In the same vein, I don't know why, but I've been found out. Throughout my travels I have blended in remarkably well. I am often mistaken for German or Italian or French, and more than one American has said that I “don't look American,” whatever that means. Regardless, it seems I have something of a “generic European” face that somehow always looks local...except in Romania. The Romanians are quite dark, and blond hair is a relative rarity. Thus, for the first time, I am attracting scads of attention, which manifests in young men sitting all around me on the trains, engaging in a wide variety of antics in order to gain my interest.

The antics involve staring, shrieking, singing, clapping, hissing, raucous talking and laughter, more staring (standing up to stare over the seats even), drumming on the windows, and – during one unforgettably surreal hour – blaring Gloria Gaynor's “I Will Survive” from a cell phone over and over and over. Yesterday, I tried changing seats (in an empty car, they will always sit next to and behind me), but they move too. It's not a problem per se. I don't feel threatened, just annoyed.

To be frank, I don't understand the motivation. I suppose my obvious foreignness is fascinating somehow. They don't speak English, so it's a pointless effort, but what can you do?

I am going through some of this right now on the train from Sighisoara back to Brasov. Today it's seven guys in their early twenties, and they are playing what I can only imagine is some local “rock' music. It sounds an awful lot like a mix of polka and the background music at Indian restaurants...which I suppose, geographically speaking, it about right. One of the guys is wearing a red nylon jacket with a dozen Vodaphone, Bridgestone, and Shell gas patches sewn on it. I don't know if this is an attempt to look like a heavily endorsed Nascar driver or what. I would hope if Shell and Bridgestone were paying his way, they'd at least put him on the bus. Meanwhile, they're clapping and foot-stomping and staring at me, but that seems to be par for the course.

Otherwise, I'm hopeful of getting off at the right stop the first time around, and getting a day off from the trains. Riding the Romanian rails is rough. The heat is cranked up incredibly high, cigarette smoking is allowed, and there is no ventilation whatsoever. Plus, the seats are hard as a rock. After a few hours of it, you feel like a piece of beef jerky. I got to my guest house yesterday with a seriously sore butt and stinking like a pub.

I am staying the next couple nights in Brasov, Romania in the heart of Transylvania. The whole area is a strange mix of an over the top “Dracula” tourist trap and the Kazakhstan of Borat. The 'real' Dracula (or as close as it gets) was born in Sighisoara, where I stayed last night. Actually, he was born in what is now the “Casa Vlad Dracu” restaurant, where I ate my not-very-good but quite overpriced dinner. I was given a 50% off 'coupon' (something written on a scrap of paper) by my guest house and options were extremely scarce, so I figured why not. If you ever have the opportunity, may I suggest not.

Meanwhile, let me catch you up on little Transylvanian history: Vlad Tepes, a local governer in the area in the mid-1400s is the man known has Dracula. His father was called Vlad Dracul (dragon) for his membership in the “Order of the Dragon” (or devil. Apparently the word is interchangeable). As a young man, Vlad Tepes was sent by his father to the Ottoman Empire as a hostage. There he learned the art of impalement (inserting a large wooden stake into someone, intentionally avoiding the vital organs, so that they suffered a slow agonizing death), which he brought home with him. During his rule, Dracula (known as Vlad the Impaler) killed murderers, thieves, political rivals, the destitute, and the crippled this way. In short, he wasn't immortal, he never sucked anyone's blood, and he probably couldn't turn into a bat, but he was still a bad dude.

Why Bram Stoker decided to write about a real guy, but change it up such is a mystery. Similarly, Bran Castle (apparently denoted as Dracula's home in the novel) is outside Brasov, but the only thing Vlad the Impaler had to do with it, is that his grandfather had lived there and 'Dracula' himself was once imprisoned in the basement by the Hungarian king. Nonetheless, I may take the bus out to castle and the Rasnov fortress tomorrow, in large part because there really isn't that much to do. The day after is the dreaded, all-day train ride to Sofia. If only they provided plugs or my computer battery lasted more than 2.5 hours. I might not be considering buying coloring books or Sudoku puzzles or whatever sad entertainment is available to me.

On the other hand, no need to focus on that just yet. I still have a full day in Transylvania ahead of me, and who knows what kind of wonders await!?

