People who oppose marriage equality for gay people are doing so to "defend traditional marriage." So, what if we actually passed laws enforcing traditional marriage?
h/t Joe.My.God.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Cost of Torture.
I wish I could say that I'm shocked that former VP Cheney and his daughter are actually going on the air defending torture, but that's exactly what they've been doing. Here's what an actual interrogator has to say to Cheney.
And, BTW, Gen. David Petraus, who conservatives touted as the big savior of the Iraq war, also supports Pres. Obama's decision to close Gitmo and stop torture.
Violence only breeds more violence.
And, BTW, Gen. David Petraus, who conservatives touted as the big savior of the Iraq war, also supports Pres. Obama's decision to close Gitmo and stop torture.
Violence only breeds more violence.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
"War By Default" with Lynn & JD at Kulak's.
The next song on the webcast was "War By Default." Listening to the excellent work of JD and Lynn this was great because I REALLY did not hear them on this that night.
Remember, we had no rehearsal. So, the two of them were just working off lead sheets and making up their parts as they went along. When I got to the very end, they got it perfectly. Fun!
Remember, we had no rehearsal. So, the two of them were just working off lead sheets and making up their parts as they went along. When I got to the very end, they got it perfectly. Fun!
"I Want To Make Music" with JD and Lynn at Kulak's.
In pulling together the video of the live webcast from the other night, I didn't realize how nervous I was about doing that show until I watched this replay. I felt so rushed to try to tell everything that it all just shmooshed together in my mind and I was mostly incoherent. I also flubbed lyrics.
However, what did come through, to my great advantage was the bass and guitar work. Lynn Keller is literally one of the best bass players in this town. She tours with all the big acts and shows. JD Sebastian has tasty, tastly licks when he plays. And though neither of them had played these songs with me before -- and Lynn had only just listened to them earlier that morning -- it felt like we were a band.
I wasn't aware, at the time, of what they were actually playing, though. I was so focused on remembering the words and the piano parts, and what I would say about myself to this room full of (mostly) strangers. And, in a place like that, where I'm sitting behind them, they had to guess what I would be doing at any given moment.
It could have been a disaster. Well, with other musicians it might have been a disaster. Instead, it's like magic. When I put it on and heard it for the first time, I was shocked. They were perfect. Everything rocked.
Here's the opening. "I Want To Make Music."
However, what did come through, to my great advantage was the bass and guitar work. Lynn Keller is literally one of the best bass players in this town. She tours with all the big acts and shows. JD Sebastian has tasty, tastly licks when he plays. And though neither of them had played these songs with me before -- and Lynn had only just listened to them earlier that morning -- it felt like we were a band.
I wasn't aware, at the time, of what they were actually playing, though. I was so focused on remembering the words and the piano parts, and what I would say about myself to this room full of (mostly) strangers. And, in a place like that, where I'm sitting behind them, they had to guess what I would be doing at any given moment.
It could have been a disaster. Well, with other musicians it might have been a disaster. Instead, it's like magic. When I put it on and heard it for the first time, I was shocked. They were perfect. Everything rocked.
Here's the opening. "I Want To Make Music."
Monday, May 25, 2009
Last photoday for bluebirds.
From my friend, Lucycat:
I took my last shot of the nest in Bluebird Nestbox #1 today; it's always a little bittersweet to do that. But we have another nest with eggs that should hatch in around 5 days. That will be our fourth bluebird nest this year!
Day 13 for the nestlings in Bluebird Nestbox #1, the last photo I'll take of this nest. Fledging should occur between day 14 and 22, more likely around day 18. It's getting crowded in there! The one on the lower left looks like he's getting pretty active, and judging by how bright the feathers are, I do think it's a male. Won't venture a guess on the others.
In Memoriam with a smile.
Music historian, Bill Reed, notes, from his excellent blog, People vs. Dr. Chilledair, the passing of songwriter Michael Barr. Click on the link "Hate Song". How many old references can you identify? It's like "I'm Still Here" on acid. No, on a long night of Scotch and soda.
