Rod McKuen: 1933-2015

In 1969 Frank Sinatra released A Man Alone, an album written for him by Rod McKuen.
No idea if Ol' Blue Eyes realised but it's clearly a sequence of songs about being an aging queen.
Heart smashing stuff.
One of my favourite albums.
x

Fagburn: Thank You

Touched by people that have been in touch.

Sorry for the queeny flounce.

Life's been a bit weird since Christmas.

Getting it back together now, and shall be back being rude and taking the piss out of the wonderful world of gay very soon.

love

Richard
x

Fagburn: Goodbye

Fagburn: On

  'The greatest living poet' Bob Dylan.

Fagburn: Current Mood

Fagburn has been going through what they call a 'rocky patch', but it seems to be sorted, and he will return to Fagburn duties soon. x

Suicide: Keep Your Dreams

This is my favourite song.
Oh yes, my favourite song,
I hope you love it, too. x

Fagburn: Current Mood

'And love is a thing that can never go wrong...'

Not The Book Of The Month: Chasing The Scream

A book about drugs by a dweep who hasn't taken drugs?

Sign me up!

Polari: The Lost Language Of Omi Polones

Some gay people – men in particular – did indeed used to speak their own language. Of sorts. It was less a language and more of a cant – a coded lexicon used exclusively to avoid detection by unwanted outsiders. That could’ve been the police, disapproving conservative society, or simply the group on the table next to you that you were bitching about.

So the short answer is – gay people don’t speak their own language any more. But, in 1960s Britain, gay men in large cities – particularly London – came close to doing so. It’s now archaic because the oppressive conditions which brought it about have, encouragingly, evaporated into equality in Britain. But there’s a move from language lovers like myself to preserve and promote Polari as a kind of linguistic artefact – so the toils, battles, and cheeky, resilient character of those who spoke it are remembered and respected. I particularly enjoy using the Polari app, which gives etymologies and explanations of the full Polari lexicon as far as records exist. Every time you shake your phone, a randomizer flashes up a new Polari word on your screen. Fantabulosa! ...

A guest blog for OxfordWords by Gary Nunn. 

A good piece on a subject that's usually strewn with myths and misunderstandings.

It was slang, not really a 'language', but it wasn't really mainly about a hidden people needing to speak in code, as Nunn suggests. Almost all subcultures develop their own argot...

Cucumber: Gagging On It

There's been such an avalanche of articles about Cucumber in the last week, Fagburn's finding it hard to keep up.

Please bear (bare?) with me... x

Gay School!: SHOCK!!!

A taxpayer-funded youth group has drawn up controversial plans for Britain’s first school for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender pupils.

LGBT Youth North West wants the school to cater for children aged 13 and older who have been bullied and hopes the idea will be copied across the country.

Organisers yesterday denied that the school would become a ‘ghetto’ for gay children and said mainstream schools can be ‘one of the last bastions of homophobia’...

Daily Mail.

Fagburn was dreading reading the news about this, and expecting a load of hysterical misreporting.

'Why oh why do they need their own schools? It's Gay-ria law!' etc.

But no, all newspapers were quite reasonable; excusing their usual trick of talking to an anti-gay bigot for 'balance'. *

Even the Mail could see there may be a need to give temporary shelter to those queer kids who've been excluded from school because their lives have been made hell by extreme homophobic bullying, and the trauma this will cause.

Been rendered speechless for the second time today - by the Daily Mail!

Mind you, wait til Monday when the right-wing columnists get hold of this one...

* The Mail gave much space to Tory MP and former education minister, Tim Loughton; 'I cannot see how segregating a group of young people identified by their sexuality can aid better engagement and understanding.'

Oh Tim, please don't pretend you give a fuck if gay kids live or die.

Here's your voting record on LGBT rights!

Daily Mail: Neanderthal Man

I entreat you not to misunderstand me. It would break my heart if any son of mine felt I was such a bigot that he couldn’t tell me he was gay, or thought that I’d love him any the less for it. I’d also like it on record that I came round long ago to civil partnerships, and I’m a little ashamed of my initial opposition to them.

