Take a stance on me

"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of
tolerance comes when we are in the majority." Ralph W. Sockman (1889 -
1970), pastor Christ Methodist Church

As with most things, its taken me a little while to form an opinion about the
recent state Supreme Court's decision regarding Washington State's Defense of
Marriage Act (DOMA). My stance on government and marriage is actually quite
libertarian--I do not believe that the government should be in the marriage
business in the first place. However, the government does provide certain
protections and rights to man/woman couples who wish to express their commitment
to one another in the form of marriage. Not allowing couples of the same sex to
enter into the same contract is clearly discrimination.

So, for a little history, Washington state's DOMA was voted into law quite easily in 1998. Then governor Gary Locke vetoed the bill which was then overridden by the people. Clearly, Washingtonians reacted strongly to this issue. Still, two previous appellate courts found DOMA to be unconstitutional. I feel that the Supreme court did not weight these decisions heavily enough, and even went so far as to create their own justification (namely, that marriage is about procreation which is in Washington's interest).

If the voting public would recognize the fact that marriage, as defined by law, is a civil act and is doing anything but encroaching on their sacred religion, we might have a foothold. However, these are the same people who pray for George W. Bush nightly (not that a few prayers couldn't hurt), but my point is, these are the people for whom God and country are nearly the same entity. They use their horribly skewed moral system to justify their bigotry. We gays are modern martyrs--if the judicial system were to ask who should be spared crucifixion, homosexuals or murderers, the Christians (especially the ones who slant toward evangelical) would most definitely be yelling for the murderers.
Last Wednesday's ruling came as no surprise to me. In fact, the type of political posturing that can be read in the plurality's decision not only kowtows to the fear-tactics of conservatives who quickly yell, "ACTIVIST JUDGE," but also contains the type of smarmy wording which only appears in election years. Even with their bigoted views, they still manage to play to center in the form of calling for legislative change. Its pretty gross.
Thank God for the dissent's argurments and the fact that this decision was a 5-4 split. When this decision is revisited a generation or so from now, the error of the plurality's ways should be abundantly clear. Until then, I guess we have the legislative fight before us.

Of the three judges up for re-election, only one, Gerry Alexander, voted with the majority (to uphold DOMA). Gerry's opponent for Supreme Court position 8 is John Groen. I have no idea how Mr. Groen feels about DOMA, but I have written to him and will let you know what type of response I receive.
If you would like further information regarding the court's decision, please check out The Stranger's coverage.

So, this whole political spiel has gotten me a tiny bit motivated. I had written to 15-or-so bloggers, none of whom have responded, about an idea I had.
Basically, I wanted to hit up bars in the ghaytto with voter's registration packets and get the word out. I'm certain that a lot of younger gay guys in Seattle don't vote which is a shame. I thought it would be fun if a group of bloggers hit the town on a Friday or Saturday and just tried to register a hundred or so voters. For Washington state, make sure they know about absentee voting.
And possibly, as a follow up, go out on Election Day (November 7th) and physically drive people to the polls.
It would give us bloggers a chance to meet one another in real life (and share pics and stories with bloggers who did similar things around the country) and, most importantly, it might kill some of this apathy surrounding voting in our community. (Or demystify the process of voting.) (Or inform people about the issues.)
I'm not sure when I'm going to attempt this--possibly the final weekend in August.
Let me know what you think. If you think I'm an idiot, let me know that, too. (By the chirping of virtual crickets on my side, you all already think I'm idiot, or I somehow became a pariah.)

Oh, and P.S.--I got ordained last Thursday. I figured, if I don't have the right to marry, I should at least have the right to marry--you follow? So you can start referring to me as Reverend Jeremy, if you wish.

Nerdiest. Day. Ever.

