There’s been lots of chatter online about Lady Gaga’s performance as her male alter-ego Jo Calderone on the recent MTV Video Music Awards. As usual, I’m way behind the curve, but if you haven’t see it, her performance here is pretty darn amazing and she throws herself into it completely.
I recently saw this cover for the album “Colonia” from the indie band A Camp (apparently a side project from the lead singer of The Cardigans, Nina Persson). I have no flippin’ idea what’s going on in this picture but it vaguely turns me on. Is her hair being styled? And what’s with the big sheet and the glass jar? I’m puzzled but intrigued, as it all seems slightly dangerous, though maybe I’m reading something into it that isn’t there. If there were duct tape involved, I’d be swooning. Anyway, their song, “Here Are Many Wild Animals,” is also pretty catchy (neat montage of “women in film” that someone put together too).
As I wrote on a post a while back, I was a big “Tull” fan way back in High School, and recently I saw that they were going to perform here in Denver for the 40th anniversary of their “Aqualung” album. So my sister in law agreed to go with me and we had a great time last night seeing them at Red Rocks Amphitheater, which is one of the most spectacular places in Colorado. It was a great show and though age has taken its inevitable toll, they still majorly rocked out. I was of course in guy mode but I’ve always thought it would be something to go dressed to a rock concert. Maybe one of these days for the right show. Still, it was a fun time, and Kansas was the opening act, who were also quite good, though their guitar player looked like grandpa. Gotta love those old rockers!
I was reading something about glam-rock star Marc Bolan of T-Rex, who died back in ’77, just days before his thirtieth birthday in a car crash. And that led me to a link for the good ol’ Death Clock website. I’d forgotten all about this website but I really enjoy it! The concept is so wicked. You type in some details about yourself and it tells you statistically when you may expect to die. There are also settings for a normal, optimistic, or pessimistic reading, which slant the numbers. The normal reading gives me about 25 years, though on the pessimistic setting I’ve only got ten (damn, that’s soon!) There’s also a sadistic setting, but you don’t really want to go there. The optimistic setting puts me way into my nineties, which is so far away that it’s almost not worth considering. I am a bit death-obsessed, I’ll admit, so I LOVE this kind of thing. Here’s to many more good and active years ahead for us all (uh, as long as we can avoid exterminating ourselves as a species on our little planet). As the Brits say, Cheers!
After a sleep-deprived night I’m sitting here again in DIA, waiting on my flight to L.A. It’ll be nice to see old friends again though I wish it were under happier circumstances.
Been listening to: Since I’m heading back again it seemed appropriate last night to listen to The Thrills’ excellent album “So Much for the City.” I remember back in 2003 when it came out and there was all kinds of talk on the radio about these Irish guys who sang songs about California and had the jangly-guitar sounds and harmonies of surf music. They were gonna be huge! And then they released a couple more albums, which were good but never really re-captured the excitement of their first effort, and they’ve since been pretty quiet since 2007. Big Sur was one of their best songs. Ah, so young and full of promise. I miss those days…
We had a wonderful turnout at the Club Fantasy party last night – well over 30 people with a lot of play going on. It was really nice to see so many friends and meet some nice new people too. Then today I went with a good friend to a “corset tea” salon at the Hollywood and Highland Center and met some more nice people, including a charming lady whom I had the pleasure of sitting next to. The great thing about being in Hollywood and walking around crossdressed is that no one bats an eye, except for maybe the tourists, in which case I’m just playing my role in the ongoing freak show. That’s certainly one thing I miss about L.A.
Been listening to: I recently heard “Ghost of Love” again, from David Lynch’s super-bizarre “Inland Empire,” back in 2006. The hypnotic thing’s been going through my mind since. David Lynch even does the singing (what can’t he do?), though his voice is so heavily processed that I wasn’t sure if it was a man or a woman when I first heard it.
The Bieber: Is it wrong that I kind of want to see the upcoming Justin Bieber movie?
