#dobson legacy

[kusin-tisdag]

Happy (chaotic) birthday Kristina!

She is now 35 years old! She finds herself very happy, surrounded by friends, a sister, a niece and family-in-law (Sally couldn't come due to Shelby being sick). Kristina loves being a homemaker and looks forward to be a mother of two!

[silverthroatednightingale]

oh god not Roosevelt’s Terrariums please, please, please nobody fund that shitstain’s retirement

Love portland and its bdsm sex shop at the end of every block downtown god bless

[brucedinsman]

Book Review: The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson

Book Review: The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson

The Silent Order by Melanie DobsonKindleMy rating: 5 of 5 starsWow, quite the plot eh?Mob bosses and Amish communities are at odds because they think a certain cop knows too much. The weird thing is that the farm they go to is actually owned by one of their own who they thought was dead. This book had so much intrigue I had to keep backing up to see what I missed. Good job!View all my…

[riaaanna]

‘Brian’s grandkids call me "Nana Neet"’

Anita Dobson on her favourite festive memories, finding fame overnight and why she’s a homebody at heart.

Anita is step mum to Brian’s three children

The festive season is fast approaching, and it wouldn’t be Christmas without an onslaught of feel-good films. While many of us will no doubt be sitting down to watch Nativity, Love Actually or The Holiday, there’s a new corker coming this year too. Entitled Christmas at the Holly Day Inn, it’s a family-friendly, multi-generational romantic comedy about an over-achieving executive who quits her job just before Christmas and goes to her father’s country inn to try to find some balance. Her father is played by former Dr Who Colin Baker, while his love interest is played by ex ‐EastEnder, Anita Dobson.

“We all need dreams and a bit of magic in our lives, don’t we?” Anita (74) tells Yours. “This film is perfect for the festive season. I’m playing a lovely character called Molly, who runs a café in the village where Holly Day Inn is situated. She has a soft spot for Ben, played by Colin Baker.”

Back in the real world, Anita – or Lady May – is looking forward to sharing Christmas with her husband, Queen guitarist Brian May (76). She’s also excited to spend time with his grandchildren – and his children, James, Louisa and Emily, from his marriage to first wife Christine Mullen.

“I thoroughly enjoy being a step-grandma to Brian’s seven grandchildren,” she tells us. “They range in age from late teens down to about five. They call me ‘Nana Neet’ – Neet is what friends and family call me.”

Anita and Brian live in rural Surrey, but the star grew up in London and she says her most memorable Christmas was when she got a red bicycle. “I must have been about seven,” she recalls. “I’d desperately wanted a bike – a few of the other kids in our flats had one, but mum and dad didn’t have much money. I couldn’t bear not knowing if I was going to get one, and I needed to prepare myself for disappointment, so in the early hours of Christmas Day morning, I crept into the living room to see. There it was by the tree – my red bicycle. I can’t begin to tell you how thrilled I was. I went back to bed and when we got up, I pretended it was a big surprise.”

It’s hard to think of Anita and Christmas without recalling her iconic episode of EastEnders on December 25, 1986. Her character Angie Watts was served divorce papers by her philandering husband, Den, and the drama pulled in an extraordinary 30 million viewers. “If you do something that captures the imagination the way that EastEnders and Angie and Den did, you have to be proud of it,” says Anita, who recently starred in Doctor Who and a new series of Inside No.9. “I’m very proud of it. Thirty million viewers? Not bad, is it!”

Anita and Brian with family at his investiture earlier this year

While Angie and Den were famously fiery on screen, Anita says she and the late Leslie Grantham got along famously. “There was an instant rapport,” she says. “Leslie was amazing to work with because we never discussed it. He used to say, ‘Your mouth shuts, mine opens. My mouth shuts, yours opens.’ We knew exactly how to cover each other’s backs. It was remarkable.

“Playing Angie completely and utterly changed my life. I went from 0 to 100 practically overnight. Before EastEnders, I’d been a jobbing actress for a long time and then suddenly this gift of a role landed into my lap. Everything changed.

