Gay Tale's Advice to Young Wrers: “Get Off Your Ass” | Vany Fair

Contents:

• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
• GAY TALE
• GAY TALE’S ADVICE TO YOUNG WRERS: “GET OFF YOUR ASS”CELEBRATG THE PUBLITN OF A SPECIAL EDN OF HIS LEGENDARY PROFILE, “FRANK SATRA HAS A COLD,” THE JOURNALIST DISCSED THE STATE OF THE CELEBRY PROFILE AND THE POWER OF DRSG WELL TO GET WHAT YOU WANT.BY RACHEL TASHJIANDECEMBER 2, 2015© CORBIS. ALL RIGHTS RERVED.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVENEAR MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY GAY TALE WAS TUCKED TO A RNER BOOTH THE DOWNSTAIRS BAR AT THE 21 CLUB, SIPPG A BOMBAY MARTI WH A TWIST, WH A SPECIMEN OM HIS MUCH-ADMIRED HAT LLECTN STG POLELY BI HIM. IT WAS NEARLY TWO HOURS AFTER GUTS CLUDG FRANK STELLA, MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, HIS PARTNER DIANA TAYLOR—NOT TO MENTN THE HOST, TOM WOLFE—HAD HEAD HOME AFTER A LEISURELY, TIMATE DNER AT THE DG ROOM UPSTAIRS CELEBRATG AN EXQUISE TASCHEN EDN OF TALE’S GROUNDBREAKG CELEBRY PROFILE, “FRANK SATRA HAS A COLD.”“HERE I AM, YOU KNOW, ON THE OCSN OF ‘FRANK SATRA HAS A COLD,’” TALE SAID. “I REALLY HAVE A LD. WORSE THAN SATRA DID, I’LL BET.”BUT TALE WOULDN’T HAVE MISSED THE NIGHT FOR THE WORLD. “THAT’S ONE THG ABOUT JOURNALISM: YOU HAVE TO SHOW UP.”THE BOOK IS FELY WORTH SHOWG UP FOR—A TOME TAILOR-MA FOR JOURNALISM JUNKI. TALE’S PROFILE OF SATRA FOR THE APRIL 1966 ISSUE OF ESQUIRE—WRTEN AT A DISTANCE, TRAILG THE SGER AND TERVIEWG EVERYONE OM HIS -STARS TO HIS WIG GROOMERS AFTER REPEATED BSH-OFFS OM SATRA’S PUBLICIST—IS EQUENTLY CED AS ONE OF THE WORKS THAT STEERS IMPRSNABLE YOUNGSTERS TOWARD A REER JOURNALISM. AND WH S NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN PHOTOS OF SATRA, TALE-PENNED TRODUCTN, AND MARKED-UP MANCRIPTS OM THE ARCHIVE PRTED ON OLD-FASHNED LETTERPRS AND ACCENTED THE SWOONY BLUE OF SATRA’S EY, THE TASCHEN BOOK IS THE GLOSSIT JOURNALISM TEXTBOOK IMAGABLE, RELEASED A FEW MONTHS AHEAD OF THE PIECE’S 50TH BIRTHDAY AND WEEK OR TWO AWAY OM WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SATRA’S 100TH. IT MAK THE WORK OF REPORTG AND WRG AND EDG LOOK AS PRETTY AND IRREVERENT AND FUN AS A W ANRSON MOVIE.COURTY OF TASCHEN.IT MAY HAVE A PRETTY FACE, BUT FOR TALE, APPEARANCE N BE EVERYTHG. HE TRAC MUCH OF WHAT LED HIM TO JOURNALISM TO HIS PARENTS AND THEIR REERS THE GARMENT DTRY—HIS FATHER WAS A TAILOR AND HIS MOTHER OWNED A DRS STORE OCEAN CY, NEW JERSEY—WHICH NO DOUBT SPURRED AN OBSSN WH CLOTHG THAT SEEMS EXTRIBLE OM HIS WORK. “WHEN I WRE STORI, ’S LIKE MAKG A SU: THE PIEC HANG TOGETHER, AND YOU SKETCH,” HE SAID. “THE WHOLE PROCS: HANDWORK.”HE EVEN CREDS HIS FIRST JOB AT THE NEW YORK TIM—WHICH ME IMPROBABLY AFTER A “HUIATG” TERVIEW DURG WHICH HE DISVERED HIS LLEGE CLASSMATE HAD LIED ABOUT THE TIMACY OF HIS NNECTN TO THE MANAGG EDOR WH WHOM HE WAS MEETG, LEAVG TALE GRASPG TO EXPLA HIS DACY WALTZG FOR A MEETG WH THE BIGWIG UNANNOUNCED—TO THE THREE-PIECE