#awesome since 1969

[johnnydany]

October 1969 54 Years Of Being Awesome 54th Birthday Gift T-Shirt

Get your styles: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/48814437-october-1969-54-years-of-being-awesome-54th-birthd

[gaykarstaagforever]

1969

Jim Shooter wrote this, so it is significantly less idiotic than most of these.

That said...

Most of the plot - Superman and the Flash having amnesia and thinking each is the other one - hinges on the fact that they are identical men, except with different hair. Which seems implausible, since one is a magical alien with super-strength from the Sun, and the other is a nerd who was near exploding go-fast chemicals. But I guess it at least acknowledges how DC artists could only draw one muscley man over and over again in different skin-tight unitards. Fair enough, Jim.

We also get the weirdest random explanation for where Superman stores his Clark Kent clothes:

Clark Kent and Barry Allen spend most of the story running back and forth from Central City to Metropolis, desperately trying to find each-other to figure out what the hell is happening. Barry uses makeup to look like Clark Kent and gets almost-fired by Perry White for being bad at reporting on weddings. Because while this comic takes time to remind us Barry is a "police scientist," Perry also says he writes like a child.

Which...I mean, seems kind of rude to me, especially coming from someone who writes superhero comics for 8 year olds for a living. But I don't solve murders with science. So if you do, please confirm if you and your colleagues don't know how to write.

Eventually, Clark and Barry accidentally meet clandestinely on a Metropolis park bench. But Barry is dressed like Raphael from the Ninja Turtles, so they still don't figure it out:

...Why does this look like something someone drew from a picture they took from a bush? Is that just me? That might just be me.

This, however, is 100% exactly what it looks like:

They finally meet in an abandoned train tunnel and figure out each is the other, and trade clothes.

So it is canon in DC comics that Clark Kent and Barry Allen have been nude together in a train station, at least once. And then traded underpants.

Clark suddenly remembers what happened to them (possibly from the shock of being naked with Barry Allen; the comic breezes over this). There is giant space seed flying towards Earth, carrying the spore of a monster space plant that will grow to consume all life. Superman saw it and summoned the JLA to help him, but only the Flash showed up, because "Green Lantern is off helping Hawkman," and...I guess Jim forgot who else was in the JLA at the time.

Good on Barry for showing up, but how exactly is he going to help Superman stop a threat that is still in Space?

Answer: he is not. But Superman came up with a plan where he and Barry changed outfits to confuse the space seed (yes, really), and then Barry put on a helmet and Clark flew them both into it.

...At which point he suddenly realized it had kryptonite in it. He and Barry fell to Earth, unharmed but with amnesia.

But now that they're inexplicably cured by re-switching pants, it is time to hurry up and actually stop the space seed. Superman draws Barry a helpful diagram of his plan:

...Thanks, Kal-El. Totally worth the time it took to do that.

Assuming, like me, you have no goddamn idea what his plan is, think of the absolute dumbest way Superman could save the Earth from a giant kernel of space-corn. And that is exactly what he does:

He temporarily stops the Earth by making the ground really hard (specifically in Brazil, for some reason), and then repeatedly doing flying elbow drops onto it. Which, I won't lie, is exactly the awesome way all problems would be solved if we lived in a better universe where wrestling was real, and wrestlers were Superman.

...I still assume this probably killed at least a few people. Or fish, at least, on the daylight side where the Sun suddenly boiled an entire ocean.

Also, note how this "new" Superman plan ALSO DIDN'T INVOLVE THE FLASH WHATSOEVER. Except that he came along and narrated it for our benefit, while Superman was repeatedly smashing himself into Brazil.

The story ends with Barry hugging his wife and Clark musing to himself how he and Barry can trust each-other with their secret identities from now on, because their balls sweat into the same Spandex for like a week.

Implying that, what, the members of the JLA go into that WITHOUT knowing who each-other are? I mean, I of course see Batman pulling shit like that. But Wonder Woman and Hawkman barely have secret identities to begin with.

But I guess if Clark and Barry have exactly the same proportions and faces, maybe it doesn't really matter either way.

This issue also features the following ad for jeans:

I don't know if cattle-rustling was still such a huge problem in the West by 1969. But if you are a teen boy keen to take it upon yourself to stop it, I suppose it makes sense you should make sure your butt looks good while doing it.

Also, if you need more cheap plastic armies in your house,

[fearlessechoes]

Ummagumma (1969)

Here are my thoughts on ummagumma! I also wrote my thoughts on atom heart mother but will be posting it a bit later today (I listened to both albums in the same day while on a flight)

1. Astronomy Domine - Live

The intro is very different but still sounds very awesome! I love the sound of the keyboard and guitar here as well! The wah-wah really adds a lot to this version. I also really like the improvisations here, but I still like the original more honestly.

2. Careful With That Axe Eugene - Live

I’ve never heard this song in full before! The keyboards and spooky groove at the beginning is really cool! Also the background vocals as well. Every instrument in this song is very very great (I especially love the use of cymbals here, and the keyboard, and the guitar, and the bass)! And once the scary/heavy beat drop hits this song becomes even better! I was legitimately head banging! The screams are really scary and make the song all that better (they made a shiver run up my spine)! How is this song spooky and really groovy and cool at the same time??? The improvisations are also really good. This song perfectly encapsulates a horror movie in my opinion.

3. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun - Live

This version is pretty good as well, but the studio version is a little bit better in my opinion since the sound/music effects in the original version are very good and really contribute to the feelings/vibes of this song, and this version is really missing them. I really like the addition of the guitar and the keyboard improvising though.

