Bar Manager, spinning an eclectic variety of music in between serving the exotic-hungry punters. Now and then Alfred would toss back his luxuriously long, thick black mane, scan...the crowd and making sure that Busboy Mick got the deliciously hot and cold hor-d'oeuvres to the milling throng. Male Stripper (the Song) heralded Male Stripper (the Artiste).... interesting accoutrements hanging from his bod but, my God, love handles that even I don't have - and wouldn't wish to have, mes chéres! Our stripping friend was somewhat reticent about doing his biz until a certain James from the legal profession (we faggots are truly EVERYWHERE) began to tarry by the dancefloor and help our unhappy entertainer. Well there were shrieks of horror and joy as the poor bloke had his face mask and briefs whipped off. Then the real tease began. I heard moans of horror from T & T who were squashed beside me on the stairs. I turned back to the floor in time to see Mark, a well- known face on the Dublin pub scene and himself a former stripper, stride toward the centre of entertainment. At this stage the crowd resembled an amphitheatre full of Romans feeding Christians to the lions as Mark and our original stripper became engaged on the dancefloor. There were leering faces everywhere. People began to whoop and clap as Mark dragged the stripper back onto the floor while simultaneously dropping his own clothes. The bould James was close at hand doing his stage managing routine. Before long it was all over and I came away from the place with mixed feelings. For service and ambience Minsky's is well worth a visit, but we'll forget about the stripper... unless you think otherwise - it which case, my delicate darlings, you know how to contact me. I remain yours in search of sleaze, Blondie Bombshell. NEXT ISSUE BLONDIE VISITS THE GAY SAUNAS IN DUBLIN."

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"Aggie rolled around her bed hugging her pillow. Suddenly she became frantic and sat up straight in bed. Something was different, something had changed. She searched for this something but all seemed normal. Then she glimpsed her cast off clothes. Where was Skye? She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. No sign of her. She went back to her bed disappointed. She so liked the morning after a night spent with someone; the breakfast in bed, the crumbs on the sheets, the laughter and very often the lovemaking that followed or even interrupted. Someone! Skye wasn't someone, she was a woman. My God, thought Aggie, what has happened? Her head suddenly filled with a gloom never before felt. She must be crazy. I've been raped by a woman she thought, how horrid, how utterly disgusting. She tried to push the details far from her mind. It had all happened so quickly. That woman Skye must be one of those lesbeans. She'd never met a real one before. She remembered her school days and the story of Michele Ennis and Deidre O'Connell, the Gym Mistress found them holding each other in the locker room. There had been a lot of talk about what they weren't wearing. Afterwards they were suspended and separated. In fact Michele never came back to school. But they weren't lesbeans. Lesbeans drove motorbikes, wore Doc Martens and had moustaches. Another school friend saw one once on holidays. She had to have been one because no man would have her. Aggie became hysterical. Maybe I caught it off her? Should I go to the priest or even the doctor? I'm sure there's something he can give me. What will the neighbours think? They could have seen her coming out of the flat wearing those Doc Martens. Perhaps she wasn't one after all. But how could she explain to herself what had happened last night? Aggie's mind soared. She decided she'd play it cool. She'd tell Skye that as long as she promised to move away she wouldn't report her. It was already a quarter past two and Aggie's stomach rumbled. She got up and made herself breakfast. Her food tasted rather bland. She promised herself she wouldn't think about that incident. After finishing her food she went to take a shower. Aggie stood naked in front of her bathroom mirror. She was checking her breasts for lumps as she did every morning. Then she smelt an odour different to her own. Unsuspectingly her thoughts drifted to the night before. It was different with a woman. She hated that smell after being with a man though wouldn’t admit it to anyone. Somehow she couldn't find offence in this lingering odour. Then she got into the shower and rubbed herself clean with the sponge her mother had bought her for Christmas - it was a real one too. Aggie had to rid herself of the thoughts of Skye. Then she thought of those Doc Martens. She could never wear them. They wouldn't go with any of her clothes and besides she didn't like them. She felt safe and reassured once more. In the bedroom Aggie tore the sheets off the bed, took her clothes and left her apartment for the laundrette. She liked living in Rathmines. Everything was so convenient with all those 24hr shops. She did her business at the laundrette and then went shopping. It began to rain. The sky looked like a badly made bed to Aggie as she looked towards Rathmines Townhall. It had been three weeks and no sign of Skye. Her post was piling up downstairs. Aggie felt like pushing it under Skye's door but thought better of it. Momentarily she was distracted by a loud, booming sound from next door. Aggie became slightly irritated and then realised it was Skye's stereo. She ran to the door, opened it and as she was about to knock on Skye's, she froze. She touched the door gently with the palm of her hand, turned and went back to her room, locking her door behind her. Continued next issue"

