#but mick likes making money and keith feels like he needs it to keep going and ronnie will follow whatever they say

[waugh-bao]

It makes me sad that Keith only performed one song yesterday. I believe it’s the first time he’s done this in over 40 years! I really do hope that this was just a one-off for opening night and not indicative of any serious issues within the band or with himself.

I’ve watched quite a bit of the footage from yesterday and I just don’t think Keith was up to doing two solo songs by himself. He messed up the opening riff to the first song, “Start Me Up”, and through the whole concert he wasn’t playing a lot of the time/was frequently pausing and sort of wiping his eyes or staring off into the middle distance. It may be that he’s exhausted from rehearsals and needs some time to recoup before he takes on his normal load, but I kind of doubt it.

Honestly, they sound worse than when I saw them in 2021. For all the ‘new energy’ talk, Keith has never kept up well with Steve in the Stones (he plays too forcefully and too fast, for a start) and the more severe his arthritis becomes the worse that dynamic gets. I was kind of shocked at the amount of negative comments on the videos I watched. There were the typical Boomers jumping in to defend this, but most of what they could scrape together was “how dare you judge 80 year olds like this!” and the like, which didn’t seem to be convincing anyone.

[weirdtvland]

Brian jones was a racist, sexist, violent, abusive, child molesting piece of shit and I'm glad he's dead it should've happened sooner before he could hurt so many women and girls

I've never read anywhere that Brian was a racist, actually he was the exact opposite. He never was prejudice, he was spoke up for many different races especially black people. He admired black music and even obsessed over black singers. As far as him being sexist, I've also never read anywhere or heard from anyone that said Brian was sexist. Actually Anita herself always said that Brian never shut her down from speaking her opinions, and treated her like an "equal" which meant she was allowed to have opinions on things and influence several things surrounding the Stones which wasn't popular in those days (considering men didnt even want their women in the studio or on tour and they definitely wasnt allowed to make decisions for the group like Anita did). Brian was very violent and abusive towards several women and men, and not only because of the drugs (for the most part) it's because of his insecurities with himself. Keith Richards said that the early days of living with Brian was fun but he often like playing practical or humiliations rituals on their roommate, Alexis. He often locked him outside without a coat during the "coldest winter" while living in their fucked up apartment, and Brian would go to the bar with him and made him pay for everything even though they barely had money to spare. Brian also bullied Mick for being clean which was weird to me (both him and Keith made him feel like the woman of the house because he liked to shower and wanted to keep the house clean but that obviously didnt work), even laughed at his own baby momma with Anita because she needed money for their baby. Brian was full of different emotions and personalities almost like he didn't know or love himself which often caused him to worsen over time. The drugs didn't help at all either, Brian would be hospitalized for days after taking multiple pills. We would never know what would've happened to Brian if he did live on but I would never wish death upon him even though he needed to rest. I'm very sorry for the women he hurt in the time being, no one deserves to be beat because he was always on one of his trippy highs or nervous breakdowns. Even though he hurt several women, most women blamed Anita for his actions. People like ZouZou, Suki, Linda, Marianne, and most of his baby mommas pointed the blame on Anita for his rampages on drugs. Most said that Brian never acted that way until she arrived on the scene, which I don't fully agree with this because like I said he was always super insecure and rapid from the very beginning. Though Brian had a lot of faults, child molestation wasn't one of them. I know times are very different from what they were back then and what is considered age appropriate today is not the same as yesterday. It's disgusting to hear when a 20 year old is with a 14 year old today (makes me gag) but yesterday it wasn't, most women that was with Brian consented being with him at that time being and came out with stories about how their not victims. Some even had their parents consent for them (which also wasn't far fetch in those days 😵‍💫). Brian was imperfect and human just like everyone else in the band, and in my opinion all of the band members have dirt on their hands too. Brian shouldn't be exempt from history because of his past, if so the band wouldn't exist.

[kettle-on]

(Oh woops, this is a lot longer than it was supposed to be, but I got carried away. Still not super happy with it, but I figured I'd post it sooner than later, before I changed my mind completely!)

Monty Python and the Barbados Fic

Eric x Michael x OFC

Chapter 4

attn: @jessm78 @coincidence-ithinknots-blog

Evenings at Heron Bay were lively, silly, rowdy, and populous. The Pythons had decided they would have guests to dinner every night, and surprisingly this proved not too difficult. Apparently Barbados was hopping with friendly famous faces at this time of year.

Mick Jagger continued his regular visits with Jerry on his arm, and one or two pairs of glamorous mystery Misters and Misses. It was revealed through many rounds of Charades that the Rolling Stone had an extraordinary talent for both miming and deciphering interpretive dance. His rendition of “the eruption of Mt Vesuvius” was met with roaring applause, and his “Sex Pistols” brought the evening to an un-toppable peak.

Things would take a turn, however, when an entirely sober Graham introduced a favourite game of his called “Poor Pussy” in which the chosen “pussy” approaches guests and, through meowing and distinctly feline behaviour, must make the guest laugh whilst they attempt to pet pussy’s head and say with a straight face three times: “poor pussy.” When one does laugh, they become the new “pussy.” This last rule changed quickly when it arose that multiple “pussies” had taken over the room, and hardly a word could be spoken from the guests through their laughter.

Perhaps the most uncommon news, however, came from casual chat. A visiting Keith Moon explained his plans for a new house in Malibu, anxious for acres of privacy and leaving behind his celebrity neighbours. Jagger the Charades king told of all-night New York City parties, to which Graham countered: “At least in London, one has the good sense to wrap up before sitting down to breakfast.”

Y/N was sure that, had she been keeping a list, she’d have been privy to the business of every star in modern comedy and rock and roll.

The next morning came too early once again, but Y/N was this time drawn to the bedroom window. From here she could see the team of gardeners hired to keep Heron Bay looking lush and groomed. She couldn’t help but feel that with each day that passed she was floating further and further away from what she remembered normal life to be like.

Not wanting to disturb a sleeping Eric, she made her way to the morning room that looked out to the curved courtyard. At one end of the room was a large painted screen of columns in some beautiful ancient scene. Each table surface in this room was topped with a floral arrangement, antique candlesticks, and photographs of visitors and houseguests. Decades of beautiful faces and elegant dresses, men in uniform, and posed portraits looked back at her from their frames.

What was this world? she had long wondered. Painted screens, stone pediments, beaches, house staff, tennis courts, and private ponds. Marriages, affairs, and cover-ups. Churchill, the Duke of Edinburgh, Lord and Lady Something of Somewhere Unpronounceable, and movie stars and rock n roll gods. And who was she in all of this?

From the near distance, she heard puffs of exertion and approaching steps. Michael had committed himself to continuing his disciplined daily morning jog and here he was returning.

“Ah,” he panted, “Morning.”

“Good morning. Nice run?”

“Well,” puff, “it’s not Holloway, but it’ll do.”

When he caught his breath, he noticed her uneasiness. With a smiling face and a tone he’d learned from his mother, he suggested:

“Tea?” --

It was much later that night that Y/N found herself again wandering the corridors alone. The afternoon had passed with a visit from Eric’s friend Ricky Fataar with whom he’d made The Rutles the previous year, and his wife, Heron Bay’s proprietress Penelope Tree. The couple had dropped in for what they called a “business luncheon,” and extended an invitation to the Python household out for a “business dinner.” The two Terrys and Eric accepted, (the Terrys hoping they might throw in a bit of “money talk” regarding their upcoming film budget) and by the time the day’s activities had come to a close, the outward dinner guests had yet to return.

In the rare quiet of the late-night, Y/N knocked on the door to the room where Michael was staying, and a friendly hum invited her into the room. A single lamp lit up the walls and floor, and a Michael in repose who was making edits to his well-kept journal.

“Do I recall correctly you said you’d brought a small library with you?” asked Y/N from the door.

“I did, indeed!” he responded, setting his journal on one of the nightstands next to the bed. “What’s the matter – can’t sleep?”

Y/N shook her head with an apologetic smirk.

“I see, and what sort of thing are you after?”

“Something, uh... gentle, I suppose. Something to escape.”

“Escape? From here? A tropical island and you’d like to escape – now that’s puzzling.” He drew back the thin blanket that covered his lower half, and swung his mostly bare legs over the side of the mattress.

“No, no,” she started, “Just something to, y’know, get out of my head for a bit.”

“Mm, is there something troubling you?” Michael eyed the three stacks of books casually adorning a side table, and inspected the choices of titles.

“Just feeling a little…” Y/N searched for a believable excuse, “homesick.”

He was not convinced. Putting his book task on pause he raised his eyebrows, requesting her further explanation. Y/N both appreciated and hated this look. Michael, though the gentlest and kindest of the troupe, would not let anything go unexplained or hidden for long, and his generosity and patience invited her to open up.

“I’m not really sure what I’m doing here,” she confessed. “I feel like I’m just getting in the way, y’know? You’re all working hard on what I’m certain will be a brilliant film, and what am I here for?”

“You’re on holiday,” he declared with what he hoped was an assuring smile.

“A holiday from what? What do I even do?” She felt the agitation rising in her voice. “It’s like I just exist day in and day out with no purpose or point. No goals and no…”

Michael’s stare was intense and he waited for her to continue.

“…future.” Her voice dropped to almost a whisper when she noticed she’d drawn his undivided attention. A quiet Michael was a rare thing, and the silence stilled the air between them.

“So, I thought... maybe a… a book might help,” she attempted, but Michael was already smoothing down the bedspread, offering a space beside him which she gratefully filled.

“Is this what it’s like being famous?” she asked heavily, taking a seat. “Always surrounded by extremely talented, important people, and constantly comparing your own worth and accomplishments?”

“I suppose it is, yes. Sometimes.” Michael was usually very good at telling the truth in a palatable way.

Nevertheless, this acknowledgement only supported her anxiety. Her face fell and she closed her eyes, sensing exhaustion was on its way. She silently prayed for one of Michael’s rambling speeches, and he intuitively delivered.

“But it doesn’t have to be,” he began. “None of this comes with the expectation that you’ve earned your right to enjoy things. You don’t need to have won a Nobel Prize or sold a million records to deserve fine cutlery. But when you’re well-known, everybody wants to know you and bring you lovely things, whether or not you think you deserve them. When that happens, I think what helps is to recognize what’s there for you, and appreciate that there are all these things you can access if you’d like to. What’s important to remember is that you have options, and lots of good ones, too.

“And as far as goals and a future, well… I can’t tell you that. All I can tell you is that you’re already building a future just by living. And learning, and asking questions, and thinking, and wondering, and loving, and caring.”

Y/N had stayed quiet. The past few weeks of indulgence, creativity, and celebrity drama had left her feeling in a way excluded, and far away from herself. It wasn’t something she found she could explain to Eric without seeming ungrateful.

Michael continued:

“So right now, you’re on holiday somewhere you’ve never been, and learning how the other half lives. And what am I doing? Well at the moment I’m enjoying a few weeks on a beautiful island, with marvelous weather, with my wonderful friends. Together, we’re finishing up a script for a film which, if all goes well, we’ll be making later this year. That’s my job, and it keeps me working, but I’ve got the rest of my hours and days, too, and that’s when I’m living. That’s when life happens, you see, in the in-between time.

Y/N had secured a point of focus on the floor, and found it fitting that Michael’s was one of the few rooms in the building with wooden floorboards instead of the palatial stone. In this room she could be almost anywhere in the world, and at this moment she was happy to be somewhere closer to home.

“There’s no rush,” Michael added, noting her half-daze. “Life is short, but... there’s so much of it. You can stop and start and chop and change as many times as you like. It’s all life,” he slowed his pace, carefully observing her softened expression, “and it’s all yours.”

Y/N leaned back onto her elbows and contemplated her bare knees.

“I don’t think I’ve heard that one before,” she mused. “Hm. I’ve got a lot of time to fill, haven’t I?”

Michael gave a warm hum of agreement and joined her sideways, propping his head on an elbow, attentive as ever.

“And what are you going to fill it with first?” he asked.

This prospect was suddenly overwhelming, and it showed in her eyes. She took a breath and decided to choose levity for a change.

“I could work on this tan, I guess,” she playfully suggested, kicking a leg up and indicating her knees, “What do you think?”

“Very nice,” he approved. In fact, he had long admired her knees, and was grateful to the January Barbados weather for getting them out of trousers and wool tights. The previous summer at many a pub garden evening, he’d envied Eric’s long fingers resting atop Y/N’s knees, giving an occasional squeeze, and more than once catching sight of a slow glide up a thigh, disappearing under a skirt hem.

“Looks like you’re off to a good start there,” he said, allowing himself an extra-long, fully permissible eyeing up of her legs.

“And you?” she asked, “What’s next in the in-between time?”

“Well, I thought I might see what life by the ocean is like. I don’t see it very often. They’ve got waterskiing down at the bay - I might give that a go. I doubt I’ll be any good, but at least then I can say I’ve done it. Obviously a very valuable skill in London. I can see it: there I am, shooting across the lakes of Hampstead Heath. Or better still, an aquatic commute! I could start off from Blackfriars in the morning, and be in Molesey by tea-time, how’s that?”

Y/N laughed, tired from the day but grateful for Michael’s silliness. She liked this. Why couldn’t Mike be around more often? Or could she have a mini-Mike to keep in her purse and take out for impromptu pep-talks and compliments, please?

“I wonder,” he said carefully when her laughter died down. “Rather than in the way, do you think perhaps you might be feeling a bit overlooked?”

