Those of you who REALLY know me know that making and performing music has been my true love from the day the doctor smacked my ass... And for those of you who've paid any attention to my blog history, you know that this year I've come out of the closet, quit my (christian) rock band, and basically replaced all of my friends and acquaintances with a far more fabulous breed.
And while I'm totally happy with my new life, and feel more free and real than ever before, I have definately missed the music.
So, I give you, the first glimpse of (hopefully) many, of my upcoming solo effort. The song is called "My Turn", and its what we call a demo in the industry. See, first I'll work my ass off to write and record a bunch of shit at home, then I'll take it into the studio where an engineer and producer will say "Nice, but trash that shit and we'll do it my way now..."
Let me know what you think of my little work in progress....
Ok, so I promise, this will probably, most-likely, almost-assuredly be my last post regarding QAF. And since I think my previous post did a pretty thorough job of explaining my deep love for American television's introduction to fabulousity (yeah, I made that up), I'll try to keep this one a little shorter..
For anyone who has yet to see last night's series finale, and who intends on seeing it, be warned that I am about to divulge the final state of affairs and relationships, along with how that effects me (though Lord kno ws, and Hotass will surely tell me, television relationships shouldn't really effect me). So, if you don't want it ruined for you, divert your attention elsewhere. And without further adeu, I give you:
Thoughts on the End of an Era
Mel and Linds took their children Gus and JR (sired by Brian and Michael, respectively) to live in Toronto. With a goal of raising their children in a safe, loving, diverse place, this freshly repaired couple have sold their home in the Pitts, piled into their lesbo-mobile (a Subaru, not surprisingly), and gotten the hell out of dodge, so to speak. Surprisingly to some, the most emotional part of their departure was not Debbie's mention that Mel and Linds had better "get your assess the fuck back here on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Mother's Day, etc". Indeed, it was the teary goodbey exchanged between Linds and Brian, and Linds' recant of Brian's famous motto, "No apologies. No regrets." *sniffle*
When last we saw Emmett and Ted, they were about to enjoy Ted's birthday cake in a mountain retreat, when who do we stumble upon, but Ted's on-again-off-again love and drug interest, Blake. Sweet Emmett pushes Teddy to get going with Blake, so he can dive into the cake alone, but we all know that at least part of Emmett misses being in love with Ted. This potential Lana Turner moment takes a surprise turn when an unexpected, but familiar voice from Hazelhurst, MS grabs his attention. And judging from the way they left for Em's hotel room, the former "straight" high school swim team star ended up grabbing more than his attention. Here's to hoping Em and Teddy find the love they've been looking for...
Loud-mouthed Debbie could never be more proud of her son. She's also in love with Det. Carl Horvath, and back at the diner after a brief stint in retirement. As hornery and vulgar as ever, she's still the matriarch of this gaggle, and intends on staying that way for a long, long time...
Michael, Ben, and Hunter are finally about to be a legal family. Mikey and Ben asked Hunter if they could adopt him, and the paperwork has been filed to make him officially, Hunter Novotny Bruckner. In the episode three weeks ago, a bomb was detonated at a political event held at Babylon, and Michael almost died. After several surgeries and a blood transfusion, he's healing up well. I swear I was a reck when that bomb went off and if Michael had died, I may have had to call in sick to work the next day. Oy veh...
And last, but certainly not least, the final state of the Brian-Justin relationship. Nearly losing Michael in the explosion seemed to have a life-changing effect on Brian Kinney. He put the remains of Babylon up for sale, sold his loft, and purchased a country estate with a pool, tennis court, stables, and a big fireplace. Then he proposed to Justin. The world fell silent as Pittsburgh's biggest opposer of married queers (or defectors, as he often called them) was effectively on his knee. Justin scrapped plans of moving to New York to conquer the art world. The invitations were sent, the wedding was planned, and the day before their rehearsal dinner, Mel opened her cunt-ass mouth and told Brian he'd better treat Justin well, considering what he was giving up to be with him. Needless to say, they cancelled the wedding, Justin moved to NYC, and the show that brought real homosexuals to American television ended with a lonely but matured Brian and a healing and always adorable Michael dancing with no soundtrack at the blown up remains of Babylon.
Ok, so that description wasn't as short as I thought it would be, but last night's episode was an emotional moment for Roomie and I.
