a completely personal, irreverent -- and sometimes crass -- guide to music, TV, books, the web, photography, films, and other stuff by writer/photographer Craig Seymour
Recently, I had the chance to take pictures of Jaila Simms--the transgendered superstar vocalist of MTV's Making His Band--at a nightclub in her hometown of Chicago. (Jaila was handpicked by Sean "Diddy" Combs to join his band as a backing vocalist.) Here she is playing around in the V.I.P. area with her longtime boyfriend.
For the past few years, I've been working on a project chronicling my adventures in gay strip clubs across the country. Now I've compiled the project into a photo book and video presentation. Below, you can order the book, which includes pictures of such adult film stars as Brent Corrigan, Blake Riley, Cameron Marshall, and Austin Wilde. You can also view an excerpt from the video presentation and footage from the video premiere. Enjoy and thanks, as always, for the support.
WHO AM I: I am a writer/photographer, who has written for The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Vibe, and Spin, among other publications. I've served as Pop Music Critic for the Buffalo News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I hold a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Maryland in College Park, and am currently Associate Professor of Journalism at Northern Illinois University.
WHAT'S THE BOOK ABOUT: It's the true story of how I started stripping as a part of a grad school project and ultimately found the experience to be life changing. Through various twists of fate, stripping led me to become an entertainment journalist (the book include humorous run-ins with Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Mary J. Blige) and now a college professor.
WHAT CRITICS HAVE SAID: "Unafraid to bare it all...readers will feel they’re in the hands of an expert." Publisher's Weekly
Here are some pics from my pilgrimage to Michael Jackson's boyhood home @ 2300 Jackson St. in Gary, Indiana. (The pic of me is by Seth Silberman.) Seeing how small the house was it's no wonder that they worked so hard to get out of there...
A look at my favorite musical moments of the week:
1) Monica - "Lemme Know"
A clear retread of Jasmine Sullivan's "Need You Bad," but Monica's impassioned delivery makes the musical similarities seem beside the point.
2) The Dead Weather - "Treat Me Like Your Mother"
Funk? Blues? Whatever...It fucking rocks and is even better live. (See pics from the Chicago concert here
3) Jaila - "Heartless" (from MTV's "Making His Band")
No spoilers; but this "very special" lady sang one verse from Kanye's "Heartless" and stole the whole 90 minute show. Props to @iamdiddy for respecting true talent and for coming up with the best line of the week: "If you gonna wear a weave, male or female, make sure your motherfuckin' weave is tight."
Would love to hear Jaila sing Sylvester's "Over and Over:"
4) Madonna - "Celebration"
You know you're a legend when you can credibly make an homage to yourself; on this single, Madonna shakes her toned ass across the space-time continuum and seamlessly merges the dancefloors of '82 ("Everybody"), '98 ("Ray of Light"), and '06 ("Get Together").
5) Chrisette Michele - "Blame It On Me"
I wasn't a fan until I saw her perform this on BET's "Rising Icons;" but now I feel like I know what it was like to see "Sassy" Sarah Vaughan in her youth.
6) Gucci Mane & Snoop Dogg - "Awesome"
An irresistible combo of rhythm and wordplay.
7) Mr. Vegas - "Blessed"
I know this is old to dancehall fans, but I was just won over by the "Good Life" riddim and Vegas' soulful singing about how living with gratitude is the best way to live.
8) Jay-Z, Rihanna, & Kanye West - "Run This Town"
RiRi sings the blues; 'Ye brings the punchlines; and Hov gives an understated performance that I hope I will appreciate more as the days go by.
9) Mary J. Blige & T.I. - "Good Love (Do It Again)"
Mary sounds so sweet that it almost makes me forgive her for using autotunes ("The One") and singing with Chris Brown ("Stronger").
10) Young Jeezy - "She's a Lesbian"
No one will ever accuse Jeezy of being p.c. or a feminist, but his voice and storytelling has had me singing this raunchy straight-boy-fantasy all summer.
In celebration of Jody Watley's current tour--and her upcoming hometown appearance at Chicago's Market Days, where I plan on being in the front row--I decided to post an interview that I did with her in 1999. (Man, time flies!) This was one of my favorite assignments, because I've been a fan of Watley's style, attitude, and cool, deadpan delivery ever since her days with Shalamar. I followed her solo career closely. As a teenager, I even hunted down her U.K.-only, pre-"Looking for a New Love" singles "Where the Boys Are" and "Girls Night Out," both produced by the folks behind the Art of Noise. (You can listen below.)
What I've come to appreciate about her even more over the years is her commitment to evolving creatively and her dedication to the gay community. Where, say, Madonna gets more attention for her connections to the gay community, Watley has actually recorded songs with lyrics supporting gay people. (See "Affection" & "When a Man Loves a Man" below.) Plus, her 1989 "Friends" video included voguing a year prior to Madonna's "Vogue" AND Watley kept voguing in the context of gay ball culture as opposed to making it seem like it came from Hollywood. (See the "Jody For The Kids" section below.)
In this interview, Jody talks about her music, her "Soul Train" memories (including a fight among two "queens" which called for security to step in), and losing her friend Jermaine "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" Stewart to AIDS.
JODY FOR "THE KIDS:"
"Friends (1989)"
"When a Man Loves a Man (BBG Deep Mix-1993)"
"Affection (1995)"
RARE JODY:
Where the Boys Are (1984)
My House (4 Free-1984)
Girls Night Out (1985)
I'm the One You Need (David Morales Dead Zone Mix-1991)
Writer/photographer Craig Seymour is the author of the memoir, All I Could Bare: My Life in the Strip Clubs of Gay Washington, D.C.; the photo book, American Boys: a strip club diary; and the biography, Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross. He has written for The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Vibe, and Spin, among other publications, and has served as Pop Music Critic for the Buffalo News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Maryland in College Park, and is Associate Professor of Journalism at Northern Illinois University.
AMERICAN BOYS is a photo diary chronicling my adventures in gay strip clubs across the country from 2006 - 2009. It includes pictures of such adult film stars as Brent Corrigan, Blake Riley, Cameron Marshall, and Austin Wilde, and scenes from XL (Providence, RI), Tea Room Theatre (San Francisco, CA), Nob Hill (San Francisco, CA), Splash (New York, NY), Mr. Black (New York, NY), Hydrate (Chicago, IL), and Spin (Chicago, IL).
ALL I COULD BARE: MY LIFE IN THE STRIP CLUBS OF GAY WASHINGTON, D.C.
A frank, funny, explicit, and surprisingly inspiring memoir about a mild-mannered graduate student who “took the road less clothed” and discovered his true self.
"Unafraid to bare it all...readers will feel they’re in the hands of an expert." Publisher's Weekly
"...a bare-assed, neon-lit tour de force..." The Bay Area Reporter
"Raunchy splendor...somehow both bawdy and sweetly nostalgic at the same time." Dallas Voice
14 Days script analysis: Little Miss Sunshine
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I included this analysis as an update to the original post, but put it here
just to be sure folks see it.
This script is distinctive in that it's arguable ...
The Twilight Saga: New Moon Script
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New Moon opens this weekend. The reviews have been mixed. Thanks to The
Script Collector you can relive the movie. I’ve also included a link to the
Twiligh...
; the photo book, American Boys: a strip club diary; and the biography, Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross.
He has written for The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Vibe, and Spin, among other publications, and has served as Pop Music Critic for the Buffalo News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Maryland in College Park, and is Associate Professor of Journalism at Northern Illinois University.
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