Sorry to note the recent passing of Michael Barr. David Ehrenstein says that Barr and Dion McGregor's "Hate Song" (from Julius Monk's Dressed to the Nines) will definitely be included---if and when---in his CD compilation, Songs That Made Me Gay.Michael Barr (born January 2, 1927 in Indiana) and died May 19 in Los Angeles,(California) from complications arising from diabetes. Mr. Barr was an American composer of traditional pop and showtunes, who in collaboration with lyricist Dion McGregor, wrote "Try Your Wings" for cabaret singer/pianist Blossom Dearie. "Try Your Wings" was also recorded and performed for many years by Anita O'Day and was featured in the 2003 film My Life Without Me, starring Sara Polly and Mark Rufallo. Together, Barr and McGregor also wrote "Where Is The Wonder", which was recorded by Barbra Streisand and featured on her 1965 TV special "My Name Is Barbra".
I like to think of this little ditty as "The Curmudgeon National Anthem."
A Song of Peace and Gratitude.
A good friend of mine who is serving today in the armed forces sent me this note:
i was having a conversation with my neighbor who said hey i saw you on tv
and we were talking about how
disconnected the public has been
from the realities of war
i think its fueled distrust on the left
and sanitized the thing on the right
its been more like a war movie
than a war
soldier
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Allee Willis on The Reality of Being A Songwriter.
Allee Willis spells it all out.
And she doesn't even get into the missing songwriter credits on music videos, etc. It's just the reality of the business. As always, it's the person at the bottom of the totem pole who gets it the worst.
And she doesn't even get into the missing songwriter credits on music videos, etc. It's just the reality of the business. As always, it's the person at the bottom of the totem pole who gets it the worst.
American Idol Finals. Kris and Adam.
Idol: Adam by a mile. When he sings with absolute control and walks his voice all the way to the line just before the scream takes over, that would be the envy of any bel canto opera singer. He can dial it down just as easily as he can dial it up. I don't think I've ever heard anyone do it quite the way he does. His technical dexterity is jaw-dropping. Personally, I find his "scream" the most boring aspect of his voice.
His actual sonority isn't merely remarkably beautiful, but the control mechanism in his voice is technically sophisticated and, as such, more than killer.
As for his theatricality, which I bemoaned earlier, he's just going for it and it's working. He's actually finding an identity for himself, cutting a swath through David Bowie, Rocky Horror and Alice Cooper.
That final song was absolutely the worst of all the ones they've ever chosen. Not just because it was littered with unpronounceably twisted cliches, but the melody was so insistent that it didn't give either singer a chance to breathe. After I heard that stultifyingly bad power pop arrangement, I was hoping Kris would walk out with his guitar, slow it down so that he can actually hear what he's singing, and put his soul into it.
Instead, he looked like a customer in a shoe shop vainly wailing in pain because they're trying to shove his foot into a shoe that doesn't fit. It reminded me of that bloody scene in "Into The Woods" where they ugly step-sisters hacked their feet off to get them into the glass slipper.
Except, this "slipper" was more like a contraption from SAW.
Adam should win. But even if he doesn't, he's the one everyone will remember. He's the one people will pay to see.
His actual sonority isn't merely remarkably beautiful, but the control mechanism in his voice is technically sophisticated and, as such, more than killer.
As for his theatricality, which I bemoaned earlier, he's just going for it and it's working. He's actually finding an identity for himself, cutting a swath through David Bowie, Rocky Horror and Alice Cooper.
That final song was absolutely the worst of all the ones they've ever chosen. Not just because it was littered with unpronounceably twisted cliches, but the melody was so insistent that it didn't give either singer a chance to breathe. After I heard that stultifyingly bad power pop arrangement, I was hoping Kris would walk out with his guitar, slow it down so that he can actually hear what he's singing, and put his soul into it.
Instead, he looked like a customer in a shoe shop vainly wailing in pain because they're trying to shove his foot into a shoe that doesn't fit. It reminded me of that bloody scene in "Into The Woods" where they ugly step-sisters hacked their feet off to get them into the glass slipper.
Except, this "slipper" was more like a contraption from SAW.
Adam should win. But even if he doesn't, he's the one everyone will remember. He's the one people will pay to see.
Coincidences & Connections.
