Yoga in Boston

Well I'm in Boston - arrived last night. Had a quiet one and was up this morning at 5:30 to get ready for my yoga class. This was not just any class to me-it was a class at Baron Baptiste's studio. This was the man who really developed the style of yoga I like. Most teachers who teach Vinyasa study teacher's training with Baron Baptiste- so for me it felt good being here.

The problem is trying to find a laundrmat to wash your clothes when your done - which I managed to find.

Anyway folks - TTYL!

Top 10 Sexiest Male Artists from the 80's.....According to SteveA

10. Adam Ant

9.  Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode)

8. Morrissey (The Smiths)

7. Bruce Springsteen

6. Michael Jackson

5. Billy Idol

4. Prince

3. John Taylor (Duran Duran)

2. George Michael

1. Michael Hutchence (Inxs)

Anyways peeps - TTYL!

Stingray City

Hi - this is what I did today - swam with the Stingrays....

That's the stingray behind me giving me a massage.

One large Stingray!

A Stingray in the water!

Enjoy your weekend! - Laters peeps!

Kundalini

Last night I tried my first Kundalini class. My colleague Kosta from Toronto also came along. I had no idea what this form of yoga was about or what it entailed, but all I can say is that after the class was over, I've never felt so energised and alive. It worked better than a massage and I felt that my sexual energy was at a peak - it was like being in afterglow.

I was e-mailing my colleague following the class, explaining how alive I felt - he said that it was probably because my sexual chakras were aligned and awakened - I think he was right  I felt like my favourite porn star - Parker Williams.

I was not into this type of chanting and heavy breathing yoga - but if I feel like that - there must be something good to it!

Anyways peeps - give it a try! - TTYL

Hot Tub Time Machine

OMG - I am so in love with this movie - if your a fan of Miami Vice tees, the walkman, jerri-curls, flourescent leg warmers, Poison, Motley Crue, Ronald Reagan and a black Michael Jackson - you'll love this movie.

It's about 3 friends whom over the years have neglected each other and are unhappy with the way their lives have turned out....the dreams they had when they were teens never materialised and they are just some sad sods.

Lou (a.k.a. the Violator/Loucifer) tried to kill himself and denies it to his friends. They plan a trip to Kodiak Valley - a place where as teens they lived life to the fullest - getting laid, drugs, drinking and loads of partying.

Thanks to a hot tub that is also a time machine they are taken back to Winterfest 1986 when they were "best friends".  Events are changed and upon their return to 2010, their lives have changed and they are now happy with the way things turned out (thank to Lou)!

This movie rocks killer 80's music like (right click to download) -
"The Safety Dance (Men Without Hats)",
"What You Need (Inxs)";
"True (Spandau Ballet)".

and loads of 80's music from Poison and Motley Crue.

In fact Lou has an obsession with the song "Home Sweet Home" by "Motley Crue" and when he ends up changing the future, he actually becomes part of the band who are now called "Motley Lu" - gotta love it.

It also has guest appearances by Chevvy Chase and Crispin Clover which is a kinda cool for the movie.

It's classic when they wake up in 1986 and see all of the flourescent ski suits, guys rocking the walkman, and a guy with a mobile phone the size of your arm...there's a live boradcast on TV with Ronald Reagan and chicks in flourescent leg warmers......Nick asks "What colour is Michael Jackson?" and the reply is "Black". They realise at that point that they are definitely back in 1986.

Also there's a classic scene where Lou makes a bet and losses and he has to give Nick a b.j. - it's so funny!

Take a chance and have some fun.....I hope you likey!

Anyways peeps TTYL!

Prelude to the gayest video of all time - Sigur Ros- Vidrar Vel Til loftarasa(video)

I plan to count down the Top 10 gayest videos of all time, but in the meantime, here's a precursor. Take your hanky out because this one would make you cry....trust me - it's 7 minutes long but it's worth it.

The video and the music is dark and haunting - it's about two young boys who fall in love when one of the boy's homophobic father caught him playing with dolls. Please - look at it to the end - it would move you inside!


I was taken aback by this video!

Top Ten Female Artists of Rock....According to SteveA

Here's my Top 10 based on what influenced me whilst I was growing up


10. Madonna

What more can be said. Madonna single handedly redefined pop music in the 80's and was a major part of breaking taboos about women in rock, sex and fashion.


9. Carol King

You've Got a Friend, It's Too Late and So Far Away - some of the best adult contemporary music ever made. These songs have stuck in my head since I first heard her, and whenever I feel a bit down I always listen to her music.

