tag:therealpaisley.com,2005:/blogs/misc-blog-entries-fa7643fe-31d0-4203-be45-3c07edbe5c0c?p=2Misc. Blog Entries2022-05-21T08:28:16-07:00Paisley Yankolovichfalsetag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482142016-02-21T17:00:00-07:002016-02-22T14:27:17-07:00On DOWN...
<p>Towards the end of 2013 I realized I had some big decisions to make about my ministry-especially my music. I was getting ready to release a compilation (20 songs from 20 records) of the past decade in 2014. It was very clear to me that I had to decide what the next decade would look like musically. I’m exceedingly proud of and grateful for what I’ve done but, I’ve DONE it.</p>
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<p>Contemporary Christian Music has never appealed to me and I was at a loss of how to convey Christ in my music after releasing so many songs, records and videos. I wasn’t sure if I could continue “wowing” anyone-especially myself. I seriously considered quitting music with the DECADE album. After all, while I’ve never seen any real money or overwhelming fame, I have succeeded in moving over 3,000,000 records-not too shabby for an indie artist.</p>
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<p>Instead, suddenly, I felt unexpected inspiration. THREE records worth! I’ve always worked in threes, giving myself two more chances to be satisfied in a particular genre/style/theme. I wrote and gathered material for “Helltones,” “Fat & Nasty” and “Broadway Sissy,” the three records I planned to record in rapid succession so that I could have new material to perform at shows. There are several YouTube videos from performances featuring these songs ADVERTSING the upcoming albums!</p>
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<p>Horrifying loss put an end to the dreams these albums were providing me and I was more convinced than ever that I was finished.</p>
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<p>Two years later… I’m not so sure.</p>
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<p>I’m still performing and ministering and my music downloads are at an all-time high. I would hate to consider my new record a comeback-I did “Long Way To Paradise” last year which I’m extremely proud of-but I’m on the verge of releasing my first studio record since 2014’s HOTTER THAN YOUR MAMMA which I had actually recorded in 2013 along with SONGS FROM THE LAKE OF FIRE.</p>
<p></p>
<p>DOWN is dark, dirty, uncompromising and ultimately hopeless. It is not a Gospel album but it is created by a Christian. A Christian who has to begin a decade-long journey of music/theater/film presentation somewhere. I’ve chosen the bottom.</p>
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<p>The bottom is a place where very little light is welcome. Not because it is not wanted or needed but because the truly broken, no, destroyed victims of unbearable loss can only handle small increments of light at a time. Longtime followers of my work should not be surprised by this choice or its sometime crude, challenging or seemingly-profane results.</p>
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<p>DOWN (and my upcoming, tentatively-titled, SLAVE BOY IN HELL) contain many of the songs lost from 2013 and some new surprises. I then plan to record the audio performance and create the film of, FORCED WITNESS, concerning the loss of my dear son. I expect to return to more obviously Gospel music soon. Maybe I’ll finally do the 2 follow-ups to THE LIBERAL SOUL to make up for this dark period. (Wink.)</p>
<p></p>
<p>I’m not abandoning anything-certainly not Jesus. I’m merely creating from an honest place without any judgment upon myself or what comes out of me. I hope, no, expect my friends and fans to support me in this. I’m seriously doing my best with what I have to work with. That’s all we can expect from any artist, man, or minister.</p>
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<p>DOWN will be available for free download on my website beginning March 6, 2016.</p>
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<p>“Hard” copies will be available at my performances.</p>
<p></p>
<p>DOWN contains explicit language and dark themes.</p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482132015-06-27T17:00:00-07:002022-05-21T08:28:16-07:00To Whom It May Concern...
