Sgl Contents Editor’s Letter on page 2 The Sound of Tim Dillinger on page 3 Ask Nathan on page 8 Music on page 9 Movies on page 10
Editor’s Letter Wow our 10th issue and it just keeps getting better and better. The numbers continue to rise more and more every week. Our ninth issue was our most read issue to date, more than 30,000 people have read the magazine and our page count has reached 100,000 people around the world. I continue to receive positive feedback on a daily bases from people who read every issue and wanting to be featured or contribute to the magazine. Please keep them coming to sglweeklymag@gmail.com And also join our social site www.sglliving.ning.com. In this issue we feature a man I have come to know and love Mr. Tim Dillinger on page 4. Then we have our fabulous columnist Nathan Seven Scott who continues to take this journey with me every week and he just keeps getting better and better on page 10. We also have Music and Movies to take you into summer 09.Until next week peace love and God Bless each and everyone of you. Cordially, Cleavester Brooks Editor In Chief P.S. Please go to www.cleavesterspace.ning.com and subscribe to the print home magazine by yours truly Cleavester Brooks Home Magazine.
The Sound of Tim Dillinger A Cleavester Brooks Interview I have known Tim for almost 3 years now, and I can say it is a pleasure to know this talented man. He can write, teach, sing, and so much more. He interviewed me for his radio show and then I interviewed him for 2 hours straight on my radio show US Radio with Cleavester about music, life, and the future. Tim has 2 CD’s to his name and The Muse his second cd is a true testament to who he is and hope to be. Come go with me as we go into the life and times of my friend Tim Dillinger. What is Snapshots about? Snapshots is a collection of memories. I collected some essays I'd written about my experiences specifically pertaining to artists who have inspired me and spiritual experiences I've had, along with poetry, song lyrics and journal entries. Most of the journal entries and poems come from the past three or four years. The journal entries are quasi-poems....so they're kind of those stand still 'snapshots' in a very lyrical form.
Why did you decided to write a book? My producer, Dale Babb, has always felt that I should collect some of my writings into one package. I had a hard time believing I had a book 'in me', but once I started collecting the pieces, I started to see it a little more clearly. Blogging was a huge piece of cultivating the craft and people who were reading my blog started to ask for a book...so between the people in my personal space and the fans who were relating to the work, I made the decision to complete the work.
How did you decide which book company to go with? I definitely wanted to self-publish. At the time, I talked with Tim'm West who had done his work thru Lulu and I followed suit.
Who is Tim Dillinger? One of my mothers calls me her 'seeker son'...and I think that best defines me. Every single one of my heroes was/is someone who asks the hard questions...who takes the road less traveled...and I think I follow in their footsteps, sometimes much to my own frustration...LOL. But I love the questions...and I try to live them. Where did you find the inspiration for your CD The Muse? Through my frustration with the music industry!!! LOL I was watching BET one day and I got really angry. I didn't see where my vision fit in the commercial world. That combined with off line conversations with industry heads who were trying to get me to jump through all kinds of hoops just took me over the top. it was the
first of two times in my career that I thought I would just stop and go be something else. I cancelled all of my upcoming dates and got a job! I was Journaling alot and writing poetry about my frustrations....I was listening to an artist named Laura Nyro, who definitely paved her own road as an artist. I wrote the title poem one day walking back from lunch in a bolt of inspiration and called my musical coconspirator, Dale Babb, and I told him that I had an album to make, but that I wanted to make it for me...without any concern about who might buy it. I just brought my journal to the studio with me and we began picking tracks and pairing them with the poems, that I them took in the vocal booth with me and shaped into songs. We started with core tracks and then I wanted as much live instrumentation as I could afford, so the album has a very live feel. To this day, making that album is my favorite creative experience thus far. It was the first time I had a clear vision in my head of what I wanted something to sound like and I worked until I was able to deliver it. it gave me a template to work from for everything I do now. We took it to a few indie labels, who passed on it, and I put it out on my own...and it ended up surpassing the first album in both sales and critical acclaim. What turns you on? Poetry. Fall walks. The beach. Sincerity. Smiles. Vocabulary. Spirituality.
