Foster The People is a 3 man outfit from L.A. with Mark Foster on keyboards, guitars, & vocals; Mark Pontius on drums; & Cubbie Fink on bass & backing vocals. This song was on my March Mix, but it continues to make me happy & get me moving. Totally adorkable!
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Saturday, April 30, 2011
New Music: Foster The People & Pumped Up Kicks
Foster The People is a 3 man outfit from L.A. with Mark Foster on keyboards, guitars, & vocals; Mark Pontius on drums; & Cubbie Fink on bass & backing vocals. This song was on my March Mix, but it continues to make me happy & get me moving. Totally adorkable!
Gratuitious
I hope you don't mind. I needed to post something on Saturday, April 30th, to meet my challenge of posting everyday. Please, I entreat you good readers, forgive my sloth. I realize that you were aching for one of my my long biographical sketches of a famous gay person on their birthday. Even the Post Apocalyptic Bohemian needs to simply toss one off every once in a while.
South Side Trisha
Trisha Photo Stills in Teenmaar Theen Maar, 08 more images after the break...
Jennifer Lopez Photoshoot Tony Duran 2001
Jennifer Lopez Photoshoot Tony Duran (2001),08 more images after the break...
Tallest Girl From Thailand
Towering head and shoulders above her parents, this giant teenager is the tallest in the world at a whopping 6ft 10 in and she could still be growing. Weighing in at 20.5 stone, Malee Duangdee from eastern Thailand knew she was different from a young age, growing much faster than her school friends. Her height brought the 19-year-old problems while she was at school and she suffered from bullies and has memories of a lifetime of loneliness. She said: 'I used to feel like a freak, schoolchildren used to bully me and call me names. But since leaving school I've tried to feel more comfortable with who I am. I've got used to life on my own, but it's hard.' 04 More images after the break...
Friday, April 29, 2011
Born On This Day- April 29th... Celeste Holme
I met her once. It was really rather a thrill because I am true fan, & at the time, a musical queen. I was over the moon to meet the original Ado Annie from Oklahoma!. As a film smart, savvy young gay man my head was simply spinning to be meeting Karen, Margo Channing’s best friend in All About Eve, one of my very favorite films.
The occasion was being received back stage by Betty Garrett, after her one-woman show- Betty Garrett & Other Songs at the Westwood Playhouse in Spring 1976. Betty Garrett had been my acquaintance for a year, & we had recently been at a very informal outdoor dinner thrown by mutual friends. Betty & I had a very special conversation that evening that ended with Betty offering me the house seats to her show the next evening. I took her up on the offer, & the show was splendid, sparkling & sentimental. After her big finish, but before the curtain call, Betty looked into the house with her hands shielding her eyes & announced while pointing : "My dead friend Celeste & Stephen… I want to see you both in my dressing room in a few minutes.” I turned to the person next to me & nudged & whispered- “That’s me… I'm Stephen, I’m not Celeste.”
So, Oscar winner & consummate character actor Celeste Home, & little curly-haired redheaded Stephen hung out in the dressing room while Betty Garrett got out of costume & make up. Celeste Holm & our hero made small talk & loudly praised Ms. Garrett’s show. I heaped praise on Holme's stage performance in Mame, which I had adored in 1968.
I declined an offer from the 2 amazing stars of Hollywood’s golden era to move on to the next party as a team. Instead, I would opt for Studio One in West Hollywood, hoping that some hot man would shove that little brown bottle under my nose, the one that makes me feel so sexy & really connected with the thumping music. I did meet a beefy redhead that took me to his place in Venice Beach, used me for my considerable talents & then made me breakfast. I came to the fork in the road, & I made the wrong decision. I could have partied away the evening with the woman who introduced the world to the showstopper- I Can't Say No (by coincidence, the title of a chapter in my memoir- Jockstraps & Vicodin), instead I took the fork that might have gotten me forked.
Celeste, I was dense, I was callow, I was young. I was thinking with my dick. I apologize. Ask me again, I will devote a date to you & we can remember our friend Betty. Take me up on my offer. Happy 94th birthday! You out lived the entire cast of All About Eve. You are still one hot number!
Celeste Holm tells this story: She was nominated for an Oscar for a film she made with Loretta Young- Come To The Stable, in which they both played nuns! Loretta had become quite pious after having given birth to Clark Gable's love child (talk about virgin birth... she then adopts her own daughter) & Loretta Young announced to the cast & crew that there would no swearing or strong language on the set. Miss Young had set up a penalty box; if someone should slip up & use a Goddamn, fuck or shit, they would need to put a nickle in the box, with the proceeds going to a Vatican charity at the end of the shoot. Holme's good friend Ethel Merman stopped by the set to visit. Ethel took a 10 dollar bill out of her purse & slipped it into the Curse Box & loudly proclaimed- "There you go Loretta. Now you can go fuck yourself". I told this story to a group of 20-35 year olds that I supervise at my job. Not a single one knew of Celeste Holm, Loretta Young, Ethel Merman, or All About Eve, even the gay ones. I hate getting old.
Holmes also relates: "I walked onto the set of All About Eve on the first day & said, 'Good Morning,' to Miss Bette Davis, & do you know her reply? She said, 'Oh shit, good manners'. I never spoke to her again ... ever."
Celeste Holm lives in her native NYC. She married 5 times; she married her current husband, opera singer Frank Basile, on April 29, 2004, her 87th birthday. Celeste turns an astonishing 94 today.
The occasion was being received back stage by Betty Garrett, after her one-woman show- Betty Garrett & Other Songs at the Westwood Playhouse in Spring 1976. Betty Garrett had been my acquaintance for a year, & we had recently been at a very informal outdoor dinner thrown by mutual friends. Betty & I had a very special conversation that evening that ended with Betty offering me the house seats to her show the next evening. I took her up on the offer, & the show was splendid, sparkling & sentimental. After her big finish, but before the curtain call, Betty looked into the house with her hands shielding her eyes & announced while pointing : "My dead friend Celeste & Stephen… I want to see you both in my dressing room in a few minutes.” I turned to the person next to me & nudged & whispered- “That’s me… I'm Stephen, I’m not Celeste.”
