I know, you're scratching your heads on the title right now. But just because I'm not a sweet tranvestite from transexual Transylvania doesn't mean I can't do the Time Warp (again.)
Everyone knows there is no new thing under the sun, but the 80s are always being mined for inspiration in the music world. Vh1 had it right people do love the 80s! Every once and a while, a song goes beyond just inspired by the 80s. These are songs that sound like they just missed ending up on the American Top 40 With Casey Kasem for the week of October 28, 1984:
"The Wind Blows" - All American Rejects (from When The World Comes Down, 2008)
This is the song that inspired this list. I heard it on the radio a few weeks ago and thought "How did I miss this single from the Ladyhawke soundtrack?" That beat, the meandering electric guitar, the chorus, it's so 80s you'd expect it to wear sunglasses at night.
"Cool" - Gwen Stefani (from Love.Angel.Music.Baby, 2005)
Those new wave synths get quite a work out in my favorite solo track from No Doubt frontwoman Stefani. And who doesn't love a misty-eyed chorus about staying friendly with the ex?
"The (After) Life Of The Party" - Fall Out Boy (from Infinity On High, 2007)
Again, with the totally 80s beat! I can't get enough of the zillionth-generation New Wave sound that the emo kids are jacking, but this sounds like the first wave and Gary Numan was just getting into his car.
"One Touch" - Doe Deere (from Supernatural, 2008)
This is one jam that doesn't even look sideways at recreating New Wave rock. It's all club, baby. Like every Madonna remix and Shannon b-side rolled into a disco-drenched club thumbing booty groover, Doe Deere is the next Lady Gaga only ten times more old-school. Check it at MySpace, sister is doing for herself.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Mika Is "Golden", Also Shirtless. I'm Not Complaining
UK's quirkiest male pop diva since Freddie is set to release his follow-up to one of my top albums of 2007, Life In Cartoon Motion. The lead single is called "We Are Golden" and it's bouncy pop fun, as is the norm from Mika.
Not Mika's usual style is shirtless videos. The clip for "We Are Golden" features Mika having a divatronic meltdown in his bedroom, complete with some underwear only shots. Who know that Mika had a hot body, besides cute hair and a flexible voice? It's not fair! Watch:
Not Mika's usual style is shirtless videos. The clip for "We Are Golden" features Mika having a divatronic meltdown in his bedroom, complete with some underwear only shots. Who know that Mika had a hot body, besides cute hair and a flexible voice? It's not fair! Watch:
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Kelly Clarkson Video I Almost Missed...
Sorry Girls 'n' Gays! I've been out of commission all weekend, between work, Pridefest, (EPIC!) taking a trip to the kinfolk up north and trying to squeeze in a little time with the boyfriend, I barely had a chance to breath since Wednesday.
I finally get a little moment to hit the interwebs and ZOMG! New Kelly Clarkson video! Junior had to draw it to my attention, this is the second time he's had to keep my head onstraight gay.
I've known forever that "Already Gone" was the next single from my once and future beard, the lovely and diva-licious Kelly Clarkson. I even wrote a video treatment concept a few months ago. But I beginning to think it was getting the "Sober" treatment and no video would ever surface. So when I saw the gorgeous stills from it a couple weeks ago, I started getting excited. It looked glamorous, it looked sexy.
The video is all those things, but it's also not very Kelly. She lounges on a couch wearing pearls, she wanders the halls of a swanky penthouse apartment, she's surrounded by a CGI orchestra. Don't get me wrong, Kelly looks stunning. But since when did she wear chandelier earrings and black floor length cocktail dresses? I'm all for changing up one's look, but this doesn't feel natural. When she runs her hand down the champagne colored dress, they look small and childlike. She doesn't look comfortable in any of the shots, she looks like a little girl forced to pose for a pageant. She did the old-school Hollywood glamour thing so much better in the Reba duet version of "Because Of You" - she needed something fresh.
WHAT THE HELL DID THEY DO WITH THE KELLY I LURVE (and the missing minute or so of song run time?) Seriously, I am not happy with this video. Kelly is such a dynamo on stage and in the appropriate videos, I wish someone would give her a concept worthy of her talent. Watch:
I finally get a little moment to hit the interwebs and ZOMG! New Kelly Clarkson video! Junior had to draw it to my attention, this is the second time he's had to keep my head on
I've known forever that "Already Gone" was the next single from my once and future beard, the lovely and diva-licious Kelly Clarkson. I even wrote a video treatment concept a few months ago. But I beginning to think it was getting the "Sober" treatment and no video would ever surface. So when I saw the gorgeous stills from it a couple weeks ago, I started getting excited. It looked glamorous, it looked sexy.