But as I understand marriage, it’s an institution for child-rearing and mutual support between the sexes, which means the real thing can only be between a man and a woman.

Of course, you’re welcome to say that my views are Neanderthal and don’t matter a damn. But it is surely an incontrovertible fact that many millions share them.

I strongly suspect, too, that some of my other objections to the Fry-Spencer match will have occurred to many, if not most, parents of 27-year-olds.

But here is the truly remarkable thing. In all the copious coverage of the engagement over the past eight days, I’ve detected only two raised eyebrows. One belonged to the Mail’s own, ever-brave Amanda Platell, who drew disapproving attention to the age-gap. The other was a throwaway line from our equally doughty Sarah Vine, who floated the idea that a part of Mr Fry’s appeal to his fiancé may lie in the latter’s showbiz connections.

But no other paper that I’ve read has suggested there’s anything otherwise remarkable about this forthcoming marriage — let alone anything iffy or rum. Nor has anyone attempted to exploit the story for comic potential — odd, surely, since both participants are comedians.

Even the Sun — notorious in the past for such headlines as ‘Pulpit poofters’ on a story about gay vicars — treated the story exactly as it would have done any heterosexual engagement, reporting: ‘Loved-up Stephen Fry is “deeply touched” by the response to our revelations yesterday that he plans to marry toy-boy lover Elliott Spencer.’

Tom Utley in the Daily Mail. 

Textbook stuff, you Neanderthal hate-filled old bigot.

When people come out with crap like this, there really is nothing to say.

Dozy: 1944-2015

Fagburn is sad to hear of the passing of Dozy - of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich fame.

Thanks for this if nothing else. x

PS And for The Fall's cover of your number one hit single, The Legend Of Xanadu, obvs!

Coming Out: It's Twins!

Buzzfeed

1. I wish the virtual media would stop telling me what will melt/break/warm my heart. Can we not decide that for ourselves? Anyway it's clearly code for 'Sentimental twaddle ahoy!'

2. I find it a depressing sign of our culture that people would want to film such a private moment, then put it on their YouTube channel. And if that makes me sound like your granny, so be it!

3. I'll just write 'gay twins' again so I'll get loads of traffic from pervs.

4. What this guy said...

I know it's Buzzfeed and that's what they DO, but am I still supposed to just expect Dad Rejects Gay Son in 2015 https://t.co/Hcb276F49F
— Lauren G (@geeoharee) January 15, 2015

Update: Warning! Beware any gay story the Daily Mail loves.

'But they look such nice Aryan boys...'

Lads: What Are You Like!!?

Analysing the profiles of 3,300 members who describe themselves as 'laddish', YouGov Profiles is able to reveal a portrait of what makes them different to the rest of the population.

The quintessential lad is a young, northern man at the lower end of the income scale. Sports are his defining interest; he prefers dogs by far; and his food tastes are as manly as they come: chips, burgers, bacon sandwiches and fried chicken are the most strongly correlated with British lads.

It’s the attraction to a certain kind of humour, however, that makes the profile ring true. Often accused of passing off offensive jokes as “banter”, the quintessential lad “finds toilet humour quite funny” and describes himself as "funny" and “barmy”. The top scoring negative adjectives used to describe themselves are 'quick-tempered', 'headstrong' and 'confrontational', suggesting that this is a type of person best encountered in a good mood....

The picture wouldn’t be complete without the media, and the statistical profile fits the stereotype with striking accuracy. In print the classic British lad reads the Sun, football magazine FourFourTwo and lads mag Nuts. There could also be some ladettes in the subject group, with gossip magazines Heat and Take a Break scoring highly. In digital, the modern lad follows Rihanna and The Only Way is Essex’s Mark Wright on Twitter, and, of course, his top Facebook page is none other than the Lad Bible...

YouGov. 

Well funny!

Tweet Of The Day: Thunderbirds Are...

Thunderbirds are twink pic.twitter.com/SiDg8pEIen
— Matthew Mulligan (@_mattuna) January 15, 2015

Yes, I know other people saw this picture from the new Thunderbirds TV series and tweeted that they looked a bit gay/camp/queeny/
boyband, but this was done with far greater wit and brevity - so don't write in.

