3 weeks ago
Tom Gabel of Against Me Comes Out as Transgender | Music News | Rolling Stone «
This is really interesting news. I’ve been hearing about it for the past couple of days because I did really like AM!’s earlier stuff. They are still a great punk band!
Opinion time though: She’s an adult and I know these are things that are mulled over for many, many years. You should definitely start living the life you want. However, I wonder if these changes will really make her happy. And I feel this way about many people who go through the transitioning process.
I often wonder why sometimes people, even those with open minds like myself, can’t simply ask if this a form of mental illness without appearing trans-phobic? Gender dysphoria is being discontent with your biological sex and I often feel the change is just another form of body modification. There are a lot of feelings you have about yourself physically that you are not happy with. And if you harped on them, I’m sure it could become an unhealthy obsession. It could lead you to do something drastic rather than be happy with yourself or do small things that make a difference.
Then again, I was having a conversation with my friend about autism a week ago, and we discussed how there are disabilities and/or mental illnesses that don’t hurt anyone. There are ways that people live their lives or choose to live their lives that can tear families apart or that can do physical and mental harm to the person. I don’t see this as harmful though.
If Tom’s wife was prepared for this at the beginning of their marriage and if the process doesn’t make Tom selfish where he can’t give back support to his child, his friends, his band, etc, then this is fine. I can support this decision. But I know the process will be difficult and I hope all the people around him are ready.
I think the most interesting part of this is how the punk community reacts. It’s a scene that is often depicted as open minded but it can be just as racist, sexist, and homophobic as your ordinary rock band. This great article put out after the death of Poly Styrene kind of explains how the scene was in the 70s and you can bet that the scene in some aspects still remains the same. The punk scene is still trying to change, is still growing. It’s not dead. It just has a lot more diversity; the sound and the people involved in it. And I think Tom’s decision to share this news just opens the scene up further.
UPDATE: I think I lost 1 follower after I posted my opinion. I stand by it but I don’t blame anyone who’s upset by it. Too many people care what other people on the internet think and folks will “reblog” and/or “like” something without researching it themselves. I don’t claim to know everything but I’ve looked into the transitioning process a lot and sometimes it seems just as bad as Black person wanting to bleach their skin or a Jewish person wanting a nose job. It’s something that seems cosmetic and just on the surface. And that bothers me the most. I just wish more people could be happy with themselves. It’s not easy to wake up one morning and just love yourself but it’s a worthwhile journey.
3 months ago
This is a good mix, y’all. Let’s dance!
(via The Mix: Ari Up, The Slits And The Women Of Post-Punk : NPR)
10 months ago
Denver via Instagram. The fest was so good. I feel enlightened! Even if I did get sick :(
11 months ago
Serious Musings about Pop Music
It’s official, I really like this song. And I honestly dig kids with this kind of style. At first, I was hatin’ but it takes a lot of confidence to wear those crazy colors. Not for me, but I have to say I’m kind of glad someone is rocking it.
Yes, I do hate turning on the radio and everything sounds like 1990s Ibiza club music (Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World”, Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything” Kesha’s “We R Who We R”, etc, etc). It gets annoying and it’s a really crazy fad. But you know, there are always going to be kids who are going to want to dance. I don’t know how popular freestyle music was elsewhere in the country, but growing up, it was really popular in San Antonio. Songs like this really defined a childhood in San Antonio I think.
So there is a reason for me to get over the Kesha’s, the constant 808s, and the electro hop and just embrace it. I mean, I don’t have to like all of it. I’m just finally getting a better understanding of it and whatever gets people moving is great. It can become overwhelmingly irritating and soon people will be over it and onto the next. But for now, it’s fun and I’m going to enjoy it.
This is an ongoing project I’m going to try to work on. I’ve been wanting to do more breakdowns of why I enjoy pop music because I’m constantly around friends who are super indie rock, underground punk, and straight rock and roll people and most don’t seem to understand the fun in it. I’m a huge fan of soul and indie dance punk bands the most, so I fit in well with this current scene. That is, until I start blaring the Rihanna. So after writing a bit of a rebuttal to some user saying everyone is copying Lady Gaga here and then writing another response to a comment she left me here further explaining my opinion about my love for music about a year ago, I’ve been itching to write some more about the topic. I’m just so tired of people saying there isn’t any good music anymore and I’m tired of people not just having good fun when they listen to a song. I’ve gone from Janet Jackson to NSYNC to Senses Fail to We Are Scientists to Janelle Monae in big leaping steps. There aren’t many artists that I used to listen to and don’t like to listen to now. Yeah, you grow up in music but feelings about songs and albums don’t change drastically. You may have a laugh about it now, but it still conjures up something. And I love that about music. Here’s to talking and writing more about it!
1 year ago
When I was younger, for some reason I did not like all-girl rock bands. I liked 60s girl groups and a lot of solo female acts but there was something about every girl band I came across that ended up irritating me. Maybe because they tried too hard or, with girls as the lead of an all-guys band, they thought they had to be super tough or super sexy to be taken seriously. They couldn’t just be themselves and it was a weird thing to see especially within punk music. But then my buddy Leya introduced me to The Slits as well as other groups with ladies in them (X-Ray Spex, Elastica, Thee Headcoatees), and I knew that great girl bands exist. All I had to do was search deeper. Since then I’ve found out about New Bloods, Land of Talk, Delta 5 and others on my own.
I say all this because I’m sure Ari Up was an inspiration to or was in the same league as many of these bands. She had her own special kind of energy and it is something I wish I could have experienced live. Alas, she has passed at the young age of 48 on this day. I think listening to music like The Slits always made me wish that I was a young person during that time, living in London or New York because it always felt like that was a time where big things were happening. But I listen to this music today and compare it to what’s out there and remember that big things are always happening, and not just in big cities. People will always have something to say through music. I guess I listen to “Typical Girls” and think it’s an anthem for a movement. But these anthems are being made everyday. I think Ari Up is a key figure in making that happen.
Celebrity deaths are like any other deaths really. It’s very sad but it happens and there is no curse going around. Death just happens. But when you see and experience someone who makes art for a living, you know a part of them lives on. And I think it’s nice to stop and take a listen to what they dedicated themselves to. It gives you some sort of hope that this can and will always continue. R.I.P. Ari Up. Thanks for the tunes!
2 years ago
So there was a movie made about The Runaways, eh? I’m going to have to say my idea of real ladies of rock would be Julz Sale from Delta 5, Poly Styrene from X-Ray Spex, and I cannot forget Ari Up from The Slits. But hey, what do I know? I just like a funky punk beat. Cherry Bomb sounds a little too cute to me. *blech!*
