Catering With Benefits (3) - An Appetite for More - 46. Stop, Look and Listen

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Tristan’s ballet was now complete in its theatre form and he turned his mind to the additional pool sequence that would be added for the bath house presentation.

Edward had attended some rehearsals and was very impressed with what he saw.

“Tristan, do you think it’s ready for a premiere in this form?”

“I certainly do and I know the dancers are keen to have an audience.”

“Good, then let’s schedule it for a performance, here at Divas. Then depending on advance bookings we might schedule a second performance.”

“Great, I’ll let my dancers know and we can set a date.”

***

Tristan scheduled one more complete dress rehearsal before the premiere, while Edward started advertising and promoting the show.

He called it a dress rehearsal, but in fact there were no costumes and only minimal make up. The original plan was to start in full clothing, then each sequence would have the dancers wearing less and less until the final sequence was danced fully naked. However, on Edward’s suggestion it was decided to make the ballet completely nude, so the audience was not viewing a slow striptease but instead immersed in the nudity right from the first step. That way they could concentrate on the dance as story telling instead of wondering and waiting for the next reveal.

Edward heavily promoted the ballet, now named The Swap, for two weeks and the response was over whelming in favour. Social media was going mad with talk of the ballet so a date had to be set. As Christmas was approaching they did not want to compete with the usual round of Christmas parties their prospective audience would also be attending so Edward suggested the ballet be added to the entertainment for his ticketed New Year’s Eve party he was planning for Divas.

Edward also had another new project he was working on for radio. He teamed up with Max to trial a new format combining interviews and music.

***

“Good morning 2GayFM listeners. This is Edward from Edward Listens and joining me today is our very own Max from Max’s Music Room. Good morning to you Max.”

“Good morning to you Edward and to our listeners.”

“Today listeners, Max and I are trialling a new program, Stop, Look and Listen. Each week I will interview a special guest who will nominate and discuss some of their favourite movies or music with Max and me. Today Max is my “virgin guest”, and he is going to discuss some of his favourite music.”

“Thank you, Edward. Firstly, the music I am going to discuss today was released well after I lost my virginity.”

“When did that momentous occasion take place Max, can you recall an event from that long ago?”

“That’s a bit bitchy Edward, of course I can recall it. It was in the early 1960’s when I finally lost my V-card. Anyway, enough about my sex life we are here to discuss music.”

“Yes of course Max. Many of our listeners will be familiar with your love of classical music and the knowledge you have regarding it. Will you be discussing some of your favourite classical music today?”

“Good heavens no Edward, and I am not going to discuss Maria Callas, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli or Judy Garland either. I am going to discuss pop music, specifically disco music.”

“Oh, good Max, the type of music I loved when I first took to heels and a frock.”

“Oh, do tell Edward.”

“No Max, you are my guest today. Mine is a story for perhaps another time.”

“Yes of course Edward, well to give you a little bit of a ‘heads up’ as they say, when Charles and I got married a few years ago we did not have our first waltz as a married couple to Strauss or anyone of that ilk. We chose the song that meant so much to us as a couple, Dancing Queen by Abba.”

“Oh, how delicious Max, we Aussies sure loved those super Swedes, and we gays helped resurrect their popularity many years later.”

“Yes, that is very true Edward, it was nothing short of what they deserved though. But I digress, as much as I love Abba, I am going to talk about one of their contemporaries, the fabulous Donna Summer.”

“Oh, I loved her too Max. She was the Disco Queen, the First Lady of Love.”

“Yes, quite so Edward. Donna was born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on 31 December 1948 in Boston Massachusetts. Like many of her black contemporaries she was raised singing in church. As a young adult she moved to New York and then to Germany as part of the cast of Hair.”

“Is that where she became known as Donna Summer Max?”

“Yes Edward. She married a German man named Helmut Sommer, whom she subsequently divorced. She anglicised his name to Summer and henceforth became known as Donna Summer. It was in Germany Edward, that she recorded a demo song for release by another artist. Her vocals were so extraordinary it was decided to release her version of the song, and that song, Love To Love You Baby, catapulted her to fame and launched her international career.”

“Oh yes Max I remember it well, especially the 12” single in which the BBC claimed Donna simulated 23 orgasms in the 16 minutes and 49 seconds length of the song.”

“Quite so Edward. You look a little flushed, do you have something to share about that song?”

“Oh no, Max I cannot, this show is about you and the music you like, remember.”

“Well Edward, the song was ground-breaking for its time, but it was not the last one of Donna’s songs to be regarded as so.”

“Oh, do tell Max.”

“Donna had a few more minor hits after the avalanche created by Love To Love You Baby until she had her next monster hit, a song which when released, Brian Eno, who was working with David Bowie in Berlin at the time, remarked to Bowie ‘This is it, look no further. This single is going to change the sound of club music for the next 15 years.’ Of course, I speak of I Feel Love.”

“Oh God yes Max. I remember well, dancing to it as a young man surrounded by other gorgeous sweaty young men.”

“Oh, my Edward, are you sure you are OK? You are very flushed again, is it the manopause?”

“Bite your tongue Max, you bitch.”

