Sybil Bruncheon's "My Merry Memoirs"... LGBTQ Pride Parades of the Past - 1984

Pride Month Memories... WHERE WAS I 40 YEARS AGO?:

On every Pride Parade Day, I spend the day thinking about Lou Maletta, the Gay Cable Network on Channel J, and all the adventures we had together there and around the city and with Mark Bailey and all our GCN friends in Cincinnati. Although I first officially met Lou in 1983, and then began collaborating with him on stage and club events, and three different cable TV series that ran from 1984 to 1993, I feel like I'd known him forever. Right after we taped our first show together at the beginning of November in '84, we began spending every week together working on exciting projects, fundraisers, upcoming shoots on location all around NYC, and in various downtown theatres in front of studio audiences, and of course, the Gay Pride Parade!.....this photo was taken outside the Plaza Hotel on our first parade together, and back when the Pride Parade was hours long, winding from Central Park West up at the west 70s, crossing 59th Street to Fifth Avenue, and then all the way down to Greenwich Village and back across Christopher Street past the historic Stonewall Inn to the Hudson River for the festival. As I said... HOURS!

This first parade we did together had so many funny and fascinating moments for us; the balloons began to deflate and pop almost immediately in the heat against the hot metal of the car! Every block of that long parade route stunned and surprised us! We had only been on that early incarnation of cable television (only ten channels and all on a dinky box of pushbuttons labeled "A" through "J" and perched precariously on top of your TV with NO remote!). But as we drove down the parade route, we couldn't believe the throngs of people that screamed out "Sybil" and rushed the car for autographs and photos (and this was LONG before the convenience of cell phones and selfies!). The buzz and the hoopla grew and grew, block by block of course as we moved farther and farther downtown we went.

There's Lou's partner of many years, Luke Valenti driving!!! Luke would have all of us convulsed with laughter whenever I saw him. Lou said that Luke made him laugh more than anyone on Earth, and that it was their secret to their long marriage!! Lou will certainly be in my heart and memory forever. I still find myself chuckling at all the funny times we had, the poignant moments we shared, and the many friends we loved... and lost. Lou's sense of humor was tremendous too, and his lifestyle fooled no one.....If you spent any time with him at all, you would see that he was an incredibly learned and sophisticated man under all the leather and paraphernalia!!!... and he revealed his classiness only when it suited him!!!! He was my producer with whom I clashed and bickered, and laughed and conspired! Lou was always happy for my successes, and gave great advice when I asked for it! We made some fun and funny shows together, some of which still exist in archives here and there, and we chuckled at the thought that we were often portrayed as the Bette Davis and Jack Warner of the Gay Cable world... Many thanks, Lou, for so many gifts!!!... and sweet dreams to you, old friend.

(Photo by Diana Di Prima. Sybil's gown by Cliff Boone and Morrie Breyer of A.Q.U.A., and her jewelry by Jesse Galvez of J. Antonio and Larry Verba)

[Want to read other stories here on SybilSez.com? Just enter any topic that pops into your head in the "search" window on the upper right! Who knows what might come up?...and feel free to share them with your friends!]

*Tour-ette in my jungle of irises... strange visitors every year in my garden! Part II 5/22/2022

[Want to see other videos or read other fun and funny stories here on SybilSez.com? Just enter any topic that pops into your head in the "search" window on the upper right! Who knows what might come up?...and feel free to share them with your friends!]

*Tour-ette in my jungle of irises... strange visitors every year in my garden! Part I 5/21/2022

[Want to see other videos or read other fun and funny stories here on SybilSez.com? Just enter any topic that pops into your head in the "search" window on the upper right! Who knows what might come up?...and feel free to share them with your friends!]

Sybil Bruncheon's "Just My Opinion... BUT!"... Bad Table Manners! A deal breaker???

Darlings, Aunt Alicia in GIGI (1958) may have been right when she said, "Bad table manners, my dear Gigi, have broken up more households than infidelity."

Have you ever gone on a first date and been shocked over dinner? Or embarrassed to introduce your luncheon pal to your Mother? Or stunned at your boss' behavior over a morning coffee? Well, here are just twelve of the many, many table-manner DON'Ts that are deal-breakers for many people... sort of our Dirty Dozen of Dining!

1) Chewing with your mouth open! The truth of the matter is that no one needs to see time-lapse photography of each mouthful as you chomp away. We're quite sure it's all being broken down quite adequately behind your CLOSED lips. This also keeps any of it from falling out on the paisley necktie your grandma gave you commemorating the Beatles 10th anniversary of "We're So Sorry, Uncle Albert!"... And of course, it precludes you talking elaborately with your mouth full too...

