PussyMonologues

Life During Wartime

2010-08-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

Todd Solondz has done it again: He's taken an altogether disturbing story, coupled it with the perfect cast, a dark sense of humor, and an uncannily well-curated soundtrack, and made his unlovable characters, well, lovable.
In Life During Wartime, Solondz revisits the story of the Maplewood family, torn apart in 1998 by the father, Bill Maplewood, who raped one of his son's friends. In this film Bill has just been released from prison. His family has relocated to Florida and now Trish Maplewood (Allison Janney) is dating Harv Weiner (Michael Lerner). After suffering from an emotional breakdown of sorts, her little sister Joy (Shirley Henderson), visits her from New Jersey and tries to put her life back together. Meanwhile, Trish and Bill's son is preparing for his Bar Mitzvah and trying to figure out what it means to be a man.
Seeing this particular Solondz film was like attending a freaky family reunion- many of the same characters were there (Harv and Mark Weiner are back! Hallelujah!), and throughout the experience I was reminded that although I share some history with these people and have been able to watch their lives fall apart over the years, in the end life goes on and there is no real resolution, only that we all must press on and see what the future brings. I truly enjoy Solondz's episodic storytelling and his John Waters-esque ability to bring wholly unpalatable characters to life. Although this film was touted as the sequel to Happiness, there are references to characters and events from all of his previous films. Like a family reunion, there were members who were only present in spirit and they were sorely missed. I am still sad that Dawn Weiner offed herself at the beginning of Palindromes, and I always have to wonder what became of little prima ballerina Missy, who has been MIA since Welcome to the Dollhouse.
Seeing this film at the Brooklyn Academy of Music theater was the capstone to my 24th birthday weekend, spent with friends in New York City. Birthdays always make me look backwards and forwards at the same time, to see where I've been and where I may be headed. Life During Wartime had the same effect, for as ridiculous and unreal as Solondz makes his suburban characters and plotlines, I always find myself moving between past and future as I watch the drama of their lives unfold on screen. It's impossible to leave his films unimpressed with his ability to capture this phenomenon, to hold his viewer in a sense of simultaneous discord and harmony. Like Buddhists in a dark theater, we can only accept this moment: Character flaws and pedophiles included.

Kool Man, Girl Hate, Summer of Love, Etc.

2010-07-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

Justin Lowe 2006.
Hi ya'll- I'm not gonna feel that bad for not posting much over the last month or two, because it's still summer, no offense. Well, here's an update:
The following is this letter my mom got a few days ago. We had two eleven-year-old Fresh Air Fund girls from NYC for a week, and when they left we got this awesome, super-bratty note from one girl, tattling on the other. I wanna write back and say "Girl hate is self-hate" but I can't stop laughing long enough to hold a pen. :

"What ya doin? You know what Brianna did? She said the dancing guy i told you about, she said he was cute, so like then she kept bothering him. So then the girl in front of her challenged her in Uno. She got beat twice so then Brianna got out of control.
I tried to stop but she couldnt be. So then her and girl got up and started to run around the bus talking mad loud screaming. She didnt even eat your lunch! She lied! She does not get car sicked. Another girl did and she made fun of her. She just wanted you to feel bad for her."

Cool girls. $1 pattern from Rietta Flea Market this morning.

Justin Lowe from Matrix 159 at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford. Went there the other day with Sam and Ellen, and in case you missed Weekendpartyupdate's awesome photo essay on the Janelle Monae show, please go there now.

Backstage with Tiombe Lockheart of the Cubic Zircornias; please note the custom-made peach onesie.

Sapphy the kitten is turning into a cat and Summer of Love is slipping through my fingers like so many melted rivulets of Berry Line fro yo. I already miss it.

