This Video Is The Best Representation Of Trying To Repay Student Debt

August 8, 2014, 12:51 pm

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There are a lot of things to be said about student debt in the United States.

Our collective student debt in the United States stands at a crushing $1.2 trillion dollars -- a figure that poses risks both to our students' financial prospects and to the economy as a whole.

Students are engaged in a struggle that seems decidedly Sisyphean, going to extremes trying to pay back their mounting student loans.

So, yeah, there is a LOT to be said about the state of student debt in this country. That's why it's incredible that the video above, uploaded by Paloma Izquierdo, perfectly nails what it's like being a student with student loans with just a stack of papers and a single fan.

It whittles down the impossibility of the crisis to something that anyone, even Congress, could understand.

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So, Is A Lady 'Ghostbusters' Reboot Really A Good Idea?

August 8, 2014, 2:10 pm

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This past Sunday, Variety reported that there might be a female-led "Ghostbusters" reboot, supposedly, which would possibly be directed by Paul Feig. The reaction to this rumor was mixed, to say the least. After sorting through the outrage, HuffPost Entertainment sat down to discuss the implications of the lady version that is not definitely being made.

Lauren: I don't even know where to begin with this latest rumor in almost two decades of "Ghostbusters 3" fan fiction. I will say that I'm a Paul Feig fan. He's a feminist, and not the mansplaining kind, but one who really believes that a lady ensemble can be just as funny as a bunch of men (see: "Bridesmaids," this Daily Beast interview). But the idea of a "Ghostbusters" reboot comes with some other issues. To start, what are your thoughts on a female-led version as "gimmicky"?

Lily: I don't understand that line of reasoning at all. First, it's not like the mega-popular "Ghostbusters" franchise needs a "gimmick" to get people to come see it in theaters. Second, it's pretty ludicrous and offensive to suggest that rebooting a popular film with women characters would create some kind of watered-down publicity stunt. Like ... why? There is nothing about the description "three scientists who fight ghosts" that would make casting women in the roles in any way unrealistic. Scientists come in all genders, and so too, I believe, could ghost fighters.

Lauren: I agree with that. And while I am generally anti-reboot, I will say that if Sony is making it happen regardless, Fieg is the kind of director who would bring unique perspective, rather than just doing the original with more special effects and vaginas. Although, there's something about so blatantly doing a "woman version" that feels kind of reductive, i.e. the fact that we even need to think of things as "women versions" in the first place ...

Lily: Yeah, I agree that we don't need to think of it as a "women version." It would just be a "Ghostbusters" reboot, but with women!

Lauren: Which brings us to Mike Fleming's cringeworthy Deadline piece discussing the subject. He laments the possibility of a female-led reboot based on the premise that it would be taking ownership of the franchise away from dude fans. The idea that someone could bemoan a rewriting of "guy movies" is absurd in a realm where female-led films are considered part of a niche market. That kind of preciousness is infuriating and also makes zero sense.

Lily: Yes, I'm with you on that. The piece suggests a female-led reboot would turn the original construct on its head because a lot of "great comedy ensued" from the dynamic between the "disreputable misogynistic womanizer" that leads the "Ghostbusters" gang, and other (particularly female) characters in the movie. I would not really agree with that statement because I generally don't find jokes with "haha, he's a womanizer" as the punchline very funny. Hopefully, even an all-male reboot would leave that particular aspect of the film in the past (2014, let's do this!). The piece's line of reasoning also taps into another problematic notion that Margaret Lyons just discussed at Vulture. As she noted (in the context of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") there is a super problematic "pervasive perception that stories about women are mostly for women, whereas stories about men are for everyone." Men and women both watched the original "Ghostbusters" even though it starred men. The new "Ghostbusters" -- if starring women -- would not be "FOR WOMEN ONLY," or any less for men at all. It would be for everyone!

Lauren: Amen, Margaret! I think what it comes down to is this: If the reboot is going to happen: great, do it with ladies! But that leaves us to a discussion of Hollywood's lack of original ideas. Why can we not just let this beloved movie or any beloved movie lie? Why do they have to come back ... AS GHOSTS?

Lily: Ha, yes. I think that another whole conversation could be had on Hollywood's reluctance to make original films as of late instead of just reboots of franchises that have already been proven successful. But, if Hollywood IS going to cling to revamping old movies, which historically have not starred women in leading roles (especially if romance does not primarily drive the plot), I'd like to see some gender diversity so we don't keep perpetuating that disparity in the name of "upholding tradition."

Lauren: Exactly. But if the choice is Paul Feig makes "Ghostbusters" reboot or Paul Feig makes literally any other lady ensemble that is not a reboot, I will take that second choice, thanks.

Lily: And while we're really dreaming, I'd love to see some more female actor-led films with female writers and directors at the helm, as well. I find it troubling that studios are only comfortable with female-driven vehicles like "Bridesmaids" and "The Heat" if there's a white, male director at the head of the project, lending it some kind of "legitimacy." Sigh.

Lauren: Yes. What we need are more female stars, more female writers, and more female directors given the opportunity to make original, big-budget projects. And what we don't need are any more "Ghostbusters," lady-led or otherwise.

HONY Photographer Travels To Iraq, Captures Kids' Innocence Amid Turbulence

August 8, 2014, 2:58 pm

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One photographer's global travels recently captured a glimmer of hope within an otherwise bleak landscape in Iraq.

Brandon Stanton, known for his successful blog and best-selling book, "Humans of New York," partnered with the United Nations to venture on a 50-day tour of 10 countries and expand his storytelling series worldwide. The tour, which started this week and aims to raise awareness on the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goals, brought Stanton to Iraq amid a turbulent civil conflict.

On Thursday, the photographer posted a photo to his Instagram account of three Iraqi children playing in the mountains, where they and their families are seeking refuge from ISIS militants. Their smiles reflect a carefree moment within a dire situation.



Stanton included the following in the photo's caption:

These children are members of Iraq's Yazidi minority, who are one of many minorities deemed expendable by ISIS militants. In the last few days, ISIS has moved into their villages and taken their homes. Tens of thousands of the villagers fled into a nearby range of mountains. Realizing this, ISIS circled the mountains with guns, blocked all the roads and waited for them to die of thirst in the 120 degree heat. These children belonged to some of the families lucky enough to escape. While their parents were panicking about their relatives trapped in the mountains, these kids found a quiet place to play. I found them banging on some cans. I asked them what they were doing. "We're building a car," they said. "Isn't that cute," I thought. "They're imagining the cans are cars." When I came back 5 minutes later, they had punctured holes in all four cans. Using two metal wires as axles, they turned the cans into wheels, and attached them to the plastic crate lying nearby. They'd built a car. (Dohuk, Iraq)

On Thursday, President Obama authorized airstrikes against the ISIS militants to defend both American personnel and civilians under siege. Friday morning, the Pentagon confirmed that a military aircraft dropped two 500-pound bombs on ISIL artillery being used to shell Kurdish forces, and a second round of airstrikes were confirmed Friday afternoon, according to the Associated Press.