So, Oscar winner & consummate character actor Celeste Home, & little curly-haired redheaded Stephen hung out in the dressing room while Betty Garrett got out of costume & make up. Celeste Holm & our hero made small talk & loudly praised Ms. Garrett’s show. I heaped praise on Holme's stage performance in Mame, which I had adored in 1968.
I declined an offer from the 2 amazing stars of Hollywood’s golden era to move on to the next party as a team. Instead, I would opt for Studio One in West Hollywood, hoping that some hot man would shove that little brown bottle under my nose, the one that makes me feel so sexy & really connected with the thumping music. I did meet a beefy redhead that took me to his place in Venice Beach, used me for my considerable talents & then made me breakfast. I came to the fork in the road, & I made the wrong decision. I could have partied away the evening with the woman who introduced the world to the showstopper- I Can't Say No (by coincidence, the title of a chapter in my memoir- Jockstraps & Vicodin), instead I took the fork that might have gotten me forked.
Celeste, I was dense, I was callow, I was young. I was thinking with my dick. I apologize. Ask me again, I will devote a date to you & we can remember our friend Betty. Take me up on my offer. Happy 94th birthday! You out lived the entire cast of All About Eve. You are still one hot number!
Celeste Holm tells this story: She was nominated for an Oscar for a film she made with Loretta Young- Come To The Stable, in which they both played nuns! Loretta had become quite pious after having given birth to Clark Gable's love child (talk about virgin birth... she then adopts her own daughter) & Loretta Young announced to the cast & crew that there would no swearing or strong language on the set. Miss Young had set up a penalty box; if someone should slip up & use a Goddamn, fuck or shit, they would need to put a nickle in the box, with the proceeds going to a Vatican charity at the end of the shoot. Holme's good friend Ethel Merman stopped by the set to visit. Ethel took a 10 dollar bill out of her purse & slipped it into the Curse Box & loudly proclaimed- "There you go Loretta. Now you can go fuck yourself". I told this story to a group of 20-35 year olds that I supervise at my job. Not a single one knew of Celeste Holm, Loretta Young, Ethel Merman, or All About Eve, even the gay ones. I hate getting old.
Holmes also relates: "I walked onto the set of All About Eve on the first day & said, 'Good Morning,' to Miss Bette Davis, & do you know her reply? She said, 'Oh shit, good manners'. I never spoke to her again ... ever."
Celeste Holm lives in her native NYC. She married 5 times; she married her current husband, opera singer Frank Basile, on April 29, 2004, her 87th birthday. Celeste turns an astonishing 94 today.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Born On This Day- April 28th... American Writer Nell Harper Lee
Seemingly impossible, I did not read To Kill A Mockingbird as a young person, & I didn’t see the film until 2005, at the Husband’s insistence. I certainly would have been better briefed for adulthood if I had encountered this masterpiece of an American novel in my early teens rather than early 50s. The book is in a tie for my favorite tome of all time.
Harper Lee is a noiseless nonconformist. Her cold shoulder towards celebrity is challenging to conceive of in today's culture, especially for a popular writer. Lee hoped her book would meet a "quick & merciful death”. It achieved immortality, the most popular American novel of the 20th century. The film version, has a perfect screenplay by Horton Foote that is so spot on that they have merged in peoples’ heads.
Lee has wry sense of humor. She was the editor of the humor magazine at the University of Alabama. When told that her book had great appeal for children, Lee stated: "But I hate children. I can't stand them."
In 1950, a young frumpy girl, fresh from the University Of Alabama, minus her law degree, moved to NYC from her hometown of Monroeville. She didn't think she was up to much, just renewing her friendship with her childhood buddy- Truman Capote. She said she was writing a book & that was that. She published that book in 1960.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a barely disguised version of her Alabama family & her town’s Southern racial consciousness inspired, but it is also about Lee & Capote, childhood chums who become personally & artistically linked legends. They were precocious children with little in common with their peers, Lee was too rough for girls, & Capote was too soft for boys. They each had emotionally remote mothers: Capote's was a self- centered social climber; Lee's was deeply depressed. Capote's father attempted to seduce Lee in her teens, & she punched him in the nose; Capote hated Lee's gossipy mother, & later used her in a story called Mrs. Busybody.
Lee became a friend to Gregory Peck, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch. She remains close to the actor's family. Peck's grandson, Harper Peck Voll, is named after her. In 2205, she was portrayed on film by Catherine Keener & Sandra Bullock. Lee continues to live a quiet, private life in NYC & Monroeville. She remains active in her church & community. She avoids anything to do with her still popular novel (selling a million copies a year & having never been out of print). Lee hasn't published a book since the Pulitzer Prize winning To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960. Lee turns 85 today.
Harper Lee is a noiseless nonconformist. Her cold shoulder towards celebrity is challenging to conceive of in today's culture, especially for a popular writer. Lee hoped her book would meet a "quick & merciful death”. It achieved immortality, the most popular American novel of the 20th century. The film version, has a perfect screenplay by Horton Foote that is so spot on that they have merged in peoples’ heads.
Lee has wry sense of humor. She was the editor of the humor magazine at the University of Alabama. When told that her book had great appeal for children, Lee stated: "But I hate children. I can't stand them."
In 1950, a young frumpy girl, fresh from the University Of Alabama, minus her law degree, moved to NYC from her hometown of Monroeville. She didn't think she was up to much, just renewing her friendship with her childhood buddy- Truman Capote. She said she was writing a book & that was that. She published that book in 1960.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a barely disguised version of her Alabama family & her town’s Southern racial consciousness inspired, but it is also about Lee & Capote, childhood chums who become personally & artistically linked legends. They were precocious children with little in common with their peers, Lee was too rough for girls, & Capote was too soft for boys. They each had emotionally remote mothers: Capote's was a self- centered social climber; Lee's was deeply depressed. Capote's father attempted to seduce Lee in her teens, & she punched him in the nose; Capote hated Lee's gossipy mother, & later used her in a story called Mrs. Busybody.
