Kansas City Playlist: Outdated Tootsie & Cowtown Trans Sanctuary

This weekend Kansas City indulges in even more nostalgia because culture war and social media have pretty much killed every current creative impulse of young people who would, seemingly, rather than protest than make meaningful art that speaks to the human condition. 

And so . . . 

Local media seems afraid to even mention Tootsie at the Starlight this weekend . . . Way back in 1982 the source material offered a 1.0 preview of the current debate over gender identity. 

Even better . . . 

Nowadays the campy dramedy doesn't hold up because . . . Hilariously . . . It's not progressive/woke/angry enough . . . Here's a look at somewhat recent discussion of the reboot currently touring the nation: 

"The problem with the book and with the content of the musical is another story, and it is here where most of the larger problems lay. The musical relies on the terribly dated "man in a dress" comedic trope, which is deeply rooted in transmisogyny. The almost entirely-male creative team doesn't even come close to having any meaningful discussion of drag or of gender; everything being a means to an end, in this case, a laugh. They seem unwilling and unable to explore any of the nuances of gender -- like what if Michael is a trans lesbian and Dorothy is more than just a persona to get a role? They not only don't entertain that conversation, but even worse, they seem unaware they should discuss gender identity at all."

To be fair, here's a more generous description of the original film that still inspires a great deal of criticism: 

"The gender dynamics have not all aged gracefully 40 years later, but to disregard it as problematic art is a disservice. At its core, Tootsie is an endearing film featuring top-notch acting, a quick-witted script, and an unexpectedly sharp visual pallette that deals with serious subjects with maturity, even if its ideas are misguided."

Again . . . 

The context:

Kansas City has now declared itself a Trans Sanctuary.

However . . . 

Elected officials don't REALLY want to get into the specifics of a resolution that DOESN'T REALLY DO MUCH other than snub the GOP majority in Jeff City.  

And so, to paraphrase an ancient warning from The Bard . . . KCMO culture war theatrics are more likely all sound and fury signifying nothing. 

Nevertheless . . .

Tonight our tale reminds readers to enjoy cheap laughs as their own reward as this bad theater inspires our TKC playlist on the topic of Tootsie & culture war theatrics in order to distract from the current recession, war in Europe and the rise of Chinese hegemony.  

Here's the songs we're suggesting tonight . . .

Classic rock is kind of our thing and since we're doing weekend nostalgia . . . This was TKC's favorite song back in 6th grade that now expresses inappropriate sensibilities still held by the majority of the American population . . . Also, the break & guitar solo still stand the test of time . . .

Conservatives often troll their opposition with the question: "What Is A Woman?" Meanwhile, Welsh legend Tom Jones answers a more important question with this iconic number on the topic of the best attributes ascribed to the fairer sex . . .

Sorry, no playlist about "the trans issue" is complete without this Rock 'N Roll anthem from The Kinks:

Like it or not, there is a great deal of "LGBT scholarship" on the gender implications of this tune from country music legend Johnny Cash:

Finally, a streetwise consideration of the trans issue from Lou Reed continues to resonate amongst people who don't let cable news talk shows tell them how to think . . .

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe & fun Saturday night.