Ugh, I can't believe that it's been almost five whole years since the Covid-19 pandemic came along and turned all of our lives upside down.

Five. whole. years.

Doesn't that make you feel old?

I still don’t know if the pandemic changed my life for better or worse, but for this week’s guest, it was the unexpected catalyst that kick-started their drag career.

This week, I’m joined by bearded drag queen Jackie Daniels, who shares how moving from small-town Armidale to the bright lights of Sydney, a special bond with her drag sister, and nights at The Green Park Hotel—a beloved gay bar in Darlinghurst that shut its doors in 2020—all shaped her journey.

Oh, and of course, we get into the highs and lows of lockdown life!

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This week's episode could very well be titled 'The Many Lovers of Frank Akinsete', because we somehow manage to cover off about half a dozen love affairs during our conversation!

And if you’re a longtime listener ofLost Spaces you already know that we love a good detour here. Honestly, I think those are the best episodes, where we get to truly know a person and trace their many, many queer footsteps.

This week’s guest is Frank Akinsete, a fashion stylist and consultant who’s been part of London’s queer scene since the70s, giving him a front-row seat to its evolution over the decades.

Frank and I caught up to talk aboutThe Mews, a late-night, dingy little club with almost no digital footprint, but we also talk about The Embassy, and just what Soho in London was like in the 70s and beyond. And, on top of that, we dive into his coming-out story, his overprotective cat, and, of course, hismany lovers.

For some context: for a long time, the heart of London’s gay scene was in Soho, particularly around Old Compton Street. But thanks to gentrification, that landscape has shifted, and the scene is much more fragmented now.

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Vintage Fashion Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/souledoutathouseofprovenance/

So, Mormonism doesn't have the best reputation on this show. And honestly, given their policies toward queer people, that's not exactly surprising.

But, there are some people working within the religion trying to make it more inclusive and open-minded. One of these groups is Understanding Sexuality, Gender, and Allyship - or USGA - a support group that gave queer students at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah a place to find community.

And one of the people that went there religiously (see what I did there?) is AJ Romriell, a US-based writer who also happens to be the partner of former Lost Spaces guest Terrance O'Brien Henderson.

We got together to talk about why that group was so vital for AJ, and particularly the significance of it being allowed to meet on campus... until suddenly, it wasn't. But I'll let AJ tell you more about that.

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So, we're over 250 episodes in to this show, and on some days when I'm feeling particularly cocky I'm like 'oh, yeah, I think I've learnt everything there is to know about being queer', and then on other days I'm like 'actually, I know nothing about the human spirit and the resilience of queerness despite the odds.'

(Ok, that was a little dramatic, but I think you get the gist of what I'm saying!).

All of that is to say, that this week marks our first episode featuring a chubs and chasers space – a whole queer sub-community I knew practically nothing about until my guests graciously fielded all my eager (and perhaps ignorant) questions.

And, who are these guests? Well, it's Dan and Don from The Big Fat Gay Podcast, who joined me to discuss Girth and Mirth, a social club that operated across the USA organising events for chubs and chasers.

I loved this conversation because sometimes it's nice to have the chaos of three people to try and wrangle, but also because Dan and Don just brought such different perspectives to the table.

Oooh, and if you're not familiar with chubs and chasers, don't worry – we break it all down in the first ten minutes of the conversation.

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So if I were to tell you that this week's guest had just published a new book titled 'Disco: Music, Movies, and Mania Under the Mirror Ball'* you'd be expecting some spectacular stories of glamour and debauchery, right?

Well, I'm pleased to say that author Frank DeCaro did not disappoint!

We caught up to chat about the lost legendary Chicago space Dugan’s Bistro, a gay discotheque that was a cornerstone of his coming-of-age years, and Frank was so generous in sharing stories of friendships, wild nights, and finding himself in the midst of it all.

What I really loved about this conversation is that Frank is just unapologetically himself, and from the sounds of it, his coming out was refreshingly joyous, exciting and celebratory, and it's really nice to be reminded that it can be that way. You know?

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Website: http://www.frankdecaro.com/

Buy a copy of Frank's book Disco: Music, Movies, and Mania under the Mirror Ball: https://amzn.to/4g772Np

(* this is an affiliate link, and I will get a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you buy using this link)

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We are back to our regular programming next week!

But, for our final pod-swap I am sharing the conversation I had with Tim Lagman (registered sexologist, don't you know!) on his show Sex Ed With Tim.

Tim was also a guest on Lost Spaces all the way back in 2021, and that conversation can be found ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠

Can't wait to get back to regular Lost Spaces episodes! See you next week.

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This week we have ⁠Dennis Anyone⁠, hosted by Dennis Hensley, as our special podcast-swap episode!

Dennis was also a guest on Lost Spaces all the way back in 2022, and that conversation is can be found ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

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Share your 2025 plans/resolutions with me: k@lostspacespodcast.com

Over the holidays I'm going to share episodes from other podcasts that I've guested on throughout 2024, talking about lost spaces, queerness, and the weirdness of life.

This week we have The Queer Family Podcast, hosted by Jaimie Kelton!

Jaimie was also a guest on Lost Spaces, and that conversation is can be found ⁠here⁠

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