#Right Wing Amateur Radio

[japage3moondog]

Got to Get You into My Life! (paul mccartney x reader

[ gender neutral reader, bit of an age gap, i'm aiming for slow burn but will probably fail at it. reader is intended to be around 10 years younger than paul but age is not detrimental to plot. in this universe, paul and linda are not married and are just friends (no infidelity in this one). reader is a photographer, bit of an amateur. i'm not in lowercase for the first time lol. also posted to ao3]

part 1: With A Little Luck

part 2: So Glad To See You Here

Shock is not the right word to describe the way you feel. The words escape you entirely. You receive a phone call from a man about a job. You've been applying to places for a couple weeks now but you were sure your embellished resume and shaky composure in interviews had doomed your chances. Photography has been your main hobby since your senior year of high school but it's only recently become a viable career option.

Your portfolio was slightly smaller than the industry standard and full of pictures from live gigs you'd weaseled your way into being the photography for. Needless to say, any sort of job follow up is worthy of rejoice let alone a photography job. The process of capturing an image was so satisfying to you and much more appealing than some hospitality gig and you didn't want to fall into the sterotype of starving artist condemned to wait tables for the rest of time.

The man on the phone speaks quickly, almost incoherantly, spewing a string of details at a near impossible pace. His name is Allen Klein, he's calling to inquire about a position as a tour photographer for the band Wings' debut tour. You pause for too long, trying to hold back a squeal of excitement which he interprets as confusion. He recites his spiel once again. You agree enthusiastically before he can finish. He gives you the location of his office and a time so he can ask you a few questions and to do the official paperwork, if the interview is successful.

His office isn't too far away from your home but it's still unfamiliar territory. You scribble down the address, checking it with him three times before he gets fed up and gently tells you he'll see you soon. By the time he hangs up, your hands are shaking terribly, it felt so surreal. You knew who Wings were but not much beyond that Paul McCartney was in it and they had released their debut album the previous month. After you had applied, you promised yourself that you'd look more into them so you wouldn't look like a total poser but it had slipped your mind completely.

It wasn't the glamour of Wings that was so exciting to you, though you'd be lying if you said that the possibility of working with Paul McCartney didn't get you at least a little starstruck. You're a little scared that you'll mess up the interview and drop the ball on the most thrilling job opportunity of your entire life but you try to keep yourself calm enough to stay on your feet. Going on a tour across the country was similarly daunting but you did your best to keep your worrying focused on the now rather than the possible future.

In the days leading up to the meeting you had laid out and put away your photography equipment over and over in anticipation of the job. It wasn't much. A small portable Polaroid for more intimate souvenirs, then a standard 35mm digital camera and a tripod that was slightly too small.You triple-check the number Mr. Klein called you on was indeed belonging to an Allen Klein. You call friends and ask if you're going insane enough for them to start saying yes.

You were the most excited about meeting Linda, a fellow photographer and artist, who you're hoping will be charmed by your ambition rather than call out your faults. You were too young to experience the mania of the Beatles-dominated 60's to truly fangirl over Paul but you'd heard some of his songs on the radio and had enough of a grasp on his appearance to understand the hype. This awareness, however little, you vow to keep to yourself. The last thing your boss needs is another wannabe groupie.

When the day comes, you feel like all you can do is shake. The hours pass by much too quickly and you feel almost drained of air. The night before you had gotten almost no sleep. You spent your time, barely eating your breakfast and listening to the radio. Before you leave the house, you straighten up your outfit, brushing off any potential creases with a swift swipe of the hand. A motion pretty much entirely a placebo to your already ironed clothes.

The road to the building is a long and winding one. You wrote the directions on your wrist but your palms had gotten so sweaty that the ink had been turned into a black smear. You swear you're lost near fifty times before you finally reach his office. Allen Klein's office is nice, you're slightly dissappointed that you don't get to see it again, or at least until the end of the tour. It's spacious but still has a lived in feel. The band isn't present, something you are relieved to discover. He greets you and makes a little small talk, speaking a lot less hastily then over the phone.

"Please make yourself comfortable." He gestures to the seat in front of him. You sit down, almost falling onto his desk in the process.

"Thank you for having me." You say sheepishly. "Your office is lovely."

"Thank you." He smiles warmly, your nerves are not soothed. "Now, why did you apply for this position?"

"Well, I've always had a passion for photography and most of my work has had musicians as the subject so it felt fitting." You answer, hiding your fidgeting hands in your lap.

"This would be your first professional photography gig, correct?" He says, scanning your resume.

"Yes but I have plenty of experience in the field." You reply. He looks at you as if trying to sus you out, reasonable for a job interview but still a little unnerving.

"Have you heard of Wings before?" Mr. Klein inquires.

"In passing and on the radio, I think, but I don't know enough to call myself a fan." You say honestly. 

"What about The Beatles?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Of course, but I wouldn't consider myself anything more than a casual enjoyer." You reply. He seems pleased by your answer.

"Good, good," He says, seemingly to himself. "It's nice you at least know who they were. We just need to weed out the superfans who aren't serious about the position, Paul is particularly insistant on that. I was initially concerned because you fit the demographic."

"You'll be pleased to know my time is spent taking pictures and not listening to records." You smile. He chuckles and seems at ease.

"I'm happy to give you the opportunity to indulge your hobby." He says. "In a professional setting, of couse."

"Of course." You agree.

"Well, as long as your a fast learner, I think you'll get along well with the team." He holds out his hand for you to shake. You accept graciously. Once you let go he hands you the paperwork. He lets you read over the contract before signing. You carefully scan the document for any secret sex slave clauses and offer a nervous smile, waiting for him to give you the pen to sign. You do your best to maintain a steady hand as you sign your name but you can sense he sees your nervousness. Whether Mr. Klein does or doesn't, he keeps quiet about it, something you are very grateful for.

He tells you another time and place for you to meet the band and the rest of the crew that you jot down onto the back of your hand, making a mental note to keep it away from your palm sweat this time. He offers you one last sincere smile before a short goodbye which you return gratefully. You're a little scared about meeting the band, especially accidentally coming off as some crazy, obsessed fan but that fear is almost entirely swallowed but a massive wave of relief.

By the time you leave the office you feel like flying, you're shaking more than before from shock. The world could end at that moment and you would die fulfilled. Your dream was coming true and you get to work with one of the greatest rock bands of the coming decade. You could've sworn you were dreaming. 

[opera-ghosts]

Richard Tauber Programme with Gwen Catley

Gwen Catley - coloratura soprano

Gwen Catley was once known in Britain as the "highest voice in the land". Standing only 4'11" tall, she had a high and accurate coloratura voice, with often a very lovely poise of delivery. She was a natural. She came from a family of serious musical amateurs, and as a child always sang around the house. At two and a half, she joined in a concert performance of Oh! For the Wings of a Dove.

She received no teaching until she began attending the Guildhall at the age of sixteen for twenty-minute lessons on a Saturday morning. She first worked on the Air du Rossignol by Saint-Saëns. Her professor took her to the Principal Sir Landon Ronald (who had been accompanist to Patti and Melba). Sir Landon said "she reminds me of Melba – bring her back in a year's time."

At that time a Gold Medal was awarded every year to the student who was thought would make an impression in the profession. Catley was to get the Medal, but her father argued with Ronald, saying he wouldn't have any daughter of his enter such a profession. So the Medal was withdrawn.

A year later she became engaged. On telling the good news to Landon Ronald, he asked, "to whom?" She replied, "a cellist". He said, "Oh, they never have any money – you'll have to sing. You'd better have the Gold Medal after all". Sir Landon Ronald then sponsored her debut at the Wigmore Hall, which had to open its gallery to accommodate the crowd. Her first half was a mixture of early Italian, French and German songs, and the second half consisted of operatic arias. She received work in musicals, the radio and Sadler's Wells Opera, where she was to be a Queen of the Night, Nanetta and Gilda. At the time of singing Gilda, she weighed a mere 6 stone 5 lbs.

During the war, she was on the stage in London a good deal, and appeared on such radio shows as the Richard Tauber Hour and Friday Night is Seaside Night. She was requested to appear on Children's Hour. Sir Walford Davies (then Master of the King's Musick) was one of its organisers and, dispensing with small talk, he greeted her with "I hear you haven't got a wobble!"

Her voice was not large, but in the right circumstances she could be heard to good effect in the theatre. She was a good judge of these circumstances. She reported turning down Queen of the Night at Covent Garden on the grounds that in their productions the Queen would in all likelihood be two-thirds of the way towards the back of the stage. She did however try to get into Glyndebourne. Her agents Ibbs & Tillett sent her there to audition. She got as far as the Chorus Master, who said, "If you come for some singing lessons with me, I might get you into the chorus."

She did not enjoy oratorio particularly, and said she simply did not like the Messiah aria "I know that my redeemer liveth". She chose her radio work with some care too. In the interval of a Proms performance of hers in 1947, Kenneth Horne came to her on bended knee. He asked her to perform in his radio show Much Binding in the Marsh. She took a singing part as the "vet's niece", but left after six shows, as the music and scripts arrived only on the day, and she did not feel it was for her voice.

Much of her radio, and then TV, work was conducted by one or other of the Robinson brothers. Eric Robinson conducted an opening programme on TV with Margot Fonteyn dancing, Campoli playing the violin, and Norman Wisdom and her singing.

Stanford Robinson, a pillar at the BBC for 47 years, conducted many of her recordings. He was known for being cruel to some singers. "What are you trying to do there?" he asked as she did a downward portamento of an octave. "I'm not trying to do anything," she replied, "this is what I am doing."

In her concerts around the country, people always asked for Bishop's Lo! Here the Gentle Lark. This of course required a flautist, whom the local organisers would have to find. Far too often, she said, all you would hear from the flautist was "spit & blow". Her repertoire did include some more modern opera, and she took part in the first British broadcast of Stravinsky's Rake's Progress.

She suddenly retired when she said her voice no longer sounded right to her. She went to Italy for twenty years. When back in England, she began to teach. She taught Judi Dench to sing in Cabaret, after "going down and down to find the right key".

Gwen Catley's comments on present-day singers in 1995 (when she was 85 years old) were: "Today I don't hear the words, neither their ends nor their beginnings".

These notes were written with the help of a radio interview in 1995 when Catley was 88.

[project1939]

(Mr. and Mrs. North, top picture. Ed Wynn and Durante, bottom left, Ed Wynn receiving a 50th anniversary cake, bottom right)

Day 16- TV and Radio: 

TV: 

All Star Revue, "Ed Wynn and Jimmy Durante," March 8th, 1952. 

Westinghouse Studio One, season 4, episode 26, “The Wings of the Dove,” March 10th, 1952.  

Radio: 

Suspense, “The 39 Steps,” March 3rd, 1952. 

Mr. and Mrs. North, “Heavenly Body,” March 4th, 1952. 

All Star Revue was hosted by Ed Wynn and Jimmy Durante, and it was a more typical variety show than the Olsen and Johnson episode. As a little kid, I knew Ed Wynn as the funny uncle who floated on the ceiling in Mary Poppins, so I’ve always had affection for him. His sweet bumbling character with silly plays on words can make me chuckle. The best part was when he played a piano rigged onto a tricycle, with Jimmy Durante singing on top! It looked like Wynn was actually playing the piano too. At the end, the whole cast presented him with a cake celebrating 50 years in show business. 

Mr. and Mrs. North is a cute little mystery show about a couple who are amateur sleuths. Mrs. North is especially fun, because she’s kind of the brains behind everything. She notices the smallest details about people’s appearances and behavior- continually trying to get her husband to catch up with her and understand who the guilty party is! 

...And now a word from today’s best sponsor: Kellogg’s Pep Cereal! Do you like Wheaties, but would prefer to buy them from a vegetarian with an odd brother who believes in eugenics and curbing masturbation? Well, try Kellogg’s Pep Cereal! It has all the vitamin D you need to put a pep in your step, and all the health benefits any superior stock of non-wanking people could want! 

[lord-radish]

I've got a couple hot takes about the Luke Combs cover of Fast Car.

Personally I think it's kind of basic, and I don't particularly care for it. But my understanding is that people are arguing about whether a straight cover can be justified or if a cover should be "transformative", arguing to the tune of the Luke Combs cover being redundant and irrelevant from day one.

Personally, I don't think covers have to justify themselves. They're covers - there's like five professional covers and a hundred amateur YouTube covers to every original song, and most of them are obscure and/or bad in the first place. The original song still exists and is still prominent, and even if a cover version were to get so popular as to overshadow the original song (ala Torn, a song by an alt-rock band named Ednaswap that got big when Natalie Imbruglia covered it), the original song still exists on its own merits and the cover exists in the legacy of the original song.