Lee became a friend to Gregory Peck, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch. She remains close to the actor's family. Peck's grandson, Harper Peck Voll, is named after her. In 2205, she was portrayed on film by Catherine Keener & Sandra Bullock. Lee continues to live a quiet, private life in NYC & Monroeville. She remains active in her church & community. She avoids anything to do with her still popular novel (selling a million copies a year & having never been out of print). Lee hasn't published a book since the Pulitzer Prize winning To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960. Lee turns 85 today.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Drive
Somehow I feel the failure, partly because there is a sting of truth in it, & partly because I tend toward anthropomorphism, grieving for the loss of life for a plant, believing that electronic equipment hates me, & knowing that I failed in my love for an automobile.
I have always held that Happiness is not a state of being, but rather Happiness is in the moments. For a few tiny moments in my considerable life, the stars aligned, my luck stuck, & all the points came together & everything worked. That was when I experienced an extended era of ecstatic enchantment. The blessed bliss brought prosperity, pleasure & possibilities for a life well lived.
The early 1970s: goofy, original good looks that only the young can posses because they don’t understand that it will all be gone someday. I could do nothing wrong. It all came easy to me: meaty roles in the theatre, meaty men in my bed, attention, admiration, humor, hilarity & hopefulness. Boston, LA & NYC.
Seattle 1982- 1989: Hot boyfriend, hot apartment, hot buzz about my acting on stage & in commercials, films, & TV. My image is on the side of buses, on the back page of the newspaper, on billboards, & I am mentioned in the press. We can rarely go a day without my being recognized & commented on by strangers & feted by friends. The hot boyfriend considers that it may not be all that good for me, but he remains a fan, attending all of my opening nights. I gym daily. I have single digit body fat. Sexual performance is never an issue. Never a mention that I might party too much.
Portland 2002-2006: comfortable, curious, & cultivated. We own our own home for the first time. Our Own Home. The boyfriend becomes my husband. We have respectable employment. The Husband is thin, tan, talented, sleek & sexy. He wears beautiful clothing at work & no clothing at the beach. We have hundreds in checking & thousands in savings. We vacation in NYC, seeing Broadway shows & shopping. We weekend in Palm Springs, imbibing & inhaling poolside.
For a couple of weeks, I had been eyeing a bronze Volkswagen station wagon at a car lot on the way to the gym. On one of those happy days, I walked into the lot & drove out in that station wagon. After decades of driving clunkers, I had a real automobile for the first time & it felt fine.
In my beautiful new car, handsome silver fox husband at the wheel, singing along to Tegan & Sara’s Walking With A Ghost & Dave Matthew’s American Baby from my summer mix, driving along a rustic rural road on Sauvie Island on a perfect August morning, headed to the nude beach with a book, blanket, & a thermos of vodka lemonade, having already dropped a half a hit of E… I was experiencing perfectly, profoundly happiness.
2011: barely1 ½ incomes, bills, hospital visits, prescriptions, old dog, crushing depression, strained relationships, strained budget, strained bank accounts. Yesterday, it was agreed that the Volkswagen would go. I calculated that we would save us $8000 a year by not paying car payments, insurance, gasoline, & maintenance. We will sock it away & someday purchase an old pick-up truck so we can go to Lowes, the salvage shops & nurseries. We will join ZipCar for $75 a month for 15 hours of driving (enough for the Husband to deal with clients). They pay the insurance & the fuel. ZipCar has a car parked just at the end of our block.
We will not be able to be able to be spontaneous. If the Husband forgets an ingredient in tonight’s dinner, it will require a trip to the supermarket 10 blocks away.
I have that tingle of tumult for trying something strange & unaccustomed. We will walk when willed. Bicycles are in order. I don’t need a lot: house, garden, dogs, books, music, local watering spots. Using the ZipCar & leaving the neighborhood will be our big adventure.
Your host, a decade ago, with his 1970 Ford Pickup Truck
In Seattle, I a drove a red 1970 Ford pickup truck & the Husband got around in his yellow 1960 Ford pickup. It seemed too daunting to get them both to Portland when we moved. The Husband sold his truck & I traded with my father, my pickup for a junker. I always mourned the letting go of those 2 trucks. Now with the giving up of the station wagon, I feel remorse. Why does this place I find myself in make me maudlin & make me cry? It is just an automobile; they come & they go. It always ran perfectly, it never gave me any trouble & the bronze Volkswagen Station Wagon came into my life at a point when my existence was uncommonly, uncharacteristically upbeat, & dare I say, for a moment… happy.
A Morning With The Post Apocalyptic Bohemians...
This is an aesthetic that the Husband finds to have an agreeablely austere allure:
This is the actuality..
with ample amounts of accountability on my part:
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Shweta Tiwari Photoshoot
Shweta Tiwari Photoshoot, 10 more images after the break...
Candice Swanepoel — Victoria’s Secret Photoshoot
Candice Swanepoel – Victoria’s Secret Photoshoot, 16 more images after the break...
Top 10 Healthiest Fruits
01. Strawberries
Strawberries have high levels of ellagic acid and anthocyanins, and are rich in vitamin C (95 mg per cup) and fiber (3.8 g per cup). Fruits provide lots vitamins and carbohydrates to nourish the body and also add variety to the diet. Apples are a great source of vitamin C, they prevents the growth of harmful bacteria and help fight cancer. Bananas are handy for problems like constipation and diarrhea. Blueberries have a number of health benefits including anti-cancerous, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Mango are other sources of vitamin C. Research has also indicated that these fruits are beneficial for arthritis and other anti-inflammatory conditions because they have a cooling affect on the body. Here are top ten healthiest fruits to keep you fresh, healthy and full of life. 09 more after the break...
