TLC never had to go chasing their gay fans – we came to them. And not just because “Waterfalls,” one of pop history’s most prominent HIV/AIDS-awareness anthems, made a generation of LGBT people more sexually responsible, or because “Unpretty” affirmed you’re fine just the way you are. Ever since their debut dropped in 1992, the self-proclaimed “prissy tomboys” – nobody could wear condoms quite like Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas – led us all to embrace our own crazy, sexy, cool selves, gender norms be damned. 

But when Lopes, the trio’s swagging rapper, was killed in a car accident in 2002, T-Boz, 47, and Chilli, 46, took a long break from the recording studio to tour and pursue solo ventures. Now, 15 years post TLC3D, and thanks to a Kickstarter that funded the project, one of pop music’s flyest girl groups is taking their final bow with their self-titled fifth studio album TLC and opening up to their gay fans. 

And no, they didn’t just stick to the rivers and lakes they’re used to. During our nostalgic and, ahem, educational interview, TLC talked about how “No Scrubs” gets the queers “crunk”... and, you know, just casually reminisced on that time they got schooled on what it means to be a top and a bottom. 

Have you ever been to a gay club when “No Scrubs” comes on? Because you’ve never seen anything gayer or more inspiring.

T-Boz and Chilli: (Laughs) 

Chilli: You know what’s funny? One of my friends works for VH1 and, oh my gosh, it’s hilarious. He’s gay and I’m the only girl who could be his play girlfriend he tells me, and he always sends me – and, I mean, he just sent one the other day – video of when “No Scrubs” comes on, and he’s like, “Chilli, I love you!” And he’s singing and showing me everybody singing. It is crunk! 

So, I take it you’re aware of your LGBT following? 

T-Boz: Oh, very aware. Very, very, very! The thing I love about our fans is, we’ve grown with them and they’ve grown with us. Some of them have kids now, so we have generations there. But, yes, we are very, very, very aware of the community, honey, ’cause all of our friends let us know. I love it! 

When did you first know you had a gay following? 

T-Boz: I did a party around (1994’s) CrazySexyCool and that was one of the best parties I hosted. I learned so much! Like, I didn’t know there were certain terms and stuff! They hooked me up with a lot more knowledge of stuff that went on than I really realized. I was like, “Ohh?!” It was just such a free, fun party. No judging. No anything. It was just one of the best environments I had ever been in, so I thought that was cool. So, probably around ’95-ish when I was really aware. 

What did you learn about the gay community that night? 

T-Boz: I learned what a top was, a bottom was. And versatile! (Laughs) I learned all of those terms! I was like, “Oh my god – this is so cool.”

Chilli: Oh, Lord. Oh, Jesus. I wasn’t at that party! 

Sounds like you really missed out, Chilli. When was your gay awakening then? Ha! 

Chilli: (Laughs) I don’t know why I feel weird saying it now, ’cause you already said it! The bottom part. And you know… the top. I keep laughing! 

Ha! Moving on to the new album: Which songs on it do you hope become gay club anthems? 

Chilli: It’s funny that you kind of break it down like that. But really and truly, for me personally, I just kind of feel like when we make our songs, we make them for everybody. I mean, everybody. So, you never know who’s gonna like what the most. I guess we’ll find out in time by what song really speaks to whomever and what’s the most popular one that’s being played at certain clubs. It’s kind of harder to gauge that one for me. 

T-Boz: I think “Perfect Girls.” The three I’ve heard mostly from my gay friends have been “Perfect Girls,” “Scandalous” and “Start a Fire.” Those are the top three. But I think “Perfect Girls” has a message that’s been universal no matter what sex you are – anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t love themselves from the inside out or have a goal they’re trying to reach but can’t ’cause they’re looking at people who they think are perfect. But there’s no such thing! 

What do you remember of the LGBT community’s response to “Waterfalls” when it first came out?

T-Boz: We did a campaign for Pfizer, and there was a new cocktail out. We did seminars and it was really cool because we let it be known that there was a new drug from this company and it could help HIV/AIDS patients. They would come up to us; they felt like we were their voice. It was such an epidemic at the time, so they just felt like we were speaking for them.

Chilli: It was basically about bringing more awareness (to it) because nobody really talked about it. It was kind of just hush-hush, even though these things were happening. It was like, “People are getting sick, they’re dying and nobody is really talking about it much.”

