Butterfly: Part 1

Saturday night. The bar is filled with customers, except for a few empty tables. The macho dancers and hostos, who have been bangkay in the dressing room for the past few days, are eagerly waiting if tonight would be their lucky night to break their customer-less streak. John, our fictional MD in this scenario, is also hoping that his newly-met customer shows up tonight.

Same Saturday night. The same bar is filled with customers, except for a few empty tables. The group of middle-aged women at the side of the bar have been watching the show since they arrived, but haven't decided on getting anyone yet. Another group of young gay customers arrive, and sits near the door, at the other end of the bar. Lei, our fictional customer in this scenario, has been eager to see his newly-met macho dancer, John, since they first met a few weeks ago.

John peers through the dressing room window, and sees the figure of Lei. Great, he tells himself. I'd be getting some drinks tonight, plus hopefully a bigger tip than the previous encounter. He then brushes his hair with his hand, straightens out his sando, and re-adjusts his boxer brief. He reaches out for his branded cologne that Missy, a former matrona customer, gave him as gift. While he sprays on some on his neck, the gay floor manager arrives at the dressing room door.

"John," called the gay floor manager. "May ipapakilala ako sa iyo. (I'll introduce you to someone)."

Finally, John says. What took him so long?

Lei, after making himself comfortable and ordering his two bottles of "Lights", gets approached by their gay floor manager. After the usual hi and hellos and short talk, the gay manager asks the group of gay friends whom they want to get individually tonight. Lei smiles, thinking of the 23 year-old lean moreno boy that he tabled the last time he was there. He whispers the name to the gay manager, who smiles as well. No one else, Lei says. Then off the gay manager goes.

From the dressing room of this fictional gay bar, John walks behind the gay manager. He's trying to see where Lei is seated in the dark gay bar. There at the far end, near the entrance. He then speeds up his walk but is slowed down by the gay manager. They stop.

"Eto po, ipapakilala ko. Guwapo! Si John (Here's the one I'm going to introduce to you. Handsome, right? His name is John)," tells the gay manager to the customers. John peers at them in the darkness. The middle aged women.

Lei sips his light beer while watching the macho men strip dance right after another. He's wondering what's taking their gay manager so long. But he doesn't mind, as he knows their group will be staying in the bar quite long. He's still enjoying the sights parading in front of him.

After five minutes sitting down beside the middle-aged woman, John excuses himself to go to the toilet. He rushes back to the dressing room where he sees inside the gay manager of Lei, as if looking for someone.

"Nandyan ka pala. Nakaupo ka ba? (There you are. Are you seated with someone?)" asks the gay manager to John.

"Oo, sa customer ni [manager] Mommy Una. Paano yan, nandyan yung customer kong bading? (Yes, with the customer of [manager] Mommy Una. But my other gay customer has just arrived)," replied John.

"Sige. Butterfly ka. (Okay. Just do a 'butterfly')," suggests the gay manager. "Huwag mo lang ipahalata. (Just don't be too obvious)."

(to be continued)

GB Goer
Learn more: Lessons from Gay Bars in Manila
http://machosandhostos.blogspot.com/
email: char.affairs@gmail.com
twitter: @gbgoer


*All persons here in this specific post are purely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons or real macho dancers or real hostos, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

---

Photo credits: Painting "Winged spirit buttoning his underpants (1966)"  by Yannis Tsarouchis at http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/2010/01/20/the-art-of-yannis-tsarouchis-1910–1989/

Blogging About Macho Dancers and Gay Bars

It's been six months since I first started blogging about my learnings about macho dancers and gay bars. Originally, I didn't have anything planned on the structure and content of the blog. All I wanted to do was write about what I knew and what I experienced in the form of "lessons."

Good thing that the blog has somehow evolved from its beginnings. While it still contains information about the men and the industry I wanted to write about, I have expanded to write about the various gay bar customers, some tricks of the trade, some in-depth personal stories, and even those in the gay bar periphery. It seemed to me like I'm writing for a newspaper or magazine, with my own column. If I'd be writing like a weekly column, then I would've written almost two year's worth of material.

What I didn't expect is to be linked with anything associated with the topic I chose to write. I get requests for gay bar recommendations from curious virgin gay bar goers. I get emails from foreigners asking where to go. I get comments to reveal the real names of the gay bars. I get asked for macho dancers for bridal showers. I even get hits for the blog from Google search queries about "conyo shoes", "virgin gay", "gay strippers", and one of the top hits, "libog." 

Hmmm... what does "libog" have to do with my very conservative blog? Ganun na ba ka-libog mga Pinoy? Hehe.

What I also didn't expect in this short a time is to get featured in another mainstream blog. My friend, Rocky, who owns the Geeky Guide, wanted to do a post on my niche blog, and I happily obliged with an email Q&A. 

You'll get to read here what made me start the blog and what makes me continue doing it. So if I write about the ins and outs of the gay bar scene, then you might read here the ins and outs of the gay bar blog and the gay bar goer.

