mrbigboysays

[mrbigboysays]

Songs That Whip Ass: Soak Up The Sun - Sheryl Crow

I said it once, I’ll say it again: Any song that starts with, “My friend the communist,” is already shooting to the top of my personal charts. I completely forgot about this tune until a few weeks ago and I can thank the benevolent demons in the Spotify algorithm for re-introducing it into my brain.

Was it really so stylish to add some sun soaked distortion at the beginning of a radio hit in the 2000s before dropping into the opening chords? I can think of a handful of other songs that do this - Fastball’s “The Way” immediately comes to mind although that’s late 90s. Whatever. It’s a deliberate choice and it truly does set up the song as being a mid-summer banger. Imagine me sitting at my desk, Spotify Radio doing its arcane thing, and suddenly the iconic guitar twang. My ears extended, my eyes grew wider, my neck suddenly had a puka shell necklace, and I was headed to my parents Toyota Echo, keys in hand, ready to to drive to The Gut for the day.

It’s wild that every Top 40 hit from 2001-2003 is stored in my hamster brain but I simply must chalk that up to wasting too much gas driving that Toyota around town, listening to one of two radio stations on the island, constantly complaining about the state of Top 40 radio.

Sheryl Crow is hot as hell. 2002 Sheryl Crow was like, “Let me make some easy listening and watch the dollars roll in,” and she was right to do so. This song was nominated for a Grammy! I can’t believe it! Except I can because Grammys, while lovely for the person winning, are rigged and don’t mean shit to me! I bet Sheryl Crow is still hot because she’s rich. Imagine doing this as a drag number - it would be so boring! I would be living for the audacity.

#30 Days 30 Songs #music #Sheryl Crow #Soak Up The Sun #Top 40

[mrbigboysays]

Very Fun and Sexy Playlist: May 2020

 Oh, what’s next for you, baybee? A two-six of Cuervo and night home alone? The May playlist is all over the map so strap in, strap on, and let’s ride this train off the rails.

Top 5 from May 2020:

Komplicerad - Miss Li Rain On Me - Gaga and Ariana Savage (Major Lazer Remix) - Megan Thee Stallion and Major Lazer Anaphylaxis - PUP Promises - Cynema

#Monthly Playlist #music #Miss Li #Rain On Me #Megan Thee Stallion #PUP #Cynema

[mrbigboysays]

Songs That Whip Ass: Highwayman by The Highwaymen

First things first: naming your band after your lead single is powerful. It’s confident. It’s extremely funny to me. Second: I fucking love a super group. It’s a total gimmick and every time, I’m the dumb idiot first in line to get the album and tell everyone how cool it is these legends have figured out another way to take my money. I know my role. It’s comfortable. This is who I am and I won’t apologize for that.

Each of these beautiful bastards take a verse and sings about an outlaw who’s been reincarnated from Robin Hood times into the distant future. Yes, hun, this is conceptual and we support cowboy sci-fi in my house. The production is extremely ‘80s country which turns my dials in a way I can’t even describe without veering into filth. I guess this is what some of you lunatics who like whispering or chewing ASMR feel? That hollowy reverb setting the tone at the beginning? Play that before I enter any room. FEEL what I FEEL.

The tune is also 3 minutes and 3 seconds so they fully knew what they were doing in terms of making a radio hit. I can’t imagine this any longer. Storytelling songs can either be 3 minutes like this - catchy and succinct - or they have to be at least 7 minutes like the story of the Hurricane. Oh, the Highwaymen also don’t sing together on this except for a “I’ll be back again and again and again” refrain? Wonderful stuff. Let every man shine and not lift his brother up. Johnny Cash sings, “I’ll fly a starship across the universe divide”! He didn’t know the song was about reincarnation! He was just there to get a cheque! An icon!

#30 Days 30 Songs #the highwaymen #country music #music

[mrbigboysays]

Songs That Whip Ass: Love Overboard - Gladys Knight and The Pips

Glady Knight is in my Top 5 All-Time Divas without question. She’s the Empress of Soul. A personal style icon. Had hits in every decade since the ‘60s. Plus her guest spot on A Different World where she invented walking down a staircase while singing Love Overboard is signed, sealed and delivered in my brain forever. The late ‘80s were a hot time for singers like Gladys, Patti Labelle, and Aretha to update their sound with synths and pop production. And thank Christ they did. I love a the rich sound of a full backing band from the Motown and funk eras but I also love a smooth, soulful pop song that I can feel in my bones. Even Diana Ross dipped a toe into ‘80s R&B and New Jack Swing production and she is no damn stranger to dance music. 