This caught her off guard. Overlooked? She never felt ignored or unappreciated. On the contrary, Eric’s attention and gestures of love came in spades. But what was it for? What really did she have to offer? She hardly expected to stand out next to her accomplished and celebrated partner and his career, nor did she wish to dull his accomplishments or stifle him. Stability would be very nice, but so too would making a name for herself be. So what did she want – life or recognition?

“Maybe,” she finally said in a small voice, too tired now to analyze any further.

How fragile she now seemed to Michael. She had opened her heart to him, and the sense of duty and the care with which he held it felt so natural. He wished he could hold it for a little longer.

Stroking kind fingers down her forearm, he took her hand, willing her out of her trance. With a closed-eyed focus on her hand, he drew her knuckles to his lips.

“So I’ve got options,” Y/N re-stated.

“Mhmm,” sounded Michael, whose lips were still appreciating her fingers.

“And I’m building a life every day,” she continued.

"Every day,” he repeated, his thumb now taking over addressing her knuckles.

“And mine is no less important than anyone else’s?”

She knew the answer, but the question brought their eyes to meet, and he held her gaze with tenderness.

“I think anyone who meets you feels lucky that they did. I know I do.”

Y/N felt whatever was left of her distress dissolve with a heavy breath. She had been heard, and she knew with certainty that her cares were safe with him.

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his torso, and he enveloped her shoulders with a tight grip. His voice was low in her ear:

“You know, if it was a book you were after, I rather thought you’d have asked Terry.”

Y/N wasn’t going to bother mustering the energy to protest or to come up with a nonsense reason why she’d chosen to see Michael. She was here now, and she was perfectly content with it.

“I’m very glad you didn’t,” he confessed, and having exhausted all words, he began a slow exploration of her neck, starting with nuzzling the delicate space beneath her ear. Sensing no resistance, and hearing her approving sigh, he continued down to her shoulder, leaving soft, open-mouthed kisses as he went.

He was kind and patient and open, Y/N remembered as she felt herself giving over to the moment’s tenderness, her curiosity duelling with her fatigue.

With restrained eagerness, he moved along the underside of her jaw before,

“Stop stop,” she hushed.

She was fighting with her enjoyment, but this was not a good time to discover feelings. All she wanted now was comfort and sleep. She looked at her kindred Michael half-apologetically, and he shifted aside, making a space for her to lie down and sleep. He reached over to switch off the bedside lamp, and gently pulled the sheet up to cover their spooning bodies.

Out on the patio under the moonlight, Eric lay on a lounge chair, gazing into the sky and contemplating several things: Ricky and Penelope’s marriage, Mick and Jerry’s affair, and the concept of unfaithfulness. And the very nature of frivolity, and luxury, and everything he learned from the swinging sixties of liberation and self-indulgence. And, unexpectedly, Michael.

He wriggled in his spot, unable to relax. I need to write this, he thought. He worked most things out through writing, and now he would turn to his typewriter, get his musings out on paper, and try to make some sort of sense of his brain soup.

[wincestisasincest]

2000 Man (A beatle!reader story) - Part 5: Fore!

A quick one, inspired by this picture. Beautiful.

As always, credit to @casafrass for inventing the concept of Beatle!reader, that mf idea that sister snatched my heart. 

Description: It’s the year 2000, and y/n, the fifth member of the Beatles, is advertising her new book, Madam Beatle, in her first interview of the year. We see snapshots of her life, from when she joined the band, to the trials and tribulations, to the death of the band, and everything in between. Loosely inspired by Slumdog Millionaire. 

Part: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Head canons: None, I think, besides the general concept, this is just me spitballing. 

Words: 1465

Pairings: None? I mean, it’s the same as always, depending on how you view it, it can either be a pairing or a friendship.

Warnings: Alcohol, smoking, golf

“There is this recurring, oh, let’s call it a motif, in the book, of the Rolling Stones.” 

“Yeah, this is one of the few cases in which popular opinion was actually correct. We really did see the Stones a lot.”

“Now, you were friends?”

“I’d say so, yes. Initially, we had something of a rivalry, I guess you’d call it, but even in those days, we still had a very deep reverence for each other. And, then, at one point, our managers decided that we should meet.”

“An interesting decision, yes?” 

“Well, you see, in our industry, competition isn’t unusual, but having enemies really can’t be an option. I think they wanted to actually have us meet face to face so our competitive energy couldn’t turn into blind hatred. Because that only leads to worse things.” 

“Hasn’t competition produced some great records?” 

“Yes, but it’s not really a prerequisite. All due respect, I really am against the idea that you need some sort of negative presence to properly be a musician, or make beautiful things. People just like focusing on that because it’s interesting, but really, as much songs have been motivated by joy as they have grief. I wish more people, especially aspiring artists, knew that.” 

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

“They’re late.” Brian checked his watch impatiently. 

“What’d you expect?” John was lighting his cigarette.

“Their public personas are one thing, but there’s no need to be rude in private.” Brian huffed.

“Maybe, and this is crazy, but hear me out, their on-stage personas evolved from their own personalities.” You retorted as John courteously lit your own cigarette for you. 

“(Y/n), I’m really not in the mood for any of your back-talk. If you could kindly keep the sass to yourself, I think it would benefit all of us.” Brian retorted and John snickered. 

“You got in trouble.” 

“Shut up, John, I’m gonna go check out the bar.” You shifted your eyes up to Brian, expecting some sort of reprimand, though he just looked at you tiredly.

“Just don’t get drunk.” And with that, he paid you no more mind. It’s not nearly as fun when he doesn’t get offended, you thought. 

You turned on your heel and wandered off in the opposite direction, leaving John to flit over to Paul, George, and Ringo, who were pretending to know how to swing a club. You laughed to yourself. The benefit of being the only girl in the group is that when they did dumb guy business meeting things, you were not expected to participate. Another day of your life where you would not have to play golf. Thank god. 

You swung open the door to the bar and the air conditioner hit you in the face. The bar had an old-timey feel, all the way down to the bar tender cleaning a glass at the counter and a few mysterious strangers lined up on the stools. Might as well join ‘em. 

You plopped yourself on the stool the closest to the door and called the bartender over. 

“What can I do ya for, sweetheart?” 

“Vodka sour.” He nodded and whisked off behind the counter to fetch your order. You took a drag of your cigarette.

“Vodka sour?” A thick British accent floated from one of the stools. You spun around your seat, face to face with none other than Keith Richards, the guitarist for the Rolling Stones, and also one of the people that you were waiting on. 

“It’s 5 o’clock somewhere.” You shrugged. If he wanted to play it coy, and act like you two don’t know each other, then he’s on.

He slid out of his seat and moved to the one directly next to you. The both of you were smoking and sizing each other up. Of course, if you wanted to ruin the fun, you could’ve asked why he was late. But you didn’t. 

“Vodka sour, Miss.” The bartender dropped your drink on the counter. You briefly turned back to him.

“Thanks, what do I owe you?” As you struggled to pull out your wallet, Keith took some money from the front pocket of his shirt and handed it to the bartender. He returned your startled look with a charming smile. 

“On me.” 

“Well now, I must be something special if I’m getting you to buy drinks for me.” You doused your cigarette in the ashtray and took a long sip.

“Nah, it’s just, I feel like I know you from somewhere.” He grinned.

“Feeling’s mutual. Perhaps I can buy the next one?”

“Oi, Keith, stop flirtin’ we got some bugs ta’ meet!” Another British accent, though this one a lot more harsh, cut through the room. 

Coming in from the alternate entrance was none other than the flamboyant, the one and only, the Romeon to your Juliet, Mick Jagger. Trailing behind him like ducklings was the Stones’ manager, Andrew Loog-Oldham, the bassist, Bill Wyman, the other guitarist, Brian Jones, and the dummer, Charlie Watts. 

“While you were sittin’ on your ass, Mick, I already got started!” He leaned back in his seat, revealing you sitting next to him. You flashed your million dollar smiled at the confused crowd. 

“It’s a pleasure.” You toasted to them across the room with your vodka sour, before finishing the drink off and leaving it on the counter.

Mick’s eyes slanted at you, and you could’ve sworn that you heard him purr. 

“A pleasure indeed.” He stalked across the room towards you, before gently taking your hand in his own and kissing your knuckles. You turned to Keith from the side. 

“See? He knows how to greet a lady.” Keith chuckled at your joke. 

“I apologize if our Keith has been forward at all, he can’t handle himself around birds, ‘specially those he fancies.” From what you already knew about Mick, you would never really know whether or not he was actually interested in you because he flirted with anything that moved. 

“The picture of a gentleman.” You smiled wryly. 

“Damnit, Keith. That’s against our image.” Brian teased, his blonde locks bouncing as his head moved. You giggled. 

“Well, I suppose we shouldn’t keep the others waiting? They’re out there pretending they know how to play golf.” The crowd laughed, yet again. You were on a roll. You got up from your stool, getting your footing on the floor, not forgetting to leave a tip in the jar, as you exited the building flanked by your biggest pop competitor. 

The image of their (y/n) coming up the hill with a group of men known for being disrespectful towards everything did set the lads on edge a bit. John was almost angry, Paul was concerned, George was curious, and Ringo was still focusing on his swing. Brian was just glad that these people had showed up on time. 

As the manager’s greeting each other with aggressive levels of formality, the group took to intermingling. 

“Not gonna lie, I thought you had just found some fans (y/n).” Paul started.

“You’d be correct. We are fans.” Mick put an arm around your shoulder. 

“Speak for yourself. I thought you were kidnapped.” John did that thing where he would say a joke, but you knew that there was real anger underneath. You silently prayed that John wouldn’t mess this up. 

“Oh, please. If anything I kidnapped them.” You psshed. 

“Does anyone actually know why we’re here?” Brian interluded, somewhat impatient with the formalities of the managers. 

“I think the football mums over there wanted us to play golf together? Because that’s what business people do?” John shrugged sarcastically, and the group chuckled. 

“Is now a bad time to tell them that I don’t think any of us know how to play?” George quipped quietly, though making sure that he was still included in the conversation.

“Speak for yourself, I think my swings improved.” Ringo demonstrated, narrowly missing the back of Brian’s head, though thankfully, Brian didn’t actually notice. 

“Yeah, if you’re tryna take someone out.” You smiled at Ringo, knowing full well that someone would die of a golf mishap before the day was over. 

“Speakin’ of takin’ out...” Mick looked back down at you flirtatiously. John had finally boiled over.

“Absolutely not. No.” He pulled you over to their side. Everyone giggled like a bunch of pre-teen boys, except for John, surprisingly.

“As a rule, (y/n) is off limits. Just business, lads.” He placed you behind him and Paul like a wall. 

“Imma big girl, Johnny. Just like you.” Talk shit, get roasted John. Though everyone was laughing, with several oohs interspersed between them, you could swear that Paul laughed unusually hard. 

“Alright you ten,” Brian returned to the group, “shall we get started?” 

“I just have one question, Brian,” Paul turned to face him, “how do you play golf?”

[nerianasims]

Billboard #1s 1967

Under the cut.

The Buckinghams – “Kind Of A Drag” -- February 18, 1967

The song's about how it's "kind of a drag" when your girlfriend cheats on and then leaves you. Not exactly a heartrending wail of anguish. The song's nothing.

The Rolling Stones – “Ruby Tuesday” -- March 4, 1967

What possessed someone to name a chain of bland American restaurants after this song? They wanted to be associated with a woman who changes with every new day, and needs to always be free? The restaurant Ruby Tuesday's is the opposite of changing with every new day and taking risks. Anyway. When I wrote that the Rolling Stones were almost never nice, I was thinking of this song, on which they are actually nice. The narrator's ex-girlfriend needs to leave to be free and take constant risks, though at "such a cost." It's based on a real ex-girlfriend of Keith Richards', who left him because he wasn't wild enough for her. Really. He ended up going to her parents and warning them that the amount of drugs she was doing, she was gonna end up dead, and they were able to save her. Seriously, she was living such a dangerous life that Keith Richards felt he had to do something. She's apparently doing fine now.

So um. Great song. I especially like the flute. It's a little weird to listen to Mick Jagger sing about a woman who's wilder than him, but the woman really exists (though I don't think she's wild now.) And both Keith Richards and Mick Jagger survived an era many of their peers did not, so they must have known where to draw the line. It's a bittersweet story with a happy ending, which plays against what's normally expected from The Rolling Stones, or really most popular musicians.

The Supremes – “Love Is Here And Now You’re Gone” -- March 11, 1967

The Supremes were no longer in Detroit with this song, and it shows. It's a far slighter song than anything they'd recorded before. And there's more than one embarrassing spoken word section. Most telling, I had never heard this song before doing this list. It's also the first Supremes song I don't think is good at all. Another heartbreak song, a bunch of tambourine, and a bunch of nothing.

The Beatles – “Penny Lane” -- March 18, 1967

I loved this song when I was a kid. It's an adult's hazy memory of their childhood home, with plenty of humorous flourishes. It's a cute song, but there's something sad about it too. It's about nostalgia -- he's remembering Penny Lane, but he's not about to go back and have his memories tarnished.

The Turtles – “Happy Together” -- March 25, 1967

I think I've heard this song too much. It sounds overly polished and hollow to me.

Nancy & Frank Sinatra – “Somethin’ Stupid” -- April 15, 1967

Ew. Who thought Frank Sinatra singing a love song duet with his daughter was a good idea? And this isn't one of those love songs that could easily be sung to anyone you care for -- no, this is definitely supposed to be a romantic song. Ew, ew, and furthermore, ew.

The Supremes – “The Happening” -- May 13, 1967

Horribly produced. Diana Ross seems to be fighting with the instruments to be heard, and I can't understand what she's singing. Looking up the lyrics, the song is apparently about how all her plans fell apart because she lost her love. But musically, the song sounds like it belongs in a circus tent. This is a painfully bad song, which is depressing coming from The Supremes.

