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canmom · 2 months

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dànachd canmom aig worldcon - pàirt 3: disathairne

My worldcon adventure had to end early because I got covid, so time I wrote up the weekend!

(The titles of these posts have been in Scottish Gaelic, an indigenous language currently spoken by about 1-2% of the Scottish population (not to be confused with Scots). A percentage which at this point does not include me, so I've been relying on machine translation - apologies for any errors. Curiously, if you don't capitalise the names of the days in the input, google translates the first word as dàn-thuras instead... I don't quite know the grammatical difference there, or if it's just neural network quirkiness.)

On Saturday, I got into the con around midday - as seemed to end up the rule - only to spring a flat tire just as I got in. So that wasn't ideal. Nevertheless, I scooted over to the panel on immersive experiences - which had a pretty varied lineup from a Nordic LARPer to a Baldur's Gate 3 voice actor. It was an interesting overview of the space, definitely reminds me I should give immersive theatre a shot some time. But...

I ducked out early since a friend of a friend had a talk on Scottish herring-gutting women and the songs they used to sing. This was a fantastic talk, rich with historical detail and nuance. The speaker was an academic who had been researching and interviewing surviving herring girls - a major occupation in Scotland prior to the introduction of machines that did their job in the early 20th C. - and she discussed both the harsh conditions they worked under, the various complications of religion and culture that affected them, and the sense of camaraderie that informed the songs, as well as various other things that herring women used to get up to like holding dance parties.

Unfortunately she tried to pack so much into the half-hour slot that she ended up having to rush through the last few slides to get to the actual example of a song, sung a capella in Gaelic, which was fascinating to hear, and I could absolutely feel her enthusiasm for the subject when I talked to her after the presentation.

Definitely I think the general convention-going lesson is to go to talks/panels about things I don't already know about lol.

I don't have any pictures of this panel but Gary Lloyd, composer of the opera, gave me these fliers for previous productions by him and Bettina Carpi.

Next up I went to a panel by the creators of the opera Morrow's Island which I saw on Thursday - consisting of composer Gary Lloyd, writer Ken MacLeod, and choreographer Bettina Carpi. I am pretty certain I was the youngest person in the audience, which is a shame, because it was a great panel, full of fascinating anecdotes about the (it turns out) incredibly chaotic production of the opera.

I did not realise because the performance went off pretty much without a hitch, but because it is so expensive to rehearse with pro musicians, the performance on Thursday was actually the first full run-through of the show, and the earlier partial rehearsals of the dances were interrupted by the riots outside.

Moreover, because of the nuances of contemporary dance, the dance was initially choreographed without the music, just from the libretto and general vibes, and refined to the pre-recorded piano versions rather than the full orchestration, which is nuts to me - but apparently contemporary dance is not driven by the beat in the same way that other types of dance are, and is more adaptable to the music. The more you know! What they did def looked good on the stage, but I can't pretend to know the theory of it.

Ken MacLeod, invited to write the libretto (opera-speak for 'script'), came into the project quite unfamiliar with modern opera (same lol), and made a very familiar mistake of a prose fiction writer trying to write a song - in that he apparently made it way too long at first and had to be steered right by Gary. Working flat out (at the same time as two other productions), Gary figured out the musical ideas he'd use, and ended up encouraging Ken to add more elements relating to the history of sciene and occultism in Scotland - something that imo added hugely to the texture of the opera.

Even though he wrote the libretto, Ken didn't know entirely how it was going to go on stage - so he was as surprised as me to see the story start with the sopranos walking out and declaring "there is no incompatibility between dialectical materialism and extrasensory perception". (Which was the precise moment I knew that this musical was going to be absolute fire, for my part). The performance on the night was absolute chaos behind the scenes, with complications over cueing and communication all over - for example the flautist had to be instructed to improvise over a certain scene (iirc the rabbit scene) at the absolute last minute. Despite everything, the opera mostly went as intended. Certainly the seams weren't obvious to me.

All in all, it's kind of impressive and a little alarming. Pro musicians really are something else.

After the panel I ended up sitting down to chat with Gary a lot more, and we hit it off really well! Gary was absolutely full of fascinating anecdotes, first about various minimalist composers he has known or drawn inspiration from (notably the time he met Steve Reich)i , and then later he got into stories his long friendship Alan Moore and the late Iain M Banks. The opening line of the opera, it turns out, is a recording by Banks of a line from the radical psychiatrist RD Laing's book Knots, consisting of the anonymised thoughts of patients. Indeed, Banks phoned Gary Lloyd up near his death, offering to record something before he died.

It was very, very clear how much admiration Gary had for Iain Banks, and it was fascinating hearing about how much him and Alan Moore looked up to each other. One of Gary's stories involved Banks bringing Moore to tears by telling him that Voice of the Fire was straight up the best book in the English language; another was how Lloyd turned down involvement in The Highbury Working in order to give its composer (I can't remember whether he said David J or Tim Perkins there) a chance to really hit his stride. He also talked a bit about music, such as some of the theory of polyrhythms. All in all one of the most utterly enthralling conversations I've had at worldcon and I'm very happy that he seemed to like me too ^^

I also went to a talk on homelessness in SFF. It was a good discussion by people who had lived it, diving into some nuances of the subject like the indignity of many of the kind of desultory forms of support for homeless people. As with many matters of 'how do you represent x', the message for SFF writers is along the lines of like give a shit about what you're writing and write characters as people with all the complexity that entails, rather than defining them entirely by a single trait like homelessness - e.g. give them their own desires and preferences rather than just drilling into the one thing - but I picked up some recs along the way. Definitely a big step up from the panels I went to on Thursday.

Next up: the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre!

I met up with the CUSFS gang for this, and it ended up being an absolutely charming performance involving one actor (Kev F Sutherland) staging a rapidfire, pun-dense dialogue between two sock puppets. For something so deliberately silly, the amount of skill involved would be easy to underestimate - Sutherland's back-and-forth flow is incredible, and he could make the technical jank of a one-man show, like switching costumes, fit very smoothly into the overal comedy. The show took a subject that could easily have been a bit naff (superheroes) and turning into something both sweet and funny that perfectly walked the line of self-referential/fourth-wall breaking, complete with a bunch of pop song parodies and a whole sock puppet emotional arc. I never knew how hard you can act with sock puppets.

Next up was the monsterfuckers panel, titled 'We Do The Monster Smash', the only 18+ panel I ended up making it to.

Despite the dire warnings, nobody checked my ID. It was a decent enough discussion but could definitely have gone much deeper (;p), though def it must be tricky to figure out the right level to pitch a panel like this. Despite the panellists' stated loathing for 'transforms back into human at the end' type stories, I can't help but feel an idea of 'cosy monsters' is sorta doing the same thing, sanding off the sharp edge of transgression. I cooked up a big question to ask about the contradiction between the monster as symbolic of what is Other and transgressive vs. the contemporary sexual culture of taxonomising everything into precisely defined kinks, but nobody asked me lmao. Shoutout to the one panellist who brought a thorough knowledge of hentai and ero-guro stuff, which she didn't really get to address that much.

I spoke briefly with the panellists after the con. There's gonna be a one-day monsterfucker convention in Bristol. I have no idea what the vibes of that kind of event would be like!

Afterwards I wandered into the Masquerade room. The Masquerade, for those (like me) unfamiliar, is essentially a costume competition. Each contestant comes out and does a little show in cosplay, then the judges go off to deliberate while a music act played. Unfortunately, I completely missed all the actual performances, but I did get to see Sassafrass (not to be confused with another unrelated band called Sassafras), the a capella band who sing mainly about Norse mythology, led by SFF author Ada Palmer...

You could hardly have picked a more perfectly 'worldcon' act, this is truly the musical embodiment of the fan culture and a long fixture of the scene, and I feel like I actually get that having experienced it in person. I had heard of Sassafrass before, and listened to some of their songs online, but I didn't quite vibe with them - it was another story hearing them live, with explanations of the mythology they were singing about.

Sassafrass's main technique is complex, multi-part vocal harmony, with different overlapping parts coming in and out of 'focus' as the song evolves, sorta like that one song The Confrontation in Les Mis but way more so. Here's an example of their thing, a song about the conflict between Odin and Loki, as a duet...

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but the most complex has to be the one about the Norse creation myth sung as a three-part song between Snorri Sturluson, author of the Prose Edda, and the mythological giant Seeress from the Völuspá in the Poetic Edda, with the disagreements between the sources rendered as conversational disagreements in the song. Palmer herself takes on the role of the environment, providing underlying harmony to the two parts. It is frankly the most ASNAC* song I've ever heard.

*editor's note: Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, a degree you can take at Cambridge, perhaps unsurprisingly well-represented among the ranks of the Science Fiction Society

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And honestly, while I still regard the filk song Somebody Will (my intro to Sassafrass) as a bit of a cope, I kinda love all this viking stuff. And knowing a little more about singing now, I am very impressed by how much harmonic texture they are able to get from just three singers and no other instruments. Definitely Sassafrass deserved a spot on that article on narrative in music, because they're doing some crazy complex shit here.

Although I didn't get to see the actual stage shows, I did at least get to see the costumes afterwards. Here's a little photo gallery - though there will surely be much nicer photos and a recording of the show on the Worldcon website...

