Hydrate Night Club.
This was the eleventh year of the Grabby’s. This was the first year Brent Corrigan was nominated (for 7 awards.) This year, Brent would also be a co-host. Finally, I figured, a win-win trip.
I was last in Chicago on an academic scholarship studying upper level psychology at De Paul University in the summer of 78. This time, I was paying my own way. I don’t mind sharing the cost breakdown.
Grabby’s Tickets 25$ - 70$ $70.00
Two Nights at the Hard Rock Hotel $196.20
Round trip air from San Antonio $269.79
One way taxi from O’Hare $35.00 plus tip.
One way taxi to Midway $25.00 plus tip
Taxi from the Hard Rock to boys town ($12.00 plus tip)
(estimate four trips) $ 50.00 plus tip
Long term parking for three days $30.00
TOTAL $675.99 …
Plus tips, drinks, memory cards, batteries, Subway sandwiches, etc. Figure a beer to have in your hand will cost $5.00 plus tip.
Being part of Brent Corrigan’s entourage for an evening,……priceless.
I flew into O’Hare on an early non-stop from San Antonio, checked into the Hard Rock Hotel and was back in bed for a three hour nap by 10:00 am. Then up and out for a subway sandwich, hairspray and an 18 pack of Coors Light for later. Back to the room I showered, shaved, dressed and headed down to the lobby and the evening.
There were more than a few people from the gay porn world passing through that lobby that day. I went down hoping for lightning to strike. It did. I walked into the lobby and stood in the middle of the floor looking around. I saw no one until I looked down at the guy just three feet from me. He was typing on his phone and glanced up. It was Grant Roy. I had last seen Grant in his home in September of 07. He stood up and gave me a hug. I was excited to see Grant again. Grant said Brent went to pick up a poster and would be back shortly. We talked a bit and Steve Jerome (of Dirty Bird Pictures, etc.) joined us. As we were all standing around visiting, Brent returned with his posters, said, “Hi Albert.” and gave me a hug.
Brent went upstairs to get his evening bag. We were joined by a friend of Steve’s and rode in the friends car to boys town.
In the elevator, on the way down to parking garage level 2.5, I took advantage of the elevator silence to explain to Brent my primary purpose., “…is to replicate the dance video DeWayne posted of you on YouTube.” Brent responded with a clear extrapolation of his excitement regarding dancing in general. J
We squeezed the young superstar in the middle of the back seat between Grant and Steve. My long legs took the front passenger seat. Grant had offered to sit on my lap but never followed through.
I thought carefully on Brent’s enthusiasm towards dancing and then in the car to boys town, I looked back and told Brent I had a couple of Franklins to stick in his ,…strap. Steve said, “That should motivate you!”
Brent told us of the diet he followed to get ready for a performance. The diet alone would make me tired. Low carb, low salt and no mention at all of beer. Certainly not the ‘Texas’ diet.
Grant and I discussed the superiority of Texas in general. We found a ’lucky’ parking space in boys town exactly where we needed it and went in to a sit down dinner.
I was still fine from my earlier Subway sandwich so just ordered a Greek salad. Brent ordered two plain chicken breast filets. That is all he wanted on his plate. The rest had huge portions of some really fine looking meals.
During the meal, Brent explained to Steve’s friend, some of the events that led him to where he is now. Nothing new. The same thing in the same words DeWayne or I might say. Just, to hear it directly from Brent in a natural setting, it was special.
I sat on the wall side of the table with Grant between Brent and I. Steve and his friend were on the other side of the table. Grant set his phone between he and I. It was like a constant ticker tape machine. That phone is always in the display mode. (I was also very mindful of the fact that anything Grant might set next to me could be a recording or transmitting device, even a cell phone. So I did not talk much during that meal.) A young friend (Pierce Harding) was in communication with Grant and joined us during the meal. Pierce is another ’pool boys dream.’ He hung with us the rest of the evening. Pierce is an intelligent twink with a great mastery of the erotic tease arts. I was well entertained that evening.
After dinner we took Brent’s evening bag to the Hydrate night club basement. Dropping that off, we went to Roscoe’s for the fund raiser. Sister Roma was having porn stars come up on stage for a brief interview and then they would draw from a bucket for a winner of that porn stars DVD or something similar.
I found a good location for video recording but sound was problematic. Let me point this out now. Brent does a lot of things right during an interview, chief among them is to speak up, to talk to the microphone and the people he is addressing. He also looks at cameras and people. He knows what to do and what works. A natural to work with.