Monday after work, I came home and popped on the TV to catch up with my old friend Buffy Summers. Matt awakened shortly thereafter, and I told him about the new Buffy comic book being scribed by none other than Joss himself.
So we decided we'd hit the comic book store that is a mere two blocks from our home. Said store was quite a disappointment. The severely overweight, unfriendly proprietrix acted as though I were crazy when I asked about the trade paperback Astonishing X-Men title. "I haven't carried new titles in over ten years," she said with incredulity.
Matt and I perused and tripped down memory lane. I checked to see how many Power Pack issues they had. If they had the Wolverine appearance. We talked about gatefold covers and foil covers. We talked about the big Image split and my love for Whilce Portacio's much-needed X-Factor stylizations.
The building nostalgia urged us to hop the next bus and head down a few stops to Arcane Comics. An excited 30-something patron exiting the store was already flipping through his purchase. He looked up as he maneuvered getting onto his bike and, noticing Matt's Excitebike shirt, exclaimed, "Awesome shirt man!"
Much like the previous store's owner, Arcane's proprietor was overweight, but his amiable demeanor was much more suited to our laid-back, kickin'-in-the-sunshine day. Without looking up from his computer monitor, he asked if he could help us find anything.
"Yeah," I asked, "Do you guys have the hard cover Astonishing X-Men."
"Naw, sorry, man," he replied, "but I could special order it for you. We've got the two trade paper backs, though. Give me just a second."
I looked to see what was on his monitor and a familiar sight assailed me.
"You play horde or alliance," I asked.
"Mainly horde. Little Alliance."
So we talked WoW for a bit before he pulled out the books I was looking for. Then we talked about when Dark Horse would be releasing the new Buffy book. Like any good fanboy who is also a salesman, he convinced me to check out Marvel's Civil War. Matt picked up some old MacFarlane era Spider-Mans. When we got home, Matt sat in front of the TV; I fired up WoW. We put on a couple episodes of Angel and read our books.
Its ok if you call me a nerd. I know I am.

Musical (The Rex is) Monday

In honor of The Sean Show's newest column (which, if you'll notice, I make a tiny contribution to), I'm uploading my (most likely) final mix using my crappy ol' mixing program. Acid is now on ye olde computer and the learning process has begun. Everything I've ever dreamed of doing for a mix is now available to me. Of course, such precision also means a much steeper learning curve. That's ok, though. I've got my trusty sidekick Matthew to learn with me.

Well, without further ado, I give you:

OKDJ vol. 6

The Present Lover - L'Uomo
Ah, Git Up - Wink
World Hold On - Bob Sinclair feat. Steve Edwards
In Space (C&M's Roll-In-Space Remix) - Fatty Acid
Inside - Fairmont
B1 Down (Drama Society Remix) - Ellen Allien
I Wish You Were Gone (Vocal Edit) - Joakim
Tied to the 80's - MRI
Silent Shout - The Knife
Alaska - Monolake
Changes (Swayzak Darkfarmer Remix) - Tahiti 80

Only 11 tracks, just over an hour, but I think I do a fairly good job of running the gamut. A little bit for everyone. (And if you didn't notice, I crammed in a tonne of tracks I lurve!) I hope you like it!

And in case you don't believe me about the JB's new album, check this track-
In the Morning - Junior Boys

Ok, that's it for Musical Monday. I figure its a good way to start off the week.

. . . And now the unimportant news

I haven't really posted one of my pop-culture-y catchalls in quite some time, so I thought I'd tell you what's shakin' my bananas and dingin' on my radar.

First of all, Veronica Mars has only been picked up for 13 episodes by the CW network, and there's a change in format. While I understand the desire to grow your audience base, I hope this season's "three mystery" format doesn't detract from the drama that an entire season of one mystery builds. Oh, and if you're not watching this show, start. I'm getting Season 1 disc 1 in the mail tomorrow and I'm convinced I'll have the roomies--or at least Matt--hooked. <via Seattle P-I>

Since I'm talkin' TV, thought I'd point you to an article in Out magazine which features the oh-so-deamy Jamie Bamber. It's kind of about 'mos in space, but, like much in the queer media, it ends up talking about nothing. Queers should have written for Seinfeld. <via Jimbo>