The music is much maligned, for reasons that have as much to do with its audiences--gay men, folks of color, women, working class, John Travolta--as much as it has to do with the music itself.   Yes, some of it reeks like a camembert on a hot summer's day.  "A Fifth of Beethoven," which I always play in my music history classes as an example of a fascination with high culture gone horrifyingly awry (What did you just do to the Fate motive????), comes to mind in that category.

But, despite the misgivings that I have about disco, the genre offers some pretty compelling reasons musically, culturally, and historically for its inclusion in my class.  In a reverse of what I usually do with this column--since I know someone will read it and say, "Of course you don't teach disco!  It sucks!" I'm going to go with those first, and then address why I don't teach it.

Disco undoubtedly descends from the rock & roll tree, just as surely as punk or heavy metal, each of which I do teach (and more of the former of those in just a second).  One could easily plot out one line from soul to funk to disco.  And, hell, just listening to the growing prominence and function of the bass line--first based on an R&B bass line, then doing a repetitive thing, then adding syncopation to the repetitive thing, then doing a repetitive thing with octave ornamentation and syncopation--should be convincing enough to say that dismissing disco as simple or bad or soulless is at the very least a little off.

Most of the musical criticism of disco revolves around the production: it is not "real" music; it is manufactured.  But if you look at and actually listen to a band such as Chic, you can hear that the band is a real band in every sense of the word.  Nile Rodgers incorporates a distinct, easily identified rhythmic pattern into his guitar part; Bernard Edwards plays a melodic, syncopated, completely inspired bass line.

After listening to Chic's "Good Times," you probably recognize it from several contexts, up to and including samples in Grandmaster Flash's "Grandmaster Flash and the Wheels of Steel"; Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight;" imitation in Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" and Blondie's "Rapture"; and distillations of Edwards' bass line in most early Duran Duran songs (of course, they were produced by Nile Rodgers).

And then there are the drums of disco, all high-hatty and crunchy, that are oh-so-tasty.  Here's Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive":

And, finally, there are some FANTASTIC vocal performances in disco.  Donna Summer?  What would the world be without "Love to Love You?" or "I Feel Love"?   A whole lot darker and less sensual, that's what.  And what about Labelle?  Here's some "Lady Marmalade" for you (also--listen to that hi-hat!  And check out those costumes!):

But these are not the things that most people talk about when they complain that disco sucks.  No, people think of the really awful disco songs, such as the ouvre of the falsetto-favoring Bee Gees, or the highly produced Village People.  So my question is, why is disco remembered for its shittiest, and not for its best?

Back in the heyday of disco, aka the late 1970s, the music was favored by certain audiences mentioned above, who do not and did not fit the mold of "what rock critics like."  Reebee Garofalo, a pop music scholar, has argued that disco's audiences brought out the worst in some people.  Homophobia, for example, almost certainly played a part in the dismissal of disco as "real music;" racism played another; and then there's sexism, since almost all the vocal performers of disco were black women.

When I think about the big "disco sucks rally" in Chicago, I think of Nazi book burnings.  So does Nile Rodgers. At that rally, on July 12, 1979, people destroyed more than 10,000 disco records.  There's something completely disturbing about hating something so much that you can't just turn off the radio, but have to actively, literally blow it up in center field.  It's not just about the music at that point.

I have no shortage of what I could say about disco, particularly as a gender and sexualities scholar.  And I think that disco influenced hip-hop, new wave, and even the recent resurgence of post-post-punk/dance-punk bands that flourished in the early 2000s.  So why do I leave it out?

I mostly leave disco out because I have other battles to fight, and I try to include a balance of "things the kids will like" with "things the kids really ought to know before leaving this class."  In the beginning, it's all about getting them to understand things like the Great Migration's effects on everything from Chicago blues to Motown.  At the point in the semester where disco arrives, I usually have a big wave of resistance from the majority when I expose them to punk.  While you'd think that they would be open to it, I've yet to have a class that embraced punk rock.  Or even shook hands with it, on the whole.  So, putting disco into the mix at that time would be a fine dance indeed.  Perhaps even the "Last Dance."  And I'm pretty sure I would not feel love.

I often find myself thinking about all the things that she will do and have in her childhood that I didn’t (like the internet or the multitude of gadgets and gizmos) and how that is going to frame her world.  No wonder parents and children have trouble understanding each other, our points of reference are so dramatically different from generation to generation! But, with some nostalgia and a bit of sadness, I also find myself thinking about the things I had that she may not, like Saturday morning cartoons, lightning bugs and honeybees, and mix tapes.

