There are lots of Jersey Boys but only one Frankie Vallie boasted a recent review of Frankies’ Australian Tour. The Masseuse (TM) invited me along to Frankies show at the Lyric Theatre the other night to see how true this statement was? It had been a show I had been looking forward to seeing for many months.
So, finally the day arrived and after TM and I got ready we decided to try out Sydneys Light Rail system from my place to the Casino.  It had been a gorgeous sunny day that had changed to a bit overcast. I checked the weather report, Mmmm 70% chance of rain. Ah no worries, no need for a brolly or so I thought. We just made it around the corner to Campbell St Tram stop before the first pitter patters came raining down on our heads, threatening to wreck my blow dry. Bah!
Anyway the light rail was a treat. Fast and easy. We sailed past the Capitol Theatre, Cyrils Deli, Paddys Market, The Exhibition Centre and finally to the the Casino. We had a bit of time so we had dinner and a couple of drinks there before making our way to the Lyric Theatre.
TM and I decided the Frankie Valli audience tended to be an older crowd than we had seen last month at the Opera House. Again, we were asked not to take photos so I don’t have any to show you. Now Frankie is 77 years old, that is quite an age for a performer and we wondered what kind of show we would be seeing?
The lights dimmed and the band took the stage.  Mmm impressive, an Australian six piece brass section. Ha! I LOVE horns! Two guatarists and a base player. One keyboardist who played other instruments and a drummer. Four backing singers and Frankie. Wow, this was going to be a great show with an rich sound.  Frankie himself is this tiny, frail, old guy but gee what a voice.  In the first couple of numbers, we wondered if he was lip synching because his style these days is that he scarcely opens his mouth but yet there is this incredibly powerful sound. In any case we saw him reach behind and play with his pick up a few times and we realised we were in fact seeing a live performance.
Frankie belted out all his old hits and told a few jokes too. No doubt about it he is an engaging performer! Frankie recounted that when Tom Jones is on stage he gets pelted with womens panties and then this little old guy takes a forlorn glance around his own barren stage ha ha.  I would have like to have helped out but had at the last minute decided to go commando. Frankie then encouraged the audience to throw cash and credit cards and buy his cd sold outside in the foyer ha ha.
We were treated to quite a show “Walk Like A Man”, “Rag Doll”, “Grease”, “Sherry”, “December 1963″, “My Eyes Adored You” and the 1967 solo hit “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”. It was a top performance by a real showman. Thanks to TM and we made our way back to Haymarket to once again thoroughly enjoy an intimate evenings entertainment.

In touch with the ground
I’m on the hunt I’m after you
Smell like I sound I’m lost in a crowd
And I’m hungry like the wolf
Straddle the line in discord and rhyme
I’m on the hunt I’m after you
Mouth is alive with juices like wine
And I’m hungry like the wolf

Duran Duran

Mr Groover invited me to take a trip down memory lane the other night to a time when I
was just a youngster and enjoying the sounds of the 80s and er, well *some* of the fashions of the time.

So, Duran Duran were back in town for a one off Sydney concert and I
was lucky enough to go.
The plan was to have a feast at the Nine Dragons restaurant an iconic China Town restaurant before heading down to the Sydney Entertainment Centre and that’s just what we did.

In order to avoid the crowds, we got to the Entertainment Centre early and caught the the support act. We were hoping for a great band or a top singer but it was a rather bizarre choice of opening act to support Duran Duran. Two DJs spinning vinyl donned the stage playing some funky mixes that became quite boring after ten minutes.

Mr Groover leaned over and reminded me of some of the way more fun activities we could have been doing instead of putting up with that dull *yawn, sigh & eye roll* duo.
Most of the details can be found here at www.karenthompson.com.au/services just in case you’re unsure of what we were talking about :0)

Anyway… to cut to the chase, finally Duran Duran appeared on stage and the old hits kept churning out mixed with some new tracks that were not too bad, I guess. I really enjoyed the commentary between songs that the various band members gave about their times in Sydney, they really connect well with their audience. So, it turns out that Duran Duran were the first act appearing at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. And they talked about going to various Sydney eighties venues like the Cauldron and the Manzel Room. I never got to those places myself, I suppose at the time, I preferred to hang out at slightly more cliquey places like The Hip Hop Club, Patches, The Exchange Hotel, Plastic Inevitable at the Playground, The Trade Union Hotel, The Site, The Taxi Club and Propaganda. That’s me in the black and white shot (c/- young S the fantastic photography student) in the late eighties in Paddington, have a look at the hilarious alcohol prices.

