#championing the band for four decades

[love-strikes-thrice]

So I was touring my local county fairgrounds with my mother yesterday, as one does when one lives in rural Minnesota.

We were admiring all of the entries into the various competitions (vegetables, herbs, fiber arts, baking, jams, etc cetera).

I was bemoaning my terrible showing in the fine arts category (yes I know I went up a bracket, and now I'm up against people four decades older than me, and the bundle of red ribbons I won did contain some blues, and I did get two Reserve Champion ribbons, so I can't feel too bad, but oof I really could have used the prize money this year), and my mom was taking her time in the garden section.

Now, my mom is an amazing "amateur" gardener. She's been gardening and gardening well for almost her entire life, she has flower and vegetable beds all around our house, she was the President of our local garden club for years and only stepped down because she was too busy to run it, and last year she led our entire family in turning our front lawn into a native garden.

Normally, she enters a TON of flowers into the fair, not to mention vegetables, preserves, herbs, and sewing. But this year, for the first time in my memory, she didn't enter anything. In fact, I was the only one in our family that did.

It was an odd experience, but not as odd as the experience that prompted me to tell this story.

So my mom is someone who takes her time while looking at things. She stops, admires, contemplates, critiques, all that good stuff. So I'm used to her taking a Really Long Time looking at flowers.

But after a while, it seems like she's taking longer than usual. I wander over to where she is perusing the snapdragon entries and notice she is taking pictures of some of the plants.

So I sidle up and say "Perusing the competition?"

And she says, "Oh, no, A [one of her friends from the garden club] asked me to send her pictures of her ribbons."

I, who have already skimmed this whole section, and know that A has turned in dozens of entries, realize this is going to take a lot longer than I thought.

So I buckle in for some mild boredom and prepare myself to appreciate flowers for the next hour.

But then, my mom looks to the next entry of A's, and notices the blue ribbon attached, and says,

"Oh, good girl, A!"

My brain scratches to a halt. I can't believe what has just come out of my middle-aged white suburban mother's mouth. But I shake it off. I don't say anything. I think to myself, "surely, it was a fluke. A one-off, not-thought-out comment. My mother has no idea the connotations of that word that the Internet has given me. I'm just going to forget this and move on."

But then she looks at the next of A's entries.

It's a blue ribbon.

And she says it again.

I'm sweating now. "There's no way," I think, "I've literally never heard her say that phrase to a human being before. I have to be imagining this. A isn't even here to hear this! It has to be a coincidence, it won't happen again."

But then my mother turns to the next flower.

It's one of A's.

It has a blue ribbon.

"Good girl."

I'm losing my mind now. It's a battle to keep a straight face. What am I supposed to do? I can't explain praise kinks to my prudish white middle-class mother in the middle of this public building. It wouldn't be so bad if she just said it normally, but she wasn't saying it normally. She was crooning it.

And I was the only witness. My brother and dad, who were supposed to be there with us, had gotten bored ages ago and left to go listen to the country/classic rock cover band that was serenading fairgoers outside the building. There was no one to commiserate with, and certainly no one to save me from this frankly bizarre situation.

So I buckled in.

And listened to my mother.

Say "Good Girl"

To her absentee garden club friend

(who is very nearly a senior citizen)

Twenty

Four

Times.

[heroesspirit]

FANFICTION MASTER POST

You can find me on AO3 at meatjuice. My fics are all available under the readmore cut.

LONG FICS

Brothers in Blood and Spirit: (5/?) POVs: Eras, Legend, Wind.

Summary: Every hero has their weakness. For the captain, it’s his brothers. He will do anything to protect his brothers of the present, just as he did with his brother in the past. (Note: a good look into Eras’ past, this is an au where everything is the same except he has a little brother.)

The Nebula Brigade: (9/?) POVs: Twilight, Eras, Time.

Summary: The Hyrule Empire has reigned supreme for decades, gradually taking over countless planets in the solar system. The only thing standing between the Empire and complete control over the galaxy is a band of rebels. One exiled rebel encounters an Empire soldier and decides to spare his life, and he soon discovers the soldier may play a key role in bringing the Empire down. Despite all odds against them, they work together to bring peace back to the galaxy. (Note: Space au!)

Raise the Red Sails: (1/?) POVs: Spirit, Ravio, Twilight, Eras.

Summary: Hyrule has sent the Royal Navy after mysterious artifacts to uncover the location of the Triforce. Only with this power will they be able to put an end to the evils plaguing their land. The only thing that stands in their way is a band of pirates who seek the same goal of obtaining the Triforce for themselves. Only one group will emerge victorious. Or so they assume. (Note: I watched Our Flag Means Death and naturally had to make a pirate au.)

ONE SHOTS

Snow Day Off: (1143 words) POV: Four

Summary: Link experiences his first time making a snowman. (Note: for the HS Server’s December 2023 prompt ‘Snowed in’.

Fall From Grace: (1535 words) POV: Eras

Summary: Long hair is the sign of a fierce and skilled knight. To have one’s hair cut off by an opponent is the ultimate sign of defeat. To have one cut off their own hair is the ultimate sign of shame. (Notes: canon scene five years prior to the start of HS)

Lost Loftwing: (2207 words) POV: Sky

“Stand down,” Sky ordered with what little authority he could muster. He wasn’t used to that tone, he wasn’t fond of ordering people around. He was even less fond of people trying to kidnap and hurt his loftwing.

ONE SHOTS, BUT YEEHAW

It’s a Date: (919 words) POV: Eras

Summary: A sparring session turns into an admitting your feelings session.

A Horse by Any Other Name: (1531 words) POV: Eras

Summary: Sometimes the bond between a man and his borrowed horse can be so personal.

Dreams and Fireside Chats: (1788 words) POV: Eras

Summary: Link has an unpleasant dream and finds comfort in the kindness of those he's close to.

Bathhouse Boy Best Friends: (1629 words) POV: Twilight

Summary: Two bros, chillin' in a hot tub, five feet apart cause they might be gay??

The Wingman: (2555 words) POV: Sky

Summary: Sky copes with being touch starved naturally by trying to play matchmaker for his companions.

MISCELLANEOUS

At Ease, Captain: (7058 words) POV: HW Link

Summary: Link projects his problems onto his companions, specifically their Champion, but he's definitely okay and fine and not sleep-deprived. (Note: I wrote this at the same time I was creating HS! It’s also around the time when I first read LU. So this was written with neither in mind, but you can really see the prototypes of my versions peeking through in this one.)

The Captain’s Log: (2161 words) POV: LU Warriors

Summary: He dipped his pen in the inkwell and brought it to the paper, he frowned when he pressed too hard and made a large spot on the page. Link would never consider himself an artist, but he prided himself in his penmanship. During the war there was no time for fancy scripts and long words, his fellow captains were lucky if they got more than three lines of cucco scratch. Calligraphy was something he picked up later, he loved the way words flowed on paper. But now, his hands betrayed him. OR: One of those Warriors and Legend journal fics you always hear about but not really.

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2023-02-13

it'll start happening any second now

Listening: I Am The Hammer, by Eternal Champion, epic fantasy metal about The Hammer, a character from an extended fiction series written by (I think) the frontman of this band.

I heard about this song from the Poetry Corner on Topic Lords a while ago, so here's the relevant episode if you wanted to catch that:

Watching: Watched like, the entirety of Loading Ready Run's available Commodore Hustle sketch series, which goes back almost two decades. Unfortunately they produced it for The Escapist or something for a while and those videos are lost to the ether so there's a solid four year period of Commodore Hustle that just cannot be found.

Probably only funny if you already watch LRR, but this is part of why I ended up reading the MtG rules.

Reading: SPQR, which I forgot about for a while and just got back to. Reminds me how tiny ancient civilizations where, they're like "Athens never had more than 40 000 people in it at its peak" which is minute. Like you think of Athens as a city state but by modern standards it's basically a town state.

Also the ESP-RS book, I have enough Rust in my head to try and write embedded rust. Got the no_std code working just fine, but running into issues getting the stdlib to build correctly on whatever I have going on, I need to spend more time learning how cargo works.

Tools and Equipment: Practically speaking a lot of hand sanitizer is just alcohol plus a relatively innocuous gelling agent, so it's handy if you need to dissolve a non-polar stain on the underside of something where alcohol would normally just drip off. There are reasons you may want to do this.

Playing: I've had cookie clicker running on my laptop while I work. I haven't played an idle game in ages, I am slowly recalling the appeal of Number Go Up

Making: The Quilt Still. It's almost done being patched, that'll probably be complete by next week monday.

[newmusickarl]

Top 50 Albums of 2022: #40-31

40. Present Tense by Yumi Zouma

As ever the Music Twitter community have handed me some incredible recommendations over the last 12 months, and one strong favourite came earlier this year from Twitter pal Kiley Larsen (@kilarzleesen) and his Check This Out! blog. 2022 was flush with great dream pop records with the likes of Cannons and Beach House narrowly missing out on a spot in this list, but my pick of the bunch was the mesmerising fourth album from New Zealand’s Yumi Zouma.