The Cat's Meow

2010-06-15T13:02:00.001-07:00

For a long time now I've been daydreaming and plotting my revenge on dudes everywhere, not just any dudes, but specifically date rapists and douche bags who show up at da club just to try and cop a feel (and much worse) on me or any other lady. I'm personally fed up, and I've been talking about starting an underground militia with other womyn-with-a-y who would like to take this bold (but is it really shocking?) doctrine and put it to good use, at clubs and parties everywhere. The message is simple: If you are a rapist, or an attempted rapist, then I will castrate you. I really fail to see what is unfair about that.
Up until now I was worried about how I would go about doing this- with Rohypnol, guys have it pretty easy. I was worried about my lack of knife-wielding skills, and my fear of blood (and prison, if caught).
Where am I going with all this gore? Well, the new street drug Mephedrone- or "Meow Meow" as it is called colloquially, has some pretty rad side effects. It is being hailed in the UK as the new Ecstasy, and with no laws in place to prohibit it's sale or use, it seems like every club kid is jumping on the Meow wagon. When researching this new phenomenon, I read this exciting tidbit on Thesun.co.uk:
"A large number of contributors state how addictive mephedrone is and they are constantly topping up as one individual states that after using it for 18 hours his hallucinations led him to believe that centipedes were crawling over him and biting him. This led him to receive hospital treatment after he ripped his scrotum off." (Italics mine.)
So there you have it. The newest arsenal in my fight against rapists everywhere won't be Rapex, it won't be pepper spray, and it certainly won't be a Buck knife: It will simply be Meow Meow.
Now time for a personal Rant: On Saturday night I was dancing my heart out at the LGBT Africa party during Boston Pride. Suddenly there was what appeared to be this one gay guy on the dancefloor, and he was all over the pretty young babes. I thought it was odd that a dandy like that would be humping and bumping up against the ladies, but when he started simulating rape and pushing girls around, I really got a taste for blood. After pulling him off of a girl and then making the "I will cut your throat" gesture at him, I thought he'd gotten the message. But he kept it up! WTF! The last thing queer parties need are fake (or real!) gay guys who are actually getting their rocks off by fake-raping girls. I seriously hope I see this dude again, and then I can slip some Meow Meow into his drink.
Who's with me?

How Do I Get That Look? Book: Summer 2010

2010-05-18T13:24:00.001-07:00

Garnering inspiration from Sam McKinniss (what else is new?), I decided to compile my own Summer 2010 Look Book. A healthy medley of masuclin/feminin, working class politics, completed by lots of body-conscious spandex-mixes.

Belly shirts: Still a "do."

Pink and peach, sans bra.

Gilda Radner: The original Am-App muse.

Hey Summer, why don't you love me?

<3 M

Marissa Fisher, Registered Trademark

2010-05-12T14:14:00.001-07:00

"Youth style and attitude are among the most effective wealth generators in our entertainment economy, but real live youth are being used around the world to pioneer a new kind of disposable workforce." - No Logo.
If you are reading this blog, then you are most likely one of the post-Gen X youths for whom the ideas of full-time employment, healthcare benefits, or the thought of challenging, rewarding work, remains the stuff of job market fantasy. And, probably like you, the very real fear of never finding a "real" career makes my privately-educated head spin, as I dizzily search the spartan job offerings of our economic recession and turn up empty-handed.
In North America, 75% of jobs are in the services and retail trade sectors. Unfortunately for anyone who happens to be employed at a Starbucks or Ben Sherman or Unos, these jobs are seen as only stepping stones to a future that gleams brighter, where you will finally be rewarded for your creativity and critical thinking skills, at that great temp agency in the sky. Because you are only "passing through" - so goes the cultural lore - why do you need job security or full time hours? Who needs health insurance? With the way these McJobs treat their workers, it seems that nobody working at them have real expenses, like childcare, rent, or credit card or education bills to pay off.

After hearing her interview with Tom Ashbrook last week on NPR, I am now voraciously devouring Naomi Klein's tome No Logo, and it is hitting me right where it hurts. The fact is that job prospects for our generation are even dimmer than I once thought. Klein's book was written pre-recession (at the tail-end of the 90's recession, so most of the challenges of youth, if they went away for a minute, are back in full-swing and are still relevant), and she artlessly uncovers the dark secrets of capitalism, and lays out in plain sight how these mega-giants have taken over our globe culturally and visually -with their brands and logos- but have left a burning pile of environmental waste, abused workers, and broken promises in their wake. The stakes are high and the accountability is nil.
For the youth of today, the final message of capitalism is to look out for number one. Nobody's got your back, so the best defense -and the only way to find a job- is to make yourself into the perfect, branded package. This self-directed lifestyle-branding may be the final perfection of our generation's calling card, our consumer-driven narcissism. Well, for now, Marissa Fisher, Registered Trademark, is not buying it.