The Duran Duran audience were a mixture of young trendies, wearing some 80s revivalist fashions, think net and neon colours (thankfully we didn’t spot any bubble skirts or shoulder pads) *cringe*, middle aged flunkies, not to mention a brigade of blue rinse senior citizens that came along for the fun of it.
The band are still in top form and the lead singer Simon Le Bons vocals were just as terrific as in the year 1981. I loved the show and the encore was a exciting finish with the band performing the eighties hits “Girls on Film” and Rio.
As the song Rio was winding down the concert, Mr Groover wanted some winding down himself at my inner city apartment.

I have just made a new addition to my working tools, a rather good new playstation. Mr Groover had made it known he wanted to be my very first special guest to try it out. We made a speedy exit and headed off to feel our way around my lovely new equipment and I am delighted to report to you it all works out splendidly.

It had been with great anticipation and excitement that I looked forward to this show with ‘The Masseuse’ (TM) the other evening.

Now, I have been a fan of Olivia’s way back when she did mostly country music and TM who it turns out is the same fabulous age as me (Gee, he must come from the year of the cat too)

So, by now I’ve moved into my swanky new apartment in Haymarket which is my base for entertaining and the home of sensual experiences. I very much enjoy the company of TM so I’d been shopping for some sexy lingerie earlier to model for him later on in the evening.

I was the designated traffic monitor for the evening and we caught the bus the short trip down to Circular Quay. It was a steamy rainy evening so I grabbed my accomplices hand and we braved the elements, ok so I’m a romantic at heart.

We made our way through the crowds (it was a humid evening) and the rain at Circular Quay and on to an early dinner at The East.  It was a good thing we arrived early too as we got the best table for comfort AND people watching.  We knocked back a couple of drinks, a Blue Hawaii for me and a Bourbon for TM and some fantastically delicious Chinese food and chatted away.  The pre-show crowds started to arrive and pack out the restaurant so we took our cue and left for a bit of a wander around the Opera House.

Looking around, it turned out it was quite a dressy affair and I was pleased I got a new frock for the occasion to go with the new sexy smalls and TM looked pretty sharp as usual.

It is quite a curious arrangement they have at the Opera House for entry though.  So, they don’t allow the audience in until the show time, presumably to sell drinks, programs, t shirts and Cd’s so the crowds mount up and up and then there is this rather wretched and extremely unmusical ;-0 xylophone that warns you it’s time to enter, pretty quickly the xylophone gains pace and becomes almost this mono-tonal xylophone and all the while the frustrated mounted up crowds are trying to enter the auditorium (and get away from the dreadful din). Anyway, we found our seats next to some Americans and we took a few pictures. Unfortunately they ask you not to photograph or video the performance at the Opera House so I obliged and don’t have so many to show you this time.  The pre show act had a stellar operatic voice and which really showcased the SSO and the Opera House.

And then it was time for Olivia, who was in fantastic form singing like an angel hit after hit of her magnificently successful career.  There was A Little More Love, Magic, Xanadu, Suddenly, Summer Nights, You Are The One That I Want, Hopelessly Devoted To You. Sam, Jolene, Banks Of The Old Ohio, Please Mr Please, Have You Never Been Mellow, I Honestly Love You, If You Love Me (let me know), If Not For You, Let Me Be There. What a voice! I loved every minute of it! It was time to go and I am pretty sure I spotted Richard Wilkens again in the crush to leave.  By now it was cold and raining outside and TM and I hurried home and quickly peeled off our wet clothes and I reckon we did a pretty awesome rendition of “physical” ourselves …lets get animal, animal…

There is also a copy of this blog at WordPress. It’s probably my preferred blogging site as it’s more user friendly and allows for galleries and slideshows etc and we do love music and pictures do we not . Here is the link, Gaa! having so much trouble with basic html today. www.karenthompsonescort.wordpress.com

I suppose by now, I’ve been lucky enough to have been taken to many wonderful events including shows, concerts, corporate and sporting events.  When he was alive, my dad was a big fan of watching test cricket, English Soccer and Tennis and I have always wanted to go to a live cricket game. And it’s always more way more fun when an event also come with a few bells and whistles (hell, might have mentioned I’m a tad shallow before –just like the other 99% of the population).

So, my time finally arrived the other night when Mr Sports-Fan-Extraordinaire invited me to a 20/20 game of cricket at ANZ stadium.

It was a pretty happy event because it also turned out Karen Thompson Enterprises was persuasive enough on this occasion to organise her way into a lovely catered box with an awesome view of the proceedings.

However, it’s probably also fair to say there is no glamour in parking in P4 and busing it with everyone else to the stadium but this this was a big game with a huge crowd of 56000, and well, you tend to find your transport options are rather limited.

