#talking about the parx tour

[emilyblame]

ok, kids, here we go! (again)

a week ago i asked you to participate in a poll, as i do. and 75 of you joined in. first of all: thank you, hope you had fun, please don't hate me. secondly, the questions were:

1. which ablum cycle was the band on when you started listening?

2. which one is your favorite EP or album?

3. pick your top 10 favorite songs.

4. tell me you most favorite song. The #1

the main questions i wanted to answer with this survey were:

1. which is the fan favorite album right now?

2. when did you guys started listening to Waterparks? (just out of curiosity, see how it changed from 2 years ago when i first did this)

3. is there an asociation between the cycle you started listening to the band and which your favorite album is? (actually wanted to check if this still stands or not.)

4. which song is the fan favorite? and is it actually everyone's favorite?

before going right into it, i wanted to thank all of you who participated in this one more time. last time i did this particular poll, there was a total of 174 people who filled this (including me.) this time there were 75 (excluding me), and i'm not complaining. i just find it curious and i don't know if it's because people just didn't feel like participating which is perfectly valid and okay, and cool; or maybe it's because so many people fled the fandom and tumblr in general. it does feel like there's less of us Waterparks' fans out here, making content, and just sharing our love for the band. nevertheless, if you did participate, i appreciate you taking time off your day to do something kinda silly, so thank you so much.

ok, let’s go through my questions one by one! i made charts, obviously. that was kinda like the whole point of this thing. here's the link to the poll i did in 2021.

1. when did you guys started listening to Waterparks?

i am still surprised to see people from before EVR times. unless it's Travis. Travis is that you? if i knew for sure someone close to Parx was lurking on my polls i'd probably stop making them. like, i'm sure Travis has more important shit to do than complete a poll on tumblr, right?. this one looks pretty much the same from 2021. most people joined in over the Entertaiment cycle, me included. close second, the Double Dare cycle. which makes sense, DD was the first record, it was all new and shiny. and with the release of Entertainment they started getting more printed press and after touring DD for a while more mouth to mouth popularity. i mean, i found out about Parx because YouTube recomended them to me. points to the algorithm, i guess.

2. which is the fan favorite album?

so, last time i thought for sure Entertainment was gonna take the podium here, and it didn't. Double Dare won 2021. but this time Entertaiment took the crown. even though it was a close call, we're talking 26 against 24 votes.

3. is there an asociation between the cycle you started listening to the band and which your favorite album is?

now this is where it gets interesting... again!

so, hi. this is a heatmap. i feel like it's pretty self-explanatory, but just in case, here's how you read it: you have cycle on the y-axis (vertical) and album on the x-axis (horizontal). as you can see on the legend (number of votes), the darkest blue means 0 votes, and the lighter the blue gets, the more votes that particular combination got.

back in 2021, most people who started listening to Waterparks over the Double Dare cycle, chose Double Dare as their favorite album. now, we can see the same happening with people who started listening over the Entertainment cycle, picking Entertainment as their favorite album (once again, me included.) and the curious part here, is that most people who participated in this particular poll, who started listening to Waterparks over the DD cycle, picked Entertainment as their favorite album.

now, since we have no way of proving the people who participated now are the same people that took part back in 2021, this doesn't necessarily mean people changed their favorite album. still, it's kinda curious that the people that are still active in tumblr and started listening to Waterparks when Double Dare was released, have Entertainment as their favorite album.

and, i mean, it's curious to me because it's different from what i found before. and it also speaks volumes of how art can be percieved so differently by different people (more on this when i talk about the favorite song). i just think it's really cool how things don't stay constant, does that make sense?

4. which song is the fan favorite?

(you’re gonna have to really zoom in this bitch if you wanna see anything.) predictably, 'Not Warriors' won this one. it's everybody's favorite song, and i think Awsten should grow some balls and just fucking sing it live again already. i mean, if Hayley Williams can sing 'Still Into You' and 'The Only Exception' after everything that happened with her ex-husband, Awsten can fucking sing 'Not Warriors', man. just saying!

anyway... so, here's your top 10:

10. 'Magnetic' (18.4%) 9. 'Crave'/'Pink'/'Stupid For You'/'Royal'/'Violet!' (19.7%) 8. 'Take Her To The Moon'/'High Definition' (21.1%) 7. 'It Follows'/'Dream Boy' (22.4%) 6. '21 Questions'/'GloomBoys' (23.7%) 5. 'I Felt Younger When We Met' (26.3%) 4. 'Rare' (28.9%) 3. 'Fuzzy' (30.3%) 2. 'Peach' (31.6%) 1. 'Not Warriors' (38.2%)

lots of ties. not mad at it. i'm happy 'Magnetic' made it there.

then i asked you what your number one Waterparks song was. what was that one song you can't live without. i think i said something along the lines of, "the one song that makes you forgive Awsten's online behaviour." and it was... all over the place. fucking loved it. i wanted to make a chart. not a chance. 44 different songs were chosen. most of them only have one vote. a chart did not make any sense at all. and here's what i mean by art is subjective and it's okay to like whichever song you like best, no matter what anyone says. it's a beautiful thing, really.

here's our top 5:

