Liars and Saints

(5) There's some general interest, in my inbox, regarding Adele (see essay: "On Being Gay"). What surprised me is that Adele did *not* win universal adoration. However, Annie Lennox did. There's a swelling of voices who demand that Annie Lennox have her own half-time show. And why not? If Bruce Springsteen had one? Think of the catalogue we're dealing with. "Broken Glass," "Why," "No More I LOVE YOUs," "Little Bird," "Waiting in Vain," "Whiter Shade of Pale, "Can't Get Next to You," "Money Can't Buy It," "I Put a Spell on You," and then all the Eurythmics hits. The people have spoken. Still, I'm fond of the Adele idea. We haven't even talked about "Make You Feel My Love" and "One and Only." I know that football is an evil institution, and that the players get permanently, physically damaged, and that their brains are forever altered, and then ...

In my household this weekend, we mainly talked about the Super Bowl half-time show. Why hasn't Tay Tay ever done it? What would be more enjoyable--suffering through Maroon Five's upcoming insipid performance or sitting alone in a dingy room and eating your gun? And where is Justin Bieber in all of this? These questions were good, and provocative, and they led me to recall my favorite Half-Time story. It involves Adele. Asked, once, if she would perform, she chuckled. "No, no," she said. "That show? That's not about music." I love this regal, bitchy story. I love that Adele could blithely dismiss the Super Bowl option. I love that she not only made her cutting remark, but then felt impelled to share that cutting remark with all of the world, on some chat show. The Half-Time event may not be about music (certainly not this year, for Maroon Five has never made anything resembling music in its long, long, endless career). And all that said, I still d...

You don't know Mr. Dolan's work, and yet you do. He's the young gay man responsible for Adele's "Hello" video. He has also made a few well-loved indie movies, including the semi-autobiographical "I Killed My Mother," which involves two young men painting the walls of a house, then having lively sex. (You can find that scene on Youtube!) (Gays and their mothers! Dolan may be familiar with gay icon Colm Toibin, whose semi-recent book of essays was entitled, "New Ways to Kill Your Mother.") Anyway, I haven't seen any of Dolan's movies, but all I need is five minutes with the "Hello" video to be certain of Dolan's semi-campy genius. Why doesn't Adele work with Dolan all the time? She seems to think that she is not the "visual icon" that--e.g.--Beyonce is. But I don't agree. I want more Adele/Dolan collaborations. More is more, and Dolan piles on the melodrama. I especially like the number of...