That Which Stays With You- Bon Iver

Bon Iver Takes It to the Greek | Mother Jones: "

"You know when you're a kid, and you're shooting hoops in your driveway, and you imagine what it would be like to hear the sound of people cheering for you? Well, this is what that sounds like," he told the cheering crowd."--Justin Vernon

Bon Iver came to my awareness in a round about way, crammed in part of a indie music download stream. I remember hearing Lump Sum, and in a fit of compulsion that often reminds me of my father, found myself playing it over and over and over. Bon Iver's recent follow up has been an equally vulnerable, thought provoking and sentimental journey. So much so that its a difficult, if not Herculean task to pick out the proverbial best in show from the lot.

I'm pleased others have been giving Bon Iver's unique, layered and hearty sound the love it deserves. Can't say enough good about their work thus far. Its a nice feeling to see people and things you like celebrated for the right reasons.

'via Blog this'

Guess We Should Decriminalize Murder Too...

Another gem from the fine folks at GOProud (single handedly providing cover for arch-conservative hubris). An organization that of late has championed Tea Party darling Michelle Bachmann, despite her saying they were "of satan", an organization that falls all over itself to justify the smugly conservative in their disdain for the homosexual. Despite being an organization that is or alleges to be homosexual (Bachmann has argued that the homosexual is "anything but gay"). Have we discussed Uncle Toms, class?

Joe. My. God.: GOProud's LaSalvia: Being Gay-Bashed Proves That Hate Crimes Laws Don't Work

Hm. Good to know. You'll be happy to note that the Department of Justice is now considering throwing out murder laws and the death penalty because they don't prevent some people from committing them.... how do these people get airtime? There are smarter community college students who aren't ever going to see a fraction of the money this appearance makes.

Watch this video (by the Friendly Fires) You'll feel better about the world's suckiness.

Fun With Graft and Corruption

In other news that just keeps ballooning in its implications, we've got news tycoon/ robber-baron Rupert Murdoch and the scope of the hacking and fraud investigations that have forced the news agency to close. Now the US is looking into whether or not Newscorp has illegally hacked any of its citizens for information. As it happens, the Bancrofts who formerly owned the Wall St Journal (and Dow Jones) aren't terribly pleased with NewsCorps' ethical breeches. As it stands Newscorp has its hands in so many pies its staggering, but this scrutiny seems poised to make agencies potentially less comfortable working with them. Its an interesting reversal trend, and one that seems to have ongoing implications overall. Over the past few days alone, the amount of press on this story has been growing at an exponential rate, indicating the reach of Newscorp and the number of high ranking figures that seem poised to go down with the ship.

Expect this one to be an even bigger thorn in the Fox News owner's side going forward. More as it develops, as I can't help but find myself fascinated by this one...

(As for the musical backdrop given the idleness of this summer, how could I NOT play a song called "Deadbeat Summer"?)

Dateless Wonders and Hopeless Causes.

 

OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS

Many many moons ago, back when I was barely 18 and working at one of the areas Local Comic Book stores, I used to stroll casually into the store on Thursdays, make my requisite series of customer service related phone calls, flip open my Abnormal Psychology text …and have the hardest time diagnosing half of the more eccentric persons to ever walk through the place on a given day. It was actually quite the guilty pleasure of mine, manning the register and idly studying between customers. Easily one of the  most charmed retail experiences I’ll ever have by far. But the above “Our Valued Customers” is a site that takes real overheard comic book store customers’ and their left of reality perspectives and shines the embarrassing light of day on them; to hilarious, soul crushing effect. Most comic book fans are harmlessly nerdy, affable and despite being slightly socially awkward, charming. But there were always a few pervy, unwashed letches lurking around the hentai section to ruin that perception.

The LCS I went to while I was in Grad school was so full of awkward fanboys that whenever a girl would enter the dingy, dusty store the overly chatty clerk and nearly everyone else would fall into bashful silence until she left. I used to think that level of nerd-humor was the stuff of Simpsons parody, but there were points when they’d slide into a SERIOUS dissection of the week’s WWF plotlines that it became too surreal and even I would flee for my social life, go for a round or two, and have very long conversations about anything, everything other than WWF to compensate…

 

Boys on Film. (GleeCap)

Let's talk Glee. I've been riding high on the goofily optimistic and refreshingly groundbreaking promo clip between isolated, too "fabulous" to live Kurt, and the newly introduced painfully charming gay guru in the following clip.