Gladys’ Love Overboard is a SEXY song. I know, I have only two forms of expression when I listen to music: I either want to make-out with everyone, or abandon my life and drive into the horizon to start fresh. I’m at peace with that. I’ll stick to what I know.

#Gladys Knight and The Pips #music #30 Days 30 Songs

[mrbigboysays]

Songs That Whip Ass: Hidin’ From Love - Bryan Adams

Not once in my 11 awful years on Twitter did I think leaving a spicy reply on a Bryan Adams post would pull me into two hours of notifications and replies ranging from unabashed support to getting called a liberal joker. Not once! What a world!

Forty years ago, Bryan Adams released his debut, self-titled album and the lead track is Hidin’ From Love - one of my all time favourite songs. His voice sounds so young, the lyrics are very endearing, the music is extremely fun and catchy. It’s a banger. I love it so deeply that I’ve never investigated if it was used in TV or movies because I don’t want those visuals to taint my relationship with the song. I first heard it with Trevor while we were taking a taxi to The Fox. The driver turned up the radio and I was like, “Whaaaaaaaaat is this??!” Both of our eyes lit up. I Shazam’d it right away and when we saw it was Bryan Adams we popped. Man, I love the shared experience of music so much. That moment was so pure and it’s etched in my mind forever.

Today, Bryan Adams said something that was pretty rude, had racist connotations, and was just overall messy. A lot of people told me through 280-character tweets that I was dead wrong about what I thought and that Bryan isn’t a racist. Honestly, I don’t think he is either. But I do think what he said was racist even if it was a small part of a larger argument for veganism. I recognize the line from there to here in this is twisty! He didn’t explicitly name a race, ethnicity, group of people, or individual person. It was a blanket statement. Mess! Just a mess! And being careless like that is bad! It allows people who are racist to point to Bryan Adams’ words and say, “Look! This famous rich guy thinks what I think!,” and that’s all some people need to carry on with their very terrible, trashy, usually violent, thoughts. 

I think it’s OK to critique a person you admire and whose work you enjoy. If Bryan Adams doubles down on this, or says some more dumb shit, then I’m gonna think less of him. If it continues after that, I’ll think less and less of him. I won’t be as eager to listen to his music, or share it with people. That blows and that’s pretty privileged position to have as fan who’s white and not feeling the deeper effects of what he said. It’ll be a process at any rate and I’m open to that. I think everyone should be open to taking the L when you’re wrong and learning from it.

But I’ll likely still listen to Hidin’ From Love because it fucking goes hard.

Edited less than 12 hours later: lmao he posted a fake apology so looks like we’re moving on to the second stage of thinking less of him

#30 Days 30 Songs #music #bryan adams

[mrbigboysays]

The Royal is on Granville. It used to be a gay bar, up until maybe 2000?

I’ve heard some stories about that place! The building, I believe, is still there but it’s not a gay bar anymore. Which is a real shame!

[mrbigboysays]

Songs That Whip Ass: Life In a Northern Town - Dream Academy

If there was ever a song that would be the soundtrack to me leaving it all behind this would be it. Sure, the chanting is hypnotic. Romantic, even. The slight reverb on the nostalgia soaked lyrics? Of COURSE there's power in there. A shout out to JFK? I was already hooked but let's fucking go. All of those pieces combined build a classic tune. But baybee, it's the drums. You know which ones I mean. DA DUM. Those ones. With his whiny-ass voice floating on top? These are the drums from a time gone by awakening a primal force inside me and the only way I can silence them is to get in a 1981 Ford Bronco, put on my Ray-Bans, and head for the mountains. Fourteen hours later, I get further into the Interior I've ever been*. And when the road runs out of pavement and all I'm left with is some dirt trails covered in snow, an orange sunset seared into a purple horizon, and nothing around me for miles, I'll have finally quieted the drums. Then I guess, I dunno, I drive back home? Probably. Seems lonely up there.

*Please note at the time of writing this that would be Whistler.

