Express Yourself

Note: I have duplicated this post on both John's World and John's Music World, as it relates not only to music, in this case Madonna's Express Yourself, but of my own personal view of the many protests that occurred yesterday.  After not paying any attention to politics for the last 8 years (I simply couldn't deal with all of the crap being said about Obama, as well as the unprecedented obstruction heaped upon him by Congress), I now find myself in the state of mind that I need to speak, and starting with this post, I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.  

Madonna gave a live performance of this song yesterday, somewhere in D.C., where hundreds of thousands of people were practicing democracy and expressing themselves.  Though she's already been maligned for dropping a few f-bombs directed at our new President while speaking to the crowd, she was practicing the very fundamentals that Trump himself called for during his inauguration speech on Friday...

We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.

New York City

Madonna and those accompanying her in Washington were not the only ones practicing democracy yesterday.  In all, an estimated 4.6 million women and their allies demonstrated in approximately 670 cities not only here in the U.S., but across the globe (Reuters, politicususa).  People from all walks of life came out en force in places like Chicago (125K), Los Angeles (750K), New York (400K), Boston (250K), Denver (200K), Seattle, Austin, Atlanta, in cities across Asia, Europe, South America and Australia. The list goes on and on.  It was by far the largest protest of any kind in history.

Los Angeles 

Throughout the day the protests were pretty much ignored by Trump and his people.  It wasn't until this morning that he even mentioned it, of course on Twitter, and of course chiding one of his named groups of adversaries...celebrities:

Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn't these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly.

In his defense, though, Mr. Trump added a positive spin just a couple of hours later...

Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I don't always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views.

Philadelphia

Now I could go on and on about how many of his supporters took to social media to express their dismay and oftentimes outrage over the protests, but that could take awhile.  All you have to do is look to see.  Just as the protesters did yesterday in expressing themselves, so too, do the maligners have the same right.  I just happen to disagree with their assertion that all of these millions of people are simply sore losers who are whining and pouting that they lost the election.  I like to think that I am one of them, even though I regrettably did not take part yesterday.

I accept, as do many of them have accepted, that Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States, and I want him to do well for all of our sakes, but we do have a right to be concerned.  With all that we have seen and heard, and no, not from the "evil" news media, but from the lips of Mr. Trump himself, time and time again, things do not look good.

Mr. Trump's own words have helped widen this divide that we've been slipping into for years now, and for him to stand there on Friday, in front of four former Presidents of both parties, to tell us that this country is full of "carnage" and needs to be fixed only the way he can fix it, to me took a lot of nerve.  His campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again," implies that somehow we stopped being great.  I just don't believe that!  Just take a look at the following graphic:

10,183 replies13,712 retweets53,360 likes

Regardless of the source, these numbers represent truths.  I don't for the life of me see how they reflect an America that's not great.  Trump supporters like to say that now we're going to know how they felt for the last 8 years.  My question to them is, Do you have amnesia?  Look at the numbers from 2009, when President Obama first took office.  That was the culmination of a different 8 years, where two wars were fought, one under the pretext of the one of the biggest lies ever told, complete enrichment of the oligarchy (remember Halliburton?), and the worst economic times we've faced since the Great Depression.  It's funny that I never ever hear the name Bush come up in any conversation.  Make America Great Again?  Obama did that!

And now we have the promise of more division for at least the next four years as Trump and his largely unqualified collection of billionaires in his Cabinet will methodically dismantle all that Obama has done.  It has already begun with the push to repeal Obamacare.  Just like in the past, we believe that you voted against your own best interests and don't even know it.  That's what has been blatantly shocking about this whole thing. But that's just how we think and only time will tell. To all of you Trumpys out there, I sincerely hope I am wrong.  Maybe, just maybe, Mr. Trump will work to Keep America Great, but I, and the millions who marched yesterday, do have cause for concern.

Atlanta

Trump said on Friday that he was giving government back to the people.  Yesterday, the people spoke.  They used their voices like so many before them in the times of the Vietnam War and Civil Rights and they spoke.  Loudly.  If I could turn back time just one day, I would have been in New York City with my fellow concerned citizens.  I am proud of those who came out in solidarity and I am proud of them and this country, and for the next four years, we will be watching and expressing ourselves.

