Queereaders discussion

Greg wrote: "How was that memoir Alex? Do you recall if Stephen Spender figured in there anywhere? "

Not that I remember. That particular memoir was mostly about his years in Berlin.

Greg wrote: "So cute Alex! He looks fluffy - is he a cuddler?"

Thanks. He doesn't cuddle much, but he does sleep on the bed (and wakes me up by gently slapping my face).

Alex wrote: "Thanks. He doesn't cuddle much, but he does sleep on the bed (and wakes me up by gently slapping my face)."

LOL Alex! Hopefully not too early in the morning!

Trying to figure out what to cook for the coming week. Pinto beans maybe.

Getting to do my Exercycle routine and PT exercises.

Phillip wrote: "I love Phantom! Got a big smile on my face as soon as I saw his pic, and thought of those long-haired rockers along the Sunset Strip back in the 1980s! "

Yeah, didn't see the resemblance to metal bands until you mentioned it. I guess he does look a little like KISS or something. :)

Alex wrote: "Since you guys both posted pictures, I thought I'd share a pic of my cat, too. He isn't a ginger, but a tuxedo cat named Phantom."

Argh! All these beautiful felines! Must get a lap warmer!

Sigh. :)

Greg wrote: "Hope your arm gets better soon Rick!"

Thanks Greg, Nancy. I'm doing ok. Not so sure about my friend. We were headed to dinner and my car got t-boned by someone who decided to pull out into the road despite my car being in the way. The ER told me my hand was just swollen and sore on Friday night. But I got a call about noon yesterday informing me that an actual radiologist looked at my xrays and decided that my is actually fractured. So have to go see a specialist on Monday.
As for my friend,way too many details to go into in this format. She could have killed. She's alive and doing fine, in stable condition. Thankfully the airbags deployed.
(the guy in the other is fine too)

Alex wrote: "Phillip wrote: "I love Phantom! Got a big smile on my face as soon as I saw his pic, and thought of those long-haired rockers along the Sunset Strip back in the 1980s! "

Yeah, didn't see the resem..."

LOL. And Kiss made a tv movie titled Kiss Meets the Phantom, back in the early 80s (not sure about the year).

Greg wrote: "...And I don't know, slight tangent, but I think a lot of times what people do in life and where they end up has much less to do with intellectual ability anyway and more to do with random life circumstances. A close friend had to take a special remedial English class toward the end of college because he flunked the standardized essay test required for graduation. But he was one of the smartest people I've ever known, one of the wisest too. Also I've done some tutoring of homeless kids through the School On Wheels program at different shelters, and sometimes those kids are awfully sharp - they just are ages behind because they haven't had steady school most of their lives. Education does make a difference in who a person is, of course, but that's a bit different than intelligence. ..."

I've tutored plenty of people to recognize that intelligence and education have absolutely nothing in common. In grade school I had to spend about 2 years in remedial spelling, yet in college I majored in English. ;) not that it did any good. Ha. ;) and I spent most of my time tutoring astronomy.

Ok, pain pill is kicking in. I had something else to type, and now forgotten it. Oh well. ;)

Rick wrote: "Thanks Greg, Nancy. I'm doing ok. Not so sure about my friend. We were headed to dinner and my car got t-boned by someone who decided to pull out..."

Wow Rick - that's so terrible! Thank goodness your friend wasn't kiled!! Fingers crossed for her steady recovery. It's easy for awful accidents to happen - all it takes is a second's lapse in concentration, something it sounds like happened with the other driver. The other driver is lucky they didn't end up killing anyone - it's something they would've had to live with every day of their life.

