RE: Last Night

Not funded by Gilead Sciences

Funded by Blonded, independently

Let’s just get that out of the way

Club culture around late 70s and
80s nightlife in NYC was a special
Much talked about and written about thing
From the star studded midtown
Clubs like studio 54 and the
First danceteria to the
Downtown clubs like Mudd +
Paradise garage the figures, the
Music, the looks
The lack of regulation haha i recognize NY
Wasn’t all lasers and disco
Lighting and that simultaneously
There was a lot of crime and poverty and that
A huge part of club
Culture, the gay community
At that time were being wiped out by
HIV + AIDS now in 2019
There’s a pill you can take
Every day that will at
A better than 90% chance
Prevent you from contracting
HIV this pill was approved by the FDA in 2012
The pricing strategy behind it
Is malicious in
My opinion and so it’s public perception
Is marred and rightfully so
But the fact remains that despite
Price being a very
Real barrier to this potentially life
Saving drug for some, the
Other very real barrier is awareness
I decided to name
What was otherwise going to be
A night of lights and
Music inspired by an era of clubbing that I
Loved PrEP+ because while designing the
Club which is inside
Of an old glass factory basement in Queens
(shoutout to The Basement that runs
A very awesome techno night
On Fridays after us) I started to imagine in
An era where so many lives were lost and so
Much promise was lost forever
Along with them
What would it have been like if
Something, anything had existed that in
All probability would’ve saved
Thousands and thousands of lives
I’m an artist, it’s core to my
Job to imagine realities that don’t
Necessarily exist and it’s a
Joy to a couple days before
We threw the party
I was discussing this subject with
My team and one of
The architects I work with thought
That PrEP as a
Drug had reached ‘100% saturation’ so
Far as awareness i thought
He was dead wrong so I asked a friend
(who I won’t name haha) if he knew
What PrEP was and his response was
‘isn’t that some type of viagra or something’
My ex who I was with
For several years didn’t know about it when
We first met at a gay club
In LA awareness isn’t always what we’d
Hope it would be but anyway
I’m ranting i’m happy that folks are
Talking about the subject in
The first place thank
You to everyone who came out and danced
With us last night y’all were beautiful and
The energy was right! Thank you Bouffant
Bouffant, Sango
Justice and Sherelle for your sets last night
They were soo good man oh
One more thing, I saw someone say that
This was a PR stunt etc etc
Pshhh bitch pls come get a drink next time
And I’ll put several barstools out so you
Can have as many seats as you need
All my love everybody really stay safe