The sound of a band hitting their stride, this is gorgeous, string-tinged dream-pop that will frequently move you and whisk you away to some place magical. Front-to-back this is just a blissful 34-minute listen, with a special shout out to Haunt, Of Me And You, If I Had A Heart For Chasing, Mona Lisa and Astral Projection, which are probably my five favourites from the sub-genre all year.

Best tracks: Haunt, Of Me and You, Astral Projection

Listen here

39. Sing With Abandon by VLMV

Every year there are multiple albums that fly under the radar and don’t get the attention they deserve. One of the big ones for me this year was this absolutely spellbinding album from London-based ambient post-rock outfit, VLMV.

If you are partial to soaring instrumentals from the likes of Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, then do not sleep on this album. Boasting haunting, beautifully atmospheric, string-drenched soundscapes, it makes for a constantly enchanting and spine-tingling listen. With the album almost a 50/50 split between complete instrumentals and some vocal-led pieces, the moments when the soft ethereal harmonies come in really take the record to another level. On tracks like There Are Mountains Underneath Us, For Empire and The Navigator, it adds just another dimension to the melancholic beauty that seeps out of every pore of this record.

Also perfect winter listening!

Best tracks: For Empire, There Are Mountains Underneath Us, The Navigator

Listen here

38. Radiate Like This by Warpaint

There were more than a few welcome comebacks in 2022, with one of the top ones being the re-emergence of American indie rockers Warpaint, who returned with their first new album in six long years.

Whilst Radiate Like This mostly sticks to Warpaint’s usual winning formula of understated, wonderfully chilled-out guitar grooves, the big difference this time is the emotional heartbeat of the record. It’s the same four women that first captivated the world with their dreamy shoegaze sound over a decade ago, but their perspective has changed as they’ve grown and that shines through in the writing here. Across this collection of songs, they explore motherhood, relationships, and their own lasting friendship with one another, as only they can - in a shimmering haze of desert rock that indeed radiates.

Welcome back Warpaint, please don’t leave it so long next time!

Best tracks: Champion, Melting, Trouble

Listen here

37. Fear Fear by Working Men’s Club

With their first album placing 13th in my final Albums of 2020 list, whilst also being my highest rated debut of that year, Yorkshire industrial synth-pop outfit Working Men’s Club had given themselves a tough act to follow. However just two years on, Fear Fear arrived packed with songs troubled by loss, panic, isolation and trepidation – perfect for the times.

Just like their debut, the album’s dark underbelly is glossily sheened over thanks to the neon-soaked drench of pulsating, nostalgia-laced electronica. Addictive lead single Widow is my personal highlight, carrying shades of New Order and the spirit of the 90s Madchester rave scene, with a wonderfully hypnotic central synth groove.

With a dark, moody aura, lots of fun sonic exploration and plenty of replay ability, Working Men’s Club continue to ride their wave of momentum on this very solid second outing that is just as fun as their brilliant debut.

Best tracks: Widow, Ploys, Cut

Listen here

36. Every Moment, Everything You Need by Deserta

Another album recommended to me earlier this year by Kiley and then duly reminded of its greatness recently by Twitter Shoegaze guru Stevy (@StevyK1973), this majestic second album from Matthew Doty is something quite special to behold.

Bringing together those atmospheric walls of sound synonymous with shoegaze alongside some welcome synth and dream-pop stylings, Matthew’s second Deserta album is an utterly awe-inspiring listen from beginning to end. The fact that Every Moment… was recorded at home during the pandemic while Doty was continuing his day job as a nurse makes it even more impressive.

There’s plenty of highlights here too courtesy of some dreamy melancholic soundscapes, with Far From Over my personal favourite, standing out as the album’s glistening six-minute centrepiece. Elsewhere, I’m So Tired is the record’s most pure pop moment with its scintillating melody, It’s All A Memory hits you like a gentle breeze amidst a siren of synths, and Goodbye Vista is just a gorgeous glide across some towering guitar weaves towards the end.

Overall, this is an incredibly enchanting record and I’m so grateful to have had this one sent my way several times this year, as it’s turned into a really big favourite – so huge thanks to both Kiley and Stevy for the recommendation!

Best tracks: Far From Over, Goodbye Vista, I’m So Tired

Listen here

35. Hugo by Loyle Carner

Hip-hop as a genre has had an absolutely massive 2022 and I think I could’ve easily made a separate list just for all the great rap records this year. Although I couldn’t find space for them all here with heavyweight records from the likes of Vince Staples, Denzel Curry, Nas and Billy Woods all just missing out, there’s still several that have made the final cut. The first to feature in my year-end list is the dazzling third album from young British wordsmith, Loyle Carner.

Hugo finds the rapper back on top form, as he eloquently explores racial identity and fatherhood across the album’s brilliant 10 tracks. Usually friendly, calm and collected, opener Hate finds Carner in an angry and defiant mood, as he puts the world to rights over racial inequality and injustice against an infectious piano-driven beat. Recent single Nobody Knows is then a soulful exploration of his heritage whilst Georgetown is a Madlib produced track that is interspersed with spoken word poetry from Afro-Guyanese playwright, John Agard.

As great as the singles are though its arguably the album tracks that hit the hardest here, as Speed of Plight sees Loyle let loose his frustrations over a brilliant electronic beat, whilst Polyfilla and A Lasting Place show off his softer side with a pair of beautifully written, piano-backed pieces.

As a huge fan of his Mercury Prize-nominated debut Yesterday’s Gone, it’s been great to hear Loyle back to his best in 2022 and producing one of my favourite hip-hop releases of the year.

Best tracks: Hate, A Lasting Place, Speed of Plight

Listen here

34. Stellar Drifting by George Fitzgerald

Speaking of genres that have had an amazing 2022, there has been a real abundance of fantastic electronic records this year. Again whilst I sadly couldn’t include them all, a shout out to the likes of Bonobo, Brothertiger, Daniel Avery, Hot Chip, Lane 8, Kavinsky, Moderat, HAAi and Mall Grab, who are just some of the artists who have helped make this year a hallmark one for synth-soaked, mind-bending sonic whirlpools. However, representing the genre is my personal favourite from this brilliant bunch, the imaginative latest outing from Mr George Fitzgerald.

Titled Stellar Drifting, this third album from George began life with him using pictures of stars and galaxies and turning them into audio wavelengths. From there he would build the sounds out, until they eventually became the 10 tracks found on Stellar Drifting. Cosmonaut Alley takes the listener on a journey across Jupiter whilst The Last Transmission imagines a spaceman’s final message to Earth. Therapeutic and uplifting, this collection of ambient tracks will charm, soothe and relax in equal measure. Amidst all the celestial wonder, there’s some great collaborations to be found too with George teaming up with the likes of Panda Bear (Passed Tense), SOAK (Rainbows and Dreams), Ellie Goulding (Cold) and London Grammar (The Last Transmission).

As a huge fan of George’s last album All That Must Be – which also finished in my Top 20 Albums of the Year back in 2018 - I’m pleased that this latest effort is as equally spellbinding. Magically constructed from cosmic patterns, it’s an interstellar trip that you’ll want to take again and again.

Best tracks: Cold, Passed Tense, Setting Sun

Listen here

33. Cub by Wunderhorse

One of 2022’s biggest surprise packages and another one of the year’s top debuts. Having seen that Wunderhorse (the solo project from Jacob Slater, the former frontman of now-split London outfit The Dead Pretties) were due to support Fontaines D.C. on their UK tour, I dived into this record back in October to get a heads up on what I could expect to hear and see. With no expectation going in, I was quite frankly blown away with what I found.

On this brilliant solo debut, Slater serves up a blistering collection of country-infused rock songs with plenty of replay value. Leader of the Pack draws big shades to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama but without the cringe, whilst Purple is a heartfelt track reminiscent of some of Idlewild’s more melodic cuts. After Teal’s bluesy guitar slides, Poppy then offers up big Stone Roses vibes with plenty of added haze. All that said, Slater arguably saves the best moment for last as the aptly-titled Epilogue delivers a raw, coming-of-age track, drawing comparisons to Nirvana as the pained acoustic-backed vocals steadily build into a big, grungy finale.

If you are a fan of rock music or any of the bands mentioned above and ended up having this album bypass you during the year, then definitely give Cub a spin. It really is an excellent introduction to Wunderhorse’s chameleonic sound and chances are, like me, you’ll find plenty to enjoy.