T-Boz: People even said they thought about committing suicide and it helped save their lives. We started really seeing the seriousness of it, especially when we did charity events. We got a lot of calls for charity events for AIDS benefits, so it started making a really big difference. We basically got one of our wishes through that song, because we always wanted to help change and save lives. 

Gay icon Bette Midler covered “Waterfalls” a few years ago – what was it like hearing her rendition? 

Chilli: That was an honor. It was an honor because she is legend, oh my god. That’s legendary right there! And not only that, but she contributed to our Kickstarter campaign. We were shocked. We couldn’t believe, like, ‘Bette Midler?!’ 

During RuPaul’s Drag Race, Tatianna showed some TLC love when she did T-Boz drag. Did you tune in for that? 

T-Boz: (Laughs) I absolutely saw it and I loved it! I put it on my page; I reposted it. 

Chilli: I don’t think anybody ever has (dressed up as me). Maybe I’m boring! I’m no fun, I guess. (Laughs) I just got the long, wavy hair. And I don’t hardly wear any makeup, so I don’t think I’d be a fun person to dress up as, is what I’m thinking.

T-Boz: Yeah, I’ve seen T-Boz drag more than once, actually. It’s cool to see different renditions of myself. It makes you go, “Oh, that’s how you see me!” (Laughs)

What do you remember from RuPaul’s visit to the set of the “No Scrubs” video in 1999? 

Chilli: I remember the first time I saw him – and at first I didn’t know even it was him because he wasn’t in drag! He was just walking around with no makeup and it was so funny. But then, when he smiled, it was like, “Oh, that is RuPaul.” You know that smile anywhere. And he was so sweet too. And really tall! (Laughs)  

T-Boz: He just came to show love. He was just there to support us, which I thought was awesome. That was it. He was just showing love. 

At the start of your career, you rocked a tomboy look. How intentional was your subversion of gender? And what did that do for your lesbian following?

Chilli: This is how we looked at it: We call ourselves “prissy tomboys” ’cause we’re super girly, but we’re tomboys at the same time, so we felt like we represented all the girls who did not feel comfortable wearing a tight dress. We represented that crew. Then lettin’ everybody know you don’t have to wear a tight dress to be sexy – it’s the attitude. So, even though we had baggy clothes and all that kind of stuff, we were still feminine, So, again, whoever gravitated toward that and felt comfortable, we helped them feel more comfortable. That’s how it was, because we didn’t wanna wear tight dresses! We still don’t really like dressing like that.

Did your style give the ladies the wrong idea – that you were lesbian? What do you remember of those rumors? 

T-Boz: I got most of it! They was always after me, child! (Laughs) All the lipstick lesbians – everybody! Child, I got everything. But that doesn’t bother us. Ultimately, no matter what your sexual orientation, we were standing up for anybody that felt like they didn’t fit in. We were letting them know you can still be sexy in boy clothes, you can rock this, you don’t have to be naked or half-dressed. You can be yourself and be just as fly. 

Ryan Adams, Prisoner

Ryan Adams, known in part for making Taylor Swift cooler to pop-resistant granola girls (he recorded, in full, a beautiful version of her Grammy-winning 1989 behemoth), is back to his old tricks on Prisoner. As usual, the beloved feelings guy dives deep into his torn psyche for rockers doused in punchy guitars rhythms from his favorite decade, the 80s, and the heartbreak brought on by his divorce to former pop star-turned-adored TV actress Mandy Moore. The guitars on “Do You Still Love Me?” scorch like heaven on fire as they tear through the track with impassioned verve, making for one helluva start to your late-night drive playlist. Those guitars simmer on “Breakdown,” and beam on “Anything I Say to You Now.” If you asked Adams what his favorite adult toy is, he’d say the guitar. Prisoner, then, is his playground. For that reason, Adams delivers a melodically on-point work more rousing than anything he’s recorded in years – yes, my dear Swifties, even more so than his surprising take on the pop singer’s blockbuster album. One of Adams’ originals, the forlorn “Shiver and Shake,” is a sonic extension of the lo-fi vibe heard on his 1989 reimagining; in fact, it sounds almost identical to his living-room rendition of “Shake It Off.” Too much of a good thing is just fine, though, especially since Adams gives these ditties new life, even those that fall right within his emo-rock wheelhouse where the only confrontation he’s having – nevermind that Mandy person, he seems to say – is the one involving his own shattered self. Grade: B+