Oh, and you can officially throw out all of your hemp clothing--or smoke it or whatever--cuz the future is here. A soft fabric that is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-static. It raises your core temperature in the cold months and cools you in the summer. It is biodegradable and sustainable. What is it, you ask? It's bamboo--and Bam Clothing is among the first to offer this great new product. <via CoolHunting>

And you want to know what music I've been listening to? Various Production's first long-player, The World is Gone might just be the second best album I've heard this side of Booka Shade's Movements. It is a gorgeous album that hops genres convincingly.
Monolake's new 12" Alaska/Melting is my. type. of. music. Propulsive, skittery, moody, and highly dancable (and those bass lines--yum!). Expect to see both A and B sides get WORKED (as is often the case with Monolake tracks).
And, of course, Junior Boys new album is all-up-in-it, yo! So This Is Goodbye just might be perfect. I had hoped (lord, how I hoped) that they wouldn't let me down--and they didn't. You can check out the first single on their MySpace page. I guess the remixes for this single are by Morgan Geist and Alex Smoke. Can't wait to hear Geist's take--especially after his work with Greenspan for "Most of All." At this point in time, this is my album of the year--you'll have to wait until August 17th to buy it.

And, in even less important news, I got a promotion. After a grueling 3-week long interview process, a co-worker and I Thunderdomed it, and I somehow ended up on top (puh-leeze, gurl, why you snickerin' 'bout me bein' on top?). So, yay me! And now my hours are even crappier--midnight til 8:30A. Boo!

Recycle

8 pizza boxes in the recycling bin. I am fatter than I have ever been.

2 Fassbinder 2 Furious

Awww, yeah! Just to note, the images at the bottom of this post will not be suitable viewing for work unless, much like my work, you spend a lot of your day looking at genitalia.

Ok, now onto the post.

In my desire to continue the Canon of Queer Cinema, I have been scouring Netflix for films worthy of canonization. Along the way, I rediscovered the films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder. His beautiful take on Genet's Querelle de Brest was a critical disaster, but as is the case with many great works of art, it has taken a few years' distance for its genius to crystallize. Querelle will be the canonical entry, but while we wait for me to formulate a few ideas about the piece, let's take a look at his 1975 film Fox and His Friends.

Fox and His Friends tells the story of Fox who is an out of work carnie that wins a lot of money. Of course, the money creates rather than solves problems, and Fox eventually takes an overdose of valium to escape his pitiful life.

Simple enough story, right? Well, it is a simple story, and that allows Fassbinder the luxury of touching on many topics--classism, capitalism, industrialization, homosexuality.
Fox and His Friends is a rare film in that the lead (played by Fassbinder himself) and many of the supporting characters are gay. Some of them are effete, some masculine. Some of them are rich, some poor. Some are kind, some predatory. This film was made over 30 years ago and filmmakers still have problems depicting our community so humanly.
Should this film be canonized? Probably. Rather than depicting how gay men fit into the straight world, it deals more with how gay men treat one another (not very well). Fox's lover, Eugen (Peter Chatel), is an upper-middle class asshole who uses Fox solely for his money. His two-year (and then some) scheme to drain Fox of his money is a bit implausible, but by this point in the film, the relationship is more allegory of the rich exploiting the working class.

Perhaps Fassbinder's greatest accomplishment with this film is the plethora of wiener shots (including a couple of his own).

For your viewing pleasure:

Additional Resources:

Roger Ebert's take on the film

Senses of Cinema bio.

Tollroad

Remember when I told you about the game I played with my nieces on my recent visit to Texas?

Well, my mom just found the pictures.

Here ya go!




They have two uncle Jeremys. I get the moniker "Fun Uncle Jeremy" for obvious reasons. They are very familiar with that maniacal look in my eye. I think they have so much fun with me because I am one of the few (only?) adults in their life who is not an authority figure. Plus, I talk Spongebob and Super Mario with them.

