Warning... this is an adult site. If reading or viewing things about what gay men do sexually with one another bothers you - you should not read this blog. This blog is a reflection of my adventures and thoughts. Some are fun, some not so pretty. I won't name names, or kiss and tell... but I will live to tell. And baby, trust me - I am gonna spill it all over your pretty little party dress. Enjoy!
It feels as if all winter long I simply go through the motions, living my life for just one thing: summer.
Well, it's here, again... but I know it will be gone in the blink of an eye.
June is already half over, which I find rather astounding. For some reason - Covid, age, my tiny regimented life - time seems to be flying by at a rate I've never experienced before.
I remember when I was a child, watching clocks, willing the hands of time to move forward more quickly; a half hour would, at times, feel like a lifetime. Back then, I was keenly aware of the passing of time.
These days? Eight hours can pass without notice. Days blend, occurrences blur. I keep reminding myself to live in the moment, to be more present, but that sentiment, that desire holds no meaning when 5:10 AM becomes 6:05 AM in what feels like a fleeting moment.
It's universal, this desire to hang on to time, to make a moment last, to make the most of it, to live every second, to get the most out of life. If we don't? Why, we're cheating ourselves, right? It's a matter of seizing each day, grabbing on to the good stuff and not letting go.
Better said than done, I'm afraid.
Truth is... well, my truth - life happens around you all the time. Other people, physics, and nature conspire to create circumstances and put things into motion which we, over time, find we have little control over. Fighting it can lead to a great deal of personal frustration, or so that has been my past experience.
These days? I simply allow it to unfold around me. I observe. My input is limited to what positive changes I can bring about. Sometimes that means nothing more than mowing someone's lawn or taking someone grocery shopping.
It would seem I've lost all desire to have a lasting impact on the world at large. Oh, I do my small part. Voting, for example. I will never take that responsibility for granted ever again. It's my duty. A small gesture, a small voice - one, hopefully, joined by millions of other like-minded individuals.
And gardening. Oh, I don't do much, but it brings color and shape into the world for a time; something to be enjoyed by myself and others.
But the idea of creating something lasting, putting my stamp on the world, making a name for myself?
All of that has become meaningless with the passage of time.
It's the tiniest of moments I now treasure.
As I write this... the sun is ascending, catching the leaves of a maple tree as a squirrel climbs up a pole to a bird feeder hoping to rob it of all its treasure.
That resonates with me, these days; so much more than anything that's come before it. For it is in the tiniest of moments that life occurs. And such moments are, indeed, fleeting: the sun moves on, the squirrel is already off to another task, and, before I know it or wish it, those maple leaves with turn color, dry and become lifeless.
Such is the nature of time. It's now 6:36 AM and I wonder, where has the time gone?
Into memory? Perhaps.
Fact is, the time is now. And it would be foolish of me to sit here in contemplation of its passage as it passes.
I, of course, missed out on the whole #BlackoutTuesday thing. Always a step behind. But, I have shared plenty of thoughts on here about our current unrest and the need for change. Yes, Black Lives Matter. And I would like to believe that this time... a change is going to come. The State of Minnesota has announced a sweeping human rights investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department. Which is a start. But it's not enough. For it's not just Minneapolis. Racism, homophobia and misogynistic attitudes permeate law enforcement throughout Minnesota... throughout this country. And how do we fix that? How do you teach empathy? How do we show people that to understand the plight of another demonstrates strength, not weakness? Is there a textbook? A method? An instructional film? Something that reaches into the hearts and minds and brings about an evolution of spirit which generates compassion? If there is, I haven’t heard of it. I haven't seen it. So we investigate, identify and cast out hatred, but to what end? To root out hatred is not enough. Because that hatred will simply find a new place to hide. Hatred flourishes in the shadows, on the fringes of society, where it waits for circumstances to exploit and gain advantage. We've witnessed this type of opportunistic fascism over and over again. Incendiary groups disrupting a movement towards change, kidnapping its message and momentum to spread their own misinformation and poisonous doctrine. So, to merely drive it out of one place means allowing it to flourish in another. And that is the nature of being caught in a cycle, a loop of behavior you can't escape.
To be stuck in the middle of something you can't get out of. What is the key that unlocks the heart and mind and releases an individual from such a prison? We must approach with love, kindness and compassion. And we will be branded weak and insignificant in a world that values noise and flash and violence. Our methods will be determined ineffective and soft because the crunch of the jackboot will do all that it can to drown us out. But we must persevere. Like the tiny seed that spits the rock, our numbers must grow and join forces. For there is strength in numbers, and those who believe in the power of love far outnumber those who choose to live in darkness. So… Bring the light. Be the light.