The god of weather (whoever that is) was not very kind on this occasion and the sky opened up with a downpour several times and my cricket education began as a very enthusiastic group of busy workers rushed out onto the field and quickly covered the wicket with massive and heavy looking tarpolins so the ground wouldn’t get wet.

I was impressed at the organisation of these guys, who worked very quickly and effectively in teams, getting the ground covered up. Unfortunately their services were required several times during the evening with the onset of  patchy rain.

The refreshments started to arrive and a fine array of wonderful food came out and around. I particularly enjoyed the Chicken Tikka Masala, the food was mostly Indian themed and even though it didn’t really resemble the food I had consumed in Goa last month it was a decent nod at it.

Mr SFE helpfully explained the rules of the game along the way and before I knew it I was getting into the flow of things.

The sounds of the Vintage Australian Super-group Sherbet belted out the cricket anthem “HOWZAT”.  Mr SFE explained that the term actually meant when someone is caught out in Cricket the term HOWZAT is called as part of an appeal, and the referee makes a decision but usually ‘They are then out’! Mm-mm recently I encountered a very negative force, a liar, cheat, thief, and ”it just isn’t Cricket”, mmmm, yup… ”HOWZAT!”

At this stage the box was buzzing and this shortened form of the game was intense and very exciting.  The Batsmen on both teams were just hitting the ball with everything they had and the competition was hotting up.

Perhaps Cricket Traditionalists would be shocked at this modern style of the game but it was fast paced and exciting.  Adding to the energy when fours and sixes were hit was the loud music blaring around the stadium, bursts of fire and hot moves by the KFC dancers (appropriately Bollywooded out for when India scored).

Half time arrived as did a great fireworks show that added to atmosphere, however the rain made it quite smoggy for a few minutes there. By now I’d had a couple of glasses of wine and was feeling quite light headed and flirty and was very much enjoying the company of Mr SFE

The best part of the game was the last few overs and India were desperate to catch the Aussie boys.  The atmosphere in the stadium was electric and the Indian fans made the night fun and really memorable.  I understand they take the sport of Cricket very seriously in India as every taxi driver I met over Christmas on finding out I was from Australia would want to talk about the Australian Cricket team.  Ten minutes before the end of the game it became very clear that the Indian team just couldn’t beat the high score set by the Aussies.

Mr SFE winked and nudged me as he pulled out his Pullman suite key.  Even though sport is his life he recognized that this part of the evening was reserved for some tandem intimate indoor athletics and we both quietly snuck out of the box and headed to the Pullman stadium, I mean hotel.  Once again the rain pelted down and by the time we got to the hotel we were both drenched.  It was a good excuse to get our clothes off very quickly.  A great strategic move that one.  Thanks to Mr SFE I learnt quite a few cricket terms that night.

I can’t wait until he takes me to my next sporting event and if it is a cricket match, well I’m practically now an expert.

Gaa! moving– so I’ve decided to move.
In fact, there’s lots been going on at KTE.

Mmmm here’s a lesson learnt, it seems it’s important to make oneself somewhat accessible to prospective clientele so after many months of renting hotels and serviced apartments for escort work I’m permanently moving to the city.
This is probably the most excellent decision I have made all year.

So, as every escort knows neighbours can be a bit of a problem when doing private sex work. Currently, I live in inner west surburbia where stickynose neigbours spend way more time outside their front door than inside of it. Most of my neighbours love to have people over and there is always a fair amount of foot traffic in common areas. Some of them have religious pics on their doors and I imagine someone like me offends their sensibilities as I flounce down the stairwell, all made up, perfumed and coiffed in 5 inch heels, tight low cut dress, wheeling an overnight bag, making men happy, working my own hours, leading an interesting life and generally having a great time.

Anyway so I’m going. Bah!
Thank you to everyone who has kept in touch and supported me while my advertising has been down, I suppose I’ve felt like I’ve been living in a self imposed exile a bit and it meant a lot to me that you made that effort.

And I’m very excited about the future!

In very early December I should be installed in my new place which is close to Central. It’s been about 13 years since I last lived in the city (Ultimo) and it will be great to enjoy that lifestyle once again.

I booked a fortnight trip to India at Xmas, it’s been 18 years since was last there and that was a two week backpacking holiday. This will be a very different adventure. I’ve never been to the west coast and can’t wait to see Mumbai and Goa.

Finally, I’ve just done new pictures and they should be up around very soon, that’s pretty exciting!

Move on up!

