Music In The Morning: the Decemberists

Happy Halloween everybody! I'm not gonna make it out tonight, but bit by bit i am feeling better. Almost human in fact.

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Music in the Morning: The Arcade Fire (and Diarrhea!)

Please forgive me Dear Reader,

I know I haven't been on the internets much in the last few days, but I have been visited once again by my old nemesis, Diarrhea. No one to blame but myself, really. People tell you everyday not to eat raw eggs, but do I listen? No. After baking brownies for the Poz-Luck last monday I, like a moron, went ahead and licked the bowl with such a fierce enthusiasm i was practically giving the middle finger to any local deities governing gastrointestinal disorders.

I mean, it's not like i am somehow unaware that i am prone to ailments of the bowels (this is only the third effing time this year i have gone to the hospital for diarrhea.) I knew it was a bad idea, and i went ahead and did it anyway. It was foolish, and hubristic, and as far as these things go I should count myself lucky i wasn't turned into a spider, or a pillar of salt, or something.

On the whole (no pun) I think i got off light. This was not so much a gastrointestinal holocaust as it was, say, a Brown Shirt march (again: no pun). I've been to the doctor and my symptoms seem to be receding.

Who knows? I might even be fun again before Halloween.

-b

Music In The Morning: 3 Doors Down

Does anyone still remember 3 Doors Down? Huh? Nobody?

Well I had forgotten all about them too until i found myself humming the chorus in the shower right now. It kinda creeps me out when that happens, makes me wonder what else is rattling around in there...

Am I crazy or is this song not nearly as bad as you'd expect it to be?

Either way, Happy new comics day everybody!

Music In The Morning: Marilyn

AMANDA LEPORE "Marilyn" featuring CAZWELL directed by LEO HERRERA from Leo Herrera on Vimeo.


Leo's video for Amanda Lepore has finally been released!

Music In The Morning

Last night was kind of ridiculous.

Like "almost got in a fist fight with some dude that wouldn't mind my personal space" ridiculous.

Bah.

Origin of Love.

I wasn't able to make it to the Bring Your Own Queer festival yesterday but i did make it to the Lex afterward for the after party, where i had the pleasure of meeting John Cameron Mitchell (of whom i was unable to get a clear picture, despite pushing my smartphone into his face twenty or so times) who spun a surprise set.

(not John Cameron Mitchell)

The music was great, the crowd was fun, and I learned a valuable lesson: no matter how hard i flirt with the lesbian bartender, she's not gonna hook me up.

Music In The Morning

EL GUINCHO | Bombay from MGdM | Marc Gómez del Moral on Vimeo.


Watch This.

You'll thank me when your done.

Solid Gold

Last night Vivvy and the gang at SOMETHING gave us 'Solid SOMETHING' their tribute to the Golden Age of Disco... and poop.

I was too far away from the stage at the beginning of the show to get any decent pictures, but it featured Vivvy preforming a disco rendition of Annie's "the Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" and Jorge celebrating poop-sex.So perhaps we all win...

April Mae Joone broke gender barriers and took a well deserved moment of personal time.

Motha Chucka rocked out and taught us all a lesson about kitchen science.

 And Vivvy transformed into Viveen More´

Lady Bear stopped by to do battle with the undead, and plug All About Evil.

(where is Lady Bear's other Hand?)

Ambrosia Salad stopped by to plug her incredibly/awesomely self indulgent Doble Quinceanera.

  

And ended up doing battle with her own inner demons.

Other stuff happened, but i was distracted by cute boys and alcohol. Deal.

Music in the Morning

Roisin Murphey performing with her old band, Moloko.

Around the seven minute mark she starts singing with the crowd and my face explodes.
Every. Single. Time.

Music In The Morning

Roisin Murphy is an adorable freak.

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I never realized what a break and empty life Waldo was leading.

Music In The Morning

In a way, Sufjan Stevens saved me.

I think I must have been in shock, because I don't remember much about the day I found out i had contracted HIV. I don't remember my friend picking me up from the doctor's office, I don't remember driving around Los Angeles, and I don't remember going to the record store.

