Like many people, I was shocked and saddened by this summer’s sudden closing of Sisters, Philadelphia’s only lesbian bar.
But slowly and surely, a number of women are stepping in to make sure lesbians still have places to have fun. One of the newest organizations to the scene is Groove Philadelphia. Run by Denise Cohen — manager of Sisters for 17 years, and Hepburns before that — Groove Philadelphia is “How Philly Got Her Groove Back.” This week, we spoke to DJ Ali McCourt, who is spinning at several of the upcoming Groove Philly parties. Laidback with a lilting voice and dry sense of humor, DJ Ali gave me the rundown of how she came on the scene and dished on our mutual love for karaoke.
PGN: Hi DJ Ali, previously known as Miss Hypnotic! Are you from Philly? AM: Yes, I was born and raised in Philly and lived here for 20 years before moving to Lansdale.
PGN: What took you to the ’burbs? AM: My parents moved there when I was in college and when I got out, I needed somewhere to hang out for a bit and live. I ended up in Lansdale and liked it.
PGN: What’s the best part of suburban life? AM: I don’t know; I got into a lot of trouble in Philly, so I needed an escape to somewhere calmer. I like the quiet. I grew up on Cottman Avenue so it was always noisy. I like that I can now find a quiet place when I need it. But there’s enough around me that I can go be with a lot of people when I need that too. It’s its own little city.
PGN: Really? AM: Yeah, they don’t have clubs like in Philly but they have a lot of shopping, there are stores everywhere. My fiancé Jen and I live close to the center of town so we’re walking distance from all sorts of stuff.
PGN: Back to the fam … AM: I’m the youngest of four: I have two older brothers and a sister.
PGN: [To her partner, Jen] Does she act like the baby of the bunch? JEN: Pretty much. AM: Wow, just threw me under the bus there.
PGN: Sibling memories or rivalries? AM: I remember fighting over the remote a lot. Literal fights. I used to take Tae Kwon Do and my brother was a wrestler, so we used to get into some serious matches for control of the remote. And for some reason I remember them putting me in Cabbage Patch clothing. Then they’d put me in a laundry basket and push me down the steps like I was on a sled. JEN: How about when they taped you to the chair? AM: Yeah, we can leave that story out.
PGN: Now I want to hear it. AM: Oh, OK. So one year I had pneumonia three times in a row. They kept medicating me and I guess they kept trying stronger drugs because I started to get really wild and out of control. At one point, my brothers and sisters were trying to throw an anniversary party for my parents and I went crazy; I threw this hard plastic doll at my brother and hit him and they were like, “That’s it!” They found some yarn and started tying me up to a chair. It went round and round, there was some duct tape involved, and then they left me there until they finished cleaning the house. They finally let me go right before Mom and Dad got home. It turned out later it wasn’t pneumonia after all — it was asthma and allergies — so I’d been misdiagnosed and medicated with the wrong stuff all along. I was a little hyper.
PGN: A favorite family memory? AM: It’s hard to pick one. I was always close to my family, even when they tied me up. Normal people would go to the shore but we’d go to Boston every summer. A little odd, but good memories. I also loved our family Sunday dinners. We’d have the same meal every week and everyone would sit down and talk about their life. It was fun until all my siblings moved out and I was the only one there.
PGN: Same meal? AM: Uh huh, mashed potatoes — because we’re Irish and it’s mandatory to have mashed potatoes — with gravy, breaded chicken and a vegetable, usually stringed beans or mixed vegetables because that’s what my dad likes.
PGN: What does he do? AM: He used to print things — pictures for artists, corporate stuff like Campbell’s soup labels, all sorts of things — until he got pushed out by digital. Now he’s in maintenance because he got laid off as computers took over, and my mom’s always done administrative work. She’s with a medical-supply company now; they make casts and stuff.
PGN: Have you ever broken anything? AM: My collar bone. Growing up we had the typical Northeast house — a big couch, love seat and a few recliners. We had a teal carpet and I used to pretend that it was water. I’d jump from couch to couch to chair because the water was infested with sharks and if I fell in I’d get eaten. Unfortunately, I jumped to one recliner and went a little too hard. I hit the back of it, flipped over and landed awkwardly, breaking my collar bone. The doctors thought I was nuts when I said I was escaping sharks.
