#this is possibly the greatest dylan line ever and that's saying a lot because he has a lot of great lines

[lonelier-version-of-you]

Robyn Miller and Dylan Keogh in S37E15 "Lost in Translation"

#BBC Casualty #Robyn Miller #Dylan Keogh #my edits #my gifs #gif warning #ep: s37e15 Lost in Translation #i don't feel that satisfied with this gifset but here it is anyway #it's a quick little set because i loved this line and wanted to gif it lol #this is possibly the greatest dylan line ever and that's saying a lot because he has a lot of great lines

[searchingwardrobes]

I have been doing a lot of writing on my fics this week and hope to have an update of Start of Time ready for tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s a sweet and funny story from Lightport, Massachusetts - the setting of my novel What Hindered Love. Spoilers for my book, if you haven’t read it. What can be cuter than Micah with baby Luke?

Summary: Nobody ever told Micah Barrett drug rehab was easy, but he never thought it would bring him face to face with an identity crisis. Missing Chloe doesn't make things any easier, or the fact that he just became a father. Then again, maybe fatherhood is just what he needs.

Words: About 4k

Rating: T for mentions of drug abuse

Tagging: @snowbellewells​​​ @teamhook​​​ @xhookswenchx​​​ @ekr032-blog-blog​​​ @sherlockianwhovian​​​ @superchocovian​​​ @thislassishooked​​​ @ohmakemeahercules​​​ @kday426​​​ @onceuponaprincessworld​​​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​​​ @nikkiemms​​​ @kmomof4​​​ @hollyethecurious​​​ @bethacaciakay​​​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​​​ @welllpthisishappening​​​ @wellhellotragic​​​ @tiganasummertree​​​ @captainswanapproved​

Micah Barrett slammed the door of his room behind him so loudly it echoed up and down the halls of Hope Haven Rehabilitation center. He paced back and forth in the dorm-like room he had called home for the past seven weeks, muttering obscenities under his breath. Most of them were aimed at Logan, his counselor/mentor for the duration of his stay in rehab. It didn’t take much pacing to cover the distance in his tiny, eleven feet by thirteen feet room that barely had space for a bed, dresser, and desk. At least he didn’t have a roommate.

Micah ran the fingers of both hands through his dark hair in frustration. He thought the basic six week program at Hope Haven had been difficult; if his first counseling session with Logan this afternoon was any indication, the one year program might just kill him. Either that or he would kill Logan. Micah guessed there was a good reason they called it their “intensive” program.

To say Logan had been picking at old wounds today was an understatement. First dredging up his childhood along with the anger and self-doubt those years were filled with. Then he had to go and bring up Rachel and Chloe. Micah pressed the heel of both hands to the back of his closed eyelids, thinking back to Logan’s words.

“You love intensely, Micah, that’s not a bad thing. Your parents, your brother, these two great loves of your life.”

“It’s a problem if you end up losing everyone,” Micah had snapped back.

“Rachel died, Micah, and that was tragic. But who else have you lost? You still have everyone else last time I checked.”

“There’s more than one way to lose someone. I lost my parents to the church. Dad became a workaholic, mom a shell of a person. I lost Josiah to disappointment and failed expectations. The golden boy I could never measure up to.”

Micah had clamped his mouth shut at that, having never intended to speak such feelings aloud. How did Logan manage it? Every damn session.

“And Chloe. What exactly happened the other day?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Micah had muttered.

“Rose said she seemed upset when she left.”

Micah had sighed and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, “So obviously I’ve lost her. Do I have to give you every detail of the conversation?”

“She didn’t support you staying on here?”

Micah had evaded the question, clenching his mouth tightly until the muscle at his jaw twitched.

Logan had regarded him calmly, “You said in previous sessions you always got high alone. Did you only say that to protect Chloe?”

“No!” Micah practically shouted, “Chloe isn’t that kind of person! Which is exactly why I had to –“

Micah had stopped talking abruptly, realizing that Logan had goaded him on purpose.

“Just because you’re staying on here longer doesn’t mean you have to end things with Chloe,” Logan had told him gently.

“That’s precisely what it means,” Micah had whispered back. Logan had let the silence linger until it began to make Micah uncomfortable. “It’s what’s best for her,” he had finally added, a bit grudgingly.

“What’s best for her? Or what’s easier for you?”

And that’s when Micah had stormed out, rage threatening to overwhelm him. His sessions with Logan had a way of turning him inside out, digging beneath the surface to the hard truths underneath. And what it all boiled down to was what Micah thought he deserved. Or didn’t deserve. It seemed like every time he faced darkness, instead of fighting it, he jumped in with both feet. And dragged everyone he loved right down with him.

Micah sat up, knees bouncing in agitation, heart pounding. His left leg started to throb, and an old, familiar urge surged through him to numb it with pills and feel the euphoria of the high that came with the deadened pain. He already knew from being here for seven weeks that temptation was always greatest when facing emotions he didn’t feel ready to deal with. Why did Logan have to poke the beast today of all days? His parents were visiting today. And most importantly of all, they were bringing Luke with them. His sweet infant son whom Micah hadn’t seen since the day he was brought into this world. Micah had been counting down the days, hours, and minutes to this visit. They would be here in an hour, and Micah was wound tighter than guitar strings.

His guitar! Micah stopped rubbing his sore leg and reached under the bed to pull out his old instrument. The same well loved, battered Gibson he had gotten for his fifteenth birthday. He strummed it a few times and tuned it. Then he bit his lower lip in thought. What should he play? He was still a little rusty after putting the hobby aside for four long years. The first day his father had dropped him off at Hope Haven, he had mostly just strummed a few chord progressions, getting the feel of the instrument in his hands again. After that, he added Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” which was the first song he had ever learned to play. Just last night, he had played Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’”, which was always great to play hard and sing at the top of your lungs. He strummed a bit, thinking both songs over. He quickly dismissed both. He didn’t want to think about black clouds or bad boys making good girls cry.

He sighed and just started to sing and play the first song that came to mind - a Greenday song. He sang the first line, and realized it was about a guy making a girl cry. Micah shook his head. Ugh, not that one. He changed chords to an Oasis song instead.

Micah stopped strumming that one abruptly too, falling back on the bed, clutching his guitar to his chest. He had two problems. One, every song made him think of Chloe. Two, he suddenly had a startling revelation: he didn’t know for sure what kind of music he liked. How was that possible? He had spent hours since he first picked up a guitar at the age of twelve playing dozens and dozens of songs. And not just songs that were popular at the time, but classic rock, heavy metal, grunge rock, and alternative. All of the stuff that guitar enthusiasts were supposed to like. All of the stuff that spoke to the heart of a rebellious teenager. But that was just it. He knew what guitar nerds liked. He knew what teen rebels liked. But what did Micah Barrett like? He thought about that Smashing Pumpkins song his dad had always complained about. To be honest, Micah knew that he had never liked the song all that much. But the more his father complained about it, the more concerned his mother seemed about the content of the lyrics, the more he wanted to play it.

He sat up suddenly, as a thought occurred to him that he had never considered before. He used to pride himself on being different. Of not allowing the church or what people thought to dictate the person he was, the way Josiah did. But wasn’t he? Was doing the opposite of what everyone wanted you to do really being unique? Or was it just trying to make a point? Josiah toed the line while Micah ran smugly over it. But they were both equally trapped by expectations.

Micah took a few deep, shaky breaths. Micah Barrett didn’t know who he was. But here at Hope Haven, he could find out. And he could start right now. What kind of music do I like . . . ?

The lyrics to U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” ran through his mind. He chuckled. There was no way, especially after four years of not playing, that he could master the dotted eighth delay of The Edge. If he had his electric and a delay pedal, maybe, but it wasn’t happening today. Still, now he knew he truly liked U2. But who didn’t? A person could no more say they didn’t like U2 than they could say that they didn’t like The Beatles. If you appreciated music at all, it was a given. So was Bob Dylan. And Jimi Hendrix.

Kilian closed his eyes and strummed again. The next song that came to him flowed out of him. It was perfect in every way: the chords familiar, the strum cathartic, and the words . . . Micah could have written the words himself. He had heard it only recently, so he was only able to pick out a few chords. It sounded rough and halting, and he didn’t know all the words, but the meaning of it hit him square in the chest. Lost, not knowing who you were, wondering where God was in everything - it summed up everything he was feeling.

Micah stopped playing abruptly, lifting a shaking hand to touch his cheek that was wet with tears. He had started the song thinking only of himself and his own pain, but now the lyrics reminded him of Chloe. He had never believed in soul mates, in the idea that there was one person out there that you were destined to be with. Until Chloe. Too bad for him.

At least he would always have their son. The one good thing that had come from the mess he had made.

****************************************************************************

Micah was pacing again, but this time in a much bigger space. There were several visitation rooms at Hope Haven, one of the advantages of the place being a former mansion. This one was the family room. It was huge, spanning a large portion of the mansion’s basement. In one corner was a play area filled with toys and books, in another was a kitchenette where patients could share a family meal with their loved ones. There was a sitting area that even included a changing table and a rocking chair, and along the far wall was a big screen TV surrounded by couches for family movie nights. He looked forward to earning more time with his family; he knew this hour would fly by. Hence his nervousness. He wanted to make the most of every second with his son. In short, he wanted this afternoon to be perfect.

“Micah!”

He turned at the gentle exclamation from his mother’s lips. He rushed towards her, bending to accept the kiss Elizabeth placed to his cheek. However, he was far more interested in the tiny baby boy cradled in his mother’s arms. Luke looked up at Micah with bright blue eyes that seemed to soak in the world around him. His tiny hands clenched and unclenched as his arms flailed about. Micah smiled as exuberant coos and gurglings came from Luke’s tiny lips. The thick tufts of hair Luke had been born with had fallen out, but the downy fluff left behind was still the same shade of black as Micah’s own. His cheeks were also a bit chubbier, his eyes far more alert.

“He’s grown so much,” Micah whispered in wonder, offering his son a finger which the baby grasped in a surprisingly tight grip.

“Yes,” his mother agreed, looking down into the baby’s eyes with a tender smile. Luke’s eyes filled with recognition as he focused on his grandmother’s face, and he smiled. Micah’s heart raced at the sight.

“Good to see you again, son,” Tom said as he stepped around his wife. He clapped a hand firmly onto Micah’s shoulder, “You’re looking well.”

“Thank you, father,” Micah replied. Despite the formal words, their smiles communicated the change that had come recently in their relationship. Tenderness and displays of affection would take more time to develop, but they were on their way.

Micah looked back at the child in his mother’s arms, shifting his feet nervously. He bit his lower lip then asked tentatively, “May I hold him?”

“Don’t be so shy!” his mother chuckled as she transferred Luke gently into his eager arms, “You’re the boy’s father!”

Micah took the little squirming bundle into his arms, that same sense of awe overwhelming him that he had first felt in the hospital. “Hey,” he whispered down at his little one. Luke gazed up at him, a tiny furrow forming in the skin between his eyes. Micah swallowed a lump in his throat. His own son didn’t recognize him. But how could he? Micah had only held the child once.

His mother motioned him to the rocking chair and his parents sat on the love seat nearby. They chatted about everyday things as Micah rocked Luke in the chair. He couldn’t stop looking down at his tiny son, barely following the flow of conversation. It didn’t escape his attention, however, that his parents seemed to be avoiding church as a topic. Their faces also seemed slightly strained when he asked about Community Fellowship, and now that he really looked at her, his mother seemed thinner and had dark circles under her eyes. He sighed inwardly, knowing that the tension at church probably involved him. And, unfairly, the baby in his arms.

Said infant started to squirm and scrunch his face up. Micah looked down at Luke with concern. The little one then started to whimper and gum his fist. Micah bounced him slightly in his arms and frowned at Elizabeth.

“What’s wrong with him?”

Elizabeth glanced at her watch, “Oh, he’s probably hungry.” She reached into the diaper bag on the floor beside the loveseat, but then paused. She looked at Micah for a long while and then dropped her hand back to her lap. “You know, I’ll just let you give him his bottle.”

“Me?” Micah squeaked, eyes widening.

“Yes, you,” Elizabeth said with a slightly scolding edge to her voice, “You are his father, and a father has to learn these things.” She turned to Tom, and when she spoke again, Micah could have sworn she sounded a bit mischievous. “Actually, darling, why don’t we give Luke a little one on one time with his Daddy?”

An unspoken conversation passed between Micah’s parents, and then a slow smile spread across Tom’s face, “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

And just like that, Micah was alone. With a seven week old baby. He had tried to argue with his mother that he had no idea how to fix a bottle, or change a diaper, or really anything related to babies. Couldn’t she stay and tell him what to do? But his mother had simply fixed him with a stern glare, softened by the kiss she placed to his stubbled cheek.

“What’s done is done, sweetheart. Now you have to man up.” Then she had patted his shoulder gently and was gone. Micah wasn’t sure what surprised him more: his mother refusing to come to his aid as she always had in the past, or the fact that she had actually used the expression “man up.”

Luke’s fussing had increased in intensity to the point that he was now waving his arms in the air and wiggling in Micah’s arms. Micah shifted him to the crook of one elbow while he rooted in the diaper bag with his other hand. He pulled out a bottle, but it was empty. Further down in the bag, his hand closed on a plastic container of powder. Bingo! Formula! But now what?

Well, this was the new millennia, after all. There wasn’t anything a person couldn’t learn on the internet. Micah made shushing noises to the fussing baby as he made his way over to the PC set up next to the book shelf. He googled “making a baby’s bottle,” then clicked on the first listing. Micah’s heart sank and his head spun as he started reading about sterilizing the parts of the bottle and only handling things with sterilized tongs. He picked up the empty baby bottle. Had it been sterilized? Surely his mother or Chloe had seen to that. He prayed that was the case as he scrolled farther down. Panic started to seize him as he read about the dangers of bottled water and contaminated tap water. Bloody hell, what kind of water was he supposed to use? Then the site said that using water from a different tap than the baby was used to could give him an upset tummy. Luke’s whimpering turned to loud cries, and Micah felt like joining in. His spirits lifted when he saw an alternate search subject: “feeding your baby on the go.” That was more like it! He clicked on it.

He groaned in frustration when the first few paragraphs were all about breastfeeding in public. That was obviously zero help. He scrolled down until he found a list of tips for bottle feeding. He inwardly cheered at first when the site said that all you had to do was add warm tap water and shake. Until it warned that the water still needed to be boiled until they were four months old because of their weak immune systems. Micah glanced over at the kitchenette on the other side of the room. How long was it going to take to boil water? Luke was full-out wailing now. Micah scanned the article, hoping there was some other way, and then he saw it: taking along a thermos of pre-boiled water. Maybe that’s what Chloe did. He reached down and searched the contents of the diaper bag again. He almost cheered aloud when his hands closed over the cool metal of a thermos. When he pulled it out, there was a piece of paper taped to the side with instructions in Chloe’s handwriting: “Elizabeth, this water is already sterilized and measured. So is the powder. Just put both in his bottle and shake.”

Micah cast a withering glance at his son, “Your grandmother could have shared this bit of information, don’t you think?” Luke’s only response was red-faced screaming.

Micah debated whether to set Luke down in the infant carrier his father had brought in while he made the bottle or to attempt it while juggling the baby. Fear of spilling the precious formula or dropping Luke won out, and Micah buckled the wee lad into the plastic carrier. Luke’s cries were now so powerful, his mouth was opened wide and his eyes were squeezed shut.

“I’ll do this as fast as I can, Luke, I promise,” Micah assured as he unscrewed the lid of the thermos with shaking hands. It was amazing how a baby’s cries could frazzle your nerves to their breaking point. When he finally had the bottle ready, he settled with his son into the rocking chair. Luke’s mouth smacked desperately for the bottle, and once he made contact, he began to suck almost desperately. Micah cooed to him, setting the rocking chair in motion, worried that his frantic eating would give him a tummy ache, but once Luke had a few mouthfuls, his little body shuddered and sighed in contentment as he continued to eat. Micah’s own body sagged in the rocking chair. He felt as if he’d just run five miles uphill.

It took Luke almost half an hour to finish his bottle, a fact that Micah was quite grateful for. He needed the peace and quiet of holding his son and rocking him gently after the screaming cries and frantic bottle preparation. He enjoyed just gazing at him, of running his thumb over his soft downy hair. But it also gave him time to really mull over what raising this child would mean. Conquering his addiction successfully was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. If simply seeing to his son’s basic needs was this panic-inducing, how in the world was he ever going to do this fatherhood thing right?

Luke finished his bottle, and Micah cradled the child against his chest, patting his diminutive rear end gently. The tiny thing gave a momentous burp, followed by a wet feeling spreading across Micah’s shoulder. He turned to see a sufficient amount of spit up spread across the shoulder of his black Fender t-shirt. Micah groaned as he fished a burp cloth out of the diaper bag to dab at the mess.

“Guess I should have put this on my shoulder before I burped you, huh?” Micah said wryly to his son. Luke looked back at him with wide, wondering eyes as if he wasn’t quite sure what to think of this man. Micah sighed, trying not to take it personally. Chloe said he had begun to smile; he had seen Luke bestow smiles on his grandmother. What Micah wouldn’t give to receive a smile of his own!

Almost without warning, Luke’s face took on a pinched look, and he began to wail again. Micah tried rocking him, rubbing his back as he whispered loving words in his ear, but Luke simply arched his back and wailed louder. Micah stood and began pacing, bouncing Luke gently in his arms. The wails intensified. Micah shifted the baby to a different position, and as he did, a sharp, pungent odor drifted to Micah’s nose.

“Ugh,” he muttered, “smells like someone needs a change.”

Micah carried both Luke and the diaper bag over to the changing table. He gently lowered his son onto the water proof surface, then unsnapped his onesie. Micah recoiled in disgust once the contents of the diaper were revealed, but he soldiered on, lifting a squirming, crying Luke up by the ankles so he could wipe his rear clean. He rolled the offending diaper up into a tight ball and tossed it into the diaper pail, and only then did he realize he had forgotten to grab a clean diaper from the bag at his feet. He rested one hand on Luke’s tummy, and reached down with his other hand. Luke was still exercising his little lungs with enthusiasm until Micah straightened with a fresh diaper in his hand. Micah watched his son’s face instantly clear into a blank, calm expression, followed by a stream of urine shooting higher into the air than Micah would have thought possible for a child so small. The arc of warm liquid sprayed all over the front of Micah’s t-shirt, and even splashed onto his chin. Micah shouted in alarm as he hurried to cover his son. Chest heaving from the antics of the seven week old, Micah looked down into those bright blue eyes that matched his own and shook his head.

“Seriously, Luke? After all I’ve done for you?”

And then Luke smiled. A beaming, gummy smile that absolutely stole Micah’s heart.

“Oh,” Micah chuckled, “you think that was funny?”

Luke kicked his little legs and swung his arms, grinning even wider. Micah thought his cheeks might crack from the force of his own grin as he changed Luke into a dry diaper and onesie. Then he lifted the tiny boy and nuzzled him to his chest, which unfortunately still smelled like baby pee and spit-up. Micah kissed the top of Luke’s little head and felt that lump clog his throat again.

“If you promise to keep smiling like that,” he whispered hoarsely to the baby, “you can keep right on baptizing me.”

When Micah’s parents tiptoed back into the room, Luke had fallen asleep in his arms as he rocked him, singing “Blackbird” to him softly.

Elizabeth bent down to brush her knuckles first against her grandson’s soft cheek and then her son’s scruffy one. “I used to sing that to you when you were little,” she whispered.

Eyes glassy and wet, Micah nodded, “I remember. The Beatles were always your favorite.”

Elizabeth straightened and gave him a smile, “I knew you could do it.” Then she screwed up her nose, “Although . . . what’s that smell?”

And for the second time that day, but only the second time in seven weeks, Micah Barrett laughed.

#my writing #micah's stories #what hindered love #my book #tales from lightport

[takivvatanga]

twelve sleeps to christmas

@starscorned​ this hurts

“How much days until Christmas, mama?” ”How many.”

The dressing over his port is starting to lift at the edges. Mary hates having to reinforce it, prefers to take him to the clinic to have it changed instead. She would never admit it, but she has a growing horror of her son’s body and the device that sits beneath his skin. She loves him, of that there is, has never been, doubt. But she hates to see him like this, so small and frail. She hates the dark circles under his eyes, the empty space where his eyebrows used to be. She hates the way his skin has become almost translucent, as if a part of him has already gone. Half a ghost. She hates that she can see his ribs, the sharp processes of his spine, the way the tendons move in his little arms and legs. His hands are always cold. The rest of him is cold, too.

