#1970s ftw

[phantom-wolf]

Cliff Booth/Ladybug x Tangerine idea

This idea is sorta weird and shoehorned together but it is supposed to be. Afterall, this is a crackship. Now my friend @the-engdyssey and I made a post (see here) about this crack ship and I've been thinking about how to get it to work. Here's what I got:

The time frame on this is a little iffy. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is set in the 1969. Bullet train is modern day. Tangerine has a 70s porn stache. It's a little weird to try and combine them all, so instead Tangerine shall keep his glorious stache while sticking near Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's time-frame. The AU will take place some time in the 1970s.

Ultimately in this AU Cliff Booth is either Ladybug pre-therapy, or is a front for the cover that Ladybug is in. Maybe a mix of both. His past doesn't exactly matter because it is probably all bullshit anyway. So details can be tweaked.

If you have watched once Upon a Time in Hollywood you know Cliff Booth was a war hero. I am not sure if it is ever specified in what branch he served. We know Ladybug is an assasin. Tangerine and Lemon are of course assasins as well.

So how does this connect? Welp I am gonna take my HC that movie!Ladybug was part of the Army- and in this AU he is former Green Beret. When compared to the Twins in the movie Ladybug and Maria always seemed more- well professional. Had the right systems/ resources to run jobs through and to use. So taking that into account I am going to say that Ladybug is either working for the US government, or is apart of some sister corporation that works for it indirectly. In this specific au he would be directly working for the government.

My mind wanders to the CIA. The CIA likes to take former special forces guys under them to do work for them. This is all based on this guy I occasionally watch that works for the CIA and is former Navy Seal (and I think he has a few buddies from Delta force and other special forces that formerly worked for the CIA). As well as a guy I personally know used to be Navy Seals and former CIA.

There are many deparments of the CIA. One job included in that is Bodyguarding (usually foreign ambassadors or other important figures but shhh it's fine. Let me dream.) But there's also intelligence. So I'm not too sure what department Ladybug would be in but oh well. Cliff Booth is Ladybug's alias. And he's undercover for a few years.

So perhaps Rick Dalton is being invesigated, or hired the CIA, or there's some type of OP that puts Ladybug/ Cliff as Dalton's body guard. Or he is poking around for intelligence.

And the Twins are hired to either gather intelligence or kidnap Dalton. Something of the sort. But they gotta go through Dalton's stuntguy- who is surprisingly hard to kill. Who just so happens to be a CIA operative and an ex-special forces member. Not that they are aware of that. I don't think they're working for the goverment either, but rather taking contracts from the underworld.

Chaos ensues because this is inspired by Bullet Train. Cliff/ Ladybug still has shit luck because it's funny.

There's a lot of swearing and attempted murder.

But Tangerine gets to have some fun (eventually),

Am I ever gonna write this? Cue Ladybug's 'nope' when he is talking to Channing's character. But maybe it will get some creative juices flowing. If not it's a fun concept.

Anyway this GIF does not really have anything to do with the post (except it being Cliff) but I loved it and wanted to share.

[mudwerks]

(via The Width Of A Circle - David Bowie (1970)

[aquilas-designs]

IT IS GOING TO BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I ATTEMPT ANOTHER DRAWING ON THIS SCALE Anyway! Self-shipping ftw let's goooooooooooo

And yes, it is an ugly kitchen. If I had my own place (and money) I would absolutely decorate the kitchen as though it was still the 1970s. What can I say? I love 70's interior decor!

Edit: FUCK I just remembered I'm doing a project of multiple scenes (unrelated to this) and the next one is really complicated, I have to do another complex and fully shaded drawing AAAAAAAGH

[kivrin]

Learned by Heart, the Emma Donoghue book about Anne Lister (really centered on her schoolmate and partner Eliza Raine) was very good.

I continued the Aster Glenn Gray trend with their A Garter as a Lesser Gift, a WWII m/m/f retelling of Gawain and the Green Knight, and also ready Casey McQuiston's YA I Kissed Shara Wheeler which stressed me out with the protagonist's realistic not-noticing her best friend struggling to tell her something.

Now I'm reading a 1970s novel-length Star Trek fanfic, The Weight by Leslie Fish. Amazing that Archive of Our Own is importing pre-internet fic! I had read about this story in books about fandom, but i imagined that at best I might find PDF scans somewhere. FANDOM HISTORY FTW!

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JULY 23

Spies! Josh Hartnett! Perfect 10s! They all made multiple appearances in July. This summer has churned out one of the best crop of blockbusters in years, and even though this Round Up is a bit shorter than usual, it’s a stacked lineup. Whether you’re looking for big thrills, big emotion, or big art, July had it all. 

July Crowd-Pleasers

1. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

A redux of the 1996 original Mission: Impossible in all the best ways. Whatever you think of Tom Cruise, you can’t deny his commitment to the audience experience. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 9/10

2. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023)

This is the kind of movie that you can tell within in three minutes isn’t totally working but it’s hard to tell why. It looks pretty good! There’s loads of style! Jason Statham is one of the best action leads in the biz! Every actor is doing something fun! (Especially Josh Hartnett, validating my major crush in his Pearl Harbor days.) But not a single character has an arc, and we should’ve opened on an action sequence introducing our heroes and villains so we don’t need so much dialogue to explain our characters or the inciting incident. But you know what? Call the butcher because I love a good ham! I had a great time with this cast doing the Guy Ritchie thing, which means I am gonna watch this so hard again on cable.

3. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift (2023)

My attempt to swing last-minute tickets to the Eras Tour in Denver for less than $1000 was a no-go, but the treats that are “When Emma Falls in Love,” “Timeless,” and a Taylor Lautner music video cameo softened that blow. The article “The Unprecedented Weirdness of Taylor Swift” in The Washington Post captures some of the unique joys of her re-recordings.

4. Barbie (2023)

Is Barbie an instant classic? Perhaps it’s too of-this-moment for that kind of longevity, but it’s a comedy that made me laugh so hard I cried and also just that made me cry, which I don’t remember ever happening to me within a single movie before. Read my full review for ZekeFilm, and then be sure to listen to the soundtrack after seeing the movie. Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, Tame Impala, Haim, Billie Eilish, and Ryan Gosling(!!) made some bangers! Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 9/10

5. Do You Like Apples Podcast

I’ve recommended the Do You Like Apples newsletter, and now I’m recommending Billy Rock and Drew Wendt’s new accompanying podcast. I may be biased since they invited me to join their Barbie discussion, but because I like filling my earbuds with thoughts on Wes Anderson’s oeuvre and the best of Harrison Ford’s career, I’m a regular listener beyond our collab. Listen to our discussion of Barbie and then browse through their rapidly growing feed about the world of movies.

More July Crowd-Pleasers: Airport (1970), Book Club: The Next Chapter (2023), Zoey 102 (2023)

July Critic Picks

1. The China Syndrome (1979)

Another ‘70s conspiracy thriller FTW! Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas, and Jack Lemmon are getting suspicious at a nuclear power plant, and their investigation lands on my lists of favorite journalism films and movies that have made me cry. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

2. BlackBerry (2023)

Product-inspired films are still rocking and rolling in 2023, and BlackBerry is one of the best. It owes a lot to The Social Network, but it learned all the right lessons. I would love to see this cast in conversation for Oscars this winter, but until then, the rage-at-the-corporate-machine soundtrack is keeping me going. Crowd: 8/9 // Critic: 9/10

3. Oppenheimer (2023)

On average, me every 7 minutes in this movie: "Oh hey, I love that guy!” This cameo-packed historical epic/biopic is a clearer-eyed version of A Beautiful Mind, and perhaps most impressively doesn’t feel three hours long. The review in The Federalist and Vox’s analysis of the history of nuclear cinema are excellent companion pieces. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

4. Suddenly by BØRNS (2023)

Like the rest of us, it sounds like BØRNS has been going through some stuff in the last few years. After a five year hiatus, he’s back with his lachrymose synth-pop in a six-track EP. My only complaint? I’m ready for a full album!

5. The French Dispatch by Wes Anderson (2021)

Haven’t I already recommended The French Dispatch as the best film of 2021? Yes, but because I’m a woman of limited interests, I’m now recommending the published screenplay. If you’ve ever wondered just how Anderson and his collaborators create their idiosyncratic stories, reading the complex script gives a new insight into their overlapping minutiae, much of which I missed just by watching.

More July Critic Picks: The Merry Widow (1934), Christmas in July (1940), Some Came Running (1958)

Also in July…

At the start of July, nine writers for ZekeFilm picked our top five movies of the year so far. You can read our individual lists as well as our aggregate top five in our “Best of 2023 (So Far)” piece. 

I checked out Haunted Mansion, which was…at least better than the Eddie Murphy version? Read my review for ZekeFilm, which turned into a long list of theme park-inspired films for Disney, and watch more on KMOV to see me correctly predict that Barbie would dominate the box office yet again.

Thanks to a holiday break, I had a little time to finally add a few Best Picture Project pieces. Keep scrolling on the home page to read reviews of The Apartment (1960), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Rain Man (1988), Dances With Wolves (1990), Million Dollar Baby (2004), and 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Until August wraps, you can follow what I’m watching on Letterboxd and the site formerly known as Twitter

Photo credits: BØRNS, DYLA, The French Dispatch. All others IMDb.com.

[ribcage-fireplace]

[qqueenofhades]

20+ Books That You (Might Actually Want) To Read During Pride Month!

Right, so. I got annoyed after seeing the list referenced in this post last night, told myself that my books are all packed up so I couldn’t do anything about it, and lasted all of a whopping 10 minutes before picking up my phone and attempting to make my own list instead. Behold, my from-memory attempt to present 20 books with strong LGBTQ plots, characters, and/or authors, that DON’T just rely on Suffering and Identity Politics and are... you know... fun.

Listed in alphabetical order by title. Links take you to Bookshop.org, where you can buy them from your local independent bookstore at a discount and NOT from the evil empire.