This Luke Combs version of Fast Car will come and go. Some people will prefer it. It still exists as a part of the original song's legacy, and in my opinion it can only add to that legacy.

I remember a while back when right-wing dickheads were up in arms about a cover of I Will Survive that changed a bunch of pronouns to be gender neutral. The situation here is different - the Fast Car cover hit #1 and is making a ton of money, and Luke Combs is a successful white guy singing a song about poverty and hard times that was written and performed by a black artist, while the I Will Survive cover was a small cover on YouTube by a queer person which got picked up as ragebait by shithole tabloids like the New York Post. But the principle behind the covers is the same: the original song still exists, the cover doesn't supplant or erase the original, and everyone is free to pick and choose which version of the song they prefer. The Fast Car cover is in everyone's face, granted, but that attention is going to die down and people are going to be able to make that choice for themselves.

The cover doesn't have to justify its own existence, because covers often don't. They're covers. They're tributes.

Now, whether it's a good song or not is up to the listener. I don't like the Luke Combs version, it was a fine novelty but I'm sick of hearing it on the radio. I can also understand the perspective of someone who sees the cover as putting on an act, appropriating a story from a black artist about poverty and hardship for fun and profit. But the Luke Combs version exists in a sea of covers, including a couple of trashy club covers I've heard on the radio and almost certainly hundreds of white, acoustic YouTube covers y'know. I never saw people who were pissy at those trashy club covers, and I fucking hate those.

So the question of whether it deserves to exist doesn't make sense to me, because a ton of covers are unnecessary and/or bad and people don't usually care. Covers don't have to be transformative, and they often aren't. Transformative covers can also be dogshit, ala Billy Idol's cover of the Velvet Underground's "Heroin". So for my money - I don't understand why people are arguing for the cover's right to exist, or insisting on innovation over faithfulness. The song will exist, and it will come and go, either way.

[sdrdxhound]

The Hammers of 3844 kHz vol 3

Amateur radio on 75 meters is infested with angry old boomer hams with far right ideology. Batshit crazy rumor mongering, misogyny, anti semitism, Q Anonist and MAGA talking points are all there. These hams on 3844 attract plenty of jammers, and the exchanges are documented here.

The American culture war is a hot one on 75 meters.

[peashooter85]

The Last Kamikaze

Born in 1947 Mitsuyasu Maeno was a down on his luck actor who just couldn't seem to score a big role. He had a troubled personal life, undergoing two marriages that ended in divorce and surviving a suicide attempt. Unable to make movie stardom, he settled into a career as a porn star, playing roles in 20 films. You might remember him from such films as Tokyo Emmanuelle (1975), a film most famous for the lead actress having sex with an entire soccer team.

Maeno was also a staunch right wing ultra-nationalist, who believed in the ideals of bushido, supported the overthrow of the Japanese constitution, and wanted a return to the authoritarian and nationalistic government of Japan that existed before World War II. One of his greatest heroes was Yukio Mishima, a Japanese writer who in 1970 attempted a coup by taking the commander of a military base hostage. He forced the commander to assemble the base personnel, who he intended to win to his cause with an impassioned and rousing speech. Rather than overwhelming support, Mishima was met with laughs and jeers. In one final act to inspire the soldiers to his cause he produced a dagger and committed ritual seppuku, the traditional suicide of the samurai where the person stabs himself in the abdomen and disembowels himself. This likewise failed to garner any support, and thus the coup ended in failure.

Another of Maeno's heroes was the politician Yoshio Kodama.

Kodama was a war criminal and yakuza gangster turned politician who often worked as a fixer for other right wing politicians and political groups. Of course, Kodama was super duper corrupt and it's no surprise when in 1976 he was caught bribing Japanese officials on behalf of the Lockheed corporation so that Lockheed could get some good deals on selling airplanes in Japan. Kodama was also perpetually under investigation for tax fraud.

Of course I say that Kodama's corruption was no surprise to many, but to Maeno the scandal was shocking and soul crushing. Maeno saw the scandal as a betrayal of Japanese honor and ideals, and vowed to rain divine wind on Kodama as revenge for his treason. Maeno was also an amateur pilot, who often used this skill in his many films. In fact in one film he even had sex with the actress Kumi Taguchi while simultaneously flying a plane, which I have to say ... that's a pretty impressive piloting skill! Over the span of a couple weeks he flew a plane over Kodama's house in order to recon the area.

On March 23rd, 1976 Maeno and two friends rented two planes at Chofu Airport in Tokyo. All three were dressed in World War II Japanese pilot uniforms. Airport officials were, of course, suspicious because of this but the three men claimed they were filming a World War II movie. Before taking off, Maeno posed for a photograph with his rented Piper Cherokee airplane while in full kamikaze regalia.

Maeno and his friends flew to Kodama's home, making a few passes before settling on a route of attack. Maeno began a dive while his friends in the other plane filmed the event. Maeno shouted over the radio "Long live the Emperor!" before crashing into the second story of Kodama's home.

Fortunately for Kodama, he survived the kamikaze attack as he was situated in the first floor of the house, the second floor having sustained the brunt of the damage. The Japanese government was never able to make any tax fraud charges stick and he was never punished for his role in the Lockheed scandal. He died of a stroke in 1984.

[entertainment]

Entertainment Spotlight: Neil Jackson, Stargirl

You may recognize actor, writer, and producer Neil Jackson from Absentia, and The CW’s new DC superhero series Stargirl. On the film side, Neil starred alongside Steve Carrell in Welcome To Marwan, as well as in Quantum of Solace, Nocturnal Animals, and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. An ex-amateur boxing champion, Neil worked as a personal trainer before becoming an actor. He is also an accomplished guitar player and song writer. His first album, The Little Things, was released in 2013. Neil took a few minutes to chat with us about Stargirl, his dog Rosco, and his upcoming projects. Check it out:

Is there a scene or moment from Stargirl that you’re most excited for fans to see?  

There are so many fun scenes in this show that I think people will love, but there's a standout moment in the first episode where all of the Justice Society of America (Starman, Flash, Green Lantern, HourMan, Wildcat etc.) face off in an epic battle against a team of their greatest enemies...including Solomon Grundy. He's a fully CG Hulk-type villain and is AMAZING!

What’s your favorite character arc or storyline on Absentia?

At the end of last season (spoiler alert), Jack professed his love for Alice, only to have her reject him. She then was killed after we discover that she was working with the enemy. As we start season three, Jack is not only mourning the loss of that love, and her death, but also mourning the person he thought he knew, and he's having to do all of this alone, as no-one knows about his affair. It's heartbreaking to see him struggle.

Can you tell us about the character that you play in The King’s Man?

I'm afraid I can't  say too much for fear of Matthew Vaughn putting out a hit on me, but I play a very pivotal character in the story. I just saw some of the edit and it looks amazing. The film has all the fun and heart of the first films, but with the dramatic weight of WWI and the horror of trench warfare.

Do you have any fun facts about the making of Stargirl that fans would be surprised to find out?

During lunch we would sometimes have karaoke. It was a fun bonding experience to eat your food while members of the crew sang their favorite tunes. Nelson Lee, who plays Dragon King, did a particularly memorable rendition of "Wind Beneath My Wings."

What did you do with your free time on set?

I hate being in my trailer, so I usually hang around on set and watch the other scenes. After almost 20-years in the business, I'm still fascinated by the process, so I love watching the machine at work.

Do you have any secret skills or talents?

I love cooking. Every Sunday I make a roast chicken with all the trimmings. It's a British tradition.

How did you prepare for your role in The King’s Man?

My role in the film is very physical and I was hired to be my own stunt-double so there was a lot of stunt training. There's an amazing hand-to-hand fight sequence that (for reasons I can't spoil) required us to stay in a crouched position throughout. That was so brutal on the knees. I would come home from work every morning (we shot at night) and have to put bags of frozen veggies on my knees to take the swelling down.

Can you tell us about a time you bombed (e.g. in an audition)?

I was auditioning for a lead role in the first Transformers movie. It was just me and the casting director in the room. The scene was during a battle and my character was a soldier who was evading attacks whilst calling for air support. The casting director was particularly dead-pan and, when she dryly called action I just went for it. I was rolling on the floor evading laser strikes from imaginary robots whilst screaming into an imaginary radio for an air strike. She would read the other lines in the blandest monotone, which just made the experience all the more absurd. After a couple of minutes of this I just started laughing. She, however, didn't find it amusing.

What’s the funniest photo that you have on your phone?

I mostly have photos of my dog, Rosco, on my phone right now. He's a beautiful Formosan Mountain Dog from Taiwan and just last week he graduated puppy class. He wore his mortar-board in celebration :)

What are you most excited about right now?

Directing my first feature film. I have two scripts of mine in active development, so whichever one gets traction first will be the one I will direct first. I am incredibly passionate about both stories and cannot wait to bring them to life.

Thanks, Neil! Catch Stargirl on Tuesdays at 8pm on The CW. 

[captainsdolly]

Andy Barber fucking you in a semi public place (hc)

18+ only!

I suck at titles lol 

Pairing: Andy Barber x reader

Warnings: Smut, Andy and reader hate each other (do they?), mean Andy, mean reader, kind of angry sex?

Requested by anon

Not proof read, sorry for any fuck ups

You and Andy have been working together for over a year now and let me tell you this: that man is a pain in the ass

You may be significantly younger than him but you're not stupid, you know what you're doing and you have this job because you've earned it

Law has always been your passion and this piece of fuck makes you want to quit and move to another country

Andy always knows best, he's always correcting you, even in front of your clients and it makes you look incompetent

Does he get off on making you feel like shit?

He's hot though, you'll give him that lol

So when you saw him approaching you this morning, you knew the day was going to suck

Turns out you're going to be working on a case together, yay! 

"Listen, I don't like this either, I have one kid at home and now they're telling me I have to babysit another one", he scoffed and you were taken aback

You almost bitch slapped him right then and there

So now here you are, driving in a car with him, obviously he's the driver because he wouldn't let you drive his car, it's so precious to him, seriously choke on your own dick man

His eyes are on the road and his jaw is clenched tight because you're turning up the volume on the radio, singing some stupid song and he just wants to stop the car and make you walk the rest of the way

But you have an hour and a half to get to the meeting so he sucks it up and does his best to ignore you

"Can you turn it down a bit?", he gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel

"Can you not talk to me?", you didn't even spare him a glance, humming to the song and reading through the indictment

You almost have it memorized at this point, you don't want to give him another chance to make you look like a fool in front of the client

And to be completely fair you're really good at what you do, so it kinda looks like he's always looking for an excuse to be a dick to you

He turns down the volume and you turn it up again, he glares at you and just turns the radio off

"Is that why you can never focus when we're meeting our clients? Your head is filled with song lyrics instead of stuff that actually matter?"

"It's filled with both, maybe my brain is bigger than yours"

Your eyes don't leave the paper even though you just want to punch him in the face, his eyes look over your body briefly and he squints at you

"Well, maybe I don't need to distract myself with music to-"

"Fuck off", you say calmly and he huffs out a laugh

"Very mature"

Twenty minutes pass by, and you can't seem to focus on the paper, you sigh and glance at Andy

You freeze when you catch him just staring at your legs and the tips of his ears turn red as soon as he realizes you're looking at him

He clears his throat and looks away and you chuckle because girl did you see how he licked his lips while he was staring at you?

"You hungry?" He breaks the awkward silence and pulls into a parking lot in front of a nice looking diner before you even have the chance to answer

"Technically, we're on the clock, we can't-"

"It's almost lunchtime", he glances at his watch and gets out of the car, before opening the door for you

He's walking so fast you're having trouble catching up with him but then he just stands in front of the diner and peeks through the glass door

You stop behind him, looking over his shoulder

"If you want to eat, I'd recommend getting inside"

He turns to you with a scowl, his brows furrowed as he looks around the empty parking lot

"It's closed"

"Oh no. Are you going to cry?" you give him a fake pout and you can see his nostrils flaring. "I wanna get back to my notes, can we go?"

"You know, your notes ain't worth shit, honey. How do you think you look when we're having a meeting and you just scribble something down in your cute little notebook? Like an amateur. You're not in college anymore. You should be thankful I've decided to take you under my wing because where would you be now, without me, huh?"

