2023-04-16 Turret Storytelling

2023-04-16 Turret Storytelling

On April 16, 2023, at the regular ElderBerries Second Sunday Salon (except, held on the third Sunday because the second was Easter) sixteen people gathered to tell stories about The Turret.

The audio is here. (mp3; 1 hour)

Topic: The First Time I Walked Into This Space

• 0:01:22.8 DanielMacKay. Description of what it was like outdoors
• DanielMacKay: physical description from the outside; JimDeYoung; March 23, 2013 Turret Resurrection Cabaret
• MikeBelland?, from Bathurst, NB; attended DalhousieUniversity; first time 1979. “I thought I died and went to heaven.” Michael Jackson, ‘’Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough’’, the stairs; the shop at the top of the stairs - poppers, dildoes. “It was like a revelation to me.”
• 0:06:33.9 PaulPitre?: Was this a church? or a house? RobinMetcalfe: Church of England Institute, built 1888. External description.
• 0:07:45.2 Robin: description of the interior of the building; use as an administration headquarters for “Bernardo Boys”
• 0:08:54.4 ErickBickerdike: arrived on a ship from Morocco; saw guys going into the building; spent time with LorneIzzard
• 0:12:12.8 RobinMetcalfe: about the opening. Across the street from the GreenLanternBuilding? where David’s Club was. The first Gay Alliance for Equality dance. SanpakaRestaurant. Origin of the decor. Description of the physical space. “Lesbian Corner” as mentioned in BeforeTheParade. Also used by the Halifax’s Youth Employment Society. Story about storing the beer in the snow on the roof, via a ladder through the skylight. About ⅓ of the people signed in as members, the rest were guests. We had a lot of guests named Judy Garland or Mickey Mouse.
• 0:16:05.4 LynnMurphy: my date there with BrendaBryan and signing in. The JuryRoom protest. StMarysUniversity?, “They were pretty anti-gay in those days.” Story in the ChronicleHerald.
• 0:21:52.1 the original liquor license.
• 0:22:49.6 Robin: 1977-02-17 CBC Demonstration about not carrying the GayLine Public Service Announcement with Erick. ThackeraysRestaurant
• 0:27:47.6 DanielMacKay telling the story of TheNightTheyRaidedTruxx on behalf of HugoDann with backfill info from Robin and the 1978 National Conference. Robin says, “I have the satin seqined jockstraps that the actors wore in the last scene in my collection.”
• 0:34:42.0 Discussion of a photo of AnneFulton, DebTrask, and the original Directors of GaeGala.
• 0:35:08.3 RobMcCall, RegGiles
• 0:37:50.4 dissolves into chatter
• 0:41:14.5 BarendKamperman Man Drag Show . More discussion of Truxx.
• 0:43:14.2 WayneCollette?: Meeting MissKitty.
• 0:44:39.3 The timeline that’s up in the Turret right now. GordonParsons? is in one of the pics.
• 0:45:18.8 Robin talks about what was unique about G.A.E. and The Turret, and the original Board, and how The Turret business worked. JoyceGehue? who was Mi’kmag.
• 0:49:55.3 1987 Name Search Committee
• 0:53:04.1 Dan talks about the GayLine
• 0:56:38.7 Robin: a story about being a VIA Rail Sleeping Car Porter, his friend Jeanette, and her ex showing up demanding to see his wife.
• 0:58:01.0 Presenting SvendRobinson? with a LavenderDieselAward?.
• 0:58:55.1 End.