#aka dandy talented and amazing as always

[that-darn-clown]

the MCI in the au had a Lot of controversy, fun fact. minus the obvious (Jesus Fuck That's A Lot Of Dead Kids), the controversy surrounding it included:

how/why the kids were lured (this was done to find some semblance of a possible motive, and then work from there. it didn't work out entirely, but they tried)

the...MULTIPLE people falsely accused and convicted of the murders (one guy they quite literally pretended to put in jail and then immediately released to be put in Witness Protection because they only pretended to arrest him to put the public's mind at ease)

the '87 Massacre PROVING that the police sucked at their jobs and that the killer hadn't been caught.

William and the fact that this man SUCKS at trying to prove his innocence, and yet STILL didn't have more suspicion put on him. his alibi's shaky as fuck!! he's literally the only person big enough to safely fit inside the suit used for the murders!!

whether Andrew actually was an MCI victim or not

whether Charlie was a "failed" MCI victim or not

in order:

the motives that the public came up with due to the camera footage: Bea was lured using the promise that the killer would help her find her dog (correct, right on the nose), Junior was lured during his meltdown after not getting to see Foxy, with the killer promising to help him calm down (technically right; William was specifically taking him to see Foxy, who was undergoing maintenance), Gabi was lured with the promise of a birthday surprise and Isaac went with them to keep an eye on his sister (technically also right but it took them Fucking Ages to get this one), and Andrew had seen something he wasn't supposed to see (very incorrect. Andrew didn't witness anything, he just got into an argument with William).

William just pointed the finger at multiple Fredbear's employees, mostly ones closer to him in height (reminder that this man's 6 foot fucking seven). the guy that got put in Witness Protection that i mentioned earlier, that they only pretended to arrest to put people's minds at ease? was 6'4".

like. for the kids murdered in '87, think about it: the O'Hare suit was used, it was in fucking June, and there were five kids. if that wouldn't be a sign that the police got the wrong fucking guy and sucked Really Bad at their jobs, i dunno what would.

William's alibis were literally just "I was at home that night/I was working at Fredbear's/I was at the bar" and no one could fully disprove it, and William stated that, if his O'Hare suit just had to be used by a different employee, that they had stilts that those people could use to fit better in the suit. so, ""technically speaking"", someone else could've used the suit, especially if they were close to Will's height. but you can see why this technically "proved his innocence" in the eyes of most of the town (except for the families mostly affected by his bullshit. there's a reason why about a fourth of town hates this guy, either quietly or vocally).

a lot of factors go into why Andrew is theorized to potentially just be a runaway and not a part of the MCI: his horrible home life, the fact he wasn't technically lured, the fact that almost no one who was there saw where he went after he left Cassidy alone at the table, the lack of evidence in general, his tendency to run away from home and stay with friends for weeks on end, and, most notably, the fact that no body was found in 1985 like the others were. the town's split on what to believe. Andy's dad just didn't really care, and thought they did run away; "Maybe he finally decided to stop being a pussy and leave town like he said he would a hundred fucking times. Took 'im long enough." this would come back to bite him in the ass in '87, however. William didn't confirm nor deny anything, obviously. for the record, Andy's body was dumped in the lake.

Charlie was theorized to be a "failed" MCI victim due to her death only being a month prior to the other victims and the fact that someone clearly seemed to have booked it out of there really quickly. the belief was that whoever had killed him had meant to take her body somewhere else and dump it there, but had heard someone approaching (Marionn, most likely, who had come out of the building to look for Charlie) and decided not to risk it. others simply went along with what police said happened: some "crazed drunk motherfucker" had snapped and beat Charlie up using a beer bottle before leaving him for dead.

other "fun" facts:

so...while i try not to focus too much on racism in the Fnaf universe that would've like. very likely existed, let's be real here, i do try to think about how it would've affected things that happened in the timeline. after Gabi and Isaac went missing, and it became clear that the police were...not focusing as hard on those two's case as much as the others', Henry held a gun to their head legally (aka Threatened To Sue Their Asses) and went You better start investigating that shit or So Help Me God. there are two men in Hurricane that you just don't fuck with legally: William and Henry. the difference is that William used his powers for evil (getting away with So Much Bad Shit, Especially Murder), and Henry used his for good.

