I Come Alive: A Conversation With @GrabYaJimmie

Episode Transcript

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[00:00:00] Disclaimer

DJ Sir Daniel: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Queue Points.

[00:00:05] Introduction and Welcome

DJ Sir Daniel: Welcome to I Come Alive Stories of Black Gay Atlanta Nightlife. I'm your host, DJ Sir Daniel. This series strives to tell the stories of Atlanta's gay nightlife from the perspective of the people who lived it. For many living in nearby states such as Alabama, Mississippi, and even Florida, Atlanta represented a safe haven because being seen going into a gay establishment.

This episode you will meet Jimmie and hear his stories of working in a jute joint as a teenager to now embracing his role as an elder in the black gay community. Enjoy the show.

[00:00:56] Jimmie's Journey in Atlanta

DJ Sir Daniel: I've been in Atlanta for 31 30 30 32 years No, 31 going on 31 years and it's been quite the journey. I've seen quite a few things and I've just one of the things that really caught my attention or piqued my curiosity as I got older.

As I witnessed the city grow and change was the diminishing presence of a lot of black and queer spaces. Uh, mostly due to the fact that black people didn't necessarily own quite a few spaces or we got pushed out because of the city's growth or we got pushed out into further away from the city.

There's lots of different reasons as to why.

[00:01:55] Evolution of Black Queer Spaces

DJ Sir Daniel: The Atlanta black gay culture has shifted, but I'm still curious as to know what other people think about it. And. their perspective on any, everything, and what do they foresee for the future? So with that being said, I have another fantastic guest for you all.

[00:02:15] Introducing Jimmie Valentino

DJ Sir Daniel: I met this young man, probably well over a decade now. And we, prior to us starting this recording, we were talking about growth. And I think we've witnessed each other grow. And I, one of the things that's changed about him is that his, his names and his personas evolve over the years. So I'm going to let him introduce himself because I, I just call, I lovingly calling him, call him Jimmie.

Cause that's how I was introduced to him. But Jimmie, I want you to go ahead and tell the people. What you're going by these days and, um, and how they would know you because you've had your online presence as well. So please introduce yourself to the, to the audience.

[00:03:05] Jimmie's Early Life and Musical Influences

Jimmie Valentino: Hi everybody. I am grab your Jimmie. I've just, that's the name I really go by.

I initially started as Jimmie Valentino. Um, I have wrote on different, um, blogs, even including my own. Um, Most of you may be familiar with what's t. com. Not what's the tea actually is. What's the t. com. So I'm lying. What's the t. com with, um, Tron. Um, I also was semi a pseudo intern for the better days radio for a moment.

Uh,

DJ Sir Daniel: I forgot, I forgot about that. You are. Absolutely right. I forgot about that. Uh, so you, we really have witnessed each other's evolution over the years. And I think one, so as a DJ, one of the, I remember one of the spaces that I. I gained my chops in and got my practice in was our good friend Michael Slaughter's house parties.

Yes, Michael Slaughter is legendary for having wonderful house parties in a home. He used to have in the Cascade area of Atlanta. Some of you may be familiar with that area. Very well to do old Atlanta, old Atlanta money, all the old black Atlanta money. Hello. For sure, for sure. And, you know, um, once upon a time, I, I don't know, I think I asked him, I was like, you know, I, I'm starting this DJ thing.

I, I can, I have my own controller and my laptop, you know, can I come through and play? Because I think he used to use, um, what was his name? He was a dance Renado. He was a dancer as well? No,

Jimmie Valentino: no. Um, oh, he talking about Junior. Okay. Junior. Junior, yes. Um, he, he's, um, he

DJ Sir Daniel: does now he, he is, he's in the entertainment field and more so on the adult side of entertainment now, but I know he used to, you know, exactly.

And, um, Tony, your best friend, Tony, um, for years, I, I lovingly call the both of you. The two of you are my Sidney and Shireen because no matter where, no matter where we were, the music was playing, Jimmie and Tony were like the first ones out on the floor. Cutting a rug and just, I just love, I live to see y'all dance together.

It just used to do my heart good. And I would be like those two. And then y'all, y'all a little bit, you know, quite a bit younger than me, a few years younger than me, but you all have this spirit of dance and really appreciate music, all of them, all music. And I really appreciated that about you and Tony.

Um, so as we get this conversation started, Okay.

[00:05:57] First Experiences in the Club Scene

DJ Sir Daniel: Let the audience know where you from originally and what brought you to Atlanta.

Jimmie Valentino: Okay. So I was actually born in Cincinnati, Ohio. So which explains. My music, my musicality, because of course Ohio is known for all the funk.

