Issa Blog

when two musicians sing into the same microphone and lean in very close to each other… like omg are you guys gonna kiss now to relieve the homoerotic tension?😳

THIS IS NOT ABOUT ONE DIRECTION I DON’T KNOW WHO THIS “HARRY” PERSON IS GO WATCH BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND CLARENCE CLEMONS KISS ON STAGE RIGHT NOW

op is the only valid person i’ve ever met. everyone else needs to come to the light

Okay, but this is really important: Bruce Springsteen occupied this really weird place in music history. His songs were all from this pessimistic, nihilistic view of an America that had let him down:

Just like the anti-Vietnam War protest songs that we associate with the 1960s, or the early nihilism that spawned punk music in the 1970s. But he didn’t *sound* like a punk anarchist; he sounded like a country rock singer. When he released Born in the U.S.A. people completely misinterpreted (or possibly ignored) the lyrics in favor of the tone of the music.

Politicians used his music to promote their ‘Murica Yes! brand, and he had to literally explain that that was not what he was about. He’s over here asking when we’re going to have jobs and heathcare, not stanning the politicians who weren’t helping the people.

It was also kind of a big deal that he had an integrated band, because even as late as the 1980s music was still kind of segregated and MTV was straight up racist. They refused to play and promote black artists and then claimed that were no black artists in the first place. Michael Jackson’s record company had to threaten a boycott of their white artists to get MTV to play his Thriller video.

Plus, the first black/white interracial kiss on TV was in 1968 (OG Star Trek). Also it took us until the 70s to get sympathetic gay characters on screen, and the 90s to get gay characters to kiss onscreen. And all of those firsts were met with outrage.

So keep that in mind when you see Bruce Springsteen not just playing with an interracial band, but engaging in an interracial, gay kiss on stage repeatedly.

Passages from American Popular Music by Larry Starr and Christopher Waterman

I used to think that Bruce and Clarence kissing onstage was exuberance, showmanship, and telling racist homophobes to fuck off. Like, they picked up a certain kind of audience and went “Racist homophobes? Not in our house!” And started the kissing then but then I actually looked it up and

https://www.gq.com/story/this-fucked-me-up-bruce-springsteen-singing-about-clarence-clemons

It wasn’t about showmanship or rejecting bigots or anything it was just. Damn right that was one of the loves of his life and damn right he was going to kiss him onstage

It gets me a little that Bruce has had a divorce, that he’s been married twice, but he loved Clarence for the rest of Clarence’s life and will presumably love him the rest of his own

I’m having some emotions about it!

Not just! I love you pure and deep and true but! I am going to love you like that in front of the whole damn world!

We have fewer narratives about taking risks and making statements for platonic love rather than romantic and supposedly it would be easier to downplay this onstage than romance and! They refused! They fucking refused! In front of hundreds of thousands of people, over the course of years! In the spotlight, in word and deed, I love you!

God I’m not okay about it

Now I’m mad that this is not among any of the things I was ever told about this artist.

I knew about this in general (& via all those fabulous photos), but this just adds even more beautiful context <3

Just to add to the pile: this was the cover of Springsteen’s break-through album Born to Run, in 1975:

I mean, will you LOOK at this:

This was the pic chosen for the album cover from an extensive photoshoot, too. A few others:

There’s a lot more online if you search. They’re all pretty amazing. But the photographer is right, the one chosen for the album cover just pops.

The Big Three ™

IZZY LIKING THIS IS SO FUNNY TO ME

angel in space who falls in love with an astronaut floating out in the void, not realizing they've been dead for years out there nor comprehending what death even is. is that anything

the angel starts leading them back to earth cuz they think that's what'll make them feel better, finally talk back to them, open up. it takes lightyears to get back to earth's atmosphere and when they do, the angel embraces them as gravity takes hold and pulls them crashing down. they both incinerate into ash and disappear. is that anything

idk is this anything

Listen I am not going to name anyone specifically, but pattern makers need to talk to one (1) fat person before they can post their patterns online.

I am so sick of finding a cute pattern, getting all the supplies, checking my gage, and starting to knit, only to find that my sleeves are a foot longer than a normal human because the pattern maker just multiplied all their numbers by 10 when they sized it up. I can't believe I have to say this but, just because my ass is fat does not mean my arms go down to my knees???

If you are a fat knitter, please check out Lydia Morrow on Ravelry!

Her design focus first and foremost on the fit and comfort of plus size people, most offering optional bust AND hip shaping. She’s a neuro divergent and disabled creator and really relies on the sales of her patterns, which very generously offer a sliding pay scale for people who can’t afford the full price. Her pattern sales have dipped these last few months which is a terrible shame because she is doing so much great work to make accessible patterns for all.

People who sculpt in marble do fabrics and shit just to flex don’t they

Marble is a medium in which you can be horny on main and everyone’s like “wow that’s classy.”

Frodo’s a nepo baby when you think about it but like for sucky things. That’s your uncle’s evil ring? That’s your uncle’s wizard that took you on an adventure? That’s your uncle’s feud with a homicidal gremlin man that’s after your uncle’s ring? Great

Apparently if you find a tagged Horseshoe crab and report it to Fish and Wildlife they’ll send you a certificate with info about your crab AND a pewter horseshoe crab pin! Keep your eyes peeled 👀

(Photo from the Nantucket Conservation Foundation)

Good news!  Getting a good grade in crab is normal to want and possible to achieve!

The word “Power” written in Portuguese on their chests. Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, 1972, by Carlos Vergara.

milk-thistle is an example of a word where the tongue barely moves… basilica is an example of a word where the movement involved is like a seesaw. opium as a word is circular to say. to say a word like violence involves a bit of a forced pause in the mouth where the o connecting the syllables is. etymologists trace the word’s history, poets feel the word’s impact, singers listen to the word’s musicality, linguists tell the word to go this way and that way, and the word is gracious to all in return

Betty White filming the queen and princess Diana throwing hands in the afterlife:

we can’t forgive student loans because it’s an insult to people who worked so hard to pay off their student loans. we can’t invent the smallpox vaccine because it’s an insult to people who died of smallpox. we can’t invent the printing press because it’s an insult to monks who copied every single book by hand. caveman grog can’t invent the wheel because it’s an insult to caveman ugg who had to carry his things everywhere

Viola Davis photographed by Marcos Florentino + Kelvin Yule for ELLE Brasil

John came in hot this morning 😭

How come these dickheads are never around when a Black male celebrity chats shit about how much he hates Black women. John praises Black women and now issa problem

^^^

"how do i know a woman wants me to talk to her in the grocery store" are you an elderly woman with valuable information about cooking, cleaning, or saving money? if you answered no, then women do not want to talk to you in the grocery store.

These tags needed to be shared with the class.