#Not the jazz musician or the football player

[hamill91]

My new song, "Dancing with the Moon" is out now on Spotify, YouTube, Bandcamp, and everywhere you stream your music! I hope it makes you feel as good as it did me when I was writing and recording it! Happy Listening!

You can find it on all the music services by clicking my Linktree here or by searching it up at your leisure! https://linktr.ee/BrandonFields

[betterbooktitles]

When my father could think of nothing to add to a funny or odd moment in a conservation, he’d let out a sarcastic “Nothing but the best.”

When a drunk guy on the street swore at us and made lewd gestures as we walked to get dinner in Cleveland one night, he looked over and said nothing but the best. When I showed him a particularly insane clip from Wondershowzen he liked, nothing but the best.

It was rare, however, that he had nothing to add, argue, or joke about when talking to me.

The last time I was able to have a long conversation with my dad, he told me he thought his personal knowledge base had a few spots of depth but that he didn’t know much. It was a rare moment of self-pity, one I felt was unearned since he was a person who knew a lot about everything. I challenged him. I began listing stories he told me about writers, actors, politicians, about history and economics. He knew about petty arguments Joni Mitchel had with her managers in the 60s. He explained the 2008 financial crisis to me in under a minute (likely during one of his furlough days when the government was shut down). He taped avant-garde short films on VHS so we could watch them together on the weekends. That’s how I ended up seeing Maya Deren’s “Meshes of the Afternoon” before entering high school, let alone a film course. His favorite short was “Down Rusty Down,” an Australian black-and-white comedy from 1997 where humans play various dogs in a neighborhood. We watched it for the first time together but he asked me 50 times over the last few years if I’d ever seen it. I wanted to scream every time that I was there with him for his entire indie cinema phase! Our shared movie viewings started when I was a child when he forced me to watch All That Jazz and Die Hard (inappropriate movies to watch with your kid) and ended around 2001 when we watched Y Tu Mama Tambien (an inappropriate movie to watch with your parent). It made me feel better that he didn’t even remember I was with him on this art house movie rabbit hole because it meant he liked it on his own, whether his kids did or not. He liked paintings, he hated musicals, he liked cooking and got better from my middle school years on. He subscribed to specific guitarists’ Patreon pages during the lockdown and watched his favorite musicians explain how they wrote old songs.

When my grandfather died, my brother told me what he thought makes a great dad. “It’s doing stuff you don’t want to do for your kids.” This was before he had kids of his own. He seems to enjoy attending as many of my nieces’ volleyball games as he can.

What my brother meant was that the sign of a good father was the ability to engage in your kids’ interests rather than strictly engaging in your own. Our dad was not a basketball player, but I have memories of him teaching me in our driveway how to box out. When my brother decided to become a CPA, my dad took accounting classes online so he could understand what my brother was talking about when he visited. He came to every play I was in from the age of 6, including shows I did in college that were, I’m sure, not to his taste. He gave notes on scripts and stories I wrote, he played guitar with me, he helped brainstorm ways to get an agent with me. He would preface each piece of advice with “I don’t really know how any of this works” and then make cogent, informed arguments about what I should do next. He treated every interest his kids and grandkids had like a hobby of his own.

When he was not busy being a dad, cheering in the stands of a football game or clapping in the audience of a play or in the kitchen making dinner for his wife and kids, he was reading, exploring, and finding tolerable classical music to listen to and share with all of us. He didn’t merely love the act of reading, he liked fiction specifically. He liked finding out about the craft of writing. He worked on novels and stories of his own after retirement. He liked comedy. His knowledge of it was specific and enigmatic. After taking a few pictures at the house of my friends and our homecoming dates, he asked where we were taking the girls for dinner. “Buca di Beppo,” I said (because I know how to treat a lady), and my dad said “oh, that’s where Phil Hartman’s wife got drunk for hours before going home and shooting him.” “Thank you, Dad. That’s a great icebreaker.”

When I got into stand-up myself, he pitched me jokes and essay prompts via email, even when he was ill. His last email to me was to let me know he thought a big break was approaching for me and that he and my mom did not sit up at night worrying that I couldn’t make it in comedy. "We have faith in your work and talent.”

One day, inspired by some mystery itch that came from no one in his family, my father started digging a hole in the backyard. He read through a tiny yellow pamphlet on how to build a pond, and with no help (certainly not from his kids, and before the days of YouTube), he made a mosquito-free pond in our yard. He put in fish that survived winters, he put in tadpoles that became frogs and hopped into neighbors’ yards. One morning, he came outside and discovered a giant crane hunting one of his frogs. He’d made an entire ecosystem thanks to one afternoon of reading and following through on a whim.

That’s what I’ll remember about him. Not strictly the things he did his damnedest to enjoy for us, but what he enjoyed.

He was married to my mother for 49 years. He studied city planning and managed to find work in his field. He focused on fighting for affordable housing and revitalizing neighborhoods including Ohio City where we lived for most of my teens. He was a good dad because he engaged in the stuff his kids and wife liked even when he disliked it (that included moving from the city to the suburbs for a time). But he was a great dad and friend because he managed to get me interested in what he liked. He took the time to listen, to watch, to talk. He let me know how much joy he took in his work. He let us know how much he loved being a dad and grandfather.

When I think of what he could have done better, I can’t come up with anything to say. He gave us nothing but his best.

[supremechancellorrex]

As the name suggests, the World Wars involved the world. People from all over served, and this includes people from African and Carribbean countries, yet I feel they are not so well-remembered in media and the history books for their heroics and sacrifices. Here are a few icons among many below.

Eugene Bullard

Eugene Jacques Bullard (1895-1961) was one of the first black American pilots and served in the French air force’s Lafayette Flying Corps, an all-American volunteer outfit, in World War 1. Meanwhile, in World War 2, Eugene Bullard served as a spy for France, where he also proved highly successful against the Nazi regime. Bullard was fluent in English, German and French, as well as a boxer and self-taught Jazz musician.

Eugene Bullard was awarded fifteen French war medals: Knight of the Légion d’honneur, Médaille Militaire, Croix de Guerre, Volunteer’s Cross (Croix du combattant volontaire), Wounded Insignia, World War I Commemorative Medal, World War I Victory Medal, Freedom Medal, and the World War II Commemorative Medal.

Walter Tull

Lieutenant Walter Tull (1888 - 1918) was the first British-born black army officer and the first black officer to lead white British troops into battle. He fought on the Somme in 1916 and became the first black combat officer in the British army in spite of a military rule officially excluding "any negro or person of colour” from that position. Before the War, he was a pioneering black football player and the first black outfield player to feature in the English top flight, with two seasons at Tottenham Hotspur.

Sadly, Walter Tull was killed in 1918, during the early German spring offensive, and was never awarded the military cross that he was recommended for.

Johnny Smythe

Born in Sierra Leone, Johnny Smythe (1915 - 1996) successfully made it into RAF aircrew during the Second World War. Smythe trained as a navigator, having a great talent for mathematics. He successfully navigated 26 bombing missions over Germany, although was unfortunately shot down on his 27th mission and captured. Smythe would spent the last two years of the war in Stalag Luft I, an infamous Lufftwaffe-run POW camp, until he was liberated by the Russians in 1945.

In 1948, Johnny Smythe served as the senior officer aboard the Windrush. After pursuing a career in law and working as the Queen's Counsel for Sierra Leone for a number of years, in 1961 he was appointed Solicitor General of the newly independent Republic of Sierra Leone. In 1978, he awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his outstanding service.

Ulric Cross

Ulric Cross (1917 - 2013) was Trinidadian and one of the most decorated Caribbean airmen in WWII. Joining the RAF at 24, he trained as a navigator and joined 139 Squadron, gaining the nickname ‘The Black Hornet’. Cross was an expert in precision bombing and later joined the ranks of the elite Pathfinder Force, flying high-risk missions into enemy territory as low as 50 feet as opposed to 25,000 like most pilots. While Cross was offered the option to rest after completing 50 missions, he instead volunteered for another 30 missions over enemy territory. At the end of the War, Cross had flown a total of 80 missions.

For his undeniable commitment, hard work and skill, Cross was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Distinguished Service Order.

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 10.9

Beer Birthdays

Anna Maria Hartig Krug Schlitz (1819)

Jacob Schmidt (1846)

Pat McElroy, Miss Rheingold 1949 (1928)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Scott Bakula; actor (1954)

Guillermo del Toro; Mexican film director (1964)

John Lennon; English rock singer, songwriter (1940)

Camille Saint-Saens; composer (1835)

Robert Wuhl; actor, writer (1951)

Famous Birthdays

Rocky Aoki; Benihana founder (1938)

Brian Blessed; English actor (1938)

Jackson Browne; singer, songwriter (1948)

Bruce Catton; historian (1899)

John Doubleday; English artist (1947)

Alfred Dreyfus; French military officer (1859)

John Entwistle; rock bassist (1944)

P.J. Harvey; English rock singer (1969)

Nona Hendryx; singer-songwriter(1944)

E. Howard Hunt; CIA officer (1918)

Steve Jablonsky; composer (1970)

Yusef Lateef; jazz musician (1920)

Aimee Semple McPherson; Canadian-American evangelist (1890)

Sean Ono Lennon; pop singer (1975)

Chris O'Dowd; Irish actor (1979)

Michael Pare; actor (1958)

Mike Peters; cartoonist (1943)

Belva Plain; author (1915)

Nicholas Roerich; Russian archaeologist and painter (1874)

Otto Schnering; candy bar manufacturer (1891)

Karl Schwarzschild; German physicist and astronomer (1873)

Johann Andreas Segner; German mathematician, physicist (1704)

Tony Shalhoub; actor (1953)

Alastair Sim; Scottish-English actor (1900)

Mike Singletary; football player (1958)

Simeon Solomon; English painter (1840)

Jacques Tati; French film director (1907)

Charles Walgreen; drug store founder (1873)

Jody Williams; academic and activist (1950)

[221b-sociopath-street]

#ted lasso for dummies

01×01 Pilot

00:00:56 'But it's Hockney!'*

*David Hockney is one of the most influential British artists 🎨 of XX century. Known by his contribution to the pop art movement of the 60's.

As cliche as it is, the work of art that Rebecca and Higgins refers to is called 'Football Player'. And in real life it was sold for £22,500.

00:02:20 'Liam and Noel. Though, perhaps not an Oasis.'*

*It is impossible to imagine Britain and its culture without one of the biggest and most acclaimed bands of the 90's. Oasis is a quintessence of most hated and beloved band. Alcohol, drugs, canceled gigs, bad press, accusations of imitating the work of other musicians, rivalry between brothers and the boundless love of the fans - it's all about Oasis. So, maybe comparison made by Rebecca between George Cartrick's testicles and Liam/Noel Gallagher of Oasis is a pointer to beef (rivalry) history of latter.

00:04:04 'Jack Kerouac. The Dharma Bums'*

*The Dharma Bums is a 1958 novel by Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac. Description of mountain climbing, cycling, hitchhiking, poetry readings, jazz drunk parties is done through the prism of Buddhism. So maybe it makes sense: Ted and his philosophy of life and work?!

00:06:58 'Okay. That's Tower Bridge. Right. Not the London Bridge, because this one is still up'.

*For me as a foreigner it's a bit confusing?! Is it a reference to Operation London Bridge - the funeral plan for Queen Elizabeth II created in 60's, where the phrase 'London Bridge is down' is like signal of Queen's death to the PM and others, setting the plan into motion? Or is it like some touristy stuff?

00:08:39 'Y'all got Nathan's hot dogs 🌭 here?'*

* An American company that operates a chain of fast-food restaurant's  specializing in hot dogs. There are some restaurants in GB, but Nates lack of knowledge about them msybe suggests their unpopularity.