4. A Saucerful Of Secrets - Live

Oooo I love how the bass plays part of the original synth intro here, it sounds very good and cool! The intro here sounds way cooler than the original. This version overall has a very different vibe from the original; and in this case I like this live version a lot more than the original! The church organ/choir part here is even better than in the original, and the song just sounds better generally on this album. I don’t know why I like this version more, probably maybe because it’s a lot more melodic than the original! I think the original is good, but sometimes the chaotic part in there gets tiring to listen to

5. Sisyphus part 1

Very ominous! I like the drums and cello here!

6. Sisyphus part 2

The piano here is great and beautiful! God Rick can play so well… this is making me realize even more how talented he was!! And then it suddenly gets very chaotic…

7. Sisyphus part 3

The chaos from the last part continues here! This part is honestly kind of really bad, but I think it has major meme potential! I can just imagine this playing in a shitpost, or it just kind of sounds like a shitpost itself.

8. Sisyphus part 4

Pretty ominous, but relaxing! OMG then suddenly the organ comes! So much for relaxing! After that it kind of gets pretty creepy and weird… I do not like it :( honestly sounds worse than the most dissonant/chaotic parts from a saucerful of secrets. The orchestra though at the end is really cool and badass!

9. Grantchester Meadows:

The bird sounds and guitar intro is very lovely. The vocal harmonies are also very lovely and relaxing! This song honestly reminds me a lot of Simon and Garfunkel. This feels like a major breather from the chaos that was Sisyphus… I really like this song! Feels especially relaxing as I’m in an airplane right now listening to this album.. Also what was up with the ending where someone just straight up slaps/kills a fly?? That was so random

10. Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave Grooving with a Pict

Well that was…. a song. Very very bizarre! What were they even on to think of this??? The song kind of makes me laugh and uncomfortable at the same time… the second song that has major meme/shitpost potential/vibes.

11. The Narrow Way part 1

Very folky! I like this composition so far… the guitar here is lovely!

12. The Narrow Way part 2

Oooh, pretty heavy and ominous! I like it I like it, the melody here is especially cool.. so far this song with multiple parts is so much better than Sisyphus. This part honestly feels like you’re in a sci fi haunted house.

13. The Narrow Way part 3

I love the reverb guitar effect here!! This is the best part of them all! The reverb guitar and the entirety of the song honestly reminds me of later albums. The singing here is also very lovely. This part sounds very much like While my Guitar Gently Weeps.. probably because it is in the same key and used a similar melody to George Harrison’s song. The whole narrow way song with all its parts is really good and an underrated gem imo. So far one of my favorite songs on this album along with Careful with that Axe Eugene live and Grantchester Meadows. An absolute banger of a song!

14. The Grand Vizier’s Garden part 1

Feels like lord of the rings, very whimsical!

15. The Grand Vizier’s Garden part 2

Pretty ominous and weird sounding so far. Honestly feels like somebody is performing magic tricks. The melody after that intro is pretty relaxing though. When the windy melody started skipping I thought my phone was glitching. The drums being cut off and skipping feels like a sound collage almost… the drum groove/solo by Nick at the end though goes really hard!

16. The Grand Vizier’s Garden part 3

The beautiful orchestra ending the album is very fitting, but kind of underwhelming.

In general, I think the live sides of the album are very very different from the 2 other experimental sides, and I honestly liked the live sides better… because the experimental sides just weren’t my cup of tea most of the time. Except for Grantchester Meadows and The Narrow Way I didn’t really like the experimental tracks. I am also mixed on this album… I have to say this is my second least favorite album so far. More is only worse in my opinion because it is very forgettable except the underrated gems I like from that album (The Nile Song, Cymbaline, Green is The Colour). At least I’ll forever remember this bizarre album, and the fact that it is so bizarre and memorable makes it much better than More. It is also better than More because of the live sides alone (they are very very good). What I take away from this is that Ummagumma just has major shitpost vibes (including the album name itself) and that it was pretty tedious to listen to at times, but I felt it was definitely worth it for some underrated gems!

[flashfuture]

Too many writers are obsessed with Jason and Dick being identical when they explicitly rebooted Jason after crisis to be Nothing like Dick after their pre crisis attempt at Jason was an identical copy.

Like the imagery, they created with turning Jason into a delinquent. Someone with no practical skills to be Robin. Someone with anger issues in comparison to Dick Grayson the shining golden star. The boy raised in a golden age with Batman and Superman showing him the ropes. But Jason, now Gotham runs in his veins. The new grit of the post shining golden and silver ages into the bronze age have hit him. He's a diamond in the rough Batman never got to polish.

Jason didn't listen. Jason didn't play by comic book rules. Jason wasn't allowed to be on the Titans to keep him isolated now (they retconned that away but this was an original change). Jason wanted to enact change that explicitly went against Bruce and Dick personal vow to each other to follow the path of the righteous. Under the Red Hood Jason did not come out of nowhere and was not a massive personality change. It was a natural conclusion to that version of Robin who wanted to kill the bad people.

But since the writers want to assign Dick similarities with Jason but are unclear which Jason he's supposed to mimic now we have to go back in time and pretend Dick Grayson had anger issues as a child instead of environment and personal relationships causing a genuine sense of friction between him and Bruce. And this rips away Jason's one defining character trait. Dick was never the angry Robin not until fans saw angry Nightwing and the writers figured he was always the same and a static character. Boring as people find Tom Taylor his current Nightwing is silver age Dick Grayson before the first crisis to a T.

