#echo is bellamy's wife

[cherrylng]

Muse Interview - Matt Bellamy, Dom Howard, and Chris Wolstenholme [ROCKIN'ON (June 2001)]

Muse's explosive sound of philosophy, “Origin of Symmetry”

Interview: Erika Yamashita / Photo: Masakazu Yoshiba

There is no one who listens to this album and is not astonished. The long-awaited second album by Muse, Origin of Symmetry, is a real eye-opener. One reason for the surprise is that Muse has grown and developed beyond expectations in just a year and a half since their debut album. But another, and the biggest surprise, is the sheer preposterous scale and construction of this album. A concept born of an insatiable interest and passionate thirst for knowledge about what controls and drives the world, the universe and all things. The eleven tracks are assembled with an overwhelming sound. There are hysterical falsettos of lamenting vocals with bold shouts, abrasive and gritty rhythm sections galloping, bass lines dancing, imposing pianos echoing, and guitars making about three different instrumental sounds. The weepy, somewhat folk-like Muse verse is still there, but it's so grandly crafted that you forget about it. There are pushes and pulls, peaks and valleys within each song, and a steady flow throughout the album. Nobody makes an album like this nowadays. It's not at all like the “progressive rock” “co-concept albums” of the past, either. I'm asking you to listen to it, and to receive the almost obsessive feeling inside you. You can't be alone in your thoughts. So, while being swallowed up by the tremendous energy of this album, what remains at the end is somehow a liberating sense of exhilaration. I was amazed that they had managed to get so much out of the album without wasting any of it, and I found myself turning up the volume even more and more. While keeping their minds busy with philosophical ideas, they are different from the introspective and damp mainstream of today's young UK bands.

As this is the first time all three of them have appeared together in an interview, I asked them about their roles in the band: "Dom is the wood, Chris is the oil, and Matt is the spark" and "when the three of us get together we make a huge fire". They have been friends for more than 10 years since junior high school, and there is a chemistry between them that goes beyond that of bandmates. Chris is an early father but a hotshot, and Dom is apparently the wife at Matt's side [1]. The excessive life energy, unique thought process and unbridled creativity of Matt Bellamy is able to continue to flourish without breaking down, thanks to this line-up.

After the interview, I saw the band live at a university hall in Norwich. The performance, which included most of the new album and some of the first numbers, was so strong that it was hard to believe it had only been a week since the start of the tour. The band are extraordinary performers to begin with, but what makes Muse's stage presence shine today is something else than technical conviction. The expression that originally emanated from the enormous mental energy of Matt hits us as a “sound” with powerful physicality. It seems to be visible now. Muse? Well, they're good, but they're a bit…… Even those who had said that were holding their breath at their new live show, their mouths open, and before they knew it, they were transformed into a whirlpool of bodies. Their summer showcase gigs are something to look forward to. In the next issue of this magazine, Matt will talk about each song on the album in more detail!

“At the beginning we were worried, we didn't know what people would think. But now we know that if we play music that we feel is ‘the one’, a lot of people will like it.”

What are your own feelings about the new record, now that it's finally finished? Chris (C): 「Oh, it's good.」 Dominic (D): 「(laughs) Yeah. I think we're all happy with it. It's a very different sound from before and we're happy with our performance. We've tried to do a lot of different things on purpose. Like long numbers and songs without guitars.」 Matt (M): 「A lot of the songs are dynamic, like a combination of several songs. Well, about half of them are hard numbers that are more like our live performances, but the one with John Leckie is longer. I think the bass sound is more prominent this time, after all. The same goes for Dom's drums. I think they're much more pronounced this time than before. I think there's a good balance between the three of us.」 C: 「I think that, unlike before, we've worked on it a lot on tour.」

I think this is one of the biggest albums in recent years. It's a huge leap forward, and it's also full of the feeling that it was so much fun to create the sound in the studio. Everyone: 「(nods their heads vigorously)」 M: 「John Leckie is a guy who really likes to experiment with sound. You can hear all kinds of tinkering with sounds, especially in the songs he produced.」

From the sound of "Plug In Baby" I had a feeling that the sound would be sharper, more solid and more confident, and I was not disappointed. M: 「I think the mix of live instruments and various electronic sounds worked well. But the electronic parts are done on guitar. I had two guitars built that I designed myself. It's a heavy sound, like a synth.’ Plug In’ also has a synth-like sound in the background, but it's played on guitars. One of the guitars has a mess of microphones attached to it. It's a cyber guitar (laughs). You can play it on a plectrum, but if you hit a button or something, it makes a sound.」

You wouldn't break that, would you? M: 「Hahahaha. I won't break it, I promise.」

(laughs). It's a really remarkable improvement, but how is it different from the first album? M: 「The biggest difference is our attitude towards making music. We have confidence in what we're doing, and we're okay with putting it out there for all kinds of people. When we first started out, we were quite anxious and didn't know what people would think. But now we know that if we play the music we think is right, a lot of people will like it. Anyway, it's confidence in every sense of the word. I think we're more open as musicians and songwriters, and I think we've gone a lot deeper than we did on the first album.」

