Song For Sunday - 29th Aug - Don't Cry

Slightly odd and unusual, but all the better for it, is this song Don't Cry Those Tears by Jack Colwell. With an atmospheric -- and beautiful mix of erotic/sad -- video to go with it, this is a Song for Sunday that I'll be going back to listen to (and watch - seriously, you're going to hit repeat at least once) often.

Bonus Song - 28th Aug

Because it's Friday night and Friday nights deserve good tunes to get into the weekend mood I thought it was time for a Bonus Song.

Ari Gold has put together GoldNation and they have a new album Soundtrack To Freedom. From it comes this - Sex Like A Porn Star

Song for Sunday - 23rd Aug - Low

Matt Gold has one of those voices that lend themselves to be included in Song for Sunday. His album, Drown Before You Swim, is a great listen on a Sunday morning.

But this song here - Low - is new and is today's choice.

Song for Sunday - 16th Aug - Be My Man

A perfect song for a Sunday. Indiana Queen with a new track that'll be on their next album - Be My Man is the song.

(Look out for a slightly re-styled Song for Sunday next week)

Song for Sunday - 9th Aug - Shake Me Up

another Sunday song from Chris Riffle - to be fair, his music is totally made for a Sunday morning - here is Shake Me Up from his album Out of Town.

Song for Sunday - 2nd Aug - Girl

A very smooth love song, perfect for a Sunday morning. So smooth that you're going to want to hit repeat at least once.
The Internet ft Kaytrnada - both the band and the singer are new to me, but I'll be looking out for more.

Song for Sunday - 26th July - Something About Him

A perfectly low key story in song this week. It'll wash right over you and you may have to listen to it twice to get its meaning. But it's worth it. Brady Earnhart is the consummate singer-songwriter, telling tales and strumming his guitar to bring his audience the joy of his creations.

Santino Hassell calls these my 'sad eyed' music choices, but  I think they suit a Sunday morning.

When safe spaces become dull spaces. ( a little local politics)

I was, until recently, fully intending to go along to the Free Pride event here in Glasgow. The event buys into all the things that are important to me and are missing from the 'mainstream' Pride event happening on the same day. In case you're not aware of what they are I'll repeat them here:
against the commercialisation of Pride
making Pride more inclusive
Pride as a protest
All three of these are aims that I support.

But one decision has made me realise that the Free Pride event is likely to be lacking the one thing that I want from a Pride event - actual Pride.
Free Pride has cast aside a core group of the queer community and has chosen to be exclusionary rather than seek compromise in order to include. It has taken on a policy of having no drag acts (their statement is here).
Where's the pride in telling a group of people that they are welcome to attend but not to perform? Where's the pride in acknowledging a group's contribution to the history of the community but telling them they aren't wanted anymore? Where's the pride in recognising and accommodating the multitude of the queer community?
By excluding drag performers the Free Pride reinforces the binary notion of gender and gender expression. Drag performers are as much a part of the colours of our queer spectrum as transgender people. This policy position turns pride to shame and inclusion to exclusion. It's no longer an event that I could go to or support.

Was it really beyond the abilities of the organisers of Free Pride to have a particular time slot for drag performers? Or to have drag performances on a specific stage, or room? Attempting to do any of those things would then enable the organisers to give the audience a ''trigger warning" of what was up next. To enable those who dislike drag (for whatever reason) to choose to go do something else instead with the time. Because let's be clear, not every person in the audience is going to like, or want to see, every single act that appears. Some people (myself included) would clearly benefit from a reason to go do something else at some point - giving other parts of the event more exposure to as many of those attending as possible.
(In case you're still wondering, this post is not any kind of attack on transgender folk and how they feel about drag, but instead a call to the organisers of Free Pride to seek ways to be inclusive of the whole community.)