1. A Master of Djinn – P. Djeli Clark * author of color * steampunk Cairo in 1912 * djinn! magic! murder mystery! * butch Arab lesbian main character * devout hijabi Muslim badass assistant * anticolonial alternate history

2. An Accident of Stars – Foz Meadows (Sequel: A Tyranny of Queens) * trans author * bi, pan, trans, aro representation * racially diverse characters * all female POV characters * high-fantasy world adventures

3. Boyfriend Material – Alexis Hall * queer author * look I love this book SO MUCH and have absolutely screamed about it before but also I LOVE IT SO MUCH * contemporary M/M fake dating in modern London, complete with full cast of disaster found-family queer friends * it is. fucking. HILARIOUS. I almost died the first time reading it * there is a sequel called HUSBAND MATERIAL scheduled to be released in 2022; I am a normal amount of excited for this book

4. Gideon the Ninth – Tamsyn Muir (Sequel: Harrow the Ninth) * the book cover says “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted palace in space!” * that is exactly what you get * slow-burn enemies-to-lovers F/F main romance * I cannot describe this book, it is dark, genre-bendy, science fiction-y, Hunger-Games-with-lesbian-necromancers-in space? Kinda? I have literally never read anything like it * also fucking HILARIOUS

5. One Last Stop – Casey McQuiston * queer author (who wrote Red White and Royal Blue) * bisexual fat girl from the South/lesbian-daughter-of-Chinese immigrants from the 1970s-riot-grrl main romance * time traveling mystery involving the Q train in Brooklyn (mentions Brighton Beach ahem) * magical realism * many more found-family chaotic queers including a trans Latino psychic and a Black accountant by day/drag queen by night and the mean little gay disaster who has a hopeless crush on them

6. Parasol Protectorate (series) – Gail Carriger * this is one of my favorite series, and there are five books: Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, and Timeless * steampunk vampires/werewolves late Victorian London, like Jane Austen crossed with P.G. Wodehouse (they are all fucking hilarious) * pretty much everyone is queer; we got your flamboyantly camp gay vampires (Lord Akeldama ftw!) We got your gay werewolves! We got your lesbian French inventors! We got your big disaster idiot werewolf main male love interest! We got your crazy adventures! You name it we got it! * two spin-off novellas: Romancing the Werewolf (M/M) and Romancing the Inventor (F/F) * she has a ton more books in this same universe and writes sexy queer supernatural romance as G.L. Carriger

7. Plain Bad Heroines – Emily M. Danforth * queer author * historical horror-comedy set between a haunted girls’ school in early-1900s New England and in the modern day * all sapphic female main characters * plays with style/form/voice, a story within a story within a story

8. Red White and Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston * you’ve probably heard of it but here I am reccing it again * the biracial son of the first female POTUS falls in love with the Prince of England; shenanigans absolutely ensue * yes, the British monarchy still absolutely sucks a big fat dick * hilarious, heartfelt, reads like fanfic, just go get it, it will change your life

9. Rosaline Palmer Takes The Cake – Alexis Hall * same author as Boyfriend Material, this is his newest * bisexual female protagonist * absolutely perfect satire of The Great British Bake Off (you can tell this man has watched EVERY SINGLE SERIES and all of the holiday specials) * sweet and surprisingly thoughtful

10. Starless – Jacqueline Carey * genderqueer/transmasculine main character of color * almost all main characters are brown people! * lush Middle Eastern/India-inspired fantasy world * gods, prophecies, monsters * the best Oh God Why Me I Am A Horrible Mentor wise-old-mentor

11. The Future of Another Timeline – Annalee Newitz * nonbinary (they/them) author * time travel but make it The Handmaid’s Tale * will probably make your head explode * feminist, queer, subversive * diverse characters

12. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue – Mackenzi Lee * queer author * technically YA but historical/magical adventure set in the 1700s * bisexual disaster main protagonist and love interest of color * (mis)adventures across Europe * has a sequel (see below) with the badass asexual sister of the protagonist

13. The Hate Project – Kris Ripper * nonbinary/genderqueer author * M/M enemies to lovers/sex with no strings attached (spoiler alert: strings attached) * HECKING HILARIOUS * sweet, escapist, and very low stakes * diverse characters, including fat protagonist with realistic anxiety disorder

14. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy – Mackenzi Lee * PIRATES, obviously * sequel to Gentleman’s Guide * asexual female protagonist * strong queerplatonic f/f friendship * more historical/magical 18th century adventures

15. The Last Rune (series) – Mark Anthony * Imma be real with you chief, I haven’t read this series since I was a clueless teenager with no idea why I liked Gay Stuff so much, so if it does turn out to suck now, don’t throw rotten veggies at me * but especially since it was written in the NINETIES, this series was hella progressive?! * gay characters, disabled characters, characters of color, all playing significant and heroic roles in six-book epic fantasy cycle * people from Earth end up in high-fantasy world of Eldh * endgame M/M romance for the main character * books out of print, I think, but you can find them cheap somewhere like AbeBooks; first one (Beyond the Pale) linked above

16. The Library of the Unwritten – A.J. Hackwith * queer author * heaven-hell-Valhalla supernatural adventures * The Good Place x Good Omens x Lucifer x The Librarians * Pansexual Black badass female heroine * Queer found families * The Sassiest TM Bisexual Villain Turned Reluctant Hero (is he my favorite? Why on earth would you think that.)

