#Johnny Boy Soprano

[missjaystone]

Clean Slate

Kinktober Day 3: Infidelity/Breeding

Summary: Johnny wants to start over again, this time with you. Pairing: Giovanni ‘Johnny Boy’ Soprano x Reader Word Count: 1,400 Warning: Gray! Johnny Soprano, unprotected sex, cheating, dubious consent to breeding.

This fic is a bit morally gray, but it’s a MSON/Sopranos fic so, y’know.

A/N: I do not know what happened here. One of those ‘it went better in my head’ type of deals like my other works.

You were in the middle of washing your dinner dishes when your front door slammed open. Mumbled swears filled the room when it was just as quickly slammed shut. "Everything okay, Johnny?" You call with a hum, putting the last few dishes out to dry before meeting him in the living room. "Fuck do you think?" He snapped rhetorically, frustratedly trying to undo his tie. "What happened now?" You asked as you swatted his hands away from his neck, gingerly untying the fabric. "Did Dickie fuck something up? Tony get suspended again? Livia-" You started listing off the usual suspects for his frustrations, only for him to stop you with a frenzied kiss before saying anything else about his wife. "I don't even wanna hear her fuckin' name right now." He growled. You nodded and started unbuttoning his shirt, discarding the fabric as soon as you were done with the last button. "I'm fuckin' sick of that woman," he spat as he watched you kneel in front of him, making quick work of unbuttoning his pants and pulling them down to his knees.

"What'd she do this time, baby?" You asked softly as you kissed his clothed thigh. "Gave me a fucking headache like she always does." He growled, watching with rapt interest as you finally pulled his boxers down, a small sigh of relief leaving his lips when you finally took him into your hands. "I'm sorry, Johnny." "We were just trying to have a nice fucking dinner with Dickie and Joanne and she wouldn't stop being a raging bitch." He complained, groaning quietly when you took his tip into your mouth. His head fell back, and a sigh fell from his lips as he relaxed the further you took him in. "Good girl." He mumbled as you started slowly bobbing your head on his length. Part of you perked up at the small praise, getting comfortable on your knees. One of your hands rested innocently on his thigh while the other began to lightly play with his balls. Another groan escaped him as his hand tangled in your hair, holding your head in place as he started fucking into your mouth. "Good fuckin' girl." He groaned, somehow tightening his hold on your hair as he bucked his hips faster, reveling in the sounds of you gagging on his cock. "Always know just what I need." He muttered, mainly to himself as his hips slowed some while he started to think.

When his hips started to stutter, he quickly pulled you off his cock, accidentally sending you sprawling backward some. "Bend over the counter, bella." He ordered, holding a hand out to help you up off the floor. You nodded and quickly did as he said, looking back at him over your shoulder when he pulled your night shorts down. One of his hands started massaging your ass while the other took his length into his hand. You arched your back some when you felt his tip prodding your entrance, your head falling some at the little resistance he faced as he slowly entered you. "That's my girl, so nice and tight." He mumbled. "You're sweet little cunt was made for my cock, wasn't it?" He coos before his hips meet yours, finally bottoming out. He stayed there for a moment, letting you get used to him like he always did. A firm slap to your ass made you jolt up some "answer me, princess." "Y-yes! I was, Johnny!" You said quickly. "Good girl." He said, soothingly rubbing the stinging area on your cheek where his hand collided. Slowly, he drags his hips back and thrusts them back forward. He worked up a slow, steady pace, savoring the little moans and whimpers you made with each drag of his hips.

"You know what I want more than anything in the world, bella?" Johnny asked, leaning over to press a kiss to the shell of your ear. "Hmm?" You hum in response, eyes slightly fluttering open. "I want a good, perfect little wife who'll do whatever the fuck I say without arguing." He husks, nipping your earlobe as his hips moved faster. His hand fell to your clit, pinching the small bundle and cutting off anything you were going to say to him. "And I want children I can be fucking proud of," he hissed, his pace gradually growing more erratic. "Johnny," You moaned out, panting slightly as the coil started to tighten. "I want a clean fucking slate and you know what, bella?" He hummed, sucking and biting until a nice hickey was left on the crook of your neck. In your pleasant, cock drunk haze, you could only hum in response. "You're gonna give it to me." He growled.

"J-Johnny!" You mumbled, clarity slowly coming back to you as his words processed in your mind. "Shh, you'll be perfect, baby, I promise." He coos, leaning over you to keep you firmly in place over the counter as he drove his hips into you with a force. "You'll look so fucking beautiful nice and full, cara, so fucking perfect." He husked, his hips again beginning to stutter as his release quickly approached. "But Johnny-" You objected. "I'll take care of both of you, princess, don't you fucking worry about a thing." He swore and the moment you felt the spring in your belly break, your objects stopped with a loud moan of his name. His body holding you against the counter was the only thing that kept you from falling when your knees buckled. He buried himself as deep as he could before his orgasm hit, holding your hips in a bruising grip as he rode it out.

When the bliss of your orgasms washed away, Johnny carefully picked you up and sat you on the counter. He smirked to himself as he inspected the mess between your thighs. "Johnny..." You mumbled nervously. He looked up at you and gently cupped your cheek "don't worry, princess, nobody's ever gonna give the next Mrs. Soprano shit." "But what about-" You argued and he cut you off. "I will take care of everything, princess. Don't you worry about a fucking thing." Without giving you more time to argue or fight him, he carried you to the bedroom and carefully laid you out, grabbing a pillow to put beneath your hips. "We'll start fresh, cara, and this time, I'll do shit right." He swore, planting a kiss on your inner thigh with a grin. He slowly kissed up to your navel, his lips lingering just below your belly button for a minute. "Keep yourself like this for a bit. I'll be back tomorrow." He said. True to his word, he came back the next day and the following day, staying the night every few nights.

A couple of weeks later, when you both got the confirmation you were indeed pregnant, he gave you a ring and a promise: you'd be married before the baby got there. You'd all but forgotten about his wife and children in the meantime, too caught up in helping him with various things to get ready. Reality came to smack you upside the head when, six and a half months after that first night, Livia came into the department store you worked at with some of her friends. "Look at you, dear!" She said when she noticed you organizing one of the displays. She immediately pulled you into a tight hug, her gushing over your situation turning to white noise as guilt filled your mind. "Who's the lucky man, dear?" She asked again, regaining your attention. "Just this man I met named Francis." You lied through your teeth, feeling your blood pressure skyrocket. "Well, he better fucking treat you right. You know my Johnny's trying to get me admitted to some looney bin? The balls on this fucking man." She complained. "I'm sorry, ma'am." "Oh please, calling me ma'am makes me feel so old, I come here enough just call me Livia." She says. "I'm sorry, Livia." You say softly, offering a small, sympathetic smile. You weren't just apologizing for his behavior, you were apologizing for your own, not that it'd make a difference in the slightest. At the end of the day, you were still fucking her husband, you were still carrying his baby, and you were still one reason their marriage would be ending, whether or not she knew any of that.