Benson Douglas (Andy's dad) was the guy that William pinned the murders on in '87, since he worked there. why? These Two Hate Each Other. plus, Benny over here didn't do himself any favors with how he reacted to Andrew's disappearance. spent ten years in jail before they realized that he had no idea how Springlock Suits worked, meaning he couldn't have done either the MCI or the '87 Massacre.

1987 was just William being the boss of several people who hated his guts for various reasons. Jeremiah "Jeremy" Fitzgerald-Hernandez, Fritz Smith Sr., Shawn Scottson (Phone Guy, who came to hate him after...certain events), and Benson Douglas. an older brother, two fathers of dead boys, and someone who would eventually open Michael's eyes. don't ask how William managed this, he doesn't even fucking know either.

I've been watching a shitton of forensic files lately, and this feels so real. I love the inclusion of a fake arrest of a guy who was then put in witness protection, very acab of your writing, and very accurate. I'm actually obsessed with the realistic inclusion of racism and how henry shut that shit down, we stan a king, truly.

[dragonheadskilax]

Fire Emblem: Battle of Revolution

We have worked at Intelligent Systems with the Edo period in mind, trying to show the lived lives of talented warriors by creating their world "Fire Emblem Battle of Revolution" that brings the story of handsome men from the end of the Edo period with a classic look. Katanas, mowers, bows and weak flying ninjas make their appearance to bows in a new triangle of weapons, and a different way of playing. Please stay tuned for Fire Emblem Battle of Revolution ! - Hitoshi Yamagami from Nintendo. (x)

As an extra, apparently it will come with a roll of paper where it would tell us more about the vivid history of the game’s world. The character "Marusu" (Marth) will make an appearance as DLC, a messenger who for some reason ends up in different places. (x) (x)

Taking place near the end of the Edo period.

The land of Valentia is suffering from famine and destruction in several places, and its isolation has attracted foreign countries to its shores.

It seems that Celica is the leader of Zofia, and visits Valbar to request his aid.

There are people who support the Shogunate (the ruling military power) and those that want them gone. People all across the country feel strongly about the issue and aren't afraid to use violence to prove it.

Valbar and Celica gather allies, and when Valbar learns of the conspiracies behind the Shogunate, "his heart will hesitate. In the end, who really knows what they will believe?"

The destination of the final battle is called "The White Feather".

The game has a deep history, sub-episodes that show a characters past, and additional sub missions.

There is a Hanafuda Card System (like Amiibo cards) that may or may not affect permadeath, and the game has amazing battle animations.

Chapter 1 is called "Blooming Flowers" and Chapter 2 is "Between Water and Fish". There also exists a magic system, supports, classes, and DLC.

Character Descriptions:

Valbar AKA Violent Steed: Although he is a native peasant, he is naturally kind and has a sincere personality, which led to him becoming the guard of "White Wind" (Zofia). His laughter always reaches the next village, and he is concerned about his "early thirties-old belly".

Leon AKA Love Man: A ninja who fled from Iga. He longs to ride for Valbar (who is also known as the Violent Steed... make of that what you will), even enlisting for him. Leon changes his red eyeliner daily, is a dandy and skilled with his hands, which draws the attention of young women. May or may not be occasionally mistaken for a woman himself.

Kamui AKA Warrior Bear: A samurai without a teacher. He once brandished his sword against Valbar, which lead to him joining the "White Wind". Kamui hates being dominated, and despite his careless lifestyle is an expert with the blade. He is struck by a girl from a store, though he does not speak to her.

In the July 2017 Nintendo Dream issue, an interview with Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia developers discussed the creation of this game as well as other topics and trivia. (read translation here)

Q: It was still before Echoes’ release, but people recognized Leon and others in the pic.

Yamagami: The homepage staff assigned them different kanji* for us.

