Pheaturing Christine And The Queens

 

Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Saturday. How are you? In 2020, a story in The Guardian went viral detailing how women face harassment and stalking when at the gym. Another recent poll by Bar Bend reports that 4 out of 5... 4 out of 5!... women have felt unsafe while working out in public. Now, a Kansas gym is attempting to combat that frightening pattern by operating exclusively for women… and they’re getting blasted on social media by angry men. But are we really surprised? Blush Fitness, a gym in the Overland Park park suburb Kansas City, heralds itself as a safe space fitness center. “Had a great workout with no men insight” is the exact term used in a now-viral TikTok by @heatherhuesman. Apparently, it is strictly an all-women gym like many gyms, Blush Fitness has locker rooms, personal training sessions, 24-hour service, group fitness classes, Zumba classes, etc. But there are also some other key features: tinted windows, free tampons, free babysitting, 24-hour service, pink floral decor, a so-called Blush Boot Camp, and a listing for members which details when any male trainers will be around. The marketing for Blush advertises and emphasizes it as a female gym “Empowering women through fitness.” Now, that message has circulated further than ever. Heather Huesman’s happy TikTok, which previews BlushFit’s free weights center and training rooms, has acted as something of a trending advertisement for the unusual space. But not everyone is so entranced. Sexist Backlash? According to The Daily Dot, many men who have watched the TikTok have commented their own condemnations of the idea. Some of the lines include “doesn’t sound like equality,” “discrimination and segregation,” “swear we’re going backward in time,” and “if it was only for men there would be so much hate.” Obviously, applying the terminology of “reverse-sexism” to a gym that aims to be safe and inclusive for female members is ridiculous. For some ladies, limited-access gyms like Blush hare the first chance to safely reach fitness goals... without gross ogling or harassment. And if you’re offended by that, well, you can always work out at home. For anyone in the Kansas City area thinking of checking out Blush Fitness, the address and phone number are listed below: 7204 W 119th St, Overland Park, KS 66213 (913) 291-0685.

The Internet truly enjoys forgoing what politicians are actually saying, and instead, finds entertainment in the mishaps that politicians go through while they’re speaking in front of crowds. Rudy Giuliani was under the spotlight for a significant amount of time, not only because of what he was saying but what he was going through while speaking. In a whirlwind of accidental farts, bad hair dye jobs, and controversial movie scenes, Giuliani was heavily (and hilariously) criticized. And as we all know, former President Donald Trump isn’t exempt from the same hilarity. Last Saturday, Trump appeared at the Republican party convention in North Carolina, where, according to the Independent, he was making claims that China needed to “pay reparations” for the coronavirus pandemic. But what people were really paying attention to was not the accusations on an entire country, and rather on what Trump was wearing. If you look closely at the pictures, you can see why people were pointing out that Trump, apparently, was wearing his pants backwards. 

Now is there confirmation? Not exactly, as we wouldn’t know Trump’s personal dresser (if he has one?), but people on social media made the ultimate decision that his pants were in fact backwards. Twitter users would point out that there weren’t any seams, zippers, and pockets, all while Trump is trying to make a valid point in his speech. The pictures took off so much that the hashtag #TrumpPants actually started trending on the platform. People started taking the pictures and creating the funniest memes that just promoted his pants over his own China rant. One person took it upon themselves to create a diagram explaining “Trump’s Backward Pants” and another even went as far as to identify where Trump’s fly went, only to bring back the infamous meme of when former Vice President Mike Pence had a fly land on his head during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. Others confirmed the allegations of Trump wearing his pants backwards with their own analyses of why they believed so. Nevertheless, a fact-checking article done by Snopes confirmed that the former POTUS did in fact have a zipper in front of his crotch area, proving all speculators wrong. 

A Popeyes Louisiana Chicken location in Lake St. Louis, Missouri, caused an uproar in the community, and soon after on the Internet, after a sign was found attached to the drive-thru menu. The sign read...