Best tracks: Leader of the Pack, Purple, Epilogue

Listen here

32. Where Myth Becomes Memory by Rolo Tomassi

There wasn’t too many metal records that captured my imagination in 2022 (although further recommendations always welcome!), however one early year highlight did leave a lasting impression to make it onto this countdown – this majestic sixth album from Sheffield metalcore outfit, Rolo Tomassi.

The charm of Rolo Tomassi’s music has always been how they manage to seamlessly marry the beautiful with the ugly. This is characterised in their music by effortless switches between frontwoman Eva Korman’s gentle clean vocals to her loud screams, as well as jumps from melodic electronica over to brutal, pummelling metal riffs. This is again what they lead with on Where Myth Becomes Memory, however now with years of songcraft under their belt, it has become second nature to them. The compositions are masterfully constructed and more refined, with various pieces from across their musical spectrum intricately sewn together.

Almost Always is the perfect scene-setter, a glorious six-and-a-half-minute opener of hazy noise, spine-tingling vocals and ambient piano. Mesmeric 2021 single Cloaked is then propelled initially by a mind-melting heavy central riff and Eva’s aggressive vocals, however towards the back end it morphs into a twinkly pop song contrasted against some crushing drums and thrashing guitars.

From there, Tomassi pretty much spend the album swaying between divine beauty and ferocious anger, with gorgeous piano-driven pieces like Closer and Stumbling sandwiched between more high-octane cuts like Labyrinthine, Drip and Prescience. It all plays out like a captivating trapeze act, with not a single dull moment to be found.

The isolation of lockdown has clearly given them the time to fine-tune these songs and their flawless waltz between the angelic and the punishing has never been more enthralling. This album set the bar for other metal albums early on in 2022 and in the end, for me at least, nothing toppled it.

Best tracks: Closer, Prescience, The End of Eternity

Listen here

31. The Family / TM by Brockhampton

It is never fun when a band you love decide to call it a day, however when they go out on such a high and with a sense of finality to their work, it can really help soften the blow. Thankfully that closure is what rap troupe Brockhampton gave to their fans as a parting gift when they finally split up in 2022, delivering not one but two great albums to round off their tumultuous but rewarding decade together.

Taking inspiration from Frank Ocean’s Endless/Blonde release a few years back, the two albums were delivered back-to-back on consecutive days in November, with The Family emerging first and feeling more like the band’s definitive final album. On that record, group leader Kevin Abstract takes centre stage and essentially presents a whirlwind tour of Brockhampton’s entire journey – from their initial meetings on a Kanye West Fan Forum, through to their supersonic rise to stardom, as well as the reasons behind their eventual split. Each chapter is short and snappy, with most of the tracks either well under or just over two minutes long.

As a project to close the book on Brockhampton, they really couldn’t have asked for a better swan song – not only is it one of their finest albums to date but also one of the very best hip-hop records all year. Lyrically it is sharply written, the mix of hard electronic-driven beats and soul samples is dazzling, and the performance from Abstract is also both frequently impressive and heartfelt. There’s a bucketload of highlights and eclectic sonic treats throughout, but the eponymous closer is the one that ends up hitting the hardest. A string-soaked, real gut-punch of a finale, it sees Kevin bidding a touching final farewell to the band and all its members.

Before fans could even fully process The Family, a day later TM arrived featuring a collection of songs that were started by the group during a two-week stint in California last year but were never originally completed during those sessions. Now finally released, this may be more of a full band project compared to The Family but it feels more like just an extra treat for fans than anything else. That said though, there’s some great trap-style thumpers to be found such as ANIMAL, NEW SHOES and MAN ON THE MOON.

If The Family is the emotional goodbye, then TM is the jubilant celebration of everything that made the band so great. Together, it’s a triumphant final send-off for a group that have put their stamp firmly on the hip-hop scene over the last few years and leave behind an impressive legacy. Farewell Brockhampton and really, thanks for everything.

Best tracks The Family: Brockhampton, All That, My American Life

Best tracks TM: MAN ON THE MOON,GOODBYE, ANIMAL

Listen to The Family here

Listen to TM here

The countdown continues on Thursday with #30-21!

[wherewhereare]

GWEN STEFANI

Singer/ Songwriter

Gwen Stefani is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer, coach on The Voice and founder of GXVE Beauty. A three-time GRAMMY® Award winner, Gwen Stefani has achieved global success as a performer, songwriter, front-woman for iconic rock band No Doubt, and multi-platinum solo artist.

In addition to her three GRAMMY® Awards, Stefani’s honors include four MTV Video Music Awards, two Billboard Awards, an American Music Award, and a Brit Award. In 2014, she channeled her tremendous musical passion into empowering young singers as their coach on the seventh season of NBC’s musical competition series “The Voice.”

One of pop culture’s most magnetic style icons, Gwen Stefani has also emerged as the first global celebrity artist to translate music stardom into a series of massively successful lifestyle brands. Through her fashion line L.A.M.B., its sister label Harajuku Lovers, and her eyewear line gx by Gwen Stefani, the designer and entrepreneur has brilliantly merged modern glamour with fashion-forward streetwear. With over $1 billion in retail sales across all brands to date, she recently took the helm as co-creator and executive producer of “Kuu Kuu Harajuku”: a children’s animated TV show on Nick Jr., fulfilling Stefani’s mission of providing young girls with content that celebrates creativity, imagination, and fearless individuality.

_______________

Presenting The Matrix Award to Gwen Stefani

BLAKE SHELTON

Singer and Television Personality

“All I ever wanted to do is sing country music,” says the man who recently celebrated his 20th year of making records. 

As country music’s unapologetic ambassador, Blake Shelton has spent two decades pouring out boot-stomping bangers, heartbreak anthems and endearing odes to love gone wrong and right.  “My history has been constantly evolving from one album to the next,” Shelton explains. “I always try to push it just far enough to keep myself and my fans interested, but not so far that they don’t hear anything on the record that brings them right back home to what they expect from me.” 

Shelton takes that same spirit to work on everything he does including NBC’s four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series “The Voice” where he has coached  eight champions. The Voice recently kicked-off its 22nd season. 

Shelton has a championship career of his own and is still setting the mark in country music. His new single “No Body” is fast climbing the charts now. Over the span of his career Shelton has earned 28 No. 1 country singles including the chart-topping song “Happy Anywhere,” which features multi-season “The Voice” coach, rock star and wife, Gwen Stefani. It’s their second consecutive No. 1 single. 

 With 52 million singles and 13 million albums sold and nearly 11 Billion Global Streams, Shelton has received numerous awards, including six ACMs, three AMAs, 10 CMAs, 11 CMTs and six People’s Choice, among many others. He and Voice colleague Carson Daly recently announced they have teamed to executive produce and star in a new celebrity game show, Barmageddon, to air on USA Network. This spring Shelton will return to the road with his “Back To The Honky Tonk” Tour which kicks off Feb. 16 in Lincoln, NE. 

 Shelton was born, raised and currently lives in Oklahoma, where he has strong community ties. He recently donated $200,000 to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. In response to the devastating tornadoes of 2013, Shelton and NBC teamed up on the telethon “Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert.” With the help of Reba McEntire, Usher, Rascal Flatts, Vince Gill and Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, the telethon raised more than $6 million for United Way of Central Oklahoma. He has donated $500,000 to the Jimmy Everest Center, an Oklahoma University hospital for children with blood cancer and blood disorders. 

In association with Ryman Hospitality Properties, the Grand Ole Opry member has opened a string of entertainment-themed restaurants and bars called Ole Red. The first venue opened in 2017 in his hometown of Tishomingo, Oklahoma. He now has venues in Nashville, TN, Gatlinburg TN, Orlando,FL and coming in 2023, Las Vegas,  

Earlier this month Land’s End, a classic American lifestyle brand, and Shelton, announced a fall and holiday collection – Blake Shelton x Lands’ End. The collaboration offers apparel for every member of the family – pets included! – as well as items for the home, grounding itself in familiarity, utility and comfort with nods to passions close to Shelton’s heart. 