I know that in today’s world we can make playlists for each other, but it just isn’t the same. I don’t want to sound like the stereotypical stodgy old parent here … Back in my day, if we wanted to put a particular song on a mix tape, we actually had to go to a store and buy a cassingle or sit by the radio listening to Casey Kasem on Sunday morning hoping to catch that one song we wanted at just the right moment without too much commentary over the intro and record it on our cassette player. Making a mix tape took initiative and work! None of this downloading from iTunes, drag and drop nonsense … but there was just something special about mix tapes.

I loved making mix tapes for people (and receiving them as well). I had a close group of friends in high school, and after we graduated we were all going our separate ways. I wanted to find a way to tell them how much their friendships meant to me, how important they were to me, but I couldn’t find words to really capture what I was trying to say, so I made them all mix tapes.  I made little inserts for the tape covers with little notes next to each song title about why this song reminded me of them, and I decorated the tape itself. Each song I picked had meaning and thought behind it. I knew that I could not find the right words to tell them how much they meant to me, but I hoped that the music could. Aside from being something tangible that you could gift wrap and actually hand over to someone, I like mix tapes more than playlists because mix tapes had a finite amount of space on them – usually either 60 or 90 minutes. The endlessness of playlists overwhelms me sometimes.  I find myself putting less thought into them because I have an endless amount of space and can put as many songs as I want on them; so I don’t really have to find that perfect song that says it all because I can put 5 songs that kind of say some of it on the playlist instead.

Miss M will make fun of me for this mix tape nostalgia one day, and she will call me old-fashioned, and I can accept that. But, I hope that maybe one day she will run across my box of mix tapes and ask me about them, what they meant to me and why I bothered to save them all these years if we don’t even have a tape player anymore. To steal the corny tag line from somewhere … because those tapes are part of the soundtrack of my life.

If I were to make Miss M a good, ol’ fashion 60 minute mix tape today to try and convey some of the lessons I hope to pass on to her or that I hope she will learn through her own life experiences this might be what I would put on Volume One (not necessarily in this order)…

No Regrets by Aesop Rock
“Look, I ain’t never had a dream in my life because a dream is what you wanna do but still haven’t pursued. I knew what I wanted and did it till it was done, so I’ve been the dream that I wanted to be since day one.”

With a Little Help from my Friends by the Beatles
I would not be who I am nor where I am today were it not for my friends. I have been blessed to meet and befriend some of the most amazing people of heart, mind and spirit on this earth. Treasure your friends. Love them. Share your toys with them and treat them right.  Don’t allow time or distance to take them away.

Old Dirt Hill by Dave Matthews
The best word I can think of to describe this song is a Japanese one, natsukashii, which loosely translates into nostalgia but it doesn’t quite cover it. Don’t be in a rush to grow up (wow, I guess I really am a parent now, huh?). Enjoy the simple pleasures. Enjoy that first kiss … because you will look back on those times when life gets harder down the road, and I hope those memories bring a smile to your face and a warmth to your heart when you need it most.

Magalenha by Sergio Mendes
Dance. Dance from your heart. Dance from your soul. Let the music move you. Just dance.

I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
I dread the day Miss M’s heart gets broken for the first time because nothing I say or do will make it better, and she won’t quite know yet that she will survive that unbearable pain and that only time will truly heal it. None the less, this song got me (and countless others) going on many a dark day and hopefully it will do the same for her because nothing feels better or makes you feel stronger than that day when you can finally look at that heartbreaker and honestly say “Oh no, now go, walk out the door, just turn around now, ‘cause you’re not welcome anymore. Weren’t you the one who tried to crush me with good bye, Did you think I’d crumble? Did you think I’d lay down and die? Oh no not I! I will survive! … I’m not that chained up little person still in love with you … now I’m savin’ all my lovin’ for someone who’s loving ME!”

La Vida es un Carneval by Celia Cruz
She was known as the queen of salsa for a reason. It’s worth reading the full lyrics on this one (in the original Spanish if you can, but here is an English translation). “Everyone out there that thinks that life is unfair, Needs to know that's not the case, Because life is beautiful, you just have to live it… Everyone out there that thinks that life is always harsh, Need to know that's not the case, That there are just bad times, and it will all pass. Everyone out there, that thinks that this will never change, Need to know that's not the case, The bad times will turn, it will all pass.”

The Gambler by Kenny Rogers (although I prefer the Mike Doughty cover)
“You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, know when to run. You never count your money when you’re sitting at the table. There’ll be time enough for counting when the dealin's done.”

