Queer Rap

It's not often that you read a pull-out quote saying: 'I would never work with Diplo...he's a heteronormative piece of shit'.  I was therefore particularly interested in a Guardian article this morning exploring the growing number of young gay rappers who are challenging what has come to be seen as the homophobic space of hip-hop.  You can read the full article here.

It's an interesting and exciting piece but it remains to be seen whether this remains a small number of 'freaks' on the sidelines of hip-hop or a force which will fundamentally re-shape the sub-culture.

Music to Watch Kinky Girls (and Boys) By: Escaped Pleasure

Skin Two reported this month on a  fascinating music project called Escaped Pleasure.  According to Skin Two: born from a passion for fetish and a passion for music, Escaped Pleasure is a music project with a difference. Although described officially as “chill out electronica”, each track is written and produced by a fetishist, with fetish in mind.


Inspired by the sounds and grooves of people like Massive Attack, Moloko, John Mayer and Prince; Escaped Pleasure's sole aim is to add a little groove and beat into your life. Designed with lifestyle people in mind and can be heard in clubs and lifestyle events around the world.

From the tracks I've listened to, they are just wonderful relaxing tracks with some nice twists.  Perfect background music for me as I write.  I like them a lot and they deserve a wide audience, so please check them out and share.  

You can commission Escaped Pleasure to create a bespoke track or set of tracks just for you. With a commission comes an initial meeting, so that he can determine what elements of music work for the client. Then he will go away and create the tracks. Whether it’s for a play session, a photo session, a private party or even the soundtrack to a your home made film, having a unique set of music to set your scene is a deeply sexual feeling and will make a huge difference.  Brilliant stuff.

Check out some of their tunes here.

I'm a Feminist but...

Perhaps you could be forgiven for thinking that Julie Bindel would never need to insert a caveat after declaring her status as a feminist, and yet she's written a really thoughtful (and at times quite funny) piece in the Guardian today. See Julie - I don't always have a go at you ;-)

She talks about visiting Glastonbury and her thoughts on the Snoop Dogg gig. I have to confess that his music does nothing for me (The PSB gig was a more my thing - and bloody brilliant it was too) so I've never really payed attention to the lyrics. I do remember being on my student union's executive some ten years ago and debating whether we should ban Eminem songs from all Union property as he was "homophobic" - I was in a minority opposed to the ban but thankfully the majority came round to my view in the course of the meeting. Many other student unions did introduce a ban. I'm anti-censorship so for me it was a simple principled position. I think there's nothing I would ban.

Yet, as in so many things, in this I am in a minority. Most people end up with some fudged compromise that takes account of their positions on issues and the realities of day to day life. Bindel is on the one hand a feminist and on the other a Snoop Dogg fan. She is far more reflective of 'ordinary' society in this respect. She writes in her piece that:

'But of all the deeply controversial gangsta rappers, he is also probably the most charming and has the best sense of humour. Maybe that's why he gets away with it'.

Let's play around with this position. Hitler - had some dodgy views on Jews and homosexuals but what if you rather liked his painting? (I don't, but stay with me) Is it legitimate to praise his art work but hate other aspects of his life? What are we prepared to fudge and what aren't we? Most of us, if not all, fudge something along the way. As human beings we are a dizzying spectacle of contradictions. Bindel's piece today is simply a statement of the human.

Read the full piece here.

Rentboy, Scissor Sisters and the Unmentionable Arse

Pink News (which also has a new logo) is reporting on the latest publicity coup by Scissor Sisters and their front man Jake Shears. He is using a profile on the rentboy website - a site (as the name might suggest) for male escorts or 'rent boys' (119 escorts in the UK - almost all in London).

Amazingly, the story doesn't mention the fact that Shears profile on the site features as it's first pic a teasing photograph of Shears' arse. I'm waiting for the first cock-shot album advertisement - or maybe it's already been done? On the question of 'safe sex', Shears plays it safe in every sense and responds 'always safe'. He doesn't complete the cock size or position options so don't get too excited folks. The profile links through to the album - which I hear is very good and will no doubt be downloading myself at some point.

I'm curious to see how this story gets picked up -will it be treated in the same way as if a female X-Factor winner set up a fake sex-worker online profile to market an album? I suspect not.

Shears also gives a brilliant interview in the latest issue of Attitude which is well worth checking out if you've not seen it.

Read the full story on the profile at Pink News here.

Love etc.