[chorusfm]

The Gaslight Anthem Released Expanded ‘History Books’

The Gaslight Anthem have released a new version of History Books that’s been remixed, remastered, and contains new bonus material. We decided to remix History Books in its entirety, the Expanded Edition is out now. When we first mixed it, we were blown away by how incredible it sounded on the vinyl test presses. That original mix still holds up beautifully on vinyl, and we wouldn’t dream of changing it. However, when the album came out digitally, it didn’t quite hit the mark we were aiming for. So, we decided to remix it specifically for digital release. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Gaslight Anthem (@thegaslightanthem) HISTORY BOOKS (EXPANDED EDITION) showcases a brand new mix of The Gaslight Anthem’s acclaimed 2023 return to action, along with a previously unreleased rendition of “Little Fires” featuring Bully (aka singer, songwriter, and guitarist Alicia Bognanno) as well as four tracks initially found on this spring’s HISTORY BOOKS – SHORT STORIES EP, including the band’s anthemic take on Billie Eilish’s 3x RIAA Platinum-certified breakthrough single, “Ocean Eyes,” a new version of longtime fan favorite, “Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts,” and stripped-down acoustic performances of HISTORY BOOKS highlights “Positive Charge” and “History Books.” Today also sees the limited 7” vinyl release of HISTORY BOOKS – SHORT STORIES. The Gaslight Anthem continue to celebrate HISTORY BOOKS on an epic world tour, with eagerly awaited North American headline dates underway July 26 at Denver, CO’s Mission Ballroom and then continues through a September 1 finale at Detroit, MI’s The Fillmore Detroit. Support throughout comes from Joyce Manor with The Dirty Nil (July 26-August 11) and Pinkshift (August 13-September 1) joining on select dates. In addition, the band will return to their home state of New Jersey to join Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Trey Anastasio Band, Norah Jones, and more at Asbury Park’s sold-out Sea.Hear.Now Festival on Sunday, September 15. For full details, please see www.thegaslightanthem.com.   The Gaslight Anthem’s sixth full-length and first new album in nearly a decade, HISTORY BOOKSincludes such singles as “Spider Bites,” “Autumn,” “Little Fires” (featuring guest vocals from PUP frontman Stefan Babcock), “Positive Charge,” and the heavy-hearted title track, “History Books,” the latter of which sees Fallon trading duet vocals with longtime band champion and fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen. All five tracks are joined by official music videos streaming now on YouTube.   The Gaslight Anthem is: Brian Fallon (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Alex Rosamilia (lead guitar, backing vocals), Alex Levine (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Benny Horowitz (drums, percussion, backing vocals). --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/news/the-gaslight-anthem-released-expanded-history-books/

[theeverlastingshade]

I Got Heaven- Mannequin Pussy

The arc of musicians who started making music that could reasonably be described as challenging for any number of reasons before gradually softening their edges with a more populist sensibility is one of the most tried and true that I can think of, but few have pulled it off in the past decade as superbly as Mannequin Pussy. From their searing self-titled 2014 debut to their pristine third LP, Patience, in 2019, the Philly 4 piece progressed from hardcore to noise pop-rock over the course of 3 increasingly assured and singular sounding records thanks in large part to the dynamic singing and songwriting of frontwoman Marisa Dabice. While many artists tend to lose their idiosyncrasies to make room for a more palatable sound, MP have only become stranger, and harder to pin down with each increasingly accessible subsequent record. MP’s recently released 4th LP, I Got Heaven, is the latest record within this progression, and to the surprise of no one who’s been paying attention, it’s the band’s most adventurous and well-realized record to date.

IGH isn’t a dramatic stylistic leap for MP, but it’s easily the most potent and refined their music has ever sounded, particularly on the album’s four singles.  “I Got Heaven” and “Sometimes” are masterclasses in building /sustaining tension and balancing abrasion with immediacy, with the former gathering steam towards a coda seething with catharsis, and the latter simmering along a groove that flips from sugar to shrapnel on a dime. 2nd single and highlight “I Don’t Know You” transitions from understated bubble-gum pop to their definitive shoegaze anthem with seamless precision, while the trip-hop informed final single, “Nothing Like”, is their purest pop moment to date, and the sort of propulsive juggernaut that would’ve absolutely dominated MTV back when they championed guitar-based music. And while the singles showcase the most significant growth, “Softly” and closer “Split Me Open” are just as tuneful as anything else here. There are songs from past releases like “Drunk II” and “Perfect” where they’ve superbly distilled their pop instincts, but none of their past work is quite this ambitious. The scope of these songs and the performances on each are consistently striking, and they represent the pinnacle of MP’s dynamic songwriting to date.

While most of the songs on IGH suggest that MP have completed their metamorphosis by shedding their hardcore identity, there are still a few hardcore songs scattered throughout the back half that prove that MP aren't interested in completely forsaking their roots just yet. “OK? OK! OK? OK!” barrels along a propulsive rhythm perpetually in a state of flux, giving it an uneasy, unpredictable allure as Marisa brandishes some particularly nasty snarls, and it’s the best of the bunch. “Of Her” features some nimble drumming and a sublime guitar tone on its 2nd half, while “Aching” is another tight showcase of Marisa’s snarls, but neither feel essential. The hardcore offerings are good, but they aren’t anywhere near as compelling as the songs on side a, and 1 or 2 of them could’ve been cut without really disrupting the flow or force of IGH on the whole. It’s not so much the overall impact of the hardcore songs in general as it is the sequencing of the record that particularly suffers from their inclusion. The first half rides one glorious peak to the next while some of the momentum on side b falters when the last few hardcore cuts begin to bleed into each other before closer “Split Me Open” swoops in to end the record on a satisfying resolution. But even these minor gripes don’t diminish how strong the vast majority of this music is.

Marisa’s writing has always struck a visceral, politically charged chord, and while IGH is no exception in this regard it features more than its fair share of her sharpest lyrics yet with a heightened focus on love and lust. Opening song and title track “I Got Heaven” lays it all out with the already iconic “And what if we stopped spinning/And what if we’re just flat/And what if Jesus himself ate my fucking snatch” within the context of a rallying cry against the institution of weaponized Christianity, and the rest of the songs on IGH sustain the impassioned tenor conjured here. While there are songs like the title track that find Marisa baring her fangs, on the other side of the spectrum lies “Nothing Like”, which exudes the ecstasy of new love with an almost overwhelming, delirious desire “Nothing like the taste of you/I whisper into words I won’t admit”. The magic of IGH reveals itself in the multifaceted range of Marisa’s songwriting, which delivers volatile blow after blow even in moments of relatively quiet reprieve. On “Split Me Open”, Marisa seems to seek an intimate connection but only if it adheres to her terms and nothing less, with each incessant “Nothing’s going to change” landing like an increasingly fatal body blow amidst the bright, wordless harmonies and infectious guitar riffs surrounding it. After a decade of being a great punk band, it’s extremely satisfying to hear MP continue their evolution into something far bolder, but just as compelling.

Essentials: “I Don’t Know You”, “I Got Heaven”, “Sometimes”

[celtic-cd-releases]

https://www.reverieroadmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/reverieroad

https://reverieroad.bandcamp.com/album/reverie-road

[california-slow-take]

Once a month, John Cobb stops by Evergreen Cemetery in East Oakland to check on the Jonestown Memorial. Eleven of his family members are buried there, including his mother and five siblings. He’ll sit on the bench, contemplating those he lost, or get to work wiping away the acorn shells and foxtails on the granite memorial plaques he helped put in place over a decade ago.

The memorial exists to ensure the stories of his loved ones aren’t forgotten. It sits on a half-moon-shaped hill in the cemetery, which is located just below MacArthur Boulevard between 64th and 68th avenues, overlooking the Coliseum in the distance. The memorial is remarkably humble — four plaques with 918 engraved names of the Peoples Temple members who died 45 years ago  — and belies how big Jonestown has loomed in the collective imagination. 

Cobb lives near the memorial and now runs a furniture business. But when the Jonestown tragedy happened, he was 18 years old and part of Jim Jones’ personal security detail in Guyana. Jones started Peoples Temple church in the 1950s, first in Indiana then San Francisco, championing racial equality during a time of overt segregation. It ended with him using drugs, paranoid in a “promised land” he called Jonestown in the interior jungle of Guyana, where he forced death on members via poisoned Flavor Aid and gunshot. Over a third were under the age of 18.  

When Cobb is at the memorial, reading the names, his memories are nothing like the horrific images from Guyana that flooded the media in the days that followed. What he sees are ordinary moments of ordinary people: Sharon “Tobi” Stone, who said little but hit that cowbell hard in Cobb’s R&B band, Black Velvet; Free movie tickets for the kids in the hands of Patty Cartmell, who could talk her way into anything; Marceline Jones’s love of burnt toast. 

[dustedmagazine]

The Monochrome Set — Marc Riley BBC 6 Music 2011-2022 (Tapete)

Photo by Steve Brummell

Tapete revives the grand tradition of releasing live BBC sessions and what better band to choose for the inaugural set than The Monochrome Set. In many ways the archetype of independent bands championed by the late John Peel and more recently BBC 6 DJ and former Fall guitarist Marc Riley, The Monochrome Set have held to their eccentric course through multiple incarnations and styles. Ever hovering on the fringes of fashion and fame over his five-decade career, Indian born Bid is a unique lyricist with an ear for melody that mixes spiky power pop, skiffle, noir soundtracks, Joe Meek esoterica, Essex cowboy twang and more into a unique brew of skewed indie jangle. This 32-track collection concentrates on the band’s third phase albums from the 2010s but includes energetic versions of a trio of their early singles.  

