Category Archives: Hedonism

Photo: Oksana Smith/EyeEm/Getty Images

After years of buildup, the moment has arrived: Recreational marijuana is now legal in New York State, with some parts of the new law going into effect immediately. As in, right now. The New York Times explains the details:

Individuals are now allowed to possess up to three ounces of cannabis for recreational purposes or 24 grams of concentrated forms of the drug, such as oils.

New Yorkers are permitted to smoke cannabis in public wherever smoking tobacco is allowed, though localities and a new state agency could create regulations to more strictly control smoking cannabis in public. Smoking cannabis, however, is not permitted in schools, workplaces, or inside a car.

Apropos of nothing in particular, and certainly not nice weather or the hedonistic summer that will soon be upon us, it is worth noting that smoking is not allowed in New York City public parks.

But while public consumption is legal as of this very moment (3/31 is the new 4/20 in New York, quipped the NYC Hospitality Alliances Andrew Rigie), other pieces of the legislation will take some time to go into effect. Eventually, though, New Yorkers will legally be able to get cannabis delivered to their homes, cultivate up to six plants for personal use, and buy recreational weed products at dispensaries and Amsterdam-style consumption sites though, as the Times notes, some of that is more than a year off.

First, officials will need to finish ahem hashing out the regulatory framework that will govern every aspect of a brand new, highly regulated market. One aspect of that process means earmarking half of new business licenses for social equity applicants: people from communities with disproportionately high rates of marijuana enforcement, women- and minority-owned businesses, farmers, disabled veterans, and applicants who have a marijuana-related conviction, or a close relative with such a conviction. (To put that into perspective: In 2020, 94 percent of NYCs weed-related arrests were people of color)

One essential change is effective immediately, though: Under the new law, the records of people who have been convicted on cannabis-related charges that are no longer criminalized will be expunged.

When we texted a weed-enthusiastic friend to discuss this news, she informed Grub that she was, at this moment, availing herself of the new policy.

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Read the rest here:

New Yorks Summer of Hedonism Gets an Early Start As Recreational Weed Becomes Immediately Legal - Grub Street

Lockdown has enforced a unique period of isolation and reflection for many of us, but for Moby, two decades from the height of his fame, that's not too far from the norm.

he electronic musician (55) has spent much of the pandemic doing what he'd usually do -spending time alone at his home in Los Angeles.

"Before the pandemic, I stayed home and I worked and went hiking and avoided socialising. So during the pandemic, I have stayed home and worked and been prevented from socialising," he says.

This Benedictine lifestyle is a far cry from the hedonism of Moby's early fame, chronicled in eye-watering detail in a new self-narrated documentary released in May. Moby Doc charts the artist's life from a traumatic childhood through to life as a teetotal animal rights activist.

Moby became a household name at the turn of the millennium when his record Play and a string of hit singles propelled an outwardly awkward, shaven-headed bedroom musician to rock superstar status.

"To my shame, I kind of defined myself - and a lot of my wellbeing was largely the product of - being a professional musician, and being a public figure," he admits.

That might be fine when things are going well, but, as the Harlem-born artist explained, it makes it all the more tough when things go the other way.

"In around 2002, the tide turned," he says. "All of a sudden the articles were negative, the reviews were bad."

More negative headlines followed in the wake of Moby's recent memoir, Then It Fell Apart, in which he described dating actress Natalie Portman when she was 20. Portman denied this characterisation of the relationship, claiming she was 18 at the time and simply remembered a "much older man being creepy" with her.

Despite initially insisting his account was accurate, Moby later apologised for behaving "inconsiderately and disrespectfully".

Another criticism, this time levelled at Moby's music, relates to his use of the work of black artists in some of his most successful songs. To some, including the artist himself, these reworkings were a mark of respect and helped bring them to new, much larger audiences. To others, they were simply exploitative.

"The only thing I've ever been able to say, in my defence I don't even like the word defence," Moby starts when asked about this debate.

"When I have used African American or black vocals, samples, it's out of a place of just profound love and appreciation for those voices, with the full understanding that I have no right whatsoever to use them or lay claim to any aspect of the experience that gives them their power," he says.

"Cultural appropriation is a real thing," he adds. "But we also live in an incredibly intertwined, complicated world. The clean lines between different types of artistic or spiritual and cultural expression. Oftentimes, sometimes they exist, and oftentimes, they're quite blurred."

Whether consciously or otherwise, Moby's new record Reprise - an orchestral album largely comprised of reworked hits - includes the aforementioned songs with the famous vocal parts performed by black singers, namely Gregory Porter, Amythyst Kiah and Apollo Jane.