“The lady who ran the corner shop near where I lived in the real East End told me the bloke who lived across the road from me had been given a camera by the press and instructed to take a picture every time I opened my front door. I couldn’t believe it! It was like a rocket had taken off and I just had to hold on and wait until it landed.”

Which it did – to a certain extent – when Anita (74) decided to leave the soap in 1988. Her legacy lives on, though, and these days she says she is lucky enough to pick and choose her jobs.

“I don’t tend to do theatre tours which would mean me being away from home for prolonged periods, because I love where we live and our house and I want to spend lots of time there,” she reveals. “I always said that I would leave this life ‘in harness’ – as in still acting – but now I’m not so sure. I don’t plan on retiring but it’s true that these days, I only take jobs that interest me.”

Christmas at the Holly Day Inn is released November 6, 2023 on various streaming platforms.

From Yours magazine November 2023.

[hypocrisyofandrewdobson]

Y'know, as someone who's currently in art college (freshman), Gobby ain't too bad at drawing stuff like buildings or landscape stuff, like the big ben drawing (the one he didn't trace). His overall anatomy isn't the worst I've seen, but he does have a same-face problem (which so do I tbf).

What truly baffles me about Dobson is how he insists people take him and his art seriously, yet he never once thinks "hey maybe I should fix/redraw this" or anything like that. I worry constantly a lot about my art and whether or not it looks right, and I get really stressed when it comes to submitting my stuff to my professors, but in the end I try to remind myself to not shutdown and "pull a Dobson" because I know that my professors 1. are super nice 2. understand I'm not a pro and 3. are trying to help me become a stronger artist.

So, in a way, Dobson's story was a bit inspirational for me. Just for all the wrong reasons.

It will never not amuse me that Dobson’s lasting legacy on the art world is people going “man, I really have to make I don’t end up like that guy.”

You made a positive change in the world, Dobson. Kudos.

[dailyanarchistposts]

Footnotes, 101-150

[101] Joost A. M. Meerloo, Mental Seduction and Menticide: The Psychology of Thought Control and Brain-Washing (London: Jonathan Cape, 1957), 163–164, 184.

[102] B. A. Robinson, “Promise Keepers, Pro and Con: Part 1,” Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, November 2, 2003, www.religioustolerance.org.

[103] Jena Recer, “Whose Promise Are They Keeping?” National NOW Times, August 1995, www.now.org.

[104] James Dobson, “Building Moral Character in Kids,” radio broadcast, Focus on the Family International, February 8, 2006, www.oneplace.com =2/8/2006.

[105] Tony Kushner, Angels in America (New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995), 46.

[106] James Dobson, Marriage under Fire: Why We Must Win This Battle (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2004), 41.

[107] “Focus on the Family,” Citizen Magazine January 2003, quoted in Jeff Lutes, A False Focus on My Family (Lynchburg, VA: Soulforce, 2004), 8.

[108] Dobson, Marriage Under Fire, 49.

[109] James Dobson, Bringing Up Boys (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 2001), 127.

[110] Robert Knight, “The Homosexual Agenda in Schools,” Family Research Council, quoted in Matthew Shepard, “Nazi Anti-Jewish Speech vs. Religious Right Anti-Gay Speech,” Hatecrime.org, www.hatecrime.org.

[111] P. Gibson, “Gay Males and Lesbian Youth Suicide,” in M. R. Feinleib, ed., Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Youth Suicide, Volume 3: Prevention and Interventions in Youth Suicide(Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Public Health Service; Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, 1989; DHHS publication ADM 89–1623), 110.

[112] Pat Robertson, quoted in Richard K. Fenn, Dreams of Glory, 8.

[113] Kavan Peterson, “Washington Gay Marriage Ruling Looms,” Stateline.org, March 7, 2006, cms.stateline.org; “Same-Sex Marriage Measures on the 2004 Ballot,” National Conference of State Legislatures, November 2004, www.ncsl.org.

[114] Mel White, Stranger at the Gate (New York: Penguin, 1995), 25.

[115] Ibid., 22–23.

[116] Ibid., 29.

[117] Ibid., 14.

[118] Ibid., 49–50.

[119] Ibid., 96.

[120] Ibid., 107.

[121] Ibid., 142.

[122] Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism(New York: Harcourt, 1979), 353.

