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Tim Buckley

Martin Aston, MOJO, July 1995

IN 1965, THE LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE CHEETAH dubbed three emerging singer-songwriters – Jackson Browne, Steve Noonan, and Tim Buckley – 'The Orange County Three'.

Browne progressed towards a comfortably feted stardom which endures to this day Noonan vanished into the ether after one album. And somewhere between their two paths drifted the late Tim Buckley. Between rabid adulation and ignoble obscurity, between legendary status and the losers' list, his is a fixed position, like a star that shines fiercely in the night sky but in space was extinguished eons ago.

Twenty years after his death on June 29, 1975, diehard disciples complain of the mismanagement of Tim Buckley's legacy. Here was a man whose recordings remain extraordinary cross-pollinations of folk-rock, folk-jazz, the avant-garde and all points in between. They are, in the words of Lillian Roxon's famed 1969 Rock Encyclopaedia, "easily the most beautiful in the new music, beautifully produced and arranged, always managing to be wildly passionate and pure at the same time". A shame, then, that they are still to be posthumously rewarded with a decent CD reissue campaign.

"When an artist finally comes through all this mess, you hear a pure voice," said Tim Buckley three months before he died. "We're in the habit of emulating those voices when they're dead."

TIMOTHY CHARLES BUCKLEY III WAS BORN IN AMSTERDAM, New York on Valentine's Day, 1947, his family uprooting westwards a decade later to Anaheim, home of Disneyland and strip malls. He grew up with music. Grandma dug Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith, mom adored Sinatra and Garland. Timothy Charles III himself leaned towards the gnarled county of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, the lonesome sound of the singing cowboys. The kid even taught himself to play the banjo.

Larry Beckett, the Buena Vista high school friend who added erudite lyrics to Buckley melodies over the years, recalls how schoolboy Tim always wanted to sing. Buckley had learnt how to use his perfect pitch from crooners like Nat 'King' Cole and Johnny Mathis but chose to exercise his range by screaming at buses and imitating the sound of trumpets. His voice set sail for the edge early

Jim Fielder, Tim's other best buddy at school, recalls first hearing the Buckley voice. "One hesitates to get flowery but the words 'gift from God' sprung to mind," he says. "He had an incredible range of four octaves, always in tune, with a great vibrato he had complete control over. You don't normally hear that stuff from a 17-year-old."

Recruited by C&W combo Princess Ramona & The Cherokee Riders, Buckley played guitar in a yellow hummingbird shirt and turquoise hat. The Princess soon saw that Timmy's heart wasn't in country – his nascent love of Miles Davis and John Coltrane testified to that – so suggested he turn instead to the burgeoning folk scene. Despite an intuitive gift for its melodic nuances, 'folk-rock' was a tag that would later irk him. Buckley was always cynical about how the business worked. "You hear what they want you to play when you're breaking into the business," he told Sounds in 1972, "and you show 'em what you've got."

With Fielder on bass and lyricist Beckett on drums they formed two bands, the Top 40-oriented Bohemians and the more esoteric, acoustic Harlequin 3, who would mix in poetry and freely ad-lib from Ken Nordine's Word Jazz monologues.

Buckley quickly won great notices in LA, and the 'Orange County Three' accolade only heightened the interest of the music business. Mothers Of Invention drummer Jimmy Carl Black was impressed enough to suggest a meeting with Herb Cohen, a manager with a curiously dual reputation for unswerving breadheadedness and courageous work with mavericks from Lenny Bruce and the Mothers to Captain Beefheart and Wild Man Fischer. Instantly smitten – "there was no question that Tim had something unique" – Cohen sent a demo to Jac Holzman at Elektra, home of folk-rocking excellence.

"I must have listened to it twice a day for a week," said Holzman. "Whenever anything was getting me down, I'd run for Buckley. He was exactly the kind of artist with whom we wanted to grow – young and in the process of developing, extraordinarily gifted and so untyped that there existed no formula or pattern to which anyone would be committed."

Buckley in turn told Zigzag that he respected Holzman because he believed Jac only signed multi-talented acts who made each album an individual statement. Yet Buckley's self-titled debut album in 1966 was also his most generic. "I was only 19," Buckley later recalled in Changes magazine, "and going into the studio was like Disneyland. I'd do anything anybody said." The beat-guitar chime of Lee Underwood and the songs' baroque dressings were blood-related to The Byrds, par for the folk-rock course. "Naive, stiff, quaky and innocent, but a ticket into the marketplace," was Underwood's verdict. But you can discern what Cohen and Holzman had so clearly appraised: above all, that soaring counter-tenor voice and remarkable melodic gift.

The follow-up, Goodbye & Hello (1967), was tainted less by convention than by overambition. Producer Jerry Yester probably saw the chance to drape Buckley's ravishing voice in all the soft-rock flourishes at his disposal, while Beckett's convoluted wordplay was just the wrong side of pretentious. Buckley had radically outgrown the first album's high-school origins, his voice now adopting the languid resonances of his Greenwich Village folk idol Fred Neil on the aching ballads 'Once I Was' and 'Morning Glory'.

"Me and Tim hung around in Greenwich Village during the 1960s," recalls the reclusive songsmith of 'Everybody's Talkin'' and 'Dolphins'. "Tim was completely immersed in the music 24 hours a day He ate, drank and breathed music. I would not be at all surprised to learn that Tim worked on chord progressions and melody lines in his dreams, he was that committed to the art form."

In the Neil vein, Buckley's bristling 'I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain' is a six-minute epistle to his already estranged wife Mary Guibert and son Jeffrey Scott (better known now as Jeff Buckley).

"The marriage was a disaster," says Jim Fielder. "Mary was full of life and talent, a classical pianist and Tim's equal. But the pregnancy made it go sour, as neither of them was ready for it. To Tim it was draining his creative force, and Mary wasn't willing to take the chance on his career, putting it to him like, Settle down and raise a baby or we're through. That kind of showdown."

In the climax to 'I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain', Buckley yelped, pleaded, even shrieked "Baby, pleeeaEEESSE!"), the first evidence of the places his pain would take him. Honesty was the key. When Buckley and Beckett played it autobiographical – exquisitely vulnerable, naive yet insightful – the results were stunning. When they played to the gallery it sounded forced. Of the title track's anti-Vietnam tract, Buckley said, "I just hate the motherfucker. It's like, 'OK motherfuckers, you want a protest song, here it is'. They were bugging the hell out of me so I figured, just this once, and then I wouldn't have to do it again.

"Talking about war is futile," he reckoned. "What can you say about it? You want it to end but you know it won't. Fear is a limited subject but love isn't. I ain't talking about sunsets 'n' trees, I'm involved with America...but the people in America, not the politics. All I can see is the injustice."

Elektra's Jac Holzman, however, felt positive: a poster of Buckley loomed large over Sunset Strip. "As we got deeper into 1967 and Vietnam," Holzman observed, "the combined effect of his words, his music, his passion, his persona struck a particular resonance. To some extent he was the bright side of people's tortured souls, and maybe of his own tortured soul. He could express anguish that wasn't negative."

Goodbye & Hello reached 171 on the Billboard chart, but Buckley wasn't in the mood to consolidate. Instead, when Tonight Show guest host Alan King made fun of his hair, the singer retorted, "You know, it's really surprising, I always thought you were a piece of cardboard." On another outing he refused to lip-synch to 'Pleasant Street' and walked out.

WITH HINDSIGHT, UNDERWOOD TRACES Buckley's depressive tendencies to his father who "suffered a head injury in the Second World War and from then on his insecurities and rage made life miserable for Tim. He saw Tim's beauty, and called him a faggot and beat him up. He looked at Tim's talent and said he'd never make it. His mother didn't help: she'd tell him he'd die young because that's what poets always did. So he grew up deeply hurt and feeling inadequate, yet driven by this extraordinary musical talent that possessed him." The result, Underwood ventures, "gave Tim a deep-seated fear of success...he wanted people to love him but, as they did, he pushed them away".

"Long after his death," says Beckett, "I realised that there were very few songs he wrote that didn't have the word 'home' in them. It seemed like he felt homeless, and nothing would restore it. He seemed OK in high school, maybe a little wild, but he got increasingly neurotic. He'd almost welcome a negative comment that would reaffirm his feelings."

When, in 1970, Jerry Yester's wife Judy Henske poked fun at the line "I'm as puzzled as the oyster" in the majestic 'Song To The Siren', Buckley instantly dropped the song from the set. "He took the smallest criticism to heart," says Larry Beckett, "so that he couldn't even perform a song which he admitted was one of his all-time favourites!"

Another incident stands out from this period. Tim's choirboy looks and froth of curls had attracted a Love Generation-style teenybop following. At a show at New York's Philharmonic Hall, his most prestigious to date, various objects were thrown on stage, a red carnation among them. Buckley stooped down, picked it up and proceeded to chew the petals and spit them out.

"He was very vulnerable and emotional," says Beckett's ex-wife Manda. "It made him terribly attractive to everybody of both sexes. People just sort of swooned around him because he was so sweet. I think that frightened him. He was difficult to deal with because he was scared of his power over people. He almost seemed to reject his audiences for loving him so much. He wasn't mature enough to accept that kind of attention."

Tim would also embroider the truth. At school he'd lied about playing C&W bars, while Larry Beckett remembers dubious boasts of female conquests. Buckley also claimed to have played guitar on The Byrds' first album, which Roger McGuinn always denied. "Tim liked to feed the legend," Beckett recalls with a wry chuckle. "He was quite amoral – if a lie gave a laugh or strengthened his mystique, that was fine. But his music was always honest."

"If someone dared him to do something, he'd do it," recalls British bassist Danny Thompson, who accompanied Buckley on his 1968 UK visit. "This free spirit was what most people saw, but I also saw a bit of a loner. Unlike most people who get into drugs, he wasn't a sad junkie figure. He was more of a naughty boy who said, 'OK, I'll have a go, I'll drink that'."

If he admired Hendrix and Hardin and Havens, Buckley frequently railed against the rock establishment. "All people see is velvet pants and long, blond hair," he fumed. 'A perfect person with spangles and flowered shirts – that's vibrations to them."

"He viewed the blues-oriented rock of the day as white thievery and an emotional sham," says Underwood. "He criticised musicians who spent three weeks learning Clapton licks, when Mingus had spent his whole life living his music.

Retreating to his home base in Venice, LA, Buckley and Underwood took time out to immerse themselves in the music of the East Coast jazz titans. Miles, Coltrane, Monk, Mingus and Ornette Coleman all provided inspiration as rehearsals slowly metamorphosed into jam sessions. The day before playing New York's prestigious Fillmore East theatre, Buckley asked vibraphonist David Friedman to rehearse for the show. Seven hours without sheet music later, a new sound was born.

With Happy/Sad (1969), Buckley began to arc away from the underground culture that had launched him. New York photographer Joe Stevens, a good friend of Buckley's at the time, recalls the singer's suspicious attitude towards the forthcoming Woodstock festival. "He said, Are you really going? Oh man, it's going to be awful.' Yet we used to hang out on a friend's farm which was like a scaled-down Woodstock, with hippy girls walking around, weird food, drugs, freedom and trees."

Although Jerry Yester was again involved, Happy/Sad was the polar opposite to Goodbye & Hello's crowded ambition: spacious, supple, a sea of possibilities. The line-up was just vibraphone, string bass, acoustic 12-string and gently rippling electric guitar. "The Modern Jazz Quartet Of Folk," enthused vibraphonist David Friedman. "Heart music," Buckley offered, and Elektra used his words in the ads like a manifesto. Happy/Sad's only real comparison is Astral Weeks, a similarly symmetrical, fluid work that revels in its lack of boundaries while possessing a unique tension.

"The trick of writing," Buckley felt, "is to make it sound like it's all happening for the first time. So you feel it's everybody's idea."

Van Morrison, Laura Nyro and John Martyn were also melting the walls between rock, blues, folk and jazz; at 22, Buckley was the youngest of the bunch. He'd also caught the jazz bug the hardest. Yester revealed that the band resisted second takes, while 'Strange Feeling' was bravely anchored to the bass line of Miles Davis's 'All Blues' before Buckley's voice set sail, caressing and cajoling.

"Being with Tim was like going out with an English professor," recalls Bob Duffy, Buckley's tour manager at the time. "He was very serious and almost stodgy, exactly the opposite of what you'd think a rock star would be. He wasn't in the music business to get laid. If one of the guys in the band came up and mentioned women, 13 of them would run out of the room, except for Tim who just sat there, guitar in hand, almost like he was teaching himself the songs again even though he'd played these songs 200 times, because he wanted the show to be as musically performed as possible. I saw incredible shows that he got depressed about, and wouldn't talk to anyone afterwards – he was very Zappa-like in that demanding way, but he was one of the sanest people on that level that I worked with."

As its very title acknowledged, despite Happy/Sad's sun-splashed backdrop, musical invention and lyrical joie de vivre, its mood was acutely introspective. Critic Simon Reynolds has described it as "a poignant premonition of loss, of an inevitable autumn..."