“Eine Symphonie Des Grauens” from 1979 is updated here with a whirling keyboard background. “Alphaville” is lighter, the original guitar churn replaced by with a sci-fi Wurlitzer. In both cases, the Bid’s lyrics straddle the line between metaphor and the literal, rotting lust-ridden corpses transposed with religious fervor in the former, self-harm and mental illness in the latter. He is also a dab hand at sarcastic political satire, the jaunty Falklands War era “Jet Set Junta”, is just as penetrating and singalong-able now as it was then (replace the Argentine generals with Russian oligarchs for added effect). The band broke up in 1985 after releasing four albums. Reforming in 1990, Bid, founding guitarist Lester Square and long-term bassist Andy Warren recorded five more albums before disbanding again in 1998.

Since their third reformation in 2010, punctuated by Bid’s recovery from a brain aneurism, The Monochrome Set have recorded a further six albums, selections from which the BBC 6 Sessions showcase. Bid’s lyrical concerns have widened to include robots, aliens, mysticism and mortality albeit expressed with his customary wit and wordplay. The music ranges through the big beat of “Hip Kitten Spinning Chrome” and “Super Plastic City”, the Merseyside flavored “Lefty”, the organ driven “Iceman” and “Cosmonaut”, the cosmic country feel of the wonderfully titled “Stick your Hand up if you’re Louche” and the noirish “Really in the Wrong Town” with the band in excellent form and Bid occasionally pushing his voice to the edge but caressing his words with elegant conviction. These sessions are a wonderful introduction to The Monochrome Set’s later albums. The inclusion of the early singles a bonus that will hopefully encourage people to dive back into the band’s complete discography.

Andrew Forell

[re-readingcomics]

Comics Read 08/13- 20/2023

Over this period I of time I read Rockstars written by Joe Harris, art by Megan Hutchison-Cates, colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick, designer Tom Muller, letters by Michael David Thomas, and edited by Shawna Gor. The edition I read this time was Rockstars The Complete Series as published by Vault. Years ago I read the first arc, “Nativity in Black Light”, in the trade paperback as published by Image Comics. I intended to get the second arc’s trade paperback, “Children of the Beast” as published by Image, but somehow missed it. Anyway, I am glad I got this edition as it encouraged by to reread the first arc which I otherwise remember next to nothing about. The page I scanned to illustrate this post, with its myriad references to our world’s rock ’n’ roll icons and legends may be the part I most clearly remember. 

A quick search on my tags reveals I have never written about Joe Harris on this blog. This really emphasizes how long it has been since I have read any of his work. I have been writing about all the comic books I read for the better part of four years, and even though I was reading most of what he wrote for a while, none of it was during this time! I first became aware of Harris around 2013, when I was preparing to attend my first New York Comic Con. I went to a signing at Forbidden Planet the same week to get some comic books signed. There were four comic makers there. For some reason I now only remember the two that I was not there to see. One of them was Joe Harris, who at the time was primarily promoting his The X-Files season 10 comics (before the revival meant there was a tenth season of the television show). I have a complicated relationship to TXF. It was the first show I really obsessed over, it’s the first I feel angrily disillusioned over. I’m writing something about it in my other Tumblr for the anniversary.  That night, I bought the trade paperback Great Pacific, one of Harris’s other creator owned comics. I liked it a lot and started following his creator owned output. I bring this up because the lead characters of Rockstars, Jackie and Dorothy, have a Mulder and Scully-esque dynamic. Jackie is driven by his family history and seeks answers through mystical uses of cards. Dorothy is a journalist, and seeks answers that she can safely publish. These two character arcs were not really developed enough either of them, but Jackie gets to a more interesting crossroads. 

More directly relevant to this book, between reading the first arc the first time and reading this all now, I have steeped myself more in rock ’n’ roll legends than I was doing the first time around. Among other things I watched Brian De Palma’s The Phantom of the Paradise which reminded me about how often Faustian bargains and early death have been staples of rock legends since nearly the beginning. The plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and “The Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson pretty much solidified this. This event is included in Rockstars, though the way is in questionable taste. (Coincidentally, that plane crash was also important to the plot of a famous episode of TXF.)

The plot of Rockstars, starts with investigating the mysterious deaths of a couple of groupies decades apart. There are ghost gangs of the groupies interfering with the investigation and they tend to be herald by the wrong lyrics of famous songs. The deaths of the murdered ones are related to demonic champions of the bands. Each arc covers a different demon in relation to a different band. The first band is an arch-typical second wave British invasion bad from the 1970s, and the second is arch-typical early hair metal band from the 1980s. I am more familiar with the former than the latter, despite actually living through parts of the 1980s. The plot didn’t really add up for me. But I love a lot of the details in the drawings, nods to famous theories and art. I also am touched by the concept of how generations are bonded because we each go through the same cycles of cultural events. I just wish that Dorothy’s character design wasn’t so close to some of the groupies in flashbacks or ghost form. It was needlessly confusing.

I feel like, of what I have read, the best comic books about loving music are Kieron Gillan and Jamie McKelvie’s Phonogram and The Wicked + The Divine. This isn’t like either of those, and that is a good thing. For all it’s flaws, I wish there was more of it. 

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart

August 15, 2023

JESUS TOO WOKE FOR THE RIGHT?

Jesus was a Capricorn and ate organic food — that much we know. But was he woke? Some conservative “Christians” think so and say His teachings are too “weak” and “liberal,” explained Russell Moore, former top official for the Southern Baptist Convention. “Turn the other cheek,” is too woke for the Christian right. "When we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a crisis." Amen. The family values folks have been preaching something besides brotherly love for a while now. Turn the other cheek? Maybe if they drop their pants first. “Evangelical” is a scary term for heathens, like Wilson and the band. It comes from the Greek “euangelion,” meaning “good news.” In times past “evangelical” referred to people and churches committed to the message that Jesus Christ is the savior of humanity. For some on the right it means something like, “Jesus Christ is the savior of MAGAtes,” others need not apply. Some 81 percent of white evangelical Protestant voters went for Trump in 2020, according to Gallup exit polls. After all, who is more Christlike than Donald Trump. “If you come after me, I'm coming after you.” Well, not exactly what Jesus of Nazareth would say. But then again, He keeps spouting those woke talking points: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The dude is totally woke. “Love your neighbor?” Ha.

“TREETOP BARBIE” NO TARZAN

Nalini Nadkarni, professor emerita of biology at the University of Utah, was the impetus for a Barbie, known as Treetop Barbie. Nadkarni studies the canopies of forests and spent much of her career in the tops of tall trees where little-known ecosystems thrive. No Wilson, she doesn't swing on vines and call out “ungowa” to the elephants. Two decades ago the biologist put the idea to toy-maker Mattel to create a Barbie that climbed trees for scientific research, she told The Salt Lake Tribune. “I simply wanted to show little girls that being curious about and exploring forest canopies with a crossbow, ropes, helmet and instructional booklet about canopy plants is a possibility.” If Barbie can be an astronaut, a musician or a doctor, why not. But it was a no-go until 2019 when Mattel introduced it's Explorer Series with Barbies of various scientific professions. All told there are some 176 different Barbies with nine body types, 35 skin tones and 94 hairstyles. She does get around. And now Barbie is the star of a blockbuster movie that has over $1billion in ticket sales worldwide. They even love Barbie in China, but the movie has been banned in Lebanon, Kuwait and Vietnam because it “encourages unacceptable behavior and distorts society’s values.” They know trouble when they see it.

WOMEN'S SOCCER DESTROYING AMERICA

Unless you've been living in Iowa where Republican presidential candidates are eating corndogs and trying to be Mini-Trump, you know the Women's U.S. Soccer Team lost to Sweden in the World Cup. True patriots pounced — they knew too well why the U.S. lost: Because the team is a bunch of entitled woke communist losers. They hate this country and are led by the purple-haired Megan Rapinoe, an LGBTQ activist, who four years ago after winning the World Cup said, “I'm not going to the f---ing White House,” when President Trump so graciously invited them.“I'm thrilled they lost. Good. I'm glad you went down,” said conservative commentator Megyn Kelly. In 2016, the then-world champion U.S. Women's team began demanding equal pay. In 2022, they grabbed worldwide headlines when they got it! And if that wasn't uppity enough, they stood in silence during the National Anthem at the World Cup. Trump just couldn't help himself, writing on social media: “Woke equals failure... The U.S. is going to hell.” The internet echoed, “woke pieces of trash,” over and over again. Mike Freedman of USA Today summed it up perfectly: “We have not seen this kind of hatred since Colin Kaepernick took a knee.” It's so fulfilling to have someone to hate. It just brightens up the whole day.

