SerpApi.Org
Out in the desert about a two hour drive west of Los Angeles sits a nondescript building with blacked out windows, designated only by the image of a brawny shirtless man wearing a lather cap on its door.
This is Tool Shed. Since opening in 1993, its been dubbed Palm Springs’ original leather bar, a dimly lit dive known for drawing in gays from far and wide, especially the daddies, the bears, and those with a fondness for *ssless chaps.
Of course, this is Palm Springs we’re talking about—often cited as one of “the gayest cities in America”—so it’s no surprise a place like Tool Shed has become a hot spot for the community. Yet it stands out specifically because the median age of its clientele skews a bit older, its barstools and private patio space welcoming a crowd that’s been around the block more than a few times, so to speak.
And in that sense, Tool Shed is a living document of LGBTQ+ history, a place full of people who are full of memories worth preserving.
How about we take this to the next level?
Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
In their new documentary short Welcome To Tool Shed, filmmakers Andrew Klaus-Vineyard (Unknown, At Large) and Daniel Cameron Talbott (the upcoming Until The Time We Die with Boots‘ Jack Cameron Kay) set out to do just that, capturing not just what makes the bar so special, but also its many friendly regulars.
As Talbott reveals to Eye For Film, he first became aware of Tool Shed thanks in large part to his friend Larry Kramer, the late playwright and activist who became a major voice for the community during the AIDS crisis. When he passed in 2020, the director heard from many other friends that Kramer had a fondness for the Palm Springs bar, so he decided to check it out for himself.
Once there, he met plenty of like-minded contemporaries of Kramer’s, “ACT UP and queer activists, novelists, writers, and essayists” and more who have found refuge in the leather bar, many of whom lost loved ones in the ’80s & the years since, beating the odds to survive.
Related
Young gay man went to Palm Springs Pride & came back daddy-pilled: “Life starts at 58!”
It’s often joked that gay life ends at 30. But what if we told it doesn’t actually start until 30 years later?
As Talbott puts it, Tool Shed’s denizens effectively represent our “first generation of openly queer senior citizens,’ their stories—our stories—being casually shared over beers at this unassuming spot in the desert. In his view, this was something special, something worth sharing with the world.
Not long after, he was sitting on the Tool Shed patio with his friend and collaborator Klaus-Vineyard when the two had the idea to make a documentary about that very place. And so, in true “queercore” fashion, they began doing it, filming in “punk rock, guerrilla style, for almost no money at all,” per a quote from Cinemacy.
Central to the film is bar owner Robert Cole who purchased the leather bar a few years back and revamped it—just a touch!—in the style of ” elevated scuzz” to maintain its old-school charms. In candid interviews, Cole reflects on how the bar has become like a home to many, particularly older customers who would otherwise be all along, and also a respite in a terrifying time when LGBTQ+ rights & protections are being rolled back.
But of course the heart of the film belongs to the many elderly regulars who get a chance to share their stories. Stories worth hearing.
“We’re such a youth-obsessed culture,” Klaus-Vineyard shares with Eye For Film, “and it’s a nice reminder that these people didn’t just survive, they were vibrant and thriving in their later years—they were still sexual, and they were still out there building a community.”
A vital documentary that explores queer history in danger of being lost to time, Welcome To Tool Shed is well worth seeking out. Since premiering at its hometown American Documentary & Animation Film Festival in Palm Springs in March, the short’s been playing the international circuit (including a showcase at Cannes!), and now comes to LA for OutfestNEXT, playing as part of the “Safe Spaces” shorts program on Sunday, July 26.
it at OutfestNEXT right here. And if not, be sure to follow filmmakers Andrew Klaus-Vineyard & Daniel Cameron Talbott on Instagram for all of the latest updates. In the meantime, check out a trailer for the film below:
Related
From Boots to the French Quarter: Jack Cameron Kay lands starring role in queer New Orleans romance
From filmmaker Daniel Talbott, ‘Until The Time We Die’ promises to be a fantastic showcase for the out rising star.
Sign up for the Queerty newsletter to stay on top of the hottest stories in LGBTQ+ entertainment, politics, and culture.
