Following Fagat’s suggestion and taking advantage of the fact that I was at the Diner yesterday, I went ahead and found out about Washington DC gay A list. We indeed have a nerdy version of the HBP called the Monday Night Drinking Club (in short MNDC), a lighthearted group of young people in their late twenties/early thirties (most of them Kevin D.’s exes as well as Ben T. and his eq….exquisite buddy John J. and...yes LL himself until he was kicked out ) headed by the equally delightful Joël G. (331 friends on friendster 
and growing) who wrote in his own blog “i don't like the idea of being a TOTAL follower” in order to hide the fact that he actually heads the MNDC. The MNDC has also a PR person: the charming Gerard Q. Most of their members have at least a graduate degree or are getting one (they were pretty nerdish and persecuted in high school but sometimes managed to join a fraternity in college), they all have Tivo, like to listen to Postal Service, Scissors Sisters, Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright and wear tiny sneakers (they have a lot of sneakers in their closet), inexpensive cotton T-shirts (with witty albeit not rude slogans or icons) with very expensive jeans – some were even seen wearing a corduroy or a velvet jacket this winter. Then again they could wear a dress shirt with a Puma sporty jacket for a more formal outing (like a birthday dinner – they LOVE to celebrate birthdays). They go out to Taint and Cobalt but almost never to Apex or Nation (besides for Madonnarama even if in general they declare preferring under-appreciated artists). They meet every Monday night at the Diner which they used to rule until they replaced the waiters by pretty waitresses. They avoid shaving as long as it does not hurt their career prospects (they actually go for the scruffy look) and drink very light beer (and Martinis when they have an opportunity to cross-dress like for Miss Adam’s Morgan). They are slim and sometimes toned but never buff. Their first gay sexual encounter happened during their sophomore year in college. The MNDC guys smoke but only when they are out or in a group; they all have an ambien prescription but never tried Ecstasy and are not interested thank you. They travel once a year to Europe (or Israël if they are not gentiles but most of them are) and bring back even more sneakers and T-shirts with even wittier logos – they particularly like London. However, the MNDC is almost exclusively composed of white Americans and the occasional Eastern European boyfriend. Yet one might notice that MNDC people manage their money really well and are never completely broke even with their huge student loans. They have a very conflicted relationship with capitalism and religion and have many many many girlfriends. The only topic they never discuss is the israelo-palestinian conflict and their political idol is Bill Clinton. Honesty is their first characteristic quickly followed by fun-loving. They have important difficulties to stay in a relationship (after 2 or 3 days) but are working on it with their shrink. Overall, the MNDC has not yet broken the parental mould but cracked it a little anyway so they could become bobo gay boys. Of course, one could wonder where it leaves the whole Clint M./Campbell M./ Alex S./Thomas B. clique, or the Wallach place bourgeoisie. Perhaps we could consider that in DC, there is many HBPs: one for each generation or…is it social status? or perhaps income level. I'll try to follow up on this.
In other news, I played six times King’s crossing by Elliott Smith on my way to work and another six times after lunch: I might need a Xanax tonight. I am just a little disappointed that David Blaine did not suffocate to death.
