#D&S Interviews

[doomedandstoned]

RUFF MAJIK’s ‘Elektrik Ram’ Full Review + Interview

~By Billy Goate~

Artwork by Anni Bouchner

'Elektrik Ram' (2023), the latest spin by RUFF MAJIK, is a quintessential rock 'n' roll album. The motley collection of tracks has an Adams Family feel, grabbing your attention straight away with the snaggle-toothed "Hillbilly Fight Song." A rude, jangly welcome to the world of rehab and mental health, when COVID-19 stalked the world, keeping us fearfully isolated in our desolate rooms, going out of our everloving minds.

On his path to freedom from the clutches of chemical addiction, Johni Holiday encountered a host of strange, alluring, and belligerent characters. The songs act as "sketches of the many faces he saw inside the white walls of the hospital." No surprise, then, that the first one is brash and in your face. "Shut your mouth, you'll catch a fly," a most disagreeable fellow warns, insisting that you "sit down before you bleed." His vocals, cast in the tradition of Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses) and Dan McCafferty (Nazareth), snivel and snarl with the portrait of a man you better not cross.

"She's Still A Goth" is an effective, up-tempo ride through the night. In my recent interview with Johni Holiday (which follows below), I asked him if this was a person he met in his recovery. He said it was emblematic of his wife, who has been a continual support and encouragement during the long, slow road to wellness.

"Mourning Wood" slows the pace for a doleful, introspective mood. Things pick right back up, though, with the footloose "Rave to the Grave,". The Monster Mash vibe really pops alive, thanks to spooky touches from an '80s-style synth. I was ready for a beach party after this one. Ooo-weeee-ooo-ooooo.

The great thing about Ruff Majik is just how they joyfully borrow from different rock and metal traditions, stick 'em in a blender, and make due with the pieces, like a Salvador Dalí canvas. "Delirium Tremors" is such an example, a wide-ranging cartoonish soundscape that teeters on the edge of sanity (as we'd expect from someone going through actual DTs).

"Cement Brain" brings us back into the warm, swampy southern-stoner territory that Ruff Majik is known for, here utilizing a trip-hop beat that is so welcoming to the ears. The keyboard accents work quite well, but it's those gorgeous twin guitar harmonies that really get to me, especially following this impassioned plea: Please don't let me go back again. Don't let me fall off the fucking wagon.

Title track "Elektrik Ram" has one of those take the money and run kind of rhythms, not unlike "Dread Breath" from 'Tårn' (2019) -- one of my top Ruff Majik tracks. While the band provides an underlying sense of agitation, the lyrics are drenched in despair and regret:

I used to be a blue eyed boy I used to be so full of joy Now I'm a cog in the machine A random access memory Just a counterfeit of me And I've got nothing to give

A number of the tracks are prefaced by the sardonic wit of horror actor Vincent Price. This works especially well in the case of "Queen of the Gorgons," which plays out like an ultimate tribute to those classic monster movies. It's a great song, too -- one of the standouts of the album, joining "She's Still A Goth" (both inspired by Johni's wife and Ruff Majik album artist Anni Bouchner). Let's pause to respect that two of the record's most successful tracks were inspired by love.

"A Song About Drugs (with a Clever Title)" is a weird, quirky, lopsided march that one might expect to hear in some dimly lit cantina in a galaxy far, far away. The shortest of the 11 tracks, I'd love to hear Ruff Majik do more in this vein. Meanwhile, "Shangrilah Inc" is a soulful, slow blues number where Johni's grimacing vocals really show us what they can do. Lyrically, the song may be a dig at the commercial industry that's grown up around Mental Health.

The last track, "Chemically Humanized" is the longest and most remarkable track on the record, thoughtfully choreographed from beginning to end. There are some interesting literary references in the lyrics, as well. I tried to steal the Devil's note -- a reference to the dreaded tritone, once feared to drive people mad. I even borrowed David's chord, by contrast, draws upon the story of David in the Bible, whose harp playing was legendary for driving away King Saul's evil spirits. Our protagonist laments that none of these things -- not even a seance and crystal ball -- could relieve his tormented state. "I wish I was dead," he confesses, "I'm a ghost after all."