Cookie Jar by Jack Johnson
“It was you, it was me, it was every man. We’ve all got the blood on our hands. We only will see what we demand, and if we want hell then hell is what we’ll have.” The media, society, retailers, the ever elusive “they” … supply us (the public) with what we ask for. If you don’t like a company’s actions, don’t buy from them or give them your hard earned money. If you don’t like the message you see on TV, don’t watch it. Our every day actions and decisions do have power. Take responsibility for your own life. There will always be influences and contributing factors, but in the end you are responsible for what you choose to do. Don’t put that blame on someone else just because you don’t want to face the consequences of your actions (or lack of action as the case may be). Kind of heavy stuff for a kid to digest, but we’ll work on it slowly.

Imagine by John Lennon
What kind of a crunchy, lefty, liberal, tree-huggin’ mom would I be if this wasn’t my ultimate vision for the world that I wish to leave to my daughter?  “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you join us, and the world will live as one.”

32 Flavors by Ani DiFranco
Strive to be your best self always. Never dumb yourself down or pretend to be someone that you are not to suit someone else’s needs. I think Marianne Williamson put it best:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of the universe. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of the universe that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Looking for the Holes by Ani DiFranco
“you can talk a great philosophy, but if you can't be kind to people every day it doesn't mean that much to me. it's the little things you do, the little things you say it's the love you give along the way” We are all hypocrites at one point or another, no one is perfect, but strive to make your actions match your words. Be kind. Be conscious. There isn’t much point in just sitting around and complaining, if you aren’t going to do something about it.

Let’s Talk About Sex by Salt-N-Pepa
The title says it all! Sex is a natural and, hopefully, beautiful part of life, but it comes with an incredible amount of responsibility and far-reaching consequences. As a parent, it is my responsibility to provide Miss M with accurate, comprehensive information so that she can make the best decisions to take care of herself. It would be incredibly irresponsible of me to stick my head in the sand and not arm her with the knowledge and information she needs to understand the possibly life altering consequences of her actions. From what I’m told, it is pretty difficult to control the actions of a teenager, but that is no excuse for my failing to prepare her properly. If I do a good job, hopefully, she will feel comfortable talking to me, or at least another well-informed, guiding person in her life. And to talk with her friends. And most importantly, to talk with her partner openly and about everything - if she doesn’t feel comfortable talking with them about sexual history and boundaries, then she should probably rethink sleeping with them in the first place. And, if applicable, always use a condom.

By Your Side by Sade
Love. Unabashedly. Foolishly. With all that you are. Do not be afraid to love. It will hurt. Your heart will break, but it will heal. Love, care for and accept yourself for who you are because only then will you be able to truly love another and receive their love in return. My hope is that Miss M will be as lucky as I have been to find a partner to sing these words to and to hear them in return from that same person. If it is true that little girls end up finding partners that are like their dads, then Miss M will be truly lucky indeed.

So that mix is kind of like a good tapas or dim sum meal … a little bit of this a little bit of that, best if digested in the company of good friends with good conversation, lots of laughter and your beverage of choice. Music, like all forms of art, is highly personal and the interpretation of it is subject to the perceptions of the person doing the interpreting. I’ll be lucky if I can get Miss M to listen to any of these songs, which will all be golden oldies by the time she is a teen, much less hear what I want her to hear in them.  Much like it's fun to look back through my box of old mix tapes and remember what I was like back then, I think it will be really interesting (and probably really funny) to look back at this list about ten years from now because by then the thing that I am just starting to understand now will probably be cemented in stone – that I really have it all wrong and it isn’t about me teaching her lessons, but rather her teaching me.

What song would you add to a mix tape for the next generation?

1. "Suicide Is Painless" by Lady and Bird - This song is better know as the theme song for M.A.S.H. It's hard to go wrong with it since the song is so simple to begin with. Johnny Mandel performed the song originally and reached number 1 in the U.K. with it.
   
2. "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash - This traditional folk song has been performed by many artists (including Elvis) before Cash's rendition, but my soft spot for Johnny Cash has made this my favorite version. Come to think of it I could come up with enough covers Johnny Cash did that I enjoy to easily fill two lists.
   
3. "Total Eclipse of The Heart" by The Dan Band - Originally performed by Bonnie Tyler, just watch the video to understand why this version is kick ass.
   