The sign looked to be apparently put up by the store’s general manager, stating that the new policy would start on June 1st. Speculations were made about the incident just being a really bad prank, but either way, it was received negatively, garnering criticisms from all who saw it. According to USA Today, a picture of the sign was shared on Facebook, where users were able to express their disapproval upon seeing the post.  One user said, “This sign was posted outside Popeyes chicken restaurant in St. Louis, MO. New Manager thinks he has the ‘right’ to refuse service based on race,” and others encouraged their friends to, “call them and complain.” The fast-food chain has expressed that their company was not behind it, and whoever posted it, employee or not, acted on their own accord. Chief Chris DiGiuseppi of the Lake St. Louis Police Department explained that it was actually not the general manager, who was suspected of posting it in the first place. He said in an email, “‘The manager’ did NOT post this sign and the business is NOT ‘under new management’ as alleged per our investigation,” and further explained that they believe the actual suspects have been caught on video. The police department also believes that the sign could also be related to another vandalism case at the same location that happened in early May. People from the St. Charles County community expressed their worries about the impact that the sign will have, with one woman who asked to remain anonymous telling KMOV 4, “What it does is, it incites more hate,” and another person explaining, “That’s good for the Popeyes, they didn’t do that, but a community you shouldn’t do anything like that’s going to stir up more problems.”

Politics is hilarious for the fact of the matter that it’s always more than just two sides butting heads. With many people burning out watching division grow larger and larger because compromising doesn’t seem to exist, the only action left to take is to simply toy with politicians in order to keep things interesting. And flying a dildo on a drone while one candidate was making a campaign speech is certainly one way to do that. Albuquerque Sheriff Manuel Gonzales III was making a campaign speech for mayor in front of a crowd of about 70 people, when suddenly a massive sex toy hanging off a drone started buzzing by the stage he was standing on. The sheriff was at Revel Entertainment Center, and the owner of the venue grabbed the flying sex toy out of the air while the crowd let out a nervous laugh. But the story gets even weirder. Twenty-four-year-old Kaelan Ashby Dreyer ended up with criminal charges for punching Gonzales, after reportedly trying to grab the dildo when it landed. He’s been charged with petty misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor resisting, evading or obstructing an officer, but he told police that he actually didn’t mean to hit the sheriff. Dreyer apparently swung his fist in the air in expressing disapproval for the way the sheriff had answered a question. Nevertheless, Gonzales is determined that it might be the work of his opposing mayoral candidate. According to Gonzales, the witty prank was actually the work of current Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, but Keller denies the allegations. His campaign manager Neri Holguin told the Albuquerque Journal, “By now people have seen the video where Manny was interrupted by a drone with an adult toy attached to it. No question it was disruptive, rude, and immature. We denounce demeaning antics and urge residents to participate in the political process in a respectful manner.” Dreyer also denied any involvement with Keller or the drone, telling the Journal, “Manny Gonzales is trying to associate me with Tim Keller or radical leftist behavior. I’m not a fan of Tim Keller either and identify as libertarian.” In the meantime, the only thing we do know about the mysterious culprit phallic-enthused pilot is that they have a Twitter account under the name “dongcopter505,” and that they have an impeccable sense of humor. The account claimed responsibility posting a video on the profile of the incident captioned, “@SheriffManny, @MannyForABQ got some serious D last night. More updates to come.”

There is little doubt that the first episode of "Loki" had fans talking about how time travel has affected the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Interestingly, it has even led to fans declaring that Steve Rogers should be arrested by the Time Variance Authority for what he did in Avengers: Endgame. But will we see this happening in the show? Michael Waldron has addressed the possibility of Steve being taken in by the TVA. In Endgame, Steve was given the task to return all the Infinity Stones to their proper place in time. However, Steve decided not to go back to the future and chose to stay with Peggy Carter in the past instead. His actions are believed to have affected the Sacred Timeline even more than what Loki has done. So will we see Steve being arrested by the TVA in "Loki"? Waldron was asked about this in an interview with SUPES. Interestingly, the show's head writer and creator didn't share much but did point out that fans should watch every episode of the series. "I don't think I can answer that," Waldron said. "I don't think I can answer that. I think maybe... I think maybe just keep watching." It's an interesting comment considering that there have been speculations that Chris Evans could reprise his role in a new MCU project. Although it was initially believed to be "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier," it's more likely that the project is actually "Loki." I love the idea of Evans returning as Steve, even if it does mean that he'll be arrested by the TVA. However, it's important to point out that Evans' appearance in "Loki" has not yet been confirmed so it's best to take this with a grain of salt. 