Drag performers are a mixed bunch. I've seen many bad ones over the years, where the performance is outright misogynistic and lacking in any kind of understanding of the gender norms at play. I've also seen some very, very clever ones who understand that a man is not supposed to say certain things, and can only get away with saying them when presenting as a women - the role reversal of gender, the twisting of the norms and the expression of insights are more powerful than they would have been if it was a man presenting as a man.
Mix that in with a performer who is engaging and entertaining - the inclusion of the audience without being nasty, snarky or rude is in itself an art - and you can have an emotionally powerful act that entertains and makes you question assumptions about gender in one go. Does Scotland really not have a drag performer who ins't the former and can achieve the latter of these? If not then that's a pretty poor state of affairs.

It's quite down heartening to see how most drag acts have been pushed aside and their role in our community reduced to not much more than presenters of karaoke and novelty acts. Actual clever and insightful humour isn't encouraged and the concept of cabaret and drag as burlesque seems to have almost disappeared. (Both cabaret and burlesque have a fascinating role and history in entertainment and a sense of that might have informed the policy decision.)
Maybe Free Pride should have focussed on this, the dying art of drag, than on excluding an already marginalised group. Instead they chose to reinforce the marginalisation and erasure of drag.

The decision itself goes against two principles of being 'free' that Free Pride references - not under the control or in the power of another & not constrained, restricted or bound. Free Pride, in making this choice, has controlled what is and isn't entertainment and has restricted access to the possibility of free expression and enlightening entertainment.

Good drag can, at the same time as being entertaining, pack an emotional punch as much as an intellectual one. I'd have thought that that kind of entertainment would be right up Free Pride's street. That it'd be the kind of radical and non-commercial entertainment that would suit this type of event. But maybe those involved in organising Free Pride don't want the entertainment to challenge their pre-set notions of gender, sexuality, expression or politics.
No challenge means no questioning, no thinking, no chance to consider the experiences of others and how we, all of us across the queer spectrum, can share a space.

If some are excluded from that space then it no longer becomes shared.

There is no balance here. No seeking to accommodate. No inclusion. No celebration of the joy, insight and downright power to be had in intentionally playing with gender norms. Instead it seems that Free Pride has opted for a pretty picnic instead of an empowering celebration.
Which is as bland and conformist in its own way as the 'mainstream' pride event it was set up to be the alternative to.

For a reminder about the impact a good drag act can have try this:

And for a longer pondering on the nature of drag this is worth watching:

Song for Sunday - 19th Jul - Quiet

Another new to me singer, this time Harrison Blythe. This is the single - Quiet - from his album Fatal Highway. Both are good and made it onto my permanent playlist.

It's also a very good song for a Sunday morning. Enjoy

Bonus Song - 16th July - Wanna Dance

It's almost the weekend, which means we are totally entitled to a bonus song. This one is my favourite version of the song and it's sung beautifully by Matt Alber. A little moment of bliss to get you in the mood for the weekend.

Song for Sunday - 12 July - Wanting It All

A typical song for a Sunday here - something to sit back and relax to as you experience the song. Wanting It All by Stephen Leonard is from his album His Fire, which is well worth a listen.

Song for Sunday - 5th July - Trying

Here is a collection of  musical talent that goes by the name MRF. Their style is a mix of old and new and makes for a good Song for Sunday.

Song for Sunday - 28th Jun - Housewife

A perfect ode to the domesticity that comes with finding 'the one'. Also a great song for a Sunday morning.
Jay Brannan's song Housewife is a a few years old now but it's still a great thing to listen to.

Song For Sunday - 21st June - Love You Have In You

This is a new to me artist - Asbjørn - but the video and song are rather stunning. Perfect for a Sunday morning.

Bonus Song - 18th June - Boys In The Street

A rather wonderful song and video from Greg Holden. Hit play and soak it in.

Extra Sunday Song - 14th Jun - Secret

just because it's a good Sunday and because this is such a great video I thought there should be an extra song this Sunday.

Huntington & Secret

Song for Sunday - 14th June - Who We Are

A full on Sunday morning song this week. Who We Are by a thousand fires (a band featuring the beautifully voiced Coury Palermo) is a delight - a sound you can sink into paired with some break up lyrics.

This is another album worth getting - RebelLoverLiar.

