Sunday, July 25, 2004

Another Day in Paradise

Yet another quiet saturday afternoon, not much going on ... no cousin / family duties to attend to thankfully, but nothing else to occupy my time. Hence being inside a humid internet cafe on a nice sunny day typing away on my weblog. Pathetic or what ... its days like these that make me want to have a boyfriend more than anything. I don't like spending my weekends on my own, especially during the day, and I don't want to see a film or read a book or go to a gallery, i just want to spend the day cuddled up on the sofa or lying on the grass somewhere with someone i love, but that ain't happening anytime soon is it. Its probably why i go to the RVT on a regular basis on sunday afternoons, at least i get that sense of community to fill up my sunday, cause I hate to think of spending both saturday and sunday like this. Anyway, feeling a bit isolated and tired at the minute, i'm sure it will pass by the evening, but this is the here and now. So there !

Thursday, July 22, 2004

My thoughts on the Mercury Music Prize Nominations

Well, its an interesting bunch, the word 'populist' has been thrown around. I think the three strong female vocalists here (Joss Stone, Jamelia and Amy Winehouse) will cancel each other out. Ditto the two Coldplay heir apparents (Keane and Snow Patrol). Basement Jaxx and Belle & Sebastian are veteran acts who I don't think have a shot at winning, but its nice to see them here. My money is on Mike Skinner's The Streets walking away with it, he is hot at the minute, much in the same way that Ms Dynamite was hot a couple of years back. And I do like both singles from the album, though I haven't heard it yet. Franz Ferdinand are the current faves, and I won't be surprised if they won as well. I am not really familiar with Ty, Robert Wyatt or The Zutons, so no comment where they are concerned. Here's the list : Mercury Music Prize 2004 shortlist:
  • Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash
  • Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
  • Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
  • Jamelia - Thank You
  • Keane - Hopes and Fears
  • Snow Patrol - Final Straw
  • Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions
  • The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free
  • Ty - Upwards
  • Amy Winehouse - Frank
  • Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland
  • The Zutons - Who Killed The Zuton

Friday, July 16, 2004

Family

I've been wondering lately about the meaning of the word family. As a gay man, I am finding that the ties that bind me to my ancestral family are loosining up with each passing day. Its not that I don't care for or love my immediate family, but its strange that I no longer share much of the same values as they do. Things that they judge as morally wrong or corrupt (ie. homosexual sex, drinking) I have no problem with, mainly because I choose to do them as a responsible adult (well, most of the time I do anyway). I also find that my goals in life are completely different than theirs, and I have always wondered why that is. I do not want to own a big house and have children and save all my money for a rainy day. I don't think the fact that I'm gay stops me from wanting those things, its just that I want to enjoy my life in the here and now, because you never know what might happen in the future. I guess the point I am trying to make here is that I think this is the reason why I've been drawn to the club scene lately. Its my replacement family, people who share the same values as me, and who give me that unconditional understanding and empathy that can only come from being chemically enhanced all weekend long (mind you, there are some select friends who I love and care for just as much, if not more, than my own family). Its part of the reason why we are all attracted to it. I think I needed to integrate myself fullly in the past 3 months or so, because it can't be a half-assed commitment to the scene. You have to be out there, be seen and heard and if you don't carry any pretense or are too much up your own arse, then those London Gay Clubbing Masses will accept you as one of their own, and I have to admit that that feeling is euphoric. For someone who never belonged (even when out on the gay scene, among your own 'people') it has been eye-opening. To be myself, unconditionally myself, and not feel judged (or even care) is quiet something. In way, its like being with your family, except in my case, I can now no longer be completely myself with my own parents or siblings, because I have gotten to a different place morally and mentally that I am afraid they will never want to get to. And so family now means something completely different than what it did even 6 months ago. Anyway, here is how the dictionay defines family. Think about it.

  1. a. A fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.

b. Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.

2. All the members of a household under one roof.

3. A group of persons sharing common ancestry.

4. Lineage, especially distinguished lineage.

5. A locally independent organized crime unit, as of the Cosa Nostra.

6.

a. A group of like things; a class.

b. A group of individuals derived from a common stock: the family of human beings.


