Gay Christmas Mr Lawrence
Dec. 25th, 2006 12:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
imomus
"Ax Mr. L" on the Alva Noto / Ryuichi Sakamoto EP Revep (2006) is a track which hums and crackles with the chords from the lovely theme tune to Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, which many consider Sakamoto's most accomplished composition. It appeared, with vocals by David Sylvian, as the single and video "Forbidden Colours" in 1983, taking the title of Mishima's most homosexual novel -- not to mention the Oshima film's strongly homosexual undercurrents -- into the British Top 20. I've always thought that David Bowie's absence from the video has to be more than co-incidence; images of Bowie were almost certainly, themselves, "forbidden" by his management company. That ban was probably connected to the gay theme; this was, after all, the year Rolling Stone published a cover story on Bowie entitled "David Bowie Straight", and the somewhat macho Bowie almost certainly felt that Sylvian's cloying hymn to him was embarrassingly effete.
For those of us less concerned to, ahem, re-butt gay themes, though, this is a beautiful and haunting piece of music. When I listen to Carsten Nicolai and Ryuichi Sakamoto's spinning-top post glitch version, though, I keep wanting to hear the original burst out, with its lovely chords, piano top-line, and lugubrious, yearning mid-section. So, today, as my slightly-homosexual Christmas present to you, the readers of Click Opera, I've made my own remix, a mash-up of the Noto-Sakamoto hum with fragments of the original song and layers of my own plinky-plonky piano playing. 
Re-me-X Mr Lawrence (4.6 MB stereo mp3 file, 5 mins)I hope this homage to a homage to a homage makes your Christmas day just that little bit more gay. Isn't it funny that, although Sylvian, Sakamoto, Nicolai, Bowie and I are all straight men, something so deeply, satisfyingly homosexual emerges when you put us all together?
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Date: 2006-12-25 11:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-25 12:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-25 01:16 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-25 01:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-25 02:01 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-25 02:37 pm (UTC)absolutely gorgeousa great musician.(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-27 10:45 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-27 01:08 pm (UTC)Me, I like prodding him so I don't mind. I still want to go to one of his solo gigs and ask him to sign my copy of Obscure Alternatives, just to annoy him. But I'm scared he might actually rip my arm off.
Actually I've forgotten what he's doing now, again. There's some info on the LJ communities about it, if you search interests for david sylvian. I did read an interview which was very quotable but he seemed very Aristotlean in his ideas. "Dress down for the stage, dress up for life," he said, which is sound advice. He's touring, too, but I think I might be too scared to go see him, because he'll probably hate me for being young and shallow. Well, he and his fans would be a lot happier if he realised how beautiful his own mistakes are. But a lot of artists don't seem to know this. That's why I like Momus, because he at least appreciates his past self.
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Date: 2007-01-06 12:26 am (UTC)may I play this on my podcast?
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Date: 2007-01-06 08:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-25 12:06 pm (UTC)Bowie!
Gay!
I knew there was a reason I love you so madly. Have some typed hearts <3 <3 <3. Merry Christmas!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-25 12:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-25 01:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-25 01:27 pm (UTC)Sylvian is one of the hardy perennials of my music collection, I was listening to 'Brilliant Trees' for the first time in some months just two days ago so the Mp3 and video link are welcome coincidence.
A Happy Neo-Marxist Xmas!
Thomas Scott.
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Date: 2006-12-25 01:56 pm (UTC)And I've already had a T-shirt with Tom Baker on it inscribed with the legend, "Who's the daddy".
Great!.
my love ate forbidden prawns
Date: 2006-12-25 02:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-25 02:16 pm (UTC)メリークリスマス, カリーさん!
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Date: 2006-12-25 04:10 pm (UTC)_________
_lOVE___
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Date: 2006-12-25 04:33 pm (UTC)Navy men, no doubt.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
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Date: 2006-12-25 08:28 pm (UTC)Now, what would make you say that? I don't understand the phenomenon of non-Christians wishing everyone Merry Christ Mass.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-25 10:13 pm (UTC)Thomas Scott.
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Date: 2006-12-25 11:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-26 12:35 pm (UTC)Thomas.S.
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Date: 2006-12-26 04:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-26 04:43 pm (UTC)Thomas S.
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Date: 2006-12-27 02:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-26 04:48 am (UTC)So...Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanzaa! Super-duper Solstice! Joyous (your favorite god-day here)!
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Date: 2006-12-26 01:19 pm (UTC)As an aside perhaps, whilst being outspokenly anti-religious can as you indicated indeed make one a bore, religious orthodoxies tend not to be as lenient or as courteous in their stance toward unbelievers and at a time when organised religion is making a crap comeback tour in both our nations there are situations where when humanist-based non-belief must be vocally defended against the anti-humanist suspension of collective liberty that is intrinsic to all organised religions.
Regards Thomas. S.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-26 01:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-26 02:12 pm (UTC)When in Rome, and all that. I'm sure someone else has already pointed out that Christmas is only an appropriation of a pagan festival, anyway. And I wonder what the truly Christian proportion of those celebrating Christmas actually is. I don't know about the States, but I wouldn't be surprised if in Britain the figure is less than fifty percent. In fact, I'd place a bet on it.
The same percentage in Japan? Probably close to one percent.
So, let's not get all Cromwell about it.
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Date: 2006-12-26 04:42 pm (UTC)Thomas S.
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Date: 2006-12-26 05:45 pm (UTC)Actually, I don't remember being offended at any remarks, but then I suppose, since I wouldn't describe myself as either Christian or agnostic, that I'm not the one being addressed here.
Anyway, sleep well, please.
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Date: 2006-12-26 05:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-26 06:33 pm (UTC)Regards. Thomas
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Date: 2006-12-26 11:00 pm (UTC)Thank you. I'm glad to hear it. The Internet can sometimes be far too conducive to storms in teacups, I have found. So, always glad to save the tea from inclement weather.
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Date: 2006-12-26 03:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-26 07:44 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-26 01:07 pm (UTC)There's a band in LA called "Gay for Johnny Depp". As a straight man, I could easily have been "gay for Ryuichi Skakmoto / David Sylvian / David Bowie".
Merry Christmas, Nick.
Thanksgiving
Date: 2006-12-26 07:39 pm (UTC)why you look so gay
Date: 2006-12-26 08:56 pm (UTC)I guess in general men tend to be more detailed in rational things & women are more detailed about " irrational" issues, therefore when a man is so delicate & attentive about emotions, they may look " soft " and… " gay".
I have no intention to stereotype genders, they should be equal, but they are not the same..(eg. there are always more horny males than lusty females)
btw, sorry about the English, I am not a native speaker
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Date: 2006-12-27 10:09 am (UTC)