tag:jezebeljones.com,2005:/blogs/wicked-thoughts?p=3Random Sh*t2020-04-01T11:45:58-05:00Jezebel Jonesfalsetag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/62684112020-04-01T11:45:58-05:002022-09-09T09:16:53-05:00The Healing Power of Music in a Time of Fear, Death & Grief<p><span class="font_large"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/94edb20f1132c40e7c880215537fa0e1591d1928/original/deathfolkmagic-epcover-highres.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="Deathfolk Magic EP Cover Art" />I honestly feel like I've been preparing for this troubling time for the last 10 years. Maybe my whole life.</span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>When I barely escaped death in back in February 2010</strong>, I went on a journey—both musically and spiritually—to explore my views on death, particularly my own. Although I had rejected my Catholic-turned-Evangelical upbringing many years before, I realized I still had a lot of fear about death and dying...this fear was directly linked to the mythology I heard in childhood about hell and the devil. Yes, although I no longer believed the fire-and-brimstone Sunday school stories of my youth, the conditioned fear still remained. It was a fear that clung stealthy to the undersides of everything...I never really acknowledged Death until the day my house burned to the ground and I was forced to face my own mortality.<br><br>In the wake of the fire, my life was in shambles and I struggled to put my life back together after losing everything. I put out my first record <a contents=""Queen of the Devil's Rodeo"" data-link-label="Listen" data-link-type="page" href="/listen" target="_blank">"Queen of the Devil's Rodeo"</a> and worked techie day jobs off and on to support myself and my music. But when I moved to Austin, TX a couple of years later, things took a turn for the worst. I was jobless, semi-homeless and felt quite hopeless. My dogs were aging and not doing so well. It was then I took the time to grieve my past and impending losses; and I started researching and writing songs about death. I needed to address my mortality, study death culture and find a better way to deal with the inevitable loss of self...and others. When I moved to San Antonio, I learned more about Dias de los Muertos (Days of the Dead; in San Antonio and other places it's a multi-day celebration) and Santa Muerte (Saint Death). I learned that death could be talked about openly and even celebrated for its memorial of—and connection to—those we've loved and lost. I lost my first dear doggie right before the holiday that year...and second one had a fatal heart attack on my move to Seattle.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/782522537af6c488e183125c7746140bc76a188e/original/jezebeljoneshighres008.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />While I was in Seattle, I wrote more death songs (some about said dead doggies) and I stumbled my way into the <a contents="death positive&nbsp;movement" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/resources/death-positive-movement" target="_blank">death positive movement</a>. I had been following many of its leaders for years, but connecting with them—and performing for them—in person at the <a contents="Death &amp; The Maiden conference" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://deathmaidenconference2017.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Death & The Maiden conference</a> in England in 2017 was the clincher. I believe that death and grief should be healthy topics of conversation for every person in every society. I'm living proof that addressing mortality and making peace with death can help you find a more peaceful, joyful life. It has an amazing ability to put things into perspective.</span><br> </p>
<p><span class="font_large">Not quite two years ago, I released my first death-focused music offering, The <a contents="'Deathfolk Magic'" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://byebyebanshee.com/music" target="_blank">'Deathfolk Magic'</a> EP under the band name <a contents="Bye Bye Banshee" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.byebyebanshee.com" target="_blank">Bye Bye Banshee</a>. It was recorded/mixed/mastered by Tom Garneau (Prince, Sting), co-produced/mixed by Jeff Crandall (Swallows, J. Briozo) and features some amazing Twin Cities musicians, like my friend bassist and composer Chris Bates and his brother JT Bates who is the weirdest, coolest drummer I slightly know. Aaron Kerr is also amazing on the cello!!!! Jeff Crandall added some eerie hammond and backing vocals and Brett Hansen skillfully plays a bit of lap steel and electric guitar.<br><br>I'll be honest--the EP release in late 2018 was a bit of a mess. The publicity firm I hired really let me down...took my money (of which I had little) and didn't do what they promised to do. I knew Deathfolk Magic wasn't a commercial release. It needed a special audience, like the very receptive live audience I had in England the year before. I was specific about the type of audience this was for, but they dropped the ball and sent it to their normal list (some of which they pay) of mainstream bloggers, radio peeps, etc. This publicity firm also insisted that I have an EP release show, which I suspected I would lose money on (and I did). At any rate, it was the final straw (of many, many, many) that made me completely disgusted with the music "business". Besides a few one-off performances, I've been creating and woodshedding in lots of solitude since then...most recently in Tennessee.<br><br>Worldwide people are hurting. Some folks may feel like they are truly facing their own mortality for the first time. Or they've lost a loved one. Are afraid they might lose a loved one. Or feeling especially close to death...and they don't even want to say that word...DEATH. We can't avoid it any longer. People are dying and so many more are doing to die. Probably some of our friends and loved ones. But we can start to address the fear of death, start having honest and healthy conversations about it, meditate on it. Understand that death, too, is a gift; its brevity makes life worth living.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/e95b7704cf0bfb82a6667f4b98eb2035655c84ce/original/jezebeljoneshighres007.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" />I didn't write these songs because I thought they'd get radio play. I didn't write these songs because I thought music critics would like it. <strong>I wrote the Bye Bye Banshee songs as an antidote.</strong> Not against death—as there is no cure for that—but as <strong>an antidote against our fear of death and denial of grief</strong>. As I played the songs over and over, it released a lot of my fear...the one described in the first track "If I Die in My Dreams". It released a lot of grief, too. This project is deeply spiritual and intended to help others. Today I'm making the <a contents="Deathfolk Magic EP free for all to download" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://byebyebanshee.com/music" target="_blank">Deathfolk Magic EP free for all to download</a>...there's no suggested donation or email sign up required. Feel free to share it with others if you think it might help.<br><br>Please stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic, for the sake of yourself and your community. Wash/sanitize your hands regularly for fuck sake and stop touching your face. You can re-program yourself to NOT touch your face by wearing a bandana or homemade mask. Stay 6 feet away from others if you can. I know we can do this...I have a very strong sense that we will come out of this better, stronger and kinder humans than we were before.<br><br>Kindest regards,</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span class="font_large">Jezebel<br><br>All photography: Lars Kommienezuspadt</span><br> </p>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/59321502019-10-19T10:57:46-05:002022-05-23T03:26:02-05:00EKG Stickers<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/00da3266bcf1a678080ebadf5190d83bb9e17aad/original/img-1813.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" />I’m still finding stickers on my body <br>From when the nurse pulled the EKG cables off <br>at the local emergency room </p>
<p>I drove there on empty <br>Chest pain making it hard to breathe <br>And I thought about the songwriter’s songwriter <br>Who lost his heart battle <br>Here in Mount Juliet… <br>Or maybe Smyrna <br>(there are conflicting reports) </p>
<p>I’ve been thinking of your death all week <br>Bursts of fresh tears burn my skin <br>They didn’t ask about you at the doctor <br>X-rays and cardio-rhythms tell stories <br>But never give the full report </p>
<p>I said I might know<br>Why my chest has been hurting <br>But they didn’t want to listen<br>Or they surely would have asked <br>At least one follow-up question <br>Streamlined science <br>Without courageous empathy <br>Is disappointing <br>Dismissive<br>And maybe deadly </p>
<p>They’re being kind<br>Asking if I like Tennessee<br>Excelling at small talk<br>As southern folk do<br>Another nurse and I have the same birthday<br>(which isn’t statistically significant, apparently)<br>And they talk about the cold spell we’re having<br>Careful not to ask questions<br>About the grief I had aforementioned</p>
<p>They pumped stuff through my one good vein<br>Said it would take away the pain<br>But it’s not going away<br>I know my own heart<br>And at this point I know<br>They’re afraid of my blue-gold eyes<br>Swelling red, welling up<br>So I lied to them and said<br>That the pain has gone away </p>
<p>Then they leave me waiting<br>In an ice-cold room<br>For nearly three hours<br>Popping in periodically<br>To offer thin sterile blankets<br>While I wait for test results </p>
<p>They didn’t ask<br>They didn’t want to know<br>Maybe they didn’t want to see me cry<br>Discomfort drives the diagnosis<br>(or lack thereof) </p>
<p>The tests say I’m healthy<br>The doctor says I’m fine<br>The nurse said I could go<br>That I wasn’t going to die today<br>I told him a bit sternly<br>“you don’t know that”<br>I almost died yesterday<br>Just crossing the street<br>He much-too-quickly agreed<br>ER nurse pragmatism </p>
<p>They treated me kindly<br>They didn’t refer me to a therapist<br>But suggested a cardiologist<br>If I had any further concerns </p>
<p>They brought me two warm sterile blankets<br>But didn’t ask me two heart-felt questions<br>They took my blood and urine<br>But not my opinion<br>About the heartache behind the heart pains </p>
<p>They gave me a prescription I won’t fill<br>It won’t heal the hurt I still feel<br>It’s been five years to the day<br>It never completely goes away </p>
<p>I opened the wooden box<br>Untied the bag of ashes<br>Filled a brass pendant<br>To wear you close</p>
<p>I know my own heart</p>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/59127842019-10-02T09:54:16-05:002022-09-09T10:23:44-05:00Sick and Social<p><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/de5b978d3c715f1f06616b70d239c452912b815e/original/8d9a43bc-2cba-4879-b1fe-c188f9e5e294.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="Jezebel Jones - woman with long red hair, pale, freckled skin, blue-green-hazel eyes in a fitted leopard print dress." />I have a new rule: </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">I can indulge in social media when I’m sick </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">So sick I relish the association between sick and social. Social and sick </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Two things that sometimes make my stomach churn hard </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Linked. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">In. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">My. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Brain. </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span class="font_regular">That association will be useful when I’m feeling stronger </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">It will remind me to stay away </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Sick is social and social is sick </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">It will help me </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">When I need less integration </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">More imagination </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">More objectivity </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Less objectification </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">More nature-gazing </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">And meditating </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Less influence </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Less persuasion </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Less selfies </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Less ego </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Less </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span class="font_regular">But I’m sick </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Virus or food poisoning; it’s unclear </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">For a short time I need homogenization </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">And holograms </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">I need an interference pattern </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">To confuse my brain </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">To transition me back to the land of the living </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">So I’ll browse a few posts </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">And half-heartedly check notifications </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Try to feel connection </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">When I’m isolated by ill </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Banished by fever </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Feeling lonely </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">(which only happens rarely) </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">I could use a nurse </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">A mother-figure </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Some nurturing love </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The kind I haven’t had for at least a decade </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span class="font_regular">It’s a sweltering early October </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Full sun and 98 degrees outside </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Hot and cold strikes hard inside </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">I can’t do anything </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Except lay on the couch </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Stomach churning with distaste </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">That rice might not stay down </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">And I have to take the dog out </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">He hasn’t been on a real walk for three long days </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Today is his fake birthday </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">(his real one is uncertain) </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The day he was adopted three years ago </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">It was supposed to be happy </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">We were going to go to the three dog bakery </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">For fancy overpriced treats </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">For wags </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">And smiles </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">And praise </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">For what a sweet, handsome fellow he is </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">(he really is) </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Instead I’m on the coach apologizing to him </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Crying </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">And thinking about my first dog </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The one I lost 5 Octobers ago </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The one I still miss </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">And still apologize to </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">For not being perfect </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Social media is a so-so substitute; </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">What I really need is </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Saltines and ice </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">And someone to </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Run to the pharmacy </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Make me iced jasmine tea </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">(unsweet, of course) </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Toss me a fashion magazine for distraction </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Take out my dog </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">So I can avoid the torturous Tennessee sun </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Somebody to tell me </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">in a few days I’ll be alright </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">And the weather will be cooler </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">More like fall </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Less like hell</span></p>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/55846662019-01-07T12:54:18-06:002021-06-29T06:45:34-05:002018: A Retrospective on Love, Loss and Music<p><strong>Love and Loss in 2018</strong><br><br>Like most of us, 2018 dealt some hope but also a lot of pain. For me it was the loss of a very kind friend named Kelli Archer, from Austin, Texas. She stuck her neck out for me more than once and supported hundreds of musicians through the shows she produced outside her former vintage store, Roadhouse Rags. I wrote a tribute song in Kelli’s honor; you can check out a quick DIY live video of the song “The Last Austin Cowgirl” below.</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="kugsItYVLM4" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/kugsItYVLM4/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kugsItYVLM4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>This fall I also lost the lease to my apartment in Minneapolis unexpectedly. Since I didn’t have a day job lined up, my dog Banjo and I traveled between Nashville and Minneapolis, bouncing from Airbnbs to artist cabins to hotels to friend’s houses . Between September and November we stayed in 15 different places (!!!!), trying to find full time housing…without a job it was no easy task. It was off-the-charts stressful and a bit depressing, but a few good friends came to the rescue during this time. Thank you, GOOD FRIENDS! I love you and you mean the world to me. </p>
<p><strong>Release of Deathfolk Magic </strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/86a783c53f7641d6e4d6ebd978a7be6e766c5bf8/original/bandcamp-albumart-700px.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" />In the midst of all this housing chaos, I finally released the first EP for my side project <a contents="Bye Bye Banshee" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.byebyebanshee.com" target="_blank">Bye Bye Banshee</a>. ‘Deathfolk Magic’ came out on October 5, 2018. At its heart, Bye Bye Banshee is new-age-meets-old-world-funeral music. I’ve been researching and writing music based around death culture and mythology for about six years…and we captured four folklore-inspired tunes on this initial recording. The EP was expertly co-produced by Jeff Crandall (Swallows, J.Briozo) and it was recorded/mixed/mastered by audio guru Tom Garneau (Prince, Sting). I also had an amazing band backing me up on this production, including Chris and JT Bates, Aaron Kerr and Brett Hansen.</p>
<p>‘Deathfolk Magic’ has garnered some nice reviews so far. Here are a few quotes...<br><br><strong><em>"She inhabits every line of the song with unique ferocity and demonstrates all-encompassing vocal control with her ability to vary her voice from hushed respect to muscular, elongated lines seemingly dredged up from fiery depths of her heart...Jezebel Jones has written and recorded an EP release no one else could have..." </em></strong>- No Depression<br><br><em><strong>"The music is jazzy, dark, mystical and I thought it would work perfectly in the first season of True Detective...That being said the vocals are the star of the show. Jones is dynamic, sleek and mysterious when she sings..."</strong></em> - Divide and Conquer<br><br><em><strong>"The whole thing sounds like a New Orleans jam designed to raise the dead, a shamanic ritual and soundtrack in a ballroom beyond time. But for all its bleak subject matter the music is gorgeous in its understatement...and beautifully soothing." </strong></em>- Dancing About Architecture<br><br><a contents="You can read more about the project, see the reviews and listen to the music here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.byebyebanshee.com" target="_blank">You can read more about the project, see the reviews and listen to/download the music here</a>. </p>