It has a very intricate and complex sound and song structure, was it a difficult record to make? M: 「Not really. For example, on the last album, there were quite a few songs that we recorded once and then re-recorded later and they turned out good, but this time I was satisfied with all the songs after just one recording.」 D: 「It wasn't hard to do. Even before we went into the studio, we knew exactly what we wanted to do.」 M: 「And we rehearsed a lot. We'd done a lot of touring on songs like "Plug In Baby", "New Born" and "Feeling Good", so recording them was a piece of cake, which meant we could spend more time on the other difficult songs. John Leckie came to Devon to watch us rehearse and we discussed which songs to record. We didn't want to waste time in the studio making decisions. So this year we spent three weeks at Real World Studios and a week and a half at Astoria, a floating studio on the Thames. That boat used to belong to Chaplin, and now it belongs to Pink Floyd. And then the last three weeks we went into Abbey Road Studios.」

So was this overwhelming finish something you had in mind from the start? M: 「No, it turned out very different to what I had in mind. I mean, it's hard to predict. Even if you have a direction at the beginning, it changes as the song progresses.」

What are the qualities and contributions of the two producers, Dave Bottrill and John Leckie? M: 「Generally, I don't like producers who meddle in the arrangements. John Leckie is one who never does that. He never tries to change anything, he just lets us do what we want to do. But Dave Bottrill had some input on the arrangements of "New Born" and "Plug In Baby". I never usually accept that, but his advice was very simple and excellent. He's probably the only producer I can trust to give me advice on arrangements. Apart from that, Bottrill is very good at capturing a live sound. So it was perfect for us right after the tour. John Leckie, on the other hand, has a lot of experience in doing a lot of different things. So we could experiment with him. I feel like I can trust his opinion that he's done it this way before, or that it could be better this way. In a nutshell, John Leckie's contribution is a great deal of experience and knowledge. Well, on the last album there was another voice, Paul Reeve, who was a big part of it, he was the engineer and almost co-producer, but I think the tone is more consistent this time. It's basically Leckie and me.」

Was there a particular recording session or song that left the biggest impression on you? M: 「"Megalomania" started out as a quiet song with acoustic guitar and a bit of percussion from Dom, but halfway through it turned into a song with a majestic church organ. Dom was playing very rock drums and Chris was playing a very heavy distorted bass sound, and there was a church organ sound on top of that. It's a powerful mix of very old and new sounds. It's all over the album. On "Screenagers", the bones sound like they're a hundred years old, and then all of a sudden you're surprised by the synth sounds. Almost every song changed a lot during the recording process. We came up with different arrangements and used new instruments. But in general, we made it with the intention of being able to reproduce it live.」 D: 「"Screenagers", by the way, that's a strange atmosphere……」 M: 「It was just the three of us and John Leckie in the studio, and we brought all sorts of stuff in there. Bones, animal claws…」 D: 「Llama toenails and stuff.」 M: 「The four of us would make all sorts of sounds with all these strange objects that we put around the room, and we'd record them first. Then we put the music on top of that in the same room.」

Where did you find all these ‘strange objects’? M: 「Oh, John Leckie has a lot of stuff (laughs). Dom's got a few of them, and I've got a friend who's got a few of those. Most of them are percussion kind of things. Like a bullroarer, a kalimba. Wind chimes and stuff like that. And what else……」 D: 「Bubble wrapping sheets [2]. Thin sticks that make a thunder-like sound. Um……」 M: 「It's a long tube (laughs). It was more to create an atmosphere than a musical instrument. What was it for, let's see…」 D: 「Well, it's more like creating a background.」 M: 「Well, at first I was trying to create a sound like a windy summer day. But then we started going in a weird, dark direction.」 D: 「It was about creating an image of the band being in this kind of place. Like on a porch, or on top of a hill. But it was like we were sitting by the fire. I think the sound of the bubble wrapping sheet is like the sound of sparks bursting out of a fire.」 M: 「If silence is a pure white canvas, this is like painting on a canvas that has something on it beforehand. It's like chaos theory or nonlinear mathematics. It's the initial conditions that make a big difference.」

……Yes. M: 「(laughs) How can fiddling with llama toenails be nonlinear mathematics?」

Anyway, it sounds like it was a fun recording session. D: 「It was very smooth and relaxed.」 M: 「Really? I was stressed all the time.」

Doesn't that mean that Dom is always the relaxed one and Matt is the stressed one? M: 「I think so. I was always worrying about this and that. I was worried and nervous and self-doubting. From start to finish (laughs). Once we'd finished making the album and started touring, that went away. Then little by little, I went into a stress cycle for the next album.」

"We know very little about music before the 90s. There were a lot of bands that made concept albums in the past, but I don't know anything about them."

Hahaha. I don't think there are any bands in the UK today that are willing to take on and stand up for these big themes and concepts. What do you think? M: 「In other words, it's about taking on the responsibility of what you say in your expression and music, right? I think so. Of course, there are lots and lots of bands out there, but amongst the rather well-known UK bands now, there are hardly any that I feel a connection with.」

So, not only is it a concept album that relies on a major theme, but it also has very progressive elements, including themes such as existence and the universe, but despite this it has a strong personality that is not anachronistic or retro. What do you think is the core of this individuality? M: 「Well. I guess we hardly know any music from before the 90s.」 C&D: 「Pfft (laughs).」 M: 「No, no, that's part of it…… There were a lot of bands that made concept albums in the past, but I don't know anything about them. John Leckie often talks about when he worked with Pink Floyd, and when I tell him I don't know any of the songs, he laughs really hard. He always finds it strange. He says we know very little about music that he thinks is compatible with us.」