As for "Never Been Kissed" itself? I for one adored it, though I think considering I watched the "Teenage Dream" promo clip a million times, its not possible for it to completely live up to the fantasy I created in my head. That said, I think what happens in "Never Been Kissed" is extremely important. The very fact that two openly gay teens can share an exchange, let alone sing a flirty, swoony crush song to one another is (sadly?) revolutionary. I've heard several older gay men remark that they'd never thought they'd see the like in their lifetime, and it strikes me as impossibly sad that generations of gay teenagers have never really seen themselves as represented and present in society. All the sappily sweet love songs in the universe, even if they're impossibly vapid, are geared towards people who aren't you, and reinforces the idea gayness is some sort of affliction only spoken about in dark rooms in hushed tones. I found a very well worded post from Tom and Lorenzo that expresses that cultural isolation better than I:

"To the straight people reading us: remember high school? Remember your favorite songs and movies, TV shows and music videos from that period? Imagine if all of that media bombardment telling you what to like, what to wear, and how to be attractive, popular, and cool, imagine that all of that aimed for and addressed everyone else but you. Imagine what it's like when every sappy love song (or angry breakup song), every rom com, every trendy TV show and blockbuster movie, even every video game, imagine if they all depicted a form of romantic love that simply isn't available to you. Imagine going through high school without even so much as a hint of yourself reflected in any of the things you watch and listen to, any of the things that literally every other kid is talking about. Imagine the one thing you want more than anything in the world: to be kissed, please god, just to be kissed, imagine you have never seen that depicted anywhere or referred to in any way but as something to be mocked and shunned."

All fair and true points when considering the effects of mass media and minority culture. We take cues about who and what is important, and relevant by how its presented in the media and in this case, its an exercise in both overt and covert marginalization. The bloggers in the above underscore why something as simple as that scene carries enormous weight and frankly, sustaining and validating in ways youtube videos about waiting out suffering are not.

Outside of that glorious moment, the rest of the episode happened too:

As for Kurt, I find it impossible not to find his utter marginalization and torment soul shatteringly resonant. I know I've had a fairly benign high school experience in comparison, but college in a rural southern baptist town provided plenty of opportunities to get shunned and openly mocked. As an educator myself, it feels like Glee is a universe where the teachers and adults are present only when convenient. I find Shue's "You're losing it" speech to be tone deaf and wrongheaded only in that it would have been far more useful to approach the bully in question than it would to sit Kurt down and give him water. As important as this topic is to be considering and showcasing, I think the message is a bit muddled. Eventually a teacher might notice, but they'll ultimately reference it and do nothing. He's in a position where he could have at least made it known that there are repercussions for such behavior.Missed opportunity there.

Another thing I was irked by was how completely the Boys team dismissed Kurt. Granted it was to set up the reason for Kurt and Blaine meeting, but it also clearly underscores how little they appreciate and understand him. That scene makes his trip to the Dalton Academy all the more fantasy like. For Kurt, it was instantly gorgeous, enticing, warm and welcoming, and the pained expression of envy, relief and amazement on his face at regarding Blaine and this strange new habitat was amazing to watch. (Has anyone else actually ever seen Kurt beam the way he does here? I had to stop and think on it, but I've never seen him smile before at all) The scene is colorful and inviting and lavishly detailed in contrast to Kurt's school surroundings, and it serves as an indicator that life can in fact be substantively different, better, elsewhere. That not everyone is either willfully oblivious, openly hostile or indifferent about he or his sexuality. The vulnerability he displays when asking the prep school boys about their own orientations is noteworthy. The more I think about it beyond the expense, there's literally nothing at McKinley high that could convince Kurt realistically to stay. After watching that scene with the Warbelers' a few times even I wanted to go to that school, and my experiences weren't remotley as horrible. I find myself wanting to pause Glee in the Dalton Academy and stay there, as the reality of the "real" universe is grossly unpalatable in comparison.

Rachel can imply that he's loved and appreciated, but aside from that one moment in the end of Duets, its rarely noticeable otherwise. I'm not buying. The other students range from mocking him when convenient to basically ignoring his feelings, input or comments. and I'm not sure why he would either. There's little on screen interaction that indicates any open camaraderie with any character besides Mercedes, as his relationship with Finn was dashed by the "gay as sexual predator" defense, and any potential friendship with Sam was tainted by such as well.

the Puck/Artie storyline was marginally likable, and I know Puck's bluster is a defense mechanism but god, is it hard to sympathize with such an increasingly ridiculous caricature.

the Foe Yay between Kurt and his Nemesis, was a complete and enjoyable blindside. Misdirection is always nice, and yes, there are plenty of gay men that, later in life come out after years of fighting it and everyone else that could possibly remind them of it. Its a worthy story to mine, sure, but I do think its dangerous for Kurt to romantically involve himself with someone who basically brutalized him out of angst for so long. The parallels between this and Hollyoaks are well made in that regard. I'm inclined to think that helping Dave, while noble and understandable is NOT Kurts responsibility. Granted, he may be more evolved and further along on his emotional progression, but it cannot be healthy to yoke yourself to someone with a history of violence and that much self loathing.

Also? As much as I wanted to like Sam, the blonde ambition Prom scenario and Quinn's forced theatricality about the Beiste scenario was underwhelming. I think my shipping has sunk. On the whole I think this was a groundbreaking, incredibly cathartic episode that somewhat effectively peels back the human implications of both overt and subtle bullying. And yes, Chris Colfer is sodding brilliant for being able to convey the stinging, icy isolation and the sudden giddy making glimmers of hope and self awareness with the merest expression. This, ladies and gents is talent. And if anyone can take the struggles and trials of Kurt to heart and feel less alone or less inclined to look the other way, there might just be hope for the world yet.