5. 'Royal'/'Powerless'/'THTTM'/'Dizzy'/'Little Violence'/'Candy'/'WWHN'/'Violet!' (2 votes) 4. 'Pink'/'Stupif For You'/'Peach'/'IFYWWM'/'Last Heaven'/'Snow Globe' (3 votes) 3. 'Rare' (4 votes) 2. 'High Definition' (5 votes) 1. 'Not Warriors' (9 votes)

so many ties for numbers 4 and 5, it's ridiculous. i love it.

what i wanted to see here was if there was any correlation between what we see in the top 10 what people's actual favorite song is. i mean, only 'Not Warriors' seems to be the one song present in everyone's mind and the one people seem to love the most. not me, 'Royal' owns my soul. but 'Not Warriors' is my second most favorite song, so.

that's what i wanted to see. making you guys pick ten songs and seeing which of those were the 'top 10' doesn't necesarilly represent people's actual favorite song. except it kinda does? because of 'Not Warriors'? but still? it doesn't? like, someone's favorite song is 'Fruit Roll-Ups'. two people couldn't decide between two songs (i counted them as separate votes.) someone couldn't decide at all, blank vote goes to whoever is winning, so vote for 'Not Warriors', sorry person who couldn't decide, democracy decided for you (?).

anyway! this was so much fun to do and talk about, and i hope you enjoyed participating, or at least swearing at me because i made you make shitty decisions. again, i'm sorry. and also, thank you.

with that, i leave you, and if anybody has any questions or comments, my inbox is open. let’s make this fun! just, you know? be nice.

and i leave you here my personal top 10, so you know i also suffered for science:

10. 'Stupid For You' 9. 'Crybaby' 8. 'Peach' 7. 'Fuzzy' 6. 'A Night Out On Earth' 5. 'Magnetic' 4. 'Never Bloom Again' 3. 'Closer' 2. 'Not Warriors' 1. 'Royal'

#waterparks #parx genuine question 2 #waterparks polls

[waterparksdrama]

hi i just got back from the parx show, and so, well, i went to the M&G beforehand and the same shitty conditions carried over here. so no selfies, one photo, no signing, get through as quickly as possible. i respect that the tour manager was under the pump but he was, uh, not a happy camper at times. and jawn was like cracking the whip with photos, it was just strange because the actual band were so nice and took the time to talk to everyone as much as they could, it was just everyone around them who set this weird tone. then, oh my god. i managed to make friends with a couple of the other fans in their mid-late 20s which was nice, but the front row was FULL of the aus twitter parxies. like some guy who's gotten into an actual twitter beef with awsten was talking about it, he went to the AIRPORT to stalk the band when they got into brisbane. i was behind a group of people, one of which was nice and let me into the barrier. but when i say the front row was quiet as fuck. like everyone had their phones out filiming but no one was signing. one cool ass person was like me and having a great time, but the barrier row was so STRANGE. he played a bit of 21 questions and i was very happy, and this person next to me looked at me like i was nuts. that could just be my interpretation but, like, it was weird. i didn't even know if they were a FAN until i saw that they kept sending videos on their phone to someone. I also am pretty sure awsten is aware of my side blog, i know he stalks the parx tag but when i met him. yeah, i think he knew who i was lol. he was very nice, his stage presence is pretty great. anyways good show weird elements but it could have been worse. i met some cool ass people

average parx show but i'm glad you had fun!!!! - iz

#also uh that last paragraph. what

[souryogurt64]

i think that anon was talking about when you went to chicago concert of fob or panic or whatever with your homoerotic best friend? maybe im wrong but i wanna hear that story again

i saw both with her, my dad took us both times, it was pretty standard, i do have to say that seeing panic and weezer outside in 100 degree weather is a very fond memory, i remember collapsing on the ground after getting out of the pit and lying in the grass and looking up at the stars

anyway when i was like 16ish me and my friend impulsively went to chicago without telling our parents to eat at the cafe fob shot their album cover at. i think i had an iowa specific type of license that said i could only drive to and from school and work and she only had a learners permit; however, she was the one driving and did not tell me she did not have a license until we were almost home. we drove there to see the area i live in now because its the fall out boy area. i caved as soon as i got home and told my mom because i was so shaken up by the horrible driving that was occurring (and getting lost in downers grove for like 5 hours) and my mom did not and still does not believe me, she thinks i “just thought i was in chicago”

when i was 18 i did follow all time low/parx/swmrs on tour for a week and my mom thought i was going to just one concert and then staying with a friend for a week, she did not know i was literally sleeping in the back of a honda civic

[honeybunchcalum]

Waterparks show recap

The time has come! i know you were all waiting at the edge of your seats, so here it is! 

TLDR: this was one of the best shows I’ve EVER been to, top 2 for sure (maybe gvf first bc I was at Jake barricade but this is def its competitor). The setlist flowed well and showed where they’ve been as a band, who they are now, and where they plan to go. I am also a  sucker for crowd interaction and talk breaks and as you know at a parx show with Awsten, I definitely got them. I love waterparks *blowing kisses to them* ❤️!!!!

M&G!!!

I was nervous out of my MIND I cannot lie to you. A few of the people I went with had done a M&G before and I was going in with no previous experience and a fear of being perceived by one of my fave bands. No stakes at all, definitely!

