Little Brett, Big City

Paula Abdul’s second single entered its second week at #1 this day in 1989. I was kicking off my last semester at Bowling Green, but I didn’t really connect with the song. I was more “alternative.” Think “120 Minutes.” But it's sure in my head 30+ years later. Paula Abdul is like the Gen X version of Cher.  Earlier this year, she wrapped a residency in Vegas , filling seats with fans of her videos, her choreography, and her iconic role as a talent show judge. Her appeal, like her resume, crosses generations. She’s still not on any of my playlists, but I appreciate her hustle. Check out the video for this song.  She wasn’t so big that she couldn’t pay tribute to some of the biggest videos a few years before her. Even if it was just to fuel her quest to be our girl, forever. Elijah Wood makes his acting debut here too as one of the “Boys of Summer.”

It sure doesn’t look like a portal to your dreams. But this was the station in Lima, Ohio where I caught a train to New York City in late August 1989. “The Broadway Limited” lived up to its name that muggy night, arriving over two hours late. The butterflies in my stomach got to multiply, churning up doubts about my escape to Manhattan to find a job and to come out. But once my chariot of fire pulled in, my anxiety turned to excitement. Like the Nike commercial on TV said, “Just do it.” I made it to New York 17 hours later. Today, you pay your water bills now at the former Lima train depot. Everything changes. Photo: Trainweb.org

When I left college in 1989, I was a virgin with corn-fed drive and a terrifying secret. It could disappoint or disgust my family and friends. It could even kill me. But I couldn’t hide from it anymore.  With "The World's Heaviest Briefcase," I escaped on a midnight train from Lima, Ohio to the YMCA on West 34th Street in Manhattan. Being gay had to be easier in New York, even though I was arriving with no home or job.   Right away, a hooker chased me in Times Square, and perverts watched me shower at the Y. I filled payphones with quarters each day, desperately seeking work. Ultimately, I was confronted by my biggest fear when dating my first man – a member of AIDS activist group ACT UP.  Could I really survive in one of the hardest cities in the world? Or would I fail and return to Ohio, back in the closet to find a wife and a lawn to mow.   l i t t l e  b r e t t , BIG CITY celebrates finding your own place in the world. Here I recall and sal