7.16.2008

good gay vs. bad gay 7-16

alright. some things are just too gay. i'm not sure how or why. i generally don't feel anything can be too ethnic or too artsy or too... whatever. if something is done well it can't be "too" anything.
but things CAN be TOO GAY. and when they are tooooo gay, they are BAD GAY. when they are queer enough to be recognizably gay and somehow are better for it, they are GOOD GAY.

let me give you a quick intro to the concept utilizing popular music:

GOOD GAY:

















BAD GAY:















got it?

today's official GOOD GAY/BAD GAY entry concerns two music videos and asks you to vote on a third.

GOOD GAY:
this new moby video is great. the music itself is total throwback to that sparse, fun house music of the 90's. moby uses a vocal that is (surprise!) NOT an old, sampled voice, but a newly recorded vocal by shayna steele, who's incredible at recapturing a very specific era with her voice (the jazzy stuff on her myspace page is also great- listen to "what R we giving"). not only is this video funny and totally DIY, it manages to be a very gay-ish dancefloor anthem while still making a statement about massive corporate food chains (KFC anyone?)



BAD GAY:
wtf is this crap? ultra nate has been around a long time and has always trafficked in making her circuit boys happy. but she's kind of like that "f*g hag" nearing her 30's that still hasn't established her own identity, boyfriend, social life etc. i know that girls and boys alike enjoy checking out hot people in various states of undress, but the guys in this video are just depressing. perfectly sculpted dudes alone in different spaces obsessed with getting off to their laptops and seemingly ignoring each other and the desperately voguing diva performing for them. the over-acted "climax" at the end makes me laugh my ass off but i think it's supposed to be sexy.
plus... the original by the pointer sisters is better (and somehow gayer- GOOD GAYer).



So... GOOD GAY/BAD GAY question of the day...
the new cyndi lauper video. her new album "bring ya to the brink" is really quite good- a combination of sentimental pop (with references to several of her 80's hits) and electro/dance (check out "echo" and "grab a hold"). the best track by far is also the newest single from the album- "into the nightlife." it's a great crunchy club track with a brooding, sexy verse that explodes into a stunning, bright, sing-a-long chorus that will be in your head for days.
all good, huh?
but WTF is this video all about? did they only have 2 hours in the basement of pyramid club to make this? and have you ever seen a more literal take on a video? "uh, the song's, like... uh, about dancing and, uh, stuff. why don't we just, like, uh... film people out... dancing... at night?" and why is her head sometimes hovering in a field of black life someone in a cirque de soliel show? is she a french mime? why is most of the song sung from what is apparently the tiny, dank bathroom of the club? and where's all that water coming from on the dancefloor? are they all on a cylon rebirthing ship? is there a leak in the upstairs toilet? ick! i don't wanna dance under that! (but apparently porn stars don't mind dancing under scary leaks.)
i must admit i like when she does that witchy "i'm casting a spell on you" shit with her hands towards the end. aww, cyndi... you're funny!

UPDATE: THE EMBED CODE KEEPS GETTING PULLED. SO HERE'S THE DIRECT LINK (trust me- it's worth it... the judging part, i mean.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivaXI7TIoL8



Into The Nightlife Video

So is it GOOD GAY or BAD GAY?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You write very well.