Serenity Gardens (05.20.19)

I used my show at Serenity Gardens as a platform for expressing my views on women's rights... and for playing some fine-ass music. Win-win. Photo by Kat.

Last night's show at Serenity Gardens in Second Life went really well. Unsurprisingly, I have something else to talk about before we get to the topic of my live music show, which is the recent attack on women's rights in the USA. The reason I bring it up -- other than it being one of the most important possible topics in the world right now -- is that I based a good portion of my show on this theme. See? I may seem random, but... okay, yeah, I am.

You've likely been following the news over the past month or so in which a number of states have passed new laws or are in the process of doing so that, going against the will of the nation, make abortion all but illegal. Many of these laws are so draconian that even in cases where a woman is a victim of rape or incest, or her life is in danger as a result of her pregnancy, not only will she not be allowed to have an abortion; doctors who perform them could face life in prison. Some states have gone so far as to criminalize abortion for the women themselves, seeking murder charges against a woman who aborts an embryo so early in the pregnancy that the woman might not have had a chance to ascertain that she is pregnant. That's right; in the insane bizarro world in which we live, a woman could get the death penalty from these "pro-life" governments.

The extremist states that are passing these severe restrictions on women's rights include Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, and a handful of others. Most seem destined to head to the Supreme Court in the attempt to overturn the landmark decision Roe v. Wade that made abortion legal in the United States in 1973. While couched in the framework of caring for new life, the reality is that these laws are about subjugating and controlling women themselves. If they weren't, the men who impregnate the women in the first place would also be liable for any penalties... which, of course, they are not. In fact, nearly every one of these forced birth extremists who write and support this kind of legislation are men themselves.

Here are the forced-birth extremists of the Alabama senate. They are the people who want to control female bodies in every possible way. Notice anything similar about them?

And -- as long as we're being real here -- these laws aren't even about pregnancy; they're about sexual control. The men who push these laws through want to control who women choose to have sex with, and the circumstances of those sexual encounters. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez backs me up on this theory...

Abortion bans aren’t just about controlling women’s bodies.

They’re about controlling women’s sexuality. Owning women.

From limiting birth control to banning comprehensive sex ed, US religious fundamentalists are working hard to outlaw sex that falls outside their theology.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 16, 2019

There are many other places to get informed on this topic than my silly blog, so I'm not going to write another 50 paragraphs on it (though I easily could). Boiling down the entire debate to its essence, the goal here is to keep abortion as a safe and legal medical procedure for all, and not go backwards to the days when only the wealthy could get backroom abortions and the poor were forced to use the coat hanger. Yeah, that's not some fictional horror; that's real. I will end this little blog on a positive note: the women of the USA will not stand for this shit. It's as simple as that. They are strong, they will organize, and any politician who supports these laws to subjugate and control women will soon find themselves in the unemployment line, including the president. It's ironic, since many of those same politicians are the same who generally try and eliminate help for the jobless, so after they're out of office, they've essentially fucked themselves. I find I have no pity.

Dat Show Doe
So, with all that stuff on my mind, I made it a point to tailor my set list with some songs that spoke toward women's empowerment and freedom from oppression. I don't know if the music gods were smiling upon me, but when I looked at the lineup for the evening at Serenity Gardens, it could not have been more appropriate to have anyone but the amazing Grace McDunnough performing in the slot before me. Beyond being one of my personal favorite musicians in SL purely from a standpoint of talent, Grace is a person who is a huge fighter for equality. I've known her for over 10 years, and while our paths don't cross all the time, it seemed almost karmic that she'd be there on this particular evening.

I always, always, always have good shows at Serenity Gardens. No exceptions. Photo by Kat.

Um... has this always been on top of the Serenity Gardens stage? I know that Tilly and Ilsa are cat people, but this kind of hammers home that point. Photo by Kat.

Good people enjoying good music. Photo by Kat.

Grace and I are also simpatico from a musical standpoint, and it's a good crossover between her crowd and mine in terms of people who would likely enjoy our respective tunes and performance styles. While many of my shows at Serenity Gardens have me kicking off the evening, it was cool having some of Grace's crowd hang out for my show, and then be joined by my loyal Zaksters as they arrived. All in all, it was a really decent turnout. My only criticism -- of myself, as usual -- is that my set list seemed to have me hovering at the very top end of my vocal range, pitch-wise. I did enjoy pulling in a few songs I'd never done before in SL, including a jazzy number by Michael Franks, an artist whom I will always associate with my late father who had a propensity toward those mellow sounds of the mid/late '70s.

Serenity Gardens set list...
Loading Zones (Kurt Vile)
Crosses (José González)
Pickles (Zak Claxton)
Moonage Daydream (David Bowie)
Everything Is Scary (German Error Message)
Lucy’s (Girlpool)
Alabama (Neil Young)
*Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper)
*Blowin’ in the Wind (Bob Dylan)
One (U2)
Redemption Song (Bob Marley)
*The Lady Wants to Know (Michael Franks)
I Believe When I Fall In Love (Stevie Wonder)
Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young)

*Indicates the first time I've performed this song in SL.

Thanks to all of you who came out to the show, and for listening to me express my support of women's rights. Extra special thanks to the following who helped support my show!
Nina Brandenburg, go2smoky Resident, Trouble Streeter, Kat Claxton, Alex Zelin, Triana Caldera, Tyche Szondi, TheaDee Resident, Celeste Ewing, Barbara Mixemup, my excellent manager Maali Beck, and the fabulous team at Serenity Gardens, Tilly Rose and Ilsa Wilde.