Tuesday, April 12
ALIVE AT THE END OF THE WORLD The End of the World was a nightclub. Drag queens with machetes and rhinestone machine guns guarded the red and impassable door on Friday nights. Just a look at the crowd, all dressed up and swaying outside, made people want to yell the truth about themselves to anyone who'd listen, but no one heard. The End of the World was loud. The End of the World leaked music like radiation, and we loved the neon echo, even though it taunted us or maybe because it taunted us: kids leaning out of windows hours after bedtime, cabdrivers debating fares at the curb just for an excuse to linger, pastors who'd pause at the corner and vow that if they ever got inside, they'd burn it all down. (Saeed Jones)