The Young Rascals – “Groovin'” -- May 20, 1967

A nice calm song about doing what you like with your s.o. on a calm Sunday. (And not with Leslie. The line's supposed to be "you and me endlessly," though even knowing that, it still sounds like "you and me and Leslie.") It's got a nice beat and motion, so it's not dull. It's just, well, groovy.

Aretha Franklin – “Respect” -- June 3, 1967

All hail the Queen. And her backup singers and band, while we're here. But mostly her.

The Association – “Windy” -- July 1, 1967

This sounds like a sitcom theme song. How does one "capture a moment"? Is Windy a photographer? "Windy has stormy eyes/ That flash at the sound of lies" is a pretty good lyric, even if it also sounds like the kind of thing I wrote when I was twelve. Otherwise, I'd expect to hear this on Nick at Nite.

The Doors – “Light My Fire” -- July 29, 1967

The narrator in this song is a dick talking about his dick. Why does his girlfriend have to light his fire? How much thought has he put into lighting hers? The song is also incredibly repetitive. And yet, it's still sexy, thanks entirely to Jim Morrison. I can't say I like it exactly, but I also can't claim it's not hot.

The Beatles – “All You Need Is Love” -- August 19, 1967

Hating on this song has been the thing to do since I was a teenager myself. Like, come on, you also need food lol dumbasses. Except that's a really shallow reading of the song. Not that the song's exactly deep. But since I've become disabled and totally dependent on my husband, I've understood it a lot better. Now all we need to do is get everyone to feel love for everyone, the "love thy neighbor" type of love that this song is talking about, and everything will work out! Okay well no one said the song was a political platform with practical solutions.

Bobbie Gentry – “Ode To Billie Joe” -- August 26, 1967

I've been sitting here trying to figure out what to say about this song for some time. First, it's an amazing song. It's a story country song, and in this one, the narrator is a part of the story. But no one in her life knows it. No one knows what she and Billie Joe threw off the Tallahatchie bridge (I don't see how it could possibly have been a baby fwiw), but it doesn't really matter. What matters is that everyone in this family may as well be strangers to each other. They're physically close, economically interdependent, and completely without intimacy. It's called Southern Gothic, but it's familiar across the country, and maybe across the world.

The Box Tops – “The Letter” -- September 23, 1967

The narrator's wife has written him a letter saying she wants him back, so he has to get home as fast as he can. The singer sounds old enough to have seen a lot of life (he wasn't), and the music is happy while remaining grounded. Quite good.

Lulu – “To Sir With Love” -- October 21, 1967

No, it's not about a D/s relationship. Thankfully, since it starts with "Those schoolgirl days." This song is about a movie of the same name, which stars Sidney Poitier as a teacher who helps a class of mostly-white troubled students. Can you imagine having Sidney Poitier as a teacher? My crush on him would have been devastating. And the narrator does sound like she has a crush on him, but not like she's trying to get anywhere with it, thankfully. She's grateful for his teaching and guidance. And I'm bored. It's musically soupy -- there needs to be more of a beat. Also, the subject matter of a student feeling grateful to a teacher doesn't move me. I've been grateful to many teachers in my life, but it's not exactly a highly charged emotion.

The Strawberry Alarm Clock – “Incense And Peppermints” -- November 25, 1967

Incense and peppermints are what you keep on hand to cover up pot smoke. So, obviously, this is a song about getting high, even if the lyrics claim "incense and peppermints" are "meaningless nouns." It's about how nothing matters, nothing changes, but everything is connected. Maybe it sounds profound when you're high. Like "the color of time" line. I like it musically, but the lyrics just make me roll my eyes. It's not good nonsense and it's the shallowest imaginable philosophy.

The Monkees – “Daydream Believer” -- December 2, 1967

Musically, the Monkees were usually Davy Jones and some studio musicians. But all of them played and/or sung on this song, and they should have been allowed to on previous ones, because I don't hear a difference. In the song, the narrator's wife is feeling down about life. She was a daydream believer and homecoming queen, and now they don't have any money. Life isn't like her daydreams. But the song doesn't get into that; it's basically an airy love song. It's okay.

The Beatles – “Hello, Goodbye” -- December 30, 1967

I thought this was an awkward song about a relationship dissolving because they can't agree on anything, but apparently it comes from an improvised word game. It sounds like The Beatles, so that's good, but not one of their best efforts. It's as close to nothing as The Beatles got.

BEST OF 1967 -- Respect and Ode to Billie Joe WORST OF 1967 -- Somethin' Stupid, as it's the one that actually grosses me out. even if musically it's not the worst

[pattie-remembers]

A lot of programmes about the Beatles have Tony Bramwell in. Did you know him? What was he like?

When I started going out with  George it seemed like a dream come true. I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world. I soon found out everything about being with George wasn’t sunshine and roses.  When I met him on the set of A Hard Day’s Night, it was love at first sight for both of us. He asked me out several times that day. At first I thought he was joking, but his persistence finally convinced me he was serious. Feeling sick about it, I had to turn him down. I had a boyfriend and I didn’t feel right accepting a date with another man.

I noticed Paul, and some guy, I later learned was Tony Bramwell, laughing and teasing George about his obvious attentions towards me. I didn’t think too much about it. It had been a whirlwind day and my head was so full of everything I wanted to tell my roommate, Mary Bee, that I ignored it.

The next week, when I saw George again, I was hoping he’d ask me out once more. I had broken up with my boyfriend, Eric Swayne, and if George asked me out, I could, with a clear conscious, say yes!

We met during a break outside and, as he lit my cigarette, he asked, “So, how’s your boyfriend doing?” He cupped my hand so the lighter’s flame wouldn’t blow out, and I remember feeling a spark, run through my body, at his touch.

“Oh,” I said as nonchalantly as possible, “he’s not my boyfriend anymore, I broke up with him.” I took a drag off my ciggie and stared straight into his dark brown eyes.

“Then how about dinner tonight?” he asked. His eager grin was so endearing. My God, he was gorgeous.

“Sure,” I told him. He wrote down my address and said he’d pick me up around nine. Our heads were together but out of the corner of my eye was that guy Tony and he and Paul and John were laughing. I couldn’t be certain but I distinctly remember feeling it was directed at me and George. But the Beatles were always kidding each other and poking fun, so I didn’t really think too much about it.

That night, at nine sharp, I answered the knock at my door. To my surprise George was not alone. He’d brought along the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein.  I was a little taken aback, but it turned out to be a wonderful night. George and I sat together on one side of the booth while Brian sat across from us, telling stories that made us laugh and relax.

Just being next to George was electrifying. Every time his hand would touch mine or his leg would brush against me, I thought I would faint. Brian sent us off in a taxi and our first kiss was long and wonderful. I know the meter was running and George joked how that kiss cost him ten pounds. But I guess he wanted another, because we made plans for the next night and from then on out we were together.

How my life changed in an instant! From being with an older man who wasn’t that exciting, to George Harrison of the Beatles made my head spin. Even if George hadn’t been famous, he was way more fun than Eric had been. He was funny and attentive. He made me laugh and gave me presents. He told me constantly I was beautiful and sexy. He couldn’t keep his hands off me. And I didn’t want him to. For the first time sex was great! I threw myself at George and wanted him as much as he seemed to want me. I had no idea what making love was about, but soon I was getting lessons every night.

At first, I thought it would always be exciting. Trips to Ireland and the South Pacific were a dream come true. John and Paul and Ringo were very friendly and so were their girlfriends and John’s wife, Cynthia. It was, in a way, a fun new family. George went house hunting and wanted us to live together. Of course I said yes! I was totally besotted.

Then the trouble started. After we moved to Esher, George wanted me tostay home while he headed to London almost everyday, or went on tour or played shows around England. And to be even more bossy, he wanted me to stop modeling. “You don’t need the money,” he’d say. “I can take care of you.”

Which was fabulous except I loved modeling and I didn’t want to stay home alone in Esher while all my friends were having a good time in London. I’d see lots of people. Mick Jagger and Brian Jones were always out and about. Tony Bramwell always seemed to be clubbing where ever I was. And Keith Richards  turned me on to quaaludes. I danced with guys and girls. London was swinging and I wasn’t about to miss a minute of it.

In the beginning, George accepted that I wasn’t a stay at home kind of girl. But soon he was acting quite jealous, questioning me about who I’d seen and what did we talk about, and why did I let so and so touch me. I was flabbergasted and angry. I was a very social person but I would never cheat on George. I was stunned at his insecurity. I was so put out with him, I took to pretending to be asleep when he came to bed. After one horrible fight, I slept in the extra bedroom. I was furious to be challenged on wether I was telling him the truth or lying about what I’d been doing.

Smutty

Not long after, I was at the Alibi with some girls I knew from modeling. To my surprise Paul and Tony Bramwell were there as well. I was glad to see Paul, but not Tony. I’d over heard him one too many times making fun of George. And once when he hadn’t seen me, I heard him say, “George won’t stay with that gapped toothed ninny. He’s already got his eye on someone else.” I hated him! I should have confronted him, but I didn’t want to spare a moment for him.

“Why aren’t you at the studio,” I asked Paul. “Where’s George?”

Before he could answer, the manager of the club told me I had a phone call. I went in his office and was shocked and embarrassed that it was George calling me from EMI. He was furious and said he was coming to get me. I gave up,in defeat. I told my friends goodbye and went outside to wait for George.

He roared up and squealed to a stop. I jumped in and experienced the scariest ride of my life as he yelled at me all the way home. His rantings made no sense but finally it all dawned on me. “Who exactly has been telling you these stories?” I demanded to know.

“Tony,” he growled.

“Tony! I shouted. “Tony Bramwell is a fucking liar.”  I turned in my seat to face him. “First, slow the fuck down or I will kill you when we get home, and secondly, how can you believe anything that asshole says?”

I don’t think George had ever heard me curse  so many times and was so shocked he slowed down.

“Well, you won’t shag me anymore,” he kind of whined. “There must be someone else. “

“Because you have been mean! You aren’t ever home. I understand you have to work. I get it. But after all this time together you act like I’m a stranger. You believe lies about me and never ask me what the truth is.” I hit the dashboard with my fist.

“Well, what is the truth, Pattie?” George snarled. “And don’t hit my car!”

“The truth, George Harrison, is I love you. I don’t want another guy. I only want you.” I whispered it so he’d have to listen. I picked his hand up from the gear shift and kissed his fingers. “I love you and I want to be with you. And I’ll admit it, I want to go out and party. I can’t stay home alone in the country all night, every night.”

We turned into our drive and when he’d parked the car, I leaned over and kissed him. “You are the only man for me, George.” When he went to grab me, I jumped out and ran. The chase was on! We had a huge garden and it was dark. When he got close, I sprinted towards the house and didn’t let him catch me until we were in the  sitting room. I laughed as he tackled me and we both fell into the pile of pillows we were thinking about using instead of a sofa or chairs.

We started kissing like it was the first time. He was on top of me his hands were under my dress and before I knew it my knickers were across the room. I pulled my dress off and laid back while George undid his tie and took of his dress shirt. I pulled his tee shirt off and unsnapped his trousers. His boots went flying and soon he was naked and his cock was huge. I started stroking him and he pushed my bra down and freed my breasts and started to kiss them, sucking my nipples while his hand went down and the rough tips of his fingers felt me up.

“Sit on my face, “ he ordered and I willingly straddled his head and lowered myself down on his mouth. I unhooked my bra so I could feel myself and I kept looking at George’s hard on with the usual fascination. I knew he was dying for us to 69 it, as they said, but I had been too shy. At that moment I couldn’t imagine anything I wanted more. So, I did what he’d been begging me to do. I leaned over and started sucking him off. I was so excited. Why had I been so hesitant? No wonder he’d been trying to convince me  to do this. His moaning was a huge turn on and I wanted him as far down my throat as I could take him.  I had no shame.  If this is what it took to convince him I loved him, then I was happy to do it.

“Come on my face, luv, “ he urged and he gently slapped my ass as I wiggled so his tongue could hit the right spot. With my mouth busy, my only answer was to squeeze his balks as I licked his cock while moving him in and out of my mouth.  I wanted to come and I wanted this to go on forever. As soon as I thought “don’t stop”, I could feel the first wave of  ecstasy and then George picked up the tempo and for the first time we came together.  

I couldn’t call his name but I moaned as he shot off and I swallowed before I had time to think. I was still having tremors and finally had to stop. Sometimes it just hurt too good.

Though we were spent, I think we wanted, needed more. We both fell among the pillows and George spooned up behind me. His hands cupped my breasts and I could feel he was getting hard again. I reached behind me and guided him inside me. He pushed against me and I pushed back wanting him so badly  to be as deeply inside of me as he could get. He let one hand slip between my legs and fingered me until we both came again.

I rolled over and looked into his eyes. “Do you believe me now, George?”

Of course he wouldn’t say anything! Men! We just stared at each other, nose to nose and soon we fell asleep.

But that was the end of Tony Bramwell mucking things up between me and George. I had finally convinced George he was the only man for me.

[maychorian]

Weekly Voltron Fic Recs #62

A bit of life news: I am moving to a new position at my workplace working for a team that is currently very backed up, so my free time at work that I usually use to read fanfiction is about to disappear for the foreseeable future. It’s a good career move for me, and once things calm down I might have even more time and even be able to work from home. But in the meantime, yeah, I dunno how much fanfiction I’ll be reading. Whatever I do read will definitely get put in a list, though, haha.