*TN: Chinese characters used in Japanese.

Nakanishi: Leon in particular had it spelled out in a way that was quite fitting in the game.*

*TN: In Japanese, Leon’s name is “Leo” レオ (Reo). With kanji they wrote it as “恋男” which can be read as “reo,” but literally means “man love.”

[ohmygoodnessgraciouss]

I think Troy will always be superior, but Neil is absolutely amazing, ya know he was In Detroit Become Human too. Idk if your familiar with that game. He’s in a lot of other games as well, full of talent and sadly a very underrated actor. Speaking of which, It is important to remember Neil (Troy and others) is much more than a voice actor. He is in the motion capture suit, on a stage with cameras and mics around him. It is really just like a regular stage for theatre acting, the only thing is the actors are in funny suits. It’s really easy to just say they are voice actors because that is what we (the player) really pick up on. But they are soooo much more and it is very important to give them credit as an actor, not just a voice, because we don’t want to undermine their skill, talent, and work. I know you didn’t mean that intentionally because that’s what I called them before I really learned just how much work these actors do. A great example of this is with Roger Clark aka Arthur Morgan in RDR2. He was called a voice actor probably a million times, but he told people that only about 10% of his lines were in a recording booth, all else was on stage in the mocap suit. So it’s really important we don’t undermine these artists work, because it can make them feel like their work isn’t being appreciated, which we don’t want! Sorry for the rant, but we’re all learning as this technology grows and the correct terminology! (;

Oh yeah absolutely! It's so important to recognize the work they put into it. I forgot to mention that so I'm glad you said it! And never apologize for a rant, I do it all the time!

Voice actors put a lot of work into what they're doing. Honestly, I was watching a video of Attack on Titan voice actors saying their lines in front of an audience and it hurt to see people comment stuff like "Oh look at how funny they look" like excuse me??? To get a realistic effect, a realistic sound, they have to perform some of the movements too! For video game actors they're practically becoming their characters, it's just that they don't get the cool costumes that go along with it. Being a voice actor sounds so fine and dandy to many until they realize just how much work is put into it.

Which is why I also want to say - Massive respect to the RE team, developers, designers, voice actors and all. They worked hard for this game and it came out amazing. The graphics were gorgeous, the characters were so complex but not so much that they were confusing and hard to connect with, and the voice acting is top notch honestly. I could go on and on about this team. They did an incredible job.

Also if you ever want to rant about it but you don't want to do it on the feed you could always private message meeee I'm always happy to talk! :D

[thotyssey]

On Point With: Blake McIver

Beginning his career as a child star with memorable roles in “Full House” and “The Little Rascals” reboot, this actor / writer / producer / director / singer / songwriter / ex-gogo boy has definitely sashayed his way into our hearts and minds. New Yorkers can enjoy a pair of performances from him this week at the Laurie Beechman Theatre: first covering a legend’s songbook in a solo show, then as a supporting player of a drag queen’s showcase that he’s directed. It’s the charming and talented Blake McIver Ewing!

Thotyssey: Hi Blake, thanks for talking to us! So, are you mad busy now with rehearsals and finishing touches on your two shows (Blake Sings Barbra and I Dream of Jackie), or are you comfortable with what you have down now for both of them?

Blake McIver: Well, I am admittedly a rehearsal addict, but I had to come back to LA for another show. So, we'll do a couple quick clean-ups before next weekend!

You've certainly been performing for nearly all of your life... have producing, writing and directing always been part of the equation as well? I've actually been directing for over a decade! I started a theatre company in Southern California at 19, and cut my teeth as a producing major during my time at UCLA. Writing came shortly thereafter, first with songwriting, and then it expanded from there! So are you pretty much open to a variety of projects, or do you have a pretty specific wheelhouse? I like wearing many different hats. It keeps my passion alive, and keeps me learning and constantly refining my skill set.

Are you still basically based out of California? I am still based out of LA. As much as I love my time in NYC, the West Coast is always home. I was born and raised in the heart of LA, which is very rare. I consider myself a unicorn, haha!

