Apocalypse over Manhattan?

This place is starting to feel like a funeral home. Yes, I know Billy Mays the oxyclean guy died, but I can't bring myself to post one more R.I.P. on here. Sorry Billy.
Not to mention Ed McMahon. Who would have every thought that cracked out Amy Winehouse would have outlived them all?

On Friday, after being soaked to the bone in a rainstorm, I paid a visit to the lovely Ms. Beverly and listened to old records as we tend to do. As I was leaving, we were both commenting on the beautiful light reflecting the sunset from a neighboring building. When I reached the street, I knew something was fishy, because people had stopped their cars and were hanging out their windows taking pictures of the sky.

I looked up and about peed my pants. It looked like a scene from the movie ghostbusters and I was sure that the Stay Puffed Marshmallow man was about to come stomping down the avenue crushing pedestrains and cars like ants. The image for this posting was taken by my camera, but to get a better idea of what was going on check out this great compilation of photos taken during the same evening.

I was unaware that there is a type of clouds called mammatus clouds. You learn something new every day.

R.I.P.Michael Jackson(1958-2009)

Well, the rumors were indeed true and Michael Jackson did in fact die last week from Cardiac arrest, though the factors that may have led to that are yet to be determined after one inconclusive autopsy and another underway.

It is so strange, the feeling in the air. I keep hearing Michael's music blasting out of car windows and bleeding from people's headphones in elevators. He was a musical genius and a tortured, misunderstood soul.

I have found myself defending him in conversations that bring up his various legal issues many relating to his unusually close relationships with children. He was never convicted of a crime related to pedophilia or child molestation, but he has been convicted multiple times in the eyes of many.

I have read articles about Michael where he discussed performing at the tender young age of 6 years old when his father would beat him and emotionally abuse him. I have read of his longing to just have a childhood, something he was never allowed. I think he must have lived a very strange and lonely existence. I hope that he is now at peace.

"Before I would hurt a child, I would slit my wrists. " -Michael Jackson

?RIP? Michael Jackson????!!!?

Does TMZ know something the rest of us don't?

R.I.P.Farrah Fawcett(1947-2009)

As a child I adored the show Charlie's Angels.
Sadly today one of its stars, Farrah Fawcett died
after a three year battle with cancer.
my thoughts and much love go out to her family and friends
at this difficult time. May they find peace and acceptance for their loss.

Ceiling

Show me a picture of the ceiling in your old apartment.
I have hidden memories there.

Manscaping

We live in a brave new world where straight men known as metrosexuals get their
bikini line waxed and their eyebrows tamed a la asian threading.
Formerly the domain of women, plucking, shaving, tweezing and waxing are now commonplace among men.
Some men though need guidance. Perhaps this instructional video from Gillette is a good starter course.

Tomorrow is Far

I am a huge fan of Regina Spektor.
She is adorably quirky and skillfully witty as a songwriter.
Her latest album is scheduled for release Tomorrow and is titled Far.
You can stream the entire album on NPR's website.

Success is a tricky thing. Many musicians begin their careers with a unique style that becomes more homogenized and commercialized over time. Record labels find these beautiful rough gems and then sand them down until there is barely anything left that is individual or recognizable. Regina Spektor is her own brand of wacky and heartwarming with a view of the world that often reminds the listener of a child's view of the world. I have not yet had the chance to listen to all of Far, but I do fear for Regina Spektor and her music that she is at risk as the beautiful gem that she is of being commercialized to a point that compromises her artistry. I hope this is not the case as I have immense respect for her talent and her ability to craft songs that at times successfully break my heart.

Meredith Monk- Churchyard Entertainment

I was recently at the apartment of Mr. Carpentier discussing all manner of things when he mentioned this woman, Meredith Monk whose work he had seen performed at Jacob's Pillow in the Berkshires. I have a fondness for the Berkshires, having visited there at the age of 13. Coming from Kansas at the time, it was like a cultural treasure chest.

Anyhoo, Meredith Monk is a musician, filmaker, dancer, choreographer, etc. etc.
I think there is such an amazing humor reflected in the piece below. It reminds me a bit of Monty Python, but is brilliant in its own right.

I present to you Churchyard Entertainment from Book of Days.



To explore Meredith's work further, you can visit her website:
meredithmonk.org

A Slow Day For News

Nothing of any importance must have happened today. I clicked on CNN's Website to see if anything had exploded or if there was some new strain of goat flu perhaps. Maybe Miley Cyrus had gotten a tattoo or Paris Hilton had stopped using the word hot to describe everything. What I discovered from my brief adventure in pointing and clicking my way toward pounding a few nails in print journalism's coffin was that one of CNN's top headlines was "Dog Eats Bag of Pot, Gets High".

It's great to know that CNN is tackling the really important stories that shape all of our lives. It's thought provoking journalism like this that restores my faith in the integrity of mainstream news.

Daddy (lyrics)

Hookers and Booze
no matter which way you choose
you know you're gonna lose.
You're gonna lose.

you've got car wrecks
and credit card debts
and fingers stained from cigarettes
and I've got the blues in 5,000 hues.

Daddy
I don't want to be your
Daddy
I don't need to be your
Daddy
you're supposed to be my
Daddy

Daddy
I don't want to be your
Daddy
I don't need to be your
Daddy
you're supposed to be my
Daddy

Stick a quarter in the slot
for every minute you would like the bed to purr
with your new her
cheap motels ain't got whistles or bells
but you seem to thing that you have found the cure
Don't be so sure.

Daddy
I don't want to be your
Daddy
I don't need to be your
Daddy
you're supposed to be my
Daddy

Daddy
I don't want to be your
Daddy
I don't need to be your
Daddy
you're supposed to be my
Daddy

600 miles (excerpt)

Thank you for coming to the show
It means more to me than you will ever know.
I travelled 600 miles just to tune my guitar
for the men playing pool and the ladies laughing at the bar

but you listened to every word that I said.
You offered me a ride and a beer and a bed
you told me I'm amazing and I promise it won't go to my head.

Thank you for the letter that you wrote.
I've been strugglin' just to keep myself afloat
I had rocks in my sweater and I was goin' for a swim
when she handed me your letter I was drownin' over him

but your words pulled me back from the tide
from the place where my fears and my failures collide.
I might have swallowed half the ocean just to wash down the taste of my pride

Empty Hands

You drink too much
I know because I do too
I recognize the bleary eyes that belong to you.
you resent the forgetting
blaming me for pointing out the points that were upsetting
when you howl at the sky
when the dark side rises out of your skin
again and again
like clockwork
a knee jerk reaction to something deep within your bones
something still unknown but always there, staring me in the face.
I am standing farther away, trying to keep the demons at bay
but missing the person that they inhabit.
trying to explain, but you won't have it.
your ears are filled with sand.
your heart is torn in strands.
your plate is full
but empty hands

Common Cement

To pull you from the flames

To pull you from the flames of love gone wrong
would take a giant and I am not that strong.
you wipe your lips
they smell of kerosine and feed the flames
for only you unseen.

Perfection, not a virtue I would fit
to ask of you would I turn hypocrite?
I stand aside and watch the clouds of smoke
I offer water and but still you choose to choke.

2 Years

2 years ago today I had just moved into a basement apartment. I was sleeping on a blowup mattress and the floor had just been finished so I was dealing with a constant nausea that comes from breathing in fumes. I had just finished a stint of sleeping on people's sofas for over a year, traveling like a wandering gypsy, bags and guitar in tow. The blowup mattress was a big step up.

I rushed with my guitar and equipment to a show held at Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn for Marriage Equality New York. As everything was being setup,I spied a boy in tight jeans with nice legs and very cute floppy ears. I told my friend that he would be my boyfriend. I of course never made eye contact or tried to approach him. It was more of a joke. I had given up on dating. My life at that point in fact did not even leave room for flirtation. I was content with and resigned to being alone.