Lyrics had clearly shifted to a secondary, supportive role. Larry Beckett says he was politely informed that the singer would pen the lyrics alone. "He was moving toward a jazz sound, so to have wild poetry all over the map, you'd miss the jazz. But it was my feeling too that Tim felt his success was due to my lyrics rather than his music, so he wanted to see how well he'd do alone. He tended to believe the worst about himself..."

"It was very hard for me to write songs after Goodbye & Hello, because most of the bases were touched," Buckley admitted. "That was the end of my apprenticeship for writing songs. Whatever I wrote after that wasn't adolescent, which means it isn't easy because you can't repeat yourself. The way Jac [Holzman] had set it up you were supposed to move artistically, but the way the business is you're not. You're supposed to repeat what you do, so there's a dichotomy there. People like a certain type of thing at a certain time, and it's very hard to progress.

In another interview Tim said, "I can see where I'm heading, and it will probably be further and further from what people expected of me."

"He was very friendly and open to ideas, not a prima donna or a hypocrite," recalls John Balkin, who played bass with Buckley in 1969-70. "There was no drugs, sex and rock'n'roll in relation to him as an artist, not like Joplin and Hendrix, getting stoned before or during a gig. He felt stifled and frustrated by the boundaries that be, trying to stretch as an artist but making a living too. I remember Herbie Cohen saying, 'Go drive a truck then'..."

PROGRESSION WAS NOW BUCKLEY'S WATCH-word. Dream Letter, recorded in 1968 at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, was already more diffuse than Happy/ Sad, lacking the pulse of Carter CC Collins's congas. The budget couldn't afford him or bassist John Miller, so Pentangle's Danny Thompson was drafted in to play an intuitively supportive – and barely rehearsed – role.

"I got a call asking me to turn up and rehearse everything at once," recalls Thompson. "He refused to get into a routine of singing 'the song'. We did a TV show, and when it came to doing it live Tim said, 'Let's do another song', which we'd never rehearsed. It was two minutes longer than our time slot, and the producer was putting his finger across his throat, and Tim looked at him with a puzzled expression and carried on, like art and music was far more important than any of this rubbish that surrounds it. He was fearless."

Clive Selwood, who ran the UK branch of Elektra records, recalls the same episode: "Tim had got a slot on the Julie Felix Show on BBC. He turned up to rehearsals with Danny Thompson an hour late; he shuffled in, nodded when introduced to the producer, unsheathed his guitar, and they launched into an extemporisation of one of his songs that lasted over an hour. The producer and Felix watched open-mouthed, not daring to interrupt. The most exhaustingly magical performance I have ever witnessed – and all to an audience of three. When it was done, Tim slapped his guitar in the case, said 'OK?' to the producer, and departed."

A year later after a heady bout of touring, including the Fillmore East's opening night alongside BB King, Buckley's muse was flying high. In 1968 he'd sounded enraptured, a wayward choirboy testing the limits of a new-found sound, but the voice of 1969 scatted and scorched, twisting and ascending like a wreath of smoke. The music mixed blues, jazz and ballads, throwing in calypso, even cooking on the verge of funk. A key Buckley moment arrived at the climax of a simmering 14-minute 'Gypsy Woman' (from Happy/Sad), when he yelled, "Oh, cast a spell on Timmy!", like an exorcism in reverse. Few singers craved possession so hungrily.

A little-known artefact from this period is his soundtrack music for the film Changes, directed by Hall Bartlett who later went on to helm Jonathan Livingston Seagull. A live set from the Troubadour, finally released two years ago, previewed material that surfaced on Lorca (1970). The album was named after the murdered Spanish poet, whose simultaneously violent and tender poetics Buckley was vocally mirroring. On the song 'Lorca' itself, and on 'Anonymous Proposition' and 'Driftin',' Buckley floats and stings over a languid blue-note haze – crooning and stretching half-tones over shapeless stanzas.

"We never had any music to read from," bassist John Balkin remembers. "We just noodled through and went for it, just finding the right note or coming off a note and making it right." Buckley regarded the title track as "my identity as a unique singer; as an original voice."

The timing wasn't great. Now tuning into such mellow songsmiths as James Taylor, the Love Generation was in no mood to follow in Buckley's wayward footsteps, any more than Buckley had kowtowed to Elektra's craving for old-style troubadour charm. As Holzman says, "he was making music for himself at that point...which is fine, except for the problem of finding enough people to listen to it."

"An artist has a responsibility to know what's gone down and what's going on in his field, not to copy but to be aware," the creator responded. "Only that way can he strengthen his own perception and ability"

Around this time Holzman was poised to sell Elektra, which upset Buckley Although major label offers were on the table – "a lot of bread, which makes me feel really good" – he decided that money wasn't the issue: "That's not where I'm at. I can live on a low budget." After some deliberation he signed to Straight, a Warners-distributed label formed by Herb Cohen and Frank Zappa. "It would be better for me to stay with one man who had taken care of me," he said. "No matter what anyone thinks of Herbie, he's a great dude." But he capitulated to Cohen's demand to record a more accessible record: aptly named, Blue Afternoon (1969) is a collection of narcotic folk-torch ballads.

"Tim always wrote about love and suffering in all their manifestations," says Lee Underwood. "He felt that underneath love was fear, fear of love and success and attention and responsibility" In the album's centrepiece, 'Blue Melody', Buckley keens: "There ain't no wealth that can buy my pride/There ain't no pain that can cleanse my soul/No, just a blue melody/Sailing far away from me." In 'So Lonely', he confessed that "Nobody comes around here no more". In press material for the album, Buckley said the songs had been written for Marlene Dietrich.

Blue Afternoon beat Lorca to the shops by a month. With two albums vying for attention, his already diminished sales potential was halved. (Lorca didn't even chart). Buckley never commercially-minded, was still looking forward. "When I did Blue Afternoon, I had just about finished writing set songs," he told Zigzag. "I had to stretch out a little bit...the next [album] is mostly dealing in time signatures."

Has any troubadour ever stretched out quite as Buckley did on 1970's Starsailor? Buckley's third album in a year in the words of bassist John Balkin, was "a whole different genre". Balkin, who ran a free improvisation group with Buzz and Bunk Gardner of the Mothers, had introduced Buckley to opera singer Cathy Berberian's interpretations of songs by Luciano Berio, inspiring the ever-restless Buckley to new heights. Over throbbing rhythms and atonal dynamics, the Gardners' blowing was matched by Buckley's gymnastic yodels and screams: one moment he sounded like an autistic child, the next like Tarzan. Everything peaked on the title song, with its 16 tracks of vocal overdubs. Larry Beckett, recalled to add impressionistic poetry to expressionistic music, also had a field day: to wit, the likes of "Behold the healing festival/complete for an instant/the dance figure pure constellation." Indeed.

"For the 'Starsailor' track itself," recalls Balkin, "we wanted things like Timmy's voice moving and circling the room, coming over the top like a horn section, like another instrument, not like five separate voices. His range was incredible. He could get down with the bass part and be up again in a split second."

Fiercely beautiful, Starsailor is a unique masterpiece. Aside from 'Song To The Siren', the album was the epitome of uneasy listening. "Sometimes you're writing and you know that you're not going to fit," Buckley responded. "But you do it because it's your heart and soul and you gotta say it. When you play a chord, you're dating yourself...the fewer chords you play, the less likely you are to get conditioned, and the more you can reveal of what you are."

If Starsailor came close to Coltrane's 'sheets of sound', it was hard not to see it as commercial suicide. Attempts to reproduce Starsailor live didn't help. "The shows Tim booked himself after Starsailor were total free improvisation, vocal gymnastics time," recalls Balkin. "I can still see him onstage, his head down, snoring. There was one episode of barking at the audience too. After one show, Frank Zappa said we sounded good, and he wasn't one who easily handed out compliments."

"BUCKLEY YODELLING BAFFLES AUDIENCE," ran a Rolling Stone headline. As Herb Cohen says today, "he was changing too drastically, playing material that audiences weren't necessarily coming to hear and that was beyond the realm of their capability"..."An instrumentalist can be understood doing just about anything, but people are really geared to something coming out of the mouth being words," a resentful Buckley said in a subsequent press release. "I use my voice as an instrument when I'm performing live. The most shocking thing I've ever seen people come up against, beside a performer taking off his clothes, is dealing with someone who doesn't sing words. If I had my way, words wouldn't mean a thing."

Buckley was driven into deep depression by Starsailor's failure. Straight wouldn't provide tour support, the old band had fragmented because there was so little work for them, and Buckley was reduced to booking his own shows in small clubs. At last he shared the bitter, neglected status of his jazz idols. Underwood confirms that in order to take the sting away, Buckley dabbled in barbiturates and heroin. When Buckley prefaced 'I Don't Need It To Rain' on the Troubadour album by saying, "This one's called Give Smack A Chance", it was a dangerous joke. "He was mocking the peace movement, the whole Beatles mentality of the day" says Underwood.

At least his personal life had improved. He'd re-married, bought a house in upmarket Laguna Beach (subsequently painted black to outrage the neighbours), and effectively gone to ground. "I'd been going strong since 1966 and really needed a rest," was Buckley's explanation. "I hadn't caught up with any living." He also inherited his wife Judy's seven-year-old son Taylor.

Judy doesn't recall any drug abuse. Nor does she remember Tim driving a cab, chaffeuring Sly Stone or studying ethnomusicology at UCLA, as the singer often claimed at the time. Instead, she recalls Tim reading voraciously catching up with his favourite Latin American writers at the UCLA library and channelling his creative urges into acting.

The unreleased 1971 cult film Why? Starring OJ Simpson was shot during this period. "It was their first film but both Tim and OJ were incredible actors. The camera loved them," remembers co-star Linda Gillen. "Tim had this James Dean quality He's so handsome in the movie and yet such a mess! You know those Brat Pack kind of films, where people play prefabricated rebels who see themselves as kinda bad but they have a PR taking care of business? Well, Tim was the real deal. He didn't give a fuck how he looked or dressed. He had no hidden agenda. He had an incredible naivety.

"We used to improvise in the film. Tim's character talks to the effect that you can't commit suicide. You can't amend your feelings for other people; you have to find that thing that's good in you and keep that alive. A lot of the group had been onto my character about taking heroin but Tim would always be the sympathetic one. But that was Tim. He'd understand where they were coming from, why they would do what they did.

"On set, I used to hum to myself to fight off boredom and Tim would pick up on what I was humming, like 'Miss Otis Regrets', and we'd end up harmonising together" she continues. "I loved Fred Neil, and asked if he knew 'Dolphins', which he sung for me. He'd say 'They got to Fred Neil, don't let it happen to you'. He'd talk in this strange, paranoid, ominous way, about 'the man'. That night, we went to buy Fred's album and bypassed Tim's on the way! He never hustled his records to me; he wasn't a self-promoter.

"I wondered why Tim was working on this schleppy movie, because I knew people like Roger McGuinn who were making millions, and he said, very silently 'I need the money'. We were only earning $420 a week on the film, and I said, is that all the money you have right now? and he said, 'No, I'm getting a song covered,' which I think was 'Gypsy Woman' which Neil Diamond was going to do."

Meanwhile, the comic plot of his unfilmed screenplay Fully Air-Conditioned Inside was based on a struggling musician who blows up an audience calling for old songs and makes his escape tucked beneath the wings of a vulture, singing 'My Way'...

WHEN AN ALBUM FINALLY EMERGED IN 1972, Buckley had once again avoided covering familiar ground. Greetings From LA was a seriously funky amalgam of rock and soul. His youthful verve might have gone, but his wondrous holler whipped things along. "After Starsailor, I decided to re-evaluate, and I decided the way to come back was to be funkier than everybody," he boasted. But would radio stations play a record as shocking lyrically as Starsailor had been musically?

Judy was the new muse ('An exceptionally beautiful woman, provocative and witty too," says Underwood) and the album was drenched in lust. In a year when David Bowie made sex a refrigeratedly alien concept, Buckley wrote a set of linked songs in a sultry New Orleans populated by a constellation of pimps, whores and hustlers. "I went down to the meat rack tavern," was the album's opening line; and it closed on, "I'm looking for a street corner girl/And she's gonna beat me, whip me, spank me, make it all right again..."

Buckley explained his reasoning to Chrissie Hynde when she interviewed him for the NME in 1974. "I realised all the sex idols in rock weren't saying anything sexy – not Jagger or [Jim] Morrison. Nor had I learned anything sexually from a rock song. So I decided to make it human and not so mysterious."

Producer Hal Willner who subsequently organised the Tribute To Tim Buckley show at St Anne's Church, Brooklyn, remembers the singer at this time. "I saw Buckley live four times, including two of the best performances I've ever seen. He was everything someone could look for in music, totally transcendent. The first time took 100 per cent of my attention, like taking some sort of pill. You'd expect it from guys like Pharoah Sanders and Sun Ra, but that's a very rare feeling to get in rock. Another time he opened for Zappa in his Grand Wazoo period, and the audience was incredibly rude to him, booing and heckling. But he handled it beautifully just carrying on, talking sarcastically, trying to get them to blow pot smoke on the stage. He was a genius in every sense. He should be seen on the same level as Edith Piaf and Miles Davis."