[123] Scott LaFee, “Local Scientists, Doctors and Professors Talk About ‘Intelligent Design,’” San Diego Union Tribune, June 8, 2005, F-1.

[124] Frank Newport, “Third of Americans Say Evidence Has Supported Darwin’s Evolution Theory,” Gallup Poll, November 19, 2004, poll.gallup.com.

[125] Keith Graham, Biology: God’s Living Creation (Pensacola, FL: A Beka, 1986), 404.

[126] Alfred M. Rehwinkel, The Wonders of Creation (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1974), in Graham, Biology, 133.

[127] Graham, Biology, 163.

[128] Graham, Biology, 351.

[129] Carl Wieland, “Darwin’s Bodysnatchers: New Horrors,” Creation 14:2 (March 1992), 16–18.

[130] Carl Wieland, “Apartheid and ‘The Cradle of Humankind,’” Creation 26:2 (March 2004), 10–14.

[131] “What Happened When Stalin Read Darwin?” Creation 10:4 (September 1998), 23.

[132] Jerry Bergman, “Darwinism and the Nazi Race Holocaust,” Technical Journal 13:2, 101–111.

[133] “Evolution and the Hutu-Tutsi Slayings,” Creation 21:2 (March 1999), 47.

[134] Graham, Biology, 347.

[135] Jerry Bergman, “Was Charles Darwin Psychotic? A Study of His Mental Health,” Impact (January 2004).

[136] Raymond Hall, “Darwin’s Impact—The Bloodstained Legacy of Evolution,” Creation 27:2 (March 2005), 46–47.

[137] Graham, Biology, 347.

[138] Ibid., 349.

[139] Hannah Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism, 371.

[140] “Intelligence Report,” Southern Poverty Law Center (Spring 2005), 4. www.splcenter.org.

[141] Union of Concerned Scientists, “Scientific Integrity in Policy Making: An Investigation into the Bush Administration’s Misuse of Science,” March 2004, 2; 32, www.ucsusa.org.

[142] This lecture was taped and transcribed by Timothy Nunan of Princeton University.

[143] Karl Popper, The Open Society and Its Enemies (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1971), 1:96.

[144] Max Blumenthal, “Justice Sunday Preachers,” The Nation, May 9, 2005 (Web edition only), www.thenation.com.

[145] Ibid.

[146] Ibid.

[147] David Kirkpatrick, “Club of the Most Powerful Gathers in Strictest Privacy,” The New York Times, August 28, 2004.

[148] Ibid.

[149] Max Blumenthal, “Who Are Justice Sunday’s Ministers of Ministry?” Talk To Action, January 6, 2006, www.talk2action.org.

[150] Quoted in Daniel Lev, The Terrorist Next Door (New York: Thomas Dumae/St. Martin, 2002), 27.

[beevean]

I swear, I'll get into the Castlevania series proper one of these days (if only because I don't want to annoy you with the frequency of Sonic/MegaMan/Ace Attorney based asks), but can we just look back at how dirty Lucas Gilbertson was done by Capcom?

People assume that Capcom weren't able to get Gilbertson to reprise his role as Zero in recent MegaMan content because he's Canadian, and that supposed proves to be an issue... but that goes up in smoke when you consider that Canadian voice actors are indeed still working with Capcom on a lot of things. Hell, if Paul Dobson (a Canadian voice actor) was able to reprise his role as Dr. Doom in MVC3, there was no reason they couldn't get Lucas to come back as Zero in the same game. Hell, the folks behind the latest MegaMan Battle Network Legacy Collection managed to get Andrew Francis to reprise his role as MegaMan.EXE, and before that, the playable characters of the now-defunct Puzzle Fighter game had an entirely Canadian voice cast (with Scott McNeil even reprising his role as Dr. Wily a whole decade and a half after having voiced the character prior)

It's clear that the dude LOVES voicing Zero, and is appreciative of his fans, so I just don't understand why Lucas had to get the shaft so much.

I honestly don't know anything about how it works. There might be other issues behind the scenes: I'm thinking of Ryan Drummond who most likely was never hired back by SEGA because he joined an union, for example.