The video is all those things, but it's also not very Kelly. She lounges on a couch wearing pearls, she wanders the halls of a swanky penthouse apartment, she's surrounded by a CGI orchestra. Don't get me wrong, Kelly looks stunning. But since when did she wear chandelier earrings and black floor length cocktail dresses? I'm all for changing up one's look, but this doesn't feel natural. When she runs her hand down the champagne colored dress, they look small and childlike. She doesn't look comfortable in any of the shots, she looks like a little girl forced to pose for a pageant. She did the old-school Hollywood glamour thing so much better in the Reba duet version of "Because Of You" - she needed something fresh.
WHAT THE HELL DID THEY DO WITH THE KELLY I LURVE (and the missing minute or so of song run time?) Seriously, I am not happy with this video. Kelly is such a dynamo on stage and in the appropriate videos, I wish someone would give her a concept worthy of her talent. Watch:
Friday, July 24, 2009
[Diva Week] My Diva: Alice
And so it ends! Diva Week comes to a close with the diva, the girl whose path I have followed since I was a child. Before I started reading My Diva, I had a million divas in mind. My friends thought Madonna was my ultimate diva, I figured Kelly Clarkson was the diva I loved most.
But reading so many men who found a connection early on, I knew it wasn't Kelly. Don't get me wrong, I love Kelly. But when I though back to the diva who inspired me from childhood, it came to me.
I can't remember the first time I read Alice's Adventures In Wonderland or the sequel, Through The Looking Glass. I'm sure I saw the Disney cartoon very early on, with it's garish technicolored hues and catchy songs. But the book came into my life as child in an abridged from, one of those inexpensive children's hardbacks they used to sell at Walmart. As I grew up, I read the actual Carroll book many times and purchased an Annotated copy when I was teenager. I still read it once a year or so.
Alice inspires me. I know, a grown man of almost 26 being inspired by a small Victorian-era dreamchild is ridiculous. From the moment she sees that White Rabbit go running by, she follows it. She isn't fearful, she isn't stopped by the question of what practical good it is to chase a rabbit into it's hole. Even when her scenario turns frightening, she pushes on. Her curiosity and tenacity never waver, she still p
ossesses that childlike idea that if something is interesting one should pursue it.
A lot of strange and wonderful things happen to Alice in her adventures. She changes sizes, because she keeps putting on gloves and eating things she shouldn't. It should be a warning to her, but she doesn't want to stop experiencing things. That is one way Alice has inspired me. I often want to stop putting my hand in the fire, to give up on dating or writing. But I know that I will never experience life unless I risk it again.
I know there is much to said for contentment. But I don't want to be content with mediocrity. And neither does Alice, she pushes for that garden she spies through the key hole. She doesn't accept just sitting and having tea with a March Hare and a Mad Hatter. She has a goal, a dream. And she pursues it.
I wish I could be like that all the time. In my best moments, the ones that have resulted in the biggest joys, and sometimes pains, I am like that. Long before I started this blog, I had already chosen a name and the quote that sits atop the page. It's a quote from the very beginning of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. There isn't really any special meaning to the quote, just something I liked and though fit the mood.
In fact, my favorite quote is kind of Alice-inspired. From Gwen Stefani's Wonderland-esque video "What You Waitin' For?" comes this gem that gives me the push to follow that White Rabbit down the hole into a new place I never dreamed of: "Take a chance, you stupid ho."
In a way, Alice has always been reminding me of both the joys and pitfalls of being a Diva. You carve your own path, you follow your own dream and know that through patience, determination and hard work you will get what you want. And be fabulous doing it!
But reading so many men who found a connection early on, I knew it wasn't Kelly. Don't get me wrong, I love Kelly. But when I though back to the diva who inspired me from childhood, it came to me.
I can't remember the first time I read Alice's Adventures In Wonderland or the sequel, Through The Looking Glass. I'm sure I saw the Disney cartoon very early on, with it's garish technicolored hues and catchy songs. But the book came into my life as child in an abridged from, one of those inexpensive children's hardbacks they used to sell at Walmart. As I grew up, I read the actual Carroll book many times and purchased an Annotated copy when I was teenager. I still read it once a year or so.
