At the end of January, I found salvation. In a stuffy concert venue basement. From an Internet-ordained reverend. But those details don’t make my newfound (ok, and temporary) deliverance by Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter, formerly known as Lingua Ignota, any less meaningful. It was specifically her rendition of the hymn “Give Me Jesus” that did … Continue reading
Every time a paparazzi photograph of Lana Del Rey leaving the mega-church Churchome in Beverly Hills made its way across my Instagram scroll, I rolled my eyes. Not because I was clutching my pearls at Churchome pastor Judah Smith’s previous homophobic comments (unsurprising). Not because it’s also Justin Bieber’s post-Hillsong refuge (who cares). Not even … Continue reading
I don’t think I’ve ever come closer to seeing the face of God than when listening to Sylvester’s manic, soaring gospel cry, “Take Me to Heaven.” It’s not a fluke. Sylvester, too, saw his music in religious terms. In the biography The Fabulous Sylvester, Joshua Gamson reveals that after a particularly transcendent show, Sylvester, along … Continue reading
I fell into Greer Lankton’s exhibition DOLL PARTY at Company—or more precisely, I stumbled. I don’t mean I stumbled upon the show at random. I actually caught myself before I went tumbling off the bottom step of the steep staircase that led to the dim black-walled gallery space, stabilizing my unsteady legs before my joints … Continue reading
Why a hap-hap-hop-hoppy Easter Sunday to you, dearest Filthy Dreams bunnies! What’s that? You’re not religious? That doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate the ecstatic joy of trash religiosity. I mean, this Easter, I feel like I finally understand the resurrection of Christ. I mean, nearly 30 days into my bout with COVID-19, I know how … Continue reading