I hope everyone's Memorial Day is off to a happy and safe start. Let's not forget that this isn't just "Monday BBQ Day," but a chance to remember those who died in service of keeping this country what it is, whatever you consider it to be.
I'd also like to take the chance to remember a fallen hero of mine, Robin Gibb, albeit a week late (I've not had a lot of time to just sit and write since then, busy week). No, he's not American, and he wasn't in the military, but he meant a lot to me. As a child born in the 70s, the Bee Gees made some of the first music with which I fell in love. As a youngster, it was easy to dance to the likes of "Jive Talkin'," "Night Fever," and "Stayin' Alive." Maybe I didn't understand the context of the songs, but I knew they had a great beat and I liked bopping around to them. Even after their career-peak of the 70s, I continued to appreciate their music, and began to discover the music they wrote well before the disco era began. It began to occur to me that they were much more than just a funky beat with a high falsetto. With songs like "New York Mining Disaster, 1941," "I Started A Joke," and "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart," I saw that they could write a song of just about any style. And in the 80s, they even had a huge hit that they never recorded in "Islands In The Stream" sung by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
By the time their album One came out in 1989, they were considered well past their prime. But that didn't stop me from saying yes when my dad asked if I wanted to see them live in concert at the now defunct Poplar Creek Music Theater in July of that year. When we got to Poplar that night, it was apparent that there weren't too many kids my age at the venue, and most looked like they were there under duress. I couldn't have been happier to be there. And, unlike them, I had a chance to go meet them after the show thanks to my father's having worked for the label for which they recorded at that time. I'd gone through this drill before and met several musical celebrities, so I knew the drill: go backstage, hand them something to autograph, tell them you liked the show, and move along so that others could talk to them. I was so wrong about what was about to happen.
There had to be about 20 of us in the backstage hospitality room waiting for the Brothers Gibb to arrive after what I remember to be about a 2-hour show. They had to be tired, right? They had to want to get in and get out, right? Wrong. They walked in the room, and the first thing I remember is Barry Gibb seeing my father and recognizing him right off the bat, having been stuck in an elevator together about 10 years earlier (that's right, my dad's job involved his sometimes just being stuck in an elevator with rock stars for 45 minutes shooting the breeze, although I'm sure he didn't plan the mechanical malfunction). And just after saying hello to a couple of people in the room, twins Maurice and Robin saw that there was a younger chap in the room, and made a bee-line right to me. Perhaps it was a schmoozing the next generation thing, but I'd like to think it was more than that. What followed was one of the coolest experiences of my life.
It was like nobody else in the room mattered. They sat me down at one of the tables and just started to talk to me like they'd known me all my life. Maurice was a huge baseball fan, and Robin was just starting to appreciate the sport. They were living in Miami, and there had been a rumor that they were about to get a team down there (now the Marlins). They talked to me about my love for the Cubs, and asked if I ever thought they'd end up finally winning the World Series. I said "of course they will!" Ah, the naivety of youth.
Robin asked me what kind of music I was into, "and you don't have to say us, it's okay." The truth was, though, I WAS into them, and didn't mind telling them that. I mentioned how I was a big fan of Prince, and Robin told me how he was also a huge fan, being a huge fan of the album Sign O' The Times that had just been released a couple of years earlier. "There's so much on that album, and not just because it's a double. It's a tour de force." I mentioned Tears For Fears being on my radar, and I remember Maurice saying that he liked their music, but when they had met TFF that they were kind of aloof. Conversation actually got down to what I'd been doing that summer, and what my plans were before school was to start up again. We were sitting there talking for close to 45 minutes about, really, everything. I remember Robin asking "you get good grades, kid?" and "you like to sing?" Thankfully, I was able to answer yes to both questions.
Other people from the record label would come up and say hello, and the twins would pretty much give them the standard "nice to see you" with this attitude of "look, don't you see we're busy in conversation, here?" It was awesome. I was sort of an outcast in school (king of the outcasts, if you will, sort of an ambassador to the cooler kids at times), and the fact that these 2 musical legends wanted to sit and talk to me was one of the bigger thrills of my life. It didn't matter that I was the son of a guy who was an executive at their label, it didn't matter that other label employees wanted to talk to them. They wanted to talk to me. Paul Simon didn't want to talk to me all that much. Peter Gabriel was a downright prick when I met him. Don't even get me started about Linda Ronstadt. Maybe the Twins Gibb didn't remember the experience even a week after it happened, but I've held onto that night for the rest of these almost 23 years.
