Clarence Clemons (1942-2011), An Appreciation

Posted on June 19, 2011 by queerlefty

Big Man is no more. Clarence Clemons, a towering presence both in E Street Band mythology and in the distinct sound of Bruce Springsteen’s best and biggest records, has died, at 69. It’s an incredibly sad day for all lovers of rock ‘n’ roll, and for lovers of a rock attitude that combined energy and good humor with the aura of coolness and unflappable dignity that Clemons brought to the scene. With the loss of Clemons, a mere two years after Danny Federici passed away, the E Street Band – arguably the best backing band in rock ‘n’ roll history, and home to a handful of musicians who managed to break out of their backing band status to become stars in their own right, like Clemons, guitarists Nils Lofgren and Steven Van Zandt and drummer Max Weinberg – it’s almost hard to see where the band could go from here. If one person personified the E Street Band, it was Clarence Clemons. Continue reading →

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The Hanson of the ‘Best of 5’ DVD

Posted on June 11, 2011 by queerlefty

This week, I received my second copy of Hanson’s Shout It Out. Sure, It wasn’t because I’d worn out my first copy (although, if I still played CDs, I’m sure that could’ve been a distinct possibility.) No, the occasion was that the UK release of Shout It Out came with a special Best of 5 DVD that I really wanted. The release coincided with Hanson’s 5of5 concert series in London this week, reprising the US five-nighter (one album a night, for five nights) that launched SIO. Last year, I took the opportunity to put together my list of 25 favorite Hanson songs when writing about the 5of5, which was restreamed to a worldwide audience upon the album’s initial release. Continue reading →

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Finding The Right Words

Posted on June 4, 2011 by queerlefty

You know you’re either a) a grumpy old man, or b) a child of the information age, when you find yourself processing thoughts like “how peaceful and pleasant it is to finally sit down with a printed book, turn off all digital distractions and give yourself over to the world of words,” but I actually had one of those moments yesterday. Continue reading →

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Resurrecting River Phoenix

Posted on May 30, 2011 by queerlefty

One day, I must have been around ten years old, my mother came home with a bag full of books that she’d picked up from a sale at a book store. There were two series of books; one about a young guy who always got into trouble when taking care of other people’s pets; and another about two twin brothers in their early teens witch telepathic abilities who solved different kinds of crimes and mysteries. The former was just as bland as it sounds, and didn’t really catch my attention. Looking back, however, I would credit the series about the twin detectives – Amazon tells me the series was simply called the Twin Collection, and written by Adam Mills – for getting me started with reading by myself. Of course, my mom had read for me and my brother when we were kids, but I still felt that these kinds of mystery novels meant I was stepping up my game a little. It wasn’t as old-fashioned as the Hardy boys series, and I immediately connected with how the two protagonists were twins. Continue reading →

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Judgment Day Pride

Posted on May 22, 2011 by queerlefty

Saturday was supposed to be the End Of The World, so I appreciated the irony in participating in my first-ever Gay Pride parade on the same day that eternal damnation had been predicted f0r people of my orientation. When I came out five years ago, the idea of marching in a parade seemed almost as foreign to me as the concept of Judgment Day. But I turned out to love sharing the streets of my hometown with queer and straight friends, soulmates and supporters. It was a wet and cold day, but we danced to Eurovision songs, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some marchers even were grinding against each other. Continue reading →

Posted in Disability, gay | 2 Comments

So Beautiful It’s Boring?

Posted on May 9, 2011 by queerlefty

Back when this blog had a backbone – which is to say, when it was updated more regularly than once every two weeks – the Sexiest Males Alive list was it. Readers who have not yet stopped coming here (thanks!), despite the steadily longer wait between updates, may also have noticed that the SMA has been on hiatus since last fall. I feel bad about that. I love doing the list, it’s just that it takes so much work. Not that I mind the, ahem, research involved, but doing a proper write-up requires some effort. However, I really hope to at least able to offer a new SMA installment next month, in time for its second anniversary. I’ve got a feeling a thing or two might have changed since last October. Continue reading →

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Return To Innocence

Posted on April 24, 2011 by queerlefty

Tracy Clark-Flory did an exciting project on Salon this week. She asked for reader submissions documenting their first celebrity crushes, from diary entries to emails, instant messages and fanmail. It’s accompanied by a smart piece about how she was looking through some old stuff, and accidentally stumbled upon a love letter intended for the Boy Meets World star Rider Strong. It’s a charming tale in many ways, but on a more somber note, Clark-Flory illustrates how such bits of nostalgia may sometimes be just what we need to cling to when life gets rough Continue reading →

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On Flickchart, And The Pleasures And Pitfalls Of Lists

Posted on April 7, 2011 by queerlefty

Back in January, when we assembled our respective end-of-the-year lists, I had a spirited discussion with Franz about the merits of such list-making. Franz enjoys making them, but he doesn’t always enjoy the ranking aspects, as he fears it’ll create a debate about where a film is placed on the list, when we should really be discussing why it merits a mention. I see his point, but I guess I have a somewhat more relaxed attitude toward it. That’s perhaps because I always construct my list with an eye to the hierarchical. I mean something by it when I put a movie at #1 and not at #4. But the hierarchical ranking isn’t the only starting point for a debate about the quality of movies. Even I know that the ranking itself might draw distinctions that become less rigid once we get down to the details. That is where Franz and I meet. Continue reading →

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“He loves to keep you in suspense, but you know he just wants to dance”

Posted on March 15, 2011 by queerlefty

Hanson have a new music video out, for Give A Little, the second single off last year’s Shout It Out. I’ve written extensively on the album previously, and regular readers would know that I love both it and Give A Little very much, although the second single is not in my absolute first-tier. However, it’s a good single choice, even if they wanted to build on the image created by lead single Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’. That song, hailed by Salon as ‘awsome’, and perfectly underscoring the legacy of old-school rock & roll that has always been an underreported running thread in Hanson’s output, actually was my number one favorite song of 2010. Continue reading →

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My Oscar Picks

Posted on February 27, 2011 by queerlefty

Best Picture

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

The King’s Speech

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

True Grit

Winter’s Bone Continue reading →

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