The Music

Sympatico MSN has a video for a single from David Usher's new solo album up. I admit, a lot of the time I don't watch his videos. There's often so much in the audio, and he does the same thing with the video so it doubles the amount of information you're trying to absorb. I find them hard to concentrate on.

I watched it anyway. I can't comment on the song -- I'm not sure I could honestly say I heard it -- but the visual is David's manic-ecstatic-agonized performance of Insanity As Creative Process.

Aaaaand he's so pretty. /shallow

(no subject)

Passing along the link to a news story a day after I saw it, because I needed some time to calm down.

Okay.

Imagine that, however close to where you live bars are usually found, there's this one bar. Maybe you've been in a few times with friends, if you're a bar-going person. Maybe you've just passed by it on your way to someplace else.

But now -- now you find out that this bar has just obtained the legally-supported right to turn away anyone who does not fit their clientele. Now, this is not because they have a private membership, no no -- nor is it a case of bouncers not letting in people who aren't hot/rich/important/young/old enough.

No, this bar bans people on the basis of their sexual orientation, and have the state's permission to do so. They are doing this because their supported clientele were made uncomfortable by the presence of people of a different sexuality than their own, which has been on an upswing over the last year, apparently.

Now, I'm wondering how one checks that, exactly. Is there a test you have to pass at the door? Does someone need to vouch for your sexual preferences? What if you're new to the area?

The thing is, it's a gay bar. If this was a bar banning homosexuals, gays would be pissed, it would be a human rights violation, flagrant discrimination, etc. (Oh, and from the sounds of it? Lesbians are also not particularly welcome. I'd be willing to bet they're not necessarily opening their arms to bisexuals, either.)

The reason for the ban has to do with the gay patrons no longer feeling safe, and the straight patrons treating them like animals in a zoo. This would be because of rude straight patrons, and maybe trying to educate them on a little basic etiquette would be better, in my opinion -- besides, from my (admittedly limited) experience of bars and clubs, everyone looks at everyone like they're animals in a zoo -- or meat on display. Or else they just ignore everyone in favour of their friends, maybe play a little pool and listen to the band.

Am I the only one who thinks this is silly? And seriously, how would they check?

The article is here.