I was at the airport ready to fly to San Francisco with my ex when I heard about the premature death of Maurice in 2003, and I honestly didn't have time to react to it as I was too excited about my pending trip. I happened to be at home last week when the news about Robin broke. It wasn't even a surprise, as he'd been ill on and off for the better part of two years. That didn't stop me from having a completely emotional reaction. I put on their 1997 song "Alone" (ironically thinking that could describe Barry in the whole scheme of things) and began to cry like I was a little boy again. Perhaps it was out of sadness for the loss of such a musical genius. Perhaps it was a feeling that part of my childhood had just died. What I do know is that it hit home that there's a period in my life, and the lives of so many others that had ended, as with Barry being the only Bee Gee left, there's really no shot at a reunion (let's face it, we're just an accidental meeting of Paul and Ringo at an Arthur Treacher's Fish n Chips in England away from a possible "Beatles Reunion," as hollow as that would ring). These folks from the musical past are all going to start dropping now, and that's a sad thought.
Over time, this broken heart will mend.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Let's Pretend We're Married
First of all, the name of this week's post is a Prince song title, I'm not asking you for your fake hand in marriage; however, I will entertain offers. I will always entertain offers. However, I will tell you this: it better be a spectacular ring, and you'd better not propose at a restaurant with a candle on the table. So 20th Century.
Did anything happen in the gay marriage front this week? I hadn't heard anything of any significance. Oh, yeah, the current Presidential Administration came out in support of the idea of gay folk like me having the ability to get married. And boy, did it set off some serious debate. Even some Republican advisers are now telling their party-mates that it's time to "evolve" (I love the use of that word, btw) and get on the right side of history. I'm fairly pleased with what the President had to say, but we need to remember a couple of things.
One, all he did was say something. There was no instant mandate, and while a conversation with my mother the night regarding the announcement started with her saying "So, are you married yet," it's still not something I can do here in Illinois (although I can have a Civil Union in about 3 weeks here). We've still got a lot of work to do to ensure our civil rights are finally realized. But let's face facts, it's a very important step. It's akin to the first time a major political figure said that African Americans and Caucasian Americans should be able to marry, and even then it took "a few minutes" to get that realized in many states. But the fact that our very own President is now coming out (pun intended) in favor of marriage equality is a huge step in this nation, and a step he didn't take lightly. Sure, maybe Joe Biden sped up the process, but let's face facts, is that such a bad thing? The Veep is commonly chided for running off at the mouth and having his statements get him into trouble. As far as this blogger is concerned, it finally worked to someone's advantage.
Also, I'd like to address my gay brethren who say "he should've done this sooner," and those who have complained that he hasn't done enough to address gay rights in America. I'd like to touch on this on a couple of levels. Let's not forget that a Presidential term is 4 years, and that there's a lot of priorities that any President has on his (and someday, her) agenda, especially this one. Not sure if you've noticed, but the economy has been a complete dumpster fire in recent years, and he's had to do his best to figure out -with the help of advisers- what the heck to do about that. The war in Iraq wasn't just going to end itself, folks; same with figuring out when to end major operations in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden? Yeah, not sure if it matters, but he also wasn't just going to walk up to ally troops, kneel down on the ground and say "look, if you shoot me right in the temple, I'll be dead pretty quickly." And whether you agree with his health care plan or not, he's the first guy in office to get anything done in that regard. Anything. The POTUS has had a great deal of fruits and vegetables on his plates, and just because it took him a few minutes to get to the fruits (again, pun intended) doesn't mean he doesn't care about our plight. He'd already gotten rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Swish" from the US Military policy, making it legal for gays and lesbians to openly serve in the Armed Forces. Do you think he would've fought for that if he didn't believe that it was our right?
Sure, maybe it's a political tactic. Maybe he's doing this right before an election to help ensure our vote. But let me ask you something: wouldn't you rather he did it now than not at all? And let's face facts, this isn't exactly a slam dunk to his re-election. Not sure if you've ever noticed, but old people still vote in the largest numbers. Side note, the percentage of voters in an age group can be tied to the first digit in their age. Traditionally speaking, 90% of those folks in their 90s vote, 60% of those folks in their 60s vote, etc. Do you think that a lot of folks between 70-100 years old who grew up in a time without Ellen, Will & Grace, and RuPaul's Drag Race are really going to be pleased with this announcement? How about the supposed "Reagan Democrats" out there who might be on the fence between Obama and Romney right now, as well as folks who consider themselves highly religious? It's not exactly what they wanted to hear, making this -while calculated- a very risky move on his part.
It might bring down his chances to be re-elected. And if it does, I will hold a major amount of respect for the President. If he goes down, he's going down on his terms, and swinging at a pitch instead of letting it go over the plate waiting for the electorate and the talking heads to call it a ball or strike. He's not just licking his finger and putting it up to the air to see which way the wind is blowing. He's blowing the wind himself. I may not agree with everything he's done while in office, but the sheer fact of the matter is, he's tried to get things done. And again, he's done these things within one term, even if it wasn't all within the first 100 days in office like some folks would've wanted. You can't really ask for more than that... except my hand in marriage. I'm still waiting, people! ;)
To end on a different topic, I said last time that we'd probably be discussing the death of Bee Gee Robin Gibb. Shortly after that post, he woke up from his coma, so we thankfully get to postpone that conversation to another time. I was going to possibly talk about the suicide of Junior Seau from the NFL, or the untimely death of the Beastie Boys' Adam "MCA" Yauch, but I wanted to keep today's message positive, so let's just say that both deaths were tragedies for their own reasons, and that I hope they rest in peace.
