March 2012
33 posts
Ervin Berlin's Thoughts on the First Full-Band... →
“The Cockerspaniels it was glorious!!! Really folks were rooting for Sean. That dude has played solo for so long, but like dude, why aren’t you playing with a band! Lets hear the music!!! He records with a full band worth of instrumentation and it really did make the difference live. He performed in a trio, the other dudes I think they were both in Zest of Yore. One of those guys might...
Yo: Rekia Boyd →
youlikemealready:
Rekia Boyd, a 22-year old woman, died in the hospital yesterday after she was shot by an (off-duty) Chicago police officer. She was UNARMED.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8591349
What does it mean when a story of racist violence (Trayvon Martin) goes “viral” and receives extensive national news media coverage? How do we honor Trayvon Martin’s...
RIP AIDS WOLF
teramelos:
regardless of how you feel about their music or about them as people- they were a unique band that were honest about what they were doing and really went for it for 9 years. for the most part, tera melos no longer has to drive to the middle of nowhere and play bar shows to 10 drunken idiots not paying attention to us; making us feel embarrassed about the time and energy we have put...
At Least One of My Neighbors Thinks I'm...
This past Thursday afternoon, while walking through my own neighborhood, talking on my cell phone to a friend about some heavy things I’m going through @ the moment, I was followed and then stopped by a cop. He asked me for my ID, but I didn’t have it; I assumed (naively, in retrospect) that I wouldn’t need it for a walk around the block. He then told me that someone in the...
REMINDER: Full-Band C.Spaniels Will Perform Again...
…as part of the “Indie Radio Rocks the World” unofficial SXSW party @ Bernadette’s Bar. Our set will begin @ 10:40 PM, but why not come early to see the bands that play before us? All of them pretty much rule. Click here to RSVP on Facebook, and listen to the most recent C.Spaniels album if you haven’t already!
A Dialogue With My 86-year-old Grandmother About...
I saw this article:
http: //www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/29/gay-activists-grandparents-marriage-equality_n_1310537.html
earlier this afternoon and I got suddenly curious how my 86yo grandmother felt about marriage equality and LGBT rights. Since she's often hilarious, I decided to interview her on the phone and post it here. I put it on speakerphone, recorded it, then transcribed it. She's in Miami, and Cuban-born, so this is translated from Spanish. She's a pretty feisty lady. I want to be her when I grow up. Here's what she said:
Me: Grandma, what do you think about this couple in their 90s supporting their gay grandkids in the fight for marriage equality?
Grandma: I think it's very nice. You have to support your family, no matter who they are. You can't reject people for things like that.
Me: If you had gay or lesbian family, would you do the same?
Grandma: I don't know if I could make a video like those people. They speak English.
Me: What about in Spanish? Would you make videos supporting marriage equality in Spanish.
Grandma: Ay... don't get any ideas. I don't want to make a video.
Me: But is it okay if I post this on the Internet? On one of my websites
Grandma: Ignorant people might yell at you.
Me: Oh, that's okay, I don't mind.
Grandma: Yes, you can put what I said on the Internet.
Me: Okay. So do you support gay and lesbian people getting married?
Grandma: I think gay people should be able to get married. Times have changed. Even my ideas have changed. There used to be a lot of ignorance and rumors about gay people, mostly because they had to live in hiding, you know, you couldn't be yourself out in public like they can be sometimes now. So I think people just made things up. But think gay people should be allowed to live their lives like everyone else.
Me: Would you go to a gay wedding?
Grandma: Yes, I would. It would probably be more lively than a regular one. I hate weddings. They're so boring.
Me: They really are. What do you think about people who protest gay marriage?
Grandma: Oh. Idiots.
Me: They're wrong?
Grandma: Idiots. Dumb people with nothing better to do. Out of all the things to protest. They should be out trying to do some good in the world instead.
Me: Do you think you would have felt the same way when you were my age?
Grandma: (Pauses) I don't think I gave it any thought. People didn't talk about these things back then. There was a lot of ignorance. Everybody knew gay people, of course, but people didn't talk about it in normal conversation, much less in public like on the news now. I think that's good. Talking is always good. When people know things, they can make up their own minds.I would like to think that maybe with a little information and thinking about it, I would feel the same way.
Me: Do you think gay people should be able to adopt kids?
Grandma: Of course.
Me: As a Christian, what do you think the Bible says about gay people?
Grandma: The Bible is very clear that Jesus doesn't care about race or gender or where you came from or anything. He loves everyone.
Me: What about the parts of the Bible that says gay people should be stoned to death?
Grandma: We don't stone people to death anymore...
Me: So you don't think that applies?