SU HE WORE TO THE TERVIEW. “I WAS POLE, WELL DRSED,” HE SAID. “I JT KNOW, THOUGH I NEVER GOT ANY NFIRMATN, THAT I MA A GOOD IMPRSN.”BEE OF HIS NOTED OBSSN WH CLOTHG, TALE IS OFTEN HELD UP AS A DANDY (AS IS WHE-SUED WOLFE FOR THAT MATTER). THAT MIGHT DO A DISSERVICE TO HIM, BUT ALSO, EQUALLY, TO HIS SENSE OF ELEGANCE. THERE’S REALLY SOMETHG TO HIS PREOCCUPATN WH LIVG AND BEHAVG BETIFULLY. “I WAS VERY RICH 1980, AND 1981,” HE SAID, REFLECTG ON HIS BOOM YEARS, AFTER THY NEIGHBOR’S WIFE OPTNED FOR $2.5 LN. SO WHAT’S THE WILST THG HE BOUGHT? HE TOOK A LONG SIP OF HIS MARTI.“NOTHG. I HAD EVERYTHG. I HAD A TOWN HOE. CLOSETS FILLED WH HANDMA SUS. TWO BETIFUL OLD SPORTS RS THAT I HAD OM THE 1950S,” HE SAID. “I HAVE TWO BETIFUL DGHTERS, I HAVE A WIFE, I HAVE, OF URSE, A JOB, I HAVE A WIFE WH A JOB.”MOST POPULARVANY FAIR’S “IT’S RAG TEENS” COVER AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?BY SAVANNAH WALSHREMEMBERG SéAD O’CONNOR’S SUBLIME MIC AND RIGHTEO RAGEBY MIKE HOGANRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE MAY BE “THE MOST EXPENSIVE B OF FAN FICTN EVER”BY SAVANNAH WALSHAS THE CLOCK TICKED TOWARD MIDNIGHT AND THE BAR’S PATRONS—MIDDLE-AGED UPL OF MURKY MARAL STAT, BANKERS TOO-SHY TI HAVG VODKA MARTIS—STARTED TO CLEAR, TALE MED ON WHY, AN AGE WHICH REPORTERS ARE NOTORLY RTRICTED OM CELEBRY SUBJECTS, ’S NOT EASIER THAN EVER TO WRE A PROFILE LIKE HIS, WHICH WAS BORN OF SATRA’S REFAL TO GRANT HIM ACCS. WHY IS SO HARD TO WRE A STORY LIKE THAT NOW?“IT SHOULDN’T BE. MAYBE THE PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT,” HE SAID. “I’M JT GUSG. WHEN I—YOU KNOW, MY ARISTOCRATIC IEND OM RICHMOND, VIRGIA, TOM WOLFE, HE WAS PROBABLY THE EXCEPTN—BUT MOST OF WERE NOT OM VERY TED BACKGROUNDS. WE WERE THE UNRCLASS. THE JOURNALISTS OF THE 1950S WERE PEOPLE LIKE ME. . . . PEOPLE THAT WENT TO HARVARD, YALE, THEY ULDN’T BE JOURNALISTS, WAG FOR SOME LABOR LEAR TO ANNOUNCE THAT THERE’S A SETTLEMENT AT THREE O’CLOCK THE MORNG OUT ON SOME WATERONT. . . . JOURNALISM WAS FOR THE LOW-LEVEL PEOPLE. ME.”“BUT WE HAD A KD OF PATIENCE ABOUT WAG,” TALE NTUED. “WE WERE GOG TO GET WHAT WE WANTED. I DON’T THK THIS NEW GENERATN HAS THE PATIENCE OR EVEN KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO GET THGS. . . . YOU HAVE TO GET OFF YOUR ASS. MAKE SOMETHG HAPPEN WH YOUR PERSONALY, WH YOUR GODDAMN STYLE, YOUR CHARM, YOUR BETIFUL CLOTH, YOUR REASSURANCE, YOUR SALMAN HUCKSTER-IST LIRICE. KNOW HOW TO GET SOMETHG AND NOT BREAK HEARTS OR BE OFFENSIVE.”AND THEN THE RTRANT TURNED OFF THE MIC—SATRA’S “THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT,” OF URSE—AND WAS TIME TO HEAD HOME. TALE HAD A LD TO SLEEP OFF, AFTER ALL.RELATED: HOW TOM WOLFE BEME … TOM WOLFEPHOTOS: HOW TOM WOLFE WOLFE1 / 16CHEVRONCHEVRONWOLFE HIS MANHATTAN APARTMENT. LEWIS’S DGHTER DIXIE, 13, LLED HIS SU AN “OUTGOG FASHN CHOICE.”RACHEL TASHJIAN
• THE GAY TALE REAR: PORTRAS AND ENUNTERS
• LEGENDARY REPORTER GAY TALE EXPLAS WHY HE FDS TMP INSPIRG

