Browsing Archive: February, 2009
Posted by ulla on Saturday, February 28, 2009,
In :
Music
With her new CD, “Papercuts” coming
out in South Africa at the end of the month, it seemed like a great
time to talk to Karma; a firm favourite amongst South Africans since
the nineties and Henry Ate. I asked her about American things, South
African things, queer things - and things about how she writes the kind
of songs that stick in your heart and mind forever. Unfortunately, I
completely forgot to ask her how many of her fans are Buddhist. 2008
has seen her play on three continents ... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Saturday, February 28, 2009,
In :
Drag
23
10
2008
 - HRH Nomi Perron
Drag queens make me think of disco
balls rotating lazily, filling rooms with sparkles. They make me think
of high heels, lipstick, cabaret and beautiful, brave people. The
general preconception is that they’re all wannabe women, as camp as a
row of pink tents. Until I photographed drag queens at Joburg Pride
recently, I’ve never had much personal contact with them at all, apart
from the odd giggle together at a gay... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Saturday, February 28, 2009,
In :
Music
24
10
2008
 - Melanie Lowe
Gay men always comment on my shoes! And gay women … well, I’ll leave you to decide what it is they comment on.
From her funky, vibrant presence on
Idols all those years ago, to today’s more sultry woman, Melanie Lowe
has paid her dues on the South African music scene. She handles her
own career and like many artists these days, is utilising social
networking tools such as Myspace and Facebook
to stay close to her fans... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Saturday, February 28, 2009,
In :
Comedy
 She
calls herself a fumerist (feminist humourist) - Kate Clinton; stylish
butch and one of the funniest lesbians in the USA And for fellow South
Africans who may not know much about her, the good news is that there’s
plenty out there to get your grubby little cyber paws on. She blogs
all over the place and there’s lots of video too. her live
performances are legendary, her DVD’s are hysterical and she’s been in
the comedy game for 25 years. When...
Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Saturday, February 28, 2009,
In :
Music
 photo: scott graham
I’ve seen Stealing Love Jones
play live a good few times, to big crowds and small. I even saw Esjay
do an acoustic set once. I’ve also seen her play at lesbian events and
she was not only truly cool and comfortable with it, but pretty
flirtatious with the crowd too. The music is fabulous - slightly
offbeat, but mostly damn good rawwwk. Esjay is one of those people who
seems to have been born and bred for stardom. She’s a natural; she’s
straightforward, in-yer... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Saturday, February 28, 2009,
In :
Music
I found Michelle by surfing along to www.darkpop.co.uk
where I saw that Darkpop made the site themselves, and that it’s the
only way to get your sticky paws on their exceedingly sublime album
‘Golden Lillies + Mr Smith.’ If you have a look at the Biography link,
you’ll see that the mesmerising vocalist is our very own Michelle
Breeze, of Fetish fame. There’s an intriguing remark on the website’s
front page too, “We know that we are definitely not cool, therefore
your love is all...
Posted by ulla on Saturday, February 28, 2009,
In :
Music
“Feeling the butterflies crushed in your stomach when the beauty, attraction, lust” What’s it like being an out lesbian muso? Great.
We played a lesbian / women only gig earlier this year- was fun. There
are good audiences out there and many talented lesbian musicians. You’re UK based - please tell South African readers who you are and what you sound like? We
are an Acoustic female duo based in Nottingham. U.K. Called The
Idolins, comprising of Karen Smalley-Turner (Vocals and acoust... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Saturday, February 28, 2009,
In :
Artist
 What name/s are you using at the moment? -it used to be SIN864, then :drunk:, and now it’s FEEL Street art’s inherently a controversial topic because of the legality issue - what’s your personal take on it?
-i’m
on my own program so i don’t care if it’s legal or not. I like to draw
and design beyond paper and walls just happen to be there for me to
color on. How do you walk the line between anonymity and fame when you’re a street artist?
-i
dont care about fame. i’m just get... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Saturday, February 28, 2009,
In :
Poetry
South Africans in Jozi and Cape Town got a chance to see Alix Olson at the Out In Africa film festival in 2007, where she talked about the documentary about her, Left Lane on the Road
and performed some of her amazing poetry. If you haven't read/heard her
words, you really need to. Consider that a direct order. (Over a year
later, I interviewed her by email). Obama – what does his victory mean for you?Obama's
victory initially imbued me with a renewed faith in the American public
- that we h...
Posted by ulla on Saturday, February 28, 2009,
In :
Artist
 Where did the yellow dog come from?
