#Neil: Hey Smith! Can you hear me?

[jtl-fics]

Fluent Freshman - Part 17

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1. You do not talk about the Speakeasy in the basement 2. You DO NOT TALK about the Speakeasy in the basement

Those are two of the three cardinal rules of Eden’s Twilight both as a VIP customer and as an employee. The rest are more suggestions or requests that are fairly malleable depending on the night and the patron.

Andrew himself had broken the latter half of ‘Don’t be a dick or try anything with your dick on the club premises’ multiple times with Roland and then he’d broken it even further and with more vigor with Neil.

Roland had tried to bill them for the furniture in the break room and Andrew had been more than happy to use some of the blackmail he’d been holding onto to make it go away despite Neil’s repeated attempts to try and pay for it. “It’s my fault Andrew, I asked you to lay me there.” And “Allison didn’t warn me that it could stain fabric, she said it transferred really easily onto skin.” Had been waved away as Roland was happy to have those particular bits of blackmail out of play.

That being said Roland had come in despite the clear ‘occupied’ signs on the door and interrupted some of Andrew’s finest work a few weeks ago (His from? Excellent. His pacing? Excellent. His angle? Excellent. The noises Neil had been making? Perfection.)

Roland still couldn’t look at Neil without his eyes wandering where they shouldn’t so Andrew had a guest pass for the speakeasy waiting for him at the bar to make up for that wandering eye.

Which meant that he could take FF down to the speakeasy tonight. He was sure that FF would pass muster and be able to come without a pass after the night, he was just the kind of guy that they liked to have down there.

It would all be so simple if it weren’t for the third cardinal rule of Eden’s Twilight.

3. Nicky Hemmick is not allowed to know about the Speakeasy.

When Nicky had worked at Eden’s he’d been popular but he’d also talked about all sorts of secrets. He spilled tea like Aaron had spilled drinks.

So the club had done what it had to do in order to protect the incredibly select and private feature of their club:

They lied about what was down there and then they committed to that lie.

So the day came and Nicky was looking at the door with a guard next to it, “Where does that go?” He asked.

“It’s an exclusive club for straight swingers to meet and swap.” The lie rolls off of Roland’s tongue like the truth.

Nicky made a disgusted face. “Straight people.” He said shaking his head and then Roland swiftly made some purchases to sell his lie and offered the guard Frank an additional $5 an hour if he was willing to change his uniform.

Nicky Hemmick has never gone near the door since then and it is considered a success for the record books by all of the staff and VIPs in the know.

Which is why Andrew had needed a plan to pry Nicky off of FF for the night.

Nicky and FF had spent the entire time at Sweeties elbowing one another and laughing (well Nicky laughed and FF tolerated all of Nicky’s jokes and implications stoically), Nicky had been sticking with FF like he was one of the various flecks of glitter that stuck to FF after the freshman had slept in Nicky’s bed.

Before he’d gotten FF dressed up Nicky had made a solemn oath, “You and me Smithy, we’ll dance the night away!” Nicky had exclaimed.

“I’m good thanks.” FF said, “You know what will happen if I dance.” He says and Nicky grimaces as if remembering something painful. He wonders if FF just isn’t a good dancer or if the consequences of someone bumping into him were as painful as they were when someone bumped into Andrew on the dance floor.

“Well, then you and me will just have to spend the entire night chatting in the booth Smithy!” Nicky had smiled as if he wasn’t fucking up Andrew’s plans to take FF down to the speakeasy where they could sit without the headache inducing music that Nicky, Aaron, and even Kevin (he claims Stockholm syndrome) claim to love.

So, Andrew had needed to find a way to get Nicky to a state where he would be compelled to dance and leave FF alone for the night.

There are exactly three sure-fire ways to get Nicky Hemmick to become a slave to the dance floor.

1. You have to play his favorite music and Andrew doesn’t know if there’s enough blackmail in the world to get Roland to force a DJ to play nothing but Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass, Gasoline by Daddy Yankee, or Usher’s DJ’s Got Us Fallin’ In Love (his three current obsessions) on a loop for the entire night. (Bust)

2. You are Erik Klose and you want to dance. This option was unlikely due to Erik currently (as far as Andrew knew) being in Germany. (Bust)

3. Nicky has taken some party drugs. (Feasible)

So, Andrew may have been the one that had reminded both his brother and Nicky about Cracker Dust on their way to the car. Neil shoots him a look he ignores because Andrew hasn’t really pushed or mentioned Cracker Dust in almost a year.

It was something that they had all gotten off of for various reasons the year prior.

Neil had never started, Andrew had his deal with Neil, Kevin wanted to cut back on the substances he was abusing and he was not going to be giving up alcohol anytime soon, Aaron had needed a squeaky clean image for the trial, and Nicky had given it up in solidarity.

Aaron had been bemoaning that he had forgotten to get any the last four times they had gone to Eden’s so, really, Andrew was just being a thoughtful brother when he’d reminded his cousin.

So when they park the Maserati and head into the club it is no shock that after the first round of drinks (Neil & FF both had bottled waters) Nicky whips out the sandwich baggy he had gotten from FF and hands Aaron his share.

In a turn of good luck a bass heavy remix of Flo Rida’s Club Can’t Handle Me started playing and the only thing Nicky did was squeal, kiss FF’s cheek, and drag Aaron out onto the dance floor.

And then there were three.

***

FF had NOT been able to figure out where the hell the bathrooms were.

It might be due to the fact that his stomach is trying to stage a revolt against him but he’s pretty sure he’s forgotten how to read English. There are no other languages around  for him to see if this illiteracy has spread to other languages.

He wonders it he brought out his katakana flashcards if the lines would blur or if his brain would be so filled with the unrelenting desire to go to the bathroom that his Professor would wonder how he ever got full marks on his midterm.

Maybe clubs didn’t have signs that pointed to the bathroom? Was he supposed to go up and ask that bartender that Andrew kept going to? Was it like a gas station where he had to ask for keys?

Oh god Captain Neil just asked him something.

When the hell did Nicky lea-

Oh Dj’s Got Us Falling In Love is playing. Nicky is definitely on the dance floor. FF has yet to escape Nicky grinding on him whenever this song happens to come on the radio he is sure that someone right now out on the dance floor is suffering the same fate that he has 3-4 times a week.

He wonders if Nicky will call Erik like he usually does when it comes on outside of the club.

At least it’s super hard to hear in this club if Nicky takes a seat next to him and starts gushing to Erik in German.

Oh god Captain Neil just asked him something and he just remembered that this would be the second time Captain Neil has asked him something.

If there was one weakness in FF’s foreign language arsenal it is that he has a hard time processing language when surrounded by loud sounds. If he knows what language they’re talking in he can sometimes get by on reading lips (does that count as another language? Probably not) but Captain Neil speaks like four languages fluently and his Spanish is getting better and better every-

Oh god Captain Neil and Andrew just asked him something and he still hasn’t answered the other two times.

“I can’t hear you!” He calls out and hopes they can at least understand HIM.

Andrew rolls his eyes and bumps Captain Neil’s shoulder with his own. He sees Andrew whisper something to Captain Neil before pointing somewhere in the distance.

OH

They had noticed his obvious plight and were going to show him to the bathroom!

That was nice.

Maybe Nicky had asked them before his songs came on.

Andrew and Captain Neil are out of the booth and Andrew juts his chin off in a certain direction. FF does NOT need to be told twice, he’s more than happy to follow Andrew to the bathroom like some pre-schooler following their mom. These are desperate times.

So Andrew and Captain Neil guide him across the dance floor and…sure enough Nicky is grinding on some other guy who looks like he’s in heaven and he thinks he can see Aaron’s pale arms flying uncoordinatedly all over the place somewhere in the middle distance.

FF finds himself with Captain Neil and Andrew in a hallway. There’s a guard in front of the door with a bizarre pineapple shirt (why are they all upside down?) on but FF hadn’t even dressed himself tonight so he really shouldn’t judge.

“Minyard, Josten, and one guest.” He can hear Andrew say now that they’re away from the loud thrum of the music.

How fancy is this bathroom?

The man looks at Andrew, Captain Neil, and then FF. There is a visible head-to-toe inspection when he hits FF and whatever the man sees must past muster.

“Acceptable. You know the rules.”

Rules?

Wash your hands?

Don’t piss on the floor?

Let staff know if the urinal is low on ice?

FF hoped the rules would be posted in easy to understand pictures because his ability to read the English language was still heavily hampered at the moment.

Why is the handle to the door an upside pineapple too? Did someone install it wrong? Also Eden’s does not give off a very tropical vibe so why would they pick that?

The door opens and-

Oh.

Those are stairs.

Oh.

Andrew’s taking him to the basement.

MASTERPOST FOR ALL PARTS OF FLUENT FRESHMAN AU

NEXT

Per Your Requests:

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#Fluent Freshman AU #Neil at the booth: Hey Smith how you doing? #FF staring through time and space: .... #Neil to Andrew in Russian: I don't think he's having a lot of fun up here #Andrew to Neil: He said it isn't really his scene #Neil turning back to FF: Hey Smith do you wanna go somewhere quieter? #FF briefly stares at Neil before his gaze returns to the far off future: ..... #Andrew: I don't think he can hear you #Neil: Hey Smith! Can you hear me? #FF looking at them again: I Can't Hear You! #Andrew: Told you. #AFTG #AFTG OC #AFTG AU #My Fics #FF - Pt.17

[berlinini]

24 Mar 2023

Singer-songwriter says ‘the old days are gone’ amid wider consternation at ticketing company’s pricing policies

Neil Young has lambasted Ticketmaster over its concert ticketing policies, saying “concert tours are no longer fun” due to what he sees as exploitative pricing.

Young wrote on his website: "It’s over. The old days are gone. I get letters blaming me for $3,000 tickets for a benefit I am doing. That money does not go to me or the benefit. Artists have to worry about ripped off fans blaming them for Ticketmaster add-ons and scalpers. Concert tours are no longer fun. Concert tours not what they were."

He also shared a news article about the Cure, the band who have also been highly critical of Ticketmaster.

Frontman Robert Smith told fans he was as “sickened as you all are” over Ticketmaster’s fees for the Cure’s forthcoming US tour – the band had deliberately kept ticket prices low, but in some cases the fees levied by Ticketmaster exceeded the price of a concert ticket.

After questioning Ticketmaster over the fees, the band announced that the company “have agreed with us that many of the fees being charged are unduly high”. Ticketmaster offered a $10 or $5 refund on tickets, depending on the original price.

The Cure also criticised Ticketmaster over its “dynamic pricing” policy, introduced in the UK in 2022 and used by artists such as Harry Styles and Coldplay, which inflates the price of remaining tickets for in-demand concerts. The Cure opted out of dynamic pricing, calling it “a greedy scam – and all artists have the choice not to participate … if no artists participated, it would cease to exist”.

Bruce Springsteen was criticised for using dynamic pricing last year. He responded: “Ticket buying has gotten very confusing, not just for the fans but for the artists also … I tell my guys: go out and see what everybody else is doing. Let’s charge a little less. That’s generally the directions … This time I told them, hey, we’re 73 years old … I want to do what everybody else is doing, my peers.” He added: “I know it was unpopular with some fans, but if there’s any complaints on the way out, you can have your money back.”

Ticketmaster was criticised by US Senate members of both parties at a hearing in January, with Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar calling the company “a definition of monopoly” after its merger with concert promoter Live Nation in 2010. Louisiana senator John Kennedy characterised the company’s sale of tickets for Taylor Swift’s current Eras tour as “a debacle”: technical glitches and an extensive “presale” period meant that it was impossible for many fans to even have the option of buying tickets.

(...)

#ticketmaster #neil young #the cure #dynamic pricing #ticketing

[lov3nerdstuff]

Hi Kay!

I just wanted to take a moment and say how deeply moving (and overall comforting) I find your writing to be! I've gone through almost the entirety of your masterlist twice in the past month alone and have found myself returning more often to the pieces of literature/poems your reference sometimes. (Especially that one poem by Benedict Smith! I've read a few more by him because of you and they're just wonderfully lovely 💛 so I'm eternally thankful to you for including it.)

I may be wrong in assuming, but I believe you may have studied/are currently studying a degree involving literature. I hope this isn't too foreward of me but I was wandering if you have any other works of literature that you'd recommend? (I'd love to read anything you recommend from poems to plays 💛) I'm slightly embaressed to say but the works I've read are quite limited to a highschool level and since I'm currently studying Pharmacy, there are very few people who can recommend me such moving works. :)

I also feel like I should apologise for writing such a large ask, so please accept this apology as well hehe 💕🥺

Sincerely,

Bek 🌻

Hey there Bek 💚💕✨

First of all... I'm incredibly sorry for how long it took me to reply to this ask, I know you sent it weeks ago and I'm honestly just ashamed of myself for only replying now! I've been taking a bit of a Tumblr break again, or rather a break from literally everything, and I guess not having written anything in a while made me feel guilty whenever I opened Tumblr, so... All I can say for myself really is that I'm sorry you had to wait so long! Again, I never ever ignore anyone, I promise! It just sometimes takes a while for me to reply 😅🙈

Now, I'm so happy to hear that you've been enjoying my writing! 🥺🥰 Hearing that it's comforting and inspiring to you is honestly such a relief and indeed does make me happy more than I can say 💚 It's so cool that you're checking up on all the references I make aaahhh 🥺🥺🥺 I love it 😁 You're always more than welcome, love! I don't think I could stop including references to literature, culture, history and the science around it even if I tried 😅☺️

And yeah, I did study classics and newer literature as a minor for my undergrad degree 😄 But tbh I still work with literally a lot even now (I'm in grad school for media and cultural studies) even though it's technically not something I've been properly taught ☺️ I'm just a nerd who likes to learn on her own, and with media and culture you can pretty much delve into almost anything you want 😂😅🤷🏻‍��️

Now, it's not forward at all to ask me for literature recommendations! 😁😃 I truly love recommending stuff!!! I have a few up my sleeve, even though you've probably heard of a few already, for obvious reasons: A lot of what I truly enjoyed reading was something Tom Hiddleston has worked on in one way or another! It's truly a magnificent guideline for picking new literature... Just look up the literary origins of his films/shows/plays and you will be in for quality literature most of the time! I don't think I've ever mentioned it on here, but me reading High-Rise (JG Ballard) because I heard Tom would be partaking in the film adaptation was actually what sparked my love and passion for literature!!! Yep, it's that good. Now on to the recommendations though 😁(This... got rather long):

Plays

Anything by Harold Pinter really, but for obvious reasons you'll find a lot of additionally fun stuff for Betrayal, which is lovely and truly funny if you're in on the kind of humour btw

Medea by Euripides (a classic, but I love it nonetheless... You can find translations in almost every language) ((and pls stay away from Seneca's Medea, because ugh... Euripides is far better AND the og story, as much as anyone can say that for Greek mythology)

La Bohème by Puccini (I know, this is technically an opera, but if you read the libretto it's honestly just like a play... And if you're up for it, the og story is in prose and written by Henri Murger... It's better than the opera, but oftentimes more difficult to find) ((this one is hilarious and basically explains an entire cultural subgroup in the 19th century)

Faust by Goethe (many people hate it, but I LOVE this one!!! It's also been translated into any and every language, and it's so interesting philosophically!!! It's also referenced SO freaking often literally everywhere, and the operas and ballets based on it are always my fave) ((there's technically Faust I and Faust II, but you're good to go just reading the first one)

Anything by Shakespeare, obviously... Though I do love me my Hamlet like every other literature enthusiast (Yes, I can do that one famous soliloquy in act 3 scene 1 by heart as well...)

Poetry

Again, anything Shakespeare for the win, but I LOVE the sonnets and keep a copy of them with me most of the time (Yes, I own multiple copies of the sonnets...) ((My faves are 116 and 91, but there's always so much truth to be found in there!!!))

A lot of the stuff William Blake wrote is amazing, though you have to pick carefully with him if certain religious motives aren't your thing... I love The Tyger, which is an individual poem, and the collection of works called Tyger, Tyger which does have many good ones and a few ones that are a little more on the mediocre side

Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas (I know this one by heart as well... It's beautiful, and there's a version of Hiddleston reading it on YouTube, which gives you even more goosebumps than the poem does anyway)

Invictus by William Ernest Henley (same for this one, also read by the one and only) ((I love to read this when I'm feeling down or powerless))

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot (This is another wow piece with many quotable lines and truths... I love it a lot and keep coming back to it! It's also a great example of how literary modernism tried to condense the complexity and passing of time and history into a single frame that had to be intrinsically poetical in nature... As in, this poem could've been a short story in any other period, but modernists loved to make everything a poem so here you go)

Der Zauberlehrling by Goethe (This one sucks in all English translations I’ve found, poetically speaking, but in German it’s such a fun piece! If you’ve ever seen the Disney ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ with Mickey Mouse or listened to the orchestral piece by Paul Dukas, then this poem proves very useful in truly understanding either! But again, the English translation should only be taken for informational value... The German one is also worded hilariously)

Prose

Short edited by Alan Ziegler (This is a collection of short prose forms that honestly is a must for me... I love this book to pieces and have had it for years now! It’s an international anthology, so you’ll find more and less famous authors from all around the world represented with short stories, prose poems, short essays and just curious and interesting snippets of writing! I draw a lot of inspiration from this book)

High-Rise by JG Ballard (As mentioned above, I owe this book part of my personality... I don’t think I would be the same person without having read it. It’s not necessarily full of wisdom, but if you’re interested in a different kind of portrayal of the human condition, then this is the read you need to take a look at)

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers (This is another piece that changed my perception of literature, even though this is a more ordinary and ‘fun’-value read... It’s one of my favourite books and it’s endlessly entertaining! So if the classics are a bit heavy for you, this one is perfect for casual readers as well! Its value really does lie more in the realisation of how fun literature can be, and the freedom you have as an author... So really, I could recommend everything by Moers, his style is amazing both in the German original and in the English translation. Yes, I’ve read both.)

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (This is comedic gold, stylistic gold and generally a bloody perfect book. Also a ‘fun’-value read, but it also does a magnificent job at showing you what you can do with literature, and how well-developed characters are supposed to be written)

The Penguin Book of the Undead (Penguin Classics) edited by Scott G. Bruce (This book is basically an education on fifteen hundred years of supernatural encounters and how culture wrote, used and perceived them. You get introductory texts for different periods and social groups, explaining how and why ghost stories were written and used, followed by passages of the prime source texts (eg. ancient necromancy shown on The Odyssey). Really, this book is just for cultural history nerds)

The Earthquake in Chile by Kleist (This isn’t necessarily one of my faves, but it has helped me understand what studying literature and culture can do for you. In case anyone remembers my insistence in Wicked Game that you gotta know what a pomegranate symbolises... this novella is such an instance where this knowledge would prove useful. Generally, it gives many opportunities to think about privilege and circumstance)

The Symposium by Plato (You’ll probably not want to read the entire collection of speeches tbh... But the concepts introduced mainly here and in some of Plato’s other work are well worth looking into! For example, the ‘double being’ introduces a concept that in modern fiction is called soulmates... Just sayin’)

#literature #lit rec #recommendation #literature recommendation

[esperwatchesfilms]

Dead Poets Society (1989)

John Keating: O Captain, my Captain. Who knows where that comes from? Anybody? Not a clue? It's from a poem by Walt Whitman about Mr. Abraham Lincoln. Now, in this class you can either call me Mr. Keating or, if you're slightly more daring, O Captain, my Captain.

John Keating: I was the intellectual equivalent of a 98-pound weakling. I would go to the beach and people would kick copies of Byron in my face.

The above gif is misquoting a bit here. It annoys me, so I’m providing the proper quote:

John Keating: Because we are food for worms, lads. Because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold, and die.

[after hearing "The Introduction to Poetry"] John Keating: Excrement! That's what I think of Mr. J. Evans Pritchard. We're not laying pipe! We're talking about poetry. How can you describe poetry like American Bandstand? "I like Byron, I give him a 42 but I can't dance to it!"