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

In a sea of nned cktails, Gay Water wants to stand out. In other words, where Bud Light has buckled unr prsure as bigotry grows agast the LGBTQ+ muny, Gay Water’s creator Spencer Hodson wants his new boozy brand to be the anthis of that. “The key issue that Bud Light tapped to was the fact that they didn’t unrstand their re dience and know enough about them,” Hodson, a gay man, told CNN about the ntroversy that began when the Anhser-Bch beer brand sent fluencer Dylan Mulvaney a n of beer.

GAY TALE

Gay Water, however, is out and proud. The nned cktail is named after a lloquialism given to the popular mixed drk (vodka and soda) orred at bars by the gay muny. “Puttg a product wh the word gay the tle is reprentatn self,” which he hop reclaims the word om the negativy ’s sometim associated wh.

He thought of creatg Gay Water about a year ago while on a vatn wh his iend that had got a job wh the beverage dtry. The two chatted about the limed amount of gay people wh , and wh Hodson burnt out om his tradnal day job tech, started the nned cktail.

Hodson built up a strong social media followg on TikTok and Instagram durg Covid-19 and is g some of the money om that (as well as om iends and fay) to help fund Gay Water. “Gay is an umbrella term and the ia behd the brand is to be as clive as possible, which means we want alli, we want straight people to be part of this muny we’re buildg.”.

