Elton John OK's Love Lies Bleeding tour
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/06/22/elton-john-alberta-ballet.html?ref=rssAlberta Ballet will take new work on the road
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 | 10:46 AM MT Comments5Recommend24
CBC News
Love Lies Bleeding will tour in 2011 after getting a go-ahead from Elton John. (CBC)
Elton John has given the thumbs-up to a tour of Love Lies Bleeding, the Alberta Ballet production based on his life and music.
The ambitious work choreographed by Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maître premiered May 6 in Calgary.
Although John was not able to attend the ballet because of a scheduling conflict, his friend and adviser Ray Cooper was there on opening night.
Based on Cooper's advice — and critical acclaim — John has approved a tour of the multimedia production starting in 2011, Alberta Ballet announced Tuesday.
"I am proud of what the Alberta Ballet has created and I am looking forward to seeing this ballet live on," John said in a statement.
"It is a strong, contemporary choreography that entertains and challenges dance audiences with its new esthetics and its powerful fusion of different art mediums. I hope it will attract thousands of new patrons to this wonderful art form."
Love Lies Bleeding drew critical acclaim for its mix of contemporary music, multimedia and colourful costumes. (CBC) John approached the Alberta Ballet about the project after seeing the company's well-received Fiddle and the Drum, based on the music of Joni Mitchell, in 2007. He picked the music and gave Grand-Maître carte blanche for the rest of the $1.2-million production.Grand-Maître said the tour would make his ballet company "cultural ambassadors of our province and our country around the world."
Love Lies Bleeding is set to 14 songs composed by John and Bernie Taupin including Benny and the Jets, Crocodile Rock, I'm Going To Be A Teenage Idol and Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting).
Lead dancer Yukichi Hattori drew critical acclaim for his interpretation of John himself and the production was hailed for its use of multimedia and colourful costumes
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/06/22/elton-john-alberta-ballet.html?ref=rss#ixzz0rcKfDS2N
Bach to rock: Musicians plink out tunes on public pianos
http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/WireHeadlines/2010/06/22/bach-to-rock-musicians-plink-out-tunes-o-49.php| By: Associated Press - Texarkana Gazette - | Published: 06/22/2010 |
In bustling Times Square, on a traffic triangle in the East Village and at a park with the Statue of Liberty in the background, players flocked to the 60 pianos Monday as audiences applauded from taxicabs and sidewalks.
“This is the first time I’ve ever touched a piano,� said Lynette Morris, a 52-year-old hospital maintenance worker from the Bronx. She had just sat down at one of the instruments in the East Village, situated at the top of subway stairs.
“I can’t play but I’m going to try,� Morris said.
URNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1981
Front CoverREQUEST
In 1981, when new wave and punk were the movement of the day, Elton John released his first album for Geffen Records, “The Fox�. Not a “party� album, but a very stately, majestic album.
The first single, “Nobody Wins�. Is a magnificent, soaring piece of electronic-pop that was sweeping and dramatic. It soundeds like the title track to a James Bond film. It was also released in Europe, with EJ singing the vocals in French, under the name of “J’Veux De La Tendresse�.
“Nobody Wins� peaked at #21 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #23 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song did not do as well in Elton’s home country and only peaked at #42 on the UK singles chart.
This US 12″ contains both the “Extended Version� of the song as well as the “French Version�. Both tracks are exclusive to this release.
DISCOGS LINK
RELEASE/PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Label: Geffen Records
Catalog#: PRO-A-948
Format: Vinyl, 12″, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Producer – Chris Thomas
Recorded By – Bill Price
Written-By – Gary Osborne , Jean-Paul Dreau
NOTES
“Nobody Win� from the Geffen Records album Elton John/The Fox (GHS 20002)
Published by Inntersong Music – ASCAP
â„— 1981 Sackville Productions, ILtd
SIDE A
(A) Nobody Wins (Extended Version) 5:20
SIDE B
(B) Nobody Wins (French Version) 5:09
Back Cover
CLEANING AND GRADING INFO
US 12″ Promo Housed In A Picture Sleeve.
Vinyl Grade: Near Mint.
