Illuminati

There's some people who have a lot of time on their hands who have decided that both Beyonce and Gaga are mind control tools of the illuminati. Well, I won't bore you with repeating it, if you want to know about it, you can go here and see. Anyhow, while wasting my valuable time reading this garbage, I came across this:

Which seeks to explain Lady Gaga's VMA outfits as inspired by Alice in Wonderland characters. I don't know if this is the work of some fan with a good imagination or was truly Gaga's intention, but I think it's pretty awesome.

Damn you! Damn you Gaga! Stop amusing me so.

GaGa Again

I gotta say, I'm still really not that into Lady Gaga. I am sort of half trying to like her, since she is somewhat how I'd imagine the lovechild of Marilyn Manson and Madonna to be. My main issue is I can't really dig her music. But what is music these days but image anyhow? If Gaga was only selling me her image (or only selling me images) I'd be a fan.

Because this my friends, is pretty.

Oh My Word. Three posts in one day lookie at me

Can't resist posting this. Recently a friend of mine slipped me a copy of the new Maxwell cd proclaiming "I can't believe the music that I'm listening to these days, but the new Maxwell record is fantastic". Well, just because you generally like indie rock or obscure art rock, that shouldn't mean that you don't like some good old r&b, especially if it is as well-crafted as this record is. Horn section love. Real musician love. It is so warm and gooey sounding you'd think you were listening to an album from the 60's playing on vinyl. I guess it has been 8 years since Maxwell released a record, and it seems it was well worth the wait.

I know one thing for sure. The sex scene in this video should be longer.

Rock and Roll Music

ProCon's video makes me happy. It is because I know so many of the lovely ladies who make an appearance including the one and only SVCON. Also, my favourite bra has a starring role. Plus it rocks. You can find more out about ProCon on their myspace.

I Love the Pet Shop Boys

Rose is right. I need some Pet Shop Boys dancing time. Soon.



Not too sure how I feel about Gaga and Flowers muddling up the perfection that is the Pet Shop Boys, but I'll suffer through it, because I believe they are attempting to pay homage and give respect. That I'm down with.

Steam Punk

Once thought to be just a literary genre, this look is growing in popularity from the more hardcore enthusiasts:



And finding its way into mainstream influence. Think: Beards, Granny Boots, Crochet, Heritage Brands (ie: Woolrich, Hunter Wellington, Levi’s 501s), Typewriters, Pocket Watches, DIY esthetic, Optimism about human potential, punk inspired anti-establishment thinking, spats, corsets, Victorian things, etc.

Check out Steam Punk Magazine

Check out this Steam Punk Wedding!




This is the officiant:


See all the pictures here.

Check out this crazy Steam Punk Guitar...





There is something very MadMax about this look visually, yet I can’t help but mentally draw correlation between Steampunks and the devolved humans made famous by Devo .

The thing most fascinating about this subcultural trend to me is its trickle into other subcultures, and then of course into more mainstream culture, as bits and pieces seem to be popping up in Alt-Country, Punk and Emo, as evidenced by the aforementioned beards, plaids and vintage work boots, etc. It is sure to find a mainstream audience in the coming years as in an era of mass consumerism (hit by recession) it’s an affordable, approrpriate cultural esthetic.

Now go make me a vintage lace corset, won't you?

Yay Obama!

Obama for the win!

This woman's expression says it all, doesn't it?




What a wonderful time for America. I am thrilled to be able to see the first African-American president in my lifetime. I do want to clarify from my post yesterday that I'm not suggesting I'd rather have seen a woman president - what I wanted to see was CHANGE, and it came. And the doors this dramatic change has opened for all people - all genders - can not be understated.

Yay America...for actually doing something the world can love you for.

Illustrator of the Month - Sept

Kerry Beary was born near Manhattan and has been painting and illustrating since the early 90's. She obtained her degree and masters in fine art in NYC, and taught art at the highschool level before tiring of city life and moving to a beautiful modern-era ranch bungalow in Louisiana. Kerry presents us with women as icons; strong women from which an infinite number of associations can be culled.

