The WG News

archive

  • Home
  • Food + Drink
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Music
    • Film
    • Theater
  • Local
    • Commentary
    • Environment
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Real Estate

Milksop—Queer Dance @ Union Pool

July 19, 2010 By Thomas Wilk Leave a Comment

4772760316_fed7905040_bIf Pride Month exhausted your desire to watch gym bunnies dress like pirates in their underwear, you may have ended up at the Milksop party at Union Pool in Williamsburg. Despite the name, there are both muscled dudes, and waifish dudes, jumping to campy Pointer Sisters anthems and then eating tacos out in the Union Pool courtyard. At this Pride event, I counted zero fellas in SKYY Vodka man-kinis, and theGaydar.net float was absent. Politicians known for promoting Pride, like David Paterson or Marty Markowitz, were not in attendance, and American’s newest gay celeb, Constance McMillen, the Mississippi teen lesbian bowdlerized by the prom wasn’t there either. Instead, the only politician there was Queen of Disco Donna Summer, in spirit, and the only platforms came from Saks Fifth Avenue.

Milksop occurs roughly tri-monthly and folks of all orientations show up to shake it. The crowd is a peculiar mix of “Williamburg now” with Annie Hall hats and homemade tanktops to Manhattan bears who have come out of their caves to see what Brooklyn has to offer. On top of it all, Union Pool is separated into three distinct spaces, and one only wonders if the bro dudes imbibing hard whiskey in the front know that it’s Brooklyn’s biggest gay dance party in the back room.

I caught up with the party promoters subjected them to intense questioning:

The latest Milksop party happened during Pride month. Given the name “Milksop,” this event doesn’t seem to be your typical, mainstream gay event. How does Milksop relate to Pride events? Or how does it relate to the concept of gay pride in general?
The latest Milksop was a Pride event, as we do every year at the end of June. It’s an observance that we care about, and while it’s heartening to see beer companies sponsor parade floats stocked with depilated muscle queens, we seek to create a more inclusive space for everyone—queers of all stripes, awesome straights and everyone else who isn’t a jerk.

What are other local dance parties that you like? Why?
Judy! and Cheryl. They have great spirit.

Could you give me a postcard-sized version of Milksop’s history?
Milksop started in 2006 with a show at Union Pool featuring Mirror Mirror, the Good Good and Benji Cossa. It went well, and feeling inspired, we threw “Madonna and the Misfit,” a dance party that oscillated between punk songs and diva jams. “Madonna” was the seed that germinated into the current Milksop parties, which are now thrown every two to three months. We still hold other events that bring together our interests and our friends – for example, we screened parts of BBC’s “Planet Earth” at Monkeytown with an intermission performance by Woods. The only criteria for what we do are that it’s creative, collaborative and fun.

Everyone knows that when someone dies they are reincarnated as a party somewhere. Who died to become Milksop?
Brenda Frazier.

How do you like doing your party at Union Pool?
We love the space and the staff. Also, there’s a bit of a subversive thrill in queers infiltrating the biggest straight pickup bar in Williamsburg.

How would you characterize the music at Milksop?
Cathartic and multidimensional.

You Milksop boys seem like educated folks. What have you been reading lately?
A biography of Arthur Russell, Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer and a short story collection by Donald Barthelme.

What plans do you have for Milksop in the future?
Transcendence or obsolescence.

Are you doing anything extra special to celebrate the solstice this year?
Tacos and margaritas, then off to see our new favorite band Oh the Color.

« 3rd Ward Pig Roast, Sunday
Murder City Devils @ Williamsburg Pool Party »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

  • Art
  • Art Openings
  • Bars
  • Beauty
  • Bicycles
  • Bits
  • Body
  • Books + Readings
  • Comedy
  • Commentary
  • Community
  • Design
  • Dig & Be Dug
  • Eating Again
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Fashion
  • Featured Story
  • Fiction
  • Film
  • Food + Drink
  • Gardening
  • Hacks
  • Halloweenie
  • Home
  • Interviews
  • Issues by the Number
  • Kids
  • Latest News
  • LGBT
  • Made in Brooklyn
  • Medical
  • Music
  • none
  • Performance
  • Personal Essay
  • Phil On Fire
  • Photo of the Day
  • Politics
  • Radio + Streaming
  • Real Estate
  • Recipes
  • Religion
  • Shopping
  • Tech
  • The Newscap
  • Theatre
  • Transportation
  • Trent's Picks
  • TV and Streaming
  • Uncategorized
  • Vintage
  • WG Photo
  • WG Picks
  • Wine

Archives

  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • February 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009

Copyright © 2025 · f on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in