october 24, 2022

“I think our dreams are what sustain us in hard times. Dreams are what keep us childlike. I love that they can grow and expand as we grow and expand.” ~ Leslie Jordan

I left LA yesterday, and 24 hours later, Leslie Jordan dies in Hollywood. I was hurt to learn this, and exactly one month since Hero left, too (and Loretta and Wally!). I had the great fortune to interview Leslie many years ago as part of Tonic, the arts and music magazine I used to do on WUKY. He was utterly delightful, as one would expect. I tried to reach him in late 2020 to do an oral history with me for my Gig Economy Workers oral history project, but he’d already gone viral by then, and with 5.4 million followers (up to 5.9 now), he sure didn’t have time. This past Saturday, Rosie Moosnick and I wandered into Clifton’s in DTLA on the advice of an old friend, Karen Advance. This five-story wonderland was a marvel. It is too dark for decent photos, but I tried, especially after we found the secret door to the hidden tiki bar. For some reason, I thought of Clifton’s when I heard about Leslie’s passing. I guess because he would have had plenty of hilarious things to say about it. I mean, it’s got a three-story tree with seating, a stuffed buffalo, a hidden tiki bar, a water feature, and God knows what else. They don’t call it ‘Cabinets of Curitosities’ for nothing. Leslie was a wonder, too, and we are lucky to have shared this planet with that funny man. Condolences to our mutual BFF Erin: from The Pershing Point Hotel to the end.

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