<p>To whom it may concern: I so desperately wish you could have held on just a little while longer, to have lived to see the day that the world's heart grew big enough to accept your kind-maybe not entirely yet but enough to allow you to grow to accept yourself enough that you'd never let a handful of cowards, bigots and hatemongers rob you of the joy, blessing and eternal bliss God has designed for you. I know you are in Good Hands and I pray that your passing, and the passing of way too many others just like you, inspire us living and fighting through this struggle, to persevere and ultimately succeed so no more lives are lost. If only for your sake, I won't back down.</p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482122015-03-25T17:00:00-07:002015-03-26T15:46:30-07:00On The Religious Freedom Act
<p style="margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff">I, Paisley Yankolovich have a relationship with Jesus Christ. There is no religion in my life, therefore I need no Religious Freedom. I am called by my Master to be a servant and slave to all. Therefore, what one looks like, what one smells like, what god one worships (or what devil) and who they choose to love has NO BEARING on how I am called to love, serve and minister to them anyway the Lord makes able.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff"> </span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff">If anyone claims to be my brother or sister in Christ know this: I am called to hold YOU accountable to the God you claim to serve. Jesus said, "Why say you love me and not do as I say?" Hippocrates! Homophobes! Hatemongers! Cowards! Love your neighbor (i.e. EVERYONE on the planet) as yourself or stop claiming Jesus as your Lord! There is no gray area here.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff"> </span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff">People are living and dying without knowing the infinite love of our God because of people like YOU. REPENT! Stop what you are doing immediately and reach out to someone, make a phone call, leave your home and find someone who has been wronged by this madness and TELL THEM GOD LOVES THEM AS IS for that is the TRUTH!!!</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff"> </span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff">Those who already know and live this love for all humans, please join me not only in prayer but in SPEAKING THE TRUTH whenever needed. The world needs to see that we are not all the same, that some of us actually know Jesus and are filled with a Spirit of love-not fear, hate, and madness.</span></p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482112014-12-30T17:00:00-07:002014-12-30T18:52:59-07:00On "The Normal Heart"
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<p style="margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff">Watching "The Normal Heart" is ripping my heart out. And it's reminding me once again why I started this ministry and why I will NEVER suffer ANYONE who has no clue what it is like to be gay debate the moral, psychological and spiritual issues involved until their moral, psychological and spiritual shit is spotless.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff"> </span></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff">And don't say Jesus made you perfect because He did not save you to pass judgment on ANYONE. (See Ephesians 6:12) Please, my well-meaning brothers and sisters, watch this film, be informed as these are your earth-mates. </span></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff"> </span></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff">Bravo Ryan Murphy for bringing this work to life TODAY and finally presenting it in a fashion that even the harshest critic can comprehend. I see God's hand all over this and it is my New Year's resolution to reaffirm and maintain my stance on HATE.</span></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff"> </span></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff">I pray EVERYONE is allowed a joyous, peace-filled new year, not just the bigots and phonies (Pharisees and Sadducees) who think life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness belongs solely to them.</span></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff"> </span></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff">Here's is a link to the film... It's available on DVD</span></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff"> </span></p>
<p style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color:#ffffff">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1684226/</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; color: #000000; margin-top: 0px;"></p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482102014-12-25T17:00:00-07:002014-12-26T01:05:26-07:00A Great Christmas Gift