DJ Sir Daniel: Mm-Hmm. ,

Jimmie Valentino: um, new disco artists like Midnight Star, the Isley Brothers, the Ohio players can function and the ojs.

So I grew up around that kind of music. But once I moved down south, I think I was like a kid. I don't remember the time we moved to Alabama. Um. And listening to which is so funny. I just watched the stats music, um, documentary, which my aunts and uncles played stats, music, um, blues. And so when you talk about the musicality of why I know so much music is because of that because my dad

I got introduced to more music through my godfather. And so, um, that's when I learned about house music, uh, techno and all the different kind of things because I was used to the, in the south, I really admit, I hated, I hated rap southern route because I thought I wanted to be in the forest.

DJ Sir Daniel: I wanted the bubble goose . So you mentioned your godfather. Um, and you've told me this story before, but tell the audience about, um, the establishment that your godfather ran. How you got and the role you played in your godfather's establishment, okay, so

Jimmie Valentino: My godfather used to have what I don't know how I don't know people know what a jute joint hole in the wall is but So I'm about to

DJ Sir Daniel: describe it for them a jute

Jimmie Valentino: So a jute joint is very like a southern thing where they play blues, um, and old school music.

It's so very, very much a holding wall, one way, one way in, one way out. If they started fighting, you better try to find out the nearest exit as much as you can. Um, can I curse, um, drunk niggas, drunk niggas and bitches drinking moonshine and whiskey, corn liquor, you know, that's a, and they heartbroken. So there you go.

And so, um, I actually used to clean his club out every weekend for 20, 50. That was my allowance between the club, um, which included, um, Putting the records back up and all that stuff. So, eventually I started DJing him. I'm sorry for them. I thought I could sound off on that. Um, I thought I, I started DJing for him illegally because I'm underage.

DJ Sir Daniel: How old were you at this time? How old were you?

Jimmie Valentino: I want to say either 15, 16.

DJ Sir Daniel: So so the you're you're 15 16 at that time. So when do you start I? Guess getting the itch to hang out on your own and hang out with your peers and did that happen in?

[00:09:02] Discovering Atlanta's Gay Nightlife

DJ Sir Daniel: Alabama was their place was there anywhere to go in Alabama for you all to hang out?

Jimmie Valentino: Are you talking about the gays or whatever In

DJ Sir Daniel: general? Well, I mean, 'cause there might be some overlap. Let us know if there's any overlap. So, so there's an

Jimmie Valentino: overlap to this. Okay. So, um, when I, so I will admit I never hung out with my peers either one of my age. I try not to because I'm not, and not saying that I was better anybody, but my mom was on totally two different things.

So I would, I hope my mom's not listening to this, but she probably know this now. At 15, 16, 17, I used to sneak in the straight clubs And it was this club called the rose where they didn't check id and They used to have a college night. And so That's what my first experience to the club outside of me working in jute joint was and so When I was in upper bound Which is upper bound.

We used to go to the rose It's nick and miss curfew and all that You So cuz the rolls is like really maybe a five minute walk for Alabama State okay, so all the kids that didn't have us didn't have a Car that we used to walk through the hood to the roads Drinking up the cheap ass blue motherfuckers in a 40 ounce glop for 10

DJ Sir Daniel: That sounds Terrifying

Jimmie Valentino: it sounds good As a 20 21 year old 21 year old or below that what are you supposed to be drinking what you was drinking?

It sounds good. But all of them is like, oh, that's a headache and that's a disaster. Oh my god That's how I actually got into the club and then especially My idea of the club was very much and I and god, oh, I can't I know he canceled now But it was very much puffy bad boy height williams scene like um You Very much dead welcome to the house parties and all that stuff.

So when the when the tweet said early, I missed the air when the club was like hot in here with the Sweat and all that stuff like no, they actually didn't have you just wasn't there and fortunately for me I was there when um With in alabama was which is crazy. We're busting rhymes in alabama Where people always have dance routines to put your hands for your eyes to see and they were doing the muffin baby dance I still remember that to this day Um, the girls used to twerk to, um, before I let go by a, uh, maze, which was so weird to me, but it's Alabama, they just, they just shake ass.

So it's a lot of things that I'm gonna try to say in this podcast that Alabama was turned the first time I actually heard Jill Scott getting in the way with that strip club because the girls taking their clothes off.

DJ Sir Daniel: Mm-Hmm.

Jimmie Valentino: to get in the way in, um, Charlene.

DJ Sir Daniel: By Anthony. Anthony Hamilton, yes. Wow. That's a, that's a pretty big range Yes.