One of the more poignant moments on the record is a tribute to David Bowie, a childhood hero whom he befriended and performed with after the pair became neighbours in New York.

The stripped-back rendition of Heroes references a special moment when he and Bowie performed the track on his sofa.

He explains: "It was one of the most special moments of my life, not even professionally, but personally, spiritually, to sit with my favourite musician of all time and play a delicate version of my favourite song of all time."

Belfast Telegraph

More:

'We live in an intertwined, really complicated world' - Belfast Telegraph

1 April 2021, 12:53 | Updated: 1 April 2021, 17:38

Get the story behind Skunk Anansie's name plus more facts about Skin and the band in their fan's Most googled Questions.

Skunk Anansie are one of the most important British bands of the '90s, breaking boundaries and smashing stereotypes since they formed in London in 1994.

The alternative band, who are fronted by the iconic Skin, are known for their hits such as Hedonism, Charlie Big Potato and Weak and are famed for playing all over the world.

Skunk Anansie lived through the Britpop era and made history by becoming the first Black British-led act to headline Glastonbury Festival.

The band have just as much history in their journey as they do their name. So what is the meaning of Skunk Anansie and where does it come from? Find out the answer to this question and more below.

READ MORE - The greatest ever female musicians

The name Skunk Anansie was inspired by the the Akan folk tales of Anansi the spider-man of Ghana, but it was directly inspired by a cartoon Skin watched when she was younger in Jamaica.

Skin told Radio X: "Anansie is the half-man, half-spider nursery rhyme character that I used to watch on TV in Jamaica when I was little. There was this lovely lady called Miss Lou and she used to read Anansie stories on television and she was this storyteller kind of character. So I wanted something that was to do with my heritage. Cass [Richard "Cass" Lewis] came up with the name 'Skunk' because he said skunk is a black and white animal in a jungle and nobody wants to bother that animal. Not even a lion would mess with a skunk.

She continued: "So I put them together because I remember Arnold Schwarzenegger said, people said to him 'why don't you change your name Mr. Schwarzenegger?' And he said, 'because it's really difficult to learn and I think that if you have to learn it you'll never forget it.'"

Skin also said that a lot of the bands at the time such as Blur, Oasis and Elastica all had one words, so she thought having two would make them "stand out a bit".

READ MORE - Skunk Anansie's Skin: "I dont think racism and prejudice ever really goes away."

Skin's real name is Deborah Ann Dyer. She was born in Brixton, London on 3 August 1967 to Jamaican parents.

Skin's famous name comes from her nickname as a child. She was always called 'Skinny' from a young age due to her small frame. When she got into the band, she halved it just because she thought it was cooler. However, to this day the band and all her friends call her Skinny.

Skunk Anansie were around during the Britpop movement, but Skin doesn't consider them to be Britpop and has distanced herself from the term. She told Radio X: "Britpop was all around, but we were never Britpop. Those guys didn't like us and we didn't like them. We are part of a really resurging rock scene."

She added: "There were loads of amazing rock bands but there wasn't a rock sound. Like Britpop, those bands were completely different from each other."

Despite not wanting much to do with Britop, Skin has recently recalled that Oasis and the Gallaghers were always very nice to them, but Blur weren't as welcoming.

Asked whether she had any run-ins with the two biggest bands of the era, Oasis and Blur, she told NME: We love the Gallaghers, you know? Damon always hated us."

READ MORE - Skunk Anansie's Skin: Our story was being whitewashed by Britpop

See original here:

What does Skunk Anansie mean? The story of the band's name and more - Radio X

Lockdown has enforced a unique period of isolation and reflection for many of us, but for Moby, two decades from the height of his fame, thats not too far from the norm. The electronic musician, 55, has spent much of the pandemic doing what hed usually do spending time alone at his home in Los Angeles.

Before the pandemic, I stayed home and I worked and went hiking and avoided socialising. So during the pandemic, I have stayed home and worked and been prevented from socialising, he says.

I feel this sense of guilt that my pandemic experience has been probably a lot more benign than most peoples as someone who lives alone and works alone, Im perhaps a bit too comfortable with my own company.

This Benedictine lifestyle is a far cry from the hedonism of Mobys early fame, chronicled in eye-watering detail in a new self-narrated documentary released in May. Moby Doc charts the artists life from a traumatic childhood through to life as a teetotal animal rights activist.

