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inkrabbit · 2 years

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I am quite new to Ghost and have only started being able to tell which ghoul is which on stage but I was wondering, does each papa have different ghouls ? Who is Ares ?. I hope this question isn't too much of a bother :)

okay children, gather round. Mama Rabbit's gonna go back on her bullshit rambling rq

welcome to Ghost, anon! <333 questions like these are never a bother. I'm honestly honored that a few people have asked me questions about the Papas and the Ghouls. I wanna say I'm gonna keep this... decently short, but knowing me, that won't be the case.

Ghost is a very... special case. if you're looking at fiction, then it's really up to the author/artist on how they want to interpret the ghouls. for me, I have it that every Papa summoned their own ghoul, though Copia (Papa IV and the current Papa) had taken/adopted/borrowed some of Terzo's (Papa III) ghouls.

but looking at the irl side of everything? Alpha, Omega, their first keyboardist and first drummer were in the band from 2010-2016. this would mean that those 4 ghouls would've been with Papas I-III. then we got Aether (our current rhythm guitarist) and Dewdrop/Sodo/Ember/whatever the fuck people wanna call him (at the time bassist in 2016 but moved to lead guitar after Ifrit bailed in... 2018 I think). after that, we were introduced to Rain (current bassist), Swiss (current multi ghoul), Mountain (current drummer), and Cirrus and Cumulus (current keyboardist/backup vocal/the works). and it really depends on how the content creator wants to handle all of this. I've seen it done a few different ways and it's just the beauty of people making content because nothing will ever truly be the same as someone else's. as I've loosely quoted before: "Ghost's creative content is mainly fandom. 5% is actual lore, 10% is what we get from Tobias' interviews, and the other 85% is what the fandom has made up and run with."

there are a few different guides online for which ghoul is which, when they were in the band, what instrument they were on, etc. there is a good tiktok actually by @/cmaraschina where they did something for all 21 ghouls that have been in the band. this does tell you their real names, so be careful if you don't want to unmask the ghouls. however, this is done because... most of the ghouls weren't named until... Era 3 I believe. I know Terzo had introduced Alpha, Omega and Water (which I think was Dewdrop/Sodo) during a show.

as for Ares :)))))

so in Ghost's Chapter 8, we're shown a piece of the past, where a young Papa Nihil performs at Whisky A Go Go, complete with his own ghouls. and honey... I took one look at those ghouls and said "yes, gimme".

Ares (the lead guitarist) is..... these ghouls aren't mine, I just named them and started using them. from what I know, I'm the only person who's currently using Nihil's ghouls and these names I picked out for them. are others using them? I dunno. have people given them different names? I dunno. I've never seen these boys used by anyone else, but it's probably because I'm the only mf that could get 2 seconds of content from characters we know nothing about and decide to obsess over them.

Ares' first appearance in any of my fics was "The Last Night" where he had attacked and subsequently killed the reader. he was unnamed in that fic and was only referred to as... I think "the old fire ghoul" or "Nihil's fire ghoul" and it was supposed to stay that way. then I started talking to a friend and... we got Ares. I was originally going to name him Vulcan, so if you see that name pop up in my older posts, that's why.

all in all, you don't have to worry about seeing those names. Ares, Neptune, Notus, Silvanus and Astraeus you won't need to worry about because, for me, they're Nihil's old ghouls. they're not part of the current or any previous lineup and I think they were just actors for Chapter 8. they're not legit in Ghost

#asks #if you're using Nihil's old ghouls you're obligated to tag me in every post because I crave more content #pls I'm obsessed and it's becoming a problem #will be making a post for Nihil's ghouls tho #Mama Rabbit rambles again

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mywifeleftme · 2 months

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347: Umm Kulṯūm // انت عمري

انت عمري Umm Kulṯūm 1964. Sono Cairo

There are a good number of Um Kulṯūm concerts on YouTube; I like this ‘60s concert performance of “Amal Hayati” for the scene-setting:

youtube

It’s worth taking a gander at so you can get a sense of the moment Umm Kulṯūm occupied in the Egypt of the 1960s. The audience, mostly men and dressed in Western formal attire, file into an elegant concert hall, some of them lighting up cigarettes. The orchestra is about a dozen strong, cellists and violinists accompanied by hand-drums, an oud, flute, pedal steel guitar, accordion, and (way off to stage right) even an electric guitar—the latter a recent addition to the arsenal of the Arab world’s more adventurous chamber composers. Kulṯūm herself sits quietly in the front row for the first seven or eight minutes while the orchestra strikes up a towering opening movement that, taken on its own, would dwarf the most bombastic hard rock appropriations of Arabic scales. But it’s merely an introduction to Kulṯūm, who finally rises to the microphone and does not relinquish it until she brings the song to a close more than an hour later. It’s the first song of her set.

Kulṯūm was a format-shattering artist. Her songs, which frequently soared past the two-hour mark, and her concerts which were known to go on for five to six hours, could hardly be contained on a wax disc. At a mere 34 minutes, the studio version of “Inta Omri” is frequently listed as a single or an EP in her discography. Her songs and her concerts gave her great latitude to interpret on the fly based on the energy her audience gave off—the lyrics available for today's record, “Inta Omri” (or Inta Omri?), are barely 40 lines long, but she does what she will with them, stretching them out and vamping expertly, mourning in style. In a meaningful way, the vinyl experience may be least representative of Kulṯūm’s artistry—though for the fan who couldn’t wait for her nationally-broadcast monthly radio concerts, they were a way to reliably summon the voice that practically defined a time and place in Egyptian culture.

Without the visual accompaniment of Kulṯūm’s beatific facial expressions, pleading hands, and rigid posture (and not to mention no knowledge of Arabic), some of her charisma may not perfectly translate. But even as a disembodied presence, she is an extraordinary technician, a voice capable of shouldering the pride and regret of a people.

347/365

#umm kulthum #umm khulthum #umm kulṯūm #egypt #egyptian music #arabic music #arabic classical music #'60s music #vinyl record #music review

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le-souriant · 1 year

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#MusicMonday Review - February 2023

#MusicMonday is the hashtag I've been using for quite a while to share music recommendations from up-and-coming artists. Always fresh, and always different, trying to look for trends before they become one. You can check January's review for more music.

Thank you for flying Indie Airlines. Sit back, relax, and let us take you around the world for a glimpse of what the genre's current state is, with a word from the artists themselves. 🎧

The Optimists – Days Gone By

These are the nights to remember At the end of September Running down to the end of the street Falling over myself tripping over my feet And I walk alone To get back home And the days gone by We'll be forgotten by the end of the night

Our monthly trip begins in the Isle of Wight, England with an Indie Rock song perfect to listen at the break of daylight, after partying all night, as band member Matt explains:

"The track lyrically came to be when we were all experiencing nights out where everything would kick off, fights, drama, and this was happening in late September of 2021. Very quickly Bolton started playing this groove which was the intro, and Jacob very quickly came up with the drums and Aaron with his guitar riffs.

It all came together quite quickly, the only part that took some time was the vocal melodies as we went through quite a few ideas for them."

Shalom – DTAP

you got me dreaming and i can’t control the pace ‘cause i want you with me different time, any place

and i’m not trying to be affected in this way but i want you with me different time, any place

Don't you love the magic that happens when you dream of someone, and you don’t really care the where or when as long as the who is right? Brooklyn-based, South Africa-raised Shalom likes to talk tough, and play it cool too:

"Actually at the first show I ever played my now guitarist played her song ‘wild beast’ and it has the ‘you got me dreaming” lyric. It’s a song about wanting someone and so is dtap — all credits to my girl lizzie [Honey Girl]".

Colour TV – Wherever You Need

Sour grapes last As long as they last

A tourist in your hometown, style ripped from spirit The book of your life would have graffiti in it Wherever you need...

Back in the UK, let's go now to Cornwall for more Indie infatuation, roughly rollerskating in the dust as dusk descends on a love in which to trust:

"It’s more a fiction than firsthand, I was inspired by a play called The History Boys… the idea is that it’s about a boarding school where the student is having a relationship with the teacher (which hasn’t happened to me 😁).

But I didn’t want to make that the only interpretation you could make, that’s just one story you could take from it."

The Rockefeller Frequency – Karma Town

I just come to work for coffee and girls. Please don't question me. I spend all day, my head in the clouds. You don't have to scream it Steve. I need you to be nicer to me. Please don't steal my lunch. I'm not equipped for tragedy, at the best of times.

Coming up next, from Brisbane, Australia, an Indie track about this person that comes around, and goes around causing drama. Just remember, if you struggle with anything, just blame Steve:

"So basically it's about Steve Jobs. 😁 Not much more to say really but by many accounts he wasn't a particularly nice person so I guess this tune has taken that element on board for its main theme."

Gatto Black – Keeper

And I would’ve been your keeper But I guess that’s over now And I would’ve built your confidence But I’m 6 feet underground And I’ll have died for nothing If you don’t learn to love yourself

From Buffalo, NY, we end this month's songs with a Post-Hardcore track that teaches us to be keepers of the love we find, patient and kind:

"When I was very young I lost my mom quite suddenly. Even though I never really knew her, losing her has had an indelible impact on my life and the lives of my closest family members. In a lot of ways this song is me saying to myself the things I wish I could have heard her say to me.

If you’ve ever lost a parent, Keeper is for you. It’s my way of saying that they’re proud of you, and they know that you’re doing the best you can."

Listen to them and much more on the Playlist

@osornios

#music #MusicMonday #review #february #2023

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musicarenagh · 1 year

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Robbie Rapids Sends Code Red In New Song “Babylonian Dragon” Robbie Rapids's distinctive voice and impressive guitar abilities have earned him a devoted fan base over the course of many years, making him a stalwart in the music industry. After devoting a significant portion of his career to performing cover songs and paying homage to music icons such as Tom Petty, he is now breaking out into the public eye with his own original music. [embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-697117024[/embed] Robbie's latest CD, "Babylonian Dragon," was created via a partnership with David Levene, an experienced session musician and producer. This song creates a sound that is both nostalgic and up-to-date by drawing on classic rock inspirations from the decades that are their favourites. A cautionary story served as the impetus for the creation of "Babylonian Dragon" It depicts the tale of a guy who met a lady online, allowed himself to be hypnotized by her, and then allowed herself to be taken for ransom. [caption id="attachment_47940" align="alignnone" width="720"] Robbie Rapids Sends Code Red In New Song “Babylonian Dragon”[/caption] The words provide a cautionary tale about the perils of falling in love, while the melodies are evocative of snake charmers, and the guitars sound like they were played by Alice in Chains. Robbie, David Levene, and David Ignacio worked together to produce the music video that was released in conjunction with the song. The narrative of the song was given a visual interpretation thanks to the collaborative efforts of the three individuals. Robbie assumed the responsibilities of a director and was responsible for bringing the artist's idea to life on film. Robbie's talent to write catchy songs shines through in "Babylonian Dragon," despite the melancholy nature of the song's subject matter. [embed]https://youtu.be/2iZFSxqIONI[/embed] The lyrics have a chorus that will stay in your head for a long time after the song is ended since it is both evocative and memorable. The production abilities of David Levene are clearly audible via the instruments, which are done in a brilliant manner. "Babylonian Dragon" is an absolute must-listen for everyone who enjoys excellent lyrics and musicianship, particularly those who are lovers of classic rock. Robbie Rapids has once again shown that he is a force to be reckoned with in the world of music, and we can't wait to see what more he has in store for us in the future. [embed]https://open.spotify.com/album/1ZQQ4738OpWWxJieMMDoi7?si=4erG1XaSRLWe8SdVIQv7rw[/embed]

#Music #LOVEOFYOURLIFEBYROBBIERAPIDS #ROBBIERAPIDS #RobbieRapidsBabylonianDragon #ROBBIERAPIDSLOVEOFYOURLOVE #ROBBIERAPIDSNEWSONG #RobbieRapidsSendsCodeRedInNewSong“BabylonianDragon”

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walkuntilthedaylight · 3 years

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The people have spoken! How can I not give them what they want?