Unicorn indeed! You've had a long and amazing career as an actor, beginning with some choice gigs as a child star... including Derek from Full House, Michelle's adorable friend who slayed “Yankee Doodle Dandy” in his debut episode! When you're that young and that famous/successful, can you even fully understand what is going on... or is it just normal because that's all you know?

For me, it was just going into the family business at a young age. Both my parents have lifelong careers in entertainment, which meant that many of their friends were in the business as well. I went to regular school, with non-working kids in between gigs, so I was aware that my life wasn't exactly typical. But I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

Nor would your fans! I understand Derek was meant to be a one-time-only appearance, but that evolved into a beloved recurring role for several seasons.

You're right! Derek was supposed to be a one episode thing, that turned out to be three seasons of the show until it ended. It was a joy to be on that set every single time. It really was a cohesive family by the time I entered the cast, and they all made me feel right at home.

One fun part of Fuller House is seeing many of these supporting characters and their actors from the original show return as adults for cute cameos. It would be difficult without the Olsen Twins on board for this version, but would Derek stop by Fuller House if it were up to you?

YES! If it were up to me, Derek would definitely be the flamboyant show choir director at the School of the "new generation" kids! Have you noticed the show is so gay now? DJ and Stephanie are hitting on gay guys, and Kimmy's ex-husband is basically the New Trade. It's wonderful! Haha! That's awesome to hear. I have to be totally honest and tell you I haven't actually watched any of the reboot past the first episode! I know, sacrilegious! There's just only so many hours in the day, and I have so many Real Housewives franchises to keep up with! But I'm so glad people are loving it, and I hope it goes on and on.

Speaking of Housewives, you made appearances on a Bravo show a few years ago, "The People's Couch!" What was that experience like?

Well I have to say, when they pitched the show to us I thought, "Okay, we've officially reached the end of entertainment! You're making a show about people watching other shows on TV." Of course I hadn't yet seen the brilliant original British version, Gogglebox. And then when I saw the rough cut of the pilot, I was blown away with how fresh and funny it was. 

We really had the opportunity to engage in social commentary in a way I couldn't have predicted. Of course there was plenty of silliness along the way, but we did get to talk about some real issues on Bravo primetime, which I'm proud of.

Your album The Time Manipulator was such a diverse collection of songs and styles. 

Indeed! The Time Manipulator was intentionally stylistically diverse. It wasn't until I began writing music that I realized the diversity of my musical influences. Each track on that album represents a story from a moment in my life; some happy, painful, frustrating, etc. The narrative is quite dramatic, and I felt the genres really needed to serve the narrative. 

Of course, that's the last thing any record label wants to hear... which is why it was important for me to self produce / release the first one so that my un-diluted musical story is there.

That's the way to do it! Who would you consider some musical influences?

I'm inspired by everyone from The Beatles and Queen to Diana Ross, Carole King, Elton John, Antonio Carlos Jobim, to Gaga and Beyonce. I'm a real music nerd so if the melody and lyric meet a pure emotional intention, I'M IN! Do you have any plans for another recording? I do! I'm in the middle of a (much more musically cohesive) new EP that is inspired by my love of Motown, Blues, and Soul.

Right before recording The Time Manipulator, the internet-browsing public was alerted (thanks to Perez Hilton, I think) to the fact that you--a former child star!--were gogo dancing to fund its production, and the Thirst Pics were abound. You've already talked a lot about that experience with honest candor and charm, but I was wondering.. does being a stage and screen performer prepare you for gogo dancing at all, or is it a completely different animal?

The performative aspect of it definitely felt familiar to me. Performing for an audience has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. But does anything truly prepare you for shaking your moneymaker in a jock on a box? Not sure, lol! 

It was like playing a role to a degree. I had a character / persona in my head. He had a name and a personality that was admittedly bolder than my own. So I guess it kind of was like a fun acting gig. Def, and it paid! Is that also how you got to know people in nightlife, like promoters and drag queens, or did you already kinda know that crowd from just being a gay entertainer in LA? It all sort of happened simultaneously, in a beautiful way. Just as I was becoming more comfortable and free in my queer identity and expression, I was meeting wonderful queer artists and brilliant performers who challenged me artistically and mentally, which was really wonderful.