So, on the last entry of the Phile with the interview with actor Carlos Alazraqui I mentioned to him I used to have a t-shirt of the Taco Bell Chihuahua in the 90s. Well, I found a pic and thought I'd share it here...

Look how fucking skinny I am there. Hahaha. This was in Las Vegas I think in either 1997 or 1998. I'm skinner than Threepio. When I get bored I go on Twitter and look up certain words and one of those words I look up is "Foghat." Here's a tweet I saw back in December...

Hahaha. They tell me you never know what weird sight you'll see in Walmart. I didn't think anything o it until I saw this...

If I had a TARDIS I would probably end up meeting a top sniper, codenamed Arrow...

She'd be loading her gun in a safe room in Sarajevo, June 30th, 1992. The 20-year old Serb who shoots for the Bosnian forces says she has lost count of the number of people she has killed, but that she finds it difficult to pull the trigger. The former journalism student says most of her targets are other snipers on the Serbian side. She was wounded in early December of 1992, hit in the back by a 7.62mm bullet fired from a tank light machine gun. The bullet drove just past her spine and ripped out through her stomach, but missed her kidneys and spleen. Any stroll through a store would have you believe that "pink is for girls" and "blue is for boys" are the associated gender roles are the very backbone of our society. Products from nail clippers to hand lotion are assigned genders when last time I checked, inanimate objects don't have gender identities. Like this weight loss hashtag for example...

Child-free or "adults only" events can cause a war of passive aggression in the group chat if you're not extra clear who is invited... Excluding young children from a wedding can send parents furiously texting each other about how disrespectful it is that you don't want toddlers screech-screaming through your beachfront wedding vows. While it can be inconvenient for parents to find alternative childcare or have to RSVP no to events they would attend if they could bring their children, ultimately the guest list is up to the host. Bringing children when they aren't invited, especially when their safety or wellbeing could be threatened by intoxicated adults or a dangerous location, is both rude and reckless. So, when a frustrated campground party host decided to consult the Phile about whether or not they were wrong to refuse to invite young children, I decided I'd help deem a verdict. 