“How many days, then?” He blinks up at her, squirms a little as she adjusts his shirt, her fingertips brushing his cold, clammy skin. 

“Twelve more sleeps. Now hold still. Let me just fix this.”

She opens the box of medical supplies that has become a permanent fixture of his room.  Mary hates that, too. She hates the hospital bed, she hates the smell of disinfectant. She hates the pile of supplies in the wardrobe, she hates the bottles and vials of medications, the little notebook in which everything is recorded. Intake, output, temperature, pain relief. 

Sleepy today. Afebrile. Vomited four times.  Miserable.  Antiemetic given. Pain relief given.  Still miserable. 

Her little boy is completely and utterly miserable. Mary is miserable, too. But she can’t, she won’t let him see it. He is so very much looking forward to Christmas, and she won’t take that rare joy away from him. She’d rather die. Will he make it, til Christmas? Twelve more sleeps. 

If only he would sleep through the night. Most of his days are spent in a daze, half conscious, his body, his mind, his soul exhausted. He’s too young to have suffered so much, and even though he may not have the words to say it, he knows it. They all know it. His nights are unsettled, fitful, his pain spiking red hot. He tosses and turns, cries, calls out for her. He never has to wait for long. She isn’t sleeping anymore, either. She gives him pain relief through a line that sits just under his skin, hating how normal this has become, even though she has never stopped being afraid. Is she giving him enough? Is she giving him too much? Is it really working or is he only pretending to feel better, for her sake? Her hands tremble as she fixes his dressing, clear film to secure the edges, careful to touch as little as possible. He doesn’t need another infection. He has too much to contend with as it is. 

“There you go. That’s better. We’ll get it changed on Wednesday.” He nods, looks up at her with a smile. Mary can feel her heart breaking. Why? Why you? Like this? I wanted to give you the world, I wanted to see you grow up happy. And all you got was this...suffering that never ends. Only one day it will end. Soon. The thought carries both dread and something akin to relief. It makes her feel ashamed.    “Will Katarina be there on Wednesday?” “No, darling. She won’t be coming anymore.” He doesn’t ask why. He knows, even though no one has told him. Does he know he, too, is going to die soon? Just like Katarina? She’s been waiting for him to ask, but he never does. Maybe he doesn’t need to. Maybe he is afraid, as if saying it will make it real, even though it has been real for a long time. “Mama, I miss Katarina.” “I know you do, but listen-” “It’s okay. She’s okay now. I’m just sad I don’t get to see her anymore. She was my best friend. She was looking forward to Christmas, too! We made cards. At Day Stay.”  At least he got to have a friend. A friend just like him.  She’s okay now.  How he says it. Mary feels as if a cold hand had wrapped itself around her heart and started to squeeze. He sounds so calm, so confident in his knowledge that she is okay now. 

But you’re not okay, are you? Not yet. Oh, what will I do, when you go? Who am I, without you? 

“Mama?” “Yes, darling?” He snuggles close, nestling against her just like he used to do when he was little. When he was healthy. As if this was nothing more than a bad dream. “What do you want for Christmas?” “I-” Mary fights the urge to pull away, hates herself for it. I want a miracle. I want to wake up from this nightmare. “I want you to have a marvellous day. I want all of us to have a marvellous day.” “No, mama. For yourself, not for me. What do you want for you?” “I’ll think about it, alright? I’ll tell you when you wake up. Are you comfortable? Time to go back to sleep?” She untangles herself from him, breaking the grip of his little arms ever so gently, as if he was made of glass. “Can we go to the ice skating rink? Like when I was little? Can you teach me how to jump?” It’s too cold for you, too crowded, too dirty. You’re too unwell. You’ve been too unwell for a long time. “Maybe.”  “If I feel good, we can go?”  I wish we could. Oh, I wish we could. But we can’t. You know we can’t.  “Maybe. Time to sleep now, alright?” “Alright.” 

She tucks in his blanket, adjusts his pillows. His eyes are already half closed, growing hazy. Such a small conversation, and it has taken so much out of him. Mary leaves the light on. That part is important. He likes it when she leaves the light on. That, at least, she can do. 

“All settled now?” Dylan looks up from his book. He’s been on the same page for weeks now, simply sits there staring at it. Pretending that he’s engrossed in some story or another, some lighthearted tale that ends in happily ever after. Pretending that everything is okay.  Mary flashes her husband a smile. Insincere. She, too, is good at pretending. Always has been. 

“I’ll make you something to eat.” “I’m not hungry. Honestly.” It’s a lie. Hunger is a comfort. Something familiar, predictable, reassuring in the discomfort it brings. Like an old friend that will never let you down, leading you steadily down a road steadily growing darker, colder, lonelier, that forsaken place you may never find the strength to return from. She’s toeing the line, and she knows it. She doesn’t care. Right now, she is in desperate need of comfort, no matter how poisonous. “Mary.” Dylan snaps his book shut, doesn’t bother to mark the page. “I’m worried about you. I know you don’t like me telling you this but… not eating isn’t going to fix anything. You know that. You’ve been through that. I’m just… worried, that’s all.” He knows her too well. Her excuses don’t work with him. They never have. He’s always seen through her, has always read her like an open book. She wonders why he hasn’t left. 

Everybody always leaves. Why do you stay? What do you see in me that makes me worthwhile, that makes all of this worthwhile? 

“Come here”, he says, but she doesn’t move. He is the one to approach her instead, in his calm, gentle, ordinary way. He wraps his arms around her. She allows it. 

Does she love him? Mary is not so sure. Not in the way he loves her, at least. She has tried, oh how she has tried. Dylan is steadfast, reliable, utterly devoted to her and to their little boy, their little boy who is dying, their little boy who will never grow up to have a love, a family of his own. She should love him for that. She should love him for a lot of other things, too. Can you grow to love someone that you settled for, because they were there, because they made you feel safe, because they gave you what you wanted, what you thought you needed? Any house can become a home, if you live in it for long enough. She might not love him, but she appreciates him. Respects him, for everything he does, everything he is. Why do you stay? 

“You have to take better care of yourself. I’m afraid I’ll lose you, too. I need you, Mary. I need you, and our son needs you.” “Nonsense”, she pulls away, wraps her arms around herself. She could really do with...something. A coffee, maybe. A cigarette out on the deck. A moment to herself. “I’m… fine. It’s just difficult.” “I know.” “He’s so looking forward to Christmas.” “He really is. He made you something. I am not allowed to tell you what it is, though.” Dylan smiles, but his eyes are dark and sad, brimming with grief. Mary feels that cold hand closing around her heart again. “Do you think he-” she can’t force herself to say it. She doesn’t need to. Dylan knows what she means. “Yes. He’s too stubborn not to. He’s his mother’s son, after all.” “I’m not stubborn.” He rolls his eyes at her, shakes his head. “You are the most stubborn woman I have ever met in my whole entire life, and I love you for it.” “I love you too.” She doesn’t mean it. Not like that. But she says it anyway. She says it because it’s what he needs to hear.  “I want it to be perfect. For him. The most amazing Christmas he has ever had. Oh, that reminds me… do you think you can put the lights up on the roof this weekend? He loves those lights. We went for a little drive after his appointment the other day to see all the houses with their decorations up and he just… he lit up, too.”  “I can do you one better than the weekend. I’ll do it tonight. Let me make you a coffee first and then I’ll get to work. When he wakes up later on, you can show him. It’ll be a nice little surprise for him. Make the night a little easier, maybe.” “Do you think that’s a good idea? It’s so dark, and the weather isn’t the greatest, and…”

“No ands, no ifs, no buts. I’m going to make you a coffee and I’ll get to it straight away. It won’t take too long. It’s what I do, remember? I still have the plans from last year, I’ll just take a quick look at those and… we’re away laughing.” 

The click of the kitchen light, the hiss of the jug, the clank of the spoon against the rim of her favourite cup. A hot drink is always better when somebody else makes it. Mary likes her coffee strong. Black. Never with sugar. 

“Here you go.” “Thank you.”

The coarseness of his fingers as they brush against her own. The warmth of the cup as she holds it in her hands, the comforting smell of coffee just how she likes it. 

“Dylan?” “Yeah?” What is she going to say to him? I’m sorry that I can’t love you how you deserve? “Nevermind.”

The air outside is crisp and cold. Mary takes a deep drag of her cigarette, tilts back her head, watching the smoke drift upwards as she exhales. Rising, rising. Dissipating into nothingness. She thinks about her son, fading away. She thinks about her father, who isn’t coming back. She thinks about her husband, scaling his ladder, strings of Christmas lights slung over his shoulder. Whistling to himself as he works on the roof. He’s right. It will be a marvellous surprise for a little boy to wake up to. Will he wake up?  

Please, please wake up. I’m not ready for you to go just yet. 

The coffee is scalding hot, burns her tongue, the roof of her mouth. Mary doesn’t mind. Pain is a reminder that she’s still alive. She needs that, tonight. She can hear the hum of traffic in the distance. Music drifts across from the neighbours’ place. A melancholy little tune. Mary is sick of sadness. 

The sound is like nothing that she has ever heard before, a metallic crash that cuts through the night. Something scraping, sliding. Dylan’s scream, followed by a dull, wet thud against the half frozen ground. 

Mary drops her cup which shatters into pieces, coffee splashing up to stain her shoes, her tights, the hem of her skirt and all of a sudden she is running, her hair streaming out behind her, her heart in her throat. Oh no please no please no 

“Dylan!” He’s not moving. He’s not moving at all. He’s not breathing, his neck twisted at an odd angle. His body like something discarded. Something empty.  What can she do? There’s got to be something she can do!  The ladder lies beside him on the ground. There is a string of lights dangling from the edge of the roof, flickering erratically, on off, on off, on off. 

“Dylan, don’t!” 

Her brother would know what to do, but he isn’t here. No one is here. No one can help. She can feel her legs give way, her vision blurs, her head swims. 

This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening But it is happening. Has happened. 

“Dylan?” He doesn’t reply. His eyes are wide open, staring up at the pitch black sky. Blood oozes from the corner of his mouth. 

“Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me, do you hear? You promised, Dylan! You promised not to leave me, you promised! You promised!” 

It’s my fault! It’s all my fault! If I hadn’t asked you to put up the lights…

She starts to cry, then. She’s never cried like that before. As if all her pain had curled up inside of her lungs, in the back of her throat, wrapped itself in her voice looking for a way out because her body, small as it is, cannot possibly contain it. The immensity of this grief. That’s all there is. Pain and grief, nothing else. 

She doesn’t notice the arrival of the neighbours, torn from their leisuely evening routine by her screams, doesn’t notice the sirens, the bright flashing lights of the ambulance. She clings to his body when they try to take him away, with all her stubbornness, lashing out at the reassuring hands that firmly but gently grasp her shoulders, shaking off the blanket someone has tried to wrap around her. 

“You can’t take him! You can’t take him away, do you hear? He promised to stay! He promised!’ 

Voices. Concerned. She can’t make out the words. The hands around her shoulders moving to catch her wrists, unrelenting no matter how much she struggles. A short, sharp pain in her arm. The world grows soft. Where is her son? She has to take care of her son! She has to-  She can;t do this. But she has to. 

#vignette: mary #verse: modern #child death tw #terminal illness tw #cancer tw #death tw #eating disorder tw #heavy themes in this so pls heed trigger warnings #i put a read more to make extra sure

[onestowatch]

Del Water Gap on Smash Mouth, Quarantine and “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” [Premiere + Q&A]

Photo: Angela Ricciardi

Some music is just so vivid that when you hear it, you see it. In the same vein, some songs are so personal that when you listen, it’s like peering into someone's innermost thoughts. Each one of Del Water Gap’s songs possess that power. The artist’s newest single, “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat,” effectively peels back the curtain on a wandering mind’s thoughts.  

“Ode To a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” explores feelings of apprehension and angst at the possibility of a lover finding love somewhere else. Frontman S. Holden Jaffe’s soft-hearted vocals flounce over folksy guitars with rock-leaning layerings. The song’s undercurrent is akin to Del Water Gap’s previous classic singer-songwriter style displayed on his Don’t Get Dark EP. But Del Water Gap’s 2020 sound is becoming more and more accented by contemporary touches and heightened tempos. 

We caught up with the man behind the project to find out more about “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat,” his obsession with Smash Mouth, and how his quarantine is going. 

Ones To Watch: So you’re from rural Connecticut, but moved to Brooklyn during your young adult years. How have or haven’t your surroundings aided in creating your sound?

Del Water Gap: At the time I moved to the city, there was still a really vibrant indie scene happening. CMJ was in full swing, and I was out every weekend seeing bands like The Virgins, Public Access TV, The Drums… The Arctic Monkeys, The Antlers, Diet Cig. Bands and bands. Running into Fabrizio Moretti by the NYU library. I was spending a lot of time at St. Dymphna’s and borrowing electric guitars from my friend Dylan. I loved the music I was ingesting and the scene that came with it.

Did you choose music or did music choose you?

Music chose me - but I was an ardent enabler. I remember standing on my living room table and playing harmonica along with the radio as a kid. Everything in C major sounded decent...? I figured out what one-four-five felt like years before I knew the words for it, just staying quiet and listening. My relationship with music has been a bit of an abusive one in recent years, but I know I’m here for life. I’ve fantasized about quitting and doing something simpler hundreds of times, but i know that's not going to happen any time soon. 

What was it that made you decide to grow Del Water Gap from a personal project into a full blown touring band?

I put out an EP in 2012 under the name Del Water Gap because all of my heroes at the time were solo artists using monikers; Bon Iver, Tallest Man on Earth, St. Vincent… and so on. I moved to NYC without any aspirations of being a performer, but the record started performing a bit on local blogs and my best friend at the time basically forced me to play a show. She said “these are songs to fall in love to.” I refused and refused until she offered to play the show with me, and I finally gave in and booked a slot at Sullivan Hall in the village. I think we nearly sold it out.  

Who would you say your music is for?

People who have run out of podcasts. 

You’ve released “My Body,” featuring Claud, and now “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat,” both of which admittedly sound a little different from your previous work. The newer singles still have a folksy charm but seem more electronic-leaning or even more pop-leaning. What’s leading this explorative venture?

As I was finishing college I started producing some indie pop artists with my friend Mike Adubato. It was really just a way to help make ends meet, but I spent a year looking over Mike’s shoulder as he built out arrangements. I really got a holistic education in pop production that way. As artists, I think that our work is defined both by our strengths and our limitations, and as my limitations broke open, my work changed. I would simply sit down to make a song and reach for different colors. I also started consuming more indie pop records, and I eventually made the realization that I could take influences from those records without sacrificing any part of myself as a writer or protagonist. 

We love how tender “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” not only sounds, but actually feels. There’s a ton of intimacy there. It feels like we’re reading a diary entry. Can you give us some more insight into the song’s origin?

The song came out of a slow night in the studio with my good friend Gabe Goodman. We had been in a secret boy band that broke up in 2017, and it was our first time really writing together since things ended. I programmed some drums, and Gabe put most of the music together - we were just getting into a flow when a friend invited us to dinner with one of our musical heroes. We looked at each other and said “Should we go? Do we stop now?” “No, no, no we stay,” we decided. So we kept writing and had a spiked seltzer or two. 

I came back to the studio the next day and moved a few things around and wrote most of the words. I was seeing someone at the time who I really liked, and we had both been walking up to the line of asking the other to be with each other and no one else. Finally, we were sitting together one day and it got all quiet and she goes, “I’ve had this stuck in my throat all day…” And that was the start of our togetherness and the inspiration for the song. 

We were creeping on your Twitter. What’s going on with you, bowl cuts, and Smash Mouth? 

I thought you’d never ask - a few months ago, I was having a coffee playdate with my friend Charlie Burg and he was sketching me from the across the table. He’s really a very good artist, so I was feeling a little competitive and decided I would try my hand at sketching as well. So I grabbed a pen and a napkin from the table and drew this ridiculous line drawing of a horse with a bowl cut and a human face. It looks like something a six year old would draw in art class. It also has this disturbing and surrealist quality to it. We were laughing and laughing at my ridiculous creation and I turned to Charlie and said, “Do you think I could sell this online?” So I threw the napkin on my web store and it sold in five minutes and the whole event was so delightful to me that I made “commemorative” t-shirts and a Horse With Bowl Cut fan club account on Instagram. So a lot of bowl cut content makes its way to me these days. 

Not much to say about Smash Mouth other than the 2001 Smash Mouth self-titled LP is one of the greatest records ever made, and I will gladly teach a college level course on it if any university will lend me a classroom space. 

I read that you draw inspiration from what you eat, But when it comes to flavor, how would you describe your musical palette?

I would describe a musical cheese plate; sweet and savory. Trou Du Cru, a truffle Moelleux des Alpes, a hard Beaufort. Some honey and jam on the side, olives and cornichon. With a generous pile of those really expensive fig crackers they have at Whole Foods. 

What’s been one of the defining moments of your artistic career so far?

My dad FaceTimed me the other day from quarantine wearing a Del Water Gap mock turtleneck and listening to my song “Theory of Emotion.” That was pure power. 

What’s next for you?

I’m putting out the best work of my life so far - a few songs now and a few over the summer and into the fall. I’m touring with girl in red. I’m surviving this pandemic and everything that has come with it. I am trying to be a better friend and take better care of my brain and my body. 

We of course hope you’re staying safe during this time. But how are you keeping quarantine interesting? Or are you?

I am very lucky to be safe and comfortable - I’ve run away to a friend’s house by the ocean, so I have some fresh air and light, and I get to say hi to a seal once in a while. I’ve been journaling and cooking and trying to run twenty miles a week. I’ve been coloring a lot and watching Nashville. The excess of free time has not led to an excess of creation, but I’m trying to be gentle on myself. I think the collective anxiety has taken a toll on all of us. We’ll be writing about this for years to come, but we may have to wait a few years before we start. I shot a music video for “Ode” from quarantine, and have been finishing up my record remotely with Mike and Gabe. One of my best friend’s dad is a practicing buddhist, so he’s been sending me some really powerful literature each day, helping me move towards a more organized spiritual practice. All we can do right now is sit in this and keep in touch with the ones we love, so that’s my work. 

Lastly, who are your Ones to Watch?

I love Rosie Tucker’s record Never Not Never Not Never Not. Miss Grit played one of my favorite shows of the year opening for Daisy the Great at Rough Trade in August. Briston Maroney is making really powerful records. and Claud of course! One of my friends has a new project called Honeywhip, which I have been literally playing on repeat.

#Del Water Gap #interview #ode to a conversation stuck in your throat #indie #singer songwriter #folk

[argardner]

My Beginning To Your End [Chapter 1]

Hannah

The elevator doors down the hall open and Geoff walks out. The last time I saw him his hair was not this long. It has been awhile since I've seen him. I think it was over the summer when Mitch had gotten a promotion at work. A promotion he should have never taken. I remember when he came over we had a little bit of an awkward moment in the garage. Every time we see each other there is this thing in the air between us and it's almost like an elephant in the room yet we never know how to deal with it. We just could not deal with it because of the circumstances. When Geoff reached me outside the hospital room that Mitch was in he pulled me into a big hug. I wanted to just break down and cry.

"How are you holding up?" He asked.

"Not the greatest."

My husband isn't doing well and I'm not sure how I am supposed to cope with this. I'll just figure it out along the way.

"You can go in, I'm going to call his mom and check up on Dylan."

I couldn't have Dylan here anymore really. I couldn't have my five year old son go through this or have him watch me cry all the time. I also didn't want him to remember his father like this.

Time was not going to be on our side this time. Mitch was in and out of the hospital battling this illness. When he beat it, he would start smoking again. Then it would come back. He would fight again, it would disappear. I just couldn't be enough for him to quit. He knew I needed him. I barely had any guidance in my life until I met Mitch.