Rules: You can find past weekly rec lists here, and non-list recs in my general fic rec tag. Also follow @maychorianrecs for individually tagged posts, the easier to search and reblog. This is stuff I like, and I have a huge bias toward Lance, hurt/comfort, and general fluff, in that order. Gen unless otherwise noted. Please comment on the fics if you read and enjoy them!

Passing Grade by IcyPanther Words: 6,998 Author’s Summary: If Lance stayed in the shower long enough maybe the water would wash everything away. Maybe it would make him forget unwanted hands and the scratchy couch. Maybe… A sob tore through his throat. No. There was no forgetting. But he did have to paste on a smile and try to because no one could find out. Otherwise it was all over. AU - College My Comments: Mind the tags. There was a time when I sought out fics with this exact scenario because it fed something very needy inside me. It still hits all of those buttons super hard, and I really enjoyed reading this sort of story again, featuring my favorite character, written by an author I trust. I’ve already re-read it a couple of times, and I’ll be returning to it again, I’m sure.

The Cost of Winning by IcyPanther Words: 9,598 Author’s Summary: “The Blue and Green Paladins serve no purpose to the Empire,” the Galran commander smirked at his bound captives. “And as such you have no use except as arena fodder.” He chuckled. “Give us a good show before you die.” / Lance is determined to protect Pidge and save her from the arena. She will not die here. Over his dead body. Hopefully it’s not quite that literal of a promise. My Comments: Superb fic, possibly the best I’ve read from this author yet. The action is great and the plot is tight and suspenseful. Wonderful platonic Pidge and Lance, both getting beat up, both badass and protective of each other. This kept me at the edge of my seat.

All That Glitters Isn’t Gold by IcyPanther for wingedflower Words: 9,998 Author’s Summary: It started with Allura wanting something shiny for an upcoming gala. She, Pidge and Lance venture to a marketplace to find just the thing in a billed afternoon of relaxation and fun. But what they ended up finding was not jewelry at all. / “Welcome to Tyrol’s slave trade, Tyrol at your service. Or, well,” a dark grin lit the trader’s face. “I suppose you are at mine.” My Comments: Mind the tags. I really enjoyed this fic, though it went to some dark places for a little bit. Always fun to see Lance bonding with his teammates. And also getting hurt and then comforted.

And Molasses by Lemon_Lemmings Words: 4,008 Author’s Summary: “That’s not enough.” Hunk motions to the cookie mountains. “I need to make more.” “How many more? I can bake.” Hunk gives her a skeptical look.Pidge crosses her arms. “My cookies might not turn out as perfect as yours, boo hoo. At least they won’t be contaminated with the plague.” My Comments: Excellent sickfic with wonderful characterization for Hunk, right on the money. Pidge stepped up to the plate and took it like a pro. I could definitely see this happening, no question.

Atlas Cannot Stand by AnaliseGrey Words: 3,609 Author’s Summary: He and Lance had taken Red in to infiltrate a low-traffic Galra base- or at least, it was supposed to be low-traffic; it was just their luck they’d try to hit it when some dignitary was visiting. They’d made a good show of it all things considered, but in the end they were outnumbered and overrun. Lance had been up high, covering him from a catwalk, but was surprised by sentries coming at him from both sides of the walkway; there hadn’t been anywhere for him to go, and they were on him too fast to use his jetpack. Once they had Lance, Keith had surrendered quickly, not wanting to get Lance hurt. He could still feel Red growling quietly in the back of his mind, trapped in the hangar he’d left her in when they arrived. So far, her particle barrier was holding, but she wasn’t leaving until he was, and he wasn’t leaving without Lance. My Comments: The torture is pretty brutal in this one, but I loved the bond between Keith and Lance and how desperately they wanted to help each other.

May They Rest at Ease by ambivalentlangst Words: 2,539 Author’s Summary: Soldiers are created to say “vrepit sa” and die in a blaze of glory for their empire. They are not created to babysit kids, but some don’t mind, because someone has to keep the cubs safe. The universe they defend certainly doesn’t. My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. I adore this. So much. The two soldiers who palled around with Pidge, Hunk, and Lance essentially adopt them as their cubs, because those are three are far too young and don’t deserve to suffer. This fic makes my heart sing. It’s so sweet and lovely, despite the savagery of war.

Everywhere Cats by Engineer104 Words: 7,363 Author’s Summary: A mysterious mishap transforms the Lions of Voltron into…cats, who are more troublesome for their Paladins than for Zarkon’s Empire My Comments: Super fun and cute! I will continue to mourn the relative dearth of animal transformation crack in this fandom until I am satisfied, but this was a good fix, though nowhere near enough. So cute, sooooo fluffy.

I Once Loved the Stars so Truly, but I Have Learned to Fear the Night by Spazzcat Words: 5,638 Author’s Summary: Samuel Holt has loved the stars his entire life, despite where he ended up because of it. Ironically it’s not until after his rescue that he starts to hate their gentle gleam in the darkness, a cruel reminder of everything he’s lost. My Comments: Lovely alternate version of Sam finding his family. It hurt, but the ending made up for it, and the language along the way was gorgeous and vivid. Great OCs, too.

In the Dust under the Stars by cleanlittlesecret Words: 5,521 Author’s Summary: The woman entering his office must be close to seven feet tall if not taller, has long and pointed ears, and is entirely purple. She has to duck to avoid hitting her face on the doorframe, and Iverson is so busy staring at her with his mouth open that he barely hears Mick say something before shutting the door behind her. What in the Sam Hill is this? (Or, AU where Krolia stayed on Earth to raise Keith, and most people are not as bothered by her as they probably should be. Plus some other changes.) My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. Lovely canon divergence AU with a great Krolia and a cute though impulsive Keith. The details really made this story come alive; it’s very well-written and enjoyable to read.

Poison by IcyPanther Words: 2,876 Author’s Summary: Lance is fine. Or, at least he keeps telling himself that. He’s most definitely not a victim of the unknown disease with no cure sweeping through the city. Nope. But now he’s coughing up blood? Maybe… maybe he isn’t so fine after all. / “H-Hunk,” he whispered. “I… I think I’m s-sick.” Hunk let out a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh. “Yeah, Lance. You are.“ My Comments: What a great Lance-centric sickfic with super good comfort and a tense plot. I’ll never tire of these kinds of fics.

The Grim Particulars by yet_intrepid Words: 5,575 Author’s Summary: “Can’t believe Kolivan trusted these guys,” Keith mutters. He shifts awkwardly in the tight space, trying to alleviate some of the pressure on his arms, which are cuffed behind his back. “I always knew they were sketchy.” “They’re illegal weapons dealers,” Shiro replies. “Of course they’re sketchy.” Keith grunts, half-angry and half-amused, and gives up readjusting his position. It’s just as well, really, Shiro thinks. They’re in a tiny closet on a tiny ship, and there’s barely room for them to sit shoulder-to-shoulder, knee-to-knee. My Comments: Beware the tags. This is a grim story, as the title implies, not for the faint of heart. But good, as everything from this author. It catches you in the gut. Gave me some deep thoughts, too.

Thicker than Water by Fernandidilly_yo Words: 4,574 Author’s Summary: (Set right after season 5 episode 5)“How long?” Keith asks, taking another step into Kolivan’s office, his legs feel unstable underneath him, his body disconnected and flimsy. “How long have you known Krolia is my mother?” My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. I really like nuances of this story. Keith’s reactions and emotions all feel very realistic and true to his character, and I liked Kolivan in this too. Great stuff.

Bits by Lemon_Lemmings Words: 3,107 Author’s Summary: Violence is an acquired taste that Hunk inevitably accommodates. My Comments: Angsty and harsh and a little grim, but I absolutely believe that Hunk is like this. War is hard, and it’s not fair.

dear child of mine by glitteringconstellations Words: 2,365 Author’s Summary: Krolia went to Earth in search of a Lion, and found a family, instead. She learned what it meant to love and be loved, and she learned that sometimes, loving someone means letting them go.Or,Krolia cradles Keith in her arms for the last time. My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. Sweet and sad and lovely. I love this vision of Keith’s mother and father before the war. Or during the war, but in a peaceful interlude.

Mama is… by nigiyakapepper Words: 4,134 Author’s Summary: “A spy!” “Spy!” “Up in space!” “ ’pin space!” Keith is two. It’s one of his good days, judging by the boy shrieking with joy for no other reason than the enjoyment of the act. K - - - - -, his dad, moves as if to chase him around the sofa in their living room. Little Keith moves in turn, a ‘patta patta’ of tiny feet stomping on linoleum. He giggles while clutching his shirt—then full on screams and toddles away when his dad lunges after him. - - Who Keith’s mom is as Keith grows up. My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. Lovely snapshots of Keith throughout the years, missing his mother. I’m so glad he had such a good father, but then it hurt to lose him, too.

In Darkness We Shall Fight by Haleykim84 (tristen84) for BlackFriar Words: 6,795 Author’s Summary: Shiro and Keith are on a stealth mission that goes wrong. With no back-up and Keith injured, they struggle to get out alive. My Comments: A rollercoaster of a fic, fantastic action and wonderful teamwork and protectiveness between Keith and Shiro. It felt sort of classic, in a way, the OG duo back at it again. Fun and exciting read.

Of Crossing Swords and Crossing Lines by wingedflower for IcyPanther Words: 8,144 Author’s Summary: Written as part of a fic exchange with IcyPanther, following the prompt “shopping trip went wrong”. For the first time in his life, Keith sees something at the space mall that he actually wants. He’s willing to do everything to get it - especially if it involves ignoring Lance, who tries to talk him out of it. Things end up as well as expected. My Comments: A great, fun read with some interpersonal conflict and Lance getting hurt. Always a great combination for fic.

Previously Recced Fics That Updated:

Beacon (43262 words) Shadows of Stars (182291 words) A Dragon in Thy Pocket (10018 words) As Color Fades Away (293755 words) Weekend Guests (16351 words) I'm not the Lance You think I am (79775 words) Back from the Edge (10869 words)

[yessadirichards]

Blues guitar legend Buddy Guy looks back on a special career

NEW YORK

Blues guitar legend Buddy Guy has influenced some of the greatest rock guitarists of all time, including Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Gary Clark Jr. But the factors that led to his inspiration may not have happened if Guy hadn't taken a stand – literally.

“When I came to Chicago, most blues musicians, including Muddy Waters, they all was sitting in a chair playing. And I said, ‘I can’t play like them, but I think I can outdo them. I can stand up and jump off the stage and get some attention,’” Guy recently told The Associated Press.

Jumping around on stage, playing the guitar behind his back, and picking with his teeth brought him lots of attention, especially from an experimental guitarist from Seattle who was recently discharged from the Army named Jimi Hendrix. The future virtuoso not only reinvented the sound of the electric guitar, but he also drew on the showmanship Guy displayed.

“I’m blessed with that because I didn’t know that many people would look at me and feel that way,” the multi-Grammy winning Guy said.

Now the 84-year-old blues great becomes the subject of the latest installment of the PBS biography series “American Masters.” The episode, “Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away," dives into his lengthy career.

Honored and humble about being recognized, Guy says he saw his contemporaries as better guitarists, so he had to find his own style. That came from being inspired by different types of music, ranging from gospel to country — a mix he equates to a Louisiana culinary specialty.

“You can call my guitar playing gumbo, because if you cook a gumbo in Louisiana, you throw every kind of meat you can. And that makes it more delicious than what it was if you just put one meat in it,” he says.

Yet, all of the styles he put into his playing required extreme perseverance. Growing up in the Jim Crow era South and raised in a sharecropping family, Guy became fascinated the first time he saw someone play guitar. But actually having one to put in his hands and play created an obstacle he needed to overcome.

He would try and make his own, including using rubber bands as strings, before increasing his ingenuity to the wire strands from the window screens in the family home. But the ever-dwindling screens came to the attention of his mother. “My mom noticed mosquitoes in the house because something was wrong with the windows.”

He recalls getting his hands on a real guitar during a Christmas celebration when its player took a break to get drunk, providing Guy with some time to figure out how to play what he had seen. His dad eventually bought him a guitar for “a couple of dollars” and he never looked back.

But mastering the instrument was one thing, finding an audience was another. By the time Guy came on the scene, the blues were a struggling art form. There was nothing lucrative about playing music in those days because there wasn’t a crossover to a mainstream audience.

At the time, he says white audiences didn’t have an appetite for the blues, with a few turning up at shows every “once in a while.”

“Nobody was making a decent living off of playing the blues," he says. “It was going from town to town." Sometime he said he just made enough money to make it to the next town.

It was the love of music that kept him and his counterparts playing. But that would soon change in the 1960s with the arrival of a new sound on the airwaves.

“The British,” Guy said succinctly.

More appropriately, he credits the Rolling Stones, whose guitarist Keith Richards and singer Mick Jagger especially admired Guy’s playing and the blues in general.

When the TV variety show “Shindig!” wanted the Stones to appear, Jagger had one condition. “Jagger said I’ll come on the show if you let me bring Muddy Waters. And they say, ‘Who in the hell is that?’ And he said, ‘You mean to tell me you don’t know who Muddy Waters is? We named ourselves after his famous record, ‘Rolling Stone.’"

After that, Guy says the blues exploded.

Riding the wave of Waters, BB King, Otis Rush, and other players, Guy found his own style and became one of the most recognizable blues artists of the Chicago blues sound. In 2005, Clapton and King inducted Guy into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

While Guy saw the blues rise from a personal passion to main influence of the biggest rock bands in history, he said his passion has not changed. “I’m playing my guitar for the life that I’m living in this point and time,” he said.

Nowadays, he’s a man on a mission to keep the blues alive because he said there’s just not enough places for people to hear it. “The blues is not being played or heard on your big radio stations anymore,” Guy said.

