#anyway what a fantastic bass player he would be

[odillisea]

What instrument each marauder would play according to me and @whoahtherepal:

Regulus: Violin. First desk, first seat. Concert master and a fucking prat about it. Probably grew up playing piano and switched to violin later, and is the biggest sweat in the orchestra. No one wants to be first desk with him because he doesn’t have perfect pitch but he’ll still know and make sure to tell you when you play slightly out of tune

Marlene: Trumpet obviously. She’s the most stereotypical trumpet player ever

Lily: Bassoon, and she would be the biggest oboe hater as well because apparently double reed friendly fire is turned off. She could also maybe play euphonium but maybe that’s just because euphonium is a very gryffindor coded instrument

James: Oboe. Also later picked up alto sax and established himself as Terrible And Annoying but constantly playing Careless Whisper at any and every given moment. Possibly also trombone just because he likes the slide

Remus: Electric bass. He would mainly play it in a cover band with friends and does not give a shit about school band. He’s only there because James insisted (and because a certain heir of Black is there). Also even if it isn’t technically an ensemble instrument there is literally nothing else that he could possibly be and also we have an electric bass in our band. I’m so serious we thought about it for so long and there is actually nothing

Evan: Cello. Loves the instrument and initially picked it because Barty really wanted him to be the last member of his string quartet with Regulus and Dorcas

Peter: Flute. Not as invested in music as the rest of his friends but loves it nonetheless.

Mary: Viola. She wanted to learn violin but then she heard it and decided it was too squeaky and high pitched and liked the lower sound of the viola more. Wants to start a wind instrument so she can be with Lily and Marlene, but can’t decide on one and loves viola anyway

Pandora: Clarinet and harp as her main instruments but she also used to learn piano and still plays it from time to time

Barty: Percussion because pent up anger issues. Except he’s the craziest tryhard at so he would also play violin, viola, double bass, trumpet, flute, clarinet, and tuba. He’s that one guy that can play anything, but he would NOT be cooperative about it. The second that there’s other percussionists there he would ditch and go pick a random section to play with, but if he’s asked to help fill in to help with any missing parts he activates stubborn fucker mode and goes anywhere but where the conductor wants him

Dorcas: Euphonium and violin. First violin because she’s good but also the only one that regulus won’t be a prick to

Sirius: Flute. Sirius was actually so difficult because he’s such an electric guitar player, but we were trying to do this based off school band/orchestra, so this was our best attempt. He too would’ve been forced to play piano when he was younger like Regulus, and also would’ve had to pick a second instrument when he was older. Out of the instruments that his parents gave him the option of, the only non string instruments were flute and clarinet, so he went with flute. He wanted a wind instrument so he could be as loud and raucous on his instrument as possible, and decided flute over clarinet because it “fit his vibe more” (he saw punks out on the street with silver studs and spikes and jewellery and thought a silver instrument was close enough). He doesn’t really like typical band music though, and does not like school band one bit. He would be more the type of flute player that does solos in a jazz ensemble and somehow manages to fucking shred on the flute and sounds fantastic every time.

[neros-very-first-fiddle]

history of panic! at the disco except I’m only a moderate fan, so it’s not 100% accurate and I had to fill in some gaps with my imagination, so you definitely shouldn’t quote me on any of this

it is currently 1 am and this is the only thing in my head, so let’s go.

have I listened to every p!atd song? yes. do I know the history? absolutely not.

so, Las Vegas, right? there’s a bunch of high school guys who are in a band and everything is going great, but uh oh, they need some back up vocals. local loser teen Brendon Urie comes to the rescue with his mediocre singing skills (he can’t sing) (at least not yet) so the band reluctantly takes him on. they play a few shows, so pretty good for a high school band, then they release an album. did they get signed to a record label first? uhhhh, I’m gonna say yes. its Vegas, they might as well have been.

so they write their first album, “a fever you can’t sweat out”, and it does well! “I write sins not tragedies” does absolutely fantastic in particular. it’s emo, it’s young, and their target audience approves.

riding off that high, they do what any other self respecting cool, hip, emo band would do and they write a psychedelic folk album. because duh. and using my knowledge that the first track states “we’re so sorry we’ve been gone”, the album took a minute to make and produce. Two years to be exact. And that’s exact exact. A whole 24 months. Released it on fever’s anniversary and everything. Also; at this point, one of the band members dropped out. probably a drummer. their name? uhh, idk, probably frank, david, or pete,,

so they write another album. it’s called “vices and virtues” and it uses a bit more tech and it’s a good sound and it goes a bit more back into their rock and roll roots. they continue with their thing of going super heavy into eccentric album themes and where all these cool steampunk outfits in the mvs and on the album cover. then ryan ross leaves. and this makes lots of people sad because he’s ryan ross. but the album’s good, so there’s some consolation. also some of the other members leave with him. the bass player dipped and their drummer flaked again. he didn’t want to go on without ryan ross’s ryan ross-ness and honestly who can blame him? also fun fact! the bass player left for completely non-ryan ross related reasons. his parrot brother passed away and it really took a toll on the family. and no I’m actually not joking because another fun fact! parrots live really long and a lot of the times in families they’re raised along with the children and they become so bonded to the family that oftentimes they’re considered an actual part of it. I found that out from a podcast when one of the hosts said her ex had a parrot for a brother which made me break down laughing, but that’s honestly really neat. anyways.

after that they, you guessed it, write another album. this one’s called “too weird to live, too rare to die”. the album cover is very cool™️ and so is the music. and they have a new bass player! his name is dallon james weekes and he is actually The coolest person ever. lots of fans are upset with the new album because it’s missing ryan ross, but dallon makes up for it. Then he leaves immediately after they finish touring for the album. boohoo.

it’s the summer of 2016. death of a bachelor has just been released. I’m at an outlet mall with my family and am standing under a giant tree trying to catch some shade from the texas heat that burns on my black hair and my brother pokes me in the arm. he’s got apple music opened up to the album Death of a Bachelor by Panic! At the Disco. he asks me if I’ve ever heard of them. I say no. he offers me an earbud and I happily take it . he presses play on a certain track; LA devotee. I’m instantly transported to another world. the sound is like nothing I’ve ever heard before. it’s not like the Spanish music my grandma always plays or christian music or 80s songs my mom sings in the car or the show tunes I sing with my friends or the classic rock my dad always blasts. it’s different. and it sounds so distinctively like me.

suddenly I’m emo. a few weeks later, I’m at a sleepover and we’re singing death of a bachelor and I mess up one (1) lyric and one of the other kids calls me a fake fan. at that exact moment in time I make the decision to religiously listen to and memorize every single lyric off the death of a bachelor album. and I did. so take that, julia. (we’re still friends)(she absolutely does not listen to panic anymore)

oh hey, would you look at that. pray for the wicked just came out. for the first time ever, I count down the days, then the minutes to an album release. it’s really fun.

and uhhh, that’s it. it’s just one guy at this point.

[lulupen2023]

Bells' secret diary 4/7

Thank for reading the previous parts, the cuteness goes on *O* Summary:

What if Matthew kept a secret diary since his very first meeting with Dominic till the birth of Muse and all its consequence? And what if said diary wasn’t just about music?

Summary of the chapter: It's time for Chris to come to play ;P

Teignmouth, The Den, 3rd Jan 1994

I do not know. After all this time, do you still accept that I can call you 'Dear Diary'?

I haven't opened you for almost two years, but I have my reasons. Can you let me explain? I take advantage of this afternoon of unusual sunshine, while I'm in my favorite park with Dom who is here next to me dozing…. and if I had a camera with me I would take a picture of him, he has such a serene expression, he looks like a little angel! But no, no distractions, it's you I have to deal with now.

I had made a pact with myself: I would write you back only when and if I had a definitive idea of stability for my, for our band. About Four, Five and Six (and, mind you, I know their real names, but they don't deserve to be named, that's it!) I was wrong, they stayed with me and Dom for quite a while. As much as I was fond of that name, we all agreed that a new one was needed, maybe less gory. And at the end of that year, Emma, Dom's sister, gave us the idea while I was at their house: Gothic Plague. Medieval, creepy, gloomy… in short, perfect.

And throughout 1993 we went on like this, between trials that mostly skipped because Four, Five or Six had better things to do, constant disagreements between the three of them on one side, Dom and I on the other, because those three never happened to approve one of our ideas, while their ideas was total bullshit to us! And even before the year ended, they abandoned us, one after the other, but it's better that way you know?

By now the rehearsals, the few that we managed to do all together, were 10% made up of music, ours, the remaining 90% of quarrels and moments of high tension... It wasn't a good life.

Dom and I discussed it for a long time, who knows why we stubbornly agreed to be five elements: they are too many! But it's also true that, although the jam sessions between me and Dommeh (I told you I'd find a special way to call him!) are fantastic… we can't be just a duo, we need one more element: a bass player, for accuracy. As you can imagine, we are not the only band of the school, for example there are also Fixed Penalty, who define themselves as post rock.. but in my opinion they won't go very far.

Except that in that band there is one hell of a drummer, as well as with the most difficult surname in the world: Chris Wolstenholme, who’s my same age, just a few months younger.

Dom and I fell in love with him at first sight, in the artistic sense of the word, I mean.

There was only one problem: he's a drummer, dammit, and I already have the best one on the planet! Dom came up with an idea so crazy that maybe it could work: "Let's ask him if he wants to learn to play bass to join our band." And, Dear Diary, you'll never believe me, but that's what we did today after his band rehearsal. We approached him and, I can't believe it, he accepted! Maybe he too didn't believe much in the future of his band.

Chris just asked us for a few days to learn bass and of course we allowed him to take all the time he needs.

I already know that he will be great, I just know it, as I know that he is the third element that will complete us.

Such dedication, such a great spirit of sacrifice, such a remarkable willpower… Enough, I don't need to know anything else, he is our ideal candidate, he has already done a lot for our band even before starting!

And he's such a nice guy, very down to earth, we'll love spending time with him.

Do you want to know if I’ll miss the moments just between me and Dom?

Yes, a lot… but anyway I know that he and I will always find time just for us.

You know, Diary, I've taken you back just as I had left you, that is with Dominic who is always my obsession, I keep thinking about him. I don't know how to disguise it anymore, will he notice my heart-shaped eyes when I look at him?

No, come on, I'm good at masking it… I MUST be good!  

We have become so intimate after all this time… the physical contact between the two of us is now routine, we look into each other's eyes for a long time, without either of us lowering our gaze, we are each other's confessional, we know each other's states of heart, we laugh together in the happy moments and we are strong for each other in the hardest ones.

In short, we are soul mates, without even being together… in the loving sense of the term.  

Even though there are moments when I'm almost certain he's one step away from kissing me, there are others when I'm about to give in and I really want to kiss him.

It's probably just all in my head. He can't reciprocate what I feel, I have to keep it in my heart, double lock it and be satisfied with what he gives me: the most splendid of friendships.  

Even if all I do is get lost in my fantasies: who knows what a kiss from him would be like? He must have such soft lips, I mean, I know they are soft… one day he was drinking a latte and he had some foam left and so I took it off with my thumb… I wanted to do it with my mouth, even better with my tongue .

Who knows how he kisses… he gives me the impression of being impetuous, but at times also very sweet… and in my opinion he is one who caresses a lot, I imagine him taking my face in his hands, or running his fingers through my hair… or as he holds me by the shoulders.. or he squeezes my butt... I'd do it for sure, then I'd bring my pelvis close to his, pressing it, to make him understand how much I'm liking it... and maybe I'd find out that he likes it too.

No, no, Matt, bloody hell, calm down, your jeans are getting a little too tight here! Let's talk about something else... like past birthdays: on his first birthday, in December, since I found out that he likes to draw a lot, I gave him a pad and some colored pencils... and he said that sooner or later he'll want to paint my portrait... I'm still waiting…forget the obscene imagery that runs wild in my mind at the thought!

I'm just saying that the clothes are not included, neither mine nor his.

No, bloody hell, I had to calm down!

Last year, on my birthday, he gave me a beautiful, fiery red acoustic guitar, telling me that even if I've become super good with the electric one, I shouldn't neglect that way of playing either. On the other hand, last month I gave him a new bike, he's such a sportsman.

Of course, the perfect scenario would have been a tandem, me and him going on a trip to the plains of Devon, it would be so romantic…

Then I wrote a song about him, you know?

That is, 'wrote' is a big word. I'm drafting it.

It's about me breaking up with a girl I used to date and realizing that she could never be as good as him.. so far I've only written this and not even very well.. There's still a lot of work to do.

And then I don't even know what music to put it on.. but I imagine something sweet, maybe with that guitar he gave me.

Uh, I have to stop writing to you, I think Dommeh is about to wake up.

I sort of regret not having taken that photo…

Notes:

I hope you'll keep liking this little sweet thing ^^ much more to come, Muse are about to born ;)

[dummy-thicc-demons]

Obey Me boys playing Friday Night Funkin’

I’ve been obsessed with Friday Night Funkin’ lately so take these headcanons.

MC introduced the boys to FnF....

Lucifer:

Won’t play unless Diavolo tells him to bc Luci believes himself to be above playing computer games

Will watch the others play and make comments whenever they miss a beat

Secretly wants to play though and he’ll give in to the desire in the privacy of his own room or study

If he’s feeling nice, he’ll let MC come and play with him, but it always get spicy at the end bc Luci isn’t going to let MC leave without paying a price

He’s pretty average at the game and he hates that he’s not perfect at it

Struggles between wanting to practice and wanting to stop lowering himself just to join the others

He doesn’t have a favorite Week but he does really like the track Winter Horrorland, and when the update comes out, he also likes the track Monster

Mammon:

Is actually kinda good at the game?? Definitely above average

This man is crazy good at dancing so rhythm comes easily to him and definitely freestyle dances to the tracks

Don’t ask him to play an instrument though because he’s hopeless in that area

Will try it to gamble with his brothers and makes them make bets on who would win or lose

I don’t know why I feel like Mammy would like Week 1, but once Week 7 was released, he falls in love with it

His favorite track is DadBattle and always bops his head to the beat

Will brag and always tells MC to watch him win then proceeds to lose

Levi:

Expert at the game

Because of his mad gaming skills, hitting the keys on time is easy

It also helps that he is fantastic at DDR

His biggest flex is being able to play all of the Weeks on hard mode

His ability comes from practice and dedicating his blood, sweat, and tears to gaming in general

He wants to know more about the plot and makes theories

His favorite track is Satin Panties bc he loves the duet sound is that really the only reason levi?

Satan:

Interested in the game but he doesn’t love it like some of his brothers

The music is not his taste but he’ll admit that they have their charm

He’s average at the game and he’s okay with it

He would practice but he gets too into it when he does play and ends up getting angry every time he loses

They definitely needed to buy new laptops because he ended up breaking them

Doesn’t have a favorite Week but does love the track Philly

He finds joy in the line “shoot them up and take them out”

Asmo:

Doesn’t play the game at all and is really bad at it anyway

He doesn’t want to be stressed and start sweating bc that’s unseemly and gross

Still really likes the game though and enjoys watching his brothers flail around, particularly Mammon

Likes most of the tracks but he’s not the biggest fan of Week three, Monster, or Winter Horrorland

He loves Mommy Must Murder and wants to be her as well as fuck date her

His favorite track is Senpai but he hates the character Senpai

Thinks Lemon Demon and Senpai’s third form are disgusting inside and out

Beel:

Doesn’t play often and would rather eat and watch because his brothers don’t want him to get his crumbs and grease on their laptops

When he does play, this man is a GOD

FnF just comes naturally to him and it both impresses and pisses off his brothers

Beel is a natural at the bass or the drums so it helps with his FnF skills

This man is just perfect at rhythm but pls don’t ask him to freestyle dance to the tracks

He likes the happy tones of the first two songs in Week 5 and gets hungry during Winter Horrorland

He likes what happens in Stress of Week 7 because he thought it was wholesome

Belphie:

Doesn’t play and doesn’t want to play

He likes just listening and dozing off

His brothers coerce him every so often but he’s just bad at the game

His favorite place to be is leaning on the shoulder of whoever is playing

His favorite Week is Week 6 because it’s chill

Doesn’t really care about the characters but he’ll like whoever MC likes

Will make fun of you if you lose or miss a lot of beats

Barbatos:

Do I even have to say? This man is perfect at the game

Will play if Diavolo or MC asked him to

He was caught off guard when he played Week 7 on hard mode

He still won but it wasn’t a perfect score

He only missed a few beats and no one noticed but him

It’s okay because he played it a second time and it was flawless

His favorite track is High bc he likes the chill bob sound and always has a small smile whenever he hears it

Diavolo:

Diavolo is so bad at it someone pls help him

What he lacks in skill, he makes up in enthusiasm

Absolutely adores the game, it’s music, it’s characters, and it’s concept

Will listen to the soundtrack often as a stress reliever

Will call MC to have tea with him as they play FnF in the garden

He loves the energy of Week 4 and his favorite track is MILF

Wants MC to wear Mommy Must Murder’s outfit

Solomon:

Heard of the game before but never played it himself until MC brought it up

Above average player

He plays with Levi sometimes and that’s where he gets his skill from

Definitely a huge fan of mods bc he likes the extra content and admires the work that other people put in

Doesn’t play on his own since he’s a busy magic man but he will play if the group is playing

Vibes to the music but won’t listen to it outside of the game

Teams up with Diavolo to try to get MC in the milf outfit

Simeon:

Another example of can’t play for shit

He can’t even use his D.D.D correctly and you expect me to believe that he can play FnF?

This kind of music is new to him and was startled and overwhelmed when he first heard it

Is amazed at Levi, Barbatos, and Beel’s mastery of the game

Plays whenever Luke or MC asks him to

He also likes to pester Lucifer and try to get him to play the game

Like Beel, he enjoys the happy vibe of Week 5

Luke:

Good at the game

He’s a quick learner so give him a few turns on a level and he’ll be able to beat it even if he isn’t perfect

Plays the game during his free time bc he thinks it’s fun

Will beep and aah to the tracks whenever they play

You’ll see him tapping his fingers in the table, and when you ask, he’ll tell you that he’s practicing

Secretly likes playing with the demon brothers bc they’re always so chaotic and entertaining

Considered cosplaying as BF but was to scared to ask Levi to help him

Lastly, here my OC just bc

Aniisha:

Heard about it from a friend in the human world and immediately fell in love

Average at the game but she’s practicing hard

Freestyle dances with Mammon

Like Luke, she will beep and aah whenever she hears a track playing

Loves watching the boys play she loves watching the boys do anything really

Favorite track is Ugh and lowkey simps for Tankman much to Levi’s distress and confusion

She also wants to wear the milf outfit but won’t agree to Diavolo and Solomon’s request unless they call her Mommy

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians, Maxwell's, Hoboken, New Jersey, November 25, 1986

Thanksgiving in Hoboken! Robyn and the Egyptians kick off this stellar show with a tribute to another Turkey Day gig, 10 years earlier — The Last Waltz. The Band's "The Shape I'm In" is given an appropriately rowdy reading, followed up by another last gasp of sorts: The Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down" ... Were The Egyptians about to call it quits? Not really — they're celebrating. "It's our 10th anniversary," Robyn tells the Maxwell's crowd. "So we're actually just fucking around and doing lots of things we used to play years ago." (Indeed, one of the earliest Soft Boys setlists features "The Shape I'm In.")

So yeah, this is a fantastic, loose-limbed performance from the core trio version of the Egyptians, coming at the tail end of almost two years of heavy touring. If they were road-weary at this point, they don't show it. Hitchcock, Windsor, and Metcalfe sound like they're having a blast. Let's give it up for a minute to Metcalfe's bass skills — he's virtually another lead player here, providing both a firm lower end and warm melodies, an ideal match for Hitchcock's spectral arpeggiating. Robyn is particularly on fire instrumentally this evening, knocking out wild solos on "Only The Stones Remain," "Lady Waters and the Hooded One," and "I'm Only You," the latter of which goes into deep "Eight Miles High" zones. (And for good measure, the band goes ahead and covers "Eight Miles High" during the encore.)

Anyway, an extremely good show! The Egyptians would ease up on touring in 1987, but there was still plenty more to come from this group ...

Robyn Says: I just walk downstairs, open my mouth, pick up a guitar and off we go. It's very easy — my mind never stops. People seem to, kind of, walk around me waiting for it to stop so they can come and examine my head, drill holes in it and find out what's in there. I wish they wouldn't. It's life filtered in one ear and out through the mouth — like taking a whole load of ingredients and grinding them up not-very-finely, so when they come out again you can still recognize them. Like, "Oh look. Here's half a car, and here's a piece of green pepper, and here are two people making love in a fridge." Something like that.

