Studio of Rick Chris, Positive Gay Images

New on the Rick Chris web site:
Just below you'll find some new art offerings on eBay and on the Purchase Gallery Page. Chapter two of the Beef Matson story, CATCH A FALLING STAR has been published. If you check out the SHOUTOUT section, you'll find some entertainment info, including a review of Ron Romanovsky's new CD, TURN UP THE FUN! There's also a review of a performance by the group, Pink Martini. You can also check out the latest Queer Music Heritage show for April, featuring an interview with singer/songwriter Kristian Hoffman and a playlist that includes Hoffman and other performers such as Rufus Wainwright and Klaus Nomi. Last but not least, there's information about the June episode of IN THE LIFE TV program. Just check down below under the SHOUTOUT banner.


I went through the catalogue of my Brokeback art, found the highest quality files and I'm making them available as prints. Go to the BBM print purchase page by clicking here.

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It's always been my policy to use my web site to bring some joy and entertainment into the lives of the mostly gay folks who visit my site. I realize how dismal things have been of late, with an economy which sucks to an extreme degree. I got to thinking how I might use my little site to help uplift people's spirits. With this being an election year, I got to thinking how the current United States administration seems to have a theme of making the very rich even richer. So I thought, why not have a theme for my web site for the rest of the year. The time of year most people seem to like is the Christmas season, and that's when my site gets the most traffic. Christmas is also one of my favorite times of the year, so I thought why not extend the Christmas season forward -- at least for my web site. So if my web site starts looking a little Christmasy, that's the reasoning behind the madness.

So that's what I'm going to do. On rickchris.com, it'll be Christmas for the rest of the year. Just my attempt at bringing some fun and frivolity into your life. Now if you're Jewish or agnostic or whatever, I don't mean to exclude you, just the contrary. I want to include you in a spirit of good times, sentimentality and giving. I haven't figured out on what sort of features I will be having on the site, but that's basically the direction I'll be going in.

So in keeping with this spirit, first up on the docket is the Rick Chris monthly contest. If you win, it'll be like getting a present at Christmas:

Your chance each month to win Rick Chris goodies or perhaps other items, like CDs. The contest winner(s) will notified by email during the first week of the following month.

The prize for the month of May is the set of six Rick Chris upscale magnets for your refrigerator, office cubicle or whatever. Each magnet is hand made by Rick Chris and are definite eye catchers with bizarre and bright designs and cool messages. Unfortunately, the magnets don't photograph very well and they change color and sparkle when viewed from different angles, which cannot be captured in a photo. Click on the photo above for a larger image.

How you enter:
All you do is send me an email telling me you want to enter the contest. That's it. At the end of the month I'll do a drawing, pick the winner and notify that person by email. Deadline for entries for the May contest is Midnight, May 30th. Drawing to be held on May 31st. (Contest is void where prohibited by law. Email addresses are not shared with or sold to other parties.)

To enter contest, send email.

Here's More Beef For You
Chapter two of the Beef Matson story, CATCH A FALLING STAR is now published online. CATCH A FALLING STAR, which is a prequel to A PERSON IN A POSITION OF TRUST, is darker in tone than APIAPOT. Chapter two features, among other things, corporate theft, a slutty pop star, a suicide, a murder, a young man who's planning on sending his fellow church members to heaven using automatic weapons, and a scene where Beef and his assistant Randy start getting it on. Click on the image at right to go to chapter two.

Brokeback Mountain and Forbidden Love by Madonna Mix:

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If you enjoy the various features and departments of rickchris.com, please help support this web site through a donation. Any amount is helpful. Many thanks! - Rick Chris

The not yet ready for prime time blog. The blog is something new - see how long it lasts. Doing a blog also violates one of my primary principles which is "Keep your mouth shut, Rick!"

posted 5/12/08
An Email About Beef Matson
"I'm so glad that you are presenting us with another story in the Beef Matson saga. When I began following your first story (which I understand is now the second in the series, because the second story happens first) I was afraid that as I became more involved in first "book", looking forward to reading more as you published it as a serial - that the story might become like so many other Internet novels and become Missing In Action. But you finished the story and published every chapter right down to the very satisfying ending, and even providing we loyal readers with your wonderful illustrations to help make the world of Mr. Matson come alive for us.