What do you consider to be the main musical influences of this album? M: 「Yeah, we talked about it a bit the other day, but for me I can see where the influences are coming from. Half of what I listen to is old…… I mean, music from the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, like Rachmaninoff, Debussy, and Chopin. I also listen to a lot of piano music. I've gotten a lot better as a pianist compared to last year. Until last year, I was just okay, and in the first album I could do very simple arpeggios. You know, like "Sunburn". But I practised a lot after that. I listened to and studied a lot of piano music. There is a pianist called Evgeny Kissin who plays very complex music, and I listened to a lot of that. I also listened to a lot of Daft Punk, Yell, the old Aphex Twin, and a little bit of rock, like NIN and Deftones. I think it came from being exposed to both very old music and modern music.」

Are you bored of the guitar? M: 「No, no, no, not at all. I just always wanted to be a very good pianist. It's a difficult instrument.」

You originally played jazz piano first, didn't you? When you were a child. M: 「Yes, but it's only in the last six months or so that I've really been able to play the way I want to play. So the piano isn't a big deal, I only use it on two songs or so. But I think it has a lot of influence on songwriting and arranging, because it's easier to come up with interesting chords when writing songs on the piano than on the guitar. But I prefer to play the guitar in live performances.」

You don't bring a grand piano on stage? M: 「No, no. I'll probably play the piano on one song, but it'll be a small electric piano. I love the grand piano, but only if I go that far (laughs).」

How about you two? What are the musical influences on this album? D: 「That's pretty much it. Rage Against The Machine, NIN, and Deftones are the only rock bands that all three of us listen to. There's something in their music that's different from other American bands.」 M: 「Chris's taste has changed the most so far. He used to be all about heavy music.」 C: 「Now I specialise in "Pet Sounds".」

(laughs). Now, about the title of the album, "Origin of Symmetry." M: 「……Is it really good?」 C: 「Hmm? (laughs)」 M: 「Hey, that doesn't look good. How does it feel? What do you think of this title? What do you think when you hear this phrase?」 C: 「Well…」 D: 「(lost in laughter)」 M: 「I hope it's a title that makes all sorts of people think about all sorts of things. It's something that each person can define in their own way. Even if I don't need to define it myself.」

Please give us your own definition as well. M: 「I think several themes will emerge throughout the album. It's…… Well, how should I put it (laughs)…… Well, first of all, it's about "Space Dementia". Futurism. That word could have been the title of the album. Futurism has nothing to do with the history of art, it's just a kind of idea, but I've recently learned that there's a word for personal fulfilment and the meaning of life being available later on, not now. But in any case, I think it would be a mistake to base the meaning of your life on the knowledge you've acquired so far. I think you should always be open to new ideas. And what "Space Dementia" is talking about is the feeling you get when you realise that we are really, really alone in this universe. Also, it's still about atheism and things like that. Not believing in God, and how to deal with that. Some of the songs really speak directly to God - or at least to God, if there is a God. Why are we here, what is the reason for our existence, and what is the reason for God's existence? Those things pop up every now and then (laughs).」

Why are you so obsessed with religion? Did you used to believe in God overwhelmingly? M: 「No, I think it is difficult to believe in God in today's world. Any religion is a stage in the evolution of a particular nation or civilisation, and now that there is such a global connection, no religion is good enough to be applicable to the whole. So I think that by searching for something that works for the whole planet, maybe we can become one. I think that what we call human consciousness - consciousness - has existed since the beginning of the universe when it exploded. The universe started with ten dimensional space, which was divided into two smaller spaces by the explosion, one of which is the four dimensional space in which we live. And consciousness is the evolution of the so-called material elements to a higher state. I think that in the beginning, the universe was fully conscious. The smallest of these was the atomic nucleus, from which electrons were eventually created, and then atoms, which are a higher level of consciousness, and then groups of atoms create the elements…… and so on, and as the degrees of consciousness increase and the individual things merge, they eventually become one complete consciousness. And eventually the aggregation of the elements made the stars. I think the stars have consciousness and the universe is trying to form a higher dimensional order. All the elements that make up the earth and our physical bodies were once part of a single celestial body. Billions of years ago, it was split into several celestial systems by a supernova. So there was once a time when we were consciously one. Now I think we're struggling to reconstitute it somehow, to get back to our original state. We're trying to reconnect with every single person on the planet and with the universe. That's what I sing about on the album (laughs).[3]」

That was a very obvious answer…… Where did you come up with these themes? M: 「I've always wanted to know about that kind of thing, so I've been doing a lot of research. I feel satisfied and happy when I am researching and searching for something. So my research has shifted from religion to science. But I still don't know if what I just said is really 100% correct (laughs). Anyway, I've been reading a lot of books on philosophy of science.」

Does that come from resistance to the fear, for example, that humanity is infinitely lonely and that there is nothing in a human lifetime that we can believe in? M: 「Yes, that's the struggle. That feeling of loneliness and fear is the negative side of my thinking, whereas the positive side of my thinking is that we are all united on a cosmic level and are somehow moving towards a higher order. But what really frightens me is that the universe is in fact on the verge of decay and death. There are signs that what was once perfect is gradually cooling down as it splits into smaller and smaller pieces. It's called entropy, and it means that the universe will eventually die. This is a frightening thought, because it means that there is no positive reason for being alive. But, you know, that's a negative way of thinking, and there are positive ways of thinking too. The universe, which used to be dead, is becoming more and more vibrant, and different species are emerging. If the temperature of the universe keeps dropping, somewhere you get to the point where life can occur, and right now life is occurring everywhere in the universe, and it may be about to form something completely different from what we have seen before. The songs on this album go back and forth between these two ideas of negative and positive, and hopefully I want to be on the positive side (laughs).」