I performed a set as my self while two dragqueen friends, Chic and Sassy held umbrellas over my head to sheild me and my guitar from the rain. Then, I performed a set as Kitt & Kaboodle, my cabaret alter-ego with Jeff Cubeta. I was packing up my guitar and winding down when I was approached by a tight jean wearing floppy eared boy. He asked if I had a mailing list. I said yes, but I had rushed and didn't have it with me. He seemed dejected. Was he flirting with me? I was impervious to such things and oblivious perhaps, but hopeful. Maybe I wasn't content with being alone. I had seen him earlier walking around with a microphone followed by a camera crew. I asked him what they were filming for and he told me it was for a television show produced by the LGBT community center. I gave him my email address and told him to email me to let me know when the show aired. (this is the short version, btw. He left and then came back minutes later. I thought I had scared him away...and the whole throughout the whole situation I was very confused with his intentions...if it was flirtation, professional networking...I had no clue.)

I received an an email a few days later

"Hello, Im the guy with the camera from the marriage rally. The show
will be airing the third thursday of June in Manhattan on time warner
34 at 1030 and some other time on BCAT. You can also watch it online
at gaycenter.org/out.
Also if you ever want to grab a coffee or something that would be great."

I responded:


"Hey Konstantine (a.k.a. guy with the camera)

Thanks for the info. I don't own a television, so I'll
have to check it out on the website.

I am always up for grabbing a coffee or something. If
that something involves an old wooden rollercoaster in
Coney Island or a game of pool, even better.
I'm free Thursday evening,this friday from 2-4pm or after
8pm(very specific, I know), and then I'm in Minneapolis
doing a show, but I'll be back on Monday."

I will spare you the details and just say, the rest is history.
Two year later, I'm engaged to a floppy eared boy who looks quite hot in tight jeans.
oh and he is smart and sweet and kind and gentle and all that stuff... If you need a puke bucket, I totally understand.

Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus

Occasionally a movie comes along that is so horribly bad that it's amazingly awesome. One of those is Coffy with Pam Grier, an absolute classic in my book.
The question is, Can Deborah (Debbie electric youth) Gibson and Lorenzo Lamas pull off the so horrible it's amazingly snakes on a plane good with their newest picture Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. It's a challenging balancing act. You watch the trailer and decide.


btw, if this does not go straight to DVD, I am so going to the theater to see this. That is no joke. Who's with me?

remember these?

Peak a boo

Hello out there. Testing testing, is this thing on?
It has been a while since I've written here.
I promise that I am still alive, still working on music, still breathing and all. I've still got ten fingers and ten toes and an overabundance of love for bacon despite the hysteria over a little flu. Swine flu? really? Is this what it's come to? It's just a different strain of the blu people. It's not the end of the world. It's not ebola.

I'd much rather read headlines about pirates. I know that it's tragic and all, but I kept looking at cnn's website and seeing headline about pirates. I let out a little arrg in my head. I pictured men with patches over their eyes and scarves on their heads, brandishing swords and swinging in on ropes to kidnap unsuspecting passengers.
The word pirate makes me smile. I'm not totally sure why. It doesn't even have to be proceeded by the word butt to make me do it.

There has been much going on with my family. It has really taken its toll on me. One bright spot of light that peaked through the clouds was my sister who came to visit us in New York. She is 4 months pregnant, expecting a boy, so needless to say her visit focused around food and her desire to eat it. I have no complaints on that front.

this is all for now...peak a boo. I'll be back with you soon

Bread: An instructional Video

I wanna protect you from the people
singing hymns of love under the steeple
who don't even know what being a christian is all about

I wanna protect you from the picket lines
from the red faced people
with hate filled signs
kiss your limp wrist and let the closed fists have their closed minds.

cuz you are beuatiful no matter what they say
they chose to be like that
you were born this way
and god will kiss your face on the judgement day