Obama said on Thursday that American military planes had already dropped humanitarian aid to thousands of Iraqi minorities under persecution, like the above children's families, who are in desperate need of food and water.

To follow Brandon Stanton's travels, visit the United Nations' website.


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Behold, The Beauty Of Pushkar's Holy Men

August 8, 2014, 5:09 pm

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Fall in Pushkar, the Indian pilgrimage town, is busy season. In October comes the Camel Fair, an annual event that draws thousands of tourists intrigued by the sights -- the unending herds of camels and livestock for sale, the world’s-longest-mustache contest, the dark-eyed pilgrims, so unlike beggars anywhere else in the world.




Photographer Brian Hodges turned his lens exclusively on the latter for a series of portraits shot during the 2007 fair. Rather than focusing on the obvious attractions, he examined the physiognomy of Pushkar’s many sadhus, or holy men.




Traveling through the desert town on vacation with his wife, Hodges noticed the faces. “In California we get all sorts of people who make up their faces and their bodies and are anything but real,” Hodges told HuffPost, speaking from his home in Los Angeles. “This was a reminder of what happens to peoples’ faces when they’re not all modified.”



Fittingly, Hodges’ setup was as natural as they come. For four out of the festival’s five days, he shot in a makeshift studio built from a white tarp, bamboo poles and string, all of which he bought locally. The idea for the shoot had come to him in the moment, and he wasn’t prepared. All he had on him in the way of equipment was his camera.



“I basically used natural light,” he says. “I reoriented my studio based on the time of day.”



Hodges paid a local boy to help recruit subjects, all of whom were the mendicants who wander Pushkar asking for alms. The traditional dress of a sadhu tends to mimic the colors of fire, a purifying force: orange, yellow, red. Aside from his subjects’ faces, Hodges was drawn to the beauty of their clothing, which emanated an effortless sense of style.



“In a strange way,” Hodges says, the studio, which he set up in the “middle of the main thoroughfare...became part of the festival." People lined up to see what was going on, curious and "amused," he adds. It was an island in a stream of chaos -- Hodges’ purpose was to “isolate” his subjects from the “mayhem in the background.” Otherwise, “I didn’t feel I could adequately capture them.”

Badass Feminist Robot Puts Pie Charts On Actual Pies

August 8, 2014, 5:09 pm

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What, you ask, is better than a feminist robot? A feminist robot with a sweet tooth, obviously.

As part of Los Angeles County Museum of Art's second ever Art + Technology Lab, artist Annina Rüst has crafted a robotic installation entitled "A Piece of the Pie Chart," commenting on the lack of ladies in both artistic and technologic environments. Highly aware of her minority status in her spaces of work, Rüst crafted a machine that generates edible pies adorned with pie charts, illustrating gender disparity in a variety of art and tech spaces.

A Piece of the Pie Chart at Stadtgalerie Bern, November 2013 from Annina Rüst on Vimeo.

The pie-happy machine, which you can see in action above, springs an automatic assembly line into action. Users put pre-baked pies, made by the artist's family members, onto a conveyor belt, where a heat gun warms the pie's top layer so the pie charts can stick. Robot arms pick up a pie chart and a vacuum cleaner suspended from the ceiling sucks up the diagram, and the arm places the chart atop that delicious and informative pastry. A webcam posts each newly baked protest on Twitter, before the pies are displayed in a gallery setting or put to more political use.

"The pies can also be mailed by the exhibition visitors to the places where the data originated to remind companies, universities, and public sector entities how large (or rather small) the piece of the pie is that women in technology can claim for themselves," the artist explains on her website. "Mapping gender data onto images of edible pies is a way of adding a material representation to gender statistics. It is also a way to add more urgency to the feminist cause."

"Gender is a very contentious topic in the tech world," Rüst explained to The Creator's Project. "Many technologists immediately get defensive when the topic of gender and technology is discussed. I therefore chose a 'sweet,' humorous, seemingly non-threatening form of protest using pies."

Like an alternative form of satire, Rüst warms others up to pressing ideas through a seemingly innocuous vessel -- baking.



The combination of technological machinery and domestic labor also creates an interesting intersection of domains normally associated with disparate genders. Incorporating household objects like vacuums and baked goods into the very fabric of technology actively opens up a space where these two arenas can coexist and -- more importantly -- collaborate.

"It's a Rube-Goldberg-like contraption that mixes robotics hardware with more domestic tools such as a vacuum cleaner, a heat gun, and baked goods," said Rüst. "So far, many people have commented that they like this eclectic mix of robotics and the domestic because it helps them imagine a technology future designed by an equally eclectic and diverse set of technology producers. In short, I am happiest when I can appeal to an audience's sense of imagination."

Rüst is one of two female participants in this year's Art + Technology Lab. The first edition of the initiative, which took place from 1967-1971, featured dozens of artists and, you guessed it, no women. This year the ratio of women to men is 1:3, which, though a great improvement, still leaves more work to be done.

"Feminist protest art that uses different forms of data collection, analysis, and visualization has existed for at least 43 years and yet gender parity is not yet reality," Rüst wrote in a blog piece for LACMA. "This doesn’t discourage me. Rather, I think that a multitude of voices and approaches are needed. Gender data collection, analysis, and visualization needs to be applied to other areas of life as well—in my case, technology creation. My pie visualizations emphasize economic and workplace implications for women working in the art and tech world and in intersections thereof."

Help women get a piece of the pie by following Rüst's project here.

Meet The Lady Gaga Of Myanmar And The Growing Creative Class

August 8, 2014, 5:10 pm

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This article originally appeared on Slate.

By Jordan G. Teicher


Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein (aka Lady Gaga of Myanmar), 32, singer. “They say I am too different, too bold, but I like bling blings and beautiful dresses. I am often compared to Lady Gaga, but I am just a girl from the third world.”

For nearly five decades, Myanmar (also known as Burma) was one of the world's most repressive and isolated states, ruled by generals who stamped out dissent with censorship laws and imprisonment. Now that Myanmar has been released from the grip of the military junta, the country’s generation of young adults is finding new ways to express itself through various creative channels. Diana Markosian, who was living in Yangon, the country’s largest city, after a month-long fellowship in the country, found the changes taking place inspiring. “I think the new generation aspires to a different kind of future. They want the government to follow through with this promise of a new era of openness. You can feel this on the streets in Yangon as more and more youth are daring to emerge from the political shadows,” she said.

When she first arrived in Myanmar, Markosian wanted to find a story she could relate to, so she started to befriend people her age, including artists, rappers, dancers, and other creative types. Eventually, she started taking their portraits. “A lot of the people driving the change are people my age. They are twentysomethings who intend to go beyond the status quo. I was looking for diverse and different people, but I was also interested in what brought them together,” she said.