"Am I wrong for uninviting my coworker from camping when he was pushy about bringing his young children for a drinking weekend? I host camping trips often and some of my co-workers I'm friends with were interested. It's a big party in the woods on my aunt's huge rural property. It's a group of people in their 20s and early 30s, nobody's ever brought a kid or anyone under 21 for that matter. Another of my co-workers I don't know well asked if he could join and I said "yeah definitely, anyone can come! It'll be a great big party!" I didn't think much of it and then I made a group text of everyone I had invited camping to organize things. I asked the group if anyone needed to borrow camping gear. My co-worker then asked if my one-person tent would be good for two small kids, four and six years old. I texted back saying "sorry this isn't really a kid trip, sorry I didn't explain well enough but it's more of a big party in the woods" He texted me privately now, outside the group chat. And said that he and his wife are European and they do not do the American thing of sheltering their kids from drinking or even bad language, he was comfortable with the family coming. The kids can play pretty independently and they go to bed early. I felt weird and uncomfortable about this. I texted him back saying "sorry really not comfortable with that, this is a 21+ trip because I'm not okay having anyone underage at a party I'm hosting" He sent me a message saying "they're children, they're not teenagers trying to sneak a drink. I already told them they were invited; you said anyone was welcome" I said "yeah didn't mean to imply anything, I just think a family campground would be a better fit for kids. I can send you some recommendations of places I'm sure your kids would like more fun at than hanging out with us drunk idiots!!" He didn't text me back after that but asked me in person at work the next day. He told me that it was inconsiderate of me to invite him and say anyone was welcome and then uninvite him when he took me at my word. And that as a parent of young kids, it was difficult to get time to spend with other adults and he and his wife were really looking forward to socializing, especially after the year spent at home. I asked if he would be able to get a babysitter for one or even both nights, he and his wife would be welcome to join. Or he could join if his wife could stay with the kids. And he got cross with me at that point saying that I was immature and didn't understand the realities of living life not just selfishly. That you can't just pawn your kids off when it is inconvenient or rudely uninvite someone when it is inconvenient. I felt bad hearing that, I do feel a little like I got his hopes up and his kids hopes up about camping because I wasn't clear enough about it at the start. Am I wrong for un-inviting my coworker from camping?" Nope. That guy is a dick. You told him it was 21+ multiple times. That's enough. And it matters zero what anyone in another country does. You're not in that other country, nor is anyone else that comes to the party. "As a parent of young kids, it was difficult to get time to spend with other adults." No, it really isn't that hard. Unless you're a dick that pushes your kids and customs on everyone else, making them want to be somewhere you are not. Having a bunch of kids around alcohol and drinking/drunk adults is also SUCH a liability. This isn't Europe. If something were to happen to those children while everyone, including their parents, were drinking, everyone present could be charged with child endangerment. It's fine to not shield your children from those things. But that's in the privacy of your own home. Not a camping area full of drunk adults. If he wants to have a big, adult party with his small children in attendance, he's free to organize and host it. Clearly an unfortunate bit of miscommunication around "anyone can come," but that doesn't mean you're obligated to just let him do whatever he wants. I would be uncomfortable with small children being at a big party in the woods too. What if someone got hurt, or got lost? This is not negotiable, and he is being unreasonable. It's weird that he would think "anyone can come" would include young children, especially without asking. And even worse that, when he realized you didn't mean to invite his children, he kept trying to force the issue. Going forward you may want to be more specific in your invites, but that doesn't mean this guy's response was appropriate. So, there you have it! This person was not at all wrong to un-invite their co-worker after he insisted on bringing his children to an adults-only event. As the host it was completely up to them whether or not they wanted the burden of being responsible for minors on the premises during an outdoor party with alcohol. Good luck, everyone! If you have a problem you'd like mu advice on then email me at thepeverettphile@gmail.com. 

If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. Okay, let's take a live look at Port Jefferson, shall we?

Cool. You can see the ferry is just leaving. Now for...

On abolishing slavery...

Okay, here's a story from...

“A living hell.” That’s how 13-year-old Chad Sanford describes his sixth-grade school year at Deerfield Beach Middle School of Broward Country, Florida. According to the teen, he has been a victim of ceaseless bullying since August because of his sexual orientation. The most recent homophobic attack occurred on May 21st around 2:30 p.m. and was captured on video shared by WPLG Local 10. In the footage, the video shows Sanford seen walking down the hallway at school when an older student slams him to the ground while physically abusing him and hiring homophobic slurs. “He just stepped on my face, they were kicking and spitting on me and all that was a little clip of the video, the middle school student told WPLG. “They were screaming. They were saying, ‘We got that gay faggot.’” During the attack, Sanford remained on the ground in a fetal position as students surround him. The teen told NBC News that only one fellow student offered to help. Sanford says this was not the first time he was targeted by this attacker. “One day he embarrassed me in front of everybody,” Chad told Local10. “He stood on top of the stage and said to me, ‘I’m going to knock the gay out of him.’” According to Sanford’s aunt, Raquel Showers, the student has been a repeated victim of homophobic attacks and she is worried about his mental health and school safety. “He wanted to kill himself because they keep bullying him,” Showers said. “So, hearing that, it just makes me cry.” Note that several news outlets have reported that Chad Sanford is a transgender student, however, the teen identifies as gay. The Broward County Public Schools has not said what kind of disciplinary action the attacker is facing. However, school officials are investigating the incident with the help of the police, though it is unclear if the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. “The school’s leadership is taking this incident seriously and is working with law enforcement in its investigation,” the school district said in a statement to NBC Miami. “Any students involved will face appropriate school disciplinary consequences in accordance with the codebook for student conduct.” “When I hear about this, it takes me back to my own issues that I experienced when I was younger,” said Tatiana Williams, who runs an advocacy organization called the Trans Inclusive Group. Williams said what happened at the school to Chad isn’t about agreeing with another person’s choices. “But I think it’s important that we respect people the way we want to be respected, right?” she said. “It just goes back to human courtesy and human dignity, and making sure parents at home are teaching their kids what to do and what not to do.” Trans kids and gay kids are the most likely to be bullied and attacked, says the director of SAVE, South Florida’s leading LGBTQ rights group. “And the attacks that have been on them have really increased over the last couple of years, particularly for trans women and trans women of color,” said Orlando Gonzales of SAVE. Statewide, educators and other staff members report that bullying in elementary, middle, and high school is most often based on a student’s weight, gender, perceived sexual orientation, ethnicity, or disability. Homophobia plays a large role in the bullying of students who are perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming, or those questioning their sexual or gender identity, according to the Florida Education Association.