John Keating: This is a battle, a war, and the casualties could be your hearts and souls.

John Keating: We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering; these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life.

John Keating: Beauty. Romance. Love. These are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring, Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish ... What good amid these, O me, O life? Answer. That you are here -- that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

McAllister: "Show me the heart unfettered by foolish dreams and I'll show you a happy man." John Keating: "But only in their dreams can men be truly free. 'Twas always thus, and always thus will be." McAllister: Tennyson? John Keating: No. Keating.

John Keating: Language was developed for one endeavor, and that is... Mr. Anderson? Come on, are you a man or an amoeba? [Todd stays silent] John Keating: Mr. Perry? Neil Perry: To communicate. John Keating: No! To woo women!

Todd Anderson: YAWP! John Keating:  There it is! You see, you have a barbarian in you after all! Now, you don’t get away that easy. There’s a picture of Uncle Walt up there. What does he remind you of? Don’t think, answer. Go on. Todd Anderson:  A m-m-m-madman. John Keating: What kind of madman? Don’t think about it! Just answer again. Todd Anderson: A cr-crazy madman. John Keating: No, you can do better than that. Free up your mind. Use your imagination! Say the first thing that pops into your head, even if it’s total gibberish. Go on, go on! Todd Anderson:  A-a-a sweaty-toothed madman. John Keating: Good God, boy, there’s a poet in you after all! There. Close your eyes. Close your eyes! Close 'em! Now, describe what you see.

Todd Anderson: Uh, I-I close my eyes. John Keating: Yes. Todd Anderson: Uh, and this image floats beside me. John Keating: A sweaty-toothed madman. Todd Anderson: A sweaty-toothed madman with a stare that pounds my brain. John Keating: Oh, that's excellent! Now, give him action; make him do something! Todd Anderson: H-His hands reach out and choke me. John Keating: That's it! Wonderful, wonderful! Todd Anderson: And all the time he's mumbling. John Keating: What's he mumbling? Todd Anderson: Mumbling truth. John Keating: Yeah, yes. Todd Anderson: Truth like-like a blanket that always leaves your feet cold. John Keating: [some of the class start to laugh; Todd opens his eyes, Keating blocks them to get him to close them again] Forget them! Forget them! Stay with the blanket. Tell me about that blanket! Todd Anderson: Y-Y-You push it, stretch it, it'll never be enough. You kick at it, beat it, it'll never cover any of us. From the moment we enter crying t-to the moment we leave dying, it'll just cover your face as you wail and cry and scream. [Todd opens his eyes, there’s a long pause, then the class applauds] John Keating: Don't you forget this.

John Keating:  Even though others may think them odd or unpopular; even though the herd may go, [imitating a goat] John Keating: "That's ba-a-a-a-ad." Robert Frost said, "Two roads diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

Neil Perry: [finds Todd sitting alone on the roof] Hey! Todd Anderson: Hey. Neil Perry: What's going on? Todd Anderson: Nothin'. Today's my birthday. Neil Perry: Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Todd Anderson: Thanks. Neil Perry: What'd you get? Todd Anderson: [indicating the desk set lying beside him] My parents gave me this. Neil Perry: Isn't this the same desk set... Todd Anderson: Yeah. Yeah, they gave me the same thing as last year. Neil Perry: Oh. Todd Anderson: Oh. Neil Perry: [laughing] Maybe they thought you needed another one. Todd Anderson: [laughing] Maybe they weren't thinking about anything at all. The funny thing about this is, I-I didn't even like it the first time. Neil Perry: Todd, I think you're underestimating the value of this desk set. [picks it up] Neil Perry: I mean, who would want a football or a baseball or... Todd Anderson: Or a car. Neil Perry: Or a car, if they could have a desk set as wonderful as this one? I mean, if-if I were ever going to buy a desk set twice -- [both boys chuckle] Neil Perry: -- I would probably buy this one. Both times! In fact, its shape is... it's rather aerodynamic, isn't it? [walks to the edge of the roof] Neil Perry: You can feel it. This desk set wants to fly! [hands it to Todd] Neil Perry: Todd? The world's first unmanned flying desk set. [Todd throws it off the roof, giving a yell (or a yawp!) - papers fly everywhere and things crash and clatter to the ground while the boys laugh] Neil Perry: Oh my! Well, I wouldn't worry. You'll get another one next year.

Charlie Dalton: [answering disconnected phone] Welton Academy, hello. Yes, he is. Just a moment. Mr. Nolan, it's for you. It's God. 

John Keating: There's a time for daring and there's a time for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for.

John Keating: Phone call from God. If it had been collect, that would have been daring.

The above is also not what is said in the film. “Tell me what you feel!” is the actual line.

*didn’t put us *up* to anything - these gifs misquoting are killing me.

ESE: 120/100

50 +5 for young Ethan Hawke +10 for Robin Williams +4 for the alternative four pillars: Travesty. Horror. Decadence. Excrement. +5 for Kurtwood Smith -10 for Neil’s father, Mr. Perry +5 for Keating walking straight out of the classroom on day 1 +5 for Carpe Diem +5 for Keating instructing the boys to rip the shitty introduction to poetry out of the book +2 for Keating’s whistling -5 for Cameron being a little wussy boy +2 for “rude squeak” +2 for sneaking out to read poetry +10 for the centerfold with poem written on the back +10 for the Congo creeping through the black, cutting through the forest with the golden track -10 for calling Todd out in front of the class +5 for the bed chase that finally gets Todd involved +5 for Neil getting the part of Puck in Midsummer Night’s Dream -10 for students like Hopkins +15 for Keating helping Todd to find his voice +5 for saxophone -10 for the same desk set -5 for bringing the two girls to the DPS meeting -5 for kissing the forehead of a girl you barely know while she’s asleep -10 for the over-reaction of Chet -10 for corporal punishment +10 for “Nuwanda” not breaking -10 for Neil’s super-unreasonable father +15 for Keating’s advice to Neil -5 for Knox’s persistence -5 for Neil lying to Keating about talking to his father +10 for Neil’s performance as Puck +5 for the amount of praise Neil receives for his performance +10 for Keating’s concern -10 for suicide aftermath -15 for Cameron being a fucking fink +20 for Nuwanda (Charlie) punching Cameron in his stupid face -10 for the school using Keating as a scapegoat +20 for Todd’s show of appreciation and those who joined in solidarity on their desks +10 for Hopkins joining and standing on his desk, too

#Dead Poets Society #80s movies #80s films #Robin Williams #Ethan Hawke #Robert Sean Leonard #Kurtwood Smith #Melora Walters #Josh Charles #Gale Hansen #Dylan Kussman #Allelon Ruggiero #James Waterston #Norman Lloyd #comedy #drama #tragedy #english major #poetry #films #movies #world record #review

[whats-rambled-rambled]

Stuck in reverse - playlist

You can find it on Spotify here. 

Okay, let’s talk about it! 

Sam Smith – Fix you

I remember crying to the original song (by Coldplay) back in 2005. Whoo boy, lots of teenage feelings!

I’m not the biggest fan of Sam Smith’s music, but one day I was just driving home from work and this song began playing on the radio and by the end of it I could barely see the road.

// When you try your best, but you don’t succeed When you get what you want, but not what you need When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep Stuck in reverse And the tears come streaming down your face When you lose something you can’t replace When you love someone, but it goes to waste Could it be worse? //

That one line – stuck in reverse – felt just so perfect for a story set in the universe where people invert themselves back and forth.

It became one of the three main songs that inspired me to write the whole damn thing, and also the only title in the story that is not a title of a song as well.

Chapter 1: Ben Platt – Ease my mind 

This is one of the songs I have on my daily playlist, I just love it, and the lyrics are so fitting:

//Most days I wake up with a pit in my chest There are thoughts that I can’t put to rest There’s a worry that I can’t place

Most nights, I am restless and quiet won’t come So I lay there and wait for the sun There’s a trouble that won’t show its face

You came out of nowhere and you cut through all the noise I make sense to the madness when I listen to your voice//

We learn more about the nightmares in the next chapters, but it all starts here. That melancholic vibe stuck with me for the rest of the story I guess.

Bonus song: Lewis Capaldi - Before you go

The combat scene in one song, or at least what I imagined was going through Reader’s mind at that point.

//I fell by the wayside like everyone else I hate you, I hate you, I hate you but I was just kidding myself Our every moment, I start to replace ‘Cause now that they’re gone, all I hear are the words that I needed to say When you hurt under the surface Like troubled water running cold Well, time can heal but this won’t//

Have you ever felt that way? Trying to hide your broken heart under anger? I don’t know, it just resonated deeply.

The second part of the song kinda seeped into the next chapter:

//Was there something I could’ve said To make your heart beat better? If only I’d have known you had a storm to weather

//Would we be better off by now If I’d have let my walls come down? Maybe, I guess we’ll never know//

Chapter 2: Kaleo - I can’t go on without you

Another song from my daily playlists (side note – I saw Kaleo once live on a music festival and they were mind-blowing, you should really check out more of their work).

It worked with the story because of its desperate and painful mood.

Bonus: Calum Scott - Dancing on my own

Holy shit, I FELT this one. (Been there, done that). Of course I had to write it into Reader’s past. Actually, I wrote it first and then found the song, but it doesn’t matter, that’s the flashback scene right here:

//Somebody said you got a new friend Does she love you better than I can? And there’s a big black sky over my town I know where you’re at, I bet she’s around And yeah, I know it’s stupid But I just gotta see it for myself I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her, I’m right over here, why can’t you see me? And I’m giving it my all //

Chapter 3: Billie Eilish – Bad guy

No feels, pure bop. This song is so BADASS, I really needed to get that vibe into the undercover mission, I didn’t want Reader to be an emotional mess and nothing else, you know?

Bonus: Tones and I – Dance Monkey

I shit you not, I’ve had that one on repeat for the dance scene. There is something incredibly seductive in that beat, I just couldn’t get it out of my head.

Bonus: Kings of Leon – Closer

It just makes my heart clench and leaves me breathless.

Chapter 4: Ben Platt – Bad habit

Ah, that was the moment when I cursed at myself for using Ease my mind for chapter 1, but we already talked about it.

Even though this song is very emotional, it’s not that heartbreaking, you can hear a faint smile here and there and it just makes my heart sing.

And oh my god, those lyrics:

//You always said that I’d come back to you again ‘Cause everybody needs a friend, it’s true Someone to quiet the voices in my head Make ‘em sing to me instead, it’s you Hate to say that I love you Hate to say that I need you Hate to say that I want you But I do Bad habit, I know But I’m needin’ you right now Can you help me out? Can I lean on you? Been one of those days Sun don’t wanna come out Can you help me out? Can I lean on you?//

They just work with that plot, you know?

Bonus: Dodie – Sick of losing soulmates

Another song that just resonates with the story.

//What a strange being you are, God knows where I would be If you hadn’t found me, sitting all alone in the dark A dumb screenshot of youth Watch how a cold broken teen Will desperately lean on a superglued human of proof

What the hell would I be, without you (what the hell would I be) Brave face talk so lightly, hide the truth (hide the truth)

'Cause I’m sick of losing soulmates, so where do we begin I can finally see, you’re as fucked up as me So how do we win?//

Chapter 5: Adele – Someone like you

The whole damn sunset scene + this song on repeat = feels

The pain in her voice? God, it just reduces me to a puddle of tears.

Reader could just sing it at some point to Neil almost word for word.

Bonus: Passenger – Let her go

Okay, the case of that one is quite funny, because I kinda needed to figure out how to get from point A to point B of the chapter, and I was browsing Spotify looking for „campfire songs” or something like that. Of course I’ve heard this one before, but I’ve never actually focused on the lyrics.

And oh boy, suddenly it all became clear.

Headcanon time – in my head, Wheeler and Neil are close friends, she treats him a bit like a younger brother, I just can imagine they know each other very well at that point. Of course she knows hows about his past. Of course she heard about Reader. And she thinks they are both silly babies and they should just kiss, right? That’s why she chooses that song.

Those lyrics – they fit Neil’s backstory so damn well.

//Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go//

And he was stupid enough to let her go. Because his timing was off.

Those lyrics are also perfect to make Reader think about his ex-girlfriend, because of course that is what you’re gonna it’s all about.

Bonus: Del Amitri – Tell her this

Ahh, there it is – the second out of three main songs for Stuck in Reverse.

I remember the moment I found out that Rob Pattinson sings and writes music, then I listened to some of the songs and my heart went whoooosh. So I just had to make Neil play a guitar, I just needed to find out what song would be The One.

Do you remember that flashback about them both watching a tv show on his couch? Here, you’re welcome. 

I recently started rewatching Scrubs and when I got to that episode – ding, ding, ding!

This is the ultimate “hey, I fucked up, I shouldn’t have let you go, I’m an idiot and I love you.”

Chapter 6: Imagine Dragons – Next to me

I adore that song. It warms my heart. I think it fits Neil and Reader’s relationship.

And I needed all the fluffy feelings to switch the tone of the story to something lighter.

Bonus: Michelle Branch – Everywhere

This one is a silly bop, and it always puts me in a good mood. A nice song to listen to when you are happy, in love, and you are making breakfast.

Bonus: Ashlee Simpson – Pieces of me

This one (same as the one before) came to me from Zach Braff’s workout playlist, haha. I mean I almost forgot about it, but it makes me smile every time I hear it, and the lyrics work nicely:

//On a Monday I am waiting Tuesday I am fading And By Wednesday I can’t sleep Then the phone rings I hear you And the darkness is a clear view Cause you’ve come to rescue me

Fall, with you I fall so fast I can hardly catch my breath I hope it lasts

It seems like I can finally Rest my head on something real I like the way that feels It’s as if you know me better Than I ever knew myself I love how you can tell All the pieces, pieces, pieces of me//

Bonus: Kaleo – I want more

Is there such a thing as a warm melancholy? Because that is a vibe I get from that song.

//Turn back, leave all you had Forgive, I’ll forget 'Cause what we need is what we once had Time won’t stand still Just say you will 'Cause I need you there and now

If you leap, I’ll come falling too Running deep 'til that rivers through I don’t mind what you have to do 'Cause I won’t think less, less of you

Yes, I want more, more Looking for more I want more, more 'Cause I want more

Old grounds Feels like the weight has been lifted away So don’t you leave me there wanting more//

Chapter 7: Ben Platt – In case you don’t live forever

I mean it’s not my fault that Ben’s songs make me FEEL things, damn it.

The whole damn song = utter heartbreak when you think about Neil coming back to Reader before he goes back to Stalsk-12 to open that damn lock.

//I, I’ve carried this song in my mind Listen, it’s echoing in me But I haven’t helped you to hear it We, we’ve only got so much time I’m pretty sure it would kill me If you didn’t know the pieces of me are pieces of you

I’ve waited way too long to say Everything you mean to me

In case you don’t live forever, let me tell you now I love you more than you’ll ever wrap your head around In case you don’t live forever, let me tell you the truth I’m everything that I am because of you//

Bonus: Charlene Soraia – Wherever you will go

Why am I doing this to you? Because we all like pain.

This one is for the scene on the deck:

//So lately, been wondering Who will be there to take my place When I’m gone you’ll need love to light the shadows on your face If a great wave shall fall and fall upon us all Then between the sand and stone, could you make it on your own

If I could, then I would I’ll go wherever you will go Way up high or down low, I’ll go wherever you will go

And maybe, I’ll find out A way to make it back someday To watch you, to guide you through the darkest of your days If a great wave shall fall and fall upon us all Then I hope there’s someone out there who can bring me back to you//

Bonus: Rhys Lewis – No right to love you

No light, only pain and suffering.

//'Cause I have no right to love you When I chose to walk away I have no right to miss you When I didn’t wanna stay And I have no right to need you And I knew what my heart was gonna lose I have no right to love you But I do, I still do Yeah, I still do//

Bonus: Knox Brown x Gallant – Reignite

This song is just so incredible, it makes my palms sweat and my mind going places. Yep, it was on repeat.

Oh you know which scene this one is for.

Bonus: Freya Ridings – Lost without you

The last dialogue. On repeat. Because this song breaks my heart and leaves me a sobbing mess.

//Strangers rushin’ past Just tryna get home But you were the only Safehaven that I’ve known Hits me at full speed Feel like I can’t breathe And nobody knows This pain inside me My world is crumbling I should never Let you go I think I’m lost without you//

(OI, SPOILERS) 

Chapter 8: Florence + The Machine – Never let me go

I have only one thing to say:

Fuck you, Nolan.

Third out of three.

//And it’s over and I’m going under

But I’m not giving up I’m just giving in

Oh, slipping underneath So cold and so sweet

In the arms of the ocean, so sweet and so cold And all this devotion, well, I never knew at all And the questions I have for a sinner released In the arms of the ocean deliver me

(Never let me go, never let me go Never let me go, never let me go)//

Bonus: Sasha Sloan - Dancing with your ghost

Suffer with me.

//Yelling at the sky Screaming at the world Baby, why’d you go away? I’m still your girl Holding on too tight Head up in the clouds Heaven only knows Where you are now

How do I love How do I love again? How do I trust How do I trust again?

I stay up all night Tell myself I’m alright Baby, you’re just harder to see than most I put the record on Wait 'til I hear our song Every night I’m dancing with your ghost Every night I’m dancing with your ghost//

#stuck in reverse playlist #stuck in reverse #bts stuck in reverse #im gonna make yall suffer with me

[stillwinterair]

Hey Nick! What is your favorite Star Wars book? I'm looking to read a lot more star wars novels this year and I think you'd be the expert

I unfortunately haven't read nearly as many Star Wars books as I'd like, mostly because several times through my life I've been like "I'm finally gonna read some Star Wars books!!" and whatever I pick up is somewhere between terrible and mediocre.

That said, I've read a few good ones!

A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller remains my favorite SW book for now, mostly because it's just tonally everything I want out of Star Wars. It's also a prequel to the Rebels animated series, and covers how two of the show's main characters, Hera and Kanan, first met. It's good, campy fun with a really well-realized setting and a great cast of characters.

Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston is a sequel to The Clone Wars that covers bits of Ahsoka's life shortly after the rise of the Empire, and it's good fun if you love Ahsoka! Some parts of it are now technically no longer canon, as it alludes to things that happened during the Siege of Mandalore that didn't actually happen once that arc finally came out, but mostly the book is about Ahsoka continuing to help people wherever and however she can and sending a new friend into a gay panic.

Bloodline by Claudia Gray is a fantastic political thriller turned adventure about an older Leia Organa, struggling to hold the New Republic together. This is some of the best character work any of the original trilogy cast has gotten in new canon works, and really highlights her internal relationship with the two father figures in her life, long after their passing -- Bail Organa, and Darth Vader. It explores these really meaningfully, I think, and the political climate of the New Republic by this point in the timeline is very... let's call it familiar.

Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson. Hear me out. This book fucking rules. It's goddamn weird, and it's very Mad Max, and it works so well. This is one of those books that really shows how good the sequel era might have been if they had taken actual risks with it; most of this book takes place on the post-apocalyptic, tribal world Captain Phasma came from, and while it feels a lot like Mad Max, it also feels like the early seasons of LOST, too? It's wild. This is one of the hardest Star Wars books to recommend because Captain Phasma the character is like the epitome of sequel trilogy schlock, clearly engineered to sell toys and look cool and to make Disney look inclusive or whatever, only to be killed off twice as lamely as possible, but trust me, this is genuinely good content.

From a Certain Point of View is an ongoing 40th anniversary project, releasing short story collections that retell the original trilogy movies over the course of 40 short stories per movie, all from different perspectives. There are two out now, one for A New Hope and another for The Empire Strikes Back, but I've only read the first one. It was good! It fell apart a little bit in the last half, as the first half was a really fun collection of weird and wild tales from all over the galaxy (and especially Tatooine), but the latter half is so heavily focused on the Death Star and the battle around Yavin that it's just, like, exhausting, man. The same story structure plays out a few times too many. However there IS a short story that implies Grand Moff Tarkin is having an ongoing erotic affair with the young man whose armor Luke steals when he arrives on the Death Star, and that whole short story is told from the point of view of a mouse droid, so that one fucking rules.

