Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Thursday, April 21, 2016
When Doves Cry...
I must be getting old. Prior to the deaths of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, I don't really remember hearing about the deaths of celebrities, except at award shows and the year end recap on New Year's Eve.
Facebook, Twitter and the internet, in many ways changed that. Now information is doled out to the world in a matter of seconds. It's no small wonder that newspapers are facing extinction. Why would I buy a newspaper, when I can get all the same information online?
Driving home from dropping lunch off for Dan, Little Red Corvette was on the radio. It was odd, because it was like flashing back to childhood, when the songs were new. And, before they had a chance to come back on after the song was over, it hit me. This wasn't a request hour. This was them confirming what I already knew from the Internet. Prince is gone. This was more like a flashback to the day after Michael Jackson died, when every radio station brought him back on their playlist, after years of ignoring him...
2016 is going to go down in history as a brutal year for celebrities. Just a couple of months ago, we lost David Bowie. Today, the world lost Prince. (A ton more have passed, but, drag related blog, so music related post...)
Prince didn't speak to me, in the same way Bowie did. Bowie was different in every way. Whereas, Prince just was who he was. Bowie sang about life, while Prince was more sexual.
Prince always made me just a little uncomfortable. But, there was never any question that he was another music genius. Who didn't want a Little Red Corvette, to Party Like It's 1999 or for their partner to wear a Raspberry Beret (cause she didn't wear much more...) I don't remember Purple Rain. But, When Doves Cry, is the one song that regularly gets into my head, and I don't try to chase it out.
I find it so sad that at 57 years old, we have lost Prince. The music world will never be the same.
My only hope, is that with the loss of all the talent that we have lost in 2016, less than 6 months in, that the universe has something planned. That the reason for all this loss is the emergence of an amazing talent the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
...And, You Call Yourself Gay...
I get picked on a lot, for my lack of knowledge of Gay Pop Culture, when it comes to movies. I have never seen Cats. I have never seen A Chorus Line. Until about a year ago I had never seen Victor/Victoria.
So, when I have the opportunity to be able to say that I've seen a movie, and not be the one who hasn't, it's always a good day for me.
Z went to get repairs on his car, and is without until Tuesday, at the earliest. So, since he has to work tomorrow, and I'm currently not working, I went to pick him up, and brought him home with me, so he can get a ride to work in the morning. We picked up Chinese from Lotus, and came home and watched movies.
We spent the weekend getting a new "surround sound" box hooked up to the tv in the living room. (It's amazing, and I'm very confused by it...it sounds the way my grandfather's tv used to, when I was little...and so I wonder if he had surround sound back in the 80's.) And, in the process, we streamlined things, and did away with our DVD player and Wii. Dan suggested that we watch some movies, that Z hadn't seen before. So, our playlist was going to include Girls Will Be Girls, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. We ended up playing the videos through the laptop, which is hooked into the tv.
It's been a while since I've seen Girls Will Be Girls. I forgot how smart and funny it is. (And, totally didn't realize that Cam from Modern Family was in it.) It's always fun to hear queens talk about the movies, when they do drag themselves, because, usually, there's clocking something wrong...In this case, it was clocking Varla Jean's lace front wig. A bunch of discussion of how different they look out of drag. Dan has met Varla Jean and Coco Peru, so he has insight into them that I only wish that I had. The whole movie itself is so crazy and funny. And, I honestly think that the character of Evie is brilliant.
Next on the list was Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. (It's a brilliant movie, but a little serious and long for someone with ADD.) While it was fun to watch, and see Z's reaction to the costumes and such, it was kind of a trip down memory lane for me. Prior to Shaunna Rai. Prior to even coming out. When I was just barely an adult, my friend introduced me to it. At the time, I thought it was funny, because I was still young enough to not understand all the implications of gender identity and sexuality. Being on the verge of coming out, I found something I could relate to in the characters...and who doesn't love Australia? And, let's face it, for a horny, teenager, Felicia (out of drag) is really hot. (And, he kind of reminds me of Dan.) Coming from an area of the state where it's not ok to be who you are, if you're different, in any way, it was nice to be able to see a place where it was okay for people to not only be themselves, but to be doing something that they loved. Anyway, it took me back to a place where it was all new and fresh. A place where the world had so much to offer, because it was all ripe for the taking. A place, where cynicism hadn't yet started to set in.
What I've always loved about drag, is that in drag, you can be anyone you want to be. And, it doesn't matter what you look like. Let's face it, not all drag queens are pretty. But, if they're enjoying what they're doing, they make it enjoyable (even if they're hard to look at.)