I had a bad accident a few years ago on a side street. Both of us made mistakes. The light had just turned red when I went through it. The woman coming the other way was timing the light (assuming it would be green before she got there - amd it was, barely); she was apparently going 50 on a 25 mph street and never braked. She hit the back quarter of the side of my car and my car spun around several times. I still have no memory of the accident, probably due to minor brain trauma. The first thing I remember is a strange foggy light which was the sun coming through the airbag. But I had just left the gay affirming church I was going to at the time; so half the congregation was standing outside near where it happened. They told me all the details afterwards, blow by blow. Luckily no one was seriously hurt. Neither of us broke any bones or even strained anything, which is really a miracle given the speed of collision! My car was totaled, but oh well, those things can be replaced.

Hope the pain meds are working well for you Rick! Get better soon!

Rick wrote: "Greg wrote: "...I spent most of my time tutoring astronomy. "

Are you an astronomer Rick? Hope you feel better.

Rick wrote: "Thanks Greg, Nancy. I'm doing ok. Not so sure about my friend. We were headed to dinner and my car got t-boned by someone who decided to pull out..."

Holy sh*t, wow. Hope you get better soon. Glad that you and your friend survived reasonably intact.

Rick wrote: "I've tutored plenty of people to recognize that intelligence and education have absolutely nothing in common. In grade school I had to spend about 2 years in remedial spelling, yet in college I majored in English. ;) not that it did any good. Ha. ;) and I spent most of my time tutoring astronomy. ..."

I was an English major, too. And ooooh, I took an astronomy class during college. It was really fun and I learned about all the big constellations and how all the astrology signs came about. Of course, I've returned all the knowledge back to the professor by now...

Kernos wrote: "Are you an astronomer Rick? Hope you feel better."

Thanks. Still working on it. ;)

No, not an astronomer, just an enthusiast. I was an English major, with minors in history and film studies.

Greg wrote: "Wow Rick - that's so terrible! Th..."

Thanks. My friend is in an extended care facility now. We are both making progress. ;)

For me, the worst is replaying those couple seconds in vivid detail, in slow motion, and thinking of all the things I might have done differently. What would have helped, what would have made it worse. I almost wish I had blacked out. Almost.

Alex wrote: "Holy sh*t, wow. Hope you get bett..."

On the mend. Day by day. Figuring out the logistics to get things done without a car is the real problem. I can walk to a lot of places, but not always an option with the injuries right now.

Phillip wrote: "A fun movie is Detroit Rock City which is about the misadventures of four diehard Kiss fans trying to sc..."

yep,got that one. It is fun and silly. I was a huge fan in middle school. Card carrying member of the Kiss Army (the official fan club). (bow my head in shame, oh the insanity of youth)

Phillip wrote: "One of the many things I've always liked about rockers is the way they often break with conformity..."

Even at 70, Rod Stewart has fabulous hair.

Rick wrote: "Yep,got that one. It is fun and silly. I was a huge fan in middle school. Card carrying member of the Kiss Army (the official fan club). (bow my head in shame, oh the insanity of youth)
..."

Ha ha Rick! :)

Nancy wrote: "Phillip wrote: "One of the many things I've always liked about rockers is the way they often break with conformity..."

Even at 70, Rod Stewart has fabulous hair.
"

Phillip and Nancy, all of this talk about glam rock makes me thing of an independent movie many years ago, Velvet Goldmine, with a young Ewan McGregor playing a glam rock superstar.

Greg wrote: "...all of this talk about glam rock makes me thing of an independent movie many years ago, Velvet Goldmine, with a young Ewan McGregor playing a glam rock superstar. ..."

LOVE that movie!

Greg wrote: "Phillip and Nancy, all of this talk about glam rock makes me thing of an independent movie many years ago, Velvet Goldmine, with a young Ewan McGregor playing a glam rock superstar."

Oh, I remember that movie. Totally love it. Have you heard the story told by Ewan McGregor about his sex scene with Christian Bale?

http://www.miramax.com/subscript/chri...

The relevant part starts at about 5:05.

I'm trying to catch up with e-mail and the sites that I follow after using my PC for the last few days for binge playing Tropico 5.