2009

I was a month shy of turning eighteen and the guy I had been seeing for the last three years let me go. I should really say I let him go. Let's just say I was vulnerable and young. Four years younger than him. He played me like a toy.When I had my first job working at a grocery store I took a lot of interest to Mitch. He had a girlfriend though and I was still being a toy to Brian. When I saw Mitch come in on his day off with his longtime girlfriend that's when a part of me needed him. The way he put his hand on her back when they were in the grocery check out line made me want that in a person. On my work shift one evening, I snuck out with Chris so he could have a smoke and he was really close with Mitch. I mentioned to him that I kind of maybe had a crush on Mitch and Chris totally shot that down. He told me that Mitch would never break up with his girlfriend and that he was the perfect type of boyfriend that wrote her poems and that was just never going to happen. So I put Mitch in the back of my head and went about my life and stuck with Brian for a few months. My senior year of high school started. Brian made me his girlfriend. In the three years we were together we were official only one other time and he hated putting a title to us and I just ran along with it.

To make a long story short, well there is no really long story and we can just say the official relationship only lasted a week and one early October morning I wake up to find on my social media account that he had broken up with me. Immediately, I call him.

"Brian, what's going on?" I was near tears and you could hear it in my voice."Oh, um I'm guessing you saw.""Um yeah, of course I saw! But why? Brian once this is over. We're over! For good!" I warned.  I couldn't understand why this was happening and I could just hear and feel my heart breaking in two

."This is just the way things have to be right now, I'm sorry. I just felt really pressured and I wasn't ready for this." As usual his lame bogus ass excuse for leaving my high and dry.

I tried dating boys left and right in the three years of us going back and forth to just make things official just so I could try and scare him into thinking that he was going to lose me to a different guy. I always lost though. He would persuade me to no end to try and be with me over and over again. Or usually the guy would just break up with me because I was still so obsessed with Brian and that would piss them off.

Brian was... a learning experience. He was an adventure. He was charming. He was my first everything. He was also really shady. As much as I loved those late night conversations with him and those early morning booty calls, as a girl I should not have ever wanted this for my future. I did always imagine it being us in the end. I have to say though, thank goodness it wasn't because if it were to end up that way we would be living under my mom and stepdad's roof, most likely, and we would both be working crappy retail and food industry jobs going nowhere in life.

So with that being said 9 years later I've spoken to Brian and he has apologized for everything he has done to me. He says he doesn't know why he treated me the way he did but he is very sorry. Do I take his apology to be so sincere? Quite frankly, I don't care. I'm just glad I'm not his girlfriend or wife and that I didn't end up getting stuck with him. I wish him well and all the best and I just want him to know that through the few ups and the many downs we have had I wouldn't take any of our memories back and they will stay with me for as long as I can remember which to be honest those memories have faded so much that sometimes I ask myself did those days really exist? That's when I have to go find my old diaries and read about the anger and frustration I went through and think to myself wow, that did really happen and I just sit there in disbelief and wonder why I wasted so much time and energy on a stupid boy when I should have been focusing more on school and what I really wanted to do with my life.

Just over the weekend, right before the Monday Brian had broken up with me, I went out bowling with my co-workers. Everyone had brought dates with the exception of me and Mitch. I looked at Mitch and said, "Do you want to be my date for the night?" and he looked at me and said, "Sure!"

I was in the official relationship with Brian at the time. Mitch was in a 2 year relationship. When I think back to that night I just remember a lot of laughs, smiles, and even a little bit of dancing. We were falling for each other and I was forgetting all about Brian and I can only assume Mitch was losing feelings for his girlfriend. I was actually supposed to go meet up with Brian after our little work outing but it got to be too late. Mitch actually wanted to drive me home, but before he drove me home we had to pick up my drunk mother. She wasn't a drunk, she was just at her sister's house having a good time and needed to be picked up. So that night would be the night Mitch would meet my mother for the very first time.

I remember not wanting to leave Mitch, but he had a buddy spending the night at his house and the progression to our relationship had to be put on pause. When Brian broke up with me on Monday, I texted Mitch and told him what had happened and he just responded back with, "Maybe something good will come your way." I was disappointed because what the hell was that supposed to mean? I had to remind myself but he is still in a relationship, a failing one. This would have to take a little bit of time to fall apart completely.

Now I stay home raising my son. This is what I have wanted to do ever since I was in Kindergarten. I one hundred percent knew I wanted to be a mom. Whenever I was asked what do you want to be when you grow up and when I said a mom, I meant it with everything in my heart. I can only assume that was my answer every time because I loved my mother so much and watching her be a mom to me just made me want to do the same. She's always been so much fun and care free. She made me laugh a lot. But let's be real though my mom should have prepared me for life and she didn't. As I got older a lot came into perspective. She was not happy with my dad so she divorced him for a guy much younger than her. The guy ends up taking advantage of my mom financially and one day disappears and is gone for good. She screwed up and she got lucky she found a widowed man. So here I am a stay at home mother while my husband busts his ass at work day in and day out and I can do nothing to contribute to our bank account. I appreciate that he does this for us because I know if I had to go back to work after I had my son I'm not sure how deep of a depression I was going to fall in. So we never attempted to find that out and I'm happily spending my days figuring out how to cook still and cleaning up toys but also having a ton of fun watching my son grow.

I always was trying to figure out how I could have met Geoff without knowing Mitch. I'm not sure we would have ever. Would I ever have gone to Olcott's to get new tires? Probably not, but even if I did would I have even met him? No matter how many different times I have tried to figure it out in my head it would never work out the way I would have wanted it to.In the back of my mind I always knew this was how it was going to end. He was going to get sick and I would have to walk through life without him. No matter what though, I knew it was going to be okay. There was someone waiting for me, or at least I hoped. Geoff walked out of the hospital room with an envelope in his hand that Mitch had mentioned to me. He didn't stop to talk or say bye. I watched him away down the hall and into the elevator. As the elevator doors were closing he looked at me with teary eyes and then he was gone.

Geoff

I possibly just saw my best friend for the last time. I left without saying bye to Hannah. I am such a moron. I just needed to get out of there. It was all too much for me. I'm worried about Hannah and Dylan. How was she going to live without Mitch? They've been together for over ten years and now she's about to live her life without him. Hannah was right though. She foresaw this happening and she even told me that this was going to be her future. I didn't settle down permanently for a reason. I got in my Jeep and headed out for a long drive. But first I text Hannah.

I'm sorry I just left like that. If you need me you know I will be here for you. Always.

Things were so complicated between Hannah and I.  There were moments where I felt close to her.  Too close to the point where I had to back away before things got out of hand.  I thought about her often but I had to be careful.  I still have to be for the sake of the relationship that I have now.  The timing is just impeccable.  

I started the Jeep and debated whether I should open the letter now or later.  I think I might just save it for later.

[To Be Continued...]

#wattpad #stories #books

[shaynay62521330-blog]

Why Is Vocal Fry Popping Up In Pop Music?

Are we imagined to hate the pop songs in ‘A Star Is Born'? There's more in the video, including a dissection of the Millennial Whoop," named after a 3-be aware sequence that's a should in every new pop tune. The Millennial Whoop combined with brutally repetitive drum tracks and banal lyrics has diminished pop music to sonic wallpaper. Sonic wallpaper is the mother's milk of streaming services like Spotify and XM: Should you like that, then you definately'll like this," from here to eternity. All an individual has to do is hit that like" button to be musically doomed eternally, and ever, amen. (Also referred to as merely metallic) A type of music characterised by aggressive, driving rhythms and highly amplified distorted guitars. Its origins lie in the arduous rock bands who, between 1967 and 1974, took blues and rock and created a hybrid with a heavy, guitar-and-drums-centered sound. From the late 1970s on, many bands would fuse this sound with a revival of European classical music. Heavy metal had its peak reputation in the Nineteen Eighties, throughout which most of the now present subgenres first advanced. Another distinct turning level in Lithuanian music got here at first of the 70's when the pursues for particular person type and non-traditional types of composition and efficiency, became more active. A penchant for epic large-scale works and big sound of massive orchestras receded and the quantity of music written for small chamber ensembles increased abundantly. In contrast with previously written music, usually overcrowded with texture and expression, the tendencies of minimalism and new simplicity began to prevail. Among the many most distinguished composers from that period of changes we might highlight Vytautas Barkauskas, Bronius Kutavičius, Feliksas Bajoras, Osvaldas Balakauskas, and Anatolijus Šenderovas. Celtic music is a broad grouping of musical genres that developed out of the people musical traditions of the Celtic peoples of Western Europe. Most usually, the term Celtic music is utilized to the music of Ireland and Scotland, as a result of both locations have produced well-known distinctive types which actually have real commonality and clear mutual influences. The music of Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Brittany, Northumbria and Galicia are additionally ceaselessly thought-about part of Celtic music, the Celtic tradition being significantly robust in Brittany, the place Celtic festivals large and small happen all year long. Lastly, the music of ethnically Celtic peoples abroad are additionally thought-about, especially in Canada and the United States. Stanley's ebook is the ultimate affirmation of Pop as Life Drive, and we could not have discovered a greater guide. Am I upset as a result of he gave shockingly short shrift to sure bands (Tv, Led Zeppelin) whereas going deep on others (ABBA)? Yes. Do I disagree with a few of his extra assured assertions (New Morning is Dylan's greatest album)? Sure do. But that's the whole point - you'll be able to't assist but interact with him as he makes connections between the first period of pop and the fashionable period that really feel easy and completely right. Minor characters in Pop History are given their due, and sacred cows come under just scrutiny. He has apparently listened to every 45 ever released and is aware of how it matches into the bigger narrative, but he never comes off as unbearable or desperate to point out off.

With this in mind, is the rise of disappointment in pop music - which, in line with the examine, is the discount of brightness" in music - simply because human beings, and due to this fact artists, are extra in touch with their emotions and the world around us? It will make sense given how, historically, artists have catered to society's apparent urge for food for happiness in music. To say, nevertheless, www.magicaudiotools.com that sure music is gloomy turns into troublesome terrain to navigate, this latest tweet by producer, singer and songwriter James Blake not too long ago confirmed. Sure, James Blake's music sounds musically melancholic, but does boxing what he is expressing as simply disappointment, or labelling him a sad boy", negate the number of emotional experiences that he's trying to convey? It completely does as a result of emotional expression is never so binary as just blissful or sad.

Upon first hear, I'm not fairly certain that I know what's taking place in IU's Palette" — a music sung almost totally in Korean — only that I adore it. There are just a few phrases in English (scorching pink," pajamas," lipstick"), but it's the refrain that reveals one thing recognizable: I like it, I am 25," she sings breathily above a cool bass line that sounds more R.&B. than anything. Ooh, I received this, I am really positive." (I doubt that. Has anybody ever been really high-quality"?) The music video reveals IU in flux between youthful lengthy hair and a modern bob, performing maturity by doing issues like selecting a purple shade over child pink, sporting stodgy striped pajamas and listening to vinyl. We have all been via this part before — somebody's having some rising pains. These '80s remixes are additionally renegade efforts, albeit made with love, and too exist solely inside a restricted framework. They are not for sale, and usually can solely be streamed, not downloaded. Sifting by dozens of re-dos to search out the true gems requires persistence, and leaves room for the possibility that a listener would possibly hit upon something enchanting and completely different. Especially for listeners too young to have firsthand '80s nostalgia, the longing they provoke is for the early promise of music on the Internet: the pre-streaming, pre-algorithm days when throwing your self into exploration yielded thoughts-expanding dividends. Japan has a whole lot of Idol groups and a lot of pop shit. However there may be another and it is STURDY. Japan has and excursions a complete host of musicians from psytrance and dubstep to put up-rock and journey-hop. There's variety. What variety is there in Korea? Well there's one hundred's of indie bands a few of them doing nicely. And until you're Korean, know Koreans or hunt for them you will not know! And these bands have laborious time recording and getting tours! For a great firm strive Pastel. The few sucessful Indie bands have all featured on Drama soundtracks I.e.e Espresso Prince. An extended-time musician expresses the opinion that music in every nation has its own distinctive tone and elegance, hence it can't be international. One other music skilled who says that Arab music has now grow to be worldwide expresses a opposite view on the same subject. Our pop music is an imitation of rhythms from Arab and other countries. In conclusion, this experienced musician mentioned that in essence pop music is drawing nations all over the world closer to each other and the extra time passes the extra the language of pop music becomes international.

[storiesaboutcole]

Pointless (Part 2)

This is a part 2 of Pointless as requested. I am tagging @wanhedavaliquette @sweetest-siren​ for this one. Part 1 to this is here.

SPRING

Your heart was all jumpy when you got a text from Cole earlier. It has been two weeks since Paris and you knew that it would come to this. 

“Hey, I’m gonna drop by to get my stuff.”

Cole was really moving out. Flashbacks of memories you shared with him started to replay over and over again in your head, as though your brain was trying to remind you why you had loved Cole so much for almost four years. And then it brought you to the awful memory of the day you and Cole broke up - Cole said nothing else ever since. No texts. No calls. Just pure ghosting from him. You were so heartbroken that you shut everyone else out. When you saw his text in the morning, you were hopeful that it was an apology. Or Cole was telling you how much he missed you. That he changed his mind, but, no. He was really certain about ending your relationship with him.

Cole barely looked at you when he entered through the door. You said nothing, as he rushed into the bedroom the both of you used to share. Stubborn tears were trickling down your cheeks, but you remained as silent as possible. Cole didn’t need to know that you were crying. He wouldn’t care.

As much as the last two weeks had rushed by, you knew the next few minutes would drag on and on. It was going to suck, but you had to let it happen, no matter how much it hurt. Hearing Cole walked out of the bedroom, you snapped yourself out of your thoughts. Cole was carrying a box filled with his stuff. That was it. He was finally moving out. Stepping through, he murmured, “I think I got most of my stuff in here. Everything else should be yours.”

Your heart was breaking, but you were able to step up a smile. “I’ll let you know if you left anything behind.” 

Frowning, Cole shook his head. “I double checked. Everything is in this box.” Slowly walking towards the kitchen counter, he turned his head back to you and placed the key to your apartment on the marble top. His face was resolute as he stood in front of you. You had to look down. You had to stare at the floor. For a brief moment you though he’d change his mind. You thought that you both would reconnect in your mutual grief, but you were wrong. His face didn’t look like he was welcoming you back in his life. His face looked like he was certain to bid the final goodbye. You almost choked up when you realized that was it. You and Cole were really over. You balled your hands into fists to stop the strong desire sweeping through you as you silently watched him. 

“I’m gonna go now Y/N,” he said lowly, adding, “Are you gonna be ok?”

Grief threatened to cut through you again at the thought of him leaving. You wanted to tell him to stay, that you needed him, that you both needed to find a way back to each other, but you just couldn’t. So you nodded your head instead.

“Of course.”

SUMMER

You were glad that you felt moderately comfortable with your new life - a new apartment and a new job as a marketing associate at a beauty company.

Dating was still out of the question, but there’s this one guy at work who’s been very ‘friendly’ - a very cute one you might add. He asked you out for a date a couple of times but you told him that you were not ready to date and he understood. He seemed okay with it as you both managed to keep it in the friend zone.

On Labour Day, your dear friend Duan had hosted a dinner party at her place. You were quite reluctant to go, but she insisted that you come since you guys hadn’t hung out for so long. 

“I have plans,” you told her, chuckling over the phone.

“Shut up. A boyfriend you never tell me about? Y/N! Since when do you keep secrets from me?”

“He is just a friend. It’s not what you think.”

“I’m sure it’s not,” Duan laughed. “Bring him over. Any friends of yours is a friend of mine, remember?”

“I don’t know, Duan. I mean...”

“Cole’s not gonna be here, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Duan interrupted. “You need to come and I’m gonna hang up!”

“But!”

“No buts!” And the line went dead.

You eventually obliged and went to Duan’s later that evening. You brought along that friend-from-work and felt extremely nervous about introducing him to your friends. You didn’t want to give a wrong idea anyway. 

“Y/N!” Duan greeted you at the door with a very huge smile, as she threw you the biggest hug.

“Duan,” you giggled in her tight embrace until she let go. “I brought pie.”

“AKA the world’s greatest apple pie! Argh Y/N! I missed you! How have you been?” Duan was beaming with happiness. You were so glad that you came because you realized that you missed Duan a lot too.

“I’ve been... great,” you gave her a knowing look. “Brilliant, as the matter of fact,” you added with a smile. 

Duan glanced over at the guy-from-work and gave you a smirk.

“Oh, right!” you smack your head. 

“This is [HisName] and, [HisName], this is my best friend Duan.”

“Very nice to meet you,” Duan smiled at him.

“Nice to meet you too, Duan. Nice place you got here,” he smiled.

Your eyes then wandered around her living room. You saw a few of your friends scattered around the living room and the kitchen as you entered the apartment. You said your hellos and you were greeted by her boyfriend, Craig, who was playing some video games. He then glanced over to your friend-from-work who was standing next to you.

“[HisName]?! Is that you?”

“Craig?!”

The two boys then greeted each other with those typical male fist bumps and awkward boy hugs.

You and Duan gave each other a stare.

“You two know each other?” Duan asked Craig.

“He is my classmate in high school!”

“We’ll let you two catch up then,” you told them as you dragged Duan away from the reunion.

“Are we expecting anyone else Duan?” you whispered.

“I told you, he’s not coming, if that’s what you are asking,” Duan muttered. You nodded as a sign of relief. 

“Y/N,” you heard a voice from behind you. You almost jumped when you turned around. His face was far too familiar. 

“Holy shit! Dylan...” 

“What?” Dylan laughed, like he understood why you were so shocked. “I haven’t seen you for so long! How are you?” he threw you a big bear hug.

“I’m gonna check on my brownies,” Duan excused herself from standing in between you and Dylan.

“Okay, Duan. Be with you soon, yeah?” you told her. You looked around for Dylan’s girlfriend and didn’t see her anywhere “Where’s Dana?”

“Ha! About that. Let’s talk,” he tilted his head to the direction of the balcony to which you gladly obliged. The air was crisp and you can hear the sound of traffic and sirens from the balcony.

“So...”

“So...” you chuckled.

“We broke up.” 

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Long story, but, I’d rather not talk about it. I screwed up real bad.”

“Oh.” you glanced at Dylan, nodding.

“You sort of disappeared after, you know...” he swallowed. “Didn’t get a chance to tell you about it. And Dana, she’s still mad at me. She probably couldn’t stand being around me yet...”

You chuckled and shook your head. “I can relate.”

Dylan sighed and glanced at you. “Are you okay? You’re acting like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“You’re close enough to be his ghost, trust me,” you nervously chuckled, tucking a few strands of hair behind your ear.

“He misses you, you know?” Dylan looked at you thoughtfully. “He acts like he doesn’t but... he really does. In fact, everyone can tell. Cole’s... he’s not his usual self. He’s been moody, snaps at people and hides in his own bubble a lot.” Dylan stopped talking and bit his lip. “Anyway, just know that he hasn’t moved on or something.” 

You stayed quiet, swallowing. Your stomach made a 360 degrees flip and you were catching breathes to cool yourself down.

“Sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”

You shook your head. “No, it’s okay. I mean, I haven’t heard from him for months. So...”

He was the one who left.

He was the one who disappeared.

“Do you want to hear from him?” Dylan teased. 

"No!” you firmly said. “I just want to get over it. I mean, I’m over it.”

I still love him. And I hate myself for it.

“So that guy back there. He’s your new boyfriend?” Dylan asked with furrowed brows. The way he did it resembled his twin so much that it pained your heart to just look at him.

You shook your head. “I mean, we’re just friends. I know him from work. Duan invited him over. Turns out to be Craig’s long lost friend,” you muttered as you stare at both Craig and your friend-from-work who was still immensely catching up.

Dylan chuckled as he bit his lip. “Cole would be glad to know that. Or displeased. I’m not sure.”

You shrugged. “Can we stop talking about your twin, Dylan?”

And all the sudden...

“Hey, bro, do you have...”

That was it. His voice. You remembered it so vividly that you knew it was most definitely him. You instantly froze. Your mind went blank.

“Y/N?”

Your body refused to turn around. 

“Hey, brother,” Dylan chuckled. You could feel your stomach dropped to the floor. Cole was not supposed to be there.

You eventually turned around and saw him. The one person you wished to avoid. You were silently creating a strategy to get out of the apartment when Dylan was greeting his twin.

“I’m gonna go,” you pointed towards the kitchen.

“Y/N, wait!” you heard Cole calling from behind you, but you just kept on walking. 

“Y/N! Please stop!”

“Y/N!”

“Y/N!”

