#Live At Pompeii The Directors Cut

[rastronomicals]

October 21:

Today is the 50th anniversary of the release of Live, Beck, Bogert and Appice's album.

On the 21st of October, 1977, Genesis came out with Seconds Out, their live album.

On this date in 1997, Bardo Pond released their third album, Lapsed.

Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of Live At Pompeii The Directors Cut, Pink Floyd's video.

[becauseallhellseeisme]

Pink Floyd uncharacteristically displayed their sense of humour with "Seamus", a pseudo-blues novelty track featuring Steve Marriott's dog (whom Gilmour was dog-sitting) howling along to the music.

As the story goes, David Gilmour was caring for his friend’s German Shepherd at some point in 1971 while Pink Floyd was in the studio recording their sixth studio album Meddle. The dog, whose name was Seamus, belonged to Humble Pie and Small Faces frontman Steve Marriott, who at the time was on tour in the United States.

Seamus was a dog who responded well to music and as a result, had previously performed a small role barking in the background of Small Faces’ 1968 cut, The Universal. The members of Pink Floyd were quick to act upon the musical capabilities of their new canine friend when it was discovered during recording that Seamus could howl in tune with their instruments. Acting on the bizarre opportunity, the band quickly wrote a twelve-bar, slide guitar blues track for Seamus to “sing” over. Additional instrumentation and Gilmour’s lead vocals were later added. Meddle was released on Halloween of 1971, with “Seamus” closing out side A.

Critics have panned “Seamus” as one of Pink Floyd’s worst songs ever written, claiming the spoof to be dispensable to both the record and the band’s discography. In response to such objection, Gilmour defended the track, once stating that “It wasn’t really as funny to everyone else [as] it was to us.” Perhaps due to song’s unpopularity or the unavailability of its backing vocalist, the group and Gilmour have never played “Seamus” live in concert. That is, with the exception of in their monumental concert documentary, Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii.

Live at Pompeii was filmed over four days in October 1971. The primary focus of the film is Floyd’s psychedelic concert set in an ancient Roman amphitheater somewhere in Italy. Since the recording coincided with the release of Meddle, most of the songs included on the original version of the documentary were from the new record. The film was re-released in 1974 to include footage of Pink Floyd while recording The Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road Studios.

The song “Seamus” made its way onto Live from Pompeii in the form of a segment titled “Mademoiselle Nobs.” The scene presents the song in altered form with David Gilmour playing harmonica and Roger Waters on blues guitar. Laying beside the two is a howling Russian Wolfhound, Nobs the dog. Nobs was a female Borzoi who belonged to Madonna Bouglione (daughter of circus director, Joseph Bouglione). At the request of the band, Madonna brought Nobs to the studio during shooting so they could re-create Seamus’ performance for the documentary. The scene was shot outside of Paris.

Sources:

Meddle Wiki page

Dangerous Minds

Yes, I may have googled the tour dates and it was all of February and March until early April. 🥰

I, too, would let David sit my pets.

[more-relics]

Pink Floyd - Abbey Road Studios. © Jacques Boumendil.

[poison-starchild]

Pink Floyd feat my Cat 😂

[lucifer-sam]

roger waters and david gilmour during the recording sessions for the dark side of the moon (footage from the directors cut of live in pompeii, 1972)

as soon as I started making this post, time started playing on my spotify playlist and I don’t think it’s a coincidence /lh

[celestialflights]

i've made a collaborative cpds playlist! here we can share any songs we think fit the cpds in some way - the members (and adjacent characters like lucy), their relationships (platonic and romantic) and them as a group. if you dm me, send me an ask or reply to this post with which characters or relationships (including the entire society) the songs you've added fit, i can put them in order of which category they fit into

under the cut are the songs i've added so far and why i added them

the society

heaven sent is a coffee cup (bears in trees) - i love this song so much and to me it has strong found family vibes, so i think it fits them well

pompeii (bastille) - i feel like you can interpret this song to be about how things might not always go right, but usually life goes on and you just have to go with it, an attitude i think a lot of the characters need to have when things keep going on

get used to it (ricky montgomery) - we know that at least some of the characters have high ambitions when it comes to their acting careers, but they're stuck in a group whose plays never go right and they have to live with it

love, me normally (will wood) - the society aren't normal, in terms of what's expected of actors, although, as previously stated, some of them probably wish they did have a more 'normal' career

characters

chris: oh no! (marina) - chris can get a bit too focused on making sure the play goes right, so i feel like this song fits him

juliet (cavetown) - this song could probably fit multiple of the characters, but chris seems to be the one the most angst is written about. also, some of the lyrics like 'but I need to understand / when I can power through/ and when I need some help from you' really make me think of him!

robert: you should see me in a crown (billie eilish) i found it hard to find a song that fits him, but he does want more power in the society (first wanting the main role in a christmas carol goes wrong, and then wanting to be the director) and in the most lamentable, he goes get the crown in the end!

sandra: primadonna (marina) - this one immediately came to mind when i was thinking of what songs to choose for her. she is the primadonna girl!

circus (britney spears) - she's a perfomer and she loves doing it - she wants to be the centre of attention and she's not ashamed of it

max: rose-colored boy (paramore) - one of max's defining traits is his optimism. he's always smiling and seems to view the world through rose-coloured glasses

annie: cool kids (echosmith) - annie wasn't always an actor with the society, so as stage manager she may have felt like an outsider and wished she was one of the 'cool kids', something she eventually achieved

dennis: you've got a friend in me (cover by cavetown) - as the lyrics say, some people might be smarter than him, but you've got a friend in him!

vanessa: here comes a thought (from steven universe) - vanessa is a very anxious person, so i think a song about recognising that something bad happening isn't the end of the world fits her, as its either something she needs to learn or reminds herself when she's nervous

trevor: drugs (upsahl) - whether or not this really is the case, trevor acts as if he doesn't like many of the members of the society. he's not there to make friends (but unfortunately for him, he is now part of the found family, whether he likes it or not)

lucy: prom dress (mxmtoon) - she's not really a member of the cpds, but i had to include her! lucy is another shy, anxious character, so i feel like this song really fits her. (also, i relate to her and relate to this song, so yeah!)

relationships

max and sandra: absolutely smitten (dodie) - it's clear the max truly is smitten with sandra - she's his soulmate, after all - and it seems like, though it takes her longer to realise, sandra feels just as strongly about him. also this song is really cute!

chris and robert: i'm just your problem (cover by natewantstobattle) - i personally don't ship these two, but it's up to you how you interpret this song choice. perhaps more than any other society member, chris does seem to view robert as just a problem, and while they really need to apologise to each other if their rivalry is ever going to come to an end, neither of them seem at all willing to

edit: i forgot to say, i couldn't find any songs that i felt fit jonathan, so he doesn't have any at the moment

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer IV: Showdown

In the silence of the elevator, Pompeii held me up. Exhaustion and hunger finally manifested themselves in weakness and trembling. The stress of keeping the secret, my worry for Ru’Yi, my need for Caesar to pick up the phone had finally reached a breaking point. I lay my head against his chest.

“He’s probably blocked the number.” He said

My voice was squeaking and barely audible, still paralyzed by the poison they’d used to silence my Soul Skills. “Don’t you have a phone?”

“I do! But he never picked up when I called. He’s not talked to me since his mother’s funeral.” He looked down at me, regret lining his features. “He saw me get into a car with another woman. He didn’t understand how my life was back then. He does now but... now it’s too late. Now he’s just determined to be the opposite of me.”

Shock flashed like lightning through my heart as I imagined the scene. Pompeii brought another woman to the funeral? How could he do something like that?

Pompeii let me stand up on my own. “Even though I cared for him more than any of my other children, I accepted how he felt. I never pushed to get close to him. Once Caesar’s made up his mind about you, it’s very hard to change it. I had to content myself to standing and supporting him from a distance.”

I nodded, understanding both sides here. Would Caesar have despised me if I lived the life the Gattusos wanted? Unlikely. He would have pitied me as a woman. He always held men to a higher standard. “We have to try... we have to try everything.”