<p><strong>I've Moved Again...this time to Nashville</strong></p>
<p>In December I signed a lease just outside Nashville. I won’t say exactly where but it’s very close to the cabin where my hero—songwriter Townes Van Zandt—died. For a nerdy nomadic introvert like myself it’s helpful to be in a friendly city where people actually look you in the eyes, smile and even say hello. It’s very easy to meet people here…and those little southern charms warm my chilly northern heart. But I won’t lie, it’s the music and the mild winters that makes me most excited to be here. I like walking my dog in the January rain, grass still lush and green. I’ve seen some amazing music here and will start playing live shows again soon.<br><br>To keep in touch, be sure to <a contents="sign up for&nbsp;my NEW AND IMPROVED monthly newsletter," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.jezebeljones.com/newsletter" target="_blank">sign up for my NEW AND IMPROVED monthly newsletter,</a> which will kick off in February 2018. New music, videos, poetry, illustrations and more!!! <br><br> </p>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/46933662017-05-02T09:02:01-05:002022-04-17T20:00:38-05:00Bye Bye Banshee: A Musical Exploration of Death From a Femme Perspective<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/74688166dbae3231dccd0cb8ad29153409b25726/medium/bbb-cosmic-square.jpg?1493733434" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><br><span class="font_large">Well I've been back home in the cold arms of Mother Minnesota for about a year and when people ask what I've been up to I slightly sheepishly tell them about my latest music project,<a contents=" Bye Bye Banshee" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://byebyebanshee.bandcamp.com/track/skull-rattles-bare-naked-demo" target="_blank"> Bye Bye Banshee</a>, which takes on the topic of death from a decidedly female perspective. I've been surprised to find a very welcome reception to the ideas I've been exploring through this project.<br><br>In the past several years I've done a lot of moving (Austin, San Antonio, Seattle, Minneapolis/St. Paul) and a lot of writing and drawing. A lot of grieving. Very little performing. <br><br>But still I've been bubbling over with creative energy, honing my song craft. And getting ready to hit the stage again...and my <a contents="first UK show&nbsp;at the Death &amp; the Maiden Conference" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://deathmaidenconference2017.wordpress.com/activities/" target="_blank">first UK show at the Death & the Maiden Conference</a> is on the horizon.<br><br>My curious fear and fascination of death started when I was a small child. Blame my Catholic childhood. My Pentecostal puberty. My fear of hell. My natural inclination towards the dark and mysterious.<br><br>But I've come to look at death as a spectrum with many colors. That's what Bye Bye Banshee is all about. The dark. The light. All the curious shades in between. I believe that the fear of death, that (often) unspoken dread, causing suffering and evil. For me, writing this music is part of the cure.<br><br>In less than two weeks, I'll be back in the studio, this time recording the first EP for Bye Bye Banshee. It's been a deeply spiritual experience and I've chosen people who I believe will take that soul approach to my project, including Twin Cities jazz composers <a contents="Chris Bates" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.doublebates.com/" target="_blank">Chris Bates</a> (Red 5, Atlantis Quartet) and <a contents="JT Bates" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://totallygrossnationalproduct.com/artists/jt-bates" target="_blank">JT Bates</a> (Andrew Bird,Trampled by Turtles) on upright bass and drums, Aaron Kerr (Swallows) on cello and my good friend Jeff Crandall (<a contents="J.Briozo," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.jbriozo.com/" target="_blank">J.Briozo,</a> <a contents="Swallows" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://swallowthemusic.com/" target="_blank">Swallows</a>) as co-producer. Minneapolis legend <a contents="Tom Garneau" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ipr.edu/blogs/faculty/tom-garneau/" target="_blank">Tom Garneau</a> will be recording and mixing.<br><br>I'll be posting some stuff from the studio soon. But in the meantime, <a contents="you can hear early, crude at-home recordings of some songs at the new&nbsp;Bye Bye Banshee site here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://byebyebanshee.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">you can hear early, crude at-home recordings of some songs at the new Bye Bye Banshee site here</a>. </span><br> </p>
<p><span class="font_large">Yours in life and death, </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Jezebel</span></p>
<p><br><span class="font_large">Update: you can now check out the music of <a contents="Bye Bye Banshee" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.byebyebanshee.com" target="_blank">Bye Bye Banshee</a> here. The upcoming EP, <em>Deathfolk Magic</em>, will be released October 5, 2018.</span><br> </p>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/43829832016-09-21T10:00:57-05:002022-05-08T03:04:22-05:00Paul Fonfara & Jim White Tonight at the Shitty Barn<p><span class="font_large">This summer, I’ve been connecting more with my roots—I grew up in rural Minnesota on 45 acres—and am being pulled back to the country life little by little. This summer has included several visits to Wisconsin, including playing a lovely barn show at an organic farm near Dane.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/cfa6c0ee857944e95c07f8d6a1b36a27adabd83c/medium/paulfonfara.jpg?1474469661" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Today I’m heading back to Spring Green, WI to see my first <a contents="show at the Shitty Barn" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.shittybarnsessions.com/session/show/180" target="_blank">show at the Shitty Barn</a>. Two eclectic Americana artists are on the bill: <a contents="Paul Fonfara" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.paintedsaints.net/" target="_blank">Paul Fonfara</a> (Painted Saints, Brass Messengers) and <a contents="Jim White" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.jimwhite.net" target="_blank">Jim White</a>. <br><br>I have yet to see <a contents="Paul Fonfara" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.paintedsaints.net/" target="_blank">Paul Fonfara</a> perform since I’ve moved back to MN; I prefer songwriters who are a bit odd (or even really odd) and have a dark and/or quirky sound, so I appreciate his music. He’s an alumni of Denver greats DeVotchKa, 16 Horsepower and Wovenhand, and an incredibly talented composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist in his own right. Why he’s not a huge star in the new folk genre mystifies me. Maybe because Fonfara choses to live in Minnesota. At any rate, we’re really lucky to have him (Check out <a contents="'Company Town' live" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie7e94fX6A0" target="_blank">'Company Town' live</a> from Cedar Cultural Center). <br><br>And then there’s songwriter, producer and artist <a contents="Jim White" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.jimwhite.net/" target="_blank">Jim White</a>, who rarely graces the north with his unique blend of roots music and philosophical (often sardonic) lyrics. <a contents="Pitchfork" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8657-drill-a-hole-in-that-substrate-and-tell-me-what-you-see/" target="_blank">Pitchfork</a> had an apt description: “all the comparisons that can be made to Tom Waits, Lambchop, Grandaddy and Vic Chesnutt will only tell a small part of the story. What all these disparate elements that White pulls together add up to is White's alone, a style with no real name, American as barbecue sauce on apple pie.” (Watch a live version of <a contents="'If Jesus Drove a Motorhome'" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnHrfNRNBh8" target="_blank">'If Jesus Drove a Motorhome'</a>)<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/53f654c315fe1e9b35811c29a83c4251ac190729/medium/jimwhite.jpg?1474469672" class="size_m justify_right border_" />Several years ago, as a brand-new songwriter, I came across this independent music documentary by White called, <a contents="'Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus'" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sip9JvgFnQ" target="_blank">'Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus'</a>. Admittedly, it sounds trite to say it changed my life, but it did change the course of my music. The movie is a travelogue of sorts, dark folk song vignettes interspersed with eerie scenery and interviews of life in the south. The film—and its soundtrack—introduced me to artists that have had a profound impact on my sound and songwriting: 16 Horsepower, The Handsome Family, Johnny Dowd and Jim White himself. <br><br>White’s film was a portal for me. It was C.S. Lewis’ wardrobe, Lewis Carroll’s rabbit hole. One intriguing artist from the film led to another, who led to another, who led to another and so on. Somehow it tied me back to my country, Pentecostal upbringing in a way I struggle to explain. I saw how music—and life—could be married to the dark and light and all the grays in between. <br><br>Live music is powerful magic. It has transformative, healing powers. And I need to be transformed. Tonight my church is barn in southern Wisconsin, where I can listen and learn and be moved by the spirit.<br><br>-Jezebel<br><br>P.S. Wanna see what I've been working on? Check out my new folk-psych music project, <a contents="Bye Bye Banshee" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://soundcloud.com/bye-bye-banshee/sets/bye-bye-banshee-demos" target="_blank">Bye Bye Banshee</a>.</span></p>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/43505822016-08-31T10:21:37-05:002022-09-09T10:27:46-05:00Exorcism: Banishing Fear Through Art<p><span class="font_large"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/5f8c042ec9c9fc75b7f44b26d99a7a12edf8e19f/original/7bbc16ce-c6b8-421b-99be-01ef27d7c2a2.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="Jezebel Jones - woman with long red hair, pale skin, wearing a tank top that says "Death"" />Death is all around us. Mostly in America, we avoid it. For some reason, it's comforting to acknowledge Lady Death and make peace with her. <br><br>When I write a song that confronts my fears...when I sing and breathe out that fear, that ominous presence--a kind of exorcism happens. And the fear is banished. Or at least slinks away sullenly into a dark corner somewhere.<br><br>That's what happened with this song: healing magic. (Also, it's kind of badass, as acoustic songs go.)<br><br>A recurring nightmare.<br><br>A nightmare no more.<br><br>Exorcism.</span><br> </p>
<p><span class="font_large">Update: Check out the song <a contents='"If I Die in My Dreams"' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://byebyebanshee.com/music" target="_blank">"If I Die in My Dreams"</a>, by Jezebel's new side project Bye Bye Banshee.</span></p>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/40535902016-02-22T09:22:26-06:002023-12-10T10:49:11-06:00Going Dark<p><br><span class="font_large"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/174b58017c09f3c6bac2beb8d4884c40f775d740/medium/goingdark.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_right border_" />Once we were children of the light… <br>And the darkness was our maker and mover <br>Lurking in the trees <br>Hiding behind shady motives <br>Pushing us onward <br>to Armageddon.<br><br>-J. Jones</span></p>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/39879102016-01-13T22:28:35-06:002022-09-09T10:33:09-05:00From my illegal-yet-overpriced apartment somewhere in West Seattle<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/bb5e5e9b776352df3c3c7927a7c1b485b764c884/medium/marklaneganband.png?1452745647" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><br><span class="font_large">Mark Lanegan.<br><br>With that voice.<br><br>That voice like Velvet.<br><br>Like Velvet that someone got whiskey-sick on<br><br>and now it's all crunchy<br><br>but still manages to be...<br><br>pretty fucking cool.<br><br>**************************************<br>Album: <a contents="Phantom Radio" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://kingsroadmerch.com/vagrant/artist/?id=379" target="_blank">Phantom Radio</a><br>Artist: <a contents="Mark Langegan Band" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://marklanegan.com/" target="_blank">Mark Langegan Band</a><br>Purchased gently used at: <a contents="Jive Time Records" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.jivetimerecords.com" target="_blank">Jive Time Records</a> in Seattle</span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">**************************************</span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Listening on my vintage Airline console (circa 1962?)<br>which resides in my illegal-yet-overpriced apartment somewhere in West Seattle. </span><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> </p>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/39432532015-12-01T11:55:10-06:002022-04-17T19:58:59-05:00The Rebranding of Jesus Christ in America<br><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#0099cc;">Quick Bible Quiz:</span> name a time or place when Jesus judged or condemned a woman for ANYTHING. <br><br>I grew up reading the Bible and not a single incident comes to mind.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/5f1f518825377740231da8341dba02f08545a227/medium/wwjd.jpg?1448991879" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="What would Jesus Do? vs. What would republican Jesus Do?" /><br><span style="color:#0099cc;"><em>So, would Jesus stand outside an abortion clinic and harass or threaten or do violence to women? </em></span>HELLLLLLLLNO. To those who claim they are "pro-life" for religious reasons ("Christian"), I encourage you to learn about--and follow--your own religion. You know, the religion you claim is true and you seem to think everyone else should follow.<br><br>Jesus taught peace, love and empathy. But like the ruling classes of Europe before them, American Republicans and the so-called Christian Right have rebranded Jesus, bastardized him for their own gain. Someone's profiting from this rebranding effort, and it's not the poor, the sick or the homeless.<br><br>The Jesus evangelical Christians follow is a total asshole, pretty much the opposite of Jesus from the Bible. Jesus has been drastically rebranded from hero to villain. From olive-skinned peace-loving teacher to white, violently religious douchebag. <br><br>In the scriptures, Jesus is an incredibly compassionate person, NOT one who denies basic human rights such as food, clothing and shelter to those who need it most. NOT a god who withholds medicine to the sick, one who prefers to let people die to boost profits. (He did say "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's"--yes, the Jesus of the Bible told his followers to pay their taxes). NOT one who loudly condemns women in public for so-called wrongdoing. NOT one who is in favor of humiliating or killing women for "justice".<br><br>Jesus was <em>mostly</em> pure love. <em><span style="color:#0099cc;"> But you know what made him really pissed him off?</span></em> It wasn't women. It was judgmental men--hypocrites. And men who made a profit off religion. Men who used religion for their own gains.<br><br>Sound familiar?<br><br>-JJ<br><br>P.S. <a contents="Want to get your very own re-branded Jesus doll in time for Christmas?" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USeR4myzKQI" target="_blank">Want to get your very own re-branded Jesus doll in time for Christmas?</a> Capitalism is the reason for the Season!</span><br> 3:19Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/39327392015-11-24T09:57:31-06:002017-05-18T08:39:05-05:00Masters of Performance: Chris Cornell, Part 2 <p><span class="font_large"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/6a174a8308e1d422709d7bf3196265133c0add2c/small/chris-cornell-higher-truth.jpeg?1443709585" class="size_s justify_left border_" />Masters of Performance: Chris Cornell, Part 2 </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#00ccff;">Note: I just woke up this morning to find out about Chris Cornell's death. He was a music hero to me, mostly because of his phenomenal, expressive singing voice and partly because Soundgarden was one of my all-time favorite rock bands. RIP, Chris Cornell. The world won't be the same without you. 5/18/17 -JJ</span></span><br><span class="font_large"> </span><br><span class="font_xl"><span style="color:#0099cc;"><strong>7 live performance moves you should steal from Chris Cornell:</strong></span></span></p>
<ol> <li>
<span class="font_large"><!--[if--><!--[endif]--><span style="color:#0099cc;"><strong>Create a Conversation. </strong></span><br> One of the great things about watching Chris Cornell perform in Seattle was watching the ongoing, natural conversation that was happening between him and thousands of fans. While making that kind of connection with total strangers is more challenging, engaging the audience—asking them questions, answering their questions or just bantering like you would with a friend—makes a show personal and memorable. <a contents="Janis Joplin" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.janisjoplin.com/" target="_blank">Janis Joplin</a> was brilliant at inviting the audience to converse with her, as was <a contents="Townes Van Zandt" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://townesvanzandt.com/" target="_blank">Townes Van Zandt</a>. When you listen to their respective live recordings, you feel like you’re <em>part</em> of something…instead of just <em>listening</em> to something.</span><br> </li> <li>
<span class="font_large"><!--[if--><!--[endif]--><span style="color:#0099cc;"><strong>Perform with Emotion.</strong></span><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--[if--><!--[endif]--> <br> One of the biggest gifts a performer can give the audience is to share their emotions in a genuine and raw way. I see this so rarely; Chris Cornell is pretty great at it. It doesn’t hurt to start out with a gorgeous voice, but plenty of great singers fail to move me emotionally. Conveying true emotion—and bringing the crowd along to feel it with you—is harder to do then most people think. It means vulnerability, letting go of ego so you can really ‘feel’ what you’re singing/playing. It also means letting go of self-consciousness and the need for perfection.<br> <br> Perfection is not terribly interesting, especially if the song or performance lacks emotion. <a contents="Some roughness is absolutely&nbsp;essential" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.portablephilosophy.com/?tag=Roughness" target="_blank">Some roughness is absolutely essential</a>.</span><br> </li> <li>
<span class="font_large"><!--[if--><!--[endif]--><span style="color:#0099cc;"><strong>Provide some eye candy.</strong><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--[if--><!--[endif]--> </span><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/c2de17549aed230bef3199b604a041e66a34ca4a/original/chriscornell2.jpg?1448380545" class="size_orig justify_right border_" /><br> Cornell had an understated but beautiful set and visually it set the mood for the evening. Humans don’t just hear things with our ears, we “hear” with our eyes, too. I love it when smaller bands or individuals take the time to do this—it really adds magic to a performance.<br> <br> Sure, it takes a little extra effort to create a backdrop or add a few stage props, some lighting effects, etc. but it helps your audience get (and stay) in the mood and feel more like they’re at a show, and less like they’re just watching some random band.<br> <br> P.S. unless you’re as recognizable as Chris Cornell, you should probably have your band/artist name displayed on stage during your set. This is helpful for getting new fans to know who you are and for them to reference when they're sharing pics/videos of your show. If you’re <a contents="looking for DIY backdrop ideas there are some excellent tips here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://braverthanfiction.wordpress.com/2014/11/28/why-every-band-should-have-a-backdrop/" target="_blank">looking for DIY backdrop ideas there are some excellent tips here</a>.</span><br> </li> <li>
<span class="font_large"><!--[if--><!--[endif]--><span style="color:#0099cc;"><strong>Use effective transitions to tie songs together.</strong><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--[if--><!--[endif]--> </span><br> I think many artists (especially ones who perform solo) struggle with how to tie the songs together and keep momentum going as they switch instruments, tune, etc. This was one of my favorite parts of the Higher Truth show: I absolutely loved the transitions between songs. In addition to conversing with the crowd, Cornell had a record player on stage and his tech played snippets of vinyl sometimes between the live songs. In addition, Cornell used a loop pedal sparingly but effectively during some transitions and as a swelling cacophony at the end of the show. It really got the crowd pumped for the encore.</span><br> </li> <li>