Is "Plug In Baby" actually a song about that? The NME live review said that the lyrics were "like virtual sex", which made me laugh a little. M: 「Hahaha. That was, well, high energy and a bit …… It might not be easy to get into from the line I just mentioned (laughs). I think it can be read in a lot of different ways. I wrote those lyrics a long time ago, and I can't remember exactly what I was thinking at the time. But in the overall context of the album, it's like I'm singing to a human being who was once thought of as a god, saying I've exposed your lies, that I've seen what's underneath but it's no big surprise, that now is the time for a change, that it's time to cleanse everything away and forget your love. Maybe it's time to abandon the old God and celebrate the latest science and technology, or something like that…… Maybe, like that. Haha.[4]」

Do both Dom and Chris share Matt's developing themes about science and existence? Or is it more a case of leaving it to the megalomaniacal lyricists and not revealing anything? Everyone: 「Pfft, wahahahaha.」 D: 「No, I'm really interested in this stuff too. But Matt reads a lot more mathematical books than I do.」 M: 「We talk about a lot of stuff. I sat down with Chris to talk about the lyrics for this album, and we talked about what we were singing about. But I always tell Dom what books I'm reading and what I'm thinking about. It's not like, "Let's discuss this song" or anything like that (laughs). I think everyone talks about these things in their own way. Some people don't need that many words to express an idea. Some people can sum it up in just one sentence. It just takes me about an hour to say that (laughs)…… Well, I could explain that this song is about my girlfriend and how I was recently dumped, but that wouldn't be funny, would it?」

(laughs). M: 「No, I might get dumped soon.[5]」 D&C: 「Hahahaha……」 M: 「I'm doing this because I think I can explain what is influencing me on a deeper level and making me write music. And I think there are many explanations for one thing. I never know which one is the purely correct explanation.」

The majestic number "Megalomania" at the end of the album was tentatively titled "Paradise" or "Multiple." Is it an inside joke to end the album with a song called Megalomania, which means delusion of grandeur? M: 「……Yes.」

In other words? M: 「Hahaha, well, I mean, it's a really grandiose, almost obsessive obsession to find out the identity of the one who controls everything.」

That's what you have inside you. M: 「To find God. Yeah.」

"When I was 16 or 18, what I wanted to do didn't mesh with anyone around me. My way of doing everything was extreme and insane. I always want to go as far as I can. That's life for me, otherwise what's the point?"

You said you've always thought about the purpose of life and the meaning of existence, when was the first time you thought about that? M: 「Every moment of my life, all the time…… My first memory of my life is a smell. Maybe when I was one or two. The smell of cough medicine spilling on my clothes. But now I think about it, there was me smelling it and there was me looking at it from across the room. I think my whole life has been like that. I think I've been like that my whole life… me looking out from the inside, and me looking at myself from outside, from a distance. Haha…… Any memory I have, there are always two perspectives like that, at the same time.」

You seem mature for your age in terms of what you're thinking and what you're trying to deal with in your music, but do you ever find that you don't talk to young people your own age? M: 「Oh, that. That happens sometimes. I mean, earlier, when I was 16-18, I was very much like that. What I wanted to do didn't really mesh with anyone around me. My way of doing everything was extreme and insane. I always want to go as far as I can. That's life for me, otherwise there's no point. It's a waste of time. But now, I think it's good to talk to other people of my generation. When you talk to people who went to university, they've done so many different things, and there's so much to talk about, it's interesting.」

Do you think there are more or less generational interests and sensitivities, although expressed in different ways? Do you think that themes like the "meaning of existence" that you discuss, which are philosophical and may be considered difficult, resonate with people? M: 「Yes, I think so. When I talk to people I know, I think we're all thinking about the same things. The environment in which we live, the global environment, the relationship between Western society and the third world, and so on. I think overall people are thinking more globally than they used to. ……Probably. Maybe not (laughs).」

Dom has been smiling and listening to what Matt has to say since a while ago, what does he mean to you? D: 「I think he's totally what he says he is. He's constantly raising questions about the world, about people, about society, and this is also like he says himself, sometimes he splits up inside himself without coming to a conclusion.」 M: 「"Origin of Symmetry" is about somehow finding the common thread that runs through all people. And it's hidden in the deepest place, and for me it's music. That's the source of my harmony. Hehehehe.」

So you're saying that music is the anchor that keeps you from constantly treating the world from a split perspective, for better or worse? M: 「Oh, yeah…… Yeah (laughs).」

There are even people who sing songs about the meaning of existence, about emptiness, or about not falling into emptiness, against the walls of their bedrooms. Have you always felt that such a way of expression was not enough for you? If you want to express yourself, it has to be in what could be called "excessive". M: 「Yes. I've thought about it a lot so far, but there are quite a lot of people who don't want to show their inner selves to the fullest. I don't know why. I'm not afraid or ashamed of what's inside me. But I also don't know why I am the way I am. Why do I want to express everything inside and outside of myself so much…… Hehehe……」

What I feel throughout the album here is that the music is like reaching out from the darkness towards a ray of light. D: 「It's good, that’s how it feels.」 M: 「Because I think the darkest moments in life are the moments when you find something truly meaningful.」

