Summer 2018 Playlist

Traveling to the annual Pride celebration is always a highlight for me. I've always spent the days before planning every detail meticulously. The actual traveling is spent getting in the mood and preparing for the fun ahead. Arriving to Pride is like arriving home. You know everybody there is accepting and will go out of their way to befriend you. After Pride closes, the trip home is a time to reflect and file the memories you made. Overall, it is the most meaningful event of the year for the community. This is a story about the trip to one of my most memorable Pride celebrations.

____________________________________________________

With LA on my mind, I pulled into Rocks apartments and desperately searched for an open parking spot. It was a massive apartment complex with hundreds of cars lining every inch of curb space. Finding one quickly was my top priority because the drive ahead was daunting and we had to be efficient. We had to reach Los Angeles by 3pm to beat rush hour and make it to Rock's parents house at a reasonable hour. We knew Rocks mom was planning a special dinner for his return home and there was no way we were going to arrive late. Not only was she an excellent cook but she was the sweetest person I knew and it had been over a year since Rock saw her in person.

She came up to visit the summer before and we showed her around our city which was a big change from LA. She adored the slower pace and took it all in as much as she could. On her first night in town we took her to the premier gay nightclub to dance. Even though she had traveled all afternoon she was ready to go out and have fun that evening. She wore a tight sequin dress that shined like a disco ball. The following day we took her river rafting which is not an activity she could easily do in LA. She was thrilled to float with us down the lazy river and drink a couple canned margaritas. To celebrate having such a good time with his mom, Rock pulled out his Bluetooth speaker and played her favorite song "Believe" by Cher. For the rest of that day, it was our anthem. We ended the evening poolside, barbecuing some chicken for homemade street tacos. She still brings that day up every time we speak.

Believe - Cher

I finally found a parking spot close to Rocks apartment and squeezed my little car in between two giant SUVs. Getting out was challenging but I slipped out somehow and made my way to the apartment. Rock was waiting at the door for me and yelled as soon as he saw me.

"Look who it is, right on time as usual! Did you have trouble parking?"

"Of course. This place is a madhouse!" I replied.

He smirked and stretched out his arms for a hug. We embraced and quickly began carrying his luggage to my car.

"I can't wait to see my Mitch" Rock said in an excited voice.

"YOUR Mitch, huh?" I responded. "We'll see about that!"

Ahhh, Mitch Grassi. He was our fantasy guy we playfully fought over and agreed that if either of us got a chance to meet him, the other would gracefully bow out of contention to date him. We both, however, understood it was a near impossibility considering he was a famous singer from a globally successful, Grammy award winning a capella group. But that didn't stop us from fantasizing about that slim possibility. We knew if either had the chance we'd take it. I mean, who wouldn't? Mitch had the voice of an angel and the image of a pop star. He would be a mega catch.

After getting everything packed into the trunk and locking up the apartment, we climbed into the cockpit and strapped ourselves in. To celebrate the occasion and set the mood, I played the only song that could properly do that, "Vacation" by Superfruit. Not only were the lyrics perfect but the track was instrumental in our successful departure to LA. We jammed out to it until we hit the first gas station. We excitedly filled up the tank, filled up our coffee cups and hit the highway. Our next stop was LA pride!

Vacation - Superfruit

Pride was such a wonderfully mysterious event. We'd been to San Francisco's pride celebration several times in the past and it always turned out to be the event of the summer. Beautiful people adorned the streets in wild colored fashion with rainbows as far as the eye could see. Music blasted at every turn with beer and food stands littering the landscape. The first year we went we were lucky enough to attend one of Lady Gaga's first big concerts, 2008 Pride. She sang some of the big hits we all know today but back then they were just hitting the radio. The song that sticks out for me was "Love Game". It was something so magical and openly gay friendly. It was a powerful moment not only for Lady Gaga, but the entire crowd who got to witness it. Her black and white suit and that dance routine will forever be burned into my memory.

Lady Gaga 2008 Pride Concert (I didn't film this)

We were hoping to see something similar happen with our new favorite music group Superfruit at this year's pride in LA. We knew the potential of their music and were very excited to be part of the crowd that would see it live. With their new album freshly released, it was a ticking time bomb ready to explode on the scene. It had been 10 years since the Gaga experience and that was what we were itching to see once again.