<span class="font_large"><!--[if--><!--[endif]--><span style="color:#0099cc;"><strong>Invite a guest or two—living or dead—to join you on stage.</strong><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--[if--><!--[endif]--> </span><br> For this tour, Chris Cornell played mostly solo and acoustic.But he had an excellent cellist, Bryan Gibson, who joined him for several songs throughout the evening; he was absolutely stellar and gathered his own applause during the show. Cornell also told a very hilarious—but clearly fictitious—tale of how they met “back in the day”. In addition, <a contents="Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready joined him onstage" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMm1LICxB7s" target="_blank">Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready joined him onstage</a> for a couple of songs, much to the delight of the crowd.<br> <br> But one of the appearances that impressed me the most was Cornell’s former backing pianist—and songwriter in her own right—<a contents="Natasha Shneider" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natasha_Shneider" target="_blank">Natasha Shneider</a>, who died of cancer in 2008. Cornell had recorded her piano part years earlier and put it on vinyl. He explained this as he set the needle on the record; as her beautiful playing filled the auditorium, Cornell and Gibson rounded out the trio. It was a really lovely song and a fitting tribute to his friend.</span><br> </li> <li>
<span class="font_large"><!--[if--><!--[endif]--><span style="color:#0099cc;"><strong>Change things up. Frequently.</strong></span><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><br> Honestly, when I first saw the stage before the show, I’ll admit I did a teeny tiny eye roll at the 7…8…9? guitars on stage. For a SOLO acoustic show, mind you. But it made sense during the show—Cornell kept the performance interesting by changing things up frequently. In addition to some of the things I mentioned earlier—such as musical guests and good transitions—he changed instruments (different tunings, different sounds, harmonica) regularly throughout the set. The show had a lot of variety, considering he was on stage by himself for most of the 3 hours he performed.<br> <br> Oh, and wow: kudos to his hard-working guitar tech who barely stood still the entire show.</span><br> </li> <li><span class="font_large"><!--[if--><!--[endif]--><span style="color:#0099cc;"><strong>Steal a clever idea from a master performer.</strong></span><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><br> At some point in the show I realized that Cornell was wearing a harmonica rack around his neck—sans harmonica—and that he was actually singing into it, instead of a headset mic. I marveled over this clever idea before he explained how he saw Neil Young do it; Cornell stole the idea from him.<br> <br> <br> I hope some of these ideas are helpful. Please let me know if you have some additional advice for people looking to improve their live show. <br> <br> <br> Sin-cerely yours,<br> <br> <br> Jez<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/4a46e3a389eb9f47d94099b3a6b50b0deff6f52f/medium/FanProfile.jpg?1377784719" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></span></li>
</ol>
<p><span class="font_large"><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><br><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><br><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--![endif]--><!--![if--><!--![endif]--><!--![if--></span><br><br> </p>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/39296982015-11-23T06:45:00-06:002022-04-26T14:53:24-05:00To the Next Man Who Says "I'd hit THAT" (in Front of Me)...<br><br><span class="font_large">The way some men objectify women publicly on the street has been pissing me off for years. It's bullshit and it needs to stop, pronto.</span><br><br><span class="font_large">In San Antonio street harassment was constant and scary. Any time I tried to walk somewhere, guys whistled at me, followed me in their cars, propositioned me when I was walking my dogs, told me to get into their cars at the bus stop; I almost never felt safe walking around that town.<br><br>Now that I'm in Seattle it's so much better. But even in a city with significantly more gender equality, street harassment happens, especially when a woman passes a group of younger men on the street after dark. Last night it happened<em> twice to me in about 10 minutes</em><em> </em>as I was walking around downtown before a show.<br><br>Both times it happened like this...<br><br><span style="color:#0099cc;">*one guy looks me up and down*<br><br>Guy: "I would hit THAT" / "I'd do THAT"<br><br>*other guys laugh*</span><br><br>I knew they were talking to me because both times I was the only woman around. I can't tell you how terrible it is to be called an OBJECT--not 'her' but 'it' or 'that'--but when it happens in public it's even worse.<br><br><span style="color:#0099cc;"><em><strong>Are you purposely trying to dehumanize me? <br>Were you raised by misogynistic wolves?</strong></em><br><strong><em>Or perhaps you're just a shitty excuse for a human being? </em></strong></span></span><br><br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/b7d03a1605edd6a490601d56476f80a5a086d951/original/sexualharassment2.png?1448291733" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Comic by Robot Hugs</p></div><br><br><span class="font_large">It's obvious that we're still a far cry from gender equality because street harassment still happens. A LOT. And to all kinds of women of all shapes and sizes, young and old.<br><br>Saying you'd have sex with someone so they can hear you on the street is sexual harassment, pure and simple. And dehumanizing the woman by calling her 'it' or 'that' adds insult to injury. But the intent is clear. <span style="color:#0099cc;">Make a woman feel small. Make a man seem big.</span><br><br><span style="color:#0099cc;">Men:</span> if you thoughtlessly engage in calling women "THAT" or "IT" (even in "jest"), <a contents="please fucking check yourselves" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.beautyredefined.net/guys-guide-to-seeing-women-not-objects/" target="_blank">please fucking check yourselves</a>. And if your mates do it, call them out. All you have to say is "DUDE" in a disapproving voice or roll your eyes. Signify in some way that this is not cool. It's not that hard to do. Literally referring to a person as an object has never been right and I think most of us can agree that harassing any human being on the street is repugnant.<br><br>If all us--both men and women--express our disgust when demeaning sexual comments are made about a woman, the behavior will die out. Organizations like <a contents="Hollaback!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ihollaback.org/" target="_blank">Hollaback!</a> and <a contents="Stop Street Harassment" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/" target="_blank">Stop Street Harassment</a> are making people aware of the issue and helping women speak out. And if you haven't experienced street harassment, check out the viral video <a contents="10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1XGPvbWn0A" target="_blank">10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman</a>.<br><br>So...<br><br><span style="color:#0099cc;">To the next man who says "I'd hit THAT" (in front of me):</span><br><br>I won't pretend I didn't hear your douchebag comment, they way I usually do.<br><br>Next time I'm going to call your shitty ass out, right there on the street in front of your friends. I'm going to shame you publicly for sexually harassing me.<br><br>I'll make you think twice about making that kind of comment to another woman.<br><br><span style="color:#0099cc;">Sincerely,<br><br><br>The WOMAN you would 'do'</span><br><br>P.S. kudos to the amazing men who are enlightened enough to tackle this issue and do something about it. <a contents="Aziz Ansari's Netflix series 'Master of None'" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/11/11/aziz-ansari-on-his-excellent-new-series-master-of-none-sexism-and-race-in-america.html" target="_blank">Aziz Ansari's Netflix series 'Master of None'</a> has an amazing episode on sexual harassment entitled Ladies & Gentleman (Episode 7) that deals with men being kind of oblivious to the harassment women experience on a daily basis. And<a contents=" blogger Nate Pyle explains how he will teach his son to not objectify women" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://natepyle.com/seeing-a-woman/" target="_blank"> blogger Nate Pyle explains how he will teach his son</a> to see women as more than just bodies. The post is really amazing and worth a read.<br><br>********************************************<br><br><span style="color:#0099cc;">Tired of being harassed...or want to read more about the issue?</span> Here are some good resources:<br><br><a contents="10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1XGPvbWn0A" target="_blank">10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman</a><br><br><a contents="Hollaback! " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ihollaback.org/" target="_blank">Hollaback! </a>A movement to help end street harassment<br><br><a contents="Stop Street Harassment" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/" target="_blank">Stop Street Harassment</a> A non-profit org dedicated to documenting and stopping gender-based harassment worldwide<br><br><a contents="6 Things Men Can Do to Stop Street Harassment" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/2013/04/6things/" target="_blank">6 Things Men Can Do to Stop Street Harassment</a></span><br><br> Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/39246482015-11-13T09:59:31-06:002022-05-21T03:15:15-05:00Oh, Goodie! The High Times Horoscope is Out!<br><span class="font_large">Oh, goodie! The <a contents="High Times horoscope" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://hightimes.com/view/high-horoscopes-nov-4-2015" target="_blank">High Times horoscope</a> is out. Here's mine, with FULL COMMENTARY by yours truly <span style="color:#0099cc;">(ME)</span>.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/44056d193462d49070043252254d6605e425bde5/medium/photo-on-2011-05-08-at-23-41.jpg?1447430271" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="Jezebel Jones, smoking" /><em>Capricorn - Squeezing Through the Cracks</em> <span style="color:#0099cc;">(AKA SQUEEZING INTO MY PANTS, AS I HAVEN'T SHED MY TEXAS WEIGHT YET.)</span><br><br><em>In contemplating two attractive options, Capricorn, you might be able to create a superior third of your own. </em><span style="color:#0099cc;">(DUH.) </span><em>With a cluster of earth planets in your fellow earth sign, Virgo, you might be reconsidering certain choices, to accommodate your increasingly specific tastes. </em><span style="color:#0099cc;">(YES, I'M MOVING. AGAIN, GODDAMN IT.) </span><em>What used to work just doesn’t seem to do the trick anymore </em><span style="color:#0099cc;">(MEN)</span><em>, but some new passion is around the corner.</em> <span style="color:#0099cc;">(WOMEN?)</span> <em>True satisfaction is at hand, settle for nothing less.</em> <span style="color:#0099cc;">(MY PROBLEM, IN A NUTSHELL.) </span><em>Indica: Berry White</em> <span style="color:#0099cc;">(THX, DUDE.)</span><br><br><br><span style="color:#0099cc;">Disappointed that the rapture didn't happen...again?<br>Watch Post-Rapture Blues</span><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="eNI6fhs7ArI" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/eNI6fhs7ArI/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eNI6fhs7ArI?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></span>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/39110832015-11-03T08:26:33-06:002022-03-02T03:57:41-06:00I'm Having a Baby - It's a Girl (and it's a band).<br><span class="font_large">I felt like it was time to talk publicly about my latest music project, <a contents="Bye Bye Banshee" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://soundcloud.com/bye-bye-banshee/sets/bye-bye-banshee-demos" target="_blank">Bye Bye Banshee</a>. In creating this new band, I'm hoping to break my music out into two distinct sounds. Jezebel Jones & Her Wicked Ways will focus on the more raucous alt-country-cabaret-meets-bluegrass side of things, while Bye Bye Banshee is a darker folk rock project. This is a natural progression since my first record--<a contents="Queen of the Devil's Rodeo" data-link-label="Music" data-link-type="page" href="/music" target="_blank">Queen of the Devil's Rodeo</a>--was a combination of the two styles, for better or for worse.<br><br>I've been working on the concept and music for Bye Bye Banshee for three years and soon I'll be recording it in the studio, with an EP to be available in early 2016.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/350f89e4107c6fac48326c50fee8e9ebec756ab7/medium/byebyebanshee-profile-06222015.jpg?1440091609" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><br><br>This project is very dear to my heart. Though the music itself could be described as spooky or gloomy (even witchy), the songs attempt to shapeshift the story of Death from that of a scary grim reaper character (male figure) to that of a beautiful and often more benevolent female personification. Female death-related folk figures such as the <a contents="Irish Banshee" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banshee" target="_blank">Irish Banshee</a> and Mexican saint<a contents=" Santa Muerte" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Muerte" target="_blank"> Santa Muerte</a> are featured in the music, along with new myths I've been conjuring up.<br><br>When we view Death as a more natural--and less scary--concept, I believe it can free us from the deep undercurrents of fear that dictate our lives. Christianity often uses Death as both the carrot and the stick: the fear of hell is a constant threat and heaven is a rich reward; both are designed to keep people in submission in *this* life. But there's a good chance there is no heaven or no hell...at least not in the way we were taught. So how do we live our lives differently when we see Death differently?</span><br><br><span style="font-size: 16.8px;">If you haven't checked it out, you can </span><a contents="listen to the demos on Soundcloud here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://soundcloud.com/bye-bye-banshee/sets/bye-bye-banshee-demos" style="font-size: 16.8px;" target="_blank">listen to the demos on Soundcloud here</a><span style="font-size: 16.8px;">. Or like/follow Bye Bye Banshee on </span><a contents="Facebook" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/byebyebanshee/?fref=nf" style="font-size: 16.8px;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="font-size: 16.8px;"> or </span><a contents="Twitter" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.twitter.com/byebyebanshee" style="font-size: 16.8px;" target="_blank">Twitter</a><span style="font-size: 16.8px;">.</span><br style="font-size: 16.8px;"><br style="font-size: 16.8px;"><span style="font-size: 16.8px;">Thanks for your support in this new creative endeavor!</span><br style="font-size: 16.8px;"><br style="font-size: 16.8px;"><span style="font-size: 16.8px;">-Jezebel</span><br><br><span class="font_large"><iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/165146706&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe></span><br><br><br><br><span class="font_large">“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” <br><br>― J.K. Rowling</span>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/38950082015-10-13T10:37:58-05:002022-03-24T11:37:49-05:00Faces of Bass<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/acaa37c2c3c9c3d582ae461f4d88f49b930dd4b0/medium/facesofbass.jpg?1444750590" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /><span class="font_large">After lusting after ukulele basses for the past 6 months, I finally picked up this sweet little u-bass by <a contents="Kala" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.kalabrand.com/" target="_blank">Kala</a> at <a contents="Dusty Strings" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.dustystrings.com/" target="_blank">Dusty Strings</a> here in Seattle. Naturally, I love it...I have small hands, plus I've been a uke devotee for a few years now. This full-mahogany beauty is perfect. Her name is Maggie and she's quite the badass little bitch.<br><br>Naturally, I started goofing around with her immediately and wrote a pretty creepy new tune, inspired by her lovely sound. But MOST IMPORTANTLY, I know that playing a bass (even a u-bass) involves some serious facial posing. I'm working on that.<br><br>Here's the proof.</span><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/74c5df68fedc6543a94dd220b33848823224699e/original/facesofbassjezebeljones.jpg?1444912330" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/38777502015-10-01T09:48:09-05:002017-05-18T08:42:19-05:00Masters of Performance: Chris Cornell, Part 1 – Seattle ‘Higher Truth’ Show<p><span class="font_large">Masters of Performance: Chris Cornell, Part 1 – Seattle ‘Higher Truth’ Show</span></p>
<p><em><span class="font_large"> </span><br><span style="color:#ADD8E6;"><span class="font_large">Note: I just woke up this morning to find out about Chris Cornell's death. He was a music hero to me, mostly because of his phenomenal, expressive singing voice and partly because Soundgarden was one of my all-time favorite rock bands. RIP, Chris Cornell. The world won't be the same without you. 5/18/17 -JJ</span></span></em><br><br><em>***************************************************</em><br><br><span class="font_large"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/6a174a8308e1d422709d7bf3196265133c0add2c/medium/chris-cornell-higher-truth.jpeg?1443709585" class="size_m justify_right border_" />I’m in my overpriced, moldy Fremont living room listening to the hazy, warm sounds of The Cult’s ‘Love’ album on vinyl, trying to decide what you tell you about last night. <span style="color:#ADD8E6;"><em>Damn. What a show.</em></span><br> <br>After my recent move to Seattle, I found out <a contents="Chris Cornell " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.chriscornell.com" target="_blank">Chris Cornell </a>was going to playing a solo acoustic gig at Benaroya Hall, in the heart of downtown. Since I was on the mailing list (and if you’re a fan you probably should be on it), I got the early box office deal and splurged on 3<sup>rd</sup> row center.<br> <br>Now I’ve seen Cornell perform with Audioslave a few times, mainly due to my ex-boyfriend David, aka ‘the Minneapolis Mensch’. For many years, he was a sound guy/tour manager for <a contents="Chevelle" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://getmorechevelle.com" target="_blank">Chevelle</a>; I went to a few shows the two bands did together back in the day. I really dug Cornell’s smoky, multi-octave vocals, so I started listening to a shitload of <a contents="Soundgarden" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://soundgardenworld.com/" target="_blank">Soundgarden</a>, digging beyond the few hits I’d heard on the radio as a kid. Truthfully, it turned me into one of those annoyingly un-hip post-band-breakup fans. Looking-forward-to-the-reunion-‘cause-I-never-saw-them-live-before kind of deal. I apologize profusely for any pain this may cause real Soundgarden fans.<br> <br>Fast forward {<em>x</em>?} years and I’m in Seattle, stoked about seeing Cornell’s solo show, strolling through a <span style="color:#ADD8E6;">HUGE CLOUD OF POT SMOKE</span>—some of which I may or may not be responsible for—and into Benaroya Hall. Some ridiculously nice older-lady ushers point the way to the “good seats” and I settled my leather dress-dressed self into the roomy third row, a mere 20 feet from the stage.<br> </span></p>
<div class="captioned justify_left"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/49637bd4a7689ac481ebe780969b344d33c3c9b3/medium/chriscornellseattleshow.jpg?1443709616" class="size_orig justify_left border_" /><p class="caption">With Mike McCready. Photography: <a contents='PeterDervin.com' data-link-label='' data-link-type='url' href='http://www.peterdervin.com' target='_blank'>PeterDervin.com</a></p></div>
