Aussielicious

This is how the Foxtel people portrayed us on the weekend’s broadcast of Mardi Gras. They’ve done a really good job although they did film us on the parade as I was messing up the routine but that was expected. It was so much fun.

Well, the Mardi Gras parade is over and done with once more for another year. We got a fantastic amount of press in the lead up to the parade, once again, prompting my mother to ask “Why are the lifesavers so popular?”. Who knows, but we seem to have lost none of the support we’ve had from the first two years.

The parade was an absolute blast once again but was all over too fast. I was just getting a second wind when the lights went out and the music was turned off. Early on in the parade route we were running around and I slipped on a pile of glittery confetti and re pulled my hamstring but the adrenaline was plenty strong enough to keep me going with a smile on my face.

Each year, there is one run through of the routine, which we do about 25 – 30 times along the route, where I completely fuck it up and lose the plot, like a little brain fart. Well this year I did it in spectacular fashion, just as we were hitting the main part of the parade route, where all the media for Foxtel, who broadcast the parade, were set up. We were approaching that area and I just completely messed up and couldn’t remember what to do next, so I started laughing, the choreographer’s assistant laughing at me too, me in the front row. At that point I turned my head and there we were, on the 40 foot wide screen, just as I lost it! Priceless.

To anyone that may have been out there supporting the parade participants, thank you! It was an incredible atmosphere once again!

The SMH online today has an article about Mardi Gras and the politics of the parade and it’s opponents, usually the church. The article is headed God – And the Godless, I think I know which one I’m supposedly categorised under, and to prove it, they’ve used my photo! Hilarious. My mother would be so proud!

It’s 6.45 am on Mardi Gras morning here in Sydney, sometimes known as Gay Xmas! I’m about to embark on a few hours of driving around with the woman who is going to drive our truck, to pick the truck up, then the generator then drop the truck off to have all the lights and music equipment loaded. Fingers crossed my poor little car holds up!

This shot was taken of us at our media rehearsal on Thursday night. I THINK that’s me on the left of the two central figures. Can’t be sure.

I haven’t actually even watched this myself yet, but it’s photos from thursday’s rehearsal. We’ve got one more big rehearsal on thursday night this week before the big night on saturday. I can’t wait. We did a sneak preview of the routine at the Bondi Boys party this afternoon and the crowd really liked it so that is a good start.

Yesterday was officially the last day of summer here in Australia and I was lucky enough to have a wonderful day from start to finish.

I caught up with mates for breakfast first up, before having a nice walk home in the sunshine. Then it was off to the beach to meet up with my mate from Melbourne who is camper vanning around the state. We’ve been chatting for a couple of years online so it was great to finally meet face to face and hang out naked on the beach. Then we drove down into the national park and found a camping site and had an easy meal with a few beers and a lot of laughs.

Today, some of the lifesavers are doing a sneak peak preview of our Mardi Gras routine at Bondi Boys Sexy party at Bondi Pavillion. Life is just a bit full on at the moment.

I personally can’t wait for the weekend. This week has been manic with not one evening spent at home. Tonight’s rehearsal for Mardi Gras was great but tough. The routine is challenging but has come together well. Tomorrow night, the lifesavers are appearing at Big Bingay which will be a great night.

This weekend a guy is in town that I’ve been chatting to online for some time. He’s living in Melbourne but is driving a campervan around NSW and Victoria to explore (he’s British) and he’s a big time nudie like me. He hits Sydney on Saturday so we are going to hang out on the beach and I’m going to spend the night naked in the campervan with him. I can’t wait to just chill out and do nothing!

Chadd, our photographer has put a bunch of the photos from last week’s rehearsal together and added some music for us. You can guarantee that if you make a mistake at the rehearsal, Chadd will have got it for sure. Thankfully he seems to have been pretty kind, so far.

On Thursday we had our second rehearsal and it definitely felt like the bar had been raised, to pinch a cliche from So You Think You Can Dance. The Journey we are on is such a learning experience that I’m hoping we all grow and learn and develop and find out more about who we are as performers.

Seriously though, we put together some moves and then when we realised the real speed we had to do them, we all panicked a touch, then laughed a LOT. It’s all coming together really well and I think we are going to make a great impact!

This year’s Mardi Gras parade is being televised on Foxtel and in preparation they are filming profile pieces on a few of the floats to air in the quiet moments of the parade. Today they filmed the piece on the Lifesavers With Pride as we’ve been a popular float the two years we’ve been included.

They filmed us this morning running in and out of the water, along the edge of the water, doing a rescue and also, embarrassingly, rehearsing a very clumsy run through of our routine so far. I can’t wait to see what they put together and which bits of the interviews they did with us all that they use.

I’ve just gotten home from our first rehearsal for this year’s mardi gras parade and I have to say I’m really excited again. The routine is shaping up to be a bit of a departure from the last couple of years in a good way but keeping some of the great elements that made it so much fun for us doing it and for the crowd watching.

There are some familiar faces back again and plenty of fresh excited faces in the mix, including an American guy who has to be at LEAST 6’8″ tall. Also along for the ride is fellow blogger Shannon. Shannon is busy doing his Bronze medallion at my old beach, Bronte!

The effects of the financial crisis are trickling down all the way to our little Mardi Gras float and budgets are tight. If any readers or their businesses feel like contributing to our cause, we’d dearly love to have you on board.

Today has been a long and busy but very good day. I learned something new at work which is always good. It wasn’t a big victory, but it was a couple of points on the board. Then I had to race to silks class where I’m still feeling the weeks off but LOVING the fact that I’m so challenged. We learnt a new trick which is very cool and a little scary. But of course, those tricks are the ones that look the best.

Then it was race out of class slightly early to drive across town to a meeting with the committee for the lifesavers with pride mardi gras float to decide on a song. I can say that I’m very happy with the selection and I think it’s a nice new direction/evolution on where we’ve been before. I think it will be popular.

Right now I’m eating some food so I have the energy to go to the gym in the morning.

A weekly event in Sydney is Bingay, a rowdier and raunchier version of Bingo than your gran plays and a hell of a lot more fun. It’s a fundraiser for ACON (AIDS council of NSW) and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last 7 or 8 years.

Every year they hold Big Bingay in the lead up to Mardi Gras. It’s in a bigger venue and raises more money for a very important cause. This year, the Lifesavers With Pride, the Mardi Gras float that I’m a part of, is proud to be associated with Big Bingay. We’ll be helping the ever fabulous Mitzi with her Grand entrance and generally being a bit of help around the place on the night. Yes, for those of you wanting to know, we’ll be doing it in our little swimming costumes.

The event is on Friday 27th February at Paddington RSL Club at 7.30 Sharp. I suggest you book now if you are planning on coming along. Call David on 9206 2110 or email events2009@acon.org.au

This year I’ve taken over doing the blog for the gay lifesavers and a bit of PR and media for them too. Last week I did an interview over the phone with a freelance journalist for BBC Brasil and the article is now up on their site. It’s pretty cool that we are getting our message out around the world!

If you are a lifesaver and you want to be part of the Lifesavers With Pride float in the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, email your details to lifesaverswithpride@gmail.com and even if you aren’t a lifesaver we hope we’ll hear you cheering for us on the night!

As I said the other day, it’s Mardi Gras preparation season and as part of that, we are looking for gay guys and girls who are lifesavers to join us in the Mardi Gras parade and celebrate being a Lifesaver With Pride up Oxford Street.