But somehow when i walked in my front door i had three CD's in my hand, all from a man i'd barely heard of.

I shrugged my shoulders, loaded the discs into my CD player, packed a bowl and sat down on my floor.

I listened to all three albums (Seven Swans, Michigan, and Illinois), and when they were done i listened again and again.

Mr. Stevens became a comforting voice in the darkness. My only friend in a self imposed exile from the world of sunlight and human company.

He kept me from being lonely, when all i wanted was to be alone.

Music In The Morning

Happy New Comics day gang!

If you are as big a nerd as me you are real excited about the next two installments of Bruce Wayne: The Road Home. If you are as gay as me you are also rocking out to Bette Midler.



(i effing LOVE this movie)

Music In The Morning

MAYER HAWTHORNE "I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO" from HUF on Vimeo.


I made up my mind last night, I've got two more years in San Francisco and then... I'm not sure. Maybe New York, maybe back to Los Angeles, or maybe i'll go to Europe... London or Berlin.

San Francisco will always be my adopted home. This city saved me, and helped shape into the man that i am. But I wan't to be a great man. I want to conquer the world. And life here is just a little to... easy. I need a city thats going to make me hungry, and keep me on my toes.

But don't despair San Francisco, I could never leave you for long.

You'll always have my heart.

Life in Cloud City

List night was pitch perfect.

One of those nights that pulls you, gently but relentlessly, from golden moment to golden moment. Which exceptionally delightful considering how the day had me kind of plowing through a gauntlet of heavy emotional conversations that touched on every aspect on my life; career, home, family, friends. I was pretty emotionally exhausted by the time I got to Holy Cow. I really would have loved nothing better than to turn around go home.

But this was a special  occasion, a celebration of the music of Patrick Cowley. My friend Ryan had flown all the way from New York to spin and it would have sucked pretty hard for me not to stick around for his set. And I'm effing glad i did. Ryan had a tag team set with Ron Like Hell that had the crowed going crazy. I danced my little booty off with good friends and total strangers all night long. Thats always been one of my favorite parts of Honey Sundays, how it can feel like my family's living room but still bring in sexy amazing people from all over the world, whom i've never met.

And with the move to Holy Cow i think the Honey Soundsystem boys are really hitting their stride. The Paradise lounge had a lot of character, and i had some awesome times there. But Holy Cow is a GREAT space. Good bar placement, awesome sound system, and the dance floor is just the right size. And every sunday since the move has been a home run.

But all good things come to an end. They finally kicked us out the bar sometime after 2am and i drifted back to the castro arm in arm with my ex-husband/brother/friend, Adan. We talked about old times, and the new times. But mostly we talked about how lucky we are to be us, living here, in the time that is now. And what it means to have a front seat to the queer cultural renaissance.

Music In the Morning

(i woke up with your name on my lips, eager to see your face.) 

Music In the Morning

Good morning world!!!

I'm sitting here at my desk, surprisingly cognizant after my late-late night of adventure.

First we went to Ambrosia Salad's evening of hosting SOME THING! Where April-Mei-Joon, tranny ascendent, absolutely killed.

Then we danceddanceddanced our little gay butts off at the new Fag Fridays at Public Works until the wee hours.


Now to do some work or whatever...

Where Is Your Messiah Now?

President Chocolate Jesus has done it again.

Yesterday, around four-o-clock, Obama's Justice Department filed a notice of appeal against U.S. Judge Virginia Philips' injunction to halt Don't Ask Don't Tell.

Apparently homosexuals are such alien deviants that fully integrating us into the military requires further 'study,'

Really? More study?

How much study could it possibly require?

We are the only western democracy in the world that doesn't allow gays to serve openly. Can't we just, you know, look around and see what they are doing?

Why don't we just ring up our good friend Israel and say 'Hey guys, you lets the homos have guns... anything we ought to know? They are ALSO willing to die for their country? You don't say? Thats fantastic! Thanks for the info, we'll see you at the next thirty rounds of peace talks,"

Done.

I just saved you five years and $30,000 worth of 'studies,'

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The Great Old One is back, and he wants to sell you deodorant.