Tag Team: @bdffkierenwalker​

[ghastlyfilters]

masterlist:

SCREAM

general (including characters such as stu macher, billy loomis, randy meeks, mickey altieri and roman bridger)

— HCS I HAVE FOR THE SCREAM BOYS THAT I CONSTANTLY THINK ABOUT !!

— how the scream characters would react to their s/o who has pets! (headcanons)

stu macher

— camping with stu macher and the scream gang x fem!reader (headcanons)

nothing yet!

billy loomis

— billy loomis x embittered/easily irritated reader (headcanons)

— BETRAYAL; after being attacked by the masked killer lurking around woodsboro, the reader now suspects her boyfriend billy has some involvement.

randy meeks

— TRAIL OF TEARS; when the aftermath of a bad breakup hits him hard, randy seeks for comfort through the reader.

mickey altieri

— friday movie nights with mickey!! mickey altieri x GN!reader (headcanons)

roman bridger

nothing yet!

THE SOPRANOS

general (including characters such as, tony soprano, christopher moltisanti, silvio dante, paulie walnuts (gualtieri), adriana la cerva, bobby baccalieri, johnny sack, and perhaps a few other memorable characters! at this point, i actually don’t mind writing for any character in general)

— A DEATH FORETOLD; tony soprano is informed of a grave loss within his crew.

nothing yet!

christopher moltisanti

nothing yet!

tony soprano

nothing yet!

bobby baccalieri

nothing yet!

adriana la cerva

nothing yet!

THE GODFATHER

michael corleone

nothing yet!

GOTHAM

general (including characters such as jeremiah valeska, jerome valeska and jim gordon)

— the valeska twins dating a witch s/o!! (headcanons)

jeremiah valeska

— SPEAK SOFTLY LOVE; you have a rather breathtaking dance with jeremiah after seeing his most loved mafia flick ever. the godfather.

nothing yet!

jerome valeska

nothing yet!

BOARDWALK EMPIRE

general ((i’ll happily write for any boardwalk character atp))

jimmy darmody

nothing yet!

al capone (stephen graham’s portrayal, not the real al)

— AIN’T THAT SOMETHIN’; imagine al deep down feeling insecure about his scars, and his girlfriend telling him how truly beautiful she finds him with them.

— YOUR BUDDY MISSES YOU; whilst al’s health is declining in alcatraz, he begins to think of his beloved son after a familiar little tune begins to play.

gyp rosetti

nothing yet!

lucky luciano

nothing yet!

owen sleater

nothing yet!

richard harrow

nothing yet!

SNATCH

tommy

nothing yet!

turkish

nothing yet

TRAINSPOTTING (1996)

general

nothing yet!

francis begbie

nothing yet!

mark renton

nothing yet!

sickboy (simon williamson)

nothing yet!

spud (daniel murphy)

nothing yet!

CHARACTERS I MAY START WRITING FOR

tony montana (scarface)

(more jeff goldblum characters most likely)

PLENTY OF CONTENT IS ON THE WAY!!! :D

[the-only-trans-sopranos-fan]

the sopranos characters favorite fnaf animatronics

-tony: obviously freddy cuz he doesn't know anything abt it, aj talks aht it all the time and he beats the shit out of him whenever he mentions it

-aj: when he was a kid, i think he found chica hot :( but kind of in an ironic way, so if his friends asked he would say chica cuz she's hot but i think his real favorite is foxy i think cuz he's like a huge nerd abt video games and he's like woahhh fox is the only one that has a moving sprite in the first game and yada yada, also i think he pretends to understand the lore but he is so confused and has no idea what's going on, however later on when he matures and becomes more of a dick and starts to have mental issues, he related to michael afton for obvious reasons, also the nightmare animatronics scare the shit out of him

-carmela: she thinks the whole thing is creepy and she's doesn't like that aj likes it so she says she likes none of them to try and discourage him from playing it

-meadow: i think she likes roxane wolf and thinks she's a girlboss

-paulie: thinks he's different for liking golden freddy, even tho he only knows the lore from like the first 3 games

-silvio: circus baby, his daughter talks to him abt her back story and he like actually thinks it's insane

-janice: puppet, bc she sees herself as the helper and like the "glue" holding her family together even tho she does nothing of the sort

-bobby: at first, he doesn't like any of them bc there's no trains in fnaf, but i think he kinda gets into the mechanics of how the animatronics work so i think he likes the endoskeletons

-big pussy: he cosplays funtime freddy

-uncle junior: he thinks it's dumb and thinks it's turning everyone into furries, but he secretly thinks music man is cool, he gets called mr hippo by aj all the time and he doesn't know what it means but it pisses him off

-christopher: he's actually rly into the series and thinks monty gator is the coolest thing since sliced bread, i think he has a secret cosplay account

-adriana: obviously glamrock chica, her and chris do joint cosplays together and she actually thinks they're super fun

-vito: he is got super into sister location and still hasn't moved on to learn the lore of the other games, i think he can't decide between liking funtime foxy or ennard and he has a crush on funtime freddy sorry i don't make the rules also christopher like keeps telling him to get into security breach but he just hasn't yet but he thinks monty gator is hot

-ralph: he just likes making fun of all the animatronics and says his favorite is balloon boy to piss ppl off

-furio: springtrap, he just thinks he's cool looking

-johnny sack: withered bonnie, just based on looks tho he's not into the lore

-artie: every time he's asked what his favorite animatronic is, he tries to think of a more obscure one like shadow bonnie or the blinking heads in sister location or some shit, and everyone gets annoyed and stops asking him and he gets sad, he learns all the deep lore and like reads the books and shit to try and impress ppl

-phil: he thinks fnaf is for losers and says it's gay but he likes the cupcake just cuz i think that is silly

-tony b: he's like normal abt the lore and just plays the games normally but he thinks mangle is cool and likes the design, he lets aj talk abt the lore to him

[rysko]

stalked ur profile and noticed the fandom fave ask games, Peaky Edition?

OHOHOOHOH YESSS-

This is going to be difficult. Am i allowed more than one character per category??? (also tytyty for the ask muah muah)

(tagging @red-riding-wood because i know you love these)

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

Listen, if you've been on this blog for more than five seconds, this will be no surprise. It's Luca, that goddamn fruit bastard<3

The moment he lifted that hat and spoke in his tony-soprano-meets-the-godfather-esque voice I knew I'm going to be obsessed but HOLY SHIT. The brainrot, it's on another level.

And Arthur, oh Arthur...

Most tragic character in the whole show, so full of love, hate, anger, EVERYTHING. He's as entertaining as he is tear-worthy, and theres no scene with him i dislike. Baby...baby boy...