Alice inspires me. I know, a grown man of almost 26 being inspired by a small Victorian-era dreamchild is ridiculous. From the moment she sees that White Rabbit go running by, she follows it. She isn't fearful, she isn't stopped by the question of what practical good it is to chase a rabbit into it's hole. Even when her scenario turns frightening, she pushes on. Her curiosity and tenacity never waver, she still p
ossesses that childlike idea that if something is interesting one should pursue it.A lot of strange and wonderful things happen to Alice in her adventures. She changes sizes, because she keeps putting on gloves and eating things she shouldn't. It should be a warning to her, but she doesn't want to stop experiencing things. That is one way Alice has inspired me. I often want to stop putting my hand in the fire, to give up on dating or writing. But I know that I will never experience life unless I risk it again.
I know there is much to said for contentment. But I don't want to be content with mediocrity. And neither does Alice, she pushes for that garden she spies through the key hole. She doesn't accept just sitting and having tea with a March Hare and a Mad Hatter. She has a goal, a dream. And she pursues it.
I wish I could be like that all the time. In my best moments, the ones that have resulted in the biggest joys, and sometimes pains, I am like that. Long before I started this blog, I had already chosen a name and the quote that sits atop the page. It's a quote from the very beginning of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. There isn't really any special meaning to the quote, just something I liked and though fit the mood.
In fact, my favorite quote is kind of Alice-inspired. From Gwen Stefani's Wonderland-esque video "What You Waitin' For?" comes this gem that gives me the push to follow that White Rabbit down the hole into a new place I never dreamed of: "Take a chance, you stupid ho."
In a way, Alice has always been reminding me of both the joys and pitfalls of being a Diva. You carve your own path, you follow your own dream and know that through patience, determination and hard work you will get what you want. And be fabulous doing it!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
[Diva Week] I Can't Forget The Classic Divas!
For Diva Week, we've been focusing on the new wave of gay icons. But it's not really fair to push aside the old gaurd. Old school glamour and posh never dies, and if you took a glance around my apartment you'd find a large print of Audrey Hepburn's classic Breakfast At Tiffany's pose, peering into the window with her large shades and coffee cup. You'd find an reproduction of a oil painting of Madonna, used to cover the thermostat. You'd probably notice the collection of Marilyn Monroe photos, and a collage I made in high school of newspaper clippings from her death. A print of classic scenes from "I Love Lucy" hangs near that collection, and a vintage picture of Elizabeth Taylor sits on a shelf in my bedroom. I also have collected a large amount of vintage pictures and statues of the Virgin Mary, and I'm not even Catholic. (I don't know if that's a "gay and his diva" thing, or just really weird...) My CD collection contains discs by Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Cyndi Lauper and Whitney Houston. I have Julie Andrews soundtracks on LP. I could never ignore these classic divas.
I choose to focus on new gay icons because so much has already been written about these fabulous women that I wanted to shine a light on some fresh faces. But I would never forget these legends, these women who have inspired drag queens and gym bunnies alike. There is room in this world for more than one diva. Maybe next year, we'll go old school.
I choose to focus on new gay icons because so much has already been written about these fabulous women that I wanted to shine a light on some fresh faces. But I would never forget these legends, these women who have inspired drag queens and gym bunnies alike. There is room in this world for more than one diva. Maybe next year, we'll go old school.
[Diva Week] Kelly Clarkson: The Idol
For Diva Week at Pictures & Conversations we will look at 4 modern gay icons as well a special look at the diva I've idealized and followed (and not really fully realized until I read My Diva) since childhood. And no, you won't find out who that is until Friday. Yes, I'm a tease... Another day, another diva. This time it's the ultimate Idol, Kelly Clarkson.
Those who know my via my blog or in real life know I love Kelly Clarkson. In fact, at first she was going to be My Diva. When I started my blog on MySpace, the second post was a leaked clip of "Never Again", the first single from her fantastic third album My December. I must admit, though, I never watched the first season of American Idol. I thought "A Moment Like This" was a clever song, both a normal love ballad and a celebration of winning a talent contest, but kinda boring. I liked "Miss Independent" but didn't even buy her album.
