In which our heroine relates interesting (to her, anyway) tidbits of information gleaned from her travels along life’s highways and byways.
Okay so, my favorite Peter Gabriel song is “Solsbury Hill” (which, not coincidentally to this post, was just on the radio). I’ve never more than idly wondered what it was about, however. It always felt like some sort of childhood reminiscence, and that feeling was enough to satisfy me. To my complete surprise, I recently discovered that it was actually inspired by a Bruce Springsteen concert, and that the “eagle [that] flew out of the night” in the first verse was, in fact, The Boss. Consider the following lyrics:
He was something to observe
Came in close, I heard a voice
Standing, stretching every nerve
Had to listen, had no choice
I did not believe the information
Just had to trust imagination
My heart going boom boom boom
Son, he said, grab your things, I’ve come to take you home
That’s about as good a description of what a Springsteen concert feels like as anything I’ve read.
This would have been about 1975 or ’76, the Born to Run tour. Gabriel was still in Genesis but feeling artistically stultified and unsure of his musical future--basically, wanting to leave the group but lacking the nerve. (I can’t believe he never just woke up one morning, realized he was in a band with Phil Collins, and immediately tendered his resignation.) Then a friend took him to see Bruce, and he was so inspired and emboldened by the experience that he went home, told his mates he was leaving the band, and set about writing his first solo record, on which “Solsbury Hill” appeared.
Interesting, no? Now before we go, let’s have a quick Top Five:
Top 5 Peter Gabriel Songs
5) “Biko”
4) “I Don’t Remember”
3) “Games Without Frontiers”
2) “In Your Eyes”
1) “Solsbury Hill”
December 17, 2004
December 15, 2004
I'm writing this on my lesbian computer
One of the websites that I visit on a fairly regular basis is Television without Pity, which provides snark-laden recaps of popular TV shows. I’ll check it out if I’ve missed an episode of a show I watch, or sometimes I’ll read the recap even if I’ve seen the episode, just to see what the recapper has to say about it. They’re generally pretty entertaining, and it makes for good light reading on a lunch break (during which I never get to leave my desk).
There are always all sorts of polls strewn about the site, and when I went there today there was one on the main page that referred to an “upcoming lesbian kiss” involving Mischa Barton’s character on The O.C. I was annoyed by this, but not for the reason you might think. It was inevitable that such a thing would happen on The O.C., a show that wallows in primetime clichés like a pig in shit, but is supposed to be cool because it winks at us and goes, “Hey, I’m a pig! And I’m wallowing in shit! Isn’t that awesome?!” I’ll admit it did seem kind of cool in the summer of ’03 when there was nothing else on, but it got old fast. So yeah, the ratings-grab girl-on-girl action was expected. I am a little bit disappointed in Mischa Barton though, because now she’s going to lose her HL status--HL standing for Honorary Lesbian. I bestow HL status on straight (or presumably straight) actors who portray lesbians in the media in a positive way, and preferably make positive public statements about the role, but at the very least refrain from making negative statements, or going on press tours to make sure that everyone knows they’re not really gay, like Hal Sparks did when Queer As Folk started. He would definitely not be the recipient of Honorary Gay Man status, were I in the business of bestowing it.
Mischa Barton earned HL status as one half of television’s sweetest (only?) baby-dyke couple on the late and very lamented series Once & Again. (Incidentally, she co-stars on The O.C. with another HL, Kelly Rowan, who played a gay teacher in the TV movie The Truth About Jane.) Now she seems likely to have it revoked by partaking in this bottom-feeding behavior. I can’t really blame her, I suppose--I mean, the producers probably didn’t tell her, two years ago or whenever she signed her contract, that they’d be angling for a ratings spike with a girl-on-girl smooch at some point. And maybe she’ll disavow it or something. But I won’t hold my breath.