Summer movie round-up

In case you didn't know, I see crappy movies with Risa. Why she allows me to accompany her is beyond me, but whatever the reason, she and I have seen many a catastrophe. The only movies that come to mind are The Family Stone, Little Black Book, and The Count of Monte Cristo. Of those three, only the final was stomachable. Most recently we went to see The Lake House. We even got Maria to join us, which was a real joy. The three Montana schooled kids at the movie theater--that alone made the experience enjoyable.
As for the film, I was predisposed to hating it. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock--gross. The film, however, surprised me. Sure, the gimmicky mailbox from the future felt contrived. Sure, the questions raised by time-travel are never dealt with, but I didn't hate this movie at all--which is saying quite a bit. You could definitely do worse.

Next up, Pirates of the Carribean. Uh, yeah. Two and half hours. Are you freaking kidding me? For that? In two and a half hours you can't further develop characters? You can't resolve anything? And where's the swashbuckling? Matt, Steve 2 and I went to see it in a packed theater and, of the three of us, only Steve 2 was entertained. I'm fine with jokey stuff like the wooden eyeball and the dog with the keys. I'm not fine with stringing together a series of jokes and calling it a story. Save your money. More importantly, save your time.

And finally, A Scanner Darkly--
In continuation of the birthday weekend, a whole group of us went to see Linklater's latest animated film. I have been looking forward to this film for quite some time. First of all, the film is absolutely gorgeous, especially if you can let go of the fact that those Charles Schwab commercials ganked the style. Secondly, the film utilizes Keanu Reeves' robotic/monotonous delivery to its advantage. I thought Winona Ryder gave a really great performance, and I also thought that she looked better than she has for a long time--I don't mean that cattily, either. Sure, she was animated, but there was something luminescent about her. So I searched for production stills, and its true--she looks absolutely great (pictured right). I haven't read the story since--damn, its been a long time--maybe freshman year of college. The film really didn't bring the essence of the book back to me but instead created an entirely new milieu. Risa was somehow hornswoggled into attending the film with us. I think she would probably describe the film as, "Dumb as shit." So, not for everybody, but I enjoyed it.

Peeved

Loose for lose.
Anyways is not a word.

I think it's super sexy when someone avoids ending a sentence in a preposition, but when they add the same preposition at the end of the sentence, it drives me bonkers, e.g. "for that which we are thankful for."

Yes, I realize that this is coming from the man who regularly uses "irridiculous" and "dramaticality" and "severious," but I use those words to highlight the ridiculosity and mercuriality of language.

I mean, if you know the rules, you can break 'em, right?

Oh, and "definately" really pisses me off.

On another outing

My cousin and I have never been very close. To this day, the most I hear from her is the Christmas card. The fact that she attempts to keep in contact at all is quite astonishing. She grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland while I grew up Texas. Any closeness we shared dissipated by adolescence, and, like most of my family, she was essentially a stranger by the time I was in college.
This did not, however, preclude us from staying up late and playing catch up when we saw each other. When I was 20, I travelled with my mom and dad to Ohio for Thanksgiving. I had not officially come out to anyone in my family. My sexuality was still the proverbial elephant in the living room. My father, I believe, was still oblivious to my orientation, as well.
So, after our parents had retired, my cousin and I stayed up and talked. I asked her about her boyfriend. We talked about school. We laughed. I think we listened to Pat Benatar. When the lull finally claimed our conversation, she turned to me very seriously and said, "Jeremy, I want you to know that I know that you're gay . . . and I just want you know . . . that I have herpes."

See also: On an outing

Get thee to a gymmery

Ok, so the birthday weekend is officially over--it is especially apparent because I am once again in the vault for another extremely long shift. Yes, I will be napping at work tonight.
Anyway, I wanted to thank all of the commenters for the birthday wishes! They are much appreciated.
Then I want to thank everyone who showed up at Chez Gaudy on Friday to celebrate with me. Roll call: Risa, Keith, Maria, Maggie, Tony, Steve1, Amy, Kelley, Bill, Derek, Geoff, Steve2, Emily, Joanna, Andy, and, of course, Matt.
I felt a little scatter-brained during the affair, and bouncing from table to table made me feel as though I wasn't spending enough time with some of you, but, seriously, I couldn't ask for a better group of friends. Thanks so, so much!
Below are a few of the pictures from the evening. The rest of the pictures revealed to me just how fat I've become, so you don't get to see them.

