The full. Up. To. Assume. That. Up one side. Doesnt really have to. Put the whole world. To. Consume. But if its going to. Bring your. Taylor alexander is. One of the hardest working drag queens in atlanta georgia. She is a musician and a track reformer a Community Organizer proud parent of 2 cats. And. Just really about creating art that people can connect to i know thats very cliche but i think for people who kind of share my background and my various identities finding something that they can connect to is really important i want to ask what is a d. I. Y. Performance artist as and what is a do it yourself performance artist and what was your journey to become one. Performance artist a fancy way of saying that i do i create most of everything that i do so with my music i write i produce a creative director. Im my own from owner and manager theres no force or label thats behind me to push my music im the driving force. And really that d reflects itself in every single aspect of my life you know being a performer in atlanta being a Community Organizer a lot of what i do is grassroots from the roots thats from starting with nothing ending up with something and knowing that you know its all uniquely organic in a way and its also a way for me to be a control freak so you know everything comes back to me i accept the appraisingly applause but i also know like if i mess up i have full accountability for that 0 its all on you whether the succeed or the failed it all comes down to you with me on me all the. Let me when the music 1st touch you when the when the where you said you know what its music thats what i really its one of those i really want to work so when i really want i feel like i can get who i am inside out through music one of the like feeling vibe inspiration 1st to you oh well ive always been making music i didnt seriously start creating music until 2015 you know back in Like Elementary School i took piano lessons i was in the chorus i did all those things ive been. Writing songs since i was 7. But yeah i didnt start seriously you know saying im gonna sit down learn how to produce learn how to you know full well rounded musician as well 2015 and i think its because music allowed me to express myself in certain ways that other parts of my life couldnt even doing drag you know with you know being a drag performer off to lip singing other peoples creations. And theres a certain limitation with that and there were certain things that i couldnt say in my day job i couldnt say at my night job being a drag queen. I mean in music really. Kind of like made it known to me and. Allowed me to. Talk to me a little bit about your music what do you want like you know the 1st track to recenter to be able to perform what do you want people to take away from that what would you want to inspire and people would listen to your music i always want to create music where people. I usually say i want people to dance to but also to think so i love dance music as you know a black person as a queer person and dance music has often been the driving force of a lot of different aspects of our cultures. But i want to create music where people can listen to it maybe here in a 2nd time here like a lyric again oh thats thats thats real like i want them to like relate to it and i think that thats what i strive to do with my music. You mention Community Organizing no a couple times women when did you start getting into Community Organizing you know the activists who were giving Something Back and what inspired you to get into that part of you know its a little bit out of something with your problem in your life and work oh yeah i think it all start when i moved to atlanta in 2011 im born and raised in georgia but i moved in 2011 to go to Georgia State university for college and so i started getting involved with local. Organizations i started getting involved with a lot of the differently seen and so my Community Organizing background arose from wanting to be involved because where im originally from griffen georgia is a population of like 3400 people its really small i was raised on a 400 acre fire and so there was no Clear Community there was no kind of Like Community for people who express themselves and experience life like myself so i wanted to do whatever i could when i moved to the big city to give back and so that you know start off as a volunteer ing and then it went into performing and then also just uniquely finding how performance are in our in general can create ways to advocate being activists i think sometimes when we say the word activist we think about you know you had to be lobbying you have to be up in the senate you have to be up in all these different forms of government when really. The most radical changes that we can have in our communities day to day grassroots and very d. I. Y. And so thats kind of where i found myself being a part of Community Organizing because change really comes at a local level really i mean the things that we want there are National Things that we want theres theres world things that we want to see change politicAlly Community was but really its starting to starting right at the local level we see a problem in front of you and then doing something about it to try to fix it. You grew up as you say you know in this small town 3500 people what was the love i mean did you know that like you know what this is who i am and im proud to be who you know growing up in the town of 3500 people you know was there any kind of acceptance through you are like what was that journey like it was maybe its just me being an aquarius but i just really didnt care it was you know i came out and 8th grade the 1st time i came out because of the ongoing process i came out of 8th grade in high school i was the 1st person ever started a Gay Straight Alliance at my High School Even though i hadnt fully come out like my parents you know i come out like friends for years and it just i knew what i needed and i knew what i would want to see happen and whether that had certain repercussions was completely 2nd to anything. You know being in a small town you have a lot of eyes on you you know you go to the local walmart or the local Grocery Store the flea market and people talk about things and so its a very small fishbowl kind of community. But i think here i mean what i need to do and whether that got me in trouble with the principal or my parent. I didnt really care for other well for other kids out there like you would all grown up in a Small Community or at least a close minded community you know what advice would you give them you know do in terms of what you do whether its coming out or just you know how to make you know how to make their Community Better understand what their goal in the room and how wonderful they are well i think what we talk about. You know people in kind of more vulnerable situations and like smaller communities i think sometimes we forget about safety a lot of the narrative is come out and you know because youll be more honest in things like that thing thats a terrible framing i think people should mind their safety in a space where youre youre you might be physically or emotionally or mentally you know harmed if you come out