The Party Train rolls on.

Cruising along in AutoLove, over the crest of the Gowanus Expressway, the day was shaking off the fog of night. My sunglasses were locked in the glove box. I was thankful for the clouds. Through lingering sensations and fatigue, I focused my way home.

I was coming from Junior's Bedtime Story at the Roxy.


Last minute, I decided to go. It marks the beginning of yet another residence for Junior and of course, it wouldn't be a proper beginning if it weren't fraught with some drama. "Bedtime Story" would imply a link to Madonna. I hadn't thought of it until I read Junior's message board last night. but what's oft to happen is someone starts a rumor, like Madge will pop-up by. The likely result would be an onslaught of people, going to the Roxy, in hopes of being in her presence. Yeesh. Star struck queens. Terrible. But fortunately, I don't think anyone was fooled. Firstly, Madonna fell of a horse for pete's sake. Many bumps, bruises and broken bones, the last place I'd imagine her is in a club, being clawed at by a thousand, gaping fags. Secondly, maybe she hasn't forgiven Junior for "If Madonna Calls." Frankly, I think Junior and Madonna could give a shit at this point.

Anyway, on to the party.

I arrived around 1:00AM. The crowd was close to peak capacity. It never got crowded more so. I'm guessing, it's indicative of a usual Roxy night. Alas, it's a continuing trend with Junior. He's not a big draw unless it's a notable special or holiday event. Even at his residency at Discotheque, the regular weeks were ok, attendance-wise and would ramp up for something like "Tunnel Classics." His reputation for NOT turning it on regular weeks has caught up with him and it hurts him and his fans.

When I walked in, Junior was already on the decks and playing a decent track. As he crossed over into the next track, immediately, I was hearing things that would be indicative of the night. It was sloppy. Trust me, I can't beat match for shit, but the mix was sloppy. That or the song selection was a little too ambitious. The night ended up being a mixed bag, technically speaking. Junior was up to his old tricks with cut transitions as opposed to smooth ones. Needless to say, I had to defocus from Junior's mixing and on just listen to the music. Still, the track selection seemed uneven and inconsistent, making dancing, not smooth but very stutter-y and jumpy. He seemed to be throwing on whatever he felt like which didn't make for a silky smooth musical journey.

Madonna did not show, probably to the chagrin of some dancing queens, but Amanda LePore did do a little bit on the bed made up on the stage. Fun. Nothing more, nothing less. I hadn't realized it, until I read it a short while ago on the JVM message board, but it was Junior who'd jumped on stage to toss out some condoms, Trojans, a sponsor for the night.

Hmm… and the crowd? Well, plenty of familiar, cute faces but the usual cast of characters were notably absent. Lots and lots of Gaysians. Yes, I am one too, but I'm not "sticky." Most seem to be much to my annoyance. I'd decided to be and let be, with them, dance near me, crowd me, whatever. Just leave me my space. One of them got decidedly aggressive, but in the chicken shit passive way, rubbing and bumping into me. I'm guessing the look of death on this last transgression gave him sufficient cause to leave my vicinity.

In the end, I was ready to leave. I'm usually loathe to leave, something about not wanting to miss a thing, but I did. It was 6:54 AM when I got to the lot with AutoLove (no stress about parking. Whew). It was luxurious to drive home, 15 minutes as oppose to 1 hour on the train. Yep, this may be an ongoing trend.

On a scale of BLEECH to YOWZA, I give Junior's Bedtime Story a MEH.