00:13:22 'Trent Crimm, The Independent.'*

* The Independent during 1986-2016 British print newspaper, nowadays - online newspaper. And it is owned by representative of the terrorist country and ex kgb agent 😵

00:18:57 'Wales. Is that another country?'*

*Yeap, Wales is a country (with it's own capital Cardiff) that is a part of another country - 🇬🇧 . Besides it UK consists of: England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

00:19:03 'It's kinda like America these days.'*

*Perhaps Ted is equating the countries within the UK to states in America OR is taking about sovereign states and dependent territories in the Americas(such as Canada, Brazil, Cuba and other)?!

00:19:25 'And am I getting notes of Axe body spray?'*

*If you are a man and you forget your body spray while traveling from the USA to GB, remember: AXE=LYNX 🤣

00:20:07 'Last time I saw eyes that cold, they were going head-to-head with Roy Scheider. Jaws? No, All that jazz.'

* Jaws and All That Jazz are among seven Scheider movies that are considered classics. And it's all known fact that he was really great performer, who knew how to hold the audience's attention both in the role of a shark-hunting sheriff and in the role of theater director/choreographer who was alcoholic, a driven workaholic and a womanizer .

00:22:29 'Never thought it would end being coached by Ronald fucking McDonald'*

*Ronald McDonald is a mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. 

I remember my first time at McDonald's and that creepy as fuck statue of clown, thank fucking God he is not around anymore in UA restaurants.

00:24:48 'Well, I hope you never run into Biz Markie.'*

*We share your sentiment Ted. It is really bad. Biz Markie, was an American rapper and singer. Sometimes was referred to as the "Clown Prince of Hip Hop". Fellas, it is all we need to know.

Part 2

[tearfest]

starter call ! like this post and i’ll throw you a lyric or plot based starter from one of the characters below the cut (feel free to reply or message with a pref)! : 

maritza (ester exposito fc) — crime scene investigator who lives in las vegas and works night shifts. i would absolutely die for a thing with her and a detective or a fellow csi or even a robbery victim or perp or smth < 3 

dante (jorge lopez fc) — youngest son of 3 to a filthy rich ceo, destined to spend his life watching his older brothers fight for the rights to their father’s company whilst he happily pisses the money up the wall n gets drunk n parties every weekend n has no work ethic < 3 

luna (song yuqi fc) — super sweet church girl who sings in her churches choir who really wants to make it big n be a famous singer one day, super wholesome and kinda naive n always sees the best in people < 3 

haeil (cho guesung fc) — professional football player for lfc (striker). relocated from south korea to england in his early teens to pursue football after being scouted. huuuuge player energy but lowkey kinda sweet < 3 

sasha (seo soojin fc) — probably my most damaged bbs. super dark n traumatic past, copes by sleeping with everyone n anyone. body count is probably in the 4-digits. terrible with feelings and relationships n i would luuuuv some chaotic toxic relationship plots for her or sugar daddy’s that want 2 ‘fix her’ dfsdf or a musician that sees her as their muse < 3

kitty (nicha yontararak fc) — nepotism baby, only child of an oil company ceo. super talented singer with a voice made for jazz! spoilt and bratty and deserves several bfs or gfs 

moira (hannah waddingham fc) — female democrat politician. i would die for some age gap plots for her that could tarnish her entire life n career <; 3

minji (hong jinyoung fc) — milfy single mom! her sons 19 n she owns a successful chain of nightclubs n bars! v slutty bimbo energy dfsdfsf

[lindsaywesker]

Deaths In 2023

January

1: Fred White (67, American drummer, Earth Wind & Fire)

3: Alan Rankine (64, Scottish musician/producer, The Associates)

6: Gianluca Vialli (58, Italian football player/manager)

10: Jeff Beck (78, English guitarist, The Yardbirds/The Jeff Beck Group/Beck Bogart & Appice)

11: Yukihiro Takahashi (70, Japanese singer/drummer, Yellow Magic Orchestra)

12: Robbie Bachman (69, Canadian drummer, Bachman Turner Overdrive)

Lisa-Marie Presley (54, American singer/songwriter, daughter of Elvis, mother of Riley Keough)

16: Gina Lollobrigida (95, Italian actress)

18: David Crosby (81, American singer/songwriter, The Byrds, Crosby Stills Nash & Young)

27: Sylvia Sims (89, English actress, ‘Ice Cold In Alex’)

28: Barrett Strong (81, American singer/songwriter, co-wrote ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’/‘Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone’

Tom Verlaine (73, American musician/songwriter/producer, Television)

Lisa Loring (64, American actress, ‘The Addams Family’)

February

2: Calton Coffie (68, Jamaican singer, Inner Circle)

3: Paco Rabanne (88, Spanish fashion designer)

8: Burt Bacharach (94, American songwriter, co-wrote ‘Walk On By’/‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’/‘A House Is Not A Home’/‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’)

10: Hugh Hudson (86, film director, ‘Chariots Of Fire’)

12: David Jolicoeur a.k.a. Trugoy The Dove (54, American rapper, De La Soul)

15: Raquel Welch (82, American actress)

16: Chuck Jackson (85, American soul singer, ‘Any Day Now’/‘I Keep Forgettin’’)

18: Barbara Bosson (83, American actress, ‘Hill Street Blues’)

19: Richard Belzer (78, American actor, ‘Homicide: Life On The Street’/’Law And Order: Special Victims Unit’)

Dickie Davies (94, British television personality, ‘World Of Sport’)

23: John Motson (77, English football commentator, ‘Match Of The Day’)

March

2: Steve Mackey (56, English bassist/producer, Pulp)

Wayne Shorter (89, American jazz saxophonist, Weather Report)

3: Carlos Garnett (84, Panamanian jazz saxophonist)

Tom Sizemore (61, American actor, ‘Saving Private Ryan’)

5: Gary Rossington (71, American guitarist, Lynyrd Skynyrd)

8: Topol (87, Israeli actor, ‘Fiddler On The Roof’/’Flash Gordon’)

10: Junior English (71, Jamaican reggae singer)

12: Dick Fosbury (76, American high jumper)

13: Jim Gordon (77, American drummer, Traffic/Derek & The Dominoes)

14: Bobby Caldwell (71, American singer/songwriter)

15: Greg Perry (singer/songwriter/producer)

16: Fuzzy Haskins (81, American singer, Parliament/Funkadelic)

17: Lance Reddick (60, American actor, ‘The Wire’/’Oz’/’John Wick’ films)

23: Keith Reid (76, English songwriter, Procol Harum)

Peter Shelley (80, English singer/songwriter/producer, ‘Gee Baby’/’Love Me Love My Dog’)

28: Paul O’Grady a.k.a. Lily Savage (67, English comedian)

Ryuichi Sakamoto (71, Japanese musician/composer, Yellow Magic Orchestra, composed theme to ‘Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence’)

29: Charles Sherrell a.k.a. Sweet Charles (80, American bass player/singer, The JBs, ‘Yes, It’s You’)

April

5: Booker T. Newberry III (67, American singer, Sweet Thunder, ‘Love Town’)

6: Paul Cattermole (46, English singer, S Club 7)

8: Michael Lerner (81, American actor, ‘Barton Fink’)

12: Jah Shaka (75, Jamaican sound system operator)

13: Dame Mary Quant (93, English fashion designer)

14: Mark Sheehan (46, Irish guitarist, The Script)

16: Ahmad Jamal (92, jazz pianist)

17: Ivan Conti (76, jazz drummer, Azymuth)

22: Barry Humphries a.k.a. Dame Edna Everage (89, Australian comedian/actor)

Len Goodman (78, English TV personality)

25: Harry Belafonte (95, American musician/actor/civil rights leader)

27: Wee Willie Harris (90, English rock & roll singer)

Jerry Springer (79, English-born, American TV host)

28: Tim Bachman (71, Canadian guitarist, Bachman-Turner Overdrive)

May

1: Gordon Lightfoot (84, Canadian singer/songwriter, ‘If You Could Read My Mind’)

3: Linda Lewis (72, English singer/songwriter, ‘Rock-A-Doodle-Doo’)

18: Jim Brown (87, American football player/actor, ‘The Dirty Dozen’)

19: Pete Brown (82, poet/singer/lyricist, ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’/’White Room’/’I Feel Free’)

Andy Rourke (59, English bass player, The Smiths)

24: Bill Lee (94, American jazz musician/composer, Spike’s dad, scored ‘She’s Gotta Have It’/‘School Daze’/’Do The Right Thing’

Tina Turner (84, American-born, Swiss singer/actress, ‘River Deep Mountain High’/’Nutbush City Limits’/’What’s Love Got To Do With It?’)

26: Reuben Wilson (88, American jazz organist, ‘Got To Get Your Own’)

June

1: Cynthia Weil (82, songwriter, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’/’Here You Come Again’)

6: Tony McPhee (79, English guitarist, The Groundhogs)

12: Treat Williams (71, American actor, ‘Hair’/’Prince Of The City’)

14: John Hollins (76, English football player, Chelsea/Arsenal/England)

15: Glenda Jackson (87, English MP/actress, ‘Women In Love’/’Sunday Bloody Sunday’)

27: Julian Sands (65, English actor, ‘A Room With A View’)

29: Alan Arkin (89, American actor, ‘Catch 22’/’Little Miss Sunshine’)

30: Lord Creator (87, Trinidad-born, Jamaican singer/songwriter, ‘Kingston Town’)

July

3: Vicki Anderson a.k.a. Myra Barnes  (83, American soul singer, Carleen’s mum)

Mo Foster (78, English songwriter/musician/producer)

5: George Tickner (76, American guitarist, Journey)

16: Jane Birkin (76, French/English actress/singer, ‘Je t’aime … moi non plus’, banned by the BBC in 1969)

21: Tony Bennett (96, American singer, ‘I Left My Heart In San Francisco’)

22: Vince Hill (89, English singer, ‘Edelweiss’)

24: Trevor Francis (69, English football player, Birmingham City/England)

26: Randy Meisner (77, musician/songwriter, Poco/The Eagles, ‘Take It To The Limit’)

Sinead O’Connor (56, Irish singer, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’/songwriter, ‘Mandinka’)

30: Paul Reubens a.k.a. Pee-Wee Herman (70, American actor/comedian)

31: Angus Cloud (25, American actor, ‘Euphoria’)

 August

4: John Gosling (75, English keyboard player, The Kinks)

7: DJ Casper (58, DJ/artist/songwriter, ‘Cha Cha Slide’)

William Friedkin (87, American film director, ‘The French Connection’/’The Exorcist’)

9: Robbie Robertson (80, Canadian musician/songwriter/singer, The Band)

Sixto Rodriguez (81, American singer/songwriter, subject of 2012 documentary ‘Searching For Sugar Man’

13: Clarence Avant (92, owner of Sussex Records/Tabu Records, film producer, ‘Jason’s Lyric’)

Magoo (50, American rapper, Timbaland & Magoo)

16: Jerry Moss (88, music executive, the ‘M’ in A&M Records)

17: Bobby Eli (77, guitarist, MFSB/songwriter, ‘Love Won’t Let Me Wait’)

Gary Young (70, American drummer, Pavement)

19: Ron Cephas Jones (66, American actor, ‘This Is Us’)

24: Bernie Marsden (72, English guitarist, Whitesnake/songwriter, ‘Here I Go Again’/’Fool For Your Loving’)

29: Jamie Crick (57, English radio broadcaster, Jazz FM)

31: Gayle Hunnicutt (80, American actress, ‘Dallas’)

September

1: Jimmy Buffett (76, American singer/songwriter, ‘Margaritaville’)