"Rock'n'roll was meant to be body music," Buckley stated in Downbeat magazine. But diehard fans wanted to know why he was now singing rock'n'roll. "His last albums were dictated somewhat by business considerations," says Lee Underwood, "but few understood they were also dictated by major music considerations. Where else could he go after Starsailor's intellectual heights except to its opposite, to white funk dance music, rooted in sexuality? At least Tim's R&B was honest, unlike the over-rehearsed stuff that pretends to be spontaneous. Greetings is still one of the best rock'n'roll albums ever to come down the pike. Throughout his career, he constantly asked and answered a question that can be terrifying, which is, Where do we go from here? People criticised him during Lorca and Starsailor and wanted him to play rock'n'roll, but when he did they said he sold out."

True compromise was far more detectable on 1974's album Sefronia, released by Cohen and Zappa's new DiscReet label under the Warner Brothers umbrella. "Everyone was second guessing where he should go next," says his old friend Donna Young, "and Tim started listening to what other people thought."

Some new-found literary acumen was displayed on the title track, a ballad as lush as the album's reading of Fred Neil's 'Dolphins'. But five of the songs were covers, including the sappy MOR duet 'I Know I'd Recognise Your Face', while pale retreads of Greetings' honeyed funk served as filler. Guitarist Joe Falsia was now in the Tonto role, Underwood having stepped down to deal with his drug addiction. Herbie Cohen was obviously calling the shots. "Some of those songs were beautiful but you have to get through Herb's idea of what is commercial," says Underwood.

As commercial compromises go, Sefronia was terrific – radio-friendly and lyrically approachable – but Buckley knew the score. "If I write too much music, it loses, as happened on Sefronia. Y'know, it gets stale." In reference to the folk-rock era, he observed that "the comradeship is just not there any more, and it affects the music." His boisterous barrelhouse sound was showcased at 1974's Knebworth Festival in Britain, where Buckley opened a bill that included Van Morrison, The Doobie Brothers and The Allman Brothers Band. It was his first UK show since 1968, and few knew who he was.

Photographer Joe Stevens reacquainted himself with Tim at a DiscReet launch in London: "He was sitting at a table signing autographs, which I couldn't have imagined him doing before. When he saw me he said, 'Come on, let's get out of here,' before they'd even said, 'Ladies'n'gentlemen, Tim Buckley!' We hit the street, took some photos, then took a taxi back to my place. He spent two days curled around my TV set, cooing at my girlfriend. We got calls from Warners accusing me of kidnapping their artist! You could see what had happened to him. The youth had gone out of his face, and his smile would break into a frown as soon as it had finished."

Look At The Fool (1975), with its frazzled, Tijuana-soul feel, was purer Buckley again, but the songwriting meandered badly – 'Wanda Lu' remains one of the most ignominious final songs of any brilliant career. "It just seemed that the more down he became, the more desperate he sounded," his sister Kathleen told Musician magazine. "The work of a man desperately trying to connect with an audience that has deserted him," pronounced Melody Maker. The photo on the back cover caught Buckley with a quizzical, defeated expression. Look at the fool, indeed. Honest to the end.

In 1974, Buckley wrote to Lee Underwood: "You are what you are, you know what you are, and there are no words for loneliness – black, bitter, aching loneliness that gnaws the roots of silence in the night..."

"Tim felt he'd given everything to no avail," says Underwood. "He was even suicidal for a short while because he felt there was no place left to go, emotionally speaking. He was gaining new audiences and improving his singing within conventional song forms, but comments that he'd sold out made him feel terrible. He never understood his fear of success, and remained divided and tormented to the end. I urged him to take therapy shortly before his death, when he was feeling very bitter, to the point of suicide, but he said, 'Lose the anger, lose the music'."

"We saw a lot of him over the years as disillusionment set in," says Clive Selwood, who, inspired by Buckley's session for BBC's John Peel Show, later founded the Strange Fruit label and its Peel Sessions. "When we first met he spent his leisure time cycling across Venice Beach, guzzling a six-pack. When we last met, he was carrying a gun, in fear of the reactionary side of American life, who despised his long hair. He said, 'If you're carrying a gun, you stand a chance'."

"He continually took chances with his life," adds Larry Beckett. "He'd drive like a maniac risking accidents. For a couple of years he drank a lot and took downers to the point where it nearly killed him, but he'd always escape. Then he got into this romantic heroin-taking thing. Then his luck ran out." Buckley's most revered idols were Fred Neil – who chose anonymity rather than exploit the success of 'Everybody's Talkin'' – and Miles Davis, both icons and both junkies. "He lived on the edge, creatively and psychologically" says Lee Underwood. "He treated drugs as tools, to feel or think things through in more intense ways. To explore."

One planned exploration was a musical adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novel Out Of The Islands and a screenplay of Thomas Wolfe's You Can't Go Home Again. Of more immediate consequence, Buckley had won the part of Woody Guthrie in Hal Ashby's film Bound For Glory. The role might have restored him to public consciousness as well as financial independence, but in the end it went instead to David Carradine.

Buckley was still up for playing live. After a short tour culminating in a sold-out show at an l,800-capacity venue in Dallas, the band partied on the way home, as was customary An inebriated Tim proceeded to his good friend Richard Keeling's house in order to score some heroin.

As Underwood tells it, Keeling, in flagrante delicto and unwilling to be disturbed, argued with Buckley: "Finally in frustration, Richard put a quantity of heroin on a mirror and thrust it at Tim, saying, 'Go ahead, take it all', like a challenge. As was his way, Tim sniffed the lot. Whenever he was threatened or told what to do, he rebelled."

Staggering and lurching around the house, Buckley had to be taken home, where Judy Buckley laid him on the floor with a pillow. She then put him to bed, thinking he would recover; when she checked later, he'd turned an ominous shade of blue. The paramedics were called but it was too late. Tim Buckley was dead.

"I remember Herb saying Tim had died, and we all just sat there," recalls Bob Duffy, Buckley's old tour manager. "It wasn't expected but it was like watching a movie, and that was its natural ending."

"It was painful to listen to his records after he died," says Linda Gillen. "I remember how vibrant he was. He had that same lost alienation as friends who had committed suicide. He was smart, wonderful, mean nasty, kind, racist, and a loyal friend, all kinds of contradictions. A true original."

"When he died, I took a week off," remembers Joe Stevens. "He was special – an innocent in an animal machine."

IN 1983, IVO WATTS-RUSSELL of the 4AD label had the inspired notion to marry the vaporous drama of the Cocteau Twins to Buckley's 'Song To The Siren'. Punk's Stalinist purge was over, and the result was a haunting highlight of post-New Wave rock, launching both This Mortal Coil and Buckley's posthumous reputation.

Before he died, Buckley had been planning a live LP spanning the various phases of his career. Sixteen years later Dream Letter was released to great acclaim. "Nobody would have listened before," reckons Herb Cohen. "Things have their own cycle, usually close to 20 years. You have to wait."

"He knowingly compromised his fierce artistic ideals, but his gut feeling was that he'd get more freedom later," says Larry Beckett. "If he'd gone into hiding for 10 years, no end of labels would have recorded anything he wanted. Things do come around."

"He was one of the great ballad singers of all time, up there with Mathis and Sinatra," believes Lee Underwood. "He would have pulled out of his youthful confusion, expanded his musical scope to include great popular and jazz songs. Tim Buckley didn't say 'I am this, I am that'. He said, 'I am all of these things'."

#jeff buckley #jeffbuckley #tim buckley #Martin Aston #MOJO #July 1995

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dollarbin · 5 months ago

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Dollar Bin #40:

Lucinda Williams' Running Down A Dream

As the self-appointed Lord of The Dollar Bin I do not sing karaoke. The closest I come is bellowing out Love Shack on the bike ride to work/school with my daughter, much to her horror and amusement. Why Love Shack? I don't know. The song just floats my entire flotilla of boats.

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But when it comes to karaoke, there's only one human being I would eagerly listen to rocking the mic, and that's Lucinda Williams. She's Tom Waits without artifice; she's my Dodgers as soon as Clayton Kershaw retakes the mound; she's my sainted wife with a flamethrower.

And so I've always been on the Dollar Bin watch for Running Down a Dream, Williams' Covid-era toss off Tom Petty tribute album. I've never been willing to drop $30 for it, ever. But $15 while on vacation for a three sided record, even if it's nothing more than Lucinda offering up Petty's lyrics via teleprompter while assorted young men act like The Heartbreakers? Yeah, sign me up.

At least for me, the legend of Lucinda Williams still begins with the Rolling Stone review of Car Wheels On A Gravel Road in the late 90's. Back then the magazine was a meaningful authority rather than an endless series of pop up ads for sex toys and the equally dumb Foo Fighters. And so that review introduced me to Williams as a feminist savant, a mature woman who could sing about masturbation and make it high, perfected, art.

Well, it's 26 years later and Williams no longer dwells in the perfectionist camp, refusing to put out records until they are impeccable. Gillian Welch took her place on the perfectionist throne late in the Oughts and hasn't let go yet.

Let's get into this record:

The first three songs are freakin' awesome. This is not karaoke; this is Lucinda Williams finally delivering a big deal rock and roll record.

She opens with Rebels, Petty's personal, problematic and deeply poetic rewrite of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. The song marks the end of Petty's mid-80's, heavy cocaine, first smashing into a wall, era; sitars, skateboarders and vampires soon took over. As such the song comes complete with allusions to "blue bellied devils" who "burned our cornfields and left our cities leveled". That would be the union soldiers who saved our country and ended slavery. So, wow, that's something to chew on.

Williams, who's obviously white and grew up in the deep South, had to have a Confederate flag airbrushed off her jacket for an early album cover. But she also preaches progressive politics in song, swears by the Velvet Underground as much as Hank Williams, and calls Trump a man without a soul. So, like Petty's song and Petty himself, she's complicated.

But singing a song like Rebels without apology and making it the lead track for an album that came out at the same time everyone worthwhile - including Williams herself - was grieving George Floyd is a bit more than complicated; its straight up knotty. Or nutty. Or both.

But meanwhile the song sounds awesome.

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The album's title track follows, so we get a break from all that edgyness and take a ride with Petty, Del Shannon and Lucinda. And what a lovely drive: the track gives the hipsters in her band a chance to shred. Petty's lead guitarist, Mike Campbell, is the white man's Hendrix, sure.

But check this out.

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Williams doesn't let up after that; rather she makes another brilliant decision with Gainesville, an Echoes-era outtake I never appreciated until now.

Williams owns the song; like Petty, she too grew up thinking of a place with more than a few stoplights as a "big town". It's these moments of sympathy and kinship between Lucinda and Tom I like best; later in the album Williams handles the line "be a landlord and a renter" in a manner that shows she deeply understands the later position and has no interest in the former. In doing so she understands Petty's lyric better than he did and way the hell better than I, born into late 70's SoCal privilege, ever could.

But Williams recorded three or four other tribute records all at once during the lockdown and then rushed them all out - and that entirely oppositional approach to the deliberate work she did in the 90's makes for problems during much of the rest of the album. Too often the arrangements are obvious, and therefore dull. Same thing with the song selection: You Don't Know How It Feels has always been a boring song and Williams offers it no fresh new angle. Let me get to the point Lucinda: you shoulda chosen a better song.

But the album's biggest problem is Side 4: and that's because there is no Side 4. We get a picture disc of Williams instead of any of the real deep tracks from Petty's first, pumped-up heyday. We should have Insider, with Williams performing utterly solo; we should gaze with her out the window of a 747 and see only black sky.

And we should hear American Girl delivered by one of the greatest of our American Women.

#lucinda williams #tom petty #the b 52s

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luvfy0dor · 1 year ago

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The Guild and Music!! ♬

╰─▸ Fitzgerald, Alcott, Lucy, Poe, Steinbeck, Hawthorne

CW: None besides probably slightly poor explanations.

Description: The Guild and music I think some of the characters would like.

F. Scott Key Fitzgerald $

╰─▸ Classical & Jazz ☑

I really want to say he likes country, but I don't really see him regularly listening to it. We know Fitzgerald is rich and stuck up, which is why I think he prefers "classier" music. Classical piano music was the first genre that came to mind. He likes how elegant it sounds, and he would probably get some sort of superiority complex for liking it.

"Hmm, I couldn't imagine listening to pop music, it's all the same. Classical music, however-"

For the exact same reason, he definetly likes Jazz. He would most likely avoid music he finds fake or electronic. The sounds of saxophones and pianos are literally and metaphorically music to his ears.

Ex; Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Bach, Mozart.

Louisa May Alcott $

╰─▸ Folk & Classical ☑

I don't want to sound repetitive but I really do think Alcott would like classical music, too. She would play some on vinyl as soft background music while she strategizes for the guild, preferring instrumental music as it's less distracting than music with lyrics.