When her sophomore set came out, I wasn't crazy about the lead single and title track Breakaway. It was kinda syrupy, but the all hell broke loose. "Since U Been Gone" was song that turned Kelly into a superstar, and I was hooked. "Behind These Hazel Eyes" came next, with a fucking brilliant video and an angry sing-along chorus. But it was "Because Of You" that cemented Kelly as my favourite pop star.
The slow building ballad, so fueled by the pain of a strained relationship with her mother, was the thing that sent me over the edge. It was a perfect parallel to my own relationship with my mother. Especially the bridge:
I watched you die
I heard you cry
Every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry
In the middle of the night
For the same damn thing
After the death of my father when I was 16, I did what any good son would do. I held up my mother when she couldn't hold herself together, I delayed any college plans because I could not imagine leaving my three little sisters and my mother to fend for themselves. And she let me. She let me throw that away, because she needed me. And I needed to be needed, I'm co-dependant like that. Which leads to the final lyrics of the song:
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you I am afraid
For the record, my relationship with mother has improved, and through therapy I'm learning to stop blaming her for my own actions. Still love the song, though.
So I was hooked, and My December was the line that pulled me in. From the opening line of "Never Again" with it's brutal "I hope the ring to gave to her turns her finger green" to the closing one-two punch of the suicidal ballad "Irvine" and bonus track "Chivas" - a goof about picking Chivas over a leering ex - I played the shit out of that CD. It's a cohesive artist statement about love and loss, something I didn't really know anything about yet but felt I had learned from this Texas girl. I wanted to be the strong person who could sing these words, from the acoustic rock ballad "Maybe":
I don't want to be tough
And I don't want to be proud
I don't need to be fixed and I certainly don't need to be found
I'm not lost
I need to be loved
I just need to be loved
But I was a simpering fool who fell for the first guy who gave me the time of day. I wanted to be that girl who stood up to Clive Davis and said "This is what's in my heart, this is what I want to say." But that girl also had signed contracts and had to make another album. But not until she toured with her friend and duet partner Reba McIntire, who put on an awesome show in Reading last fall. I was there, it was epic.
Then came All I Ever Wanted. I didn't want to like it, it wasn't My December. But it truly is a collection of pop masterpieces, from the best songwriters in the business - Dr. Luke, Ryan Tedder, Max Martin, Kara DioGuardi and Kelly herself. It isn't the cohesive statement My December was, but perhaps that's OK. Kelly has some great songs, like the funk-pop title track and the ballad "Already Gone" for which a video is still coming. The stills from that clip (seen below) prove Kelly is still a stunning creature, and the album proved she has both the actual voice and the artistic voice to be a major diva for years. And, fuck it, if she put out a polka album today I would be all over that shit. I seriously love her.
Those who know my via my blog or in real life know I love Kelly Clarkson. In fact, at first she was going to be My Diva. When I started my blog on MySpace, the second post was a leaked clip of "Never Again", the first single from her fantastic third album My December. I must admit, though, I never watched the first season of American Idol. I thought "A Moment Like This" was a clever song, both a normal love ballad and a celebration of winning a talent contest, but kinda boring. I liked "Miss Independent" but didn't even buy her album.When her sophomore set came out, I wasn't crazy about the lead single and title track Breakaway. It was kinda syrupy, but the all hell broke loose. "Since U Been Gone" was song that turned Kelly into a superstar, and I was hooked. "Behind These Hazel Eyes" came next, with a fucking brilliant video and an angry sing-along chorus. But it was "Because Of You" that cemented Kelly as my favourite pop star.
The slow building ballad, so fueled by the pain of a strained relationship with her mother, was the thing that sent me over the edge. It was a perfect parallel to my own relationship with my mother. Especially the bridge:
I watched you die
I heard you cry
Every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry
In the middle of the night
For the same damn thing
After the death of my father when I was 16, I did what any good son would do. I held up my mother when she couldn't hold herself together, I delayed any college plans because I could not imagine leaving my three little sisters and my mother to fend for themselves. And she let me. She let me throw that away, because she needed me. And I needed to be needed, I'm co-dependant like that. Which leads to the final lyrics of the song:
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you I am afraid
For the record, my relationship with mother has improved, and through therapy I'm learning to stop blaming her for my own actions. Still love the song, though.