2) Speaking of talking, the invention of the cell phone has resulted in vast portions of the population no longer speaking to dinner companions... or even looking at them. Indeed, with the entire workforce sitting in cubicles, there's much to be said for building all future restaurants with single-seat dining boxes. A "four-top"?!?... Why bother? Cell phone use is particularly annoying for the unfortunate diners who actually go out to dinner to visit and chat with a companion... and how poignant, actually tragic is it to see a child at a table with parents blabbing or texting away without so much as a smile to their young?... unless of course the toddler has already been swallowed into the same blank cult with his own cell phone!... a gift for his first birthday!

3) Smoking at the dinner table was finally outlawed in restaurants, but only indoors. There are still open-air places where people can get away with it... or try to. Simply put, it's disgusting, especially if other non-smokers are trying to enjoy their food without the flavorful additions of Marlborough or Virginia Slims. Excuse yourself, and go someplace DOWN-wind of everyone who's decided to preserve their poor hardworking lungs! And even if you're out with a bunch of smoking diners, never, ever stub a cigarette out in a dinner plate when you're finished. It's an appalling insult to your host and the cook.

4) Along those same lines, I can't tell you the number of people, rich and "cultured" ones as well, who casually drop their napkins over the food on their plate when they're done. Literally blanketing that Bœuf Bourguignon with a fine linen napkin and walking away as it soaks into the red wine sauce... I especially like it when they take the time to fold the napkin before they do it... as opposed to just crumpling it up in a wad... and then, KER-PLOP. Unless you really mean to thoroughly insult your host, the cook, or the entire restaurant because you absolutely hated the meal, never, EVER do anything to any napkin! No crumpling. No sauce. Nope! When you're finished, simply fold your napkin neatly and place it beside the plate. BESIDE THE PLATE! Done, and done!

5) Silverware; Ok, presumably, you're not a 4 year-old at the beach with a sand pail and shovel!... nor are you Jack the Ripper about to disembowel your dinner date... or are YOU? Your fork and knife are placed where they are to stay; Fork on the left, knife on the right! Pick your fork up in your left hand, and there it stays! You can use it to scoop or if you roll it over, to pierce. And your knife is in your right hand to cut, or to scoop food onto your fork (still in your left hand!) No need to switch hands and utensils, and PLEASE! Check Youtube videos or enroll in an etiquette school to see how to HOLD forks and knives! Again, they're not gardening tools! You don't hold them in a closed fist as if you're in the mess-hall of a penitentiary. Children's little hands may be clumsy with silverware, but grownups (and I mean 10 year-olds and older!) should be able to manage this simple manual task!

6) Hands; Yes, there are some cultures that use their hands to eat without the benefit of any utensils at all. But in the West, we still rely on silverware, (and in the East, there's the chopstick). From Seattle to St. Tropez, the only foods you need to pick up in your hands are breads (dinner rolls, donuts, peanut butter sandwiches), vegetables (carrot and celery sticks, French fries, edamame beans), and treats (chips, pretzels, expensive chocolates)... most everything else is too wet, juicy, and messy to eat with your fingers... unless you're home alone in the bath tub gorging by candle light! Don't eat with your hands in public, and don't lick your fingers!

7) Never "noodle"! Slurping up spaghetti or even noodles in chicken soup is wrong! JUST PLAIN WRONG! You're not an Electrolux vacuum cleaner, and no one wants to see it or HEAR that sound!... and speaking of that sound! What's with slurping? Is it a cultural thing? Why does Streisand do it in THE WAY WE WERE (1974)? It's grotesque. Imagine if every table in a restaurant was doing it... or all the guests at a royal banquet in Buckingham Palace!... or all the mourners at a funeral luncheon for Aunt Harriet!! Slurp! Slurp!! SLUUUUURP!!! Really!... and that goes for ANY noisy eating what-so-ever! Except for the unavoidable crunch of crisp foods, ideally, eating should be silent! Conversation should be unpunctuated by anything else!

8) Double-Dipping! Back to communal food… Case-in-point; Chips and dip! What are you thinking when you scoop a chip into a bowl of guacamole, bite half of it, and then scoop again with the same chip… or carrot stick, or whatever! Either swallow the entire item you’ve scooped… or break a bite-sized piece off before you scoop it into the dip. Your saliva, your sticky fingers, indeed, any part of your body and its bodily fluids do NOT need to be in circulation at dinner. I know, it doesn’t seem fair in this me-first political climate, but that’s just the way it is, Karen!

9) Never eat out of a serving dish. Famous narcissists like Roy Cohn use to do this at dinner parties. Right out of serving dishes at high-class dinner parties on Fifth Avenue! And people would look down in their laps, cough nervously, and try to ignore it because… well, because he was Roy Cohn and a profoundly dangerous thug in New York’s social life. When he wasn’t in someone’s home, and was out in NYC’s fabulous restaurants, he would actually eat off other people’s plates. I’ve had family members who did this, and, when confronted, being narcissists, they either chuckled merrily or acted hurt and imposed upon… Unless you’re home with family (and enablers at that!) never presume to put your hands into other people’s food… unless invited! Period!