Shout out to Jimmy, he was very cool

I initially told my friend not to film me (what the back of me looks like is not info I want to know) but she did and I’m actually really happy bc it was very cute

Awsten was on vocal rest so he was basically doing charades to everyone to make sure you could see what he wanted to say, which was very sweet

I gave them these puzzle book things + some gem pens (bc awsten mentioned solitaire + wordscapes. Yes I know this is a nerdy gift) and I think they enjoyed them!!

Geoff and Otto said that they could use them to use their brains on tour LOL

Awsten and Jawn were flipping through them and I think they liked them too

I did a group hug for the picture! ( I could not risk a waterparks-generated pose that is the most out-there scenario that no one except for them could think of)  

Geoff was so nice when he asked what I wanted for the photo pose!! ❤️❤️ all around for Geoff for real  

Awsten gave the best hug 🥺 love that guy 

Otto + Awsten are shorter than I thought but I’m still way shorter than them LOL so I saw myself in the video going on my tip toes to hug them which is so cute I cannot lie and I wasn’t even aware I was doing it 🥺

I am SO excited for this photo, I am going to plaster it everywhere 

Also saw Otto get in a huge FedEx box and pop out of it??? Another highlight tbh

more below!

Q&A recap (this is aside from the writing out tattoos requests 🙃)

Otto’s first crowd surf was in Philly!! As kind of a bit when they were opening for State Champs. He was dropped : (

Awsten’s was at a local show and he was wearing pajamas?

Awsten typing out answers on his phone for Otto and Geoff to read aloud

Aaron Gillespie FaceTime story? Cannot give accurate info bc they did not explain it clearly LMAO, but the story was mentioned bc Otto listed him as an inspiration.  There was some FaceTiming happening at one point or another and Awsten (and Geoff? Like I said they did not clearly lay this story out) were getting PB&J when he was in the studio so Otto had to FaceTime them?

I honestly think that’s it from the Q&A? It was pretty short and a little chaotic

BUT I was trying to airdrop my friend something and awsten’s phone came up? Probably a joke from someone bc I think (or at least I can hope) that he has his phone named something else. I did refrain from sending something but maybe he’ll realize to change his phone name if that was him 😭

The actual show (if you’d like to read this far)

I told my friend that I wanted to get a spot where I could actually see Otto for once. It’s so difficult to see him as a short person unless you’re in the front or pretty close. I got my wish bc I was in a spot on the side where I could only see Otto clearly. Which was amazing because, as you all know, I love that guy. So I was very happy about it and I got some sick ass videos of Otto killing it on the drums (and in goggles at one point?). But very funny how I worded that and got what I asked for LOL

The M&G and the pre-show playlist is confirmed (?) to be Charlie Puth Spotify radio, which is funny but also fun and fitting. Personally, I approve.

Someone playing 2048 on another person’s Apple Watch (while it was still on their wrist), very funny

He does this at every show, but the way Awsten says “what” after anyone yells his name like it’s a conversation across the room. I can just predict how he says it

“I’m not gonna take a bereal, I’m tryna be fake as hell”

Birthday moment for Otto’s drum tech Toby, but no sex speech for him thank god

However, there was a sex mention when Awsten talked about how they were from Houston since it’s where their parents decided to have sex and live (thanks for that explanation, Awsten)

Awsten being on vocal rest until the show: “That’s so hard for someone like me”

Them promising they’d never ever ever cancel a Philly show bc we rock that hard: agreed

Geoff’s guitar spins were SPINNING and I loved them

Geoff always going to both sides of the stage and he had a PLATFORM which was sick

Crave Geoff verse of course!!

Always appreciate them thanking security bc security at that venue is awesome and they are putting in the work with how many crowd surfers there are

Groupchat 5?? times. We got High Def but the real winner surprise song in the “whatever awsten is doing” section was group chat for sure

“Otto Wood man of the year” chant (before it got into the serial killer bit which is long overdue for being funny LOL sorry) but I really was on board with the man of the year part bc it’s fucking Otto Wood, people!

Ok, I always take Awsten hyping things up with a grain of salt (topic for another time) but I have to give it to him, he was SO right about the stage design being sick as hell.

The screens were COOL and they matched the art from the album the song was from. The entertainment one was really cute with the clovers and all the purple. Plus the ghosts for crave. The smoke cannons were really cool too!! Especially during numb (side note: only one greatest hits song? Peculiar since there was SO much emphasis on it but alas another topic for another time)

Seeing everyone talk about crave….what about royal, people!!!

War Crimes FUCKS (but we knew that, though), as does ANOOE.

Closer hit really hard live and I felt it deeper than I ever have. If I heard it again live I’d probably cry

Funeral Grey eye roll thing… hear me out on this one…. when you are there in-person and are a woman (or any gender identity) prone to falling for him, such as I, it is hard not to scream about it.

