Dolly Parton's Commencement Address at University of Tennessee

A forever advocate for the gay community, an icon for drag queens, a gentle soul: Ms. Dolly Parton.

Here's a great video of her singing "Jolene" in 1974:

Dolly's introduction by Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen for her recent Commencement Address at the University of Tennessee (see her speech below that): 

Susan Boyle

I just saw this clip from Britain's Got Talent and joyfully started crying at work.

Susan Boyle is a 48-year old Scottish woman who aspires to be a singer. After her performance on Britain's Got Talent it's clear that goal will become a reality soon. Enormous congratulations to her today.

Tara Mateik

Great video by Tara Mateik.

See more of his bright, smart, compelling work here.

Lesbians on Ecstasy Video

Brilliant video in its simultaneous comedy and earnest love, and right right song. Lezzies on X are a gay, electronic group based out of Montreal.

Witch playing at 3 am, Lamar Pedestrian Bridge

Tonight, metal band Witch (Kyle Thomas, J Mascis, Antoine Guerlain and others), are playing at 3 am on the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge. They are the SHIT.

J Mascis is performing with Dinosaur Jr. at other times and Kyle is performing as King Tuff but this is their one show as Witch during SXSW 2009.

New Video, Anthony Hegarty

As usual, Anthony Hegarty, of Anthony & the Johnsons, has a smoke-filled haunt of a beautiful voice. Worthwhile, albeit a bit cheesy, video to watch below:

In Appreciation of Steve Martin

This man can do everything with masterful grace. I'm not saying his banjo playing is incredible, but you try being an acclaimed comedian then actor, then writer/director and now musician? I can't even remember to water my garden. Let's all get to work. If everyone worked like Steve Martin, our culture would be a bustling boom of perpetual learning and joy. Go get to work!

Lady Gaga, that's some good fashion

Why I gotta love this so much? The guilt. But I do.

Animal Collective's video for "My Girls"

D-dang. Sometimes there is a thing that at first you wish would hurry up and get over with, but then it drags you in slowly, submerges you in its soupy washing machine brand of lovemaking and suddenly you're like, "I like this!" in a way that surprises even you.

I guess that just happened to me, with this:

Austin Celebrating in the Streets On Election Night After Obama Won!

A compilation of videos from the post Obama victory melee in downtown Austin, outside the Driskill on November 4th, 2008. My poem (posted above), "Above the Streetlights; The Night Obama Won," is a rumination on that night, what it meant for all of us, and what it will mean in our futures.

I'm glad for the bottom up media that documented that night and got these videos onto YouTube. It was a beautiful street party that night in Austin; jubilant beings finally feeling empowered and inspired by their government. Look at the people in the crowd laughing, dancing, hugging each other. And I've never seen radical young people sing the national anthem or wave a flag before!

Dance People!!

I love Gloria Estefan for her fearless hottie-bear-ness in this video.

Why is she so contemporary stylie in this white silken jacket and jumpsuit?

Sadly I can't embed it. But here's the link:

Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, "Conga"

Adrienne Brabham is nice and different.

detail
Originally uploaded by niceisdifferent

Adrienne Brabham, an Austinite living outside Detroit and attending Cranbrook Academy of Art, has just started Nice is Different, a blog for her work. Her etsy store already features small items of her work for purchase: felt pins, drawings and fabric-art wall-pieces, etc.

Now, her larger, Cranbrook, studio work is up for view. She's only posted one piece so far, but it's worth investigating further. A conglomeration of small drawings on paper and fabric, the wall worth of installation is a beautiful representation of Adrienne's unique aesthetic rubric. Soak it up with your eyes!

Adrienne's sweetie, Scott, is the lead singer of the local indie dance band the Black and White Years. The band has a show coming up at Emo's on December 11th. Go see them and dance. The B&WY go on at the Independent Workforce Christmas Party that night at 8:20 pm.

Beyonce as Sasha Fierce

Here's my version of a VICE Do & Don't:

DON'T- Beyonce as "Sasha Fierce," her alter ego who is "wild" and out there with French writings on her myspace page and a robot hand as the profile picture, oh my! It was myspace hype for maybe ten minutes as her marketing team of hundreds tried to get people to care....

How did no one, on the long line of thousands who were part of this marketing effort, see "fierce" for what it is: a co-opt from Christian Siriano, who ripped it off from Tyra Banks, who probably sniped the gay cliche off one of her photographers...? How did no one vet that and find something actually interesting and original?

And what's more:
Beyonce is a good being,
but the corporate heads who thought this shit up are ignorant balls of capitalism at its most lackluster.

This is consumerism actually begetting something so un-art it hurts art just to look at it.

PandaToes Music Blog

A reminder: There's a Dartmouth kid named Greg who has a pretty extensive, established and cogent music blog called PandaToes. You should check it out. From his site you can download most of the songs he mentions and I think he might even be from Austin. Enough reasons, go look at it.

Janelle Monae's "Many Moons"

There are aspects of Janelle Monae's Metropolis referencing, android-creation with which I am in love. Too, there is a part of me that experiences the marketing budget she has more than the actual message she is providing. I appreciate it and feel it but wish it came less from the pockets of P. Diddy and more from her own straight-ally, nimble, talented hands.

Fun Fun Fun Fest

Not an Obama post!

This weekend was the third annual Fun Fun Fun Fest, put on by Transmission Entertainment, at Waterloo Park in Austin.

Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fest had many moments of goodness and question marks and badness but here are EIGHT:

-Tim Fite's hi-quality, med-fi, transmedia, beautiful little show!

-The dust! Kicked up in round grey clouds, swirling into nostrils.

-The misogyny of Kool Keith as Dr. Octagon ("girrl, let me touch you there, I want to feel you!")(and then boys in the crowd thinking it was okay to then touch the girls they were with). The truth that he's also very talented, just needs to examine his gender and sexuality views.

-The National being so polished and tight I felt like I was sleeping inside a cold piano. I loved it when I was able to be awake for it. The horns, the piano, all. The men in the band are precious and clearly utterly musically skillful though almost too tight (in all ways) for their own good.

-A surprise band: St. Vincent. I didn't know I liked her work. I walked in at the beginning of her set and was drawn in like a moth. She's from Dallas originally and was a musical gem and also clearly a little nutbar. She reminded me of my friend Jordana who's poppa dated Hillary Clinton back in the day—hot and gently off the handle. (The video that links to is just a catchy song, really her stage presence was the slightly off the handle part)(though maybe she's just a goddamn good performer).

-Writing poems on the ground while sitting on the "bad trip" sidewalk at the back of the Minus the Bear show.

-Biking to and from the festival with Jason, our bikes covered in lights. I had seven on. Feeling swift, safe and human. Biking around the capitol building at night, all heft and pink granite, rough and elegant.

-The kindly, OLD-souled five year-old on the halfpipe with a mohawk who, while waiting for his turn for the halfpipe (among fifteen adults), would use his skateboard as a guitar, thrashing it around to the sounds from the nearby punk stage.

-Okay, there's a ninth. Why were there no queer bands that I could find? If it was radical dykes rapping "girl let me touch you there, I want to feel you," at least it would explore the meaning of that phrasing more.

Cocoa Tea's "Barack Obama"