High School Loners, Pop-n-lockathons, and Unfortunate Implications.

If I were a betting man, I'd put money on it turning out to be a gorgeous day. I'm jamming out to Pandora (a freaking lush electropop and nerdcore station inspired by "Toro y Moi" , which I've posted a song to earlier) working on some copy editing, and smiling absently. I thought I'd take the liberty of sharing some of the "cooler" pop-culture trends (music, video games, comic books) I've snuck upon this week in this post:

• Comicon. Nothing says nerdy like a comic book convention, and unsuprisingly I've always wanted to go (and if not for that abject poverty...). Comic book character cosplay, consorting with the creators, artist and writers of your favorite books, getting insider info on upcoming games and plots... yeah, there's nothing more nerd chic than NYC's Comicon. There's a lot of odd ball fun that goes on at these conventions. Just when you think there's nothing better than watching a drunk cosplay Thor vomit in a potted plant...you've got an X-Men Pop and Lock-athon. (Who knew Iceman was such a bitchin dancer?) The spectacle needs to be seen to be believed.

• Comics Alliance puts out some laugh out loud funny and clever articles on comic book media and culture, one of my faves is the periodical that lampoons and explains the more asbsurd backstories of some of the older characters. And you'd think having the name Ant Man would be the worst possible thing...
  
  
  

I admit with some trepidation that I've been watching Glee for some time, and am continually impressed with the level of irepressible spirit and unquestionable talent Ryan Murphy has managed to assemble in the telling of his absurd yet winning musical theatre dramaedy. Other nods? Its easily one of the most diverse television shows on network television, what with hispanic snarky head cheerleaders, out and over the top fabulous soprano gays, orientationally ambiguous jock comic fans, multi-racial primadonnas and asian goths. This weeks episode was both brilliant (Every single number was fantastic, the New Guy is really likeable, Other Asian actually has lines!) and subtextually frustrating.

What I found grating about the epsidoe after the fact revolves around interpetation of homophobia. Finn, our masculine ideal, basically insists that Kurt- the lone gay should "back off" any percieved interest in new kid Sam because "two guys singing a duet together would be social suicide", despite the fact that Sam is not at all bothered by the idea (and also comments about his insistance that Sam should see this as icky as homophobic). Instead Kurt backs off out of self-sacrificing guilt and sulkily decides he's destined for solitude. What drives me nuts is that the only reason he's being isolated is because his so called friend has gone out of his way to make this happen. If the moral of the story is suck it up queer boys because expressing interest in anyone who isn't openly gay is predatory, I'm going to go ahead and call unfortunate implications there. And I'll say it. Finn is a jerkass. And this show is full of mixed messages and mised opportunities...but its always fun to watch.

• I've been having a great week with new music. I've already yammered about my current anthem Toro y Moi's "Low Shoulder", give a listen to Xiu Xiu's "Grey Death", Foals "This Orient" (outstanding track) , and a new find of mine Javelin "Moscow 1980". Later Days!

Xiu Xiu- Grey Death

Foals- This Orient.

Superbad.

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.12565/title.ne-yo-comic-pioneer-stan-lee-appear-together-at-comic-con/

Yeahhh. Cant be 100 percent positive, but...I'm pretty sure this is a clear sign of the apocalypse. Stan "the Man" Lee teaming up with Ne-Yo? Unlike comic book team ups of yore...I'm somewhat hoping this doesn't start with opposing super heroes having a foolish disagreement that turns into a property damage causing fight. (Because Stan would win)

Home > News > Ne-Yo & Comic Pioneer Stan Lee Appear Together At Comic Con
Ne-Yo & Comic Pioneer Stan Lee Appear Together At Comic Con
by Allen Jacobs

posted October 12, 2010 at 1:47PM EDT 0 comments

"The Libra Scale" will have a corresponding comic book and video series, as POW! Entertainment teams with the Def Jam star, and they unveil the plot.

On Saturday October 9, Def Jam singer Ne-Yo and former President and Chairman of Marvel Comics appeared together at New York's Comic Con. Lee, now head of POW! Entertainment, has worked with Ne-Yo on his upcoming album, The Libra Scale, which will feature a companion comic book.

The two appeared in a panel, moderated by journalist, blogger and HOT 97 radio personality Miss Info. Ne-Yo revealed that Libra Scale's first three singles, "Champagne Life," "Beautiful Monster" and "One In A Million" will have videos that feature the corresponding comic in live action.

The Libra Scale character, "Jerome," has vowed to never fall in love in exchange for super-powers. When he meets the character of "Pretti Sinclair," that temptation is tested.

Also, having just read that, I threw up in my mouth a little.


And now for some (admittedly goofy) mood music: