A Moment of Silence

I've tried to stay out of the 2008 Presidential race at this point -- there's way too much time and a lot can happen before the election. I couldn't skip this tidbit of news though -- a spokesperson for former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has announced that Newt will not run for the Presidency, despite a nation yearning for his leadership. (Bwahahahahahaha!) “It is legally impermissible for him to continue on as chairman of American Solutions (for Winning the Future) and to explore a campaign for president,” explained his spokesman. In other words, Gingrich is unwilling to give up his lucrative speaking gigs in order to run for President. Please, a moment of silence for the campaign that wasn't for Newt Gingrich - the man who led the Impeachment of Bill Clinton while he was having an extramarital affair at the time. While I personally hope Obama pulls the upset for the Democratic nomination, it almost would have been worth it to see Hillary win in order to face Gingrich. I'm thinking jello wrestling to the death. Yeah, I'd have paid to see that.

Just Breathe

I can't speak for anyone else but I admit that I've been letting life get to me a bit lately. Its not so much that things aren't going well, more of just me deciding to pick a fight with the way life is at the moment. In any event, I've needed a reminder to relax and just let things be, hence the new CD. Hope you enjoy.

More On Folsom

The Catholic League has jumped in on the whole Folsom Street Fair debate, posting a variety of "extremely graphic" photos from the 2006 Fair:







Boy, San Francisco sure looks different than the last time I was there... A nyway, they're right, I find these to be shocking and offensive. The madness has to stop.

Betty!

I think I had mentioned that I pretty much gave up on most TV... Galactica was my one holdout and its not back until January. Towards the end of last season, I decided to send some episodes of Ugly Betty to a friend who recently moved to London. Even though I missed most of the first season (recently catching up now that Season 1 is on DVD), I confess that I'm hooked. Fortunately, Season two starts tonight!

Marc's Midweek College Boys Veal Haiku

Have a few beers, bro
and I'll give you a rubdown.
I'm so drunk right now!

(Thanks, Dirty Scottsdale!)

Concerned Women are Concerned!

The Concerned Women of America are downright concerned. Yet again. In particular, they take umbrage with this recent ad for this weekend's Folsom Street Fair, which is a parody of The Last Supper.

"In their version of The Last Supper, Christ, Who gave His life for our sins, is despicably replaced by sin itself as the object of worship," a CWA spokesman bemoans. What's worse, there's a black man sitting in as Jesus! Such an affront to good Christians everywhere cannot be allowed to continue. A black Jesus!

Ok, for the record, yes, I think the ad is of questionable taste. I have plenty of disagreements with organized religion, but I have to admit that this is a couple of steps beyond Kathy Griffin's "Suck it, Jesus!" speech. Personally, while I think the ad is clever, I do question the wisdom of giving the religious community more ammunition against us. We're asking for the public at large to respect us and our relationships -- we have to be willing to show some respect in return. That said, some of the guys in that ad are WAY HOT.

(via Towleroad.)

You S.L.U.T.!

I know a SLUT when I see one and apparently, the residents of Seattle do too. A new trolley line is set to roll through the streets of the South Lake Union neighborhood. Officially its called the "South Lake Union Streetcar" but residents aren't buying it. If it looks like a SLUT and goes up and down the streets like a SLUT, its a SLUT - the "South Lake Union Trolley".

"We're welcoming the SLUT into the neighborhood," a local barista exclaimed.

While officials maintain that the "streetcar" was never intended to be called a "trolley" -- "trolley seemed vintage, whereas streetcar sounded more modern," explained an official. That isn't stopping residents from calling out their new SLUT.

"I especially like the dust and the big holes in the ground," a local resident said. "But we can't wait to have the SLUT."

Aunt Barbara Responds...

By now we've all marveled at the "Leave Britney Alone!" debacle. What really gets to me is the clown's managed to work a TV deal out of the whole thing. Anyway, leave it to our Aunt Barbara to respond to this foolishness.

Mortal Enemies

Nigel sez: "I ain't afeared of you!"

Friday Mansploitation - Bavarian Edition Pt. 2

Achtung! Ah, Lederhosen porn. I can't explain why, but it fascinates me. Enjoy!

Bear Attack!

In honor of Alex's recent trip to Yellowstone, I'd like to share a little bit of advice I sent to him: How to survive a bear attack. Remember it -- it could save your life.

Intro t' Pirate Talk - Redux

Yarr! Just in case ye missed it last time.

The Legend of Cap'n Steel

'Tis truly a good day to be a pirate! Pirate reality TV! Thar be real gold! Thar be a Cap'n! Watch now, Jim Lad.

Cap'n's Pirate Day Beef Haiku

Yo ho! Yo ho, mate!
Give me a bottle of rum
and I'll blow ye down!