Robyn Hitchcock | Web | Patreon | Bandcamp

[imagineofallkindsxxx]

Eternal Flame- Kol Mikaelson 5/?

You Should Be Like Me, Be Single!

Summary: 'You never know whats in a persons heart until you truly know them' - Belle French, Once Upon a Time

Singing. Thats all what Alexandra Gilbert has cared about since she was young and all she would care about until she met him.

With Alexandra fighting vampires, werewolves and all inbetween she may do a thing she vowed never to do, fall in love.

And to think it all started with a walk in the woods...

Waking up from the previous night was like I just had a bad dream but the bruises on my arm remind me that what happened was very very real. I looked at the digital clock on my night stand and saw it read 7:31. Shit. I ran into the bathroom to brush my teeth and have the quickest shower known to man before changing into burgundy dress with short sleeves and ends mid-thigh. Put on some winged eyeliner, highlighter and a nice shade of dark red lipstick. I ran down stairs seeing its 8:05, I'm able to get a coffee quick before heading off to the first day of school. When walking into the kitchen I saw my little brother on a stool. I poured myself some coffee into a travel mug before turning towards him.

"Hey. How are you?" I asked curious to how my baby brother is holding up.

"Alright considering. But I should be asking you that, how are you after last night?" I looked at him thinking of an answer that wouldn't seem selfish and rude but also honest. I hate bitching about Elena towards my brother. I don't want him to feel like he has to pick between the two of us. Before I could answer him, I heard a loud honk outside making me realise that Sam was here to five me a ride to school.

"That's my ride. do you want a lift to school?" I asked like every day and everyday he'd decline

"Nah I'm fine, Elena is taking me." I smiled and ruffle his hair before bidding him good bye seeing out my peripheral vision him trying to fix his hair making me smile a little. I grabbed my bag and walked outside getting into Sam’s car, he picks me up as on his way to school he passes my house, it’s been that way since sophmore year even before me and Elena became estranged.

"Hey, what's up?" Sam asks.

"Hi, nothing just a bit tired that's all. We still on for tonight?" I replied leaving out the reason I didn’t sleep being because of the worrisome thoughts about a certain Lockwood.

"To my knowledge. Hope so anyway, first performance in a month this Saturday. We need to prepare." He said determined to do well this weekend. Sam was always the most determined out of the four of us which I admired greatly. I hummed in agreement to his previous statement. We listened to music trying to find any song that would fit our genre on the radio before pulling up into the school parking lot filled with miserable teens not wanting to go back to school. We got out grabbing my bag and helping Sam with his bass I told him I'd meet him inside at our spot which I already know James will be lurking, he’s always early to get in. I saw my sister and her friends and walked up to them hearing Caroline say.

"Here we are. Senior year." Which made me sigh making my presence known.

"Anyone else think it should feel slightly more empowering?" Bonnie said voicing my thoughts of how deflating and normal this feels.

"Absolutely Bon. Understand where you're coming from." I replied agreeing with the witch.

"Okay. So, prank night was a bust. But we are accepting it, and we are moving on" she addressed us all not making me feel any better but for sake of pretence I put a smile on my face. This was before the pity party of my friends started with Bonnie starting by saying.

"You're right. I mean, why should I let the fact that my boyfriend is seeing the ghost of his dead girlfriends hinder this experience?" Wait what? Jeremy is speaking to his dead girlfriends? Plural? Jesus this is fucked up

"Today's our anniversary. Technically, Stefan and I met on the first day of school last year."

"Yes! And why should I let the fact that my boyfriend was turned into a hybrid put a damper on an otherwise fabulous day?" Caroline added making me think fair enough. Then Elena spoke.

"Okay you win" Caroline declared, this is when I stepped in and started walking backwards away from my sister and friends.

"Won what? The biggest pity party? You should be like me ladies, be single! Much easier than dealing and worrying about little boys!" I said with a huge smile on my face. I mean what's the big deal? "I’ll see you later." Walking away from the group of girls. I walked to our spot where I now realised Mark had joined also. this led to the four of us discussing what class we have next.

"I've got gym. Fantastic" Sam says sarcastically "Just what I need to start the first day of school"

"Better than math, feel like poking my eyes out just with the thought of quadratic equations" Mark states groaning at the thought of the numerical based class.

"I've got history. Decent compared to you two." I said looking at my time table.

"Same, thank god. I'm terrible at history. I literally only passed because I copied most of the work off of you." James informed me of his cheating.

"Gee thanks Jamie. feel so great about one of my best friends cheating." he just ignored me turning towards the rest of the group, "I'm going to put my stuff in my locker. Meet you here before heading to history?" I asked James.

"Yeah, sure." He dismissed me too engrossed in the conversation about a football game next week? Honestly, I don't particularly care about the game itself but the players do make up how boring the sport is.

I stalked off to my locker putting in my combination before seeing Elena and Caroline a few lockers up from me.

"Hello ladies." I said letting them know that I am there where Caroline shhh'd me pointing towards my sister who was on the phone, I gave her a questioning look.

"Damon" she whispered and I nodded in realization.

*******************************************************

"Rebekah? She's living with you now? Why?" asking many somewhat reasonable questions about the original, she’s quiet for a few seconds which I’m sure is waiting on Damon finishing.

"What about Stefan? What is he up to?" Asking about her beau worrying about him and his most likely death count. She waits while Damon answers.

"Come on Damon. I can handle it. What?" Persisting that Damon tells her what her boyfriend is doing before taking her phone away from her ear revealing he hung up on her. Yikes, must be bad.

Caroline then when the conversation finished put up a flyer next to me with it saying 'Spirit Squad Back to school Bonfire'.

"Is that tonight?" I questioned my friend forgetting all about the tradition, hopefully this one doesn’t turn out the same way the prank night did.

"I forgot about the bonfire" Elena said having more important matters to think about. Caroline taking our forgetfulness as not wanting to go by her rushing to say.

"You have to go. it's our first spirit quad event. And it sets the bar for the whole year." But me and Elena both ease her nerves by confirming that we will go and for her to relax. "Thank you. It's just that..." but before she could finish Tyler comes in suddenly and kisses Caroline.

"Happy first day!" he exclaims to the three of us which I give a small smile at until I see the red mark on his shirt which Elena clocks as well.

"Is that blood?" The brunette asks.

"Oh my god!" Caroline exclaims before pushing him into the boy’s bathroom with me and my twin following the couple.

"What's going on?!" he exclaims seeming genuinely confused about how having your breakfast on your shirt is a bad look.

"Vampire 101... don't wear your breakfast to school!" I'm checking if anyone was in the cubicles and would hear the supernatural based conversation going on between the couple.

"Chill out. it’s just a blood bag." Tyler said attempting to defend himself.

"From where?" Caroline questioned still extremely angry looking, before I could see this car crash of a conversation get even worse, I decided to escape

"Yeah. I’m just going to go now. Bye" being awkward but I had to get out of there. "Thank Christ I'm single" I muttered when I left the restroom.

I walked towards the spot in the corner only seeing James making me think the rest have went to class.

"Did you just come out of the boy’s restroom?" he asked confused about my whereabouts.

"Don't ask." I said and surprisingly he didn’t make fun making me think that I look quite stressed about the fact my friend turned hybrid is now going around with blood on his shirt.

It’s not even first period.

"Let’s just get to class."

When walking to class we made idle chat James trying to keep my spirits up. "Thanks James. I might let you cheat off my first paper just for this."

"For what?" he asked looking confused

"Being a good friend" yet he still looked confused when we walked into the class together, I saw my sister and Alaric talking quite closely making me furrow my eyebrows before smiling at the teacher and walking to the middle of the class where neither of us would be noticed. the class bell rang as I got my notebook out and wrote 'AP American History' on the front copying from the blackboard on the front. I overheard Elena saying to Alaric

"Look, him being here is not good for any of us. We have to do something." making me give her a questioning look which she dismissed by mouthing 'later' but something tells me it might have to do something with a vampire boyfriend with hero hair. Elena sits in her usual seat with Caroline coming and sitting next to left and Kyle sitting on her right well before our new resident psycho comes in to my shock going right to Kyle before saying menacingly.

"You're in my seat" making Kyle move to another seat. Poor Kyle.

Before anything else could be said Alaric started to teach the class

"Welcome back seniors. Let’s turn our brains back on, starting with this country's original founders... the Native Americans." Great can already feel how fascinating this lesson is, James already looking like he will fall asleep at any moment before class has even begun.

"What about the Vikings?" a girl asks taking a seat next to me

"She's hot" I heard a whisper come from my left making me give him a glare. before going back to looking at the blonde sitting next to me. Ric just replied by saying "There's no evidence the Viking explorers actually settled in the United States. Who are you?"

"My names Rebekah and history is my favourite subject"

Hope you enjoyed reading.

A/N: I fucked up with chapters so this is chapter 3 the beginning of 'smells like teen spirit.'

his was is the beginning of the episode and next will introduce Alex best girl friend Ash, dynamics between her and a certain character and more of the band.

Any British slang, spelling or grammar problems let me know.

Thanks for reading Lovelies xxx

Please comment any positive or negative feedback

[gossipchii]

Beautiful stranger

FF.net link: Here

Characters: Takenouchi Sora and Ishida Yamato

Pairing: Sorato

Words: 2100+

Notes: It was inspired by Halsey’s song of the same title. I don’t know, it’s a beautiful song.

Enjoy!

Sora knew exactly which day today was, she knew it without looking at her phone, or at the calendar she had hanging at her wall. She knew it the moment she woke up because her chest felt heavy. It had officially been one year since her breakup, she sighed. Sora had done everything she was supposed to do during that long time to get over a breakup: she got a haircut, she exercised a lot, got back to playing tennis! Hung out with friends, even went to a few dates that never succeeded.

Yet, there she was, sitting in her bed with a heavy chest. She decided she needed a few drinks that night, so she texted her friends’ group chat and it was settled. Sora wanted to go to their usual bar, a small place they went to at least twice a month, but Mimi insisted they went to the newest place in the neighborhood, a bar with the coolest view in Odaiba, she assured. All Sora wanted was a drink that night, so she accepted.

She finally got out of her room, to meet both her roommates in the living room, she was surprised by how late it was, she probably had spent an hour staring at the walls in her room.

“Morning, Sora!” Miyako was playing some game in the TV and Hikari was editing the photos they had taken last week, when she had insisted Sora to be her model.

“Morning,” she smiled softly, decided that she wasn’t hungry, but she still needed some food, so a smoothie would do. “Happy anniversary!” The redhead sarcastically exclaimed, lifting her smoothie glass as if she was cheering, both Miyako and Hikari knew exactly what she was talking about.

“How are you feeling?” Hikari, the younger of the trio hugged her, she had always been better with actions than with words.

“Kind of numb, it’s crazy to think it’s been a year already.”

“It will get better,” Miyako had never liked Sora’s ex-boyfriend, she said he used to shut down her light.

“It already has,” Sora’s tone was sincere this time. “In fact, I texted Mimi and the others, we’re going to the hit bar that just opened, you both should come.” She took a sit alongside Hikari, surprised by how good the photoshoot had turned out.

“I don’t think I can, Koushiro and I have a meeting in a few hours, and we’ll have to start working with the project as soon as possible.” Miyako and their mutual friend, Koushiro, had started a software company when they were in freshman year in University, and they had grown incredibly quickly. “He should be getting here soon, actually.”

“Hikari?”

“You know I don’t really like going out…” and Sora knew she was right, so she wouldn’t insist. “Plus, I want to finish editing these, they are crazy good, Sora!” the redhead couldn’t hide her blush, she did look good if she had to accept it herself.

“It’s all because you do magic with the camera,” Sora admitted, it would have been fun if her roommates had joined her night out plan. “This means it’ll be Mimi, Taichi and I all over again.”

“You see my brother more than I do,” Hikari laughed.

“I should start getting ready, considering Koushiro will be here soon and I’m still on my PJ’s.”

The rest of the day went out quicker than Sora was expecting. She wasn’t looking forward to her breakup anniversary because all the feelings she felt back then would go back to being fresh. But having her roommates at home, and Koushiro too had been a nice surprise. It hadn’t been half as bad as she had feared.

“Honey, I’m home! You better be ready, Takenouchi because the reservation is at 9pm sharp and if we get late, I’m…” Sora got out of her room, leaving Mimi speechless, a hard thing to do. “Who are you and what did you do to my Sora?”

“Oh, you’re exaggerating.” First Hikari, now Mimi. Perhaps her inside wasn’t at her best but Sora was glad her exterior didn’t show it. “Where’s Taichi?”

“Waiting for us downstairs, something about him not having the money he owes to Koushiro…”

“I heard that! Ugh, he promised!” Koushiro interrupted their meeting to stare at Mimi, she simply shrugged.

“We´re leaving!” Mimi held Sora’s arm and soon enough the trio were on their way to the bar.

Sora had been close to cancel on Mimi, it felt strange dressing up that much, even wearing heels. But this new place had strict dressing policy and Mimi was so excited to visit it. Plus, Sora needed a drink, just one.

“Was he mad?” Taichi asked Sora once they were on the elevator, if the bar had the best view of Odaiba, it was just obvious that it would be in the twentieth floor.

“So mad! You’ll need to pay him soon.” It was weird to see Taichi all dressed up, even weirder than seeing herself in heels.

“I really was planning to pay him today, but then Mrs. Princess decided to come to this expensive place and…”

Sora got lost in her thoughts, while Mimi and Taichi argued. She had a strange feeling about the night, a good one perhaps. So much had happened in a year, she should be proud of all the growing she had done, right? And she was with two of her best friends, a night out with the Taichi/Mimi duo was always compelling.

Soon enough they were inside the bar, and it would have been silly not to be struck by how dazzling it was. Sora was grateful Mimi was friends with one of the members of the band, otherwise she would be afraid to spend God knows how much money in a single drink.

.

Dancing in high heels should be considered an extreme sport, Sora thought to herself after she had decided she deserved a time out from all the dancing. She sat on the bar and ordered a martini, while she softly laughed at Mimi and Taichi dancing, both brunettes were a show to admire.

But perhaps she should have paid attention to the actual show to admire, the band that was playing in the bar. They had been fantastic, keeping up the mood for the entire night, it had just happened that Sora was having too much fun dancing to pay attention to the ones she should be grateful with.

She immediately regretted looking at them, and she may have been exaggerating but she felt herself getting lost in the singer and bass player’s eyes. They were the kind of blue that only existed in one of Monet’s paintings. She couldn’t decide if they were icy or warm. She got lost in his bad dancing; hips like Jagger but two left feet, an adorable way of attracting everyone in the bar’s attention. He had great stage presence.

But the thing she got lost into the most were his lips, the way they moved. It may be the alcohol she had drank that night, but Sora could swear she had never seen a mouth like his. One she would kill to kiss.

“Thank you so much for this amazing night, our good friend Daisuke Motomiya will take up the gig as DJ. We were Knife of Day, the night is still young!”

The DJ, someone younger than the members of the band, immediately took the stage. Sora was astonished by how free he looked. It was obvious that the DJ was passionate and having fun onstage, she could never be the center of attention like that.

“Is this seat taken?” a male voice took her out of her thoughts, when she noticed who was speaking, she wished the floor would open and she would disappear. She wondered if he had noticed her staring.

“It isn’t,” she sounded chiller than she was expecting, confident even.

“The bar is packed tonight,” it was an open comment, she wasn’t sure if she was meant to reply. She still did.

“It was probably because you guys were playing tonight,” she blushed, he smiled. “You were great.”

“I saw you dancing,” he sounded confident, not a single doubt in his voice. His body language, however, appeared nervous. “Seeing you having fun, made me think we were doing a good job. Ishida Yamato,” he handed out his hand, Sora shook it almost in shook. How old was this guy?

“Takenouchi Sora,” she felt so nervous, she could swear even a giggle came out of her mouth, as if she was fifteen and not a 24-year-old woman. “How did you know it was me dancing? As you said, the bar is packed tonight.”

“Your hair is hard to miss,” Sora grabbed a strand of her hair, embarrassed. “Also, you were with those two who are definitely…”

“Hard to miss, yes.” Sora laughed, loudly, covering her mouth afterwards. It had been a while since she had laughed like that. She wanted to keep talking to Yamato, she had no idea what it was, or who to blame but she wanted to get to know him. However, the music in that place was so loud…

“We can go outside, if you want.”

“Was I that obvious?” Yamato shrugged; Sora smiled. “I wasn’t going to invite you to my place if that is what you were thinking, I mean, both my roommates are home anyway so it would be weird but…” she blushed, deeply. What was going on in her head that night? “What I’m trying to say is, there’s a bar nearby, it is pretty chill, and we could talk…”

“I would like that,” a chuckle. “There’s no rush in meeting your roommates. We can take it slow.” His smile was sincere, Sora thought. She took a sight at Mimi and Taichi to realize they had been staring for who knows how long. With a single look they gave her their blessing.

And so, they went to Sora’s usual bar, they danced the whole night and even played air guitar to one of Yamato’s said favorite songs. Sora was not sure of what she was doing or why she suddenly felt so safe if she had had the lingering feeling that boys only came to do her wrong. But it felt different that night. She was not a kid to believe in love at first sight, in her young adulthood she knew such thing didn’t exist, but she believed in chemistry. And it was palpable between them.

“I can’t believe how late it was,” since around 1AM Sora decided it was fair for her to get rid of her heels, realizing how short she really was next to Yamato. She liked it.

“I didn’t even notice time had passed this fast, to be honest.” They sat in a bench near Sora’s apartment building, eating some random food they had found on a vending machine when they left the low-key bar. “I really had a lot of fun Sora, thank you.”

Sora’s chest felt warm, she looked at Yamato’s eyes, feeling weird to be looking at them so close and confident, compared to when she first saw them earlier that night. She couldn’t believe where the night had taken her.

“Can I be honest with you?” Yamato nodded, she believed him. “I wasn’t expecting to have fun tonight, I was sure the night would be tough for me… but it wasn’t. You turned it into one of the best nights I have ever had, and I appreciate it like you have no idea.” She took a bite to her sandwich to avoid looking at him.

“I don’t know why tonight was supposed to be bad for you, but by all means I’m glad I helped to make it a little brighter.” The sun was starting to rise, and they were both in comfortable silence.

“You can come meet my roommates, I bet Hikari is already awake.”

“I thought we were taking it slow?” Sora playfully hit his arm.

“Don’t get confused, Romeo. We still are.”

.

“Sora? Are you there?” Mimi’s voice took her out of her deep thoughts, as she was shaking her martini sitting in the bar.

“Uh? Yes, of course.”

“I don’t know what you were thinking about, but I wanted to introduce you to my friend in the band, who got us here for free,” she winked at Sora, noticing the blue-eyed singer behind her.

“Ishida Yamato,” he shook her hand, Sora laughed internally.

“Takenouchi Sora.”

It may have been the night of her breakup anniversary, but a feeling inside Sora let her know that maybe, just maybe, it was finally safe for her to fall.

[aion-rsa]

Director Mike Figgis Talks Trading Licks with Ronnie Wood

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Before becoming a filmmaker, Leaving Las Vegas director Mike Figgis was a musician and performer in the experimental group called The People Show. Before that, he played trumpet and guitar in the experimental jazz ensemble The People Band, whose first record was produced by Rolling Stone drummer Charlie Watts. He is also the founding patron of an online community of independent filmmakers called Shooting People. You can say Figgis is a People person, which makes him the perfect director to capture Ronnie Wood in the documentary Somebody Up There Likes Me.

One of rock and roll’s most iconic guitarists, Wood is good with people. He plays well with others. He is the Stone who’s never alone. Before he began weaving guitar licks with Keith Richards in the Rolling Stones, Wood helped shape the British rock sound in bands like The Birds and the Creation. He was the bass player to the guitar maestro in The Jeff Beck Group, which featured the distinctive voice of Rod Stewart at the front. They put out two albums, 1968’s Truth and 1969’s Beck-Ola, before splintering just as they were to appear at Woodstock. Wood and Stewart inherited the Small Faces from Steve Marriott and dropped the album First Step in 1970. They realized they were too tall for the diminutive moniker and renamed the band The Faces. They released the albums Long Player and A Nod Is as Good as a Wink…to a Blind Horse in 1971, and Ooh La La (1973), before splitting up in 1975.