I'm gonna put this all under a cut, since it's a bit long, and also because it's highly interpretative/speculative and not everyone likes those kinds of posts as they can be rather subjective and, I suppose, invasive. I want to give two major caveats to my thoughts below: first is that I tend not to buy the idea that Paul was the "stable/normal" Beatle, mostly b/c I view marijuana dependency and workaholism as addictions and I take them pretty seriously. Second is that I really do love this kind of tabloid/gossip/personal account shit; I think it should be taken with a handful of salt, but I don't think it should be entirely dismissed out of hand either. I read this stuff like I'm piling up sheets of stained glass: I'm intrigued by the places where the colours blend and overlap, and ignore things that fall outside the prism. Anyway, let's dig in:

Okay, so what I found fascinating about 'Body Count' is that it's one of the only sources which observes Paul McCartney's mental health during the period between the India trip and when the band breakup really got rolling. I think it's overall a fairly self-absorbed text that definitely has some lies and exaggerations peppered in there to make things spicier and more dramatic, but its broad characterization - as I mentioned in my first post - isn't exactly libelous or out of left field. Some elements that make me think it's generally if not wholly authentic are: Paul's simultaneously forceful and dorky seduction style, his terrible Liverpool diet and poor housekeeping, the bouts of thrill-seeking recklessness, avoidant adventure crafting, dark moods when drinking non-socially, the occasional hot and cold bouts with the Apple Scuffs camped out at his gate, and the way in which he underplays his drug habit, which is SO "in truthfulness we spent most of the filming of Help! slightly stoned":

These details are so bizarrely specific and have significant overlap with both sympathetic and spurned personal accounts of Paul I've read in the past, so I believe Francie is just telling "Her Version Of The Truth" here rather than crafting a piece of pure fiction. The most important and revealing anecdote in the book is this one.

There's no reason not to believe this is a fairly accurate representation of something that actually happened, imo, since we know that anxious purse strings were an ongoing issue in the unusual turnover rate within the band Wings, and there are plenty of confirmed and rumoured cases alike of extended family members feeling entitled to a "piece of the pie"; this is just like, the kind of thing that happens to working class people who get catapulted into fame and fortune. And Paul in particular already had deep-seated financial anxiety for whatever reasons he'll never fully admit (as is his right, but I think his offhand claim that he "once heard some adults arguing about money and that's why" might actually be alluding to having heard some adults - y'know, like his parents - arguing over money fairly frequently). What esp interests me about the anecdote is the way Paul seems to connect the conflict b/t his dual "identities" with these financial expectations. Perhaps the CAPSLOCK emotional hysteria related in the book is puffed up for drama, but it does bring to mind one of the most revealing comments Linda ever made about their relationship, which is that Paul needed to be told he would still be loved when the cameras weren't rolling. And that's the thing: Francie caught Paul at the exact moment that the pillars of his Smile-For-The-Camera "Beatle" identity were collapsing; the dissolution of his relationships with John and Jane.

Whatever all this could possibly mean re: the breakup of the Lennon-McCartney partnership is a post for another time. What I wanna do instead is apply the level of speculation we usually reserve for that relationship to the endpoint of Paul and Jane's courtship.

So like, Paul and Jane: I know people are resistant to this specific POV, but I honestly just don't... think it was that deep? "Not deep", mind you, doesn't mean "not significant". Paul was obviously Jane's first love (u never forget), but the feeling I get from Paul's side (as a subconscious process I mean) is that Jane's importance was primarily as a lynchpin in his London Socialite persona. He loved her family, he loved the friend group, the artistic scene dating her gave him access to, as well as the leg up he got in the class system, etc. He liked to be the kind of guy who was dating Jane Asher. But I don't know that he was the guy who was dating Jane Asher, you get me? When people describe their "great love" they accidentally tell on them (Cynthia innocently describing Paul as being pleased to have her on his arm like a trophy; John: "it was an ordinary love scene"; Alistair Taylor noting that Paul was humiliated by the breakup). Paul's a serial monogamist who U-Hauls like a lesbian, of course, so he definitely took the relationship VERY seriously, but it's telling that all of his love songs to her were either about hitting a brick wall in arguments (certainly not dreamy, fond, yearning of "sunday morning fights about saturday night"; and occasionally expressing hints of class tension too), or completely non-descript Guy With A Guitar Trying To Get Laid shit. I could extrapolate a lot about Linda just from listening to McCartney I/RAM and the Wings discography, but 'And I Love Her' doesn't tell me a single thing about Jane besides that she's pretty. It could be about literally anyone the same way 'My Love' or 'Maybe I'm Amazed' could only be about his dynamic with Linda. Some of this is obviously the natural result of getting older and gaining emotional maturity; what I'm saying is that Paul's behaviour and self-expression in this relationship does not suggest to me that it was one in which his emotional maturity was able to develop or flourish.

I want to stress again that I don't think this belittles the significance of the relationship or makes it "bad" or "fake". Like, sometimes hot people just date for a while in their teens and twenties and love each other without necessarily unlocking their inner emotional cores, usually because they don't know how to. It's, like, fine. You need to experience relationships like that as stepping stones. I simply believe that this sort of front-facing social importance being prime in the romance is a major factor in why it ultimately didn't work (and probably in Linda's reported lingering jealousy of Jane, who wasn't just an ex, but also a symbol of the life Paul ditched to build a new identity w/ her, and sometimes still pined for). With Jane, Paul was dating the "right" kind of girl (didn't put out on the first date, erudite and middle class, as serious about her career as he was, a good "celebrity" match), but the relationship often wasn't doing what he wanted it to do. Francie's observation is that by 1968 it also wasn't doing what he needed it to do either. This is the overwhelming "mood" in her affair with Paul McCartney: that he needed something very badly from a romantic partner that he just was NOT getting, and Francie couldn't figure out what it was either:

(note that she means "queer" as in "mad", not "gay")

This was an EXTREMELY roundabout way of asking: well, what WAS it that Paul needed a relationship to do for him? And I think this is Francie's big, accidental insight. The most scandalous claim in 'Body Count' is that Paul told Francie that he hit Jane and it "turned her on".

I personally think this is p. absurd absent any real proof to back it up, but like, what is Francie actually saying HE'S saying here? If she's exaggerating or lying, she's trying to make it believable within the psychological parameters laid out, right? It's not an expression of some secret desire to dominate women she's accusing him of, but emotional disturbance and confusion at the idea that the woman he was with might like that sort of forceful, masculine violence more than his softer, feminine side, which he was - yeah, we all know it - deeply insecure about.

Regardless of whether specific details are true or false (and I think there's both in this story, all hyper-magnified to make it, y'know, a ~STORY~), I think what might be true is the emotional undertow of the retelling, that this all taken together is actually representative of the side of Paul McCartney she was exposed to, at a time when his public and private facades had both become unbearable to the point of cracking and the drug-fueled optimism of the Summer of Love was getting scrubbed off of everyone and everything. It's the Paul McCartney who eviscerated frogs because he was worried he was too "soft" for compulsory military service. The Paul who modelled his masculine teen behaviour off John Lennon's fake "Marlon Brando" swagger, but was actually more fond of the velvet "Oscar Wilde" interior.

What's SO FASCINATING about all this to me, is I deeply believe that one of the key factors in what makes The Beatles music so unique and compelling is that both the songwriters experienced psychological strain from the tension b/t their parochial socially-defensive "masculine" pride, and their sensitive "feminine" core, the latter of which they were able to express in the unburdened emotionality of their music. The reason I care about doing these totally unhinged psych analyses is because I do think it reveals something about the underpinnings of the music, as well as the reasons why the band was such a hysteria-inducing phenomenon (the rise of psychology, imo, is almost as important as the rise of industrialization as a defining factor of the modern and postmodern eras; mass psychology can be understood and wielded in precise ways, and The Beatles were one of the first empires built on that). The subconscious drives caused by this tension have been ENDLESSLY picked apart re: John's psyche, but Paul's "mirrored" issues are very under-discussed (mostly b/c he's still alive so people are a little more leery about putting him on the "couch" as a historical figure). 'Body Count', intentionally or not, painted a portrait to me of someone who was drowning in their own ill-fitting celebrity "suit", collapsing under the weight of "Being" "Paul McCartney". A guy who desperately needed some sort of space to be vulnerable without feeling emasculated for doing it. By 1968, there was no one in his life anymore - and maybe there hadn't been for a while, or ever - who was giving him this space.

In other words: the thing he needed to avoid going "stark raving queer and killing himself" was simply someone who would love him 'after the ball'.

EDIT: read the comments for further clarification and discussion! ;)

#/#//#///#////#/////#the beatles #mccharmley #analysis #long post #Talking About Paul The Way I Talk About John lmfao #Taking Tabloid Bullshit Seriously #(if not literally)#*gets out my fake spectacles and jumps into the psychiatry armchair*#idk if i laid out my thoughts v well here but i hope it satisfied all the people who asked #i also tried to warn what genre of post it was for those who hate this kinda thing lol #i feel like i have more to say re: how toxic 'The Beatle' facade got for all of them by this point #and paul and john's mirrored post-india breakdowns #but francie's perspective is specifically on how it felt to be the girl he used to divebomb his relationship with jane asher SO

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underachievers-please-try-harder · 2 years

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Review // Lianne La Havas - KOKO - 9 May 2022

For the Evening Standard. Read online.

"I haven’t been out in a really long time,” Lianne La Havas laughed, a little overwhelmed, on the opening night of her sell-out KOKO residency.

Considering this was the south Londoner’s first headline show in the capital since the release of her eponymous LP, back in July 2020, it would have been easy to forgive any fumbled notes, forgotten lyrics or mid-song jitters. Last night, La Havas proved she requires no such special treatment, delivering a soul-soothing performance that further justifies her reputation as the artist’s artist of choice, beloved by legends like Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys and Prince.

Indeed, it was the latter that La Havas was performing with the last time she graced the stage at KOKO, back in February 2014. If treading the same boards stirred memories of her late, great mentor, the 32-year-old kept them firmly to herself as she focused on giving her Ivor Novello-winning third LP the long-overdue showcase it so desperately deserves.

Of the 15 songs performed, 10 were taken from her self-titled record, brought to life by La Havas on guitar, with assistance from a keyboardist, a bassist, a drummer and two backing vocalists. Beginning in a flurry of handclaps and cascading guitar arpeggios, mellow set opener Sour Flower set the mood for a restorative evening, before ebbing into the sun-dappled jazz-pop of Read My Mind, which transfixed even the most garrulous of crowd members with its easy charm. Even more compelling was Radiohead-cover Weird Fishes, its rolling bass groove, powerful percussion and sighing harmonies the very antithesis of the current craze for anaemic acoustic interpretations.

With between-song chat kept to a minimum, La Havas’ impressive musicality remained the main draw throughout. It was never so brilliantly demonstrated as during the pared-back rendition of early single Forget. Finding La Havas flanked by her backing vocalists, the funk-flecked pop of the original was imbued with extra power via a skeletal arrangement of skilful, surf-guitar runs and tight three-part harmonies.