What's been your history as a stage performer in NYC?

Well, my NYC stage debut was as an honorary member of "The Broadway Kids" in the early 90s. I believe a Gavroche got sick before one of their big shows, and my friend Kathryn Zaremba (who was Lisa on Full House) was Annie Warbucks on Broadway. She said to the director, “my friend can learn this show in four days.” Before I knew it, I was singing and dancing alongside all these young Broadway vets who were very gracious to let the TV / Film brat come play with them! What's a dream role for you, as far as Broadway is concerned? Deena Jones in Dreamgirls. Which I realize is extremely problematic on every level, and will never and should NEVER, EVER happen.  

I wish that Disney could get it together and put Hunchback on Broadway. I would do just about anything to bring Quasi to the Broadway stage. Oh God that would be incredible!  

So I saw I Dream of Jackie during its initial run at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, starring NYC queen Jackie Cox, which you directed and also co-starred in. I absolutely loved it, it was cute and very funny, and even had sincere moments! How did you get involved with that show, which I’m happy to see returns to the Beechman on Sunday, August 20th?

I'm so glad you enjoyed IDOJ! It was such a joy bringing it to life. Jackie (aka Darius) has been my best friend since we met on day one of college at UCLA. We actually came up with the character of Jackie together, which is why I am referred to as her "Drag Father," hahaha! 

It worked out that my schedule opened up enough for me to be in NYC for the month of July, and I jumped at the chance to direct and choreograph the show. Can't wait to do it again next Sunday!

Amazing! Have you / would you ever try drag yourself, by the way?

I have very strong, angular features. Me in drag just looks like Idina MANzel.

Ha! Well, the night before IDOJ returns, the Beechman will see you solo on the stage for the return of your own hit cabaret revue, Blake Sings Barbra: The Concert! What role does Barbra Streisand's music play in your life, and what made you want to bring this show to the stage?

I've been captivated by Barbra since I first saw Funny Girl at 7 years old. But it wasn't until her 1994 comeback concert that I became completely obsessed. It was a crazy year for me: I was in my second season of Full House, I filmed The Little Rascals, and my parents’ house was destroyed in the Northridge earthquake. In the show, I take you through all these things via The Concert, which basically taught me everything I know about being a performer.

I've wanted to do this tribute show for many years, and finally sat down one day last year, during the tumult of election season, and wrote it all down.

Now that you mentioned The Little Rascals--where you play spoiled villain Waldo-- and the election, I have to quickly ask about how surreal it is that Donald Trump plays your Dad on the other end of a phone conversation in a brief cameo. That must be so surreal to process, nowadays.

It really is! And I tell the extended version of the story in my show. It becomes relevant at a certain point in the concert!  Intriguing! What's your favorite song to do in the show? I love the setlist from the concert so much, so it really changes with every audience. Last month I had some true 94 concert superfans in the audience, so during "The Way We Were" they were quoting her ad libs at me, then I quoted some back at them during the interlude, and we all screamed and it was a fabulous moment. I explained it all to the rest of the crowd after the song, haha!

Sounds like a remarkable experience, congratulations! Anything else coming up for you? Yes, in September I am directing and choreographing a tour for the wonderful cabaret and burlesque artist Ariana Savalas (of Postmodern Jukebox fame). I built the first version of her show last summer, and now it's expanding into a full Caburlesque extravaganza, which is so fun! And then I'll be back at the Beechman in October with two more shows! Excellent! So, lastly: what do you think The Little Rascals’ Waldo would be doing today, as an adult?

I feel like he'd be on a yacht in the South of France, spending his father's money as rapidly as humanly possible!

Sounds about right. Thanks, Blake!

Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Blake McIver’s scheduled NYC appearances. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and his own website.