*Check out an impressive photo essay on the Women's Marches held throughout the world yesterday on NYTimes. 

Working to Remember and Never Forget

Today marks 15 years since that terrible day.  When I think of the events of September 11th, 2001, I can recall most of it vividly.  I think most of us who were adults at the time can.  I couldn't help but notice today that there seemed to be less and less mention of the anniversary on social media.  Now I have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others and I saw very little of anything, at least in comparison to past years, about what happened that day.  I guess it should be expected...time does that healing thing, which is really a good thing. But still, forgetting this is not an option.  

I have to admit, even though this was a notable anniversary, I didn't even think about the day until I finally saw a post on Instagram around 2:00 this afternoon.  Sure, I'd known it was coming, but for some reason it just hadn't entered my mind.  Today was a similar day, weather-wise, to that September day back in 2001, only not as clear and not as crisp, and though I admittedly did not actively think on the anniversary often today, I couldn't let it go without a mention.

Of course, the sentiments that go along with that day will dwindle even more over time, but they should never be forgotten.  In school, our principal always mentions the date and asks any of us who plan to do anything to commemorate the day to share it with him.  Well, the kids in high school today were either babies at the time or not even born yet when it happened, so to them it's not as personal, not as meaningful.

Since my students are all foreign born, they know even less of that sad, sad day, and during one of my early morning periods, they had come to me from their Global Studies class in which they had just seen a video and had an accompanying worksheet to fill out on the event.  They were confused and didn't really understand what they had just been taught.  I promptly decided to forego my own lesson just to talk to them.

I wrote the word terrorism on the board, and asked them to give me words that they thought would fit the definition.  In a bit of sad reality, they were able to come up with some words to fit that heinous tactic: bombs, guns, killing, etc.  I added the word scare and we launched a conversation that began with the recent attacks in Nice and Paris and we worked our way back to 9/11.  I recounted my own memories of that day, from the moment I'd heard a plane had crashed into one of the towers early on to being glued to the television all day and all night.  I choked up a little when I spoke of the heroes on United Flight 93 and knew right then that although my own memories and feelings about September 11th, 2001 had diminished, the feelings were still there deep inside me.  

So if you found yourself in the same place as I today, and you feel like maybe you've lost some of that anger, horror and sadness over the 3,000-plus lives that were lost just fifteen years ago today, then I think you need to relive it a little,  Whether it's by watching a program on the events, or sharing your own recollections with someone who wasn't around and doesn't know.  I think from here on, we're going to have to work to remember...and never forget.   

See also:

Remembering 9/11

How September 11th Impacted My Life

Get Ready to Jump

You've got to jump!

Last week, during that whole vaguebooking fiasco, my friend Ricardo private messaged me to make sure that everything was okay.  Once I'd explained the vague post and he was satisfied, he'd asked me how everything else was.  I told him that I was mentally exhausted and a little miserable, too, which prompted him to share a link with me.

That should help, my friend added.

The link was to a video from an unlikely source that I never would have otherwise come upon and you can check it out here.  It's a clip of a monologue by Family Feud host Steve Harvey, and it was filmed after a taping of the show while he was speaking with the audience.  I never knew Mr. Harvey was such a motivational speaker, and watching this one short clip has made me a fan.

Eventually you're going to have to jump

What Steve Harvey says in this clip is so simple, yet so profound.  It's a theory that I've always subscribed to, yet seemed to have forgotten these past few years.  It's something that he calls 'jumping,' and it makes perfect sense.

You cannot just exist in this life

You've got to try to live

If you wake up every morning thinking 

there's got to be more to life than it is

Man, believe that it is!

I thought I knew this secret, and I actually acted upon it once, back when I was 35 years of age. I'd been stuck in a job I hated getting up in the morning to go to, and so I found myself so miserable and wanting change that I jumped.  I jumped!  Today I find myself in a similar situation, and my past me makes my present me feel ashamed because I feel like I've stopped living.  I stopped taking chances. I stopped jumping.

The only way to see what living's like is you gotta jump!

Jump Into What?