Vinyl cleaned using a VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine and Gruv Glide.
FLAC INFORMATION
All vinyl rips are recorded in full 24bit 96khz resolution and then resampled to 16/44 and encoded from wave to FLAC Lossless level 8.
FLAC files can be played using Foobar2000 media player and it’s free!
What Is FLAC?
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Media Used:
Vinyl 12″ Single
From My Personal Collection.
Artwork Scanned from Original 12″ Single @ 600 dpi
With Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
Edited and Restored Using Adobe Photoshop CS4
HARDWARE USED
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super 20
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
SOFTWARE USED
Audition 3.0:
Recording (32bit/96kHz float using ASIO drivers)
*Manual removal of remaining clicks
*Editing and splitting of tracks
*DC bias correction
CLICKS REMOVED USING CLICKREPAIR
DeClick Level: 10 DeCrackle: Off
Converted Wav to very high quality Mp3/320 kbps using dBpoweramp 13.1
DOWNLOAD
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UL007HP2
Theatre
Elton John okays a tour for Love Lies Bleeding
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/theatre/alberta-ballet-production-ok-to-tour-elton-john-says/article1613192/?cmpid=rss1
Yukichi Hattori, playing Sir Elton John in Love Lies Bleeding rehearses a number in the dance production created by the Alberta Ballet and Artistic Director Jean Grand-Maitre. For The Globe and Mail
Marsha Lederman
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail Published on Tuesday, Jun. 22, 2010 11:31AM EDT Last updated on Tuesday, Jun. 22, 2010 3:51PM EDT
It was the phone call that Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maître has been waiting weeks for. Ray Cooper was on the line: percussionist, long-time collaborator, close friend and confidante to Elton John. Cooper had been to Calgary last month to see the world premiere of Love Lies Bleeding, a ballet set to the pop star’s music, choreographed by Grand-Maître. John, who sent a big bouquet and a card to Grand-Maître on opening night apologizing for not being there, had sent Cooper in his place: It would be up to the drummer to watch the ballet and report back.
John had given Grand-Maître the approval to show the ballet in Alberta only. Once it was staged in Calgary and Edmonton, John would weigh in on whether the production was good enough to tour elsewhere. The stakes were high: At $1.1-million, the ballet’s budget had doubled from its original estimate, and Grand-Maître would be in hot water, he knew, if the show could go nowhere.
So when Cooper called him up last week, Grand-Maître was on pins and needles. Cooper reported that he and John had spent the previous day watching the ballet on DVD and discussing it. And then: “Ray ... said the news was good. The maestro was very happy, he really loves the ballet. He loves that the ballet [deals with] themes that are important to him today: dignity for people with AIDS, compassion and tolerance for homosexuals. ... He seems to be happy that the ballet did not cop out and become highly entertaining schlock. That we used his life and challenges he faced in his life to educate.�
The ballet, inspired by John’s life, examines the cult of celebrity through a fan-turned-fantasy-rock-star protagonist. It deals with difficulties John himself has faced, such as drug addiction.
“I am proud of what the Alberta Ballet has created and I am looking forward to seeing this ballet live on,� John said in a written statement released by the ballet company. “It is a strong, contemporary choreography that entertains and challenges dance audiences with its new aesthetics and its powerful fusion of different art mediums. I hope it will attract thousands of new patrons to this wonderful art form.�
That point was key, says Grand-Maître: John is keen to bring new people to the ballet, and they both feel Love Lies Bleeding, with its hit songs, accessible story – and its superstar attached – can accomplish that. “We think between 8,000 and 10,000 people came to the ballet for the very first time in their lives with this show,� says Grand-Maître.
John’s approval does come with some strings. While he has asked for no changes to the content, he has indicated that the ballet cannot tour to a city where it will be competing with another John show: either a live performance, or any of his theatrical properties such as The Lion King or Billy Elliot. (Although Grand-Maître feels there may be some wriggle room in a large arts-friendly city such as New York.)