“Y/N! Please! Just talk to me for a sec, please!”

You abruptly stopped your tracks and turned around to face Cole who standing two steps behind you. That caught him off guard.

“What do you want from me?” you asked.

“I... I just want to talk...”

“There’s nothing to talk about?” you tried to keep your cool.

Cole sighed and brought his eyes to you. “Y/N...”

Stop saying my name, idiot.

You started walking aimlessly again, with Cole still following you closely.

“Y/N...” Cole exhaled your name again. It punched a hole straight into your heart.

“Y/N,” Cole grabbed your arm, making you flinch. He didn’t let you go though. He made you follow him to the hallway outside of the apartment where it was quieter. Like he had some weird control over you, you obliged. You hated it. You really hated how he was able to do that.

You stayed silent while watching Cole pace back and forth like he was processing the situation in his head. You leaned against the wall as you saw him ran his fingers through his hair. He then tilted his head to the ceiling, closing his eyes, before sitting down on the steps next to him. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”

You just looked at him with furrowed brows. The pain that washed through you had almost made you bolt again, but you made yourself close your eyes and stayed there.

“Say something... please?” Cole painfully grimaced, bringing his eyes to you again. You saw pure pain and sadness in his eyes. 

“Cole... maybe I should go back inside,” you croaked out

“I know I messed up, Y/N. I really messed up. I thought I’ll be strong enough to forget you. I tried to take back what I did, But I was just so scared. I know how much I’ve hurt you and I didn’t want you to go through the pain again. But, seeing you again today just... I just know that I need you, Y/N. I can’t lie to myself anymore,” Cole blurted out, ignoring you.

“You’re the one who left, Cole. Not me,” you reminded him. Your throat felt coarse, knowing that a cry is going to come.

“I know. It’s stupid. I’m stupid! I am still in love with you, Y/N. I have always been. I was just trying to protect you from getting hurt again. I just couldn’t bear seeing you get upset over something I have no control of. I should’ve...”

“Y/N? Hey, I was looking all over for you,” your friend-from-work suddenly came up to you. After hearing Cole poured his heart out like that, you blinked a tear, to which you quickly brushed off. “Are you okay?” He hadn’t realized that Cole was sitting five feet apart from you. 

Irritation instantly flared in Cole’s eyes as he glanced up.

You looked over at him. He had an odd look on his face as he watched you and your friend-from-work.

“So, you’re with him now?” Cole asked you softly, like his insides were being torn apart.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that somebody else is here,” your friend-from-work said, when he saw Cole just sitting there on the steps.

You cleared your throat. “HisName, I’ll join you soon, yeah?” 

“Don’t worry about it, Y/N. I was just leaving.” Cole’s voice was cold and flat, it gave you chills. His eyes were glassy and red. Your stomach clenched as you knew that Cole might have processed the situation wrongly.

“Cole...” 

Cole flinched a little. “No, actually, I have somewhere else to go. Glad to see you, Y/N.” He walked by you and your friend-from-work, avoiding eye contact.

Your friend-from-work watched him leave with a frown. Your stomach gave you a fluttery panic attack, but you managed to run towards Cole.

“Cole...”

Stoppin his tracks, Cole gave you a long look. You couldn’t tell what he was thinking and he said nothing. You really didn’t know how to feel about Cole. 

“Forget what I said,” Cole breathed out, giving you one last glance before turning his back against you, again.

#cole sprouse x reader #cole sprouse fiction #cole sprouse imagine #riverdale #cole sprouse #jughead jones #Bughead #riverdale jughead #Lili Reinhart

[malek-hiddles]

Rami Malek with journalist Amalia Enriquez. Translated interview for The Luxonomist below:

#CloseTo Rami Malek: “After playing Freddie Mercury, I can not ask for more”

Rami Malek becomes Queen's leader in 'Bohemian Rhapsody', a review of the singer's life with whom he says he feels identified ...  (Amalia Enríquez 10/30/2018)

Of Egyptian and Greek blood, Rami Malek was educated in the Coptic religion. His first character on the big screen was Pharaoh, he conquered Tom Hanks with his talent and, after a lot of fighting, he got 'Mr Robot', a series that he believed that nobody would ever dare to shoot.  Tomorrow, October 31, premieres 'Bohemian Rhapsody', the biopic about Freddie Mercury .  His interpretation points to all the dreamed awards.

The Luxonomist: Imagine that I have not seen the movie and you have to convince me that on the day of the premiere I have to be the first in line at the box office.

Rami Malek: Uuuhhhh, ok.  I would say that it is a movie in which the best of 'Queen' is collected .  His music is universal and the film tells you the history of that music.  If I have not convinced you with this, I add that the particularly fascinating thing about 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is that it does not have the usual musical scores, which everyone knows mostly, but all the songs they wrote are perfectly associated and included.  Everything fits perfectly.  It ends with one of the greatest concerts in history, one of the best of all time, so it's better not to miss it ... but I know you've seen it (laughs).

TL: Right, also on a good screen ...

RM: That is very important.  You have to see it on the big screen and with good sound because it is an epic film, reminiscent of the great film productions.

TL: When you recreate a real event and you play someone who is as alive in the collective memory as Freddie Mercury, is there more pressure?

RM: Definitely.  You have to do justice to the story and, as an actor, I have focused especially on that aspect.  There is no other way of doing things because, if you do not know that you have to execute it like that, you better not involve yourself and do not bother to interpret it.

TL: How have you felt in the skin of a myth, now a legend?

RM: Umm, good question.  I have never thought about it that way.  It has been a blessing and a joy to have the opportunity to meet him on a personal level in the closest possible way, since he is not physically here.  I have to tell you that I have a very special relationship with him now.  I see him as someone who has been in my life and who is still present .

TL: Did you really feel like him?

RM: I always knew there was a Freddie Mercury in me , I knew I could get to feel like him.  Before they gave me the paper, I asked them to make a prosthesis for their front teeth.  Every night I would put it on and sing in front of the mirror, transforming myself into it.  It may seem crazy, but I did it.  Then I spent many hours with his clothes, imitating his gestures, modulating with his voice.  From that moment on, I not only felt him but I enjoyed him.  I was outside myself, that's why I managed to be him.

TL: If in a few years we are talking about this movie, what would be the scene that inevitably remains in the memory?

RM: It's very difficult for me to answer this because this movie, all of it, is a unique opportunity in my life.  I can quit my career after having done this role, I can not ask for more .  When they told me that they chose me to be Freddie, I thought that their interpretation could define my career but, after a while, I also thought that I could finish it if I did not measure up.  The memories, which we created among everyone in the film, are something extraordinary and I could not choose a moment.  We have filmed wonderful scenes, recreated the magic concert 'Live Aid' that was the best thing they did in their career.  I can not stay with a moment because this adventure has been the experience of a lifetime.

TL: Do you believe in the healing power of music?

RM: Of course!  The wonderful thing about Queen's music is that it's eternal, it's forever.  They broke all the stereotypes, all the barriers with respect to music.  And this is the powerful thing.  The first time I heard 'Bohemian Rhapsody' I was surprised by its power, emotion and, also, its fun and revolutionary point of view.

TL: What kind of music do you listen to when you relax?

RM: Now a lot of Queen, but my tastes go more for Bob Dylan , that I love since I was young because for me it is a poet, and Leonard Cohen .  I like to read their lyrics first and then listen to them .  With Freddie I have done the same, because it was the way I realized that his lyrics were a constant search for love.

TL: Are you still mimicked by him or have you managed to get over that stage, once you get rid of the character?

RM: Do not make me crazy, huh ?, but I admit that I have had problems moving on with my life after shooting, due to the fascination I still feel for him.  It has left a great impression on me .

TL: Did you ever find anything in common with him?

RM: I realized, throughout the recreation process of the character, that there were nuances in our lives with certain similarities.  I have fought all my life to find my identity .  My life, as a migrant boy, bears some resemblance to his, a boy from Zanzibar who studied in India and who, due to the political situation in his country, has to go to England with his family.  It was a flight looking for a better life, like the one I had with my parents, who emigrated from Egypt to the United States in search of a better existence as well.

TL: Did you manage to find that identity you were looking for?

RM: I always felt different in my adolescence.  In my house another language was spoken and we did not eat the same as the Americans, we were faithful to our roots.  Then things changed, but I always felt like a lonely boy.  The interpretation has saved me in that sense and has helped me socialize.

TL: When success smiles at you, do you think about what's left behind?

RM: Sure!  I never lose the reference of my origins, my roots.  It would be ungrateful if he did.  The experience has made possible what I am.  For life to smile on you, you have had to go through shadows before .  Overcoming them is what redeems you.

TL: Was it disgusting in your house to say that you wanted to dedicate yourself to "playing at being an artist"?

RM: To a certain extent, yes.  My parents never wanted me to be an actor . They wanted a certain future for me and my brothers.  They dreamed that I was a doctor or lawyer, but my vocation wanted to take another path.  They knew that this is a very unstable profession and what they wanted was my security.  I will not deny that I always had doubts .

TL: With the idea of ​​giving up even?

RM: I would lie to you if I did not recognize that I thought about it many times. When I started I had to work distributing pizzas and preparing kebabs because I could not get any paper and I had to survive as it was.  At that stage, I thought about leaving it.  Not doing it has brought me here.

TL: How does a shy person like you live in such an exposed profession?

RM: Why do you know that I am?

TL: The timid ones we recognize from afar ...

RM: (laughs) This profession allows me to disguise myself and that's why I like it, it takes me away from myself.  I like to look back and recognize myself, but overcoming shyness is a daily battle.  It is something that you will know then too.

TL: Having a twin brother could help you in your public exposure ...

RM: (laughs) And sometimes, he does.  On some occasion they have confused me and followed the roll.

TL: How many times have you been told that you impose with your eyes?

RM: Someone else.  I know I have a look that can be disturbing and, if you hurry me, threatening.  And I confess, moreover, that my eyes can get to do strange things sometimes and I can not control them.  They have a life of their own, they go their own way.  If I tell you that my mother is afraid of me sometimes because of them, would you believe it?  Well I do not lie to you ...

TL: If I ask you to define me 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in a tweet ...

RM: A very happy trip through the music of Queen.  Wait, maybe I have to work a bit on my speech as a salesman (laughs).  A magical celebration of one of the best groups in history, with an inimitable Freddie Mercury.

TL: Has it been worth the trip?

RM: Without a doubt.  It has been long, very long.  With stony and hard moments, a lot of internal reflection.  Thanks to this, I have managed to understand Freddie better and empathize with his complexes (they called him "rabbit" at school because of his teeth).  He was intense, carefree, direct with his thoughts.  Thanks to the lyrics of his songs, I got to know him well and I realized something that was always present in his music: the pain and the frustration of never getting to understand each other.  I think he suffered and left with that pain.

* Location: Hotel Villamagna.

(Translated from Spanish with google translate, sorry for any inaccuracies! Original article here)

#rami malek #interview #bohemian rhapsody #freddie mercury #article #the luxonomist #bo rhap interview

[jonathantaylorthomas]

Diary entries, as a rule, don’t constitute art. Songs do.

That’s what drew me in to Taylor Swift and her music upon the release of her 2006 debut album, “Taylor Swift,” and that’s what has kept me closely tracking the remarkable arc of her career since then, up to and including today’s release of her sixth album, “Reputation.”

From the beginning, Swift — then a precocious, uncommonly smart, gifted and ambitious teenager — has written deeply personal songs that often sound like they’re ripped directly from the pages of a diary.

That hallmark of her songwriting has nurtured an especially close bond between Swift and her fans, along with her savvy use of social media from the outset. It’s also given her detractors no shortage of ammunition with which to attack her for everything from a new hairdo to her choices of dates to the logistics of selling tickets to her concerts.

The double-edged sword of success — and the fame and fortune that have accompanied it to stratospheric levels for her — inform many of the songs on “Reputation,” possibly the most anticipated album of the always-intensive fall season.

As one of a small handful of music writers offered an early listen to the new collection, I’ll venture to call it her most focused, most cohesive album yet.

In large part that reflects her dramatic narrowing of collaborators compared with her previous two outings: Nine of the 15 new songs written and produced for the most part by Swift with superstar producers Max Martin and Shellback, the other six in tandem with indie rock band Fun front man Jack Antonoff.

They conjure a sense of foreboding to illuminate her songs of betrayal, heartbreak and disappointment. There also are plenty of bright spots celebrating new love and new maturity in her outlook, most framed in dance-floor-conscious beats and employing inventive sonic textures that expand on or outright defy conventions of contemporary pop-R&B music production.

I’d also say that in many ways “Reputation” echoes one of Bob Dylan’s greatest lines of the last two decades: “I used to care…but things have changed.”

'Reputation' echoes one of Bob Dylan’s greatest lines of the last two decades: 'I used to care…but things have changed.' — -- Randy Lewis I say that based on many hours I’ve spent with her since first traveling to Nashville to interview her early in 2007, not long after her debut album put her on the map in country music circles.

Case in point: “Reputation” is the first album for which she’s given no interviews in advance. (I had sat down with her for extended talks about each of her previous four albums, “1989,” “Red,” “Speak Now” and “Fearless.”)

Additionally, only a small handful of music critics were invited to hear this album in advance (The Times’ pop music critic Mikael Wood was not).

She did once again hold several playback sessions for fans in recent months, as she did when “1989” was being readied for release three years ago. But no reporters were allowed to look in on those as a few did for “1989.”

Things have changed, indeed.

What struck me initially about Swift’s music was the refreshing viewpoint she brought to her songs, which sounded, for a change, like what real teenagers might think, feel and say.

That was a big part of what prompted me to single her out at the end of 2006 as one of the artists most worth watching in the year ahead, and to travel to Nashville a few months later to interview her about her ambitions.

So many other young pop and country acts spent most of their time attempting to pass themselves off as preternaturally mature, often singing of experiences well beyond their years.

That initially sparked my respect for her as a young artist—not just a pretty face and perky personality who’d been handed a batch of songs written by others and instructed by her handlers on what to say, how to dress and where to stand.

Clearly that resonated with a lot of listeners as well, and launched her on a meteoric rise: first in country music, and then to her place today as arguably the biggest pop star on the planet.

Along the way she has held tight to the innate understanding of social media platforms she expressed to me in 2008, shortly before her sophomore album, “Fearless,” was released.

“Blogging has been really fun because I like to let people into my life as much as possible,” she said back when MySpace was still the dominant social media outlet for most musicians, well before Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and, her new favorite outlet, Tumblr, took over. "I think it's important for the people who keep you going and support you and have your back out there in the world to know that you're thinking of them all the time.”

She quickly learned, however, that it’s not a big leap from having someone’s back to stabbing it, a harsh reality Swift has faced through intensely public Twitter feuds in recent years with Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, among others.

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms magnify vulnerability and hypersensitivity with snarky comments and images, making adolescence and young adulthood seem more perilous than ever.

She acknowledged the vipers in the room directly on her third album, “Speak Now,” with “Mean,” a song in which she transformed one blogger’s nasty comments about her into a hit song. That’s one tool with which she’s avoided the “Don’t get mad; get even” path of revenge, instead drawing illumination and creative inspiration out of the many barbs tossed her way.

Yet the more famous she’s become, and the more followers she’s cultivated, the more the world at large apparently feels entitled to pass judgment not only on her art but on her life, topics she takes on in several of the new songs on “Reputation.”

That’s a fact of contemporary life Swift recognizes in “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.” In fact, it may well become an anthem for the Twitter generation, for whom every fleeting thought seems worthy of sharing with the world at large: “Did you think I wouldn’t hear all the things you said about me? And here’s to you… ‘cause forgiveness is a nice thing to do/ (laughter) I can’t even say it with straight face!”

I’ll go as far as to suggest that the whole “Reputation” theme of the album isn’t solely about Taylor Swift and her place in the world, but examines the extent to which most of us now live out our lives in public thanks to the omnipresence of social media, and the multiplicity of ways that plays out.

Indeed, in each of two elaborate 72-page magazines she has created for an exclusive deluxe edition of the album (available in the U.S. at Target stores), she includes an open letter noting, “This is the first generation that will be able to look back on their entire life story documented in pictures on the internet, and together we will all discover the after-effects of that.”

Another facet of Swift’s career that’s impressed me is the way she has respected her place as a role model for young women in general, and other female musicians in particular.

Among the many ways that’s manifested are her personal donation of $500,000 to disaster relief efforts when Nashville, and much of Tennessee, was flooded in 2010 — before she reached her 21st birthday. She ponied up an additional $1 million last year for flood victims in Louisiana after launching her “1989” tour there.

She wielded her industry clout to politely but firmly chastise Apple for initially placing some of the financial burden of a free trial period for its new streaming service in 2015 on songwriters with a plan that would have withheld their royalty payments — an idea the tech giant abandoned in response to her open letter.

Even when she briefly succumbed to the temptation to respond to a perceived diss from Nicki Minaj over yet another VMA Awards show in 2015, Swift quickly apologized and held out an olive branch rather than continuing to ratchet up a war of tweets.

As recently as August, she turned the tables on a lawsuit filed against her by a Denver radio host who claimed he was unfairly dismissed from his job after she complained that he had groped her during a post-concert meet-and-greet. She filed a countersuit in which she asked for, and won, a token $1 jury award after she took to the witness stand to speak out not only in her own defense, but on behalf of other sexual harassment victims.

Yet bloggers galore still seem determined to take her down for any number of issues, lately many of them revolving around the way she has set the stage for today’s release of “Reputation.”

A plan to create an incentive that would give priority for buying concert tickets to fans who most enthusiastically click away to watch her latest videos or place advance orders for the album was blasted as exploitative.

She’s also come under fire for not being vocal enough about alt-right demonstrators who have attempted to co-opt her music into endorsements of their positions, reminiscent of Charles Manson’s bizarre misinterpretation nearly 50 years ago of the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter,” which he insisted was a coded message to him to start a race war.

Then there was the much publicized dissing of her last year from Kanye West in his song “Famous” in which he rapped that she owed him sex because he made her famous by snatching the spotlight from her at the infamous MTV Video Music Awards in 2009 — despite the fact she had scored multiple hit singles and sold millions of albums well before that incident.

She kept a relatively low profile last year when West and his wife, Kim Kardashian, spoke and tweeted ad infinitum that she had given him her consent about the way he portrayed her in “Famous,” offering only a terse denial that that had been the case.

When she released “Look What You Made Me Do” as the leadoff single from “Reputation,” she took flak in many quarters for a perceived belated response and for keeping a feud going long past its natural shelf life.

But based on how I’ve watched her process other life events, what I hear in the song is a woman who recognizes the hurt an ugly life situation has thrust upon her, and who owns the consequences of how it that has played out for her, emotionally and psychologically.

“I don’t trust nobody and nobody trusts me,” is how the sadder-but-wiser Swift portrays herself in this scenario. “Look What You Made Me Do” isn’t an exercise in the blame game; it’s an acknowledgment of loss over defenses one has been forced to erect out of self-preservation.

In a broader sense, the payoff I’m after in “Reputation” has nothing to do with any shade she’s throwing at West and Kardashian, or whether in other songs she’s leaving any clues on her breakups with Tom Hiddleston or Calvin Harris.

Many eyes, of course, also will be focused on whether “Reputation” extends her streak of albums that have sold more than 1 million copies in the first week. She’s the only artist to do so with three consecutive releases.

The only thing that matters in the long run is how she’s evolving as a songwriter, a singer and a record producer.

Will anyone care in 10, 20 or 50 years — heck, in five, even — who the “him” is in “Getaway Car,” when she confesses, “I wanted to leave him / I needed a reason”? What’s much more likely to stand the test of time is the whip-smart form the song’s expression of romantic betrayal delivers: “It was the best of times / The worst of crimes / The ties were black / the lies were white / In shades of gray and candlelight.”

Her commitment to growth as an artist is something I sensed more than a decade ago, when we first met in the bunker-like basement of her then-fledgling record company, Big Machine.

And it’s still why I fully expect to be as interested at what Swift writes at 37 and 47 as what she’s delivered at 27. In my book, that’s the only reputation that matters.

[joannalannister]

I just wanted to write down some of my Jon/Dany thoughts before I go to sleep. This isn’t in tracked tags, and I’m sorry I can’t help it about search. I don’t wanna argue with people about this, ok?