Survival Tent

2010-05-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

Above are the exterior and interior views of British artist Tracey Emin's Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995. It is appliqued with the names of all of Emins' former lovers. I would really like to appropriate her embroidered tent idea and create another collaborative public art project in the same vein, but this one would be about rape and sexual violence.
Perhaps it is inappropriate to link one's sexual partners to one's sexual aggresors, but I am imagining a space where survivors can name their aggressors, publicly. This project is called Survival Tent. As of now it is just a concept, but I would like to someday actualize it.
It brings to mind the Clothesline Project, where survivors can create t-shirts where they tell their story (or whatever they want to share) and then hang it on a publicly displayed clothesline. It is a kind of "airing of dirty laundry" within one's community, and also an attempt to reach out to other survivors. In an anonymous way it creates camaraderie between survivors and also creates awareness of sexual abuse.
To me, one of the biggest problems with abuse is that there are not clearer lines between consent and non-consent. We need to educate ourselves and each other. We need to be talking about these issues regularly, publicly. There is something very powerful in the act of naming abuse and naming an abuser, but where are the avenues to do this? There are certainly no obvious spaces to do this in- besides the therapist's office. The Survival Tent I am imagining would be more than the creation of the physical tent; it would be a long-term installation in a safe and secure space where survivors could come together, enter the tent, share stories and embroider a name if desired. Survival Tent surpasses the actual object; it is an attempt at creating the actual space to do the important work of sharing and possibly healing.
I welcome your feedback.

In Her Own Words: Amanda Baggs

2010-04-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

This video was made by Amanda Baggs, an autistic woman from Vermont. At the age of 20 she became nonverbal but in this eloquent and beautiful video, and with the help of her computer, she opens her world to outsiders. She specifically does not desire to be a sideshow, and the heart with which she approaches this project makes it one of the most humanizing and important videos I've ever seen. You can read the entire story at Wired.com but really, the work speaks for itself. Baggs' statement on human rights violations and the misunderstandings that "Aspie" and "Autie" folks face is powerful stuff.
It seriously got me thinking about my own prejudices on the value and abilities of these minds. Thankfully, this video proves most of us dead wrong. Baggs' use of these new forms of media and technology have saved her from isolation, but have also provided the rest of us with an insight that wouldn't have been possible even a decade ago. It makes me wonder if the the autistic mind contains an important link to the future, with a new way of communicating with our environment and with each other. Truly mind blowing stuff.

Badvertisement Part 1

2010-04-12T12:04:00.001-07:00

I've got nothing much to write about today, but I wanted to share something. I've got a real thing for bad advertisement -or badvertisement, to coin a phrase. Today I found a real bad hand-written ad for Wilton Children's Clothing Store in Ware, Massachusetts and it looks like a serial killer's ransom note. I also enjoy the frenetic overuse of the pink highlighter. Apparently Microsoft Word hasn't made it to rural Mass yet.
P.S. They don't have a word processor, but they have a baby registry?!

A Bee in My Bonnet

2010-04-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

We've all heard of evil professors who steal theory ideas from students and then publish them as their own scholarly articles. But what of the evil ex-Antioch professor Colette Palamar, who stole my bonnet design business idea and then created her own eerily similar business?
Her Etsy description reads: "Often imitated but never duplicated in style, functionality, fabric design or craftsmanship, the ub2 bonnets are cool, fun, funky, functional, super-cute and distinctively original!"
Hm...distinctively original? Did someone say "problematic"?
As a student at Antioch, I sold my Vacation Bible School Bonnets in the Herndon Gallery- Colette happened to be the director of the gallery then and I was doing my co-op as assistant director. Here is a picture of my jaunty peers and me in 2007, sporting my hats in the gallery:

Shortly after graduation I received an email from Colette with a link to her Etsy site - I guess she wanted me to hear it firsthand. But if she didn't believe she was doing something wrong, then why would she go out of her way to tell me about it, preemptively asking my permission to steal from me? Go ahead and look her up on Etsy(Username: Urbanbabybonnets). I finally looked her up yesterday and her artist statement is ridiculously full of near-direct quotes from conversation we had had about my hats. When I put them in the Herndon Gallery I was talking about elevating craft to the status of art, and what it means to sell a work of functional fashion art cheap enough for most people to own. Note the similarities in her artist statement.
As the painter Sam McKinniss once said, "Well if you can't do, teach; the better to gank talented youngsters unpatented good ideas."
I hope she is enjoying her success despite her deep-down knowlege that she lifted her brilliant idea from a starving artist, one with much fewer resources than her -but evidently, oodles of more creativity and style. Besides the Etsy scam, follow this address (http://tryhandmade.com/interview-with-colette-palamar-urban-baby-bonnets/)to read an interview where Colette claims that she was inspired by an antique bonnet her grandmother-in-law gave her baby. It would have made a world of difference if she could just give credit where credit is due, but instead she has greedily omitted any mention of my bonnnets or my work. Simply galling.
At least I'm an artist who failed as a business-woman and not a business-woman who failed as an artist.