As the elevator stopped, the reports of gunshots rang through the double sliding doors. Pompeii stood  in front of me, his eyes blazing yellow and I put on the sunglasses again. My eyes were still spotty from the flash earlier.

The elevator opened to the sight of slithering bronze servitor bodies, slick with both their blood and the blood of their victims. The army of highly trained elite hybrids guarding the monastery faced off with them with pistols, but at best, they could only knock them back. 

Servitors were powerful enough to rip a cow in half, armed with razor sharp teeth and claws and muscular tails, they left halls of the monastery covered in blood which they licked up with their forked tongues.

Pompeii let out a tremendous shout and a bow wave of blue light shot from his body with enough voltage to kill a hundred elephants, paralyzing the monsters and felling them, stiff and screeching on the floor. 

“Run! Go!” He seized my hand and we sprinted forward, slipping on blood and dismembered body parts as we headed back towards Pompeii’s apartment.

The servitors that were on the ground rose again, claws making grooves in the marble. They had a remarkable recovery time, barely phased even by that amount of electricity.

“They’re drawn by your blood!” I didn’t know if he could hear me, but he probably already knew the blood oozing from his injury in the basement was a liability. Servitors were driven mad by the smell of hybrid blood. The purer it was, the more potent the lure. 

He stopped running and pulled me forward, throwing me in front of him. “The Code is 1911! The phone us in the desk drawer as you come in. Go! I’ll hold them off!”

I didn’t look back. I ran in a desperate panic, the door to his room feeling too far away. Fear made me fumble the knob. I pushed when I should have pulled. When got it open, I ran inside, shut the door and leaned against it a moment, trying to catch my breath. 

Just then, a force slamming against the door sent me flying onto the carpet. Golden claws pierced the wood and ripped the door off its hinges. The servitor rose up, its serpent body forming an S-curve.

But just as it launched, Pompeii flew like an eagle, both feet forward, face fierce like an animal’s, kicking it in the head.

This was the father that Caesar despised? I shook myself and got to the desk and entered the code on the phone. It opened to an eyeburning image of Pompeii and a woman on full frontal display that made me recoil in disgust. “Pompeii! Why would you do this?!”

I fumbled to get to the contacts. “Where’s his number! I can’t find it!” He didn’t hear me.

I walked out of the apartment to see dead servitors lining the halls. Pompeii, his robe torn with nothing underneath was grappling with a servitor, shocking it repeatedly, its skin smoking and cracking and smelling of fish. I waved the phone. “What’s the number under?”

He looked up at me. “Filius!”

How was I supposed to know that?” I reentered the room and called. This time, the number went through to voice mail. It wasn’t ideal but ... I did my best to gasped out a voiceless message.

“Caesar! It’s Meixiu! I mean... It’s Carli! I have to tell you something! Nono! They’re going to kill Nono!” I forced air through a dead voicebox, praying in vain that something might come out. “She’s in Tokyo with the Hydras and they’re going to kill all the Japanese Hybrids and make it look like Nono was killed in the fighting! They’ll make it look like an accident!”

Pompeii charged into the room and grabbed me. “Did you reach him?”

“It’s just his voice mail...”

“Not enough. Keep trying!” I turned and looked and more servitors were coming up the halls with rabid grinning faces.

“There’s too many of them.” He started to drag me away but now had a slight limp. A piece of the back of his leg was missing!

If he died, I was a sitting duck. 

“The main hall is the most fortified area of the monastery and those old ghouls may be dusty but they’re powerful hybrids.” He said.

I held the phone to my ear and kept it ringing. The servitors were pursuing us pulling themselves along by their hands their mouths open and eager, their eyes golden and focused on us.

As we approached the main hall, I heard an echoing noise. A hollow sound of a hammer knocking on wood. Tok. Tok. Tok.

The Servitors halted their advance suddenly and turned around, looking confused. My heart screamed in an explosion of terror. Herzog’s woodblock!

"POMPEII!” 

My voice wasn’t working but the intensity of the fear that tore from my throat turned his head. He took the phone from me, put it to his ear, and abruptly stopped.

The twelve elders lay slumped over on their thrones. Each one had his throat neatly slit. I was just like the scene from the basement of the Genji Heavy Industries building. The blood was still warm and running down the steps  and over the marble, the smell of it filled the room.

At this moment, Caesar’s voice was heard through the phone. “The hell do you want.”

Pompeii smiled and shoved me hard, so I staggered away from him and fell. “Check your voice mail for that. I won’t be here long, son. I’m just glad I got to hear your voice in the end.”

“The hell are you saying? What’s going on?”

“Caesar... I lo...-”

I blinked and between the time I closed my eyes and opened them, the handle of a knife had appeared in Pompeii’s throat. He smiled and sighed, lowering his hand. The cellphone slipped from his grip. A fountain of red bloomed from this throat and he collapsed, like a puppet that had its strings suddenly cut mid performance.

From the phone, I could hear Caesar’s voice shouting, but the phone suddenly shattered.

I didn’t see Shinnosuke approach me. I only saw the burst of sparks when he collided with an electric field I didn’t realize Pompeii had surrounded me with. He snarled in pain and vanished again, like a vengeful from hell. I turned to run and he was in front of me. 

I staggered back. He was holding Ru’Yi. There was no light in his eyes. He took no pleasure this. In fact, the intense stare as his body shivered with the electric charge told me that Pompeii’s last stand had really hurt.

And now he was mad.

I found myself bound my hands behind my back. He twisted my wrists so hard I feared they might break.

“You still can’t scream. Good.” Shinnosuke’s breath whispered past my ear

I trembled, facing Pompeii’s body now,  watching the running red pool gather beneath him very slowly. Behind him was the door and in the door, rushing towards me in slow motion, was Chu Zihang.

Spider Fang was drawn and angled at Shinnosuke. But he was moving so slowly, it hadn’t registered in his eyes that I had been placed in front of him as human shield.

“You know, the wonderful thing about Time Zero...? Is that you can arrange people... like props on a set. And then like a director, say Action! To see the chaos unfold.”

“Look at him. Look at his rage. How much he loves you. I believe killing you will probably kill him as well. Perhaps afterwards, he will end his own life.”

I swallowed against the swelling in my throat. I loved him too so much. But we had talked about this earlier. That love could no longer be the most important thing right now.

Too many people were dead. Shinnosuke would go to Tibet with that Woodblock sound and set him and Erii on the world. Then... in control of the Secret party, Shinnosuke would conquer humanity.

In the face of this result, our love was inconsequential.

My dragonblood burned like a furnace, I called on it with all my strength. It no longer mattered to me to stay human. I had to use my dragonvoice now, even if it meant losing myself as a servitor.

I felt the knot in my throat unwind as the dragon blood increased my body’s potential, overruling the powerful poison that had held me captive. Scales bubbled up from my skin in a sudden rash. My round brown eyes burned gold and the pupils squeezed in to sharp slits.

“Berengeria!”

The golden light of the ethereal spear lit my face, pointed toward my own body. When it rammed through me and the man behind me, we both screamed at once.

 It was the same tactic that Herzog had used against me in the Red Well. Pinned by Chisei’s sword, I couldn’t escape without killing myself and I couldn’t save my child. But now, were both pinned, like meat on a skewer. Once he said ‘Action’, and Time Zero was released, Zihang’s sword would pierce us both.

“You bitch! You little bitch!”

I smiled, feeling his fist pound against my back. But he could no longer free himself. I looked into Zihang’s eyes. Kill the bastard. Don’t worry about me.

In that moment, I heard Ru’Yi cry. And Zihang vanished.

A tremendous rush of air blew past me followed by a sharp crack. I was free of Shinnosuke’s grip on me. Ru’Yi was suddenly in my arms. I staggered away, falling to my knees in weakness and confusion. I lay the baby on the ground and wrapped my arm against the blood coming from my abdomen.

Ru’Yi’s eyes were golden. She lay still and smiling, like a wise old woman. 

The air around us was filled with blurry dark streaks that vaguely showed the shapes of two men, locked in combat. A severed hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere, spinning along the floor and leaving a crimson spiral pattern.