On Point Archives

[rockrevoltmagazine]

MGT INTERVIEW WITH MARK THWAITE AND ASHTON NYTE

  A gothic rock lover’s dream- the impressive project MGT has an upcoming release that will make even the darkest of hearts swoon at the beautiful singing of Ashton Nyte and brilliant melodies from the mind of Mark Thwaite. “Gemini Nyte” is a collaborative effort between two musicians that need no introduction, merging their musical experiences together to create this new album. Having played significant roles in other projects such as The Mission, Tricky, Peter Murphy, The Awakening, and so much more- it is clear to hear how years of fostering talent with skill has paid off. Senior Journalist Anabel DFlux had the wondrous opportunity to pick the brains of Mark and Ashton on “Gemini Nyte”.

  RockRevolt: Hello! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. How are you?

  Mark: Feeling dandy!

Ashton: Suitably splendid, thank you.

  RR: Let’s jump right into it and chat about your upcoming release “Gemini Nyte”. How was this album conceptualized? What was the music and lyricism writing progression like?

  Mark: It was a fairly organic process, as we had already collaborated on a few songs on the last MGT ‘Volumes’ album in 2015, we just kept on writing and before we knew it we had a whole albums worth of material… songs like ‘The Reaping’ and ‘Jesamine’ on the last album set the template sound for ‘Gemini Nyte’, and I decided to keep the whole album in that broad spectrum of the gothic hard rock genre, of course we branched out a bit here and there..

  Ashton: Yes, our initial collaboration on Volumes was a great foundation to build from. We actually wrote so well and so quickly together that the bulk of this album was written and demoed before Volumes was even released.

  RR: What about the recording and production process?

  Mark: Most of it starts in my home studio in Los Angeles California, I’ll record some guitar riffs and chord progressions and lay down some basic drum programming and bass guitar, maybe some synths and then send a sketch arrangement to Ashton, who then applies his lyrics and vocal melodies, sometimes suggesting arrangement tweaks etc… once I hear the vocal I then flesh out the instrumentation and guitars with more defined parts and sometimes add some lead lines..

  RR: Do you each have a song that has the most sentimental value on the upcoming album?

  Mark: I used to play along to ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’ back in the early to mid-80s, making up my own guitar riffs to the song, which ultimately lead me to recording this bombastic rock version on the new album, so I guess it certainly has sentimental value to myself, taking me back to my youth and to finally see my vision for the song realised over 30 years later..

  Ashton: As huge fan of Scott Weiland and STP, I was very moved by his passing. I reached out to Mark to do a version of my favourite STP song, “Atlanta”. Singing that song remains a very special moment for me on the album. Mark’s arrangement allowed us to stay true to the original, whilst bringing our collective spirit to the song. It is an album highlight for me.

  RR: Tell me about “Every Little Dream”. Why did you choose to release this song as a single?

  Ashton: “Every Little Dream” was actually a song I had written and demoed before meeting Mark. When we were assembling the album, I sent him a few demos and that one stood out for him. Mark re-recorded the guitars and added a new solo, among other things, which made it sit very well on the Gemini Nyte album. I think it ended being a single because both Mark and the label liked the song and it seemed to go down rather well at the shows we did last year.

  RR: Can you tell me about the official video? I love the overlaid live footage! Do you feel that your impressive previous musical experiences influenced aspects of this project?

  Mark: We played some festivals in Europe last summer, including Wave Gotik Treffen in Germany and Camden Rocks Festival in London, and we hired some camera guys to capture some live footage, I was thinking this would be handy for selling MGT as a live act to promoters and booking agents, but we also found it a source of imagery for the ‘Every Little Dream’ video… we passed all of the footage (including iphone footage) to our dear friend Mont Sherar who did a fantastic job of editing the Reaping video back in 2016, and he once again did an amazing job..

  Ashton: Yes, Mont worked miracles on the video, as always. I think the 80’s flavour reflects the 80’s undercurrent of the song itself. What can I say, I’m a child of the 80’s.

  RR: What is your fondest musical memory?