She seems like she would enjoy the softness of folk music, matching her timid personality we often see in the show/manga. There's something, to me at least, that makes folk music seem more hollow than pop or rock. That's definitely something I can see her enjoying when it comes to music.

Ex; Mozart, The Highwaymen

Lucy Maud Montgomery $

╰─▸ Pop Punk & Indie ☑

Look at me and look at Montgomery and tell me she wouldn't like Avril Lavigne. She definitely likes pop punk love songs. She longs to feel that kind of connection with someone, especially after leaving the guild thinking she had absolutely nowhere to go.

On a different note, her softer side of that desire would probably be the reason she would enjoy indie music. She likes the softer vibe that contrast her strong emotions, but put those feelings into words as well.

Ex; Avril Lavigne, Blink-182, Bon Iver, The Neighbourhood

Edgar Allan Poe $

╰─▸ Goth & Horrorcore ☑

I think these two are pretty connected to Edgar Allan Poe's real world writing and the aesthetic of the bsd Poe. I think he would like romantic Goth music, songs that go into detail on emotion. He also really enjoys the unique style of instrumentals, lyricism is probably the most important thing in a gothic song to him, though.

However, I think he would enjoy horrorcore, too. This one is specifically because of his writings (real world), and also his seven-year obsession with killing Ranpo. On the contrary to softer goth music, I think he wouldn't mind horrorcore rap/hip-hop. (?) He would like the intensity and boldness of the lyrics.

Ex; London After Midnight, Bloody Dead and Sexy, Twiztid, Insane Clown Posse

John Steinbeck $

╰─▸ Old Country ☑

There's not much to say about him, but I think old country would remind him of his family back home. He would listen to it whenever feeling spiteful towards Fitzgerald because of his greed.

Ex; Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Dolly Parton

Nathaniel Hawthorne $

╰─▸ Gospel Music, Christian Rock ☑

Obviously because Hawthorne is quite religious, he definitely listens to gospel music. When he's not and he's angry or upset over something (probably Mitchell) he would listen to Christian rock. Even while upset or mourning, his religion is still important to him and his music taste highly reflects that.

·˚ ₊·› ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ A/N - Thank you so much for reading! I'm so sorry if I poorly described any of the genres i mentioned or used incorrectly labelled artists as examples. I'm gonna be completely honest, I didn't put much research into this and I don't really know all too much about some of the genres, so I hope I did them remote justice lol

Ex; Shirley Caesar, Skillet

#bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd #the guild bsd #f. scott fitzgerald #louisa may alcott #lucy montgomery #edgar allan poe #john steinbeck #nathaniel hawthorne #music #bsd headcanons #headcannons

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sotvtaughtmehowtofeel · 2 years ago

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One thing about me, I'm obsessed with the art of picking titles. And episode 4 has been a puzzle to me for a while.

Please hold to my hand. It's such an odd phrasing.

It's a Hank Williams lyric: "alone and forsaken by fate and by man/oh lord if you hear me please hold to my hand/oh please understand"

Now we're coming right off of Episode 3 where Joel changed into Frank's shirt symbolizing "...Joel’s needs for salvation. Even though he sees himself as Ellie’s protector, he’s been in a pit for the past 20 years and she’s going to help him climb out." (curtesy of @mothandpidgeon, see here: https://www.tumblr.com/dilf-din/714354023944404992/mothandpidgeon-i-love-a-choice-like-this?source=share)

I think we all know Joel is alone and forsaken at the start of this show. This episode gives us some gooood character stuff: -we get another "are you gonna help? no" moment -this is the first time we see Joel kill people, not infected (I believe) EDIT: wrong, I just remembered about that guard in ep 1 -Brian doesn't start begging for his life until Joel tells Ellie to get back behind the wall because he KNOWS her witness is the only thing stopping Joel from killing him -Joel admitting some of the bad guy things he did in the past -Ellie asking outright if he's killed innocent people and his inability to admit it to her despite being completely honest up until this point

Joel is alone and forsaken and a shell of a man, but Ellie represents the good still left in Joel. And Joel is starting to try to get back to his goodness, and to seek salvation from Ellie.

Please hold to my hand. Oh please understand (why I’ve done the things I’ve done)

#i’d be really interested to hear what you all think!#i've been thinking about this for a long time haha #the last of us #tlou #joel miller #ellie williams

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gerogerigaogaigar · 1 year ago

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Funkadelic - Maggot Brain

For the early days of Funkadelic's career the funk definitely took a backseat to the psychedelic. And while there are funky elements throughout Maggot Brain the real star is guitarist Eddie Hazel. I think Eddie Hazel is one of the best guitarists ever, his work in Funkadelic and his solo career is a blend of psychedelic, blues, hard rock, funk, and jazz and no one blends them all the way Hazel does. On the middle of the album Hazel plays fuzzy heavy riffs especially on You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks and Super Stupid. And on the ten minute opening and closing tracks he shows off his improv skill by playing delicate strings of jazzy riffs that create a beautiful stream of consciousness style solo. Obviously every single ayer on this album is a master at what they do but if its early Funkadelic, especially Maggot Brain and Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On, then Eddie Hazel is your god.

U2 - The Joshua Tree

This is an enjoyable album. The 135th best album ever? Oh my god no. U2 are factory default music. They are plain, unsalted potato chips. Bono is incredible at reaching into the void and pulling out the platonic ideal of banality. Like these guys can write decent music, but there is no soul. Inside those jangly chords and melodramatic vocals is just a bunch of guys who want to be famous and will do anything to get there except be sincere.

Fugees - The Score

In terms of rhyming, flow, storytelling capabilities, expansive vocabulary, beat crafting, and whatever else you want out of a hip hop record The Score is possibly the greatest record of all time. Wyclef Jean in charge of production and bringing a casual style of rap with heavy use of Haitian creole, Miss Lauryn Hill with a tough stacatto style while also bringing beautiful singing, and furtive Pras so easily forgotten. The mix of reggae and jazz into the hip hip beats made for some very unique flow and makes the group stand out on the basis of their instrumentals alone. But the rap skills of the rest of the group are completely insane and all three are ao perfectly in sync with each other. The lyrics are effortlessly cool and intelligent as fuck at the same time. There are absolutely no throw away tracks on here. Every single song could and should have been a smash hit single. And to be fair Ready Or Not and Fu-Gee-La did become huge hits and the transcendent cover of Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly is one of the most evergreen songs in hip hop history. The Score has stood the test of time and become one of the most belived albums for a reason.

Joni Mitchell - Hejira

At this point in her career Joni Mitchell was an unparalleled genius at artistic expression. A little folksy and very jazzy, especially with the help of fretless bassist Jaco Pastorius, Mitchell is in the zone here. Every song developing its own complex series of characters and symbols. This is Joni Mitchell's most complete and cohesive work, although i personally have a slight preference for the less focused Hissing Of Summer Lawns.

Hank Williams - 40 Greatest Hits

What am i even supposed to say at this point? Sure I like Hank Williams but if you cant actually point to an album that is significant to call one of the 500 greatest then just choose aomething else. Hey there have only been three or four metal albums total and one electronic album so far. Why not choose some of that? Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Judas Priest, Converge, Rainbow, Entombed, Gojira, Sepultura, Devin Townsend, Voivod, Opeth, Between The Buried And Me? Theres a list of metal bands with top 500 tier albums. Andy Stott, Carl Craigg, 808 State, The KLF, Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Robert Hood, The Orb, Justice, Moodyman, The Field, Leftfield, Mr. Oizo. There I gave you some electronic artists too. This list sucks. Oh yeah and Hank Williams is like the father of country music and is really good and important or whatever.

#500 album gauntlet #funkadelic #U2 #fugees #joni mitchell #hank williams

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cordelianewman · 2 years ago

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Happy Birthday, Babe! @cagenewman

Even though my official birthday plans for you won't start until tomorrow, and continue throughout the weekend, can't pass up giving you your presents. While we celebrate another holiday, I stand firm this is why we need a whole birthday weekend or week for you, so it doesn't steal your thunder, obviously! First, I couldn't pass up a delicious chocolate malt and stout cake -- something tells me the Irish would approve. Best yet, I also go cupcakes to bring to your brother's which means you could keep this cake for yourself -- so long as you're willing to share with me. The photo frame has an original vinyl of Hank William Jr's music and the lyrics to one of his songs scripted on the outside. Now I know you're not exactly a jewelry person but something tells me these are pieces you won't mind in your wardrobe. The watch is one completely crafted from wood, aside from the inner mechanics to make the watch actually work. Felt like this is something you could dress up, dress down, wear whenever you like and it still looks timeless on you. Plus the brown goes with your pretty blue eyes. The bracelet has a simple white gold charm engraved with a 'C' for Colton and his date of birth on the back to keep him close to you. Of course, little miss, couldn't miss out on giving you a gift. So I drew these little figures of us and she... made us... okay, so she definitely got your eye color right, just not the sizing -- never said she was gonna be the next up and coming artist but she is all too excited to give this to you.

Guess now that the gift giving is out of way I can get to the mushy stuff. The last year hasn't been without its difficulties, but seeing your birthday and celebrating it together leads us to yet another year together. There has been no one as honest, well-meaning, and caring coming into the life of someone with a child and immediately embracing not only your old high school sweetheart but my daughter, who adores you, in case you didn't notice. We're blessed to spend another year with you and going into the next year I hope it's going to be another exciting, adventurous, crazy, passionate, year around the sun till we're standing back here again next year.

Seeing the man you've become since walking back into my life has been such an amazing experience and I realize just how lucky not only I am, but so many people are to have you in their life. There's genuinely nothing I wouldn't do to make you happy, and I realize that I've never been more happy than because of you. You have the most amazing spirit and can't wait to see what this world has in store with you through the next several years of your life. You deserve the world and hope I can give you a fraction of happiness you deserve.

So, happy birthday, handsome.

Cor.

PS. Cute butt.

#✧ * º • — the manner of giving ⎧gifts to.⎫#✧ * º • — filling up the empty space ⎧cage.⎫#/ this is all over the place and awful aslkjf #but my mind is set on she already has a little charm that has the little 'R' for Rosalyn but just can't give it to him #yet obv #because upcoming alksjdf #but i feel like she probably almost gives it to him a million times #so she also is probably acting shift or spazzy #anyway i'm rambling sorry this is so all over the place #<3333

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jezfletcher · 2 years ago

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1000 Albums 2022: Albums #15-6

I’m saving just my Top 5 albums for my final post this year, but today we’ll cut through those which are just on the fringe, and that includes some of my Top 10 albums of the year after all, which means they’re in the top 1% of all the music I listened to this year.

All of these are worth a listen, and like with my last entry, I've attempted to add embedded streaming for representative tracks. Where possible, these are via Bandcamp, which still seems to be the best way to support artists. I've also used Soundcloud if available, but finally resorted to YouTube if necessary. Give them a look, anyway. Anyway, let's get into it...

15. IV and the Strange Band - Southern Circus (contemporary country)

Southern Circus by IV and The Strange Band

Coleman Williams is the great-grandson of country icon Hank Williams (hence "IV"), but has forged his own path musically, and delivers something surprisingly novel on this, his debut album. He takes some classic country tropes and ramps them up with a kind of punk intensity. It's almost like pushing the north poles of two magnets together—there's something thrilling about the conflict, and it makes for a raucous, exciting experience. It manages to be completely true to its roots, but also somehow completely modern at the same time. My personal favourite track is the rock-driven Deep Down, but I'm calling out here I'm Gonna Haunt You, which I think gives a great illustration of the synergy between old and new. You'll like it if you like: country, but want more of an edge to it.

14. Everything Everything - Raw Data Feel (indie pop)

Raw Data Feel by Everything Everything

I was a little conflicted about this album, to be honest. When this hits right, it really hits right. In fact, for quite a while I thought this had a good chance of being my #1 album of the year. So why is it languishing here at the shameful position #14? The truth is, this hits it out of the park with tracks like My Computer, Bad Friday and Leviathan, but it also has tracks where it swing and misses, and it ends up saying like a lot of other mid-level indie pop. It's a classic example of an album where you could have cut out 15-20m of content and made a much tighter album. That's not to try to put you off—after all, it might not be #1 of the year, but #14 is nothing to sniff at. It's just here on the strength of the very top tracks here. I'll leave you with my favourite track, My Computer. You'll like it if you like: slightly off-kilter pop where you can't quite tell what's weird about it.

13. Terence Etc. - VORTEX (experimental RnB)

V O R T E X by Terence Etc.

Terence Nance is a filmmaker, satirist and now recording artist, using the moniker Terence Etc. for his latest artistic pursuit. What he puts together in VORTEX is a really excellent blend of subversive poetry, jazz, hip-hop and soul. He has a really good sultry voice too which can absolutely ride the various modes he needs to adopt across an eclectic album. This is another album which is strong because of its whole composition, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have some brighter spots as well. I'll call out The Merchant of Flatbush; a great piece of music which finishes with a wonderful piece of poetry from Terences' purported lover. You'll like this if you like: a combination of Benjamin Clementine and clipping.