Cool Tweens

2010-04-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

Don't you hate it when you see a thirteen year old with a million times more style and street cred than you? Below, watch Master P's daughter Cymphonique, fresh off the Six Flags National Tour with Raven Simone (srsly lol), in her video "Lil Miss Swagger."

Pros: At least she isn't covered in makeup (yet) or tattoos (yet).
Cons: Her video is totally kiddie-pornorific. Cymphonique is an undeniably talented and beautiful young girl, but isn't that enough? Why did they have to sex-up her image? I hate that promoting hyper-sexualized images of children seems to be the final frontier of "pushing the envelope" when it comes to being edgy in advertisement, art, and pop culture. I wished Cymphonique's video had been more like a Gap Kids ad, but instead it feels like a scene from a (WAY) under-21 club.
But, sadly, it could be worse. At least she's not Baby Gaga, Brasil's littlest latest star:

Pros: She hired Klaus Nomi's makeup artist.
Cons: She's dressed as Lady Gaga and she's sitting on her interviewer's lap.
Where the hell is this kids mom?! Oh, she's right there at the end of the video, beaming with pride at her little Gaga-in-training. It seems that stage parents everywhere will actually allow their children to do anything to get famous.
Well, sadly, it could be worse for Baby Gaga, too. At least she's not Jon Benet Ramsey, famed pageant star of the 1990s:

What I see in all of these examples are girls who are probably proud and excited to be in the spotlight, but there is a much darker shadow looming. Using a child's sexuality as a tool of promotion toward fame is always going to be creepy, because it's the adults in charge (the parents, the producers) who are exploiting their position of power and using their little ones as money-making pawns. Although this is one trend I will never support, at least monetarily, why does my fascination always gets the best of me? It must be the train wreck and I can't look away. The worst part is wondering what this trend will evolve to look like in another 10 years. I hope the Earth implodes before this race-to-the-bottom gets any lower.

Ralph's Diner Breaks Laws, Hearts

2010-03-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Moments of surprise and delight happen so infrequently in Central Massachusetts; generally I feel like I've seen and done everything around these parts, and when I do try to branch out, I'm often met with disaster. Have I mentioned my fieldtrip to The Other Side, where methed-out strippers show their twat for $1 tips? Unfortunately, you can't un-see things.
Last night was a dive bar trip I never want to forget, though. Above, the inside of Ralph's Rock Diner, 148 Grove Street in Worcester. (http://www.Ralphsrockdiner.com.) It was truly a diamond, surrounded by the roughness of a rustbelt town. Stripped of its former industrial glory, Worcester is as down-in-the-dumps as North Adams or Pittsburg, but until last night I never saw a beacon of hope glimmering in its smoggy night sky.
The image above of Ralph's Diner was taken in the 1980s. Picture exactly that, only at night, and with tattooed-yet incredibly warm- bartenders serving up $3 High Lifes to Central Mass hipsters and rockabilly types, while someone (and I won't mention names) is howling Kate Bush from the karaoke lounge. Now step outside, where you can smoke AND drink in their cement courtyard under the blazing neon "HAMBURGERS" sign. In case you're wondering, they really do serve hamburgers, and chili, but that's the extent of their nightly menu. There really were a lot of hotties at Ralph's. Below, my dear old friend Bonnie Logan and me are in Ralph's photobooth.

Wednesday nights at Ralph's are karaoke nights, so in case you're wondering what the best karaoke song in the world is, it's Jolene by Dolly Parton. Short, sweet, and gut-wrenching. A small taste of what you missed last night:

Cool Lesbian Teens

2010-03-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

Here on PussyMonologues, I try to pay great attention to the doings of the Cool Teens of this world. Last night I saw the breaking news story of 18-year-old Mississippi student Constance McMillen whose Itawamba County Agricultural High School prom was literally banned because she wanted to bring her girlfriend as her date.(Not to mention that one of them planned on wearing a tuxedo!)
Cool Lesbian Teen Constance McMillen:

Although I live in Massachusetts where gay marriage is legal, the climate surrounding queer rights are still far behind where they should be at this late date, so I guess I shouldn't be shocked that a public school in a state as un-liberal as Mississippi would be pulling these shenanigans.
I recently took another look at a video Max Traiman made back at Antioch, entitled "Martha Shelley's Notes of a Radical Lesbian." Inspired by a yard sale book (some anthology of 60s feminism), Max was shocked that Martha Shelley seemed to have slipped into obscurity after penning something as radical and luminary as her Notes of a Radical Lesbian. Basing the script entirely on this manifesto -and starring a lot of cool teens- Traiman made it into a school video project:

Martha Shelley's notes of a radical lesbian

Your Future Ex Husband | MySpace Video
It's so sad that these words were written fifty years ago, and yet two kids from Mississippi still can't go to the prom together. The most galling part of the Constance McMillen story is that other students are blaming the two girlfriends instead of calling their school district and their backassward policies to the floor. Maybe after the revolution...
Until then, the next best thing may be joining the Facebook group: "Support Constance McMillen!"

