Is this how we treat legends and icons of the gay community? Incahoots ?

[anothergaydrama]

Dana Douglas the former national title holder and legend in the drag community had this to say on face book last night. After performing at Incahoots. A performer of her calibre is seldom found in Jacksonville. Dana is Former Miss continental (one of the most prestigious tittles a female impersonator can achieve). Also a former miss Florida Female Impersonator, which is Florida's largest title to acquire.

Dana Douglas  OMG!!! I've never been so mistreated or abused!!! Tonight I was escorted out of InCahoots in Jax by 2 security guards at the order of Stacy the owner. Apparently Janet Jackson's "love won't do" is too slow and too old to do n Jacksonville. I'm not kidding!!! That's it.... I offered to change the song to Big Spender but the DJ & Stacey had already crossed over and that was that!!!.

[anothergaydrama]

Drag has changed so much over the years. The once respectful treatment of queens is dying.  Especially because drag performances are a mainstay to any glbt club's success.  Its not smart to treat them as a want and not a necessity.  Long gone are the days of bar owners who loved the art and respected the artist. Sad how Jacksonville will fall into the category of just a place you can see show instead of living the experience of cabaret.

[anothergaydrama]

Elijah Hebert
Dana, I performed there twice and NEVER AGAIN! The owner and staff are the oddest and most unprofessional people I have EVER met! I think that poodle perm is getting to her brain!! -Hunter

[DeadGirlsDontDance]

Interrupting somebody in the middle of a number is appalling bad manners, unless their voice is actually shattering the glassware. And Incahoots? What kind of retarded donkey-humping hillbilly name for a club is that, anyway?

[InCahootsJax]

I don't like to respond to petty drama, but i feel I must set the record straight. This story posted before anyone cared to check the actual facts.
You all are jumping on the fact that she was a Former Continential (25 years ago) But what wasn't stated is the Unacceptable behavior that lead up to this event.  I understand that she was a former Continential but with that title comes Responsibilities, the least of which should be professionalism.

When she was booked, as are all of my other out of town Entertainers, She was informed of the Friday night show policy.  All songs must be fast paced with high energy dance moves. She has performed for us previously and was well aware of the policy, and it was reiterated to her upon this booking. When the DJ checked her 1st 2 songs, they were found to be to slow, so she was asked to change them. She then proceeded to go off on my DJ, But my DJ stood firm to our policy, so Dana then demanded to speak to me to get me to over ride the policy for her. I had not arrived yet, but had i been there i would not have made the exception.  After much drama & hassle,  she changed her songs.  While the songs were faster paced, she still didn't give any kind of a dance performance, as was also agree upon at booking.   When It came time to check all the entertainers songs for the second show, The DJ found that Dana Chose "Love Will Never Do" By Janet Jackson. Although that is a great song, which would be fine on a Wednesday or a Sunday, it was to slow for a Friday show.  So when once again, the DJ asked her to change it, she again got upset, then flat out refused to change her song and said to cut her final number.

Dana would like to have you all believe that she was "mistreated & abused" all because of a song, when in fact, she was the one that was abusive to my staff and her "Grand" attitude was unacceptable.  Even tho she showed up unprepared without the type of music that was agreed upon at booking, We would have worked with her to find an alternate song to perform as we did in the 1st show, until she threw out her Ultimatium. She flat out said,  she's going to do the song she wants or cut her. I, like most people, do not respond well to Ultimatiums.  Considering all the attitude & Drama she created over this I felt it best to just cancel her 2nd half of the show. To prevent my customers from being exposed to any more drama she was politely asked to leave. My security guard was only there to insure that no further drama insued. 

It's really unfortunate that it had to come to this. In the 5 years that I've owned the club, I've never once had to ask an entertainer to leave for refusing to do her job.
I Not only appreciate the fantastic Job my entertainers do, but I am very good to them. I support their outside endeavors, and have always been very generous by way of helping my regular house entertainers purchase materials for for outfits, both local and when i travel as well as and help with sponsorship for pageants.
Long before owning the bar, I've been a judge in some top pageants in Florida over the last 15 years. I have seen some of the best talent out there and know what it takes to make it happen.  They have my utmost respect and appreciation for the art.

For those of you that were upset over Dana's supposed mistreatment, I hope this has cleared up any misunderstanding you might have had.

Staci
InCahoots Nightclub

[InCahootsJax]

Apparently the owner kind of wigged out and cancelled her show because the show was 'too slow'?

After this performer travelled all the way from Tampa to perform for the club.

Wow.  That is kind of rude.

Seems like we had some kind of incident there a while back as well.

Stephen,

I am surprised to see that you would post a comment based on hearsay, without checking the facts with me 1st, especially since you have my cell number.
Isn't it the #1 rule of Journalism to check your facts before you print? 


And just so everyone knows, I think it's truly a shame what happened.  I really do. I'm not happy about it at all but really had no choice. In  5 years,  I've never had to do something like that. It wasn't in rage or anger. The club was packed,  an here I have my DJ running back in forth dealing with an unprepared entertainer who was refusing to compromise.. Then she threw out an ultimatium. Dana, I'm sorry but you left us no choice.


And Stephen, If there is ever something in question regarding us, please feel to contact me directly to find out the facts. 


Sincerely,
Staci

[JC]

Staci, Dana's comments were not hearsay, they were her version of events.  Which of course, you deserved the opportunity to refute. 

I cant imagine that this story was so urgent that it needed to be published without quotes from all concerned parties. 

[Marshaljr15@msn.com]

Staci,

Let me just say a few words about this.