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

ARFAAAAAAA-

Again, everything i said above. I want to make him soup and hug him, then maybe hiss at Tommy (selfcare)

AND CURLY

He makes me kick my feet, and his scenes with May make me wish he had more screen time. I need him to give me a tour of Small Heath. I'd die a happy man.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

MY LOVE

MY BELOVED

ABERAMA GOLD

His death made me actually cry (i still don't see it as canon shhh), he was my favourite since he appeared in season 1 and has been my obscure love ever since (still want to write something for him, but i have so much stuff i need to write first)

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

Johnny Dogs!!! My dude! My man! My silly little horny guy!

I want a compilation of him. I want to drink some booze with him and for him to tell me shitty life advice that I would NEVER actually implement.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

DOES NOT DESERVE THE SHIT SHE GOT.

Y'all cannot handle nuanced/flawed female characters and it shows. Linda has my heart. I love hypocritical Catholics, we are not the same.

Live, laugh, love Linda <3

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

Tommy.

This man. He deserves nothing more. I love him, but i also want to see him suffer. That's Tommy Shelby, i want him covered in his own blood, in a mental breakdown, screaming, crying, throwing up.

Im mentally sane btw.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

We don't like nazis in this house, not only am i sending him to superhell, I'm shooting him first and throwing salt over where the body was. I LOVE his actor to death, but my 1. History obsessed 2. Polish ass has always had a personal vendetta against pre-war western fashos

*spits*

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"WE USED TO PLAY AS A TRIO BEFORE GRAHAM GOT THE ORGAN, WITH JUST ALTO SAX, GINGER AND ME."

PIC INFO: Spotlight on a group portrait The Graham Bond Organisation (GBO), British jazz/rhythm and blues group of the mid-1960s. This photograph was later used as cover art to the band's second studio album, also released in 1965, "There's a Bond Between Us."

L to R: Ginger Baker (drums), Jack Bruce (bass guitar), Graham Bond (vocals, keyboards, alto-saxophone), and Dick Heckstall-Smith (tenor/soprano saxophone).

PSYCHEDELIC BABY MAGAZINE: "Can you tell me briefly about how you hooked up with Graham Bond, Dick Heckstall-Smith and Ginger Baker to play in Alexis Korner’s band?"

JACK BRUCE: "Well, I’d sat in with Dick’s band at a May Ball in Cambridge, and then he spent a long time looking for me and when he eventually found me he said I should come and audition for Alexis. This was the original band with Cyril Davies, Dick, Alexis, Johnny Parker and myself. This was the most settled line-up, where Ronnie Jones off the US bases would sit in with us. Then Graham joined. That’s how it all started."

PSYCHEDELIC BABY: "What was the reason you guys broke away from Alexis’s group?"

JACK BRUCE: "I came in one day and Graham handed in my notice for me. He resigned Ginger and me. (much laughing from both Jack and me). I didn’t speak to Alexis for years after that, but that was the kind of guy Graham was. I was just a kid really, I was only about 19."

PSYCHEDELIC: "How responsive were the audiences to this new R&B group?"

JACK: "We used to play as a trio before Graham got the organ, with just alto sax, Ginger and me. That was enjoyable. Then we became just about the hardest working band in the country. We used to open loads of clubs, like the Hanley R&B club in about ’65 or so. But it was just the kids that used to come and see us and they’d just go crazy. We were funny looking too, we weren’t just some boy band."

Sources: www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2019/10/jack-bruce-interview.html & Sophology 101 (blogspot).

[the-malewife-ever]

its 5am. i am very tired. i do not want to go through and pick out all the best responses when i have a test today. so what youre getting now is:

every single character that was submitted [unless i didnt feel comfortable adding them to the data]

^ this includes:

- i didnt feel comfortable putting them in [they are a kid is the most likely answer]

- they break the rules

and goodnight everyone im going back to bed you get your pairings later today. feel free to demand your malewife be in the pairings in the notes of this post all you want but be nice

and sorry to the ppl checking the tags in the search bar for ANY of these characters

read more because we got 301 and then some submissions:

The Top Submitted Characters:

Crazy Dave [Plants Vs Zombies] - 14

Kazuki Kurusu [Buddy Daddies] - 8

Hero [Omori] - 8

Saul Goodman/James McGill [Better Call Saul/Breaking Bad] - 7

Tatsu [Way of the House Husband] - 7

Thoma [Genshin Impact] - 7

Laszlo Cravensworth [What We Do In the Shadows] - 5

Percy de Rolo [Critical Role/Vox Machina] - 5

Ron DeLite [Ace Attorney] - 5

Brett Hand [Inside Job] - 4

Puss in Boots [Puss in Boots] - 4

Sanji [One Piece] - 4

Spamton G. Spamton [Deltarune] - 4

Got 3 Or Less Votes:

9 [9 (2009)]

Adrian Graye Vernworth [The Owl House]

Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir [Miraculous Ladybug]

Alador Blight [The Owl House]

Alistair Theirin [Dragon Age]

Andre Legris [Innocent/Innocent Rouge]

Asgore Dreemurr [Undertale]

Axel Summers [Lemon Soda and Coffee (Webcomic)]

The Baker [Into the Woods (1991)]

Bandit Heeler [Bluey]

Barry Draxum [Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]

Beacrox Molan [Lout of the Court’s Family]

Benny [Fallout: New Vegas]

Bilbo Baggins [The Hobbit]

BJ Hunnicutt [MASH]

Bob Belcher [Bob's Burgers]

Briefers "Brief" Rock [Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt]

Brock [Pokemon]

Bruno Buccerati [JoJo's Bizzare Adventure]

Bruno Madrigal [Encanto]

Calculester Hewlett-Packard [Monster Prom]

Caleb Wittebane [The Owl House]

Cardan [The Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black]

Cecil Palmer [Welcome to Night Vale]

Chakotay [Star Trek Voyager]

Charlie Kelly [It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia]

Chisaki Kai (Overhaul) [My Hero Academia]

Chris Pearson [Dan Vs.]

Chrom [Fire Emblem Awakening]

Clay Rockridge [The Sexy Brutale]

Colin Robinson [What We Do In the Shadows]

Connecticut Clark [FlorkofCows/The Saga of Clark]

Cove Holden [Our Life: Beginning & Always]

Cyclonus [Transformers (IDW1)]

DaLey Vigil [The Great Ace Attorney]

Daniel Cain [Re-Animator]

Darius Deamonne [The Owl House]

Dedue Molinaro [Fire Emblem Three Houses]

Dick Grayson [DC Comics]

Dick Gumshoe [Ace Attorney]

Do Hyun Soon [Flower of Evil]

Ed [Our Flag Means Death]

Eddie Munson [Stranger Things]

Elliott [Stardew Valley]

Faria [Thrilling Intent]

Flex Mentallo [Doom Patrol]

Fox Mulder [The X-Files]

Fukuo [Kiki’s Delivery Service]

Furio Giunta [The Sopranos]

Gao Yizhi [Iron Widow]

Garmadon [Ninjago]