I see. I once asked you what hope means to you, do you remember? You said your definition of hope was "a small light above your head at the bottom of a deep, dark well". M: 「Hehehe…… I think so.」

Well, the tour has finally started. Do you feel that with this magnificent new album, Muse have entered a whole new chapter? M: 「Yeah, yeah. I feel that way lately. Everything is progressing at a good pace. Unlike last time, the artwork is progressing well. We're going to use several artists' interpretations of the phrase “seeking harmony in chaos”. One of them will be used as the front cover, and each page will be decorated with a different picture. Each one looks completely different, some artists draw pictures, some sculptures, and some internet art. They are all very good, and I think you can find something in common through all of them. I think it's the same with the songs on the album. I'm trying to find a balance amongst all the noise. I'm trying to find harmony and reason in the seemingly chaotic. I want life to be like that for me. It can be explained in many ways, but there is definitely something at the core. We humans are all like that after all, so I think we should think more about that kind of thing that we all share.」

By the way, there were some people who said that the original cover of "Plug In Baby" was "bad" and "I don't like it" (laughs), so a different design was used for the Japanese version, but what was the mindset behind the design of the cover? M: 「Aliens are something that people came up with when they wanted to escape from loneliness and thought that they exist somewhere in the universe, right? And, this is completely unrelated to this story, haha, but there's another background to it. I had a series of hallucinatory dreams for a while. It sounds like a bad thing to say, but…… When I was in America, I was drinking a lot every night and I always had a headache during the day. I didn't mean to drink that much, but at one point, when I woke up every morning, I thought that I had the same strange dream. I was in a desert-like place where the ground was dry and cracked, the sky was blue and the sun was so bright, and the horizon was so flat and endless that there was no way to escape. There I'm being chased by sharp blades and I'm desperately trying to escape. There are many, many blades flying around in the air, and I try to run and avoid getting hit, but sometimes I get hit. And they pierced me. BBut they didn't cut my body, they just went into a certain part of my brain. Every morning when I wake up, that spot hurts. I can still tell that this spot hurt. And I started to get really worried. I thought there must be something wrong with me.」

In the brain? M: 「Yes. (laughs) Or maybe not…… I saw a film called Communion, which is a very good film, and it was based on a novel, and it was basically about people who were abducted by aliens. It's about how people create that experience within themselves. Especially during creative brainstorming. The film is about a writer who, while writing a new book, falls into a slump and can't write anything. He gets abducted by aliens, but it's actually all in his imagination. But he wakes up every morning with a severe pain in one spot on his head. The alien comes with a sharp blade and drills a hole in his head. It's different from my hallucination I had, but I felt like there was something in common. So the alien picture on the cover was partly influenced by that film. And the contents of the album are also somehow connected. But I think my headache was just because I was dehydrated (laughs). And it went away when I started drinking water.」

Right. But what do you do? What if you were actually being abducted by aliens every night? M: 「Eh…… Heeheeheehee.」

Translator's Note: So many things to say.

[1] Every time I question how and when Belldom came into existence, wondering if this was just something that early Muse fans cooked up for fun, I get reminded that the dynamics of their friendship was already THAT obvious early on and it was even noticed by the Japanese journalists who have interviewed them.

[2] The word that was actually written was puchi-puchi (ぷちぷち) wrapping sheet. If you know what popping bubble wrap sounds like, then that’s what was described.

[3] I’m impressed that the journalist managed to understand the whole thing that Matt was rambling on about to keep up with him, on top of the translator who later had to translate the transcript from English to Japanese. Kudos to them, honestly.

[4] Yes, that is literally Matt describing “Plug In Baby”… word-to-word from the actual lyrics itself. I just edited the part to make sure that it does read as close to the lyrics as possible.

[5] I’ve checked on Musewiki, and I think this Rockin’On interview might be the earliest mention of Matt talking about his and Tanya’s relationship breaking down. Especially given that the interview occurred in early April, right before their live gig at University of East Anglia in Norwich (April 9th, 2001) that the journalist attended as well. So it’s a period of time where they were already separated, but you can see that Matt was going through a hard time accepting it.

That's all to say. Please do support me with my Ko-fi! ☕

[ana-martinn]

echo de menos a papi🥱

@oliverrfinn @ceceliaclarkkk @codyclarkk @jaycechapman @levialexandraaa @lucusthorton @itsjustwheezie @odette-bex @christian-catton @bellamy-griff @itzrylan @bellaamartin @harperalexandraaa @tobyharrisonn @bellamybnk @dahliafinn @itsleowills @octaviagriffinn @babyybexx @annalisekane @angellsmithh @carter-marino

[lexa-griffins]

I love your art of Clarke and her three cute little gremlins 😍 Elaina is so adorable holding onto mommy's leg while one of the twins is sleeping soundly but the other is being a menace. Send help to Clarke immediately 😂

🥰🥰🥰🥰 thank you. Fun detail: Elaina sleeps in Clarke's old blue nightgown, Clarke doesn't use it anymore (the tank top and little shorts are much more comfortable in her opinion) and Elaina was in love with it so they just had it tailored to her ☺️

The one being an absolute menace is Odrick. He is a very touchy boy and although so so sweet he can be a lot^tm because he is loud and always wants his moms' attention. Luka, the smallest one and the one who got stuck, is much more peaceful and honestly the only one who doesnt stress Lexa and Clarke much.....