The in-between, though, is whats most shocking: belying his thoughtful, even wonkish persona, Moby describes his battles with addiction and depression in astonishing detail. In one of the films most stark moments, he even admits missing his mothers funeral due to heavy drinking.

Ive appreciated other public figures whove attempted to be honest, or whove been willing to be honest, he said. Not even public figures, but just humans, friends of mine, or people I meet at AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings, who are actually willing to be vulnerable, willing to be honest, and willing to openly discuss the things that so many people are either ashamed of, or work so hard to hide.

Moby became a household name at the turn of the millennium when his record Play and a string of accompanying hit singles propelled an outwardly awkward, shaven-headed bedroom musician to rock superstar status.

To my shame, I kind of defined myself and a lot of my wellbeing was largely the product of being a professional musician, and being a public figure, he admits. To that end, I went out and read, so many articles written about me, and I read reviews, et cetera.

That might be fine when things are going well, but, as the Harlem-born artist explained, it makes it all the more tough when things go the other way. In around 2002, the tide turned, he says. All of a sudden the articles were negative, the reviews were bad.

As someone who had largely propped up their sense of self and their wellbeing with the opinions of strangers, this was really challenging for me.

More negative headlines followed in the wake of Mobys recent memoir, Then It Fell Apart, in which he described dating actress Natalie Portman when she was 20. Portman denied this characterisation of the relationship, claiming she was 18 at the time and simply remembered a much older man being creepy with her.

Despite initially insisting his account was accurate, Moby later apologised for behaving inconsiderately and disrespectfully. It got a lot of attention, but it was, just in terms of page count, an incredibly minor banal part of the book. But the world we live in is thats what people prioritised, he says of the incident two years on.

Actual in-person relations are a lot more nuanced and probably not well represented by the sort of quick 120-character media, he added. Another criticism, this time levelled at Mobys music, relates to his use of the work of black artists in some of his most successful songs.

Plays Natural Blues is effectively a remixed version of Trouble So Hard by African-American folk musician Vera Hall, while another well-known single from the album, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, is built around vocals from little-known US gospel singers the Banks Brothers.

To some, including the artist himself, these reworkings were a mark of respect and helped bring them to new, much larger audiences. To others, they were simply exploitative. The only thing Ive ever been able to say, in my defence I dont even like the word defence, Moby starts when asked about this debate.

When I have used African American or black vocals, samples, its out of a place of just profound love and appreciation for those voices, with the full understanding that I have no right whatsoever to use them or lay claim to any aspect of the experience that gives them their power, he says.

He then recalls an anecdote from around the release of Play. I played some of the songs for (black comedian) Chris Rock. And I asked him: have I done a bad thing? I remember he looked at me, he said, No. He said beautiful music is beautiful music. And he said: youve made beautiful music.

And I felt like, okay, theres an imprimatur that comes with that from Chris Rock. That really reassured me. But at the same time, whenever I have availed myself creatively of the black or African-American experience, theres always guilt attached. And I hope that Im not doing something disrespectful.

Cultural appropriation is a real thing, he adds. But we also live in an incredibly intertwined, complicated world. The clean lines between different types of artistic or spiritual and cultural expression. Oftentimes, sometimes they exist, and oftentimes, theyre quite blurred.

Whether consciously or otherwise, Mobys new record Reprise an orchestral album largely comprised of reworked hits includes the aforementioned songs with the famous vocal parts performed by black singers, namely Gregory Porter, Amythyst Kiah and Apollo Jane.

Making the record was also notable in other ways: for the first time in his career, the self-described control freak handed control over the arrangements over to someone else.

The two or so years it took to make this record, I had a lot of challenging anxiety, having so many parts of the process out of my control. But then that wonderful sort of relief you get when you realise the people who are in control, are so good at what they do.

He added: I felt like as much as I love electronic music, its just, you know, you get a more unvarnished expression of the human condition, when its actually, when youre just recording humans without electronics.

One of the more poignant moments on the record is a tribute to David Bowie, a childhood hero whom he befriended and performed with after the pair became neighbours in New York. The stripped-back rendition of Heroes references a special moment when he and Bowie performed the track on his sofa.

It was just one of the most special moments of my life, not even professionally, but personally, spiritually, to sit with my favourite musician of all time and play a delicate version of my favourite song of all time.

And so, in covering it for Reprise, I wanted to, I guess, both honour and sort of represent and pay homage to David, to my friendship with David and also to the sort of like the inherent vulnerable beauty of the song. Mobys new album Reprise releases on May 28 on Deutsche Grammophon/Decca Records.