4: Gary Wright (80, American singer/songwriter, ‘Dream Weaver’/’Love Is Alive’)

Steve Harwell (56, American singer/rapper, Smash Mouth)

8: Mike Yarwood (82, English comedian/impressionist)

13: Roger Whittaker (87, Kenyan-born English singer/songwriter, ‘Durham Town’)

16: Sir Horace Ove (86, Trinidadian-born, English film director, ‘Pressure’)

Irish Grinstead (43, American R&B singer, 702)

25: David McCallum (90, Scottish actor, ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’/’N.C.I.S.’/musician)

28: Michael Gambon (82, English actor, ‘Harry Potter’ movies)

30: Russell Batiste Jr. (57, American drummer, The Meters)

October

2: Francis Lee (79, English football player, Manchester City/England)

8: Burt Young (83, American actor, ‘Rocky’)

11: Rudolph Isley (84, American singer, The Isley Brothers/songwriter, ‘That Lady’)

12: Michael Cooper (71, Jamaican musician, Inner Circle/Third World)

14: Piper Laurie (91, American actress, ‘Carrie’/’The Hustler’)

19: DJ Mark The 45 King (62, DJ/musician/producer, ‘The 900 Number’)

20: Haydn Gwynne (66, English actress, ‘Drop The Dead Donkey’)

21: Sir Bobby Charlton (86, English footballer, Manchester United/England)

24: Richard Roundtree (81, American actor, ‘Shaft’)

28: Matthew Perry (54, American-Canadian actor, ‘Friends’)

November

12: Anna Scher (78, founder of the Anna Scher Children’s Theatre)

19: Joss Ackland CBE (95, English actor, ‘White Mischief’)

22: Jean Knight (80, American soul singer, ‘Mr. Big Stuff’)

25: Terry Venables (80, English footballer, Chelsea/Tottenham Hotspur/England manager)

26: Geordie Walker (64, English guitarist, Killing Joke)

29: Sticky Vicky (80, Spanish dancer and illusionist)

30: Shane MacGowan (65, English-born Irish singer, The Pogues/songwriter, ‘Fairytale Of New York’)

December

1: Brigit Forsyth (83, Scottish actress, ‘Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?’)

5: Denny Laine (79, English musician, The Moody Blues/Wings, songwriter, ‘Mull Of Kintyre’)

7: Benjamin Zephaniah (65, English poet/writer/actor, ‘Peaky Blinders’)

8: Ryan O’Neal (82, American actor, ‘Love Story’/’Barry Lyndon’/’Paper Moon’)

Nidra Beard (71, American singer, Dynasty)

11: Andre Braugher (61, American actor, ‘Homicide: Life On The Street’/’Brooklyn Nine-Nine’/’Glory’)

Richard Kerr (78, English singer/songwriter, ‘Mandy’)

15: Bob Johnson (79, singer/songwriter/musician, Steeleye Span)

16: Colin Burgess (77, Australian drummer, AC/DC)

17: Amp Fiddler (65, singer/songwriter/producer)

[linuxgamenews]

Armed and Gelatinous: Couch Edition: Space Jellies and Super Burritos

Armed and Gelatinous: Couch Edition launches ultimate multiplayer party game on Linux, Steam Deck, Mac, and Windows PC. Thanks to the skilled team at Three Flip Studios for their fantastic work. Available on Steam with Positive reviews. Ready for a blast of fun right from your couch? Armed and Gelatinous: Couch Edition is out on Steam. This ultimate multiplayer party game comes from Three Flip Studios and promises loads of blobby action and laughs. Along with being support for Linux and it's also Steam Deck Verified. Dive into the zero-gravity adventure with up to four players. While you’ll take on the role of a space jelly, a charming blob who battles it out in space. Eat space tacos and super burritos to quickly recover health. Dash around, grab weapon crates and watch your blob grow into a powerful bioweapon. With a total of 16 unique weapons like rocket launchers and lasers, since you’ll have everything you need to dominate the arena. The bigger your blob gets, the stronger it becomes in Armed and Gelatinous: Couch Edition, dealing out a larger health bar. Smaller blobs aren't left out; they can zip around slower blobs and land powerful dash attacks to come out on top.

Armed and Gelatinous: Couch Edition is out

Besides the main battle modes like Stock, Deathmatch, and Combo King. There are peaceful and sporty alternatives. You can relax with 2-v-2 sports like football, soccer, and dodgeball. Or, for something different, try the high-energy Food Fight mode where you gobble up as much as you can. Solo Armed and Gelatinous: Couch Edition players also test out their skills in the Blob Dojo. A sandbox mode perfect for practicing those dash moves without limits. Customize your experience with various settings like rockets only matches or melee only bouts. You can also add CPU opponents with five levels of difficulty to keep things interesting. Special features include voices by Brian Sommer of Diablo III fame and sound design by the talented Jory Prum. Who is also known for his work on The Walking Dead series. The soundtrack features a mix of jazz and retro tunes by renowned musicians, due to make every session a treat for the ears. The creation of Armed and Gelatinous: Couch Edition was no small feat. Rob Howland, co-founder of Three Flip Studios, shared out that building with nine arcade machines in garages and basements over the years was tough but fulfilling.  While the joy their ultimate multiplayer party game comes to arcade bars nationwide is proof that all the hard work has paid off. The Armed and Gelatinous: Couch Edition release is out with support for multiple languages. Including English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, and Italian, making it accessible to a wide audience. Get ready to enjoy this unique blend of chaos and fun from the comfort of your living room. Available on Steam. Priced at $14.99 USD / £13.49 / 14,99€. Along with support for Linux, Steam Deck (Verified), and Windows PC.

[magnusrosen-blog]

A new song is written called "respect" By BJ Sam from Nigeria / Africa that we just recorded! This is how BJ Sam writes about the song and those involved.

We are so elated to announce that BJ Sam, the international music wonder is set to release another universal appeal song titled “Respect “; a song with soul-stirring melodies, infectious grooves, spine-tinglingly emotive vocals, and heartfelt lyrics that will definitely resonate with listeners globally and continue to echo down through the ages. In order to make the production a top-notch, BJ Sam invited other incredibly talented world class musicians who have released several albums and toured the world to join him, including German born legendary alto saxophonist Biggi Vinkeloe, famous Swedish Bass player Magnus Rosen, acclaimed music icon Mikael Erlandsson, Norwegian drummer Helge Hanssen, Swedish guitarist Denis Siret Yurtsever and Jazz percussionist Vanja Holm.

#respect #love #life #motivation #instagram #peace #family #loyalty #follow #instagood #like #inspiration #quotes #india #honor #loveyourself #support #music #nature #happy #art #fitness #selflove #photography #beardedvillains #success #freedom #lifestyle #happiness #brotherhood #football #kindness #positivevibes #stayloyal #unity #photooftheday #bhfyp #truth #staybearded #believe #yourself #beautiful #instadaily #repost #friends #positivity RespectfullYoursPhoto Respect United Nations UNICEF UMG Universal Music Group Universal Orlando Resort Universal Production Services Warner Chappell Production Music Warner Music Group Warner Bros. Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Publishing

[honeyleesblog]

Astrological Outlook and Character Analysis for Individuals with a May 22nd Birthday

Smart, ready for business: they accomplish triumph over their rivals. They show an incredible capacity to focus on their work. Daring and enterprising: they need to be in a place of high standing. Extremely reasonable: they work with greatness. Despite the fact that they might be at risk for incident, they are frequently gifted with surprising capacities or even a specific ability. For instance, they love to find the mysteries of nature, optics or science. They are accomplished in the space of composing and workmanship. His capacities are for absolutely philosophical purposes. Since they can cleverly uncover the insider facts of others, they could become brilliant investigator, exploring judges, or legal counselors. What undermines them: The main thing for these individuals is to accomplish their principal desires. What would it be advisable for them to hope for? They should take a stab at consistency and congruity of character. Something interesting is that they talk uniquely in contrast to they act. This duality is complemented as they age, as well as crabbiness and inner anxiety. They are articulate individuals, equipped for guarding their perspectives with incredible ability. Typically they figure out how to get a decent situation in their calling. They can likewise find lasting success in the military. Astrological Outlook and Character Analysis for Individuals with a May 22nd Birthday 

 Assuming your birthday is on May 22, your zodiac sign is Gemini May 22 - character and character character: savvy, steadfast, morally sound, miserable, modest, narrow minded; calling: paleontologist, pilot, rancher; colors: dark, blue, blue; stone: alexandrite; animal: shrimp; plant: coconut palm; fortunate numbers: 6,27,35,43,48,54 very fortunate number: 23 Occasions and observances - May 22 Guatemala: Arbor Day college understudy day. Worldwide Day for Natural Variety. May 22 VIP Birthday. Who was conceived that very day as you? 1900: Yvonne de Gaulle, French lady (d. 1979), spouse of Charles de Gaulle. 1900: Juan Arvizu, "The tenor of the silk voice" melodious tenor from Mexico (f. 1985). 1907: Hergდ© (Georges Remდ­), French sketch artist of Belgian beginning (d. 1983). 1907: Laurence Olivier, English entertainer and producer (d. 1989). 1910: Julio Salvador and Dდ­az-Benjumea, Spanish military and government official (d. 1987). 1912: Herbert C. Brown, American physicist of English beginning, Nobel Prize in science in 1979 (d. 2004). 1913: Rafael Gil, Spanish screenwriter and movie producer (d. 1986). 1914: Sun Ra (Herman Sonny Blount), American jazz performer (d. 1993). 1914: EA Thompson, English history specialist (d. 1994). 1914: Max Kohnstamm, Dutch history specialist and representative (d. 2010). 1920: Thomas Gold, Austrian astrophysicist (d. 2004). 1922: Agustდ­n Gaდ­nza, Spanish footballer (d. 1995). 1922: Alicia Jurado, Argentine author (d. 2011). 1924: Charles Aznavour, French vocalist, arranger and entertainer. 1925: Jean Tinguely, Swiss craftsman (d. 1991). 1926: Elek Bacsik, Hungarian jazz guitarist and violin player (d. 1993). 1926: Concha Alდ³s, Spanish author (d. 2011). 1927: Peter Matthiessen, American author and naturalist (d. 2014). 1927: George A. Olah, Hungarian scientist, 1994 Nobel Prize champ for science (d. 2017). 1930: Harvey Milk, American government official and social liberties lobbyist (d. 1978). 1930: Agustდ­n Tosco, Argentine association pioneer (d. 1975). 1932: Celia Bravo (Lucila Mataix-Olcina), Spanish essayist (f. 2001). 1935: Barry Rogers, American artist (d. 1991). 1937: Facundo Cabral, Argentine artist musician (d. 2011). 1937: Richard Kenneth Brummitt, English botanist (d. 2013). 1938: Susan Strasberg, American entertainer (f. 1999). 1940: Carlos Galvდ¡n, bandoneonist, Argentine tango director and writer (f. 2014). 1941: Paul Winfield, American entertainer (d. 2004). 1942: Unabomber (Theodore Kaczynski), American psychological oppressor of Clean beginning. 1943: Betty Williams, Irish conservative, Nobel Harmony Prize champ in 1976. 1943: Edgar Marდ­n, previous Costa Rican footballer. 1945: Pedro Berruezo, Spanish footballer (d. 1973). 1946: George Best, Northern Irish footballer (d. 2006). 1946: Virginia Lago, Argentine entertainer. 1949: დ?ngel Enrique Tacuarita Brandazza, social lobbyist killed by the Argentine Armed force (d. 1972). 1950: Bernie Taupin, English lyricist, writer and vocalist. 1952: Waldemar Victorino, Uruguayan soccer player. 1953: Tillie Moreno, Filipino artist. 1955: Iva Davies, Australian artist lyricist and instrumentalist, head of the band Icehouse. 1956: Claudio Rissi, Argentine entertainer. 1956: Al Corley, American entertainer and artist. 1957: Javier Castrilli, previous Argentine soccer arbitrator and legislator. 1959: Morrissey, English artist and singer, of the band The Smiths. 1960: Hideaki Anno, Japanese activity chief. 1961: Alfons Arდºs, Spanish columnist. 1961: Antonia San Juan, Spanish entertainer, producer, screenwriter and maker. 1962: Bo Skovhus, Danish baritone 1964: Rita Guerrero, Mexican entertainer and artist, of the St Nick Sabina band (d. 2011). 1966: Wang Xiaoshuai, Chinese producer. 1967: Christophe Gagliano, French judoka. 1967: Paloma Lago, Spanish model and moderator. 1968: Igor Lediakhov, Russian footballer. 1970: Naomi Campbell, English model. 1970: Pedro Diniz, Brazilian Equation 1 driver. 1970: Willy Toledo, Spanish entertainer. 1972: Anna Belknap, American entertainer. 1972: Max Streams, American author. 1973: Emilio Alzamora, Spanish cruiser racer. 1973: Fდ¡tima Baeza, Spanish entertainer. 1975: Salvador Ballesta, Spanish footballer. 1976: Fernando Andina, Spanish entertainer. 1976: Daniel Erlandsson, Swedish artist. 1978: Ginnifer Goodwin, American entertainer. 1978: Katie Cost, English model. 1979: Maggie Q, American entertainer. 1980: Lucy Gordon, English entertainer (d. 2009). 1981: Jდ¼rgen Melzer, Austrian tennis player. 1981: Bryan Danielson, American expert grappler. 1983: Franco Niell, Argentine footballer. 1984: Bismarck du Plessis, South African rugby player. 1984: Paola Sallustro, Argentine entertainer and artist. 1985: CariDee English, American model. 1985: Mauro Boselli, Argentine footballer. 1985: Tranquillo Barnetta, Swiss footballer. 1987: Nდ³vak Diდ³kovich, Serbian tennis player. 1987: Arturo Vidal, Chilean soccer player. 1989: Nდ©stor Girolami, Argentine driver. 1991: Suho, South Korean artist, artist, model and entertainer. 1994: Franco Masini, Argentine entertainer.

