Eric Himan remembers the days when gay bookstores — places like Crossroads Market and Lobo — were an essential part of the queer landscape, essential brick-and-mortar components to any gayborhood. And thinks about the passage of those got him a little sentimental … and in the mood to do something creative.

“I was feeling nostalgic and stuck at home with way too much time on my hands, [so] I decided to pay tribute to them with a little tune and music video,” he tells me.

“Local Gay Bookstore” was recorded with the help of trans artist Namoli Brennet, the video was written, performed and shot at home in quarantine. It’s typical of Himan’s rootsy folk-pop sound. Take a listen!

— Arnold Wayne Jones