Sadly I did not get to shoot the overall winner who did an elaborate routine as Moist von Lipwig in which they transformed from prisoner to postmaster. It sounded very impressive. I also missed photographing 'cookpunk', which involved an elaborate hob backpack.

All in all, next time I Worldcon (hopefully sooner than ten years this time), I will at the very least watch the Masquerade and maybe just maybe even show up in costume.

That evening I went to the dance party and had a great time actually moving to music, something I don't do nearly often enough. It had the things you'd expect at a nerd event - 80s songs, Rocky Horror stuff, Rammstein, even Taking the Hobbits to Eisengard which really took me back. I was glad to see that the dancers made space for a friend who uses a wheelchair to join in too, and it was a lot of fun as the dancing got more energetic later on. Unfortunately this is probably a great candidate for 'event that gave me covid', because that's a lot of energetic movement and heavy breathing in a confined space...

I also ended up running into @threefolddefencespeech, who actually recognised me off here and remembered my old URL! we had a great rest of the evening chatting away and running into various people, and I ended up pushing my bike home around 4am.

#worldcon 2024 #worldcon #glasgow worldcon #adventures of canmom #Youtube

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black-arcana · 1 month

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NIGHTWISH's TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN Doesn't Rule Out Second Solo Album

In a new interview with Finland's Tuonela magazine, Tuomas Holopainen — the keyboardist and main songwriter of NIGHTWISH — was asked if there is a chance of a follow-up to his solo album based on a graphic novel called "The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck", written and illustrated by Don Rosa. "Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen" came out in April 2014 via Nuclear Blast.

Tuomas said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's not that long ago that I had this idea — it's kind of a musical idea — that I got really excited about. And I was thinking we can't do this with AURI and we can't really do this with NIGHTWISH either. So maybe another solo project kind of thing at some point in the future. I don't know. It's so early still, but maybe.

"After I finished doing 'Scrooge' 10 years ago, I thought this was a one-timer," he continued. "'Never again. Don't really need [to do another one]. But if there comes an idea that doesn't fit AURI or NIGHTWISH, maybe I have to go solo again. And both bands are musically so varied that you can do almost anything with those two labels. But if the theme would be something that the other bandmembers can't really relate to, then I might have to turn to the option of going solo. That's what happened with 'Scrooge'. I mean, the NIGHTWISH members don't have such an intimate relationship with a duck as I do. [Laughs] So that's why I had to go solo."

Regarding the possibility of him performing material from "The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck" live at some point, Tuomas said: "Um, I don't know. It would be an interesting experience. I know that album has a bit of a cult status already and that it would be a success. But at the moment, I'm not really feeling it. But I've learned never to say never. So let's see.

"I've been asked to do the whole album a few times, actually, even on main stage of a rock and roll festival on Saturday night," he added. "I don't think it would have worked, but we have to wait and see."

"Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen" contained 10 songs, with total duration of approximately 60 minutes. The music was said to be in the soundtrack / classical / folk genre in the vein of Vaughan Williams, Michael Nyman, James Newton Howard and Enya.

Pip Williams did the orchestral arrangements for the "Life And Times Of Scrooge" disc, continuing his collaboration with Tuomas after the NIGHTWISH records "Once", "Dark Passion Play" and "Imaginaerum".

There were a number of guest musicians appearing on "Life And Times Of Scrooge", including the London Orchestra, The Metro Voices (a choir from London) and four lead vocalists: Alan Reid, Johanna Kurkela, Johanna Iivanainen and Tony Kakko. Other guest appearances included Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, low whistles, bodhran),Mikko Iivanainen (guitars and banjo),Teho Majamäki (didgeridoo),Jon Burr (harmonica) and Dermot Crehan on the solo violin. The recordings took place during August - October 2013, first at Angel Studios in London, then in various locations around Scotland and Finland.

NIGHTWISH's new album, "Yesterwynde", is due on September 20, 2024 via Nuclear Blast. It marks the band's tenth studio LP, following on from the release of "Human. :II: Nature." in 2020.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

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#tuomas holopainen #nightwish #interview #Youtube

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bidotorg · 7 months

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It’s time for the #Oscars…and it’s looking mighty bi this year!

Poor Things

"Poor Things", an enthralling work by Alasdair Gray, intricately navigates the narrative of Bella Baxter, a woman brought back to life through the scientific prowess of Dr. Archibald McCandless. Set amidst Victorian Scotland, this mesmerizing tale interlaces themes of love, identity, and societal norms with a hint of magical realism, and Bella is not afraid to be bi.

"Poor Things" serves as a thought-provoking exploration of human sexuality and the blurred lines of scientific morality.

Barbie

In a groundbreaking move, the Barbie film emerges as a beacon of inclusivity and representation in cinema. ¿Mattel's bold decision to introduce Barbie's new girlfriend in 2021, made Barbie a bi icon. With its enchanting storyline, the film seamlessly integrates Barbie's identity, showcasing her journey of self-discovery and acceptance. As a trailblazing symbol of empowerment and authenticity,“Barbie”captivates audiences of all ages, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of contemporary cinema.

Maestro

"Maestro" orchestrates a symphony of cinematic brilliance, captivating audiences with its poignant portrayal of the legendary composer Leonard Bernstein. The movie accomplishes a stirring representation of bisexuality, as the film fearlessly delves into Bernstein's complex personal life and relationships. With unflinching honesty, "Maestro" not only pays homage to Bernstein's musical legacy but also shines a spotlight on bi visibility, fostering a profound dialogue on love, passion, and the human experience.

Anatomy of a Fall

"Anatomy of a Fall" intricately weaves a tale of love and self-discovery, delving into the depths of human emotion and identity. Set against the backdrop of modern society, the film follows the journey of the messy but relatable bi Sandra Voyter, a writer trying to prove her innocence in her husband's death. A cinematic gem that leaves a lasting impression, "Anatomy of a Fall" is a testament to the power of storytelling in illuminating the human condition.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish's contribution to the “Barbie” soundtrack is a refreshing and empowering anthem that showcases her incredible talent and creativity. In the wake of her recent coming out as bi, Eilish continues to break boundaries and inspire fans with her unapologetic authenticity and raw emotion in her music. Her powerful voice and introspective lyrics make her a true trailblazer in the industry, and the existential ballad “What Was I Made For?”, is breathtaking and beautiful.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” takes audiences on another thrilling cosmic adventure. As the Guardians face new challenges and enemies, their bond is tested like never before, making this latest installment a must-see for both longtime fans and newcomers to the franchise. Those familiar with the comics will recall that our dear Starlord is canonically bi.

#oscars 2024 #academy awards #bi #queer #poor things #barbie #barbie movie #maestro #anatomy of a fall #billi Eilish #bi pride #bi visibility #guardians of the galaxy vol 3

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cyraniadebergerac · 2 years

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Sherlock Holmes/Star Wars AU

Something I've had in my head and wrought some things for though am likely not going to finish, but I want the premise out to be introduced. I wrote more notes for this, but don't have all of them with me at the moment. (I may have written this out before but don't recall.) Main gist is this.

Thrawn as Sherlock's French cousin.

Sherlock does have French relatives in the books, one of which purchased Watson's practice. Placing Thrawn among that group then not only ties him well with Sherlock, who Zhan has stated was the inspiration for Thrawn, but also ties him in with a culture and family with artistic connections (Sherlock noting one French relative as a noted painter). From that type of background along with him and Thrass staying at times with Sherlock and Mycroft, Thrawn could develop his ability to see into how people think through the art they make/like/grew up with. Thrawn then figures out how to use that in a tactical manner and in particular pursues naval strategy.

Within the acd era, Thrawn could be Mycroft's main military advisor as his French heritage, potential French Naval service, and unorthodox ways would get in the way of him being a vice admiral (or higher) in the British Navy and certainly would if he were to be the Master of the Sea (a parliamentary position appointed to members of the House of Commons, something Thrawn's political incompetence would never net him).

Within a modern era, Thrawn would have been reluctantly brought on board by Mycroft to help against terrorist attacks and other threats as, while he doesn't mind his cousin personally, he does see that Thrawn's methods would not be seen in a favorable light as they can basically boil down to stereotyping enemies by the art they grew up with/surround themselves with/make. To be fair to Thrawn, he never reduces a person down to stereotypes, only seeks an accurate knowledge of how other people think, and does also make sure to learn everything he can about those he's up against and anything else potentially relevent and is willing to adjust conclusions based on new information. But it still doesn't make him politically correct even when his methods work. And so adds to how he's too abrasive for politics.

Either way, when he drops by Baker St., he has fun helping on cases with Sherlock and Watson as well as going against Sherlock in chess, which come to stalemates or near victories for one side or the other. He's also been around Sherlock enough that he can know what Sherlock's thinking whenever he plays the violin (music being a form of art he doesn't rely on as there can be several different people involved in what's going on for one peice of music, the original composer, the arranger, the musician themselves, and the conductor with any orchestral music. But as Sherlock does improvise his own pieces in order to better think, Thrawn could read into those then be able to apply some of that to when Sherlock's playing other works). He does sometimes think that Sherlock should seek to do more, to become the leader of Scotland Yard and so be able to change and better how detective work goes. Sherlock though has never wanted that life and is content with the one he has, so Thrawn let's it be.