It is a shame, though. Gilbertson is a talented voice actor and he clearly enjoys his role as Zero, even redubbing some scenes from X4 and collaborating with TerminalMontage :( at least he can lend his voice in fan projects.

[gaykarstaagforever]

Todd in the Shadows and his friends (trans! Yay!) did another "Song vs. Song" podcast, where they talk about the 9/11/2025 VMAs.

Because MTV hasn't played a music video in 30 years, but still inexplicably exists, and still hands out awards to music people based on...things...? Taylor Swift was there.

I don't know. I don't get it, and they don't seem to either, and the show only broadcasts about half of the inexplicable awards they actually give out. And maybe 40% of them make sense?

Go listen to the podcast. They talk about it. Here:

What I want to highlight is, on this weird legacy MTV awards show, there are a lot of live performances. And one of them was Halsey (remember her?) performing her new song "Ego", which is a novelty track that is clearly referencing the "grrlrock" sound of the very early 2000s.

Todd is old like me so he remembers this 20+ yo era of pop music. And in describing the sound of the new song, he mentions Fefe Dobson.

I haven't thought about Fefe Dobson in 20+ years, because I'm old. But my brain still has that stuff inside it, because I'm old.

Here is a Fefe Dobson track from 2003 that is dated, but maybe still kind of good? I can't judge, because I'm old.

(Also this video might be about a black rocker girl being into an Asian guy? Pretty progressive for 2003.)

The most annoying thing is that this song is this old, and this lady is still 3 years younger than me.

For context to those of you who weren't born yet when this came out: have you heard of one Avril Lavigne? Yes? No? Ask your mom. Avil got real popular, so record labels (which still mattered at this early-Internet point) decided to sign artists vaguely like her, as they figured it. Fefe Dobson was vaguely like her, to them.

Compare this to nowish, when Billie Eilish got popular and suddenly 16 people who sounded vaguely like her suddenly had hot tracks on TikTok. And only like half of those were backed by Grandpa Record Labels. And only Olivia Rodrigo is good. And she emerged from the Disney TV egg.

(But so did Miley and Brittany, and like half of your favorite serious actors. So I guess the 90s Corporate Monoculture isn't quite as dead as we all like to think.)

...I forgot what point I was trying to make with this. Because I'm old.

FEFE DOBSON! SHE'S 39!

[dearsuzenblog]

▪️ Zombie Boy: How Rick Genest Transformed Visual Social Media ▪️

WEEK 8 - Body Modification on Visual Social Media

Hey hey hey, my fellow bloggie peeps ✨

Guess who's back with another blog post? That's right, it's me! 🩷

I know it's been a while, but I'm here and ready to share some new content with you all~

Welcome to today's blog, where we’ll be diving into something truly fascinating. We're gonna dive into the topic of Body Modification on Visual Social Media and I will be focusing on the one and only Rick Genest, aka Zombie Boy.Sadly, Rick passed away in 2018, but his legacy continues to inspire and captivate people around the world. Despite his untimely death, Rick's journey is filled with positivity, creativity, and the power of genuine support.

Let’s get into it right away now!

𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓: 𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐕𝐀𝐒

In our digitally connected world, digital citizenship goes beyond just our online actions—it’s also about how we present ourselves and influence others.

One captivating example of this is the late Rick Genest, aka Zombie Boy. Rick was a Canadian artist, actor, fashion model, and musician who left an unforgettable impact on visual social media with his unique body modifications. With a Guinness World Record for his full-body tattoos, Rick’s journey provides essential insights into digital citizenship and the health education surrounding body modification.

𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐔𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀

Rick's presence on visual social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook was groundbreaking. His tattoos, which intricately depicted a decomposing body, were both shocking and mesmerizing. They challenged conventional beauty standards and sparked conversations about body modification, self-expression, and identity. Rick used these platforms not only to share his art but also to connect with a global audience, inspiring many to view tattoos and body modifications as legitimate forms of art and self-expression  (Guichard-Kenny 2018).

𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐙𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏: 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

Rick's journey highlights essential aspects of digital citizenship. By sharing his body modification journey online, he took on the responsibility of influencing how others perceive and engage with the concept of body modification. His candidness about his transformation and the artistic process behind his tattoos fostered a community that appreciated and respected diverse forms of self-expression (Dobson 2019).