"Probably working with someone better than you", you gave yourself a mental high five when you saw his hands balling into fists, his eyes dark and he looks about ready to pounce on you

"Take it back", he growls out and you just laugh in his face, ready to go back to the car

You turn on your heel and the next thing you know, you're being pushed against the wall and his lips are on yours, his arms caging you in

Your mind goes blank and your hands automatically wrap around his torso, but he pulls away before you have the chance to relax into the kiss

"What are you doing?"

He stares at you for a second, swallowing thickly as he's trying to think of a way out

Does he want a way out of this?

Nope

"I'm... what does it look like? I'm kissing you", his rough voice doesn't match his eyes, they're scanning your face intently, looking for any sign of hesitation

You just look at each other for a minute, your breaths heavy, eyes dark and you're so close to each other your noses are touching

Your fingers twist into the soft material of his shirt and you're pulling him down, the kiss is rough and passionate and it almost makes your knees buckle

His hand slides down and next thing you know, he's tearing your panties into shreds and you gasp into his mouth

At this point, he's basically fucking your mouth with his tongue, his fingers dancing around your folds, circling your little nub

You break the kiss and hurriedly undo his belt but he stops you, looks around, and grips your wrist, dragging you to the back of the building where no one can see you

As soon as your back hits the wall he's on his knees before you, one of his hands grasping your thigh while the other slides up your stomach and under your shirt

"Get up, we don't have time for foreplay," you push his hand away and he looks up landing a harsh slap on your thigh

"Do you have to be so annoying even now?" he huffs, quickly standing up and hiking your skirt up, his other hand fumbling with his belt as you pull him down for a kiss

"I really don't like you," you breathe and he almost laughs at that, his hard, leaking cock already at your entrance

"I really don't give a fuck," he says through clenched teeth, right as his hips snap forward, his hand grasping your thigh and hooking your leg around his waist

"Shit, Andy," you moan out, hiding your face in his neck as he pounds into you, every harsh thrust punctuated by a groan

"That’s mister Barber to you," he says lowly, and you pull away narrowing your eyes at him, your fingers grasping his shoulders

"How about mister dickhead?" you pant out in between his thrusts and he laughs breathily, his other hand grasping your other thigh and he picks you up, slamming you hard against the wall

"Jesus Christ, I'm trying to fuck, can you cooperate just this once?"

Your hips and back are being repeatedly slammed against the wall and your head falls forward, against his shoulder,  as you're getting closer and closer to your peak

You can feel his cock pulsating inside you and you whine, it feels like he's fucking swelling and the head of his cock is poking your cervix

His eyes are squeezed shut as his thrusts gain in speed, his jaw hanging open

"Yeah, fucking take it. That what you wanted, huh? You just needed to get laid?" his voice is barely audible, "I fucking knew it"

His words bring you closer to orgasm and you let out a shaky moan, your walls tightening around him and your body tense

The first wave of your orgasm hits you so suddenly your eyes snap open and you cry out, your cunt throbbing

"There it is. Little miss perfect cumming around her superior’s cock in an empty parking lot. If I had known you were so eager, I'd have fucked that tight, needy pussy of yours long ago," he husked, fucking into you frantically, his hips stuttering

Your body was limp in his arms, your pussy still pulsating around his cock, at this point it was so sensitive, every thrust of his hips made you whine and cry out into his neck

Hooking his arms around your shoulders, his body lunged forward as he felt himself getting closer, his cock nearly tearing you in half and his balls slapping against your ass

"Holy shit, fuck... Can I cum in you? Let me cum in that pussy, wanna see it leaking out of you," he groaned, his breaths getting heavy

"No, you're not wearing a condom, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

He set you back to your feet with a growl, and next thing you know, your back is against his chest and he's hiking your skirt up, exposing your bare ass

He reaches for your hand and wraps it around his cock, using it to jerk himself, his other hand pressing on your shoulder blade, making you arch your back

"Gonna fucking shoot my load, gonna fucking cum on your ass," he grunts, his hand squeezing yours around his cock, fucking into it

Your legs almost give out as his hand squeezes your shoulder to keep you still, his hot cum shooting right on your bare ass, sliding between your ass cheeks and probably on your pussy

"Oh my fucking god," you moan, letting go of his cock and bracing both of your hands against the wall, your ass pushing back against his cock

He steps back finally, tucking himself back into his pants, and looks at you for a second, a proud smirk on his lips

"I should take a picture of you"

"Don't you dare," you straighten up, smoothing out your skirt, avoiding Andy's eyes

He notices it, of course he notices it, that fucker

He walks up to you, taking his handkerchief out of his breast pocket and offers it to you, his shoulders visibly relaxed

"This stays between us," you say as you get back into the car, clean and satisfied but also what the hell, you just got fucked by Andy Barber

He nods and turns the radio on, smiling when he hears you humming along

He’s thrumming his fingers on the steering wheel, biting the inside of his cheek and you know he's thinking about something

"What?" You ask

"You free this Saturday?"

My long ass taglist: @donutloverxo​

[punk-zionist-vibes]

You can't be pro-state/nationalist/Zionist and punk that's an oxymoron 😐

Rebellion isn't always psychologically through anger

As someone who is being Punk for quite a while and pursues it I can tell you that Rebellion can be done in a lot of ways which systematically criticized a system or goes as far to just break complete expectations of what people demand of you

People are in very different levels and paces of being Punk same as how a lot of forms of genres work

I very much enjoy the enthusiasm of your energy though

And if I don't seem punk or don't show it off often I'm just not very open about it even if I'm a very vocal person I can also be quiet about my life as well surprise

punk is about criticizing the government and the big cats, or just being skeptical of society in general, that can manifest in all types of ways. Its not just fashion and music, or "acab"

oh different levels and paces doesn't always mean the extreme of anti-government Think of it like being political not everyone who is political is lib left or auth right corners Same as how a lot of punk people can rebel in other forms or just break expectations and as a bottom line you can also be anti-government there's more to punk than just wearing black and saying I hate the president

Punk, as a subculture, was a rebellion against the social conditions of the 1970s through its openly confrontational and aggressive style and aesthetics. The vulgarity of punk clothing and obscene artwork was a purposeful attempt to shock and offend mainstream culture and figures of authority.

Punk can be fighting for change. Punk can be rebelling expectations. Punk can be the genre of the music and style, all that combines to different spectrums of how you participate in the culture.

Punk ideologies are a group of varied social and political beliefs associated with the punk subculture and punk rock. It is primarily concerned with concepts such as mutual aid,[1] against selling out,[2] egalitarianism, humanitarianism, anti-authoritarianism,[3] anti-consumerism,[3] anti-corporatism, anti-war, decolonization, anti-conservatism, anti-globalization, anti-gentrification, anti-racism, anti-sexism, gender equality, racial equality, health rights, civil rights, animal rights, disability rights,[4] free-thought and non-conformity. One of its main tenets is a rejection of mainstream, corporate mass culture and its values. It continues to evolve its ideology as the movement spreads throughout North America from its origins in England and New York and embraces a range of anti-racist and anti-sexist belief systems. Punk ideologies are often leftist or anti-capitalist and go against authoritarian and right-wing Christian ideologies.

Punk ideologies are usually expressed through punk rock music and lyrics, punk literature such as amateur fanzines, spoken word performances or recordings, punk fashion, or punk visual art. Some punks have participated in direct action, such as protest or demonstration disruption, political violence, ecotage, street barricades, squatting, pirate radio, off-grid energy, graffiti, vandalism and public and business property destruction, and indirect action through counter-propaganda, protests or boycotts. They support and squat in urban and rural collective houses, with group funds held in common. Punk fashion was originally an expression of nonconformity, as well as opposition to both mainstream culture and the status quo. Punk fashion often displays aggression, rebellion, and individualism. Some punks wear accessories, clothing or have tattoos that express sociopolitical messages. They stage Punk Rock Food Drives, such as D.O.A's Unity for Freedom. Punk visual art also often includes political messages. Many punks wear secondhand clothing, partly as an anti-consumerist statement.

^^^^^ Note how there are MANY categories that make up what is being Punk and not EVERYONE falls under every tiny category while not holding directly oppressive views that counter being punk.

not allowing antisemites to stop us from returning to our indigineous homeland has been one of the most rebellious acts of these 3,000 years we've ever fought and will continue to. it's anti racism, and proving expectations on us wrong. it's so many things, from the amount of online spending I've had for the clothes and bands I've listened to, it's the thought of being under the radar of the system and fighting for constant change that counts.

I'm not a sheep that follows the mainstream news of all the demonizing bullshit against Israel I hear. beyond research I question and call out authority that pits itself against us and rebel its tedious ways to shock others and make a statement.

there are so many ways to identify as punk. your experience and/or expectation does not define me, and the identification to being Punk is NOT a competition.

Wooorrrd.

(may I mention that zionism is not a politically authoritarian movement? Israel as people of ALL political parties and spectrums in it, some may seem a bit more dominated in a certain spectrum than others but once again we're majorly progressive and fight double standards, so that says a lot on us rebelling oppressive systems, which is part of being punk.)

albeit being honest? we need regions to have fast and effecient ways to communicate to others the places we go to, and to name those gives association to those places so people know EXACTLY what you're talking about rather than describing every TINY detail on the area because that takes too long.

eventually certain people settle down in certain areas, have stuff in their region others don't in theirs, trade starts. places develop culture, history, peoples, and events that occur within it and then so.

we're all human, we're just allowed to be proud of where we come from while also acknowledging what's wrong to keep mending it where necessary.

society is inevitable, the best we can do is rebel whatever in it keeps us from being free.

[archive-archives]

Coming in April!

NEW 2020 1080p HD masters                                                                               JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS IN OUTER SPACE

Run Time             352:00

Subtitles               English SDH

Audio Specs        DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO - English

Aspect Ratio       1.33:1 4x3 FULL FRAME

Product Color    COLOR

Disc Configuration 2 BD 50

 Rock stars Josie and the Pussycats are out of this world...literally! When the bumbling Alexandra accidentally launches Josie and the gang into outer space, they travel through the galaxy searching for a path back to Earth. Along the way, they meet cat people, robot monsters, evil dictators, space pirates and plenty of strange creatures, including their new companion Bleep, voiced by Hanna-Barbera legend Don Messick. Fortunately, everyone’s a fan of Josie and the Pussycats, including aliens! Rocket through the universe with your favorite superstars as they save the day, sing some songs and have a hip-happenin’ good time in a 2-disc, 16-episode Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space complete series collection that hits all the right notes!

                                                                                                                                NEW 2021 1080p HD Master Sourced from 4K scan of preservation film elements!       

GREEN DOLPHIN STREET

Run Time             141:00

Subtitles               English SDH

Audio Specs:       DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO - English

Aspect Ratio:      1.37:1 4x3 FULL FRAME

Product Color    BLACK & WHITE

Disc Configuration           BD 50

Special Features: Lux Radio Theater Broadcast;  Theatrical Trailer (HD)    

                                                                        The Academy Award® winner about star-crossed love that spans the years – and the globe. After her triumph as the lunchroom temptress in the crime classic The Postman Always Rings Twice, Lana Turner expanded her range with Green Dolphin Street. Set in 19th century Europe and New Zealand, this sweeping romance tells the story of two beautiful sisters, one headstrong (Turner) and one gentle (Donna Reed), and of the man (Richard Hart) who marries one even though he loves the other. The film’s riptides of emotion are matched by breathtaking physical tumult: a fierce Maori uprising plus a catastrophic earthquake and tidal wave that earned the film a 1947 Oscar® for special effects. With its dramatic story and spectacular visuals, Green Dolphin Street drew huge audiences for epic moviemaking, being one of the top-ten box office hits of the year.

 NEW 2021 1080p HD Master Sourced from 4K scan of Nitrate preservation elements!               

BROADWAY MELODY OF 1940    

Run Time             102:00

Subtitles               English SDH

Audio Specs:       DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO - English

Aspect Ratio:      1.37:1 4x3 FULL FRAME

Product Color    BLACK & WHITE

Disc Configuration           BD 50

Special Features: Making-of Featurette: "Begin the Beguine" (hosted by Ann Miller); "Our Gang Comedies: The Big Premiere"; MGM Cartoon: "The Milky Way" ; Original Theatrical Trailer (HD)

 The job – a career breakthrough – is supposed to go to hoofer Johnny Brett, but a mix-up in names gives it to his partner. Another example of Broadway hopes dashed? Not when Johnny is played by Fred Astaire. Sparkling Cole Porter songs, clever comedy and dance legends Astaire and Eleanor Powell make the final Broadway Melody (co-starring George Murphy) a film to remember. Powell’s nautical “All Ashore" routine (a/k/a I Am the Captain”), Astaire’s blissful “I’ve Got My Eyes on You” and Fred & Eleanor's elaborate routine to Cole Porter's classic "I Concentrate On You" are more than enough to please any fan. But they’re just a warm-up for the leads to tap one finale number into immortality: “Begin the Beguine,” introduced by Frank Sinatra in That’s Entertainment! with, “You can wait around and hope, but you’ll never see the likes of this again.”                                                                                     

 NEW 2021 1080p HD Master Sourced from a new 4K restoration of the last-known surviving nitrate Technicolor print!