Garry [Ib]

Geto Suguru [Jujitsu Kaisen]

Gilbert Nightray [Pandora Hearts]

Gomez Addams [The Addams Family]

Grover Underwood [Percy Jackson Series]

Hannibal Lecter [Hannibal]

Harrier du Bois [Disco Elysium]

Hazama Masayoshi [Samurai Flamenco]

Heinz Doofenshmirtz [Phineas and Ferb]

Herlock Sholmes [The Great Ace Attorney]

Hordak [She-Ra (Netflix)]

Howl Jenkins Pendragon [Howl's Moving Castle]

Hugh Neutron [Jimmy Neutron]

Hugh Test [Johnny Test]

Ianto Jones [Torchwood]

Ignis Scientia [Final Fantasy XV]

Ingo [Pokemon]

Izzy Hands [Our Flag Means Death]

Jake Sully [Avatar]

James [Pokemon]

Jason Todd [Batman]

Jesus Christ [The Bible]

Joel Hammond [Santa Clarita Diet]

Johnathan Harker [Bram Stoker's Dracula]

John Silver [Treasure Island (1988)]

John Watson [BBC Sherlock]

Jonathan Byers [Stranger Things]

Kaiden Alenko [Mass Effect]

Kai Satou [Your Turn to Die]

Kaito [Vocaloid]

Kakashi Hatake [Naruto]

Katsuya Serizawa [Mob Psycho 100]

Ken [Barbie]

Kermit the Frog [The Muppets]

Kim Dokja [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint]

Kim Gongja [SSS-Class Suicide Hunter]

Kingsley [Papa Louie Games]

Kisuke Urahara [Bleach]

Klavier Gavin [Ace Attorney]

Kojiro “Joe” Nonjo [Sk8 the Infinity]

Laurance Zvahl [Minecraft Diaries]

Lazarus Bleeze [The Hex]

Leon [Pokemon]

Lestat de Lioncourt [Interview with the Vampire (TV Show)]

Lieutenant Columbo [Columbo]

Light Yagami [Death Note]

Link [Breath of the Wild]

The Lobby Boy [The Hotel Podcast]

Loid Forger [Spy X Family]

Luigi [Mario Franchise]

Luo Binghe [The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System]

Mac McDonald [It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia]

The Man in the Yellow Hat [Curious George]

Manolo Sanchez [The Book of Life (2014)]

Mario [Mario Franchise]

Marshall Eriksen [How I Met Your Mother]

Marvin [Falsettos]

Mendel Weisenbachfeld [Falsettos]

Me [The Mod]

Michael [The Good Place]

Miles Edgeworth [Ace Attorney]

Min-Gi Park [Infinity Train]

Minato Namikaze [Naruto]

Momo [Stray]

Mr. Mime [Pokemon]

The Narrator [The Stanley Parable]

Naven Nuknuk [Epithet Erased]

Oliver Queen [DC Comics (Green Arrow)]

Olruggio [Witch Hat Atelier]

The Onceler [The Lorax]

Palamedes Sextus [The Locked Tomb]

Paper [Inanimate Insanity]

Peeta Mellark [The Hunger Games]

Percy Jackson [Percy Jackson Series]

Peter Nureyev [The Penumbra Podcast]

Preminger [Barbie: Princess and the Pauper]

Qifrey [Witch Hat Atelier]

Quirrel [Hollow Knight]

Ramsey Murdoch [Epithet Erased]

Randy Valentine Jade [Dialtown]

Redd Rockridge [The Sexy Brutale]

Reigen Arataka [Mob Psycho 100]

Ronaldo [The Vampire Dies in No Time]

Rouxls Kaard [Deltarune]

Roy Mustang [Full Metal Alchemist]

Ryoji Kaji [Neon Genesis Evangelion]

Ryuuji Takasu [ToraDora!]

Samwise Gamgee [Lord of the Rings]

Sasuke Itachi [Naruto]

Satan [Puyo Puyo]

Satoru Gojo [Jujitsu Kaisen]

Seven [Zero Escape]

Shinya Fujikawa [Corpse Factory]

Sig Curtis [Full Metal Alchemist]

Silco [Arcane (Netflix)]

Sojiro Sakura [Persona 5]

Sokka [Avatar: The Last Airbender]

Soldier [Team Fortress 2]

Spirit Albarn [Soul Eater]

Spongebob Squarepants [Spongebob Squarepants]

Steve Harrington [Stranger Things]

Steven Grant [Marvel]

Suoh Tamaki [Ouran High School Host Club]

Sword Boyfriend [Transistor]

Tanjiro Kamado [Demon Slayer]

Thomas Sharpe [Crimson Peak (2015)]

Tohru Adachi [Persona 4]

Tom Wambsgans [Succession]

Travis Matagot [Campaign Skyjacks]

Tsukasa Jinguuji [Fabiniku (Life with an Ordinary Guy who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout)]

The Tumblr Boyfriend [Tumblr]

The Twelfth Doctor [Doctor Who]

Tyrell Wellick [Mr. Robot]

Vanitas [Vanitas no Carte/The Case Study of Vanitas]

Vash the Stampede [Trigun]

Victor Nikiforov [Yuri on Ice]

Waymond Wang [Everything Everywhere All At Once]

Whizzer Brown [Falsettos]

William "Spike" Pratt [Buffy the Vampire Slayer]

William “Dex” Pointdexter [Check Please!]

Yeza Brenatto [Critical Role]

Yoo Joonghyuk [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint]

You [The Voter]

Zagreus [Hades]

[phoenixwatchesmovies]

Phoenix's Favorite Films

No special occasion, or anything. I just realized it had been awhile since I thought about this. Calculated based on my metric of "happy it's starting vs bummed that it's over" (which translates loosely to Biggest Feels), I give you the top twelve!

The Shining (1980)

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future. - dir. Stanley Kubrick

Perfect Blue (1997)

A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past. - dir. Satoshi Kon

The Secret Garden (1993)

A young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to England after living in India all of her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings, and its secrets. - dir. Agnieszka Holland

Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron. - dir. Peter Jackson

Dirty Dancing (1987)

Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle. - dir. Emile Ardolino

Hard Candy (2005)

Hayley's a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff's a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff's place. Jeff thinks it's his lucky night. He's in for a surprise. - dir. David Slade

The Princess Bride (1987)

A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love. - dir. Rob Reiner

Labyrinth (1986)

Sixteen-year-old Sarah must solve a labyrinth to rescue her baby brother when he is taken by the Goblin King. - dir. Jim Henson

The Lost Boys (1987)

After moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires. - dir. Joel Schumacher

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life. - dir. Wes Craven

The Lion King (1994)

Lion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself. - dir. Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

A young soprano becomes the obsession of a disfigured and murderous musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opera House. - dir. Joel Schumacher

Synopses yoinked from IMDB, and no yelling from me this time. I'm saving that for later! :D

[blubushie]

can u recommend a sea shantie? i need more sea shanties for the soul

Leave Her Johnny. But specifically the one from Assassin's Creed 4, because the melancholy voices of the choir is just incredible.