Also the ballet must be presented and marketed as such: “That means I don’t call it a Broadway show,� says Grand-Maître, “because it ain’t.�
Even before the world premiere, Grand-Maître had received offers from interested promoters around the world. He’s also been called by organizations wanting to sponsor the tour – a first, he points out with a laugh. “It seems that we’ll be world touring.�
While he’s had offers to present the ballet as early as January, 2011, Grand-Maître says a tour will likely have to wait until September, 2011. It’s a massive undertaking: a two-truck tour with some 45 personnel and a lot of equipment. The logistics are daunting, but the payoff could be spectacular: Grand-Maître estimates the ballet could bring in “hundreds of thousands of dollars� each year for his company. And he thinks it will be such a hot seller, he may create a touring ensemble specifically for this property, beginning in September, 2012.
“I predict that we’ll be touring for years to come and give our dancers extra weeks of work and give us some financial stability as well in these challenging times.�
They’re also in discussions about televising the work.
Grand-Maître, who has also created a ballet with Joni Mitchell (The Fiddle and the Drum) and is working on a ballet set to Sarah McLachlan’s music, figures the first tour of Love Lies Bleeding will concentrate on Canada, perhaps kicking off in Toronto, with some U.S. dates. But he sees it going far beyond and for years to come - perhaps with some pop ballet double-bills. And there’s one city he has his eye on in particular.
“I dream to see it performed one day in London, where Elton can finally see it live: having him sitting next to us, watching his life on stage.�
John had given Grand-Maître the approval to show the ballet in Alberta only. Once it was staged in Calgary and Edmonton, John would weigh in on whether the production was good enough to tour elsewhere. The stakes were high: At $1.1-million, the ballet’s budget had doubled from its original estimate, and Grand-Maître would be in hot water, he knew, if the show could go nowhere.
“ I don’t call it a Broadway show, because it ain’t. �— Jean Grand-Maître“This was the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. I pushed the company into huge investment in [a] very difficult economic time,� he says.
So when Cooper called him up last week, Grand-Maître was on pins and needles. Cooper reported that he and John had spent the previous day watching the ballet on DVD and discussing it. And then: “Ray ... said the news was good. The maestro was very happy, he really loves the ballet. He loves that the ballet [deals with] themes that are important to him today: dignity for people with AIDS, compassion and tolerance for homosexuals. ... He seems to be happy that the ballet did not cop out and become highly entertaining schlock. That we used his life and challenges he faced in his life to educate.�
The ballet, inspired by John’s life, examines the cult of celebrity through a fan-turned-fantasy-rock-star protagonist. It deals with difficulties John himself has faced, such as drug addiction.
“I am proud of what the Alberta Ballet has created and I am looking forward to seeing this ballet live on,� John said in a written statement released by the ballet company. “It is a strong, contemporary choreography that entertains and challenges dance audiences with its new aesthetics and its powerful fusion of different art mediums. I hope it will attract thousands of new patrons to this wonderful art form.�
That point was key, says Grand-Maître: John is keen to bring new people to the ballet, and they both feel Love Lies Bleeding, with its hit songs, accessible story – and its superstar attached – can accomplish that. “We think between 8,000 and 10,000 people came to the ballet for the very first time in their lives with this show,� says Grand-Maître.
John’s approval does come with some strings. While he has asked for no changes to the content, he has indicated that the ballet cannot tour to a city where it will be competing with another John show: either a live performance, or any of his theatrical properties such as The Lion King or Billy Elliot. (Although Grand-Maître feels there may be some wriggle room in a large arts-friendly city such as New York.)
Also the ballet must be presented and marketed as such: “That means I don’t call it a Broadway show,� says Grand-Maître, “because it ain’t.�
Even before the world premiere, Grand-Maître had received offers from interested promoters around the world. He’s also been called by organizations wanting to sponsor the tour – a first, he points out with a laugh. “It seems that we’ll be world touring.�
While he’s had offers to present the ballet as early as January, 2011, Grand-Maître says a tour will likely have to wait until September, 2011. It’s a massive undertaking: a two-truck tour with some 45 personnel and a lot of equipment. The logistics are daunting, but the payoff could be spectacular: Grand-Maître estimates the ballet could bring in “hundreds of thousands of dollars� each year for his company. And he thinks it will be such a hot seller, he may create a touring ensemble specifically for this property, beginning in September, 2012.