Top 10 Most Walkable Cities in the United States
10. Portland, OR
Population: 2.14 million
% commute by walking: 2.8%
% commute by mass transit: 5.9%
Average commute: 25.3 minutes
Number of parks: 39.5
% commute by walking: 2.8%
% commute by mass transit: 5.9%
Average commute: 25.3 minutes
Number of parks: 39.5
09 Cities more after the break...
Monday, April 25, 2011
Born On This Day- April 25th... Lyricist Jerry Leiber
Jerome Leiber is one of the most important & influential songwriters of the 1950s, 1960s, & 1970s. He was a member of The Brill Building stable, & along with his writing partner- Mike Stoller, wrote some of the biggest hits of their era:
There Goes My Baby
Hound Dog
Kansas City
Smokey Joe's Cafe
Yakety Yak
Poison Ivy
Charlie Brown
Ruby Baby
Stand By Me
Jailhouse Rock
Love Potion #9
Searchin
Young Blood
Is That All There Is?
On Broadway
Spanish Harlem
Here is one of my favorite Leiber lyrics:
Pearl's a singer
She stands up when she plays the piano
In a nightclub
Pearl's a singer
She sings song for the lost & the lonely
Her job is entertaining folks
Singing songs & telling jokes in a nightclub
Pearl's a singer
& they say
That she once was a winner in a contest
Pearl's a singer
& they say that she once
Cut a record
They played it for a week or so
On a local radio
It never made it
She wanted to be Betty Grable
But now she sits there
At the beer stained table
Dreaming of the things she never got to do
All those dreams that never came true
Pearl's a singer
She stands up when she plays the piano
In a nightclub
Pearl's a singer
She sings song for the lost & the lonely
Her job is entertaining folks
Singing songs & telling jokes in a nightclub
Pearl's a singer
She stands up when she plays the piano
In a nightclub
Pearl's a singer
She sings song for the lost & the lonely
Her job is entertaining folks
Singing songs & telling jokes
... in a nightclub
Jerome Leiber 1977
There Goes My Baby
Hound Dog
Kansas City
Smokey Joe's Cafe
Yakety Yak
Poison Ivy
Charlie Brown
Ruby Baby
Stand By Me
Jailhouse Rock
Love Potion #9
Searchin
Young Blood
Is That All There Is?
On Broadway
Spanish Harlem
Here is one of my favorite Leiber lyrics:
Pearl's a singer
She stands up when she plays the piano
In a nightclub
Pearl's a singer
She sings song for the lost & the lonely
Her job is entertaining folks
Singing songs & telling jokes in a nightclub
Pearl's a singer
& they say
That she once was a winner in a contest
Pearl's a singer
& they say that she once
Cut a record
They played it for a week or so
On a local radio
It never made it
She wanted to be Betty Grable
But now she sits there
At the beer stained table
Dreaming of the things she never got to do
All those dreams that never came true
Pearl's a singer
She stands up when she plays the piano
In a nightclub
Pearl's a singer
She sings song for the lost & the lonely
Her job is entertaining folks
Singing songs & telling jokes in a nightclub
Pearl's a singer
She stands up when she plays the piano
In a nightclub
Pearl's a singer
She sings song for the lost & the lonely
Her job is entertaining folks
Singing songs & telling jokes
... in a nightclub
Jerome Leiber 1977
A Little Respect For Andy Bell
I have been a big fan of a certain pop happy duo since the mid-1980’s. Erasure consists of the straight songwriter/ keyboardist Vince Clark & openly Gay singer Andy Bell. One of Erasure’s fanatic fan bases comes from within the Gay community itself, where Andy Bell is regarded as a Gay icon to. Growing up with the belief that respect goes a long way, Bell learned that at an early age you should carry through in life what you want given back.
Despite a continued collaboration with Vince Clarke & Erasure, Bell has some of his own solo gigs as a much in demand DJ. If you don’t know Erasure's work, start with the compilation Total Pop! The First 40. Among the digitally remastered tracks: Oh, L’Amour, A Little Respect, Boy, Stand By Your Man, Chain Of Love, & Blue Savannah.
Erasure is known for elaborate stage shows & productions. Bell: “It is always fun creating the various productions. I play a creative role, but we have always had quite a production team. Our swan production was quite over the top.” I was zany for the wild, wild west routine with Bell singing Tammy Wynette’s Stand By Your Man with Erasure partner Vince Clarke (a straight boy) in full drag. Another favorite is his contribution to the original Red+Hot+Blue album- Cole Porter's Too Darn Hot.
In 1985, Clarke picked Andy Bell out of a large group to audition for a new group. Clarke had successfully created 2 other groups that I was mad for: Depeche Mode & Yazoo- featuring singer Alison Moyet. Bell: “I was #36 to audition. After many months in the studio, I also think they figured out I was gay with all the boys I had visiting me during that time.” After 30 years of hits, tours & travel with Clarke, the duo are still very close & continue to coordinate on new projects.
Bell is open about Sylvester & Freddy Mercury as his role models. Bell: “Freddy Mercury, if he were to still be alive today, would have been one of the top performers in the industry. He was so far ahead of his time. & when it comes to sexuality, these days that isn’t such an issue. We have evolved.” Bell claims he would love work with Annie Lennox, who remains one of his favorite singer.
Bell was part of The True Colors tour in 2007 & went to cities around the US and Canada. Presented by the Logo Channel, the tour featured Andy Bell with & without Erasure, Margaret Cho, Cyndi Lauper, Deborah Harry, Rosie O’Donnell & others. The benefit for the HRC, PFLAG & The Matthew Shepard Foundation was a stunning success.
Bell was one of the first pop stars to come out as being gay, & in 2004 he become one of the first pop stars to come out as HIV positive. Bell has known his status since June 1998, when he came down with a case of pneumonia, & was quite happy keeping the news to himself. But when speculation started last winter about his health during a recent double hip replacement, Bell thought he'd set the record straight & try to erase some of the stigma at the same time.
Bell lives the life in London with longtime partner- Paul Hickey. He turns 47 years old on this day- April 25th. Any musical message from Andy Bell will always bring a little RESPECT from Post Apocalyptic Bohemia.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Kooky & Nutty: 2 Icons Share A Birthday
Shirley MacLaine: 6 Oscar nominations with a win for Terms of Endearment, 20 Golden Globe nominations with 7 wins including Best Newcomer in 1955 & the Cecil B DeMille Look Alike Award. 14 books, all best sellers. Her brother is Warren Beatty. They have never worked together, but that is something I would pay to see, especially if they would play senior citizen lovers. She talks to her dog- Terry & her dog talks back. My favorite MacLaine role – Doris (a thinly disguised Debbie Reynolds) in Post Cards From The Edge.
