Details

A handsome, coffee-table style book showcasing 230 flyers from NYC queer clubs from the 1990s, with commentary from nightlife luminaries of the era such as Michael Musto, Lady Bunny, DJ Larry Tee, DJ Susan Morabito, Goldy Loxxx, and more.

By David Kennerly

• Published by Daken Press LLC

• 232 pgs, 22 × 26 cm, Hardcover, 2023

THE 1990s IN NEW YORK CITY WAS A HEADY TIME FOR CLUBGOERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH A QUEER BENT. Massive dance clubs like the Roxy, Palladium, Limelight, and Tunnel drew fiercely passionate crowds. But the plucky smaller venues like Splash, Crowbar, Pyramid, and Sound Factory Bar were just as vital. DAVID KENNERLEY ventured into these now-legendary clubs. And when it was time to leave, promoters handed out flyers for the next week's parties. Most people tossed them on the sidewalk, but he saved each and every one.

GETTING IN spotlights over 230 of the most eye-popping, culturally resonant examples from his collection. The invites are not only visually stunning –– depicting flamboyant Club Kids, shirtless hunks, and sassy drag queens –– but tell a story of a unique moment in history when the LGBTQ community was reeling from the AIDS crisis and nightspots provided a refuge. GETTING IN is the first book to showcase queer nightclub invites from this era.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVID KENNERLEY is a journalist specializing in LGBTQ culture. For nearly two decades, he has been an Arts & Entertainment reporter for Gay City News, the NYC-based LGBTQ newspaper and website. David’s work has been published in other outlets including Metro New York, Genre magazine, and BravoTV.com.

Originally from the farmlands of Eastern Pennsylvania, David moved to NYC and became addicted to nightlife in the 1990s, where he became a club flyer hoarder and unexpected expert on queer nightlife of the period. Several examples from his ephemera collection were shown in the “Letting Loose and Fighting Back” exhibition at the New-York Historical Society honoring the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. David currently lives in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan and occasionally still goes clubbing.