(February 9, 2018 at 7:00 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: https://youtu.be/q2ddRQb_GOc


Mighty Clouds of Joy performing Mighty High, a song that charted on the disco/dance charts in '76.  Your vorlon UNDOUBTEDLY danced to this great song in gay discos with gay mens !!!

I'd hate to think any of that was destined to become un-PC during my lifetime.

Srsly . . .

like so much of that old stuff I find on-line these days, I choke up a little and my eyes tear up, so many of my friends I came out with in the 70s were gone by the 90s.

Lets not ruin this.

I think what we all want to know now is if you saved any video of you dancing to YMCA?  But sorry about the loss of your friends.  Those were hard times going from free love to death by sex.

(February 9, 2018 at 2:10 pm)downbeatplumb Wrote:

(February 9, 2018 at 2:04 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote: But if it's a good song, it doesn't matter what it's ultimately about. It remains a good song. Aretha Franklin's "Climbing Higher Mountains" is one of my favorite tunes ever. Everything that woman touches becomes gold. Plus that, to me, the song merely uses religious symbolism to talk about real-life things. In this case, difficulties and tribulations--something everybody has, regardless of their religion. A lyrical song is just a poem put to music. Any one poem can be interpreted in a number of ways.

If you pass up rocking to gospel music because you're an atheist, you're missing out.

I don't not like gospel music due to my atheism, I don't like it because I don't like how it sounds.

Well..... I mean if you want to compare it to this shit....





yeah... it's better.

Do muslims sing?

Did have a friend (couple actually) with a video camera they could plug into their gigantic early Beta VCR. The camera was huge too, and on a tripod.

I can assure you, they didn't waste any tape on me dancing. They did tape themselves boinking (I've NEVER seen the footage, but I can imagine) and they did video a couple of parties in the 80s. Best footage we have to this day is a big group of us, circa 1983 or so playing "I Never". We have original (cassette) tapes of all the music played at that party, and not too many years later I remastered those tapes with CDs onto a 6 hour VHS hifi tape. LOL, I'd probably bawl my eyes out playing those party tapes again,

We were all so young. And we were all still around then. Didn't have a goddam clue what was going to start clobbering us in just 3 years.

FFRF has a point.  If any public money is used to fund gospel music than it's an abuse of the very same system that christer gospel music lovers depend on.  They may think it's pointless now...but when public money, in any amount, is funneled to the hyms of some other hostile sect...they'll begin to see why it was a bad idea to cash the check.

Christers commonly fail to recognize the protection that our commitedly secular government provides, which is ironic, considering all their fairy tales about state persecution. There is no such thing as an innocent infraction on secular principles..and we ought not accept them for fear of looking like assholes.

(February 9, 2018 at 10:36 pm)Whateverist Wrote:

(February 9, 2018 at 7:00 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: https://youtu.be/q2ddRQb_GOc


Mighty Clouds of Joy performing Mighty High, a song that charted on the disco/dance charts in '76.  Your vorlon UNDOUBTEDLY danced to this great song in gay discos with gay mens !!!

I'd hate to think any of that was destined to become un-PC during my lifetime.

Srsly . . .

like so much of that old stuff I find on-line these days, I choke up a little and my eyes tear up, so many of my friends I came out with in the 70s were gone by the 90s.

Lets not ruin this.

I think what we all want to know now is if you saved any video of you dancing to YMCA?  But sorry about the loss of your friends.  Those were hard times going from free love to death by sex.

Music was an important part of hospice back in the day too. I remember clearly making mix tapes for RS and how much he enjoyed listening to them. I dropped off copies at the office we had, so I know other clients enjoyed them too. One of the very first CDs I ever bought (before I had a player!) was the soundtrack from Saturday Night Fever. I was so surprised to find it, but really, biggest movie soundtrack ever would be a no brainer to release on CD pretty early on. I still have me vinyl and that CD to this day.

Hell, I have PCM dubs of disco music recorded on video tape I can't play on anything anymore. And you think Elcaset is a dead format, LOL !!

Id like to know the whole context, because it says gospel music and religious messages. You can't just preach at a public elementary school and use MLK as a cover to avoid criticism. Somehow I doubt this is really about gospel music.

(February 9, 2018 at 10:14 pm)Tres Leches Wrote: BUT - according to the OP, this was a government (city) event and religion does not belong in government-sponsored events. I find it hard to believe that MLK cannot be adequately honored without people singing songs about their god.

(February 9, 2018 at 11:00 pm)Khemikal Wrote: FFRF has a point.  If any public money is used to fund gospel music than it's an abuse of the very same system that christer gospel music lovers depend on.  They may think it's pointless now...but when public money, in any amount, is funneled to the hyms of some other hostile sect...they'll begin to see why it was a bad idea to cash the check.

(February 10, 2018 at 1:50 am)CapnAwesome Wrote: Id like to know the whole context, because it says gospel music and religious messages. You can't just preach at a public elementary school and use MLK as a cover to avoid criticism.  Somehow I doubt this is really about gospel music.

I guess I can see where you guys are coming from, but I think music and art that contains a religious message should be permitted when used appropriately. For instance, if public money were used to create a documentary about MLK and the civil rights movement, I'd have no problem with gospel music being used in the background. Such a soundtrack would be appropriate to the subject matter, and may even aid in telling the story.

It's not just a matter of me thinking FFRF is making a mountain out of a mole hill. That's part of it, yes. But the other part has to do with the fact that it's music, an artform, a mode of expression which can feature more than one type of message. I could play you some gospel songs from that period that (on the surface) contain an overt religious message, but to the astute listener contains commentary about Jim Crow and the social disparity between blacks and whites.

(February 9, 2018 at 12:34 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: Assholes gonna ass.

WUT ARE YOU SAYING IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE AN IMAGINARY FRIEND THAT THEY'RE ASSES?!?!?!?!

(February 10, 2018 at 4:03 am)vulcanlogician Wrote: I guess I can see where you guys are coming from, but I think music and art that contains a religious message should be permitted when used appropriately. For instance, if public money were used to create a documentary about MLK and the civil rights movement, I'd have no problem with gospel music being used in the background. Such a soundtrack would be appropriate to the subject matter, and may even aid in telling the story.

It's not just a matter of me thinking FFRF is making a mountain out of a mole hill. That's part of it, yes. But the other part has to do with the fact that it's music, an artform, a mode of expression which can feature more than one type of message. I could play you some gospel songs from that period that (on the surface) contain an overt religious message, but to the astute listener contains commentary about Jim Crow and the social disparity between blacks and whites.

If it's just gospel music, I'm fine with that. It's the "and religious messages " that I'd need more information on. Christians always misportray what atheist groups are complaining about, so I don't know why this instance would be any different. It's easy to throw in MLKs name as a cover to avoid criticism for what your real agenda is. If it were just a speech or program about MLK with a little gospel music, that seems fine. If it's really a religious program with a little MLK thrown in to set up an attack like this, that's obviously wrong on a number of levels. MLK himself was against prayer in public school. This is his comments on the supreme court decision on prayer in public school.

Quote: “I endorse it. I think it was correct,” King said. “Contrary to what many have said, it sought to outlaw neither prayer nor belief in God. In a pluralistic society such as ours, who is to determine what prayer shall be spoken, and by whom? Legally, constitutionally or otherwise, the state certainly has no such right. I am strongly opposed to the efforts that have been made to nullify the decision. They have been motivated, I think, by little more than the wish to embarrass the Supreme Court.

So is this really about gospel music? I doubt it. It also seems like MLK comes down on the side of the atheists in this one.