Prior to running the finale episode, Showtime ran a 30 minute goodbye special that had me even more verclempt than the finale itself. I'll close this post with the last words said in that special, by the verbosely eloquent Sharon Gless (Debbie Novotny):
For those of you who are following Queer as Folk's final season, you've noticed that the token lesibian couple, Melanie and Lindsay, are trying to move to Toronto. Their motives are pure. While they love their native country, they want desperately to raise their children in a safe place, free of the hate crimes, discrimination, and stigma that many of us in the red states have come face to face with.
While QAF is obviously just a TV show, the issues that these characters are dealing with are very real on THIS side of the television screen. And with all the talk (and some of the action) of queers heading north of the border, I'm not sure how I feel. So, I've decided to look at a few of the reasons why some of the fabulous types have pondered permanent relocation:
1. Marriage Laws On June 10, 2003, the Ontario Court of Appeal made it official, Canada's marriage laws were unconstitutionally heterosexist, and redefined it as "the voluntary union for life of two persons to the exclusion of others". Since that change was made, couples from Canada (and from the rest of the world) have flocked to Canadian Judges, Justices of the Peace, and willing clerics to make their love and commitment known and (at least in Canada) legal!
Along with legal and binding documentation of their commitment, these marriage contracts also open the door to all other priviliges and responsbilities that are tied to nation's marriage laws. This includes health benefits, end-of-life choices, inheritance, child custody, and, as I said, ALL OTHER priviliges and responsibilities that are applicable to any heterosexual marriage. God bless Canada.
2. Hate Crimes In a survey conducted by the Canadian government, there were 928 hate crimes committed north of the border between 2001 and 2002. Of these hate crimes, 95 were attributed to sexual orientation-related hate. In contrast, a study conducted by the US government shows over 5,500 hate crimes committed in the year of 2003. Of these, roughly 16% (over 700) cases were attributed to sexual orientation-related bias.
While I cannot guarantee that these numbers are completely accurate (found 'em on the web), if they are anywhere near realistic, the number of US hate crimes directly committed against the LGBT community (and/or straight allies) is at least 80% higher than the number of similar crimes committed in Canada. An interesting point.
3. Political Tendencies Its common knowledge that our brothers and sisters to the north far more commonly lean to the the left politically than those of us in the USA. While I'm not going to make a list of voting records, bills, and laws that support the LGBT community, I think we can agree that Canada is traditionally more liberal than the good ole US of A. And while, by no means, you cannot place a label on the whole LGBT community as flaming liberals, much of the community will tend to take a liberal stance on many of the issues that we deem important (i.e. gay rights, diversity protection, etc.).
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All of these things said, I'm not filling out my application for permanent residency just yet. I am an American, and I love my country. If they'd let me fight in the military as an openly gay man, I would serve my country. I love and respect our history and the rich culture that we have developed. I have faith that things are getting better. I have the courage and the passion to help MAKE things better.
But would I feel the same if I had a child? Would I want my child to grow up in a place where his peers place judgment on his daddies? Would I want my child to grow up in a place where people like his daddies are hurt and killed every day because they have chosen to accept their god-given right to love? Further more, as a resident of the Red South, no way in hell could I expect to adopt a child with my partner. No way in hell could we share legal custody of a child.
I'm not sure what the future holds, but I do know that if it brings promises of more injustice, I will eventually start questioning whether I'm where I should be. If we become a nation of prejudice and divisiveness, my patriotism may waver. If we become a nation led by men who hate and declare war against my freedom and governed by courts that interpret and fudge the constitution to please the religious right, I may begin to dream of greener pastures. If I ever become the father that I've always felt I could be, I may want better for my child. I don't know.
For now, I will still sing "God Bless America" and recite the Pledge of Allegiance at baseball games. But I am definately watching for a turn in the tide...for better, hopefully.
Hey everyone! I just got back from vacation in Washington. My 16 year old sister had a baby two weeks ago, so I'm now a first time uncle! The baby is gorgeous and healthy. My sister is her normal, playfully bitchy self, and the family has dealt well with the aftershock of my last visit.
I did, however, get a nasty sunburn...
Anway, it was a great trip, but I'm glad to be back home, with my boy, my puppy, and my gaggle.
I've got something philosophical brewing, so check back soon...