Refer to above bullet point for the screams in Ritual, the telephone guitar solo, the hair flicks in stupid for you, “baby” in fuck about it…. I could go on and on and on

I realized I need to work on my camera skills bc I can’t figure out how people were getting like 5/6x zoom from the BACK OF THE PIT. My vids are blurry as hell and I feel really dumb, so pls send your support while I try to improve 😭 I need HQ vids of my band guys!!

tagging some people if you’d like to read an essay about waterparks LOL @s0livagant @jaakey @pennsylvanya 

#waterparks #rambles #my show

[randombubblegum]

When did you start learning the lore of these bands? Parx bad suns hunny and the ones youve mentiond?

hmmmm its been a while!!!! it all happened at different times…. my personal bandom timeline was like:

- october 2017: get into fall out boy like a man POSSESSED, consume all fob content and move on to bandom at large (panic, mcr)

- november 2017: i am now for the first time in my life a Person Who Likes Bands. my good friends astro lux and keri keep talking about this band called bad suns so i check it out and i love it!!!! they then fill me in on jasto so i absorb basic bad shunny lore

- feb 2018: i start expanding my bandom knowledge into cobra starship, tai, the hush sound, etc

- july 2018: i am made aware of waterparks bc idkhow announces theyre touring together. i do cursory research and offhandedly like them. in november i catch awsten on my shoulder after a failed stage dive, saving his life. i think nothing about this

- may 2019: waterparks releases turbulent and i remember they exist. i laugh and tell all my friends about the peterick lyric then forget about them again

- feb 2020: my friend starts talking about waterparks because they have an oc that awsten is just wholesale ripping off by existing. i remember awsten exists again and listen to fandom and its fine

- may 2020: i read awstens book. i realize hes in love with otto and also an insane person. my fate is sealed. i start writing fic and we all go to hell

- summer(?) 2021: christo and awsten become closer friends. i am consumed and harass my aforementioned 3 friends for more info about bad suns and hunny and start digging for myself for the first time

the moral of this story is. i dont know actually. dont read anybodys biography or you might become possessed by demons and start new rpf movements i guess

#i actuallt JUST recently like in the last few months have been hardcore on bad sun and hunny lore lol #christo and jasons old bands are easy to find!!! and their music is actually pretty good!!!!! #mail time!

[abiiors]

ok i had a full nights sleep. i am coherent. i am fixing to copy/paste the tweets here for your enjoyment. its a lot.

ok so parx twit had a “trend” on unpopular opinions about the band during the sneaking out of heaven tour (their most recent one) one person said this

“Had to be said. You forgot his over dependence on nyquil and sleep drugs that borderlines abuse, he claims he's straight edge though ✨”

she deleted and posted a noted app apology

“Hey friends, I'm writing this to you, not just as an apology for writing dumb shit on twitter with no thought behind it, but to also share that I do suffer from my own personal addiction to pain medication, and have been since I was 17. Addiction is a real thing, it's a problem and it should be talked about, but not at the expense of others and making baseless assumptions. We all know where false acusations can lead, and it's never a good time. I've been reflecting on my previous inflammatory tweet about Awsten and his use of Nyquil and I want to say that I am truly sorry for my, dumb, offensive and very thoughtless tweet. I didn't stop to think before I wrote something so dumb and hurtful and I'm sorry for that. I'm not perfect, l'm human and I make mistakes. I know I fucked up hard and I'm sorry to anyone that was offended by my words. I can delete a tweet, but I can't take away the fact that I wrote it, and that it's out there causing anger to people, so l'm acknowledging that, and owning my mistakes. I am also very greatful to the people that took the time to educate me on this, I always appreciate any guidance. Moving forward I want to do better, internet etiquette is hard to get right especially when you're in a fandom spanning multiple generations and culture's but l'm definately gonna try harder.”

awsten saw the tweets and now that tour has been over for a while he has responded.

“HEY AND BTW WHEREVER THAT ACORNBRAIN WALMARTMOUTH BREATHING TWITTER DULLED CLOWN IS AT THAT SAID I HAVE A DRUG PROBLEM BC I TAKE ZZZQUIL TO SLEEP IN A BUS ON A THIN ASS MATTRESS, I APPRECIATE UR CONCERN AND I HAVENT HAD ANY SINCE TOUR ENDED, YOU CURED ME OF MY ADDICTION”

“GET COOKED WORMBREATH DUMBASS !!! I HOPE YOURE LIKE 14 BECAUSE IF YOURE OPERATING LIKE THIS AT FULLY GROWN, I FEEL SO SAD FOR YOU HAHA PAINT DRINKER”

he quoted a tweet with this after that.

“THIS AND THEN SELF-RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE SMELLING BLOOD IN THE WATER SWOOP IN TO PAT THEMSELVES ON THE BACK AND ABSOLVE THEM LIKE A PRIEST SAYING "we weren't trying to cancel u we wanted to hold you accountable thank you" LMFAO0000000 I LAUGH EVERY TIME, ITS A FULL CIRCLE OF STUPID”

“it's either a notes app apology or an "i'm taking a break" and they go priv and come back in like two days” ^quoted tweet

he also tweeted a picture of a confessional with “you are… forgiven”

“DUMBEST HILLS HAVE EYES MUTANTS ON HERE WILL BE LIKE “uM personally i think he is so immature and Anyone should be allowed to say Anything and Everything at All Times with no repercussions” SIKE BITCH THIS IS THE REAL WORLD OPEN YOUR EYES”

the person who tweeted what hes talking about is between 32-34 and followed them for a majority of the us tour. they flew in from australia for it. somebody tweeted the photo of the tweet that caused him to say that cropped so the persons @ was cut out and his response to that was