I’m not real crazy about shopping but do a fair amount of it to get new outfits for taking pictures and going out. For more fetish-ey kinds of things I often just buy online, which has its own hassles with returning things that don’t fit, but I also go shopping locally at places like Ross, Macy’s, Burlington Coat Factory and even Target occasionally. And like I’ve mentioned before, even after all these years, I’ll sometimes get insecure about being a guy looking at women’s clothes. I was talking to another CD the other day who said the same thing. He was planning to go out shopping in guy mode, made it into the store, and then lost his nerve and turned around and just kept walking. I’m sure many of us could relate, as it is often considered a bit odd, or at least unusual, to see a man browsing in the women’s department, whereas the reverse is no big deal at all.
To be honest, I’ve done it so much that I usually do pretty well but if I feel at all nervous it’s usually worse in the first ten minutes. Once I find an item that’s a possibility that usually relaxes me and I just focus on the hunt and get into it. Or if there’s a good song on the Muzak – I heard Macy Gray this afternoon – that can often put me at ease. But starting out can sometimes be slightly uncomfortable, especially since I’m sort of a nervous type to begin with. I know a few other CDs who have this relaxed confidence about them and who never seem to get rattled – yeah, that’s never been me. I’ve also known one or two who have an almost defiant quality to going out, and that’s something I also hope to avoid as it just comes off as angry and as if they have a chip on their shoulder (which, well, they seem to).
Of course, like so many things in life, it’s all a mental game. Most people really don’t care and if they notice or wonder about me at all it’s probably just a passing thought about the tall guy with shaggy hair over there looking at dresses. Then there’s also the whole question of going out shopping while dressed, which is something that I’ve never really enjoyed that much, as I feel like it draws even more attention to me than if I’m just some dude, and ironically enough, for someone who has lots of bondage pictures of themselves online, I don’t really enjoy being a center of attention when I’m out and about. I know other CDs who swear by shopping while dressed and say that’s definitely the way to go. In fact there’s a local CD and her wife who have suggested I should go with them, so I might try it again at some point.
So again, the real challenge is just in that space between my ears. Maybe I just need a nice prescription for some Xanax.
These pictures of Katy Perry in the rubber dress that she wore at her recent Times Square performance have been posted a lot already but I figured they were good for another look, plus a few others with some nice outfits. She looks fantastic, and it’s a look that very few could pull off (I know I couldn’t!) I know her music often gets dismissed as fluff but she does have some super-catchy tunes.
I ordered some photo prints from snapfish the other day and a couple days later got this nice email offer for a little Sandra scrapbook. I checked out the sample pages online and apparently someone (probably being paid minimum wage) put a lot of effort into laying out the pictures, as they appeared to be placed almost by theme. I’m almost tempted to buy it – they did a really nice job! I especially like the email they sent me though, with the nice juxtaposition between my bondage pictures up top and the nice mother and child below. It’s just very very wrong.
Also Been listening to: Lily Allen’s The Fear. Crazy chick and “so f***ing fantastic.” Love that accent!
Well, it’s been a while since I’ve done any blogging and I wish I could say it’s because I’ve been so busy having fun, but actually I’ve just been wracking my brain to think of something to write about. With all that activity from my recent L.A. trip things have been a lot quieter by comparison back in Colorado. I did have a really fun shoot the other day with AmberKatt, sort of an end of the year theme to it where I’m reflecting on the tough year that it’s been (not really that tough) and then being interrupted by an intruder with a roll of duct tape (and that tape was tight!) Here are a couple preview shots below, with the full set going up in a couple weeks.
Tomorrow night I am going out with some TG girls from a local Meetup group that could be interesting. We’ll be having dinner at Hamburger Mary’s and then heading off to Tracks, Denver’s biggest gay dance club, which I’ve yet to visit. I always hate walking into a group of new people – I think I’ll know at least one other girl – but I’m hoping for the best.
Random Justin Bieber Observations: When I see all the posters and notebooks with his pictures on them I wonder if this stuff will be worth something in twenty years, or is it just junk (not that I’m going to start collecting any of it). But you wonder. I also wonder if his stratospheric success is going to mess him up as an adult in another five or ten years, with the inevitable “Whatever happened to…?” Anyway, I don’t even like his music, but whatever “it” is, he’s got it in spades. And I still think he would make an incredible chick.
Been listening to: Wow, “Fuck You” (I just like typing that) by the fabulous Cee Lo Green is really catchy – and what a fun video!