Here are some excerpts:

Q: Who or What made you decide to create your blog?

...In the months hopping from one bar to another, meeting macho dancers week after week, hearing their unique yet similar-in-essence stories, and heck, even falling in love with a few of them, I felt I had enough knowledge and insight about them and the industry to write about. Good thing that it was at the same time that a couple other blogs of similar nature appeared. So it seemed like we were painting a picture of the gay bar scene...

Q: What one celebrity do you wish would notice your blog?

A: Hmmm... the good-looking moreno actor who was rumored to be a former macho dancer. Yuhh-mee! Kidding aside, I guess other gay bloggers whom I can connect to. And why not, even a book publisher...

As part of blogging about gay bars and macho dancers, I also get to see the various types of gay bar blog readers. In my analytical fashion, I've already classified them into different types. I have briefly mentioned them in the feature in Rocky's blog. But I guess it could be more fun writing about them.... ergo, writing about YOU reading my blog now. Which category will you fall under? Hehe.

To read more, visit my blog feature from Rocky's blog: The Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything.

I thought of the feature as a great way to cap off the midyear, exactly 6 months in existence. But there are more to come. I've just added Twitter; I've yet to add a Facebook account which some readers are asking for. I've only ticked off about less than half of a list I created of possible gay bar topics. I haven't even written about a topic I've been longing to feature... maybe, on post #100 (this article is post #90). There's a lot more to this industry, just as there's a lot more to the macho dancers. So perhaps, this post can be just a sem break, or refresher, in the on-going lesson plan about macho dancers and gay bars in Manila.

Keep on reading and learning with me! :D

GB Goer
Learn more: Lessons from Gay Bars in Manila
http://machosandhostos.blogspot.com/
email: char.affairs@gmail.com
twitter: @gbgoer

The Cock Fight

At 430 AM this early morning, I was awakened suddenly. Too early for the crowing rooster. I heard the ringing of my cellphone. I looked at who was calling me up at that time. Booty call perhaps?

It was Phoenix*. Three missed calls from him. I looked at my other cellphone. There were two missed calls from him in that phone.

What was so urgent that he needed to call at that hour? I answered.

GBG, in a groggy tone, but still hoping for a booty call: O, tumawag ka? Ang aga-aga. (You called? It's too early).

Who's the bigger cock now?

PHOENIX, in a worried, panicky tone: Nagkagulo kanina sa bar. Si Luigi* mo, nakipag-suntukan kay Bimby*. Napa-away nga rin ako, pero kay Derek* naman. (There was a commotion in the bar earlier. Your Luigi had a fist fight with Bimby. I was also involved, but with Derek).

GBG, in a surprised, but nonchalant tone: Ah talaga? Anong nangyari? (Really? What happened?)

PHOENIX, in a calmer tone, as he tried to explain after minutes of trying to reach me: Ganito yan... (It's like this...)

It's Raining Cocks and Dongs

Everyone living in Manila knows that it's been raining cats and dogs in the city for the past weeks. Call it typhoon season, or monsoon season, or rainy season. Everyone is inclined to stay at home or rush home when outside, to avoid getting wet by the heavy rains, which cause heavy flooding, which cause the heavy traffic.

Not for me, though. The rains didn't stop me to explore the streets and gay bars of Manila.

Ang swerte ni 'teh!

Like rain water flowing from one canal to another, I was lead to the narrow alleys and dark streets with gay bar locations I haven't visited yet. I've read a lot about these bars -- small, street-side gay bars littered across Quezon City -- and I guess it was time for me to baptize myself with a visit. I brought with me a gay friend from high school, "Mike", who got curious of the gay bar scene, being a gay bar virgin himself. Fantastic, I thought. A trip to the gay bar with a friend on a rainy night!

Pamahiin Ng Mga Bangkay

Tinanong ko kay "Rocco"* sa text kung papasok siya sa bar noong isang gabi. Isa siyang macho dancer na katrabaho ni "Russell" sa "Answer for The Emotionally Needy" gay bar. Nakita ko siyang sumayaw noong isa sa mga punta ko, at dahil napansin ni Russell ang pagtitig ko, tinanong niya kung gusto kong makilala ang lalaki. Nahiya naman ako kaya tumanggi. Ngunit pag-uwi ko, nakita ko na lang sa cellphone ko na finorward ni Russell yung number ni Rocco sa akin. Kaya ayan, tinext ko kung ano ang plano niya noong gabing yun. 

Sinagot ni Rocco sa akin, "hindi."

"Sigurado ka?" sagot ko agad. Syempre, una kong naisip na may booking siya nung gabing yun, na itinatago niya lang sakin. Siyempre, bakit naman kasi aaminin ng isang macho dancer sa isang customer na may kikitain siyang ibang customer sa labas ng bar. Pero inusisa ko pa rin kung bakit.