<p><br><span class="font_large">At this point, if I were a Chris Cornell fan-freak, I would launch into some annoyingly-detailed play-by-play, citing every goddamn thing that happened during his set, including analysis of each song he played, the exact order he played the songs and how Cornell kinda-sorta clammed halfway through this one particular song but it was still SO amazing and blah, blah, fucking blah. <br><br>Well, I’m not going to do that. It sounds like a fairly tedious post for someone else to write. <span style="color:#ADD8E6;">Probably some pale bearded hetero-man, who happens to have Mr. Cornell on his ‘allowed-to-be-gay-for’ list.</span> Actually, if you must know some of these things, you might want to reference <a contents="Dusty Henry's review on Consequence of Sound" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/09/live-review-chris-cornell-at-seattles-benaroya-hall-929/" target="_blank">Dusty Henry's review on Consequence of Sound</a>; it's detailed but not tedious. <br> <br>I CAN tell you this: <span style="color:#ADD8E6;">the return of this Rain City son to a sold-out crowd of fans and friends was a beautiful thing to experience.</span> He played almost everything I wanted to hear (except Mailman) and almost everything EVERYONE wanted to hear (except Outshined) because HE PLAYED FOR 3 MOTHERFUCKING HOURS, much of it solo. He played and played and sang and sang until some of the 40 and 50-somethings who had kids waiting at home with teenager babysitters had to leave. And then he did an encore. <br> <br>SO instead of lulling you to sleep with a detailed analysis of the drop-D or drop-(insert favorite here) tunings on Cornell’s 9 or 10 guitars, in a few days <span style="color:#ADD8E6;">I’ll publish a follow-up piece called <strong>Masters of Performance</strong>: </span><strong><span style="color:#ADD8E6;">Chris Cornell, Part 2 – 7 Ways to Make Your Next Live Performance Shine.</span> </strong>Maybe there will be 10 things if I get all Irish about it. I think we can all benefit from the interesting creative decisions and killer performance skills that went into making last night’s show a memorable experience.<br> <br>In the meantime, I’m packing my things. Moving day looms once again, like the approaching clouds of winter. </span> <br><br><br><br><br><span class="font_large">-JJ</span><br> <br><br><a contents="Read Masters of Performance: Chris Cornell, Part 2&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://jezebeljones.com/blog/blog/masters-of-performance-chris-cornell-part-2" target="_blank"><span class="font_large">Read Masters of Performance: Chris Cornell, Part 2 </span></a></p>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/38265752015-08-20T12:08:42-05:002021-08-27T04:31:51-05:00On Death, Remembrance and Coming Home <br><span class="font_large">Hi Everybody-<br> <br>Just wanted to let you know that I'll be in town <a contents="playing a few shows in the Twin Cities this weekend" data-link-label="Shows" data-link-type="page" href="/shows" target="_blank">playing a few shows in the Twin Cities this weekend</a>. I miss Minnesota badly; I haven't been home in nearly 3 years. <br> <br>A couple of months ago, I moved to Seattle from Texas, but it hasn't been all sunshine and candy canes and unicorns. But then again, Seattle isn't really known for any of those things.<br> </span>
<div class="captioned justify_right"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/cccbd165553b6086f08e758638f249fd05eaa500/medium/dogs-auditoriumshores.jpg?1440091419" class="size_orig justify_right border_" /><p class="caption">Hunter & Z at Auditorium Shores | Austin, Texas</p></div><br><span class="font_large">On the second day of my journey from Austin to Seattle, my dog "Z" keeled over suddenly. After living several years with an extremely bad heart condition, he fell over, seized and then died in moments. I couldn’t revive him; instead I held him and cried until he went cold. His ashes lay in a box by my bed, along with the ashes of my first dog Hunter, who died only 9 months ago. For 10 and 13 years respectively, they were my faithful companions. They still sleep by me at night. Sometimes they visit me in my dreams. <br> <br>Both deaths have hit me very hard. The loss of the second one was more painful because there's a huge void in my home. They were my family—better and much closer to me than my flesh and blood. The loss of their presence and love have brought a deeper, new kind of pain. I know this is natural and realize that the grief will follow me through this lifetime (<a contents="this excellent article on pet loss" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-death-of-pet-can-hurt-as-much-as-the-loss-of-a-relative/2012/02/21/gIQALXTXcS_story.html" target="_blank">this excellent article on pet loss</a> explains why). <br><br>I still cry every day. I miss their unique, beautiful souls; I’m not convinced we will ever see each other again. So I wear mementos</span><span style="font-size: 16.7999992370605px;">—</span><span class="font_large">lockets containing their ashes. I write songs about them. I draw them in crude form, inspired by Dias de los Muertos. I’m practicing my drawing, practicing my grief. I'm memorializing their place in my life...and my place in theirs.<br> <br>When the dogs and I nearly died in a house fire several years ago, I started really exploring what death means to me. For much of my life, I avoided the scary aspects of Death by being "born again". The fear of dying and then going to hell was a driving force in my life, well into my 20’s. That same fear of impending death and judgment drives many of us in this American culture. We’re so afraid that we don’t question our core beliefs</span><span style="font-size: 16.7999992370605px;">—</span><span class="font_large">the beliefs that govern our lives. Fear encourages obedience...and i'm not big on obedience.<br> <br>Death has often been portrayed as mostly masculine throughout the ages. As the Grim Reaper, Death becomes a terrifying figure, an imposing spectre designed to frighten the masses. But what if Death was not that way at all? What if Death was a beautiful, mysterious woman? What if all aspects of death were tied to the feminine divine? How might we live our lives differently?<br> <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/350f89e4107c6fac48326c50fee8e9ebec756ab7/medium/byebyebanshee-profile-06222015.jpg?1440091606" class="size_m justify_left border_" />My new project is very personal—it’s an exploration of this concept, but it also represents growth in my writing and musical sensibilities. I started this alternative "career" path fairly late in life, but I’m trying to make up for lost time. This latest project—<a contents="Bye Bye Banshee" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://soundcloud.com/bye-bye-banshee/sets/bye-bye-banshee-demos" target="_blank">Bye Bye Banshee</a>—is all about death. And also remembrance. For those interested in the beginning stages of music, rough demos of this new project are available, below.<br> <br>I’ll be debuting some of these new tunes this weekend when I open up for the freakin’ amazing <a contents="Rasputina Saturday night Aug 22 at the Turf Club" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://turfclub.net/show/2015-08-rasputina/" target="_blank">Rasputina Saturday night Aug 22 at the Turf Club</a> in St. Paul. I'll be backed by some of the members of my former band (Jezebel Jones & Her Wicked Ways) and it’ll be great see so many friends</span><span style="font-size: 16.7999992370605px;">—</span><span class="font_large">especially those in the local music scene</span><span style="font-size: 16.7999992370605px;">—</span><span class="font_large">who have been incredibly cool and supportive these past several years.<br> <br>I’ll also be doing a solo old-school country set at my favorite record store of all time, <a contents="Hymie’s Vintage Records " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://hymiesrecords.com/instoreperformances/" target="_blank">Hymie’s Vintage Records </a>(Laura and Dave are the BEST) and also playing a solo show at the <a contents="Nomad on Sunday night Aug 23" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/440114386195250/" target="_blank">Nomad on Sunday night Aug 23</a> with my talented friends <a contents="Blood Brother" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.bloodbrothermusic.com" target="_blank">Blood Brother</a> (Philip Westfall’s one-man band) and the ever-evolving <a contents="Swallows" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.swallowthemusic.com" target="_blank">Swallows</a>.<br><br><a contents="View details for all Twin Cities shows." data-link-label="Shows" data-link-type="page" href="/shows" target="_blank">View details for all Twin Cities shows.</a><br> <br>Some of this music has never been played in public yet—and I can’t wait to share it with you folks in my hometown first. Please say hello</span><span style="font-size: 16.7999992370605px;">—</span><span class="font_large">I'll be hanging around before and after the shows. Hope to see you all soon!!!<br> <br>XoXo,<br> <br>Jezebel</span><br> <br><br><iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/48648315&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/37869942015-07-22T10:29:23-05:002021-09-14T00:30:20-05:00An Open Letter to the Dude Who Wants to Buy JezebelJones.com<br><span class="font_large">Dear Readers,<br><br>The other day I received some mail that I thought you might find interesting. My response follows...</span><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/4ff4775f2b5afdc6ea83762534f3cfab16a4bc75/original/davesletter.png?1437577251" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br><span class="font_large">Dear Dave-<br> <br>Thanks so very much for your thoughtful and—dare I say—<span style="color:#3399ff;"><em>highly</em> </span><em><span style="color:#3399ff;">imaginative</span> </em>letter, but especially for your flatterous words. <br> <br>A musician always loves people who will take the time to kiss ass a little, but preferably a LOT. We music-types have huge EGOs, imho! Usually that “flattery” takes slightly different forms, though, like praising my original music or comparing me to artists I dig, such as Nick Cave, Billie Holiday or the great Barry Manilow. Sometimes people just compliment me on my quality footwear. But saying you covet my domain name—<em><span style="color:#3399ff;">JezebelJones.com</span></em>—is almost just as good.<br> <br>As a fellow arteest, I’m sure you can understand the importance of a owning the same dot com name as your <span style="color:#3399ff;"><em>already-established stage/band name</em></span>. In fact, it may be <span style="color:#3399ff;"><em>slightly more important</em></span> than owning the dot com name of a character in a yet-to-be-completed first novel.<br> <br>Although I didn’t read your fan-fiction—<span style="color:#3399ff;"><em>primarily because I’m not a fan-fiction fan, but also because I hate to read</em></span>—I’m sure your upcoming novel will be equal parts moody and dangerously brilliant, and sell like DC crack til you finally make the New York Times Best Seller List. If a talentless hack like E.L. James (also a fan-fiction writer!) can manage to write a best seller, <span style="color:#3399ff;"><em>literally anyone can</em></span>.<br> <br>I understand why you feel marketing your upcoming first novel/runaway debut bestseller is more important than my relatively trivial musical endeavors. As you so politely <span style="color:#3399ff;"><em>did NOT</em></span> point out, soon you’ll be outselling Stephen King <a contents="while I’m opening up for some puppet show at a theme park in California" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lku6S24pWSU" target="_blank">while I’m opening up for some puppet show at a theme park in California</a>. So really…what’s the point in me even keeping </span><em style="font-size: 16.7999992370605px;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 255);">JezebelJones.com</span></em><em style="font-size: 16.7999992370605px;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 255);"> </span></em><span class="font_large">?<br> <br>That’s a tough question to answer. I guess while you’ve been riffing on JK Rowling’s ideas, I’ve been working on writing unique, “riff-free” music, getting the word out about it and building a community of friends and supporters. I’m sure you can understand why it’s at least <span style="color:#3399ff;"><em>marginally</em></span> important for me to keep using </span><em style="font-size: 16.7999992370605px;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 255);">JezebelJones.com</span></em><span class="font_large">.<br><br>Also, my Turkish fans might be really pissed if you took over the domain. I really, really don’t want to let them down. They're very nice. And they’ve been through enough lately, don’t you think?<br> <br>That said, I’m not <em>entirely </em>unreceptive to selling the domain name for the right price. Turkey will understand…eventually.<br><br><span style="color:#3399ff;"><em>Since</em> <em>you didn’t mention money</em> <em>at all</em>,</span> I assume that money is no object. I get it. That’s cool. I know several trust fund kids, and they’re only mean drunks when they’re drinking. But considering the time, money, passion and pain it has cost me these past several years to write/produce music, build a fan base and promote my site—not to mention the continued long-tail value over the next several decades…<br> <br>In short, I would be willing to sell the </span><em style="font-size: 16.7999992370605px;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 255);">JezebelJones.com</span></em><span class="font_large"> domain name for...(drum-roll, please)... <br><br><span style="color:#3399ff;">$1,000,000 US.</span><br><br>It feels like the right amount for this “prime Internet property”, as you call it. Funds would need to be verified beforehand, naturally. But I think we really “get” each other, so maybe we could skip that part. However, I would feel much better if I could sign the transfer paperwork <span style="color:#3399ff;"><em>after </em></span>your payment posts to the Swiss bank account I plan to open.<br> <br>As far as the hosting, rebuilding and re-architecting of my website, I would prefer not to have a Drupal developer touch <strong>JezebelJones.com</strong>. Ever. Please never mention it again, as it is extremely upsetting to me for obvious reasons. <span style="color:#3399ff;"><em>“Unsweeten the deal”, so to speak.</em></span><br> <br>In summary, I prefer to keep </span><em style="font-size: 16.7999992370605px;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 255);">JezebelJones.com</span></em><span class="font_large">. But money talks. <a contents="And bullshit does something else altogether" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrMWRKSNLcs" target="_blank">And bullshit does something else altogether</a>, but that’s not important here. I’m willing to part with the domain name if I can afford to quit my 9-5 job, pay off my debts and pursue my music full time. We all have to make sacrifices, I guess.<br> <br>At this point you're probably wondering what I’d do with the money from the sale of my domain name. Most likely, I would buy a tiny cottage in Ireland or lease a flat in Paris or Berlin where I could smoke gratuitous amounts of high-quality marijuana, write my next album and take up urban landscape painting. Maybe Barcelona would make more sense for all of that. Well, I’d better go brush up on my Spanish.<br> <br>Looking forward to your kind response. Adiós (aka, “goodbye”).<br><br><br>-Jezebel Jones</span><br><br><br>P.S. To your point, no, I wasn't able to to secure "jezebeljones" as some of my social media handles, thus I go by "msjezebeljones" on <a contents="Twitter," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.twitter.com/msjezebeljones" target="_blank">Twitter,</a> <a contents="YouTube" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/msjezebeljones" target="_blank">YouTube</a> and <a contents="Instagram" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.instagram.com/msjezebeljones" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. You said that msjezebeljones.com would be a “perfect alternative domain name” for my website. <span style="color:#3399ff;"><strong><em>I completely</em></strong> <strong><em>agree</em></strong></span> except I would replace the “alternative” with “additional”, at least until you purchase my domain. So I have additionally secured <a contents="msjezebeljones.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.msjezebeljones.com" target="_blank">msjezebeljones.com</a> in anticipation of that joyous event.<br><br><br><span style="color:#3399cc;">UPDATE 7/23/15:</span><br><br>Dave emailed me back. This is what he had to say...<br><br><span style="color:#3399cc;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Thanks for the forthright and humorous response. If-ever I have $1,000,000 to spend on a domain name, I’ll be sure to come back with a new and proper proposal!</span></span>
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<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="color:#3399cc;">Here’s hoping both of us will someday be able to quit our 9-5 jobs and pursue our real work full time.</span></div>
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<span style="color:#3399cc;">Dave</span><br><br>So, I guess Barcelona will have to wait. *sigh*. Someday.<br><br>-JJ</div>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/5719662015-06-06T10:42:27-05:002017-02-01T22:33:37-06:00 The Devil Made Me Listen to Records & Smoke Marijuana<br><span style="font-size: 16.7999992370605px;">A True Story of Weed & Backwards Masking by Jezebel Jones</span><br><br>********************************************************************<br><br><span class="font_regular">Note: This is a repost of a piece I did to celebrate 4/20 a couple of years ago. I took it down temporarily because I was concerned about "random" testing at my day job in Texas. Have I mentioned I'm happy to be living in Washington state with lots of other "devil worshippers"? ;)<br><br>********************************************************************</span><br><br><span class="font_large">I like to think I smoke marijuana because Freddy Mercury told me to.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/0fa26b77f6ddcd060a51efa9702a0b776539178b/original/blog_420_2013.jpg?1366478133" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="Cover of Queen's Greatest Hits" height="250" width="250" />Back when I was a child, I’d spend weeks of my summer at some Pentecostal camp or another, usually with my family. When I was about 12 or 13, I was finally old enough to go to Teen Camp on my own, which meant less crafts, less supervision, more sophisticated pranks (quick-set cherry jello in the toilets) and longer church services with age-appropriate topics like the evils of drinking, pre-marital sex and masturbation. <i>Hello, Jesus Camp!</i><br><br>That week was a several hour presentation by not-quite-famous Peters Brothers, a pair of slick sibling “saints” who traveled around the country peddling a titillating, anti-rock music multimedia presentation called ‘The Truth About Rock’. Three glorious hours of demonic imagery & ungodly music mashed up with bouts of fiery preaching, followed by an offering and an altar call to repent of your music sins. It was profitable (tax-free!). Sexy and gory and riveting, OH MY!<br><br>Now, one of the topics covered in this anti-rock music extravaganza (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIRZ97wqOZ4" target="_new">you can watch an older 80’s version on YouTube</a> and laugh your ass off) was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backmasking" target="_new">backmasking or backwards masking</a>, which is a technique used to hide subliminal sounds/phrases in music. These messages are only understandable if you were to play that bit backwards, and the Peters Brothers provided convincing evidence of evail, Satanic messages within popular rock songs.<br><br>One of the audio clips they played was “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen, which happened to be a favorite song as a child. By favorite song that I mean we roller skated to it in grade school. They and many other preachers were saying Queen communed with the Devil because the song has the message, “It’s Fun to Smoke Marijuana” or “Decide to Smoke Marijuana” <a href="http://djlobsterdust.com/index.php/mashups/queen-vs-satan-lobsterdusts-satanic-reverses/" target="_new">backmasked into the song</a>. <i>Hail Satan!</i><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/8e8b85cc9fb996fafc26fde4dbf93a386cdd811b/original/420Profile.jpg?1366478364" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="Jezebel Jones" height="250" width="250" />Fast forward many years later I’m living with my folks in Florida and waiting tables. If that doesn’t drive you to all kinds of drugs, I don’t know what will. Weed was readily available. I had given it the old “college try” in college but didn’t get high that first time.<br><br>This time I was a bit older—maybe even wiser—and wanted to know what I was getting into. So I start doing research on marijuana on the internet—the effects, the different types, the history of use, the laws. And that’s how I found out about medical marijuana and how it’s helping so many people cope with various conditions (especially pain) with minimal if any side effects.<br><br>It was an eye-opening experience—<a href="http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2013/01/marijuana_propaganda_photos_reefer_madness.php" target="_new">marijuana was not the evil drug that we’d been warned about</a>. In fact, it was much safer than many common over-the-counter & prescription drugs…and it seemed like it might be fun. So I decided to give it another try. The first time I got high was really amazing. With my mind relaxed, I chatted happily with my co-workers, forgetting my troubles for a few hours, with absolutely no hangover in the morning. And no regrets.