12. Bess of Bedlam - Dance Until The Crimes End (psych pop)

Dance until the crimes end by Bess of Bedlam

Bess of Bedlam is a French duo who play with dreamy psychedelic pop that spans electro and acoustic. But they really hit their sweet spot with their songwriting which weaves effortlessly through tonality and meter shifts, adding a sonic complexity which belies the slightly twee "French-ness" of their (English) lyrics, and the soft folk quality of Fanny L’Héritier's vocals. It's a really idiosyncratic album, and when you listen to (at least) 1000 albums every year, originality counts for a lot. I personally loved What Can We Wise Women Do as a track, but I think I'm going to call out here White Sea, which maybe better exemplifies the unusual elements of the album. You'll like it if you like: artistic European takes on pop.

11. The Crystal Method - The Trip Out (soiltronica)

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There's always a place in a year for an album like this. It's not just that it's big, crunchy, breakbeat-forward electronica; it's big, crunchy, breakbeat-forward electronica from an artist who have been doing it well for 20 years. I also admit that there's very often an album in or near my Top 10 of the year which comes from an artist, like The Crystal Method, who I've loved for most of my life. This is another great example from them, as they collaborate with artists like Iggy Pop, former Prodigy guitarist Jim Davies, and rapper King Green but still let their beats do the talking. This is just a style of music I love, and one which we don't see enough of nowadays in my opinion. I'm glad TCM are still here providing us with the goods. My pick here is the (kinda) title track Let's Trip Out, featuring King Green. You'll like it if: you miss the electronica of my favourite year: yester.

10. Regina Spektor - Home, Before & After (anti-folk)

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Regina Spektor is always a bit of a surprise for me. I feel like I like her "well enough", but I don't find myself excited from the get-go when she has a new album out. And even on the first pass through this album, where it won my Runner Up of the Week, it felt like it would eventually just fade into obscurity and a couple of years in the future I'd largely have forgotten it. But on relistening I really engaged with her poignant songwriting, her slightly ethereal vocal style and the way she can eke out the comforting and the sinister from the same material. It has a theatricality to it, but it's always used for storytelling. It's also a very rich collection of tracks—from folk pop to dark symphonic electronica. I've picked one of the pieces of dark chamber pop as my pick: Up the Mountain, but I also highly recommend the opening track Becoming All Alone, which is a great bit of storytelling and songwriting You'll like it if you like: excellent songwriting and excellent musicianship. That's basically all there is, right?

9. Lola Marsh - Shot Shot Cherry (noir pop)

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Israeli duo Lola Marsh had one of my very top albums of 2020 with their debut Someday Tomorrow Maybe, and I was eagerly anticipating their follow-up, although with the trepidation that accompanies the difficult second album. So it was thrilling to me that they managed to very nearly match their first effort with this excellent album. It has their same sultry, dark-throated vocals—which do owe something to Lana Del Rey, something you always have to acknowledge with Lola Marsh—the atmospheric arrangements, and the moments of upbeat drive that almost make you want to take them to the dancefloor. I've gone the other direction in my pick here though, with the downtempo noir of Going Back, which is admittedly lifted straight from their first album in style. You'll like it if you like: their first album, and if you didn't like that, I probably can't help you.

8. First Aid Kit - Palomino (indie folk)

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A fantastic album that I really forgot about until relistening, despite the fact that it only came out in Novermber. I've enjoyed First Aid Kit well enough in the past, but this is the first time where they've felt really completely polished and fully-formed to me. Each of these tracks is exquisitely produced into what you feel is its ideal form. The blended vocals, the harmonies, and the subtle but well-matched accompaniment in each track—they all add up to an almost crystalline perfect album. But that perfection often lacks a hook or an edge that makes you fall in love with an album, which is why it's not right at the very top here. I almost look at this critically and go "yes, I understand—it's extremely good", without feeling that pull right in my soul. I will say though that this is a great example of an album which knows when to quit—it comes in at a tidy 39-minutes, and it feels like there's a purpose to every track. I'm going to call out the opening track Out of My Head. You'll like it if you like: vocal harmony, solid songwriting, anything First Aid Kit has done in the last 10 years.

7. Crywolf - exuvium [OBLIVIØN pt. II] (experimental downtempo)

exuvium [OBLIVIØN Pt. II] by Crywolf

A truly eclectic and progressive mix of hard industrial rock with ambient downtempo electronica, Crywolf follow up their 2019 OBLIVIØN Pt. I, an album that we missed at the time, with this monumental effort which sounds at time like a less depressed Gary Numan, and at others sounds as though a 90s progressive electronica act decided to get really into shoegaze. In other words, it sounds a little like everything and nothing, and it certainly has the kind of novelty that makes me pay attention. It's hard to really single out tracks, because in isolation they don't give you a sense of the album as a whole, but a personal favourite moment is DATURA [paroxysm], so I'll leave you with that. You'll like it if you like: the music which plays in experimental theatre productions, but you wished worked just as well on its own.

6. Silversun Pickups - Physical Thrills (post-punk revival)

Physical Thrills by Silversun Pickups

This is a genre I've never really got behind in some ways, but which always has moments where it manages to surprise me. This is the year when Silversun Pickups really clicked for me—despite the fact that my brother has been trying to make it happen for at least 5 years now. There's just a really solid rock basis to this, which is accentuated with post-punk attitude and almost a sense of 00s indie rock irreverence. Moreover, there are some really great individual tracks which really stand out. Even the ones that aren't my particular picks maintain this same solidity. They feel like the kind of band that would be euphoric live (may I see them someday); the kind of music that you want to share with the world as one. I've got a couple of picks here, especially Stay Down (Way Down) which has a great pop rock drive that is layered with the edge of post-hardcore. But I'll highlight the opening track, Stillness (Way Beyond) , which really sets the scene for the whole album. You'll like it if you, unlike pre-2022 Jez, like: post-punk revival.

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zmwrites · 2 years ago

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Tag: About Me Compilation!

So I do this every once and a while... I get together all of the tag games that are about me instead of my writing, and I put them all in one post!

If you’ve tagged me to do one of these games, I tag YOU to pick one of the other ones and complete it!

Under a cut, as it’s going to get long:

Autumn Theme This or That - tagged by @sleepyowlwrites

Rainbow Ask Game - tagged by @letswritestories101

❤ - last Song you listened to: Diane by Cam

🧡 - Ideal Pizza toppings: pepperoni + green pepper

💛 - Dream vacation: mmm perhaps a cruise to antarctica to see the penguins

💚 - Earth, Air, Fire, or Water: i want to be cool and be fire but i’m definitely water

💙 - Cartoon you grew up on: Spongebob + Fairly Odd Parents

💜 - Favourite scent: strawberry fields in late summer

URL songs - tagged by @megarywrites

taking these from my ‘liked songs’ on spotify! otherwise no real meaning, just the ones i’m vibing w rn

z - zombie by the cranberries

m - my love took me down to the river to silence me by little green cars

w - woman (oh mama) by joy williams

r - remember it wrong by brennley brown

i - it’ll be okay by rachel grae

t - tell that devil by jill andrews

e - every time i hear that song by brandi carlile

s - something in the orange by zach bryan

Get to Know Me - tagged by @talesofsorrowandofruin

Relationship status: single

Favourite colour: dark green and/or purple

Three favourite foods: rotini noodles w alfredo and baked chicken, my dad’s stew, cheesecake

Song stuck in my head: i don’t have one rn :(

Last song I listened to: Diane by Cam

Last thing I googled: every time i hear that song brandi carlile lyrics

Time: 4:53pm

Dream trip: Switzerland to hike the alps

Anything I really want right now: i would like my parents to not be sick anymore

Get to Know Me v2 - tagged by @sharraus, @whimsyqueen, @mr-writes, @char-writes

Favourite colour: i also am v fond of gold

Currently reading: Thriving by @spacetimewraithwrites

Last song: Diane by Cam

Last series: Vampire Academy lol I watched the pilot and have PVR’d the other episodes but haven’t watched them yet

Last movie: watched the last fifteen minutes of Pride and Prejudice this morning

Sweet/savory/spicy: sweet

Currently working on: i’m supposed to be editing IW1 or even Remnants but instead i’m working on a bunch of other projects that haven’t really gone anywhere yet

Three Facts - tagged by @scmalarky

I have two dogs named Mia and Hank

I’ve been in a writing slump for most of the year

I joined a ringette team this year after not playing since 2011

Catch Up - tagged by @stuffaboutwriting

songs that I have got stuck in my head recently: i was singing something last night but i can’t remember it!

foods that I have eaten recently: toast w butter, pizza pop, cheese/crackers/kolbassa, hazelnut chocolate bar

things that I have searched for recently: every time i hear that song brandi carlile lyrics, we can never go back joy williams lyrics, pizza pop cooking times microwave, oversized baking sheet

items that I have bought recently: my car repair, a vet appointment for Mia, Hamilton tickets, and two The Ordinary skincare products

sentences I have said recently: “Did she breach containment again?”, “Hank, no. Hank no. Hank - this is why you have no friends!”, “Do NOT DRINK MY--HANK NO!!”, “I know you’re nervous. I know. You need to work on your self-calming techniques.”, “Please stop licking my feet”

Happy Game - tagged by @my-writblr, @echoing-sailor,

List 5 things that make me happy? I can do that!

skating

my dogs

pretty autumn leaves

writing (when I can do it)

watching hockey

Fantasy Theme This or That - tagged by @/fablewritten (who has since deactivated)

spell or curse / abandoned mansion or haunted cemetery / vampire slayer or ghost hunter / phoenix or griffin / wrist bite or neck bite / fairy godmother or evil stepmother / herbs or potion / ghost or wraith / dragon scales or werewolf claws / druid or mage / elf or hobbit / divination or necromancy / wand magic or hand magic / centaur or unicorn / dark fairytale or disney-style fairytale / sword or bow & arrow / siren or water nymph / garlic or silver / talking animal or walking tree / demon trap or crossroads pact / enchanted fairy forest or mermaid lagoon

10 Songs - tagged by @corishadowfang, @ren-c-leyn,

Rules: Put your playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 songs that come up.

These will be from my “liked songs” playlist on Spotify.

High Hopes by Kodaline

Better Man by Little Big Town

These Streets by Bastille

Haus of Holbein by SIX the Musical

Till Forever by Joy Williams

Can’t Miss You Anymore by Avery Anna

Stars by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Hands on You by Ashley Monroe

Volcano by Damien Rice

Fast Car by Boyce Avenue and Kina Grannis

And that is all! Or at least all I could find in my messy, messy drafts.

#tag games #about me

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sweetdreamsjeff · 1 year ago

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Jeff Buckley: Grace (Legacy Edition) (Columbia)

Barney Hoskyns, Uncut, October 2004

Remastered version of the original 1994 album with second CD of outtakes/rarities and DVD of Grace vids and footage of Buckley in Bearsville, New York.

AS GRUNGE lay flailing in the rain of Seattle, the last thing anyone expected was a bona fide prodigy appearing, messiah-like, to save the day for passionate melodic intensity.

But that’s precisely what Jeff Buckley did ten years ago. The fact that his legacy has been a regrettable line of mewling Brit impostors (Coldplay, Keane and their kind) should not count against him.

On first hearing Grace’s title track, time stopped as one drank in the miracle of its beauty – a kind of unbearable ecstasy that recurred throughout his modest body of work, not least on the sorely under-appreciated Sketches for My Sweetheart, the Drunk.

Posturing and affected as Jeff could be, music oozed from his every pore. The sweet pain of ‘Grace’ and ‘Last Goodbye’ remains, in these soulless times, an aural elixir for all true rock romantics.

Ten years on and remastered, Grace sounds more swoopingly lyrical and breathlessly eclectic than ever. ‘Lilac Wine’ is soppy and the take on Britten’s ‘Corpus Christi Carol’ mannered, but the soaring assurance of the rest – Zep echoes, Asiatic strings, Leonard Cohen cover and all – belies the album’s short gestation.

Eclectic isn’t the half of the Legacy Edition’s second CD. Here we have Buckley the chameleon, having a stab at Hank Williams, Nina Simone, Alex Chilton – even the MC5’s ‘Kick Out the Jams’. It all sort of works too, complementing two versions of ‘Dream Brother’ and one of ‘Eternal Life’ – as well as ‘Forget Her’, a sorrowful near-classic and this set’s ‘You Know You’re Right’.

Finally we have a DVD featuring the four Grace videos, a new clip for ‘Forget Her’, and a doc on the making of the album – complete with footage of Buckley and band working on it at Bearsville’s Studio A.

"I’m an easily distracted person," Jeff admits as he wanders Bearsville’s back roads in Ernie Fritz’s footage. "So this is great."

It was great. And it produced some of the most thrilling music of our time.*

Buckley’s mum, Mary Guibert, on Grace ten years on

UNCUT: How long has this Legacy edition been in the works?