I was talking to Zollo about the show Friday night. He has some great people playing with him, beginning with Jill Freeman at 8:30. Jill's husband is a great guitarist here in town named Joel Wachbrit. Joel sent me a letter through Facebook telling me that he played on the initial "Living in the Bonus Round" CD. My bassist on that session was Lynn Keller.
I think he was dragged into it with a, "Hey, we're gonna do something nice for this guy who's dying of AIDS."
Also, along for the night, aside from D. Whitney Quinn, supporting Paul, is Bob Malone. He plays his fusion of New Orleans barrelhouse blues, jazz and even classical all over the country. It makes me feel at home.
But when it was my job to help newcomers to LA, Bob was one of the "kids" who walked into the offices of National Academy of Songwriters for advice. I told him something very Simon Colwell-like, "Stop wearing mall clothes." His frequent bassist is Lynn Keller.
Naturally, I had to find out if Lynn was coming to the Woodshed that night. She said she would be. So I asked her to play with me. And she said YES.
Having all these different eras of my life all coming together down at Kulak's is very moving. This community helped keep me alive during a time when I was standing in line at the food bank.
The show is FRIDAY MAY 22 LIVE ONLINE or in person at Kulak's Woodshed.
JD Sebastian from songs4earth will join me on guitar. We're not going to get any rehearsals, so everyone is just gonna wing it. Just the way I like it!
I think he was dragged into it with a, "Hey, we're gonna do something nice for this guy who's dying of AIDS."
Also, along for the night, aside from D. Whitney Quinn, supporting Paul, is Bob Malone. He plays his fusion of New Orleans barrelhouse blues, jazz and even classical all over the country. It makes me feel at home.
But when it was my job to help newcomers to LA, Bob was one of the "kids" who walked into the offices of National Academy of Songwriters for advice. I told him something very Simon Colwell-like, "Stop wearing mall clothes." His frequent bassist is Lynn Keller.
Naturally, I had to find out if Lynn was coming to the Woodshed that night. She said she would be. So I asked her to play with me. And she said YES.
Having all these different eras of my life all coming together down at Kulak's is very moving. This community helped keep me alive during a time when I was standing in line at the food bank.
The show is FRIDAY MAY 22 LIVE ONLINE or in person at Kulak's Woodshed.
JD Sebastian from songs4earth will join me on guitar. We're not going to get any rehearsals, so everyone is just gonna wing it. Just the way I like it!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Singing for Songwriters.
So, I was manning camera 3 last night at Kulak's for the Monday Night Open Mic. Lisa Turner was doing her usual thing, doling out the rules for the night -- no song over 4 minutes, exit downstage (or down-rug) left, no tuning up on stage, etc. -- when it was time to draw names from the buckets. (There's a two hour time limit on the night and names are chosen randomly, one from the bucket of people buying a DVD of their performance and one from people just wanting to play.)
I was drawing the names and showing them to her, and she wrote them down in order and said them out loud. Usually, we can get about 34 people into those 2 hours, and I was number 7. The 34th person was a woman holding a guitar in the front row. Sitting next to her was a woman who looked like her mother. Grandma, who was holding a baby said, "Well, we can stay as long as the baby lasts."
Being the saintly martyr, I, of course, immediately said that I'd exchange places. (Right when mama started playing, though, baby started crying. God bless mothers.)
I managed to stand on camera 3 for 90 minutes. I was going for the full 2 hours, but about 9 or 9:15, I was starting to wear out, so I switched with Dennis. (Camera 2 operator sits.)
I wasn't sure what song to sing. I've been singing a different one each week, rarely repeating, and I kept flipping through my mind which one I would choose. So far, I've done all my "standards." Connected, Going It Alone, Lazarus Come Out, My Thanksgiving Prayer, Gabi's Song, William's Song, etc.
By the time it got to me, the room had mostly cleared of the dilatantes and newbies. Left in the room were the ones who are more than serious about their craft and art. I had, before the broadcast, just had a long conversation with Joe Hamilton, who has an almost magical feel in his virtuosic fingering when he plays guitar, about songwriting.
The others in the room, D. Whitney Quinn (who writes these dark songs with a razor's edge of suicidal humor), Dave Morrison (whose songs are like a tour of people on the buses and streets of L.A.), Lisa Turner (whose angelic voice stills the air and stops your heart), Marc Platt (who has more hooky guitar riffs in him than Chuck Berry), Julie Chadwick, Michael Mishaw, Siobhan, Paul McCarty, and so many more. Just naming them does a disservice to the others because each one has a unique quality but this paragraph would go on forever.