(Does create a terrifying but fascinating mental image of Mycroft as the British Government, Sherlock as the British Long Arm of the Law after finding a similar position for himself in Scotland Yard as Mycroft did in the government though Sherlock still prefers to go out and solve cases himself, and Thrawn as the British Navy, making sure no one dared attack the nation or it's people while still very much believing in preemptive strikes. Thrass helps as the main diplomat for all of them and hopefully, Watson still ends up with Sherlock and so can be an effective balance against Sherlock going too far. But still, especially in the 1800s with Britain in the height of it's power...)

Of course though, Thrawn shouldn't be without his own Watson, well Watsons as he has now. Gilad Pellaeon can be the most direct mirror to Watson, a Scottish army man who fought in Afganistan and has since been discharged. In Pellaeon's case, he was an army captain (or lieutenant) when his discharge came. He then doesn't have many hood prospects until a chance meeting with Thrawn (and Eli, either before or after first meeting Thrawn). And he impresses Thrawn enough that he takes him on as a bodyguard/tactical sounding board/potential successor, kinda (Pelleaon would be older than Thrawn so that last part not really...Never let it be said though that Thrawn doesn't always seek to teach those under his command). In my idea, what impressed Thrawn was demonstrated when they were first met involving a case where Eli had been kidnapped and Pelleaon was grabbed with him when he tried to save him. At the rescue, Pelleaon demonstrates his ability to take command when command is needed, quickly come up with a plan then work to enact it, rally people to himself, and his care for others that he sees as working with him or as people needing his help. But that scenario could be changed easily.

Eli Vanto, meanwhile, was an Australian naval ensign looking to get into the logistics and have a quiet desk job looking at numbers, but he proved to have a real knack for numbers, able to outshine even the Holmes in that department without being at all related to them. Thrawn found him up and scooped him up to become his personal attache/information analyst/potential successor. Eli's miffed about this change of his life plans, but he does enjoy the life now and does cone to like Thrawn. Ky idea with his intro was that he found out someone was cooking the books for the naval supply but no one else noticed because the numbers were small and added up over time. Feel free to make that different though if wanted.

#star wars #sherlock holmes #sherlock #mycroft #thrawn #eli vanto #gilad pellaeon #pellaeon #thrass #dr watson #watson

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celtic-cd-releases · 2 months

Link

https://www.churchstreetshuffle.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092837887697

https://churchstreetshuffle.bandcamp.com/

https://open.spotify.com/album/4xuZ0ZMgyaAjXioZlOJMyE

#scottish folk music #celtic folk music #folk music #fiddle #guitar

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tartanblogger · 6 months

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WHO IS TARTAN COMPOSER?

THREE BIG DISAPPOINTMENTS IN MY LIFE

#1 Missing out in Hull (England) on a tea-chest chock full of toy soldiers, tanks, aeroplanes etc (all made by Airfix). A young lad, a neighbour next door beat me to the path of a lady who beckoned us down to the back yard...oh well, ho hum!

DISAPPOINTMENT NUMBER 2

#2 Again in Hull, out with my older brother who lived there at the time. I spotted a toyshop and in the window was a model kit of the (at the time) famous children’s TV series by Gerry Anderson (God blesss ‘im!) FOREBALL XL5!!! I couldn’t believe it. Anyway, after much annoying coaxing and pleading, my brother bought it for me...great so far!

HERE COMES THE DISAPPOINTMENT!

At home I eagerly opened the FIREBALL XL5 space rocket model box and searched for the crew, Steve Zodiac, Robert the robot and the lovely Venus. to my utter dismay, disbelief and chagrin, was a plastic parachutist soldier with an attached colored plastic parachute and NOT the XL5 crew!

MISREPRESENTATION, BIG STYLE!

Talk about the trade description act! On the box lid was a full size, full colour version of the rocket with the crew, hurtling through space. In actual fact, the rocket was rather dull looking, plain grey plastic with transfers (decals) that needing soaking in water and then stuck on to embellish the rocket. ah, c’est la vie!

#3 I SHOULD HAVE STUDIED MUSIC!

The Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama was t’THE’ place to go in Scotland to study music and the arts. It was akin to RADA and the London School of Music! My big mistake and regret was I plumped for THEOLOGY instead of music??? However, I gained my degree and took up teacher training at the famous Jordanhill campus and therefore qualified as a teacher in RMPS (Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies).

I always had a talent for music and it was not until years later, that I was in work and attended a local church, only to find out one of the parishioners was in fact the HEAD OF MUSIC COMPOSITION in the RSAMD at the time! I got to talking to him and told him of my compositions, songs tunes etc and he said post them to me at the RSAMD, which I did within a week or so, I received a reply saying how he had listened to the material and he felt I had a natural bent and talent for composition and encouraged me to take up the course.

All said and done, by that I had a family to feed and had to work full time and even now I could kick myself for missing out on what could have opened alot of doors of opportunity to me. However, I had to become an auto-didact, learning from countless books and CDs...now of course You Tube has a load of instructional videos, but then, there was no private turtors in composition, which was my forte. I’m still learning but it hasn’t stopped me from producing various orchestral/other genre works. The learning is my passion, as is creating music.

Feel free to hit me up for a chat anytime. TC.

#tartancomposer #music composition #classical music #beinga composer #missed opportunities

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yano2519 · 2 years

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Congratulations

They are two talented young actors who will forever be linked to the city of Edinburgh – and now Sam Heughan and Ncuti Gatwa are to honoured by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Outlander star Heughan, who has said in the past that moving to Edinburgh as a teenager shaped him into the person he is today, will be awarded an honorary degree by the Conservatoire on July 7.

The Balmaclellan-born star will be joined by Rwanda-born Gatwa, the former Boroughmuir High School pupil who has just been named as the BBC’s next timelord in Doctor Who, alongside musician Marin Alsop and composer Errollyn Wallen.

Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, its principal, said the Conservatoire was “delighted to be honouring four exceptional artists who not only entertain audiences across the globe but continue to inspire and show real leadership”.

More than 300 students are set to graduate from the Glasgow-based conservatoire next month after spending years studying across the disciplines of music, drama, dance, production, film and education.

Professor Sharkey said: “Graduation is a highlight of the year, and we can’t wait to join our students for what is always a wonderful day of joyful celebration.

“To be able to come together in person to mark their achievements, after the challenges of the last two years, will have extra significance. It is also an opportunity to recognise the ground breaking artists who use their art, and platforms, as powerful vehicles for change.”

Gatwa, an alumnus of the Conservatoire’s BA acting programme in 2013, is best known for playing the much-loved and scene-stealing character Eric Effiong in Sex Education.

And the 29-year-old will soon take on one of the biggest roles in television when he takes control of the Tardis in Doctor Who.

Heughan also graduated from the Conservatoire as part of the class of 2003. The 42-year-old went on to find worldwide fame playing the lead character of Jamie Fraser in Outlander.

In the past, he has said he owes a lot of his success to the Edinburgh Steiner School, where he studied over 20 years ago.

During an interview with the prestigious school a couple of years back, he opened up about his time there and how it helped him as an actor.

He said: ”Looking back on it, It was a really good time, a really warm time, it felt like a really safe environment. There was a real bond between not just the teachers but the students too.”

Wallen, a visiting professor of composition at the Conservatoire will also be awarded an honorary degree.

The multi-award winning Belize-born British composer and performer has 22 operas to her name and a large catalogue of orchestral, chamber and vocal works which are performed and broadcast throughout the world.

She was the first black woman to have a work featured in the Proms and the first woman to win the Ivor Novello Award for Classical Music, as well as composing for the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games 2012, and for the Cop26 conference in Glasgow.

Alsop, who became the first woman to serve as the head of a major orchestra in the United States, South America, Austria and Britain, will also be recognised with the honorary degree next month.

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bokettochild · 2 years

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for a modern au what music would the chain listen to

Oh, um....

I think Sky would be kinda chill with his music tastes. He's the kid who'd be sitting here, bobbin' his head, and you think he's listening to like, a fun pop song, but he's actually listening to Guns and Ships from Hamilton. He takes music suggestions from everyone and listens to mostly everything. Heavy metal phases him no less than classical, and he enjoys both of them very much.

Time strikes me as a guy who would like jazz. Like, sure, he prefers orchestral compositions most times (especially Celtic), but he enjoys Louie Armstrong and Harry Connick Jr. and that sort of thing too. He also loves country music (especially when Malon sings along) but he won't play them with the boys around because Twilight will try singing along, and while he loves his Pup, Twilight can't sing for the life of him

Twilight loves country music, 100%, but Midna got him into some rock too. He doesn't care for the heavy stuff, but he enjoys it

Warriors is a k-pop boy, and you can't convince me otherwise. Man keeps on top of the newest bops and is the one to do most of the music suggesting in the group. He likes slower things and soft music too, but he keeps up the pretense of only being into the biggest groups at any time. He keeps his other interests mostly private (he has a weakness for musicals though). He pretends to hate country music with a passion, but it's actually because he picks up the accent when he hears it and he doesn't want Twilight to know.