8. Annie Lennox

Back in the early 80's Annie re-defined the term "bender-gender". Her look was androgenous, and the music industry was not ready for a look like hers. Their sound was new wave back in the 80's an over time her music and sound have matured. I remember Annie performing at the Grammy's dressed in a man's suit and with short slicked back hair - that was daring.

7. Linda Ronstadt

I loved her version of "Blue Bayou", and with classic tracks like "Hurts So Bad" and "You're No Good" I totally fell in love with the emotion she sang with. My brother had bought her greatest hits and it was one of those albums that I played over and over when I was a wee lad!

The "Original Queen of Rock".

6. Tina Turner

Legs to die for and beauty that made even a gay man go straight - Tina is part of rock n' roll history and one of the best selling female artists in rock. Her version of "Proud Mary" is a classic. She is the Phoenix rising and she made a major comeback in 1984 with her #1 hit "What's Love Got to Do with It" - absolutely adore her.

5. Ann and Nancy Wilson - Heart

Now these ladies rocked - they played as hard as their male counterparts and they sang with the same conviction. Classic tracks like "Magic Man", "Crazy on You", "Dreamboat Annie" and "Barracuda" really made these ladies stand out from their other female counterparts from the 70's. They also reinvented themselves and made it even bigger in the 80's where they became MTV staples.

4. Carly Simon

We had the greatest hits package from 1975. I loved her laid back easy listening sound, and at one point  could not help but to sing along to tracks like "Anticipation", "You're So Vain" and "Nobody Does It Better".

3. Karen Carpenter

Karen's voice is ever so calming - I can just close my eyes, listen to her beautiful voice and just dream away in pure bliss. Up to today I am still a huge fan. Tracks like "We've Only Just Begun"; "Rainy Days and Mondays"; "Superstar" and "There's A Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" - really have stood the test of time and are so peaceful and positive to listen to. This type of music is really difficult to find today.

2. Joan Jett

I am a huge fan of hard rock and more so when there is a female fronting the band. Joan Jett's musical beginings were with "The Runaways" and their music was fast, unapologetic rock n' roll. Joan of course has kept to her roots and she still looks and sounds great. I had to opportunity to see her live and she is pure energy on stage.

1. Pat Benatar

There was a time when there were no contenders to this woman. Pat won the Grammy for Best Female Rock Artist four years in a row from 1980 - 1983 and when MTV launched in 1981, "You Better Run" was the 3rd video aired - wow!!

See related post I wrote on Pat Benatar.

Anyways folks - I know there's a few great ones left out like Cher, Patti Smith, Cyndi Lauper - but it was already a challenge to narrow the list down.

Peeps - TTYL!

Daydream Nation

I heard one critic say that "This is one of the best American rock albums ever".....I have to agree. 
In 2006, it was one of the recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry - wow!

The 80's was marked by an amazing repertoire of music (and fashion) which in my opinion is unparalled to any decade (granted I may be a bit bias here). But pop radio in the 80's played everything from hard rock/metal, R&B, rap, new wave, alternative, folk, disco etc....the music scene is a melting pot in it's own right.


But admidst the defined walls of all the genres, emegred a sound....the "No Wave" sound...the New York sound (as I like to think of it)....a backbone of the post-punk avant garde rock that made Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation" an amazing masterpiece from the 80's, that was the predecessor to the emerging Seattle sound (grunge) and alternative music.


The album title was a call to "America" to awake.....and it marked music as exciting and new again.


Sonic Youth experimented with "distorting" their guitars but deliberately "mistuning" them to create that "noise fuzz" - creating the canvas to paint their art. Rock music in the late 80's had not heard anything like this before....so much so that Rolling Stone named the duo of Lee Ranaldo & Thurston Moore as the 33rd and 34th best rock guitarists of all time.

Many magazines and critics have named this album the most important and influential album in the last 25 years - and when I heard the intro to "Teenage Riot" I had to agree - it was in fact a call for the next generation to begin a new breed of music - one that reflected the change to come!


Anyways peeps - hope you can listen!

Happy 4th of July

The beauty of Old Glory symbolizes liberty, freedom and justice throughout the world.....Happy Birthday America!

Just a tidbit - In 1782 the Congress of the Confederation chose the colours of red, white, and blue for the Great Seal of the United States - white for purity and innocence, red for valor and hardiness, and blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice.


Have fun cuties!