As for what you can expect to see on the blog in the coming week--reviews of The Lake House, Pirates of the Carribean, and A Scanner Darkly. Plus, a love letter to Chez Gaudy.

Oh! And Maggie, you have a message from Keith in the comments of the last post.

30

So, if you were wondering what was up with the random lists of 30 lately, it should now be pretty apparent. I have officially entered my third decade on this rock we call Earth.
Where was I when the clock struck midnight? You guessed it! Down here in the vault.

I wish I could claim that age ain't nothin' but a number, but from my nostalgia-laden previous posts, I'm sure you can imagine that I feel my years more now than I did at this time last year.

So it is with great hope that I look forward to the next 30 years. I hope that I can somehow learn to shed the husk of cynicism and skepticism that accompany adulthood. I hope that I can become more like the man I wish I was.

And you're invited, by the way, to my small birthday get together--tomorrow, the 7th from 6 - 8 I'll be imbibing with friends at Chez Gaudy on Capitol Hill. The address, I believe is 1802 Bellevue. I think we'll be attempting to see Strangers with Candy after--and you're invited to join us to see that, as well.

30 Movies

The Last Starfighter
A Christmas Story
The Dark Crystal
A View to a Kill
Tron
Time Bandits
Goonies
Brazil
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Alien
Halloween
Eraserhead
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
Blue Velvet
Wild at Heart
Mulholland Drive
The Blood of a Poet
My Own Private Idaho
L'Avventura
Wild Reeds
Safe
The Discrete Charm of the Bourgeousie
The Decameron
Princess Mononoke
Chuck & Buck
Exotica
Flirting with Disaster
The Big Lebowski
The Shining
Breathless

30 songs

You're a Pink Toothbrush - The Smurfs
Nobody - Sylvia
The Tide is High - Blondie
I Wear My Sunglasses at Night - Corey Hart
All Mixed Up - The Cars
The Reflex - Duran Duran
Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go - Soft Cell
Only You - Yaz
If You Leave - OMD
Smalltown Boy - Bronski Beat
(Keep Feeling) Fascination - Human League
There Is a Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths
Last of the Famous International Playboys - Morrissey
Yesterday When I Was Mad - Pet Shop Boys
Everything Counts - Depeche Mode
Catch Me I'm Falling - Pretty Poison
Heart and Soul - T'Pau
Gardening at Night - R.E.M.
Fall on Me - R.E.M.
Beautiful - Ivy
Get Out of the City - Ivy
Higher State of Consciousness - Josh Wink
Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might Be Giants
Birthday - Junior Boys
So Surprise - L'Altra
Do It Now - Dubtribe Soundsystem
Cascades of Color - The Ananda Project
Mind Circus - Way Out West
Happy Cycling - Boards of Canada
In White Rooms - Booka Shade

30 Books

Go, Dog. Go! - P.D. Eastman
Frog and Toad are Friends - Arnold Lobel
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams
The Little Prince - Antione de Saint-Exupery
Ben and Me - Robert Lawson
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
1984 - George Orwell
Fellowship of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner
A Light in August - William Faulkner
The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
The Complete Stories - Flannery O'Connor
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love: Stories - Raymond Chandler
Queer - William Burroughs
The Wild Boys - William Burroughs
Junkie - William Burroughs
Frisk - Dennis Cooper
Blood and Guts in High School - Kathy Acker
Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books - Francesca Lia Block
Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse
A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch - Alexander Solzhenitsyn
The White Book - Jean Cocteau
Mysterious Skin - Scott Heim
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami
Number 9 Dream - David Mitchell
The Magus - John Fowles