Club Kids on Daytime Television (90s Redux)

I'm pretty sure I stayed home that day, not necessarily to watch this, but a fun surprise considering I was the most boring school-skipper every, staying home to watch daytime TV.

Michael Alig, James St. James, Amanda Lapore, Leigh Bowry, and Ernie Glam on the Joan Rivers Show, early 90s.

Links & Bits: 12/8/11

Rich's post on the America's Next Top Model All-Star controversy . I spent an inordinate amount of time yesterday reading about this, and his one of the most lucid takes on the whole mess.

s.e. smith talks about failing at NaNoWriMo -- and why it was a good thing.

Epic Jez thread: What Ridiculous Things Did Your Believe In When You Were a Kid? I'm only a part-time Jezzie these days (I think I aged out of their demographic years ago), but every once in a while they hit on something that will entertain you for an entire afternoon (or three).

Roguish, and a Bit Quirky

Not that I would even use an online personality quiz to determine my worth, but I am shamelessly addicted to OK Cupid's tests. Granted, a lot of them are of the "How hot am I? How hot are you? Should we be fucking?" variety, but it's kind of hard to resist a "What muppet are you?" quiz when you have five minutes to kill.

The other day I found out which classic leading lady I most identify with:

Bette Davis 

You scored 36% grit, 43% wit, 38% flair, and 2% class! 

You’re one smart cookie, and you know it. You also know how to let everyone else know it. You are in charge and keep everyone in line with your biting wit and cutting remarks. You’re charming when you need to be, and the light sparkles behind your eyes. But when cornered, you can act, but quick, and you’ll do anything necessary. You’re always ready with just the right come-back, and you can be wilting. You go your own way and have your own, unique way of tackling life, which sometimes includes illegal activity. It’s not a great idea to cross you; you can cut down the competition with one well-chosen line, although that’s not all you have in your arsenal. Your leading mean include Errol Flynn and Paul Henreid, men who like a feisty gal.

Hmmm.  I love Bette Davis, but that description veers a little too close to "manic pixie dream girl" territory. Gritty, witty,  with just enough flair to get myself out of some "kooky predicament. Well hell, just cast me in the latest indie flick aside Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Just for kicks, I also took the "classic leading man test :"

William Powell 

You scored 21% Tough, 33% Roguish, 10% Friendly, and 38% 

Charming! You are the classic rogue, a stylish rake with the devil of a wit and a flair for mischief, and you shake your martinis to waltz time. You are charming and debonair, but slightly untrustworthy, and women should be on their guard. If married, you are simply a bit of a flirt, even if it’s just with your own wife…but if you’re single, watch out. You usually rein yourself in to concentrate on one lovely beauty at a time, but with you, we never know. You’re an inviting partner, but there’s a playful devil behind your eyes, and those trying to get close to you should know they’re playing with fire. You’re stylish and fun, but you follow your own course, which may or may not include a steady gal. Co-stars include Myrna Loy and Carole Lombard, classy ladies with an adventurous streak.

A stylish rogue with a flair for mischief? Watch out ladies. Even though this wasn't to be taken seriously, I couldn't help but answer each question the way I thought a man would answer. I also found myself getting ragey-feminist at some of the question, though the leading ladies test, while had me rolling my eyes a few times, didn't want to shove my fist through the computer screen.

Or maybe that's just my roguish side coming through.

Confession: I Still Don't Own a Digital Camera

I found this old commercial for Polaroid's landmark SX-70s instant camera:



It's 2011, and I still do not own a digital camera. I used to wear this as a badge of cool, but now it's simply part of who I am. And while I tend to ignore how film cameras currently hold some kind of hipster cachet, the primary reason I do not have a digital camera is I like all aspects of photography: the tactile pleasure of snapping open a film canister and loading into a camera, measuring light, f-stops -- things that have gone the way of the dinosaur in favor of digital photography's convenience. Plus there's an almost buttery quality to a really well done conventional C-print that I rarely see in digital prints, even good ones.

If this makes me a snob or a luddite, well, I guess I have to own that.

The thing is, it's the only outdated technology I desperately cling to. I had no issues forgoing CDs for iTunes, and I'm definitely planning on buying a kindle before the year is out. I had a cell phone long before it was a prerequisite for modern living -- it was as big as a man's shoe and just as heavy. So it's not as if I am afraid to embrace new technology, I'm just not embracing this one. And as long as I can buy film online, or at the handful of places in my city that still cater to us film dinosaurs, I will.

(Recently, two long-time favorites bit the dust: Kodak's iconic slide film, Kodachrome, and Polaroid's instant film. As a child of the 70s and 80s, the latter was the bigger blow. It's funny, now, speaking of it as a "classic," when during peel-apart film's introduction, it was commonly thought to eventually replace conventional film.)

Another reason I've been resistant all these years to buying a digital camera is that when they first hit the market, they were well out of my price range. Photography was always something I did relatively cheaply, buying most of my gear at thrifts and learning how to process my own film. (Thank god for windowless bathrooms.) I liked learning the craft of photography -- it wasn't something just anyone could do. Okay, yeah, anyone could pick up a camera, but that didn't make one a "photographer." As much as can be done with digital photography, a lot of that art is lost.