Mondays are dreary, but it needn't always be so.

My Monday antidote showed up this morning in the form of a new video by Mike Hadreas, aka Perfume Genius. Xtra recently interviewed Hadreas about his career, his attention-grabbing video featuring pornstar Arpad Miklos and more. Well, the genius is continuing his ascent with his latest video for "Dark Parts." Check it out.

It's that time again. The weekend.

If you're looking for something to do, there are multiple options.

On Friday night, Menz Bar is holding a Fetish Night in the Music Room, with the cover going to support Manna for Health, the AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia Emergency Fund, The Lodge That Gives, and the YouthProject.

Also at Menz Bar, the East Coast Rainbow Softball Association will be holding registration for their summer league this Friday. Check out their website for more info.

This Sunday, Jenn Grant will be hosting a show at The Company House in support of the family of Raymond Taavel. Grant was quoted as saying, "We are a special town who do things for one another in a time of need. All we can do is all we can do." Tickets can be found online.

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And since it is Friday, that means Office Dance Party time here at Down East. I recently got stuck in a mid-'90s phase on my iTunes and created a small playlist of songs. The capper, the one that makes me go off, is this one. Created by Josh Wink, under the moniker of Size 9, is this crazy tidbit called "I'm Ready." It brings you up, tears you down, brings you up, then makes you explode. This record is not for the faint of heart or for those of you who can't handle extended drum rolls. Perfect way to finish your Friday.

In a recent interview with Playboy magazine, comic-book writer Grant Morrison (Invisibles, Doom Patrol, New X-Men) talks about how he views Batman, a character Morrison has written for:

Gayness is built into Batman. I’m not using gay in the pejorative sense, but Batman is very, very gay. There’s just no denying it. Obviously as a fictional character he’s intended to be heterosexual, but the basis of the whole concept is utterly gay. I think that’s why people like it. All these women fancy him and they all wear fetish clothes and jump around rooftops to get to him. He doesn’t care—he’s more interested in hanging out with the old guy and the kid.

Sure, there've been jokes about Batman and Robin's relationship, and the homoerotic nature of Batman (Joel Schumacher, anyone?), but this is probably the closest anyone has ever come to truly equating gayness with the bat. I don't think this means that Bruce Wayne or his alter ego will ever come out of any closet, but it's nice to see that the man behind the mask -- or in this case, the pen -- acknowledges a certain queer attitude in comic book heroes.  

You never know what you can find out on the internet.

First off, Halifax mayoral candidate/hair designer/urban farmer/etc Fred Connors is apparently in talks with NBC to create a possible television project. (Via Open File HFX)

Earlier this month, I shared a new clip from Gossip. Check out some behind-the-scenes footage here. (YouTube)

If you've been watching RuPaul's Drag Race, then you know that viewers have to wait until next week to see who is the next drag superstar (Team Sharon, FTW!). Well, Ru is asking for viewers' choices on her Facebook page, and as of yesterday afternoon, they were close to 50,000 comments and had more than 1,800 shares.

There is a great little Tumblr blog called The NYC Gays, but really, you could subsitute for any city. It's probably one of the best uses of gifs I've seen in a long time. Case in point:

Maximumrocknroll magazine recently published a small blurb about Sarah Kirsch, a transgender woman who has been an integral part of the Bay Area punk scene for decades. Her contributions to such bands as Pinhead Gunpowder, Bread and Circuits, Please Inform the Captain This Is a Hijack, and my personal favourite (at least in name) Mothercountry Motherfuckers. Unfortunately, Kirsch is currently fighting Fanconi anemia -- a rare genetic disorder that causes leukemia and other cancers.

In light of this, an online fund has been set up to help pay for medical expenses. I'm a big fan of crowd sourcing for funds, as it allows everyone from family and friends to fans to contribute. I've mentioned them before here on Down East, from S Bear Bergman's children's book to documentaries about Puerto Rico's drag and trans communities. So check this one out, especially if you're a fan of Bay Area punk. Or even if you just have five bucks to spare. Do it up.

A little under two years ago, I came across this video:

"Banjee Power" by Ab Soto was fun and funky, a little bit DIY and a little bit street and very queer. This weekend, I came across a recent release by the artist, this time riffing and paying a little homage to Toddlers & Tiaras' Alana, who is known for her  catchphrase-worthy "Honey Boo BooChild" and her "Go Go Juice."

This one is for the music fiends.

Disco label Gomma has decided to put out an homage to another disco label, Casablanca Records, with a release entitled "The Casablanca Reworks Project." 

The release includes Canuck electro fiend Peaches singing everything from Michael Sembello's "Maniac" (performed alongside Moulinex) to Donna Summer's "Our Love" with Telonius. But the real pièce de résistance is when Peaches combines her talents with the Phenomenal Handclap Band. Check out the video below.

The vigil last night for Raymond Taavel was an extraordinary event. I had the opportunity to write about it for Xtra, but I felt there was one element that I wanted to bring to the table that I was unable to in the original story.

Music.

The event started with an impromptu crowd version of "Amazing Grace" and was punctuated by performances by local musicians and performers. One of the songs was "Down to the River to Pray," a song known to many due to the rousing version by Alison Krauss on the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. You can listen to the version peformed at last night's vigil here.

This song has been stuck in my head all day. I've been singing it to keep my spirits up.

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The night of the incident, Taavel and his drinking companions had been listening to the jukebox in the bar. Someone made note of the songs that were played that night.

In honour of that list, I'd like to post a couple videos from it.

Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill."

Cheryl Lynn's "Got To Be Real."

(This song was mentioned at the vigil by Councillor Dawn Sloane, who said Taavel taught her how to dance to it.)

Keep on dancin', Raymond.

I wake up to the news every morning. This morning, I heard that a man was assaulted after leaving a gay bar on Gottingen St. Police had closed off a section of the street, between Cornwallis and Cunard. The man was dead.

Fuck.

Details were few and far between. At that point, I didn’t know if the assailant had been found. A “slur” was used by the assailant, according to a witness.

My Facebook feed was even less hopeful. A man I know commented that his friend was dead. And then another person said the same thing, neither of them mentioning who it was. The journalist in me wondered who it was. The gay man who’s been living in Halifax for 15 years shuddered, wondering who it was, wanting and not wanting to know.

And then, at 10:30, my phone rang. A friend told me who it was. As I am on the phone with that friend, I get a text: "Raymond?"

Fuck.

A local news source, Open File, had identified the person who was killed. His name was Raymond Taavel. The police have a suspect who is being held for questioning, and according to reports, charges will soon be laid.

Fuck. The victim.

Raymond was not a victim. He would not allow himself to be victimized. He was open, honest and vocal, an advocate for gay rights. To write the word “victim” is disheartening and disturbing.

I can't help it. I love Michael Cyril Creighton's "Jack in a Box" series.

I've blogged about them and even interviewed Creighton about his series. Lines from his show get referenced in my house. The characters are heinous and funny (as well as heinously funny) but loveable nonetheless.

Check out the most recent episode, "The Snake."