Four is the one who is literally everywhere. Shadow loves rock songs and rap, Blue prefers Broadway and Opera as well as a good dose of romance songs (never tell his brothers), Red has a weakness for any sort of Pop, and Green likes Country. Vio, naturally, loves violin music, but he also enjoys dabbling in his brothers'/friends' interests. Vio also really likes rap, specifically fast-paced songs where his mind has to actually work to keep up with the words

Hyrule likes folk music, I think. He also likes most flute music and bag-pipes make his wings thrum with joy even when he doesn't have them out. Celtic music makes his blood sing and if he needs to be working, you better believe his headphones are providing something like The Isle of Skye or Scotland The Brave.

Wind likes sea shanties, naturally, but he also enjoys folk music and pop as well. Definitely memorized the words to all of warriors' favorite songs because he likes them too, and will must out with vine like timing with all sorts of songs to make a situation funnier. He also likes rock though, Time is worried he might be hitting an emo phase soon.

Wild actually prefers instrumentals. He doesn't care for listening to unknown voices singing to him, since he deals with that enough. If he can see the singer though, he doesn't mind. The others like dragging him to concerts for that reason, so he can enjoy their music and not feel weird about it. He enjoys most music, but more sedate and contemplative pieces are his favorites.

Legend is a music man. he likes all music. Now, there are things that he will stubbornly insist do not qualify as music; certain artists, certain songs or styles, but when the others fight about what to play in the car during road trips, he will just chill through it all. There are certain moods he needs to be in for some styles, but he's pretty much good with it all.

Ravio like everything too, but he hates country music

Malon likes country music specifically

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu sky #lu time #lu twilight #lu warriors #lu four #lu hyrule #lu wind #lu wild #lu legend #lu ravio #lu malon #asks and answers

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scotianostra · 1 year

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Happy 90th Birthday Scottish actor David McCallum.

Born as David Keith McCallum, Jr on this day 19933 in Maryhill, Glasgow, the second of two sons of Dorothy Dorman, a cellist, and orchestral violinist David McCallum Sr. When he was three, his family moved to London for his father to play as concertmaster in the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Early in the Second World War, he was evacuated back to Scotland, where he lived with his mother at Gartocharn by Loch Lomond.

McCallum won a scholarship to University College School, a boys' independent school in Hampstead, London, where, encouraged by his parents to prepare for a career in music, he played the oboe.In 1946 he began doing boy voices for the BBC radio repertory company. Also involved in local amateur drama, at age 17, he appeared as Oberon in an open-air production of A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Play and Pageant Union. He left school at age 18 and was conscripted, joining the 3rd Battalion the Middlesex Regiment, which was seconded to the Royal West African Frontier Force.In March 1954 he was promoted to Lieutenant. After leaving the army he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (also in London), where Joan Collins was a classmate.

David McCallum’s acting career has spanned six decades; however, these days he is best known for his starring role on the police procedural NCIS as medical examiner as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard. I first really remember McCallum for his role in another US show, The Invisible Man which ran for 13 episodes in the 70's. McCallum by then was a veteran of many TV and Film roles, starting in the 50's including Our Mutual Friend and The Eustace Diamonds, in the 60's he was in several ITV Playhouse shows before moving across the Atlantic to take roles in The Outer Limits and his big break as Illya Kuryakin in several incantations of The Man from Uncle.

His most notable films were The Greatest Story Ever Told as

Judas Iscariot and of course Ashley-Pitt 'Dispersal' in The Great Escape.

As well as the aforementioned Invisible Man in the 70's he took time to pop back over to our shores to star in two quality series, as Flt. Lt. Simon Carter in Colditz and Alan Breck Stewart in an adaption of Robert Louis Stevenson's, Kidnapped.

The 80's saw him team up with the lovely Joanna Lumley in Sapphire & Steel and several guest roles in the likes of The A Team, Hart to Hart and Murder, She Wrote as well as a one off reprise of Illya in the TV movie The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair.

The 90's saw David in Cluedo and Trainer on our TV screens over here and American science-fiction series VR-5 in the states..

During the last 20 years or so he has been in the kids TV show, Ben 10: Omniverse as the voice of Professor Paradox and of course Donald Horatio "Ducky" Mallard in over 350 episodes of the popular NCIS.

David has been married twice. He married his first wife Jill Ireland in 1957. They met on the set of the movie Hell Drivers. Together, they had two sons and a daughter, Paul, Jason and Valentine, with Jason being the only one who was adopted. In 1963, David introduced Jill to his co-star on The Great Escape, Charles Bronson, and she left David and married Charles in 1968. In 1967, David married Katherine Carpenter and they have two children together, a son Peter and a daughter, Sophie. He and Katherine currently live in New York.

In NCIS since 2018, Ducky, played by McCallum, has appeared in fewer episodes. avid McCallum explained that appearing in fewer episodes will allow him to see more of his family, which includes his wife, children, six grandsons, and their cat, Nickie. According to IMDB he has chalked up an amazing 457 appearances in the show, morethan anyother character in the series.

#scotland #scottish #actor #television #cinema #happy birthday #NCIS #ducky mallard

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reidandweep · 4 years

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Stitching

Spencer Reid x Reader (female)

A/N- Much like Adam Driver, I have been a huge fan of Matthew Gray Gubler and criminal minds for years. With quarantine, I decided to re-watch the show from the beginning and I had some inspiration. My writing tends to take a while but if you have any requests or idea for Spencer Reid, please send them my way.

Word Count- 6286 words

Warning- Angst, mentions of violence and torture, fluff, tears, and the usual criminal minds details.

If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? -William Shakespeare.

QUANTICO, VIRGINIA

“Good morning my lover and friends. As of 8:45 am, yesterday morning, four bodies have been found across the Washington State area. Locations confirmed to be Pomeroy, Baker City, Salem, and Mill Creek. All victims were very similar in physical appearance; Caucasian, red hair, brown eyes, approximately 5ft 4’.”

Garcia swiped her tablet to display family photographs of the victims on the screen. The team watched, in the debriefing room, as they scanned through their own tablets; reading through the details. Spencer’s eyes flittered over the images as his fingers scanned across the words in his paper file; still adamant on not working with technology like the rest of his team.

“What about the cause of death? How were they found?”

Garcia shivered at Rossi’s question.

“It’s not a pretty image. Each victim was dismembered at the elbows, knees, neck, and stomach. Further cuts were made vertically down the stomach and across the face, arms, and legs. Not deep enough to cut through bone, but deep enough to bleed out. Where the unsub cut our victims, he then sewed them back together.”

Emily looked up at Garcia.

“Are you saying the lacerations were made before the victim’s died?”

“Precisely. Each autopsy report came back the same with the cause of death pointing to the direction of blood loss; specifically, from the throat.”

The team looked at the new images before them. Multiple pictures appeared on the screen, showing the bodies of the victims. The pictures showing the women laid out in the same pose, thick thread holding together the pieces of their corpses. All had their eyes closed, except one.

“Garcia, the last victim, zoom into her face.”

Garcia did as Spencer asked.

“Her eyes are closed.”

Spencer nodded, glancing towards JJ as she spoke.

“Meaning that he felt remorse for this murder.”

Derek scrolled through the pictures on his tablet.

“The other three victim’s eyes are open, indicating that he wanted them to look. To watch what he was doing, whatever it may have been.”

Spencer looked across the table at the questioning faces.

“So, what changed between the third and the fourth victim?”

Hotch stood from his seat, indicating the others to grab their belonging.

“We can discuss further on jet. Wheels up in thirty.”

WASHINGTON STATE

Being greeted by the local police department in Clagstone, Spencer and the team began their investigation into the murders. Spencer did not know what it was, but the stitching on the bodies felt familiar. Like he had seen them before.

Looking up from his files, Spencer watched as Derek walked into the room, ending a call with who he could only presume to be Garcia.

“Garcia has just completed background checks on our latest victim. Lily Trent visited local film screenings at the Southview Centre religiously, to watch horror movies in particular. Seems like the girl loved anything horror and Halloween; according to her roommate and her computer history. It seems that are other victims did also.”

Spencer stood from his seat and walked towards the whiteboard at the back of the room. Writing down the details Derek stated, his brain began to filter through the relevant information needed.

“Halloween is ranked the ninth most celebrated holiday in the world. With different interpretations of the holiday occurring according to country and culture. Wearing costumes at Halloween did not even become an occurrence until 1585, with the first instance recorded in Scotland.”

Derek chuckled at Reid’s excitement. He knew the boy loved Halloween.

“Well it all looks like they were pretty huge fans of the holiday and horror films. Maybe our unsub was too.”

Spencer looked down at the photos in his hand, scanning his memory for any correlation.

“Maybe, it’s not just horror, but a particular film. If all the victims were presented in a certain way, maybe the unsub is trying to replicate what happened to a character in a particular film.”

Derek crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’ll call Garcia to search through all the victims search history to see if any particular horror films come up in each one. Do you know of any films that the unsub could have replicated?”

Spencer shook his head.

“I can collate his actions to hundreds of films but, the method of torture and look of the victims, I can’t think of one horror feature that pinpoints all that the unsub has done.”

