I'm back from Kuala Lumpur and Borneo... quite a trip. Here's a tiny taste!
L
Monday, June 02, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sweet Little Ditty
This should give your ears a little treat. It's "Sonar" by Belanova, one of the bands I mentioned in my Kylie International piece for The Advocate. It's so Kylie. It's so catchy! Holy cripes! No real video, though - so suffer the lame graphics and then go to iTunes and buy everything Belanova has.
L
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Proud About Pride
The Advocate's annual Pride issue is on stands, and it's got a whole lotta Lawrence: my photo and a blurb on the contributor's page, my Out on the Street conducted in Stockholm, and my whopping Pride Guide (which includes four mini-destination travel bits for Sri Lanka, Stockholm, Reykjavik, and Mexico City). Grab that issue up!
L
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Tokyo's KinKieS
I'm back from Hong Kong, and was very happy to find the first DJ Mix CD from Tokyo's KinKieS waiting for me. A three-person DJ/recording artist collective, they're picking up steam, and I'm really loving their original track "Tokyo Arcade Mode." Since I'm a technotard haven't figured out how to upload an mp3 yet, but here is the link to their MySpace where you can give it a virtual spin.
More to come!
L
More to come!
L
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Hong Kong Postpunk
I head to Macau/Hong Kong this coming weekend, and I'm pretty psyched. It's one of my favorite cities in the world. If I was a geographic polygamist, New York, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, and Tokyo would be my wives/husbands.
Last time I visited HK in late 2006, I discovered The Yours, pretty much the only postpunk/shoegaze/alt-rock band in the whole country (which is dominated by sappy Cantopop). Think My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus & Mary Chain as major influences, with plenty of fuzzy guitar. Dreamy stuff! Here's the video for their song, "Tasteless."
L
Saturday, April 19, 2008
If You Like Kylie, Try These Artists
My article on international artists Kylie fans should check out is up at The Advocate's website. Check it out, check out the artists, and do let me know what you think of them! Any fave from the bunch I recommend?
L
L
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Scenario Rock
That awesome French band Scenario Rock has a new CD out. Of course, no sign of it on iTunes USA. So I guess Amazon.fr here I come.
This band seriously needs to get on VICE Records, stat!
Here's the video for one of their first album's songs. I'm so hot over it. Still! Thanks to Kodai in Tokyo, by the way, for turning me onto them.
L
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
South Park ASAP
I really hope the South Park guys are working on an episode addressing Neanderthal-esque Sally Kern and her fanatical behavior. She's almost like one of the protagonists of Quest For Fire, but not as rational. Do you think dinner is her dipping her finger into a raw egg and sucking it, dipping it back, repeat, etc.?
L
Mariah N' Me
Now that Mariah Carey has a new album coming out, it seemed like a good time to yank out this feature I did on her last one. I've heard so many wacky stories about Mariah over the years, it was fun to finally chat with her. She seemed pretty forthcoming... Anyways, enjoy!
L
Free At Last
By Lawrence Ferber
What makes a superb crossover pop/dance/r&b/hip-hop album? An artist with one-of-a-kind personality, phenomenal vocals, excellent production, talented guest contributors, and that sparkly quality the hip-hop kids (and now the Oxford English Dictionary!) call “bling-bling.”
“I would say there definitely is ‘bling’ in the album,” admits Mariah Carey, amused. She’s discussing her latest and possibly greatest album, The Emancipation of Mimi (Island Def Jam). With production/vocal contributions from Jermaine Dupri, The Neptunes, Kanye West, Twista, Snoop Dogg and Nelly, and Carey’s unmistakable voice arranged and textured in fresh new ways, the album represents a superb 21st century reinvention of the seven-octave performer. And yeah, it’s just bursting with jewelry-like bling-bling. “I like bling,” Carey laughs. “It’s got a certain quality that when you put it on it lights up the moment.”
Carey has plenty of work to do today, yet the earthy and forthcoming diva happily made time for a “gay” interview. “There was a time when all I was allowed to do was go to gay clubs,” she recalls, “because my quote-unquote husband was so afraid of me being around straight people.” But back to The Emancipation of Mimi. A year and a half in the making, the album’s catchy, Jermaine Dupri-produced first single, “It’s Like That,” is already burning up the charts and dance floors. David Morales has performed his club magic on the track and an upcoming nine-minute remix of “Say Somethin’.” Other upbeat album standouts include “Shake It Off,” the playfully 80’s-ish pickup ditty “Get Your Number,” and smooth super-blingy “To The Floor.”
“This is very much like a party record,” Carey says. “Since the time I was in junior high the process of putting on makeup and getting ready to go out… those are the moments you want to put on a record and get excited [about] whatever it is you’re gonna do. I wanted to make a record that was reflective of that.”
Yet The Emancipation of Mimi is balanced out by a generous handful of ballads and downtempo numbers, many of which deal with heartbreak, bad relationships, and cheating lovers. “In some ways I feel the songs flow together really well,” Carey insists. “Like you’re going out, you’re coming down from going out and then another song picks you back up.”
As on all of her previous albums, Carey co-wrote every song on Emancipation. So where did all those breakup songs come from? “Past experiences darling,” she laughs. “You try to take those moments and channel them into something because if not you just become bitter!”
“Shake It Off” takes a playful approach to bitterness – and, more specifically, a cheatin’ bad apple - with lyrics like “I gotta shake you off/ just like a Calgon commercial.” “That’s probably one of my favorite songs on the album,” she admits. “Shake it off can apply to anything. Whatever personal dramas we go through, put that song on and you lose the anxiety or intensity of the moment. I’ll listen to that song when I’ve just come out of an annoying meeting. I gotta shake this off.”
The Emancipation of Mimi isn’t a concept album per se, but it definitely sees Carey, whose closest friends and family call her Mimi, shaking off what audiences have come to expect. “It’s more the record I always wanted to make type of a thing,” she notes. “Everyone expects [an album title] like Rainbow or Butterfly, from me. So I thought The Emancipation of Mimi was cool – that Mimi side of me coming out as opposed to the ‘Mariah Carey’ celebrity or stigma or whatever preconceived notions people have of me as that person. This time I really experimented and played with how [my vocals] sounded as a whole.”
That said, longtime fans will find plenty of her vocal/lyrical signatures and “drama” on tracks like “Mine Again,” “Joy Ride” and “I Wish You Knew.”
A Long Island, New York native, Carey’s life in music started the moment she was born: her mother named her after a song, “They Call The Wind Mariah.” Mom also helped instill a sense of open-mindedness and acceptance in Carey, which surely helped lead to her garnering legions of gay fans and friends. “I’ve always tried not to judge people,” she explains. “My mom being an opera diva, artsy love everybody kind of rebellious girl from the Midwest who married a black man and who had predominantly gay friends. Nothing ever seemed like it was wrong or strange to me. It was a loving type of vibe I got. I basically was raised by two gay men, Ernie and Mort, who were best friends. When we didn’t have a place to stay we stayed with them. So I feel like God recognizes us all has human beings and loves us as we are.”
Carey began singing by age four, wrote songs by middle school, and moved to NYC after high school to pursue a musical career. She admits that love – and sex - took a backseat during much of her youth. “I’m kind of a prude, especially with straight guys because they can be dogs,” she admits. “My sister had a baby when she was 15 - I’m thankful she did because her son is an amazing person, but I looked at what was going on with that and I made a conscious effort to focus on my career. And people would make fun of me because I was this virginal girl who walked around in tight dresses. They were like what is this dichotomy going on here? So [in terms of sexual experimentation] I haven’t really been the most exploratory gal in the land. I know that’s boring for the readers!”
Her self-titled 1990 debut launched Carey into the pop (and drag queen lip synch repertory) stratosphere with four #1 singles, including “Someday,” and two Grammy wins for Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist. More hits, awards and platinum discs followed over the years for Emotions (1991), Music Box (1993), Daydream (1995), Butterfly (1997) and Rainbow (1999). Yet in summer of 2001, Carey hit a spot of rough road with the critically mauled film “Glitter” and a series of personal/public breakdowns (not to mention the death of her father and breakup with boyfriend Luis Miguel).
Carey looks back at that quintessentially “Behind The Music”-worthy period “as something that had to happen in my life,” she says. “The drama would not have been high enough without that. I really do feel a lot was made out of that time period, it was so blown out of proportion. That movie and that soundtrack – which I think had some really good songs that hopefully one day I’ll get to redo – the fact it came out on September 11th people need to remember. How can we expect anything from that? I was a scapegoat in a lot of ways for a lot of talk show hosts who wanted to get away from the real stuff going on in the world. We all have to go through our tests to see how strong we are and come out on the other side.”
She’s definitely on that other side now, and Carey says she owes this fact to God and spirituality. The final song on Emancipation, “Fly Like a Bird,” boasts dashes of gospel, soul, and plenty of calls/thanks to a higher power. Her pastor even makes an appearance on the track. “To me the most important thing is the message he says in the beginning of the song,” she notes. “‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.’ I felt like a lot of people may not hear that message and a lot of people need to. It wasn’t to be preachy. A lot of times people will hear songs that I write that are not the typical songs people look at as ‘Mariah Carey songs.’ Like ‘Close my Eyes,’ which only real fans would know but a lot of [them] relate to. It’s about having a difficult childhood and going through a lot of deep stuff. There’s a song called ‘Outside’ that’s about being biracial. A lot of people relate to it because they felt like outsiders their lives. There are a lot of songs I’ve put on albums as a [personal] release but I know it helps other people. To show that someone else has gone through what they’ve gone through.”
Marriage is one thing Carey doesn’t plan to go through again just yet. When asked about her feelings regarding the hot topic of gay marriage, Carey first responds by stating “I think it’s a huge political thing and I’m notoriously not political. If you asked me about any candidate I’m pretty much clueless. But I feel like everything in life is a personal choice.” Then, after a few minutes, she adds that “when you mention [gay] marriage, marriage in general, after going through the experience I went through I think my whole view on marriage is tainted no matter what kind of marriage we’re talking about. I feel like I went into my situation being married for the wrong reasons. I’ve been traumatized.”
Happily, gays – such as Heatherette designers Richie Rich and Traver Rains - have been and continue to be a positive presence in her life and professional career. “I don’t want to out anybody!” she laughs when asked for additional names of gays who have worked alongside her. “But I would venture to say yes! Definitely!” And Mariah does have quite an exciting series of projects ahead. She’s considering another foray into film acting (her performance in the underrated “Wisegirls,” opposite Mira Sorvino, garnered attention from many movie producers), a possible remix EP, producing a track for 12-year-old vocalist Paul Robbins (they recently appeared on “Oprah”), and “there’s possibly a Broadway Christmas show happening, based around my Christmas songs.” Bling-bling it on, Mariah
L
Free At Last
By Lawrence Ferber
What makes a superb crossover pop/dance/r&b/hip-hop album? An artist with one-of-a-kind personality, phenomenal vocals, excellent production, talented guest contributors, and that sparkly quality the hip-hop kids (and now the Oxford English Dictionary!) call “bling-bling.”