Excerpt from:

Moby: Cultural appropriation is real but we also live in an intertwined, complicated world - The News International

Author Sandi Scaunich Credit:a

***IMAGE IS PLACEHOLDER ONLY WHILE WE CANT ACCESS DCX****

PICK OF THE WEEKAsylum RoadOlivia Sudjic, Bloomsbury, $29.99

A flensing anatomy of the effects of childhood trauma, Olivia Sudjics Asylum Road takes us into the mind of Anya, a PhD student in London who grew up in Sarajevo in the 1990s, when the city was brutally besieged (for almost four years) by Bosnian Serb forces. Now in her 20s, Anya fights a constant battle not to recall the events; just traces of memory breach her defences. When her partner Luke proposes, Anya travels with him back to the city of her childhood and quickly loses ground. The fight to forget atrocities cannot be won when confronted by the place in which they occurred, and an encounter with her demented mother, who still believes her home to be under siege, provokes a long-delayed disintegration. Sudjic portrays grim subject matter with psychological acuity, and readers will be grateful she has a gift for black humour.

The Boy From The MishGary Loneborough, Allen & Unwin, $19.99

In this big-hearted love story, two Aboriginal boys fall for each other in a rural community. Its the summer holidays and 17-year-old Jackson is doing his thing on the Mish: poking fun at tourists and giving racists a wide berth in town, while avoiding feelings hed rather not admit. When his Aunty and cousins arrive as usual from the city, they bring an unexpected visitor. Tomas is fresh out of juvie and has lost his mob, and through Jackson reconnects with community and culture. As their friendship deepens and develops, they discover first love and find the courage to accept who they are. Gary Loneborough has written a queer Indigenous YA novel that brims with optimism and heartfelt self-belief, without being too rose-coloured about the challenges to be faced.

Friends & Dark ShapesKavita Bedford, Text, $32.99

Kavita Bedfords debut, Friends & Dark Shapes, is less a novel than a suite of vignettes inspired by share house life in inner-suburban Sydney. The stories swirl around an unnamed narrator and her housemates card-carrying members of the precariat in their late 20s whose camaraderie provides a tenuous buffer against social dislocation. This is a book steeped in the hedonism and the angst of youth and it carries an overwhelming flavour of the present age one of self-absorption, emotional disconnection, anxiety about the future. The zeitgeist, of course, is always the last thing anyone needs right now. And the narrator swims against it, with some of the most affecting passages involving the submerged grief of recent bereavement. Bedford is clearly talented, but these anecdotes never feel greater than the sum of their parts: they may need a freer, less manicured writing style, and the discipline of novelistic structure, for that.

Chasing the McCubbinSandi Scaunich, Transit Lounge, $29.99

Chasing the McCubbin takes readers into the intriguing world of Melbournes pickers, or collectors who bargain-hunt at garage sales and the like, hoping to find treasure among trash. The ageing Ron has been doing it for decades, but since his wife died, he has found the going hard. Pity that. With Melbourne in the grip of the early 1990s recession, valuable antiques are often going for a song if you know where to look. Enter Joseph, a troubled and unemployed 19-year-old from a disadvantaged background, and an unlikely mentorship follows. Scaunich illuminates a quirky subculture and creates an intergenerational male friendship of some poignancy. They are an odd couple blighted by loneliness and poverty, respectively and theres a wistful sort of comedy behind the friendship that emerges.

Read more:

Fiction: Asylum Road by Olivia Sudjic, and three other titles - The Age

Words: Will Stroude

Bimini Bon Boulash may claim to hate using the word journey, but theres simply no way to avoid that old clich when describing the 27-year-old east London queens time on RuPauls Drag Race UK series two.

When, in week one, Bim found themselves in the bottom two with seasoned Brighton cabaret star Joe Black (and with nothing but a pair of eight-inch platform heels and Norwich FC singlet for, ahem, support), viewers came perilously close to saying Bimini Bon ByeBye to a queen who would go on to become a series-defining star and one who might just symbolise a new era of drag itself.

Bimini Bon Boulash wears full look by Pam Hogg (Styling by Joseph Kocharian; photography by Denelle + Tom Ellis)

The most heartening element of Biminis popularity and ensuing success is just how organic it all feels: after growing up gay in the sleepy seaside town of Great Yarmouth, foregoing a career in journalism to pursue their passion for performing and going to "darkplaces" after briefly losing their way among the hedonism of Londons queer nightlife scene, Biminis fiercely punk, positive, politically outspoken attitude has captured the zeitgeist and they have also been blessed with that rarest of abilities: the ability to inspire.