Boasting a velvety lower register, an upper range akin to spun gold, and a vibrato that makes listeners weak at the knees, La Havas’ voice remains amongst the most stunning in the business. Crucially, live she proved she possesses an unimpeachable mastery of dynamics and restraint too, qualities that are all too often overlooked in contemporary pop.

It was this perfect balance that brought much-loved single Bittersweet to new heights. And though ostensibly examining the end of relationship, the song’s message of rebirth found fresh meaning in the context of a comeback show. “No more hanging around,” La Havas resolved, as 1,500 fans rejoiced.

#live review #live reviews #review #reviews #live #evening standard #the evening standard #lianne la havas

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tuffduff · 4 years

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My Path to You (Slash x Reader)

Pairing: modern!Slash x younger!Reader

Words: 2,300 (OOPS)

Request: anon! : “hi there! i was hoping you could write a modern!Slash imagine where there’s a considerable age gap (whatever you’re comfortable with) and the two of them meet and fall for each other. eventually slash wants to ask the reader out on a date but is super shy and nervous but she says yes and then they go on a date and it can end however you want it to.”

A/N: MY FIRST SLASH REQUEST Y’ALL!! And I do be nervous writing it lmao. This is entirely from Slash’s POV, I’m not sure if people like that kind of thing but it’s a different way to explore writing. There’s a little coffee shop in my area that has a picture of Slash on the wall, so that was inspiration too. Hope y’all enjoy, thank you for the request! 🖤

What now? It was a question Slash asked himself nearly every day, now that he was newly single. That was a new feeling, one he wasn’t expecting now at this stage in his life; wasn’t he supposed to be married and settled and happy and all that shit by this point in his life? He brushed off the notion, after-all who gave a fuck. He wasn’t a conventional guy. Life is as it happens. But he’d be lying if he didn’t say the idea of getting back out there again intimidated him.

Slash kept to himself in his own world, for the most part. Creating, always with guitar in hand. Especially now being sober, putting himself out there wasn’t exactly appealing. He couldn’t use a dating app, he wasn’t gonna go to a bar or a club, and all of his friends were taken. Where would he possibly meet someone? Dating someone famous wasn’t really what he was looking for, he never fit in with that scene. He wasn’t opposed to dating a fan, but could he ever find someone who wanted him for him?

“Don’t worry, man.” Duff had reassured him. “If it happens, you know, it’ll happen. But not if you’re looking for it. You’ll find her when you least expect it. Just live your life.”

That was smart and Duff was usually right. So, Slash continued to focus on his craft. And he tried to change his outlook, very literally. One night, he wore a baseball cap pulled low and his hair tied back and tucked away in his jacket and hoped it was enough not to get swarmed as he headed out to an art walk in the more historical art district near downtown.

If anyone recognized him, they let him be as he walked down the cobblestone sidewalk, taking in all the creations. The more art and sculptures he admired, the more he stopped worrying about getting recognized.

He was admiring two pieces of wood burned art, a set featuring an artistic interpretation of a woman’s silhouette body.

“These are really sweet.” Slash complimented the artist, who gave a gracious nod.

“Thanks, man. Those pieces have had a lot of eyes on them tonight, thankfully.”

“How much for ‘em?” Slash asked.

“$65 each.” The artist replied, almost sounding sheepish. “...Maybe that’s why they haven’t sold yet.”

“I bet they took a lot of time.” Slash assured him. He pulled out his wallet, fishing out two hundred-dollar bills. “Don’t let people make you second-guess your work.” He passed him the bills, to which the man’s eyes widened.

“Uh, I’m-I’m not sure if I have the enough change.” He said, hastily digging through his small stack of cash from prior purchases.

“It’s cool.” Slash said, smiling and extending his hand. “Thanks again, man.” They shook hands before Slash picked up the two pieces of wood, already trying to picture the perfect spot in his house.

“Okay, I’m back! I’ve got it!” Slash heard someone breathlessly calling behind him. It was a younger woman clasping a wad of cash in her hands as she ran up to the man Slash had just left. “Dipped into my savings but...”

The wood carver gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry, they just sold.” Slash watched literal heartbreak wash over her eyes before they flickered right over to him. The dismay in her gaze, the way her shoulders slumped and deflated nearly made his own heart break.

“Oh...damn.” She muttered, tucking the cash back in her pocket. “I really liked them. Oh well. Thanks, anyways.” She said politely. She sent one last glance towards the pieces of art in his arms before she turned on her heel and walked away, head down.

“Hey!” Suddenly, Slash found himself hurrying after her. She stopped in her tracks and turned, her eyes now displaying curiosity.

Uh, what now? He asked himself in his head once he found himself face to face. Up close, she was even more striking, he realized. Beautiful, he’d never seen a face like hers. So expressive, so vivid, so alive with emotions. Her hair framed her face perfectly, her clothes complimented her body well and seemed to be a representation of the woman she was. And he liked everything about what he could see.

“Uh,” he chuckled nervously, looking down. “I, uh, I overheard you had your eye on these.” He said, raising the pieces of art.

“Yeah. I come here to this event every month. I’ve seen those two every time and I’ve been trying to save up. This month I would’ve had enough, but bills—you know.” She rolled her eyes and sighed a little. “Anyway, I saw them tonight and I just couldn’t bear to wait another month or risk them finally being sold, so I ran back to the ATM down the street and pulled out of my savings, not that I really had a lot in there to begin with...” she paused as though she had said too much, shaking her head, flustered. “Sorry. Uh, but I mean, I’m happy for you. Just, take care of them for me.” She chuckled, but her eyes were still stuck on the art.

“I’ll do a trade with you.” Slash proposed. His nerves were playing tricks on him, making him more outgoing than he normally was and then wanting to take it back as soon as he spoke.

“Um, what kinda trade?” She asked curiously. Her nose scrunched a little as she frowned in confusion and he smiled. She was precious. Slash found himself wondering every little detail about her, about the path she had walked in her life so far, and how somehow theirs had crossed.

“I’ll let you have these if you’ll get coffee with me.” Coffee dates, that’s what people did nowadays, right? She blinked a few times at his words and had him wondering.

“That doesn’t seem fair; you paid for those. I’ll pay you for them.”

“No, no. I really don’t need the money.” Slash replied, laughing a little. “How about you keep one and I keep one?”

“...Why?”

“I can tell you really like them.” He said. She bit her lip as she seemed to consider his offer, hesitating.

“And why coffee?”

“I think you’re the prettiest art I’ve seen all afternoon.” Again, her face expressed vivid emotion that most people tried to hide. He watched her lips form a laugh and appreciated the sound.

“I don’t even know your name.” She laughed. He panicked a little in his head. Guess he wasn’t gonna get everything right; it had been a while.

“I guess you can call me Saul.”

“You guess?”

“My friends call me something else.” He mused. A part of him was curious to know if she knew him; lots of people recognized him, not that he was conceited or kept track. Was she a fan? Did she hate his kind of music? Surely, she’d heard of Guns N’ Roses. “What’s your name?”

“Y/N.” Slash smiled; it was like finding the right spot on a puzzle. It fit perfectly and helped him see even more of the picture. “Y/N, I can tell you really like them. I wouldn’t feel right keeping both; I just stumbled upon them.”

“All the more reason you keep them. They spoke to you, like they spoke to me.” There it was. Her voice, her words, it sent a slight wave through his stomach. That warm, fluttery feeling. He extended out one of the pieces to her insistently.

“All the more reason you keep one too.” She smiled as she took the wood carving.

“Thank you so much.”

“So, would you maybe wanna...?” Again, a part of him panicked. “You don’t have to, you know. You can take your half and be on your way if you’re not interested.”

“No, I’d love to! There’s this little local coffee shop I go to all the time—they display local artists’ work and have live musicians Friday nights and stuff. Do you want my number?”

“Uh, yeah. That’d be cool.” He fumbled with his phone, surprised he had gotten so far. That evening he went home with more than just a piece of artwork and a new perspective. He dialed Duff immediately.

“Hello?”

“I’ve got a date, but I need help.” Duff laughed.

“Are you on that date right now?”

“What? No.”

“Oh okay—it sounded urgent.”

“Well, I’m still freaking out a little.”

“Why?”

“She’s a little younger. But she’s so fucking beautiful, dude. She’s just, I don’t know that much about her, but I want to, you know? From just what little I could see.” Slash sighed a little before he walked Duff through the whole story.

“Did she not recognize you?”

“I don’t think so. But I was wearing a hat and glasses and my hair was tied up.”

“It’s gonna be fine, man. Don’t forget who you are, and that’s one badass talented motherfucker. But also, if nothing else, you can take something from this experience and just gain a new perspective. See the world from someone’s eyes. Don’t overthink any of it. If you guys click, you click.”

Slash realized Duff was right. That’s why he appreciated art. Music, especially. There was so much to be said in something someone created, a story they were trying to tell. Listening was something he did best.

He met Y/N at the local coffee shop, not far from where they had first met. The large pot holders outside were adorned with colored mosaic and he stopped to admire them for a moment.

“Hi, Saul.” He turned at the sound of a familiar voice. Y/N was walking up, a bright smile on her face. It was as if his memory were confirmed; yes, she was as beautiful as he remembered the first time.

“Hey, Y/N. This place looks neat.”

“Wait ‘til you try the cold brew. Do you like that?”

“I like those things you get at Starbucks, the caramel things, you know?”

“Caramel macchiatos?” Y/N asked with a laugh. “They have something like that. I’ll order it for you.”

“Okay.” He agreed instantly, smiling at her. “I trust you.” He paid again even though she argued, remembering what she had told him about bills. As they sat down together with their drinks, they broke into what he supposed was small talk, however, it didn’t feel like it. In the meanwhile, Slash couldn’t help but notice the pictures adorning the exposed brick wall behind them. A framed photo of ABBA, The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin…and, one of himself, on stage. He laughed a little.

“What’s so funny?” Y/N asked as she sipped her drink. He smirked a little, deciding maybe he should come clean.

“I was just looking at the pictures on the wall,” he replied nonchalantly. “Out of all of these people, who do you think is the coolest?”

Y/N turned in her chair, her eyes passing over the pictures.

“The Rolling Stones are cool...Slash is pretty awesome. Probably one of those two.” He smiled when she turned back around. “What?”

“You think I’m pretty awesome?” He asked as he pulled his shades down. Y/N’s eyes widened and she clasped her hand over her mouth.

“I—you! Are you—” he laughed. “So that’s what your friends call you! Oh my god. I didn’t recognize you with your hair pulled back and the glasses are different, and I didn’t know you had the scruff nowadays—it looks good.” She stopped. “I listen to you all the time, this is so...strange.”

“Is it bad?” Slash asked.

“No!” She laughed again. “But...me?” Slash shrugged, smiling as he nudged her shoe with the tip of his converse.

“You seemed pretty chill.”

“Thanks. Most of the time I’m not.” She grinned.

“Neither am I.” She didn’t try to argue or continue to fawn. She didn’t stare at him like he was a Martian. There was reverence in her eyes, surprise, but more so, curiosity.

“What makes you say that?”

“I dunno. It’s kinda like, social media. People only put a small portion of themselves out there, what they want people to see usually. But when everybody knows who you are, they still only know one part of you. And they think they know everything. But here I am...getting a divorce. I’m a dad. I’m just trying to figure shit out like everyone else. Experience life.” He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He laid all of it out on the table, after-all, he couldn’t hide any of those facts if he were looking for an honest partner.

“When it comes down to it, that’s what matters, right?” She mused with him. “Experiences. Not getting it right. Who decides what’s right anyways? I’d rather say I really lived.” It was those words that really stuck with him. It had him thinking, it had him yearning, it had him daydreaming.

