A Birthday Banksy

So, it's been a joy to see the scattered works of Banksy around New Orleans - I haven't had the pleasure of seeing all of them, since a few were painted over or on building that have since been torn down.

One (#6 in the link below), on the former Teen Drop-In center, is protected by a heavy acrylic cover. So far, no one's messed with it.

I really want to find the one of the child chasing the umbrella. (17th in the line up here.) That one speaks to me.

So, it was fabulous to spot one this weekend (and even if it's an imitation Banksy, it pleases me) in the heart of the French Quarter. So, with no other gifts in hand, I send this to the birthday girl on vacation:

Your very own Birthday Banksy -

Happy Birthday, you-know-who!!

Utter Bravery

Donnie was not a close personal friend, but I feel this loss deeply. He is an icon of a time that this generation of young gay people don't know or understand.

It is on the shoulders of Donnie Jay and many men and women like him that we stand now, able to look the world straight in the eye - so to speak - and demand to be treated like equals. There are things that Donnie had seen in his lifetime that I cannot begin to comprehend.

Always the consummate entertainer, Donnie did some of the most hilarious (and at times, hilariously inappropriate and dreadful!) drag - even after losing half his foot due to diabetes. I heard him once quip that he was headed out on the town to "kick up his heel"...

And he just didn't care what the world thought - he is the personification of Stephen Sondheim's stunning "I'm Still Here" from Follies, but that's not the song I associated with his passing last week.

There are many definitions of bravery, and exponentially more quotes about it too...I found this one via Google, and didn't know the author's names so I googled that too. There's something deliciously fitting, and somewhat campy in the way that would tickle Donnie Jay - it's from Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries.

“Courage is not the absence of fear but the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all. For now you are traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be."

Meg Cabot

Donnie Jay knew who he was - and lived and lived and lived. And the world is a little dimmer without his light. And here's what I have had playing in my head since hearing of his passing: George Hearn, and no other, singing "I Am What I Am" from La Cage Aux Folles.

Latte Love

I adore Kristin Chenoweth.

So, it was a real delight that one of the colorguards selected her rendition of "Taylor, the Latte Boy" for their 2009 competition season. The eight high schoolers - only one boy - had a ball with this number.

The floor was set with a Starbuck's counter and a cafe table and chairs - Joey, who portrayed Taylor, even had the requisite green apron and attitude. (If you've never seen Winterguard competitions, they incorporate costumes, sets, rifles, sabres and flags (as well as other appropriate props. All the flags for this show had different sweetener logos emblazoned across them: Splenda, Equal, etc.)

It was a great show - perfect for this small group of student, who performed the heck out of it. I had not heard this song before seeing their show - and it's as adorable as Kristin.

So here's Taylor, the Latte Boy - hope it gets your day going. Oh, and if you'd like to see the kids in action, here's a link to a rather poor quality video of their performance a week before State Championships - where they in fact won their division easily.