Until he grows up and falls in love with the Echo kom AZGEDA and Bellamy's daughter and nearly sends Lexa into an early grave and has Clarke pondering if her wife would try and kill their son's lover. Really, when he tells Clarke he makes her promise she'll wait to tell Lexa. Understandbly Lexa turns white as a ghost when she learns the news ajsjaksjsjd

[thewittyphantom]

So I zoned out this morning, and found I'd written this. It didn't want to be any longer or shorter than it was. @intheshadowofsignificance @bellamy-taft Bittersweet Pegasus fanfic alert.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14335136/1/

To see his beloved Cecelia again, Maximillion Pegasus gave up his time and money, watching with bated breath as his technology created an echo of his wife. But to feel her touch, he'd give up all he was.

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this Week #131 (Year 3/Week 27):

I must start watching all of Claude Chabrol's films!

His final film, Bellamy, was my most enjoyable film of the week; So pleasantly mature, so well-made, simply a pleasure. Inspector Gérard Depardieu's infatuation with his beautiful wife, the cemetery where Georges Brassens is buried, a convoluted Georges Simenon crime story told with cinematic beauty and restrain. Magnifique.

“There is always another story, there is always more than meets the eye”. 8/10.

🍿

2 Danish films:

🍿 I finally went to the cinema, for the first time in more than 5 years! (Photos Above!). And what I saw was Tove's Room, a new, brutal chamber play by Martin Zandvliet (My second film by him, after 'Dirch'). It tells of the long-suffering feminist writer Tove Ditlevsen and her (4th) husband, the abusive Victor Andreason. Like George and Martha of 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?', this takes place in one room over a few hours of a sadistic and disgusting cat-and-mouse struggle for control and mental degradation. Together with a visiting Klaus Rifbjerg, and the cryptic maid, the two perform an unpleasant flogging act, not for the faint of heart. Shortly after the time of this play, she committed suicide.

🍿 Jørgen Leth's classic short from 1967, The Perfect Human. Lars von Trier considered Leth his mentor, and in 2003 they created 'The Five Obstructions', challenging the original by making it 5 new, different times.

🍿

70 years ago, Gentlemen prefer blonds turned Marilyn Monroe into a global sex symbol. Her Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend song and dance number was indeed sensational. It was Howard Hawk's only (?) musical. A surprising feminist screed. 7/10.

🍿

10 Icelandic films, 6 of which are by Rúnar Rúnarsson:

🍿 Re-watch: During this project and before this week, I've seen 9 Icelandic films, and most of them were excellent. But Rúnarsson's magical Echo was the one that moved me the most. It's a gentle patchwork of 56 short vignettes, all taking place during the Christmas holidays, each delivering a discreet and poignant story: A young girl comes to visit her father's new family, a group of old people doing aerobics in a pool, a librarian calls his mom on the phone, a farmer is being rejected for a loan, a family is buying a Christmas tree... Each one more beautiful and heartbreaking than the other. If you could improve on Roy Andersson's movies, you'll get 'Echo'. Get your handkerchiefs ready. 10/10.

🍿 So I decided to visit the rest of his 'oeuvre'.

Anna (2009) was his final presentation short from his Danish film school. It tells of some challenges of a 12-year-old girl who lives with her single mom in a small fishing village. A touching, beautiful poem in a minor key.

[The Danish Film School itself has a good Vimeo account!]

🍿 The Last Farm earned him his first Oscar nomination. An old farmer in a remote valley prepare to bury himself together with his dead wife without telling anybody. Tremendous 17-min. short, with score by Sigur Rós. 9/10.

🍿 2 birds is another short about lost innocent; A shy teenage goes with a girl he has a crush on to a house party with a much older crowd where things get out of hand.

🍿 Volcano was Rúnarsson's debut feature. [Spoilers: Hannes is a grouchy withdrawn "Ove", who used to be a fisherman and is now retired after being a school janitor for 40 years. It starts as a standard Nordic fair, with him trying to kill himself after his retirement party, being alienated from his family, and sour on his lot. But when he overhears his grown-up children talking how miserable his long-suffering wife must be with such a curmudgeon, he takes heart. His apology to his wife turns into a shocking and tender "old people sex", and it looks like this will be a story of healing. However, their happiness is short lived when she suffers a massive stroke and falls into a coma.

A year before Michael Haneke's 'Amour' won all the prizes, he tragically erupt at the end in exactly the same way.] 8/10.

🍿 Sparrows was Rúnarsson's second feature. On the one hand, it tells of a 16-year-boy who moved from the capital to the countryside, and have to put up with his estranged, "loser" father. But at the end he shifts gears and repeats the exact same story from his previous short '2 birds' (above): The boy and friends go to a party, score some Ketamine, and he watches helplessly as three party-goes date-rape his girl. Later as she comes to, he reassures her (in an act of selflessness) that it was he who deflowered her. The boy is even played by the same actor in both movies. And I didn't like it either time.

🍿 Completing all of Rúnar Rúnarsson's films, I continued with some other winners of the Icelandic "Oscars" Edda Awards:

Heartstone was the debut feature by one Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson. A sensitive and beautiful love story between two preteen boys in a remote fishing village. Sensual and moving. If it was just a tiny bit shorter, it would be a perfect companion piece to Belgian Lukas Dhont's 'Close' and 'Call me by your name'. 9/10.

🍿 Guðmundsson's previous poetic short Whale Valley also opened on an attempted suicide by hanging. A short poem about two brothers who live far away in an isolated fjord. A beached whale is being cut up. 7/10.

