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legiterallylunar · 8 days

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i lied i can't pick a favourite. anyway here's my list of yummy harmonies across the entirety of falsettos!!

so i've realised after writing this that i've basically just written down every time there's overlapping voices LMFAOO it's just cos the harmonies are so good UGH. this is about to be the longest post ever under the cut i'm so so sorry

MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS:

- OOOOOOOOOOOOH!! from four jews i actually cant it's so fun

- five JEWS!!!! the last part of four jews in a room bitching UGHH i lovr it

- will you be my valenTIIIIINE!! in a tightknit family/love is blind. self explanatory. i've been saying this for years (approximately a month). it's so good. i literally cant get enough of it. it's so delicious. this harmony satisfies something deep in my soul

- loove is bliiiind when they all join in and build it up (in the proshot it's the exact moment where jason joins it and the camera zooms on him)

- passion DIIIIIIIES -thrill of first love. self explanatory

- loooooooOOOVE! at the end of thrill of first love YUMMM yum it's so good

- whaat a mess this is this family//photographs cant capture our magic i just love it so much

- whizzerrrrrr!! in everyone tells jason to see a psychiatrist. this isn't my fav harmony if i'm completely honest but it's cool anyway

- late for dinner late again late for dinner late again late fr dinner late again late for dinner late late late late!!!!!!!!!

-I MET THIS MAN TODAY

- RICH MARVIN WHICH MARVIN!!!

- the whole why marvin try marvin bit from in this had better come to a stop UGH

-this had better come to an EEEEENNNNNNDDD!!! (both times obvi. it's so yum)

- honourable mention to im breaking down. she ate that up i love her

- why don't i/you feel alright for the rest of your life (the first time jason and mendel do it together and they go respectively up/down on the harmony) UGH it's so yum

- feel allRIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! at the end of jason's therapy UGH it's so good from the end of please come to our house

- i want- i got- i want it ALLLL from a tight knit family reprise I LOVE IT

- actually all of mendel and marvin in that section ITS SOO GOOD

- four men marching but NEVER MINCING!!

- ALONE IN THE NIIIIIGHT!!!!!!! i just am so obsessed with the way this sounds it's so scrumptious

- marching HOOOOOOME!! i love. i eat it up every time

- life's a sham and every move is wrong!!we've examined every move as we move along!! - chess game. it sounds good. not my personal fav and not one that makes me go WOW but solid and nice and i like it

- you are not required to phooone!! (and basically most of trina and mendel in makinh a home i jsut forgot to write each specific bit down)

- making beliieeeeve!!:(( when whizzer joins in making a home UGHH

- could/should he/she looovee meeeeee?:( it sounds so good omg

- HOWEVER sorry i want to say i don't really like the 'makiiing aaa' harmony that trina and mendel have near the end of making a home i'm sorry it's so dissonant and weird maybe it's a symbolism thing but it doesn't sound right

- not a harmony but !! honourable mention to the key change in the games i play

- pseudo-romantic and sick! from marvin hits trina i love that it's so fast

- we had fiiights and games!, marvin called us funnny names! from marvin hits trina it just sounds so nice in my ears

- help us ALLLL!!!! in i never wanted to love you OH MY GOD. i cant get enough of this one

- he's MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE! in i never wanted to love you OMG i love this one so much especially with marvins melody over the top UGHHH it's so good it's so so good

- loooooveeee!!! youuuuuu!!!! - at the end of i never wanted to love you

ok that's it. time for act 2!

FALSETTOLAND:

- literally all of falsettoland i love this song as an intro omg

- give these handsome boys a hand!!

- welcome to falsettolaaaaand

- ooooh the 80s!

- (march march march of the falsettos march of the falsettos -what a world we live in) ooooooooooahhoooo!!! swanky lesbians!!!

- congregate in central park!

- what a world we LIIVE INN!!!

- HOMOSEXUALS!

- welcome to falsettoLAAAAAAAAAAND!

