#It was very cathartic for me to buy the ticket and go to the concert

[kingkangyohan]

Jackson Wang Magic Man in London

12/01/2023

[fabiopaninaro]

Don't know why i'm writing this, maybe it could be cathartic, maybe it could help me find some other friends here.

Don't know why i'm using all these photos to write this post.

It's been ages since I last posted on this platform, and it was about a completely different subject.

Nothing wrong with that, of course. but my tumblr's nickname is based on that very person, so it's strange to change all of a sudden.

I've always felt a particular connection with music. It helped me through a lot: when I was being bullied at school for my weight, when nobody wanted me, when everything at university seemed to be falling apart.

But i've always been a little bit reluctant to try new singers and bands. That's when my friends came to stop this habit of mine.

They sent me photos of this fella right there in these photos, and I was like "ok, he's hot but does he make good music?". It turned out that yes, he makes good music. But I was only listening to 2 or 3 songs, so I didn't really had that much to judge.

But my friends, who are big fans of The 1975, practically forced me to buy a ticket to go to the SATVB Tour in Milan. It would have been an occasion for us to reunite (I live in Turin, they live in Milan and we don't see each other that often now that we work). So we bought tickets like a year ago and almost forgot about it.

The day of the concert was coming and honestly, I was feeling a little bit under the weather because of some things that were happening in my life last month. I had to drive for an hour and half (back and forth) to go there and I was alone in the car. Tiredness, money, time: everything was worrying me.

But I went anyway. Just to see my precious friends.

I started to study the setlist some days before the concert, just to shout some other lyrics rather than the only ones I knew. I was stunned by the verses, the words they used, the voice Matty has and the melodies the band uses in their songs. I went to the concert not knowing what to expect, maybe one of the usual concert I went to.

But boy, was I wrong.

Singing those song was liberating. I took some videos and then I tried to enjoy the rest of the show. Sometimes I was just admiring the stage, admiring Matty and how well he performes and owns the scene. My friends was like: "are you still on this Earth?". That was the right question, because I felt like I was being moved to another dimension where just the band and me were there. Nobody else existed.

I was unthinkingly worshipping Matty.

In the next days, I also recouped all the interviews, claiming that it was just to "practice my listening skills with British accent" - I work in an English private school and I've studied foreing languages at university. But it wasn't just that, ofc.

That's how my "obsession" started lol

All this wall of text to say that I need to make friends here. Because I noticed a lot of wonderful users that 1) write ff so beautifully 2) are so damn funny 3) have my same interests 4) helped me with my obsession lol

Since I'm new to this fanclub, I would like to chat with somebody who could explain me all the inside jokes or all the memes that sometimes I find on IG. And why not, practice my English as well.

My inbox is always open!

Love ya all.

-B

[ear-worthy]

Spotify: "Discover This” Podcast Explores Korean Music Beyond K-Pop

In recent years, South Korea has become the seventh-largest market for music globally and can be heard every day across television, movies, video games, and more.

The wildly popular K-Pop group BTS were one of two artists to sell half a million copies of an album in the U.S. in 2020, selling 674,000 copies.

Spotify has released the newest episode of its original podcast series, “Spotify: Discover This” — a show aimed at sharing fresh insights on music, podcasting, cultural moments, and trends — amplified in a way only Spotify can. In this episode, listeners head overseas to South Korea to explore Korean music genres beyond K-Pop, including Korean Hip-Hop, Rock, OSTS and R&B.

Korean-Canadian singer, JUNNY joins host, Lea Palmieri to speak with Korea’s biggest artists across a variety of genres, including Yoon Mirae, TIGER JK, Jay Park, pH-1, Sam Kim, Since, CHOIZA, and Gaeko.

The episode also includes commentary from Korean music critic, Kim Youngdae and Spotify Korea’s Managing Director, David Park. Lea and JUNNY unpack various topics with their guests, including the origins of their genres, their steadily increasing fandom, the importance of playlisting, and what listeners can expect moving forward.

This episode is available in both English and Korean. You can listen to the English episode here and the Korean episode here.

Please see below for interview highlights in the episode.

Yoon Mirae on what Hip-Hop meant to a younger generation of Koreans in the late 90s. “I think for us, hip hop represented freedom — the ability to express ourselves, especially back then because there was no hip-hop and music was pretty much about either breaking up, or love, and nobody ever talked about certain issues that related to the youth. So it was something that was very important for us, and cathartic for us to be able to talk about the issues that were concerning us at that time and that age.”