Barbra Streisand: 5 Oscar nominations with 2 wins, including one as a composer, 16 Golden Globe nominations with 8 wins including the Cecil B DeMille Look Alike Award. 8 Grammy Awards, & one of only a handful of performers to have an Oscar, Emmy, Tony & Grammy on their mantle, & the only artist to have a #1 Album in 5 different decades. Her son-in-law is Josh Brolin. Last year she wrote a frightening coffee table book about her questionable interior designing taste. She gave her very cute son-Jason Gould a role in the underrated Prince Of Tides. She talks to her dog- Sammy. My favorite Streisand role- Doris in The Owl & The Pussycat.
They share a birthday today- April 24th. MacLaine turns 77 & Streisand, 69. Traditionally, they spend their birthdays together. I would like to be a fly on the wall at that party.
Barbra Streisand: 5 Oscar nominations with 2 wins, including one as a composer, 16 Golden Globe nominations with 8 wins including the Cecil B DeMille Look Alike Award. 8 Grammy Awards, & one of only a handful of performers to have an Oscar, Emmy, Tony & Grammy on their mantle, & the only artist to have a #1 Album in 5 different decades. Her son-in-law is Josh Brolin. Last year she wrote a frightening coffee table book about her questionable interior designing taste. She gave her very cute son-Jason Gould a role in the underrated Prince Of Tides. She talks to her dog- Sammy. My favorite Streisand role- Doris in The Owl & The Pussycat.
They share a birthday today- April 24th. MacLaine turns 77 & Streisand, 69. Traditionally, they spend their birthdays together. I would like to be a fly on the wall at that party.
Epperson & Gaultier
John Epperson: “Tolerance isn't enough. Acceptance isn't enough. Understanding may be enough. But I don't know if you can understand unless you're inside a person's skin. What could be enough is just to somehow shed the fear & loathing, but the only way that can be done is if all the people who hate homosexuals realize there's a potential homosexual lurking in them. Sexuality is a transitory thing that could shift at any moment. It's bigger than all of us”.
After leaving his native Mississippi, young John Epperson moved to NYC & landed a job as the rehearsal pianist for the American Ballet Theater. He also began doing drag performances at nightspots Club 57 & the Pyramid Club. Epperson quit his job with the American Ballet Theater in 1991 in order to perform full-time as Lypsinka. He has since returned to his position at American Ballet Theater. Last year he had a non-drag role as the rehearsal pianist in the Film- Black Swan. What a stretch. It would have been more thrilling if Lypsinka had played the role, not to disparage Epperson's estimable talents.
Fueled by the early 1980s avant-garde, pop culture art scene in NYC, Epperson let flow his creative pluck into one of the more distinctive personas to emerge in contemporary performing arts: Lypsinka.
For the past 2 decades, Epperson's performances as Lypsinka have met with international acclaim for elevating drag & lip-synching to a beguiling world where Lypsinka speaks only through intricately interlaced bits of dialogue drawn from the considerable catalogue of American entertainment. Epperson turns 55 today.
Starting out as Pierre Cardin’s assistant in 1970, Jean Paul Gaultier showed his first collection in 1976 at the urging of his boyfriend- Francis Menuge, who was his partner in business & life, until he died of AIDS complications in 1990. Gaultier’s collections have always been influenced by street culture & the media & he’s known for twisting gender roles in his designs, often overshadowing the elaborate design & construction of his work. Gaultier has literally made a career for himself out of nothing but sheer determination & dedication. With no formal training, he has managed to create a self-made empire with no indication of slowing down. He is a magical master of the theatrical in his runway shows, displays & advertising.
An unconventional designer, Gaultier claims to finds inspiration in everyday life, drawing from what he says, “is the truth of an object”. His shows are fabulous events, & he uses every shape & size of model. Fearless & passionate in any endeavor he takes on, whether it is the biggest pop star of all time & her sold out world tour, or blockbuster sci-fi thriller movies, Gaultier is one the best. The bad boy of fashion turns 59 today.
After leaving his native Mississippi, young John Epperson moved to NYC & landed a job as the rehearsal pianist for the American Ballet Theater. He also began doing drag performances at nightspots Club 57 & the Pyramid Club. Epperson quit his job with the American Ballet Theater in 1991 in order to perform full-time as Lypsinka. He has since returned to his position at American Ballet Theater. Last year he had a non-drag role as the rehearsal pianist in the Film- Black Swan. What a stretch. It would have been more thrilling if Lypsinka had played the role, not to disparage Epperson's estimable talents.
Fueled by the early 1980s avant-garde, pop culture art scene in NYC, Epperson let flow his creative pluck into one of the more distinctive personas to emerge in contemporary performing arts: Lypsinka.
For the past 2 decades, Epperson's performances as Lypsinka have met with international acclaim for elevating drag & lip-synching to a beguiling world where Lypsinka speaks only through intricately interlaced bits of dialogue drawn from the considerable catalogue of American entertainment. Epperson turns 55 today.
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Starting out as Pierre Cardin’s assistant in 1970, Jean Paul Gaultier showed his first collection in 1976 at the urging of his boyfriend- Francis Menuge, who was his partner in business & life, until he died of AIDS complications in 1990. Gaultier’s collections have always been influenced by street culture & the media & he’s known for twisting gender roles in his designs, often overshadowing the elaborate design & construction of his work. Gaultier has literally made a career for himself out of nothing but sheer determination & dedication. With no formal training, he has managed to create a self-made empire with no indication of slowing down. He is a magical master of the theatrical in his runway shows, displays & advertising.
An unconventional designer, Gaultier claims to finds inspiration in everyday life, drawing from what he says, “is the truth of an object”. His shows are fabulous events, & he uses every shape & size of model. Fearless & passionate in any endeavor he takes on, whether it is the biggest pop star of all time & her sold out world tour, or blockbuster sci-fi thriller movies, Gaultier is one the best. The bad boy of fashion turns 59 today.