Song for Sunday - 7th June - These Boots

Its a sunny(ish) summers Sunday morning, so it's time for a little light flavoured jazz - that's with an A.
Take an old campy song, reimagine it with a jazz sound, then add in one of the dreamiest voices around and this is what you end up with - Spencer Day doing These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
This is a live version, his original version is on his album Daybreak, worth a listen.

If you click through the video onto Spencer's YouTube channel you'll also hear his version of LoveFool by The Cardigans - it's focus on the lyrics rather than the original's focus on the catchy tune makes it a whole new song.

Bonus Song - Little Queen of New Orleans

I shared this on Twitter and thought that I should really add it in here too. A great blues/rock song for a Friday evening.

Song for Sunday - 31 May - Nothing But The Waves

This is almost the perfect Song for Sunday - a gentle, blues infused song about the love between two men. It's been on my favourites list for a few months now and is likely to stay there a while.

This is the type of song where you crank up the volume to just the perfect level, tilt your head back and close your eyes, then just let it wash into you, seep into your bones with what it is - a thing of beauty.

Bonus Song - Cave Song

This is so not a Song for Sunday, but so much a Song for Saturday night.
Baathhaus are a queer-electro group that have put out a few singles and this one is a great slice of Saturday night beats, filthy lyrics and gorgeous visuals - seriously, the colours here are stunning.

Just the way to spend the evening.

Song for Sunday - 24th May - Take Me To Church

With the people of Ireland voting for equal marriage, and that little campfest that is the Eurovision Song Contest, I may be on a little bit of a queer high this weekend. So it's only right that I include a song with some kind of reference to marriage, and even better if its by an Irish artist.

So here it is. Sinead O'Connor, who describes herself as three-quarters straight and one-quarter gay (it'd save us all a little bit of typing if people just used the word bisexual) with a recent song Take Me To Church. While the title may reference weddings I'm not sure the content of the song is really that fitting as a wedding song - but hey, you have whatever song you like as your wedding song.

Song for Sunday - 17th May - Riverbed

Something with a more Indie and Orchestral edge this time from Owen Pallett. Owen's worked with the likes of Arctic Monkey's, Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear and others on the orchestration and arrangements of their work and has worked on film scores. But here is something from one of his own albums. The Riverbed is a Song for Sunday because its quality stuff.

Song for Sunday - 10th May - Flying China

Eric Himan is one of the first gay musicians that I was hooked by. That was a few years ago now and I've been keeping up with his recordings since. He has a new EP out - Playing Cards, available from iTunes and all the other places - which is quite lovely.
This track Flying China is an absolute Song for Sunday and the video below is the acoustic version. Go check out his other videos on YouTube while you're at it.

Song for Sunday - 3rd May - All Of It But Me

Okay, I know I'm a day late, but I've been busy. I've been away. I've been in a house where my laptop couldn't connect with the wi-fi (oh the trauma!).

But here it is. This week's Song for Sunday, this time by The Young Professionals. Enjoy

Nano Snippet

April was a NaNo month and I managed to do about 30,000 words. This is pretty good for me to do in a month. So to celebrate the end of it all I thought I'd share some of the words that I wrote or edited during April.
So here is a snippet from The Last Snowglobe Repairman:

The door eased open just a crack, Matt peeking out to check who was disturbing him. When he saw it was me he let it swing open.

“I can’t sleep over there.” I said.

“Why?”

“There’s a ghost in my house and I can’t see it.” I looked back across the street “It could be anywhere,” I tried hiding the little shudder that squirmed through me. “It could be doing anything,” I made a Grumpy Cat face, not pleased. “I’m spending’ the night here.”

“Pushy bottom.” Matt smirked, “I like it.” his grin broadened into a full beaming smile, making his eyes twinkle.

“Who said anything about being a bottom?” I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to give him a sharp look of disapproval.

He raised both eyebrows in reply, tilting his chin at me in a skeptical look.

“Fine.” I said, brushing past him to go inside, “but you can’t just go round assuming things like that.”  I dumped my backpack under the hall mirror and gently placed Bessie on the floor. Straightening up I turned to face Matt again. “I might be versatile.”