It was a pretty happy adventure when ‘The Masseuse’ (TM) suggested that we take in the Jersey Boys show last weekend.  The idea was that we go to the show before we head out for a meal and spend overnight together for the second time in a month. TM seemed perhaps a little shy to suggest going to the show because it has been playing for a while and thought I might have seen it already.  He was right, I saw the show early last year when it first opened in Melbourne but I was very keen to see it again and I am so happy he made the suggestion. I suppose, Frankie Valli first appeared on my (oh my gosh i’m a fan –OMGIAF) radar when he had a few hits in the movie soundtrack “Grease”, I LOVE that movie –I must have seen it about 10,000 times!

There were a combination of factors why I wanted to see this show again, the main purpose of my trip to Melbourne was to meet some (working) ladies that I had come to know online.  The ladies had organised a luncheon get together and I was so very excited to meet them, really great people — all of them.  Unfortunately it must have been the hottest day in Victoria ever and the location for lunch was way, way, across town.  Factor in flights, hotel check-ins and taxis including trying to find a taxi back to the Melbourne CBD, well seeing the Jersey Boys show kind of got a bit buried under conflicting priorities, I’m sorry to say.

As TM had arranged the tickets to the show, we decided that it would be a good idea if I upgrade our digs to an executive suite with club floor access so we would both feel all the benefits of being pampered and indulged.  We arranged to meet a little earlier than normal so we could have showers and change before heading off to the Theatre Royal.  TM had arranged great seats and we beat all the mad crowds in which was great, he did a terrific job of navigating us to the venue only a short walk from where we were staying.  I’m glad he did as I’ve come to recognize, sadly that my navigational abilities are as good as my singing *jawdrop *sigh.

The actual Jersey Boys set is this caged, grid metal affair with a urban backdrop, it seemed to be a pretty good visual representation of a struggling New Jersey working class lifestyle wanting to breakout into something better.

We were guided through an introduction to the characters, their strengths and weaknesses and the formation of the band the Four Seasons. The great thing about this musical is the storyline is as strong as the songs.  The string of hits is impressive, one after another like ‘Sherry’, ‘Walk Like a Man’, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, ‘Ragdoll’, ‘Who Loves You’, ‘Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye)’, ‘Let’s Hang On’, ‘Can’t Take My eyes Off You’, ‘My Eyes Adored You’ etc, etc. TM and I agreed the show, acting and songs delivery were really tight, probably as a result of delivering to a different audience night after night.   I do think this was a better show than the one I saw in the early season in Melbourne.  A nice touch at the end of the show the actors and singers fall away and only the band is left.  It’s a really, really great band, I liked the horn section best. Ha!

TM and I  wrapped up a terrific evening with dinner at a Spanish restaurant in Liverpool St, with TM in great spirits because his Rugby League team Manly Warringah had won the Grand Final and we celebrated with several courses of wonderful dessert in our swanky hotel room.

Oh what a night!

Ah!  it’s Spring and it’s an awesome time to get jiggy jiggy with it.

I am delighted to announce

I am visiting the beautiful city of

Perth

27th October – 1 November.

Booking is easy, just drop me a line at karenofsydney@gmail.com

Last Saturday night in Sydney, we celebrated the 33rd annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. If you’ve never been, it is an enormous event, it has a fair day,  a dance and several other events. The centre piece of the Mardi Gras is the parade. I am going to talk about the parade, comprised of around 135 floats which celebrate all the diversity available in the Gay and Lesbian community. Many people visit from overseas to be here.  It brings millions of dollars into the Sydney economy. The Mardi Gras had humble beginnings as a march in 1978.

My interest in Mardi Gras goes back many, many years. In my first job in the public service, I met a wonderful man “Paul”. There were a few differences between us I was a base grade clerical staff and he was the Officer In Charge. I was a teenager and he was in his early forties, I am straight and he was gay. Perhaps that is where our differences stopped. He lived in Dulwich Hill then and I live in Dulwich Hill now. It was the late eighties and we dressed outrageously and were fabulous, we knew it so we got along famously. We liked all the same music and went to the same clubs. We were work colleagues who became personal friends. So it was heartbreaking when Paul was diagnosed with HIV + that became AIDS back in the late eighties. Not so much was known about it then.  As he was a tall good looking gay Alpha Male and a excellent public speaker with fairly high level job he did a bit of work talking about it on TV and media at the time. He was trialled on drugs like AZT but he didn’t know if he was getting the real drug or a placebo, It must have been a mind fuck. After he became to sick to work, I visited at him at home. I saw how his body visibally decombusted from the inside out. It was heartbreaking to see, pretty much physically looked like the Tom Hanks character in Philedephia. I had a weird feeling, the day Paul died I rang his phone but no one answered. Pauls’ wake was at the Mardi Gras work shop in 1990, celebrated by a group of his personal friends, he must have loved that. He gave me the poster you see in the picture, he is the guy in the Orange Overalls.  Wow, that was what the Mardi Gras publicity looked like thirty years ago!