So I was hooked, and My December was the line that pulled me in. From the opening line of "Never Again" with it's brutal "I hope the ring to gave to her turns her finger green" to the closing one-two punch of the suicidal ballad "Irvine" and bonus track "Chivas" - a goof about picking Chivas over a leering ex - I played the shit out of that CD. It's a cohesive artist statement about love and loss, something I didn't really know anything about yet but felt I had learned from this Texas girl. I wanted to be the strong person who could sing these words, from the acoustic rock ballad "Maybe":
I don't want to be tough
And I don't want to be proud
I don't need to be fixed and I certainly don't need to be found
I'm not lost
I need to be loved
I just need to be loved
But I was a simpering fool who fell for the first guy who gave me the time of day. I wanted to be that girl who stood up to Clive Davis and said "This is what's in my heart, this is what I want to say." But that girl also had signed contracts and had to make another album. But not until she toured with her friend and duet partner Reba McIntire, who put on an awesome show in Reading last fall. I was there, it was epic.
Then came All I Ever Wanted. I didn't want to like it, it wasn't My December. But it truly is a collection of pop masterpieces, from the best songwriters in the business - Dr. Luke, Ryan Tedder, Max Martin, Kara DioGuardi and Kelly herself. It isn't the cohesive statement My December was, but perhaps that's OK. Kelly has some great songs, like the funk-pop title track and the ballad "Already Gone" for which a video is still coming. The stills from that clip (seen below) prove Kelly is still a stunning creature, and the album proved she has both the actual voice and the artistic voice to be a major diva for years. And, fuck it, if she put out a polka album today I would be all over that shit. I seriously love her.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
[Diva Week] Does VH1 Read My Blog? Because Divas Live Is Back!
Apparently Pictures & Conversation's Diva Week is starting a trend, because VH1 has annouced the return of the best program ever on the channel, Divas Live! The current divas are my girl Kelly Clarkson (you may hear more about her later this week... wink), Leona Lewis (because "Bleeding Love" is every diva song ever rolled into one and covered in extra runs and histrionics), British soul-pop singer Adele (I'm not sure about "diva" but I kinda love her), and my sworn frienemy Miley Cyrus. NOOOOOOOOOOOO! x infinity.
I have a serious love/hate relationship with Billy Ray's spawn. I wanted to hate "See You Again" but the crazy club beat and surf guitars sucked me in. Then came "Seven Things" and I was back in hate. "The Climb" almost had me, it's simple melody and lyrics lulled me into thinking Miley was more than a moppet who liked to show her bra strap in MySpace pics. The I realized a 16-year-old (who was dating a 20-year-old underwear model) was just repeating the ancient maxim of "It's not the destination, it's the journey." I already know this, I based my David & Bathsheba sermon on that very idea. Then the facts she's already writing her memoirs makes me roll my eyes, seriously. Only Drew Barrymore can write a life story worth reading while still in her teens. (Seriously, read Little Girl Lost. It's epic.)
Anyway, I'm excited for the other three. I'm hoping for a "Moment Like This" sing-off between Leona and Kelly. Who's with me?
Related video:
Above:
Kelly Clarkson - "Moment Like This"
Leona Lewis - "Moment Like This"
Miley Cyrus - "See You Again"
Adele - "Hometown Glory [High Contrast Mix]"
I have a serious love/hate relationship with Billy Ray's spawn. I wanted to hate "See You Again" but the crazy club beat and surf guitars sucked me in. Then came "Seven Things" and I was back in hate. "The Climb" almost had me, it's simple melody and lyrics lulled me into thinking Miley was more than a moppet who liked to show her bra strap in MySpace pics. The I realized a 16-year-old (who was dating a 20-year-old underwear model) was just repeating the ancient maxim of "It's not the destination, it's the journey." I already know this, I based my David & Bathsheba sermon on that very idea. Then the facts she's already writing her memoirs makes me roll my eyes, seriously. Only Drew Barrymore can write a life story worth reading while still in her teens. (Seriously, read Little Girl Lost. It's epic.)
Anyway, I'm excited for the other three. I'm hoping for a "Moment Like This" sing-off between Leona and Kelly. Who's with me?
Related video:
Above:
Kelly Clarkson - "Moment Like This"
Leona Lewis - "Moment Like This"
Miley Cyrus - "See You Again"
Adele - "Hometown Glory [High Contrast Mix]"
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