Wood guested on albums by David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, the Band, Donovan, B.B. King, and on Stewart’s solo albums. He spent so much time flavoring other performers’ works, he didn’t put out a solo album of his own until 1974 which he aptly titled I’ve Got My Own Album to Do. Wood also went solo for 1981’s 1234 and collaborated with Bo Diddley on Live at the Ritz in 1988, Wood’s seventh solo album, I Feel Like Playing (2010), featured guest spots from ex-Faces bandmate Ian McLagan, as well as The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea, Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Billy Gibbons, Bobby Womack, and Jim Keltner.

Somebody Up There Likes Me isn’t structured like most music documentaries. It is primarily a conversation, and it veers from much of Wood’s vast output. The hard-partying musician beat lung cancer and candidly blames his excessive indulgences. He saw bandmates, contemporaries and friends, like Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and John Bonham push past the lethal limits of chemical reactions. Wood himself remembers telling Keith Moon to take pills, not bottles of them. Richards remarks in the documentary how the two Rolling Stones guitarists share strong constitutions. Wood began recording with the Rolling Stones when they were halfway through their 1976 album, Black and Blue, and has been steady even up to their recent pandemic live stream.

The documentary also captures Wood’s visual artistry. He was an artist before he was a musician. His drawings were featured on BBC TV’s Sketch Club when he was a child, and he studied at the Ealing Art College. Wood did the cover artwork to Eric Clapton’s 1988 box set Crossroads. The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee continues to capture visions like Mick Jagger’s dancing in a Picasso style, as well as the shots in Somebody Up There Likes Me of him capturing the grace of a ballerina on canvas.

Born in northern England, director Mike Figgis was raised on jazz and Jean-Luc Godard movies. The inventor of the “fig rig” knows when to experiment, such as he did in Timecode (2000) and Hotel (2001), how to get drama out of romance, as he did with One Night Stand, starring Wesley Snipes and Nastassja Kinski, and The Loss of Sexual Innocence. He is adept at crime dramas, directing the “Cold Cuts” episode of The Sopranos in 2004 and Internal Affairs, which starred Richard Gere. He also mines deep emotional schisms in films like Mr. North and Leaving Las Vegas (1995) for which he was nominated for Best Directing and Best Screenplay Oscars. Figgis spoke with Den of Geek about cinematic jams and studio sessions with Ronnie Wood.

Den of Geek: Over the course of the film, you produced a song using nothing but your backings and an orchestra of Ronnie Woods. How was he to produce?

Mike Figgis: He was a delight, actually. We did most of the interviews and everything where he was painting, he was in his own space for that. Then the dialog, he’s very very witty and so on. But at the end of the day, the man’s a musician. Quite later on in the process I said, “Let’s go into a studio and do something.” I think the minute we got into a studio it was different. For both of us because I’m a musician too. It’s just a different kind of reality and the language becomes much simpler between musicians and understanding the equipment, the whole vibe.

Originally Mark Ronson was going to do a soundtrack for us which would have been fantastic and then he just got very, very busy because we got late. I presented him with a kind of template of how maybe could make a nice soundtrack, which is basically what we did anyway. So we did it without Mark and Ronnie was very comfortable with that.

He very much left it to me. He added a lot, obviously. He said, “I’d like to do this as well,” and so on. So, we had a pretty full couple of days in studio time. But he was great to produce.

There are a lot of musicians working on this besides you and Ronnie. Rosey Chan did the score for a painting scene.

Rosey’s my wife by the way. She’s a phenomenal concert pianist and composer and musician in her own right. She’s releasing an album now. She’s an amazing pianist, I just needed something to take us into a different zone, so I asked her to compose some piano pieces for that. Then I did some score myself. Just when he’s talking about drugs. I put a little bit of a weird score on that one.

So is this film more of a cinematic jam that you just edited in the mixing room?

Yeah, I think so. I think that’s a good way of putting it, actually.

Ronnie also worked with Bob Dylan, Prince, David Bowie, Aretha Franklin. Did you allow the interviews to determine what parts of his career you were going to include?

I actually wanted to avoid anybody else. I said, “Let’s just make it about him painting and us talking.” I wanted to make it as simple as possible. That didn’t happen because as soon as you sort of uncover one little stone, you kind of say “Oh, well obviously we should interview the Rolling Stones.” Then he started thinking, “Well, Rod’s around, we can use Rod.” When I discovered about Damien Hirst, “Actually that would be an interesting, unexpected one. That would be good, yeah.” So yeah.

It was kind of organic, really. It was all sort of scheduled based in a sense that, “When are you available?” And, “When am I available? When are these people available?” So, getting the Stones was actually the trickiest thing. You had to go to Berlin and get them between gigs when they were watching the World Cup. In between World Cups actually. Very specific.

I know you’re in the People Band which had an album produced by Charlie Watts. So, were you in the same periphery of the Stones as Ronnie Wood back then?

No, the connection with Charlie was very interesting because the People Band was a free music ensemble. I mean really experimental. Really way out. The drummer was this phenomenal percussionist, still is, called Terry Day. Terry Day went to art college with Charlie’s wife and he knew Charlie because they were both drummers, so they got on really, really well. Charlie Watts has always been a huge jazz fan. Through Terry, it was one of those moments where Charlie says, “You know, we can record you. We got a mobile studio. We can either send the mobile to you wherever you’re playing.” I’m talking about in those days, in ’68 or whenever it was, the idea of a mobile multi-track was pretty amazing. “Or you can come to Olympic Studios,” which was where they recorded Beggars Banquet and everything. It was an amazing studio. And, “We’ll just give you the studio and the engineer, and you guys do what you want.” That’s how that came about and it was really lovely.

Over the years, once in a while I would see Charlie and just catch up, talk about drumming, really. And jazz. So it was really nice interviewing for this one again.

When you were asking Rod Stewart about Peter Grant, he sort of cut back and he became the young man that was bullied.

He did, didn’t he? When he said, “I’m protecting my hands and my face.”

The gangster aspect of that mid ’60’s period, especially with Peter Grant, how did that affect the musicians and the working? Do you think it actually in some ways was good for it?

Well, you know that comes about from a very strange coincidence which was sort of touched on in the film. But, quite a few years back, Malcolm McLaren was wanting to produce a film. A feature film about Led Zeppelin and as a result of that, he and I went and interviewed Peter Grant which is where that footage comes from. I did a huge amount of research into Led Zeppelin and Peter Grant at the time, and spoke to and interviewed a lot of the people who were involved with their success. I didn’t interview Johnny Bindon, but he was a key figure. Johnny Bindon was a kind of very violent criminal. In London. Very good looking. He became an actor for a while. Had amazing sexual legends built around him involving royalty and all kinds of things, and was part of a kind of fashionable gangster scene. The craze and all the rest of it. The London gangster scene.

Sort of became fashionable because people went to all their clubs, and hung out with them, and David Bailey photographed them and all that. So there was a kind of a zeitgeist about gangsterism. There’s an incredibly good book written about it called Jumping Jack Flash which came out two years ago. Bindon became one of the agents for Led Zeppelin and famously beat up somebody so badly on one of their tours that was hospitalized. He was a very mean individual.

The whole association with Led Zeppelin was very much gangsterish because of Peter Grant and his associates who had those stories and so on. So that was a kind of one aspect, and also a lot of the management were fairly crooked in London at that time. There’s a bit of a gay mafia and all the rest of it, so part of the folklore of that period of British rock and roll is very gangsterish, and very much part of the story.

Whenever I think about gangsters and British rock I think of the movie Performance. When you’re filming conversations in the moment, are you saying in your head “this is filmic?”

Not consciously, no. I accept it as being part of the fabric, actually. I try to make everything filmic anyway, so I’m always trying to get as far away from any kind of documentary feel. I like things to have a live element to it.

I loved Peter Grant’s Gene Vincent story. In the Beatles Anthology, George Harrison tells a similar one. What did Gene Vincent mean to young British rock and roller’s that everyone’s got a story about them?

Oh, because he was there, he was around. A little bit like the stories about everyone remembers Big Bill Broonzy and everyone remembers Sister Rosetta Thorpe. Main reason for that is they were a part of a very small group of musicians who were allowed to visit the UK during the Musician’s Union ban on touring. We were basically deprived of a lot of American musicians after the war, and the only reason Broonzy got in and Sister Rosetta Thorpe, was folk musicians were allowed in as opposed to, say, Louis Armstrong.

They all came in as folk singers even though they weren’t. I mean Broonzy was a fully-fledged Chicago blues musician and so was Sister Rosetta Thorpe. But everybody knows that. Anybody that was anybody around at that time would know those names. And Gene Vincent has become a kind of UK legend.

Do you see Ronnie as a very varied painter?

I wanted to capture a certain aspect of his art which was the line drawing. When we first started talking, I looked at all his art books. He does huge canvases with a lot of color, featuring the Rolling Stones, et cetera, et cetera. I was less interested in those. Those sell for a lot of money apparently and people really like them.

But when I saw his line drawing, his very quick drawings. Line drawing is very, very important. Sketching is very important in the same way that when you hear a very basic demo from a musician, there’s a certain truth about that. Then you can produce it and over produce it, and you can make it super sophisticated. I was interested in the bit that leads up to the way that he started producing. I wanted to set up situations where I would just see his line drawing. His ability to control lines, that was amazing.

Then physically watching him do that is fascinating. I love filming people playing their musical instruments. There’s a certain truth about that, they get into their thing. And watching him draw I thought was fascinating. His concentration, absolute. Even in the interview with Damian Hirst. He’s so focused on what he’s doing that he doesn’t really pay much attention to Damian Hirst. Sort of answers the question. He doesn’t pick up on any of the jokes. Because he’s really focused on what he’s doing.

Watching his live stuff, Wood is a different person. While he’s playing guitar, you see him and Keith joking around.

I think that has something to do with the eye. Because I think it’s about blues guitar. You can see the finger memory is really, really strong so I mean in that early footage he’s smoking at the same time, right? He’s smoking, joking around, getting to the microphone, late usually, for the backup vocals. And moving around and having a great time. He doesn’t have to look at the guitar to do that. However, if you are drawing something, either you make that contact with your eye, so creating the triangle between the subject, the canvas, and your eye.  And you’re quite right. Radically different body language, and that’s interesting. There are two physical sides of him demonstrated on film, which you don’t really have to explain. There it is.

Is Somebody Up There Like Me a flip side to Leaving Las Vegas?

Maybe. You know, people have had a life, have had experience and come through darkness and coming to light and so on. For me, it just becomes 10 times more interesting than people who’ve just had a nice life and behaved well. Look a little puzzled that they’re not sort of 70 or something because it’s all been quite peaceful, you know? So there’s a kind of turbulence there which I think he says quite well when he says, “I see a fork in a road I take it.”

Like he says, “I would do it with my eyes more open now if I did it again.” I kind of admired that. It’s not like me. I’m much more protective. But I also loved the way he talked about the drugs. He talked about, “I would never get to the point of losing control because I always knew.” Because he’s very ambitious. “I always knew where I had to be next and I never wanted to be at the place where I couldn’t control where I wanted to be.” I’m sure there were a few exceptions to that, but in general, that was quite truthful.

You’re known as a very experimental filmmaker and I was wondering how you keep coming up with different ways to look through the camera?

I got sort of bored with 35mm and started going back to 16mm and then when video got more interesting, looking at video. Then as video got smaller and XLR happened, that radically changed the possibilities. Then as the world changes, like with at the beginning of this conversation we talked about the coronavirus effect. And how the Timecode principle, how that then ties in with what is possible in terms of filmmaking, really.

When you were making Timecode, did you know that you were predicting pandemic filmmaking?

No, although looking back I can think where it’d be really useful now.

The Rolling Stones streamed their performance early in the pandemic, is this the future of entertainment and is it an imposition?

I think in a way it is. Obviously at some point we will get coronavirus under some kind of control. But there are dire predictions about what’s coming next in terms of the unleashing of the demons that come through global warming, et cetera, et cetera.

On the one hand, maybe these variations of these conditions will continue well into the future. But I think even if it was just coronavirus, I’m talking about making films with various people right now, it’s almost like unless you actually acknowledge the world as it is today and has been for the last six months, any film that you make is going to have an air of unreality about it because this is quite definitely a global reality now. The way we’re communicating now and so forth.

I’m doing a masterclass in London at the film school next week and I’m going to be talking just about that to young filmmakers. The best ways to go about making films now.

As a jazz musician, what did you make of Jagger’s classification of jazz from back then?

It was pretty accurate, actually. I’d done the blues documentary with Martin Scorsese, the history of the British Blues, Red, White, and Blues. So, I covered that period and I was fascinated by that unique British period anyway, which is why in a way Marty and I got on so well too was because unlike America, the post war British music scene was heavily into traditional jazz and then bebop. Then folk music, and skiffle, and all those things. They all combined. If you talk to anybody, Eric Clapton, anybody, they’ll all make the same references. Big Bill Broonzy and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and then Woody Guthrie, and so kind of everybody was listening to all those influences and people were coming out of traditional jazz and then making quite dynamic decisions about this, that, and the other.

But the Trad boom was, the commercial aspect of the British jazz movement was very commercial, and immediately commercialized. There are some great musicians, but not the hippest genre in the world, so Jagger’s commented quite rightly if you want to be a young, sexy, happening musician, you’re not going to base your style on your grandfather’s taste and the rest of it. It was a kind of nice point of view. I loved it when he said, “I like the MJQ because of the way they looked and the way they played. I’m not sure I was crazy about the music or something like that.”

And I loved that he said, “We can be like that or we can be something different.” I love that moment in the film where you actually suddenly see the Stones kind of go, “Yep.” That’s pretty different from those two choices. That was, you’re creating a new genre there. And I have to say, my respect for the Rolling Stones went very, very high in making this documentary. I always like the Stones. I preferred more basically a blues band and I was listening to a lot more complicated pop musicians and jazz musicians.

I read that you’re doing a K-drama about the #MeToo movement. Would that be in the K-pop industry?

Yeah, I became interested in Korean film of course like most filmmakers. And then on an impulse, two and a half years ago, I bought a ticket to Seoul and I went and stayed there for three or four weeks, and just went around meeting people and just trying to get a handle on their film scene, initially. Then, I kind of got hooked on K-dramas as well and started to meet the actors. That’s turned into a project that’s been in development for about a year now. It’s going really, really well, but coming up with this series of scenarios. Sort of loosely around the #MeToo movement, really but just to do with the Korean social pop entertainment scene. And that’s what that was there.

I didn’t know that the Stones had originally thought about asking Ron Wood to replace Brian Jones. As a musician, you said they stuck to their guns. Do you think that would have been more true had they skipped over Mick Taylor and gone straight to Ronnie Wood?

It was interesting because that period, because obviously Jagger comes from a very much blues background. But by that time he was a megastar and the Stones were very much “Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones.” He was making movies, he was hanging out at the clubs, he was the hip guy. So obviously his horizons were expanding and he said that having Mick Taylor in the band really expanded his horizons as a songwriter because the voicings that Mick Taylor used. Mick did incredibly lyrical runs as the guitarist. Not a straight down the line blues player by any stretch of the imagination. A great blues player, but that’s not all he did.

So, I can imagine at that period, it would have been totally understandable if they’d continued to go in a different direction. I think what happened when Mick Taylor walked out, there was a kind of obvious cause of action to go to Ronnie. That probably then put Keith in a more comfortable zone in terms of the two-guitar thing because I would imagine that with Mick Taylor in the band, Keith’s role must have been definitely not so much the two-guitar thing because they are functioning at different levels. Probably in a way, back to a kind of grassroots level by bringing Ronnie back in.

Also, he looks like them. They were like brothers at that point. There’s a kind of a, suddenly a cohesiveness to the band as a band in a different way. Mick had a wider range in terms of songwriting and performance. A different way to go, but I think he was more than happy to go back into the kind of grassroots journey that they’d been on.

It’s very interesting how one musician can radically alter the destiny of the band, the longest lasting band in rock and roll history basically now.

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Ronnie Wood: Somebody Up There Likes Me will be available as a Virtual Cinema release at www.ronniewoodmovie.com starting Sept. 18 running through October. It will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and deluxe hardback book release on October 9.

The post Director Mike Figgis Talks Trading Licks with Ronnie Wood appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2ZFUVTn

[hmel78]

In conversation with Ray Thomas ...

Ray Thomas (29.12.1941 - 04.01.2018)

RAY THOMAS – Founding member of The Moody Blues, admits that success happened quickly for “a bunch of lads from the Midlands who could play a bit”. For Ray himself that musical journey began as a boy –  “I always sang, being a Welshman” laughs Thomas “ in school choirs, and the Birmingham youth choir”.   Progressing to a one string bass in a skiffle group in the 1950s, Thomas eventually bumped into fellow ‘Moodies’ founding member, Mike Pinder. The two headed to Germany where Ray admits that they were “ripped off”, and returned to Birmingham aged 21, determined to carry on as musicians.  

Thomas recalls that what they found on their return to Birmingham, amongst the 250 or so bands on the circuit, was “complete disillusionment! – ‘Brum beat’ wasn’t taking off as the next ‘Mersey beat’ like people had anticipated, and bands were breaking up left right and centre”. Having heard Blues bands touring the circuits in Europe, and in the midst of the scene in Birmingham falling apart, Thomas and Pinder decided that Blues was the way forward.  The only other Blues artist in Birmingham at that time was Spencer Davis.   Together, Thomas and Pinder approached Denny Laine, who was living with Graeme Edge and his parents;  landing Graeme the drum stool on Denny’s recommendation.   Disappointingly for the band, John Lodge was not in a position to turn professional musician at the time, and in his place they recruited Clint Warwick. “We Bascially formed a Birmingham supergroup!” exclaims Thomas, “I don’t really think any of us expected the speed at which things took off for us after that”.   And it’s true – after only a short spell playing in Clubs around Birmingham, ‘The Moody Blues’ were picked up by a management company, and moved down to London.   With the current re-release, marking the 50th Anniversary, of their first album “The Magnificent Moodies” [Cherry Red Records] -  I caught up with Ray Thomas for a chat about the beginnings of a Birmingham Blues band,  who went on to be considered as global pioneers of progressive and orchestral rock ...

HR :  “The Magnificent Moodies” is a very fitting title for a first album, considering the success you went on to have!  

RT : We felt, at the time, that it was a bit pretentious to call it that, but management thought it was a good idea!

HR : Do you have any particular memories of recording the album?

RT : It’s been 50 years, and you tend to forget certain things, you know? But I do remember finding “Go Now” ...

We were a working band at the time, just moved down to London, and we’d play anywhere.   One night “Manfred Man” pulled out of a show at The Marquee Club, and we stepped in for them, which lead to us being offered our own regular night there. It was a major breakthrough for us in London. The Marquee Club was the place to be seen, and people would queue around the block to see us perform heavy blues. We had talked about putting together an album of songs that we performed live, but Studio time was like gold dust in London at the time and we just couldn’t get in anywhere to start and lay anything down. A friend of the managers from America used to send over boxes of singles and acetates, and one day we came across “Go Now” by Bessie Banks and her brother. It hadn’t been released, but she had laid it down as a demo which was very much lighter and slower than our version, but we loved the song.

At the same time, the Marquee were building a studio at the back of the club.   We asked if we could go into the studio and record it.   However, the studio was still pretty much a building site, apart from the control room which was almost finished.   So we went in there and set up amongst ladders and bags of cement, and recorded “Go Now”. We were the first band to record in Marquee Studios -  we were lucky with that.   We ended up doing about half the album there – and the other half was recorded at Olympic Studios.

HR : When “The Magnificant Moodies” was released, did you ever imagine what followed?

RT : It was a bit of a shock, because from forming the band to having a number one with “Go Now”, it was a relatively short space of time.  

We were all elated , but didn’t realise what a big hit it would be. We were a bit naive really ... It was a massive hit across Europe, especially France.   We spent a lot of time touring France, with a lot of the big blues artists. And proof of how naive we were :- We used to stay in Paris  – on the West Bank, in the ‘artists’ area. We rented a studio there and recorded a song that Denny wrote called “Boulevard de la Madeline” – he’d seen the signpost on the street and romanticised about it to the point of writing the song, but the Parisian’s ended up in arms about it. When we played it on stage we would silence the audience! What we didn’t realise is that “Boulevard de la Madeline”, was bang in the middle of the red light district! We didn’t know!

We had success in a LOT of countries, incredibly. America loved us, but oddly enough - “Go Now” wasn’t a hit in the states. They released “Tuesday Afternoon” instead, and that did OK.