- it's about time! it's about time! it's about timeee!!!

- thiiiis is the yeaaar of jason's bar mitzvah!

- THIS IS THE YEAR OF YHE CHILD WHEN HE SPREADS OUT HIS WINGS (god i love this one so much every single time they do it)

- MYYYY CHIIIIIILD

- we'll have flowrrs galooooreee!!

- tuxeeeedooooos!

- WHAT A DAYYYY TO TEMEMBER

- UGH i love the year of the child bro it's so good YUM .

-YAY THE BASEBALL GAME (can you tell i'm doing this act's harmonies in real time while i watch it LOL)

- WE'RE SITTING! AND WATCHING JASON PLAY BASEBALL!

-we really wish he'd take this more seriously.

-up batting! and batting bad!!!!!

- SLIIIIIDE JASON!! SLIIIIIIIIIIIDE

- we're sitting! and watch the kid as he misses we're watching marvin throw kisses!!!

- boys field boys bat boys this boys that watchinh JASON!!

- my life would be! boring as shit.😔

- please god don't let me make the SAME MISTAKE!

- jason hits! THE BAAAAALLLLLLLL

yippee a day in falsettoland

- honourable mention to NOW I JUST SNOOOOOOORE!!!

- and the obvious EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT

- DOO YOU KNOWWWWW!!!!!

- anything you do is alright!

EVERYTHING WILL FEEL ALRIGHT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!

FEEL ALRIGHT FIR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!

EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT

- what you mean you don't want a bar mitzvah???

how do you think we feel about that?????

- rather than humiliate her killing your mother is the merciful thing to do!😨😨

guys actually i cant deal it's what more can i say. someone kill me. i've gone insane. sorry back to harmonies.

- something bad is haaappeninh.!

- spreading spreading spreeeeaaaadddinngggg!!! ROOOUUUNNDDD!!!! from something bad is happening i LOVE charlotte and cordelia

- the backing 'everything will be alright' vocals after whizzer collapses :((((

- WHIZZER HELLOOOOOOO with charlotte and jason UGH stop i cant deal from days like this

- but toDAY you seem to be! on the way! to recovery!!!!!! with everyone from days like this ARGHHH

- as my heart falls out of SIIIIIIIIIIGHT with trina and mendel OMGG stop i cant . from cancelling the bar mitzvah

- i Looooooooove.. youuu.. with marvin and whizzer from unlikely lovers :(((

- iss it a baaad time!? ...... we'll come iiiiiin! with charlotte and cordelia

-and we need something sweeet!!!

- FOUR UNLIKELY LOVERS!!!!

- LEEETS PRETEEEEND!! THAAAT NOTHING!! IS AWWFUL:(

- actually i cant list it all. it's just all of unlikely lovers ITS SO CUTE i cant deal im sobbing on the floor.

-LOOOOOOOOOVEEEERRRRRRRS

special honourable mention to you gotta die sometime obvi

- the WINE is very soothing!!!! from jason's bar mitzvah

- everything is lovely..!:(

- i feel more helpless than i have in years...!

- but he looks... like marrvinnnn!!:(

- and godchild to the lesbians from next dooor!!!!!

omg kill me now it's what would i do

- WHAT MOORE CAN I SAY!

-AFTER BEINV SCREWED OUT OF TODAY

- TELL ME WHATS IN STORE

- ONE HOUR ONE HOUR MOREEEEEE

- IF I HAAAD NOT SEEN YOU

- WHO WOULD I FEASSSTT MY EYES ON

- once i was told that good men get better with aaaage.!!:((

guys actually kill me shoot me in the head i cant go on anymore.

i'm done i'm gone i'm dead and buried. send help

anyway that's it hope u agree (or disagree please talk to me i need to discuss). yay falsettos!

#this was supposed to be short #but unfortunately #two hours have a lot of harmonies #and a lot of incredible harmonies.#this isn't even all of them #i'm so insane #longest post ever i'm so sorry #falsettos #leo talks!#i want to eat harmonies #i love harmonies so much #harmonies #!!!!!!!!!