Additionally, Hoist Up The Thing by the Longest Johns. This song came out a week before the Akuna docked in Darwin the final time and I disembarked, so I didn't get to hear it while I aboard ship, but the "not knowing how to do anything" joke was exactly me when I was still aboard her, and listening to the song gives me a strong nostalgia for my time at sea when I didn't know how to do anything and had to be taught by the older fellas around me.

Fire and Flame is about the Halifax Disaster, again by the Longest Johns.

Have you noticed a trend of me enjoying this band?

We sang a long of songs on the Akuna, but maybe a quarter I don't know the name of because they were assorted blackfella songs that weren't in English (maybe half the crew was black, including the captain) and I didn't know their lyrics and had to sing by sound.

The Akuna is also where I first heard And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, which the crew sang for me after they'd learnt I was a drover before I was a linesman. Ernie, her captain, was a Vietnam vet and was a bit emotional when the crew sang it. I learnt this song VERY quickly and would lead the singing of it after.

Speaking of singing, I was asked to sing a lot, since my singing voice is soprano, so I sound like a girl when I sing. And these men have been at sea most of their lives, and we didn't get radio out there, so they liked listening to me sing.

Other songs we sang were Santiana, Off to Sea, Wellerman, Old Maui, Shores of Botany Bay, Bound For South Australia, I Was Only 19, The Wild Colonial Boy, Along the Road to Gundagai, Took the Children Away (some of the blokes aboard were part of the Stolen Generations), Home Among the Gumtrees, Fields of Athenry (which I was encouraged to sing), and Moreton Bay. We went heavy on the bush ballads.

When I sang, it was usually Fields of Athenry, Danny Boy, a LOT of song by Celtic Woman but most were songs from Endless Ocean (the Wii game) because I knew those best, Green Fields of France, etc. I sang a lot of war songs by request, a lot of blackfella songs if I knew the lyrics, a lot of Irish ballads, and a couple of English ones (Scarborough Faire was popular).

My only regret was that I disembarked when I did and didn't spend more time aboard.

[woozapooza]

The Sopranos: The Verdict

Wow. That was a show. A very good show. Very cynical and depressing, very funny and endearing.

Early on, my impression was that the show was sort of poised between episodic and serialized storytelling. But ultimately, one of my favorite things about the show ended up being how continuous and coherent a story it told. Characters remain relevant long after they die. Lines spoken in season one are deliberately echoed in later seasons: in the pilot, Carmela tells Tony that he’s going to hell, and in “Whitecaps” he throws that back in her face; in the season one finale, Tony tells his kids to “remember the little moments like this that were good,” and in the series finale AJ reminds him of that advice. I love stuff like that. It makes the story feel so alive. 

Favorite character: without a doubt, Dr. Jennifer “Toodle-Fucking-Oo? What the Fuck Was That?” Melfi. I love her dedication to her work; I love her stubbornness; I love her professionalism; I love when her attitude gets in the way of her professionalism; I love her composure with her patients; I love how fiery and messy she can get when she’s not with her patients; I love her emphatic way of speaking; I love her thrill-seeking streak. I love her moral compass. She doesn’t always heed it, and you can disagree with how it’s calibrated, but it is calibrated nonetheless. Am I mixing metaphors? Can you “calibrate” a compass? Whatever. I love her. I could go on and on about her, and I will do so in future posts (for example, I WILL be making a post about The Blue Comet at some point because oh boy do I have thoughts about that episode), but to wrap up this bullet point: she’s one of the greatest characters I’ve ever met. 

Second favorite character: Christopher “I’ve Been Totally Fucking Ostrafied” Moltisanti. Nearly everyone on this show gives glimpses of who they could have been if they’d grown up in a different environment, but in few characters are those glimpses as tragic to me as they are in Christopher. He has a great capacity for violence and recklessness and selfishness, and the life he’s lived has nourished these traits, but there are many signs of who he could have been. There’s his passion for screenwriting. There’s the fact that, however briefly, he considers running away with Adriana in “Long Term Parking.” There’s his fight against addiction, which might be the most impressive effort anyone on this show makes to change for the better when everyone and everything around them is dragging them down.

Third favorite character: It’s gotta be Tony. It’s just gotta. He’s despicable, but he’s not evil. If he was evil, the show would be boring and pointless.

Johnny Sacrimoni is a serious contender for fourth place, and I don’t even know why. I just couldn’t get enough of him.

It’s hard to rank the characters because almost all of them are just SO fantastic in one way or another. The one main character I just didn’t care about was Junior. He just wasn’t interesting to me. But his last scene still made me really sad.

In my mind I have a small canon of Dynamics, which is the word I use for relationships that are (1) extremely important to both the characters and the story and (2) too complex to be given a simple label such as friends, enemies, lovers, coworkers, etc. I am officially declaring Tony and Dr. Melfi a dynamic, so congratulations to them. Tony and Christopher are something very close to a dynamic as well, though they’re disqualified due to being family. (I have a bunch of arbitrary rules for what counts.)

Two most confusing things about the show: 1. The interstate mob politics were often hard for me to follow. 2. There were soooo many characters, I could never keep them straight. I actually have no idea when certain major characters made their first appearance because it took me such a long time to learn their face and name.

I hope Carmine held on to his realization that happiness is worth more than power. He could be the one person to actually change their life. I hope he’s thriving. I hope he’s got more films under his subspecies. 

EDIT: One thing I forgot to say: I don't think I ever cared about a single one of Tony's mistresses.

I could have used less gratuitous nudity, especially since it was almost always women. Honestly, the gender disparity was more annoying than the gratuitousness. Either the women shouldn’t have to take their clothes off so often, or the men should start pulling their weight!

Overall grade: I really, really wanted to give this show an A+. Even after it moved my beloved Melfi to the sidelines, I was still going to put my personal feelings aside and give it an A+. But then in one of the show's few instances of clumsy storytelling, it fumbled her last episode, and I can’t excuse that. It's possible one day I'll forgive it for its sins and bump it back up to A+, but for now, it gets an A.

[every-single-day]

Well you’re in for a treat (I’m sort of any of this sounds weird or like I’m crossing a line-I don’t mean to sound creepy since it seems some of the fans are…yeesh.)