“NO MORE CROPPING NAMES, I DONT GIVE A FUCK, WE SHAME IDIOTS, WE SHAPE THE FUTURE”

“WORLD PEACE

IM OUT”

her response to the paint drinker shit was

“loved waking up to you caling me an idiot, thanks Awsten. This fucked up my mental health something fierce and put me in a really bad place”

“Woke up and burst into tears, thanks Awsten”

and a “Awsten what the fuck”

hold on ill link a few of my favorite tweets from the situation because now what the fuck tweet is a whole fuckin joke.

https://x.com/lowkeyashan/status/1782178428982059407?s=46

https://x.com/aioevera7/status/1782185227428729005?s=46

https://x.com/tantrxmbee/status/1782170160209531077?s=46

-🦞

okay what i'm about to say might be a bad an unpopular take because i only have the context that you've given me in this ask so idk if this user used to be disliked before this, or used to be beloved or super popular or whatever else.

anyway i think awsten is... in the wrong here.

this is not to say that the user who tweeted about his alleged drug addiction is saintly and pure and innocent, that was a fucked up tweet to make regardless of if awsten would have seen and/or responded.

however... if i was a popular celeb with a wholeass fandom i would NEVER say these things publicly like sure i understand being mad that someone is talking to flippantly about drug use and speculating about your drug use online but then to go ahead and call them a bunch of names as well as essentially weaponise your fanbase in a way where they're now making memes about this person, making fun of them etc. i'm glad they're not 14 like he said but he didn't know if they were 14 or not, what if they were super young... what if someone who's barely a teenager had to deal with this not only from someone they adore but also from a whole fandom they considered their own??

anyway... yeah i hope tweetuser is fine and i'm glad there's no addiction here. ooofff that's a messy situation wow 😬

#✉️ #🦞 anon

[sydmarch]

is the album bad.

soooo i have mixed feelings lol there's a few songs i really like (rsd, self sabotage, brainwashed, ritual) a few i feel like are pretty good (a night out on earth, funeral grey YES despite the cringe lyrics at least i's catchy and a fun listen unlike half trhe shit on this album never thought i'd be saying this when singles were coming out), starfucker and closer are. fine i guess. but 2best friends fuck about it and end of the water are all soo fucking bad. so kind of a mixed bag to me personally in terms of some songs i really like vs some i really hate vs past albums of theirs where it was like, MAYBE there would be a song or two i just wouldn't like very much & usually skip so definitely a let down in that regard. like gh was a noskip for me besides fruit roll ups to for it to be followed by something where i truly around half the sogns on an album that's already so short.

but as an ALBUM honestly i have to say it's Not Good just because of how incoherent and all over theplace it sounds. ik gh was widely dislikes but i loved it so i'm gonna use it as a comparison bcus gh i feel had a lot of different sounds on it without any of them seeming out of place or inconsistent like snow globe & magnetic & ice bath all had a reallydifferent sound from you'd be paranoid too & lowkey as hell & american graffiti which were different from numb & fuzzy, etc etc but the songs all felt like they belonged on one album together, none of the transitions were jarring, and it all felt like one consistent experience that just had a lot of variation to it which made it a fun listen. but ip to me doesn['t sound like an album it sounds like someone made a playlist with no regard for making sure the songs made sense together & without paying any attention to track order. like to me there's a fine line betweenvaried and messy & ip is just messy.

& the only lyrics ifeel like i've ended up liking off ip are the oens that arelike, the same themes awsten has already written about already. the hypersexual stuff it just sooo embarrassing to listen to & the whole religious trauma theme he talked about in the album descrpition i feel liike barely comes through aside from in a night out on earth & so many of the other mentions tor eligion just feel shoehorned in like. "jesus christ won't text me back"??? you don't need to put a clip from that abstince onlysex ed psa just like. make your point in the lyrics themselves lmao.

i hope this doesn't sound like i'm just being a hater because listen as cringey as it is to admit parx is one of my favorite bands i've seen them 6 times i'll be seeing them twice more this summer i will continue seeing them for as long as they tour because they put on some of the most fun shows out of anyone & i'm saying this as someonewho's been to probably 100 concerts at least. but yeah this album was a big let down. thanks for coming to my ted talk sorry about the typos i'm using the mechanical keyboard w my tablet & the space bar is a fuck

#anon #ask #sorry i wrote 4 paragraphs in response to a yes or no question LOL

[kpop]

K-Pop Spotlight: K-Pop Critical

All month long, right here on @kpop on Tumblr, we’ve been highlighting creators from the @blackintokpop coalition of Black K-pop podcasters. For the final installment, we spoke with Virginia native Morgan and New York City-based Catrina about K-Pop Critical—a podcast that deconstructs K-pop and ponders the commodity of art-making and intersections of pointless and perfect in pop culture.

Tell us about yourselves. How did you start your podcast?