The last one I'll suggest is one I'm not even done with yet; The Lando Calrissian Adventures by L. Neil Smith, a trilogy published in 1983. I'm halfway through the first book now, and I would have probably finished it in one sitting if not for my having ADHD and dyslexia, but it is SO... good might not be the right word, because it's mostly 1980s dime novel sci-fi schlock, but the writing is punchy and the dialogue is a hoot and it's SO cheesy in all the right ways. The main villain in this trilogy is an honest to god evil space wizard. Not a Jedi, or a Sith, or anything recognizably Force-y, he's just like, a sorcerer in space, for some reason. And he out-cons Lando in the first book to go find an ancient artifact left behind by an ancient civilization, the fucking Mindharp of Sharu, a name which pretty clearly spells out the tone of the book. I can't, like... I cannot properly express just how much dumb fun this book is. The prologue is set around a sabacc table, where dim light filters down through thick wisps of cigar smoke; it's all flash and pomp, swindling and daring escapes, crooked cops and capers, and like, also an evil sorcerer is there. This first book in the trilogy, Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu, might be the best Star Wars book ever written. (And yes, they all have titles as ridiculous as that.) I might completely change my mind by the end, and I'll definitely finish it over the next couple of days and have an opinion by then, but so far this book rules and I'm excited to get to the rest of the trilogy.

Now, I've read a lot more Star Wars than this, but most of it's, like... bad. Or if not bad, then mediocre. A modern favorite, Dark Disciple, a sequel to The Clone Wars, is straight up dogshit. Meanwhile a true classic, Heir to the Empire, is... fine, at best.

The true best of Star Wars books is always gonna be shit that doesn't take itself too seriously, and isn't afraid to get at least a little bit weird.

Anything more than this... you're gonna need to find yourself an actual expert on the topic lmao

[brokenbuttonsmusic]

Eleni Mandell: L.A. Singer-Songwriter with Smoky Chrissie Hynde Vocals and a flair for Tom Waits’ Influenced Experimentation

This post is a near- transcript of the Broken Buttons: Buried Treasure Music podcast (episode 5, side A). Here you’ll find the narration from the segment featuring the L.A. singer-songwriter, Eleni Mandell, along with links, videos, photos and references for the episode.

Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple, Anchor or Mixcloud.

Have you ever bought the wrong record? Like, you intended to buy something that sounded like one thing and you accidentally grab something that sounds very different. 

I don’t know if this happens anymore, but I believe it was quite common years ago. Imagine hearing an artist on the radio and being blown away. You go to the record store, find the plastic divider with the name of whom you’re looking for, but you can’t remember the name of the album, or even the song. Remember, you don’t have a tiny computer in your pocket. You’re too nervous to ask the store clerk for fear of looking stupid. So you roll the dice. 

“I know it was someone called Neil Young, but there are a thousand Neil Young records here.”

“Hey, this pink one looks cool.”

That exact scenario didn’t happen to me, but that album, Neil Young’s Everybody’s Rockin’, happened to be the most played Neil Young album in my house growing up, so for years I thought Neil Young was a rockabilly revival act. In reality, that was one of several oddball records Young released during a tumultuous period with his record label to fulfill his contract demands. I still love that record. 

Eleni Mandell did live out the scenario of buying the wrong record though. She shared the story during a segment of the show Bullseye with Jessie Thorn, where she describes seeing Tom Waits on MTV late at night—back when MTV still cared about music. It was either 120 minutes or IRS’ The Cutting Edge. This would have been around 1984 or 1985, so right around the time of Wait’s masterpiece Rain Dogs. When she went to the record store though, she picked up the 1976 Tom Waits’ Asylum release, Small Change instead. Now Small Change is still a great Tom Waits album, but it sounds nothing like the drastically reimagined sound and musical approach he had begun to employ starting with 1983’s Swordfishtrombones. Something Tom Waits called his “junkyard orchestral deviation.” The spare, off-kilter percussion. Moaning trombones and muted trumpets. Marimba. Plenty of marimba. Experimental instruments mixed in everywhere. Megaphones and CB radios. Trash can lids. 

This is the sound Eleni was looking for. 

Instead she got lush strings. Delicate piano. Cinematic swells and a melancholy wail. 

She got this.

Still awesome, but not the same. She credits the experience with changing her life. She grew to love both sides of the Tom Waits coin. The jazzy piano man in the smoky, whiskey-drenched nightclub and the eclectic, experimental carnival barker that she had her first encounter with on late night MTV. 

You can hear that deep appreciation and influence for the full Tom Waits spectrum injected and swirling through Eleni Mandell’s own spectacular catalog that spans more than 20 years now. 

She’s got plenty of experimental Waits, especially in her early catalog. 

And quite a bit of the jazzy nightclub vibe.

There’s also plenty of folk-y Eleni mixed in, and even some country.

You’ll notice that Eleni’s voice doesn’t sound like Tom Waits though. Did you notice that? It’s less of a deep, gravelly howl and more of rich Chrissie Hynde croon. Spin compared her to Chrissie Hynde and PJ Harvey. Rolling Stone compared her captivating melodies and witty lyricism to early Elvis Costello. 

While she doesn’t have the Tom Waits’ wail, she does specialize in his particular brand of character song-study. Like this first song we’re going to hear. The first track off of Eleni Mandell’s second album Thrill. Released in the year 2000. This is Pauline. 

Pauline, from Eleni Mandell’s second record, Thrill. So how did this remarkably unique singer-songwriter get her start and pull together so many interesting influences to create the sound we just heard.

Eleni grew up in the Sherman Oaks region of the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles. She started playing music when she was just 5, beginning with the violin and then piano. Eleni didn’t love playing either, but continued to take lessons until she was thirteen. She remembers wanting to learn to write songs early on, but didn’t have the first idea of how to approach it, especially on violin. She jumped from violin and piano to guitar as a teenager. Her parents exposed her to a variety of musical styles. Her mom would take her to musicals and her dad, a serious record collector, played her Hoagy Carmichael and plenty of jazz standards. She loved the Beatles and remembers Diana Ross making an early impression. 

Another early life changing moment came when she discovered the Los Angeles punk band X.

X were huge in LA, and their first album (called Los Angeles) was the first record Eleni ever owned. Or maybe the first she asked to own. The first record she was ever given was Shaun Cassidy’s greatest hits for her 4th birthday. The first she ever purchased with her own money was X’s third release, Under the Big Black Sun. She tells a story of when she was out record shopping at a place called Aron’s Records, located on Melrose, and to her utter befuddlement came face to face with John Doe, lead singer of X. He was shopping for records too. She quickly snapped up a copy of the band’s third album and asked John to sign it. He did. She still has the signed album, which reads “Yours” complete with a big X “-John Doe.” That was the last autograph she ever asked for. It was not, however, the last time her path would cross with that of the band X. 

When she was a little bit older, she met Chuck E. Weiss, songwriter, rock n’ roller, beat poet and peculiar Tom Waits associate. Also the subject of the song, Chuck E.’s in Love.

Yes, that Chuck E. Weiss. Waits was in a relationship with Rickie Lee Jones. Waits, Jones and Weiss all lived at the seedy Tropicana Motel in Los Angeles. One day Weiss up and left out of nowhere. Some time later Chuck E. called the apartment where Jones and Waits were living. He explained to Waits that he had moved to Denver because he had fallen in love with a cousin there. Waits hung up the phone and announced to Jones, “Check E.’s in love. Rickie Lee Jones liked that so much that she it turned it into the song we just heard. 

Who is this episode about again? Oh, right. Eleni Mandell. Anyway, Eleni Mandell met THAT Chuck E. Weiss when she was not yet 21. Still, she had a friend who was able to get her into The Central, a Sunset Strip club that would later become The Viper Room. This would’ve been around 1990. Weiss was playing there every Monday. 

Here’s how the write up on Eleni’s original website describes her first encounter with Weiss.

“The first time she ever saw Chuck E. Weiss perform, he walked right up to her and smiled like a cross between The Cheshire Cat and an escaped mental patient. She met him a month later at Musso and Frank’s.”

Eleni says she was at the famous Hollywood restaurant and recognized Weiss. She worked up the courage to approach him and told him how much she loved his show. He asked if she wanted to accompany him to meet up with a friend at Canter’s Deli. She agreed. When they settled into one of the landmark eaterys iconic red, vinyl booths in walked her hero. Tom Waits. What a night. Tom asked Chuck how he and Eleni had met. 

“Hebrew school,” he declared. 

Here’s a tune from Eleni’s debut album, Wishbone, released in 1999. This is Sylvia. 

From Eleni Mandell’s first album, Wishbone, that was Sylvia. 

Under Chuck E. Weiss’ mentorship, produced by Jon Brion and self-financed by Mandell, Wishbone, as well as her next several records, received strong reviews and drew comparisons to Waits and PJ Harvey in style. 

Before Weiss mentored Mandell, he hired her as a door person at his club. She said he would test her to see how tough a door person she was by trying to grab money out of her hand. Weiss would continue to mentor Eleni over the years and they’re still friends to this day. 

For her fourth album, Mandell shook things up by diving into traditional country. A mix of covers and originals, 2003’s Country For True Lovers is an exciting update to her sound. And one of her life changing moments came full circle. Weiss introduced her to former X guitarist Tony Gilkyson, who produced the project. She also stacked the sessions with all star players, including Nels Cline from Wilco, and another X hero, drummer D.J. Bonebreak. 

Eleni continued to mix and mesh genres on her next release, 2004’s Afternoon. 

From the No Depression review of that album:

“Last years Country For True Lovers found Los Angeles chanteuse Eleni Mandell turning her sights on twang rather than her previous more PJ Harvey-oriented material, and she received plenty of critical acclaim in the process, sharing the LA Weekly 2003 songwriter of the year award with the late Elliot Smith.”

“On Afternoon, her fifth album, Mandell combines her love of various genres, including country, pop, jazz and rock, to stunning effect. Produced by Joshua Grange, who also lends his considerable talents on guitar, pedal steel, Hammond organ and piano, Afternoon mostly takes the slow and sexy approach. I’ve Been Fooled and Can’t You See Im Soulful give Mandell the chance to show off her breathy but passionate alto, which can devastate in a heartbeat.”

“Mandell does rock out from time to time, as on Easy On Your Way Out, which has a grungy Elvis Costello-gets-on-with-Liz Phair feel to it. I wanna be your afternoon/I want you coming back for more, Mandell sings on the sorta fun/sorta sad title song.”

She can also write catchy singles. Like this song from Afternoon, “Let’s Drive Away.”

That was Let’s Drive Away from Eleni Mandell’s fifth album, Afternoon, released in 2004. That song was also featured on the TV show, Weeds.

And here comes the challenging part of covering an artist like Eleni Mandell, who’s put out consistently solid albums for over two decades. There’s not enough time to feature all the good stuff she’s produced, but trust me, over her eleven albums, she always delivers. From the diverse shifting sounds of Artificial Fire [play clip] to the smooth and breezy Dark Lights Up [play clip], Eleni whirls a magical combination of jazz, folk, pop, country and rock, with just enough experimental twists to keep everything fresh. 

She’s also branched out from her solo artist gig to release two albums with her band The Grabs. The Grabs allows her to exercise more of her pop side and features Eleni on vocals, Blondie bassist Nigel Harrison, and Silversun Pickups’ drummer Elvira Gonzalez. 

And, she’s also released records with the Andrews Sisters inspired supergroup, The Living Sisters, with Inara George, Alex Lilly and Becky Stark.

I’d recommend checking out all of this. 

So now that we’ve established that the Eleni Mandell road is paved with the goods, let’s skip ahead to focus on her most recent album: 2019’s Wake Up Again.

Here’s what Eleni and her website have to say about the latest release: 

“For two years or thereabouts,” Mandell says, “I taught songwriting at two colleges and a women’s prison.”

The prison gig came about via Jail Guitar Doors, the organization founded by Wayne Kramer, guitarist of the vaunted Detroit band MC5, in partnership with English musician Billy Bragg. “I don’t know why exactly I was drawn to that work,” Mandell says. “But I had a family member who had been in prison in the 1940s. He wasn’t around when I was growing up, but that sort of fascinated me and I was always curious about what kind of person disappears and what kind of person commits crimes — what are they thinking?”

Working with the inmates also provided many epiphanies for her as a person, and proved fertile for her as an artist, as captured in the 11 songs on this album, her 11th studio release. In many ways it’s the culmination and fulfillment of all the strengths as a writer and performer going back to her start under the tutelage of Chuck E. Weiss, Tom Waits and other top chroniclers of people in the shadows.

“I really enjoyed it,” she says. “I was inspired by the stories, and surprised by the laughter I heard there. And I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was, by how many different kinds of people were there: teachers, lawyers, nurses, and also people who grew up in poverty.”

Here’s a song about one of the woman she met during those songwriting classes she taught. This is Evelyn.

Evelyn from Eleni Mandell’s most recent album, Wake Up Again. Another great addition to her expansive, impressive catalog. The album is filled with rich character studies and deeply personal self-examinations.

Her early Tom Waits inspiration continues to ignite and propel her, even after 11 albums. Only now she can call Tom a longtime friend. 

And she went from obsessive punk rock X fan to counting a member of X as a member of her own band. What a cool, thrilling ride she’s had so far. Eleni Mandell. 

References and other stuff:

Eleni interview with Luxury Wagers

Eleni interview with Mr. Bonzai

Eleni interview with Tyler Pollard on Timeline

The bio from Eleni’s current website has a great write up on her most recent album and I quote from it in the episode.

No Depression review of Afternoon that I quote in the episode

Here is the original bio from Eleni’s old website that is now archived. I also quote from this

Eleni has been featured on NPR segments over the years. I did not use anything directly from these, but they are good and informative

Pop Matter review of Dark Lights Up

Good L.A. Times article about Eleni teaching songwriting to female inmates and her latest album

#Broken Buttons #music podcast #music history #Eleni Mandell #indie #folk #country #punk #X #Tom Waits #Chuck E. Weiss #Chrissie Hynde #Pretenders #Living Sisters #The Grabs #P.J. Harvey #experimental #vinyl #podcast #podcaster #podcast community #now playing #now spinning #music blog

[jungleindierock]

Jungle Indie Rock - Time Machine - Vol.2

Well here is volume two of the Time Machine Playlist, 100 mixed tracks from any genre, any year!! You will maybe hear something new on here and then investigate the artists back catalogue!! Even now i am still discoving bands / artists from the past, that i have missed, or maybe is my taste in music is changing, whatever the reason, just play this, share it but most of all enjoy it !!

Tracklist

Dick Dale And His Del-Tones - Misirlou

Pennywise - Bro Hymn

Bob Dylan - Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot

The Yardbirds - Heart Full Of Soul

Wall Of Voodoo - Mexican Radio

Editors - Munich

David Bowie - Modern Love

Interpol - If You Really Love Nothing

New Order - Age Of Consent

Vampire Weekend - A-Punk

Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun

The Rakes -1989

Garbage - Stupid Girl

Kings Of Leon - Molly's Chambers

Arthur Brown - Fire

Roxy Music - Love Is The Drug

Eddie And The Hot Rods - Do Anything You Wanna Do

The Animals - We Gotta Get Out Of This Place

Bob Marley And The Wailers - Jamming

Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over

Morrissey - The First Of The Gang To Die

Helmet - Unsung

Neil Young And Crazyhorse - My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)

Electric Light Orchestra - Livin' Thing

The Temptaions - Papa Was A Rolling Stone

Ram Jam - Black Betty

Ssimon And Garfunkel - The Boxer

Nena - 99 Luftballons

Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me

Whitesnake - Here I Go Again

Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lighnin'

Johnny Kidd And The Pirates - Please Don't Touch

The Mock Turltes - Can You Dig It?

The Racontuers - Steady As She Goes

The Holloways - Generator

Ladyhawke - My Delirium

Marc Cohen - Walking In Memphis

Ini Kamoze - Here Comes The Hotstepper

Joan Osborne - One Of Us

The Godfathers - Birth, School , Work, Death

Echo And The Bunnymen - The Cutter

The Gun Club - Sex Beast

Bobby "Blue" Bland - Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City

Duane Eddy - Rebel Rouser

George Jones - White Lightning

Otis Redding - (Sitting On) The Dock Of The Bay

Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit

Pink Floyd - See Emily Play

The Bees - A Minha Menina

Queens Of The Stone Age - Feel Good Hit Of The Summer

I Am Kloot - To You

Super Furry Animals - Juxtaposed With U

Hot Hot Heat - Bandages

The Cult - She Sell Sanctuary

Nirvana - Love Buzz

The Housemartins - Happy Hour

Sonic Youth - Teen Age Roit

Kraftwerk - Pocket Calcultor

Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy

The Pretenders - Kid

Peter Tosh - Stepping Razor

Max Romeo - War Ina Babylon

Them Crooked Vultutres - New Fang

Clinic - Welcome

Radkey - Basement

The Nips - Gabrielle

The The  - Armageddon Days (Are Here Again)

Woody Guthrie - Tear The Facists Down

Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning

Badly Drawn Boy - Silent Sigh

Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

Mekons - Where Were You

Kirsty MacColl - Walking Down Madison

The Blue Aeroplanes - Colour Me

The Von Bondies - C'mon C'mon

The Undertones - Here Comes the Summer

The 101ers - Sweet Revenge

Wilson Pickett - Mustang Sally

The Monkees - I'm A Beliver

Small Faces - Tin Soldier

Stiff Little Fingers - Tin Soldiers

Patrick Fitzgerald - Safety Pin Stuck In My Heart For You

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps

Band Of Horses - The Funeral

Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing

No Doubt - Don't Speak

The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name

The Fratellis - Whistle For The Choir

Sleeper - Sale Of The Century

The Zombies - She's Not There

Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman

Darwin Deez - Radar Detector

10,000 Maniacs - My Mother The War

Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy

Aztec Camera - Oblivious

Love - Seven And Seven Is

Johnny Thunders - You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory

The Smiths - Hand In Glove

#Jungle Indie Rock - Time Machine - Vol.2 #Jungle Indie Rock #Playlist #2019 #Jungle Indie Rock Playlist #indie #indie rock #rock #alternative rock #alternative #singer-songwriter #indie folk #folk #folk rock #soul #reggae #indie music #Rebjukebox #Blues #garage rock #punk #punk rock #post punk

[sweet-marie]

things i listened 2 a lot in 2019

january

head like a hole / nine inch nails

season of the witch / donovan

moonflower plastic (your here) / tobin sprout

the only thing / sufjan stevens

feel good inc. / gorillaz

february

among the leaves / sun kil moon

i wanna be yours / john cooper clarke

we will commit wolf murder / of montreal

sheetkickers / guided by voices

sin triangle / sidney gish

first love / late spring / mitski

half a person / the smiths

what’s next to the moon / mark kozelek

march

going nowhere / elliott smith

riders on the storm / the doors

what do you want me to say? / dismemberment plan

kb / tall friend

pissing / low

april

bankrupt on selling / modest mouse

femme fatale / tracey thorn

dreamy / tracey thorn

my life in art / mojave 3

may

plainclothes man / elliott smith

pink rabbits / the national

up jumped the devil / nick cave & the bad seeds

my my, hey hey (out of the blue) / neil young

you missed my heart / mark kozelek & jimmy lavalle

you missed my heart / phoebe bridgers

june

these days / dr. dog

roadhouse blues / the doors

skate ramp blues / tall friend

immigrant song / led zeppelin

immigrant song / trent reznor, karen o

right where it belongs / nine inch nails

goodbye horses / venus infers

july

ivory coast / pure bathing culture

everybody cares, everybody understands / elliott smith

loverman / nick cave & the bad seeds

somebody told me / the killers

dancing in the dark / bruce springsteen

die / carissa’s wierd

trouble / yusuf (cat stevens)

trouble / elliott smith

august

people / silver jews

sunshine in chicago / sun kil moon

snow is falling in manhattan / purple mountains

slice of life / bauhaus

needle in the hay / elliott smith

harvey / (sandy) alex g

chicago new york / the aislers set

christian brothers / elliott smith

september

sandy / (sandy) alex g

when it’s over / sugar ray

indian summer / the doors

lord can you hear me? / spacemen 3

bluest glass eye sea / oranger

southern sky / (sandy) alex g

october

what difference does it make? / the smiths

the white lady loves you more / elliott smith

the trip / still corners

snowstorm / galaxie 500

400 lux / lorde

24 / red house painters

lies / low

mis / (sandy) alex g

november

mesmerise / chapterhouse

a passing feeling / elliott smith

ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space / spiritualized

a bathtile green / carissa’s wierd

don’t panic / coldplay

somewhat damaged / nine inch nails

go by / elliott smith

december

ashes of american flags / wilco

teardrop / massive attack

poor places / wilco

gentle hour / yo la tengo

bulletproof / la roux

#THIS IS LONG #i made a playlist every month

[jtl-fics]

In honor of April Fools day I will talk a bit about an AU with my favorite fool - (Redacted) Smith that I will probably never write fully but have thought about a bunch of scenes for.