<br><br>Several years later when I started writing and playing, marijuana was the ultimate Muse, the valve that opened the flow of creativity for me. Yes, I have stupid stoner moments, and plenty of them. But I’ve also solved complex problems, eased physical pain, had deep spiritual insights and awakenings, and stopped taking anti-depressants with dangerous side effects. And experienced much growth, creativity and satisfaction in my musical development. Personally, I’m thankful for this good plant.<br><br>While we were recording my first record “Queen of the Devil’s Rodeo” I was telling my co-producer—David J Russ—about the Peters Brothers, when suddenly I remembered that reference to the Queen Song. We had a good laugh about it. Then I had an idea…<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/c72995e84c5726e1a9b79414ab550d9e2c5168fc/original/qotdr_backmasking.jpg?1366479158" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="Queen of the Devil's Rodeo: Satanic baskmasking secrets revealed!" height="226" width="250" />For laughs, I recorded me saying “decide to smoke marijuana” and we reversed it, adding it to one of my songs; a homage to Queen, a bit of a “fuck you” to the crazy Peters Brothers and a pro-pot statement all wrapped up in a private joke, buried in a song. You can <a href="./home.cfm" target="_new">listen to The Prisoner here</a>; the marijuana bit happens around 1:42, and we threw in an extra backmasked bit at the end (reversed a piece of the whole song) to give it an authentic “Satanic” sound.<br><br>Happy 4/20 & Happy Record Store Day 2013!!! Please support legal weed AND your local record stores.<br><br>-Jezebel<br><br><i>P.S. As I’m writing this post, I’m playing Queen’s Greatest Hits on vinyl. And smiling. Hail Satan!<br><br>P.S.S. And if you missed this <a href="http://djlobsterdust.com/index.php/mashups/queen-vs-satan-lobsterdusts-satanic-reverses/" target="_new">awesome Backwards Masking DJ mix of 'Another One Bites the Dust'</a>, check it out.</i></span><br type="_moz"> 4:27Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/36660672015-04-19T13:54:14-05:002022-05-06T11:06:04-05:00Texas and the TSA<br><span class="font_large">Goodbye, Texas. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/1b4eff76ebe2c3da24d058e26490014b66d25679/medium/tsanunmeme-jezebeljones.jpg?1429469561" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="TSA: Nun are Safe" /><br><br>I'll be hitting the road soon--remaining dog at my side--driving through Roswell, NM, Moab, UT and Boise, ID, on my way to my new (and old) home, Seattle. I've landed a good day job, and a songwriter often needs one of those things to pay the bills. I love a good road trip and this one's bound to be inspiring. <br><br><a contents="I'm talkin' about the road" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdjFvFyaumE" target="_blank">I'm talkin' about the road</a>. Inspiring. Expansive. Full of Revelations.<br><br>But if the car is the modern American horse, what are planes? <br><br>Planes are annoying. Too much waiting. Too little room, obnoxious people, crying babies. And then there's the crotch-grabbing before you even board the plane...<br><br>We teach our children not to let strangers touch their genitals (STRANGER, DANGER!!!), but apparently random agents of the government can touch our genitals all they want, in a public place.<br><br>Today one of my favorite alternative weekly's--the <a contents="Denver Westword" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.denverwestword.com" target="_blank">Denver Westword</a>--posted a funny story on <a contents="TSA crotch-grabbing memes" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.westword.com/news/tsa-memes-that-explain-why-dia-crotch-groping-investigation-has-gone-national-6653171" target="_blank">TSA crotch-grabbing memes</a>. As I scrolled through, I laughed but started to get a <em>teeny</em> bit annoyed that all the TSA memes they posted were of MEN. I have first hand experience with the TSA fondling my labia, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. <br><br>So I thought I'd post a female TSA meme--surely they existed. But after some unsuccessful googling, apparently the internet thinks airport crotch groping it IS a male problem, because I couldn't find much in the way of female TSA memes. <br><br>So I found a picture that works (and jives well with my upbringing) and made my own. <br><br>Happy Sunday, Everyone. <br><br>Fly America at your own risk.<br><br>-Jez</span><br><br> Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/35310322015-02-14T18:11:11-06:002017-02-04T13:01:32-06:006 Smart, Kinky Alternatives to Fifty Shades of Grey<span class="font_large">If you’re thinking about seeing the movie Fifty Shades of Grey this Valentine’s Day, please don’t. Furthermore, if you’re dating someone who suggests it, this is grounds for an immediate break-up.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/608f7242e98e5881c8475381bed082e44aa51339/original/50shades.jpg?1423959107" class="size_orig justify_right border_" />Fifty Shades of Grey is movie based on a book aimed at women who are a) barely literate and b) are tired of having vanilla sex. Apparently, there are a lot more women in that category than I thought, because this horrible-excuse-for-killing-trees has become a worldwide “sensation”, spawning a host of parodies (see <a href="http://us.macmillan.com/fiftyshedsofgrey/ctgrey">Sheds of Grey</a>) along with a line of S&M products that are sure to something-up your suburban sex life and possibly lead to some uncomfortable, drunken conversations with your girlfriends at the country club.<br><br>The writing is truly, ridiculously terrible. And not in a good way, unless <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkLqAlIETkA">Gilbert Gottfried is reading it</a>; then it’s pure comic genius. I read Harlequin romances that were more intellectually stimulating when I was 15. I eye-rolled and laughed myself through twelve pages, then threw it in the pile for charity and became severely depressed at the state of American literature. Can the movie be worse, you ask? Maybe not. Still, I’m not taking any chances.<br><br>Erotica should stimulate your body AND mind. And it shouldn’t put you in harm’s way. In addition to the piss-poor writing, the Shades of Grey franchise is chock full of stereotypes and dangerous choices; sex educator extraordinaire, <a href="http://youtu.be/o92hv7La9Sk">Laci Green does a great job of explaining why this book (and now movie) fails</a> and how to have fun, consensual kinky sex.<br><br>For smarter women (and men) who are interested in BDSM sex practices or the lifestyle, here’s a list of better, sexier options to explore this Valentine’s Day.<br> <br><strong>6 Smart, Kinky Alternatives to Fifty Shades of Grey</strong><br> <br>1. <a contents="Different Loving" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.amazon.com/Different-Loving-Sexual-Dominance-Submission/dp/0679769560" target="_blank">Different Loving</a><br>This well-written book gives readers a peek into the dominate/submissive lifestyle and its various permutations. Authored by a husband and wife duo, it’s a fascinating read for anyone interested in sexuality and human behavior.<br> <br>2. <a contents="Penny Flame’s Expert Guide to Rough Sex" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.goodvibes.com/display_product.jhtml?id=8-7-ML-0901&lref=Srch_penny+flame_Products_1" target="_blank">Penny Flame’s Expert Guide to Rough Sex</a><br>Penny teams up with filmmaker <a contents="Tristan Taormino" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://tristantaormino.com/" target="_blank">Tristan Taormino</a> for this half how-to video, half erotic porn. And it’s pretty damn good. If you’re interested in BDSM sex, you should know these basics so no one gets hurt.<br><br> 3. <a contents="A Submissive’s Initiative – Website" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://asibdsm.com/" target="_blank">A Submissive’s Initiative – Website</a><br>The goal of this website is to make “BDSM approachable, understandable and fun” in a “warm" atmosphere. Lots of good resources here.<br><br>4. <a contents="Kinky Handmade Products on Etsy.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?q=bdsm" target="_blank">Kinky Handmade Products on Etsy.com</a><br>Skip the cheesy sex store and shop for cooler kinky accoutrements on Etsy. From custom leather whips to BDSM jewelry, there’s a little something subversive for everyone.<br><br>5. <a contents="Betty Page Stag Film – Irving Klaw (1955)" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://archive.org/details/BettiePageSpankedSlaveGirlRareBondageFetishStagFilm" target="_blank">Betty Page Stag Film – Irving Klaw (1955)</a><br>This short clip from a rare stag film has reemerged, showing gorgeous “Bondage Betty” in her submitting to a dom female. Funny and sexy. Sure to lead to foreplay...at least.<br><br> 6. <a contents="Shades of Grey (Parody Song)" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://youtu.be/-TmACeHCl9c" target="_blank">Shades of Grey (Parody Song)</a> - Music/Lyrics by yours truly, Jezebel Jones<br>I wrote this silly song just this morning and captured it on video tonight for your Valentine's Day pleasure.<br> <br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="-TmACeHCl9c" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/-TmACeHCl9c/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-TmACeHCl9c?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br><br>To my lovely friends and fans—Happy Valentine’s Day!<br><br><br>XOXO,<br><br><br>Jezebel</span><br><br> Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/25083802014-02-02T12:19:22-06:002017-01-15T14:05:50-06:00About Last Night: What Happens in San Antonio Stays in San Antonio<span class="font_regular"><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><em><strong>Note to the reader:</strong> I wasn't gonna publish this post outside my facebook friend circle, mostly because I've recently made peace with my born-again Christian folks and was worried about them reading it. But I've been challenged to live a more honest life, be who I am and not be ashamed. Called to be more vulnerable and share some of the adventures of my (sometimes) adventurous life. Sure, sometimes I take liberties and perhaps exaggerate here and there, as any Texas-based storyteller might. But I'm no longer willing to censor myself for others...nor apologize for my "wicked ways", so here it is...</em><br><br>Last night was insane. </span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;">Bussed it to a local rock club. Oh my vengeful god, the band sucked. The drummer was particularly ludicrous; apparently he spends all his practice time tossing his sticks and making up fancy "I’m-such-a-badass-rocker" moves and no time on actually keeping time.</span></span></span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"> <div class="captioned justify_right"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/974b31102617760e5080c378b45253483f6d4dfa/original/blog-02022014.jpg?1391364820" class="size_orig justify_right border_" /><p class="caption"> </p></div><span class="font_regular"><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;">After a few truly terrible songs, I walked to a nearby convenience store looking to kill time before the next band. On the way back I noticed a bar with rainbow lights called <a contents="The Annex" data-link-label="" data-link-type="" href="http://www.theannex-satx.com" target="_blank">The Annex</a> and thought, "what the hell..." </span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;">You know the scene from those old westerns. Stranger walks into the saloon. Entire room goes quiet as everyone stares at the stranger. Then everybody goes back to what they were doing but that uneasy feeling still lingers in the air. There was literally only one other woman in the place.</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;">Should I even be here? Did I break some kind of unwritten SA gay code? So I flat out asked the adorable, husky man boy to my right. Within minutes I met all his friends and we got to know each other over drinks and lots of laughs. Soon Eddie and his pals had me following them to another bar with rainbow lights: one that featured male strippers. </span></span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><span style="color:#ADD8E6;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;">OH SNAP these strippers were freakin’ hot. </span></span><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;">AMAZING bodies and faces, excellent erotic dancing skills. My new gay friend-pack thought it was great fun to call them over and then shove dollar bills in my hand and have me tip the dancers. (People see me as wild--and I can be sometimes--but I’m still a bit of a modest Catholic school girl). I was titillated and embarrassed and being a good sport about it as these smokin' guys pummeled my face with their...errrr...packages.</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;">Let’s just say they weren’t shy about earning those dollar bills. Let’s just say at least one of the hot dancers was definitely NOT gay. Let’s just say some of events that happened shortly afterwards are not safe for work, or my parents or impressionable children but will provide fabulous fodder for my unauthorized biography.</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><br style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;">Let’s just say what happens in San Antonio stays in San Antonio.</span></span></span>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/2523722013-09-12T06:00:00-05:002022-04-17T20:04:31-05:00Suicide, Compassion...and Richard Lloyd <br><span style="font-size: larger;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/9a6ce6afae7dcc82fb02dddc6c5f61a9b84498f9/original/Blog_Suicide2.jpg?1379005441" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="286" width="303" />An acquaintance just posted a note about his recent conversation with guitarist/former Television band member </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lloyd_(guitarist)" target="_new"><span style="font-size: larger;">Richard Lloyd</span></a><span style="font-size: larger;"> on Facebook and it <b><i>so disturbed me</i></b> that I had to turn to the pen, so to speak. Below is the post in its entirety (minus the discussion thread that ensued).</span><br><br><span style="color: rgb(153, 204, 255);"><span style="font-size: larger;"><i>“I was driving Richard Lloyd and he shared his thoughts on suicide. Suicides, he said, should be forgotten, their names expunged, because they are foremost murderers, and murder should not bring glory to its perpetrators.<br><br>At first, it didn't sit right with me, but after watching friends whose loved ones have killed themselves, both suddenly and slowly, by premeditated murder and by manslaughter, I have to acknowledge the fundamental violence of the act and deem it unforgivable as murder. To honor a victim of suicide is to place his murderer above the survivors.<br><br>If a man loses his fight with depression, he should hope to be scoffed at and forgotten and erased. No resting in peace for you, suicides. Decay in dishonor.”</i></span></span><br><br><span style="font-size: larger;">Wow. This is one of the cruelest things I had read in long time.<br><br>First of all, suicide is not about YOU, friend. It’s not about YOU, Richard Lloyd. It’s about another person wanting to end their pain. Sometimes it’s about depression and despair that so colors your world, you can’t see clearly, whether it’s in a moment of desperation (often aided by legal/illegal drug or alcohol), a product of chemical imbalance, combined with the means to commit the act. Sometimes it's about mental illness. Sometimes it is a rational decision, a considered response to physical pain or the dying process.<br><br><span class="font_regular"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 204, 255);">Yes, I’ve heard all the arguments and the finger-pointing. God, we just love to pass judgment and blame someone else for their faults and decisions. “Suicide is a selfish act”. How very cliché. Well, most of our lives are lived selfishly. In America selfishness is our enthusiastic pasttime, our true national religion.</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 102);"> </span><i>Isn’t it selfish of us to condemn those who are suffering or blinded by pain, saying they should choose to live so that we won’t suffer when they die?</i></span></span><br><br>Some of those same people who express anger after a suicide, could have—and maybe should have—intervened earlier. Some of these folks feel a sense of outrage and betrayal after a suicide because it makes them feel guilty and regetful about their own actions or inaction. Religion often heaps on more judgement and cruelty, condemning a person to hell for this act, dictating that they cannot be buried with their congregation.<br><br>BUT many times there simply wasn’t a way to prevent the act. Anyone who has dealt with depression, especially serious depression over a lifetime, may turn to suicide regardless of strong family and friend ties. That person may be loved, but still find themselves wanting to end their own life. It’s natural to ask “what more could I have done?” after the fact. But many times there truly wasn’t anything you could do to prevent it; ultimately they chose to end their pain in the only way they knew how.<br><br>I personally had an experience when I was going off anti-depression medication many years ago. Even though I tapered off it gradually as the doctor recommended, it triggered suicidal thoughts to the degree that if I had had the ready means on that evening, I may have decided to end it all. Luckily that terrible evening passed, but thoughts of death and dying are not uncommon for me. They are not uncommon for many of us, particularly artists and musicians. But fortunately, since I rediscovered music a few years back, neither are thoughts of life, love and joy.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/572b96a874aca022cc4856f8aa213c7b0bd8eab1/original/Blog_Suicide1.jpg?1379005684" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="286" width="303" />I’m advocating for compassion on all sides of the issue. Compassion for the person who commits suicide, compassion for the friends and family and most of all compassion for one’s self. You can never walk in another person’s shoes, not really. We can only try to understand and extend as much love as our hearts will allow.<br><br>Several years ago, a family friend ended his own life. J. was a sweet person—beautiful inside and out. I remember being quite shocked when I heard the news. He seemed so even-keeled, so zen. He was a student of Buddhism; I believe he was studying to become a priest at the time of his death. But a moment of drug-enhanced despair and the means to do it (a gun he kept in a safe for protection) led to a tragic end.<br><br>I’ve written </span><a href="/files/77043/San-Diego.mp3" target="_new"><span style="font-size: larger;">a new song about this very subject,</span></a><span style="font-size: larger;"> inspired by my brother’s good friend. Here is semi-produced demo of the song (flaws and all), which I decided to share with you today of this post. We’ve only performed it live a few times and it will be on my next album. It’s called San Diego; I dedicate it to J. and all folks who have been affected by this issue.<br><br>For those who are tormented by guilt and regret over the suicide of a loved one, please try to extend compassion to your loved one and most importantly, yourself. To those who are tormented by thoughts of suicide, please try (and keep trying and trying) to reach out to others. If you don’t have that support network, there are compassionate strangers who want to help you. </span><a href="http://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/" target="_new"><span style="font-size: larger;">Call a support line</span></a><span style="font-size: larger;">, say something on Facebook, talk to a teacher, doctor, or counselor. People do understand, care and want to help.<br><br>There are no easy answers to a subject <i>this </i>complex and fraught with emotion. Can we open our hearts to forgive and understand? Can we demonstrate compassion and reach out to those who are hurting? <br><br>In love & compassion,<br><br>Jezebel<br><br>(originally posted Nov. 2012, revised Sept 2013)</span><br><br> 4:45Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/15107612013-08-29T03:35:00-05:002017-01-15T14:05:50-06:00Why I'm Not Playing<span style="font-size: larger;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/4a46e3a389eb9f47d94099b3a6b50b0deff6f52f/original/FanProfile.jpg?1377784719" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="225" width="300" /><br>
People keep questioning me—it’s happening so frequently I dread hearing it again, but perhaps the message has not resonated at the proper frequency, so I hear it and hear it again, growing louder with each ask. First the prefacing question: When are you playing? And then the ONE, the inevitable follow-up question: <br><b><br></b><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 255);"><i><b>Why aren’t you playing?</b></i></span><br><br>
I don’t know the answer today any better than I did when I moved here last September. Austin has been a potpourri of party and allergies and friendship and poverty and ungodly heat. But one thing I know for sure. We haven’t really made music together. Not much, anyway.<br><br><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 255);"><b><i>Why aren’t you playing?</i></b></span><br><br>