“I’m hoping so. Eventually.” he bumped the door closed with his butt. “Go through.” he nodded into the house.

I pushed backwards into the couch, closing my eyes and letting out a swift huff of air. Matt watched, maybe hoping I'd relax, or maybe hoping I'd go back home. But then it’s not every day you find out your home is haunted and your neighbor is a Spirit Catcher, so I reckoned he could cut me some slack.

Song for Sunday - 26 Apr - Cocoon

A song to hum along to for this Sunday morning. K. Anderson and his song Cocoon make for a toe-tapping delight of a track. Enjoy.

Bonus Song - Carpe Jugular

It's lovely and sunny and warm outside, so let's bring the tone back down shall we. This could never be a Song for Sunday, the style is wrong and the video that goes with it is most certainly not calming Sunday stuff.

The Hidden Cameras are queer-indie at its best. Often described as 'gay church folk music' and occasionally described as 'the gay Arctic Monkeys' you can guess the kind of thing you're going to get.

While I do like this particular track the video always unsettles me. Warning: there is a fair amount of violence in it, so look away if that's not your thing. Even though I know that it's choreographed and delivered by dancers I still find the visuals to be strong. Even though - of course, for me - it has a happy ending. But still ... enjoy.

Sonf for Sunday - 19th Apr - American Motel

Everyone likes a good story. It's even better when that story goes with some great music. Ezra Axelrod gives good story, he gives it with a clear voice and a nice line in lyric.
If you ever need an album for the early days of summer, where the sun is on your face but you still need that extra bit of warmth then Ezra's album is the perfect companion for you. It's a warm, human, piece of work that'll have you singing along.

If you have the time then click through to hear some of Ezra's other songs from the American Motel album, you won't regret it.

Song for Sunday - 12th Apr - New York Story

Some Songs for Sunday should just roll over you. They should make you feel as if you're wrapped up in a duvet, they should keep you comfortable until you're ready to face the day. This is one of those.
Micah Barnes sings New York Story.

Bonus Song - First Time

I can't include this in Song for Sunday because I don't know whether any members of the band Kadie Elder are out LGBT folk or not. But they are Danish, so that's practically close enough (seriously there is a Danish Gay Music Chart, look - You Tube Danish Gay Music Chart )

But this song, well it's very light and airy and kinda springy/summery. So it had to be featured.

Song for Sunday - 5th Apr - Missing Tonight

This is the voice that could whisper sweet nothings into my ear in the middle of the night ... and not get elbowed in the face for waking me up.
A smooth jazzy type of song for a Sunday morning by Spencer Day.

Bonus Song - Spectrum

Just for the hell of it, and because the video was released today, here is a bonus song. And it's a happy song. So enjoy,

Song for Sunday - 29th Mar - Only, Only

Something a little different in style for this weekend. Sometimes you need the musical equivalent of a kick up the butt to get you going. This'll do it - short, sharp and good. Brendan Maclean, from Australis, with Only, Only.

Time for Music and Romance

Last weekend I chose Steve Grand as Song for Sunday - mostly because he is the current big thing in gay music. But also because I like his slant on Americana with a pop influence. It's a style that's easily accessible.

But it got me thinking.

Great though Steve is, he is one in a line of out gay musicians, and for many of us it sometimes feels like things haven't moved on substantially in music for, well, decades.
Then I realised that that's clearly rubbish - every artist i've included in Song for Sunday in the last few  months is an out gay male singer (and apologies now, I will get to more of the LBT and Q in time, but i wanted to focus on the G to begin with) and it would be inconceivable thirty years ago to have access to so much quality gay music. And it is progress, those musicians are working across a spread of styles - jazz, electronica, pop, folk, blues and country - that out musicians wouldn't have featured in previously. It maybe taking time, but we are getting there. There being a place where out musicians are making music about many different aspects of our lives. Particularly making music about the love part of life (yeah, I know, most songs are essentially love songs).

But there is a history, quite a long history really. Remember this?