17. The Priory of the Orange Tree – Samantha Shannon * epic doorstopper science fiction/historical fantasy set in a vaguely 16th-century world * main F/F romance between a queen and her sorceress bodyguard * sassy old gay alchemist whose backstory will give you Feelings * so many strong women and characters of color * no homophobia! marriage is fully gender-neutral, spouses are called “companions”

18. The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller * likewise one you have probably heard of but still * a little light on the myth/historical part imho, but the writing is beautiful and will give you many feelings * M/M romance between Achilles and Patroclus  * reimagining of The Iliad (her other book Circe is also really good)

19 The Stars are Legion – Kameron Hurley * all-female apocalyptic space opera * messy messy antiheroines * grimdark war fantasy * queer sci-fi drama

20. Witchmark – C.L. Polk * author of color * M/M romance * main character is a veteran and a doctor dealing with his own hidden magic and repressed war trauma * gaslamp fantasy set in a world reminiscent of post-WWI England * strong sibling relationship

[drinksattheendoftheworld]

Favourite* 50 Movies Seen in 2020

2020 was a weird year for many reasons, but in reviewing the list of movie I watched for the first time, I’ve found that that weirdness extended to how I consumed entertainment. I feel like my demands of the movies I watched were different this year, and the result is a list that feels like an exceptionally odd mix of genres and eras, and I’m not mad at that (I also watched most of the Bond movies for the first time this year, so those comprise a big chunk of the list by default, and a few made it into the top 50. Timothy Dalton ftw). Also, an important caveat: Favourite ≠ Best

1. A Face in the Crowd (1957)

2. Taxi Driver (1976)

3. Cape Fear (1962)

4. Flashdance (1983)

5. Licence to Kill (1989)

6. Winter Kept Us Warm (1965)

7. Parasite (2019)

8. The Invisible Man (2020)

9. Lady of Burlesque (1943)

10. Cruising (1980)

11. Serial Mom (1994)

12. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

13. The Chocolate War (1988)

14. The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970)

15. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

16. Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973)

17. Falling (2020)

18. Daniel Isn’t Real (2019)

19. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

20. ‘Night Mother (1986)

21. Ed Wood (1994)

22. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

23. The Exorcist III (1990)

24. Goldeneye (1995)

25. Happiest Season (2020)

26. The Living Daylights (1987)

27. Videodrome (1983)

28. Live and Let Die (1973)

29. Mommie Dearest (1981)

30. They Live (1988)

31. Random Acts of Violence (2019)

32. It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)

33. Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (2019)

34. St. Elmo’s Fire (1985)

35. On the Waterfront (1954)

36. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

37. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

38. Hustlers (2019)

39. Casino Royale (2006)

40. Oklahoma! (1955)

41. The Whales of August (1987)

42. Calendar Girls (2003)

43. Tourist Trap (1979)

44. Gypsy (1962)

45. Quantum of Solace (2008)

46. Three on a Match (1932)

47. Snowball Express (1972)

48. Bride of Re-Animator (1990)

49. Death Trap (1982)

50. They Came Together (2014)

[chopperchrash]

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[gratuiciel]

okay this is too adorable i think i'm gonna have to write about this at some point. hantake as parents is a recipe for disaster and i can't wait to see what shenanigans they'll get up to :3c hanma being the cool irresponsible dad vs takemichi being the more authoritative one (at least he tries) but also the one who's actually helpful in an emergency (not that he's very good at first aid/caring for sick kids or anything but hanma is so bad at it that takemichi has no choice but to step up dhskjk (hanma: kids like booze right? takemichi: nO!!!) <- hanma has some inner child healing to do. takemichi too but he's more well-adjusted about it)

brooo u were sick for a week it's alright not to write at times like these!! the roleplaying server sounds rly fun omg, and i'm pretty sure that counts as writing too! ah yes prison whump... we really went from giving kisaki a nice, wholesome childhood to giving him the worst possible trauma/karmic retribution skjfh i love that :3 him going on a murderous rampage at the end though, very curious as to how that could go (thinking about sanzu and his murder train for some reason, i could see kisaki harnessing something way bigger than himself to do the job for him... a huge fire maybe, or a thunderstorm? dude making the fight happen on a large football or baseball field, giving away metal bats to the guys "to help kill your enemies" but really they're just miniature lightning rods... hopefully the weather forecast isn't off though sjfhk imagine it just being a light drizzle in the end and kisaki's standing there like what the hell. where's my thunderstorm. probably safer (heh.) to go with a good old fire tbh. get these guys in a closed space and barricade the exits and there you go (what a horrific way to die though. there was a night club irl that caught fire and became a mass grave in 1970 due to not enough exits and too many people. l'incendie du 5-7 en isère <- wikipedia article in case ur interested, obviously cw for irl deaths (some were still minors), fire, and just terrible safety policies... u don't have to read it though that was just me going on a tangent)) another thing kisaki could harness to kill for him is mikey's dark impulse!! since he was supposed to be in charge of it and all. make mikey do the slaughtering in his place, maybe by drugging him?? (but just like the fire and thunder, there's always the possibility of that force turning against him and harming him too)

