Sybil Bruncheon’s “My Merry Memoirs”… Easter 1986.

The New York Native, a weekly paper published in New York City. And there I was as their Easter season model for gifts and treats!! .....(um, yes, I got carried away when they pulled out the chocolates! But they hadn't fed any of the crew lunch!!...... bastards!)

(Photos and article by William Cullum) (Sybil’s gown by Cliff Boone and Morrie Breyer of A.Q.U.A.)

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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)

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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)

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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)

Sybil Bruncheon's "My Merry Memoirs"... "A Pro's Response to Tech Troubles"...

Bad 'stuff' happens all the time in a live show. When it does, you can tell a true pro by how they recover. Sybil proves, she's a real pro. This segment was recorded live at the 1st show GCN produced at The Dock entertainment complex in June, 1986.

(From the Cincinnati Gay Cable Network archives of Mark Bailey)

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Sybil Bruncheon's “My Merry Memoirs”… LGBTQ Pride Parades of the Past - 1986.

Here we are for the 1986 LGBTQ Pride Parade just rounding the corner of Central Park West and onto West 59th Street. That’s the old New York Coliseum Building in the background which was demolished in 2000 for the towering steel-and-glass Time Warner Center. (imagine how furious Jackie Onassis would have been had she lived to see that!) This was the old parade route too; starting at Central Park West at West 70th Street all the way down to 59th and Central Park South at Columbus Circle (shown here), then across to 5th Avenue, down to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, across to Christopher Street and Sheridan Square, and then all the way down to the festival on the Hudson River. This was the year of the rededication of the newly restored and refurbished Statue of Liberty for its Centennial. All of Washington DC and scores of foreign dignitaries, celebrities, and VIPs showed up for the ceremonies, the arrival of the Tall Ships, performances by major music stars, and the most expensive fireworks display at that time! And there Mummie was, roasting in her gold lamé, in Luke Valenti's vintage convertible with deflating balloons and GCN folks from NYC and Cincinnati draped all over the hood!... ah, good times... good times!

[Well, clearly, I wasn't making THAT much history... after all, as we all know, RuPaul invented drag... nothing basically came before... oh well! All of us over at the newly created Gay Cable Network (on the newly invented cable television system) were too busy making sure that we filmed and photographed everything in case someone decided to shoot me for the audaciousness of having muscles and a strapless Statue of Liberty dress on! The idea was the same as the press coverage of the Hindenburg back in the 30's... everyone felt that something horrible could happen at any minute so why not always be on stand-by for that "great photo op"!]

(Photo by Diana Di Prima. Sybil’s gown by Cliff Boone and Morrie Breyer at A.Q.U.A.)

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Sybil Bruncheon's “My Merry Memoirs”… LGBTQ Pride Parades of the Past - 1986.

Here we are for the LGBTQ Pride Parade just rounding the corner of Central Park West and onto West 59th Street. This was the old parade route too; starting at Central Park West at West 70th Street all the way down to 59th and Central Park South at Columbus Circle (shown here), then across to 5th Avenue, down to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, across to Christopher Street and Sheridan Square, and then all the way down to the festival on the Hudson River. This was the year of the rededication of the newly restored and refurbished Statue of Liberty for its Centennial. All of Washington DC and scores of foreign dignitaries, celebrities, and VIPs showed up for the ceremonies, the arrival of the Tall Ships, performances by major music stars, and the most expensive fireworks display at that time! And there Mummie was, roasting in her gold lamé, in Luke Valenti's vintage convertible with deflating balloons and GCN folks from NYC and Cincinnati draped all over the hood!... ah, good times... good times!

[Well, clearly, I wasn't making THAT much history... after all, as we all know, RuPaul invented drag... nothing basically came before... oh well! All of us over at the newly created Gay Cable Network (on the newly invented cable television system) were too busy making sure that we filmed and photographed everything in case someone decided to shoot me for the audaciousness of having muscles and a strapless Statue of Liberty dress on! The idea was the same as the press coverage of the Hindenburg back in the 30's... everyone felt that something horrible could happen at any minute so why not always be on stand-by for that "great photo op"!]

(Photo by Mark Garrett. Sybil’s gown by A.Q.U.A)

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Sybil Bruncheon's “My Merry Memoirs”… LGBTQ Pride Parades of the Past - 1985.

Rounding the corner at Central Park South (59th Street) at 5th Avenue in my custom made gown by Cliff Boone and Morrie Breyer at A.Q.U.A. with Luke Valenti driving the Gay Cable Network convertible. That’s the Plaza Hotel in the background. (photo by Diana Di Prima)

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Sybil Bruncheon in Cincinnati GCN... Prepares "Gelatin Surprese"... (part I)

GCN Cincinnati is proud to present Sybil Bruncheon in her continuing summer 1987 series. Join Sybil as she shows the audience that a grand dame should always know her way around kitchen utensils. To do this, she will begin her preparation of “Gelatin Supreese” (Part I)

(Produced and edited by Mark Bailey and the staff of Cincinnati’s GCN)

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Sybil Bruncheon in Cincinnati GCN... Prepares "Gelatin Surprese"... (part II)

GCN Cincinnati is proud to present Sybil Bruncheon in her continuing summer 1987 series. Join Sybil as she shows the audience that a grand dame should always know her way around kitchen utensils. To do this, she will begin her preparation of “Gelatin Supreese” (Part II)

(Produced and edited by Mark Bailey and the staff of Cincinnati’s GCN)

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