I’m trying like hell to answer that question. And here are the theories. Like the unruly thoughts they are, they spring to mind in no particular order…<br><br><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 255);"><b>It certainly doesn’t feel like fear. </b></span>The thought of performing doesn’t induce hot sweaty palms or cold feet feelings. I really enjoy performing, yet I haven’t sought it out. I’ve done a few performances (when asked) here and there and many impromptu practice sessions in the park. Why haven’t I pursued bookings or put together a band? I really don’t know. But I think I can eliminate fear.<br><br><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 255);"><b>I can’t decide if it’s indecision.</b></span> When you move to a new city, you have the chance to reincarnate but when so many things interest you, it’s hard to know what form to take. I’ve got a few style-irons in the fire and am not sure which project I want to be the primary focus. I’m not sure where—or even if—I fit in here. Does that even matter? The bands I’ve been watching/following here are a mixed bag of honky-tonk, country, blues, newgrass. Few of these bands make me swoon, blow my mind, rock my world. If I was judging strictly on musical style, Denver is much closer to my soul.<br><br><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 255);"><b>Maybe I’m looking for a different kind of gig. </b></span>Maybe playing in the average small to mid-sized club doesn’t really appeal to me much anymore; so much ego and tiring bullshit for such little pay. Maybe I’d rather play/host house concert parties—as I did back home in Minneapolis—busk on the street, put on more theatrical/experimental/illegal shows in a warehouse space or old church. Still, I’ve been here for 10 months and have done exactly none of those things. <br><br><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 255);"><b>Perhaps I’m tired of playing solo</b></span><b>.</b> I miss having a band. Having said that, it’s kind of like missing a disease that will permanently disfigure and/or kill you. It’s the best and worst of things, a band. A 45-minute original set zips by at 95 mph; but you’ve got to prep for the race, drive an unstable car at high speed and clean up all the debris afterwards. Sometimes you win, though, and then there’s lots of heady camaraderie and bubbly champagne and addictive endorphins. Enough to almost make you forget your bleeding head wound.<br><br><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 255);"><b>Maybe I’m distracted.</b> </span>I’ve HAVE been writing more posts/improving my writing, learning about Victorian funeral practices and watching King of the Hill with renewed appreciation. Practicing guitar. Looking for work. Going to shows, lots and lots of shows. Battling fleas. Practicing ukulele. Really watching films for the first time in years. Hanging out with my dogs. And yes, there were a couple of brief, mean stints with corporate America because I need to pay bills. <br><br><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 255);"><b>Probably I’m lazy.</b></span><b> </b>And need to stop or severely cut back on smoking weed. This is highly likely, pun unintended. I’ve written a few new songs since I came; most are not finished. And I haven’t finished the unfinished material I came here with, either. You’d think with all the tears I’ve shed since I moved here, I would have written at least 3 blues albums worth of material by now. I have not.<br><br><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 255);"><b>OK, maybe I’m being too hard on myself. </b></span>Maybe Austin’s not through with me yet. Maybe I’m not through with Austin. It still doesn’t feel like home—but I’m not sure I did enough to make it my home. My feet are tapping again. Is it for want of music or because it’s time to hit the road?<br><br>
I’m not sure what comes next. Colorado, Tennessee and California have been reaching out to me; each has its charms, all have better weather. I feel disconnected, un-tethered. Nothing much is keeping me here, except a friend or two and my half-worn expectations.<br><br>
The landscape of the city continues to change daily, and every day I’m trying to change, too. Trying to go with the flow and figure all this shit out. Should I stay or should I go now? Hopefully I’ll recognize the path when I clumsily stumble upon it. <br><br>
No doubt I’ll skin a knee or two in the process.<br><br>
XOXO,<br><br>
Jezebel</span><br>2:13Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/12997832013-07-31T00:55:00-05:002017-02-02T03:53:09-06:00 8 Reasons to be Happy You’re Broke<span style="font-size: larger;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/b76fccc13037ac2f4d2c39f9bac50fdf27692dbe/medium/8Reasons.jpg?1375325259" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="273" width="300" /><br>
Since moving to Texas last fall, I’ve experienced varying shades of broke, ranging from semi-broke to near flat broke. News Flash! Being a indie musician doesn’t always pay the bills. And while I love Austin, living here isn’t cheap.<br><br>
It’s been humbling to revert back to my Raman-noodle eating college existence: struggling to find employment, not knowing how I’d pay the bills, treasure-hunting for spare change so I could do laundry or drink some beer on the weekend.<br><br>
But finally, Lady Luck was on my side; tomorrow I start a new day job that pays a living wage. Now, on the eve of my “Freedom from Broke”, I’m reminiscing about the good things that have come from this lean period. <br><br>
To those who are suffering financial hardship and/or joblessness, I certainly don’t mean to trivialize your pain. Mostly, I wrote this list as a reflective exercise for myself: lessons to keep in mind, whether I’m broke or not.<br><br><br><br><br></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 204);"><span style="font-size: larger;"><b>1. It improves your spending/budgeting habits.</b></span></span><span style="font-size: larger;"><br><br>
It’s damned easy to be wasteful with money if you’re not worried about it; just look at the irresponsible spending of our politicians, bankers and CEOs. However, when you’re living paycheck to paycheck—or don’t have a paycheck—you’re forced to look at, prioritize and cut your expenses. <br><br>
This week alone I cancelled an online subscription I was barely using, got my bank to reverse an overdraft charge and found a mistake on my grocery receipt. I’ve had to stop eating out and drastically cut down on drinking when I’m socializing at the bars or playing a show. <br><br>
Unless you’re on the </span><a href="http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/" target="_new"><span style="font-size: larger;">Forbes Billionaire List</span></a><span style="font-size: larger;">, watching your pennies is a good habit, but sadly some of us don’t remember to practice it until we’re forced to.<br><br><br><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 204);"><b>2. It builds character.</b></span><b><br></b><br>
Delaying your gratification is not really a staple of the American culture. We need more, we need it supersized and most importantly we need it NOW. But these thinly disguised pursuits aren’t very healthy for the soul. <br><br>
Spending money is a lot like dating. Sure that hot guy at the gym is texting a late night invitation to “hang out”, but it’s not the worst thing in the world to wait a little bit and see if he’s actually worthy of your awesome (insert best sex skill here). Delaying gratification allows you to regain control; suddenly you get pickier about—well—who gets the money, so to speak. And in the interim, you develop patience and a bit more respect for that which you waited or saved for.<br><br><br><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 204);"><b>3. It forces you to be more creative.</b></span><b><br></b><br>
When you’ve financially comfortable, it’s easy to buy what everyone else has. And what everyone else has is freakin’ BOOOOOORING! Having to find creative solutions makes you an explorer, an inventor, an artist. And all of these things make you more original, more YOU. <br><br>
When money’s tight or nonexistent everything becomes a DIY project. Not only is this a chance to expand your skills and creativity, experimenting is fun! Modify a dress or t-shirt you never wear anyway, learn how to change your own oil, cut & color your hair at home. Instead spending money on overpriced drinks at the club, invite friends over for cozy BYOB record-listening night or host a small house concert party. <br><br><br><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 204);"><b>4. It helps you part with sh*t you don’t need.</b></span><b><br></b><br>
When you’re broke it’s suddenly a hell of a lot easier to part with that designer handbag you haven’t used for two years, or that guitar—the least favorite of 7—that’s collecting dust in your practice space. Craiglist it and make a little cash! Or trade it for something you DO need/want but can’t afford. <br><br>
This is also a great time to give stuff away. Many of us have plenty of things lying around that aren’t worth selling, but don’t justify keeping. Giving these items to a worthy organization not only boosts your spirits but makes you grateful for what you do have. <br><br><br><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 204);"><b>5. It shows you who your friends are...and what they’re made of.</b></span><b><br></b><br>
When times are tough, financially or otherwise, some friends will rise to the occasion and sadly, many will not. This can be downright painful, but use it as a gauge. They may not be comfortable giving or lending you money, but people you consider close friends should be supportive in other ways. If they aren’t supportive, use this opportunity to cut them loose and invest in higher quality friends.<br><br><br><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 204);"><b>6. It gives you permission to receive.</b></span><b><br></b><br>
We’ve all heard the old adage “it’s better to give than to receive”. It’s also a lot EASIER for some of us to give then receive. Practice being a gracious receiver and don’t feel guilty about it. Accepting help is humbling, and makes the other party feel good.<br><br>
Just say “thank-you” already! And vow to pass it on when your luck turns.<br><br><br><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 204);"><b>7. It enables you to focus on things that matter.</b></span><b><br></b><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/f242f00d47ca3aad45547188fd7230b7d8b7c1a5/original/HenryMillerQuote.jpg?1375325235" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="223" width="350" />In our materialistic, often shallow American culture, spending time often means spending money. But is that really necessary? <br><br>
Shopping, for instance, tends to leave people wanting more; it doesn’t satisfy the deeper needs of our soul. Instead, rediscover some of your childhood passions. Go for a run. Keep a journal of your thoughts, dreams, fears. Write a letter or call a long lost friend. Volunteer at your local animal shelter. Use this time of financial hardship to better yourself and connect with those you love. <br><br>
“Buy it, buy it, it’s bad for you but buy it” – </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs7hUkM-QME" target="_new"><span style="font-size: larger;">The Ace of Cups , Glue (1968)<br></span></a><span style="font-size: larger;"><br><br><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 204);"><b>8. It makes you less afraid.</b></span><br><br>
Yeah, it often sucks to be broke. But you know what sucks worse? Spending 50+ hours a week at a job you absolutely hate. And many of us keep doing it because we fear losing our comfortable lifestyle. <br><br>
If you know you can get by—and even thrive—when things are tight, it frees you in many ways. It makes it easier to quit that awful job and go back to school. Or take a gamble and start that company you’ve been dreaming about. Or indulge your passion to do art or music full time. These risks can pay off in terms of greater peace, happiness and even financial success. <br><br>
Bravery is often easier when you have nothing left to lose. <br><br>
Go for broke.<br><br>
-Jezebel</span><br><br type="_moz">3:19Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/12575082013-07-23T10:40:00-05:002022-05-21T12:45:20-05:00Jesus isn’t a Dick, So Keep Him Out of My Vagina.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/36b45054ae15001b8580af049eb7704483957350/original/Jesusisntadick.jpg?1374787941" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="276" width="460" /><span style="font-size: larger;">Today I saw my favorite pro-choice sign so far: it was created by a 14-year old Austin, Texas gal named Tuesday Cain:<br><br><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 204);">The sign read: “Jesus isn’t a Dick, So Keep Him Out of My Vagina”. </span><br><br>It's caused a bit of hub-bub and naturally it went viral. Some cowardly members of the religious right have attacked this young girl, calling her a slut and worse. You can </span><a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/07/22/awesome_dad_defends_awesome_daughters_message_to_texas_lawmakers/" target="_new"><span style="font-size: larger;">read the whole story here</span></a><span style="font-size: larger;">.<br><br>Cain’s sign made me laugh this morning—you know how I love irreverent humor—but has a very serious side to it, one that inspired me to share this post. It’s true. Jesus ISN’T a dick. But for awhile I thought he was.<br><br>I was baptized Catholic and raised Pentecostal. I spent a considerable amount of time in church or engaged in religious activities: studying the Bible, memorizing scripture, singing about Jesus, practicing the “gifts of the spirit”—prophesying and speaking in tongues. I felt a deep connection with the story of Christ, how much he loved others and his ultimate sacrifice. It’s a story that’s very easy to connect to. In our heart of hearts, we are all looking for unconditional love.<br><br>Starting at age 17, I went through three periods of rebellion; a trio of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumspringa" target="_new"><span style="font-size: larger;">rumspringa</span></a><span style="font-size: larger;">, so to speak. At the end of these backsliding stints, I realized many of the “facts” I had learned as a child didn’t add up. I started seeing the Pentecostal church as a glorified pyramid scheme, filled with tons of rules and judgment; taught through musical theatre, enforced through fear. Financed by people like me.<br><br>When I went to college, I met people from all cultures, backgrounds and religions and started seeing life as expansive, not restrictive. As full color, not black and white. I broadened my ideas about life and about God. As my newborn eyes began to open, I suddenly resented being told how to interpret the Bible, who to date, how much money to give, who I should vote for. Not being able to make my own moral decisions. Eventually I became resentful about my intensive religious upbringing (i.e. brainwashing) and I abandoned my faith in Jesus and my religion.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/a20ec97ce609ae9c7e173bafa168a70ec8fbcef2/original/jesusmeme.jpg?1374787975" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" />But the pendulum has started its reverse swing. Although I often identify with atheists and firmly believe in the separation of church and state,<span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 204);"> I’ve become comfortable saying I DON’T KNOW whether or not god exists.</span> Historically, we’re quite ignorant, so how could we say one way or the other? And the concept of god is ever-changing.<br><br>I also feel comfortable saying I DON’T KNOW if Jesus was a real person or not; there is historical evidence, but then again we know how corrupt the Catholic church was, and continues to be. To me, it no longer matters if he was the exact person of the scriptures; any way you slice it, the teachings of Christ are mind-numbingly beautiful. My attitude towards Jesus has softened. He wasn’t a dick. It’s not his fault many of his followers are dicks.<br><br>It’s ironic that the extreme right uses Jesus as their icon, their official spokesman, because if he were alive today, he wouldn’t have anything to do with them. The only people he seemed to hate were religious hypocrites. When he said crazy stuff like it’s impossible for rich people to get into heaven and threw businessmen out on their asses for making money off religion, Jesus really pissed off the religious conservatives. <span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 204);">Jesus was the antithesis of religion and its laws.</span> He claimed a higher law, one of radical love.<br><br>Many people intuitively understood the gospel of love and flocked to him; by making Jesus a messiah, they made him a threat. So religious and political forces conspired to murder him in the name of God and State. They crucified the Outlaw of Love. Nicely played, religious folk. Nicely played.<br><br>And that’s the angle of the story that gets missed: if you piss off well-to-do religious folks who have strong political connections (inevitably they do), you can end up in a world of pain. Or dead. It doesn’t matter their race, creed or religion. It’s about control. Jesus was in the way, at least he was when he was alive.<br><br><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jesus wasn’t a dick.</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 204);"> He gave WITHOUT trying to control, which is the very definition of love.</span> He didn’t go around preaching fire and brimstone, picketing soliders’ funerals, telling gay people they were going to hell or condemning women for having sex or an abortion. Abortion has been practiced since the very beginning; he never even mentioned it, just like he didn’t mention homosexuality. No, he wasn’t a dick. He emanated love at all times. People were changed in the presence of that love. He fed the hungry. Clothed the poor. Extended mercy to lawbreakers. Healed the sick. Willingly gave his life for others.<br><br>His life was a supreme example of love and peace; exactly the opposite of today’s so-called Church. And they wonder why “the world” makes fun of Jesus…it’s because his so-called followers have made a mockery of him, by loudly hating in Jesus’ name.<br><br>Seriously, we could all use a REAL Come-to-Jesus Meeting. And that meeting should dissolve religion in favor of love. If the collusion between religious powers-that-be and political powers-that-be killed Jesus—one of the most loving people ever written about—aren’t they likely to destroy us all?<br><br>Let’s at least separate these two troublemakers.<br><br>Let's practice love, not religion.<br><br>XOXO, Jezebel</span><br> 4:27Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/11204642013-07-12T17:40:00-05:002019-12-03T04:09:02-06:00Bloody Good Humor: Top 10 TamponGate Tweets<br>
I’m sure y’all have heard what’s going on here in Austin, Texas. <br><br>
Republicans all over the country have aggressively trying to insert their right-wing “values” into our collective lady-business, but few states have taken things as far as Texas. The bill HB2—introduced recently during a special session of Texas Legislature—would <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/07/12/texas-senate-debates-abortion-bill/" target="_new">severely limit safe, legal abortion in Texas</a>. It limits choice via access and it is complete horseshit, since abortion has been a fundamental federal right protected under the Constitution for over 40 FUCKING YEARS.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/c97ea05598795d0e90bec83dc0e436f5bf08968e/original/PullQuote.jpg?1373689210" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="179" width="462" />This situation really caught the national eye last month, when one amazing politician, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/12/wendy-davis-oped-abortion_n_3587445.html" target="_new">Senator Wendy Davis</a>, filibustered a previous version of the bill for nearly 13 hours straight without food, water or the ability to sit down. And who says the government doesn’t condone torture?<br><br>
Yes, the eyes of the country are very much on Austin, TX. Yet the Texas State Legislature—overwhelming controlled by Republicans—doesn’t seem to mind appearing like total douchebags and buffoons in front of the media. Not only are their blatant attempts to quell the people's opposition deplorable, but the shenanigans have backfired, igniting a fiery feminist movement both here in Texas and all over the U.S. Oops.<br><br>
Oh, they look like douchbags by trying to illegally pass an earlier version of the bill, arresting elderly ladies and cutting off testimony they don’t like, but it’s their sheer buffoonery that may prove to be their demise. Conservative Republicans are making themselves look like a secret society of village idiots. Unfortunately, they’re not very good at keeping secrets.<br><br>
In a scenario that could be the funniest article you never read in <a href="http://www.theonion.com" target="_new">The Onion</a>, today’s state capitol fiasco was a doozy. <br><br>