hanma stopping kisaki/being the reasonable one/catching feelings in both stories???? 💯💯 eventually thinking he can tell kisaki the truth only for kisaki to turn around and leave??? the angst is delicious, hanma getting his hopes and dreams crushed after finally daring to dream again for the first time in who knows how long... my boy u need to stop being so tragic :') i hope u get inspired to write for these soon 💖

yesss takemichi taking kisaki's defense against tenjiku, probably because he feels bad for shooting him :3c kisaki is appalled and disgusted hehehe

cRYING at dadchibana thinking hanma is a bad influence on kisaki, maybe even arresting him and telling him off at some point but hanma's like "oh no. you misunderstand, sir. i'm actually a pretty nice guy... compared to him" *cue kisaki hitting the dad in the head with a metal pipe while he's distracted*

omg takemichi and his savior complex walk into a detention centre full of troubled kids... what happens next will make you smile (he def gets beaten up again lol, but still manages not to give up and makes friends somehow. not sure he'll be able to do anything about south though)

i feel u about the tokrev girls... >_> hina has her moments but so many of them are about takemichi (and oh boy is she pining for that dude. "i don't mind if i die as long as u propose to me." sis. neither her nor kisaki are normal about him) so yeah. senju/hina ftw! takemichi's not invited (he's in juvie anyway lmao)

@gratuiciel ur tags hurt me (and I love that) I'm fascinated with depressed era hanma, the fact that he relaxed thinking that Kisaki got away! Only to find his corpse on the road. Keeps thinking about what he could've done, if he had hold on to the bike better, if he had spent less time fighting with draken, and yeah always looking back at these six (6!) months of his life where everything was so colorful and he took it for granted. Maybe the first time in his life where he actually (somewhat) cared about another human being, only to have it ripped out from him.

I always wondered how he came to be in bonten, especially as he wasn't that useful anyway. We joke about Hanma being just some guy at the end of the manga but there was something to be done with him that just didn't happen and it makes me sad. So many fanart of him going back into the past and meeting little Kisaki... I want to develop that idea cuz I feel like he would try to shape into the boy he remembers but at the same time he would be scared to death of something happening to Kisaki. Plus, with the kid not being lonely to death I doubt he would develop that same passion for Hinata. But even if Hanmas not a time traveller, just the idea of him taking revenge on Takemichi and Mikey in Bonten is just, chef's kiss. Wanna write something about that (girl who has 1384949 wips)

[alltidvinter]

For the Beatle ask: 2, 4, 7, 11, and then you pick one more! Wildcard! 😜

2) Preferred album?

I have such a great fondness for Rubber Soul. Not necessarily because of the songs it contains, though. I just love the mood. It has the perfect balance between groundbreaking experimentalism and cozy, comfortable, autumn-like vibes. It always feels like coming home.

4) Favorite nickname given to a beatle?

I love The Silver Beetles vaguely exotic stage names: Long John Silver, Paul Ramon, Carl Harrison and Stuart de Stael. Cloak and dagger  ̶g̶a̶y̶ ̶s̶u̶p̶e̶r̶h̶e̶r̶o̶e̶s̶  vibes ftw!

7) Thoughts on Yoko Ono?

Oh, boy.

Yoko is a compelling artist in her own right. I like most of her conceptual art. I love her short poems. I even like some of her music (she was much more of a musical innovator than John, tbh). I enjoy the eery beauty of her singing voice (see Death of Samantha). She is charming. She's a fashion icon (although I would gladly do without the furs). I personally find her quite beautiful: not that this should matter but it does, since she was disgustingly body-shamed for the last 50 years. Her efforts for peace, while not terribly effective in themselves (but that's wasn't really the point, right?), inspired thousands of others. Yoko is also her own woman, with her own trauma and goals, that not necessarily are less important than those of John, Paul, George and Ringo. As a child, she survived Tokyo's bombing and she struggled with real, life-threatening hunger during the aftermath, a fact that probably changed her outlook on life drastically. She is her own person. She matters.

As for the break up: Yoko was the stick John chose to beat Paul with. You don't blame the knife, you blame the murderer. She had no place in the studio (she hadn't earned it) and her subtly hostile presence was definitely a cause of tension. But that's on John. He hid behind her and that’s not fair on her. And let’s not forget this: Yoko’s ways may not have been conventional but as a Japanese immigrant artist woman in 60′s England, they may as well have been the only ones available to her.

Yoko is a survivor, an icon, a true artist, an inspiring figure to many.

However.