For the club, but I get it. I get it. And so now, so you set the scene as for what was happening. Um, with your peers when you were in college, and I'm assuming this was on the straight side of things. Yes. So, when you, where did you go when you wanted to, um, to sow your oats as a, as a, were you, were you closeted?

Were you on the DL? What did you consider yourself?

Jimmie Valentino: Um, I will say, a lot of people, because I'm laughing at it, because I'm laughing at it now. Mm hmm. They were considered to be trade back then, which was so funny to me. I'm like, but because I was very, because at that time I was very much, um, a, I'm not gonna say I was very much good.

I was very much closed baggy attitude. Everything, which was totally different because keep in mind, excuse me, there was like 99, 2000 before when the quote unquote homo thug era was kicking in, which I didn't even know that was an era until I had an older gay tell me this.

DJ Sir Daniel: Oh, you never, you never saw any of the off the hook series at that time when you never, not

Jimmie Valentino: at that time.

It was just very much like, cause I was like still 18, 19 when it was happening. Yeah. And so, um, I was very much willing, admittedly, I was very much one of the type of people like, I'm not like them gays, I'm not that type of gay, this is who I am, and so, um, what I did do, um, how I ended up finding out about different places was College Club.

So College Club is College Club was basically a, the first one of the first things around with, um, LL messenger and all the things. Um, I can't say, I want to say it's like the first social one, the first era of social media, but it's more like a bulletin board chat line. Yeah,

DJ Sir Daniel: we didn't have, we had Yahoo three 60.

So I know what you mean. You had those kind of chat rooms and bulletin boards and whatnot. So yes. So you found out about

Jimmie Valentino: I found out about the club and it's actually, um, the first club that, the first gay club that I actually been to. Was tracks off Lucky Street

DJ Sir Daniel: Okay, so your first gay club you left from Alabama.

Now, was this a solo trip? Oh, no, no, this was a scene who I was in the ride. How did y'all Tony?

Jimmie Valentino: Tony? Tony, of course One of my friends I think his name was Travis his boyfriend that was that I order from no, he wasn't out He was, he was a, um, Sigma from, um, Mississippi state. I forgot his name and how we ended up going.

It was my birthday, but we had went to the swag championships because the school that we went to was in the swag championships at that time. And I can't think of the year. No, I do remember who it was. It was, um, Alabama, Alabama A& M and Grammy state. Because I remember the people had, because the Grammy girls had just the, the Tempest commercial.

We let it whip. And they were throwing tampons, they were throwing tampons at the girls, but wow shady, but Uh, I remember we went there because we was in birmingham and at the and birmingham did have a gay club, but we just we Didn't really go or we didn't know where it was at. So we like let's go to um Atlanta because we've heard about Atlanta and so I remember um on college club uh Hopefully like hey I'm coming to Atlanta.

Where is there to go? So, uh, coincidentally, I ended up finding the email that I sent. But I printed out this, like, Oh, we are, I printed it out the email and somebody has sent me the guide to all the clubs in Atlanta to go to. And what, and what they, and what they, and the scene was.

DJ Sir Daniel: So there was a guy, so there was on the college boards, they were sharing a guide of clubs.

Jimmie Valentino: No, I don't know. I don't know if it was a guide, but the person has sent me something, sent me a breakdown,

DJ Sir Daniel: like a list of places for you to go.

Jimmie Valentino: Yes.

DJ Sir Daniel: Interesting.

Jimmie Valentino: And so. So I'm on there and basically when I remember this is for the everybody goes to on Saturdays, you don't see this. I've learned terminologies as well.

Like the film Queens, the butch Queens, the muscle girls, the hood rats, I'll be at this club. The, and they broke, they broke it down. Like the hip hop rooms on the third floor is smallest. Fuck the house. The house is on the second and the main floor and the main floor. And they were like, don't get confused.

They keep trying to get you a man because you're going to see a man, but he's going to be, he's going to be all woman with third stars. Come on. And so, and like, don't be confused about the body. So did the other club was like seven or eight. You go to 708. Um, this is for the younger gays. It's a little bingy.

But the drinks are good. It stays open late. I think in every club at the time, stay open late back then.

DJ Sir Daniel: Yes.

Jimmie Valentino: Then it was colors. Um,

DJ Sir Daniel: Oh

Jimmie Valentino: yeah.

DJ Sir Daniel: With

Jimmie Valentino: mixes now. Yes. Um, there was, there was, um, the lions being, um, Yep. Towers, which got burnt down. Coincidentally got burnt down the night. It closed. Um,

DJ Sir Daniel: You know, I forgot about that one Towers was the Marquette on on your list no Really cuz the market has been around forever.