But it suddenly felt very warm in that room. We all listen to each other and talk about our songs. Being the last guy of the night, with all these other songwriters watching me, I wanted to sing something that was real "songwritery." Something they hadn't heard. So, I thought to myself, what song do I really love, but is so specialized that it doesn't work in every situation.
My first thought was "The Sad Lady," which is a true song about a woman who cuts herself and lives on the brink of suicide. But I knew I'd get in the middle of it and forget the words. It's been too long. Must brush up on that one. Whitney will go crazy for it. (We've already decided we want to write a show called "The Depressing Songs Ever Written" -- but only if we could also make it hilarious.)
So, I thought I'd bring out a song that I really have mostly performed as a part of Big Voice, though I think I sang it the night I was protested by the "God hates fags" offshoot in Kentucky (a moment which became another song, "Sower and Scarecrow.")
It's actually Ernie's favorite song of mine, "James Robertson." (He likes the early demo I made which sounds like it was produced by Brian Eno -- he calls is the "Heroes" mix -- "Heroes" as in David Bowie's album, "Heroes").
"James Robertson" is not a sing-along. It's a tightly constructed narrative with no consistent song structure -- I guess it's my "Begin The Beguine," Cole Porter's longform song.
The first part alternates in 3/4 and 4/4. I'm proud of the JR, but I'm also scared of it. I worry that when I play it, people won't know what the hell I'm singing about. Evangelists? Football fields? Limos? Theology?
Taking the bull by the horns, though, I went for it and I have to tell you, having a room full of songwriters focusing on every word you're singing is one of the great feelings a writer can have. I felt like I was a contestant on Top Chef, and I was serving my most proud meal to a panel of gourmands and chefs.
But being the insecure artist, it's also scary. I knew they were with me, and relaxed, when they giggled the second time I sang the name "James Robertson" and then were laughing louder each successive time. That's only happened a few times in the past. And they laughed at little things like "tiny speck from the cheapest seats."
When I got to the end, I actually heard gasping as the lyric circled back around to, "I discovered I didn't need..." I think I could have stopped the song and lifted my hands and conducted a sing-along. They were right there with me for the final two words, "James Robertson."
Ah, man. That felt good. Ego orgasm complete.
But now that throws me into a quandary about Friday night's show. I only have 30 minutes. Even with short introductions, that's maybe 6 songs tops. I wasn't planning on singing "James Robertson."
I hate making decisions. But I do love re-introducing my songs back into concert format. It feels good to know that, as powerful as I feel they are in the narrative structure of our musicals, they can stand alone outside the show.
I was drawing the names and showing them to her, and she wrote them down in order and said them out loud. Usually, we can get about 34 people into those 2 hours, and I was number 7. The 34th person was a woman holding a guitar in the front row. Sitting next to her was a woman who looked like her mother. Grandma, who was holding a baby said, "Well, we can stay as long as the baby lasts."
Being the saintly martyr, I, of course, immediately said that I'd exchange places. (Right when mama started playing, though, baby started crying. God bless mothers.)
I managed to stand on camera 3 for 90 minutes. I was going for the full 2 hours, but about 9 or 9:15, I was starting to wear out, so I switched with Dennis. (Camera 2 operator sits.)
I wasn't sure what song to sing. I've been singing a different one each week, rarely repeating, and I kept flipping through my mind which one I would choose. So far, I've done all my "standards." Connected, Going It Alone, Lazarus Come Out, My Thanksgiving Prayer, Gabi's Song, William's Song, etc.
By the time it got to me, the room had mostly cleared of the dilatantes and newbies. Left in the room were the ones who are more than serious about their craft and art. I had, before the broadcast, just had a long conversation with Joe Hamilton, who has an almost magical feel in his virtuosic fingering when he plays guitar, about songwriting.
