Nobody does “trailer park chic” like writer-director Del Shores, and two of his most notable works are being given new life. Sordid Lives has been released in a new Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, and Southern Baptist Sissies, the stage-to-screen adaptation of his GLAAD Award-winning play, makes its debut on DVD Nov. 4.
The world that Shores explores in both films may seem a bit over the top at times, but he gives that world a strangely fathomable logic -- as if everybody has a rusty chain-link fence surrounding their house or an even rustier trailer next door. Both are the creations of a master at the top of his game, and they are a complete hoot to watch.
“It still works,” Shores says of Sordid Lives, which came out in 2000. “I just love that people are finding this movie still. There is that theme of love, forgiveness and family that’s basically at the core of Sordid Lives that people relate to.”
Billed as “a black comedy about white trash,” the film stars Kirk Geiger as Ty Williamson, a young, gay (but not yet out to his family) West Hollywood actor who’s seen no less than 27 therapists and says he’s needed all of them. Ty is reticent to return home to a small Texas town for the funeral of his grandmother, Peggy, who died after a fall in a seedy motel room. She tripped over the two prosthetic legs belonging to her neighbor, G.W. Nethercott, with whom she was having an affair.
It just gets better from there, as we meet three generations of her eccentric and dysfunctional family and friends and the hilariously trashy truths of their sordid lives are revealed.
For instance, 23 years before, Peggy had her Tammy Wynette-obsessed drag-queen son, Earl (a.k.a. Brother Boy), locked up in the state asylum. There, Brother Boy is subjected to some harsh therapy for his “severe case of homosexuality” by Dr. Eve Bolinger. Not since Nurse Ratched has the screen seen such a depraved psychiatric professional as Dr. Eve.
As the child-like Brother Boy, Leslie Jordan has easily won audience’s hearts, and his performance here has practically become synonymous with the entire movie itself. Jordan is Shores’ secret weapon in getting his points across, and he’s a genuine gay goodwill ambassador.
Yet if Brother Boy has any competition for our affections, it’s Beth Grant as Aunt Sissy. The first third of the film takes place in her living room as Sissy’s two nieces -- Latrelle (Ty’s mother, and the ever-so-prim “good girl” daughter of the deceased) and her sister LaVonda argue over Brother Boy’s confinement and whether he should attend his own mother’s memorial service.
LaVonda may be the town hussy, but at least she’s got a more understanding perspective on her brother and nephew’s homosexuality. (“All I’m sayin’ is that Ty has more in common with Brother Boy than you’re willin’ to admit,” LaVonda spits at Latrelle. “I think you blame Brother Boy for ‘the way’ Ty is!”)
Ty decides to be true to himself and attend his grandmother’s service, where he confesses both to her (in her casket) and to Latrelle: “I’m gay as a goose -- gayer than Uncle Brother Boy.”
“No one’s that gay!” his mother retorts.
Played by Bonnie Bedelia, Latrelle’s a walking tempest in a tea pot. (“He calls it ‘art’—I call it trash!” she seethes at one point when recalling how she paid her son a visit in Los Angeles to see him in a play in which he got to cavort “in the altogether” with a bunch of other naked men). As her sister, Ann Walker (who also appears briefly in Southern Baptist Sissies) super-charges LaVonda with over-the-top aplomb.
Meanwhile, rounding out the cast are Beau Bridges as Nethercott, the adulterous amputee whose trailer home is next-door to Sissy’s, and Delta Burke as his distraught wife, Noleta, a role Burke portrays with fast-talking, Southern-fried perfection.
Sordid Lives also marks a return to country music for Olivia Newton-John. She came to the United States back in the 1970s as a country singer before changing to a more pop sound. The film’s catchy title number has become something of a hit for her and is highly requested at her concerts. She plays Bitsy Mae Harling, an ex-con turned honky-tonk bar singer who is a bleached blonde, complete with dark roots.
In Southern Baptist Sissies, produced in 2013, Shores, who is himself the son of a Baptist minister, explores the frequently caustic rhetoric of dogmatic religions like the Southern Baptists and its effects on the fragile development of adolescent homosexuals.
By filming the stage play directly instead of adapting it into a larger movie, Shores maintains the more intimate experience of the theater. The production reveals the many complicated emotions of the confused child, the struggling adolescent, and the damaged adults these boys become.
Emerson Collins, a co-producer who also plays the role of Mark, was a huge influence on the decision to film the play. “He said, ‘You know, the play works so well. Have you ever thought of just filming the play as the film?’” Shores says.