Jimmie Valentino: So I don't know why the Marco is not on our list and I Don't and I don't I take that back. I don't know if it was I don't remember being on a list

DJ Sir Daniel: Okay,

Jimmie Valentino: so um, but definitely the towers was on their lines then the chaparral was on there It was another couple clubs That I can't remember. Backstreet was on there.

There was like, this is the 24 hour. You want to go use your drugs? Go there. Um, at that time, Bulls dogs wasn't, was denied. White people didn't like black people in there. So, um, spoiler alert, kids. Bulldogs didn't like, like y'all asses in there. Um, so it was like a list of that year again. So this was like probably 2000, 2001.

DJ Sir Daniel: Okay. So, so at this point, hip hop. Has taken, really has taken over because I recall. So if we want to go back to tracks, you're absolutely right. The, they called it the boom, boom room, which was the, um, the hip hop room, which was all the way at the top in the penthouse. And that's where they had a DJ up there playing, spinning, nothing but hip hop.

And it was the, you know, the radio stuff, um, Missy Elliott, everything that was popping back in the early two thousands.

[00:19:08] The Rise of Hip Hop in Gay Clubs

DJ Sir Daniel: Do you recall when, when hip hop went from that small room up top and took over the main floor? Do you recall that transition? Because you, to your point, house music was the prominent music for the gay club night scene, especially at tracks for, you know, where the people like to come, they used to do the high cakes and, and the voguers used to walk, walk, walk the runway.

But now. Hip hop. This is 2000 hip hop. Just like completely took over and came downstairs to the main floor.

Jimmie Valentino: Um, I want to say, um,

I noticed that probably 2002, 2003 for sure. Um, because Tracksuit had Thugged Out Tuesdays. So Thugged Out Tuesdays was nothing but hip hop night and they would play house at the end. And so I want to say once, um, hip hop really became popular in the 2000s, like that, that wave in 2000, 2001. Um, When Lil Kim was, became, when Lil Kim became mainstream.

Mm-Hmm. , um, E Missy, um, Jay-Z and all of them when it, when there was no choice because they was on the pop charts that they was playing the music. So, but also once the pop girls. Start influenced pop. Boom. Start putting their music on to help out like britney spears working with the neptunes at christian aguilera doing rock wilder Justin timberlake with pharrell It became that main the main thing because used it went from That small that small little penthouse room that was crowded Sweat glistening for real to like the main, the main room and tracks.

DJ Sir Daniel: Absolutely. So like, I think that people have to understand that was so 2000, of course, we've already had the Olympics, so we've had, uh, We've had about four to five years of an influx of people coming in from different states after they've experienced Freaknik, after they've experienced, um, the 96 Olympics, you know, um, Atlanta was a beacon and this is a place for people to go, especially if you were young and gay and you just, you came and you saw the nightlife that was here and it was a hook.

Do you?

Jimmie Valentino: So

DJ Sir Daniel: let me go

Jimmie Valentino: back. I'm sorry to cut you off.

DJ Sir Daniel: No, go ahead.

[00:21:46] Atlanta as a Safe Haven for Black Gays

Jimmie Valentino: So, um, add it to that because Atlanta for us, especially from the South, especially for the kids that came from Mississippi, Southern Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Florida. Well, up for up Florida, North Florida, um, Atlanta was the place because most of those places did not have gay club or they had like.

the one gay club. And so even in Montgomery, they had a gay club, but it was once a month or so everybody literally in Alabama would travel to Birmingham, which was, um, the choice because there was like the only black gay club. Technically, I will say Alabama. That may have been open weekly. So that's why all the girls you see like Tabetha Amon, um, Nicola Dupree, all of them came from Birmingham and they started out in La Troise performing when they moved over to Atlanta.

So, I think Atlanta being the mecca that became, and Atlanta was also the safe, one of the safest places for gay people at that time. Well, it still is for black gays because we're coming from, um, The bible belt for real, where our clubs open, literally the club, the technically the clubs in Birmingham and in Montgomery, they didn't open until like 1 o'clock in the morning because they waited to all they literally waited to all the straight people.

were off the streets

DJ Sir Daniel: went to bed

Jimmie Valentino: Til we come out and so and and the little bit of terminology that especially growing up in living in Birmingham at the time is that you did not want to be clocked. I know you cannot say that now, but. Um, you could not be clocked because you were trying, you got to be unclockable because at the end of the day, you were trying to get to be, you got to get to where you need to get home safely as you cannot look as you can be seen to be looking gay.

You had, you had to be unclockable. So, that's why they, oh, I believe that's why they open our clubs up in Alabama at the time. 1230 and we used to close, they used to close about five or six.