Ellen: Her Real Agenda

Ellen's reply to a Christian Post article last week arguing - some may say rather unconvincingly - that she is part of an avalanche of filth coming from Hollywood to brainwash the kids into thinking queers are normal and nice.

Michael Musto: I'm A Gay Cliché - And That's OK

There have been times when I’ve stood alone in a room emitting witty remarks, as couples and groups giggle and saunter by, and I’ve realized the absolute horror: I am a gay cliché. I am an embodiment of the guy in the corner who spews wisecracks and gains some popularity because he says things to jazz up an otherwise bland night. I am the witty gay.

This wouldn’t be so horrible except for two things. One, the wit may very well be a coping mechanism, as well as an attention-getting device. It’s a way to simultaneously hide and stand out, since witticisms allow you to stay on the outskirts of the central action while achieving some glittery fallout because you dare to be funny. Two, as I’ve mentioned before (witty gays are so repetitive), I’m the perennial witty gay bachelor, even now that you can have an actual wedding and invite loved ones and serve meatballs. In the new milieu of constant gay processions to the altar, I am an old cliché...

Cracking piece in Out by that wonderfully unrepentant old queen, Michael Musto.

Lovely illustration too!

Advertising: Barf-Fest At Tiffany's

It's almost a cliché at this point—that a little girl dreams of opening a Tiffany blue box from her beau when he finally pops the question. But what about the boys who dream of being proposed to by their beaus? 

For the first time, Tiffany & Co. is featuring a gay couple in its latest engagement campaign. (Fun fact: the pair are not models—which, really?!!—but an unnamed, real-life NYC couple.)

"Nowadays, the road to marriage is no longer linear, and true love can happen more than once with love stories coming in a variety of forms," said Linda Buckley, Tiffany & Co. VP of North American PR, in a statement to ELLE.com. "The Tiffany engagement ring is the first sentence of the story that a couple will write together as they create a life that is deeply intimate and exceptional, which is the message we hope to convey through this campaign."

Elle.com. 

The copy in the ad reads; ''Will you promise to never stop completing my sentences or singing off-key, which I’m afraid you do often? And will you let today be the first sentence of one long story that never, ever ends?'

Part of a campaign featuring seven couples - let me know if you see this ad appearing in a non gay mag. 

Or, indeed, anywhere.

Egypt: Let My People Go

“This court finds the defendants innocent ….” That, or more or less that, was all anybody heard the judge say. The courtroom exploded. Lawyers cheered; journalists stood on the benches and joined the cheering; and the families, manhandled outside by the bailiffs before the hearing began, forced their way in through the doors and shoved the policemen aside in return: brothers and fathers shouting to the cameras that their kids were vindicated, black-clad women trilling the zaghrata — the triumphal ululation heard at weddings. It spilled into the halls outside. At one point the families and a few friends stood fists pumping in a circle, chanting “Our sons are men!” And there were cries of “Put Mona Iraqi on trial!” I’ve never seen anything quite like this in attending countless Egyptian trials over the years. We’d never felt anything like this. No one expected it. No one was prepared...

Scott Long writing from Cairo on his excellent blog, A Paper Bird.

Please read on - his blogposts about this case are a powerful, moving document.

I was going to say 'historical document', but as Scott shows, this battle is far from over. 

Canal Street: Killer In The Village?

A sign on Manchester’s Canal Street, which runs along the Rochdale Canal, warns of the “significant risk” of falling into the water.

Glass and metal barriers sit on top of the low stone wall, preventing it from being used as a seat from where you could topple backwards.

The signs are there for a good reason; a total of 61 bodies have been pulled from Greater Manchester’s waterways in just six years.

But, according to an academic at Birmingham University, many of those may not have perished accidentally.

Professor Craig Jackson, head of psychology, claims the death toll is so great that a killer could be on the loose.

“It’s extremely unlikely that such an alarming number of bodies is the result of accidents and suicides,” he argues.

Greater Manchester Police is adamant the deaths are not suspicious, but speculation on Twitter questions if some were pushed, resulting in #ThePusher hashtag...

Helen Carter writing in The Independent.

