One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
First of all, I know this book is not from 2009, but it's the year that I discovered it, so get off my back. Never in my life have I read words so beautifully pieced together, other than my own words, of course. The man has an unparalleled ability to tell a story that in its essence is just pure magic. After falling in love with Love in the Time of Cholera last year, I decided to try what is his best known work, and I've become a devoted Marquez admirer ever since. He is by far my biggest inspiration and my favorite author of all time, again, besides myself.
"Paparazzi"
Lady Gaga, live on the VMAs
Look, I'm going to try my very best to keep the Gaga references to a minimum in this entry, because clearly I love pretty much everything she does. But this performance drives me insane. I think it was the moment that I decided, officially, that this girl was the real deal. She finally delivered on the "art" she's been hyping all along, and she's never looked back since. It felt like a fully evolved and developed idea of a narrative as told through a 4 minute performance, which is pretty fucking insane, when you really think about it. It expressed so much and left so much open simultaneously, which in my opinion, is what makes great art.
"Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart"
Alicia Keys
It's really not the video I'm a fan of. I'm more in love with the 80's undertone of this slow jam. Alicia Keys pretty much turns everything to gold, let's just be real. I can imagine that if I was, indeed, sleeping with a broken heart, I would be even more in love with the song, but the fact that I'm so damn into it without needing it to get me through a rough night alone says just how much I appreciate it. In fact, it kinda makes me want to get my heartbroken so I can listen to it correctly.
ReadyMade Magazine
I have been in love with ReadyMade since my artist friend, Luke, introduced me to it a long time ago. It wasn't until this year, though, that I fell madly and deeply in love with the DIY magazine. And once I moved into my own apartment, one in which I didn't have to share a single thing with anyone else, I started taking the idea of DIY seriously. Have I DIM yet? Well, not really. But golly, this magazine makes me want to!
"Did It Again" Video
Shakira (with Kid Cudi)
Umm, I don't really know what else I have to say if you've taken the time to watch this masterpiece. I'm a big fan of the "She Wolf" video, at least until the awkward roof-dancing part. But there ain't nothing awkward or wrong about this video. First of all, the bedroom choreography - could it get any hotter? And her dancing partner is actually one of Madonna's featured dancers who first appeared in her "Hung Up" video and went on to tour with her. And can we please just talk about the sauna shots? They're hot! Literally! This video revived my love for modern dance and inspired me to get back into my grind and take classes in the city. "Did It Again" is also by far my favorite song on the She Wolf album, which is epic and as usual with Shakira, underrated.
Revolutionary Road
Heartbreaking, brilliant performances, haunting, depressing. Basically, my kind of movie. Again, not from 2009 exactly, but that's when I found it. I really can't say much else about it. Easily and swiftly became one of my favorite films of all time. Kate Winslet won the Academy Award for The Reader, but she deserved it for this.
No Doubt Live
There's really nothing like seeing your favorite band of all-time perform songs for the first time together in nearly 10 years. The last time I saw No Doubt perform, I was a chubby 9th grader too scared to venture down into the General Admission area for fear that I may get moshed to death. I didn't realize that No Doubt shows are all about love and positivity. Gwen and the boys did not disappoint (but really, how could they?) In fact, they put on a show that competed, in terms of entertainment value, with Madonna.
"Bad Romance" Video
Lady Gaga
When this video premiered, not only was Twitter all a-twitter about it's epic-ness, but it seems like the world exploded in excitement. A pop star making a huge, developed, interesting pop video that wasn't just random colored backgrounds, gratuitous 'sexiness,' and nonsensical symbols. No, this took thought - wild, psychotic, visionary thought. The kind that the world hasn't seen since Madonna, at least not on such a mainstream level. And thank God for having relatively easy, yet interesting, choreography for me to learn and show off every single time I hear it. Which is at least once a day.
Glee
Like every other gay boy in America, I, too, am obsessed with Glee. Strangely enough, my favorite character is Quinn. I'm not quite sure why yet, and it may have something to do with the fact that she sang "Papa Don't Preach" in a recent episode, but clearly there are many other characters who are easier to love. Even the annoying ones, like Rachel, I can't seem to love as much as I love Quinn. To me, this show is the equivalent of seeing a new Buffy: The Musical once a week. And I'm totally okay with that.
9 to 5: The Musical
I was fortunate enough to see this musical when I was in New York interviewing for my current job with my friend, Stephen. It may have been a post-interview high, but I laughed almost the entire duration of the show. I have seen a fair share of Broadway shows, and none kept me so consistently entertained as this one. And I think I can thank Dolly Parton for that, because her wit and spirit shone through every single song. The cast was flawless (um, Allison Janney, hello!) Every time I tell people that this was the best show I've ever seen on Broadway, I always get the same perplexed look. And since it recently closed, they'll never know how right I am.
True Blood
This show saved my life. Which is kind of ironic, considering it's about vampires. I started watching this show (later than everyone, as usual) right after I moved to New York and had absolutely no social life. It got me through, oh about a week. I literally could not stop watching. Once I started, all of my focus and attention was in what the fuck was going to unfold next. I watched every episode illegally and I'm not even going to apologize for it. I just can't wait for Season 3.
"Girlfriend"
Phoenix
Everybody is all about some Phoenix right now. If you're confused as to who Phoenix is, well, you're a nobody is basically what I'm saying. No, actually, I came across this song as a random song on my New Order Pandora station. I had to write it down to remember to download it later because I was so in love with it. And I still am, 2 months in.
Where The Wild Things Are
"I Won't Kneel"
Groove Armada
I was introduced to this song by a cute guy from Brooklyn, so perhaps that makes me biased, but if I'm wrong then I don't wanna be right. I can't stop listening to it. It's got a little New Order to it, a little Goldfrapp, a little disco, the video is a little trippy, it's a little bit of everything I love. A good song to play me out of a really good year.
Other great things about 2009:
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind"
Lady GaGa "Paparazzi (Stuart Price Remix)"
Brooklyn
Drunk skinny-dipping on Fire Island
Drag Me To Hell
Equality NC
Urban exploring/tree-climbing with May and Alexis
500 Days of Summer
Half off wine Wednesdays at Cafe Europa this summer
Modern Family
My trip to San Francisco with Mike, Matt, and Becky
Liberty Oak
Passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill
Pink's "Sober" VMA Performance
Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz!
Lykke Li Youth Novels
Halloween in NYC
This.
Rihanna "Cold Case Love"
Friday nights at the Long Island Eagle
My job
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