DJ Sir Daniel: So Atlanta offered an unlimited amount of time to go at any time of night. It offered numerous places to go every day, every day. You could go and not worry about running into big mama or any of your family members. You and your friends can go and have a great time. Like you said, any day of the week, it used to be, let's run it down.

So I remember Monday nights was for start of the century. Then you back at tracks for thugged out Tuesday, Wednesday. I don't recall. I think there was like, I think most people went to church service, like literally went to church service on Wednesday, Thursdays, you go to seven eight, a. k. a. Loretta's and Friday.

With tracks. What was it to do on Friday?

Jimmie Valentino: It was either tracks, it was either tracks or colors.

DJ Sir Daniel: Probably Colors and then tracks on a Saturday night for sure.

Jimmie Valentino: And Sunday was Lions Den Towers and Chaparral.

DJ Sir Daniel: And the Chaparral. And of course you mentioned the Palace. Um, the Palace, yes. Which was, uh. That is downtown close to the, no to the court.

Things

Jimmie Valentino: close to the jail. Right behind the jail. To the jail. Yep. In Major City. And his from the, and his from the street made it properly because of Rooster. Rooster. Oh my

DJ Sir Daniel: God. I wonder. And Rooster, is Rooster still still with us? Yes. Rooster

Jimmie Valentino: still. Rooster is still with us. Bless his heart and um, oh my God, what's her name?

Oh my God. Used to be there all the time. I'll wait for you at the door. Foxy Foxy Foxy. Yes, Foxy. Yes Like Miss Foxy is like I met Miss Foxy years ago And she was a sweetheart back then but she would she would cut a bitch as we thought

[00:25:47] Gentrification and the Decline of Black Queer Spaces

DJ Sir Daniel: If you had to guess, why have Atlantis black and queer spaces all but disappear?

Jimmie Valentino: You want the political answer or the real answer?

DJ Sir Daniel: I want the Jimmie answer.

Jimmie Valentino: The gym answer is simple. Um, gentrification. Um, because so what it is now, most of the places that are places were became high value, meaning they became high commodities for, um, when Charlotte breaks the air, there's a new opening day in Atlanta. That was a slogan. It literally became that, um, Once Shracks closed down, our Lucky Street became the aquarium.

It was the beginning of, I would not say the beginning of everything, but that's when the Swift changed. And then, what added to the closures went, and this is one of the cities that, if it happened to the gays, it happened to the straights too. Um, once Buckhead started, their club scenes, it started tricking down.

They're just my thoughts. They started tricking out to the gays because yeah, even with the club scenes and bucket, that was like, okay, this is land that we can have. And so, um, So once tracks closed and moved to excuse me, I want to say somewhere in Decatur. I want to say

DJ Sir Daniel: oh, yeah It moved to off of Columbia Drive and I'm gonna

Jimmie Valentino: drive skating rink at all skating.

Yeah Oh skating rink, and you know, it was a no location, but um, oh

DJ Sir Daniel: it moves to Buford Highway

Jimmie Valentino: Before how it gets a club Club Vegas Yes. So, um, once that happened at the end, of course, um, the lines being burnt down, not the lines, the lines, the towers burnt down, but there was, I'm sorry, they were still thriving.

That was still thriving, but it was still some closed up because I think we still had like, um, Vita was still was open at that time. Um, another club, but these weren't even close. They're like restaurants. I'll say that.

DJ Sir Daniel: Yeah.

[00:28:06] The Shift in Atlanta's Nightlife

DJ Sir Daniel: Cause cause what you're describing and for the listeners that don't know, because like your established clubs, like tracks was starting to close down and like Jimmie was saying a lot of the.

The bars and the saloons were closing down in Buckhead where a lot of mostly white college kids were hanging out. So that would force them to come into the city to party. So there would have to be a lot of negotiating for places for black gay men to go party. And a lot of what they did was the promoters would find.

Uh, restaurants and they'll find,

Jimmie Valentino: they'll find restaurants and they will find actually straight clubs that would actually let us have their night because even rain was open at that time, which was a straight club during the day. And that's not to get confused with, um, Alex getting on rain. But it was rain.

Um, then there was um, The chaparral was still open, of course and Then there was a shift with bulldogs that actually started letting colors in because they were losing Losing the and i'm gonna say bulldogs all the way through this but they started letting the colors in Without the three ids because they the white people were losing with this idea.

They didn't want to be that was so um once that occurred I think It kind of trickled down because the the rent of getting these places are, um, commercial spots became expensive because they really didn't want the people there because they wanted their land to become where they are now. Apartments are empty or stuff like that.