I'm glad that you are continuing the series with the same sort of supernatural Henry (sic) Potter flavor, this time with a monster (I assume) added to the ghosts and other entities. As with Henry (sic) Potter, are your characters from the other story going to make an appearance, like Minerva, the woman who owns the magic potions shop?"
Some of the characters from A PERSON IN A POSITION OF TRUST will make an appearance in the new story. However, since most of the story takes place away from San Francisco and from Beef's office, characters like Minerva will only make a brief appearance. - R.C.

posted 5/12/08
The Month For Gay Artists?
I noticed that a number of gay artists have their birthdays in the month of May. Artist Keith Haring was born on May 4th, 1958, Touko Laaksonen aka erotic artist Tom of Finland was born on May 8, 1920 and artist Douglas Simonson is celebrating his 58th birthday this month. Last, but certainly not least, yours truly, Rick Chris, also has a May birthday on the 22nd.

posted 4/27/08
Around The Neighborhood
Though we're still having occasional snow and overnight freezes, spring has arrived, as you can tell by these blooming trees. The graffiti shows up all year.

posted 4/13/08
A Couple Of Morsels Of Beef
For you Beef Matson fans, I realized that the next chapter (chapter 3) of CATCH A FALLING STAR reveals the origin of the detective's teddy bear, Fred. I've also been toying with the idea of starting a discussion group on Yahoo or Google for Lynn Gordon Matson's fans. Might do it - might not.

Putting the spotlight on those who add value to the gay community through their creativity, talent and achievement. The Shout Out column is open to any gay creative type, performer, writer, artist, etc. I know how challenging it can be for gay creative types, so this is my small way of trying to lend a helping hand by offering a little publicity. Just send an email about yourself or someone you would like to be spotlighted. The cost? You only have to promise that you're going to try to be rich, famous and successful. I also accept news releases for shows, benefits and events.

Pink Martini with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra at the Beottcher Concert Hall, Denver, Colorado, May 2, 2008

Note: A grateful thanks to Pink Martini fan and booster, Sir Robin Hixson for providing the ticket to the performance.

Any group that can fill the Boettcher Concert Hall to near capacity must be worth its salt. Such was the case with Pink Martini with a near capacity crowd, fans filling out even the high balcony seats. Boettcher is theater in the round with some of the seats viewing the performers and the orchestra from the back. Yours truly, Rick Chris, had an excellent seat, watching the performance from the Dress Circle, my location offering an excellent close, but not too close, view from above and slightly off to the side. The acoustics of Boettcher, the United States first symphony hall in the round, are excellent, when the Colorado Symphony Orchestra (CSO) started the evening with Ravel's Bolero, it was much like having earphones on and listening to the crisp clarity of a well mastered CD.

Thomas Lauderdale was introduced first, sporting a blond tufted Mohawk haircut. Mr. Lauderdale and ensemble did not fail to entertain the enthusiastic and receptive audience. The vocalist, China Forbes, arrived dressed in a beautiful white and pink/salmon gown. She and Lauderdale exchanged repartee about the gown, with Lauderdale commenting that her gown reminded him of the Alfred Hitchcock film, "Marnie", in which actress Tippi Hedren as Marnie has flashbacks in which she blurts out, "See the colors! See the colors!"

The audience was truly in love with Ms. Forbes, and though she probably was unaware of it, some members of the audience in the mezzanine seats behind and above her had their arms in the air and were waving them back and forth while China sang Sympathique. From the concert and from Pink Martini's third CD, Hey Eugene!, I'm throughly convinced by the ease in which Ms. Forbes can skillfully render a song in different languages, that she could be given a song written in a dead language such as Sanskrit, Mayan or Gothic and sing it correctly with every inflection down pat.