They even have begun discussing this in parts recently. How Dick's childhood was light and bright and things were just less serious <- the golden age was very unserious. But with their everything is canon their retcon of Dick being an angry kid fits so poorly into the puzzle of he's the shining light who showed Bruce the way in the dark.

Overcoming anger issues was never and should never have been Dick Grayson's role. It was always Jason's. But Dick is so much easier for them to write because all they have to do is throw up leader of the Titans, Batman's pride and joy, 80 years of history next to some pretend flashbacks about moments Dick was so angry >:( and then voila it's like character growth happened. But Dick was never At that stage. Dick's been an adult since 1969 so everything is a flashback to a hypothetical childhood they don't actually have to explore outside of whatever point they want to make then. (For example trying to retroactively establish Two Face and Robin feuds to give Tim something to do) And whenever they want they can flash up something from Dick's real childhood that was fun and awesome.

My point then I suppose is editorial likes to make the Robins indistinguishable in lots of ways broad strokes for readers. What's one Robin to another. But that is lazy and boring. The 80s writers may have wanted to kill the idea of Robin but really they inspired the idea of Robins being anyone, instead of Robin needing to be Dick Grayson. To the point the writers don't even think Dick Grayson's Robin needs to be Dick Grayson. So where we're at in 2024 is you say the angry Robin and DC wants you to ask which one. Only Tim remains with a single defining feature of being 'smart' but DC would really rather you think of him as the bisexual Robin instead of any personality traits.

[kraken17]

Godzillathon - The Showa Era

This month I started a Godzillathon, a series of reviews of all the King of the Monsters movies from Toho Studios. In my Letterboxd you have the reviews with more detail (in Spanish), but since I just finished with the Showa era, I thought I'd share some brief comments here.

Godzilla (1954) - ★★★★★ (10/10)

The original. An undisputed classic. A masterpiece. Terrifying, embracing its idea of the monster as a metaphor for the horror of the atomic bomb and its consequences. Top 5 of the whole kaiju eiga genre.

Godzilla Raids Again (1955) - ★★ (4/10)

In hardly less than a year we went from metaphorical horror to the most generic monster mash. It wouldn't be a problem if it weren't so bland/boring. Tremendous downgrade. Anguirus is cool, though.

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963) - ★★★ (6/10)

Basically a Kong movie with Godzilla as a guest antagonist (the real villain is capitalism). It has things that have aged very badly (the racial representation and use of blackface) and unbalanced pacing. It is saved by its last ten minutes. The US cut adds extra hilarity.

Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) - ★★★★ (8/10)

Mothra is made of awesomeness. Godzilla is a charismatic asshole. Once again, the real villain is capitalism. The main metaphor gives way  now to a satire of the Japanese economic boom of the 1960s and its ecological impact. Fun from start to finish.

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) - ★★★½ (7/10)

We lose the satire and social commentary, but we gain an iconic villain and embrace space opera and sci-fi without qualms. Fun monster mash and Godzilla's first step in his transition to an anti-hero status. He's still a jerk, but he's our jerk.

Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) - ★★★ (6/10)

The spectacle wins out over any subtext, which has all but disappeared. It introduces what will be a recurring element of alien invaders making use of giant monsters. Memorable for being overall a fun film and perhaps the craziest of what we've seen so far, but not much more. Also, Godzilla dances.

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) - ★★½ (5/10)

Originally a Kong movie rewritten for Godzilla and it shows. Tropical jungle island adventure. Villains that could come out of a Bond movie. Godzilla in full heroic mode. GIANT LOBSTER. Fun, but doesn't leave much of a lasting impression, although Ebirah has its fans.

Son of Godzilla (1967) - ★★ (4/10)

Not as horribly bad as I feared, but not a good movie. Horrible design decisions, unremarkable antagonists (except for the giant spider because it’s a giant spider), and abusive monster parenting. It tries to squeeze in a bit of environmental commentary, but it's dull and infantilizing.

Destroy All Monsters (1968) - ★★★ (6/10)

The Avengers of the franchise. I wanted to like this movie more than I did. Two very uneven first and second acts of a story with a recycled plot (aliens + monsters under mind control) saved by a resolution that is memorable as fuck. You almost feel sorry for Ghidorah. Almost.

All Monsters Attack (1969) - ★½ (3/10)

The absolute low point of the franchise. It's like a bad dream/recap episode. Tries to do some slice of life with the monsters as a metaphor for childhood anxieties in a plot that shoehorns gratuitous kidnappings into it. Good intention but disastrous execution.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) - ★★★★ (8/10)

A return to form! Hedorah is an excellent metaphor for uncontrolled pollution and contamination. A bit dissonant, with Godzilla as a kid friendly hero (he flies!) in a terrifying plot, with body horror, human casualties in large numbers and an apocalyptic feeling. And that poor kitty...

Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) - ★★★ (6/10)

Recycled plot of aliens (cockroaches!) using a giant monster. AGAIN. But it's fun and Gigan is memorable as one of Toho's most extravagant kaiju designs: anthropomorphic alien chicken with cool visor instead of eyes and knives. How many knives? All the knives.

Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) - ★★ (4/10)

What the fuck. Total drift to Saturday morning cartoon standards, but poorly done. It's basically a pilot episode for Jet Jaguar, which is endearingly crappy. The plot? The usual, but swap aliens for ancient underwater civilization. Godzilla looks almost too adorable. Note, it actually has a message: nuclear testing is bad.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) - ★★★½ (7/10)

Twentieth anniversary and introduction of an iconic villain! And the plot... Guess what the plot is? Take a fucking guess. The aliens are now gorillas, just because. At least it's well executed, it's good fun. Also, King Caesar. I like King Caesar, even though he feels like a discount version of Mothra at times. Surprisingly gory in the fights.

Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) - ★★★½ (7/10)

Direct sequel to the previous one. The end of the Showa era is a fun but a bit uneven film. Too much focus on a boring Titanosaurus (one of Toho's blandest kaiju designs). Good balance of monster fights and a human plot with touches of humanism and trans-humanism, and a tragic sacrificial ending.

[fordtato]

so, I'm reading Jersey Boy (AWESOME fic by the way!) and I've had this on my mind for a while is Fiddleford being a hippie in college a canon/official thing or just a very popular headcanon? because I've seen it in many other fanarts/fanfics as well

Firstly, thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoy! I'm actually making progress on the fic as we speak, at least while I have downtime at work.

Secondly, to answer your question, Hippie!Fiddleford isn't explicitly canon, but I believe the headcanon stems from the PEACE poster in Ford's dorm, as seen in the studying montage of ATOTS. (Of note, some people will say that the room with the peace poster is a library, but the wallpaper does perfectly match the wallpaper in Ford's dorm seen later on in the episode, so I'm fairly certain it's the dorm.)

I believe Alex Hirsch has said that Fiddleford was Ford's roommate in a stream, so some people point to that as evidence that one of them was a hippie. And Ford is usually ruled out for one reason or another (he was too study-oriented perhaps, though I admit I do wish more fanfiction explored Hippie!Ford as a concept) so that leaves Fiddleford.

That being said, anti-war sentiment was generally popular in colleges nationwide (especially since college was one way for people to be deferred from the draft, and many young men took advantage of that,) and that isn't necessarily synonymous with being a "hippie" exactly. Like, you could hate the war, and hypothetically put up a peace poster without being a hippie. A hippie was specifically a youth counterculture movement throughout the 60s and not exclusively during the Vietnam war - there was much more to being a hippie than just being anti-war.

To this day, I'm still not convinced that Fiddleford was necessarily a hippie, at least in canon.

But I started writing Jersey Boy at a time when Hippie!Fiddleford was a pretty popular headcanon, and it fit itself into the setting I wanted to write, specifically of the Fall Semester of 1969, and so it stuck.

[doctorstrangereview]

0074: Doctor Strange #178

Cover Date: March 1969 On-Sale Date: December 5, 1968

Thus we begin phase two of The Sons of Satannish arc. After casting the spell of fire and ice just before dropping dead, the stakes are higher than ever. I said Doc would need help to wrap this up. Here he'll recruit The Black Knight. For the final show, he'll have even more sidekicks.

After the title of the story takes an entire, multi-panel page, we delve into a multi-page recap of the previous story. Asmodeus/Benton sneaks into The Ancient One's pad disguised as Doc. The real Doc arrives disguised as new Doc. Both get into a slap fight. The Ancient One holds back. Asmodeus/Benton is about to attack with all he's got and drops dead. As he dies, he casts the spell of fire and ice to release Surtur and Ymir. Four pages later we get into the story proper.

I gotta say, while Colan doesn't give The Ancient One the hot, mature, bearded daddy vibe that Ms. Severin did, he looks might fine in that lovely green ensemble. We see Doc without his mask for the first time since the redesign. I'm not particularly enamored of the changes, but the slight reshaping of the collar is a positive.

While going over their options, we learn that Asmodeus banished his fellow cult members to Tiboro's Sixth Dimension. Not seen since just after Doc got his red cape.

Tiboro seems to have dyed his costume new colors. Perhaps editorial felt he didn't have enough green for this series. Anyway, the Sons may be the only way of reversing a spell invoked my someone empowered by Satannish. Guess he's got to go rescue the naughty boys. Trouble is, he needs a mystic on Earth to help him come and go. Despite numerous mystical allies having been revealed throughout the run of the series, he feels he's got only one person he can turn to. Yes, he must once again endanger the life of Ms. Victoria Bentley. Doc goes ghost and travels to England.

Even though Vicky's been through severe mental and physical trauma she still finds time to through a raging, sexy costume party. Conveniently, Dane Whitman, The Black Knight is attending the party and showing off his, um, sword! Having recently met at the Van Dyne/Pym wedding, Doc recognizes his, uh, sword.

Doc makes all the guests that aren't Vicky and the Knight disappear. He introduces himself and Vicky is horrified at the new look. Doc must be relieved that he's found a way to give Vicky the brush off and can full concentrate on his main side-piece, Clea. Doc explains to Dane the he needs him and his, uh, sword.

Doc tells Dane they need to get going and tells Vicky her party will soon be raging again. Vicky promises to keep in mental contact. Dane's winged horse appears out of nowhere and they're off. Gene gets to draw weird stuff again!

Tiboro is waiting to meet the pair along with the Sons of Satannish, whose cult robes have turned a boring grey. After calling himself invincible, Tiboro presses his attack on the magician and the knight. It's so awesome it takes two pages to depict it.

Tiboro conjures a mystic wall which the Knight shatters with his, uh, sword. Tiboro throws a mystic bolt at the pair that seems to miss and the Knight is like "that was lame" but monsters suddenly start growing out of the ground. At first they seem easy to strike down, but each hit causes two more to pop up.

Doc causes the air around the demons to crystalize. Tiboro himself re-enters the fray. He and Doc have a short dick measuring contest. Tiboro attacks Doc. Doc turns it aside with a psychic shield.

