Travel guru Rick Steves joins SMC

Travel guru Rick Steves joins SMC

by Miryam Gordon - SGN A&E Writer An unusual guest will be joining the Seattle Men's Chorus for their "A Foreign Affaire" spring presentation, March 29 and 30 at McCaw Hall. Rick Steves is not known for his singing, so you won't be surprised to hear that he's not singing. But he is joining them. The context of the performance is a trip around Europe, and Steves will lend his expertise and raconteurship in between songs. Steves doesn't write about travel for homosexuals and isn't terribly comfortable giving advice regarding where Gays and Lesbians would have the most fun, but he does have a few ideas. "I do know there are places that Gay people feel very comfortable and places that they might want to keep a lower profile. Every city has Gay-friendly hotels and clubs. Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, places to travel where people are very progressive and cool. I hesitate to talk much about that, since I don't know about a lot of aspects of European travel. "One thing great about Europe, whether you're straight or Gay, is people are on the streets. When I come back to Edmonds, I see mothers grabbing kids and taking them inside because maybe there are perverts out there [on the streets]. In Europe, there is more a sense of a river of life flowing by and it's more conducive to people being out. I'm really struck by how empty our streets are. "In Europe, I'm impressed by how in-touch people are. When I go to a Gay Pride festival in Berlin, it's like they're having a good time trying to shock each other, and people are laughing and not being shocked. They're used to living in much denser populations than we do, and they've had to develop a tolerance to different lifestyles or build more prisons. Our country is notorious for locking people up. They're [Europeans] more tolerant and you can't legislate morality like you can here. They realize the futility of legislating morality. "Europe has not always been that way. There was a time where people could be killed for being Gay, and there were few places that were safe during the early 19th century to be known as Gay. There were known havens for Gays like the Island of Capri. It's also not an issue there, today. As well as being a haven for writers and artists, they also attracted creative types, including Gays and Lesbians. Certain big shots who could get away with that sort of thing would host these people. "There are many guidebooks that focus on where to go that is more Gay-friendly. We have a comment board on our web site [www.ricksteves.com] that people are busy commenting on places that they've been. On my graffiti wall, I have something called Gay and Lesbian Travel, and we have hundreds of comments there. People share through these sorts of grapevines. It's nice because it inspires people to not be afraid to travel. And that's what I like to do, whether it's women afraid of traveling or people with food concerns, I like to dispel the things people might be afraid of in travel." Steve remembered when the Chorus came to him and asked him to do this concert. "They came to me and asked what I think, and I like to do this because I've never done it. I like the idea of doing something new, not just standing on stage and telling people about churches in Germany. I invited them to perform at my church [in Edmonds]. I think 'the church' should be very inclusive. Churches should not be 'Gay-friendly' churches or 'not-Gay-friendly' churches; they should just be churches who include everyone. People often are homophobic not because they're mean, but because they're afraid. If they can meet people and realize, 'they're just like me,' it becomes less scary. I've always believed that variety is a very important thing in this world and it would be very boring without it." Steves reflected on what you'll see at the performance. "It's back and forth between me and the choir, I come out about six times. There's a Sister Wendy skit that you can expect will be pretty funny and some travel tips about wearing your money belt, and a bit of teaching and Men's Chorus slapstick humor. The great thing about travel is to broaden your understanding, and fear is a bad thing. I really feel that people that want us to be afraid threaten our democracy and the fabric of our communities. If I have an opportunity to introduce people to people and cut down fear, count me in. "I think I'm not very afraid of things because I've traveled a lot and I've met so many people that are different and not a threat. & We're going to take people traveling thanks to the Men's Chorus and have a lot of fun doing it. Because music is fun and 250 male voices is fun and I'm going to try to be fun too." Then, absentmindedly, he added, "My business is called 'Europe Through The Back Door,' and that causes a lot of people to wonder &" For tickets or more information, go to www.flyinghouse.org or call 206-388-1400.