What bugged me, though, and what bugs me every time I see it or something like it, was the phrase “lesbian kiss.” Because, how can a kiss be lesbian? Women can be lesbian, other things cannot. A kiss between two lesbians is not a “lesbian kiss” any more than the car they drive is a lesbian car or the food they eat is lesbian food (um…vegetarian potlucks excepted, I guess). Like the song says, a kiss is still a kiss, regardless of whose lips are involved. I feel like “lesbian kiss” and similar phrases serve to reinforce the cultural concept of homosexuals as different, as other, as strange…as wrong. When you modify a noun, you are marking it as different from others of its class, and when the adjective in question relates to personal identity, you mark the bearer of that identity as different. And in most cultures, when it comes to personal identity, “different” means “inferior” or just “wrong.” A classic example is “male nurse” (which may or may not be dying out, but serves my purpose here): nurses are by cultural definition female, therefore “nurse” as a class cannot include a male, therefore the adjective must be appended. The resultant phrase is perceived as oxymoronic--it produces a sense of wrongness. This may not seem like a big deal (unless you’re a nurse who’s tired of having his gender be part of his job title, not to mention snarky comments about your career choice), but it can be insidious. Nowadays when we talk about marriage between two people of the same sex, it’s invariably referred to as “gay marriage.” To restate my earlier question, how can a marriage be gay? Answer: it can’t. Except for the whole Liza Minelli/David Gest thing; that shit was gay. Seriously, though, marriage is marriage, and the term “gay marriage” creates a second, inferior class of union that will never be on a par with straight marriage. Which, of course, is never “straight marriage” but simply “marriage.”
I realize that there are pragmatic concerns here, like how to talk meaningfully about marriage between same-sex couples without resorting to politically correct circumlocutions. I also realize that I’m skirting the edge of an abyss wherein reside linguistic monstrosities like “wimmin” (don’t get me started), and that I’m being far too literal-minded about language, which is never a good idea, even when it’s deliberate. I don’t really have any answers here (and you’ll hear me say that a lot). I’m just tired of hearing things like “lesbian kiss”--especially when at least one of the participants is friggin’ straight.
There are always all sorts of polls strewn about the site, and when I went there today there was one on the main page that referred to an “upcoming lesbian kiss” involving Mischa Barton’s character on The O.C. I was annoyed by this, but not for the reason you might think. It was inevitable that such a thing would happen on The O.C., a show that wallows in primetime clichés like a pig in shit, but is supposed to be cool because it winks at us and goes, “Hey, I’m a pig! And I’m wallowing in shit! Isn’t that awesome?!” I’ll admit it did seem kind of cool in the summer of ’03 when there was nothing else on, but it got old fast. So yeah, the ratings-grab girl-on-girl action was expected. I am a little bit disappointed in Mischa Barton though, because now she’s going to lose her HL status--HL standing for Honorary Lesbian. I bestow HL status on straight (or presumably straight) actors who portray lesbians in the media in a positive way, and preferably make positive public statements about the role, but at the very least refrain from making negative statements, or going on press tours to make sure that everyone knows they’re not really gay, like Hal Sparks did when Queer As Folk started. He would definitely not be the recipient of Honorary Gay Man status, were I in the business of bestowing it.
Mischa Barton earned HL status as one half of television’s sweetest (only?) baby-dyke couple on the late and very lamented series Once & Again. (Incidentally, she co-stars on The O.C. with another HL, Kelly Rowan, who played a gay teacher in the TV movie The Truth About Jane.) Now she seems likely to have it revoked by partaking in this bottom-feeding behavior. I can’t really blame her, I suppose--I mean, the producers probably didn’t tell her, two years ago or whenever she signed her contract, that they’d be angling for a ratings spike with a girl-on-girl smooch at some point. And maybe she’ll disavow it or something. But I won’t hold my breath.