Tiboro prepares to keep repeating the attack until Doc weakens. The Black Knight reminds Tiboro Doc isn't alone and Tiboro refocuses his attack on the Knight. Tiboro blasts the ground under the Knight away and he starts his eternal fall. Doc manages to rescue him. Tiboro is about to strike Doc down while his back is turned. The Knight sees what's about to happen and throws his sword, destroying Tiboro's wand. Tiboro is mostly powerless without it and the pair claim victory. Doc doesn't banish Tiboro into nothingness. He just wants the cultists. "I can do that," responds Tiboro. Doc, The Black Knight and the Sons of Satannish leave the Sixth Dimension.

I think the story was a bit spartan which caused an extended recap of the previous issue. Very much like a show that's short a few minutes and we see way too much of the previous episode in the opening. Even using five pages for flashbacks and several more for Doc and The Black Knight to team up things drag more than any previous Roy Thomas story. It does establish Dane Whitman and Victoria Bentley as friends and neighbors which will play into a future storyline. Sadly, it's the last we see of Vicky for a long time. I liked Tiboro's return, but the colorist made him look bland with all the earth tones. He really needs the purple from his previous appearance to make that costume pop. The battle seems to take too long with not much happening. Roy seems to be relying on Gene to extend the meager story with lots of crazy panels. It's not quite as bad as a Dan Adkins stretch, but it takes its toll. The penultimate tale of The Sons of Satannish is a middling affair. Hopefully the conclusion picks things up.

[dollarbin]

Sandy Saturdays #24:

Fairport Convention's Ballad of Easy Rider

My famous brother is forever riding on my coat tails.

In 76 I arrived on earth. Three years later he copied my ass and showed up on the planet as well. Then in 87 I started collecting Topps baseball cards; he instantly did the same. In 88 I discovered the X-Men; within weeks he was stealing my comics. In 89 it was Tom Petty; a decade later it was incomparably impressive ladies a year ahead of us in school. Thank God the ladies have both put up with us ever since.

25 years have passed but my famous brother is still at it, only now it's my Sandy Denny thing he's copying. Forget the fact that he's had a professional hand in the music journalism game for more than 20 years and I'm 12 months into being a complete hack; Sandy Saturdays is my gig, bro!

And yet there he is on this very fine Friday, stealing my booming, raging, Zeus-like Sandy Denny thunder with a sweet post that links the world at large to a ridiculously cool Fairport Convention bootleg I knew nothing about whatsoever from the days leading up to the band's tragic car accident, the wreckage of which produced the incomparable Liege and Lief.

Here's the recording he unearthed, which is vastly more exciting than anything I can offer you here. Listen, through 55 years of murk, to Sandy stand and deliver on A Sailor's Life; witness the band conjuring up menace and doom for the ship she summons. A sailor's life doesn't sound too merry here; it sounds terrifying and awesome.

Wow, thank you for this brother. When I left you, you were but the learner; now you are the master.

But let's take a listen to the band's oddjob sequel of sorts to A Sailor's Life recorded just after the bootleg and the subsequent wreck: Richard, Ashley, Simon, Dave, Dave and Sandy had no business recording The Byrds' Ballad of Easy Rider in 1969; it would have stood out on the ancient-music themed Liege and Lief like me at a Trump rally.

But they just couldn't resist taking a pass at a lovely song McGuinn and Co had built around a tossed off Dylan fragment. After all the Byrds had moronically titled the piece and then rushed through it in the studio.

But Fairport knew better. Listen to them explore the song's sweeping, bountiful potential. Ride their patient river all the way to the sea.

Wow, yeah: that's where I want to be. Why don't bands today take a hint from my brother and get famous by copying this incredible band?

[transportaplooza]

1969 Chevrolet Camaro in Palmetto, Florida

The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro is like a superstar among old cars! It's famous for its awesome looks, strong power, and being really popular. Let's look into why people love this classic car so much!

A Super Cool Look: The 1969 Camaro looks super cool even today! It's sleek and has a tough appearance that makes people go "Wow!" You could get it as a regular car or as a convertible, and you could choose cool stuff like stripes, spoilers, and special wheels to make it stand out even more.

Strong and Powerful: Under the hood, the '69 Camaro had lots of options for engines. Some were small, some were huge, but all of them were strong! The fastest versions, like the SS and Z/28, were like race cars for the streets. They were really quick and handled great!

Racing History: The '69 Camaro wasn't just for driving around town - it was also a racing star! People raced it on tracks all over America, and it won a lot. Whether it was on a drag strip or a road course, the Camaro showed everyone it was a champion.

Still Loved Today: Even though it's been over 50 years since it came out, people still love the 1969 Camaro. Its cool looks, fast speed, and racing wins have made it a legend. You can still see it cruising the streets or shining at car shows, reminding everyone why it's such an awesome car.

The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro is a really special car that people still love today. With its cool style, powerful engines, and winning history, it's no wonder it's so famous! As long as there are people who love cars, the '69 Camaro will always be remembered as one of the coolest cars ever made.

Did you know the Camaro was nicknamed the Mustang Eater?

Learn More:

[doitinanotherlanguage]

July 2023 Wrap-up: 1960s

(You can read more about the challenge on my post introducing the challenge. Basically, Reading Through the Decades is a year-long reading challenge where we read books - and explore other media - from the 1900s to the 2020s, decade-by-decade.)

Super late with the July wrap-up, but here it is at last!

What I Enjoyed This Month

📖 Picnic at Hanging Rock (1967), Joan Lindsay -> In 1900, a group of female students at an Australian girls' boarding school vanish at Hanging Rock while on a Valentine's Day picnic, causing varying effects on the school and local community. -> I watched the fantastic, queer 2018 mini-series (starring Natalie Dormer!) earlier this year and absolutely fell in love! So I knew I had to read the original novel as soon as possible. Since the book is written in the 60s, I decided to read it this month. I might prefer the mini-series (because in it, the themes of queerness are much more explicit and central) but the novel definitely holds its own, too.