4. "Killing Me Softly" by The Fugees - Nothing against Al B. Sure, who also did a cover, or original artist Roberta Flack, but Lauryn Hill's performance blows all others out of the water. I will never forget the first time I heard it back in 1996. I called the radio station to see what the name of the song was and to find out when they would be playing it again so I could tape it. Once I had the tape in my possession I am sure that I drove the rest of my family nuts by playing that song over and over again. I was even able to compare two versions because my father owned a Roberta Flack album.
   
5. "Coldblooded" by Ol' Dirty Bastard - O.D.B. meshed with Rick James equals sheer brilliance.
   

That is my allowance of five but here are a few more you should check out if you like the original songs:
"The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" - The Hampdens cover The Postal Service, "One" - Aimee Mann covers Three Dog Night, "Float On" - Ben Lee covers Modest Mouse, "Umbrella" - Marie Digby covers Rhianna, "I Will Survive" - Cake cover Gloria Gaynor, "All Along The Watchtower" - Jimi Hendrix covers Bob Dylan, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" - Nina Simone covers The Animals.

List 5 Song remakes you enjoy, and don't worry. The counterpart to this will be the next post.

Pero es que ahora, no contento con esto, va y rescata a la pobre Gloria Gaynor del olvido para hacerse un homenaje. Porque eso no es un dúo, el protagonismo absoluto lo tiene él y ella queda relegada a la corista de los uuus, aaas y laaas de la canción. Ah no, que las frases que acaban con "mal" también le tocan siempre a ella (y las que acaban en "bien a él). El vídeo no es lo peor que podían haber hecho (hasta es resultón, poco original pero resultón) ¡pero es que sale más la bailarina que la Gaynor! Por favor, aunque sólo sea por el I will survive, ¡un poco de respeto!

 Hace poco volví a ver, gracias a Youtube, una de las escenas que más me hicieron reir de la comedia "In & Out". Una película (que se quiten los "Scary Movie" y demás sucedáneos) que tiene momentos de los llamados "desencajantes de mandíbula". No ha pasado a la historia ni mucho menos, pero la trama cuanto menos es divertida.

Kevin Kline es un profesor de Universidad al cual su vida da un giro de 180º cuando un ex-alumno suyo (Matt Dillon) descubre, en la entrega de los Oscars, que su antiguo profesor es gay. Lo bueno es que Kline lleva una vida totalmente opuesta. Se va a casar con su novia en breves y ni él mismo se había planteado que pudiese tener la orientación sexual que ha prodigado por los cuatro vientos su ex-alumno.

La historia tiene algunos momentos memorables, sobre todo al ver a Tom Selleck tirándole los tejos a Kevin Kline. ¿Se quedarán juntos? Ahhhh...

Imposible me ha sido siempre el no mover los pies o tamborilear con los dedos la música que vais a escuchar en esta escena. No es de extrañar que el pobre Kline no lo pase nada bien intentando no bailar y sacar todo lo que lleva dentro de él.

KEVIN KLINE EN "IN & OUT"

Fdo: Snake  

eu até tentei me segurar para não fazer este post mas não resisti. é tão divertido, ahaha. vi isso lá no lúcio ribeiro. é o seguinte: a reebok, fornecedora de material esportivo do são paulo, trouxe para o brasil a campanha "i am what i am" que já existe lá fora há algum tempo e que tem a intenção de mostrar como astros patrocinados pela empresa são pessoas comuns e que fazem coisas do dia-a-dia como seus fãs. a equipe da capital paulista foi a escolhida para estrear a campanha em terras tupiniquins. o detalhe é que "i am what i am" também é nome de uma música clássica da gloria gaynor, ícone da disco gay dos anos 70/80, aquela mesma que canta hits como "i will survive" e "it's raining men". daí que, acredito eu, não é uma atitude muito inteligente associar um nome de música famoso por ser quase um lema para a cultura gay com um time que tem a imagem associada com aquele famoso desenho da disney e onde uma das "estrelas" da equipe é o... richarlyson, se é que você me entende. será que o setor de marketing da equipe bamb... quer dizer... são paulina não se atentou a este fato?

Day 7 and the last day of the "songs that suck" theme week. It sounds easy, selecting seven "songs that suck", 'cause there's far more music that sucks then there is music worth to mention. But selecting music that realy sucks was harder then I thought. Most music that sucks I don't hear at all. Or occasionally once or twice. These seven tracks realy sucks 'cause I heard them more then once or twice.