“I would say there definitely is ‘bling’ in the album,” admits Mariah Carey, amused. She’s discussing her latest and possibly greatest album, The Emancipation of Mimi (Island Def Jam). With production/vocal contributions from Jermaine Dupri, The Neptunes, Kanye West, Twista, Snoop Dogg and Nelly, and Carey’s unmistakable voice arranged and textured in fresh new ways, the album represents a superb 21st century reinvention of the seven-octave performer. And yeah, it’s just bursting with jewelry-like bling-bling. “I like bling,” Carey laughs. “It’s got a certain quality that when you put it on it lights up the moment.”
Carey has plenty of work to do today, yet the earthy and forthcoming diva happily made time for a “gay” interview. “There was a time when all I was allowed to do was go to gay clubs,” she recalls, “because my quote-unquote husband was so afraid of me being around straight people.” But back to The Emancipation of Mimi. A year and a half in the making, the album’s catchy, Jermaine Dupri-produced first single, “It’s Like That,” is already burning up the charts and dance floors. David Morales has performed his club magic on the track and an upcoming nine-minute remix of “Say Somethin’.” Other upbeat album standouts include “Shake It Off,” the playfully 80’s-ish pickup ditty “Get Your Number,” and smooth super-blingy “To The Floor.”
“This is very much like a party record,” Carey says. “Since the time I was in junior high the process of putting on makeup and getting ready to go out… those are the moments you want to put on a record and get excited [about] whatever it is you’re gonna do. I wanted to make a record that was reflective of that.”
Yet The Emancipation of Mimi is balanced out by a generous handful of ballads and downtempo numbers, many of which deal with heartbreak, bad relationships, and cheating lovers. “In some ways I feel the songs flow together really well,” Carey insists. “Like you’re going out, you’re coming down from going out and then another song picks you back up.”
As on all of her previous albums, Carey co-wrote every song on Emancipation. So where did all those breakup songs come from? “Past experiences darling,” she laughs. “You try to take those moments and channel them into something because if not you just become bitter!”
“Shake It Off” takes a playful approach to bitterness – and, more specifically, a cheatin’ bad apple - with lyrics like “I gotta shake you off/ just like a Calgon commercial.” “That’s probably one of my favorite songs on the album,” she admits. “Shake it off can apply to anything. Whatever personal dramas we go through, put that song on and you lose the anxiety or intensity of the moment. I’ll listen to that song when I’ve just come out of an annoying meeting. I gotta shake this off.”
The Emancipation of Mimi isn’t a concept album per se, but it definitely sees Carey, whose closest friends and family call her Mimi, shaking off what audiences have come to expect. “It’s more the record I always wanted to make type of a thing,” she notes. “Everyone expects [an album title] like Rainbow or Butterfly, from me. So I thought The Emancipation of Mimi was cool – that Mimi side of me coming out as opposed to the ‘Mariah Carey’ celebrity or stigma or whatever preconceived notions people have of me as that person. This time I really experimented and played with how [my vocals] sounded as a whole.”
That said, longtime fans will find plenty of her vocal/lyrical signatures and “drama” on tracks like “Mine Again,” “Joy Ride” and “I Wish You Knew.”
A Long Island, New York native, Carey’s life in music started the moment she was born: her mother named her after a song, “They Call The Wind Mariah.” Mom also helped instill a sense of open-mindedness and acceptance in Carey, which surely helped lead to her garnering legions of gay fans and friends. “I’ve always tried not to judge people,” she explains. “My mom being an opera diva, artsy love everybody kind of rebellious girl from the Midwest who married a black man and who had predominantly gay friends. Nothing ever seemed like it was wrong or strange to me. It was a loving type of vibe I got. I basically was raised by two gay men, Ernie and Mort, who were best friends. When we didn’t have a place to stay we stayed with them. So I feel like God recognizes us all has human beings and loves us as we are.”
Carey began singing by age four, wrote songs by middle school, and moved to NYC after high school to pursue a musical career. She admits that love – and sex - took a backseat during much of her youth. “I’m kind of a prude, especially with straight guys because they can be dogs,” she admits. “My sister had a baby when she was 15 - I’m thankful she did because her son is an amazing person, but I looked at what was going on with that and I made a conscious effort to focus on my career. And people would make fun of me because I was this virginal girl who walked around in tight dresses. They were like what is this dichotomy going on here? So [in terms of sexual experimentation] I haven’t really been the most exploratory gal in the land. I know that’s boring for the readers!”
Her self-titled 1990 debut launched Carey into the pop (and drag queen lip synch repertory) stratosphere with four #1 singles, including “Someday,” and two Grammy wins for Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist. More hits, awards and platinum discs followed over the years for Emotions (1991), Music Box (1993), Daydream (1995), Butterfly (1997) and Rainbow (1999). Yet in summer of 2001, Carey hit a spot of rough road with the critically mauled film “Glitter” and a series of personal/public breakdowns (not to mention the death of her father and breakup with boyfriend Luis Miguel).
Carey looks back at that quintessentially “Behind The Music”-worthy period “as something that had to happen in my life,” she says. “The drama would not have been high enough without that. I really do feel a lot was made out of that time period, it was so blown out of proportion. That movie and that soundtrack – which I think had some really good songs that hopefully one day I’ll get to redo – the fact it came out on September 11th people need to remember. How can we expect anything from that? I was a scapegoat in a lot of ways for a lot of talk show hosts who wanted to get away from the real stuff going on in the world. We all have to go through our tests to see how strong we are and come out on the other side.”
She’s definitely on that other side now, and Carey says she owes this fact to God and spirituality. The final song on Emancipation, “Fly Like a Bird,” boasts dashes of gospel, soul, and plenty of calls/thanks to a higher power. Her pastor even makes an appearance on the track. “To me the most important thing is the message he says in the beginning of the song,” she notes. “‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.’ I felt like a lot of people may not hear that message and a lot of people need to. It wasn’t to be preachy. A lot of times people will hear songs that I write that are not the typical songs people look at as ‘Mariah Carey songs.’ Like ‘Close my Eyes,’ which only real fans would know but a lot of [them] relate to. It’s about having a difficult childhood and going through a lot of deep stuff. There’s a song called ‘Outside’ that’s about being biracial. A lot of people relate to it because they felt like outsiders their lives. There are a lot of songs I’ve put on albums as a [personal] release but I know it helps other people. To show that someone else has gone through what they’ve gone through.”
Marriage is one thing Carey doesn’t plan to go through again just yet. When asked about her feelings regarding the hot topic of gay marriage, Carey first responds by stating “I think it’s a huge political thing and I’m notoriously not political. If you asked me about any candidate I’m pretty much clueless. But I feel like everything in life is a personal choice.” Then, after a few minutes, she adds that “when you mention [gay] marriage, marriage in general, after going through the experience I went through I think my whole view on marriage is tainted no matter what kind of marriage we’re talking about. I feel like I went into my situation being married for the wrong reasons. I’ve been traumatized.”
Happily, gays – such as Heatherette designers Richie Rich and Traver Rains - have been and continue to be a positive presence in her life and professional career. “I don’t want to out anybody!” she laughs when asked for additional names of gays who have worked alongside her. “But I would venture to say yes! Definitely!” And Mariah does have quite an exciting series of projects ahead. She’s considering another foray into film acting (her performance in the underrated “Wisegirls,” opposite Mira Sorvino, garnered attention from many movie producers), a possible remix EP, producing a track for 12-year-old vocalist Paul Robbins (they recently appeared on “Oprah”), and “there’s possibly a Broadway Christmas show happening, based around my Christmas songs.” Bling-bling it on, Mariah
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Over It
OK, I'm totally over David Archuleta now that he went singing about Jesus and whatnot tonight (yeah, I know Dolly Parton wrote the song). Sally Kern is probably all like, "Am is Archuleta, am'n am is am!" and dialing his number 500 times after the show.
Kinda over this season now, period. America has booted every contestant that was colorful in any way. This bodes badly for the election in November.
Ryan, tell David all the girls want him or whatever.
L
Kinda over this season now, period. America has booted every contestant that was colorful in any way. This bodes badly for the election in November.
Ryan, tell David all the girls want him or whatever.
L
Stop-Loss
My article on Stop-Loss, directed by the out Kimberly Peirce, is running in regional LGBT publications including Between The Lines... here it is.
L
L
Monday, March 31, 2008
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
Ugh.
Thanks Sally for giving more progressive countries another reason to laugh at us.
L
Saturday, March 29, 2008
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
Friday, March 28, 2008
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
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
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
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
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
Monday, March 24, 2008
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
Sunday, March 23, 2008
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
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Sunday, March 09, 2008
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
Enjoy!
L
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Thursday, March 06, 2008
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
Monday, March 03, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Obama's Open Letter
Wow, I was moved by Obama's open letter to the gay community. Pretty brave, given all the pandering to the right and a fear of saying openly that gays deserve the same rights afforded to hetero individuals and couples. He admits he's gonna have to talk soft on the matter to the right wingers and religious wackadoodles, but... wow, am I feeling some hope?
L
L
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Something Besides Madonna - Jamiroquai
My beloved Macbook was repaired today - it had been away for a week at NYC's Tekserve having its topboard replaced - and while transferring some tracks and CDs to iTunes I listened to a few tracks from Jamiroquai. For a while I was totally obsessed with the dance versions of tracks like "Space Cowboy" and "Alright," and I had the chance to interview him when 2005's Dynamite came out. Not the artist one thinks of as super-gay, but I think he's pretty fantastic and definitely pro-gay. Even with the hats.
So here's that interview, since I'm gonna post more about Madonna if I don't put other stuff up!
