Research: Musical Taste

Click to enlarge.

Compiled by YouGov from their profiles data.

If you haven't grasped it, these are the acts that queens are more likely to say they love than straight dudes do.

You can find - and come up with - all kinds of fascinating and funny 'People like this tend to like this...' etc stuff by fiddling around on their website.

Here, by way of example, is what happens if you ask what are 'Gay Times readers' like?

Madonna: Solves MIddle East Conflict Once And For All!

Wooh!

PS Mad Madge now claims to be an Israelite.

PPS Oh and it's a picture promoting a Gay club night in Tel Aviv.

Madonna: Maggie & Me

Posted on Madonna's Instagram thingy earlier today, but swiftly deleted when people pointed out she was a demented and deluded evil old witch.

Maggie, that is.

BOOM BOOM!

Stupid Thought For The Day: Madonna

“Gay rights are way more advanced than women’s rights. People are a lot more open-minded to the gay community than they are to women, period.” For women, she feels, the situation has hardly improved since 1983. “It’s moved along for the gay community, for the African-American community, but women are still just trading on their ass. To me, the last great frontier is women.”

Out magazine interview.

Fagburn's not one for playing opression Top Trumps, but where do you start, where do you even fucking start?

Update: Madonna tells The Sun not getting your record played on Radio 1 also worse than racism and homophobia.

Why is her life so hard??!!

Madonna: Ban Jokes!

Slow news days at the Daily Mirror et al?

After this on BuzzFeed.

Why is it that idiots don't get irony?

Lighten up, gaybores!

The Daily Mail say NO to homophobia!

PS At the time of typing the grand total of gayers who have BLASTED or SLAMMED Madonna for her ANTI-GAY SLUR is... two!
Hold the front page.

Update: Kale comes out as gay in exclusive BuzzFeed inteview. Quite amusing pithtake.

Madonna: What's Going On?

Noted political analyst Madonna gives her two cents over on Instagram.

There's 'facism' [sic] in 'The Ukraine' '[sic] 'apparantly' [sic]...

Fagburn loves it when celebrities speak out about things they can't even spell.

Here's the slightly better-informed Seamus Milne in The Guardian, In Ukraine, fascists, oligarchs and western expansion are at the heart of the crisis.
Robert Fisk in The Independent on the Russia, Syria, Ukraine nexus.
Marc Bennetts talks to New Humanist about the reality of protest and dissent in Russia today.
And ZNet on Western media mis-reporting of Venezuela's upper-class revolt.

Should anyone be surprised which side Madonna's on?

Macklemore: Same Old Same Old

God, I now hate this avalanche of sentimental puke.

Though on the plus side it annoyed the usual American right-wing homophobic cunts. Though to be fair they'd probably be outraged if you said you had some spaghetti hoops for dinner.

"The queers complaining about Macklemore & Ryan Lewis now remind me of the queers who used to bitch and bitch and bitch about how big beer companies didn't advertise in queer publications or sponsor pride parades. ("Queer people drink a lot of beer! They want us to support them and buy their beer but they don't want to support us and our community!") But when big beer companies began advertising in queer publications and sponsoring pride parades... the exact same queers who had been complaining about how big beer companies weren't advertising in queer publications or sponsoring pride parades immediately started bitching about how the beer companies were trying to profit off our sexuality. ("The pride parade is not for sale! We are a community, not a commodity!") Blah blah bitchy blah."

Dan Savage in a rant against "queer social justice warriors."
Social justice? Ugh!

Russia: Which One Of Us Is Gaga?

Russian officials are considering prosecution against Lady Gaga andMadonna after discovering they entered the country under incorrect paperwork.

The office of Russia's prosecutor general has issued a statement confirming that neither singer obtained an appropriate visa prior to performing there last year. Madonna, who played in August 2012, and Gaga, who appeared in December, travelled under cultural-exchange visas. These documents "do not grant their bearers the right to engage in any commercial activity," authorities said. According to the Russian legal information agency, prosecutors are now considering asking Russia's foreign ministry or federal migration service to press charges.