🍿 Rams tells another tragic story of two estranged brothers, both sheep farmers, who live next to each other at a remote Icelandic countryside, and who hasn't spoken with each other for 40 years. It was voted the second-greatest Icelandic film of all time. 8/10.

🍿 Sker ("Skerry") is an 11-minute wordless story about a kayaker who find a little islet. 9/10.

🍿

My first 2 films from Uruguay:

🍿 Whiskey does not refer to the drink, but to the way they "Say Cheese" down there. Another random pick of a film I never heard of, this low-key joyless comedy turned out to be a magnificent little masterpiece.

A shabby, lonely and drab world, like one of the forgotten provincial towns described so well in "100 years of solitude", it slowly and meticulously follows the dreary life of Jacobo, a 70-year-old owner of a modest sock factory. He has only two workers, and one loyal lady supervising them. Their laconic and minimal interactions are repetitive and awkward. But when his long-lost brother comes for a short visit, Jacobo asks Marta to pretend that she's his wife. The uncomfortable interactions between the three ungainly, melancholic characters brings to mind the heart behind Aki Kaurismaki''s dramas.

100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it's hard to imagine that this mature gem was created by a young 30-year-old (who committed suicide two years later!). 10/10 - The best film of the week!

🍿 A Useful Life, another terrific art film by one Federico Veiroj. An economical, bare-bone story about a middle-age curator at a small Cinemateca, a dilapidated, struggling institution. Like the real 'Cinemateca Uruguaya of Montevideo', it is about to close after 50 years, because the few visitors it has cannot support its existence any longer. It's delicate and humane, like the movies shown in the half-empty auditorium for a few aging cineastes. 9/10.

Coincidentally, it starts with the two film archivists going through a package of films from Iceland! (and most of the films I saw this week are from these two small film countries, Uruguay and Iceland!)

Both these films portray life in Uruguay, a little country between Brazil and Argentina, as a sad, marginal and neglected place.

🍿

Suzume, my third animated fantasy by Makoto Shinkai (after 'The garden of words' and 'Your name') is about a girl looking for her dead 'Okasa' (mother). As beautiful as some of Ghibli-Studio productions (The story even starts at a place called Miyazaki), with high imagination and stunning visuals. But also with confusing theology and a story with too many elements: Romance, supernatural, lost parent, trauma over the 2011 earthquake.

🍿

“… why would I want to save a homeless shelter?…”

Another repeated re-watch, often paired with 'The American President', Ivan Reitman's charming Dave about an ordinary person who is suddenly thrust into a position of power. Written by Gary Ross (who also wrote 'Big', 'Pleasantville', 'The hunger games') and with superb acting by everybody involved: Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Charles Grodin, Ving Rhames and Frank Langella. Sweet romance, and idealistic presidential fantasy, made in 1993, before Clinton turned into the massive Neo-liberal douche-bag he ended up being. 9/10.

🍿

The man with two Brains. Steve Marin as Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr was unfunny, and sexy Kathleen Turner also unfunny. 2/10.

🍿

Unknown: The lost pyramid is a new documentary about the interesting archeological digs in Saqqara, Egypt, but told in the usual Netflix style, shallow and melodramatic.

🍿

A chump at Oxford was a 1940 Hal Roach comedy with Laurel and Hardy, a juvenile pratfall. With James Finlayson (I think) and Peter Cushing. Not funny - 2/10.

🍿

(My complete movie list is here).

[ao3feed-the100]

Oscars and Farm Animals

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/yOfsl7k

by Seahurst

Oscar winning actor Lexa Woods is married with four children. This is a story of how she and her children recover from her wife/their other mother leaving them without warning. After getting it stomped on by the person she trusted the most, can Lexa open her heart again to the person she was meant to be with all along?

Words: 9876, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F

Characters: Lexa (The 100), Clarke Griffin, Costia (The 100), Abby Griffin, Jake Griffin, Anya (The 100), Callie Cartwig, Gustus (The 100), Lincoln (The 100), Octavia Blake, Bellamy Blake, Jasper Jordan, Monty Green, Raven Reyes (The 100), Harper McIntyre, Echo (The 100)

Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Clarke Griffin & Lexa, Costia/Lexa (The 100), Octavia Blake/Lincoln

Additional Tags: Mom Lexa, Mom clarke, actress lexa, Vet Clarke Griffin, Modern Setting Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Endgame Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Clexa forever, Rancher Clarke Griffin

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/yOfsl7k

[lingeringscars]

?? give me

send ❔ and i’ll list a couple muses that i’d like to throw at yours! / always accepting

maya & mariana/stef/layla/spencer. gay is all i know.

mason & shane. i do think they'd be neat. also maybe finch but I would have to think about that.

link/amelia & one chicago. crossover of my dreams.

amber & everyone is unhelpful but hello??? callie. mariana. vanessa. idk everyone.

alberta & gigi/sonya/mal/june. some guardians and sonya.

callie & harper/thea/christian. :')

daisy & logan. i cannot remember if we talked about them but i want it so bad. the parallels. the not being able to control powers and it overwhelming them. daisy just deserves to help so many people with learning to control their powers.

angeline & harper. thank u. also luna?? and lydia. i think they could all help her in different ways. sydney is currently bribing people to tutor her, so maybe spencer too. shauna!!!!!!!!!!!!! needing to adapt to society.

deborah/tasha & jacinda. moms doing their best for their kids and also mechanics. jacinda is also a cook.

