Notes on The Internet
Lately, I found it hard to post on social media. I’ll have a silly thought for a tweet or, maybe want to make a video of me twerking to “Silver Springs or, post something I wrote that I think is decent— and I can’t. I think of a few factors:
Will people like this?
Is this funny?
Will someone attractive see this?
Will someone Twitter retweet this and, in turn, make me Twitter famous?
I know! it’s not new— the internet is a kind of not great place for one’s mental health. Honestly, this is the first time that this has happened to me, where I feel negatively impacted by consumption of internet. Being unemployed and locking myself away to write and chat with friends and the ongoing pandemic— these things are changing the way I consume media, particularly everyone’s lovely pictures at beaches with friends or newsletters or very entertaining commentary about any social event the minute that it happens. It’s daunting and hard on the grieving psyche.
But also reflexive in a way. Think about The Circle and persona. I think it’s interesting all the different ways in which Twitter is used to present a kind of persona— there’s sincerity, comedy, sex, social activism and other genres of persona taken by users on Twitter. And each way that is presented creates a secondary way for one to view society and its inhabitants. This layer is often fairly translucent but the longer you look at it, the longer you scroll and like and retweet, the shades of persona darken, creating an almost opaque view.
And yes, irony or whatever because I’m like here’s a newsletter about media, the internet and such but I just want to put out an important reminder to let go of the internet, of Twitter, of Instagram for some moments. Then come back and read the rest of this!
“Not the fracking!”
-Bob The Drag Queen“Of course, to say all things are Camp is not to argue they are simply that.”
-Susan Sontag
I Was Actually Just Born This Way
I was going to listen to the new Olivia Rodrigo album Sour, even though I’m a geriatric millennial (just kidding! 1989, baby!) and I was going to engage in the completely drawn out Gay Twitter Debate about Pride BUT INSTEAD I just listened to Lady Gaga’s Born This Way. Why? Because it’s the tenth anniversary of Gaga’s second studio album that features hits like “Judas,” “Born This Way,” and “You And I.” The album’s titular song is a simple and bland queer anthem that has been credited for the coming out and loving thyselves of many queer bodies across the world. Gaga is responsible for the creation of more gayness in this world. And for that, we are thankful. I mean they gave her the key to West Hollywood— the gayest place on the planet.
Joking aside, this album is a departure from The Fame and The Fame Monster. More predictable pop beats have been replaced with a hard EDM flavor, reverb and lots of Gaga speaking other languages besides English. Also, Born This Way mixes a hard rock aesthetic with Christian iconography. In this combination of elements, Gaga has a created a church of her own. One that pushed Gaga’s pop radio fans who love to dance, the ones who paid homage to her looks and performances, and those who felt like their were sharing an unique language with the artist to a new elastic freedom. You can feel this wild energy in songs like “Bloody Mary” and “Bad Kids” and “Electric Chapel. Gaga wanted to go further. And she wanted her fans to go further in their lives, in their love, with her as an artist.
Go listen to Born This Way and pretend you were born this way. It Gets Better!
Special Season 2 !
SOME SPOILERS: This season they gave Ryan 30-ish minutes per episode. Which is a nice 15 minute upgrade from last season! The comedy is sharper and the characters are exploring wildly in a way that warrants them to be characters we want to hold onto. I do wish that they slowed down a bit but they knew this was the final season (boo!) so I assume they tried to cram as much goodness in as they could. There’s so much more to explore with a queer character with CP, a brown woman in debt, and a single mother looking to find out where her life goes now that her adult son is an adult son. But the show doesn’t disappoint. I mean I did watch it all in one sitting so…
The show’s writing is giving joke on joke on joke while also managing to be sweet and true to life. The most affecting moments in the show are the ones that are so real to life that they hurt a little. Ryan and his new partner have a little bedtime accident (poop). And while Ryan’s character isn’t being the nicest about it, it’s a real thing that happens! Representation Matters! Or a moment where a middle aged mother tries to find her footing again while trying to make her life her own. These moments ring true in a comedy that borders on a the same comedy level as 30 Rock or Broad City.
The real moment of representation is the moment Ryan goes to a group meetup for people with disabilities. The moment is sublimely sweet and endearing, as well as absolutely hilarious and searingly honest. I hope this series shows a lot of what the world is like for a lot of people. Though mostly, I hope this series enlightens the big wigs in Hollywood and Broadway. Because we need more amazing things like this show.
Pop Culture Bites
Patti Lupone Yelling !!
This group of Southern Comforts do group fit checks and reveal their orders at their favorite fast food restaurants. They’ve gained a following for how purely themselves the group decides to be while playing along with the joke of it all!