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bl4irstarr · 1 year

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Hi, my names Seb, and this is my first post on this app. I'm planning to update here regularly with just some random art stuff I do. First post is a drawing of my favourite gays (Marvin and Whizzer) from falsettos. Uh,,,toodle pip!

#whizzer brown #marvin falsettos #falsettos #whizzvin #i love them sm #art #my art lmao #first post

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stelliferous2 · 1 year

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so we all know that in trousers and falsettos have a ton of musical links, but 2 of my favourites are falsettoland + the dream and everyone hates his parents + my high school sweetheart. its so cool seeing Bill Finn adding in these details to reinforce the themes of the Marvin Trilogy!!

Falsettoland (reprise) and In Trousers (The Dream) have an incredibly similar piano part, especially in the introduction for Falsettoland. In The Dream, Marvin talks about the women “lost their love”, and in Falsettoland, Marvin has just lost his love.

I think Everyone Hates His Parents and My High School Sweetheart are linked in a far more interesting way though. the bit with marvin telling hadon “you are gonna kill your mother” in the former and miss goldberg singing “go ahead, play columbus. stop begging, stop making me crazy, marvin” have the same underlying chord progression and are also similar melodically. The ideas explored here further parallel each other, with Jason and Marvin acting as character foils for each other.

Miss Goldberg is a key adult figure in Marvin’s life — it’s implied he’s not close to his parents, so the attention he receives from Miss Goldberg may be construed as parental in this early stage of the musical (before he convinces himself that he’s attracted to her). Marvin is obviously a key parental figure in Jason’s life.

Jason and Marvin are, in these scenes, both on the precipice of an event that will shape their young adult lives, with this moment serving as the start of a massive motif about growing up (or struggling to) and adulthood. Jason’s struggle with his bar mitzvah is a massive part of Falsettoland, and reaches its peak when Trina and Mendel shove the responsibility of canceling it following Whizzer’s hospitalisation onto him. The bar mitzvah is a motif for Jason coming to maturity, leaving the ‘falsettos’ and joining the real world, where people die and life isn’t always fun and games. In this moment, he is forced to decide whether he should fall into the trap of never growing up the same way Marvin and Mendel did, or whether he should metaphorically “kill his mother”, thereby preventing himself from making his parents’ mistakes and growing up into a functioning adult.

Meanwhile, Marvin is given the role of Columbus by nagging Miss Goldberg in a very childish manner, showing him that he can have whatever he wants from the women in his life if he is enough of an asshole and never grows up. He decides to pursue Miss Goldberg because she is clearly willing to give him power, such as the lead in the play, if he bullies her enough. This is the moment where we see Marvin really grow into the misogynistic, entitled “baby who’s been denied” portrayed in the later musicals. He never grows up afterward, because he’s just been shown here that he can have whatever he wants if he acts childish and entitled enough.

In this moment, Marvin and Jason are faced with the same decision — whether to grow up or not. Marvin, by annoying Miss Goldberg into giving him Columbus, has chosen the latter option. Meanwhile, Jason decides to do the adult thing — acknowledge that the bar mitzvah is stressful, talk to Mendel, and face the challenge. He kills his mother. Marvin doesn’t.

#in trousers #falsettos #marvin trilogy #miss goldberg #bill finn #william finn #falsettoland #mendel weisenbachfeld #i wrote this at 11pm so idk if any of this is coherent #bill finn is a genius and this fucks me up

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hyperfixated-on-musicals · 1 month

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for one thing I want to know about you : Favourite Falsettos character and why + favourite song or lyrics :))

Get ready for a long rant :3

My favourite characters are Marvin, Whizzer and Jason.

I love Marvin because he is such a complex character. I love the way he comes off as a dick but then he is so caring towards Whizzer. Also Christian Borle has an amazing voice. The chemistry between Marvin and Whizzer is just so amazing as well.

