Tattoo: "Faggot"

Originally uploaded by xeni.

Maybe it’s because I’m [finally] getting to actually play gay in the show I’m opening tomorrow, maybe it’s because this is really nice tattoo work, maybe because I kind of wish I was in San Francisco right now, but I really love this photograph.

In the past Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays of the year, but for the second year in a row I’ll be working the entire holiday weekend, which means there’s no point in looking for a costume and going to any parties. I am, however, involved in two separate shows that between them put me through a total of five costume changes. So I’m feeling OK about not getting dressed up this year.

But I’m always excited to hear about what everyone else is going as… I went into a costume shop the other day and was kind of floored at how many “sexy______” costumes there were, this year. You know what I’m talking about. The “Sexy Nurse”, the “Sexy Female Cop”, the “Sexy Ladybug” (no, I’m serious. I almost bought that one). An entire wall dedicated to this variation on a theme. Have I just been out of the loop? Did Britney and Jessica really have that much impact on the American youth?

I mean, I know that I am currently playing the emcee in a Cabaret-themed show where most of the female performers are scantily clad in small pieces of leather and fishnet. So I’m not really one to talk. It was just a little jarring to see twelve year olds coming out of the dressing rooms in dominatrix outfits. And it seems like I’m not the only one thinking about this:

IN her thigh-highs and ruby miniskirt, Little Red Riding Hood does not
appear to be en route to her grandmother’s house. And Goldilocks, in a
snug bodice and platform heels, gives the impression she has been
sleeping in everyone’s bed. There is a witch wearing little more than a
Laker Girl uniform, a fairy who appears to shop at Victoria’s Secret
and a cowgirl with a skirt the size of a tea towel. -Stephanie Rosenbloom link full (NYT article) .

I will say that the costumes seem to be better made than the costumes we used to buy when we were little, strange little jumpers that were always a little disappointing. You didn’t actually dress up as Spiderman, but rather the concept of Spiderman. And you’d always cut your face on the shredding plastic masks. Oh, and finding the proper shoes to go with your costume was always a problem. Troublesome issues for a five year old me.

I, for one, have always wanted to follow the more “traditional” themes of Halloween; the idea that people would dress as demonic beings in order to celebrate the fact that evil creatures had a party on All Hallow’s Eve, because they couldn’t come out on All Saint’s Day (the following day). But wikipedia says that even this isn’t much of a tradition… that Halloween has always been just an excuse for adults to get their freak on and for kids to get free candy from neighbors.

And this is fine by me. I have fond memories of my father’s excitement at getting to carve a pumpkin, the smell of autumn finally in the air, and the yearly chance to not just dress, but actually be someone or something else for a day. And I happen to think that role-playing is great for everyone, even Sluttylocks and her Hot Riding Hoods. It’s a new tradition, altogether! Please send pictures!

A drunk.

Originally uploaded by M. Bivins.

Ash.

Last night on a whim, and after a day of staring at [a] computer screen(s), I went to the last showing of the Science of Sleep at my local indie movie theatre. I half-heartedly tried to find someone to go with me, but sometimes I really like going to see movies by myself, especially when I’m feeling a little bit lonely and want to intensify the feeling. It was a good movie to see alone, and it was a great movie, period.

I think that when Michel Gondry’s last movie came out Ward and I gushed about it in an audio journal (a “podcast” for those of you that don’t remember that such things existed before they had a trendy name). “Spotless Mind” was a fantastic movie, on many accounts: it proved that Jim Carrey is a decent actor, it proved that Gondry could direct something besides amazing music videos, and “Kate Winslet”. I have since seen the movie many times, and still think that it’s fantastic. But I have to say that his new movie, the Science of Sleep, by being a little bit lighter in tone, might even be a better one. I’m not a movie reviewer, but I do love a film that refuses to let you be distracted by any world beyond the one it is creating for you. This film is completely captivating.

I’m currently going through a period where I believe that every movie I see, every book I read, every song I hear has been written for me. I know this isn’t true; I’m just in an over-analytical phase of creative input collecting… but this movie really did strike a chord with me. Some moments were so close to my life I gasped out loud, which could be embarrassing when you’re sitting by yourself in a movie theatre, but again, I was too captivated to care. I think that this is a mark of a good piece of art; it’s one thing to be able to create work that is inventive and beautiful, but another to truly serve as a mirror to life itself. I want to create art like this… I haven’t gotten there, but there’s time yet. Until then I am so happy to be inspired by films like the Science of Sleep.

And while you’re in a creative input gathering mode, Beck’s new album is pretty top notch.