FIRST, let me just say that it doesn't matter when Dana Douglas won Miss Continental. The point is that she is a former and is a LEGEND in the drag world! Winning Miss Continental back in the 80's was way more of an achievement then today. How dare you throw (25 years ago) in your post, like it is no big deal...DISRESPECTFUL!

SECOND: You have your DJ check their music?? "Love Will Never do" is NOT a slow song...why don't you be more specific about your music type. If someone came to me and told me that I needed to change my music after picking a certain song, I would be pissed. Especially when the song is not a "slow song" like you asked her NOT to do.

THIRD: Let me just say how embarrassed I would have been if I were Dana Douglas and had to be escorted off the property. That is soo DISRESPECTFUL to have TWO security guards walk her outside. You didn't even know that she was going to make a scene...you made one by having her escorted off of the property.

If what you said in your message was true then this is what I would have done. I would have allowed Dana to do whatever song she planned to do...when it came down to paying her I would have informed her that the songs she performed were not of those that were discussed before and she would not be booked at the bar for 3 months (or something along of that nature).

Dana is an awesome entertainer that holds MANY titles through out Florida including Miss Gay Lakeland, which I am the promoter for. I would NEVER escort an entertainer because they refused to change their music, well...I would never tell my entertainers they only had to do fast paced songs. I think you over reacted that night and I also believe that you owe Dana an apology for making her look like trash, being kicked out. 


Best Regards,

Marshall Welch
Miss Gay Lakeland Pageant
Promoter/Marketing Director
marshaljr15@msn.com
www.missgaylakeland.net

[Timkin]

Incahoots could be bulldozed right this instant , and I would not shed a tear.  The same goes for most of the other gay establishments .  Nothing but drama and too many sketchy people and drugs go on in those places .  Sorry for the extreme bashing , but that is how I perceive these clubs.

[Timkin]

I cannot and would not argue that point Stephen.   and I hope you nor anyone else takes offense to my opinion, stated previously , personally...   there are at least 4 clubs in Jax that if I never step in them again it would be far too soon. 

[InCahootsJax]

Marshal ,

I didn't throw out her 25 years,  as a show of disrespect. It's def not at all what I meant. I very much agree that Dana was a legend in the community.  I have never disputed that.  My show director who has been with me from day 1 is a former Ms. Continential and also is a true lady of class... as well as the many Former Ms. Continentials that I have had come & perform for me over the last few years.
But Dana's previous title  doesn't give her the right to be rude & talk to my DJ disrespectfully or give us ultimatums.    

Everyone seems to miss several valid points.  

1) She was completely aware of what type of music & dance we put on the show on Friday nights.
   She agreed to that when she accepted this booking.. (Her 2nd one btw.)

2) She was not excused from the show because of the song.  She was asked to change it to fit in the format of all the rest of the girls, and she refused. "SHE" said in front of all the other girls, for us to CUT her number.
"SHE" threw out there an ultimatium.  Nows she's upset when we called her on it.  My staff member came back very nicely and said "due to your circumstances, Staci said you don't have to worry about the second show" She said ok and that was it.  We never once treated her with rudeness or disrespect.
3) She wasn't "ESCORTED" out of the club like a piece of trash!!    I would never disrespect anyone like that, and No one even knew what was going on till her post. We kept it all quiet and professional.
Yes, There was a security guard there to make sure she did leave quietly, but by no means did it appear to be an escort out.  

You say that I should have let her do what she wants and paid her, and,  put her on booking suspension for 3 months?   I'm sorry but I disagree.  She was booked and paid to do a specific show. If she no longer dances (which she didn't) or no longer does fast songs then she should have told me that before accepting the booking.

We were willing to work with her to change her numbers up, to a happy medium,  but she flat out refused.  Only after I said to let her go if that's how she felt, was she willing to change her song. But at that point it was to late.

She's been doing shows for 30 years, and she knows the rules.

Again, I'm truly sorry it came to this.... i really am. She threw out the attitude and she threw out the ultimatium.

I have a business to run and other girls in the dressing room that were about to go on stage, and I had to keep things going.
I'm sorrry if I offended anyone's legend or Icon, but the ultimatium really gave me no choice.

[Fenix]

Oh The Drama

  Having resently came onto the Jacksonville Drag scene, I have been honored to have shared with stage with several local legends. I have heard of many legends and icons and it brings me to this point that one cannot know ones future without knowing the past. It was legends in the 60's that gave rise to current rights, and my current profession. It was legends in the 80's that helped to bring HIV into the spot light. We should ALWAYS respect those who have graced the stage before us. Such icons as Sondra Todd, Karrissa Wade, Nicole Woods, Kourtny Van Wells, and many more local and national legends . I am sure this is nothing more than a communication problem which could have been easily solved without the drama, headaches, or back and forth bashing of ones character. While I may not agree with how the situation was handled, I do think this situation could have been handled differently. Perhaps we can learn from this ordeal and approve on attitudes and treatments of one another.

[Marshaljr15@msn.com]

I will be cancelling my account....

I thought this was a board to express thoughts and if I cannot express my thoughts than I am obviously in the wrong spot, so sorry.

- Marshall

[Marshaljr15@msn.com]

What was the point in posting my post again??

[keywest09]

First I want to say I have lived in Key West Florida for many years.  I remember Dana back when she would perform at The Copa Key West.  I know entertainers can be demanding in what they want, but they have to remember who owns the bar and what was agreed to. If they do not then they should not perform there!

Trust me!  Key West can be a very drama island!  But, In the end when all is said and done we "Our One Human Family" in Key West. Stuff is going to happen sometimes, but talking and working things out is the best form to do it!  Not post on facebook at 3AM, or Boycott Incahoots because of this. Just my thought!  Now back to my cocktail!