#30 days 30 songs #music #dream academy

[mrbigboysays]

Very Fun and Sexy Playlist: April 2020

I started saving every song that got my nips hard during a particular month into a playlist so I could keep track and also have some solid playlists ready to go for barbecues, pool parties, deck time, or house parties. And I guess since we’re not doing those for a bit, I should share them here with you goblins. I like talking about music! This is cathartic for me!

Top 5 from April 2020:

Don’t Go Changing - Aly & AJ Babasonic - Kornel Korvacs 男と女 - Junko Ohashi I Love My Television - The Rhythm Method Stone Me - Margo Price

#monthly playlist #kornel korvacs #junko ohashi #aly & aj #the rhythm method #margo price #music

[mrbigboysays]

Songs That Whip Ass: You Gonna Want Me - Tiga

This is also the key to unlocking my full party persona. The zenith of my club kid powers. I will act like a fucking maniac while this song plays entering a fugue state where I'm only good for making out with anyone who wants to and wanting to fight anyone who looks at me sideways. I have a full Bloodsport fight scene choreographed in my head to this song and we all have mullets. But not nice 80s mullets. Early 2000s electroclash, NYC art school, work at a boutique that only sells ugly deconstructed denim, "I'm on the guestlist," kind of mullet. And it's so fucking hot. Shout out to Jake Shears on the chorus, too! I love Scissor Sisters! I am VERY queer!

#30 days 30 songs #tiga

[mrbigboysays]

Songs That Whip Ass: Give It Up - KC and The Sunshine Band

Oh boy, when Trevor would let this rip at The Fox, it was time to cut loose. If you'd ask me about this song a few years ago, I'd say it was just an 80s movie tune. Like a montage scene leading up to a conflict climax. The boys getting into mischief and scraps, slamming some beers, chasing girls. You know, real guy shit. But dressed in pastels crop-tops and actually pretty gay. But since it became the signal to tear it up at the club, I can only deeply associate it with a classic Vancouver summertime night of Y’alls, shots of Fernet, and dancing with Madam until 5 am. Even the music video is KC and two babes dancing a room with no furniture. An experience all too familiar to me, a nightmare adult who lives in a perpetual state of age 21. I keep this as a not-so-secret weapon for playing music at parties and those who know, know. 

#30 days 30 songs #kc and the sunshine band

[mrbigboysays]

Songs That Whip Ass: 25 or 6 to 4 - Chicago

When I was in college, Chicago was a bad dad band with dumpster music. This is, ,of course, based on only hearing If You Leave Me Now on a compilation album and thinking it was boring as shit. And this was the only it could have been at that time. However, in a shocking turn of events, I fell into a YouTube hole around age 26 looking for - I believe the exact search term was - "hot 70s guys". I guess some of Chicago was hot but I found the song Street Player which is HOT rip. I suppose I was reaching the age of thirty, which is when people who haven’t already realized Steely Dan whips ass are blessed with this insight so Chicago wasn’t a long way to go from there. I watched their doc on Netflix recently and did you know they had a remote ranch where they'd go to jam and record new albums, and would have food, booze, drugs, and hot chicks flown in regularly? I'm sure nothing bad happened and everything was on the up and up. But honestly. Legends. Oh, 25 or 6 to 4 is a wild flex of their musical skill.

#30 days 30 songs #music #Chicago

[mrbigboysays]

Songs That Whip Ass: Emeralds Shatter - Louise Burns

I could have done this on Instagram like everyone else but one thing I miss very much is being obnoxious about music at a bar or house party and giving unsolicited recommendations. Please picture me in a woodland setting with lots of moonlight and horny energy when you listen to me in general, but to this song, specifically. When I listen, I'm nostalgic for something but I'm not sure what? It drives me wild every time. It's likely the smokey synths and if you've seen the iconic video featuring Vancouver drag legends, Carlotta Gurl and Miss M, you'll see that using the word "smokey" proves I'm a hack because there's a lot of smoke machine work happening! Cut to me then directing my own music video in my head where I'm dancing in that good ol' 80's slow-mo like the opening credits to Dirty Dancing. We're at a disgusting club, I make eye contact with a woman who kinda reminds me of Debbie Harry, we share a dance. Two shots of Malibu for flavour. I walk her home and we do a very polite kiss. She leaves me outside. Waves from her window. We never see each other again. I hate to be vulnerable on main but that's what I see! I'm pathetic! I walked home with a huge boner!