What turns you off? Arrogance. Selfishness. Ignorance. Pettiness. Clinginess. Are you Single or Taken? Very single. What do you look for in a guy? There has to be a spiritual connection...a similarity in our paths. Even if our beliefs aren't the same, a common goal of seeking, and a common understanding of where each other comes from. Emotionally, someone who is strong, but isn't afraid to cry....and who isn't afraid to talk about what they are feeling. Physically, I don't have a long list of requirements. While I would prefer someone taller than me and I'm a sucker for sexy eyes, it's really not that deep when it all boils down...I really am most entranced by the heart and mind. Probably not the 'sexy' answer, but that's real. What celebrity would you like to turn out Gay or Straight? Well, Cleavester, you know my celebrity crush is and will always be Keith Hamilton Cobb....He's an intellectual...and insanely attractive...a true artist....I could go on and on....(Note to Tim stay away from my husband, I fight for mine “LOL�) When is the Gospel CD coming out? When I raise the money to mix and master it! (How's that for an honest answer!) We spent alot of money in the production...and I feel like it's important to match that quality in the post-production. I learned a long time ago that any project I take on has it's own timing...and 'Dawning' has proven that theory once again. I'm working on some fundraising concerts for the project now...and I would love nothing more than to have it out at the top of next year...but we'll see what happens. I also think I'm still figuring some things out in terms of where
the project is to be presented...and that maybe part of the subconscious delay...but that conversation opens up a whole 'nother can of worms about affirming ministry.... When did you know you could sing? It's the first thing I remember ever knowing. I tell that story in the book. I was three years old and I heard Reba Rambo on the radio and fell in love with her voice and words. My grandparents bought me one of her albums, and I knew I was an artist. I started singing in church immediately and have never stopped. When did you know you were Same Gender Loving? That's honestly probably the second thing I ever knew. I had to be five or six. I am contemplating talking about that in the next book. I had a crush on one of the other boys at the church and remember knowing, somehow, that it was something I needed to hide. It took me years to reconcile and make peace with myself. What advice would you give to someone that is on the DL? To hide is to live a life of torment. I made hard decisions early on about separating from those who could not accept my truth and that included immediate family. And those are decisions we all avoid making. Who wants to separate from family...from those that are most familiar to us? But I realized one day that our love was one sided. I had to first give those around me the option to accept or reject me. And then based on those reactions, I got to understand the truth of those relationships. And in all honesty, the pain of hiding was far greater than the pain of separating when I needed to. There is a freedom that you experience in realizing you can shape your own family...your own circle of friends...your
own community....external of the one you were born into. It is especially hard for those of us who come from communities of faith, that were entrenched in the church and it's dogma. But there are communities of faith that accept us...there are even communities of faith that we have created ourselves! There are more options than we realize. But it requires courage...and everyone has their own rhythm in finding their strength. For those with career concerns, let me be clear, there can be a price to pay. But that price is so worth it. I have paid dearly...but as time has gone on, it has gotten easier. Doors have opened. People begin to care a little less. And in the big picture, if we don't pay it...who will? Why did you want to move from Nashville to New York? Well, I had reached the end of the road in Nashville. I'd done all that I could there as an artist in residence...and I needed to be able to live in a place where I could have a larger home base to work from. I'd been in Nashville for eight years....and had a very solid fan base and a very solid personal base, but it was one of those instances where I felt the call and had to have the courage to accept it. How are you adjusting to New York? I'm adjusting. What's funny though is that I'm bi-coastal now. I also live in the Bay Area with one of my sisters. I live in New York with my brothers. Both cities bring me an energy that I needed. New York was a harder transition for me because it was the first transition. It was all new. It was big and it was scary. But what New York
showed me was that I could go anywhere and do what I do. And within a few months, I came here to California and began working to coordinate things out here as well. I started calling this the year of the gypsy....I don't know if I"m meant to ever just be in one place...home is where the heart is...and that's an internal thing. Beyonce has a song, If I were a Boy, I remixed it to "If you were a Girl" who would you be and do? If I were a girl...hmm....I would probably want to have a baby....and I would enjoy having the option to be legally married in any state. Who would I be? Angela Davis or Laura Nyro. What do you know for sure? That we are Spirit...and that we are all connected... How can the people get in contact with you? www.timdillinger.com to keep up with what's going on and I can be reached directly at timdillinger@gmail.com
Kare Alford & David Sosa, with whom I have formed SOULKISS, our collective of sorts. We'll be hitting a minimum of 12 cities....so I'm looking forward to being able to meet some of the supporters that I've only talked to via email! Details on the tour will be on all of the pages. There's also a SOULKISS project in the works...and it will be produced by Stico von Drake.