"The Parliament Inn has launched an ambitious programme of entertainment for the Winter season. Every second Thursday night in the top lounge is Leather and Denim Night. The top lounge also sees weekly women only nights. In keeping with this policy of offering something for everyone, they are bringing over some of the top names from the London scene over to Dublin. The first of these was ANDRE ADORE, who performed his show on three consecutive nights from 26th to 28th August. The show started at quarter past ten, when a diminutive man got onto stage and started stripping to the music. Soon he was putting on make-up and a dress. With the wig in place the transformation was complete! ""Marilyn Monroe"" was on stage in front of us. There was even a wind machine to create that famous up-draft!!! While ""I am what I am"" was playing, he changed into ""Judy Garland"". After a ten minute break, André returned to give an impersonation of Shirley Bassey, with a massive pink boa. Another change and we had the man who took the stage at the start of the night's entertainment. The show was excellent, and well done to Frank and Noel for giving us the opportunity to see it. Tony Murphy"

August certainly wasn't a dull month, as far as the scene was concerned. Hopefully the end of the Summer will not mean the end of the parties and theme nights. Hooray Henries had a Beach Party on Friday 19th August. The club was bedecked with fish nets, streamers, balloons, anchors and even a large beach umbrella! Furthering the theme, the staff were decked out in T-shirts and shorts as were some of the customers. Doorman Reze proved that all things Balearic are not just record industry hype with his cute hat and bolero. Manager Eugene went out to shock with his fish-motif bermudas and that BRIGHT canary yellow vest. He was even seen dancing to Kylie Minogue's 'Locomotion', although he claimed that he "hates this song". Rumour has it that the exotic cocktails with the little umbrellas and the even more exotic fruits being served went to Eugene's head, or the snacks contained more than cheese and crackers. However I think that it was just the party atmosphere that did it. D.J. Gerry Moore proved once again that it's not impossible to keep the crowds dancing till late, even if his legs attracted a s much attention as his music!Saturday 20th saw the NGF host the Pride Party 2 in the IFI, Eustace Street, Dublin. Those who went had a wonderful time, no small thanks to DJ Tony Murray, who had to work under a very restrictive echo. Another benefit will be held at this venue on Saturday 24th Sept. Thursday 25th was quite a busy night. The second Leather/Denim collaboration between the Parliament Inn and Hooray Henries took place. DJ Gerry Moore coped admirably with the Parliament, even if at short notice, and DJ Albert O'Connor managed to keep the feet going in Hooray Henries until the small hours. No small achievement, considering that Minsky's had a party going, complete with stripper. We have a review of this elsewhere in GCN. Samantha Fox look-alikes were reputed to have been seen getting on down behind the bar at Henries that night. Perhaps a stage lift under the bar might be an idea, so that more people can see that fancy footwork!The weekend of 26th August saw not only the Irish Aids Initiative conference, but also Andre Adore, brought over to Dublin by the Parliament Inn, where he presented his show to enthralled audiences. See the review and pics, elsewhere in this issue of GCN.