The way this story is framed - note the photo of Canal Street, the intro, quotes from concerned regulars in the gay village - suggests there may be a serial killer in Manchester targeting gay men.

Most of the bodies were found miles from the Village.

This is just the worst kind of irresponsible sensationalist scare-mongering hack journalism.

The story has been shamelessly lifted from yesterday's Star On Sunday - hardly the most reliable of sources

But this was not Professor Jackson's theory, he was just responding to questions posed by the Star...

Last night, Professor Craig Jackson, head of psychology at Birmingham City University, called the body count “alarming”. He said it was entirely possible a canal killer or “gay slayer” was behind some of the deaths.

The professor told our investigator: “The Daily Star Sunday has uncovered a mystery here...

“Do we have another ‘gay slayer’ like Colin Ireland on the loose? You couldn’t rule it out.” ...

ie It is a vague possibility, yes.

Excepting alien abductions, maybe, almost anything is. 

But he says it's most likely the high bodycount is because a canal is a very good place to dispose of bodies killed.

Sad though, that the Star here shows higher editorial standards than the Independent.

Update: Professor Craig Jackson. Nutty or what? He does seem fun, though. Have asked if I can ask him about all this...

Gay Star News: Supporting Our Troops!

Gay  Star News

Oh the despair, the utter sense of spirit-crushing, soul-destroying mortal despair...

Sam Strike: Out

Sam Strike became an instant hit with EastEnders fans when he arrived as Johnny Carter at Christmas 2013, but his time on Albert Square proved relatively short after the young actor decided to bow out following a one-year stint.

Little has been known about Sam's reasons for leaving until now, but this week he gave Digital Spy a call for an exclusive and refreshingly honest chat about his soap exit and future plans. ...

Johnny made an impact on the fans very quickly thanks to his 'coming out' scene with Mick. Are you proud of the work you did on that?

"Well that's the thing - I'm sure the writers and the people in the office had a lot more to give to Johnny, and it's an ensemble effort so everyone's got to get their bit, but I kind of feel like Johnny peaked quite early with that.

"Don't get me wrong, though - I was totally happy and really lucky to be given that storyline, as it was an opportunity to impress the viewers as soon as I went in. That was a blessing and I really appreciated that. It was a really nice thing to have. Also, they had that storyline written before they'd even cast me. I was really grateful for the fact that they trusted me to pull something like that off before they knew what I could do."

Digital Spy.

Could be reading too much into this, but is Sam saying the EastEnders scriptwriters went; 'Right, storyline for a gay teen, he hasn't told his family - it's agony. Big emotional coming out scene with dad. Then after he's come out... err?'

Anyway, you're a top lad, best of luck, mate.

Celebrity Big Brother: Meet Perez Hilton

Mirror.

Always good to be reminded why I don't own a TV.

I wonder what crazy campy bitchy hi-jinx he'll be getting up to.

Well, obviously I don't really give a flying buttfuck.

All this and Katie Hopkins, too!

Freedom Of Speech: Patrick Smugtwit Writes

I think we may have come to a pretty pass if people can not say what they want to say.
Except the Muslims.
I hate them.

Neil MacGregor: From London To Berlin

He often walks to work from his home in Maida Vale, west London, some five miles away. He is gay, a devout Christian, dedicated to his work – a man, according to Jowell, “of intense and acute moral purpose”. He is, she says, sociable without being “one of the gang”. He has twice turned down knighthoods. He doesn’t ally himself with any political party, his independence and his mastery of his sphere such that, according to Jowell, “it would be a very foolish culture secretary who alienated him”. He is committed to the principle of free entry to museums, and, says Jowell, “utterly understands that there is a fatuousness about the argument that you have to choose between access and excellence”.

MacGregor embodies the ideal that you can very much have both. Germany’s gain stands to be Britain’s huge loss.

The conclusion to a glowing profile of the British Museum's director Neil MacGregor in The Independent, rumouring that our Neil has been headhunted by a new cultural centre in Berlin.

Mr MacGregor was unavailable for comment.

FULL DISCLOSURE!!!: Written and published on Thursday 15th - as was everything blogged between then and here. On the 16th I moved them to days closest to publication of the relevant story.

