Month: November 2019

Is Britney Spears still relevant?

The first time I heard Baby…One More Time I knew I had to have that crazy popular new Britney Spears CD. From that very first moment I put my newly purchased copy into my, now dated, CD player I was mesmerized. I fell instantly in love with Britney and her style. I have always been kind of a fan of pop music to some extent but she really solidified my interest in dancing in my bedroom to her music.

Over the years Spears’s popularity has wavered some but my adoration for her has not tapered off in the slightest. When I first learned of her mental breakdown a few years ago I was genuinely distraught. Not because a celebrity I never knew was hurting but as a person who grew up with her on my TV and radio I wanted her to continue to be there to provide me familiarity and comfort. As an empathetic individual who does try to care about people I realized her pain was real for her and she was in need of help. Fortunately she received the help she needed and continued to produce music.

Last summer I learned about the #FreeBritney movement and although I am a fan of her works, I don’t pry into her personal life. For that reason I wasn’t too thrilled to have people saying if you are a true fan you have to spread the word. I will define my level of fandom thank you very much. I never cared for that word “true fan” of anything, it’s disgusting and often arrogant and always dismissive of alternative points of view. As an outside in so many ways I can assure you I hold to many alternative perspectives.

It got me to thinking recently though with the rise of new acts like Lady Gaga or even Katy Perry rise to prominence it makes me wonder if Britney Spears still holds any weight in the music industry? I have no doubts if Madonna dropped a new album tomorrow it would make some noise and garner attention. Maybe not in the way she once did but I believe Madonna still impacts the music industry and continues to influence artists to this day. I am not so sure if this is the case any more with Britney Spears. It seems like of course I am fairly out of touch with the young people. Yet I know my 14-year-old niece is at least aware of Madonna and can sing some of her songs, at least the chorus, but she said Britney Who when I asked her if Britney Spears was still popular. This kind of worried me ever so slightly. Especially considering my sister, the child’s mother, had also been a fan growing up. It told me either Britney has lost some of her star power with the younger generation, or her the same with her mother who failed to pass on that admiration to her child. I can’t begin to identify the artists my niece listens to, she never talks to me about anything personal to her not even music.

Obviously I can’t use a single anecdotal account as any sort of evidence. Thus I continue to ponder. I know internet searches would be skewed. If I type in how popular is Britney Spears website results will obviously contain references to her name. As such I doubt that would provide an organic reflection of her continued influence. A simple Google search asking top 20 pop artists of all time does bring the name Britney Spears up so I suppose there is that.

One thing I wonder is in such a fragmented world of internet memes, social media, YouTube, Spotify, etc., who does a pop mega star today cut through the noise and find their way into the lives of the youth? I mean in the 90s and before we had radio feeding us our top music hits. Beginning in the 80s and into the early 2000s we had MTV pushing music videos and music related content into our lives. It was easy for a single act to be in front of our eyes and ears constantly. I do wonder how an artist today can achieve that same uniformity? I wonder because I see big names like Jay Z and Beyonce remaining popular and they both found their success before the internet. Do children today even listen to pop stations on the radio or do they go to pop radio stations on Spotify? I suppose it would be easier to find new acts this way but I imagine it would be harder for a single act to saturate our culture yet somehow they manage to do so.

This makes me wonder if Britney Spears herself would even be popular if she came out today. Based on the prominence of Lada Gaga I could imagine a young Madonna finding success in the current pop culture. I am not so sure of a Britney. Part of her appeal was she balanced conservative ideals with modernism and a hip, sexy attitude. She flaunted her sexuality but she also held onto her mostly kid-friendly image. Of course this led to controversies over the years but that is not new in the entertainment industry.

I will never forget the first time I danced with my classmates like fools to Oops…I did it again. The music she has provided for my own enjoyment over the years has been most appreciated. I only wonder if her popularity will be like Cher was to me growing up, this old woman holding onto relevance when the young kids weren’t having it. To that I am most curious which song from her catalog will be the one kids growing up now or in the near future will recognize from Britney Spears or will attach to her identity? For me, Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves is the only Cher song I know by name without looking it up. Will Baby One More Time, Toxic, If U Seek Amy or some other song will be the one future generations remember most? I don’t have a single song that I think of instantly when I think Britney Spears, she has so many I enjoy. This makes it harder. When I asked my niece if she knew Madonna she said yes. When I asked her what songs she liked she said I don’t any just her name. I wonder if Britney Spears will live on even as just a name in the cultural lexicon? Only time will tell. If Doctor Who is to  be believed she should be alright.

Point of No Return~ Stephanie Bri explains the Retro Witch and why she is here to stay

What’s up bitches. I thought today would be a good time for me to dispel some myths that may be floating around the interwebs about my new show. I wanted to explain a few things to clear up any confusion out there.

As complicated as this might sound, The Retro Witch is not THERAT in a dress. It is Stephanie Bri doing her own thing. In other words this is the real Stephanie showing her true colors. THE RAT is the mask she wears to go out in public and live her day to day life.

What about the Goth stuff? Isn’t that like posing or something?

No. I am not entirely Goth. It’s complicated like I said. Retro Witch is a character I play as a way to express myself. THE RAT is also a character I play. I’ve been doing both my entire life but only one publicly until recently. Stephanie is the real me. The woman, trans woman if you will, living inside a man who has never fully defined his identity. That’s not important. He isn’t the one putting on a dress, wig and makeup as the Retro Witch, I am, Stephanie Bri, me. The woman inside, him.

Great that’s all fine but I thought Stephanie was a gamer chick or a girly girl. Retro Witch is goth right?