<p>Last night I received this letter on Facebook from someone who I have never met face to face but has been a huge support nonetheless. Sometimes Facebook doesn't suck...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dear Mr. Yankolovich,</p>
<p>I'm about to pull the plug on my Facebook account, and I have a few words I'd like to say to you before I do, so here goes....I'm by no means a religious man. I never have been, and to be honest with you, the chances of that are changing between now and my death are quite slim. Anyhow, the holidays bring out considerable pride in religion, and they also bring the fangs of judgment, the harshness of ignorance, the blunt face of disrespect, and the hypocrisy of wanting to be heard and accepted without the willingness to listen and accept. I hold a great deal of respect for the personal beliefs of others, and at times I find myself not holding tight to my own stance of upholding respect to the sensitivities and beliefs of others, as I often find myself speaking from anger or ignorance without taking a moment to reflect upon my own philosophy. I'm sure I've said many things that have felt like a cold slap in the pride to many religious aficionados out there. I am human, and I make mistakes. I also own up to my mistakes, and if I have ever offended you with my bluntness or insensitive sense of humor, I hope you can find it feasible to accept my apology.</p>
<p>Moving on, I also hold a great deal of respect for those who actively practice and follow their chosen beliefs in what I see as an open minded and whole hearted path, as well as for the proper reasons. Speaking from your heart, as an extension of your soul held under the umbrella of your love for yourself and your fellow man, without corruption, false morale or ulterior expectations or motivations, is the path I'm speaking of. Many people do so, many people do not. Many people use the tools they are given to build a safe haven for the souls of the hopeless, so that they, even if for only a brief moment, can feel comforted, understood and accepted. That is my personal thought on the foundation of religion. In my opinion, spirituality should come from the spirit, and not from the ego, the pride, a book, or the wallet. It should be a direct connection between the soul of one to the soul of another, under the guidance and direction of the greater universal spirit, whatever or whomever that may be.</p>
<p>When I see you, I see a man who I believe fully understands what I've just written here, and I see a man who does just that. I see an intelligent, compassionate, and brilliantly creative man who has harnessed his belief and used the tools he was given to help spread the message of love without being bound by conformity or held to a common "standard" of expectation. I see a man who has taken a unique stance to a common goal, which I'm certain has given light to many who would still be in left in the darkness of conventional practice. I see a man who has defied fear, defied ridicule, defied criticism, and defied the misguided fools whose only cowardly instinct towards understanding and acceptance is to gnash their teeth at the flesh of the one carrying the message. Essentially, when I see you, I see the true meaning of religion, and I see and understand what it means to be a messenger of your Lord.</p>
<p>I want to thank you, Brother, for everything that you do, and everything that you are. Your music, your ministry, your outreach, your uniqueness, your message, everything down to your feather boas and leather boots. You're a true hero, a true teacher, and most importantly, a true human being. I hope this message finds you well, and I wish you all the best in your beautiful endeavors. The world needs more people like you, Paisley, and it's that much more beautiful because of the radiance you bring to it. Keep on preaching, reaching and teaching, because somewhere out there, there's another someone who needs you to open the door for them, and you, Sir, make a damn fine doorman. I wish you a very Merry Christmas, amigo.</p>
<p>Brotherly Love and Light,</p>
<p>WR</p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482092014-03-27T17:00:00-07:002014-03-28T11:27:44-07:00On "Noah" - The Movie
<p>I knew that when I left the house today to see Darren Aronofsky’s “Noah” I was going to be doing a blog this evening. As someone who continually criticizes Christian-made films (I have not yet seen “God’s Not Dead”) but praises secular visions (“The Last Temptation Of Christ,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “The Ten Commandments”), I knew this $130 million Hollywood epic would be ripe for scrutiny and it did not disappoint.</p>