However, with great influence comes great responsibility. As a digital citizen, Rick was aware of the impact his posts could have on young and impressionable audiences. He often spoke about the significance of his tattoos, not merely as a form of rebellion but as a deeply personal and artistic journey. His transparency and openness provided a more nuanced understanding of body modification, encouraging his followers to think critically about their choices and the motivations behind them (Motta 2018).

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇 𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

Rick's extensive tattoos also bring to light critical health education issues related to body modification. Tattoos, especially to the extent Rick had them, require significant consideration regarding physical health, mental well-being, and social implications.

When it comes to Physical Health, Rick's tattoos were done by professional artists under sterile conditions, minimizing the risk of infections and complications. His experience underscores the importance of seeking reputable tattoo artists and understanding the health risks involved (Mackinney-Valentin 2013).

As for mental health being, For Rick, tattoos were more than skin deep. They were a therapeutic and artistic outlet. However, not everyone has the same experience. Body modification can have profound psychological effects, and it’s crucial to approach it with a clear mind and realistic expectations. Rick’s journey encourages potential enthusiasts to consider their motivations and the potential long-term effects on their mental health (Matsyshyna 2016).

But to sum it all up, Rick’s appearance challenged societal norms and, at times, led to social stigmatization. His resilience and ability to turn his body into a celebrated work of art serve as a reminder of the societal challenges that come with extreme body modification. Educating oneself about these potential challenges is an essential aspect of the health education surrounding body modification.

𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐘 𝐆𝐀𝐆𝐀'𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊'𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐉𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐄𝐘

One of the most beautiful aspects of Rick's story is the incredible support he received from Lady Gaga. She recognized his unique artistry and saw something special in him. Their paths crossed when Rick starred in her music video for "Born This Way," a moment that skyrocketed his visibility and helped him gain recognition for his extraordinary self-expression (Galway & Mallon 2018).

Lady Gaga wasn’t just a collaborator; she was a true friend and advocate. She often praised Rick’s talent and courage, using her platform to shine a light on his work and the art of body modification (Yebra 2018). Her support played a significant role in Rick’s rise to fame and helped break down barriers and stigmas associated with extreme body art.

Rick’s life may have been cut short, but his impact on the world of art, fashion, and digital media is everlasting. He showed us that self-expression knows no bounds and that true art comes from within. Lady Gaga’s unwavering support and belief in Rick's talent remind us of the importance of lifting each other up and celebrating our unique differences.

So, let’s remember Rick Genest not for his passing, but for the incredible legacy he left behind and the positive influence he had on the world, thanks in part to the support of a superstar who believed in his vision. Keep expressing yourself, and never forget the power of a supportive community! 💖

Love, Zen🌸

REFERENCES

Dobson, J 2019, ‘The marvellous history of medicine’, BMJ, p. l6603.

Guichard-Kenny, S 2018, ‘The Anatomical Tattoo’, Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 140–142.

Galway, K & Mallon, S 2018, Lady Gaga’s Twitter blunder and why speculating about suicide after a celebrity death is problematic, theconversation.com.

Motta, G 2018, Fashion through History: Costumes, Symbols, Communication (Volume I), Google Books, Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Mackinney-Valentin, M 2013, ‘Face value: Subversive beauty ideals in contemporary fashion marketing’, Fashion, Style & Popular Culture, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 13–27.

Matsyshyna, IV 2016, ‘Body-centrism in advertising texts, or how we are inured to pain’, AI & SOCIETY, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 109–115.

Yebra, JM 2018, ‘Camp revamped in pop culture icon Lady Gaga: The case of “Telephone” and “Born this Way”’, European Journal of American Culture, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 39–55.

[primeprofitmedia]

Unraveling Mysteries: The Untold Tale of Taelyn Dobson

The Untold Tale of Taelyn Dobson" invites readers on an enigmatic journey into the lesser-known chapters of Nick Carter's family history. This compelling narrative peels back layers of secrecy surrounding Taelyn Dobson, exposing a tapestry of hidden stories and buried truths. As the mysteries unfold, readers will navigate a labyrinth of intrigue, exploring the complexities of fame, familial ties, and the profound impact of the past on the present. Taelyn's untold tale promises a riveting adventure through the shadows of fame, where every revelation adds a new layer to the captivating Dobson legacy.

