Image of the Day: Jazz Great Big Jay McNeely

That must have been a good song.

I need to have an experience that puts me in the same state as those three men in the front.

Ya'll. "Paris is Burning" is on Netflix.

I do not own a television.  Frankly, it is a waste of time and money.  I have over 100 books on my shelf and over 500 books on my Kindle that need to be read.  Instead of paying for cable, I can go to the consignment shop twice more a month.  I do have a subscription to Netflix though.  Many complain that they have an outdated movie collection, but all my favorite foreign films and BBC dramas are present.  One day I was looking for documentaries about New Orleans when I stumbled across one of my favorite documentaries of all time:  Paris is Burning.

If you have never seen this film, please please watch it.  It will break your heart, inspire you, and help you bring out your inner drag queen while you're brushing your teeth in the mirror.  I think this is where Beyonce got Sasha Fierce from, and you KNOW the Queen of Appropriation, Madonna (as much as I love this woman), stole one of her eras from.  The Vogue era if you don't know what I'm talking about.  Madonna may be Queen of the gays, but she's largely Queen of the Caucasoid gays.  Black gays were hardly visible at this point.  I mean, you've got Langston Hughes and James Baldwin but they weren't out out.  This is a fascinating view of Black, gay, subculture in the late 1980s.  Remember how hip hop started break dancing as a way of non-violent posturing among crews?  Voguing was of a similar vein, non-violent posturing among houses.

And honey, the best part of the whole documentary is this 4-minute clip about "shade."

Do yourself a favor and try not to judge the people in this film.  Take this documentary for what it is:  a peek into the lifestyles of sexually and racially marginalized people.

When all else fails...throw on a neon cape

Just kidding.

Alex R. asked me during one of our many facebook chats how a man can wear a cape successfully.  I'll start by giving you a list of people who don't wear them well:  Dracula, Superman, Elvis, and Andre Leon Talley.  What all these men have in common is that they wear capes that are too long, too cumbersome, and too dramatic.  I know dramatic; I was voted most dramatic by Black Duke Class of 2008.

Say no to drugs, kids

I appreciate this cape for its workmanship, but it's straight up fug.  He looks like a volcanic Easter Egg.  

This gentleman looks perfect.  The colors are muted, there is not a lot of bulk, the top button is casually undone, he doesn't look like Mary Poppins, the length hits him right above the knee, and the shirt underneath is crisp.  If you're going to wear a cape, make sure everything else is slim cut.  You won't look like the Liberty Bell I promise.  With bulky clothes underneath you will look like an oozing blueberry muffin.  I only mention blueberry because I would like one this very second.

 This is not a man cape, but if you plan on wearing fur, please avoid creatures like this.  You will look like you got in a fight with a rag tag possum gang and happened to win due to an unfair sucker punch.  Fur capes should be less than four pelts sewn together.  You definitely want to avoid looking like a ghetto bird.  

  I love you Eddard Stark.  This has nothing to do with the post except that he is wearing a cape.  But he lives in Middle Earth or Heaven or something so his Dracula cape doesn't count in the avoid pile.  RIP 100th Sean Bean character to die on film.