Beddy-Bye

2010-03-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

Here's my uncomprehensive list of new favorites:
1. Kumquats. I have no idea how I had lived 23.5 years and not discovered these. What does heaven taste like? Thanks to a dinner party at Cambridge denizen Ellen Arnstein's house, I now know.
2. Judee Sill's album Heart Food. So good. See also, heavenly.
3. My quilt.

My great-grandmother (who turned 96 on Sunday) gave me all these quilt squares -see above- that she cut in the 1960s and I finally turned them into a finished product last week. This was not our first long-term art collabo; Grandma Stevens and I have been penpals since I could write and have been mailing art, drawings, and letters back and forth from Westminster to South Effingham (for real)for about 19 years now. I love her.
Evidently Grandma has another penpal, because last week at her house she had this book that my mom's dancer cousin, Carolyn Brown, sent her. Chance and Circumstance: Twenty Years with Cage and Cunningham, Brown's memoir, is like hanging out with avante garde 1960s New York. Brown has the then-equivalent of Facebook pics with the likes of Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and of course, Merce Cunningham and John Cage. In her book, Brown reveals that her friend Bob Rauschenberg turned to heaps of trash for his art supplies just because he was so damn poor. Rauschenberg's Bed was created because he couldn't afford canvas and he found a quilt on the side of the road and started painting on it. Anyway, I think my new quilt makes a bed that rivals Bed:

Roni Horn: Maximum Opacity

2010-02-18T10:38:00.000-08:00

Last night Sam and I went to see a conversation with Roni Horn and John Waters at Boston's ICA. The above image, which is part of a photographic series of Roni Horn's niece Georgia, is a postcard I purchased at Dia:Beacon about 5 years ago; it is the first thing that captivated me about Roni Horn. It is a charged and slightly frightening image. When I read Horn's interview in W magazine this past Fall I was taken. She spoke of inviting comparisons between two objects or images and of ambiguous gender identities. As for her use of a million different types of media-24 karat gold? a giant glass cube?: Hot.
Last night was great and John Waters was winsome. It's a good thing he was there to frame the conversation and move things along, because Horn was friendly enough, but truly reluctant. She didn't seem to want to reveal anything to her audience. When it was time for the audience Q&A people were trying to get her to talk about how she "needs" or "wants" her audience, which she admitted to, sort of. The disconnect was that here is Roni Horn, sitting before her literal, real audience, and she didn't seem to really need us at all. She was so reluctant to share anything, and it came off as a little hostile. We didn't want anything from her, just some insight into why she makes the work that she makes. If you are going to make work that is so opaque, you better offer a few clues.
Waters kept showing different slides of Horn's work to get her to talk about it. It was interesting to see some images I hadn't seen before. I do like the airy and strange feelings throughout her work. Like Eva Hesse, it's exciting to see materials we all know used in a completely new way, complete with flaws. The five tons of pink glass in the lobby of the ICA gave me a visceral reaction. John Waters spoke of viewers wanting to lick Horn's sculptures, and I truly know what he meant then. If only that guard hadn't been there...
What I wanted to know were the quotidian details of who Roni Horn is: What book is she reading right now? What NYC neighborhood does she live in? She really did seem to float above us. I wish she could've indulged us, her precious audience, just a tad more. This is exactly what I was hoping would happen, but it didn't really.
Waters brought it all back home when he addressed the basic narcissism that is inherent in artists and performers. He quipped about not getting enough attention when he was three years old, and he's had to spend the rest of his life seeking constant affirmation from his audience. Horn laughed and agreed, but that was end of it.
I did leave happy, though. The best moment of the night came at the end when I saw above muse, Georgia, standing in front of the elevator. She is a total babe now.

Roni Horn AKA Roni Horn opens tomorrow, February 19th at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston and goes until June 13th, 2010.