What bugged me, though, and what bugs me every time I see it or something like it, was the phrase “lesbian kiss.” Because, how can a kiss be lesbian? Women can be lesbian, other things cannot. A kiss between two lesbians is not a “lesbian kiss” any more than the car they drive is a lesbian car or the food they eat is lesbian food (um…vegetarian potlucks excepted, I guess). Like the song says, a kiss is still a kiss, regardless of whose lips are involved. I feel like “lesbian kiss” and similar phrases serve to reinforce the cultural concept of homosexuals as different, as other, as strange…as wrong. When you modify a noun, you are marking it as different from others of its class, and when the adjective in question relates to personal identity, you mark the bearer of that identity as different. And in most cultures, when it comes to personal identity, “different” means “inferior” or just “wrong.” A classic example is “male nurse” (which may or may not be dying out, but serves my purpose here): nurses are by cultural definition female, therefore “nurse” as a class cannot include a male, therefore the adjective must be appended. The resultant phrase is perceived as oxymoronic--it produces a sense of wrongness. This may not seem like a big deal (unless you’re a nurse who’s tired of having his gender be part of his job title, not to mention snarky comments about your career choice), but it can be insidious. Nowadays when we talk about marriage between two people of the same sex, it’s invariably referred to as “gay marriage.” To restate my earlier question, how can a marriage be gay? Answer: it can’t. Except for the whole Liza Minelli/David Gest thing; that shit was gay. Seriously, though, marriage is marriage, and the term “gay marriage” creates a second, inferior class of union that will never be on a par with straight marriage. Which, of course, is never “straight marriage” but simply “marriage.”
I realize that there are pragmatic concerns here, like how to talk meaningfully about marriage between same-sex couples without resorting to politically correct circumlocutions. I also realize that I’m skirting the edge of an abyss wherein reside linguistic monstrosities like “wimmin” (don’t get me started), and that I’m being far too literal-minded about language, which is never a good idea, even when it’s deliberate. I don’t really have any answers here (and you’ll hear me say that a lot). I’m just tired of hearing things like “lesbian kiss”--especially when at least one of the participants is friggin’ straight.
December 9, 2004
Proof that not all Canadian music sucks
Last night I went to see alt-country chanteuse Neko Case at the Lobo Theater here in Albuquerque. It was the first time I’d seen her, and I really wasn’t familiar with her music beyond a couple of tunes I’d heard on the radio. However, I’d certainly heard her name bandied about a lot in the music press, typically with any number of superlatives attached to it, so maybe it shouldn’t be surprising that I was slightly disappointed with her show. When anyone gets hyped that much, it’s hard to live up to.
Still, I was only slightly disappointed. Even if she’s not the Second Coming, she’s still a damn fine singer. She has the raw power and some of the same inflections as Maria McKee (the singer for one of my fave bands of the ‘80s, Lone Justice, who’s also done some great solo stuff), coupled with the smoky timbre of Hope Sandoval (of Mazzy Star, of course), plus a touch of Patsy Cline’s soul. She’s also a very good songwriter, with a wicked sense of humor, and I suspect that if I'd been able to hear more of the lyrics I'd have been impressed, but the sound was not all that great. But throw in some interesting covers (Buffy Sainte-Marie!) and the fact that she’s pretty hot, and you have a very enjoyable evening.