<p>Darren Aronofsky, famous for “Black Swan” and one of my top-ten faves, “PI”, has crafted a convincing reimagining of the lifestyle, circumstances surrounding and personal and spiritual motivation behind Noah’s response to God in building and entering the ark that would leave his family the only surviving humans left after The Flood.</p>
<p>Prior to its release, “Christians” were already up in arms, attacking the film’s environmentalist perspective (barely present in the film) and its wonky Biblical accuracy (the letter may be wonky but the spirit never waters down the gravity of God’s judgment on man). This was a fantastic entertainment and a wholesome, convincing and, especially, inviting introduction to Old Testament Bible stuff.</p>
<p>Why do we always have to go on the attack? Darren Aronofsky is a self-proclaimed Athiest yet he managed to include the entire creation account in a fashion that was so artfully clever and cool yet completely reverent and accurate according to Scripture. I think we are so used to attacking that we attack for attacking’s sake and in this instance we have it all wrong.</p>
<p>Sure the film embellishes. It needs to. There are so many holes in the written account of this event and so many questions not answered (like, how did Noah keep the animals from going nuts and eating each other?). “Noah” playfully and brilliantly fills these gaps with compelling conjectures that make for great after-movie (and at-church) discussion.</p>
<p>This is the best Bible-based movie of this generation and it is my prayer that our hyper-stodginess doesn’t prevent folks from experiencing a story that has begged to be adapted to film, well, since the time of Noah. I especially pray that kids and young people will be drawn to it as it is an exciting, action-packed event movie that has a powerful message of faith, obedience and sadly, the many consequences of such obedience. Russell Crowe gives the performance of his career, at once gentle and bombastic, facing a tragedy of Biblical proportions from what could easily resemble a Shakespearian stage.</p>
<p>I want people to see this. It’s an awesome, sometimes dumbfounding entertainment that represents my favorite Bible story in a fashion that made me proud to be a believer.</p>
<p>And dang were those snakes cool!</p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482082014-02-21T17:00:00-07:002014-02-22T14:12:14-07:00On The Arizona Religious Beliefs Bill
<p><span class="userContent" data-ft="{">How is it not obvious to Christians that a message is being sent out, "We don't want you." Well, the message coming back is clear: "You don't want our business? We don't want your God." </span></p>
<p><span class="userContent" data-ft="{">Christians should be challenging this because it makes us look like Nazis-didn't they put up similar signs about Jews? </span></p>
<p><span class="userContent" data-ft="{">Shame on my gutless, bigoted, Bible-illiterate brothers and sisters who think something good happened here. </span></p>
<p><span class="userContent" data-ft="{">Real Christians should be rallying and revolting to make damned sure we're not mistaken for the liars, fakers and proud chest-pounding wolves in sheep's clothing. </span></p>
<p><span class="userContent" data-ft="{">This is the work of the devil. </span></p>
<p><span class="userContent" data-ft="{">Be careful how you celebrate.</span></p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482072014-02-17T17:00:00-07:002014-02-18T14:10:33-07:00A Great Prayer
<p>Lord Jesus, wherever we look we see a world that needs your love and compassion. </p>
<p>And we know we are called to move, to embody your Spirit, to bring comfort to the suffering. </p>
<p>May our passion for people be as Yours, self-sacrificing and all-encompassing.</p>
<p>Let us be Your hands and feet, Your voice and touch, Your smile and strength.</p>
<p>Teach us to love as You love-without condition, without wavering, without fear.</p>
<p>Grant us the courage and conviction to DO DOMETHING that will reach those reaching for you.</p>
<p>Not just those who share our thoughts, looks and desires</p>
<p>Not just those who claim Your name..</p>
<p>Not just those we like.</p>
<p>The whole world.</p>
<p>Help us to act NOW as You need us.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Amen.</p>
<p>(Michael Frickstad, 2014)</p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482062013-10-09T17:00:00-07:002014-02-18T14:11:06-07:00GLEE As Cinema Verite