The 152nd book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...

Jake will be on the Phile in a few weeks. 

Phact 1. A 10,000 man Mongol army was destroyed by Egyptian Mamluks after being fooled by a feigned retreat and getting surrounded, a tactic often used by the Mongol’s themselves. 

Phact 2. Switzerland is abbreviated to CH because of its Latin name, Confoederatio Helvetica.

Phact 3. Women used to put pollen from Angel’s Trumpet (a deadly flower) in their tea to induce LSD-like hallucinations. 

Phact 4. A Chinese man bought and raised two puppies, cared for them despite their frequent killing and eating of chickens, and then discovered they were bears. 

Phact 5. A Colombian program called kangaroo care, where prematurely born babies are kept in constant skin-to-skin contact with parents has shown success over hospital incubators in reducing infant mortality.

Today's guest is a French singer, songwriter, and record producer. He latest EP "La vita nuova" is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. Please welcome to the Phile... Christine and the Queens. 

Me: Bonjovi, Christine. Haha. Welcome to the Phile. How are you? 

Christine: Je vais très bien, Jason. Génial d'être ici. Comment vas-tu? 

Me: I have no idea what that means but I think you're asking how I am. I'm good. So, you're from France, right? Do you still live there? 

Christine: I moved from Paris to London to escape a particularly tragic breakup, she ventured out at night on her own and wound up in the legendary Soho nightclub Madame Jojo's. That's where she befriended a group of drag artists, who eventually inspired her to create her own persona: Christine. 

Me: So, you go by Chris or Christine and the Queens... who is "Chris"?

Christine: I work with personas but it doesn't mean I'm creating a character that is very much different than me. I'm actually expressing myself through those personas. I think I have this relationship with theatre. I'm not comparing myself but like with David Bowie who could use like different incarnation for each album. 

Me: So, this is like Ziggy Stardust? 

Christine: Kind of, yeah. But Ziggy Stardust was more of a construction and at some point got killed by David Bowie who kind of moved forward and the Thin White Duke happened. I think it was a way to express something really deep and kind of authentic through a theatrically. I kind of like to work like that also so I think Chris was the latest alteration of myself in a way. Christine and the Queens was the best way to tell my story in 2014 when the album was out. 

Me: But you're now called "Chris" and not Christine? 

Christine: With the second record people are now calling me Chris actually instead of Christine because it became my nickname.

Me: Yeah, Chris is short for Christine. So, you're now Chris? 

Christine: Yeah, I changed as I was older and I had different storied to tell. It feels more genuine to be called Chris on that one record. 

Me: You also changed your look as well, right? You cut your hair? 

Christine: That was an interesting one. Before there photoshoot they asked me to write a self portrait. I was like oh, they're asking me to write a self portrait which is what I like to do so I gave them eight pages which was kind of the manifesto. The idea of me exploring a different way to be feminine and to be sensual. I was talking a lot about Chris as I was becoming. I arrived at the shoot and I was rocking this half bob weird. The photographer said, "You know, with your hair shorter it'll more justice of the character you're talking about." I was like yeah I always wanted to do that but I'm not sure it'll suit me. He was like, "You should stop being afraid. This is what you're talking about in your writing." I was like it's exactly true and I decided to cut my hair. He read the whole self portrait and he was actually seeing something in me that I was not. I was afraid to become and I became. 