[asterlark]

ok. samwell college of music au. i wrote all four years let's go babey

eric bittle is this lovely southern tenor (sounds kinda like mitch grassi or ben j pierce) who posts covers (& sometimes originals, but always with neutral or no pronouns because he can't post anything that says he or him ☹) on his youtube channel and has major stage fright but is very talented; he also plays ukulele

he got into samwell college of music on a voice scholarship and his dad doesn’t exactly approve but eric was never the 6′2″ masculine football player he wanted anyway so why not go for his dreams

he auditions for the very competitive samwell men’s contemporary chorus (there’s like 20 choirs; chamber choir, jazz choir, a cappella groups (lax bros do a cappella), combined choirs, etc- smcc does contemporary pop/rock music) and while he’s very very nervous and shaky as he auditions, directors hall & murray see a lot of potential in him (with major grumbling from student director jack)

(the rest of this ridiculously long au under the cut)

the group is small, for a chorus, because the point of the group is not a wall of sound but a focus on all of the very talented guys’ voices coming together in these gorgeous harmonies and basically they’re like one of the best choruses on campus and all the male singers want in

so there’s jack zimmermann, who of course eric knows because everyone knows who he is, he’s the son of bob and alicia zimmermann, both incredibly talented and famous musicians, and basically those genes were in his favor because he’s mega fucking talented

(jack was supposed to sign a recording contract to be in a band with his best friend kent parson when he was 17 but something happened between them and the pressure was too much and jack overdosed on something- there’s so many rumors no one knows what’s real- and kent signed solo in LA & went on to win grammys for his albums about a mysterious ex and jack disappeared for a few years to be a counselor at a music camp and reappears at samwell, knocking everyone’s socks off again like he’d never left, except with a renewed vigor and intenseness that freaks everyone out)

jack is a contemporary writing & production major, freaky talented and sings like a modern day frank sinatra, and he plays like 20 instruments and can read music like breathing air and writes songs like if he stopped he’d die; his music is folksy and mournful and he plays all the instruments on his tracks himself- guitar, piano, strings, drums- it sounds like a full band but nope. just jack. he’s intense

“we all get nicknames in this choir,” justin informs eric on his first day, “we’re those kinda guys.” so he’s bitty, which he finds vaguely offensive (bc he’s not that short!) but still cute, & the rest of the group is introduced to him:

“shitty” knight (voice like colyer) is a musical education major and an enigma of a singer with this awesome, earthy, raspy voice that’s really interesting to listen to and a very.... unique style & look; he writes cheesy but shockingly good raps about social justice topics and he will sing-lecture you if you’ve said something offensive (he also plays banjo)

justin “ransom” oluransi is a music business & management major with an angelic voice you can’t help but listen to; he’s sultry and has an incredible range and does runs like nobody’s business (with a voice like daniel caesar or leslie odom jr UGH)

adam “holster” birkholtz is a voice performance major, wants to be on broadway and it’s all he ever goddamn talks about basically, he’s a belter and has a lot of charisma and starpower and he’ll charm the pants off of you within one note; can also play piano and irritates everyone constantly because his regular volume is like a level 11 (voice like the frontman of my brothers and i combined w/ x ambassadors lead singer)

larissa “lardo” duan is at the local art institute because performing arts is not her jam and she’d much rather paint; she’s a barista at annie’s and supervises open mic nights and keeps the annoying choir dudes from driving away all her patrons

“i’m not even in your dumbass choir,” she says when the group gave her her nickname. holster just told her that she was an honorary member and then started sing-shouting a song at her about how good she is

bitty’s first year is hard because he’s talented and he works hard but he shies away when anyone asks him to sing outside the group and like, he can sing to a camera by himself but being on a stage with everyone looking at you and the sole responsibility of the song on your shoulders is terrifying and no thanks

jack does not. understand this. he’s been performing practically since he came out of the womb and he doesn’t really get performance nerves (what he gets is anxiety about how he did after he gets off stage that follows him home and makes it so he can’t sleep) - so he bothers bitty about it constantly like “you just need practice, you just have to sing by yourself a lot and then you’ll get over it” which like.... that’s true but it’s also hella scary and bitty’s like “no thanks!!!!”

but jack’s annoying and intense so he makes bitty do open mic with him every saturday night and it’s going okay and bitty loves his choir and loves his school and these new friends he’s making and he finally feels comfortable enough to come out to them during his second term

then during their spring choral showcase at the end of his freshman year bitty has a solo and he’s worked really hard on it and he’s feeling good- okay he’s completely freaked out but he’s trying to feel good- but when he gets up on stage there’s so many people and the stage lights are so hot on his face and he flips out a little and maybe he passes out from anxiety and stress right on stage and it’s terrible and he’s so embarrassed and ashamed that he ruined their set at the showcase

of course jack blames himself because “we shouldn’t have given you a solo before you were ready, i misjudged it, i’m sorry” - and they all feel kinda bad bc holy fuck they didn’t know his stage fright was that bad like they didn’t know someone could pass out just by being anxious to sing

he practices all the time over the summer and goes to his local open mic at jack’s insistence and it actually helps a lot because instead of a sea of strangers judging him it’s a bunch of people he knows and they’re all smiling at him and when he finishes his song they cheer for him and it boosts his self-confidence a lot

his sophomore year they have three new members- chris ”chowder” chow (voice like ieuan), an excitable music education major with impressive rapping skills, derek "nursey" nurse (frank ocean or leon bridges type), a songwriting major who can also play violin and guitar, and will ”dex” poindexter (like tom west), a production & engineering major who tried out with chowder bc he needed moral support and didn't expect to get in but impressed the directors with his voice

the year’s going pretty good, bitty’s still pretty scared of singing alone but more confident now and the open mic nights with jack haven’t stopped, so he’s getting better. and one night they’re hanging out at annie’s after closing waiting for lardo to be done so they can walk her home, and bitty suggests that jack sing with him one of these nights, and jack says he doesn’t know any of bitty’s songs and bitty says they can write one together half jokingly but then jack is like “yes.” with that Intense Look

SO they get together a couple days later in jack’s room at the house they all live in together (bitty moved in at the beginning of the year after previous smcc member john johnson called him- how’d he get his number?- and told him he could take his room if he wanted), jack with his guitar and bitty with his ukulele, and it’s a little awkward until bitty says jack should play him one of his songs

and, okay, he doesn’t really know what to expect because the only music jack ever released to the public was that one single he did with kent parson when they were 17 so bitty doesn’t even know if he has anything to play him, but he does- he starts playing these soft, sad notes on the guitar and opens his mouth and sings about being lonely and scared and unsure, about false starts and shaky ground and not knowing where you stand with someone, about expectations and lying awake at night and wishing so hard you were someone else, and bitty watches him sing and just kind of... realizes he’s head over heels for this boy and internally Freaks Out a little

he tries to put that aside and they start to write this song, at first it’s weird because jack’s like “all your songs are love songs i can’t really relate to happy love songs” and bitty’s like “listen... i’ve never even had a boyfriend i just write a bunch of sappy love stuff because it’s not about me it’s about whoever’s listening to it, they’re gonna project their own experiences on my music anyway so it doesn’t matter if it’s my real life or not” and jack’s like “alright while fake af that’s smart and i respect you” (what bitty doesn't say is that he writes about what he really wants which is to fall in love & be in a happy relationship)

they say they’re just gonna write this kinda vague sad song but they both secretly write lines about their actual lives so it ends up being really personal and real and raw for the both of them

they sing the song at open mic that saturday and the crowd at annie’s is never that big but they’ve never got a standing ovation here before, and some girl shouts “MAKE AN ALBUM” (it may or may not be lardo) and they both blush furiously and bitty’s like “... that was really nice, jack” and jack’s like “... yeah it was good good job you’re really getting some confidence out there nice work” (bitty: “THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT AAAAH”)

around this time jack’s really thinking about what he’s gonna do when he’s done at samwell, talking with his parents and his agent and looking into different record companies and deciding if he wants to sign with anyone or possibly start his own company- the head of a small company called falcon records in rhode island has been talking to him a lot, and jack talks to bitty about how he thinks it’d be nice to start small, and the record exec georgia and the producer marty had both been really nice and welcoming, and bitty’s so happy for him but also just... sad that he won’t be around jack every day after he graduates

