In preparation for another posting, to come, on (men’s) underwear terminology (see, most recently, here and here), I now offer you a draft poem inspired by one of the images I started with. The image will come later in this posting, in case you don’t want to be surprised by homoerotic apparel ads popping up on your computer. The poem is explictly sexy, in case that bothers you. And all of this has only negligible connections to linguistics, in case you want to avoid other stuff (though we could talk about gay men’s appropriation of tit ‘nipple’).
Archive for the ‘Gayland’ Category
Golden State Rufskin tit
July 1, 2010Waltzing with Bears
May 25, 2010A couple of days ago, my random playlist on iTunes brought me the tune “Waltzing With Bears”, as performed by Patricia Herdman (and a singing audience) on the Keepers album (from Minnesota Public Radio’s Morning Show, which came to an end in 2008), and I reflected, once again, on a possible gay subtext in what is usually presented as a children’s song — “nursery music”, in the spirit of “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic” — or an Irish folk song (or frequently both). Here’s the version from Gordon Bok, Ann Mayo Muir, and Ed Trickett’s 1987 recording, on their collection The First Fifteen Years (Vol. II):
[CHORUS] Wa-wa-wa waltzing, waltzing with bears,
Raggy bears, shaggy bears, baggy bears too.
There’s nothing on earth Uncle Walter won’t do,
So he can go waltzing, wa-wa-wa waltzing,
So he can go waltzing, waltzing with bears.[1] I went upstairs in the middle of the night;
I tiptoed in and I turned on the light;
But, to my surprise, there was no one in sight.
My Uncle Walter goes dancing at night.
CHORUS[2] I gave Uncle Walter a new coat to wear;
When he came home it was covered with hair.
Lately I’ve noticed several new tears.
I’m sure Uncle Walter goes waltzing with bears
CHORUS[3] We told Uncle Walter that he should be good,
And do all the things that we said he should,
But I know he’d rather be out in the woods.
I’m afraid we might lose Uncle Walter for good.
CHORUS[4] We begged and we pleaded, “Oh please, won’t you stay?”
We managed to keep him at home for a day,
But the bears all barged in and took him away
Now he’s dancing with pandas,
And he can’t understand us,
And the bears all demand at least one dance a day.
CHORUS, twice
DEFINE “SCRIMMAGE T-SHIRT”
May 1, 2010Let us return to the fantasy world of 10percent.com (purveyors of goods to the gay), last visited for a viewing of the Cactus Swim Brief. Now this remarkable mailing:
I’ll talk about three things, in order: the Define X trope; the homoerotic display; and the garment categories and their labels (the 10percent site labels this particular item a scrimmage t-shirt).