MG: The hardest part was locating all the material. Because besides the famous Bearsville sessions, there were additional sessions held in New York. There were many, many takes of some songs, and there were some songs where there was only one take. Most of it I listened to as early as 1998, so it’s really been six years in the making, in terms of knowing it was there and choosing not to release it. The idea of including ‘Forget Her’ and using ‘Alligator Wine’ and some of the other things that Jeff wouldn’t necessarily have chosen for an album.

Why was ‘Forget Her’ replaced on Grace?

Well, that song came to him at a time when he was breaking up from a very important relationship [with Rebecca Moore]. He ended up not wanting to sing it every night of his life. I think he thought it would be a song that he would grow to hate.

Because it was too painful?

Yeah... and because it was no longer true. In fact he and Rebecca reunited later. It took a while to kind of figure out that maybe the two of them had some more growing up to do. Plus the fact that Jeff was about to embark on a life that would tear apart any relationship. He felt that they were too young to embark on a life commitment at that time, and he didn’t want to hold her back. But then we had a meeting with [Sony chief] Don Ienner in January and I said, I think this is really the time to release the track. I mean, it was all over the internet anyway.

With the remastering of Grace, do you hear the album differently?

Oh, absolutely. When we took the two-inch master and played it in the studio with George Marino, we heard a very different album. They used a lot more compression back in the early ‘90s, and it homogenised the sound. There are strings on the album that you couldn’t really hear on the original mastered version.

Is it fair to say that Jeff had a good relationship with Andy Wallace? It seemed like Andy was an almost paternal figure for Jeff.

Quite, quite. He was the perfect person for that moment, because Jeff was all over the place. It was significant that Andy came back in to the picture after the Sweetheart sessions with Tom Verlaine didn’t quite work out. I can remember Jeff’s manager saying, ‘Are you sure you want Andy back in? Don’t you want the album to be free of the artificial patina of production?’ And Jeff said, ‘Don’t worry, I got a pair of Size 12 Doc Martens and I’ll stamp on his wrists if I don’t like what he’s doing!’

#jeff buckley #jeffbuckley #barney hoskyns #2004 #Jeff Buckley: Grace (Legacy Edition) (Columbia)

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kentochronicles · 4 years ago

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***SPOILERS FOR WANDAVISION EPISODE 6***

So I’m still processing everything but holy shite that ep was wild...

FIRST THINGS FIRST - WANDA, VISION, BILLY AND PIETRO ALL IN COMIC ACCURATE-ISH COSTUMES AND TOMMY IN A MINI QUICKSILVER COSTUME

PIETRO CALLING BILLY AND TOMMY DEMON SPAWN - GOD DAMMIT, IT’S MEPHISTO ISN’T IT? HOUSE OF M HERE WE COME

HERB ASKING WANDA IF SHE WANTED SOMETHING CHANGED

AGNES ASKING VISION ABOUT THE AVENGERS AND STUFF AND AT FIRST SHE SEEMED GENUINELY FREAKED OUT BUT THEN STARTED LAUGHING MANIACALLY AND I STILL DON’T TRUST HER AND AGNES BEING DRESSED AS A WITCH? AGATHA HARKNESS WAS A WITCH - COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT!

DARCY LOOKING OVER MONICA’S MED SCANS AND TELLING HER HOW THE HEX AFFECTS HER EACH TIME SHE GOES IN - IS SHE DEVELOPING HER POWERS?

PIETRO’S CORPSE - SCARED ME JUST AS MUCH AS VISION’S

MOVIES SHOWING IN THE THEATRE IN THE BACKGROUND - THE INCREDIBLES: A MOVIE BASED AROUND A SUPERHERO FAMILY AND THE PARENT TRAP: A MOVIE ABOUT TWINS WHO MEET AT CAMP AND TRY AND SET THEIR PARENTS UP

DON’T GO PAST ELLIS AVENUE - NOW I DON’T KNOW IF THIS IS A CONNECTION OR JUST A COINCIDENCE BUT ELLIS IS THE LAST NAME OF THE PRESIDENT DURING IRON MAN 3

TOMMY HAVING HIS SPEED POWERS AND BILLY HAVING HIS REALITY WARPING/TELEKINETIC POWERS - WELCOME SPEED AND WICCAN

A CALL BACK TO INFINITY WAR WHEN VISION EXITED THE HEX? SLIGHTLY DUSTING AND HE PROBABLY WON’T SURVIVE BEING OUTSIDE OF THE HEX - HE’LL JUST DIE AGAIN 🥲

I STILL DON’T TRUST HAYWARD - HE’S VERY SUS

DARCY BEING TAKEN INTO THE HEX WITH THE OTHER S.W.O.R.D AGENTS - HOPEFULLY WE CAN SEE THE OUTFITS THAT KAT DENNING’S WAS EXCITED ABOUT

I SWEAR THEY BETTER NOT STRAIGHTWASH BILLY AND TOMMY OR I WILL RIOT 😤

***FURTHER UPDATES***

So sit-com wise, it seems they were referencing Malcolm in the Middle as the twins broke the fourth wall and talked to the audience, like Malcolm did

However, the theme song has told the viewer to stop questioning the reality of Westview - which could be a little reference to Mystery Science Theatre 3000? - When Pietro first shows up in the title sequence, along with his name title card, the lyrics say “Though there may be no way of knowing who’s come to play” - Istg, I do not trust Pietro

Vision says to Wanda that he had to wear his Halloween costume because there were no other clothes in his closet, Wanda is trying to move the plot along and forcing Vision to play along

Evan Peters’ ‘Mom’ tattoo is shown, which is a tattoo he actually has in real life ! But could this stand for ‘Multiverse of Madness’ or some other red herring?

Pietro mentions to Wanda that if he had found ‘Shangri-La’ he wouldn’t want to leave either - Shangri-La is a real place on Earth-616 that was founded by a version of Vision

Tommy refers to Pietro’s speed as ‘kickass’ and then Wanda repeats that, saying ‘kickass’ again - Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Evan Peters (both versions of QuickSilver) were in Kick-Ass together

The ad for this episode was freaky af - the character on the beach who starved and decomposed could be a little nod to Indiana Jones, where a Nazi’s face melts in - and it could also be reference to Wanda being all alone and struggling to process her grief. The shark in the ad could also be Nightmare or Mephisto or just someone more powerful than Wanda offering her a new beginning with Vision or trapped her in some way - and is feeding off her magic? The flavour of the yoghurt is strawberry flavoured and strawberry’s are red on the outside and pink-ish on the inside - much like Wanda’s og costume and her magic being red 👀

Pietro and Wanda talk about their Sokovian accents at a point in the episode and how neither have them anymore. Wanda’s, as we know, has disappeared over the course of the MCU movies and Pietro’s just doesn’t exist - another nice little nod to Peter Maximoff from the fox X-Men films? Also, Pietro states that “I’m just trying to do my part, okay? Come to town unexpectedly, create tension with the brother-in-law, stir up trouble with the Rugrats (a 90’s cartoon 👀) and ultimately give you grief.” - in reference to the grief part, could Pietro be killed off again? Stir up trouble with the rugrats, being possible shards of the demon Mephisto’s soul, could this be Mephisto trying to influence them on a deeper level? It’s also many many common sitcom clichès

Pietro talks about how “I got shot like a chump on the street for no reason at all” - nice little nod to how Pietro was killed off unnecessarily and how we as a fandom still talk about how regular bullets shouldn’t have killed him

Herb is dressed as Frankenstein’s monster - Dr. Frankenstein created his monster and soon lost control over him, and he was created using electricity or lightning - much like Vision was created and brought to life by Thor using Mjolnïr to bring lightning down to his incubator thingy majig. Could this also be a reference to either Wanda slowly losing control over Westview or someone else controlling Wanda/controlling the citizens of Westview - we saw in episode 3 that Agnes told Herb to be quiet as it seemed he was about to spill the beans 👀

Vision goes towards Ellis avenue and is at a ‘crossroads’ of sorts - in folklore, crossroads are often used to speak to or summon the devil and are also used when an important character is making a decision that could change everything. He spots some citizens repeating certain actions and/or just standing completely still, could these be npc’s (non playable characters)? And now that the barrier of the Hex has spread, will those citizens now start to move? 👀 Also I know that all stop signs look like it, but the stop sign is also a red hexagon 🛑

Darcy scrolls through Hayward’s computer files and goes past a file called “Project C4-113” - it could reference Avengers Issue #113 in which Wanda and Vision both appear on the cover and she says she’s going to make the world pay for Vision’s death. There’s also another file called “Project M5-247” which could be a nod to Avengers Issue #247, which shows the origin of the Eternals and in the same vein, Scarlet Witch and Vision trying to help Captain Marvel. And when Darcy emails Hayward’s cataract plans, you can see the names of “James Alexander and James Gadd” - James Alexander is a visual effects producer on Wandavision and James Gadd works on post production at Marvel

Also: Agnes pulls as Mrs Hart and repeats the same phrase over and over again

After Wanda blasts Pietro, you can see on a fake grave stone the name of “Janell Sammelman”, Janell is a first assistant director on Wandavision

When Wanda moves Westview to save Vision, she turns S.W.O.R.D and it’s agents into clowns + a circus - I just love that the agents turned into clowns 😂 but there is a nice little plot line in the comics where Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Hawkeye join the circus - and this COULD be stretch, but earlier in the episode there is the number #22 which could be Avengers Issue #22, which is the Issue that they join the circus

As soon as Vision was brought back into Westview, he was healed - which means if he was to exit again, he probably wouldn’t survive 😭

The episode title is ‘All-New Halloween Spooktackular!” - which “All-New” is a designation that is often used on covers for comic books. And the first issue of the second The Vision and the Scarlet Witch series takes place on Halloween night - but the events in this comics didn’t influence this episode’s plot

Pietro points out that he has the “XY chromosome” - X for X-Men? Plus there’s the X gene 😂

He mentions “Uncle Peter to the rescue” - Peter is the name of Quicksilver from the Fox X-Men Franchise

Pietro and Tommy quote the movie Top Gun (1986) by saying “I fell the need, the need for speed”

Wanda almost seems hesitant to trust this version of Pietro (rightfully so, in my opinion) and is wary of him being around Tommy and Billy

Pietro says some very Mephisto/Nightmare-like things this episode - “Unleash hell, demon spawn!”, “The kids need a father figure”, “Damnit, if Westview isn’t charming as Hell...” - And if Pietro isn’t Mephisto/Nightmare, it HAS to be Agnes or her other half Ralph and Pietro is probably Ralph tbh...or could Pietro just be a scapegoat and Hayward is Ralph? 👀

The theatre in town, which is playing the Incredibles and The Parent Trap, is called the Coronet. There’s a classic poem called “The Coronet” written by Andrew MARVELL (Marvell, is also the true name of the first incarnation of Captain Marvel in the comics) and is about a guy who knows that the sins of mankind led to the death of Christ. He attempts to create a new crown for Christ’s head in an attempt to atone, but finds that there is sin in the crown as well, as the devil is within the crown and therefore he may achieve glory and success with his new creation 👀

Hayward’s confidential project “Cataract” included experimenting on Vision’s body, as was revealed by Darcy (my wife 💙 and Monica is also my wife 💚 and so is Wanda 💛, I just love women, you know? 😂). A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision - is Hayward trying to weaponise Vision? Or maybe even trying to bring Ultron back? Or do what Tony wanted to do in the first place, and make a suit of armour that’s around the world? Either way, it’s for nefarious purposes

Who is Monica’s guy? Jimmy and Monica are off to meet him - could it be Reed Richards (Mr Fantastic)? Or could it be Victor Von Doom (Dr Doom)? Could it be Hank McCoy (Beast)? Or even Adam Brashear (Blue Marvel)? Or if it is a woman, could it be the Skrull daughter of Talos that Monica befriended at the end of Captain Marvel? Could it be Abigail Brand (A major character in recent S.W.O.R.D comics and an Alpha Flight Member)? Or even Toni Ho (Iron Patriot, and could she be introduced to help lay the ground work for my other queen, Riri Williams/Iron Heart?)? Or could it even be Sue Storm (Invisible Woman)?

In the background of the episode we see a number of children and adults dressed up as many different characters, which includes: Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat, Jason Voorhees, with a sweater striped like Freddy Krueger’s and even a kid that looks dressed in an off-brand Charizard costume 😂 Pokèmon has always been popular, but saw an increase during the 90’s

Pietro and the kids are drinking “Kane Cola” which could be a reference to the 90’s drinks “Jolt Cola” or even “Surge” - it could also, with all the X-Men Easter eggs, be a reference to Garrison Kane, who was a member of Cable’s mercenary team “Six Pack” and is sometimes also known as ‘Weapon X’

The kid that Wanda mentions having a “skin thing” in the orphanage - could that be a reference to her Brotherhood of Evil Mutants co-worker Toad? Or maybe even Mystique? Maybe Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler)?

One of the houses has a sign up that says ‘Macabre Mansion’ - another possible reference to House of M?