I always think of Paul at Mardi Gras. For a long time, I attended the Mardi Gras standing on a milk crate in Oxford St like everyone else. A few years ago I figured I could give something back to people like Paul who live with an illness but also the negative effects of discrimination, stigma and isolation.

The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation is a charitable organisation that helps to support people living with HIV +.  It’s main fundraising event is the Glamorama area at the Mardi Gras.  There are three areas at Glamorama, theres the Glamorama Stands, theres chairs down the front and there’s the Glamour Bar.  I like the Glamour Bar best. I’ve been going for three years now, it’s full of warm wonderful people that are nice to you and you can have a drink and nibbles, there’s a DJ or entertainment and there’s clean toilets.  This year, once again the MC was the amazing and totally FABULOUS Vanessa Wagner.

Possessing a biting sense of humour and a sharp wit as well as being able to articulate another level of consciousness are the qualities that Vanessa has above others, as well, of course, as her obvious good looks.

There had been a late cancellation, my friend that was going with me has been sick and couldn’t make it, I absolutely understood the issue  but I had to find another friend to take their place, luckily this was no problem.

My costume was very simple, a pair of Elton John Pink Flamingo glasses I picked up at Castro last year.  This is them.

We prepared for the parade, Vanessa begins the commentary and we are taken through who are the real movers and shakers in the Gay and Lesbian community. As usual Dykes on Bikes lead, followed by the boys on bikes and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence on Sedgeways. An amazing spectacle of colour, sound and visual stimulation unfolded, Special shout out to the Whores, ACON and Clover Moore, great food was coming around and the bar was close by.  All too soon the 78ers the orginal crowd that marched bused by.  I thought of Paul once again.

Every couple of years I take up a straight job. Five years ago I worked as a Census Collector. My job involved dropping off and picking up data. I often met gay and lesbian couples asking the question why their relationship was not legally recognised? Well, don’t know, that’s an interesting question for the policy makers isn’t it? The issue of the discrimitive wording on the form and the interest in same sex marriage certainly was reported back to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Say something!

Happy Mardi Gras.

My Baby moves at midnight
Goes right on to the dawn
My woman takes me higher
My woman keeps me warm

You Should Be Dancing, Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack.
Songwriters: Gibb, Maurice;Gibb, Barry;Gibb, Robin; Gibb

I had a feeling this was not going to be an ordinary Saturday night. My overnight project included a stay at a very special hotel suite on the club floor, a lovely meal at Otto’s in Woolloomooloo, drinks at the hotel bar and then an overnight experience back at the penthouse.

I probably should start by saying that my new friend Mr Entertainment Industry Insider is a touch younger than me. He was quite forward about his preference in wanting to taste all the delights that a mare offers (yes that’s me).

To be honest I was quite hesitant and am not known for seeing a younger clientele but after some emailing back and forward, I was swayed by his easy charm and mature nature.

True to his word, we met at his love suite and after some get to know you time and a few drinks the night kicked off to a great start. We headed off to his choice of restaurant and while I hadn’t been to Otto’s before, I knew this particular area hosts some restaurants that specialise in fine dining. Otto’s came with a wonderful reputation and so I was looking forward to a fine time. We easily settled into our seats joining the the well heeled Lower North Shore and Eastern suburbs crowd. I did my usual sticky beak trick of scanning the group for someone famous (this will be no surprise to regular readers of the blog –like some 80% of the population, hell, honest enough to admit I’m shallow).

No expense was spared and Mr E.I.I. was a terrific host.

Otto’s has an extensive Italian menu and awesome wine list so with the combination of food wine (no, no song) and engaging conversation we headed back for what was to be a memorable night.

I have to say my new friend was quite the energetic type but of course, I have some sensational moves of my own.
Lets just say satisfaction was written all over his face the next morning. I’m not sure what happened over the next 24 hours but Mr.E.I.I. and I got together again a couple of days later so I must done something right. Perhaps I pressed the right buttons on the repeat function, what do you think? We had another fun Saturday night the next weekend at a special table at Rockpool and an even better hotel suite, so the whole experience even topped the first one.

I have to thank all the lovely people that were involved in this great project and especially the head of production for putting together quite a storyline and a first rate cast.

You gotta love show business. Ha!