mermia & june. we haven't really talked about them. i also think lydia here too. thank you.

mikhail/sasha & valerie. i'm thinking about sibling duos and val being protected from the supernatural and just. lots of thoughts.

tasha & prue. they deserve to be in love that is ALL. i have been saying you have been saying we agree. i think even dax has been saying. we're RIGHT. i also think any of my ouat muses could be fun to play with. valerie. taking care of someone who is closeish to your age after parents deaths. val & hayden have a v ozeraesque relationship. it'd be a lot.

octavia & finch/stiles/ruby. i'm right. also octavia & eden/june/mal but like. t/100. at least until i can figure out how to v/a eden (unless i u know. have. in our messages at some point.)

simon & sonya/lydia. i'm literally so curious about this. spirit users with someone who was manipulated by spirit. lydia who was held captive... sonya who turned ... what we talked about w/ lydia & bellamy. i am LITERALLY so curious.

claire & eden. my little geniuses working together. jake. tell me they would not be besties i dare you. reina. the things you do for knowledge. lydia. knowledge is power but also lydia as a mean girl turned someone who helps. lydia and miranda both having similar powers and it giving credence to things that are happening.

eve & lydia. i think. they should date? i just care a lot about the transformations is all. also see above about lydia and miranda. mariana. i'm not sure but i do think similar energy. spencer. spencer said eve is my favorite barista. marian & jacinda can also work with her.

kara & spencer/serena. they should hook up at some point.

malia & finch/ruby/logan. struggles with powers. struggles with society. struggles fitting in. rachel/shauna/fatin. having horrible things happen to you and needing to readjust to society once you return. christian. murdering parents who try to kill you, too.

allison & christian. hello we could do something so fucking hot here with allison coming back and christian's parents... june. being manipulated by the people close to you about the deaths of the people close to you. inej. knife wife and bow gf. thea. not having any hobbies. moving around and not having friends. pleasing parents. hehe so much there. faran. intensity about your own thing.

alex & june. i am sooo right about them. i can't explain this outside of like becoming weapons. fighting from the inside. learning about corruption. using your wealth and power. losing your families because you were betrayed by someone you trusted.

liars & glass house. i just know that they would all hang out thanks. specific: hanna & stiles like we have been saying. aria & peyton/jess. emily & gigi. they can work together at the brew. alison & ryan. ryan giving her a chance when she returns. mona & layla. something about layla & carrie and layla giving mona a chance in season 3 because she was sick and needed help and they aren't so different. caleb & tyler. they would be so fascinating.

echo & alina. not having a home. being manipulated by someone in power. not having an identity to hold onto that can really be yours.

hayley & jacinda. and vanessa. yaaa. whew okay for jacinda like she gives up her daughter because she believes it is the best thing for her, and I think it would be such an interesting dynamic.

jo k. & jacinda. mom friends. i also think emma s. i think they could really help each other. sylvie. more friends.

isabella & layla/bellamy/spencer/rachel. this is about parents. this is about mental illness. this is about not being trusted.

josie & harper. that arc when josie leaves the school and goes to a regular hs. i think they could get into loads of trouble. i think it would be loads of fun.

lizzie & lydia. also aurora and lydia. i think these could be a dream come true for me.

nicki & elsa. maybe their medical student runs overlap idk. they have such different personalities i think it would be very interesting to see. theo. i see no reason why they wouldn't overlap sometimes because hospital/first responder stuff.

laurel & lydia. i don't know i'm just right. but god valerie. younger siblings who have died and come back. protectors. caretakers. maybe ironically val decides to go to law school once she and hayden move.

sam & fei. they/them icons. doing what you can to protect your family. loving your family intensely despite their flaws. supernatural worlds.

scott & hope m/kaitlyn/finch/glass house. in the spirit of supernatural creatures coming together and forming a pack. in the spirit of trying to save people and failing. in the different perspectives and mindsets.

[athisagony]

ur kinda rad

.... kinda rad?????just kinda???? idk how i feel abt this

[clayandstuff]

You ever just remember this hug? I love Echo so much and I will never be chill about it ❤️🥺🥰

[fllmetalheart]

echo: i’ll deal with her later

me:

[komraekenkru]

New footage of Bellamy looking at Echo in Season Six:

New footage of Bellamy looking at Murphy in Season Six:

New footage of Bellamy looking at Jordan in Season Six:

New footage of Bellamy looking at Miller in Season Six:

[dontblessmefatherforihavesinned]

When there is only one episode of the 100 left and becho is still a thing so mostly likely not gonna get a bellarke kiss

[nightbleeder]

E C H O  K O M  S P A C E K R U Requested by @dylanobrienisbatman

[finnloisendgame]

If Becho break up next season, I hope it’s because they are setting up Rellamy as Bellamy and Raven’s endgame.

[feliciting]

echo’s all like “i’ll deal with her later”

[clayandstuff]

#Becho#he's so fucking soft for her#look at him#looking at her#ready to melt into a giant puddle of love and affection and awe#and her!#she's doing the look at eyes-look at lips thing!#she's soft for him too! she just hides it better!#Bellamy: I love you you put the sun in the sky you are the most amazing person I've ever met I'm blessed to even know you#Echo: Bellamy you're being sappy again *thinks literally the exact same thing about him* *shit shit shit I'm getting soft* *play it cool Ech#o play it cool* But I love you too...... dork#God I love how in love they are

“There is no starting over without forgiveness, Bellamy. Who knows that better than us?”