Queentastic

Hey, hey, hey, you gotta make me come alive with one drop of Chanel No 5

Yeah, yeah, yeah, this song really makes me feel like a V.I.P and it empowers me to shine for the world to see

‘Cause I can be a million dollar babe, kiss your heart, make it sizzle and shake

I can be your supermodel doll, stand by you at your beck and call

It takes a little bit of Gucci, and a little bit of love

It takes a little piece of heaven, and a diamond-studded heart

To spin my wheel, and make me feel

Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely fabulous

This Pride I will be dancing to a song that I used to dance to until my sweat turned into so much sparkle dust that I didn't need any glitter to glow. I needed only this song by the amazing Queentastic. The song came out in 2006 and was inspired by the television show Absolutely Fabulous which naturally inspired me and my friends. “Inspiration begets inspiration,” as my friends used to say and, after all, at age 21 it would not be too difficult to be inspired by any hot new trend. It was a beautiful age to believe in all the possibilities that any passing feeling or fad could feed you and cause you to drown in the endless potential of your experiences.

Hey, hey, hey, you gotta give me all I need and it takes more than love to succeed

Yeah, yeah, yeah, if I am an expensive girl, blame it on this material world

‘Cause I can be your private beauty queen, spice your life, make it dazzle and shine

I can be your Galliano girl, stand by you and won’t kiss and tell

It takes a little bit of Gucci, and a little bit of love

It takes a little piece of heaven, and a diamond-studded heart

To spin my wheel, and make me feel

Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely fabulous till I die.

We’re fabulous, we’re fabulous tonight and it really

Just takes a little bit of Gucci, and a little bit of love

It takes a little piece of heaven, and a diamond-studded heart

To spin my wheel, and make me feel

Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely fabulous, absolutely fabulous

For many Pride Celebrations the song Absolutely Fabulous was also one of the most uplifting memories from Valladolid Spain where the Club Roma was located. I was studying at the local university and on weekends Cafe Roma was an electrifying experience where all ages and sexes danced together with such resolve that it made one feel no longer egocentric, or ethnocentric, or even world centric but truly cosmocentric. In that club each one of us existed in our our own miniature galaxy in which we were each our own special diva who spun around like miniature planets around our disco ball sun.

During my final year in the university we celebrated New Year’s Eve at home, as was the Spanish custom, and came out after midnight to ring in the New Year. I dressed as Patsy from Ab Fab and, as I am a little shorter in stature than most, they called me “Patsita,” or little Patsy. As we all knew this would be our final year together the energy was electrifying. Of course we had made the usual plans to stay in touch and visit each other but the passing years revealed that truth to all of us.

So we danced. And danced, and danced and held each other. There must have been 300+ in the club at the point in time when IT happened.

That song came on and we went wild. We were jumping up and down to the rhythm and kissing and hugging when they lifted me, Patsita, up onto the stage. I stood above all and looked at the magnificent sight below me. All of these people were celebrating joyously in a tableau which became a snapshot of a moment that will forever be imprinted on my mind.

Absolutely Fabulous!