Yoko is (was?) also controlling, passive-aggressive and some kind of a bully. She just is. These things are more than well documented. On the subject of her relationship with John, I can't say much: he was a consenting adult, even if one with untreated psychological issues. However, I can't ignore how, post-1970, she made his world narrower (virtually pushing him into cutting his ties with everybody else but her) and I cannot condone her for introducing him to heroin. Her treatment of Julian and May Pang (both way younger and less powerful than her) was heinous. Most of all, Yoko has a dangerous tendency to rewrite history. She's not above muddling the waters to her own benefit. She’s successfully established the Ballad of John and Yoko - aka, the narrative of 1) Yoko!John being the True John, inherently happier, more fulfilled and superior in any way to Beatle!John and to any other possible versions of John 2) johnandyoko being this perfect, untouchable romance, the love to end all loves, the end that justifies every means. To blindly believe in the Ballad, is to allow Yoko to erase other people’s absolutely vital contributions from John’s life. Namely, Paul’s. And, while John may have had some personal reasons to slander and diminish Paul, Yoko really hasn’t. At least, not anymore. Not to mention the fact that her behavior doesn’t apply to Paul alone (see the video of #9 Dream, where Yoko edited herself onto the original vocals sung by May). That’s not fair. That’s disrespectful. That’s harmful. That’s messing with The Beatles legacy. Hell, that’s messing with John’s own legacy! 

Anyway. I’m passionate about Yoko, as you can clearly tell from this mini-essay. She fascinates me endlessly. I, for one, love unironically the “hysterical piano/crazy yelling semi-involuntary jam session” between Yoko, John and Paul (you know the one): it’s powerful, haunting, oddly beautiful; the encounter/clash between those three strong personalities it’s really a sight to behold. But hey, it's 2019. We can recognize her struggle, her trauma, her talent and also retain a certain degree of fairness to all parts involved, thus protecting The Beatles legacy from any external influence. 

We ought to. 

11) Is there a favorite Beatle reference in a show you love?

Not a tv show but "Lennon and McCartney are inseparable" from Rocketman is almost too good to be true (thank you, Sir Elton!). I also love The Simpsons Lisa the Vegetarian episode (Paul&Linda!). 

I mean.

As for the wildcard, I'm picking...

14) Would you have George teach you guitar or Ringo teach you drums?

I can't carry a rhythm with my hands for the life of me (honest to God, it's almost embarrassing, also because I’m actually a trained singer) and I think only Ringo can save me from my own hopelessness. Also, I honestly think it would be a delight to learn from him.

[jafreitag]

The New Sounds (10/20)

Agnes Martin, Untitled (1960)

It’s unofficial birthday month around here. Mine was 10/8. My big kid’s was 10/9 (and so was John Lennon’s and PJ Harvey’s, fwiw). My bigger kid’s was 10/17. My sister in-law, 10/6. I grew up with a guy who was born on 10/19. I went to college with a guy who was born on 10/16 (like Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, fwiw). And there are more that I don’t need to list, except Bret Favre … 10/10. Libras, ftw. Rocktober rules.

Agnes Bernice Martin also rules. She was born in 1912 in Macklin, Saskatchewan and died in 2004 in Taos, New Mexico at age 92. Her life was one of accomplishment over struggle. She moved to Bellingham, Washington in 1931 to help a pregnant sister and took classes at Western Washington University. Then she moved to New York City and graduated from Columbia University in 1942. While in NYC, she became interested in modern art, but relocated to New Mexico for some time. She returned to NYC for her master’s degree in art, and then fell in with a group of artists at the Coenties Slip in Lower Manhattan – Robert Indiana, Ellsworth Kelly, Barnett Newman, and Betty Parsons. There, she explored her sexuality, but also experienced her schizophrenia (aural hallucinations, catatonia), undergoing electroshock therapy at Bellevue Hospital. In 1967, she disappeared and stopped creating.

Martin reemerged in the early-to-mid 1970s to some acclaim. Per the Wiki, where I ganked most of the bio info, she said in a 1989 interview, “Beauty and perfection are the same. They never occur without happiness.” She was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2004.

An oft- and lazily-repeated 2015 Financial Times article called her body of work “an essay in discretion on inward-ness and silence.” The beginning of the quote is headily and obnoxiously overwritten. Come on: an essay in, or an essay on, pick one. And discretion might abide by an adjective (hushed or sly discretion, e.g.), but not if it’s already in service to another noun. (And honestly, wtf is up with the hyphen in inwardness. Huh?) Lemme edit. Anges Martin’s art is a discretionary essay about (or assay at) inwardness and silence.

I agree, and relate to both in both positive and negative ways. The former? I’m thoughtful and quiet. The latter? I’m self-directed/centered and uncommunicative. So I have a music blog, which feeds both sides. What’s the LN tag line? It’s not we write, you read. That’d be gross. It’s we write, you listen. Descriptive, not prescriptive. I’m mostly out of that equation, unless you pause long enough while you’re scrolling through these dumb intros for the important stuff. Which, why? I do them because it’s fun (to me) to mess with words. Skip the words, hear the sounds.

Like these. The New Sounds from October…

More soon.

JF

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[considermycat]

1970s futurism ftw. This car really needs Elliott Gould to step out of it en route to unmasking a sinister corporate plot to replace American children’s brains with computers.

Also:

Same energy.