In Harvey's discussion, he's talks about 'jumping,' or rather taking risks in life.  Without risk there is no reward.  He says that we're all endowed with our own special gifts, and I agree.  These gifts need to be employed in order reach fulfillment in our lives.  You use your gift and everything else falls into place.  It makes sense and I wholeheartedly believe that.  Being successful at something you were born to do and that you enjoy is a very worthy goal in life, but what I've found is that the jump I took affected my life for the better, yet eventually forgetting how to jump has lead me to this. Besides, what about all of the other things in life we should jump towards?

I almost always refer to the words of Madonna in my daily life, from her song Sky Fits Heaven.  In it, she talks about how we all travel down our own roads, watching the signs, and making decisions. Of course, the decisions we make will affect our path, for better or for worse.  I've always had a hard time making decisions, and oftentimes I've made the wrong ones, and they've stayed with me for a very long time.

Jumping is not only about making a living.  There are so many life changing decisions that could be made.  So many jumps I could, or maybe should, take.  Do I...

...sell my house and buy a condominium?  Rent an apartment?
...look for a new job?  Work in the city?  Move to the city?
...try and find some other way to use my skills to be more successful?
...or just say screw it and live it up without any cares in the world?

Regardless, at my age I'm feeling that I've got one last chance to make a big jump for the better.  As you can see, there are so many things to think about.  All of these questions would affect huge changes in my life, and if I don't jump I will continue on not living.  Steve Harvey says that when you do jump, your parachute isn't going to open up right away.  Eventually, he says, that parachute has got to open.

Though I've jumped before I don't really think my parachute ever really opened fully.  I know I'm not really living, and I so want to.  One thing I do know, it's about time to make another jump or two.  If I don't, then what?  I can't just talk about it though.  I've got to do it.  Stay tuned...

I haven't got much time to waste

It's time to make my way

I'm not afraid of what I'll face

But I'm afraid to stay

I'm going down my road and I can make it alone

I'll work and I'll fight till I find a place of my own

Follies and Foibles on Rainbow Mountain

I should have realized when I met Ed, AKA Evelyn, outside of Cherry House at Rainbow Mountain on Friday night that the weekend was going to be a strange one.  Yes, after last year's, um...adventure, my pals Sean, Sonny and I returned to that Mountain Called Rainbow over in the Poconos, and we even brought a fourth, our friend and fellow bowler Al.  It was Sonny who planned the whole thing, and although I knew little about the particular weekend we were going, I happily agreed to go just happy for a weekend getaway from life.  Little did I know I was in for a couple of days in the Twilight Zone.

rachelfox

I really didn't think anything of it at first.  Ed was smoking a cigarette outside, as was I, and we were just making friendly chit chat.  He...she...was very tall, over six feet, and quite simply looked like a middle-aged man in women's clothes...garish women's clothes to boot,  When he mentioned that his wife didn't want him to come, I became curious and soon found out that he was there for the first time and very nervous.  We soon parted ways as I returned to my room to get ready to go to the club with my buds.

Though I thought of Rainbow as somewhat dated and not really the nicest of places, I did remember that the club housed on the grounds was pretty cool.  It had been packed last time and lots of fun, so I was really looking forward to getting my groove on...that is, until I got there.  On the short walk from Cherry House over to the club we passed two more people like Ed. As we walked past them, Sonny casually mentioned, Oh, it's crossdresser's weekend.  

Really?  Are you kidding? 

No, Really!

It was true.  We walked into the empty, cavernous club and immediately made our way downstairs to the basement for some crossdressing karaoke.  Out of the thirty or so people down there, more than half the patrons were middle-aged crossdressers singing Frank Sinatra, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and plenty of other songs from like forty years ago.  We were definitely in the Twilight Zone!  As my pal Rich said when I told him the story a couple of days later, I'd have gotten drunk, that's exactly what I did.  Great minds think alike!

And so set the stage for a weekend of follies and foibles, missed opportunities and a few laughs in between.  It wasn't the greatest of weekends, but it was good to be doing it all with some good people. Here are some of the highlights and low-lights of the weekend...      

After a morning of outlet shopping, the four of us were hungry and looking for a snack to tide us over before dinner.  Along the road in Stroudsburg, Al noticed the coolest little place, Rootin' Tootin' Hot Dogs.  This place as like the hot dog version of so many of those 50's style hamburger places that are so popular these days.  It was owned by a sweet gay couple who really put their own unique spin on both the vintage decor and the menu.  