Markosian had never shot a portrait series before, so this project was an experiment for her. The images were taken outside at night against the city’s decaying walls. “I wanted the youth to contrast the old walls, as a metaphor of sorts. This is a new generation trying to distance themselves from the past. They are active individuals with a strong voice. I wanted to have them in an open space rather than inside or caged between four walls,” she said.

This year, Myanmar marked the third anniversary of its transition to civilian rule. The country is liberalizing and many Myanmarese are enjoying freedoms unthinkable not long ago. Still, Markosian said, the country has a ways to go. This year, President Thein Sein enacted new laws that undercut some newfound press freedoms, and, this month, the head of a weekly newspaper and four journalists were sentenced to 10 years in prison and hard labor. Meanwhile, fighting in Kachin State has left hundreds of thousands displaced.

But Markosian remains optimistic that her subjects will be part of the force that fights injustice and helps the country move in the right direction. “They are group of individuals experimenting with new ways of defying the government. It is inspiring to meet individuals brave enough to resist oppression. They reject the abuse of power and disdain the complacency and subservience that they see around them. They refuse to give up on their rich heritage that they hope will carry them forward,” she said.

See more photos on Slate.

Ultimate Proof That The Best Tourists Are '80s Tourists

August 8, 2014, 5:10 pm

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We're not exactly sure when tourists started getting such a bad rap. We're referring, specifically, to their sartorial choices. Ain't nothing wrong with high waisted shorts, tourist attraction tees, clunky binoculars and that high SPF glow, right?

In fact, the only thing that could possibly up the fashion game of the United States' tourist population are neon, spandex and the overall predilection for tackiness that came along with the 1980s. Photographer Roger Minick captured the glorious visual event that occurred when tourists were caught in the wild, compiling his photographic findings into a stunning series called "Sightseers."



While Minick's photos are certainly entertaining, they also capture the fundamentally strange habits of tourists, pushing each other out of the way to snap the same photographs of the same places.

"I vividly remember how all the photography students would gather at the famous Inspiration Point overlook, get into position with their cameras mounted to tripods, and wait for the grand man himself to move along the line bestowing his blessings on each student’s composition and choice of exposure," Minick explains in his field notes. "It wasn’t long, however, before I became aware of something else going on at the overlook: waves of tourists were continually arriving at the overlook’s parking lot in cars, buses and motorhomes, thrusting their way through this gauntlet of photographers not only for a clear view of the famous vista but also for the obligatory snapshot of themselves proving they were there."

The tourist phenomenon of the '80s has almost engulfed our entire contemporary existence thanks to Instagram and other such contemporary additions. Now the need to prove we exist, and capture it in film, dominates many a morning brunch and trip to the museum. It's interesting to see the roots of our obsession with visual documentation at these American landmarks.

You may, like us, have an aesthetic soft spot for the beauty of suburban life. If so, you'll rank the following photographs with the highest tiers of photographic artwork. Seeing country's greatest natural wonders, from the Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon, juxtaposed with the kitsch overload that was '80s fashion, is truly a sight to behold. At the very least, it's a retro throwback that will force a few smiles. See what happens when the camera is turned on the tourists for once in the photos below. Be warned, you're about to experience some serious fanny pack envy.

The Disturbing Fashion Shoot That Enraged Twitter

August 9, 2014, 4:00 am

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This past week, an Indian fashion photographer by the name of Raj Shetye released photos of a new series called "The Wrong Turn" and well, it definitely took a wrong turn.

The photos depict a bus gang rape that unintentionally reflects a true-life incident. Although the photographer's goal was not to mirror the exact circumstances of the crime but to raise awareness about the issue of female safety in India, Twitter had its own judgments.

The photo shoot sparked a bit of an outrage, as one person remarked, "If this doesn't glamorize gang rape, then what does?" Raj Shetye's website is currently down, and it's safe to say this spread was a major flop. Scroll down to read more reactions.

Yikes — did this photo shoot try to glamorize gang rape? http://t.co/2lalnUPhBx pic.twitter.com/EOjiCCLAHQ

— Bustle (@bustle) August 6, 2014

Indian 'bus gang rape' photo shoot sparks outrage http://t.co/KwGxjPbH2o (Photo: Raj Shetye) pic.twitter.com/DiSTu69b2k

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 6, 2014

#ICYMI: “If this doesn’t glamorize gang rape, then what does?” http://t.co/cPfPfZxPZz

— sherights (@sherights) August 7, 2014

What happens when a fashion shoot goes all wrong, Raj Shetye? It turns glamour into garbage: http://t.co/K4FbQWV7sd pic.twitter.com/sLFwm90VPt

— Brown Girl Magazine (@BrownGirlMag) August 6, 2014

Raj Shetye photographs. Rape isn't a fashion accessory.
#thewrongturn

— Eesha (@Eesydney) August 7, 2014

Photographes de mode en mal d'inspiration? Pas de problème, mettez en scène un viol! http://t.co/513ACASshw pic.twitter.com/7wHT9vh6Dg

— 0Ticket4FashionShows (@0Ticket4Fashion) August 7, 2014

Raj Sheyte, releasing #TheWrongTurn fashion images inspired by the Nirvhaya Delhi gang rape - really not the best of moves.

— Zarah Sra (@ZarahSCouture) August 6, 2014

what kind of person thinks this up '-- glam fashion photoshoot inspired by the nirbhaya rape .. http://t.co/vLWuZoEykO

— Harini Calamur (@calamur) August 7, 2014

'The Wrong Turn' raises sparks outrage with gang-rape tinted images >> http://t.co/qgUCMM68NR #fashion #TheWrongTurn

— FashionUnited_UK (@FashionUnitedUK) August 6, 2014

Pondering how to aware myself on leering at a photo-shopped and beautified depiction of Nirbhaya's plight.The turn moved wrong #thewrongturn

— Tanvi Srivastava (@Tanvincredible) August 5, 2014

Drawing inspiration from the wrong places. #Rape #Nirbhaya #FightTheStench #ArmpitActivist #RajShetye #TheWrongTurn pic.twitter.com/ymmf6WLvuq

— Armpit Activist (@ArmpitActivist) August 6, 2014

What the f*ck! A photo shoot evokes scenes from the Indian bus gang rape http://t.co/neq5XeHabq via @HuffingtonPost pic.twitter.com/UDTR1T3zRp

— Rashell Habib (@RashellHa) August 7, 2014

Not necessary, that the fairly educated and urbane are gender sensitive. What u did wasn't artistic too. #badtaste #thewrongturn.

— Daniel Francis (@Chalta_hai) August 8, 2014

#DelhiRapeInspiredFashionShoot ???!!!! #Disgusted #Appalled #Shocked #TheWrongTurn What were they thinking??!! http://t.co/Qko8BKefMj

— Sidra Iqbal (@SidraIqbal) August 6, 2014

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Elephant Mosaic In 5th Century Synagogue Uncovered

August 9, 2014, 4:31 am

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There are many amazing characters and creatures described in the Hebrew Bible, but elephants are not among them.

Imagine the surprise of a team of archaeologists who were in the midst of their fourth summer of excavations at an ancient synagogue in Israel’s Lower Galilee when they discovered elephants in a mosaic panel where they expected only to find biblical scenes.

There on the floor of a 5th century synagogue in the ancient Jewish village of Huqoq was an entire mosaic panel depicting non-biblical scenes, uncovered for the first time in 1,600 years. Until now, every other decoration archaeologists have discovered on an ancient synagogue has depicted scenes from the Hebrew Bible, as Director of the Huqoq excavations Jodi Magness from the the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) told HuffPost.

Three previous summers of excavations unearthed some fascinating but traditionally biblical discoveries, but during the 2014 dig season Magness and her team discovered an entire mosaic floor panel in the synagogue that depicted a three-part scene, which Magness said the creators likely intended as a story-telling decoration.

"The three registers probably depict a story that was meant to be 'read' from bottom to top," Magness told HuffPost, "with the top register representing the culmination of the story."

At the bottom of the panel is a depiction of a dying soldier pierced by a spear and holding a shield and a dying bull, who is also pierced by spears. The middle section shows a row of male figures dressed in ceremonial white tunics and mantles, Magness said, each framed by an arch. The central figure is elderly and bearded and holds what Magness said appears to be a scroll. The other men are young and hold swords or daggers.



At the top of the panel there are two large, bearded male figures depicted in the center. One is a Greek military commander and ruler, which Magness said is indicated by his elaborate military attire, purple cloak and corded diadem, leading a bull by the horns. The other is an elderly bearded man -- apparently the same one depicted in the middle scene. To the left of the elderly man are young men in white tunics and mantles, as in the middle section. To the right of the commander is a row of soldiers and, surprisingly, battle elephants with shields tied to their sides.



Because there are no stories from the Hebrew Bible involving elephants, Magness said, her team deemed the entire mosaic, which has been removed from the field for conservation, to be representative of a non-biblical story. The question is, what story was it depicting?

Though Magness said she could not yet speculate on the mosaic's meaning, she did offer some suggestions.

"The possibilities that we are considering include that this panel depicts the meeting between Alexander the Great and the Jewish high priest (a legend told in different versions by the ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and in rabbinic literature), or that it depicts a story based on the Maccabean martyrdom traditions," Magness told HuffPost by email.


The Greek military commander and ruler.

Whatever the mosaic's significance, Magness said the experience of seeing it for the first time was a highlight of her career. Orna Cohen, the site conservator, did the final work of uncovering the floor while the rest of the team looked on incredulously.

"We knew we were coming down on a mosaic because we had found other mosaics nearby at the same level," Magness told HuffPost. "However, we did not know to what extent the mosaics were preserved, or what their content was. I gathered all of the staff and students that morning, and we stood around watching as Orna slowly and carefully cleaned the mosaic, bringing to light these images for the first time in 1600 years. It was amazing!"


Huqoq voluteers watch as the mosaic is unveiled.

Magness' team had encountered biblical scenes every summer preceding 2014, but even those were by no means generic, Magness said. First was Samson and the foxes, recounted in Judges 15:4, in which Samson takes revenge on the Philistines by using 300 paired foxes with lighted torches between their tails to burn down the agricultural fields of the Philistines. The other depicts Samson carrying the gate of Gaza, described in Judges 16:1-3. After visiting Gaza to sleep with a prostitute, Samson discovers that the townspeople have planned to attack him, but he fools them by pulling up the gate of Gaza and putting it on his shoulders as he walks towards Hebron.


Samson carrying the gate of Gaza.

Few decorations on ancient synagogues depict scenes with Samson -- in fact Magness said that so far only one other in Israel has been found with such a scene. Given that Jews in the 5th century were living under Byzantine Christian rule, Magness said, these congregations may have been looking for a messiah figure.

"We believe that these Jewish congregations may have viewed Samson as a prototype of a messianic figure - a mighty warrior and redeemer who did great deeds on behalf of Israel," Magness told HuffPost. "In other words, these congregations might have thought that the future messiah will be a Samson-like figure."

'Gay Men Draw Vaginas' Is Hilarious And Telling (NSFW)

August 9, 2014, 4:55 am

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Gay men and vaginas -- historically, the two are worlds apart. So what happens when you ask a gay man to sit down and draw one?

This is the question that led Keith Wilson and Shannon O'Malley to curate an ongoing public art project and upcoming picture book called "Gay Men Draw Vaginas." With the results ranging from fine art to clever depictions, the results are both humorous and telling about the relationship between gay men and vaginas.

As the project is currently involved in a Kickstarter campaign, The Huffington Post chatted with the pair this week how the project got started, what's surprised them the most and more.



The Huffington Post: Where did the inspiration for the project come from?
Keith Wilson: Three years ago, we were at a restaurant with a bunch of other homos and the topic of vaginas came up. After a few unenlightened comments came out of the mouths of the gay men, Shannon asked me to draw a vagina on the table with a crayon. After I did, everyone at our table gawked at it, critiqued it. It started a totally vaginal conversation in a restaurant full of children and families -- fun stuff. Shannon asked my boyfriend, who was also at the table, to draw one. When he did, everyone wanted to scrutinize it and compare it to the other shitty vagina I'd made. The night was filled with vag chat.

Shannon O'Malley: The next week at work, I spontaneously asked a designer colleague, Chris Cerrato, to draw a vag. He thought that was funny, and later showed me his piece. He'd drawn a crotch covered by a Facebook "like" button. I just loved it. It was conceptual and funny and “of the time” and unexpected. After I saw Chris's drawing my instinct was ask him to do a few more with the same feel, just for fun, especially since I had heard him talk about how he never had time to do his own artwork. He agreed. In casual conversation, at surface level, I knew asking gay guys to draw vaginas was funny because it zeroed in on what some people might have perceived as "opposites." What I kept to myself were my navel-gazing meditations on "queer identity" and ideas people (and the culture) hold about women and bodies. The latter isn't fun workplace conversation.



The Huffington Post: "Gay Men Drawing Vaginas" causes a variety of reactions: laughter, disbelief -- even annoyance. What response are you hoping to get?
Wilson and O'Malley: We just want reactions. It's about gathering data and presenting a phenomenon. We knew the project would be funny and also uncomfortable, but that combo is what made us curious about the people and the art we would encounter. In our video, we laugh when we call the project "gay vagina anthropology," but that really is how we think of it. Ultimately, though, we hope people do a lot of things; we hope they'll laugh, we hope they'll think about what it means to identify as a "gay man," we hope they'll think about ideas our culture has about bodies and body parts. Their responses are part of the study, part of the art.

There are stereotypes that gay men find vaginas disgusting and/or know nothing about them (and don't want to). Is this project an attempt to get gay men to confront those stereotypes (and any truth behind them) and, if so, how?
Wilson and O'Malley: We've encountered misogyny from some artists in the way they've interacted with us at our public art-making booths. ("Ew!") And some of the art itself is subtly and explicitly misogynist. But the answer is "no," we don't have a political agenda in doing the project. It's about collecting and presenting what we see. One guy at our art booth in the Castro handed Shannon, who is a female-bodied person, a drawing of a vulva with the phrases "CLAMS ANYONE? FISH SMELL," but she just collected the drawing and moved on. It is up to the viewer to look at the project critically and start having ideas about what it means that this prompt even interests people and what the artwork (and it's organization) in the book says about us, the artists, bodies, language, and our time and culture. If you believe that getting people to think is political, then one might say the project is political.

What's the most surprising thing you've learned as a result of launching the project?
Wilson and O'Malley: We're surprised by how fascinated we've both become with the artwork. When we started the project, we loved the idea and its potential, but back then it was all "what if?" and abstract. Just the name sounded scandalous and fun. But now, we talk about the drawings a lot -- what they might mean, what the artist might have been thinking when he drew it, etc. We really love the collection and all the things it makes us think about.



Is there any possibility of a spin-off series of lesbians drawing penises?
Wilson and O'Malley: Possible but not probable.

What do you think it says about our society that we are so defined by our genitals -- especially in light of the new wave of transgender visibility and activism? How do you think a project like this one can be a part of that discussion?
Wilson and O'Malley: We are becoming less defined by our genitals, and there are books and books on that. When people are defined by their genitals, of course, it's restrictive. People have expectations of you that you might not want or be able to fill. But it also gives people a comfy script to follow, a marker that lets them know they are "OK." The project is part of a larger discussion about how we define ourselves, but only if you approach it in that way -- because not everyone has or will. We think of GAY MEN DRAW VAGINAS as a quick laugh at the water cooler as much as we think of it as a gender studies seminar discussion topic.

Why isn't the book called "GAY MEN DRAW VULVAS," since vulvas are what many people have drawn?
Wilson and O'Malley: We're asking humans who identify as "gay men" to draw a "vagina." What they draw, whether "accurate," or ridiculous or abstract, is up to them. A lot of people draw elephants and cats, but we're not renaming the book "GAY MEN DRAW ANIMALS."

Check out a selection of images from "Gay Men Draw Vaginas" below or head here to visit the project's Kickstarter campaign.

Check Out These Emojis Designed Just For Lesbians

August 9, 2014, 4:55 am

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Attention queer women: there may very soon be emojis -- like a fish taco, a turkey baster and a U-Haul moving truck -- just for you!

From designer Kimberly Linn comes a series of humorous emojis intended to be used by women who have sex with women. While not necessarily available on a smartphone -- yet -- Linn is currently showcasing her work through the Instagram page lesbianemojis.

The designer plans on soon making these emjois available in prints and, who knows, maybe your smartphone provider will pick them up one day! The Huffington Post chatted with Linn this week about her work.



The Huffington Post: Why did you decide to design these emojis?
Kimberly Linn: Basically how it all came about was my friend Katie and I were drinking wine one night on my front porch and talking about some lesbian stereotypes we've all fallen into. I was looking down at my phone looking at my "recently used emojis" and realized I only use emojis that can be interpreted in gay ways. She and I started spitballing emojis that could be released that were only for lesbians. We wrote out a list of about 100 of them and I started designing them. I'm an art director at an ad agency and she's a writer/actor and we both are always looking for side projects that feel pure and not so commercial. It's still in its infancy but we plan on rolling new ones out at least once a week.



Emojis are becoming increasingly culturally relevant -- why is it important to have emojis specifically for the lesbian community?
Lesbians, like anyone else, like to see a part of their world and identity reflected back at them. It's not just "emojis for lesbians" but emojis that represent lesbians. Making that iconic expression not only allows a sense of community but also gives a humorous insight to others about our lives. I remember when I was coming out, I definitely felt alone. I was slightly tomboyish and I didn't have a sense of belonging. Only at 22 did I finally make my first gay friends. Suddenly my love of plaid was shared. My penchant for moto boots versus ballerina flats was understood. And I wasn't too tomboyish or too anything. I was perfectly me.



Are these emojis mostly meant to be humorous? Why did you decide on these specific designs?
These emojis are completely meant to be humorous. I would hope that nobody would be offended by them, but you never know what will set people off. If you stop inside [Los Angeles gay bar] the Abbey on a Wednesday I guarantee you will encounter half of these emojis: a snapback with the word "Boi," lots of Chucks, at least 10 lesbians smoking Parliaments on the patio, a couple bow ties and me in a fancy blazer. My favorites are definitely the U-haul truck (which was appropriately numbered two because of that joke, "what does a lesbian bring on the second date...a U-haul") and the Home Depot. We're an efficient handy group of people. And how we decided on the specific design was that we basically wrote out a list of 100 or so and I began just designing the ones that felt like would be the easiest ways for people to understand what this project is all about and where we were headed with it.



SheWired noted that you will be making prints of these emojis. When will they be available?
Katie and I plan on getting a site up pretty soon where people can buy prints. I want people to be able to hang one up at their office desk or wherever when they find one that resonates with them. And I'd definitely like to make them available as greeting cards.

Head here to visit the Lesbian Emoji Instagram page.

This Is Unlike ANY Treehouse You've Ever Seen Before

August 9, 2014, 5:00 am

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DIY treehouses tend to, well, look it. That's not the case for this incredible home in Seattle, Washington, featured in the video above. It is closer to being a mini-mansion in the tree. Perhaps we need a new term for a structure like this? Check out the video above and let us know what you'd call it in the comments below.

8 Famous Authors On The First Book They Ever Loved

August 9, 2014, 5:28 am

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What does it mean to love a book? Should it be relatable? Beautiful? Must you share common interests? Is it not just as exciting to curl up with one you don't fully understand?

Today is National Book Lovers Day, so what better time to reflect on all of the books that you've loved? The one I'm most passionate about, which is to say the one I'm currently reading, is Graham Greene's The End of the Affair.

It was love at first sentence, a line the designer of the reprint edition wisely chose to place on the back cover: "A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses a moment of experience from which to look ahead." Greene and I have been inseparable ever since. In fact, you might say we've been spending too much time together, that I've been neglecting my previous interests -- those books penned by sharp or wounded women. But, as Greene sagely notes, this type of love is prone to running its course quickly.

Habit and admiration, on the other hand, are more likely to last. Which is why, after being read The Billy Goats Gruff every single night for weeks, my 3-year-old self declared it my favorite book. I couldn't read yet, but I had the thing memorized, a fact I was happy to demonstrate to everyone I met, troll voice and all. There's not much of a moral to The Billy Goats Gruff, a peculiar fairy tale about pudgy farm animals. But it instilled in me a great reverence for silliness, a quality I still very much value in a story. In that sense, you could say I've never forgotten the first book I ever loved.

Below, eight contemporary authors share the first books they ever loved:

Elizabeth Gilbert

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
"I had it memorized as a toddler, long before I mastered reading, and I would perform it for guests. I liked to think I was faking them out -- that they totally thought I was some miniature, world-class reader. But looking back on it, I think they probably knew all along I was just a hustler."
Read the full interview here.

Lev Grossman

Ant and Bee and the Rainbow: a Story About Colours by Angela Banner.
"I learned to read late, so I must have been 6 or 7 when I picked it up. You can’t get the Ant and Bee books anymore -- or you can, but they cost 50 or 60 dollars online. I don’t know why they haven’t been reissued; maybe publishers are scared off by the ambiguous relationship between two male insects. But Ant and Bee and the Rainbow is a little masterpiece.

"There's a moment where Ant and Bee are playing with an old tire that's embedded in the ground, painting it different colors -- it looks like an arch to them. Suddenly the artist pans back and shows you a cutaway shot of the whole tire, including the half that’s underground, so you see that it’s a complete circle. My little mind grew three sizes that day."
Read the full interview here.

Colson Whitehead
Night Shift by Stephen King.
"I loved horror movies and science fiction at that point. It's his early collection of horror short stories. I would just read it and re-read it as I worked my way up to reading longer fiction."
Read the full interview here.

Geoff Dyer

The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean.
Read the full interview here.

Karen Russell

"A Wrinkle in Time [by Madeleine L'Engle] was a book I loved early, early on, as well as Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn. There was also a book, and I don't even know the name of it now, but I was allowed to check it out from the grown-up section. I just remember loving it but knowing that I shouldn't be reading it. All that I remember about it was a mythical beast in conversation with a giant worm. Everything I enjoyed had some sort of fantastical element. I read tons of genre stuff by authors whose names I might not recognize today.

"Stephen King also made me feel like I'd ridden out in advance of what I could understand. And John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. I'm sure I didn't fully understand it when I was younger, but I remember feeling transported by it."
Read the full interview here.

Joyce Carol Oates

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
Read the full interview here.

Sue Monk Kidd

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
"I can't tell you how many times I've read it. I still have the first copy I read. I remember reading it as a girl, outside, under a Mimosa tree, just lying in the grass."
Read the full interview here.

Ben Marcus

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.
"I remember this book more vividly than my actual childhood, which seems to have contained many disposable moments."
Read the full interview here.

'Apparently Kid' Gets Auto-Tuned By The Gregory Brothers Because Apparently We Needed That

August 9, 2014, 8:12 am

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Guys, we can all breathe now. It took several days, but finally, there's a Schmoyoho auto-tune of "Apparently Kid."

Clearly, we live in the best of all possible worlds.

Via Tastefully Offensive

Shrapnel-Torn Schools, Ebola Medics, And Chinese Valentine's Day: Week In Photos, Aug. 3 - Aug. 10

August 9, 2014, 8:47 am

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Nothing quite compares to the power of a photograph to communicate the goings on in the world. Ranging from the serious to the silly, these photos offer peeks into what happened around the globe this week.

1. A Palestinian boy writes on a shrapnel riddled blackboard at the heavily damaged Sobhi Abu Karsh school in Gaza City on August 5, 2014.

(MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images)

2. On August 6, 2014, Ding Fei sits on the debris of his four-story hotel after a deadly earthquake hit Zhaotong, in China's Yunnan province.

(AFP/Getty Images)

3. Indian villagers make their way through floodwaters in Kakharubasta village on August 7, 2014 as flooding in the eastern Orissa state affected thousands.

(ASIT KUMAR/AFP/Getty Images)

4. A couple attends a kissing competition during Chinese Valentine's Day on August 3, 2014 in Kunming, Yunnan province of China.

(ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images)

5. A woman crosses over a trench made from a massive gas explosion in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on August 1, 2014.

(AP Photo/Wally Santana)

6. Officials inspect the driver's section of one of the two double-decker buses which collided together in Times Square, New York City on August 5, 2014.

(Monika Graff/Getty Images)

7. A zoo worker looks at a newborn River Terrapin on display at Dusit Zoo in Bangkok on August 8, 2014. The River Terrapin is one of the most critically endangered turtle species.

(PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL/AFP/Getty Images)

8. A nurse wears protective clothing as he demonstrates the facilities in place at the Royal Free Hospital in north London on August 6, 2014, in preparation for a patient testing positive for the Ebola virus.

(LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)

9. Iraqi Christians who fled violence in the village of Qaraqush rest upon their arrival at the Saint-Joseph church in the Kurdish city of Arbil, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on August 7, 2014.

(SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

10. On August 4, 2014, villagers hike to evacuate from the their homes after a landslide in Sindhupalchowk district, Nepal.

(Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images)

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6 New Ways To Use Art (Without Hanging It On A Wall)

August 10, 2014, 5:00 am

≫ Next: 'Back To Eden' Exhibit At Museum Of Biblical Art Reimagines Adam And Eve (PHOTOS)

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To be frank, hanging art on the wall is certainly not the most fun task in the world. Between spending too much time sifting through an endless array of hooks and wondering why the frame is STILL crooked even though you used a damn level, it's about time to explore other options.

These are the designer-approved ways to do just that.

Lean, don't hang.

A carefully-place work of art is the ultimate lazy person's tip. The key is making it look intentional. Don't prop it up against furniture, do place it against a wall. Bigger works are better for this.

Fill an empty fireplace.

Instead of letting this feature go empty during the nine months out of the year that aren't winter, place a couple works (and maybe even some bold accents to go with them) inside.

Enhance your bookshelves.

While the name may hint at otherwise, bookshelves aren't just for books. If your walls are full or you want to distract from any clutter on the shelves, hang some art directly on them by simply adding a hook to the shelf. This tip is best for lightweight, unframed canvases.

Create a headboard.

Consider it an attractive alternative to splurging on an upholstered one and a fantastic opportunity to add the pop of color that may be missing. Try thrift stores or estate sales for affordable oversized artworks.

Deck out your door.

Make the most of this all-too-often ignored spot in your home by displaying a vertical group of photos or art. Just be sure to use extra reinforcement if you're decorating a more high-traffic passageway.

Layer away.

This idea is great for those of us with tons of photos, but not enough space to display them all. Mix up the sizes and shapes, then arrange on a shelf.



And for more decorating ideas, visit our friends at Domino.

Have something to say? Check out HuffPost Home on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

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Are you an architect, designer or blogger and would like to get your work seen on HuffPost Home? Reach out to us at homesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com with the subject line "Project submission." (All PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)

'Back To Eden' Exhibit At Museum Of Biblical Art Reimagines Adam And Eve (PHOTOS)

August 10, 2014, 5:10 am

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NEW YORK (RNS) If the story of the Garden of Eden is such a common cultural reference point, what more can be said about it?

Plenty, at least judging by a new exhibit at the Museum of Biblical Art, which is affiliated with the American Bible Society.

The famed narrative of Eden in the Book of Genesis has been the subject of “New Yorker cartoon after New Yorker cartoon,” said guest curator Jennifer Scanlan, noting the enduring power of the Eden narrative.

Couples solely wearing fig leaves remain “instantly recognizable as Adam and Eve and fruit trees inhabited by snakes as the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil with the serpent,” she writes in the exhibit catalog.

Yet even with archetypes that are so well-known, the themes contained in Genesis about the storied paradise where it all began can still capture the imagination of contemporary artists, who find in it new echoes, meanings and insights.

These can be about innocence and longing, earthly paradise and the challenges of being human, or the need to protect the earth from environmental disaster.

Environmental themes are particularly prominent in “Back to Eden: Contemporary Artists Wander the Garden,” which is on view at the museum through Sept. 28. The nearly two dozen pieces on display include paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and installations containing video elements.

Of particular interest to the environmentally minded, and those who like large-scale paintings, is Alexis Rockman’s striking and dystopian “Gowanus,” a 2013 work depicting the Gowanus Canal, a long-polluted Brooklyn site that, as museum notes describe it, is notorious among New Yorkers as a “toxic wasteland” reflecting “the disastrous potential for the destruction of nature” by humanity.

This “wandering” through the metaphorical garden has a new element for a museum that, up until now, has not commissioned works of art. Six of the works exhibited are products of MOBIA’s first-ever commissions. That is a fresh approach for a museum committed to art that, even if it is modern or contemporary, is rooted in a religious and narrative tradition.

“It shows a new direction,” said Scanlan, noting the new pieces have changed perspectives “about what a museum of biblical art can be.”

Richard Townsend, the museum’s director, agreed. He said the commissions had paid off by “opening up new avenues for the museum’s exploration of the Bible’s enduring influence on the visual and cultural landscape today,” as well as revealing “the influence of biblical narratives in today’s culture and society.”

“The story of Eden is a framework that gives contemporary artists access to universal themes,” he added, “speaking to age-old human desires and potential.”

Not long ago, during a previous MOBIA exhibit, Bibles and biblical literature developed during two centuries of American wars filled one exhibit space. Now, that space is the site of an arresting video installation by artist Sean Capone, who created one of the commissioned pieces. With its shifting colors and images, Capone’s work suggests different connections to the Book of Genesis — from blank nothingness comes a video “garden” of constant flow, regeneration and change.

More concrete, but perhaps even more provocative, is Mark Dion’s diorama of a key player in the Eden tale: the serpent. This work, also a commissioned piece, gives the viewer a new take on the creature. Looking alert and adroit (and not to mention creepy), Dion’s serpent is depicted as it might have appeared before meeting its eternal fate as a creature forever slithering away on its belly.

The idea of Eden, Scanlan said, means different things to different people. It can be a place to return to; an enclosed space of harmony; a place of origin; or, more tragically, the birthplace of original sin. To many, “it just becomes a symbol of humanity at its most innocent,” she said.

And yet, there lies the serpent, too, the very antithesis of innocence.

After Dark: Jayne County, Transgender Musician And Nightlife Icon

August 10, 2014, 8:04 am

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This is the thirteenth installment in HuffPost Gay Voices Associate Editor James Nichols' ongoing series "After Dark: NYC Nightlife Today And Days Past" that examines the state of New York nightlife in the modern day, as well as the development and production of nightlife over the past several decades. Each featured individual in this series currently serves as a prominent person in the New York nightlife community or has made important contributions in the past that have sustained long-lasting impacts.

HuffPost Gay Voices believes that it is important and valuable to elevate the work, both today and in the past, of those engaged in the New York nightlife community, especially in an age where queer history seems to be increasingly forgotten. Nightlife not only creates spaces for queers and other marginalized groups to be artistically and authentically celebrated, but the work of those involved in nightlife creates and shapes the future of our culture as a whole. Visit Gay Voices regularly to learn not only about individuals currently making an impact in nightlife, but those whose legacy has previously contributed to the ways we understand queerness, art, identity and human experience today.

The Huffington Post: You've been involved in the NYC queer nightlife scene since the 1960s. Can you describe your journey to becoming the legendary artist and performer that you are today?
Jayne County: It was a long, bumpy road that sometimes ended in dead ends, but I just kept driving on and on. I played the "straight" rock clubs with a full band -- never played "gay" clubs, so to speak. I always just kept on doing what I knew I could do best. Writing songs, recording, performing; it all came as natural to me as black eyed peas and corn bread! I mixed my early experiences of growing up in Georgia with my psychedelic, glam and punk rock pioneering tactics and shook them all together with my trans and gender-bending theatrics -- then presto! There I was! Wayne/Jayne County: transgender, rock and roll, punk rock pioneer!



How important was your time involved with the Andy Warhol factory? Can you describe this period and the way it shaped you as an artist?
My time hanging out with the Warhol crowd was instrumental in my development as both an artist and a weird underground character. I hung out with Candy Darling, Jackie Curtis, Holly Woodlawn and Leee Black Childers. The main hang out was Max's Kansas City over Park Avenue South near Union Square. The back room of Max's was famous for being the watering hole of the NYC in-crowd. Like the song says -- "Anything Goes," and boy did it ever! It was a mish-mash of underground culture: artists, singers, poets, rich people, poor people, drug dealers and LSD dropouts. It was a creative, cesspool of craziness brought together in one big bowl of mixed vegetable '60s and '70s decadence.

What kind of work do you tend to produce? How would you say nightlife influences or informs your art?
My work and music usually contain true life experiences set to catchy tunes and chorus lines. My best songs are usually written when I'm pissed off and angry with someone; a lot of my experiences in NYC nightlife have ended up in one of my songs. I wrote "Man Enough To Be A Woman" after sitting at a table at Max's with underground glam sensation Jobriath. He gave me the idea for the song, "If You Don't Wanna Fuck Me Baby, Baby Fuck Off." It was written after one of guitar players kept "prick teasing" me -- also "Bad In Bed" and "Mean Motherfucking Man" and many others. Some were written from a sheer political or anti-religious stance, like "Storm The Gates Of Heaven." "Transgender Rock And Roll" was written about the club Jackie 60's and it mentions Lady Bunny, Chi Chi and Johnny.



When and how did you eventually decide to transition?
My decision to transition came from the feelings I've had since I was a very small child. I was never a little boy but always a little girl. I never felt male or what society assigned as "male" and I always knew that I was not like everybody else around me. When I was a small child I dressed in female attire every chance I got. I hated getting stubble on my chin and it extremely upset me -- I felt like an alien on a strange planet.

In my late teens in Atlanta I hung out with all of the screaming queens and drag queens. We hardly knew the word "transexual" and everybody back then in the mid-sixties functioned under the word "gay." There weren't all of these extra divisions or these identity groups fighting for power against one another. Everyone was called "gay" and no one had a problem with it. We all hung out in the same bars together: the gay boys, the gay girls, the drag queens and trans people who had never even heard of the word "trans." Back then it was called "living in drag." Some queen would say, "Oh did you hear about Miss Coco? She's living in drag now! She's becoming a real woman!"

Do you identify as trans? If not, how do you identify? What does this identity mean to you?
I have identified as trans for awhile now, but the politically correct words that are approved for usage by idiots living up on "Transolympus" changes every time someone farts! I did identify as transsexual in the '70s and '80s. But that word is definitely out of style now and seems too much of a medical term anyway. I like transgender, myself, but I am a firm believer in one using self-identifiable terms. I'm a bit pissed off at the "PC college" crowd at the moment. I don't want to go on a rant about it because I've already done that, but I think this stupid PC crud about the word "tranny" is a pile of possum crap. I was even kicked off of Facebook for using the term "tranny" and making fun of the "shemail" fiasco. So I won't go into it again. Right now I am using the terms transgender and gender variant. I think people make too much ado about terms and wording -- it's self-absorbed. There are millions of men and women in the world. Why identify as either one? I love gender variant but I'm used to transgender, which fits pretty well.


Image Courtesy of Bob Gruen

How do you see what is happening now in New York nightlife today as building on a historical legacy of artists, performers, musicians and personalities over the past decades?
Oh, nightlife in NYC will always be fabulous because it's made up of the great artists and scene-makers of today that will become the nightlife heroes of tomorrow. Nightlife is still going strong -- it's just changed. A new generation of stars and scene-makers are trying new, and sometimes even old, things in a different way every night. NYC will always be the city of dreams! Sometimes things can be built right on top of some of the old, past nightlife history that some of us fondly remember and long for. It just keeps on building right on top of all the great history that NYC has given us.

From The Stonewall and The Sewer, From Max's and CBGBs, Dancerteria and The Peppermint Lounge, The Mudd Club, Save The Robots, The Pyramid, Jackie 60's, Coney Island High, The Limelite, The Continental, She, The Boy Bar, The Cock, The Bowery Bar, Life, The Squeezebox and on and on! And the NYC legends that have put NYC on the nightlife map like Chi Chi and Johnny, Mistress Formica, Miss Guy, Mario Diaz, Michael Schmitt, Linda Simpson, Cherry Jubilee, Lady Bunny, Mx Justin Bond, Don Hill, Hilly Krystal, Peter Crowley, Jim La Lumia, Mickey Ruskin, Andy Warhol and his whole crew and so many, many more.

We live in an age where queer history seems to be increasingly forgotten. Do you think this erasure is dangerous?
Queer history is so important because it often takes in and covers other history that it comes in contact with. Queer history is OUR history! Everyone's! It's all related in the way that whatever happens within the scope of queer history affects our entire culture -- television, films, books, music. It all contains some elements of queer history. It should be taught in our schools right alongside of black history and minority studies. Take out all of the things in our society that gay people have contributed and you would have one dull, boring world. Too bad that we had to kick and scream our heads off at The Stonewall Riots to even get noticed. But it had to happen! It was all a sign of the times!

I am so proud to say that I was there for The Stonewall Riots.



You have never been one to shy away from expressing your opinion and making your voice heard. What do you have to say to your critics?
To my critics I say: "You've never been able to shut me up, and you never will!" And, "If you can't take it, go live on a cave." And, "Put an egg in your shoe and beat it!" And to some of them, "If you don't wanna take a walk with me on my meat rack, then get the HELL outta my breadline!"

What projects are you currently working on?
In September I have a live DVD coming out: Wayne/Jayne County and The Electric Chairs, live in Germany from 1978. It's high quality, the sound is amazing and the band is in fine form. It's a straight-ahead rock concert presenting a lot of the songs and music that I am known for. I'm also continuing my art and have some art shows coming up in Atlanta and NYC. My music can be found on iTunes and Amazon and most other digital formats and presentations. Also very important, I run a "cathouse" to help homeless kitties. It's called Auntie Jayne's Cathouse. Anyone wanting to help can reach me on Facebook!

What do you see within the future of New York nightlife?
I think NYC nightlife is in good hands at the moment. It's a different time. We can't expect everything to be like it was yesterday. Yesterday is gone! Tomorrow is waiting for all of the young new artists to take hold of and create something new and wonderful so that we all can continue to grow and experience art, music and an exciting nightlife scene that will hopefully once again make NYC the center of the universe. NYC nightlife is here to stay. It can sometimes go up and down like a roller coaster but it will always keep right on a rolling. Long may it reign! Thank you -- sincerely, Jayne Fucking County.

For more from Jayne County head here to visit the artist's website. Missed the previous installments in this series? Check out the slideshow below.

Arcade Fire Covers Part Of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'

August 10, 2014, 9:11 am

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Arcade Fire's "Reflektor" tour continued in George, WA, and the band kept with its newly adopted tradition of covering a song by a local band. Known Nirvana fan, Win Butler took advantage of the Pacific Northwest venue and played a few lines of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" during the intro and final chords of Arcade Fire's "Rococo." It's by no means a full cover of the iconic song, since you can hear "Entertain us" bleed seamlessly into "Rococo." The last few bars, however, are more recognizable, as Butler sings, "I feel stupid and contagious. Here we are now, entertain us."

The band has previously paid similar tribute to the Dead Kennedys in Santa Barbara, Jane's Addiction in Los Angeles, R.E.M. in Atlanta and The Smiths in London. See the fan-shot footage of the show below.

'The Best Of Me' Trailer Is A Giant Nicholas Sparks Cryfest

August 10, 2014, 11:16 am

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It's time for the Nicholas Sparks-induced tears to flow. The new trailer for the film adaption of Sparks' "The Best Of Me" has all the elements of a very solid ugly cry. There's lost love, prison, a reconciliation, scruffy facial hair and a few half-jokes.

Starring Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden, Liana Liberato and Luke Bracey, "The Best Of Me" is set in 1984 as Amanda and Dawson fall madly, truly, deeply in love. They're from opposite walks of life -- of course -- and are pulled apart due to terrible circumstances, duh. Two decades later they find each other again. A shorter teaser came out in June, but this full two-and-a-half minute clip reminds us "The Best Of Me" is from the same guy who gave us "The Notebook," "The Lucky One" and "Dear John." Weep away.