NewsVoicesArts & EntertainmentCrimeEducationHealthLove & SexPeoplePoliticsSports
    OUTPrideOut TravelerPLUSADVOCATE CHANNEL
    Support UsSubscribeSubscriber ServicesEmail Newsletter Signup
    CONTACTAbout UsCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
    © 2025 Equal Entertainment LLC.
    All Rights reserved
    Advocate.comAdvocate.com

    PHOTOS: John Simone Saw It All

    Christopher Harrity
    07/02/16
    xtyfr
    Scroll To Top

    By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

    Accept
     

    Above: David LaChapelle and Javier Francisco, Emerald City, 1988

    John Simone
      

    John Simone was a Proustian photographer of New York and Toronto nightlife during a period of extreme self-expression and surprising gender fluidity. This is a triptych exhibit with three themes: Queens of Manhattan, Subterranean Society, and a Fashion Cares Retro. 

    Simone shot A-list downtown denizens who populated New York City’s night world and then published them in Details and Michael Alig's Project X magazine. This included queens of the night shift RuPaul and Lady Bunny, scene chronicler James St. James, patron saint Leigh Bowery, and club superstars like Divine. All were fabulous creatures you could only see at night. 

    Hurry before these images disappear into the mists of time, as this exhibit has been extended until July 7 at Akasha Art Projects in Toronto. 

    Below, his fantastic video crammed with night celebrities for Fashion Cares.

    xtyfr
    close button
    PhotographySlideshow
    xtyfr

    More Galleries

    The incomparable Lady Bunny and her unnamed date
    Drag

    Drag Me to the Catskills: A weekend of camp and comedy in the woods

    May 29 2025 8:30 PM
    Boys! Boys! Boys! podcast: A new voice in queer culture
    Art

    Boys! Boys! Boys! podcast: A new voice in queer culture

    May 01 2025 5:03 PM
    Cobblestones, castles, and culture: Your LGBTQ+ guide to Edinburgh
    Travel

    Cobblestones, castles, and culture: Your LGBTQ+ guide to Edinburgh

    April 30 2025 12:44 PM
    French Polynesia: LGBTQ+ inclusivity beyond expectations
    Travel

    No Pride flags needed in French Polynesia

    April 07 2025 11:16 AM
    Karan Soni stars in "A Nice Indian Boy," in theaters starting April 4
    film

    Out and About with Karan Soni

    April 04 2025 8:00 AM
    Edie © Jane Hilton; Justin Anz, Ranch Hand, Olney, Texas © Jane Hilton; Mirage © Jane Hilton; Pate Meinzer, Cowboy, Benjamin, Texas © Jane Hilton
    Photography

    Jane Hilton's 'Cowboys & Queens' captures the modern American dream

    March 28 2025 6:27 PM

    Christopher Harrity

    Christopher Harrity is the Manager of Online Production for Here Media, parent company to The Advocate and Out. He enjoys assembling online features on artists and photographers, and you can often find him poring over the mouldering archives of the magazines.
    Christopher Harrity is the Manager of Online Production for Here Media, parent company to The Advocate and Out. He enjoys assembling online features on artists and photographers, and you can often find him poring over the mouldering archives of the magazines.
    Read Full Bio