[johnpornjones]

all questions you havnt answered yet

Alright ! Let’s go, then ! :D Thank you for asking :)

1. Favourite Riff? I have 3 : Achilles Last Stand by Led Zeppelin, Burn by Deep Purple, and Sunshine Of Your Love by Cream

2. Favourite Guitar Model? I replied already, and it’s here

3. Favourite Musical Decade? 1960-1970 & 1970-1980

4. Favourite 60s Band? The Beatles

5. Favourite 70s Band? Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who

6. Favourite 80s Band? The Cure, The Police

7. Favourite 90s Band? Nirvana, Scorpions

8. Favourite 2000s Band? Them Crooked Vultures

9. Favourite Album? Houses Of The Holy by Led Zeppelin

10. What was the greatest year for music? Mid 60′s, all the 70s

11. Fenders or Gibsons? Fender

10. Favourite Guitarist? David Gilmour

11. Which side of the Atlantic (Britain or America)? Both

12. Rosewood or Maple Fretboards? Maple

13. Greatest “1 album” bands? Derek And The Dominos

14. Crosby, Stills or Nash? Crosby

15. Favourite Rolling Stone? Brian Jones

16. Favourite Guitar Solo? Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd) : I mean, this is insane. David Gilmour FTW

17. Who have you seen live? Robert Plant

18. Greatest modern blues/rock guitarist? Joe Bonamassa

19. Favourite drummer? John Bonham, Keith Moon, Nick Mason & Carmine Appice

20. Favourite Bass Player? John Paul Jones, John Entwistle & Paul McCartney

21. Favourite Keys Player? Keith Emerson & Rick Wright

22. Favourite Male Singer? Robert Plant

23. Favourite Female Singer? Stevie Nicks

24. If you could own one famous guitar? David Gilmour’s Fender Strat ♪♫

25. Favourite Beatle? George Harrison

26. Favourite Singer Songwriter? Neil Young

27. Electric or Acoustic? Both, but I’d say Electric

28. Dylan, Electric or Acoustic? Acoustic

29. Band you wish would/could reform? Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd

30. Top 3 dead musicians you wish you’d seen? John Lennon, Brian Jones, David Bowie

31. Most underrated guitarist? Reply here 

32. What would your first piece of advise be to new guitarists? Never ever try to learn Stairway To Heaven before knowing how to play properly. I can tell you it’s a very hard song.

33. Big venues or small venues? Small

34. What posters are on your walls? One poster with all famous guitars, the other is my Led Zeppelin poster, from Earls Court

35. Vinyl or Digital? Vinyl

36. Most Overrated Guitarist? Sorry Jeff Beck. People will not love me after this.

37. Which song do you wish you’d written? Money by Pink Floyd

38. Which concerts do you wish you’d seen? Jonesy’s concerts (Of damn course),Neil Young concerts, Robert Plant’s SSS concerts (even tho I’ve seen one, in 2015), Eric Clapton’s concerts, Joe Bonamassa’s concerts

39. If you met your hero what would you say to them? I will blater a lot about how much I love this person I consider like a hero

40. Flatpicking or Fingerstyle? Fingerstyle

41. Open tunings, yay or nay? YAY, defintely YAY. 

42. Favourite classic blues song? Boogie Chillen by John Lee Hooker

43. Pick a King, Freddie, BB or Albert? BB King !

44. Who’s the most influential guitarist? Rory Gallagher

45. If you could play any song? Hotel California by The Eagles

46. Who’s music has taught you the most? Led Zeppelin

47. Best cover of a song? Stairway To Heaven by Heart

48. If Clapton is God then who’s Jesus? David Gilmour

49. Why did you start playing your instrument? Because I wanted to learn Beatles songs, inspired by George Harrison (my debuts are totally forgottable and crappy)

50. Favourite Eagle? Joe Walsh

51. Favourite Les Paul Player? Jimmy Page

52. Favourite Stratocaster Player? Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour

53. Hollow bodied guitars, yay or nay? YAY

54. What youtube comment really bugs you? The one’s which says that John Paul Jones is gonna die on stage soon because he’s too old (really happened)

55. Best person you’ve seen live? My frend Geordie, who love Rory Gallagher and David Gilmour… Also, Robert Plant

56. Best musician’s autobiography you’ve read? I’ve read any… lol

57. Band you’d most like to see? Iron Maiden

58. Favourite Stones’ Album? Their Satanic Majesties Request

59. Favourite Beatles’ Album? Rubber Soul, Revolver, The White Album, Abbey Road

60. Favourite Eagles’ Album? Hotel California

61. Favourite Led Zeppelin Album? II, III & Houses Of The Holy,

62. Favourite Led Zeppelin Member? John Paul Jones ♥♥♥

63. What band do you not listen to enough of? Queen. 

64. What band is your guilty pleasure? Them Crooked Vultures

65. What is your opinion of (insert bandartist)? Jimmy Page : I don’t like some things on him, I really adore his guitar playing, his riffs, but not his personality. Sorry Jimmy.