THEN at a haus party celebrating their win of a local choral competition, who shows up but none other than pop star kent parson to Ruin The Fun

bitty sees the way jack pales when kent walks in, notices them disappear upstairs together and feels a little sick worrying about jack but chalks it up to the highly alcoholic concoction shitty and lardo had cooked up but nonetheless decides he’s sick of the party and goes up to his room and hears.... a little too much

and YIKES he’s standing right there and kent parson, pop star, two-time grammy winner, is looking a little rumpled and staring right at him and he puts his hat on and clears his throat and snaps at jack- “hey. well. call me if you reconsider. but good luck with rhode island. ...i’m sure that’ll make your parents proud.” and jack’s shaking, and bitty doesn’t know what to do but jack goes back into his room and bitty’s just kind of standing there like What The Fuck

so.... he kind of stews over winter break but tries not to think about it too much and he and jack text a bit and jack tells him to practice and bitty’s like “oh, you” and jack’s like “im serious” and bitty’s like “>:( it’s christmas”

spring semester starts and they're doing well in competitions and they go to semifinals and then finals for a prestigious collegiate choir competition and the pressure is mounting but they all are so optimistic and really feel like they're on the same page and bitty’s confidence is better than ever and then.... they don't win

jack especially takes it very hard, but then he also has signing to worry about, which everyone helps him with and he decides to sign with falcon records and start work on an album after graduation

speaking of graduation, shitty and jack graduate and it's hard for them but harder for bitty who feels like he's losing jack in a way, he knows how intense jack gets when he's making music and it doesn't feel like he'll have any time for bitty anymore so when they say goodbye bitty goes back to the haus and listens to his and jack's song and just cries

but, like in canon, dadbob has words of wisdom to impart and jack has an "oh" moment and races across campus to kiss bitty

they get together and the next few months are spent with jack working nonstop on his album (which tbh, he'd had many of the songs written already so it's mostly recording and producing) and texting bitty constantly and coming to visit him and playing him demos of all the songs

jack also asks bitty if they can record the song they wrote together & have it as a bonus track on his album & bitty says of course, so when jack visits they set up an impromptu studio and record vocals in the guest bedroom and this deeply personal song they wrote before they were ever together means so much more to them now

and bitty is so happy but so scared and sad too because jack is playing him these songs telling him "they're all for you bits, & a lot of them are about you" and he just doesn't know how he's going to keep all this love inside even though it feels like jack's career is at stake

he tries to shove it down and stay strong though, especially since he's now an upperclassman and they're taking on new members- connor "whiskey" whisk (voice like finneas or the male singer in valley), a music business/ management major who seems to hate bitty's guts and tony "tango" tangredi (like chaz cardigan), a jazz composition major who astounds everybody with his endless questions but also his ridiculously impressive composition skills & naturally perfect pitch (he can also play saxophone??)

i want ford in this au so fuck it she is a composition major with dreams to write scores for musicals and she stars training as a barista at annie's (aka training to corral the smcc)

the pressure of it all proves to be a lot and bitty and jack have their hi, honey moment where bitty's like i can't be this deep in the closet!!! and so they tell the smcc and also jack's label that they're together and that eases things a bit

jack's album comes out to much critical acclaim and shouting in the groupchat ("#1 ON ITUNES BRAHHHHH!!!!!!!!") and several months later, when smcc has already been eliminated from choral competition in an earlier round, jack is nominated for SEVERAL grammys including best album, song of the year, and best new artist

when the time comes he takes his parents and bitty on the red carpet which, everyone keeps being like "who are you here with jack?" and he's like "my family and my good friend :)" and yes it is awkward

jack wins... all three awards. it's the comeback everyone is stoked to see and when his third win is announced, he and bitty are so elated that they kiss before he goes to accept the award

his speech is basically just "um... wow. thank you. i just kissed my boyfriend on live tv. this is amazing and i'm so humbled. i'd like to thank my boyfriend and georgia and marty and my parents and my friends and my boyfriend"

obviously the press has a FIELD DAY with this but bitty & jack are honestly vibing and so happy that it doesn't matter untiiiillll bitty's mom calls and he has to tell her "mama i'm gay and i'm going on tour with jack this summer okloveyoubye"

the last few months of bitty's junior year pass quickly and he's voted student director which is a huge honor considering how much he struggled with stage fright and confidence & how he'll now be stepping into ransom & holster's shoes

r&h and lardo all graduate (the smcc basically crashes the art school graduation and all scream when lardo gets her diploma lmao), which is a bittersweet occasion and they all do a bit of tearing up

that summer bitty goes on tour across the u.s. & canada with jack and his touring band (snowy is a bassist, tater is a drummer and poots does backing guitar, he also brings nursey to play violin on a few songs) as well as georgia who's there to manage logistics

and tour is so fun & chaotic with many bi and rainbow flags in the audience that end up thrown on stage and draped around jack's neck and they spend so many nights in the bus drinking and laughing and fooling around on the guitars and bitty's uke and exploring new cities bitty has never been to before and it's the freest bitty has felt in a long time

summer ends though, and jack leaves for the uk/europe leg of the tour, and with the new school year brings a few new members- river "bully" bullard (voice like gregory alan isakov), a music therapy major who draws his own cover art for his songs, lukas "louis" landmann (like jr jr), an electronic production and design major with a penchant for EDM, and johnathan "hops" hopper (like keiynan lonsdale), a film scoring major who wants to write music for movies and video games

bitty meets and befriends some of the other student directors- shruti, sd of the women’s contemporary chorus; sharon, sd of the chamber choir; and edgar, sd of jazz ensemble (even chad l., sd of the all-male a cappella group)

senior year passes similarly to the comic; coach visits and sees one of bitty’s competitions, jack comes to madison for christmas, smcc does well in competition and goes to regionals etc

however… bitty keeps putting off and putting off gathering the songs for his senior recital

he has a hard time doing that because he’s so focused on the group and making sure they’re performing well and as they advance in competition, everything else starts to fall away

eventually the rest of the smcc has to lock away his uke and change his youtube password and FORCE him to choose songs for it and start preparing because he cannot graduate without doing this recital and doing well on it

he chooses (of course) a beyonce song, a few of his own songs, an ellie goulding song, and an adele song

with all that his breath hitches and his hands shake before he goes on stage, he does really well and his voice instructor prof atley tears up a little in the audience as does his mom

meanwhile smcc goes to semifinals, then finals, of the national collegiate choral competition they participate in

and i imagine bitty faces somewhat less homophobia in this au because i mean, he’s in the performing arts, but i think it’s still there and he also faces a good amount of classism from richer students and performers who think they’re better because they had the resources and money to be performing professionally from a very young age, and he has been practicing via filming himself on a shitty camcorder and posting it to youtube

but they still get there! and the national finals are fucking HUGE and a big deal and a little overwhelming

bitty’s stage fright is Present because this is the biggest stage and the biggest stakes he's ever had and he has a big solo in one of their songs so if he fucks up, he fucks up a national championship for his whole group and school

luckily though, when he steps on the stage with his best friends and sees his boyfriend and family and smcc alums in the audience and they perform their first song, a high-energy pop medley that always gets the crowd going, everything seems to melt away and it's just him living in this moment and singing his heart out

when it gets to the next song and his solo, he forgets to be nervous and belts it out, getting screams of approval from the audience when he finishes

(dex and nursey do have a duet together that they had to practice for many long nights in the practice rooms alone but that's neither here nor there)

their time on stage seems to last both hours and no time at all and then they're done, the crowd gives them a standing ovation and it's at least 30% r&h & shitty's hooting and hollering and jack's enthusiastic clapping that makes bitty & the others beam with pride

then it's just waiting, giddy and nervous beyond belief in their green room, for the judging to be over

after what feels like forever they're back on stage, arms linked together waiting and hoping for their name to be called and it is, they win and it feels like years have built up to this moment, and bitty tears up because years ago when he was fainting from anxiety at having to perform in front of people he never could've imagined that he'd do this, that he'd be the student director that led them to a championship

they get the trophy and a ridiculous amount of flowers from their loved ones and they all are just in giddy disbelief that this is happening, they're national champs!!! they are the best choir boys in the nation!!

they come home and the rest of the school year passes by so quickly that it's very suddenly graduation and bitty can't believe his college career at samwell is over 😢

(he and ollie and wicky take pictures together, o&w talk about how excited they are to devote full time attention to their band & wedding planning and bitty's just like wait you're gay??)

bitty got plenty of offers from record companies but he likes his freedom of creativity and he has a built in fanbase from doing youtube all these years so he decides to make an album independently (jack helps him produce & master it 🥰)

when bitty's album comes out about a year later, full of bops about being gay and in love and having struggled but come out the other side more confident than ever, it doesn't get any grammy nominations- and he didn't expect or need that.

what it does do is it resonates. it makes the rounds in youtube and queer internet circles; people his age reach out to him saying this is the music they wish they had as a kid and kids reach out to him saying he's a role model and they're so glad to have his music to listen to. his album is written about as an underrated gem that shines with queer brilliance and is sure to start a party when it comes on.

his parents may not fully understand the road he's chosen for himself but they're still so proud and promote the album as hard as any of his loyal fans (especially the one country-inspired song on the album that he wrote and dedicated to them).

and jack, jack who saw this album from its infancy to its release date, who took the film photo that ended up being the album cover, who worked with bitty to make sure his vision was realized exactly how he wanted it to be, is proud beyond words.

jack starts using his semi-abandoned twitter again to tweet "stream [album name]" every day and bitty retweets them sometimes, with just a "this boy. ❤"

and they're happy. they're good. they have come so far and they are reaping the rewards of all the hard work they put in to make the music that they truly love.

the end :)

[justforbooks]

Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. was born on February 12, 1939. He was an American musician, singer, producer, film director, and author. He was best known as a member of the Doors from 1965 to 1973, which he co-founded with singer and lyricist Jim Morrison.

Manzarek was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 as a member of the Doors. He was a co-founding member of Nite City from 1977 to 1978, and of Manzarek–Krieger from 2001 until his death in 2013. USA Today defined him as "one of the best keyboardists ever".

Raymond Daniel Manczarek Jr. was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. He was born to Helena (1918–2012) and Raymond Manczarek Sr. (1914–1987), and was of Polish descent.

In 1956, he matriculated at DePaul University, where he played piano in his fraternity's jazz band (the Beta Pi Mu Combo), participated in intramural football, served as treasurer of the Speech Club, and organized a charity concert with Sonny Rollins and Dave Brubeck. He graduated from the University's College of Commerce with a degree in economics in 1960.

In the fall of 1961, Manzarek briefly enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. Unable to acclimate to the curriculum, he transferred to the Department of Motion Pictures, Television and Radio as a graduate student before dropping out altogether after breaking up with a girlfriend. Although he attempted to enlist in the Army Signal Corps as a camera operator, he was instead assigned to the highly selective Army Security Agency as a prospective intelligence analyst.

Manzarek married fellow UCLA alumna Dorothy Aiko Fujikawa in Los Angeles on December 21, 1967, with Jim Morrison and his longtime companion, Pamela Courson, as witnesses. Manzarek and Fujikawa remained married until his death. They had a son, Pablo born on August 31, 1973, and three grandchildren. In the early 1970s, the Manzareks divided their time between an apartment in West Hollywood, California, and a small penthouse on New York City's Upper West Side. They subsequently resided in Beverly Hills, California (including ten years in a house on Rodeo Drive) for several decades. For the last decade of his life, Manzarek and his wife lived in a refurbished farmhouse near Vichy Springs, California in the Napa Valley.

In March 2013, Manzarek was diagnosed with a rare cancer called cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) and traveled to Germany for special treatment. During that time he reconciled with Densmore, and he spoke to Krieger before his death. He also performed a private concert for his doctors and nurses. Manzarek was "feeling better" until it took a turn for the worse according to his manager. On May 20, 2013, Manzarek died at a hospital in Rosenheim, Germany, at the age of 74. His body was cremated. Krieger said, "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today. I'm just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him." Densmore said, "There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to support Jim Morrison's words. Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically. It was like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to float on top of. I will miss my musical brother."

Greg Harris, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said in reaction to Manzarek's death that "The world of rock 'n' roll lost one of its greats with the passing of Ray Manzarek." Harris also said that "he was instrumental in shaping one of the most influential, controversial and revolutionary groups of the '60s. Such memorable tracks as 'Light My Fire', 'People Are Strange' and 'Hello, I Love You' – to name but a few – owe much to Manzarek's innovative playing."

On February 12, 2016, at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, Densmore and Krieger reunited for the first time in 15 years to perform in tribute to Manzarek and benefit Stand Up to Cancer. That day would have been Manzarek's 77th birthday. The night featured Exene Cervenka and John Doe of the band X, Rami Jaffee of the Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots' Robert DeLeo, Jane's Addiction's Stephen Perkins, Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara and Andrew Watt, among others.

