If it wasn’t obvious from the wash job performed by Paula Zahn and the crew over at CNN already, it should be clear to everyone now. The new conservative media has found its way into the Love In Action issue by providing unabashedly biased coverage of the debate on ex-gay reparative therapies.

Last night’s episode of Paula Zahn Now would have been enough, but Paula Zahn Now has decided to go that extra step — tonight’s show is described as “Gay to straight. One man says he has changed his ways. We’ll tell you how he says he did it.” It just demonstrates that news organizations like CNN are willing to trade their track record for fair reporting for dimbulb reporting and a vain attempt at obtaining ratings they will never have again. CNN’s abusive misrepresentation of the dangers of reparative therapy marks another chapter in the long spiral downward of one of America’s great news organizations. If CNN wants to be the new Fox News, they’ll have to do a lot better than picking through the trash of the real issues for their soundbytes.

Paula Zahn and company, please allow me to initiate a very public and well-deserved FUCK YOU SWEETHEART because, after all, I have no mastery of the English language and I don’t speak boob job and facelift nearly as well as you do. I guess all those things Radar Magazine had to say about you were true after all?

The real story of the day was Good Morning America’s debate between Brandon Tidwell and Gerard Wellman in which equal time was provided for the discussion of the central issue here: the dangers of reparative therapy. Chalk one up to ABC News for looking at the issue instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Your thoughts, comments, and opinions are welcomed.

TONIGHT’S GUEST DJ’s: Chris Weary and DJ Franswa (aka Cort). UNNNGH, AH BEE DAT.

This evening on the CNN show Paula Zahn NOW, a story will air about Love In Action and, potentially, similar camps. Story header: “Your child says he or she is gay. Now there’s a camp that says it can set these kids straight. Would you put your child through this? Tune in at 8 p.m. ET. “

Starts at 8pm EST/7pm CST only on CNN.

Tomorrow morning on Good Morning America, Brandon Tidwell and Gerard Wellman will face off against one another in what is sure to be a nail-biting ten minutes of television. Brandon Tidwell is an active and respected member of the Memphis community as well as a former client of Love In Action (who has since renounced the ex-gay lifestyle and openly attacked Love In Action’s practices).. Gerard Wellman is a graduate of Love In Action who continues to live the ex-gay lifestyle while working as Love In Action’s business administrator.

I’m ready to see some sparks fly, what about you?

“You know it’s hard out here for a pimp when you tryin’ to get this money for the rent. For the Cadillacs and gas money spent will have a whole lotta bitches jumpin’ ship.” — Hustle and Flow

Before the movie hit the theaters, before a frame was lensed, before it won the audience award at Sundance, I (and many other Memphians) knew. I knew weeks ago, months ago that Hustle and Flow would be considered a crowning achievement in Memphis cinema history. What I didn’t know was how lucky we are to have people like Craig Brewer, the hometown-loving filmmaker filled with fascinating ideas and enough chutzpah to put them out there, showing their affection for the town we live in.

Before you start with your “it’s just another rap flick” chatter, I would like to make some observations about the film for outsiders. Number 1, it’s overwhelmingly accurate — to the point of stereotype, but absolutely correct and on point. Anyone watching Hustle and Flow trying to tell you Memphis isn’t like this is seriously misrepresenting what we live in every day down here in the hopes you’ll believe what they’re spittin’ at you. Memphis is pimps, playas, hustlas, ho’s, bitches, tricks, 30′s on Yokohamas with spinnaz glossing an ’82 Chevette, running game, spittin’ lyrics, doin’ time, chasing the dream, poor and hungry, proud as hell. Changes do not come around quickly here, time moves at its own pace. There are about 12 people who control everything that goes on in our city, and they like it that way. They don’t want it to change, and nobody is stepping up quickly enough or with enough money in their pockets to make that change happen any faster.

In many regards, Memphis is a city that is for sale, yet at the same time we are absolutely not for sale. This is what we come from, rich or poor, and there is no need for the minority population of our city (meaning the people with all the money who ran away to Cordova and Collierville because they’re scared of blacks and gays) to try and point you in any other direction.