[kusin-tisdag]

Belly and baby are growing <3

We also get the news that, out of all people, Jim has started dating and is now living with Karen Dobson! Karen has left her sister the fantastic house in Sulani, and moved to live with Jim in Copperdale!

Wishing them all the joy and happiness!

[lachalupas-blog]

With inexhaustible charisma, disarming good looks and undeniable talent, Stephen Tomlin captivated his contemporaries, and references to Stephen ‘Tommy’ Tomlin pepper countless biographies of twentieth-century figures. However, until recently, that was where his story remained.

Now the first major exhibition of his work at Philip Mould & Company is aiming to return Tomlin to the artistic spotlight where he belongs.

The youngest son of five children born to Lord Tomlin of Ash and Marion Waterfield, Tomlin was a young man possessed of artistic sensibilities. He attended Harrow School for Boys and briefly studied at New College, Oxford but left after just two terms and travelled to Cornwall where he is likely to have met his artistic tutor, the artist Frank Dobson. Developing his skills with the celebrated sculptor in Cornwall, and later honing his draughtsmanship at the Slade School of Fine Art under Henry Tonks, Tomlin laid the foundations of his professional career.

Although he was a highly complex individual, ‘Tommy’ – as he was known to his friends – used his seductive charm, brilliant conversation and obvious ability as an artist to ensure that he was much in demand. Virginia Woolf described him as ‘the devastation of all hearts’, while the literary critic and writer Cyril Connolly commented that Tomlin was ‘the most interesting young person I have met’.

A few major names have come to define our view of the influential Bloomsbury group, the progressive band of avant-garde artists, writers and intellectuals. The Bloomsbury Stud: The Art of Stephen Tomlin seeks to explore an alternative view of the Bloomsbury group, through the eyes of its principal sculptor.

His recently published biography Bloomsbury Stud: The Life of Stephen 'Tommy' Tomlin lays bare the career of Bloomsbury’s forgotten iconographer. He died tragically young at the age of thirty-five, but his legacy speaks of a life lived intensely and ferociously. Drawing upon the transformative research undertaken for this project, this exhibition will reveal the life of Stephen Tomlin and re-present his era-defining sculptural images.

An exhibition designed in collaboration with Luke Edward Hall

[riaaanna]

(not paywalled but I pasted it here anyway)

Fifty years on from Queen’s debut album, Brian May reckons the band would still be rocking the world if ­ Freddie Mercury were still with us.

And the guitar legend reveals he still “misses the butterflies” he would feel while watching the flamboyant frontman ­strut his stuff on stage.

“Freddie was a fantastic mate and a great brother,” he says. “I liked it when he broke the rules, what he said to the ­audience and the risk he took.

“I am sure if he was here today we would still be doing it and the mothership would still be steaming around the world, because he lived for music and lived for the band – it was his family.”

Bandmates Brian, Freddie, Roger Taylor and John Deacon put out their self-titled first LP on July 13, 1973, on EMI in the UK and Elektra Records in the US.

Rolling Stone magazine hailed it as a “superb” debut – even though it only reached No 32 in the charts.

And it set wheels in motion that would see Queen become one of the greatest rock groups of all time with over 300 million in records sold worldwide.

Five decades on –and 32 years after frontman Freddie’s death from AIDS aged just 45 in 1991 – Brian says his memories of his old friend have not faded.

“He was very shy but also very social. He lived to the max every second of the day,” says the 75-year-old. “He is so enduring because he was an eccentric genius.

“He was not a people pleaser. Some may have found him rude but he achieved what he wanted and knew what he was doing.

“I think there was a period where he felt we might disapprove of his sexuality, and the rest of the world might disapprove.

“I know he struggled with it, but he plucked up the courage to be what he wanted to be. He opened up his heart and he gave it everything he had. He was proud of himself as a musician above all else.