Music In The Morning

"Everybody has Somebody,
 Everyone is Alone,
 and we all have a Past.
 That's San Francisco."
 -Matt Picon

Music In The Morning

I woke up this morning and i could smell it in the air. The Indian Summer is receding as surely as the morning tide.

They were golden and glorious, but the dog days are over.

-b

Music In The Morning

This morning we are celebrating new comics day with one of the most awesomely steam-punk music videos ever made.


See you at CafCom!

National Coming Out Day

Yesterday was National Coming Out Day and given the recent spat of gay suicides, and the blood chilling events that took place in the Bronx last week,  I thought this might be a particularly good moment to tell my coming out story. But I was wrong.


My coming out story is boring.


I was 16 years old. My parents (while not thrilled) were loving. My friends were supportive. I've never been beaten up (for being gay), and I've never been called a fag.


Boring.


So if you are a blossoming little homo and you've somehow stumbled across this blog i think i'd feel a little disingenuous telling you 'It Gets Better," (though it does little homos, it does).


So instead I'll tell you this, "You are better off,"


You might think i'm crazy, or maybe you think i'm lying, but it's true.


You are lucky to be gay.


It might not look like it from where you are standing, but straight kids have it rough. The vast majority of them already have their lives mapped out for them and they don't even know it. They will graduate, get married, have kids, buy a boat and mortgage a house in the suburbs. They will spend nine hours a day pouring their lives into jobs that leave them empty and unfulfilled. And afterwards they will come home to partners they have been trained since childhood to mistrust and children that are practically strangers. Most of them don't even realize they have any kind of choice; they move from kindergarten to old age, from predetermined role to predetermined role. Some of these people are happy (honestly). And some escape these lives of quite desperation, and forge truly unique paths.

Most of us figure out pretty quickly that we aren't like the other kids. I remember being a kid and feeling like there was a game that everybody else knew the rules for, but i was always half a step behind... until i realized i didn't half to play at all. There are no roles just waiting around for us to step into, we can define ourselves. And if you do have kids, and a boat, and a mortgage it's because you fought for it. No one handed that life to you. You chose it.


Thats why we are lucky.


Because we are free to write our own destinies.


We get to choose.

Music In The Morning

It's unhealthy how much i relate to this song.

Music In The Afternoon

I can't even begin to explain my crazy love for this bluesy White Stripes cover.

This is the music that plays in my dreams.

Decompression yesterday was filed with friends, music, and dancingdancingdancing.

Then i watched the sunrise from mount davidson.

so effing good.

i'm gonna go take a nap now.

-b

Music In The Morning

It's Decompression!

I'm going dancing. You probably won't hear from me until Tuesday (if you don't hear from me by Wednesday, send help).

 

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Happy Birthday Mr. Lennon.

You are missed.

Music In The Morning

Today is John Lennon's Birthday.

And as the Blue Angles scream overhead, a clarion call to war, I sit here in my room imagining Peace.

Gay Agenda: It Gets Better

Unless you live under a rock (or you watch Fox News) you are aware of the recent spat of gay suicides and the national conversation that this has sparked. I am particularly taken with Dan Savage's 'It Gets Better' project.

Some of my favorites are below...








You aren't alone guys. It does get better.

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I never get tired of these Old Spice commercial spoofs.

Music In The Morning

Given my parents (and my my loves of both rebellion and psychonautica) i don't think it's any surprise that i consumed more than my fair share of Pink Floyd growing up. I went through a particularly intense period of Pink Floyd love my junior year of high school, right as i was figuring out i liked making out with dudes way more than i liked making out with chicks. And as a result 'The Wall' has always been a personal pride anthem. But this mash-up i found over at the Laughing Squid this morning is rocking my socks off.

It takes all the proud determination and defiance of 'The Wall' and really gays it up with disco-campy-goodness of the bee gees!

And i think maybe our queer little brothers and sisters could use some disco-campy-defiance... or something.

I need more Coffee.

-b

Music in the Morning

I saw Jenny Lewis at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival yesterday.

I get older, and her music changes; but she always manages to find the jagged pieces of my broken heart and smooth them over, every single time.