🎬 Flickorna (1968; The Girls), dir. Mai Zetterling -> A feminist reinvention of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes: Three actresses prepare to go on the road in a theater production of the classic play about women and war. As the women re-assess and deal with the problems in their respective private lives, they recognize the parallels with the play and begin to realize that it is serious - even tragic - after all. -> Very 60s, very awesome. I love watching older movies that centre women and feminist themes. This is definitely a very inventive and experimental - even surrealist - film.

📖 SCUM Manifesto (1967), Valerie Solanas -> A radical feminist manifesto that argues that men have ruined the world, which women have to fix by forming SCUM, an organization dedicated to overthrowing society and eliminating the male sex. The manifesto was little-known until Solanas attempted to murder Andy Warhol in 1968. -> I don't really know what to say about this. Mostly, the manifesto is filled with absurd bullshit - I don't fuck with violence, I emphatically don't think killing is the solution to anything, and radical feminism is definitely not the brand of feminism for me. That said, the manifesto is also hilarious as fuck: the manifesto totally flips the age-old "women are inferior" dynamic from Western, patriarchal philosophy and theory around, so yielding the manifesto up to an interpretation as a delicious satire. (Unfortunately, it seems that Solanas did not write the manifesto for irony and satire's sake.)

🎬 Victim (1961), dir. Basil Dearden -> A British neo-noir suspense film about a closeted lawyer who risks his career to bring a blackmailer to justice. The film is credited as being the first British film to explicitly name homosexuality and deal with it sympathetically. -> I am not the biggest neo-noir fan, but I very much enjoyed this one. I love a good queer classic!

🎬 Midnight Cowboy (1969), dir. John Schlesinger -> A naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, in the process befriending a scrounging, sleazy small-time con man with big dreams. -> Another queer(?) classic! Idk, I really like watching movies about drifters and down-on-their-luck people struggling onwards in life and maybe finding some modicum of companionship in each other.

🎬 Stonewall (1995), dir. Nigel Finch -> A historical comedy-drama film that gives a fictionalized account of the weeks leading up to the Stonewall riots, a seminal event in the modern American gay rights movement. The main story follows a cross-dressing sex worker who meets a young gay man, freshly arrived in NYC. -> There was a horribly disappointing Stonewall movie made more recently in 2015 - forget about that shit and watch this one instead! This film actually centres cross-dressers, trans women, and queer politics while also incorporating humour, a love story, and several lip-synch numbers!

[johnnydany]

Vintage 54th Birthday Decorations Men Funny 1969 54 Birthday T-Shirt

Get yours now: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/43054149-vintage-54th-birthday-decorations-men-funny-1969-5

[robertfripp]

i was tagged by @mayplantstarrwaters to do this challenge!! thank you!!

Name 4 songs that you consider YOURS. Songs that no one else understands like you. Songs that they can try to pry from your cold dead hands:

starless by king crimson but specifically live at ORTF TV studios in 1974

you know i'm crazy when i start sharing king crimson videos that got fripped off of youtube (RIP). you can find it on other sites and i really recommend you do so. it's so good. i'm a huge fan of the starless riff being played on violin in earlier live versions. john wetton sounds sooo good here. and the breakdown just gets crazier and CRAZIER because broof and fripp are absolute beasts. needless to say this video got me obsessed with king crimson

2. zen archer by todd rundgren

idk man this song is my gender. whatever is going on in todd rundgren's brain, i wanna be in there. psychedelic cabaret prog pop??? has anyone done this since besides maybe slapp happy??? please tell me

3. me and parvati by slapp happy

slapp happy and peter blegvad lyrics specifically mean everything to me. my main notebook is filled with me annotating their lyrics trying to convince myself i know what they're talking about. dagmar krause is also just one of my favorite vocalists ever. both versions of this song are really good! but i think this song works well with a lusher production

4. father cannot yell by can

this changes all the time because i understand and am married to every single can song from the 60s to mid 70s. this is my favorite can song right now, it's so insane this was released in 1969. the organ and guitar are piercing my brain and i am ok with this. can were just doing whatever the fuck they want and it was awesome

i tag @ursulacat @mellotronmkll @eliasofsunhillow if you wanna do this!

[pattywagon2go]

Train Talk Tuesday

Train Talk Tuesday: Ok, so this isn't the future post I was teasing earlier today, that's coming out after this one. I chose to make this post because I'm just so fed up with how LEGO Group don't seem to see this untapped GOLD MINE that is having a DEDICATED TRAIN SET LINE AND GOD DAMNIT I'M SO FRUSTRATED ABOUT IT I JUST GOTTA DISTILL MY RAGE INTO ONE OF THESE POSTS!!!!!!!!!!

So join me on a very more ranty and rambly post on Train Talk Tuesday, as I discuss LEGO trains, and my frustrations with the lack of a dedicated train line. Also please excuse the lack in quality.

Now if you want a little backstory as to LEGO's history with trains, this is an okay link, but here's the flash version:

Original train sets weren't powered in any way, they had to be pushed on their blue rails. The blue rail era of trains eventually got 4.5V battery powered trains that could move themselves.

In 1969, a new 12V electric train system was introduced. This system allowed for the train to move without batteries. How was this possible? Simple, just power the train through the tracks! But that's not all you can do with it, you can also power a myriad of other accessories with the tracks, it's almost like running your own train!