A thought unexpectedly popped into Spencer’s mind. Derek cocked his head at the sudden halt from the resident genius.

“But I know someone who might.”

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

“The importance of genre in film alters many of the other aspects. The characters and their narrative arcs, the music score, cinematography, the edit, and so much more. Sometimes genre even dictates the director who signs onto the project. Dennis Dugan would not have a directing career if Adam Sandler stopped making comedy movies. Because that is what he directs. He doesn’t direct comedies; he directs Adam Sandler comedies. Which, in my opinion, are a whole genre on their own.”

The class chuckled.

“Genre plays a part in everyday life. Sometimes, your day will be led by romance, or grief, or action. There may be drama, or comedy, or even silence.”

The class looked on in concentration as Y/N walked across the floor. If someone who did not attend the college walked past the classroom, they could’ve presumed that she was a student. She looked young enough.

“It controls the way the characters talk, act, and move. How the plot thickens and pushes forward and…”

The doors at the back of the auditorium opened. Y/N looked up at the sound of the intrusion to see figures that she could not recognise, and one that she did.

Clearing her throat, she continued.

“And how it even ends. We shall leave it at that today. What I want you to do in the meantime is research a genre in particular and come up with examples that counteract the stereotypes that have been enforced upon the genre itself. Hand it in to your professor first thing Monday morning. Thank you.”

Y/N watched as the students collected their things and filtered out of the room. The figures waiting till she was only left before they walked down the steps.

Coming to a stop in front of her desk, Y/N crossed her arms and waited. Spencer stepped forward with a crooked smile on his face.

“Hi Y/N.”

Y/N couldn’t help but giggle.

“Long time no see stranger.”

Spencer’s cheeks burned at Y/N’s words. The team shared looks between them at the unfamiliar display. They had seen Spencer blush at people before, but not for a long time.

Spencer cleared his throat, preparing himself to act professional.

“This is Dr Y/F/N Y/L/N. Y/N travels across the country to guest speak at different universities on her topic at hand. She specialises in film studies, more importantly the focus of characters and genres. If I can’t connect the unsub’s actions to a film, Y/N most definitely can.”

Y/N smiled at Spencer’s praise.

“Nice to meet you all. So, what are you here to talk to me about Doc? Obviously, you’re here on a case and if you are asking for my help, I’m guessing it’s going to be pretty gruesome.”

Spencer blushed at the nickname; caught off guard by the word slipping of her tongue.

Sending a raised look towards Reid, Hotch began to explain why they were there.

“Were looking into a case of connected murders. All victims were found to have been mutilated and tortured in the same way. As well as showing resemblances in their physical appearances. With research, we’ve found that each victim was particularly fond of horror films and Halloween. We would just like for you to take a look and see if you could recognise if the ways in which they were harmed stemmed from a film in particular.”

Y/N nodded her head.

“Of course, anything to help.”

She reached for the files from Spencer’s hands, ignoring the tablet pushed in her direction by JJ.

“Sorry, I prefer to use paper. I only really use technology for my lectures or to watch films if they cannot be purchased in physical form.”

Derek smirked, shooting looks to his team, as his eyes landed on Spencer. He never thought he would meet a technophobe like Reid.

Y/N scanned through the pictures and documents, looking in detail at the lacerations at hand. She identified the similarities between the victims, as her mind swirled through the images and characters from the films, she knew held similarities.

“What were the names of all the victims?”

Emily looked towards the woman.

“That information is classified.”

Y/N did not blink at her abrasiveness.

“Were any of them called Sally?”

The team looked perplexed at her question.

“No. Why that name in particular?”

Y/N continued to scan the pages as Rossi questioned her.

“Because the unsub isn’t replicating anything from a horror movie. The unsub is replicating the physical appearance and staging of a character from an animated movie. A Disney one to be more specific.”

A light bulb flickered in Spencer’s mind as he stared at Y/N in realisation. The hair colours. The stitches. It made sense now.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT

“The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 American stop-motion animated musical Halloween-Christmas fantasy film directed by Henry Selick and produced and conceived by Tim Burton. It became a cult classic during the early 2000s with orchestral concerts occurring every year to celebrate the spectacle of the film.”

Spencer indicated for JJ to change the monitor as he and Y/N stood in front of the team to explain the information.

“Originally, the story began as a poem written by Tim Burton. Both narratives follow the protagonist, Jack Skellington, into his journey to Christmastown, and how he tries to make Christmas his own. The character in question that your unsub is replicating is the love interest of our protagonist. Created by Dr Finkelstein, Sally is a ragdoll-esque character whose body is covered with stitches to keep her together. The form in which all the women were found is identical to this scene in the movie.”

The screen changes to show the scene in question; paused at the precise moment to prover her point.

“All red haired, all Caucasian, all eerily the same. The stitches are exactly the same and the pose in which they are in the pictures are also.”

“We now know which film our unsub is mimicking, but how can we produce a distinguished profile of our unsub? All we can say is that between his third and fourth victim, he suddenly began to feel remorseful of his crimes.”

Y/N looked towards Spencer, waiting for him to speak as he knew more details about the case.

“Garcia checked into the victim’s computer histories and found that all four victims attended a horror convention in the Washington state area over the course of the past month. The convention in particular runs every other weekend, focusing on different horror films to highlight. However, they always make an exception for one film; The Nightmare Before Christmas. Whilst reviewing receipts for the tickets, they were all brought through the convention’s website, which is run by its board of organisation every year. Up until recently, the board has held the same members.”

Derek tapped on his tablet to the convention’s website.

“Last month, the website released details stating that a distinguish member was no longer part of the board due to unforeseen circumstances.”

It suddenly dawned on Y/N who Derek was talking about.

“Dean Faulkner.”

Spencer whipped around towards Y/N.

All eyes laid on her as her breath increased.

“You know him?”

Y/N nodded at Hotch.

“I guest spoke at a panel with him a few years back at a separate university. We were both there, amongst others, to talk about the works of a genre that are expertise were in. I was there to basically provide loose ends for what they could not answer. Dean’s specialised area was horror. The whole time he spoke about what he described as the true villains of horror and of the world.”

Y/N gulped, her mouth going dry.

“Women.”

The wheels began to turn in the team’s heads.

Spencer stepped closer towards Y/N in assurance, seeing that her thoughts were becoming overwhelmed. He quickly stepped back after he realised what he had done.

“He went on a raging tangent about the damsel in distress and the final girl. Going on and on and on about how women are weak and would never be the last one standing if faced against the monsters in real life. How they manipulated the men and made the monsters seem worse than they truly were. The only time he spoke positively about women was when we finally calmed him down and, during a Q&A session, a student asked him who the perfect horror movie character was. He said Sally because she was forgiving and would do anything for Jack; even if that meant falling apart and being sewn back together. I tried to justify that the film does not necessarily fall into the genre of horror. But he rebutted saying that it most definitely did, because of the fact that Jack’s dream did not come true.”

The room was silent for a second, taking in the information.

Suddenly, Y/N grasped the pen from Spencer’s hands. Her finger scribbling across the whiteboard.

“I need to know the names of the victims. Get Penelope on the phone and tell me the names.”

The team shocked at her erratic movements, sat in silence.

“Do you want to capture this guy?”

Spencer licked his lips and repeated the victim’s names.

“Susanna Cole, Alice Dawes, Liberty May, and Lily Trent.”

Y/N swiftly wrote the names on the boards. Each name below the other. Underneath the last name she wrote the letter Y.

“Can you ask Penelope to track any females with the first name beginning with Y who have purchased a ticket to the next convention?”

Derek quickly began to type to her. The rest of the team looking on in disbelief.

“There were twenty-three purchases, but with cross referencing with the similarities in the other victims, one matched. Her name is Yasmine Driver.”

Y/N wrote the name on the board. Circling all the first letters of each name, it became clear there was another connection with the victims.

“Their initials spell Sally.”

Y/N nodded at JJ’s disbelief.

“Reid, when is the next convention being held?”

Spencer diverted his attention to Emily.

“Their schedule every two weeks, so that would make it… tomorrow.”

The team swiftly moved into action.

“JJ bring together the police force for a debrief. Derek and Rossi, go to the convention centre and question the board about Dean. Ask them how often he visited and if they have any knowledge of the victims visits to the convention. Spencer and Emily, contact Penelope for Faulkner’s address. Once you have visited the home, if he is there, bring him in. We’re going to try and catch him before he gets close to his goal. I will locate Yasmine and bring her to the station for safety. We don’t know how far he is going to go and what the end goal of his fantasy is. But we are going to stop him.”

The team swiftly did as they were told, leaving the room with only Spencer and Y/N behind. Just before the door shot, Hotch leaned back in.

“Thank you, Dr Y/L/N, for all your help. If possible, could you stay here with JJ and look through the documents? You know this guy more than we do, so any more information that comes to mind, please let us know.”

Y/N and Spencer watched as Hotch left the room, the door shutting behind him.

As the silence engulfed them, Y/N and Spencer were hyper aware that they were now alone and had been for the first time in weeks.

Spencer swiftly walked towards Y/N and embraced her in a tight hold. Wrapping her arms around the slender man, Y/N breathed in his scent.