DOCTOR X (1932)            

Run Time             76:00

Subtitles               English SDH

Audio Specs:       DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO - English

Aspect Ratio:      1.37:1 4x3 FULL FRAME

Product Color      COLOR; BLACK & WHITE

Disc Configuration           BD 50

Special Features: Alternate B&W version of feature; DOCTOR X (HD): UCLA Before & After Restoration featurette (HD); New documentary: "Monsters and Mayhem: The Horror Films of Michael Curtiz (HD); New feature commentary by author/film historian Alan K. Rode; Archival feature commentary by Scott MacQueen, head of preservation, UCLA Film and Television Archive. Original B&W Theatrical Trailer (HD)             

 Is there a (mad) doctor in the house? “Yes!” shrieks Doctor X, filmed in rare two-strip Technicolor®. An eminent scientist aims to solve a murder spree by re-creating the crimes in a lab filled with all the dials, gizmos, bubbling beakers and crackling electrostatic charges essential to the genre. Lionel Atwill is Doctor Xavier, pre-King Kong scream queen Fay Wray is a distressed damsel and Lee Tracy snaps newshound patter, all under the direction of renowned Michael Curtiz. The new two-color Technicolor master was restored by UCLA Film and Television Archive and The Film Foundation in association with Warner Bros. Entertainment. Funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Foundation. Also includes the separately filmed B&W version (which has been restored and restored from its original nitrate camera negative) originally intended for small U.S. markets and International distribution, and which has been out of distribution for over 30 years.

 NEW 2021 1080p HD Master Sourced from 4K scan of original nitrate Technicolor negatives!       

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1950)

Run Time             107:00

Subtitles               English SDH

Sound Quality    DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English

Aspect Ratio       1.37:1 4x3 FULL FRAME

Product Color    COLOR

Disc Configuration           BD 50

Special Features: Susan Lucci retrospective & intro piece (from 2000 DVD release); Outtakes: Let’s Go West Again-Betty Hutton, Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly-Judy Garland, I’m an Indian, Too-Judy Garland,  Colonel Buffalo Bill with Howard Keel and Frank Morgan; Stereo audio pre-recording session tracks including There’s No Business Like Show Business featuring Judy Garland; Theatrical Re-issue Trailer (HD)

 Betty Hutton (as Annie Oakley) and Howard Keel (as Frank Butler) star in this sharpshootin’ funfest based on the 1,147-performance Broadway smash boasting Irving Berlin’s beloved score, including “Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly,” “I Got the Sun in the Morning” and the anthemic “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” As produced by Arthur Freed, directed by George Sidney, and seen and heard in this new remastered HD presentation, this lavish, spirited production showcases songs and performances with bull’s-eye precision, earning an Oscar®* for adaptation scoring. The story is a brawling boy-meets-girl-meets-buckshot rivalry. But love finally triumphs when Annie proves that, yes, you can get a man with a gun!                                                                    

 NEW 2021 1080p HD Master!                                                                                 QUICK CHANGE (1990)

Run Time             88:00

Subtitles               English SDH

Sound Quality    DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English

Aspect Ratio       1.85:1, 16 X 9 WIDESCREEN

Product Color    COLOR

Disc Configuration           BD 25

Special Feature: Theatrical Trailer

 The star of Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day headlines and codirects this uproarious Big Apple heist-and-pursuit caper. Bill Murray plays Grimm, a frazzled urbanite who disguises himself as a clown – and sets out to rob a bank. Geena Davis and Randy Quaid play accomplices in Grimm’s daring scheme and Jason Robards is the blustery cop caught up in Grimm’s “Clown Day Afternoon.” Swiping a million bucks is a snap compared to getting out of town. Grimm and cohorts commandeer a car, a cab, a bus, a baggage tram and a plane (and encounter future stars Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub in hilarious supporting roles) to make what becomes a less-than-merry escape. But for comedy lovers, Quick Change is a ticket to ride!                                                                                                 

 NEW 2021 1080p HD Master Sourced from 4K scan of best surviving nitrate preservation elements!            EACH DAWN I DIE (1939)

Run Time             92:00

Subtitles               English SDH

Audio Specs:       DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO - English

Aspect Ratio:      1.37:1 4x3 FULL FRAME

Product Color    BLACK & WHITE

Disc Configuration           BD 50    

Special Features: Warner Night at the Movies including 1939 Short Subjects Gallery: Vintage Newsreel,  WB Technicolor Short: "A Day at Santa Anita", WB Cartoon: "Detouring America"; Restrospective featurette: "Stool Pigeons and Pine Overcoats: The Language of Gangster Films" ; Feature Commentary by Film Historian Haden Guest; Breakdowns of 1939: Studio Blooper Reel; WB Cartoon: "Each Dawn I Crow"; Radio show w/George Raft & Franchot Tone; Trailer for "Wings of the Navy" and Original Theatrical Trailer for Each Dawn I Die (HD)  

 Framed for manslaughter after he breaks a story about city corruption, reporter Frank Ross is sure he’ll prove his innocence and walk out of prison a free man. But that’s not how the system works at Rocky Point Penitentiary. There, cellblock guards are vicious, the jute-mill labor is endless, and the powers Ross fought on the outside conspire to keep him in. Frank’s hope is turned to hopelessness. And he’s starting to crack. Two of the screen’s famed tough guys star in this prison movie that casts a reform-minded eye on the brutalizing effects of life in the slammer. James Cagney “hits a white-hot peak as [Ross,] the embittered, stir-crazy fall guy” (Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide). And George Raft (Cagney’s friend since their vaudeville days) portrays racketeer Hood Stacey, who may hold the key to springing Ross.                               

 NEW 2021 1080p HD Master Sourced from 4K scan of best surviving preservation elements!                 

ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939)

Run Time             102:00

Subtitles               English SDH

Audio Specs:       DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO - English

Aspect Ratio:      1.37:1 4x3 FULL FRAME

Product Color    BLACK & WHITE

Disc Configuration           BD 50    

Special Features: M-G-M Musical Short: Love on Tap; Classic M-G-M Cartoon: The Bookworm

 Dum-Dum, Wacky, Creeps, Fingers: They’re just a few of the hoodlums in the world of amateur sleuths and professional bon vivants Nick and Nora Charles. And now there’s a new hood: parenthood. A birthday – make that boithday – party that some of da boys hold for infant Nick Jr. is part of the fun in this third film in the witty series. The case begins when the Charles family arrives for a weekend with a Long Island industrialist who fears someone wants to kill him. Sure enough, his fears come true. Nick (William Powell) is among the suspects. Asta scrams with what may be the murder weapon. And Nora (Myrna Loy) has her own ideas about the case and sneaks off to a nightclub to ferret out a clue. “Madam, how long have you been leading this double life?” Nick asks. “Just since we’ve been married,” she replies.

[greatworldwar2]

• Witlod Pilecki

Witold Pilecki was a Polish cavalry officer, intelligence agent, and resistance leader who volunteered to be embedded in Auschwitz, among other exploits. Pilecki was also a co-founder of the Secret Polish Army resistance group and later a member of the Home Army. Pilecki was a Catholic and a Polish patriot who viewed his struggle as a moral and patriotic duty.

Witold Pilecki was born on May 13th, 1901 in the town of Olonets, Karelia, in the Russian Empire. He was a descendant of an aristocratic family (szlachta) originally from the Grodno region. His grandfather, Józef Pilecki h. Leliwa, was a member of the Polish landed gentry and a dedicated Polish nationalist. Józef Pilecki had been a supporter of the secessionist January Uprising of 1863–1864. Following the brutal defeat of the uprising by Russian forces, Józef Pilecki, like most Polish nobles who supported the rebellion, had his title revoked and estate and other properties were confiscated by the Russian government. After his release he and his family were forcibly resettled by Tsarist authorities to the remote territory of Karelia. Witold's father, Julian Pilecki, worked for the Russian civil service and eventually settled in the town of Olonets in Karelia where he married Ludwika Pilecki. Witold Pilecki was the fourth of the couple's five children. In 1910, Ludwika and the children left Karelia and relocated to the Northwestern Krai. After being joined by their father, the family settled in Wilno (now: Vilnius, Lithuania), where Pilecki completed primary school and became a member of the secret ZHP Scouts organization. During the First World War, Wilno was occupied by the German Army in September 1915 and was incorporated into Ober Ost, the German military administration. Pilecki and his family fled to Mogilev, Byelorussia. In 1916, Pilecki moved to the Russian city of Oryol, where he attended gymnasium and founded a local chapter of the ZHP group.

In 1918, following the outbreak of the Russian Revolution and the defeat of the Central Powers in World War I, Pilecki returned to Wilno (now part of the newly independent Polish Second Republic) and joined a ZHP Scout section of the Lithuanian and Belarusian Self-Defense Militia, a paramilitary formation aligned with the White movement. The militia disarmed the retreating German troops and took up positions to defend the city from a looming attack by the Soviet Red Army. However, Wilno fell to Bolshevik forces on January 5th, 1919, and Pilecki and his unit resorted to partisan warfare behind Soviet lines. He and his comrades then retreated to Białystok where Pilecki enlisted as a szeregowy (private) in Poland's newly established volunteer army. He took part in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–1921. He fought in the Kiev Offensive (1920) and as part of a cavalry unit defending the city of Grodno. On August 5th, 1920, Pilecki joined the 211th Uhlan Regiment and fought in the crucial Battle of Warsaw and in the Rudniki Forest. Following the conclusion of Polish-Soviet War in March 1921 Pilecki was transferred to the army reserves. He was promoted to the rank of plutonowy (corporal) and was designated as a non-commissioned officer. He went on to complete his secondary education (matura) later that same year. In 1922, Pilecki briefly attended the University of Poznań where he studied agriculture. He soon returned to Wilno and enrolled with the Faculty of Fine Arts at Stefan Batory University. Pilecki was forced to abandon his studies in 1924 due to both financial issues and the declining health of his father. He remained active in the military as a member of the army reserves and served as a military instructor in Nowe Święcice. Pilecki later underwent officer-training at the Cavalry Reserve Officers' Training School in Grudziądz. In September 1926, Pilecki became the owner of his family's ancestral estate, Sukurcze, in the Lida district of the Nowogródek Voivodeship. Pilecki rebuilt and modernized the property's manor house, which had been destroyed during World War I. On April 7th,1931, he married Maria Pilecka, a local school teacher originally from Kupa.

Pilecki developed a reputation as a community leader, a prominent social worker and amateur painter. He was also a vigorous advocate of rural development, founding an agricultural cooperative, heading the local fire brigade and also serving as chairman of a local milk-processing plant built in the district. In 1932, Pilecki established a cavalry training school in Lida. Shortly afterward he was appointed commander of the newly-established 1st Lidsky Squadron, a position he would hold until 1937, when this unit was absorbed into the Polish 19th Infantry Division. In 1938, Pilecki received the Silver Cross of Merit for his community activism. Pilecki was mobilized as a cavalry platoon commander in August 1939. He was assigned to the 19th Infantry Division under General Józef Kwaciszewski, part of the Polish Army Prusy, and his unit took part in heavy fighting against the advancing Germans during the invasion of Poland. The platoon was almost completely destroyed following a clash with the German forces on 10 September, and it withdrew to the southeast toward Lwów. It was incorporated into the 41st Infantry Division, in which Pilecki served as divisional second in command. He and his men destroyed seven German tanks, shot down one aircraft, and destroyed two more on the ground. After the fall of Warsaw on 27 September 1939, Pilecki and many of his men continued fighting as partisans. His division was disbanded on October 17th, with parts of it surrendering to the enemy.