Friday, July 09, 2004

Borgs - A poem

After a strange conversation about Star Trek and Tara Yar giving good head, I came up with this little number (set to the music of Vogue by Madonna). I have tweaked it slightly from my original writing. And yes, I do need a source for my creative outlet :

They Had Style, They Had Grace,
Tasha Yar Gave Good Face
Troi, Janeway, Uhara Too,
Seven of Nine, We Love You
Bajoarans with an Attitude
Vulcan Chicks That Were In The Mood
Don't Just Stand There Lets Get To It
Drive to Warp, There's Nothing To It...
Borg...Borg ...

The Royal Vauxhall Tavern - A Ritual - Part I

Ok, so I think I need to explain something on here that my many friends in Canada seem completely preplexed by. And that is my weekly migration to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT) for the past few months on Sunday afternoon. Needless to say that this has become a ritual in my life that I do not want to break anytime soon (thanks to Steve for introducing me to this wonderful world!). So, where to begin ... well, here's a recap of what is quickly becoming my EVERY SUNDAY (sort of like going to Church if u think about it) :
1:15 pm : I wake up, usually a bit grumpy but still 'up' from the previous night partying (inevitably this occurs at Megawoof or DNA and sometimes XXL). Scramble around my messy flat (I will stay in and CLEAN one weekend, promise) for a clean but dispensable tshirt, jeans that don't smell like smoke and my trusty leather armband / wallet. Hop in for a quick shower, brush my teeth and to the tube station (no time for a shave) !.

2:20 pm: Get to Vauxhall tube station, proud of the fact that I am there early and worry that I will be the first one in the queue. Walk out of the station only to find a queue of about 50 guys in sunglasses. Walkers by and people on the bus are gawking at all these men in shaved heads and sunglasses who are for some reason lining up to get into a bar. At 2 pm on a Sunday afternoon.

2:25 pm: I cross the street and invetiably see a bunch of regulars that I know standing in the queue. A bunch of 'hey how are ya' ...'where were you last night mister' and 'wicked night last night' conversations ensue until I get to the back of the queue. Some queens in front of me are discussing the latest club gossip. So and so got arrested. So and so's boyfriend still went to Action and got off with So and So's ex. You get the idea.

2:50 pm: I get to the front of the queue, pay 6£ and get my wristband. I usually have a 20£ note 'do u have a One Pound Coin' asks the cute boy at the door (I will get his name one day) ... 'oh sure, let me fish for it' I smile. Its a little routine we've got going ... I like it.....

OK... so thats the beginning of the day ... stay tuned for more. I know this is fascinating stuff indeed!

Sharapova Mania

Now, I am as big a fan of a rags to riches as the next guy, but am I the only one who thinks that people are making WAY too much of Maria Sharapova's star power. Ok sure, she has won Wimbeldon at 17 and she was a fantastic player during the tournament, but lest we forget that the top 2 players in the world (Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin) are out with injury problems. Also, the Williams sisters have not been playing at top form during the tournament either, and they have just come back from injury problems. I'd like to wait for Ms. Sharapova to win a couple more Slams before we can announce that she is indeed the Second Coming. If only for her sake, the girl is 17 after all, and I would hate to see her amazing play undermined by all the media attention. Just look at what happened to poor Anna Kournikova (who I'm sure has some sort of Sharapova vodoo doll tucked away in Enrique's love nest) who is no longer the Russian Tennis IT Girl. Nevertheless, the women's final this year was the most exciting tennis I have seen since the days of Seles Vs Graff oh so many years ago, and that is a good thing. I think Sharapova is GREAT, but lets just hold back a bit, shall we.


Anyway, here's the BBC story that sparked this rant on.

Friday, July 02, 2004

Fiercely Ruling !

Is THE new expression for the summer ... a bit retro but I like it. I also love the combinations you can have with the two words, you can say 'thats feirce' or ' just feirce' or 'ruling' or 'thats feirce AND it Rules'... and so on... I definitely need to get a hobby!