It was on sale at Steam recently and I've always wanted to be the dictator of a small Caribbean island. The game is funny and the micromanagement is detailed enough to appeal to my fiddly side.

Stephen wrote: "I'm trying to catch up with e-mail and the sites that I follow after using my PC for the last few days for binge playing Tropico 5.

It was on sale at Steam recently and I've always wanted to be t..."

Fun Stephen :)

Alex wrote: "Oh, I remember that movie. Totally love it. Have you heard the story told by Ewan McGregor about his sex scene with Christian Bale?"
..."

I had heard that Alex, but it's fun to revisit it!

As for loving the movie, me too Alex and Rick! I had quite a thing for Ewan McGregor in those days - saw almost all of his early movies, even the Tales from the Crypt episode he was in where he played a zombie.

Another one of his movies I loved - Moulin Rogue .. saw it several times and even owned the soundtrack.

Greg wrote: "... Another one of his movies I loved - Moulin Rogue .. saw it several times and even owned the soundtrack. ..."

Love both (also LOVED him as Obi-wan Kenobi), but I do love the soundtrack to Velvet Goldmine better.

I can totally appreciate it. ;)

I was 14 when saw them in concert. 1977, same year Star Wars opened), and was at the height of the hard/glam rock phase. 1978 brought the beginning of a more pop-ish quality and influence phase.

Phillip wrote: "What about soundtrack to Trainspotting? "Perfect Morning" by Lou Reed and "Born Slippy" by Underworld and so much more. Love tha..."

I never picked up that one. Not sure why. Definitely good music.

I've heard Ewan is Bi. I wonder if there is anythiing to it. He sure like to show is stuff on film.

Kernos wrote: "I've heard Ewan is Bi. I wonder if there is anythiing to it. He sure like to show is stuff on film."

I'm certainly not complaining. ;)

Kernos wrote: "I've heard Ewan is Bi. I wonder if there is anythiing to it. He sure like to show is stuff on film."

Interesting Kernos - I hadn't heard that!

Phillip wrote: "Rick wrote: "I do love the soundtrack to Velvet Goldmine better."

What about soundtrack to Trainspotting? "Perfect Morning" by Lou Reed and "Born Slippy" by Underworld and so much more. Love tha..."

That was a good soundtrack too!

Phillip wrote: "We're apparently the same generation. I never made it to a Kiss concert but saw Aerosmith three or four times in the 1970s. They regularly appeared at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, ME. ..."

I was never a big fan of Aerosmith, for at least 3 years of my life - if it wasn't Kiss I didn't bother with in (bow my head in shame). Then I left Texas and got better. ;)
I've never been a big venue concert goer. After Kiss I didn't go see another big act until many years later when I got obsessed with Nine Inch Nails. Actually, I've only been to 4 huge venue concerts: Kiss, NIN, NIN/David Bowie & the Smashing Pumpkins. Live music tends to lose it's appeal for me when you have to start wearing earplugs. I've been to dozens of smaller venue concerts in clubs, that's more my style.

Rick, although I love music I haven't seen very many large venue comcerts either. The noise doesn't really bother me - I do like them but haven't seen many: Indigo Girls, Melissa Etheridge, the first Lillith Fair - you can tell what friends I was running around with, ha ha.

But I did remember a great early Jane's Addiction concert in a building basement once .. amazing energy!, and I used to go see a lot of live music in small venues when I was in college.

Nowadays I see more plays & musicals than concerts, though I still go to see bands in smaller venues on rare occasions.

My partner used to be a big fan of X when he was in college .. I imagine it must've been amazing to see them live in their heyday at their haunts. Of course he was in a much "cooler" location for music than I was at the time. He was in college in Los Angeles when I was in college in Tuscon, Arizona. Regardless, I wouldn't have traded my time in Tuscon for anything though.

Greg wrote: "Rick, although I love music I haven't seen very many large venue comcerts either. The noise doesn't really bother me - I do like them but haven't seen many: Indigo Girls, Melissa Etheridge, the fir..."