Post script — That's a wrap for another strange week here at Smart Bomb where we keep track of AI (artificial intelligence) so you don't have to. AI, it seems, is everywhere. There's even a new app where folks can text back and forth to Jesus. We wouldn't lie about a thing like that. Maybe Florida's governor will give it a try after reading this headline: “Should DeSantis do mushrooms to be a cooler candidate.” The rapper known as Drake opened his L.A. concert with this: “Don't throw bras, my five-year-old son is here.” Throwing bras at Drake has become a thing ever since... well ever since women started throwing bras at him. It could be worse. Saying the political right is up in arms is like saying the sun also rises. Markers honoring Robert E. Lee's horse, Traveller, have been removed from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. Yes, those damn woke commies have cancelled a horse. What's next? Donald Trump's first wife Ivana is buried at his Bedford, N.J. golf course. Sad. But recently sharp-eyed players noticed that tall grass has grown around her gravestone obscuring it. We have no idea what that means. Last but not least, Republican state legislators, who have been clamping down on abortion rights, think women in the GOP never get abortions. Clearly they haven't seen “Barbie.”

Well Wilson, the Christian right is at it again. But now it seems they're turning on Jesus for being woke and empathetic. It's a troubled world and Jesus probably had a good idea that people were always going to screw up. “Forgive others and you will be forgiven.” So Wilson, tell the guys in the band to put down the bong and take us out with some love and understanding:

Jesus was a Capricorn He ate organic food He believed in love and peace And never wore no shoes Long hair, beard and sandals And a funky bunch of friends Reckon we'd just nail him up If he came down again 'Cause everybody's gotta have somebody to look down on Prove they can be better than at any time they choose Someone doin' somethin' dirty decent folks can frown on If you can't find nobody else, then help yourself to me Eggheads fussin' rednecks cussin' Hippies for their hair Others laugh at straights who laugh at Freaks who laugh at squares Some folks hate the Whites Who hate the Blacks who hate the Klan Most of us hate anything that We don't understand

(Jesus Was a Capricorn — Kris Kristofferson)

[cyarskj1899]

Duran Duran Honor Their Fans and the Bands That Inspired Them in ‘Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’ Speech

Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, and Nick Rhodes spoke onstage and shared a letter from Andy Taylor, who could not attend due to illness

Larisha PaulNovember 6, 2022

Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, and Nick Rhodes spoke onstage and shared a letter from Andy Taylor, who could not attend due to illness

After looking over the list of potential artists to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, Duran Duran didn’t think they had a chance in hell. It’s not that they didn’t feel deserving of the honor, but they had spent decades of their career being the outliers who didn’t exactly do things like everyone else. But during their induction on Saturday night, the British glam rock stars proved that carrying that distinction is what makes you a star.

Since their 1978 formation, Duran Duran churned out a discography complete with 15 studio albums and nearly four dozen singles, including “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Is There Something I Should Know,” “The Reflex,” “I Don’t Want Your Love,” and more that commanded the top of the charts for the entirety of the eighties, trickling down into the nineties.

Duran Duran had won the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame fan vote by a huge margin, which didn’t contribute much to the actual voting process, but it did capture the purpose behind honoring musicians in the way the Rock Hall does: to champion the music that moved millions.

“I think that probably had some kind of sway when it came to the actual votes,” Le Bon told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “It reminded people of what the public wants.”

Founding members John Taylor and Nick Rhodes round out the core of Duran Duran with Simon Le Bon and Roger Taylor, but key players Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo could not attend the induction. Taylor instead shared a letter that was posted on Duran Duran’s webpage and which Le Bon read onstage at the ceremony. In it, he revealedthat he was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer four years ago.

“Although my current condition is not immediately life threatening there is no cure,” he explained. “Recently I was doing okay after some very sophisticated life extending treatment, that was until a week or so ago when I suffered a setback, and despite the exceptional efforts of my team, I had to be honest in that both physically and mentally, I would be pushing my boundaries,” he wrote.

Read the speeches from the members of Duran Duran below:

Simon Le Bon There are two of our band members being inducted who sadly cannot be here. Warren Cuccurullo, extraordinary guitar player. He made a massive contribution to Duran Duran. And then there’s Andy Taylor, our original guitarist. Andy has written an open letter to us. I’m going to read some of it now. “What an absolute honor it was to be nominated, let alone be inducted into the the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There’s nothing that comes close to such recognition. You can dream about what happened to us but to experience it, on one’s own terms, as mates, was beyond incredible. Just over four years ago, I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. Many families have experienced the slow burn of this disease, and of course, we are no different, so I speak from the perspective of a family man, but with profound humility to the band, the greatest fans a group could have, and this exceptional accolade. I’m truly sorry and massively disappointed I couldn’t make it. Let there be no doubt I was stoked about the whole thing — even bought a new guitar with the essential whammy! I’m so very proud of these four brothers, I’m amazed at their durability, and I’m overjoyed at accepting this award. I often doubted the day would come. I’m sure as hell glad I’m around to see the day.”

Music is itself an honor, something that all the artists being inducted tonight’s and previously have dedicated our lives to in order to achieve. In times that seem increasingly divisive, music is something which can overcome such issues as race, politics, and gender. Music brings people together. Over 40 years I’ve been working, I’ve come to believe that the essence of our job is this: We get to make people feel better about themselves. This an industry that I am proud to be a part of. Thank you. John Taylor Thank you. Music nourished us and gave us identities. We would not be here without the influence of the Beatles, David Bowie and Mick Ronson, T-Rex, the Sex Pistols and the Clash… Siouxsie Sioux and Patty Smith, Japan… These and so many others were all at one time parents, mentors, and spirit guides. Without them and their music, we might never find each other.  Roger Taylor I’d just like to thank the Hall of Fame, we finally got here. I’d just like to thank my bandmates for this incredible journey that we’ve been on for four years and it’s still going on.mI’d like to thank our manager Wendy Laister. I’d like to thank Patty Pricedale, we wouldn’t be here tonight without you. And I’d like to thank everyone that worked with Duran Duran over the past 40 years. And that’s the musicians, the producers, the managers, the agents, the record companies, the technicians, the stylists, the filmmakers. I mean, there’s so many, it just goes on: publishers as well, thank you to our publishers. And I’d just like to thank our families have been with us for the whole journey, through thick and thin, and it’s been thin at times, so thanks for the families.

Nick Rhodes It’s great to be filmed with people that love music because every single person in this room is here one way or another because you love music. When I was 10 years old, I met John, we bonded over our love for music then and just a few years later, we’re still together but actually it’s been quite a long marriage, I guess. A marriage of three people — some people call it polygamy. We’re all driven by fans — real fans. John put out a list of a lot of the bands that have influenced us and another one I’d like to mention are the New York Dolls. They’re a super group and I love the band — they didn’t make it in but I really hope they do. And all I really want to say is thank you to all the fans. We know what it’s like… We share this award with you.

[theguythatdraws]

My Personal Video Game Collection

Nintendo Switch

Another Code: Recollection

Ark: Survival Evolved

ARMS

Danganronpa Decadence

Detective Pikachu Returns

DreamWorks Dragons: Dawn of New Riders

Ghostbusters The Video Game Remastered

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe

LEGO DC Super-Villians

LEGO Harry Potter Collection

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2

LEGO The Incredibles

Luigi's Mansion 3

Mario Golf: Super Rush

Master Detective Archive: Rain Code

Miitopia

Monster Prom XXL

New Pokémon Snap

No Straight Roads

Paper Mario: The Origami King

Persona 5 Royal

Persona 5 Strikers

Persona 5 Tactica

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Trilogy

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Pokémon Scarlet

Pokémon Shield

Pokémon Shining Pearl

Pokémon Sword

Pokémon Violet

Pokkén Tournament DX

Ring Fit Adventure

Stardew Valley

Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario 3D All Stars

Super Mario RPG

Super Smash Bros Ultimate

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Nintendo 64 (I own the Funtastic Series: Jungle Green Varient. I got it from my dad, who got it from a friend of his from Puerto Rico)

All-Star Baseball 99

Donkey Kong 64

Gex 3 Deep Cover Gecko

Madden 2001

Mario Kart 64

Polaris SnoCross

Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA

Star Fox 64

Star Wars Episode 1: Racer

Wii

Bass Pro Shops: The Strike

Candace Cane's Candy Factory

Cooking Mama: Cook Off

Endless Ocean: Blue World

Game Party

Ghostbusters: The Video Game

Just Dance 2

Just Dance 3

Just Dance 4

LEGO Batman: The Video Game

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars

LEGO The Lord of the Rings

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Mario Strikers Charged

Mario Super Sluggers

Monster 4x4 World Circuit

New Super Mario Bros Wii

Pac-Man Party

Punch-Out!!

Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure

Sonic Unleashed

Spore Hero

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Super Mario Galaxy

Super Paper Mario

Super Smash Bros Brawl

The Dog Island

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Price is Right

Wii Play

Wii Sports

Wii Sports Resort

Wild Earth: African Safari

Wii U (Yes, I have one)

Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don't Know

Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations

Hyrule Warriors

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

LEGO City Undercover

LEGO Dimensions

LEGO Jurassic World

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens

LEGO The Avengers

LEGO The Hobbit

NintendoLand

OctoDad: Dadliest Catch

Scribblenauts Unmasked

The Lego Movie Video Game

Game Boy (System is Game Boy Color, Kiwi Variant. Got a a friend's yard sale)

Mega Man 2

Ms. Pac Man

Super Mario Land

Game Boy Advance (Got system [GBA SP] at Goodwill, previous owner didn't know what good games were. [All the board game ones] The other games are from my personal collection.)

Battleship, Risk and Clue

Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders and Original Memory Game

Connect Four, Perfection, and Trouble

Dinotopia: The Timestone Pirates

LEGO Star Wars 2 The Original Trilogy

Madden 2005

Operation, Mouse Trap and Simon

Rayman Advance

SpongeBob's Atlantis Squarepantis

Spy Hunter and Super Sprint

Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones

Super Collapse 2

Super Mario Advance 4 and Super Mario Bros 3

Teen Titans

The Game of Life, Yahtzee, and Payday

Nintendo DS

Animal Crossing: Wild World

Art Academy

Artic Tale

Band Hero

Battle of Giants: Dinosaurs

Battleship, Connect Four, Sorry and Trouble

Dino Master

Dino Pets

Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition

DreamWorks Super Star Kartz

Fantasy Aquarium

Fossil Fighters

Fossil Fighters: Champions

Fossil League: Dino Tournament Championship

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Kingdom Hearts: 358 1/2 Days

Kirby Super Star Ultra

LEGO Rock Band

LEGO Star Wars 2 The Original Trilogy

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games

Mario Kart DS

Namco Museum DS

New Super Mario Bros

Nintendogs: Chihuahua and Friends

Nintendogs: Lab and Friends

Paws and Claws: Dogs and Cats: Best Friends

Petz: Ocean Patrol

Plants Vs Zombies

Pokémon Diamond

Pokémon HeartGold

Pokémon Pearl

Pokémon White

Pokémon White 2

Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Scribblenauts

Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure

Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron

Super Mario DS

Super Scribblenauts

World of Zoo

Zoo Hospital

Nintendo 3DS (most are eShop [RIP])

Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!

Animal Crossing New Leaf: Welcome amiibo

Detective Pikachu

Fossil Fighters: Frontier

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

LEGO Jurassic World

Luigi's Mansion

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

Mario and Luigi: Dream Team

Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam

Miitopia

Pokémon Alpha Sapphire

Pokémon Blue

Pokémon Crystal

Pokémon Emerald

Pokémon FireRed

Pokémon Gold

Pokémon LeafGreen

Pokémon Moon

Pokémon Omega Ruby

Pokémon Red

Pokémon Ruby

Pokémon Sapphire

Pokémon Silver

Pokémon Sun

Pokémon Ultra Sun

Pokémon Ultra Moon

Pokémon X

Pokémon Y

Reel Fishing: Paradise

Super Smash Bros on the Nintendo 3DS

Yo-Kai Watch

Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls

Xbox 360 (I got this console from my aunt, but I didn't play it as much as the Wii)

Kung Fu Panda

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures

Sonic the Hedgehog

Tales of Vesperia

Playstation (Got this with my Dreamcast and Genesis, all three consoles and games came from my mom's co-worker)

Die Hard Trilogy

Tekken 2

Playstation 2 (I don't actually own the console, I got the games from my old co-worker.)

American Chopper

Max Payne

MX 2002 Featuring Ricky Carmichael

NASCAR Heat 2002

Smuggler's Run

Sega Genesis (I own the Mark 2, but PR and Spider-Man I got with my N64)

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2 copies)

Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge

Sega Dreamcast

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

Namco Museum

NFL 2K

Sega Smash Pack: Volume 1

Sonic Adventure

Test Drive 6

Virtua Fighter 3tb

[lee-scribbles-and-doodles]

S3 ep5

Current emotional status: FEAR

Cthulu Max has been on the rampage for a whole week!?

Ew, the narrator

Oh man, are they sending the airforce after him?

I really like Cthulu Max's design

Momma Bosco 💗

Oh hey, Norrington and Papierwaite are alive.

Superball are you saying you tried to send the Maimtrons up Max's--

Also he's acting president while Max is... deposed of.

Superball is only giving Sam until 6am :(

Featherly!

"Wandering around the moleman tunnels is no fun without Max."

"You got it all wrong, we're trying to help Max." "We will help him... to a generous serving of ass whooping."

"That is one rabbit who will be multiplied... into 2,000 smoldering pieces."

Carol ran off with Blustet

"I only want her to be happy, is all." Aw, Curt

Superball just admitted to having separation anxiety from Max

Ok Momma can't come but Papierwaite and Norringron can.

I like Norrington :)

GASP

Is it?

It is!

SYBIL!!!!

RETURN OF THE QUEEN

Oh, she is very pregnant

She was a wizard at one point?

She's gonna help!

Superball there's no such thing as acceptable losses

Abe has his body back

"Four score and seven tons of raw power"

HE CAN FLY NOW!?

Sybil, I love you, but why did you mod someone else's car???

Grandpa Stinky I love you

Oh, he just handed us the recipe for once.

Asdfff the spore maxes swarming Grandpa

They stole Grandpa's hotdogs

"We must feed the host! Piglets and sphinkters make us stronger!" "We regret nothing!"

Grandpa hasn't slept in three years

Sam just casually taking the last of Grandpa's corndogs

The spores are trying to get it

Lol Sam slapped them

Sal's alive!

He's hiding from Sam :(

Lol we can control Cthulu Max with Corndogs

Ew, the cornstarch got mixed in with the giant puddle 🤢 Looks gross

Love how Sybil completely ignores the Flaming Max head

Also the look of disappointment on the spore's face made me laugh

Fifth trimester???

The way the one Max spore by Grandpa's truck is bobbing in circles with his mouth open is making me laugh.

Sam showing concern for Sybil because she’s preggers 🥺

Her being pregnant with Abe's child implies that statues have working genital in this universe

She put a weiner scented airfreshener in the desoto

At least Sam and a Max spore seem to like that (of course they do)

"Sybil you're the best!" Hell yeah she is!

Sam's mind went to the color bar codes to prevent being traumatized by Sybil's oversharing

We drowned the desoto

Asdfgh Sam just botched slapped one of the spores for trying to say "that's none of your damn buisness."

Ew, Max's spine is pointing out

Oh hey, Satan and Jurgen

Why is Jurgen wearing his old fashioned clothes instead of his emo clothes?

Lol Sam snuck into frame to shout "Go Mets! New York rules!"

"--besides it's just a good and noble thing to do." "You're not familiar with my previous work, are you?"

"Sam, what happened to you to make you so cynical?" Gee, Jurgen, I wonder what could have possibly happened.

Oh so the water tower counts as vegetable oil because Momma did something to it

Pfft we can replace Satan's microphone with a corndog

Omg they jumped off the building to avoid Max

Oh, they're fine, and the oil is in the giant puddle.

I'm thankful to Featherly for giving us an egg but I'd have preferred not to watch him lay it. Granted it was just in a cartoon way but he still made weird noises

Also TRANS FEATHERLY 2021

"I desperately wanted to see that, sir. Ask him if he'll lay another one."

Oh hey, the Flaming Max heads helped heat up the giant desoto corndog

Since I'm playing this in 2021 the Maimtron's song references are super dated, which defeats Superball's efforts

Oooh! A unique opening sequence???

Oh this music is jazzy af

Sam really doesn't like the Max spores

Sam how do you already know what Max's insides look like???

"Even when he's not a collasal monster Max's food comas can last for weeks."

Ok we wake Max up with the coffee beans, right?

Yup!

The gi Max spore is so sad he doesn't get to come 😢

"But I'm a horrible monster!"

"I suppose Max's brain always looks like a living room?" "Well, Max is host to all kinds of weird parasites, and he likes to he a good host!" WHAT

No really, this brings up so many questions about lagomorphs. Are they some kind of Symbiote or something?

And a previous episode confirmed Max is amphibious

Max has tumors!!!

It shocked Sam!

"Eugh! Get away fake Max!" "Do you find my warmth... alarming, Sam?"

"What do nightmares taste like, anyway?" "Pepsi"

Max wants to be author 💗

He also writes fanfiction about Flint 🤣

I'd unironically read his books.

Tina Belcher voice: Friend fiction

Max has an experimental fusion jazz band???

"He just killed a great white shark--"

Max being completely unable to describe a woman is very gay of him. Good for him.

Max's brain teleported everyone to different parts of the body.

Found Sybil in the gym/legs

The brain is broadcasting Sam's thoughts???

Sam couldn't think of a joke for the medicine balls :(

"Wow Max is looking pretty buff. Would it be too weird if I asked him to turn around?"