Well its thirty-ish years old. Just take that in for a moment. Thirty years ago there was a song in the Top 40 that opened with the lyric 'Turn us on ... turn us on ... boys'. Think about that. In thirty years we haven't moved on much from 'oh, that singer is gay'. We've haven't looked deeply into the work of artists and how it reflects what's going on in our lives. Well to be truthful some of us have done that, but many haven't.
(The same thing happened with Looking the TV programme - many LGBT people took a quick look at it, decided it wasn't representing them on a very surface level, so didn't continue watching. So it got cancelled. There was no exploration of what the programme was trying to achieve, what it was setting up, where it might go, what it was looking to explore in terms of inter-generational gay friendships, modern relationships, or the positive-negative divide. Or indeed anything beyond the surface. Which, some might say is what pop music is all about).

But then Jimmy Summerville has never been a typical pop act. Witness this:

or this

or this

or indeed this

This was the best selling song in the UK that year - and it was by an out, proud, political musician. And it was thirty years ago.

Each of these songs mix pop music with politics. A catchy tune to get airplay, mixed with a message about life as it is - from comments on the destitution in the UK at the time, through to what the gay community has gone through and was going through, through to a very memorable love song.

This is kinda the reason that I have-a-soft-spot-for M/M romance. The unapologetic, upfront, in your face and fuck-you approach to love. It's here, it's queer and (for me) it's my life in all its complexity: the sadness, joy and absolute wonderfulness of it all. I want to see that life, that complexity in books. I want to see that diversity not just shown but celebrated. I yearn for stories of love amongst the 5 to 15% of the population that is rarely shown to be about love. I want to celebrate with others the love that is found. And in amongst the passing of laws to obviously, absolutely, actively discriminate against that community that love is important.  And the great thing about M/M romance is that it does explore all those things, and more, so much more.

Remember that what you are writing and reading is political. Intensely political and personal for some. That's a small point about this genre that often gets forgotten in the rush to celebrate the latest story about two wonderfully written men falling in love. But let me be clear: I'm not about acceptance. I'm not about tolerance. I'm about equality without exception. Because without that the things that we read become meaningless. M/M romance becomes as much high fantasy as science-fiction. I don't want my life treated that way in fiction or in reality. And you shouldn't settle for that either.

Let's hope things are significantly different in another thirty years. Let's hope that Steve Grand is still singing songs about what love is all about for him as a middle aged man, but that we don't notice that the video is about love between two men, because that's not the important part. The important part is the love that's being expressed.

But in the meantime let's have Steve Grand's latest video

Song For Sunday - 22nd Mar - All American

In celebration of the release of Steve Grand's album tomorrow I'm revisiting his breakthrough song. Yup, it's All American Boy. When it first broke this song was a celebration of queer young things doing their thing. And rightly so. Some of it impact is forgotten now, but it was both revelatory and celebratory at the same time - a good thing.

The album itself is a slice of Americana, with some twists to it. It's a welcome addition to the queer music spread of styles.

Come tomorrow though go buy the album. Go celebrate and support queer artists.
(Also, he's quite hot, and that helps)

  

Branded With A Hot Iron

I was going to write a post all about branding, particularly personal branding, because, well, that’s a thing that’s being talked about at the moment. I was going to give lots of detail and examples. But then I thought: I can’t be arsed.
So instead I’ll give you this instead: My Top 5 Tips for branding.

1. Want to reach more readers? Use all the assets you have at your disposal, but use them well and use them wisely. This is the ‘less is more philosophy’ – use what you have access to and use it to the best of its potential. Focus on what works and get the most out of it – but be clear about what you want out of it. Doing it this way will create a perception of professionalism about you and your work – branding!
2. Brands are built through interaction between customer and product. There are two main ways a writer does that – providing books to be read and being on social media. Social media is about being social. It’s not about building up squillions of followers who scroll past your tweets or updates because they only vaguely know who you are. It’s about – and forgive the analogy here – length and girth. It’s about depth of interaction with those that you do interact with, but done in a way that makes them remember you and want more from you. Got that? Penetration, and stimulation.
3. Want to sell more books? Write the best books you can. It really is that simple, quality counts. Quality will bring people back for more.
4. Branding is for products not people. Don’t consciously try to build a brand. If you do that then you’ll probably fail. Instead try to get yourself/your book in front of the right people at the right time to promote what you do. (Instead of brand building be the best you at marketing and communicating about the books that you’ve created).
5. People can sniff out inauthenticity a mile off. If you are trying to be someone you are not then you’ll get found out eventually. Save everyone all that hassle and just be yourself. It’s far more appealing, sexy and valuable – oh hey there isn't that the goal of branding?