Fagburn: On The Move

They say it's worse than being divorced.
Moving house.
Of course.
Spent 16 years living in this bitch.
I love him so much.
Every crumbling bit. x

Update Wednesday: Looks like this is gonna take longer than I thought.

Peter Cook: Remembered

A lovely, long article by John Hind on the lovely, long Peter Cook who died twenty years ago today.

TV News: Are You Aware Of The Avalanche Of Gay Programming Assaulting Your Home?

A while ago I was in New York's Greenwich Village sharing a meal when I engaged my waiter with this question, "Are there a lot of gay people in the Village?" With a sly smile and twinkle in his eye he retorted, "Everybody in the Village is gay!"

Now I didn't believe his hyperbole for one minute but I know what's behind that statement. Convey the impression that the LGBTQ lifestyle is simply an alternative way of living that is beautiful, natural and acceptable. God calls it "abominable" and our mission is to convey love and gospel truth in a winsome way to rescue those in deception.

But first, are you really aware of this avalanche sweeping across our society today? It's not a trickle it's a Tsunami!

Focus on the Family ministry warns: "The people behind our nightly diet of network and cable programming have a gay agenda."

Here's how Hollywood is promoting homosexuality right now: 

Super hyped "Empire" series starts with Oscar nominee Terrence Howard having a homosexual son - and he's a hunk. 

"Glee" features over five gay characters. 

Home and remodeling reality shows regularly feature lesbians and gays in partnerships exploring homes. 

"Modern Family" features a gay couple who married over two episodes recently. 

"Ellen DeGeneres" celebrates her lesbianism and "marriage" in between appearances of guests like Taylor Swift to attract young girls. 

"Dancing with the Stars" hosts a gay judge and gay couples. 

"Biggest Loser" had lesbian Jillian Michaels as a role model coach. 

"The Good Wife" now has a lesbian/bisexual investigator. 

"Scandal" has two gays. 

"2 1/2 Men" just added a lesbian daughter. 

"Grey's Anatomy" highlights a lesbian couple with their child. 

"Survivor" and other reality shows regularly parade homosexuals as contestants. 

Anderson Cooper boasts openly on TV he'd rather "have sex" with a man plus co-hosts New Year's Eve festivities nationwide...

Larry Tomczak, Christian Post  - and yes, that's his actual title above.

LOL! etc.

I urge you to read Larry T's tips on how we can push back this pink avalanche of filth!

PS How acceptable are gay TV characters worldwide? BBC TV News.

TV's Iain Lee: Holds Hands With A Bloke In Public!

A fascinating social experiment conducted by Mr Lee for BBC Three Counties Radio. Is he still on TV?

Who knew??? *

Fagburn's surprised he's surprised some people are shocked.

Mind you, this is in Luton.

Update: Guardian Witness asks readers to do their work for them by replying to the spectacularly daft question; Have you experienced homophobia in your day-to-day life? (Ironically illustrated with a gay-shaming photo of faces obscured by a sodding rainbow flag).

Do you think anyone said 'no'?

* Ian wrote later for The Independent he had no idea how much homophobia there still was.

Elvis: 80!

Happy birthday!
Why do we listen to music?
'To hear passion expressed.'
You did that pretty well. xxxxxxxxxxx

Fagburn: Andy Warhol

Sometimes I wish I was Andy Warhol
So I could get other people to pretend to be me.

Charlie Hebdo: Redacted

[The original photo and comment have been removed in an appalling act of self censorship].

Update: Chomsky writes.

Update2: And a brilliant piece of contextualisation and comparison by David Edwards at MediaLens.

Stephen Fry Watch: Bless!

Congratulations to Stephen Fry, 57, who announced his engagement to Elliott Spencer, 27, earlier today.
Looks a bit old to me, but whatever makes you happy, Stephen.
x

PS Won't last etc etc.

How The Sun broke the story about Stephen and his 'toyboy' (!)

Update: Everything you need to know about the future Mrs Mr Stephen Fry, Elliott Spencer! The Independent.

Actually just some things he's said on Twitter.

Wait, there's also some drivel by Smugtwit! Hurrah for the gay normals, writes Patrick.

Sunday Times Comment.