Old 45 record sleeves adorned the walls and beautifully crafted wooden shelves lined the perimeter. There were red leather booths and a real jukebox that played three songs for a quarter.  And the menu consisted of hot dogs served in several unique ways, with chili, cheese, pesto mayonnaise and more, as well as some delicious tater tot/hash browny potatoes.  High point!

The Horror Hotel

On Sonny's itinerary for us over the weekend was a visit to a haunted mansion, which is always fun. After realizing that the one he had picked out was 45 minutes away, we found one a little closer called the Horror Hotel, or something to that effect.  This place was three attractions in one, and though three of us (four of Sonny's friends had met us up there on Saturday) ended up bailing after a really long wait for the second one (low point!), the one that we did go through was pretty darned scary...and full of belly laughs, too. You see, Sonny's got this look about her that just seems to attract people everywhere she goes, and virtually every monster at this ride set their sights on our poor friend.  You can imagine the laughs we shared at her expense.

Karaoke, More Belly Laughs, and Bradley

Other than the crossdressing karaoke singers, probably the one thing we're all going to remember the most about this particular weekend is Bradley.  Bradley was this young dude who is a local to the Rainbow Mountain area.  He seemed like, and I hate to say this, but it's true, a meth head, though he didn't really appear to be high or anything...maybe just exhibiting some of the effects of having done the drug for a long, long time. Really, though, Bradley was sweet and harmless, and he provided us with all of the entertainment we'd need for that second night at Rainbow.

We'd all first seen Bradley on Friday night, first at karaoke doing a nice rendition of something by Miranda Lambert.  After that, he spent most of the night alone, shirtless on the dance floor pretending he was a stripper at a club or something.  It was then that his strangeness first made itself known, as every once in awhile he'd run up to the bar, place his hands on it as if he were going to do a some sort of flip as his feet arced upwards behind him, and he'd make this very strange face as he yelled out a great big Ahhhhhhh.  It was a unique sound that really can't be described in words, except perhaps some sort of jungle bird calling out to a potential mate.  We'd hear that sound a lot over the next two nights.

To top things off...you remember how I said earlier that Sonny seems to attract attention wherever she goes?  Well, Bradley first laid his eyes on her Friday night and his admiration only grew by Saturday.  Bradley was in love!  Before Sonny and I even hit the front door on Saturday, the Ahhhhhh's could be heard echoing throughout the chilly night air.  

Hey baby!  Sonny was aghast.

Bradley followed us inside and downstairs to a booth where Sonny's pals were hanging out and we were all just taking it in.  The attention Bradley was paying to poor old Sonny.  It was priceless, both Bradley and Sonny's reactions to him, well at least for a couple of hours.

Eventually, though, Bradley got the hint and made himself scarce.  Everybody, except for me and Al, got up and karaoked the rest of the night away.  Sonny, as always, was fabulous (she even won a contest!), and by the end of the night everyone had become so imbibed that the whole group wanted to get up and do Madonna's True Blue.  As you can imagine, and as the karaoke hostess claimed, it was one hot mess!  But it was a fun ending to a strange weekend on Rainbow Mountain.  Of course the next morning the question came up: Will I ever go again?  All I can say is we shall see...but definitely not on crossdresser's weekend.    

John's World Top Ten Song of the Day Posts for 2014

Well it's time to begin the countdown to the end of 2014 and it's time to start reflecting on the year that was.  As usual I've been reading a lot of top ten lists in music for the year in preparation for my own lists of the best in pop and dance music...

partyrebel

For the first time ever, I thought I'd try something new.  I'm always spending time looking at the stats of this blog and though the page views could be better, they're not too shabby.  Of course, one of the most popular types of posts I put on John's World are my Songs of the Day.  I've been faithfully posting daily songs for almost four full years now without missing too many days.  I know if you're reading this, then you've definitely checked some of them out along the way.

I thought it'd be fun to see which songs got the most page views this year.  I'm always a little surprised at which of my posts garner the greatest hits, and researching for this list confirmed my confusion.  Take a look below at the top ten Songs of the Day on John's World for 2014.  They're a mixture of new songs, Flashback Fridays, and others, and I have no idea how or why some of them made it...

