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The Boston Phoenix - 1 in 10
July 1998
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Napoleon's closes

One of Boston's oldest gay bars shuts its doors

by Keith Orr

["Keith As we launch into the dog days of summer, I'm sad to report that one of Boston's institutions of cocktails and laughter has closed its doors. The Napoleon Club, in Bay Village, first opened as a Prohibition-era speakeasy in 1929. From 1952 on, it operated as a gay bar. But in the end, simple economics put one of Boston's longest-running shows out to pasture. The place is just more valuable as real estate than as a business.

Mind you, Napoleon's was not so much a bar as it was a cocktail lounge, where drinks were served in real glass, patrons took the time to say hello to each other as they bellied up to the bar, and a dedicated group of regulars made the club as close to a gay version of Cheers as you could find. Many luminaries crossed the threshold, including Liza and Lorna's mom, Judy; Liberace; and just about every chorus boy from every bus and truck show to set up camp in Boston's Theater District.

For those of you who never had the pleasure, you missed out on one of the most amazing nocturnal experiences our little town had to offer. My favorite memory is from a night a couple of years ago. It was fairly early, before the evening crowd had arrived, and without any prompting, a fairly plain-looking guy in an Anderson Little suit moved from the bar and parked himself at the piano. Placing his drink atop a coaster, he launched into the most spirited rendition of "Oklahoma" that I have ever heard. I fully expected Shirley Jones to come around the corner in full costume to complete the scene. I imagined that he had just spent the whole day working downtown at a bank he managed, singing the song over and over to himself, and when that last teller cashed out, he beelined to Nappy's to get it out of his system. And in true Napoleon's tradition, the few patrons in the room either moved to join him around the piano or just smiled to themselves and sang along from their places at the bar.

Thank you, Napoleon's, for 60 years of entertainment.

On the upside, a closing usually brings an opening someplace else. And in this case, the new boy in town is Machine, a downstairs room at the Ramrod. Before you scoff, let me tell you that this is no hack job of a finished basement. It's a completely new club with room for, I'd say, upwards of 700 guests. The room has some nifty new pool tables and lounging space in the outer lobby area, with a full-size bar for those in the mood for liquid refreshment. But the icing on the cake is the huge dance floor, galvanized metal-topped bars, and a sound system that could reset your pacemaker. Other bonus points come from the addition of Boston's cable-access-cocktail-

mistress-to-the-stars, Lolly; club impresario Michael Svat to pull strings that make the room click; an impressive roster of DJs; and, most important, the staff of the Ramrod. Veterans and new hires alike are walking around with the confidence that they have the best new game in town. Without question, this will shake up the battle for Saturday nights.

As for other nights of the week: on Mondays, make sure you check out the newly located Queer Circus (formerly at the now-defunct Spot) at Axis (13 Lansdowne Street, Boston, 617-262-2437). It has the same general format: 18-plus, drag shows, amateur strip contests, and a roomful of folks who, judging from their energy level, seem to subsist on a diet composed mostly of Pop-Tarts and Jolt cola. Tuesday brings a new night at Buzz (67 Stuart Street, Boston). Local media whiz Tim Nasson sets the tone. Think porn stars and friendly bartenders and you'll get the picture.

Speaking of porn stars, are there any reliable sources out there who can confirm the rumor that one of Boston's A-list South End boys made his film debut in a soon-to-be-released Falcon video? According to someone in the know, there was a problem with our local guy's scenes in which he "topped" his partner. They all wound up on the cutting-room floor, making him appear a bit more passive than the image he's carefully cultivated around Beantown. Hmmmm.


The hardest-working drag queen in New England, Kandi Kane, took time out of her busy schedule at the tip of the Cape to jet off to New York recently. Seems she was tapped to tape yet another episode of Sally Jessy Raphael -- dressed as the host herself. Now, I love Kandi like a sister, but isn't Sally a bit tired? She seems unable to decide whether she wants to be Jerry Springer or Leeza. When Sally gets mad at a Springeresque guest, she comes across like a pissed-off high-school guidance counselor. On the other hand, if she wants to do really emotional shows, like the former ET cohostess, she'll have to order her producers to stop scouring every trailer park from Hoboken to Flagstaff for guests. America has a hard time feeling empathy for folks who think that Kathy Ireland's Kmart line is "designer clothing." We want to see humans who triumph over tragedy, not those whose lives are human tragedies.

After Kandi did Sally, so to speak, she was tapped to provide color commentary for the E! network's hard-hitting segment on the NYC Pride parade. I don't know about you, but I suspect that the famous college drinking game "Hi, Bob" (in which players watching the old Bob Newhart Show downed a shot each time a character uttered the infamous line) will soon be replaced by one in which everyone has to drink whenever Kandi says "Hi, hi, hi, hi."

Finally, make sure that you check out David Flower's Summer Camp at Antro (on Provincetown's Commercial Street) this month when you're visiting the Cape. David is one of the geniuses behind the super-hot Liquid in Miami Beach (you know, the club owned by Madonna's buddy Ingrid Casares, with a VIP area that brings new meaning to the term guest list). The room is packed, the boys are about as tanned and buff as you can imagine, the music is pumping, and it's the hit of the season. Do yourself a favor and forget about trying to get on the comp list. Pay the cover and be happy that you did Alan Greenspan a favor by stimulating the economy.


Last month I chronicled Tom Beaulieu's efforts to get city approval for an after-hours dance/social club in Boston. Well, it seems as though the city has stuck to its guns and denied the license request for Rise to operate as a public club. As of now, plans are in the works to try to open the space as a private "members only" facility while still keeping up good neighbor relations. Those interested in more information about Rise should e-mail a request to tom@skymedia.com.

Well, that's gonna do it for this month. Keep the mail coming, and I'll see you on the radio.

Keith Orr is the co-host of One in Ten, the radio show, which airs each Monday night from 10 p.m. to midnight on WFNX 101.7. He can be reached at keithorr@msn.com.


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