10) Never be rude to restaurant employees. Even if they’ve been rude first… Yes, you’re paying money, and yes, you DO deserve to have a lovely evening!... BUT. If you’ve never had a food service job, you have no idea how appalling and contemptible the dining public can be on their 2 hour Saturday night outing with a little liquor and all the sad bourgeoisie pretensions of having a “staff” at their disposal! The average Joe isn’t a Vanderbilt, a Morgan, or even a Kennedy. Having never had servants, Joe doesn’t realize that eating in a restaurant in Buttpoke, Arkansas doesn’t mean he should order everyone around in a Thurston Howell III lock-jaw! Just as most waiters learn to “kill the customer with kindness” to get the best possible tips, customers should learn to “kill the staff with kindness” to get the best possible service (and a possible extra glass of wine or a dessert!). Always look the waiter in the eye when you’re ordering. Don’t look all over the room while you’re talking to them! Would you do that to your boss, your spouse, your MOM? And try using the waiter’s name when you ask them for more water, coffee, a slice of lemon! Using a person’s name in conversation is one of the basic and most effective life-lessons in the general adventure of living! Please and Thank-you are great dining tools too! And don’t get me started on tipping. If you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to go to a restaurant, or indeed get a coffee at Starbuck’s!... and you know who you are.

11) Bodily functions!... need I say more? No, really! Need I say more? No one is interested in you blowing your nose or picking it, drilling into your ear, or trying to dislodge food from your teeth at the table! It’s a short, slippery step to belching, farting… and if we’re going to allow that, why don’t we just take a dump at the table? Excuse yourself to a restroom for ALL and ANY of it… and by the way, cover your wide-open yawns, and certainly do them silently, behind your napkin!

12) Even when you’re home alone… and on the phone! Do you really need to eat into the ear of your caller? Maybe you don’t mind folks chewing and chomping into your ear during a phone chat, but some folks consider it really déclassé. Above and beyond the sound being like fingernails-on-a-blackboard for some people, it also might symbolize something else for them too… You might think it’s a sign of familiarity and intimacy, but some people consider it dismissive and insulting, as if you’re just fitting them into your busy schedule. Similar to using the toilet while you were talking to them on the phone.

These twelve are just a few of the many egregious Table-Manner Related Dining DON’Ts that have become de rigueur in this culturally bankrupt world we live in today! Feel free to contribute your OWN pet peeves. I may have to do another Dirty Dozen list!

[Want to read other stories here on SybilSez.com? Just enter any topic that pops into your head in the "search" window on the upper right! Who knows what might come up?...and feel free to share them with your friends!]

Sybil Bruncheon's "Breaking News from the CNN News Bureau!"... Putin Might Be Scootin’… (part 1)

Various international news agencies are reporting that Vladimir Putin may not still be in power by the end of this year, and in fact, may already be out of the Kremlin. Several rumors have surfaced as to where he may be and what he may be doing... (clockwise from upper left)...

1) Putin has always been eager to entertain, even as a child. He reportedly was an adept magician for birthday parties at the age of 8, and had learned how to be a ventriloquist from classes offered on the backs of comic books like "Super Comrade" and "Batmanski"... he also has a notoriously "talented" right hand...

2) Putin has always considered himself a sexual dynamo, possibly with either sex. Out of office and the public eye, he may have begun dating international businessmen, especially if they're billionaires. He particularly likes gifts of excellent champagne, top notch caviar, and cashmere jock straps...

3) Rumors have swirled that Hollywood has approached him with a series of Russian bio-pic films about American icons of the past; heroes of US history that he might consider are (in this photo) Dwight Eisenhower. Also possibly Teddy Roosevelt, Paul Revere, Mr. Rogers, and Betty Crocker.

4) Steven Spielberg may have already signed Putin on to a film, tentatively titled ДЕРЖИ МОЮ ЯЩЕРИЦУ ШЛОНГ. Rumors claim that it's the story of a shy, charming paleontologist who can't connect with girls and gradually becomes enamored with a popular raptor from the international jet-set. Despite the difference in their ages, she takes a liking to him. Romance ensues, and a wedding, and she eats him on their Honeymoon... in Minsk.

 5) Putin’s love for his cat, Meow-scow, was very well known until the little Kremlin Kitty ran under the runners of a snow sleigh during the annual Christmas festival cross-country sled race. Putin was devastated and had all 12 competing Santas shot by firing squad right there in Red Square in front of holiday shoppers at Macy’s and all their children. In memory of little Meow-scow, there’s a very good chance he might volunteer at a pet shelter and take a personal interest in homing even the most feral, rabid, and physically grotesque animals in homes of reluctant and unwilling citizens.