I had a delightful time in L.A. and hope to be back in the springtime, if not before. I had several photoshoots and even shot with two cute new girls, Nina and Kaitlynn, who’ll be appearing on the site in the weeks ahead. Last night I went to the Threshold Munch and had a really nice time dining with friends from the club. It’s funny, now that I no longer live in L.A. I sure do appreciate it a lot more, though the place can still be a hassle at times. I could almost picture living here again someday though it’s really the kind of big city where you’d want to be making a six figure income to really make it work. All in all though the visit was a total success and far more enjoyable than I expected. My friend has a pleasant house in the Valley in a good neighborhood, which made it very comfortable and easy. I tend to spend most of my time in the San Fernando Valley, where the clubs I like are located, and although some parts of the Valley can be pretty tired and sketchy it’s generally a bit nicer than where I used to live in L.A. proper.
So I’m just hanging out at the airport, and when I get home it’s back to the computer and editing some new pictures and videos, and a real winter coming up just around the corner.
I was reading about the experimental musician who slowed down Justin Bieber’s “U Smile” by 800 percent and made this dramatic heavenly chorus. It is pretty amazing and it’s over a half hour long. I feel calmer just listening to a couple minutes of it!
By the way, I do think Justin would make a fantastic looking girl with that shockingly young face of his. Heck, he almost looks like one without even trying.
This song from Arcade Fire, Neighborhood #1 – (Tunnels ), is about six years old, but I remember the first time I heard it on the radio and had one of those “stop in my tracks” moments. I just heard it again recently and it brought tears to my eyes (in a good way), which happens almost every time I hear it. Arcade Fire rocks!
I was listening to This American Life on NPR the other day and they wrapped up with this tune, “Animal,” from Miike Snow (you can stream it on their MySpace page). Man, that thing is catchy – it’s driving me crazy running through my head! Of course, there’s that line, “Am I free or am I tied up?”
I was out shopping at “Out of the Closet,” the gayest thrift store in L.A., and heard Ladytron’s “Destroy Everything You Touch” on the radio. It’s a couple years old but I always like it when I hear it, with that New Wave-ish sound and sort of blank sounding but sexy singing. I have no idea what it means but it’s pretty catchy (is it about sex or revenge? – heck, I don’t know). Also don’t know what all the snow is in this YouTube video but the girls are kind of cute in a gothic sort of way around the midpoint.
Oh, and I got a couple new skirts and also found a navy blue stewardess dress that fits pretty well, so hopefully I’ll have a fun new set of pictures in the coming weeks or months (it sometimes takes a while before they go online!)
I’ve been hearing this band Biirdie on KCRW a lot lately, and they have this terrific song Catherine Avenue that I really love (it’s the first sample on their MySpace page) – strange and kind of brooding and uplifting all at the same time, with this bizarre guitar solo at the end. Good stuff.
I’ve had that song “Phantom Limb” by The Shins stuck in my head for the last couple days. The lyrics make no sense at all to me but it sure is catchy.
I was recently listening again to that William Shatner album, “Has Been,” that came out in 2004. The whole idea sounds like a ridiculous joke but it’s surprisingly really good stuff, pretty melancholy too. The high point is the song,”Common People” that he did with Joe Jackson. Damn, that thing really rocks!
I recently heard this cover version of that great 70s song “All the Young Dudes,” done by Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, and it’s been running through my head ever since. He’s got this great Axl Rose-like quaver to his voice that makes it sound even campier than the definitive Mott the Hoople version, if that’s possible.
I love that song. I must have been about ten years old when I first heard it and it just sounded so unbelievably cool. It was only a few years ago that I learned it had been written by David Bowie, who had the greatest gender-fuck look of all time. So anyway, to feed my Itunes addiction I downloaded both versions of the song. (Hey, I can get “Afternoon Delight” for only .99 cents!) Okay, I’m off to make a compilation tape for Club Fantasy (It’s this Friday!)
I’ve been really enjoying this singer Jose Gonzalez (from Sweden, believe it or not). You can stream some of his songs on MySpace. Whenever I listen to “Crosses” I get really quiet and stare off into space…
http://www.myspace.com/josegonzalez (Scroll down a little ways for streaming).
Hi, I'm Sandra - see more of me and my friends in bondage at my website Trannies In Trouble
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