HR : “The Magnificent Moodies” was the only album that you recorded as that first 1964-66 line-up wasn’t it? Would you have been happy to carry on and record more music in that genre, or were you ready for a change? Did you embrace what came after Denny and Clint left?

RT : The thing was, Clint was married with a couple of kids, and his wife wasn’t happy about the time he was spending on the road , so he went back to Birmingham to run the family business.

Denny left more or less at the same time, to go solo – he fancied trying out songs with a string quartet, which he did, and had a certain amount of success.

I felt like The Moodies were worth the perseverance, despite things having slowed down a bit for us, and had no real issues about carrying on with a change of band members. I’d worked with John Lodge in a band called “Elright and the Rebels” – I was Elright of course – a right a bloody prat! John was actually our first choice of bass player when we formed ‘The Moody Blues’, but his dad wouldn’t let him do it until he’d finished his apprenticeship. Same as my Dad, but I was a year older than John. We all came from working class backgrounds where our parents knew that music was a dodgy game, and wanted us to have a trade to fall back on. In that 12 months whilst John finished his apprenticeship, we’d had a number 1 hit with “Go Now” – so when I called him up, he was down to London like a shot!

I found Justin quite by accident really.   I was sitting in a club called the “The Scotch & St James”, which was the meeting place for bands back then, having a drink with Eric Burdon [The Animals] and he was in the throes of putting a new Animals together. I mentioned that I was looking for a new guitarist / singer.   Eric had put an anonymous advert in the NME, “Top recording band needs guitarist”, and found who he wanted - so he gave me all of the applications he hadn’t yet gone through, and fate handed me Justin.

And that was the new Moodies.

HR : When you enlisted John and Justin, the band took a different direction musically ... RT : Musically we were moving towards using strings and stuff anyway -  If you could have listened to what Mike and Denny were writing towards the end of that time, you could hear that influence creeping in.   Justin aided that because he had a much softer voice ...

HR :  “Days Of Future Passed” was the first album released with the new line-up; the rhythm and heavy blues, suddenly having been replaced by the orchestral opening of ‘The Day Begins’, and a very different vocal sound ... How was that received?  

RT : To tell you the truth, it went down like a cup of cold sick with the record company! [laughs] Before we recorded it – Decca, who we were signed to, had installed this new ‘Deramic’ sound system – best described as Wall to Wall stereo, instead of that old ping pong stereo sound.   They wanted us to do a demonstration disc for this sound system, to send out with their reps, and asked us if we would go in and play a couple of standard Rock and Roll numbers; to compliment that, they wanted Peter Knight (composer) to record a couple of classical numbers, and these would become the demo ... but it was going to be rubbish!

So, Tony Clarke  - one of Deccas top producers - and Peter Knight put their necks on the line for us at that point.   Again - We couldn’t get into the studio to record ‘Days Of Future Passed’, so we approached Tony and Peter with the idea. They liked it, and helped us to record the whole thing in about 8 days  -  we recorded “Legend Of The Mind” in the same session.

We never actually recorded with the Orchestra ourselves. The roadie would take over what we’d worked on each night, to Peter, and he would then write the bridge for the song. At the very end Peter recorded the orchestra, and then stitched it all together.

We were absolutely bowled over by it. We had achieved exactly what we wanted.

Every Tuesday, Decca would get all of their producers together with what they’d recorded during the week, and the powers that be would sit and listen and decide what they were going to do with it.

Tony played them “Days Of Future Passed” and they said “What the bloody Hell is that?” They didn’t know how to market it because it didn’t fit into any of their pigeon holes.   Fortunately for us that afternoon, a chap called Walt Maguire who was over from America -  the head of London Records [American Decca] - said “Christ! If you’re not going to release that here, give it to me, I’ll release it in America. It’s fantastic!”

So they decided to give it to him and agreed he could do that, and also decided to release it here. Nobody got into trouble, on our account, and that was the beginning of the new ‘Moodies’, with “Days Of Future Passed”!

We had ‘The Beatles’ come around to our house that night and played it to them ... and they loved it.   We were good friends with them, especially George and John.   They used to bring stuff for us to listen to too, because they trusted our judgements on it.   There was none of that back biting in those days. Everyone was just busy being creative.

We supported them on their last English tour – with Denny and Clint.  That was a hoot! I don’t think I dare say too much about what we used to get up to ... But you could see they [The Beatles] weren’t going to do anymore. They were writing some beautiful songs, but you couldn’t hear them. All you could hear was “Ladies and Gentlemen, The B ..” and then there’d just be screaming. The truth is, that they got totally cheesed off with it. They wanted people to listen to what they were doing. The fans were their own worst enemies really ...

HR : Talking of your connection to The Beatles - You were managed by Brian Epstein for a while. Surely that couldn’t have gone better could it?

RT : Well that’s debatable actually. Brian Epstein, was in love with a Bull Fighter in Spain and used to go over there a lot. He had a big organisation by the time he was managing us, but when he wasn’t there, nobody was making any decisions in his absence.   We were reliant on all of these people to get us the work, and look after our affairs. They were our agent as well, and things had been quiet for us for a while when a promoter in France contacted Epstein’s team wanting us to tour over there again. So we agreed to it. We touched down at the airport in Paris to crowds of press folks, and screaming fans!   We didn’t know that the record company had released “Bye Bye Bird”, and it had been a massive hit there. In short - This promoter had literally paid us peanuts for this tour, and we were a bit pissed off about it all. We went down to see Brian at his house as soon as we got back. There was a bit of a heated debate and I actually said to him “You’re the head of a crap organisation” – so he had a dramatic tantrum, threw us out of his house, and told us to meet him at the office in the morning. When we arrived there,  he’d got together all his heads of department and in front of us asked them all about what had happened. He just got blank responses. At which point he stood up and said “You’re right, I am the head of a crap organisation”.   Then he asked us what we wanted, and we asked for the contract back. So he sent his legal guy to get the contract, ripped it up into pieces in front of us; told us we were free, wished us luck, and we left the office ...

HR : Well his luck must have rubbed off on you, given the continued success you went on to have.   You’ve got a fairly impressive discography there, as proof!   RT : Yes I suppose I have really! I’ve lead one hell of a life!! [laughs] I was with ‘The Moody Blues’ for over 40 years, until my health prevented me from carrying on in 2003. It wasn’t a falling out or anything like that, I just had to pack it in. On Doctors orders! I’ve no regrets though. I was approaching 61 years old, had played everywhere I’d ever wanted to - except Sydney Opera house which I would have love to play!

Do you know? We were the first band to play Madison Square Gardens, in New York, twice in the same day, and the City Council put a block on that ever happening again because it brought the traffic in Manhattan to a standstill with everyone trying to get in and out!   [laughs]. I went for a walk between shows that day, with our publicist, and thankfully nobody recognised me. We used to get mobbed wherever we went as a group, and to be honest that day I just fancied bit of fresh air and some roasted chestnuts from the street vendor! As we’re standing there, some folks walked up to us asking if we had any tickets – they thought we were ticket touts! It annoyed me even back then, people asking $400 dollars per ticket! So I walked up to one of these touts and asked him how much he wanted for two tickets, and he actually only wanted $200, so I handed it over, and carried on eating my bag of nuts! Next thing, a young couple came up asking for tickets and I said, “I have got some actually” – and gave them to them for free.   Our publicist looked at my like I was crazy and said “What the bloody hell did you do that for?” and I said “because I’m going to get one hell of a kick out of knowing that when I walk out on stage later, that that young couple will look up and realise that I’m the bloke who gave them their tickets!”

HR : Do you have a favourite album amongst the 14 that you recorded with the ‘Moodies’?

RT : Well I don’t know really because I always say that they’re all our children. I have different memories of different albums and they all mean something. I love them all. You know, when you start with absolutely nothing and end up with something like “To Our Children’s Children’s Children” – it’s very rewarding.   We had a lot of fun playing around with sounds over the years.  They were happy days.

HR : And what are you up to these days, post ‘Moody Blues’?

RT : I’m still doing a lot of recording –  I’ve never stopped recording really. Solo albums, collaborations and all of that.

Just before Christmas (2014) I was working with John Lodge again. His solo album comes out soon. It was just like old times ...

I’m hoping to record a new solo album this year too – gives me something to do amongst fishing trips! I like to keep busy ...

I’ve just recorded with an Italian ‘Prog’ band, who paid me in Pasta! [laughs] I’m not kidding ... about a month later this huge box of pasta turned up on the doorstep from Naples!

And then I went out to record with a Russian band -  the son of a billionaire oil baron, who thought that I was God!

HR : Well You are regarded as a pioneer of progressive and orchestral rock – that’s verging on God-like!

[laughs] At the end of the day -  I’m just a guy from Birmingham, with a bit of talent, who got lucky ...

[sophieellisbextorarchives]

Sequins, songs, kids... dance! This is what saved SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR’s sanity during lockdown

‘I think I’m doing this for me.’ But for now, we need to head back to her house, where Sonny has appeared, and Mickey is delighted to see his mum. Plates are waiting to be spun, and as I let myself out, Jesse is putting on a show in the kitchen, with Sophie as the audience, sitting under the disco ball. ....and her wonderfully joyous discos filmed in the family kitchen helped lift the nation’s spirits too. She tells Hattie Crisell why Friday nights round at hers became so precious

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-8549299/Sequins-songs-kids-dance-saved-SOPHIE-ELLIS-BEXTORs-sanity-lockdown.html

Sophie Ellis-Bextor opens the door to me with a toddler in her arms – smiley 18-month-old Mickey – and her four-year-old son Jesse behind her, his hair a deep shade of copper. ‘You have the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen,’ I tell him, genuinely quite dazzled, and he replies bashfully, ‘Well, I’ve just had it cut.’

Welcome to Sophie’s world: a large and glittering house in West London, packed to the rafters with kitsch, toys, cats and boys. I don’t know how many cats are around, but the boys number five: Mickey, Jesse, eight-year-old Ray, 11-year-old Kit and 16-year-old Sonny. Managing the lot are the singer, her husband Richard Jones (bass guitar player with The Feeling and the supergroup Loup GarouX), and a nanny, who joins them Monday to Friday during the working day. ‘I used to have a nanny who was with us all the time, and to be honest I felt like it was too much,’ says Sophie. ‘It’s fine if it’s my thing that I think about 24 hours a day, but I think it’s healthy for other people to have their own life away from it all. It’s five kids – it’s a lot.’

It certainly is, and it’s hard to imagine how demanding it must have been during lockdown, when the only one missing was the nanny. The public got a glimpse of this when Sophie performed a weekly series of ‘kitchen discos’, broadcasting them live via Instagram, her husband filming on his phone. They launched these shows during the bleakest part of the pandemic, and the good will that emanated from them was enormously cheering. She would appear in a sequined jumpsuit or rainbow-striped dress, a pair of platforms at the end of her mile-long legs, and would serenade the camera while children wandered casually in and out of view. Sometimes her teenage son would jump in to rescue the baby from a trailing wire, or one of the boys would need a cuddle, and their mother would pull them in close, keeping her other hand on the mic.

It was charming chaos. The music encompassed hits from Sophie’s back catalogue such as ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ and ‘Take Me Home’ – or ‘Stay at Home’, as she rechristened it – but also crowd-pleasing covers and theatrical numbers from shows such as Grease. For the audience, it offered uplifting relief from the frightening reality of the time: climbing death rates and isolation. It was comfort music, I say. ‘Exactly,’ she agrees. ‘And disco’s always had that for me anyway. It’s so euphoric and joyful, and it’s complex. In disco you can have the most painful, heartbreaking scenarios, but they’re in among something that makes you want to put your hands in the air and sing along. I think music can allow you the space to feel joy and anxiety at once.’

I am delighted to find that one end of their large kitchen still looks very much as it did, with the disco ball and a half-deflated helium balloon in place over the sofa. She confirms that it’s more or less always like this, perhaps minus the tinsel curtain. Colour and fun are everywhere in the house, from the framed retro artworks filling every wall, to the pinball machine in pride of place. At the other end of the kitchen, a diner-style menu-board for the kids bears the words, ‘Be polite or no service.’

Leaving the children with the nanny, Sophie and I head out to chat on a bench in the park. She’s wearing an embroidered navy dress and a red fluffy cardigan, with red lipstick that has mostly worn off; at 41, she’s truly beautiful, with very pale green eyes. Despite what we’ve seen from her on Instagram, it hasn’t been an easy time. For one thing, there was the fall from her bike in June that left her in hospital with a gory head wound. When I mention it, though, she brushes it off with, ‘I cannot dine out on that any more.’ Then she adds, ‘I mean, I don’t recommend cycling off a towpath – it did hurt.’

‘I knew that this was something that was happening in millions of households. I do worry about all my parents – I say “all” because I’ve got step-parents as well – but I think really it was focused on John, because he’s so vulnerable. It’s such a weird, torturous thing isn’t it for human beings, if you say that hanging out with someone you love is the one thing that might actually endanger them? How can you wrap your head around that?’

She hasn’t been thrilled with the government messaging around the virus. ‘“Stay at home” is clear and concise and all ages get it. “Stay alert”? I hardly ever feel alert. I don’t feel alert now.

And we’ve all shown we’re good at following guidelines that make sense, but you can’t keep bending it for people. Look at the effect when the rules were made flexible.’ She seems to be referring obliquely to the Dominic Cummings/Barnard Castle debacle. ‘We all thought, “Oh well, if we could have been going off and having day trips all this time, why was I staying at home and not seeing my mum, who lives ten minutes away?” I found that really tough.’

The kitchen discos were as much for her and the family as they were for the audience. ‘It was Richard’s idea. One day we were making plans and doing stuff, and the next day it was like, boomph, everything shut down. Suddenly we were just home all the time, all work cancelled, all the festivals… I was supposed to be going to Australia, New Zealand, I had gigs all round Europe. And Richard was, like, “Well, why don’t we do a gig here, and it gives us something to do and a bit of fun?” I think we missed everybody.’

Performing during that time, even via Instagram, gave her a huge sense of connection, she says. ‘I honestly don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t had that, and I don’t know how it would have been for our family, because it became really precious.’ She’s now planning a Kitchen Disco Tour next May (there will also be an album, out this October), and hopes it will offer audiences a cathartic experience. ‘I want to provide a place where people can get lost in the moment. I want them to walk out of there and go, “Oh my goodness, I didn’t know how much I needed that.”’

It was no surprise to her boys to see her dressed up and performing; Mickey sleeps in the room where she keeps her fantastic stage wardrobe, and they’ve all been with her to festivals, gigs and recording studios. It was clear from their low-key presence in the kitchen discos (she left it up to them whether they wanted to be there or not) that they’re not fazed by it. ‘The older I’ve got, the more the me at home and the me on stage is the same person anyway,’ she says. Her first solo album came out almost 20 years ago; this one will be her eighth.

She’s also just celebrated her 15th wedding anniversary with Richard. Theirs was a whirlwind romance that stuck: ‘I found out I was having a baby after only about six weeks,’ she says with a smile. ‘We’d known each other for a while – he’d been in my band – but we’d literally just started dating and I hadn’t even really told anybody.’ Sonny was born two months prematurely, thus arriving only eight months after they’d got together.

And they’ve now got him almost to adulthood, I say. ‘Yeah, and he’s lovely; he’s his own person. You know, parenthood is so much more reactive than I ever thought,’ she says. ‘I thought it was all about what you put in. It’s not. I realised it the day I had him: I looked at this tiny baby and I thought, “Oh my goodness, you’re Sonny, and now I’ve got to help you show me who you are and what you need from me.”’

To raise five children while continually working is no mean feat, and she mentions that there were tense moments during lockdown. But she and Richard clearly make a good team. ‘I guess the thing that’s often not celebrated as much in long-term relationships – and I think this goes for family members, friends, all sorts of relationships where there’s love – is that we actually really like each other,’ she says. ‘I really like who Richard is, and I respect him and I like spending time with him.’

She took an extended break after Sonny came along, following a difficult birth. ‘But to be honest, the more babies I’ve had and the older I’ve got, the more confident I’ve become about what I can do around being pregnant and having kids,’ she says. ‘I’ve been better with the last couple at just keeping going with the work either side of it. I have a job where I can basically call the shots a bit. I’m very lucky with that and I totally exploit it. Also I like it if I do a big gig and I’m six months pregnant – I feel quite clever,’ she laughs.

The challenges of this complicated life have inspired Sophie’s new project – the podcast Spinning Plates, on which she chats to other working mums, including Caitlin Moran, Fearne Cotton, the mummy blogger Candice Brathwaite, and her own mother Janet. ‘I’ve got such a brilliant array of women, and honestly it feels like a privilege to sit there for an hour and ask them loads of nosy stuff,’ she says. ‘Obviously the springboard is the idea of the working mother, but actually what really unites us is we’re all women, and there are so many things about being a modern woman… It’s a rich pot of stuff to go through, really.’

She loved having the chance to interview her mum. ‘In my head she’s always been this real trailblazer and very confident. She never seemed to have any guilt with any of her work, and I’m glad, because it gave me a good role model of “It’s OK for me to be selfish enough to have my work and keep it separate if I want to, and do the things I want to do.” I don’t think I would have been confident enough if I hadn’t had a mum like that; I’ve struggled a bit to give myself permission sometimes even with that.’

Another chat, with Yvonne Telford, founder of the fashion brand Kemi Telford, made her realise that at times she’s too self-critical. ‘She said she hates it when she hears women say, “Oh, I’m such an idiot,” and I was, like, “God, I do that all the time.” Even with the podcast, when I first started writing to people I wanted as guests, I’d say, “Don’t worry, I know how it goes – you’re probably too busy to reply.” Then I was, like, what am I doing? I’m saying to them, “Ignore me!”’ She bursts out laughing. It sounds as though making the podcast might be rather empowering. ‘Yes,’ she agrees.

[ohtheseboysilove]

The sunflower always finds its sunlight I [Roger Taylor x F!Reader]

Words : 2, 400 (the next chapters are longer!)

Warnings : Slowburn!fic, language, sad shit, angst (but who is surprise?)

Summary :  Roger likes Reader since forever but the timing seems to just never be right for them. Reader is still haunted by her past relationship and kept rejecting Roger who know nothing about the abuses she had been victim of. After being rejected for the sixth time,  Roger thinks it’s time for him to move on…

Note : Yes it’s lme again ! With more angst because i can only write angsty story bruuuh! So here is my latest baby and I had think about writing it since months so I’m happy to finally show it to you lovies ! The story covered a period of eight years during the first two chapters which are essentially flash-backs then it’s go back to the present and it’s definitively a slow burn!fic.

Hope you’ready for heartbroken!Roger because he is gonna suffer, im telling you (Reader too ofc!!!) 

Also very important : This story is going to talk about very sensitive topics like eating disorders, physical, sexual and emotional abuses so if you don’t feel comfortable about any of them, please don’t read my story. I will put it in the Warnings section when the chapters will abord theses topics. 

☀ Masterlist ☀

Roger gulped the rest of his neat whisky, wiping furiously his teary eyes. He knew catching feeling was the worst idea possible but he didn’t decide to, it just happened. And now he was regretting to finally experienced a heartbroken. It sucked. The girl he had been stupidly in love for years had reject him not once, not twice or even three times but six painfully times. And he perfectly remembered each of these times even if the first no you said to him had happen almost eight years ago, the night when you met each other.

You were just eighteen, the little newbie in the city of London, here for your studies when you met Freddie at the Kensington market. He guessed right away that you weren’t from here and after hours of talking, he invited you to come with him at a gig his friends had during the evening. Of course you said yes, it was your first night out after two weeks in London, you were excited.

Don’t Forget to Smile! was a great band, good music and powerful energy, you spent a fantastic night with Fred and his not-yet girlfriend Mary. He introduced you to the band and all of you had a beer in one of the crappy booth from the pub, Tim, Brian and Roger were as nice as Freddie so you did enjoy your evening.

Freddie told you the drummer was a real flirt, no meaning any harm but it just couldn’t resist to do does-eyes to every pretty girl in the pub, including you.

“How a sweet little thing like you could be single ?” You smiled to Roger, flattered to be pretty enough for the blond to use his charm on you.

“Well, introduce me to a cute guy and maybe it could fix the issue” You sassed back with a grin, earning few laughs from the table.

“You got one right in front of you, love” The blond winked at you, his round eyes checking you out without a once of shame.

“You’re right Roger” You nodded and gave him your most charming smile before turning to Brian. “Want to have a drink with me Bri ?” Everyone laughed excepted Roger who rolled his eyes, pouting like a kid.