“I predict that we’ll be touring for years to come and give our dancers extra weeks of work and give us some financial stability as well in these challenging times.�
They’re also in discussions about televising the work.
Grand-Maître, who has also created a ballet with Joni Mitchell (The Fiddle and the Drum) and is working on a ballet set to Sarah McLachlan’s music, figures the first tour of Love Lies Bleeding will concentrate on Canada, perhaps kicking off in Toronto, with some U.S. dates. But he sees it going far beyond and for years to come - perhaps with some pop ballet double-bills. And there’s one city he has his eye on in particular.
“I dream to see it performed one day in London, where Elton can finally see it live: having him sitting next to us, watching his life on stage.�
Alberta Ballet gets seal of approval from Elton John
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Songwriter gives OK to take Love Lies Bleeding on the road
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Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/Alberta+Ballet+gets+seal+approval+from+Elton+John/3187255/story.html#ixzz0rcN5fmYr
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A scene from the dress rehearsal of the Alberta Ballet's production of Love Lies Bleeding, the Elton John Ballet, at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, Alberta, Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Photograph by: Stuart Gradon, calgaryherald.com
CALGARY — Sir Elton John is giving Alberta Ballet’s Love Lies Bleeding two thumbs way up — which means his official blessing to go on the road.
The critically acclaimed $1.2-million production, choreographed by Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre based on 14 Elton John songs, premiered last month in Calgary and Edmonton.
“It’s very good news,� says an elated Grand-Maitre, adding that the OK from the famous singer-songwriter to show the loosely autobiographical Love Lies Bleeding to the rest of the world means that the company might be in a position to tour the work as early as September 2011.
“We have major promoters from New York and Canada interested in investing,� Grand-Maitre says. “But there are such big bucks involved that we’re really taking our time. We’ve already refused tours for this coming January across Mexico, because we want to do this right.�
Grand-Maitre says there is talk of touring in such Elton-friendly countries as China, Japan and Korea for “an Asian tour unlike anything we have ever seen.�
For Alberta Ballet, the continued success of Love Lies Bleeding beyond the borders of Calgary and Edmonton would not only translate into a badly needed longer performance season for the company’s 30-plus dancers, but could also lead eventually to the creation of a second company, for touring.
John has not seen the ballet in person but his friend and adviser, musician Ray Cooper attended opening night in Calgary. Cooper shared video footage of the ballet, dance reviews, media coverage and audience reaction with the singer.
There are two strings attached to John’s seal of approval, Grand-Maitre points out. The first condition stipulates that the ballet cannot be performed in a city where either the entertainer himself is performing, or where the two musicals The Lion King and Billy Elliot, both with music written by John, are running.
The other condition?
“Elton asked us to stay within what he calls the ‘ballet fraternity’,� Grand-Maitre says. “That means if we go to London, we go to Sadler’s Wells (Theatre), or if we go to New York, we go to City Center.
“We don’t want to pretend it’s a Broadway show. He (Sir Elton) likes it because it’s an innovative contemporary ballet.
“And he wants new people to come to the ballet.�
The critically acclaimed $1.2-million production, choreographed by Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre based on 14 Elton John songs, premiered last month in Calgary and Edmonton.
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From left, Dee Churchill-Smith and Jill Gibson, Elton John and ballet fans, pose on the red carpet at opening night of Love Lies Bleeding at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, Alberta, on Thursday, May 6, 2010.
Photograph by: Stuart Gradon, Calgary Herald, edmontonjournal.com
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A scene from the dress rehearsal of the Alberta Ballet's production of Love Lies Bleeding, the Elton John Ballet, at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, Alberta, Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Photograph by: Stuart Gradon, calgaryherald.com
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A scene from the dress rehearsal of the Alberta Ballet's production of Love Lies Bleeding, the Elton John Ballet, at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, Alberta, Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Photograph by: Stuart Gradon, calgaryherald.com
For Alberta Ballet, the continued success of Love Lies Bleeding beyond the borders of Calgary and Edmonton would not only translate into a badly needed longer performance season for the company’s 30-plus dancers, but could also lead eventually to the creation of a second company, for touring.