In fact, Memphis has all of that. It’s a diverse dichotomy of lifestyles punched against one another, stilted traditions, racism, people controlling corners, leary of outsiders and fierce independence. There are more churches than gas stations, every public school is a halfway house, every business (except FedEx, AutoZone and International Paper) is understaffed. According to Wikipedia, “The per capita income for the city is $17,838. 20.6% of the population and 17.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 30.1% of those under the age of 18 and 15.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.” Deciphering the fine print: Memphis ain’t bullshittin’, and neither is Hustle and Flow.

It’s 102 degrees outside today in the shade, people are melting on their front porches sipping ice waters and fanning themselves with old newspapers or, if you are lucky enough to have air conditioning in your car, rolling around town with the music turned up full blast, bass banging out of the trunk and the a/c blasting it’s cool breezes past your sweat-drenched skin. And somewhere in this city of dreams, someone is trying to make a name for themselves doing the thing they love. It might be me, it might be you, it might be any of us. But the poverty, the crime, the dichotomy of our clashing lifestyles being in such close proximity with one another all lend themselves to the struggle for that goal.

It may be no different anywhere in America, but not every city in America has a film like Hustle and Flow to let people know how things really go on the other side of this town.

I grew up in Memphis on the edge of the suburbs. My father insisted that we stay in Memphis. He bought the one house “so close to Germantown that we don’t live there, but we can spit on the people who do if we want to”. In fact, the dividing line between Germantown and Memphis ran (truthfully) right down the middle of our street. For many years, I didn’t know about South-South and North-North, Nutbush, Millbranch, Jackson Avenue, and other “off-limits” areas of the city (aka “where white people aren’t supposed to go”). As I have grown older, I have begun to embrace these parts of our city because, in reality, it is what the other half of the city feeds off of. It gives those people out in the suburbs a cause to rally against, something to point a finger at, those church-going minions something by which to define their own cultural standard.

It also creates a great deal of controversy within the black community here because upper and middle-class black families feel that they are “under-represented” or “misrepresented” in film which leads to racial stereotyping. What those proponents need to realize is simple: that is an issue which must be dealt with within the black community. One of the great points of the film is this: even if you make it, you’re still trying to make it in this world. It is not a reason to attack the truth. The ugly, dirty truth, no matter how you want to sugar coat it or throw money at it, will always be the truth.

I have never been more proud than I was walking out of Hustle and Flow because, at the end of the day, it represents the best of who we are in the face of the worst of what we can be. This movie is no joke. This one is truly from the heart, almost too accurate for it to seem like a work of fiction. If you haven’t gone to see it, make a date and go see it tonight.

Fuck what you heard about it misrepresenting Memphis from anywhere else. Anyone telling you that needs to quit hitting the snooze bar and wake their asses up. We’ve got nothing to hide, and thank you Craig Brewer for pulling back the covers on the real.

Come to the P&H and join us for comedy and good times before the Couples Costume Party @ the Buc!

THIS IS WHAT LOVE IN ACTION LOOKS LIKE

Queer Action Coalition will be holding TWO rallies at Love in Action Headquarters 4780 Yale Rd., Memphis TN on FRIDAY, JULY 29TH…8:30-9:30a, and 4:00-5:30p

Please join us for what we anticipate will be the largest peaceful demonstration against the practices of “Love” in Action to date, and possibly the last for awhile. We anticipate major national media present and we hope that all of those who feel strongly about this issue will come show their support at either, if not both of these rallies. Please bring appropriate, non-judgemental, positive signs, banners, and attitudes.

LET’S SHOW THE WORLD
WHAT LOVE IN ACTION LOOKS LIKE.

Get directions here: “Love” in Action HQ.

WARNING: A large amount of profanity will be in this post. If profanity offends you, turn back now.

Memphians, I’m calling you out. I live in this motherfucking city where people get some of the best music and musicians in the world. People want to come here. I mean, Memphis has been a bastion of popular music for over half a century. Some of the greatest music ever made came out of the delta, and the independent music movement was never more vital than it was in this city. All the more reason for people to have been at the Hi-Tone last night to see Blowfly, master of the XXX rated party record, credited by many as the original rapper (with his 1965 “Rap Dirty” record), one of the baddest motherfuckers that ever walked on a stage or played on a record.