First off Alan’s Great Expectations at the beginning took me OUT-then Brody being like “you should sing that”-I don’t know why that was funny to me but it just was. But it was a little too relatable when he started talking about moving to Georgia because I had a huge move when I was 8 or 9 (forgot what he said) cross country so I kinda related to the “not knowing where to fit in” bit. It was kind of funny to me too how he seems to have a very…specific memory? I’m not finding the right words but he remembers so many hyper specific things (His teacher who asked him to sing a solo wearing a yellow sweater, his uncle getting him a Darth Maul action figure at Burger King like those are SUCH random and hyper specific memories and it honestly kind of just makes him a little more relatable? In a sense? But the fact he said “boy soprano” was jus funny to me (Also I will not ignore the “for sureski” thing because that was beyond random lol) Also the fact that he had quit singing for a few years simply because he made some grown men cry like that kinda just made me feel bad haha

I remember being a socially awkward teen too so hearing him talk about that kind of gave him that extra dimension. I kind of took solace in the fact that he was also able to be vulnerable and get into darker topics-I’ve dealt with similar issues and it made me see him in a different light almost? Not in a negative way at all, just in the light that here’s a guy who’s letting himself get vulnerable on a podcast because I do know there’s that stigma and double standard around men being vulnerable and it’s nice to see that he’s able to get real like that. It made me feel so awful for him honestly, especially when he mentioned feeling low confidence, and honestly I cannot think of a negative thing to say about him.

I didn’t know he was casted as Sodapop originally! That was interesting-I would’ve loved to hear him singing Soda’s part in Throwing in the Towel or Grease Got a Hold! Or even Soda’s letter, just his take on Soda would’ve been so interesting to see (I do agree he was destined to play Pony though). But it was pretty awesome how he talked about the rest of the cast-him and Sky seem to be really close which is so super sweet. They’re literally IRL Johnny and Ponyboy. I love his little silly jokes like “my mom was there with her platoon of first grade teachers” “i was a little boy among Trojan Warriors” stuff like that, like he seems like a very well rounded person! Also the way he explained how he knew he was nominated was honestly very sweet-I’ve never heard a Tony nominee talk about how they found out so this was certainly new and I’d love to listen to the other podcasts. (Again, if it wasn’t Jonathan Groff he was up against he would’ve won and you can’t convince me otherwise)

The thing that was my favorite though was his Wizard of Oz recap-it honestly reminded me of the “So this is basically” series on YouTube-his little Defying Gravity thing too like I need to hear a full version-but the little “What da heck” thing he kept doing kept making me laugh-then at the end when he started CACKLING like full on belly laughing-he has a very contagious laugh, I’ve realized-was that him at the end laughing or Alan? Because I could not tell, like the cackling was that him or Alan? I think it was him but I cannot be sure. Anyway. Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk and I may come back and have a similar essay for when I listen to Emma’s podcast lol

(This got way too long-it might actually be 500 words, feel free to ignore this-)

658 goddamn words. Just say you want to take my job 😔 All jokes aside this was beautiful (and submitted an hour before the deadline!) 👏👏 A++ work anon

I genuinely sing Alan’s rendition of Great Expectations more times a day than any human should 😭 I sing it almost as much as I quote “what the heck?”

The cackling was him!!! It makes me cry laughing every single time man I love him

[bernthalbitch]

Thinking about writing Johnny Boy Soprano x Reader as his sugar baby for Valentines but I don't think anyone would read it and I don't think I could finish it in 2 days

[justforbooks]

Gordon Lightfoot, the singer and songwriter, who has died aged 84, became one of Canada’s best loved musical figures, winning 16 of his homeland’s Juno awards. He scored eight Top 5 albums in Canada during the 1970s (including the 1975 compilation Gord’s Gold), four of them reaching No 1, and Sundown (1974) topping both the Canadian and the US chart.

He was held in huge esteem and amassed an impressive track record of having his songs covered by many of the leading artists of his era. The melancholy and lonesome Early Mornin’ Rain would become one of his signature compositions, covered by many artists including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Paul Weller. Dylan, who would perform various Lightfoot songs in his own concerts, commented: “I can’t think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don’t like. Every time I hear a song of his, it’s like I wish it would last forever.” Marty Robbins took Lightfoot’s Ribbon of Darkness to the top of the US Country chart in 1965, Harry Belafonte delivered a dramatic rendition of Oh, Linda, and Peter, Paul and Mary had a US Top 30 hit with For Lovin’ Me.

If You Could Read My Mind became his most celebrated song, a plangent meditation on the breakup of his marriage to his first wife, Brita Ingegerd Olaisson; they later divorced. His own version reached No 1 in Canada and No 5 in the US – his other chart-topping singles were Sundown, also a US No 1, and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – but the song went on to spawn more than 100 cover versions by such luminaries as Barbra Streisand, Johnny Cash, Olivia Newton-John, Glen Campbell, Liza Minnelli and Herb Alpert. “It was a kind of unrequited love song, partly due to love’s rollercoaster,” Lightfoot reflected.

If his personal life fuelled his art, he suffered for it too. In the early 70s his relationship with the backing singer Cathy Smith caused him a great deal of anguish – “men were drawn to her, and she used to make me jealous,” he confessed – but also prompted the writing of Sundown (when Smith was out partying without him) and Rainy Day People, a US Top 30 hit. Smith was later jailed for administering the cocaine and heroin mixture that killed John Belushi at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood in 1982.

Born in Orillia, Ontario, Lightfoot was the son of Gordon Lightfoot Sr and Jessie (nee Trill), who ran a laundry service. Jessie was quick to spot her son’s musical potential, and by the time he was 10 he was singing in public. As a boy soprano, he sang in local oratorio productions and in the church choir, and performed at music festivals. Aged 12, he appeared at Massey Hall, Toronto, after winning a singing competition. In his teens he learned to play the piano, drums and folk guitar, and was also a gifted track and field athlete.

At 18 he went to Westlake College of Modern Music in Los Angeles, where he studied orchestration and music theory. He left California for Toronto to launch himself on a musical career, working as a bank clerk to help pay the rent.

He was a member of the Singin’ Swingin’ Eight, who appeared on the Country Hoedown TV show, and played folk music in coffee houses. His first commercial recordings were released in 1962. His own composition, This Is My Song, which he performed with his singing partner Terry Whelan, appeared on the live recording Two Tones at the Village Corner, and several months later he released (Remember Me) I’m The One, another original though somewhat middle-of-the-road song, billed as Gord Lightfoot. It reached No 3 on Toronto’s CHUM radio chart. A follow-up, It’s Too Late, He Wins/Negotiations, took him to 27 on the CHUM chart.

Falling under the influence of the up-and-coming Dylan and a fellow Canadian singer-songwriter, Ian Tyson, Lightfoot began developing a more poetic, folk-style sound. In 1963 he travelled to Europe, putting in a stint as host on BBC TV’s Country and Western Show.

On his return to Canada in 1964, his reputation received a major boost when his songs Early Mornin’ Rain and For Lovin’ Me were both recorded by Ian and Sylvia Tyson and Peter, Paul and Mary. He signed a deal with Albert Grossman, the influential manager of Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, and released his debut album, Lightfoot!, in January 1966. This was for the United Artists label, but it was when he switched to the Warner Bros label Reprise at the start of the 70s that his career took off. His first Reprise release, Sit Down Young Stranger, reached No 12 in both Canada and the US, kicking off his spectacular run of 70s success.

