Coco Peru is one of the godmothers of drag, performing in movies such as “Trick”, with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles when I chaired the board, and in her snarky “one woman show” performances on stage. She joined KGAY Palm Springs morning host John Taylor on Friday ahead of her shows at Hotel Zoso.
As we concluded the broadcast, she asked for a moment to comment on the recent spat of anti-drag legislation. Yes, dear readers, if you’ve been under a rock lately the right’s fight de jour is to ban Drag performances.
Tennessee was the first state to sign such a bill into law banning drag where someone who “is not an adult” could view it. (HRC aptly called out the governor after a photo surfaced of him in drag).
Coco agreed with comments by RuPaul, who earlier in the week said that such legislation is a distraction away from the real issues facing the country. We’ll post the audio @KGAY1065 in Facebook.
Drag is alive and well in greater Palm Springs. Our Visitor Map & Guide lists over 20 drag shows happening weekly. I don’t see such a ban happening in the Golden state. And our children will be just fine, thank you.
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide & KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs,
For the latest, follow our socials @GayDesertGuide and @KGAY1065 and listen to KGAY Palm Springs wherever you may be!
#ILoveGayPalmSprings #ILoveGayCatCity #ILoveGayTravel #ILoveGay #SayKGAY (and win!)
BNP Paribas Open is Underway
The BNP Paribas Open is underway, now through March 19 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. This is the largest two-week combined ATP & WTA professional tennis tournament outside of the four majors. This weekend: There are Friday Night Fireworks at Stadium 1 after the first match of the evening session, and a Drone Show on Saturday night! There will also be entertainment this weekend from Bryan Bros. Band, Johnny Smyth Band, and Radio Ready Band. Tennis Paradise also features top-shelf retail stores and luxurious dining options. And with 20 easily accessible practice courts, the opportunities are endless to encounter tennis’ hottest rising stars and most legendary icons as they prepare to take center stage in the desert. If you can’t make it in person, nearly 120 hours of live coverage is planned. Get tickets
Coco Peru is Bitter, Bothered & Beyond
Hotel Zoso presents the one and only Miss Coco Peru for an 8-show engagement of Coco Peru is Bitter, Bothered & Beyond, from Friday, March 10 through Sunday March 19. After everything that’s been going on in the world, Coco is ready to unleash her thoughts about the past, present, and future. Yes, this exhausted dinosaur of drag is not holding back anything in her new show! A veteran of numerous feature films (Trick, To Wong Foo…, and the cult classic Girls Will Be Girls), and television shows (How I Met Your Mother, Arrested Development, Will & Grace), Coco has also become a viral sensation on social media platforms. Get tickets
Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man
Bus Stop Productions presents Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man in the Tropics Lounge at the Margaritaville Resort on Fridays and Saturdays through March 18, with two shows per night at 7 pm & 9:30 pm. This show has been sharing its upbeat brand of humor with theater audiences all across America for over five years! The play is set at a local university auditorium where the English department holds its monthly meet the authors event. Robyn is the shy and studious moderator of the event and this month’s featured author is Dan Anderson of Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man. With the help of a hunky stage assistant named Stefan, Dan aims to turn this meet the authors event upside down with a highly theatrical, audience interactive sex tip seminar. Get tickets
MeTV Music 103.1 FM Debuts
Just this week, the Coachella Valley woke up to a new radio station! MeTV FM 103.1 features a uniquely appealing mix of familiar songs and rarely played gems from landmark albums across the decades from the 50s through the 80s. This timeless and memorable format was conceptualized to evoke strong emotions of days gone by, much like the MeTV television format. KGAY and Gay Desert Guide’s Brad Fuhr recently finalized plans to purchase the station, previously known in this area as “Channel Q.” Learn more
KGAY Live at Toucans
KGAY’s John Taylor will be making a live appearance Saturday, March 11 from 3–5 pm at Toucans Tiki Lounge! Join us for drink specials and amazing giveaways including tickets to see Shania Twain at Acrisure Arena and a some special happy hour drag performances. Toucans is celebrating 20 plus years in Palm Springs & is the destination for drag performances 5 nights a week. More info
The Kat & Dave Show at the McCallum
This Friday through Sunday, March 10–12, David Foster and Katharine McPhee take the McCallum Theatre stage for the stage version of their viral Instagram show, The Kat & Dave Show. Coming directly from the living room to the stage, this intimate show with the powerhouse duo will be packed with David‘s hits from Chicago, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé etc. and Kat’s biggest songs from American Idol, Smash, and Waitress. Upcoming shows at the McCallum include: Masters of Harmony (3/19), The Kingdom Choir™ (3/24), Katherine Jenkins (3/25), and Hershey Felder as Monsieur Chopin (3/28 and 3/29). See the full March schedule for the McCallum Theatre with ticket info on our event listing: Get tickets
Daylight Saving Time Starts Sunday
Time to “spring forward” and begin Daylight Saving Time this weekend. Turn your clocks forward at 2:00 a.m. early Sunday morning (or before you go to bed Saturday night) and enjoy an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day!
