Michael Lyons Archives

Lights! Camera! Submission!
May 12 2012 | “A lot of our relationships are based on control and domination: the professional, the lovers, the kinds of social relationships, so there’s lots of submission from that,” says photographer Drasko Bogdanovic. “These days, with equality and what’s going on with marriage
Because you need an excuse
May 03 2012 | Choke the chicken, fist your mister, slam the salami. Call it what you will, studies have shown that masturbation significantly reduces the risk of prostate cancer. This hands-on health initiative invites men to bookmark when they
And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens
Apr 30 2012 | “And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens was never produced in Williams’ lifetime, and was buried by those that thought it to be too racy,” says director Aaron Rothermund, of his theatre company’s contribution to The Tennessee Project. The project is one of the lar
The Deep Gay Apparatus
Apr 28 2012 | Performance artist, dancing queen and busy boy Keith Cole will also be presenting part of his MFA thesis at OCADU in the shape ofStickers and Glitter: The Politics of Being Bejeweled and Bedazzled & The Deep Gay Apparatus. This five-day, 120-hour performance will be hitting the pavement
What's deep, gay and glittery all over?
Apr 27 2012 | The Deep Gay Apparatus is making its rounds, spreading homosexuality and sparkles across Toronto, from Casa Loma to Kensington Market and beyond, before being dismantled this Saturday (at 1pm) in the MOCCA Courtyard, as part of The Coliseum of the Homosexual. Because the universe is unfair,
Bloody feline
Apr 18 2012 | “The most ridiculous, amazing, hot thing I’ve ever done at the Sodom party was my very first show,” says drag queen extraordinaire, and recently crowned Queen of Sodom, Nikki Chin. “When I did Vampire Love Ball II with my two amazing dancers, Adam Norrad and David Light, I wa
Dancing Queen
Apr 17 2012 | Theatre legend and celebrated playwright Sky Gilbert brings his latest work, Dancing Queen, to the Buddies stage. Ideas that challenge sex and relationship norms take big personalities. Lucky for Michael Lyons, there are an abundance of fabulous artists involved. He sits down with choreographer Keit
Adapting back
Apr 16 2012 | “‘Confronting our past, with love’ evokes a process of looking backward that is open and generous, because I am into pleasure these days,” says artistic director and resident choreographer Michael Trent on Dancemaker’s latest work, The Adaptation Project. Trent wan
Next gay theatre review: Bliss
Mar 30 2012 | Where were you when Whitney Houston died? I was sitting in the lobby of a community centre, waiting for an appointment. A friend texted me and said, “The internet just told me Whitney Houston died,” and my response was something like, “Dear God, I guarantee within the next 15 minut
The sad truth of homeless gay youth
Mar 29 2012 | This is a year or so old, but it was shared with me today and I think it’s a fantastic read. A 2006 study of British Columbia’s homeless or underhoused youth found that a quarter of them were lesbian, gay or bisexual. The study explores the stories of Jin, a Korean-Canadian who
Revenge of the Walmart Dion drones
Mar 28 2012 | “It was 2am after a night of concerts,” says Steven McCarthy, director, actor and funk rocker with the band Elastocitizens, “and I was backstage, and I thought to myself, These people have been dancing nonstop for two hours, and now they’re saying, ‘One more song,&rsquo
Gay roots
Mar 12 2012 | “I don’t think there’s a gayer musical out there,” says performer and actor David Hohl. “We all hide behind this mask of fashion and pop culture and boys and sex and whatnot, but in every gay there is an Elle Woods just waiting to come out.” Hohl will be taking to
From art-porn actor to Genie nominee
Mar 05 2012 | “I was always very different from my family and my surroundings when I was younger, in a lot more ways than just sexual orientation,” says singer/songwriter Jay Brannan. “For some reason, I’ve always been a bit of a misfit and seen the world much differently than those around
Neverending bravery
Mar 02 2012 | “Bastian, the lead character, lives as an outsider, often bullied,” says Adamo Ruggiero of Roseneath Theatre Company’s The Neverending Story. “Atreyu, the hero, often feels unworthy and even faces failure. The play delves deep into many aspects of the human psyche; chief amon
Spicy rubbers
Mar 02 2012 | “I realized I didn’t need to poke fun at the ex-gay movement, because it did that job for me,” says playwright Evan Vipond. “If I could show the faulty logic and brainwashing, then people might understand how threatening and damaging ex-gay ‘therapy’ can be.&rdquo
Dirty Spoon
Mar 01 2012 | “I had always identified myself as a ‘little spoon’ — the person in the relationship who needs to be cuddled, protected, often the bottom, et cetera, and I had always enjoyed it,” says Spencer Charles Smith, the creator of Spoon. This idea of set roles defining gay rela
A dyke to watch out for
Mar 01 2012 | I met cartoonist and graphic novelist Alison Bechdel at a TCAF event this past Saturday. Bechdel is on an international tour promoting her new book, Are You My Mother? Bechdel is the creator of Dykes To Watch Out For, a syndicated comic strip that ran for 25 years. Her first book, Fun Home,
Another Olympic hottie
Mar 01 2012 | If American Olympic hopeful and total babe Josh Dixon joins his fellow athletes in London for the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, he will be a part of the small but growing number of openly gay athletes at the event. Dixon was outed by Stanford teammates when he started dating another athlete an
Wild thing
Mar 01 2012 | The international literary community was saddened to learn of the death of writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak. Sendak is best known for his seminal children's book Where the Wild Things Are (widely considered one of the most important works of the 20th century), among a great body of work. &
Reinventing Tom Gabel
Mar 01 2012 | Musicians often reinvent themselves, though it usually feels shallow and gimmicky, like a marketing ploy to sell more records. Rarely does an artist's reinvention feel so monumental, and marvelous. Punk rocker Tom Gabel of Against Me! has come out publicly as a transgender woman, announ

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