I Will Survive is a real classic disco tune. Such a tune everybody cheers about when the dj plays it at a party. Not me. I Will Survive realy sucks. When this tune pops up at a party its time to get another beer at the bar. Or better: loose another beer at the toilet. And let's hope they don't have speakers over there.

YouTube: I Will Survive, videoclip

Hay muchos testigos que confirman la buenisima relación entre los cantantes.

La canción, esta incluida en el disco "Papito", el más vendido en el año 2007.

Bosé ha grabado dúos con Bimba Bosé ( su sobrina), Paulina Rubio, Julieta Venegas...

1975:

Experience (LP)

Art Direction: Bill Levy

Design: Peter Corriston @ AGI

Photography: Norman Seeff

It turns out that my daughter is quite musical, however, she has selected Gloria Gaynor's anthem "I Will Survive" as her musical outlet.

You can here her sing here:I Will Survive

"I am what I am
I am my own special creation
So come take a look
Give me the hook
Or the ovation
It's my world
That I want to have a little pride
My world
And it's not a place I have to hide in
Life's not worth a dam
Till I can say
I am what I am

I am what I am
I don't want praise I don't want pity
I bang my own drum
Some think it's noise I think it's pretty
And so what if I love each sparkle and each bangle
Why not see things from a different angle
Your life is a shame
Till you can shout out I am what I am

I am what I am
And what I am needs no excuses
I deal my own deck
Sometimes the aces sometimes the deuces
It's one life and there's no return and no deposit
One life so it's time to open up your closet
Life's not worth a dam till you can shout out
I am what I am

I am what I am

I am what I am
And what I am needs no excuses
I deal my own deck sometimes the aces sometimes the deuces
It's one life and there's no return and no deposit
One life so it's time to open up your closet
Life's not worth a dam till you can shout out
I am what I am

I am I am I am good
I am I am I am strong
I am I am I am worthy
I am I am I belong

I am

I am

Who whoooo etc.
I am

I am I am I am useful
I am I am I am true
I am I am somebody
I am as good as you

Yes I am"

"Quanto mais diferente de mim alguém é, mais real me parece, porque menos depende da minha subjectividade." In Livro do Desassossego (Fernando Pessoa)

Is this video controversial? Does depicting Jesus as a gay man “movin’ & groovin’” to some happy disco offend people?

I’ve written at length about how Jesus is portrayed in art because I find it interesting to learn why certain cultural and ethnic groups turn a man of quite clearly Jewish and middle eastern ancestry and “recast” him in the image of the artist. The bible says humans are created in God’s image, yet aren't we really just creating God in our image?

So what is this particular video trying to tell us? Well, first of all, it’s funny. Putting aside the “blasphemy” of taking a holy figure and making him dance along to Gloria Gaynor on the streets of L.A., we have to admit that Jesus is a malleable public figure readily available for satire. In this particular example, the video ends where the “gay” Jesus is hit by a bus. Aside from the humor, can we also read into this ending to say that because of the “blasphemy” this man is indulging in that his “death” is brought upon by a higher power? In other words, could God be driving that bus to stamp out the sin of the actor? Or is the video saying that no matter how hard the gay community tries to embrace the good aspects of Christianity, conservative society will always come along to crush (hit and run) the movement?

Very often satire is misunderstood by the people being satirized, but who exactly is being satirized in this video? Christianity? Homosexuality? Gloria Gaynor? While it’s easy for people to get worked up over the literal content of such satire, we should always be willing to dig deeper into the meanings of things. A good strong belief in something (religion, for example) should be able to withstand scrutiny and criticism and the believers should be expected to have a deep understanding of what they believe in. When people respond to such criticisms and interpretations of their beliefs, too often they respond with knee-jerk reactions because they are offended on a superficial level. When people burn the American flag, pick up feces with the pages of the bible or dress up as a quasi-drag Jesus, the common reaction is to kill the messenger but little thought is put into the message itself. To clarify, we like to kill a spider when we see it in our home but when we do that we forget the spider may be there to hunt and kill other “disgusting” insects.

Since I do not know the true intentions of the filmmaker, all I can do is place the video within my own context. Had I known where the video came from and knew a little about the artist, I might have a slightly different interpretation of the “intended” message. But good art does not require context, it only requires a) the art and b) an audience - all other considerations are secondary because once the art has been created by the artist, the artist looses control of the art.