Shinnosuke lay on the ground. He kicked in a circle, howling and holding a bloody stump. Chu Zihang hauled him by his collar, sliced upward, and severed his other arm. He lifted him, tossed him into the air and made a full circle cut. Spider fang moved through both Shinnosuke’s legs as if cutting through tofu.

Within seconds, Shinnosuke was reduced to a screeching bleeding torso. I gripped Ru’Yi to my chest..

“Time Zero? How are you using Time Zero?!” 

Eyes burning with an light colder than the polar arctic, Zihang responded by angling the sword downward and plunging into the man’s chest, again and again, until blood gurgled like a fountain from his mouth. He then neatly severed his head.

With an expert flick, he cleared the blood from the blade and hurried to my side, engulfing me in a fierce hug. Only then to Ru’Yi and I began cry. He removed my shirt and pressed it against my wound. He was shaking so hard the sweat flew from the ends of his hair.

I turned to the pale form of Pompeii, tears clouding my vision. I wanted to tell Caesar I was sorry. I was sorry this happened.

“Ru’Yi used Time Zero...” Zihang finally said, using his belt to secure my shirt to my injury. “You’re healing so quickly. You’ll be okay in a few minutes.”

He lifted my chin and looked into my eyes. “Blood Rage...”

I smiled at those beautiful golden pupils. “Stage Five.” I gave him a thumbs up. 

“You have to release. You’ll go servitor.”

“I know.” I looked down at my hands they were twisting up, claws pushing out from the tips.

“The wound’s closed enough. Release, Meixiu!”

The urgency in his voice made me hiccup. I gathered my ebbing mental strength, speaking the dragon word to suppress my blood. It raged like a fire in me and for a moment, I couldn’t hear or see or think for the pain. But Zihang didn’t let me go, holding me despite the power coursing through my veins increasing my strength ten fold.

The scales lowered back into regular human skin, my eyes turned back to their normal color. Exhaustion set in for both of us. The only living things left in the massive hall, the sound of our own breathing echoed in the walls.

We were alive. Ru’Yi used Time Zero and we were alive. Chu Zihang’s heart beat against my ear. His chest rose and fell. He was warm. This was so very real, despite how incredible it was that we could be saved by our own child. But if it was a dream, I didn’t want to wake up ever again.

The clicking of heels on the hard marble floor broke the silence. A woman’s frustrated sigh, and a voice. “I hate to rush you, but we have almost no time.”

The voice was familiar. My eyes opened and a woman with blue eyes and cascading blond hair stared down at me. 

Su Enxi... 

What was she doing here?

[richardwrights]

Me: I’m not going to cry a single time today

Also me: Let me just have a couple drinks and watch Live at Pompeii THE FUCKING DIRECTOR’S CUT

[sciencespies]

Ancient Pompeiians Stopped at This 'Snack Bar' to Feast on Snails, Fish and Wine

https://sciencespies.com/history/ancient-pompeiians-stopped-at-this-snack-bar-to-feast-on-snails-fish-and-wine/

Ancient Pompeiians Stopped at This 'Snack Bar' to Feast on Snails, Fish and Wine

When the people of ancient Pompeii had a hankering for a quick and easy meal, they might opt to visit one of the city’s numerous thermopolia—the Roman equivalent of snack bars, where customers could choose from a selection of ready-made dishes, kept warm in jars that were set into a counter. Now, as Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports, discoveries at one such thermopolium are shedding new insight into the menus of Pompeii’s fast food joints.

The thermopolium in question is located in an area known as Regio V, and like the myriad other archaeological finds to emerge from Pompeii, it has been remarkably well preserved after a catastrophic volcanic eruption in 79 A.D. blanketed the city with ash and debris. The snack bar was partially excavated in 2019, leading to the discovery of a counter decorated with a fresco of a Nereid, or sea nymph, riding a seahorse, along with what appears to be a depiction of the restaurant itself.

This site represents one of 80 thermopolia discovered at Pompeii, but “the possibilities for study of [the Regio V] thermopolium are exceptional, because for the first time an area of this type has been excavated in its entirety,” says Massimo Osanna, interim director general of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

During the latest phase of the excavation, archaeologists unearthed “exquisite scenes of still life” showing animals—like mallard ducks and a rooster—that were probably butchered and sold at the snack bar, according to a statement by the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. A fragment of duck bone was indeed found at the site. Experts are still working to analyze other remains discovered inside dolia, or terracotta jars that were embedded into the counter and filled with food and drink. But Chiara Corbino, a archaeozoologist who participated in the dig, tells Elisabetta Povoledo of the New York Times that two jars appear to have stored a fish and pork dish, along with “a concoction involving snails, fish and sheep,” perhaps some sort of soup or stew.

Experts are certain that one dolium discovered at the site held an alcoholic beverage; it contained both a bottle for drawing liquid and the remnants of ground beans, which were used to bleach wine. Yet another vessel may have been used to store grains, as indicated by the skeletal remains of a mouse found inside.

Archaeologists also discovered the bones of a small dog in a corner of the thermopolium. A larger pooch is depicted in one of the counter’s frescoes, which happens to be inscribed with a rather rude slur.

“This was probably left by a prankster who sought to poke fun at the owner, or by someone who worked in the thermopolium,” according to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

The ancient city is well known for its bawdy graffiti, and thermopolia were likely not among its more refined establishments. As Smithsonian’s Jason Daley reported in 2019, ancient snack bars had a bad reputation as the haunts of criminals and heavy drinkers. The emperor Claudius once ordered them to be shut down.

Like other sites in Pompeii, the thermopolium preserves the final moments of lives cut short by one of history’s most devastating natural disasters. During the excavation, experts found human bones belonging to an individual at least 50 years old, who appears to have been in bed when calamity struck; nail and wood residues were discovered beneath the body.

“The counter seems to have been closed in a hurry and abandoned by its owners but it is possible that someone, perhaps the oldest man, stayed behind and perished during the first phase of the eruption,” Osanna told the Ansa news agency, according to the AFP. Bones belonging to a second individual were found inside a large dolium, possibly placed there by illegal excavators in the 17th century.

Work at the thermopolium is expected to conclude in March, Osanna tells the New York Times. Pompeii is currently closed to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic, but when it reopens, visitors will be able to explore this fascinating spot, where residents of a doomed city once grabbed their meals.

#History

[guardianreadersofthegalaxy]

Dom’s mini Who reviews - the best episodes

Amy’s Choice – This proves how a strong concept trumps big budget spectacle every time. Character development is key here and Amy is at the centre, her dilemma distilled into the titular decision. Add to that one of the weirder alien designs, a hell of a cold open and a guest performance from my favourite actor of all time, Toby Jones, and you’ve got one of the highlights of series 5.

Bad Wolf/ The Parting Of The Ways – This is my favourite story of the whole show, packed with more iconic moments than I can list. 9 completes a character arc that was skilfully woven throughout his tenure while Rose & Captain Jack both get to shine in their own ways. Some people don’t like the game shows in Bad Wolf but I think they’re really unnerving in a Black Mirror way. The Daleks are just as threatening as they were earlier in the series and I cheer when the Emperor gets his comeuppance.

A Christmas Carol – Dickens finally done justice! The steampunk Victorian aesthetic is cool without detracting from the story and the fog imagery is stunning. Obviously Michael Gambon makes a wonderful Scrooge and Smith does well to keep pace. But the real wonder is the screenplay which cleverly plays on the time travel elements inherent in the original novel. Magical!

Dalek – This one is hardcore as hell. In the scene when the Doctor first encounters the Dalek, Eccleston gives one of the best performances of the whole show. The bunker setting creates a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere and it’s horrifying to see the Dalek pursuing Rose through its corridors. The Doctor’s PTSD is front and centre and there’s a real sense that he’s grown by the end.

The Empty Child/ The Doctor Dances – Scary as all hell, but Moffat balances this with plenty of rom com humour. Cpt. Jack makes his charming debut and Nancy is compelling (when she’s not saving the day by threatening to out a closet homosexual). And of course, the ‘everybody lives’ scene is lovely. 9 has more of an arc in one series than 11 does in three.