I call it 2 Fluent Freshmen.

Due to a clerical error at both the school and during the local government's push to digitize their documents Smith is noted down as being 2 years older than he actually is and (perhaps a clerical error or maybe no teacher can say if they've had him in class or not) Smith also has enough credits to graduate. Gran has passed away early and there's nothing for him in Washington other than more anxiety.

Wymack & Dan come to Smith when he is 16 and Smith takes the chance to escape from his family IMMEDIATELY. Sure the Foxes are the worst team and sure there's some drama going on with Kevin Day having joined them after his injury but a full ride scholarship is a full ride scholarship!

Smith is rooming with 2 upperclassmen and his only other fellow freshman - Neil Josten. He is not hiding the fact that he can speak Russian, he is hiding the fact that he is 16. Smith ends up pretty close to Seth and Allison due to sharing a dorm / position respectively and just doing his best not to get to close to crazy Andrew Minyard. He does get a bit close with Neil but it's not something he's trying to do.

He's trying to keep his head down and get through the year.

It's a little hard when he is sat on the couch with the Kathy Ferdinand show. It's a lot harder when Riko Moriyama shows up and doesn't realize he's there and just...sits in Smith's lap?? Smith remains as blank faced as ever and what the fuck is Riko supposed to do? ADMIT HE FUCKED UP?

Do you know how hard it is to intimidate someone when you're sitting in the lap of some dude? The answer is VERY. Kevin can't take him seriously at all, especially after Smith made a comment that Riko's ass was bony.

Riko goes after them the same but Smith doesn't really get that his anger is at Kevin. "Hey, I'm sorry I called your butt bony on national television. That was rude of me. You should try some squats though." and like what the fuck is Riko supposed to say in the face of some dude genuinely apologizing to him.

It buys enough time that no one is grabbed or slammed.

Seth and Allison drag him out to the bar that night and after a few minutes sitting with Allison Smith realizes that he actually does have to pee and oh god someone's trying to assault Seth! Smith calls upon the powers of Gracie Hart and Seth has a black eye and a concussion but he graduates.

Neil wants Smith to come with him to the Thanksgiving because Neil has latched on a bit. Smith ends up going and also ends up going upstairs to go to the bathroom because oh god he cannot handle Nicky's parents hearing him take an anxiety shit. He's making his way to the end of the hall and sees a penny on the ground so he bends over to grab it.

And Drake Spears is unbalanced from missing his swing and falls right out the open window to the ground below where he breaks his neck. Naturally, Andrew is watching this scene unfold from the stairs and just starts to laugh his ass off. Smith turns around after flipping the penny over (it was tails side up and therefore not lucky) unaware of what has happened.

Smith asks if Andrew wants to use the bathroom. Andrew insists that Smith goes on ahead. The Hemmicks keep asking if they saw anyone upstairs and Smith has no idea what they're talking about, Andrew does but plays dumb out of spite. A day later it's wild that Nicky's parents got arrested. Like they seemed so normal, how did they kill someone and dump him in the side garden??

The Winter Banquet happens and well...it's dark. It's dark and Neil has brown hair and brown eyes and Smith has brown hair and brown eyes. Riko is not the best at judging heights so he calls Smith to threaten him and tell him that he's joining the Ravens for a Winter Break training camp. Jean is doing the most anyone has ever done not to laugh right now.

Riko only realizes his mistake when he's finished threatening Smith with his father and Smith ruins it. Smith is elated to have somewhere to stay over winter break. He can't mention he has nowhere to go so he'd thought he'd spend the break homeless. Now here comes Riko Moriyama inviting him to a camp where room and board will be provided?

What a nice guy. To thank him Smith compliments the gains he's noticed on Riko's ass. "The squats are really helping you, or are you doing something else?" he asks.

What the fuck is Riko supposed to do? ADMIT THAT HE FUCKED UP? Tell Smith that he's been doing squats and leg lifts before asking that he hand the tickets back and go get Neil???

Fuck that.

He'll just turn Smith against the Foxes and-

Well Riko kept talking about Smith's dead dad and so Smith may have a slight misunderstanding about the full scope of this training camp. He may think that there is some sort of seance element to it at this point and he's kind of excited at the idea of talking to his dad. "I've never spoken to a dead man before, this will be fun." and it's delivered flatly with no expression.

Riko starts to wonder if maybe Smith is the Butcher's son? Did the Butcher have two sons? He's sweating all the sudden.

It does not help that Smith brings a Ouija board to camp or that his dad was a legit Butcher before he died so Riko's tentative questioning only sends him further into an anxious mess about if Nathan had twins and Riko, due to being kept away from the family business, might just not be aware of it?

Smith has a nice Christmas break.

The last scene I've got dinging around in the noggin is in Binghamton. Smith has been left behind at many a stadium at this point. There's a solid and fast rule.

Neil cannot get on the bus without Smith. They are buddies. This is the buddy system. So when the riot starts and Neil seems to be getting pulled away in the crowd?

Well Smith grabs his hand and pulls him towards the bus, "Buddy system."

The bus starts and they're on their way shortly after. Neil's an anxious wreck but that next morning he wakes up to the news that the Butcher of Baltimore died in an FBI raid the night before as well as his men.

Smith watches the news with Neil, "Wow, that's scary." as he sips some orange juice.

#2 Fluent Freshmen AU #AFTG AU #AFTG Fic #Fluent Freshman AU #Neil Josten #(Redacted) Smith #Andrew Minyard

[grxywxrn]

Alive part 1

Neil Abram Josten was dead. He had never lived, but he was still dead and gone and absent and dead.

Dead, dead, dead.

It was a familiar word, playing like a broken record in Andrew’s head. A broken, dead record in a broken, dead mind.

Andrew imagined his mind like a smashed mirror, fragile and blood stained, unable to give a clear image to those who gazed upon it. This was all because Neil Josten had been fine.

Andrew hates many things, the words family and please, bitter tastes, people, but on that night a whole bunch of things were added to the list. The number zero made Andrew violent, thank you was torture to hear and Exy made him homicidal.

He still played it though, so Kevin wouldn’t die either. He didn’t care if Kevin died, he didn’t care if he himself died. Andrew didn’t care at all. The one thing that had made him feel disappeared like a tea light candle flickering out in the wind.

“Andrew?” Came a cheerful voice. Andrew looked up from his phone to see Nicky Hemmick, his all to happy cousin, smiling at him. “What are you doing in Germany? Especially unannounced?”

Andrew didn’t answer, he saw no reason to.

Nicky, after years of experience, let it slide. Six years ago, he may have pressed on, but Nicky eventually took the hint four years ago that Andrew was now a whole new type of broken.

Nicky played it off like Andrew had replied. “Well, it’s crazy to see you again. Erik and I were just grabbing stuff for dinner. His parents are looking after the girls for the day.”

Andrew has never met his nieces, Nicky and him had silently agreed that it would never happen. As soon as one of them started crying, Andrew would have done something that Nicky would regret.

“Hey, you should join us!” Nicky exclaimed. Andrew started walking away, trying to find his favourite ice cream in the frozen section of the supermarket. “Okay, sorry, bad idea, you’re right.” Nicky was still following him.

“How’s Aaron?” Nicky attempted to make conversation. “Is he getting used to the married life?”

In truth, Andrew didn’t know how his twin was, like everyone, Andrew didn’t care enough to care. Andrew grunted and that made Nicky ecstatic.

“And Kevin?” Nicky asked through the frosted glass door that was opened right in front of his face. Andrew got his ice cream and walked away again. “Fine, I’m guessing, with the recent win.”

Andrew skipped checkout 0 even though it was the shortest line up and headed to number 6 which was significantly longer.

“What about you, are you doing okay after Neil’s-“

Andrew whipped around, his fingers crushing the windpipe in Nicky’s throat.

“You have no right to say his name, Nicolas.” Andrew growled out Nicky’s full name because he knew it reminded him of his parents, or mainly his lack of them.

“Andrew, it would be nice of you to put down my husband.” Andrew cast his eyes lazily over the the man speaking German at him. Erik looked like he was playing it cool, but his fist was tight around the handles of his shopping basket.

Andrew basically threw his cousin at Erik, telling him to drag Nicky away with the most venomous glare ever. As Andrew paid, he heard Nicky saying things like, “It’s my fault, I over stepped my boundaries again.”

Andrew carried on with his plan for the day; get his cash changed from American to German because his was running low on cash, buy a new charger for his phone, went to the key smiths and went to get a haircut.

That’s where is all went wrong. A haircut was usually a bad experience, for both the barber and himself, but this was worse.

His hair was bright purple, messy and curly, his eyes were icy blue and his smile was so wide.

Neil Josten, age nineteen and Exy prodigy goes missing after game

After two years, Neil Josten is presumed Dead by authorities

Hunt for Neil Josten closed, body found in building foundation by demolition team in England

But Neil didn’t look dead at all, in fact, he look more alive than he ever had. There were no bags under his eyes and his complexion was tanned. He had a burn scar on one cheek and three lines down the other.

Andrew blinked, but Neil was still there. He held his eyes shut, rubbing them like Neil would disappear again.

Alive, alive, alive. So damn alive.

“Nathaniel!” Someone scolded of him and Neil turned away from the voice, holding in his laughter as his co-worker pulled funny faces.

Neil noticed Andrew, smiling at him. Neil came out from behind the front desk, ripped jeans paired with a red over-sized hoodie.

“Guten Tag!“ Neil greeted him in German. “Wie geht es dir?“

Andrew knew what Neil had asked him, he knew how to answer, but he just stared.

“Herr?” Neil reached for Andrew but let his hand hover. “Wie geht es dir, Herr?”

“Nicht so gut, Neil.” Andrew stood back, world tilting as he moved.

“Maybe you should sit down.” Neil guided Andrew towards a chair, in the mirror Andrew was ghost white, chalky skinned and eyes wide. “Can I get you something to drink...”

it was too late when Andrew realised he was waiting for a name.

“How are you alive?” Andrew asked in English and Neil looked taken aback.

“I don’t know- Sir are you high or drunk or-“ Neil was taking a few steps back.

“Neil, Neil Josten.” Andrew said, he didn’t know why. He hadn’t said that name in six years, Andrew had almost forgot what it sounded like on his own tongue.

“Alright, would you like me to help you find him?” Neil pulled at his hair.

No, he’s dead. You’re dead. Andrew wanted to grab this Neil by the shoulders, shake him until the nightmare subsided and he woke up in an empty and cold bed.

Andrew shook his head.

“Okay. Okay. Just breathe and I’ll be back in a moment.” Neil returned with a biscuit and a mug of coffee. Andrew didn’t touch the coffee because it looked to bitter but he ate the biscuit. “What is you name?”

Andrew choked.

“Andrew Minyard.” Neil smiled like he knew something Andrew didn’t. Maybe he did. “Can I get a trim and highlights.”

Neil let his face fall slack for a moment before nodding.

When Andrew got home, he could almost see the red marks on his skin from where Neil had touched him.

When Andrew went back to the shops the next week, Neil’s hair was black until his eyes and then snow white.

Andrew observed from a coffee booth, spying from over his mug. Neil was good at doing hair, and he liked to catch with his costumers.

Andrews phone hummed in his hand. Renee was the only person who called him.

It was a simple ‘are you treating yourself good?’ Like every question was around this time of year.

‘Come home soon, Andrew. I don’t want you to be alone.” Renee said, stopping mid-sentence with the sound of sizzling bacon in the background.

“Why?”

“You know why.” Renee didn’t beat around the bush with this. “Andrew, Neil’s-“ Andrew flinched “-anniversary makes you dangerous, not only to yourself but to others.”

“Shut up.”

“I want you to be happy.” Renee pleaded.

“Well I can’t be!” Then he hung up the phone.

The booth lowered beneath Andrew as someone took a seat next to him.

“Is everything okay?” Neil sipped his coffee gently like it would be too hot.

“Give me your phone.” Neil gave it over. Andrew tuned on Sir and said into it, “Neil Josten disappearance.”

Hundreds of articles came up at that search, Andrew found one without a photo of Neil.

“You follow Exy?” Andrew asked.

“Ugh,” Neil growled, “I hate that sport! It’s so stupid.” Andrew couldn’t help but scoff. Neil Josten saying Exy was stupid was just to ironic.

“Well, I play for New York with Kevin Day. Used to play for PSU in collage, for the Foxes.”

“I’ve heard of them, a friend follows it like a religion.” He seemed to loath Exy more than Andrew. “He’s obsessed with Day, and that dwarf bodyguard of his.” Andrew gripped the knife beside his coffee on the table. “Oh, wait. That’s you isn’t it?”

Andrew grunted, Neil laughter brightly. Neil snagged his phone back and read the article that Andrew had found.

“Hey, he went missing seven years ago today! Did you used to play with him?”

“In more ways than one, yeah.” Neil snorted, then laughed loudly. Andrew’s chest aches like hot coals replaced his lungs.

Alive, alive, alive.

“I hated him. Oh, I hated him so much.” Andrew hated that just voice shook on the word hate. He knew that word had a different meaning when it was directed at Neil. Andrew’s fist shook, he wanted to punch something. “I never knew why he was killed, Kevin wouldn’t tell me. But sometimes it feels like he’s still alive.”

It was weird. Andrew was talking to someone, and not just anyone about anything. He was talking to Neil about his own death that he couldn’t seem to remember.

Dead, dead, dead.

Alive, alive, alive.

“Well is that why you’re here? Was he buried here?”

“No, parts of his dismembered body were found in building foundations over in England. He wasn’t buried. I don’t actually know what happened to him.” Neil flinched, smile gone.

“If you want to talk-“

“I have already said to much.” Andrew started to leave but a hand gently wrapped around his wrist.

“Come around to the shop around three, it’s when I get off for the day. We can grab a coffee or something.” Neil smiled and let Andrew go. Andrew’s skin was on fire. “Oh, and my names Nathaniel Wesninski.”

Andrew’s hotel was big. He earned a lot of money playing Exy so he spent it all on stupid things. This hotel had a ball pit. It was three stories and the pinball machine room was where he spent most of his time. Alone.

Andrew walked down the hall on the top floor, passing Kevin in the gym. Andrew wasn’t going leave Kevin in America by himself so he dragged him to Germany with him. They hadn’t talked the whole week they had been in the the country and Andrew liked it that way.

He had a beer in one hand and ice cream in the other. When Kevin saw his unhealthy idea of lunch, he rolled his eyes.

“You can’t actually eat that for lunch.” Kevin commented.

“I can and I will, now shut up.” Andrew was about to walk into the games room.

“I invited Nicky over.” Kevin told him. “He told me about what you did. You’re lucky no press saw you.”

“Don’t care.” Andrew really didn’t. “I’m going out later anyways, so it will just be you two.”

“Where are you going?” Kevin got off the treadmill, bringing his shirt up to whipe the sweat off his face. “Not to do anything dumb or illegal?”

“I don’t know. I’ll figure it out in the car.” Andrew replied. He wasn’t going to tell Kevin about Neil being alive. If Kevin knew he’d tell Neil everything and try to get him back into Exy.

“Andrew,” Kevin sighed, “look, I know you don’t care or feel anything about anything, but don’t do anything to ruin your life. Neil wouldn’t want-“

“Neil is dead, Kevin!” Andrew threw his beer bottle at Kevin’s head, missing by a millimetre. But Neil wasn’t dead. “He’s been dead for years and he can’t want anything!”

“Andrew, it’s okay to feel pain.” Kevin told him. He stepped forward, hands raised like he was approaching a deadly animal. “We all lost N-him that day, but you deserve to feel sad or grief because you lost someone you love!”

Andrew slammed the door shut behind him. He threw his bowl of ice cream then smashed the glass on one of the pinball tables. Then it was time to leave.

When he got to the barbershop, Neil was putting foils into a mans hair. He was smiling and saying something about loving the shade of red the man choose to dye his hair.

Andrew pushes past a girl asking if he wanted to make an appointment and walked to the back of the shop where Neil was. His hair was now green at the ends and not white.

“Andrew!” Neil exclaimed when he noticed the tiny blond approaching him. “Have a seat, I’ll get you a drink. Extra sugar.”

Andrew sit next to the man who watched him in awe.

“Can I help you?” Andrew arched an eyebrow.

“Oh, it’s just,” the man beamed up at Andrew, “you’re Andrew Minyard!”

Neil had returned with a grin, placing the sugary milk down in front of Andrew.

“No, I am his twin.” Andrew said. The man just laughed, clearly not aware that there was two Minyards. “Aaron.”

“I knew an Aaron.” Neil began, eyebrows furrowing. “Have no idea where from or how, though. Funny thing is, I’m pretty sure he had a twin brother.” Neil laughed. Andrew wanted to bottle that sound.

“Small world.” Andrew muttered. His phone rang so he fished it out of his back pocket. “What do you want, Day?” He grunted into the phone and the man squealed. Andrew realised that this was the freind Neil had been talking about earlier.

Kevin slurred something into the speaker and Nicky screamed in the background somewhere. They were drunk as frat boys at three o’clock in the afternoon.

“You know, Drew,” Kevin slurred, “the way you spoke to me earlier was...was mean!” Andrew didn’t care. “I was just trying to help. Neil was...was my...friend tooooooo!”

Nicky started crying in the background, saying something like, “sweet Neil!”

“Kevin. You are drunk. Leave me alone and drink water and try not to fall off the balcony.” Then Andrew hung up the phone, heart aching. Why did it feel like Neil was everywhere, every time Andrew turned around he saw him. Some days he wished he had never met Neil at all.

Neil brought him back to reality when he leant over the back of the chair Andrew was sitting in to whisper, “I put some scotch in the coffee.” Then he went back to putting foils in his friends originally blond hair. Andrew drunk the coffee in one breathe and Neil giggled.

“I’m not supposed to give that to costumers but your tecically not buying anything.” Neil shrugged. It didn’t taste to good, it was just sweet milk and scotch but it was greatly appreciated.

In the time Andrew was sat in the shop he had four more of those drinks, learnt that the friend was called Nico and sighed a piece of paper for Nico to get tattooed.

Nico payed, spent ten minutes talking to Neil about Laura’s birthday present with a smirk and the kissed Neil goodbye.

Andrew almost took the scissors off the bench to stab Nico with.

Neil laughed, though, rubbing his cheek with a fake disgusted face.

“Sorry about him,” Neil turned to Andrew. “Nico’s a bit...special is the word I’d use. We are just friends though, he’s got a girl, Laura.” He pronounced Laura as Low-ra when he talked. “Still insists on kissing me goodbye every time though, say just because I’m ace doesn’t mean I don’t deserve some love.”

Neil shook his head, hair floating like a merman’s underwater. He was smiling quietly as they both fell into step beside each other, walking to seemingly no where.

