Arts & Entertainment
QUEERY: Maj. Brian Dix
The former Marine Band director answers 20 gay questions
Maj. Brian Dix (Photo by Sgt. Bobby J. Yarbrough; used with permission from the United States Marine Corps)
Major Brian Dix came to Washington in May 1984 with the Marine Corps and at the end of last year, retired as director of the Commandant’s Own — United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps. He was only the fourth director of the group since its 1934 founding.
During his 16 years directing the Corps, he wrote original compositions such as “Reveille,” a swing march dedicated to wounded warriors, “Birth of a Drum Corps” for the 75th anniversary of the Corps and “Corpsman Up,” a march dedicated to the Navy corpsman who served alongside the Marines.
He received many personal decorations for his work including the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal with gold star for heroic achievement and a Navy Certificate of Commendation for his volunteer work at the National Naval Medical Center.
The 54-year-old Newark, N.J., native also says it was a thrill to be in Washington for so many historical events.
“I was there when ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ came into law and Paul and I were there when DADT was dissolved,” he says. “One day the Supreme Court said, ‘Hey guys, go get married.’ And we did.”
Dix and Paul Andrews were together six years prior to their September 2012 wedding. They’re taking their time traveling around the country in an SUV en route to their new home in San Diego where Dix plans to pursue “different avenues in music.”
Dix enjoys music, yard work and reading about world affairs in his free time.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I don’t think I was ever “in.” I never hid my persona during a lifelong military career. When the nation steered toward a different course regarding relationships and marriage, it seems like a non-issue to come “out.” It was simple. Actually, it was very simple especially with Paul, a terrific partner along with friends and colleagues who never judged.
Who’s your LGBT hero?
The Supreme Court
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Probably during my younger years, Badlands was the place to be. Friday and Saturday nights was the best escape for a younger guy to dance the night away. Many times, my straight Marine buddies would tag along to dance and to meet girls. And they did meet some nice women. What a great place at the perfect time.
Describe your dream wedding.
Mission complete. My husband Paul and I were married in our community of Capitol Hill at the Hill Center. We both resided near Eastern Market for many years and knew this was the perfect venue. The Old Navy Hospital was the ideal location due to Paul being a nurse, and of course, my Navy-Marine Corps side. The Rev. Cara Spacarelli from Christ Church married us in front of a large group of family, friends and friendly professionals.
What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?
Hunger. Too many people within local communities go without daily meals. This is where people can make a difference through monetary or subsistent donations to local food banks. Feed your neighbors. This makes a huge difference.
What historical outcome would you change?
The Cuba embargo should have been lifted years ago. It’s a rewarding moment to see America back on the right track of good neighboring. This sets a good example for future generations.
What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
The last episode of “The Carol Burnett Show.” It was the great finale of an entertainment era.
On what do you insist?
No cell phones during a conversation.
What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?
My husband and I are currently traveling to San Diego via the rest of America in our retirement “victory lap.” The drive has brought us to places we have always wanted to visit where they are all clearly documented on Facebook. I have a terrific photo at Johnny Mercer’s gravesite, which should be up this week. For the non-gays who might read this, go look up Johnny Mercer.
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
“My Feet Have Wings”
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
Don’t alter a thing. People’s identities are what make this world spin. Nature is wonderful in this way.
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
Music
What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
Keep the momentum going and don’t stop.
What would you walk across hot coals for?
Paul
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
I spent the better part of my life supporting and defending people’s freedoms. Be yourself. Nothing really bothers me.
What’s your favorite LGBT movie?
“The Birdcage” of course. A laugh-out riot. I saw it in the theater with my straight Marine buds who fell on the floor laughing.
What’s the most overrated social custom?
Texting before a phone call.
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
Handwritten letters from my Marines.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
That it all works out.
Why Washington?
Paul and I enjoyed every moment of our time in Washington, D.C. To personally witness its transformation toward its current gentrified state has been a pleasure. And, to be aboard our nation’s capital during so many moments of history starting from the Reagan era, every presidential inauguration, to births and memorials, all while history unfolded. Some of which, we were part of. What a great place during a great time.
