Two Meditations on Beyonce, Race, & Queerness
These are two polished-up versions of analyses that have already appeared here. I needed a 1k word writing sample, and nothing from my recently-in-print work could be cut to stand on its own. I’m using this material in manuscripts I’m…
This robot is SO not a dick in drag, Part 3: Lady Gaga
So, Madonna chooses humanism, whereas Beyonce chooses Afrofuturist posthumanism. In this post, I’ll discuss Gaga’s post-goth sometimes posthuman-ism. Gaga chooses the robot, sometimes. For example, in this David LaChapelle photo, her “Paparazzi” costume clearly references Lang’s robo-Maria (note too the…
The Last Angel of History
Here’s a clip from the beginning of “The Last Angel of History,” an awesome and seminal 1998 film about Afrofuturist music. The film is REALLY hard to find (I haven’t been able to get my hands on a complete copy),…
Kelis does some posthumanist feminism
So, I’ll probably have more to say about this track/video later, but, because this song is so awesome, here are some initial thoughts: 1. The totally minimal nature of the track, the super-clean production, the “restrained” or even “tasteful” vibe…
“Single Ladies” = robots
Beyoncé is an amazingly talented artist who plays around in very subtle and nuanced ways with “serious ideas” – all while singing some damn catchy hooks. It’s REALLY HARD to make delectable pop that also problematizes ideas in ways that…
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