66. What is your opinion of (insert guitarist)? Brian May : I LOVE THIS GUY

67. Beatles or Stones? Beatles

68. Clapton or Hendrix? Oh shit… I’d say Hendrix

69. Favourite ex-yardbird? Eric Clapton

70. Favourite driving song? Band on The Run by Paul McCartney & Wings, Drive My Car by The Beatles, Highway 1 by Them Crooked Vultures, Turn It Up by Robert Plant, Ramble On by Led Zeppelin, Life In A Fast Lane by The Eagle

71. Favourite Cream Song? Crossroads

72. Jack White or Dan Auerbach? Jack White

73. White Stripes or Black Keys? White Stripes

74. What bugs you the most about your favourite artists? Roger Waters personality. Sorry Rog, but…

75. Is Blues dead? NO

76. Who would be in your ultimate band? I have two : Bass: John Paul Jones

Keyboard : Keith Emerson

Drums : John Bonham

Guitar : David Gilmour

Singer : Freddy Mercury

Or Bass : John Entwistle

Keyboards : Richard Wright

Drums : Ginger Baker

Guitar : Eric Clapton

Singer : Robert Plant

77. Who do you wish had collaborated on a whole album? John Paul Jones (him again, lmao)

78. Favourite cheesy but brilliant song? Royal Orleans by Led Zeppelin (lmao)

79. Favourite love song? My Love by Paul McCartney (go listening to this true wonder)

80. Greatest solo career? I think of Paul McCartney here.

81. Which musician have you learnt the most from? Jimmy Page

82. Worst musician’s autobiography you’ve ever read? I didn’t read any of them, sorry.

83. Best greatest hits album? Queen, Mothership (L.Z), Neil Young…

84. What song is stuck in your head? Spinning In Daffodils by Them Crooked Vultures (Them, again lol)

85. What song makes you cry every time? Wish You Were Here

86. Telecaster or Stratocaster? Stratocaster

87. SG or Les Paul? Les Paul.

88. Favourite Telecaster Guitarist? Jay… Whoops, no, no Just kidding ! Keith Richards.

89. Favourite SG Guitarist? Angus Young

90. Favourite Firebird Player? Joe Perry

91. What’s the most unusual guitar you’d buy? A gibson Flying V probably

92. What’s your earliest classic rock or blues memory? I started listening to The Beatles first, I was literally in love with George Harrison, and I started playing guitar at 14 (oh well, that was really shit) then Pink Floyd & Led Zeppelin just break through my life. At first I was in love ith Jimmy, but for some reasons, I just love how he sounds and his guitar playing, but that’s all. I don’t hate Jimmy, but I don’t love him either. 

Jonesy and Robert are my baes from L.Z, just as David & Rick are  my baes from Pink Floyd

93. Best music documentary you’ve seen? I’ve seen a lot, but it’s mainly Pink Floyd related.

94. Best live concert video you’ve watched? Pulse by Pink Floyd, also Them Crooked Vultures at Fuji Rock 2010

95. What band t-shirts do you own? I have a Pink Floyd shirt, a Jimmy Page shirt, a Beatles shirt and a Led Zeppelin shirt

96. Own anything signed? Uh, no…

97. Do your parents like this music? My mom, not really his thing, but she does respect and appreciate when I play. My Dad got the same music taste as me.

98. Where would you most love to play a gig? I’d prefer to play a gig in small venues first so, I don’t really know, but my favorite place is located in Germany, during Summer’s Sundays only, it’s called  Sonntags ans Schloß.

99. If you could attend one festival? Woodstock

100. What’s the thing you last learnt on guitar? Un Autre Monde by Téléphone (French rock band)

[dcvw]

Wearing a 1970 Seiko 6139-6011 "Bruce Lee" SpeedTimer automatic, with original SpeedTimer-signed bracelet today #ftw www.dcvintagewatches.com @dcvintagewatches #womw #watchesofinstagram #watchfam #wristgame #watchoftheday #DC #LA #SoCal #redbarcrew #DCVW #wis #edc #instawatch @brucelee @ronnychieng #fratellowatches #wotd #klocksnack #GoAnalog #seiko #vintageseiko #Japan #seikoholic #seiko6139 #seiko6139fifty #seikoaddict #watchesforsale #seikobrucelee #omega #heuer #DCVWsourcedeposit https://www.instagram.com/p/CHEXmwsLgH_/?igshid=dbenq17c770f

[lostlonelylotus]

To be honest, I always thought that it kind of came through. Granted, I myself identify as asexual (demisexual, actually) but I always felt like there was a definite romantic bond (though, personally, I would not say love) between Jo Grant and the Doctor...mainly on Jo’s side. Like, there’d be moments where the Doctor felt something too, but I always got the impression that (at least for Three) his sense of romantic feelings were far less traditional than the “norm”. 

But why can’t we have it both ways? Romantically involved but not sexually. Because I don’t doubt that the Doctor loved Jo, but I love the idea of Three being demi or ace and them having to work around 1970s sexuality models and the Doctor trying to explain that “You’re really quite tremendous, Jo, and...I care for you a great deal. I might even want to kiss you sometime, my dear, but I’m afraid that what I feel for you might not be enough. I don’t experience sexual attraction in the way that you do. But, please, don’t assume that means that I do not possess, ah, more tender feelings for you.”

Mixed orientation relationships, ftw.

So this is a gif