During a flashback, it’s shown that the twins are playing Dance Dance Revolution, which came out in 1999. Also this might be a stretch, but the boys have a dog plushie in their room the right - which is coloured red and black - could this be a reference to Dogpool? 😂

I love this show 🤣💙

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kneamet · 4 years ago

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Delusion (1/5)

Trigger Warning: references to alcohol

Summary: she was the only girl in his band whose singing he loved so much. She was the person he truly respected. Andy Miles was someone Hank Williams had an unrelenting obsession with.

Chapter one: Delays

POV Hank

His head was pounding. A haunting rhythm beat against the light pounding in his head. It hurt, and Hank just didn't understand how he'd ever woken up. He had never been so drunk before, not even counting the fact that he was a huge alcoholic drinker.

Yet last night he had exceeded even his own expectations. A slight dryness in his mouth was present even after he had drunk the whole glass of water that his mother had placed in front of him.

Closing his eyes tightly, straining his lids, Williams suddenly opened them, trying to blink before entering the studio where he had to play early in the morning for a small pittance.

Not that he complained much about it. No, he certainly did not want to get up from the cozy bed that kept warm and free himself from the embrace of his "beloved" wife, but his youthful heart still warmed the dream that one day he would step over the threshold of an ordinary musician and be able to achieve something worthwhile. Perhaps he wanted a confession?

It was lucky, at least, that the nausea did not reach him, since he was sure that the alcohol in his stomach would definitely be able to get out, only in an unusual way. And he didn't want to be crouching by the toilet, trying to control himself, and hearing his mother talk about how irresponsible he and Audrey, his wife, were that she didn't even have simple pills.

Pushing the brown door open with the shoulder of his free hand, Hank had already guessed how loud Mr. Pill's voice would be when he complained about being late. It doesn't matter, though. Will these few minutes play anything for airtime?

"Hi," Hank says hoarsely, feeling very tired. Yesterday he came back so late that he just couldn't do anything anymore. How long had he been asleep? A couple of hours?

Williams looked from the black-and-white tiled floor to the boys, his mouth slightly open. They looked a little rumpled, as did Hank himself. It was obvious that they were hungover, too, especially since some of them were smoking. He breathed in the smell. Marlboro? Or Chesterfield? His mind was still too foggy to accurately detect the smell of cigarettes.

The guy blinked a couple of times, as if trying to make sense of what was happening. It seemed that something was missing for an ordinary morning. It was always the same and repeated day after day. The audience apparently liked his program too much.

"Good morning, boss," came the soft voice of Sammy, who was sitting on a dark brown sofa propped up against the wall, his feet propped up on a small table. A young guy who was a guitarist in his band. He was very young, but Hank immediately considered him a good addition to the group.

"Hi, Hank," Don said, looking at the guy standing there, lighting a cigarette and rubbing his light red hair; parallel to that, the hand holding the cigarette, adjusting the glasses that were sticking up on his nose.

Williams grabs a small white mug and takes a sip of coffee. His eyes narrowed slightly. Cold coffee. Although, it is worth noting, it was refreshing, but so disgusting. Who can drink coffee cold?

Setting the cup down on the dark piano that didn't seem to have been used for a long time, Hank set the guitar case on a small, flimsy chair, taking out the instrument.

"Where's Andy?" the man asked as he took the guitar out of the hard gray case that barely fit in his car.

Andy Miles was the only girl who played in his band. She was the only one who comforted him after another quarrel with his wife. She was the only one who understood him. She was the one he had fallen in love with.

Hank didn't know if his feelings for Audrey were real, or if it was all just a multi-second infatuation. A joke that later turned into endless quarrels that always ended in nothing. However, meeting Andy definitely changed a lot in his life.

Hank could have been lyrical, but why? What is the point of expressing yourself in beautiful speeches, if you can convey it in light, superficial words? Although, if it were up to him, he would definitely dedicate the odes and all the songs that he allegedly composed for his wife to the girl of his dreams.

Clearly lost in thought, Hank was completely distracted, not even noticing that the guys were already tuning their instruments, preparing for the mat to fall on them.

"She's not here," he always had to bring his wife into the studio, pestering him about what she wanted to sing on his show. As if she could sing. As if she could do anything at all.

Hank sighed, lifting the guitar to the top and running his long fingers along the strings, wanting to adjust the rhythm and hear the sound he wanted to achieve.

I wish Andy would come soon.

"Williams," comes the loud voice of Howard Pill, heading toward the fearful Hank. He knew that his boss would speak loudly, but he did not foresee that his steely voice would be a headache. Why can't he keep his voice down? "You decided to spend 12 minutes of airtime? This shit won't go away, and you smell like a beer barrel; you all stink," Williams saw how angry the man was. Not that he would care about his anger. No, he would definitely take into account everything Howard was saying and try not to be late, but who knew this would happen today?

Do people have the right to choose what condition they wake up with in the morning? Anyway, at least let Mr. Pill take into account that he came at all. Otherwise, Hank could just drop the case and stay home.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Pill," the empty words coming out of Hank's mouth were just a defensive reaction. No, he was by no means sorry that he was late. Although listening to loud voices was a problem.

Still, it was a good thing that his mother had woken him up so early and made sure that he didn't disturb his wife's sleep. He certainly didn't want to have an increased headache when Audrey was hitting the high notes in the pen. The man blinked, looking up, trying to meet Mr. Pill's steady gaze.

"To me, these are empty words," his gaze was stern and he was clearly trying not to lose his temper. "We're working here, you idiot. And where is Miles?"

Williams pursed his lips, unable to find an answer. He knew about her love of being late, but even so, Andy was always on time. Maybe five minutes late, but Hank had the songs that could be played without another extra guitar. Although the sound of the girl's instrument has always been excellent.

"I'll throw her out of the show, I swear to God," Mr. Pill muttered softly, shaking his head and sighing. Did he dislike them that much? Or was he just jealous of the show's success? If that success ever existed.

Hank's attentive gaze followed his boss as he made his way to the recording department, a certain booth where audio tuning and recording takes place.

Right now, Hank wished Andy was here. Because I would have covered for him, going against Mr. Pill and his rules. Sometimes it seemed to Hank that she didn't care if she was on time or not. Hank was slightly weaker.

He could listen to all those menacing words being uttered against him, endure all this unthinkable humiliation, knowing that his boss would not remove this show. He knew how many listeners he had. But still, he rarely dared to say anything against his boss.

He was definitely attracted to Andy. And for the most part it was in the moral sense, because Williams himself rarely thought about the girl he loves physically. He wanted her, yes, but not in terms of sex. He didn't want a simple one-night stand. He wanted something unthinkable. He wanted pure and pure love. The kind of love his mother had told him about.

"Start the countdown," Howard Pill says, nodding his head in Hank's direction, and he just lifts his lip.

"Three, two, one," comes the clear voice of the DJ, who is already wearing headphones and completely immersed in his work, unlike the musicians, who are still hungover and intoxicated. Hank continued to feel sick.

With a deft step, Hank walked over to the microphone, smiling slightly, as if he didn't want the audience to know about the quarrels that were going on at the place they loved so much.

"Friends and listeners, I wish you a good early morning. This is Hank Williams and the Drifting Cowboys. We are very sorry that we started a little later. But yesterday we were picked up by the cops on Route 31..."

There was a slight chuckle. Hank turned his head in the direction of the sound, grinning slightly, already guessing who it was.

***

POV Andy

Feeling her legs begin to ache from running so fast, trying to get to the studio, Andy had never felt so anxious and overworked in her life.

The hangover after alcohol, she always endured steadfastly and her mind almost did not react to it, apparently already so accustomed to the dose received. No, of course, her head still ached, and her hands were constantly shaking from the alcohol, but she never felt an immediate nausea.

Her hangover was accompanied only by a headache and shaking hands, which would soon have to caress the strings of her favorite guitar, wanting to please the boss and the audience.

Pursing her lips, Miles took a quick, brisk step toward the necessary door. Unfortunately, the distance from her home to the studio was huge and so she had to wake up very early in the morning to at least have time to get there, which certainly did not please her.

She had never been flattered by the prospect of having to sleep through the early hours of the morning. And wake up for what? For the little money she lived on? Although, most likely, only the desire for the love of the public did not stop her.

She always wanted to be loved by people. She had always wanted to feel this need for human attention, for human adoration.

Blinking a couple of times, she paused at the dark door, knowing that she would probably hear Mr. Pill swear at her and threaten her when he told her that he would fire her from the show. Although these moments didn't really bother Andy.

She didn't give a damn about his opinion, which was completely out of line with hers. She would have taken it into account, but she would have continued to do things her own way. Besides, isn't that the beauty of life? Do whatever you want and not listen to people who write you some rules?

Andy chuckled, shaking her head and feeling her hands begin to shake. Again this period, if only to endure. She wished long ago that she had bought a cigarette, though she could have used one now.

"...But yesterday we were picked up by the cops on Highway 31... " came Hank's tired voice, and the girl chuckled, letting out a light and slightly hoarse chuckle. She immediately felt her friend's gaze on her and his reflected grin.

His band, which has so graciously accepted another under-performing musician into its already overstuffed line-up, dreaming that he could become famous. And this feeling in her never disappeared.

No, she often began to have feelings that it was worth putting a bolt on all this and stop, but what kept Miles from doing was believing in herself. Confidence had to be nurtured, but Andy had never felt humiliated in her life. The main credo in her life was that it was not worth giving up. Otherwise, it can turn into a disaster and bad consequences. Just like when I was a kid.

Quickly shaking her head in different directions, the girl mentally gave herself a slap on the head, feeling the burning gaze of Mr. Pill directed at her. Pulling out her guitar, the case that was currently laid on the bed, Andy looked at her boss, smiling a tight smile and walking with easy grace to the second free microphone.

"With my alcohol resistance," Andy suddenly chimed in, pulling her guitar over her neck and taking off her hat, exposing her short dark hair and running a hand through it, " I also apologize for starting so late. To be honest, my head is splitting."

Miles looked at Hank, as if telling him to continue. He nodded.

"I don't think you knew this, but yesterday we were performing in a small bar on the outskirts of town and, fortunately or unfortunately, we couldn't refuse the free alcohol offered," Hank chuckled, and there was a light laugh from the guys.

Andy grinned as she began to wrap the gauze around her fingers, not wanting them to hurt any more. It wasn't for her at all. Wrapping and protecting your fingers was an extremely important decision.

What would she do if her right hand wasn't protected? Her fingers would have been damaged.

The girl wrapped her arms around the guitar, leaning even closer to the low microphone.

"And now, anticipating your wishes, we will perform the song “Honky Tonkin'' for you. Hank wrote it not so long ago and we are sure that you will definitely like it."

Hank was a genius, and if Miles heard that, she would definitely say it was true. He was the man who continued to inspire her. The man who kept her on the case. The one who replaces her older brother.

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maxellminidisc · 3 years ago

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Oqkejfkdks not to be a snob but it always makes my eye twitch a lil when people on here have a larger discussion on music or whatever and literally none of you know wtf ur talking about genre wise which in turn leads to a lot of mislabeling and can end up fucking with the point. Like that one Johnny Cash tiktok post where they mention Woodie Guthrie as Guthrie example of country being political. Woodie Guthrie is not a country musician, he is an icon of FOLK. Yes he has absolutely influenced artist from an array of genres, including country, but he is absolutely a son of Folk.

Granted there are overlaps with how Folk and Country can share themes like the plight of the working class and even some sonic elements but thats because country derives FROM Folk. There is still difference enough that they are two separate genres. Folk is completely rooted in "songs from the old country", work songs, spirituals, railroad songs, and even some cowboy songs which end up deriving from songs from the old country. Essentially folk is the reason why country had and can have that focus and solidarity with the working class and other political issues.

The bridge between these genres is root music and bluegrass which has led to a lot of melding and makes it harder to distinguishing sometimes. But in general Folk has influenced country in the sense that some country singers have roots in folk. Dolly Parton for example, constantly talks about how her mother and father would sing "songs from the old country" to her as a child and in turn that is what set the foundation for her as a musician. She ended up making a bluegrass record not too long ago actually to pay tribute to those roots as well.

Country is considered a less broad umbrella than folk and often what separates it are country's ties to popular music, focus on the emotionally expressive aspect of lyrical storytelling (vs pure storytelling in folk), the use of much stronger musical elements like electric guitar, steel guitar, and heavy drums (vs folks use of mostly acoustic elements). Granted when you talk about country as a political genre, folk absolutely should get credit for that but not with the mislabeling of country.

Personally if you want to hear the way these genres differ but have roots in folk I think a fun lil thing to do is listen to some Woodie Guthrie and then listen to Hank Williams, who I think you can argue set the tone for that focus on emotionally driven songwriting instead of political storytelling.

#country and folk have a really REALLY big place in my heart folk especially led me to songwriting myself #but also i see this happen often on here with how yall mislabel BLUES music SOOO MUCH and thats EXTRA bad

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bloodstonechunk · 3 years ago

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URL muse playlist

B: Bringin’ Home the Rain - The Builders and the Butchers This is such an intensely Allie song. It’s the first one on her playlist.