Collins found that Shores concurred. “As a kid I was a real ‘theater brat,’” he says. “My mother was a high school drama teacher, so I thought that would be such an interesting approach -- because the church is theater as well.”
Mark is our sometime genial, sometimes not guide on this odd odyssey, who recalls his days growing up in his small, conservative parish in “the buckle of the Bible Belt.” Through flashbacks, he introduces us to the four “sissy” boys of the title: himself, T.J., Benny and Andrew.
Speaking from his church, Calvary Baptist (which seems to be the hub of their communal lives), Mark tells us, “This is where we learned to hate ourselves.”
Luke Stratte-McClure is T.J., the pious bisexual golden boy for whom Mark clearly burns. “You are so righteous in your unrighteousness,” T.J. accuses Mark. T.J.’s inevitable and devastating rejection of Mark has the ring of painful authenticity.
Countering their near-overwhelming hostility though, is Willam Belli in a tour-de-force performance as Benny, the choir-boy turned “professional female illusionist” (also known by his stage name, Iona Trailer). The role gives Belli the opportunity to perform several songs, showing what a dynamic singer he is. Benny is ultimately the wisest character we meet on this often emotional and edgy voyage, and although some have nitpicked Shores’ supposed tendency to see gay men in light of cross-dressers, it is these characters in both films -- Brother Boy and Benny -- who prove to be the most likable, and in their own fashion, the best-adjusted.
Lastly, but perhaps most potently, is Andrew, played by Matthew Scott Montgomery. His story doesn’t really take off until the second act, but it is truly worth waiting for.
Shores says that he frequently thinks back to the boy he was while actually living the situations he outlines in Southern Baptist Sissies. “I think about that little boy sitting in the pews of the First Baptist Church having that big secret, and I’d like to give him a hug and tell him it’s gonna be OK -- it does get better!”
Each film’s cast does a superlative job of navigating both the nuttiness of their given situations and, where appropriate, the gravity underlying them. This is thanks in large part to the solid core repertory company that Shores has assembled. It’s particularly intriguing to see these same performers in similar-but-different roles.
Among them, Newell Alexander gives a strong performance in Sordid Lives as Wardell “Bubba” Owens, a seedy bartender who has a touching change of heart regarding his vicious past mistreatment of Brother Boy. Then, in Southern Baptist Sissies, he’s equal parts fire, brimstone and self-righteousness as the domineering pastor at Calvary Baptist Church.
His real-life wife, Rosemary Alexander, so spot-on as the icy bitch Dr. Eve Bolinger in Sordid Lives, offers fine support in Southern Baptist Sissies as Andrew’s well-meaning but clueless mother, whose ignorance leads to tragedy.
Dale Dickey fleetingly appears in Sordid Lives as Glyndora, a gin-soaked jailbird who LaVonda and Noleta are locked up with after they get caught trying to rob a liquor store. She takes on a far more substantial role in Southern Baptist Sissies, co-starring as Odette Annette Barnet (her mama wanted twins, she explains). A faded barfly who’s “not a lesbian -- just an alcoholic,” she pops in and out of the main narrative along with her little friend, Preston Leroy (or Peanut), played with puckish brilliance by Leslie Jordan. (Peanut’s a social drinker -- “You have a drink and so-shall I!”) Although initially seen providing laughs to contrast the show’s heavier moments, in the end we learn the real desperate truth behind Miss Odette’s nightly sojourns to the local gay watering hole.
If you’re not familiar with Sordid Lives, this new Blu-ray/DVD combo pack offers the perfect opportunity to see a favorite of LGBT audiences. New bonus material includes interviews with the director and cast, including Kirk Geiger, Bonnie Bedelia and Leslie Jordan. A “vintage” commentary track is also included.
“Everybody’s so excited that this is on Blu-ray,” Shores says. “I think they want to see what the cast looks like now, and they’re all excited about the extra features on it. I interviewed a lot of the cast about the journey and how none of us really expected this to happen with this movie!”
Likewise, the availability of Southern Baptist Sissies on DVD and VOD from Breaking Glass Pictures offers everyone a chance to acquaint themselves with a moving masterpiece of gay theater.
For more information about Sordid Lives, check out www.WolfeVideo.com. For more about Southern Baptist Sissies, go to BG Pics or visit Southern Baptist Sissies.