“I’ve missed you.”

Y/N chuckled at Spencer’s muffled words, as his head rested on top of her own. Pulling back, Y/N slowly released Spencer, letting her hands drop to her sides.

“I’ve missed you too Doc. We can catch up later, I will be waiting right here. Now, go and save the girl.”

Spencer chuckled at her words but did as Y/N said. Throwing her a smile, Spencer quickly walked out the room, leaving Y/N behind.

Y/N sat in the room, looking over the files as the time passed, waiting to see Spencer return with the rest of the team. A knock on the door startled her from her search.

Looking up at the door, Y/N saw JJ walk into the room with two cups of coffee in her hands. JJ outstretched the one hand, placing the cup in front of Y/N, as she took a seat and began to sip at her own.

“I didn’t know how many sugars you took so I estimated.”

Y/N smiled at the woman’s kindness.

“Thank you. Have you heard anything from the others?”

JJ sat up in her seat as she watched Y/N look over the documents. Her fingers moving across the pages ever so quickly. Her hand that wasn’t tapped continuously on the table in a rhythm.

“Spencer and Emily located Faulkner’s home, but it was vacant. They’re looking around the premises for clues for where he may be; as we speak. Hotch and Derek just called saying they are on their way down with Yasmine now.”

Y/N nodded at her words. Glad to hear that the girl was safe, but the main priority now would be to locate Faulkner. She wanted to truly help them, before anyone else could get hurt.

JJ grabbed her tablet and began to search through the files for any missed out information. Silence befell across the pair, until JJ could not help but ask what they had all been dying to know.

“How did you and Spencer meet?”

Y/N had been waiting for the question. She had seen the looks the team had shared throughout the day. The questioning gazes towards the pair.

“Spencer and I were both guests speaking at the University of California a few months ago. He must have finished his lecture early as he was wondering the halls when he came across the class I was teaching. I was stood on the desk, encouraging the students to do the same. Spencer thought I was a student causing trouble whilst the professor had left the room. He ran in sprouting facts about the percentage of people who fall and severely hurt themselves whilst standing on tables. Telling me that I should get down before he reports me to my professor.”

JJ chuckled at Y/N’s story.

“Sounds like Spence alright.”

Y/N giggled in agreement. As she spoke, Y/N couldn’t help but smile at the memory of their first encounter. JJ noticed the smile on the woman’s face. She knew what that smile meant.

“So, I told him that he better stay there to catch me, just in case I fell, as I was trying to teach my students about the importance of character actions, and how doing something as simple as standing on a desk can amplify the tone of the scene. Like in the film Dead Poet’s Society. Spencer finally realised that I was also a guest speaker and he actually stood there for the next 40 minutes of my lecture. I didn’t need to stand on the desk that long, but I wanted to see if he would stay. Once the lecture had finished, he apologised for jumping to conclusions. I apologised for making him wait for 40 minutes in case I fell. He told me I didn’t make him wait; he chose to. We’ve been in contact ever since.”

Just as Y/N finished her story, the door to the conference room opened once more. Looking towards the door, Y/N watched as Hotch entered, followed by Yasmine. The young woman looked scared, but unharmed.

Y/N stood from her seat, unsure of what to do as Hotch insisted for Yasmine to take a seat.

“Do you want me to leave?”

Hotch nodded his head.

“We shouldn’t be long. The rest of the team are outside in the bullpen. You can go ahead and join them. JJ and I will take it from here.”

Y/N nodded her head, leaving the room. She watched as Hotch and JJ questioned spoke to Yasmine through the glass, before she turned and walked down the corridor to find Spencer and his friends.

Turning the corner, Y/N failed to stop herself before bumping into a tall figure. Looking up to apologise, her eyes suddenly widened at the familiar face. Before a sound could leave her lips, a blunt force knocked her out cold.

Spencer and the team discussed where Faulkner could be when Hotch strode into the bull pen.

“How did it go?”

Hotch walked towards his team, ready to answer Derek’s question.

“It seems that Faulkner had been stalking the victims for some time. Yasmine detailed seeing him turn up at the conventions, even though he was no longer allowed. She had previously complained about his behaviour to the board before his dismissal. Stating that Faulkner had sexually harassed her. Rossi, did anyone at the convention mention anything about Faulkner that we don’t know?”

“It seems that Yasmine wasn’t the only one. The other board members went into detail about why he was fired. It turned out that all of our victims, including Yasmine, had filed lawsuits against Faulkner for sexual harassment. The charges were ultimately dropped and never recorded to keep the convention’s reputation clear. But they fired Faulkner and banned him from being able to attend any further conventions. Taking away the Nightmare Before Christmas dedicated stand was just a coincidence. They felt that the convention needed something new as they had been celebrating the film for over eight years.”

Just as Hotch was about to declare what the next step would be in finding Faulkner, JJ burst through the ball pen.

“Guys, you have to come quick.”

The team, in shock, watched as JJ ran back towards the conference room. All quickly on her heels. Entering the room, she took control of the laptop, streaming the image to the projector.

Spencer could no longer breathe as he looked at the image on the screen.

“Y/N.”

The screen showed Y/N tied to a chair and bent forward; clearly in pain. Her surroundings empty and dark.

Suddenly a voice was heard.

“I sense there's something in the wind. That seems like tragedy's at hand isn’t there Dr Y/F/N Y/L/N.”

The team watched in horror as Dean Faulkner yanked Y/N’s head back, her body letting out a strangled cry at the pain caused by his actions.

Spencer felt sick, he felt like he was watching himself when Tobias Hankel had held him captive.

“Emily, call Garcia to track his location. We don’t have much time.”

Emily did as Hotch told her to. Talking as quickly as she could on the phone.

“She can’t track it; he’s re-routing the IP address every thirty seconds.”

“She needs to track it. She needs to find her now!”

They all jumped at Spencer’s outburst, watching as tears filled his vision and his hands began to shake.

“Spencer, you need to calm down, we are going to find her. He can’t have taken her far.”

Spencer took in Derek’s words. Taking a breath, he looked back at the screen as he tried to distinguish any recognisable features of where she may be.

Faulkner moved his face to rest against Y/N’s hair, smelling the tresses. She tried to pull away only for him to yank her back again.

“Why did you kill them Dean?”

Faulkner let go of Y/N’s hair. Walking to her side, he grabbed her face in a vicious grip. Yanking her to look at him.

“Why? They ruined my life, everything I ever worked hard for. You all did.”

Y/N looked at him in confusion.

“I did nothing to you.”

Y/N’s breath increased at the vicious look he sent her way. Her eyes flickered to the camera, knowing that Faulkner was streaming what was happening to Spencer and his team. She had to find a way to tell them where she was.

“You made them question my authority. My position. My integrity as a member of the board. You ruined my reputation by belittling me in California.”.

“That’s because you know nothing about horror Dean. You think you know everything about it, but you don’t.”

Spencer couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Why was Y/N taunting him?

“Garcia’s looking to see if there’s any abandoned properties around the area that he could have taken her to.”

Spencer didn’t even acknowledge Emily’s words.

Faulkner reeled back at Y/N’s taunt.

“I know everything there is to know about horror. I’ve seen it all. I’ve lived it. I’ve created it. Ask me anything about it, I know the right answers.”

“But you don’t. You have an idea of horror, your own idea, that is wrong. You believe that women are the reason you lost your job and became the monster that you are. But they’re not. The reason you’re a monster is because of your sick and twisted fantasies. You made those girls feel small and weak, didn’t you?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

The team watched in apprehension.

“Garcia, the location, we need it now.”

Rossi looked between the screen and the phone in Derek’s hand.

“I can get the area he’s holding her, but not the specific building. The whole town is basically abandoned. She could be anywhere from a shop to a house.”

“Keep looking.”

Spencer chewed on his lips. He had to think rationally. If the unsub was upset about the changes and losing his job, what could have been the last straw?

“Derek what was the film they replaced Nightmare Before Christmas with at the convention.”

Derek and Spencer shared a look.

“Cabin in the Woods.”

Spencer ran across the rooms to the files at hand.

“In the location that Garcia has tracked her too, there are three cabins, all within a walking distance of the other.”

The team began to rush out the room, transferring the livestream to a tablet so they could monitor Faulkner and Y/N.

“You’re weak Dean. You’re just like all the horror movie villains. Ghostface, pinhead, jigsaw, all of them. You feed of fear and feeling in control. But the only thing you have in common with them is that you’re not going to win.”

Faulkner scream in rage. Pulling Y/N’s head back, he punched her in the jaw. Striding to the camera, he pushed his face to the lens.

“The party’s over!”

Spencer watched in horror as the feed went off.

“Hotch we have to hurry!”

Hotch sped up the car. Quickly arriving to the location, the team split up into pairs, taking a cabin each to inspect. Hotch and Derek, Rossi and JJ, and Spencer and Emily veered off to their targeted locations. Spencer followed Emily, trying to stay calm, as he slowly walked into the cabin to find it empty, when suddenly a gun shot was heard. Looking in the direction, the pair ran to the cabin that Derek and Hotch had been assigned. The rest of the team already there, looking into the cabin in shock.