Quirky and enigmatic, Elektrik Ram showcases Ruff Majik at an exciting stage of creativity. Because of its thematic nature, the album begs to be considered not on the first track or even the singles, but as a collection united by an overarching theme.

Ruff Majik's new album is out now in digital and vinyl formats via Mongrel Records (get it here). Stick it on a playlist with Queens of the Stone Age, The Heavy Eyes, and The Tazers.

Give ear...

Elektrik Ram by Ruff Majik

Interview with Johni Holiday from Ruff Majik

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#D&S Reviews #D&S Interviews #Ruff Majik #Pretoria #South Africa #stoner rock #progressive rock #blues #Mongrel Records #HeavyBest2023 #Doomed and Stoned

[andy-clutterbuck]

TV Guide Magazine | 2016

#that's a smiley boy #Andrew Lincoln #* #andygifs #*david attenborough voice* the sun #eye crinkles 💕💞 #H A N D S #excuse me but the nose™️ #this is almost trippy for how unlike rick the vibe is even though those are his clothes 😂 #me: wholesome ....*notices what he's doing in two gifs*....there was an attempt #the curls: u do not control us *flip* #i have a job interview tomorrow and it's gonna be hot af i needed some serotonin

[paul-simon-juggling]

This is probably one of the best Paul Simon interviews ever ngl

He is the funniest ever!!! :D

#this came out like yesterday #im in the UK so i assumed i was going to have to use a VPN to watch it #but here the whole thing is up on youtube just a few hours after it aired :) #blessed :))) #he is so fucking funny in this interview actually #joy and happiness :D #paul simon #in restless dreams #seven psalms #simon and garfunkel #simon & garfunkel #s&g #Youtube

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

Sepultura

#Sepultura #max cavalera #andreas kisser #90's #90s #interview #metal #1994 #chaos a d era #chaos a d #brazil #brasil #world cup '94 #eua #usa

[henriiiii-1001]

( John Sparks and George Banks making Six feel like he's sane again ) *invading church* G : DUDE! YOU GOTTA HELP, JOHN GOT STUCK IN THE FENCE! S : What? G : JOHN GOT STUCK IN THE FENCE! S : *turns to Luci* L : *puts two fingers up and disappears* S : .... Fine, I'll help

-le epic timeskip-

Six, seeing John's situation : Oh okay J : You two gonna help me or not?! S : How tf did you get your neck stuck in the fence anyway? J : It was a dare by my mother S : ....

-Six manages to get John's neck out of the fence but now they're gonna make the rest of his night unbearable-

J : So what's your name btw? Six, thinking of a fake name in 2 seconds : Uh.. Sullivan! G : Like that story of the big ass man who got stuck in the island with the miniature tiny people? S : Is- Is that supposed to be an insult? J : Definitely a compliment, usually he says much worse than just that S : Huh Oh and btw, the man's name was Gulliver, not Sullivan G : .... I'm hopeless

-12 seconds later-

J : Oh wait, we forgot to ask, what's your age? S : Why? G : We need to know if you're the grandson or the grandpa S : OK I'm.... 29! J : Booo that number sucks! G : You're headed to retirement already lmao S : :(

-21 seconds to later- S : Sooo, are you best friends or just regular friends? Cause you seem pretty close John, turning around to G : Ten seconds before midnight- Hi George, let's be friends *George has chosen violence* J : OW! WTF DUDE?! Help, he's trying to shove his fist in my nose! G : I'm sorry! J : What are you sorry about?! G : That I'm almost 19 and your birthday was only 2 months ago! J : You hate me because my birthday is on November?! G : Yes! Because I hate every month that don't include vacations! S : Oh good lord- Guys, stop that! Stop that! -le epic timeskip-

S : Okay, now that you two have ceased your crazy fight, you apologize! :D J : ... G : ... I don't know S : Are you afraid of being vulnerable? G : I only have one fear S : And that is...? G : That the police will find out what I did in 1988 S : Uhh.... J : He's a wanted criminal in 40 states

-le epic timeskip part 2-

G : Jo is immune to alternates because his house is a labyrinth. Just his living room has 1 million boxes everywhere- J : I'm moving! G : The alternates just walk into his house and are like "what the fuck is this place?" J : I'm moving, man! It's not my fault! S : Why Mandela of all counties? J : So me and my wife can perform tax evasion and not have a police constantly hunting us down S : ... G : Once he finally gets a woman to like him lol Six, mentally : (This some big brain moment)

-1 hour later-

Six : John, I'm getting really worried cause all you bought at the convenience store was like, two bags full of energy drinks and a weeks worth of potato chips J : It's my diet G : In case you couldn't tell, he's addicted to unhealthy shit J : To me every person above 20 is an asshole, so I'm on my slow but steady trip of dying of a heart attack before my 20th birthday S : That's- That's your goal in life? J : Yep! Maybe- Maybe when I go down to hell, Satan will name me "stupid of the year" S : Yeah, I'll call him and ask him to do that J : Will I get a bronze star for 'stupid of the year'? G : You're gonna get the fucking golden star J : That's my fucking dream S : He's gonna put a golden star sticker right in the middle of your forehead that says "stoopid of the year" J : Yay! :D

(silliness taking over me be like)

no idea who these guys are but this is cute! not sure if six would help a bunch of teenagers out of the blue (esp if they're trying to break into st gabriel's. if that's where they are) , but one can dream

#station interviews #mandela catalogue #gabriel peacing tf out is so in character tho ngl DFVGBHN #and six making fake names that start w “s” makes sense. thats how i came up w my irl name :D

[kitchen-light]

“I saw that fragmentary, paratactic writing did not just reveal existing associations between seemingly disparate things; it also, by explicitly linking and illuminating different areas of my mental geography, created new associations.” — S. D. Chrostowska, Matches: A Light Book It’s perhaps trite to reduce writing to its presentation on the page, but the real oomph of a work, to me, occurs in the synapses. Our minds bridge gaps naturally, and allowing them to do so, rather than packing the text too full of connecting clauses, exposition, and other bits of filamental artifice, is what enmeshes the work in us, rather than having it glide along the surface.

Josh Rothes, editor of Sublunary Editions, from “A publisher of literature moves samizdat out in the open”: An “Interview” with Josh Rothes — Tobias Ryan

#josh rothes #s d chrostowska #quotes #interviews #words #found* #on writing

[rottmntquotes]

Interview

April, practicing her reporter skills: *To Leo* So, what's your love life with Cassandra like?

Leo: Well, I don't like to brag, but... *Proceeds to Brag About How He's an Amazing Boyfriend and a GOD in Bed*

-Meanwhile, When April Interviews Cassie-

Cassandra: *Unimpressed By Her Boyfriend's Bragging* He's not as great as I make him think he is.

#RotTMNT #Rise of the TMNT #Leossandra #April Couldn't Help Herself After the Interview #She Told Leo That Cassie Was Pretending With Certain Things and He S O B B E D

[andy-clutterbuck]

#can you make one of these at Build A Bear? #Andrew Lincoln #* #andygifs #his head was just the most beautiful fluffball i'd ever seen #and they only let the poor man get half out of costume to have this interview #H A N D S #I love arm #HIS N E C K ???!!!!! #oh...there's bram stoker knocking again

[thegrimeandthearkhon]

AMCs IWTV Lestat would love Fergalicious.mp3

#this song is so narcissistic and precisely his lane #vamp boi knows he's D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S #istg this started playing in my random mode and i could only think of his blonde maniac ass #interview with the vampire #lestat de lioncourt #the vampire chronicles #iwtv #amc itwv #lestat

[deus-ex-mona]

me @ the too many akechi questions in the interview tbh

#idk man they kept talking about m*t* s**t*????? #(well it was like 3 questions with 2 whole questions dedicated to m*t* s**t* but still!!! that’s a lot for such a short interview mans) #(but since there were 8 general questions and 3 of them were dedicated to… y o u k n o w… im just. do not see) #like… ​i didn’t need to know that akechi’s gf used to be part of the volleyball club #it was pretty random tbh. but i d o n o t s e e . #but on another note… the koyuryou section is pretty cute tbh #may get to it later if someone else doesn’t do it first~~~~ we shall seeeeeeeee

[volixia669]

Hello! Just read ur context post on IWTV, I was wondering if you said Anne Rice is a bad person cuz of the fanfic controversy or if there’s more to consider? Thank u for putting the labour into that long post, its really interesting and helpful

I'm so glad you enjoyed my post and found it helpful! :D

As for why Anne Rice is bad...Well, grab a stool, and let's discuss that specifically.

For starters, the main reason I personally dislike her is because of the fanfic controversy. This adult woman whose books were popular enough she could live off them, was suing teenagers. People who had no money, and were just having fun imagining their blorbos in more situations. She would wreck people's lives over this. Being sued over fanfic is no joke.

That said, I won't deny part of why she was having this issue is some of the characters were based on her husband and daughter respectively, both of whom died. So seeing other people use those characters may have struck a nerve with Anne Rice. However, there's also a matter of, well, once your art is out there, people are going to have thoughts and opinions on it.

Whiiiiich leads to the other major issue with Anne Rice. She could not take critique. At all. When her newer books in the series came out, she would stalk the reviews, and harass anyone who gave it a bad review. It was bad.

Of course she was still human and according to her wikipedia page she did eventually change her view on fanfiction in 2012 so there's...that. Honestly didn't hear much about her changing her view so I suspect most people were wary of her changing her opinion.

Additionally, this isn't to say she hasn't done good things. According to her wikipedia page, she often spoke out in favor of queer people, even criticising the Christian (I think it was the Catholic in particular) Church on their negative stance against gay people. It also claims she used her voice to speak up for those in New Orleans post Katrina.

Whether or not she's a bad person...Well I suppose it technically isn't for me to say. She was a great ally to the queer community, but she also hurt those who critiqued her work or wrote fanfic, many of whom were queer themselves.

However, it's the negative things she's done that's why myself and others have a...complicated relationship with her work, which was what I was mainly getting at!

That said, I hope you enjoy the show, whatever books you read, and again, I'm glad my post was helpful!

#anne rice #iwtv #interview with a vampire #vampire chronicles #bit long winded but also so are her books soooooooooooo #the tl;dr is 'it's complicated' #because people are unfortunately complicated and can't easily be determined as good or bad #she's not as bad as she could have been true but also she did some bad things #...this might also be the main thesis for memnoch the devil its been a hot minute #i mostly remember lestat weeping at ???'s feet and comments about how G-d is everywhere and all deities just taking different form #i think it's just her putting a fairly common agnostic belief into the book aaaaaannnd i'm rambling

[bittwitchy]

honestly has j/effrey d/ean m/organ ever not played the worst person ever???

#even in a/ccidental h/usband like ik its a romcom but he was STILL awful #just a lesser awful #but AWFUL #but like. okay his crime in A/ccidental H/usband was hacking the government to make him legally married to a doctor that he blames for his #relationship falling apart bc ofc he cant take accountability for that. they romabticize the whole thing ofc but thats the second least of #his crimes ig in roles im in. and its ONLY second bc they DIDNTdo a f/lashpo/int movie where he got to be b/atman!th/omas w/aybe #who as everyone knows literally kidnaps and beats his own gd grandson from another universe and murders a/lfred in front of him to ‘teach #him a lesson about this world’ like you fuckass he was raised by t/alia he dont NEED to know how rough shit can be he KNOWS hes MET his #grandpa he KNOWS #but like from whag i understand also like #okay. wa/tchmrn; abusive SAer. n/egan? Abusive SAer #all i know abt him in su/pernatural is he eas ig v controlling and abusive to d/ean so #like listen ik i like s/eb s/tan but he admits hes thinks its funny to #play these awful ppl bc he could never be that #some interviews it seems like J/dm just???? doesnt think its even bad #this is the extent of what i know abt him as a person is those roles but lkke #yeah #tbd

[ace-lemonade]

losing my mind what do you mean I need to put in work to learn stuff. what do you mean i can’t just wing an interview

#I’m going to embarrass myself s o h a r d #it’s not even gonna be funny #I need to get rejected already I know I’m gonna bomb this interview #someone throw a wrench at my brain #I need the attention span #and it’s not coming

[ampleappleamble]

haven't seen this on here yet so:

in case you don't want to slog through the shitscape that is the bird/letter website, take a peek beneath the cut (shamelessly copied from the something awful forums dungeon meshi thread)

- Her first memory of video games was watching her father playing Wizardry on Famicom, also Dragon Quest, Ultima, and Fire Emblem among others.

- She was a difficult child so her parents didn't let her play. Wizardry is a boring game to watch, but the monster illustrations on the walkthrough evoked her imagination and made her keep watching.

- She only started becoming a serious gamer after the serialization of Dungeon Meshi was locked, for research purposes. Before that, she read fantasy novels such as The Neverending Story (Michael Ende) and The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien).

- The international title for Dungeon Meshi: Delicious in Dungeons was decided by her editor.

- D&D popped up a lot when she researched the history of video games, so she read the rule books, replay novels, and games inspired by D&D.

- One of the first games she studied was the Legend of Grimrock (game's 80% off on Steam atm). Originally, she wanted Dungeon Master (FTL Games) which was famous for "RPG with meals" but hunting down the game and machine was too much.

- She didn't like games other than turn-based RPGs at first, but she decided to stop being picky and play anything that piqued her interest.

- She played Zelda: BotW and TotK on a borrowed Switch from her editor due to the console's scarcity at the time.

- She enjoyed Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War for their stories. RDR2's incredible attention to detail had Kui engrossed so much that she asked her editor and other mangaka to play it so she could discuss it with them.

- Kui praised The Witcher 3 localization as something only possible with full support from the developer. Cyberpunk 2077 is one of her all-time favorites.

- Papers, Please was her first taste of indie games.

- Disco Elysium is the perfect game for her due to the lack of fighting, intriguing story, charming character interaction, and top-down perspective. She tried playing it in English at first due to an unlikely chance for JP loc, but it was out of her ability. Thus she is forever grateful to Spike Chunsoft for localizing it.

- Kui played Baldur's Gate 3 from the time it was in Early Access. Again, she's grateful for Spike Chunsoft's JP loc. She hoped BG3's success would bring the possibility of JP loc for other titles too, such as Pathfinder: wotr

- She likes games with top-down perspective because they have narration text for monologues and scenery description. Even if the graphic is lacking, the texts show the atmosphere and each character's behavior and psyche. Also, characters that react to your choices.

- She praised Unpacking and House Flipper for being able to tell what kind of person lives there only through their belongings, and that there's no right or wrong for the placements; she would make the best arrangement and then enjoy her hard work while sipping tea.

- The biggest inspiration for Dungeon Meshi was the Cosmic Forge pen from Wizardry VI. With improved graphics from its predecessor, now it could show broken farming tools in the background and many more details that made exploration so much fun.

- At the time of the interview (Dec '23) she still hadn't watched DunMeshi anime, but she attended the recording sessions. She's embarrassed that the dialog she wrote now acted passionately by professionals. Marcille's screaming was wonderful but also made her want to flee.

- Kui was anxious about the CP2077 anime adaptation, but she was relieved it was the Night City she knows and loves.

- Other than minor adjustments, she left it to TRIGGER as to how to adapt

- She's happy that Mitsuda Yasunori was chosen as the anime composer, as she used to play Chrono Cross and rewatched the opening many times.

- Her anticipated games in 2024 are Cloudpunk, Nivalis, and Avowed.

- DunMeshi would be hard to adapt into a game because in the first place, what Kui depicted in the manga are parts that are omitted in games for the sake of brevity.

- If DunMeshi game was Wizardry-like, it'd be told through Laios' perspective and eating was essential not to die

#dungeon meshi #she only started playing video games after dunmeshi got picked up???? damn #that's dedication to the craft #i would *so* play a dunmeshi video game... #likes top-down perspective and strong narratives and character reactivity... she's just like me fr

[raiyine]

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Jamie Carver (The New Girls' Patient by Ruthann Jagge)

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Jamie Carver (The New Girls’ Patient by Ruthann Jagge)

Jamie is a small-town girl who’s trying to better herself in spite of her surroundings and circumstance. She’s on her own at a young age and needs to support herself despite having few advantages in life. Her life changes when a patient dies and leaves her a hand-written recipe book. It’s not what it appears to be on the surface, and others want it more. Book Excerpt:Jamie needs to support…

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#Character Interview #D&T Publishing #Halloween Extravaganza #Halloween Extravaganza 2022 #Halloween frivolities #Halloween shenanigans #Jamie Carver #New Year&039;s Day #New Year&039;s Day Edition #Ruthann Jagge #The New Girls&039; Patient