TIGER JK on influencing Korean hip-hop in the 90s. “When we first started hip hop, we had to go out and hustle on our own by looking for clubs that had open mics. Some booed and hissed, but some also applauded. Rappers do what’s called a “cypher.” And there, we did freestyles, rap battles, and performances.”

Jay Park on the differences between K-Pop and Korean Hip-Hop. “For idol groups, there’s a blueprint and system that exists for them. They get trained, enter a survival audition show, and debut. Then, as they get more fans, the sales increase too. So there’s this recipe for them. But it doesn’t work that way for hip-hop. There is no specific recipe for success in Korean hip-hop. K-pop has become so popular that even in America people of all ages know BTS or BLACKPINK songs but Korean hip-hop still has a long way to go. For K-Pop, they have their outfits, hair and make-up, choreography, and music videos. So even if they don’t know the lyrics, they could still enjoy it. But for Korean hip-hop, lyrics are everything. Unless you’re Korean, it’s hard to relate to the lyrics…So they tend to include stories or experiences that only Korea can offer.”

pH-1 on Korean Hip-Hop fandom. “It’s interesting because even the fans of Korean rappers kind of behave like K-Pop fans. They’re very passionate and they show a lot of support, either mentally or financially, that would buy us lots of gifts, create photo cards, celebrate our birthdays by, you know, like throwing special birthday cafe events, buying multiple copies of our albums or concert tickets and etc. And it’s nice. We’re very grateful.”

Since on developing stage presence by appearing on the Korean television program “Show Me The Money.” “Sweating profusely. Because it’s me on stage. I have to show myself jumping around and having so much fun, so that the audience can enjoy it more. I really think I should be using all my energy to have fun while performing.”

Sam Kim on the artists who inspire his sound and desire to make Korean R&B music. “I mostly dabble in soul R&B because that’s what I grew up listening to, you know, Brian McKnight, you know, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross. But I like to experiment. I’m not much of a rapper, but I love rapping. I love hip hop. And just in general, I think my base and my foundation is definitely in Black music.”

Spotify Korea’s Managing Director David Park on what listeners in South Korea can expect this year. “What excites me the most is that Spotify here in Korea is still at an incredibly early stage, and we’re only at a starting point of taking abroad Korean music, its artists and the culture, merging this into this borderless global music and content ecosystem. The prospect of enabling talented Korean artists from other musical genres to discover new audiences worldwide is precisely why I feel lucky working in my current position. We’re truly excited for what comes next.”

Gaeko on Spotify’s KRown playlist and keeping up with trends. “We need the playlist as well because we don’t know all Korean hip-hop songs. So it’s nice that it summarizes what’s trending.”

It’s abundantly clear that Korean music in various forms has influenced the U.S. and world markets. This episode can explain why and where music in Korea is going in the future.

[unfocused-overwriter]

Diving into the tragic backstory...

Well, it had to come up eventually. I’ve long decided that Diego went through some really crappy stuff (twice), and while it’s been sowed throughout the whole book so far, I’m only now going into detail.

I personally hate angst if the whole story is about it. But in small doses, I find it very cathartic to write. And luckily, it only gets that angsty in the backstory. It’s actually most of his character arc finally to come to terms with it, move on and live happily. Maman still wants to give her baby a hug.

Here’s an extract for you:

From chapter 23

"So you had something for me?"

He bites his lip to try and keep the smugness of his smile at an acceptable level, and digs into his bag to pull out an envelope. I take it and open it nervously, because I have absolutely no idea of what can be in there. It takes me a moment to really understand what I pull out. It's a black ticket, with, in orange and purple, the logo I know so well of Rings of Jupiter, and the place, and the time.

"I thought they were sold out," I mutter for myself.

"Not when you know the right people," he explains, satisfied with himself.

"Caleb, I can't accept that," I declare, nervously shoving it back into the envelope.

"Why not? What's wrong with it?"

"It's way too expensive!" I shout-whisper at him. I know, by now, that he doesn't really have a sense of reality in that regard.

"It's okay!" he assures me, raising his hands. "It's a gift!"

"Yes! That's the point!"

"Come on... Look, I'll be honest with you, okay? When you asked me if I knew them, I didn't. Like, at all. And since you've made me listen to Breathe For Life, they're literally all I'm listening to. Almost. I want to go, I know you want to go... Mary's coming too. Come on! Just think of it as a late or early birthday present."