Whizzer is probably my favourite character because he is more of the comic relief character. He is a happy character most of the time and then you see him falling apart in the hospital and you feel so sorry for him. Whizzer had bottled up all of his emotions and seeing him in such a vulnerable state was such a drastic yet beautiful switch in the mood of the musical.

Jason's character development is probably my favourite growth within the musical. Jason starts out as a young, naive kid who is portrayed as independent and witty but by the end because of Whizzer's death, Jason is forced to face the music and understand that things can't always go his way. I was kind of similar to Jason in my life and losing that naivety struck me hard.

My favourite lyrics are:

My father's a homo, my mother's not thrilled at all

Could you please make my friend stop dying? I am not naive, it won't be easy.

This is the year of Jason's bar mitzvah

He lifts me in his arms and tells me to embrace his attack. Then the scene turns to black.

Can I keep my cool despite the urge to fall apart? How should I start? I would cry if I could but it does no damn good to explain I'm a man in my prime. You gotta die sometime.

Tell me Trina what was the impetus. Sorry Trina, look in my eyes. Really Trina, this is ridiculous. Jesus, Trina, how I despise your need for stupid conversation!

Thank you so much for the ask! It is very much appreciated.

#whizzer falsettos #jason falsettos #marvin falsettos #falsettos #rambles

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rose-grimm-spirit-does-dumb-shit · 8 months

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Day 5, Creek Freak Massacre from Thorpe Park Resort One of my favourite Scaremazes that I've done, was very glad I got to have one last run through to send it off last year.

Once again, Offer to Adopt. Valid offers can be art, designs, and/or Money {min £10/usd equivalent} so may the best win!

THE LINEUP

Day 1 - X-Press: Platform 13 Day 2 - Spinball Whizzer Day 3 - Baron 1898 Day 4 - The Walking Dead: The Ride Day 5 - Creek Freak Massacre Day 6 - Hyperia {Project Exodus} Day 7 - The Dragon Day 8 - The Wickerman Day 9 - Mr Monkey's Banana Ride Day 10 - Mamba Day 11 - Valravn Day 12 - Maximus Day 13 - Th13teen Day 14 - Kondaa Day 15 - Luna

More Coming Soon...

#coastober #furry design #digital art #offer to adopt #woodchuck #Creek Freak Massacre #Thorpe Park #Coastober Day 5

