I had some really good times there and I will always think of a place where I came alive as a young gay man and I made friends with an awesome and diverse group of people. I also remember that I had to relinquish my title and my crown to Toulula when I left Michigan for Dallas and never did drag again. I was really proud that I won the title and did several other pageants. I took on the personna of Marlena Heart-Leigh and I competed against Toulula (who had a very naughty history at Gigi's) and Tabatha (who's gown fell off during her rendition of "I'm walking on Sunshine". I was a performer and when I saw all of the other drag queens, I felt competitive and wanted to do it too. I also remember that I quit my job at Gigi's in order to compete for the title of Miss Amateur Gigi's. I remember one night how we prepared to leave the bar and lock it up for the evening and how I and all of the other staff members had to run to our cars because someone was shooting at us as we made our exit that night.
GIGIS GAY BAR DETROIT DRIVER
I remember working with Greg the truck driver by day and bartender at night (I had a terrible crush on him), Bill the bartender (such a ball of energy and comedy) and I remember Paul managing the place and Tony talking to the staff after hours when everything was cleaned up (well, Gigi's version of clean) and it was almost time to leave for the night. I was a cocktail waiter and a fill in go-go boy. I worked for Gigi's from late Autumn of 84 until late Summer of 1985. I wasn't really a bar person, it was nice to be around people that excepted you for you and all your madness, and appreciated and encouraged it. Such great fun, learning about make up and costumes, show numbers, what a great group of talent and fun people to be around, and they were all so encouraging as well. The experience of performing in those shows, was an unforgettable experience for a young actor singer.
We enterted Miss amateur GigGi's 1983, just for fun, and I won! So then started doing shows around the show bars (Pink Flamingo-6mi), for a while. we became fans of the shows there and the queens at that time, Tempest, Jennifer Foxx Vanessa Lasalle, Cellophane.and others. young and beautiful, finding and expressing ourselves, and meeting exciting and interesting people. They always let us in, and nobody ever bothered us. I was a senior in high school, and really just wanted to go out and dance and have some fun with friends. (The days of Madonna, Boy George, Human League, Cyndy Lapeur,B52s) The shows were great, and the people were fun, wasn't so sleazy as it sounds now. I used to go to GiGi's back in the early eighties, It was a lot of fun then.
To each his own and if you have a good time being around low lifes, so be it. If he only new these boobs would run his legacy into the ground I bet he would have burned it down first before leaving it to "His loyal staff" as someone wrote. This bar is definately not the same since the origianl owner Tony Garneau passed. Put Nikki Stevens out to pasture where her tired nasty ass belongs. Is it a rule that Drag Queens have to be fat, Ugly and with no talent? Just a suggestion put Sabin in charge! She is fresh personable and a hell of a lot of fun.
She stole and steals all her ideas from others. God forbid if Stevens new the words of a song or to do something different. Someone wrote she brings in talent from around the country, yep Denise Russel who does the same dam show day in and day out everytime she is here, just like the shows every Saturday. And lets not forget the head DRAG Queen Nikki Stevens ANYONE WHO THINKS THIS IS TALENT doesn't know talent.
Yes the drinks are strong but overpriced. They spend all of their time in the backroom, some entertainment. The go go boys are skinny skanky and very unfriendly. Why would a business have someone like this on their staff? I thought the whole idea was to serve drinks and try to make customers stay. They have a bartender that is an ugly girl pretending to be an even uglier boy that hates her job and it shows.