Making it even better were the Sadies, who both opened for and backed Neko. While you’ve probably heard of Ms. Case, odds are you don’t know about these guys, who hail from up Ontario way. I didn’t, but I’m glad I do now. They combine a lot of familiar sounds in some quirky and inventive ways to make something cool and new. They seem most firmly rooted in what’s now called Americana, which may seem inappropriate for a bunch of Canadians, but keep in mind that the Band was 80% Canuck. Actually, guitarist Travis Good has sort of a Rick Danko-esque voice (along with complete mastery of his Guild hollow-body’s volume knob--you’d swear he was playing pedal steel sometimes) and he was dressed the part as well. There are also elements of surf (especially in the super-twangy instrumentals), European folk-punk (I heard echoes of the Waterboys), Southern rock (echoes also of the Outlaws), even psychedelia (the All Music Guide hears Moby Grape, and the bassist looks like he could have been a member), but I think the oddest (given the context) and simultaneously the most charming element is Merseybeat. In fact, when they started their set, my first thought was “the Outlaws meet Gerry and the Pacemakers.” Guitarist Dallas Good (Travis’s brother)'s black suit, skinny tie, and mop-top haircut probably didn’t hurt in making the connection, but his gorgeous, chiming-like-a-churchbell-in-the-Liverpool-morning Telecaster work would have done it regardless. Take a listen to an mp3 of my favorite song from last night and you’ll see what I mean. Then maybe listen to their other songs…maybe even buy one of their records. Maybe even give it to me for Christmas.
P.S. In case my subject line was confusing--the Sadies are Canadian, but Neko Case is not. She's from Virginia and now lives in Washington, I believe. And if you want to buy me one of her records, too, that would be fine.
Still, I was only slightly disappointed. Even if she’s not the Second Coming, she’s still a damn fine singer. She has the raw power and some of the same inflections as Maria McKee (the singer for one of my fave bands of the ‘80s, Lone Justice, who’s also done some great solo stuff), coupled with the smoky timbre of Hope Sandoval (of Mazzy Star, of course), plus a touch of Patsy Cline’s soul. She’s also a very good songwriter, with a wicked sense of humor, and I suspect that if I'd been able to hear more of the lyrics I'd have been impressed, but the sound was not all that great. But throw in some interesting covers (Buffy Sainte-Marie!) and the fact that she’s pretty hot, and you have a very enjoyable evening.
Making it even better were the Sadies, who both opened for and backed Neko. While you’ve probably heard of Ms. Case, odds are you don’t know about these guys, who hail from up Ontario way. I didn’t, but I’m glad I do now. They combine a lot of familiar sounds in some quirky and inventive ways to make something cool and new. They seem most firmly rooted in what’s now called Americana, which may seem inappropriate for a bunch of Canadians, but keep in mind that the Band was 80% Canuck. Actually, guitarist Travis Good has sort of a Rick Danko-esque voice (along with complete mastery of his Guild hollow-body’s volume knob--you’d swear he was playing pedal steel sometimes) and he was dressed the part as well. There are also elements of surf (especially in the super-twangy instrumentals), European folk-punk (I heard echoes of the Waterboys), Southern rock (echoes also of the Outlaws), even psychedelia (the All Music Guide hears Moby Grape, and the bassist looks like he could have been a member), but I think the oddest (given the context) and simultaneously the most charming element is Merseybeat. In fact, when they started their set, my first thought was “the Outlaws meet Gerry and the Pacemakers.” Guitarist Dallas Good (Travis’s brother)'s black suit, skinny tie, and mop-top haircut probably didn’t hurt in making the connection, but his gorgeous, chiming-like-a-churchbell-in-the-Liverpool-morning Telecaster work would have done it regardless. Take a listen to an mp3 of my favorite song from last night and you’ll see what I mean. Then maybe listen to their other songs…maybe even buy one of their records. Maybe even give it to me for Christmas.
P.S. In case my subject line was confusing--the Sadies are Canadian, but Neko Case is not. She's from Virginia and now lives in Washington, I believe. And if you want to buy me one of her records, too, that would be fine.
December 6, 2004
Top Fives
For a while now I've been making mental Top Five lists, an idea I got from the movie High Fidelity. I'd like to say I got it from the book, because I think it would make me sound, if not smarter, at least hipper, but I've never read the book. Still, referencing the movie's got to score me some hip points. Doesn't it?
Top Fives are fun because 1) everybody enjoys making lists, and B) they're not nearly as much work as Top Tens--you can cobble together five relevant entries on just about any subject without taxing your brain. Plus, if you're not a huge fan of strict hierarchical rankings, which I'm not, Top Fives seem nicer, because really, five is not all that far from one--not nearly as far as ten, which is...um, you know...twice as far.
