Choose Carefully: The Soul of the Known Universe Rests Upon Your Weary Shoulders
THE AWL: The End of the 00s v. THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Decade We Had
(via matthewgallaway)
Yes.
We Do This. We Do That.
Welcome to We Do This. We Do That. The themes here tends to be: smart ideas/things that make me think, beautiful things and social justice - leaning towards coverage of politics, new media and the gays. Brownie points for those who recognize the url as a nod to Patti Smith and the title as a nod to Frank O'Hara's poetic style
You can also find me at HuffPo, Twitter and YouTube
And can reach me at: butnotmine(at)gmail(dot)com
I just can’t get enough of this song by the brilliant and beautiful Our Lady J.
Literally. This has been on repeat on my computer for days now. The more you listen, the more gorgeous it gets.
Trouble
Jesus Was A Gemini
Score one for the team.
Many have loved you with lips and fingers
And lain with you till the moon went out;
Many have brought you lover’s gifts!
And some have left their dreams on your doorstep.
But I who am youth among your lovers
Come like an acolyte to worship,
My thirsting blood restrained by reverence,
My heart a wordless prayer.
The candles of desire are lighted,
I bow my head, afraid before you,
A mendicant who craves your bounty
Ashamed of what small gifts she brings.
- Love’s Acolyte, Elsa Gidlow (1898-1986)
(via)
Capitol Christmas Tree
(via william couch on Flickr)
White Tree: Is it going to snow tomorrow?
Purple Tree: Fuck if I know.
Reading that below link led me back to further think about the production of opera and the question of accessibility. (By which I mean, literal accessibility - i.e. not just those who are able to experience opera in opera houses - as well as accessibility in the sense of expanding the audience of those who feel opera has something for them.) In the comments, I posted my belief that perhaps this time in American culture, where GLEE and Nine, and whatever else, have reintroduced music into mainstream entertainment, perhaps it would not be impossible to see well produced, creative and relevant versions of various operas in mainstream films.
I lack good modern American examples to point to. But this does give fine reason to pause and bring to your attention one of my favorite examples of opera turned into an accessible work made by the people, for the people, of South Africa. See above for the trailer of Carmen, translated in Xhosa, and shot in a township outside Cape Town. The film is gorgeous and breathtaking and incredibly made prescient and relevant to modern time and culture in the country.
Come on, America, work it out and take this musical mainstream entertainment theme somewhere like that! Who’s the rich gay who’s gonna fund the first production?
People Who Blow My Mind Regularly, Rocking It In A Whole New Way As Well (Love This!/Elektra!)
(<3 u MG!)
Also, from now on, I mean to scream more regularly:
“NO ONE LISTENS TO CASSANDRA!
(But the future will know I was right.)”
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
John Coltrane - In A Sentimental Mood
This song doesn’t make you ache, this song is ache. And yeah, there’s Coltrane’s plaintive wail on a slow burn, there’s Duke’s plinking shower of golden sparks, there’s Aaron Bell’s drunk and queasy see-saw bass. But mainly the ache is in the restraint Elvin shows, skirting right up to the edge of one of his thunder-claps, rolling and roiling, but never quite following through. It’s anticipation that is never resolved and that is the whole candle-lit point, drown another one boy-o.
This song is the definition of slayed and slaying.
