Author Archives: Adam

Joseph Cassara illuminates the rise of drag culture in ‘The House of Impossible Beauties’

I was looking for a specific type of book in the summer of 2017. I asked the subreddit Suggest Me a Book “History of Drag. Any suggestions? Not biographies. But a cultural/sociological look into Drag Queen history and such. Thanks!”

I wanted a definitive history to read like explored in the documentary Paris is Burning. I got a few upvotes and two responses – My Life in the Movement by Cleve Jones and Sex Change, Social Change by Viviane Namaste – but nothing I was particularly looking for. I didn’t even ask to think of looking for a good literary fiction book about queer, trans, and drag queens during the 1980s and early 1990s because, well, I had a feeling it didn’t exist.

At some point I got an advanced copy of a book. Upon a quick glance it just seems like a romance. It has Beauties in the title and has a glamorous shot of a woman.

I glance at it a few days later. It’s a man with make up on. In drag.

This is the book I was waiting for. Joseph Cassara wrote The House of Impossible Beauties and I am going on record by saying this is going to me one of the books of 2018.

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‘Queer Eye’ hits a bullseye

Queer Eye is no longer about tolerance. It’s about acceptance. Over the course of eight episodes, five new hosts and experts transformed eight men in and around Atlanta ranging from straight white conservative men, hip men of color, and they even helped a gay black man come out to his stepmother after his father passed away.

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Survivor: Ghost Island – Episodes 1 and 2 Recap

The early hype surrounding the 36th season of Survivor was mixed. The theme is Ghost Island. No one really knew what we could expect.

It was going to be used similarly to Exile Island – where castaways are exiled from their tribe and sometimes they can find Hidden Immunity Idols, but they lose the ability to bond with their tribe. But because host Jeff Probst kept billing it as a graveyard for bad decisions and promos hinted that previous idols and advantages were going to come into play, fans knew that this would be a heavily twisted season.

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50 favorite songs from 2017

I made a playlist on Spotify of my favorite songs from the year. I’ve listed the 50 below by artist (as alphabetized by Spotify). You can play the mix on shuffle or I threw it together in a nonsense way that sort of flows. Just enjoy it like the radio station and get surprised with what comes next though.

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The best music (and podcasts) from 2017

This year has been sweet to my ears. My favorite musician Richard Edwards released his first official solo album. Then he released a stripped down LP of some newer and older songs. Now, Now released two songs after a five-year hiatus. Lorde, Alvvays, and Haim put out their highly anticipated sophomore efforts. Then there were albums that crushed my soul like Mount Eerie and Phoebe Bridgers albums. Selecting ten was difficult but I tried. I added five EPs to the mix as well. Because I wanted this to encapsulate all of my favorite aural candies, I threw in five podcasts. I could have suggested dozens, but am trying to control myself.

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The best TV shows from 2017

None of these suggestions in LISTcavage are really the “best” of anything. This list changed the day I wrote it. I was set on having The Handmaid’s Tale in it. Then I realized it won an Emmy and the majority of America already knows about it. I left off Girls even though it had one of the best single episodes that is more culturally relevant now than ever (“American Bitch”). Critical favorites The Leftovers and The Americans were amazing, and deserve all of the recognition in the world. Hell, even Orphan Black, which I discovered too late just before its final season aired isn’t listed. But, I guess I did list them all in the end.

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‘Nancy’ is required listening regardless of sexual orientation

Scene: lunch with some coworkers (all female).

— I have a friend that would be perfect for you.
— Awesome!
— Yeah, he’s amazing.
— Thanks but I’m not gay.
— Ohmygodsosorry.

This is one of the many occurrences of people mistaking me as gay. It’s not something that offends me even though people think it should(?). I am a white, straight, CIS male who only has sex with women who all look the same; maybe I should dive into why with my therapist. That’s beside the point.

The point is: I connect a lot with the LGBTQ community. Not just because people assume I’m gay. For numerous reasons. The official synopsis of my favorite podcast Nancy explains it best.

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