In this week’s Memphis Flyer, you can see a full-page article about Blowfly and what his genius means (thanks to Andrew Earles). For years, Blowfly has toured and played his brand of funky, dirty, filthy, comedic soul music for audiences the world over. He’s sold thousands of records. He is flanked only by Dolemite himself (aka Rudy Ray Moore) as being one of the kings of the 70′s party record scene. As Clarence Reid, the man behind the mask, he has written songs for dozens of musicians including K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Gwen McRae, Betty Wright, and Sam and Dave.

Which makes it hard to understand why a paltry 25 people showed up last night at the Hi-Tone to give Blowfly a big Memphis welcome.

Now, I could understand if it was just last night’s show that I was calling out. But I’m calling out Memphis and Memphians in general for not supporting the club circuit because it’s not just last night. It’s been many, many nights this year. When good shows come through town, people look at the crowd and think, “This is what I drove out of my way for? To play for 20 people?” Blowfly didn’t have to come to Memphis, he wanted to be here. Tim Easton, whom I was pleased & honored to play with on Wednesday, suffered the same fate.

Memphis audiences continue to go see the same six or seven bands/artists all the time, yet all I ever hear is people complaining that “no good bands ever come here”. Can you blame them? When something good actually comes, the Memphis crew doesn’t show up. You have some excuse, some reason you can’t be there, something more important to do. If it were one time, I could probably understand that. But every time? There’s no excuse here. Off the top of my head, I can remember Communique from New York playing to a measly 20 people at Young Avenue Deli, and an equally unimpressive number for VHS or Beta last November.

Blowfly put on a show that blew down the house, that tore a new asshole to every motherfucker that walked in that door last night. He let the dirty, filthy, triple-x rated party glory that is his marker to the world fly across and hit every audience member square between the eyes. Everyone laughed and shouted and danced their asses off, all 25 of us.

But did you see it? Probably not. You had to wash your hair last night. You had to get up early and do nothing tomorrow. You had to stay home and wait for the dope man. Or my favorite excuse from last night, “I didn’t go because I already figured a ton of people would be there.”

I love Memphis and I love my Memphis people. But I do not love it when so many of you bitch and moan and complain about good shows not coming here, and you can’t even be bothered to make an appearance when the good ones do.

I want to present a picture to the world outside our fair city that we are supportive of musicians and artists. I have busted my ass to get artists to come here who otherwise would care less about coming to town, and I know other people who promote music have done the same. But how long do you expect us to have to lie to all these people before the rest of you start making what I’m telling them at least SEEM true?

The joke isn’t funny anymore. And anyways, it’s your fucking loss that you missed the full Blowfly outfit, complete with sequined mask, cape, and suit. It’s your fucking fault that he sang every hit he had with all his heart backed up by his smoking band. It’s your fucking fault that he walked out of this town, this man who SELLS OUT THE SHOW when he plays any major city in the United States, with enough money for gas to get to the next gig.

So please. Don’t ask me anymore why no good music comes to Memphis. Don’t talk to me about what you’re gonna do and how you’re gonna do it. You just keep on singing that same shitty fucking tune in your head and telling yourself how cool you are for singing it.

When the good stuff stops coming, Memphis, you’ll have only yourselves to blame.

I have the great fortune to be performing on Wednesday night at the Hi-Tone with Tim Easton and Brett Krock (of The Lights). Tim is a singer-songwriter extraordinare whose newest recordings were done with Gary Louris (formerly of The Jayhawks). He has supported artists like John Hiatt, Alejandro Escovedo, Mark Eitzel, and The Cowboy Junkies. Tim is, admittedly, “living the itinerant folk singer lifestyle”, and his live show is not to be missed.

Oh, yeah, and me and Brett are also playing.

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According to The National Business Review, Rupert Murdoch (owner of damn near the whole universe) in another desperate attempt at reversing the aging process has officially taken the fun out of MySpace by acquiring the 47 percent of Intermix Media, the people who run MySpace, that it did not already own. The whole of MySpace, Grab.Com and others will be folded into the new Fox News Interactive Media department recently formed.

There goes the neighborhood.