With the viewing content of the night, it reminded me of how all encompassing drag is. It's not just about being pretty. It's not just about walking around in a bra and panties. Sometimes, you need the crazy queen who can make you believe that they have a glass eye, which has gotten stuck in their head, and if they smack themselves, they can make it move. Sometimes you need the funny little hummingbird queen who will flit from person to person, doing a comedy schtick. You need the pretty one. You need the bawdy queen, who will say what's on everyone else's mind. Because, drag is not just about what one person likes. You can put on a drag show, but if everyone is a cardboard cut out of the person before them, you're going to lose your audience.
Case in point: There was a show last weekend. My parents attended, because it was "local" to them, and it's been a while since they've seen us. My mom totally called my dad out on tipping etiquette. "Remember to tip ALL the queens..." (There was more to the conversation, but I'll post that, when I write about that show.)
It's all about diversity. You can like what you like. And, you don't have to like what I like. But, make sure that you're not disrespecting anyone.
So, when I have the opportunity to be able to say that I've seen a movie, and not be the one who hasn't, it's always a good day for me.
Z went to get repairs on his car, and is without until Tuesday, at the earliest. So, since he has to work tomorrow, and I'm currently not working, I went to pick him up, and brought him home with me, so he can get a ride to work in the morning. We picked up Chinese from Lotus, and came home and watched movies.
We spent the weekend getting a new "surround sound" box hooked up to the tv in the living room. (It's amazing, and I'm very confused by it...it sounds the way my grandfather's tv used to, when I was little...and so I wonder if he had surround sound back in the 80's.) And, in the process, we streamlined things, and did away with our DVD player and Wii. Dan suggested that we watch some movies, that Z hadn't seen before. So, our playlist was going to include Girls Will Be Girls, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. We ended up playing the videos through the laptop, which is hooked into the tv.
It's been a while since I've seen Girls Will Be Girls. I forgot how smart and funny it is. (And, totally didn't realize that Cam from Modern Family was in it.) It's always fun to hear queens talk about the movies, when they do drag themselves, because, usually, there's clocking something wrong...In this case, it was clocking Varla Jean's lace front wig. A bunch of discussion of how different they look out of drag. Dan has met Varla Jean and Coco Peru, so he has insight into them that I only wish that I had. The whole movie itself is so crazy and funny. And, I honestly think that the character of Evie is brilliant.
Next on the list was Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. (It's a brilliant movie, but a little serious and long for someone with ADD.) While it was fun to watch, and see Z's reaction to the costumes and such, it was kind of a trip down memory lane for me. Prior to Shaunna Rai. Prior to even coming out. When I was just barely an adult, my friend introduced me to it. At the time, I thought it was funny, because I was still young enough to not understand all the implications of gender identity and sexuality. Being on the verge of coming out, I found something I could relate to in the characters...and who doesn't love Australia? And, let's face it, for a horny, teenager, Felicia (out of drag) is really hot. (And, he kind of reminds me of Dan.) Coming from an area of the state where it's not ok to be who you are, if you're different, in any way, it was nice to be able to see a place where it was okay for people to not only be themselves, but to be doing something that they loved. Anyway, it took me back to a place where it was all new and fresh. A place where the world had so much to offer, because it was all ripe for the taking. A place, where cynicism hadn't yet started to set in.
What I've always loved about drag, is that in drag, you can be anyone you want to be. And, it doesn't matter what you look like. Let's face it, not all drag queens are pretty. But, if they're enjoying what they're doing, they make it enjoyable (even if they're hard to look at.)
With the viewing content of the night, it reminded me of how all encompassing drag is. It's not just about being pretty. It's not just about walking around in a bra and panties. Sometimes, you need the crazy queen who can make you believe that they have a glass eye, which has gotten stuck in their head, and if they smack themselves, they can make it move. Sometimes you need the funny little hummingbird queen who will flit from person to person, doing a comedy schtick. You need the pretty one. You need the bawdy queen, who will say what's on everyone else's mind. Because, drag is not just about what one person likes. You can put on a drag show, but if everyone is a cardboard cut out of the person before them, you're going to lose your audience.
Case in point: There was a show last weekend. My parents attended, because it was "local" to them, and it's been a while since they've seen us. My mom totally called my dad out on tipping etiquette. "Remember to tip ALL the queens..." (There was more to the conversation, but I'll post that, when I write about that show.)
It's all about diversity. You can like what you like. And, you don't have to like what I like. But, make sure that you're not disrespecting anyone.
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