L
Tip of the Hat
By Lawrence Ferber
Handclaps, meaty bass, plucky guitar notes, spacey synth, and a smooth disco beat. Listening to this song, “Dynamite,” you’d swear you were in the hottest gay disco in town circa 1975. But you’re actually just listening to the irresistible retro-disco title track of the latest album by Jamiroquai. Fronted by the boyish, giant hat adorned Jason Kay, the super-groovy UK outfit has whipped up flawless funk and dance hits – including “Space Cowboy,” “Alright,” and “Canned Heat” - for over 12 years now. Dynamite (Epic), their sixth studio album, gives the likes of Sylvester and Stevie Wonder a boogie for their money with groovy confections like “Starchild,” “Don’t Give Hate a Chance,” and “Seven Days in Sunny June.” One track, “World That He Wants,” infuses politics and a scathing indictment of Dubya’s warmongering into a ballad (“He’s a menace,” Kay scoffs). And the album’s first single, “Feels Just Like It Should,” entails a dirty little Red Hot Chili Peppers-esque ditty - its video, included on the DualDisc version of Dynamite, features Kay gussied up in surprisingly sultry drag.
Co-produced by Kay and Mike Spencer, Dynamite was recorded in a variety of locations including the UK, Italy, Los Angeles and New York. To discuss Dynamite, politics, and the importance of proper fitting pumps, I spoke with the pro-gay, politically aware Kay by phone.
Have you been a fan of 70’s disco your whole life?
“For the bit I can remember, yes. Because it’s a Studio 54, get down everybody have a better time than you did before vibe. But bear in mind I was only 7 years old when the disco thing was in!”
What clubs did you used to go to as a teen?
“I used to go to [London’s gay club] Heaven quite a bit. When I was about 18, 19, because the music was good. It was banging. And we were all pilled-up. Or tripping. Or pilled-up and tripping. Those were the good days.”
Was that your first exposure to gay people?
“No, not at all. My mom’s a [cabaret] singer and every hairdresser and guy in the biz was gay. Leonard, a hairdresser, was super camp. Which was really great. He used to fluff around [my mom] all day. Funny. But in terms of the gay scene, yeah I suppose it was.”
What about these days? And what are your thoughts on gay unions, which are about to become legal out there in the UK?
“Well, my stylist is gay. My publicity guy is gay. Where does the list end? People should be allowed to do what they want to do, know what I mean? As long as we get along, that’s the thing. But the bottom line is this – you should be very worried over there in the states. That sort of right wing Christian thing and your president doesn’t bode well. That’s something you need to watch out for. [Bush] is ruthless. A big thing’s going on, a lot of hypocrisy in regard to the church and homosexuality.”
What’s the gayest song on Dynamite?
“The gayest sounding song is ‘Love Blind.’ ‘All black leather like a disco bitch/ five feet nine with your ruby lips.’ I mean, you know.”
What did you want to bring to this album that you didn’t on 2001’s A Funk Odyssey?
“I wanted it to be a snappier, dirtier sound. The last album felt like a mish-mash in places. I wanted it to be tighter and better constructed. The grooves work a bit better than they did on the last one. It might be more cohesive.”
You’ve been outspoken on the topic of legalizing cannabis. Where are things legally in the UK?
“It’s been downgraded to a Class C drug, so you can pretty much walk down the street and have a spliff if you want to. It’s not much of a big deal. But it is still technically illegal. I’d like to see legalization but with a reasonable limit on supply and without the government taxing it. The reason it’s a difficult problem is you have the whole issue of people working and driving on marijuana and using machinery, etc. This whole thing where you can give someone a breathalyzer but to give them a ‘have you had a spliff in the last couple of days’ test? It’s a bit difficult isn’t it? It stays in the body so much longer, it’s a difficult thing to monitor. And if they can’t monitor and tax something they won’t let it be legal. That’s why they want to do 24-hour drinking here. A crazy idea. You’ve got half the nation drunk as skunks, including me, and they’re wobbling about listening to Tony Blair on the radio. They want to make it 24-hour a day drinking. Instead of 24-hour puffing. Or of both.”
Have your politics ever gotten you in trouble? The video for “Space Cowboy” was banned in the states because it had images of spinning marijuana leaves.
“Yeah. I don’t really know what all that was about. It’s not like it’s in the face like it is most times these days. It wasn’t particularly controversial.”
Now tell me about how the hat thing began.
“I always wore hats. When I was a kid I was skating and I always had a hat on. They gave me a bit of security, I can hide behind a hat a little bit.”
How many hats have you had made?
“Quite a few. I’d put it at about 100. A lot of them are made by Rod Keenan.”
Have your hats ever caused property damage? Any hat disasters?
“(laughs) No, I haven’t had any hat disasters. The spiky ones tend to poke people’s eyes out if they get too close. But apart from that no, not really.”
Are you married?
“No.”
Do the gay boys have a chance?
“I’d love to say yes but I have to say no. (laughs) The boys have never had their chance. I’m keeping [the women] busy. Think of me as someone separating all the extra luggage for you.”
You do seem to have many gay fans, though.
“Fantastic! I should wear tighter trousers in the future. I shall wear a slightly tighter fit next time I don those hot pants.”
How about a skirt? You’re in drag in the “Dynamite” video. You look great!
“Yeah! Have you seen the ‘making of’? I step out onto Hollywood Boulevard like that and that’s where the trouble really begins! I don’t think my legs look too bad, actually. But I couldn’t believe we had a shoe problem in West Hollywood. We couldn’t find women’s shoes in my size! How the fuck - I’m only 8 1/2! My feet are hurting. Can’t get the fucking things. Nobody could get me the shoes! We’re in West Hollywood – go get them!”
So here's that interview, since I'm gonna post more about Madonna if I don't put other stuff up!
L
Tip of the Hat
By Lawrence Ferber
Handclaps, meaty bass, plucky guitar notes, spacey synth, and a smooth disco beat. Listening to this song, “Dynamite,” you’d swear you were in the hottest gay disco in town circa 1975. But you’re actually just listening to the irresistible retro-disco title track of the latest album by Jamiroquai. Fronted by the boyish, giant hat adorned Jason Kay, the super-groovy UK outfit has whipped up flawless funk and dance hits – including “Space Cowboy,” “Alright,” and “Canned Heat” - for over 12 years now. Dynamite (Epic), their sixth studio album, gives the likes of Sylvester and Stevie Wonder a boogie for their money with groovy confections like “Starchild,” “Don’t Give Hate a Chance,” and “Seven Days in Sunny June.” One track, “World That He Wants,” infuses politics and a scathing indictment of Dubya’s warmongering into a ballad (“He’s a menace,” Kay scoffs). And the album’s first single, “Feels Just Like It Should,” entails a dirty little Red Hot Chili Peppers-esque ditty - its video, included on the DualDisc version of Dynamite, features Kay gussied up in surprisingly sultry drag.
Co-produced by Kay and Mike Spencer, Dynamite was recorded in a variety of locations including the UK, Italy, Los Angeles and New York. To discuss Dynamite, politics, and the importance of proper fitting pumps, I spoke with the pro-gay, politically aware Kay by phone.
Have you been a fan of 70’s disco your whole life?
“For the bit I can remember, yes. Because it’s a Studio 54, get down everybody have a better time than you did before vibe. But bear in mind I was only 7 years old when the disco thing was in!”
What clubs did you used to go to as a teen?
“I used to go to [London’s gay club] Heaven quite a bit. When I was about 18, 19, because the music was good. It was banging. And we were all pilled-up. Or tripping. Or pilled-up and tripping. Those were the good days.”
Was that your first exposure to gay people?
“No, not at all. My mom’s a [cabaret] singer and every hairdresser and guy in the biz was gay. Leonard, a hairdresser, was super camp. Which was really great. He used to fluff around [my mom] all day. Funny. But in terms of the gay scene, yeah I suppose it was.”
What about these days? And what are your thoughts on gay unions, which are about to become legal out there in the UK?
“Well, my stylist is gay. My publicity guy is gay. Where does the list end? People should be allowed to do what they want to do, know what I mean? As long as we get along, that’s the thing. But the bottom line is this – you should be very worried over there in the states. That sort of right wing Christian thing and your president doesn’t bode well. That’s something you need to watch out for. [Bush] is ruthless. A big thing’s going on, a lot of hypocrisy in regard to the church and homosexuality.”
What’s the gayest song on Dynamite?
“The gayest sounding song is ‘Love Blind.’ ‘All black leather like a disco bitch/ five feet nine with your ruby lips.’ I mean, you know.”
What did you want to bring to this album that you didn’t on 2001’s A Funk Odyssey?
“I wanted it to be a snappier, dirtier sound. The last album felt like a mish-mash in places. I wanted it to be tighter and better constructed. The grooves work a bit better than they did on the last one. It might be more cohesive.”
You’ve been outspoken on the topic of legalizing cannabis. Where are things legally in the UK?
“It’s been downgraded to a Class C drug, so you can pretty much walk down the street and have a spliff if you want to. It’s not much of a big deal. But it is still technically illegal. I’d like to see legalization but with a reasonable limit on supply and without the government taxing it. The reason it’s a difficult problem is you have the whole issue of people working and driving on marijuana and using machinery, etc. This whole thing where you can give someone a breathalyzer but to give them a ‘have you had a spliff in the last couple of days’ test? It’s a bit difficult isn’t it? It stays in the body so much longer, it’s a difficult thing to monitor. And if they can’t monitor and tax something they won’t let it be legal. That’s why they want to do 24-hour drinking here. A crazy idea. You’ve got half the nation drunk as skunks, including me, and they’re wobbling about listening to Tony Blair on the radio. They want to make it 24-hour a day drinking. Instead of 24-hour puffing. Or of both.”
Have your politics ever gotten you in trouble? The video for “Space Cowboy” was banned in the states because it had images of spinning marijuana leaves.
“Yeah. I don’t really know what all that was about. It’s not like it’s in the face like it is most times these days. It wasn’t particularly controversial.”
Now tell me about how the hat thing began.
“I always wore hats. When I was a kid I was skating and I always had a hat on. They gave me a bit of security, I can hide behind a hat a little bit.”
How many hats have you had made?
“Quite a few. I’d put it at about 100. A lot of them are made by Rod Keenan.”
Have your hats ever caused property damage? Any hat disasters?
“(laughs) No, I haven’t had any hat disasters. The spiky ones tend to poke people’s eyes out if they get too close. But apart from that no, not really.”
Are you married?
“No.”
Do the gay boys have a chance?
“I’d love to say yes but I have to say no. (laughs) The boys have never had their chance. I’m keeping [the women] busy. Think of me as someone separating all the extra luggage for you.”
You do seem to have many gay fans, though.
“Fantastic! I should wear tighter trousers in the future. I shall wear a slightly tighter fit next time I don those hot pants.”
How about a skirt? You’re in drag in the “Dynamite” video. You look great!