Me: In your self portrait where Chris tells us "Steal the time worn parades of your manhood and turn them into something way more suspicious." What does that mean? 

Christine: Talking about theatrically I was interested in exploring some of the classic masculinity in theateratics. I was interested in disrupting them just slightly and using them as a woman. 

Me: Huh? What does that mean? 

Christine: If I'm embracing the parades of masculinity just to expose the theatrically of it. I think I was just interested in playing around with that. 

Me: I watched videos of you and you dance like Michael Jackson. Do you agree? 

Christine: It's interesting. The "Girlfriend" video is really about the pop routine with really precise steps. 

Me: Are you a Michael Jackson fan, Christine? 

Christine: Michael Jackson IS an inspiration for me. 

Me: Okay, so your real name is Hélöise Letissier. Why and when did you decide to go by the name "Christine and the Queens"? 

Christine: Theatrically is such a big part of pop music. A stage moniker is so much a part of it also. I don't think like I'm the only one doing it. First I chose another name to be on stage because I did love to have a stage moniker. I was empowered through it. By writing my first song and by choosing my stage outfit and by saying I'm going to be named Christine was the pleasure and the choosing for there first time and it came with empowerment as a young woman. I was like yeah, I'm going to choose my narrative, I'm going to appear like this on stage, I want to work with my sexuality like that. There was a softness and a power of choosing it. 

Me: My dad was Lonesome Dave on stage and Dave Peverett off stage. "Lonesome Dave" was almost like a character. Do you feel the same with you? 

Christine: Yeah. It's actually for me a way to relate that is quite natural. 

Me: My dad was sure growing up, and off stage. Were you? 

Christine: Yeah, but there was always a way for me to be more comfortable on the stage. The social filters in real life were sometimes a bit scaring me. On stage there was only the rules I was choosing. So it was more empowering. 

Me: What's one of your favorite things about being on stage? 

Christine: Things that happen on stage like accidents or mistakes or troubles, it's never big deal on stage. I don't know why. There is some way I can overcome it. In life the tiniest mistake can make me panic. I don't know, on stage it's a place of fearlessness also. That's why I really like, I don't know why. 

Me: Do you think by Christine and the Queens and Chris made you change when you weren't those people? I mean, when you're at your parents house are you you or Chris? Or when you're at Starbucks, which one are you? 

Christine: Yeah, I think it bled back into my life. By being known as Christine and now Chris people kind of met the fearless person that sometimes I can be. So it bled back into my life after that. In a way I wasn't introduced properly. I was finally scene as I wanted to be scene. I remember at my teenage years what I wanted to express and how I wanted to be seen and how people didn't and couldn't see who I was. Then with Christine I was finally people get to meet me properly. So, yeah, I think it changed my life. Definitely. 

Me: So, do you think that's wonderful? 

Christine: Yes, it's absolutely wonderful. 

Me: I saw a clip of you performing on Colbert's show, Christine. You performed the song "Comme is." What is that song about? 

Christine: The idea came with someone I had with someone I was courting, but without kind of any success. The person said, "I just love your music so much, I've been listening to you constantly." I thought, "Well, if I make a song about making out with you then it would be as if we were in love with each other. I always fantanicise about that already, it's fantastic when I write a song that comes from a solid place which is me, and the really imitate precise one. Then it dissolves into people's lives and it's not even mine anymore. It's wonderful and I love that. So I make a song about that, the idea of making love to someone through music which sounds a bit wonderful. 

Me: So, do people ever give you a problem about the way you look, or what you say in music? 

Christine: Yeah, at some point, especially in France at some point, especially around the second album actually. Like, guys, just listen to the album. Because the conservations were like exceeding the very nature of the record. 

Me: Did that or does that bother you? 

Christine: It doesn't bother me because I don't want to soya way from those issues. But at some point I thought maybe this is getting too far also we are not talking about the music which is the core of what I'm doing. I spent hours educating journalists about queerness but I was like I do want to speak about the record. I made it with sound references I love and we never talked about it. It felt like the main thing I was working was a totally opposite conversation. So I was not bothered but I was a bit puzzled. I think the album has references that are really American and English sound wise so in France I was talking about Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Cameo and the G-Funk and they were like "yeah, let's talk about the short hair though." 