Jane's Addiction in a basement! OMG Perfectection! :)

Phillip wrote: "Johnny Cash does a great cover of "Hurt" by the way in case you haven't heard it..."

Yep, heard it. It is good. still partial to Rezner's, although when David Bowie did it during their concert together... Wow! NIN/Bowie did five songs on stage together between their individual sets. Those five songs alone were worth the ticket price.

Phillip wrote: "Johnny Cash does a great cover of "Hurt" by the way in case you haven't heard it...."

The Johnny Cash cover of Hurt really moved me - there's something of his life he puts into that song that propels it into a whole different universe altogether ... it isn't so much about drugs anymore. Instead it's an unflinching look back on a life that's almost over, a moment of poignant regret for all those things that could've been done differently. It made me cry the first time I heard it.

I like the NIN song too, but there was something Cash put into some of those lines that was almost harrowing, like:

"What have I become, my sweetest friend"

"And you could have it all, my empire of dirt"

"If I could start again, a million miles away, I would keep myself. I would find a way."

Especially the "empire of dirt," coming from the passing legend - that really hit me. My reaction upon hearing the song was, holy crap, Rezner is a genius lyricist!

Another one of the covers I loved on that album was "I Hung My Head," originally by Sting. So stark, simple, and moving - it has the feel of myth. What a powerhouse of story crammed into that song!

Phillip wrote: "@Rick -- Love NIN, Smashing Pumpkins and of course Bowie. Johnny Cash does a great cover of "Hurt" by the way in case you haven't heard it...."

I agree, it's an amazing cover of "Hurt", totally changed the tone of the song. I like them both equally.

But Reznor isn't for everybody, I only listen to "Hurt" and "Closer" usually (not that intentionally; my iPod (yes, I still use mine) is permanently on shuffle).

I still use my iPod touch too Alex (every day at work, I listen to it as I'm coding), and it is odd how some songs seem to pop up more than others on shuffle. I wonder how the algorithms work?

Greg wrote: "I still use my iPod touch too Alex (every day at work, I listen to it as I'm coding), and it is odd how some songs seem to pop up more than others on shuffle. I wonder how the algorithms work?"

I heard that they had to tweak the algorithm so that related songs don't appear as often as it originally (i.e. randomly) would.

Phillip wrote: "Rick wrote: "still partial to Rezner's"

I agree . . . it's bone chilling."

Yeah. ... Although I might have used bone fraying as there's that sensation of hopeless and that no matter how hard you hold on you're still slowly,and inevitably,losing your grip.

Phillip wrote: ""But Reznor isn't for everybody, I only listen to 'Hurt' and 'Closer' usually" -- Alex

I hear you . . . I love Reznor but he's really intense, and I can't regularly cue him up! Imagine living in ..."

He is someone I don't think I'd want to meet. ;)

Phillip wrote: " "The Johnny Cash cover of Hurt really moved me" -- Greg

I totally understand with Johnny Cash -- he has this raw vulnerability and humbled spirituality that is really rare, and shows up in so much of his music. He's definitely not into loud power chords . . . haha. Thanks for mentioning "I Hung My Head" -- I'd never heard it, and it was quite beautiful. I then listened to Sting's original, and definitely preferred Cash's cover. I've never been a big fan of Sting or the Police -- I get a nervous tic when I hear Roxanne . . . haha -- and was surprised that Sting had written "I Hung My Head." Sting's actually not a bad songwriter I'm just not a big fan of his voice or the band's arrangements. It's amazing how a four- or five-minute song has such capacity to move. Poetry has such power, and when those words are carried by melody that power to penetrate is even further magnified. I totally appreciate art and literature but it's the song -- rock, pop, country -- that speaks to me more often than any other creative format. ..."

As much as I like Sting &the Police, I liked his jazz stuff better. "Moon Over Bourbon Street" always gives me chills. Love that one, and with the jazz version, even better.

