Viva La Radio!
Hi :)
That is how I start 99% of my conversations with other people on Grindr. For those of you who don’t know what Grindr is and are too lazy to find out, this is what Wikipedia says:
Grindr is a geosocial networking application available for download from the Apple App Store. The app makes use of the device geolocation, which allows users to access other gay men through a user interface that displays a grid of representative pictures of men, arranged from nearest to farthest away. Tapping on a picture will display a brief profile for that user, as well as the option to chat, send pictures, and share one’s location.
Why am I telling you this, you’re thinking? I haven’t said two words to you all year, and yet here I am describing to you the exploits of my gay social networking. It wasn’t always like this. For many years, the only social means I had with other gay men was through a message board on a website called Famousmales. All I wanted was a place to talk about TV, Film, and Music with other people the same as me, men who just so happened to be attracted to other men. Didn’t know their real names most of the time, didn’t know their ages – it didn’t matter, all we were talking about were what was on TV, in the cinema, or on the radio.
I only actually ever listen to the radio when I’m in a car. I used to stay at my Grandma’s house a lot, and she would always have the radio on in the morning. It would be our local Leeds station, Aire FM. When I was 13, I lived with my grandma for a month or two, and became so fond of that station. I left my grandma’s house and went back to my new bedroom with an ambition in my head to become a radio deejay! I would get out all my CDs, plug my microphone into my stereo, pop in a fresh blank cassette tape, and record myself live for 45 minutes (one side of that tape) hosting my own radio show. This wasn’t strictly new behaviour, I’d done it once or twice before as I’m sure one or two of you reading this might have done. But 13 was the age when I really took it seriously. I made my own chart, I had non-movers, new entries, high-climbers; I would go into Woolworths every Monday afternoon after school and buy as many as 3 new CD singles for £1.99!
When I was 14, I practically realised my ambition. I entered a competition hosted by Aire FM which involved recording three promos in their on-location studio inside a shopping centre. If I were more motivated, I could find the letter in the drawer underneath my bed which thanked me for entering this competition, and show it to you – but I won’t, but trust me it’s there.
I did not win this competition, and my ambition slowly faded away.
Yet, life has a funny way of turning out. Not funny like a joke, but amusing like I had just come out of intensive care after almost dying and was recovering from pneumonia so instead of taking a drama A-Level, I began sixth form and studied Film Studies and Media. It was through that that I got to host the school’s very own radio station. My voice, my playlist, my ambition was realised once again! Those other thousand students had no say in whether or not they wanted to listen to me, if they didn’t, they had to leave the building! I’ll admit, writing this down now, I think I may have been drunk with power.
Yes, that’s definitely the face of a boy who was drunk with power! Those two years on Star Radio not only helped develop my radio skills, but it really helped me socialise with my classmates. I have friends for life now. We may not see each other regularly, but that bond is still strong.
And now, life has decided to be amusing again, and I’ve been thrown back into the world of radio, and socialising with a whole new group people. But this time it isn’t A-Level students, it’s the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered community of Leeds and North England!