Me: So, let's talk about pansexuality... I have no idea what that is. Haha. You said in a past interview you describe yourself as pansexual and gender queer. Do you think that's a personal thing? 

Christine: It's not THAT personal. I find a sexual orientation like Jay-Z and Beyoncé's are actually giving moire information about their personal life than I'm giving. I'm not giving nothing personal, I'm not giving names. I'm not exposing who I'm dating. It's just apart of who I am. The problem is it became headlines that constantly ignored the music, That's not something I'm responsible of, that's something that just shows how uncomfortable it still is to talk about sexuality in a relaxing way. I've actually been saying that since the first record. Where I think is really interesting, the second one with shorter hair became the only subject. I was like are we really still there? It's 2021. If I cut my hair is a really big deal? The only subject is sexuality and I'm like damn. We should maybe move the conversation a bit forward. It was kind of surprising. 

Me: I do want to talk about the music. I have to mention when Madonna and you were on stage dancing together a few years ago and she talked to you after. I have to show a pic of this... 

Me: What was that like? 

Christine: She's really interestingly shady though because she called me "Christina," which was a way to say yeah, I'ma big fan but I'm choosing how I'm naming you. 

Me: Did you get pulled up on stage? 

Christine: Yeah. That was the first time I encountered Madonna ever, on the stage facing thousands of people so that was not the way to process information. But it was fantastically unreal. I was also really marveling at how Madonna has this dominate energy that I had to surrender to. It was really interesting to witness as a foamiest, I thought wow, she's not letting anyone take the ownership of anything ever. That was kind of fascinating because of the energy was undeniably too strong. We had to surrender, every one of us on stage had to surrender. 

Me: Do you think of yourself as a pop music artist? 

Christine: Yes. 

Me: Why so? 

Christine: When I think as pop music as a space I say it's a playful flamboyant one. I do think of Madonna for example, and Prince. 

Me: Do you think Madonna opened up that door? 

Christine: Definitely. Again through theatrics there was this place for exploration. Sometimes it became political when you think of Madonna and you see the Truth or Dare documentary you see that some shows are treated to be canceled because she's like masturbating on stage in "Like A Virgin" and it sometimes creates political issues when she's touring. So you can see it's fascinating because the pop space is entertainment of course but it can become really political sometimes because of some walls that are trying to push further. Some artists kind of use the pop language to assert the joy of reinvention, the hedonism and the freedom. 

Me: How do you feel about some people just dancing to the music and not listening to the lyrics? 

Christine: I love that idea. For me I like to think of the idea of the Trojan horse. To just pay attention to the music and the vibe of it is just great. I do like the idea that the song can be layered and you can have access to the first one, that's fine. And if you want to dig deeper and see the lyrics you could see it's about that or something interesting. I like the idea that something a bit disruptive can be hidden. I come from theater, before I made music I wanted to be a stage director and what I hated about theater is that it was for the elites. Not everyone could go to the theater. What I love about the pop song is that anyone can have access to it in different ways and I'm totally fine with that. When I write a track I'm not like what can I say to change the world. The first thing I do when I write a pop song is find the right groove, to work on the beat, work on the bass line, I'm obsessed with that. Making sure I do the things I want to do artistically I will forever want to preserve but with the risks that it entails. We'll have to see.

Me: I agree. Thanks so much for being on the Phile. Take care and continued success. 

Christine: Merci. Thank you, Jason.

That about does it fo this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Christine for a cool interview. I have to say something real quick, today is the 5th anniversary of the Pulse shooting here in Orlando. Forty-nine people were killed and 53 injured in a mass shooting. Remember everyone of those people. The Phile will be back on Tuesday with comedian Hasan Minhaj. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.

Give me some rope, tie me to dream, give me the hope to run out of steam, somebody said it could be here. We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year. I can't count the reasons I should stay. One by one they all just fade away...