LeAnn Rimes, Remnants 

I once saw LeAnn Rimes at a casino even though LeAnn Rimes is too young to be playing casinos. That’s where artists go when a) the performer is blasé about the energy of the “we’re just here to use our comp ticket” crowd, or b) the performer is an AARP member. Rimes is 34 years old, just a year older than Carrie Underwood, who sells out arenas. If there was any justice in the world, Rimes would receive as much acknowledgement for Remnants, her 13th studio album, as she does in the tabloids. Still, niche success has been good to Rimes, who, once again, goes her own way because she can – no fickle masses, no big label heads. The opener misses the mark – she delivers a too-slick cover of out singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile’s guttural “The Story” – but otherwise, Remnants is an accomplished set that fortunately finds Rimes answering to no one except her own artistic instincts. Highlights include grungy jazz-inflected banger “Dang Dang” and smoky torch number “Dangerous Love,” a fired-up ballad about outsider relationships soon to be heard at all your queer weddings. More transparently gay is the buoyant pop song “Love Is Love Is Love,” the Ally for Equality honoree’s anti-hate anthem, which also serves as a call to “start a revolution.” You know, maybe we can’t fight the moonlight, but that’s only because Rimes, armed with an album’s worth of strong-willed mantras and an ode to equality, is too busy fighting more important fights. Grade: B

Also Out

Reba McEntire, Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope

Reba McEntire, country music’s biggest gay icon this side of Queen Dolly, must know you’re trying your damndest to keep it together as this fragile world falls to pieces in the grabbing hands of a reality-show star currently serving as the President of the United States: She’s just offered your dying soul 20 God-centric songs meant to restore your faith in… everything. Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope is touted as a mix of “uplifting covers and originals,” with her take on the churchy “Oh Happy Day” that, given the current political hell we’re experiencing, might be her most ironic work, and the sweet-if-silly “God and My Girlfriends,” which, depending on her definition of “girlfriend,” could be the cheesy gay anthem 2017-2021 needs. 

Vanessa Carlton, Liberman Live

If you’re too busy protesting to catch Vanessa Carlton at a venue near you – she’s touring in support of her remarkable Liberman album, released in 2015 – then, resisters, you’re in luck. Liberman Live might just be what your restless mind is craving after a long day of Trumpisms, “fake news” and protest marching. Famous for providing the drunken sing-along for you and your trashed friends, “A Thousand Miles,” Carlton has made quite a name for herself in the underground world where pop stars go when they’re done being pop stars. If only the noteworthy dreamscapes on Liberman Live had the same spectacular reach.   

Last night, Las Vegas’ most buzzed-about new production MAGIC MIKE LIVE celebrated its opening night at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino with a star-studded performance in its custom designed showroom, Club Domina. The show, based on the hit films Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL and conceived and co-directed by Channing Tatum, brought audiences to its feet on the first night of its open-ended run in Las Vegas.

Following the show, the cast and creative team returned to the stage for an encore performance of Fatman Scoop’s “Be Faithful,” joined by the show’s co-director and producer Channing Tatum and wife, Jenna Dewan-Tatum. Tatum then shared a few words with the packed venue, thanking the crowd and friends and family in attendance for joining the cast and creative team for their highly-anticipated opening night performance.

After the performance, guests were invited to partake in a poolside celebration at Hard Rock Hotel’s Dish Pool. Guests enjoyed light bites and libations atop plush daybeds positioned beneath canopied palm trees, as well as special activations presented by LELO – the world’s leading pleasure brand – featuring a “touch and play” area, VIP gift bags stuffed with the most desired pleasure objects and more.

The opening-night cast featured performers Anton Engel, Brandon Foster, Chelsea Phillips-Reid, David Terry, Jackson Williams, JD Rainey, Jeremy Denzel, Jesse Morales, Kyo Dominick, Liinda Garisto, Luke Broadlick, Lyndsay Hailey, Manwé Sauls-Addison, Ryan Carlson, Ryan Pires and Sebastian Gonzalez. MAGIC MIKE LIVE LAS VEGAS performs Wednesdays through Sundays at 7:30 pm and 10:00 pm. Ticket prices start at $49 and are available by phone at 800-745-3000, or online at Ticketmaster.com or MagicMikeLiveLasVegas.com. A $45 VIP Meet & Greet add-on is available with any ticket purchase and includes a meet and greet with the cast and a souvenir photo. For groups of 10 or more, please call 866-633-0195 or email Sales@BASEentertainment.com.