“If I wasn’t with my fantastic girlfriend, I would certainly say yes (Y/N)” The guitarist joked back and gave your hand a kiss like a perfect gentleman.

“I understand Brian” You sighed deeply then turned toward Tim. “Maybe I had a chance with another cutie like you ?” The singer blushed and took a sip of his beer to hide his flustered state. You were a pretty girl and he wasn’t blind.

“Tim forget that, (Y/N), you should go on a date with me. The girls always have a good time with me” The drummer stood up and came sit next to you, arm throwing around your shoulders, cocky and confident smile on his features. “What do you say ? Want to go out with me ?” One of his hand ended up on your knee, squeezing it gently.

“Nice try but no thanks Rog” You giggled as you shook your head, pushing him away. “And if you want an advice, next time you ask a girl out, don’t leered in another girl neckline in same time” You grinned and glanced at the girl sat at the bar, cheeks flushed by Roger’s not-so-discrete glares.

All the table let a Oooow out, teasing the blond about it.

“I wasn’t– Okay I was looking at this girl but she’s hot and, this one, she is interested in me so I guess I’m gonna talk to her” He finished his drink and lowered his head to your ear, murmuring words that at the moment weren’t serious, not knowing that years later, he would still think about it. “I saw how you look at me, even if it take me ten years, I’m gonna kiss these pretty lips of yours and made sweet love to you, beautiful girl” Your eyes were wide-opened at the audacity of the man but chuckled anyway, watched him with an amusing smile walking to the redhead girl.

Roger waved to the bartender for another whisky, a double one as all these memories were coming back, roughly hitting him in the face. The first time had been a joke but the second time was more serious but completely useless as he totally misread the situation purely and simply.

During the next six months, you became of good friend of the band, hanging with them most of your free time and Roger found himself growing attached to you. Not in a romantically way but friendlily speaking. You were one of the first girl he was only friend with, without wanting something more. Well, of course if you decided suddenly you wanted to have a wild and hot session of sex with him, he wouldn’t say no, you were too pretty for that but, it was rather nice to have you as a friend, he found you funny and real cool to hang around. He kept flirting with you but lightly, more like a joke than anything until one day he heard you chatting with Fred.

“I don’t think he feel the same about me...” You complained with a whining voice. “I mean did you see him ? He is really popular with girls, why he would waste his time with me ? It won’t happen”

“Don’t be silly darling, this man is always ogling you, I know he have a thing for you” Replied the dark-haired man in a scold. “I can feel the tension between the two of you when you are around each other. You need to do something about it”

Roger smirked at his friend’s words, he wasn’t wrong about the sexual tension, the blond felt it too. He cleared loudly his throat to announce his arrival and entered the flat he was sharing with Freddie.

“Roger, darling ! The man (Y/N) wanted to see” You made big eyes to your friend, silently scolding him. “I have some stuffs to do so I let you talk” He winked and disappeared of the flat, leaving you nervously fidgeting your fingers.

“How ya doing love ?” He gave you the most flirty smile he had in stock as you blushed, tucking your hairs behind your hairs. “What do you want to talk about ?” He sat on the sofa and tapped the empty space next to him.

“Well, hum...I wanted to ask you something Rog” The drummer smiled wider as you sat, finding incredibly cute how crimson you were becoming. The thought of dating you gently germed in his brain, he could eventually give it a try. “Do you think your friend Donovan would be interest to go on a date with me ?” You quickly gabbled with a shy smile.

Roger found himself silent at your demand. Donovan ? You were talking about Donovan during you and Freddie’s conversation ? He felt incredibly stupid.

“I...hum, I don’t know, never think about it” He stuttered with pink cheeks, he never thought you were into his and Brian’ school friend, Donovan. How did he miss that ?

“Oh. I got it, it’s okay Rog, I prefer honesty you know” You replied sadly, persuaded that he didn’t know how to told you his friend didn’t like you back. Roger looked at you, completely stupefied that you could even think someone wouldn’t be into you, what a joke. “That’s fine, really. He is way out of my league anyway” You chuckled but interiorly you wanted to cry.

“No, no, no ! I think you have your chance (Y/N)” The blond caught your hand and gently pressed it. Maybe it was for the best if you stayed friends, Roger wasn’t the best in relationship and he didn’t want to lose you. “I’m sorry you thought the contrary, I...I thought you were about to ask me out” He confessed with a little smile, earning a surprised gasp from you.

“Oh! Oh! Roger I’m sorry–“

“(Y/N), it’s more than fine, okay ? I just acted a bit too confident, I learned a lesson today, love” He winked and tousled teasingly your hairs. “I think you should ask out Donovan, he will say yes. I have no doubt, he is not stupid to say no to an amazing girl like you” You blushed furiously at his words and thanked him with a happy smile.

If Roger knew you would date his...friend, he was a bit too jealous now to call him a friend, for four long years, maybe he wouldn’t have encouraging you. And after what Donovan did to you, you wished he hadn’t but none of you could have guessed what would happen. The blond was more than fine about you and his friend dating at the beginning but as months flew by, he found himself being a bit envious of Donovan. When he kissed you sweetly at you entered the pub or how happily you squealed when you announced to everyone that you were moving in together. It was some little things who made him thought how badly he wanted to be the one who make you so happy. But it wasn’t him and Roger was your friend so he kept his mouth shut and simply continued his life. The band had now Freddie as lead singer and John Deacon as bass player, touring and becoming more and more popular as years went by.  Thankfully you and the boys remained close, everything was great until Donovan get a promotion for a job in New-York. Roger completely freaked out to see you move away from him, it was selfish but he couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing you anymore. It surprised everyone but you didn’t follow Donovan, you and him broke up and you stayed in London, Roger felt horrible but it couldn’t control how happy it had make him. You, in the other hand, was more than relieved that Donovan was now your ex-boyfriend, after years of suffering in silence, you were finally free of him. Everyone thought you were heartbroken because he left but the truth was you were broken because of all the awful things he did to you and no one never knew. You never told anyone, too ashamed to speak. That the event which leaded us to the third time Roger tried to ask you out.

Roger was nervous to see you again after touring for five months, he remembered how sad and broken you had been after your and Donovan’s break up but he was decided to make you smile again. He was dying to ask you out, feeling ready to commit himself to someone but only if that someone was you, he had a lot of fun during all these years but you had always occupied a little place in his thoughts, his feeling growing with the years. And now you were single again, he wasn’t a horny dog to jump on your bones as soon as you were free, he showed up at your place, with the firm intention to tell you he wanted to be with you, around a bit more than a year after your break-up with Donovan. You and Roger had been so close lately, he thought you were feeling like him. He was wrong.

“Hi (Y/N)” He said almost timidly as you opened your flat’s door, wearing your favourite pair of pyjama. You watched him surprised as he gave you the sunflower he had in his hand, a sweet smile in his face. Your forever favourite flower, how cute.

“Roger, what are you doing here ?” You asked as your fingers gently ran on the flower, you had almost forget how happy this simple gesture used to make you happy.

“I...I need to tell you something” You gazed back to him, his cheeks flushing lightly. You had no idea what all of this was about but it felt weird to see Roger so timid and awkward. “I like you (Y/N), a lot. I think you’re the prettiest, most marvellous girl I ever met and I think–“

“Rog...” You murmured with a sad grimace, the blond stopped talking as soon as he caught the look on your face, shame waving on him. You weren’t feeling the same.

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry. I thought, after these past months, that you and me were on the same page but I guess I was wrong” He scratched his neck, cheeks crimson at the rejection.

“Roger I swear, it’s not about you, okay ? We did grow closer these past months but... I don’t want to date anyone for now. I’m not ready and honestly I have no idea when I will be, Rog” You explained with a little voice, feeling stupid to be still emotionally broken by your asshole of ex-boyfriend.

The drummer felt his heart melted at your state, he could see the sadness in your eyes, proving that you weren’t lying. You weren’t ready yet for anything new, of course he understood that.

“I asked you too soon, didn’t I ?” You nodded shyly and wiped away the single tear which escaped your glassy eyes. “I’m sorry. I thought...I mean you looked better than the first months so I gave it a chance. My mistake. But I guess you were too in love to forget him in only a year” The drummer tried to light up the atmosphere and you didn’t say anything about the fact that you weren’t in love anymore months before the break-up, you weren’t ready to tell anyone about this story.

“You have nothing to apologise for Rog. I hope we can still be friend even if I said no” You smiled sweetly and felt relieve when he smiled back, he wasn’t mad at you.

“Of course, love. You only rejected me three times, I have few more tricks in my sleeve” He winked playfully and both of you chuckled.

“Want to come in and watch a movie with me ? I got some leftover pizza” Roger nodded eagerly and followed you inside, both of you spending the evening cuddling on the sofa but nothing more happened that night.

“I think you had enough drinks tonight, buddy. Time to go home” The drummer glared angrily at the bartender but his head was spinning a bit so it was probably for the best.

He still drank the rest of his whisky and slowly made his way out before waving a taxi to go home. He fell asleep in the cab but once he was at home, he was decided to think about the three other times you had reject him. He needed to understand where it went wrong if he wanted a proper chance to move on.

*******************************************************************************************

[archivedatl]

AP web exclusive: All Time Low tour diary

Posted by Scott Heisel on 08-Dec-06 @ 04:43 PM

Last month, Baltimore pop-punkers All Time Low took to the road with Sugarcult for a series of shows on the West Coast. Here's some of what they saw, in words and pictures. Learn more at www.alltimelow.com.

#1------------------------------------------------------------ Ooohooo So last night we celebrated two awesome occasions...well 3 since matt's molars finally grew in...anyways yesterday was Haloween and our first night of our tour with Sugarcult. I must say, it is pretty strange touring with a band who I spent the better years of my middle school life watching on MTV. Regardless of where this band has been, it definetly didn't eff with their personalities. They were all super nice to us and each came up and introduced themselves. The show went pretty well but it wasn't a good judgement of our the whole tour is going to be because Sugarcult didn't even headline, the Eagles Of Death Metal did, and the tickets for $25 on Haloween night :) I'm sorry but I would never go to a show if those were the circumstances...I'd be out expanding my collection of holiday treats. Tonight the 'real' tour begins so we will see how it goes. We are playing Washington State University in Pullman Washington. We haven't done too many college shows, so this should be interesting...anyways before we got on the road a couple days ago we were couped up in Ben Harper's (formely of yellowcard, now in amber pacific) house/studio in long beach, CA working on our new CD :). We demoed some hot licks that were going to send over to our producer matt squire so that he can put in some input. I heard my blogs are going to be posted on the Alternative Press website for this tour, so if that's the case then...helll yeah! Well I just woke up from sleeping in the van so I am gonna walk out into the freezing streets of Pullman, WA crack my back and grab some Qudoba. Much Love, Jack --jbstar #2------------------------------------------------------------ Yoo dooodds, So I'm gonna update you guys on the passed couple shows...on Wednsday we played Washington State University. Those kids are freaking crazy! Everyone seemed to be having a good time and we made some awesome new friends. I cannot stress enough, how cool the Sugarcult guys are. Which is really cool because I have been listening to those guys since 6th grade! Anyways before we played, matt thought it would be a good idea to have a fork and knife fight backstage...yeah it turned pretty ugly and we should have some footage online soon enough. That night we partied at 'The Christmas House'. Lets just say that I'm pretty sure alex made out with a dog...I really miss Hit The Lights :( Anways...we played Seattle after the college show and it was offf the hoooook. Everyone in the room was dancing and it got pretty redic. As soon as we told them the alex/dog story they went nuts. We met up with the Pink Spiders that night. We were nervous about that because we've heard some stuff...but for real those guys are the shit. There all super nice and we have no complaints about them. We have yet to tour with a band who we don't get along with (fingers crossed). We also heard that we may be doing a few shows with Cobra Starship in Dec, if that happends that would be sick. I'll keep you guys updated. Someone made us a bucket of the craziest donuts ive ever seen at the portland show last night!! They were reallly good. Sorry for the lack of pics, I'll make sure my next post has more, its just hard to take good pics on a sidekick :). Talk to you guys soon!!Jacko #3------------------------------------------------------------ Yo Babaayyss, Last nights show was off the hook! I love playing at The Boardwalk in orangevale calii. The crowd was as wild as usual and a bunch of kids were singing along. A lot of the same kids who saw us there on the Amber Pacific tour came back. Its always cool to see so many familiar faces,,,cough cough hint hint nudge...you get the idea folks! The next couple shows should be interesting...reno and vegas. I wont be able to gamble but at least ill be able to look at a lot of lights. We all have family comming out, so that should be exciting. I havent seen my brother and sister in ages and i know their gonna be wasted so that means they will be even more friendly :) Also Meg n Dia join up in vegas which is sick, SO SIKED FOR THAT!!! We met them on warped and their super nice. anyways i think its time, i go to In and Out because after this tour im not going to be able to go back for a while :( im going to eat there everyday twice a day until we leave Arizona. Ive attached pics from our set on the Epitaph stage at this years Bamboozle Left and also some pics of our acoustic set the 2nd day! Thanks to everyone who watched us either/both days :) love you peace peace n a bottle o' hair grease, jack #4------------------------------------------------------------ Wow...vegas has to be one of the strangest places on this earth. First of all we showed up in Reno (shity city) only to find that only sugarcults crew was there and the show probably wasnt going on. We were welcomed by a hooker in a pink tanktop and no teeth asking if we had any shirts we could give her...Thankfully we have power windows and middle fingers. Thankfully zack was asleep or he might have took her up on some of her offers...he's getting desperate you know..just kidding! Anyways we decided to hang out with sugarcults crew for a little then start the drive to vegas early since it was 8 house. We got to go over the Hoover Damn which was sweet. It's seriously Vegas Vacation all over again! Anyways, we got to vegas around midnight and it was a fantastic site! My bro and sis were staying at the MGM so thats where i headed. Rian to the Excalibur, Alex and Matt to the Venecian and Zack to the Luxor. We all split up and hung out with our fam for the evening. My brother took me around vegas and boyyy was it interesting. I was approached by numerous drunk people. It was basically like an Ocean City, Maryland for older people. It's just a place for adults to drink, walk around drunk, act like teenagers and maybe gamble a bit here n' there. it was Akward to say the least. Anyways the next day was the show at the House Of Blues at Mandalay Bay...probably one of the nicest venues we have ever played. We introduced ourselves to the Meg n Dia folks and got to know our new tour mates as we shared a dressing room. We soon found they are awesome people and they share a love for getting wild! The show was pretty cool, and the crowd was big. It was weird though because the merch was not in the venue, it was in the cassino haha. Anyways Vegas was an experience we wont forget, and I cant wait till we go there again. I hope the next time we go, were 21...actually nevermind because that would be three years :)stay rad, Jack #5------------------------------------------------------------ Lame! Tonight was our last show on the Sugarcult Tour featuring The Pink Spiders and Meg n Dia :( Damone will be taking our place on this great lineup. I am jelous that they get to join up! Anyways we made some lifetime friends on this tour and it was a great experience for everyone. Every single show was amazing and the fans never let us down. Traveling to bumfuck arizona and hearing a couple hundred kids sing your song is the coolest feeling ever. Sugarcult was very warming towards us and their personalities suprised the shit out of me. they were such cool guys and even when zack was sick they made him soup and gave him Emergen-C. WHO DOES THAT !?!? Thats like something my mom does...so in a way Sugarcult are our parents. They actually reffered to us as their younger brothers on stage. At the last show of the tour in Little Rock, Arkansas us and Meg n Dia ran on stage during "Bouncing Off the Walls" and started bouncing around and took over Tim's Guitar n Mic, Marko's (my twin) guitar and Airens Bass. It was so fun to bro down with a band that ive been listening to since middle school haha. Alex also got to soundcheck with sugarcult at Texas AM College because tim was at the hospital taking care of his sickness (i think he had a nasty cold). It was so crazy to see alex soundcheck with a band who for the past few years have held a special spot on my ipod and in my cd player :) I attached a pic of him sound-checking for fun. At the end of the show we said our goodbyes and gave our hugs. This is'nt the end of these friendships though, only the beggining...now we head home to write a new cd. Catch us on the road in the northeast in december when we head out with Cobra Starship! Stay safe, Jack

[stormtrprinstilettos]

Chameleon - Ch. 4

Summary: Reader (that’s you!) moves to London, hoping to leave her past behind and find happiness. She makes friends with her new neighbors. (Guess who?) - So far we’ve established that Reader & Freddie are BFF, Reader & Brian are absolutely into each other (but he has a GF) and Reader & Roger have a bit of sexual tension.

Word Count: 6k+ || AO3 link | Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3(1)(2)

A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading this (especially @clogwearingspacepoodle who helped me decide where I wanted this to go!). So… this chapter’s got angst. It’s got language. It’s got smut. Now go on, Y/N - take what you want!

Tagging @chocolatealmondmilkshake - if you want to be tagged just let me know.

You had acquired a new roommate - Freddie. You thought it was pointless for him sleep on Brian and Roger's couch when you had an empty bedroom, so the two of you spent some time cleaning out the extra room that was full of your grandma's old junk to make space for Freddie's things. This new arrangement wasn’t hard to get used to. The four of you were constantly in and out of each other's places anyway. You all had jokingly discussed tearing down the wall that separated the two flats since it would save the time of opening and closing doors. You loved this somewhat strange arrangement you had with the three of them. It wasn't what others would consider normal, but it was the most normal you had ever experienced. They'd go off to their classes or jobs or rehearsals and you would "take care of the homestead" as you put it. The guys called you their domestic goddess. You even bought yourself a few cookbooks to become more domesticated.

Freddie had encouraged you to pick up your sketchbook and pencils again. You always loved to draw, and you were very good at it, but when you left your old life behind, that was one thing you left with it. You didn't even mention your love for art to anyone until Freddie saw some of your old sketches when you were clean out what would become his bedroom. They were mostly drawings of people, all seeming to be deep in thought, all with their own story to tell. He pulled the old book out of a box in the closet and flipped through, growing more and more impressed by every picture. "Who drew these?" he asked, snapping your attention from whatever you were rambling about. He wasn't paying any attention.

"Oh..." you cleared your throat. "I... I did.” You never showed your sketches to anyone except your mom and grandma. They were the only ones who never told you that you were foolish and wasting your time with your talent. "I forgot all about that thing. I can't believe she kept it."

His mouth dropped in amazement. "You? These are fantastic. I didn't know you draw."

You quickly grabbed the book from Freddie and closed it, throwing it nonchalantly back into the box. “I don’t. Not anymore." Once you had your back turned, Freddie took it back out and continued flipping through the pages. "So I'm thinking tonight for dinner I'll just do some chicken." Freddie didn't acknowledge. You waited a couple of seconds. "Is chicken okay with you? Maybe a salad..." You turned and furrowed your brows when you saw him looking at the book again.

"Who are these people, love?" Freddie asked, never taking his eyes away from the pages. "You must have cared about them. You didn't miss a single detail."

Knowing he wouldn’t let it go, you sat behind him, wrapped your arms around his waist and rested your chin on his shoulder and told him about every person on the pages. When he got to the last page, sensing your deep breath you took to regain your composure, Freddie turned his head to look at you and asked, "is this your mum?"

You stared down at the page and smiled. "Yeah, that's Mom." You ran your hand over the picture with adoration. "I miss her."

"Easy to see where you get your beauty from," Freddie said as he pinched your nose, an annoying habit they all seemed to have picked up that they used to get you to crinkle your nose for their amusement. "You look just like her."

The next week Freddie gifted you with two sketchbooks and a box of drawing pencils. You took his unspoken advice and began drawing again, which is how you would spend most of your days when the guys were off doing their thing. You’d go sit at the parks, mostly, sometimes at pubs or street corner cafes and people watch, choosing your subjects at random. It was therapeutic.

You had only ever gotten caught by a random subject once. You were drawing a man at a pub whose clothing style intrigued you. Flamboyant was an understatement, which is why you found him to be an interesting muse. Freddie would love this guy's style, you thought, which is why you chose him in the first place. He was unashamed of who he was and you couldn't take your eyes off of him. He caught you staring and they agreed that he would let you finish drawing him as long as you paid him in conversation. You sat together for a couple of hours and regaled each other with amusing stories from your pasts. You found out that he was leaving for New York that night, which was upsetting because you just knew that he and Freddie would get along perfectly.

