Frequently Asked Questions


Be in the know!

After being flooded with various questions as to what the heck this whole guerrilla thing is about, we put together this page to explain who we are, what GQBSV is all about, and most importantly, how to get the most out of it. If your question isn't answered here, email Lee Newbauer.

Q: What's The Point of GQBSV?

A: We started Guerrilla Queer Bar of Silicon Valley to create an alternative to driving up to San Francisco for the sole purpose of hanging out with other hip and happening gay folk in the confines of a regular gay bar environment. While its great to do once in a while, it tends to get very tiring to drive an hour each way just to schmooze with fags from the Motherland.   There's a whole world full of interesting possibilities in the soft underbelly of our fine valley. So, we thought it would be interesting to get a fun crowd of people together and visit fun, sometimes off the beaten path, places throughout Silicon Valley.

While the name does have political overtones, our main goal is to get a fun and eclectic group of people to join us on adventure filled field trips throughout the valley.

Q: Who Is Guerrilla Queer Bar of Silicon Valley?

A: GQBSV was started by a group of us who were yearning for something new to do besides going to TDs (yawn) or drive all the way to SF to troll around the Castro bars for the millionth time. As the coordinators, which is a misnomer since we aren't very coordinated, we prefer to remain anonymous.  We do this partly so we can enjoy our own parties without having to play host and partly because we believe that the people who make up each party are what's important.

Q: Who Is Lee Newbauer?

Lee Newbauer is the moniker representing the fictional and actual personalities behind GQBSV.

Q: What Kind of Crowd Do You Attract?

We're looking to attract a fun-hungry and eclectic group of people (straight, gay, boy, girl) who enjoy exploring the valley, socializing, hob-nobbing, and sometimes behaving like idiots. If you're looking for something different to do, and have a zest for adventure, you should really come out sometime. We don't care how pretty you are, how many days a week you work out, or what ethnicity your are, etc.

GQBSV is not a commercial, professionally produced event whatsoever. It's more like an unplanned road trip. A fun crowd begets a fun party, no matter where we wind up at the end of the evening. It's not about what bar or club we start off at, the joy is in the journey.  If you have a negative attitude, yell at customer support people on the phone, judge people you've never talked to, please leave your bad karma at home, or better yet, just stay at home and annoy your online chat friends instead.

Q: Why Are Your Events So Fun?

Of course, we're kind of biased about this, but we think our parties are fun because we attract people with an adventurous streak, and because the evenings are largely unscripted. Even though there is a "junta" that scouts out and selects locations, we rarely know more than where we are going to start the evening, and we only figure that out a few days beforehand. The rest of it, we make up as we go along. We understand this isn't for everyone, but it's a lot of fun for people who like spontaneity.

Sometimes we stay put in one place if it's a really fun bar (see Trials & Errors). Sometimes we set off on a raucous bar crawl throughout an unsuspecting downtown (see Sinebar & Katie Bloomingdales).

It all depends on the mood of the place, and of the crowd. Each event has a life of its own. Sometimes they're loungey, low-key events. Sometimes they're raucous events where reputations are ruined (or enhanced, depending on your perspective). While we try to set the mood in our invites, we really never know what is going to happen until people show up.

Q: I Showed Up For One Of Your Parties, But Nobody Was There

Due to the unpredictability of our events, we may be mobile (see above). This might be because we want to go on a bar crawl, or because the staff at the bar we start off at are dicks. Therefore, it's very important to show up close to the starting time for the event. Unless we get 86'd from a place, we'll usually stick around for an hour after the starting time. After that, we might be there, or we might not. If we know where we're going, we try to keep updated information on our hot line (408-514-2601 x7341).  Your best bet is to show up close to the starting time to avoid being left behind.

Q: I've Never Been To One Of Your Parties, How Do I Know Who's Who?

When we first started off and no one knew anyone else, we would request everyone wear something notable, say party hats or football jerseys.  Then we realized that part of the fun of GQB is not knowing who's who, or what's going on. We never tell the bars that we're coming and as "coordinators", we like to blend in with the crowd (see above). Typically when the party first starts, there is some confusion (lots of people milling around and wondering what to do), but once we attain critical mass and everyone calibrates their gaydar, it's pretty obvious who's who since the regulars are heading for the door.

Half-assed organizing you say?  There is a method behind the madness as it's a well known aspect of human behavior that people tend to bond with total strangers when they are thrown into unusual circumstances. The confusion and chaos usually associated with our events gives you a perfect excuse to talk to the cute guy or girl across the room without having to use a lame pickup line like "So do you come here often?"

Q: What Kind of Places Do You Go To?

Variety is the spice of life. We aim for variety in the types of bars we go to, the nights and times we go out, and in the neighborhoods we visit. As a general rule, we go to a different type of bar in a different neighborhood each time we throw a party. The one thing we do not do is go to Authorized Gay Bar (see Tinker's Dam or Renegades) as this would defeat the purpose of what we're doing.

Q: How Do You Guys Make Money From This?

We don't, we won't, we never have, and never will. We're doing this primarily for our own amusement and to contribute something to the local (read: absent) gay scene. If we tried to commercialize the event by cutting deals with bars, we would ruin the spontaneity of the event.  

Q: Is There A Cover?

We never charge a cover, but sometimes the bars we visit do. We try to pick places that are cheap, either having a cheap cover or cheap drinks. We never get a piece of the cover, so this does not influence our choice of venues.

Q: Sounds Neat, How Can I Help Out?

If you'd like to help organize special events, drop a line to Lee Newbauer to join the junta.  There's no money in it, but it's a lot of fun, and a great way to meet some cool people.

Q: How Do I Find The Hosts?

(See above). We always blend in with the crowd at our parties. So, at most parties, we don't run around playing hostess. Since we're not doing this for attention, it's more fun to experience the parties from your perspective. We also get a better sense of what people like and don't like, and learn from each party because of this.

 
[ back to gqbsv home ]