Protecting the Innocent.

Gay Relationship Column. Scottie wonders about the responsibility of ‘the other man’ when he sleeps with someone who is in a relationship that is supposed to be monogamous.

“I couldn’t condone my friend’s actions or attitude, but for some reason, I didn’t feel the need to scold him either. Maybe it was because I hoped that his conscience would take over once he made his confession to me.”

From the Smiths to Britpop.

Musician Emily Capell talks about her early influences, cheesy ’80s pop and a song that lead to a series of appearances on the gay cabaret scene.

“Yeah. I write about what I know … what I do. You won’t believe the amount of people that actually ask me, ‘Is your dad really a Smiths fan?’… of course he is! Can you imagine if he wasn’t … ‘no, he really likes Take That’.”

[rating=5]
Cert:18 • US: 60 min • RabbitBandini Productions • January 19, 2013

Interior. Leather Bar. This playful film is a fascinating look at queer desire, and the extent to which we are actors in our own lives.

“The narrative sets up questions around freedom of expression, individual and societal homophobia, and anxieties about depicting sex generally, so that the sex itself, when it happens, becomes an embodiment of those issues.”

[rating=5]
Released March 15, 2013
Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience is, finds Little Bastard, a sonic thrill with a relatively uncommercial soundscape.

“The 20/20 Experience is probably one of the most impeccably produced albums I have ever heard. It’s not just slick, it’s intricate and beautiful, with a layer of soul that, if you scratch the surface of each song, bleeds through.”

[rating=2]
Released January 21, 2013
Marcus Reeves finds that the cowboy sound starts off well but turns out to be style over substance.

“Lonesome Dreams feels like a project that has been made with great passion and is well played and put together, but rather than paint with his palette sparingly, Schneider has used all his colours at once on every sonic canvas to create an ultimately unwelcoming landscape.”

[rating=5]
Cert: NR • USA: 109 min • Public Square Films • 2012

How To Survive A Plague is a first-rate, suspenseful documentary that looks at how activists from ACT UP and TAG made AIDS research possible.

“Shot through archive interviews, newsreels and camcorder footage, it’s a truly inspirational story of how a community can come together and fight for real social change. Essential Viewing.”

[rating=4]
Released January 8, 1978
Nothing Sacred is base and extremely vulgar, but if you like the films of John Waters or the literature of William S. Burroughs, give it a try.

“Singing freely about slutty women, mountains of cocaine, and sticking a middle finger to moral crusaders everywhere, this is the perfect album to spin when you feel the squeeze of the religious right and political correctness on your nuts.”

A Queer Family of Characters.

Andi Fraggs recalls watching his first Divine film, Hairspray, and how it started a lifelong fascination with “the most beautiful woman in the world”.

“My mother had some bright pink sequined outfits in the cupboard from the ’80s and I told her, ‘You should wear them now! -You would look like Divine’, which I truly meant as a compliment.”

Unfounded Fears About Bisexuality.

Gay Relationship Column. Scottie considers the prejudice against bisexual men in the wake of a friend’s dating troubles.

“They’re not really ‘social’ issues, but just misconceptions – besides, since when were gay men the shining examples of fidelity and monogamy?”

Doing It Herself.

Andrew Darley talks to the fascinating musician George Pringle about her new album, Golfo dei Poeti, and her unique approach to writing experimental music.

“There is something very primal about singing. It’s like crying when you can’t speak.”