Candice Breitz: The Queen of Hearts

2010-02-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

It's almost too late to post about this show that I've now paid to see three times at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. "Queen: A Portrait of Madonna" by Candice Breitz is at the MFA only until February 21 so give yourself a big Valentine and go. This is wall text from the show:

The first time I experienced "Queen" I was meandering through the galleries at the old MFA when I heard what sounded like a church choir coming from another room. It had an ethereal quality, and the way it echoed through the museum sounded holy. As I approached it, I realized it was thirty Madonna fans singing "Live to Tell" from thirty TV screens. They are all wearing earphones and singing the entire Immaculate Collection by heart. When you see it, get up really close; each screen has its own speaker, and you can hear the individuals. The best singer is this blonde boy with a pony tail; he's a total angel. Go see it before it's gone.
(P.S. Get tickets to the MFA for free or extremely cheap at the public library)

Commercials I Hate

2010-02-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

The CommercialsIhate blog turned up earlier during a fruitless Google search I was doing for a Multi-Grain Cheerios ad actress (is it the same silent intern from 30 Rock?) The blog's writer goes through the archetypes of bad commercials and this one had me LOL-ing:
"Totally Unreal Situations:
These ads show people in situations they would never really be in, like two grown women grocery shopping together with one cart, or a girls soccer team eating cheerios
with bowls and spoons on the soccer field. I saw an ad where a guy eats cereal at an outdoor cafe, with the cereal box on the table. People eat cereal at home and that's it. Nobody goes out and pays to eat cereal in a cafe. And on the soccer field? Give me a break! I'd like to see an ad that shows single people eating right over the sink. Now that's a real situation."
- commercialsihate.blogspot.com

Now for some commercials I hate: The insanely "oh-no-they-didn't" (but, yes, they did) racist KFC ad campaigns. The following are from Australia and Korea, respectively.

Lauren O'Connell: Youtube Sensation

2010-02-01T08:46:00.000-08:00

Come on Saturday, February 6th to see "YouTube Sensation" Lauren O'Connell at The Rabbit Hole in Fitchburg, Mass. Check out her video- O'Connell is playing all the instruments herself and she looks good doing it:

I've been thinking a lot about women in music, especially after finding this 1970s Simplicity-brand sewing pattern at Salvation Army- the painting on the front is of an all-girl band and I love it. The girls in the picture are about 12 or 13 and they seem to exist in their own world where only they, and their musical instruments, matter. There are no boys to impress, no girlhate, no competition, because they are all playing their own part. Am I reading into this too far?
I continue to love this poignant little painting, because although it is set in the past, it is the world I hope future girls will inherit. It was definitely not the mixed-gender band experience of my past, which was rife with unfriendly competition. To me, playing in an all-girl band seems inherently feminist (hey riotgrrls); everyone is responsible for herself, but is simultaneously contributing to something larger, something communal. The lessons that girls learn from contributing and sharing in this unique way are so important.
In light of this, I like how Lauren O'Connell is playing her own instruments- ALL the instruments. She's a one-woman band. I think I am really attracted to this because I don't see it as individualism, but an encouragement- there are a lot of pressures that keep women from banding together and from playing music alone. O'Connell seems to transcend it all.

Mariah Carey...You Need No Introduction

2010-02-01T07:36:00.001-08:00

What do you do when the satin curtains part and your childhood hero floats down from the ceiling on a diamond-encrusted swing, wearing a gown so fluffy it takes three assistants to manage it?
You shake it off, you touch my body, and best of all, it's just like honey.
Well, that's how I reacted anyway, seeing Mariah Carey perform this past saturday night in Boston during her Angels Advocate Tour 2010.
If you've ever been to the rococo Wang Theater in Chinatown, then I don't need to describe to you why this gilded monstrosity is the most befitting setting for gazing at Her Highness, Mariah Carey. From our plush seats about 15 rows back from the stage, Sam, Ellen, and I could see sweat sparkling on Mariah's face -but only until her dutiful makeup crew powdered her properly.
In between hitting all 5 octaves (in basically every song that night-she's still got it, folks), and having two dozen costume metamorphoses, Mimi leisurely sipped so-called Angel Champagne and berated the guy who forgot to turn on the wind machine.
Although obvious to some, I've always wanted to know why Mariah is so big with the queer community; besides her flair for the dramatic and her couture dresses, what is it? I've wondered. During her song "Angels Cry"-which she dedicated to the brave people of Haiti- two of her sexy dancers, clad only in Am-App silver unitards, dangled from the aforementioned diamond swingset. At certain moments they appeared to be sixty-nining, as their lithe bodies swung through the air and around one another. I dubbed their performance "Cirque du So-Gay" and at the moment had the epiphany, and realized that Mimi happens to speak fluently the secret language of queers. So this at least explained the 18-year-old twink in front of us, feverishly waving a glowstick and having a near-religious experience the ENTIRE SHOW.
The pictures I snuck with my cellphone do it zero justice, so I am posting H.A.T.E. U. And if you ever, dear reader, get the chance to see Mariah: GO!

