Jerome Caja & the Bubble Lounges Panel

Thank you all for coming out and participating in the vibrant panel discussion!

It was a full house with many familiar faces from the club scene and the art world. The panel used Jerome as a launching point for a public conversation about a misfit group of punks, activists, artists, dykes, trans, and queers who went to clubs like Screw, Chaos, and Uranus to celebrate life at a time when they did not know if they were going to make it out alive. Back then, the club scene, midnight cabarets and talk shows, and underground art galleries, like Rick Jacobsen’s Kiki Gallery, were integral parts of the activism and protests propelling the fight against AIDS in the late 80’s and early 90’s. ​

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Panelists & Participants:

​STEVEN WOLF started the evening off with thanks and appreciation for everyone’s participation. He set the stage for a lovely, heartfelt evening.  

GLEN HELFAND was the moderator for the panel. He guided a conversation that was more historical than just nostalgic, with a strong emphasis on the impact the clubs, Jerome, and other artists of the era had on San Francisco. 

ANTHONY CIANCIOLO presented vintage video clips from Club Uranus and the 1992 Miss Uranus pageant, which showcased the hair-raising siren sounds of Miss Rena McDonald (Adam Klein) and the nauseating splendor of Carnitas Jones (Cliff Hengst). Anthony also talked about the importance of Lewis Walden and Michael Blue in providing a forum where Jerome’s gender-fuck go-go performances and ugly pageants were as important as the audience’s cathartic participation.​

ALVIN ORLOFF of the Popstitutes talked about the importance of Tony Vaguely’s huge body of work, including the Sick & Twisted Players’ productions of Exorcist: A Dance Macabre, A Very Brady Friday the 13th, and Texas Chainsaw 90210. Alvin had a beautiful slideshow spotlighting the unforgettable presence and work of the fabulous Diet Popstitute. He also shared all kinds of handmade Popstitute ephemera like club flyers, DIY plastic flower miniskirts, and a ridiculous, towering synthetic-hair hat that he modeled for us.

TERENCE ALAN SMITH reminded us that the queer uprising was not unique to San Francisco; it flowered simultaneously in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. Terence screened a wonderful excerpt from his interview of Jerome on the Joan Jett Blakk Show at Josie’s Cabaret & Juice Joint. Jerome teeters out onto the stage in skimpy, tattered lingerie. Joan, in tasteful cashmere, interviews Jerome as if they were on the Oprah Winfrey show. Jerome talks about everything from his childhood to having his art stolen from a San Francisco leather bar.

STEVEN MILLER shared several hilarious stories about Jerome. One involved Jerome chasing him around the club and demanding "Come here, you little sex dwarf!" Steven also talked about go-go dancing with Jerome and how he met his current lover through Jerome.

STEVYN POLK’s club Haagen Dazs in the Castro (circa 1988) was a precursor to Screw, Chaos, and Uranus. Steven brought the house down with a very ice-creamy Club Haagen Dazs story about Jerome that is too risqué to mention here. You will have to ask him in person. 

LEWIS WALDEN, the man who made much of this possible, joined in the panel discussion. Lewis had no idea what was about to unfold that night.

It was wonderful to have a public forum to acknowledge Lewis and Michael Blue’s seminal contribution to the Art-AIDS-Activism era. Everybody cheered when someone suggested that Lewis start a new club. And most importantly, the ear-to-ear grin on Lewis’s face was priceless! 

JESSICA TANZER, a brilliant photographer and activist from San Francisco, said what was on everyone’s hearts and minds — “Thank you, Lewis!”

MICHAEL FLANAGAN eloquently captured the evening with this post on Facebook: “I was reminded of the importance of bearing witness last night at the Bubble Lounges event. A panel member asked how many people had been to the clubs in question (Club Uranus, Club Screw, etc.) and over half of the audience's hands went up. Aside from remembering the good times we are there to remember the impact of our friends, who cannot be there. Their contributions live on in us.”

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Anthony Cianciolo & Lewis Walden

Terence Alan Smith & Glen Helfand

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The Tiny Bubbles group art show at the SFAC Gallery has been extended for a week, through Saturday, August 26, 2017. The show includes 50 pieces of Jerome Caja’s work. On August 26th, the Arts Commission will hold a special closing-night celebration and procession that honors the original gallery space on Grove Street in the Civic Center. Jerome had a multi-faceted and rich relationship with the SFAC Gallery  in both of these spaces. We hope to see you there.

Lastly, thank you Maysoun Wazwaz and Meg Shiffler from the SFAC Gallery for hosting this event. We cannot wait to see the recorded video of the event when it goes live on YouTube.

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by Anthony Cianciolo