"Ill always say what I think. Ive got my beliefs and Im not saying you have to believe in them, but this is what Im saying and if that changes certain peoples minds or perceptions, I think thats only a positive", declares Bimini as they take to the cover of the Attitude Tea Time digital special in association with TAIMI - free to download when you subscribe to the Attitude mobile and tablet edition (30% off for a limited time only), and available to download individually for 1.99 here.

"Were in such a weird time politically: theres no room for honest conversation, its either debates that end up angry or there is no authentic experience being discussed."

Bimini's candour about their non-binary identity during their time on Drag Racewon them legions of fans, but it remains a sad fact that hostility towards trans and non-binary people can still come from within other parts of the LGBTQ community itself.

Bimini wears top by Miu Miu; headdress by Pam Hogg (Styling by Joseph Kocharian; photography by Denelle + Tom Ellis)

Bimini, who says they've "absolutely" been on the receiving end of ignorance and prejudice from gay men over the years, says queer people have reached a pivotal moment where unity and collective strength are required more than ever.

"I think as queer people weve been subjected to so much hostility that I think people without maybe even realising get down on others", they reflect. "I think its very much that mentality where people ignore other peoples life experiences.

"For gay men, its not necessarily that theyvehad it easier, but its been easier than it has for a lot of other minorities within the same community.

"Whats important is that we should be uplifting everyones voices and not segregating when thats happened, its created more issues. When straight people see that gay men dont accept trans people or dont accept femme or non-binary [people], then it just gives them more ammunition to not accept it."

Bimini Bon Boulash wears full look by Pam Hogg (Styling by Joseph Kocharian; photography by Denelle + Tom Ellis)

Norfolk-bornBimini adds: "To me, we have so much more to fight [against], and that kind of discrimination within the community is just disgusting."

Despite their sunny demeanour earning them a permanent place in the hearts of Drag Racer UKviewers, Bimini has overcome their fair share of stormy life waters, including drug use that began to dim their light both personally and professionally before they decided to take charge of their destiny and pull themself back from the brink.

"I was a smalltown kid moving to the big city, going out partying, seeing things that Id never seen before, and I just got caught up in it", recalls Bimini. "For me, I always feel like Im all or nothing. There was a moment where I just felt, I cant do this anymore, and I just completely stopped.

"It was great I went travelling, came back to London and thats when I pursued drag."

Casting light on the darker side of the LGBTQ experience, Bimini muses: "The queer scene is great it really, really is but a lot of queer people have been through stuff. Its not often you speak to someone who hasnt been subjected to things during their life.

"I always say that its like youre chipping away at your soul for any bad experience, any name you were called, anything thats made you feel like you were an outsider, and sometimes you just need to let go.

"I think a lot of the time we find people within our community and we party and we drink and we dance and we have fun, but you can get caught up in it very easily."

They continue: "Look, I went to dark places I didnt think I was going to get out of, but I managed to. It takes work, its not easy, and sometimes taking a pill might be easier. But I think its all about finding that balance and finding out what you want and who you are and knowing that there are better avenues for you if you are getting caught up in that."

They add: "Every life experience Ive had has got me to this point and Imjust grateful to be here. Im very lucky Im here to continue to do what I want to do."

Read the full interview in the Attitude Tea Time digital special in association withTAIMI-free when you subscribe to Attitude's mobile and tablet edition (30% off for a limited time only).

Download individually nowfor just 1.99 (existing digital subscribers can download free).

See the rest here:

How Bimini Bon Boulash pulled themself out of 'dark places' and became a shining light for the queer community - attitude.co.uk

Lockdown has enforced a unique period of isolation and reflection for many of us, but for Moby, two decades from the height of his fame, thats not too far from the norm.

The electronic musician, 55, has spent much of the pandemic doing what hed usually do spending time alone at his home in Los Angeles.

Before the pandemic, I stayed home and I worked and went hiking and avoided socialising. So during the pandemic, I have stayed home and worked and been prevented from socialising, he says.

I feel this sense of guilt that my pandemic experience has been probably a lot more benign than most peoples as someone who lives alone and works alone, Im perhaps a bit too comfortable with my own company.

This Benedictine lifestyle is a far cry from the hedonism of Mobys early fame, chronicled in eye-watering detail in a new self-narrated documentary released in May.

Moby Doc charts the artists life from a traumatic childhood through to life as a teetotal animal rights activist.

The in-between, though, is whats most shocking: belying his thoughtful, even wonkish persona, Moby describes his battles with addiction and depression in astonishing detail.