(For more coverage of this event, go to: http://weekendpartyupdate.blogspot.com/2010/01/emotions.html).

Making it in the Big City

2010-01-20T17:03:00.001-08:00

I've been perusing Von's copy of The Single Girl's Book: Making it in the Big City by Stanlee Miller Coy and it's pretty fantastic. As you can see in the table of contents, there is an entire chapter devoted to Homosexuals. The author's advice, which follows, is not exactly relevant to our time, though I can't speak for its relevance to the world in 1969, the year Single Girl's Book was published. Google doesn't turn up any results for the guide, so this is probably the first time it will see the light of cyberspace. The best part of their advice against queers, a "particularly dangerous group" are the caricatures it offers of gays (you'll know them by their limp wrists!).

Lady Gay-Gay

2010-01-16T22:04:00.000-08:00

Really?! Yes.

Destiny's Child Vs. Proverbs 31

2010-01-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value." Proverbs 31:11-12.
Have you ever noticed how similar the lyrics to Cater 2 U by Destiny's Child are to the book of Proverbs 31 in the Bible? Okay, probably you haven't. But as I was listening to that 2005 slow jam I was struck by the remarkable commonalities between a song that was written 5 years ago, versus the Verses that were written 2,000 years ago- and also the fact that women's roles have changed so little in all that time! Read on for selected lyrics to their song, juxtaposed with the Biblical description of the Wife of Noble Character found in Proverbs 31 (in parentheses).

Baby I See You Working Hard
I Want To Let You Know I'm Proud,
Let You Know That I Admire What You Do
(Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. Proverbs 31:23)...
What You Want To Eat Boo? Let Me Feed You
(She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. 31:14)...
I Got Your Slippers, Your Dinner, Your Dessert, And So Much More
Anything You Want, I Want To Cater To You.
(She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 31:27)...
Baby I'm Happy You're Home, Let Me Hold You In My Arms
(She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. 31:20)...
I Know Whatever I'm Not Fulfilling, Another Woman Is Willing
(Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. 31:29)...
I'll Keep It Tight, I'll Keep My Figure Right
(She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. 31:17)...
I'll Keep My Hair Fixed, Keep Rocking The Hottest Outfits
(She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is clothed with fine linen and purble. She is clothed with strength and dignity. 31:13,22,25)...
When You Come Home Late Tap Me On My Shoulder, I'll Roll Over
Baby I Heard You, I'm Here To Serve You
(She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. 31:15)...

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30-31.
So there you have it. Who knew Destiny's Child were so Godfearing?

Marriage Can Be Cake...Also Poop

2010-01-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

These are my parents, on the steps of the church where they were wed. I think it is important to investigate the merits and pratfalls of marriage, hetero and gay. Luckily, the hard work has been done for me; I found this rough draft of an essay against gay marriage in the trash at the local library. Enjoy.

My "marriage" with Mahina- definitely cake.

StandForChristmas.com

2009-12-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

This holiday season, has anyone else noticed how secular the stores have become?

No, me neither.

But the folks at http://www.standforchristmas.com/ have noticed, and they've made it their personal mission to help consumers decide which retailers are "Christmas-friendly." "They want your patronage and your gift-shopping dollars, but do they openly recognize Christmas?"

The website is essentially a database of consumer feedback, where customers rate stores as Christmas-friendly, Christmas-negligent, or Christmas-offensive.

The ratings and comments are a parody of themselves. As both a cultural insider (having attended an evangelical church my entire youth) and outsider, it is a bizarre look into the collective psyche of American Christians.

Walmart got a Christmas-friendly rating of 60%.

Comment: Wal-Mart could have easily said "Holidays cost less at Wal-Mart" ... But, they said "Christmas costs less at Wal-mart". I respect that.

Lane Bryant was rated 83% Christmas-negligent.

Comment: It's all Holiday and no Christmas. won't be walking into that store again.
American Eagle Outfitters got a rating of 67% Christmas-offensive.

Comment: With a name like "American Eagle," one would think the company owners would be more AMERICAN-FRIENDLY. ...