Pilecki went into hiding in Warsaw with his commander Major Włodarkiewicz. On November 9th, 1939, the two men founded the Secret Polish Army (Tajna Armia Polska, TAP), one of the first underground organizations in Poland. Włodarkiewicz became its leader, while Pilecki became organizational commander of TAP as it expanded to cover Warsaw, Siedlce, Radom, Lublin, and other major cities in central Poland. While Pilecki wanted to avert a religious mission so as not to alienate potential allies, Włodarkiewicz blamed Poland's defeat on its failure to create a Catholic nation; he wanted to remake the country by appealing to right-wing groups. In the spring of 1940, Pilecki saw that Włodarkiewicz was "flirting with anti-Semitic views". To stop him, Pilecki went to Colonel Stefan Rowecki, the chief of TAP's rival resistance group, the Union of Armed Struggle (ZWZ), which called for equal rights for Jews and was focused on intelligence gathering of German atrocities and delivering it by courier missions to the Western Allies in an attempt to gain their involvement. The ZWZ had alerted the Polish Government in exile that the Germans were inciting Polish racial hatred as a diversion from their own crimes, and that a Polish Quisling could emerge as a result. In August, Włodarkiewicz announced at a TAP meeting that after all they would join the mainstream underground with Rowecki and that Pilecki had been nominated to go to Auschwitz. Włodarkiewicz said it was not an order but an invitation to volunteer, but Pilecki saw it as a punishment for refusing to back his ideology but nevertheless took up the challenge.

In 1940, Pilecki presented a plan to his superiors to enter Germany's Auschwitz concentration camp at Oświęcim to gather intelligence on the camp from the inside and organize inmate resistance. Little was known about how the Germans ran the camp, and it was thought to be an internment camp or large prison rather than a death camp. His superiors approved the plan and provided him with a false identity card. He went out during a Warsaw street roundup on September 19th, 1940 and was caught by the Germans along with 2,000 civilians. He was detained for two days in the Light Horse Guards Barracks, where prisoners suffered beatings with rubber truncheons, then sent to Auschwitz where he was assigned inmate number 4859. Pilecki organized the underground Union of Military Organizations (ZOW) at Auschwitz while working in various kommandos and surviving pneumonia. Many smaller underground organizations at Auschwitz eventually merged with ZOW. ZOW's tasks were to improve inmate morale, provide news from outside, distribute extra food and clothing to members, set up intelligence networks, and train detachments to take over the camp in the event of a relief attack by the Home Army, arms airdrops, or an airborne landing by the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade based in Britain. ZOW provided the Polish underground with invaluable information about the camp; they sent reports to Warsaw from October 1940, and the reports were forwarded via the Polish resistance to the British government in London beginning in March 1941. In 1942, Pilecki's resistance movement was also broadcasting details on the number of arrivals and deaths in the camp and the inmates' conditions using a radio transmitter that was built by camp inmates. The secret radio station was built over seven months using smuggled parts. The radio was dismantled by Pilecki's men after concerns that the Germans might discover its location because of "one of our fellows' big mouth". These reports were a principal source of intelligence on Auschwitz for the Western Allies. Pilecki hoped that either the Allies would drop arms or troops into the camp, or that the Home Army would organize an assault on it from outside.

Meanwhile, the Camp Gestapo under SS-Untersturmfuhrer Maximilian Grabner redoubled its efforts to ferret out ZOW members, killing many of them. Pilecki decided to break out of the camp with the hope of convincing Home Army leaders personally that a rescue attempt was a valid option. Pilecki was assigned to a night shift at a camp bakery outside the fence, and he and two comrades overpowered a guard, cut the phone line, and escaped on the night of April 27th, 1943, taking with them documents stolen from the Germans. The men fled on foot to the village of Alwernia where they were helped by a priest, and then on to Tyniec where locals assisted them. After that, they reached the Polish resistance safe house near Bochnia. At one point during the journey, German soldiers attempted to stop Pilecki, firing at him as he fled; several bullets passed through his clothing, while one struck him without hitting either bones or vital organs. After several days as a fugitive, Pilecki made contact with units of the Home Army. On August 25th, 1943, Pilecki reached Warsaw and was attached to Section II (intelligence and counter-intelligence) of the Home Army's regional headquarters. After losing several operatives reconnoitering the vicinity of Auschwitz, it was decided that the Home Army lacked sufficient strength to liberate the camp without Allied help. Pilecki's detailed report estimated that "By March 1943 the number of people gassed on arrival reached 1.5 million", which was remarkably accurate considering post-war estimates suggest 1.1 million people died in Auschwitz during the war. On November 11th, 1943, Pilecki was promoted to Rotmistrz (cavalry captain) and joined a secret anti-communist organization, NIE (both the Polish word for "no" and short for niepodległość "independence"), formed as a clandestine unit within the Home Army with the goal of preparing resistance against a possible Soviet occupation. The Soviet Red Army, despite being within attacking distance of the camp, showed no interest in a joint effort with the Home Army and the ZOW to free it. Until he became involved in the Warsaw Uprising, Pilecki remained in charge of coordinating ZOW and AK activities and provided what limited support he was able to offer to ZOW.

When the Warsaw Uprising broke out on August 1st, 1944, Pilecki volunteered for service with Kedyw's Chrobry II Battalion. At first, Pilecki served as a common soldier in the northern city center, without revealing his actual rank to his superiors. Later, after many officers were killed in the fierce fighting that occurred during the early days of the uprising, Pilecki disclosed his true identity to his superiors and accepted command of the 1st "Warszawianka" Company located in Śródmieście in downtown Warsaw. After the capitulation of the uprising, Pilecki hid a cache of weapons in a private apartment and surrendered to the Wehrmacht on October 5th, 1944. He was sent to Germany and imprisoned at Stalag VIII-B, a prisoner-of-war camp near Lamsdorf, Silesia. He was later transferred to Oflag VII-A in Murnau, Bavaria where he was eventually liberated by troops of the US 12th Armored Division on April 28th, 1945. In July 1945, Pilecki left Murnau and was reassigned to the military intelligence division of the Polish II Corps under General Władysław Anders in Ancona, Italy. While stationed there, Pilecki began writing a monograph on his experiences at Auschwitz.

In October 1945, as relations between the Polish government-in-exile and the Soviet-backed regime of Boleslaw Bierut deteriorated, Pilecki was ordered by General Anders and his intelligence chief, Lt. Colonel Stanislaw Kijak, to return to Poland and report on the prevailing military and political situation under Soviet-occupation. Pilecki arrived in Warsaw in December 1945 and proceeded to begin organizing an intelligence gathering network, which included several wartime associates from Auschwitz and the Secret Polish Army (TAP). To maintain his cover identity, Pilecki lived under various assumed names and changed jobs frequently. He would work as a jewelry salesman, a bottle label painter and as night manager of a construction warehouse. Nevertheless, Pilecki was informed in July 1946 that his actual identity had been uncovered by the MBP. He was ordered to leave the country, but he refused to do so. Pilecki was arrested by agents of the Ministry of Public Security in May 1947, and he was repeatedly tortured before going to trial. A fellow accused saw him with two collarbones broken and his hands hanging limply by his sides. A show trial took place on March 3rd, 1948, and testimony against Pilecki was presented by future Polish prime minister Józef Cyrankiewicz, himself an Auschwitz survivor. Pilecki was charged with illegal border crossing, use of forged documents, not enlisting with the military, carrying illegal arms, espionage for General Władysław Anders, espionage for "foreign imperialism" (government-in-exile), and planning to assassinate several officials of the Ministry of Public Security of Poland. Pilecki denied the assassination charges, as well as espionage, although he admitted to passing information to the 2nd Polish Corps, of which he considered himself an officer and thus claimed that he was not breaking any laws. He was sentenced to death on May 15th, with three of his comrades, and he was executed with a shot to the back of the head at the Mokotów Prison in Warsaw on May 25th, 1948. Pilecki was 47 when died. Pilecki's place of burial has never been found but is thought to be somewhere within Warsaw's Powązki Cemetery. In 2012, Powązki Cemetery was partially excavated in an effort to find his remains.

[wearejapanese]

hi do you guys know any Japanese politics podcast/YouTube channels/ websites in English? trying to be more informed but I really don't have the language skills to be interacting with such heavy material in Japanese

Unfortunately, hardly any good English language content about Japanese politics is circulated in non-newspaper formats because much of it is filtered through non-Japanese journalists (through websites like the Japan Times or NHK’s International division) who may not always have the best grasp on what is actually happening in Japan (This is why you’ll often notice that many expats in Japan report very different assessments than their Japanese counterparts. They literally get different news).

I’d say your best bet is probably to read the English versions of the following papers: the Nikkei Asian Review , Asahi Shimbun, and The Mainichi .  Pay close attention to who is writing about what and when non-Japanese correspondents are used v. Japanese correspondents. The labor pool for bilingual journalists in Japan is quite small, so, unfortunately, there’s tremendous variation in the quality of English language correspondents in Japan. Here’s the breakdown:

Nikkei is basically the Economist. They have excellent journalists, but focus mostly politics when relevant to the economy. (They have a paywall)

Asahi is left-wing and prone to sloppy reporting (rather like Vox and Vice in the US).

Mainichi focuses on domestic issues and is also not as diligent as Nikkei. 

Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s center-right newspaper with the largest circulation (both in Japan and worldwide) is behind The Japan Times, propagating the whole “News for Outsiders v. News for Japanese people” dissonance I was talking about earlier.

Finally, though they focus on international affairs, NHK International‘s online radio program covers domestic issues. NHK World-Japan does a livestream of domestic news that is subtitled by AI in six langauges (Chinese, French, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese), plus English.

In terms of foreign newspapers, Al-Jazeera does great reporting on Japanese politics. I have a pretty low opinion of most American and British news sources when it comes to Japanese politics. They tend to re-confirm stereotypes people in both of those countries have about Japan. Most of these stereotypes are harmless, but it’s mediocre reporting.

Honorable mention:

I know the youtube channel Asian Boss is popular for their handling of Japanese political issues, and while I appreciate their easy accessibility and attempts to engage with younger audiences, I personally think their reporters pull their punches when covering Japan. To their credit, they are clear that they are an amateur news network, but it really shows.

- Saitō

[newstfionline]

Monday, January 18, 2021

Post Trump, Republicans Are Headed for a Bitter Internal Showdown (NYT) As President Trump prepares to leave office with his party in disarray, Republican leaders including Senator Mitch McConnell are maneuvering to thwart his grip on the G.O.P. in future elections, while forces aligned with Mr. Trump are looking to punish Republican lawmakers and governors who have broken with him. The friction is already escalating in several key swing states. They include Arizona, where Trump-aligned activists are seeking to censure the Republican governor they deem insufficiently loyal to the president, and Georgia, where a hard-right faction wants to defeat the current governor in a primary election.

The wrong ID (Washington Post) As a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, retired Chicago firefighter David Quintavalle was about 700 miles away, shopping at an Aldi grocery store for the final ingredients for his wife’s birthday dinner. The 63-year-old’s mind was on the menu—filet mignon and lobster—and not insurrection. But a man resembling Quintavalle with salt-and-pepper hair and a “CFD”-labeled beanie was among the rioters. In a video, the man pelted police with a fire extinguisher, striking at least one officer. In the days following the attack, Internet sleuths who have hunted down those who participated in the Jan. 6 riot mistook the man for Quintavalle. Soon, people were calling Quintavalle’s cell and home phone, harassing his son, a Chicago police officer with the same name, and lurking outside Quintavalle’s home. Online amateur investigators have identified and shared information on social media about people in photos and videos at the Capitol, leading to a portion of the more than 100,000 tips submitted to the FBI. The hurried pace of new information has also increased the dissemination of incorrect names and targeting the wrong people. The victims of such false accusations include martial artist and actor Chuck Norris. A photo circulated online of his doppelganger among those storming the Capitol. The baseless speculation was shot down by his manager. Federal authorities allege the man who threw the fire extinguisher is Robert Lee Sanford Jr., 55, a recently retired firefighter from Chester, Pa. But Quintavalle still receives hateful calls and messages calling him a “murder” and “terrorist.” A police officer is stationed outside Quintavalle’s home for his safety.

Pre-inauguration jitters (Washington Post) The nation is holding its breath as state capitals around the country brace for possible violence in the coming days. State officials are activating National Guard troops and closing off Capitol grounds in response to F.B.I. warnings that armed protesters and far-right groups are preparing to act in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday. Law enforcement officials are vetting hundreds of potential airplane passengers and beefing up airport security. Federal officials say a militarized “green zone” in downtown Washington is necessary to prevent an attack from domestic extremists. Because of security concerns and the pandemic, Inauguration Day will be more subdued than usual.