Â
Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre, left, and Mike Hewitson, Elton John's personal assistant, pose on the red carpet at opening night of Love Lies Bleeding at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, Alberta, on Thursday, May 6, 2010.
Photograph by: Ted Jacob, edmontonjournal.com
There are two strings attached to John’s seal of approval, Grand-Maitre points out. The first condition stipulates that the ballet cannot be performed in a city where either the entertainer himself is performing, or where the two musicals The Lion King and Billy Elliot, both with music written by John, are running.
Â
A scene from the dress rehearsal of the Alberta Ballet's production of Love Lies Bleeding, the Elton John Ballet, at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, Alberta, Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Photograph by: Stuart Gradon, calgaryherald.com
“Elton asked us to stay within what he calls the ‘ballet fraternity’,� Grand-Maitre says. “That means if we go to London, we go to Sadler’s Wells (Theatre), or if we go to New York, we go to City Center.
“We don’t want to pretend it’s a Broadway show. He (Sir Elton) likes it because it’s an innovative contemporary ballet.
“And he wants new people to come to the ballet.�
Â
A scene from the dress rehearsal of the Alberta Ballet's production of Love Lies Bleeding, the Elton John Ballet, at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, Alberta, Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Photograph by: Stuart Gradon, calgaryherald.com
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
When did the small, portly, fright-wigged Elton John – a knighted balladeer no less – get so electrified?
Last week, with the fallout still settling from his performance at the Palm Beach, Fla., wedding of prominently anti-gay-marriage radio commentator Rush Limbaugh earlier this month, the singer and pianist did a very contentious show in Tel Aviv, Israel.
While other artists have backed away because of the deadly boarding of the Gaza-bound ship recently, John not only appeared, he yelled, uproariously to the crowd, “Ain’t nothing gonna stop me from coming here, baby!�
You better believe the fists were pumping that night, as they did when he showed up, against enraged Islamic conservatives’ wishes, in Morocco in May, emboldening many gay fans in the process. (It remains to be seen if, as his detractors warned, he “increased homosexuality� in the process.)
“Musicians,� John argues, “spread love and peace, and bring people together. That’s what we do. We don’t cherry-pick our conscience.�
There was a time, when John was producing such nightmarish fare as Island Girl and pretty well all of his collaborations with Bernie Taupin – songs with high-end melodies and wannabe-American pop psycho lyrics – that I would have seen him the way his innumerable detractors do these days.
He is (largely for the Limbaugh wedding) being called by gay activists a “sell-out,� a “hypocrite� and a maker of “blood money.� “Oh Elton,� sighs an online fan on the gossip site Celebitchy, “I really thought better of you!�
There was a time I also would have conjectured that the man with a well-documented, financially perilous addiction to fresh flowers might do gigs for cash and could not care less where he plays.
But for some time I have been watching him perform with younger, far wilder artists, and now wonder if he is, as he and his Canadian husband David Furnish often state, a builder of bridges, not a maker of walls.
In 2001, not long after counselling Marilyn Manson about how to handle the flak around his highly sinister musical persona, John appeared at the Grammys to sing Stan with Eminem.
At the time, Eminem’s fairly playful, yet stinging lyrics about gays (“And there’s no reason why a man and another man can’t elope ... Ewww,� he groans in The Real Slim Shady) had begun to draw the ire of lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgendered communities – or more precisely, of thinking people not inclined to see gay marriage as a gross occasion, in the manner of a hostile 12-year-old.
Eminem has since become a vocal proponent of gay marriage and has always been pellucid on this point: Slim Shady is a persona, who happens to walk, talk and dress like him.
But the persona argument never quite sails: Are we to assume legions of fans understand the complexity of the represented self? They are more likely to groan along.
That is where John came in with his ingenious approach to pop bigotry. By appearing with, and sharing a kiss with Eminem, John united them as artists. He accepted Eminem’s work and his artistic freedom, but mildly and implicitly rebuked him simply by being there. It was far more effective than hissing criticism from the corners, unheard and filled with hate.