#30 days 30 songs #music #louise burns

[mrbigboysays]

I ranked The Strokes albums according to my very specific rubric

1. Room On Fire The best hands down. They made Is This It and then were like, "OK what if we put some fuckin’ seasoning on that bird, mate?" It kicks off with What Ever Happened? which has a nice lil' arpeggiated riff that's instantly streets ahead of any rhythm guitar on the first album. I listen to this album and I'm like, "Oh tight," in both the this-is-dope sense and the this-album-is-a-total-package sense.

Top 3 Tunes: 12:51 Meet Me In The Bathroom The End Has No End

2. First Impressions of Earth What's better than a killer sophmore album? Getting absolutely blitzed and shitty for your third release. A lot of this sounds like a big FUCK YOU to anyone listening and I have to respect it. They might not be using GarageBand but they do have audacity. It’s unhinged and frenetic, and I will be the first one to say a lot of The Strokes tunes can have a similar sound but this always hit different. Angry, boozy, horny. Wonderful stuff.

Top 3 Tunes: Vision of Division Electricityscape Ize of the World

3. Is This It Yeah, we made it, friends. The first album. It blows my mind it was delivered in 2001. In my big brain, I associate that time strongly to pop music but now that I say this out loud yeah, of course, that's why this sent us all flying. Just some nasty, filthy tunes that convinced all of us we could start a band. I was briefly in one in high school and we covered Last Nite to the surprise of no one! I admire the album and its power to ignite some interest within me of in living in New York City. A moment of weakness I won't take lightly or forget. Just awful.

Top 3 Tunes: Last Nite Alone, Together Hard To Explain

4. The New Abnormal Wow, the new album! The taste is obviously fresh in my mouth so that could play a role in my decision. BUT. It's really good. It's got a hint of Bruce Springsteen nostalgia that immediately roped me. The opening crash chords of Bad Decisions teleport me directly to a dorm party with Born To Run just cranked to an obnoxious level. I might also be smitten because it reminds me of the best parts of Is This It and Room On Fire, but tuned to my just-shy-of-35-years-old ears. It makes me want to get high and party until 5am which, admittedly, isn't difficult to convince me of but playing this album would seal the deal.

Top 3 Tunes: Bad Decisions Selfless Why Are Sundays So Depressing

5. Comedown Machine I hope you like blanket statements because I've got something to say: This is The Strokes toying with the idea electronic music. It's not on every song. It's not even that prevalent. I'm almost talking myself out of this claim as we speak and yet in my heart, my bones, I know that I'm right. And I will continue to be right as the debate goes on. This is a call out post. Every song has a pervasive feeling of the boys listening to too much Brian Eno and being sad -- not a bad thing! Have a taste and tell me I'm wrong.

Top 3 Tunes: Happy Ending 80's Comedown Machine Slow Animals

6. Angles I won't be taking any questions here. It's a fine album. A decent return to form. At the time, they hadn't put anything out in more than five years so that's a nice treat for the heads. 2011 was an odd year for me. I was really exploring dance music and disco so this didn't connect. But who cares about that! No one! If you want to hear about the year (re: 2011) I listened to Avicii, Basshunter, Calvin Harris, and Diana Ross almost exclusively, pull up a chair. I have nothing to lose.

Top 3 Tunes: Under Cover of Darkness Machu Picchu Two Kinds of Happiness

#music #The Strokes

[mrbigboysays]

Kren is not having it with Juanita, henry

#oh y'all wanted a twist #ricki lake realness

[mrbigboysays]

Five Things This Face Mask Feels Like

Pushing my face into a field of nettles after Sunday Mass

Having 1,000 Lilliputians cut me open and piss in the wounds

That elixir from Death Becomes Her 

The unwelcomed grasp of perceived beauty tightening its grip on my 30-year old skin

A Hall of Fame plaque for a sport no cares about being lacquered before a poorly attended ceremony

#excuse my beauty #lifehacker #style trends #my face

[mrbigboysays]

I learned a lot from David Bowie and I’m better for it

Two weeks ago, Lemmy Kilmister died four days after his 70th birthday. Early this morning, David Bowie died two days after his 69th birthday.

Both men made substantial contributions to the music industry in terms of innovation, aesthetic, mythology, the sale of Class A drugs and, sure, overall sound. And between the two of them, I’ve never experienced such an elastic snap between reactions to the news of their deaths.

