Am Is Am Sally Kern Am?

I try to stop myself from googling "Sally Kern," but I google her anyway. And I read yet more ignorant, hateful, double-standard (when it comes to the bible, picking and choosing which principles should apply today) comments that, were this 40 years earlier, would probably be about segregation and how whites and other races getting married is race-mixing and threatening our country. Really, when I picture her having conversations with her husband, I imagine them to the tune of "Am is am? Amn'nt am. Is am amn't as am be!" Like redneck caveman babble.

Ugh.

Thanks Sally for giving more progressive countries another reason to laugh at us.

L

New Spleen United!

Denmark's Spleen United is back. I posted one of their earlier songs/videos way back in the blog, so here's a new one!

L

Tori and Finland

I interviewed Tori Spelling today. She was totally sweet and fun. She co-stars in a new queer film, Kiss The Bride. I'll link to the story when it starts appearing...

Meanwhile, my destination feature on Helsinki, Finland, is running in Los Angeles' Frontiers Magazine. Here's the online version. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Finland. LOVE IT! Can't wait to go back and see more of it.

It'd be nice if the Euro didn't hit $2 before then, but my hopes are sinking.

L

My New Moby Feature

My new Moby interview is appearing in gay regionals including In Magazine Los Angeles. Take a peek here. Longer versions should be popping up in the coming weeks across the country. Also, I did a small Moby item for NY Magazine's Intelligencer blog (FYI that "You're bisexual" line should read "You have described yourself as sexually ambiguous"). Enjoy!

Oh - and I'd like to also plug a pretty great Moby interview running in the new issue of The Advocate, written by my HX/Advocate colleague, Brandon Voss. Good stuff! And yay Moby!

L

Emo Bashing?

So emo-bashing is becoming a big problem in Mexico City. Literally - people are bashing emos! Not cool. And ironically, Mexicans are pretty much the only ones who actually look good/hot working the emo look. White North Americans? Ahhh.... not so much. Seriously. Go to Mexico City like I did. They can WORK THAT LOOK!

Maybe the bashers are being led by Zac Efron fans or something. But so not cool regardless.

Incidentally, it's important to note that a LOT, if not most, possibly all, of these emo kids are gay. And the area they gather in, featured in this news clip, is plaza Insurgentes in Zona Rosa, the de facto young gay neighborhood where all the gay kids hang out, cruise, etc. So this seems just as much a fag bashing issue as emo-bashing. Super duper not cool.

L

Quit it Seacrest!

Every week on American Idol, Ryan Seacrest keeps embarrassing David Archuleta by going on about how the girls love him. The girls love you! Listen to the girls! Don't you love those girls? Tonight he even started ribbing David about who he would bring to the prom, and insinuating it was this girl sitting next to Daddy Archuleta. David just kept politely/bashfully giggling as he typically does.

Does Ryan not realize what he's doing with all this nonsense? Does he seriously have no clue? Or is he just being a prick? I don't think I have to spell out why this behavior makes Ryan a prick. Do I? I will if I have to.

I can't figure out the motives behind his behavior. But if you have a gaydar that even remotely picks up signals, and I'm certain Ryan does, you know Ryan is being a complete, malevolent bastard throwing the "girls" stuff up in David's face. Or at best, he's acting upon a benign ulterior agenda that we don't understand yet and plain old sucks anyway. Perhaps the show's producers are horrified that someone might suspect David is gay and, like Danny Noriega and the go-go boy, get him booted off because he's a nancy. Or maybe Daddy Archuleta, who has seen the video of his kid singing "And I Am Telling You" a few too many times and smells something flowery in the air, asks Ryan, "hey, can you let my boy know how many girls want him? Let him know about all those girls! He can pick any one of 'em! Hallelujah, all the girls! Hallelujah!"

Quit it, Ryan. Seriously. You're being a bastard. Quit with the "girls" stuff with David.

L

Asian Pop Music 101: "HELLO" by RAM RIDER

Tokyo, 2005, I'm shopping at Tower Records in Shibuya and find this little gem. It's Japan's Daft Punk! It's a crime you can't find the albums on iTunes America.

L

Polish Pop Music 101: "Who Told You" by Smolik

I love Smolik, a totally elecronica chill out artist from Poland. First heard about him at a gay bar in Kracow, now take little jaunts into Greenpoint, Brooklyn to pick up his latest releases. Enjoy!

L

Asian Pop Music 101: "Love Me Afer 12AM" by M-Flo

That is Japan's M-Flo live in concert with Clazziquai Project vocalist Alex as guest. It really kicks in about 2:35 in. You might be able to find this track on iTunes...

L

Asian Pop Music 101: "Honeymoon" by Flure

Ain't that pretty? From Thailand's Flure.

L

Scott Heim Reappears

My feature on novelist Scott Heim and his latest book is in the current issue of In Magazine Los Angeles, as well as a piece on Colton Ford and his new CD (released on Richard Morel's Outsider Music label!).

Enjoy!

L

Gobsmacked

I am completely gobsmacked by this.

Brother Beyond

One UK boyband that never really made it overseas was Brother Beyond. Yay import CDs is all I can say.

Here they "perform" one of their sweet little ditties. They seem to be on uppers or some new speed designer drug, though. Truly spastic. They dance like some cowboy varmint is shooting at their feet. And how many times does the lead singer twirl? And the guitar/bass players are working that whole Fine Young Cannibals thing. Note the chubby keyboard player! Not a lot of chubby guys in boy bands, are there?

Where oh where have they gone?

L

Watch and Listen