Things between you and Brian oddly weren’t even really weird after finding out he had a girlfriend. The two kisses happened and that was it. It was never discussed. Freddie told you he wasn’t happy in the relationship, and you got the same vibe from Brian, but it, like the kiss, was never discussed. Well, it wasn’t discussed anymore after you let him know in passing that you knew about Jane. The two of you actually got closer. Not romantically – he was already spoken for. But he was spending more time with you, lazing around, watching TV or listening to a new album, depending on what you felt like doing. He would listen to you ramble on about whatever was exciting you that day. You would listen intently to him playing songs that he had written and sometimes just watch him sitting with his notebook, scribbling on the pages with deep concentration. You would show him your drawings and he would encourage you, just as you would encourage him with his music and studies. He would passionately talk about some random astronomical phenomenon and you would listen with immense interest. A few mornings you woke up to find that you both had fallen asleep on the sofa, but that's always as far as it went. You weren’t going to allow any lines to gets crossed and neither was he. But the feelings were there. You couldn’t deny them to yourself – and he couldn’t deny them either – but as long as this Jane person existed in his world, you weren’t going to say a word. You convinced yourself that everything would be fine as long as you at least had him as friend although you could feel your heart literally hurt whenever you were around him.

Then there was Roger, the incorrigible flirt that he was, who never kept himself from making sly comments, which you would return in kind, which made everyone else suspicious of the two of you. Things with him were frustrating. You wanted him. Badly. You knew he wanted you, too. You both would resist as much as possible, not wanting to cause any problems that could possibly arise, but you always gave in to the temptation. You tried so many times to just do it, but there was always a reason it never happened, no matter how close it came to happening. It never failed. The two of you would end up in a hot and heavy situation, and just as things were about to go that one step further, Freddie would come home, or the phone would ring, or Brian would knock on the door… The universe seemed to conspire against you.

Like that one time the two of you were in the kitchen, not exactly having the kind of conversation you’d have with a priest, waiting for the dinner roast to finish in the oven. You were standing at the sink as he walked up behind you, leaned against you with his hands on your hips. You turned around and as soon as he started to lean in for a kiss, the timer went off to let you know the roast was done. At the same time, Freddie, Brian, and John came in waiting to be fed. Or that time the two of you were going back home after seeing a movie. Brian wasn’t supposed to be home. The two of you didn’t even make it past the door before Roger had you pinned against it, ready to take you right there, only to be interrupted by Brian’s keys jingling to come inside. You both scurried to Roger’s room, but Brian barged in, asking about some stupid book he misplaced.

So, yes. Frustrating. While quite a bit of the time you and Roger spend together was working each other up, the two of you did bond over other things. You’d love watching movies – old and new – and swapping books especially. It wasn’t just about the physical attraction. He was a great friend to you who would listen when you needed an ear and hand out advice when you needed it, and you’d reciprocate in kind, but there was no way it would never delve into something serious between the two of you. You were too much alike and he didn’t give you that extra bit of mental stimulation like someone else did.

⊱ ────── {.��� ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

You grab your purse and start to leave for a quick trip to the store when you hear voices coming from the other side. "Thank you for the help. And for the early dinner. I needed that." It was a female's voice. You listen closer, thinking you’ll have some new ammo for the next time Roger tried to trip you up during some playful argument.

"You don’t have to thank me for that." Your heart falls to your toes. It was Brian this mystery woman is talking to. You slowly open the door and peek through the crack. There he is, looking down at this beautiful blonde female with a smile on his face, holding her hand. You take a deep breath and open the door, not hiding your presence, startling Brian and his mystery friend.

"Hey Brian, is Freddie still over there?" You completely ignore the fact that this other person is there. You try to convince yourself don't care anymore because you don’t want to tread that thin line between the two of you anymore. It’s eating you up inside and you need to talk to the one person who always made you feel better no matter what.

His face lights up when he sees you, just like it always does, and his hand moves quickly behind his neck. “Hey, Y/N, yeah, he’s in there.” Your eyes lock in a gaze, you pleading for an explanation and he pleading for forgiveness.

“Y/N, the new neighbor,” the blonde says as she moves in between you and Brian and offers her hand. “Hi, I’m Jane.” The heart that fell to your toes before has now completely left your body and is laying right there on the floor, ready for Brian to stomp on it.

“Oh, yeah, Jane! Hi! Nice to finally meet you!” You hope you don’t sound fake, but, really, you couldn’t stand her from the start… because you were jealous as hell. You really hoped she didn’t exist, but she did, and she is standing right in front of you.

“Brian’s told me a lot about you. I feel like I know you already.” She keeps talking, and the things she’s saying let you know that he really did tell her a lot about you. She’s so nice you start to feel terrible about wanting to loathe her so bad. You can’t. She’s lovely.

“Why don’t you come out with us tonight?” she asks you. I’d love to get to know you more.”

You look up to Brian, who is still standing there with his hand on his neck, not knowing what to even say. “If you want to. We’re going… um…” He’s muddling his words, imagining how awkward it would be to spend an evening with the both of you at the same time.

“We’re going to dinner. We’ll decide the rest after that,” Jane tells you, deciding to finish Brian’s thought for him. She grabs your hands and begs you. “Please come with us.” She seems nice enough. Okay, so she seems like a wonderful person, but you aren’t sure if it’s a show she’s putting on or if she genuinely wants to know you.

“Oh, I don’t know, I…” You’re also imagining the potential awkwardness and it’s making you nauseated.

“Bring someone with you! It’ll be fun.” You really, really want to hate her. “I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer.” You just really, really couldn’t hate her, no matter how hard you tried.

You sighed and give her a defeated smile. “Okay, I’ll go.” She claps with excitement, which is a bit annoying and over enthusiastic, but it’s kind of cute. “Guess I better go get me a date.” You laugh, probably a bit too fake, as you walk into Brian and Roger’s apartment to find Freddie.

"You’re my date tonight, Freddie!" you call out as you walk inside, annoyed, upset, and nauseous.

Freddie runs in from the kitchen. "Slow down, Princess. What?"

Your facial expression tells him all he needs to know. You just met Jane. You’re trying to be okay with it, but he can tell you’re not. You have a look of failure, pure defeat. “We’re going out with Brian and Jane.” You’re less than enthusiastic about it, but you already resigned yourself to the fact that there was no way you were getting out of it now.

Freddie cringed. “With that cow? I can’t, Princess. Remember? It’s my sister’s birthday and I promised I’d…”

"Ugh!" you cut him off and throw your hands up. You look over Freddie's shoulder and see Roger standing there, leaning against the wall. "Roger! Are you doing anything tonight?"

He jokingly puffs out his chest. “I’ll save you. I don’t have any plans. Go get ready, doll.”

You run up to him, hug and kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you. You’re the best.” When you move back he’s still holding you, his eyes smiling brightly and his mouth pursed into a puckish grin.

“Now, Y/N, we both know you can’t make that claim. Yet,” he said with a wink. You give him a playful slap on his chest and pull away. “I’m going get ready. I’ll come get you when we leave.”

As you turn to make your way home to get dressed, you come face to face with a concerned Freddie. In a soft, calm voice, he asks, "are you okay with this?" He knows how you feel about Brian and he was worried this was going to turn out to be a disaster.

You take a deep breath and answered, calmly. "It’s going to be fine. She seems really nice.”

“She’s not nice. She’s absolutely dreadful. You’ll see. Just... Don’t do anything stupid.” He stopped before he started saying what he really wanted to say. “Have fun, Princess.” He kissed you on the cheek. “I have to go. I’ll be home in the morning. I’m staying at mum and dad’s tonight.”

What the hell did I get myself into? you ask yourself. How am I going to be able to act normal? You knew “normal” wasn’t going to happen.

You hear Roger clear his throat before he sneaks up behind you, grabs you around your waist and nuzzles his face into your neck. “You’ll be all alone? Did I hear that correctly?”

“You did,” you say with a giggle as you wiggle out of his grip. “But you have to finish dinner before you get your dessert.”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

You decide on your short, low-cut red dress and high boots for the evening. You tied your hair up loosely, put on your red lipstick and smiled at yourself in the mirror. Perfect. You knew exactly what you were doing when you wore that dress. It never failed you before.

You and Roger were friends. You knew you could wake up next to him the next morning and it wouldn't be weird seeing him later. Hell, he didn't even have to spend the night. It could be your little secret. You didn't care. You just needed attention from someone, and you wanted that person to be someone you could trust for a change. Someone who never lied to you or pretended to be someone else. You had done it with so many other guys without getting emotionally attached, so you knew this would be no problem. And, well, let’s face it: You and Roger were beyond the point of no return.

But, if you were completely honest with yourself, you knew you weren’t wearing that dress just for Roger. You probably weren’t even wearing it for him at all. You could have worn a potato sack and the two of you would be on the verge again by the end of the night based on your short history. You were upset. You wanted Brian to see what he was missing. You wanted to drive him crazy with desire.

Roger knocked twice on the door and let himself in. "Hey Y/N? Ready for a wonderful night out with this handsome devil standing in your living room?”

"You're a fool, Roger Taylor," you tell him as you walk out of your room. When his eyes fell on you, he couldn't help but let out a whistle. You walk closer to him and lean in close to his ear. "But I wouldn't have you any other way." He pulls you close to him and bend down to kiss you. Instead, you bend down to dodge him.. "No, no. We have people waiting.” He groan and gives you a pleading look, but you weren’t giving in. “Now, are you gonna show me a good time?"

He sighed, accepting the fact that he has to wait for later, and chuckles. “Let's get this over with." He put his hand at the small of your back and walks with you out the door.

Brian and Jane were sitting outside waiting – her, patiently; him, not so much. Both of their eyes beamed with delight when they saw you and Roger finally come out. It seemed as if Brian had completely forgotten that his girlfriend was sitting right there next to him. “I love that dress, Y/N! Did you get it at Biba?” Jane asked.

“No. Bloomingdales in New York. You’re unable to take your eyes off Brian. His eyes, having turned beguiling at this point, follow you back and you, not aware of what you were doing, gave him a flirtatious grin. After making sure he took complete notice of you, you turn your attention to Jane, hoping she didn’t notice this toying that you were doing. “I’m guessing you got yours at…”

“Biba. Yes.” She noticed you and Brian staring at each other, as evidenced in her contrite reply, but she shook it off like a pro and became the nice, bubbly Jane almost immediately.

“We have the prettiest girls in London, don’t we, Bri?” Roger sensed the tension and wanted to snap everyone out of it. He cocks his arm for you to hook yours into it. “Shall we?” he asks you with a smile before giving you a kiss on the cheek.

Brian rushes to your side and leans down to your ear. “I’m guessing you’re feeling red today?” You glance up at him and smirk.

“Oh, yes. Very red.”

He gave a big smile and an amused chuff. “One day you’re going to tell me what these colors mean.”

He and Roger open the car doors for you and Jane respectively, and the four of you head out on your evening.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Three hours and copious amounts of liquor into your night out, you were feeling fantastic. You felt alive. Roger hadn't left your side all night and made sure you weren’t drinking alone. Jane was also getting a little tipsy, but Brian stayed completely sober. He was the one driving, after all.

The fact that he wasn’t drinking made him very aware how everyone was acting, especially you. The fact that you were drinking, perhaps a bit too much, made you have less restraint in how you were acting. You saw Brian watching you in that red dress. You saw the way his eyes would follow your hand when you’d start to play with your necklace, or the way his eyes would look at your lips when you’d purposely wet them slowly and seductively when he was watching. You saw the hint of jealousy on his face when you were dancing with Roger, and you saw that jealously grow when you and Roger got to the point where you couldn’t keep your hands off of each other. You saw how he would react to every single little thing you would do. You almost felt a tinge of guilt knowing that you were driving him absolutely crazy. Almost.

Jane tried to keep his attention focused on her, but he would give her excuses why he was coming across as distant. “I’ve got classes in the morning that I’m thinking about,” or “I’m thinking about what we’re going to play next band rehearsal,” but the “I need to make sure Y/N doesn’t do anything stupid” line irked her last nerve. “Take me home, Brian,” you heard her tell him in a quite demanding way. You weren’t sure if “home” meant her place or his, but you didn’t care. After Roger assured Brian the two of you could find your way home safely, Brian left with Jane, albeit unwillingly. His eyes watched you, longingly, as he walked out. You saw that, too.

A slow, bluesy song started to play in the background as they walked away, and you started dancing against Roger. "I love this song,” you told him, your words drawn out dramatically. “Dance with me." You grabbed his hands and moved out to the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around your waist, yours wrapped around his neck, and you swayed to the music. You looked up at him, tilted your head and gave him a big smile. "Roger?"

He looked down and smiled back. "Y/N?"

"You're cute." You tapped him on the tip of his nose.

He pretended to be shocked. "Cute? I'm just... cute? Me? I'm offended."

You picked your head up and pulled yourself in as close as you could, bringing his head down to yours, touching your nose to his and stared deep into his eyes. "You're sexy as hell, Roger.” You let out a long, drawn out sigh. “I should have let you fuck my brains out the very first day you wanted to. I felt how hard you got when I had my hand on you..."

He pulled his head back a little bit and his mouth dropped open. "Fucking hell, Y/N. You don't mince your words." He looked down at your pleading eyes. He knew what you wanted, and he wanted it too. He missed too many chances to have you before and there was no way he was going to let another chance pass him by. He leaned down and whispered in your ear. "Do you want to hear a secret?" You shook your head yes and bit your bottom lip. "That day? That wasn't the first day I wanted to fuck your brains out."

The song ended, and you looked at Roger seductively. You broke free from his hold, backed up, and motioned for him to follow you with your finger, and he happily obliged. You walked over to a dark corner of the room, out of the eyesight of everyone else who was around. You leaned against the wall, one foot propped up on the wall behind you, and once again motioned for Roger to come closer. He leaned against the wall with one hand next to your head.

"Tell me about the first time you wanted to fuck my brains out?" You grinned, again nibbling on your lip, running a finger along his shirt collar.

He leaned his face down close to yours. "Well, it was probably a week after you got here. You were walking around in that tight blue tank top with those short shorts. You were driving me mad." He ran the back of his hand down your cheek, pausing when his thumb reached your lips. "You were wearing this red lipstick too." You parted your lips so that your tongue would touch his thumb. "And all I could think about when I would look at you was how much I wanted to see those lips wrapped around my cock." You opened your mouth a little more and took his thumb into your mouth, never taking your eyes off his, before he moved It out.

“Then there was the time you were outside in the back garden, sitting in the sun, wearing that bikini top. You knew I was looking at you,” he recalled. “You kept making sure I got a good view of these,” he reminded you as he rubbed his hand gently on your breasts.

You grabbed the waistband of his pants and pulled him closer to you, his hand coming off the wall and sliding down to your arm. You reached down and grabbed his manhood that was pushing against his pants, making him gasp and go silent, never taking his eyes off of yours. You pushed your body as close to his as you could and looked down at what your hand was resting on. "You remember what I said about this, right?" and smirked as you looked up at him, gently rubbing your hand up and down.

"Oh yeah, I remember." He smirked back. "Do you want it?" You shook your head yes. He moved his hand that was still resting on your breasts up to your neck, making you move your head up to look him directly in the eyes, his voice turning rigid. "No, Y/N. You have to say it."

"I want it."

His hand moved down, passing over your chest, stomach and to your thigh. "How bad do you want it?"

"Very, very bad."

"Hmm, let me see." He moved his hand from your thigh to under your dress, feeling your wet panties. "Mmm, yeah, I'd say you want it very, very bad." He leaned down and kissed you, keeping his hand rubbing you underneath your dress as you kept rubbing against his pants. "But I want to get one thing straight." He moved your panties to the side with his fingers, rubbing them gently around your wet flower. He moved his head to whisper in your ear, which caused your breathing to get heavy in his. "You get to have it..." He nibbled at your ear. "...but I get to say how you get it." He moved to look back into your eyes. "Understand?" You nod and he smirked. "Good girl."

You stopped rubbing on his member, grabbed his hand out from under your dress and moved it away. "So, Roger...?" You straightened your body out, wrapped one arm around his neck and started to run your fingernails across the nape of his neck. "Is today one of those days you wanna fuck my brains out?" You pulled him down for a kiss.

"Mmm hmm" is all he could get out as your tongues encircled and bodies rubbed together.

"Then you better take me home." He kissed you some more. “Now.” He grabbed your hand and you walked as fast as you could out the door.

The two of you made sure to be quiet walking into your flat. If anyone was around, you didn't want them to hear Roger going into your place, and you definitely didn’t want anyone conveniently disturbing what was about to happen. "This is between us, yeah?" Roger asked, not out of shame, but out of respect. He didn't care if the guys knew it when he was having sex with other girls. He didn't care what they thought about the other girls. He cared about what they thought about you, though. After assuring him that Freddie wasn’t home, you unlocked the door.

You walked inside and immediately started tearing off each other's clothes, not wanting to waste a single second of time for anyone to interrupt, leaving a trail from the door to the bedroom, both of you completely naked by the time you reached your destination.

He pushed you back onto the bed, but not before you grab him to fall with you. He starts to kiss you again, his hands roaming feverishly all over your body, your hands grabbing his hair. “Roger,” you say with a scratchy tone. “You better fuck me this time."

“Don’t worry about that,” he replies. “I’m not walking out of here hard...” Your breaths are stuck in your throat as he holds your face, kissing you with more desire than you ever knew could exist. “... and you won’t be able to walk out of here without help.”

He quickly moved down and dove between your thighs, taking a moment to admire what he was seeing before he started lapping at your wet, heated flesh. “Still so wet,” he whispers as a groan escapes your lips. “So good,” he whispers as you groan again. You grab his hair and press him deeper into you. He thrusts his tongue into you as you groan louder.

“Not yet,” you beg, “not yet…”

“Don’t worry,” he says in between licks. “This is only the first round.” He flattens his tongue against your clit, grinning as he looks up at you as your moaning becomes uncontrollable. He begins to gently suck on you, inserting two fingers in the process. “I’ve been waiting too long for this to go quick.”

“Fuck, Roger!” you cry out. You try to say more, but you can only moan.

He moved his mouth away, but his fingers kept up their pace. “You want this, don’t you?” He asks. You can only nod. He gives you a devilish grin. “Now you know how I feel, being so close and not being able to do anything about it…” You feel your climax approaching and your body tenses up. “How close are you, Y/N?” You try to answer, but only a short whimper comes out. He chuckles deeply. “Mmm hmm…” He brings his voice down to a whisper. “So close…” He lowered his head back down, sucking gently on your clit, grazing it ever so lightly with his teeth.

“Oh my god, Roger!” You arch against him, rolling your hips and grabbing the bedsheets, moaning with pleasure before landing limp on the bed, breathless. He crawls up to you, his body over yours, leaning down for a deep, hard kiss.

You push him over onto his back and straddle him, your core grazing his. He pulls you down into a kiss, his hand grabbing his cock, ready to guide it inside of you. “Not yet,” you scold him as you push his hand away. He lets out an eager groan as you climb off him and make your way down to his dick. Your eyes meet his. “There’s something you said you wanted to see,” to say, as a mischievous grin crosses your mouth before you lower it, your pointed tongue licking the tip, then the entire length, before the heat and wetness of your mouth completely envelopes him.

He notices your red lipstick is smudged but it’s still there, and he watches intently as your red lips surround his rock. He holds a hand on top of your head, guiding it at the speed he wants you to go. His moans and groans getting louder. Before he gets too far, he stops you. “Get up here, Y/N,” he tells you, making you suck hard and pull your mouth away. You move up to straddle him, the mischievous grin never leaving your face. He guides himself to you, his tip just inside. “Are you sure you want this?” he jokes.

“Roger if you don’t stop joking and fu…” you couldn’t finish your sentence before he lowered you down, completely engulfing him in you. You start to rock your hips, hands on his chest to keep your balance, as he helps balance you in this perfect position with his hands on your waist, as you are in complete and total control of everything. He’s grabs hold of your breasts, watching your every move as you continue grinding against him.

You lean forward, your body becoming exhausted. “Finish me,” you tell him, your voice becoming desperate, and weak. He wraps his arms around your back, holding you tightly, as he lifts his hips with a feverous rhythm, pounding into you hard and deep from underneath. “Oh!” you scream. “Yes, Brian, just like that...”

He flips you over, spreads your legs, putting them over his shoulders and increases his speed. His thrusts getting harder, grunts getting louder. “Fuck, Y/N!” He yells out, knowing he can’t go much longer. “Come for me. You know you want to.” And you do. Your entire body shuddered before the two of you collapsed, exhausted and exhilarated, before he laid down next to you.

