Quick-Fire Quips is a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama! In this episode, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors talks with Jerry Ehlen, owner of the LGBTQ+ nightclub B-Bob's Downtown and Flip Side Bar & Patio in Mobile.
B-Bob's is is one of the longest operating gay bars in Alabama. The venue is also one of the few places along the Gulf Coast that frequently features performances by drag queens who have been contestants on the iconic reality TV competition series "RuPaul's Drag Race."
Baillee: Hey, Jerry! How are you?
Jerry: I'm good. How are you?
Baillee: I'm doing great. Happy to have you on today.
Jerry: It's good to be here.
Baillee: So, what can you tell me about B-Bob's and Flip Side?
Jerry: I opened B-Bob's in 1992, and we've just about hit our 33rd year of being in business. We host a lot of the Drag Race people. We have a lot of local talent.
Flip Side is more of the laid-back "Happy Hour" type vibe. We've had Flip Side about 12 years.
Baillee: Ok, now that introductions are out of the way, let's get you warmed up to answer the questionnaire. To do that, I want you to say Quick-Fire Quips three times fast!
Jerry: Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips.
Baillee: Ok, here's the first question. What's the first word that comes to mind when you hear Alabama?
Jerry: Sweet home.
Baillee: I love it! Lynyrd Skynyrd fan over here. So, what's a Southern phrase that you use a lot?
Jerry: Bless her heart.
Baillee: In a kind way, or kind of like an ironic a way?
Jerry: A little of each, but it's mostly sarcasm.
Baillee: You host RuPaul's Drag Race queens after they're on the show. How popular are those performances at B-Bob's?
Jerry: Drag is really big in Mobile. We do shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. We usually get an audience from Florida, all through Alabama, Mississippi and New Orleans area.
Baillee: Next question, what's a bad stereotype or something that people get wrong about Alabama?
Jerry: That it's not safe. I always pick up the entertainers at the airport. They always are apprehensive about coming to Alabama, just because they feel like it's probably not an LGBT-friendly area. But by the time they leave, they have a whole different impression.
Baillee: Okay, next up, what's the best dish to bring to a potluck and why?
Jerry: Probably baked mac-and-cheese.
Baillee: Yes! That's the only way to do mac-and-cheese!
Jerry: I'm from the Midwest originally, and that was not even a thing. When I have moved here, I was like, "Oh, my God, this is so different!" But that's what people love.
Baillee: So, do you have any superstitions or irrational fears?
Jerry: I'm not really a superstitious person, but if I have a really good day, sometimes I reflect. "What did I do that day, or what pair of shoes did I have on?" But I don't put much weight in it, because then I would have to think too hard about it.
Baillee: Next question, who is a local drag you think should get more recognition?
Jerry: I want to say Venus Shante DaVis. She's been doing drag in Mobile for probably 40 years.
Baillee: Oh, wow!
Jerry: There's a paper called Lagniappe, and she wins the Nappies, consistently. She has a big heart and does anything anybody asks for the community. She's a very giving, and it's just a pretty rare trait in this day and age.
Baillee: Speaking about the community, what is something that you wish more people knew about when it comes to Mobile?
Jerry: It's not as difficult to have an LGBT life in Mobile as people would think.
Baillee: Alright, here's the next question. Do you have a favorite getaway spot in Alabama?
Jerry: The beaches, because I can go down there and relax and not have a care... People should go down to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach and experience to the white sandy beaches. I just am mesmerized every time I go down there.
Baillee: Can you tell me something that's something on your bucket list?
Jerry: I want to do more traveling, because being in this business, you get tied down to it. The nights, weekends, holidays. I would like to have a little more travel adventure.
Baillee: Anywhere specific that you'd like to go?
Jerry: Be a tourist in places like Hawaii, the Grand Canyon. I want to visit the West Coast.
Baillee: Here's the last question. What does Alabama need?
Jerry: That's a good question. I've been thinking about this for a little while... Alabama tries really hard to keep moving forward. I've been here about 33 years, and it seems like it takes two steps forward and one step back.
If we could get rid of the one step back, it would probably change the mind of people, especially the younger generation. I think they would stay instead of moving on to other cities and other parts of the country.
Baillee: Well, that's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama. That was Jerry Ehlen, owner of the LGBTQ+ nightclub B-Bob's Downtown and Flip Side Bar & Patio in Mobile. I'm your host, Baillee Majors!
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