Guy says even his son was unaware of his significance as a blues player until he was old enough to go a blues club. “He said, ’Dad, I didn’t know you could do that.' And he’s been a blues player ever since,” Guy said.

[howaminotinthestrokesyet]

Solo Albums, Hiatus, and World War 3: The Rolling Stones in the 1980’s

If there was one decade that the Rolling Stones would just assume skip, then that would be the 1980’s. For the most part, this decade was incredibly unkind to the band causing them to almost break up. Something happened in the 1980’s, which changed the very nature of the band for the worse. The question now arises as to what specifically plagued the Rolling Stones from 1983 to 1989. Looking back, the decade did not start off all that badly. In 1980, they released Emotional Rescue, which hit number one just like every other album they did in the 1970’s. Following that album, they went on a massive tour of America and Europe that was the blueprint for the big stage shows we still see today. A year later, they released Tattoo You, which also went number one. Yet, this did not represent original material, but instead music left over from the previous decade. Unfortunately, cracks were already beginning to appear with the band.

The first cracks begin to appear as they completed the massive tour that supported the Emotional Rescue album. Although, they had one more album to do for their previous record deal, the band signed a new contract with CBS records for $50 million. The deal emerged as the largest in music history at the time. They were to do three albums, but in making the deal with CBS Mick Jagger also negotiated a contract for a solo album for himself. This irritated Keith Richard to no end, even today. He would say in a CBS This Morning interview that Mick was using the Rolling Stones as a way to leave the band. “He wanted his own separate agenda and was riding on the Stones fame to do it.” Things did not escalate until after the release of their next album, Undercover. This emerged as the first album not to go number one in a very long time for the band. The album became merely a moderate success. They changed things up for that album in keeping with the change in music of the 1980’s. The album was unlike anything the Rolling Stones had ever released, which for their diehard fans disappointed them because it seemed to remove the hard rock from the music. This emerged as the Rolling Stones going a bit new wave, but from there on out their albums would be primarily defined as corporate rock. After that album was completed, Keith Richards wanted to do a tour, but Mick refused. For the rest of 1984, Jagger worked on material for his solo album, instead of participating in any tour. She’s the Boss would be released in 1985, which went on to become fairly successful. Around that same time, the Rolling Stones began work on what would become their 1986 release, Dirty Work. Upon its completion, this would forever be known as the band’s worst album. Keith Richards practically wrote the entire thing himself because Mick Jagger had simply checked out completely from the band. As noted previously, they could not even be in the same recording studio together. Jagger would come in to record vocals separately making sure that Keith was no longer there. The only reason the album got done at all was because Ron Wood acted as peacemaker between the two allowing for a very limited amount of communication in order to finish the record. That same year, Mick Jagger appeared at Live Aid with Tina Turner. Not to be outdone, Keith Richards and Ron Wood did a number with Bob Dylan, no less. Yet, the two barely spoke to each other at the concert. In 1986, Dirty Work was finally released, but once again Mick Jagger refused to tour. This time he planned to tour on his own, but also including Rolling Stone songs in his sets. Keith Richards would refer to this time as World War III because of the amount of anger he had towards his singer. In interviews later, Jagger plays it off as if it was nothing because the others had done other projects as well, so it was only fair he got his turn. Yet, the one thing Jagger would never admit or maybe did not realize that by that time with MTV being everywhere going solo was a major threat to the livelihood of any band. Especially a band led by a guy like Mick Jagger. The other aspect to all of it was that Keith Richards’ number one priority in life represented the Rolling Stones. He quit heroin for the Rolling Stones, so Mick’s actions even later gave him very little reason to be in any way sympathetic to his plight. To this day, Mick Jagger will refer to the mid-1980’s as a needed break, but he is the only one that looks upon it that way.

In 1987, Jagger would release a second solo album, as well as go on a tour in support of the album. In a way, he had forced Keith Richards hand to go solo too. The guitarist did so with his band called the X-Pensive Wino’s releasing an album in 1988. The irony was that his album went gold and reached higher on the charts then Jagger’s 1987 album. The one thing that came out of this hiatus emerges in the fact that Mick Jagger learned that he needed the Rolling Stones more than the Rolling Stones actually needed him. Every band member did a solo project during that hiatus, but as noted in a documentary about that time, he was the only one that did not grow musically. The only thing that Jagger did during that time was learn that he could not be the same superstar on a solo record that he was on a Rolling Stones record. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact Keith Richards was no longer writing his music. The band was forever changed now anyway. Years later, Keith Richards would not refer to Mick Jager as a friend, but rather a brother. The sting of writing material not intended for the Rolling Stones still cut him pretty deep more than 20 years later. In his 2010 autobiography Life, Richards would refer to Jagger numerous times throughout the book in a very negative light calling him “unbearable.”

The question now becomes what actually brought the Rolling Stones back together and what circumstances got Mick and Keith talking again, which led to the recording of Steel Wheels. From what I read, there really was not too much to getting Mick and Keith talking again. They seemed very willing to start working together again when they met in Barbados just before the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Keith even accompanied Meg to local disco ‘s, so the ladder could go dancing. I think at the time both of them had been very willing because of a couple of factors. Mick Jagger realized that his solo turn was not going to bring him the epic popularity that he saw in his friend, Michael Jackson. Another part of it was quite plain and simple, money. Without touring, the band did not make the kind of money that they had probably been used to for years. I am sure Keith Richards for the most part definitely felt this way. In contrast, Mick Jagger probably had investments that brought in money, but I just do not think at the time Richards had planned that far ahead. Almost immediately upon meeting up, Jagger and Richards started to produce a bevy of new songs. They were more than ready to start collaborating once again as noticed by the sheer number of songs they came up with in a short period of time in Barbados. The one major hit from that album was “Mixed Emotions,” which had lyrics speaking to their complex relationship over the entire decade. The decision to start recording together again happened just as the band would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Perhaps, the band felt a wave of nostalgia letting bygones be bygones as well. This induction perhaps showed them that they have been together a long time through a lot of ups and downs.

Coming back from hiatus, the band did have a major change. Mick Jagger now ran the entire show, when it came to any tour. This is what Keith had to agree to because earlier in the decade his and Ron Wood’s drinking had come into question. In interviews now, this is largely forgotten as being a factor at all, but at the time it was a fairly big deal. For his part, Jagger wanted a more professional approach to the tour because there was so much money at stake. The band became less of a artistic venture, but more of a commercial one. In an interview, Jagger would think of himself as CEO of a virtual company that would start up every few years with a major tour. Why would Keith Richards agree to give Jagger more control over the band? Once again, the answer was pure and simple, money. He just wanted to tour again, while at the same time making money. And years later, I think Richards would regret giving away this level of control of the band, but at the time he simply preferred not being hassled with business decisions leaving them up to Jagger. In the end, the Steel Wheels tour was larger than any other tour that had ever taken place for any band. They made millions of dollars, which became just the tip of the iceberg as each tour the Stones tours got bigger and bigger. They became a corporation unto themselves, but unfortunately their artistic side began to fade quite a bit. They would make only one more number one album in 1994 with Voodoo Lounge. They were no longer feeling any pressure from the record company to make money from their studio albums because they made so much money from touring. Creatively, the band would never be the same anyway because of the change in the power structure with Jagger and Richards. The singer seemed to take a larger measure of control over everything including the songwriting. Most of their music from then on would take on a quality of corporate rock that embodied the very generic. On albums like Bridges to Babylon and Bigger Bang would get many songs that had all the qualities of a Rolling Stone song, except it simply was not as catchy or hook laden. Perhaps that is a quality that most musicians must go through anyway, when they simply run out of really good ideas. The difference being with the Rolling Stones, it took almost 35 years.

[oldmyths]

hiya drew, what are a couple bands/songs you'd recommend for someone interested in getting into classic rock? I hope you're having a great day

hey anon! this is an extremely loaded question! sdfjdfkgjd (and i’m really flattered you’re askin me, because, omg, it’s an honor)

(under a read more bc i talk too god damn much)

okay. lemme preface this by saying i barely scratch the surface when it comes to classic rock. in fact i just like the “popular” classic rock bands, because i’m a hipster loser (and i grew up on some of this stuff and don’t really have much of an interest venturing further but hey, who knows, maybe i’ll expand my spotify library in due time)

there are people on this website in the CR fandom who are so much better equipped to answer this, but u asked me, and i never really bothered to integrate into the cr fandom anyway because i feel like theyre all cooler than me and i just wanna sit down and listen to like, the same two albums on repeat, but anyway. to answer your question…

it really just depends on what genre you like. what kind of music you want to get into; i can sit here and tell you to listen to pink floyd and go on about their significance but i can’t make you Like them yknow?

so…..i’m just gonna list a few of my favorite songs by the most well-known classic rock bands because, like i said i just kind of barely scratch the surface on the classic rock format as a whole

as some of you may be aware, i am drew “beatlefucker” angelshane (thanks ana) and to get these bug boys out of the way, i’ll give u some song recs from the beatles! (early 1960s to 1970) (genres: rock, pop, psychedelia)

surely you’ve heard of them; if not, they caused a huge uproar across the world called beatlemania. think of like…tumblr, as a planet, and the beatles is the newest, hottest anime of the season, and everybody’s got a huge heart boner for them. because that’s basically what it was.

here are some of their songs that have been in my head for the past few days: drive my car (rubber soul, 1965); eleanor rigby (revolver, 1966); and if i fell (a hard day’s night, 1964)

revolver is the most recent album i’ve listened to, they have more but the next proper Album is sgt. pepper and that feels…like. so much. it’s a Huge Album, both content-wise and…history-wise? anyway, it’s very intimidating for me and i think i want to take my time with it before i rush in

i’m just gonna get led zeppelin (late 1960s to 1980, some reunions sprinkled here and there,) out of the way, now, too. (genres: hard rock, blues rock, folk rock, heavy metal)

let me just say right here: i hate jimmy page. as a person. and i honestly think most of his solos aren’t…that great. but for real, i won’t tolerate any of that ugly shithead on my blog and just because i like LZ doesn’t mean i condone any of the shit he did.

(you’ll notice a trend, especially in the older bands, that controversy is super common. u can’t..really get into classic rock without having to see the darker side of your faves. it sucks, nobody’s perfect, and i don’t agree with separating the artist from the art, but it does get hard to like certain music when you know the shit that happened with certain artists.)

Anyway! that being said, i truthfully only really listen to led zeppelin and led zeppelin ii. some physical graffiti but, eh. So, if you wanted to get into lz, you’re askin the wrong person, is what i’m saying jfkgsdj

here’s my song recs: good times bad times and dazed and confused (led zeppelin, 1968); whole lotta love and ramble on (led zeppelin ii, 1969); kashmir (physical graffiti, 1975)

and honestly the JP thing is why i don’t really listen to LZ much outside of their self titled and lz2. cos like. i just can’t.

QUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN (1970s to…now? personally, if freddie mercury isn’t involved then..is it really queen) (genre: rock)

if you don’t know who queen is, you know who queen is. bohemian rhapsody? of course you know that song. everyone does.

but if you don’t then that’s perfectly ok too. it’s a good song imo. not their Best, but it’s good

i gotta be honest, i listen to singles mostly. i’ve got a lot on my proverbial plate and while i Love freddie mercury (bi king) sometimes i’m just. not in the headspace for queen. they’re good but a certain specific set of circumstances need to happen where i feel aligned with queen music enough to listen to it. also, freddie’s death makes me really sad and if i think about it too hard i’ll get depressed.

here’s my favorite queen songs!!!

brighton rock and killer queen (sheer heart attack, 1974); you’re my best friend (a night at the opera, 1975); somebody to love and GOOD OLD FASHIONED LOVER BOY (a day at the races, 1976); TOO MUCH LOVE WILL KILL YOU (made in heaven, 1996)

honestly..queen is so influential and inspiring and i fucking love freddie mercury so like. those are just a few of my favorites. i could honestly go on forever about it but let’s stop there

now let’s get away from the boys and talk about stevie nicks because she is my mother and i would die in her place given the chance. i love her. I Love Her.

but i mean you’d probably better begin at fleetwood mac (late 1960s to the mid 1990s; late 1990s to …now?) (genres: pop rock, soft rock, blues rock, art pop, british blues)

this is a band i don’t know much about. because there’s apparently so much to know about them, so much inter-band dynamic drama. from what i’ve skimmed. So Much Drama.

i…can’t provide any songs for you, because i dont listen to fleetwood mac and i need to fix this ASAP but i feel like the time isn’t right yet. is that dumb of me to think? probably, but i’m gonna stick by my guns.

you should listen to fleetwood mac and tell me what you think!!!

(yes i included a portion on stevie nicks without giving song recs because i’m awful: listen to edge of seventeen, bella donna, 1981)

okay back to smelly dudes cos that’s all the world fuckin cares about i guess

pink floyd!!! (mid 1960s to mid 1990s, mid 2000s, and early/mid 2010s) (genres: progrock, art rock, psychedelic rock)

i mean i love them but i’m just dipping my toes in the water here. i’ve barely listened to them, but from what i’ve heard they’re very good. VERY politically driven. i cannot stress this enough. they’re the good kind of politics i think though

you’ve most definitely seen the album art for the dark side of the moon. like, you just have. there’s probably no way you couldn’t have. (but if u haven’t thats fine)

here’s some tunes: money (tdsotm, 1973); the wall. just. the wall. if you love concept albums, here you go. listen to the wall.

that’s all i got. pathetic, i know, but i’m workin my way up i promise

here’s where we get into more familiar territory. ..having said that, i don’t really know much about the history of the rolling stones, but a good friend of mine Does and maybe i can pry info out of her. but i won’t bc she’s too cool 4 school and she’s really great

anyway, the rolling stones!!! (early 1960s to like. now i guess) (genres: rock, blues, blues rock, rock and roll)

woof. what can be said about them really. there’s…..almost too much to say. i love them a lot.