Then also, um, I also think it was, I had a thought in my head. I also think, uh, They priced out a lot of people. Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm saying. And also, which I don't know, the city of Atlanta has made it impossible for anybody gay straight to even open the club. So that's why you see a lot of people open lounges.

And turn it into a club because it's easier to open a lounge bar down a club in the city of Atlanta.

DJ Sir Daniel: Because they changed it at one point where everything had to be closed at two o'clock. Yes. That, that's a major, that was a major major in the city of Atlanta. Everything had to be closed at 12 o'clock.

Um, liquor sales had to stop at midnight. So if you were in a supermarket or a package store, the package stores would be closed by midnight because they, they created some new ordinance that cut every you're absolutely right. They cut everything off by a certain time. So, yes. So there had to be a shift in how people were going to do business.

Jimmie Valentino: Atlanta has lost They felt the loss of the freak money And somehow the word of mouth like freak nick gave pride atlanta gave pride took off Which still to this day as people may hit shade atlanta at the end of the day You still bring your black asses down your every label and every every email okay, because you ain't got nowhere to go but Um, they saw that money come in because every hotel was booked.

Now, I'm not gonna say they got paid at the end of the night , but

DJ Sir Daniel: are you referring to stunted credit cards? Jimmie? Is that what you're referring to?

Jimmie Valentino: I, yeah. I don't know what you're referring to, but I might. They, they may have stayed there, but they may not gotten, but you may not have gotten your money.

But that brought it, that black gay pride brings their money to the city. So in the surrounding areas or a B at that one point in time, um, add it to the fact that to the point that they start reporting on the news, that this is like gay pride weekend, which is very rare for a city to every mention it. So between that, what else goes on?

Comic con. Um,

DJ Sir Daniel: Oh yeah. The dragon con is what they were.

Jimmie Valentino: Dragon con. Yes. Dragon con. Um, which is drag, drag all day, girls and drag, overlap, more overlap, overlap. Yes. And then you got the, the kids coming in for the, um, the college games. Um, at that time, little day weekend was a thing or Jermaine Dupri was having the thing.

So Labor Day, not just for the gays. It was like, literally everybody came in. So everything over, everything overlapped. To the point that the city of Atlanta in the surrounding areas like when they saw dollar bill is money is money They start seeking it and but I also think at the same time this city is known for taking their money for granted when something new comes in so

DJ Sir Daniel: And taking the people that are bringing the money in for granted as well.

Yeah, you know, you're absolutely right. I was just thinking about Atlanta has gotten better with not. Double booking per se, because like you were saying, Atlanta will have 5011 events going on at the same time on the same weekend, it'll be black gay pride. It'll be dragon con. Bronner Brothers hair show.

Everybody's convening on the city all at once. And it brought a lot of money and it brought a lot of traffic to the city. Let me ask you this. Have you. I'm sure you've ventured to different cities to party. What would you say was the main difference between partying in Atlanta and partying to whichever major city with a gay, big gay population?

DC, New York, whichever one you want to pick. But what would you think was the major difference between your experiences here and going outside of the state of Georgia?

Jimmie Valentino: Um, back in the day, I would say, um, DC gave Atlanta gave the DC meaning that DC gave Atlanta a run for his money and, and I haven't been to DC in a minute, but from what I hear, it's still going to run for his money.

And why I say that I, cause, Ooh, I'm going to get canceled, but I don't care. DC is very much old, like an old rich auntie and Atlanta is like a red cousin that happened to me or a rapper. All right. Uh, Mira, uh, uh, uh, celebrity and got money, athlete. It's very much that so but um very much a party scene, but unfortunately, um, Dc also loves is has lost their gay spaces black gay spaces as well Up until recently, uh with thrust which i'm here about is is a new gay club that's owned by a black person, right?

so Where they have been pushed out in d and they're getting into places Where people want their money, but they really don't want them there They will take the money and don't want them there and it's similar to here where um bars really don't want Us in there, but we'll take your money. We're not gonna play your music, but we'll take your money so That was that's a that is different where there's beautiful black gave me in that at the time had their spaces they was playing this almost similar music or Only difference is they might play gogo instead of bass music.

Um You Let it flame down here. Um, going to the West coast is a little bit different. Um, especially in Vegas, because Vegas doesn't really have a, a big black gay population, um, where everybody has no choice but to co mingle. So, um, at the time they really wasn't playing anything up to date. Far as black music.

Um, the first time I went to Vegas, you were very much. Hey, we played a new Britney Spears. We played a new, um, Brand new Katy Perry, but we're going to play, um, bootylicious. But as far as the black people.