U.S. pundits keep comparing Washington to a war zone. People who know war disagree. (Washington Post) A massive security operation is underway in Washington ahead of President-elect Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, two weeks after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol. As images of National Guard troops circulate online, some in the United States have compared the capital to a war zone. The commentary has drawn pushback from people who have lived or worked in areas actually beset by conflict, who say such remarks are misleading and trivializes the reality of war. “It’s extremely degrading to people who have actually lived through war and foreign occupation and have actually seen tanks rolling down their streets and foreign soldiers occupying their land or their own soldiers deployed against them,” said Jasmine el-Gamal, a former Pentagon adviser who worked in Iraq as a translator following the U.S. invasion in 2003. “That’s a conflict situation. That’s a war zone.” Faysal Itani, an adjunct professor of Middle East politics at George Washington University, called conditions in Washington “qualitatively different” from conflicts in places like Lebanon, where he is from, and elsewhere in the Middle East. Americans, Itani said, often view their country in one of two modes: “It’s either a pristine place … that somehow functions according to different rules” than the rest of the world, “or it turns out it’s imperfect and we’re back in Baghdad.”

Biden Seeks Quick Start With Executive Actions and Aggressive Legislation (NYT) President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., inheriting a collection of crises unlike any in generations, plans to open his administration with dozens of executive directives on top of expansive legislative proposals in a 10-day blitz. Mr. Biden’s team has developed a raft of decrees that he can issue on his own authority after the inauguration on Wednesday to begin reversing some of President Trump’s most hotly disputed policies. On his first day in office alone, Mr. Biden intends a flurry of executive orders that will be partly substantive and partly symbolic. They include rescinding the travel ban on several predominantly Muslim countries, rejoining the Paris climate change accord, extending pandemic-related limits on evictions and student loan payments, issuing a mask mandate for federal property and interstate travel and ordering agencies to figure out how to reunite children separated from families after crossing the border. The blueprint of executive action comes after Mr. Biden announced that he will push Congress to pass a $1.9 trillion package of economic stimulus and pandemic relief, signaling a willingness to be aggressive on policy issues.

Leaders in Mexico and Poland look to curb power of social media giants after Trump bans (Washington Post) In the aftermath of President Trump’s banishment from social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, a handful of world leaders have expressed alarm over the power of private companies to decide if and when to ban elected leaders from key parts of the public arena. At least two ruling governments—on the left wing in Mexico and the right in Poland—have since suggested pursuing policies to prevent what happened to Trump. In Mexico, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Thursday in a daily briefing shared on social media that his government would reach out to other G-20 nations to seek a joint proposal on such bans, which he compared to the “Spanish Inquisition.” In Poland, meanwhile, the conservative-led government is pushing a draft “Freedom of Speech” law, first announced last month, that would regulate speech restrictions on social media. Without mentioning Trump, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki likened the power of the social media companies to state control in the country during the Communist era. Sebastian Kaleta, Poland’s deputy minister of justice, said in an interview this week that the Trump bans “could even be called censorship.”

Mexico’s female vigilantes (NY Post) The Michoacan area of Mexico has gotten so lawless, a band of female vigilantes are taking it upon themselves to protect their friends and family. The state, which is the world’s largest supplier of avocados and limes, has recently been overrun by the violent Jalisco drug cartel that hail from the neighboring state and so the women are fighting back, according to The Associated Press. The women carry assault rifles and post roadblocks, often while pregnant or carrying small children with them, to combat the growing homicide levels, which have skyrocketed since 2013. The majority of the women have lost family members to the cartel, like Blanco Nava who told the AP her son Freddy Barrios, a 29-year old lime picker, was kidnapped by presumed Jalisco cartel gunmen in pickup trucks; she has never heard from him since. “We are going to defend those we have left, the children we have left, with our lives. We women are tired of seeing our children, our families disappear. They take our sons, they take our daughters, our relatives, our husbands.” It is left to the women to fight as most men are being carted away to work for the cartels (willingly or not). The vigilantes say they have to resort to these tactics as the government and police fail to do so.

Guatemala cracks down on migrant caravan bound for United States (Reuters) Guatemalan authorities on Saturday escalated efforts to stop thousands of Hondurans, many of them families with children, traveling in a migrant caravan bound for the United States just as a new administration is about to enter the White House. Between 7,000 and 8,000 migrants have entered Guatemala since Friday, according to Guatemala’s immigration authority, fleeing poverty and violence in a region battered by the pandemic and back-to-back hurricanes in November. Videos seen by Reuters showed Guatemalan security forces clashing with a group of hundreds of migrants who managed to break through a police blockade at the village of Vado Hondo, near Chiquimula in eastern Guatemala. Between Friday and Saturday, Guatemala had sent back almost 1,000 migrants entering from Honduras, the government said, as the caravan moved towards Mexico.

England Isn’t Listening to Johnson’s Lockdown Orders Any More (Bloomberg) People across England are about to be hit with a deluge of new government adverts on television, radio and social media containing one blunt demand: Stay at home. It’s a familiar message—and that may be why the public seems to be shrugging it off. The data shows Britons are far more active during the current third national lockdown than when the first emergency “stay at home” order was given last spring. There’s more traffic on the roads, more people on trains and more shoppers making trips out. The picture is not unique to the U.K. Elsewhere in Europe, people have grown tired of wave after wave of restrictions. What makes England different is that even from the start, the messaging was mixed from a government that was reluctant to curb people’s liberties. In Spain and Italy, which imposed harsh lockdowns from the beginning, entire families became accustomed to living with life-altering restrictions. In Madrid and Milan, everyone wears a mask outside, and children must wear them at school. In London, face coverings outdoors are still optional. But in recent surveys people insist they are still following the rules. Stephen Reicher, a U.K. government adviser and professor of social psychology at the University of St Andrews, dismissed the concept of lockdown “fatigue” as a way for the authorities to shift the blame onto the public.

Switzerland to Hold Referendum on Covid-19 Lockdown (WSJ) Switzerland’s system of direct democracy will be put to the test again later this year, this time with a referendum on whether to roll back the government’s powers to impose lockdowns and other measures to slow the Covid-19 pandemic. The landlocked Alpine nation of 8.5 million people is unusual in providing its people a say on important policy moves by offering referendums if enough people sign a petition for a vote. Last year, Swiss voted on increasing the stock of low-cost housing, tax allowances for children and hunting wolves. The idea is to provide citizens a check on the power of the federal government, and it is a throwback to the fiercely independent patchwork of cantons, or districts, that were meshed in the medieval period. Now, the country is set for a referendum on whether to remove the government’s legal authority to order lockdowns and other pandemic restrictions after campaigners submitted a petition of some 86,000 signatures this week—higher than the 50,000 required—triggering a nationwide vote to repeal last year’s Covid-19 Act. The ballot could come as soon as June, and it appears set to mirror disputes in the U.S. and elsewhere over how far governments should go to limit social interactions in a pandemic—or whether to lock down at all.

Gunmen kill two female Supreme Court judges in Afghanistan (Reuters) Unidentified gunmen killed two female judges from Afghanistan’s Supreme Court on Sunday morning, police said, adding to a wave of assassinations in Kabul and other cities while government and Taliban representatives have been holding peace talks in Qatar. Government officials, journalists, and activists have been targeted in recent months, stoking fear particularly in the capital Kabul. The Taliban has denied involvement in some of the attacks, but has said its fighters would continue to “eliminate” important government figures, though not journalists or civil society members.

Israel OKs hundreds of settlement homes in last-minute push (AP) Israeli authorities on Sunday advanced plans to build an additional 780 homes in West Bank settlements, an anti-settlement monitoring group said, in a last-minute surge of approvals before the friendly Trump administration leaves office later this week. Peace Now said that over 90% of the homes lay deep inside the West Bank, which the Palestinians seek as the heartland of a future independent state, and over 200 homes were located in unauthorized outposts that the government had decided to legalize. Israel has stepped up settlement construction during President Donald Trump’s term. According to Peace Now, Israel approved or advanced construction of over 12,000 settlement homes in 2020, the highest number in a single year since it began recording statistics in 2012.

Starvation haunts Ethiopia’s Tigray (AP) From “emaciated” refugees to crops burned on the brink of harvest, starvation threatens the survivors of more than two months of fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. The first humanitarian workers to arrive after pleading with the Ethiopian government for access describe weakened children dying from diarrhea after drinking from rivers. Shops were looted or depleted weeks ago. A local official told a Jan. 1 crisis meeting of government and aid workers that hungry people had asked for “a single biscuit.” More than 4.5 million people, nearly the region’s entire population, need emergency food, participants say. At their next meeting on Jan. 8, a Tigray administrator warned that without aid, “hundreds of thousands might starve to death” and some already had, according to minutes obtained by The Associated Press. “There is an extreme urgent need—I don’t know what more words in English to use—to rapidly scale up the humanitarian response because the population is dying every day as we speak,” Mari Carmen Vinoles, head of the emergency unit for Doctors Without Borders, told the AP.

Children’s Screen Time Has Soared in the Pandemic, Alarming Parents and Researchers (NYT) Nearly a year into the coronavirus pandemic, parents across the country—and the world—are watching their children slide down an increasingly slippery path into an all-consuming digital life. When the outbreak hit, many parents relaxed restrictions on screens as a stopgap way to keep frustrated, restless children entertained and engaged. But, often, remaining limits have vaporized as computers, tablets and phones became the centerpiece of school and social life, and weeks of stay-at-home rules bled into nearly a year. The situation is alarming parents, and scientists too. “There will be a period of epic withdrawal,” said Keith Humphreys, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, an addiction expert and a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama on drug policy. It will, he said, require young people to “sustain attention in normal interactions without getting a reward hit every few seconds.” Scientists say that children’s brains, well through adolescence, are considered “plastic,” meaning they can adapt and shift to changing circumstances. That could help younger people again find satisfaction in an offline world but it becomes harder the longer they immerse in rapid-fire digital stimulation.

[classicfilmfan64]

James Stewart served in WW2, with honors. He was older than most of his comrades but was highly respected. He has a very distinguished military career. He quit making films, as of 1941, for the duration of the war. 

WIKIPEDIA:

'James Stewart became the first major American movie star to enlist in the United States Army to fight in World War II. His family had deep military roots: both of his grandfathers had fought in the Civil War, and his father had served during both the Spanish–American War and World War I. After first being rejected for low weight in November 1940, he successfully enlisted in February 1941. As an experienced amateur pilot, he reported for induction as a private in the Air Corps on March 22, 1941. 

Soon to be 33 years old, he was over the maximum age restriction for Aviation Cadet training—the normal path of commissioning for pilots, navigators and bombardiers—and therefore applied for an Air Corps commission as both a college graduate and a licensed commercial pilot. Stewart received his commission as a second lieutenant on January 1, 1942.

After enlisting, Stewart made no new commercial films, although he remained under contract to MGM. His public appearances were limited to engagements for the Army Air Forces. The Air Corps scheduled him on network radio with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, and to the radio program, ‘We Hold These Truths’, a celebration of the United States Bill of Rights, which was broadcast a week after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Stewart also appeared in a First Motion Picture Unit short film, 'Winning Your Wings', to help recruit airmen. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1942, it appeared in movie theaters nationwide beginning in late May 1942 and resulted in 150,000 new recruits.

Stewart was concerned that his celebrity status would relegate him to duties beyond the lines. After spending over a year training pilots at Kirtland Army Airfield in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he appealed to his commander and was sent to England as part of the 445th Bombardment Group, to pilot a B-24 Liberator, in November 1942.Stewart was promoted to major following a mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany, on January 7, 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions as deputy commander of the 2d Bombardment Wing, and the French Croix de Guerre with palm and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. Stewart was promoted to full colonel on March 29, 1945, becoming one of the few Americans to ever rise from private to colonel in only four years. 

At the beginning of June 1945, Stewart was the presiding officer of the court-martial of a pilot and navigator who accidentally bombed Zurich, Switzerland.Stewart returned to the United States in early fall 1945. He continued to play a role in the Army Air Forces Reserve after the war] and was also one of the 12 founders of the Air Force Association in October 1945. On July 23, 1959, Stewart was promoted to brigadier general, becoming the highest-ranking actor in American military history.'

[sdrdxhound]

The Hammers of 3844 kHz vol 2: Enraged Trumpist Boomer Hams vs the World

Volume 2 of "The Hammers of 3844 kHz"

Amateur radio on 75 meters is infested with angry old boomer hams with far right ideology. Batshit crazy rumor mongering, misogyny, anti semitism, Q Anonist and MAGA talking points are all there. These hams on 3844 attract plenty of jammers, and the exchanges are documented here.

The American culture war is a hot one on 75 meters.