His sales tailed off in the 80s, though he was constantly in demand as a live performer, and he enjoyed some belated chart success with the album Harmony (2004), which reached No 13 in Canada. However, the demands of the touring lifestyle found him dependent on whisky and pills. He would undertake arduous sailing and canoeing trips to dry out, and in 1982 finally gave up alcohol and took up daily gym workouts.

He survived a number of medical emergencies. In 1972 he was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. In 2002 he almost died from a ruptured aneurysm in his abdominal aorta, and four years later suffered a minor stroke that temporarily impaired his guitar-playing. In 2019 he suffered a hematoma in his left leg, requiring surgery.

Lightfoot was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. In 1997 he received the governor general’s performing arts award, and he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2003. In 2012 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

His second marriage, to Elizabeth Moon, ended in divorce, and he then married Kim Hasse in 2014. She survives him, along with his six children, Fred and Ingrid from his first marriage, Gaylen and Eric from relationships between his first two marriages, and Miles and Meredith from his second.

🔔 Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr, singer and songwriter, born 17 November 1938; died 1 May 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[princesssarisa]

A Christmas Carol Holiday Season: "The Stingiest Man in Town" (1956 TV musical)

In some ways, this oddly-titled Christmas Carol musical is a cousin to the Shower of Stars version of 1954. Both are TV musicals that aired as part of an anthology series, in this case The Alcoa Hour. Both were originally broadcast in color, but only survive in black-and-white. And both feature Basil Rathbone, who here trades his 1954 role of Marley's Ghost for the starring role of Scrooge. But there, for the most part, the similarities end. While the 1954 Carol features a classical operetta-style score by Bernard Hermann, this production, with music by Fred Spielman and both book and lyrics by Janice Torre, is an all-American Broadway-style musical.

The cast that supports Rathbone's Scrooge includes pop singers Johnny Desmond as Fred, Vic Damone as Young Scrooge, and the Four Lads narrating the story in music, as well as two stars of the Metropolitan Opera stage, baritone Robert Weede as Marley's Ghost and soprano Patrice Munsel as Belle. They sing a wide array of tuneful songs: "Holly-Ho," "An Old-Fashioned Christmas," "The Stingiest Man in Town," "I Wear a Chain," "Golden Dreams," "It Might Have Been," "The Christmas Spirit," "Yes, There Is a Santa Claus," "One Little Boy," "The Birthday Party of the King," and "Mankind Should Be My Business." Some of these songs come with lengthy dance sequences too.

With all this music and dance, and at a running time of only slightly over an hour, the story is, of course, slightly condensed. The Ghost of Christmas Past (portrayed as a bearded old man by Ian Martin) doesn't show Scrooge his childhood, just the Fezziwig party and his romance with Belle, and later, Tiny Tim's possible death is only mentioned by the Ghost of Christmas Present (Robert Wright), not shown by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Keith Herrington).

Dickens purists probably won't call this production a favorite. The style of music is sometimes too "1950s Broadway" for such a classic Victorian tale, reinforced by the fact that apart from the few British performers (Rathbone, Martyn Green as Bob Cratchit, and a few others) most of the cast uses their own American accents. Some of the lyrics are corny too. But there's still plenty to enjoy. For the most part, the songs are memorable and charming, and the casting ranges from solid to excellent. Rathbone's Scrooge is colorful and convincing both his early crotchetiness and in his transformation, with just a slight a hint of caricature, and while his singing voice is mediocre, it still suits the role.

This might not be the most Dickensian Christmas Carol adaptation, but if you enjoy musical versions of the tale, then it's a must-see.

@ariel-seagull-wings, @thealmightyemprex., @reds-revenge, @faintingheroine, @thatscarletflycatcher

[danishprince]

thinking about "soprano home movies" again. episode of all time honestly. not only because it heavily features bobby bacala my best friend bobby bacala but bc of the entire subplot where janice's like "i'm not my mom. i'm more like my dad :-)" and then proceeds to do the most livia soprano shit imaginable...augh. when the cycle is unbreakable

"in camelot" is another of my favorites too. i know it gets a lot of flack for being the Happy Birthday Mr. President episode but that's kind of why i love it—it troubles the "johnny boy soprano was awesome and flawless" narrative that had kind of been powering the show until that point. which—as a viewer—fucks with you hard! the past isn't unified or set in stone, there's only versions of the past that live in individual memories.

[mr-divabetic]

Deniece Williams is an incredibly talented singer, songwriter, and producer who has been making hit music for over 50 years. Her voice is enchanting, with a distinctive coloratura soprano and a four-octave range. She is a two-time inductee into The SoulMusic Hall Of Fame in the categories' Female Artist' and 'Lifetime Achievement.'

In the early 1970s, Deniece began her career working in a record store and then as a backup singer. She went on to become part of the female vocal trio Honeycone. In 1976, she released her debut solo album "This Is Niecy," produced by Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire and Charles Stepney.

"I met Maurice through a mutual friend. I had some songs on tape that I wanted him to hear," she said in an interview with Classic Soul 1976. "We had a conversation, and he told me that he thought that I should sing them myself rather than letting them go to everyone else." Deniece went on to explain she'd been concentrating on writing and getting her songs recorded. "I felt that I should get into one area — publishing — and then concentrate on others. Which is why I waited until I was ready to record."

She said of Charles Stepney, "He's probably one of the most incredibly talented arrangers that the music industry ever had. He was a very integral part of my music and the whole production and arrangement of my music and my voice. There's only been one other person in my musical life who has understood my music the way Charles Stepney did as an arranger, and he is Thom Bell." 

The album featured the hit single "Free," which rose to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified gold by the RIAA.

"It's amazing when you can write a lyric, and you think you're the only person that's having this experience," she said about writing "Free." "Then you put it out there, and you find out that millions and millions of people feel the same way. I think that is what happened with Free. People really do want the freedom to be themselves and to have self-expression. Also somebody told me that I was the first woman that they heard in music that told those women at that time that 'you don't have to stay'."

Deniece is also known as a prolific songwriter, with Merry Clayton, the Whispers, Frankie Valli, Billy Preston, the Emotions, and Johnny Mathis recording her songs. One of the biggest songs in her career is the infectious dance song "Let's Hear It for the Boy" from the motion picture "Footloose." The single hit #1 on Billboard's Pop and Black charts and went platinum.

Throughout her illustrious career, including 12 Grammy nominations and four wins, Deniece Williams has become known as a singer of catchy, powerful anthems of love and romance. Her music is spiritual, and she considers it an essential part of her life. Deniece's music has touched millions of people worldwide and continues inspiring new generations of musicians and music lovers alike.

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

ANDREW HILL, UN PIANISTE À DÉCOUVRIR

"If you stay with Bud too much, you'll always sound like him, even if you're doing something he never did."