You covered yourself up with the bed sheet and rolled over on your side, your back to Roger. You just had amazing sex – probably the most amazing you had ever had – with one of the most gorgeous men you’ve ever laid your eyes on, and you felt completely... empty. You were worried that you were doing it again – your therapy, your self-destruction – only this time involving someone you cared about, platonically speaking. He’s going to ignore me after, just like the others, you thought to yourself. He got what he wanted. Why would he stick around? This is all I’m good for anyway.

“Uh, Y/N?” Roger snaps you out of your moment. “Should I…”

You roll back onto your back. “I’m sorry.”

He starts to chuckle. “Sorry for what? That was fantastic.”

“Yeah, it was,” you smile. “It’s just…”

“I know, Y/N. I promise, it won’t be weird.”

You roll over on your side again, this time facing Roger. “Promise?”

He cleared his throat. “Come on. That’s what we wanted.” He nudges your shoulder. You laugh, but your face falls quickly, because you can’t get him out of your head. He climbed out of the bed and walked over to your dresser to grab the ashtray you kept there. “Did you listen to the new Pink Floyd album yet?” he asks as he walks back. You give him a confused look as he lays back down, having lit a cigarette and rested the ashtray on his stomach. “I hear it’s pretty good.”

You sit up, body wrapped in the sheet. “Seriously, Roger? We just had sex and you want to talk about this?” You grab the cigarette out of his hand, take a drag and start to stand up.

“No, stay.” He laughs as he grabs you and pulls you back down when you hand him back his cigarette. He can tell you’re bothered and he was trying to lighten the mood before deciding it was better to comfort you. He knows the way you feel about his friend, and how his friend feels about you. He does feel a tinge of guilt, but, the way he sees it is if Brian was too stupid to act on it, then you both were free to do whatever you want. “This wasn’t wrong, Y/N.”

“No, it definitely was not,” you laugh as you lay back down, resting your head on the pillow with his arm behind your neck. You enjoyed it. It was amazing. And you knew it wasn’t wrong, but it felt wrong.

He pulled your head close to him and held the cigarette to your mouth so you could take another drag. “We’re both adults here..No explanations needed.” He chuckles. “And if you want to use me again I won’t object.”

“So basically, I can use your for sex until I’m tired of you,” you jokingly reply.

“Well…” he laughs before taking a puff. “Nothing wrong with having fun, right?”

“So that’s all this is. Fun.” While fun was nice, you wanted more than just fun. You wanted some sense of stability. An actual relationship. A relationship with someone you could depend on. Someone who cared about you. Someone who would take care of you. Someone to share your hopes and dreams with.

He sighs. “Look, Y/N, you’re great. I love spending time with you. But…” His voice trails off.

“There’s always a ‘but’ thrown in whenever I have these conversations with guys so just spit it out.” But, you think. But I’m looking for stability, but I’m not looking for a relationship, but I’m married… You start to replay in your mind all of the “buts” you’ve been told over the past few years before Roger snaps you out of it.

“What I was going to say,” he started with the same annoyed tone you finished your sentence in, “is that I know this is all you want, and I accept that.”

You lift your head and scoot up so you’re eye to eye with him. “And what if this isn’t all I want? What if I want more?”

“Do you?” He cocks up an eyebrow, not sure what you’re trying to say.

“What if I do? What if I actually want more?” You lay your head back on the pillow. “What if I’m tired of only being good enough for ‘fun’?”

“First, you are much better than just ‘fun’ and any man who makes you think otherwise is an idiot. You’re so much more than that. Don’t ever think you’re not. You deserve to get everything you want. Secondly, I know you want more…” He pauses, not hesitantly because he doesn’t know how to finish his answer, but because he’s trying to make sure you’re going to like what you are told. “… you don’t want it with me, though.” You looked over at him with a puzzled look. He started to comfortingly rub his hand on the top of your head as he let out a hearty laugh. “Come on, Y/N, you said his name.”

Oh shit, you thought to yourself as you remembered. Clearly it wasn’t a big deal since Roger was obviously not offended in the slightest. Deciding not to get too much deeper into the conversation, you joked, “Well this is the worst possible pillow talk isn’t it?” He continued his laughter, especially after noticing how embarrassed you had become. “Right now, I just want to lay here,” you sighed.

He pulls you in tight, resting his head on yours. “Then if that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”

[unicornsapplesandstuff]

Deacury! where John and Freddie argue for the first time, like Freddie’s mad and a little shocked that his dear Deaky is fighting him about one of his songs, so they have make-up sex where Freddie’s all apologetic! Fantastic writing, by the way, I love it!

Thank you, love. I hope this is close to what you wanted. Im so so so sorry for the long wait!

...

“We don’t always have to do what you want,” John said bitterly, turning away from Freddie.

Freddie sighed. He didn’t know why John was being so obtuse today, but it was starting to get on his nerves. “I’m not trying to get what I want, I’m trying to do what’s best for the song. And the album. And the band!”

“And what is right for the band is always what you want to do!” John cried, whirling around and fixing Freddie with a glare so dark Freddie almost backed away. Almost.

“Don’t be so bloody absurd, Deaky. What is wrong with you today?”

John scoffed. “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you, you prat? We’ve been here for hours and you haven’t let us get anything done! Forcing Roger to play that stupid solo until his hands bled, knowing full well we weren’t even going to put it on the album. Bitching at us every move we make. So, Fred,” John drew out the nickname, knowing it would drive Freddie nuts. John was the only one who never called Freddie Fred. “what the fuck is wrong with you today?”

Brian and Roger hadn’t spoken since the argument had started. Rather, they were staring at the scene with open mouths. It was pretty rare for John to actually shout, let alone be in an argument. And that was always with Brian or Roger. Never with Freddie.

“It’s my song anyway. I know what it’s supposed to sound like,” Freddie defended himself. It fell a bit flat even to his own ears.

“Fine! Then play your own damn songs. I’m sure you don’t need a bass player for any of this shit.” And with that, John had stormed out, leaving Freddie to stare at the other two in confusion.

“What just happened?” He asked the equally confused Brian and Roger.

Roger shook his head. “Not sure. But you should probably go after him and apologize.”

“Why should I apologize?” Freddie said, still heated and sore from the argument.

Brian simply glared at Freddie. 

“You were a bit of a dick today,” Roger said.

Freddie put it off as long as he could. He helped the others pack their stuff away, earning more glares because Freddie never helped them with equipment and it was obvious he was procrastinating. It was only when there was nothing left to do that Freddie left the studio, starting to walk in the direction of John’s apartment with a deep sigh.

Too soon he arrived and knocked sheepishly at the door.

“Freddie, I’m not in the mood,” was John’s greeting as he opened the door for him.

Nevertheless, Freddie knew he had to set things right. He had been thinking through what he should say the entire walk over. “I need to apologize. And not to make myself feel better, but because you deserve it. I was an arsehole today, and I didn’t mean to go that far.”

John sighed. “You’re an idiot, Freddie.” Then he walked away, leaving the door open and clearly inviting Freddie inside. Freddie followed into the living room where John had sprawled out across one side of his couch. Freddie took the other side.

“So what can I do to earn your forgiveness?” Freddie asked. He moved closer, hesitantly touching John’s hand and smiling when John let him tangle their fingers together.

“Just fuck me already, Freddie.”

John kissed him, quite softly and intimately and completely different than his body language had been reading. Freddie couldn’t help but melt into it. Every time his tongue brushed against John’s, a tingle went down his spine. Freddie was already short of breath with the intensity that was John, and eventually had to pull away to touch their foreheads together.

“I really am sorry, love. I need you to know that.”

“I do know that,” John said before pulling him into another kiss.

They let themselves savour it, going slowly and kissing every inch of bare skin that they could reach. Freddie murmured apologies into John’s mouth, over his chest, into the crease of John’s hip as he pulled off John’s boxers and started working on earning his forgiveness by swallowing down John’s cock.

They never even went into John’s bedroom. Freddie worked his mouth over John until John couldn’t take it anymore and pulled Freddie into his lap. When they were both naked and John had managed to find the lube they stashed under the couch, he opened Freddie up on his fingers while Freddie moaned into his hair, clutching his shoulders and begging for more.

“I love you, Freddie. I forgive you,” John whispered, pulling Freddie from his hiding spot in his hair and looking into his eyes. He kissed Freddie deeply and moved his hips, pushing his cock into Freddie and drawing out a long moan.

It was the slowest, deepest, bone-tinglingiest sex Freddie had had in his life. John had a way of doing that, of sinking in and finding the deepest and most hidden parts of Freddie and lighting them up. Maybe that was why he made such a good bass player.

Freddie came with a shout, John following soon after him. Though Freddie was out of breath, he couldn’t stop kissing John, couldn’t stop telling him how much he loved him and never wanted to lose him. That he was so happy and wanted to stay right there curled up on top of John forever.

[chaandknight]

Let me | Brian May |

Summary: Brian just wants to be your man. You let him. 4.2k words

A/N: Inspired by anons and also the song Let me by the one and only Zayn I swear I’m not promoting his new album or anything. 

Fluff isn’t my strong suit. Enjoy.

Tags: Fluff, smut, dash of angst, dumb word play, +18 content

Anonymous said: Could I get something with Soft Brian? Like fluffier than his hair? He’s just the sweetest human in existence, in my opinion. A picnic or night in with movies or like bowling lol 🖤

Anonymous said: Please can i have some soft brian may sin x it does things to my heart

This was a new call. Some new hotshot band you didn’t bother remembering the name of. Your friend had called, asking you come to the show and work your magic. You really shouldn’t of gone, an unfinished essay sitting on your table and seven other sheets of research journals to pour over and make notes for next week. There was a part of you that regretted getting into this life sty But you needed a break, so here you were. Crammed into a hall filled, people all around you. Honestly you couldn’t wait for the show to be over. People were ridiculous. You had the breath knocked out of you at least five times thanks to various elbows.

The band weren’t that bad. You actually enjoyed their music, finding yourself dancing along and singing blindly with them. After the band finished someone came up to you, security you presumed and asked you to come with them. You obliged, knowing full well why you were here. It wouldn’t take long, men were easy enough to seduce after a show. High off the show, not drunk enough for the after party yet. You just had to pretend to be interested, be sharp with your banter and not bruise your egos. You didn’t have a problem so far.

You were led to the bar at the back, the after party just starting. You thanked the man, making your way to the bar to order a drink. You made small talk with the people around you, not really paying too much attention to anyone. You suddenly wanted to get home, it wasn’t a good idea to come.

From the cheers at the door you could tell the band had just entered, you joined along with the crowd. Despite not knowing the band you still felt they deserved a cheer, it was a show well played. Not many bands could handle a crowd so easily like that. You stayed at the bar for a bit longer, watching the band disperse into the crowd. The blonde drummer already had a girl on his arm, he looked pretty enough to be a girl. Despite being exactly your type you didn’t want to work for his attention. The lead singer was the center of the crowd, still working off his stage persona, you didn’t want to work for his attention either. You divert your attention to the other two men. The guitar player and the bass player. The bass player seemed quite, more content just spending time with people instead of talking needlessly. Perhaps. You watched him for a while, wondering how he fit into the bands equation. Maybe it was your unfinished psychology essay that made you stay on the bar stool, slowly going through the crowd and coming up with fake personalities for each person in the room.

“Drink not strong enough?” you jumped slightly at the voice beside you, not expecting someone to be in such close proximity. The drink you had sitting on spilled, leaving a ring of beer around your glass and on your hand. You reached out for napkins quickly, not wanting the liquid to spill onto your clothes, he beat you to it though. “God, I’m so sorry. Let me, its the least I could do”

It was the guitarist. You smiled up at the tall man, the slightest bit intimidated by his height. He was busy cleaning up the spilt beer and so you had the chance to admire him for a bit before he finished. His hair was black, with curls falling down his shoulders and you had the urge to ask him if they were actually real but you bit your tongue. His lips were moving but you couldn’t quite remember what he said,

“Sorry, what?” you asked, confused. He just laughed, ordering you another drink.

“I’m Brian”

Sweet baby, our sex has meaning

Know this time you'll stay 'til the morning

You cleaned yourself up as best you could. However you couldn’t help your wrinkled clothes or the scent of sex that clung to you. Brian had gone to shower and you took that as your cue to leave. Usually they’d tell you to leave themselves, as soon as they were finished. But Brian didn’t seem like that. He was actually nice. Chatting to you at the after party, actually finding out your name and buying your drinks. You didn’t want it to be awkward so you took the decision into your own hands. Deciding to get dressed and leave before he came out of the shower. There was one problem though, you couldn’t find your bangle. The solid gold, priceless bangle that your late grandmother had given you. You dropped your jacket in frustration, going down to your knees to look under the bed.  Something was sparkling in the light and you just knew it was your bangle. You reached out, struggling to get it.

“Where are you going?” Brian’s voice came from the door of the bathroom. You froze, sitting up, a sheepish smile on your face.

“I uhm...I was going home?” you said, unsure of yourself with the way he was looking at you. He frowned and walked towards you, a towel wrapped around his waist.

“Why?” is all he asked, confused. He seemed so genuinely confused that you couldn’t find it in your heart to turn him down. You took a beat to think up an excuse for leaving so soon,

“I wanted to get home, I’ve got class tomorrow”

“l’ll drop you off tomorrow, it’s not a bother” he insisted with a smile. He was on his knees, reaching underneath the bed and using his significantly longer arms to grab your bangle. “Let me,” he whispered, taking you hand in his. He took your arm, gently sliding the jewelry onto your arm. You felt your heart flutter, watching him kiss your knuckles gently before pulling away.

So you stayed the night.

Duvet days and vanilla ice cream

More than just one night together exclusively

You tried not to laugh, wondering just how long it would take for Brian to realise. He was eating his ice cream with such purpose, enjoying it so much that you didn’t have the heart to tell him that there was some on his nose. You grinned, watching him from over your glasses. Your ice cream was long finished, the summer heat forcing you to eat it messily before it melted. You never were the clean type, something Brian had teased you about mercilessly.

“You realise that I can see my reflection through your glasses right?” he asked, wiping his nose. You laugh, taking a tissue from the bedside table and wiping the rest off for him. You shrugged, turning your attention back to the book in front of you. A test tomorrow and you hadn’t left Brian’s flat for the past two days. You couldn’t believe yourself. He’d insisted on you coming over for the night, instead keeping you here for two days. Two whole days and you still felt like it had been just hours. The time passed quickly when you were with him. You had seen him more about three or so weeks. You wondered where all that time went, musing over the fact that you had stopped your band antics with your friends as well. You wondered if he had noticed. Or if he even really cared. Neither of you had discussed what this really was.

“Are you even listening to me?” he demanded, drawing you from your thoughts. You shook your head, a smile on your face. You tried hard to read the words on the book in front of you. You felt a weight drop on the side of your bed. You huffed, shuffling over to make room for the man who had just jumped on the bed. He rested on his stomach, his head on your thighs. He whined, actually whined like a puppy. “I need attention” he mumbled, trying to distract you by running his hands over your thighs. You pulled your legs away, trying to fight the smile on your face.

He reached out, but you were too fast for him. You pulled the book out of his grasp giving him a look. He didn’t falter under your gaze, instead sitting up and reaching over for the book you were just attempting to read. You leaned to the side, trying to push him away. You laughed as he covered your body with his in an attempt to grab the book.

“Oh, come on” he said, stretching out to reach the book. You pushed his chest, trying harder to stretch out your arm to keep your book out of reach. He adjusted his position, now almost laying on you to reach it.  “Just, let me..,,get....” he strained, grabbing the book from your hands. You huffed crossing your arms.

“Brian I need that” You protested, trying to grab it from him. He dodged your attempts, sitting up reading the page you were on. He tutted,

“You already know all this, why do you insist on reading it again?” He remarked, throwing the book away. Before you could scold him for it his lips were on yours again, pulling you into his lap.

Baby, let me be your man

So I can love you

“Babe?” his voice came from down the hall. You were busy trying to gather all your things. Pens, pencils, calculator just incase. Notes shoved haphazardly into your bag. You would pass this final with flying colours. At least that what you told yourself anyway.

“Hurry up breakfast is getting cold!” he yelled out again. You suppress a laugh. He was very adamant about making breakfast the morning before an exam. You grabbed your bag, rushing through the kitchen. You grabbed the breakfast wrap he had made you, pressing a kiss to his cheek before chugging the orange juice. He smiled at his handy work, “Here, let me get your bottle. You always forget it.” he handed you your favourite bottle. You smiled gratefully.

“What would I do without my fantastic boyfriend?” you mused, not realising what you said yet. He grinned,

“So I’m your boyfriend now?” You laughed, pressing a kiss to his lips and running out the door.

And if you let me be your man

Then I'll take care of you

You blew your nose, doing your best not to make too much noise. Brian shook his head,

“You said it was just allergies.” He had a hint of annoyance in his voice, still fed up with your insistence that you were fine. And you were. You just needed to rest for a day or so and you’d be better. They were just allergies. That lasted a day. Or two. But he didn’t have to know that. You drew the blanket around yourself tighter, closing your eyes and trying to ignore his constant reprimanding. He seemed to be like your mother, mumbling about how you never took proper care of yourself.

“Bri, they are just allergies. I’m fine” you insisted, blowing your nose yet again. Maybe your voice was deeper than before, and maybe you had finished all your herbal tea in an effort to soothe your throat. He stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed. He wasn’t buying it.

“Just let me take care of you, stop being so stubborn” he pleaded as he walked up to you, gently placing his hand on your forehead to feel your temperature. At this point your head felt like it was filled with cotton. You just wanted to sleep and if letting him be a mother chicken was the only way you could do this, then so be it.

We're drinking the finest label

Dirty dancing on top of the table

You couldn’t name a better way to spend the year. The party was well underway and you found yourself in the middle of the makeshift dance floor. Laughing and giggling like a school-girl. Brian held you close to him as you danced terribly next to him.

“Brian” you murmured, wrapped your arms around him and trying to get him to dance with you. He just laughed, gripping your waist and pulling you close. “Why aren’t you drunk?” you mumbled, running a hand over his chest. Brian wasn’t really the one to let go, especially at a crowded party like this. You’d have to get him drinking now, just to ease the self control he always had. He pressed a kiss to your temple, guiding you to the couch that was to the side of the room.

You pouted as he pulled you into his lap, holding you close to him. He pressed a kiss to your neck, making you shiver. You hands were on his shoulders out of habit, smiling at him.

“Why won't you dance?” You asked, pecking his lips. He was clean shaven tonight, hair falling over his shoulder - as curly as ever. You let your eyes go over his profile, admiring how good he looked and how he was completely yours. You felt your heart flutter at that thought, fiddling absentmindedly with his hair.

“I want to see the fireworks properly” he confessed, tucking a loose strand of your hair behind your ear. You nodded the slightest bit, encouraging him to continue. He let out a small laugh, leaning back against the sofa. His hands firmly on your waist, as if it was a sign to all the men (and women) in the room that you were his. It sent a thrill through your spine. Whenever you both were out he would have to be touching you somehow, some form of physical contact was needed for him.

“They're just….explosions you know?” He tried explaining. You tilted your head, still confused as ever. He pulled you closer, so you were resting against his chest.

“Let me explain properly…” And that was it for the two of you. The party long forgotten, you were captivated by his explanation of fireworks. You both somehow drifted from that topic to space, supernovas and such to exact. Maybe it was just how time passed when you were with him. Maybe it was the twinkle in his eye when you showed enthusiasm whenever he ‘nerded’ out. But in that moment you realised,

“I love you” you blurred out, interrupting his explanation about the formation of the Earth. He paused, processing what you said. You bit your lip, trying to stop the nerves forming. You had no idea how he would react. He tried to stop the smile on his face. Tried to hide it but he couldn't. Instead, he leaned forward, enveloping your lips in a kiss.

“I love you too” he whispered as he pulled away. Your heart soared, and you wished you could describe the feeling that was coursing through your veins. You were so filled with love for the man in front you. The only thing you could do was pull him close and kiss him over and over. He reciprocated with just as much enthusiasm. The two of you stayed that way for god knows how long, just kissing each other. You pulled away properly first, leaning your head on his shoulder, whispering those three words again. You couldn’t help it - you really, really meant them.

“You know love is actually a chemical reaction?” He supplied helpful. You laughed, lifting your head up to look at him,

“I know.” you pecked his lips, “studying psychology remember?”

Maybe you hadn’t noticed that everyone had cleared out of the room, crammed onto the balcony. It wasn’t until Freddie came parading in, plopping down on the couch next to you did you realise that the count down was already over.