Face The Raven – Firstly this looks gorgeous. The Diagon Alley inspired setting is darkly beautiful, enhanced by the warm lighting. Clara’s series arc neatly concludes with her accepting the consequences of her mistake and Capaldi and Coleman do some of their best work in the final scene. Get past the plot holes around who can and can’t remove the chrono-lock and you’ll love this one.

Heaven Sent – Bloody hell. Moffat finally gives Capaldi a format where it makes sense for 12 to endlessly monologue. The Veil is pure nightmare fuel and the TARDIS scenes are really inventive. But of course the highlight is the final sequence where direction, acting, music and most of all, editing come together to make it feel like you’ve really been there 4.5 billion years. In a good way.

Human Nature/ The Family Of Blood – Paul Cornell gives us another story where an ordinary man has to sacrifice himself to save the world, this time in a better setting with better villians. Harry Lloyd and the other Family members all seem like genuinely evil aliens. Martha is better served here than in most of Series 3 and Tennant & Hynes sell the romance. The ending’s a bit ‘Return of the King’ but the music’s lovely.

Midnight – Davies beats Moffat at his own game; there’s nothing scarier than what you can’t see. I always come away from this with a sense of unease normally only Black Mirror can give me. It’s essentially a play and so the script and ensemble cast are a cut above the average episode. I like that the show tends to optimism but sometimes it’s important to show the worst of humanity too.

Smith & Jones – Up there with ‘Eleventh Hour’ for best series opener, only this is better paced. The hospital’s kinda boring but then wtf we’re on the bloody moon?! We get a nice concise introduction to Martha and her family in the first 60 seconds then it’s on with the action! Up and down stairs and corridors it’s non-stop, no shoes, action until the magical alleyway scene caps things off nicely.

Turn Left – Every show should have a sliding doors episode. Catherine Tate proves she’s more than just a funny face while Cribbons and King step up into more prominent supporting roles. The episode takes fun references to previous stories before making them horrific. The scene with the Italian family is particularly bleak. Then the final act brings back hope, time travel and Rose Tyler.

Vincent & The Doctor – Sometimes a slow pace is better suited to a certain story. We get beautiful location filming and a sensitive exploration of depression that really tugs the heartstrings. Tony Curran gives the best portrayal of a historical figure of the whole show and the final gallery scene is an unexpected delight, cheesy rock song and all.

Voyage Of The Damned – Director James Strong shines again in the closest Who has come to an action blockbuster. Davies takes time to get you invested in the supporting cast before cruelly killing most of them off. Kylie Minogue does a decent acting job for a pop star. Max Capricorn might be a bit silly but his plan is so flipping evil that it’s a relief when he gets his comeuppance.

The Waters Of Mars – This takes a little time to warm up but once the horrifying monsters show up, this is pure gold. In some ways this is a re-tread of The Fires Of Pompeii, only now the Doctor has learned the wrong lesson and crosses a big ethical line. The ‘Timelord victorious’ scene is one of Tennant’s best moments and Lindsey Duncan brings a fresh antagonism to the companion role.

[alexthegamingboy]

Toonami Weekly Recap 01/25/2020

Sword Art Online: Alicization: War of Underworld EP#26 (02) - Raids: With Rulid under attack by goblins and orcs, Alice quickly equips her armor, but conceals it beneath her clothes and flies to the village on Amayori. She finds a small group of villagers attempting fight off the goblins while the remaining villagers stand back preparing to mount a defence. Alice attempts to evacuate them, but they refuse to defy the orders of the guards of the village. Left with no choice, Alice reveals to the villagers her identity as an Integrity Knight and orders the villagers to evacuate, much to Barbossa's disgust. With newfound determination, her eye regenerates by force of will and she swiftly defeats the invasion. Meanwhile, in the real world, Gabriel Miller and his team approach Rath on a submarine. He and his invasion force have taken control of the main control room of Ocean Turtle but are currently locked out. Asuna, Kikuoka, and the remaining staff at Rath get a reading on their current situation and decide their next course of action is to retake control of Ocean Turtle and prevent A.L.I.C.E from falling into enemy hands.

My Hero Academia Shie Hassaikai Arc Season 4 EP#73 (10) - Temp Squad: Fat Gum and Eijiro are victorious in their fight against the two thugs. Meanwhile, Izuku and company struggle against Joi Irinaka whose quirk is preventing them from moving forward. To make matters worse, Himiko Toga and Twice from the League of Villains have also joined the fight.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind EP#11 - Narancia's Aerosmith: A flashback shows how Narancia grew up on the streets until he was rescued by Fugo and Bucciarati. Formaggio traps the miniature Narancia in a bottle with a spider to interrogate him on Trish's whereabouts. However, Narancia had earlier managed to have Aerosmith riddle a car with bullets which suddenly explodes, scorching Formaggio and returning Narancia to his normal size. Using his own blood to extinguish the flames engulfing him, Formaggio shrinks himself and attempts to escape under the smoke affecting Aerosmith's radar. However, Narancia causes more explosions, surrounding Formaggio with more fires and forcing him to reveal himself. The two have one final stand-off, resulting in Narancia managing to kill Formaggio. Back at the vineyard, Bucciarati receives instructions from the boss to travel to Pompeii and retrieve a key near a dog mosaic for a vehicle which can escort Trish to safety.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Drum House Arc EP#13 - Something More Important Than Life: The entire house shifts its orientation suddenly, throwing Zenitsu and Shoichi outside through a second story window. The room Tanjiro is in flips, sending papers from a cabinet flying across the room. When Tanjiro lands, he takes care not to step on them. This causes Kyogai to recall how, as a human, he loved to write but was belittled, his writing discarded, though Tanjiro took care not to step on it. Tanjiro figures out how to take quicker shallow breaths and reinforce the muscles around his leg to compensate and also becomes able to smell the claw attack coming. This lets him get close enough to cut off Kyogai's head, but he tells him his Blood Art was incredible before decapitating him. Before he dies, Kyogai finds himself crying as Tanjiro has recognized his blood art and writing. Using a hollow knife made by Yushiro, Tanjiro collects a blood sample, which is taken by an enchanted cat of Yushiro's with an invisibility spell before he looks for Kiyoshi and Teruko. He is greeted by a book to the face when he finds them as their drum had vanished and they couldn't shift anymore, but they apologize. He takes them outside where he finds Inosuke kicking a badly wounded Zenitsu, who is protecting Nezuko's box. Inosuke had come out of the house after Zenitsu and tried to destroy the box since he was getting a demonic vibe from Nezuko within. Zenitsu recognizes him as the Fifth survivor of Final Selection, who was there but did not show himself. Zenitsu already knew there was a demon in Tanjiro's box as he could hear her breathing and heartbeat but trusted Tanjiro had a reason for declaring it was more important then his life and protects it. As Tanjiro sees Inosuke about to stab Zenitsu, he shouts at Inosuke to stop and rushes him.

Dr. Stone Communications Arc EP#20 - The Age of Energy: Senku and Ishigami Village begin work on the cell phone, planning to complete its construction by spring. In order to manufacture gold filaments for wiring, Senku creates a cotton candy machine to test with sugar. Senku brings cotton candy to Homura, who has been spying on the Kingdom of Science. After running into imperfections making filaments, Senku develops a gear train for the cotton candy machine, inspiring Chrome to construct a waterwheel with Kaseki.

Fire Force Netherworld Arc EP#23 - Smiles: Shinra again uses his Adolla Burst jump to light speed, causing his childhood memories to be shared with Sho. While initially rejecting memories from their youth, scenes with Shinra caring for him and their mother's love overwhelm Sho, causing him to break down in tears. As Shinra embraces his younger brother, he realizes his uncontrolled speed has resulted in Sho's sword piercing his body. Haumea appears and reveals that they are collecting Adolla Bursts for the Evangelist who wants to kick-start the Great Cataclysm again. Haumea attempts to apprehend Shinra, but Arthur and the rest of Company 8 arrive to rescue him. The Evangelist causes the tunnel to collapse, enabling Haumea and Yana escape with Sho, while Company 8 exits with the severely injured Shinra. At Special Fire Hospital 6, Director Kayoko Huang uses her serpent-like flaming Rod of Ascepius to heal Shinra. He awakens three days later and is greeted by Company 1 commander Captain Leonard Burns who reveals that he knew everything about the Kusakabe house fire and how Sho had been indoctrinated by the Evangelist. Furious, Shinra demands an explanation but Burns challenges him to see if Shinra's resolve is strong enough.