[blackkudos]

Count Basie

William James "Count" Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, Basie formed his own jazz orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. He led the group for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two "split" tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, and others. Many musicians came to prominence under his direction, including the tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, the guitarist Freddie Green, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison and singers Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, Thelma Carpenter, and Joe Williams.

Biography

Early life and education

William Basie was born to Lillian and Harvey Lee Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father worked as a coachman and caretaker for a wealthy judge. After automobiles replaced horses, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several wealthy families in the area. Both of his parents had some type of musical background. His father played the mellophone, and his mother played the piano; in fact, she gave Basie his first piano lessons. She took in laundry and baked cakes for sale for a living. She paid 25 cents a lesson for Count Basie's piano instruction.

The best student in school, Basie dreamed of a traveling life, inspired by touring carnivals which came to town. He finished junior high school but spent much of his time at the Palace Theater in Red Bank, where doing occasional chores gained him free admission to performances. He quickly learned to improvise music appropriate to the acts and the silent movies.

Though a natural at the piano, Basie preferred drums. Discouraged by the obvious talents of Sonny Greer, who also lived in Red Bank and became Duke Ellington's drummer in 1919, Basie switched to piano exclusively at age 15. Greer and Basie played together in venues until Greer set out on his professional career. By then, Basie was playing with pick-up groups for dances, resorts, and amateur shows, including Harry Richardson's "Kings of Syncopation". When not playing a gig, he hung out at the local pool hall with other musicians, where he picked up on upcoming play dates and gossip. He got some jobs in Asbury Park at the Jersey Shore, and played at the Hong Kong Inn until a better player took his place.

Early career

Around 1920, Basie went to Harlem, a hotbed of jazz, where he lived down the block from the Alhambra Theater. Early after his arrival, he bumped into Sonny Greer, who was by then the drummer for the Washingtonians, Duke Ellington's early band. Soon, Basie met many of the Harlem musicians who were "making the scene," including Willie "the Lion" Smith and James P. Johnson.

Basie toured in several acts between 1925 and 1927, including Katie Krippen and Her Kiddies (featuring singer Katie Crippen) as part of the Hippity Hop show; on the Keith, the Columbia Burlesque, and the Theater Owners Bookers Association (T.O.B.A.) vaudeville circuits; and as a soloist and accompanist to blues singer Gonzelle White as well as Crippen. His touring took him to Kansas City, St. Louis, New Orleans, and Chicago. Throughout his tours, Basie met many jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong. Before he was 20 years old, he toured extensively on the Keith and TOBA vaudeville circuits as a solo pianist, accompanist, and music director for blues singers, dancers, and comedians. This provided an early training that was to prove significant in his later career.

Back in Harlem in 1925, Basie gained his first steady job at Leroy's, a place known for its piano players and its "cutting contests." The place catered to "uptown celebrities," and typically the band winged every number without sheet music using "head arrangements." He met Fats Waller, who was playing organ at the Lincoln Theater accompanying silent movies, and Waller taught him how to play that instrument. (Basie later played organ at the Eblon Theater in Kansas City). As he did with Duke Ellington, Willie "the Lion" Smith helped Basie out during the lean times by arranging gigs at "house-rent parties," introducing him to other leading musicians, and teaching him some piano technique.

In 1928, Basie was in Tulsa and heard Walter Page and his Famous Blue Devils, one of the first big bands, which featured Jimmy Rushing on vocals. A few months later, he was invited to join the band, which played mostly in Texas and Oklahoma. It was at this time that he began to be known as "Count" Basie (see Jazz royalty).

Kansas City years

The following year, in 1929, Basie became the pianist with the Bennie Moten band based in Kansas City, inspired by Moten's ambition to raise his band to the level of Duke Ellington's or Fletcher Henderson's. Where the Blue Devils were "snappier" and more "bluesy," the Moten band was more refined and respected, playing in the "Kansas City stomp" style. In addition to playing piano, Basie was co-arranger with Eddie Durham, who notated the music.Their "Moten Swing", which Basie claimed credit for, was widely acclaimed and was an invaluable contribution to the development of swing music, and at one performance at the Pearl Theatre in Philadelphia in December 1932, the theatre opened its door to allow anybody in who wanted to hear the band perform. During a stay in Chicago, Basie recorded with the band. He occasionally played four-hand piano and dual pianos with Moten, who also conducted. The band improved with several personnel changes, including the addition of tenor saxophonist Ben Webster.

When the band voted Moten out, Basie took over for several months, calling the group "Count Basie and his Cherry Blossoms. "When his own band folded, he rejoined Moten with a newly re-organized band. A year later, Basie joined Bennie Moten's band, and played with them until Moten's death in 1935 from a failed tonsillectomy. When Moten died, the band tried to stay together but couldn't make a go of it. Basie then formed his own nine-piece band, Barons of Rhythm, with many former Moten members including Walter Page (bass), Freddie Green (guitar), Jo Jones (drums), Lester Young (tenor saxophone) and Jimmy Rushing (vocals).

The Barons of Rhythm were regulars at the Reno Club and often performed for a live radio broadcast. During a broadcast the announcer wanted to give Basie's name some style, so he called him "Count." Little did Basie know this touch of royalty would give him proper status and position him with the likes of Duke Ellington and Earl Hines.

Basie's new band which included many Moten alumni, with the important addition of tenor player Lester Young. They played at the Reno Club and sometimes were broadcast on local radio. Late one night with time to fill, the band started improvising. Basie liked the results and named the piece "One O'Clock Jump." According to Basie, "we hit it with the rhythm section and went into the riffs, and the riffs just stuck. We set the thing up front in D-flat, and then we just went on playing in F." It became his signature tune.

John Hammond and first recordings

At the end of 1936, Basie and his band, now billed as "Count Basie and His Barons of Rhythm," moved from Kansas City to Chicago, where they honed their repertoire at a long engagement at the Grand Terrace Ballroom. Right from the start, Basie's band was noted for its rhythm section. Another Basie innovation was the use of two tenor saxophone players; at the time, most bands had just one. When Young complained of Herschel Evans' vibrato, Basie placed them on either side of the alto players, and soon had the tenor players engaged in "duels". Many other bands later adapted the split tenor arrangement.

In that city in October 1936, the band had a recording session which the producer John Hammond later described as "the only perfect, completely perfect recording session I've ever had anything to do with". Hammond had heard Basie's band by radio and went to Kansas City to check them out. He invited them to record, in performances which were Lester Young's earliest recordings. Those four sides were released on Vocalion Records under the band name of Jones-Smith Incorporated; the sides were "Shoe Shine Boy", "Evening", "Boogie Woogie", and "Lady Be Good". After Vocalion became a subsidiary of Columbia Records in 1938, "Boogie Woogie" was released in 1941 as part of a four-record compilation album entitled Boogie Woogie (Columbia album C44). When he made the Vocalion recordings, Basie had already signed with Decca Records, but did not have his first recording session with them until January 1937.

By then, Basie's sound was characterized by a "jumping" beat and the contrapuntal accents of his own piano. His personnel around 1937 included: Lester Young and Herschel Evans (tenor sax), Freddie Green (guitar), Jo Jones (drums), Walter Page (bass), Earle Warren (alto sax), Buck Clayton and Harry Edison (trumpet), Benny Morton and Dickie Wells (trombone). Lester Young, known as "Prez" by the band, came up with nicknames for all the other band members. He called Basie "Holy Man", "Holy Main", and just plain "Holy".

Basie favored blues, and he would showcase some of the most notable blues singers of the era after he went to New York: Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rushing, Big Joe Turner, Helen Humes, and Joe Williams. He also hired arrangers who knew how to maximize the band's abilities, such as Eddie Durham and Jimmy Mundy.

New York City and the swing years

When Basie took his orchestra to New York in 1937, they made the Woodside Hotel in Harlem their base (they often rehearsed in its basement). Soon, they were booked at the Roseland Ballroom for the Christmas show. Basie recalled a review, which said something like, "We caught the great Count Basie band which is supposed to be so hot he was going to come in here and set the Roseland on fire. Well, the Roseland is still standing". Compared to the reigning band of Fletcher Henderson, Basie's band lacked polish and presentation.

The producer John Hammond continued to advise and encourage the band, and they soon came up with some adjustments, including softer playing, more solos, and more standards. They paced themselves to save their hottest numbers for later in the show, to give the audience a chance to warm up. His first official recordings for Decca followed, under contract to agent MCA, including "Pennies from Heaven" and "Honeysuckle Rose".

Hammond introduced Basie to Billie Holiday, whom he invited to sing with the band. (Holiday did not record with Basie, as she had her own record contract and preferred working with small combos). The band's first appearance at the Apollo Theater followed, with the vocalists Holiday and Jimmy Rushing getting the most attention. Durham returned to help with arranging and composing, but for the most part, the orchestra worked out its numbers in rehearsal, with Basie guiding the proceedings. There were often no musical notations made. Once the musicians found what they liked, they usually were able to repeat it using their "head arrangements" and collective memory.

Next, Basie played at the Savoy, which was noted more for lindy-hopping, while the Roseland was a place for fox-trots and congas. In early 1938, the Savoy was the meeting ground for a "battle of the bands" with Chick Webb's group. Basie had Holiday, and Webb countered with the singer Ella Fitzgerald. As Metronome magazine proclaimed, "Basie's Brilliant Band Conquers Chick's"; the article described the evening:

Throughout the fight, which never let down in its intensity during the whole fray, Chick took the aggressive, with the Count playing along easily and, on the whole, more musically scientifically. Undismayed by Chick's forceful drum beating, which sent the audience into shouts of encouragement and appreciation and casual beads of perspiration to drop from Chick's brow onto the brass cymbals, the Count maintained an attitude of poise and self-assurance. He constantly parried Chick's thundering haymakers with tantalizing runs and arpeggios which teased more and more force from his adversary.

The publicity over the big band battle, before and after, gave the Basie band a boost and wider recognition. Soon after, Benny Goodman recorded their signature "One O'Clock Jump" with his band.

A few months later, Holiday left for Artie Shaw's band. Hammond introduced Helen Humes, whom Basie hired; she stayed with Basie for four years. When Eddie Durham left for Glenn Miller's orchestra, he was replaced by Dicky Wells. Basie's 14-man band began playing at the Famous Door, a mid-town nightspot with a CBS network feed and air conditioning, which Hammond was said to have bought the club in return for their booking Basie steadily throughout the summer of 1938. Their fame took a huge leap. Adding to their play book, Basie received arrangements from Jimmy Mundy (who had also worked with Benny Goodman and Earl Hines), particularly for "Cherokee", "Easy Does It", and "Super Chief". In 1939, Basie and his band made a major cross-country tour, including their first West Coast dates. A few months later, Basie quit MCA and signed with the William Morris Agency, who got them better fees.

On February 19, 1940, Count Basie and his Orchestra opened a four-week engagement at Southland in Boston, and they broadcast over the radio on 20 February.On the West Coast, in 1942 the band did a spot in Reveille With Beverly, a musical film starring Ann Miller, and a "Command Performance" for Armed Forces Radio, with Hollywood stars Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Carmen Miranda, Jerry Colonna, and the singer Dinah Shore. Other minor movie spots followed, including Choo Choo Swing, Crazy House, Top Man, Stage Door Canteen, and Hit Parade of 1943. They also continued to record for OKeh Records and Columbia Records. The war years caused a lot of members turn over, and the band worked many play dates with lower pay. Dance hall bookings were down sharply as swing began to fade, the effects of the musicians' strikes of 1942–44 and 1948 began to be felt, and the public's taste grew for singers.

Basie occasionally lost some key soloists. However, throughout the 1940s, he maintained a big band that possessed an infectious rhythmic beat, an enthusiastic team spirit, and a long list of inspired and talented jazz soloists.

Los Angeles and the Cavalcade of Jazz concerts

Count Basie was the featured artist at the very first Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field on September 23, 1945 which was produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. Al Jarvis was the Emcee and other artists to appear on stage were Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers, The Peters Sisters, Slim and Bam, Valaida Snow, and Big Joe Turner. They played to a crowd of 15,000. Count Basie and his Orchestra played at the tenth Cavalcade of Jazz concert also at Wrigley Field on June 20, 1954. He played along with The Flairs, Christine Kittrell, Lamp Lighters, Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five, Ruth Brown, and Perez Prado and his Orchestra.

