Tuesday, October 12, 2010

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.

Monday, October 11, 2010

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

Sunday, October 10, 2010

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).

 

Friday, October 8, 2010

And Now a Brief Word From Our Sponsor: The Walrus



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.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

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.

And Now a Word From Our Sponsors



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

Saturday, October 2, 2010

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.