Okay, I know, digital theatre is not the best thing BUT the creators of the early pandemic classic Circle Jerk is back with a new digital theatre treat called This American Wife, based on their obsession with The Real Housewives franchise. I watched Wednesday! Let’s chat about it! Tickets here!
You should be watching Legendary on HBOMax. It’s a competition Ballroom show. No, not that ballroom! The Paris Is Burning kind of ballroom. The show features incredibly talented queer POC entertainers and… Jameela Jamil. But watch this sickening performance by the House of Tisci.
This is serious: Lee Pace is vaxxed!
nicki minaj being unintentionally funny for 10 minutes and 29 seconds
Get into the queer Black musician serpentwithfeet! Here’s them singing “You Don’t Own Me” (one of my all time favorite songs ever)! Their new album Deacon is a BOP! IT SLAPS!
Bennifer is back, baby!
Let’s Get All-Started!!
There’s another season of Drag Race coming to you via another platform (that I hope you have a subscription to). I’m excited about this cast because we know for a fact it’s about to be some good drama and some even better Untucked moments. We got a highly talented group of very vocal queens. As Jiggly said in her Meet The Queens, you might want to turn down the volume to 5.
My top four is Jiggly Caliente, Yara Sofia, Akeria C. Davenport and and THEE Trinity K. Bonet!
Who are you rooting for?
The Real Housewives of The Real Housewives of
SOME SPOILERS AGAIN:
The theatre troupe Fake Friends, creators of the early pandemic digital theatre hit Circle Jerk, have done it again with their new digital show This American Wife. The show centers three individuals and their obsession with The Real Housewives franchise. This American Wife examines reality and, well, our perception of our lived realities. How do we as media consumers begin to create a type of mimesis IRL via our obsession of reality television?
This makes me think about Tik Tok (surprising no one). Where does the performance of realism, of reality become performance itself? Did that gay never actually have Boba tea? Do Swedish people not know who Da Vinci is? How has your family never heard you sing before, you live upstairs? Is there any way that you can “prank” your boyfriend that many times without him knowing what the fuck you’re doing? What we present as a media persona (my fave word) is often supposed to function as something that others should view as “real.” Often with Tik Toks, it’s in efforts to endear the viewer. But with The Real Housewives and other reality shows, the viewer leans into the artifice of real drama.
Within the show’s exploration of artifice and reality, there is also a great deal of precision— precision among more grounded, realistic moments, the agile camera work and the acting. The visual display is striking as well as complementary to the three players bouncing around a placial estate as they enact famous moments from the franchise. In a meta on meta on meta(?) Gatz-like performance, the players weave and meld and combine iconic moments by the women of Real Housewives into a circus of pop culture callbacks. When a line from your favorite Housewife hits your ears, you can’t help to laugh at the players’ attempts to give you something familiar but in slightly new way.
And as we do in theatre, the line of realism, veracity, truthfulness is blurred as the actors “improv” a kind of Real Housewives confessional/reunion event in the penultimate section of the piece. It seems the characters aren’t characters but themselves; Patrick, Jakeem and Michael. As we watch them talk with a “producer” and field live questions from Twitter, we understand that this play at realism is in fact another display of forged reality.
In the revelatory moment of This American Wife, the black player (Jakeem Dante Powell) exits the front door of the mansion while crying. The cries turn into laughter before they stop and gives the camera one last knowing grin as the doors shut to our Real Housewife fantasy. How are we viewing a perceived reality? What lines are stitched up so that we can’t see through the veil? And in turn, become participants. There is much more to seek in the analysis of this piece but above that This American Wife is taking the digital form and giving us something new and exciting to watch.
The Twinks Are Twerking!
Everyone was a little mad about Lil’ Nas X slight working on the devil. Now, he’s getting licked on SNL for millions to see. And Troye Sivan is in thongs and showing cheeks on main! Olly Alexander of Years and Years is slinging his way across every stage in pajamas like a damn British queen. The music industry’s twinks are out of control! No, no, no jk. They’re doing good work. Not for the very first time in history, but recently as the country’s conservatism fluctuates upwards, these queens are giving body, sex and desire in the mainstream arena. In their music, moves, and aesthetics, they’re giving more and more. Whether it be with their physical bodies or the physicality of their bodies, queer artists are putting their desire at the forefront.
Sex and desire in music isn’t new. What I mean is I haven’t seen a gay Black man get licked on national TV before smacking a dancer’s ass. Have you?
Anyway, go support queer music artist!
Lastly,
I’ll never stop thinking about these tweets. Samwise deserves better!
Ok, until next week! I went to the beach last week. Now, I’m headed off to Austin, TX for respite. And a faux writing retreat. Should I get some more tattoos while I’m down there?