cultural commentary from the desk of Don Shewey
SILENCE
One of the greatest blessings that the United States could receive in the near future would be to have her industries halted, her business discontinued, her people speechless, a great pause in her world of affairs created…We should be hushed and silent, and we should have the opportunity to learn what other people think.
— John Cage in 1928
Gay.com Daily today posted my article on bottom shame, which begins:
Bottoming is theoretically one of the prime joys of a gay man’s sex life. And it’s true that for some it’s the center of their erotic universe. To them, anal sex is the epitome of “going all the way,” the top prize when it comes to intimate companionship. In reality, though, anyone honestly investigating the relationship between men and their bums will quickly discover that, in Facebook parlance, “it’s complicated.”
To read the entire article, go here.
“Ringa Ringa,” AR Rahman & others (Slumdog Millionaire OS)
“The Thrill Is Gone,” Sarah Vaughan
“Cupid & Orlando,” Aromabar
“Change (Radio Mix),” NuSpurit Helsinki
“Colonial Mentality,” Yerba Buena! & Lenine
“Lazy Days,” Home Cookin’
“Tainted Love,” Straight No Chaser
“O Katrina!,” the Black Lips
“Jedidiah 1777,” Eliza Gilkyson
“It’s Magic,” Doris Day
“Go Long,” Joanna Newsom
“Low Rising,” the Swell Season
“Another Saturday,” Stuart Murdoch
“I Only Have Eyes for You,” the Flamingos
“Poet,” Cassandra Wilson
“Heart (7th Heaven Club Mix),” Alan Connor
“Totally Fucked,” Spring Awakening OC
“Dory,” Grizzly Bear
“The Magdalene Laundries,” Emmylou Harris
“I’ll Be There,” Jackson 5
“If I Die Young,” the Band Perry
“Love Throws a Line,” Patty Griffin
“Introduction to Romeo,” Craig Armstrong (Romeo + Juliet OS)
“Mother’s Spiritual,” Judy Kuhn
NATURE
Outside the youth center, between the liquor store
and the police station,
a little dogwood tree is losing its mind;
overflowing with blossomfoam,
like a sudsy mug of beer;
like a bride ripping off her clothes,
dropping snow white petals to the ground in clouds,
so Nature’s wastefulness seems quietly obscene.
It’s been doing that all week:
making beauty,
and throwing it away,
and making more.
— Tony Hoagland, “A Color of the Sky”
NATURE
Outside the youth center, between the liquor store
and the police station,
a little dogwood tree is losing its mind;
overflowing with blossomfoam,
like a sudsy mug of beer;
like a bride ripping off her clothes,
dropping snow white petals to the ground in clouds,
so Nature’s wastefulness seems quietly obscene.
It’s been doing that all week:
making beauty,
and throwing it away,
and making more.
— Tony Hoagland, “A Color of the Sky”
“If storyteller is Laurie Anderson’s primary identity, right behind that is the questioner. Out of the oceanic wash of sights and sounds that add up to Delusion, every few minutes a potent question emerges: What is a man if he outlives the lifetime of his god? What are days for? Why is it always raining in my dreams? Dear old God, who are these people? And finally, most poignantly, Did you ever really love me?”
Read the entire review for CultureVulture.net here.
another eye opens 