PGN: What was the first music you ever bought? AM: It had to be pop. I was big into Britney Spears and the Spice Girls when I was a kid. I used to buy those single tape cassettes. The first one I remember buying was No Doubt. I’d steal CDs from my sister too but that doesn’t count as buying.
PGN: What sparked your interest in music? AM: My dad’s a pretty good singer. He’d turn on the music channel and sing and dance to it. He still does! I bought him an iPod, but he doesn’t know how to work it. Whenever I go over I have to hit “Play” for him. Both of my parents really enjoy music and my father always quizzes me to make sure I know music from all eras. In high school, I really enjoyed going to dance clubs. When I was 16, I went to a club that let underage kids in, but the DJ was really bad; he’d play a song, then there would be dead air, then he’d put the next song on. I decided that I wanted to do it and do it better. And so I did. At least I’d like to think I’m better.
PGN: What was a favorite crazy mix you’ve done? AM: I took Christina Aguilera’s “Candyman” and mixed it with the “Candy Man” song from Willy Wonka.
PGN: Outside of deejaying and your earlier Tae Kwon Do, any hobbies? AM: I rowed for a few summers, on my brother’s team in New Jersey and at the Vesper Club on Boathouse Row. Never competitively though, I just liked to get on the water. It’s really peaceful.
PGN: The word “peaceful” comes up a lot with you. Was there a time when things weren’t so peaceful? AM: Huh, didn’t even realize that, but yeah, I was an alcoholic and I got into a lot of trouble. But I’ve been sober for three years so I guess I seek serenity and peace now, basically the opposite of the life that I was living. There was definitely a crazy side of me that sought drama.
PGN: What was the worst trouble you got in? AM: Well, on the last day of college, I was at a bar and our teacher was buying shots for all the graduates. I had some rusty-nail drink you’re supposed to sip but I downed it and then another and another until I was raring to go. I was in New York and wanted to go to Club Xes. So I went back to my apartment and tried to get my roommates to come out but nobody wanted to so I drove myself. Somewhere along the way, I blacked out and woke up from police lights in my rear-view mirror. The cop came over, “How’s it going?” I said, “I’m great! How are you?” He asked me what was up with my headlight, and I was like, “What are you talking about?” He took me to the front of the car, which was probably not the straightest walk on my part. We get to the passenger side of the car and my headlight is hanging by a wire. He asked me what happened and I said, “I don’t know. That really sucks.” Sooo yeah, I got arrested. I was bawling my eyes out, crying, “Please, I’ve never been in trouble before!” which was a total lie, and he said, “If you can find one person in your phone who is sober and will come get you, I’ll let you go.” I was like “OK!” but inside I was like, “Crap, it’s the last day of school, everyone is drinking!” Then I remembered my roommate who didn’t want to come out so I dragged her out of bed. She thought I’d died when she got the call from a police officer at that hour. It was a mess. Not only was I drinking and driving and blacking out, but the next morning I looked at the car and there was this long blue line of paint across the side. My car was tan.
PGN: Oh my. AM: Yeah, my roommates were trying to give me hints that I had a drinking problem. They’d leave pamphlets on the table and I’d think, “Oh, they must be studying this for a class or something.” It totally went over my head. But now, even though I work in the clubs, I just dance and play music. I know when to retire and how to find calm moments.
PGN: How did you start deejaying? AM: I started out in college radio. I went to York College in New York City and studied mass communications. I had an AM radio show called “Addicted to Ali,” and it went over so well they switched me to FM. I played a variety of music, then a lot of hip hop as it got popular. I started a hip-hop house show on Saturday nights and I’d get tons of callers. It was great. I got to interview a lot of artists and go to shows.
PGN: Who was a favorite interview? AM: Apollo’s Sun. He tries to do positive hip hop.