TLAPD 2007

Avast, ye scurvy dogs! Today be Talk Like A Pirate Day! Why should ye talk like a pirate today, ye ask? I should make ye walk ye ol' plank fer such stupidity! As ye can see from yonder picture, "Pirates be gay!" 'Tis every pirates duty t'go lookin' fer booty, and that 'tis a worthy cause ev'ry day!

God on Trial

Ah, Nebraska. One of their State Senator has recently sued God in state court for acts of terrorism and natural disasters. He seeks to enjoin God from any further detrimental acts. Oddly enough, this isn't the first time someone has tried to sue the supernatural -- I remember reading a case where a plaintiff tried to sue the Devil - United States ex rel. Gerald Mayo v. Satan And His Staff, 54 F.R.D. 282, (W.D.Penn. 1971). Sadly, in this case the court never reached the merits of the claim. Last year in Italy, a man sued a priest to prove the existence of Christ. That doesn't quite have the zing of suing a deity or fallen angel.

Death By Gaming

Like millions of online gamers out there, I'll admit that I'm a big geek at heart. Apparently my level of geekdom does not approach championship status. No, that sort of dedication is demonstrated by a South Korean man who recently died in an Internet cafe after playing for three days straight. "We presume the cause of death was heart failure stemming from exhaustion," a police official told the Reuters news agency. Now that's dedication.

The BBC reports that there are professional gamers in South Korea -- "Professional gamers there attract huge sums in sponsorship and can make more than $100,000 a year." Sadly, I fear I do not have the level of commitment it takes to be a professional gamer. I've only gone for a few hours straight. I usually stop to eat. I enjoy sleeping and other activities. I even have friends and interests aside from gaming. Sigh. Yet another area where I just don't have what it takes to succeed.

Mmmm, Stevie!

I love me some Stevie Nicks and I needed to laugh. This fit the bill. I love me some Lucy Lawless, too.

Last Dance?

Out Magazine's October 2007 issue hit a nerve with me. Specifically, one of the articles details the death of "the Circuit." As a DJ who fell in love with dance music around 2000, this article taps into a lot of the unspoken anxiety and frustration I've had about the Circuit and current dance scene. On the Circuit side of things, I'm of the opinion that promoters have reaped what they've sown -- from booking the same DJs for every event, tacit promotion of drug use and uninspired music, the Circuit is facing many of the same challenges I think the music industry as a whole has been facing.

That said, while the Circuit had some major flaws, there are many reasons why I fell in love with the music and had many magical experiences while I was there. When done well, dance music has a power to transport you to magical places. A DJ can lead you from the world you know to a beautiful world of possibilities. That's always been my ideal and what I shoot for when I play.

On the flip side, since I've been in the booth, its been clear that crowds today are different from the crowds I had been a part of on the dance floor. As the article recounts, younger gay audiences are expecting more mainstream music -- hip hop and electro -- which, quite frankly, is just not my cup of tea. I've faced this question myself -- do you abandon the music you love in order to please the crowd? While I've always believed that a DJ has to walk the line between giving the crowd things they know and love as well as satisfying yourself as a DJ, in my own experience, the rewards to feeding at the crowd at the expense of yourself are pretty hollow. At the end of the day you end up feeling like a monkey on a string... "Play my song now, DJ Monkey! No, not that mix, DJ Monkey, I want the original! Everybody hates the music you're playing, DJ Monkey! Jump through the hoop, DJ Monkey!" My solution was to let my club owner know that it would be better for everyone if we brought in DJs who enjoyed playing the type of music the crowd wants. Honestly, I still stand by that decision and I think its the best one.

As the dance scene goes through this transition, I can't help but wonder if there's a place for me somewhere. As time has passed, rather than trying to evolve in the direction things seem to be going, I've become less and less willing to move in that direction. I've tried to settle on my own style, music that I love and that makes me feel good... but I don't know if that's enough. Maybe I've fallen in love with something whose time has passed. Maybe all my work has been for nothing. I don't have any answers.

Back to School!

Its back to school time here in the desert. Not for me, as my school days are over, but one of the advantages of living close to ASU is having large herds of of high quality veal... who like to drink... a LOT. (Thanks to The Daily Slab [NSFW!] for the pic!)

Things have been pretty quiet on my end and I haven't really been inspired to blog much lately, but you can rest easy knowing that I'll be back up to speed soon.

In the meantime, you can get a feel for what straight nightlife in Phoenix is really like by checking out DirtyScottsdale.com. Personally, I'm always amazed to get a sense of how the other 90% live... Ah Scottsdale, you won't find a better collection of silicone anywhere in this world.