New York's East Village is like Oz to a fag in Tennessee. To this here Dorothy Gale, it's a magical place where the queers outnumber the straights and the Lollipop Guild takes on a completely different meaning with no shortage of things to suck on. Drag Queen witches (both good and bad) strut the streets while all sorts of hot lions, tigers, and bears proudly display their queer pride. There's no doubt that it's fun to be gay. Homos are handed a one-way ticket to fabulous (if they choose to accept it). But they have to get their butt to a big city. In small towns queers get beaten, shot, and killed just for saying "Oh, snap!" In 2003, Jonny McGovern scared the crap out of parents with his song and video for "Soccer Practice" which featured hot young men cavorting around teasing each other with towel snaps and furtive glances. It depicted playfully unrestrained gay male sexuality and no doubt it made many a small-town teenager realize that there's more to being gay than being in love with your straight best friend that won't stop talking about how much he likes women. For us gays, McGovern was a clear signal that the world was moving forward, if only slightly. 20 years ago, Queers were viewed like disease-ridden zombies incapable of thoughts or feelings. Nowadays, gays are seen as magical beings that can accessorize, decorate and do hair. And party like it's 1999 every damn day. And THIS IS NYC, B**CH! THE EAST VILLAGE MIX TAPE is the soundtrack to that not-so simple kind of life.