Okay when i get into bands, its in my DNA to listen from the very earliest recording i can find (usually on spotify nowadays) so i’ve been sslowly working my way past the baby pebbles albums (mostly covers) to their original work (fun fact did you know john and paul of beatles fame wrote their own music, and when mick and keith of stones fame found out it was In Fact That Easy they began to write their own music too? fascinating.)

ANYWAY here’s some stones songs: gimme shelter and you can’t always get what you want (let it bleed, 1969); angie (goats head soup, 1973); sympathy for the devil (beggars banquet, 1968)

again i am….Slowly inching my way up their discography. snails pace. i’ll get there. (u can ask glimmerkeith on tumblr for stones song recs, bc shes great and knows much more than i do and i would die for jenn)

now here’s a band…….that i’ve rediscovered pretty recently. try, last week.

AC/DC!!!!!!!! (early 1970s to now) (genres: hard rock, blues rock, rock and roll)

this is Very Much Your Dads™ Music. probably. most likely, anyway. but listen: i saw them in concert once and (while it probably…wasnt the best experience for me) i had a fucking Blast. very sad things happened in this band in the last few months.

not recent, but very important, in 1980 their lead singer bon scott died and everyone was sad. then brian johnson came out with his fuckin voice and everyone was like “ok sweet lets get back to rock n’ roll”

so this will be split by scott’s era and the johnson era (heh heh) And, because i’m familiar with this band, i’ll list the album in question and name a few songs off it instead of just naming songs. because yes.

scott:

T.N.T (1975); it’s a long way to the top (if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll); T.N.T; high voltage

dirty deeds done dirt cheap (1976); dirty deeds done dirt cheap (edit: i just realized how much i actually hate this album and only like that song so WHOOPS but i wanna keep the formatting so, yknow)

let there be rock (1977); let there be rock; whole lotta rosie

highway to hell (1979); highway to hell (it just felt really weird, making a reclist of songs by ac/dc and Not including this one)

johnson:

back in black (1980); HELLS BELLS; shoot to thrill; given the dog a bone; back in black; you shook me all night long

for those about to rock we salute you (1981); for those about to rock (we salute you)

the razors edge (1990); thunderstruck

making this list, it hit me how much of bon scott i actually Listen to when i listen to ac/dc dfkjghjdfksdsfj but uh yeah those. are good

AND NOW…FOR THE FUCKIN MOMENT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR

GUNS! AND! ROSES! (mid 1980s to NOW MOTHERFUCKERS!!! THEYRE BACK!!! well, touring at least) (genres: hard rock, heavy metal

arguably my favorite band. subjectively, my favorite classic rock band. objectively? they own a huuuge portion of my heart, and my ass.

so listen up: these two kids from indiana run away to california to get out of fucking indiana, because who wants to stay in indiana, (it’s more like, one gets out, and like a year later the other kid tries to find him in the big mean streets of L.A) and along the way they get shuffled in and out of bands together. they start bands, break up bands, the whole fuckin shebang.

and then a few chance miracles happen and suddenly guns n’ roses is formed in like 1985. my boys? those are my boys.

i’m gonna do what i did w ac/dc and bullet the albums and then i’m gonna talk about the albums because i got SHIT to SAY

appetite for destruction (1987); welcome to the jungle, out ta get me, paradise city, sweet child o’ mine, ROCKET QUEEN

all right so here’s the deal, it was very hard not picking every single song on the album because every single song on the album is fucking perfection. actual gold. there’s no flaws in this album. Nothing. everything is good and perfect and i’m not biased at all

did you know axl rose (one of the boys from indiana) recorded each line individually? so, he sang a line, and then stopped recording, and then started recording the next line because he wanted it to be perfect?

did you know appetite was originally a flop album but after this dude got the guys at MTV to play the music video for Jungle at like 5am, guns n’ roses BLEW THE FUCK UP. Everybody know about them practically overnight. it was surreal and really cool, apparently.

and did you know axl played the synthesizer in paradise city? that’s adorable. i fucking love him.

gn’r lies (1988); patience; used to love her

the first four tracks in this EP are from their very first EP ever recorded - it Sounds like it’s taken from a live show but they dubbed in the audience in post, to make it seem like they had huge crowds attending their shows when in reality that wasn’t the case. (their first ep was released in december 1986, they had loyal fans but the crowd wasn’t that rowdy until after appetite came out)

believe me when i tell you. don’t listen to one in a million. or like, do. but i’m not gonna fight anyone about this. it’s fucked up. i’m not defending axl at all and i actually struggled with liking guns after i listened to it.

but unfortunately here we are and i saw them in concert and i had to deal with some fuckhead in the row behind me and his friend who kept Shouting that they play the song, when nobody on stage could her them, and like. of course they wouldn’t play it today. fuck off man

use your illusion i (1991); right next door to hell; dust n’ bones; perfect crime; november rain; BAD APPLES; COMA

i tried to limit these to five songs an album but i fuckin can’t, anon. illusion1 is just so fucking perfect. i can’t choose between my children. pls forgive me

on dust n’ bones and double talkin’ jive is izzy stradlin doing vocals (the second indiana boy, the one who left indiana first) and he’s regarded as the most unnderrated member in gnr by like everybody. so much so that it’s almost…too much. but like basically he was addicted to drugs and everything and then he sobered up when everyone else in the band was still hooked and he was like “wtf i’m out” and axl was like noooo :(

use your illusion ii (1991); civil war; 14 years; GET IN THE RING; locomotive; estranged; you could be mine

UYI1 and 2 were released on the same day. can you imagine how fuckin wild that day was? gnr fans scrambled to their record stores by the hordes probably.

izzy does vocal work in 14 years and this album was his last contribution to the band

uhhhh this album is also fucking perfect but i get sad listening to it sometimes so i try not to? very emotionally driven work. but like, where UYI1 was mostly passionate and angry-ish based, UYI2 is much more contemplative and uhh. sad. i guess.

“the spaghetti incident?” (1993)

this is a cover album and also the last album to feature my love, my soul, my light, my heart, slash. also duff. i mean i love him probably almost just as much but, yeah. duff actually looks like my cousin’s dad so i can’t really…. um. i feel weird about talking about him kjdfgd

but SLASH my god what a perfect man. i love him more than almost everything.

hey fun fact in between UYI and TSI, guns n’ roses toured with metallica and that tour is when slash, In His Autobiography, said he “lost” axl. his word. he Lost axl.

axl rose is a whole fuckin…..topic for another time, and i’m not gonna get into my own bullshit here, but that’s basically the situation when you listen to TSI. the band is fractured and barely holding together. after TSI, slash and duff leave GNR and axl is the only original member from the band still in it

(of course that opens up a conversation of who was originally in guns n’ roses but that’s another discourse for another time)

CHINESE DEMOCRACY (2008); CHINESE DEMOCRACY; BETTER; THERE WAS A TIME; SORRY; MADAGASCAR; PROSTITUTE

I. FUCKING. LOVE. THIS. ALBUM. MORE THAN I COULD EVER EXPRESS. everyone says it’s “not gnr” of COURSE it isn’t gnr, when YOU think of GNR, you see slash. and like, i love slash? but he didn’t make the band. EVERYONE - axl, izzy, steven, duff, And slash made the band. after steven was kicked, gnr lost a huge part of what made them stand out, what made the band unique.

and like, fuck, i love dizzy. i love all of the new additions. but you cannot. fucking look me in the eyes and tell me you love UYI But you hate CD because it’s “not gnr”. like. fuck you man.

ugh anyway. i just gotta let y’all know my Stance on this. i love chinese democracy. i’ll defend this album with my fucking life. i was really…disappointed when, at my concert, i didn’t hear more CD but like i also saw slash in person (albeit, from far away, but we shared the same arena and that’s. more than i can handle)

i wanna get lyrics from prostitute tattooed on my body.

also like you can’t tell me better and sorry aren’t about slash sorry but that’s just the fuckin tea

Now, listen, this ask got away from me. i didn’t include…SO many bands because, like i said, i just scratch the surface of what classic rock is. my word isn’t law, ok? that bein said, i am always, ALWAYS down to talk about any of the bands here, and others!!! if i know of them. i’m always taking music/song recs, too.

thanks..for reading this stupid answer to your innocent ask sdfkjghsdf

[toyahinterviews]

TOYAH ON THE DOMINIC KING SHOW WITH CHRIS ADDISON BBC RADIO KENT 26.5.2021

CHRIS: I catch up now with musician, actress, TV presenter and film director Toyah Willcox in a career spanning 40 years. She’s had 8 Top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays and ten feature films not even to mention all the TV shows she’s presented. Cherry Red Records have remastered her 1980 album The Blue Meaning which includes a really early version of It’s A Mystery. Toyah! Hello! TOYAH: Hello! Are how are you? CHRIS: I’m really well. You’re looking fabulous! TOYAH: Since lockdown I’ve created a whole new life online and I’m permanently on camera! CHRIS: I’m really enjoying these kind of Sunday sessions with you and Robert – they’ve been amazing! TOYAH: I hope you enjoy them as much as much as we do (laughs) CHRIS: I love the fact that a recent one I saw was Scorpions "Rock Me Like A Hurricane"  and wow! Such choreography going on - right into the camera! TOYAH: (laughs) Well, you know I’m very hungry for the camera. It’s what my job entails me to be CHRIS: But what I love about you is you just go for it! You’re going to go for the full make-up, costumes, they’re all there, you guys are on it

TOYAH: Well, we realise the kitchen is the star of the show, we’d be absolutely misdirected if we thought it was us. The kitchen is the star. I think with so many people in lockdown stuck in their kitchens it’s a pretty great place to do what we do normally on stage and to bring it into the context that here we are We’re in the same place as you and let’s have some rock. As there is such an eternity of great rock songs! I like to think that we can keep going on forever! Show me a camera and I’ll find it. I just work with cameras so it’s a joy. I absolutely love it I love the irony of what we do and especially with the Scorpions because the lyrics was one of the most outrageous lyrics I’ve ever sung especially when you take it out of context from when it was originally written and put it into today. And I have utter respect for these acts but it is very interesting how culturally we are changing so quickly. You re-visit lyrics and you think hmm ... CHRIS: Do you let a song go or do you continue it with a knowledge that we’re in a different place? TOYAH: I think with me I treat the generations that knew me forty years ago with the truth of who I was and what I wrote forty years ago. I keep to that truth. I don’t think there’s anything offensive in my lyrics … I mean with "The Blue Meaning" that’s coming out it’s very much part of kind of  cultural presence of forty years ago. You can’t disguise that, you accept it     I know some artists where the lyrics have been idolising women of a certain type and they’ve changed the lyrics and I encourage them to change the lyrics because I just think it’s totally unacceptable to value and idolise women on one level only, purely as a physical body With me my writing was very very aggressive as a punk rocker. It was beyond feminism. It was confrontational. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately and I’ve decided to stay with it. When we’re performing it on stage it’s just saying this is who I was forty years ago, it’s certainly not who I am today   CHRIS: It’s almost like a time capsule in a way because we obviously all grew up with the music so for us it’s a part of our shared memory

TOYAH: Absolutely. My first album "Sheep Farming In Barnet" is an absolute joy and I actually think today it’s so present in the zeitgeist of today. "The Blue Meaning", which critics are very kindly saying is the kind of embryonic beginnings of goth, I think really firmly belongs in 1980. Where as "Anthem" (1981) which is coming out at Christmas, being reissued, I think again will sit well today   And it’s just to do with what I, as a woman, was up against forty year ago. I was the only female on the team, we were touring a country that was a terror with the Yorkshire Ripper, I wasn’t allowed to walk alone anywhere on any street around the UK and you know - that affects you creatively. When I listen to "The Blue Meaning" and hear and see something that is groundbreaking but also I just think people need to know that belongs forty years ago CHRIS: The album as you mentioned, "The Blue Meaning", out on the 28th of May and of course on there "It’s A Mystery", an original version. Is that right - it was with Blood Donor? TOYAH: Yes! Wonderful wonderful experimental synthesiser band Blood Donor and Keith Hale, who is the key creator of Blood Donor, also was one of the producers with Steve James on "Sheep Farming In Barnet". Steve James produced  "The Blue Meaning" with a pink vinyl (the 2021 reissue) and Keith Hale submitted a song called "It’s A Mystery" which the record company liked But "It’s A Mystery" at that time was something like a twelve minute intro vocal and then another twelve minute instrumental. So Keith and I rearranged it into an actual song and I wrote the lyrics for the second verse. And that of course went onto "Anthem" and became a massive hit      

CHRIS: Incredible. I’ve enjoyed having you in the studio with us for the Kent Sessions (May 2019) and it’s been really great having you perform and I know with our friend Chris Wong, your guitarist, just a lovely experience. It was such an intimate space, wasn’t it? It almost felt, when we brought some of the team down - when we could actually have a group of people in the same room … It was just chill out session it felt  - TOYAH: Yes, I remember, you had ten people in the room that sounded like 200 (Chris laughs) They were working very hard indeed. What’s lovely, with any song, if it works acoustically you know it’s a good song       CHRIS: Yeah   TOYAH: And songs do tend to hold out acoustically really well and for me it’s a great way of learning even more about the song. It really informs me as a performer CHRIS: You mentioned "The Blue Meaning" – that’s (on the cover of the album) Wykehurst Place in Sussex, isn’t it? So gothic TOYAH: Very gothic and very unusual at the time to use it in a photo shoot. I’m tied to the opening gates and my band are all in the windows. Then this (the back cover, below) is an iconic shot by Gered Mankowitz. I absolutely adore it. Gered photographs everyone from Freddie Mercury to Mick Jagger   right through to Blondie, Patti Smith And this is, as you say, coming out and it’s coming out on pink vinyl in celebration of my hair which I think is wonderful. Everyone loves vinyl. It’s tactile, it’s artistic, it allows people to feel that they own the music. They own the moment. Vinyl is incredibly popular  