Forty Years Ago Today
40 years ago, on this very day, my little 17 year old brain was spinning with the potential, probability, prospect... & risks of my life moving forward. I understood that I was gay, but I was determined not to be tragic. I dated girls & I had asked the very funny, fiery & fine Teresa to the Spring Prom. I came out to her that evening while making out in my 1961 Jeep Willis. Teresa was so traumatized by my announcement that she still won't speak to me, refusing to acknowledge me at our 25th high school reunion, & declining my offer to be friends on Facebook last year.
I had just received the intoxicating communique that I had been chosen as a company member at The Coeur d' Alene Summer Theatre, the top notch summer stock theatre in the PNW. This would be my first professional job, performing my special stage magic in 4 musicals in repertory.
I understood that to be gay I needed to get out of Spokane & my parents had offered to pay for college. I got an atlas & a length of string & I made an acutely arbitrary choice of Boston College because it was so far away, but they still spoke English (sort of, I was to discover). This weekend, 40 years ago, I sent off my application.
To steel myself for the excitement & endangerment of what was ahead, I locked myself in my bedroom, I smoked a joint & I put this single on my stereo:
Saturday, April 23, 2011
On This Day In Gay History, 50 Years Ago: Judy At Carnegie Hall
Judy Garland was only 37 years old, but near death, addicted to booze & pills. Her acting & singing careers were considered long over. Defying doctors’ directives, Garland put all her eggs in one big show biz basket- a 1961 Carnegie Hall Concert. That performance became a moment in time for those who were there & a showbiz legend for everyone else. The evening is still considered the greatest night in show business history.
Garland had not worked in films since A Star Is Born in 1954. After a period of rest & nutrition, & a more moderate indulgence in alchahol & pharmacuticals,she had gradually been building a solid reoputaion for showing up, & giving well regarded performances in all sorts of venues in Europe & North America in 1960 & early 1961. But no one was anticipating the mania was on the evening she brought her act she to Carnegie Hall. Her audience would call her her back for encore after encore, even asking her to repeat a song after her book of arrangements sung through.
On Sunday, April 23rd, 1961, after a bombastic overture that built high emotion, Garland made her entrance 20 minutes late, looking exceptionally restored, & put together, to a very loud ovation from the audience. Her audience that night included theatre performers & show biz greats on their usual Sunday night off & the celebrities were as crazed in their veneration towards Garland as her gay audience.
Barry Manilow: “Name me one other artist, ever, whose concert is celebrated 50 years after the concert was done. When her voice was in tip-top shape, everything she did was filled with the truth. I think that’s the big difference between her & everybody else. Everybody else, oh yeah, they’re great singers—they do vocal acrobatics. But they don’t tell the truth. This woman always told the truth, and especially that night.”
Lorna Luft attending with sister Liza & brother Joey: “The one thing I remember, when you’re 8, adults are supposed to act like adults. They are not supposed to jump out of their chairs, screaming, yelling, running towards the stage. They’re supposed to be in control. There they were, all dressed up in the tuxedos, going nuts.”
The recording of this evening is the only Judy Garland recording on my collection. I don’t need another, she sings each song as if it were her last. The album is still stunning, vivid & vital. It was #1 on the Billboard charts for 13 weeks in 1961, & has never been out of print since.
Judy Garland At Carnegie Hall is the only Garland recording on my collection. I don’t need another, she sings each song as if it were her last. The album is still stunning, vivid & vital. It was #1 on the Billboard charts for 13 weeks in 1961, & has never been out of print since. Judy at Carnegie Hall is an essential album for those who wish to understand pop culture of the 20th century.
Whoopi Goldberg: “When she sings ‘Come Rain or Come Shine’, she combusts onstage at the end of it, that’s how I always wanted to be as an actor. That has always been one of my bars to reach, that state of grace that she goes into at the end of that song, when she sounds like she’s shaking like a branch that’s being blown, & she’s slightly off-key—just slightly. But it doesn’t matter, because she’s on fire.”
Garland's return to the top would be brief. In 1962, Garland was nominated for a best-supporting-actress Oscar for Stanley Kramer’s Judgment at Nuremberg; & a CBS TV special she did with Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin was a smash hit, leading the network to sign her to a $24 million variety series.
We know the sad story: she couldn’t stay away from the pills & her health deteriorated. In 1967, Garland married Mickey Deans, who supplied her with drugs. 3 months later, soon after her 47th birthday, her new husband found her dead of a barbiturate overdose in the bathroom of their London apartment. The viewing of her body at NYC’s Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home, was a stupendous spectacle, with tens of thousands mourners, just a few days before the Stonewall riots, a coincidence connecting the 2 events in many gay peoples’ minds & cemented Garland’s status as The Gay Icon. But Garland was a great artist & remains an icon to people of all persuasions, & the audience at her most celebrated concert was distinguished by diversity as well as devotion.
Born On This Day- April 24th... Halston
Roy Halston Frowick, or Halston was an iconic clothing designer of the 1970s & 1980s & a friend to Jackie O, Bianca Jagger, Liza Minnelli, Anjelica Huston, Lauren Bacall & Elizabeth Taylor, but he always ignored me at Studio 54.
A Midwesterner, he began his career as a milliner, designing the pillbox hat Jacqueline Kennedy to the1961 Presidential inauguration. Halston then moved to designing women's wear. Newsweek named Halston “the premier fashion designer of the USA”. Halston was the first international fashion superstar & possibly the best designer America has ever had.
He was the first American designer to perceive the potential of licensing himself. His influence went beyond style to reshape the business of fashion. Through his licensing agreement with USA retailer JC Penney, his designs were accessible to women at a variety of income levels. Although this practice is common today, it was a controversial move at the time & cost him couture customers.
Although he enjoyed enormous success, his drug use deepened, & a failure to meet deadline undermined his progress & profit. In 1984 he was fired from his own company & lost the right to design & sell clothes under his own name.