In preparation for today’s proceedings, the <a href="http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/news/2013-07-12/tampongate-revealed/" target="_new">Texas Department of Safety staffed extra officers</a> to help search handbags for the most deadly of weapons: the common tampon. OK, in all fairness maxipads were not exempt from search and seizure. Nor were—in a masterful stroke of irony— condoms. That’s right, folks. Today your tax dollars were hard at work protecting politicians from possible trajectory cotton and accidental cloaking.<br><br>
Naturally and immediately, this created the world’s funniest shitstorm on Twitter. Activists aptly dubbed the ridiculousness <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=tampongate&src=typd" target="_new">#TamponGate</a> and it has yielded some of the most hilarious material I’ve ever seen on the social network. Professional comedians beware: the amateurs were faster—and maybe funnier—than you on this one.<br><br><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br>
Top 10 TamponGate Tweets:</b></span><br><br><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> #1<br></span></b><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/ea20b74a583ccb92d8f4c4272f591630625449a5/original/TamponGate1.jpg?1373689211" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="176" width="510" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> #2<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/aeb5002acc417823dec48dab298d98d1db1ec3ed/original/TamponGate2.jpg?1373689233" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="178" width="510" /></b></span><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> #3</span></b><br><br><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/567377b480e23a06d9932b86a4d289590e41c610/original/TamponGate3.jpg?1373689235" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="136" width="509" /><br><br type="_moz"></span></b><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br>
#4</span></b><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/5290588350c941c809683f60a3334223b1bfbe8f/original/TamponGate4.jpg?1373689242" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="561" width="509" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> #5</span></b><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/d9b0f49dbfd5861bd50724fb8c9ba6063615c923/original/TamponGate5.jpg?1373689243" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="175" width="511" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> #6</span></b><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/6c88fcb77bbe418fffa2b4ae49caa4d5c230cb53/original/TamponGate6.jpg?1373689244" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="507" width="509" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> #7<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/e1d8a311edceb217b99578a2f353558a3b6f62f6/original/TamponGate7.jpg?1373689245" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="178" width="514" /><br type="_moz"></span></b><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> #8<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/d9d90c00abe946eb19cf6fa17e65c2343f3e9305/original/TamponGate8.jpg?1373689245" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="178" width="508" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
#9<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/3bd01741dbca8b45bbd3814b79535cb03ad941bc/original/TamponGate9.jpg?1373689248" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="197" width="513" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
#10<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/0bec4e89bc3ccfadf25b3194d0e902cbe014dca3/original/TamponGate10.jpg?1373689248" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="191" width="509" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
-Jezebel<br type="_moz"></span></b>3:19Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/8136022013-05-24T09:47:21-05:002017-01-15T14:05:50-06:00Experiments in Madness & Dating NightmaresJust came across some photos of me on Facebook from a photo shoot I did with Courtney Conk in Minneapolis. I modeled for her “Experiments in Madness” series…these were filmed in the attic of a (haunted?) Victorian home in South Minneapolis.<br><br>
Funny, looking at it again yesterday reminded me of a date I went on in Austin a few years ago…it was the photo prop (I’m sitting on) that jogged my memory.<br>
“Jason” seemed like a nice guy—we had a fine dinner and conversation. Talked music and social justice and he seemed like he could be fun, despite his nervousness. Afterwards he invited me to his apartment for a toke and a beer. Why not (I thought)? He didn’t seem dangerous. In retrospect, perhaps that was the problem all along.<br><br>
We walked in to his one-room studio off South Congress.<br><br>
I glanced around quickly…and that’s when I noticed it. <br><br>
It was in the corner. It was small in stature, but it gave me the evil eye. <br>
It gave me the willies, staring me down like that. I thought maybe I had had too much to drink. I blinked. Once. Twice. It was still there, lurking like a tragic omen, telling me to run, run, RUN!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/6a436a450c41df50f5ebdfff382836f82c82a41f/medium/CCPhotoArts_GhostsintheAttic.jpg?1369424964" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="Photography: Courtney Conk, CC Photo Arts" height="232" width="300" />But his bed—that sorry little TWIN BED in the corner—sat there like a stern nun at midnight mass. I’m not clairvoyant but it spoke to me just the same.<br>
I tried to retain focus as we shared a joint. Jason kissed me—poorly—but maybe it was me. Making out was the last thing on my mind, replaced by an army of rapid-fire questions…<br><br>
Did his ex take his real bed? Did she take his dog, too? How does a man over age 30 sleep in one of those things? How does a woman sleep with a man who sleeps in one of those things? Are there plastic sheets? Is this indicative of…um…size? Why I am here again? Can I start laughing now? No? How ‘bout now?<br><br>
After a little more sloppy kissing (fail!), I extracted myself kinda-sorta graciously. <br><br>
I've long forgotten Captain Twinbed's name, but his legend lives on…and now that I made the connection, I’ll always have the photos to remind me.<br><br>
-Jezebel<br><br>
P.S. Courtney owns Twin Cities-based CC Photo Arts was also the photographer for my album & 7inch cover art. She’s awesome to work with and gives musicians a discounted rate. CC, you rock!!<br>4:27Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/7667342013-05-17T09:07:11-05:002017-01-15T14:05:50-06:00Hot Club of Cowtown & America’s “Creepy Obsession” with Songwriting<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/6cbac8e4dbaf883a9661079825e74211c938a2be/original/hotclubofcowtown.jpg?1368817876" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="267" width="400" />Elana James is now officially my least favorite musician in Austin. <br><br>
Why is this Hot Club of Cowtown fiddle player trashing original roots music? Could it be because she's pimping another album of STANDARDS? Oh, Lordy! I just love a juicy mystery…<br><br>
Here’s the quote from <a href="http://www.pitch.com/kansascity/hot-club-of-cowtown-rendezvous-in-rhythm-may-2013/Content?oid=3226379" target="_new">her interview with Kansas City weekly The Pitch</a> that got my attention today.<br><br>
"I think this creepy obsession with new, new, new, personal 'I wrote it' stuff is a kind of plague on American traditional music...what's wrong with reinterpreting traditional melodies or, in our case, standards and traditional songs from the early part of the 20th century, in an absolutely current, sincere and thrilling way?"<br><br>
Maybe I’m interpreting this quote incorrectly—I’m not sure how else to take this—but let’s discuss. Writing or liking original music is a "creepy obsession"? Songwriting from personal experience is a kind of plague? <br><br>
OK, well, sometimes that’s true. Especially if you wrote part of one album back in 2007 that was panned by some critics including the Amazon editor who reviewed the record, saying…<br><br>
“On her solo debut, Elana James continues to impress as an instrumentalist, though her original material is pretty slight and her voice lacks range”. (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elana-James/dp/B000I6B55U" target="_new">read full review</a>)<br><br>
He nails it. Albeit very, very politely.<br><br>
After listening to some of her original songs today, I’m convinced she shouldn’t criticize ANY songwriters. Or singers. The lyrics to the original songs on her album are pretty boring stuff and her voice ranges from vaguely annoying to unpleasant. The record does feature some great instrumental work, though, and James is a very good fiddle player. She’s earned the right to criticize fiddle parts & playing with impunity. <br><br>
Now, there’s absolutely nothing “wrong” with reinterpreting standards (way to go on the defense, though). We have a treasury of songs that are being preserved because musicians are playing them for new audiences. And bands like Hot Club of Cowtown are doing just that; it’s very important. But did they reinterpret them in an “absolutely current” and “thrilling” way? Hello, Spin City!<br><br>
Yes, interpreting standards are important, but I would argue that writing new American classics are just as important, if not more so. Ya know, that “new, new, new personal ‘I wrote it’ stuff” James so eloquently described. Original songwriting is already extremely undervalued by our society. We certainly don’t need musicians telling us to value it even less in the press.<br><br>
And in general, it’s a hell of a lot harder to write a new song than to arrange a classic.<br><br>
So how ‘bout a little respect for those who do write original Americana? You might be covering their “traditional song” in 20 or 30 years.<br><br>
-Jezebel<br><br>
P.S. You can hear Hot Club of Cowtown's new album Rendezvous in Rhythm <a href="http://hotclubofcowtown.com/listen/rendezvous-in-rhythm/" target="_new">here</a>.<br><br><br type="_moz">Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/6521702013-05-01T13:40:00-05:002022-04-17T20:11:10-05:00The Great May Day Caper<br><span class="font_large"><span style="font-size: larger;">Or…Spring Hath No Fury like a Pair of Lovesick 10 Year-old Girls</span></span><br><br><span class="font_large">Every year on May Day I think of Stephanie. I think of our Great May Day Caper—so long ago—and wish her well. I know for a fact she’s back in my hometown, thinking of me today, too, remembering our conspiracy. Laughter and mischief and boys aside, there are certain experiences that bond girlfriends for life.<br><br>It had been nearly three years since I started attending St. Michael’s Catholic school. After a long, cold winter in Northern Minnesota, it was the morning of May 1 and Mrs. Clarke’s 4th grade class could barely able to sit still to recite their times tables; it was a beautiful spring day and we were oh so squirrely, full of energy and mischief.<br><br>That afternoon, the entire school would gather together on the lawn for the annual May Pole ceremony, a tradition at St. Michael’s. After a couple of classes, the rest of the morning was spent making paper May Day baskets for our classmates, teachers and of course, our would-be boyfriends/girlfriends.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/48d6ec9c6c49d1711f712017393f298ef8408ab2/original/MayDayImage_2013.jpg?1367451940" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="323" width="400" />I’m not sure how or when the plan hatched, exactly. My BF2 at the time—Stephanie K. —and I were both madly in love with an older boy: one husky hockey player of Scandinavian descent, 6th grader Jason Schume. Jason, Jason, Jason. We talked about him all the time. We wrote his name + our name in notebooks. We spent many hours discussing Jason’s finer points…his white blond hair (god-like!), how handsome he looked in his hockey uniform (hockey players were studs) and what it would be like to kiss him (omg, heaven, for sure!).<br><br>Now Steph and I just knew one of us had a shot. After all, we were pretty cool for our almost-11 years; despite our thicker-than-was-fashionable glasses (specifically) and awkward looks (generally), we thought we were pretty hot stuff. Finally, here was a chance to express our deep, everlasting love.<br><br>Working together, we made a special May Day basket for Jason out of green construction paper; naturally it was covered top to bottom with crayola-ed hearts and flowers. We filled it with candy, and included a love note praising all Jason’s “totally awesome” qualities and littered with “I love you!!!”s and many more hearts. We didn’t sign it, thinking he’d know for sure. It’s not easy keeping a secret like that in a small town, let alone a small Catholic school.<br><br>Still, we did our best.<br><br>With bouts of stifled girl giggles, we tip toed upstairs, then hesitated in front of the 6th grade door. Here it was: our moment to let Jason know how we both felt. Should we do it? What would he do? Finally, we put the basket outside the door, knocked loudly then ran like the Devil! We knew everyone would be talking about our love-fueled act by the end of the day, and we braced ourselves for the inevitable fallout and shame.<br><br>By the afternoon all-school May Pole session, word had spread; it was the talk of the school. Rumor had it some girl had left a very “lovey-dovey” May Day basket for Jason. The whole 6th grade had read the note (before he did, not in the plan!) and was teasing him mercilessly about his anonymous admirer, speculating who it might be.<br>At the end of the day—after the final bell—all us Catholic kids took the bus to the public high school, transferring to our respective routes. We climbed aboard the school bus, and there He was in all His glory. Jason sitting in the back of the bus. Steph and I scrunched ourselves down in a seat quickly to avoid any accusations about this May Day mystery.<br><br>Just then, Anne Charlotte got on the bus. Anne was our nemesis. The Queen bee of the 4th grade, she was as cool as she was cruel. An upwardly-mobile pre-pubescent in expensive designer jeans, Anne could—and would—banish you from the girl pack in a Minnesota minute, if provoked. She was popular, poised and all the adults fawned on her. The sun seemed to always shine on her, no matter what.<br><br>But that May 1, the sun did not shine on Anne Charlotte. In fact, an ominous-looking nimbus cloud was gathering overhead.<br><br>As soon as she took a seat, the bus started buzzing… and the 6th graders began to accuse Anne of being Jason’s would-be May Day sweetheart. Naturally, she denied the crime. And naturally, the more she denied it, the less people believed her and the worse the teasing got. More kids got in on the act. By the time the bus pulled out, tears were streaming down her cheeks and she was sobbing in protest. “It was NOT ME!”<br><br>And no one believed her. Well, almost no one.<br><br>No one except two exceptionally silly, love-struck girls, whispering and giggling in a green vinyl bus seat. Vowing to keep this Great May Day Caper a secret.<br><br>And we did.<br><br>Happy May Day, Steph—our secret’s out. This one’s for you.<br><br>Happy May Day , y’all!<br><br>XOXO,<br><br>Jezebel</span>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/4951372013-04-09T11:17:16-05:002017-01-15T14:05:49-06:00First KissIt was opening night at Hamlin <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/370e85c0af5a95d3b1b661102e4ce3cf3945d53c/original/FirstKiss.jpg?1380038953" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="First Kiss: by Jezebel Jones" height="260" width="250" />Christian Academy’s* First Annual Spring Musical. <br><br>
Trepidation hung in the air, like the b.o. of 30 sweaty adolescents and teens too embarrassed to ask their parents for a stick of deodorant. It was just a week before Easter Sunday and the auditorium was buzzing with excitement, gossip and hellos as hundreds of parents, community members and church goers greeted one another and started to take their seats. The performance was about to begin.<br><br>
Although the name of the musical is long lost in the pock-filled labyrinth of my adult mind, I do remember bits of the story and songs. The musical was an interpretation of Jesus’ life as seen through the eyes of a young orphan boy, Nathaniel. <br><br>
The story went a bit like this…<br><br>
Nathaniel lived in an orphanage and he, along with all the other orphans had this crazy pipe dream of being adopted one day. Specifically, he really wanted a Dad. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, right? Yeah, I know.<br><br>
The role of Nathaniel was the lead and during tryouts a few months before, competition was fierce. It almost went to my crush, Bobby Nyberg*, who at 13 was an “older” boy. All the girls had a crush on Bobby. He was the most popular boy in the 7th grade. Athletic and smart, he had recently started sporting a whisper of a blond moustache.<br>
The auditions were fierce. <br><br>
And it was close. The role of Nathaniel almost went to Bobby, but in the end they choose someone else. In an unprecedented and gender-bending decision, they chose ME. And I became Nathaniel, the singing Jewish orphan boy (Bobby got a supporting role as a fellow orphan).<br><br>
I don’t remember what the in’s and out’s of the plot—I think my character meets Jesus, is shocked at his death, overjoyed at the resurrection, gets adopted by a nice family and finally has the father he’s always wanted. It had a warm fuzzy ending and was followed up by an altar call or offering. Probably both.<br><br>
But hell, the crowd didn’t know any of this yet. It was the first show, and from behind the curtain we could hear them whispering and stirring in their seats with anticipation. The auditorium lights dimmed and one of the drama teachers walked on stage to introduce the play. <br><br>
Someone gave the two-minute warning from backstage. The curtain was about to go up and I was terrified with excitement. Something magical was gonna happen; we all felt it, waiting in silence.<br><br>
And then…<br><br>
Suddenly in the dark, a warm hand squeezed mine and as I turned to look. Bobby Nyberg. I turned and he pressed his lips to mine. I kissed him back. Softly. Behind the curtain. Magic. <br><br>
I faintly remember the praises we got afterwards; the crowd really loved it and we added more performances. I’ve forgotten a lot of the details. The mementos of my childhood are all gone now.<br><br>
But I’ll never forget the wonder of that well-timed first kiss. Tender lips, the jolt of adrenaline to my heart. And a hand—squeezing mine—in the dark.<br><br><span style="font-size: smaller;">*You didn’t think I’d use real names now, did you?</span><br>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/3877362013-03-20T07:40:00-05:002021-11-15T01:31:14-06:00Michelle Shocked & The Cult of Christianity<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/76bfe5f16eadfd0e6043d84f3e8b015e67ccf95c/original/Shockedanddismayed_new.jpg?1380038953" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="Shocked...and Dismayed" height="480" width="400" />A very healthy dialog took place in San Francisco last weekend. A Concert-Conversation of press-worthy proportions.<br><br>
When rebel folk singer Michelle Shocked started slinging some anti-gay rhetoric during her second set, the audience responded, first by talking back, then leaving. Finally the club owner (who is gay) apologized to the dwindling crowd and shut down the show.<br><br>
I’ll admit, I don’t know Michelle’s music that well. On a whim, I picked up <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Sharp_Shocked" target="_new">Short, Sharp, Shocked</a> (1988) on vinyl last year. I’d heard of Shocked and loved the cover and for $4 I took a chance. The album showcases her beautiful stories and voice. The album is classic; equal parts folk, blues and country, it stands the test of time. It also has a strong conscience. A great example is the song ’Graffiti Limbo’ (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi-K2cDDeEU" target="_new">watch the video</a>), which talks about the unjust death of graffiti artist Michael Stewart, who was killed by NYC police in 1983.<br><br>
After I bought the record, I found out the cover was not staged; it was run on the front page of the San Francisco Examiner during the Democratic National Convention. Shocked and others were protesting the practice of U.S. corporations giving money to both major parties (i.e. hedging their bets) during political elections. <br><br>
I admire female musicians like Shocked who are feisty, willing to stir up some trouble and even break the law when it is warranted. Recently she was arrested again as part of the Occupy movement. Both on and off stage, Shocked has been known as an artist who cares passionately about social justice issues.<br><br>
However, Shocked’s anti-gay ranting over the weekend was nothing more than the canned cream-corn rhetoric of the evangelical Christian movement. No more, no less, word for word. Has her passion for social justice been hijacked by the religious right? Has she been brainwashed by the blood of the lamb? <br><br>
As a former Evangelical, Pentecostal Christian I know the game plan. I was raised to execute the game plan. You may already know, but in case you don’t, let me tell you what it is, in a flying nutshell from 50 feet:<br><br><i>The world must conform to our idea of God. If it does not, it is evil and must be destroyed.<br></i><br>
I’m dead serious about this. In my roughly 20 years in the Pentecostal church, this is my testimony, and it’s based on observation and first hand experience.<br><br>