You can purchase prints from Kerry at her Esty Shop.

Hallmark Debuts Same-Sex Wedding Cards

I caught this article in a trade journal today.

Hallmark has decided to introduce same-sex wedding cards to their offering. Hallmark says the move is a response to consumer demand, not to political pressure, which is also good, because let the consumers speak, I say. The inside greetings won't mention marraige specifically, which is also great. Just a lovely front image of intertwined tuxedos or men's rings, two bouquets, etc.

I had the experience of trying to buy a wedding card recently and it was really difficult to get one that wasn't a) ugly, b) interesting or c) super religious. I'm well aware that marraiges are intended to be a union betwixt the bride, groom and god, but lets move into the new millenium shall we? I know my social circle is made up of mostly like-minded individuals, so my experience with weddings is pretty limited and also secular. However, I must not be the only one who goes to secular wedding after secular wedding, and doesn't want to give a card that speaks of 'blessings' and 'holy unions'. It just doesn't feel right.

Hallmark offers about 200 wedding cards in total, including those aimed at interracial or inter-religious marriages and blended families. Hallmark also started offering coming out cards last year.

Next up, I'm hoping Hallmark will come out with a line of cards for christenings that aren't religious. I know this sounds insane, but at my neice's christening I had a really hard time deciding what to do so I ended up with just a little gift tag. It didn't seem appropriate for me to give a card all about god and jesus when I'm not religious at all; it seemed too insincere.

"Dear Neice,
I don't believe in god much, but you should, happy christening!
Love Auntie J."

I hope they sell the crap out of the same-sex wedding cards, so that one of the world's major retailers can set a standard for inclusiveness in the world of commercial goods. You know that Walmart ain't jumping on board any time soon.

Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl

Lots of talk this week about Katy Perry. (You will note, I am not linking. Find her your damn self.)

I kind of want to like her, I really do. The record company is selling me an image that appeals. And even though the song is incredibly catchy, and I don't mind her voice or delivery, I feel a little bit ill every time I hear "I Kissed A Girl".

Lots of bloggers are quick to point out that Jill Sobule did "I Kissed A Girl" first, and many of them think she did a better job as well. And while this is probably true, I don't feel to bad for Jill. I mean, the new version of her song might be the best thing to have happened to her one-hit-wonder career in ages. It's not that the concept of the song is ripped off that bothers me - I mean, isn't like, 90% of music about the same concept?

What bothers me is that Katy Perry is being sold to us as some sort of unique and independant artist, who wrote this song all by herself, and it is expressing her own experience. If this were the case, I'd likely still be annoyed, because this song is a musical equivalent to two straight girls making out in a bar to get free shots. We all turn to look, don't we? The attention getting antics are working.

The thing is, if she had actually written the song all on her own, I could give it some justification by suggesting that Ms. Perry is clever, at least clever enough to exploit this social fascination with straight girls kissing. However, since the writing credits go to four people, including two men, I feel like this is less her own concept and instead a desperate label trying to ensure a break out hit for their new darling.

The lyrics, completely devoid of any emotion, make this a party anthem. While Katy is being sold to us as some sort of indie hipster, I fear a nation full of tween pop-tarts will be kissing their girlfriends to this song during drunken bush parties while their acne-faced teen boyfriends look on with hoots and hollers. Hardly the image they are pushing on us.

The thing is, I'm all for girls making out. I really am. I'd rather it not be for the male gaze however. I'd rather it be for their own amusement. This sort of song cheapens lesbianism and bisexuality to a spectator sport; it portrays Katy's sexuality as dumb, drunk and irresponsible. It reduces women, who have actually been curious about their attraction to women, as silly, experimental tarts. I'm tired of women allowing large marketing engines exploit them for fame. I'm tired of bisexuality being painted as a phase.

This song wraps up all of those feelings in a neat little package.

Not to mention how much the video makes me want to break something.