To be clear, I’m not using the terms “passing” or “left us”. These men were alive and now they’re dead. The word death — and its permutations — aren’t a dirty word. Both of them used it frequently in their music. Death is the only constant and you’ve got to respect it.

When Lemmy died, I saw a noticeable amount of mourning and grieving online. Mostly from people I wasn’t surprised to learn had loved Motörhead. I don’t turn my nose up at metal, it’s just not a genre that’s ever consistently appealed to me. But Lemmy did his thing and I definitely admire his capacity for Jack Daniels. Make no mistake, we all know booze was a fairly big piece of the pie when looking at what killed him. I’m not romanticizing the booze, but the fact this man, in his own words, kept up with his vices because of “dogged insolence in the face of mounting opposition to the contrary”.

That’s pretty fucking rock and roll.

The posts about Lemmy didn’t really move me and I made a shitty backhanded comment:

No t no shade but did y'all really love Lemmy that much? I know Ace of Spades and Triple H's theme music. That's it.

— Shanda Leer (@itsshandaleer) December 29, 2015

I was genuinely curious if not a little dumbfounded at the grief I saw.

Then I read a tweet late last night that said something like, “NOT DAVID BOWIE TOO!!!!!!” and I didn’t even need to check Google for confirmation. Just reading those words confirmed it because to me, and millions of other people, David Bowie was not something you trifled with. You didn’t fucking play that game.

I actually got texts and DMs from friends telling me the news and asking if I was OK, like David Bowie and I were chums or something. Like I actually knew the man and not just “David Bowie”. The only other time that happened was when Bea Arthur died which speaks to how well some friends know me and how queer I am. I mean, no one’s texting me if/when Jimmy Fallon dies. Maybe Angela Bassett — what I’m saying is the list is thin but fabulous.

Oh no love! you're not alone

You're watching yourself but you're too unfair

You got your head all tangled up but if I could only make you care

Of all the Bowie songs that could have been my introduction, Rock N Roll Suicide was the first. It was late and I was watching some retrospective show on MuchMusic and they played a clip from the Ziggy movie that I happened to catch flipping channels. Those lyrics slapped me in the face like Angela Bassett does to good for nothin bruthas in almost every 90s movie. Then I saw what Ziggy Stardust looked like and after that, I was hooked.

Last night and all through today, I saw an outpouring of grief, memories, gratitude and some of the most earnest posts online I’ve ever seen ever. Seriously. And from a sizeable portion of my friends and people I follow. It feels like David Bowie left an impression on everyone. I can’t imagine what Facebook would’ve been like if we had that when Princess Diana died.

The difference between today and two weeks ago is that I really felt a sense of loss. Like, David Bowie had died and I never got the chance to tell him how I really felt. How he basically shaped my life from 18-years old onward. The unquantifiable inspiration he gave me and, yes, the example he provided for a gay boy who didn’t know who he was or where he was going. A gay boy who just knew he loved makeup, sequins and performing for a live audience. I can recite a litany of drag inspirations but if you asked me then and if you ask me now, the core of it all comes back to David Bowie.

He also won’t know I bought a 3-ring binder from Wal-Mart that had the cover of “Heroes” on it, but I don’t think I’d want him to know that.

After I contributed my posts, I suddenly realized this was what some of Lemmy’s super fans were going through two weeks ago. And then I remember my tweet and I realized I had some fucking nerve.

Did I know David Bowie personally? No. But did I know David Bowie? Yes. I’ve spent countless hours of my life listening to his music, poring over his lyrics, watching and reading interviews, and searching for old photos to save to my David Bowie folder I have on every computer. For a time, my full time job was getting to know David Bowie and what he was all about.

I’ll move on fairly quickly — I think I already have, to be honest. I’ve experienced real loss in my family that’s devastated me and legitimately changed my life. You can’t compare that to anything like the death of an icon that you never even got to see live.

But in David Bowie, I lost a touchstone of my growth from the person I used to be, to the person I want to be.

I can’t end this post with a reference to starmen or ground control, or men who’ve fallen to earth for a short time. It doesn’t speak to my relationship with David Bowie.

All I can say is that I’ve learned a whole hell of lot from David Bowie and I’m better for it.

#David Bowie #rip david bowie #ziggy stardust #icon

[mrbigboysays]

What pushed Jessica over the edge?

#making a murderer #murder she wrote #jessica fletcher #i've wasted my life