PHIL COLLINS RETIRING- OR NOT?

Seriously...

He is officially retiring...at least in the present.

It is kind of bittersweet for me because I grew up listening to Genesis- thanks to my older uncles musical influence and especially when Phil took over for Peter Gabriel in 1976.

Since the time I just had a few pubic hairs Phil Collins has been a big part of my musical life- not that I am a musician but his work with Genesis and subsequent solo career had produced so many songs that are ingrained in my mind and that bring back memories of the time period they were out.

I know we all get older. Phil just turned 60 on January 30th this year. I know that things cannot last forever but some things, like the talent of this man and the music he gave the world either by himself or in collaboration with the other guys in Genesis, you want to last forever.

Sure the old stuff still exists but I don't think there will be another Phil Collins CD- with fresh studio tracks.

The nerve damage and the hearing impairment just did him in- especially hard on him since he is first and foremost a drummer.

So it really is kind of sad to think that one of my childhood musical heros is calling it quits.

But then again there is more spin on the story today as People magazine reports that he is "just calling it quits for now" and quotes a UK rep as saying Phil has " no intention of retiring".

If you like you can right click here to visit his official website and read what he wrote about retiring.

If you like Mowtown you will like this CD:

This is probably his last original solo song- unless he gets the itch later on to do another studio album

And this was the LAST track on the LAST Genesis album in 1992- My God, it is nearly 20 years since the last album was released...where the hell has the time gone?

FADING LIGHTS

"LIKE THE STORY THAT WE WISH WAS NEVER ENDING

WE KNOW SOMETIME WE MUST REACH THE FINAL PAGE

STILL WE CARRY ON JUST PRETENDING

THAT THERE'LL ALWAYS BE ONE MORE DAY TO GO"

los endos

MAKE YOUR OWN KIND OF MUSIC

I got a couple of scathing e-mails from Justin Bieber fans after I did the last post here on the little git. To be fair I went to YouTube and listened to some of his music and...well he sings good but I am not into a little white kid acting like a little black kid and quite frankly his style of music is just not my cup of tea.

Yesterday on my Facebook I posted a few songs by "Mama" Cass Elliot.

My partner and i were playing a station on I-tunes and randomly heard a Mamas and Papas song and it got me thinking about Cass and how she defied what the music industry, especially today, will sign as an artist.

Cass always had a weight problem that was glandular and despite the rumors she never choked on a ham sandwich- she died of heart failure way too young and at the peak of her solo career. She was an incredible singer and quite the entertainer.

It got me thinking about pop music today and what sells...or better yet what is sold to us and especially youth. Lady Gaga and acts like Justin Bieber sell. Gaga is a manufactured star now that is like a present day Madonna and Bieber...well let's get real here.

If he was an obese 17-year-old he probably would have never been signed to a record deal. The reason people like that boy so much is because of the cuteness factor (something I really don't see at all btw).

Whether it is a teenage girl or boy or an oldie that lusts after teen pop stars it seems that there was more of a buzz about this kid when the paparazzi caught him shirtless on a beach rather than the quality of his music.

Not to rag on what singing talent Bieber has but seriously if he looked like he does in this photoshop picture and had man boobs in those beach shirtless pics do you think half of more of his avid fan base would still be there?

I don't think so becaiuse today with all the media outlets online, on the TV and even on our phones, with the popularity of music videos they have to have singers that are visually appealing.

Look at the group from the 80's and 90's Wilson Phillips and member Carnie Wilson...partly for health reason but mostly to make sure she was able to advance the career especially on TV she had gastric bypass surgery and just last year was struggling with her weight again in this People magazine piece.

This woman too has an amazingly beautiful voice yet sadly when you put her name into YouTube or Google you find more articles and videos that have to do with her weight loss or gain then the music she made and her singing talent.

Lucky for the people in the 60's and early 70's that they didn't have MTV and that female musicians didn't have to dress up like ten dollar whores on a street corner to sell their music...the world embraced Cass Elliot because not only was she a great entertainer she also was one hell of a great vocalist.

So go ahead and love homophobic Justin Bieber just because you fantasize having tjis twink naked in bed with you. If that is your scene that is on you. I prefer to judge talent based on vocal ability not a cuteness factor.

It just makes me wonder how many chubby boys and girls have tried to get a record deal with an amzing singing voice but was turned down by record company executives because they were too fat or not pretty enough to sell their CD's.

Sad really that there is probably hundreds of talented singers that will never get a break in the United States just because of that while this little wiggery twit makes bank because people think he is a hotty.

