#Great Fox Boy Band Breakup | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mercuryonparklane · 3 years

Text

I seriously debated keeping this one in the drafts...

Okay, I felt compelled to analyze the timeline of all of Taylor’s rumored/alleged boyfriends (barring any that she supposedly dated pre-fame) and why I believe they could have been fake/pr setups...

Disclaimer: this is all speculative and is just my opinion. No one has to agree... we don’t all have to agree because really the only people who know the truth are Taylor and those she has shared it with. I do have a very skeptical view of the entertainment industry and pr, so that is a bias I will own up to. I especially think Taylor, for a very long time, was willing to play along with the pr side of things, but eventually reached a breaking point (as any normal human under that amount of pressure and scrutiny likely would). Whether that means she has faked all of her public relationships or some of them or just aspects of them... I can’t really, truly know that. So, just keep in mind that this is one little, insignificant person’s view of Taylor’s public relationships and that I do not personally know any of the people involved...

Don’t take this too seriously, peeps... I’ll even tag it as crack theory...

Joe J.: June/July-September/October 2008

If nothing else this feels like a typical pr setup of two young stars. He had Camp Rock, a Jonas Bros’ album and a tour and concert film to promote. Camp Rock came out on 6/20/2008. The Jonas Bros’ third album, A Little Bit Longer, was released on 8/12/2008. In August, Taylor joined the band on stage during the filming for a concert movie that would be released in February 2009.

Taylor had an album that was released just weeks after their alleged breakup. An album which contained a few songs that would be attributed to Joe J. due to the publicity surrounding their relationship. Hmm... what a great way to drum up interest in an album that includes quite a few heartbreak songs. Not saying I know that is the case, but they both had a lot to promote between June and November 2008.

Lucas T.: March-April/May 2009

He was in the Hannah Montana movie, which was released 4/10/2009. Taylor had a cameo in that movie and also wrote a song for the soundtrack. Lucas also played Taylor’s love interest in the mv for YBWM, which premiered 5/2/2009 on CMT. He was in one of her Myspace vlogs in April 2009. IMO, this was a setup to promote the Hannah Montana movie and the YBWM mv, but it didn’t really take off. Lucas later said they dated briefly, but he realized that he just saw her as a friend...

Taylor L.: August-December 2009

They played a couple in Valentine’s Day. In September, just days after the VMAs where KW interrupted Taylor on stage as Taylor L. stood a few feet away, Taylor went to an Owl City concert at the Bowery Ballroom where she met the man who would supposedly inspire “Enchanted”. Umm... “please don’t be in love with someone else”... even though I am currently dating Taylor L. and he is my forever crush, but like, I am totally crushing on you actually. I have no clue if any Swifties have ever picked up on that discrepancy.

Oh, and Taylor L. also “dated” Selena in early 2009 and I doubt Taylor would go there, even if they ended on good terms. I mean, it’s possible, but idk it seems unlikely to me.

John M.: December 2009-February 2010

I think Taylor admired him as a musician (this seems to have been mutual with John praising her talent multiple times) and she may have seen him as a mentor at first. I do not believe that anything happened between them beyond that. I think he was so thrown off by “Dear John” because of that. He was already tweeting in the spring of 2009, hinting at wanting to collaborate with Taylor. The album their duet was on came out in November 2009, right before they started “dating”. Although it wasn’t released as a single until June 2010.

Besides, Liz (friend or otherwise) has remained a fan of John and even went to his concert a few years back. So, either she didn’t care that he screwed one of her supposed good friends over or it didn’t go down how people were led to believe it did.

Jake G.: October 2010-December/January 2011

Unless this relationship started much earlier than everyone has been led to believe, it is very unlikely that ATW is about him. It certainly seems to have been written prior to the maple latte/scarf/sister’s house articles that were abundant after that pap walk. Either Taylor used him as a scapegoat for a song that wasn’t about him or he was a willing participant in a pr scheme to make sure people thought the song was about him.

He couldn’t have been setup with his costar, Anne H., because she was already in a long term, committed relationship. At the time Taylor was still good pr since she was still known as a kind of girl next door, all American type with genuine talent.

I’m not saying I know for a fact it was fake. I’m saying there are plenty of reasons why I think it was. Everyone has different perspectives... mine is that this was purely a pr setup.

Will A.: sometime in 2010 and/or mid or fall 2011-January 2012 or May (?) 2012

They were likely just friends, but people did think they were dating back then. The songs that people think he wrote about Taylor (”White Dress” and “Kiss Me Slowly”) were recorded in 2010. So, if she started dating him in September 2011, which people think because the dress she wore to his May 2012 birthday party was the one she is wearing on the “Begin Again” cover art, then those songs aren’t about her. About the party dress... Sarah B., who took the picture, was also friends with the Parchute guys, so maybe the photoshoot that the picture on that cover art came from happened earlier that day.

He was friends with Liz’s ex Jason and one of his best friends is still to this day very close friends with Liz, so that’s probably how he met Taylor. I think Taylor hung out with that crew a bit back then. AND those times Will and Taylor were seen hanging out in late fall/early winter 2011, Jason and/or the other friend were there. Yes, I am saying that Taylor was hanging out with Jason in November/December 2011, just a few months after he and Liz supposedly broke up. She was also still hanging out with Liz a lot at that time and after, though, so I think it was all good.

Conor K.: July 2012-September/October 2012

This was Taylor’s worst pr. If it was a real relationship... it is borderline predatory. If it is fake... still a big yikes... I don’t have much to say about this one. I think it was fake and an attempt at making him the muse for “Starlight” (how cute, this song she wrote about his grandparents sort of became about them), “Begin Again” (nevermind that the copyright record say the song was written in 2011), and EHC (nevermind that the song was written in May 2012). It would have been great pr, though, if he was a couple years older. Taylor should have fired Paula after this one... (because the public should have never known about it, real or fake).

Harry S.: November 2012-January 2013

Similar to all the others before (and after), there were “random” sightings, including a birthday trip to “the lakes” and blatant pr (go on and wear that fox sweater and paper airplane necklace, Taylor...). That NYE kiss, though...

Calvin: February 2015-May/June 2016

Taylor finally dropped her old publicist and brought on Tree. First step, was to erase the “boy crazy”/“man eater” label (and possibly the “professional beard” label) and become an independent woman who just wants to have fun with her gal pals. It got a bit gayer than expected (whether Kaylor was really a thing to some degree or not is irrelevant to the point). The gay rumors were actually catching on even faster and people were like “oh, that’s why she couldn’t keep a man” (sexist/homophobic as all of this is/was, ofc).

Enter Calvin... a playboy DJ who some might deem “tall and handsome as hell” (peeps, I am not really the best judge of a man’s attractiveness, so this is just how I think people see him). He seems sooo straight. I don’t know how else to say it. All of her other supposed boyfriends had gay rumors, whether or not those rumors were just people gossiping or had some basis in reality... I think he is the only one that doesn’t have them, that I know of anyway.

I know a lot of people think they were really together, but I think this was an attempt to have her in a more serious, long term relationship to counteract both the gay rumors (not necessarily as a cover for a woman because I don’t think all of the guys have been or need to have been covers for a secret relationship with a woman, it’s about appearing straight) and the “can’t keep a man” narrative that had followed her around. Even if they were in some sort of situationship (not what I think, just theorizing here), it wouldn’t have been a steady thing and they seemed to not like each other very much when all was said and done.

I still laugh that he said Taylor was the opposite of his type (and specified that he likes brunettes) in November 2014 and then he allegedly dated her for almost a year and a half, starting literally a few months after he made that comment. If that was a real relationship, he was either playing it cool when he said that or he misjudged her or Taylor was determined to date him because it was a challenge.

Either way, it seems like her team controlled the public narrative and maybe Calvin was okay with that at first, but over time it seemed like he wasn’t a big fan of that. Maybe that visit to the strip mall massage parlor was a bit of a rebellion...

At least they both got some royalties out of it...

Joe A.: September 2016-Present

Taylor’s team absolutely has control of the public narrative and he seems okay with that. He is a literal mirrorball. He is whatever Taylor supposedly says he is in her songs/whatever Swifties want him to be.

He likes to drop fun facts like how his family jumps into a freezing pond at Christmas or that he worked at a yogurt shop as a teenager. Whether they are real or not... he seems to be playing into the pr. Dropping little bits of information that will tie him to her songs... it is very “maple latte”/“paper airplane necklace”/dark jeans and Nikes... OR Taylor is just taking the few facts people know about him and using it to pin songs on him.

If he is a beard (which imo he likely is), I think he gets along with Taylor and doesn’t mind the minimal pr of it all.

I don’t think he is WB, either way...

Again this is just my view of things. This has no bearing on which women Taylor may have dated. I could do a separate post on what I think that timeline might look like.

One point I will reiterate is that I do not think that a beard would always be a cover for a secret relationship with a woman. I think it sometimes is, but it can be more of a general cover for someone who is gay. So many people think Taylor is the straightest person who has ever lived simply because of her public dating record. I mean, heteronormativity and homophobia also play a big part in that...

Edit: I completely skipped Tom lol. I just don’t buy that one either. Maybe he thought it would be good publicity or maybe he was led on to think it was more real than it was or maybe he was just having fun. Idk. All kinds of articles written about them at the time included some caveat about how they seemed fake or were maybe filming something...

#gaylor crack theory

23 notes · View notes

moonwaterart · 5 years

Text

Here’s a silly little fnaf x reader fic I finished at 3:30AM this morning. I really hope y’all enjoy it.

Pizza Casanova (Chubby!Reader x Rockstar Bonnie)

This was supposed to be an amazing night. You’d just gotten back into the dating scene after years and years of putting it off due to how disastrous your last relationship was. You’d moved cities and just made a small life for yourself after your breakup four years ago and now you wanted to try again. You’d made an account on Tinder and matched with a pretty nice guy named Anthony. Nice on the eyes, dirty blond hair, hazel eyes and a tan from spending his summer on beaches.

You, on the other hand had no tan. You were on the bigger side -a size 18- but that didn’t stop you from wanting to really wow this guy. You two seemed to hit it off. You weren’t looking for a one-night sort of thing, just a casual date. You had both agreed to meet at a fancy restaurant around 5pm on that Thursday and you spent the week figuring out what to wear to impress this guy.

When the day came you got ready early. You found the prettiest dress online and it came relatively quickly and thankfully was just as advertised. It was a nice silky lavender sundress without sleeves and a fake diamond and silver clasped belt around the waist. Not to mention, it had pockets. You absolutely loved it and it matched so well with the white high heels, leggings and shawl you picked out from your closet. You wore some small silver earrings and a diamond necklace to match and actually did your makeup. Nothing over the top, just a simple eyeliner and lip gloss on foundation. You curled your hair and got it nice and once it was time to leave, you did, tossing a pair of ballet flats into your car just incase you needed them.

You got to the restaurant around 4:55pm and messaged Anthony.

