noizemagazine - Index

noizemagazine - noiZe Magazine Issue 59 February 2009 - Index

Peyton works for the Saint-at-Large
and is a well-known player on New
York’s fetish scene. “Fetish keeps
changing,” he says. “Young kids
coming up are wearing latex, gear—
scuba, hockey—head to toe, right
down to the cleats. A major change
is away from leather.” The sex isn’t
limited to the stages either. The
dance floor can get quite frisky, and
as for the upstairs Love Lounge—
well, the name speaks for itself.
Above all, however, this is a dance
party, and the choice of DJs to
spin this party inevitably becomes
the subject of gossip among party
boys weeks before the Saint-at-
Large’s official announcement, after
President’s Day. A lot of the effort
to keep the party fresh goes into
the music, and Pevner believes that
the DJs must respect the party’s
traditions while keeping it current.
For many years, original Saint DJ
Michael Fierman spun this party
solo. But 18 hours is a lot for anyone,
and in recent years, there have
been three DJs: a warm-up, usually
a newer or lesser-known talent,
from the Saturday night opening
until about 2 a.m.; then a headliner,
who goes until about 10:30 a.m.;
and a closer, who spins the Morning
Music and Sleaze that’s identified as the
Saint Sound. The party usually closes
around 4 p.m. on Sunday. The DJ roster
reads like a “Who’s Who” of the music
world. But before the party, they’re all
thoroughly prepped on how to spin:
dark and sexy.
The Black Party strives to keep the vibe,
musically and in every other way, as an
underground event. This is not a typical
“Circuit weekend,” with a pass, tea
dance or souvenir booklet. That said,
other venues piggyback on the Black
Party. Alegria Xtreme, which acts as an
unofficial “closing party,” takes the boys
well into Monday afternoon.
Amidst a torrent of change in the gay
scene over thirty years, the Black Party
has managed to remain so popular
because it blends the best of the past—
both our recent gay past and a past
lost in the mists of time—with the current
scene. To attract younger revelers,
Pevner has been charging only $40 after
4 a.m. for younger guys. For the thousands
of men who fly in from all over the
world, this remains the party of the year.
“The scale of the party, ticket price and
number of people we get allow us to
give value for the money and give one
hell of a sound and light show,” Pevner
says.
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Happy Am I! Healthy Am I! holy Am I!