And that is why I started by telling you about Grindr. I’m now a co-host on a community radio show called GRadio. It’s one hour of music, news, and reviews, aimed towards the LGBT community of Leeds and North England. I’ve been more social in one month that I have in one year! I hope I can tell you more about it in the coming weeks. But I really just need to take this opportunity to firstly say a huge thank you to that person who said Hi to me on Grindr and kind of took a really big chance on me. I’m walking proof that life can deal you a crap hand sometimes, and you don’t know if you can make sense of it anymore, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end, it just means it’s the start of something different, so you might as well go along with the ride because you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Countdown 2011: Top 5 Albums
Happy New Year! My 2011 has certainly been eventful, but let’s focus on the positives – stuff other people did that made me smile. Starting with my Top 5 albums of 2011:
5
ADELE – 21
W00t, I’m mainstream for including this in my top five. I don’t understand anyone who fails to sit through most of the songs on 21 and not be reminded of a past love or hard time in there life. Or a time where they finally stood up and overcame their fears and stood strong on their own. I’ll admit it, I was never really aware of Adele, despite her successful debut album 19. Her music only came to my attention during the Series 2 finale of Skins in a scene where Cassie flees to New York! Hometown Glory was a rip-your-heart-out tearjerker that still stands up to most of the tracks on 21 as the pinnacle of her musical talent. (Spotify: Rolling In The Deep)
4
LADY GAGA – Born This Way
Try to escape the incessant drones and thumps of a GaGa song. Go on, just try – I dare you! It can’t be done, there is not one beat on Born This Way that won’t get your booty shaking at least once. But that’s not the album’s only high point. GaGa’s vocals and lyrics carry every song into a different genre. Seriously, there’s German Techno, Nebraska Blues, Mambo Italiano, and the Streets of New York to name a few. This album has been unstoppable, already spawning three editions (not counting Vinyl, and USB releases). We haven’t even heard about the impending Born This Wall Ball tour, which is sure to conquer the world and secure “Mother Monster’s” reign as Queen of Pop into 2012. (Spotify: Scheiße)
3
NATALIA KILLS – Perfectionist
Okay, sorry to sound like a broken record, I really do feel like I’ve been the number one mascot for Natalia Kills in 2011 – it’s just, after hearing Zombie, Activate My Heart, and Mirrors, I had such high hopes, but nothing I said could convinced you lot that she is the shit. To my defence, she didn’t help her case by choosing to publicise probably the two least Kills-ish songs from Perfectionist – despite the fact one of them has the word KILL in the title! But you know, I stand by my words, and really do feel that now, in 2012, the world is ready to lose their shit over Natalia Kills. But before we enjoy the delights of Perfectionist 2.0, here’s my review of the album which was published in the 94 magazine from St James’s Hospital.
| If you’re already familiar with this lady then good for you, if not, pay attention… I said shut up! Perfectionist is available now, but why should you take an interest? Perhaps cos she had a hand in writing every song, and that means a lot to me for someone who grew up in Leeds! Everything happened for her after she moved to LA; demos were recorded, and after making their way to celeb-gossip blog Perez Hilton meetings were set up, and in one day she was signed personally by will.i.am to his record label. Working closely with the same folk who produced some of GaGa’s biggest hits, she worked on the album for three solid years, and it shows. The sound is suicidal pop. Not as dark as Rihanna’s S&M but not as outspoken as GaGa’s Born This Way. The music is GaGa back when she was fun and still bluffin’ with her muffin. Bottom line: ignore the image and listen to the entire album. It plays as almost perfection – from the riches, to fallen tragedy, and ultimately death. |
(Spotify: Love Is A Suicide)
2
RUPAUL – Glamazon
Much like Adele (don’t worry, I’m going somewhere with this), I knew very little about RuPaul before his OMGTotallyAwesomeTVShow RuPaul’s Drag Race premiered on E4 about two years ago. Even after falling in love with him, I didn’t really acknowledge the awesomeness of him… as a her… as a recording artist. I mean, I was well aware of the Martha Wash duet on It’s Raining Men (I own the CD) – but, I never knew how talented this drag queen really was… still is! The hardest working drag queen out there; still on the hunt for the next Drag Superstar (season four of Drag Race starts in two weeks), still recording (a Remix EP, SuperGlam DQ, featuring new songs and songs from Glamazon was also released this year), and still serving more fierceness than Judge Judy and Tyra Banks combined. Long live the queen… the DRAG QUEEN! (Spotify: Responsitrannity)
1
BRITE FUTURES – Dark Past
If there’s one other artist I spoke more highly of in 2011 than Natalia Kills, it’s these guys. Luke, Shaun, David, Claire, and Conor – collectively known as Brite Futures, have turned the last two months of my 2011 into pure sunshine… except, I’m allergic to sunshine, so… they gave me a pair of shades. I’m not kidding, they really did give me a pair of shades. And a T-Shirt. Dark Past is one of those rare albums that screams to be played from start to finish, with the volume turned all the way up. So, there’s nothing left to be said, I don’t know what you’re waiting for, do it… DO IT!