Picture it this way: you can easily fit 5 people into a hot tub, but 10 would be a stretch. Try to squeeze 10 people into a hot tub, and inevitably someone's going to end up sitting uncomfortably close to a hirsute fellow in a Speedo, or having a jet of bubbles directed at high speed into their special area, or just standing pathetically by the spinach dip, insisting that they're grossed out by hot tubs anyway. I like to think of Top Five lists as five friends just chillin' in the hot tub, drinkin' some wine and shootin' the breeze. Leavin' the "g"s off their participles. I guess the person who owns the hot tub would be number one on the list.
So, since the primary reason for this blog is getting some of the clutter out of my head and into tangible--or at least visible--form, Top Fives old and new will doubtless be a semi-regular feature. By way of example, here's one that's been kicking around for a while:
Top 5 Funkiest Songs Ever Played on Top 40 Radio
5) "Flash Light", Parliament
4) "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", Sly & the Family Stone
3) "Cisco Kid", War
2) "Brick House", The Commodores
1) "Tell Me Something Good", Chaka Khan & Rufus
Now this is a particularly hot tubby example, because, well, these songs are all damn funky, and trying to discern subtle gradations of funk is ultimately pointless, if not impossible. This just happened to be the order I settled on. Also, you may be saying, funkiest songs? Where's [James Brown, Stevie Wonder, your own personal fave funkmeister]? Again, the beauty of the Top Five is that it's not meant to be exhaustive. However, depending on the subject the rankings may be more meaningful, and I may include notes on the entries, if I feel so moved.
If anyone actually reads this, I encourage you to make your own Top Five lists. You can use my subjects, or make your own. Try it, it's fun!
Top Fives are fun because 1) everybody enjoys making lists, and B) they're not nearly as much work as Top Tens--you can cobble together five relevant entries on just about any subject without taxing your brain. Plus, if you're not a huge fan of strict hierarchical rankings, which I'm not, Top Fives seem nicer, because really, five is not all that far from one--not nearly as far as ten, which is...um, you know...twice as far.
Picture it this way: you can easily fit 5 people into a hot tub, but 10 would be a stretch. Try to squeeze 10 people into a hot tub, and inevitably someone's going to end up sitting uncomfortably close to a hirsute fellow in a Speedo, or having a jet of bubbles directed at high speed into their special area, or just standing pathetically by the spinach dip, insisting that they're grossed out by hot tubs anyway. I like to think of Top Five lists as five friends just chillin' in the hot tub, drinkin' some wine and shootin' the breeze. Leavin' the "g"s off their participles. I guess the person who owns the hot tub would be number one on the list.
So, since the primary reason for this blog is getting some of the clutter out of my head and into tangible--or at least visible--form, Top Fives old and new will doubtless be a semi-regular feature. By way of example, here's one that's been kicking around for a while:
Top 5 Funkiest Songs Ever Played on Top 40 Radio
5) "Flash Light", Parliament
4) "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", Sly & the Family Stone
3) "Cisco Kid", War
2) "Brick House", The Commodores
1) "Tell Me Something Good", Chaka Khan & Rufus
Now this is a particularly hot tubby example, because, well, these songs are all damn funky, and trying to discern subtle gradations of funk is ultimately pointless, if not impossible. This just happened to be the order I settled on. Also, you may be saying, funkiest songs? Where's [James Brown, Stevie Wonder, your own personal fave funkmeister]? Again, the beauty of the Top Five is that it's not meant to be exhaustive. However, depending on the subject the rankings may be more meaningful, and I may include notes on the entries, if I feel so moved.
If anyone actually reads this, I encourage you to make your own Top Five lists. You can use my subjects, or make your own. Try it, it's fun!
December 3, 2004
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
