Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Essay 2010


Minor misunderstandings and misspeaking in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Original Village People policeman Victor Willis found himself in more trouble with real policemen. The disco star was arrested last month for allegedly choking and threatening his girlfriend. But on Friday, the case was dropped. “There was simply a minor disagreement between Victor and his fiancée who are residing together in a penthouse apartment in San Diego’s La Jolla area,” said Willis’ publicist. “Victor loves her very much and she loves Victor.” Um, don’t mean to start another minor disagreement, but aren’t the Village People gay?

• British singer Bryan Ferry apologized for praising Nazis during an interview. Ferry’s remarks included, “The way that the Nazis staged themselves and presented themselves, my Lord! … I’m talking about the films of Leni Riefenstahl and the buildings of Albert Speer and the mass marches and the flags — just fantastic. Really beautiful.” But protests had the singer backpedaling and saying, “I apologize unreservedly for any offense caused by my comments on Nazi iconography, which were solely made from an art history perspective. … I, like every right-minded individual, find the Nazi regime, and all it stood for, evil and abhorrent.” But in a fantastic and really beautiful kind of way.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Agreed: My first thought was "Village People cop has a girlfriend?" What's next? Melissa Etheridge having a child? Oh, wait...nevermind.

On Ferry's comment: it is sad that one can't look at the films of Riefenstahl, or the pagentry and theatrical nature of some of Hitler's stagings objectively. He was, if we are honest, a showman and a PR genius, even if he was the most criminal and diabolical figure in modern history. You don't get millions of Germans to go along with you if you don't stage it dramatically, like some grand, albeit demented, opera. Those night rallies, while obviously chilling and representing pure evil, were some amazing spectacles.

But you aren't allowed to make those observations in today's PC world - which is why I am commenting anonymously.

Anonymous said...

F.Y.I., The Village Person was actually the first husband of Phylicia Rashad...so he's probably no Kinsey 6.