GAY TALE’S ADVICE TO YOUNG WRERS: “GET OFF YOUR ASS”CELEBRATG THE PUBLITN OF A SPECIAL EDN OF HIS LEGENDARY PROFILE, “FRANK SATRA HAS A COLD,” THE JOURNALIST DISCSED THE STATE OF THE CELEBRY PROFILE AND THE POWER OF DRSG WELL TO GET WHAT YOU WANT.BY RACHEL TASHJIANDECEMBER 2, 2015© CORBIS. ALL RIGHTS RERVED.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVENEAR MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY GAY TALE WAS TUCKED TO A RNER BOOTH THE DOWNSTAIRS BAR AT THE 21 CLUB, SIPPG A BOMBAY MARTI WH A TWIST, WH A SPECIMEN OM HIS MUCH-ADMIRED HAT LLECTN STG POLELY BI HIM. IT WAS NEARLY TWO HOURS AFTER GUTS CLUDG FRANK STELLA, MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, HIS PARTNER DIANA TAYLOR—NOT TO MENTN THE HOST, TOM WOLFE—HAD HEAD HOME AFTER A LEISURELY, TIMATE DNER AT THE DG ROOM UPSTAIRS CELEBRATG AN EXQUISE TASCHEN EDN OF TALE’S GROUNDBREAKG CELEBRY PROFILE, “FRANK SATRA HAS A COLD.”“HERE I AM, YOU KNOW, ON THE OCSN OF ‘FRANK SATRA HAS A COLD,’” TALE SAID. “I REALLY HAVE A LD. WORSE THAN SATRA DID, I’LL BET.”BUT TALE WOULDN’T HAVE MISSED THE NIGHT FOR THE WORLD. “THAT’S ONE THG ABOUT JOURNALISM: YOU HAVE TO SHOW UP.”THE BOOK IS FELY WORTH SHOWG UP FOR—A TOME TAILOR-MA FOR JOURNALISM JUNKI. TALE’S PROFILE OF SATRA FOR THE APRIL 1966 ISSUE OF ESQUIRE—WRTEN AT A DISTANCE, TRAILG THE SGER AND TERVIEWG EVERYONE OM HIS -STARS TO HIS WIG GROOMERS AFTER REPEATED BSH-OFFS OM SATRA’S PUBLICIST—IS EQUENTLY CED AS ONE OF THE WORKS THAT STEERS IMPRSNABLE YOUNGSTERS TOWARD A REER JOURNALISM. AND WH S NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN PHOTOS OF SATRA, TALE-PENNED TRODUCTN, AND MARKED-UP MANCRIPTS OM THE ARCHIVE PRTED ON OLD-FASHNED LETTERPRS AND ACCENTED THE SWOONY BLUE OF SATRA’S EY, THE TASCHEN BOOK IS THE GLOSSIT JOURNALISM TEXTBOOK IMAGABLE, RELEASED A FEW MONTHS AHEAD OF THE PIECE’S 50TH BIRTHDAY AND WEEK OR TWO AWAY OM WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SATRA’S 100TH. IT MAK THE WORK OF REPORTG AND WRG AND EDG LOOK AS PRETTY AND IRREVERENT AND FUN AS A W ANRSON MOVIE.COURTY OF TASCHEN.IT MAY HAVE A PRETTY FACE, BUT FOR TALE, APPEARANCE N BE EVERYTHG. HE TRAC MUCH OF WHAT LED HIM TO JOURNALISM TO HIS PARENTS AND THEIR REERS THE GARMENT DTRY—HIS FATHER WAS A TAILOR AND HIS MOTHER OWNED A DRS STORE OCEAN CY, NEW JERSEY—WHICH NO DOUBT SPURRED AN OBSSN WH CLOTHG THAT SEEMS EXTRIBLE OM HIS WORK. “WHEN I WRE STORI, ’S LIKE MAKG A SU: THE PIEC HANG TOGETHER, AND YOU SKETCH,” HE SAID. “THE WHOLE PROCS: HANDWORK.”HE EVEN CREDS HIS FIRST JOB AT THE NEW YORK TIM—WHICH ME IMPROBABLY AFTER A “HUIATG” TERVIEW DURG WHICH HE DISVERED HIS LLEGE CLASSMATE HAD LIED ABOUT THE TIMACY OF HIS NNECTN TO THE MANAGG EDOR WH WHOM HE WAS MEETG, LEAVG TALE GRASPG TO EXPLA HIS DACY WALTZG FOR A MEETG WH THE BIGWIG UNANNOUNCED—TO THE THREE-PIECE SU HE WORE TO THE TERVIEW. “I WAS POLE, WELL DRSED,” HE SAID. “I JT KNOW, THOUGH I NEVER GOT ANY NFIRMATN, THAT I MA A GOOD IMPRSN.”BEE OF HIS NOTED OBSSN WH CLOTHG, TALE IS OFTEN HELD UP AS A DANDY (AS IS WHE-SUED WOLFE FOR THAT MATTER). THAT MIGHT DO A DISSERVICE TO HIM, BUT ALSO, EQUALLY, TO HIS SENSE OF ELEGANCE. THERE’S REALLY SOMETHG TO HIS PREOCCUPATN WH LIVG AND BEHAVG BETIFULLY. “I WAS VERY RICH 1980, AND 1981,” HE SAID, REFLECTG ON HIS BOOM YEARS, AFTER THY NEIGHBOR’S WIFE OPTNED FOR $2.5 LN. SO WHAT’S THE WILST THG HE BOUGHT? HE TOOK A LONG SIP OF HIS MARTI.“NOTHG. I HAD EVERYTHG. I HAD A TOWN HOE. CLOSETS FILLED WH HANDMA SUS. TWO BETIFUL OLD SPORTS RS THAT I HAD OM THE 1950S,” HE SAID. “I HAVE TWO BETIFUL DGHTERS, I HAVE A WIFE, I HAVE, OF URSE, A JOB, I HAVE A WIFE WH A JOB.”MOST POPULARVANY FAIR’S “IT’S RAG TEENS” COVER AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?BY SAVANNAH WALSHREMEMBERG SéAD O’CONNOR’S SUBLIME MIC AND RIGHTEO RAGEBY MIKE HOGANRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE MAY BE “THE MOST EXPENSIVE B OF FAN FICTN EVER”BY SAVANNAH WALSHAS THE CLOCK TICKED TOWARD MIDNIGHT AND THE BAR’S PATRONS—MIDDLE-AGED UPL OF MURKY MARAL STAT, BANKERS TOO-SHY TI HAVG VODKA MARTIS—STARTED TO CLEAR, TALE MED ON WHY, AN AGE WHICH REPORTERS ARE NOTORLY RTRICTED OM CELEBRY SUBJECTS, ’S NOT EASIER THAN EVER TO WRE A PROFILE LIKE HIS, WHICH WAS BORN OF SATRA’S REFAL TO GRANT HIM ACCS. WHY IS SO HARD TO WRE A STORY LIKE THAT NOW?“IT SHOULDN’T BE. MAYBE THE PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT,” HE SAID. “I’M JT GUSG. WHEN I—YOU KNOW, MY ARISTOCRATIC IEND OM RICHMOND, VIRGIA, TOM WOLFE, HE WAS PROBABLY THE EXCEPTN—BUT MOST OF WERE NOT OM VERY TED BACKGROUNDS. WE WERE THE UNRCLASS. THE JOURNALISTS OF THE 1950S WERE PEOPLE LIKE ME. . . . PEOPLE THAT WENT TO HARVARD, YALE, THEY ULDN’T BE JOURNALISTS, WAG FOR SOME LABOR LEAR TO ANNOUNCE THAT THERE’S A SETTLEMENT AT THREE O’CLOCK THE MORNG OUT ON SOME WATERONT. . . . JOURNALISM WAS FOR THE LOW-LEVEL PEOPLE. ME.”“BUT WE HAD A KD OF PATIENCE ABOUT WAG,” TALE NTUED. “WE WERE GOG TO GET WHAT WE WANTED. I DON’T THK THIS NEW GENERATN HAS THE PATIENCE OR EVEN KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO GET THGS. . . . YOU HAVE TO GET OFF YOUR ASS. MAKE SOMETHG HAPPEN WH YOUR PERSONALY, WH YOUR GODDAMN STYLE, YOUR CHARM, YOUR BETIFUL CLOTH, YOUR REASSURANCE, YOUR SALMAN HUCKSTER-IST LIRICE. KNOW HOW TO GET SOMETHG AND NOT BREAK HEARTS OR BE OFFENSIVE.”AND THEN THE RTRANT TURNED OFF THE MIC—SATRA’S “THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT,” OF URSE—AND WAS TIME TO HEAD HOME. TALE HAD A LD TO SLEEP OFF, AFTER ALL.RELATED: HOW TOM WOLFE BEME … TOM WOLFEPHOTOS: HOW TOM WOLFE WOLFE1 / 16CHEVRONCHEVRONWOLFE HIS MANHATTAN APARTMENT. LEWIS’S DGHTER DIXIE, 13, LLED HIS SU AN “OUTGOG FASHN CHOICE.”RACHEL TASHJIAN

