"We'll Be at the Bar"

Joel Derfner reads from his upcoming novel Swish: My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever

After some time in the planning, we kicked off what we're calling We'll Be at the Bar, a night of new short works at the East Village's No Malice Palace, the bar that ate most of my mid-twenties.

Last night we featured Remaking the Video, a webisode series by Cabin Eleven where they take the hottest videos from MTV's TRL and remake them frame for frame with two rules: the whole thing gets shot in three days and they don't spend any money. The videos are hilarious and were a big hit with the crowd. Check Them Out!

We also had four short plays by Jonathan Goldberg featuring James Kennedy and Cari Crisostomou. This might have been the first time live theater has graced the No Malice boards, and though the lighting was tough, I think it went over quite well!

And smack dab in the middle of the evening was Joel Derfner, who read a chapter from his upcoming book Swish: My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever on becoming a go-go boy with a club promoter in Manhattan. Besides being just plain funny, the story was an oddly moving tale of what goes on inside the mind of a man shaking it sans pants. It's always such a treat to hear an author read his own work, and Joel's voice and delivery is top-notch. Swish arrives in bookstores in June 2008; until then, you can grab yourself a copy of his last book, Gay Haiku.

Thanks to all who turned out last night. Keep checking back for details on the October session of We'll Be at the Bar, scheduled for Monday the 29th. If you have something you'd like to submit to show (anything performance based-- a reading, a short film, music, comedy, something new you'd like to show a friendly, drinky audience) email me!