From The Editor: Fight Club
Andrew Creagh on journeys – how grief unlocks music, how challenges shape resilience, and why the road is worth it even when it is rough.
Even when the road is rough.
You’ve probably read this on a coffee cup or a cushion somewhere before: “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”
It’s a cliché, a platitude, a very well-worn phrase that seeks to remind us that the challenges in life are what make it worthwhile. Challenges require us to step up, to learn, to dig deep into our resilience and come out the other end a wiser and stronger person, perhaps.
I’ve found myself wanting to say this to a few friends recently who are going through hard times, but I don’t. It sounds like something someone would say at the end of a Hallmark Thanksgiving movie. Empty. Lacking real empathy or genuine concern. There are better words to offer friends.
But there is definitely truth to it, as many of the stories in this issue show. Take musician Mike Maimone. He tells Marc Andrews how his husband’s death unlocked a wealth of songs he may never have written. “The grief was paralysing at first. I was lucky to have music to channel the pain into,” he says.
His fellow musician, Jack Panther was creatively stifled by covid lockdowns and struggling with his mental health, until he realised he no longer wanted to write melancholic songs and changed gears to songs of hope.
Our theatre story this month is an interview with Matthew Hearne. He has Cerebral palsy, but this has not stopped him from playing soccer at the Paralympic Games or going on to perform in musicals such as Guys And Dolls. He’s also bisexual, which is not a challenge in itself, but other people’s perceptions can be.
We also have stories on Saturday Night Live comedian Bowen Yang and porn star Jonzu Jones. Both are People Of Colour, which has presented challenges in their respective fields. Bowen actually underwent “gay conversion therapy” which is incredibly damaging for young queer people. But he says, “That part of me they tried to erase is the part I now cherish most,” which is quite a recommendation on the value of the journey versus the destination.
The problem with this pesky phrase, however, is that not everyone survives the journey. For some, the journey is too taxing, the road is too rough. I’m thinking here of soul crooner Luther Vandross, whose story we revisit in this issue. Because of the entrenched homophobia in the music industry, he was never able to come out as gay and live a full, open, authentic life. He had health challenges (the diabetes that killed his father and his siblings), that made his weight fluctuate to extremes. And he was black. The cards were stacked against him, and he died too young. So it’s great that a new generation have discovered him through Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s #1 track, Luther, featuring his vocals.
So, we are embracing the journey this month. Adam Bold from Points Of Difference, a boutique travel and events company for the LGBTQIA+ community tells us where the gays are going! And Patrick and Randle from VACAYA, the cruise company, talk us through their ethos and get excited for their upcoming Kimberley cruise in far-north-west Western Australia.
Our cover boy, Sergio Fernández is also a traveller. He hails from Madrid but his gypsy spirit has him floating around the Americas at the moment. We managed to pin him down long enough for a chat – all the juicy stuff about being a content creator, the joys of holiday sex and being bisexual. I trust you’ll enjoy his pictures and his interview! And the rest of the issue.
And remember, if the journey is tough, and you are having a hard time, reach out to friends and family or professional online or telephone counselling. There is help. You are not alone. You are loved.
Andrew Creagh, Founding Editor
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