I pull it out again. That is... incredible. I've never been to a concert, I mean, a real concert with tickets and production value. But this is way too much. The price is at the bottom. They're not Beyoncé, but still... It's not something I could buy on a whim. And it's definitely not something I can casually pay back.

"My birthday's in August," I mechanically correct. Either way, we couldn't be farther apart from it.

"Then half-year birthday, who cares?"

"I care. I can't pay you back. I mean, you've been at my place. You know I'm not exactly as well-off as you."

"That's what this is about?" he says with an unimpressed raise of the eyebrow. "You've been tutoring me for free for like, three months or something. Think of it as payment if you really hate presents that much."

I hesitate for a minute. I hate handouts. But at the same time, I'm holding the key to seeing Spencer June live in my hand. And the others too, of course. But I'm content with their voices and instruments. This is about actually seeing Spencer June instead of googling his gorgeous face which may or may not be my phone background.

"Okay," I almost squeak, taken by the thought.

[my-job-is-to-fangirl]

I went for my first ever concert this April in Bangkok with two of my best friends (Nabi and Bunky, as mentioned in my other Bangkok posts). I am still not over the fact that we actually went, and it’s been four months. I just thought I’d make a blog post because I think I can handle looking back at the videos now without hyperventilating. (edit- I couldn’t.)

Anyway, I will talk about everything in detail- the ticketing process, the days leading up to the concert, and the day of. Also, my ‘favourite moments’ list went on and on so I stopped after a while. Let’s begin! I hope this is slightly helpful at least, and if not, enjoy the video! xD

TICKETING We found out that they were having a concert in BKK in October and began the process of badgering our respective parents to let us go, and in my case, to come with us on the trip. Everything worked out pretty soon and we couldn’t handle our excitement. Then we remembered how hard it would be to get the actual tickets. We prepared ourselves for the worst, obviously, and I had my mom tell me practically everyday ‘don’t be disappointed if you don’t get tickets okay, you can try later’.

The tickets were going on sale in December, and I think we religiously prepared for the ticketing process for a good week before ‘the day’. I don’t think we slept the previous night, I have butterflies in my stomach even as I’m typing this that’s the sheer amount of anxiety we had about it. We all had notebooks with seating charts and which seats to aim for and everything ready. 

The morning of the ticketing, we were up by 6:30, ready with laptops and the webpage open (thaiticketmajor.com). And of course, our notebooks, a pen, and water to last us the hours ahead. Oh, most importantly, we had credit card details written down too. There would be a very tiny window to finish payment, assuming we got tickets. We were on a conference call, dying in anticipation. I had my aunt, mom, dad, and grandfather all walking around the house, probably thinking ‘these kids are mad’. They all helped though, they were my hype-people, giving me food and saying ‘have hope’ xD

It took forEVER to enter the damn website, and once we did, we had to wait in line. We also had other friends on the conference call to help us out- THANK YOU ALL, and all we said for hours was ‘my man moved!!’ (you’ll see in the picture below what I mean). We all used multiple browsers, and for me, Safari worked magic. I got in line at about 8 I think, and finally got into the website at around 9:45. We were on the website from 7 though, refreshing and waiting for it to open. I don’t know how mine was fast, we all got in line at the same time.

Once I reached the end of the line and entered the website properly, there was a lot of screaming in my earphones. ‘STAY CALM YOU CAN DO THIS WE NEED THESE TICKETS.’ I went through, picked seats that were close enough (after about a minute of deliberation, we didn’t have more time than that), and waited to see if it would go through. I think I had to change seats thrice because they were booked by the time I clicked on ‘select’, but we unknowingly got great seats (more on that later). My aunt was sitting ready with card details so we went ahead and paid!! Again, there was a lot of screaming. I think we all went silent for a few seconds just taking it in.

This is what it looked like in the beginning. The man kept walking and taking the green line with him.

Now, the next three months, we kept counting down and planning our trip, it was so much fun researching where to go and what to eat at the 7/11’s (okay that was mainly me). Buying and figuring out what to wear at the concert, listing places to shop there, what to do on the day of the concert- our priorities.

THE MORNING OF 7.4.19 My parents obviously didn’t come for the concert, but they spent that day taking care of us and giving us food because we were so excited, it was like having an out-of-body experience, I swear. We got up by 6:30, got ready (not in concert wear, because the concert was in the evening, and we were going to come back to the hotel after collecting the tickets because it was quite close by to the venue), ate breakfast and went to the venue. We walked around a little bit to find the stalls for tickets. We were greeted by posters of each of the members and a HUGE one of all of them with the concert details.

This is the clearest one I have.

We were sitting in line in the sweltering heat, but thankfully it didn’t take too long, we were early and there weren’t that many people.

  We didn’t know it would be that hot, we didn’t have anything to cover our heads with. Anyway, we got our tickets pretty quickly and then stood in line for army bombs. They give you a sheet with all the merch and you have to select everything you want so it becomes easier. We just got those, got them synced to our respective seats, and then got Fanta xD they were selling giant cups of ice with whatever flavour of Fanta, we all got strawberry. I don’t know why, but I felt the need to include that detail. We then went and got small fans outside on the street. We saw 90% of the people holding fans and we thought ‘oh we can take the heat we’re from India’, but god no we needed them. [Random shoutout to the really sweet girl from Indonesia I stood in front of in line for the army bombs :D] While leaving, a random girl was coming to each of us and saying ‘sorry, please take this’, and I thought it was a pamphlet or something, but it was a cute Hobi sticker ㅠㅠ The concert experience had officially begun xD

EVENING We left at around 4 to go to the venue, the concert was at 7. Adventure time (not the show)- We were in the cab on the way, and the cab driver stopped somewhere and started to talk to us in Thai. We kept telling him we needed him to speak in English and finally, he told us we had to get down there. Google maps showed that we were almost 2 km away from the venue, we thought we could walk, but there was traffic for as far as the eye could see, and we’d get all sweaty and disgusting. While we were contemplating what to do, there were a lot of guys wearing traffic vests (I am so sorry I don’t know what they’re called) and one guy spoke into his phone and showed us google translate, it said we had to get out here and cars weren’t allowed past the point because of traffic. They said they’d drop us on bikes to the venue, and after seeing a lot of other girls going, we decided to go too. This was honestly one of my highlights of the trip, it was so much fun, and such a good initiative.

ANYWAY. We went in and were ogling all the people there, MAN they dressed so well. We saw a queue in the middle somewhere and thought we had to go for the bag check so we joined in. IT TURNED OUT TO BE A GIRL GIVING OUT A FREEBIE. We were so happy with it. We walked around, joined a lot more queues, we couldn’t be stopped, it was too good to be true. We collected so many freebies, and the quality of the photocards and whatever they gave was so so so good, it was unbelievable that people were just giving them out for free. That’s how nice Army’s are :’))))) Here are all the freebies I got.

the first freebie we got, its a sticker :’)

this was for us to place our ticket in the centre, we didn’t :p

love this one.

the other side of the card above. the quality of this card is amazing

kook postcard!

the girl who gave this to us is friends with honeyjoonie94 we were so excited!

this girl told everyone to take two Jin pictures each I love them

the Jikook and Vkook ones were literally packaged in plastic covering, look at the dedication :’)

all together now, lets say thank you armyyyyyy.

Where all the queues were happening.

our beautiful tickets :’)

Army time :’) We were so lucky to get a banner with lyrics from Moonchild, it made it extra special ㅠㅠ

Standing around for a little more, we finally went inside the stadium. I’m not kidding, we all almost cried just entering the place.

LOOK AT IT I MEAN CAN YOU BELIEVE IT

There’s not much to say about the actual concert other than they were amazing, we’re still not fully convinced they’re human, anyone who says they’re not good live, please show this to them for proof that they exist on a meal of their own CD’s. That’s how good they are. BTS has been such a huge part of my life for the past two and a half years, only armys will understand how happy we get when we see them or listen to them. They really are something else, and something so different from usual artists, they never, ever fail to make me smile.

Best moments (in no particular order) in bullet points because otherwise, this will get way too long:

1- Love. Screaming 사랑 사랑 사랑 was the best thing ever, I will never forget the army bombs making purple hearts in the crowd. 2- Yoongi in the glorious red suit for Seesaw + his choker later on. 3- Serendipity- Jimin sitting on the stage like a baby. My friend who isn’t even army watched the clip and said it made her so happy :’) 4- I DON’T KNOW NAN MOLLA. 5- Them walking towards our side. We were shocked by how close our seats were, we had no idea. And we could see them up so close ㅠㅠ 6- Tear. That’s all. 7- Chanting Jhope for Just Dance. We screamed it for a long time and you could see the surprise on Hobi’s face, it was adorable. 8- The fact that we actually got to see Run and I Need U live is insane. 9- Baepsaeeee. We wanted this medley solely for Baepsae. If you know, you know. 10- Euphoria. I feel like Koo and yellow army bombs together were perfect :’) 11- Singularity. Unreal ethereal out of this world beauty of Kim Taehyung cannot be explained. 12- Epiphany. Singing ‘I’m the one I should love’ felt cathartic. I put a nice long clip in the video. 13- Ours being the last concert of the Love Yourself tour was a blessing. 14- Jimin’s adlibs in The Truth Untold. 15- Mic Drop red cult+dance break+Yoongi. 16- Anpanman. This was one of the songs I was most excited for because they’re always so chaotic. 17- So What. I never listened to this song much, but after seeing it live, I love it. It brings back memories of just so much energy and the rush of being there. Also fake ‘mist’ that was apparently water. 18- Army time with Love Myself+confetti. 19- Seeing 50,000 people on the streets all waiting for cabs. I had to include this because it was just so fun xD 20- The number of freebies we got I LOVE ARMIES. 21- Curly hair JK. YEAH WE GOT TO SEE OUR 90’S HEARTTHROB LIVE. 22- The rain. The rain that did certain wonderful things. Again, if you know, you know. Just look up Namjoon pictures from that day, you’re welcome. 23- Tae speaking Thai was the cutest thing ever. 24- Fire dance break. 25- FANCHANT. I was living for it. 26- Army bomb. Just buying it and having it in my shelf now. What a feeling. 27- Large cups of iced Fanta. yes, it’s a highlight for me. 28- There was this girl who screamed ‘Park Jimin, ULJIMA’. An icon. 29- Seeing armys all over the city felt like some weird dream. Honestly from the minute we landed, they were everywhere. In the airport, in the hotel (there were about 60 armys in our hotel), on the streets, e v e r y w h e r e. 30. Going to an actual BTS concert was a dream of ours for two years and we were lucky enough that everything worked out in the end. I couldn’t be happier. I haven’t sung in like 15 years, but I did that day. And the next time I sing will be at another concert, I hope, only in the presence of 50,000 people who truly love these boys. It was a surreal experience, and what made it even better was going with two friends who mean so much to me.

[In conclusion- this is what I wrote the day after our concert in my journal- ‘Joon is poreless. Hobi is everything. Tae is beauty. JK is baby. Jimin is angel. Yoongi is pale. Jin is ethereal.]

Okay bye. I’m glad I finally made this post. Now enjoy the video! I made a video with all the clips, the individual ones are huge and not viewable. I had to upload it on youtube because I thought it wouldn’t upload here. Anyway, you have two options now :p

Love Yourself.

  Post (BTS) concert depression is real ㅠㅠ I went for my first ever concert this April in Bangkok with two of my best friends (Nabi and Bunky, as mentioned in my other Bangkok posts).

[walkingmiracle]

Isn’t it said that getting your feelings out is cathartic? Let me try to put into words the roller coaster of emotions that the past 2 days have been. Even if it is largely into the void. First of all, to the 13 people that currently follow me: HI! I’ve spent my time in the OUAT/CS fandom 100% passively scrolling through content and enjoying every minute of it immensely. I’ve amassed a following list of 346 blogs that have increased my enjoyment of OUAT and kept me more invested in the show than I otherwise would have been.

Highlights of the rest of this post when it gets long (I know me) in case you want to skip the long version

1. Jen’s announcement rocked me hard, harder than I thought it would. I kept thinking I’d have more time to jump into this fandom actively when the show was still on. Guess that’s not happening now, at least not the when the show is still on part. I’m taking it as a sign to just randomly start engaging with those that I follow over the summer and see where that takes me.

2. The news also spurred me to yell “CARPE DIEM” very loudly at nobody in particular and buy a Gold Pass to the OUAT Con in NJ in October, where Jen and Colin are currently both set to appear. Also bought a duo photo op with them. The thought that I would miss a chance to see these two actors who I enjoy so much when nothing is really stopping me from going proved to be too much yesterday. So, if you happen to see this post and either are going yourself or know somebody that is, send me their way! Special thanks to @alexandralyman for being a dear and answering my questions on her post about the con she’d just been at.

So, it’s no understatement that going to work yesterday morning after seeing Jen’s post was rough. I don’t think I’ve ever reacted this badly to what is essentially to me a cancellation. We’ll see what ABC actually does soon enough, but to me it’s simple: no Emma/JMo=no more OUAT. She was why I gave it a shot right away in the first place, flouncing my usual rule to wait a season before giving a show a shot in case it gets cancelled (I’ve been burned too many times). The only time I was active in a fandom was One Tree Hill back on good old Fan Forum. And there I gave up on the show and fandom before the show itself ended, so this is the only time I’ve been in a fandom when a show ends.

Though my fandom experience this time has been 100% passive, I’m not joking when I say it was still involved. For at least the last two seasons, if not all 3 that I’ve been living in my current apartment, I’ve plopped down on the couch on Sundays when the show is on with my tablet in hand, refreshing and reading people’s liveblogs, flailing over everything in my own space. It’s gotten to the point where I’ve reserved the hour after the show exclusively to sit and look at reactions, gifsets etc. Over the summers I’ve earmarked the day the show’s SDCC panel has been on to do the same over any bit of news/video etc coming out of there. To think I’ll be doing this for the last time next Sunday breaks my heart. It’s become a comfortable routine.

I was straight up sad all day yesterday at work. It’s a miracle I got anything done. I never, and I mean NEVER go on Tumblr while at work, but I broke that rule yesterday, I had to keep checking in to read other people’s reactions, to IDK, feel less alone in how devastated I was feeling? I also got a bit introspective, realizing what an amazing time in my life this show has been with me though. I was sort of rudderless when the show started, had just finished my undergrad, but had a very vague idea of what I wanted to do after that. Other than I wanted to go to grad school in the US. But I still had the task of finding a program I liked and actually get in. I was in a grad program at home that I’d signed up for but my heart wasn’t into. In hindsight I never should have persisted with it for as long as I did, it just made me feel down. So latching onto Emma’s story in that first season was great. Then by February I was accepted into a grad program, and Operation Move to Massachusetts was on!

I find it hilarious now to think that I only got around to buying a TV in my apartment around the time OUAT came back for Season 2. Enter Killian “Captain Hook” Jones, and I knew I was dunzo. CS owned my heart from that moment on. But more than that, he and Jen also. This was also new for me, shipping a ship that, say what you will about what others thought originally, I KNEW they were destined for each other. Endgame. My OTH OTP had been very much not that canonically, and other ships on that show had been less intense for me, though fun at the time.

It was really through the fact I was busy with grad school and stuff that I defaulted to being a passive observer of the fandom. But I’d like to think I chose the right people to follow. I only even started on Tumblr right after Season 2 ended. I don’t even remember what brought me into the light. And following grad school came work, which has been just as busy if not more (I’m finding that the 9-5 lifestyle does not always agree with me). I’m loving it, don’t get me wrong, but there are moments and quirks I could do without. I’ll continue to adore Jen and Colin and follow everything they do. While Jen’s decision still stings, I also understand her on a deep level. In her announcement she talks about wanting to be closer to people that she cares about, it seems having been “owned” for 13 years has taken its toll on her. I’ve been away from my family for almost 5 years now minus that one summer in between semesters (which I spent mostly working) and a recent three months recovering from an accident, and I know I feel like I’ve missed out, and miss them all dearly. So to imagine that for 13 years (yes, she’s gone home every so often for short stints, but so have I, know the feeling) I completely see where she is coming from. She had a fork in the road career wise, and chose to go right in stead of left.

Another feeling that was kicking around in my heart all day yesterday was regret. More specifically, regret that I haven’t had the chance to see these people in person at cons. I never had even the faintest option of doing that back when OTH was on, but to now have the means and opportunity to do so, and to have wasted it? Inconceivable. I thought back to why in the world I hadn’t even tried to get NYCC passes last year. Thought I’d have another shot. Missing out on SDCC passes two years ago had a new hurtful ring to it, knowing I wouldn’t ever get to experience it (if I ever do) with my favourite show attending. Why couldn’t they have come closer to me? Whippany felt so out of the way, impossible to swing even for a weekend. Then I looked and saw one Gold Pass seat just sitting there, in a relatively good spot, just waiting for me. Decisions, decisions. I ended up buying the pass and flight and reserving the hotel when I got home from work.