L: Lost in the Shadows - Lou Gramm Dravyn ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

O: Oh My My - Ruelle Koenn doesn’t gloat often, but when he’s smug about something this is absolutely the vibe.

O: O Death - Jen Titus Another one for Allie. With a southern gothic-leaning aesthetic and a track record of surviving things she really shouldn’t have, this fits right in.

D: Demons - Hayley Kiyoko Katarina has ghosts in her blood rather than actual demons, but close enough!

S: The Silver Key - Dark Moor Soon as I heard this song I slammed it on Fendel’s playlist. The subject matter and genre are perfect OOC and ICly.

T: Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill) - Blind Guardian Roland is big paladin aesthetic. I like Tolkien. I like symphonic metal. This song fucks.

O: One Piece at a Time - Johnny Cash If Vonryn managed to stay at a legitimate job long enough to pull off this scheme, he absolutely would.

N: Not Human - elegant slims Very very Dravyn, for Bloodborne or any vampire-related ‘verse. That moment when he fully realizes he’s something different now and embraces it.

E: esperienza d’oro - Yugo Kanno I started writing Koenn years before watching Joe’s Funky Experience so it was completely accidental that he's so similar to Giorno, okay, it was an accident-- Anyway, he and Giorno are half siblings in his Stand user ‘verse.

C: A Country Boy Can Survive - Hank Williams Jr. Kel’s a sweet kid, but also a country kid. Sometimes country kids just go :/ and start solving practical problems.

H: Hashladûn’s Fall - Destiny 2: Shadowkeep OST The soundtracks for D1 & D2 slap. They’re so cinematic! Even if Roland didn’t have a Destiny ‘verse this would absolutely be on his playlist. It’s a short track but fits A Lot into under three and a half minutes.

U: Ultraviolet - Au/Ra POV: Dravyn has used you for his own ends and you’re realizing it as he’s about to ditch you, leaving you in the middle of his latest mess.

N: Nyarlathotep - The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets Of course Fendel's playlist includes a song about the Crawling Chaos, sung in Middle Egyptian. Lyrics and translation here

K: Kill Everyone - Hollywood Undead DRAVYN. NO.

#dash games

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ducktracy · 5 years ago

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146. don’t look now (1936)

release date: november 7th, 1936

series: merrie melodies

director: tex avery

starring: tex avery (egbert), berneice hansell (cathleen, bear cubs), tommy bond (devil, cupid cuckoo bird), martha wentworth (woman woodpecker), billy bletcher (devil cuckoo bird)

the first of quite a few cartoons where tex avery has supplied his own voice. the only other directors i can think of who have done voices in cartoons are bob clampett (who was also the source of the famous BEOWIP/BOIP sound effects) and cal howard (who would voice gabby in clampett’s get rich quick porky. ironically, tex avery would supply his laugh in a cal howard and cal dalton cartoon, porky’s phoney express.) regardless—it’s valentine’s day, and cupid is itching to do some matchmaking. but, as isaac newton taught us, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. in this case, a little devil is the opposite reaction, ready to break some hearts.

it’s valentine’s day, as indicated by a valentine card popping up on the screen reading “will you be my valentine?” fade to a beautiful layout of dan cupid’s humble abode, a fittingly heart shaped home, mailbox... even the butterflies flittering about have noticeably heart shaped wings. the interior is no different than the exterior: cupid’s asleep in his heart shaped bed, when a heart shaped cuckoo bird pops out of a heart shaped cuckoo clock, calling “time’s a-wastin’!”

cupid wakes up in an instant and bounds over to his exposed shower (reminiscent of a chemical shower in your local biology lab), quickly dousing himself one water and toweling off. he pulls his arrow holder out from the umbrella stand, tearing off a page of the calendar. “well! st. valentine’s day! my big day!” a cute and clever visual as cupid heads outside, right to his garden, where rows of arrows sprout up from the soil. cupid grabs his lawn mower and makes his way across the field, the arrows neatly piling into his holster over his head.

a good bit of personality is exuded as cupid prepares for the big day with some target practice. first, he shoves a pile of playing cards inside a toaster. he pulls the lever down with his foot, and as he engages in his airborne game of 52 pickup, he shoots numerous arrows at the cards, pinning them all against a tree in the shape of a heart, with an ace of hearts right in the middle. to further display some naïve pride (bordering cockiness), cupid fires an arrow through a hole in the tree, the arrow curving and returning to him through a hollow log. placing an apple on his head in the meantime, cupid still manages to hit his target successfully. and for good measure, he engages in a quick round of a duck shooting carnival game. he pings all of his wooden ducks down in an instant, save for one, who panics and attempts to flee the arrow. nevertheless, he too gets hit. an amusing gag with a good balance of cute and funny. satisfied, cupid embarks, leaving a sign on his front gate that reads GONE HUNTING.

meanwhile, we have a very clever parallel with a strong sense of juxtaposition. now focus on a little devil cherub, whose house is almost exactly like cupid’s, though adorned with foreboding, “evil” furniture, including an asbestos pillow. his cuckoo clock, a boiler, opens up to reveal a billy bletcher voiced bird who announces “crime marches on!” the devil awakens and hops out of his bed, which is actually one giant frying pan (or burner, or grill, or whatever you want to call it.) he too takes a shower, bathing in the cool, refreshing red hot flames pouring out of the shower head. already the parallels are humorous and clever, heightened by how obvious they are. the devil repeats the same calendar shtick as cupid, declaring “well! st. valentine’s day! my big day!” outside, the devil’s mood isn’t nearly as cheery as cupid. he scoffs at the audience, kicking a line of cans with malice as he trudges along. “aw, this valentine day gag is the bomb! love, kisses, sweethearts, sissy stuff!”

regardless of opinion on valentine’s day, it’s undeniable that love is in the air, as displayed by two flirtatious turtles, the guy begging for the girl’s affection. thankfully, cupid is just around the corner. cupid launches into “don’t look now”, detailing about how happy lovebirds will be once struck with his fated arrows. while the doting turtle is in the midst of a maurice chevalier impression, his girl gets struck by cupid’s arrow, and suddenly reciprocates his feelings, literally diving into the frontside of the turtle’s shell. smooth and highly amusing animation as the two turtles swing around together in one turtle shell envelope, picking up the lyrics. a gag that would be similarly used to a higher degree in tortoise wins by a hare, the two lovebirds walk side by side in the shell, both going inside and popping out the other end, now walking on their hands, their heads sticking out where their tail(s) should be and their legs where the head(s) should be. very smooth and subtle animation. i’m not too great with my animator indemnifications this early, but i’d guess chuck jones animated this scene, seeing how fluid it is.

jolly little cupid sings a few more bars, when the devil joins in, ready to spread his own love. two yokel bears bashfully dote on a log, ripe for the devil’s picking. the male bear (named egbert), voiced by tex avery, guffaws “will ya—gosh, huh huh, will ya—“, interrupted by berneice hansell’s squeaky voice urging him to go on. just in time for the devil to swoop in, whispering in the girl’s ear: “will ya go sit on a tack, ya old horse face?”

it seems there was either a cut made here, or just a startlingly awkward transition as we jump cut to the devil laughing, the woman and the log out of screen. “i’ve got something here that’ll fix these lovesick mugs! take a gander at this!” the devil takes off his bowler hat and shows off the inside contents: blonde hairs, lipstick, bobby pins, and even a garter, all tucked away in little pouches pinned inside the hat. delightfully scandalous and just a great premise in general.

elsewhere, a woodpecker knocks on the door of a quaint little tree home (with his beak, of course.) out steps a lady woodpecker (presumably his wife), to which the husband holds up a card, nudging his sweetie. “hey, how do ya like to be my valentine, kiddo?” “do ya mean it?” “yes, i mean it!” the wife looks at the audience. “should i tell him?” just then, the devil pops up behind the man’s shoulder, gingerly placing a strand of blonde hair on his coat. the giant, oval shaped eyes of the devil give this scene away as bob clampett animation. the lovebirds embrace... but not for long. the wife takes note of the hair and grows rightfully furious, throwing a barrage of pots and pans at her double crossing husband. cupid happens to be strolling by, noticing the clamor. a simple fire of the arrow and the wife is back to her loving self, both woodpeckers happily kissing as they repeatedly peck each others beaks with hilarious speeds (and great jackhammer sound effects), so powerful that both of their beaks become bent and crumpled.

cupid’s next victim is a forlorn skunk, moping on a tree trunk. cupid pings her with his arrow, and in no time the little skunk is as giddy as ever. she saunters up to the local stand selling valentines, cooing “hello boys!” in an instant, the crowd disperses, leaving the poor skunk all to herself. tex avery would base a whole cartoon on the unsuccessful love lives of skunks with his short lil ‘tinker at MGM in 1948. to gain the affections of the girls, ‘tinker puts on his best frank sinatra impression, and the bobbysoxers swarm in droves.

back to egbert, the hayseed bear who desperately attempts to woo back his snooty girlfriend cathleen, strutting by with her nose in the air while he insist she’s got him in the wrong. cupid comes to the rescue once more, pinging both bears with his arrows. timing is hilariously succinct as they both pause a beat, dumbfounded, and then instantly exclaim “LET’S GET MARRIED!” with that, they rush away to prepare for the big celebration.

after a time card that simply states “so—“, egbert strolls up to the front door of cathleen’s house, now donning a snazzy suit. he knocks on the door. “are ya ready, sweetie?” “just a minute!” cathleen may not be ready, but the devil sure is. he goes full out, tossing hairs, garters, bobby pins, lipstick marks, you name it. cathleen opens the door, sporting her wedding dress, when she finds her husband to be decked in every scandalous clue imaginable. a closeup reveals even more dirty yet fantastic details: panty hose, burlesque tickets, a phone number, a garter, and a face covered in lipstick. the entire situation is amplified in humor as egbert is completely unaware of his appearance. cathleen prepares to wallop egbert over the head with her bouquet, but another arrow from an offscreen cupid sends her down on egbert instead, practically sucking his face off.

the devil is absolutely fed up with cupid’s meddling. “aw, hey, what’s the gag of ruining my fun!? ya sissy!” he three stooges (i’m coining that as a verb now) cupid, poking him in the eyes and slapping him silly, picking him up above his head and twirling him around before slamming him to the ground and sitting on top, pulling cupid’s leg as he cries out in pain. in retaliation, cupid fashions the devil’s tail like an arrow, shooting him with his bow and sending the devil flying into a tree, who curses at cupid incomprehensibly. his work now done, cupid leaves the devil to his miserable, temperamental self.

to quote hank williams, wedding bells are ringing in the chapel as egbert and cathleen march into the church, surrounded by a doting crowd. just as they stroll down the aisle, the devil is finally able to dislodge his tail from the tree, ready to spark mischief. he approaches two kids outside of the church, bribing them each with lollipops. “okey dokey. now, here’s your candy. all you gotta do is go in the church and say...”

we cut to the inside of the church before getting the full gist of the devil’s bribe, which is a lovely choice in set up. the officiator is asking the audience for any objections, while egbert shakes terribly, his legs knocking together in panic. even the organ is silent. no objections. content, egbert and cathleen exchange warm smiles, going in for the kiss, when...

“daddy! daddy! daddy!” the two little bear cubs from before bound into the church, jumping right into a befuddled egbert’s arms. all bets are off on the wedding as cathleen storms out, dismissively throwing the bouquet in egbert’s face. a lovely detail as he still attempts to catch it hopelessly. the devil is absolutely thrilled, laughing in hysterics at his best job yet. unfortunately, he’s finally beat by his nemesis: cupid fires an arrow at the devil, and he too is struck with the love bug, his sour demeanor now replaced as he giddily floats along, grinning in a giant self parody of himself. what i love about tex’s cartoons is that everything feels like a parody of itself. it’s one extreme or the other.

for the final time, cathleen is zinged again with cupid’s arrow, and she rushes back to egbert, kissing him and dragging him back in the church. activities are resumed as normal, the officiator going on like before. “i now pronounce you... uh oh.” he dives into a nearby pew, everyone turning their heads to see what the matter is. no time is wasted as everyone else takes cover, too. now donning a top hat and bib, the devil strolls down the aisle with the little lonely skunk from before. iris out.

a very entertaining cartoon that takes a little while to get momentum, but once it’s there it’s certainly there. it’s not too often you find a valentine’s day cartoon at warner bros (the only other one i can think of is frank tashlin’s the stupid cupid.) this certainly is a non traditional take, and a very good one at that. the scandalous humor was the best part of the short, whether it be the devil decking out egbert in garters and blonde hairs, or convincing two little kids to shout “daddy! daddy!” in the church. while the beginning was a bit slow, the parallels make up for it, and at least contribute some added interest. in all, a cartoon that’s worth watching, especially for the second half.

link!

#lt #don’t look now #reviews #long post #avery

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