Something similar may be going on with John performing at Limbaugh’s wedding reception (populated by, among 400 others, Karl Rove, Sean Hannity, Rudolph Giuliani, Fred Thompson and James Carville).
When John appeared, the crowd gave him a standing ovation, and continued to rise to their feet for each song. Commenting on the event, the happiest day of his life, Limbaugh could not help noting that both he and former president Bill Clinton, while supporters of civil partnerships, do not believe – because of their religion – in gay marriage. I cannot think of a conservative religious group that supports gay marriage, and while I do not agree with or affiliate myself with any of these doctrines, I understand, without agreeing, why respect is afforded to their beliefs and values.
There is a large sector of the left lobbing homophobic softballs and vile derision at Limbaugh and John. Limbaugh is routinely insulted among the left for being a closeted homosexual. Insulted! There he is with his new BFFs Elton and David, pumped about visiting their mansion in London soon, his friends having acted only ecstatically in John’s presence. John has been sharply criticized by the left for hypocrisy over the wedding performance, for which it’s reported he was paid $1-million.
“It reveals a lot about the left,’ Limbaugh remarked about the “cruel� comments still being directed at John, and there I am, nodding along with Rush. Non-partisan in the main, I ally myself with the truth and with wisdom, regardless of the source.
If the man on my street who screams all day about social workers eating costly pastries on his dime also, one day, yells a striking remark about the current mayoral race, I will pause to pat his newspaper megaphone, respectfully.
“Maybe if I can make a great impression, people might change their perspective on life,� John argued.
What a dent he has been making lately.
By staying abreast of current affairs, politics and pop (this year, he played at the Grammys with an almost kittenish, star-struck Lady Gaga), by mingling among the best and the worst, he impresses us all with the sense that his kind of queer truly is here, there and everywhere.
So we are getting used to it.
Last week, with the fallout still settling from his performance at the Palm Beach, Fla., wedding of prominently anti-gay-marriage radio commentator Rush Limbaugh earlier this month, the singer and pianist did a very contentious show in Tel Aviv, Israel.
While other artists have backed away because of the deadly boarding of the Gaza-bound ship recently, John not only appeared, he yelled, uproariously to the crowd, “Ain’t nothing gonna stop me from coming here, baby!�
You better believe the fists were pumping that night, as they did when he showed up, against enraged Islamic conservatives’ wishes, in Morocco in May, emboldening many gay fans in the process. (It remains to be seen if, as his detractors warned, he “increased homosexuality� in the process.)
“Musicians,� John argues, “spread love and peace, and bring people together. That’s what we do. We don’t cherry-pick our conscience.�
There was a time, when John was producing such nightmarish fare as Island Girl and pretty well all of his collaborations with Bernie Taupin – songs with high-end melodies and wannabe-American pop psycho lyrics – that I would have seen him the way his innumerable detractors do these days.
He is (largely for the Limbaugh wedding) being called by gay activists a “sell-out,� a “hypocrite� and a maker of “blood money.� “Oh Elton,� sighs an online fan on the gossip site Celebitchy, “I really thought better of you!�
There was a time I also would have conjectured that the man with a well-documented, financially perilous addiction to fresh flowers might do gigs for cash and could not care less where he plays.
But for some time I have been watching him perform with younger, far wilder artists, and now wonder if he is, as he and his Canadian husband David Furnish often state, a builder of bridges, not a maker of walls.
In 2001, not long after counselling Marilyn Manson about how to handle the flak around his highly sinister musical persona, John appeared at the Grammys to sing Stan with Eminem.
At the time, Eminem’s fairly playful, yet stinging lyrics about gays (“And there’s no reason why a man and another man can’t elope ... Ewww,� he groans in The Real Slim Shady) had begun to draw the ire of lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgendered communities – or more precisely, of thinking people not inclined to see gay marriage as a gross occasion, in the manner of a hostile 12-year-old.
Eminem has since become a vocal proponent of gay marriage and has always been pellucid on this point: Slim Shady is a persona, who happens to walk, talk and dress like him.