Ultimately I thought back to last November, when I made another long standing dream come true and saw my favourite band of all time Evanescence in concert in Atlantic City. That was their small tour’s only weekend stop anywhere near me. I got a VIP ticket, was front row center and loved every minute of it. Not even 10 days later I get hit by a truck walking to work. My injuries could have been so much worse than they were, I even avoided surgery, but it necessitated the 3 month recovery at home I mentioned. Thinking that I could have died without ever seeing my favourite band when they were that close to me and I had the means to make the trip down...eye opening. So it is in that same spirit that I thought to myself “CARPE DIEM” and pulled the trip together. If either of them break my heart by cancelling their appearance there at a later date I’ll just have to deal with it then. For now I have something to look forward to and that’s a good thing. I didn’t start feeling better about the news of Jen leaving until I’d done that. Also, I’m about to buy the Killian Jones and Dark Hook Funko Pops on Ebay to compliment the Emma and Hook I already own. Always meant to buy them too, eventually. No more waiting.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for sticking with me. If you know anyone going to NJ in October, or are yourself, hit me up with a message! I’ll be flailing about it on here plenty I’m sure.

[jesusonacid-blog]

A Book Of F.B. Ranting. Random Facebook postings Jesus DeAcido Hate is cathartic! Being mere near powerless individuals, hatin' on Trump (for good reason) and expressing same (usually with humor, but with a little venom it's betta) provides psychological relief through the open expression of such strong emotion. But if screaming at everyone about how superior you are for not hating anyone gets ya off, go for it! Be your own personal Jesus! Then we can crucify you, or sumthin'. ;) -----Jesus DeAcido Actually it should be %90, like what it was when America WAS Great. ;) I'm serious. For no one actually paid %90. 'Cause they kept their money in their businesses or invested in one (thus not taxed at that rate) instead of liquidating assets. Then they'd expand operations and that created JOBS! Which was GOOD! We had the highest standard of living in the World, and the rich still got rich! Actually RICHER! More productivity, more consumers with more disposable income equals HUGE profits! Average people could buy homes and cars and only one person need work outside the home, as well. People that rail against higher taxes for the "Elites" are simply under-educated and/or brainwashed.-------Jesus DeAcido There have ALWAYS been those that will suck the King's Cock for Favor. And, of course, out of guilt, those same Cum Stained Chin Muther-Fuckers insist we ALL guzzle the mouth wash of disdain of which they gleefully partake! Yet I boldly say..."No thank you, Sir!". "Rim Me, Young Masters and Mistress, I say!" "Eat'est mine ass, Dainty Tits!"................Jesus DeAcido If anyone deserves hate, it's Trump. And it's not blind hate, it's real and based upon reality. He's attempting to destroy the United States! He's a rapist, as well. (at minimum his wife AND a 13 year old sex slave) Perhaps the word should be despise? Now, if YOU want to be a "Hey, Hitler was nice to his dogs" type, go for it! But don't expect others to be so blindly accommodating. BTW, "Hate Group" should be a designation for ignoble and illogical (i.e. racist, etc) organizations. And seems you are doing the Trumpian "there are good people of both sides" argument with it's use. "If your religion or politics require you to bend over while others suffer, you need a new religion or politics." ................ Jesus DeAcido As a kid I was a little head banger (MC5 to Black Sabbath, etc) but this one time I won two tickets to a Temptations/Supremes concert (musta been '72 0r '73) the ONLY reason I went was this song! I love this song! Anyways, The Supremes were NOT good on my ears, but I loved the entire Temptations set! I was hooked! A school friend and I were the ONLY Whites in the place, BTW (that I could see, at least) and EVERY Brutha and Sista was so nice to us. I guess they figured we were "good ones". (we were, of course) ;) One funny situation was when two Bros in full Pimp Regalia were "arguing" about who was prettier (better dressed). One was in all white, with white fringe trim, white bowler hat. Even a white cane. The other guy was in different shades of purple with a purple cowboy hat and purple feathers on top. My friend and I needed to get by them to get to our seating entrance so I politely said "Excuse me!". The guy in white said "Of course, my little brother!" so I thank him. And then, while passing, I turned and exclaimed to the crowd assembled "The guy in white is prettier!". They all bust out laughing, and the guy in white gave me a fist bump. Fun time! In