It had him asking to see her again.

Slash called Duff before he even made it home.

“Hey, man, how’d it go? How’d she take it when you told her?”

“Good, she really is just the most chill chick ever. She knew who I was, she just didn’t recognize me. But she’s so cool, she’s got all these thoughts, all these opinions that really get me thinking, you know? I can’t wait to pick up my guitar, man, like, I’m that inspired right now.” Duff laughed.

“So, are you gonna see her again?”

“Yeah. That’s the other thing.” Slash paused. “I invited her over for dinner next week.”

“Oh. Right on; good for you, man!”

“But I don’t know how to cook.” Duff was silent for a moment before he laughed.

“Okay...well. I can help.”

#slash gnr imagine #slash gnr #saul hudson #saul hudson imagine #guns n roses #guns n roses imagine #gnr imagine #gnr #slash x reader #80s imagines #classic rock imagine

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your-lips-are-very-red · 3 years

Text

St. Vincent x Emma Madden Interview

This is the text from the St. Vincent interview that Emma Madden was asked to not use. Since Miss Madden has decided to take it down, I wanted it to be available somewhere online - in case she manages to get all the cached versions taken down, too.

SOURCE: https://archive.is/wFkLN

About a fortnight ago I was commissioned to interview St. Vincent, an artist I have been inspired by, impressed by, turned on by, compelled by, curious of, in awe of, occasionally suspicious of—for the better half of a decade. I try not to think about other journalists too much, but St. Vincent has developed a reputation for intimidating us. For her last press cycle, she made her interviewers crawl into a pink box; she would play a pre-recorded message on a tape recorder if a question bored or irked her. I found that quite funny—irresistibly imperious—but I considered it an act of degradation rather than an interesting switch of power. I love famous people but I also find them quite silly, like a Schnauzer wearing a bowtie.

I didn’t know why, but for around two hours after our call ended, I was reeling with nervous energy. I was vocalising it and trying to get to the other side of it, the way I sing songs when I’m walking through a haunted house. I woke up the next morning with a voice message from the editor who assigned this piece. I am fond of this person and I will not name them. MBC, the team in charge of St. Vincent’s publicity (which is helmed by Barbara Charone, who also works for Madonna, and is considered one of the more powerful and intimidating publicists in the industry) had been on the phone to this editor, demanding the piece be pulled. My editor’s words: “They said she’s terrified of this interview coming out.” The publication didn’t have a leg to stand on.

"Terrified"? That word didn't seem to square. I thought I had done a not-so-good job the night before. I ended the call thinking I hadn’t asked the right questions. St. Vincent and I didn’t feel like a good match in conversation (or at least not in this conversational setup set-up, for which I was given thirty minutes, and continual reminders from the person on St. Vincent’s team, who remained on the call with us, that we’d need to wrap up well in time for St. Vincent’s Instagram Live session with Paul McCartney, which directly followed our interview.) St. Vincent tended to interpret my questions in bad faith. I assumed she believed me to be a Bad Reader; presumptuous, judgemental, simple, anti-curious—all qualities that her latest album ‘Daddy’s Home’, which I’ve interpreted as a counter to the folly, inadequacy and meretriciousness of moral purity—counters. Anyway, she read me wrong. I love Lana Del Rey.

I got a call from MBC later that morning by a man who sounded quite nervous. I told him I was confused, I asked him what the matter seemed to be. He wasn't totally sure, he said, "she found the interview aggressive." Aggressive? I complimented her and cowed to her and laughed at her jokes. "Well, the message has been passed down a line of many messengers, she might not have actually said that." The man on the phone said that this—one of his artists demanding an interview to be pulled—had never happened to him before. It hadn't happened to me either. I felt annoyed by how easy it was for St. Vincent to kill something I had researched and expected money for. But the interview started to seem valuable to me after I was told that she didn't want it out in the world. "Can we draw a line under this and just kill the piece here?" said the man on the phone.

Below is the full transcript of my interview with St. Vincent (save for a short and-forth about Tool which didn’t make sense when turned into text). My questions are in bold, her responses are in italics.

**for the sake of this post, Madden’s questions are bold and Annie’s answers are not** Hi, how are you? Good how’s it going?

Not too bad. What’s your mood for today? My mood for today, well it’s good, I’m getting on an Instagram Live chat with Paul McCartney in a couple minutes so my mood is a little bit nervous but good.

I’m excited to talk about this album, I think it has a sick sense of humor that I appreciate a lot. I’ve had a really fun time listening to it.

Oh I’m glad, thank you.

I’m sensing there’s kind of a 70s trend at the moment in terms of fashion and the ways some other bands are presenting themselves. Is that something you were anticipating, is that something you feel you belong to, or was it just kind of accidental?

Accidental.

Do you feel bummed about that? No I don’t, I always just kind of do my own thing.

Do you think there’s a reason why people might be inspired by the 70s today? Do you see an analog with our world today and with the 70s? I guess this album is based in 1973, right?

Between ‘71 and ‘76, so post flower children idealism, post the Summer of Love hangover, but pre escapism of gay disco and pre nihilism of punk. Life was bad but music was good, kind of vibe.

Kind of when the trash aesthetic was taking hold, especially by Andy Warhol. Does trash inspire you? Um like literal rubbish?

No like the trash aesthetic, I guess in the PR you call it sleazy, grimy. Yeah but the difference with sleazy is that sleazy tries to present as glamorous but there’s something off, trash is just trash. I don’t know if trash pretends to be anything other.

Can you have glamour without sleaze? Sure, absolutely. I mean, like the 20s Greta Garbo way, I would say Golden Era Hollywood, I mean behind the scenes it was probably a nightmare but you look at it and it is very genuinely shiny and beautiful.

I love the sitar on this album especially on ‘Down’, the riff is so sick. How did you get to the sitar? Well it’s not a sitar per se, it’s a choral electric sitar guitar and so it was I think George Harrison made them kind of popular in the ‘60s, I think the one I have is from ’67 and it plays like a guitar but it has a resonating body on it so it sounds sitar-esque. It was made very famous in the Steely Dan Do it Again solo.

I guess the main PR bulletin point of this album is about your dad coming out of jail. Why did you want that to be the main way that people might read this album? More like an entry point, the title Daddy’s Home to me I mean one, it is literal but also it’s funny and cringy and pervy and also I think more than anything kind of refers to my own transformation into Daddy as it were. Yeah it’s probably not anything I would’ve really thrown out there except that it was made public without my consent but I didn’t really get to tell that side of the story and I don’t bring it up for sympathy. It simply is my story, it’s not intended to be indicative of necessarily anything, it’s just my story and I was gonna tell it with humor and compassion, all of that.

Did you anticipate a lack of sympathy for your dad’s crimes and the subject matter of this album and did that factor into how you shaped this record? That’s the tail wagging the dog my dear. No, no. A lack of sympathy, well, which crime would be the most sympathetic? I didn’t do anything, I’m simply writing about something that I think on some level everyone who’s ever had a parent can understand in the sense of you’re often going “How much of you am I?” and we kind of do identity projection through all these things so no, it’s again, it’s not really there for anything other than my own anecdotal story.

At what point did you transform into this daddy character? For how much of your adult life have you been the daddy? Oh I would just say over the past few years, I’ve just been quite a bit more leaned back and shoulder shrug and say let’s just sit down in the old beat up leather armchair and have a tequila and chat it out you know. Life is complicated, human beings are complicated and I wanted to just write stories about flawed people. There’s a whole lot of judgement going around and not a whole lot of understanding. And judgement is anti-curious. There are some people, perhaps the more sanctimonious and morally pure, who might not be interested in an artist’s reflection on their father’s white collar crimes. Do you have much sympathy for those kinds of people? I mean I think I can get sympathy for all people. If that is the reason why they decide not to spend 46 minutes with my work then I’m sure there’s plenty of other work out there for them that they can enjoy that is morally pure. They should find pure work from pure people and enjoy it.

I guess last year’s riots brought abolition towards the mainstream, during the time you were making this record, which is partially about your father’s time in prison. How did that square with your thoughts on prison and the US carceral system? Well I have plenty of thoughts on it, I’m not totally sure how it’s relevant to this.

Well I was wondering if you have a standpoint on it or if you’d rather just be ambiguous? I have so many thoughts and opinions, I don’t presume that my thoughts and opinions are relevant on every subject though. I don’t have that much hubris.

I understand. I was wondering about the Candy Darling inspiration, how does she come into the fold? Oh I just, Candy Darling to me is such a beautiful heroine in that she came from Queens and went not geographically far but worlds away to Manhattan and became her true self and in that particular kind of combination of glamour and toughness, where you feel like her name should be on the marquee and yet she could stick you with a shiv if you said the wrong thing. And I just find her inspiring and really beautiful, and I didn’t know but I found out a friend of mine was close with her and was at her bedside when she died so I was just picturing Candy Darling’s ascent to heaven as taking the final uptown train.

Wow. Did you feel like you were embodying her on this album or presenting as her? No not as such, but definitely taking inspiration from some of her energy for sure. I do hear a bit of her voice on the title track, I was wondering if you were kind of modeling your voice after her? On Daddy’s Home? Oh, no.

I love the sultriness of that song, even though it’s just about signing autographs in prison. I found it really funny. Yeah it’s definitely again, I’m writing about my own story with humor and compassion and self-effacement, all that.

Do you see this album as a movement, does it have a narrative? Yeah. It’s a full story, it’s a full collection of short stories. It has a shape and everything.

That’s just how I listened to this album, as a series of short stories. I was wondering how they interlink in your mind? I guess you have the person on Broadway, you have your dad, you have the person who’s maybe thinking of having a baby or not having a baby. I just could write stories of flawed people doing their best to get by because I’ve been most of the people on this album at one point of my life or another. And again I could write about them without condemnation and judgement just, here we are.

Are you a nostalgic person? No not generally.

Not even during the creation of this album? I’m thinking of the humming tracks, your mum cooking in the kitchen. Not exactly, I think that this particular kind of music with its sophistication and some of the jazz language in the harmony and its sense of time, it was a kind of music that I’d loved for so long but never really dipped into myself, and I think we kind of learn things a lot of times when we’re ready to, and I think I was kind of ready to learn some of the lessons that this kind of music had to teach me.

Do you think about shame a lot? Um, I think that shame is the reason why most people do the violence that they do. I think violence is an expression of impotence.

What was it about the post-idealist era in particular that you were drawn to, why not go through the flower power utopia sort of 60s route? I think that there’s an intellectual orthodoxy that is involved in utopian thinking and a lot of times it doesn’t allow for either a complex set of incentives or it doesn’t allow for the totality of human nature in its equation, and then it fails and because the structure of any kind of power is really complicated so I think in general the desire… and I understand that we’re living in, in some ways, I think just with the internet part of it, in some ways unprecedented times. And I understand people’s desire for certainty in times economic strife, cultural upheaval, all this stuff. I completely understand the desire for certainty. But I don’t think it’s as simple as demanding moral purity and punishing anyone who doesn’t fix the orthodox criteria. I understand the desire but I’m not sure it’s gonna get to where I think we want to be, which is just general more equality, whether it’s wealth equality, wealth disparity, all that kind of stuff I just think the matrices of power are really complicated.