“Yeah! Have you seen the ‘making of’? I step out onto Hollywood Boulevard like that and that’s where the trouble really begins! I don’t think my legs look too bad, actually. But I couldn’t believe we had a shoe problem in West Hollywood. We couldn’t find women’s shoes in my size! How the fuck - I’m only 8 1/2! My feet are hurting. Can’t get the fucking things. Nobody could get me the shoes! We’re in West Hollywood – go get them!”
Monday, February 25, 2008
Congrats Tilda, and a Blowoff
Big congrats to longtime queer muse/ally Tilda Swinton for winning the Oscar last night. The classy lady made an appearance at the Teddy Awards in Berlin, and mixed and mingled and had endless photos taken with her peers and fans alike (the two are usually the same). The above is a snap I shot of Tilda with the Panorama section's perpetually snazzy-dresser, Weiland Speck.
Also big kudos to Scott Rudin for coming out in a pretty big way at the Oscars. And to David Teague, who worked on Short Doc winner Freeheld (which I guarantee will make you cry when you see it).
Meanwhile, went to Blowoff here in NYC on Saturday night where Morel and Bob Mould spun astounding electro-house sets to a mostly bear-y crowd. Morel's got a new CD in the works - I believe we heard a track off it, which was amazing - and is touring with Mould. See 'em, and check out Morel's website for all sorts of updates, tracks, link to his Pink Noise remix page, and his really superb podcasts. I think every single artist should have a "Pink Noise" remix. When I interviewed Zac Hanson last year, I pointed him in Morel's direction since the band was considering some dance remixes... not sure if anything came of that, though. Will have to ask...
L
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
More Madonna
Here is the part of my Madonna interview that didn't get used in the NY Magazine piece (or my The Advocate Berlin Film Fest wrap-up). It's pretty NY-centric....
Me: If you had shot the movie in New York, would this be a Williamsburg story or an East Village story?
Madge: “East Village. Peckham equals East Village, definitely.”
What would you have thrown in there from the East Village?
“Well, Eugene comes from the East Village.”
Would you throw Kiki and Herb in there?
“Yeah, I think so. Yeah. And what’s that very famous deli? The Kiev! That would be where Eugene would hang out all the time.”
And Veselka?
“Yeah, of course.”
Madonna will be in NYC this Spring when the Tribeca Film Festival screens "I Am Because We Are," the documentary about Malawi she produced.
L
Monday, February 18, 2008
Madonna n' Me
I spoke with Madonna for New York Magazine at the Berlin Film Festival. Yes, that's me she's chatting with in the photo. Thanks to Kelly Burkhardt for that shot!
I was one of only two print media to be given access to Madge at her film's premiere.
I've interviewed her before at a roundtable, but this one-on-one on the red carpet was insane.
Even the CNN woman seemed in a Madonnafrenzy, threatening to hurt (or kill) us print guys if she didn't get her soundbite. She was serious!
More on Madonna and the film in my The Advocate coverage of Berlin this week...
L
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
German Pop I Love Pt. 1
In preparation for my trip to Germany, a little taste of German pop I'm into, and have been into.
First up, Samba. You can get some of their albums on iTunes US. Do it!
L
First up, Samba. You can get some of their albums on iTunes US. Do it!
L
Monday, January 28, 2008
My Sundance Blog
My Sundance wrapup will be published over the next week or two in select LGBT papers and magazines. I also did some blogging from the festival for AfterElton.com - so check it out.
L
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Minor Tom
Oh, this is so embarrassing. What a truly stupid performance.
E.T. with flashing eyes? The dramatic looking up thing. Just staring into the camera like that Fancy guy?
His English-language version of the song, "Major Tom (Coming Home)" is better to boot. Nothing against German, mind you.
But this performance? Stupid stupid stupid.
L
E.T. with flashing eyes? The dramatic looking up thing. Just staring into the camera like that Fancy guy?
His English-language version of the song, "Major Tom (Coming Home)" is better to boot. Nothing against German, mind you.
But this performance? Stupid stupid stupid.
L
Keep Tryin'
There are times when I watch videos like these and think, well, why don't I move to Tokyo? Or Hong Kong?
Incidentally, this song and video - by Utada Hikaru - are mentioned in a piece I just wrote for The Advocate about international artists that Kylie fans, hungry for more when X is released stateside, should check out. I'll link it when published....
Meanwhile, enjoy "Keep Tryin'".
L
Friday, January 25, 2008
My Interview With Heath
I was up in Park City, Utah, attending the Sundance Film Festival, when word of Heath Ledger's death spread and the shock over it.
I met Heath during a Brokeback Mountain roundtable interview in NYC. I sat close to him, studying whether his lips were anywhere near as tight as Ennis'. They weren't. Ennis was pretty tightly wound!
I was interviewed by a TIME writer about the impact of Heath's death within the gay community. She asked whether I felt he risked his career by taking the role. I said no. I had forgotten he said as much himself during the interview.
So here's the story...
L
Mountaineers
By Lawrence Ferber
Climbing a mountain can be a daunting, tiring, even dangerous task – but reaching the top can entail a monumental achievement. Such is the case with Brokeback Mountain, a supremely moving, validating, yet heart-wrenching tale of same-sex love in the not-exactly-accepting heart of 20th Century cowboy country. Ranchers Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) meet while working as sheepherders. They end up rassling each other’s hearts in the process, and for almost 20 years – while each is married and living a “straight” life – carry on a clandestine affair. Jack eventually feels they should live together. Ennis, who can’t escape the childhood memory of a brutal homophobic murder, doesn’t. In a society that forbids their love, is this the best they can hope for?
Gay audiences have had high hopes for a film version of Brokeback Mountain, which debuted as a 1997 short story by Annie Proulx in The New Yorker magazine, since Gus Van Sant was attached to the project circa 1998. It’s been an uphill, rocky climb, but director Ang Lee has come through with a triumph indeed. “I think for great romance, you need great obstacles,” says Lee (The Hulk, The Wedding Banquet).
THE START
The story Brokeback Mountain won a Pulitzer Prize - and the attention of veteran Western novelist/screenwriter (and Pulitzer Prize-winner himself for 1986’s Lonesome Dove) Larry McMurty and collaborator Diana Ossana. McMurty admits the story’s gay angle was a shock, mainly because he had never thought to do it himself. “Why didn’t I write this?” he recalls feeling. After all, the Texas-born author had long known gays existed in cowboy country. “I had a cousin who was gay and lived with a schoolteacher in a small town,” he recalls. “Cousin X we’ll call him. Cousin X was a roper, and made his life around rodeos. I remember plainly that when we were about to go to family reunions in the late 1940s, early 50s, my parents would say ‘Be nice to Cousin X’s gentleman friend.’ His friend was a schoolteacher. We thought he was a very nice guy, so we were nice as pie to his gentleman friend.”
McMurty and Ossana optioned the story and by 1998 completed a screenplay. With it, they managed to attach a handful of directors and producers, including Gus Van Sant, Joel Schumacher, and Scott Rudin. But a lack of name actors willing to take on the roles (barring Joaquin Phoenix, who was interested) caused each successive effort to fall through.
The film ended up being greenlit by Focus Features, whose co-founder, James Schamus, had previously been attached to the project years earlier (while he was with indie house Good Machine). “I really do thank god every day I failed so badly to make this movie for years as an independent,” he laughs. Schamus felt the project was perfect for his longtime collaborator, director Ang Lee. “Clearly what made Brokeback right for Ang is it’s all about repression,” Schamus quips. “He could set up a franchise of repression. Like the chair massage places - you just come in and get repressed.”
The Taiwan-born, straight-identified Lee agrees that repression is a theme that runs throughout his work including 1997’s The Ice Storm, 1995’s Sense and Sensibility, and his gay breakout film, 1993’s The Wedding Banquet. “I do what’s truthful to my feelings,” says Lee. “[After The Wedding Banquet] I was confused [whether I was a ‘gay’ filmmaker]. To this day. At the time when I make these movies I think they’re gay movies. They’ve got to feel gay and real to you, especially this one. But I brought some universal feelings, whether gay or straight, about love, romance. I think I brought a lot of universality.”
THE MEN
While “blending the macho western drama and a gay love story,” was a tricky exercise in tone, Lee says that his greatest challenge in making Brokeback Mountain wasn’t subject matter. It was finding actors who could realistically age 20 years over the course of the film. “Each time you see them you have to fill in the [time] gaps by small things,” he says. “The way they carried themselves, their voices and body.”
Both in their 20s, Ledger and Gyllenhaal fit the bill. Lee credits Ledger as truly personifying the wound-up, tight-lipped, rarely talkative Ennis. “I had to go in and discover what was causing this inability to express and love,” Ledger says. “I felt it was some kind of a battle. He was battling himself and his genetic structure. His father and his father’s father’s traditions and fears that had been embedded into him. Once I had that and a few other things I wanted to physicalize it. Any expression had to be painful. I wanted him to have pins in his boots. To be a clenched fist. My mouth became clenched, too.”
Ledger, whose uncle is gay (and “the most masculine person I know!”), claims that there were no detractors when it came to taking the role. “I understand people found it risky,” he acknowledges. “But I hate when they call it daring and brave. Fuck. Firefighters are daring and brave. I’m acting. I’m safe. I’m not wounded by this experience.” That said, the first gay sex scene – a spontaneous, intense burst of animal lust and connection in a tent – was a challenge to prepare for. “The way we looked at it, they’re not actually love scenes for the sake of doing love scenes,” Ledger affirms. “They’re actually stories within those moments. The first moment for Ennis was very poignant because he had to be rough and fighting it, almost ready to punch [Jack]. Once that all settled it had to be this passionate adrenaline that took over him. And then another moment it was important to show a glimpse of Ennis in a vulnerable state. It is true intimate love they have for each other, because it has to set up the tragedy of the story and [their attachment to] Brokeback Mountain.”
THE WOMEN
There’s another half to the story of Brokeback Mountain: its women. “You couldn’t show the tragedy of Jack and Ennis without showing the disappointment and discouragement this was for [their wives],” remarks McMurty. Adds Ossana, “The story and film have so many themes, one of them being what happens when people feel forced to deny who they are and the ripple effect of that. It affects everyone in their lives.”
Michelle Williams plays Alma, Ennis’ long-suffering wife and mother of their two daughters. Early on, Alma learns of her husband’s affair – she catches Ennis and Jack kissing - but she chooses to keep quiet and carry on with their loveless marriage. “For so many reasons she stays with him,” Williams explains. “She’s attached to this idea of a husband and family and something that lasts. Everything that came before her was lasting. Whether or not it was good you stuck it out. People weren’t getting divorced willy-nilly back then. Where would she go, what would she do, what if people found out, how would her girls’ lives be affected? My mind begins to pinball when I think of all the reasons Alma stayed with Ennis as long as she could.”
Jack, meanwhile, marries the spunky Lureen, played by Anne Hathaway. Lureen is a pretty sassy, sharp character, and one wonders whether she had an inkling from the get-go that Jack is gay. “That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” grins Hathaway. “Everybody wants to know the answer to that and I’ve made a choice not to say.” Perhaps drawing a little from real life, Hathaway reveals that she was once involved with someone she suspects was gay (“I don’t think he knows so I hope he figures it out.”).
The wives’ sham marriages cause profound changes in them. Alma manifests hers as an internalized knot of sorrow and loneliness. Lureen externalizes her situation through bigger and more garish hair and makeup, like a distracting disguise for her hollowness. Asked whether she blames Jack and Ennis or society for the women’s suffering, Hathaway says she feels “a lot more resentment about the society because I understand the situation Jack and Ennis were in. But of course, after playing the cuckolded wife, you would hope there’d be some honesty in the relationship. But that wasn’t the relationship Jack and Lureen had. And so we wanted to make her almost unrecognizable from the person you meet at the beginning, to say that when you have your soul drained from you year after year what does that do.”
TODAY AND TOMORROW
While Brokeback Mountain is set in the past, the filmmakers admit the story and its characters situations are very much relevant today. Ossana brings up a gay 45-year-old friend who lives an extremely closeted existence in Omaha, Nebraska. And Hathaway relays a recent conversation with someone who “spoke with a friend from Wyoming who said ‘I never met a gay cowboy.’ My reaction was ‘I bet you have!’”
Hopefully Brokeback Mountain will change the world and make things easier for those real-life Jacks and Ennises out there. But at the least, Brokeback Mountain could radically change future AMC Romance Classic Marathon line-ups by being the first gay title included. “Not that we were out to change the world, but for our movie we at least wanted that measure of respect,” admits Schamus. “We wanted to be judged a la Doctor Zhivago, The Bridges of Madison County, Casablanca. We want this to be one of the great screen romances.”
I met Heath during a Brokeback Mountain roundtable interview in NYC. I sat close to him, studying whether his lips were anywhere near as tight as Ennis'. They weren't. Ennis was pretty tightly wound!
I was interviewed by a TIME writer about the impact of Heath's death within the gay community. She asked whether I felt he risked his career by taking the role. I said no. I had forgotten he said as much himself during the interview.
So here's the story...
L
Mountaineers
By Lawrence Ferber
Climbing a mountain can be a daunting, tiring, even dangerous task – but reaching the top can entail a monumental achievement. Such is the case with Brokeback Mountain, a supremely moving, validating, yet heart-wrenching tale of same-sex love in the not-exactly-accepting heart of 20th Century cowboy country. Ranchers Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) meet while working as sheepherders. They end up rassling each other’s hearts in the process, and for almost 20 years – while each is married and living a “straight” life – carry on a clandestine affair. Jack eventually feels they should live together. Ennis, who can’t escape the childhood memory of a brutal homophobic murder, doesn’t. In a society that forbids their love, is this the best they can hope for?
Gay audiences have had high hopes for a film version of Brokeback Mountain, which debuted as a 1997 short story by Annie Proulx in The New Yorker magazine, since Gus Van Sant was attached to the project circa 1998. It’s been an uphill, rocky climb, but director Ang Lee has come through with a triumph indeed. “I think for great romance, you need great obstacles,” says Lee (The Hulk, The Wedding Banquet).
THE START
The story Brokeback Mountain won a Pulitzer Prize - and the attention of veteran Western novelist/screenwriter (and Pulitzer Prize-winner himself for 1986’s Lonesome Dove) Larry McMurty and collaborator Diana Ossana. McMurty admits the story’s gay angle was a shock, mainly because he had never thought to do it himself. “Why didn’t I write this?” he recalls feeling. After all, the Texas-born author had long known gays existed in cowboy country. “I had a cousin who was gay and lived with a schoolteacher in a small town,” he recalls. “Cousin X we’ll call him. Cousin X was a roper, and made his life around rodeos. I remember plainly that when we were about to go to family reunions in the late 1940s, early 50s, my parents would say ‘Be nice to Cousin X’s gentleman friend.’ His friend was a schoolteacher. We thought he was a very nice guy, so we were nice as pie to his gentleman friend.”
McMurty and Ossana optioned the story and by 1998 completed a screenplay. With it, they managed to attach a handful of directors and producers, including Gus Van Sant, Joel Schumacher, and Scott Rudin. But a lack of name actors willing to take on the roles (barring Joaquin Phoenix, who was interested) caused each successive effort to fall through.
The film ended up being greenlit by Focus Features, whose co-founder, James Schamus, had previously been attached to the project years earlier (while he was with indie house Good Machine). “I really do thank god every day I failed so badly to make this movie for years as an independent,” he laughs. Schamus felt the project was perfect for his longtime collaborator, director Ang Lee. “Clearly what made Brokeback right for Ang is it’s all about repression,” Schamus quips. “He could set up a franchise of repression. Like the chair massage places - you just come in and get repressed.”
The Taiwan-born, straight-identified Lee agrees that repression is a theme that runs throughout his work including 1997’s The Ice Storm, 1995’s Sense and Sensibility, and his gay breakout film, 1993’s The Wedding Banquet. “I do what’s truthful to my feelings,” says Lee. “[After The Wedding Banquet] I was confused [whether I was a ‘gay’ filmmaker]. To this day. At the time when I make these movies I think they’re gay movies. They’ve got to feel gay and real to you, especially this one. But I brought some universal feelings, whether gay or straight, about love, romance. I think I brought a lot of universality.”
THE MEN
While “blending the macho western drama and a gay love story,” was a tricky exercise in tone, Lee says that his greatest challenge in making Brokeback Mountain wasn’t subject matter. It was finding actors who could realistically age 20 years over the course of the film. “Each time you see them you have to fill in the [time] gaps by small things,” he says. “The way they carried themselves, their voices and body.”
Both in their 20s, Ledger and Gyllenhaal fit the bill. Lee credits Ledger as truly personifying the wound-up, tight-lipped, rarely talkative Ennis. “I had to go in and discover what was causing this inability to express and love,” Ledger says. “I felt it was some kind of a battle. He was battling himself and his genetic structure. His father and his father’s father’s traditions and fears that had been embedded into him. Once I had that and a few other things I wanted to physicalize it. Any expression had to be painful. I wanted him to have pins in his boots. To be a clenched fist. My mouth became clenched, too.”
Ledger, whose uncle is gay (and “the most masculine person I know!”), claims that there were no detractors when it came to taking the role. “I understand people found it risky,” he acknowledges. “But I hate when they call it daring and brave. Fuck. Firefighters are daring and brave. I’m acting. I’m safe. I’m not wounded by this experience.” That said, the first gay sex scene – a spontaneous, intense burst of animal lust and connection in a tent – was a challenge to prepare for. “The way we looked at it, they’re not actually love scenes for the sake of doing love scenes,” Ledger affirms. “They’re actually stories within those moments. The first moment for Ennis was very poignant because he had to be rough and fighting it, almost ready to punch [Jack]. Once that all settled it had to be this passionate adrenaline that took over him. And then another moment it was important to show a glimpse of Ennis in a vulnerable state. It is true intimate love they have for each other, because it has to set up the tragedy of the story and [their attachment to] Brokeback Mountain.”
THE WOMEN
There’s another half to the story of Brokeback Mountain: its women. “You couldn’t show the tragedy of Jack and Ennis without showing the disappointment and discouragement this was for [their wives],” remarks McMurty. Adds Ossana, “The story and film have so many themes, one of them being what happens when people feel forced to deny who they are and the ripple effect of that. It affects everyone in their lives.”
Michelle Williams plays Alma, Ennis’ long-suffering wife and mother of their two daughters. Early on, Alma learns of her husband’s affair – she catches Ennis and Jack kissing - but she chooses to keep quiet and carry on with their loveless marriage. “For so many reasons she stays with him,” Williams explains. “She’s attached to this idea of a husband and family and something that lasts. Everything that came before her was lasting. Whether or not it was good you stuck it out. People weren’t getting divorced willy-nilly back then. Where would she go, what would she do, what if people found out, how would her girls’ lives be affected? My mind begins to pinball when I think of all the reasons Alma stayed with Ennis as long as she could.”
Jack, meanwhile, marries the spunky Lureen, played by Anne Hathaway. Lureen is a pretty sassy, sharp character, and one wonders whether she had an inkling from the get-go that Jack is gay. “That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” grins Hathaway. “Everybody wants to know the answer to that and I’ve made a choice not to say.” Perhaps drawing a little from real life, Hathaway reveals that she was once involved with someone she suspects was gay (“I don’t think he knows so I hope he figures it out.”).
The wives’ sham marriages cause profound changes in them. Alma manifests hers as an internalized knot of sorrow and loneliness. Lureen externalizes her situation through bigger and more garish hair and makeup, like a distracting disguise for her hollowness. Asked whether she blames Jack and Ennis or society for the women’s suffering, Hathaway says she feels “a lot more resentment about the society because I understand the situation Jack and Ennis were in. But of course, after playing the cuckolded wife, you would hope there’d be some honesty in the relationship. But that wasn’t the relationship Jack and Lureen had. And so we wanted to make her almost unrecognizable from the person you meet at the beginning, to say that when you have your soul drained from you year after year what does that do.”
TODAY AND TOMORROW
While Brokeback Mountain is set in the past, the filmmakers admit the story and its characters situations are very much relevant today. Ossana brings up a gay 45-year-old friend who lives an extremely closeted existence in Omaha, Nebraska. And Hathaway relays a recent conversation with someone who “spoke with a friend from Wyoming who said ‘I never met a gay cowboy.’ My reaction was ‘I bet you have!’”
Hopefully Brokeback Mountain will change the world and make things easier for those real-life Jacks and Ennises out there. But at the least, Brokeback Mountain could radically change future AMC Romance Classic Marathon line-ups by being the first gay title included. “Not that we were out to change the world, but for our movie we at least wanted that measure of respect,” admits Schamus. “We wanted to be judged a la Doctor Zhivago, The Bridges of Madison County, Casablanca. We want this to be one of the great screen romances.”
Friday, January 11, 2008
A - I Mean, Three - Dramatic Turn!
I love 80s pop band Fiat Lux. I own their vinyl.
I also have this video, which I used to bring out at parties for a laugh.
Watch the first few minutes and decide: whose dramatic turn is most retarded?
Who will win!
Vote, please!
Oh - and the video, which is split into concert bits and staged dramatic videos, gets even more silly. Check out the modern dance segment! Which ain't modern no more! Or, truthfully, ever was!
L
I also have this video, which I used to bring out at parties for a laugh.
Watch the first few minutes and decide: whose dramatic turn is most retarded?
Who will win!
Vote, please!
Oh - and the video, which is split into concert bits and staged dramatic videos, gets even more silly. Check out the modern dance segment! Which ain't modern no more! Or, truthfully, ever was!
L
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Fancy Free
It's time to get a little Fancy on ya... as in German Europop singer Fancy and his hit "Flames of Love."
Wow. Don't you wish you could go to East Berlin (or former East Berlin) and pogo to this?
You have to watch the video to near the end where he really gets his, er, groove on or whatever that is he's gettin' on. That's an order!
Next up: Schlager!
Be so afraid!
L
PS - How Gary Numan meets Klaus Nomi minus edge is that cover?
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Happy New Year!
Hey there little 2008! Let's ring in the new year with "White Noise" (mp3), a pretty little ditty from Finland's Sister Flo, the country's Belle & Sebastien. Enjoy!
A happy n' healthy one to everybody!
L
Friday, December 21, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
Los Pet Shop Boys?
OBK is Spain's Pet Shop Boys.
Watch this.
Am I right? How right am I? On a scale of 1-10?
Fun fact: a bunch of their videos were directed by J.A. Bayona, of the amazing new drama-ghost movie, The Orphanage.
L
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Lame Video, Great Song
"I Believe" by Salyu - the vocalist for the ethereal fictitious Lily Chou-Chou - is sooo lovely.
Video soooo lame.
Song, sooo lovely. Go to your local Japanese bookstore and buy it. Or from Yesasia or somethin'.
L
Video soooo lame.
Song, sooo lovely. Go to your local Japanese bookstore and buy it. Or from Yesasia or somethin'.
L
Friday, November 30, 2007
New Low
American Idol's Kellie Pickler, a role model to some, or at least source of entertainment, has illuminated just how stupid and ignorant Americans can be about the rest of the world. I'm seriously worried about the next election.
I'm genuinely depressed.
L
PS - That's the Hungarian flag above. Click the link to understand.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Comics You Should Read
Time for a plug: Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine. Adrian is the twisted mind behind the Optic Nerve series - which frequently feature stories about folks with unhealthy relationships or obsessions - and the last several issues comprise the recently released graphic novel, Shortcomings.
It's friggin' awesome.
And it's released by Montreal-based Drawn & Quarterly, which I am hoping to visit during this week's trip up to Montreal, where I'm serving as judge on the Image+Nation film festival's jury...
Those of you in Quebec, check out the fest! They have some mighty fine stuff showing this year.
L
Friday, November 16, 2007
Salyu
This Japanese singer provided the vocals for the amazing music from All About Lily Chou-Chou. She has two solo CDs out. And here is a totally crazy-assed, trippy video for one of her songs.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Back on the Bus
I really liked Shortbus. My DVD has gone missing from its case, so may have to get another copy.
Meanwhile, took a look back at my feature article on the film and its making, and decided to post it here - since you should see the movie too, if you haven't yet. This is the never before published full version...
L
Get on the Bus
By Lawrence Ferber
Movie directors have gone to extraordinary, unexpected lengths to gain their cast and crew’s trust, or coax performances. Add actor/writer/director John Cameron Mitchell to that ever-growing list of auteurs. While shooting Shortbus, his dramedy about a group of New Yorkers who intersect at a progressive underground salon/sex party – which features explicit, very real sex - one of the lead actors felt that Mitchell should show solidarity by going to the same lengths he expected his cast to.
“She was like, ‘If we have to have sex, you should do something,’” he recalls. “I said, ‘alright, I’ll do something I haven’t done - I’ll eat pussy.’ So I eat pussy for the first time in one shot. I didn’t get turned on, but I realized that from that angle I could see the actors and could continue to direct them from down there, so that was fun.”
The long-awaited follow-up to 2001’s Hedwig and The Angry Inch, and Mitchell’s second feature as director, Shortbus begins as a gay couple, depressed former hustler James (Paul Dawson) and extroverted former child actor Jamie (PJ DeBoy), seek relationship help from a couples counselor/sex therapist, Sofia (Sook-Yin Lee). But Sofia is dealing with her own relationship problem – she’s never had an orgasm with her husband, Rob (Raphael Barker). So her new clients take her to Shortbus, a modern-day underground salon where art, discussion, music, and sex intermingle. At Shortbus, Sofia meets Severin (Lindsay Beamish), an emotionally jaded dominatrix who may hold the key to her G-spot. Meanwhile, James and Jamie welcome a third lover, youthful Ceth (Jay Brannan), into their relationship, much to the chagrin of an across-the-street stalker, Caleb (Peter Stickles), who obsessively spies on them. Can this diverse group of individuals reconcile their love and sex lives… or must they ultimately exist apart?
Sprinkled amongst the cast are some of NYC’s best loved queer and underground performers, including Justin Bond (of Kiki & Herb), drag king Murray Hill, film guru Stephen Kent Jusick (whose real-life event, dubbed “Cinesalon,” served as an inspiration), and musician Scott Matthew. Gorgeous animation sequences by John Bair – an amalgamation of CGI and miniatures depicting the city and its outer boroughs – bridge the film together, which is ultimately a celebration of and valentine to the city and its omnisexual denizens. It’s a place, scene, and population where Mitchell himself came of age, explored his sexuality, and developed as an artist and person.
“In the film, a character talks about New York being the place everyone comes to get fucked, metaphorically or literally,” Mitchell says. “To bend over and see what life has got to give you. It’s the where I came of age, where I first was sexually active. Literally fucked. But it was also a place where I had to prove myself. It’s a brusque, direct city. And that was new to me because I came from a very conservative, uncommunicative environment. Very Catholic, military. There was directness but not a lot of honesty and the city requires honesty to get by. New York is Walt Whitman – I sing the body electric, fuck the world, fuck me. It taught me a directness I didn’t have.”
After starring in, writing, and directing Hedwig, which garnered international acclaim and prestigious film festival awards (at Sundance, the Berlin Film Festival, and numerous others), Mitchell decided that he would exist exclusively behind the camera when it came to his next project (barring unforeseen cameos!). He also decided to incorporate explicit sexuality, which he saw emerging in serious arthouse fare like Patrice Chéreau’s Intimacy and Catherine Breillat’s Romance, but with a humor those titles lacked (“We tried to integrate the sex into the characters’ lives the way it is in life,” he adds). The story and characters would be developed through improvisational workshops, a la the films of Mike Leigh, and the actors playing couples and sexual partners would need to have genuine sexual chemistry together. Mitchell dubbed this ambitious undertaking the “Sex Film Project” and, in early 2003, he, producer Howard Gertler, and casting director Susan Shopmaker held an “open call” via the internet and trade ads, soliciting audition videos from thespians and would-be thespians willing to have real sex onscreen.
Nearly 500 tapes arrived.
Mitchell says that few full-time or professional actors submitted tapes – most maintained other artistic endeavors or careers. “Sook-Yin is a journalist and musician and filmmaker,” he notes. “PJ is a musician. Paul is a writer.” Yet there was one well-known exception: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who since has starred in Mysterious Skin). “It makes sense that the best known actor who auditioned was a former child star,” Mitchell observes, “because they’re the ones caught in a very mainstream box and they’re desperate to break out. Joseph was fantastic. He had a very provocative videotape. I was seriously considering him but there was no perfect consort and I wanted [believable] couples and it didn’t work out with some of the other actors for compatibility. But I think he enjoyed pushing the envelope and I really admire him.”
Aside from chemistry, Mitchell says practical concerns included STDs (everyone who made it to the workshop stage was extensively tested, while background actors who had sex – dubbed “Sextras” – were all preexisting sexual partners) and representing a wide variety of different body types (on the de facto lack of small penises onscreen: “You know, there are a couple of average penises but you have to look. I didn’t really check size when I cast, it kind of turned out that way. And of course the screen does add ten pounds.”).
Once filming began, Mitchell admits a few unforeseen sex-related complications arose, resulting in the occasional comedy of errors. “Some people tried Viagra and took it too early,” he recalls, “so they were on Viagra during some dialogue scene and had to take it again. Some people came by accident, or the camera missed them cumming and we had to do it again.”
Other times, the sex was as good at it gets for both the filmmaker and the actors. “The female orgasms, I think we counted 7 orgasms, real orgasms, onscreen,” he adds. “Only one is simulated. I’m not telling which one.”
During the extensive improvisational workshops, Mitchell encouraged his omnisexual cast (none of whom, refreshingly, are sheepish about their real-life queerness) to incorporate elements of their own lives into the story and characters. Yet DeBoy and Dawson, close friends who became a bona fide couple over the course of the film’s making, stress that it was equally important to not simply play themselves.
“The reason John wanted us to dig around in our own sexual and emotional baggage was to get the authenticity of the character you see,” says Dawson. “He wanted us to be playing things that were important to us and that we were especially equipped to play. But also he was clear from the beginning this wasn’t a reality entertainment project and in order to do this process we were going to have to distinguish ourselves.”
“It was very important to have the characters not be us at all,” DeBoy adds. “That’s why it was such a great experience creatively.”
Dawson and DeBoy shared some pretty intimate experiences with co-star Jay Brannan – famously, a riotous three-way scene during which they sing “The Star Spangled Banner.”
Singer/songwriter Brannan moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting but became disenchanted and quit. Then a friend spotted a Sex Film Project ad in a trade magazine and thought Brannan, by that point working as a receptionist, might be interested. Brannan was intrigued, albeit intimidated by the real sex aspect. “I thought I’ll send in the audition tape and take it one step at a time,” he recalls. “I believed in what John was trying to do and if it is something I believe in why not. He’s so good at creating an environment that’s safe and comfortable and it’s very validating. For me it was as big or bigger of a challenge and fear to do the acting stuff as sex stuff. Because I’m self-conscious and insecure I’m not that comfortable in front of the camera. But doing this project helped me work through some of that.”
Like Brannan, the Los Angeles-based Beamish (one of the few cast members who identifies as heterosexual – although she’s open to same-sex possibilities) had also grown frustrated with acting in Hollywood. Yet when referred to Mitchell by her friend Miranda July, Beamish flew to New York and joined the in-progress improvisational sessions (she was replacing an actress that dropped out). “I loved and trusted John right away and wanted to help him make his vision come true,” Beamish says. “And it was very affirming to me as an actress. It’s hard, as Jay was saying, to live in LA and audition for shitty TV commercials. But it was definitely like I finally felt like I got to accomplish what I always thought I could do and was given the opportunity to realize my potential.”
Beamish also had an opportunity to do a little bit of method research for her role, learning the ins and outs of the dominatrix arts. “As soon as I learned all the whip techniques I had a huge desire to beat up every man I saw,” she laughs. “It unleashed some latent thing in me!”
All of the actors praise Mitchell and the creative atmosphere that allowed them to journey down sometimes outrageous, provocative directions and come up with some very funny riffs on pop and political culture. But not all of those elements and scenes made it to the final cut. One cut sequence saw Ceth masturbating while cruising online porn ads, text messaging, and instant messaging at the same time when, just as he ejaculates, his mother calls. “It’s a bit of a satire on this multitasking thing that overwhelms us and we end up not being able to communicate at all,” says Mitchell. And a subplot in which the character of Caleb was working as the Bush twins’ personal assistant, constantly communicating with President Bush via a wireless headset (which he’s still seen wearing in the final cut), was excised. “We found that it called too much attention to this character,” Mitchell explains. “It was an editing decision but it’ll all be in the DVD.”
If Mitchell has his way, by the time the DVD hits shelves we will see a revival of salon culture and social-artistic-sexual gatherings in real life, which he feels could inject a little much-needed liberation, connection, and free-thinking and willingness to explore ideas in today’s queer community. “Personally I like a multi-sexual setting,” he says. “I think too many gay men in a room is bad news. People start thinking with their dicks and don’t end up hanging out and relaxing. Same with too many women. But I’m a little disappointed in today’s gay culture. At how conformist it has become. We listen to the same music, have the same clothes, the same bodies, the same bullshit. I was saved by being gay. If I hadn’t been gay I would have accepted all kinds of things I was told. Being gay showed me the world. It opened me up to art, politics, to question religion. Now it just seems to be an entrée to a certain marketing niche, letting people tell you what you’re supposed to like. There’s a lot of diversity and why not use the fact you’re a freak to create.”
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Hey You Little Gay Boy
If you haven't yet seen the Sigur Ros video for "Vidrar Vel Til Loftarasa," click here and spend seven minutes watching the screen. You'll probably feel a tear or two welling up in your eyes.
Of course it takes an Icelandic band to create something like this.
Sigur Ros' lead singer, Jonsi, is gay. Plenty of free mp3s and stuff on their website, and a new album is out.
L
Of course it takes an Icelandic band to create something like this.
Sigur Ros' lead singer, Jonsi, is gay. Plenty of free mp3s and stuff on their website, and a new album is out.
L
Neil Gaiman on Gay Men (and Women)
I interviewed comics writer God Neil Gaiman about his film Mirrormask for the gay press a year or two ago. Funny enough, I'm not a huge fan of his writing - I'm more in the Alan Moore/Warren Ellis corner. And Garth Ennis. Dirty dark senses of humor and political edge.
In any case, Gaiman is involved with the upcoming Beowulf film, so out comes my draft of the Gaiman piece... with a bonus cut quote.
L
Dreamweaver
By Lawrence Ferber
In the fantastical new film, MirrorMask, a teenaged girl embarks on a Wizard of Oz/Labyrinth-esque quest in a CGI-generated world of bird-monkeys, human-faced sphinxes, and a witchy diva. But the show stops for a very odd musical number, a version of The Carpenters’ “Close to You” performed by a roomful of creepy, giant music box robot dolls. It’s the most striking, memorable performance of a Carpenters’ tune by dolls since Todd Haynes’ cult classic Superstar. And it’s but one nugget of strange springing from the mind of comics/fantasy literature god Neil Gaiman, who created MirrorMask with longtime collaborator/artist David McKean.
The UK-born Gaiman has folded all sorts of queerness into his work, notably the groundbreaking 1990s The Sandman comic series, which revolved around a skinny, Robert Smith-haired Goth, Morpheus, Master of Dreams. The Sandman’s spin-offs include the 1996 GLAAD Best Comic award-winning “Death: The Time of Your Life,” and the recent Manga (Japanese comics) style “The Dead Boy Detectives,” starring a pair of ghostly preteen sleuths who don drag while investigating a girls’ school.
“For more or less as long as I can remember I’ve had a huge gay, lesbian, and comparatively huge given the small number of them, transgender fans,” Gaiman notes. “These were all my friends and people I knew and didn’t see any reflection of them in the comics I was reading, so I put them into MY comics.” Other highlights include “Murder Mysteries,” a grim tale of sexy gay angels illustrated by out artist P. Craig Russell, Marvel’s 1602, and the short story “Changes,” which was about “the side effects of an anticancer drug that switches your gender and what it would mean when people start taking it recreationally.”
Gaiman, who counts homo horrormeister Clive Barker and Tori Amos amongst his friends, admits some readers have been puzzled by these queer inclusions. “This morning I got an e-mail from somebody who was puzzled by the scene of gay sex in [my novel] American Gods,” he says. “A gay Arab trinket seller and a genie who drives a cab in New York get together. And I thought it was just fascinating getting this letter saying ‘please explain this, why were they gay and have sex?’ Because they were gay and had sex!”
Some of Gaiman’s creations have even had gay sex without his involvement - in “slash” fiction, a genre of fan-scribed stories that sexually pair up real and fictitious characters. “People have sent me links to slash with ME in it,” he admits, amused. “The cutest one was me and Morpheus. Kind of sweet. But there was a me, Trent Reznor and Tori Amos threesome! Slash fiction fascinates me. I remember paging through, with my jaw open, Knight Rider slash. It was David Hasselhoff and the car, and it was all ‘impale yourself in my throbbing gearstick.’ And he did. Repeatedly.”
Cut quote: “The great thing about being a Carpenters fan is it goes beyond being cool or uncool,” Gaiman admits. MirrorMask was directed by longtime collaborator/artist David McKean. “There have been times in my life when it was incredibly uncool to be a Carpenter’s fan, times when it was cool, and then times when it was only cool to be a postmodern Carpenter’s fan so you could have the ‘I Wish I was a Carpenter’ album.”
In any case, Gaiman is involved with the upcoming Beowulf film, so out comes my draft of the Gaiman piece... with a bonus cut quote.
L
Dreamweaver
By Lawrence Ferber
In the fantastical new film, MirrorMask, a teenaged girl embarks on a Wizard of Oz/Labyrinth-esque quest in a CGI-generated world of bird-monkeys, human-faced sphinxes, and a witchy diva. But the show stops for a very odd musical number, a version of The Carpenters’ “Close to You” performed by a roomful of creepy, giant music box robot dolls. It’s the most striking, memorable performance of a Carpenters’ tune by dolls since Todd Haynes’ cult classic Superstar. And it’s but one nugget of strange springing from the mind of comics/fantasy literature god Neil Gaiman, who created MirrorMask with longtime collaborator/artist David McKean.
The UK-born Gaiman has folded all sorts of queerness into his work, notably the groundbreaking 1990s The Sandman comic series, which revolved around a skinny, Robert Smith-haired Goth, Morpheus, Master of Dreams. The Sandman’s spin-offs include the 1996 GLAAD Best Comic award-winning “Death: The Time of Your Life,” and the recent Manga (Japanese comics) style “The Dead Boy Detectives,” starring a pair of ghostly preteen sleuths who don drag while investigating a girls’ school.
“For more or less as long as I can remember I’ve had a huge gay, lesbian, and comparatively huge given the small number of them, transgender fans,” Gaiman notes. “These were all my friends and people I knew and didn’t see any reflection of them in the comics I was reading, so I put them into MY comics.” Other highlights include “Murder Mysteries,” a grim tale of sexy gay angels illustrated by out artist P. Craig Russell, Marvel’s 1602, and the short story “Changes,” which was about “the side effects of an anticancer drug that switches your gender and what it would mean when people start taking it recreationally.”
Gaiman, who counts homo horrormeister Clive Barker and Tori Amos amongst his friends, admits some readers have been puzzled by these queer inclusions. “This morning I got an e-mail from somebody who was puzzled by the scene of gay sex in [my novel] American Gods,” he says. “A gay Arab trinket seller and a genie who drives a cab in New York get together. And I thought it was just fascinating getting this letter saying ‘please explain this, why were they gay and have sex?’ Because they were gay and had sex!”
Some of Gaiman’s creations have even had gay sex without his involvement - in “slash” fiction, a genre of fan-scribed stories that sexually pair up real and fictitious characters. “People have sent me links to slash with ME in it,” he admits, amused. “The cutest one was me and Morpheus. Kind of sweet. But there was a me, Trent Reznor and Tori Amos threesome! Slash fiction fascinates me. I remember paging through, with my jaw open, Knight Rider slash. It was David Hasselhoff and the car, and it was all ‘impale yourself in my throbbing gearstick.’ And he did. Repeatedly.”
Cut quote: “The great thing about being a Carpenters fan is it goes beyond being cool or uncool,” Gaiman admits. MirrorMask was directed by longtime collaborator/artist David McKean. “There have been times in my life when it was incredibly uncool to be a Carpenter’s fan, times when it was cool, and then times when it was only cool to be a postmodern Carpenter’s fan so you could have the ‘I Wish I was a Carpenter’ album.”
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Tori Two
I interviewed Tori Amos for the second time in 2002. My first time, for LA Weekly, was a sort of definitive Tori 101 and look at why the fans go ga-ga for her. This was pretty much focused on her album Scarlet's Walk, and for the gay press.
It runs longer than the version published back in the day. Um... it was never spell-checked, either, so a few spelling and grammatical errs.
Enjoy, Tori fans!
L
Scarlet Fever
by Lawrence Ferber
Perhaps taking a cue from Jack Keroauc, fire-haired myth-loving songstress Tori Amos hit the road for her latest album, Scarlet’s Walk (Epic). Through the experiences of an everywoman alter ego, Scarlet, Amos touched upon every state in the nation, connecting with people and the land itself. Boasting Cherokee blood (from mom’s side), Amos’ journey is both spiritual and physical, and Scarlett takes part in soul-searching episodes with young porn stars (“Amber Waves”), manic depressives (“Carbon”), a September 11th-inspired plane crash (“I Can’t See New York”), and a gay friend who dies (“Taxi Ride”). The latter song touches upon the loss of Amos’ real-life gay friend, acclaimed author/makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin (he died in May of 2002).
It’s a dense album - 18 songs - and possibly her best, a melodic and passionate kiss to the USA. Coming off a root canal (“ice cream sundae and Percocet,” she recommends as post-op treatment), Amos made a speaking appearance at New York’s annual CMJ Music Fest on November 1st. Later that day, I spoke with Amos via telephone about Scarlet, Aucoin, and how queerness fits into her -and everyone’s - USA. Incidentally, more songs from Scarlet’s extensive travels can be found on the website, Scarlet’s Web, which you can access with a “key” found on the CD.
I love your new album, Tori.
“Thank you honey.”
And so big, so many songs.
“Yeah - it’s a big country.... and there are more songs [that aren’t on the album]. On Scarlet’s Web now, ‘Tom Bigby’ is up, which is itombi, which means ‘he who prepared the bones for burial.’ So that’s a chocktaw word and that takes place in Mississippi, Alabama terrirtoy. Then we’ve got ‘Seaside,’ that happens over on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. But there are different roads off the path and that will be on Scarlet’s Web. ‘Operation Peter Pan’ made it on the European B-side, that occurs in Miami. Between 1960 and 1962, I think it was, a lot of children were sent from Cuba in this whatever you call it, Operation Peter Pan, experiment. And a lot of people were separated from their families, a lot of children. That’s explored in that song.”
I notice that Scarlet doesn’t go to Puerto Rico, a commonwealth.
“I don’t go to any commonwealths.”
Puerto Ricans are going to hate you for that.
“I love them. It’s in my curl, sweetie. It’s in my curl and in my heel. Always.”
This is the first album of yours, that I’ve been aware, in which you openly address gay people and gay matters.
“I don’t know - I think over the years there have been references to all kinds of sexuality, but on this record there are characters that Scarlet runs into. Her friend, Taxi, is gay and he dies. I think a core theme running through, though, is the outer betrayal versus the inner betrayal. The polarity of that, so in ‘I Can’t See New York’ [in which Scarlet witnesses a plane crash in midair] we see the culmination of outer betrayal that may have stemmed from some kind of inner betrayal. But then in ‘Taxi Ride’ the inner betrayal is taken to friendship where, at his death, Scarlet’s having to look at everybody that’s there and question were we really a good friend to him when he was in need?”
Do you feel you were a good friend to Kevyn when he was in need?
“I question myself every day.”
Kevyn’s friends, by virtue of who they are, pretty much have to be self involved - they’re artists and in the entertainment industry. And I think that in a way it’s almost harder to maintain that kind of I’m-there-for-you friendship, don’t you think?
“Yes. I think that is true. And I think that’s a fair point. I also think, however, that what’s being addressed in the song is that only you can look at your relationship with a friend and know if you could show up. Not when you needed them, but when they needed you. The thing about Kevyn is he always showed up when you needed him. But sometimes I think the question with us as ‘celebrity’ friends, the beauty icon, if he could make you beautiful, great. But if he couldn’t were you really there for him? And that is the question that Scarlet and I are asking ourselves. Talking to you on a personal level, Kevyn is the inspiration, but this is the story of someone Scarlet meets. There’s more than one gay friend that has died that brings up things in people. Death always brings up questions. This is the result. Loss that she has after the public loss everybody went through [during September 11th] in ‘I Can’t See New York.’”
Is there something more you’d like to say about ‘I Can’t See New York?’ Have you already talked that one out?
“No. I think really that’s about is the question of what is permanent. Scarlet’s only a thread. She can be any woman, she bleeds. The men in this record are terra firma, they’re very flesh and blood, they’re real. But the women that are Scarlet, meaning any woman who isn’t, Amber, Carbon, those creatures, that can be America personified and real women. She is shape shifting through these others, crawling inside them, talking through them, penetrating them. So at this stage in the story, trouble’s been brewing. Amber has been making some choices and I think that at a certain point there are consequences to choices you make whether you’re a country or person. In ‘Pancake’ we’re exploring power, all sides of it. And what it can implore you to do. She’s investigating it. She’s toying with it, she’s looking at it. She’s intimidated by it but also drawn to it. And people that may have it and know what to do with it are also people she feels are picking it up and pressing their own agenda with it.”
On the topic of agenda, on this record you’re taking this trip to figure out what these things mean on a whole in relation to the land. What we give, what the earth gives us. How do gays fit into America?
“I think it’s something that may be being redefined right now. You all suffered quite a loss of a lot of people in the 80s, as you know. A wealth of intelligencia, artists, that were core, part of your fabric. And now the next crop is stepping to this metaphorical fire to plant the seeds, to hold spaces for others to come. It seems to me anyway, from the outside, it is about community now and networking. Because those making choices for our world now are networking just fine. And making decisions we may not agree with and may not be good for our true mother, our earth, or us. It seems to me that sometimes in name only we’re the land of the free and this is something the gay community... it’s feet to the fire time. There must be a stepping forward about what you all feel. How you penetrate, say, the culture.”
Do you feel that right now gays give something to the culture?
“Yes I do, but I think there can be more. I think it’s time to stop shying away from your place at the fire of wisdom. I think gays have been very shamed and I know you all feel you can give in fashion and art, but it’s time now for perspective. But you all have to do that work.”
Do you mean on an ecological level? Political?
“I mean every level. But that comes from thought, not just from style. Maybe the thought has to be put forth with a bit of style! But I’m talking about people’s projections and you must as a group make peace with that... I think you all can bring a temperance but not if you’re holding everybody’s guilt. It’s not your job anymore.”
Did you see Kevyn making a difference?
“Absolutely I saw him making a difference. He inspires me every day.”
How did he make a difference?
“He wanted to see someone’s goals. Each individual had goals, he believed that, and beauty. He would find the beauty in someone who couldn’t find any in themselves and then show it for them to look at.”
In a superficial, external way?
“But don’t you see, it might have been the way that they giggled that he was able... he was a painter, one of the master painters of this generation. He painted faces, but he could’ve painted something on a rhino’s butt and it would have been beautiful. He could do that in his sleep. That’s not what I’m talking about. What I’m suggesting is perhaps Kevyn found that nugget, that element, that real treasure someone had and found a way to paint it. By the eye, a glitter, so when they looked it was metaphorical for what it was. It was symbolic and they knew what it meant. That was his gift.”
Did Kevyn have a hand in the Strange Little Girls’ looks from last album? You were transformed into a different girl persona for each song you covered...
“Her look was designed by Kevyn and Karen Benz (sp?).”
That must have been fun, going for all the various sessions.
“It was. We had backstories on these girls for months and months and they were alive. They were the anima of these songs.”
Have you ever inhabited a gay persona or character, Tori?
“That’s a good question. I think some of the little girls are.”
Which ones?
“I have to go talk to them. But they certainly aren’t... they don’t all have one orientation, that’s for sure. And they all don’t get along either.”
Is Scarlet queer perchance? Bi-curious maybe?
“Right now I think more than anything she’s about being a good friend. Whether Amber does whatever she’s been doing and Taxi’s been doing whatever he’s been doing, they’re some of her closer friends and that’s where that sits.”
Thanks Tori!
“Don’t be a stranger!”
Monday, November 05, 2007
Say Boo!
Musically I'm a huge Anglophile. For some reason, the music I first connected to - as a teen during the mid-1980s - all seemed to come from the UK. I ached to visit London until my first trip there in 1992, when I spent hours upon hours in every record and CD shop in sight.
One of those UK bands I loved so much was The Bible. The frontsman, Boo Hewerdine, has become a very gentle folk artist since his more plugged-in The Bible days. He's also collaborated with and written songs for other artists, including Danny Wilson's Gary Clark, another of my late 80s/early 90s faves. One of The Bible's defining songs is "Graceland." Great pop. And some music journalist noted Hewerdine's slight air of Morrissey within the vocals. You be the judge!
Lots of other free mp3s, from The Bible and his solo and collaborative work, and info on Hewerdine's website. Enjoy...
L
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Supercar!
I love that the Japanese can be wackier than, well, anyone. My ex boyfriend's boyfriend spent a while in Japan bought a ton of CDs. I got turned on to a whole bunch of Japanese bands thanks to his indulgences, one of them being alt-rock band Supercar. They change a bit from album to album sound-wise: shoegaze, upbeat Phoenix-style pop, guitar-driven rock....
Here's a crazy Supercar video for "Wonderword"!
Are you hooked yet?
L
Here's a crazy Supercar video for "Wonderword"!
Are you hooked yet?
L
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Singapore a Song!
What is the deal with all the Singaporean teens posting vids of themselves lip-synching pop songs? The bar has been raised, a new benchmark set: a bunch of Singaporean Communication/Media students performing an elaborate one-shot take of Rhianna's "Umbrella." Wow, are a lot of them queens. Especially the one who does the creepy 'taint rub thing at the end. You know nobody dared challenge his being the lead of sorts. Take a look, it's totally insane.
L
iPod on Fire
There's a new single by one of my favorite Australian bands out: "Hearts on Fire" by Cut Copy.
I played it so many times in a row on my iPod that the drive started skipping and went batshit. I had to restart, then showed it who's boss by playing it another dozen times.
Every record label in the world needs to come together for a summit with iTunes and all the other digital music shops and figure out an international distribution scheme, because at present this awesome single is only available via the Australian iTunes shop (a limitation, as with so many other albums all over the world, unavailable to other iTunes territories). Doesn't this actually force someone to find a pirated copy online or a torrent? Hello! There are hundreds of albums and singles I would happily pay for if there was one big international iTunes or other mp3 shop. Get on it. Make money, labels and artists!
Meanwhile, make due by watching the band perform it live in Perth
.
L
I played it so many times in a row on my iPod that the drive started skipping and went batshit. I had to restart, then showed it who's boss by playing it another dozen times.
Every record label in the world needs to come together for a summit with iTunes and all the other digital music shops and figure out an international distribution scheme, because at present this awesome single is only available via the Australian iTunes shop (a limitation, as with so many other albums all over the world, unavailable to other iTunes territories). Doesn't this actually force someone to find a pirated copy online or a torrent? Hello! There are hundreds of albums and singles I would happily pay for if there was one big international iTunes or other mp3 shop. Get on it. Make money, labels and artists!
Meanwhile, make due by watching the band perform it live in Perth
.
L
Friday, October 26, 2007
Lance Bass
My Lance Bass story will be popping up in some LGBT mags and papers over the next week or two. Windy City Times is running pretty much the full-length version, so get a look-see. :-)
Comments appreciated!
L
Comments appreciated!
L
Monday, October 15, 2007
My Comic Is Out
"Life Lessons #24," the 2-page autobiographical comic strip I wrote, illustrated by Robert Kirby, has been published in queer comics compilation Juicy Mother 2. Available at bookstores, comic shops, and online via Amazon, etc. Some great work in there by other artists and writers I love including Howard Cruse, Ariel Schrag, and of course editor Jennifer Camper...
Enjoy!
L
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