HONOURABLE MENTION: Megalomania, by Aqua – I very much wanted to include Aqua’s first album in over 10 years in my Top 5 of 2011, but the fact it wasn’t released outside of Denmark really sucks and means the only way I can tell you all to hear how great it is, is to illegally download it, which I would never tell you to do… ever.
End of LIFF 2011
Another festival draws to a close, and the last film I plan on attending is The Artist. I’ve a feeling the 25th Leeds Film Festival was a runaway success, screenings felt very busy. I won’t be posting individual reviews (maybe for one or two of the best, I don’t know), but you can expect a post soon with a rundown of everything I managed to sit through, and what I think is worth sitting through again!
Milestone!
I’m about to pass 10,000 visitors. Thank you all, it really makes the hours I’ve put into perfecting my website all that more worth it. If you haven’t already, please take a look around at the new layout. I’ll draw your attention to the new column on the side which is an awesome day-by-day schedule of my 2011 Leeds Film Festival screenings. I would love to see some of you there, just get it contact with me!
Cold As A Corpse!
Hi, North East America, enjoying the weather?! Whilst you were getting ready preparing for Halloween, Mother Nature decided to spring a blast of Winter on you early, so now you’re enjoying or rueing the snow! But don’t fret, there are plenty of Winter-themed scary films out there, so you can stay inside, cozy-up in front of that roaring… um, jack o’lantern, and check out some of these for your traditional Halloween night…
Black Christmas (1974)
Usually reserved for Christmas Eve, there’s no reason why the sight of Margot Kidder being slaughtered by a psychotic escaped mental patient (who is hiding up in the attic of a college Sorority House) in front of an audience of creepy glass unicorns whilst a choir of children sweetly serenade Olivia Hussey with their rendition of Silent Night won’t fit in perfectly on your snowy Halloween night. Just be sure you stay away from the 2006 remake at all costs.
Jack Frost (1996)
By no means as creepy and frightful as my last suggestion, this film is still a slasher flick about a serial killer on the loose at Christmas… the twist is, he’s a snowman. A foul-mouthed, perverted mutant-snowman! Yet with the most innovative ways of torture I’ve seen since Charles Lee Ray was reincarnated as Chucky the Good Guy doll! And yes, that is Shannon Elizabeth – check out the Psycho reference during her death scene! Again, be sure to stay away from the 1998 film of the same name – you will just be left very confused.
Let the Right One In (2008)
This film will sit right with you on a blizzardy Halloween, as the cold country of Sweden plays host to this story about a child vampire who is befriended by a lonely, bullied boy. Based on the novel, Låt den rätte komma in, this is more of a slow-paced horror, building up to a bloody finale. Ultimately, it’s quite a sweet tale, perhaps one you can watch in the company of a dear friend and not be left too traumatised – as long as you, say it with me, stay away from the remake! I don’t care for it, as it relies too heavily on CGI effects and (gasp) fake snow! Read my full review, written after my first viewing of Let The Right One In at the 10th Leeds Young People’s Film Festival.
The Thing
Whatever I was saying about staying away from remakes, forget it, as this is a story that has survived two remakes, and continues to stand strong. My favourite is John Carpenter’s 1982 incarnation – but that’s simply because I haven’t seen any of the others! If you get the chance, go see the version released in cinemas soon, as it acts as both a prequel and a remake (I don’t know how that works, but I’ll tell you after I see it next week). Still horror, but with a sci-fi edge, as a group of scientists in the Antarctic begin to doubt each other when it becomes apparent an Alien has infiltrated their base by murdering and imitating one or more of their group…
Forgive me for not including The Nightmare Before Christmas, but I do really think that is more of a Christmas-themed film and not a horror in any sense of the word despite its connections to the celebration of Halloween. Still, if you want, you can always watch that instead of those I just recommended. Whatever you do, have a Happy Halloween!
Welcome to The New Layout!
I’ve spent countless hours (including a solid non-stop twelve hours, today) working on the first new look of tomsbrain since I joined wordpress in 2008. This theme has an interactive drop-down menu above, as well as eye-catching links to my most important social networking profiles.