During the concert, Lauderdale also offered some insight into his music. For instance, he revealed that his version of the song Anna, was recorded after listening to a Grace Jones version of it. It seems the lyrics as he thought Jones had sung them were actually different from the actual lyrics, but the lyrics in Pink Martini's version remain as Lauderdale thought Grace Jones had sung them.

In another reference to Alfred Hitchcock, Lauderdale told how he recorded the song Que, Sera, Sera; not as the upbeat bit of sunshine as Doris Day recorded the song, but darker, to match the movie it came from. The result is a haunting, yet still a pretty and symphonic arrangement of the song.

The Flying Squirrel was a very swinging big band number, serving up a hot drum solo, a cool guitar solo for a second course, garnished with a solo of exuberant squawking trombones. Amado mio was a vision of an opulent 1950s nightclub in perhaps Rio or Havana without the annoying cigarette smoke or the stale smell of spilt liquor. Closing my eyes, I could imagine Bogart and Bacall having a conversation in a secluded booth in the background. Later in the concert, Autrefois also offered a glimpse into a 1940s Latin cabaret, where I sure, Ms. Forbes would certainly fit in as the club singer. Bukra wb'ado, an energetic Egyptian pop hit, was performed with scientific precision, just as it sounded on the Hey Eugene! CD.

Thomas Lauderdale truly shined in his masterful performance of Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue, displaying his mastery of the keyboard and his obvious joy in performing the composition. The CSO also gave us a smashing performance of the American classic and the audience showed its approval by giving Lauderdale and the accompanying Colorado Symphony Orchestra a standing ovation.

Hey Eugene!, a composition written and performed by China Forbes, was very well received by the audience (which Ms. Forbes seemed to have in the palm of her hand anyway) as well. Hey Eugene! is a catchy number, with a 1970s sound, in fact, if you could take Hey Eugene! back through a time warp and release it around 1975, a time when something called top forty radio had great power to make hit songs, in my humble opinion, Hey Eugene! would have been a mega hit.

If you have the opportunity to see a Pink Martini show, please do go. I assure you that you will be awarded for your time and money by a great evening of entertainment. In fact, down below me, in seats right next to the stage, I noticed a couple with two small toddlers and I wondered how long the two little tykes would last through the show. However, there wasn't a peep out of the two little kids. As I watched through evening, the two little ones seemed to be throughly entralled by the show. The power of great entertainment.

TruthWinsOut.org - New Multi-Media Website Refutes 'Ex-Gay' Myth
Ex-Gay Watch Founder Michael Airhart To Blog Daily On Site
NEW YORK - TruthWinsOut.org (TWO) launched its innovative new website and blog enhancing its ability to fight the ex-gay myth and right wing propaganda. The site will be a leading educational resource and an all-encompassing look at the dangerous world of conversion therapy. For years, the ex-gay industry had dominated the flow of information on this topic. With this site, our movement has finally surpassed our opponents and we now have the means to counter ex-gay lies and reach vulnerable people with messages of truth and hope.

"TruthWinsOut.org is a one-stop-shop for information on the ex-gay myth and an action center for those who want to fight back against this insidious industry," said TWO's Executive Director Wayne Besen. "We believe this site will help people come out, keep families together and even save lives. This is a great day for those who have long wanted to stop the spread of ex-gay misinformation and help people escape the ex-gay trap."

"The ex-gay industry has declared war against GLBT people as it has become enmeshed with the far right," said Michael Airhart. "By joining with TruthWinsOut.org, I am answering a personal calling to defend individual liberties, religious freedom, constitutional rights, family unity -- and sexual strugglers -- against exploitation by divisive, intolerant and dishonest extremists."

TWO's website will include an extensive and unprecedented video catalogue of "ex-gay" survivors and sexual orientation experts. The videos and website highlight an active and robust year, where TWO will challenge the "ex-gay" industry across America.

TruthWinsOut.org is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the "ex-gay" myth and educates America about gay life. For more information, visit www.TruthWinsOut.org.