- Andrew Hill

Né le 30 juillet 1931 à Chicago, en Illinois, Andrew Hill était le fils de William et Hattie Hill. Hill avait un frère, Robert, qui était chanteur et violoniste classique. Protégé de Earl Hines, Hill a commencé à jouer du piano à l’âge de dix ans en autodidacte. Enfant-prodige, Hill avait fréquenté l’University of Chicago Experimental School sur la recommandation du compositeur dejazz Bill Russo, qui l’avait référé au compositeur d’origine allemande Paul Hindemith. Hill avait étudié avec Hindemith de façon informelle jusqu’en 1952.

Hill était encore adolescent lorsqu’il avait commencé à jouer dans des groupes de Rhythm & blues. À partir de 1952, Hill avait accompagné des musiciens de jazz en tournée comme Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins et Miles Davis. Au cours d’une entrevue accordée en 1964 à Leonard Feather, Hill avait commenté ses débuts de la façon suivante: "I started out in music as a boy soprano, singing and playing the accordion, and tap dancing. I had a little act and made quite a few of the talent shows around town from 1943 until 1947. I won turkeys at two Thanksgiving parties at the Regal Theatre.’’ Les soirées étaient commanditées par le journal Chicago Defender, pour lequel Hill travaillait également comme camelot.

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Après avoir appris à jouer du blues en 1950 avec le saxophoniste Pat Patrick, Hill a obtenu son premier contrat professionnel trois ans plus tard avec le groupe de Paul Williams, tant comme pianiste que comme saxophoniste baryton. Au cours des quelques années suivantes, Hill s’était produit avec plusieurs grands noms du jazz, dont certains avaient exercé une profonde influence sur lui, dont Joe Segal et Barry Harris. En 1961, après avoir fait une tournée avec la chanteuse Dinah Washington, Hill s’est installé à New York, où il avait travaillé avec Johnny Hartman et Al Hibbler. Par la suite, Hill s’était établi brièvement dans le comté de Los Angeles, où il avait joué avec le quartet de Roland Kirk ainsi qu’au Lighthouse Café d’Hermosa Beach.

Même si Hill avait fait ses débuts sur disque comme accompagnateur en 1954, il avait établi sa réputation dans le cadre d’enregistrements comme leader pour les disques Blue Note de 1963 à 1970 qui mettaient en vedette de nombreux musiciens du post-bob comme Joe Chambers, Richard Davis, Eric Dolphy, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, Woody Shaw, Tony Williams, Kenny Dorham, Roy Haynes et John Gilmore. Hill était d’ailleurs particulièrement apprécié par le co-propriétaire de Blue Note Alfred Lion qui le considérait comme son dernier protégé. Parmi les premiers albums enregistrés par Hill pour Blue Note, on remarquait ‘’Point of Departure’’ et ‘’Black Fire.’’

Durant cette période, Hill avait également collaboré à des albums de Henderson, Hutcherson et Hank Mobley. Hill avait d’ailleurs composé trois des cinq pièces de l’album ‘’Dialogue’’ de Hutcherson enregistré en 1965.

À partir des années 1960, Hill avait travaillé de moins en moins comme accompagnateur, et s’était concentré sur ses propres compositions, ce qui avait eu pour résultat de limiter son impact auprès des amateurs. Après avoir rempli un poste de compositeur en résidence à la  Colgate University de Hamilton de 1970 à 1972, Hill avait entrepris une carrière d’enseignant en Californie.

DERNIÈRES ANNÉES

Après avoir continué de se produire en concert et d’enseigner dans les écoles publiques et de service social, Hill avait travaillé comme professeur-associé de musique à la Portland State University de 1989 à 1996. Durant son séjour à Portland, Hill avait établi un camp d’été intensif en jazz, tout en continuant de se produire sur scène, d’animer des ateliers et de travailler comme musicien-résident à la Wesleyan University, à l’Université du Michigan, à l’Université de Toronto, à l’Université Harvard, au Bennington College ainsi que dans d’autres institutions scolaires.

Après être retourné à New York dans les années 1990, Hill avait fait un retour comme pianiste, chef d’orchestre et compositeur. En 2000, Hill avait publié ‘’Dusk’’, un album qui comprenait une série de chansons basées sur l’ouvrage ‘’Cane’’ de Jean Toomer, publié initialement en 1923. Grandement acclamé par la critique, l’album avait été sélectionné parmi les meilleurs disques de l’année par les magazines Fortune , San Diego Union Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, JazzTimes et DownBeat.

En 2003, Hill s’était également mérité le prestigieux prix danois Jazzpar Prize. Certaines des sessions non publiées de Hill enregistrées pour Blue Note dans les années 1960 ont été rééditées. Une des rééditions les plus notables comprenait la publication de l’album ‘’Passing Ships’’, un enregistrement en nonet qui précédait la publication de son album en big band de 2002, ‘’A Beautiful Day’’, de plus de trente ans.

En 2004, Hill a aussi fait une apparition sur l’album ‘’SOLOS: The Jazz Sessions.’’ Le 21 février 2006, Hill avait également publié un nouvel album pour Blue Note intitulé ‘’Time Lines.’’

Andrew Hill a présenté sa dernière performance publique le 29 mars 2007 à la Trinity Church de New York. Atteint d’un cancer des poumons, Hill est mort à sa résidence de Jersey City, au New Jersey, le 20 avril 2007. C’est dans le cadre de son séjour au Lighthouse Café d’Hermosa Beach que Hill avait rencontré sa future épouse Laverne Gillette, qui était à l’époque organiste au club Red Carpet. Après s’être marié en 1963, le couple s’était installé à New York. Laverne est morte en Californie en 1989 à la suite d’une longue maladie. Trois ans plus tard, Hill avait épousé à Portland la danseuse et professeure Joanne Robinson. Le couple s’est établi à New York en 1995. À partir de l’an 2000, Hill vivait avec son épouse à Jersey City, au New Jersey.

En mai 2007, Hill était devenu la première personne à recevoir un doctorat honorifique posthume du Berklee College of Music. Hill a également été nommé ‘’Jazz Master’’ par la National Endowment for the Arts en 1988. Hill étant trop malade à l’époque pour venir chercher le prix lui-même, c’est son épouse qui en avait pris possession en son nom.

Principalement influencé par Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell et Art Tatum, Hill avait déclaré au cours d’une entrevue accordée en 1963: "Monk's like Ravel and Debussy to me, in that he put a lot of personality into his playing [...] it's the personality of music which makes it, finally.’’ Selon Hill, il était extrêmement difficile de s’affranchir de l’influence de Powell. Il avait précisé: "If you stay with Bud too much, you'll always sound like him, even if you're doing something he never did." Quant à Tatum, Hill l’avait qualifié de père de tous les pianistes modernes.

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SOURCES:

‘’Andrew Hill.’’ Wikipedia, 2024.

‘’Andrew Hill.’’ National Endowment for the Arts, 2024.