The 12V system would graduate into the 9V system, making it's formal debut in 1991. The big difference here was that the electrified rails and the rails the wheels used were integrated into one, which is why the rails in that picture look metallic. In addition, a new interlocking mechanism made it easier to hold tracks together vs before. This was the point where we had effectively peaked. There was no way to improve on this. So that's why we went BACKWARDS!

In 2007, LEGO Group would pull the 9V track system in favor of battery powered trains, now using remote control to run said trains. And this is largely where we've remained ever since.

So now that the history lesson's over, it's time to get to the juicy bits.

Which is...

Why.

The.

Fuck.

Won't.

LEGO.

Make.

More.

Trains.

Like seriously.

Does the LEGO Group not see this untapped gold mine here?

Is the LEGO Group seriously that oblivious to the absolute treasure trove that is a market for LEGO trains?

LIKE COME ON WE'RE RIGHT HERE

"Oh but what about the ones already out, like the ones for LEGO City?"

And yes, you have a good point, it's not like the LEGO Group is completely ignoring trains fans. But my problem is with LEGO City the train is an afterthought. It's more of an obligation to release one to check off a box on a list, rather than making one out of the love for trains.

And when the LEGO Group do feel like making a train for the love of trains, it's awesome!

The Crocodile, Orient Express, and Emerald Night are all kickass LEGO trains that have come out well beyond the heyday of LEGO trains. But there's a problem: They're all special releases.

Once any of these sets are sold out or discontinued, there's no guarantee the LEGO Group is going to make a new one to succeed it.

There's very clear demand for a dedicated train line, why DOESN'T IT EXIST ALREADY RAAAAHHHHHHH

"Oh but if LEGO did more of these trains as a regular thing it wouldn't be special anymore"

First of all, that's a load of horseshit, because trains are ALWAYS special.

Secondly,

I SAY TO HELL WITH THAT AND GIVE US A GODDAMN TRAIN LINE ANYWAY

This entire subsection of the Adult Fans of LEGO community entirely exists through the community willing to prop it up. LEGO could easily make an absolute metric asston of money by just making a dedicated line of engines, rolling stock, parts, and maybe bringing back the 9V tracks. But nope, it's just easier to say "Fuck it" and sit on your ass all day because trains are only meant to be "special" sets that you either buy now or never see for the rest of your life. Yeah, sure, who gives a FUCK ABOUT TRAINS AMIRITE YEAH FUCK TRAINS NO ONE LIKE THEM ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, conclusion time?

If there's anything to discern from this post of fury I did at 11:30 PM, it's that train fans always get the short end of the stick. It happens with urban planning, it happens with model railroading, and it happens with LEGO sets. Except in this case, there's such an obvious way to make loads of money from just making a dedicated train line that it's frustrating to see the LEGO Group continue to delegate trains as being something that will only be a special release thing. Screw everything I guess.

[ravenspeakrp]

Welcome to Raven’s Peak, Lion, we’re excited to have you! Ivan Stone ( Paul Rudd, Human ) has been accepted. Please be sure to stop by the CHECKLIST for the follow list, tags to track, and other reminders.

OUT OF CHARACTER 

NAME: Lion PRONOUNS: she/her AGE: 29 TIMEZONE: EST

IN CHARACTER 

FULL NAME: Ivan Stone SPECIES: human AGE: 55 DATE OF BIRTH: February 16 1969 GENDER IDENTITY: cis man NEIGHBORHOOD: Cherry Heights OCCUPATION: Owner WORKPLACE: Asteroid Arcade POSITIVE TRAITS:neat, accommodating, determined NEGATIVE TRAITS:short-tempered, impulsive, self-loathing LENGTH OF TIME IN RAVEN’S PEAK: ~30 years FACE CLAIM: Paul Rudd

BIOGRAPHY

TRIGGER WARNING: car accident, infidelity, alcoholism, depression, injury

Ivan had a strict upbringing, where the smallest of mistakes was met with harsh punishment. His father had a heavy hand and a short temper, so Ivan did all he could to stay on his good side and out of his way. He avoided home from a young age, and as soon as he was old enough to travel alone, his parents would send him off to New York to stay with his uncle over the summer. Ivan concocted a scheme to stay in New York, and his uncle’s help and approval, got himself enrolled in a prestigious school. He spent the rest of his childhood here, living with his uncle and actually getting to be a child. He thought he would live the rest of his life here, but he was looking forward to getting away and doing his own thing.

He went to Boston next, where he attended university and completed his degree in Mechanical Engineering. He had dreams of building roller coasters and working in amusement parks, but then he met the love of his life and all of that changed. Ivan never believed in love at first sight until he met Bianca. There was something about her that drew him in instantly. He would go to the ends of the earth for her, so moving to Raven’s Peak was truly a small ask. And she had shown him magic, both figuratively and literally. How could he do anything but go with her?

Life in Raven’s Peak was an adjustment for Ivan. Magic and witches was one thing, but now he had to accept that werewolves and vampires were real too? It was, in short, awesome, and every day was exciting and also terrifying. He got to wake up next to the most beautiful woman in the world every day, he got to call her his wife, and they were living in a cute little horror movie time. It was everything he never knew he wanted, but as with all good things in life, it didn’t last long.

