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kimarchive · 4 years

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“keep it moving” | lil’ kim by mtv news, 2003.

"I'm locked in a five-year contract with [Kim]," said Cease, who's signed as a solo artist to Queen Bee Records. Other than albums that Kim herself has recorded, Cease's poor-selling but critically acclaimed 1999 solo debut, The Wonderful World of Cease A Leo, is the only release to come from the Queen Bee Records imprint since it was founded in 1998.

-- by Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway, Jeff Cornell and Quddus Phillipe Kimberly Jones is dying to go Hollywood, but some people are hissing that she already has. She definitely isn't the same 'round-the-way girl the Notorious B.I.G. introduced us to in 1995. Little Ms. Jones has estranged herself from old ideals and friends from her 'hood that she once considered family. She's got a fresh attitude to go with her new set of Hollywood and high-society buddies and associates, people such as Hugh Hefner, Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, Don King, Donatella Versace and Victoria Gotti.

Kimberly doesn't even look the same — she switches hairstyles almost as often as she changes rhyme flows. Plus she's got a new surgically altered nose to go with her voluptuous, augmented breasts. "When I decided to finally do that is when I realized I was a sex symbol," she has said about her implants. "It's something that I felt would make me have more fun with my photo shoots and enhance my look a little bit." But going Hollywood for Kim really means just that: She wants to make movies. Her dreams have nothing to do with forgetting where she came from, or — as they might say in her native Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood — "acting brand new." Kim maintains she's the same Brooklyn girl at heart: feisty, focused and determined not to fail. Like Will Smith and, more recently, Queen Latifah, rap's Queen Bee wants to make it big in Tinsletown. Yeah, she's appeared in such flicks as "Juwanna Mann" (2002) and "Zoolander" (2001), but Kim knows she's capable of bigger roles and more explosive performances. "Being involved in different entities of the game is so much fun 'cause you don't just get stuck in one genre," she explained. "I like to be here and there. My personality and my character are versatile." But unlike the aforementioned rap legends, she still wants to keep the music industry buzzing about her material. "That's one thing I don't like," Kim said, referring to how some of her fellow MCs' music careers suffered as their movie careers took off. "Will [Smith] was doing it at one point. Regular rappers were trying to [sell] five million [albums] and he was doing seven million, with flicks out that were doing $50 million a week. That's the type of success I want to follow. I think what happens is that the rappers [who] have success in Hollywood kinda start ignoring their music. I don't think it matters to them anymore. I ain't gonna front, [if] you're getting $20 to 25 million a film ... even $10 million a film is enough to make you say, 'I don't have to do an album this year.' [But] I wouldn't do that." And that's no Hollywood talk, either. Kim not only has a movie called "Guns and Roses" due out this summer, she has a new LP, La Bella Mafia, in stores now. Named La Bella Mafia after a 1997 made-for-TV movie, "Bella Mafia," in which widows of mob figures take over the family business, this LP has been heralded as Kim's best work since her trailblazing 1996 solo debut, Hard Core. On Mafia, she runs away from the syrupy melodies and hooks that hampered 2000's Notorious K.I.M.'s "How Many Licks" and "I'm Human," which seemed to pander to radio and dancefloors. Kim's latest opus is a return to the streets, where she enlists such sound-shapers as the always-unpredictable Swizz Beatz, Scott Storch, who has co-produced some of Dr. Dre's classic jeep thumpers, and Mobb Deep's master of morose tracks, Havoc.

"She's a star, [and] people respect stars," said Havoc, who first worked with Kim on Mobb Deep's remix to "Quiet Storm." "She's smart, and most of the decisions she makes are good musically. She's among the top people in the game, and she's better than a lot of [guys]. You don't have a choice but to give her that respect." "I think she's on top of the game," concurred Queen Latifah, who recorded with Kim on the soundtrack for the Academy Award-winning film "Chicago." "I just bought her album the other day and I love it. I think it's [about] her growing up. She still ballsy, and she's still gonna pop junk to any other female rapper out there, but I like where she is right now. I like to see her in control of where she wants to go. I'm proud of her." And while Kim loves the praise she's received from her peers and fans, she feels things could still be a lot better. Although Mafia put her on pace to equal or surpass the numbers she posted with her biggest selling LP, the double platinum Hard Core (despite its lukewarm reception, Notorious K.I.M. still sold over a million copies as well), Kim wasn't pleased with La Bella Mafia's first-week sales of close to 167,000 copies. "A lot of people say 'Kim is up there,' " the Queen Bee lamented, "but I don't feel that I'm up there 'cause I haven't accomplished my goal yet, which is to sell 10 million records of one album. Imagine what people will say when I reach that point." One thing people do talk about is how long it takes Kim to churn out albums. There was a four-year gap between the first two records, and even with the widely heralded Trackmasters and the spirit of Mafia co-executive producer B.I.G. fueling this album's beats and rhymes, it took years to make as well.