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WhistlePig and Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Wind Tunnel-Trialed Whiskey Is a Ryed You Don’t Want to Miss
SHOREHAM, VT (September 13, 2023) — WhistlePig Whiskey, the leaders in independent craft whiskey, and Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake are waving the checkered flag on a legend-worthy release that’s taking whiskey to G-Force levels. The Limited Edition PiggyBack Legends Series: Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel is a high Rye Whiskey selected by the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake drivers, with barrels trialed in their wind tunnel to ensure a thrilling taste in every sip.
The third iteration in WhistlePig’s Single Barrel PiggyBack Legends Series, the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel is bottled at 96.77 proof, a nod to Valtteri Bottas’ racing number, 77, and the precision of racing. Inspired by Zhou Guanyu, the first Chinese F1 driver, this Rye Whiskey is finished with lychee and oolong tea. Herbal and floral notes of the oolong tea complement the herbaceous notes of WhistlePig’s signature PiggyBack 100% Rye, rounded out with a juicy tropical fruit finish and a touch of spice.
Like Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake’s signature C43 racing vehicles, trial barrels were tested in the team’s wind tunnel in Switzerland before hitting the track. Select barrels then endured varying levels of G-Forces at the WhistlePig farm and distillery for the finishing touch, accelerating the interaction between the whiskey and the wood, staying true to the physical nature of Formula 1.
“Partnering with WhistlePig has been a very exciting experience. Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake is dedicated to being the best on the track, and the crew at WhistlePig is fearless in their pursuit to create the best whiskey out there,” said Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake’s driver. “We’re really looking forward to fans tasting our custom Rye Whiskey and raising a glass to the rookies, veterans, legends and the exhilarating sport of F1.”
"Joining forces with WhistlePig to release a Single Barrel Rye Whiskey that represents my culture and team has been an honor,” said Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake’s driver. “Formula 1 brings together fearless, thrill-seeking motorsports professionals, and WhistlePig has a shared passion for boundary-pushing innovation. Together, we’ve selected something alarmingly good for fans to enjoy this season when the cars are not on track.”
The Limited Edition Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel will be available for purchase online starting around September 13 for $49.99 MSRP per 750ml bottle and sold in select stores across the U.S. Consumers can win VIP merchandise by scanning the QR code on the back of each bottle.
"We're taking our third Legends Series release on a ryed like never before,” said Meghan Ireland, WhistlePig Head Blender. "Our experiments with dynamic aging went full throttle during finishing trials at the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake wind tunnel, in turn inspiring new ways to expose barrels to G-forces back at the WhistlePig Farm. The herbal and floral notes of the lychee and tea barrel selected with the team create a new, podium-topping experience for PiggyBack Rye."
Fans and collectors have followed WhistlePig PiggyBack Legends Series, celebrating those who give 100% in the name of greatness, since its launch in March 2022 with Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, David Ortiz (“Big Papi”), followed by Country Music Duo Brothers Osborne in November 2022.
To learn more about WhistlePig Whiskey, visit whistlepigwhiskey.com. You can also check out WhistlePig Whiskey on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About WhistlePig Whiskey
Located off the grid on a 500-acre Vermont farm, WhistlePig Whiskey is crafted by a new generation of whiskey distillers and blenders driven to reinvent and unlock the flavor of Rye whiskey. Through their rebellious pursuit of experimenting and pushing boundaries in the industry, WhistlePig has become the leading independent craft whiskey brand for innovation. WhistlePig is committed to becoming the best whiskey on and for the planet, starting with its locally sourced ingredients and sustainable supply chain and distilling process. For more information, head to whistlepigwhiskey.com.
Nurse Practitioner Ari Kravitz
When I started medical transition at 20 years old, it was very difficult to get the care I needed for hormone replacement therapy because there are very few providers trained in starting hormones for trans people, even though it’s very similar to the hormones that we prescribe to women in menopause or cisgender men with low testosterone.
I hope more providers get trained in LGBTQ+ healthcare, so they can support patients along their individual gender journey, and provide the info needed to make informed decisions about their body. I’ve personally seen my trans patients find hope and experience a better quality of life through hormone replacement therapy.
If you don’t have a primary care physician who specializes in LGBTQ+ care in your community, you may need to educate yourself (and your provider). But, before you seek such therapy, here are five things you should know!
- Monitor closely. At Spectrum Medical Care Center, we screen patients for certain risks before starting anyone on hormones. We frequently monitor patients in the first year to ensure there are no adverse reactions and lab results are within safe ranges. Follow-up care is also important to assess your comfort with the transition as well as the social impact and social support you’re experiencing.