In April 2018, the film Break On Thru: A Celebration of Ray Manzarek and the Doors premiered at the 2018 Asbury Park Music & Film Festival. The film highlights the 2016 concert in honor of what would have been Manzarek's 77th birthday, and new footage and interviews. The film won the APMFF Best Film Feature Award at the festival.

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

[melisa-may-taylor72]

Queen's hectic days in Argentina: secrets behind the shows, the meeting with Maradona and a love affair for Freddie Mercury

The band arrived in the country in 1981. Curiosities and "pearls" of a very special visit

By Matías Bauso- Infoshow

An exultant and provocative figure, who may appear in tight white pants provocatively exposing his ass to a heated audience or who sits at the piano with a very short and tight satin pants that would blush the most enthusiastic devotee of sadomasochism, a guitarist who plays in a t-shirt with an immense Union Jack, crazed masses, street chases in search of an improbable autograph, China Zorrilla, Miguel Romano, Diego Maradona, ItalPark, the military, the repressive climate, the Rambla marplatense and even an unknown love affair. This story has everything. Queen's visit to Argentina in 1981 was much more than a musical tour.

Queen's enthusiasm - both current and retro - is a faint reflection of what happened in the country at the end of February 1981. Like the Beatlemania in the sixties, the presence of the English quartet unleashed a collective madness never before seen in Argentina.

▪Queen at Velez Sarsfield Stadium

Queen monopolized the attention for more than a week. Television news, radio programs, magazine covers, conversations in bars, newspaper supplements (not so the covers of the main ones: at that time it was still not allowed to put show business news on the cover; only Chronicle excepted for that rule).

The band led by Freddie Mercury gave five concerts in Argentina. Three in the Vélez stadium, one in Mar del Plata and another in Rosario. The public success was colossal.

The first performance was on February 28 in Velez, repeated  the next day, then stop in Mar del Plata and Rosario. The last show was again in Buenos Aires. That day the capacity of the stadium overflowed. The contagious reaction had taken effect. Those who had not gone, wanted to go; those who had already witnessed some of the shows wanted to be there again.

▪Queen gave five shows in Argentina

The regulations of the spaces in the public spectacles, in those times, were at least, morose. Just look at the photos of any grandstand in a superclassic of the early 1980s. Producers sold more tickets and that fifth show was the busiest. It is estimated that between those who paid for their tickets and those who snuck in more than 60,000 people attended that night. At one point the capacity The crowd could barely move. Whoever reached into the pocket to take out the lighter for a cigarette could set in motion a human tide that would end up crashing into a paravalanche or the barbed wire. In the field, the situation was a little more relaxed. Being the first experience in which this section was offered for sale, the estimates were more cautious. Thus, the police decided that the best way to decompress the people was to drill holes in the Olympic fence and allow part of the public to pass into the field through these improvised holes.

The magnitude of the event and its immense repercussion can be explained. It was the first time that a rock band had reached the country at the peak of its career. These shows were part of the world tour to present the album "The Game". Queen was one of the most important bands in the world and arrived in Argentina at its peak.

Although the specialized critics did not treat them very well (it was a habit that had started in the United Kingdom and had spread to the United States) the album contained several hits: Another One Bites the Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Play the Game, Save Me. The British band was a pioneer in including Latin America in their itinerary. Until then the world tours were not such, they only included the United States, Europe and Japan.

The history of Queen's Latin American tour shows why this was so. In Mexico, six of the scheduled performances had to be cancelled, Pinochet did not authorize the performance in Chile, in Brazil the Rio and Porto Alegre shows were suspended, and in Venezuela two more due to the official declaration of mourning for the death of an ex-president. However, the band's bet, beyond these improvisations, unthinkable today, (in times of presales, early birds, insurance and armies of lawyers), was more than successful.

There was a precedent in the country of an international star appearing in a stadium. In 1973 the Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana played with his band in old wooden stadium of San Lorenzo. But despite his reputation and fame, Santana did not have the repercussion of the English band and at that moment in his career his musical search was turning towards fusion, towards jazz-rock. The lack of experience made the stage stand in the middle of the arena and there was no audience in the field. The closest spectator was, hopefully, 40 meters away from the artists. The sound - the lack of it - was another problem.

In 1981 Queen came to the country with only that antecedent. The show they brought was unlike anything seen in the country. A huge stage, consoles of moving lights, an impressive sound power, fireworks and tricks, a worked scenic staging, immortal hymns and a performer like Freddie Mercury.

Queen's vocalist's ability to perform - but especially on stage - exceeded expectations. There he was, in front of more than 50,000 people, imposing the rules. What he wanted was at stake. A game that had no public exposure in the country, that was silenced and repressed. He did not modify his proposal despite the repressive climate, the censorship. One of the particularities of his performances in the country was that at the five of them they played a song that was somewhat lost in their discography and that many Argentinians did not know: Get Down, Make Love. It was a carnal, erotic and explicit song, with direct references to oral sex.

▪Diego Maradona and Queen

Queen did not show any major itching in regards to those who ruled in the places where they performed. This South American tour was a good example; in its initial schedule it passed through three countries governed by dictatorships. Years later it was also presented in South Africa despite international sanctions due to Apartheid.

It is often claimed that Queen's musicians met with Argentina's president, Roberto Viola. The truth is that Viola had not yet assumed that role. He was a member of the military board, Chief of the Army, but the president was still Jorge Rafael Videla. His investiture would take place weeks after the visit of the British.

Viola had a more political profile and believed that a slight opening was convenient. In that plan, and instigated by his son -who had been a football player-, he met at home with Freddie Mercury, Brian May and John Deacon. Roger Taylor, the drummer, missed the appointment. Today, almost four decades later, many affirm that his absence was due to his political positions, even though he neither at that time nor now has issued any opinion on the matter.

▪ The band met with Roberto Viola, one of the members of the Military Board

The memories of several of those involved - members of the band, technical staff, manager and even the photographer - are impregnated with political valuations that seem to have been concocted with the passage of time and do not represent what they thought and felt at the time. If so, it can be said that they had a unique capacity for dissociation, almost constituting multiple personalities. The presence of military and police personnel was strong. That was because the arrival of the English band had unleashed an excitement rarely seen. Every movement, every displacement was followed by hundreds or thousands of fanatics. And no one wanted any disturbance to happen or the musicians to do any harm.

The repressive vocation of the Argentine military forces of those times does not need to be underlined or exaggerated. For example, the correspondent of the American Rolling Stone magazine described the ditch that separates the South stalls from the playing field at the Stadium as a key to the Argentine dictatorship.

This interpretative excess (most of the Argentine stadiums built in the forties and fifties have a ditch) is combined with certain data, with images of police and military forces repressing whoever approaches the musicians, violently liberating their path. Around the Sheraton Hotel,  teenagers stood guard to try to and get in touch with their idols.

▪ Another of the Argentine magazines that showed the presence of the group in the country

In Mar del Plata, the musicians stayed at the Provincial Hotel. Freddie Mercury's movements were limited. Enclosed in his room, the best in the hotel, he let time pass watching the movement of the Rambla from the window. So it was that one afternoon, that habit turned into a love split. His partner at the time, Peter Morgan, offered him to go shopping around the city. Freddie explained that it would be impossible for him to go ten meters without being buried under the youthful enthusiasm. A couple of hours later, the artist saw from the window of his room his partner talking to a young man on the Rambla. The jealousy was immediate and so was the breakup, despite the fact that Morgan denied that he was the one who was walking with another young man on that Mar del Plata sunset.

This concert was the worst of the five. The security was very bad, thousands of people entered the stadium without tickets, the mounted police attacked the public in the same field of play of the World Cup Stadium. To continue the tour, the musicians demanded that the security issue be adjusted. The condition was fulfilled.

 ▪ There were strong police operations to “protect” the band

The press and the local public were dazzled by the performance of the quartet. The visual proposal was unique, Freddie's vocal and histrionic abilities, May's musical skills, the solvency of the rhythmic base, the impact of the staging. However, international critics still treated the group with disdain. The Rolling Stone critic gives them no more merit than a pub band. He even mocks their incompetence. Only the dedication in each show and the enthusiasm of the Argentine public stand out. One of the events that most surprised the local public, beyond the almost perfect succession of invincible hits, was Mercury's display and magnetic attraction. The local rock leaders were static, even somewhat modest.

As their stay in the country continued, the musicians received more and more affection from the public. They were amazed by the reaction of their fans to each song, how they knew the lyrics, how they participated enthusiastically and actively in the show. The peak was unfailingly produced in Bohemian Rapsody and, almost on the other side of that opulent and operatic work: Love of My Life was played with Freddie on the piano and Brian on the guitar. The audience sang the entire lyrics, without pauses. In the video recordings of the song you can see the mixture of surprise and joy of May and Mercury.

For the last concert of the tour in the country, they returned to the Vélez stadium. In the encores came the surprise. Freddie re-entered with the Argentine National Team shirt and addressed the audience in English: "I want to introduce you to a friend of yours: Maradona". The pirate recordings allow you to hear the roar of the crowd, you even hear some "Maradooo, Maradooo". Diego with his tight, high curls came on stage with sweatpants and a blue t-shirt. The footballer spoke fluently: "I want to thank Freddie and Queen for making me so happy. And now “Another bites the dust”.

Deacon and Taylor start Another One Bites the Dust, the group's latest hit.  Then would come the famous photos in the locker room. Freddie with the light blue Argentine T-shirt from Diego (in the show he used another one), and Maradona with a T-shirt with a big British flag that covered all his torso, similar to the one worn by Brian May in some part of the concert. That photo, would have been unimaginable a year later (Fauklands's War). At the time of the concert, although today it seems unreal, Queen was better known worldwide than Maradona.

 ▪ Miguel Romano, one of the stylists of the moment, together with the musicians

Journalist Juan Manuel Cibeira says that in a barbecue at the Argentine producer's house, Mercury announced that he would go out with the Argentine t-shirt. The Argentines present tried to dissuade him. They had a hard time explaining the situation to him. Rock and football in those days were two worlds that in Argentina had no point of intersection. For the rock people, football was something without brightness, without any evaluation. Any reference to it or the adoption of any of its rites or symbols was frowned upon. Mercury, more accustomed to the crossing of these two popular passions by what he saw in England, did not listen to the advice. And, in this way, he produced one of the first contacts between football and rock in the country, a situation that became naturalised in the mid-nineties.

Maradona was not the only local celebrity who came into contact with Queen. In Youtube circulates a video of an interview that the actress China Zorrilla did to Freddie Mercury. The Uruguayan actress in perfect English speaks about the answers of the singer, monologue, almost does not ask questions and forgets the simultaneous translation, thus a bizarre truncated dialogue of more than three minutes in English takes place in central time.  

Local Journalist Juan Alberto Badía, on the other hand, was the one who interviewed the musicians for Channel 9, which broadcasted the first live concert for the whole country and for Brazil ( it made very high rating peaks). The presenter was also the one who introduced them in the stadium. In the magazines of the time you can also see how the stylist Miguel Romano cut Mercury's hair before the last show and how in his free time, Brian May took his family to Ital Park, playground where several generations of citizens spent their childhood.

Queen's five concerts in the country marked an era, pioneering the arrival of great rock figures to Argentine stadiums. Many years would pass, the monetary convertibility and a much more global structure of the record business so that international stars would take the country as a reasonable place for their presentations.