I feel like any intro to our show needs the preface that we were both staunch Directioners. I was literally turned into a 1D meme on Tumblr for going to a 1D show in a white t-shirt and shorts with Zayn's face printed on both asscheeks! We also both happened to be working on degrees related to culture, media, and criticism at the time. After years of a mutual friend trying to get us to meet, we finally did and talked about 1D for an entire night. Somehow K-pop climbed in priority again for both of us, and a couple of months later, we started the show.

The podcast industry is still largely white and male-dominated. How can we continue to shine a light on BIPOC women podcasters?

Monetary support is always incredibly appreciated!!! A LOT of independent podcasters do this for $0.00, so if you see a CashApp/Venmo/Paypal/Patreon link, RUN UP ON IT! Especially if you're learning something new or just enjoy aspects of the show. Beyond this, kind words, shout-outs, questions, reviews, and other interactions on social media are huge morale boosters to keep us motivated. 

What has been your favorite episode that you’ve created?

This is a great question because I know Catrina do not be listening to our episodes often LMAO!I think we'd both agree that our second episode, #FREEHANBIN, is probably our favorite because it is the most gut-reaction recording. It featured our friend Moses, who also did a NCT 127 x Grace Lee Boggs mashup intro for an episode. We also had a great viewer phone call that helped add more context to our understanding of drug culture and South Korean legality. I think more standard/informative/less reactionary favorites are all of the episodes in our Trauma series and Blackness series.

The K-pop community is a wonderfully inclusive one, but the industry continues to have its instances of cultural appropriation. What changes in the industry do you hope to see going forward?

A doozy of a question. I never have super high hopes for cultural consciousness from ANY pop system operating with money as its main priority. That said, I am hopeful that more artists take ownership of their images and schedules and loudly proclaim their influences and what they care about, along with acknowledging when they're wrong. Hearing different idols PUBLICLY connect their love for Black music to their understanding and empathy for Black people and our struggle this past summer was such a minor (in that context) but interesting and necessary thing to witness. Hopefully, that type of appreciation continues.

When you hear Black Excellence, is there someone in or adjacent to the K-pop industry that comes to mind?

I've gotta say, I never grouped Black Excellence and K-pop in the same thought until I learned who CHIKK and Adrian McKinnon were. Without these songwriters and producers, we would be missing a huge portion of SM Entertainment's music, including massive singles. It obviously doesn't stop or begin with just them—add MNEK, Dem Jointz, Cha Cha Malone, Tayla Parx, Tiffany Red, Devin Morrison, The Stereotypes, and, obviously, Teddy Riley, to name a select few. Imagine a world without Girls Generation's The Boys, or EXO's What Is Love, or Shinee's Juliette, or *insert almost any K-pop track that is obviously RnB-leaning*: simply another marker of Black people being everywhere and doing excellent things constantly.

If you could choose any K-pop idol to appear on your show, who would your dream guest be?

So. many. people! We literally tried to get Seventeen on our show in 2020 while they were in New York touring, and it kinda drives me a lil nuts that we didn't, but it was also a ridiculously ambitious plan. 2022 though, we'll be ready. If you see a GoFundMe for buying thirteen extra cameras, don't @ us—just reblog.

What can we look forward to from you in 2021?

More episodes!! We're a little under two years into the show, and we have a lot of ideas and unfinished series to go. We'll be updating our Trauma series and Blackness series, and will hopefully get back into company and idol group episodes soon!

Thanks for sharing your stories! Check out more from K-Pop Critical here. Find more awesome Black K-Pop podcasts, and keep up to date with all things @blackintokpop over on their blog.

This interview has been condensed for clarity.

#kpop critical podcast #blackexcellence365 #black history month #kpop spotlight

[nakedpersimmon]

Yesterday afternoon, it was brought to NP’s attention that this post had been made on Michael Nesmith's personal Facebook page. In the post, I (Miss Mini) am called out by name, mentioned as someone instructing others to call the police on Nez, and otherwise painted as a deranged fan who is harassing him and his employees. Further, "Nez" implored his fans and followers to "hurl insults" at me, along with two other women who were also named.

I never wanted to write this post. I never wanted things to get this bad, to where a fandom I once loved so deeply could be in utter shambles, and leave me reduced to tears over an unwarranted and completely baseless attack. But I can't stay silent any longer, nor can I watch as me and others are dragged through the mud and beaten down, with the people doing it using someone I care about as their primary weapon.

Some have said I don't have much in the way of weaponry against these particular individuals. For most people, it would be a daunting prospect, to go up against these people who have become the gatekeepers of the fandom. So I am using the one weapon I do have. The one thing that I have held onto for all these years, and that has kept me sane: The truth.

In 2011, I started talking to Michael Nesmith online. What began as private messaging in Videoranch3D ("whisper," as it's called there) soon became chatting on GoogleChat, and then a few months later, he asked me to Skype with him. I still remember the first time we spoke on video, when he asked me to "have lunch" with him. I remember the Annie Chun Miso Soup bowl I'd microwaved, and how it sat untouched on my desk the entire time because I was too nervous to eat.

I remember defending and passing my Master's thesis a few months later, and Nez being the second person that I told. I remember talking to him for hours, in text chat and over Skype, on topics as far-ranging and wide as God and metaphysics and religion and sex and love. I remember coming home from seeing one of Micky's solo shows at Parx Casino and Nez asking me how it went, eager to know if "Mick" had sold a lot of tickets. I remember having a three-way Skype chat with him and my best friend Lynsey Moon, who was a DJ in Videoranch3D at the time and how--without pretense or prompting--he played music for us.