Of Note: 'Let It Be Love' by Jessica Sutta ft. Rico Love
In honor of Pride Month (and week, here, in the Twin Cities) and in light of the upcoming announcement from The Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of gay marriage bans, I found this dance floor anthem - currently climbing up the dance charts - fitting.
Personally, I've been underwater for the past six weeks due to a number of issues at work (more on that later), so have not had a lot of time to write much of anything. Hopefully that will improve in the coming weeks. I did notice that wonderful Tylenol ad; the one that has A Million Moms (more like a couple hundred) up in arms. It was very beautiful. Very subtle. A gentle message: one I wish more would embrace. These days it seems like this country is ripe like a pimple about to burst. I don't know what to expect. I fear it might get ugly. Well, uglier. The child inside me? The one who still has hope? He would like it all to turn out very much like that Tylenol ad. Yes, whatever is to come, please... ...'Let It Be Love'
On June
11th, the folks at iHeartMedia, launched the first and , so far,
only radio station dedicated to the LGBT community – right here, in the Twin
Cities. 97.6 Pride Radio kicked off with
a 24 hour marathon of Madonna, followed by two weeks of commercial free
content.
They
are playing dance anthems, both old and new.
It is an amazing feat and testimony that the gay community has finally
arrived!
Wow. First Nienstedt resigns. Then I learn about 97.6 Pride Radio.
What’s
next?
A
decree from SCOTUS explaining to the world that homosexual folks are entitled
to the same rights heterosexual folks have been enjoying for, like, ever.
Ooh… some
fine stuff is brewing. First we have
Lana Del Rey preparing the charts to be bathed in her peculiar sultry blue
ambiance. Then we have a maturing Ms.
Nicki Minaj reclaiming her throne with her latest offering. Add newcomer Tove Lo to the mix, and we have
the beginnings of an interesting month, with more intriguing stuff in the
offing.
Yep,
there’s reason to hope, folks. There’s
change in the wind. Let’s dig in…
Do It Again
Royksopp & Robyn
I can’t
think of a better pairing. A longtime
fan of both. Robyn is a terrific
songwriter with great chops and a unique bent.
Royksopp provides the background, anchoring this number in a warm
blanket of synths that purr and throb in all the right places. Though I must say, it is odd hearing Robyn play faceless,
breathy vocalist for the duo as she has such unique sensibilities - but
that is my only complaint.
The
song is solid and super enjoyable, if a bit too on the nose (“wait for the
build”). Something tells me that this might
play better in a remixed version.
As is, it is a solid piece of dance floor fodder, hitting all the right
notes and crescendos. Whether it gets
any radio play remains to be seen, but it’s sure to be a hit in the clubs.
I Will Never Let You Down
Rita Ora
Last
heard on ‘How We Do (Party)’, I had assumed that was the beginning and end for this artist. But I was wrong. In fact, I am fairly impressed with Ms. Ora,
who is currently being pitched as a combination of Rihanna and Keri Hilson.
The
song possesses enough charms and change-ups to keep the listener’s ear engaged,
even if it fails to break any new ground.
I would think this would play well with I ‘Heart’ Radio’s audience. Remixed?
It wouldn’t have me running for the dance floor, but it’s fun enough.
Knock You Out
Bingo Players
Modern dance pop is in a bit of a rut. The formula is
rather simple: take a vaguely eighties sounding empowerment ballad, add a flank
of synths to bridge any holes, and repeat often until the slight hook becomes lodged
in the brain of the target.
Kim Viera’s
bleated vocals drive this by-the-numbers offering, featuring rather tepid
lyrics and synths which sound like they are straight out of 1998.
“Boom, boom, knock you out”? Hardly.
I Got U
Duke Dumont
Featuring Jax Jones
Another slice of 1998’s dance, but, in this case, it all works. This one is going on my Nano. There’s plenty of space and room with some
really sweet, slightly earthy vocals from Jax Jones.
Someone’s gettting plenty of love at I ‘Heart’
Radio. ‘Habits’ is already in high
rotation with plenty of positive DJ buzz.
But, poor Tove Lo. First there’s
that name. Well, it’s original, I guess.
And then there’s her current state of affairs. Seems the girl has got to stay “high all the
time” because she is missing her boo.
With a very Lorde POV, ‘Habits’ feels as claustrophobic as it is privileged. At this point I feel the whole club kid with
nothing else going on has been done to death.