You were saying earlier about Daddy and how you were thinking about your dad and the overlap between you two and how we all possibly become our parents. I was wondering how you consolidate the influences of your parents? I don’t know anything about them obviously but I know that your mum was a social worker, your dad was an entrepreneur, and those seem like two totally opposing worlds. Yes, my mother is a social worker and she instilled in all of us I think the idea that the work we do should be meaningful and she’s definitely really humanistic and that kind of thinking I think, that had an impression on me. My dad wasn’t an entrepreneur, my dad was a stock broker I think? But I grew up with my mom and my stepdad and my stepdad was a very different kind of guy, just was an army brat and grew up really poor, and was just coming from a different mindset and they’re just very different kinds of people. Not a judgement thing, just very different. Yeah my mom definitely errs on the very humble side. And yeah, my dad is a complicated, charismatic person who’s also very intelligent, and who went down a path that was full of consequence. Yeah they’re really, really different people so it’s funny to kind of square who was who.

What does your dad think of this album? Oh he loves it!

Yay, that’s good to know. Did you ever rebel against your dad’s lifestyle growing up as a teenager? I didn’t grow up with him, and he was in Tulsa Oklahoma. I don’t know what lifestyle you’re necessarily presuming but..

No I’m not presuming, just wanted a little background on your relationship with him I guess. So he wasn’t in your life that much where you were younger? I would go and we would spend summers there and Christmas, but I grew up in Dallas for the most part with my mom and my stepdad.

Was this album in any way an opportunity to get closer to your dad? Not in any way consciously, no.

But are you finding with age and with time you’re getting closer to him? Well him being out of prison helps in terms of just proximity. Yeah, here’s what I’m finding. I’m finding that we live by the stories that we tell ourselves and that sometimes we realize that the story we’ve been telling ourselves for a long time was either wrong or lacked a certain amount of information, and then we have the choice of whether to reject the new information because it’s too painful to rethink the story that we’ve been telling ourselves, or assimilate the new information and go, wow life is complicated, this is an interesting wrinkle. I choose to do the latter.

Yeah, it’s very easy to bullshit yourself, right? Yeah, it's true in all kind of ways you know?

This story, the story of your dad, it almost seems redemptive. I mean I would say so, and that’s not in any way what I intended and you know, a lot of times when you’re making something, I mean you’re a writer you know, you have the compulsion to make it but you’re not necessarily sure where it’s coming from or why or any of those kind of questions, but I think there is the possibility of redemption, I do, I think there is the possibility of people to change and I think there is a possibility of things like forgiveness and growth. And if I didn’t think that there was a possibility for human beings to change, to grow, to take in new information and then continue to write their story, then I don’t know what we’d really be doing, you know? And that’s not really the world I want to live in, we’re a moving picture we’re not a still photograph.

Do you want to try and change the world, do you feel like you have that power, do you feel hopeful that there can be a better future? Sorry for the cheesy language. No, I mean I don’t think that many people would accuse me of being an optimist in a lot of ways, and I don’t think in terms of my “power to change the world” I mean I think all I can do is try to study the human condition and write about the human condition in some way that resonates and then maybe people will hear that and that will resonate with them and I think that ultimately the best case scenario for music is empathy because it’s like psychologically this is why we like to listen to stories or this is why we like to watch movies is so we can go down the empathy exercise and you can see yourself as that person in the film, see someone who isn’t like you in any way, shape or form from a just box ticking kind of way, but then realize oh, we’re very similar in some ways or what would I do if I was in that situation, we do all these things and we live by these stories and I think those stories well-told can encourage empathy and empathy can go out into the world and have a kind of transformative experience. I don’t really think about, I mean I think once I make a thing and then it’s out in the world and it’s for other people to assimilate or enjoy or not, whatever, however they take it, is absolutely fine by me. But it’s for them, it’s not my place in any way to say how people should or should not enjoy it or assimilate it.

Yeah the reason I brought up prison abolition earlier is because that might be how some people contextualize this album. I would say that that’s one lens. That to me would not be the main lens.

[I’m told to wrap it up]

Yeah let’s wrap up. So Tool cover album next? No, I wish.

Someday I’m hoping. I love Tool.

I feel your Paul McCartney nerves Yeah, I’m gonna go shower.

That’s always a good idea. Okay take care, thank you again for you time Thanks, bye.

#st vincent #emma madden #interview #daddys home

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bananaofswifts · 4 years

Link

Taylor Swift Conjures Stories Destined to Endear and Endure for Generations to Come on ‘folklore’ | Album Review

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Something of a semi-career capstone, Taylor Swift’s seventh studio album Lover (2019) presented—in some form or another—all the various sounds she’d taken up across her previous six records. Usually when a recording artist arrives at a point of vocational reflection, a customary singles compilation is dutifully imparted. Not so for Swift—the decision to generate a new song cycle suggested that she still had artistic energy to burn off. And so, alongside any of the nostalgia that buzzed on Lover, an exploratory air could also be heard too.

In the wake of Lover’s initial rollout, Swift certainly kept busy: “The Man” (the final single from Lover) and the Miss Americana documentary debuted on January 27th and 31st respectively—each of them won critical acclaim. Not long after this double whammy of activity, the world found itself paralyzed by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Suddenly, the touring reality for musicians, regardless of any pecking order, changed overnight. Many assumed that Swift—now unable to tour Lover as planned in the spring and summer of 2020—was going to embark on a minor break. They were wrong.

Swift was inspired to start scripting stock for her eighth studio affair folklore while in isolation. Enlisting a tight crew of collaborators that included an old friend (Jack Antonoff) and a new face (Aaron Dessner of The National), Swift and her colleagues managed to assemble the long player, albeit piecemeal, and observe social distancing guidelines—a masterful feat in and of itself. With an exception issued to “exile,” where she handsomely partners and writes with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, the rest of folklore is penned (and partially produced) by Swift with co-writing-production support courtesy of Dessner and Antonoff.

The unexpected announcement of folklore’s imminent arrival only one day before its July 24th release was a power move à la Beyoncé. By late Friday afternoon, the raves for folkore were piling up and one question was repeating itself among devotees and pundits: what was a comparable album to folklore in Swift’s established canon?

The only previous effort to come close would be Red (2012).

Swift’s fourth set was her last LP where she explicitly engaged with a guitar driven aesthetic while also prognosticating a much larger play for broader pop prominence. But if Red was an album defined by wide-eyed ambition, folklore brims with experience gained as a maturing woman. The groovy, piano-pop lilt of “the 1,” a radio ready number, opens Swift’s current offering as a lowkey flip on the vibe of “I Forgot That You Existed” from Lover. Yet with “cardigan,” an adult alternative stunner, following directly behind “the 1,” Swift evinces that folklore is in possession of treasures far richer sonically than what that introductory selection teases.

Across the remainder of its fifteen tracks—seventeen with “the lakes” if one procures the physical copy—folklore is an aural panorama of album oriented rock (“my tears ricochet”), chamber pop (“epiphany”) and acoustic country-folk (“invisible string”). All the content is beautifully outlined by Swift’s voice, an instrument that has always been pleasantly competent, but on folklore it displays a gracefulness and passion never heard before.

One can safely assume that this is owed to Swift paring down the production gloss wielded on 1989 (2014), Reputation (2017) and Lover—not that it drowned her out on those efforts. But, for the first time, it feels synchronal to Swift’s singing and she wisely retains enough of that production muscle to lend folklore a sense of widescreen majesty despite its obvious intimate slant. These creative choices demonstrate knowledge gained by Swift and she actions this expertise on four songs at the heart of the album: “mirrorball,” “seven,” “august,” and “this is me trying.” The quartet finds Swift moving even deeper into the cited chamber pop and country-folk atmospherics to winning effect; and this song strata additionally points to her true talent as a writer.

Although Swift’s embrace of social justice has been to her benefit topically, the politics of the personal remain her greatest asset and best form of communication with her public—“Hoax” is an undeniable highlight of this enduring skill to tell her own stories. However, where she once only skimmed the surface of touching on the tales of outsiders, Swift lets herself become a channel to share narratives that aren’t born of her. In an official statement, she describes the change in her writing mindset for folklore this way, “I found myself not only writing my own stories, but also writing about or from the perspective of people I’ve never met, people I’ve known, or those I wish I hadn’t.”

Swift takes this approach to the next level with “the last great american dynasty,” a fascinating account of the long since deceased St. Louis heiress Rebekah West Harkness—a misunderstood figure and firebrand of her day. Harkness was the former owner of a Rhode Island coastal home Swift purchased in 2013. Swift ties herself into the end of “the last great american dynasty,” in first-person, to forge a connection between Harkness’ journey as a complex woman and her own multitudes. She does the same (again via the first-person method) on similarly absorbing entries like “illicit affairs” and “mad woman,” where the line between Swift’s reality and the task of being an interpreter is blurred.

As a complete body of work, folklore is Swift’s most compelling and challenging record since Reputation. No longer a former “country starlet gone pop,” Swift is a woman with a singular vision moving forward to blaze new paths and create art that will resonate for years to come.

Notable Tracks: “cardigan” | “hoax” | “the last great american dynasty” | “mirrorball”

#taylor swift #review #folklore

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Val Kilmer Documentary Punctures the Actor’s Bad Boy Myth

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Leo Scott and Ting Poo’s new documentary feature, Val, is not a mortality play. It is a rehearsal for an upcoming act. During a tour of his one-man stage show, Citizen Twain, Val Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer. The actor underwent two tracheostomies, and now can only speak while covering a tube. The narration of the new film is thus done by his son Jack Kilmer, allowing the pair to share a non-verbal connection throughout the journey, and through time and expression itself. While there are flourishes of humor, the documentary is a serious study of an artist who has always struggled to be understood, told through the selective memory of Kilmer’s POV.

“I’ve wanted to tell a story about acting for a very long time,” Kilmer says toward the beginning of the documentary. “And now that it’s difficult to speak, I want to tell my story more than ever.” Kilmer is an artist, one who takes his vocation very seriously and introspectively. An actor’s voice is more than a tool, it is their primary source of communication. Non-verbal exchanges are important, but dialogue is the primary idea delivery system in staged and filmed works. Surgical procedures have split his throat, shredding the scope of his instrument. In the film, Kilmer is forced to project his story on the empty space between the notes.

Among Kilmer’s many defining roles, the one which appears to ring truest is his encapsulation of Jim Morrison, the poet and lead vocalist of the Doors in Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic, The Doors. The young Kilmer is shown onstage in a small club, lost in the music, awaiting his cue to become one with the mic. Moments in Kilmer’s personal history, like how the actor was tagged with a “difficult” label, are consigned to rests. The most overt reference to Kilmer’s “bad boy” reputation comes from Robert Downey Jr., who smashes the notoriety to bits in a moment of impromptu dismissal.

There is no gossip here. There is no discussion of A-list-bad behavior. Kilmer sees it all as artistic license. He was searching for honesty, he remembers. Choices like lying on top of a mattress filled with ice in order to feel a real pain during his last scene with Kurt Russell in Tombstone come across as perfectly valid. Kilmer is still bitter over spending four months learning to play guitar for Top Secret!, and his first note informs him the director thinks he looks funnier faking it. There is little evidence of unprofessionalism, only growing pains.

The bulk of Val comes from clips of 8mm home video footage Kilmer has been shooting most of his life. “I’ve kept everything, and it’s been sitting in boxes for years,” Kilmer informs us. The archive was intended to tell a story about “where you end and the acting begins.” We are gifted with moon shots of both Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn, which have nothing to do with the films Apollo 13 or The First.

Early self-directed screen tests provoke a series of what-ifs. A tortuous encapsulation of a Juilliard acting class is a lesson in what-nots. Val’s hand-held approach to The Island of Dr. Moreau is a highlight. The actor respectfully rocks his co-star and idol, Marlon Brando, on a hammock they both wish was strung to John Frankenheimer. Please turn off the camera, the film’s replacement director demands. But Kilmer only hits pause when it’s time to rehearse.