 6) Putin’s love of pop-music endeared him to all of Russia, especially the younger “hip” generation! A renowned ballroom dancer and air-guitar player, he may very well pursue a career at a local radio station as DJ, specializing in romantic “love-pad” music. His personal playlist on his 8-track tape deck includes “How Deep Is Your Love”, “Country Road, Take Me Home”, “Only The Lonely”, and “How Much Is That Doggy In The Window”. Putin will want to be really popular at the start of his career, so he will definitely talk with listeners on the phone and take requests… however a song that he doesn’t like may result in his death-squad paying a visit to the home of the requester… during the show!!

 7) Putin has long had business relations with various Chinese businessmen, especially in the food industry. His gourmet aspirations to being a first-class Szechuan chef have been hinted at over the years... often at international conferences where his 火熱的辣椒和小狗濃湯 (Fiery Hot Pepper With Puppy) breath might cause diplomats to faint dead away. Rumor has it that he has set aside a veritable fortune in yen for a string of drive-through, fast-food take-outs called Putin’s Peek-Inns! The menu may include “Egg Foo Yung McMuffins, and a “Moooo-Goo We-Have-The MEAT Burger”…

 8) Putin may end up in a small out of the way wildlife compound just across the Bering Sea in Alaska. There have been reports that an unnamed Russian has been hired by Sarah Palin to manage her “Maverick Moms’ Mammal Mansion”, a combination petting zoo and caged-hunt slaughter-center for millionaire-hunters who want to kill anything they can afford but without the inconvenience of camping out in the chilly weather, canned beans, bear attacks, and wet mittens.

Please stay tuned for upcoming bulletins on Vladimir Putin’s whereabouts and possible career and life choices in the event of his leaving office… voluntarily… or not.

[Want to read other stories here on SybilSez.com? Just enter any topic that pops into your head in the "search" window on the upper right! Who knows what might come up?...and feel free to share them with your friends!]

Sybil Bruncheon's "MY MERRY MEMOIRS"... or maybe Dagmar's...

With many thanks to my friend Jonathan Boorstein for finding this old photo: That's my identical twin, Dagmar, who entered a skiing competition in Vroče Žemljice, the famous and glamorous resort in Slovenia. Drugged and drunk as usual, she got on the wrong train and overnighted South into Italy to Venice!! The one thing I can say about my sister is that she never sulks... she's unsinkable much like Mummie... we got that quality from our Mother, deranged as she was.. Anyway, Dagmar challenged all the local gondoliers to a race and managed to... um... "water-ski" her way around the canals and win an impromptu marathon against twelve of the burliest gondola-guys. Peggy Guggenheim's mansion happened to be the finish line, and she invited everyone in for an extended weekend of "dining and debauchery" as she called it... I DO remember Dagmar's outfit in this photo along with various striped shirts, trousers, and... ahem... "underthings" floating in the canal in front of Peggy's the next morning. A side note; Peggy didn't have a trophy she could give Dagmar so she gave her a small Picasso of one of his wives looking like a guitar with both eyes on one side of her face and screaming about something. It was gorgeous!... Can you blame me for stealing it from Dagmar's guest bathroom a week later?? Can you???

[Want to read other stories here on SybilSez.com? Just enter any topic that pops into your head in the "search" window on the upper right! Who knows what might come up?...and feel free to share them with your friends!]

*Tour-ette in my little driveway-garden during a cloud-burst! Is it PA or HI??? LOL!!! 5/20/2022

[Want to see other videos or read other fun and funny stories here on SybilSez.com? Just enter any topic that pops into your head in the "search" window on the upper right! Who knows what might come up?...and feel free to share them with your friends!]

Sybil Bruncheon's "Be My Guest" on the Gay Cable Network - (1988) with "Noel Coward" (Part 1 of 2)...

Taped at 88s in Greenwich Village. (Thank you to Mark Bailey, Louis Baldonieri, Olivia Negron, Rick Cook, Kevin Oldham, Susan Suka Taylor, Michael McQuary, and the entire crew)

[Want to see other videos or read other fun and funny stories here on SybilSez.com? Just enter any topic that pops into your head in the "search" window on the upper right! Who knows what might come up?...and feel free to share them with your friends!]

Sybil Bruncheon's "Be My Guest" on the Gay Cable Network - (1988) with "Noel Coward" (Part 2 of 2)

Taped at 88s in Greenwich Village. (Thank you to Mark Bailey, Louis Baldonieri, Olivia Negron, Rick Cook, Kevin Oldham, Susan Suka Taylor, Michael McQuary, and the entire crew)

*Tour-ette from my garden. I wish I could share the intensity of the colors with you! 5/19/2022

[Want to see other videos or read other fun and funny stories here on SybilSez.com? Just enter any topic that pops into your head in the "search" window on the upper right! Who knows what might come up?...and feel free to share them with your friends!]