(this is about the books, this is about ships I like, (this is about tywin), this is about asoiaf themes, please do not talk to me about that show)

ASOIAF, to me, is a celebration of humanity. It’s about “our great glory, and our great tragedy”. When Maester Aemon says to Jon, “We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love,” that seems to me to be one of the great themes of ASOIAF: love. What better way to celebrate humanity than love? Love is the greatest celebration of the human condition. 

So much of ASOIAF is about love. As @poorquentyn pointed out earlier today, even many of “ASOIAF’s top-tier villains [typically care deeply about someone else in their lives]; Tywin loved Joanna, Ramsay feels protective of his mother, Joff wanted Robert’s attention and respect, etc.” The importance of love is in Sansa’s “If I am ever queen, I’ll make them love me,” and it’s in Ned’s approach to ruling by developing a close personal relationship with the people he rules, and it’s in Cat’s heartwrenching “Ned loves my hair” and it’s the driving force behind so many vengeance/justice narratives, and it’s in Tyrion, my poor baby, longing for love in spite of a society that tells him that no one could ever love him (because ableism). 

I’m not ultra invested in either Jon or Dany individually, but I’m super invested in ASOIAF on a thematic level. So it’s important to me that Jon/Dany fall in love. In my opinion, Jon and Dany falling in love is the biggest FUCK YOU they could ever give to the Others, the best way they could ever say not today, motherfuckers to the eldritch slavers trying to destroy humanity. I can already hear some people laughing at me, but it’s like ... Jon and Dany being in love, taking their love to the Other realm beyond the curtain of light ... it’s the best way for Jon and Dany to declare defiantly, “We’re human, we’re still alive, we’re “still breathing” as show!Jon says, and whatever you do, whether we live or die, we chose this love, we chose each other, and you can’t take this away from us.” 

GRRM weaves a lot of poetry into his writing, and when he wrote for BATB, he referenced Dylan Thomas:

Though lovers be lost love shall not; And death shall have no dominion.

Like, ok, some big shit’s going to go down beyond the curtain of light, some big OMFG shit that I have no idea about, shit that nobody but GRRM knows -- can the Others tap into Jon’s mind post death? what are the rules of the Other realm? can a person ever come back once they go there? -- but Jon/Dany being in love is like humanity’s ~secret weapon~ in the War for the Dawn, a love that can outlast death itself. So truly -- TRULY -- I think Jon and Dany need to be in love to fight the Others. The True Knights going behind enemy lines in the War for the Dawn need to be the ... the most vital**, the most ... the most human we can possibly send, people with a heart full to bursting with love, and a love of humanity so great they would willingly sacrifice themselves for it. 

**the irony of describing post-resurrection Jon “Technically A Zombie” Snow as “vital” is not lost on me, but GRRM likes irony. Black brothers as true knights, white-cloaked kingsguard as corrupt, etc, you get the picture. 

In AGOT, Benjen says,

"You are a boy of fourteen," Benjen said. "Not a man, not yet. Until you have known a woman, you cannot understand what you would be giving up." "I don't care about that!" Jon said hotly. "You might, if you knew what it meant," Benjen said. "If you knew what the oath would cost you, you might be less eager to pay the price, son." Jon felt anger rise inside him. "I'm not your son!" Benjen Stark stood up. "More's the pity." He put a hand on Jon's shoulder.  "Come back to me after you've fathered a few bastards of your own, and we'll see how you feel."

and this idea of Benjen’s that life is worth living is kind of summed up to Jon when Ygritte says, “And if we die, we die. All men must die, Jon Snow. But first we'll live." 

Because Jon was so in love with Ygritte. He loved her, and that’s why GRRM made it hurt when she died. (And I like my ASOIAF to really hurt, so I like to imagine Ygritte was pregnant with Jon’s child when she died.) 

And the thing about “But first we’ll live” is that you have to keep living. That’s why it’s sooooo so important to me about Jon/Dany on a thematic level. More on that in a sec.

*~*~*

And I’m sorry but I can’t write an ASOIAF post without bringing in Tywin, because I love him. I love him, because he’s the perfect obverse of all of GRRM’s themes that I love. Tywin’s like a black hole among the stars, like negative space in the narrative. When studied, he increases my understanding of all the rest. (GRRM works a lot with negative space in the narrative imo.) 

With Tywin, it’s like he died. It’s like he lived and loved Joanna and then he died with her long ago,. But he keeps walking, like one of the Others’ reanimated wights, raised up to continue their agenda to dehumanize every person in Westeros. (I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, Tywin unwittingly works on behalf of the Enemy.) (Also, please nobody try to twist my words on me, Tywin was obviously a terrible person long before Joanna died, but he was exceptionally monstrous, even to his own children, after she died.)

People ask me relatively regularly, like, who do you think Tywin would marry in an AU after Joanna dies, and I’m always like 1. I don’t like AUs and 2. he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t remarry, and he definitely wouldn’t fall in love again, because that’s the Point of his character. He’s the negative space. Tywin’s the anti-celebration of humanity, he’s humanity’s sad, lonely, rainy funeral that no one attends. He doesn’t love, he doesn’t smile, he doesn’t eat much (read the descriptions in the books), he takes no joy in meat nor mead (oh gosh could I talk about GRRM’s Tuf Voyaging here), he doesn’t live in a book series that celebrates life. 

Tywin doesn’t even celebrate the life that he loved, Joanna’s life. There’s this moment in ASOS where Tyrion thinks about how his father p much never talks about his mother. Think about that. 

There was something I was reading recently, I can’t remember where, but it was about the parents of a child who had died, and it said something along the lines of, the worst thing you could do to them was to avoid talking about their child, to pretend as if the child had never existed. Because talking about their child, remembering their child, was how they kept him alive, how they kept loving him. 

But Tywin never wants to talk about his wife who was the great love of his life. Tywin never even says Joanna’s name in the books, never says her name in a book series that places so much importance on names and naming.*** He doesn’t want to breathe life into her memory, doesn’t want to love. If not for Tyrion’s presence as a constant reminder of everything he lost, I think Tywin would be content to pretend that Joanna hadn’t existed at all. (Ouch.) 

*** @nobodysuspectsthebutterfly, I really liked your theory (do we still call it a theory?) about how in the books Jon will be the first person to call Dany “Dany” out loud since Viserys. Just, ugh, the naming of people, and the intimacy, the connection created by saying a name, or the distance created by not saying one, ugh

*~*~*

OK anyways, that was more than a sec, sorry, I got carried away, but BACK TO JON SNOW. With Jon, to me, the narrative demands that he keep living, keep loving, keep finding love. A living love in Daenerys.

There’s this short story GRRM wrote a long time ago in Dreamsongs about a guy who has his heart broken, but he gets back up and loves again, only to have his heart broken again, and so on, until he gives up and concludes that love is a lie, and he decides never to look for love again, and he closes his heart, and that’s it, that’s the end. It’s a horror story.

And with Jon -- Jon isn’t that horror story, he’s not that guy who has One Love, and when that One Love dies, that’s it, that’s the end. Being human is to keep loving, and to keep looking for love even after your heart is broken. (And let me tell you, Jon is looking in ADWD; “lonely and lovely and lethal”. He’s searching, but not yet finding.) 

And I know that people call this cliche, but to me, GRRM plays with archetypes, so here he’s playing with the hero and heroine falling in love, and putting his own spin on it. (Fire wight romance!!! Think back to 1993 and ask yourself how many fire wight romances there were when ASOIAF was conceived!!! Cliche. heh.)

And I’m just ... my mouth is watering in anticipation of GRRM’s Jon/Dany romance in the books, because it’s like!! Technically a dead guy!! Technically a zombie!!! A dead guy resurrected by fire!! To fall in love with the bride of fire!!! A technically dead guy is gonna be representing GRRM’s greatest celebration of life!! This is almost as good as the psychedelic BATB spider falling in love in Dreamsongs!!! God!!! GOD!!!! PLEASE GEORGE, FINISH TWOW, I’M SO EXCITED FOR THIS

#fire wight romance #(fire wight romance is how i ship it ok leave me be) #FIRE WIGHT ROMANCE!!! #i love asoiaf themes #(i would like that on a bumper sticker) #jdmeta #jon x dany #dany x jon #lannister thoughts #tywin lannister #tywin x joanna #tjmeta #tywin meta

[auburnfamilynews]

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The Tigers return their top 4 linebackers from 2019 and signed a loaded class this past recruiting cycle. Could this be the best unit in the SEC?

“Doesn’t matter we aren’t having a season!!!”

Yo, we get it. Things are pretty shaky right now with all these out of conference games being cancelled. Confidence is quickly dwindling that there will even be a college football season this year and that sucks.

But until that decision is actually made, we are going to soldier on as if a season of some sort still happens this fall.

And if a season does happen, one unit Auburn fans are going to have a lot of fun watching is the linebackers. Travis Williams took over as Auburn’s linebackers coach in 2016 and immediately turned a unit that had been a consistent weakness in Auburn’s defense to a consistent strength. 2020 might be the best bunch to date.

KJ Britt, Chandler Wooten, Zakoby McClain and Owen Pappoe are all back. Auburn signed three blue chip prospects in the 2020 class. This unit is going to be VERY good. But will it be the best?

The Auburn football sages here at the Temple of College & Magnolia are here to dispense their wisdom once again on why Auburn will or won’t have the best linebacker corps in all of the SEC this season.

AUNerd

This one is legitimately tough for me. There are 3 strong contenders for this honor in my opinion: Alabama, Auburn and Georgia. The Crimson Tide’s backers struggled at times last fall but that’s because by the of the season they were starting two true freshman. They are a year older and now they return Dylan Moses who missed all of last season with an injury. He’s been consistently mocked by experts to be a 1st round draft pick next spring.

But I would rank them 3rd at the moment. Auburn returns their outstanding foursome this fall. KJ Britt is unquestionably the best run stopping backer in the country and with some improvements in coverage could challenge Moses for that top spot in the 2021 NFL Draft class. Owen Pappoe started every game despite being a true freshman and is poised for a monster sophomore season. At times, I thought Zakoby McClain was the best linebacker on the field last fall while Chandler Wooten is a leader who can play all three positions in Auburn’s scheme.

The homer in me wants to go Auburn but if I am being honest, I think heading into the fall I would give Georgia the nod. Monty Rice is a beast and is back to lead this nasty UGA defense once again. Tae Crowder is gone but will be replaced by Nakobe Dean who graded out the highest of all freshman linebackers per PFF. Former blue chips Quay Walker, Trezman Marshall and Channing Tindall serve as backups while Azeez Ojulari has a chance to be a breakout pass rusher off the edge.

I love Auburn’s group but I am going to give just the ever so slightest of nods to the Dawgs and then take a very long shower.

Verdict: No

Jack Condon

I can’t believe Nerd chose not to #BarnHard above, but it’s alright. I’ll get us rolling in the right direction. While you may be looking at the raw talent and recruiting rankings of some other linebacker groups in the SEC, there are some intangibles that only come with time that fall in Auburn’s favor.

Nerd went through some of the superlatives with Britt, Pappoe, McClain, and Wooten, and while they’re not as highly-regarded as some of the studs in Athens or Tuscaloosa, the group itself will be better. With K.J. Britt as an undoubted leader in the middle, Auburn’s group won’t be in the wrong mindset or positioning at all. We’ve now seen the fireworks from a player like Zakoby “Mac Jones is my favorite player” McClain, and Owen Pappoe learned a ton from being in the rotation as a freshman.

I think one of the most important benefits for Auburn this season will be the “minister of culture” attitude that it seems like Chandler Wooten has taken on. With all of the recent events around the country, he appeared to shoulder the outward vocal responsibility for the team, and he did so in a mature and eloquent manner. Having someone like that in the room will only make the other linebackers strive for greatness.

Plus, you’ve got the added positive that they’ve all played together for an entire year now. Yeah, Alabama’s got Dylan Moses, but they lost Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis. Georgia’s got some fantastic young guys as well, but both teams are going to be going through the growing pains of meshing as a unit. This season especially, that’s going to be even more difficult to do than ever. No spring practice, and possibly less fall practice. That’s why Auburn has the edge this season.

Verdict: Yes

Will McLaughlin

Nerd and Jack have already hit on basically every point I would have made here. K.J. Britt did a tremendous job filling the role left by Deshaun Davis the prior before. I’m excited to see what Britt does for an encore and the continued emergence of Owen Pappoe. With no spring practice and an experienced group coming back across the board, I will choose to Barn Hard to answer this question!

Verdict: Yes

Josh Black

They will but they won’t get the credit for it. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better collection of linebackers based on talent and experience than K.J. Britt, Owen Pappoe, Chandler Wooten, and Zakoby McClain. What Travis Williams has done in restoring the pride of the Auburn linebackers is inspiring. K.J. Britt is one of the most sound tacklers Auburn has had in a decade and matches it with a toughness and ability to lay the wood that we weren’t used to seeing 4 years ago.

But you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere outside of this here website that will agree with Auburn’s linebackers being the best in 2020, and the reason is because of the lack of experience in front of and behind them. I could easily see Georgia’s group getting the nod this year with all that they return defensively. Shoot of Alabama’s group ever stays healthy they’ll be a sexier pick.

Bottom line, go ahead and get ready to be called a homer this fall for believing in the Auburn linebacking corp. But also be prepared to be right.

Verdict: Yes

James Jones

Short answer: Yes, because they had it last year and didn’t lose anyone.

Long answer: The only question here is whether or not Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson made that much of a difference for Britt and company. We know they were great, but were they so great that they made the men behind him look like all conference players? I don’t think that gives this group enough credit. KJ Britt is a potential first round draft pick. Owen Pappoe is the perfect linebacker for the way football is played today. Chandler Wooten made the most of his chances, and he would be a star on other teams. Zackoby McClain only made the kind of play that kids dream about in their backyards*. This is the most talent Auburn has had at linebacker since 2003, which included one of the greatest linebackers in Auburn history in Karlos Dansby, an incredibly smart and agile Dontarrious Thomas in the middle, and the one man in common with both groups: Travis Williams.

Verdict: Yes

*-I was a kid during the Pat Dye era. To heck with offense, I wanted to be a linebacker

DrewMac

I am really happy I am right after my good buddy James Jones, especially with that line of being an Dye-hard Auburn man. Everyone above me has made some solid points and pretty much everything I had thought up to say. The only thing missing is that ZacKoby McClain is from Valdosta, GA and if you want football players, you get real ones in South Georgia. Auburn is EXTREMELY solid at the linebacker position which they have got to be since we lose two men on the front along with Nick Coe. Are they the best in the conference though? Maybe? Here’s the thing though, get me in the conversation of being the best and that’s all I can really ask for, because being in the conversation, leads to this...

HOW DID THIS JUST HAPPEN!???!?!?! pic.twitter.com/lyJ2tkj465

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 30, 2019

Verdict: Uh-huh

Ryan Sterritt

I’ll be honest, I haven’t done my homework this offseason. I haven’t bought my Athlon and Lindy’s, and I haven’t been looking at other team’s depth charts, unless that team is Arizona State in my NCAA 14 dynasty. But you see, I’ve painted myself into a bit of a corner.

Instead, I’m going to lean on Auburn’s returning sack leader to have an even bigger year and put himself in position to be Auburn’s first 1st round draft pick at linebacker since Takeo Spikes.

Yeah, that quote was me in last week’s roundtable, predicting KJ Britt to lead Auburn in sacks and become a first round draft pick. I’m going to double down on my love for KJ Britt, especially when he’s being paired with @TheFreak.

Verdict: Yes

You’ve heard our sage advice, now it’s your turn. Will Auburn have the best linebacker corps in the SEC this season?

War Eagle

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/7/13/21320690/c-m-roundtable-will-auburn-have-the-best-linebacker-corps-in-the-sec

#IFTTT #Blogger #auburn #auburn fast #wareagle #AuburnFamilyNews #war eagle #sec #football news #aubu

[yourdailykitsch]

Dylan O’Brien And Taylor Kitsch Talk AMERICAN ASSASSIN And Modern Action Movies

American Assassin is the latest entry into the action boom that’s taken over genre cinema. An introduction to Vince Flynn’s counterterrorist operative with an axe to grind, Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien), Assassin could be the first entry in a new franchise looking to fill the void where Tom Clancy’s ace boy scout, Jack Ryan, used to be. His foil is the mysterious “Ghost” (Taylor Kitsch), who was trained by the same violent guru (Michael Keaton) who taught Rapp how to hunt. Michael Cuesta’s picture is a dad rock greatest hits compilation, where three familiar archetypes show down to the death.

We were lucky enough to sit down with Dylan and Taylor, where they talked about training for the film, and how they were careful when tackling terrorism within genre cinema trappings…

Birth.Movies.Death: Thanks for taking time out here with us.

Taylor Kitsch: No problem. Austin is home. You guys are home. I’ve had so many great memories here. Dylan have you watched a movie at an Alamo?

Dylan O’Brien: Nah.

TK: It’s amazing. Grab a beer immediately. [laughs] They bring it to you at your seat.

DO: Shit. That’s awesome.

TK: This is the first time they’ve hosted a screening of a movie I’ve been in, though. So I gotta give ‘em some shit for that.

BMD: So, American Assassin is part of this new resurgence in the action genre. What do you think people are responding to that’s allowed action movies to come back in such a big way?

TK: I don’t think we ever sign on in terms of just what genre we’re working in, but I know that this film is very “grounded”. That’s a big part of what I think audiences are gonna get out of this movie. No offense to John Wick, but the gun work in that movie…it’s almost surreal at times. It’s crazy.

But that’s part of the pulpy appeal to John Wick. That’s not to say we’re not making pulp, but [American Assassin] is probably a bit less “escapist” than something like John Wick.

DO: These are very real world topics we’re dealing with in Assassin, but we’re doing so in a way that’s entertaining. But there’s a bunch of training that goes into our motions and movements in the shoot out sequences. We trained a bunch with two and three gun experts to get our characters down just right. Plus, we’ve built this very personal story inside the narrative, where we meet Mitch, and we get to know what drives him. It’s an intimate relationship, too, between Mitch and Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton).

TK: That’s a huge part of what makes this movie work so well. There’s this triangle between me, you, and Keaton’s character that really creates this tension that you can feel in the whole film.

BMD: Now, you call the movie “grounded”, and the author (Vince Flynn) prided himself in the level of detail he’d bring to these stories. How did you both work to bring that authenticity to the project?

TK: Working with the guys who actually do this stuff. We had a special operative [note: who both actors referred to as “Yost”] who we worked with the whole time while we were filming, and who was making sure every move we made felt real.

DO: He’s the real hero in this movie. We would’ve never been able to do this without him. It was a real priority for us to honor this community of individuals who do engage with this type of counterterrorist activity in the real world. Sometimes, the only way the public has to engage with these guys and what they do is through film, so it’s our job to bring the details of their profession to the screen as accurately as possible. Even if its something as simple as how you walk into a room, we wanted to get that right.

TK: I remember, I had to work a couple days with one of the consultants who, you know, obviously wanted to get on screen with me. But they’re not the best at understanding that every single movement you make has to look a certain way or else the reality of what you’re trying to create is going to be lost. It looked so bad, though, that I’d go to [director, Michael] Cuesta and say, “hey, we gotta work on this”, and he’d send Yost over to give a quick five-minute primer on how to even grab a gun. [laughs] Because we wanted it to be real, but he was doing it so badly that it was taking me completely out of the scene!

DO: There’s a piece of the movie that we completely designed after Yost – it’s a moment that occurs at this local gun range where [Mitch Rapp] is putting himself through this kind of personalized training – where I cross the line and take my gun and start firing at all the targets, to really try and make a point of how serious I was regarding my mission. That was all Yost. He designed that scene.

BMD: So, how was it working with Michael Keaton?

DO: Who?

TK: Terrible. That guy is just so full of himself. [laughs] No, his involvement was what got me to sign on, to be blunt. I have a great admiration for the man…

DO: Oh, it wasn’t to work with me?

TK: No. All Keaton. But seriously, I was doing Only the Brave with [producer] Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and he came over and told me Dylan was on board, and we got Michael Keaton, and there were some other key crew members, but that’s all I really needed to hear.

BMD: But what about Dylan? His feelings seem hurt here.

TK: He was alright, I guess.

DO: That’s fair.