Sam! Stop thinking bad things about Sybil's pregnancy she can hear you you putz!

She's upset with him now

"Can you believe this guy?" "I find the entire situation to be very contrived and misogynistic." Same spore Max, same.

Sam stop being so mean omg!

"I changed Sybil, I totally get the whole parenthood thing now." "Really now?" "Tax deductions."

In Max's inventory now

Y'know, I never really thought about it as a storage house

Hit The Road reference :3

Baby roach hatched in

"Pa..papa?" "Now I am little champion, now I am!"

Max has a Maximus shrine

Sam turned into a roomba!

Aw, he named it Sam Jr 🥺

We won Sybil back through his love of Sam Jr

Found the conjoined twins

Huh, Max lost as eye. Does that mean he has a glass one, or do lagomorphs have regenerative abilities?

Pfft we have to play twister to control his arma

The brain is messing with things again

Oh, we need a roach to operate the game because of radiation

Well, let's kidnap Sal

Oh, poor Girl Stinky. She's really going through it

Aw, Sal feels bad

Sal?

Honey, are alright?

He's dying???

He's not immune to irradiation!?

Oh no, he's gone

I'm so sad 😞

Gotta pick up Sam Jr. Before I control Max

They mad Max do a magical girl pose

Ugh the narrator is back

Wait, what?

He's Max's brain??? SUPEREGO???

WHAT

"I was always ignored" Yo if my super ego was as pretentious as you I 'd ignore it too 😤

He wants to kill himself and Max???

I know Max had a self loathing complex but holy shit

The super ego is perfectly fine with destroying half the east coast what a jerk

Just noticed Sam's tie is red. Had no idea about this while drawing PI!Sam lol

We have to help Max get his memories back to use the ASTRO projector

Skunkapes has three Sam clones imprisoned

Sam had canon ocd?

Gasp Gordon???

No, it's Sammun Mak

I love him, little child tyrant

Just make him a mobile brain in a jar and let Sam and Max adopt him

Why is Grandpa here?

He isn't talking like Stinky

Too polite

Sam sees it too

He's a space gorilla

They switched brains?

Found the cloning g chamber

Let's go to Momma's first

CONE OF SHAME CONE OF SHAME CONE OF SHAME

Superball is "wracked with guilt"

"Keep it together Superball. Sam will be able to save the day. He always does."

Ok, let's go to the cloning facility

I'm still thinking about poor Sal yo

FLIIIIIINT!

He's punching space apes!

Girl Stinky really playing up the evil Mistress role

The doggleganger has a bomb on him!!!

Wait so Girl really is a mermaid??? I thought that was just her aestetic

God I love Flint

Haha we tricked Skunkape with scooby doo villain tactics

Got the robot

Her water broke... and it was pennies

Max wants to save Sybil! 😭🥺💕

Super Ego is here

Oh now he wants to save Max

The only thing here are those records

Super Ego waved goodbye

Cthulu Max is cute when he cries

Wait What?

His head is on fire!

The maimtron hit him!

He waved goodbye... and teleported away.

He exploaded!!!!

He promised he'd take Sam with him and he didn't!!!!

AAAAAAH

I thought the dead Max thing was popular angst fanon fic thingy!

We're cloning Max?

It didn't work 😭😭😭😭😭

Superball ran off crying

Oh God the credits are just Sam walking sadly what the hell

He's not even stopping to fight any crime 😢

💔💔💔

God the way he's clinging to himself

What?

The elevator???

MAAAAX

he's back???

Past Max???

He blew his Sam up???

Wait hold on I'm glad they're together again but this doesn't fix anything

There's so much trauma from this season

All the horrible things that happened during 301-304 happened in like 3 days tops, then Sam had to deal with Max being a monster for a week before watching him die!

And the new (?) Max had BLOW HIS SAM UP!!!

And they left the franchise like that for a decade????

What the hell?

I want to be happy but this shit is going to consume my brain for the next week at least what the hell

Aaaaaaah!

Like maybe they really do just brush it off but it feels unlikely

I know Max has a connection with his other selves so it'll be easier for him to adjust but certainly Sam is going to notice the discrepancies since he doesn't get the same deal

Someone told me there were multiple endings hold on

Aw, they walked off into the sunrise together

But still

AAAAAAAAH

[onesweetdreampodcast]

In one of your earlier episodes, you mentioned J/G/R's testimony in the high court case, and that it had been disingenuous in some way. Do you recall in what way, exactly? Or if not, do you remember the source you got that take from? (ie please dont make me read the actual court transcripts...lol) Love you guys! keep being awesome!

Hello! Thank you! :) I believe this issue was discussed in my conversation with Erin Torkelson Weber—although I'm sure we addressed it in the Breakup Series as well (btw to answer another message, part 2 of my conversation with Erin will be up in the next month).

The gist of what John, George, and Ringo communicated/implied was that the band COULD continue if only Paul would be reasonable and accept Klein; that it was Paul who was breaking up the Beatles with his diva-like behavior and unreasonable demands. Erin argues they did this for PR reasons, I would argue that there is evidence to support the possibility that John, George, and Ringo would have been open to a reconciliation. On the other hand, they lied through their teeth in their affidavits so...? Still, lying on their affidavits doesn’t eliminate the possibility that they would have been open to discussions with Paul had he bowed and accepted Klein. Since then, writers have backed the assertion that Paul broke up the Beatles WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY PROMOTING the story that John 100% quit the Beatles first, effectively breaking up the band (as was his right as commander-in chief/leader-at-every-moment Lennon). I don't know why WHY authors are so sure that John was out in September 1969...but I guess that gives him the agency while also blaming McCartney?

Excerpt from the Beatles and the Historians: "Lennon, pivoting away from the Lennon Remembers interview of only a few months earlier, also argued that while McCartney was acting selfishly and unreasonably any personal or musical disagreements between them could be overcome. In stark contrast to Lennon's statements to Rolling Stone that there was "not a chance" of the Beatles recording together again, Lennon declared that the group still could perform as a functioning unit once McCartney simply bowed to the majority rule and accepted Klein. (Diana's comment: McCartney disputed the “majority rule” concept, arguing that traditionally Beatles’ decisions were unanimous; McCartney also quoted the song GOD to prove that Lennon no longer identified with the group). From Doggett (who I don't recommend, nevertheless his book contains good information): " Lennon's affidavit...from our earliest days in Liverpool, George and I on the one hand and Paul on the other had different musical tastes. Paul preferred "pop type" music and we preferred what is now called "underground". This may have led to arguments, particularly between Paul and George, but the contrast in our tastes, I am sure, did more good than harm, musically speaking, and contributed to our success.' The truth was being stretched beyond the laws of physics. The contrast of 'musical tastes' was not only inaccurate and intended to denigrate McCartney's work, but Lennon's claim that he welcomed the mix of styles was sharply at odds with his scathing comments about his partner in his recent Rolling Stone interview. Fortunately for Lennon, the magazine's distribution network did not extend to the High Court." From Erin's book again (The Historians and the Beatles): "The testimony of all four Beatles, which quickly became public, made a lasting impression on the public perception of the group's artistry and its inner workings. As with Lennon Remembers, parts of Trial testimony were used by Beatle's' writers for decades to explain the group's working relationship as well as its dissolution, but few authors addressed the very real agendas or omissions that the testimony contained. There were no irresolvable conflicts within the Beatles; and while Lennon, Harrison, and Starr wanted to save the band, McCartney wanted to end it. This was the initial version of the breakup that searched into the public consciousness. ...at the time McCartney's distrust of Klein was widely viewed as unreasonable — reporters described it as "irrational" while Lennon, Harrison, and Starr's reluctance to being managed by McCartney's in-laws, the Eastmans, was perfectly understandable. ... McCartney had unequivocally won the first crucial round in the Beatles legal battle, even if he now found himself hated by the press, the fans and the other band members Klein, unable to personally defend himself at the trial, went on a press offensive, ...he identifies McCartney as the instigator "if anyone broke up the Beatles, it was him" and does not mention Lennon's September 1969 departure. He downplays the intimacy of the men's friends, blaming McCartney's behavior for any distance "every time John let his guard down McCartney hurt him" — and pronounces Lennon's supremacy in the Lennon/McCartney partnership"John had written most of the stuff. Kelin repeatedly reassures reads of Lennon, Harrison and Starr's personal and professional happiness and their eagerness to credit him for it. Kelin portrays himself as a champion of artists...Klein repeated many of these arguments in his interview with peter McCabe. He attributed their loss at the trial not to legitimate questions regarding his financial deals but to his "anti-establishment" status, buttressing his and Lennon's reputation as rock and roll rebels. Reinforcing the message that the major disagreement lay with the Eastmans. He reassured everyone he would be happy to accept McCartney back and speculated that it would take two years for the other man to see the error of his ways.