For tickets or more information on MAGIC MIKE LIVE, please visit MagicMikeLiveLasVegas.com.

Cher if you agree

Cher: The Musical. That’s right. It’s called Cher: The Musical. It features her songs, and it’s coming to Broadway in 2018. Give yourself a moment to stop squealing and let that sink in.  The woman is getting her own Mamma Mia! and, unlike ABBA, who had to sit back and let their show be about people who are not in ABBA and, presumably, had never even heard of the existence of ABBA, this one will do its subject justice and is all about Cher’s entire life from babyhood to “Believe.” There’s been a read-through, and the creative team includes Jeffrey Seller (Hamilton) and Flody Suarez (Rise) as producers, Jason Moore (Avenue Q) directing, and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys) writing the book. Meanwhile, most importantly, the casting calls for three stages of Cher – “Babe,” “Lady” and “Star” – with supporting characters Sonny Bono, Gregg Allman, Bob Mackie, David Geffen, Robert Altman, Rob Camilletti and Sigmund Freud. And if you ask us – and someone should – we’re not going to be satisfied unless we get baby Chastity and grown-up Chaz in there, too. This cannot happen soon enough. 

Joel Edgerton takes on ex-gay conversion in Boy Erased

Now that we’ve got a vice president who thinks so-called “gay conversion” therapy is a valuable form of torture for LGBT young people, the need to take it down in popular culture is more urgent than ever. Boy Erased, the 2016 memoir by Garrard Conley about his time in a fundamentalist Christian camp as a young person, is getting a big push in the direction of that national conversation: Joel Edgerton is going to direct and write the film version. Based on Conley’s time in “Love in Action,” a faith-based program meant to “cure” young people of their homosexuality, the story will reach the screen starring Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) as the tormented and, ultimately, tortured son of an Arkansas minister, with Edgerton playing the leader of the program that tries to turn the young man straight. Edgerton is also in talks with Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman to play the boy’s parents. If production goes smoothly, it will probably mean a late 2018 theatrical bow, because it already has the meaningful subject matter movie studios love to bring out at awards time. More details on this one as they develop.

Alexander McQueen documentary delves into designer’s short life

Sometimes they come in twos. Filmmaker Andrew Haigh (Weekend, 45 Years) is at work on a narrative biopic about the sharp rise to fame and abrupt end of the life of acclaimed fashion designer Alexander McQueen (he committed suicide at age 40). And now a competing documentary feature is in the works, as well. McQueen, the working title of Ian Bonhote’s film about McQueen’s career, will take on the tough task of making sense of the creative genius’s tragic demise. The London designer began his career as a teenager before becoming a designer for Givenchy, and was known for his sensation-making, media-courting work, eventually beginning his own fashion house, one that continues even after his death. Bonhote’s film appears to be taking the usual documentary form, with the promise of plenty of access to archival footage, photographs and audio, as well as dramatic recreations and interviews with people involved in McQueen’s work and life. Bleecker Street has already purchased the North American distribution rights, so now it’s a matter of what makes it into theaters first, the doc or the drama. 

Are you ready for a gay male Golden Girls?

Sometimes subtext, given enough time, turns to text. And that’s why it’s possible that the classic ’80s sitcom, Golden Girls, a show that has always been considered an analog for aging gay men and counts gay men as the bulk of its ongoing fan base, could find itself rebooted. Sort of. It turns out that writers Stan Zimmerman and James Berg, who wrote for Golden Girls, Roseanne and Gilmore Girls, as well as the 1996 film A Very Brady Sequel, saw an acclaimed documentary about LGBT senior citizens called Before You Know It. The experience prompted them to collaborate on a new sitcom pilot, called Silver Foxes. There’s already been a table read with George Takei, Leslie Jordan, Bruce Vilanch, and SNL alum Cheri Oteri. And… well, that’s all for the moment. But they want to take it all the way. And they should. Queer baby boomers are already hitting retirement age. The Gen X-ers are little more than a decade away from it themselves. These people are going to need entertainment. And given the slow process of making a TV show reality, it might take that long. We’ll be waiting.