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wh1zz3rbr0wn · 1 year

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me ranting on the marvin triolgy i unironically love the marvin trilogy so much?? in trousers makes no sense. esp the end song/ begginning depends on what like version ur listening too. i heard this theory that in trousers is actually marvin being hypnotised by mendle in therapy and it would make sense!! like it'd explain the inaccuracies between it and falsettos. Like Trina having two kids, as mentioned in your lips and me, 'the oldest drink wine the baby's wailing', while in falsettos Jason is the only child known. And in you gotta die sometime when whizzer says i dont smoke but in whizzer going down marvin says 'he takes me in his arms and he lights *another* cigarette.' Then i love how they re used im breaking down from in trousers and using it in the 2016 revival of it. imo it fits better in falsettos because you go more in depth about both trina and whizzer charaters. In trousers musicals actually is so bloody good??? like every song is great, my favourite song is marvin's giddy seizures. It highlights marvin's suicidal attempts and how it doesn't get noticed unless he acts out., then the whole thing just sounds so good. i wish the lesbians got more screen time though because theyre so radicial. every scene they're in they just light the stage up. I love how all the charaters are wrote. I would like to know if in high school ladies at 5 o'clock/ the r--e of mrs goldurg. are we meant to take that literally? im assuming we are because marvin says something along the lines of for my 14th birthday i was hoping you could show me the wonders of the bed. i think we would be, and if we are what the fuck? like i know marvin is an incredibly abusive person before about time but jesus christ. i didnt expect that. now i do adore that marvin's abusive behaviours are acknowledged and reprimanded unlike another musical that attempts to do something alike to falsettos, rent, where all characters have abusive behaviours. i wont dwell on the failures of rent too much because this isn't about rent. I have saw that 2004 college production amd i find it hilarious that in the thrill of first love that marvin drops whizzer, i hope that was scripted because that seems like such a Marvin behaviour. at the same time it would also be funny if it wasnt. either way i like it. anyway in marvin at the physiatrist, in the og off brodway cast, mendle says its queer mr marvin which is so funny to me. on the topic of the og off brodway cast, i find it fun how chip zien played both marvin and mendle in in trousers and march of the falsettos/falsettoland. marvin in in trousers and mendle in MotF/falsettoland respectably. I genuinely adore everything about falsettos. the openeing number is such a good opening song, i dont think ive heard a better one. Then my father's a homo always makes me laugh and i just love how jason doesn't hate his father for being gay, its how his homosexuality tore the family apart. Then this had better come to a stop is such agood number. i love how in the og of brodway run of it the late again sounds like yapping. then the way that trina and whizzer sort of bond over marvin's abusive tendencies is heartbreaking. A tight knit family reprise is a great song again. then the chess game, marvin my guy you know you agreed to let whizzer win cmon now. i never wanted to love you is heartbreaking. and the games i play makes me violently sob. march of the falsettos made no sense to me until i realised that it was a song to remind you that acts of affection are NOT masculine at all. i honestly dont get why act one didnt end with i never wanted to love you, but father to son is heartwarming compared to the previous songs. i love the second act so much. marvin has done everything to change himself yet the love of his life is stripped away from him. it is like a reminder that due to his past actions he can never like fully be a good person. he changed. he did im not putting that down, but his actions can always haunt him.

#falsettos #in trousers #just ranting #long rant #rant #musicals #the marvin trilogy

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cherryberg · 8 months

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Your top 3 musicals ever gogogo gogo ogo go

HEEEEELPPPPP HEEEEEEEEEEEEELPPPPPPP aough .... ardate please you have to understand that i Have to understand that my taste in musicals are very limited now. when you were a musical girlie in 2016, you leave that shit behind for a few hundred years and now have to rebuild all of that again from scratch with a new appreciation so...

this went longer than expected so the list goes Marvin Trilogy, Fun Home, School of Rock. more under the cut smiles

Marvin Trilogy

In Trousers, Falsettos [March of the Falsettos, Falsettoland]

Fav Songs, excluding obvious fan-favourites: Can't Sleep, How Marvin Eats His Breakfast, My Father's a Homo/Everyone Tells Jason to See a Psychiatrist, Round Tables Square Tables, etc

i don't know many, but man. i like a good sung-through musical. means i can listen to the whole soundtrack from start to finish and have cohesively consumed a whole narrative. and tbh? falsettos, but even in trousers too, don't really have Bad songs. i've listened to the falsettos 2016 revival and in trousers 1979 original cast soundtracks dozens of times (both separately and together). which, i mean. compared to the other musicals i have here, i haven't even listened to their whole soundtracks (which. to be fair i did see those live). and yeah you have the really good songs that Everyone likes. the Thrill of First Loves and the Whizzer Going Downs and what have you, but you listen to the tracks a second time, or maybe watch the proshot again, and you get the smaller less-appreciated songs in your head. not included in the fav songs list because that thing's long, but i love A Breakfast Over Sugar. i get Set Those Sails and A Marriage Proposal and Miracle of Judaism stuck in my head. and its great! not to mention just how good and how important the story is .. i could go on but aough ..... long

Fun Home

Fav Songs: Edges of the World, Welcome to Our House on Maple Avenue, Telephone Wire, currently being annoying about Raincoat of Love

PUNCHES WALL. PUNCHES WALL. PUNCHES WALL. PUNCHES WALL. PUNCHES WALL. PUNCHES WALL. PUNCHES WALL. PUNCHES

yeah man. saw this one for school. still have the ticket actually. but Because i did it for school, i have so much analysis and thoughts up here, it's maybe too long and specific. and also for like. a specific production that no one on tumblr would've watched. i would give anything to see that production again though. it wouldn't be the same as seeing it live, Especially during certain moments, but goodness gracious, man. the set design, the lighting, and that revolving stage? absolutely everything to me... so well integrated. just... mwah