Food Wars!: The Second Plate Totsuki Autumn Election Arc EP#26 - Interplay of Light & Shadow: Megumi competes against Ryo in the second match, where the two make ramen dishes using pre-prepared noodles. As both Megumi and Ryo make ramen using seafood based broths, Alice recalls when she first met Ryo ten years ago. Ryo presents his Soupe de Poisson Ramen first, impressing the judges with a rich flavor made using crushed lobster shells. Despite the shift in the crowd's tone, Megumi concentrates on finishing her Kozuyu Chicken Soy Sauce Ramen, which draws out umami from scallops and simmered dried vegetables while also using a flavor-changing sauce.

Black Clover: Elf Tribe Reincarnation Arc EP#102 - Two Miracles: Nero appears to watch the boys from next to the first Wizard King's statue atop the giant demon skull. As Asta and Yuno fight the elf, a user of poison plant magic, the injured Father Orsi, Sister Lily and the orphans reminisce on their memories of them growing up and then learning about Asta and Yuno's lives as magic knights through the letters they sent home. They recall all Asta and Yuno's most recent experiences with their squads, the Wizard King, The Underwater Temple, the Witches Forest and the Midnight Sun. While Yuno fights the elf Asta tries to use his sword to remove the poison from Father Orsi, but fails as the original spell is gone and cannot be nullified, while the poison remains in Father Orsi's body. Father Orsi manages to tell Asta how proud he is of both him and Yuno and asks that they protect the village then dies from the poison. Asta's grief summons from his grimoire the sword he took from Licht, now as black and rusted as his other swords. As he grasps the sword he experiences a vision of Licht and his anti-magic demon form activates.

[rastronomicals]

4:51 AM EDT April 4, 2023:

Pink Floyd - "Mademoiselle Nobs" From the DVD Live At Pompeii: The Director's Cut (October 21, 2003)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

[igazikutya]

Zajok a nappaliból – Grand Traxelektor 2019 / 3. Special

Kétezertizenkilenc elektronikus zenei undergroundjának legtöbbet hallgatott és legérdekesebbnek ítélt művei hármas tematika szerint rendezve. (harmadik rész)

Spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1bvQLxrImOTQrSSclNrT2F

300,000 V.K. & Peter Mlakar - Das schöne, das gute, das wahre [Peter Paradox, LP, Dallas] Acronym & Kali Malone - A Sunspot [The Torrid Eye, LP, Stilla Ton] Acronym & Kali Malone – Tarmar [The Torrid Eye, LP, Stilla Ton] Al Dobson Jr. - Players Club Outtake [Sounds From The Village Vol. 2, LP, IZWID] Amon Tobin - Vipers Follow You [Fear In A Handful Of Dust, LP, Nomark] Anatoly Grinberg & Mark Spybey - And What Did You Do Dear Daddy? [123 m, LP, Ant-Zen] Ancestral Voices – Samhain [Samhain , EP, The Fifth Kingdom] Bartellow San, Ground San - Gekko No Odoriko [Amanogawa, EP, SVS] Black Merlin - DE 2.1 [Kode, EP, Die Orakel] Boreal Massif - Black Rapids [We All Have An Impact, LP, Pessimist Productions] Boreal Massif - Low Forties [We All Have An Impact, LP, Pessimist Productions] Carter Tutti Void - Triumvirate 3.2 [Triumvirate , LP, Conspiracy International] Caterina Barbieri – Fantas [Ecstatic Computation, LP, Editions Mego] Caterina Barbieri - Pinnacles of You [Ecstatic Computation, LP, Editions Mego] Coil - Alternative Theme From Gay Man’s Guide To Safer Sex (End Version) [The Gay Man's Guide To Safer Sex + 2, LP, Musique Pour La Danse] Cooper Saver - Pacifico (Khidja Remix) [Pacifico, EP, Biologic] Cosey Fanni Tutti - Sophic Ripple [Tutti, LP, Conspiracy International] Cosmo Vitelli feat Tanja Vezic - Tisja (Original Mix) [Un Episode Psychotique, EP, Les Disques De La Mort] Cristian Vogel – Understory [The Misty Quay, LP, Hard Wax] Daniel Avery - Time Marked Its Irregular Pulse In Her Eyes (HAAi’s Existential Song For Alpha Vocal Rework) [Song For Alpha B​-​Sides & Remixes, LP, Phantasy Sound] Die Orangen – Sonne [Zwei Orangen, LP, Malka Tuti] Die Orangen feat. Alex Akers - Severed Did I? [Zwei Orangen, LP, Malka Tuti] Dj Nobu – Spring [Displaced Soundtracks Vol. 2, Comp, Life And Death] Efdemin - New Atlantis [New Atlantis, LP, Ostgut Ton] Emika - Wash It All Away (Headless Horseman Remix)[ Falling In Love With Sadness Remixes, EP, Emika] Fennesz – Rainfall [Agora, LP, Touch] FFT – Regional [Regional/Loss, EP, The Trilogy Tapes] Fischerle & Persuasion – Obsine [Winter Studies, EP, idioms] Franck Vigroux - Chronostasis Grand Finale [Totem, LP, Aesthetical] Franck Vigroux – Nord  [Théorème, EP, D'Autres Cordes] Funki Porcini - Fluttery Eyed Disco [Studio 59, LP, Self-released] Galcher Lustwerk - Been A Long Night [Information, LP, Ghostly International] Ground feat. Elliof Touchy, Gats, Luana Schwengber, Patyfsi - Dance City [Odoru Miyako, EP, Chill Mountain] Holly Herndon – SWIM [Proto, LP, 4AD] Ishq - Kunlun Mountain [Nightflower, LP, Ishq] Jay Glass Dubs - A New Model for Emulation [Epitaph, LP, Bokeh Versions] Jay Glass Dubs - The Controversial Control [Nyx, EP, Berceuse Heroique] Jean-Benoît Dunckel & Jonathan Fitoussi - Source [Mirages, LP, The Vinyl Factory] Jeff Mills - Spiral Therapy (Directors Cut, 2019) [Sight Sound And Space, LP, Axis] Jonas Kopp - Sideral Malun [Non Virtual Reality, MC, Semantica] Kali Malone - Sacrificial Code II (Live in Hagakyrka) [The Sacrificial Code, LP, iDEAL] Khidja & Balabas - Mos Ene [Khidja Și Balabaș, EP, Malka Tuti] King Midas Sound - Missing You [Solitude, LP, Cosmo Rhythmatic] Konx-Om-Pax - LA Melody [Ways Of Seeing, LP, Planet Mu] Krokakai - Bodhran Beat [Burning Pleasures, EP, Invisible Inc.] Lee Scratch Perry – Magik [Life Of The Plants, EP, Stones Throw] Legowelt - These Phenomena Are Not Well Understood [Unconditional Contours, LP, Smem] Lo Kindre – Syn [Private Worlds, EP, ByrdOut] Mad Professor & Gaudi feat. Macka B. - Dub on Camera [Mad Professor Meets Gaudi, LP, Ariwa] Manuel Fischer - Arni Driftking [Roadkill Grill In Novosibirsk, LP, Lobster Theremin] Maps & Diagrams - Acoustic Parallel [Ottava, LP, Handstitched] Maps & Diagrams – Amarra [Azurescens, LP, Handstitched] Mira Calix – Rightclick [Utopia, EP, Warp] Mondkopf - Last Day on Earth [How Deep Is Our Love?, LP, Hands In The Dark] Negativland - Destroying Anything [True False, LP, Seeland] Nima Khak - Vessels of Clay [Vessels of Clay , LP, Sound Related] Not Waving - Transition 2-Transition 3-Alarm Sound [Futuro (Music For The Waldorf Project), LP, Ecstatic] Not Waving & Dark Mark - The Broken Man [Downwelling, LP, Ecstatic] O Yuki Conjugate - Insect-Talk (Tolouse Low Trax Remix) [Insect-Talk, EP, Utter] Odd Nosdam - Flippy Rock 16 [Flippies Rock Tape, MC, Home Assembly] Overmono - Salt Mix [POLY011, S, Poly Kicks] Papivores - Poupre Reflets Glace [Death And Spring, LP, Hands In The Dark] Prins Thomas - Æ (Rivet Remix) [Bronchi Beat/Æ, EP, Prins Thomas Musikk] Red Axes feat. Beo Dot May Troi and HCMC Student - Ho Chi Min [Trips #2: In Vietnam, EP, !K7] Redshape - A New Home [Android Malfunction, EP, Delsin] Retina.it - China@House [The Last Day Of Pompeii - Part II, Lp, Midgar] Retina.it - Zucchine Alla Scapece [The Last Day Of Pompeii - Part I, Lp, Midgar] Rocco Siffredi - Per Penis Ad Astra [Per Aspera Ad Astra, EP, Barba] Rosa Anschütz - Scratch to Cash [Rigid, EP, Quiet Love] Seahawks & Woo - The Next Level [Celestial Railroads, LP, Emotional Response] Segue – Mirage [The Island, LP, Silent Season] Subjective – Inkolelo [Act1: Music For Inanimate Objects, LP, Subjective] The Future Sound of London - A Sensation Of Vagueness [Yage 2019, LP, fsoldigital.com] The Tapes - The Golden Ratio [News From Nowhere, LP, Luce Sia] The Utopia Strong - Brainsurgeons 3 [The Utopia Strong , LP, Rocket] The Utopia Strong - Do You Believe In Two Gods? [The Utopia Strong , LP, Rocket] Thom Yorke - I Am a Very Rude Person [Anima, LP, XL Recordings] Thom Yorke – Runwayaway [Anima, LP, XL Recordings] Tom Of England - Neon Green [Sex Monk Blues, LP, L.I.E.S.] Ultramarine - If Not Now When [Signals Into Space, LP, Les Disques Du Crépuscule] Underworld - Altitude Dub [Drift Episode 4 "Space", EP, Smith Hyde Productions] Vanishing Twin - Who Wants To Live Forever [Cryonic Suspension May Save Your Life, S, Fire] Vieo Abiungo - What The Rain Restores [The Dregs, LP, Lost Tribe Sound] Yaporigami - Panther Doors [We Dance Alone, LP, Detroit Underground] Yaporigami - We Dance Alone [We Dance Alone, LP, Detroit Underground] Zaliva-D - Can't Go Back [Forsaken, LP, Knekelhuis]

