From dissident writer and intellectual to emerge after the Velvet Revolution of 1989 as the last President of Czechoslovakia and then first President of The Czech Republic, the humble and irrepressible Vaclav Havel died yesterday at the age of 75'
I recall when thousands of us here in Brisbane took to the streets in 1968 when Russia invaded Czechoslovakia to bring the Prague Spring to an end. Vivid is the memory of myself along with fellow university and school friends holding hands and dancing down the main street clapping and singing 'Power To The People' as the sound bounced off the office buildings. My other memory from 1993 is of being thrown off a train in the dark at an isolated station at 2 am as it entered The Czech Republic because I dad not have a Visa. Scary!
Stilettos were first mentioned in the 1930's. The Stiletto heel is named after the long thin dagger developed in Italy in the 1400's and used mainly for stabbing. The heel gives the illusion of a longer and slimmer leg, a smaller foot and greater height. They cause the calf muscle to flex and alter the posture and movement making the chest and buttocks stick out. In recent times it has become a fashion accessory of the sexy young male performer and occasional model. They certainly look fabulous, elegant and dangerous. Baptiste Giabiconi photographed by Karl Largerfeld
There is more on the stunning performer David Pereira throughout this blog.
Kazaky
An all male Ukranian group who became known through YouTube for their stunningly beautiful music videos, brilliant bodies and the high heels. They have since been written about all over the planet.
As he says - Out and proud music for hungry ears. JbDubs (AKA James Whiteside) is a Principal Ballet Dancer with the Boston Ballet. He writes, produces and performs his own music and choreographs his performances.
Once again I hope to bring your attention to some stunning works I love, awash with colours including black and white and the beautiful naked male body. Some of the artists I have had some communication with and others I subscribe to. I recommend their work.
A little humour - A different time. A Cautionary Tale
In the line at the store, the check-out guy told an old man that he should bring his own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The man apologised and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."
The guy responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation didn't care enough to save our environment." He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soft-drink bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the factory to be washed and sterilised and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower motor vehicle every time we had to go two blocks. But he was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.
Back then, we washed the baby's nappies because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 240 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that boy is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Queensland! In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.
We drank from a bubbler fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the tram or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mums into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one power-point in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerised gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But we didn't have the green thing back then?
Great duo from Chile and a very sensuous music video 'Los Bikers'.
Casey Spooner gay American solo artist - 'Spanish Teenager' music video (nudity included).
'Were The World Mine'
Romantic and cute music clip from the gorgeous gay film based on
'A Midsummer Nights Dream'
Musicians are entertainers and in the long tradition of performance over centuries the actor and musician was hardly at the top of society as publicity and the tabloid press like one to believe today. Often in centuries past the musician was at a level akin to a prostitute. (not that I have anything against that profession) The aim of such a person was to attract attention and put on a show and amuse. Nudity is certainly a way to attract attention and sexual or sensuous videos are also part of that act of shouting and waving to say 'I am here! Look at me and listen to me!' The musician sang of love or sheep. They sang of dreams and occasionally oppression. They sang of death and life. They sang of grand deeds and heroes and again sheep. On occasions the odd super-star arose to become hysterically popular like the castrato Farinelli, but for the most part they were the mere slaves and part of the common and ignored class except when in the spotlight. No more than just a lowly member of the staff or a vagabond. It is therefore silly that some now take themselves so seriously because they are popular. It does not mean any more than that. Some are too precious to expose themselves because of an inflated ego and others are all too willing to be out there and show the crowd what they want to see. Don't take this little comment too seriously, but there is a germ of some truth explained briefly. I admire musicians immensely and passionately follow my favourites, but I always remember they are there to entertain and I find nudity very attractive and entertaining.
Perhaps not music videos, but a few examples of musicians sustaining a tradition of being naked and sexy from back in the 70's until today.
21 Jan 2006 'La Chambre' Projection vidéo et performance. Réalisation Karl LAKOLAK,
(Led Zeppelin Whole lotta love).
If you are impressed by this stunning visual performance see more on their channel
UnderFilm on Vimeo Dimitri Horostovsky I saw this brilliant sexy Russian baritone in concert. I was sitting and standing cheering next to the very great, but sadly passed Australian Mezzo Margreta Elkins.
The 27th. November 2011 saw the death of Ken Russell aged 84 (born July 3 1927) who has been and still remains one of my favourite directors. An extraordinary man of abundant talent. He was exuberant, indulgent, joyful and with a keen sense of humour. Russell made films that entertained and informed at the same time. Surreal imagery painted a picture of his subject more clearly than a straight narrative. He implanted visions in your brain that remained with you to contemplate and remember what you saw. Some of his films spoke personally to me, some made me want to stand and cheer, some made me squirm and some were just plain sexy.
These are my DVD's from the great Ken Russell.
Elgar (1962),The Debussy Film(1965),Always on Sunday(Rousseau 1965),Isodora: The Biggest Dancer in the World(1966),Dante's Inferno (1967), Song of Summer(Delius1968),Women in Love (1969), The Music Lovers (1970), The Devils(1971), The Boyfriend (1971), Savage Messiah (1972), Mahler(1974), Tommy (1975), Lisztomania (1975), Valentino(1977), Altered States(1980),Gothic(1986), Aria(Nessun Dorma segment 1987), Salome's Last Dance(1988), The Lair of the White Worm(1988), The Rainbow (1989), The Fall of the Louse of Usher(2002).
Ken Russell irritated some, but inspired many others and in his later years suffered as Glenda Jackson said from 'criminal neglect.' Some of his work was not to everyone's taste, but certainly he matched mine and people with a sense of the visual and the absurd. In his many musician's biographies he paid stunning homage to some of the great composers. I adored him. My only indirect links to him were, a meeting I had with Glenda Jackson who starred in several of his films, a party I had for Lindsay Kemp who starred in Savage Messiah and another friend who is a wonderful director of film and stage who did classes with him many years ago. Always entertaining and on many occasions inspiring, he happily and fearlessly used beautiful nudity. Some examples below.