Halston was diagnosed with HIV in 1988. He died of AIDS-related lung cancer in San Francisco, California on March 26, 1990.
In the Sister Sledge disco hit- He's The Greatest Dancer, Halston is memorably mentioned in a description of a well-dressed man: “Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci - he looks like a still, the man is dressed to kill'. Halston has been mentioned in other songs, films & TV shows - usually as the criterion for a certain kind of cultured, cosmopolitan style.
Halston on far left... at Studio 54 with some of his friends
A Midwesterner, he began his career as a milliner, designing the pillbox hat Jacqueline Kennedy to the1961 Presidential inauguration. Halston then moved to designing women's wear. Newsweek named Halston “the premier fashion designer of the USA”. Halston was the first international fashion superstar & possibly the best designer America has ever had.
He was the first American designer to perceive the potential of licensing himself. His influence went beyond style to reshape the business of fashion. Through his licensing agreement with USA retailer JC Penney, his designs were accessible to women at a variety of income levels. Although this practice is common today, it was a controversial move at the time & cost him couture customers.
Although he enjoyed enormous success, his drug use deepened, & a failure to meet deadline undermined his progress & profit. In 1984 he was fired from his own company & lost the right to design & sell clothes under his own name.
Halston was diagnosed with HIV in 1988. He died of AIDS-related lung cancer in San Francisco, California on March 26, 1990.
In the Sister Sledge disco hit- He's The Greatest Dancer, Halston is memorably mentioned in a description of a well-dressed man: “Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci - he looks like a still, the man is dressed to kill'. Halston has been mentioned in other songs, films & TV shows - usually as the criterion for a certain kind of cultured, cosmopolitan style.
He Is Risen!
We Love Jesus At Post Apocalyptic Bohemia!
19th Century carved ivory Cruxifix from India, found in an Indian import store In SoHo, NYC in the late 1990s.
"Our Lord- As Is" is how the tag was marked at a junk store in the Phinney Ridge of Seattle, circa late 1980s.
In a canine memorial niche in the small hallway, Jesus looks over & protects our dead dogs in their urns: Baby (1985-1999), Sister (1990- 2006), & Butch (1994- 2007). They are joined by a mason jar of the ashes of Pearl, a close canine companion without a place to be, as her Mommy travels around the world seeking answers.
Jesus chose to be born in a stable among donkeys & cows. He chose to ride into his last week of life on a donkey. He said the foxes have their lairs & the birds their nests. He said the Father watches over the birds of the air.. the sparrows. Jesus became angry in the temple when animals were butchered.
"The lion also shall dwell with the lamb, & the leopard shall lie down with the kid; & the calf & the young lion & the fatling together; & a little child shall lead them."
Isaiah 11:6-9 (King James Version)
Born On This Day In 1564... Will.I.Am Shakespeare
In my 45 years of working on stage I only played in a few works by The Bard of Stratford-On -Avon, all of them small roles: Prince of Aarogon in The Merchant Of Venice, Verges in Much Ado About Nothing, Andrew Auecheek in Twelfth Night, Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream & 3rd witch in the Scottish Play. Among the list of roles I never got to play, at the top would be: Malvolio, Shylock, & Caliban... I was probably short on talent & short on chances in my short lifetime.
More has been written about William Shakespeare than any other writer, & it is still being debated whether Shakespeare was Shakespeare. Entire books have been dedicated to the subject, on both sides of the issue. The 3 strongest possibilities for the true identity of the Bard: Francis Bacon, Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, & Christopher Marlowe were all homosexual.
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, apparently not intended for publication. 126 of these sonnets address the poet's love for a young man. I, of course, claim him as one of the gays: handsome, dressed well, preferred to live, work & travel with male companions rather than be home in Stratford with his wife, wrote & acted in plays, & enjoyed cocktails, gossip & shopping. But the real tip off is when he outed himself at the Tony Awards when he thanked his boyfriend with this acceptance speech:
A woman's face with nature's own hand painted,
Hast thou, the master mistress of my passion;
A woman's gentle heart, but not acquainted
With shifting change, as is false women's fashion:
An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling,
Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth;
A man in hue all hues in his controlling,
Which steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth.
& for a woman wert thou first created;
Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting,
& by addition me of thee defeated,
By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.
But since she prick'd thee out for women's pleasure,
Mine be thy love & thy love's use their treasure.
More has been written about William Shakespeare than any other writer, & it is still being debated whether Shakespeare was Shakespeare. Entire books have been dedicated to the subject, on both sides of the issue. The 3 strongest possibilities for the true identity of the Bard: Francis Bacon, Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, & Christopher Marlowe were all homosexual.
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, apparently not intended for publication. 126 of these sonnets address the poet's love for a young man. I, of course, claim him as one of the gays: handsome, dressed well, preferred to live, work & travel with male companions rather than be home in Stratford with his wife, wrote & acted in plays, & enjoyed cocktails, gossip & shopping. But the real tip off is when he outed himself at the Tony Awards when he thanked his boyfriend with this acceptance speech:
A woman's face with nature's own hand painted,
Hast thou, the master mistress of my passion;
A woman's gentle heart, but not acquainted
With shifting change, as is false women's fashion:
An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling,
Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth;
A man in hue all hues in his controlling,
Which steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth.
& for a woman wert thou first created;
Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting,
& by addition me of thee defeated,
By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.
But since she prick'd thee out for women's pleasure,
Mine be thy love & thy love's use their treasure.
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Friday, April 22, 2011
Role Models
John Waters was born on this day in 1946. He is one of my favorite people on the planet & one of my best reading experiences of the last year was making my way through his book- Role Models, a collection of essays about his idols, some living, some dead, most dating back to his teenage years. Under the New Austerity Program, I borrowed this book from the library after making a pledge to check out books from my local branch rather than purchasing them in hardback. I loved Role Models so much, I bought it anyway, even though I had already studied every page, before returning the library edition.
Waters & I share a passion for Tennessee Williams that started early in life. The nuns in Catholic school told Waters that if he saw a movie written by Tennessee Williams he would go “straight to hell”, so naturally he headed for the library to find a “joyous, alarming, sexually confusing” writer who “saved my life”.