The behind-the-scenes camcorder footage from sets of Top Gun, Tombstone, and The Doors are treasure troves in themselves, and possibly underused. Most of the audience will be very interested in the candid youth and truth recorded over his career. Val uses the archival clips and unearthed b-roll to establish a chronology.

Many videos were made at home in Los Angeles with Kilmer’s younger brother Wesley, who had an epileptic seizure and drowned at age 15. His death casts a mournful pall following the news that Val was the youngest applicant ever accepted as a drama student at Juilliard. Kilmer calls his brother “an artistic genius,” and one of the most revealing things to come out of the documentary is how often Kilmer used this brother’s art to augment the backgrounds of the sets he is living through on film.

Seeing how Stone speaks about Kilmer now makes me wonder if Val would have been able to put in the same performances in his movies if he knew it at the time. In his audition tapes for Full Metal Jacket and Goodfellas, we see an actor who needs to be taken seriously. He flies 6,000 miles to hand deliver his tape to Stanley Kubrick in London.

While he makes no comment, footage reveals Kilmer’s favorite Batman was played by Adam West. “Every boy wants to be Batman,” we hear, and see the Caped Crusader in every era of Kilmer’s life. A short, animated film he and his brother made with what looks like crayon is a Batman spoof. He still glories in the moment he got deposited behind the classic TV series’ iconic wheels as a youngster visiting the lot. It appears Kilmer still can’t pass a grocery store Batmobile without feeding it quarters. He wears the classic blue Halloween ensemble expecting tricks and treats as a kid, and as a daddy with his kids.

Don’t expect to see Kilmer wearing his cinematic puffed rubber suit at home, and it’s not because he left it at the dry cleaners. Footage old and new, homemade or professionally recorded, presents the Batsuit as an albatross. Heavy rests the cowl. He has to be lifted from chairs, deposited on marks, and his only identifying feature on the set of Batman Forever is a chin and bottom lip. Anyone could have been behind the mask, and the human superhero envied the subhuman villains. Kilmer comes across as quite happy Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones are able to create fully formed performance art in their portrayals. But he wanted to play with those toys.

“Batman Forever,” Kilmer laments, “whatever boyish excitement I had going in was crushed by the reality of the Batsuit. I realized it was just my job to show up and stand where they told me.” As the captured past footage is juxtaposed with modern sequences, we get an unfiltered glimpse of how little this has changed. The sequence of Kilmer at the Comic-Con autograph booth is wrenching. He initially didn’t want to take the part of Iceman in Top Gun because he felt it glorified the military. So many fans ask him to sign “You can be my wingman” on their souvenirs. It turns his stomach. He throws up in a garbage can and wheeled through hallways with a blanket over his head. Trouper that he is, he returns to the booth to finish out the signatures.

Kilmer blurred himself into the role of Mark Twain. There is a beautiful sequence where the actor walks through town to the beach, in full stage makeup, dressed in the signature white suit and long mustache of his character. It is extremely telling when Kilmer tells the camera it’s hard enough writing a good screenplay, much less a great one, which itself doesn’t even match what he feels he needs to bring to a script of a film version of Citizen Twain. Kilmer sold his ranch in New Mexico to finance the project. The documentary only captures some of the frustrations.

Most of the anecdotes are guarded, and all the admissions are part of a subjective narrative. Kilmer’s arc has rough edges, these tales are too smooth, and leave little room for impressionistic interpretation. Kilmer met his former wife, Joanne Whalley, when she was starring in a West End play directed by Danny Boyle, but he didn’t approach her.

“She was brilliant, and I was in town making fluff,” Kilmer concedes. It’s all about the art, even appearances. The documentary hints that Kilmer’s dedication to character did the most damage to their relationship. Wearing the same pair of leather pants for nine months could almost be on the books as probable cause for divorce in Hollywood.

Similarly, Kilmer’s Christian Science upbringing is brought up, and dropped. There is a loving but ambiguous undertone to Kilmer’s relationship with his once-rich-and-powerful father, who put his son in debt after trying to become a southern California land tycoon. But a sequence on his Swedish mother which juxtaposes a car ride he took with her when he was a child with one of being driven to her funeral speaks volumes without words.

Val is about the next step. “What’s past is prologue” William Shakespeare wrote in The Tempest. Kilmer pondered the “too, too solid flesh” while rehearsing Hamlet, and the documentary opens after the actor faced his own mortality. Kilmer swears he feels better than he sounds and, while he finds little to regret in his memories, he expects less in the ones he has yet to create.

Val can be seen on Amazon Prime Video.

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sinceileftyoublog · 3 years

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Mina Tindle Interview: A Natural Frame

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The release of Mina Tindle’s SISTER last October was supposed to be accompanied by an ambitious live show and an hour-long film made up of visuals for its nine captivating songs. After all, these sorts of artistic deep dives are what the project of Pauline de Lassus is all about. But when it became clear last summer--the summer of COVID-19--that neither could be easily achieved or achieved any time soon, de Lassus let go of her inhibitions. Recorded and filmed during a specific time last summer in France when the virus was more under control and travel/lockdown restrictions were somewhat lifted, The LFO/Blogothèque Sessions present stripped-back versions of some songs from SISTER as well as a track that didn’t make the cut. With help from Kate Stables (This Is The Kit), de Lassus’ husband Bryce Dessner (The National), and David Chalmin, and in collaboration with French production company La Blogothèque, de Lassus presents the songs in new ways. The percussive gallop of “Fire and Sun” presents itself more in Dessner’s guitar in the live version. Vocal harmonies and guitar take the place of beats and strings on “Belle Pénitence”. A cover of Sufjan Stevens’ “Give A Little Love”, whose album version features Stevens and his quintessentially Reichian arpeggios, is all about the harmonies between de Lassus and Stables. And “Indigo”, never recorded, is buoyed by Dessner’s spritely, finger-picked guitar.

As much as these sessions have the feel of a fleeting moment--that should the group have decided to play them on, say, a different day, that they would take another shape--they’re also very much a product of place. For one, it wouldn’t have happened had de Lassus been somewhere without access to a studio, let alone with lesser restrictions. The accompanying videos--just as much a part of the release as the audio--were shot from de Lassus and Dessner’s new home in the South of France, where they moved from Paris with their child. The almost mystical, beautiful quality of the surroundings makes me think of what de Lassus told me over the phone last month about “the fantasy of having a live show.” With a camera capturing moments where the group decided to just go for it, it’s got that live quality, but like the best “live albums,” make you hungry to experience the music in person for yourself.

The LFO/Blogothèque Sessions was released on Friday via 37d03d, the “people” label. (“They give their artists a lot of freedom and love,” de Lassus said. “They’re amazing...I don’t think I would have put the record out if it wasn’t with them.”) Read our conversation about adapting the songs to a new setting, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: Did you always want to do stripped-down versions of these songs, or was the occasion of lockdown restrictions being lifted the inspiration?

Pauline de Lassus: Something I love doing is having nice visuals or working on videos. I had a big project for this record, a film the length of the 9 songs--I wanted to make a movie. But it was a totally different object, an homage to [Norman] McLaren. I wanted to do a one-hour long video. Everything was cancelled because of COVID, and I ended up doing all the videos myself. Do it yourself, like back in the days. I chose women I love dancing, and it was nice to work on. But it’s really nice when it’s professional. I knew there would not be any shows for this record--maybe in a few years. So I had the idea of trying to capture that. I did it with basically family--Kate Stables, Bryce is my husband, and David is a really close friend. Doing it in the safest environment possible. It was really nice.

SILY: Was it natural to strip down these songs? How did you adapt them to the setting?

Pauline: We just played them. We kind of worked on it with Bryce a bit. He’s really good at that. When I got the chance to tour with The National, I saw they record an album and know all the songs, because they work on it for months. We did maybe four days of rehearsal in Paris to start the tour, and that was it, and after four days, they played the songs over and over. There were like 50 of them. By the end they went on stage and just played the music. I remember thinking, “Woah.” My way of doing it would be to overplay or overwork them to try to get the right version instead of just playing the music. It’s more the fact that they play it a lot that it turned into something they like. Because these songs were so minimal, we didn’t have to sing too much.

SILY: It seems like certain qualities of the songs you kept but achieved them in a different way, like the forward gallop in the drum beat on the SISTER version of “Fire and Sun”, you get more in the guitar here, whereas for “Belle Pénitence”, the emphasis is more on the vocal harmonies and the guitar than on the strings and the beats like on SISTER. Did that, too, kind of come naturally from just playing them?

Pauline: I think we just played them. I love making records. It’s one of the things I love doing the most. I don’t mind if it takes 5 years, and I don’t mind a quick record, but working in the studio is a really different process. You can add all the things you want. It’s kind of magic. These days, it’s not on tape, so you can erase the minute after. It’s really an experimental place.

Playing them [live], I have one of the greatest musicians and guitar players in Bryce. He can get the essence of the song really easily. And the soul of Kate, we love singing together; every time, something happens. I think it was a way to sing with more space. We weren’t trying to mimic any existing version, which is great, because I’ve been touring with Mina Tindle for years where the expectation was I am trying to mimic the record. The up-tempo song had to be up-tempo. This time, it was extremely free. It was really nice, because what I needed was really little. Two instruments, two singers, that’s it. We wanted to play them acoustic, which is sometimes a challenge.

SILY: What you said about playing them with more space really stood out to me on the EP version of “Indian Summer”. You have this piano ballad as opposed to something that’s more all over the place.

Pauline: I love both! In the past, I’ve been slow at making records. Sometimes, I just have the demo, and it’s the first draft, and it’s good. That’s why I like the idea of having a live recording, because it has to be straight and honest right away. In a way, I feel like you interpret it differently, also, because it’s one shot. Maybe we had two shots, but there was no editing.

SILY: How did you get around not having Sufjan’s presence on “Give A Little Love”?

Pauline: When I sing that song, I always try to be at the level of his song. He’s the sweetest person, so he couldn’t care less--he’d give me freedom to adapt the song [even] metal or AC/DC style. He’s a free mind. It’s sweet because I’m more shy when it’s my songs, but I love covering songs that I love. [Feist and I] did this tribute to Lhasa de Sela, who is one of my favorite singers ever. She passed away when she was really young. We had a love for her music and ended up making a show that we played in London and France and Ireland and Berlin, where we were covering her songs. It was one of my favorite things to do. It’s an ode to my love to music, whereas when I sing my songs, I feel more shy or intimidated to open up. Sometimes, I really wonder why I open my heart. When it’s someone else, I feel happy they’re connecting.

SILY: What’s the story behind the new song on this release, “Indigo”?

Pauline: “Indigo” is the black sheep of the record. It was many people’s favorite song, but I had 5 versions of it I couldn’t choose from. When I ended up not putting it on SISTER, I was really happy. I felt relieved. I didn’t know where to put it. I tried to mix it with different people, but it was never right. Kate had sung that song with me many times, so she knew it, and this was the right way to do it. I felt totally fine presenting that version. This EP is a way to free up any vision. It is what it is. That’s why it was on that record, because we really wanted to sing that song together. It’s a story of a separation, if I remember correctly. Losing each other. I remember being obsessed with the idea of losing someone you really love. It was not my personal life; fortunately, I was doing pretty okay. But having a kid is a total volcano in your life, and I was looking at many people around me who seemed to not be okay, living through that experience, so it was a song about how you can tear apart when something’s supposed to make you closer.

SILY: You could have a whole rarities release of different versions of “Indigo” as your next release.

Pauline: Yeah. I don’t think anybody would like to listen to it. [laughs] The same song four times.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art of this release?