And finally... Media obsesses over age difference between Stephen Fry and new fiance, The Advocate. Glad someone did this cause I've lost interest.

Oh, and whatever happened to Mr Fry's last young friend, Steven Webb, then 26,

Casual Gay Sex: Boo!!!

Brought to you by the nuns who write Gay Star News.
Though predictably an uncritical rehash of a story in... the Daily Mail.

We could of course eliminate STDs entirely - if only everyone was celibate.

Little Jimmy Dickens: 1920-2015

Pride: Shame

The cover for the American DVD release of Pride has removed all mention of homosexuality.

The film, about a group of gay and lesbian activists who rallied in support of striking miners in the 1980s, was released in the UK to acclaim last year.

However, the US DVD cover makes a number of shocking changes, entirely removing homosexuality from the story...

Pink News - thought I'd nick a story off them for a change, rather than vice versa (though at least I give credit for my sources). Can't be arsed to check it, so it could be balls.

The film also fails to mention The Sun was behind a smear campaign against LGSM. 

Thus this is just a paper - the movie is distributed by Murdoch's Fox, coincidentally.

The real question is not how a DVD cover excised The Gays, but how the film makes two great political struggles seem so anodyne.

Update: The film’s director, Matthew Warchus said he “understands”, that it was a “clumsy”, but a “valid” marketing strategy.

“Changing the cover is kind of clumsy and a bit foolish,” he told BBC Radio 5’s Phil Williams.

“But this is a film that is loved by people of all political persuasions and sexual orientations.

“I’m just keen for as many people who have yet to see the film to see it.”

Continuing, he said he “didn’t want to preach to the converted” and that he wanted the film “to find a mainstream audience [and] broaden people’s minds.' via Pink News.

The Independent: Why Indeed?

Warning: This article in The Independent includes the usual victim-loving nonsense about Alan Turing (he didn't crack The Enigma Code, and 'chemical castration' is a meaningless term) and the Nazis (Equating the imprisonment of thousands of gay men with the systematic extermination of millions of Jews is morally obscene).

Johann Hari: Mea Culpa

When I heard that Johann Hari had written a book about the war on drugs, two immediate concerns sprang to mind. The first was whether anyone would trust a word he wrote...

Decca Aitkenhead profiles leading gay liar and fantasist Jonhann Hari for The Guardian.

For a quick reminder of Johann's fantastic lies see his website.

The Guardian: Pro-Gay, But Still Unable To Publish Photos Of Gay Men's Faces

Let us hope 2015 will be the end of your gay-shaming rainbow flag silhouette crap.

Update: Clearly this wasn't The Guardian's new year's resolution...

Oh well...

Fagburn: Moving Out Today

Fagburn will be away for the forseeable future as he is moving house.

Yes, my new address is St James' Street, yes. this could not be more gay.

Many thanks to Justine, mum, and Tom.

xxx

Daily Mail: LOL!!!

Children as young as three are being branded racists, homophobes and bigots over playground taunts.

Thousands of pupils are being reported for so-called hate crimes after using innocuous words such as ‘Chinese boy’, ‘Somalian’ or ‘gay’.

Teachers also log insults like ‘doughnut’ and ‘fat bucket of KFC’. Even calling a pupil a ‘girl’ can be classified as abuse...

I love the Daily Mail me.

The Tom Daley & Lance Black Experience: Our Lucky Winners!

Imagine their faces lighting up when they see they get to meet these hotties!

Dan Savage: Hard To Think Of Anyone Else Who's Done So Much To Fetishise Queer Teen Suicide

Oh do fuck off, you hypocritical right-wing gayist cunt.

Samaritans media guidelines on how NOT to report suicide.

BBC Radio 4: War And Peace

This is quite awful. *looks at watch* 12 hours! *has nap*

The Telegraph: Self-Loathing Masquerading As Critique

All those filthy queers who only want to have sex with men they fancy.
I can say this, I am a gay.

Straight media gay cliche 17.

Almost certainly the loopiest gay article of the year, since Patrick Strudwick saying someone touching your bum in a club was 'rape'.

Fagburn: The Year In Review 2

Goodbye, and thank you. x