School of Rock

Fav Songs: Stick It to the Man, Act 2 Scene 8: Dewey's Bedroom. You're in the Band .. mehbeh

Um... I don't really.. have a third that I can think of that's on par. But, it's School of Rock. It's awesome. my sibling had a track record of not liking musicals when they had to come and see it with me (when i still went out to watch musicals aough ...), but I think this was the first one they really liked - enough for me to get them a key ring of the show! (they cried during If Only You Would Listen too :]) It was a wonderful performance, and the kids were so good and coordinated too! They let us take pictures of the ending song ... which i just took a video of, so i still have that. I watched School of Rock during my ... hardcore theatre kid era though so.. i've got a few cringe worthy memories of it .. but yeah is good :]

I did see Moulin Rouge once as well, despite never having seen the movie, and that was very good as well. Though I'm not much for jukebox musicals (can't deny that Moulin Rouge tracks can be freakin' awesome though) and I think I was too busy ogling heehee

but yeah .. that's all :]

#askberg #textberg #ardate #aough .. smiles #this isnt too serious .. but hey ! this list

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phierecycled · 8 months

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my favourite part of falsettos is when whizzer got a hogwarts letter one day and then—

#it’s 2023.#please go outside #falsettos #falsettos fandom

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bex-saysike · 1 year

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Coaster Control

A more spooky esc drawing with the Alton Towers TMM trio! I thought of the 3 having a sorta "coaster control mode" where they act more like their coaster themeing.

So Silly would be more giddy and laugh a lot more since she's The Smiler. Bex would become a lot more quick in her movements, with her sense of fear being heightened too because of it, also tieing in with Spinball Whizzer. Then Stacy would talk more quietly and calmly, floating a bit, while little stars and constellations orbit her, of course, tieing in with Galactica.

This was a REALLY fun drawing to make, and I'm glad I took that break from drawing and posting art. My creative gears needed to take a break and to relax really, and I've been sick the past couple of days, so that is also what made me stop drawing for a bit. I'm still a bit sniffly now, but I'm definitely better than I was a few days earlier. I can't wait to be posting more about these 3! They're one of my favourite AUs I've made so far- like come on- it's the Too Many Misadventures trio mixed with Alton Towers coasters- it's a recipe for perfection.

#oc art #digital art #my art #art #tmm #too many misadventures #alton towers #the smiler #spinball whizzer #galactica #alton towers fandom #glowing eyes #glowing effect

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markwatkinsconsumerguide · 1 year

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Consumer Guide / No.119 / Q & A with writer / author Greg Lansdowne, with Mark Watkins.

MW: Teenage Kicks. Tell me about some of the books, comics, records, TV and radio you enjoyed during your teenage years…

GL: The media I consumed, and enjoyed, during my formative years in the 1980s continue to shape my career – so I have a lot to thank them for. My earliest reading material were comics such as; Beano, Dandy, Buster, Whizzer and Chips, and Roy of the Rovers alongside any football magazine going in the children’s sector (Shoot! and Match being the mainstays).

From there, I graduated to publications such as World Soccer, Wisden Cricket Monthly and, when it came out in my late teens, 90 Minutes. I had a voracious appetite for magazines – and still do – so read as much as possible relating to my interests.

As far as records go, the first seven inch single I bought was, Take On Me, by a-ha. My first album was, Hunting High And Low, by a-ha. There’s obviously a pattern evolving there and I have bought every release by a-ha since (not to mention writing a book about them which was published in 2016).

Besides watching any TV coverage of football and cricket (and plenty of other sports in the ‘80s) my favourite programme was Grange Hill – an all-time classic which stands the test of time. It’s one of the few of my childhood loves that I haven’t written about... but there is still plenty of time!

