BL was paid handsomely to perform and "carry on" at private parties before hitting the Bistro stage at midnight.
On New Year's Eve of 1974, he arrived by limo at the "black towel optional" opening of the Music Hall at the legendary Man's Country bathhouse where he performed for the mostly naked crowd. People joked that he'd show up at the opening of an envelope. Windy City contests and a popular guest at film festivals. He was frequently a featured entertainer at the Mr. He wrestled in cake batter for charity and ended the match by licking his opponent into submission. He attended dozens of nightlife events, play openings, fundraisers, and restaurant debuts. He was routinely featured in the gay and straight press alike for any number of reasons. He was born for this because BL adored his public as much as they adored him. On the street some people asked for a picture, for an autograph, or both. People shouted to him from passing cars and called his name from department store balconies. Glitz and glitter artist, Bob "Windy City Warhol" Fischer, who called his art bizzarte, immortalized him in an oil painting.īL was a bona fide celebrity. Bruce Vilanch referred to him as "Chicago's Living Legend." Gay Life columnist Ron Herizon hailed his infectious lunacy as "Chicago's answer to Bette Milder." He posed for noted photographers like Chuck Shotwell and Marc Hauser. With the Bistro as his platform, BL became a star. With additional material by Jeffrey Mark Bruce and Richard Knight, Jr., author, activist, and grassroots historian Owen Keehnen brings the era and one of the most colorful characters of Chicago's gay "downtown glitter scene" to life.įollowing is an excerpt from the book, now available on Amazon and at Unabridged Books.įor nine years the Bistro reigned as the hottest club in Chicago - a genuine nightlife phenomenon - and above the door on the marquee, as well as on the club's business cards and matchbooks, it said "Dugan's Bistro, the Home of the Bearded Lady." The Bearded Lady's story is a gateway to the decadent nightlife and exuberance of a "lost" generation - and what happened after the party ended.
Despite his fame, much of BL's life has remained a mystery, until now.ĭugan's Bistro and the Legend of the Bearded Lady is a folklore-bio of the Disco Era - a time and place that were key in the evolution of Chicago's LGBT community.
From 1973-1982 the sign above the door and on the club's matchbooks read: "Dugan's Bistro, the Home of the Bearded Lady." A Chicago nightlife phenomenon, the Bearded Lady was a unique celebrity who, for over a decade, was covered regularly in gay newspapers and magazines, gossip columns of the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times, and several national and international publications. This article shared 4075 times since Wed Dec 26, 2018ĭugan's Bistro was the hottest gay disco in Chicago.