Pauline: It’s Kate and I dancing. We were really happy because we did [the recording] in two days. We had an extra day with her, so we did some stuff for her, and we were just dancing. There was a huge storm--the weather where we are is crazy. It can rain and be super shiny in twenty minutes. So we had this crazy summer storm and started dancing as if it was a mirror and improvising the dancing. We are not dancers. [laughs] But we had a lot of fun. This red window is the typical colors of the architecture in the region. It’s actually in my house. I’ve already taken so many pictures of people inside and outside that window, because the window reflects the landscape behind. It’s so beautiful. It’s like a natural frame, and whatever you put inside, it’s kind of logical.

SILY: Are you planning or able to do live shows or live streams?

Pauline: As I told you, I intended to do way bigger or ambitious thing at first, because I kind of hate videos for music--or I never watch them. For me, the music is not more important, but enough. So when you do videos, it’s nice when you have something unique. We couldn’t do that movie I was thinking about, so putting money into trying to make a beautiful live performance was it. I was happy with it.

A livestream, maybe under certain conditions, but it’s a really strange period where even more than before, while I’m happy to give and share what I’m creating, but privacy is more something I’m into these days.

SILY: Livestreams do have that bedroom aspect.

Pauline: It’s kind of an exhibitionist thing I’ve never had. I’ve always felt conflicted about it with social media. It’s like opening your house to people. I’m not judging people who do it--you can do it really healthily--but I don’t feel comfortable. So far, I’ve said no to a lot of stuff.

SILY: Some of the best ones I’ve seen have skirted the home recording feel because they’re recorded at an actual venue and professionally edited. It’s not really live, but it’s at least for the time being something a little bit in between.

Pauline: We should look forward to live shows coming back, not necessarily doing bad performances. Like with social media, we now see 30-second music extracts, like on TikTok. The quality is not getting better. We don’t have to share everything the universe is offering to us. Sometimes it’s better to hold back and wait. That’s totally my point, though. Of course, when you’re in your 20s, you should do whatever you want to do, but at this point in my life, I don’t feel the urge to constantly express myself. I’m just old, you know? [laughs]

SILY: What else have you been up to lately?

Pauline: I’m doing a lot of things not related to music. I’m illustrating a book that’s more for children. It’s around music. I’m busy spending my days painting and drawing, and I love it. It’s creative, but it’s nice to take a break from music. The final collection is gonna be really cool.

SILY: Anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?

Pauline: Besides two children’s books a week. You can see there’s a big switch in illustrations for kids books. You can spend a whole day at the library in the kid’s section. It’s so impressive and beautiful.

My knowledge in feminism was really bad, so the last 6 months, I’ve been reading everything I can on the subject and listening to podcasts. It’s basically my routine. I thought I wasn’t feminist, but I am.

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mmx-code-crimpphire · 4 years

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Headcanon about X and Zero’s song

Okay! If you guys wanted to talk about X and Zero’s song. I wanted to write this headcanon for a WHILE.

Of course, this is another long one, so be prepared, mates

They, of course, start discovering this song shortly after they officially established their relationship. They head to bed for the night in X’s room, since he actually has a mattress in his charging tube, and it’s big enough for X to have actual sleeping positions like humans.

Zero barely fits in there with him, and soon they’d have a room for just the two of them so they won’t have to just go to X’s room a lot of the time. But when X is awakened by a nightmare, he couldn’t sleep, so he leaves Zero to sleep and goes to walk to hopefully get him more at ease and cuddle in Zero’s arms again.

When he passes the Rec Room, however, he discovers Iris is playing a video game. He investigates and checks it out, greeting her and the like, asking why she’s up. She can’t sleep, and X let’s her know he can’t sleep due to a nightmare and tells her about it. She gives him some comfort and lets X watch her play for a moment. He found out she was playing NieR: Automata (very amazing game, I might add). She was playing 2B’s route for the millionth time, as she is her favorite character, and A2 being a tie.

When she hits the City Ruins area, X is enchanted by the song that plays it's Medium level with voices playing.

Iris notices and hangs around in the area for a minute before asking X about it. He was so enchanted, he didn’t even pay attention to what Iris was actually doing to let X hear the song more. The Neo Blue Bomber snaps back to reality and realizes he must have been goofy looking being enchanted by video game music. Iris tells him that’s nonsense, since she loves the song herself. She stays idle, fishing in the river for a little while to let X hear the song a lot more, while Iris sings the lyrics to the song. After hearing it all, X starts singing with her. She even lets him play a little bit, and he loves it.

He then asks her if the lyrics mean anything, then being told the language is made of five existing ones, but the lyrics don’t mean anything. Which disappoints X. But Iris then tells him that he can interpret the lyrics to anything he choses, since canon-wise, they don’t mean anything.

X then perked up and told her that he thinks the song would mean someone showing them the light and going hand in hand with that person, going towards the light together. It warmed up Iris’ heart hearing that, knowing how artistic X can be, which embarrasses the Blue Bomber a little. He’s then encouraged to tell Zero about it, since she imagines them going towards the light, hand in hand together. X then blushes and lets her know he’d tell Zero and thanks her for being his company, she nods and thanks him back while going back to playing.

X then comes back to his room and sees Zero awake, worry shooting through him. Zero tells him he had a nightmare, and X tells him he had one earlier, which was why he was out. He nestled next to his Midnight Ripper again and tells him about his meeting with Iris and the song he learned from the game she was playing. He then tells him about the lyrics not meaning much canon-wise, but then saying what he thought the lyrics meant and what Iris told him.

Zero blushed to that and actually agreed. Since X saved his life when they met, affectionately touching his cheek, making X blush as well. X then sings the song and Zero starts doing it after a while. Zero liked it that much that he might as well download the actual track. The Quiet version, the Medium version, and Dynamic version, all with and without vocals. He gives all versions to X so he’d listen to it himself and he thanks him for them. They then try to cuddle and try to sleep again.

Sometime after that, they train one day and Zero has an idea. Since he’s been playing the song on his guitar for almost two months with X next to him, both singing the song on occasion as well, he thought they should have the song be something special to them, since it’s starting to become that. X likes the idea, and Zero even takes it a step further. If X was comfortable with it, whenever they unjustly separate going on missions together, they’d sing the song back and forth, so they’d eventually find each other. Of course, they would communicate with the comms on their helmets, but especially if they don’t work, they really have to rely only on their voices.

X feels embarrassed at first, since his voice is quiet whenever he sings. Zero would want to help him with it so they can find each other in the future and the Neo Blue Bomber. agrees to it.

They practice, and they have two or three instances where they separate because of mechanaloids tossing one or the other away or by other means and it’s greatly helped them. One instance where their comms worked fine and they can hear each other’s voices afterwards. Another was when Zero’s comm was busted and couldn’t communicate well so they really had to rely on each other’s voices, and a third instance was when the communications were jammed, so they couldn’t communicate at all, relying on each other’s voices fully.

When the Giga City incident had taken place, and they duo had been unjustly separated by Mavericks, hoping Zero wasn’t dead, X kept on singing for days and days on end, meeting up with Spider and the others along the way. He didn’t tell them their relationship right away, mainly focusing on the mission and worrying about Zero on top of it. When they find out Zero’s alive, X continues to sing again, telling the others about his relationship with Zero. Making them more determined to reunite the duo.

When they finally did, hearing Zero’s singing voice, X rushed to the area Zero seemed to be and helped him in the nick of time. They took in a reuniting hug, a few peppered kisses, and everything was okay. Zero was alive. He didn’t want to lose him again. Not since X1 arc. Well, not until X5, he loses him again.

X then tries to sing the song after Zero’s death, but he could never finish the song without crying. Not with how sentimental the song was to him and Zero, with how they used the song to find each other and they sang it together when they were alone. Iris then helped sing it to him so X can cry and remember Zero.

But when Zero came back, and they had a quiet moment to themselves where they didn’t get triggered by their trauma, they’d sing together again. X almost cried but kept it together, letting tears slide down his face and holding his lover’s hand as they cuddled together under the stars. Glad they’re just together again. They sing the song together more often ever since. Damn, how many times am I gonna say “together” in the paragraph, eh? lmao

That’s it!! Hope you guys enjoyed it!

#vincent rambles #code crimpphire headcanons #xzero #zerox #headcanon of x and zero's song

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kitmon · 4 years

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Keys Are Under the Mat {1/?}

Llewyn Davis x OC

Summary: Struggling singer/songwriter, Llewyn Davis, has faced the rough and tumble world of the music industry as well as the callous hand of life. When an up-and-coming folk singer makes a trip back home and finds herself at the hands of the battered down couch-surfer, her first thought is to offer him a bit of compassion.

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of sexual activity

“Hold me, while I cry into your coat

Tie the rope round my throat, why don't ya?

Did you even read the note I wrote ya?

Boy, you're my antido-o-o-o-ote

Baby, it's only you I dote"

Her delicate fingers danced along the strings of her amaranth-colored acoustic. It was a fairly new guitar, given to her by a rather close colleague. She used to play at the Gaslight Café exclusively in the late fifties, not because she particularly liked that venue, more so because they were the only ones who gave a fraction of a fuck about her shitty guitar with a few broken strings and a makeshift capo that was made in the bathroom 10 minutes before a show using a sharpie and a rubber band. The crowd was always friendly; never hostile or awkward, just... supportive which was always appreciated on her part. Having people enjoy or at least pretend to enjoy her music was comforting at the time. As of right now, she was only visiting for old times sake, nostalgia purposes.

The new guitar was a testament to the amount of shit she'd been through. I mean signing a record deal is a pretty big deal, right? Having people know your name and buy your album. I mean, she was no Bob Dylan but she'd get stopped in the street from time to time which was unquestionably a step up from the loogies and cat-calls sent her way. Even now, her appearance at the usually humdrum populated café has drawn more attention than anticipated. The seats were all taken and the rather small building held far more people than the fire marshal recommended, but what a turn-out it was.

The audience hummed the chorus, cautious to not tune out her newfangled voice as it continued, nonchalant as ever as if there were only a few unamused patrons sitting in the crowd, but there wasn't. The populace of Greenwich Village loved her. She made a shit-hole like Greenwich something for people to keep their eyes on. And she didn't disappoint.

Her eyes remained lowered as she rather curled into herself and let the song end with a guttural reverberation. There was a silence as her eyelids lifted marginally, letting out a few pants of air to recover. Then an uproar, a surge in applause! She glanced up and flashed a charming smile, one that only showed the top row of teeth and caused her childish eyes to crinkle as she let out a giggle, concealing her laughter from the large array of eyes with her dainty hands. She adjusted herself and lifted a hand to reach the microphone.

"Thank you, you guys are a lovely audience, much nicer than Queens," the crowd let out a dispersed chuckle at her humor and she smiled again at their enthusiasm. She loved this, the feeling of having immense support. It made her feel... alive, to say the least.

"Okay, I'll be back in 20, take it easy while I'm gone." She waved off the crowd, unfurling herself from her guitar strap and handed the instrument to the stagehand, thanking the man afterward. She smoothed out any puckers or creases found in her dress as she stepped down from the stage, heading towards Pappi and another bystander, one who looked as if he'd been sleeping on the floor for days. Poor sucker looked as if he didn't even own a winter coat.

Pappi's arms extended out towards her, inviting her into his embrace. "You did great, kid," her eyes brightened at the compliment as she wrapped her arms around his torso and pressed her rosy cheek flush against his chest. The action should have been far more intimate than the two adults interpreted it, and most others would have perceived it that way as well. In fact, most familiars thought Pappi was fucking her most of the time.