We both have a thing for Johnny Mathis. In the Mathis essay, Waters remembers seeing a basement full of his friends French kissing to Johnny Mathis, Waters explains: “I knew then that not only did I want to be a teenager… I wanted to be an exaggeration of a teenager.” Note that Waters wanted to be a teen, as if being a teenager were not simply a matter of putting in the time, but a lifestyle or a choice. You could actually fail at teenagerdom.
One of my favorites of the essays is about Mexican porn director Bobby Garcia, “who has blown hundreds & hundreds of really cute marines & lived to tell about it”, & whose favorite film turns out to be The Hours. Garcia: “I saw it at least 20, 25 times.”
Waters writing is stealthy & surprising, full of devotion & delight. I often feel that writing for the screen is the ultimate place that all writers dream of escaping, but here we have the opposite: a filmmaker who writes a book that feels like liberation, a place where he can be the fan he wants to be.
Maxims from John Waters:
“Be interested in other people's behavior & try to figure out why they did it. That's what's so interesting to me, & it's not quite so obvious, & everybody has horror stories, everybody has secrets, everybody has things they've done that they're still trying to explain why they did. So if you can understand why other people did it, then maybe you'll be better with yourself & you can be a happy neurotic, which is what I'm trying to be.”
On our mutual love of Johnny Mathis: “I remember when I was 11, I went to a party across the street, & they were playing Johnny Mathis music, & all the older kids were making out to it. He makes everybody in the world want to make out, even 80-year-olds, & that's kind of hilarious to me. He doesn't participate in the fame game, & he's still incredibly famous. Do you ever see him at a premiere? Or on a talk show? I went to his Christmas show, & it was completely sold out. & there was no interview with Johnny Mathis in the local paper.
“I asked Mathis, ‘Don't you get sick of singing the same songs? He said, "No, you pretend you're the audience every night, & you haven't heard it." So I respect him, & I still like to hear him sing.
On being a “gay artist”: “I write about it in a refined way. I'm trying to give it grace — a word I would never normally say. I also hate the word "journey." & "craft" & "rigorous." & "openly gay," which always makes me laugh. Do they say, “Openly heterosexual So-and-So is appearing tonight’? & that phrase "practicing homosexual." Like, if he keeps practicing, he'll get it right... First of all, I never call myself an artist. History decides if you're an artist. I certainly think I'm equally right for gay & straight people."
On same sex marriage: “I don't have a gay agenda, although I vote gay. If someone said they were against gay marriage, I wouldn't vote for them. But I have no desire to mimic something Larry King does 8 times, & I like Larry King. Good for him! He's helping us. I hope he gets married 10 more times. Just don't make me do what you want to do.”
My Favorite John Waters film is the rather sweet- Pecker. Do you like his collection of films? Do you have a favorite?
Thursday, April 21, 2011
One's Life Is For Sharing...
Have you seen it already?
It makes me happy. It makes me laugh out loud. The details! The skill that went into this piece astonishes me. The look-alikes seem almost impossible to imagine possible. I love the real thing, but I will take Harry in the commercial in a pinch.
It makes me happy. It makes me laugh out loud. The details! The skill that went into this piece astonishes me. The look-alikes seem almost impossible to imagine possible. I love the real thing, but I will take Harry in the commercial in a pinch.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Another Sad Song From The Closet?
Slick, overproduced, modern R&B is not my favorite genre, but there is no denying the luscious, lustrous instrument of Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr, who was born in 1951, on this day- April 20th. He may have been the premier male R&B singer of his time. He won 8 Grammys including for Song of the Year in 2004- Dance With My Father.
He started as a first rate backup singer for: Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Donna Summer, Bette Midler, Chic, Barbra Streisand. Vandross toured with David Bowie in 1974 & sang backing vocals on the Young Americans album Vandross was mentored by Roberta Flack, who thought he has the makings of a great artist.
Vandross had a series of strong selling solo albums & collaborations in the 1980s, 1990s & early aughts.
Vandross' career he was vexed' by questions about his sexuality. He remained, & he was never romantically linked in the media with women. He never explicitly denied being gay, but he never publicly acknowledged it either. He claimed that he was too busy with his career & “it was not what he wanted.” Vandross' homosexuality was an open secret in the music industry, but never seems mentioned in the list of great gay artists.
Vandross suffered from diabetes & hypertension. His weight fluctuated wildly throughout his career. In 2003 Vandross suffered a stroke at his home in Manhattan. Except for accepting his 2004 his Song of the Year Grammy in 2004, he was never seen in public again. On the video Vandross stated: “Whenever I say goodbye it's never for long because I believe in the power of love.”
Vandross died in July 2005 . He was just 54 years old & reportedly had never fully recovered from the 2003 stroke. He died peacefully, surrounded by his family & friends.
He started as a first rate backup singer for: Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Donna Summer, Bette Midler, Chic, Barbra Streisand. Vandross toured with David Bowie in 1974 & sang backing vocals on the Young Americans album Vandross was mentored by Roberta Flack, who thought he has the makings of a great artist.
Vandross had a series of strong selling solo albums & collaborations in the 1980s, 1990s & early aughts.
Vandross' career he was vexed' by questions about his sexuality. He remained, & he was never romantically linked in the media with women. He never explicitly denied being gay, but he never publicly acknowledged it either. He claimed that he was too busy with his career & “it was not what he wanted.” Vandross' homosexuality was an open secret in the music industry, but never seems mentioned in the list of great gay artists.
Vandross suffered from diabetes & hypertension. His weight fluctuated wildly throughout his career. In 2003 Vandross suffered a stroke at his home in Manhattan. Except for accepting his 2004 his Song of the Year Grammy in 2004, he was never seen in public again. On the video Vandross stated: “Whenever I say goodbye it's never for long because I believe in the power of love.”
Vandross died in July 2005 . He was just 54 years old & reportedly had never fully recovered from the 2003 stroke. He died peacefully, surrounded by his family & friends.
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