CHRIS: Toyah, one of the loves I know looking back at certain parts of the career and a stones throw away from where I’m speaking to you now is Derek Jarman’s cottage, Prospect Cottage in Dungeness. What kind of impact as a film maker did he have with you? TOYAH: With me it was huge. I did my first ever movie with Derek Jarman and was "Jubilee" (below). At the moment there’s a movie being made about about The Sex Pistols where Jordan, who was a part manager of The Sex Pistols and Adam And The Ants - she features heavily in this movie. Jordan was the star of Jubilee alongside me, Jenny Runacre, Little Nell from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"   Derek Jarman was someone that never compromised and he was always struggling for money. I remember with "Jubilee" it was made for £360 000 which is extraordinary because I made a cult hit (the film "Aaaaaaaah!") four years ago with Steve Oram for £20 000 and I’ve just shot and directed ten videos for my new album "Posh Pop" for £5000 ... so technology is shrinking budgets in a good way But Derek made "Jubilee" for £360 000 and it was a struggle. I remember we lived of sandwiches and water but he was a wonderful wonderful man to work with and what I loved about him he never compromised the picture for anything. John Marbury was the set builder, it was an astonishing artistic experience and then I went onto make "The Tempest" with Heathcote Williams playing Prospero and I was playing Miranda And again just saw Derek grow. Each movie he grew as an artist. And he was a visual artist as well as a physical artist. He designed sets for Ken Russel, he did the sets for the movie called "The Devils". He was a hands-on artist who influenced me incredibly

CHRIS: I walked into his cottage the first time when the art creative of Folkestone (Creative Folkestone) had got hold of the property and walking into that space, which I’d never been in because as a local I’d always seen it and as a kid we used to do art sitting in that space and you know I never got the chance and I know sometimes people talk about this but you felt that the sprit of Derek was there in the walls, in the floor, in the seats - TOYAH: In the garden - CHRIS: In the garden, obviously, so it was kind of an amazing experience and I know you’re talking about - Danny Boyle has been doing lots of filming locally, Folkestone and in the area to bring that together as well. You talked about a new album and the last 48 hours I guess you’ve been putting that together before chatting to me? TOYAH: Yes, I started the album in lockdown, it involved myself, my co-writer and producer Simon Darlow and my husband regularly testing so we could all be together. We finished recording the album a month ago, all the artwork’s being done, I’ve directed and shot ten videos that will be released alongside the album and that was all done in lockdown but you wouldn’t guess. We finished the mixing probably an hour ago. It’s a deliciously beautiful album called "Posh Pop"   And because of the experience we all had in lockdown and the increased communication with humanity and compassion towards humanity in this exceptional past 12 months I think this is one of my most connecting albums I have ever done in my entire career CHRIS: Wow! When do you think it will be out? TOYAH: The first single "Levitate" comes out on the 26th of June. We will be releasing singles every two weeks. The album is available on the 27th of August and that will be available in vinyl and in CD format and then just before Christmas you can buy all three of those formats along with the DVD of all the videos CHRIS: Toyah, it’s always brilliant talking to you. Thanks so much for being with me on the show tonight and reconnecting with all the music that you’re making and such great videos! People should go and watch you and Robert together! Brilliant! TOYAH: And I will be in your area gigging. I’m doing Let’s Rock Kent … I believe (laughs) … There’s so much going on! And I’m in St Mary’s (Magdalene Church) in Cobham (2.12.2021) so we are coming down to your area to play 

[oltnews]

is(Screenshot ) The Rolling Stones occur remotely as part of Global Citizen's "One World Together At Home" concert on April 18. If there cannot be visits from Coachella and Bonnaroo, the arena or the stadium Rolling Stones, Billie Eilish, Elton John or Taylor Swift among many others others or really live performances in person whatsoever during this cursed pandemic of COVID-19, Global Citizen tonight "One world: together at The home concert was a much-needed respite from the shortage of live entertainment and endless quarantine. Organized in part by Lady Gaga, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert and broadcast by their respective networks (NBC, ABC and CBS), as well as broadcast on a myriad of social media and streaming platforms and broadcast in over 175 countries, the The two-hour show presented impressive performances and mainly unique songs from some of the greatest musicians on the planet in the name of supporting frontline healthcare workers and the world. World Health Organization raising approximately $ 127 million for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, according to Global Citizen.In addition to the aforementioned stadium and arena fillers at McCartney, Eilish, the Stones, Elton, Gaga and Swift, there were also Lizzo, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Eddie Vedder, Andrea Bocelli, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello , Billie Joe Armstrong, Kacey Musgraves, Maluma, Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Sam Smith, Burna Boy and Chris Martin, among others. Famous level A artists and speakers have given many thanks to the heroic health workers and other frontline workers who in this crisis put themselves in danger for the sake of others. Most had no choice but to reduce their recorded performance their houses or studios and most often solo. But at such high levels of talent and musicality, these performances for the most part betrayed betrayed exactly why these artists achieved superstar status. Although the sounds and the images were of varying quality, and most were pre-recorded and not broadcast live, these artists mostly transcended the limits of format and overall, production was solid. The event could have used more hip-hop, country, hard rock, jazz and electronic fixtures; a few could be seen on the previous six-hour "One World At Home" stream, but not enough were featured on this pop-heavy show.Sir Paul McCartneyThat said, seeing Sir Paul McCartney anywhere anytime is thrilling - but playing an organ in what looked like a windowless studio for forty or so offered a jolt of excitement. Here he made a looser, bluesier interpretation of "Lady Madonna," which he introduced, noting that his "mother Mary was a nurse and midwife during and just after World War II." What he said gave him great respect for the "doctors, nurses and other medical personnel who keep us healthy." During his performance, photos of health care workers whose photographs appeared poignantly next to him.Stevie Wonder's tribute to his late friend Bill Withers playing "Lean On Me" before embarking on his own ballad "Love needs love today", as so many representations of the night had a particular meaning and resonance for today. Likewise, Lizzo's inspired choice of "A Change is Gonna Come", a song Sam Cooke turned into a civil rights anthem took on a whole new meanings with lines like "now I know I'm able to continue", and "it's it's been a long time since his powerful voice reached an incredibly high sound Notes.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vgfBJhlEEo[/embed]The Stones may have had the best performance of the evening, with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts interprets "You can't always get what you want" separately, but re-combined one by one on a screen divided into four quadrants. Jagger, the 76-year-old spark plug, pranced with strap-on acoustics; Richards was seated fairly elegantly on his sofa riding on an acoustic; Wood played on a balcony with his Stratocaster; and Watts apparently playing a crate in his living room but hitting inanimate objects like a chair that apparently made no noise and betrayed prerecorded drums. The a cappella score in the middle of the song and the subsequent crescendo of that night have been transformed into a perfect unique family room. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7pZgQepXfA[/embed]Billie Eilish, who was the youngest superstar in the series at 18, was joined by his brother Finneas on the organ and sang a cover of Bobby Hebb. awesome classic of the soul of 1966 "Sunny". She introduced the song saying, "It always warmed my heart and it made me feel good and I wanted to make you guys feel good. "The beautifully pure sound of Eilish and the slower song the tempo made the song more jazzy than the original. The organ, however, was mixed a bit strong dominating the mix. Its postponed arena tour will easily be one of the biggest tours when we are operational again.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJuHn8JzhP0[/embed]The exquisite version of Eddie Vedder from "River Cross" by Gigaton, The new release of Pearl Jam in 2020, featured the leader of Pearl Jam on a classic pedal pump organ from what appeared to be his candlelit studio with a nearby drum kit and other instruments. The song was recorded using an organ from the 1850s, which could be the same instrument used in this hot performance.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvRuZIyV1Eo[/embed]In addition to the classic covers of Eilish and Wonder, the night seemed to have a predisposition for classic songs. This included: “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King, which John Legend and Sam Smith played beautifully; Lady Gaga interpreted Charlie Chaplin's "Smile song", which Nat King Cole then popularized; the somewhat cursed "People" sung by J. Lo, which Barbara Streisand made famous; "Higher Love" by Steve Winwood, which Keith Urban impressively replicated three times before signing with his children and wife Nicole Kidman; and "What A Wonderful World" by Nat King Cole, performed by the royal pop couple Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxj4y9c9KiA[/embed]Between performances, there were tributes and gratitude, often by huge celebrities, to those who worked on the front lines for others, including healthcare workers, teachers, delivery people, grocers, police and firefighters and citizens around the world making sacrifices for the greater good. This included praise from Oprah Winfrey, first ladies Barbara Bush and Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Usher, LL Cool J, David and Victoria Beckham, Ellen DeGeneris, Shah Rukh Khan, Alicia Keys, Bill and Melinda Gates, Awkwafina, Priyanka Chopra , Pharrell, Idris and Sabrina Elba and Kerry Washington among others. BeyonceAfter thanking the many heroes, Beyoncé, then Alicia Keys, took note of the disproportionate deaths of COVID-19 in minority communities. Having pointed out that minorities make up a large number of the deliverers, letter carriers and sanitation workers, Beyoncé said, "This virus is killing black people at an alarming rate here in America. A recent report from my hometown, Houston, Texas, showed that for deaths from COVID-19 within the city limits of Houston, 57% of the fatal cases are African Americans. Please protect yourself, we are one family and we need you and we need your voices, abilities and strength all over the world. " Although the show avoided partisan politics, most artists called for improving the health care system for everyone while seeking to raise money for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Organization Health, a global agency of the United Nations, President Trump, was controversial last week. . The show's finale featured a lush rendition of "The Prayer" directed by Céline Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Lady Gaga, John Legend with virtuoso pianist Lang Lang. The song was originally recorded by Dion and Bocelli for the film "Quest for Camelot "and won both the Academy and a Grammy Awards.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYJCYr1I-Sk[/embed]Picture ThisEarlier today, a six-hour warm-up kind of broadcast on social media and streaming platforms and was part of this extremely ambitious concert, One World: Together at Home. ” The show mainly featured non-superstar musicians (although there are some like John Legend) and sometimes lower production values, the ability to hear incredible performances by rarely seen artists was excellent. For the last two or three hours I have seen it, the stomping Irish rock band Picture This has made their new single "Troublemaker;" Another highlight was Black Coffe and Delilah Montage on the pop point "Drive" dance floor; Zucchero's excellent interpretation of "Everyone has to learn for a while;" a reduced Killers by making a phenomenal version of "Mr. Sparkling Eyes;" Finneas doing a great performance of "Let us fall in love with the night" (it really is Billie Eilish's not-so-secret sauce), Christine & the Queens presenting her central voice on "People I’ve Been Sad;" Australia's Delta Goodrem makes a fantastic version of "Together, we are one," "Adam Lambert's exaggerated version of" Superpower "was something to behold; and Kesha's powerful interpretation of" Praying "took it all. on another level. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHcWhT34ufA[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIxsfBI9oSQ[/embed]While none of these performances over an eight hour period (!) Can ever match the experience and the thrill of seeing one of these artists live or be at a festival, if one is to be put in quarantine "One World: Together At The home concert was not at all a bad way to go. (function (d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.4"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); (function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.12'; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); https://oltnews.com/paul-mccartney-stevie-wonder-rolling-stones-and-billie-eilish-in-the-concert-one-world-together-at-home-by-the-citizen-of-the-world-star-pollstar?_unique_id=5e9f82ec9748b

[newagesispage]

                                                              JUNE       2018

 PAGE RIB

 ***** Childish Gambino has the song of the summer with the brilliant ‘This is America’.  I am so reminded of Jean Luc Goddard and also the Talking Heads when I watch the video and yet it is so on point today. . Donald Glover is the star of the year with the fab season of Atlanta. The coat of many colors with the FUBU shirt episode was a beautiful reminder of thy child, thy self. The turn as host and musical guest on SNL was a triumph, best show of the season. His role in Ron Howard’s movie, Solo will only make him burn brighter!!

***** Arrested Development came back for season 5. We have wonderful things in there from seasons past to make us smile and new catchphrases to carry on in the future. This is just the first half of the season and the binge went by fast. We will have to be content with great new Arrested memories like APB (ah, poor Buster), hour mouth, peanut pockets, trophy cobbler, break up cactus, will he won’t he  and Strum! I laugh just thinking about them. I was particularly fond of the Howard family get together, Rance Howard was a national treasure. I was thrilled to see Kyle Mooney in the mix.

***** Days alert: I saw it coming.. Mexico?? Of course, Teresa had to be back.. Hooray!! ..It is time for Sonny’s new lover to go…. It is also time for John and Paul to get Shane and go get Chloe.. well, they did not get Shane but they got her. That was fast!!… Is Abby pregnant by Stefan??**We’ll miss ya Joseph Campanella.

***** Goodbye to The Americans!! Oh how I will miss ya.

***** Benedict Cumberbatch and Jennifer Jason Leigh have given us Patrick Melrose.

***** Well, Roseanne tweeted her racist rhetoric and got her show booted off ABC. If it can bring down Roseanne, we still may see it take down the President. It will cost the network plenty ( like 60 mil not counting the rerun revenue). Reruns were yanked by CMT, Paramount and TV Land. She was also dropped by her talent agency ICM partners. She blamed Ambien but the company issued a statement explaining that racism is not a side effect of Ambien.  I feel bad for the rest of the cast and crew but bye bye Roseanne!