In one of the films most stark moments, he even admits missing his mothers funeral due to heavy drinking.

Ive appreciated other public figures whove attempted to be honest, or whove been willing to be honest, he said.

Not even public figures, but just humans, friends of mine, or people I meet at AA meetings, who are actually willing to be vulnerable, willing to be honest, and willing to openly discuss the things that so many people are either ashamed of, or work so hard to hide.

Moby became a household name at the turn of the millennium when his record Play and a string of accompanying hit singles propelled an outwardly awkward, shaven-headed bedroom musician to rock superstar status.

To my shame, I kind of defined myself and a lot of my wellbeing was largely the product of being a professional musician, and being a public figure, he admits.

To that end, I went out and read, so many articles written about me, and I read reviews, et cetera.

That might be fine when things are going well, but, as the Harlem-born artist explained, it makes it all the more tough when things go the other way.

In around 2002, the tide turned, he says. All of a sudden the articles were negative, the reviews were bad.

As someone who had largely propped up their sense of self and their wellbeing with the opinions of strangers, this was really challenging for me.

More negative headlines followed in the wake of Mobys recent memoir, Then It Fell Apart, in which he described dating actress Natalie Portman when she was 20.

Portman denied this characterisation of the relationship, claiming she was 18 at the time and simply remembered a much older man being creepy with her.

Despite initially insisting his account was accurate, Moby later apologised for behaving inconsiderately and disrespectfully.

It got a lot of attention, but it was, just in terms of page count, an incredibly minor banal part of the book. But the world we live in is thats what people prioritised, he says of the incident two years on.

Actual in-person relations are a lot more nuanced and probably not well represented by the sort of quick 120-character media, he added.

Moby: 'When I have used African American or black vocals, samples, its out of a place of just profound love and appreciation for those voices.'

Another criticism, this time levelled at Mobys music, relates to his use of the work of black artists in some of his most successful songs.

Plays 'Natural Blues' is effectively a remixed version of 'Trouble So Hard' by African-American folk musician Vera Hall, while another well-known single from the album, 'Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?', is built around vocals from little-known US gospel singers the Banks Brothers.

To some, including the artist himself, these reworkings were a mark of respect and helped bring them to new, much larger audiences. To others, they were simply exploitative.

The only thing Ive ever been able to say, in my defence I dont even like the word defence, Moby starts when asked about this debate.

When I have used African American or black vocals, samples, its out of a place of just profound love and appreciation for those voices, with the full understanding that I have no right whatsoever to use them or lay claim to any aspect of the experience that gives them their power, he says.

He then recalls an anecdote from around the release of Play.

I played some of the songs for (black comedian) Chris Rock. And I asked him: 'have I done a bad thing?'

I remember he looked at me, he said, No. He said beautiful music is beautiful music. And he said: 'Youve made beautiful music'.

And I felt like, okay, theres an imprimatur that comes with that from Chris Rock. That really reassured me.

But at the same time, whenever I have availed myself creatively of the black or African-American experience, theres always guilt attached. And I hope that Im not doing something disrespectful.

Cultural appropriation is a real thing, he adds.

But we also live in an incredibly intertwined, complicated world. The clean lines between different types of artistic or spiritual and cultural expression. Oftentimes, sometimes they exist, and oftentimes, theyre quite blurred.

Whether consciously or otherwise, Mobys new record Reprise an orchestral album largely comprised of reworked hits includes the aforementioned songs with the famous vocal parts performed by black singers, namely Gregory Porter, Amythyst Kiah and Apollo Jane.

Making the record was also notable in other ways: for the first time in his career, the self-described control freak handed control over the arrangements over to someone else.

The two or so years it took to make this record, I had a lot of challenging anxiety, having so many parts of the process out of my control. But then that wonderful sort of relief you get when you realise the people who are in control, are so good at what they do.

He added: I felt like as much as I love electronic music, its just, you know, you get a more unvarnished expression of the human condition, when its actually, when youre just recording humans without electronics.

One of the more poignant moments on the record is a tribute to David Bowie, a childhood hero whom he befriended and performed with after the pair became neighbours in New York.

The stripped-back rendition of Heroes references a special moment when he and Bowie performed the track on his sofa.

It was just one of the most special moments of my life, not even professionally, but personally, spiritually, to sit with my favourite musician of all time and play a delicate version of my favourite song of all time.

And so, in covering it for Reprise, I wanted to, I guess, both honour and sort of represent and pay homage to David, to my friendship with David and also to the sort of like the inherent vulnerable beauty of the song.