Even Ke$ha and Lindsay Lohan have moved on. Face it; it’s hard to work up sympathy for a
party girl who’s only desire is to remain buzzed enough to not feel anything and
whose only goal is to make sure she doesn’t end up alone at the end of the
night.
Yet, that is exactly what Tove Lo manages to do. ‘Habits’
is as tragic and heartbreaking as it is undeniably catchy.
Shower
Becky G
Oh my! Singing
better be all this young lady is doing in the shower! Disney pop sure can be annoying as hell. I mean, I think that’s what this is, though
that line “you make me hot like an oven” certainly does not sound very Mickey-friendly
at all.
Becky G is an internet Youtube creation, al a Carly Rae
Jespeson. ‘Shower’ pops and clicks with a rapid fire delivery washing into a
chorus that strikes me as very Rihanna-lite, stealing one of the core
tricks/hooks from ‘Umbrella’ outright.
And the Disney Pop classification is dead on, for Becky G sounds like
someone descended from the Demi Levato branch of song – like we need such a
thing?
Good Girls
5 Seconds Of
Summer
More pretend punk from the poster boys of 5SOS. As pop artists go, they’re smart – they never
overstay their welcome. They (or their
handlers) know that three minutes is all you really need for this kind of candy
– any more than that? You risk either diabetes
or nausea.
All the sharky riffs in the world can’t cover up 5SOS’s boy-band
roots. Rick Springfield used to fire off
this kind of power pop all the time, and really, ‘Good Girls’ is not that far a
leap from ‘Jessie’s Girl’. So, I guess it’s true; pop will eat itself.
It certainly does keep coming around to the same spots on
the dinner table.
Believe Me
Lil Wayne
Featuring Drake
This one starts out promising enough, but quickly
devolves into that stupid ‘N’ word repeated over and over, serving as the sole co-rhyme. So lazy.
So tired. For every one good line
Wayne manages to mumble, he coasts for at least five. I’m having a hard time thinking this man is
relevant anymore.
Drake? I don’t
know. I guess he’s on there. Who cares?
I listened to a number of versions of ‘Believe Me’ and every one pitched the
‘vocals’ at a different speed, which seemed like an odd marketing strategy to
me. It debuted in the top 40 and has
managed to stay there for a second week, so… could be here to stay for the
summer. But it has no place on radio… the damn thing is simply so dull.
Pills N Potions
Nicki Minaj
Love her or hate her, you cannot deny how innovative Ms.
Minaj has been and remains. If Lil Wayne
is the status quo, and Future is the flava of the month, then Nicki remains the
future.
This chilly little story of a woman wronged simmers at
three very different temperatures, with the rap portion revealing the speaker’s
smoldering, resigned anger. And yet,
when Nicki sings the words “I still love”
a whopping twenty times in a row, one can’t help but feel there is hope for all
of us – for that is the moral uplift here – love survives, even after all the
crap your beloved puts you through.
I wish all rap/hip hop could be this wise.
I Choose You
Sara Bareilles
Bareilles,
who hit with ‘Brave’ earlier in the
year, has another slight winner on her hands.
The syncopated backdrop buoys up the sweetly cooed melody. Her vocals are airy and light featuring a
slight ache in the back of the throat – all of which brings to mind the vocal style of Paula Cole, though Bareilles’ approach is much less strident.
This is
a totally pleasant adult contemporary outing, sure to please her fans and find
a place on the Cities 97’s of the world.
Shades Of Cool
Lana Del Rey
‘Shades’ immediately brings to mind every
classic James Bond theme with its familiar chording. However, the song quickly evolves into Del
Rey’s typical icy chanteuse chill, bringing to mind the onset of decay and decline of the empire.
Remote, gothic, and expertly engineered, ‘Shades’ shimmers past us like a doomed luxury cruiser going down
for the last time.
I Walk Alone
Cher
To everything there is a season… blah, blah, blah. This is my least favorite track on Cher’s
recent release, ‘Closer To The Truth’.
Something about it feels cribbed from Bob Dylan and there is a hokiness
found in the original arrangement that makes me push it away like a baby trying
pureed spinach for the first time.
The Tracy Young Ferosh Reconstruction Remix does its best
to bring some drama and mystique to the proceedings, while the Funk Generation
& H3DRush Remix revs up some energy and fun. In the end, it’s the JRMX DownTown Club Div A
Matic Remix which, though coming on a little by-the-numbers, feels the most natural. However,
like that spinach I mentioned earlier, that first taste still remains in my
mouth, coloring everything. Still, it’s
managed to stay on the Club Play chart at #2 for the past 2 weeks, so I may
well be in the minority here.