“The thing that many people forget Edward, or perhaps do not know, is that I Feel Love, like most of Donna’s songs, was co-written by Donna. She was primarily the lyricist, although she did write a number of songs, both music and lyrics. On I Feel Love she was responsible for the lyrics and of course, the ethereal other-worldly vocals. To this day Edward, I Feel Love is cited as a major achievement in music of any genre and its influence remains as strong as ever. I have a friend, somewhat younger than Charles and me, who loves to tell the story of the first time he heard the song as 13-year-old lad living in rural NSW. He said he went into a trance-like state, transported to a world of euphoria when he first heard the song on the radio. I believe him too Edward because I have seen his reaction when the song is played, he is a little scary as he swoons and sways.”

“What happened after I Feel Love Max?”

Well Edward, Donna starred in the rather forgettable film Thank God Its Friday, but its theme song, Last Dance, was an enormous hit for Donna and won an Academy Award and a Grammy.”

“Oh, I have seen the film Max and you are right, it was not very good.”

“Yes Edward, even the younger friend I mentioned thinks it’s a stinker, but he loves the soundtrack.”

“After this Edward, Donna released a live album entitled Live and More which became her first number 1 album in the USA. She followed this with two more double albums Bad Girls and On The Radio – Greatest Hits Volume 1 and 2, both of which also went to number 1 in the USA. In fact, Edward, she is the only artist ever to have three consecutive double albums top the charts in the USA.”

“I had Bad Girls on vinyl back in the day Max. Did you have it too?”

“Of course, Edward, any self-respecting gay man did. It was monumental with massive hits such as Hot Stuff and Bad Girls.”

“What happened to Donna after this Max?”

“Well, she had a massive hit duetting with Streisand called No More Tears (Enough Is Enough), which Streisand’s son Jason encouraged her to sing as he was a big fan of Donna’s.”

“Well Max, that should have been a dead giveaway to Babs that Jason was gay, don’t you think?”

“Perhaps Edward, Donna was very much loved by gay men until the moment she allegedly made the anti-gay remark that God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve?”

“Do you believe she said that Max?”

“I don’t know Edward, she did sue and state she said no such thing, and she did raise $400,000 for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis in an AIDS-benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall in 1998. I think if she did state it, she redeemed herself.”

“After the juggernaut of Bad Girls her career stalled somewhat Edward, although she had an enormous world-wide hit in 1983 with the anthemic She Works Hard For The Money off the album of the same name.”

“You have a tidbit of information to share with our readers about that album too don’t you Max?”

“Yes Edward. Our program’s title Stop, Look and Listen is named after a song on that album in honour of Donna.”

“Well Max, the title is rather appropriate as we look at or watch movies and we listen to music. To do so, we generally stop whatever else we are doing to fully appreciate the experience.”

“Quite so Edward.”

“Well, that is all we have time for today Max, thank you for being my “virgin” guest and we shall leave our listeners with 5 minutes and 55 seconds of pure, legal ecstasy, Donna Summer’s I Feel Love.”

“And thank you Edward for allowing me to herald Donna.”

<>

When Donna finished, Edward used his remaining program time to promote Tristan’s ballet.

“Thank you Donna, now while on the subject of love. I mean, are we ever off the subject here on this station? Anyway, I have exciting news for you. I have previously spoken about a new modern ballet soon to be premiered here in Sydney. So today I have my friend and extraordinary choreographer Tristan Coyle, here to whet your appetite by telling you the story of his new ballet, and of course it’s about luuurve. Welcome Tristan.”

“Thank you Edward, thrilled to be here.”

Now I have to declare my interest in this ballet. I have already seen s few rehearsals and I am here to tell you it will blow your sox offs. It’s modern, it’s fast and it’s raunchy. And it will be premiered at my venue, Divas on New Year’s Eve. Now Tristan, please tell us the story.”

“Sure Edward. It’s about two young couples who regularly hang out together, but then one from each couple become attracted to each other and manufacture excuses to be away from their partners and secretly together.”

“It’s sounding very naughty Tristan.”

“Just be patient and see where the story goes. In parallel the other partners find themselves together also. Eventually the innocent partners work out what is happening and individually confront their respective partners, who both deny it.”

“I don’t think this will have a happy ending.”

“Well, there are some tender love scenes together.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Now continue Tristan.”

“When the innocents next meet they decide that if their partners won’t admit to their infidelity and stop it, then they need to be taught a practical lesson.”

“Sounds intriguing, so what sort of lesson do they have in mind?”

“The practical lesson is to arrange to be caught together by their misbehaving partners, in the hope they learn how it feels to be cheated on. But the misbehaving partners and not disturbed by this.”

“Oh no, not a good outcome so far.”

“Then the innocent partners realise they are attracted to each other and continue the relationship.”

“And the ending?”

“Well, the swap is complete, hence the title.”

“Ah, so it does have a happy ending, though not the one I was expecting. So it’s called The Swap, but clearly not the Disney version.”

“No it’s a bit more racy than that. I hope people will come and see my ballet and enjoy it.”

“I’m certain they will Tristan and I will announce now that tickets go on sale tomorrow.”