Here is the original post:

Moby on drinking, his use of black music and his new cover of a David Bowie song - Irish Examiner

Tom Shankland, the director, sent me a Marie-Andre playlist. We played with this idea that shes got bad taste in music and liked cheesy romantic songs. The playlist had John Denvers Leaving on a Jet Plane, ABBAs Mamma Mia, Elton Johns Tiny Dancer, and Simon & Garfunkels Bridge Over Troubled Water. Theres also a scene where something horrible is happening, but Marie-Andre is in the next room listening to Charles Aznavours She (Tous les visages de lamour) to block it out. We see that she wants to keep playing this romantic heroine that she has in her head.

The show hops from Bangkok to Kathmandu to Paris, but was it mostly filmed in Thailand?

It was mainly in Thailand, but we travelled around a lot. The Dal Lake scene, for example, was shot near Myanmar. We were meant to fly to Budapest to shoot the Paris scenes, but thats when COVID hit. We were flown home and there was a six-month break. We couldnt really travel after that, so we shot the rest of the series in Tring in Hertfordshire, which acts as part of Mumbai, Karachi, and Paris. Its been such an adventure, especially in Bangkok with the markets, the traffic and the heat. Our Thai crew were amazing, and the set was this melting pot of languages and cultures. It really captured the hedonism of the 1970s. Now, to have the show come out after all that, is thrilling.

How have you spent your time in lockdown when you havent been filming?

It feels like so much time has passed. I saw someone post an Instagram about banana bread the other day and I thought, Wow, were back to banana bread again! (Laughs.) Ive been learning French still, cooking, gardening and I started doing a photography course with Leica. The highlight of my social life has been meeting friends for walks. Zoom quizzes got boring very quickly.

What did you learn from 2020 that youve taken with you into 2021?

We need to slow down. Theres a feeling that you always need to be achieving something or pushing forward, everyones diaries are chock-a-block and we try to multitask on such a level that we forget the beauty of just surrendering. Ive appreciated the stillness, and also the kindness. I feel like there was so much of that around at the beginning of lockdown. I hope that continues.

The Serpent premiers on Netflix April 2.

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Jenna Coleman on Starring in the New 1970s-Set Thriller 'The Serpent' - Vogue.com

We live in a tumultuous time. How did we get here?

There are several reasons that, I believe, have contributed to such division and utter confusion.

Because we have access to so much information through the internet, we have become a world filled with conflicting perspectives.

Never has there been so many mediums and outlets in which every voice is given an audience on the world stage. It is draining, and yet outlets shouldnt drain, they should empower and ground.

In short, most mainstream mediums are under the influence of the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). All roads lead back to his playbook of lies.

If the information you are being told or the position you are taking is also supported by the Marxist mainstream media, big tech oligarchy, godless Hollywood, secular Academia, and a political platform that reflects the reprobate minds of Romans 1, I can assure you that you are not on the righteous side of things, "and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. (Ephesians 5:11)

Because we, as fallen man, choose to do what is right in our eyes.

We live under the influence of the spirit of relativism that has produced a land saturated by paganism. If absolute truth doesn't exist, each person becomes their standard, setting their own course. Speak your truth. Its my truth. There isn't a my truth or your truth being relative to the culture; there is just Gods truth, which makes all men liars.

Notice how the Bible, which has stood the test of time and trial, is continually accused of being outdated and made out to be the liar. Oh, that old book, its not relative to our times. Its archaic and has contradicting lines. It doesnt contradict itself, it contradicts man, and since we do not learn lessons from history, we are destined to repeat such atrocities.

It starts with a total denial of absolute truth and evolves to man becoming a law unto himself. Then, in the name of progressivism - harnessed by relativism - we get full throttle hedonism.

The aforementioned reasons pale in comparison to the next form of treason.However, though I am presenting these reasons separately, they are inseparable.

Jesus came to save sinners, for all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, also called His righteous standard. Also, as sinners without Christ, we are rightfully in the hands of an angry God. Why? Because the wages of sinisdeath, and if we are being spiritually honest, we all deserve eternal separation from God and damnation.

That, however, is not the nation's current notion, nor is it the atmosphere of many church congregations.

Sadly, the American church is as complicit, primarily from Christians being biblically illiterate, but also from pulpits failing to preach the true Gospel because theyd rather make church about the comfort of the people. Due to such complacent and complicit postures, we dont act like sinners in the hands of an angry God. Ours is a land that audaciously places a holy God in angry sinners' hands.