It really is that simple.
Remember that companies have to create brands out of characteristics, values, tone and interactions that they apply to their products - they are creating a persona for their products - because the products are things. You are already a person, with all of those things. Personal branding isn’t about creating those things, it’s about how you use what you already have.
So if you choose to be inoffensive and bland in order not to offend, your personal brand is going to be seen as inoffensive and bland. Who wants to read a book that’s bland? We read books for the excitement of other people’s lives, for the fantastical elements, and maybe for the escapism that they offer. I’m not going to spend my hard earned cash on a bland world populated by dull people doing uninteresting things that don’t offend others. Instead I’ll spend it on a chocolate bar with more nuts, or a bottle of beer that’s both super trendy and effortlessly cool at the same time.

Now the next person to talk about branding gets a hot iron to their flesh. That really is personal branding.

Song for Sunday -- 15 Mar - Kiss On The Cheek

You know those Sundays where you just need to take a moment for yourself and recharge? Well this will do it for you. A few minutes of this and you'll feel the full five bars, all super charged and ready for the rest of the day.

www.chrisriffle.com

Song For Sunday - 8th Mar - No More

The best kind of Song for Sunday is one you can listen to on a quiet Sunday morning and it gives you a sense of peace, stirs an emotion, or gives you the happy's. It's also a song that you just know you want to hear again and again.

No More Nights Alone is exactly one of those songs.

Is Your Book Your Baby?

I haven't written a book. Neither have I had a child. So I'm in the perfect position to comment on this weird condition that KJ Charles brought to my attention via this rather wonderful blog post - https://kjcharleswriter.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/my-book-is-my-baby-now-pass-me-the-wet-wipes/


But my take on this is, well, rather different.
If you think you may be heading down that slippery-slope towards the whole book/child confusion then here is a handy checklist for you.

Things to watch out for:
1. Do you talk about your book a lot? I mean like incessantly, to the point that you don't talk about anything else?
Well that isn't annoying. Maybe you'd like to talk about something else? No? Oh dear, maybe your book really is your baby.

2. Do you carry around a picture of your book cover?
Is it tucked away on your phone? Or, even worse, is it the wallpaper on your phone?
Really? Maybe you'd like to expand your horizons  just a little? You know they say that you need to pay attention to what's going on around you to be able to write well. Just noting that.

3. Do you sneak around on the internet to check that others aren't being horrible about your book?
Are people saying rude things about your book's photos? Or about how your book doesn't play well with others? Or other stupid shit that ultimately doesn't matter? You need to back the hell away from Goodreads. It's not going to help you write better next time. You do want to write another book, right?

4. Have you ever told the bookless 'You don't understand'? Come on now, be honest. Maybe you've just thought it but not said it?
There are two real problems with this - firstly you're assuming that everyone else in the world has no empathy, and secondly you're showing that 'book brain' has settled in for sure and you're no longer capable of holding an adult conversation.

5. Do you push your book around in a pram? If you do this then you seriously need help.


If you catch yourself doing any of the above then seek help immediately. Maybe write another book, that'll transfer all the love, attention and crazy onto something new.

Song For Sunday - 1st Mar - Unspoken

Something calming and beautiful for a Sunday morning.

Steven Taetz is a Canadian who's debut album is one of those wondrous things that can make you calm and emotional at the same time. It doesn't wash over you, it seeps into you, it makes you feel every second of it. Then you realise that it's too short and you just yearn for more.



Go find out more http://www.steventaetz.com

We Are All Bonnie

I realised the other day that a large chunk of M/M romance is basically just Bonnie Tyler in Holding Out For A Hero.