mind yourself like take care of yourself 1st. But also. Being out sometimes in small spaces in communities like that can really. Just bring up a whole new community can really show to other people hey theres somebody else like me and we can form some kind of general bond. But i definitely think in terms of like Small Community sometimes you have to mine your own and take care of yourself and then eventually once you get a proper footing you can develop some kind of like connection to a community and build from there i. So what weve got to do is identify the threats that we have. To follow only. Very. Time to sit down and talk. And the United States president ial candidates debate the future of the u. S. And the world. To get into the burning questions of this election cycle. Every week. Student trade was money universal basic. And more catch up with. This sunday exclusively. But if she warned you probably didnt i do the dishes at the bottom or those jeans near the speech and she me you blue truth. About that and when you die g. P. S. Will be. In the news i mean that youre that in such a ball. A lot of you will see sawing your closet parts about to come to trial to both harden most schools. Doesnt it alludes to me as if. The. Cab that they were days doing. That people. Would include in total. Mass geysers financial Survival Guide liquid those that you can burn is it. Really. The keep in mind though as a tremendous pleasure. For. Being from the south when you talk about being you know. You always hear about its amazing in new york its amazing california its amazing in seattle chicago the south its only talked about queer and transmedia or in the context of you know theres these statistics you know atlantas rising hiv rates or you know queer Homeless Youth rates or things like that were always. Sticks and were never fully human i. Se. South region of the United States has the largest population of queer and trans people in america we have so many historical figures and moments and figureheads we have our own stonewall we have so many vibrant communities that are constantly negated under this idea that the south is incredibly conservative and it definitely is in certain pockets but to completely erase the existence and the reality of a and entire quarter of the nation. Is harmful i think and so thats part of why a southern flank where pride came up because we see ourselves our president in media we didnt see ourselves as you know black and brown color and trans you poor peoples sex workers. Reflect and we needed to build community in that regard and so we started in 2014 and its been you know 5 amazing years of Building Community because there wasnt enough for us. As marginalized people so its hard for me out from sort of from the outside looking in like how you know what do you think is like one of the biggest misconceptions you know of community you must solve what you know for folks never even realize that exists and that its so strong like what do you think its a bigger misconception is that your struggle with even getting your music oh well i think. I think people have a major misconception that. Were all miserable that were all just waiting for some kind of like savior to come along and save us from the south we dont need to be safe from the south i think yeah this idea that southern people are just so overly oppressed by republicans and conservatives and whatnot. Which does play out sometimes and political racism things like that. The idea they were miserable and that we need saving we dont need saving we just need. Assistance we need respect and we need to be thought of a considered as legitimate communities. And i think in terms of like me when putting my music out there you know obviously a beautiful drag queen and a few i think a lot of people think that drag is a very limited and that only exists in one kind of form of lip sinking top 40 hits and then performing in bars and clubs and so when you put that on top of being in the south its just like you know how it is even when i think people think that you have to make some kind of great koger managed to new york city where you find yourself and love yourself and thats not the case i want to stay at the wall file so that land in my life when you sit down when you sit down to write a song you know what youre going to do ok here are your what do you look for you know what inspires you just song by song as a conversation your thoughts were going around youre like what what does that process when you sit down and said ok im going to put pen to paper put it on figure out how to make a hit song i it varies you know sometimes ill get like a melody stuck in my head and so ill take my voice memo app on my phone and be like this is a song youre going create and so i like you know i record that i build upon it sometimes as a phrase so like the song one started off with a phrase that i thought about what does one mean and it was right after i had read invisible man by Ralph Ellison and so there is a portion of that book that talks about where the coming here to work from like a pain factory and the trying to make the purest form of white and any kind of a little dot of anything which is completely messed up and thought about like you know what are some situations where i feel like the one that messes up the. Situation or no one dot this being encroached on by oh whiteness so really its just like you know it can be anything you know a melody in your phrase it can be a certain kind of feeling. I get inspiration from anything really. This song is called. This is our social media. Problem we dont know how to solve them if youve got questions have you lets take a 2nd because you think you posted its not a real show broadcasted on your screens everyones caught. This can then take some time so. You need to log off disk and that takes time to so. This is how you do you. Think you struck out. A clock out you. Think you struck out. A fake laugh out loud to. Me its a lot to take time to so because how do you. Do you need. To take time to stop because. You need to log off to face time so take on how do you. Do you need to. Take time so. You. Think you. Literally scrolling on facebook you know as one. Hours and you dont see anything and its like reading people that is just you know. I didnt really say anything and its like i think people sometimes think they can solve all their so problem with social media and thats just not the case literally i was like you need to log off you need to disconnect and i was like. This could work into something and so at that time when i was writing the songs on my 1st hologram. A lot of the songs already talking about like ways that we kind of communicate to the world outside like we think we know who we are internally thats scary but trying to communicate to the world to be like social Media Technology just like person to person interactions. With log off it was really about you know. Are we actually affectively communicating who we are to the world outside is the algorithm that were all playing into really like doesnt mean anything if they completely delete it its a camera facebook where what are like where would your self value be if the person dee dee lake formed self value