Escape to Margaritaville
Desert Theatreworks presents Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville, opening Friday, March 10 and running through Sunday, April 2. This upbeat and energetic new show features all your favorite Jimmy Buffett classics, including “Volcano”, “Fins”, “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and of course “Margaritaville.” With a tropical island theme, this heartwarming musical is the party you’ve been waiting for! Get tickets
A Funny Thing Happened…
Dezart Performs presents A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York City with performances now through March 12. A foul-mouthed twenty-something comedian and a middle-aged man embroiled in a nasty divorce are brought together unexpectedly when their cancer-stricken mothers become roommates in the hospital. Together, this unlikely duo must negotiate some of life’s biggest challenges… while making some of the world’s most inappropriate jokes. Our theatre reviewer Stephen Radosh writes that A Funny Thing Happened… is a “moving yet laugh-out-loud play,” and “the four cast members all give brilliant performances.” Read his full review [here] and Get tickets
Kafka’s Joke
Desert Ensemble Theatre presents the world premiere of Kafka’s Joke by Rich Rubin on March 10–12 and 17–19 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. On his deathbed, Franz Kafka instructs his best friend Max Brod to burn his unpublished manuscripts. Brod does not destroy his work, believing Kafka is a literary genius. This leads to Kafka’s writings rising to literary prominence decades after his death. Brod then escapes from Nazi Europe with Kafka’s works in 1939, bringing them to Palestine. At the time of Brod’s death in 1968, he left the manuscripts to his secretary. However, Brod’s will is very confusing. Who owns Kafka? A true story based on a 2016 Israeli Supreme Court case. Get tickets
Once
CVRep presents Once, playing now through Sunday, March 11. (Due to popular demand, CVRep added seven additional performances!) Once is a love story reminding us of how the language of music is universal. Winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Once tells the story of Guy, an Irish songwriter who spends his days fixing vacuums in the Dublin shop he runs with his father. While on the verge of giving it up altogether, along comes a girl who convinces Guy to believe in love, music, and the courage to carry on. Our theatre reviewer Stephen Radosh says Once is “a total joy from the moment you enter the theatre until it lovingly sends you on your way home.” Read his full review [here] and Get tickets
Spring Fling 2023
The 14th annual Spring Fling fundraiser benefiting Bloom in the Desert Ministries UCC is Friday, March 10, at the Palm Springs Pavilion starting at 5:30 pm. “Bending the Arc: Embracing our Core Values,” will feature a festive bazaar featuring international foods, music, the awards, raffles, and shopping. The entertainment headliner is the DC6 Singers Collective, an LA-based vocal a capella ensemble singing dynamic and energetic gospel and Motown tunes. Emcee Darci Daniels will host the evening including Strong Words story tellers, DJ Tina Turntables, Too Tall Tomm on stilts, the silent auction, festival booths hosting various justice ministries, and food from four local vendors. Bloom’s Community Justice Award Recipients for 2023 are Mily Treviño-Sauceda, the Executive Director and Co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas (National Association of Farmworker Women) and Brothers of the Desert, a non-profit organization which provides a growing network of support for Black gay men and allies in the Coachella Valley. More info
Desert X is Here
After welcoming a total of more than 1.25 million to all three previous iterations in the Coachella Valley, Desert X returns for their fourth exhibition, running now through Sunday, May 7. The exhibition of site-specific installations by acclaimed international artists examines social and environmental themes with a focus on the changes that give form to a world increasingly shaped by climate crisis, globalism, and the political and economic migrations that follow in their wake. Free and open to the public, stop in at the Desert X hub at the Ace Hotel or download the app for information on artists, a map to find the installations, and interactive content. More info
Free Oscar-Nominated Film Screenings
The Palm Springs Library presents free screenings on Friday, March 10 of two of the films being considered for Academy Awards. The films will be Elvis at 10:10 am, and Tár at 2 pm. More info
The Show: Daniel Tosh, Dancing w/The Stars
On Friday, March 10 The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa Rancho Mirage presents comedian Daniel Tosh at 8 pm. On Saturday, March 11, Dancing with the Stars LIVE brings the ballroom to life featuring your favorite Dancing with the Stars pros Alan, Alexis, Brandon, Britt, Emma, Gleb, Kateryna, Sasha, PLUS special guest stars Gabby Windey and Daniel Durant, at The Show at 8 pm. Get tickets.
