When not that many folks were there for us, you stepped up to the plate — literally and figuratively. You helped us put together our trek to Washington, not only by throwing us a fundraiser, but by telling us “Yes, you can!” — and this was before Senator Obama was even a twinkle in the voters’ collective eye. You and your wonderful colleagues welcomed us into your ‘home’ and we love you all for it. As a true communitarian, you have set the bar high for whomever dares trod in your wake at 69 Gansevoort. Along with our tireless and brilliant attorney, Norman Siegel, and our faithful supporters like State Senator Bill Perkins, New Yorker Extraordinaire, Malachy McCourt, and Congressman Dennis Kucinich, you are definitely in the pantheon of all-time favorite Granny pin-ups — in or out of drag.
Photo – Richard Leigh
To say it was a pleasure to join you on Monday, considering the circumstances, may sound a bit strange. We booked in with heavy hearts, knowing this was the last time we’d be able to bask in the pink glow of your establishment. (And at our age, lighting is EVERYTHING! ) However, once we got there, your enormous good cheer and hospitality enveloped us and we had a blast. Hopefully, the other folks in the restaurant enjoyed our shenanigans — we couldn’t help notice that our performance of WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE had more than a few of your patrons singing along, but it was Granny Joan Wile’s debut performance of her original song, FAREWELL FLORENT that really brought down the house.
Photo – Richard Leigh
In THE 25th HOUR OF FLORENT MORELLET, David Amsden’s truly swell article in New York Magazine, he reports that you have the opening line of Diana Vreeland’s autobiography, “I loathe nostalgia!” writ large on your calendar. So we will take that as our cue and instead of bidding you a fond but sad farewell, we shall look forward to what you and your remarkable crew will cook up for the next chapter.
Rock on, dear Florent — we sure plan to!
– Fran Sears for The Granny Peace Brigade
Granny Peace Brigade 
I’m sure that we’ll keep on singing Joan’s song and waiting for the sonquel, “Hello Florent” in whatever his next chapter will be! Great blog befitting a warmhearted occasion.
LikeLike
The blog captures the spirit and heartfelt thanks for an evening of reunion with Florent and recognition of his extraordinary kindness, his passion for community, and his work for peace.
l await the next chapter in Florent’s career, and his special gifts to New York City.
LikeLike