"It's kind of hard because I like to take my time to make things perfect," Kim said, explaining why she always has such a long gap between projects. "I went into this album thinking, 'I'm just going to have fun with it.' I said, 'I'm going to do what I want to do. Let me do this the way I feel B.I.G would have wanted me to do this.' He's the one that taught me everything I know, and he tells me things still. That's why B.I.G is listed as the co-executive producer on my album. It's just me and him." What also slows down production is the fact that you just can't keep the black Erica Kane locked in the studio for too long. She's got her manicured hands dipped in far too many projects to be getting stuck in a sound booth all night. For one thing, she's got a new clothing line, Hollyhood, still in development, with a launch tentatively planned for the fall. A true fashion aficionado, Kim's wild outfits, trend-setting hairdos and modeling stints for Mac and Candies and have given her a strong presence in the fashion world. Hobnobbing with clothing kingpins with last names like Prada, Versace and Armani have only strengthened her cause. "When she did 'Guns and Roses,' she was on the mark," LisaRaye said of Kim's spin as Chastity, the vixen of the bunch. In addition to the movie, the two worked together on a song for the film's soundtrack. "We filmed that movie in 18 days, so you know how quick and steady the flow was," she continued. "She was actually excellent." "It was fun," Kim said with a grin. "It's like a female 'Young Guns.' Us five females, we're like sisters. When we all got together it was nothing but love. For the most part, we were all sisters on that set — we all had each other's back. I like to surround myself with good people — positive people committed to their work."

And make no mistake — if you're not committed to Kim, you can't be down. At her album release party a few weeks ago, celebrities such as Dave Chappelle, Mobb Deep, Jagged Edge and Wayne Wonder came out to one of Manhattan's newest hot spots, the Lobby, all ready to hail the Queen. Conspicuously absent were Kim's longtime running mates, Lil' Cease and the rest of the Junior M.A.F.I.A. Kim and the J.M., all friends and protégés of Biggie's, had been virtually inseparable since they were introduced back in 1995. The originally nine-member crew appeared on classic songs together, put out a gold album and performed at countless shows nationwide. When B.I.G. died, they leaned on each other during their collective time of mourning, and his memory was the glue that held them all together. And the bond was deep. When Kim went solo, she looked out for her boys as their careers stagnated. If they needed money, she hit them off. If one of her guys got in trouble with the law, as Larceny and Cease were known to do on a few occasions, Kim, the perennial mother figure, always bailed them out. At one point, the clique was so close that they all lived together in Kim's New Jersey mansion. But since then, the group's relationship has soured, and the Queen Bee has had to literally clean house. "Well, you have to move on and you have to grow," Kim said, visibly holding back venom and opting to give a more politically correct answer as to why she no longer associates with Cease and Co. "You can't be taken advantage of for too long, and it's a case where unfortunately, [the relationship] just went bad. In the same sense, I hope they do well and [that] they can find God in their hearts." On La Bella Mafia's "Heavenly Father," however, Kim's a little less restrained. She raps, "And was it enough that I split 20 percent of what I make?/ Was it enough that I cut n----s half of what I bake?"

Lil' Cease is just as angry with Kim these days as she is with him. His biggest beef with her is not that she cut him off — it's that she won't let him go. He's so miffed at his onetime homegirl that he's started a "Free Cease A Leo" T-shirt campaign.

"She's putting all this stuff out like she's not messing with me right now," Biggie's puffy-cheeked former best friend fumed. "I feel like if you [are] not messing with me, give me walking papers so I can do me. We had our differences [and] I thought we could patch them up, but honey is doing her thing. I'm not knocking her, but she still got me under paperwork. [I've] been trying to get in touch with her, [but] she's ducking me. I call the office, [but] she don't want to talk to me. I go to the office [and] I can't see her."

"There's a lot of truth to what Cease was saying," Kim retorted with a snarl before clamming up. "I don't really want to get into that. The only thing I'm concerned with is La Bella Mafia being in stores. The whole truth will come out later and I can't wait." Although Kim is being clandestine and won't say exactly when her and the Mafia started to fall out, she is more than willing to reveal when her relationship with her former manager, mentor, friend and Notorious K.I.M.'s executive producer P. Diddy went south. "I can honestly say that during the whole process of [making Notorious K.I.M.], Puff and I were like a brother and a sister arguing," said the 26-year-old. "One minute we'd be the best of friends, and then the next minute things weren't working out at all," Kim said. "Sometimes Puffy likes people to do whatever he says. I'm a creative person, an entertainer. I'm a boss lady. A lot of times when you [are] working with a boss man, you have to respect each other's opinion. I just wanted my respect and because I was young and female, I don't think he gave it to me fully." "I'm a hard coach from beginning to end," Diddy said unapologetically about his meticulous work ethic. "I'mma push an artist to [be] the best. Some artists feel [like], 'I've grown up, and I don't want you to push me this hard no more.' I can't really do that. I'm not crazy or anything, I just want to be the best. We gotta be the best every time." Kim said she was also hurt because when times got tough for her after Notorious K.I.M. received mixed reactions, Diddy abandoned her. "I loved Puffy with all my heart, [and] if you look back, I was the only one supporting him. [At the time we were making my album] I wasn't even signed to Bad Boy," she vented. "During those times I held his hands, like, 'I know these people hate you right now, but I'm with you, dawg.' Puffy can be very selfish. I had to let him go do him and I had to go do me. I needed people at that time that was going to support me 150 percent. I was only getting 50 percent. Unfortunately, I don't speak to him at all."

P. Diddy, who seems indifferent about the split, offers a simpler explanation: "I think it's [about] people outgrowing each other and people wanting different things." While Kim hasn't cut off all her old friends, she has been gravitating toward a new crowd on the road to becoming a better-rounded person. One of her biggest cheerleaders now is Victoria Gotti, a multimedia personality and the daughter of late mob boss John Gotti. The two met over a year ago at an event in New Jersey and have built a nurturing relationship. They've done their share of partying and have at least one big adventure in common: The line-slinging siren recently held her buddy to a long-standing promise to appear in one of her videos. In February, the pair braved the bitter cold to shoot the unreleased clip for Kim's song "I Came Back For You" in front of the Brooklyn Bridge. Gotti says she'd do anything for her homie. "It's weird because she's everything she is onstage and nothing like her [persona]," Gotti said, describing why such a diverse group of people show Kim love. "She is a chameleon. She can just rise to [any] occasion and fit whatever mood everybody's in. That's the one thing I adore about Kim, [and] that's the first thing that shines through. Forget her looks, forget her outrageous outfits — she's got personality that's second to none." And what Kim's hoping for is that soon, her success in all fields will be second to none. Even as her fan base broadens, she maintains that she'll never forget the gig that first put her on to all the other opportunities. In fact, she is as hungry as ever to stand out and rock the mic. "I don't ever worry about competition," she says confidently in regards to her fellow female rappers. "I do a totally different thing from all these females. Everybody feels that 'I have to be at the top.' We can all be at the top selling records. There is no 'I'm better.' I know I'm a Queen and I do what I do.' "

And what she is doing is everything.

#lil' kim #interview #mtv news #2003

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templeofgeek · 7 years

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Artist Caleb King, sat down with us and spoke about art, cons, books, and all things Geek!

When did you first realize you had a talent for art?

My father wanted to be an illustrator. Growing up, I would see him draw and paint tanks, and airplanes, and World War II vehicles. I thought it was awesome watching him draw an paint. Around 1993, I met with a friend who introduced me to comics for the first time. I had heard of characters like Batman and Superman, but had never read a comic. Suddenly, I wanted to draw like that. I wanted to make characters as cool as the ones I saw on the pages of these comics. Combine that with the wonder I felt watching my father paint in watercolors for a little project he had to do, and the spark was lit. I started sketching all the time. I rarely went anywhere without a sketchbook and pencils. I would copy panels out of comics, or trading cards I collected. I started devouring anything I could find that was in the comic book realm. Flash forward several years, and I had been touring with my band for a number of years, and we were beginning to wind down our touring schedule. We had been playing 200+ shows a year, and were burning out. But through all that time on the road, all those tours, I had been sketching, and drawing. I began making up stories and creating characters, and wanting to bring them to life. I decided to use the down time from touring to go study at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Four years later, I walked away with a BFA in Illustration, and began sketching the characters, and writing the story that would become Surreality, my first comic. So, long answer to a simple question. Ha! I guess I never really thought I had a talent for art, but I had a determination to make it happen. I work hard at my craft, and I desire to be better. I’m always chasing that elusive image in my head. Hopefully I never catch it.

When did you realize you could take you talent and turn it into a career?

I learned in school that we need to be driven to succeed at being an illustrator. We needed to go out in search of clients, as they were extremely unlikely to come to us, especially as new artists in a market like Chicago. I had mentioned my travels with my band. I spent the years between 1998-2005 on the road with them. It started slowly, with maybe 25 gigs in a year, and then blew up into a full blown 220+ days on the road for 3-4 years solid. It was nuts. We had a tour bus with beds, television, fridge, the works. We would drive to a gig, load in and set up, play, tear down, and drive to the next gig. We slept in the bus, and had hotels for the down days between gigs. It was awesome and terrible. I saw so much of the country in those years. Met a lot of cool people. I figured out who I was on the road. Part of the gig was hanging out at our merchandise table after the show to meet fans and sign autographs. I learned how to interact with people, how to talk to them. I learned how to be a real person, and still be a professional. I learned the ropes of making a merchandise display, and a bit of retail flair. When I graduated from the Academy, I took those same skills and applied them to my convention display. I had to learn the ropes of the convention circuit, but that was easy enough. Selling CDs and t-shirts at gigs was essentially the same thing as selling illustrations at a comic con.

Were you always into geeky things?

As far as I can remember, I’ve always had a love affair with Star Wars. I’ve never known a time when I didn’t love it. My father introduced me to all kinds of things growing up. Star Wars, Star Trek, George Romero’s movies, Mad Max. The list goes on and on. I’m grateful for those things.

Which Characters/Universe do you prefer painting the most?

I tend towards drawing Star Wars characters, and the Endless from The Sandman comic series, my all time favorite comic series, by the way. I can always find something new and exciting to draw from these sources. It usually sparks my creativity to work on something original.

You’re also working on a couple books, like Verse/Chorus and Cradle, which comes more naturally for you writing or painting?

I’ve always been a natural storyteller. I’ve been making up stories since I was a kid. In a way, it’s my first artistic language, though I have had no real training as a writer. I’ve read a lot, and I still read a lot, so I feel I’ve learned by absorbing the work of other storytellers. Hopefully it informs my writing on a subconscious level as well as in a tangible way. Drawing and painting is another natural language, but one that came from more work and focus. Music/Writing/Painting, they all seem to have chosen me.

illustrated by Nicolas R. Giacondino

Tell us more about Verse/Chorus and Cradle, where did it all start, where did the vision for each come from?

Verse/Chorus is a collaboration between myself, and my good friend Nicolas R. Giacondino. Nic and I met several years before while he was working on a creator owned project with fellow creator David Pauwels called Free Mars. David and I met at a comic con in Chicago, and he had asked me to do some work on Free Mars, though that never came to fruition. What did come of that, however, was a collaboration between Nic and myself that eventually led to him being the full time artist on Surreality, and the beginning of our first creator owned project, Verse/Chorus. Nic had posted an image he created on Facebook one night that was inspired by the Guns N’ Roses song “Estranged.” I loved the image, but also loved that he and I had a common musical interest. The chatted about bands for an hour or more, and Nic then made the comment that we should make a story about a rock band in that late 80’s, early 90’s period. Almost immediately, I came up with the concept of the book: A rock band that sells their soul to the devil for fame and fortune, only to lose it, and their lives, as fast as they got it. It is slated to come out in early 2018 from Source Point Press.

Cradle is a collaboration between myself and fellow creator Andrew Day. We both love outer space. We can talk stars, planets, black holes, and all manner of heavenly objects for hours. I had this concept that is based partly upon Fermi’s Paradox, which simply asks that if the universe is teeming with life, then why can’t we see evidence of it in space? Where are the colonies? Where are the structures? We could argue about the “evidence” of alien life, but that’s not the point. I like that question. I like that concept. I also had been reading about the concept of The Great Filter: a moment in the evolution of life/a species/a civilization whereby said life/species/civilization must pass through this filter and come out on the other side, or else perish. This filter can be many things, but it is a theoretical moment that all must pass through. The reason that we don’t see evidence of life in space, as one theory states, is that the have all failed to pass through this great filter. They all died out before they could become anything. Life failed the test. Cradle takes place in the far distant future, where humanity has colonized a majority of the Milky Way. They have long forgotten Earth, and out little part of the galaxy is empty. Cradle details the last days of mankind in a universe devoid of all other life forms, save humans. They only wish they could have seen it coming.

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illustrated by Nicolas R. Giacondino

You also have “Surreality” your on going web-comic, about a daydreaming slacker. Did the inspiration for Sydney come from someone you know?

Surreality is the most personal story I’ve ever told. It is based on life experiences, fears, situations, and hopes I’ve had. All of the characters are based on aspects of my personality. Each of them are true parts of myself. When telling a story, you have to selectively edit reality, and distill it into something meaningful. It needs to flow better than reality does. I a very real and tangible manner, Surreality is my life. It’s also your life, and the lives of the readers. That. To me, is the essence of telling a tale based in reality. Most of the time I am selling copies of Surreality to people who have never heard of it before, and they are taking a chance on it. Often, they come back to me, or email me later, and tell me how personal the story seems to them. They feel like I’m writing their life. That, to me, is the power of storytelling. The power of story.

You are on the road going to a lot of cons, what do you love about con life?

Con life is awesome. I love traveling and meeting new people, and fans. The road never truly leaves you. The community, the fellow artists, the crowd, this things are always good. I love it, even when it’s bad.

And what do you hate about it?

Con life is terrible. Con life is a lot of work. Booking shows, booking hotels, flights, managing expenses, renting cars, or arranging for transportation, etc. The actual exhibiting and selling your work is always a work in progress. I’m never truly satisfied with how my table is set up, so I’m always tweaking and re-working how I set it up. All of this distracts from, and often plays too big a role in, the development of my work. I am often basing what I’m creating around a con tour schedule, and that even dictated the content on some level. The two sides need each other, however. Without the pressure of having shows to have new work for, I might not be creating or working as hard as I am. It’s good to have pressure like that. I thrive on it, even when I dislike it.

Is there a con that you look forward to more than the others?

There are a few conventions I love attending. WonderCon in Anaheim, California is a personal favorite. The atmosphere, the crowd, the people, Disneyland (I’m a HUGE Disney nerd). It’s hard to beat. New York Comic Con, C2E2 in Chicago, and the New Orleans Comic Con, but I must confess, I go more for New Orleans than for the convention itself. Ha!

Are there any other projects you have lined up?

I’m currently finishing up some work on the Star Wars Masterwork trading card set for Topps, and continuing to work on Verse/Chorus, Surreality, and Cradle. It’s a lot of juggling, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Check out Caleb’s work and all updates here and Caleb’s Patreon.

Artist Spotlight: Caleb King Artist Caleb King, sat down with us and spoke about art, cons, books, and all things Geek!

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andrewrosswatson1987 · 6 years

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COMMENTARY: GUNS N’ ROSES SCORE ONLY 9/30 FOR BOTH USE YOUR ILLUSION ALBUMS. DISCUSS.

Guns N’ Roses released their multi-platinum albums, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, which came out today (September 17) in 1991, released via label, Geffen. The most dangerous band in the world had already put out their debut and rock classic, Appetite For Destruction (1987), being under significant pressure to follow up just as boldly. Internal band politics played a part, too. Booze and other, illegal substances took hold of all of the band, at least to some detriment. What’s more, the aborted attempts to record these albums with original drummer, Steve Adler, meant the band had to drop him in favour of Matt Sorum of The Cult. This, in turn, conspired with other events to dissatisfy original rhythm guitarist, Izzy Stradlin, to the point of leaving, too. Singles for these albums were “Don’t Cry”, “Live And Let Die”, “November Rain”, “You Could Be Mine”, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”, “Yesterdays”, “Civil War” and “Estranged”. I propose this double project’s far too bloated, and below I list the nine songs, out of a massive thirty, they should’ve used for a single project release. That’s sixteen on Use Your Illusion I and fourteen on Use Your Illusion II. First track selection, “Live And Let Die” is, of course, a Paul McCartney and Wings cover; third track into Use Your Illusion I. Though tastefully reimagined, it lends its more dramatic moments some much needed street cred. Slash’s lead lines can even afford to be beautiful in the more sedate moments, too. It’s a chugging powerhouse, and the fact it’s a cover says volumes about the band’s capabilities to reinterpret others’ work. Following track, “Don’t Cry”, the original version, is despondent. The bass opening the track’s particularly mournful, low end bass when needed and high register melody in the treble stakes when wanted. That solo, as the drums hammer in to cue it, is blistering and just wails with drama. “Baby, maybe, someday” ends the song melodramatically, one to believe in and not a work of fiction. Skip five tracks and you get “November Rain”. It’s an orchestral epic, and can’t be omitted from this proposed compilation. How it goes from this to full on rock opera is majestic, strident, proud and tragic. “Everybody needs some time on their own” an almost autobiographical line from the reclusive Rose. Slash’s solo is also magic midway, the sustain and passion of the notes something else. The guitar ascends beautifully, awash with emotion. The strings then suggest heightened drama. This comes and a false dawn approaches. Piano suggests intrigue before the guitar blatantly tells you for sure that resolution is out of the question. The drums are a powerhouse, for every beat of the drum there are smashing plates during a never ending domestic, somewhere in the world. Calming rain almost hails down in its volume. Then comes “Don’t Damn Me” after skipping two tracks. This is lively to say the least, a mere album track deserving far more plaudits than it generates. The guitar swaggers, the drum hitting emphatically along with it. “Sometimes I could give up/Sometimes I could give, sometimes I never give a f*ck” exemplifying this. “…and I’m the only witness to the nature of my crime” a wry wink to the listeners. The middle section then like a breakdown in tempo, like a swing of emotion by the most tempestuous of people. This is then ramped right back up, that exciting energy returning. Lead guitar as emotive as ever, wild and dangerous. Flying a car off a cliff. This then succeeded by brooding bass and drum, the former weaving and the latter calculated cacophony. “Aww, right. That sucked!” “Bad Apples” immediately follows and’s like a funk rock workout, particularly at the start, something you’d not really expect from Guns N’ Roses. Exactly why it’s another mere album track worthy of your attention. It just grooves and has that all important adjective you place upon any of their best work worth their collective salt, swaggering. The guitar is ever flying high, again, a tragedy in progress but one with the eloquence to tell you exactly why. “When the sh*t hits the fan/It was all I could stand, yeah, I’m a frequent flyer” details extracurricular activities beyond a beer and game of cards. Skip the last two tracks on the disc. Next is Use Your Illusion II epic and opener, “Civil War”. It begins with a monologue somehow explaining the misunderstandings prior to war. Rose whistles before launching into a diatribe against such conflicts. “My hands are tied” is triumph amidst what’s obviously nothing you’re glad to be right about. “When everybody’s fightin’ for the promised land” like Rose on a podium proclaiming populist platitudes, rousing people on both the left and the right. Use Your Illusion II certainly has its own “November Rain” in “Civil War”. A change beyond midway suggests intrigue, before giving way to the song proper almost immediately. Emphatic piano takes hold, hammering the keys as Slash goes wild with abandon. Things then slow right down, the last man on the battlefield falling to his knees. “Yesterdays” skips a track and booms with earnest bass drum and hopeful guitar, before ebullient bass chugs in. “Prayers in my pocket, no hand in destiny” somehow suggesting positive times, but maybe too carefree to see the unsure future only around the corner. Midway is another emotionally eloquent, though more sedate than usual, solo from Slash. Subdued piano, with only the slightest pep in step sees the track out. Next track, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”, is yet another cover on this proposed compilation. A good cover, too. This rendition of the Bob Dylan classic superbly dramatic and executed. Rose is taut, like trying to breathe during an ice cold shower. Coiled like a spring. Maybe Slash’s solo is his release through somebody else. The middle section an irate phone call before Axl’s adjoined with some heavy soul courtesy of powerfully endowed backing singers. Closing selection, which skips a shocking seven tracks, “You Could Be Mine”, is everything intoxicating about the band. Dangerous, swaggering and those rolling drums. Emphatic, unrelenting before that badass bass and wail of guitar. Self-destructing but a joy to listen to before the whole thing implodes. The middle section builds before giving way to the solo and lines like, “…this nightmare never ends”. Is this indicative of experiencing implosion over and over, again? Impassioned Slash and Rose see the track out. Again, skip the last two tracks on the disc. This selection proves Guns N’ Roses could’ve at least condensed the two projects to a one disc album. I propose that this could actually be done in less than ten tracks. Yes, there are sizeable omissions from my proposed and reimagined single release of Use Your Illusion, but I feel none of them are glaring. What I will say in their defence are those many years that were sandwiched between two very different eras of the band. Only nine tracks? Press would’ve hounded them as cheats. However, these nine tracks would’ve earned Guns N’ Roses even larger legendary status. The press would’ve come round, in retrospect. “Don’t Damn Me” and “Civil War” are epics in two very different respects, genre speaking. “You Could Be Mine” unveiling a sleek, polished band. “Live And Let Die” and “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” both expert covers. Guns N’ Roses’ Use Your Illusion albums can be bought on iTunes, here and here.

#Guns N' Roses #Use Your Illusion I #Use Your Illusion II #Axl Rose #Slash #Duff McKagan #Steve Adler #Izzy Stradlin #Matt Sorum #Use Your Illusion

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cloudburstay · 7 years

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About Me - Tagged

Tagged by @widzzicles 😄 Really thank you to tag me and sorry for the very very late answer, my laptop was kind of ill xd

What’s Your Age?

I gonna be 18 years old in this February (finally legal in my country lol)

What’s Your Current Job?

Mmm, i’m a unemployer, or if you want to say it in another words, i’m a college student who can’t get a job cause the age.

What Are You Talented At?

I don’t know... maybe at doing everything wrong or being a pro fangirl 😂😂 I really don’t know but i enjoying some sports and music.

What Is A Big Goal You’re Working Towards?

Mmm, maybe study hard and finish with honors my college career. And a lot of more things, but it’s difficult to write everything xd

What’s Your Aesthetic?

I don’t have any standars. To be honest, I like the things after the feeling that make me feel. I know it sounds a little weird but if I like something, I just like it. Without a reason or with a reason.

Do You Collect Anything?

Not really, does it counts music albums? I have some of my favorite artists.

What’s A Topic You Always Talk About?

The weather 😂😂 And music always.

What’s Your Pet Peeve?

I'm a easily irritate person, so there are a lot of things.

Good Advice To Give?

Whatever the situation you have to affront, just always follow your heart. Without oppression, without regrets.

What Are Three Songs You’d Recommend?

Estranged by Guns N’ Roses --- If you’re feeling down this is the song

Whalien 52 by BTS --- Just one of my favorites of all the time

Good Girls by 5sos --- Because the mess :p

And finish!! Thank you again 😋

#about me #tagged #thanks widzz for always tag me!#sorry for the late answer

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mrmichaelchadler · 5 years

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Seymour Cassel: 1935-2019

Seymour Cassel, the character actor who became one of the great faces of the American independent film movement, passed away on April 7 at the age of 84 from complications stemming from Alzheimer’s disease. During a career that stretched over seven decades, racked up more than 200 screen and television appearances and earned him an Oscar nomination, he became a favorite of several generations of filmmakers and audiences alike. Although Cassel turned up more often in supporting roles than in leads, he always made the most of the screen time he was given. And when he did turn up, viewers who might not have known his actual name would instantly recognize his distinct look and sound. He was one of those increasingly rare performers whose mere presence in a film meant that things were almost certainly going to be interesting, so long as he was on the screen.

Born in Detroit on January 22, 1935, Cassel traveled with his mother, a burlesque dancer, and began performing vaudeville at the age of three. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Navy and when he got out, he made his way to New York to further pursue a career in acting, studying at the American Theatre Wing and being tutored by the likes of Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg. In the mid-1950s, Cassel answered an ad seeking people to participate in a recently started acting workshop and that is where he met the group’s leader, John Cassavetes. This began an extended collaboration that would span several decades, encompass seven films, and lay the ground floor for what eventually became American independent film. In fact, Cassel made his screen debut in Cassavetes’ first film as a director, “Shadows” (1958), in which in not only played a small role but also served as an associate producer and camera operator for that micro-budgeted drama about the relationships of three African-American siblings, two brothers trying to make it as jazz musicians and their lighter-skinned sister who goes through a trio of romantic relationships. After this film, which would go on to win the Critics Award at the Venice Film Festival in 1960 and become considered a landmark work of independent cinema, Cassel and Cassavetes collaborated on “Too Late Blues” (1962), “Faces” 1968), “Minnie and Moskowitz” (1971), “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie” (1976), “Opening Night” (1978) and “Love Streams” (1984).

Seymour Cassel in "Faces"

In “Faces,” the film that earned Cassel an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, he plays a hippie who ends up picking up an upper-middle-class woman (Lynn Carlin) who is stuck in a terrible marriage; Cassel makes a rich and painfully relatable character out of a part that could have easily been reduced to a collection of cliches. “Minnie and Moskowitz” was a comedy/drama in which he plays a parking attendant—one armed with one of the great mustaches in screen history—who tries to win over a romantically disillusioned museum curator (Rowlands) and if the resulting film is generally not ranked as one of Cassavetes’ best, it is one of his most instantly engaging thanks to the wonderful byplay between its two leads. In “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie,” Cassel plays a mob-connected club owner who sets up a compulsive gambler (Ben Gazzara) to commit the seemingly innocuous titular crime that turns out to be far more complicated than it seems. Cassel would then play himself in a brief appearance in “Opening Night” and work with Cassavetes one last time as Rowlands’s estranged husband in the director’s last (and perhaps best) major work, “Love Streams.” In these roles, Cassel ran the gamut from comedy to romance to drama to tragedy, and if he ever hit a false note at some point, I do not recall it.

When he wasn’t working with Cassavetes, Cassel worked steadily both in film and on television. There were brief appearances in such films as “Murder, Inc.” (1960), “The Nutty Professor” (1963), “The Killers” (1964), “Coogan’s Bluff" (1968), “The Last Tycoon” (1976) and “Valentino” (1977). He got a rare lead role in the future cult film “Death Game” (1977), in which he plays a married businessman, left home alone on his birthday, who invites in a couple of sexy young women (Colleen Camp and Sondra Locke) who turn up on his doorstep for a bit of fun, before things quickly and crazily turn into something more sinister. Cassel also appeared as the Governor in Sam Peckinpah’s bizarre trucker comedy “Convoy” (1978), one of the salesmen in Barry Levinson’s wonderful comedy “Tin Men” (1987) and as sidekick Sam Catchem in Warren Beatty’s glorious screen adaptation of “Dick Tracy” (1990). On television, he could be seen in episodes of such shows as “Wagon Train,” “Combat,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Batman,” “Emergency” and “Tales from the Darkside.”

Seymour Cassel and Steve Buscemi in "In the Soup"

Although Cassel would have more than qualified for a place in the character actor pantheon based solely on his work with Cassavetes, his career got an unexpected and entirely welcome second wind when a new crop of filmmakers who had admired those performances began utilizing him in their own projects. In Alexander Rockwell’s “In the Soup,” he plays a somewhat shady guy who offers to fund the seemingly unfilmable passion project screenplay of a struggling filmmaker (Steve Buscemi) and ends up getting him involved in a number of increasingly bizarre schemes. Cassel’s performance was one of his very best, allowing the character's humor to shine through without making him seem like just an implausible goofball—the turn would earn him a Special Jury Prize at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival (where the film itself won the Grand Jury Prize) as well as the Silver Hugo from the Chicago International Film Festival. From this point on, Cassel would work steadily for the remainder of his career, appearing in such films as “Honeymoon in Vegas” (1992), “Indecent Proposal” (1993), “It Could Happen to You” (1994), “Dead Presidents” (1995), “Trees Lounge” (1996), “The Crew” (2000), “Stuck on You” (2003) and “Postal” (2007).

Of the work in this later period of his career, his most significant collaboration would be with Wes Anderson, who cast him in three movies, “Rushmore” (1998), “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001) and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” (2004). Of the three, the most significant was in “Rushmore” (pictured at top), which resulted in one of the very best performances of his entire career. As the simple barber father of an ambitious son—who, embarrassed by what his dad really does for a living, claims that he is really a brain surgeon—Cassel isn’t on the screen that much, but he makes every moment count with a performance that perfectly captures the spirit of Anderson’s alternately genial and melancholy work. When his son acts embarrassed by him, he puts on a brave face but you can see the heartbreak in his eyes. Later on, when he is introduced to Herman Blume (Bill Murray), the depressed millionaire whom his son has tried to make into a sort of father figure, it's one of those scenes in which everything is pitched so perfectly, thanks in no small part to Cassel and Murray's performances as their characters size each other up, that it's impossible to think of the film without it.

Both a character actor and a character himself, Cassel had the kind of life and career that stretched so far and touched so many people in unexpected ways (did you know that he apparently gave Slash from Guns 'n Roses his nickname?) that if you tried to turn it all into a movie, it would seem almost too implausible to believe. With his sly smile and courtly charm, both of which could turn in an instant when required, he made good movies great and iffy ones watchable. Cassel was a genuine original, and while it's sad to think that there will be no more performances from him, at least the considerable body of work he has left behind will continue to entertain and astonish viewers for years to come.

from All Content http://bit.ly/2I91gzk

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