“Happy new year loves!” he declared, grabbing your face and planting a kiss straight on your lips. You jumped back, mortified. “Fred!” you exclaimed. You looked to Brian, to see what his reaction was, but your view was blocked by the back of Freddie’s head.

“Thought I’d share my new years kiss with everyone I love!” he declared, getting up and literally flying off to god knows where. You watched him disappear into the crowd. Brian and you looked at each other for a second, before laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

He pulled you back into another kiss.

Long walks on the beach in April

Yeah, I promise, darling, that I'll be faithful

The day had been too long. You were tired and drenched in sweat. Maybe it was everything that had happened in the past week leading up to your foul mood. Your final essay, fifty thousand words long, lovingly typed up and rewritten three times had somehow been set on fire. Your request for an extension, also ruined by a tea spill. Your car breaking down, your best shoes being broken. It was just a bad week for you in general. To top it all off you were left alone in yours and Brian’s shared flat.

He hadn’t called in three days, which was rare for him. Usually he’d call as soon as he got into a new town, giving you the number for the next hotel they were booked at. The lack of phone ringing made your anxiety grow. You had spent the past two nights by the phone, practically begging it to ring. It was probably nothing. He was probably tired from playing every single night and then travelling to a new venue the next day. Busy with interviews and such.

That was until you had heard whispers from your friends, something about groupies and the band. A friend of a friends who managed to seduce one of the band members, coming back to them again and again after three shows. You felt your heart sink. It couldn’t be Brian...Could it? John was head over heels in love with his girlfriend, Roger didn’t bother with connections, Freddie was much the same as Roger. That left Brian. Your Brian.

Your thoughts were working against you that day, constantly coming up with various scenarios. It was your insecurities praying on you, the previous line of unfaithful boyfriends coming back to haunt you. You grew tired of the gossip, you excused yourself not bothering to say goodbyes and headed home. The past weeks exhaustion came crashing down on your as soon as you stepped through the door. You crawled into bed, only bothering to kick off your shoes before wrapping the blanket around yourself. You tried convince yourself that Brian was here with you as you drifted off to sleep…

You woke, images of Brian and some other woman in your head. You felt sick, tears already forming in your sleep riddled eyes. You felt like you couldn’t breath for a few seconds, the thought of losing Brian to someone else too overwhelming for you. The phones ringing still continued. For once you were thankful to be dragged out of sleep because of the phone. You made your way over to the counter where the phone was attached, picking up,

“Hello?” your voice was thick with sleep.

“Oh god, I didn’t wake you did I? I checked the time I thought it would be okay to call?” Brian’s voice came from the other end of the line. You felt a lump form in your throat, the thoughts from before weighing on you, forcing you to grab the phone set and sit on the floor.

“No, no.. I uhm..” you wiped away stray tears falling, cursing yourself for falling apart like this.

“Darling? Is everything alright?” concern in his voice. You sniffled, trying your hardest not to burst out crying,

“I just… Miss you and my friends were talking about some groupie and how she’s with the band all the time and how she’s made one of you fall in love with her and you’re ready to elope with her and I just didn’t want to think it was you but what if it was and I couldn’t handle it Brian I fucking love you and I hate being so far apart from you and I just -” you were cut off from your blabber,

“Sweetheart, we haven’t been at a show in three days” he explained. You paused, tears still on your cheeks and mind still racing.

“What?”

He just laughed,

“Our bus broke down in some desert. We had to wait for two bloody hours until someone drove past and gave us a ride. Let me tell you, the town we were in was horrendous. Honestly it had dirt everywhere and I can’t even begin to describe the smell…..”

You zoned out for a second, processing his words. Your heart leapt, all your worst fears were just that. Fears. You took a breath to steady yourself.

“I’d never betray you. You know that right?”

Give me your body and let me love you like I do

Come a little closer and let me do those things to you

You were going to explode. At least, that’s what it felt like. Waking up to have Brian’s head between your legs was almost like a dream. He had chuckled when you stirred, remarking about how long it finally took for you to wake up. It didn’t take long for him to get to work once you were awake and willing, threading a hand through his curls. His tongue was skilling in eliciting the loudest noises from your mouth. You could feel it against your clit and you let out yet another moan, afraid that the neighbours would wake.

You were a mess as his tongue explored your folds, bringing you to the edge faster than you could possibly imagine. Your hands alternated between tugging his hair and gripping the sheets on your sides. It was like you had no control over your body, your mind only focused on one thing. You gasped his name, feeling your breath quicken. You were close, the only thing coming out of your mouth was his name, chanting it over and over like prayer.

You let out a breathless moan as you came, one hand tugging his hair and the other fisting the sheets. You let your eyes close, trying hard not to float away into another universe. That was until his fingers were on you again. You could of cried when he slipped a finger into you, coaxed in easily by your own wetness.

“Bri...…” you whimpered, gasping at the intrusion. He shifted, now laying next to you, thumb against your clit and pushing another finger into you.

“Relax darling” he murmured, pressing kisses to your collarbone. “Let me make you feel good..”

This feeling will last forever, baby, that's the truth

Let me be your man so I can love you

“Stop fiddling and just let me take the photo” he whined, trying his best to get a good shot of you in your graduation gown.

“God I can't believe I'm actually here” you remarked, fiddling with the flimsy cardboard in your hands. Brian chuckled, placing a hand over yours to stop you from tearing the graduation program further. He put his camera back into his back, stepping closer to you. He pulled you closer, pressing a chaste kiss to your temple.

“You worked hard to get to this point, love” he gently titled your chin up so you could face him. Your nerves were getting the better of you. Your stomach was in knots and you could feel your hands shaking. You looked at him, uncertain and shaken with anxiety. He just smiled back, the same reassuring smile he always gave you during late night study sessions. The same smile he gave you when you went to submit your final essay. The same smile he was wearing when you were about to open your results letter. It grounded you, shushing your anxiety so it was just a faint hum in your head.

“Now, you're going to go up there” he started, adjusting your hair the slightest bit, “you're going to shake the Dean’s hand” he made sure your cap was on properly. “And you are going to walk off the stage” he kissed your nose “like the Queen you are” he finished. You gave him a small shove, smiling despite your previous anxiety attack. You pulled him into a hug, on your tippy toes so you could kiss his cheek.

“Thank you” you whispered into his ear before pulled away. He grinned,

Baby, let me be your man

So I can love you

And if you let me be your man

He was on one knee, ring glinting in the candlelight. You felt tears prick at your eyes. Honestly speaking you had found the small box a week ago. You had hid it well, unable to stop the butterflies building in your stomach. It was just a matter of when. He didn’t disappoint.

Brian had brought on the beach for a picnic. You didn’t expect it then, it was normal to go out for picnics. But when he dropped to one knee as you were getting ready to pack up you couldn’t help the small gasp.

“I had an entire speech prepared, a song as well but I honestly can’t remember any of it..Let me be your husband… please..” he pleaded, eyes desperate. He was a little unsure, sure you had talked about it before but there was still a part of him that doubted himself.

You nodded frantically, dropping down to your knees. Unable to helpful yourself, you kissed him, almost toppling him over onto the sand.

Then I'll take care of you,

For the rest of my life

For the rest of yours

For the rest of ours

Requests are closed, but feedback is always welcome!

[grimelords]

My September playlist is here, 37 songs from opera to bossa nova to a song about marrying Tom Collins to thank him for the sips. I’m hopeful there’ll be at least one thing in here you’ll enjoy

Been Drinkin’ Water Out Of Hollow Log - Mississippi Fred McDowell: I love this song because every other version I’ve ever heard sings it as ‘I’ve been drinking muddy water, sleeping in a hollow log’, but straight up drinking out of the log sounds so much better. Also I just found out that this version I’ve loved for years was the original Alan Lomax recording and not a later one like I’d assumed, which is nice!

Tom Collins - The Sloppy Boys: I have not been able to get this song out of my head since I heard it. “I sent an edible arrangement to my travel agent because they had free booze on the carnival cruise” is a masterpiece of rhyme and the way he screams “hold him in my grips!” is just perfect.

What Means Of Witchery - Gospel: This is a perfect song. I think it’s criminal that Gospel aren’t more widely known and I think I’ve decided to make it my life mission to spread the word. The gospel of Gospel if you will. You don’t have to. I had a long daydream a little while ago about transcribing the drums in this song, which feels like an unresolved brain problem but exemplifies just how much I love it.

A Saint Among Madmen - Helen Of Troy: This is the band the drummer from Gospel was in before Gospel and they’re really really good. This sort of spoken word song is hard to pull off without sounding totally corny and I think him being so low in the mix really helps. It reminds me of some early At The Drive-In instrumental wise. The way it finally kicks off, and the sort of yelping desperate tone to the screams in the second half is just so satisfying.

shimripl casual - Autechre: Another cut I enjoyed from Autechre’s immense new album as I work on comprehending it. I like this song because it sounds like a field recording of a prototype mechanical swamp.

New Rules - Dua Lipa: This song feels like it deserves a marching band. There's just so much going on rhythmically, the dancehall rhythm at the centre of it is constantly augmented by all sorts of other percussion, the great snare work throughout, the perfectly formed tiny fill that introduces the chorus, it's just an absolute feast. I only found out the other day that the guy who produced this, Ian Kirkpatrick, also did Bad Liar - what a year for Ian!

My Girls - Tears For Fears: Hey Tears For Fears did a cover of My Girls by Animal Collective and this might be controversial but I think it's better than the original. It tightens up the structure and differentiates the sections a bit, so that it changes from a slow building jam into an odd pop song. They also draw out the harmonies more so that you really notice how funny it is to sing 'my father's graaave' over and over in a big bass under everything.

Crosses - Zero 7 and Jose Gonzales: Sia's career from before she was world-famous Sia is so interesting because she had like a full 15 years of being notable around the world in a bunch of different ways before it all coalesced into Big Sia. She was a backing vocalist in Jamiraquai's band for god's sake. She also was the de facto vocalist of this downtempo band Zero 7 for three albums, but she's not on this song but Jose Gonzales also sang on about half the songs on this album is! This is a remix/cover of his solo song Crosses but this version really shows the song in a whole different light to the original.

Napoleon Solo - At The Drive-In: Years ago in high school one of about 5 videos I had on my iPod was this version of Napoleon Solo from 2001 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nlfmqsx1r0 and I would watch it over and over and over. It's also a good example of why Cedric's lyrics are like they are. He just talks like that. He says things like 'they had the acme weight dropped on them' to describe his friends who died in a car crash and you just have to go along with it.

Act Three: No. 27 - A Real Slow Drag - Scott Joplin: Did you know Scott Joplin, the man behind everyone's favourite song The Entertainer, wrote TWO operas?? Because I didn't. One of them is unfairly lost to history but the other, Treemonisha, was written in 1911 but not properly performed until the Joplin renaissance in 1972. This is the big finale and it's partly because of the performance but partly because of the way he wrote it but it feels a lot more modern than any other operas I've heard from the era. Even though it is mostly a march, it feels like melodically and structurally he's drawing on pre-blues and gospel music in a way that presages rock and roll and the influence it's had on all music since - it feels more like a musical than an opera.

Celia - Cults: Cults have a new EP and it's an entirely different sound for them. Pounding, dark, Ochestral Manouveurs In The Dark type synths under their best lyrics in a long time.

Sharp Dressed Man - Xiu Xiu: Xiu Xiu did this ZZ Top cover for The AV club and I absolutely love it. It sounds like Queens Of The Stone Age if Josh Homme’s charisma stat overflowed and reset back to 0. This recording they did later is is great but the original video is even better https://youtu.be/0SG6yDSbtxULazy 

Nina - Greg Phillinganes: This was a recommendation from my friend and yours @megapope and thank god he did because I've had it stuck in my head all month. Written by Donald Fagen from Steely Dan for Michael Jackson's keyboard player's solo album, a true behind-the-scenes hit.

Gobbledigook - Sigur Ros: I was thinking about how after Takk Sigur Ros got so big and famous and rich off advertising money for their beautiful music and then made the best move possible and pivoted abruptly away from ethereal graceful floating melodies hung from the moon by a gossamer string to good old fashioned stompers made of wood. This is another in my very short playlist of songs like this and The Dodos first album where the driving rhythm plus acoustic guitars are the centre of it all. A little genre that I think has a lot left in it to explore.

Betty Dreams Of Green Men - Guerilla Toss: This feels like the energy drink version of Aqua by Eurythmics from last month's playlist. This sounds like BATS to me and I'm excited because there's not enough music like this around. Extremely energetic power music about some kind of 1950s alien invasion.

#NeverUseTheInternetAgain - Homeboy Sandman and Edan: I love this song. It starts out with a sentiment everyone can agree on (facebook sucks, the internet is bad) and quickly veers into 50 year old man gripes (GPS has ruined everyone's sense of direction? you should order pizza over the phone? match.com??) but it's got such conviction in the hook that I'm sold anyway and have pledged to #neverusetheinternetagain.

Vanishing Hour - Helen Of Troy: This is another Helen Of Troy song but it basically sounds like an unheard Gospel song, which is incredible new for me; the guy who will never stop tracking down every cassette and live recording they ever did. I don't know how the membership of Helen Of Troy went beyond sharing a drummer but the vocalist of Gospel is unmistakably in the mix here and it sounds fantastic.

Canon x Love S.O.S. - Justice: Another great cut from Justice's new sort of live album. This whole album has really made me appreciate Love S.O.S. a lot more. It comes back two or three times and I'm grateful every time. It's a perfect glam rock sentiment. Sending a love ambulance because there's a love emergency happening.

Mariners Apartment Complex - Lana Del Rey: I feel like we don't deserve new Lana yet. I'm so grateful but I'm still getting over Lust For Life and she's going to do this to me? Amazing.

I Got Cash - Brooklyn Funk Essentials: Another @megapope find. Perhaps the most powerful song I've ever heard, in the sense that I feel like I'm being personally admonished throughout. The power structures at play here are towering and the beat.. it's funky.

Pray - Jungle: Jungle flat out released five (5) singles before their album came out and they were all so amazing that I was worried they wouldn't have anything left for the actual album but guess what: the whole thing is absolutely gold, and especially this last song Pray. The feeling I get from the hook into the big drop feels like being dropped bodily into a big tub of honey, if there was a way that that could feel good instead of terrifying. It’s just luscious.

Sad Rude Future Dude - Ball Park Music: I googled “haven’t had a friend in years” trying to remember what this song was called and became instantly suicidal at the sheer amount of reddit threads that phrase returned. Which is I suppose exactly what this song’s about: posting on reddit about how the internet has ruined my relationships and brain, but in a very upbeat, singalong way. This song is a good example of how a dynamic drummer can completely elevate a song to another level.

Knuck If You Buck - Crime Mobb: Knuckle up if you're buck wild it's Crime Mobb. The best named crew since Ruff Sqwad. The two women in this (Princess and Diamond) absolutely carry the whole song. Everyone else has got such a mopey boring flow but they both come in so lively and so aggressive you cannot get away from it. Is there a more powerful opener than "I come in the club, shaking my dreads, throwing these bows and busting these heads"? Is there a better line in general than "Crime Mob, it ain't no stopping, it be like Saddam Hussein, Hitler and Osama Bin Laden"?

Deixa - Toquinho: I'm quickly becoming one of these 'the end is near' sandwich board guys grabbing people on the street and yelling at them except about bossa nova. It is criminal how much this whole genre has been reduced to funny elevator music or The Girl From Ipanema as ironic intermission music when it has stuff like this to offer us. I really recommend this whole album, I've been obsessed with it over the last couple weeks and it's just breathtaking start to finish.

The Way - Friends: This band's spotify page is good because it's full of absolutely no-name recordings of Blank And Friends that have fucked up their tagging. Anyway I have never heard a song like this, and I didn't think it was possible to use big 80s pinch harmonic guitars like this but they pulled it off in an absolutely beautiful way.

Mass Grave - Health and Soccer Mommy: Corrin Roddick of Purity Ring produced this new Health song which brings the degrees of separation between Health and Katy Perry down to a thrilling 1 since Purity Ring did two songs on her new album. This really does sound like Health covering a Purity Ring song and that's excellent news in my book. I don't know much about Soccer Mommy but this song has definitely inspired me to check her out so I'll undoubtedly report back on that next month.

(two circles) - Boredoms: I only just made the connection that Yamantaka Eye from Boredoms is the same Eye from from Hanatarash who famously drove a bulldozer through the back wall of a venue as part of a performance. Which I mention only because it really exemplifies just how much of a change of direction Vision Creation Newsun is from all that, just ten years later he's in a totally different direction of building something beautiful instead of tearing music (and buildings) apart at the seams. Nobody knows how to describe this album, it's space rock it's post rock it's experimental but it has something that a lot of that music doesn't - positivity. This whole album is a sun-worshipping positive fever without ever feeling lost or meandering.

Centreline - Ava Luna: I'm mad at this song. At about 1:15 they do an extremely satisfying thing sing the 'line' in 'centre line' in a deep bass and it sounds great. Then every other time that section comes around they either don't sing it or there's something else going on that obscures it and it blueballs you for the whole rest of the song. Other than that it's good, but i'm at war with this song.

Venice Bitch - Lana Del Rey: I am so excited that Lana Del Rey is finally embracing the most often ignored part of americana and facilitating a jam band. This is the last thing I would expect from Jack Antonoff but he did amazingly. It sounds closer to Ultraviolence era than anything else she's done and I'm just plain excited to see what the album is going to be like if this is any indication.

Act 1 Scene 4: This Is Monstrous, Wozzeck! - Alban Berg: I found an english version of Wozzeck and it's one of the best opera recordings I've ever heard. It's just plain mixed and recorded well, which is a rarity when a lot of opera recordings seem like they just hung a single mic somewhere at the back of the theatre and pressed the button. Anyway here's the good bit from Wozzeck where Wozzeck goes to the doctor and the doctor yells at him for "Pissing! Pissing there on the pavement!" See, opera’s fun!

Pop Roll Flow - Clypso: I heard this song on Unearthed when they had Nick Littlemore from Pnau guest programming and I love it. It feels brand new and very familiar at the same time, every sound in it is in absolute hypercolour, and the verse vocal sounds like a cool insect is singing at me. What's not to love!

I Might Survive - Architecture In Helsinki: I always feel like Arcitechture In Helsinki are poised to make like Portugal The Man and have an international superhit off their seventh album. They have been consistently reinventing their brain of weirdo-pop every single album for 15 years now and it feels like they've still got so much more to give. This song especially deserved to be a hit in my opinion, it's pop perfection and I've come around from hating to completely loving the little 'than alive baby!' adlib near the end.

Angels - The xx: My two best friends got married to each other this month and it was beautiful. What's more, she picked the perfect song to walk down the aisle to. I'm so happy to see two of the people I love the most in love with each other, and also when I drove them to their suite after the reception my phone accidentally started playing Merzbow's new album which was good.

Jesus Was A Cross Maker - Judee Sill: I'm so glad I found out about this album. Judee Sill had a crazy life, and her wiki page is a ride but unlike a lot of musicians with a back story her music stand alone - unique, rich and beautiful. Tightly structured and thoughtfully composed for such hippy-dippy christian mythology themes, and melodically beautiful even when her voice isn't quite up to the task. It really does feel like the spirit was moving through her. This song in particular is amazing I have been straight up listening to it on repeat. The phrasing is insane, the self-harmonised vocals sound like they're phasing in a very cool way, the violins break into a Bach figure halfway through - it's just amazing. I cannot stop listening. I've also started a playlist of this, Jesus Is A Dying Bedmaker by John Fahey and Jesus Came To My Brithday Party by The Middle East so I'm absolutely 'on one' as the kids say.

Rappers Convention - Harlem World Crew: another thanks to @megapope for bringing this incredible moment to my attention. A very early rap song that was recorded in the middle of the Iranian hostage crisis and helpfully gives a complete breakdown of the situation in the opening verse before getting back to basics and detailing how much they love partying for the remaining 5 minutes. Music is truly incredible. 

I Need A Lover - John Mellencamp: I'm learning a lot about John Mellencamp this week. Apparently this song was originally on the album 'A Biography' in 78 that didn't get a release in the US because his first album did so badly, but I Need A Lover was a top ten hit here in Australia and was thusly included on his next album a year later and blew up in the US. The other surprising thing is the album version, this version, has a fully two minute long intro before it gets to the song.

High (feat. Elton John) - Young Thug: The Lil' Nutsack song that makes Dewey Cox famous again in Walk Hard is real now and it's good as fuck.​

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