As any foreigner who has visited Moscow will know, Russian immigration can be extremely complicated. But Gaga and Madonna's mistakes weren't just discovered by accident: prosecutors launched their investigation only after being contacted by one of the singers' most outspoken enemies.

The man in question was Vitaly Milonov, who serves in St Petersburg's municipal legislature and authored St Petersburg's law banning gay "propaganda" – a model for recent legislation passed by the Duma. AfterGaga and Madonna spoke in support of LGBT issues at their 2012 concerts, Milonov tried to pursue them in court for "promoting sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism among minors". These claims were unsuccessful...

The Guardian.

Another outrage by the evil Russkies!

I will be protesting this tomorrow by not performing as Yuri The Clown in the Moscow State Circus.

NB Previous attempts to prosecute Madonna in Russia have garnered much publicity - surely their real purpose - then quietly fizzled out.

Update: Lady Gaga has been tweeting her support for gay people in Russia.
You're in big trouble now Putin!

Fagburn: Fraternal Greetings On May Day!

If we took a holiday, yeah
Took some time to celebrate
Just one day out of life
It would be
It would be so nice
Everybody spread the word
We're gonna have a celebration
All across the world
In every nation.

The Internationale, 1888. 

"If I can't dance, it's not my revolution" 

Madonna.

"Only when I'm dancing can I feel this free"

Emma Goldman.

Clicktivism: Political Retards

In Moscow, Pride marches have just been banned for 100 years. Anti-gay activists are using the Russian government's gay gag laws to sue Madonna for $10,000,000 because she spoke up for the LGBT community. And punk band Pussy Riot has been sentenced to 2 years in prison for their musical protest – deemed "homosexual propaganda." 
Add your voice to the international outcry against Putin before he attends the September United Nations Leaders meeting in New York...

Allout.org

Oh crap, how politically retarded would you have to be to think signing an e-petition is going to make any difference?
President Putin, see my online signature and tremble!
No wonder the world's fucked. 

PS And there's an error in every one of the charges above - well done.

Madonna: Self-Promoting Homophobes

A group of Russian anti-gay activists are suing American pop star Madonna for $10m, saying she had insulted their feelings when she spoke out for gay rights at a concert in St Petersburg last week.
Performing in black lingerie with the words "No Fear" scrawled on her back, Madonna attacked a city law adopted in March that imposes fines for spreading homosexual "propaganda". She had earlier called the law a "ridiculous atrocity"...
"She had been warned with words that she should behave in line with the law and she ignored it. So we will speak in the language of money," said Darya Dedova, one of the 10 activists who filed the lawsuit in a St Petersburg court.
"Of course, it is difficult to measure moral damages and suffering but maybe people who earn money regardless of moral rules will better understand this."
Dedova added that if they won the case, the money would be sent to orphanages...

The Guardian. 
This has become a huge story - and it's laughable on many levels.
After the Pussy Riot farce I guess all nutty things are possible in Russia these days, but if this actually goes to court I'll eat my feet.
It looks to me like mere publicity-seeking by some homophobic loons, and as the story's gone global they've clearly won.
The headline-hugging $10m figure has appeared everywhere - the maximum fine for "promoting homosexuality" in St Petersburg is $16,700.
Damages? Schamages.

Update: Yup, this was thrown out (laughed out?) of court late November.

Madonna: Not Cool - Official!

Indeed, just one look at the audience — a wonderfully warm and friendly sea of shaven-headed men in tight T-shirts and turquoise wellies, and middle-aged women drinking warm white wine — shows just how not cool she is. 
As one fan put it: ‘Ninety per cent are gay men and the rest middle-aged women in cowboy hats, what could be more fun?’
I’d put it more even than that, with a smattering of loyal husbands dragged along, and an average age of about 40. 

The Daily Mail, Sorry Madge You're Now Just A Tawdry Embarrassment. 
One could say the same thing about the Daily Mail.
Stereotyping - much?