“No, no, no, no. Y/N.”

Spencer pushed in front of them, tears pooling in his eyes as he a waited to see the horror before him. He looked in disbelief as Y/N stood from her position on the floor, the gun dropping from her hand as they shook. Faulkner laid a few feet away, in a pool of blood, no longer breathing.

Y/N looked towards the team. Raising her shaking hands towards Spencer.

“I didn’t want to kill him but he was going to shoot whoever walked through the door.”

Spencer rushed forward, grabbing her in a bone crushing hug. His hands stroking her hair as he soother her cries. Leading her out of the cabin, he allowed his team to sort out the rest as he continued to calm Y/N down.

The movement of the team were a blur as ambulances and police cars came. Taking them to the hospital as they sat in the waiting room as Y/N was checked over.

Spencer sat in the waiting room, his leg bouncing up and down with nerves.

Derek excused himself from the groups conversation as he went and sat next to Spencer. Clapping him on the back, Derek squeezed Spencer’s shoulder in re-assurance.

“She’s going to be fine pretty boy.”

“Physically, she has a concussion, bruising along her jawline, and needs stitches on her forehead. Mentally, I don’t know how she is going to handle this. When I suggested asking for her help in the case, I didn’t presume the risk of her being hurt. I should have.”

“Spencer, listen to me. We would have done everything to make sure she lived okay. She not only saved herself but she also helped save Yasmine and this team. Any one of us could have been shot if she had not thought fast and got the gun out of his hands. You know, better than anyone, how to help her deal with this.”

Spencer took in Derek’s words, nodding his head in appreciation, as he leaned against his friend in a comforting hug.

“Probably wasn’t the ideal way to introduce your girlfriend to the team though.”

Spencer stuttered at Derek’s teasing.

“We’re profilers Spencer. We’ve all noticed how you’ve been happier these past few months and seeing how persistent you were for us to consult Y/N, it gave us all an idea why. Seeing you together only confirmed our suspicions. So, how long has pretty boy had his pretty girl?”

Spencer chuckled at Derek’s words. Ringing his hands together as he spoke to Derek.

“Tomorrow is actually our six-month anniversary. She was going to be flying back today so we could celebrate; unless I got called on a case.”

“We can still celebrate.”

Spencer looked up as Y/N walked through the waiting room, fresh stitches on her forehead and an ice pack resting in her hands.

“The nurse said that there was no internal damage. That my body will just be sore for a few weeks. My concussion is light, so I am alright to travel home.”

The team gathered around to check on her. But her eyes could not leave Spencer’s as he rose from his seat. Spencer walked forward slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. Carefully he cupped her face in his hands, and to the surprise of Y/N and his team, Spencer bowed his head and placed a careful kiss on Y/N’s lips. Slow, protective, and full of love.

Pulling back, Spencer wrapped his arms around her as he looked at the beaming smiles of his teammates. Y/N couldn’t help the blush across her cheeks or the giggle that followed. Soon, everyone was chuckling at the pair.

“I would like to thank you Y/N. From the entire team. Your actions saved a young woman’s life, and what could have been one of our own.”

Y/N smiled in appreciation at Rossi’s words.

“You’re Spencer’s family. I would do it all again if I had to.”

“Statistically speaking, around 2,000 people a day are reported missing in the US. Approximately, 600 of those would be reported or considered kidnappings. It is highly unlikely for you to be put in a situation like that again.”

Y/N looked up at her boyfriend.

“I never thought I would say this, but your talk about me being kidnapped again is really attractive.”

The team laughed at the girl’s statement, seeing Spencer become physically embarrassed.

“Just to inform everyone, the jet will be ready to depart in forty-five minutes. As I was informed that today you would have been heading home, Y/N we have sent for your belongings to be collected; you can fly back with us.”

Spencer smiled at Hotch in gratitude, the older man knowing he would have only worried if she had flown home alone.

“Thank you, Mr Hotchner.”

Hotch let out a brief smile.

“Call me Hotch. Your part of Spencer’s life, that means your part of this family.”

BAU JET

It had been an exhausting few days for the team, and it showed, as they all were sporadically asleep throughout the jet. Silence encompassed the steel capsule, with only the sound of sleep filled breaths being heard.

Y/N laid fast asleep, with her head on Spencer’s shoulder, as the boy genius sat up wide awake. Looking down at the woman next to him, all Spencer could imagine was what could have happened if they weren’t quick enough. How many days he would have lost with her. All the things he wanted to tell her.

As though she could sense his deep thoughts, Y/N slowly awoke, rubbing her eyes as a yawn escaped her mouth. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she waited till she was fully conscious before she spoke.

“What time is it Doc?”

Spencer jostled out of his thoughts to check the watch on his wrist.

“It’s 2:36 am. You’ve been asleep for approximately 3 hours and 22 minutes.”

Y/N quickly sat up in her seat, wide awake.

Spencer turned towards her in worry, wondering what had made her so alert.

“What wrong? Are you feeling nauseous? Do you need some painkillers, as your due to have…”

Y/N grabbed Spencer’s face and placed her lips flush against his own. Their mouths moved in unison, as Spencer’s own hands moved to circle around her waist, bringing their bodies as close as they could be in the small space they had. They hadn’t kissed since the hospital, and before then it had been weeks. Spencer never realised until then, how much he truly missed her touch, her taste, her as a whole.

Coming to a point where they both lacked breathe, the pair pulled apart. Their eyes fluttering open as Y/N’s hands caressed Spencer’s face. Her one hand travelled to his hair, feeling the tresses that had grown since she had last seen him. She looked at him in a way no one had before. Spencer shared the same expression.

“Happy six-month anniversary Spencer. I love you.”

Spencer looked at Y/N in disbelief.

“Before you start spouting of facts about transference and how I am probably only saying this because you saved my life, you’re wrong. Because then I would be telling Hotch and Morgan the same thing.”

Spencer couldn’t help the watery smile that graced his face. For the second time in the past day, his eyes filled with tears. But this time, they were good.

“I’ve known I have loved you for a long time. For five months actually. I knew I loved you when we made pizza in your apartment and we ended up burning it, so we ordered one instead.”

Spencer laughed at the memory. It was the first time Spencer had initiated their make out. He had watched her cooking, in his apartment, and he had never found her more attractive than he did seeing her in his home.

“I knew that whilst you were spouting of facts about the invention of the pizza that I loved you and that I could listen to you forever. I love you Spencer.”

Spencer pulled Y/N closer to him as he rested his forehead against her own. The pair basked in each other’s presence.

“Past surveys show that men wait just 88 days to say those three little words to their partner for the first time, and 39 percent say them within the first month. Women, on the other hand, take an average 134 days. You knew after 31 days that you loved me. I knew after our first date that the way I felt when I was with you is a feeling that I could not even describe with my vast vocabulary. I knew after 8 days that the way I felt was stronger than liking you and that was a frightening thought. But its scarier to think what could have happened to you yesterday. That I could have lost you without you ever knowing. I made that mistake before. I will never make it again. I love you too.”

Y/N couldn’t help the smile and giggle that overtook her. Spencer, feeling high of the serotonin that was coursing through his body, couldn’t help his laugh either. Soon the pair were a giggling mess, unaware of the team who had all begun to awaken whilst the pair were talking.

The team congregated to the back of the jet, allowing the couple to stay in their own bubble.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen him truly happy.”

The group nodded at Emily’s words.

JJ smiled as she watched her best friend rattle of the possible movies that he and his girlfriend could spend their anniversary watching as she recovered. Her smile growing even wider at Y/N’s enthusiasm to watch the film’s in their original language. None of them could miss the look of adoration beaming between the pair.

“Yeah, it really has.”

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. -Lao Tzu

A/N- It isn’t the best but I really enjoyed writing this one.

#spencer reid imagine #spencer reid #criminal minds #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds imagine #matthew gray gubler #matthew gray gubler imagine #matthew gray gubler x reader #criminal minds x reader #spencer reid imagines

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dustedmagazine · 2 years

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Kode9 — Escapology: Music From Astro-Darien (Hyperdub)

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Astro-Darien is a historical sci-fi multi-media “sonic fiction” created by Hyperdub founder Steve Goodman AKA Kode9 in collaboration with visual artists Lawrence Lek, Silvia Kastel and Optigram. It is named for the Darien Scheme, an ill-conceived publicly funded plan to establish a colony and trading post in western Panama in the 1690s. Its failure put Scotland on the verge of bankruptcy and was a significant factor in acquiescence to 1707 Acts of Union that subsumed the country into the United Kingdom under the control of Westminster. In the past two years, the Scottish government has signed off on the construction of spaceports on the Shetland Islands and the north coast of Scotland. Many hope that in time these facilities can become a conduit for space tourism and perhaps colonization. Taking these threads as a starting point and in anticipation of the referendum on independence proposed for 2023, Astro-Darien ponders the lessons of the past in the context of a reimagining of the future.

