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July 26, 2005
Comments
Um, I never enabled the "comments" feature on this weblog, I suppose because I'm occasionally desperately paranoid and I feared haters would emerge from the web-woodwork. But as of today, anyone reading this can make comments or ask questions or whatever. I'll try to address them as soon as possible.
Posted by at 02:59 AM | Comments (15)
July 22, 2005
Australia; Iran
So much for my history of writing about stuff I like or good things that have been happening in my world. Here's a couple of fucked-up things that are souring my brain tonight.
I've always wanted to travel to Australia. I love koala bears, "Heavenly Creatures", and Ian Thorpe. I know the vast majority of folks down there are friendly, progressive, smart, beautiful. So what's the deal with their government trying to ban MYSTERIOUS SKIN?
Apparently, a federal attorney general and the usual conservative christian blowhards believe that viewing the film could turn someone into a pedophile. Give me a fucking break, you ignorant, lamebrained fools. Here's the quote from the head of the "Australian Family Association": "Being able to get hold legally of a DVD where they can play the scene over and over again, showing the adult baseball coach fellating an 8-year-old boy...could prove very helpful to some pedophiles."
These people have NOT seen our film. They know absolutely NOTHING about the psychology of pedophiles or victims. They also seem to know NOTHING about the psychology of human beings in general.
(Thanks a TON to the various folks from Australia who have sent me supportive emails about the matter. I hope it all gets resolved and you get to see the movie.)
This issue is only in its beginning stages, so I'm sure I'll be reporting more later. If you want to read a little more about this, here are a couple of articles, one from an Aussie paper, and the other from our own big gay ADVOCATE.
(Pictured above: I worship thee, oh Brady Corbet and Gregg Araki; and the wondrous Aussie critic / TV personality / anti-censorship crusader Margaret Pomeranz-- Margaret, I want to meet you someday and kiss your hand.)
Now on to something, and somewhere, far more disturbing.
Say what you will about Andrew Sullivan; sure, I have my opinions about him, too. But I have to credit him, and his website, for alerting me to a story out of Iran this week about two teenage boys who were publicly hanged for being gay. (The link takes you to the Iranian Student News Agency, and has a few tiny pictures of the boys being interviewed, blindfolded, and then prepared for death. Horrifying.)
Fuck. It takes something like this to bring me back from my everyday worries and preoccupations with unnecessary stresses like traffic backups, or insomnia, or humid Boston weather. I have to agree with Sullivan when he says, "Gay Americans seem to me right now to be far too complacent. I'm amazed that we haven't seen more targeting of gay clubs or venues by Islamist fanatics. And I'm saddened that more gay organizations haven't rallied to the war against Muslim religious fanatics."
The story about these boys, along with those sickening photographs, have absolutely churned my stomach and made want to stop every fucking thing I'm doing and make some sort of effort to fight against any fascist regime that would allow this sort of thing happen. I mean, why should writing a book matter when shit like this is happening in our world in 2005? Why should anything matter?
Posted by at 01:07 AM | Comments (6)
July 12, 2005
It Will Appear (Eventually)
This week I've had a cold, an infection to a bite on my leg, and a bloody stab on my hand when my attempt at plucking out the avocado pit wound up jabbing straight through the fruit and into my palm. (See picture #1 below.)
Plus, I've had to fight the tormenting shame at realizing I really like the Tommy Hilfiger reality show, The Cut. (See picture #2 below-- mmmmmmm, Wes, my favorite contestant.)
However... my mind is eased at last, because I finally sold my third novel to HarperCollins. (Whose new HarperPerennial logo, I think, is really cool-- very 'olive floating in martini' or, perhaps, like the avocado with pit that my knifestab missed. See picture #3 above.)
Anyway, that's the good news I hinted at in the last email. Now I can be assured that WE DISAPPEAR won't, um, disappear. I have to finish before the end of winter, which shouldn't be a problem as I've been writing feverishly. However, if in the near future you wonder why I haven't been emailing back, the reason will hopefully be that I'm working.
I've always loved 80's synthpop, and I really like the moodier, darker contemporary electronic bands, so lately I've been listening to a lot of CDs that combine those styles. Here are some things I've really liked recently that fit into this category:
(above, L to R) Junior Boys, "Last Exit"; Jori Hulkkonen, "Dualizm"; Kiln, "Sunbox" ep; Neulander, "Smoke & Fire"; and Solvent, "Apples + Synthesizers".
Mysterious Skin is still slowly moving around the US. I'll be in New Haven at their Criterion Cinemas on Friday, July 22nd, doing the Q&A for the premiere of the movie there.
Also, the MSKIN novel, which was never published in France, is finally coming out in October there. I've never been to France, so I'm thrilled that my publisher, Au Diable Vauvert, is bringing me over.
Dear lovers of vinyl LPs and/or bad art design-- I realize this page has been floating around for ages, but it's always good for a hearty laugh. And as an added bonus, there are more!
Posted by at 01:10 AM | Comments (0)