Madonna: Brings Peace To The Middle East

Madonna finally ended the decades old Arab-Israeli conflict with a short speech at the opening night of her MDNA tour in Tel Aviv.
The Get Into The Groove and Hanky Panky hitmaker, 53, told the crowd; "Why can't we all just get along? People, everybody play nice!"
Her message quickly spread throughout the Middle East, reaching Syria within an hour.
Noah Rabin, a Jewish settler, told Fagburn; "Now she's put it like that I feel kinda stupid. It's just funny how no-one's thought of this before."

Update: 'Israel is new South Africa as boycott calls increase' Independent On Sunday.

'Some of the world's biggest stars – from Madonna to the Red Hot Chili Peppers – are being accused of putting profit before principle in a growing backlash against artists performing in Israel'
'Campaigners angry at human rights abuses against the Palestinian people – symbolised by Israel's policy of demolishing the homes of Palestinians and allowing Israeli settlers to take over their land – are demanding a boycott of Israeli venues in a campaign that echoes the 1980s protests against South Africa and the infamous venue Sun City.
'Last week Madonna came under fire for her decision to perform in Israel to kick off her world tour last Thursday. "By performing in Israel, Madonna has consciously and shamefully lent her name to fig-leafing Israel's occupation and apartheid and showed her obliviousness to human rights," said Omar Barghouti of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.
'Attempts by Madonna to deflect criticism by offering free tickets to local campaigners backfired, with a number rejecting the offer. Boycott from Within, an Israeli campaign group, accused the singer of "a blatant attempt at whitewashing Israeli crimes". Mr Barghouti added: "As we've learned from the South African struggle for freedom, entertaining Israeli apartheid should never be mislabelled as singing for peace." The star's publicist did not respond to requests for comment...'

Madonna: To The Finland Station

I'm a freedom fighter.
My show
My songs
My work
... My art
Is all about freedom of expression
Freedom to choose to speak to act
Always with humanity and compassion
I will come to St. Petersburg to speak up for the gay community, to support the gay community and to give strength and inspiration to anyone who is or feels opressed.
I don't run away from adversity.
I will speak during my show about this ridiculous atrocity.

Her Madge on Facebook.
Hope she does...

Madonna: Crazy For You

'Madonna releases her UK tour dates, with tickets on sale today'
Daily Mirror.

'A man who made violent threats against Madonna has escaped from a psychiatric hospital'
Daily Mirror.

Blogger Boy Culture has noticed a strange similarity between this tour image and the Unabomber...

Tickets to see Madge in Hyde Park this July are a snip at £125 and £70.
"People spend $300 on crazy things all the time, things like handbags. So work all year, scrape the money together, and come to my show. I’m worth it." Newsweek.
Out of touch much?

Madonna: The Advocate

Virtual Reality: A Tale Of Two Cissies

ME AT NINE, PERFORMING TO MADONNA IN SUMMER '91! from Robert Jeffrey on Vimeo.

Two videos went viral last week in the gay blogosphere.
You may be bored of seeing the first by now, but I think it's interesting to compare and contrast it with the second.
Above is Robert Jeffrey's 'Me At Nine, Performing To Madonna In Summer '91'.
Everyone seems to think it's "ADORABLE!"
And it is - there's such a sense of joy about it.
And everyone loves joking about how surprised they were to hear that kid grew up to be a big ole queen.
Tee hee. No kidding!!



Doing the virtual rounds simultaneously was Anderson Cooper's three-part documentary for CNN, The Sissy-Boy Experiment.
Here's the story;
"In 1970, a five-year-old boy named Kirk Murphy was subjected to an ex-gay experiment. Under the care of Dr Ivor Lovaas and George Rekers, then a doctoral student, of UCLA, he underwent therapy to eliminate supposed effeminate behaviors.
"In 1974, Lovaas and Rekers jointly published a paper about the boy they renamed 'Kraig,' heralding his treatment for 'childhood cross-gender problems' a success and claiming he had been transformed from a gender-confused homosexual-in-waiting to a healthy, heterosexual young man. On the back of this study, Rekers built a career as an anti-gay activist and a supposed expert in childhood sexual development. He co-founded the Family Research Council and championed reparative therapy to turn gay men straight. In 2003, Kirk, aged 38 years old and gay, committed suicide."
Everyone seems to agree that that was fucking awful.
Why couldn't they let the kid be?
Robert Jeffrey's story has a happy ending - he's a successful scriptwriter and a proud gay man now.
Knowing that - and because he posted the Vogue video himself - gives people permission to talk about his younger self as a cissy.
Even though without that knowledge the kid is quite obviously a screaming little pansy.
But otherwise - as I think the Ronan Parke story showed recently - pointing out that a boy is a cissy is still seen as something terrible and taboo.
But surely it shouldn't be - unless you think being a cissy boy, and that a boy could grow up to be a gay man, is something terrible and taboo?

