Previously on “Another 80 Gays” : 53) Dame Carol Ann Duffy (b.1955) is the Poet Laureate, reminding us that the Ancient Greeks awarded laurel wreaths to winners of poetry and song contests as written about by 54) Theocritus of Syracuse (c.300 BC-c.260 BC), with modern-day contests making stars out of singers like 55) Clay Aiken (b.1978), who recorded his first professional album in the studio bought by 56) Richard Grossi.
The Larrabee West studio in which 55) Clay Aiken recorded “American Idol Season 2: All-time Classic American Love Songs” was located in a building at 8811 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. It was originally a bank built in 1922. It became a recording studio when it was bought by the singer-songwriter Gerry Goffin. In 1969, Gerry sold it to Jackie and Dolores Mills, and when their son Ken later took over business it was renamed the Larrabee West studio.
Many famous singers recorded albums and singles at Larrabee West, including Cher, Patti Labelle, Massive Attack, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Paul McCartney, Dru Hill, Peter Andre, and many more.
In 2004 the Larrabee West studio closed down as the main centre when the Larrabbee sessions moved across town to another studio. The property stayed unoccupied for a year, and then 56) Richard Grossi arrived. Richard was already known in West Hollywood as the manager of California’s oldest gym, Easton’s Gym. With his business partner Sid Krofft he had decided to reopen the premises as an lgbt nightclub. Using part of the building’s address as its name the nightclub opened in 2007 as “Eleven”.
As well as being the main fundraiser for the project Richard also organised many fundraising events in the club for various causes, such as Freedom to Marry and local concerns. The highest profile of the campaigns Richard was involved in was the protest against Russia during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games. Along with many other bar owners in the area Richard showed his opposition to the Russian laws against the “promotion of homosexuality” by refusing to sell or stock vodka. He was photographed by the media with other bar owners pouring the vodka down the street drains.
Richard’s business partner, Sid Krofft (b.1939) was responsible for coming up with the initial promotion and entertainment for their new club. He got “People” magazine to host the opening party. The club was a success, despite the world economic downturn in 2008 onwards. Business did decline in the following years, but Eleven survived, though its restaurant wasn’t quite as successful. There was a boost after a revamp of the bar but by 2014 Richard felt the stress of running a nightclub was overwhelming and he sold Eleven to the owners of a gay New York Country and Western bar. Eleven became Flaming Saddles.
Sid Krofft was well qualified to come up with entertaining promotions. Entertainment was his life. He was the creator of some well-known puppet characters from television in the 1960s. The most famous of them was “H. R. Puffnstuff”. I remember the series well, especially the talking flute.
With his brother Marty, Sid created Krofft Puppeteer School in Sun Valley, California, in the 1980s. Managing the school was a television production specialist called 57) Michael Mealiffe (b.1940).
I mentioned Michael Mealiffe a few years ago when I wrote about Gay Games multi-medal winners. The most significant achievements in Michael’s swimming career are the records he has broken, not only as a masters swimmer but as a youngster, when he broke the world record in the 110 yard butterfly.
Michael left competitive swimming for a couple of decades and only returned to the sport after he had realised his true sexuality. He heard about the West Hollywood Aquatics Club (WH2O) and how they were in training for the 1990 Vancouver Gay Games and he decided to join. The club president at the time was Tom Reudy, the “Man From Atlantis” swimming double for Patrick Duffy whom I mentioned a few days ago. They were members of the same relay team that broke the world masters record.
At the Vancouver Gay Games Michael Mealiffe made headlines when he broke two world masters records in the 50m and 100m butterfly. This was a significant moment in lgbt sport. In 1990 when the AIDS crisis was still at its height, gay men were still stereotyped as not being athletic. It was the reason the Gay Games were created, to break that stereotype. Michael’s world record showed the world that gay men were every much the equal of professional heterosexual athletes.
This achievement might not seem much to us today when many lgbt athletes are visible and break records in the Olympics and elsewhere, but it is still significant enough to be featured with Michael Mealiffe himself, in a new documentary aired in July on Logo TV called “Light in the Water”. I won’t show a clip from that documentary, but I’ll show the clip below from the old Network Q series made in 1994.
In recent years Michael has become quite a philanthropist, donating to and supporting many lgbt causes and charities. In this he is supported by his husband, Oscar-winning song writer 58) Dean Pitchford (b.1951).
Next time : We find Fame by being Footloose, and Welcome the world to the Olympics in the lair of a James Bond villain.
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