“If you look back at the history of rock ‘n’ roll, is Little Richard a man trying to hide the fact he’s gay? No. He screamed his passion. Freddie belongs to that genre.”

Drummer Roger, 73, adds: “Freddie is still around, he is part of our make-up. If he was still around I don’t know if we would be still working but I would hope so. That was part of Freddie’s raison d’etre. I mean what else would we do?”

The remaining original band members have gone on performing with American Idol singer Adam Lambert, 41, providing the vocals since 2011.

But it was with Freddie at the helm that they built their extraordinary legacy.

Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame, Queen also hold two Brit Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

While the band collected the first one at a 1990 ceremony, the second was presented to Freddie posthumously in 1992.

Despite his band’s success, Brian, married to former EastEnders star Anita Dobson, admits he still suffers impostor syndrome when he thinks about all the music legends Queen have outlived in their phenomenal career.

He says: “I think about young kids who came up behind me. George Michael was kind of a kid to me, like a younger brother.

“And to think he has gone – and people like David Bowie. It is frightening.

“I sometimes think, ‘Why am I still here?’ and ‘What am I meant to be doing?’ But this is what I am meant to be doing. The core of me is still there.

“It is still the same old me inside. I do what I do because it is what I do. I don’t need the money. I don’t need the fame, as I have had quite a lot of that.

“I just want to think my work gets heard and gets to people’s hearts.”

[man-creates-dinosaurs]

I also noticed Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (which is excellent BTW) reference to the 1950s sci-fi trope of the female scientist and the disbelieving male GI but @tyrantisterror needs to revisit those classic 50s monster movies because those female scientists are never shown as incompetent or incapable of doing their job. From paleontologist Lee Hunter in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) to entomologist Dr. Patricia Medford in Them! (1954) and biologist Stephanie Clayton in Tarantula (1955) as well as marine biologist Prof. Lesley Joyce in It Came From Beneath the Sea (1955), and ichthyologist Helen Dobson in Revenge of the Creature (1955) all are portrayed as smart, brave, independent, and often the ones with the answers to save humanity if only the dumb military men would listen to them, which they eventually do.

In none of these films are these working women scientists forced to abandon their careers. Yes they often to get married, or at least accept a proposal, by the end of the film, but the movies seem to hold out hope for an appropriate work-life balance (harder than you would think in academia).

All-in-all these films were incredibly progressive for their time. It Came From Beneath the Seas ends with a denouncement of sexism which is remarkable for a movie about a giant octopus attacking the Golden Gate Bridge. These characters were not damsels in distress and paved the way for the likes of Dr. Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park (1993), Dr. Eleanor Alloway in Contact (1997), and Dr. Susan Tyler in Mimic (1997).

For more I would recommend looking up gender studies scholar Linda Levitt’s essay on this topic "1950s B-Movie Women Scientists: Smart, Strong, but Still Marriageable" as well as film journalist Bob Calhoun's "Atom Age Feminists: The Women of '50s Sci-Fi." There's also an entire book on this subject: scholar Bonnie Noonan's Women Scientists in Fifties Science Fiction Films (McFarland, 2005).

Really enjoying Monarch: Legacy of Monsters so far. The flashback scenes in particular are very much my cup of tea, for reasons anyone who's read ATOM could easily guess. There's a thing that happens a lot inf 50's monster movies where a lady scientist is introduced and the male character initially can't believe she's the scientist they're looking for because she's a woman, and in the old movies it's played as a "Wow, times are crazy because broads can have jobs now, how fucking weird is that, they better get husbands and become wives soon!" thing, with the men's disbelief being justified and the women often being incapable.

And, like, I mocked this pretty relentlessly in my two kaiju books, but Monarch: Legacy of Monsters takes a jab at it too. Monarch has the same setup as the old movies, but in execution it's clearly the guy making presumptions who's weird by the narrative's standards, and presented as an embarrassing moment for him, where his prejudice made him look like a jackass, and the lady scientist goes on to be INCREDIBLY competent and capable. It's nice, I like it.

[cowplant-pizza]

[fieriframes]

[My father, he's really smiling down. He paused, thinking, so Dobson asked again that we sit, and daughter-in-law, Brandi, have carried on what he started.]