#10 - All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor - 86 page views


audioaddictmag

One of the biggest new artists of the year was Meghan Trainor, who is still hot with her hip retro style mixed together with some very adult and very catchy lyrics.  This is the one that started it all, and so it's no surprise that this one landed within the top ten Songs of the Day.  Check out All About That Bass.

#9 - Mercy - Duffy - 88 page views

Back in February, I posted Duffy's Mercy as a Flashback Friday Song of the Day and for whatever reason, people clicked.


#7-8 (tie) L8 Cmmr - Lily Allen / By Your Side - Sade 90 page views

These two are very different from one another in terms of old and new, yet they both got exactly 90 page views this year.  The Sade post was made on June 4th, and it included some sappy sentimentality because that would have been Joe's and my 27th anniversary.  Perhaps my inner circle made some clicks for that reason.  As for Lily Allen, well this was a big year for her.  Early on in  , the year, she surprised a lot of people with a new album, Sheezus, and she got a lot of attention from me with plenty of posts.  L8 Cmmr is one of the funnest tunes on Sheezus and I'm not surprised this one worked. (A second posting of the song garnered another 23 hits, so perhaps this one could've been a little higher.)

#6 -  Hard Out Here - Lily Allen - 93 page views

The one that started it all this year for Lily earned a respectable number of hits here.  Love this one!


#5 - Stir It Up - Bob Marley- 98 page views

Bob Marley's classic reggae jam was posted as a Flashback Friday Song of the Day back in February.




#4 - Bucket List - Nelly Furtado - 99 page views

I posted this one back in October, not long after school had started. I used the idea from the song (and the movie) for a writing exercise with my students and I had it in my head that whole week.  Check it out right here.


#3 - Tell It to My Heart - Taylor Dayne - 103 page views

The second highest hit making Flashback Friday post of the year came from a Friday back in May.  Taylor Dayne's very first single, Tell It to My Heart, was indeed and awesome, and very dancey tune, and I'm not surprised at all by this one.


allaboutmadonna

#2 - Don't Tell Me - Madonna 123 page views

Madonna is probably the most talked about musical artist on this blog (along with P!nk!), and this countryish tuneoff her 2000 album, Music, got plenty of attention as a Flashback in January.


#1 - Am I Wrong - Nico & Vinz 263 page views

By far the most viewed Song of the Day post comes from Norwegian duo Nico  & Vinz with their tune infectiously smooth Am I Wrong.  Even though the song was a #1 hit here in the States, I was a bit surprised that this one did as well as it did.  Check it out...




So there you have it, the top ten Song of the Day posts o John's World for the year 2014.  And just in case you were wondering, here are some other tunes that just bubbled under the surface:

Never Gonna Leave Me - Sia - (78)

I Wanna Dance with Somebody - Whitney Houston (77)

Problem - Ariana Grande (76)

Just Girly Things - Dawin (66)

Holiday - Madonna (65)

Stay tuned for more as I wrap up the year 2014 with my top ten posts, top ten pop songs and albums of the year, and of course my top thirty dance/club tunes of the year...

Madonna's "Rebel Heart" Track Reviews - Bitch I'm Madonna

Oooohohohoh

Oooohohohoh

(You're gonna love this)

Oooohohohoh

(You can't touch this)

Oooohohohoh

(Cause I'm a bad bitch)

The last of the six new tracks from Madonna's Rebel Heart album was co-written and produced by deejay/producer Diplo and features the return of Nicki Minaj providing a rap interlude on the tune. This one's similar in scope to the MDNA track, I Don't Give a F***, which also featured Minaj, and is even more frenzied than their prior collaboration.  Bitch I'm Madonna is a lighthearted and fun track, and it sounds like they all had a good time making it.  It's not my favorite of the new tracks, but it does remain in the brain for awhile after a listen and it does have a great hook, too! 

If you'd like to check out Illuminati or any of the other tunes on Rebel Heart, pre-purchase the album and get the new tracks, click on the link below.

Be sure to check out my reviews of the first five tracks of Madonna's new Rebel Heart...

Living for Love

Devil Pray

Ghosttown

Unapologetic Bitch

Illuminati