Grandma: I think God gave us some common sense to be able to figure out what parts were meant for forever, like "don't kill" and "don't steal" and "be good to people," and what parts were just a record of the society people lived in back then. We don't hide women in the dark during their periods anymore, either. Things like that.
Me: What about gays in the military? Do you think that should be allowed?
Grandma: You know, when I heard President Obama had helped made that legal, I was surprised it already wasn't. If you're willing to pick up a gun and go fight in some war somewhere for my freedom, I'm not willing to do that, so if you are, I don't care if you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend or fifteen cats.
Me: Yeah, I think most people supported that one.
Grandma: It's like I told you. God gave us common sense for a reason.
Me: I know you've had a few close gay male friends. Have you ever had a lesbian friend?
Grandma: I did in Cuba. She was my neighbor and she did everyone's hair on the block. You couldn't really tell she was a lesbian, but she told me, after many years of knowing her.
Me: What do you mean by "you couldn't tell she was a lesbian?"
Grandma: Well, she was very glamorous. She looked like a movie star all the time - that's why she did everyone's hair. Some lesbians, you can tell.
Me: In English, they call the ability to tell if someone's gay "gaydar." Like "radar" but for "gay."
Grandma: Oh! I think I have that.
Me: You think you have good gaydar?
Grandma: Well, I was an artist, so I was around a lot of gay men. And I can usually tell, but Paula fooled me.
Me: The slang term for lesbians who are very conventionally feminine in English is "lipstick lesbian."
Grandma: She did wear lipstick!
Me: Do you think a lot of older people think like you do?
Grandma: I think so. A lot of older people keep up with the news better than you think. And you get to be my age and you realize a lot of past mistakes in your thinking. You realize that a lot of things you think mattered, really don't. And the people who don't think like that, it's mostly because they don't know any better. But even at my age, people can be taught.
Me: Thank you, Pupa.
Grandma: You should show me your website when you put this up. I hope a lot of people read it.
WS-This grandma rocks! So much for the excuse of being too old to know better or change.
Sean by Sean P 2012 TONIGHT!
If you’re in Austin tonight, please come to Club 1808 (1808 E 12th St) to watch all three of the bands I’m in perform FOR FREE!
4 PM - The Bell Riots (w/ me on bass)
6 PM - The Zest of Yore (w/ me on bass)
10 PM - The Cocker Spaniels’ first-ever full-band performance! (w/ me on vocals & guitar)
Click this link to RSVP on Facebook!
Pass it on!
thegreatpumpkin:
1. Wake Forest University has an opportunity for minority students to attend its MBA program for FREE, and so far, the response has been very poor. Please pass along this opportunity to your friends, families. This is a great school and a tremendous opportunity to attend a top graduate school. See the details below, the contact person is: Derrick S. Boone, Ph.D., Associate...
Two of My Musical Heroes Need Your Help! →
Stewart Anderson and Jen Turrell are former members of Boyracer, one of my all-time favorite rock bands; the Cocker Spaniels’ faster songs are usually attempts to sound like them. As if that wasn’t enough, they’re truly good people whose hospitality helped get me through a grueling tour of the West Coast.
Right now, they’re raising money to get an autism service dog for...
The Cocker Spaniels' (UPDATED) Unofficial SXSW...
…are as follows:
Saturday, March 10th (10 PM) @ Club 1808 (Click here to RSVP on Facebook)
Wednesday, March 14th (10:40 PM) @ Bernadette’s Bar (Click here to RSVP on Facebook)
Saturday, March 17th (3 PM) @ the Green House (Click here to RSVP on Facebook)
These will be the first full-band C.Spaniels shows EVER. Joining me with be Stephen Pierce and Alan Lauer (also of the Zest of...
This blog has now been created.
pocharassed:
As per so-treu’s suggestion - this blog has now been created to archive all the harassment against PoC that tumblr staff do nothing about.
A wordpress will be set up soon, in case tumblr takes this down.
“Okay, I have to take a late pass for this one, but Wyatt Cenac took aim at...”
– Find out what Wyatt Cenac said about PETA on the R today. (via racialicious)
Elaine Brown says: “Let’s not get it twisted.”
Amen
(via poemsofthedead)
“The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for...”
– Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson via It’s Okay to be Smart.
Also see how to find your purpose and do what you love.
(via explore-blog)
The 8 Types of People You'll See @ SXSW →
My friend Fyza, who designed the artwork for my last album, did the illustrations for the linked article, and they’re totally appropriate. I’ve seen all eight of these people, and even LIVED with number three.
Flashback to Revolutionary TV: A Different World
latinosexuality:
originally posted at my media justice column
The first time I started this series I focused on The Golden Girls. Today I focus on another TV show that continues to impact my life: A Different World. Many may know this show to be a spin-off of The Cosby Show. This is true, but it was also its own solid show that began with Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) going to college. ...