***** I am hearing good things about Robin, the Robin Williams doc from Dave Itzkoff.

***** Ric Ocasek has separated from Paulina Porizkova.

***** What is this NFL no kneeling bullshit? I get that it is a business and we all have to adhere to our employer’s rules but it is very sad. How is that silent peaceful protest hurting anyone? Who needs football anyway? C’mon, America, no more football!! Some believe free speech is only for them.

***** The latest accused of sexual misconduct: Morgan Freeman** Weinstein has been indicted!!!!!

***** New money got its chance to buy a piece of old money at the Rockefeller auction at Christie’s. The private collection broke records with a take of $832 million which will go to charity.

***** TV cancelled shows all over the place. The list includes Designated Survivor, Kevin Can Wait, Scorpion, 9JKL, Alex Inc., Deception, Taken, Rise, Great News, Me Myself and I, Quantico, The Mayor and The Exorcist. Last Man Standing will move to Fox, Project Runway will move to Bravo and Brooklyn 99 will move to NBC. There should be more of this moving.. C’mon somebody take Last man on Earth and Me , Myself and I. LA to Vegas is on the bubble, please keep that one going.

***** The podcast Cocaine and Rhinestones with Tyler Mahan Coe sounds interesting.

***** Sears has not made a profit since 2010. They are closing hundreds more stores this year.

***** Who do you think you are? Is back with Molly Shannon, Jean Smart, Jon Cryer, Hillary Duff, Megan Mullally and Laverne Cox.

***** Can’t wait to see the new doc  The gospel according to Andre’ about Andre’ Leon Talley.

***** Black Rhinos have returned to Chad. Fifty years ago poaching had wiped them out.

***** Lung cancer is a trend with more women than men being diagnosed. It has become more common than breast or ovarian cancer.

***** The interior department wants to end the ban on hunting black bears, wolves and coyotes and their young.

***** Before the 2016 election the FBI had a codename for their Russian interference investigation: Crossfire Hurricane. The Stones have a little touch on everything.

***** Oliver North is the new face of the NRA.

***** Word is that over a 30 year period, there have been 27 complaints against Charlie Rose.. Ugh!** The Kennedy Center Honors has rescinded the Honors award and the Mark Twain prize from Bill Cosby.

***** Iowa has made the strictest abortion laws. They want no abortions once the heartbeat can be detected. The American civil liberties union and Planned Parenthood have filed complaints.

***** Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The press was telling us that 2 people fell in love and we all showed up. This actually did seem to bring people together. Harry and Meghan are 17th cousins.

***** Great to see Joel Mchale back to his green screen zaniness. It seems like old times on Netflix and with a little help from Jim Rash and Alison Brie.

***** There seems to have been some shading from the government on the actual death toll in Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria has an official tally of 64 dead but estimates are saying that it could be 70 times higher. Most deaths happened after the actual threat and could have been prevented. How many people have to suffer or die before we get these clowns out of office?

***** Scary clown is in the habit of pardoning whoever he pleases. Why the hell would anybdy want to pardon Rod Blagojevich?

***** The 71st Cannes film fest has honored Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters.

***** The Boys in the Band has been restaged starring Tuc Watkins, Zachary Quinto and Jim Parsons.

***** It seems the Black Cube operatives who worked for Weinstein have been trying to get dirt on former Obama administration officials and their spouses. Guess who set that in motion?

***** Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield say that policies advocated by the Trump administration and the repeal of Obama care would raise their rates up to 64%.

***** The Met gala had some fab fashion with a theme of Heavenly bodies/Catholic imagination. The best dressed according to me were Lily Collins, Zoe Kravitz, Frances McDormand, Mindy Kaling, Rosie Huntington Whitely, Arianna Grande, Amal Clooney, Gigi Hadid, Rita Ora, Donatella, JLo, Tiffany Haddish, Scarlett Johansen, Janelle Monae, Blake Lively, Gabrielle Union, Liu Wen, Sienna Miller, Emilia Clark, Miley Cyrus, Virgil Abloh, Emily Ratajkowski, Stephen Colbert, Cynthia Erivo, Mary J. Blige, Trevor Noah, Michelle Williams, Lena Waithe, Alek Wek and Jasmine snders. The worst dressed to me were Katy Perry, Kris Jenner, Anne Hathaway, Selena Gomez, Claire Danes, Sarah Paulson, Ariana Rockefellar, Greta Gerwig, Tracee Ellis Ross and Helen Lasichanh. 2Chainz proposed again to Nakesha Ward at the ball.

***** The new slogan from our first lady: Be Best

***** Are Emma Stone and Justin Theroux a thing?

***** Trump has withdrawn from the Iran deal.

***** Buddy Guy has a new cd with help from Jeff Beck, James Bay and Mick and Keith. Buddy id also a guest on Letterman’s My next guest needs no introduction.

***** There are 11 investigations into Scott Pruitt.

***** The ins and outs at the White House: Ty Cobb is out and Emmet Flood is in.

***** The Tony nominations are out with Mean Girls, Sponge Bob square pants, Angels in America, The Band’s visit, Carousel, My Fair Lady and Harry Potter and the cursed child leading the pack.

***** John McCain has a memoir and will retire soon. He and his family are also riding out the heartless comments that came from the White House who seem pleased that he may die sooner rather than later.

***** It’s stripe season. I have never seen people wear so many stripes.

***** R.I.P. Allan D. Smith,  Anne V. Coates, Scott Hutchison, Big T, Kristin Harmon Nelson, Peter Mayer, Margot Kidder, Clint Walker, Patricia Morison, Philip Roth, Tom Wolfe, John Bain, Joseph Campanella and Paul Bloch.

[oltnews]

is(Screenshot ) The Rolling Stones occur remotely as part of Global Citizen's "One World Together At Home" concert on April 18. If there cannot be visits from Coachella and Bonnaroo, the arena or the stadium Rolling Stones, Billie Eilish, Elton John or Taylor Swift among many others others or really live performances in person whatsoever during this cursed pandemic of COVID-19, Global Citizen tonight "One world: together at The home concert was a much-needed respite from the shortage of live entertainment and endless quarantine. Organized in part by Lady Gaga, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert and broadcast by their respective networks (NBC, ABC and CBS), as well as broadcast on a myriad of social media and streaming platforms and broadcast in over 175 countries, the The two-hour show presented impressive performances and mainly unique songs from some of the greatest musicians on the planet in the name of supporting frontline healthcare workers and the world. World Health Organization raising approximately $ 127 million for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, according to Global Citizen.In addition to the aforementioned stadium and arena fillers at McCartney, Eilish, the Stones, Elton, Gaga and Swift, there were also Lizzo, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Eddie Vedder, Andrea Bocelli, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello , Billie Joe Armstrong, Kacey Musgraves, Maluma, Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Sam Smith, Burna Boy and Chris Martin, among others. Famous level A artists and speakers have given many thanks to the heroic health workers and other frontline workers who in this crisis put themselves in danger for the sake of others. Most had no choice but to reduce their recorded performance their houses or studios and most often solo. But at such high levels of talent and musicality, these performances for the most part betrayed betrayed exactly why these artists achieved superstar status. Although the sounds and the images were of varying quality, and most were pre-recorded and not broadcast live, these artists mostly transcended the limits of format and overall, production was solid. The event could have used more hip-hop, country, hard rock, jazz and electronic fixtures; a few could be seen on the previous six-hour "One World At Home" stream, but not enough were featured on this pop-heavy show.Sir Paul McCartneyThat said, seeing Sir Paul McCartney anywhere anytime is thrilling - but playing an organ in what looked like a windowless studio for forty or so offered a jolt of excitement. Here he made a looser, bluesier interpretation of "Lady Madonna," which he introduced, noting that his "mother Mary was a nurse and midwife during and just after World War II." What he said gave him great respect for the "doctors, nurses and other medical personnel who keep us healthy." During his performance, photos of health care workers whose photographs appeared poignantly next to him.Stevie Wonder's tribute to his late friend Bill Withers playing "Lean On Me" before embarking on his own ballad "Love needs love today", as so many representations of the night had a particular meaning and resonance for today. Likewise, Lizzo's inspired choice of "A Change is Gonna Come", a song Sam Cooke turned into a civil rights anthem took on a whole new meanings with lines like "now I know I'm able to continue", and "it's it's been a long time since his powerful voice reached an incredibly high sound Notes.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vgfBJhlEEo[/embed]The Stones may have had the best performance of the evening, with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts interprets "You can't always get what you want" separately, but re-combined one by one on a screen divided into four quadrants. Jagger, the 76-year-old spark plug, pranced with strap-on acoustics; Richards was seated fairly elegantly on his sofa riding on an acoustic; Wood played on a balcony with his Stratocaster; and Watts apparently playing a crate in his living room but hitting inanimate objects like a chair that apparently made no noise and betrayed prerecorded drums. The a cappella score in the middle of the song and the subsequent crescendo of that night have been transformed into a perfect unique family room. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7pZgQepXfA[/embed]Billie Eilish, who was the youngest superstar in the series at 18, was joined by his brother Finneas on the organ and sang a cover of Bobby Hebb. awesome classic of the soul of 1966 "Sunny". She introduced the song saying, "It always warmed my heart and it made me feel good and I wanted to make you guys feel good. "The beautifully pure sound of Eilish and the slower song the tempo made the song more jazzy than the original. The organ, however, was mixed a bit strong dominating the mix. Its postponed arena tour will easily be one of the biggest tours when we are operational again.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJuHn8JzhP0[/embed]The exquisite version of Eddie Vedder from "River Cross" by Gigaton, The new release of Pearl Jam in 2020, featured the leader of Pearl Jam on a classic pedal pump organ from what appeared to be his candlelit studio with a nearby drum kit and other instruments. The song was recorded using an organ from the 1850s, which could be the same instrument used in this hot performance.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvRuZIyV1Eo[/embed]In addition to the classic covers of Eilish and Wonder, the night seemed to have a predisposition for classic songs. This included: “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King, which John Legend and Sam Smith played beautifully; Lady Gaga interpreted Charlie Chaplin's "Smile song", which Nat King Cole then popularized; the somewhat cursed "People" sung by J. Lo, which Barbara Streisand made famous; "Higher Love" by Steve Winwood, which Keith Urban impressively replicated three times before signing with his children and wife Nicole Kidman; and "What A Wonderful World" by Nat King Cole, performed by the royal pop couple Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxj4y9c9KiA[/embed]Between performances, there were tributes and gratitude, often by huge celebrities, to those who worked on the front lines for others, including healthcare workers, teachers, delivery people, grocers, police and firefighters and citizens around the world making sacrifices for the greater good. This included praise from Oprah Winfrey, first ladies Barbara Bush and Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Usher, LL Cool J, David and Victoria Beckham, Ellen DeGeneris, Shah Rukh Khan, Alicia Keys, Bill and Melinda Gates, Awkwafina, Priyanka Chopra , Pharrell, Idris and Sabrina Elba and Kerry Washington among others. BeyonceAfter thanking the many heroes, Beyoncé, then Alicia Keys, took note of the disproportionate deaths of COVID-19 in minority communities. Having pointed out that minorities make up a large number of the deliverers, letter carriers and sanitation workers, Beyoncé said, "This virus is killing black people at an alarming rate here in America. A recent report from my hometown, Houston, Texas, showed that for deaths from COVID-19 within the city limits of Houston, 57% of the fatal cases are African Americans. Please protect yourself, we are one family and we need you and we need your voices, abilities and strength all over the world. " Although the show avoided partisan politics, most artists called for improving the health care system for everyone while seeking to raise money for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Organization Health, a global agency of the United Nations, President Trump, was controversial last week. . The show's finale featured a lush rendition of "The Prayer" directed by Céline Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Lady Gaga, John Legend with virtuoso pianist Lang Lang. The song was originally recorded by Dion and Bocelli for the film "Quest for Camelot "and won both the Academy and a Grammy Awards.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYJCYr1I-Sk[/embed]Picture ThisEarlier today, a six-hour warm-up kind of broadcast on social media and streaming platforms and was part of this extremely ambitious concert, One World: Together at Home. ” The show mainly featured non-superstar musicians (although there are some like John Legend) and sometimes lower production values, the ability to hear incredible performances by rarely seen artists was excellent. For the last two or three hours I have seen it, the stomping Irish rock band Picture This has made their new single "Troublemaker;" Another highlight was Black Coffe and Delilah Montage on the pop point "Drive" dance floor; Zucchero's excellent interpretation of "Everyone has to learn for a while;" a reduced Killers by making a phenomenal version of "Mr. Sparkling Eyes;" Finneas doing a great performance of "Let us fall in love with the night" (it really is Billie Eilish's not-so-secret sauce), Christine & the Queens presenting her central voice on "People I’ve Been Sad;" Australia's Delta Goodrem makes a fantastic version of "Together, we are one," "Adam Lambert's exaggerated version of" Superpower "was something to behold; and Kesha's powerful interpretation of" Praying "took it all. on another level. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHcWhT34ufA[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIxsfBI9oSQ[/embed]While none of these performances over an eight hour period (!) Can ever match the experience and the thrill of seeing one of these artists live or be at a festival, if one is to be put in quarantine "One World: Together At The home concert was not at all a bad way to go. (function (d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.4"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); (function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.12'; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); https://oltnews.com/paul-mccartney-stevie-wonder-rolling-stones-and-billie-eilish-among-the-performances-of-a-star-one-world-citizen-one-world-together-at-home-pollstar?_unique_id=5e9ea21334551