California desert dreaming
If you tuned into Slice last night for the series premier of Canadianmade Golden Gays, you’re probably still on a veritable high.
Filmed docu-soap style, the riotous romp charts the (oft crazy) adventures of an adorable clique of seasoned gay folk and, from the jaunty opening credits (think Bewitched, circa 1964) we were mesmerized by the hilarious cast, a finger-snapping gaggle who’ve chosen to live out their golden years in the mid-century paradise known as Palm Springs.
We’ll come back to the show in a moment, but should report that Golden Gays has reignited many lovely memories. The first time we visited Palm Springs — six years ago — we were hit, immediately, by two things.
The first: the bustling city’s retail sector, where we scooped six original Eames chairs for an astonishing $200. And the second? The maturity of the locals. Blimey; all of a sudden we, at our great age and weight, were veritable chickens compared to the grey-topped populous that salt and peppered the bustling bars and restaurants.
Hey, wandering the main drag felt like dipping our toes into an open casting for Cocoon. Conversely, we also saw spectacular joie de vivre, accelerated fitness levels and glamour, albeit showcased by, ahem, “daddies.” Affluent? Yes. Showtune aficionados? Erm, yes. The desert city, we discovered, is a magnet for friends of Dorothy. And Liza. And Cher. Raise the rainbow flag; we’d come home!
All things considered (and this is why we adore Palm Springs), virtually anything goes. Aye, you’re as likely to witness a cartload of straight golfers dashing towards one of the city’s 125 courses as you are a Priscilla Queen of The Desert bus packed with gravity-defying drag queens in towering glass stilettos. Yup, if it’s safe, social and fun, it simply adds to the city’s vibrant heartbeat.
Drawn recently to that very heartbeat was our buddy Kyle, a Toronto dentist who fled Vancouver after securing (“for a song”) a 3,000-square-foot, 1958-built home. Complete with acres of travertine, walls of glass and a sparkling lap pool facing Palm Springs’ craggy mountainscape, Kyle maintains his only regret is not having made the move earlier. Dollar for dollar, his transaction represented a straight swap and now, by his account, his distinctly average, two-bedroom condo is little more than a distant memory. Yup, it’s staggering what can be achieved in the California desert with even moderate spend. Chatting this week with Paul Kaplan of The Paul Kaplan Real Estate Group, our eyes opened even wider. “For just $50,000,” he explained, “you can bag a simple 600-squarefoot unit just a few miles north of the city. And, from $150,000, if you’re prepared to shop around, you’ll find a good condo close to the town centre.” Scanning the Kaplan website reveals a wonderful stock of affordable homes priced around $400K to $500K. Popular areas include Racquet Club in the north of the city, Sunmor, which is fairly central, and Deepwell, just south of the downtown core. Many were built in the mid-century, some by Alexander, a lauded construction company whose signature butterfly roof style is revered, and much copied. Intrigued to discover even more, we reach out to homeowner Jacquie Somerville, originally from B.C., and one of the protagonists on the aforementioned Golden Gays. A published author (her last title, My Fat Little Rule Book is a diet and life counselling manual), she’s a flair of effervescence and is thrilled to be part of the show. “Promoting Palm Springs, however I can, is always a goal,” she enthuses. “I’ve only been here a couple of years ,but I’ve grown to love this place. And I had such fun with all my lovely boys.” As we chat, we’re ensnared by her vigour and no-nonsense approach. Knowing just how time consuming it can be to film a TV series and write a book, we ask why she was tempted to take part, being that she’s currently busy penning a follow-up to her best seller. “I’m still asking myself that,” she laughs. “I’m not even gay, or in my golden years for that matter, but I’m definitely a self-confessed fruit fly.” Pausing for a moment, she adds, “It was a life-changing program to make. Very humbling and all that. To meet the older gay community and engage with its spirit was incredible. I saw in them more energy than guys half their age, and more humour in their real stories than you’d find in a scripted comedy. Filming was a riot and I made loads of friends.” Scrolling pictures of Jacqui’s beautifully decorated home, we ask if she had help with its creation. “I always know what I like but, just to be sure, I commissioned a Canadian called Robert Bailey, who also designed my home in Vancouver. My Palm Springs home is a real retreat; fresh and modern in execution, with touches of ’70s and ’80s Hollywood everywhere.”
We purr our affection for the casual furniture that punctuates the space and Jacqui adds, “I’ve always been careful with money and so, to balance out (what we spent on) the kitchen and bathrooms, we refurbished loads of vintage pieces hauled from local consignment stores.”
Jacqui loves up-cycling as much as we do and is similarly attached to colour. “I love bold tones,” she says. “A place like this is perfect for making a statement. I definitely feel like I’m living the Californian dream.”
It’s a dream that we, too, could happily live. Palm Springs is special; you’ll see that if you watch the show (Fridays at 10 p.m. on Slice). Sure, real life and TV life can be poles apart, with manipulated scripts and fake storylines traditionally blurring the small-screen agenda.
But, with first-hand experience of the city, we can attest that Golden Gays truly captures the fun essence of what goes on. It’s an animated world, played out on a beautiful desert stage, with breathtaking architecture, craggy mountains and never-ending sunshine as its alluring backdrop.
One last thing: if our words tempt you to visit Palm Springs, and if you run into Rudy, a charismatic organ-playing senior (he’ll be the one in the sequined caftan and matching turban, an old boy you’ll grow to love as you watch Golden Gays), give him a huge hug from us.
And tell him that, when we finally win the lottery, we plan on buying the Hope Residence (Bob Hope’s former home, a glass and concrete fantasy currently on the market for a cool $50 million) and installing him, with immediate effect, as our house pianist. That would be our desert, and very golden, dream.