Witness this:

So, the men we are reading about are, in one way or another, just standing atop a big cliff in a floaty dress belting out a desire for a man: "he's gotta be strong, he's gotta be fast, and he's gotta be fresh from the fight". Ring any bells?
But it's more than that isn't it. He's also "gotta be sure. And it's gotta be soon. And it's gotta be larger than life." Yes, that man I'm reading about has gotta be all the things. I've never seen a better description of M/M than that (or a fair chunk of it anyway).

But there's a little tickle of the subconscious yearning in there too. It's not all blatant 'come get me down from this dangerous precipice', oh no. There's all that sublimated desire rising to the surface too: "In my wildest fantasy. Somewhere just beyond my reach. There's someone reaching back for me". It's the whole 'he wants me as much as I want him, but its a struggle' thing. And it's lovely. And it's done to a thumping erotic beat, which is in no way suggestive of humping. Oh no.

Still, it could be worse.
It could be that M/M is all about the other song. Remember that one?

Witness this batshit insanity:

Other than the whole thing being about over-brimming passion, lost love, needing for romance and fresh starts there's only a few tenuous links to M/M:
"Living in a keg and giving off sparks" - yes, we've all been there. Smoky isn't it.
"Once upon a time I was falling in love, now I'm only falling apart." - welcome to my life.
"Together we can take it to the end of the line" - surely the ultimate M/M story. No? Also, surely the deepest, most longing desire behind every one night stand ever.
(We'll just ignore the dodgy stuff about shagging schoolboys who grow up to be fit, speedo wearing, swimmers and/or american football players who quaff wine while wearing tuxedos)

Bonnie you are very wise.
Also, 'bonnie' in Scots means beautiful. So yeah, we're all Bonnie.

Song For Sunday - 22nd Feb - Red Hot

This week's Song for Sunday is chosen just because it's a great song - Red Hot Tears by Eric Himan.
Eric has a new EP out soon called Playing Cards. It's already available to those who paid upfront through PledgeMusic, so you might know that it's also great - so go buy it when it's available on iTunes and the like.

Song for Sunday - 15th Feb - Love Given & Taken

Valentine's Day. That's the day to celebrate love apparently. Although why we shouldn't celebrate it on the other days of the year I've never quite worked out.

My only trouble with Valentine's Day is that it's always about celebrating the love that you have - as if that's the only love that counts. What about the love that's been? Or the love that's coming down the track? Why shouldn't we celebrate those too? That of course means that it's for those currently in love. It cuts out, casts aside and rebukes those of us not in love right here and right in this moment. Not in love today? Then this isn't for you. Move along.

So my Song(s) for Sunday (yes a double whammy again) is for love that has been taken from us and the love that is going to happen, rather than the love that is happening now. These are love songs for the single.

Love that is taken away:
This song is one of those that made me explore music made by LGBT folk for LGBT folk. It's message is a simple one of enduring love. The video made to accompany it packs quite the punch too with its story of love taken away. So you can blame Tom Goss for every song prior to this and every song to come.

Love that is given:
That first moment when you realise that you've met someone you're falling in love with. There is nothing quite like it. That anticipation of seeing the person causes a visceral reaction - remember when your heart raced at the thought of meeting your new lover? Or when just the thought of them brought a smile to your face? That moment when you realised what falling meant? Well here it is, it'll happen again one day - just make yourself ready, put yourself in the brace position and open yourself to the possibility.
(there's no You Tube for this one, so here's the Spotify link)

Song for Sunday - 8th Feb - Come Back

A little light synth pop this week.
I've chosen this one because it's beautifully crafted music. Also, if you like a bit or romance then the theme of the song, come back because life is too unbearable without you, is perfect.

Oh, also #hotginger.

Song for Sunday - 1st Feb - Shelter

Stick with me on this one as there are a few vid's to look at. But they are all needed and worth watching.

The Backlot (formerly After Elton) have updated their Top 100 Greatest Gay Movies list, something that they do every few years. This years list is quite a shake up as more and more decent gay themed films are getting made and getting an audience. This is particularly great as it means there are loads of films on the new list that I now want to get around to watching.