Post-war and later years

The big band era appeared to have ended after the war, and Basie disbanded the group. For a while, he performed in combos, sometimes stretched to an orchestra. In 1950, he headlined the Universal-International short film "Sugar Chile" Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet. He reformed his group as a 16-piece orchestra in 1952. This group was eventually called the New Testament band. Basie credited Billy Eckstine, a top male vocalist of the time, for prompting his return to Big Band. He said that Norman Granz got them into the Birdland club and promoted the new band through recordings on the Mercury, Clef, and Verve labels. The jukebox era had begun, and Basie shared the exposure along with early rock'n'roll and rhythm and blues artists. Basie's new band was more of an ensemble group, with fewer solo turns, and relying less on "head" and more on written arrangements.

Basie added touches of bebop "so long as it made sense", and he required that "it all had to have feeling". Basie's band was sharing Birdland with such bebop greats as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. Behind the occasional bebop solos, he always kept his strict rhythmic pulse, "so it doesn't matter what they do up front; the audience gets the beat". Basie also added flute to some numbers, a novelty at the time that became widely copied. Soon, his band was touring and recording again. The new band included: Paul Campbell, Tommy Turrentine, Johnny Letman, Idrees Sulieman, and Joe Newman (trumpet); Jimmy Wilkins, Benny Powell, Matthew Gee (trombone); Paul Quinichette and Floyd "Candy" Johnson (tenor sax); Marshal Royal and Ernie Wilkins (alto sax); and Charlie Fowlkes (baritone sax). Down Beat magazine reported, "(Basie) has managed to assemble an ensemble that can thrill both the listener who remembers 1938 and the youngster who has never before heard a big band like this." In 1957, Basie sued the jazz venue Ball and Chain in Miami over outstanding fees, causing the closure of the venue.

In 1958, the band made its first European tour. Jazz was especially appreciated in France, The Netherlands, and Germany in the 1950s; these countries were the stomping grounds for many expatriate American jazz stars who were either resurrecting their careers or sitting out the years of racial divide in the United States. Neal Hefti began to provide arrangements, notably "Lil Darlin'". By the mid-1950s, Basie's band had become one of the preeminent backing big bands for some of the most prominent jazz vocalists of the time. They also toured with the "Birdland Stars of 1955", whose lineup included Sarah Vaughan, Erroll Garner, Lester Young, George Shearing, and Stan Getz.

In 1957, Basie released the live album Count Basie at Newport. "April in Paris" (arrangement by Wild Bill Davis) was a best-selling instrumental and the title song for the hit album. The Basie band made two tours in the British Isles and on the second, they put on a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II, along with Judy Garland, Vera Lynn, and Mario Lanza. He was a guest on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, a venue also opened to several other black entertainers. In 1959, Basie's band recorded a "greatest hits" double album The Count Basie Story (Frank Foster, arranger), and Basie/Eckstine Incorporated, an album featuring Billy Eckstine, Quincy Jones (as arranger) and the Count Basie Orchestra. It was released by Roulette Records, then later reissued by Capitol Records.

Later that year, Basie appeared on a television special with Fred Astaire, featuring a dance solo to "Sweet Georgia Brown", followed in January 1961 by Basie performing at one of the five John F. Kennedy Inaugural Balls. That summer, Basie and Duke Ellington combined forces for the recording First Time! The Count Meets the Duke, each providing four numbers from their play books.

During the balance of the 1960s, the band kept busy with tours, recordings, television appearances, festivals, Las Vegas shows, and travel abroad, including cruises. Some time around 1964, Basie adopted his trademark yachting cap.

Through steady changes in personnel, Basie led the band into the 1980s. Basie made a few more movie appearances, such as the Jerry Lewis film Cinderfella (1960) and the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles (1974), playing a revised arrangement of "April in Paris".

During its heyday, The Gong Show (1976–80) used Basie's "Jumpin' at the Woodside" during some episodes, while an NBC stagehand named Eugene Patton would dance on stage; Patton became known as "Gene Gene, the Dancing Machine".

Marriage, family and death

Basie was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. On July 21, 1930, Basie married Vivian Lee Winn, in Kansas City, Missouri. They were divorced sometime before 1935. Some time in or before 1935, the now single Basie returned to New York City, renting a house at 111 West 138th Street, Manhattan, as evidenced by the 1940 census. He married Catherine Morgan on July 13, 1940 in the King County courthouse in Seattle, Washington. In 1942, they moved to Queens. Their only child, Diane, was born February 6 1944. She was born with cerebral palsy and the doctors claimed she would never walk. The couple kept her and cared deeply for her, and especially through her mother's tutelage Diane learned not only to walk but to swim. The Basies bought a home in the new whites-only neighborhood of Addisleigh Park in 1946 on Adelaide Road and 175th Street, St. Albans, Queens.

On April 11, 1983, Catherine Basie died of heart disease at the couple's home in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. She was 67 years old.

Count Basie died of pancreatic cancer in Hollywood, Florida on April 26, 1984 at the age of 79.

Singers

Basie hitched his star to some of the most famous vocalists of the 1950s and 1960s, which helped keep the Big Band sound alive and added greatly to his recording catalog. Jimmy Rushing sang with Basie in the late 1930s. Joe Williams toured with the band and was featured on the 1957 album One O'Clock Jump, and 1956's Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings, with "Every Day (I Have the Blues)" becoming a huge hit. With Billy Eckstine on the album Basie/Eckstine Incorporated, in 1959. Ella Fitzgerald made some memorable recordings with Basie, including the 1963 album Ella and Basie!. With the New Testament Basie band in full swing, and arrangements written by a youthful Quincy Jones, this album proved a swinging respite from her Songbook recordings and constant touring she did during this period. She even toured with the Basie Orchestra in the mid-1970s, and Fitzgerald and Basie also met on the 1979 albums A Classy Pair, Digital III at Montreux, and A Perfect Match, the last two also recorded live at Montreux. In addition to Quincy Jones, Basie was using arrangers such as Benny Carter (Kansas City Suite), Neal Hefti (The Atomic Mr Basie), and Sammy Nestico (Basie-Straight Ahead).

Frank Sinatra recorded for the first time with Basie on 1962's Sinatra-Basie and for a second studio album on 1964's It Might as Well Be Swing, which was arranged by Quincy Jones. Jones also arranged and conducted 1966's live Sinatra at the Sands which featured Sinatra with Count Basie and his orchestra at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. In May 1970, Sinatra performed in London's Royal Festival Hall with the Basie orchestra, in a charity benefit for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Sinatra later said of this concert "I have a funny feeling that those two nights could have been my finest hour, really. It went so well; it was so thrilling and exciting".

Basie also recorded with Tony Bennett in the late 1950s. Their albums together included In Person and Strike Up the Band. Basie also toured with Bennett, including a date at Carnegie Hall. Other notable recordings were with Sammy Davis Jr., Bing Crosby, and Sarah Vaughan. One of Basie's biggest regrets was never recording with Louis Armstrong, though they shared the same bill several times. In 1968 Basie and his Band recorded an album with Jackie Wilson titled Manufacturers of Soul.

Legacy and honors

Count Basie introduced several generations of listeners to the Big Band sound and left an influential catalog. Basie is remembered by many who worked for him as being considerate of musicians and their opinions, modest, relaxed, fun-loving, dryly witty, and always enthusiastic about his music. In his autobiography, he wrote, "I think the band can really swing when it swings easy, when it can just play along like you are cutting butter."

In Red Bank, New Jersey, the Count Basie Theatre, a property on Monmouth Street redeveloped for live performances, and Count Basie Field were named in his honor.

Received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 1974.

Mechanic Street, where he grew up with his family, has the honorary title of Count Basie Way.

In 2009, Edgecombe Avenue and 160th Street in Washington Heights, Manhattan, were renamed as Paul Robeson Boulevard and Count Basie Place. The corner is the location of 555 Edgecombe Avenue, also known as the Paul Robeson Home, a National Historic Landmark where Count Basie had also lived.

In 2010, Basie was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

In October 2013, version 3.7 of WordPress was code-named Count Basie.

In 2019, Basie was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Count Basie among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Asteroid 35394 Countbasie, discovered by astronomers at Caussols in 1997, was named after him. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 8 November 2019 (M.P.C. 118220).

Representation in other media

Jerry Lewis used "Blues in Hoss' Flat" from Basie's Chairman of the Board album, as the basis for his own "Chairman of the Board" routine in the movie The Errand Boy.

"Blues in Hoss' Flat," composed by Basie band member Frank Foster, was used by the radio DJ Al "Jazzbeaux" Collins as his theme song in San Francisco and New York.

In Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Brenda Fricker's "Pigeon Lady" character claims to have heard Basie in Carnegie Hall.

Drummer Neil Peart of the Canadian rock band Rush recorded a version of "One O'Clock Jump" with the Buddy Rich Big Band, and has used it at the end of his drum solos on the 2002 Vapor Trails Tour and Rush's 30th Anniversary Tour.

Since 1963 "The Kid From the Red Bank" has been the theme and signature music for the most popular Norwegian radio show, Reiseradioen, aired at NRK P1 every day during the summer.

In the 2016 movie The Matchbreaker, Emily Atkins (Christina Grimmie) recounts the story of how Count Basie met his wife 3 times without speaking to her, telling her he'd marry her someday in their first conversation, and then marrying her 7 years later.

The post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance have a song titled "Count Bassy" that is included on their 2018 album Artificial Selection.

Discography

Count Basie made most of his albums with his big band. See the Count Basie Orchestra Discography.

From 1929–1932, Basie was part of Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra:

Count Basie in Kansas City: Bennie Moten's Great Band of 1930-1932 (RCA Victor, 1965)

Basie Beginnings: Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra (1929–1932) (Bluebird/RCA, 1989)

The Swinging Count!, (Clef, 1952)

Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis Trio + Joe Newman (Roulette, 1958)

The Atomic Mr. Basie (Roulette, 1958)

Memories Ad-Lib with Joe Williams (Roulette, 1958)

Basie/Eckstine Incorporated with Billy Eckstine ( Roulette 1959)

String Along with Basie (Roulette, 1960)

Count Basie and the Kansas City 7 (Impulse!, 1962)

Basie Swingin' Voices Singin' with the Alan Copeland Singers (ABC-Paramount, 1966)

Basie Meets Bond (United Artists, 1966)

Loose Walk with Roy Eldridge (Pablo, 1972)

Basie Jam (Pablo, 1973)

The Bosses with Big Joe Turner (1973)

For the First Time (Pablo, 1974)

Satch and Josh with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1974)

Basie & Zoot with Zoot Sims (Pablo, 1975)

Count Basie Jam Session at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1975 (Pablo, 1975)

For the Second Time (Pablo, 1975)

Basie Jam 2 (Pablo, 1976)

Basie Jam 3 (Pablo, 1976)

Kansas City 5 (Pablo, 1977)

The Gifted Ones with Dizzy Gillespie (Pablo, 1977)

Montreux '77 (Pablo, 1977)

Basie Jam: Montreux '77 (Pablo, 1977)

Satch and Josh...Again with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1977)

Night Rider with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1978)

Count Basie Meets Oscar Peterson – The Timekeepers (Pablo, 1978)

Yessir, That's My Baby with Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 1978)

Kansas City 8: Get Together (Pablo, 1979)

Kansas City 7 (Pablo, 1980)

On the Road (Pablo, 1980)

Kansas City 6 (Pablo, 1981)

Mostly Blues...and Some Others (Pablo, 1983)

As sideman

With Harry Edison

Edison's Lights (Pablo, 1976)

Filmography

Hit Parade of 1943 (1943) – as himself

Top Man (1943) – as himself

Sugar Chile Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet (1950) – as himself

Jamboree (1957)

Cinderfella (1960) – as himself

Sex and the Single Girl (1964) – as himself with his orchestra

Blazing Saddles (1974) – as himself with his orchestra

Last of the Blue Devils (1979) – interview and concert by the orchestra in documentary on Kansas City music

Awards

Grammy Awards

In 1958, Basie became the first African-American to win a Grammy Award.

Grammy Hall of Fame

By 2011, four recordings of Count Basie had been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance."

Honors and inductions

On May 23, 1985, William "Count" Basie was presented, posthumously, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan. The award was received by his son, Aaron Woodward.

On September 11, 1996 the U.S. Post Office issued a Count Basie 32 cents postage stamp. Basie is a part of the Big Band Leaders issue, which, is in turn, part of the Legends of American Music series.

In 2009, Basie was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

In May 2019, Basie was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Memphis, TN, presented by The Blues Foundation.

National Recording Registry

In 2005, Count Basie's song "One O'Clock Jump" (1937) was included by the National Recording Preservation Board in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. The board selects songs in an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."