TK: No, it’s broad strokes for me to discuss – but one of the main reasons I gravitated toward this whole idea was the notion of an American citizen planning an attack on his own country, and the relationship “Ghost” has with both Dylan and Keaton’s characters. But with “Ghost” not being in the book, I got to create him from the ground up, and a lot of that honestly came from being able to work with both these guys, and it was just really incredible. I loved doing that.

DO: And there’s no bad guys in this movie. Nothing is done without reason. Once you learn the background of “Ghost”, and why he’s attempting to perpetrate the attack on America, you actually understand and sympathize with him as much as you do Mitch.

TK: The trauma that “Ghost” goes through mirrors what Dylan’s character goes through. But then you have Keaton in the middle; dealing with both of these men and the pain they endure that really creates this intimacy.

BMD: Now, I want to be sensitive when asking this question: but making a movie about terrorism, and especially an American committing an attack against his own country, were you ever really sensitive about that storyline?

DO: Yeah, absolutely. It was our first concern. A lot went into the decision as to what we were making. Terrorism is always going to be a very sensitive topic to fictionalize. But American Assassin doesn’t have an agenda. It’s not trying to make a grand statement or take a side in the war against terrorism. Yet we are still trying to convey a level of “grounded” understanding regarding its real world consequences. We’re commenting, but it’s not the focus of the film. In the end, it’s about relationships.

BMD: Do you hope for Mitch Rapp to get his own franchise? Did you even approach it with that mindset?

DO: Well, it’s like sixteen books or whatever. So, there’s definitely a potential…

BMD: Also the potential for you to be replaced by Ben Affleck in the future.

DO: If I’m lucky. Old Ben Affleck and play Old Mitch Rapp.

American Assassin is currently playing in theaters. Get your tickets

#taylor kitsch #dylan o'brien #American Assassin #interview

[theseaeaglelives]

Round 3

THE SEA EAGLE

MAKING RUGBY LEAGUE GREAT AGAIN!!!

Manly Sea Eagles                  46       

  Defeated

  New Zealand Warriors        12

It’s amazing what a difference one player can make to a team, but when that player is Tommy Turbo it’s hardly surprising. Manly were rudderless in the opening 2 rounds but with Tommy back in the role as custodian they have instantly been transformed from mediocre, to something, well a bit better than mediocre.

  Played in the traditional Manly heartland that is Christchurch, management’s decision to take a home game to NZ was looking shaky when the Warriors opened the scoring after only 3 minutes. Having said that the decision to take this game away from Brookvale was to prove a masterstroke. Brookie is no longer a fortress (and some have said during the week plainly dangerous to player’s health particularly the knees). Nevertheless subsequent research undertaken by the Sea Eagle reveals that Manly are 13-3 winners in games played against the Warriors in NZ so if relocation becomes a possibility for Manly, the Christchurch Sea Eagles surely must come under consideration.   Again, and as was the case last week Manly flankers showed their fragility under the high ball, committing the cardinal sin of letting it bounce allowing the Warriors to pounce. This time it was Messrs Suli and Garrick who were the culprits and for them to continue in the top grade they will need to address this deficiency. Manly eagerly await the return of Dylan Walker when/if that ever eventuates.

  From then, the first half became the Tommy T show, setting up 2 tries and scoring one himself. Manly held a well-deserved 24-12 lead at the break.   The first 10 minutes of the second half was defining for Manly with stoic goal-line defence able to repel the Warriors. Thankfully Manly held firm and when the flow of possession turned, they were able to capitalize, running in four tries in a brutal onslaught of the hapless Warriors.   Apart from the obvious return of Turbo Tom, there were other encouraging signs for Manly. Cherry Baby (aided by new recruit Kane Elgey) returned to form and the performance of Curtis Sironen did not go un-noticed. Sironen is injury prone, but if he can stay fit and play most games this year Manly will be some chance of being competitive.

  From the Sea Eagle’s viewpoint, Manly’s sudden change in form can be put down to Coach Hasler having to spend an entire off season, and the first two rounds, convincing the players that anything previous Coach Trent Barret had told them, was bullshit, and needed to be erased form the memory banks. As we know, it is hard enough to get an NRL payer to retain critical information, so imagine how hard it must be to tell them it was all wrong and to ignore it and start again. Well done to Coach Hasler for getting the message through, albeit slowly but surely.

As good as Manly were, it takes two to tango and the Warriors were equally as poor. They are a rudderless ship and their defence is turnstile. Thus, the jury is still out on Manly in terms of how competitive they will be in season 2019. Next week, back at Brookie against the high rolling, Wayne Bennett coached Bunnies will provide a far more conclusive guide.

  PLAYERS PATTING EACH OTHER ON BACKS AFTER STUPID ERRORS

 We see this time and time again. A player, usually a bench player or a reserve grader, comes on in a critical moment or just running through the sets of six and makes a howler. Say a dropped pass, a strip and loss of possession , a kick out on the full, or the greatest sin of all, failing to correctly play the ball.

Then, as the player swears, and walks back with his head down like a beaten favourite, we see half the team come over and pat said player on the back. Apparently this is said to be a form of positive reinforcement. We all know its bullshit of course. Deep down the team is fuming at being forced to defend either their own line again, or having missed a classic chance to score.   Certainly many fans at the ground are usually cursing said player for such a mistake (or worse opposition fans are cheering it).   What the Sea Eagle would like to see is some genuine effort by teammates, to really give it to the error maker. A verbal spray, a kick up the arse, or in an extreme case, Steve Mavin style, the proverbial hook off the field by an equally frustrated coach.

  The only persons with the right to pat the error maker on the back, is the opposition players, who should do so en-masse and also sledge said error maker for their stupidity.   Only by these measures will the dumb errors be eliminated, when players know what the consequences of their actions will and should be.   Is that too much to ask in the interest of making the game a fair dinkum do or die spectacle?

The Sea Eagle also could not let the week pass without this classic from the Betoota Advocate

 “One Nation Consults NRL For Tips On How Deal With Leaked Videos You’d Prefer People Don’t See”- Betoota Advocate- date unclear

Pauline Hanson apparently (according to Betoota) has paid an unexpected visit to the NRL Central to seek advice from the rugby league executives on how to best deal with damaging video footage that has the potential to “f☹u(*ck an entire organisation.

This followed the release of a damning two-part investigation into One Nation’s attempts to undermine Australian democracy by meeting with American gun lobbyists and asking for $20 million dollars in exchange weakening Australian firearm laws.

After a trying to defuse the humiliating Al Jazeera documentary it is alleged by Betoota that Hanson briefly spoke to CEO Todd Greenberg before discovering his religion (according to Betoota), and therefore arguably an enemy of her political party One Nation (aka Ein Volk Uber Alles).

It is then alleged by Betoota that she then opted to swallow her pride and meet with former Queensland Labor Premier and current NRL Chairman Peter Beattie, who she considered the lesser of two evils.

Betoota has further suggested that Peter Beattie allegedly told Pauline Hanson her best bet was to introduce a no-fault ruling that would see the immediate dismissal of any employees who are facing up to 11 years in prison. Pauline Hanson is alleged by Betoota to have said this might be a bit difficult considering the gun-loving white supremacists she has been vetting for pre-selection the upcoming Federal Election.

According to Betoota, Beattie then told the One Nation leader that realistically she’s got no leg to stand on. “Really, though, Pauline” allegedly said Beattie. “This is a bit more than just a sex tape. You are all caught on camera admitting to collusion with some of the most dangerous movements in world politics”. “It’s a bit different when the footage shows you fu#$cki#ng a whole country without a kiss”

Ivan Cleary Alleged to have paid $250,000 to buy his freedom from Tigers

There has been so much written about Ivan Cleary’s move to Penrith – some fact, some fiction – but Cleary has certainly paid for his freedom.

The Tigers and Panthers meet on Friday night at Penrith Stadium and the build-up will be big, even if the clubs don’t want it to be.

There was a story doing the rounds in recent times that said the Panthers were paying $400,000 towards Michael Maguire’s deal at the Tigers by way of compensation because Cleary was still under contract at Leichhardt. It is alleged that’s not close to the mark.

In fact, it is alleged in the press that Cleary has paid for his own freedom and apparently coughed up $250,000 so he could coach the team he wanted to coach. And be in charge of the destiny of his superstar son Nathan.

Whether Ivan wrote a cheque to the Tigers as an escape fee or had the amount absorbed in his Penrith contract to compensate the Tigers for his early departure, it has seemingly cost him a lot to make the switch to chase his dream of coaching his son.

The move West has also apparently taken a considerable toll on Ivan and his family.

Sea Eagle Comment: Any move to Penrith and live there would be hard to take. So we can certainly believe that aspect of these allegations.

As we know Ivan Cleary was a fairly solid player for Manly, so the Sea Eagle has some time for him. Regrettably he has left Manly and is now proving the truism, they never go better when they leave the nest.

That said, unlike Manly, there is plenty of evidence to suggest they go better, in-fact much better when they leave the Tigers Den. Just ask James Tedescco who left the Tigers and is now a premiership winner at the Roosters. Perhaps Coach Cleary had similar thoughts when “buying his freedom” from the perennial strugglers the Tigers.

Having said that, Coach Cleary is hardly a coaching messiah, with a win ratio of only 47% and 1 GF for no premierships, from more than 10 years in the coach’s box. Add to this a playing stint at North Sydney and he well may be inflicted by the Stench of the Bear. Under his leadership, the Panthers are yet to set the world on fire in season 2019 and again this scenario only highlights yet another debacle that resides in the NRL coaching ranks.

 THE SEA EAGLE

[haydennation]

Man About Town Magazine Interview

He may have arrived on the major movie scene via the dark side playing the young Darth Vader, but as Hayden Christensen rolls out a varied and impressive line-up of roles-opposite a bevy of beautiful Hollywood starlets including Misha Barton in Virgin territory, Jessica Alba in Awake and Rachel Bilson in Jumper no less, it’s safe to say there’s a bright future ahead of this young Hollywood actor…even if he ends up as a farmer.

LCW: It’s 5pm on a Friday night. Where are you? HC: I’m in LA right now. LCW: Your latest film Jumper is all about teleportation, do you think there are pros and cons to be able to teleport yourself around? HC: Nothing but pros. LCW: Where would you want to go? HC: I’d be everywhere but if I had to pick one place to go first, probably back home to Toronto really quick. LCW: Do you think the novelty would wear off? HC: I don’t know if I’d ever lose the novelty of being able to teleport but it also depends on whether it’s just you or if everyone else can teleport too. LCW: would that be your special power? HC: Definitely. LCW: What did you think when you first hear the idea for the film? HC: The idea of teleportation appealed to me right away and I didn’t really need to think about it too much to get into it. Especially because I travel a lot, being able to cut out the need for transportation, cut out traffic, etc would be amazing. LCW: Do you like traveling? HC: I like ending up where I’m traveling to. The process of traveling itself isn’t that great. LCW: Where was the last place you went on holiday? HC: The Bahamas six weeks ago where I really got into free diving. LCW: Do you tend to go away in between films to recharge? HC: I tend to not stay in one place for that long or go away to the same place every time. I try to go back home as much as possible…home being Toronto. LCW: Do you ski or snowboard? HC: I do both. In fact I was born in British Columbia. LCW: What’s your favorite mountain? HC: I probably prefer [Whistler] Blackcomb. LCW; I heard you recently bought a farm north of Toronto, tell me more about that and how it’s going. HC: I got the farm about a year ago and just really turned my hand to it. Organic farming interests me. Although, so far I’ve only planted a small vegetable patch but I definitely want to get the pugs, cattle, and horses.

LCW: Do you have a big red barn? HC: No, but I’m building one where the old barn burnt down and using the foundations to build a new one. LCW: Is carpentry something you enjoy? HC: It’s a new endeavor and I’m not very good at it yet but I’m trying to figure it out. I’m learning new things and it’s a great challenge. It’s also really pleasurable. There’s throwing the dirt around, getting your hands dirty and watching things grow. But mostly, I have to admit, I’ve been collecting toys. LCW: What kind of toys? HC: Like big, big toys. LCW: I’m noticing a theme of dirt with you. HC: Yeah I like getting dirty. LCW: What does your toy collection include? HC: Right now I have a Bobcat, which is really cool, then there’s the dumper truck and the excavator, which is a big proper piece of equipment. LCW: Is it a John Deere? HC: No, it’s not, but it’s a big yellow monster and that’s the most important thing. LCW: Bobcats are quite small and can whiz around a lot, right? HC: Oh sure, they have a lot of different attachments and I love changing them. They have like, nine different attachments! It’s great fun, like, the best time ever. LCW: What are your thoughts on theatre? HC: I like the theatre. I just don’t go see it that much. Although I did a play and really liked it. LCW: Are you into music? HC: I’m very much into music. LCW: Who is in your top five favorite artists? HC: Bob Dylan. LCW; Have you always been a Dylan fan or did Factory Girl influence that? HC: No I’ve always been/ I’d say Nick Drake as well. Neil Young, definitely. And not to be giving friends the shameless plug, but Dhani Harrison-he’s George Harrison’s son, is excellent. LCW: What’s your favorite Dylan song? HC: I can’t just pick one of them. There’s too many. LCW; Do you play the guitar? HC: Very poorly. LCW: What about the harmonica? HC: Harmonica? Even worse. But I played the piano for a bit. LCW: Would you say you’re into fashion? HC: No, not really. I like to wear sweatpants and Wellingtons over fashion but you know there are certain things that catch my eye. LCW: What color are your Wellies? HC: I have black and grey ones. LCW: What was your worst fashion disaster or fashion phase? HC: Firstly, I think my fashion sense was awesome (sarcastically). When I was about six I was running around in parachute pants, like the MC Hammer ones, which some might consider to be a fashion mistake, but I loved them. LCW: What are the first three things you do in the morning? HC: I usually make myself a cup of tea. LCW: What kind of tea? HC: Breakfast tea. And then I go take a shower and get back into bed. It’s the best feeling ever to get back into bed after you’ve taken a shower and go back to sleep again. LCW: I suppose it depends on how dirty you get in bed before the initial wake up. LCW: Do you exercise a lot? HC: Well, I like sport. I like to play tennis and I like to kick a soccer ball around. LCW; Do you support a football (soccer) team? HC: I’d have to with Man U (Manchester United). LCW: Why? HC: My friend is a huge Man U fan. LCW: Can you tell me something interesting about Canada? HC: Well it depends on what you think is interesting. It’s a big bilingual country. LCW: Has your role as Darth Vader been a blessing or a curse? HC: I wouldn’t say it’s been a curse on my acting career, it is what it is. But one of the things I’ve been amazed by is the effect that playing that kind of character has on kids. I remember I was with George one time and these two seven year old kids walked up and looked at me with widest eyes of disbelief. LCW: Who were your childhood heroes? HC: My heroes were more like hockey players. LCW: But Darth Vader wasn’t the hero you dreamt of being when you were older? HC: It didn’t seem plausible. I didn’t have a weird connection with my character or anything like that. But you know it’s one of those things that happened and it did. It was such a crazy, surreal thing to adjust to. LCW: Do you think you were prepared for this kind of juggernaut of a role? HC: Definitely not prepared. I don’t know that I could have prepared for it because I was nineteen and it was my first sort of real film role. LCW: Are you comfortable with fame and the fact that you are now being recognized? HC: I’m getting more comfortable with it. It was a really difficult thing to try to acclimate at first. And it has its effect on my life, but now I’m just more comfortable in that skin. LCW: What do you think keeps you grounded and in touch with reality? HC: My life. I know good people and I have a very good family. I think I have perspective on what’s happened to me, which is an obvious way to stay grounded. When you consider the fact that it all sort of came about and changed around Star Wars, I could track it fairly easily. When it was announced that I got the part and I stated working on the movie everything changed because I went to an audition and some guy (George Lucas) liked the way I was reading the lines. But because of that I was able to associate everything in my life that had changed with the Star Wars franchise. I was able to sort of distance myself from it a little bit, especially the attention I was getting because it wasn’t about what I was doing per se, it was very clearly Star Wars related. It had more to do with what George Lucas had done, thirty years ago. I was more of an innocent bystander along for the ride. And it was an amazing ride. LCW: Do you feel there is a Darth Vader/star wars shadow being cast on your career or something you want to move away from? HC: I don’t know that I ever consciously fighting my Star Wars perception. I’m just doing what I want to do, whether that be taking time off, hanging out with friends and family, traveling or doing more films…working on the farm. LCW: What makes you decide to do a film role? HC: If I like the story and the character needs to be interesting. I look for characters that are complex and who have some sort of experience as a result of thing things that are going on in the story, ones where they change and grow with the story. It has to be something that I can sink my teeth into. LCW: Would you say you’re quite a reflective person? HC: Erm, actually I am. LCW: Which character did you learn the most from? HC:  I think Shattered Glass. I walked away with an understanding of how a person may not be a reflection of their capabilities or their end contention. LCW: What do you most despise about Hollywood? HC: I think just the overwhelming ambition that’s around. LCW: Would you say you’re ambitious? HC: No, no. I would say I have an ambition, but not an ambition that fits with any sort of greater endeavor, you know. You might achieve a lot, but I gauge it by the experience I have on set. LCW; Are you competitive? HC: I’m very competitive. LCW: Are you a bad loser? HC: A very bad loser. It would be very difficult to beat me at a game of tennis. There might be the odd obscenity shouted. I also like to play Cranium around Christmas time with my sister and I normally make sure we’re playing together so we can cheat. Every way we can, we cheat. Part of the game is just how well you can cheat and get away with it. LCW: What kind of dirtbike do you own? HC: Yamaha 1D30 LCW: Where do you ride? HC: Mostly I ride up at the farm but my brother and I used to take trips down to Mexico and places like that. LCW: Have you built a kicker or anything like that? HC: No, I haven’t yet but I’ve got all the equipment for it. LCW: What’s your guilty pleasure? HC: I smoke. LCW: What do you smoke? HC: Reds. LCW: What would you say is your greatest extravagance? HC: My greatest extravagance? I bought a Ferrari once. But then I crashed it. LCW: And now what do you drive? HC: A real big pick-up truck. LCW: What kind of one. Is it a Dodge? Is it a Ford? HC: It’s a Ford 350, supped up, super duty, duly. It’s great because I like driving a truck into the city and having people looking up at you. I was staying at this one hotel and when I took the truck there the parking attendant guy had to validate the ticket and he just looked at me dumbfounded, he didn’t know what to do with it and the next day when we came back he was like ‘don’t bring that truck in here.’ LCW: I think you should go to a premiere with it. HC: Yes, definitely. LCW: Do you like that kind of side to what you do? Premieres and stuff? HC: Yes, the film promotion side, the press junkets, etc. It’s not necessarily the fun part, hat’s the acting bit. [laughs] LCW: What about producing? HC: Producing I enjoy. I like putting the team together, bringing together the different elements and being a part of the process from concept to end product. LCW: Why is it called Forest Park Pictures? HC: That’s the street I grew up on. LCW: Who was the last person to have made an impression on you? HC: Doug Liman. I spent so much time around him and have learned incredible amounts. He’s made a really good impression on me. And I enjoyed every day of work with the guy. He’s a huge pro with the choices he was making, and how much he cares about the characters, the script. He’s a true artist. LCW: Are you aware that there’s a fansite section devoted entirely to your Adam’s apple? HC: There’s a what?! A fan site that’s devoted to my Adam’s apple? No. Now I’m going to be really insecure of it. <--- LMFAOOOOO LCW: Have you ever had any stalkers or anything like that? HC: Yeah, I’ve had a few weirdos. I blame it all on Star Wars! Most recently I got a call from US Customs saying that they just had this guy coming in from the UK who had legally changed their name to Hayden Christensen, and there was documentation that confirmed that they had hired a private investigator to follow me around but there was nothing they could do so they were just giving me a heads up. LCW: How would you spend 3 Euros? HC: I don’t know. I guess I’d head to the bar and get a Pepsi. LCW: How would you spend 3000 Euros? HC: I would get myself a snowplow attachment for the Bobcat. LCW: And how would you spend 300,000 Euros? HC: I could get myself a place in Brighton. I definitely like Brighton…I really like the pier. LCW: Do you read much? HC: I try. LCW: Do you have a book on your bed stand? HC: No, I don’t I have scripts at the moment. LCW: Do you think you’re good looking? HC: That’s a loaded question. LCW: If you could change one thing about your appearance. What would it be? HC: I’d be a foot taller. LCW: How tall are you? HC: 6 foot. LCW: You want to be seven feet tall? HC: Yeah, why not? LCW: I saw a quote that said you want to study architecture? HC: There was a period where I was really kind of eager to go study architecture. I’d say I have an interest in architecture. LCW: What are some of your favorite buildings or periods? HC: Probably the Renaissance period. LCW: I hear you’re off to Dubai tomorrow. Have you ever been? HC: No, I’ve never been before. LCW: It’s a bizarre place. HC: Yeah, I mean I’ve seen lots of pictures, it looks like there’s some interesting architecture there. LCW: Are you filming or is it work? HC: There’s a film festival there. LCW: Are you going as an actor or for other sides of what you do? HC: I’m going as a patron of cinema. I’m just going to watch the movies really more as a tourist. But usually I do them, especially if it’s a place I haven’t been to. LCW: Is there anywhere you haven’t been that you want to go to? HC: India. LCW: Your sister was a trampoline champion, do you have any similar claims to fame outside the ball boy incident? Do you have a party trick? HC: Erm…I don’t. [laughs] LCW: What’s your perfect idea of perfect happiness? HC: Happiness is such a hard thing to describe. I suppose perfect happiness would have something to do with nature. Maybe living in a log cabin with a wife and kids.