I remember finally meeting Nez in person in 2013, after one of his solo shows in Somerville, Massachusetts. I remember seeing another show of his later that year in Englewood, New Jersey, and hanging out in his dressing room after. I remember how, again unprompted, he took my hand and held it all the way down in the elevator until we got to the parking lot. I remember another show that same year in Bay Shore on Long Island, sharing laughs and stories with his wonderful band, and how his keyboard player gave me a plate of rigatoni when I said I hadn't eaten, and made me a drink from the bar on the tour bus.

"Gin," I said to Nez as he sat across from me. "So I can say that I went to a sophisticated party where I got a little drunk on gin." He gave me such a pointed, hilarious look, but later insistently asked if I was okay to drive home.

And I remember this comment, in this photo. I'd written about being asked to speak at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day, and out of nowhere, Nez commented, and said that he was proud of me.

It was March of 2011. We'd only known each other for two months. He knew me when. And he was proud of me.

I have loved the Monkees since I was 12 years old. I remember watching the show on Nick At Nite's Summer Block Party, and how much of a comfort it was, when I was being bullied so badly in school and already contemplating suicide because of it. The Monkees were four friends that I didn't have then, and who saved my life without even knowing it.

Fifteen years later, one of those men I admired so greatly, who was a hero of mine, told me that he was proud of me.

There just aren't words.

I never wanted to be someone who uses their relationship/friendship with someone to make a point. That is why I haven't talked about any of this publicly, haven't posted endless photos with Nez or video or any of the other countless receipts that I have.

Because I know where I stand with him.

Because at the Chiller Theatre convention in 2017, when I ended up in tears due to a stupid misunderstanding, Nez came over and took my hands again, and asked if I was okay.

Because that is who Michael Nesmith is.

That is the man I know. And that is why I have been heartbroken and worried as I've watched the two women in his employ, one of whom is his assistant, manipulate and use him for their own ends--regardless of what it's doing to his reputation and legacy, and not noticing or caring that all of this is the opposite of everything Nez has ever stood for.

Which brings us to yesterday. To the post that we are meant to believe Michael Nesmith wrote, telling his fans and followers to attack and insult me and two other women. A post that not only does not sound like it came from him, but that is so out of character as to nearly be laughable.

But I'm not laughing.

I know that some people will believe whatever they want to believe, no matter what I say. I know they will believe that I am jealous, because I don't work for Nez, and because the people who do have told them that I am. They can choose to believe that, and I can't do anything to stop them.

I can only say that I have nothing to be jealous of. And I have nothing to hide.

All I can do is share my truth, and that is what I have done. This post is public and will remain so, to be shared freely.

Thank you for reading, and please take care of yourselves and each other.

(This post was originally shared on Facebook.)

#michael nesmith #mike nesmith #the monkees #monkees #sad state of affairs #what kind of fuckery is this? #thank you to those who have sent messages of support #i've been half-numb and in a bit of shock since yesterday #so that's why i haven't responded #this is also not even getting into fanfic and Nez's stance toward it #which still seems to be a point of contention #when it is entirely a non-issue #fandom woes #monkees fandom #public service announcement

[waterbarks]

Hey guys soooo ya girl needs a lil assistance

Basically with all this Covid stuff and classes being online (which im sure isn’t fun for anyone) im a lil low on money for some technology that I need to complete my classes

Literally anything would help, and I HATE doing this bc I know you guys are the same exact way w being stressed about anything. I’m willing to sell some merch to anybody that is interested including

A signed FOB poster

A signed copy of save rock and roll

Multiple signed parx posters

A signed set it off poster

Multiple tour shirts from panic! FOB, etc

If any of these things sound interesting to you just message me and I can provide pics and we can talk prices

#mine

[georgieharrisons]

in multiple interviews parx talks about a show on the uk tour they did with swmrs and all time low back in 2017 where awsten’s voice was shot so otto had to sing. if anyone has any footage from that show or any idea where i could find it i’d owe you my first born

#rambling #waterparks #otto wood #awsten knight #all time low #swmrs

[waterparksdrama]

parx talking about an arena tour next but eventually they’re gonna run out of fans who are willing to shell out thousands of dollars to travel to all of these shows. my fear is they’re gonna sell a bunch of presale tix for these big shows and then essentially nothing else and end up with 70% full venues. like just stick to the smaller rooms i promise it’s okay, their monthly listeners have gone down again too

buddy let’s not get ahead of ourselves, even some of the most popular artists today are still playing general admissions shows this is as big as you’re getting until you break up 💀 - iz

#ARENA…god those rely on hardcore fans and casuals and there is not enough people in the world to care #for them to feasibly sell out 20k person venues when they’re not household names