more ways than one. ------------------ Jesus DeAcido I'd say that it's kinda dumb either way. Unless there is some actual redeeming value to doing it, which would be a rather hard hurdle. BUT it could happen. As for "(it's) not meant to make either look lesser than", I'd have to point to the fact that such depictions usually include actions or affects that was parodies of the race they are depicting. For instance, the Black actors made up as White Girls did exaggerated depictions of both Women AND Whites. Which was pretty bad. The sin, IMO, is that it wasn't funny. Robert Downey Jr. playing the White guy pretending to be Black was doing much negative Black stereotypes as well. That movie was funny though. ;) And there was some modicum of a point to it. L.O. doing Othello held no innately racist stereotypes or exaggerations. And the Black Face is but topical. The character is a Moor. I think it's, as always, the INTENT mixed with actions. I'm sure that you are bringing this up due to Gov. Northam being called upon to resign (I apologize if that isn't the case). Well, I believe that that IS an overreaction. The year AFTER Northam did that the movie Soul Man came out! (illustrating the mindset of the time) And anyone remember Gene Wilder in Silver Streak? Now THAT was pretty bad, but it wasn't back then! (well, maybe SOMEONE complained, but I never saw it) Anyways, and again, I believe it's all about intent AND actions. And the intent may be right, but the actions may not be. We should just stop it. We have evolved. For if doing it hurts anyone...that's reason enough to not do it. And it's not necessary. (even when playing Othello, for we all know he was Black) Sorry for going on so long, BTW. -------------------------------- Jesus DeAcido Dewey Rai Lineberry I agree. I'm a professional Comedy Writer, BTW. And I'm not Politically Correct. I'm just Correct! (jez kidding) ;) I CAN hold two or more opposing ideas in my head at the same time though, so I can see where most people are coming from (on both sides) and the reasons they feel certain ways. I can relent on certain comedic takes IF I get a reasonable account of why I should tread lightly. If only because I'm a nice person, and I don't intend on hurting anyone (well, except for people that deserve it) Again, as for Northam, THAT is P.C. Gone Wild! (although his waffling about the issue is pretty fucked up) I believe people should be able to do whatever they fuckin' want, in the case of Free Speech, even if it's disgusting and/or stupid. BUT if ya Speak Freely, albeit abhorrently, expect others to return fire, VERBALLY. For that's the way it should work. Oh, and Political Correctness is NOT an exclusively Liberal attribute, of course. Conservatives have their own versions. Try burning your OWN American Flag, or say something pro-Socialism, or take a knee, or protest Police abuse. They get as warped as any tree-hugger...and they'll often kill ya for it! Or you'll lose your job, like Kaepernick did. ............................ Jesus DeAcido Time for some True Love! Like yo' Dad gave! Like yo' Mom gave! Some "No! You can't do that!" about the Head and Shoulders! TRUE LOVE! -------- Thinking upon Grunge, haven't you all noticed that "Grunge" ain't/wasn't a sound? SEEMS it started as a Uniform. The Pendletons and Levis, and a graphic Tee Shirt. Just NOT the Glam! It was anti-Glam. Actually, it was what my friends and I wore forever! The MUSIC was everything! Every sound! Akin to the 60's, IMO. The only REAL "Grunge" was Mother Love Bone/Pearl Jam. That's about it, past that: Soundgarden...Metal! (at least at first) Alive In Chains...started as Glam! Nirvana...PUNK! (think about it!) Blind Melon...Hippy? Melvins...Noise Rock STP...Rock Toad The Wet Sprocket...Mellow. Mazzy Starr...? Here's more on this. ------- Jesus DeAcido shared a link. 11 hrs Now, I'm sure that this will start arguments of if Rap/Hip Hop is Rock & Roll or not, but lets assume the positive, but we can argue the point if ya like (I just offer this so as to affirm that I'm not trolling). Personally I believe it is. Anyways, to the point... Anyone here like/appreciate Rap/Hip Hop? And who/what type is your fave? Myself, I find the new stuff unlistenable. (It's not very heavy OR lyrical, IMO) I like Old School and especially Gangsta Rap. ;) (And I liked a lot of the "Nu-Metal" back in the day) I have to qualify that I like all genres of music. IF it's any good. BTW, to the haters...you do realize that Frank Zappa was a Rapper, right? ;) "BOOM! Blowin' da minds of the people that be illin'. But I be here psychopath chillin'!" ------ Jesus DeAcido Seriously though, people have a right to shave their heads if the hair is getting weird lookin'. And it feels GREAT! No need to insult or infer motives beyond personal preference. Do I scream and yell about you always shaving your less than ample bag sack until it bleeds? NO! Of course not! ----------------