This rebellion explains the arrogance of rejecting divine order and removing God from the public square. Parallel that blatant rejection with the fact that the celebration of sin has replaced the confession of sin.

Man is not satisfied with his depravity; he wants to make his moral schism part of societys rhythm. In other words, man left to his own devices and decisions is not only deviant, but he attempts to make what is deviant, tolerant (Romans 1:28, 32).

These reasons, and more, have contributed to our nations condition, where we are no longer one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for al. We have become one nation under fog, divisible, with tyranny and social justice for some.

This fog of deception seems to have blinded many minds. Its not that we have different views on politics or ways to accomplish justice, even though it seems that way. Its about having a skewed view of God.

A small minority of Christians (in America) hold to a biblical worldview; a view that uses the Bible as the lens of its chief end.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. (Isaiah 5:20)

Buckle up, true followers of Jesus, because although Babylon seems to be closing in around us, God never leaves Himself without a witness, and we can stand firm against the godless pressure because we are firmly standing in Gods power.

ED. NOTE: Maher is the teaching pastor at Coastal Christian Ocean City and president SoldiersForFaith Ministries. Social media and website: @TruthOverTrend

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A Holy God in Angry Sinners' Hands | Columns | capemaycountyherald.com - Cape May County Herald

A year ago in March, as the Covid-19 pandemic spread across Europe with lethal speed, we warned that the continent was facing its gravest crisis since the Second World War. The experience of the ensuing 12 months has only confirmed this judgement.

In the United Kingdom, where Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, remarked last March that limiting British deaths to 20,000 or fewer would be a good outcome, more than 126,000 people have died from Covid. The economy suffered its worst recession in 300 years. And the first national lockdown was followed by two more, imposed by the government in a haphazard and chaotic manner.

Yet even at the pandemics outset, there was cause for hope. On 30 January 2020, at a meeting of Oxford Universitys life scientists, Professor Sarah Gilbert informed her colleagues of a remarkable discovery: her team had already devised a likely vaccine for Covid-19. True to her word, a vaccine was developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca, at record-breaking speed, and authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency less than a year later.

The rapid roll-out of the vaccine more than 28 million UK adults have had their first dose has provided Britain with what it previously lacked: a more certain route out of lockdown. Daily reported Covid-19 deaths have fallen from a peak of 1,820 on 20 January to 112 (23 March). The number of patients in hospital has fallen from 39,248 on 18 January to 5,461 (21 March).

[see also:The Covid reset]

But mindful of its recent hubris, the government has proceeded with caution, insisting that it will be guided by data, not dates. It has been wise to do so. As our medical editor Phil Whitaker writes on page 33, the threat of vaccine-resistant strains of the virus remains: The presence of large numbers of vaccinated individuals while infection rates remain high is a potentially disastrous combination, creating the evolutionary conditions for vaccine-escape mutations.

Yet even if the vaccine programme allows a facade of normality to return, the pandemic will leave lasting social, economic, cultural and psychological scars. The human suffering inflicted by Covid-19 lies not only in the deaths and illness it caused. It lies in the rise in avoidable deaths from heart attacks, strokes and cancer that followed the first national lockdown and the suspension of our lives. It lies in the rise in mental health issues and loneliness as many people were deprived of traditional networks of support. And it lies in the lost potential of children forced to remain absent from school for much of the past year.

The pandemic has served as an X-ray of society: it has exposed both the UKs strengths and its weaknesses. Britain led the world in vaccine research and more than 700,000 people volunteered for the NHS after the government appealedfor support early in the crisis. But it also recorded one of the worlds highest death rates as Covid-19 interacted with pre-existing medical and social ills to lethal effect. After a decade of austerity, the pandemic has shown the need for a more resilient state and a more protective social security system. Covid is but one of the existential threats that haunt this century, such as environmental breakdown and antimicrobial resistance.

In the months and years that follow, there will be an understandable temptation to forget the horrors of the pandemic (as was true of the 1918-20 Spanish flu). Should the economy recover as rapidly as forecast (the Office for Budget Responsibility predicts growth of 7.3 per cent in 2022), we can expect much talk of the Roaring Twenties and a new age of hedonism. But preferable to hedonism is humility and a determined sense to live better and to learn from our mistakes.

Too often in the recent past, shocks such as the rapid deindustrialisation of the 1980s and the 2008 financial crisis have been followed by large parts of the country being consigned to stagnation or decline. This time must be different. Even if Covid-19 is eventually defeated, it will take far longer to remedy the vulnerabilities it has exposed.

[see also:The anxiety epidemic]

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Leader: The pandemic year - New Statesman