Roscoe’s was mostly porn stars and pornsters. Grant made it a point to introduce me to Angel Benton. I knew of Angel and respected his work. I had followed up on an interview he did of Kyros and Dillon. I am horrible at introductions. With my poor hearing, the loud noise and all, I am sure the greeting could have been improved. I am also sure Angel and I will have contact in the future. I like Angel.
After the interview with Roma, Brent went to work the crowds a bit. I caught one overhead picture with Brent, Chi Chi LaRue, Jason Secrest and Steve Jerome all in the same shot.
It was still daylight but not for long. We headed back down the street to the Hydrate. This was a great time for outdoor shots. I got a few but Steve Jerome was the professional. At one point I just stepped back and started taking pictures of Steve taking pictures of Brent. As the entourage walked down the street, people did recognize Brent and shout out at him. Brent shouted back. This was just fun.
As the crowds gathered outside of Hydrate, we moved inside. This was the part I feared. I hate crowds, loud noise and drunks. I grabbed the first corner to the left as I came in the door. A glass wall looking outdoors to the street on my right and a solid wall to my back. A small round table for two and a stool in the corner. My safe place.
Grant needed a ’big orange’ soda so he and Pierce went shopping in boys town. Brent started working the crowd.
In time Grant returned. He went downstairs and got the box of DVD’s and magazines. He brought the box up and sat it on my window sill.
He reached into the box and handed me one of those bank deposit envelopes with the zipper. My safe corner had just been turned into Brent’s corner. Grant stood at my right selling DVD’s. I collected the cash, Brent on my left then signed the DVD cover and spent time with fans. I was in heaven.
It is a joy to watch Brent talk to people. He is just a professional gentlemen. I never noticed him getting impatient or frustrated.
He never seemed to rush anybody and hugged everybody in turn. Purchase was not required to talk to Brent or get his signature. We also had post card size pictures of Brent, the Just Us Boys magazine with him on the cover and the promo mag for the Gabby’s. Brent would sign any of that and spend time with people.
During the bustle and press of the crowd, I spilled Brent’s wine glass. He turned around and gave me the look that said, ‘That’s One!‘ Pierce went and stood in the long line and bought Brent another glass as I was trapped in the corner.
Showtime came and Brent went downstairs to change, or maybe to just strip. Either way, he came back up in just some red underwear. For this dance I focused on stills. During the dance of course, people would put money in his strap. From time to time it would get filled up so Brent would stop and drop his bills on the stage floor. At the end of the dance, he turned his back to the audience, bent over and picked up his money with his butt in the air. That was my chance. I walked up to Brent’s butt and stuck a Franklin in his little red undies. He left it there on the way out.
Brent went downstairs for a short break then came back upstairs and stood around the dance floor talking to people, in his red undies. That is about the time others started taking their shirts off. I quickly made friends with a young college professor with beautiful pecs and abs, as well as his very cute young boyfriend. Brent noticed the professor as well and exchanged phone numbers with him. Pierce also took his shirt off and posed for me. What a perfect twink. I told Pierce I wanted to take him home and keep him. He laughed and went back to dancing.
Brent did change costumes for his second dance set. This time his underwear were blue. I caught this second dance in it’s entirety except for a brief restart of my cameras recording mode. Only a few seconds were lost toward the end. Brent played to my camera for a while and blew us a kiss. He was being sweet even while working his butt off.
This was the only time in my life I have enjoyed being in a night club or bar. It came to an end and Brent had to get up early the next morning so we packed up and loaded Brent, Grant, Steve and a fan (Bob) I did not know, into a taxi. Brent looked at me standing on the curb and asked if I was coming. I told him his Taxi was full and I was going home with the Professor and his boyfriend, who were standing next to me. Brent came and gave me huge hug and we said our goodbyes in case we did not have the chance the next day.
The Professor, his young friend and I took a taxi back to the Hard Rock Hotel. We sat around the lounge drinking and talking. The Professor had a lot of questions about the Cobra deal, Brent’s projects and stuff like that. While we were talking, the Professor got a message from Brent about how limited the in-room menu was. I wrote back from my phone that I had a can of smoked oysters in my room. Brent thanked me for the offer but that he was satisfied with what was delivered.
Also in the lounge at a separate table was Jason Secrest, Chi Chi LaRue and a half dozen others of that clan. I shook hands with Jason. The Professor and friend introduced themselves to Chi Chi. Jason was a charmer. Chi Chi was polite. I should explain that Chi Chi had a gastric bypass and lost about 120 lbs. She looked a little tired in that darkened lounge.
The three of us left the lounge and that is the end of the story for Friday, the day before the Grabby’s. It was a great day.
While the new blog is not officially out of beta status I am no longer double posting on Blogger.