To read more about the life and career of Cass Elliot right click here to check out the biography seen in the first pic in this post today!

Here is a song with Carnie Wilson singing lead vocals:



And this is a great song by Cass Elliot when she was shedding the "Mama" part of the name so she would be respected as solo act Cass Elliot.

GO AHEAD CHUBBY SINGERS...LIKE CASS SAID- "MAKE YOUR OWN KIND OF MUSIC!"

THE SEXUALIZATION OF JUSTIN BIEBER

I am getting some real bizzare questions on my Formspring...so I want to just mention something about it this morning before I get set to do the Borderboys post.

The latest were a string of questions about Justin Bieber. Now quite frankly until tjis morning I never really listened to anything this kid did so I just knew his name and not his music.

One of the questions asked "Do you think Justin Bieber is well hung?"

My response on my Formspring was "I don't listen to Justin Bieber and quite frankly barely know who he is - not my type of music. I really don't care about his cock size but I bet he looks good in drag."

Just look at the cheekbones...I can see him all painted up and doing a show at a local gay club in the mid west lol.

Seriously, until today I never really bothered to listen to his music. It just isn't the type of music I like . I have seen him on interviews and every time my gaydar goes off like a three-alarm fire siren.

The kid sings good but the music industry made sure they write him songs to appeal to teenage girls. Everything is heterosexual in the music biz when it comes to a male teen performer.

As I looked around Google this morning I couldn't get over how many fan sites, like this one on blogspot, spend more time talikning about shirtless- photoshopped or taken by paparazi, then his music.

At the AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS Justin Bieber taking home his first-ever AMAs winning 4 total, including Artist of the Year!

Alright the guy does have a good voice but you have to ask yourself- if he was a hundred pounds heavier and didn't have the drag queen perfect face and the fit body would this 16-year-old Canadian twink be as much of a sensation as he seems to be?

I don't think so.

No offense against this kid's talent...he clearly is a good singer but herein lies one of the hypocriosies of our world. In the music business they almost encourage teenage girls and others to sexualize mid-teen performers like Justin Bieber to sell him to a fan base.

But if someone posts random pics of guys his age on blogspot, in speedos, suddenly they get a suspeneded account on most blog sites because they are sexualizing underage boys.

But in cases like Justin, the Jonas Brothers and so many others it was the sex and the wondering- like the ano0nymous person that asked the question- what lies below the belt, if he shaves his pubes like his armpits and a myriad of other things that have absolutely nothing to do with his musical talent is what the music promoters really want people in their teen celeberties fan base to pay attention to.

Hell it seems it has gone so far with this guy that people are even making Photoshop Justin Bieber Fleshlight ads...

...right click here to see the article.

This singer is 16-years-old and I guess because the music business wants to sell him as a sex object it is alright. But sexualize any other 16-year-old and you will be label a perv or a pedophile.

I personally don't care if this kid is hung or not...what I care about is the music.

But sadly when you have someone that appears to be as queer as a three dollar bill like Justin is to me (I am not saying that he is for sure- just relying on my gaydar that usually is pretty accurate in real life) they are not allowed to be a gay teen singer and females are thrust upon them because in our world gay teens that sing- in the eyes of the music world- will not sell as much as a hetero one will.

When we get an adult openly gay singer then we get a campy stereotype like Adam Lambert...that guy pissed me off. He could have come off as openly guy but mainstream but he chose to perform and present himself like the nelly, queeny stereotype most straights think we all are.

Maybe one day the music biz will wake up and understand that there is a market for one of these teen singers- who are obviously gay to be themselves and sing songs that gay teens can relate to. Until then teens will be shoved in the closet and presented as heterosexual to the masses of screaming teeny6 girls to sell them.

It makes me wonder- in the back of the minds of guys like Justin Bieber, whether he wins awards because of the music or because girls, boys and dirty old men (and I am sure some women too...yes adult females get into teens too...it just isn't as prominent in the news) want to see "how hung he is" or secretly sexualize him.

As for his music- it's not my style but he is a talented singer.

Concerning my Formspring- please don't ask me to comment on the cock size of under age people- famous or not. I put the thing up so readers could ask sensible questions or Borderboys readers could ask questions about performers or the reviews I write.

Oh and don't write in and say, "Chucky you sexualized Justin in your post". I used the pictures today as an example of what people tend to9 be posting- there is a bigger buzz on the blogs I lokked at this morning about this guy half naked as opposed to the actual music he creates- or has carefully written for him to appease the young female fan base.

For those of you, like I, who have never really heard this guy here are a couple of videos...