Listen, people. It has been my dream since two weeks ago to appear in a hot, up-and-coming Canadian musical group's new music video slated for international release on November 10, 2009. Not just any hot, up-and-coming Canadian musical group's new music video, but in Destineak's new video. Need to learn more about Destineak? Click here...
Now listen, this wasn't just any dream. Nay, dear reader, I had night-dreamed, day-dreamed and gay-dreamed about this video dream for two weeks. And for the record, I fought long and hard during those two dream-filled weeks for my two-week dream to become realer than a dream. And like all rags-to-dreamy-short-shorts stories, this one also has a happy ending.
I'm in the video, bitches! Heeeeyoooooooooooo!
Thanks to a fantastic freelance photographer named John Inch - who stayed beyond the call of duty and shared his pictures with yours truly despite not being required to do so - Xtra's participation in event is ready for the public record. And hey, if you like John Inch's work and would like to contact him, email wreckme@shaw.ca ... THANKS JOHN!!
I'd also like to thank Bobby and Christina from Destineak for letting me and the short-short gay squad participate...Rob and Miguel you rock...and eveyone else, damn you look good, work good, film good etc...UGHN!
I'm posting photos first and for those of you reading this outside of Vancouver/overseas, I've attached my print column following the photos for reference. Enjoy. I'll update you on video progress as Destineak updates me.
First scene
Directors hard at work: Tim Kingsbury, Chris Lyne, Christina Sing, Bobby James (front)
Destineak's Christina Sing:
Bobby James from Destineak:
Velvet Steele:
Who wears short-shorts? (And yes kids, that's water in those bottles...weird tasting brown water)
Sex booth...weeeeooooooooooooooooo
And me and Rob's big scene:
Cocked & Loaded Special Feature: Destineak
Just when I think to myself: “Hey, this Xtra! West social reporter
gig couldn’t cram anymore sex into sexy,” Christina Sing and Bobby James from
electro-funk-rock supergroup Destineak had to go and invite me to participate
in a music video shoot at the Odyssey on October 17.
Their only request? “We need you in your sexiest, coolest kit to
come dance and act rowdy.”
Who could resist an invitation like that? Having a sense that this
was going to be something unique and special, I brought a small gay squad (two
of my hottest, short-short wearing friends) and also photographer John Inch to
document the day. His photos are in this print edition. For more behind the
scenes shots, visit www.xtra.ca/blog/vancouver.
Let’s just say me and the gay squad ended up in the "sex
booth" scene. If you YouTube Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U” video,
you’ll get an idea of what we were up to.
Anyway, in the spirit of the upcoming international release of
Destineak’s new single “Gimme What I Came For” I’m going to break from the
traditional Cocked & Loaded
format to give you a snapshot of one of the hottest musical acts to come out of
Vancouver since Swollen Members changed the face of Canadian hip-hop in 2001.
Do me a favour and ask yourself the following: what if everything
you thought you knew about house music in Canada was wrong?
Destineak’s unique blend of danceable beats, live drumming and
scorching hot vocals is going to take Christina Sing and Bobby James from local
indie dance-darlings to Canada’s next legitimate big thing.
Remember: you heard it here in Xtra! West first.
Both Christina and Bobby are talented, driven and drop-dead
gorgeous, both also exude a type of effortless charm that imbues their every
word (written, spoken, sung or otherwise) with an appeal that transcends
musical genres and sexual politics. They are not exclusively dance or pop, just
as they are not exclusively for straights or queers – they make music for
everyone.
They’ve performed together since 2004, though both enjoyed
successful careers as independent artists throughout the 1990s. “Gimme What I
Came For” also opened up another artistic avenue for Christina and Bobby:
screenwriting and film direction.
The pair directed and produced the video with assistance from Tim
Kingsbury (who is the first man I’ve met who successfully managed to wear
leather pants in public) and Chris Lyne. It’s slated for international release
on November 10th through Germany-based Decks Tracks.
In a post-video shoot wrap up, Christina pointed out to me that the
video’s concept (seeing clubbing through the eyes of a young man during his
first visit to a night club) is something most urbanites will relate to. “This
is a true story for a lot of us in Vancouver. You don't really ‘belong’
anywhere,” she explained. “Then you come to a club like the Odyssey, where you
discover it is a home away home, where you can be yourself, and let all of your
inhibitions go, while dabbling in erotic, groove ridden, happy times.”
During that same wrap up interview, I asked Bobby what was next
for Destineak.
“World domination,” he joked. “This single will heat things up for
our upcoming EP set to be released next spring. We are currently exploring
options that have presented themselves in Asia and the UK. A tour is very
likely. We are still shopping for the right management. We have been busy
building all of the websites, maintaining all the online profiles, making all
the promo, booking all the shows, designing all the visuals, editing all the
videos, making all the music...” (breath) “We have been very busy.”
To learn more about the duo, listen to their music or view live
performances, visit www.myspace.com/destineak and www.destineak.com.
Now it’s back to business as usual and my picks for the upcoming weeks:
If you’d like to see Destineak
live in concert, on SAT OCT 25
they are playing at the Saturday Evening Gala Dinner
Party "Moonlight over the Midway" at the Vancouver Marriott
Pinnacle. This is a part of a three day InterPride
Conference happening in Vancouver. For more information, visit: www.interpride08.com/entertainment.html.
The Vancouver International
Writers Festival runs October 21 – 26. This year, on THU OCT 24, I’m one of eight writers at the fifth-annual Thursday-Night-Anything-Goes evening of
blood, sweat and beers. This year’s event will also feature the Festival’s
first ever nipple-piercing give-a-way, our infamous Festival dancers and host
Billeh Nickerson’s mom. Get your ticket before the event sells out. Visit www.writersfest.bc.ca
for event info.
It’s almost Halloween – check out the listings and choose what
suits you best. The Flame and The Dame were the first ones to invite me
anywhere, so on FRI OCT 31, I’m
going to Disturbia at the Majestic. DJ/producer and Star
69 recording artist Hector Fonseca will be headlining, with an opening set by
DJ Crystal Adare and a performance by Syren. The infamous Tommy D will be
performing as well…not to be missed. And
of course, for you Eastside types, the Odd Ball will be
hosting its grand finale at the WISE Hall, also not to be missed.