[crowleylesbian]

my magnum opus aka my spotify playlist (that has ultimately clocked in at a whopping 4 hours with 67 songs and yes, they are all essential.)

track list and Directors Commentary under the cut because i cant justify making this long ass post not under a readmore but also i have shit to say, you know?

ok so like my entire Thing for this playlist is that i wanted it to go kind of chronologically like not just how we were introduced to them via the episodes but how i imagine their relationship progressed. That isn’t to say every song fits perfectly in the progression because some songs i just really, really wanted in here. (The one exception is From Eden, which is first just because Of Course It Is also it was too difficult to try and place it in my already drawn out song sequences)

Things like first meeting and church scene and burning scene are in here, but the rest its more of a general thing. Pink in the night goes with church scene, the songs “day without you” and “shut up kiss me” correspond to bandstand fight, and run away with me starts the book shop scene sequence (that ends with somebody to love). Pompeii, how far we’ve come, and the only hope for me are Apocalypse Moods, and all the songs after are the aftermath. If u keep that in mind it makes it easier to see where i was going with it all. Also I’ve put in the lyrics I think exemplify what my thought process was because, again, the playlist is four fucking hours. Also I apologize for the amount of taylor swift on here. 

side note: the way i put the lyrics is that there’s a “/” between lines, and if i took lyrics that weren’t right next to each other I put a “//” between them instead so that’s what that means

Without further ado:

From Eden - Hozier // Honey, you’re familiar like my mirror years ago // innocence died screaming / honey, ask me, I should know / I slithered here from Eden just to sit outside your door

Everything Has Changed - Taylor Swift // All I know is we said hello / and your eyes look like coming home / all I know is a simple name / and everything has changed

Strawberry Blond - Mitski // All I need, darling, is a life in your shape / I picture it soft and I ache

Untouchable - Taylor Swift // Untouchable burning brighter than the sun / and when you’re close I feel like coming undone // in the middle of the night we can make this dream / I wanna feel you in the dark lying next to me

First Love/Late Spring - Mitski // So, please, hurry, leave me / I can’t breathe / please don’t say you love me / one word from you and I would jump off of this ledge I’m on baby

I Won’t Say (I’m In Love) - Susan Egan // You keep on denying / who you are / and how you’re feeling / baby, we’re not buying / hun, we saw you hit the ceiling

Come Into The Water - Mitski // I didn’t know I had a dream / I didn’t know until I saw you / so would you tell me if you want me / ‘cause I can’t move until you show me

Treacherous - Taylor Swift // Put your lips close to mine / as long as they don’t touch // I hear the sound of my own voice / asking you to stay // this daydream is dangerous / this hope is treacherous / I like it

The Only Exception - Paramore // And I’ve always lived like this / keeping a comfortable distance / and up until now I have sworn to myself / that I’m content with loneliness / ‘cause none of it was ever worth the risk / but you are the only exception

Lovers Rock - TV Girl // I’m trying to tell you something / something that I’ve already said // but if you’re too drunk to drive / and the music is right / she might let you stay / but just for the night / and if she grabs for your hand / and drags you along / she might want a kiss / before the end of the song

State of Grace - Taylor Swift // You come around and the armor falls / pierce the room like a canon ball / now all we know / is don’t let go / we are alone just you and me / up in your room and our slates are clean

Take Me To Church - Hozier // If the heavens ever did speak / she’s the last true mouthpiece // the only heaven I’ll be sent to / is when I’m alone with you

Breakthru - Queen // I get religion quick / ‘cause you’re lookin divine // if I could make you smile / if I could only reach you / that would really be a break through

Immortals - Fall Out Boy // They say we are what we are / but we don’t have to be // I am the sand in the bottom half of the hourglass / I try to picture me without you but I can’t

All This And Heaven Too - Florence + The Machine // And the heart is hard to translate / it has a language of its own // and I would give all this and heaven too / I would give it all if only for a moment / that I could just understand / the meaning of the word you see / ‘cause I've been scrawling it forever / but it never makes sense to me at all

Once More To See You - Mitski // But with everybody watching us / our every move / we do have reputations // then I wouldn’t have to scream your name / atop of every roof / in the city of my heart / if I could see you

I Want To Break Free - Queen // It’s strange, but it’s true / I can’t get over the way you love me like you do / but I have to be sure, when I walk out that door / oh, how I want to be free

Wouldn’t It Be Nice? - The Beach Boys // And wouldn’t it be nice to live together / in the kind of world where we belong?

Cut To The Feeling - Carly Rae Jepsen // I've been denying how I feel / you've been denying what you want // I wanna cut through the clouds, break the ceiling / I wanna dance on the roof, you and me alone / I wanna cut to the feeling

Texas Reznikoff - Mitski // Somehow, in the city, you make it there / and you make it anywhere, anywhere / but I’ve been anywhere and it’s not what I want / I wanna be still with you

Drops Of Jupiter - Train // Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded / and that heaven is overrated? // plain ol’ Jane told a story ‘bout a man / who was too afraid to fly so he never did land

Angel, Please - Ra Ra Riot // I will take this weight to hell / still, I’d pray / but I know there’s nothing else // oh, angel please / please stay with me

Alone Together - Fall Out Boy // I don’t know where you’re going but do you have room for one more troubled soul? // say yeah, let’s be alone together / we could stay young forever

Making The Most Of The Night - Carly Rae Jepsen // Baby, I’m speeding / and red lights I’ll run / what I’ve got you need it / and I’ll run to your side / when your heart is bleeding

I’m Only Me When I’m With You - Taylor Swift // I know everything about you / I don’t want to live without you // when I’m with anybody else / it’s so hard to be myself

Pink In The Night - Mitski // I could stare at your back all day / and I know I’ve kissed you before but / I didn’t do it right / can I try again, try again, try again?