#hayden christensen #2008 interviews #man about town magazine interview..

[webart-studio]

6 Life Expertise That Will Set You Up for Success and Happiness

Succeeding in life isn’t an accident.

It’s typically the result and outcomes of creating life abilities which can be found, nurtured and acted on over many years.

However typically our dad and mom, household and faculty lecturers by no means instructed us.

The curriculum typically didn’t embody something a lot past the three “R’s”.  And studying by rote and committing details to reminiscence was the schooling that was typically demanded.

In at the moment’s world Google has supplied us with a world reminiscence financial institution and useful resource that signifies that memorizing is a life ability not a lot in demand.

So what are 6 core life abilities that that you must study, nurture and nourish if you wish to succeed?

1. High quality relationships

In our loopy busy digital world and trendy society we are sometimes instructed that extra is healthier.

The media bombards us with messages telling us that if we have now or purchase “this” we shall be completely happy.

We’re instructed that life shall be a nirvana if we’re, slimmer, fitter and extra engaging.

Trendy society is commonly saying.

Extra money, extra stuff and….simply extra.

The issue?

The extra you could have the extra you need to fear about and the extra anxious you grow to be.

You grow to be afraid of shedding it. That’s why we insure issues.

We fear about having our stuff stolen or broken.

However typically much less is extra.

Conserving issues easy and lowering litter in our minds and in our bodily world is essential to “extra” nicely being.

And there’s additionally a easy resolution to being happier.

What does the science say concerning the secret to happiness?

In a TED Speak Robert Waldinger revealed the key to true happiness and in addition being more healthy.

And it’s not about extra toys and extra stuff. And it’s not concerning the exterior materials elements that we regularly delude ourselves are the answer.

In 1938 at Harvard School they tracked the lives of 724 males. And yearly they requested about their work, house lives and their well being.

It’s the world’s longest examine in happiness.

And the clearest message that we get from this 75-year analysis is that this:

“Good relationships hold us happier and more healthy“.

So what had been the important thing classes?

And the way do you develop high quality relationships.

Learn extra about it right here >>> What Does Science Inform Us About The Key Secret To Happiness

2. Persistence

I walked into the store and there they had been. Lining up. Handing over the coupon.

Their expectant faces had been hopeful. Perhaps this was the second.

Dream realized?

Most had been positive this was “the” day.

However all of them left disenchanted.

Again to actuality.

The probabilities for achievement had been low.

An expert betting man wouldn’t hassle paying the worth. Regardless of that they hold hoping for that pay day when their numbers got here up.

Profitable the lottery is “that” massive dream for a lot of.

That fast repair.

An answer to their monetary desperation.

Nevertheless it hardly ever is.

The lengthy sport

Based on Invoice Gates “Most individuals overestimate what they will do in a single 12 months and underestimate what they will do in ten years.”

Taking part in the lengthy sport is a trait that many can’t maintain. However it’s the secret to success.

Having the affected person persistence to hold in there and hold strapping your self in and doing the work. Profitable at enterprise and life requires persistence. That in a single day success is uncommon. Usually it’s many years within the making.

Constructing life remodeling habits develop from perseverance.

Persistence is boring

Success is a sport of persistence and whether or not you’re a digital marketer, skilled or entrepreneur there are some key actions which can be value investing in.

However they take time.

Social media supplied a seeming magical resolution to our advertising issues and it generally can. However the free lunch is popping into a compulsory paid technique.

The short repair of instantaneous site visitors could be intoxicating however you want cash for that. And plenty of small companies don’t have that spare money floating round.

However incomes site visitors, leads and gross sales could be achieved. Profitable at enterprise is just not a lottery. Designing and constructing a life value residing and celebrating is just not present in a coupon.

The key to success isn’t a fast repair.

It requires persistence. There isn’t a different approach. It’s important and infrequently boring.

Listed here are some abilities that that you must earn and persevere with to reach a digital world.

Learn extra about persistence right here >>> This One Trait is the Secret to Success

3. Resilience

“There’s just one factor that’s worse than having an sad childhood, and that’s having a too-happy childhood.” – Dylan Thomas

Analysis reveals that almost all of profitable folks have had powerful instances.

However we are able to’t select that. That simply occurs.

Is being completely happy overrated?

The fact is that a few of us have extra resilience than others dialled in. And that is because of both your DNA or life’s experiences.

The human situation

As people we play on the sting of success, chaos and tragedy.

This typically occurs whereas we’re planning our lives.

That’s the human situation.

The sudden intersects with stability and safety.

Occasions past our management.

We’d like resilience to trip over these pace humps.

However many people aren’t ready for these occasions.

Constructing muscle

Being born with resilience is one factor. However most of us must work at it.

You’ll be able to develop that muscle.

There are routines and habits that permit us to handle our feelings, deal with conditions with some readability and trip out the storm.

Being resilient is a variety of ability units.

Born out of expertise, necessity and an perspective to by no means settling.

Persisting.

By no means giving up.

Discovering a approach.

You aren’t alone

Many have gone earlier than us.

Risen above what life has thrown at them.

Laughing on the enemy.

Smiling on the intruder.

What’s it that enables them to thrive?

As an alternative of being overwhelmed.

Or paralysed with concern.

A possibility?

Challenges ought to be seen as a chance to develop.

That’s mindset.

Additionally it is an method and set of success habits that can enable you to construct your resilience to life’s assessments.

In case you are an entrepreneur or you’re nonetheless respiration then this life ability shall be known as on.

Stuff occurs to all of us after we least anticipate it.

However when it reveals up you could be ready.

Listed here are some tricks to being resilient and rising above the ache, torment and trauma that can present up.

Learn extra on the 7 secrets and techniques to resilience within the article >>> The Secrets and techniques To Resilience

4. Day by day motion

As youngsters, we’re born to dream.

Of being Superman, a singer or no matter captures our younger imaginations.

However many people don’t act on our desires due to concern, doubt and the concern of being judged.

The necessity to get it excellent or excellent earlier than we share our creations.

The requirement for perfection or getting it excellent is a noble purpose. However this may typically cease us beginning or ending earlier than we share our creations with the world.

As Voltaire mentioned – “Greatest is the enemy of the nice”

Making an attempt to plan that fail proof enterprise, write the last word e-book or begin an ideal venture could be the most important hurdle to beginning.

Ready to get it excellent will cease you performing and motion trumps hope.

Each time.

I found the facility of exhibiting up day-after-day 10 years in the past and taking motion regardless of not feeling prefer it.

Simply take a small step day-after-day.

You may be shocked by what reveals up in 10 years.

Then in a single day success shall be yours.

Learn extra on the facility of the life ability of day by day motion on this article >>> The One Behavior That Reworked My Life

5. Communication abilities

Some folks appear to have it and others don’t.

It’s a ability and a science that may change your life.

It requires an consciousness about your self.

And others.

It’s an experience that’s important for participating and related communication.

Excelling at it would entice folks to you.

They may wish to hang around with you.

Search your knowledge and insights.

The artwork of “listening” and speaking with targeted consideration is each a enterprise and life ability value studying and nourishing.

When that’s mastered then you’ll be able to talk with highly effective connectedness.

It then calls for consideration.

What’s compelling listening appear like?

Simply being…

With somebody’s soul.

As if…they’re the one individual on the planet.

Are you able to pay attention with out enthusiastic about your distracted minds contribution?

With out trying to find your subsequent enter to the dialog?

Your opinion?

It takes self-discipline.

Observe.

Targeted eye contact.

It additionally means suspending ego.

Not judging.

After we begin judging we cease listening.

Our internal chatter overrides our skill to listen to.

Study from a grasp

One of many masters at this artwork of speaking with lively listening is Invoice Clinton.

He has the ability and the intent to make you’re feeling like you’re the solely individual within the room.

How does he try this?

One on one he makes targeted unwavering eye contact and actively listens. Asks questions.

Additionally as one of many highest paid audio system on the planet he has the power to scale this compelling communication intimacy even from the stage.

Based on Simon Mainwaring, in a Forbes article, who has spoken on the identical occasions with Invoice Clinton and noticed the grasp at work up shut and private, that is how he does it.

From the stage he singles out one individual within the viewers and makes eye contact. As soon as that connection takes place he strikes onto one other individual and repeats the method.

The consequence after 15-20 minutes of those particular person exchanges is that the entire unite round a sense of non-public and influential connectedness.

Listening is all about connectedness.

And that may be achieved one on one and even from the rostrum.

So….

How do you grasp the ability of highly effective compelling listening?

Learn extra about the important thing parts wanted to construct the life abilities of highly effective communication within the article “The One Talent That Will Remodel Your Life”

6. Life design

Many people stumble into life.

We go to high school, full our diploma or seize the primary job alternative that reveals up.

Typically we comply with the paths of our dad and mom.

However there’s a life ability that gives us a greater future do you have to determine to study and hone it.

The messy strategy of designing a life, a enterprise or a startup is one thing many people ponder. However typically delay as it’s seen as too arduous or too costly.

However within the final decade the chance to do it with much less danger and better alternative has now exploded the chances and the potential for all of us.

You’ll be able to design and construct a enterprise whereas nonetheless turning as much as your day job. I began my on-line publishing enterprise whereas working a 9 to five job.

The world of digital, cellular and social now supplies the sources to start out and construct a enterprise with little danger and with little or no price range.

It’s all about you

Let me begin with what the method isn’t.

It isn’t taking a look at it from a distance.

Desires and actuality are two various things.

Certain…dream however then leap in and check it.

Act.

Do.

Additionally, it isn’t what your dad and mom need for you.

They designed their lives.

We’re distinctive human beings.

Your path is just not their path.

The mantra?

“Once I develop up I wish to be me”.

And….

You aren’t Steve Jobs.

Constructing Apple was his life mission.

Discover yours.

You might be you.

Your idols?

Inspiration is what they supply.

However “their” habits and routines could be emulated.

You carry your personal abilities, passions and innate skill to the desk.

Dig deep. Discover them.

The messy strategy of life designing

So right here it’s from 30,000 toes.

It begins with some questions.

What are my strengths? That is simple to say and generally arduous to know. However by beginning you’ll uncover strengths you possibly didn’t anticipate.

What do I really like doing? What makes your coronary heart sing. Consciousness is required right here. Reflection and listening and feeling your feelings when working and taking part in.

What’s my experience? Replicate and look again at what you could have learnt over time.

The place do all of them intersect? It should typically not be obvious. It’s messy and infrequently hidden from view.

After asking these questions then there are some steps you’ll be able to comply with that may enable you to design a life you dreamed of.

Learn the article and uncover  the  7 Steps to Design a Life (and Enterprise) That Makes you Comfortable

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[placetobenation]

“The revolutionary force for over 50 years in sports entertainment” was a clever tag line used in the mid 90s before every WWF show. For most United States wrestling fans that are still alive, it is a way of life. Greater by the day is the lack of variance in the answer of what wrestling an individual grew up on. For better or worse, WWE has been the standard bearer. Throughout that rich history, performers ranging from Nature Boys to Undertakers have graced the squared circle. Foreign legends have had extended runs and some of the most iconic figures in pro wrestling history have been aces of the promotion reaching unequivocal mainstream pop culture heights in the world of wrestling.

With such a large history to play with, discovering the beauty of Bob Backlund’s charisma or the connection of Bruno Sammartino to the MSG crowd was a new development throughout this project similar to rewatching The Godfather and On the Waterfront to rediscover the genius of Marlon Brando. WWE may not have always been YOUR promotion but for the better part of 50 years, it was THE promotion in the United States and transformed the pro wrestling landscape. This project serves to praise the individuals that best helped shape the vision of Vince McMahon Sr. and Jr. Place to be Nation is proud to present to you a ranking of the Greatest WWE Wrestlers Ever.

– Chad Campbell

Note: Results of this list are based on 118 ballots received between May and December 2017. Voters were asked to submit their list of the 100 Greatest WWE Wrestlers of all time and consider only their WWWF/WWF/WWE career. Ties were broken based on 1) number of ballots a wrestler appeared on and 2) high vote. 

Every wrestler who received at least one vote will be recognized in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned to Place to Be Nation as we reveal all of the honorable mentions right through the cream of the crop. Read the other installments, both written and audio, of this project here.

249. Rick Steiner Total Points: 68 Total Ballots: 4 Average Rank: 84 High Vote: 71 Low Vote: 97 High Voter: Vince Male

Key Matches & Moments: Solid match with the Headshrinkers at WrestleMania IX; Won the WWF Tag Titles with Scott, ending the national nightmare that was Money, Inc.; Classic match with Brother Scott against Bret and Owen Hart that is worth every minute of your time to hunt down; His sister/old mother destroyed the business by calling him Rob live on PPV, good thing Vince had Joe Fowler to take out his rage on

Staff Thoughts: No one brutalized jobbers or ruined lives like the Steiner Brothers. They had no regard or respect for their opponents and the results were AMAZING. The Steiners were only in the company a year or so and they’re still one of the better teams they’ve ever had. Does he think he’s a dog?

From the Voters: “I’d argue that in their one year the Steiners were more entertaining than 90% of the tag teams in WWF/E history. Good matches with the Heavenly Bodies, Headshrinkers, Money Inc., and the Quebecers. And, of course, the classic against Bret and Owen. They’re in consideration for me, even with the N and P concerns.” – Greg Phillips, June 2, 2017

248. Spike Dudley Total Points: 71 Total Ballots: 2 Average Rank: 65.5 High Vote: 57 Low Vote: 74 High Voter: El Groino

Key Matches & Moments: Helped his brothers Bubba and D-Von to, well not victory, in the TLC match at Wrestlemania X-7, before they turned on him due to his relationship with Molly Holly; Formed a short statured and short-lived team with Tazz capturing the Tag Team titles from his brothers; Held the Hardcore Championship eight times and also won the European Championship from William Regal before losing it back to him; Had a run with the Cruiserweight title as “The Boss” character receiving copious amounts of help from Bubba and D-Von

Staff Thoughts: Decent character work, particularly during his angle with Molly Holly. I also remember thinking his “Boss” character was something different for the Cruiserweight division. And his poor head after La Resistance got done trying to throw him through a table.

From the Voters: “The Legit Boss. Has a lot of fun to solid stuff. I might try to go out and watch more. But, he was that Raw Roulette TLC and one of the best entrance videos.” – Henry Rivers, October 7, 2017

247. Barry Horowitz Total Points: 77 Total Ballots: 6 Average Rank: 88.2 High Vote: 78 Low Vote: 97 High Voter: Pete Schirmacher

Key Matches & Moments: Beat Skip and ran around the ring like he won the World Title; Mr. Perfect called him “The Nerd”

Staff Thoughts: The Skip moment was legit huge after nearly a decade of jobbing… HUGE. His subsequent run was a lot of fun but in the end didn’t amount to a hill of beans. Sure, he’d say but this is OUR hill and these are OUR beans but that would be Barry Horowitz just patting himself on the back. For a time was the most famous Jewish athlete on the planet. Until that no good son of a bitch Bill Goldberg came along.  

From the Voters: “He can pat himself on the back right out of contention.” – Jason Sherman, May 28, 2017

“If this was just based on work, as in-ring talent, he would definitely be under consideration. But when you factor everything else into the equation, he just gets overtaken by too many other guys. Sorry, Barry.” – Adam Russell, July 20, 2017

(Ed. note: The Barry Horowitz discussion on the PTBN GWWE Facebook group is some of the best discussion through this entire project, with posts that were too long to summarize here. Well worth checking out.)

246. Lanny Poffo Total Points: 77 Total Ballots: 9 Average Rank: 92.4 High Vote: 83 Low Vote: 98 High Voter: David Carli

Key Matches & Moments: Lanny Poffo Vs. Bret Hart, Lanny Poffo Vs. Terry Funk, The Genius Vs. Hulk Hogan, Mr. Perfect & The Genius vs. Ultimate Warrior & Hulk Hogan; Got massacred and busted open by Andre the Giant in the SNME battle Royale before WrestleMania III solidifying Andre as an absolute killer

Staff Thoughts:

Lanny leapt into our hearts to captivate us all, His opponents looked like champions, when Lanny took the fall.

One of the first I remember that could do a sault of moon, A dazzling aerial maneuver that would make the ladies swoon.

And when comparing records, it’s true that losses were the bulk, But the Main Event of Saturday Night saw victory o’er the Hulk.

His frisbee flippin’ poetry seldom could be beat, But perhaps his greatest talent was getting Perfect heat.

The Genius of Leapin’ Lanny made him beloved like no other, Except perhaps his somewhat more Macho and famous brother.

From the Voters: “I’m not a huge fan by any means, but as a kid his athleticism stood out. I loved The Genius character and thought it added a lot to Mr. Perfect. There is a novelty factor to him that makes him charming.” – Dylan Hales, June 29, 2017

“Had a shocking amount of good matches.” – Pete Schirmacher, June 1, 2017

245. Michelle McCool Total Points: 79 Total Ballots: 3 Average Rank: 74.7 High Vote: 57 Low Vote: 97 High Voter: Stacey O’Laughlin

Key Matches & Moments: A solid match versus Melina at Night of Champions 2009; A solid as hell Lumberjack match with Beth Phoenix on Smackdown in 2008; Was the first woman to win both the WWE Women’s and Divas titles; Fat shamed Mickie James for MONTHS with out a shred of backlash from the mainstream media

Staff Thoughts: Stacey O’Loughlin wrote at length about her love of Michelle McCool and her deserving to be on this list, while it is one of the most compelling cases of any wrestler involved in this project, she unfortunately only garnered three votes. Stacey’s article is a must-read, though – even outside of this project. Read Stacey’s article “Making the Case for Michelle McCool” here.

From the Voters: “Another one of the shining beacons of hope during the Diva dark ages, but several notches below the likes of Beth Phoenix. Got better over time as a worker, but never learned any promo style but being annoying.” – Ben Morse, June 1, 2017

“No shot. Is she the one married to Taker or is that the other one?” – Good Ol’ Will From Texas, May 31, 2017

244. David Schultz Total Points: 79 Total Ballots: 3 Average Rank: 74.7 High Vote: 56 Low Vote: 98 High Voter: Jesse

Key Matches & Moments: “Dr. D” David Schultz was best known for assaulting 20/20 reporter John Stossel to defend the validity of wrestling; Faced Hulk Hogan in Minneapolis; Was a good talker, giving off the impression he was crazy, possibly because he was really crazy; Was part of a memorable skit on TNT where he gave us a glimpse of his home life

Staff Thoughts: The fact that he may have been a little off led to believable heel promos. The match against Hulk Hogan is well regarded, but his house show matches are not. He’ll forever be remembered for the assault on the 20/20 reporter, which led to his WWF stay being shortened.

From the Voters: “If only he didn’t slap Stossel.” – Will Gertler, May 29, 2017

“An amazing character but his run was short and his work was not very good. They could never have a character like this now days, but being such an outspoken racist made him so easy to hate. Doctor D seemed real and identifiable. They eventually would have had to soften the character or fire him anyway.” – Michael DeDamos, December 23, 2017

243. Peter Maivia Total Points: 80 Total Ballots: 4 Average Rank: 81 High Vote: 30 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Scott Herrin

Key Matches & Moments: Had title shots against both Billy Graham and Bob Backlund at MSG; Fathered Rocky Johnson who fathered the Rock

Staff Thoughts: Let’s be honest here, without that Kid Rock video no one under the age of 50 would be able to give you a physical description of the man.