PGN: There’s a lot of bad stuff. Is there anything you won’t play? AM: I try to stay away from Taylor Swift. No, it depends on the venue. Some are more concerned with language, etc. The only song I debate about is the Beastie Boys’ “Girls” where they want girls to do the dishes and laundry and clean up after them. [Laughs.] On occasion I’ll play it and I’m slightly offended, but it’s a good beat.
PGN: How did you and Jen meet? AM: We met in recovery. A group of us met for ice cream at a diner. She was going through some stuff and I was just there as a friend. We’d stay up all night and talk and after a while it turned into a relationship. We’d talk until 4 a.m. and she’d have to be at work at 5! I don’t know how she did it, but it worked and we have had a lot of diner moments ever since.
PGN: How did the proposal happen? JEN: I wrote in sand on the beach. AM: Then she read me a poem. It was very romantic. I was like, “Oh, don’t finish it. Yes! Yes!” And she was like, “But there’s more!”
PGN: That’s cute. Before we finish, tell me about the parties coming up with Groove Philadelphia. AM: Oct. 25 is the Ghost Ship party on the Moshulu. They’re going to have a heated dance floor, drink specials and a costume contest with an after-party at Voyeur. Satine Harlow will be performing live and DJ Deejay will be spinning. Then Halloween night, I’m deejaying the “Bewitching Bash in the ’Burbs” at Club Fizz. It’s only $5 to get in and it’s going to be a lot of fun. Club Fizz is in Southampton and there’s plenty of free parking. Denise is even talking about bringing in some of the Sexy Sirens from Sisters. I like the venue because it has a big DJ booth and dance floor with walls that change colors, and then a separate room with couches and tables so you can chill and actually talk to someone without screaming. It’s a cool spot. And I love that we’re having a lesbian party in the suburbs. Usually we have to go to the city to find anything gay. But it’s close enough to both my city friends and my suburb people that I can rope them all in!
PGN: As a karaoke host, I saw a lot from the stage; I’m sure you must have too. AM: Oh yeah, I love karaoke. I don’t care if it’s dead, five people in the place, it’s still fun. You get someone up there who’s like “Rar, rar, blah, blah,” not making any sense and you’re like, “Oh my God” and turn their mic down. Good times.
PGN: Do you sing? AM: Not that you’d really want to hear. JEN: She usually drags me up. AM: Yeah, she does a pretty bad “Come Sail Away” and I do the song “Cups” because you can kind of talk/sing it. I try to wait until people have had a few drinks before I sing.
PGN: Since you’re doing the Halloween bash, what was your favorite costume? JEN: The sailor outfit! AM: Ha! For you maybe. [Turning back to me.] Um, it was a little short. I had on red heels and red lipstick too. I turned a lot of heads in that outfit. My favorite was my Run DMC costume. I went to Marshall’s and bought an Adidas jacket and pants and wore sunglasses with big gold chains and a big black hat. It was great. PGN: They were fashion icons and so are you! I saw you have a whole line of clothing. Didn’t know you were such an entrepreneur. AM: Yeah, I saw two DJs with their names on a shirt and thought, that’s pretty cool. I had a vision of what I wanted. So I got the number of the guy that did theirs, Lawrence from Philly Native Clothing. We became friends because I was constantly calling him with different ideas. I started out with a T-shirt — I didn’t think I’d sell them, I just wanted it for me. But I posted it online and people were asking where they could buy them. So I figured out how to put them up on my website, www.djaliphilly.com, and now they’re a big seller. We have T-shirts and tank tops and hoodies and yoga pants. It’s really cool to have people wearing something with my name on it! It’s crazy. There’s a possibility that I may be on a new show on VH1 about DJs. My next big gig after Halloween is the Thanksgiving Eve bash at Voyeur that Groove Philly is hosting. It’s the biggest party night of the year in one of the biggest clubs. It’s going to be awesome. Me and DJ Kash are going to be spinning on the main floor, DJ Sandi is going to be doing retro music on the second floor, plus dancers and drink specials. The VH1 people are coming to see me spin so come out and show some love. You might even win a T-shirt!
For more information, check out DJ Ali’s website or Groove Philly on Facebook. To suggest a community member for Family Portrait, email [email protected].