Which he wasn't and neither one had ever considered it. Just business partners with an intimate brother-sister bond. Nothing more, Nothing less. The taller man, gripped her by her upper arms to gaze at her, with a gentleness, "Really, gave em a show."

"Aw thanks, Pappi, but I've got to admit that I'd still be singing songs on my back porch if it weren't for this dump." She jested, her hands hanging from her hips. Pappi let out a deep chuckle which was softened by her one-off laugh that wasn't exactly delicate or poised but was attractive in an unorthodox sense. The banter played out until somebody approached Pappi and tugged at the sleeve of his button-up to get his attention. She looked with furrowed brows and a curious expression as the man whispered in Pappi's ear with what appeared to be urgency. Pappi muttered a quick swear under his breath, and looked up at her with an apologetic frown and the same knitted brows she once wore.

"Sorry, kid. There's a few thugs out back making a mess," he patted her on the arm and told her he'd be right back after taking care of the 'mess'. Her head bobbed in understanding as her eyes watched as Pappi followed the man outback and into the fray. Her stare lingered on the door, but it was the serendipitous turn of her head that allowed her to acknowledge the ragged man sitting at the bar. His eyes fixated on the golden hue of the whiskey in his glass. She was almost certain he hadn't moved an inch since she came over, only stayed staring at the same glass of whiskey for at least five minutes. God, he looked like hell. His coat was hanging on by a thread, quite literally. Holes in miscellaneous places, unruly hair that looked like it hasn't been combed in days, shoes that looked soaked by the snow just outdoors and a runny nose that looked like the result of an oncoming cold. His wardrobe fitting flawlessly against the backdrop of the monochromatic greys and tans that made up the scene of New York in the Sixties. He looked familiar, she was sure of that. It was likely he'd played a few gigs at the Gaslight, same as her. Then again there were dozens of scruffy looking musicians who sidled into the Gaslight to perform, this one was hardly any different.

She sucked in a breath through her nose and ambled towards him, "So, you a friend of Pappi's?" Her elbows supported her weight against the hardwood bar, her fingers interlaced with each other as she peered down into the swirling rings of the once tall-standing oak. It took him a bit longer to register that she was speaking to him, "Oh, um, yeah, I guess..." His hand slipping up towards his face to rub at the skin, waking him up. His hooded eyes look over to her and away from that untouched glass of whiskey. Her laugh startled him, unexpected as it was. Her giggle was an unfamiliar sound. It shattered through the blaring car horns outside, the chatter of the audience, even threw the bullshit that spewed out of the radio sitting on the counter across from them. He just stared at her, unaware of just how ignorant someone would have to be to notice all the shit that's taking place everywhere around them and still have something to laugh about. It was selfish, but who wasn't these days. Everyone wanted others to be as devoid of joy as they were. Of course, there were a few stragglers who managed to keep a pep in their step and a smile on their faces. Those are the ones who get broken. They break down so quickly in a place that loses hope quicker than a bucket with gunshots loses water. But, she wasn't ignorant, and he knew this. She just decided to not take anybody's shit. And when nobody gives a fuck whether your dreams are accomplished or not, you learn to say fuck off right back. I guess that's what separates the losers from the winners. Her demeanor and the way she carried herself, with the balloon-sleeves and ruffled collar of her dress shirt, the way it was neatly tucked into her pinafore, it gave the impression that she was... incapable. But she was ten times more capable than almost everyone in that Café.

"If you don't mind me asking," she lifted her hand to wave down a bartender, not making eye contact with him until she knew someone was coming to attend to her request. "Got a name?" Her bright brown eyes locked with the gray and muddied irises of his own and it ignited a raft in his brain, making him adjust his position in self-consciousness.

"Um, yeah. Llewyn,"

Llewyn, Llewyn... she's heard that name before. She takes a sip from her glass of red wine the bartender had passed to her not to long ago. She takes a sip and contemplates why that name sounds so familiar.

"... Llewyn... Davis?"

It had slipped from her lips before she could even register it. And it surprised him, far more that she knew who he was. He couldn't remember meeting her or introducing himself to her before but then again, he was a performer. Not a very popular or reputable one mind you, but a performer none the less. She'd probably seen him at the Gaslight once before or something.

"Uh..., yeah... Hey, how'd you, um?"

"Oh, um I think I might own one of your albums. Inside Llewyn Davis, right?" The mention of his less than successful solo artist debut was a bit upsetting but he just dismissed it and looked away. "Yup... that's the one." His voice sounded disappointed and beaten but who could blame him. Chasing a dream so far that it only leads you to a dead-end can be frustrating.

"You know, I really enjoyed it," she mused, much to his disbelief but it must have only been out of politeness. "That makes one of us," he mutters, his frown dropping a millimeter or so. She couldn't decipher what he was referring to, but she could tell that whatever it was, it had sucked the rest of his joy and drive out of him. The business will do that to you, take a starry-eyed kid and promise them a dream only to drop them on their ass and tell them they'll never be more than a stand-in gig for a bunch of nobodies.

"I really loved the song— oh, how'd it go?" She pondered, the way her thick eyebrows scrunched up in concentration giving her the wonders of a child. The same way her determination to prove the potential the album had was childish. But it was the truth, she did enjoy the album and even recommended it to a few friends back when she bought it, now it just sits in a blue milk crate next to her record player, collecting dust. He gazed at her expectantly waiting to hear her utter at least a single lyric from his album.

"Oh!" She snaps her fingers in triumph, startling Llewyn once more. "It goes," and she readied her voice with a clearing of her throat and sang what she could remember. "Hang me, oh hang me, I'll be dead and gone," his eyes widened a bit at the surprise of her actually acknowledging his music, and the fact that she enjoyed it, no less. "Hang me, oh hang me, I'll be dead and gone," the lilt in her voice echoed through the Café and a few patrons stopped their chatter to cherish her sweet voice. The silence stuck around for a beat and her eyes fluttered open after her display.

"Yeah, that's it!" Her outburst wasn't expected and nearly knocked Llewyn out of his seat for about the fifth time.

"Yeah," he muttered, letting his eyes linger on her form a moment longer than he'd like to admit, brows furrowed in thinking. "Whad'ya say your name was again?" He questioned, curiosity getting the better of him. And there was that damn giggle again, opening his eyes to a whole new world of possibilities where you can giggle and laugh about things without having to feel sorry about the lack of a difference it makes. She answers and it's just nothing special but at the same time it feels like... a novelty. "Dorothy.”

#inside llewyn davis #llewyn davis x reader #llewyn davis #poe #poe dameron #dameron #oscar isaac #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #llewyn davis x oc #oc #original character

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newmusickarl · 3 years

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Top 20 Albums of 2020

15. Notes On A Conditional Form by The 1975

“This film is designed to delineate the fractured nature of an album, which in itself is sisyphean… which is the point” – Matty Healy on The Making of Notes On A Conditional Form

Two years ago, Manchester’s biggest pop export The 1975 blew everyone’s minds with A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, an album some likened to a modern day OK Computer due to its thematic and lyrical content. Fast forward to 2020, and The 1975 finally (after much delay) returned with their own version of Kid A - Notes On A Conditional Form (NOACF) - marking their most experimental and boundary-pushing effort to date. However, just like Kid A was at the time, there was probably no record released in 2020 that was as divisive and misunderstood than The 1975’s fourth album.

Now without digressing too much, there are a few reasons why I think this album proved to be such a Marmite-record, seemingly loved and hated in equal measure. Firstly, whilst some records on this Albums of the Year list benefitted from album delays, NOACF definitely suffered as a result. The album begins with Greta Thunberg’s rallying call-to-arms for immediate climate change action which, although felt urgent at the back end of 2019, by the time the album dropped amidst a global pandemic in May 2020, suddenly felt outdated and less impactful.

Secondly, The 1975 have always been the torch-bearers for cohesive eclecticism, but NOACF definitely isn’t that. NOACF is a 22-track odyssey that dives headfirst into everything weird and wonderful, ultimately proving too much for some listeners and diehard fans. Upon its release, I saw fair criticisms that the record is too long, too self-indulgent, too erratic, non-cohesive and generally a bit of a mess. These are all fair comments to make and I understand because of this, NOACF is not for everyone. However, in the case of being meandering, uneven and straight-up provocative, I would also argue that this was always part of the band’s intention for this particular record.

Following Greta’s opener, Matt Healy further emphasises her “Wake Up” message on the raw and aggressive punk track People, for me one of their boldest and best tracks to date. These two tracks were the first singles from NOACF, marking a big deviation from their traditional The 1975 opener that has started their last three records, and also a big departure sonically with People. Whilst these two tracks almost stand amiss from the other 20 tracks on display here, this is The 1975 informing the listener that they should expect the unexpected when it comes to their music. More importantly, it also offers insight into their mindset heading into this record – this is their punk rock moment.

Whilst the first two tracks are the only overtly punk moments (front man Matty Healy describes Greta Thunberg as “the most punk person he’s ever met”), this “don’t-give-a-f**k” attitude carries across the record strongly in terms of its direction. NOACF is basically The 1975 just making the music they want to hear, not caring whether it’s to the listener’s taste or not – for one of the biggest “pop” bands in the world today to neglect popular demand, this is an incredibly ballsy move. Also, for a band that has mastered making eclectic but cohesive records in the past, why throw that methodology out the window now? Unless, going back to Matty’s quote from the Lynchian “Making of” film that I started this blog with, creating a chaotic record was entirely the point.

It has long been said that the traditional album format is dying, with people today preferring to create their own playlists on streaming sites made up of their favourite tracks. What The 1975 have constructed here is in fact a deconstruction of that traditional album format, creating a playlist-like record that often jarringly jumps between musical genres that would normally have no place on the same record. From punk rock to ambient pop to UK garage to 90’s house to country to R&B to gospel to alternative indie to electronica - to pretty much everything else in between, it’s all being showcased here on NOACF.

This theory is further cemented in the fact the album was originally titled Music For Cars, meaning this should be taken like a handmade compilation or mixtape someone has thrown together. Whilst again this concept will not be to everyone’s taste and ultimately lost on some, it feels bold and for that they should be commended. In the simplest sense, this album is just a collection of musings plucked from Matty Healy’s brain - lyrically, stylistically and sonically - indeed, Notes On A Conditional Form.

That said, despite all these abstract concepts to unwrap, the biggest takeaway from The 1975’s daring fourth record is that the music here is without a doubt some of the best they have produced to date. From the folky bliss of the Phoebe Bridgers’ featuring Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America, the piano-driven dance groove of I Think There’s Something You Should Know, the 90’s surf rock of Me & You Together Song and the shimmering 80’s guitar pop of If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know), there is not much that isn’t great here. Also I would usually be dead against an album 22 tracks and 1 hour 20 minutes in length, but each song here offers a fascinating exploration into either the modern or nostalgic.

I could probably write a short novel on my interpretations of this album, but I’ll conclude by saying that I had extremely high expectations going into this record and for me The 1975 still managed to exceed them, despite the timing of this release ultimately causing it to drop out of the Top 10 for the year. From a personal point of view, The 1975 were also the last big arena show I went to see before the pandemic hit, with the setlist including debut performances of some of the tracks on this record. With this being the case, NOACF kept strong sentimental value during the year for me.

So whether you love it or hate it, The 1975 deserve credit for continuing to create cerebral, confrontational and defiant “pop” music, when so many other artists of their status opt to play it extremely safe and middle of the road.

Best tracks: People, Me & You Together Song, If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)

#top albums of 2020 #best of 2020 #the 1975 #matty healy #notes on a conditional form #noacf #the 1975 noacf #if you're too shy #best new music #best of the year #albums of the year #albums of 2020

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