From the Voters: “The little I have seen didn’t excite me. His grandson is in. His son in law is on the bubble. He is neither.” – Good Ol’ Will from Texas, June 1, 2017

“We need some links” – Lee Wes, October 7, 2017

242. Rhyno Total Points: 80 Total Ballots: 5 Average Rank: 85 High Vote: 70 Low Vote: 93 High Voter: Ash

Key Matches & Moments: Fought Raven in an excellent hardcore match involving a shopping cart at Backlash 2001; Part of the Inaugural Brawl at the Invasion 2001 PPV; Participated in the first ECW One Night Stand losing to Sabu; Returned to the company in 2016 and formed a fun team with Heath Slater which got so over they were given the first Smackdown Tag Team Titles.

Staff Thoughts: Rhyno had a solid if not stellar career. If he built on the potential of his first year we’d be talking higher, unfortunately the company seemed to lose faith in him after he got hurt. His matches with Chris Jericho disappointed and his team with Chris Benoit was uninspired. He began the recession of the spear, which started STRONG with Goldberg, was fine with him, suffered under Edge and was finally rendered a useless husk with Christian.  

From the Voters: “I like Rhyno a fair bit. He was having a really killer 2001 until he got hurt. Had, and maintained, an air of legitimacy as a beast, despite the fact that he didn’t stand out as being that big in the land of the giants. Was never quite the same after coming back from injury. I’m happy he’s having this current run, and there have been fun moments, but it isn’t tipping the scale for him. A good career, but not a top 100 career.” – Adam Russell, July 15, 2017

241. Jim Brunzell Total Points: 83 Total Ballots: 3 Average Rank: 73.3 High Vote: 60 Low Vote: 88 High Voter: Vince Male

Key Matches & Moments: Best known for being one half of the Killer Bees with B. Brian Blair and also for his top-notch dropkick; Fueded with the Hart Foundation and the Funks during the mid-to-late 1980s; Appeared at WrestleMania 2, III and IV and numerous Saturday Night’s Main Events; Continued to work as a singles performer for company until 1993.

Staff Thoughts: Damn that was a pretty dropkick. The Bees were a fine mid-level babyface team, residing on the lower end of the first “Golden Age” teams, but their matches were always enjoyable. Also gets bonus points for NOT drawing the old country wrath of the Iron Shiek.

From the Voters: “He bought me a bud light. I have to keep him under consideration.” – Steve Williams, May 30, 2017

“Anyone with the nickname ‘Jumpin’ should be considered for lists like these. He won’t make mine though.” – Greg Phillips, June 21, 2017

240. Ronnie Garvin Total Points: 83 Total Ballots: 5 Average Rank: 84.4 High Vote: 75 Low Vote: 95 High Voter: Martin Boulevard

Key Matches & Moments: Feud with Greg Valentine highlighted with an excellent match at The 1990 Royal Rumble; Didn’t know whether he was COMING or GOING in his sole appearance as a ring announcer; Stomped the shit out of Frenchy Martin at WrestleMania V

Staff Thoughts: He had hands of stone, a square head and an orange tan… and yet he connected with a large portion of the audience. His feud with Greg Valentine was great, his outings with Dino Bravo, not so much. And for the love of GOD keep him away from the microphone; not only was he unfunny and horribly awkward but he was clearly stuffed into a tuxedo a size too small. Also originated the term “little Jimmy” in wrestling. Thanks for that Ron.

From the Voters: “Garvin Vs. Valentine is just a couple a Carolina Boys do Carolina Boy things in a ring in New York. That means hitting each other really fucking hard. Easy make for the this list. If you want variety, he also has a great match with Mr. Perfect in 1990.” – Martin Boulevard, November 19, 2017

239. Johnny Valentine Total Points: 85 Total Ballots: 2 Average Rank: 58.5 High Vote: 17 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: TheBestThereNeverWillBe

Key Matches & Moments: Take us home Lee Wes! “Capitol Television champion, four-time US Tag Champ (w/ Buddy Rogers, Cowboy Bob Ellis, Dr. Jerry Graham & Antonio Pugliese). Two-Time World Champ in Pittsburgh. Valentine faced Bruno 13 times and tagged against him 9, teamed with him 19 times as a face.”

Staff Thoughts: Johnny Valentine was a throwback wrestler during a time when wrestling was already thrown back. Like his son after him, Valentine didn’t excel at being flashy, but rather exuded a certain toughness and mean-ness that was easy to respect and hard to root for. He teamed with Bruno Sammartino and turned on him, like all his partners, filling the role of a puncher that could really put Bruno on the ropes. A lot of his best and most notable stuff happened outside of Capitol/WWWF/WWF, but he still had a respectable career up North that would likely be bolstered if more footage existed.

From the Voters: “Who’s putting all these jobbers up?” – Aaron George, September 6, 2017

“Considering the rather small crew that WWWF ran for over decade when they first started, the hot angles really should get more attention” – Lee Wes, September 7, 2017

238. Tatanka Total Points: 86 Total Ballots: 5 Average Rank: 83.8 High Vote: 62 Low Vote: 97 High Voter: Trust Issues

Key Matches & Moments: Had a nearly two-year long undefeated streak to start his career; Defeated Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels twice in non-title matches; Respectable six man tag while partnered with the Smoking Gunns at SummerSlam 1993;  Said “You sold out, Lex” about 3,000 times in the summer of 1994

Staff Thoughts: Tatanka was a solid mid-card act without a great match to his name. Insanely memorable though for his energy and red streak of fucking courage in his hair. He has a fun return in the mid 2000s where his tag team work surely was the beginning of Matt Hardy’s descent into madness. Also: Buffalo.

From the Voters: “Was good when he came back as a grizzled old vet, and well established and pushed during the first run. Was insanely over with the kids I knew growing up. I wouldn’t vote for him, but he’s an interesting case of a guy who checks some boxes that seem to be getting other guys traction.” – Dylan Hales, August 18, 2017

“His squashes were very good. It’s a weird compliment to give a wrestler, but I’d put him in the same conversation as Midnight Express, LOD & maybe one or two others for greatest squash acts ever.” – James Proffitt, September 30, 2017

237. Tommaso Ciampa Total Points: 87 Total Ballots: 2 Average Rank: 57.5 High Vote: 41 Low Vote: 74 High Voter: Henry Rivers

Key Matches & Moments: Had some of the best tag team matches in company history against the Revival with partner Johnny Gargano; His subsequent turn on Gargano was the best pure heel turn in years

Staff Thoughts: Injured at the worst possible time, as the hottest feud of his career was just getting started. Ciampa is a tremendous professional wrestler who, if given the chance, can have great matches with just about anyone. His portfolio just isn’t big enough yet to get his the votes to be higher.

From the Voters: “No one was quoted as making a case for Ciampa in the Facebook group, one could assume people would talk about amazing tag matches, but the lack of longevity.” – Andy LaBar, January 9, 2018

236. Sting Total Points: 87 Total Ballots: 5 Average Rank: 83.6 High Vote: 53 Low Vote: 95 High Voter: Scott Shifflett

Key Matches & Moments: Interfered at the 2014 Survivor Series to help banish the Authority FOREVER; Pretended to be a statue to again scare the Authority when they returned three weeks later; Fought a Terminator at WrestleMania 31; Was one of the names added to the Seth Rollins injury world tour

Staff Thoughts: It was great to see Sting get his moment in the WWE, sadly it may have come a little too late in his career to be truly meaningful. That being said he was fortunate enough to lay down for Triple H in his big WrestleMania match; going as far as to shake the man’s hand after being hit in the head with a sledgehammer. Because you know… storytelling. Of all the music he’s ever had in his run the WWE decided to go with Caaaw!

From the Voters: “His way short cameo run was fun, I thought. Won’t make my list, but he’s still mother fucking Sting.” – Taylor Keahey, June 3, 2017

“No, but good on him getting two DVD releases and a bunch of $$$ out of the WWE (I also liked the Rollins match).” – Brad Warren, June 6, 2017

235. Miguel Perez, Sr. Total Points: 91 Total Ballots: 2 Average Rank: 55.5 High Vote: 46 Low Vote: 65 High Voter: Robert Silva

Key Matches & Moments: We defer to Alexis Beaded: “He had a great three and half years (1957 to June 1960) in the main event as the tag partner of Antonino Rocca. They headlined 28 of 34 cards at Madison Square Garden in that time period. When he came back in late 61, he was more of an upper midcarder and had few shots against Buddy Rogers (never in MSG). Between 1965 and 1968, he fell into the middle of the card.”

Staff Thoughts: Great mustache, fantastic chest hair awesome wood panelling in his home. Miguel Perez, Sr. had it ALL.

From the Voters: “So one of the greatest draws in the history of MSG with little footage. What to do with that info?” – Steven Graham, June 5, 2017

234. Nikki Bella Total Points: 91 Total Ballots: 8 Average Rank: 89.6 High Vote: 79 Low Vote: 94 High Voter: Scott Shifflett

Key Matches & Moments: Left the company in 2011; Came back… enhanced; Was spitefully given the longest Diva Championship run in company history; Guilted and nagged John Cena into marrying her; Became a solid in ring worker by the end

Staff Thoughts: Potentially the most annoying and obnoxious character to ever grace our television sets. In a world with four McMahons and the cast of Fuller House that is quite the accomplishment. As if being annoying in-ring wasn’t enough we get to see her machinations on no less than two reality shows! Her feud with her sister is an all time low and… you know what… Fuck it… she ruins everything she touches. Like some sort of reverse Midas monster with false bosoms and a baseball cap. It’s no wonder she disappeared as soon as the real women’s wrestlers got there. And all the while we were commending her for getting better in the ring, which she did do, she worked hard at it anyway. Sure she didn’t have some nonsensical thing called BRIE MODE but was she truly fearless? How can you walk around with that slogan on your chest when you are being portrayed to be terrified of dying alone???

From the Voters: “DAT ELBOW DOE~!” – Martin Boulevard, November 14, 2017

“Took too long to really make an effort to improve in the ring. Although I do find her to be great NOW, she sucked for like, 7 years.” – Jason Sherman, June 1, 2017

233. Baron Mikel Scicluna Total Points: 92 Total Ballots: 4 Average Rank: 78 High Vote: 37 Low Vote: 97 High Voter: Grady Blount

Key Matches & Moments: Had title matches against both Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales for the WWWF Championship; Defeated Waldo Von Erich in Madison Square Garden; made wearing bedsheets great again

Staff Thoughts: After he reached a certain age the Baron became a fun jobber for a plethora of guys in the late 70s and early 80s. Could wager that version being the Michael Scicluna that most people remember, hence his inability to crack the top 200. While that may sadden some, take solace in the fact that a good majority of the audience at the time only knew of the country of Malta because of him.

From the Voters: “I remember him as an early 80s jobber, which is when I first started watching wrestling. Those were the days when jobbers looked like your middle-aged, out of shape, drunk uncle. To me, Scicluna looked tougher than guys like Frank Williams or Steve King. Reminded me of a dock worker that could hold his own in a barroom brawl but would end up getting knocked out with one punch. Doesn’t make the 100, but it’s fun thinking about those old squash match days.” – Tim Tetreault, May 31, 2017

232. Bobby Roode Total Points: 94 Total Ballots: 3 Average Rank: 69.7 High Vote: 34 Low Vote: 90 High Voter: Scott Herrin

Key Matches & Moments: One of the greatest debut entrances in company history at NXT Takeover Brooklyn II; Defeated Shinsuke Nakamura for the NXT championship in a well lauded match at NXT Takeover San Antonio; Debuted on the main roster in the early summer of 2017 to much acclaim; Actually took a beating from Hideo Itami

Staff Thoughts: Personal feelings about Bobby Roode aside; has there ever been a guy who benefited more from his entrance music than the Glorious One? He has the match with Nakamura but in most other cases the in-ring portion of his work falls short of his intro. That being said there’s still lots of time and things will surely improve when he’s not feuding with an unmotivated Dolph Ziggler or a motivated Baron Corbin Scicluna.

From the Voters: “Huge fan of The Glorious One but sadly not enough mileage yet to make my list.” – Jay Hinchey, November 26, 2017

231. Mr. T Total Points: 94 Total Ballots: 4 Average Rank: 77.5 High Vote: 45 Low Vote: 93 High Voter: Scott Butler

Key Matches & Moments: Helped make WrestleMania work by main-eventing the first outing, teaming with Hulk Hogan; Won a boxing match with Roddy Piper at WrestleMania 2 with a little person in his corner; Sustained more racial abuse while in the WWF than Muhammad Hassan

Staff Thoughts: Mr. T’s value to the company can’t be understated. He was a HUGE mainstream star that they leaned on to help build the WrestleMania brand. In-ring he was no Sami Zayn but he held his own all while looking positively awesome in those snug red tights. Without him, there’s no Saturday Night Live appearance for Hulk Hogan, less eyes on the product and perhaps 32 less WrestleManias. And boy does he love his mother!

From the Voters: “While his tenure was short, his legacy was cemented years later when his son Booker won the World Heavyweight Title” – Aaron George, January 9, 2018

230. Kerry Von Erich Total Points: 101 Total Ballots: 7 Average Rank: 86.6 High Vote: 72 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: Lou Spadone

Key Matches & Moments: Won the Intercontinental Championship from Mr. Perfect at SummerSlam 1990; Part of the awesome ‘Warriors” team at Survivor Series 1990; Participated in the Ric Flair pummeling in January 1992

Staff Thoughts: When you try to think of his accomplishments in WWF,  it’s SHOCKING that he was in the company for almost two years. His PPV outings were fine for the most part and you’d never guess he was missing a foot. As a kid, we thought the Tornado Punch was just about the coolest thing ever. Now we realize how insensitive that maneuver is to the people of South Florida. #hurricaneandrew, #thoughtsandprayers, #youseethis? #thisisfromthepost, #whatamaneuver

From the Voters: “Poor Kerry. All-time great who sucked in WWF.” – Good Ol’ Will from Texas, May 30, 2017

“That man was recognized as a champion of at LEAST two continents, and he was the second of the weather events to invade the WWF.” – Steve Williams, May 30, 2017

229. Raven Total Points: 102 Total Ballots: 8 Average Rank: 88.3 High Vote: 72 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Andy Halleen

Key Matches & Moments: As Johnny Polo succeeded as a comedy wrestler with only a handful of matches to his name; As Raven he banked on his name and a Hardcore division that was failing to evolve, but had memorable matches with Rhyno at Backlash 2001 and a three-way with Big Show and Kane at WrestleMania X-7

Staff Thoughts: Johnny Polo was a character that had legs, but not nearly as much as his Raven character had in ECW and WCW. When Raven came back to WWF in 2000, it was almost too late for him as he had really began to lose steam in WCW. He revitalized the Hardcore division for a bit with his bins of weapons, but the “attitude” that made Raven so vital in the 90s was out of place in the 2000s and Raven was never able to recapture the stardom he had. Still – some fun segments and matches here and there.

From the Voters: “Good in ECW. Ok in WCW. Bad in WWF. I don’t even like Johnny Polo much. He had a handful of fun Hardcore Title matches in 2001. That’s not going to put him on my list.” – Devon Hales, June 2, 2017

228. Marc Mero Total Points: 106 Total Ballots: 9 Average Rank: 89.2 High Vote: 81 Low Vote: 97 High Voter: Chris Jordan

Key Matches & Moments: Coming into the company in 1996 after a half-decade with WCW, “The Wildman” was thrust into the IC title scene, winning a tournament over Farooq for the vacant title, having memorable feuds with Goldust as a face (and later as a heel), having solid matches with Steve Austin during his as ascendance and an excellent feud with Hunter Hearst Helmsley; After a devastating knee injury, Marc returned as “Marvelous” – a shit-talking, boxer gimmick who treated his wife poorly and was able to garner real and true heat from fans

Staff Thoughts: Marc Mero was obviously overshadowed by his wife, Sable, who it could be argued was one of the most popular characters in the Attitude Era. Mero’s “true” heel persona as “Marvelous” came just a little too late, as it was a bit more traditional than people like Stone Cold, Goldust, the Nation of Domination and DX. Always a solid worker in the ring and usually an excellent promo, Mero is one of those “What if…?” type guys. Plus he was doing a tucked-Shooting Star Press that blew our minds.

From the Voters: “Come on, his Marvelous stuff all through 1998 was great character work…a true heel when heels were edging away from being heels.” – JT Rozzero, May 31, 2017

“It’s tough because his best matches were when he had no character (96-97) and his best character work was when his matches were weaker (97-98). He’s on the bubble, but I’m a big fan of his in-ring work and his Marvelous character.” – Greg Phillips, June 1, 2017

227. Chris Masters Total Points: 109 Total Ballots: 6 Average Rank: 82.8 High Vote: 55 Low Vote: 94 High Voter: Stacey O’Loughlin

Key Matches & Moments: The Masterpiece was known for his Masterlock Challenge giving people the chance to break his full-nelson; Very good match with Shawn Michaels at Unforgiven 2005; Teamed with Carlito and challenged for the tag team straps; Challenged for John Cena’s WWE Championship in the Elimination Chamber of New Year’s Revolution; Became a “C show superstar” upon his return to the company in 2009, putting on very good matches in a lower profile position

Staff Thoughts: Chris Masters is a sad tale of being pushed too hard too fast when he was still green and relying too much on his bodybuilder physique. Once he got more seasoned and returned to the company he put on really good matches on the C-shows to a much smaller audience. His match with Shawn Michaels in 2005 is a bit of a hidden gem.

From the Voters: “The funny thing about The Masterpiece is that the better he got in the ring the worse push he received. He started out with a good push, the Masterlock Challenge and what not, but looked pretty green in the ring. By the time he left the company he was a great worker that I had forgot was still on the roster.” – Michael DeDamos, December 10, 2017

226. Pete Dunne Total Points: 109 Total Ballots: 6 Average Rank: 82.8 High Vote: 52 Low Vote: 95 High Voter: David Carli

Key Matches & Moments: Though he didn’t win the 2017 WWE UK Championship Tournament, he was certainly the start; Had excellent matches with Mark Andrews, a bunch with Tyler Bate (including two of the best WWE-ish matches of 2017), has excelled in tag team work, worked with Johnny Gargano, and destroyed Enzo Amore; If Pete Dunne is on your WWE programming – you should be watching.

Staff Thoughts: To date, Dunne has worked 40 matches under the WWE umbrella, all in 2017. While longevity is obviously not on his side, it is hard to find another wrestler in the history of WWE who had a debut year as strong as his. Pete Dunne feels like a star in a company that continually struggles to make them. He jumps off the page – and he’s just getting started. Listen to Timothy argue for Pete Dunne HERE

From the Voters: “There is an argument for him even if very low, based on the average quality of his matches. I’d be willing to say he’s had more 4*+ matches in his short time in WWE than many past workers had over the course of 10+ year-long careers.” – Timothy Buechner, July 19, 2017

225. Savio Vega Total Points: 116 Total Ballots: 6 Average Rank: 81.7 High Vote: 41 Low Vote: 97 High Voter: David Carli

Key Matches & Moments: Has a legit great strap match with Steve Austin at In Your House 8; Key member of the early Nation of Domination and later got his own stable spun out of it called Los Boricuas, which put more people of Latin descent on WWF television than almost any time in history; Reached the King of the Ring finals in 1995; Solid mid-card worker with lots of good matches, but few great

Staff Thoughts: Savio Vega was never bound to get over the hump into the world of being a true superstar, but was a solid stepping stone or ally for people who went on to become stars in the company of elsewhere (Razor Ramon, Goldust, Steve Austin); One of the more stiff workers of the New Generation, once Savio was able to shuck the Kwang gimmick, he was free to work with just about anyone in the ring; Revisiting Savio nowadays reveals someone who could have had a successful short IC title run

From the Voters: “I think it’s easy to forget how hugely over he was as a babyface in 95 and 96. Has some very fun performances under his belt. Kwang and Los Boricuas don’t really help his case, but he was capable of being a heel so there’s that.” – Dylan Hales, July 11, 2017

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation