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aion-rsa · 3 years ago

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How Dear Evan Hansen Changes the Musical’s Ending

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This article contains Dear Evan Hansen spoilers, both for the movie and the stage show.

No matter how you come to the story of Dear Evan Hansen, and regardless of the medium, things always have to end at the same apple orchard. It’s fitting since Evan’s first major lie about Connor Murphy, the boy who killed himself, was that they spent whole days in the then-abandoned orchard, talking about girls, boats, and whatever other fantasies Evan could concoct. And it’s here that Zoe Murphy, Connor’s younger sister, requests Evan meet her for the story’s final scene.

This is true of the stage show, which took Broadway by storm five years ago—winning six Tonys including for Best Musical and Best Actor for Ben Platt—and it’s the same for the movie, with Platt’s Evan coming to a now renewed orchard and sitting with the cinematic Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever). Among the trees, Evan can see at least one good thing that came out of his lies: The Connor Murphy Project reopened this small slice of paradise.

Yet how Dear Evan Hansen gets to that moment in the movie is drastically different from the stage musical. Then again, so is the world in the five years since the musical’s Broadway debut (and six since it was first performed in Washington D.C.). Hence why director Stephen Chbosky and screenwriter Steven Levenson, who adapted his own book from the stage, have attempted to adjust to our current social climate. The new ending addresses the harshest criticisms about the Evan Hansen character, and the values his tale might promote. This is, after all, a musical about a troubled young man who exploits the suicide of a stranger in his school to increase his popularity and to insinuate himself into the dead boy’s family.

But is the new ending an actual improvement? Well…

How Dear Evan Hansen Ends on Stage

The entire narrative of Dear Evan Hansen pivots on a misunderstanding between Evan and the Murphy family as the latter grieve over the suicide of Connor. When Connor’s parents, Cynthia and Larry, first misconstrue Evan’s letter to himself as their son’s suicide note, Evan attempts to correct them. However, they seem so heartbroken, and Evan is so desperate to please and be accepted—by anyone—he quickly goes along with it and begins spinning tales about his and Connor’s intimate friendship.

The musical is thus a rising crescendo that builds as Evan climbs higher and higher off his mistruths. So the inevitable moment where his house of cards comes crashing down is the narrative’s real climax. And yet, in the original version of Dear Evan Hansen, the story more or less ends right there. After Evan confesses in the song “Words Fail” that he lied about the letter and his entire friendship with Connor, the horrified Murphys walk away from him one by one, with various degrees of disgust. He then comes clean to his mother in the final big song of the show, “So Big / So Small,” where she comforts her son. She’ll never walk away.

The musical then quickly jumps one year into the future, with Evan revealed to be working part-time and attending community college, hoping to save up enough money to someday attend a university. Zoe, who’s now a senior in high school, invites Evan to the orchard where he thanks her family for never revealing his secret to the public—never telling the world he lied about Connor. And, rather incredulously, Zoe absolves Evan and the audience of any guilt. She says, “Everybody needed [the lie] for something.” She even goes so far to say it “saved my parents.” It brought her family closer together.

So while it’s still bittersweet since Evan’s relationship with the Murphys, including Zoe, is forever severed, there are still no real consequences for Evan other than Cynthia and Larry won’t pay for his college education. Even his guilt is assuaged, and he can brag to Zoe that he’s been reading the 10 books Connor said were his favorites in eighth grade. The show more or less ends in a figurative group hug by omitting through a time jump all of the messy fallout from his choices.

How Dear Evan Hansen the Movie Ends

In the film, “Words Fail” is still the climax of the story, with Evan confessing his sins and Zoe walking away. However, in one telling addition, Cynthia (played with delicate fragility by Amy Adams) is barely able to whisper, “I think it’s time for you to leave” while holding back tears. Since she was Evan’s biggest champion, that she is now the one who states explicitly he is disinvited from their home hits hardest.

Then after Evan’s heart-to-heart with his mother (Julianne Moore), we actually see Evan attempt to make amends for his misdeeds. For starters, the whole reason the truth finally came out in both versions of the story is because of the machinations of a schoolmate named Alana (Amandla Stenberg in the film), who accidentally unleashed a whole social media mob on the Murphys, with randos on the internet blaming the parents for Connor’s suicide.

On stage, this plot element is entirely dropped after Evan confesses to the Murphys, who presumably bear the brunt of the social media hate in quiet while protecting Evan’s secret. In the film though, Evan actually attempts to talk to Zoe in school the following week and she asks him to leave her alone. She also reveals the only reason her parents haven’t unmasked what Evan did is because “they’re afraid you’ll do something to yourself.” Like Connor.

Thus Evan gets on Twitter that night and tells the world, “[The Murphys] don’t deserve your hate. I do.” He confesses. Afterward, he again becomes a high school pariah, but we learn in montage he is more content this way as he tries to make further amends to the Murphys by not only reading Connor’s favorite books but tracking down someone’s phone video of Connor during his stint in rehab. Evan even finds footage of Connor playing his guitar, a feat he hid from his parents. The new song “A Little Closer,” which scores the final montage, is revealed to be a melody Connor wrote and sang in rehab, and Evan is able to at least mail that to Connor’s parents. He’s finally given them something true that they didn’t know about their son.

Only then, before the current school year ends, does Zoe invite Evan to an apple orchard and they reminisce about what might’ve been.

Does It Improve Evan Hansen and the Story?

The clear implication for adding these sequences, plus a song that the real Connor Murphy character can sing, is intended to fix the moral and thematic slipperiness at the heart of Dear Evan Hansen. Through a series of hummable ballads by songwriters Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, and some heartbreaking performances, including by Platt in the original cast, the stage production relies on the power of its emotions to overwhelm logic or deeper analysis. Some might even say it manipulates.

Yet over the years, the musical has had its fair share of detractors who pointed out how calculating and toxic the Evan Hansen character can appear. And the fact the musical just ends on the emotional high point without actually bothering to sift through the wreckage of what Evan did has always been a cheat.

Conversely, there are a few fleeting sequences in the stage version where the musical at least briefly seems to consider its darker implications. Evan’s loose group of (bad) friends in Alana and Jared contribute to this element in the song “Good for You,” where they sing in unison, “Well, I guess if I’m not of use, go ahead, you can cut me loose. Go ahead now, I won’t mind.”

The Alana relationship is particularly interesting in the show since it is only after she demands of Evan “how” will he raise $17,000 that he shows her Connor’s “suicide note.” He immediately protests after she decides to post it online, but did he not on some level show it to her in order for her to use it to raise $17,000 and reopen the apple orchard? After this scene, Alana ghosts him, suggesting she was herself only using Evan to brandish her social clout in the school and, eventually, her college applications.

The Dear Evan Hansen movie tries to wipe even this thorniness away. The context of Evan showing the note to Alana is handled slightly differently, but as a consequence there’s no ambiguity on why he showed it to her—he did not intend for her to share it online. She also, like Evan, is softened around the edges when she does answer Evan’s ringing phone on-screen and cries that she tried to take the letter down but it’s still all over social media.

The logic behind the change would seem to make both Evan and Alana more purely sympathetic and blameless for their mistakes. In Alana’s case, she isn’t a master manipulator, and in Evan’s case it is beyond his control when others take things too far. He then puts in the work to help the Murphys, beginning by admitting to the world his dishonesty.

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These were obviously conscious choices made after the five years and full lifetime which passed since 2016—a year where Barack Obama was still president and the #MeToo movement hadn’t yet occurred. Now in an age where social accountability, especially in online life, and alleged authenticity are valued more than ever, having a hero who lies to the world and gets away with it is inherently problematic. So the flaws in Evan’s choices, and even Alana’s, are “fixed” with crocodile tears of regret from Alana, and then Evan making an actual effort to atone for his mistakes.

Yet I would argue it doesn’t actually improve the fundamental issues with the musical. In the case of Alana, having a character show the ugly side of social manipulation, even among ostensibly sympathetic figures, was one of the truer impulses in a story that otherwise glorifies the healing power of finding validation from strangers on the internet. While both the film and show also depict the downside of online life with a discordant singing hydra coming after the Murphys, it’s only because of a couple of misguided mistakes. And in the case of the stage show, the larger message is Evan’s musical platitudes are simply too powerful (or profitable) for the Murphys to shatter.

In 2021, Evan and his creators make the choice that he can admit his mistakes. Yet the story still attempts to justify Evan’s actions, which ironically puts the film at odds with itself. It basks in the splendor of Evan’s self-help ballad, “You Will Be Found,” and then shows him suffering comeuppance for lying—even if Zoe still gives him final absolution.

The one significant change that clicks for me is Evan at least seeking out some hidden truth about Connor, and sharing it with the real people who actually loved him instead of strangers, who in turn would only again offer performative gestures and signaled virtue toward a kid they otherwise ignored. Hearing Colton Ryan’s Connor sing for himself—for the first time in any medium—and not merely be a puppet for Evan’s self-serving fantasies was a significant, moving improvement over how this thread is resolved on the stage.

Still, I think going further in that direction with Evan realizing the crassness of what he created, and the emptiness of his bromides, would’ve made this a more interesting narrative. But what do I know? My instincts wouldn’t have turned this into a Broadway anthem for Generation Z. So how about yourself? Do you like the new ending to Dear Evan Hansen?

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sinceileftyoublog · 4 years ago

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Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio Interview: Fo Sho

Photo by Francis A Willey

BY JORDAN MAINZER

No album from 2021 so far has me anticipating the return of live music more than Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio’s (DLO3, for the insiders) I Told You So (Colemine Records). The band’s second full-length expands upon their first LP Close But No Cigar in all the best ways: propulsive grooves, soulful moods, and an active imagination. Opener “Hole In One” introduces all the elements--funky, prickly guitar lines, confident drumming, and soulful organ--before first single and second track “Call Your Mom” and third track “Girly Face” reveal a gentler kind of sway without losing any of the sharpness. After “From The Streets” slows things down even more with a lurching rhythm and trailing reverb, the album turns it up a notch again with “Fo Sho” and “Aces”, upbeat struts with guitar and drum solos. In between that and the Stax-inspired closer “I Don’t Know” are perhaps the album’s two best tracks: a remarkably faithful, emotive cover of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” and “Right Place, Right Time”, a solo-laden jam that begins with spontaneous studio chatter embracing the chaos of live recording. Moreover, the album contains all the elements of and is almost structured like a terrific live set, with ample virtuosic dynamism and ideal pacing.

The band on I Told You So is founding members Lamarr, on organ, and Jimmy James, on guitar, with drummer Grant Schroff (The Polyrhythmics) filling in for what was at the time a permanent drummer to be named later. (Schroff went on a European tour with DLO3 right before the recording of this album, so they decided to go with him.) Since then, drummer Dan Weiss has entered the fold; he joined as a permanent drummer last year and even toured a little bit in Canada and Montana before COVID-19 abruptly ended the tour. But while the drummers have rotated, it’s James’ guitar and especially Lamarr’s organ that have remained the foundation of DLO3, one that gives me confidence they could switch drummers every time and still one-up themselves.

I spoke with Lamarr earlier this year from his home in Spokane, WA about the various releases under the DLO3 belt (two albums and singles/live releases) as well as working virtually with a new drummer, Colemine Records, and Chick Corea (who passed away right before our conversation). Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: What about I Told You So is unique as compared to anything else you’ve ever released under this trio?

Delvon Lamarr: We have more musical influences in I Told You So. The reason why Close But No Cigar felt kind of reserved--we weren’t getting too deep into it--was because it was unplanned. We didn’t even have music to record at the time. But this one features more diverse musical influences of ours. “From The Streets” has that hip hop, Ohio Players feel. “Careless Whisper”--you never hear an an organ trio play that. It digs deeper into our musical knowledge.

SILY: What was the process for composing and arranging these tracks? How much improvisation was there?

DL: It’s like 90% improvisational. Pre-pandemic, we toured a lot, so we hardly ever had a chance to get in a room and write music. Plus, we all live pretty far away from each other. We basically write music during soundchecks, and when we’re on the road, we come up with these ideas and put them together. Usually, we write these melodies, and things like that, but outside of the melody, the solo areas are pretty much gloves off. Whatever happens happens. One of the things we’re known for is intertwining music with other music, different genres of music within the one song. It keeps the music fresh and keeps people engaged. It’s a free for all for most of it. [laughs]

SILY: There’s a good balance on here of songs where everyone has equal weight versus songs really led by one person or instrument. Was it important for you to achieve that balance across the whole album, or did it just end up naturally like that?

DL: It’s just how it ended up. When we write music, we pretty much write grooves. Take “Call Your Mom”: That whole song was built around Jimmy’s guitar riff, so that is the melody. When we wrote that, we actually wrote it on the road during soundcheck. I think it just naturally happens. Whatever instrument we think sounds good, we’ll play that melody.

SILY: Has Dan been learning the tracks?

DL: Oh yeah. We’ve been writing music together. Right now, we multi-track our ideas or sing it into a phone and try to build it that way. A lot of these new tunes we haven’t actually played, because we can’t get in the same room, so we just go for it, man.

SILY: What about “Call Your Mom” and “Careless Whisper” made you want to release them as singles?

DL: That was a decision between my wife [and manager Amy Novo] and Colemine Records. I probably would’ve chosen “Call Your Mom”, too. It has a certain feel and groove to it, man. [laughs] “Careless Whisper” is funny, too, because I wasn’t even gonna record that tune. My wife really likes when we play it--she requests it at the end of shows. She convinced us to record that. I was like, “Nobody wants to hear ‘Careless Whisper’ by an organ trio.” She said, “Dude, just do it, it’s gonna be really good.” We did it, and I was wrong. The reception from that tune has been pretty amazing, actually. I thank her. She’s the reason we recorded it.

SILY: You play a lot of covers live--on the KEXP release, you did “Move On Up”, and last year, you released a cover of “Inner City Blues”. What’s your general approach to covers: Be faithful, or put your own spin on it?

DL: The spin of playing a cover tune just happens naturally. Take “Careless Whisper”: We try to play it like the recording, like the original. I work on phrasing the melodies like George Michael sings it. The way we end up doing that automatically puts a certain feel to it that naturally happens. I feel that way about all of them, even when we do “Move On Up”. I play the melody like Curtis Mayfield sang it. I try to get all of his nuances.

SILY: “Fo Sho” was released on the same single as “Inner City Blues”. Why didn’t you include “Inner City Blues” on the record? Is two covers too many?

DL: Not at all. Close But No Cigar had 4 covers on it.

SILY: That’s true.

DL: We just had a lot of original music we wanted to get out. I Told You So is part of a session that had 27-28 songs recorded. We have another album or two, or an album and a couple 45s worth of music just in that recording alone. We’ve done more recording since then, so we have more music in the can right now. We just wanted to get original tunes out. We did record some more covers that will be out later on, either as 45s or something else.

SILY: The record’s really crisp, but on “From The Streets”, the trailing reverb of the guitar is a hazy contrast to the rest of the album. Can you talk about that track?

DL: The history of that track--basically, I grew up in the streets. I was a rough child. [laughs] I had that music in my head that reminded me of my childhood of running the streets. When we recorded that, you never really hear an organist in an organ trio play a bass line. I don’t play chords in that tune at all. A lot of that magic is Jimmy James. He doesn’t use guitar effects. I actually recently got him to use a wah in a show, and it took him five years to do that. He’s straight guitar and amp. He’s always been that guitar player. That tone, that sound, that reverb is just him and his amp.

SILY: Was that actual studio chatter at the beginning of “Right Place Right Time”?

DL: [laughs] I was wondering when somebody was gonna ask me about that. The song we recorded before, we played the whole thing start to finish, absolutely perfect, without a single flaw. Grant, maybe the last four or five seconds, completely bites it. We were playing, and he forgot to do a break right at the end and kept playing, so it was an unusable take, so he screamed, “Fuuuuuuuuck! Fuuuuuuck!” That’s what we were referencing at the front of it. Jimmy James was like, “Remember that time you were like, ‘Fuuuuuuuuck,’ and then I started copying Jimmy.” It was pretty funny. We listened back to it, and my wife was like, “We gotta leave that in there.”

SILY: Is there an extra guitar on that track?

DL: There is. The guitar player from the Polyrhythmics, Ben Bloom. It’s funny how that worked, because he came to see Jason [Gray], our studio engineer, and I asked him whether he had his guitar with him, and he did, so I said, “Grab it, let’s record something!” He said, “I got about 20 minutes, I gotta be somewhere.” I just started messing around with this bass line, and everything started falling into place. We did two takes of that song. Over about 15 minutes, we wrote that entire song and recorded it. At first, it was just one quick bass line, like a short bass line that I had the idea for, and we started building on it. Ben came in, put his magic on it, and it was a wrap, man. I love that solo, too. It’s dope.

SILY: What’s the story behind the record title?

DL: When our original drummer left the band, people were worried about the sound of Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, because he had such a distinct style of playing. People assumed we’d sound different. I kept telling people, “As long as the music is good, people are gonna like it. It might feel different, but it’s gonna feel good and sound good.” That’s why I called the album I Told You So. Because it sounds good!

SILY: What about the album art?

DL: People are always wondering what I’m doing on the front of that album. I was shadowboxing--I used to be a boxer in my youth. We were taking photos in Cincinnati, and it was one of the photos everybody liked.

SILY: What does it mean to you to be on a label like Colemine Records, diverse in terms of genres but a wholly old school vibe.

DL: Our relationship is really good. They’re cool cats, man. It’s truly an honor to be a part of what they do. Since we’ve been with that label, I’ve met a lot of the artists on that label. It’s a gift to be a part of what they do. One of the big reasons I really like them is that it’s managed by two brothers that run it who are just normal dudes. They ain’t corporate. I talk to them like we talk to each other. It’s like family. I really respect these guys and what they do. It’s amazing being a part of what they do.

SILY: For sure.

DL: That’s “Fo Sho”. Just kidding.

SILY: Are you planning on doing any live streams or socially distant shows down the line, or are you waiting for things to calm down more?

DL: We’ve done a few live streams so far. We have more coming up. We’re working on some stuff. A lot of the tours we had scheduled last year got rescheduled to this year, so we’re seeing what happens, but right now, we’re still trying to book shows and see if it can be done safely. If it ain’t gonna be safe, we’re not gonna do it. We’re just hanging in there still, trying to keep things on the books.

SILY: What else is next for the Trio?

DL: We’re working on a new project that we’re gonna call DLO3 and Friends. Basically, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio is gonna be the basis for the band but we’re gonna incorporate musicians we’ve met on the road all over the world that we’ve liked and start collaborating with people. We just went in the studio a couple weeks ago and laid the foundation. It’s comin!

SILY: Anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?

DL: I’ve been back in my old school traditional swinging jazz, Kenny Dorham, Johnny Griffin, Coltrane, Miles, all those guys. I was originally a straight up swinging bebop player and haven’t been able to do that in a while.

SILY: Speaking of Miles, did you hear that Chick Corea passed away?

DL: I did. That was a pretty sad moment. We have the same booking agent. I never got to meet him. I was hoping to.

SILY: Do you have a favorite piece or recording of his?

DL: Yes. The Blue Mitchell album The Thing To Do. I remember listening to it; Chick was burning on it. One of the other things I realized on that album was how high pitched Al Foster’s toms are. But yeah: huge loss for the scene.

SILY: Anything else I didn’t ask about you want to say?

DL: Support your local record stores. There may or may not still be our limited pink vinyl at your local store, since those were only sold at record stores. Support your local record stores and local music.

I Told You So by Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio

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shinemadea · 4 years ago

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@wipedtshirt

@shinemade liked for a lyric starter , ACCEPTING , play this when i’m gone by machine gun kelly.

I’M WRITING THIS MESSAGE JUST SO I CAN SAY THAT I LOVE YOU , I HAD TO LET YOU KNOW THAT EVERYTHING ABOUT ME WAS YOU. tears were already forming in her eyes , a reaction that perfectly described the mix of emotions that she was feeling. a perfectly justified response to the cloudiness that was fogging up her brain. what was happening? her last memories being those of her time in the hospital ; the image of the same four white walls being etched into her mind , the constant beeping of the machines surrounding her quickly becoming a symphony that put her at ease , the heartbreak that followed as she was surrounded by her family as they watched her slowly fade away. a caring sister , a loving husband , two perfect children. a life that she truly would give everything so that she wouldn’t have to leave it behind. the pictures of her family sat at her bedside during her final days clouded her mind ... until they didn’t. until one day it was too late and her time was up. I’M NOT GONNA LIE AND TELL YOU IT’S ALRIGHT , IT’S ALRIGHT. now she was surrounded by darkness. stuck in a dark room with no company but her own — a place where time stood still but seemed to pass at the speed of light.

and just like that , all of a sudden she was no longer consumed by that darkness. instead she found herself back in a familiar place. her safe space. the studio garage that she frequented so much as a teen , and then later with julie. oh , how she could spend endless hours in there , listening to her daughter sing. her favourite past time. especially towards the end when her energy was non - existent. yet this time felt different. like she was a stranger in her own home. she shouldn’t have been there and yet , maybe she was getting a second chance? YOU’RE GONNA CRY AND BABY , THAT’S ALRIGHT , IT’S ALRIGHT. the fine details didn’t quite make sense to her yet , none of it did , but she didn’t want to worry about that yet. the fear of whatever this was being taken away from her again looming over her head.

I WROTE YOU THIS SONG TO KEEP WHEN I’M GONE , IF YOU EVER FEEL ALONE.

fingertips dance slowly over the piano , gaze scanning the instruments set out in the room that definitely didn’t belong to her. the questions in her mind only growing. how long had she been gone? what else had she missed out on? the sunset curve drum set throwing her clarity out of line further. then again , travelling back in time wasn’t the craziest option she’d thought of in the past five minutes. all attention soon diverted towards the pile of lyric and music sheets piled beneath her touch. each song playing in her mind as she read through the sheets , the memories of the time spent writing them playing like a movie in her head. the concept of her daughter keeping the music that rose that had written for her before it became too late , finding that putting her emotions into songs was far easier than actually saying goodbye , tugged even further on her already heightened emotions. wake up , play this when i’m gone. the latter of the two easily being the most unfeigned display of her thoughts that she had ever put into writing. taking a seat in the piano bench without a second thought , the sheet music was infront of her and without noticing , the melody sounded out in the room as her fingers glide over the keys. head down , posture slightly slouched. the lyrics that she had written now coming to life as she sang softly. “ I hope you get to go to all the places that I showed you , when I was on the road and couldn’t be home to hold you. part of me doesn’t want this cruel world to know you so just try and keep in mind everything that I told you. ” after all , it’s not like she had to worry about someone walking in and catching her. she was dead. this was probably all some sort of fever dream , a figment of her after life imagination. or so she thought!

she’s the poster girl for an ordinary life turned upside down ----- she’s still trying to process it all . how does one wake up one day & just accept that they can see ghosts ? how does she explain that she’s suddenly one foot into the afterlife & one in the land of the living ? she still wonders if the boys are the only exception . it’s almost creepy to think that she may have walked the streets of los angeles & smiled at a stranger who wasn’t even alive . she wants answers . but that’s a bridge they’ll have to cross when they get it . for now , she can find contentment in having found friends , be they in the ghostly realm , who helped bring musc back into her life . they gave her strength to play again , reminded her of who she is ----- who she wants to be & what she has to do to keep her mother’s memory alive . ever since she got back into the program , she’d been smiling in her sleep , believing she’s up there , watching over her , proud & happy her daughter’s finally come out of the shadows , brighter than ever .

but she can never know for sure . the boys said there was a dark room . she wishes she would know if her mom spent time there , too . twenty-five years ------ & if she did , how long until she left it ? did she ever leave it ? she must have . there’s so much she doesn’t know . & so much she might have to make peace with not knowing .; like what exactly do three ghosts do when they’re not playing music with her or hanging out in her garage ? she should ask them when they’re back . she thought they were back . she could hear the musc through her open window ; faint , but there , nonetheless . she could never mistake the keys of a piano for something else in a million years , no matter how quietly its sweet melody falls in the background of her video call with flynn . she only spends a couple of minutes more chatting with her friend , making sleepover plans for friday night , deciding what ice cream flavors they should get to celebrate her getting back in the program before she hangs up & plasters a wider smile on her face ------ there’s joy in following the music .

“ okay , we gotta’ talk about your mysteryous escapades , where do you guys even go ? “ she talks before she’s even close to coming in , blissfully unaware of what’s inside . “ is there some secret ghost club that i don’t know a------ “ the garage door is finally open , wide enough to offer her full view of what’s inside . she freezes in place , feet in quicksand --- she’s sinking . she can’t breathe . maybe that’s a good thing . she takes into consideration that it may all just be a dream , realistic enough that she’ll wake up & curse her mind for pulling such an awful prank . for giving her a few seconds of hope , all so that it can wake her to a reality more bitter than she left it before bed . fignernails sink into her palm , balled fist resting by her side . she’s not waking up . she feels tears betraying her before she can react in any other way , one step taken further inside . not much closer . & the one word that leaves her is just as cautious ; quiet , small . the same word she uttered before the eyes now staring back at her closed for what she thought would be forever . “ ------ mami ? “ please don’t disappear .

#wipedtshirt #something went screwy #& i suck at html ///:#long post for ts #this is a wall of text but it's our wall of text so i love it #this is the only way i could fix it forgive me :((((#( v; i got a spark in me )

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nkossovan · 4 years ago

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50 Years Ago Today, Janis Joplin Suddenly Dropped Us

She was a wild one, but some of us need the storm to feel safe. - Atticus

On October 4th, 1970, at the Landmark Motor Hotel (7047 Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90028) in room 105, Janis Joplin suddenly stopped—she had done all her boundary-breaking three years shy of 30.

16 days earlier, in London, UK, Jimi Hendrix had died of an overdose. Janis was next, then on July 3rd, 1971, Jim Morrison met the same fate. All three “Js” were 27 when they die, and thus the 27 club is formed to be joined years later by Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse.

While there’s no shortage of misfit stories floating around—none come close to Janis Joplin’s story. Her story had a much heavier weight of pain, which became her trademark. As is often the case with artists who burn brightly for a short time, Janis, to do what she did, the memorizing performances, needed the pain, which came from never belonging.

The pain came early, from the worst fate that can befall an American teenager, being unpopular. “They laughed me out of class, out of town, and out of the state,” said Janis while speaking with Dick Cavett on June 25th, 1970, about attending her 10-year high school reunion. That’s what happened back then to those who were different, who didn’t conform—before trolling on the Internet anonymously shouting down anyone you disagreed with. In turn, Janis would go on to embody tolerance (You do you, I’ll do me.) and outspoken liberalism in its purest non-political sense coupled with unpolished feminism than was uncomfortable to many.

Janis didn’t lean on anyone, she didn’t play barbie or house, she didn’t pretend for the media. She was raw talent, with no artificial ingredients, no manufactured image. Rock n roll, especially in the 60s and 70s, is ugly. Janis wasn’t afraid to get “ugly” with it, and she was beautiful because of it. Besides being a phenomenal singer (Music historian Tom Moon wrote that Joplin had “a devastatingly original voice”) and a mesmerizing power onstage, Janis was a junkie, an alcoholic, and indiscriminately promiscuous—but she never apologized to the mob. Janis spoke her truth and was one of the very few who lived their truth, which unfortunately was a relentless descent to self-destruction.

Fans labeled Joplin as the “The Queen of Psychedelic Soul.” Friends called her merely “Pearl.” Janis complained she was “the Queen of Unrequited Love.” She once confided to soul singer-guitarist Bobby Womack that she used heroin because it could “bury her thoughts and deaden her from the world.”

Janis’s self-destructive behavior wasn’t ground-breaking—Billie Holiday created that movie long before—but hers was public, a freestyle living along the lines of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda—‘that all-out, full-tilt, hell-bent way of living’, without the love.

Janis’s end was like this:

On Saturday, October 3rd, 1970, Janis was at Sunset Sound Recorders, with the Full Tilt Boogie Band, working on her 4th album, Pearl. Around 11:00 pm, after a good day of recording, she and the band went to Barney’s Beanery, for some food and drinks. Janis had a couple of screwdrivers. When friends she was supposed to have been meeting didn’t show up, Janis drove her psychedelic Porsche to the Landmark Motor Hotel, north of Hollywood Boulevard, where she was staying in room 105. She asked the hotel clerk to break a five-dollar bill for the cigarette vending machine, bought a pack of Marlboro Reds, and went to her room.

The next day, Janis, usually on time, didn’t show for the scheduled recording session. She was expected to provide the vocal track for the instrumental track of the song “Buried Alive in the Blues.” Her producer, Paul Rothchild, became concerned and called John Cooke, who was Full Tilt Boogie’s road manager. Around 8:00 pm, John entered Janis’s room to find her on the floor dead from what would be a heroin overdose; the theory being the heroin was much more potent than Janis was used to. Janis Joplin’s time of death is estimated to be 1:40 am on Sunday, October 4th.

For some reason, people still see Joplin as a victim. I can’t agree with this judgment. Joplin was far from a victim. She was a fearless woman who took the bull by the horns and was aware of the risks in doing so—Janis knew what she was doing. She crashed an all-boys club to become a rock star, on her terms. Undeniably Janis was intelligent, sensitive, and alive to everything around her. Thus she was sensitive and alive to her own pain, which made her vulnerable. Before turning 30, Janis became one of the most influential artists in American music with all this internal turmoil. Sadly, the alchemy of heavy drug use and excessive drinking caught up with her early.

Janis Joplin sang with more than her voice. Her involvement was total; she told the world what was in her heart and had a genuine commitment to delivery. Watching Janis Joplin videos of her performing at times hurts. You want to cry because it’s all too beautiful and painful at once. She was just herself. Janis wanted people to respond to her. She received attention, lots of attention, but not the acceptance she desperately wanted.

The cruel irony is Janis needed the pain Port Arthur conservatism, coupled with the judgment offered to those deemed not to belong, to sing heart-wrenching blues the way she did.

As years passed, people realized there’s be only one Janis Joplin. Judgment of her became much kinder than she was ever to herself. Rightfully she’s been called “the best white blues singer in American musical history” and “the greatest female singer in the history of rock ‘n’ roll.”

Then some say as if to appear they’re in the loop, that neither her voice nor her health could stand the demands she made upon them, on stage and off. In an interview, when asked about her pedal-to-the-metal lifestyle, Janis answered: “Maybe I won’t last as long as other singers, but I think you can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow.” Somehow, in a way, I cannot explain, Janis Joplin factures you.

Just as Janis Joplin was starting on a runway getting everyone high, she suddenly dropped everyone.

Afterward:

On Tuesday, January 12th, 1971, Pearl was released. In the US, the album goes to #1, as does the single “Me and Bobby McGee.” “Buried Alive in The Blues” is left on as an instrumental, and “Mercedes Benz,” a song Joplin recorded acapella on her last night alive on a whim, is included.

#janis joplin #music #female musicians #death anniversary #hollywood #1960s music

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something-tofightfor · 6 years ago

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I want Ryan Brenner. Post R&J cause we all know that ain’t workin out long term. 🤷🏽‍♀️ 🎸Your lyrics are from “Traveling Riverside Blues” by the King of the Delta himself, Robert Johnson. 🎸 Please Please and many many thanks 😬

We all want Ryan Brenner for what he truly is - except Jackie, because she’s dumb.

I won’t even tell you to enjoy this, because I know you will. It got so long, but I wanted my first time writing Ryan to be more than a drabble. THANK YOU, A MILLION TIMES OVER for requesting this.

For all readers that haven’t been to Vegas: The bridge referenced in this story is a way for people to safely cross the 6-8 lane roads that are EVERYWHERE on the Strip. They’re above the roads, and they offer people some amazing views of the Strip in both directions, especially at night. The bridge in the picture is the one that I put Reader and Ryan on, and it’s one of my favorite places in Vegas, because it’s so close to the center of the Strip that you can see everything. They’re always filled with people performing or selling things, sitting or standing with their instruments, coolers filled with drinks, snacks, you name it, so Ryan in this scenario was PERFECT to me.

Title: Neon Lights

Paring: Ryan Brenner x Reader

Word Count: 2600

Rating: M (language)

Las Vegas - no matter how many times you visited - always had a special place in your heart. The lights, the sounds, the booze, the people - all of it was special, was different from what you were used to, and so you hopped on a plane whenever you had the chance. The current trip was for your friend Amy’s bachelorette party, and you and six friends had a few rooms at the Flamingo - dead center in the Strip, which is how you preferred it. It was the middle of summer, and so even at 9 pm, just as the lights were beginning to come on, it was still above 90 degrees, meaning that while you and the girls had dressed lightly for the night, you’d chosen a simple black dress and comfortable sandals, not wanting to deal with stumbling around the Strip in heels.

Deciding to start the night with the Bellagio fountain show, you made your way up and over the bridges that spanned the wide roads, which were filled with people and performers. As you crossed the second bridge from Bally’s toward the Bellagio, the current fountain show playing in the background, you saw him. Dressed in a simple black t shirt and a pair of well worn jeans with heavy boots on his feet, the young man was sitting on an overturned crate, a beautiful acoustic guitar over one knee as he strummed it, singing along. “Hey, wait. Stop, guys.” You called out the request to your group, who had passed the man with disinterest, intent on getting to the fountains - prime selfie territory.

But you stopped, even before you registered what he was singing, because his voice was absolutely gorgeous. There was a small crowd watching him, and he had a bunch of coins and some bills in the guitar case next to him. Good. He deserves it. The first song ended, and the people around him clapped politely and nodded as the guy finally looked up, a sheepish smile on his face. “Thank you. Thanks, everyone. So much.” As people stepped forward, dropping more money into his case, the man nodded gratefully, offering smiles and a few handshakes before strumming a few more times and clearing his throat.

Your friends had finally stopped, and were watching you intently as you stared at the man, who was singing another song - this one just as old and bluesy as the first, his voice perfectly suited to it. You pushed through the other people, wanting to be closer to the man, to his voice, to the guitar. He sells it, he’s not just singing it, he feels it. The man’s eyes were closed as he played, and you focused first on his hands - the long fingers tattooed, plucking the strings with precision and confidence, and then they traveled up his arms, which were muscled and looked strong, a few smaller tattoos inked onto the skin. Your eyes made it to his chest, which, if the shirt he was wearing was telling you the truth, was also well defined, his shoulders broad - and then finally to his face, which was just as perfect up close as it was from ten feet away. Good lord, he belongs on a stage.

The song finished, and the man removed one hand from the body of the guitar, his fingers wrapping around the neck to hold it in place on his knee. You found yourself digging into your purse without thinking, fingers closing around the first bill you could pull from your wallet as you stepped forward, crouching down to tuck it safely into the case, even as the man looked down at his feet and caught his breath. “That’s too much, you don’t have to -” You looked up, locking eyes with him for the first time and froze. Your jaw dropped and your eyes widened as you got a good look at his face; surrounded by thick, dark hair, his pale skin made his eyes stand out - and they were the deepest shade of brown you’d ever seen. He’s gorgeous, he’s… The man licked his lips and shook his head, offering you a smile, his own eyes wide. “Please, that’s not -”

“You’re really good.” You shook your head, finally finding your words as you stood, zipping your bag back up. “Your voice is incredible.” He looked away from you as he thanked a few others, and you stepped back, looking over your shoulder at your friends, who were standing back and looking at you expectantly. Amy’s arms were crossed over her chest and she was frowning. Oh, fuck off, go without me. You sighed, waving your hand and mouthing “I’ll catch up” to them, and Josie nodded, throwing you a wink. You turned back to the man, who was drinking from a water bottle, talking to another young woman and a man standing next to her.

When he saw that you were paying attention again, he raised an eyebrow, running his free hand through his sweaty hair and grinning. “Tip that big gets you a request. Wanna hear something?” You smiled, biting down on the inside of your lip as you thought. “I’m gonna play something else, but if you’ve got the time to stick around, think about it, and you’re up next.” I’ll stand here all night if I have to. “This is an original. I wrote it with the help of a … friend about a year ago.” More blues. The song was good - catchy, and you found your foot tapping along with him as he played and sang, the others around you doing the same. As he repeated a line - “lord how they try” - you decided what you’d ask him to play.

The end of his third song brought the loudest cheers and heaviest applause from the gathered crowd, and he bowed his head, nodding gratefully again as people stepped forward, speaking to him. He doesn’t even know how good he is. Someone asked him what his name was and if he had a Facebook page, and you heard him respond quietly - Ryan Brenner, and no, he did not - before he looked back at you expectantly. “Do you know any Robert Johnson, Ryan?” His eyes lit up when you said his name, lips twitching into a smile that was more a smirk. “Your voice is perfect for it.”

“I do.” He nodded, winking at you and began strumming the guitar again. You’d expected something well known, like Cross Road Blues or even Sweet Home Chicago, but Ryan had chosen something even better suited to his voice. “If your man get personal, want to have your fun…” You were enraptured by him, by the way his voice and singing seemed effortless, fingers picking the notes, the little grimace on his face at the end of some of the lines, the way his nose wrinkled while he sang. He sat on his crate and played his heart out in sharp contrast to his surroundings, the blinding neon lights of Vegas looked almost dim, the sounds faded into a dull roar as you watched him. The Eiffel Tower and giant Paris balloon were visible behind him on the left, the fountains and bright lights of the Cosmopolitan to the right, and it was the perfect backdrop for him, the contrast between Ryan and the city that he was in astounding. I’ve never seen anything like him, not even on an actual stage. He didn’t need the lights, didn’t need a microphone, didn’t need a gimmick - his talent was the gimmick, on full display for a few dollars and minutes at a time for anyone that was willing to give him some time.

Nearing the end of the song, Ryan opened his eyes, gaze moving over the crowd until he’d locked eyes with you, an earnest look in them that masked something deeper, something… raw. He wasn’t just singing because you’d asked him to, he was singing for you, to you, the words dripping from his mouth like he’d written them in the first place. “We can still barrelhouse baby, on the riverside. Now you can squeeze my lemon ‘til the juice run down my…‘Til the juice rune down my leg, baby…” You found yourself rubbing your tightening chest, fingertips digging into the sweat-glazed skin at your collarbone as you felt what he was singing, and as the song ended, you were the first to respond, a soft “holy shit” leaving your mouth and making him laugh.

He stood, leaning his guitar against the stand he had set up next to him and stretched out, shirt rising slightly to expose a thin strip of skin below his waist before he leaned forward, shaking a few more people’s hands and finally you shook your head, stepping forward toward him, hand going back to your bag. “Don’t even think about it.” He was speaking directly to you, and you realized that his full attention was on you, those dark eyes staring into you without difficulty or hesitation. “I haven’t played that in years, and it felt great. Thank you.” You waved a hand, and reached out, intending to shake his but he laughed instead, taking your hand in his and bringing it up to his lips, pressing them against the back of it without breaking eye contact. Years? That’s after years of… Jesus.

“Ryan, you’re really, really good. I mean it.” He shook his head, dropping your hand and ran his fingers through his hair again. “I’m glad I got to hear you play.” He looked over his shoulder at the fountains, which were playing again, the soft strains of Frank Sinatra reaching your ears. “I should go, though, my friends and I are here for a bachelorette party, and I’m sure they’re waiting on me.” You shrugged. “I’d rather stay and watch you play, but…” His cheeks turned red, but you meant it, honestly. “Thank you, for..”

“I’ll be here tomorrow night, too.” He spoke quickly, as if he wanted to say the words before he lost the nerve. “I’m in town for a few more days, staying with a friend, and I’ll be back here tomorrow night.” You nodded, feeling your chest tighten again. “Come see me then, yeah?” You were nodding, and without thinking, you reached out and hugged him tightly, arms around his neck. He didn’t respond immediately; in fact he froze for a moment and you swore at yourself for invading his personal space - hugging this stranger, someone that you didn’t even know on a Las Vegas pedestrian bridge - but then his arms were around you too, one large hand holding the back of your head, the other around your lower back. He held you tightly, like it was the first close contact he’d had with another person in weeks.

He smelled good - like a mixture of soap and clean sweat, a little bit of booze, too, something spicy, and too soon he’d dropped his hands and so had you, stepping back to look at him. You held your hand out again, and this time he took it. “It’s great to meet you, Ryan.” Tell him your name, dumbass. You did, introducing yourself and he repeated your name softly, the easy smile reappearing on his lips. “You should start playing again, they don’t know what they’re missing.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and nodded, sitting back down and pulling his guitar back onto his lap. “Guess I’ll go make sure none of my friends get themselves arrested, hmm?” He laughed, strumming the strings again. “See you tomorrow, Ryan.”

He looked up at you, a wide, honest smile on his face. “I look forward to it.”

You slipped back through the people and began walking toward the escalators that would take you down to the street level, and as you stepped onto the moving stairs, you looked back over your shoulder, the sounds of his guitar reaching your ears. Ryan was playing again, but this time he had his eyes wide open - and was staring in your direction.

—

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mrs-emma-swan-jones · 7 years ago

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I can’t find Heartland anywhere yet :(

Buuuuut, since I’m a sucker for spoilers, I couldn’t resist looking up what they named the baby and OMG IT’S PERFECT AHHHHHHHH!!!!!

#i love that they named her lyndy #especially after amy sang that song that she wrote #it all just comes together perfectly #i'm so glad they didn't do that stupid name the baby competition like they did with lou's baby #like #lou actually had a baby girl in the books #and her name was holly #yet they gave her a basic ass name like katie #it was bullshit #they should have called her holly #i'm so pleased with amy and ty's baby name #it's absolute perfection

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sittingoverheredreaming · 6 years ago

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Okay, now that I’m home and have gotten some sleep, I want to share my thoughts on The Super Live. It’s super spoilery, so it’s going under a cut.

First, I want to say the Play Station theater has some really bad seating arrangements? The section we were in was flat, so it was very hard to see a lot of the stage (esp being that we were behind some tall people, and we are pretty short) I SAT ON MY FEET THE WHOLE TIME WHICH HURT BUT WAS DEFINITELY WORTH IT BECAUSE THIS SHOW IS SO VISUAL

Also I finally understand what people meant when they said it wasn’t a musical! I think it’s closer to a musical than anything else, though my wife brought up the point that a lot of it is similar to a ballet, in that a lot of things are conveyed through dance (and effects) with little talking or singing. We both agree though, that overall it felt more like a highlight reel than a full story. I’d put it as it showed a lot, but explained nothing.

It’s definitely more a celebration of Sailor Moon using the first arc than a retelling of it. It’s not there to give you a story to dig into, it’s there to make you swoon over Tux and scream when your favorite character shows up, and it did that and it did that AMAZINGLY

Like listen, I am too gay for miracle romance most of the time but at the beginning, when Mamoru’s teasing Usagi and they accidentally touch and they freeze and then moonlight densetsu starts playing and they show a bunch of images of them from manga art? that hit me oh my god

AND THEN WHEN THEY WENT THROUGH ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THE SLIDESHOW. WE ALL JUST SCREAMED SO MUCH. EVERYONE SCREAMED FOR THEIR FAV

It was kind of funny, Ami got the shaft being first, not too many people cheered when she popped up, but then they showed Rei and Rei fans weren’t gonna NOT CHEER FOR REI, and then MAKO FANS HAVE TO REPRESENT BECAUSE IT’S MAKO AND WE LOVE HER, and then I think everyone screamed for Mina because if you do not get excited for Minako Aino you are wrong

WHEN THE ACTUALLY ACTRESSES HAD THEIR FIRST SCENE I WAS SO HAPPY

I’d worried about this cast, but they’re amazing and in character and it’s GREAT

The Best Friends song is SO CHEESY I LOVE IT

Comment from my wife: it was always easy for them to follow who spoke, even when they all just said “Hi” they all had distinct voices they could place, which is a problem they sometimes have in this stuff, especially while trying to read the subtitles

(I think the parts where the subtitles were done in comic voice bubbles were BRILLIANT, but the ones that were only on the screens to the sides(mostly the songs) were difficult to see while still watching the stage from where we sat)

WHEN THE SENSHI APPEARED FOR THE FIGHT IN THE AUDIENCE I LOST MY SHIT AND JUPITER WAS RIGHT BY US AND I CRIED

my wife has not really experienced how much I love Makoto because I don’t write about her and it was kind of hilarious before the show I got a mystery bookmark with one of my merch purchases, and when I opened it and saw I’d got Mako I teared up because I LOVE HER

AND THEN SHE CAME INTO THE FIGHT RIGHT BY OUR SEATS IT WAS AMAZING I LOVE HER SO MUCH

I love their fight song, I love all the songs where each senshi gets their little introductions, whether it’s just inners or everyone, SUPER LIVE SOUNDTRACK WHEN??

This one might be a particular favorite, because I think it captures that they’re fighting for Usagi, their sweet flawed friend Usagi, and that’s just really sweet

also not to beat a dead horse but every time Mako says “I’ll make you numb with regret” in anything it adds three years to my lifespan it’s so great I love Makoto Kino

ALSO I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THIS MINA??? SHE’S DAMN GOOD

I’d love to see this cast in a more substantial show, they were so amazing in this and I fully believe they could rip my heart apart in something that was more character-focused

on a similar note why didn’t they let Beryl sing more

I love when they cast Beryl with a strong, operatic-style voice and they did that and then she barely sang

Everyone was underused, basically

Or maybe everyone was over-cast? The casting here is SO GOOD and I just want to see more of them

The part where they went to Harujuku was SO CUTE and also felt a little like they were trying to teach Americans a little about Japan/Tokyo, it made me wonder if it was always in there

Also the part where they were in what I think were kimonos (I don’t know how to spot the different types of clothing) was so amazing? They tied them in perfect sync? It felt like fan service, but not gross male-gazey fan service, like whoever wrote that moment was just like “girls want to see their favorite character in a new pretty outfit” AND THEY WERE RIGHT

MOON SWORD

but also I pay my taxes when do I get to see Mina stab Beryl

The Venus/Kunzite moment didn’t bother me too much, it’s the one SenShi pairing that I think brings something interesting to the table, though I would have loved if it happened after she ran him through

or if she just ran him through anyway

Listen I just wanna see Mina stab someone

everyone died really quickly and it didn’t emotionally hit but I feel like that was okay for this version. I don’t think they were really trying to bring the waterworks

That said though I again would love to see this Usagi do a Sorezore no Elegy moment, when she was screaming and crying I was like man if this was given the space, it would have so much power

OH BACKING UP A LITTLE, I loved the use of Otome no Policy, I wasn’t expecting it and it took me a second to recognize it. I thought it was really smart to have the senshi sing it to keep Usagi going, it was sweet and cute and played on nostalgia in a great way

I HAVE KEPT MYSELF FROM TALKING ABOUT TUX BECAUSE RIONA WAS JUST TOO MUCH

she’s so hot but also just. the way she played Mamoru was so good because she had a great balance of jerk and dork and dreamboat

THE WOMAN KNOWS HOW TO HANDLE A ROSE

Usagi and her heart eyes? same

Beryl rubbing all over tux? S A M E

during the curtain call when the cast came into the audience I embarrassed my wife by shouting RIONA as she passed

(also I told my wife I was glad we didn’t do the VIP experience because I figure they’d be mad when I threw myself at Riona. But actually it amuses them because I don’t get celebrity crushes much)

The game center scene was really cute? It’s a situation where I really bought Mamoru’s teasing as an expression of his crush, which most versions don’t do for me

please let Riona play tux again in something where she has more lines

AND TO CAP IT THE ENDING “CONCERT” PART WAS SO FUN

when they did La Soldier I ascended to a higher plan of existence. the dance was different but still reminiscent of the original. AND EVERYONE SANG ALONG. IT WAS AMAZING.

La Soldier you guys.

LA SOLDIER

Also they did Moonlight Densetsu as an encore and it was so funny because everyone was just like, WE KNOW YOU’RE COMING BACK OUT YOU HAVEN’T DONE THE SONG

BUT THEN WE ALL STILL LOST OUR SHIT WHEN THE MUSIC STARTED

I love how they split up the lines to different characters

BERYL’S LINES WERE SO FUCKING GOOD OH MY GODDDDDDDDD

and everyone came into the audience and it was great

everyone had so much love for the characters and it was so great to see

at the end of the show Usagi’s actress said a little speech in English, and struggled with it a little, and it was so cute and it made me cry and she said something about it being the last show in America and I feel so lucky to have gotten to see it

I really, really loved it

I hope they do more of these shows, I think it’s a style that’s really cool and even though I’d love more substantive musicals, this sort of thing makes sense to put on internationally, and it would be amazing to see S or Stars done in this style

I LOVE SAILOR MOON A LOT YOU GUYS

this is a show that made me feel that love. it wasn’t perfect but it was just really about loving sailor moon and playing on the history and legacy of the story, and it’s a joy

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independentartistbuzz · 6 years ago

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7 From The Women is a segment here on Independent Artist Buzz where we ask some of the industries finest seven questions. During this time of accusations and the lack thereof, we think it’s important to give women a voice. We chose to ask seven questions to honor the seven Wiccan clans.

Kristen Rae Bowden is a beautiful turmoil of tenderness and willfulness. It’s a paradoxical sentiment also evident in her artistic sensibilities. In her upcoming debut, Language and Mirrors, she fluidly, and authentically, inhabits earthy Americana and majestic orchestral rock.

What have you been working to promote lately?

In November 2018 I released my first album, entitled “Language and Mirrors.” On March 15 2019 I will release my first music video from the album. The video is for my song “It Isn’t About You.”

I wrote “It Isn’t About You” while living in a screened-in-shack with no power on the Big Island of Hawaii. I was 22, fresh from college, excited by the idea of living “off the grid”, and very much in love with a young man whose family owned land in Hawaii. After we moved there, however, our relationship quickly deteriorated, practically turning to dust before my eyes. I felt powerless to save it, or leave.

I found myself on a metaphorical island, as well as a real one, and my feeling of isolation stemmed from my obsession with the unhealthy relationship. It became difficult for me to imagine myself outside of it; I no longer felt whole on my own.

Even without electricity, I remained a night owl. I stayed up alone in the tiny dark house on the edge of the jungle, drinking wine, and writing poetry by candlelight. This is how I wrote “It Isn’t About You”: as part of a long, freeform poem. (It is one of my only songs where I wrote the lyrics first.)

Later, I put the poem to music, after I finally got the courage to leave the relationship, and I’d steadied my mind. The song is about making that return to yourself and your own joys, strengths, and needs. It is also about taking responsibility for your own choices, so that you never feel (unnecessarily) like a victim, and you can move on.

The music video for “It Isn’t About You” will premiere on Facebook Premiere on Friday March 15 at 1:00 pm.

Please tell us about your favorite song written, recorded or produced by another woman and why it’s meaningful to you.

I think, after all these years, my favorite track written by a woman is still Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You”. The melody starts out conversational, understated, and then it soars! The simplicity of the instrumentation creates such an intimate experience, you feel like she’s in your living room, singing right in your ear. You hear every word, which is perfect because her lyrics go straight to the heart.

The beauty of the poem alone overwhelms me. Joni has a way of writing lyrics that are very specific to her own experience, and full of imagery, but when I listen to them, I feel like they are about me too. Much like an abstract painting where different people will see different things, Joni’s artful words allow you to color them with your own experience. This makes me feel truly known, and comforted somehow as a human being, because I know I’m not alone.

What does it mean to you to be a woman making music/in the music business today and do you feel a responsibility to other women to create messages and themes in your music?

When I decided I wanted to become a career musician, I didn’t think at all about my gender. I just knew I wanted to make music; that’s all I thought about.

Now, I believe that as a woman in the music industry, I have the opportunity to showcase a more feminine (as in the divine) incarnation of strength. As a culture I think we view strength in a very masculine way; it often means hardness, stoicism. I believe we tend to ignore the strength that it takes to be vulnerable... the strength that lies in open-heartedness and flexibility. After all, a branch that cannot bend is more likely to break. In my songs, I find myself wanting to express this: how brave one must be to remain open-hearted. I think it is something I have to offer that has to do with my womanhood and femininity.

When I write I honestly don’t feel a responsibility to create certain messages and themes in my music. I write according to my feelings, so those end up being the messages and themes. However, when I write a song about a certain moment in my life, I definitely listen critically to the song and ask myself what kind of message it is going to send into the world.

Once I wrote a song about a previous boyfriend cheating on me with a girl who I really thought was my friend. They both lied to me about it for several weeks. It was overwhelmingly hurtful. Some men say they have a “bro’s code” to not let women come between them. So, I wrote this song about the lack of a “girls code”, and basically sang about how I knew my boyfriend at the time was going to lie to me, that was obvious. But I never expected my woman friend to be a part of it, sneaking around and lying to me also.

Later I realized I couldn’t release the song, because of the message one might take from it. My lyrics ended up sounding too much like a woman who blames the other woman when her significant other lies to her, instead of holding him responsible, and also taking responsibility for the choice she has made to be with him. What that particular “friend” did to me was unkind, but I don’t ever want to sound like a woman who puts other women down as a group. I didn’t want to risk being interpreted in that way.

I hope to be a voice of catharsis, empowerment, and empathy.

What is the most personal thing you have shared in your music or in your artist brand as it relates to being female?

My most personal song is “My Father’s Daughter”. My Dad was an extremely charismatic, artistic, and captivating man. He was also quite the womanizer. He passed away when I was 18, and I still miss him every single day.

I think as a girl, when you grow up with a Dad who is your absolute favorite person, but over time you learn about some of his negative proclivities, you’ll have some kind of emotional reaction. And the reaction will be based (at least in part) on how you are his daughter. If you were his son, you might respond quite differently.

“My Father’s Daughter” is really about me getting into a relationship with a man who had also lost his artistic (and womanizing) father. He had a daddy-backstory similar to mine, but he had responded in a completely different way. We could understand each other better in some ways due to the similarities in our respective Dads’ personalities, but in other ways we really had no hope of ever understanding each other.

The song also has to do with the fact that sometimes, there is no stronger bond than shared grief.

I think this is the most personal thing I’ve written as it relates to being female, because it’s specific to what we would call “Daddy issues”. Anyone can have Daddy issues, regardless of their gender, but being female definitely effects how these complicated feelings play out in one’s life. This is true for me, at least.

What female artists have inspired you and influenced you?

So many! I’ve already mentioned Joni Mitchell. I just finished reading “Just Kids” and Patti Smith is a poetic hero. Others include Joan Jett, Nina Simone, Bonnie Raitt, Aretha Franklin, Patsy Cline, Erykah Badu, Zap Mama, Emmylou Harris, Iris DeMent, Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, Stevie Nicks, Carole King, Amy Winehouse, Bjork, Lady Gaga, Billie Holiday, Ani DiFranco, and Tracy Chapman.

Who was the first female artist you saw that made you want to create music / be in the business?

When I was 19, my sister and I went to see Ani DiFranco. I remember loving how the audience was overwhelmingly female, right as I walked in. I noted to myself how rare it is to be in the company of mostly women, at least for me. Ani sang her songs and I think everyone in the theater was affected, you could just feel it in the air. I laughed and I cried. I marveled at how she connected with each member of the audience personally ; she made each of us feel like we’d met her. Each of her songs consistently blew me away with her confessional storytelling. She stirred my emotions and completely inspired me.

The next night I went into a practice room at my college, played the piano, and wrote my first real song. I didn’t mean to write it ; it surprised me. It was about my Dad dying, which had happened about a year before. I scribbled it on a cocktail napkin that I’ve saved ever since.

Do you consider yourself a feminist? If so why and if not why?

I definitely consider myself a feminist. Women deserve equal rights and bodily autonomy, period. I grew up very privileged, in a community/culture that told me I could be anything I wanted, so I have to admit I was rather shocked to find out that some people still think women aren’t supposed to do certain jobs or have certain roles in life. I also grew up in a very homogenous community. For a long time I was very ignorant when it comes to the idea of intersectional feminism, and I still have a lot to learn about how feminism can exclude the experiences and points of view of women of color and LGBTQ women. It is important to me to be an ally to all women, especially those in minority communities, as they are the ones who are most effected by sexism and discrimination. Learning how to be a good ally is an ongoing process, and I consider it my responsibility to educate myself about issues outside of my personal experience. All in all, I am a feminist because women are still so marginalized, all over the world. Women’s rights are human rights, and as long as things remain unbalanced, this deserves our constant attention.

Connect with Kristen online:

https://www.kristenraebowden.com

https://www.facebook.com/KristenRaeBowden/

https://www.instagram.com/kristenraebowden/

https://twitter.com/bowdenrae?lang=en

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0PPhdmifjwxW8fkF_CxIoQ

https://kristenraebowden.tumblr.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2mi6KqRPH72KiS6r1A9ePI?nd=1

https://soundcloud.com/kristenraebowden

https://kristenraebowden.bandcamp.com/releases

#kristen rae bowden #7 from the women #female musician #girl power #feminism #feminist #indie music #indie artist #iab #independent artist buzz

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i-am-very-very-tired · 3 years ago

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Somewhere between Britney and Billie Eilish, liberated by social media and their direct relationship with fans, millennial and Gen Z women claimed the right to be complicated pop auteursRead all of the essays in the decade retrospective

📷 Laura Snapes Mon 25 Nov 2019 13.12 GMT 174

While Billie Eilish has reinvented pop with her hushed SoundCloud rap menace, creepy ASMR intimacy and chipper show tune melodies, there’s also something reassuringly comforting about her: as a teenage pop star, she has fulfilled her proper duty by confusing the hell out of adults. It’s largely down to her aesthetic: a funhouse Fred Durst; a one-woman model for the combined wares of Camden Market. Critics have tried to make sense of it, but when editorials praised Eilish’s “total lack of sexualisation”, she denounced them for “slut-shaming” her peers. “I don’t like that there’s this weird new world of supporting me by shaming people that may not want to dress like me.”To Gen Z’s Eilish, not yet 18, it is a weird new world. She and her millennial peers have grown up in a decade in which pop’s good girl/bad girl binary has collapsed into the moral void that once upheld it, resulting in a generation of young female stars savvy to how the expectation to be “respectable” and conform to adult ideas of how a role model for young fans should act – by an industry not known for its moral backbone – is a con. “It’s a lot harder to treat women the way they were treated in the 90s now, because you can get called out so easily on social media,” Fiona Apple – who knows about the simultaneous sexualisation and dismissal of young female musicians – said recently. “If somebody does something shitty nowadays, a 17-year-old singer can get on their social media and say, ‘Look what this fucker did! It’s fucked up.’”📷 Lunatics conquering the asylum ... the Spice Girls. Photograph: Tim Roney/Getty ImagesFemale musicians have been subject to conflicting moral standards for longer than Eilish has been alive. Madonna, Janet Jackson and TLC knew them well – but the concept of the pop “role model”, expected to set an example to kids, solidified when the Spice Girls became the first female act to be marketed at children. In the 70s and 80s, idols such as David Cassidy primed girls for a monogamous future. By comparison, the Spice Girls were lunatics conquering the asylum. But, given their fans’ youth – and the sponsors that used the band to reach them – they also had a duty of responsibility. Their real lives – the all-nighters and eating disorders – were hidden so effectively that Eilish, born in 2001, thought the band was made up, actors playing the roles of the group in Spiceworld: The Movie.In the late 90s, kid-pop became an industry unto itself: Smash Hits and Top of the Pops magazine pitched younger; CD:UK and America’s TRL aimed at Saturday-morning and after-school audiences; Simons Fuller and Cowell built empires. The scrappy Spice Girls preceded the cyborgian Britney, who was a far sleeker enterprise – until she wasn’t. She was pitched as a virgin: cruel branding that invited media prurience and set a time bomb counting down towards her inevitable downfall. Britney’s 2007 breakdown revealed the cost of living as a virtuous cypher and being expected to repress her womanhood to sell to American prudes. Her shaved head and aborted stints in rehab prompted industry handwringing, and so an illusion of the music business offering greater freedom and care for pop’s girls emerged in her wake. Advertisement Major labels abandoned the traditional two-albums-in bad-girl turn (a la Christina Aguilera’s Stripped). Social media-born artists such as Lily Allen and Kate Nash were swept into the system and framed as the gobby antithesis to their manicured pop peers – until their resistance to exactly the same kind of manipulation saw them cast aside. And if Kesha, Lady Gaga or Amy Winehouse burned out, their visible excesses would distract from any behind-the-scenes exploitation, inviting spectators to imagine that they brought it on themselves.📷 Reclaiming the hard-partying values of rock’s men ... Kesha. Photograph: PictureGroup / Rex FeaturesAt the dawn of the 2010s, social media surpassed its teen origins to become an adult concern, and an earnest fourth wave of activists brought feminism back to the mainstream. Like a rescued hatchling, it was in a

pathetic state to begin with – dominated by white voices that tediously wondered whether anything a woman did was automatically feminist. Is brushing your teeth with Jack Daniel’s feminist? Are meat dresses feminist? Is drunkenly stumbling through Camden feminist? Are butt implants feminist?Pop culture became the natural test site for these ideas – especially music, where a new wave of artists challenged this nascent, often misguided idealism. Kesha reclaimed the hard-partying values of rock’s men to embody a generation’s despair at seeing their futures obliterated by the recession. Lady Gaga questioned gender itself, as one writer in this paper put it, “re-queering a mainstream that had fallen back into heteronormative mundanity”. In a career-making verse on Kanye West’s Monster, Nicki Minaj annihilated her male peers and gloried in her sexualisation. MIA, infuriated by America’s hypocritical propriety, flipped off the Super Bowl and proved her point by incurring a $16.5m fine.📷 Infuriated by hypocritical propriety ... MIA gives America the middle finger during her Super Bowl performance in 2012. Photograph: Christopher Polk/Getty Images Advertisement As a former Disney star, Miley Cyrus stepped the furthest out of bounds. In 2008, aged 15, she had posed in a sheet for Vanity Fair. “MILEY’S SHAME,” screamed the New York Post. She apologised to her fans, “who I care so deeply about”. But in 2013, she torched her child-star image by writhing in her knickers on a wrecking ball, twerking against Robin Thicke, being flagrant about her drug use, appropriating African American culture while perpetuating racist stereotypes.Cyrus’s 2013 transformation bore the hallmarks of a breakdown – especially witnessed two years after the death of Amy Winehouse, who was then perceived as a victim of her own self-destruction. But Cyrus was largely intentional about her work (if, then, ignorant of her racism). She had waited until she was no longer employed by Disney to express herself. Earlier in her career, she said, she struggled to watch her peers. “I was so jealous of what everyone else got to do, because I didn’t get to truly be myself yet.” Despite apparently smoking massive amounts of weed herself, she didn’t want to tell kids to copy her. But she knew the power she offered her peers such as Ariana Grande, who that year left Nickelodeon to release her debut album. “I’m like, ‘Walk out with me right now and get this picture, and this will be the best thing that happens to you, because just you associating with me makes you a little less sweet.’”Pop did get a little less sweet. Sia and Tove Lo sang brazenly about using drugs to mask pain. Icona Pop’s I Love It reigned (“I crashed my car into a bridge / I watched and let it burn”) thanks to its inclusion on the soundtrack of Lena Dunham’s Girls. With its aimless characters and their ugly behaviour, the show mirrored pop’s retreat from aspirational sheen, and the culture’s growing obsession with “messy” women and “strong female characters”: flawed attempts to create new archetypes that rejected the expectation of girls behaving nicely.📷 An explicit rejection of role-model status ... Beyoncé performs at the Super Bowl in 2013. Photograph: Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesA new cohort of young female and non-binary critics shifted the discussion around music: in 2015, when the documentary Amy was released, they questioned how Winehouse was perceived in death compared to Kurt Cobain. They also pushed aside the virgin/whore rivalries of old. In an earlier era, Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey might have been fashioned into nemeses, one sexualised and powerful, the other gothic and demure. Instead, their respective mid-decade self-mythologising showed that female musicians could be pop’s auteurs, not just the men in the wings. Advertisement Beyoncé’s self-titled 2013 album was an explicit rejection of her role-model status. She was 15 when Destiny’s Child released their debut album. “But now I’m in my 30s and those children that grew up listening to me have grown up,” she said in a behind-the-scenes video.

The responsibility she felt to them “stifled” her. “I felt like ... I could not express everything … I feel like I’ve earned the right to be me and express any and every side of myself.”It was the first of her albums to reveal the breadth of her inner life – the coexisting kinks, triumphs and insecurities, showing the complexity of black womanhood. The critic Soraya Nadia McDonald wrote: “Mixed in with songs about insecurity, grief, protest and the love she has for her child, Beyoncé manages to present her sexuality as a normal part of her life that deserves celebration.” “It doesn’t make you a bad mother. It doesn’t make black people look bad, and it doesn’t make you a bad feminist, either.” When Beyoncé emblazoned “FEMINIST” on stage at the 2014 MTV VMAs, she helped reclaim the word from middle-class white discourse.Like Beyoncé, Del Rey countered the idea that female pop stars were major-label puppets. She had struggled to make it as an indie artist but found a home at Polydor – a detail that caused detractors to question her authenticity. Her shaky debut SNL performance revealed the flaw in their thinking: if she was manufactured, wouldn’t she have been better drilled? Her project was potent, but startlingly unrefined. More intriguingly, she opposed fast-calcifying ideas about how feminist art should look: Del Rey’s lyrics revelled in submission and violence, in thrall to bad guys and glamour. It wasn’t feminist to want these things; but nor was it feminist to insist on the suppression of desire in the name of shiny empowerment.📷 Exposing industry machinations ... Azealia Banks at the Reading festival in 2013. Photograph: Simone Joyner/Getty Images Advertisement Del Rey’s lusts and designs were her own – pure female gaze – a hallmark of the defiant female pop stars to come. Rihanna said she was “completely not” a role model, a point driven home by the viscerally violent video for Bitch Better Have My Money. Lauren Mayberry of Scottish trio Chvrches refused to be singled out from her male bandmates and wrote searingly about the misogyny she faced online. Janelle Monáe and Solange rubbished the idea that R&B was the only lane open to young black women.They started revealing their business conflicts. In 2013, 21-year-old Sky Ferreira finally released her debut, six years after signing a $1m record deal. She was transparent about her paradoxical treatment: “They worked me to death, but when I wanted to input anything, it was like, ‘You’re a child, you don’t know what you’re talking about.’” When Capitol pulled funding for the album, she financed its completion: it was widely named an album of the year. Facing similar frustrations, rapper Angel Haze leaked her 2013 album, Dirty Gold, and Azealia Banks wasted no opportunity to expose industry machinations.The rise of Tumblr and SoundCloud put young artists in control of their own artistic identities, forging authentic fan relationships that labels couldn’t afford to mess with. Lorde was signed age 12, but her manager knew he had to follow her lead because she knew her audience better than he did. Halsey was already Tumblr-famous for her covers, hair colours and candour about her bisexuality and bipolar diagnosis when she posted her first original song in 2014. It received so much attention that the 19-year-old – who described herself as an “inconvenient woman” for everything she represented – signed to major label Astralwerks the following evening.A new type of fan arrived with them. The illusion of intimacy led to greater emotional investment – and with it, an expectation of accountability. Social media was being used to arbitrate social justice issues, giving long overdue platforms to marginalised voices, and establishing far more complex moral standards for pop stars than the executives who shilled Britney’s virginity could ever have imagined. In 2013, Your Fav Is Problematic began to highlight stars’ missteps: among Halsey’s 11 infractions were “sexualising Japanese culture” and allegedly falsifying her story about being “homeless”.Musicians, particularly of an

older guard, were unprepared. Lily Allen’s comeback single Hard Out Here, released in late 2013, satirised the impossible aesthetic standards expected of female musicians – a bold message undermined by the racist stereotypes she invoked to make her point: “Don’t need to shake my arse for you ’cause I’ve got a brain,” she sang, while black and Asian leotard-clad dancers twerked around her in the video. The backlash was swift. There was the sense of a balance tipping.📷 Refused to let terrorists suppress girls’ joy ... Ariana Grande at One Love Manchester, 4 June 2017. Photograph: Kevin Mazur/One Love Manchester/Getty Images Advertisement Over the decade, female pop stars steadily self-determined beyond the old limited archetypes. But the most dramatic identity shifts were still a product of adversity, women battling for control.In 2015, Ariana Grande provoked mild outcry when she got caught licking a doughnut she hadn’t paid for and declaring: “I hate America.” Two years later, a suicide bomber attacked her concert at Manchester Arena, leaving 22 dead. She went home to Florida in the aftermath, then returned to stage benefit concert One Love Manchester. A victim’s mother asked Grande to perform her raunchiest hits after the Daily Mail implied that the bomber had targeted the concert because of her sexualised aesthetic. So she did. By prioritising her mental health and refusing to let terrorists suppress girls’ joy and sexuality, she set a powerful example for fans that ran counter to the moralising of commentators such as Piers Morgan.Grande appeared to emerge from this tragedy – and the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller – with a renewed sense of what was important, and what really was not. Her next album, Sweetener, defiantly reclaimed happiness from trauma; she swiftly released another, Thank U, Next, abandoning traditional pop release patterns to work with a rapper’s spontaneity. “I just want to fucking talk to my fans and sing and write music and drop it the way these boys do,” she said.Kesha had helped instigate this decade of greater freedom for female musicians – or so it seemed until October 2014, when she sued producer Dr Luke, making allegations including sexual assault. (In spring 2016, a judge dismissed the case; Luke denies all allegations and is suing Kesha for defamation.) She claimed she was told she had to be “fun”, an image that Luke’s label intended to capitalise on, revealing how revelry could be just as confining as its prim counterpart. In 2017, she released Rainbow, her first album in five years. Addressing her trauma, it got the best reviews of her career – a response that also seemed to reveal something about the most digestible way for a female artist to exist. But her forthcoming album, High Road, pointedly returns to the recklessness of her first two records. “I don’t feel as if I’m beholden to be a tragedy just because I’ve gone through something that was tragic,” she said.Taylor Swift’s refusal to endorse a candidate in the 2016 election, and the fallout from a spat with Kanye West, saw her shred her image of nice-girl relatability with her 2017 heel-turn, Reputation. But she rebelled more meaningfully when she leveraged her profile to expose the music industry, alerting the public to otherwise opaque matters of ownership and compensation. She joined independent labels in the fight to make Apple Music pay artists for the free trial period it offered consumers. Earlier this year, she despaired at her former label, Big Machine, being bought – and the master recordings to her first six albums with it – by nemesis Scooter Braun, an option she claimed she was denied. Now signed to Universal, and the owner of her masters going forward, she hoped young musicians might learn from her “about how to better protect themselves in a negotiation”, she wrote. “You deserve to own the art you make.” Advertisement Swift’s formative politesse came from country music, an industry that emphasises deference to power and traditional gender roles. In 2015, consultant Keith Hill – using a bizarre metaphor about

salad – admitted that radio sidelined female musicians: they were then subject to endless questions about tomatogate, as if they had the power to fix it. But that blatant industry disregard freed female country artists to shuck off obligation and make whatever music they wanted. In recent years, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Brandy Clark, Kacey Musgraves, Ashley Monroe, Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile and Margo Price have all creatively outstripped their male peers.📷 ‘Just me existing is revolutionary’ ... Lizzo. Photograph: Owen Sweeney/Invision/APTheir situation resonates beyond country: greater personal freedoms for female musicians haven’t equated to greater commercial success. Just because a wave of female pop acts have refused old industry ideals, that doesn’t mean control is consigned to the past. There will be young women enduring coercive music industry situations right now – whether manipulation or more serious abuse. Some may never meet those impossible standards, and fail to launch. Others may quietly endure years of repression before potentially finding their voice. There are high-profile female pop acts working today who control their work yet are still subject to grinding suggestions that they change to meet market demands, and noisy women from this decade who have been sidelined. The tropes of the self-actualised female pop star are so established that labels know how to reverse engineer “real” pop girls beholden to a script.But the emergence of a more holistic female star will make it harder for labels to shill substitutes. Their emotional openness has destroyed the stigma around mental health that was used to diminish female musicians as “mad” divas. Charli XCX said she would never have betrayed her vulnerabilities when she was starting out in her teens. “If I’m emotionally vulnerable,” she thought, “people won’t take me seriously … Now I just don’t care.” Robyn spent eight years following up her most successful record because she needed time to grieve and unpick the impact of her own teen stardom. Britney – who in 1999 told Rolling Stone, “I have no feelings at all” – this year cancelled her Las Vegas residency to prioritise her mental health. 📷 More to the floor: the decade the dancefloor was decolonised Read more Advertisement They’ve relentlessly countered the male gaze. Chris refused to simplify queerness for the mainstream; Kim Petras stood for “trans joy”; Rihanna challenged the idea of skinny as aspirational by creating inclusive fashion lines and candidly discussing her own shape. “Just me existing is revolutionary”, Lizzo has said, while Cardi B refused to let anyone use her past as a stripper undermine her legitimacy as a powerful political voice.Where unthinking messiness was valorised at the start of the decade, now imperfection only gets a pass as long as nobody else is getting hurt. This summer, Miley, now 26, apologised for the racial insensitivity of her Wrecking Ball era. Soon after, she posted striking tweets in response to rumours of her cheating on her husband. She admitted to having been hedonistic and unprofessional in her youth. But she swore she hadn’t cheated in her marriage. “I’ve grown up in front of you, but the bottom line is, I HAVE GROWN UP,” she wrote. (To a degree – not long after, she found herself called out again when she implied that queerness is a choice.)In their fallibility and resistance to commodification, the women who have defined this decade in pop look a lot more like role models than the corporate innocents sold to girls in the early millennium. They’re still learning, working with what they’ve got rather than submitting to what they’re told. “I don’t know what it feels like not to be a teenager,” Billie Eilish said recently. “But kids know more than adults.” … as you’re joining us today from South Africa, we have a small favour to ask. Tens of millions have placed their trust in the Guardian’s high-impact journalism since we started publishing 200 years ago, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. More than 1.5

million readers, from 180 countries, have recently taken the step to support us financially – keeping us open to all, and fiercely independent.With no shareholders or billionaire owner, we can set our own agenda and provide trustworthy journalism that’s free from commercial and political influence, offering a counterweight to the spread of misinformation. When it’s never mattered more, we can investigate and challenge without fear or favour.Unlike many others, Guardian journalism is available for everyone to read, regardless of what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of global events, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action.We aim to offer readers a comprehensive, international perspective on critical events shaping our world – from the Black Lives Matter movement, to the new American administration, Brexit, and the world's slow emergence from a global pandemic. We are committed to upholding our reputation for urgent, powerful reporting on the climate emergency, and made the decision to reject advertising from fossil fuel companies, divest from the oil and gas industries, and set a course to achieve net zero emissions by 2030.

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quaymorris · 5 years ago

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Album: Circus

Release Date: November 28, 2008.

This is where the completion of the Holy Trinity gets fuzzy. Some considered this to be the third part. I think that’s a gotdamn lie and they know it.

This album is considered to be her official comeback, which is weird because she didn’t go anywhere. Sure, she was off in rehab for a minute and now she’s under a weird conservatorship, but like, this album came out about a year after all that. Blackout and its singles charted fairly well and this album did even better. So I don’t get that “comeback” nonsense.

Circus is Britney’s fifth #1 album and isn’t nearly as tight as Blackout, but it’s a valiant effort nonetheless.

Time to go to the circus!

Womanizer | 8 /10

This is probably her best lead single of them all. If Toxic had been a lead single off the In The Zone album, it would've won easily - but it wasn't so Womanizer takes the throne. This follow-up to Toxic doesn't hit as hard as I want it to, but it's fun enough and the video is hot. What a comeback.

Circus | 9 /10

This is one of my favorite songs ever and is an absolutely amazing pop production. As you can probably tell by now, I love it when Britney demands all eyes on her. Just when I thought Brit might be done with the music industry forever (or turn up dead tbh), she dropped one of the best songs of her career.

Out From Under | 7.5 /10

This song doesn't get enough praise. She was angry about the end of her marriage to K. Fed on Blackout, but with this album she comes across as more introspective. Sad but in a "I'm moving on" kind of way. I also love them breathy vocals.

Kill The Lights | 6.5 /10

This is a follow-up to Break The Ice and it isn’t nearly as good, but it’s a solid effort nonetheless. Also we got another weird animated music video. Anyways, remember the controversy over Danja declaring her the "queen of pop"? Madonna fans and music critics nearly lost their collective minds. This song gets an extra .5 for the opening + first verse alone: You don’t like me / I don’t like you / It don’t matter / only difference / you still listen / I don't hafta. Tell em, queen!

Shattered Glass | 6 /10

A lot of people say this song sounds unfinished. I get it, but I like this track. In fact it was the first non-single song I was into. That being said, looking back at it now it is a fairly generic pop song.

If U Seek Amy | 6.5/10

This song is a little try-hard for me. I never found the double entendre to be amusing at all. Otherwise I think it's a good song. The music video gives its rating an extra boost tbh.

Unusual You | 9 /10

This is one of the best songs of Britney's career. Cardi B agrees. Another one I heard while working a mall job, I could listen to an album full of songs like this from her all day. The production and vocal effects are ingenious. Synthesizing overload, but in a very, very good way.

Blur | 7.5 /10

I love it when Britney sings about hook up sex. It's never too slutty sounding - in fact, the lyrics and her delivery make the story mimic real life situations imo.

Mmm Papi | 5 /10

What was the theme to this album? It was supposed to be a circus or something, right? I think that's one of the reasons this never made my top 3, ESPECIALLY after Flawless Fatale was released. This song is a bit of a bop, though.

Mannequin | 5 /10

Eh. I mean, what is this seriously? This isn’t terrible (and honestly it grows on me with each listen), but we're definitely getting into my least favorite part of the album.

Lace And Leather | 5.5 /10

I think Freakshow did this whole thing better, but this one’s cute. One thing that irritates me is the baby voice. I've never been a big fan of it once she wasn't, ya know, a child anymore.

My Baby | 2 /10

I'm only giving this a 2 because she wrote it for her babies, but we all know this is a really bad song, right?

Rock Me In | 7 /10

This song is the direction Circus the album should've taken. After the gritty darkness of Blackout, some lightheartedness would've been understood. The rock influence and spacey vocals make this song an easy listen, in a good way.

Phonography | 6.5 /10

How are the bonus tracks more cohesive than the standard edition songs? I think this is a good transition from RMI and her voice sounds so clean! I love the tricks producers do with her voice, but my favorite is still hearing Britney.

Trouble | 7.5 /10

I miss when she sang like this. It just sounds so easy and relaxed. Once again bonus tracks >>> main songs. This sounds like it has some Janet Jackson influence - it's both dance club ready and perfect for listening to in the car.

Amnesia | 4.5 /10

This doesn't sit with the best of the bonus tracks, but it's not terrible. She sings like her voice is stuck in that weird high register and it just sounds fake and forced to me.

Quicksand | 6 /10

This song reminds me so much of another one I've heard, but I can't place it and it's driving me crazy! I'm not as big of a ballad fan as others may be so I love 'love' songs set to a hype beat like this one.

Rock Boy | 2 /10

Now this is a forgettable song, bonus or not. It's just so flat and uninspired.

3 | 8 /10

This song is actually on her second greatest hits compilation, but it sits just as well here.

Usually songs that are as blatant as this one don't really work for me, but this is a bop. The moans work well to take the sexiness to the limit. And she looked hot af in the music video. Another chart topper for Queen Spears! Also, watch the music video.

U N R E L E A S E D | L E A K E D T R A C K S

Strangest Love | 5.5/10

This isn't bad. I would say it doesn't fit the album, but since I don't know wtf she was going for on Circus, this could probably scoot right in between Blur and Mmm Papi just fine.

Abroad | 3.5 /10

This is a bit better than Rock Boy and I think could've replaced it on the bonus tracks, easily. The steady strumming from the guitar gives a softness to the beat and her voice sounds like a throwback to the vocals all over late 90s/early 2000s pop music.

Everyday | 6 /10

Now this one sounds very close to Xtina's Beautiful, which isn't a bad thing. It's one of the best ballads Britney's ever done and it definitely should've been on an album somewhere! I don't think it fits Circus, though. Those vocals - those practically untouched, not auto-tuned af vocals!

Dangerous | 2 /10

Another fairly forgettable pop rock song. Unreleased status deserved.

This Kiss | 5 /10

About the only thing I don't like on this are the vocals. Her voice sounds shaky and unnatural. Is it some vocal effect? It sounds pretty terrible. But this isn't a bad song!

Telephone | 7 /10 Lady Gaga wishes tbh. Those exaggerated vocal effects fucking make this. Idk why she gave up this song.

#britney spears #circus #all eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus #womanizer #britney's comeback #album review #track by track review

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lindyhunt · 6 years ago

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How Nikki Yanofsky Found Her Sound and Herself on Her Newest Album

To quote Nikki Yanofsky, it’s been “a minute” since the 24-year-old singer released new music. You remember Yanofsky. She sang I Believe, the theme song–and certified banger–from the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. It was basically our unofficial National Anthem that winter. But, you might also know her as the youngest performer ever to headline the highly-regarded Montreal International Jazz Festival when she was just 12 years old.

But after taking a short hiatus to focus on truly finding her sound, Yanofsky is releasing an album that’s 100 per cent true to herself. The first single Big Mouth debuted today. She wrote it in response to the Women’s March in New York City earlier this year. An accompanying video also dropped, shot by Emma Higgins, who’s previously won a JUNO for Video of the Year for her work with Mother Mother.

When it comes to having a big mouth, this singer isn’t afraid to admit she’s got one. And we’re very excited to see all the things she’ll say (and sing) with it. Check out our interview with Yanofsky below, as well as the brand new Big Mouth music video.

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What’s been different about the process of working on this album, in comparison to the previous work you’ve released?

I think this is the first album that I’ve really found my sound and known very clearly what I want to say. Every song is written very clearly and with intention. It just feels like me for the first time compared to all my other stuff. I mean, everything I’ve worked on has a special place in my heart, obviously, but I feel like right now, it’s the most me because I’m the most me I’ve ever been. You know, it’s different working on an album at 16 and working on an album at 24, I feel like I’ve found myself.

Because this album has so much of yourself in it, does that mean you write all your own stuff? Is the music based on real-life experiences?

Yeah, so I write or co-write all of my own music and it’s definitely based on my own experiences. I’d say mostly all, because sometimes I’ll hear a story and think, oh that would be a cool song and I get inspired. But really, my strongest stuff is stuff I’ve really lived because it comes across genuine. And it’s not necessarily even an experience. Like in this song, Big Mouth, I’m not really telling a story, it’s more me commenting on a movement. It’s about having women be proud to speak their mind and to stand up for themselves and to never dull their shine for anybody. That’s what I want the song to do. I’ve always been a kind of in-your-face person, but I’ve definitely had my fair share of moments where I’ve felt, oh maybe I shouldn’t have said that or just felt ashamed. I wanted to write a song to remind women everywhere that no, never be ashamed of being you.

You wrote Big Mouth in response to the Women’s March in New York earlier this year.

Yeah, I actually couldn’t make it to the march, but I saw it on the news and I felt so inspired watching woman after woman speak and be so poised and articulate. It felt like history and I just wanted to have something forever to remind me of that moment. Songs, in my opinion, are like tattoos. You write them and you put them out and then they’re there forever, you can’t take them away. I just wanted to have a tattoo of that moment in my head.

I love the concept of twisting that “Big Mouth” perception from a negative into a positive. Why did you decide to release this song as the single? Why did you want this to be the first taste of the new album?

I think I wanted Big Mouth to be the first taste because in terms of messaging, it’s exactly what I wanted to say to the world. And it’s been a while – like I havn’t released anything in a minute—and I wanted the first thing I said to be important and to have a real sense of self. This is a song that’s so me and I think a lot of women can identify with it too. My whole life my family has always called me “Big Mouth”, that’s like their nickname for me. It’s because I don’t stop talking, I don’t stop singing, whatever it is, I’m using my voice. And I was like, what if I use that voice to encourage others to do the same? That’s why I thought Big Mouth was an important single. I think also, with the current climate of the world, it’s important to have a song that celebrates women like this and doesn’t have to be so serious all the time. You know, you can also play to the softer sides and the funny sides and the sassy sides of women.

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ITS OUT!!!!! Listen with the link in my bio !! I HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!!! 👄🎉🎉🎉🎉👄 #femmefortefriday

A post shared by Nikki Yanofsky (@officialnikkiy) on Sep 13, 2018 at 9:00pm PDT

You mentioned that you haven’t released new music in a while. Has there been a reason for the break?

I think there’s been a bit of a break because I wanted to get it right and I’m definitely a perfectionist. I think up until now, I was hesitant to release anything because it didn’t feel like me yet. I was still finding my sound while I was finding myself and I think now they’ve both coincided. Now, I feel stronger than ever with where I’m at, from a professional standpoint musically and also personally.

Speaking of your sound, on this album do you think you lean more towards your jazz background or more towards pop?

It’s really melted together. There’s definitely a lot of jazz influence in what I do, because vocally I stem from jazz so everything I sing–even if it’s in a pop world–will have a bit of that inflection. But this album is really walking the line of both. I call it like a very happy, playful, fun Amy Winehouse-type. I mean Amy is a huge influence of mine. In the past I’d play someone something and they’d be like, okay so describe your sound, describe what you are, and it was hard. But now, when they hear it, they get it. I don’t have to describe anything. They can picture what I would look like, what I would dress like… and that’s great.

Have you felt that industry pressure in the past to lean more towards the pop side?

Not necessarily to lean towards pop, but just to pick a lane. I don’t know, for me, music is genre-less. Good music is good music, right? I never wanted to have to commit myself to just one and I feel like now I don’t.

Where does that love for jazz come from? It’s not necessarily a typical sound, especially for such a young artist.

Definitely not. I think my love for jazz came from finding Ella Fitzgerald on iTunes when I was like 11. I just stumbled upon her. But I was always into older music growing up. I listened to a ton of Motown–like Aretha Franklin is one of my biggest influences. Who else? Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, there were so many. And then Ray Charles was kind of walking that jazzy line and then I got into Ella, Sarah Vaughan, Amy Winehouse–who was at the time, really big–and Nina Simone. Something drew me to it. I can’t even really explain it, it just felt like I’d found my sound.

At 12 years old you walked out on stage at Montreal Jazz Fest to sing, I can’t even imagine having that confidence. Were you nervous?

You’d be surprised. I think in a way ignorance is bliss. When you’re so young, you can’t really grasp how big it really is. It kind of worked to my advantage. I think if I had been more self-aware I probably would’ve been more nervous, but because I was oblivious to it, I was just excited and confident and just went out there at 12 years old and performed for almost 100,000 people. But it’s funny because my confidence did go up and down. I started out super confident and then when I was a teenager and more aware of myself I went to being sort of unsure. But now, I feel super confident again.

Because you started so young, did you ever find it hard to find that balance between your music career and just being a teenager and growing up?

It’s funny, I never felt like I was missing out on anything because that was my normal. Because I started so young, I never had anything to compare it to so that was just my life, that was just normal for me. I think my parents also did a really good job of keeping me grounded and making sure I never missed out on important things, especially with friends and school. I did everything. I kind of had this double life, I always say I was kind of like Hannah Montana in high school!

Looking to the future, what are your hopes for your career?

I hope that I’m just able to sing for my whole life. I don’t know what that means for my career, I can’t predict the future, I just know that presently I’m so happy with where I’m at. I just want to take things one day at a time and keep this sense of peace and happiness and really work on just bettering myself as a musician and as a person. Obviously, I want as many people to hear this stuff as possible because that’s what my goal is as an artist, but even if this all just helps one person, then I’m good. I’m happy.

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investmart007 · 6 years ago

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NEW YORK | The Latest: 'Once On This Island' wins musical revival Tony

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NEW YORK | The Latest: 'Once On This Island' wins musical revival Tony

NEW YORK — The Latest on the Tony Awards (all times local):

10:35 p.m.

“Once On This Island” has been named the best musical revival Tony Award winner.

The 1990 musical with a Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s calypso-infused score unfolds as a group of storytellers — caught in the midst of an unrelenting storm — recount the tale of a Caribbean island country girl in love with an aristocrat.

The revival is made to resonate deeply for today’s audiences, who are all too familiar with the devastating impact hurricanes have on a community. Many of the characters play instruments made out of found objects, including trash bins, flexible piping and more.

It stars Lea Salonga, Phillip Boykin and newcomer Hailey Kilgore.

The revival beat out “My Fair Lady” and “Carousel.”

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10:20 p.m.

A British revival of “Angels in America,” Tony Kushner’s monumental, two-part drama about AIDS, life and love during the 1980s, has won the Tony Award for best play revival.

The show is an astonishing kaleidoscopic seven hours with an assortment of characters that includes Roy Cohn, Ethel Rosenberg, a young man living with AIDS, his cowardly ex-lover, a Mormon housewife, the world’s oldest living Bolshevik and a high-flying winged creature.

The latest version stars Nathan Lane and Andrew Garfield, and it won the best revival Olivier Award. It is directed by Marianne Elliott, a veteran of “War Horse” and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.”

It beat out “Three Tall Women,” ”The Iceman Cometh,” ”Lobby Hero” and “Travesties.”

Both Lane and Garfield won acting Tony Awards earlier Sunday.

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10:10 p.m.

J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” franchise has cast its spell on Broadway, winning the best new play Tony Award.

The win for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” adds to the franchise’s haul of seven bestselling books and eight blockbuster films.

The two-part play, which picks up 19 years from where Rowling’s last novel left off and portrays Potter and his friends as grown-ups, won nine Olivier Awards in London before coming to America and bewitching critics and audiences alike.

It beat out “The Children,” ”Farinelli and The King,” ”Junk” and “Latin History for Morons.”

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9:50 p.m.

John Tiffany has won his second directing Tony Award for his work on the two-part play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

Tiffany previously won a Tony for directing the musical “Once.” He also was nominated for the 2014 revival of “The Glass Menagerie.” Tiffany won the directing Olivier Award for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

Tiffany was Associate Director of the National Theatre of Scotland from 2005 to 2012. Some of his other credits include “Black Watch” and “The Ambassador.”

He beat out Marianne Elliott, Joe Mantello, Patrick Marber and George C. Wolfe.

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9:45 p.m.

David Cromer has won his first Tony Award for directing “The Band’s Visit.”

The musical is based on a 2007 Israeli film of the same name, has songs by David Yazbek and a sardonic story by Itamar Moses. It centers on members of an Egyptian police orchestra booked to play a concert at an Israeli city who accidentally end up in the wrong town.

Cromer directed the short-lived Neil Simon revival of “Brighton Beach Memoirs” in 2009 and the 2011 revival of John Guare’s “The House of Blue Leaves.” He drew acclaim for two productions at the off-Broadway Barrow Street Theatre — “Tribes” and “Our Town,” for which played the Stage Manager in addition to directing.

He grew up outside Chicago in Skokie, Illinois, and won a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2010. He taught acting and directing at Columbia College Chicago for 15 years and has often returned to the works of Tennessee Williams.

He beat out Michael Arden, Casey Nicholaw, Tina Landau and Bartlett Sher.

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9:30 p.m.

Glenda Jackson has added to her impressive resume with a Tony Award for best actress in a play.

The 82-year-old British actress won her first Tony for playing a flinty woman facing the end of her life in the new revival of Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women.”

Jackson has two Academy Awards, for 1970’s “Women in Love” and 1973’s “A Touch of Class, and credits in such films as “Sunday, Bloody Sunday,” ”Mary, Queen of Scots” and “Hedda.” She won two Emmys for starring in the television miniseries “Elizabeth R.”

She stepped back from acting in the early 1990s to enter politics and is famous for a 2013 speech she gave after the death of Margaret Thatcher, bitterly decrying the late prime minister.

She beat Condola Rashad, Lauren Ridloff and Amy Schumer.

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9:15 p.m.

A heroic drama teacher who nurtured many of the young people demanding change following the February school shooting in Parkland, Florida, has been honored from the Tony Award stage.

Melody Herzfeld, the one-woman drama department at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was cheered by the crowd at Radio City Music Hall.

Herzfeld saved 65 lives by barricading students into a small classroom closet on Valentine’s Day when police say a former student went on a school rampage, killing 17 people.

She then later encouraged many of her pupils to lead the nationwide movement for gun reform, including organizing the March For Our Lives demonstration and the charity single “Shine.”

Members of Herzfeld’s drama department then took the stage to sing “Seasons of Love” from “Rent.”

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9 p.m.

Nathan Lane has won the Tony Award for best featured actor in a play for his role in “Angels in America.”

Laurie Metcalf won best featured actress in a play earlier Sunday for her role in Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women.” It is Metcalf’s second Tony win — she won best actress last year for “A Doll’s House, Part 2.”

Lane’s win is the second of the evening for an “Angels in America” actor. Andrew Garfield won for best leading actor earlier in the evening.

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8:10 p.m.

Andrew Garfield has won the Tony Award for best leading actor in a play for his work in “Angels in America,” Tony Kushner’s monumental drama about life and love during the 1980s.

Garfield plays a young gay man living with AIDS in the sprawling, seven-hour revival opposite Nathan Lane.

He previously was nominated for a featured role in “Death of a Salesman” opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Garfield has been nominated for an Oscar for his work in “Hacksaw Ridge.” His other film work includes “The Social Network” in 2010 and the 2012 superhero film “The Amazing Spider-Man” and its 2014 sequel.

He beat out Tom Hollander, Jamie Parker, Mark Rylance and Denzel Washington.

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8:05 p.m.

Tony Award co-hosts Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles have gotten the show started with a self-parodying duet on piano for all the losers out there — including them.

Neither Bareilles nor Groban have won a Grammy or a Tony despite selling millions of albums and appearing on Broadway in hit shows. They turned that into a playful song.

“Let’s not forget that 90 percent of us leave empty-handed tonight. So this is for the people who lose/Most of us have been in your shoes,” they sang in the upbeat opening number. “This one’s for the loser inside of you.”

The co-hosts then noted that such noted shows like “Hair” and “Into the Woods” didn’t win the best musical prize. Nor did “Waitress,” the show Bareilles wrote music for.

At the end of the song, the pair were joined by over a dozen members of the ensemble from each this year’s nominated musicals.

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7:55 p.m.

Condola Rashad has a special reason to celebrate on the Tony Award red carpet Sunday. She also just closed her show, “Saint Joan.”

The actress says she has “a lot of emotions today.” She likened it to the last day of school mixed with prom and graduation at the same time. She says: “It’s a celebration.”

The daughter of Phylicia Rashad and sportscaster Ahmad Rashad earned a best actress in a play nomination for playing Joan of Arc in the play by George Bernard Shaw, which ended its run with Sunday’s matinee. Her dad and sisters were her dates to the Tonys.

She says “it’s been a really great opportunity for us to come together.”

Rashad also earned a 2012 Tony nomination for “Stick Fly” and plays a district attorney on the Showtime series “Billions.”

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7:45 p.m.

Broadway’s SpongeBob, Ethan Slater, has walked the red carpet with a ribbon supporting the American Civil Liberties Union pinned to one lapel.

He says the organization is “incredibly important to our country” when it comes to guarding civil liberties. He called his show “aligned with the values of the ACLU.”

How exactly? Well, in terms of diversity, for one.

The “SpongeBob SquarePants” musical includes Sandy the squirrel, a scapegoat for Bikini Bottom’s problems who is targeted for banishment.

Slater calls the story line “really relevant to the Muslim ban” in the United States and the way he says that “Muslim-Americans have been treated.”

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7:25 p.m.

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has no problem with nerves as he heads into the Tony Awards. His accolade to come once inside is all sewn up as an honorary tribute.

The musical theater legend says the feeling is wonderful: “I don’t have to worry about it.” He says all he has to do is “just go and get it.”

Webber says this season on Broadway is exciting, in particular amid musicals with many fine new writers. He also praised the night’s co-host, Sara Bareilles, for her work in the recently televised rock opera he co-created back in 1970, “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Webber describes Bareilles as an “extraordinary actress,” especially through music.

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6:50 p.m.

Andrew Garfield says the social message of “Angels in America” is a huge part of why he agreed to star as Pryor Walter.

The nominee says on the Tony red carpet that he doesn’t want to “tell a story unless it has the potential to change people.”

The British actor says the eight-hour play is as relevant today as it was 25 years ago, when Tony Kushner first staged it and won a Pulitzer Prize for his trouble.

Garfield says theater must be political and mirror the times we’re in. Otherwise, he says, “we’re wasting everyone’s time.”

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6:20 p.m.

Josh Groban is promising “a really fun” Tony Awards.

Says the first-time co-host: “I feel really excited about the show we have ready for everybody tonight.” He says it’s been a fun season and he called co-host Sara Bareilles “brilliant.”

He says the chance to collaborate and bounce ideas off her has been “nothing less than a dream come true.”

He adds “We’re just going to go out and be ourselves.” Groban promises the show will be a combination of slick and two musical theater geeks being “total weirdos.”

For her part, Bareilles says she “just wants to stay present.” She added that her job is to make sure everyone else is having a good time, saying “that’s the goal — people pleasing.”

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6:10 p.m.

Cynthia Erivo and Brian Tyree Henry say the theater is a perfect place to deal with social issues.

Says Henry, who is nominated for his work in “Lobby Hero”: “It’s happening right in front of your face.” He adds that something about the stage encourages tough issues to be worked on by strangers.

He says the cast and audience of a show go on a ride together and hopefully it creates a platform for discussion.

Erivo, winner of the best actress in a musical award for her work in “The Color Purple” in 2016, agreed: “People can see themselves live.” She says theater gives people a chance to express themselves freely.

John Leguizamo adds there are no “gatekeepers” in theater, which allows many points of view to emerge.

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5:45 p.m.

“Frozen” songwriters Robert Lopez and his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, walked the red carpet at the Tony Awards on Sunday for the first time as equal nominees.

Robert Lopez co-conceived and co-wrote the smash-hit musicals “Avenue Q” and “The Book of Mormon,” both earning him Tony Awards. “Frozen” marks Kristen Anderson-Lopez’s first nomination.

“I’m so proud of her,” her husband said. “She’s been here before as my plus-one.” His advice to her was “enjoy this thing.” It might be scary, but he calls it like a “prom.”

Anderson-Lopez acknowledged she was going to be nervous for the cast of “Frozen” and suspected that she would share their butterflies. Joked her husband: “She’ll be mouthing every word along with them.”

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2:45 p.m.

The Tony Awards dress rehearsal — normally with few actual stars in attendance — got a shock of A-listers this year, including Tina Fey, Kelli O’Hara, Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Leguizamo, Tituss Burgess — and Bruce Springsteen.

The four-hour rehearsal at Radio City Music Hall allows producers to go through the show from start to finish before the Sunday telecast. Usually, stand-ins are used for Hollywood presenters, who prefer to hit the snooze button.

But the audience this time cheered loudly when Patti Lupone, Uzo Aduba, Ming-Na Wen, Melissa Benoist, Tatiana Maslany, Christopher Jackson, James Monroe Iglehart and Rachel Brosnahan showed up in the flesh.

The highlight was Springsteen, who walked onstage in a T-shirt and jeans, performed one song on the piano from his sold-out one-man show and departed to a standing ovation.

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12:15 a.m.

The Tony Awards kick off on Sunday night with a pair of first-time hosts, no clear juggernaut like “Hamilton” to cheer for, but a likely assist by Bruce Springsteen.

Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles face their biggest audience yet and a careful political balancing act when they co-host the CBS telecast from the massive 6,000-seat Radio City Music Hall.

Getting buzz from appearing on the telecast can dictate a show’s future, both on Broadway and on tour. Broadway producers will be thankful this year that the telecast won’t compete with any NBA Finals or Stanley Cup playoff games.

By Associated Press

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#New York #Once On This Island #TodayNews #wins musical revival Tony

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news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog · 7 years ago

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The standout moments that made CNN's gun control town hall feel like a game-changer

On Wednesday night, a raw, emotional town hall about gun control on CNN emerged as a pivotal moment in the debate over gun control.

As a crowd of several thousand cheered and jeered, the survivors and families of the victims of last week's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, pushed back on Senator Marco Rubio and NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch more than any member of the media has.

SEE ALSO: Amy Poehler blasts NRA after they tweeted a 'Parks & Rec' GIF

This movement is being led by a group of brave and mature-beyond-their-years teenagers who are unafraid to express their fury at an inactive government and the big money that enables them. And it finally feels like this time, finally, something is different.

That it was all broadcast on a national platform like CNN was even more crucial, and it provided a stark contrast to the usual empty talking points that are circulated by six-pundit panels on cable news. While such town halls are often devoid of substance, the students and their tenacity not only broke the cycle of these pointless made-for-TV debates, but also changed the conversation in the process.

Students like Emma Gonzalez and Cameron Kasky have given voice to the anger and grief we've collectively felt too many times. They've channeled their outrage and exasperation in a way that, though sometimes uncomfortable, refused to let apathy sink in, cracking the shiny facade of cable news and pushing the gun debate forward.

Emma Gonzalez, Sheriff Israel refuse to let Dana Loesch off the hook

Emma Gonzalez has already gained notice for her passionate speech in the wake of the shooting, and on Wednesday night she was one of many students bravely stood their ground against those in power — including NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch.

Loesch has caused controversy in the past with her pro-gun statements for the NRA, but that didn't rattle Gonzalez, who not only didn't blink in the face of one of America's most (in)famous gun advocates, but wouldn't let Loesch get away with ducking the question, proving herself to be a tougher questioner than so many reporters have in the past.

And Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel followed up on Gonzalez's questioning, refusing to let Loesch off easy for her stance, telling her, "You're not standing up for [the students] until you say 'I want less weapons.'"

The one-two combo of a student survivor and a respected law enforcement official — whose jurisdiction includes the school where the shooting occurred — was an undeniable show of unity against an organization that has sunk countless millions into making sure guns like the one used in this (and other) mass shootings remain obtainable.

Cameron Kasky and Fred Guttenberg corner Senator Marco Rubio

When given the chance to directly confront an elected official that is supposed to represent the people, it's reasonable to think that the heat of your argument might dim a little because of the weight of the moment.

But not in the case of Cameron Kasky. Another student survivor of the shooting, Kasky called Rubio out on his acceptance of NRA campaign contributions and challenged him to start turning them down as cheers from attendees rained down.

The debate around the NRA's lobbying efforts is another milestone in the familiar cycle of mass shootings. Those lawmakers that accept the NRA's money are called out, time and again. Yet few of them have had to face down survivors of a mass shooting like Rubio did on Wednesday night in front of a national television audience.

SEE ALSO: Powerful New York Times ad calls out lawmakers funded by the NRA

Kasky wasn't the only one who pressed Rubio hard. Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the shooting, told Rubio point blank that statements made by him and by President Trump in the wake of the shooting were "pathetically weak."

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Rubio was forced to look into the eyes of a parent who'd lost his child and address his views. The in-person audience hurled boos at Rubio while an anguished parent lambasted him in a way he's not used to. It was raw and riveting and beyond any television CNN or its competitors have produced in a long time.

It was also probably the toughest questioning Rubio has ever faced — on CNN or any other news channel. And that it came from a high school student and a grieving parent shouldn't be lost on us. A new bar for holding politicians accountable has been set.

Sheriff Israel takes the lead

While the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have been at the forefront of the renewed debate, they have a powerful ally in the aforementioned Sheriff Scott Israel. That a leading law enforcement member has so vocally backed the students only gives legitimacy to their point of view.

To say that law enforcement has become a lightning rod in our current divisive political environment is a brutal understatement.

But Sheriff Israel has been an ardent supporter of the students' initiatives since the shooting. Doing so on a national stage, standing with the students in front of a national audience and leaving no wiggle room for those looking to twist his words, was a powerful show of unity to a nation that badly needs it.

The students refuse to go quietly

Perhaps the most cathartic moment came at the conclusion of the town hall, when students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School sang "Shine," an original song written by the students about love and defiance in the face of tragedy.

While the song features moving lyrics, especially considering the context in which the students wrote it — "We're not gonna let you win / We're putting up a fight / You may have brought the dark / But together we will shine a light" — it was the spoken interludes from the students that delivered the biggest punch.

When one student emotionally delivered the line, "We refuse to be ignored by those who refuse to listen," it was easy to believe her. The fiery resolve was evident to anyone watching the town hall and listening to the song.

SEE ALSO: Parkland shooting survivors call for a march on Washington, D.C.

So often these events are dominated by politicians who excel at spinning direct questions in banal talking points and by "commentators" who sometimes mean well but ultimately spout the same sound bites over and over, a circle of "analysis" that sounds all too familiar.

But the students and their allies — law enforcement, teachers, the parents of their slain classmates — made the most of the platform they were given Wednesday night, transforming the typically made-for-TV event into something rawer, more emotional and, ultimately, more powerful than anyone could have possibly imagined.

#_uuid:332373ab-a938-30fa-bb72-56614bddd696 #_lmsid:a0Vd000000DTrEpEAL #_author:Marcus Gilmer #_revsp:news.mashable

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rickmumford · 7 years ago

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YOU’RE NEVER GONNA LET ME DOWN

I grew up in a church where we sang hymns and one of my favorite was written by Horatio Spafford after he lost much of his fortune in the Great Fire of Chicago, his young son died of scarlet fever and his four little girls Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta drowned at sea in a shipwreck. Horatio wrote:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

The very real truth behind those lyrics is that, no matter how hard life may be, I can trust God because He is good, all the time. Nowadays we sing a different type of worship song at church. We sang this little ditty today:

You are good, good, oh-ohh. You are good, good, oh-ohh. You are good, good, oh-ohh. You are good, good, oh-ohh. You're never gonna let, never gonna let me down. You're never gonna let, never gonna let me down. You're never gonna let, never gonna let me down. You're never gonna let, never gonna let me down. You're never gonna let, never gonna let me down. You're never gonna let, never gonna let me down. You're never gonna let, never gonna let me down. You're never gonna let, never gonna let me down. (Repeat)

Perhaps I could argue that the richness and theology of our worship music has lost its depth in our Twitterized culture. But I actually like this song. Especially the first part, about God being good. God tells us in His Word that, no matter how difficult life’s circumstances become, He is a good God. “For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5). Nahum 1:7 reminds us that “the LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.” When life is hard and the nights are long, I can find my way if I remember what I know to be true: God is good and He loves me.

We can absolutely trust in the goodness of God. It is a promise I have held tight to over these difficult years. We can put our faith in Him, that even when heart-crushing sorrows come rolling in wave after wave after wave, He is still good. I like singing about the goodness of God because it reminds me of critical truth.

But then this song goes on to say that God is “never gonna never let me down.” As if somehow God’s goodness is tied to whether or not I feel let down. I don’t know about you, but I have felt let down by God over and over and over again. I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve felt let down by God! I prayed for Amy’s healing 10,000 times with no response. How could I not feel let down?

I don’t think I’m alone in this.

I’m pretty sure that Job felt let down by God when a gang of Sabeans stole his oxen and donkeys, lightning killed his sheep, three gangs of Chaldeans stole his camels, most of his servants were murdered, and a microburst killed all of his children. Doesn’t cursing the day of his birth (Job 3:1) at least insinuate that he feels let down by God?

Joseph most likely felt let down by God when his brothers sold him into slavery for eight ounces of silver. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that he felt let down again when he got thrown into prison for resisting sexual advances from a perverse woman.

Jesus’ disciples must have felt let down as they were murdered one-by-one. Andrew was scourged, and then tied rather than nailed to a cross, so that he would suffer for a longer time before dying. Philip, Simon and Thaddaeus were crucified the old-fashioned way. Peter was crucified upside down. James was beheaded. Thomas was run through with a spear. Matthew was stabbed in the back. James was beaten and stoned then killed after being hit in the head with a club. Historians aren’t quite sure if Bartholomew was beaten then crucified or skinned alive and then beheaded, but either way, I would imagine he would have felt at least a twinge of being let down by God.

When King David learned that his rebellious young son Absalom was dead, he went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.”

At one point in Moses’ life he prayed that if God really loved him then God would kill him as a show of compassion (Numbers 11:15). Naomi followed her husband to a foreign land and lost everything she held dear. Though her name meant pleasant, she asked her friends to call her Mara which meant bitter. Jeremiah was known as the Weeping Prophet because he cried and grieved for his people who ignored His message.

It seems apparent that even Jesus Himself, while suffocating to death as He was nailed to a cross, felt let down by God as He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”

Because of the Fall, pain and disappointment and heartbreak are a very real part of life. Jesus never promised we wouldn’t feel let down by God, He promised that in this world we would have trouble (John 16:33). Trouble hurts and the pain is real. To quote the Man in Black from The Princess Bride, “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”

So how did we end up with the lyrics, “You’re never gonna let, never gonna let me down” in a worship song?

Because it’s true. God won’t let me down.

If God is perfect in all of His ways (Psalm 18:30), if He is faithful to keep His covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him (Deuteronomy 7:9), if He is good and His love endures forever (Psalm 107:1) then I can trust that He’s never gonna actually let me down, even though it may feel like it.

There is a difference between feeling let down by God and actually being let down by God. God had a purpose through the very real pain that Job, Joseph, Andrew, Philip, Simon, Thaddaeus, Peter, James, Thomas, Matthew, James, Bartholomew, David, Moses, Naomi, Jeremiah and Jesus endured. And He didn’t drop the ball with you, either.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul talks explains how he was frequently thrown into prison, severely flogged, exposed to death again and again, received the forty lashes minus one five times, beaten with rods three times, pelted with stones, shipwrecked three times, spent a night and a day in the open sea, was constantly on the move, in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits and others in the city, country and at sea, experienced hunger and thirst and sleeplessness, and experienced tremendous stress. Being a human, Paul did not enjoy or hope for any of these painful and sucky experiences. Yet he goes on to say that, for “Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Paul sees a greater, higher purpose in life than experiencing pleasant circumstances and avoiding pain. He may feel let down as he is being flogged within an inch of his life. But because His eyes are fixed on Jesus, Paul is able to rise above, trusting that God is still perfect, on His throne, in charge, and still good. So when Paul felt let down, He prayerfully adjusted his perspective to fit with God’s.

When one of my children disobeys and I must punish them, they feel let down. They don’t like the punishment—it hurts and it is unpleasant. Actually, no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11) In reality, I didn’t actually let my children down by punishing them. But in fact, I did what’s very best for them, because I love them. In time, I hope, they will understand that my ways and thoughts are higher than theirs.

My concern is that God’s people will sing, “You’re never gonna let me down” and then when they are diagnosed with cancer, lose their job, or experience death they will get mad at God, thinking He has somehow broken His promise and let them down. But when we learn that God is truly good and always worthy of our trust, we learn the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:12).

So the next time sorrows like sea billows roll and you feel like God has let you down, remember He really is good, good, oh-ohh.

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