I
have been painting the yellow dog for 20 years. I associate the dog
with intense pleasure. The dog has always been a vision. There has
never been a flesh and fur dog. I consider myself lucky to be open to
the dog and to seeing things that others may not see. The first time I
saw the yellow dog was during sex. I had a lover who was highly
sexually talented. My bedroom was in a renovated attic; all angles and
crannies. It was a tiny room with just enough spa... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Saturday, February 28, 2009,
In :
Author
Author,
activist, slam poet, facilitator, blogger, singer and scientist … and
there’s enough in print and online for even a faraway South African to
make researching you a full-time job - where on earth do you get the
time and energy?
Well, I’m kind of naturally hyperactive I
suppose. Plus I often have insomnia, which really helps create extra
time (although it’s not so helpful with regards to energy).
I should
also say that while I do or have done all of the things you mentioned,
I don... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Friday, February 27, 2009,
In :
Film
Based on the award-winning novel of the same name, The World Unseen is
described as, "A moving and passionate love story set against a
backdrop of 1950’s apartheid". Magically penned by Shamim Sarif and
brought to life by her life partner and producer, Hanan Kattan, The
World Unseen is a human drama inspired by the stories of Sarif’s
grandmother’s life.
The World Unseen features free-spirited Amina (Sheetal Sheth, who
has broken all the rules of her own conventional Indian community, ... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Wednesday, February 25, 2009,
In :
Comedy
Maggie Faris, according to some, is “just a fat old lady into
extreme sports.” According to America’s lesbian Curve Magazine, she’s
also one of the top 100 funniest lesbians. I first stumbled across
this extreme Maggie-ness on a wordpress blog, then I wandered across to
her website and decided the most appropriate word for all of it was
“offbeat.” I like offbeat. Offbeat doesn’t dress like society wants
it to it’s well outside of the mainstream and doesn’t care. Offbea... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Monday, February 23, 2009,
In :
Music
 According to various articles online,
Joshua Klipp got his break by saying audaciously to Tyra Banks that
he’d agree to be interviewed about trans issues on her show if she
agreed to talk about his music - she loved his music and the rest is
history.
From his 2007 blog:
“appearing on the Tyra Banks Show
getting my song placed on the L Word
making a music video with Margaret Cho
getting that music video on MTV/LOGO’s Top Ten”
All of that, a Billboard chart song and his own hip hop danc... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Monday, February 23, 2009,
In :
Music
 Aquila Wolf-Wild: The Lesbian Love Junkie
Actually she’s The Lesbian Love Junkie, an Australian
singer and, believe it or not, lesbian. Feel free at any point in this
interview, to listen to her latest song. It won’t cost you a cent and
I guarantee it’ll make you grin. It’s a brilliant stage name, isn’t
it? You’ll find her on Facebook as Aquila Wolf-Wild. Finger right on
the pulse of lesbian culture there and I’m convinced it’s ideal for a
t-shirt (she says underwear firs... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Monday, February 23, 2009,
In :
Photography
 Richard Renaldi’s “Gay and Lesbian Elderly”
series of black and white photographs of gay senior citizens is one of
those timeless little collections that lurk in your mind long after
you’ve closed the browser. The reason for this, I think, is Richard’s
empathy with his subjects. He’s gay and so are they. What he points out
eloquently is their dignity. What we need to do, as a community, is
simply take more notice of our elders. How many of us bother to seek
out mentors and friends...
Posted by ulla on Monday, February 23, 2009,
In :
Music
By Ulla Kelly (Photos: Ulla Kelly & Sue Charlton)
The Magic of Pegasus are:
S: Sean la Bang
G: Graeme Newlove
They’re also fun, quirky, oddly sexy (hey I’m a lesbian!) and incredibly alive and intense on stage. They’re the kind of band you just know it’s going to be a laugh to interview. They call their music theatrical, homo-electro - and they’re right.
The day after seeing your gig at Joburg Pride, I read your interview in SL magazine and it raised one vital question - how... Continue reading ...
Posted by ulla on Monday, February 23, 2009,
In :
Music
The Band Kenelis
Ulla Kelly interviews Mel Sanson of the band Kenelis
Please give me 3 words to describe your band.
Distortion, delay and deranged.
Which song would you like a Kenelis-virgin to listen to first and why?
Give her the gun, it’s my favourite album track and we’re giving it for free until our second single is released at xmas!! It’s a song that you can picture a story to, a very real story with an ambiguous ending… It’s angry but melancholic... | |