as a person on the internet or is it like in here within you it was just a lot of questions i had i thought i had the answer is. Like a lot of who was me to logoff disconnect and take some time to self reflection its a great song its a really great song its a great message you know its interesting because it also kind of in that internet world or in the you know online world that we exist in you know i think its easy to talk about the enemies its easy to draw a lot of a better word if you talk about those who would stand against us whether it be or you know our religion our gender or sexuality or whatever may be a lot of people can stand against us but them at the same time allies are an interesting kind of mix too because wall a lot of people kind of say allman i changed my avatar to be this picture or you know i dont have you know thing on line and you know but. You know what should allies really like how can allies truly help how can they truly make a difference when theyre fighting for a cause you know beyond just kind of giving you a verbal hey youre doing great youre all of the lever and. I think you know this is something that ive always had conversations around because you know theres a lot of people who are really fervent supporters of like any kind of marginalized community you know when you think about. A community you think about how some people think that the last a ally or that you know in the black lives Matter Movement that it wouldnt be successful without you know the allies and i think you know in even as like a marvelous person within myself obviously i dont detain all that i didnt in the world so obviously im an ally to other people i think if youre in a situation where youre trying to support a movement or a marginalized community and you constantly hear your words your voice more than others youre probably. Shouldnt be happening i think sometimes you have to listen and show up and not so much be heard i think sometimes. It is very performative its very a look at me im doing this i use all the pronouns i showed up to the protests i made a sign like agree but like. You know you need to sometimes take a seat back and realize that you know whatever community are cause that youre trying to be an ally to these are very harsh real lived i didnt use the realities and taking up space and talking over people and trying to perform being an ally in honestly i think sometimes i dont even like the word ally i think sometimes that you should just be a decent human being and this should be expected things that we have as people like you shooting it like a trophy for like showing up for like women and you shouldnt get a trophy for showing up for like i dont know where trans people you shouldnt you know just be like natural things that just come from being a decent human being but you know i think thats also asking too much you know what they are going to say thank you for saying that because its one of the things that like i see a lot amongst in all the kind of Ally Community and things like that and im like you guys are you stop performing for yourselves you know stop performing sort of selves actually see how you can truly help people and elevate other voices in your own words your popularity does not help. You. You know but. The other question i have because its fascinating to me and you know its great talking to someone who is right out there both artistically and personally and making a difference in this world like yourself youre putting out really great music and you put yourself out there that takes a lot of courage and can also take some ton of creativity and you have both. So i want to kind of finish up and ask you this and its an interesting question that opposed quite a bit to other musicians who sat across from me on these chairs what do you want your legacy to be. Theres no right or wrong answer central crisis. No i think my legacy. I want to. When i eventually disappear and turn into like a pile of glitter i want to be remembered as somebody who. Really tried to leave things better than when what i have found you know even if the smallest change ill be completely grateful i want to be remembered as somebody who love the art of you know southern square and trans people who was always trying to create spaces when they when there werent any and so as long as like that attached to my legacy thats totally you know i think. Theres this great quote from dorian corey and paris is burning and i think its actually the quote thing and. She was like maybe she would an arrow and goes are a high or a for you and i think thats really you know i i dont really get caught up and wondering whos going to remember me when i when i die i think i focus more is like what am i who im actively being right now being the person the people in the you know my being the person that i need myself to be and as long as im very present right now i think the legacy will inform itself and that is our show for you to remember everyone in this world we are not told that we are loved and so i tell you all i love you tyrrel but you are watching the hawks have a great day and night everybody. The but if she warned you posted by you can i do the dishes at the bazemore those jeans nudist beach and see me we need you. Close and about that when you guys e. Q. s will be home in the news i mean that is without infringing ball. A lot of people through following your info as if i had to go through could each other both sides. As you did a lutheran church. In the. Last. Year and she took you for that cabinet 5 days doing this is. An english lady a thing people who simply do silly new. Human included. So these terms inflation and deflation they tend to hand the connection between the finance economy and the real economy and sometimes the finance economy gets out of hand and you have crashes and sometimes the real economy gets out of hand then you have stagflation because wages are too high but sense 2000 and getting even more pronounced since 2008 we have 2 separate economies there are 5 for katie theres the privately owned Central Banks who print money for private the top 110th of one percent of private citizens and then we have the surf class or the neo feudal class and these 2 dont interact any. One else seemed wrong but old rules just dont hold. Any new world that we get to shape out disdain become educated. And it gains from an equal betrayal. When so many find themselves worlds apart. Just to look for common ground. Time after time called parisian to repeat the same mantra sustainability its very important to excel or transition to sustainable transport sustainability stay number man not a more equitable and sustainable well. They claim their production is completely harmless. It. Companies want us to feel good about buying their products while the damage is being done far away and this is 2nd eldest. Understood. Going. To. Follow the money. Not be such a. Good. President donald trump responds to irans retaliatory attacks on u. S. Military bases saying that no americans were harmed crazing his countrys military might. Around strikes happened late on tuesday night because. Of missiles raining down on the scene u. S. 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