<p>I first started watching GLEE to have something in common with my kids. I<br>had an ongoing love/hate relationship with the show. I loved the way it<br>introduced transgender themes, I hated how it butchered ROCKY HORROR as an<br>obvious Halloween ratings ploy.<br><br>Tonight I cried violently for an hour straight as this popular TV program<br>said goodbye to one of its main characters and, sadly, the actor who<br>played him. I intended not to watch the episode as I am vehement in my<br>stance against artists who commit suicide or die of substance-related<br>circumstances. (That actor's name will not be mentioned in this article)<br><br>Morbid fascination was victorious as I watched a handful of likeable and<br>talented performers grieve in word and song. While a bit mawkish at times,<br>it was impossible not to be moved as what I was witnessing, while scripted<br>indeed, was raw, human emotion. And it was quite powerful.<br>These kids and their older co-stars have been through a devastating loss<br>and instead of retreating into solitude, they made a public statement of<br>agony to satisfy the curiosity of their fans, pay tribute to a fallen<br>comrade, and maybe open a few eyes to the futility of drugs, suicide and,<br>ultimately, all death itself.<br><br>If this had been merely an episode about the demise of a character it<br>would have been manipulative but moving at best. Because we the audience<br>know that behind these characters are real people shedding real tears,<br>this was revolutionary television destined to be remembered long after the<br>series itself fades away.<br><br>Death is cruel and untimely. Death has no right to intrude on life and the<br>plans it contains. Drugs should be removed from existence altogether.<br>Young people should not have their hopes shattered. And television should<br>never be required to act as a memorial service.<br><br>Yet this is the life we’re given and these are the crosses we bear. I<br>applaud everyone who participated in this tribute and in some weird way<br>I’m not glad I suffered these many seasons of GLEE because tonight I feel<br>like I was privy to some extremely private emotions and expressions that<br>will haunt me forever more. And I am honored.<br><br>I witnessed a tribe decimated by the unexpected departure of a key member<br>band together in solidarity and song. I watched as redemption,<br>repentance, and forgiveness crept in to sooth the unsoothable. And in all<br>that time I wept for their loss. Their loss, my loss and your loss as<br>well. Because as long as we are alive we lose. And we keep losing until we<br>are that loss to others.<br><br>Say something nice. Remember a special date-a birthday or anniversary.<br>Bring flowers. Smile. Be known and remembered for more than your<br>problems, politics and opinions. One day you will leave a huge gaping<br>hole in the lives of your friends and family. Fill that hole now with<br>Goodness, Mercy, Hope, Faith and Love.<br><br>God bless us, everyone.</p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482052012-12-13T17:00:00-07:002012-12-14T12:52:35-07:00Connecticut
<p><span style="line-height:18px"><span style="color:#ffffff"><span style="line-height:18px"><span style="color:#ffffff">Prayers for all who have been been affected by today's events in Connecticut.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height:18px"><span style="color:#ffffff">I guess I just prayed for the whole world.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff; line-height:18px"><span style="color:#ffffff">And now a group hug...</span></span></p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482042012-10-12T17:00:00-07:002012-10-13T14:35:34-07:00My 30th Birthday...
<p>Tonight marks my 30th birthday in Jesus Christ. Thank you to all the amazing Christians who loved me, guided me and held me up in life and prayer throughout these years. I would have made it without you but it wouldn't have been half as cool. </p>
<p> </p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482032012-07-19T17:00:00-07:002012-07-20T05:13:46-07:00Prayer In Response To Colorado Movie Shootings...
<p>Dear God,</p>
<p>Please help us to remember, learn about, and celebrate the victims and not the perpetrator.</p>
<p>May their names be forever remembered in the annals of history and not his.</p>
<p>May his name be forever forgotten as we exalt Your Name in prayers and supplications for the families and friends of innocents who did nothing more than see the wrong movie at the wrong time.</p>
<p>Help us to cease being a society that glorifies violence, one that makes celebrity of its mass murderers, thus inspiring more along the way.</p>
<p>Inspire the nation (especially Colorado) to gather and pray to be certain that in Your mercy this horrible event may not be in reaction to National or State practices that have finally incurred Your justice.</p>
<p>Help us not to judge or use this tragedy to make us feel superior in some way.</p>
<p>We know that no man acts alone. Please reveal the powers and principalities behind these events.</p>
<p>Get thee behind us, Satan!</p>
<p>In Jesus’ Name.</p>
<p>Amen. </p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482022012-07-03T17:00:00-07:002012-07-03T17:22:55-07:00July 4, 2012...