But the persona argument never quite sails: Are we to assume legions of fans understand the complexity of the represented self? They are more likely to groan along.
That is where John came in with his ingenious approach to pop bigotry. By appearing with, and sharing a kiss with Eminem, John united them as artists. He accepted Eminem’s work and his artistic freedom, but mildly and implicitly rebuked him simply by being there. It was far more effective than hissing criticism from the corners, unheard and filled with hate.
Something similar may be going on with John performing at Limbaugh’s wedding reception (populated by, among 400 others, Karl Rove, Sean Hannity, Rudolph Giuliani, Fred Thompson and James Carville).
When John appeared, the crowd gave him a standing ovation, and continued to rise to their feet for each song. Commenting on the event, the happiest day of his life, Limbaugh could not help noting that both he and former president Bill Clinton, while supporters of civil partnerships, do not believe – because of their religion – in gay marriage. I cannot think of a conservative religious group that supports gay marriage, and while I do not agree with or affiliate myself with any of these doctrines, I understand, without agreeing, why respect is afforded to their beliefs and values.
There is a large sector of the left lobbing homophobic softballs and vile derision at Limbaugh and John. Limbaugh is routinely insulted among the left for being a closeted homosexual. Insulted! There he is with his new BFFs Elton and David, pumped about visiting their mansion in London soon, his friends having acted only ecstatically in John’s presence. John has been sharply criticized by the left for hypocrisy over the wedding performance, for which it’s reported he was paid $1-million.
“It reveals a lot about the left,’ Limbaugh remarked about the “cruel� comments still being directed at John, and there I am, nodding along with Rush. Non-partisan in the main, I ally myself with the truth and with wisdom, regardless of the source.
If the man on my street who screams all day about social workers eating costly pastries on his dime also, one day, yells a striking remark about the current mayoral race, I will pause to pat his newspaper megaphone, respectfully.
“Maybe if I can make a great impression, people might change their perspective on life,� John argued.
What a dent he has been making lately.
By staying abreast of current affairs, politics and pop (this year, he played at the Grammys with an almost kittenish, star-struck Lady Gaga), by mingling among the best and the worst, he impresses us all with the sense that his kind of queer truly is here, there and everywhere.
So we are getting used to it.
Elton John donne le feu vert à la tournée d'un ballet inspiré par sa musique
http://www.journalmetro.com/culture/article/559611--elton-john-donne-le-feu-vert-a-la-tournee-d-un-ballet-inspire-par-sa-musique
CALGARY - Elton John semble avoir apprécié l'idée qu'un ballet soit créé à partir de sa musique par une troupe canadienne.
L'Alberta Ballet a en effet annoncé que le musicien avait donné le feu vert à une tournée de sa production «Love Lied Bleeding».
Le spectacle multimédia, inspiré de la musique d'Elton John et de son collaborateur Bernie Taupin, a été présenté en première le 6 mai, à Calgary.
Le musicien n'a pu assister à la première, mais un de ses amis proches était sur place et lui a donné ses impressions.
Elton John a dit, dans un communiqué diffusé par l'Alberta Ballet, qu'il était fier de la production et qu'il avait hâte de la voir en personne.
La tournée s'amorcera en 2011.
L'Alberta Ballet a déjà collaboré avec Joni Mitchell et Sarah McLachlan dans le passé.
L'Alberta Ballet a en effet annoncé que le musicien avait donné le feu vert à une tournée de sa production «Love Lied Bleeding».
Le spectacle multimédia, inspiré de la musique d'Elton John et de son collaborateur Bernie Taupin, a été présenté en première le 6 mai, à Calgary.
Le musicien n'a pu assister à la première, mais un de ses amis proches était sur place et lui a donné ses impressions.
Elton John a dit, dans un communiqué diffusé par l'Alberta Ballet, qu'il était fier de la production et qu'il avait hâte de la voir en personne.
La tournée s'amorcera en 2011.
L'Alberta Ballet a déjà collaboré avec Joni Mitchell et Sarah McLachlan dans le passé.
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