Late one night on his way to pick up Bianca, a truck drove him off the road. His car was wrecked, and it was touch and go for Ivan for a while. He pulled through a little over a week later, but not without sustaining permanent injury to his lower back and left leg. Months of physical therapy helped him regain mobility, but nothing alleviated the pain. It was a burning pain that never fully went away, shooting down his back, making it excruciating to take a single step. Medication didn’t help much, and Ivan absolutely refused Bianca’s help. She had never used magic on him before, and he wouldn’t allow her to start now. She had done enough for him, caring for him through his recovery. Part of him resented her. Try as he might to push those feelings away, his resentment continued to grow.

His uncle passed away around this time as well, increasing Ivan’s feelings of resentment and driving him into a deep depression. The man was like a father to him, and Ivan hadn’t seen him since leaving to Raven’s Peak. He turned to alcohol at this point, wanting to drive away the guilt and manage the pain. He should have been there, probably would have been, if it wasn’t for the car accident. His resentment toward her continued to grow, but so did the guilt and the feeling of inadequacy. They had made vows to be together, through sickness and in health, but they were so young still. She had her whole life ahead of her. Would she really want to spend it with him, broken as he was? She wouldn’t. Ivan was sure of it. He continued to spiral, staying out late, angering when questioned, drinking excessively, until he met a woman. One night with her was all it took to snap him out of it. Why did he want his marriage to implode? Why was he lashing out at Bianca? None of this was her fault.

Ivan went crawling back and confessed everything. No apology would ever be enough, so he was sure they were headed for divorce, but Bianca forgave. Ivan worked at being a better person, worked on their marriage, knowing every day that he didn’t deserve her. She stuck by him even when, years later, the woman dropped a child off on their doorstep. A paternity test confirmed Ivan was the father. He hadn’t concealed the child from Bianca, he just hadn’t known about him. He had a responsibility to this child, and he was lucky to have married the most kindhearted woman in the world. She accepted the child into their lives, and from then on they became a family.

The years went by and their family continued to grow. With magic and pain relievers, Ivan is able to carry on with things. He has been sober for years, and now spends most of his time in Asteroid Arcade. He used his uncle’s inheritance to buy the business from the previous owner. It wasn’t the sort of work he envisioned for himself, but he’s grown passionate about restoring and preserving arcade cabinets. He still struggles with guilt over everything that he’s done, and though he has been forgiven, he wants to do more. He needs to do more and be better. His family is everything to him, and is happy to spend the rest of his life showing them how much he loves them.

EXTRAS

FILLING CONNECTION: filling bank’s family/parent wc. Also bianca’s husband and Asher’s dad. INSPIRATIONS:n/a

[the-firebird69]

These are becoming very popular again and he wants to create the rescue rangers and come up with the company to make these and to make them so they are new and different and for rescue rangers as a military vehicle and we'll have plants all over the world and we'll have ties to the UN and America's army and other armies and people go there and it's competition is very dicey a horrific experience everything in the place will be bolted or welded down so you can't harm each other and it'll get it done and we'd like to do it we're going to go ahead and try and solicit people to try and get them interested and it's going to be a small fundraiser we're kind of going to donate a lot of it and we want to get people going on it and have you build the small basis and with us and it can be a multiple different types of ways of doing it mostly we're thinking like habitat for humanity and yeah the max probably won't be helping so we have interested people and we are going to start and pick an area a place I usually neutral somewhere in New York area and they won't interfere with your invite stuff or started but this is one of the vehicles we're going to make I want to call it the badger it's not as fierce as the wolverine but this is what we're going to do and he wanted to keep the animals small but I don't think that's going to be possible. And we want to run surveillance missions and little ones and put extra tanks on a small plane and what better plane then you then the su-37 but a knock off it's a wonderful jet it's extremely fast it's faster than the raptor and it handles better and it is our daughter's design and it's smooth and he wants to pay the Chinese guy he's a Chinese warlock to have him join up with the group and we'll make the jet but we need a base first and it's not a big jet it's like 30 ft long and a single cedar he's kind of excited he sees what this could be he is Asian he is a minority morlock but his name is somewhat Hawaiian sounding and the trumps get involved and they say they want to design all this crap but really they're helping to make them and all kind of the same family fighting each other and his name is not benihana that's kind of our son's name and nobody has it in the show it's kind of weird but people are calling him that when he was little and he's a little big one and they figured out that it's the name of Honor in Asia and a lot of people calling that to him when he was walking around he's looking around trying to see who it is it was a lot of fun and they said he's special boy and he's got a lot of Asian in him and they saw that he was fast and he is accurate with the peas and his chopsticks and he wants to show people again so he left the restaurant felt good cuz they respected him for the vast it was a good time he said he saw a real ninjas going out after people. In military it was harsh it was harsh but we want to name this the badger and he says I believe that's correct and wolverine is a little bigger and more fierce is two wheel drive and it's both wheels and we'll have fat bear and all sorts of things these jets are great idea so he's going to try and find it and we're going to try and get this going and he says that we should we have the huge company we're going to be building projects there's a spot that's not bad in LA county and so we can try and get permits might not be able to fly the Jets there right away but we're going to try and fly something's helicopters and Trump has some and he might join up to do it and run rescue missions and he knows what it is it's so we can get together oops are tough so we're going to move out he's got suggestions and a son says they will have to set up some kind of meeting and he says that the VFW in LA and Trump likes it and other races are invited he says too

Thor Freya

Olympus

I don't know what happened today you guys always lose it this is terrible

Tommy f

Okay okay we see you do we need to do this though this is a great idea and we have bikes like this and they're not newer we need new ones and they want to contract and we want to send it and they're going to use the old Harley plant and that makes sense Max says no that he says yes but he's going to be in this too and someday he'll probably come on base to the rescue ranger Base and inspect it and we can't wait

Trump

Olympus

[webscarlet]

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