Retro Witch is a character I play. Stephanie is the real me. The person I would be, would have always been if life had worked out that way. It didn’t. THE RAT had to get us a job. I can’t speak entirely for him but I can say fear played a role in our decision to keep Stephanie hidden. That is no longer the case entirely. Think of it this way. Stephanie has to hide inside a man’s world dressed as a man pretending to like man things. She also enjoys playing dress up and pretending to be other people. In a way it does look like a man in a dress. That is not the case. It is a woman trapped in a mans body portraying a fictional character that shares her inner feelings, to an extent. Stephanie is not goth. Retro Witch is.

Okay got it. Stephanie is not goth. Are there other characters then?

Yes and no. I mean technically THERAT is a character, specifically a mask I wear. It sucks but that’s the life I chose I guess. I dress up as The Retro Witch because it’s fun. I’ve always been a fan of Marilyn Manson. I wanted to be like him. Dress feminine publicly and also somewhat Gothic. I never wanted to be goth just wanted to play a goth character. I tell people this, I will be THE RAT, when I have to be, and Stephanie when I get to be. In the past I was always Stephanie but only visibly on rare occasions. As in, when I was alone, isolated and in the privacy of my own home away from prying eyes. I created the Retro Witch character as a compromise. A way for me to go out in public as a woman without giving up the mask.

How girly or feminine is Stephanie?

As feminine as you! Really ask any feminist and they will tell you femininity is not about the clothes or living up to stereotypes. If anything I want to be free from stereotypes. I would prefer to be allowed the right to enjoy my Barbie and Transformers toys equally without raising suspicions.  Or rather without being looked down on or judged for doing so. I prefer dresses over pants. I like wearing make up. I like dancing to pop music. I enjoy fantasizing I am a woman doing things only women can do. If science would allow me to become a woman, complete with all the right reproductive powers, then I would surely consider it. I don’t want to be female superficially. That has no appeal to me. I want to be able to say this is how I feel and express myself as such. I don’t want to be trapped in a box. I don’t want to live up to any one’s expectations but my own.

When will you begin presenting properly? When will you begin HRT? Is surgery in your future?

The answers to these questions are a resounding none of your damn business! I will wear whatever the hell I want. I will do what I decide to do with my body at my own pace and nothing is going to deter me from living my life my way.

I have a sister that is a straight tom boy I never ask her when is she going to transition to male or when is she going to dress like a real woman. I can wear pants, t shirts and a ball cap and still feel like a woman on the inside. Being trans, or whatever you want to call it, doesn’t mean I have to strive to fit YOUR image of what a woman is. That is all.

Retro Nintendo Collecting updated 2019

Great news. I recently purchased a copy of Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This was the last game I needed to complete the first of my micro collections, I now have all three of the original Nintendo Super Mario Bros. games. It felt like a nice little achievement putting something on my shelf that felt like I completed something.

While I doubt my collection will ever be truly complete, I can at least take solace in knowing that I added a piece that has personal meaning to me while also serving a greater purpose. I recently began defining what my intentions were for my video game collection. Among them is laying out my goals as a collector. I don’t have the words full set on my sights at this time I am working on deciding which games will make the cut and which ones I will gladly ignore.

One thing I wanted to avoid in collecting was going for full sets. I figured if I did that it would only drive me insane as it would take likely decades to finish a single console set. Instead I wanted to have a more curated list of items that had more meaning to me. I didn’t want to be too strict with my collection sticking to an exact list but I didn’t want to be so open ended that there wasn’t an obtainable goal in sight. So I decided to put a few guidelines on my collecting that will allow me to maintain some sanity while also having room to grow.

For example, I don’t want to seek out full sets of entire console libraries, I do, however, desire to complete smaller, character or franchise sets with some restrictions. I fully intend to seek a complete Super Mario set. I have to define to myself what that entails. For me it’s simple. One copy of each game in that bears the name Super Mario but excludes the sports games.

This means Mario Party and Super Mario Kart are off the list. Instead I want to to be just the primary games. On the NES this would be Mario Bros. (Classic arcade game), Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3. Over on Super NES it would be Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2 Yoshi’s Island and Super Mario All-Stars. Then from N64 on it would be Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, and Super Mario Odyssey. This does include New Super Mario games included handheld counterparts and Super Mario 3D World. Fortunately as a Mario fan and Nintendo gamer I already own the majority of these games.

I had to decide that for collecting purposes I will include Super Mario Land, Super Mario Land 2 Six Golden Coins and Wario Land- Super Mario Land 3 all in this mix. I will also include remixes like Super Mario All-Stars on SNES and the 25th anniversary release on Nintendo Wii as well as the Super Mario Advance line on GBA, which again I already own.

There are a few odder collections I defined based on my own interests. I won’t be seeking digital only games however.

Here are a few of the collections I want to go after.

NES Black Box Games

Nintendo Tetris games

Sonic the Hedgehog (non-sports no collections)

Atari Arcade collection Complete (This is one of the odd ones. Basically any game Atari released in arcades, including collections and compilations.)

Pac-Man collection (every game featuring or starring the character as a playable character with Pac in the title)

AVGN LJN reviewed games (All of the LJN NES games the Angry Video Game Nerd reviews)

Mortal Kombat Complete (Includes all single release ports, spin offs and compilations)

*Batman

*X-Men

*Spider-Man

*Comic book characters includes all games starring or featuring with exceptions. Must be playable and fully integrated into game not DLC, costume or cameo.

All of these are basically guidelines. Some of them are defined in my mind but I haven’t clarified those yet.

Of course this goes a little beyond just Nintendo games, it spans other video game consoles as well.

As time goes by I will continue to refine my intentions to ensure things closely align with my interests and goals as a collector.