#SECRET FRIEND

[tavolgisvist]

Temporary Secretary (September 1980)

Not a lot of people today know or remember who Alfred Marks was, but there used to be agencies around London called Alfred Marks Bureaus – not to be confused with Alfred Marks the old-time comedian, of course. The bureaus would be advertised in newspapers and various directories. And I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just address it to Mr Marks.’ People often say, ‘Oh, you work so hard,’ and I say, ‘We don’t work; we play.’ I try to keep that in the front of my brain when things are getting tiresome. ‘Jesus, we’ve worked too hard. No, we’ve played too hard.’ The idea of needing a secretary, but only a temporary one, just made me smile. … A good thing with this song, though, is that there’s nothing overtly sexual; it’s just very tongue-in-cheek. Any inference that the protagonist is keeping the secretary late at night to do other things would be in the mind of the listener.

(Paul McCartney, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, 2021)

I did have temporary secretaries. After I left Apple I still had business stuff coming up, so in trying to figure out how I could cope with that there were a couple of times I just grabbed someone to just put my letters in order and help. But that track isn’t about a specific person. What it’s about is, there was a guy called Alfred Marks, he had the Alfred Marks Bureau – he had the same name as a comedian on the radio when I was growing up. So it was just the funny paradox of seeing adverts for the Alfred Marks Bureau, the idea of some comedian having a bureau was just funny. It said ‘Temporary Secretary’, and I thought, that’s a kind of funky thought. Then there was the secretary thing: take a letter Miss Smith, sit on my lap… all that kind of stuff.

(Paul McCartney, The Quietus, 2011)

It was Alfred Marks Secretarial Bureau. And he was a comedian. When I was growing up, he was a famous comedian. But he sort of gave it up and got into this business. It was always a fun thing. When I thought of Alfred Marks Bureau, it was a bit like having the Ken Dodd Office Bureau, you know, just like, mildly amusing.

(Paul McCartney, interview with Adam Buxton, 2020)

RM: Do you use a computer? PM: Pencil and paper. I’m not a typist. Funnily enough, John became a red-hot typist towards the end of his life. He had always had this “Arts Correspondent in Kowloon” kind of dream. But for me it’s pencil and paper by the bed . . . those moments between falling asleep and just before waking are good. I’ve got this little book that Stelly [his daughter, Stella] gave me and it’s full of scribbles and drawings.

(Paul McCartney, interview with Roger McGough, March 10th, 2001)

JOHN: He makes a lot up, like a novelist, you know. SHEFF: Uh— JOHN: You hear lots of McCartney-influenced songs going on, now on the radio. These stories about boring people doing – being postmen, and secretaries, and writing old – I – you know. I’m not interested in writing third[-person], but I like to write about me. ‘Cause I know about me. I don’t know anything about secretaries, and postmen, and – [laughs] whatever.

(John Lennon, August, 1980, interview with David Sheff)

And, of course, the b-side of Temporary Secretary was Secret Friend:

Here we are Where are we Cast adrift on some uncharted sea I know we'll find our way I know we'll reach the end If you will say you'll be my secret friend I need ya

For our joy The Beatles and Ken Dodd (the one Paul was thinking about while writing Temporary Secretary)

[eutanasya]

외모지상주의 517

Lookism 517

The goat has come to cook the whole verse

His blood is worth more than gold. And that jacket too.

Gitae kim

[cutecutejames]

Did we do the secret friend thing this year? October sort of flew by for me, and I just realized I never saw anything about it. It's cool if not or if we already did :)

Yeah, I didn't have the emotional space for it this year. I'll do one again at some point.

Thank you for checking up 💙💙

[i-am-the-oyster]

I love the "I need ya, ya I need ya" at the end of Secret Friend

[paintedcrows]

Whenever Bill sees KingOfNJ's fics through Stan's eyes he just thinks they have the same taste in fanfiction (disgusting. unthinkable) continued

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

I love you Safety Wizard.

(Inspired by @keroascrazy)

[skitter-smack]

My friend <3

[bbbbbbbbatman]

Bruce keeping a tighter and tighter lid on his identity around the Justice League because with each new person to reveal their identity he realizes that he has fucked far too high a percentage of his co workers as Bruce Wayne and he has to take this secret to his grave

[cerealsnail]

his ass is NOT looking at the damn fish

[reinbouxsworld]

twisted wonderland × kimetsu no yaiba (au!)

based on this post here.

I this this on a a japanese song only playlist and a wave of hiperfixation. So heres the context: Yuno (Yuu) and Leona were newly married and lived on his family’s land. On the night after the Town Below festival, Yuno returned home to find not only her husband’s family dead but also her younger brother, Grimm. Leona was the only one still alive, but as she tried to lead him down the mountain, she discovered that he was no longer human.

Silver, a demon slayer, confronted Leona. However, after witnessing him protect Yuno, he chose to spare the newly turned demon’s life, and send the couple to his master, Lilia.

Vil and Rook are the Tamayo and Yuuchiro of this universe. Vil lived more than 300 years only on serving face and hate, nonetheless showed kindness by helping Yuno and Leona after their encounter with the Demon King.

Ace and deuce are both slayers, one ranking above yuu. The three met during a mission, and the two decided to stick by her side from that point on.

[annoyingtelephone]

No se que decir eeee, es una amiga secreta, ahre

[cocoabats]

its time to go home

[bunnybunnym00n]

Secret Santa to furry amino br 🙇🏼‍♂️

My first 2024 drawing 🐉 Happy year of the dragon :D

[kawaislife]

Presentinhos do amigo secreto 2023 / Secret friend gifts 2023 🎁🎄

Obrigada Erika e Furico! Adorei!

[widd-er]

A draw for a secret friend? Hell yeah