Ron Romanovsky - On The Sanctity Of Marriage
Singer Ron Romanovsky (of the duo, Romanovsky and Phillips) offers us a new song, "The Sanctity Of Marriage" in which he offers the argument that if gay people can't get married then straight people can't get divorced. Ouch! Rick Chris thinks that outlawing divorce would certainly cut into the profits of the lush divorce industry, serial divorcees would have to find other occupations and might even cause a spike in the murder rate. (Now, now, we're just having a bit of fun here on the old web site.) Whatever your feelings are on the subject matter, "The Sanctity Of Marriage" is a fun ditty to listen to and you'll enjoy it.

TURN UP THE FUN is available at cdbaby.com, itunes or at romanovskyand phillips.com. The CD can also be purchased directly by sending $18.00 to Fresh Fruit Records
369 Montezuma Avenue #209
Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA

Other reviews:
Los Angeles Times: "Romanovsky's candid, often humorous, sometimes poignant songs have placed him at the forefront of gay-oriented music."

New Mexico Voice: "The humor and instrumentation of Wierd Al combined with the touching beauty of Rufus Wainwright."

Out West Magazine: " Romanovsky challenges any modern music listner with a virtuoso talent and an immeasurably charminng, yet downright sideways way of looking at the world."

Nepal gay leader elected to Parliament, featured in next month's IN THE LIFE's "Voices From Nepal". June's IN THE LIFE is hosted by Michael Billy.

IN THE LIFE's June Pride show, Leading the Way, celebrates people, places, and events that display the remarkable courage and diversity found with the ranks of the LGBT community: From Voices from Nepal, where we visit with members of The Blue Diamond Society, an organization giving visibility to LGBT people in this South Asia country, to a "Real to Reel" that looks back at the historic battle for same-sex marriage in Massachusetts; from the larger-than-life world of Grand Opera with lesbian director Francesca Zambello, to Broadway's little-show-that-could, Xanadu, and its star Cheyenne Jackson; and finally, A Conversation With… Judy Shepherd, reflecting on the tenth anniversary of the brutal murder of her son, Matthew… all reflections of the rainbow that is Gay Pride.

To go to the IN THE LIFE web site and check the of local TV stations which carry the program, go here.

There are also many extra sections, such as a page of Gay Marriage Songs (with free downloads), a page of songs about Matthew Shepard, a section on Gay Musicals, lots of info about drag artists, a page listing songs about AIDS, etc, etc.".

Now entering its fifth year, The SMART Ride has raised more than $1.2 Million and returned 100% of those dollars to help those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in our state. "In 2007 the money raised by riders exceeded $393,000." said David Spacht, this year's Ride Director. He has set an ambitious, but realistic, goal of 500 participants raising $500,000 in the 5th year. Over the past four years, the riders have come from as far away as Hawaii to participate and as word continues to spread, more and more riders and crew continue to come from outside the State of Florida to participate.

Unique to an event as large as THE SMART RIDE is the organization's pledge to donate 100% of every dollar raised to the six AIDS service agencies located throughout Florida. Currently The SMART Ride has announced 5 agencies and is in final negotiation to secure a sixth agency on the Gulf Side of the State. The following are scheduled to benefit in 2008: AIDS Help, Inc., in Monroe County, Broward House, Center for Positive Connections in Dade, Compass Inc. in Palm Beach County and the Hug Me Program in the Orlando area.

All support staff, including Spacht, work as volunteers. By virtue of their personal donation or through sponsorships, riders are committed to raising a minimum of $1,200 each. For those whose passion is making a difference in the fight against AIDS this is a great way to help raise awareness, and honor those we have lost before their time by joining The SMART Ride as either a rider or crew. The organization provides training rides and support for several months leading up to the event, as well. On the journey from Miami to Key West, riders are provided lodging, catered pit stops, on-site massage therapists and ample support vehicles. All of this support is paid for by donation or sponsorship; none with fund raising dollars.

For more information , updates or to ride, crew or become a sponsor please visit : http://www.thesmartride.org/ or call 1-866-696-7701. There is a one-time, non-refundable registration fee of $75.