See you soon, maybe even while we exchange vows!
Did anything happen in the gay marriage front this week? I hadn't heard anything of any significance. Oh, yeah, the current Presidential Administration came out in support of the idea of gay folk like me having the ability to get married. And boy, did it set off some serious debate. Even some Republican advisers are now telling their party-mates that it's time to "evolve" (I love the use of that word, btw) and get on the right side of history. I'm fairly pleased with what the President had to say, but we need to remember a couple of things.
One, all he did was say something. There was no instant mandate, and while a conversation with my mother the night regarding the announcement started with her saying "So, are you married yet," it's still not something I can do here in Illinois (although I can have a Civil Union in about 3 weeks here). We've still got a lot of work to do to ensure our civil rights are finally realized. But let's face facts, it's a very important step. It's akin to the first time a major political figure said that African Americans and Caucasian Americans should be able to marry, and even then it took "a few minutes" to get that realized in many states. But the fact that our very own President is now coming out (pun intended) in favor of marriage equality is a huge step in this nation, and a step he didn't take lightly. Sure, maybe Joe Biden sped up the process, but let's face facts, is that such a bad thing? The Veep is commonly chided for running off at the mouth and having his statements get him into trouble. As far as this blogger is concerned, it finally worked to someone's advantage.
Also, I'd like to address my gay brethren who say "he should've done this sooner," and those who have complained that he hasn't done enough to address gay rights in America. I'd like to touch on this on a couple of levels. Let's not forget that a Presidential term is 4 years, and that there's a lot of priorities that any President has on his (and someday, her) agenda, especially this one. Not sure if you've noticed, but the economy has been a complete dumpster fire in recent years, and he's had to do his best to figure out -with the help of advisers- what the heck to do about that. The war in Iraq wasn't just going to end itself, folks; same with figuring out when to end major operations in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden? Yeah, not sure if it matters, but he also wasn't just going to walk up to ally troops, kneel down on the ground and say "look, if you shoot me right in the temple, I'll be dead pretty quickly." And whether you agree with his health care plan or not, he's the first guy in office to get anything done in that regard. Anything. The POTUS has had a great deal of fruits and vegetables on his plates, and just because it took him a few minutes to get to the fruits (again, pun intended) doesn't mean he doesn't care about our plight. He'd already gotten rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Swish" from the US Military policy, making it legal for gays and lesbians to openly serve in the Armed Forces. Do you think he would've fought for that if he didn't believe that it was our right?
Sure, maybe it's a political tactic. Maybe he's doing this right before an election to help ensure our vote. But let me ask you something: wouldn't you rather he did it now than not at all? And let's face facts, this isn't exactly a slam dunk to his re-election. Not sure if you've ever noticed, but old people still vote in the largest numbers. Side note, the percentage of voters in an age group can be tied to the first digit in their age. Traditionally speaking, 90% of those folks in their 90s vote, 60% of those folks in their 60s vote, etc. Do you think that a lot of folks between 70-100 years old who grew up in a time without Ellen, Will & Grace, and RuPaul's Drag Race are really going to be pleased with this announcement? How about the supposed "Reagan Democrats" out there who might be on the fence between Obama and Romney right now, as well as folks who consider themselves highly religious? It's not exactly what they wanted to hear, making this -while calculated- a very risky move on his part.
It might bring down his chances to be re-elected. And if it does, I will hold a major amount of respect for the President. If he goes down, he's going down on his terms, and swinging at a pitch instead of letting it go over the plate waiting for the electorate and the talking heads to call it a ball or strike. He's not just licking his finger and putting it up to the air to see which way the wind is blowing. He's blowing the wind himself. I may not agree with everything he's done while in office, but the sheer fact of the matter is, he's tried to get things done. And again, he's done these things within one term, even if it wasn't all within the first 100 days in office like some folks would've wanted. You can't really ask for more than that... except my hand in marriage. I'm still waiting, people! ;)
To end on a different topic, I said last time that we'd probably be discussing the death of Bee Gee Robin Gibb. Shortly after that post, he woke up from his coma, so we thankfully get to postpone that conversation to another time. I was going to possibly talk about the suicide of Junior Seau from the NFL, or the untimely death of the Beastie Boys' Adam "MCA" Yauch, but I wanted to keep today's message positive, so let's just say that both deaths were tragedies for their own reasons, and that I hope they rest in peace.
See you soon, maybe even while we exchange vows!
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