DJ Sir Daniel: Right. And that's like 10 years old already.

Jimmie Valentino: Yes, but I think it has gotten better as, um, even though, even though we may joke about online that, you know, Rap music and urban music has is the most dominating music that's out there.

Like I think it has gotten better with it so it's still one of the things where I have a lot of friends that stay in like test places like Texas or Tennessee where they say we take our clubs for granted because we still at least we still have Black gay clubs, you know, they're not on black black gay people or black people in general.

Mine is One or two people, one or two places, but we still have places that are that cater to black people, black gays.

DJ Sir Daniel: Do you, so that brings up a, it makes me think of, you mentioned going to spaces. Where you're tolerated, you're not necessarily, necessarily celebrating, you are tolerated. There have been a few cases here in Atlanta where, um, club owners were hurt, were overheard or it was reported that they made very disparaging comments about their black patrons and not wanting them there.

And, you know, there's another Bar that caught on fire recently and to me there were those places where I think Black men would go to those places To kind of get away from the black community if you ask me Those spaces were kind of welcoming or they wanted to infiltrate those spaces because they figured that they would be the only ones there What do you think?

Yeah, have you ever ventured out to? What is that Blake's on the park or any of those other, you know ambiguous? Spots years ago, um

Jimmie Valentino: years ago. I have I definitely don't try to go now Because I'm like, I'm one of those people like me if you don't want me there, you're not gonna get my money and and They have been blatantly about that they didn't vote not because I'm not gonna say Based on dress code because they'd be still typical saying that every black person dress like that but It's very much.

We don't want out there. We're not gonna play your music Um Successfully, we've been able to get rid of one club that turned into the Eagle because there was very much. They didn't want the people there either. Right. And the club next to the bar that's next to Um blake's that everybody was going to 10th and Piedmont, which was a restaurant Where they changed their whole menu because they didn't want us there But now they said oh we ain't got no business, but we do want y'all back And so, um, i'm very much A champion of there's black there's black restaurants y'all could go to there's virgils Two locations and this is free.

This is not they I don't know if they pay by virtuals at all Um, there's circ. There is the doctor factory that's open that's open back up If you want to go all the way to kennesaw, there's my friends darnell dj and darnell. They have stuff Why why are we going to? Places that doubted down when I asked us there and i'm very much a champion of Support your support your community.

This this is Atlanta is one of the biggest if if not the biggest black gay population in the world, while we supported people that don't want us where there's people in our community that we could easily go. Yes. No, Mark, where is ghetto? And you might get shot. But if it's our own, it's our own, it's our, it's our, it's our own spot.

Why? Why are you trying to make? Former teeth and P might work when they told our asses, no, we're going to do Tulum food. Nobody don't eat Tulum food. No. Why? Why are you trying to make that happen? Why? So at least with mix now, um, mix very much except for the black crowd, because at the end of the day, they didn't have no crowded in the first place.

So, So you, you can either, you can either lose money or you can get with the program, but you can't be racist at the same time.

DJ Sir Daniel: How much impact do you feel like COVID had on that?

Jimmie Valentino: I don't think COVID had any impact on either anything because it, because I think the, the shift was there before COVID even happened.

DJ Sir Daniel: Okay. The shift came before COVID. Yeah. So a lot of these spaces that you named, like your 10th and Piedmont's more so lounges, restaurants, and bars. The thing about that, what I've noticed is that our spaces have been co opted and they're co ed in the sense that there are, it's not just exclusively Black and gay, but you know, there's women in the spaces, of course, um, trans people have always been in the spaces, but now women are in the spaces you're, you know, back in the day, used to be your occasional fag hag that came along with you, but now a lot of women are coming on their own and incorporating these spaces, even if they weren't Are there with or without a gay friend?

Um, and of course, you know, white people are always Always co opting spaces and you know inviting themselves to the cookouts as it were So, how do you feel? About that about not things not being exclusive Anymore, does that take away the magic of of a place? Like do you think we could even appreciate?

exclusively black spaces anymore It's the

Jimmie Valentino: gift and the curse. And why I say that is, is the guilt because we all want to accept this. We all wanted love. We all wanted, we all wanted equality. We wanted the, the accepted by our, our, our straight brothers and sisters, black, our family and all this stuff. The curse is the fact that we don't have.

Those spaces and we don't appreciate the spaces. We don't appreciate the sacrifice that many of our ancestors. Our forefathers that created these spaces for us, keep in mind the reason why these spaces were built for us to be safe isn't it wasn't it and not saying that we're not safe around straight people being around spaces, but it was the time that we could let us and be our true self or who we want to pretend to be that night.