The others in the room, D. Whitney Quinn (who writes these dark songs with a razor's edge of suicidal humor), Dave Morrison (whose songs are like a tour of people on the buses and streets of L.A.), Lisa Turner (whose angelic voice stills the air and stops your heart), Marc Platt (who has more hooky guitar riffs in him than Chuck Berry), Julie Chadwick, Michael Mishaw, Siobhan, Paul McCarty, and so many more. Just naming them does a disservice to the others because each one has a unique quality but this paragraph would go on forever.
But it suddenly felt very warm in that room. We all listen to each other and talk about our songs. Being the last guy of the night, with all these other songwriters watching me, I wanted to sing something that was real "songwritery." Something they hadn't heard. So, I thought to myself, what song do I really love, but is so specialized that it doesn't work in every situation.
My first thought was "The Sad Lady," which is a true song about a woman who cuts herself and lives on the brink of suicide. But I knew I'd get in the middle of it and forget the words. It's been too long. Must brush up on that one. Whitney will go crazy for it. (We've already decided we want to write a show called "The Depressing Songs Ever Written" -- but only if we could also make it hilarious.)
So, I thought I'd bring out a song that I really have mostly performed as a part of Big Voice, though I think I sang it the night I was protested by the "God hates fags" offshoot in Kentucky (a moment which became another song, "Sower and Scarecrow.")
It's actually Ernie's favorite song of mine, "James Robertson." (He likes the early demo I made which sounds like it was produced by Brian Eno -- he calls is the "Heroes" mix -- "Heroes" as in David Bowie's album, "Heroes").
"James Robertson" is not a sing-along. It's a tightly constructed narrative with no consistent song structure -- I guess it's my "Begin The Beguine," Cole Porter's longform song.
The first part alternates in 3/4 and 4/4. I'm proud of the JR, but I'm also scared of it. I worry that when I play it, people won't know what the hell I'm singing about. Evangelists? Football fields? Limos? Theology?
Taking the bull by the horns, though, I went for it and I have to tell you, having a room full of songwriters focusing on every word you're singing is one of the great feelings a writer can have. I felt like I was a contestant on Top Chef, and I was serving my most proud meal to a panel of gourmands and chefs.
But being the insecure artist, it's also scary. I knew they were with me, and relaxed, when they giggled the second time I sang the name "James Robertson" and then were laughing louder each successive time. That's only happened a few times in the past. And they laughed at little things like "tiny speck from the cheapest seats."
When I got to the end, I actually heard gasping as the lyric circled back around to, "I discovered I didn't need..." I think I could have stopped the song and lifted my hands and conducted a sing-along. They were right there with me for the final two words, "James Robertson."
Ah, man. That felt good. Ego orgasm complete.
But now that throws me into a quandary about Friday night's show. I only have 30 minutes. Even with short introductions, that's maybe 6 songs tops. I wasn't planning on singing "James Robertson."
I hate making decisions. But I do love re-introducing my songs back into concert format. It feels good to know that, as powerful as I feel they are in the narrative structure of our musicals, they can stand alone outside the show.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Hemo2Homo Review: Star Trek
HEMO2031: Why yes, I have. Star Trek. Did you see it as well, Hemo?
HEMO: I did. And, overall, I enjoyed this film. Star Trek is the best Space AIDS movie since Starship Troopers.
HOMO: Shawn, who the hell are you talking to?
HEMO: I'll tell you- in the future. For now, just know that I'm tired of being the young, wide-eyed half of this movie duo. You and I have been working together for 10 years now, and you always get to play the part of "Wise Sage Steve", or "Mr. Movies" as they call you on the streets of Hollywood...
HOMO: No one has ever called me that.
HEMO: Not my point. My point is- I've survived over twenty years with HIV. But no matter how much older I get, you age at the same rate!
HOMO: Did you learn that heady stuff from Star Trek? What the hell is HEMO2031?
HEMO: It's me, 22 years from now. That makes HEMO2031 your current age- 55. He/me is your equal. And I brought him back from the year 2031 to review Star Trek with me.
HOMO: This will be fun to watch.
HEMO2031: Nice to meet you, Steve.
HEMO: I call him "Homo".
HEMO2031: In the year 2031 calling a gay man "Homo" is a crime that is punishable by death. If you don't mind, I'll call Steve "Steve".
HOMO: He doesn't mean anything by it, Hemo2031. I call him "Hemo." Is that okay?