Let’s Get Lost - Carly Rae Jepsen // Never wanted to discourage / everything your eyes encouraged silently // let’s get lost / I don’t wanna let you go / keeping my fingers crossed / that maybe you’ll take the long way home

Just Like Heaven - The Cure // Why won’t you ever know that I’m in love with you? / that I’m in love with you? // you, soft and only / you, lost and lonely / you, just like heaven

Roses - ROZES // Take me back to a time only we knew / hideaway / we could waste the night with an old film / smoke a little weed on my couch in the back room / hideaway / say you’ll never let me go

Ain’t Together - King Princess // We say “I love you” but we ain’t together / do you think labels make it taste much better? / and darling do you think that if I talk enough / I will make you want to be mine?

Riches And Wonders - The Mountain Goats // We are guardians of a rare thing / we pay close careful attention to the news the morning air brings // I find great comfort in you / and I keep you safe from harm / you hold me in your arms / and I want to go home / but I am home

Cruel Summer - Taylor Swift // Devils roll the dice / angels roll their eyes / and if I bleed you’ll be the last to know // I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you // “for whatever it’s worth, I love you, ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?”

Always - Panic! At The Disco // Lonely, lonely little life / I could kid myself in thinking that I’m fine / it was always you

Old Friend - Mitski // I haven’t told anyone / just like we promised, have you? // if you’ll meet me at blue diner / I’ll take coffee and talk about nothing // I’ll take anything you want to give me, baby

Love Of My Life - Queen // Bring It back, bring it back / don’t take it away from me / because you don’t know what it means to me

Some Strange Angel - Car Seat Headrest // I am asking for the moon / let the world have their sun / let it all fall to ruin / you are my favorite one / when it’s all gone, I love you

Day Without You - Keep For Cheap // I don’t wanna think about a day without you / meet me later at the midnight rendezvous

Shut Up Kiss Me - Angel Olsen // At your worst I still believe / it’s worth the fight // a love so real it can’t be ignored / it’s all over, baby, but I’m still yours

Run Away With Me - Carly Rae Jepsen // Baby, take me to the feeling / I’ll be your sinner in secret / when the lights go out / run away with me / run away with me

You’re My Best Friend - Queen // I’ve been with you such a long time / you’re my sunshine / and I want you to know that my feelings are true / I really love you

Do You Know What I’m Seeing? - Panic! At The Disco // I know it’s mad, but if I go to hell / would you come with me or just leave? / I know it’s mad, but if the world were ending / would you kiss me or just leave me?

I Want You - Mitski // You’re coming back / and its the end of the world // you’re in the house / and I am here in the car / I just need a quiet place / where I can scream how I love you

Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met...) - Panic! At The Disco // Ever since we met / I’ve got just one regret to live through / (and I regret never letting you know!)

Somebody To Love - Queen // I have spent all my years in believing you / but I just can’t get no relief, lord / somebody, somebody / can anybody find me somebody to love?

Two Slow Dancers - Mitski // It would be a hundred times easier / if we were young again / but as it is, and it is... / to think that we could stay the same

The End Of All Things - Panic! At The Disco // In these coming years / many things will change / but the way I feel / will remain the same / lay us down, we’re in love

I Will - Mitski // Everything you feel is good / if you would only let you // and we’re not out of the tunnel / I bet you, though, there’s an end

Make You Feel My Love - Adele // I know you haven’t made your mind up yet / but I would never do you wrong / I’ve known it from the moment that we met / no doubt in my mind where you belong

Like Real People Do - Hozier // Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips / we should just kiss like real people do

Let’s Get Married - The Bleachers // And I know it’s bad when we look out / but bad, bad people don’t live in our house // so let’s get married / ‘cause we don’t wanna walk alone / (or run away)

Me And My Husband - Mitski // But when he walks in / I am loved, I am loved / me and my husband, we’re doing better / it’s always been just him and me together

Pompeii - Bastille // And the walls kept tumbling down / in the city that we love // but if you close your eyes / does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?

How Far We’ve Come - Matchbox 20 // Said where you going man, you know the world is headed for hell / say your goodbyes if you’ve got someone you can say goodbye to // let’s see how far we’ve come

The Only Hope For Me Is You - My Chemical Romance // Can I be the only hope for you? / because you’re the only hope for me / and if we can’t find where we belong / we’ll have to make it on our own

The Kids Aren’t Alright - Fall Out Boy // And it’s our time now, if you want it to be // your love is anemic and I can’t believe / you couldn’t see it coming from me

A Thousand Years - Christina Perry // I have loved you for a thousand years / I’ll love you for a thousand more

Can’t Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley // Shall I stay? / would it be a sin? / I can’t help / falling in love with you

Heaven Is A Place On Earth - Belinda Carlisle // They say in Heaven, love comes first / we’ll make heaven a place on earth

Underneath It All - No Doubt // You see the colors in me like no one else / and behind your dark glasses, you’re something else / you’re really lovely underneath it all

Still Into You - Paramore // Some things just, some things just make sense / and one of those is you and I / some things just, some things just make sense / and even after all this time / I’m into you

Yellow Cloud - Trixie Mattel // When we’re older, we stay the same / couple losers who won the game / and it gets colder, but it never rains

Nobody - Hozier // I’d be appalled if I saw you ever try to be a saint / I wouldn’t fall for someone I thought couldn’t misbehave

You Are In Love - Taylor Swift // Pauses, then says / ‘you’re my best friend’ / and you knew what it was / he is in love

Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy - Queen // Dining at the Ritz we’ll meet at nine / I will pay the bill, you taste the wine / driving back in style in my saloon will do quite nicely / just take me back to yours, that will be fine

When The Day Met The Night - Panic! At The Disco // When the moon fell in love with the sun / all was golden in the sky / all was golden when the day met the night / (in the middle of summer...)

Origin Of Love - MIKA // Your guilty heart, don’t let it break you / and if you pray, well no one’s gonna save you // like stupid Adam and Eve / they found their love in a tree / God didn’t think they deserved it // you’re the origin of love 

A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square - Tori Amos // But I’m perfectly willing to swear / that when you turned and smiled at me / a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square

[more-relics]

hey would you know where to download live at pompeii?

Actually no. Especially The Director’s Cut i haven’t seen in ages. Try You Tube, make sure it’s safe. If it helps, https://www.google.com/search

[nickarmstrongfilm]

Nurturing Nihilism In Paul W.S. Anderson’s Shopping (1994)

Paul W.S. Anderson is a filmmaker who has spent his career leaning into the artificiality of our cultural obsessions. If this is not evident enough from his countless film adaptations of video games — starting as early as his sophomore film, Mortal Kombat (1995), moving onto helming the majority of the massive Resident Evil franchise, and continuing with his upcoming Monster Hunter adaptation — then it should be clear from his heavy utilization of special effects. The majority of his work is also characterized by apocalyptic conditions, whether it be historical or fictional. In his debut feature Shopping (1994), the only one of these preoccupations that was not already in tact is the reliance on special effects. It is likely that this was due in part to budgetary constraints, this being his first ever film, however the fact that the film presents itself as a post-apocalyptic vision of teenage revolt without relying on the visual elements that denote a dystopian future in many of the film’s influences (including Blade Runner [1982] and A Clockwork Orange [1971], as Anderson mentions in the film’s audio commentary). Beyond being limited by his budget, it feels as though the film recognizes its present (1994) as the dystopia so many other films envisioned occurring decades later.