  Mark: Listening to Pink Floyd on vinyl for the first time at a friend’s house party when I was around 14 or 15.. I recall it was the Animals album, the vinyl would jump at the same point of the same song and to this day I can’t hear that song without hearing the ‘scratch’ or jump in my memory… music is a wonderful thing. If we are talking about performing music… probably the farewell shows by my old band The Mission back in 2008, they were fantastic and magical shows.

  Ashton: Hearing “Rock ’n Roll Suicide: by David Bowie for the first time. I knew then that I had my work cut out for me.

  RR: What image do you feel that your music conveys?

  Ashton: Lyrically I’m coming from a relatively introspective place. I like music to challenge the listener, whilst not being negative or oppressive. I think our songs are ultimately uplifting in the face of adversity and the other awful things life tends to throw at us.

  RR: What drew you into the gothic rock genre that you play?

  Mark: Funnily enough with my massive goth rock track record, what with playing guitar for everybody from The Mission to Peter Murphy of Bauhaus, Spear of Destiny, Theatre of Hate and working with members of Sex Gang Children and Killing Joke, my earliest influences were actually more punk rock and metal of the late 70s, such as The Skids, Generation X, The Pistols, Motorhead, AC/DC etc. But I started branching out into bands such as Bauhaus, Siouxsie in the early 80s and then The Cult and Killing Joke and enjoyed the atmosphere and drama to the music. I definitely find myself leaning more towards melancholic minor key chord sequences.

  Ashton: For me it evolved out of my love for Bowie and the more theatrical side of art. My natural voice is rather deep and a tad dramatic and my lyrics tend to meander through the realms of melancholy introspection – not always the best fit for pop music.

  RR: I hear you have an upcoming tour in the States with Jyrki69! Can you tell me about it?

  Mark: Both Jyrki and MGT are labelmates on Cleopatra, so we were aware of each other of course… also Ville Juurikkakala -the video director I used for my ABBA cover of ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ with Ville Valo -had also shot videos for Jyrki’s band The 69 Eyes, so it was fate that Cleopatra brought us together for this tour to promote our new albums.. The 69 Eyes are a great band, and Jyrki’s new solo album is fab.

  Ashton: Yeah, and Jyrki is a lovely person, which is supremely important when hitting the road with someone for a few weeks.

  RR: How would you describe your show visually? What can fans expect?

  Mark: Lots of smoke and mirrors…

  Ashton: I keep asking Mark to leave those mirrors at home, they do make me self-conscious.

  RR: Any music video plans we can be privy to knowing about?

  Mark: Not really, that’s up to our label Cleopatra to suggest we shoot a new one! We are releasing another single just before the album comes out in February, it’s a alternate version we recorded of ‘The Assembly Line’ and features original and classic Cure members Lol Tolhurst on keyboards and Pearl (aka Porl) Thompson on guitar… sounds fantastic and I’d love to see a video for it!

  RR: How would you define the word “success”? 

  Mark: Waking up each morning with all my limbs and food in the fridge, and to be with my loved ones around me.

  Ashton: Finding joy in everyday life and sharing it with those you love and who love you.

  RR: Any words for your fans before we conclude this interview?

  Mark: we look forward to everyone hearing the new album and coming to see us on tour! We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

  Ashton: Thank you for caring about what we do, it is certainly a blessing.

  RR: Thank you!

  CONNECT WITH MGT HERE

OFFICIAL WEBSITE FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER

  Be sure to catch MGT on tour in the United States at the below dates:

  Mar 9 – Mesa, AZ – Club Red

Mar 10 – Fullerton, CA – Slide Bar

Mar 11 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge

Mar 13 – Portland, OR – Analog Lounge

Mar 15 – Seattle, WA – Studio Seven

Mar 17 – Salt Lake City, UT – Liquid Joe’s

Mar 18 – Las Vegas, NV – Beauty Bar

Mar 21 – West Hollywood, CA – Whisky A Go Go

MGT INTERVIEW WITH MARK THWAITE AND ASHTON NYTE was originally published on RockRevolt Mag