With a lack of live football coverage during the ‘80s (there was far more cricket available to watch) supporters were very reliant on the radio when not attending matches. BBC Radio 2 with voices such as Peter Jones, Bryon Butler and Jimmy Armfield talking you through the games was manna from heaven.

Saturday afternoon broadcasts in London were provided by LBC in the early part of the decade (Jeff Stelling was the host for a period) before Jonathan Pearce, with a stellar list of summarisers including Bobby Moore, Terry Neill and Alan Mullery became required listening on Capital Gold Sport from the 1988-89 season onwards.

MW: What was your first football sticker book? How did this particular love eventually lead to writing three books about collecting?

GL: My first Panini sticker album was Football 79 and so began a lifetime’s love affair with football stickers (especially those by Panini). My brother, Billy, who was a professional footballer with West Ham at the time and had collected FKS stickers as a child, bought me the album and subsequent packets - getting to within one sticker of finishing the album. Although I was a little young to be taking much interest in following scores/a specific team in early 1979 I was fascinated by the badge designs, variously-hued kits and garish haircuts. I became hooked on collecting and football soon after.

MW: What football team do you support? Tell me about your first and last matches...

GL: As I mentioned above, my brother was a professional at West Ham at the time of my first Panini album and my Dad just happened to be reserve team manager - 25 years into his career as player and coach at West Ham. So you’d imagine my answer would be West Ham. Except, just a few weeks into the first season I began to take a real interest in following games (1979-80) my Dad lost his job at West Ham. Out of loyalty to him, I didn’t feel it was appropriate to support West Ham, so I had to find another team. My Mum told me my Dad had supported Arsenal as a boy so there was the solution to my problem! My first game was 4th October 1980 v Leicester (1-0 to the Arsenal!) and I started going regularly with my Dad from the mid-80s until his last game in 2014 (the FA Cup Final v Hull, a good game to finish on). By then, I had three young children to look after and my Dad preferred to follow from his armchair which is generally what I do now, though my kids allow me out to get out to watch a few times a season!

MW: If Brian Clough had been appointed England manager in 1977 instead of Ron Greenwood, what players do you think Clough’s England side would have included?

GL: As ITV4 has been showing The Big Match Revisited from 1979-80 recently it was interesting to note Brian Clough recruited both Charlie George and Stan Bowles at Nottingham Forest for periods during that season. Both were past their best by that stage but Clough was still willing to give them a chance at one of the leading clubs in Europe – no other club of that repute was willing to do the same by then. Therefore, it is likely he would have similarly given those two – and other mercurial talents – a further chance with England had he taken the job in 1977. Judging by his famous comment about Trevor Brooking ahead of the 1980 FA Cup Final (‘floats like a bee, stings like a butterfly’) it might have been less good news for the West Ham midfielder!

MW: What football rules would you like to see changed back and why?

GL: I’m not convinced the removal of the away goals rule in European club competition has been a positive move, but I guess it depends on what end of the result you are on! It can, on occasion, make teams settle for penalties in extra time rather than go for a goal.

I believe the opportunity to use five subs in a Premier League match gives the bigger clubs, with their larger squads, an unfair advantage – as if they didn’t have enough already. Just when one of the smaller clubs think they might have nicked a point, on come another couple of £30m players to potentially impact the game. If a manager can’t change a game with three subs I don’t see why he should get another couple of goes.

MW: Share your thoughts on the recent passing of Dickie Davies and John Motson?

GL: In that ‘70s/’80s era, with comparatively little TV sports coverage compared to now, you are talking about two of the biggest names of The Age.

Saturday afternoons would be spent switching between Grandstand on BBC and Dickie Davies on ITV’s World of Sport.

Then, when it came to football commentary, the three best-known were John Motson, Barry Davies and Brian Moore.

A lot of presenters/commentators these days make it ever more apparent how great the likes of Davies and Motson were at their respective jobs.

MW: What other sports do you like?

