Bye, Bye, Baby. Bye, Bye!

Yes, I'm sure President Clinton meant well when he signed DADT into law, but in reality, it just made things worse for gays and lesbians who wanted to serve their country. Not to mention the fact that discharging all those servicemen cost the United States millions of dollars [between 363-400 million] and weakened our efforts in trying to stop more terrorist attacks, by discharging Arabic linguists.


I'm glad President Obama had the courage of his convictions to reverse this law and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly and proudly.

The Rise of Another Evil Empire...

It looks like the supervisors at Amazon like to have their employees work on 110 degree heat. Somehow if the workplace was had a union, I don't think this would happen, but I guess this is the 'new normal' for the working class. It makes me wonder when we [the American workers] are going to say 'enough is enough' and stop taking this shit from greedy corporations. I may have to find another online retailer soon...

I love the Foo Fighters!

The Foo Fighters lay the smack-down on those ass-hats from Westboro Baptist Church! I must say I have been a fan of the Foos ever since I first heard 'This is a Call' and they continue to surprise me with each new album they release. But BOY did they make me happy for having massive cajones for stepping up to these idiots and taking them to task for their archaic beliefs.

As Mr. Grohl said, 

"God Bless America! It takes all kinds; I don't care if you're black or white or purple or green, whether you're Pennsylvanian or Transylvanian, Lady gaga or Lady Antebellum. Men loving women and women loving men and men loving men and women loving women -- you all know we like to watch that. But what I'd like to say is, God Bless America, y'all!"

Amen, Dave, amen! Now if only some other musicians would do the same... I'd love to see Beyonce take on Westboro...That would NEVER happen, but a gay guy can dream, can't he? 

Summer is Gone!

Where did the summer go? I remember getting ready for all of the conferences and trade shows I had to attend and then July was here! Now it's September and I can't say what I did with my time...Oh, I know, I worked! I have 22 days of vacation time and I only took a few days off this summer. I need some me time in a big way!

I did manage to get to NOLA this summer, but it was work related. The good news is that I got to hang out with an old friend, eat some delicious food, and get a tattoo! I was also in *ahem* New York City. Needless to say, I had an awful time there. One thing was that I stayed at the lovely Pennsylvania Hotel. That hotel is a $#!t hole! I'm surprised that I didn't get bedbugs from that place! It smelled like a homeless person's socks from the 1920s! It STANK big time! I heard they are going to demolish the building this year. I say better sooner than later.

The other issue I had with NYC was the attitude of it's inhabitants. I'm sorry, but New Yorkers are the rudest people I have encountered in all my life. Walking the sidewalks of NYC isn't an easy feat when there are people walking aimlessly about--especially in Times Square. People, you've seen that ad in Times Square 1,000 times...get over it and move on! When I was younger, I loved NY, but now once I get there, I want to leave in a few hours. Too loud, too rude, too much of everything. Give me Philly any day.

Back to the end of summer. Hopefully I will be able to stream Kevin Smith's new movie, Red State this weekend. I also plan on making a blue berry cheesecake! Yummo! I did manage to get to the gym a lot this summer--and I went in the morning! When fall rolls around, I doubt if I'll be that ambitious.

Summer, it was good seeing you again--you were hot, dry and kinda uneventful. That is until you brought that bitch Irene to the party for a few days. I forgive you for that. See you next year.

There Goes MY Hero!

I remember when I first heard Husker Dü...it was the summer of 1984 and me and my friend Hank purchased Zen Arcade at the Listening Booth in the mall. We went back to Hank's house, put on the LP, and lit a joint. I must say that was one of the most trans-formative moments of my youth...The music that we heard was raw, honest and heartfelt--unlike most of the music that was played on the radio at that time.

In my opinion, Zen Arcade was up there with Duran Duran's Rio The Cure's The Top, Simple Minds' New Gold Dream..., and Prince's Dirty Mind. Though the artists I mentioned are all different, they were willing to make music that didn't sound like anything else before. Husker Dü managed to make music that captured my imagination and compelled me to LISTEN to the lyrics of a song rather than the beat or samples. The songs by Bob Mould were the ones that really caught my ear and my imagination. When I listened to his songs, I felt as if he was singing about me--but I guess that's one of the skills a good songwriter possesses. "Broken Home, Broken Heart" is still one of my all time favorite songs.