• See also the great Born This Way blog; "A photo/essay project for gay adults to submit childhood pictures and stories, reflecting memories & early beginnings of their innate LGBTQ selves..."

Lady Gaga: Still Born

Lady Gaga finally released audio of her embarrassing and patronising barely literate "gay anthem" Born This Way today.
At the time of typing the number of articles saying it sounds like Madonna's Express Yourself - 746.
So who are you calling unoriginal?

Update: Jon Savage writes about 'Lady Gaga's New Gay Anthem' in The Guardian on February 14th; "The point always has to be restated. While gay teens face extraordinary levels of bullying, records such as Born This Way will remain as necessary as they are generous in spirit."
Hear hear.

Lady Gaga: More Blah Blah Blah

It appears to be open season on attacking Lady Gaga.
Shame.
After Camille Paglia's drivelfest in The Sunday Times last weekend, yesterday's Guardian staged 'The Lady Gaga Debate'.
"Is Lady Gaga an important feminist, a force for good? Or is she simply a canny performance artist?"
Erm, how about both?
Today's Daily Mail calls her "Lady Contrick: To her fans Lady Gaga is a cutting edge style icon. But is she really just a shameless plagiarist?"
Again, she's both, love.
And in The Independent she gets the fantastically vacuous headline; 'Ghost In The Fame Machine'.
Sounds good, shame it doesn't mean anything.
"No pop star so vividly embodies the values of the internet age. But what lies behind the catchy tunes and outrageous outfits?"
You tell me.
Ironically, this article owes a debt to Camille Paglia in much the same way that Lady Gaga owes a debt to Madonna.
Oops.
So many words, so little insight.
One of Fagburn's favourite music writers, Simon Reynolds, gave probably the most insightful comment on Lady Gaga on his blog last year.

'Lada Gaga = Fischerspooner with tits

but also

Lady Gaga = Fischerspooner, with hits'

Simon Reynolds expanded on his brilliant thesis here.

Malawi: Leave Madonna Alone!

Marina Hyde's Lost in Showbiz column for The Guardian - brilliantly punctures pop stars' pomposity and other assorted celebs' delusions of grandeur.
But when other hacks try this trick they are prone to grab the wrong end of the giggling stick.
Hadley Freeman tried and failed today. For those who couldn't be arsed to read her column a sub was kind enough to summarise it in its headline; "Even the all-powerful Madonna would admit that she didn't free the gay Malawians - she just signed a petition." (The online version features a truncated version of this and adds an explainer; "Celebrities don't make the difference they think they do" which indicates the online sub didn't read the piece).
Freeman's schtick is this; "this weekend, large swath of the celebrity press spontaneously credited the singer with freeing Chimbalanga and Monjeza. 'Malawi Releases Gay Couple After Material One Protests', squealed E, the entertainment news behomoth named after the substance one must be on in order to watch it."
But E's actual headline was more quizzical and playful; "A Madonna Miracle? Malawi Releases Gay Couple After Material One Protests."
It stated that; "The Queen of Pop, who launched a vocal campaign to free a gay Malawian couple locked up for homosexuality, is now celebrating their release."
I think the journalist Brandi Flower may deserve some credit for finding a way of getting a serious story onto a media outlet that's devoted to fluff.
Flower certainly doesn't deserve a sneer from a journalist who's writing about fluff for a serious newspaper.
And it's a bit rich to pour scorn on someone using their celebrity to highlight the Malawi couple's case when the only time this story made The Guardian's comment pages was when an open letter was written by one Elton John.