For now, Gay Water is sold largely onle (wh a few retailers) and four sugar-ee flavors — watermelon, lime, peach and grapeu — at lnch.

Gay Water might not have the ep pockets pared to s petors, like Whe Claw, but “even at small sle, pani of many siz are havg succs makg spir-based seltzers and premixed cktails,” Bryan Roth, an analyst for Feel Goods Company and edor of the alhol beverage newsletter, Sightl+, told CNN. “There’s lots of space the spir-based seltzer tegory which Gay Water n play, pecially if the brand n offer a cultural or emotnal nnectn that will feel more excg than the prospect of another peapple-flavored vodka seltzer om natnal or ternatnal rporatns,” Roth said. Of urse, other drks e the word “gay,” too, cludg Gay Beer and So Gay Rosé, Hodson noted, which are also tryg to reach the queer muny and offer them an alternative the straight-domated space.

Michael Sam beme the first openly gay player to be drafted when the then-St.

THE GAY TALE REAR: PORTRAS AND ENUNTERS

“It’s a book I wish I would have had when I was terrified, when I was believg that I was the only gay person the world for a long time.

Gay Tale is a journalist and ternatnal bt-sellg thor whose works clu The Bridge (Walker & Company 2003), The Kgdom and the Power, Honor Thy Father, Thy Neighbors Wife, and Unto the Sons. Near midnight on Monday Gay Tale was tucked to a rner booth the downstairs bar at the 21 Club, sippg a Bombay marti wh a twist, wh a specimen om his much-admired hat llectn stg polely bi him. Unto The Sons|Gay Tale.

LEGENDARY REPORTER GAY TALE EXPLAS WHY HE FDS TMP INSPIRG

In the wter of 1965, wrer Gay Tale arrived Los Angel wh an assignment om Esquire to profile Frank Satra. Even at my beloved magaze you feel like they are tryg to match Gay's wordunt, but not his Read this.