On Escapology Goodman introduces more beat-driven elements into the narrative in the hope the record will stand alone as a more familiar Kode9 production. It is not always a comfortable union. Passages of club-based rhythm and mechanoid agitation are interspersed between and within more ambient narrative pieces replete with the sort of sinisterly anodyne announcements one hears on planes, trains and presumably the tourist rockets of Bezos, Branson and Musk. Hubris, greed and decay lurk and erupt throughout. “Toxic Foam” is full of rust and bubbling sludge eating its path through erstwhile pristine landscape and architecture alike. “In The Shadow Of Ben Hope” mimics rockets overhead and after the proverbial countdown, the tectonic rumbling of vertical lift-off. It makes for a disjointed aural experience, the frantic beats, the clank and squeak of distressed rivets giving way to sections of sci-fi optimism and on “Torus” for instance the kind of wildly propulsive, technically intricate orchestration associated with Carl Stalling and Raymond Scott.

Kode9 fans will enjoy club ready tracks like “Uncoil” and “Lagrange Point” and as with his previous work, the mastery of dynamics and the production values are to rights but there’s a sense the music cannot carry the weight of its associations alone.

Andrew Forell

#kode9 #Escapology: Music From Astro-Darien #hyperdub #andrew forell #albumreview #dusted magazine #electronic #soundtrack #scotland

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natromanxoff · 3 years

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Queen live at National Bowl in Milton Keynes, UK - June 5, 1982 (Part-1)

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It was originally intended for the band to play this concert at Arsenal Stadium in Highbury, but it was moved to Milton Keynes for the same reason the Leeds show wasn't played at the famed Old Trafford. It's also worth noting that the band wanted to play at London's famous Royal Albert Hall as well, but the plan was never orchestrated as there was much fear that the weight of Queen's lighting rig would make the ceiling cave in. An early tour itinerary listed two London shows (June 4 and 5) on the agenda. The Teardrop Explodes were among the bands (the same line-up as last week in Leeds) who opened for Queen at this show. Their guitarist, Julian Cope, stood before about 40 thousand Queen fans and introduced the next song as being probably the best song they had ever heard, prompting someone near the stage to throw a toilet seat at him, which missed (people are known to bring cameras and certain substances to concerts, but toilet seats?). Lemonade bottles were then thrown at the guitarist which he tossed back into the audience. The complete Queen concert was filmed. A shortened video was shown on UK TV on a show called "The Tube" in January 1983 (omitting Action This Day, the bit of Las Palabras de Amor, Back Chat, Get Down Make Love, part of the guitar solo, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Another One Bites The Dust, and Sheer Heart Attack), and on MTV in the US in August 1983 (the latter was a simulcast, with the audio being broadcast on FM radio in stereo, on the west coast, at least). The video was edited by Gavin Taylor, who was later invited by the band to direct the now famous video at Wembley Stadium in 1986. An even shorter version (about 50 minutes long) of the Milton Keynes video was shown on UK TV in 2001 (and many times since). Both the Milton Keynes and Wembley shows would eventually be released on DVD uncut. The 2004 official release of this show (both on CD and DVD) is called "Queen On Fire: Live At The Bowl". The DVD is a beautiful document of Queen's show at the time, packed full of classic Queen moments. There are also extras from 1982 shows in Vienna and Tokyo. After a great version of Play The Game, Freddie essentially apologizes to the audience for much of the latest album's content: "Now most of you know that we've got some new songs out in the last week. For what it's worth we're gonna do a few songs in the funk/black category, whatever you call it. That doesn't mean we've lost our rock and roll feel, okay? I mean it's only a bloody record. People get so excited about these things! We just wanna try out a few songs. This is Staying Power." For some reason part of the speech was removed for the CD release of "Live At The Bowl." Without a doubt this is his definitive live delivery of the song, pulling off all of the stops. Mercury is at his peak tonight. Somebody To Love has been a vocal adventure of Freddie's for the past couple years. His intro is different every night, as is his solo spot towards the end. The version captured here on film is surely one of his best. Before launching into the familiar piano theme, he asks the audience in a moment for the ages, "Are you ready?" And in excitement, "Huh? Are you ready brothers and sisters?" Part way through his vocal exchange with the audience in Now I'm Here, Freddie says, "C'mon, we're gonna make you sing like Aretha Franklin." At the end of the successful duel, he jokingly says, "Right, you can join the band!" The r&b influence is never more evident than it is here, and it makes for a classic version of the song. Brian breaks a string just before his guitar solo in Dragon Attack. While he switches to a Red Special copy, John Deacon gets to play the bass solo as it's heard on the record - the one and only time he has the chance to do it. It's on the fly, and he nails it note for note. "Las Palabras de Amor" was released as a single a few days ago, and Brian plays a small bit of it on his 12-string acoustic before Love Of My Life. He then mentions how the band won't be playing their "song of peace" tonight, as he calls it. This remains the only show where the Hot Space ballad would be referenced. Brian's guitar briefly cuts out during his solo spot, a moment that was edited out of the 1983 TV broadcasts (and slightly edited on the CD release) but seen uncut on the DVD. Brian's guitar tech is seen rushing on and off stage within seconds, having quickly resolved the issue (it was likely a sticky pickup switch). About half way through Sheer Heart Attack, Brian sneaks in the riff from I Go Crazy an octave up, and much faster, to match the tempo of the energetic News Of The World rocker. The song would be dropped from the set after this show, only to emerge again late in the pending North American tour. This would be Morgan Fisher's last show with the band as the touring keyboardist. A number of theories abound about his departure, including butting heads with Mercury's personal manager Paul Prenter or his apparent fear of flying, but it was simply a case of him moving on to other gigs (Fisher confirmed in a 2009 interview that he has never been afraid of airplanes). The CD and DVD releases would be patched up a bit, most notably in the third verse of Fat Bottomed Girls where Freddie's voice cracked badly on "locality," as well as for "now I'm here, now I'm there." Roger's timing with the guitar delays at the end of May's solo spot was bit off at the show, but this is fixed up as well. The sound quality as a whole is much better than the broadcasts, but there are a couple differences in the mix - some of Brian's backing vocals (particularly at the end of Somebody To Love) can be clearly heard in the broadcast mix but were brought down for the official releases, and compression has been added to Roger's snare drum, giving it a much fatter sound compared to Queen Rock Montreal. Brian May and Roger Taylor are interviewed before the show, as shown on the Bowl DVD and the original TV broadcasts. Brian reveals that he really enjoys playing Play The Game. He explains, "You've done your leaping about, and you've made your statement on your entry. And then you can settle down and start really playing something." Roger says his current favourite is Under Pressure. On the day before this show Freddie's boyfriend at the time had bitten him between his thumb and forefinger during a fight, causing it to bleed profusely and require stitches. On the DVD, Freddie is seen tossing the bandage around just before coming on stage. The sixth picture was submitted by Fabio Minero, and the eighth is from Alessio Rizzitelli. The second set was taken by Brenski.

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Fan Stories

“At the time, I was living on the Mull Of Kintyre on the West coast of Scotland. I remember being elated at getting tickets for the last gig of the UK tour. I always tried to get 'last night' tickets, because the band were famous for always going a little more 'over the top' on each of their tour's final nights. So, we drove down from Scotland, which took an eternity with fuel and meal stops, and stayed at the in-law's on the south coast of England. The next day we set for the 'new-town' of Milton Keynes, about 100 miles or so, away. We got there quite early before the gates opened and the weather was unsettled, lightly raining for about five minutes nearly every other hour. The support bands for the day were 'Teardrop Explodes', who had a fairly big hit with a song called 'Reward'. I quite liked Julian Cope and his band, but this WAS a rock gig, and the audience weren't generally as receptive to this brass backed 'new romantic' style of music. The customary sea of lemonade bottles headed towards the stage ensued. Now it was over twenty years ago, and the memory starts to fade a bit after a while, so I'm not sure whether 'Heart' were next on, or 'Joan Jett and the Blackhearts'. Either way, both bands played well, and were most enjoyable. Joan Jett had recently had a very big hit with 'I Love Rock'n'Roll' (very recently covered by Britney Spears), and the crowd loved that one. This was prior to 'Heart' having a major hit in the UK, but they were at that time an established and well known band. Looking at the stage, there were these items that looked like little vehicles hanging from the gantry, we later found out that these were individual self contained lighting platforms with a guy sat in each directing three spotlights wherever they were required to do so. The Queen set itself started with an extended backing tape from the intro of Flash Gordon. Most of you will have seen the video of this gig, so I won't labour on about what they played too much. Only that the crowd, as a whole, weren't into the 'Hot Space' numbers that much. Personally, I was watching my favourite band, so I didn't really care what they played, as long as it was theirs. The bits cut out of the video, included an intro to 'Las Palabras De Amor' from Brian, (just before 'Love Of My Life'), though they never actually played the whole song, Brian announced that they were not doing their song of peace tonight. Brian's two-day guitar solo was edited out, as was 'Fat Bottomed Girls', the intro harmonies on this did come across as pretty iffy, and of all songs, they also edited out 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', much to my disappointment, as I'd heckled Freddie about his ability as a guitarist, and 'stone me', he only went and answered me. Knebworth '86 was a much better show, but I know I'm lucky enough to have had the honour to be able to compare them.” - Steve_C/Kes

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#queen #queen band #roger taylor #freddie mercury #brian may #john deacon #queen concerts

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