(Y/N): Hey! I’m here at (fancy restaurant)! Do you want me to get us a table or should I just wait until you get here?

You slid your phone into one of the dress pockets and waited.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes…

You pull your phone back out and message him again.

(Y/N): you almost here?

More time passes and soon you’d been waiting for almost half an hour. You were cold, your feet were starting to hurt and you were hungry. As you’re about to send yet another text, you get a message from Anthony.

Anthony: Hey, sorry, I can’t make it tonight. We can always shoot for another time. I’m out with my buds and I totally spaced.

Your face felt hot with embarrassment and anger. You’ve been waiting for this guy to get here so you two could go on a date and he does this?!

(Y/N): will there be a ‘next time’ or are you just saying that to make me feel better? I’ve been waiting for you for half an hour to get here and you tell me you can’t make it?!

Anthony: yeah, sorry. My bros needed me.

(Y/N): Then screw this. There won’t be a next time.

You unmatch with the jerk then and there and delete the app immediately after. You were upset and embarrassed. You got all dolled up just to be stood-up! To be ghosted! Bump this! You slowly walk back to your car and get in. Your stomach growled and dammit, you were hungry, but not for this place. Not anymore. You needed to calm down and distress and dammit, you needed a pizza. Pizza sounded fantastic. You started driving and passed a few places you knew with good pizza until you saw a sign next to the mall parking lot:

‘Freddy’s Rockstar Family Fun Center’

Huh… you haven’t been to a fun center since you were in high school. It could be a good place to unwind. You turn into the buildings parking lot and find somewhere to park among the small sea of cars already there. You ditch your heels for the black flats your thankfully remembered to throw in and ditched your shawl as well. Were you a bit to dolled up for this sort of place? Yes. Did you care at this point? Not one bit.

Stepping through the doors was almost magical seeing as how your night had gone so far. The bright and colorful decor, the ambient sounds of parents and children chatting and screaming happily, and the smell of fresh greasy food. Oh yes. You needed this.

You make your way to the front counter where a teenage boy perked up at your presence.

“Welcome to Freddy’s! Aren’t you a bit dolled up to be coming here?” He asked in a playful manner.

You chuckle. “Yeah, but after the evening I’ve had, I need it. Do I need to check in or what? This is my first time coming here.”

“Really? That’s great! Well will you be dining with us tonight?” He asked, pulling out a menu from behind the counter. “We also have an arcade and laser tag if your interested.”

“That all sounds good. Hell yeah I'm dining in.”

“Awesome! Then I’d recommend the ‘Funtime Experience’. Not only would you get to have a full meal and desert, but the table is reserved for you until you leave. Not only that, but you get a card with like, fifty plays to spend at the arcade plus access to the laser tag arena. Also the wrist band is really cool.” While he was talking, he pulled out a small card and wristband each were white with colorful polka dots on it with the words ‘Funtime’ written in gold bubbly letters.

“I’ll take it then. Momma’s got some steam to blow off.” You pay for the package and the teen puts the wristband on you and hands you your arcade card before calling over a waitress to take you to your table.

As you weave through the crowd, you step through an archway and down a few steps into a closed off dining room made to look like a concert hall. With two floors for people dining in. The floor seemed to be for larger parties save for a few spots made for parties of one or two.

“Would you like to sit by the stage tonight. Freddy and his friends will be performing their last show for the day in a few minutes.” The waitress said in a chipper tone.

You shrugged. “Why not? Could be fun.”

“It totally is! Our boss made sure these models were state of the art with full body movement and AI that learns as it grows! Plus the band knows hundreds of popular songs and has a few of their own songs! They even do skits with their caretaker. It’s a sight to behold!” She led you to one of the smaller tables near the left side of the stage where she set your menu down. “Here you go! I’ll give you a minute to look over the menu and be right back! Can I get you a drink?”

“Can I get a soda?”

“What kind?”

“Surprise me.”

She let out a laugh and nodded. “You got it chief! I’ll be right back!”

She turned on her heel and left through a side entrance with a curtain and you sat to look at the menu. There was standard stuff any pizzeria would have along with burgers, fries, a whole panel of deserts and a ‘custom pizza’ option. Though that all sounded good, you were in the mood for just a slice of pepperoni some fries and a milkshake. Your stomach growled once more as you thought about how good that all sounded.

You made up your mind and set the menu aside before pulling out your phone to browse the web you checked all your usual sites and sighed. Looks like your best friend got engaged today. That’s nice… your mom was posting a new recipe she found and your dad sent you a meme he found funny over text which made you chuckle sadly. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and here you were; at a kids restaurant waiting on a soda looking like at least a hundred dollars in your opinion. You felt the embarrassment creep up on you again and you felt a few tears threatening to fall. You grabbed a napkin from the dispenser on your table and patted them away. You were NOT crying in a family setting, no sir! Not you! You could cry on your way home like anyone else would!

Once the waitress came back and took your order after giving you a glass of Grape Fanta and left just as a woman dressed in a white blouse and black pants walked on stage. She wore a red vest with the logo of the company on it just over her clothes and she quickly fixed her chocolate colored hair, her mossy colored eyes scanning the crowd as the lights dimmed and focused on her.

“How’s everyone doing tonight? I hope you’ve had a fun day here at Freddy’s!” A few people in the crowd cheered and you could have sworn you heard a few kids happily yelled ‘Yeah’s at the woman. She chuckled.

“Awesome! Well, as you know, it's about time for us to wind down here, but not before we go out with a bang! Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls!! Give it up for Freddy and his rockin’ band!” The curtains behind her drew back and their on stage were four larger than life mascots. A tan bear, a yellow bird, a red fox, and a purple bunny. The woman ran offstage and the band started their little concert.

You watched in awe as the band played and sang in perfect harmony, their motions were so fluid, they put the animatronics at Universal and Disneyland to shame. Did you see one just fix their stance? You had to give it to this place, it seemed like every young kids dream. A little paradise away from reality. Your paradise away from reality.

After the first song, your food came out and you thanked your waitress before she left once again to tend to other tables. The band did a small skit where they talked about a funny thing that happened to one of them and the other poked fun. Although it was funny, your mind began to wander back to earlier that night and your smile dropped. You went back to eating, but you could have sworn you were being watched.

—-

The woman in the front row was dressed oddly for being here. As Bonnie played his guitar and sang with his friends, he couldn’t help but let his eyes wander to the dolled-up woman in the beautiful lavender dress. The lights made it hard to see anything passed the stage, but if he really focused, he could see her.

To put it into words, the periwinkle bunny was enamored by her. He was sure of it. Though, he found it odd that she was here alone. Why was she here of all places looking like she just stepped out of a photo shoot? Wait… did he see her lip quiver? A note wrote itself into his routine; ‘Cheer up ‘Doll’’. That’s what he was meant to do, right? Cheer others up? He was able to cheer people up on a daily basis! Surely this would be the same…

Only, it didn’t feel the same. Looking at her made him think, which made him fumble in his notes. A few chuckles and ‘ooh’s go through the crowd as the band stopped and looked at the bunny.

“Now that’s something you don’t do everyday.” Freddy teased.

“Yer not one t’ mess up, lad.” Foxy quipped. Bonnie felt his mechanical parts heat up in embarrassment. He was a perfectionist when he played. What was the deal?!

“Heh. Finger slip.” He retorted, rubbing the back of his head. He needed to think of something. A lie. A little white lie to further this excuse. Oh he wasn’t good with lies. “You know how it goes. Got too into the music that I didn’t notice.”

“Don’t fret Bon! Coulda happened to anyone.” Chica piped up.

The band share a laugh and their performance continues, Bonnie couldn’t help but notice the girl was now watching with a look of curiosity and wonder on her face.

The show went on without another screw-up and the band bid the small crowd goodnight before the curtains closed again. The group let out a sigh of relief as they each felt their audio receptors return to their default mode before speaking to one another again.

“Was it just a slip-up, Bonnibel? Ye never slip-up.” Foxy inquired. Bonnie nodded quickly and set his guitar on its stand.

“It was. Like I said, I just got too into the music and wasn’t paying any mind to what I was doing, Foxy.” He fixed his bow tie and looked to the band, flashing a smile. “I’m going to ask Miss Lindsay if I can wonder the fun center until closing.”

“You know that’s a tossup, Bonnie. Just because Lindsay would let us, doesn’t mean the boss-man would.” Freddy tried to reason.

“Then there’s no harm in asking or even just doing it.” He shrugged. “If anything happens, it’ll be my fault, so I’ll see you fellows later.” With a wink and a small bow, he slipped out from behind the curtains and off the stage. He had a goal in mind, the note coming back to the front of his to-do list; Cheer up ‘Doll’.

—-

You had made your way to the arcade after the performance. Even though it was pretty fun to watch and listen to as you ate, your mind continued to wonder to earlier that night. Maybe Anthony really did forget? Maybe you got the date wrong? Did you jump off the rails by deleting that app? Hundreds of things were running through your mind and your lip quivered yet again. Dammit. You told yourself you wouldn’t cry in public. It makes you feel like a child. Bathroom. Gotta find the bathroom and breath…

“You seem like you have a lot on your mind, Miss.” That low toned voice…

You looked over to the voice and see that periwinkle bunny from the band… Bonnie was his name, right?

“I...I guess you could say that… yeah.” You mutter. You notice as his ears twitch at your response. “S-sorry… I’m just having a weird night.”

“You seem like you need someone to vent to.”

“I guess it couldn’t hurt…”

He stuck his hand out to you and you took it. He rose it to his muzzle and pressed the back of your hand to where his lips were as if to kiss it. “Then let us walk and talk… shall we, Miss?”

You felt heat on your face and you nod. He hooked his arm with yours and you two started walking around. You seemed dainty and small compared to the animatronic, but you felt… safe. It seemed like the world melted around you and it was just the two of you. Bonnie lead you to a quiet part of the fun center before talking.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you looked quite upset from time to time during my performance tonight.” he started, looking down at you. “I know it must be a cliche thing to ask, but what’s a beautiful woman all dolled up like you are doing in a place like this?”

"It been just a stupid night..." You reply. "I thought I would have a good night. Meet a new guy, have some dinner together.... But he didn't bother showing up." You felt tears prick your eyes and this time, you just let them fall.

"I got all dressed nicely... I-I actually tried to look nice! I thought...I-I th-thought I would be given a chance... b-but look at me! I'm at a fun center in a dress among a sea of families and kids looking so out of place! I-I just wanna go home and cry and binge a-and-"

Bonnie pulled you into a hug and let you cry, slowly letting the two of you sit on the floor. Well… he was sitting on the floor, you sat on his lap and cried into his furry chest. He honestly didn’t know what to do other then hold you and let you cry. He looked at you and pat your back, whispering words of comfort. After a few minutes, you pulled away and he wiped your tears. Although it smears your make-up, he looks at you with a soft expression.

“Well I don’t think this person knows what he’s missing. You’re a beautiful woman and the night isn’t over yet!” He stood the two of you back up and took your hand again. “Why don’t you and I go to the arcade. I know a few tips and tricks that we could use to get a few jackpots.”

You look at him, wiping a few more stray tears away. “You… you mean you know how to cheat the machines?”

“I wouldn’t call it cheating… I would call it finding loopholes.” He gave you a wink and you let out a small laugh.

“Then lead the way Bonnie.”

---

The arcade was fun and Bonnie was right; he did know a few ‘tips and tricks’ and by tricks, he meant he knew how to bypass the settings each machine had and set it to their default settings making it easier to win the big jackpots. His antics with sidestepping questions from the employees made you laugh. He was so suave until he was asked to explain what he was doing. This turned him into a babbling buffoon trying to come up with excuses which would turn into him scooping you up and booking it in the other direction. This would make you laugh as he would find places for the two of you to hide from the arcade employees.

You’d only come out of hiding once he said it was okay and not even a minute later he was bypassing the settings of arcade machines. Rinse and repeat. You only stopped once Bonnie was told that his ‘manager’ would be called since she’d been looking for him for a good hour by now and it was ‘passed his bedtime’. He lead you to the prize counter and helped you pick out a prize. Given he helped you cheat the system, you had enough points on your card for some of the major prizes. You decided on plushies of the band and you’d pocket the rest of the points for when you’d come back another day. Saying those words made Bonnie’s ears perk even more than they already were.

You’d be back? You wanted to come back? He smiled brightly. He felt genuinely happy at her words. They meant he’d be able to see you more. As you two left the prize corner with your new plushies and made your way to the front entrance, you heard a woman’s voice call out towards you.

“Bonnibel! There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” You two turned around and you saw the same woman that introduced the band when you were eating. She marched over and looked up at Bonnie, a stern motherly look on her face. “You were supposed to be in the back an hour ago!”

“I know Miss Lindsay. I honestly do, but I had something I had to do.”

“And that would be…?” He gestured to you and that’s when the woman finally noticed you, a look of surprise crossing her features. “Oh! I’m sorry ma’am! I’ve just been really worried about him. If he and the others don’t get their recharge, they won’t last the full day tomorrow.”

“It’s okay miss.” You reply. “He’s actually been keeping me company. I should be the one to apologize. If I’d known he needed his rest, I wouldn’t have-”

“You don’t need to apologize for you being upset, Miss.” Bonnie reassured you. He looked to his manager. “I know tomorrow will be rough for me, Miss Lindsay, but could I please walk her out before I go to the back? I would like to say goodnight to her.”

She looked between the two of you and something in her mind clicked. She gave you a small smile and nodded. “Of course Bon…” She looked to you. “I hope you’re feeling better ma’am and that you had a wonderful time here.”

“I did… Bonnie here made it the best first visit I could have asked for. I honestly can’t wait to come back.” You stated. The woman’s smile brightened.

“That’s great! Everyone’s experiences here should be magical. In fact, no two visits are alike! Anything could happen here. Trust me. It’s been an adventure working here.” She looked back to Bonnie. “I’ll be waiting in the back with your recharger.”

“Thank you, Miss Lindsay.”

The brunette nodded walked off, leaving you two alone again as parents, children, and some employees were leaving for the night around you. You looked at one another and yet again, the world around you faded as he lead you to the front doors and stopped.

“This is as far as I can go, Miss.” The bunny told you. “I wish I could escort you further, but it’s against the rules.”

“It’s okay, Bonnie.” You reassure him, rearranging the toys in your arms so you could carry them without dropping them on the asphalt outside. “I enjoyed our time together. I honestly haven’t had this much fun in a while.”

“Well I’m glad I could give you that tonight, Miss…”

“It’s (Y/N). My name is (Y/N).”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” He crouched slightly to be eye-level with you. “And don’t let anyone make you feel otherwise.”

“I think after tonight, I’ll have a pretty high standard for my dates thanks to you, Bonnie.”

“You flatter me, Miss (Y/N). I’ll be counting the days until you come back.”

You let out a small laugh and kiss his muzzle. “And I’ll be back soon, don’t worry your little bunny head, Bonnie.”

He felt his machinery heat up once more and he let out a laugh as he stood back up. “I’ll hold you to that. You have my word if I have yours.”

“And you do.” You turn to leave and stop, looking back to him. “Thank you, Bonnie. I hope you have an amazing night.”

“And the same to you, Miss (Y/N). Drive safely and have pleasant dreams.”

Leaving the fun center that night left you gitty for the next time you would make an appearance at the building. Your night had gone from bad to amazing. If you were to go back in time, you wouldn’t change a thing. You just hoped next time would be just as amazing and you had a feeling it would be.

#baps writes #oneshot #fnaf fanfic #fnaf #rockstar bonnie #reader insert

18 notes · View notes

shemakesmusic-uk · 3 years

Photo

youtube

Everyone needs to have Maja Kristina on their radar immediately. She is an incredible artist that is straight out of our pop dreams. Her whole self-titled EP is absolute perfection. Maja has released the song ‘Jessica’ off her EP as a single, and she couldn’t have made a better pick. ‘Jessica’ is a new take on a breakup song that we hope to see much more of. It’s written with the mindset that the person that cheated is at fault, not the person they cheated with. That is the mindset everyone needs to have! Maja sings, “Cause she seems really nice, and I think in the end, Me and Jessica could be friends.” We love to see women lifting up other women, instead of adding to the teardown. It’s a breath of fresh air. Normalize shaming cheaters, but not other manipulated women. [via The Honey Pop]

youtube

Lucia & The Best Boys have shared a new video for ‘Forever Forget’. It’s a cut from the band’s recent EP The State Of Things, it arrives alongside the news that their upcoming support tour with Dream Wife has moved back to 2022. Speaking about the video, director Rianne White says: “'Forever Forget' is a landscape of a feeling. Lucia and I wanted to create a piece of choreography that exists in a solo otherworldly space shaken up by an unsettling sensation of feeling trapped. Guarded by multiple camera perspectives, this movement sequence is shattered like a mirror into pieces and dominated by a blinding sensation of overwhelm, refracting the internal electricity of the brain into view. This video is a portrait of inner turbulence, liberated by Lucia’s untamed and magnetic expression of self. Frontwoman Lucia Fairfull adds: “The 'Forever Forget' video concept has kept completely true to the meaning of the song, 'Baby you've taken me to higher places. It hurts if it's just in my head', is the first lyrics of the chorus. The video portrays this with an other-worldly head trapped space, along with the choreography expressing a state of wanting to escape your own mind and thoughts. The lyrics throughout speak directly about wishing you still had what you once did, but having to face the reality that it is no more, and then trying to erase the memories from your head and move on. Making videos has always been one of my favourite parts about being an artist and over the last year I’ve really detached myself from the idea that I need to be perceived in a certain way and have enjoyed being more adventurous with Visuals. I have imagery almost as soon as Ive written a song so bringing it to life, and creating different characters to go with them is something I really feel helps to get across what I'm saying. I couldn't have brought these ideas to life ('Perfectly Untrue' & 'Forever Forget') without Rianne and Furmaan, and can’t wait to make more with them.” [via Dork]

youtube

Foxes has returned with news of her forthcoming EP Friends In The Corner, alongside sharing new cut 'Kathleen' to accompany the announcement. 'Kathleen' is Foxes' first release of 2021, and follows December's 'Hollywood', which will appear on her upcoming EP alongside last year's 'Friends In The Corner', 'Love Not Loving You' and 'Woman' singles. The new track is produced by Courage (Stormzy, MNEK, Ray BLK) and Charlie Hugall (Halsey, Florence and the Machine), and is an ode to her grandmother Kathleen. Foxes, real name Louisa Rose Allen, says of the single, "My grandma, Kathleen, has always given really good advice so on one visit I thought, ‘why am I not recording this?’. A couple of weeks later in the studio I happened to be going through my voice notes of random melodies and lyrics I’d saved and stumbled across her words of wisdom and within 20 minutes we’d written it with all her advice from the notes. I kept that exact recording of her talking at the end of the song. I don't think I’d be a songwriter without her." She adds, "For me, 'Kathleen' closes the chapter of the last year. Focussing on creativity during lockdown has been essential for me – it’s given me so much strength and positivity. Almost without realising, I ended up writing a whole new album. The new songs have a really different energy and need to exist together as a record. But first I need to release 'Kathleen' as it’s such a special song for me and just seems so right for now. It felt right to wrap these songs up together as an EP before the new album gets released later this year." [via Line Of Best Fit]

youtube

The Sydney-based three-piece Middle Kids release the cinematic title track and video from their hotly anticipated second album, Today We’re The Greatest, out now via Lucky Number One. 'Today We’re The Greatest' features a heartachingly beautiful performance from lead singer Hannah Joy and showcases the juxtaposition of her compelling songwriting. The grandiose and romantic notion of the song’s title is offset by the repeated refrain “life is gory and boring sometimes” which both closes the song and also the album – reveling equally in the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. About the song, Hannah explains: “This is a simple song of people being TINY and our lives being FLEETING but in that we are EPIC and GREAT. It’s finding the beauty and majesty of the every day. Therein lies life and meaning. LIFE IS GORY AND BORING SOMETIMES: it’s both hectic and mundane and we have to accept both.” 'Today We’re The Greatest' is accompanied by a stunning music video directed by W.A.M. Bleakley and filmed on the Kiama costal path in Australia.

youtube

Pacific Northwest native pop singer ALITA has released her new music video 'I’m Not Your Mother'. The video is a 50's inspired homage to empowerment and subverting antiquated gender roles. It was co-produced by ALITA & Zach Nicita (VERITE, Anne Marie, MS MR), and co-written by ALITA & Grammy-award-winning songwriter Jesse Saint John (Lizzo - Truth Hurts). “I wanted to create a visual world that put the song into a little more context," exlplains ALITA. "The song has a lot of classic & almost retro influences, from the old movie voices of women to the genre-blending pop, r&b, soul production. I wrote, ‘I’m Not Your Mother’ as a reflection on my own relationships, but I also know how shared of an experience this is for so many women. I see it every day in my friends' relationships, in my own family dynamics, in media. It’s constant. So we pulled in moments from old movies & tried to sprinkle in some history into the song as well. For the video, I wanted to honor the sonic storytelling with an exploration of the modern and classic roles women play. I wanted it to be a little weird & left of center, so there’s a lot of strange Easter eggs throughout the video. We’ve evolved as a species over the years, thank God, but instead of women being expected to be a homemaker, for example, there’s still this expectation for women to take care of and take responsibility for the men in our lives. It just may look a little different than it did 50 years ago. The application has changed, but the subtleties and impact remain. My goal was to tip my hat to that in the video, and just make something that looked nice.”