Van Gogh is no longer alive to tell us what he “intended” by painting “Still Life with Absinthe” in 1887 so we can only look at the painting and make our own conclusions. Of course, we do know a little about Van Gogh’s life. We know he liked to drink absinthe and we know he suffered from mental sickness so we might be able to conclude he just wanted to paint one of his favorite subjects and wanted to immortalize his vice. But we can only infer that interpretation from outside facts not included in the painting so all we really have is just a study on a bottle of booze in a cafe. We have to put our own meaning into the painting and anything Van Gogh intended is beside the point. In a way, the art becomes the intellectual property of the audience.

Art also says more about the audience than it does about the artist and our reaction to art is sometimes more interesting than the art itself anyway. Remember when you were in high school and somebody said they thought you liked some girl or boy but you denied it up one side and down the other? You may have been “saying” you didn’t like Suzy or Joe but your overreaction to the question made it quite clear you really did like Suzy or Joe. Art, then, works very much the same way. Robert Mapplethorpe’s photography created controversy because many people did not feel his art was appropriate - either because he was funded by a federal program (National Endowment for the Arts) or because his art “can be viewed as fetishizing black men”. While his photographs are “shocking”, the outcry over them is far more interesting because it speaks about the values of the society upset by them.

So does this mean that everything controversial is art? I believe it does not, but we should always be willing to to give someones self expression at least a moments worth of consideration.

The other day I realized two things, and decided something else: I realized I am incredibly strong. I am a survivor who has been through hell and came out standing tall. The second realization is that I am feeling tired these days. It takes a lot of energy to do it all alone. Thus my decision: I decided I will accept the help offered (as long as I consider it to be helpful and truly want it), and also seek help when appropriate. I am tired of being strong all the time, and now I finally realize that help can be accepted. (This reminds me of when I finally decided to go to therapy and stop the bulimia. It’s just a different level.)

When I was still sick, not only could I not accept help, but I also was terrified of recovery. No, it wasn't so much the recovery. I was afraid to believe in myself. I was afraid to admit that I was going for it, that I hoped to recover. Why? Because I was afraid that someone would once again pull the rug out from under me. That was my biggest fear. In fact, I was so afraid that someone else would do it, that I used to screw things up all by myself to beat them to it. Yes, let’s call it: Martha’s Major Trauma: The Rug. Today while writing to someone, it occurred to me that what is different now is that I am an adult. It’s harder to pull the rug out when an adult is standing on it, as opposed to an 11-year-old. Adults are not only heavier and stronger, but they have more say in the matter as well.

Then came a further realization: I’m getting ever closer to pulling the rug out from under me all by myself, because I actually don’t like it. I want to see what happens when it’s gone, but I’m still scared, so I’m still in the process of just picturing it and how I’ll do it. There simply is something scary about standing on the rug and pulling on it at the same time. Maybe that isn’t even possible. I think I will have to step off of it first, even though there’s no ground around it anywhere. I can’t see past the edges yet. No hurry, but I’ve written 3 or 4 pieces on this daring project, and realized they all sound the same. That means: My thoughts are clear, my feelings are clear, and I know what I’m doing and why. There is a saying: If you can dream it, you can achieve it. These days I’m trying to get in as much dream time as possible!

There are always more possibilities in life, just waiting to be found. All that we’ve learned and seen thus far isn’t everything. It can be frightening to go off and explore on your own, but how else can you expect to discover anything new? That reminds me of something I read by InSanityFound earlier today. Right now, writing about the various possibilities helps me sort things through, keeping in mind that it can’t be done all at once. Step by step.

Since we just celebrated Independence Day (yes, I am a U.S. citizen), here's Lady Liberty and the Declaration of Independence feat. Bill of Rights with an interesting take on current events.

I will survive!

At first I was afraid, I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side
But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong
And I grew strong and I learned how to get along
And now you're back, from outer space
I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed that stupid lock, I should have made you leave your key
If I'd have known for just one second you'd be back to bother me
Go on now go walk out the door
Just turn around now cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
Did you think I'd crumble did you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no not I, I will survive
Oh as long as I know how to love I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live I've got all my love to give
I'll survive I will survie hey hey
(music)
It took all the strength I had not to fall apart
And tried so hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart
And I spent oh so many nights just feeling sorry for myself
I used to cry, but now I hold my head up high
And you see me..somebody new,
I'm not that chained up little person still in love with you
And so you felt like dropping in and just expect me to be free
But now I'm saving all my loving for someone who's loving me
Go on now go walk out the door
Just turn around now cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye
Did you think I'd crumble did you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no not I, I will survive
Oh as long as I know how to love I know I'll stay alive
Ive got all my life to live I've got all my love to give
I'll survive..I will survive ohh go on now go
Walk out the door
just turn around now cause you're not welcome anymore...