[souryogurt64]

ok can you explain/sum up the swmrs/parx drama i got anons on waterparksdrama asking and you have the first hand expertise

christ 😭 only answering this one for you

swmrs just started drama with literally everyone they ever worked with or crossed paths with, from alex gaskarth to alex turner to parx to yungblud to god knows who else. @distantaxis had a friend that would record max and whenever he was kissing ass online would tweet the audio of him shit talking and apparently one time after her friend posted him shit talking alex gaskarth he deactivated his entire twitter. WHY he kept shit talking to them is beyond me

anyway i guess they just thought parx were too poppy and fake and resented them for their success, i know max got into twitter fights with awsten a lot and his girlfriend got involved once. like one time he tweeted a pic of awsten in a swmrs shirt like “omg cute photo @awsten” just to be shitty

i was following part of that tour and always hanging near the buses and one night right after the APMAs when parx won and swmrs had to announce it swmrs pulled me aside and started ranting about how rock music was dead and not authentic anymore and the apmas were rigged and how shitty their label (fbr) was for setting them up and it was obviously targeted at awsten

awsten was right behind them and he was making direct eye contact with them shooting daggers. then later cole and awsten who were a bit away from the buses like “play tackled” each other and me and all the other girls whipped around like “FUCK THERES A FIGHT” and then it was a “joke”

[notwxrriors]

assuming parx tours again & i can see them & they offer vip im trying to decide if i would want to get it so how was meeting aii? because part of me thinks meeting band you love and getting to hug them and thank them would be life affirming and part of me thinks i would make a fool of myself and should just save my money

i tried to answer this and it wouldn't go through so TAKE 2

SO i never have had vip for any shows! i met ben because he was at the merch table a few hours before their set and my friend and i happened to be in the same area!

it was really scary tbh (i don't have anxiety but if you do that's also something to consider), ive been a fan of aii for six yrs prior to meeting ben, so i was Very Very Nervous and i almost didn't go up to him because of it. my friend really encouraged me to, and i wasn't sure if id ever see him again, so i hyped myself up enough to go talk to him

he was really sweet to me! i was violently trembling the entire time and trying to like. collect myself enough to talk to him without being a fucking idiot, i told him id never seen them before even after six yrs and he was like "oh wow! i hope we don't disappoint then!" and I was like "OH NO U GUYS COULD NEVER" and it was bad and dumb i get secondhand embarrassment thinking abt it

but I asked him for a photo and to sign my this mind if mine ep, and he was very nice about both! it was a really quick encounter tbh and I'm really glad I did it, honestly, because i know id regret it a lot if i hadn't. 

I'd wait and see the prices for vip before jumping the gun. it's rly cool to meet a band u rly love, but ik most vips move very fast so there's a good chance you won't get much time to talk with them :( if they do vip near me and im in a good financial situation at the time, ill prob do it anyway because i think it'd be worth it to me personally 

if you do though, don't worry about acting like a dumbass lol you're Absolutely not the first or last nervous person they'll ever meet, and the parx boys all seem very sweet and understanding!!! 

#i s2g if my other answer posts ill mcfreakin lose it #ask

[randombubblegum]

I need desperately need someone to catch me up on the trawsten divorce arc

okay SO. in december waterparks played austin and travis went to their show to support them as he always does. and awsten had him onstage to do a little song/dance number for the crowd but he DIDNT invite travis to hang out in the greenroom with them and he DIDNT hang out with travis AT ALL before or after that show even though they hadnt seen each other in months :( but that would have been understandable if parx were doing very strict covid protocols and awsten said they werent hanging out with anyone even friends (which i dont think is true bc he hung out with mikey and his whole family after nashvile. but lol?)

except then at their last show of the tour awsten had ALL OF FUCKING LA out at the show to hang out with and take pics for clout on instagram to show off how popular he was and how many famous friends he has 😐 maskless, might i note. and when he and travis did their podcast ep the week after travis expressed how sad and bummed he was that he couldnt hang out with awsten despite coming to the austin show awsten dismisses him about it…. then goes on to talk about how he invited everyone he knew in LA out to the last show bc he didnt care if he got covid anymore 😐 bc they wouldnt have to cancel the tour and lose money so it didnt affect him 😐😐 and its just like. awful to listen to bc travis is upset and awsten dismissed him entirely to hang out with his cooler more famous LA “friends” over travis who has been there w him through thick and thin before he even had a band. lol.

and since then hes generally been a huge FUCKING dick about masks and covid and its understandably upset travis……. travis even said he wouldnt do his annual birthday dinner at waffle house with awsten on xmas eve bc he doesnt feel safe eating in restaurants (and bc awsten stopped wearing masks) which was like heartbreaking to listen to…..

and since then awstens only gotten publicly more stupid and annoying about masks. and then when the NFT thing happened right after new years travis immediately went and started liking a ton of ant-NFT tweets lol. and also kind of snipping at awsten while he hid out on his priv twit.

and THEN travis released another premium podcast ep but with jawn instead of awsten and made a point to call it “jawn and travis’ slumber party” and not mention awsten at all. so. he is fucking pissed and theyre divorced and im on his side

#sorry travis :( not only would he not fuck you hes also a huge bitch #i think thats the gist lmk if i forgot smth important #mail time! #neg #divorce

[awstenkightz]

SO NOW THAT THE TOUR WAS ANNOUNCED,,,,, I'm gonna try so fucking hard to get tickets gggrrrrrrrr. The one I'm trying to get is in November which is good coz I'll b fully vaxxed by then.

#tw caps #talking about the parx tour