To establish its barren setting, the film opens on a series of shots depicting industrial buildings, pumping out fire and gas that saturate the screen. No humans are seen in this opening montage, we see nothing but acres and acres of metal until we’re introduced to Billy, who is being let out of prison. It is not clear what he had been locked up for until he is greeted by his partner, Jo, who immediately helps him steal a car. The film centers around these two characters, as well as their group of teenage friends, as they take part in the acts of “joyriding” and “ramraiding”, which respectively mean stealing vehicles for the fun of it, and driving said vehicles into the doors of a closed store with the intention of stealing from them. The common thread in all of their activities, though, is that they are forms of rebellion. All of the film’s teenage characters participate in smoking, stealing, drinking coffee, listening to techno and living recklessly, in general. The film depicts an intersection of nihilism and capitalism that is punctuated by all these actions, and what the film investigates is what purpose rebellion might serve within that intersection.

While many of these activities are unique to the film’s teenage characters, when we are introduced to the figures that embody everything they despise — such as Billy’s father, or really any authority figure — we see that they smoke cigarettes and drink coffee as well. Billy criticizes his father for “sitting on his fat ass and smoking all day”, when the only thing that differentiates the two of them is that Billy rebels in more public ways. Anderson co-opted a negative review of his film that called it a “reckless orgy of destruction” in the film’s marketing, but the film’s message becomes most clear in the many moments of reflection that come in between its very high-octane action sequences. It feels as though the cold, metallic landscape that these characters live in is what breeds despondency in relationships between humans, thus inspiring its younger citizens to destroy and rebel. However, it appears that it is not the desire to rebel that disappears as these characters grow older, but rather the publicity of the rebellion. Ever since it has been public knowledge that smoking causes cancer and, ultimately, death, the act of smoking has been a private act of rebellion that is fetishized in popular culture. It is a rather dystopian idea to consider that there is a product that neatly packages death with a warning that you should not buy it, and yet, it has been a staple in our society for decades. It feels as though everyone smokes in hopes of cutting their life short, and its feels like Billy (and the rest of the teenage characters) act the way they do in fear of growing up to reach that point of defeat.

“these will kill you” “I’ll take the chance”

The film is notably set in the ‘90s (“It’s the ‘90s, sex isn’t safe anymore,” Billy proclaims to Jo) but is not set in any specific city, despite begin a UK production. The film’s blanket depiction of capitalism’s effects on youth activities feels as though it intends on capturing the zeitgeist of the 1990s as it pertains to the UK, as well as the dominant North America. Though in raising that question of where rebellion fits into its intersection of nihilism and capitalism, the film also interrogates whether or not genuine connections have a place in that society. Billy and Jo spend the majority of the film’s runtime together, sharing a series of quiet moments in between their acts of rebellion. One moment that sticks out is an extended conversation the two of them have on top of a car they’ve stolen, in which Billy reflects on how he is too afraid to go back to prison but ultimately too afraid to escape the life he’s built for himself outside of it. It feels as though the two of them give each other purpose where nothing else does, and that love is the only pure thing that gives them a sense of excitement. However, their rebellion against their capitalistic landscape — that values metal over human connections — intercepts the purity of their love as well. If it wasn’t already clear from their most intimate moments taking place on stolen vehicles, against cold metal, it also manifests in their expressions of love. For example, Billy gives Jo stolen items as gifts, as tokens of love. Even in their need to disrupt capitalism, there is a reliance on materialism that feeds into a culture that ultimately doesn’t care if they live or die. Their relationship is never clearly defined, which is no doubt a result of viewing monogamy as a cornerstone of a life they’re so desperately trying to find a way out of. So when the couple end up crashing their vehicle through a line of police cars at the end of the film, laying dead in their car in front of a neon sign for a store called “RETAIL LAND,” it feels as though they’ve chosen to end things on their own terms instead of admitting defeat against a world that is unattainable to them, yet stares them right in the face as they fade away into the flames of their demolished vehicle.

If there’s any moment that could be considered an early tell that this is the work of Paul W.S. Anderson, it’s a moment that takes place during the film’s first car chase between Billy and Jo and the police. While the chase takes place, Billy drives the car and Jo casually plays a car chase video game in the passenger seat. We cut between shots of the stolen car they flee in, as well as the car within the video game that is marked “OFFENDER”. To a lesser extent, video games could be a contributing factor to their desperate need for excitement within the rather desolate landscape that they live in — especially if you consider that video games are mass produced by the same capitalistic institutions that are responsible for that landscape looking the way it does. Of course, as I mentioned up top, video games are of particular interest to Anderson, and it makes sense that the majority of his films — whether they’re video game adaptations or not — are set during the apocalypse. It is especially exciting to me when you can look back at a director’s debut film and see that the groundwork has been laid for the rest of their career, and that one particular sequence feels like Anderson’s career in a nutshell: from the artificiality of video games, to its apocalyptic conditions, to a general lack of direction for its characters. In Anderson’s own Pompeii, he uses digital 3D filmmaking to depict the genuine events of the destruction of Pompeii in 79 A.D. In many ways, that film’s doomed romance and the fragility of its central location matches Billy and Jo’s relationship in Shopping. Even Anderson’s Soldier (1998), in which Kurt Russel plays a genetically engineered soldier deemed useless by its makers, feels like an apt continuation of Shopping’s capitalistic society that moulds citizens only to push them out. What feels most appropriate to talk about in Anderson’s career, however, is the undercurrent of corporate evil in his Resident Evil franchise that tracks Alice’s (played by his wife, Milla Jovovich) reckoning with her identity in the face of an apocalypse that was directly created with the intention of killing everyone who wasn’t in line with the corporation’s values, especially since it does all of this through the lens of the artificiality of video game action.

In making a debut feature, it feels as though relying on your influences is a rite of passage. What tends to mark the work of a talented up-and-comer is engaging with the influences that you are employing, and as a dystopian depiction of our present, the film feels much more thoughtful than any of its influences. What feels most telling about a film like Shopping taking influence from a canonized classic like Blade Runner — and perhaps he is merely turning subtext into text, depending on how you look at it — is that it takes what feels like a staple in futuristic production design and tones it down to highlight all the modern elements of a vision we don’t anticipate becoming a reality until decades in the future. Ironically, Shopping’s 1994 feels closer to our 2019 than Blade Runner’s 2019 does. As for dystopian futures that drive teenagers to violent rebellion, ostensibly just for the sake of it, the film has a lot in common with Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. Kubrick’s film leans further into post-modernism than outright dystopia in his depiction of a futuristic Britain, although as he depicts the film’s antihero Alex DeLarge descending into rebellion and ultimately being manipulated by the government into reaching a point of conformity that Shopping’s Billy and Jo would wince at, it feels as though it hinges on a boring sense of edgy nihilism where Shopping would instead probe and more deeply consider what feeds its characters nihilism and how it affects their personal relationships.  In spite of these more obvious influences on the film, I couldn’t help but recall Edward Yang’s Taipei Story (1985) with regards to the film’s central relationship. Yang’s film is an intimate portrait of how one woman navigates her work life and personal relationships in a rapidly shifting Taipei. The film’s main character, Chin, desperately tries to advance her life and find success while her boyfriend, a former baseball player, dwells on his past successes that he strays further and further from. I’m reminded of the film’s employment of sunglasses and cigarettes as a solace for Chin in a landscape that quickly shifts and remains powered by masculinity that refuses to change along with it. As stated above, Billy and Jo tend to avoid labels within their relationship, but it feels as though it is Billy who holds the most influence within their relationship. The nuances of their relationships and actions lie within their view of violent rebellion as their only viable place within their society, and how it is Billy’s masculinity and fear of conformity that keeps him from fully embracing his relationship with Jo in the way that she seems to long for. The fact that they are cornered into the outskirts of what capitalism deems a functional society is what forces Billy to make the decision that ultimately kills the two of them.

What feels most dystopian about these films that place equal focus on an alienating location as it does on its characters is that we are constantly shown a setting that advances without its citizens in mind, and as a result, we see our characters struggle to find purpose and are ultimately blocked off from feeling included within their own home. It’s for this reason that the teenage characters in Shopping insist on accelerating their youth, and the only tools they have to do so are handed to them by society. It is through these normalized and fetishized gateways to death that capitalism fosters nihilism within its youth.