When I heard the band dissolved in 1986, I was heartbroken. I didn't think I would hear from Bob Mould again. Flash forward to 1993 and hear a familiar voice on the local alternative radio station...it's none other that Bob Mould fronting his new band, Sugar! I was stoked to hear the loud guitars and fantastic melodies once again--and Mould added a pop music element to the songs as well--Genius! But Sugar only lasted a few years and they broke up in 1995--at the height of their popularity. There are a lot bands that were influenced by Husker Dü such as Nirvana, the Pixies, and REM to name a few. Yes, Bob Mould is one of the godfathers of the modern alternative sound...and he deserves much more recognition.

This week, Mould is releasing his autobiography that chronicles his life journey from before Husker Dü to present day. I'm looking forward to this book because I have always felt as if Bob and I are kindred spirits...though he's more talented than me! I liked how he handled his coming out of the closet and that he's still making great music that still speaks to me.

Thank you Bob, for staying true to your vision and kicking out the jams! You are my hero!

Phonte and Nicolay in the Hizza!

Foreign Exchange at the World Cafe tonight! Can't wait to see them tear the ish up!

We Can Be Heroes.

The interwebs and the gay blogoshpere are aflutter with the recent announcement from Ken Mehlman that he is gay. This came as no surprise to those in the elite social/political circles in Washington DC. Mehlman who was the campaign manager during Bush version 2's reelection run oversaw some of the most homophobic, anti-gay campaigns--specifically getting 11 states to pass anti-gay and anti gay marriage amendments. He also was a key supporter of everyone's favorite homophobe Mr. Rick Santorum.

In recent interviews Mr. Mehlman claims that he was only one person in the Republican party and he could not change what was going on because he wasn't comfortable with who he was. His exact words, "As I’ve said, one thing I regret a lot is the fact that I wasn’t in the position I am today where I was comfortable with this part of my life, where I was able to be an advocate against that [strategy] and able to be someone who argued against it. I can’t change that – it is something I wish I could and I can only try to be helpful in the future." As a practicing Buddhist, I am all about forgiveness and I hope Mr. Mehlman has a happy, 'comfortable' life living in the posh Chelsea area of NYC. I hope he will make amends for the carnage he unleashed upon millions in the LGBT community.

What concerns me about this whole ordeal is that some gay folks will call Mehlman a 'hero' for coming out so publicly--I am referring to the Log Cabin republicans and 'gay patriots.' Evidently Mehlman gets a free pass from these groups since he's still a Republican. But I digress. In a few years the gay community will all but forget what Mehlman did because he will pull out his Rolodex and get some of his rich friends to fund another insipid HRC event or sponsor a log cabin republican gala. Ta, Da! Hero status achieved! Throw money at any problem or give money to an LGBT organization and all is forgiven. But not so fast--before we give Ken his cape I have a name we should consider: Lawrence King. Do you remember him?

Lawrence was a 15 year old gay boy who was shot twice in the head by one of his fellow class mates. He died two days later after he was taken off life support. The story in itself is tragic as King came from a broken home and was constantly bullied in school for being effeminate and flamboyant. King had the balls to embrace who he was and come to school everyday were he was being beat and taunted by his peers--he was fearless.

Unfortunately King's bravery cost him his life; but for those short 15 years he lived them with honesty and integrity--now that is what I call a HERO. We should remember people like Lawrence King, Charlie Howard, Rebecca Wight, Brandon Teena and Andrew Anthos who died for having the courage to live their life openly and with honor.

So before we start calling Ken Mehlman a hero, let's not forget those who walked the walk and didn't have the luxury to hide behind their political ideology for hear of being 'found out.' As I said before, I wish Ken all the luck in the world, but I believe he has a long way to go before he reaches hero status.