<p>July 4, 2012...</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>As many of us celebrate our freedoms, let us consider the freedoms we have denied others, or have fought to take away. I stand in solidarity with not just my gay brothers and sisters, but every person in America who is suffering from the effects of bigotry, misguided religions, a fallen government and a society that has forgotten that ALL it's people matter, not just the desirables. Have a safe 4th folks. I pray you remember who fought and died (or is dying) so that "all men created equal" should remain that way.</p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482012012-05-16T17:00:00-07:002012-05-17T15:49:00-07:00Donna Summer RIP
<p>Donna Summer and I became Christians around the same time and place. But she was so famous that she was whisked away by church leaders and taught what to say to the out-of-control press (think: cult experience) especially regarding AIDS being the judgment of God on homosexuals.</p>
<p>She immediately regretted it but was "handled" by her "handlers" not to know how bad a mess she had made at a SINGLE press interview. As soon as she could she dealt with it much to the chagrin of the church and over the years never tired in her efforts to fight AIDS and support human freedoms.</p>
<p>She was not a perfect person, maybe not a great person, but to many a great talent who was in the spotlight at what should have been a very private time of life. Many were hurt by this yet I am convinced that there was no malice involved and her regret for her actions had very little to do with her concern for record sales.</p>
<p>I watched her struggle with this for the rest of her life and pray that people would ultimately forgive her-not rewrite her history-but just forgive her. It would be a blessing of solace to people like me who are truly saddened by her loss.</p>
<p>My prayers go out to her family, friends and fans.</p>
<p>Here is a link to my mini tribute to Donna Summer.</p>
<p>I adored her. She gave me a reason to learn how to dance. </p>
<p><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display:inline; color:#333333; line-height:18px; text-align:left"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olCZvoiaDqk" data-imported="1">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olCZvoiaDqk</a></span></p>
Paisley Yankolovichtag:therealpaisley.com,2005:Post/60482002010-10-19T17:00:00-07:002012-04-01T06:08:34-07:00Ari Up RIP
<div class="entry_content">
<p>Last night I posted on Facebook:</p>
<p>“My dear Ari. Taught me to sing, dance, march to my own drummer-and be nice to the fans. My heart is forever broken.”</p>
<p>I did this because sweet Ari Up from the legendary band, The Slits died yesterday of a “serious illness” according to John Lydon (Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols) who is currently married to Ari’s mom.</p>
<p>I intended to continue my regular blog tonight but when I heard this news I knew my night had taken a different turn. Maria McKee (another Pioneer Girl, to say the least) and I chatted on FB, both admittedly crying and wondering a world without the influence of that OTHER all-girl band, The Slits. (I should say almost all-girl band for the purists)</p>
<p>I moved to London at 16 just to be around these girls. When I met them at a show at Brixton, they laughed at me saying that they sucked and I had made a huge mistake. I told them they were stupid and that they were my Beatles. They laughed even more. A year or so later Ari approached me at the Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood and asked, “Weren’t you just in London?” And she made a fan for life.</p>
<p>Forever refusing compliments, Ari brought a fresh young face to what would end up being a male-dominated world of punk rock. She also had a three octave range, gorgeous dread locks and a killer smile backed by intelligence, humor and a tribal sense of community. The Slits not only introduced a whole new generation to reggae music (years before Blondie recorded “The Tide Is High”) but they brought the Do It Yourself spirit that was to define the entire Punk / New Wave movement for decades to come.</p>
<p>Keep in mind: no Slits, no Go Gos. Sure The Runaways happened first so in all fairness let’s say it was a group effort to blast open the door for women in rock forever more but The Slits never relied on sex appeal (Runaways) or pin-up, teenage wet dream cuteness (Go Gos). They were their own statement, their own fashion and their own force to be reckoned with.</p>
<p>I don’t expect people in my world to run out and buy Slits records (or Ari’s superior solo effort). I don’t expect a new rise in the numbers of fans-at least until a movie is made. I only want to remind those around me that to an artist, an influence is sacred- a gift from God put in our path to teach us and guide us. Ari Up was one of my greatest influences. I still listen to her and The Slits like it was yesterday when I would get up every morning in London and play their debut album (which I had recorded with a hand-held microphone onto a cassette player) and dream that one day I’d be on stage as well.</p>
<p>Keep your Elvis, keep your Beatles… I have Ari Up and The Slits.</p>
<p>PLEASE pray for her family, friends, fans and countless artists her life had touched. Today marks a dark day in the music revolution. Thank God Ari had her day in the sun.</p>
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Paisley Yankolovich