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(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Theater
‘My Favorite Sociopath’ debuts at Shepherdstown’s CATF
Gay playwright Aurin Squire’s take on D.C. journalism in the ‘90s
‘My Favorite Sociopath’
Contemporary American Theater Festival
July 10-Aug. 2
Shepherdstown, W.Va.
Catf.org
Discernment. It’s a thing some people have, explains playwright Aurin Squire, especially when you’re gay or Black in America (Squire is both).
“You instinctively know when the mob is teaming up for the best interests of the powers that be. You can feel it in the air.”
In his sharp new satire “My Favorite Sociopath,” Squire writes about life experiences but set in a different time and place: It’s the 1990s, early days of the 24-hour news cycle, and three ambitious journalism students are pursuing success in D.C.
And now, Squire’s play, along with other new works, are making their world premieres at the annual Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) at Shepherd University in historic, queer-friendly Shepherdstown, W.Va. (just a 90-minute drive from D.C.).
“All of my plays are queer in some way,” says Squire, 46. “This one touches on harmless and dangerous lies. The characters are on the spectrum sexually, and it’s interesting how all that falls out.”
And he’s given it a lot of thought.
“Already as a kid, it seemed to me that the rage against rap music and sex was coming from closeted people resisting their own urges and temptations. For me, it was interesting to see a witch hunt led by witches. Queer people can always call out a lie.”
Since September, Squire has also been working with a TV show about the tech industry set in Silicon Valley. He says, “It seems the general flow of the tech industry is that humanity and civilization is finished and it’s just about accumulating as many goods as possible before everything collapses. In fact, those who are profiting actually agree. But for those who disagree, they believe the solution is to build bigger gates, but activists believe we can stop this”
Yet, he’s learned from folks associated with the show. “Many say the quickest way to divorce yourself from any responsibility or regulations — smash and grab. Otherwise, you have to stop and think and regulate your desires for greed and power”
Squire possesses a penchant for pithy titles. He laughs, explaining the first thing he wrote as a student at Juilliard was “Obama-ology,” the comedy with contemporary message. While a lot of people liked the name, it didn’t necessarily vibe with the author. He concedes that he chooses names based on “easy to remember” and titles that won’t be easy to lose as a file.
Another is “Defacing Michael Jackson,” a coming-of-age dramedy set in rural Florida in 1984, specifically Squire’s native town Opa-locka, Miami, a fantastical place famed for its fanciful Moorish revival architecture.
Living in the shadow of exotic structures, he wasn’t particularly fazed. Squire says “It wasn’t until returning to visit after my freshman year at Northwestern University in Chicago that I realized how weird it was: When you grow up in a place, you take surroundings for granted no matter how over the top.”
Now based in New York (where for two happy years, 2017-2019, he shared digs with drag king Murry Hill), Squire returns frequently to Miami to be with family, but this summer has been filled with both work and travel.
Currently, he’s in Shepherdstown with CATF shaping up “My Favorite Sociopath.” Later this summer he will travel to South Africa for research, followed by a silent writing retreat in Santa Fe, N.M.
Much of Squire’s work reflects the Latino, African, Caribbean, African-American, and Jewish cultures he grew up around in South Florida.
When asked if today’s winds of anti-multiculturalism worry him, he replies, “No, because that’s going to pass. Most people don’t like, people are seeing the negative results of it, and the young people coming up despise it. White male gamers were tricked momentarily through the algorithms into voting against their own interests and they’re now seeing how it’s not working out for them.
“Conservatives always try to stop progress and eventually they always lose. It’s just a question of where we’ll be in the middle of the end of civilization before that happens. I’d like to hope we can turn the ship around before then.”
In addition to “My Favorite Sociopath,” CATF summer season features three other world premieres (Lisa D’Amour’s comedy “The Smoker,” “Refugee Rhapsody” by Yussef El Guindi, “Best Line Wins: A Play Inspired by the Improvised Lives of Elaine May & Mike Nichols” by Beth Kander) and “¡VOS!” by Christina Pumariega.
CATF runs from July 10-Aug. 2 in three venues on the Shepherd University campus: Frank Center, Marinoff Theater, and Studio 112.
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