Do you have any final word or comments? Thank you to the listeners and readers who have been supporting my work for the past five years....They have loved me through alot...and have helped spread the word about my work in a way I never could have on my own. I'm embarking on a summer tour (The Summer Soulkiss Tour) with my brothers,
Ask Nathan Dear Nathan, I host a nationally syndicated talkshow and every one is always trying to honor me for this award and that charity. I am having restless nights over people wanting things from me. How do I tell them to go to hell in a nice way. Sincerely, Anonymous Billionaire Dear Anonymous Billionaire: Being in the spotlight will certainly get you attention from the masses. You are in the business of talk. So, people want to talk to you. They want to be a part of your experience. Sometimes I find myself allowing other people to speak for me. It takes the pressure off of me and doesn't make me look like I'm a mean person. So, I implore you to practice saying NO, politely.
Send your questions to Ask Nathan at sglweeklymag@gmail.com Attn: Ask Nathan
Music Thy Kingdom Come has an Urban Gospel flavor and is straight up Praise & Worship. Any given Sunday, any given church could just simply put this CD on and let the congregation wail to God. It's a powerful project with some heavyweight production elements, namely Luther "Mano" Hanes, Tommy Sims, Percy Bady, the dynamic duo of Vic and Ced Caldwell, Christopher Capehart, Brannon Tunie and Cece's son, Alvin III. Of the beautifully produced 14 songs on this effort, Cece wrote and co-wrote 8 of them and the intimacy with her Lord shines throughout. As did I, you too will probably enjoy every selection. Thy Kingdom Come is well produced and engineered and speaks well of Cece's ministry as she speaks well of her Lord. This is Cece's 8th solo project and she continues to sing with that passion that has compelled so many to consider a walk with The Saviour. -C.B. 19 2008 debut album from the singer/songwriter. Citing her influences as diverse as Etta James, Jill Scott, Bjork, Dusty Springfield, Billy Bragg, Billie Holiday, Jeff Buckley, The Cure and Peggy Lee, Adele is a truly unique new artist. With her mix up of R&B and Soul served up with a healthy dash of feisty London attitude, she spins beautiful dark stories of loves won and lost and sometimes just daydreamed about. 12 tracks. XL. This CD will have you Chasing Pavements, giving the Cold Shoulder, Melting your heart to stone, Think of your First Love, and Make you Feel My Love and that’s not even the end of the CD. -C.B.
Movies Religulous In this new comedy from director Larry Charles (Borat, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"), comedian and TV host Bill Maher ("Real Time with Bill Maher," "Politically Incorrect") takes a pilgrimage across the globe on a mind-opening journey into the ultimate taboo: questioning religion. Meeting the high and low from different religions, Maher simply asks questions, like "Why is faith good?" "Why doesn't an all-powerful God speak to us directly?" and "How can otherwise rational people believe in a talking snake?" For anyone who's even a little spiritually curious, this divine entertainment will deepen your faith...in comedy!
Paul Blart: Mall Cop Kevin James plays a Segway-riding security officer who encounters real danger when a gang takes over the mall. It actually turns into a surprisingly sharp parody of Die Hard about halfway through. Aimed at kids, from Adam Sandler's Happy Madison productions.
Were the World Mine Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is a gay boy stranded in a private boys school obsessed with rugby. There’s just one thing about rugby he's obsessed with, the über-hot Jonathan (Nathaniel David Becker). Both boys are students in Ms. Tebbit's (Wendy Robie, who "Twin Peaks" fans will recognize as "Nadine") English class. She's a teacher with a mission: to excite her students with the literature of the ages. When she decides to cast these two boys as the romantic leads in her production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and to cast boys in girl's roles, you know she’s just as mischievous as Puck himself. The rugby Coach and townspeople are up in arms, and Timothy sends himself off into musical gay fantasies that look as if they're designed by Pierre et Gilles. But Timothy just can't get the language right and Ms. Tebbit advises the boy to let the words work their magic. They do just that as Timothy finds in the script the recipe for a potion to make people gay! One spritz from Timothy's magic pansy and the person goes totally queer. The entire town (filled with Christian fundamentalists) is whipped into
frenzy as the glorious production night approaches. This deliciously surreal confection of a film is steered by first-time co-writer/director Thomas Gustafson, whose 2003 short Fairies inspired this bit of magic. The musical numbers are over-the-top, production values first-rate and the acting is as flawlessly beautiful as the boys. We know the Bard would appreciate this totally queer take on his immortal tale of mayhem, "If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended." -Scott Cranin
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