HEMO2031: Sure- but no one will know what you're talking about in the year 2031, because hemophilia will be cured by then.
HOMO: Ha! Hear that, Hemo? Your kind will be extinct, and my kind will rule the Earth!
HEMO: This isn't going how I planned. Look, this is all fascinating stuff about the future, really, but can we get back to Star Trek?
HOMO: Did you see the coming attractions? Previews are starting to feel longer than twenty-two years. This time, there was a long live-action version of that puppet film, Team America, complete with a fake Eiffel Tower being destroyed by some guys dressed like Iron Man who fight some multi-colored robots from outer space who are also attacking the Vatican.
It was called G.I. Transforminator.
HEMO: The G.I. Joe guys in those suits look like the NFL robots.
HOMO: Hey, Hemo2031, if you're from the future, then you've already seen this flick. Any good?
HEMO2031: It will be deemed a classic of all time and they'll pass a law that all movies must be sequels to G.I. Transforminator.
HOMO: With nothing but robots as characters? That will be the end of the AIDS movie as we know them. Will there be a Hemo2Homo Connection in 2031? My God- I'll be 77. Will I be... alive?
HEMO2031: Yes, and yes. But the Hemo2Homo Connection will only review Michael Bay directed G.I. Transforminator movies from the year 2012 on, when President Jeb Bush signs the Michael Bay Act into law.
HOMO: That sounds like a fate far worse than death to me.
HEMO: ... so no more movies about AIDS? We should really cherish Star Trek.
HOMO: You really see this as an AIDS movie? I thought you'd see it as a horror movie! It started right at the beginning with Kirk sitting at a table with Kleenex stuffed up his bloody nose. Then came Kid Spock kicking some other Vulcan kid's ass... just like they used to beat you up in school just to watch you bleed! Fortunately, Spock's blood is green and not all AIDS-y like yours.
HEMO: I was too distracted by the green-skinned bimbo to notice the green blood. It wasn't until Spock's planet was destroyed that it all clicked for me. "There's only 10,000 Vulcans remaining," Spock said. An obvious reference to the 1980's blood scandal and The Committee of Ten Thousand.
HOMO: So this isn't just an AIDS movie? It's a thinblooded AIDS movie? Geesh. Hey, I wonder if they have Vulcan blood clogger-upper or if AIDS can be transmitted into copper-based blood? HEMO2031, any answers?
HEMO: I have a confession to make: I made up the HEMO2031 thing.
HOMO2031: Past me forgives you.
HEMO2031: Past me accepts.
HEMO: I can't imagine how cranky you'll be about movies at age 77, Homo. So what did you like most about Star Trek?
HOMO: I loved how the other characters on the bridge who channeled the spirit of the originals--and not just like extras. Each of them showing motivation, strength, innocence and fortitude. Not as much as us, and our ability to survive with AIDS. But close.
HEMO: The cast is great. My only beef with Star Trek was the CGI snow creatures scene, and the hanging on by the fingernails scenes. I hate those kinds of things in any movie, especially in one where you care about the characters. I'd rather have seen young Spock having a private conversation with his lady than watch Kirk narrowly cheat death. Again.
HOMO: Yeah, note to directors out there: The word "cliffhanger" is a metaphor. Still, you gotta give it up for a Hollywood movie with actual characters. They must have hired a gay. It's the only explanation.
HEMO: It's the only explanation for not seeing Green Alien Bimbo's ta-tas.
HOMO: Kirk did look good in his undies in that scene. Maybe his not-so-light saber and her green boobs will be in the extras on the DVD? But Star Trek was just like the Hemo2Homo Connection... it was funny! This movie made me laugh out loud again and again. It felt like the real Star Trek, not like that tired Wolverine farce.
As for the rest of the summer, I'm already tired of G.I. Transforminator.
HEMO2031: Just wait until the year 2017, when you're reviewing G.I. Transforminator 29: Rise Again of the Machines Again.
HOMO: Please, AIDS, take me now?
Steve Schalchlin ("Homo") resides in Los Angeles, CA. He is an award-winning musician, singer and songwriter. Shawn Decker ("Hemo") lives in Charlottesville, VA. He is an HIV/AIDS educator and the author of My Pet Virus.
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