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 7.16

Beer Birthdays

William McEwan (1827)

Richard L. Yuengling, Sr. (1915)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Phoebe Cates; actor (1963)

Stewart Copeland; rock musician (1952)

Will Ferrell; actor, comedian (1967)

Max McGee; Green Bay Packers WR (1932)

Ginger Rogers; actor, dancer (1911)

Famous Birthdays

Roald Amundsen; Norweigan polar explorer (1872)

Ruben Blades; pop singer (1948)

Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot; artist (1796)

Margaret Smith Court; tennis player (1942)

Desmond Dekker; reggae musician (1941)

Andrea del Sarto; artist (1486)

Mary Baker Eddy; christian science founder (1821)

Corey Feldman; actor (1971)

Michael Flatley; Irish dancer (1958)

Barnard Hughes; actor (1915)

Samuel Huntington; signer of the Declaration of Independence (1731)

"Shoeless" Joe Jackson; Chicago White Sox OF (1887)

Jesse Jane; porn actor (1980)

Jimmy Johnson; football coach (1943)

Justine Joli; porn actor (1980)

Tony Kushner; playwright (1956)

Barbara Lee; politician (1946)

Kathleen Norris; writer (1880)

Orville Redenbacher; popcorn tycoon (1907)

Joshua Reynolds; English artist (1723)

Irwin Rose; biologist (1926)

Barry Sanders; Detroit Lions RB (1968)

Barbara Stanwyck; actor (1907)

Cal Tjader; jazz musiciab, composer (1925)

Ida B. Wells; journalist, civil rights activist (1862)

Pinchas Zukerman; violinist (1948)

[littlejeanniebean]

Ep. 3 | The Marauders: Riddle Records

A/N: “Come to the dark side. We have a solo career.” - Tom Riddle Jr., probably. On a lighter note, I can just see them backstage like this by the lovely artist @theimpossiblefifth​. Read on AO3 :) Enjoy! - J xx

One look in your eyes

I can read your mind

 You're naughty, my type

Care for a good time?

You could be just like all your high society friends at high tea

You could get with a football player

But there’s nothing like a shot of adrenaline in the morning

You know you want a dragon slayer

“Like me,” James mouthed seductively to the camera and winked.

“I’m Alice Fortescue, these wonderful lads are The Marauders, thank you for joining us this Saturday Night Live!” the actress grinned widely as the camera backed away.

The boys all gathered around her in a group hug.

“Holy shit! That was incredible!” Obviously, this was Sirius speaking.

“You were wonderful, honey,” a low voice whispered.

A smiling man with sweet eyes and a mop of dark hair put his arms around Alice.

“Oh, everyone, this is my boyfriend, Frank!” the bubbly actress grinned widely, “He’s a photographer for GQ.”

“Sick!” James shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Frank; lovely working with you, Alice; hope you’ll both come to one of our shows sometime, ta-ta!” Sirius practically dragged the band away before anyone could say anything more.

“What was that?” Remus tutted at his boyfriend.

“Yeah, ta-ta?” the bespectacled boy wiggled his nose to adjust his glasses that had gone askew, “Who says that?”

“Not what I meant,” the pale, mousy-haired boy shrugged off his suit jacket in their shared dressing room.

“Look, I’ll explain later!” Sirius pleaded, “Just hurry up and let’s get the hell -”

“Yoo-hoo! Siri!” a warbling, high-pitched voice giggled on the other side of the door, “This is their room here, Tommy...”

“Christ,” the dark-haired boy covered his face with his hands. 

“We’ll deal with Bella,” James set his jaw and turned to the other two, “Ready?”

Remus and Peter rolled up their dress shirt sleeves and nodded.

The trio filed out of the dressing room, forcing Bella Black and her friend backward, and immediately shut the door behind them.

“He doesn’t want to see you or any of your family again, Bella,” said James sternly, giving the show's new cameraman the stink-eye for good measure. 

Bella stuck her tongue out childishly. 

Her guest grimaced and offered his hand to the boys, “I’m sorry about her. She overheard I was interested in speaking with you young talents and… well, it got a bit out of hand. I’m Tom Riddle, of Riddle Records.” 

Really, the man with chiseled features and dark slicked back hair wasn’t much older than they were. But he was dressed more expensively than they could ever be comfortable with, even with the fresh success of their debut album.

“You’re Senior’s kid,” James nodded, his mother being an agent in the industry. He noted just the smallest flinch at the mention of the man's father. “With all due respect, we already have a label.”

“A label that has you locked into a contract as a group,” Tom gave them each his card and presented James with another one for Sirius, “We would pay any fees associated with breaking your current contract, then we would launch your solo careers - James as the pop prince, Sirius as the rock and roll bad boy, Remus as the R&B god, and Peter as the jazz legend!”

“We’re better musicians together,” said Remus.

Tom leaned in, “Your success now, quadrupled. Plus the potential for high-engagement collaborations among you. The freedom to create in your own style on top of that. Imagine it. And give me a call.”

"Ta-ta," Bella blew them each a kiss in a way that could only be described as menacing. When they were out of the boys' earshot she simpered, "You're such a clever businessman, Tommy."

"Don't call me that," he yanked his arm away and pressed his phone to his ear irritably, "I found us some new business and laid the groundwork. Can I have my allowance now?" 

The Marauders flew back to Scotland that night and rehearsed for months until they were ready to drop before flying back to LA for Night One. 

“Nervous?” Sirius whispered while they waited for their opening act, DJ Dedalus Diggle, to finish his set.

“Why would you ask me that?” James huffed, adjusting his bright red tie for the umpteenth time. 

“You need more glitter,” Molly patted his cheekbones lightly with her pointer finger, which was covered in the golden stuff.

“Five minutes, boys!”

“Thanks, Arthur!” Remus spoke for them all.

“We’ve got this, Jimbo!” Peter bounced excitedly on his heels.

“Easy for you to say. You’ve been performing at recitals since you were big enough to reach the keys from the bench.”

“The jitters never get old,” his baby-faced friend told him, “but we’re all going out there. And with everything we do together, we always have fun.”

James nodded to himself and made sure to check on their drummer for the tour, “You good, Kingsley?”

The man in a rose-red disco suit twirled the sticks deftly in his hands, “Let’s do this.”

“... and now, Los Angeles,” Diggle hyped the crowd, “give it up… for The Marauders!”

The lights went up and the boys looked out at the incredibly emotional fans who’d come to see them.

“Right,” James whispered, reaching for the microphone with shaking hands, “A-one, two, three.”

I don’t have a lot of time

I’m running for my dear life

Can’t breathe without you by

Aye aye aye

It’s a full house

But I’ll seek you out

It’s a wild crowd

But I’ll seek you out

I don’t know how

But I’ll seek you out

James couldn’t help grinning ear to ear as Sirius broke out into his guitar solo.

Remus pointed out a sign that said, “Marry me, James Potter!”

The lead singer laughed and spoke into his mic, “Well, will you buy me dinner first, at least?” 

The girl promptly fainted.

Arthur was by her side immediately to make sure she was alright.

“Oh, dear, you’ve hit your head,” Molly crouched down beside him and handed the young girl an ice pack.

The red-headed manager got his first good look at the videographer and her multi-pocketed fishing vest and cargo pants.

She noticed him staring, “I’ve known these boys a long time. You never know what you’re going to need.”

“Good advice,” he helped her and the fan back up in one go, “I’m Arthur.”

“Molly,” she grinned, hoisting her camera back onto her capable shoulders and focused back in on James.

Under your spell, I like how you play it

Keeping it cool is so overrated

Waiting on you, every breath bated

Hey hey hey

They played LA two more nights before moving on to San Francisco. Then Vegas, then Seattle, and across the rest of the continent, all the way to New York.

“Madison Square Garden,” James swallowed, taking in the iconic jumbotron above their heads and the entire stadium, really.

Just three hours later, he was up on that very stage, sweat trickling down his back and the bridge of his nose as he sang his heart out about a funny story the designer, Lily Evans once related about her sister via Instagram post.

There’s a little house on Privet Drive

Where nothing ever happens

Little curtain twitcher of a wife

And a little boy and husband

But when they leave for their nine to five

And the little boy goes to school

The little old lady with cats ninety-nine

Does what she wills to do

Living next to ordinary no. 4

So much to do, so much to explore

The grocer down the street from me

His daughter left for university

And he needs the comfort of my tabbies

Yessiree, that’s what I’m here for

Your neighbour next to ordinary no. 4

After that, they went all over South America. The streets were typically too narrow to drive a tour bus around, so they often jetted from one country to another and rented a little convoy of minivans to take them to the arenas from their hotels and back.

“Shit, Petey’s got food poisoning!” Remus fussed over the poor boy.

“I’m fine! Really!” the blond insisted before doubling over and retching once more.

“I can fill in,” DJ Diggle adjusted his signature flat cap, “I have all your songs pre-recorded -”

“We have half an hour to get it out of his system!” Sirius declared determinedly, “We’re not going on without you, Pete!”

“I’ve got the doctor!” Arthur came in, followed closely by a middle-aged woman with apple cheeks and curly hair.

“You need to replace your fluids,” Molly handed Peter a bottle of electrolytes.

“Yeah, it’s a common bacterial infection going around among tourists,” said the doctor, giving him a dose of antibiotics, “He’s not in any shape to perform, you lot, so you might as well let him rest.”

“I can - oh,” Peter ran to the bathroom.

“How soon can you give him another dose of that?” Sirius asked anxiously.

“Not any time in the next half hour,” she narrowed her eyes at him, apparently having overheard his earlier proclamation.

“Poppy’s right,” said Arthur, “Peter’s health comes first. Dedalus, isolate the keyboards in every track and queue the set list.”

“Try to keep in time,” Sirius added.

“No improvising for tonight, lads,” Arthur warned the regular band members.

“But -” 

“I’m serious.”

“And so am I!” he could only maintain a straight face for two and a half seconds after he said this.

James sighed as they waited for the DJ to introduce them half an hour later, “It’s not going to be the same without Peter.”

“We’ll make the best of it, Jimbo,” Remus assured him, “and he’ll be back with us for the next one.”

The frontman set his jaw, pushed his glasses up his face and pulled the microphone to his lips.

Do you remember

The games we used to play

Mermaids underwater

Aliens in outer space

Do you remember

The sticks we’d raise aloft

We called them swords and never

Lost the battles that we fought

Peter was back on stage the next night, to much celebration and all too soon, they flew back across the pond for their European leg. Of course, their first stop was Scotland.

“It’s so good to be home,” James sighed happily, pausing to wipe his glasses on the hem of his shirt and winking at a girl who lost it at the sight of his abdomen, “This is our last song. Please join in if you know the words. Or make them up. Just have a good time. Be as loud as you want to. We love you all, thank you for everything you’ve done for us. We’re the luckiest boys in the world.”

Is there a risk to it?

Is it a challenge?

If there isn’t, if it isn’t, I don’t want it

Yeah, I wanna do some damage

I feel lucky tonight

I got you by my side

Seven days in a week

And you spend them with me

So hell yeah, I feel lucky

"That sounds really good, Pete," said James from where he lay on the floor of their stage after the arena emptied, "We could use that."

Peter chuckled, "It's Chopin. A waltz."

James ambles over and his friend makes room for him on the bench.

"It's a split C chord, then F, A flat..." he guides him through the song. It's out of time and messy, but they're having fun. "James…"

"Yeah, Pete?"

"What are we going to do about Tom Riddle's offer? I mean, his dad’s label practically owns half the music industry. And Castle is just this little independent… He could make our lives more difficult than he already has." 

"Unless we join him, you're thinking?" 

"We could ask Arthur to negotiate a group contract just the same. I doubt they'll dislike the idea of paying less upfront."