Go have a look at the full Top 100 list here. Comment below on the films that  you've seen, want to see, hated or loved.
Also, if you like LGBT film you should probably go have a look at CGiii - the most comprehensive LGBT film site.

In the Top 10 are some really great films, including my personal favourite Shelter. I love Shelter because its about real-life, working class folk and the things that they have to deal with and have to consider when making choices about life. It also has a really good soundtrack.

The trailer for Shelter gives you an idea about the film:

From the soundtrack comes not 1 but 2 Songs for Sunday (mostly because I couldn't choose between them, so decided to include both). They are very different in style but lovely versions of their genre, so worth listening to.

First up is Lie To Me by Shane Mack:

Next is Teenage Romanticide by Dance Yourself To Death:

Song For Sunday - 25th Jan - It's The End Of The World

This week is a song that is one of my all time favourites. It's certainly in my 'Top 10 Songs Ever, Ever.'  There are two ways to listen to this song. I'd urge you to follow the these steps:

1. Click the link
2. Turn the volume up loud.
3. Close your eyes and tilt your head back.
4. Savour the lushness that is this song.

Now have a little break to recover.

5. Hit refresh and watch the video to experience it differently.
6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 above until you are forced to either eat or sleep.

There you go. Just one way to have a wonderful evening.

The song is End Of The World by Matt Alber. Matt is quite the amazing musician and it's certainly worth exploring his other videos.

Song For Sunday - 18th Jan - Maybe I'm Stained?

We're only at week 3 and already I'm breaking my new years resolutions. I wasn't going to include an artist more than once a month. But then when I chose the track for last week I didn't know that this video was going to be uploaded this week.

So you get two weeks worth of Ryan Amador. That's not a bad thing. Have you seen him? Heard him?

Anyway. This week is the track Stained from Ryan's EP 4S. You can absolutely feel the hurt all the way through this:
"i feel a vacancy ... in every part of me" or
"you can finally leave your eyes open when you're making love" and
"why did you leave me with your cuts while I'm in pain"
well they all just make my heart ache and want to reach out and give him a long, slow hug. Not just because of those beautiful eyes; or that hair that makes you want to drag your fingers through it; or even that long jawline that makes you want to dot little comforting kisses along it.
No? Maybe that's just me then.

Anyway enjoy Ryan's misery. It'll be someone different next week for sure.

Song for Sunday - 11th Jan

This weeks song is a cover, giving two delicious things in one go - a great song covered by a different voice.
I really like Ryan Amador's approach to this Robyn song and the video is a gentle and sweet treatment.

Holding Hands - a top up

After my blog post from yesterday I go and find this today.

Ms Panti Bliss expresses everything that I couldn't in my blog in her TEDx Talk. Go have a look, it's rather wonderful.

Holding Hands

From the first to the last, touch is with us  - a parent sliding one finger into the tiny grasping fingers of a newborn, through to the reassuring need-to-be-there hand holding on someone's deathbed - it's a fundamental of life. So what happens when it's denied?

Here are two things for you to look at/listen to, then consider.

The first is a radio programme on Holding Hands. It's available to listen worldwide, but I'm not sure how long it'll be available for, so I hope you get a chance to hear it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04754xq


The second is a social experiment/reportage piece done recently on the response from people on the street to two men holding hands.

One piece tells us how essential holding hands is to life. The other how unacceptable it is for (in this instance) gay men to connect with the one they love in public. The intimacy and comfort of a simple action is something we aren't allowed.


I have questions for you to consider:
What is the impact on your life of holding hands with others?
What would life be like if you couldn't hold the hand of the one you love in public?



And just because its linked, here is some music about holding hands.

Song For Sunday - 4th Jan

Every Sunday I'll post a song that I've enjoyed during the week. Just because it's good to share things that we like.

Today's choice is a song I've been a little bit obsessed with for a month or so since I first heard it. It's a thing of beauty in all its versions (this one is a remix of the original) and I thought it'd be a good thing to start the year with some beauty. Enjoy.