- Some changes are permanent, some temporary. For transmasculine individuals going on testosterone, they’ll experience these permanent changes: deepened voice, clitoral enlargement (also known as bottom growth), more body, facial hair, and male pattern baldness. Reversible changes include cessation of menses, increased muscle mass and strength, body fat redistribution, and skin oiliness or acne. For those going on estrogen therapy, the most permanent change is breast growth. Feminizing hormone therapy can also cause atrophy (shrinkage) of the genitals and loss of erectile function that may not be reversible. Estrogen will thin body hair, soften the skin, can increase scalp hair, and decrease muscle mass and strength, all of which are reversible.
- You can’t pick and choose results. Unfortunately, you can’t pick and choose the physical changes you want, which may feel challenging. Some of my patients will say, ‘Okay, ‘I’ve seen the permanent changes I want, and I don’t want it to go any further,’ and so at that point, we stop therapy. Low-dose hormone therapy can slow down the rate of changes, allowing for a more gradual physical transition. We counsel patients in advance about the common changes, and it’s up to the individual as to when they’d like to scale back and determine whether some benefits are worth the potential risks.
- Be aware of risks. Like any medical treatment, there are potential risks involved. Some risks with testosterone therapy include increased red blood cell mass, acne, hypertension, sleep apnea, weight gain, and dyslipidemia (increases the chance of clogged arteries). Cardiovascular disease is likely increased with additional risk factors for testosterone and estrogen therapy. Transfeminine patients going on estrogen therapy may experience weight gain, thromboembolic disease (when a blood clot breaks off and blocks another blood vessel), and a high level of triglycerides in the blood.
Descanso Resort swimming pool and lounge area
Descanso Resort, Palm Springs' premier destination for gay men, just received Tripadvisor's highest honor, a Travelers' Choice "Best of the Best" award for 2023. Based on guests' reviews and ratings, fewer than 1% of Tripadvisor's 8 million listings around the world receive the coveted "Best of the Best" designation. Descanso ranked 12th in the top 25 small inns and hotels category in the United States. Quite an accomplishment!
Open less than two years, Descanso Resort offers gay men a relaxing and luxurious boutique hotel experience just minutes away from Palm Springs' buzziest restaurants, nightclubs, and shopping. Descanso has quickly established itself as a top destination for sophisticated gay travelers, earning hundreds of 5-star guest reviews and consistently ranking in Trapadvisor's top positions alongside brother properties Santiago Resort and Twin Palms Resort.
"Our entire team is honored to be named Best of the Best. To be the only gay men's resort recognized in the Top 1% is incredibly humbling," said Kent Taylor, General Manager at Descanso. "We appreciate Tripadvisor and we're grateful to all our guests who gave us such high marks and reviews to help us reach this achievement."
“Ranking among the Best of the Best demonstrates that you have provided exemplary experiences to those who maZer most: your guests,” said John Boris, Chief Growth Officer at Tripadvisor. “With changing expectations, continued labor shortages, and rising costs, this is no easy feat, and I am con6nually impressed with the hospitality industry’s resilience and ability to adapt.”
Santiago Resort was once again honored by Tripadvisor with a 2023 Travelers’ Choice award, placing it among the top 10% of travelers’ top reviewed des6na6ons. Twin Palms will become eligible for ranking in 2024.
Check out all the reviews, and discover more about Descanso Resort on Tripadvisor here. We have an excellent library of resort imagery available to accompany editorial and additional resources on our press page. Please contact Descanso Resort’s General Manager, Kent Taylor, at kent@descansoresort.com for further information.
About Descanso Resort
Inspired by Palm Springs’ history as a des6na6on for Hollywood stars to unwind in privacy, Descanso offers guests a casual yet modern take on the legendary style of that 6me. Created by the same hospitality team that revitalized Palm Springs’ much-loved San6ago Resort and recently launched the all-new Twin Palms Resort, the Descanso property opened in 2022 featuring 15 spacious guest rooms with custom-designed furniture, dreamy King-size beds, and luxe details. Ameni6es include continental breakfast, poolside lunch, welcome snack basket, and lots of special touches. For guests who need to stay connected, the entire property is equipped with blazing-fast Wi-Fi. Mul6-speed bikes are available for exploring the surrounding midcentury neighborhoods and public art installations. Like the Hollywood stars before them, guests at Descanso are encouraged to unwind, relax, and rest in style.
About Tripadvisor
Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site and app to discover where to stay, what to do and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more than 1 billion reviews and opinions of nearly 8 million businesses, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants and discover great places nearby.