youtube

Glüme's Instagram bio reads "Walmart Marilyn," offering a succint intro to the LA-based artist's DIY approach to old school Hollywood glamor. She recently signed to Italians Do It Better, making her label mates with Chromatics and Glass Candy with whom she shares a penchant for bittersweet and melodic synth-pop, the perfect backdrop for a struggling ingénue. This week she debuts 'What Is A Feeling,' taken from her forthcoming debut album The Internet, due next month. 'What Is A Feeling' was written after Glüme, who has the rare heart condition Prinzmetal angina, was informed that her emotional health was starting to affect her physical condition. Over a chugging bassline and drum claps she questions the very make-up of her existence, asking questions including "What makes me work?" and "What makes me hurt?" Not even a doctor's orders can keep her away from temptation though, with the chaos of conflicting feelings tied up tight in the song's restrictive confines. “I had a doctor once tell me my feelings were doing my heart more harm than good," Glüme says via email. "I left wanting to completely disassemble my emotions and throw them in the trash. I studied emotions from physical and philosophical perspectives to see if I could outsmart them. But feeling less wasn't an option.” The Internet is out on April 30 via Italians Do It Better. [via The FADER]

youtube

Singer, songwriter, and producer ZAND is known for their uniquely brash brand of self-described ugly pop, and the iconic look that accompanies it is almost as distinctive. New single 'Bald Bitch' is ZAND’s most compelling earworm yet, its crunchy synthesised bassline driving beneath Blackpool accented pseudo-rap and the buzz of an electric razor. It’s the fourth and final cut to be lifted from last year’s Ugly Pop EP. ZAND isn’t afraid of controversial subject matter, with previous singles tackling topics such as misogyny and the stigma of sex work. 'Bald Bitch' is no exception to this trend, with ZAND squaring up to and superficial detractor chosing to comment on their appearance. 'Bald Bitch' is the next installment in the story of an artist who refuses to cow to convention. [via Line Of Best Fit]

youtube

Korean-American musician Jessi says she hopes her new song ‘What Type of X’ will inspire listeners to be “more confident”. The singer-rapper noted that “the most crucial thing” for her is self-love and how important it was for ‘What Type Of X’ to reflect that. “I am a woman of strong mentality and for me, loving myself is the most crucial thing. If you do not love yourself, nobody will do so. On top of that, you have to be surrounded by people who give off positive vibes,” she said. “Through the song, I want to tell people to be more confident and hope they remember that being different is not wrong.” Jessi co-wrote ‘What Type of X’ with Psy, who is the head of her agency P Nation. Psy. She shared that the lyrics were originally written in English before Psy helped to translate them, adding that the duo “did not argue as much as we did in the past while working together”. The singer also noted that, compared to her previous releases, she did not have as much time to prepare for this comeback. Calling herself a “perfectionist”, Jessi added that she feels like she is not fully ready to perform the song on stage yet, although she says she’s “quite content with the single’s quality”. [via NME]

youtube

Newcastle-based trio Cat Ryan have shared the official video for their latest indie-pop stunner ‘Mary Shelley Song’. The band has this to say on the clip: “Our film student friends, Briana and Gabi offered to film a music video for us and it was the first opportunity we’d had to film a professional kind of video. The first thought I had was to have a film noir style video. I think Lucas came up with a loose storyline and the idea to have it in reverse. We all quite liked the idea of a murder plot and with some tweaking of the narrative and, with the help of Briana and Gabi, the ideas came to life.”

#videos of the week #maja kristina #lucia and the best boys #foxes #middle kids #alita #glume #zand #jessi #cat ryan

0 notes

djskrappydu · 6 years

Text

2017 Year in Review

Photo credit: @seinfeld2000 twitter I probably need to write more than once a year. I also probably need to find a better medium than Tumblr, but alas here we are 2017. (You will not find “Despacito” or “Bodak Yellow” here.)

Albums

1. Lorde - Melodrama

Ella Yelich-O’Connor’s sophomore heartbreak rebound album is bursting at the seams with raw emotion. Lorde described the album as a concept of one long summer house party. She is motivated to go out to get over her ex. (“Green Light”) She gets too drunk and falls apart. (“Writer in the Dark” & “Liability”) She wakes up the morning after and decides this isn’t helping. (“Perfect Places”) Melodrama is an album of youth and heartache that brings everyone to where they were at Lorde’s 21 years of age. Best Tracks: “Green Light,” “Writer In The Dark,” “Supercut,” “Perfect Places”

2. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy

Josh Tillman has stated that Pure Comedy was written and completed before Election Day 2016. But it sure feels like he wrote the whole thing on November 9th, 2016. Without once mentioning the current flaming dumpster in chief, Father John Misty diagnoses America’s disease. The State of Our Union is self-obsessed, screen-attached, entertainment-driven and headed for ruin. If you thought this summary was grim, listen to the album. Best Tracks: “Pure Comedy,” “A Bigger Paper Bag,” “Leaving LA,” “Birdy”

3. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

I want to state firmly DAMN. is not K.Dot’s best album, honestly I’m not even sure it’s his second best album. It would be hard to ever match such a complex opus like To Pimp A Butterfly that we’re still trying to unravel nearly three years later. However, DAMN. is a very, very good album. It’s an album about success, struggle, race, hip-hop itself, roots and hard work. In a sense, DAMN. is a summation of Kendrick Lamar as an artist with pieces of all his previous work collapsing into a whole. Best Tracks: “ELEMENT.” “FEAR.” “LOYALTY. (featuring Rihanna)”

4. War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

War on Drugs is driving music. The long kind of drive where you know your ass will be glued to your seat for a while. It’s a drive through the plains where you can see the whole sky stretch across your field of vision. The songs are long and the riffs and solos paint epic landscapes. A Deeper Understanding sweeps you up in the massiveness of its sound like driving into the sunset. Best Tracks: “Strangest Thing,” “Up All Night,” “In Chains”

5. Waxahatchee - Out in The Storm

Looking through this list, there’s a large portion of break-up albums, but I guess that’s one of songwritings biggest inspirations. Well, here’s the second of four on this list. Katie Crutchfield’s heartbreak is a lot angrier than Lorde’s. She’s furious and hurt. Her pain cuts to the core. Crutchfield feels that she wasted so much time and energy on her ex. On Out In The Storm she bares it all and releases it, well, into the storm. Best Tracks: “Recite Remorse” “No Question,” “Silver”

6. The xx - I See You

After Coexist, the members of the English trio recollected themselves. Jamie honed his craft with 2015’s In Colour, Romy worked on songwriting with Ryan Tedder and Oliver got sober. On I See You, Jamie XX became the frontman of the band behind the decks and drumpads. The groups third album is their most upbeat, lively piece of work. The phrase “I See You” was a saying between the band recognizing each other beyond skin deep. Each members pain and joy can beheard in their voices, basses and samples. Best Tracks: “On Hold,” “Replica,” “I Dare You”

7. St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION

Here’s breakup album three of four. Annie Clarke’s fifth album as St. Vincent has been described as “Trauma Pop.” After a series of breakups including one with supermodel/actress Cara Delevigne, Clarke created a piece of pop art. While the album and cover evokes hot pinks and reds, the lyrical content is quite glum. On “Los Ageless,” she asks why fall in love at all if you’re bound to lose anyway. It’s a breakup album about witnessing your own pain rather than the path to recovery like Lorde or driving your raw anger at the ex like Waxahatchee. Best Tracks: “Los Ageless,” “Slow Disco,” “Hang On Me”

8. Migos - C U L T U R E

The title says it all. The Migos are the culture. (It’s literally the opening line of the album.) Quavo, Offset and Takeoff are rockstars. After a dud debut album with Yung Rich Nation, Migos created a summation of their contribution to Atlanta rap culture, rap culture and culture, period. C U L T U R E elevates the Migos to icon status where they can pave their own lane and everyone will follow. Every track on this album had the ability to become a rap radio hit. Quavo and Offset have become the go-to guest versus as Lil Wayne was back in the late 2000’s. Fuckboy bowdown, don’t ever doubt that the Migos aren’t the culture. Best Tracks: “Bad and Boujee (featuring Lil Uzi Vert),” “T-Shirt,” “Big on Big,” “Get Right Witcha”

9. Dirty Projectors - Dirty Projectors

Breakup album four of four. After a five-year hiatus, Dave Longstreth returns solo since the album is mainly about his former bandmate and ex Amber Coffman. (Her album City of No Reply was also fantastic.) Still inventive, Longstreth utilizes dancehall and pop sounds to create a breakup album with a long-term scope about taking note of the past and moving on. Longstreth is a master storyteller recalling the relationship in whole on “Up in Hudson” Best Tracks: “Up in Hudson,” “Cool Your Heart (featuring DAWN),” “Little Bubble”

10. Amine - Good for You

Amine’s debut album is on par with Chance the Rapper’s Acid Rap. Hear me out. Both rappers sing and rap. Both embrace positivity over the rap majority’s sound of violence and anger. They rap about friendship and family (“Sundays”/ “Cocoa Butter Kisses”). Arguably, Amine’s hometown of Portland doesn’t face the crime rate of Chance’s Chicago. Amine, like Chance, seems to be paving his own lane. Good For You was arguably the most fun record of the year with great joy and self-empowerment. Best Tracks: “Yellow (featuring Nelly),” “Wedding Crashers (featuring Offset)” “Sundays”

Songs

1. “Perfect Places” - Lorde - Melodrama

Lorde discovers partying won’t make her whole by making a masterpiece of pop songwriting.

2. “(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano” - Sampha - Process

Sampha and the piano are a simple, but soul-crushing duo.

3. “Strangest Thing” - The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

“Strangest Thing” takes you like a tidal wave of sound rushing over head.

4. “Recite Remorse” - Waxahatchee - Out in The Storm

Katie Crutchfield builds on her anguish over her ex’s treatment of her over this ambient gust of a track.

5. “Pure Comedy” - Father John Misty - Pure Comedy

American society has become a sitcom unaware of its biting irony. This is the theme song.

6. “Up in Hudson” - Dirty Projectors - Dirty Projectors

Dave Longstreth recalls his relationship with Amber Coffman, seemingly in real time.

7. “Slide (featuring Frank Ocean & Migos)” - Calvin Harris - Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1

Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean, Quavo and Offset take you to the funkiest beach on their sonic island.

8. “Half-Light (featuring Kelly Zutrau)” - Rostam - Half-Light

Rostam keeps his love and all of us warm with this beautiful romantic jam.

9. “The Story of O.J.” - Jay-Z - 4:44

Jay-Z reflects on race and how to escape the system through credit.

10. “Tonite” - LCD Soundsystem - American Dream

Aziz Ansari had a joke about the kind of music they play at the club. James Murphy must have heard that when he wrote this song.

11. “Los Ageless” - St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION

Is it better to have loved and lost or to have never loved at all? Annie Clarke tries to shred her way to an answer.

12. “Chanel” - Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean flexes his rapping chops on his ode to his fluid sexuality.

13. “Big Fish” - Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory

Teetotaler Vince Staples and syrup-laced Juicy J create a club heater over a glitch house beat.

14. “Turn Out The Lights” - Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights

The twenty-two year old singer songwriter builds it up and lets it bleed on this emo-folk slow burner.

15. “FEAR.” - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

Kung-Fu Kenny lights one up and exposes the traumas of his childhood home in impoverished compton.

16. “Deadly Valentine” - Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest

The French actress-singer repeats her vows over and over to art funk.

17. “Kept Me Crying” - Haim - Something to Tell You

The sisters Haim tell the ex it’s time to let it go and let them breathe over the heavy drums.

18. “This Old Dog” - Mac DeMarco - This Old Dog

Aging takes a toll on all of us, but the ever-goofy DeMarco keeps a hold on his younger self and his love for his Kiki.

19. “Crew (featuring Shy Glizzy & Brent Fiyaz)” - Goldlink - At What Cost?

I moved to the D.C. area this year. This is what it was like to watch a city receive an anthem.

20. “T-Shirt” - Migos - C U L T U R E

It was a daunting challenge to follow-up “Bad and Boujee,” but don’t you ever doubt the Migos.

21. “Mask Off” - Future - Future

An inescapable song that turned flute rap into a real thing. However, don’t take this song as a source of advice.

22. “Bobby” - (Sandy) Alex G - Rocket

The Philly singer-songwriter personifies his depression and tries to fight him off for love.

23. “Supercut” - Lorde - Melodrama

While the good times always seem to draw her back, Lorde knows she’s lying to herself to ignore the bad ones.

24. “I Dare You” - The XX - I See You

This song feels like a breakthrough for the XX. An escape from their depression bound to new-found love.

25. “Slow Disco” - St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION

St. Vincent leaves her old lover hanging in the wind under this orchestral cut.

26. “On Another Ocean (January/June)” - Fleet Foxes - On Another Ocean

Fleet Foxes return with a vast song about long distance.

27. “From The Dining Table” - Harry Styles - Harry Styles

The most recognizable member of the most famous boy band of the last ten years makes himself incredibly uncool and vulnerable.

28. “ELEMENT” - Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

K.Dot’s in the zone and no matter what he does he’s going to make it look sexy.

29. “Portland (featuring Quavo & Travis Scott)” - Drake - More Life

Drake, Quavo and Travis sound impossibly cool while stealing Future’s flute rap wave.

30. “Serve The Song” - Real Estate - In Mind

Real Estate commit themselves to their trade with the grooviest song of the year.

31. “Magnolia” - Playboi Carti - Playboi Carti

Playboi Carti and Pierre Bourne let it bounce in New York.

32. “Sundays” - Amine - Good For You

It’s important to take advantage of your leisure time as Amine’s sinks into the beat like we should all sink into the couch.

33. “You and I” - Toro y Moi - Boo Boo

Chaz Bundick elevates while finding love after a long search.

34. “A Bigger Paper Bag” - Father John Misty - Pure Comedy

It’s been hard not to think about that one person all 2017. Clearly, Josh Tillman had him on the brain too.

35. “Blu (featuring Damon Albarn)” - Mura Masa - Mura Masa

The Guernsey-born producer is so in love it hurts.

36. “Czech One” - King Krule - The Ooz

Archy Marshall fades into the night over this slow jazzy track.

37. “Midnight” - Jessie Ware - Glasshouse

Taking some liberties from Elton John, Jessie Ware reminds us that she can really sing.

38. “disco tits” - Tove Lo - BLUE LIPS (lady wood phase II)

The Swedish star songwriter is feeling herself almost way too much over this house pop banger.

39. “On + Off” - Maggie Rogers - Now That The Light is Fading

The recent NYU grad and indie darling shows her promise and her changing moods.

40. “REDMERCEDES” - Amine

Amine rolls deep over a Missy Elliot style beat.

41. “Candles” - Future Islands - The Far Field

The deep-voiced, operatic Samuel Herring makes it sound sexy.

42. “The Bus Song” - Jay Som - Everybody Works

Take a saturday bus trip around the bay area.

43. “Undercover” - Kehlani - SweetSexySavage

Kehlani is going to get to her love no matter what especially with a little help from an old Akon joint.

44. “GOLD” - BROCKHAMPTON - SATURATION

The world’s coolest boy band flexs their gold chains over old-school beats.

45. “How To Talk” - Lil Uzi Vert - Luv Is Rage 2

Just because Lil Uzi rode his wave to a number one album this year, doesn’t mean you can’t hurt his feelings.

46. “20 Something” - SZA - CTRL

The TDE-singer doesn’t want to let her 20’s go to waste.

47. “Motion Sickness” - Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps

The up-and-coming is in a fragile state after her break-up and she’s trying to keep her balance.

48. “Million Enemies” - Wavves - You’re Welcome

While this probably isn’t what the band was getting at, imagine what it’s like to be in Trump’s brain.

49. “Hard Times” - Paramore - After Laughter

The emo giants return after a tumultuous hiatus with this Talking Heads-style jam to help you get through the day to day.

50. “Wild Thoughts (featuring Rihanna & Bryson Tiller)” - DJ Khaled - Grateful

This is the sexiest song ever to be recorded with DJ Khaled also screaming over it.

Music Videos

Migos - “T-Shirt”

youtube

I’ve never seen The Revenant and I don’t see why I would now.

Tove Lo - “disco tits”

youtube

Not safe for work, not safe for puppets.

Charli XCX - “Boys”

youtube

Like this year, the girl flipped it on the boys.

BROCKHAMPTON - “GUMMY”

youtube

Every video by this group is incredible. This was just the one with a “plot.”

Kendrick Lamar - “ELEMENT.”

youtube

Every frame is a powerful photo and he made it look sexy.

Most Underrated Album

Harry Styles by Harry Styles

I think I know like at most two One Direction songs. It must be quite an advantage to make your album debut already being one of the most famous singers in the world. Sure, you could have made R&B that sounds like Usher and Drake *Zayn*, just decided to ripoff the already terrible Ed Sheeran *Niall* or you could just make the same boring pop music anyone else would make *the other two*. But you could say, fuck it I’m going to attempt to bring back rock and roll instead. I’m not saying Harry Styles is the savior mainstream rock needs or it’s savior period, but this record blew out all expectations with him trying to do so. Styles recreates himself as Mick Jagger, David Bowie and John Lennon over this underappreciated record. Best Tracks: “From The Dining Table,” “Meet Me in The Hallway,” “Woman”

Best New Act

BROCKHAMPTON

“Rock the boat like a one-eyed pirate/Rick James, I can get it on my eyelids”

“I used to deal with the grams until they put the cam on my face/Now I’m evading the law on a high speech chase.”

“DON’T. CALL ME. STUPID. THAT AIN’T THE WAY MY NAME PRONOUNCED/DON’T CALL ME CUPID. I GOT TOO MANY HOES RIGHT NOW!”

What if I told you these were all lyrics from a boyband? Then let me introduce you to the one-of-a-kind style of BROCKHAMPTON. The group is the way should be America should be. Members of every race, religion, nationality and sexuality. A multi-faceted machine with members doing every kind of creative role. These guys work fast. By the time you read this, their third album of the year will be the days away. Unfortunately, it’s going to be their last, allegedly. (You can still catch them on tour through the beginning of 2018.)

The best part of BROCKHAMPTON is that this 20+ member group is having more fun than most of us probably do in our whole lives. The beats, flows and rhymes are all insanely creative because it feels like their just riffing in the garage. None of the videos don’t fit any strict narrative. People are saran wrapping PB&J to their face, bouncing in sumo suits and just hanging with a llama. The world needs to be more like BROCKHAMPTON.

Best Non-2017 Song Discovered This Year

“Ripple” by The Grateful Dead

I went to college in Colorado for four years. When everyone else was getting into the Grateful Dead, I stupidly shied away. I knew the basic, “Uncle John’s Band,” “Friend of the Devil,” “Truckin,” “Shakedown Street,” etc. This past June I joined a friend and his frat brother to a Dead and Company show at the Jiffy Lube Live amphitheater. Needless to say, I left with a tie-dye shirt of cartoon Jerry driving a VW Bus.

14 notes · View notes

det-vackraste · 7 years

Text

Okey, so you're really supposed to be tagged by someone to do this, but since I don't have time to wait for that, imma go ahead and tag myself

1. selfie I’m on mobile, so… sorry, but check my “me” tag 2. what would you name your future kids? jeez, I don’t know.. If I have a boy I think I want one of his names to be Finn, cause that was my grandpa’s name plus it’s a cute name. If a girl, maybe give her my middle name Märta, just to pass that on down, but other than that I don’t know.. 3. do you miss anyone? Hmm.. maybe one of my friends who’s been away backpacking since January, and isn’t getting back home until June 4. what are you looking forward to? My mum, sister and I are planning a spa trip, so I’m looking forward to that 5. is there anyone who can always make you smile? My boyfriend, my dog or my best friend since 11 years 6. is it hard for you to get over someone? I haven’t really had to get over someone before, so I don’t know, but I can imagine I either don’t give a fuck or have a really hard time, no in between. 7. what was your life like last year? Real good. Last semester of school, so everything was chill, fun and exciting 8. have you ever cried because you were so annoyed? Well, I’m a crier when I’m angry or frustrated enough, so yeah probably 9. who did you last see in person? My boyfriend, who’s sleeping next to me 10. are you good at hiding your feelings? I can be if I want to 11. are you listening to music right now? Nope 12. what is something you want right now? grapes and cash 13. how do you feel right now? Pretty good. Chilling in bed, a little sleepy. A tad bit too warm, cause Sebastian is clinging to every inch of me in his sleep, but I really don’t mind 14. when was the last time someone of the opposite sex hugged you? If his current clinging counts as a hug; my boyfriend 15. personality description I can come off as a bit bitchy/boring/shy, but if I find you funny I’ll open up and be more fun and crazy. If I like you enough I’m also probably the most loyal bitch on this planet. 16. have you ever wanted to tell someone something but you didn’t? Yeah I have. Two of my friends who dated for a year had a nasty breakup, and quite soon after that the guy had sex with someone else. I promised him that I wouldn’t tell his ex. That was hard. But I didn’t… 17. opinion on insecurities. Not sure what this question wants, but… Insecurities are shit, and I’m doing pretty good with ignoring mine 18. do you miss how things were a year ago? On one hand yes, cause I had a clear routine and somewhere to be everyday, and everything was so chill and exciting since it was a few months before graduation. But on the other hand I’m okey with moving on with my life. I still have the people from a year ago that I care about, and I’m starting to get a clearer view of my future life choices so it almost excites me 19. have you ever been to New York? No I haven’t, would like to go though 20. what is your favourite song at the moment? Man, I don’t know… I’m a junkie for “Balladen om herr Fredrik Åkare och den söta fröken Cecilia Lind” by Cornelis Vreeswijk 21. age and birthday? 20 years old, January 7th 22. description of crush. Except for my boyfriend I don’t have a crush atm. But when I do, they’re pretty much always the same type of guy(my boyfriend included.. I have a very specific type, okey?); * Dark, a lil longer, curly-curlyish hair * Tall, lanky * (Harry Styles, Kit Harington, Robert Sheehan, Sirius Black) *Skinny jeans in legs for days *Big hands *Tall 23. fear(s)  I’m scared to death of spiders, no joke. Also scared of darker things, like the future, being lonely and such 24. height 167cm, whatever that is in feet 25. role model Uhh… don’t know really..? 26. idol(s) Harry Styles is a really good human being tbh 27. things i hate Cold places, brushing my teeth (it’s the most boring fucking thing I know) 28. i’ll love you if… You love me, probably. I’m trash for affection 29. favourite film(s) Man I don’t know… I’m not at all picky with movies, and usually like every movie I see, so….? 30. favourite tv show(s) Game of thrones & friends 31. 3 random facts * I’ve seen every season of “RuPaul’s drag race”. Pearl is my babe. * I’m basically CONSTANTLY moving/jerking/twitching at least one of my feet or toes in some kind of way. Don’t know why, but I’ve done it for like 8 years now, feels weird when I don’t * I don’t eat sauce. Not on burgers, or pizza, or Kebab or anything. Basically only eat ketchup. 32. are your friends mainly girls or guys? My closest, closest friends are mainly girls, but among all (lol, makes it sound like a lot) of my friends, it’s quite evenly divided 33. something you want to learn More languages, although I hate actually learning it, so I doubt it’s gonna happen.. I would also like to be better than I am at piano 34. most embarrassing moment ?? I’m an embarrassing person so… don’t know 35. favourite subject I like English and Swedish (my 1st language) cause I enjoy writing. Other than that, biology 36. 3 dreams you want to fulfill? * Want to find my dream occupation * Want to go to Australia * Want to share an apartment with either bestie or boyfriend 37. favourite actor/actress Leonardo DiCaprio is nice, I don’t know 38. favourite comedian(s) Asså mannen, Johan Glans 39. favourite sport(s) I don’t really do sports… but like… figure skating? (Eller gång, det är nog min favvo) 40. favourite memory I have a few: * Front row on One Direction’s where we are tour concert at Wembley. The whole 24 hours prior to the concert itself was amazing, and then being in the front row was just unreal. And then Harry screaming “köttbullar” (=meatballs, cause we had a Swedish flag) at us. Best day. * Like the entire week before graduation was great. Prom, chilling in the sun, graduating. It was all really nice. We bought a big, inflatable pool, so when the rest of the students were still in school, all of the graduates had pool parties in the school yard * One time when my boyfriend was playing some game on his computer, to gain his attention, I climbed up into his lap and latched myself around him like a backwards backpack, and then I accidentally fell asleep there. Slept for about an hour. Best nap of my life. 41. relationship status In a relationship since three years 42. favourite book(s) I’m such an embarrassing sucker for the entire Harry Potter series and that entire universe. Other than that I loved “the Book thief” by Marcus Zusak 43. favourite song ever God…….. I don’t know 44. age you get mistaken for I don’t think I’ve been mistaken ever… But quite often my friends have to show ID at bars, but I don’t? 45. how you found out about your idol My best friend showed me this boy band she had discovered, and well there he was 46. what my last text message says “Where’s the lie tho” in response to a screenshot of a funny text post I was sent 47. turn ons Oh god, where do i start.. * cockiness, but not in a gross way, but just a smug, confident way..? Making sense? * Hands. Long, slim fingers; hands of a pianist * Long, slim legs in skinny jeans * Jaw lines * Tiny man butts * Veiny forearms * Tall people * Smoking..? I don’t know why? I don’t even like smoking? It’s just something aesthetically pleasing with long, slender fingers holding a cigarette * HAIR, dark, long luscious locks * Kissing. Anywhere but the lips (lips too tho) * Biting * Teasing * Hands, grabbing, groping, gentle slapping. You name it, it probably turns me on 48. turn offs Like…. pissing? And snus (snuff). So fucking gross 49. where i want to be right now Somewhere with a lowest temperature of 25 degrees Celsius 50. favourite picture of your idol I’m on mobile, man, but probably like… messy bun, a flimsy shirt that’s really out there, and some sparkly boots 51. starsign I’m your typical Capricorn 52. something i’m talented at Like… music stuff.. I have a really good ear for keys and such in music..? 53. 5 things that make me happy * Sunshine * Dogs * Travelling * My boyfriend and best friend * Reading/drawing 54. Name something you’re currently worried about The future; what do I want to do for a living, and hence; what do I want to study at uni? 55. tumblr friends I’m not really tumblr active in that way.. I just reblog nice pictures of nice things and that’s that. One time TT answered one of my asks 56. favourite food(s) Tacos. 57. favourite animal(s) Dogs Foxes, because they’re extra pretty dogs 58. description of my best friend Real smol. 59. why i joined tumblr Facebook was so 2010

#me

1 note · View note

hermanute387-blog · 7 years

Text

Awesome Usernames For Women.

As much more ladies resort to skateboarding it excels to find some cool skateboards for women. Thus if you are serious about choosing the sex of your following infant to accomplish your family members, why not offer Dr Shettles techniques a try out, even if you neglect you will still possess that lovely little bit of child female or young boy to enjoy and like! Properly, permit me initial claim that certainly not every beautiful woman you receive with will certainly possess baggage. Although Mary was as well-liked as ever before, the variety of admirers she nabbed at the boarding residence were actually fewer than at the tobacconist's store. Brie Larson was actually born in 1989 and has verified herself as being one from the best 10 very hot youthful hot younger starlets. Do not hesitate to browse additional short articles that offer suggestions on discovering the very best female pet dog labels for your young puppy. They want to dress up like their favored celebs and also appear as they do. Suppliers who understand about popular fads provide various discount rates and deals on such kids apparel which entices moms and dads also. After a rocky summertime this appears like package workplace has actually begun to rather maintain as well as this weekend break it will certainly have the advantage from the most recent literary adjustment to attack click through the up coming web page silver screen in Fox's (NASDAQ: FOXA) Gone Lady. Among the most difficult points that a man could possibly undergo while maturing would getting a date with a gal he suches as. Her adorable smile, willing look, tan, blotches, and even her straw hat recommend a really good lady who is actually delighted and total of healthy and balanced energy. There are actually websites that demonstrate the best well-known labels, yet that carries out not demonstrate anything aside from the pattern as well as that can vary coming from web site to website. Only when he's serious about Palmer (Brooklyn Decker), a truly girl for his age, she locates that wedding ceremony band, as well as he formulate the story that he's actually getting a breakup. The motif was actually to spruce up as the Charlie's Angels girls; each gal looking remarkable and the bride-to-be to be dressed up the BRIDE-TO-BE and also she had the most ideal weapon out of each one of them. When a vocal conversation is taking place, your gal must address relevant inquiries as opposed to some fixed ones filled in letters. You may or even might not have understood this, depending what does it cost? opportunity you wasted in your young people playing computer game, yet Samus off Metroid was undoubtedly a girl. Therefore if you are one of the great men at that point I hesitate that you are mosting likely to have to transform your perspective if you desire to have the capacity to win the center of some of the very hot Desi Ladies.

Gossip Lady is actually a United States adolescent Tension based on the lifestyle from top East siders living in New york. An example from that will be Park Bom, main singer from the preferred woman team 2NE1. As a woman become a teen, she will certainly additionally modify a lot of her interests and also point of views. There are actually opportunities that the lady might feel thinking about the celebrations taking place in the nightclub. The cops possess as yet no idea to the rapists, as the lady can certainly not acknowledge the location she was taken. That produces a clear feeling that if you really want a hot sweetheart then you should be a hot man, also. Child females' headpieces helped make along with knitted head: This is actually a special type of headpiece if a mom is searching for one thing exclusive for her infant gal. The emphasis performs the United States frankfurter, which will not exist if our progenitors had actually not visited right here from Europe," stated Scott Ladany, Vienna Meat's of purchases and also son of the provider's Hungarian founder.

0 notes

thesnhuup · 5 years

Text

Pop Picks – December 4, 2018

December 4, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Spending a week in New Zealand, we had endless laughs listening to the Kiwi band, Flight of the Conchords. Lots of comedic bands are funny, but the music is only okay or worse. These guys are funny – hysterical really – and the music is great. They have an uncanny ability to parody almost any style. In both New Zealand and Australia, we found a wry sense of humor that was just delightful and no better captured than with this duo. You don’t have to be in New Zealand to enjoy them.

What I’m reading:

I don’t often reread. For two reasons: A) I have so many books on my “still to be read” pile that it seems daunting to also reread books I loved before, and B) it’s because I loved them once that I’m a little afraid to read them again. That said, I was recently asked to list my favorite book of all time and I answered Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. But I don’t really know if that’s still true (and it’s an impossible question anyway – favorite book? On what day? In what mood?), so I’m rereading it and it feels like being with an old friend. It has one of my very favorite scenes ever: the card game between Levin and Kitty that leads to the proposal and his joyous walking the streets all night.

What I’m watching:

Blindspotting is billed as a buddy-comedy. Wow does that undersell it and the drama is often gripping. I loved Daveed Diggs in Hamilton, didn’t like his character in Black-ish, and think he is transcendent in this film he co-wrote with Rafael Casal, his co-star. The film is a love song to Oakland in many ways, but also a gut-wrenching indictment of police brutality, systemic racism and bias, and gentrification. The film has the freshness and raw visceral impact of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. A great soundtrack, genre mixing, and energy make it one of my favorite movies of 2018.

Archive

October 15, 2018

What I’m listening to:

We had the opportunity to see our favorite band, The National, live in Dallas two weeks ago. Just after watching Mistaken for Strangers, the documentary sort of about the band. So we’ve spent a lot of time going back into their earlier work, listening to songs we don’t know well, and reaffirming that their musicality, smarts, and sound are both original and astoundingly good. They did not disappoint in concert and it is a good thing their tour ended, as we might just spend all of our time and money following them around. Matt Berninger is a genius and his lead vocals kill me (and because they are in my range, I can actually sing along!). Their arrangements are profoundly good and go right to whatever brain/heart wiring that pulls one in and doesn’t let them go.

What I’m reading:

Who is Richard Powers and why have I only discovered him now, with his 12th book? Overstory is profoundly good, a book that is essential and powerful and makes me look at my everyday world in new ways. In short, a dizzying example of how powerful can be narrative in the hands of a master storyteller. I hesitate to say it’s the best environmental novel I’ve ever read (it is), because that would put this book in a category. It is surely about the natural world, but it is as much about we humans. It’s monumental and elegiac and wondrous at all once. Cancel your day’s schedule and read it now. Then plant a tree. A lot of them.

What I’m watching:

Bo Burnham wrote and directed Eighth Grade and Elsie Fisher is nothing less than amazing as its star (what’s with these new child actors; see Florida Project). It’s funny and painful and touching. It’s also the single best film treatment that I have seen of what it means to grow up in a social media shaped world. It’s a reminder that growing up is hard. Maybe harder now in a world of relentless, layered digital pressure to curate perfect lives that are far removed from the natural messy worlds and selves we actually inhabit. It’s a well-deserved 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and I wonder who dinged it for the missing 2%.

September 7, 2018

What I’m listening to:

With a cover pointing back to the Beastie Boys’ 1986 Licensed to Ill, Eminem’s quietly released Kamikaze is not my usual taste, but I’ve always admired him for his “all out there” willingness to be personal, to call people out, and his sheer genius with language. I thought Daveed Diggs could rap fast, but Eminem is supersonic at moments, and still finds room for melody. Love that he includes Joyner Lucas, whose “I’m Not Racist” gets added to the growing list of simply amazing music videos commenting on race in America. There are endless reasons why I am the least likely Eminem fan, but when no one is around to make fun of me, I’ll put it on again.

What I’m reading:

Lesley Blume’s Everyone Behaves Badly, which is the story behind Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and his time in 1920s Paris (oh, what a time – see Midnight in Paris if you haven’t already). Of course, Blume disabuses my romantic ideas of that time and place and everyone is sort of (or profoundly so) a jerk, especially…no spoiler here…Hemingway. That said, it is a compelling read and coming off the Henry James inspired prose of Mrs. Osmond, it made me appreciate more how groundbreaking was Hemingway’s modern prose style. Like his contemporary Picasso, he reinvented the art and it can be easy to forget, these decades later, how profound was the change and its impact. And it has bullfights.

What I’m watching:

Chloé Zhao’s The Rider is just exceptional. It’s filmed on the Pine Ridge Reservation, which provides a stunning landscape, and it feels like a classic western reinvented for our times. The main characters are played by the real-life people who inspired this narrative (but feels like a documentary) film. Brady Jandreau, playing himself really, owns the screen. It’s about manhood, honor codes, loss, and resilience – rendered in sensitive, nuanced, and heartfelt ways. It feels like it could be about large swaths of America today. Really powerful.

August 16, 2018

What I’m listening to:

In my Spotify Daily Mix was Percy Sledge’s When A Man Loves A Woman, one of the world’s greatest love songs. Go online and read the story of how the song was discovered and recorded. There are competing accounts, but Sledge said he improvised it after a bad breakup. It has that kind of aching spontaneity. It is another hit from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, one of the GREAT music hotbeds, along with Detroit, Nashville, and Memphis. Our February Board meeting is in Alabama and I may finally have to do the pilgrimage road trip to Muscle Shoals and then Memphis, dropping in for Sunday services at the church where Rev. Al Green still preaches and sings. If the music is all like this, I will be saved.

What I’m reading:

John Banville’s Mrs. Osmond, his homage to literary idol Henry James and an imagined sequel to James’ 1881 masterpiece Portrait of a Lady. Go online and read the first paragraph of Chapter 25. He is…profoundly good. Makes me want to never write again, since anything I attempt will feel like some other, lowly activity in comparison to his mastery of language, image, syntax. This is slow reading, every sentence to be savored.

What I’m watching:

I’ve always respected Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but we just watched the documentary RGB. It is over-the-top great and she is now one of my heroes. A superwoman in many ways and the documentary is really well done. There are lots of scenes of her speaking to crowds and the way young women, especially law students, look at her is touching. And you can’t help but fall in love with her now late husband Marty. See this movie and be reminded of how important is the Law.

July 23, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Spotify’s Summer Acoustic playlist has been on repeat quite a lot. What a fun way to listen to artists new to me, including The Paper Kites, Hollow Coves, and Fleet Foxes, as well as old favorites like Leon Bridges and Jose Gonzalez. Pretty chill when dialing back to a summer pace, dining on the screen porch or reading a book.

What I’m reading:

Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy. Founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, Stevenson tells of the racial injustice (and the war on the poor our judicial system perpetuates as well) that he discovered as a young graduate from Harvard Law School and his fight to address it. It is in turn heartbreaking, enraging, and inspiring. It is also about mercy and empathy and justice that reads like a novel. Brilliant.

What I’m watching:

Fauda. We watched season one of this Israeli thriller. It was much discussed in Israel because while it focuses on an ex-special agent who comes out of retirement to track down a Palestinian terrorist, it was willing to reveal the complexity, richness, and emotions of Palestinian lives. And the occasional brutality of the Israelis. Pretty controversial stuff in Israel. Lior Raz plays Doron, the main character, and is compelling and tough and often hard to like. He’s a mess. As is the world in which he has to operate. We really liked it, and also felt guilty because while it may have been brave in its treatment of Palestinians within the Israeli context, it falls back into some tired tropes and ultimately falls short on this front.

June 11, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Like everyone else, I’m listening to Pusha T drop the mic on Drake. Okay, not really, but do I get some points for even knowing that? We all walk around with songs that immediately bring us back to a time or a place. Songs are time machines. We are coming up on Father’s Day. My own dad passed away on Father’s Day back in 1994 and I remembering dutifully getting through the wake and funeral and being strong throughout. Then, sitting alone in our kitchen, Don Henley’s The End of the Innocence came on and I lost it. When you lose a parent for the first time (most of us have two after all) we lose our innocence and in that passage, we suddenly feel adult in a new way (no matter how old we are), a longing for our own childhood, and a need to forgive and be forgiven. Listen to the lyrics and you’ll understand. As Wordsworth reminds us in In Memoriam, there are seasons to our grief and, all these years later, this song no longer hits me in the gut, but does transport me back with loving memories of my father. I’ll play it Father’s Day.

What I’m reading:

The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin. I am not a reader of fantasy or sci-fi, though I understand they can be powerful vehicles for addressing the very real challenges of the world in which we actually live. I’m not sure I know of a more vivid and gripping illustration of that fact than N. K. Jemisin’s Hugo Award winning novel The Fifth Season, first in her Broken Earth trilogy. It is astounding. It is the fantasy parallel to The Underground Railroad, my favorite recent read, a depiction of subjugation, power, casual violence, and a broken world in which our hero(s) struggle, suffer mightily, and still, somehow, give us hope. It is a tour de force book. How can someone be this good a writer? The first 30 pages pained me (always with this genre, one must learn a new, constructed world, and all of its operating physics and systems of order), and then I could not put it down. I panicked as I neared the end, not wanting to finish the book, and quickly ordered the Obelisk Gate, the second novel in the trilogy, and I can tell you now that I’ll be spending some goodly portion of my weekend in Jemisin’s other world.

What I’m watching:

The NBA Finals and perhaps the best basketball player of this generation. I’ve come to deeply respect LeBron James as a person, a force for social good, and now as an extraordinary player at the peak of his powers. His superhuman play during the NBA playoffs now ranks with the all-time greats, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, MJ, Kobe, and the demi-god that was Bill Russell. That his Cavs lost in a 4-game sweep is no surprise. It was a mediocre team being carried on the wide shoulders of James (and matched against one of the greatest teams ever, the Warriors, and the Harry Potter of basketball, Steph Curry) and, in some strange way, his greatness is amplified by the contrast with the rest of his team. It was a great run.

May 24, 2018

What I’m listening to:

I’ve always liked Alicia Keys and admired her social activism, but I am hooked on her last album Here. This feels like an album finally commensurate with her anger, activism, hope, and grit. More R&B and Hip Hop than is typical for her, I think this album moves into an echelon inhabited by a Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On or Beyonce’s Formation. Social activism and outrage rarely make great novels, but they often fuel great popular music. Here is a terrific example.

What I’m reading:

Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad may be close to a flawless novel. Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer, it chronicles the lives of two runaway slaves, Cora and Caeser, as they try to escape the hell of plantation life in Georgia. It is an often searing novel and Cora is one of the great heroes of American literature. I would make this mandatory reading in every high school in America, especially in light of the absurd revisionist narratives of “happy and well cared for” slaves. This is a genuinely great novel, one of the best I’ve read, the magical realism and conflating of time periods lifts it to another realm of social commentary, relevance, and a blazing indictment of America’s Original Sin, for which we remain unabsolved.

What I’m watching:

I thought I knew about The Pentagon Papers, but The Post, a real-life political thriller from Steven Spielberg taught me a lot, features some of our greatest actors, and is so timely given the assault on our democratic institutions and with a presidency out of control. It is a reminder that a free and fearless press is a powerful part of our democracy, always among the first targets of despots everywhere. The story revolves around the legendary Post owner and D.C. doyenne, Katharine Graham. I had the opportunity to see her son, Don Graham, right after he saw the film, and he raved about Meryl Streep’s portrayal of his mother. Liked it a lot more than I expected.

April 27, 2018

What I’m listening to:

I mentioned John Prine in a recent post and then on the heels of that mention, he has released a new album, The Tree of Forgiveness, his first new album in ten years. Prine is beloved by other singer songwriters and often praised by the inscrutable God that is Bob Dylan. Indeed, Prine was frequently said to be the “next Bob Dylan” in the early part of his career, though he instead carved out his own respectable career and voice, if never with the dizzying success of Dylan. The new album reflects a man in his 70s, a cancer survivor, who reflects on life and its end, but with the good humor and empathy that are hallmarks of Prine’s music. “When I Get To Heaven” is a rollicking, fun vision of what comes next and a pure delight. A charming, warm, and often terrific album.

What I’m reading:

I recently read Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, on many people’s Top Ten lists for last year and for good reason. It is sprawling, multi-generational, and based in the world of Japanese occupied Korea and then in the Korean immigrant’s world of Oaska, so our key characters become “tweeners,” accepted in neither world. It’s often unspeakably sad, and yet there is resiliency and love. There is also intimacy, despite the time and geographic span of the novel. It’s breathtakingly good and like all good novels, transporting.

What I’m watching:

I adore Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 film, Pan’s Labyrinth, and while I’m not sure his Shape of Water is better, it is a worthy follow up to the earlier masterpiece (and more of a commercial success). Lots of critics dislike the film, but I’m okay with a simple retelling of a Beauty and the Beast love story, as predictable as it might be. The acting is terrific, it is visually stunning, and there are layers of pain as well as social and political commentary (the setting is the US during the Cold War) and, no real spoiler here, the real monsters are humans, the military officer who sees over the captured aquatic creature. It is hauntingly beautiful and its depiction of hatred to those who are different or “other” is painfully resonant with the time in which we live. Put this on your “must see” list.

March 18, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Sitting on a plane for hours (and many more to go; geez, Australia is far away) is a great opportunity to listen to new music and to revisit old favorites. This time, it is Lucy Dacus and her album Historians, the new sophomore release from a 22-year old indie artist that writes with relatable, real-life lyrics. Just on a second listen and while she insists this isn’t a break up record (as we know, 50% of all great songs are break up songs), it is full of loss and pain. Worth the listen so far. For the way back machine, it’s John Prine and In Spite of Ourselves (that title track is one of the great love songs of all time), a collection of duets with some of his “favorite girl singers” as he once described them. I have a crush on Iris Dement (for a really righteously angry song try her Wasteland of the Free), but there is also EmmyLou Harris, the incomparable Dolores Keane, and Lucinda Williams. Very different albums, both wonderful.

What I’m reading:

Jane Mayer’s New Yorker piece on Christopher Steele presents little that is new, but she pulls it together in a terrific and coherent whole that is illuminating and troubling at the same time. Not only for what is happening, but for the complicity of the far right in trying to discredit that which should be setting off alarm bells everywhere. Bob Mueller may be the most important defender of the democracy at this time. A must read.

What I’m watching:

Homeland is killing it this season and is prescient, hauntingly so. Russian election interference, a Bannon-style hate radio demagogue, alienated and gun toting militia types, and a president out of control. It’s fabulous, even if it feels awfully close to the evening news.

March 8, 2018

What I’m listening to:

We have a family challenge to compile our Top 100 songs. It is painful. Only 100? No more than three songs by one artist? Wait, why is M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” on my list? Should it just be The Clash from whom she samples? Can I admit to guilty pleasure songs? Hey, it’s my list and I can put anything I want on it. So I’m listening to the list while I work and the song playing right now is Tom Petty’s “The Wild One, Forever,” a B-side single that was never a hit and that remains my favorite Petty song. Also, “Evangeline” by Los Lobos. It evokes a night many years ago, with friends at Pearl Street in Northampton, MA, when everyone danced well past 1AM in a hot, sweaty, packed club and the band was a revelation. Maybe the best music night of our lives and a reminder that one’s 100 Favorite Songs list is as much about what you were doing and where you were in your life when those songs were playing as it is about the music. It’s not a list. It’s a soundtrack for this journey.

What I’m reading:

Patricia Lockwood’s Priestdaddy was in the NY Times top ten books of 2017 list and it is easy to see why. Lockwood brings remarkable and often surprising imagery, metaphor, and language to her prose memoir and it actually threw me off at first. It then all became clear when someone told me she is a poet. The book is laugh aloud funny, which masks (or makes safer anyway) some pretty dark territory. Anyone who grew up Catholic, whether lapsed or not, will resonate with her story. She can’t resist a bawdy anecdote and her family provides some of the most memorable characters possible, especially her father, her sister, and her mother, who I came to adore. Best thing I’ve read in ages.

What I’m watching:

The Florida Project, a profoundly good movie on so many levels. Start with the central character, six-year old (at the time of the filming) Brooklynn Prince, who owns – I mean really owns – the screen. This is pure acting genius and at that age? Astounding. Almost as astounding is Bria Vinaite, who plays her mother. She was discovered on Instagram and had never acted before this role, which she did with just three weeks of acting lessons. She is utterly convincing and the tension between the child’s absolute wonder and joy in the world with her mother’s struggle to provide, to be a mother, is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. Willem Dafoe rightly received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role. This is a terrific movie.

February 12, 2018

What I’m listening to:

So, I have a lot of friends of age (I know you’re thinking 40s, but I just turned 60) who are frozen in whatever era of music they enjoyed in college or maybe even in their thirties. There are lots of times when I reach back into the catalog, since music is one of those really powerful and transporting senses that can take you through time (smell is the other one, though often underappreciated for that power). Hell, I just bought a turntable and now spending time in vintage vinyl shops. But I’m trying to take a lesson from Pat, who revels in new music and can as easily talk about North African rap music and the latest National album as Meet the Beatles, her first ever album. So, I’ve been listening to Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy winning Damn. While it may not be the first thing I’ll reach for on a winter night in Maine, by the fire, I was taken with it. It’s layered, political, and weirdly sensitive and misogynist at the same time, and it feels fresh and authentic and smart at the same time, with music that often pulled me from what I was doing. In short, everything music should do. I’m not a bit cooler for listening to Damn, but when I followed it with Steely Dan, I felt like I was listening to Lawrence Welk. A good sign, I think.

What I’m reading:

I am reading Walter Isaacson’s new biography of Leonardo da Vinci. I’m not usually a reader of biographies, but I’ve always been taken with Leonardo. Isaacson does not disappoint (does he ever?), and his subject is at once more human and accessible and more awe-inspiring in Isaacson’s capable hands. Gay, left-handed, vegetarian, incapable of finishing things, a wonderful conversationalist, kind, and perhaps the most relentlessly curious human being who has ever lived. Like his biographies of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein, Isaacson’s project here is to show that genius lives at the intersection of science and art, of rationality and creativity. Highly recommend it.

What I’m watching:

We watched the This Is Us post-Super Bowl episode, the one where Jack finally buys the farm. I really want to hate this show. It is melodramatic and manipulative, with characters that mostly never change or grow, and it hooks me every damn time we watch it. The episode last Sunday was a tear jerker, a double whammy intended to render into a blubbering, tissue-crumbling pathetic mess anyone who has lost a parent or who is a parent. Sterling K. Brown, Ron Cephas Jones, the surprising Mandy Moore, and Milo Ventimiglia are hard not to love and last season’s episode that had only Brown and Cephas going to Memphis was the show at its best (they are by far the two best actors). Last week was the show at its best worst. In other words, I want to hate it, but I love it. If you haven’t seen it, don’t binge watch it. You’ll need therapy and insulin.

January 15, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Drive-By Truckers. Chris Stapleton has me on an unusual (for me) country theme and I discovered these guys to my great delight. They’ve been around, with some 11 albums, but the newest one is fascinating. It’s a deep dive into Southern alienation and the white working-class world often associated with our current president. I admire the willingness to lay bare, in kick ass rock songs, the complexities and pain at work among people we too quickly place into overly simple categories. These guys are brave, bold, and thoughtful as hell, while producing songs I didn’t expect to like, but that I keep playing. And they are coming to NH.

What I’m reading:

A textual analog to Drive-By Truckers by Chris Stapleton in many ways is Tony Horowitz’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize winning Confederates in the Attic. Ostensibly about the Civil War and the South’s ongoing attachment to it, it is prescient and speaks eloquently to the times in which we live (where every southern state but Virginia voted for President Trump). Often hilarious, it too surfaces complexities and nuance that escape a more recent, and widely acclaimed, book like Hillbilly Elegy. As a Civil War fan, it was also astonishing in many instances, especially when it blows apart long-held “truths” about the war, such as the degree to which Sherman burned down the south (he did not). Like D-B Truckers, Horowitz loves the South and the people he encounters, even as he grapples with its myths of victimhood and exceptionalism (and racism, which may be no more than the racism in the north, but of a different kind). Everyone should read this book and I’m embarrassed I’m so late to it.

What I’m watching:

David Letterman has a new Netflix show called “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” and we watched the first episode, in which Letterman interviewed Barack Obama. It was extraordinary (if you don’t have Netflix, get it just to watch this show); not only because we were reminded of Obama’s smarts, grace, and humanity (and humor), but because we saw a side of Letterman we didn’t know existed. His personal reflections on Selma were raw and powerful, almost painful. He will do five more episodes with “extraordinary individuals” and if they are anything like the first, this might be the very best work of his career and one of the best things on television.

December 22, 2017

What I’m reading:

Just finished Sunjeev Sahota’s Year of the Runaways, a painful inside look at the plight of illegal Indian immigrant workers in Britain. It was shortlisted for 2015 Man Booker Prize and its transporting, often to a dark and painful universe, and it is impossible not to think about the American version of this story and the terrible way we treat the undocumented in our own country, especially now.

What I’m watching:

Season II of The Crown is even better than Season I. Elizabeth’s character is becoming more three-dimensional, the modern world is catching up with tradition-bound Britain, and Cold War politics offer more context and tension than we saw in Season I. Claire Foy, in her last season, is just terrific – one arched eye brow can send a message.

What I’m listening to:

A lot of Christmas music, but needing a break from the schmaltz, I’ve discovered Over the Rhine and their Christmas album, Snow Angels. God, these guys are good.

November 14, 2017

What I’m watching:

Guiltily, I watch the Patriots play every weekend, often building my schedule and plans around seeing the game. Why the guilt? I don’t know how morally defensible is football anymore, as we now know the severe damage it does to the players. We can’t pretend it’s all okay anymore. Is this our version of late decadent Rome, watching mostly young Black men take a terrible toll on each other for our mere entertainment?

What I’m reading:

Recently finished J.G. Ballard’s 2000 novel Super-Cannes, a powerful depiction of a corporate-tech ex-pat community taken over by a kind of psychopathology, in which all social norms and responsibilities are surrendered to residents of the new world community. Kept thinking about Silicon Valley when reading it. Pretty dark, dystopian view of the modern world and centered around a mass killing, troublingly prescient.

What I’m listening to:

Was never really a Lorde fan, only knowing her catchy (and smarter than you might first guess) pop hit “Royals” from her debut album. But her new album, Melodrama, is terrific and it doesn’t feel quite right to call this “pop.” There is something way more substantial going on with Lorde and I can see why many critics put this album at the top of their Best in 2017 list. Count me in as a huge fan.

November 3, 2017

What I’m reading: Just finished Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, her breathtakingly good second novel. How is someone so young so wise? Her writing is near perfection and I read the book in two days, setting my alarm for 4:30AM so I could finish it before work.

What I’m watching: We just binge watched season two of Stranger Things and it was worth it just to watch Millie Bobbie Brown, the transcendent young actor who plays Eleven. The series is a delightful mash up of every great eighties horror genre you can imagine and while pretty dark, an absolute joy to watch.

What I’m listening to: I’m not a lover of country music (to say the least), but I love Chris Stapleton. His “The Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning” is heartbreakingly good and reminds me of the old school country that played in my house as a kid. He has a new album and I can’t wait, but his From A Room: Volume 1 is on repeat for now.

September 26, 2017

What I’m reading:

Just finished George Saunder’s Lincoln in the Bardo. It took me a while to accept its cadence and sheer weirdness, but loved it in the end. A painful meditation on loss and grief, and a genuinely beautiful exploration of the intersection of life and death, the difficulty of letting go of what was, good and bad, and what never came to be.

What I’m watching:

HBO’s The Deuce. Times Square and the beginning of the porn industry in the 1970s, the setting made me wonder if this was really something I’d want to see. But David Simon is the writer and I’d read a menu if he wrote it. It does not disappoint so far and there is nothing prurient about it.

What I’m listening to:

The National’s new album Sleep Well Beast. I love this band. The opening piano notes of the first song, “Nobody Else Will Be There,” seize me & I’m reminded that no one else in music today matches their arrangement & musicianship. I’m adding “Born to Beg,” “Slow Show,” “I Need My Girl,” and “Runaway” to my list of favorite love songs.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J from President's Corner https://ift.tt/2So2KXq via IFTTT

#President's Corner #SNHUblogs

0 notes