Comment: Sad. This retailer wants to be part of the Christmas season but is unwilling to acknowledge Christ. The more blind retailers get, the less sales they'll make and it won't be for the economy, it will be wise and prudent shoppers who honor Christ as the reason for Christmas and will choose to not spend their money where Christ is not welcomed.

The message is ironic on so many levels. First of all, December 25th is definitely not Jesus' birthday, and the date has its roots in Paganism. Secondly, where in the Bible does it say to "celebrate" Christmas via consumer capitalism? I'm not offended by Christmas for any religious reasons, but the forms of modern "celebration" (excessive spending, paper and tree waste, ridiculously annoying songs) definitely rub me the wrong way.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Feminist Art

2009-12-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

This was part of the Antioch College Womyn's Center mural. It is a graphic depiction of our monthly miracle, mynstration! I had to beg the artist not to paint it in real blood. Overall I think it's an accurate depiction of how I bleed every month.

Autumn in New England

2009-11-29T15:36:00.000-08:00

Some Scottish Highlander cows on Bean Porridge Hill.

This amazing and simple soup: Turkey meat, brown rice, spinach, roasted squash.

Roasted squash directions: Wash and slice (but don't peel) the top part of a butternut squash. Brush the squash circles with olive oil, sprinkle with cinnamon, and put a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 F for 45 minutes. Try eating the skins, too!

70s Lesbian Polaroid Archive

2009-11-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

A sampling of my amazing Ohio Dykes from the 70s photo archive. When I was visiting Antioch for the first time in 2004 I bought a cookie tin at a yard sale with about 100 of photos. I just thought they were rad old pictures, and then realized how important this collection was.

These old images are of military lesbians, their very large network of friends, the parties they threw, and everything else that comprised their lives. They are very intimate photos; my favorites are the ones of the women just lounging in bed, surrounded by little dogs. These dykes are an inspiration to me. Someday I'd like to publish a book with all these photos in it, or at least show them in a photo show. They're really quite something.

2009-11-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

Cat Power

2009-11-25T09:48:00.000-08:00

The elusive Cat Power in an exclusive web interview.

Ancient Heart Relic

2009-11-21T08:55:00.000-08:00

Here are stills from a short film that Mahina, Nola, and I made, called Ancient Heart Relic. It's a 3-minute long romantic thriller. Stay tuned for the final cut.

You Need No Introduction

2009-11-19T13:27:00.001-08:00

True Love Can't Wait

2009-11-13T15:06:00.000-08:00

Was remembering this pamphlet earlier, and thought I'd share it with all those who didn't enjoy Abstinence-Only sex education!

Queers and Dykes, Riding Bikes!

2009-11-11T16:22:00.001-08:00

I test drove this Yamaha Maxim 650 earlier! It was amazing! I almost ran into the kid's car and house...Sure I have a lot to learn but I can't wait until I have my own hog. Nothin' better.

Funemployment

2009-11-10T09:49:00.000-08:00

You know what? I haven't really worked since June. I have been living off of my savings account, which is slowly but surely draining itself like a partially-clogged bathtub.
Here is how my last job went: I was hired to install Christmas decorations to hang from the ceiling of the Cambridgeside Galleria Mall. Imagine being locked inside the mall after it closes (9 p.m. to 5 a.m.), with a cast of characters and plot only found in films about the apocalypse. There was the Utili-Duo, a nu-metal listening couple wearing identical all-black Carhartt outfits and Leatherman tools, who told gay jokes. (How do you know you're at a gay cookout? The hotdogs taste shitty.) Then there was the Euro-art couple, speaking in Russian accents (one real, one faux), wearing identical dark blue-tinted glasses (it helps protect the artist's eyes, they explained). My personal faves were two adorable art school undergrads whom I befriended and bummed Newports off of all night.
I did get paid $320 for two nights of this, but I entered a psychological state after being awake for 30 hours that I don't care to revisit. When I found myself sitting in the food court at 4:45 a.m. eating leftover frosted donuts and talking about Mayan ruins and 2012 with one of the art school cuties, I knew I was sliding down the slippery slope of existential nihilism. (They had warned me about this in college and it was finally happening!)
What does it all mean, anyway? It seems that most people go to the mall to forget the whys and hows of modern existence, but to simply indulge in Cheesecake Factory and the bogo sale at Payless. Maybe I should do the same. At least I have $320 to spend now.

Brand New Blog

2009-11-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

Oh. Hey. Welcome to my new blog.