oh Madonna, Up Yours!

I love this video parody my friend sent. Video

Rock vs Rap

On an email list I'm on, a discussion came up where members were trying to pinpoint rap's roots/precursors. Statements were bandied about like: "I like to point out Jefferson Airplane's Plastic Fantastic Lover as an early rap song," "Dylan's Subterranaen homesick Blues is the first rap song," "Isn't Blondie's rapture the first rap song?"

I found it very weird that they were trying to point rap's roots to white rock-n-roll.

The other faction was of course rap sucks, I call it crap etc.

My response to the group was (italics were added to this post as i think more about it):

"I found the postings odd trying to point rap to Dylan, Blondie or the Airplane-- all of whom I love. But its unlikely that the folks in the rap/hip hop movement heard these folks beyond the Top 40 hits. Also Blondie's Rapture is a tribute to the culture that Fab 5 Freddy introduced them to.

What I do find interesting is pointing out Dylan's song, because in retrospect I can see it as a pre-cursor to rap, a sort of proto-rap. It has the heavy rhyming scheme that drives the song as opposed to verse chorus verse. But I wouldn't point it to the development of rap music as we know it today.

I also find it sad that folks still use that "(c)rap" line from George [Harrison].
It just smacks of fuddy duddiness or a tad racist like the anti-disco movement.
There are some amazing rap artists out there, its too bad the record companies only
like to push the gangster bling-bling artists like 50 cent. (Kanye is a great producer, but a mediocre rapper in my book.)"

Requisite Brokeback Mountain Post

Finally a perspective differing from the traditional love it/hate it, I've read. I don't agree with it whole-heartedly, but I found it interesting.

From Keith Boyken's blog: "If these characters had been black, they would have called this movie a film about the down low. Instead, they're calling it a classic love story." To read the whole article, click here.

At a certain level, I think Keith misses the point in that, yes, the characters ARE closeted. And whether you call it downlow or closeted, it is still the same thing: a couple of guys whose fear of being labeled queer are engaging in a homosexual love affair with each other while maintaining a heterosexual married life.

I myself haven't seen the film yet. It's been selling out up here. Plus Juve and I are working on seeing Narnia first....which brings me to....

Did anybody catch Saturday Night Live? They had a rap video that had me bustin up where the CHRONICles of Narnia was the subject. Video Link

catching up....

well, this past month has been focused on john. at his memorial, i wore the "i'm rick james bitch" tshirt he got me under a button up shirt. after his memorial, which was standing room only and spilling out of the hosts house, my family and his went to the golden bear in oakland. we had a drink in his honor.

i mentioned the stones show in an earlier post. i took my mom to the first one. they did a pretty standard war horse set, BUT the playing was top notch and mick seemed to really be digging it, hitting notes i've noit heard him hit in bootlegs. the highlights of show 1 were: tumbling dice (which i actually hate, but mick's voice was sooo good), get off my cloud, rain fall down, rough justice n paint it black. metallica was really good, but i wanted to hear for whom the bell tolls. and i don't understand why they bothered to cover that bob seger song.

2nd stones show the performance wasn't as strong, but they did she's so cold and shattered, both of whgich i was waiting for during the first show and didn't get. and metallica did for whom the bell tolls!

work has been crazy, but we hired 2 new people to spread out the work.

i was in riverside, ca for thanksgiving. it was weird being in suburbia, but at he same time nice to get driven to doorways. i stayed from tues - sat.

on saturday, erika and brian drove me to my friends matt n adam's house in long beach. they've done an amazing job making what was adam's grandma's house into a 50s meets modern decor. we all had dinner there too. i stayed through wed morn.

the last time i was in long beach it was a crazy boozy party, plus i saw pat benatar at lb pride. this time we just chilled, saw harry potter, and i discovered the thrill of dvrs. because of that, i upgraded my comcast subscription to include it.

our household got a new cat, a hurricane katrina kitty. we were tossing around names, one being gumbo. one thing this cat does is lick himself bald. his back legs are hairless. and thus was born sir licks-a-lot.

well, i think that's bout it for now.

Some levity...

I recently bought my niece a Bratz doll that also had a "Mystery Date" guy in the package.

I asked my sister if my mom had given her the package. She responded: "yes, thanks, but the Bratz girl dumped the mystery guy date and hooked up with one of her other girl dolls. she says guys and guys is grosssss but girls and girls are OK"

This is my niece in a parade:

RIP: John Robert Ward Taylor

Well one month after the day he was diagnosed, our great family friend John Taylor passed away on Thanksgiving morning from cancer. He was a great man and we will miss him terribly.

He was my sister's ex-boyfriend and best friend. And my family welcomed him the minute he opened his wise-crackin mouth. He fit right in.

I think my sister said it best:

"His passing on Thanksgiving Day is very significant to us. Thanksgiving was John's holiday. It was his favorite day to cook for all his friends and family. ...Thanksgiving will always be a very memorable and special day for us all."