Evangelical Christianity is an abusive boyfriend. When he’s sober he'll just hit you up for some money, but when he’s drunk he’ll just hit you. Oh, but he’s so good at sweet-talking. He’ll make you think it’s all your fault and shame you into submission. Don’t question him, it makes him angry. Obey, obey, obey. Soon his thoughts and your thoughts and his words start coming out your mouth. Submission is vital to this sect of Christianity, and they preach about it all the time. A person who dares rebel against the church authority or question the leadership is called a 'Jezebel'.<br><br>
The Cult of Christianity can embrace you lovingly, but it has an equally abusive, hateful side. If you’re familiar with my music, you’ll probably recognize these themes in many of the songs from ‘Queen of the Devil’s Rodeo’ (<a href="./home.cfm" target="_new">download it free</a>).<br><br><i>Given your pain, you needed someone to blame<br>
Born into nothing more lethal than shame<br>
So you supplied all the cobwebs and lies<br>
To be re-born is to be—certainly—hypnotized<br></i><br>
–Intro to ‘The Prisoner’ by Jezebel Jones<br><br>
Until Michelle Shocked converted to the born-again ideology in the late 90’s, she had always maintained that her sexual orientation could not be defined as either gay or straight. But she did clearly identify with the label “lesbian”. In 1990 she told a Chicago newspaper, "I resent like hell that I was maybe 18 years old before I even heard the 'L' word. I mean, that's understood, growing up sheltered in a Mormon environment. But it would have made all the difference for me had I grown up knowing that the reason I didn't fit in, was because they hadn't told me there were more categories to fit into”.<br><br>
Her audience—which includes lots of gay folks—was understandably upset at her hateful speech and slurs towards homosexuals last weekend. Artists should be held accountable for their statements on stage and it’s ok—and even necessary—to have fans do just that. Especially if they feel you’re not being truthful with them. And I don’t believe she is being truthful. She’s denying who she has been all along; a bi-sexual woman with anarchist tendencies. Unfortunately, her religion does not support who she is. Better to keep on the good side of the Cult of Christianity.<br><br>
I’ve read variations on the same response to the backlash in the media…“liberals—they’re fine with everyone having their own opinion as long as it agrees with theirs”. Such a sad, tired argument. Yes, Shocked had every right to say what she said and the audience let her know they didn’t like it one bit. Sounds like a healthy dialogue to me. <br><br>
I hope she will find her own voice again and stop parroting this type of hateful speech. Jesus never said a word against homosexuals; Shocked would do much better to emulate Christ and preach radical love, not recycled hate.<br><br><b>Update:<i> </i></b><i>Michelle Shocked's </i><a href="http://music-mix.ew.com/2013/03/20/michelle-shocked-apology/" target="_new"><i>two-part statement</i></a><i> is shamelessly untruthful, saying she was repeating the beliefs of other Christians: "If I could repeat the evening, I would make a clearer distinction between a set of beliefs I abhor, and my human sympathy for the folks who hold them". But if you </i><i><a href="https://soundcloud.com/therealtofuandwhiskey/michelle-shocked-2nd-yoshis" target="_new">listen to the audio of the show</a> (comments start at 4:46) </i><i>she clearly states that she shares in their opinions and says "Once Prop 8 gets uh...repealed and once preachers are held at gunpoint and forced to marry the homoSEXuals, I'm pretty sure that that'll be the signal for Jesus to come on back". She then goes on to say "This is one woman's opinion and it's fun, a lot of fun" and "If someone would be so gracious as to please tweet out 'Michelle Shocked just said from stage God hates faggots' ". OK, yes, the latter comment was probably meant to be sardonic, but in light of her earlier statements, it had the ring of (shocking) truth.</i><br><br><br type="_moz">Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/2798432013-01-13T15:40:00-06:002022-03-16T06:50:39-05:00Craigslist Musicians Classified Headlines (Austin, TX) - Part 1<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/070a21d87a295371908ff58299e08e8b9383789b/original/AustinCraigslist_JezebelJones_Jan2013.jpg?1380038953" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="432" width="504" /> <br>
Howdy Folks--<br><br>
It's been a bit of a shitty transition settling in to Austin. But luckily, laughter and live music are quite abundant here--thanks to old friends and new!<br><br>
Tonight's laughs came from Austin's Craigslist Musicians Classified Ads...I had to capture a few of the headlines for y'all; hopefully they'll make you laugh, too.<br><br>
Enjoy the graphic, feel free to share...<br><br>
Peace & Love & Lots of Music in 2013,<br><br>
-Jezebel<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br type="_moz">Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/2563372012-11-24T09:25:00-06:002022-05-31T02:05:15-05:00Happy Small Business Saturday!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/9603b1e3acee741afd41fdbbb7d0bc4ecad9eb9b/original/hipsterwings_meme_jezebeljones.jpg?1380038953" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="465" width="620" /><br>
I just noticed the other day that I had nearly 6,000 hits on a crappy version of Real Life's 'Send Me an Angel" on YouTube. Honestly, I'd forgotten how terrible it was.<br><br>
I recorded a much better (and more bittersweet) version by candlelight the other night...<a href="http://youtu.be/YTgVCYH5OtQ" target="_new">Video: Send Me an Angel performed by Jezebel Jones</a>.<br><br>
Happy Holiday Shopping! Thanks to all of you angels for supporting small businesses, artists and musicians.<br><br>
-Jezebel<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br type="_moz">Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/2304722012-10-11T05:55:00-05:002022-04-05T03:17:07-05:00Newly Arrived (and still hungover) in Austin, Texas.Well. Hello Again.<br><br>
I’ve been here in Austin for about a week…a little tired, a lot worn out from my move from Minneapolis. I’m also exceptionally hungover right now. It’s been two days—oh, wait, three days—since the now infamous South Austin Whiskey and Wine Debacle of 2012 and I’m still hurting. Ugh. <br><br>
After two days in bed, I did get restless so I got out the ol’ Hangover Cam to do an <a target="_new" href="http://youtu.be/CMaOX8FhnMs">impromptu live video for my new tune, Whiskey Dialing</a>. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/9b41a4d4e5bb189889d15e85659f1b55da7031c3/medium/Screen-shot-2012-10-11-at-11.00.58-AM.png?1380038953" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="87" width="150" /><br><br>
For those of you folks who hate my rambling (but charming) introductions with all its umms and ahhhs and awkward pauses and futile attempts to stop the video (at the end, a little embarrassing), I’ve also created a very <a target="_new" href="http://youtu.be/iezfDa9Dk-g">boring video with just the song</a>. <br><br>
I’m sure you truly hate drinking songs so just forget I mentioned it at all. And please, please don’t share the video. I really hate it when our friends and fans show appreciation in that kind of manner. No, no, no!<br><br>
The trip from Minnesota to Texas took a bit longer than usual, mainly due to driver exhaustion. And lunacy. More on that later, and yes, it did involve a cabbie.<br><br>
After the movers left my house in Minneapolis late afternoon, I packed the last of my car and hit the road with two elated rat terriers, assorted households (teapot! unsweet tea! Too many shoes!), clothing, assorted leftover liquor and the uke. We spent our first night in a Des Moines highway hotel with an excellent BLT (mmmm, bacon) and deadly snake shows on Animal Planet. Note: spitting baby albino cobras shouldn’t be that adorable.<br><br>
The second day I got a late start and the second night I did the usual stop in Kansas City, MO. Lucky for me, it happened to coincide with a unique art show/concert—<a target="_new" href="http://bloodandspit.com">Manifest Destiny</a>—created by local sculptor Renée Cinderhouse.<br><br>
First, I should probably tell you that I nearly didn’t make the show.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/aee3236e3e6064669cd7b7469b55be2256e7b5c5/thumb/Screen-shot-2012-10-11-at-10.40.15-AM.png?1380038953" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="Denver Broncos UK. Photo by Gary Isaacs." height="125" width="85" />Actually, I nearly strangled the cab driver who refused to use GPS and got lost on the way to the gallery (exactly one mile from my hotel) then proceeded to charge me for the time/miles. In my defense, I’ve had a very disproportionate number of heinous (and sometimes felonious) cab experiences. <br><br>
But as luck would have it—for the cabbie, at least—there was a witness standing outside the gallery. This turned out to be the photographer <a target="_new" href="http://www.garyisaacs.com/">Gary Isaacs</a>, who was quite charming. I met him later, after the show when he kindly asked to photograph my half-sleeve. I was already familiar with his work as he provides much of the haunting, old-world looking imagery for Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, DeVotchKa, Wovenhand, etc.<br><br>
OK, back to the cabbie. Instead of following my murderous impulses, I demand my full change (he gave himself a good tip after all that, oh yes he did!). I’m not quite sure where to properly dispose of a body and a cab in Kansas City and anyway it’s very hard to do so in evening attire. I step inside the gallery.<br><br>
It was closing weekend for the art show and Renée had brought in <a target="_new" href="http://www.myspace.com/denverbroncosusa">Denver Broncos UK</a> , another Jay Munly project with some of the usual (and versatile) musical suspects: Slim Cessna, Lord Dwight Pentacost and cellist Rebecca Vera.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/719e1e5f3e15bf588ee9b71343c955ce0baa2ed9/medium/Blog_10112012_ManifestDestiny.jpg?1380038953" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="201" width="150" />The concept of Manifest Destiny was a live, interactive pop-up book that merges the audience with the musicians and the visual pieces. I liked the combination of found/antique objects that reflect American history (and ghosts!) and her handmade sculpture that tie in the present, maybe even foretell a bit of the future. <br><br>
Denver Broncos UK played in a semi-circle amidst the art and I thought it was a gorgeous pairing of eye and ear. I’m glad I got to experience it…definitely the best part of this tiring and tiresome trip.<br><br>
The next day I whiteknuckled through steel sheets of rain and decided to stay overnight in Denton, TX. Thank sweet baby Jesus and his mama Mary we ended this harrowing day with the coolest, most understanding and intelligent hotel clerk at the _______Inn on 1-35. Oh wait, I spoke too soon…desk clerk is clearly a FUCKING MORON or a STONECOLD ASSHOLE. I’m still very unclear about which, and whether or not those descriptions are mutually exclusive. Clearly, they may not be. Clearly.<br><br>
After several challenging exchanges with the aforementioned moron and/or asshole hotel clerk I settled for a loaded bat (the peaceful kind), a Dominoes pizza (only place that delivers in Denton? Really???!) and watching snakes (yes, again) on Animal Planet. During the show I google ‘venomous snakes in Austin’. Shite. I sleep lightly and dream of baby cobras.<br><br>
We roll into Austin the next day. Me in my rumpled 3-day travel dress and crabby demeanor. Weary and wary anticipation. Four dog ears at full alert. People and animal noses full of foreign smells. Despite the fact that I still don’t have a fridge and have yet to unpack more than a few boxes, we’re settling in to our charming-but-a-little-rough-around-the-edges-place on the South side of town. It’s already strangely familiar. Already feels like home.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/99c0f71b233b98b3c68162f9343945b768e1ea5a/medium/Blog_10112012_AustinBackyard.jpg?1380038953" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="New backyard" height="112" width="150" />The house itself may look like an unholy/unnatural/unkempt disaster, but we’ve been spending lots of time in our new backyard. I like being able to play and write music outdoors—having this beautiful space to myself, even better. Soon I’ll have to get a straight job to support my music addictions. But not just yet.<br><br>
Look around. Bamboo plants…honeysuckle bushes, clusters of friendly bees…a monstrous agave plant, one ancient lawn gnome, assorted rusty yard junk (so very Austin). A custom metal and stone chiminea that shoots sparks to the heavens, left by my sculptor landlord. Flocks of tiny but ruthless mosquitoes, ready for a hearty Midwestern-style bloodletting. Mine.<br><br>
At night I spy the first firefly I’ve seen in many, many years. I admire his solitary light. While his flickering path seems random, I know it is not.<br><br>
And so far, no snakes in sight.<br>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/2043782012-08-24T07:55:00-05:002021-04-23T01:45:24-05:00Opening up for Slim Cessna's Auto Club<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/1f088bfe97d85107f9e5069ef00e97d1b0c4e997/medium/jezebelllive006.jpg?1380038953" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="Jezebel Jones. Photo by Lars Kommienezuspadt." height="200" width="300" />A few weeks ago, Jezebel Jones & Her Wicked Ways had the pleasure of opening up for one of my favorite live acts—<a target="_new" href="http://slimcessnasautoclub.com/">Slim Cessna's Auto Club</a>—at the legendary First Avenue/7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. <br><br>
Slim’s band was everything I remembered from the shows I saw at SXSW 2011—full of fire and brimstone and a kind of otherworldly music that’s not found often…definitely not in this town. <br><br>
Several years back, some blessed soul turned me on to 16 Horsepower and I fell into this rabbit hole; the oddly-spiritual roots-based bands that make up “The Denver Sound”, much of which was produced by multi-instrumentalist/sound engineer, <a target="_new" href="http://www.16horsepower.com/denverpost270501.html">Bob Ferbrache</a>.<br><br>
CityPages music writer <a target="_new" href="http://blogs.citypages.com/author.php?author_id=3590">Dave Hoenack</a> talks to me about Slim Cessna, the Denver Sound and my music in this interview on the music blog, Gimme Noise (<a target="_new" href="http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2012/07/jezebel_jones_interview.php">Check out the full interview here</a>).<br><br>
This particular show was a bit surreal. <br><br>
When I launched this project a couple of years ago, there’s no way I envisioned us opening up for SCAC, who have just released their 8th album, ‘Unentitled’ on Jello Biafra’s label, Alternative Tentacles. There were definitely feelings of unworthiness, but the Catholic schoolgirl inside kicked me hard and spurred me on…<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/69f645898c2e31e090b49611693231920833aaed/medium/SCACPhoto2.jpg?1380038953" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="" height="200" width="300" />There were a few glitches to be sure, but we played one of our best shows ever—the lineup was killer, Jenny Russ on background vocals/electric guitar, Chris Bates on Upright Bass, Dave Russ on drums, and Scott Nieman sat in on bouzouki, which gave the music an eerier-than-usual air. We opened up the set with a spooky tune about Memphis, Sirens of the Mississippi (P.S. <a target="_new" href="./sinners.cfm">you can download the song free</a> on our secret download page).<br><br>
I tried not to notice when members of Slim’s band emerged from the green room at various times during the show to watch us; I was nervous enough as it was…<br><br>
We played to a very attentive and appreciative full crowd. We normally play to a very attentive and appreciative <i><b>small</b></i> crowd, so the energy of a larger audience really helped. <br><br>
Thanks to all of you new fans who took the time to tell us how much you enjoyed the music—I was blown away by the response we got after our set. It feels good to be loved, however briefly.<br><br>
OK, now on the headliner. Slim’s set was amazing—they are hands-down one of the best bands I’ve seen live, and this show was no exception. Not only is the music spectacular, but they put a very titillating, charismatic show—it’s hard to tear your eyes away from the stage (particularly when Slim and Munly are touching each other, even chastely ;). <br><br>
I’ve included some photos of the gig by the über talented photographer <a target="_new" href="http://www.madeineighty.com">Lars Kommienezuspadt,</a> who came to film SCAC but ended up taking tons of photos of us, too. It was a pleasure to meet you, Lars--and I love your art!<br><br>
Afterwards I met Big Bad Bob Ferbrache himself, who seemed relaxed and happy after the show. Soon, he was telling me about his longtime band Blood Axis and some techniques he used to produce <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/2de23a1edfeb366058b1fa7ab2383a21be087dc0/medium/SCACPhoto1.jpg?1380038953" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="Slim Cessna's Auto Club. Photo: Lars Kommienzuspadt." height="200" width="300" /><a target="_new" href="http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php?band=tarantella">Tarantella</a>'s album, Esqueletos. I really enjoyed meeting him, as I listen to—and admire—his work on a regular basis. Many of the bands he’s worked with are in my regular rotation. I was only a wee bit disappointed that I didn't get to see him wearing his notorious tracksuit/fanny pack outfit.<br><br>
Slim’s band was quite nice to us and afterwards I got a chance to say hello to Jay Munly. The crowd was long gone and they were packing up, but I really wanted to buy some hard-to-come-by vinyl with the evening’s pay.<br><br><a target="_new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Munly">Jay Munly</a> is one of my favorite American songwriters/singers…although he is Canadian by birth. I happen to like Canadians, so I won’t hold that against him. His music is intoxicating—maybe it’s the vivid, twisted storytelling, the ominous references to Biblical doom or the dramatic string arrangements. And lordy, Lord, that damned voice…<br><br>
I chose Munly and the Lupercalians’ Petr and the Wulf (2010) and if I hadn’t left the record in my bandmate’s car I would be listening to it right now. <a target="_new" href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/petr-the-wulf-mw0002026244">You can preview Petr and the Wulf here</a>. <br><br>
Nerves and some mistakes aside, it was a great night—one of the highlights of my rather short musical career thus far.<br><br>
And as a band, it was our final show in Minneapolis…for the time being.<br><br>
In September I’ll be packing my boxes and moving to Austin. After flirting heavily with the city for 5 years, it’s time to jump the broom. I’ve got an arsenal of new songs and I’m stocked up on environmentally-questionable hair spray.<br><br>
See y’all soon.<br><br>
-Jezebel<br><br>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/1309762011-12-30T05:52:45-06:002022-05-23T04:06:43-05:00Mini Breakdown, Mini BreakDecided to take a much-needed break! Well, at least on the live show side of things...<br><br>
The band is going on hiatus for a couple of months while I regain some sanity and actually attempt to have a personal life. A DIY artist needs down time, sometimes. I'm tired of playing manager/booker/event planner/marketing consultant and I need a vacation from that aspect of music. Many of you understand what I mean! It's tough to be creative when the business side of things saps out your energy.<br><br>
The great news is, that I've been experiencing TONS of musical growth & creativity lately; new influences, new instruments and making lots of mistakes have greatly improved my songwriting and playing. Planning has begun on my second album; but these songs that have been swirling around in my head won't write themselves, damn it!!! :)<br><br>
My friend Bobbi Miller and I will be planning a big music/art/film event in Minneapolis in March 2012, and in the meantime, I'll be doing the occasional solo show and writing, writing, writing...<br type="_moz"><br>Jezebel Jonestag:jezebeljones.com,2005:Post/1269612011-12-06T16:35:00-06:002021-06-19T00:48:01-05:00Born-Eaze Instant Soul-Cleansing Powder<span style="font-size: larger; "><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/59024/ba8cc96857c2dc3373a2ed0ffa5fc9c52d39ad75/original/JezebelJones_cartoon_borneaze.jpg?1380038952" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="Born-Eaze, Instant Soul-Cleansing Powder" height="453" width="288" /></span><b><span style="font-size: larger; "><br>
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</b><br><br><span style="font-size: smaller; ">* Results may vary. Do not use BORN-EAZE with alcohol, fornication, homosexuality or liberalism. BORN-EAZE may be more effective when combined with power, greed and civil rights violations. Jezebel Jones & Her WIcked Ways are not responsible for any adverse reactions to BORN-EAZE. Use at your own risk.</span><br type="_moz"><br>Jezebel Jones