dEFROG ON 45 #6: IT’S TOO MUCH, MY BODY

One thing to bear in mind when going through my 45 collection is that I started buying music in 1975, when I was ten years old. Consequently, there’s going to be disco.

In particular, gay disco.

The funny thing is, I was 12 when this came out, and while I was vaguely aware that there was such a thing as homosexuality, I had no idea the Village People were supposed to be gay. I thought they were basking in their own manliness for the benefit of the ladies.

Did I mention I was 12 when this came out?

Anyway, I found out later, by which time of course it didn’t matter to me anyway. And I probably should be embarrassed to have this in my collection (more for the disco part than the gay part). But I’m not. I liked dance music as a youngster. I like it now. Sue me.

FUN FACT: I actually saw the Village People live at a retro disco dress-up party in Knoxville circa 1990-1991. It wasn’t the original lineup, but I think at least half of the original members were up there. It was good, campy, cheesy fun. Say what you will about the Village People, they were always consummate showmen.

Mucho macho,

This is dF

CINEMA HITS THE ROAD

ITEM [via nebris ]: A fully restored mobile cinema van is patrolling Devon, England.

Then: 



Now:



Background:

The Ministry of Technology built seven of these custom mobile cinema units in the late 1960s, to tour the country, promoting modern production techniques to British industry. The seven Bedfords were operated by PERA, or the Production Engineering Research Association. Films would be played within the cinema, with supporting displays shown in the trailer that accompanied the towing unit as they toured the nation’s factories.

The other six units are presumed scrapped and gone forever, so this is the only one left in existence.

There’s something indescribably cool about this. Maybe in these days of home theatre systems, Blu-Ray and VOD – to say nothing of the general horror of multiplex movie houses – this may seem like a quaint throwback. And to be fair, it is, so maybe you have to be a certain age to appreciate it.

But I know that as a kid, or even as a university student, I’d have been thrilled if one of these things pulled up at my school. Film days in class were one of the few highlights of my education, so going out to a van to watch movies would have been super-cool.

And I can see the value of something like this touring the smaller towns as a portable film festival showcasing independent films (including local productions) that the multiplex near you is probably never going to screen. It’d never make any money, sure. But it’d still be pretty cool.

Roll film,

This is dF

THE FUTURE OF POLITICAL DISCOURSE ...

... is already here.

Via nebris .

Actually, there are times I wish the talking heads on cable TV news channels would actually do this. It can’t be healthy holding back that barely concealed rage. And you know you want to see Rand Paul scream, “ Fuck you! I will force-feed you SYPHILIS!” at someone.

Okay, maybe not. But still, it’s not like modern political discussion is grounded in any kind of reality, so resorting to insults and obscenities arguably wouldn’t do that much more damage.

The dirtiest game in town,

This is dF

“DUDE, YOU HAVE NO KORAN”

ITEM: A would-be Koran-burner in Amarillo, Texas was foiled by a 23-year-old skateboarder who stole the Koran when he wasn’t looking.

"I snuck up behind him and took his Koran, he said something about burning the Koran, I said 'Dude you have no Koran,' and ran off."

A simple solution to a stupid problem.

ADDENDUM: I’ve been avoiding the Koran-burning story and the Ground Zero mosque/community center/whatever story because I can’t add to what I’ve said before about both.

But while we’re on this, here’s a factoid worth passing on: there actually used to be a Muslim prayer room inside the World Trade Center. No one cared then, not even after the 1993 bombing.

Not that it matters.

Res ipsa loquitur.

Haters gonna hate,

This is dF