The Pet Shop Boys release their new single on 16 March. The group, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe were criticised by some in the 80s and early 90s for not being "gay enough" in contrast to say Jimmy Somerville or even Boy George. Their latest video (which strikes me as very Gilbert and George inspired) called 'Love etc' features a number of couples kissing at one point and they include same sex couples. It will probably not get any comment in the media and few will even notice it. That is significant, for it reminds us how our society has changed since their first hit, West End Girls hit number one in 1986. The video can be seen below and I love it.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Well I had my vacation from blogging, saw some friends and family and then got hellish flu, which I'm still recovering from. Anyway, I am back blogging so I'll be updating this. I should have some exciting news in the next couple of weeks that I can share with you (well I think it's exciting, you might not). In the meantime, I've been falling in love with my new iPhone (when the O2 man asked what made me choose it I honestly replied "marketing) and uploading the fabulous Narcys to it. I've previously embedded their fabulous video for Toi T'en Rêves which considers gender/sexuality/identity. You can view that post with the English lyrics here. I wish some label would sign him up.

Anyway...it's the season of New Year messages and on the flight back from Sydney last month I re-discovered a fabulous song from 1999 that had me welling up (think it was a combination of dodgy food from Thailand and lack of sleep as much as anything) 'cos you do see it coming true as you get older (boo hoo). Anyway, here it is below. Sound advice for any final year student...

Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair

Following on from my last post about the SF field trip; one of the first things people said to me was "be sure to wear some flowers in your hair". This Scott McKenzie song from 1967 continues to capture a certain mood and encapsulates a whole spirit of the 1960s for many.

If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there

For those who come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
In the streets of San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair

All across the nation such a strange vibration
People in motion
There's a whole generation with a new explanation
People in motion people in motion

For those who come to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there

If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there



Together with 'California Dreaming' they are a kind of soundtrack for the trip (download onto your Ipod for instant mood enhancement during the visit). OK, California Dreaming is about LA but it's still an amazing song.

Toi T'en Reves (version non censurée)

Just found this cracking video linked through from the OII site. The Organisation Intersex International is a non-profit organisation incorporated in the Province of Quebec, Canada. See more at: http://www.intersexualite.org/Index.html

Toi T'en Reves (version non censurée)
Uploaded by narcyssik

Massive thanks to Izak for tracking down the lyrics and translating them into English:

Paroles de Toi T'en Rêves (Narcy)

Toi t'en rêves, toi t'en rêves, de leur montrer qui tu es,Et t'en crèves, et t'en crèves, de n'pas pouvoir exister Dans tes rêves, dans tes rêves, tu ne veux qu'être aimer ! Et t'en crèves, et t'en crèves, t'as mal a en crier ! Quand il s'prenait pour un cow-boy, toi tu recoiffais ta poupée, Et tu passais les heures à te demander si ça s'faisait, Tu regardais ta mère toujours si calme, toujours si douce, Tu regardais ton père et tes yeux tombaient sur tes pieds… Toi t'en rêves toi t'en rêves de leur montrer qui tu es, Et t'en crèves et t'en crèves de n'pas pouvoir exister Dans tes rêves dans tes rêves tu ne veux qu'être aimer ! Et t'en crèves et t'en crèves, t'as mal a en crier ! Maintenant il joue avec les filles, toi tu restes au fond d'la cours… Si sur de lui, comme tu l'envie ! mais ton coeur brûle d'amour… T'écris des lettres que t'envoie pas, il les lirais même pas, Il penserait même pas que c'est toi puisqu'il ne te voit pas … Toi t'en rêves, toi t'en rêves, de leur montrer qui tu es, Et t'en crèves, et t'en crèves, de n'pas pouvoir exister Dans tes rêves, dans tes rêves, tu ne veux qu'être aimer ! Et t'en crèves, et t'en crèves, t'as mal a en crier ! (x3)

Narcy: You, you dream about it

You, you dream about it, you, you dream about it, to show them who you are
And it tires you, and it tires you not being able to live/exist
In your dreams, in your dreams, you only want to be loved
And it tires you, and it tires you, it hurts you to cry it out loud

When he was pretending to be a cowboy, you were restyling your doll
And you spent hours asking yourself if it was good enough
You were always looking at your mother, so calm, always so sweet
You were looking at your father, your eyes fell to your feet

You, you dream about it, you, you dream about it, to show them who you are
And it tires you, and it tires you not being able to live/exist
In your dreams, in your dreams, you only want to be loved
And it tires you, and it tires you, it hurts you to cry it out loud

Now he is playing with the girls, you stay at the back of the playground
So sure of himself, how you envy him! But your heart burns with love
You write letters that you don’t send, he won’t even read them
He wouldn’t even think it was you since he doesn’t see you

You, you dream about it, you, you dream about it, to show them who you are
And it tires you, and it tires you not being able to live/exist
In your dreams, in your dreams, you only want to be loved
And it tires you, and it tires you, it hurts you to cry it out loud

You, you dream about it, you, you dream about it, to show them who you are
And it tires you, and it tires you not being able to live/exist
In your dreams, in your dreams, you only want to be loved
And it tires you, and it tires you, it hurts you to cry it out loud

You, you dream about it, you, you dream about it, to show them who you are
And it tires you, and it tires you not being able to live/exist
In your dreams, in your dreams, you only want to be loved
And it tires you, and it tires you, it hurts you to cry it out loud