But it'd be safe in that space. And I think, uh, we take for granted that the purpose of the gay club and the gay bar, the pump bar was for us to conjugate. And, uh, but I also think the social media played a role into how the depth of the night scene and communication and community of have reason why we had the gay clubs.

DJ Sir Daniel: One last thing I do want to ask you before we get up out of here I've known you i've known you forever.

And if you know, Jimmie, we all know who Jimmie's favorite artist of all time is which brings me to a another another um point In our history. Do you recall? So Mary J. Blige is Jimmie's all time favorite artists. I know this, trust me. I don't have to, I don't need his closer. I know Mary J. Blige is his favorite artists of all time.

Do you recall?

[00:44:09] Mainstream Artists in Gay Clubs

DJ Sir Daniel: Uh, when mainstream artists like Mary J. Blige started making pop ups at the gay clubs and what, uh, and what effect did that have on you as a fan of those artists in their music?

Jimmie Valentino: So I know they did it. They've been doing it for a while before I was able to go in the club, Donna Russell pop up.

Um, Donna Ross will pop up. Um, Grace Jones, of course, is infamous for popping up at Studio 5040 Paradise Garage. Um, Janet Jackson will go there to learn how to go. Madonna. Um, Beyonce showed up without her makeup one year. Um, if you didn't know, it's Beyonce for real, but it was her. Janet Jackson showed up at Stars and Century.

Mary J showed up. Um, for me, you. Um, Little Kim, all of them and it's and this is before paid. They would and they weren't getting paid to show up. So, let me let me emphasize they want to pay. They will literally just show up. Um for me, it's shows that they know who they who they they know they appreciate they gave fan base.

They know who they're the fanbase recognize them Um for me is I will say, I feel see and it's like oh my queen is there. So, I've never seen Mary J. the club, but she showed up. Um, when little Kim showed up, which is um, If y'all know me, I'm not going to say a little kid, my father's not paid me a fee and felt I'm a female rapper.

She hit, uh, she's one of my influences when it comes to female rap, seeing little Kim at the gay club and she gave me a kiss. That was the highlight of my life because that was on my, that was, that was on my high school vision board. I would get kissed by little Kim. I didn't know it was gonna be two years later, but still

DJ Sir Daniel: Vita.

Yes. Okay.

[00:46:01] The Importance of Gay Icons

Jimmie Valentino: So, but it was very much, it's, they know they fan base because gay men, we like strong women, we like strong boys, we like strong women. That's the reason why. We have these gay icons. That's the reason why we love Beyonce. We love beautiful women that day. Mm-Hmm, . That's why we have Beyonce as a, a gay icon.

We have Mary J, we have Lil Ken, we have Megan Thee Stallion now, and Cardi. Cardi B is youngest. Cardi B is a gay icon, some kind of way. I like her B. Um, we have these girls, these women, Rihanna, because they have, they have this attitude of, I'm performing for a crowd. I don't take no shit. While looking good.

And I'm also seeing a powerful empowering music that is uplifting to the community. So even with house music divas, like Robin S, Martha Wash, Barbara Tucker, Damien and Divas is always going to be there. They've been this, they've been that way since Billy Holliday was singing in the fag bars on the law.

Right. And even with the bullet daggers, and I can say that because they were called bullet daggers back in the forties when they were dressed, that's what they call themselves.

DJ Sir Daniel: Yeah. Because from what I, from what I understand, bulldog is strictly a term that was created for black women. Yes. And they were, yeah.

To this day, we don't call white lesbians studs. We reserve that term strictly for black women. Yes. Yes. So that's all the story.

Jimmie Valentino: So that's, so the history is there.

[00:47:35] Future of LGBTQ Spaces

Jimmie Valentino: So, um, when you see these artists and is also in today's society that we see these artists still support us because as you know, um, which we really bring, I'm gonna bring it up in a way we're going to go back underground soon because of the way shit is happening with the legislation against LGBTQ.

So we're going to have to go back to the underground. Eventually, it feel like we're going back to the underground. So, um, they, we still, we're going, we're going to need their support. We still going to have, we still going to play their music. We still going to listen to pink Friday. I'm not, but you're still going to listen to pink Friday.

But, and we're going to still going to play Madonna. We're going to play to these girls because there's been, they being the soundtrack of our, not only our lives, but our liberation as well.

DJ Sir Daniel: Thank you for listening to I Come Alive: Stories of Black Gay Atlanta Nightlife brought to you by Queue Points Productions. Special thanks to the Counter Narrative Project 2024 Media Roundtable for their support as well. Make sure you become a Queue Points subscriber so that you don't miss the next episode of I Come Alive.