Let's start with me admitting I was a blubbering mess watching this, but so was Keith Urban and half the audience. I can make logical arguments as to why this was extremely significant for the gay rights movement - a rapper, with a global reach and international audience, gave his airtime to use contemporary music as a vehicle for change, nothing about it seemed token, it wasn't over the top, etc. etc. - but it's mostly that watching it gave me this feeling we're going to win. There is no turning back now. Change has come. I rarely think mainstream art leads. Instead, I usually find when it's picked up in the mainstream, we have arrived. Okay, I'm off to re-watch it 500 times.
27 January 2014
The Best 7 Minutes Of Your Day
Let's start with me admitting I was a blubbering mess watching this, but so was Keith Urban and half the audience. I can make logical arguments as to why this was extremely significant for the gay rights movement - a rapper, with a global reach and international audience, gave his airtime to use contemporary music as a vehicle for change, nothing about it seemed token, it wasn't over the top, etc. etc. - but it's mostly that watching it gave me this feeling we're going to win. There is no turning back now. Change has come. I rarely think mainstream art leads. Instead, I usually find when it's picked up in the mainstream, we have arrived. Okay, I'm off to re-watch it 500 times.
13 January 2014
A Case of the Mondays
I've given writing this blog a go several times in the last six months and never seemed to be able to stick with it. I couldn't figure out why. Was there nothing interesting to say? Was there no political commentary to be made? Had I lost my comedic streak? Was I just not "seeing" the world anymore the way I used to? One major impediment is that I can't write about work for obvious reasons (politics and all). The other reason, I only just realized, is that the rest of my life is fairly boring. By fairly boring I mean, for me, really boring. The most exciting thing that happened to me today was getting an amazing deal on fresh ready-made deals at the supermarket.
I do believe I have a low threshold for boredom. If I'm not being pulled in 3 different directions, learning something totally new, consuming news in real time, watching a TV show, and planning my weekend while on a moving train, plane, or bus I generally feel bored. This is my reality.
As it's a new year, I'm recommitting myself to beating the bored out of me. It may take some time, as waking up and having your first thought be when you can next get into bed is still somewhat appealing. Also, it doesn't get light until 8am so it's not the most inspiring situation in the AM hours. But hey, I know that's a load of excuses. While I scheme, at least I know I'll be eating healthy, in controlled portions, and on a budget, so that's something.
-Kyle Taylor
P.S. This is NOT a New Year resolution. It's just something I'm doing. Resolutions are overrated and hardly ever last. If you want to do something, just do it. Right?