Driving the long stretches of highway between us and LA is usually boring but I had a playlist ready to go. "Lean On" by Major Lazer and DJ Snake was up first. This song made the playlist because it was the song playing at the club when he realized it was the first time he had ever been drinking with his mom. He told me afterwards that he was nervous to be drunk around his mom but the overall experience helped their relationship open up and blossom into the beautiful friendship they share today. All the hardships he endured before coming out to her seemed to melt away in that moment and he finally felt free for the first time in his life. He explained it seemed like an awakening experience. "Lean On" was their connection song. So I made sure to play that first. He couldn't help but bounce away in the passenger seat while he held my hand. He went straight to his happy place and I felt that happiness with him!

Lean On - Major Lazer and DJ Snake

After the song finished playing, Rock turned to me and asked "How did you know you were gay and when did you know?"

I realized I never told him when I first knew. I was in middle school and had a girlfriend named Sarah. She was an incredible girl, very thoughtful and kind. We dated for at least two years but never did anything more than kiss and hold hands. We were getting older and chemical things started happening within our bodies and curiosity got to us. Long story short, it was bad and not close to what I was expecting. I always had a tiny gut feeling that I would be happier in a relationship with a guy. Ricky Martin started getting famous and becoming a household name and the first time I set my eyes on that man I knew. He was my very first celebrity crush. "Livin La Vida Loca" was my secret 8th grade anthem. And years later I patted myself on the back for somehow knowing he was also gay. I was incredibly lucky because Sarah was also gay and it worked out perfectly. We both met people shortly afterwards and moved on. We remain great friends to this day!

Livin La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin

I told him all about Livin La Vida Loca and we danced like fools. Then we started getting into the electronic dance portion of the playlist and we talked about the memories tied to each one. Music has always been an anchor point for my memories. Thoughts come rushing into my brain reminding me of important parts of my life when a song first played on the radio. Like "Waiting for Tonight" by Jennifer Lopez. That was playing on the radio when I met the first boy I'd end up dating. At the time, there was no interest in him in that way. I remember the song because he sang it to me and I brushed it off. Looking back, he had been working very hard to get my attention. I was completely ignorant about it!

Waiting For Tonight - J Lo

I told him about the boy and he grabbed my phone to play a song he remembered. "Can't get you out of my head" by Kylie Minogue started playing and he told me this was the first song a boy sang to him. It was a solid jam. We spent most of the trip going back and forth like this until we started getting close to the Grapevine. I perfectly timed the music to play continuously from Grapevine to Hollywood. First up was Pentatonix self titled album and then the full, brand new album "Future Friends" by Superfruit. It was the music we came for and we got really pumped up and ready for the next couple days. We sang every hit like "Deny U", "Worth It (Perfect)", "Guy.exe" and "Can't Sleep Love". Time seemed to fly away and by the time we knew it, we were approaching Los Angeles.

Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie Minogue

Deny U - Superfruit

Guy.exe - Superfruit

Worth It (Perfect) - Superfruit

Can't Sleep Love - Pentatonix Ft. Tink

As we came over the hill and Hollywood revealed herself, Rock called his mom to let her know we were getting close. She was thrilled and I literally heard her scream on the phone. As we arrived at her house, I played her favorite song "Believe" and rolled down the windows. She came running out in her Pride day garb. She was wearing a very pretty rainbow skirt, yellow top, jean jacket and rainbow sun hat. She wanted to show off the outfit to "her boys". We both got out to give her a hug and greet her and she pulled us in to dance with her. We danced through the entire song and when it was over, she looked to Rock and said "Welcome home, son". To Rock, this meant the entire world. Rock's name used to be Corrine . He hadn't seen his mom since his top surgery and this was the first time he revealed himself to her. Needless to say it was the best start to a Pride celebration we could have wanted.

Because of this memorable trip to pride, I have this playlist saved on every music streaming app I use. It goes like this:

Believe - Cher

Vacation - Superfruit

Love Game - Lady Gaga

Lean On - Major Lazer and DJ Snake

Livin La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin

Everytime We Touch - Cascada

Sandstorm - Darude

Waiting For Tonight - J Lo

Can't Get You Out of My Head - Kylie Minogue

Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5

S&M - Rhianna

Poker Face - Lady Gaga

Vogue - Madonna

Telephone - Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce

She's a B**ch - Missy Elloitt

Lady Marmalade - Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, Pink

Beyonce self titled album

Pentatonix self titled album

Superfruit Future Friends album