GL: In the ‘80s, I was into watching most sports (as well as football and cricket I also watched a lot of snooker, darts and tennis) but once there was wall-to-wall football and cricket available there just wasn’t enough time to devote beyond those two.

Essex CCC is my county so I was lucky to have grown up during an era when they were one of the best county cricket teams around – probably only Middlesex could contest that claim – with Graham Gooch, John Lever, Ken McEwan, Neil Foster, Derek Pringle, Keith Fletcher and many other top cricketers.

I was even luckier to then become Essex’s first ever Communications Manager in 2003, working full-time at the club for six seasons and continuing to edit their Yearbook and other publications for several years after.

I also co-wrote a book about Essex – 60 Classic Essex Matches – in 2011. I enjoyed my time working in cricket – also freelancing for the ICC and the IPL as well as publishing my own cricket magazine, dedicated to Asian cricket, in 2009-10 – and would love to get back into it again in some capacity one day.

I’m still a big fan of Essex and England but am at a stage in my life, with young kids, where it is again mostly viewed from an armchair.

MW: Day at the seaside or a countryside picnic? Pick one and describe the desired experience.

GL: Both sound appealing - but right now the thought of a quiet beach, the radio on Test Match Special and a bit of beach cricket would go down a treat. Obviously the sun is shining at the seaside, England are 300-2 and there’s a nice bottle or two on the go!

MW: Aside from writing books and features, what are your other interests?

GL: Beyond my young family, I love nostalgia – sometimes too much for my wife’s liking! – so that forms a large part of my leisure, as well as work, in terms of researching subject matter for writing books and articles. I have become a proactive part of the retro-football community by selling my books and vintage items at Fairs/Shows. The football card and shirt fan bases have grown exponentially in recent years and I think the nostalgia market in general has a potential for significant growth.

By expanding not only can that be to the financial gain of those looking to sell items but, more importantly, it can also tell the stories of sportsmen and women long forgotten by many but with so much of value to impart. I am also a big advocate of sports nostalgia as a power for good in re-engaging those suffering with dementia, depression or loneliness. Charities do exist in this sphere but there are many more people who would benefit from being integrated.

MW: Where can we find out more about you and your future plans (as currently known)?

GL: My personal website is www.greglansdowne.co.uk and I give regular updates about my current and upcoming projects on Twitter (@Panini_book) and Instagram (@greglansdowne).

Having worked on the Panini UK Football Sticker Collections 1978-85 – The Complete Albums that came out towards the end of last year, I will also be assisting Bloomsbury on the follow-up Panini UK Football Sticker Collections 1986-93 – The Complete Albums, published in October (2023).

I have two other books in the pipeline, including a player autobiography - more of which will be revealed on my social media channels in due course – and also write regularly for publications such as Backpass and Retro Pop.

I will be selling my books and other football-related memorabilia at various Football Fairs over the course of this year and beyond. It’s an exciting time to be in the football nostalgia space.

List and links to Greg Lansdowne’s books:-

Stuck On You: The Rise and Fall…and Rise of Panini Stickers

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stuck-You-Fall-Panini-Stickers/dp/1785310062/ref=sr_1_1?

Panini Football Stickers: The Official Celebration

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panini-Football-Stickers-Official-Celebration/dp/1472987772/ref=sr_1_2?

60 Classic Essex Matches

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Essex-Matches-Tony-Debenham/dp/0956701523/ref=sr_1_3?

Living a Fan's Adventure Tale: A-Ha in the Eyes of the Beholders

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Fans-Adventure-Tale-Ha/dp/1908724382/ref=sr_1_5?

Panini UK Football Sticker Collections 1978-1985

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panini-Football-Sticker-Collections-1978-1985/dp/1399405225/ref=sr_1_4?

Panini UK Football Sticker Collections 1986-1993 (Volume Two): 2 (Published October 2023)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panini-Football-Sticker-Collections-1986-1993/dp/1399405284/ref=sr_1_6?

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