Seriously...(Well actually the lack of hair is a constant reminder.)

But boy does 1964 seem like a looooooooooonnnnnnnng time ago.

I've lived through the 1960's 70's, 80's, 90's and now we are into 2008 (08 is halfway done).

Damn does time fly or what?

Most readers/contributers to the Container Diaries are right around my age or a couple of years older/younger so you know what I'm talking about.

By the way, did you happen to see Dana Torres qualify for the United States Olympic swim team? (Another reason for this blog entry) Click here to read the story...

"I've gotten so many wonderful e-mails and messages from people who say they can go out and do things they've put off. They have to remember, they're inspiring me."

It's amazing but I never put too much thought into adulthood except for when it is time to do the parent thing with our nine year-old or coach to my players (I'm 26 years older than a couple my freshmen entering school in the fall, YIKES!)

At times I feel like that red-headed kid back on the avenue cruising around on my bike, walking to the schoolyard dribbling my basketball, sitting at the counter in Ray and Otto's, getting screamed at by a teacher in Holy Name or walking down Windsor Place holding my girlfriend Maureen's hand.

Yesterday I jumped on my Trek mountain bike and went for a ride; it brought me back to the days of riding with my friends whether it was to East 5th street or Manhattan Beach to play ball or even the long but enjoyable rides into the city. (Over the Brooklyn Bridge and up 6th avenue to Central Park)

There are times I don't feel 44; I feel like I'm in my late teens!

Whether it's dancing in the middle of the living room like I'm back on the dance floor at Studio 54 or even 1018 to some of my favorite jams from back in the day (thank God for i-tunes/Limewire), getting out on the court and shooting jumpers, or even acting like a kid again, I don't care - I'm going to enjoy the second half of my life.

I know it's inevitable that we get old, but you know what, there's no law saying I have to act like an adult...all the time!

Run your race, don't fear getting up in age, enjoy each day, put on some music we grew up with (The Village People, Lime, Gloria Gaynor), pump up the volume and dance your ass off, regardless of who is watching!

Don't sit back and watch another minute go by...Stay enthusiastic, keep pressing forward, don't allow age to stop you. Stay active, stay in the moment!

Put the full-court press on!

A few days ago I received an e-mail from a long-time friend who explained to me how sick they have become - I felt terrible for them. I have been praying for them each night.

-SF

Hoops135@hotmail.com

y la version original de Gloria Gaynor

come se non volessi far finire questa giornata e cedere al sonno.

(sto diventando come Seneca?!)

there are things(many) that I have to do, my soul is singing: this is freedom. Writing, Photography, Drawing, Music, and..I know. I know. Do I want it? I do dread it. But.

Foolishly I'm putting it off. And I keep my mouth closed. She's right, I'm somewhat "cruel", too sarcastic. I'm "evil", and I don't even want it. I keep hiding, so I change direction and I get harsh. Dry.

All appearance. Indeed how I love masks, n only 'cos I'm scared. Shame on me.

it's just me, me and my old problem, my inner cancer. I'm petrified (by it).

She says: well if you did a switch..it would't be that bad for you!

Maybe, oh maybe she's even right. I'm too stubborn. But I keep waiting, cos I keep desirin a crazy diamond.

ooh yeah Loove Is aall around you!

Love is knocking outside your door

waiting for you is this love made just for two

(Tesla)

E tome "Mas vocês tão pedindo na bundinha", ou ainda "Cerol, cerol, cerol, cerol, cerol.....somebody, engata o cerol", e até mesmo, por que não?, "Calma Aline... cal... calma Aline... eu já vou levar...o suco... bebe!!!".

Ou a miséria do título deste pouzt, pedindo pra beesha não esconder. Dá gosto. Dá também pra votar se você achou a miséria "ruim" ou "boa". Tanto faz. Who cares...

Chegando lá, clique em "Top 20", "Lista Completa" ou "Recentes", ou "Envie um Som" para contribuir você mesmo com o elevado padrão de asneiras do site.

Cultura Inglesa, pra que te quero...

Aleléx

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