“You’re ace?” Andrew asked after a moment of silently contemplating it. When Neil had first come to the Foxes he had said the same thing, I don’t swing, and all that. Kevin later said he was probably demi and hadn’t had a chance to figure out what he wanted.

“Yeah, is there a problem, Andrew?” Neil didn’t ask out of irritation, but genuine concern.

“No, the guy I used to date was demi.” Andrew made a point about say ‘guy’. Neil nodded. They didn’t look at each other, but they walked until they reached a coffee shop. Tooth Café.

They were about to sit down when Andrew spotted a camera pointed his way. Damn the press.

“Put your head down and walk to the nearest exit.” Andrew murmured. Neil didn’t ask why, he did what he was asked. Andrew put a hand on Neil’s back, fingers gripping the printed button up that Neil wore as he guided him away from the press.

The press chased after them, just behind them now and asking questions. Andrew suddenly pulled Neil around a corner. He grabbed the back of Neil’s neck to face him.

“Black car, number plate 157 RRT, floor two, seconction G. Run.” And Neil was off, running with the speed of the striker Andrew had once known.

The press had caught him, sticking a mic in his face.

“Andrew, Andrew. Who was that man?”

“You don’t need to know.” Andrew walked the opposite way to where Neil had ran.

“A lover?”

“Does Day know you’re here?”

“Who was the man?”

“Andrew, any comment on the rumours regarding your sexuality?”

“Since you played for the Foxes, how do you feel about Neil Josten’s death?”

“Who’s death?” Andrew retorted. The reporter gasped.

“Your old teammate-“ said someone at the same time somebody said “your late lover!”

“How would Neil feel knowing that you are moving on?” A reporter said next to his left ear. Andrew lashed out, punching the man in the throat.

The press launched back, some ran away. On lookers gapped as Andrew walked away.

Andrew found Neil sitting on the hood of his black Mercedes, scrolling through his phone.

They got in before anyone could see them together.

“Someone posted a video.” Neil whispered.

“Kevin’s gonna scold me.” Andrew pulled out of the car park and on to the open road.

“The reporter deserved that though, for what he said.” Neil was testing the waters of this conversation, now that he knew how angry Andrew could get. “He had no right.”

Andrew was silent.

“I watched one of your games, well two actually.” Neil started a new conversation. “Neil’s last game and yours, Andrew.”

Neil’s last game.

Thank you, you were amazing

0

He had ran around that stadium so many times, he didn’t find anything except the bag.

Andrew swiveled the car back onto the road when he started to go into the next lane. Someone cussed at him from a different car.

“Andrew, the way you shut down the goal is incredible. Maybe you could teach me a bit before you left?” With that, Andrew changed direction towards his hotel. When he arrived, he told Neil to stay while he ran upstairs.

Upstairs in one of the living rooms, Kevin was passed out drunk while Nicky was certainly on the way. Andrew grabbed two sets of gear that Kevin had made him bring with them and stuffed it in a bag. He raced down to the car with a pint of ice cream and two spoons.

“Every time I do anything remotely Exy-ish, i eat a whole one of these. Kevin hates it.”

Andrew had to wait for Neil to figure out how to put on the gear, because it wasn’t like Andrew was going to help Neil dress.

Neil looked like Neil in his armour. A green haired Neil.

“Alright, just try and take a shot in on me.” Andrew said. When Neil took the shot, the ball fell a few feet in front of Andrew.

Andrew got the ball in his racket and threw it down the court to where Neil would have been waiting for him seven years ago.

This present day Neil gapped in shock.

“Woah!” He exclaimed. “You are amazing!”

“You’re not allowed to say that.” Andrew glared Neil down.

They tried again and this time Andrew caught it. Then they tried again and Andrew reached for it. The next time Andrew was too distracted by the muscles moving in Neil’s thighs to block his shot.

“OMG!” Neil cheered. “I won!” He struggled to take off his helmet. “I got a goal in on Andrew Minyard because he was checking me out!”

“Was not.” Andrew argued but it was ignored by Neil screaming into a phone.

“Nico!” He started telling him all about what just happened. When Nico didn’t believe him, Neil switched the FaceTime camera to Andrew. “Told you!”

Andrew let them talk and eventually Neil calmed down. Andrew just watched him talk into the camera from goal.

He missed Neil.

He hated Neil.

Andrew launched a ball down caught, it seemed to pass Neil on flames. That ball carried only a small part of his anger. So he threw another and another. Neil ducked away, ending the call.

Andrew threw the whole bag of balls across court, still seething. When he was done, Andrew was shaking. Neil looked up at him from the floor to which he dove to when balls seemed to be aiming themselves at his head.

“Andrew-“

“Shut up!” He slammed his racket into the wall, snapping it in half. “God, just shut up! Stop looking at me and shut up!”

“Andrew- look at me-“ Andrew couldn’t. He couldn’t look at Neil without breaking. He had gone seven years without breaking, it couldn’t be now. “Shout at me. Tell me everything you want to tell him.”

Andrew grabbed him by the hair.

“Why didn’t you tell me anything? You knew they were coming for you, why didn’t you let me protect you?” Andrew screamed at Neil who look just about ready to cry. “You knew they were coming for you and you still played, you still made me feel something about you! You knew it wasn’t nothing so why did you let me fall knowing you were going die?”

“Andrew,” Neil gasped.

“What!”

“I don’t think I am ace after all.”

Pink. Baby pink.

Renee was going to be so happy.

Andrew wasn’t sure how Neil had managed to get Andrew’s hair that shade of pink, but the media loved it. The first time they had seen it was when Andrew was leaving the New York airport with Kevin Day at his side.

@TheJeanKnoxMor

@AJminyard not bad, Jeremy did call you a baby though

@offcialJeremyKnoxM

@AJminyard @TheJeanKnoxMor did not! Please don’t kill me, Andrew!

That was the most liked response. Some fans speculated why he would have dyed his hair such an unAndrew colour.

One fan said something along the lines of mental breakdown and Andrew wasn’t sure that was wrong.

Renee had liked it, she had called him cute. Aaron said it made him look gay, Andrew had kissed Kevin in reply. Thea had laughed at that.

Nicky kept texting him, even after there was no reply.

One morning Andrew woke alone, like every morning or sometimes afternoons.

The first notefication was; @NathanielWes04 is following you

Neil had sent him a dm over Instagram.

Heyyyy, Andrew! I looked up what time it is over in NY and I am sorry if this wakes you up!

Andrew almost smiled. Almost. Andrew called him, too tied to type a text. Neil picked up after the fourth ring.

“Drew,” he mumbled gently. Andrew had woke him, but he didn’t care. Because Neil wasn’t around, Andrew allowed himself to feel something.

“Hello.” Andrew said back. It was all silence.

“Why don’t you ever say my name, Andrew?” Neil slurred sleepy at Andrew.

Because it hurts.

“Your name is stupid.” Neil laughed at that.

“I share it with my dad.” Neil smile was evident in his voice. “Or at least I think I do. I don’t remember.”

“Don’t remember?” Andrew prodded.

“I was found in a dich somewhere between Cornwall and London, I think that where it was. Anyways, around five years ago a jogger found me minutes from death. I don’t remember anything from my birth to a week after I was found.”

Minutes from death? They had tried to kill him, but stupid Neil Josten survived. Of course he did.

“What colour is your hair?” Andrew asked when his chest felt too tight.

“Ash.”

They were silently listening to each other breathe and Andrew was reminded how alive Neil was.

Andrew imagined Neil lying in his bed in Berlin, on the left side of the mattress like he always used to. He saw his messy ash hair splaid out on the pillow and eyes hooded with sleep.

“Come to America.” Andrew shocked himself when he said. “New York, I’ll pay airfares.” Neil didn’t say anything, softly breathing instead. Actually, he was asleep again. “I hate you, Neil Josten.”

“I know.” He mumbled in his sleep. Andrew hung up and threw his phone at the wall. It shatter but Andrew didn’t care.

This meant some part of Neil knew who he was, right?

Andrew thought about kissing Neil again, it made his muscles ache so he blocked out the thought and got ready for breakfast with Renee.

“Andrew, that is amazing! Oh, my goodness, when does he come back to the US?” Renee was taking the news perfectly, at least in her mind.

“Never.” Andrew Said when he finished his bite of pancake. “Neil doesn’t know who he is and I intend on keeping it that way.”

“Why?”

“Because, it’s not Neil.” Andrew complained. “He’s a hairdresser with a new colour every week, let’s his friends kiss him goodbye and wears cropped shirts and short-shorts to the gym.”

Renee laughed softly like she always does.

Andrew wasn’t complaining about the later. Following Neil on Instagram was torture when he was trying to forget his lust. Andrew let his mind see a photo of Neil squatting with one leg stuck out, then pushed it away when Renee’s mouth started moving again.

“Andrew, this could be your chance for a happy life, take what you deserve.” Renee sipped her tea. Her hair was in need of a touch up at the roots. “Besides, he’s going the find out eventually.”

“Whatever.” Andrew finished his pancakes and coffee in silence. Renne didnt say anything for the rest of breakfast and Andrew almost thanked her.

Kevin was texting him, asking where he was because he was late for practice. They had come back to America a few weeks ago and Kevin basically slept at the court. In the month they had been in Berlin they hadn’t practiced together and that made Kevin even more enthusiastic.

Renee said goodbye to him out the front of the coffee shop and they went their separate ways.

Andrew headed to the court, hating every second of it. When he got there, Jean and Jeremy with talking with Kevin in the middle of the court.

“You didn’t say the newlyweds were going to be here.” Andrew said over the loud speaker. Kevin jumped a bit, but found Andrew scowling at him from the commentators box. “And Kevin, Jeremy is married now so back off.”

Andrew caught Jeremy snicker but Jean didn’t look to pleased. Kevin flipped Andrew off with an embarrassed look towards the couple.

Andrew loved to make fun of Kevin celebrity crush on Jeremy.

Andrew came down to the court, the only one not dressed in armour and he intended to keep it that way.

“We are going to be training with Jean and Jeremy.” Kevin told Andrew. “They were in town for the weekend so-“

“You thought, ‘let’s practice instead of hanging out like normal people!’” Andrew quirked a brow up at Kevin. He didn’t reply so Andrew started to leave.

“Andrew, wait.” Jeremy called after him. “We need someone to guard the goal.”

“Cool, call Sean.” Andrew replied. Sean was the other goalie on the team. He wasn’t as good as Andrew and couldn’t shut down the goal as good as Andrew, but he was alright.

“Andrew, it would be greatly appreciate if you would help us.” Jean asked. “I mean what else were you going to do?”

“Get drunk.” Andrew replied.

“It’s nine in the morning!” Kevin exclaimed.

“You’re right.” Andrew said. “I’ll hit someone up to drink with, never drink alone.”

Part two

[randomrichards]

THE BEST MOVIE MOMENTS OF 2018:

HONORABLE MENTION:

The Opening/Closing Credits from BUDDIES

I’m putting this as honorable mention because this is an older movie recently rereleased.

The first film about the AIDS Crisis, Buddies strikes at the heart with its opening credits with a typed list of AIDS victim up to 1985. Set to a mournful score by Jeffrey Olmstead, the never ending list of lives cut short puts you in tears.

Alex Honnold faces Boulder Problem in FREE SOLO

Most thrillers can only wish they could be as gripping as in the moment when Alex Honnold maneuver’s his way through the most challenging section of El Capitan Wall without rope in this Documentary.

Ray Offers Wisdom from Mid90s

“If you looked in anybody else’s closet, you wouldn’t trade your shit for their shit.”

Ray (Na-kel Smith) and his friends may not be the best role models for the impressionable Stevie (Sunny Suljic), but in this moment, Ray teaches him a lesson in perspective.

Glenn Close’s performance in THE WIFE

I’m not referring to any moment. Just Glenn Close’s acting. She speaks more volumes with her face than most actresses could with dialogue.

10)        The Beach Scene from ROMA

Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) is an extraordinary woman. Sure, her life hanging towels and cleaning dog poo doesn’t seem like anything special. But like many lower working-class people, she endures. Boy does she endure a lot of shit in this movie. Not only does her deadbeat boyfriend ditch her to practice martial arts, but her baby is born dead. Despite all this, she not only continues her work, but she shares a close bond with the family. She showcases this bond and her strength when a fun day at the beach goes horribly wrong.

When Paco (Carlos Peralta) and Sofi (Daniela Demesa) swim too far out, Cleo walks into the ocean to save them despite not knowing how to swim. We watch in dread as she faces severe waves to find the kids, the camera always close to her.

This scene also contains a beautiful scene of the family hugging Cleo when she tears up over losing her baby. Seeing them all huddled together in front of a bright white sun captures the heart.

9)         “A Place Called Slaughter Race” from RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET

Admit it, it’s fun to take pot shots at Disney Tropes. Hell, even Disney gets in on the fun. And boy do they seize on every moment to mock Princess tropes when Vanellope Von Shweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman) encounters the Disney Princesses. Of course, it helps that Director Rich Moore and Head of Story Jim Reardon creates some of the best episodes of the Simpsons. Though there are many hilarious moments[1], none can hold the candle to Vanellope’s “I Want” song.

As she reflects over a puddle, Vanellope sings about her longing to be in the gritty game “Slaughter Race.” Seeing this little girl perform this lighthearted musical number over a background of riots and dumpster fires is comedy gold. Nearly every element of this number elevates the comedy, from singing shark (with cats and dogs in its mouth) to the creative lyrics (“Am I a baby pigeon spreading wings to soar?/ Is that a metaphor?/Hey, there’s a dollar store”). And the number still finds time to emphasize Vanellope’s fear of hurting Ralph (John. C Reilly).

Kudos to Alan Menken for mocking the trope he (and the late Howard Ashman) introduced to Disney. Just as deserving of Kudos is Silverman, who faced to task of singing in Vanellope’s high pitched voice.

8)         Charlie Loses Her Head from HEREDITARY

With her unusual hobbies, connection to her late grandmother and that clicking sound, you’d assume Annie’s (Toni Collette) daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro) would be the centre of the whole film.[2] Boy, were we in for a surprise.

Spoilers!

When Charlie suffers a peanut allergy reaction, Peter (Alex Wolfe) races her home. On his drive, he sees a mysterious figure in the middle of the dark road. In his attempt to dodge it, he doesn’t see Charlie hanging out the window. Seeing her head slam right into a pole leaves us as traumatized as Peter is. To see them kill off a main character so early in the film is downright shocking. With this death, predictability goes right out the window and we are left uncertain of what direction this film will go.

7)         Neil Armstrong Soars in the X-15 Rocket Plane in FIRST MAN

It’s funny how the most exciting scene in this film isn’t the moon landing. Don’t get me wrong, the scene’s still breathtaking in its realism, but it’s surprising how thrilling the opening scene.

Damien Chazelle hits the ground running with Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) soaring the atmosphere in an X-15 Rocket Plane. He soars higher and higher into the skies until he flies out of earth’s surface and gets stuck in space

Albeit, you know he will be back on earth in time for the moon landing. And yet, I found myself on the edge of my seat, wondering how he’s going to get back to earth. Most of it is thanks to the visual effects, which contains some of the most believable since 2001: A Space Odyssey. The effects leave CGI in the dust with practical effects that look so real, you’d think Gosling was actually flying into space.

6)         The Ferris Wheel Scene from LOVE, SIMON

High School Movies are home to many unforgettable romantic scenes. There’s Samantha (Molly Ringwald) and Jake (Michael Schoeffling) standing over a birthday cake in Sixteen Candles. There’s Patrick (Heath Ledger) singing to Katarina (Julia Stiles) on the bleachers in 10 Things I hate About You. And who can forget Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) blaring Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” outside Diane Court’s (Ione Skye) in Say Anything. Be ready to include the closing scene of Simon (Nick Robinson) waiting on the Ferris wheel for online pen pal Blue from Love, Simon.

After being outed by a student, infuriating his friends for deceiving them in his attempt to stay closeted and abandoned by Blue, Simon makes a plea to meet with Blue face to face on the Ferris Wheel at a carnival. As he rides on the Ferris Wheel, he, fellow classmates and the audience wait in anticipation for Simon’s happy ending.

5)         The Book Heist from AMERICAN ANIMALS

When Spencer Reinhard (Barry Keoghan) and Warren Lipka (Evan Peters) plotted to steal extremely valuable books from the Transylvania University library in Kentucky, they thought they had the perfect heist. With the help of their friends Erick Borsuk (Jared Abrahamson) and Chas Allen (Blake Jenner), they thought they pull off a heist as smooth as Oceans 11.[3]

But reality hits them like a sledge hammer when they try to pull off the heist. Unlike their dreams, Librarian Betty Jean Gooch (Ann Dowd) doesn’t get knocked out with one taser jolt. It also isn’t easy to lug a six-foot book down a flight of stairs. Then there’s the fact the basement has no exit. That’s just a few of many problems they never consider. From then on, we witness them pay a huge price for their hubris and lack of real-world understanding.

Only youths as smart as they are to come up with such a stupid plan.

4)         The Mutant Bear from ANNIHILATION

Biologist Lena (Natalie Portman) and her team find themselves in a quite a bind. After entering the Shimmer, physicist Josie Radek (Tessa Thompson) has barely survived an attack from a mutant alligator and Anthropologist Cassie Sheppard (Tuva Novotny) has been attacked by a bear. Now paramedic Anya Thorensen (Gina Rodriguez) has gone mad and has tied up Lena, Radek and Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh). But when they hear Sheppard’s cries for help, they will soon find Anya is the least of their worries.

Their journey delivers many grotesque, nightmare inducing visuals (especially the slithering intestines.) But the most memorable moment in this film was the image of the helpless crew trapped in a cabin with a mutant bear. Bears are scary enough on their own, but a faceless one is pants spitting meeting. And then you hear it imitate Sheppard’s screams and suddenly you need a new pair of pants.

3)         The Great Snap from AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

The whole Marvel Cinematic Universe had been leading up to this moment. The fact that nearly every character had a moment to shine in this one movie demonstrates the astounding direction of the Russo Brothers. But despite all the epic fight scenes, everyone agrees that this film’s greatest scene is the heroes moment of defeat.

Despite every effort made to stop in, despite outnumbering Thanos and despite Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) sacrificing Vision (Paul Bettany) to destroy the mind stone, Thanos still got all the infinity stones. And with a single snap, Thanos succeeds in wiping out half the universe’s population. One by one, we watch many of our heroes vanish into dust while others watch in helpless horror. But none are more heartbreaking that the moment when Spider-Man (Tom Holland) falls into Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) arms, crying “I don’t want to go.” All because some characters couldn’t make the sacrifice needed

Yes, we knew he was going to succeed in the end.[4] And yes, you know most of the heroes won’t stay gone.[5] And yes, their return will likely involve the surviving heroes sacrificing themselves.[6] But the ending still feels powerful despite this knowledge.

It all concludes with Thanos sitting near a cottage, content in his triumph. If the MCU ended here, it would have been a perfect ending. But I’m still curious to see how this will go.

2)         The Closing Close-Up in CAPERNAUM

The closing image of Zain’s (Zain Al Rafeea) face will haunt you beyond the closing credits. Throughout the film, we’ve seen this kid struggle through hell on the streets of Lebanon, trying to protect his sister from their resentful parents and helping an Ethiopian Migrant Worker take care of her son. But when he’s sent to prison for assaulting a pimp who bought his sister, he decides to sue his parents for the crime of bringing him into this miserable world. Writer/director Nadine Labaki never looks away for a second to the brutality of Zain’s world and how it brings out the worst in Zain.

When the film freezes to the image of Zain smiling for a Passport photo, your heart breaks for him as Khaled Mouzanar’s haunting score plays out.

1)         Tish and Fonny’s Walk Through the Park in IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

No other opening scene has done a better job of putting its audience under its spell than when loving couple Tish (Kiki Layne) and Alfonzo “Fonny” Hunt (Stephan James) stroll through a park holding hands.

There’s beauty in every element of this scene, from Nicholas Britell’s romantic score to the warm looks in the character’s eyes. But what really sells it is James Laxton’s lush cinematography. The colours pop through the yellows and blues on the couple’s clothes and the green of the grass. You are as in love with this couple as they are for each other.

Then the film cuts to Tish visiting Fonny in prison, this time the yellow is the prison, the blue is Fonny’s jumpsuit and the green is on Tish’ outfit. From then one, we know why their love is worth fighting for.

[1] Mostly at the expense of Ariel (Jodi Benson)

[2] Especially when she appears so prominently in the advertisements.

[3] As indicated by a fantasy sequence.

[4] Since we know this was going to be a two parter.

[5] Especially when there are already planned sequels to Black Panther, Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy. After all the money Marvel’s got from Black Panther? They’re not going to give up that meal ticket.

[6] What with Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans retiring their characters.

#random richards #Random Richards Reviews #If Beale Street Could Talk #ralph breaks the internet #Capernaum #Avengers #infinity war #annihilation #American Animals #Love Simon #Buddies #Free Solo #Mid90s #Roma #The Wife #First Man #Hereditary #a place called slaughter race

[marauders1971-1978]

Extra-Ultra Playlist Of Marauders’ Stuff

That I compiled out of all the songs on my spotify rather than updating my fanfic

Lily and James:

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow – Ben E King / The Shirelles

Twist and Shout – The Beatles

Dreams – Fleetwood Mac

Do You Love Me – The Contours

God Only Knows – The Beach Boys

Happy Together – The Turtles

Be My Baby – The Ronettes

My Girl – Otis Reading

Love On A Mountain Top – Robert Knight

I’m In Love – Lovelites

Don’t Go – Wretch 32, Josh Kurma

Where Did Our Love Go? – Soft Cell

You’re The Best Ting – Style Council

Somewhere In My Heart – Aztec Camera

The Bones of You – Elbow

Starlings – Elbow

Perfect – Fairground Attraction

Stand By Me – Ben E King

There She Goes – The La’s

If I Can’t Have You – Yvonne Elliman

Sea of Love – Cat Power

Build Me Up Buttercup – The Foundations

Don’t You Want Me – The Human League

You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – Bachman Turner Overdrive

Time After Time – Eva Cassidy

Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ – Scissor Sisters

Who’s That Girl – Eurythmics

I Say A Little Prayer – Aretha Franklin

Can You Feel The Love Tonight – Elton John

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart – Elton John, Kiki Dee

Reminder – Mumford & Sons

Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison

To Be With You – Mr Big

Lovely Day – Bill Withers

Rock The Boat – Hues Corporation

Love Really Hurts Without You – Billy Ocean

It’s In His Kiss – Linda Lewis

Bye Bye Baby – Bay City Rollers

Middle of The Bed – Lucy Rose

Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes

Coconut Skins – Damien Rice

Dogs – Damien Rice

Rock With You – Michael Jackson

Tiny Dancer – Elton John

True – Spandau Ballet

Wake Up Boo – The Boo Radleys

Shape Of You – Ed Sheeran

Your Song – Elton John

Hello, I Love You – The Doors

Ho Hey – The Lumineers

Ain’t Nobody – Chaka Kahn

Take On Me – A-ha

Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond

Just Can’t Get Enough – Depeche Mode

It Must Be Love – Madness

Bubble Toes – Jack Johnson

Banana Pancakes – Jack Johnson

More Than This – Roxy Music

Over You – Roxy Music

Oh Yeah! – Roxy Music

Midas Touch – Midnight Star

She Moves In Her Own Way – The Kooks

Everything – Michael Buble

Loving You – Paolo Nutini

Jenny Don’t Be Hasty – Paolo Nutini

Forever My Friend – Ray Lamontagne

Got My Mind Set On You – George Harrison

Rhythm Composer – Villagers

God Only Knows – The Beach Boys

Wouldn’t It Be Nice – The Beach Boys

When I’m Sixty-Four – The Beatles

From Me To You – The Beatles

I’m Sticking With You – The Velvet Underground

Only Love – Ben Howard

Diamonds – Ben Howard

Everywhere – Fleetwood Mac

Mardy Bum – Arctic Monkeys

Lover, You Should’ve Come Over – Jeff Buckley

Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley

Lilac Wine – Jeff Buckley

Listen to the Man – George Ezra

Leaving It Up To You – George Ezra

Barcelona – George Ezra

Blame It On Me – George Ezra

Under the Influence – James Morrison

Delicate – Damien Rice

If You Ever Want To Be In Love – James Bay

You Give Me Something – James Morrison

Better Man – James Morrison

 Remus and Sirius:

The Fear – Lily Allen

You Make It Real – James Morrison

When Does Cry – Prince

Puncture Repair – Elbow

The Night Will Always Win – Elbow

Lean on Me – Ben E King

Suddenly I See – KT Tunstall

Better Together – Jack Johnson

Everybody’s Changing – Keane

Have A Nice Day – Stereophonics

Common People – Pulp

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) – Eurythmics

After the Storm – Mumford & Sons

Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons

Viva La Vida – Coldplay

I Am Not A Robot – Marina and the Diamonds

Rootless Tree – Damien Rice

O’ Children – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Seven Wonders – Fleetwood Mac

Ever Fallen In Love With Someone (You Shouldn’t Have Fallen In Love With) – Buzzcocks

You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon

Some Nights – Fun

Friend Of Ours – Elbow

The Night Will Always Win – Elbow

What You Know – Two Door Cinema Club

Last Request – Paolo Nutini

Tainted Love – Soft Cell

Eternal Life – Jeff Buckley

Dance Away – Roxy Music

Heart of Glass – Blondie

Deeper Underground – Jameroquai

White Flag – Dido

I Wish I Was James Bond – Scouting For Girls

Crazy – Gnarls Barkley

Twice – Catfish and the Bottlemen

Sit Down – James

Steady and She Goes – The Ranconteurs

Shine On – The Kooks

Autumn – Paolo Nutini

Million Faces – Paolo Nutini

Livewire – Fyfe Dangerfield

We’re Not Right – David Gray

I Need – Maverick Sabre

Hold You In My Arms – Ray Lamontagne

Shelter – Ray Lamontagne

Pieces – Villagers

Set The Tigers Free – Villagers

The Meaning of the Ritual – Villagers

Becoming A Jackal – Villagers

The Waves – Villagers

Patience – Take That

A Well Respected Man – The Kinks

The Recluse – Plan B

Promise – Ben Howard

Black Flies – Ben Howard

Keep Your Head Up – Ben Howard

The Fear – Ben Howard

The Wolves – Ben Howard

Goodbye, Apathy – OneRepublic

Take Me To Church – Hozier

Wild Thing – Noah and the Whale

Anarchy in the UK – Sex Pistols

Baby Can I Hold You – Tracy Chapman

Dream Brother – Jeff Buckley

Changes – Will Young

Heartbeats – Jose Gonzalez

 Lily and Severus:

How Long – Paul Carrack

Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – Elton John, George Michael

Hard to Say I’m Sorry – Chicago

Leaders of the Free World – Elbow

Mirrorball – Elbow

Puncture Repair – Elbow

Stand By Me – Ben E King

Lean on Me – Ben E King

Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers

Always Take The Weather With You – The Booze Bros

L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. – Noah and the Whale

Everybody’s Changing – Lily Allen

She’s Always A Woman – Billy Joel

Time After Time – Eva Cassidy

Jealousy – Will Young

Your Love Keeps Lifting Me (Higher and Higher) – Jackie Wilson

I Want You Back – The Jackson 5

Roll Away Your Stone – Mumford & Sons

Nobody – ELIZA

Wild World – Mr Big

Everyday Is Like Sunday – Morrisey

If There’s Any Justice – Lamar

Leave Right Now – Will Young

Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds

World Shut Your Mouth – Julian Cope

What Time Do You Call This? – Elbow

Gone, Gone, Gone – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep – Middle of the Road

Jealous Guy – Roxy Music

Breakfast At Tiffany’s – Deep Blue Something

Sunday Girl – Blondie

Heart of Glass – Blondie

Golden Touch – Razorlight

Hanging On Too Long – Duffy

White Lies – Paolo Nutini

These Streets – Paolo Nutini

Rewind – Paolo Nutini

We’re Not Right – David Gray

My Oh My – David Gray

Please Forgive Me – David Gray

I Can Never Be – Maverick Sabre

Open My Eyes – Maverick Sabre

Trouble – Ray Lamontagne

Home – Villagers

Ship of Promises – Villagers

My Lighthouse – Villagers

Just Friends – Amy Winehouse

Yesterday – The Beatles

Somewhere Only We Know – Keane

Gracious – Ben Howard

The Line – Noah and The Whale

Wild Thing – Noah and the Whale

How You Remind Me – Nickleback

Fall For Anything – The Script

Talk You Down – The Script

We Cry – The Script

You Could Be Happy – Snow Patrol

Little Lies – Fleetwood Mac

I Know It’s Over – The Smiths

Last Goodbye – Jeff Buckley

Who Am I – Will Young

Breakaway – George Ezra

Did You Hear The Rain? – George Ezra

The Pieces Don’t Fit Anymore – James Morrison

 Marauders:

I Predict A Riot – Keiser Chiefs

Pass Out – Tinie Tempah

Trouble Maker – Olly Murs, Flo Rida

Friday I’m In Love – The Cure

Dance Wiv Me – Dizzie Rascal, Calvin Harris

Hey Ya! – OutKast

Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand

Mr Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra

Enola Gay – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

1999 – Prince

Lippy Kids – Elbow

One Day Like This – Elbow

My Sad Captains – Elbow

Weather to Fly – Elbow

Station Approach – Elbow

Together in Electric Dreams – The Human League

Walking On Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves

L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. – Noah and the Whale

Good People – Jack Johnson

Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners

Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys

Teenage Kicks – The Undertones

Beautiful Day – U2

You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – Bachman Turner Overdrive

Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey

December 1963 (Oh What A Night) – The Family

I Will Wait – Mumford & Sons

More Than A Feeling – Boston

Stole The Show – Kygo, Parson James

September – Earth, Wind & Fire

Off The Wall – Michael Jackson

Life Is A Rollercoaster – Ronan Keating

Gold – Spandau Ballet

Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve

We Are Young – Fun

Everybody Wants To Rule The World – Tears For Fears

K2 – Elbow

Head for Supplies – Elbow

Dancing in the Moonlight – Toploader

Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles

Night Fever – Bee Gees

California Dreamin’ – The Mammas and the Pappas

Feel Good Inc. – Gorillaz

1973 – James Blunt

Half The World Away – Oasis

I Need A Holiday – Scouting For Girls

Keep On Walking – Scouting For Girls

Never Miss A Beat – Kaiser Chiefs

Paradise – Coldplay

Candy – Paolo Nutini

Make It Better – Gary Nock

Shine – Take That

Ride Wit Me – Nelly, City Spud

Handlebars – Flobots

Inbetween Days – The Cure

Expectations – Belle & Sebastian

Old Pine – Ben Howard

5 Years’ Time – Noah and the Whale

Old Joy – Noah and the Whale

Waiting For My Chance To Come – Noah and the Whale

Just Me Before We Met – Noah and the Whale

Give It All Back – Noah and the Whale

Tonight’s The Kind of Night – Noah and the Whale

Life is Life – Noah and the Whale

Holidays In The Sun – Sex Pistols

All Star – Smash Mouth

Jesus is a Rochdale Girl – Elbow

Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac

Express Yourself – Labrinth

Let The Sun Shine – Labrinth

Riptide – Vance Joy

Dog Days Are Over – Florence and the Machine

Older Chests – Damien Rice

Eskimo – Damien Rice

Big Bad World – Kodaline

Brand New Day – Kodaline

If anyone wants them as actual Spoitfy playlists do ask, cos I’m always a slut for wasting my time

#marauders #harry potter #playlist #masterpost #james potter #Sirius black #severus snape #lily evans #peter pettigrew #remus lupin #70s #80s #90s #Fleetwood mac #noah and the whale #elbow #Damien rice #james morrison #the beatles #ben e king #bill withers #nostaliga #music

[zrtranscripts]

Radio Abel, Season Three

Part 2 of 7

ZOE CRICK: And we're back. So, as we were saying before the break, Eugene and I have been working on a little project recently. Lots of the messages we get from our listeners include their own stories of surviving the outbreak, and what they did in the days since.

A lot of these are very personal and often very touching, so we didn't want to belittle these experiences by prattling on about them. Instead, we wanted to play you all a collection of these stories, to give them the respect they deserve.

EUGENE WOODS: Exactly. We know how hard it is to talk about experiences like these, but we also know how important it is to do so. So here we go: your stories of the outbreak.

CALLER: How did I survive? Well, I'm a family practice physician, and my patient, Mister Smith, started to change while I was getting ready to go into the room to see him. It's like nothing I'd ever seen before. I yelled for my nurse. That was a bad idea. I was able to get myself out of the way, but he attacked her. The next thing I know – something different – he started to change faster, and so did she. We later found out he was patient zero here in the Portland/Vancouver area.

Well, I cornered them into the exam room as best I could. The only thing I had available was one of the electronic automatic defibrillators. It wasn't the best idea, because when it went off, I ended up with two zombies that were partially on fire. The only thing I had left was the ax that was near the fire extinguisher. I was able to finish them off, and that's the only way I survived.

SCOTT: Hey, guy! My name's Scott. Long time listener, first time caller. [laughs] I've always wanted to say that. Before the zoms, I was actually a radio DJ myself! Strange to be on this side of things. You're doing great, by the way. Keep up the great work.

Um, but... memories. One of the things I always enjoyed doing before the outbreak was to sit out under the fall evening sky with my wife, and I'd play her songs on my guitar. And those were always such peaceful moments. That's actually what my wife and I were doing when we got the word of the outbreak. A neighbor screamed the details from his yard as he was packing his family into the car, and they ended up speeding away.

I can't remember his name, and we'd been neighbors for three years. I take time to learn names now, though. Might sound funny, but somehow it seems more important. Anyhow, uh, even with the heads up from my neighbor – man, I wish I could remember his name – we just didn't move fast enough. It's amazing how quickly things can shift from calm and peaceful to just utter chaos! I still play guitar from time to time, it's just a little harder to do without her.

CALLER: During my second year of college, uh, there was this one storm in April that knocked down a bunch of trees on campus, and we lost power for two whole days. So my friends and I spent the next two days making blanket forts and raiding my supply of glow sticks, and joking about what we would do if the apocalypse had actually happened.

Then it did, and I'm halfway across the world studying abroad while they're back in America. But mostly I just... I really want to know if they carried out our zombie escape plan, and if they actually are on some remote island in the Bahamas, making blanket forts again.

JACK HOLDEN: We'll be back with more of your stories after this.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Now it's time for more of your stories.

FIRST CALLER: I am – well, I was – an astronaut in training for NASA. My four crewmates and I were doing a six week mission in NEEMO, an underwater laboratory off the coast of Florida. We had been at 60 feet deep for about three weeks, simulating a trip to Mars. We were allowed to check in with our teammates on the surface – whom we referred to as Mission Control – for just a few minutes once each day.

On day 22, we made our daily check-in and were told several people had just come down with some sort of virus. We assumed it was a particularly nasty flu, maybe even food poisoning. On day 23 we got a very brief transmission that mentioned... well, zombies. But we just thought Mission Control was just playing a joke on us, although honestly, we didn't find it very funny. That was the last time we ever heard from Mission Control.

We waited three more days and then decided to abort the mission. It took us six hours to go through the decompression protocols, make it to the surface, and take our emergency boat back to shore. We never found a single living human.

SECOND CALLER: Hey. Thanks so much for all you do. It keeps my spirits up, even though some days, when I miss my dad and my dog, I feel bad just being here. Anyways, I thought that if I pass on something that lifts my heart, it might make me feel like I'm giving back.

On those dark days – or nights, really – I got outside and look up at the stars. The fact that we can not only see the brightest constellations like Orion or Ursa Minor, but without the light pollution, we can also see the glorious sweep of the Milky Way again. Teeny tiny stars that must be millions of light years away, shining down on us from so long ago.

I don't know... I guess feeling small makes me feel better. Weird, huh? Anyway, I better get back to digging for worms. We're going on a fishing trip today, and I can't wait to taste some fresh fish. Thanks!

THIRD CALLER: I missed hot chocolate. A lot. It kept running through my head as I ran from zombies, shot zombies, hid from zombies. I just couldn't stop thinking about it! So I snuck into town and raided a high-end chocolatier. Pulled a sack of vacuum-sealed powder out of the back.

Then I needed milk. Whole milk, the thick and creamy stuff. Did you know that milk cows go feral if you leave them alone long enough? Yeah. Did you know that feral milk cows make enough noise to attact zoms if you try to milk them? That was a fun surprise.

So, [coughs] now I'm sitting here in the rundown remains of a hastily-barricaded dairy farmhouse, heating this [coughs] milk very carefully so it doesn't scald, while the bite in my leg festers. I'm going to drink the best hot chocolate in the entire world, and then I'm going to use my last bullet. And it was totally worth it.

ZOE CRICK: I really hope that was one incredible hot chocolate.

JACK HOLDEN: I'm sure it was.

EUGENE WOODS: I just wanted to take a moment on behalf of all of us to thank everyone out there for sharing their stories. Our hearts go out to you all. Stay safe, everyone.

JACK HOLDEN: Now, our next set of messages are... pretty interesting.

EUGENE WOODS: I love them.

JACK HOLDEN: Well, you do have a well-documented love of crackpots and weirdos.

EUGENE WOODS: Still with you, aren't I?

JACK HOLDEN: ... walked right into that one, didn't I?

EUGENE WOODS: Could not have made it any easier.

JACK HOLDEN: Well, you know what they say -

ZOE CRICK: Do you think you could leave the flirting for the music break, boys? It's lovely and all, but -

EUGENE WOODS: Oh! Sorry. Guess we get a little -

JACK HOLDEN: - carried away. [laughs]

EUGENE WOODS: [laughs] - carried away sometimes. Anyway, the sounds you're about to hear are transmissions we picked up from across the pond. Ever since Janine upgraded the receivers around here, we've been catching bits and pieces of other stations out in the states, and we thought we'd bring you some of our favorites.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: They're your favorites. You left out the best one.

ZOE CRICK: Someone reading old phone books on the air hardly counts as entertainment, Phil.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Aw, it was soothing! She had such a calming voice. It was like listening to the shipping forecast.

ZOE CRICK: You really are a man of singular taste, aren't you?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well, you know what they say -

JACK HOLDEN: Oi!

PHIL CHEESEMAN: What?

JACK HOLDEN: Pot, kettle. Flirting.

PHIL CHEESEMAN and ZOE CRICK: We are not flirting!!

JACK HOLDEN: [snorts] We know, we know. Just colleagues. But the point stands. Now, let's get on with it, shall we?

EUGENE WOODS: Yeah, we're running on now. Let's do a song first.

JACK HOLDEN: You're the boss. And we'll be right back with our transatlantic transmissions.

JACK HOLDEN: Okay, here we go. Now this first transmission is certainly something special.

ZOE CRICK: [laughs] That's one way of putting it.

EUGENE WOODS: Here he is – Nick Trapezius, with Brawn of the Dead!

[epic rock music]

NICK: What up, swole-diers? This is Nick Trapezius, back with another Brawn of the Dead. Somebody asked me the other day, "Nick, why are you still hitting the gym and getting so huge? Doesn't the zombie plague mean we've got to be lean and mean?" No, ma, it does not. Running all day is fine if all you want to do is run away. But if you want the bad guys running from you, then size matters!

I know. "But Nick, zombies don't fear muscles." Doesn't matter, ma, because muscles don't fear zombies. You don't need a shotgun when you've got these guns. Sweet bicep flex. [rock music] Until next time, bros, this is Nick Trapezius saying keep picking things up and putting things down.

EUGENE WOODS: [imitates NICK] Ooh yeah! [ZOE CRICK laughs] You don't need a shotgun if you've got these guns.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Sound, sound advice.

JACK HOLDEN: [imitates NICK] Sweet bicep flex.

[ZOE CRICK and EUGENE WOODS laugh]

PHIL CHEESEMAN: We all heard the clip, guys.

EUGENE WOODS: [imitates NICK] Keep picking things up and putting things down.

[JACK HOLDEN and ZOE CRICK laugh]

PHIL CHEESEMAN: All right! Enough! Could you please play a song, Zoe?

ZOE CRICK: [imitates NICK] What's the matter, Phil? Did you never dream of being a swole-dier?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Not really, no. Music!

ZOE CRICK: [laughs] All right, all right, party pooper.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Okay, we're back! And even though it's not my favorite, here is a transmission that I did enjoy. We've got Father Neil here with some lovely biblical discussion.

[soothing music]

FATHER NEIL: Welcome to another episode of "Revelations." I'm Father Neil.

Thomas writes, "Father Neil, wasn't Jesus a zombie, since he rose from the dead?" Well, Thomas, I can't find a single instance in the Gospels of Jesus biting anyone, before or after the Resurrection. And while Christ did bear the marks of his crucifixion (John, chapter 20,) there is no mention that his flesh was rotting off his bones, which is, I think, something the apostles would have noticed.

So to answer your question, Thomas: no. Not everyone who rises from the dead is a zombie, just like not everyone who swims is a fish. [soothing music] Until next time, this is Father Neil, reminding you to praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition.

ZOE CRICK: Not exactly the most holy of discussions, is it?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: What do you mean?

ZOE CRICK: "Was Jesus a zombie?" It's hardly the stuff of great scripture.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well, in case you hadn't noticed, Zoe, we're a bit short on bishops and pastors right now, and I'd rather have this sort of discussion than some meathead talking about his "guns."

ZOE CRICK: [laughs] Am I detecting some jealousy here?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: What? Why do you think I'd be jealous?

ZOE CRICK: Well, it's not like you have an arsenal of your own, is it?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: How - ? I don't know - ! Oh, stick it up your arsenal. Play a song, would you?

ZOE CRICK: Ooh, touchy!

EUGENE WOODS: All right, we've had Phil's favorite -

PHIL CHEESEMAN: My second favorite.

EUGENE WOODS: - Phil's second favorite, so now it's time for mine.

JACK HOLDEN: Oh. Oh, it's so creepy.

EUGENE WOODS: Well, you know what I like.

JACK HOLDEN: ... I do. I do.

EUGENE WOODS: So here's Eric Luke, all the way from Hollywood.

[static]

ERIC: Hello? Hello? Is this transmission being received? Will I ever know? My name is Eric Luke. I am camped in the hills above what used to be Hollywood. I look out over the endless necropolis of the film industry, now crowded with zoms that careen through the streets with the same howling hunger for human flesh that propelled them through their careers.

I found a high-powered rifle scope the other day and was finally able to peer into the top floors of all the studio towers that I used to haunt, making pitch after pitch. I'll be damned if in every palatial penthouse office, there wasn't a rotting corpse sitting at every massive desk, staring into space. Some things never change.

Hard to believe, but with the city shut down, the desert is reclaiming its own. And it gets cold up here at night. To keep warm, I'm burning the Hollywood sign one bit at a time. First, it became Holywood. Then, Holywod. Then, Holywo. Then Howo, then Owo, then just O. Or zero. You tell me.

This is Eric Luke, signing off. Oh, and if you've got a second, I've written an audiobook called Interference. See, it's about an audiobook that starts killing people when they listen to it. And you're listening to it, see? And there's this guy, and he's – [drowned out by static]

JACK HOLDEN: Well, at least he's not as bad as Father Michael.

EUGENE WOODS: I still don't know why you hate that guy so much.

JACK HOLDEN: Uh, because he's about a 10,000 on the creepy scale. He's an evangelical preacher, and a conspiracy theorist. That's like sharks with lasers.

EUGENE WOODS: Yeah! Perfect! I wonder what happened to him.

JACK HOLDEN: Probably wandering around the wilderness somewhere, trapping people in pits or something.

ZOE CRICK: You know we have no idea what you're talking about, right?

JACK HOLDEN: Oh, it's um, it's just this old thing that Eugene thought was great, but actually it was really disturbing.

ZOE CRICK: Fair enough. Do we have any more recordings to play?

EUGENE WOODS: We do, actually. One more, and it's just for you two.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: This isn't another trick, is it?

EUGENE WOODS: No, no! Wouldn't dream of it! Don't worry! Let's have a song, and then we'll get back to our last transmission.

ZOE CRICK: Sounds good. Here's one for you, Eric.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: All right, Eugene, what do you have for us? I'm all nerves over here.

EUGENE WOODS: This is something that came in the other night. Jack, ready?

JACK HOLDEN: Yup! Here we go.

CALLER: So the camp I'm at is letting us send out messages, try to find family if we can. I don't have anyone left, and I promised myself I'd do this if I ever could, so... before all this, I had a crazy overactive conscience. Like, "couldn't even be mean in video games" level of guilt. Not really surprised it never went away, even given the circumstances.

Jack, Eugene, you guys were a bit of bright in this darkness. And Phil and Zoe, when you took over, I judged you guys unfairly, and since then, it's been eating me up that I did that. Solo shows, all together – you guys are helping people feel safe and happy, and that's huge. So I'm sorry, even if it doesn't mean anything to you guys. Guilty conscience, promised myself, all that. So there it is. Thanks for everything. All of you.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Oh...

ZOE CRICK: What a nice message.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: You didn't... like us?

ZOE CRICK: Not the point, Phil.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: But-but we were trying so hard!

ZOE CRICK: They like us now! That was the whole point of the message.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Yeah, but... I thought we were doing a good job.

ZOE CRICK: We are doing a good job.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well, but - !

ZOE CRICK: Listener, thank you for your message. It was very sweet of you to let us know, and we're glad we brought you around.

JACK HOLDEN: Amen. Listeners, uh, well, it's been great to hear all your messages, and we want to thank you all for sending them in.

EUGENE WOODS: We really couldn't do what we do without you guys, and we hope we've brought a little light into your lives, wherever you are.

ZOE CRICK: But that's all we have time for right now, so until next time: stay safe out there, everyone.

ALL: Stay safe out there!

[paper rustles]

PHIL CHEESEMAN: [clears throat] The names for tonight: Olivia Bore, Joseph Cates, Hailey Corlitt, Fay Corney, John Crips, Christina Decker, Peter Grier, Odelle Kennan, Duncan Knox, Alexander Lassiter, Sonja Liggens, Jared Little, Anita Little, Bertram Lund, Finn McDonald, Danielle Onstadt, Dale Platt, Marguerite Robicheau, Gillian Scoville, Lucien Siba, Omar Sip, Louise Stockhard, Marty Stockhard, Katherine Williamson, Sigrid Witter. May they all find peace. We return shortly.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: And now, a moment of silence in which to remember all of those we've lost. Let us give special thought to those out there who knew today's interred.

[silence]

[door opens]

EUGENE WOODS: Oh, hi, Phil! I, uh... sorry, uh...

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Shh.

[silence]

PHIL CHEESEMAN: [whispers] In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti, amen. [out loud] Sorry, Eugene. Can't sleep? Want to sit down.

EUGENE WOODS: Yeah. Thanks.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: No problem. We're about to go for a break anyway. Listeners, we'll return shortly.

EUGENE WOODS: So you do this every night?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Unless I'm ill or there's an emergency or something, yeah.

EUGENE WOODS: And the names?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Uh, the cleanup crew make sure to check for I.D.s or anything before the burial. I asked them to start keeping a list.

EUGENE WOODS: That's... that's very kind, Phil. Why do you do it on your own?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I don't know. It felt right, I suppose, and I wasn't really sure Zoe would understand.

EUGENE WOODS: I don't know. She puts up a tough front, but -

PHIL CHEESEMAN: - she's a softie, really. Yeah, yeah, I know. Still, felt like something I should do on my own. [laughs] Uh, my granny used to tell me how she waited for my granddad to come home. All those weeks waiting, not knowing if it would be him knocking at the door or if it would be a letter from the Army. She said not knowing was the worst thing.

When I started doing the radio, I thought, you know, if only there'd been a man on the radio for my gran. We can't send letters anymore, but I thought for the people we know are gone, we can do this. Because knowing is better than not.

EUGENE WOODS: I... yeah. Yeah, I suppose it is.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Would you like a cup of tea?

EUGENE WOODS: That'd be nice, thanks.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: No problem. Here's a song while they brew up.

[PHIL CHEESEMAN snores]

EUGENE WOODS: [slurps tea, sighs] Hm. Oh. Oops. [laughs]

[PHIL CHEESEMAN snores]

EUGENE WOODS: [sighs] Good morning, guys. Afraid it's just me right now. Phil's asleep, and uh, well, I'm not sure where everyone else is. [clears throat] It's nice to have some peace, to be honest.

One of the things about the apocalypse – one of the things you don't think about before it happens – is how hard it is to get your own space. You're living in each other's pockets, sharing a bathroom with dozens of other people. You can't go off anywhere in case you get, you know, eaten. [laughs]

But I guess you have to take pleasure in the small things, sometimes. So I'm going to sit here with the sun coming up, trying to ignore Phil's alarmingly heavy breathing, and enjoy this cup of tea.

[PHIL CHEESEMAN snores]

ZOE CRICK: [indistinct conversation from outside of the room] It took me a while to get used to it, as well, but you'll soon learn the layout. I once got lost trying to find a bathroom, somehow ended up on the other side of the castle, [laughs] locked in a pantry! [JACK HOLDEN laughs] Oh, here we are.

[door opens]

JACK HOLDEN: Ah, home away from home sweet home. Aw, hey, Gene! I was wondering where you'd got to.

EUGENE WOODS: Shh! [whispers] Phil's sleeping!

JACK HOLDEN: Oh! Oh. [laughs]

ZOE CRICK: Oh God. Again? The amount of times I find him sleeping up here, you'd swear he didn't have a bed to go to.

JACK HOLDEN: Shove up a bit.

EUGENE WOODS: All right, all right.

ZOE CRICK: [quietly] Phil. Phil! Wakey-wakey! [out loud] Oh, for God's sake. Phil!

PHIL CHEESEMAN: [jolts awake] Good - good rise, ci-ti-zens! It's time for morning and shine here on Radio Cabel!

[others laugh]

ZOE CRICK: You're a true pro, Phil. Come on. Let's give you some time to wake up, eh? Listeners, your normal programming will resume shortly.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: [mutters] Tea.

ZOE CRICK: All right, and we're back! How are you feeling, Phil?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: [yawns] Oh, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Thanks, Zoe. You're not normally up this early.

ZOE CRICK: No. I promised to show Jack the ropes in the breakfast line.

EUGENE WOODS: Ah, getting the grand tour without me, eh, Jacky boy?

JACK HOLDEN: Yeah, well, we couldn't find you. Sorry.

EUGENE WOODS: Hey, no problem. I was enjoying a nice cup of tea with Sleeping Beauty here. Any insider tips for the New Canton resident?

JACK HOLDEN: Ah, well, you know how in Abel, you have to get lottery tickets for laundry and showers and stuff?

EUGENE WOODS: I remember the smell in the shower

JACK HOLDEN: Yeah, well here, it's all divided by where you live, and you get to do laundry and showering and stuff according to that.

EUGENE WOODS: Okay, I see how that could work. When's our next day?

JACK HOLDEN: Uh, well, we're in Unit 15, so um... Zoe?

ZOE CRICK: A week on Thursday.

JACK HOLDEN: Oh.

EUGENE WOODS: Great.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Oh, don't worry, Eugene. I've  been keeping something to one side for this very occasion.

ZOE CRICK: Clean socks?

EUGENE WOODS: Deoderant.

JACK HOLDEN: Febreze? ... what? It's an effective solution to certain hygiene issues.

EUGENE WOODS: No comment.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: But no, it's none of those. What I do have is this tub of Vicks VapoRub.

JACK HOLDEN: Phil! I did not take you for a raver, you sneaky beast.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: What?

JACK HOLDEN: Oh. Uh, nothing.

EUGENE WOODS: I'm not sure I see how this is going to be useful.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well, Eugene, I'm glad you asked. You see, all you need to do is take a little bit of the stuff and rub it just under your nose.

EUGENE WOODS: ... okay...

PHIL CHEESEMAN: See? Now you can't smell anything. [sniffs]

EUGENE WOODS: Oh God. My eyes are watering. Oh God, this is strong stuff, Phil. Ow, ow, wow, wow. This is powerful.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well, um... sorry. You might want to wipe that off, then. But trust me, once it gets muggy in those bedrooms, you'll be glad of a bit of menthol.

EUGENE WOODS: I'll take your word for it. Okay, listeners, we're going to send you off for a song while I get this stuff off my lip.

ZOE CRICK: [laughs] Back soon, guys.

EUGENE WOOD: So, I tell a story -

JACK HOLDEN: No no no, you tell two stories, one true, and one false.

ZOE CRICK: And then we all guess which is which.

JACK HOLDEN: Right, right. And if you get it wrong -

PHIL CHEESEMAN: We drink some cider.

EUGENE WOODS: And why can't we just drink cider anyways?

JACK HOLDEN: Because this is more fun, Eugene. Come on!

EUGENE WOODS: Fine, fine. Okay, who goes first, then?

JACK HOLDEN: Phil.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: No. Uh, I mean, uh, why don't you go first and show us how it's done?

JACK HOLDEN: [sighs] Fine! Okay. So, um... [whispers] sorry, I need to think of a story. Uh, story... Uh, okay, story. Here we go. [clears throat] So, I have been arrested -

ZOE CRICK: Truth.

JACK HOLDEN: Ha ha ha. No, no, I've been arrested. Was it either for a) being naked in the town hall, or b) stealing a bottle of wine from an off-license?

ZOE CRICK: Hmm. Okay, let's figure it out. You probably would have got off with a caution for public indecency, but not for stealing.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: You seem to know a lot about this, Zoe.

ZOE CRICK: You haven't heard my stories yet, Phil.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: All right, all right. So it's probably A, right? Jack's never been to prison, have you, Jack?

EUGENE WOODS: It's B.

ZOE CRICK: You sure?

JACK HOLDEN: No no no, don't listen to him!

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Ah, you've let it slip. Eugene's sure to know all this stuff. It's B. I choose B!

ZOE CRICK: Okay, B.

JACK HOLDEN: Nope! It was A.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: What?

JACK HOLDEN: Everyone drink!

PHIL CHEESEMAN: That's a gyp. Eugene was so certain.

EUGENE WOODS: Oh no, I knew it was A. I just wanted to drink some cider.

JACK HOLDEN: Speaking of which, drink up, everyone. Forfeit's for stalling in my game.

JACK HOLDEN: Okay, Zoe's turn.

ZOE CRICK: Oh God. Okay, okay, um... okay, so. Story one: I have broken so many bones that my local hospital has enough X-rays to make up a complete X-ray version of me. Story two: I have never been admitted to hospital.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Uh, definitely one. Zoe is super super clumsy.

EUGENE WOODS: I don't know, that's a lot of broken bones. But then, it's also hard to believe that you've never been to hospital.

JACK HOLDEN: Well, my uncle was like 70 and he's always said he'd never been admitted to hospital.

EUGENE WOODS: Your uncle is also an inveterate liar, Jack.

JACK HOLDEN: Oh... oh yeah, yeah. Um... whatever. Story one is true. That's my guess.

EUGENE WOODS: You're so wrong. Story two.

ZOE CRICK: Phil? What's your poison?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Oh God, I don't know. [sighs] On one hand, my first thought was story one, but then maybe it's two, and... okay, yup. Two, two, two. It's two.

ZOE CRICK: Wrong! I was a very clumsy child.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Damn! This game is going to kill my liver.

[ZOE CRICK laughs]

JACK HOLDEN: Hey, you're the one that made the cider, buddy.

ZOE CRICK: Exactly. It's your own fault, Phil, for giving us such encouragement. Now get drinking.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: All right. Seems I can't seem to pick the right thing, and I don't want to die from booze, I think it's my turn to tell some, um... uh, to... stories.

EUGENE WOODS: Yep, yep.

JACK HOLDEN: The floor is yours, Philip.

ZOE CRICK: Oh, I like that!

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Right, right, right. Okay, okay. Uh, story one: I am the reigning world champion at the game Donkey Kong... Junior. Story two: when I was a baby, I was the face of a popular brand of toilet tissue.

ZOE CRICK: Two.

JACK HOLDEN: Yup.

EUGENE WOODS: Has to be.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Wait, don't you want to have a chat, or...

ZOE CRICK: Nope. Definitely two.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Bugger. Fine, yeah.

EUGENE WOODS: What can we say, Phil? It's just clear you were a very, very cute baby.

JACK HOLDEN: Hey, hey, wait, wait, now you have to drink, because we all got it right, and we're the best, and you suck!

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Seriously?

ZOE CRICK: Yeah. It's the rules.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: This game is the worst.

ZOE CRICK: I'm really not sure.

JACK HOLDEN: Oh, come on, Zoe! It'll be fun!

ZOE CRICK: It's not exactly my idea of a relaxing getaway.

JACK HOLDEN: Well sure, we'll be working, sort of, but still -

EUGENE WOODS: It'll be nice to get out, have an adventure, meet some new people, see some new places -

ZOE CRICK: Like the inside of a zom's stomach?

EUGENE WOODS: We'll have protection.

ZOE CRICK: Forgive me if I don't have much faith in the ministry's goons. They can't even land a bloody helicopter properly.

EUGENE WOODS: Hey, to be fair, I think that was a mechanical failure.

JACK HOLDEN: Smoke monster.

EUGENE WOODS: Mechanical smoke monster failure, right.

ZOE CRICK: Still. How do we know they'll keep us safe?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: We don't.

ZOE CRICK: Exactly.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: No, I mean, we don't know it for sure, but listen. We can stay here for the rest of our lives, staring out at the world, straining to hear whatever scraps of news come our way until we starve, or die of old age, or zoms break through the walls, or whatever.

Or we can take the Ministry up on their kind offer, roll out the gates in that van, tour the country raising morale, find out how people are living out there, and spread the good word. We can survive stuck in here, or we can go out and live out there.

JACK HOLDEN: I think I'm going to cry.

EUGENE WOODS: That was a very rousing speech, Phil.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Thanks, Gene.

ZOE CRICK: Oh, bloody hell.

JACK HOLDEN: Are you in? You're in, aren't you? Yes! She's in! [laughs] [sings] "We're all going on a zombie holiday. No more sitting in this stupid room."

ZOE CRICK: I already regret this decision. [laughs]

EUGENE WOODS: So, it's decided, then.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Yup.

EUGENE WOODS: We're going for it.

JACK HOLDEN: We are actually bloody going for it.

ZOE CRICK: I guess we are. Yeah. Yeah, let's do it.

EUGENE WOODS: It's decided, then!

ZOE CRICK: It's decided.

EUGENE WOODS: Cool!

JACK HOLDEN: Cool, cool, cool!

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Torch.

ZOE CRICK: Check.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Spare batteries for torch.

ZOE CRICK: Uh, you're kidding, right? Spares?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: [laughs] I know. Nice one, Mister "CDC Emergency Preparedness Plan." What are we, made of batteries?

ZOE CRICK: "Pleased to meet you, dear chap. Mister Pennyfeather Cornelius Rockefeller at your service. Here, have some batteries. No, no, I insist. They're spares." [sighs] That was a bit of a long walk, wasn't it?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Yeah. Just a bit. Anyway, the torch is one of those windup doofers.

ZOE CRICK: All right, what's next?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Thermal blankets.

ZOE CRICK: Pair of old rugs, check.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Tinned food?

ZOE CRICK: Hunting knife and trapping cord, check.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Bottled water.

ZOE CRICK: Having lived like this for bloody ages and knowing how to clean your own water, check.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Okay. Last one: "Though we do not condone violence in any situation, it would be wise to have something with which to defend yourself."

[weapons clatter]

ZOE CRICK: Check.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: My God, Zoe, that's... that's a lot of weapons. Is that a machete?

ZOE CRICK: Runner Sixty-Two owed me some favors.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I thought you were the non-violent type.

ZOE CRICK: Well, you know what they say: better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well, yes, but this looks like you're planning an armed coup in a Central American state.

ZOE CRICK: Viva la revolución!

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Quite. Ooh, can I take the ax.

ZOE CRICK: But that's my favorite!

EUGENE WOODS: [clears throat] All righty, what's on the list?

[paper rustles]

JACK HOLDEN: Spare jumpers.

EUGENE WOODS: Check.

JACK HOLDEN: Bobblehead dog from that insurance advert.

EUGENE WOODS: Check.

JACK HOLDEN: Flappy hat.

EUGENE WOODS: Check.

JACK HOLDEN: Sword.

EUGENE WOODS: Check.

JACK HOLDEN: Sir Geoffrey the cricket bat.

EUGENE WOODS: Check.

JACK HOLDEN: Swanny the cricket ball.

EUGENE WOODS: Check.

JACK HOLDEN: No Pun Intended.

EUGENE WOODS: Oh God, not that, please.

JACK HOLDEN: Oh, come on! Look, you know it's dear to my heart. I had to trade my flick knife for this. You remember, with that girl in that hotel.

EUGENE WOODS: I remember Ashley, Jack, but that doesn't mean I like the jokes.

JACK HOLDEN: Look, I'm still packing it.

EUGENE WOODS: Fine, whatever. What's next?

JACK HOLDEN: A hug.

EUGENE WOODS: You are such a softy! Aw, come here.

[JACK HOLDEN and EUGENE WOODS hug]

EUGENE WOODS: So it's north to start with?

ZOE CRICK: Yup. Until we hit this settlement here.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: They're going to take us in?

ZOE CRICK: Mm, the Ministry says they've agreed to resupply us and let us shelter there for a couple of nights.

JACK HOLDEN: Well, that's nice of them.

ZOE CRICK: I imagine they're getting something in return. Increased patrols, medicine. Hell, even just food.

EUGENE WOODS: I had no idea we were so important.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well, we are post-apocalypse Britain's flagship light entertainment and informational broadcast.

JACK HOLDEN: Fancy. You just made that up, didn't you?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well, not just.

ZOE CRICK: Moving on. After that, we'll head east northeast for a while. The Ministry's keen that we include some coastal settlements on the tour.

EUGENE WOODS: Must want to make sure they hold up until trade routes can be restored.

JACK HOLDEN: Either that, or they want to make sure we get nice tans.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: On a British beach?

JACK HOLDEN: All right. Either that, or they want to make sure we get bitten to death by midges.

ZOE CRICK: Sounds about right. And after that, well, they've told us we'll receive further instruction en route.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Sounds like a plan to me.

EUGENE WOODS: So what do we do now?

ZOE CRICK: Now we wait for the green light.

JACK HOLDEN: All right. So, music it is.

#zombies run #zrs3 #s3 radio #s3 radio part 2 #zr transcript

[thejustinmarshall]

Collective Soul Drummer Johnny Rabb Excited About Current Tour

Interview by Danny Coleman 

“We co-headline with 3 Doors Down and it’s a lot of fun. You get up there and you look at the set lists of the bands and you go, man it’s like a dang radio hit show, it’s exciting and I love watching the audience line up and say, wow I remember that song and our true followers; we still do pack’em in and we pack a lot into each set per show and it’s a lot of fun. We try to do the best every night and we never take it for granted that we’re getting to play live in front of fans as well.” 

Collective Soul drummer Johnny Rabb makes no attempt to hide his excitement over the current tour they share with the aforementioned 3 Doors Down and Soul Asylum. Thus far, Rabb is very pleased with the early results and seems very optimistic going forward.

“It’s going great! I was talking with Chet (Roberts) the guitar player from 3 Doors Downand he goes, man the combination of hits and the songs between these bands and I don’t mean that we’re talking about ourselves as great writers even though Ed (Vocalist/front man Roland) is; he wasn’t being arrogant but the combo in a night of hits that have been on the radio is so great and the crowd is enjoying it and everyone is having a good time and listening to songs that everyone knows is kind of cool. You’ve got three bands with a lot of history and a lot of songs, it’s awesome.”

Collective Soul has been recording and touring for more than two decades and in today’s instant gratification society, many groups have taken to touring with their peers and performing high energy, “Greatest Hits” type sets. When asked if Collective Soul falls into that realm; Rabb readily elaborated,“That’s awesome that you asked that but again we’re coming up on 25 years and I’ve known about these guys even from back in my Nashville days and then more when they came about in the late 90’s. We are definitely including new songs in the set and of course each night we have limited time no matter what we’re doing so the crowd is getting to hear all of the hits plus at least three new songs that we’ve been in studio recording that nobody has heard. So it’s pretty exciting to play these new songs for people as well as the hits; it’s a well rounded set of music each night. We have 19 songs recorded and in the can right now ready to be released next year.”

A possible new album with 19 songs? Sounds like the band has been busy; so when can we expect this new work to be released and will it be more than one record?“I’ve heard rumors about the double album idea. We’re big fans of still releasing on vinyl and we literally have those songs ready and it’s funny going back and listening now because we did 10 of the songs in 2017 and nine songs this year. Ed will be the final word on that but yeah, a lot of new music ready to go.”

New music is relative to one’s perspective. New to the band or new musical sounds or styles can mean different things to different people and there’s neutrality in Rabb’s take on today’s, “New” music.

“I have two daughters so the radio when I’m driving them to school is pretty much on their station but I try to expose them to what we’re doing and what bands my wife and I grew up on in the 80’s with satellite radio in the car. I think there are some great new bands out there but personally nothing that I totally rally behind but I do give them credit as far as production and the new styles that people are doing. I’m a big electronic music fan myself so I’m not anti anything, I don’t think it’s the same but again I’m 46 and I’ve got my own opinions on how bands were bands back in the day. You get together, you rehearse, you play, you know like in our band; five guys playing together, real instruments playing rock. Ed writes the songs then we get our parts going and literally rock; if one of us stops playing then that’s it you can hear it. I think today is just different, a lot of it is done on full laptops and that’s about it; nothing wrong with that but I still love just rock and old pop rock music. It’s a whole new generation of stuff, I guess that’s just how it goes but hats off to anyone who is doing it now but it’s just a different vibe for sure.”

Rabb began playing drums at a very young age and gained experience as he discovered various genres and through this has become a well rounded player; a percussive chameleon of sorts.

“I started playing as a kid when I was eight years old, was self taught at first and then had lessons. Then some friend of my brothers played, “Exit Stage Left” when we were camping and I was like; what is this stuff? I grew up with Rush and Neil Peart was kind of the main reason that I got started and then I got into Yes. Then all of these little instructional videos started coming out and that’s a whole different sign of the times as well; Steve Smith’s, “Threshold” video came out and I didn’t even realize he was with Journey, I just knew him as Steve Smith the jazz, funk, fusion drummer and he and I have become really good friends and he’s such a great guy and probably my biggest influence but that whole era of late 70’s and early 80’s drummers were my inspiration. Luckily, I’ve gotten to meet all but a few of them at either drum clinics or festivals and that kind of blows my mind now; I didn’t think I’d ever be able to meet them let alone share a stage with them. All of my influences I’ve had the opportunity to meet, see or have dinners with and talk shop. So the whole drum hero journey has been a really cool thing for me.”

Another of Rabb’s favorite drummers comes from one of the greatest rock lineages of all time, “We got to tour with Jason Bonham and Sammy Hagar last summer and I think Jason is just slaying it with what he’s doing. I think it’s very genuine and not just only, hey look I’m Jason Bonham and I’m related; I think he’s got his own artistic value going on, he’s so good! Sometimes I’d be on side stage and I’d be jumping up and down because he’s so powerful and good.”

So with varied tastes and an education to boot; is there any period of adjustment to be made when he saddles up to perform with Collective Soul and how does he balance his predecessors styles with his own?

“I play the songs and nightly I pay tribute to the past drummers that have been with them. We’re all friends and there’s such respect and I think over the years, I’ve adapted to give them what they want whether it’s the way I’m hitting or what they want musically. My background is funk, pop, jazz, fusion and I went to Berklee and was schooled in that and I have all that background. So that just kind of comes through, I definitely try and bring to it the correct feel and approach to these gigs and I love it. This is a heavy hitting gig and I love the guys, they’re second family to me.”

Respect is key and Rabb is currently paying it to a classic drum manufacturer as well. Playing a set of drums which pre-date him, Rabb sees the value in experimentation and visiting the past as well as living in the present.

” I was doing the endorsement thing for years and I stopped and then I did it again and I just recently stopped again so I could play whatever I wanted to play whether it be new or vintage. Right now I’m playing a ’69 Rogers Holiday kit with a white acrylic gloss wrap that’s really fun. I had a sparkle kit on the 2012 tour but this one is white and our stage set up has a lot of white in it so it works. There’s so many great drum companies out there which is kind of one of the reasons why I stopped doing the endorsements because I wanted to be able to explore and go back to the reasons that I started playing.”

“The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express Tour” makes two stops in the Garden State; the first is August 11 in Holmdel at the PNC Bank Arts Center and the second is August 19 at The Borgata Event Center in Atlantic City. There are VIP packages and single tickets available for both shows and prices vary at each venue.

So what will Rabb do when this very busy tour comes to an end?“It sounds cliche but I love my family; we’ll hang out, we have a pet dog and he’s awesome. I’ll write music, I have a drum studio, I’ll teach, I do consulting for some drum companies and in the off times it’s rest. The tour will end but there will be some spot gigs like a club or a theater show; we’ll continue to do that. Also Ed never stops writing which is amazing so we may even be in the studio. There’s talk of more studio time in early 2019 and I love that he wants to keep writing. We keep in touch, we do things, so it doesn’t stop when the tours end.”

To discover more about Collective Soul, the tour or ticket information; please go to www.collectivesoul.com.

Danny Coleman (Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled “Rock On Radio” airing Sunday evenings at 10 p.m. EST on multiple internet radio outlets where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.)

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[alternative-eyes]

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W3AWx4xK6SY/Ww7BQnTgy-I/AAAAAAAAj1w/hkZVPNz9-jcUa6wjMUJ46vtdSEapJlY2gCLcBGAs/s72-c/Nova%2BWonders.jpg

Are we redundant?

     Ohh, PBS – you are such a slut! Flashing that UFO booty in De Void’s face like Sally Rand’s ostrich feathers on the front end, as if you really liked me. Then you go and make me sit through an entire hour-long performance of what turned out to be an update of the same old G-rated middle-aged where’s-ET? ho-hum I’ve been enduring for 20 years now. And you never give me another jiggle of that UFO money-maker. Ohh, you are so lowdown.

By Billy Cox De Void 5-15-18

In case you missed it: “Are We Alone?” – the latest installment of PBS’ new “NOVA Wonders” series – really grabbed De Void by the eyeballs last week when it opened near the top with a clip of the now-famous F-18 “gimbal” video, the one that left experienced Navy fighter pilots so jazzed and openly baffled. Unfortunately, the sequence wasn’t the subject, just a segue. There was a but coming. There is always a but coming. “But,” wonders the narrator, “what’s the reality?” The reality is a formula, a formula we’ve seen more times than we can count. The “Are We Alone?” playbook goes something like this: Discuss ongoing and future NASA projects for detecting ET life elsewhere — check. A bit about how microscopic extremophiles thriving in acidic heat vents might mimic alien life on planetary moons — check. Celebrate SETI visionaries Jill Tarter and Seth Shostak — check. Blow off the UFO stuff with maybe a line or two — got it. The most unique thing about “Are We Alone?” was the timing. It aired last Wednesday, just hours after The Atlantic broke a story about a congressional committee attempting (in April) to funnel $10 million in NASA funds into the quote “search for technosignatures, such as radio transmissions.” It’s a big deal only in the sense that Congress hasn’t seen fit to toss SETI any bones in more than 20 years. $10 million isn’t a lot of money, barely enough to cover three (3) Bradley Fighting Vehicles. But “technosignatures” – that’s a pretty broad category, right? And what have the MSM been covering, albeit erratically, for the past five months or so: Navy pilot testimony, the F-18 footage, and real-time recordings among commercial pilots, air traffic controllers and the FAA concerning UFO incursions into American skyways. Why wouldn’t these qualify as technosignatures? Well, if you read The Atlantic piece – “Congress Is Quietly Nudging NASA to Look for Aliens” – you’d never know any of that stuff ever happened. The article focused exclusively on the “such as radio transmissions” clause, which set the tone for every last syllable of subsequent media parroting, from Fox News (“Alien Shocker”) to Fleet Street. Between the Atlantic spread and the publicity bounce from its prime-time PBS platform, SETI might’ve gotten more coverage in one news cycle than it has over the last couple of years combined. And that’s a pretty nifty trick, given how ostensibly enamored the media was of last December’s reveal about the Pentagon’s deeply buried UFO research program. What gave the news about the Defense Department’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program a special zing was its bipartisan initiation by three powerful senior U.S. Senators. Considering how AATIP commanded a $22 million expense account, or more than twice the proposed SETI funding, why wouldn’t a reporter with national resources leverage that precedent by asking House sponsors something like, “Hey, shouldn’t some of the focus be conducted in our own atmosphere, especially since the DoD’s Threat ID Program made it a priority?” Too bad The Atlantic didn’t go there. At least they found time to mention how one SETI enthusiast, GOP Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, is a climate change denier. Anyhow, for whatever reason, it looks like Capitol Hill may be ready once again to invest in combing deep space for technosignatures. Even though, thanks to a paper published in February by scientists at the Sonneberg Observatory and the University of Hawaii’s physics and astronomy department, there may be a little less incentive to follow through now. They warned that ET radio messages could pose an “existential threat” to Earthlings. Conceding the odds are minimal, the authors nevertheless argue Earth can’t discount the possibility that ET’s first message to us could involve extortion. Earth mortals: Do XYZ or we’ll ABC. Or maybe the act of downloading ET’s promised recipe for curing cancer will unleash a worldwide computer virus. “Our main argument,” they write, “is that a message from ETI cannot be decontaminated with certainty … The technical risks are impossible to assess beforehand. We may only choose to destroy such a message, or take the risk. The risk for humanity may be small, but not zero.” “Hey, check this out. It’s been 1.2 million years but it looks like we finally got the callback signal from ET we’ve been waiting for.” “Too bad. Guess we oughtta go ahead and delete …” The last time astronomers went to Congress hat in hand, back in 2014, Shostak and SETI colleague Dan Werthimer ran into a bunch of committee fishheads who barely knew what SETI was. But the guests were challenged by at least one pol who was all too familiar with the pitch. “What’s intriguing about this conversation,” Rep. Donna Edwards, (D-MD), former Lockheed-Martin contractor for Goddard Space Flight Center, told them, “is the idea that – and it’s a lot of hubris, right? – somehow we’re waiting to find them as opposed to them finding us.” Science has never addressed Edwards’ skepticism in a meaningful, systematic way. Too bad she’s not in office anymore. She might ask for hearings. Meanwhile, thanks to a $100 million gift from Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, the SETI Institute forges ahead in its search for ET intelligence at a safe and manageable distance. With the recent assist from PBS, and the media’s corroding attention span, maybe SETI will find a way to keep searching forever and ever and ever. But. Who knows — maybe they received ET’s message awhile back and destroyed it for our own good.

Continue Reading ► See Also: UFOs May Have Attempted Rendezvous With Giant Undersea Object | VIDEO Executive Summary Report: UFO Encounter with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group Confidential Military Report on 'Tic Tac UFO Event' | VIDEO Long-Awaited Government-Funded UFO Reports Now In The Public Domain Documents Prove Secret UFO Study | VIDEO AATIP or AAWSAP? Dr. Eric W. Davis, of NASA's Breakthrough Physics Propulsion Project, Discussed UFOs During Lecture | VIDEO UFO Research By NASA Affiliated Physicist Dr. Eric W. Davis is Confirmed By Colleague Dr Eric Davis, Physicist, Explains Why Scientists Won't Discuss Their UFO Interests Deciphering The Pentagon UFO Program and Release of The UFO Videos BREAKING: Formerly Secret UFO Program NOT Called, 'Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program' (AATIP)? 'Getting the Mainstream Media to Approach the UFO Puzzle as Legitimate News OREGON UFO EVENT: Air Traffic Control Audio Tapes Released via FOIA Request What the Government Knows About UFOs | Interview with Harry Reid 3rd AATIP Video & the Pentagon UFO Study – Interview with Luis Elizondo | VIDEO Third Government UFO Video Released | VIDEO The Military Keeps Encountering UFOs – Why Doesn’t the Pentagon Care? | VIDEO UFO Research Gets New Life By Way of The Pentagon's Mysterious Project BREAKING NEWS: The Pentagon’s Mysterious UFO Program Revealed | VIDEO Ex-Military Official Details Pentagon's Secret UFO Hunt | INTERVIEW – VIDEO Billionaire Robert Bigelow's Decades-Long Obsession With UFOs Navy F-18 'Gimbal UFO' Video Explained? Post Pentagon’s UFO Research Program Revelations – Skeptics Regroup Understanding the Science of UFOs and Space Time Metric Engineering | VIDEO Secret UFO Program Recorded Encounters with Unknown Objects | INTERVIEW – VIDEO UFO-Pentagon FOIA Request Delayed BREAKING NEWS: The Pentagon’s Mysterious UFO Program Revealed | VIDEO Ex-CIA Chief - Keep Studying UFOs Herald Tribune Reporter, Billy Cox Queries CIA On Chase Brandon's Roswell UFO Claims Luis Elizando Former Head of Secret Pentagon UFO Program Describes Five Categories of UFOs | INTERVIEW While Waiting for the Next New York Times UFO Bomb to Drop Navy Pilot, Who Chased A UFO, Says ‘We Should Take Them Seriously’ UFO Legacy: What Impact Will Revelation of Secret Government Program Have? UFO Reports at Nuclear Missile Sites and The Pentagon UFO Program Astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson Discusses The Pentagon UFO Program on Colbert | VIDEO Ex-Military Official Details Pentagon's Secret UFO Hunt | INTERVIEW – VIDEO Pentagon's Secret UFO Search, Stanton Friedman Weighs In | INTERVIEW – VIDEO What the New York Times UFO Report Actually Reveals 'Second' Navy Pilot Comes Forward Re UFO Encounter | INTERVIEW – VIDEO 'The Pentagon’s Newly Revealed UFO Research Program' – What a Week! On the Trail of a Secret Pentagon U.F.O. Program UFO-Pentagon Story Reflects Fundamental Problems Pentagon UFO Study Examined UFO Activity at Nuclear Missile Sites Says Former U.S. Senator Harry Reid UFO Study Focused on U.S. Military Encounters PENTAGON UFO PROGRAM: 'Recovered Material' From UFOs Discussed By Leslie Kean | INTERVIEW – VIDEO Senator Reid Discusses Secret UFO Program | INTERVIEW – VIDEO Navy Pilot Recounts UFO Encounter | INTERVIEW – VIDEO Aliens, UFOs, Flying Discs and Sightings -- Oh My! Secret Programs, U.S. Senators and Money, Who Wants to Talk UFOs Now? Navy Pilot Talks: The UFO Jammed Their Radar — ‘It Accelerated Beyond Any Airplane We Have’ BREAKING NEWS: The Pentagon’s Mysterious UFO Program Revealed | VIDEO Navy UFO Encounter: 'It Accelerated Like Nothing I’ve Ever Seen’ – F/A-18F Pilot | VIDEO Secret UFO Pentagon Program Explained By Leslie Kean | INTERVIEW – VIDEO Secret Pentagon UFO Program Spent Millions

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#May 30 #2018 at 05:01PM