As for Cash's Hurt? This was the clincher for. I took a class on 'adaptations of Shakespeare.' This was such a special interest class that not only was I the only male in the class, there were only 8 students. But we listened to Cash's Hurt as if it were an adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear. It totally works. If you ever questioned Reznor's artistic ability or his brilliance as a musician and composer. Watch Ian McKellan's Lear and then listen to Cash's Hurt. It will totally blow your mind. ;)

Phillip wrote: "
I totally understand with Johnny Cash -- he has this raw vulnerability and humbled spirituality that is really rare, and shows up in so much of his music...."

Exactly Phillip!

Also, I think you're right - it's sad and hopeless - it makes me think of some poignant and funny lines from the poem "Nothing Twice" by Wisława Szymborska:

"Nothing can ever happen twice.
In consequence, the sorry fact is
that we arrive here improvised
and leave without the chance to practice."

Rick wrote: "Phillip wrote: " "The Johnny Cash cover of Hurt really moved me" -- Greg

I totally understand with Johnny Cash -- he has this raw vulnerability and humbled spirituality that is really rare, and sh..."

Rick, that Shakespeare class sounds fun! Wish they'd had a class like that at my school. :)

Greg wrote: "Rick, that Shakespeare class sounds fun! Wish they'd had a class like that at my school. :) "

it was one of my favorite classes. We spent a lot of time discussing the various ways to define what is and is not an adaptation, a sequel, an homage, a parody. Great class, excellent professor too. One of the texts was A Theory of Adaptation. A fascinating read for anyone interested in the subject, although not something that anyone not obsessed with literary or film analysis would find at all worth the time.

Another one of my favorite classes was a history class titled 'History of the Future.' But it would have been accurately called: 'History of Scientific & Technological Advancement in the 20th Century Examined Though the Lens of Fiction & Film.' We basically used novels, films and other media sources to analyze what people thought the future was going to be like and what that said about the cultural issues and conditions at the time the sources were produced. Another absolutely fascinating class.

Phillip wrote: "Were these graduate classes? They sound amazing, and definitely for someone with a good grasp already of the basics for cross-referencing."

No, they were both undergrad classes, but taught as if they were graduate seminar classes. In the history class there was a grad student taking it, and the professor has since reformatted it as a grad level class. I think too many of the students had approached it as a pop-culture class or a film studies class and missed the historical applications of the class.

I'd also taken a class on Chaucer as an undergrad thatwas taught as if it was a grad seminar, but Chaucer and I didn't get along very well. ;)
I much prefer hanging with my homie Shakespeare. What a subversive rebel. ;)

I'm also a big fan of Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt. It really made me see the song in a whole new light (though I had enjoyed the original)

You mentioned Lear earlier. I think the most memorable version of Lear I've EVER seen was the Ethyl Eichelberger version. I saw it decades ago in the East Village. He reduced the play to only the main characters but then he played them all himself... on roller skates ...and accompanying himself in song on the accordion. The scene on the heath in the storm was amazing! Even if the lightning bolt tiara was a bit worn (with the aluminum foil peeling off)

Rick wrote: "I'd also taken a class on Chaucer as an undergrad thatwas taught as if it was a grad seminar, but Chaucer and I didn't get along very well. ;) ..."

I had to read Chaucer, too; couldn't get past the General Prologue of the Canterbury Tales. Did the essay on whether one of the male pilgrims was actually a girl pretending to be a guy...

Stephen wrote: "You mentioned Lear earlier. I think the most memorable version of Lear I've EVER seen was the Ethyl Eichelberger version. I saw it decades ago in the East Village. He reduced the play to only the main characters but then he played them all himself... on roller skates ...and accompanying himself in song on the accordion. The scene on the heath in the storm was amazing! Even if the lightning bolt tiara was a bit worn (with the aluminum foil peeling off) ..."

O.o

Well, that does sound like it would be memorable. ;)
I can't even picture it in my mind.