"But what about loyalty to everyone at Castle? McGonagall? Urquart?" James shook his head, "We're having a successful tour in spite of the ticket bots Riddle set on us. We're looking out into seas of fans all wearing our merch in spite of his shipment hijacking. And we're having bloody good time because we're not letting any of the homophobic slander he's fueled the press with get to us."

"Here, here!" cheered Sirius, clinking his beer bottle with his boyfriend's.

"Right, rest up, lads! You deserve it with all the work you put into this show," James stood and ambled back to the tour bus, where Shacklebolt was already sleeping soundly, being the earliest riser of them all.

“Goodnight, all!” Peter loved his friends, truly. But he was convinced their stubborn sense of the meaning of courage would do them a great disservice.

As always when confronted with a decision to make, he visited the only jazz bar in Scotland, the Leaky Kettle. Immediately upon stepping inside, he let the smooth piano carry away the stress. 

“The usual,” he told the bartender.

“Put it on my tab,” Tom Riddle swivelled around on the bar stool, "Fancy meeting you here."

"You mean you didn't expect to? Didn't plan it?" Peter received his drink with barely more than a sideways glance at their adversary.

"It's just business, Peter. I know you understand that."

"Then why go through all this trouble for one act? There must be thousands - hundreds of thousands - of talented artists who could make you rich."

Tom rolled his eyes, "My father was always… a bit single-minded. He wants to put me through my paces before handing me the keys to the kingdom, so to speak. But don’t worry about that. Just know this: I think your group is talented and I can see that you’re the musical glue holding it all together. You’re the only one with any formal training, after all. And I really can see to your career’s longevity. If you stick with this boyband too long, though…” 

Peter raised his eyebrows, “Then what?”

“Well,” the label executive leaned in, “then you’ll need to think about what that does to your image as a real, serious musician.”

The blond boy finished his drink. 

“Another one for my friend,” Tom told the bartender, took his jacket, and left.

His calling card sat heavy in the keyboardist’s wallet.

[lindsaywesker]

2020 Deaths

January

7: Neil Peart, 67, drummer, Rush

8: Buck Henry, 89, screenwriter (‘The Graduate’), director (‘Heaven Can Wait’)

17: Derek Fowlds, 82, actor (‘Yes, Minister’)

19: Jimmy Heath, 93, jazz saxophonist, The Heath Brothers

19: Robert Parker, 89, R&B singer (‘Barefootin’’)

21: Terry Jones, 77, comic actor, screenwriter, film director (‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’)

28: Nicholas Parsons, 96, actor, radio and TV presenter

February

1: Andy Gill, 64, guitarist, Gang Of Four

5: Kirk Douglas, 103, actor (‘Spartacus’, ‘Paths Of Glory’, ‘Seven Days In May’)

15: Caroline Flack, 40, TV and radio presenter

17: Andy Weatherall, 56, record producer and DJ

19: Pop Smoke, 20, rapper

24: Tom Watkins, 70, artist manager (Pet Shop Boys)

26: Kobe Bryant, 41, basketball player

March

4: Barbara Martin, 76, singer (The Supremes)

6: McCoy Tyner, 81, jazz pianist

8: Max von Sydow, 90, actor (‘Star Wars’, ‘Game Of Thrones’)

12: Pete Mitchell, 61, radio DJ and presenter (BBC Radio 2, Virgin Radio)

15: Roy Hudd, 83, actor and comedian

20: Kenny Rogers, 81, singer and songwriter (‘The Gambler’, ‘Islands In The Stream’)

22: Julie Felix, 81, folk singer

22: Eric Weissberg, 80, folk musician (‘Duelling Banjos’)

24: Manu Dibango, 86, saxophonist (‘Soul Makossa’)

26: Bill Martin, 81, songwriter (‘Puppet On A String’, ‘Congratulations’)

27: Bob Andy, 75, reggae singer (The Paragons, Bob & Marcia)

27: Delroy Washington, 67, reggae singer

30: Bill Withers, 81, singer (‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, ‘Lean On Me’, ‘Lovely Day’)

April

1: Ronn Matlock, 72, singer and songwriter (‘Can’t Forget About You’)

2: Eddie Large, 78, comedian (Little & Large)

5: Honor Blackman, 94, actress (‘The Avangers’, ‘Goldfinger’)

6: James Drury, 85, actor (‘The Virginian’)

6: Onaje Allan Gumbs, 70, jazz pianist

7: John Prine, 73, singer and songwriter (‘Angel From Montgomery’)

10: Ceybil Jefferies, 57 or 58, house and dance music singer (‘It’s Gonna Be Alright’, ‘Love So Special’)

12: Peter Bonetti, 78, footballer

12: Tim Brooke-Taylor, 79, comedian (‘The Goodies’)

12: Sir Stirling Moss, 90, racing driver

15: Brian Dennehy, 81, actor (‘Cocoon’)

17: Norman Hunter, 76, footballer

20: Rohan O’Rahilly, 79, founder of Radio Caroline

24: Hamilton Bohannon, 78, percussionist, songwriter and record producer

28: Jill Gascoine, 83,  actress (‘The Gentle Touch’)

29: Trevor Cherry, 72, footballer

29: Stezo, 51, rapper

30: Sam Lloyd, 56, actor (‘Scrubs’)

May

2: Richie Cole, 72, jazz saxophonist (‘New York Afternoon’)

5: Sweet Pea Atkinson, 74, singer (Was (Not Was))

5: Millie Small, 72, singer (‘My Boy Lollipop’)

6: Florian Schneider, 73, musician (Kraftwerk)

7: Ty, 47, UK rapper

9: Little Richard, 87, singer, pianist and songwriter

10: John McKenzie, 65, bass player

10: Betty Wright, 66, singer (‘Clean Up Woman’)

11: Jerry Stiller, 92, actor (‘Seinfeld’, ‘The King Of Queens’)

15: Phil May, 75, singer (The Pretty Things)

15: Fred Willard, 86, actor (‘Best In Show’, ‘Modern Family’)

21: Bobby Digital, 59, Jamaican reggae producer

22: Mory Kante, 70, Guinean singer and kora player (‘Yeke Yeke’)

30: Michael Angelis, 76, actor (‘Boys From The Black Stuff’)

June

4: Rupert Hine, 72, musician and record producer

4: Steve Priest, 72, bass player and singer (The Sweet)

8: Bonnie Pointer, 69, singer (The Pointer Sisters)

18: Dame Vera Lynn, 103, singer

19: Sir Ian Holm, 88, actor (‘Alien’, ‘Chariots Of Fire’, ‘The Lord Of The Rings’)

26: Tami Lynn, 77 or 78, singer (‘I’m Gonna Run Away From You’)

29: Carl Reiner, 98, actor, film director and writer (‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’, ‘Ocean’s Eleven’, ‘The Jerk’)

July

1: Sir Everton Weekes, 95, Bajan cricketer

2: Jacque Hylton, 57, beautiful girl and dear friend

5: Cleveland Eaton, 80, jazz bass player (‘Bama Boogie Woogie’)

6: Charlie Daniels, 83, singer, songwriter and musician (‘The Devil Went Down To Georgia’)

10: Jack Charlton, 85, footballer

10: Steve Sutherland, club and radio DJ

12: Kelly Preston, 57, actress (‘Jerry Maguire’, ‘Twins’)

17: John Lewis, 80, American civil rights leader and politician

19: Emitt Rhodes, 70, singer, songwriter and musician

21: Dobby Dobson, 78, Jamaican singer and producer

21: Annie Ross, 89, singer (Lambert, Hendricks & Ross)

25: Peter Green, 73, guitarist (Fleetwood Mac)

25: John Saxon, 83, actor (‘Enter The Dragon’)

26: Dame Olivia de Havilland, 104, actress (‘Gone With The Wind’)

27: Denise Johnson, 53, singer (Primal Scream)

29: Malik B, 47, rapper (The Roots)

31: Sir Alan Parker, 76, film director (‘Midnight Express’, ‘Mississippi Burning’)

August

1: Wilford Brimley, 85, actor (‘The Natural’, ‘Cocoon’)

5: FGB Duck, 26, rapper

6: Wayne Fontana, 74, singer (The Mindbenders)

11: Trini Lopez, 83, singer (‘If I Had A Hammer’) and actor (‘The Dirty Dozen’)

18: Ben Cross, 72, actor (‘Chariots Of Fire’)

22: D. J. Rogers, 72, soul singer

28: Chadwick Boseman, 43, actor (‘Black Panther’)

September

1: Erick Morillo, 49, record producer, label owner and DJ

2: Ian Mitchell, 62, bass player (Bay City Rollers)

6: Bruce Williamson, 50, singer (The Temptations)

9: Ronald Bell, 68, songwriter and musician (Kool And The Gang)

10: Dame Diana Rigg, 82, actress (‘The Avengers’, ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’, ‘Game Of Thrones’)

11: Frederick Nathaniel ‘Toots’ Hibbert, 77, reggae singer (Toots And The Maytals)

12: Edna Wright, 76, soul singer (Honey Cone)

16: Roy C, 81, soul singer (‘Shotgun Wedding’)

18: Pamela Hutchinson, 61, singer (The Emotions)

19: Lee Kerslake, 73, drummer (Uriah Heep)

21: Tommy DeVito, 92, singer (The Four Seasons)

29: Mac Davis, 78, soul singer (‘Baby, Don’t Get Hooked On Me’)

29: Helen Reddy, 78, singer (‘I Am Woman’, ‘Delta Dawn’)

30: Frank Windsor, 92, actor (‘Z Cars’, ‘Softly Softly’)

October

6: Bunny Lee, 79, Jamaican reggae producer

6: Johnny Nash, 80, singer and songwriter (‘I Can See Clearly Now’, ‘Tears On My Pillow’)

6: Eddie Van Halen, 65, guitarist and songwriter (Van Halen)

10: Dyan Birch, 71, singer (Kokomo, Arrival)

12: Saint Dog, 44, rapper

12: Conchata Ferrell, 77, actress (‘Two And A Half Men’)

14: Paul Matters, bass player (AC/DC)

15: Gordon Haskell, 74, singer, songwriter and musician (‘How Wonderful You Are’)

18: Jose Padilla, 64, record producer and DJ

19: Spencer Davis, 81, singer and guitarist (The Spencer Davis Group)

21: Frank Bough, 87, TV presenter (‘Grandstand’)

28: Bobby Ball, 76, comedian (Cannon & Ball)

30: Nobby Stiles, 78, footballer

31: Sir Sean Connery, 90, actor

November

2: John Sessions, 67, actor and comedian

4: Ken Hensley, 75, singer and songwriter (Uriah Heep)

5: Len Barry, 78, singer (‘1-2-3’)

5: Geoffrey Palmer, 93, actor (‘As Time Goes By’, ‘Butterflies’)

6: King Von, 26, rapper

8: Bones Hillman, 62, bass player (Midnight Oil)

11: Mo3, 28, rapper

14: Des O’Connor, 88, television presenter, comedian and singer

15: Ray Clemence, 72, footballer

18: Tony Hooper, 81, guitarist (The Strawbs)

25: Diego Maradona, 60, footballer

28: David Prowse, 85, actor (‘Star Wars’)

28: Lil Yase, 25, rapper

29: Papa Bouba Diop, 42, footballer

December

10: Dame Barbara Windsor, 83, actress

12: Charley Pride, 86, country singer

12: John le Carre, 89, author (‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’, ‘The Night Manager’)

14: Gerard Houllier, 73, football manager

15: Albert Griffiths, 74, Jamaican reggae musician (The Gladiators)

17: Jeremy Bulloch, 75, actor (‘Star Wars’)

21: K. T. Oslin, 78, country singer and songwriter

22: Stella Tennant, 50, supermodel

24: John Edrich MBE, 83, English cricketer