#first roadie for patty

[capnseriouslycanadian]

baby’s first roadtrip 🛫 (via NYR on twitter)

[burningbridgesblacknblue]

A Little Jealousy

A/n: this is an old imagine from my Ao3 when Nolan played for the Flyers and I wanted to share it again. Please enjoy grumpy Patty.

You chuckled at the joke your best friend had told you as you unlocked the front door to get in. Honestly Adam’s joke was stupid but you couldn’t get over how stupid it was.

“Hey did you leave the lights on?” Adam asked you abruptly.

“I don’t think so.”

A rush of anxiety flooded your senses, what if you forgot to lock the door and someone broke in? Several worse case scenarios ran through your head at the same time, causing you to look back at Adam.

“I’ll go first.”

You nodded your head in agreement. Staying huddled close behind him, his much taller body shielding you from any danger. Slowly you staggered behind your friend, you heard the TV on in the bedroom and you know for sure you didn’t leave that on.

“I definitely turned that off…”

“Wait here.”

“Adam don’t leave me here to be killed!” You whispered-yelled harshly, “I’m easy to strangle!”

“Jesus Christ,” he mumbled with a chuckle, “Just wait here.”

As he proceeded on his own and left you standing in the living room, you heard a sound coming from the bathroom. Not wanting to die you jetted after your friend.

“Someone’s in the bathroom!”

“What?”

“Go check Adam!”

It was as you two were having a loud bickering match that you neglected to hear the footsteps coming toward you.

“Babe?”

You gasped at the deep voice you loved so dearly, with one dramatic hand on your chest and the other on your friend’s arm you let out a large sigh. “Nols you scared me halfway to hell I thought you weren’t going to be home until tomorrow…”

Patty stood there in just a pair of sweatpants it looked as if you two interrupted him getting in to the shower. He looked so good, all you really wanted to do was kiss him and welcome him home but when you noticed his expression you knew he wouldn’t receive you well.

Nolan’s gaze lingered in between you and Adam before he licked his lips, “If you had picked up your phone you would’ve known we were coming back a day earlier.”

Your boyfriend was notorious for being monotonous and deadpan in his delivery; most people who didn’t know him would miss the actual ice dripping from each word. You bristled at his comeback, Patty was easily annoyed couple that with his tendency to get jealous and you had yourself a square off that was explosive.

“I didn’t ignore you on purpose Nol,” you retorted calmly, “I was working all day.”

“Yeah working,” the way he said the second word as if he were mocking you was irritating beyond belief. You also couldn’t believe he was doing this in front of company.

“We’re not doing this again Pat…”

He brushed a hand through his growing blonde hair and you knew instantly how angry he was. Whether he was going to show your best friend was another story.

You weren’t too sure why Nolan had such huge insecurities where Adam was concerned, you two never crossed any boundaries. You never even liked each other that way. The only thing you could think of that made sense was Adam was around twenty-four seven while Patty was away.

Nolan smacked a hand against the doorframe before he turned away from you heading toward the living room.

Adam faced you quickly after your boyfriend’s departure, “I didn’t mean to make you guys argue.”

You waved your hand in a nonchalant gesture, “It’s not your fault he gets like this sometimes when he comes home from a roadie. He’s just tired.”

“Should I go?”

Chewing on your bottom lip you nodded affirmatively. Feeling terrible for kicking out your closest friend. It just wasn’t the best idea to let him hang around when your boyfriend’s mood was so poor. Nolan was really a great person and you didn’t want anyone to see him as anything else. So you walked your friend to the door and wished him a good night.

As soon as the door was closed and there were no unwanted visitors Nolan spoke from his position on the couch, “You know the only reason I left the car here was because you were going to give me a ride home, I had to catch one with TK.”

You refrained from showing any signs of agitation, “Nols I’m really sorry time just got the better of me today.”

“You had time to hang out with Adam.”

This time you did put a hand to your face, “We work together not to mention we live one block apart. We weren’t really hanging out.”

“Then why was I stranded at the airport?”

“Because I messed up after I saw your text this morning I got swamped at work I just forgot to text you back.”

“So you knew I was coming home but you left me there anyway?”

“Nolan I just told you it was an accident. I didn’t mean to forget you I’m sorry.”

He looked at you as if you had just insulted him, “Im going to shower.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose—” the shutting of the bathroom door cut off your defense.

You huffed, you knew he was hurt and of course you understood why. There was really only one thing to do and that was to give him space. You watched some TV for about ten minutes but you found it hard to concentrate, you hated when Nolan was mad at you. So you decided to take a shot in the dark.

Quietly you disrobed on your way to the bathroom easing your way behind the door that was miraculously unlocked. You slipped in behind him, threading your arms around him so that your hands rested on his shoulders. Gently you placed a kiss on his shoulder blade.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled against his skin, “No excuses.”

Everything was so still except the water. You were so sure he was going to reject you but he surprised you, he took a hand of yours and squeezed it.

“I know.”

You knew he forgave you but you were kind of curious, “Were you jealous of Adam?”

“Should I be?”

You shook your head, “No you just seemed extra grumpy.”

“I had to ride home with TK anyone would be annoyed after traveling so long and then having to listen to him talk.”

You chuckled, “TK is your best friend yet you treat him like a bad crush.”

Nolan scoffed at you, “All he does is talk.”

“He’s a nice guy.”

“Then date him instead.”

You couldn’t help but let out a monstrous laugh, “Pat seriously, I love you stop trying to give me away.”

He shrugged his shoulders reaching for his soap shortly after, you knew Nolan always had an issue expressing his emotions and often it left him feeling unsure about himself. You were fine with the way he was, you gave enough affection for the two of you.

“I was jealous…”

He mumbled so quietly in his baritone you could barely hear him but you didn’t dare ask him to repeat himself.

You hugged him tight around his middle, “I love you Nols, no one else there’s no need to worry.”

He nodded his head for you and you knew that’s all that was going to be said on the matter. You placed on last kiss on his shoulder before you tapped it. “I’m starting to prune I’m out.”

“Babe...” Nolan grabbed your hand gently, “Love you.”

Your heart swelled as you leaned on your toes to place a kiss on his lips, “Love you too.”

[zilabee]

Alf Bicknell, Beatles Chauffeur (and friend), 1964 to 1966:

“It's weird to explain. Even after I left them in 1966 and went back to working with captains of industry and on a cruise, I could never get those songs - all their tracks - out of my system. They'd become a part of me. To be there was the job of a lifetime.”

“It was exhausting. I remember waking some mornings and being filled with trepidation. Filled with the feeling that I couldn't do it, that I couldn't go on at this pace.”

“I ended up with George and this guy, who turned out to be an Italian prince. He offered to show us around Rome. So, together with this prince, his beautiful girlfriend, and George, I had one of the most wonderful of my times with the Beatles. He took us at dawn on this whirlwind tour of Rome. We ended up on some of the Seven Hills of Rome. We were in St Peters Square and all these wonderful places I'd only seen on picture postcards.”

All four had been fond of doodling in an effort to while away the boredom of touring. On this leg of the tour [in Japan] Alf noticed the sketches began to take on a darker tone. Perhaps a legacy of the touring treadmill, although the Beatles discovery of hallucinogenic substances may have coloured their doodles.

“I'm often asked what my favourite tracks are. I don't really know. I guess the two which I think are most poignant are Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever. They make me really sad - I don't know why.”

After the Beatles visit with Elvis, he sent his own roadies round in a giant Cadillac limousine to take the Beatles' road crew out on the town:

“We were wined and dined and went round all these wonderful Hollywood clubs. One place was closing for the night but Elvis's people Sonny and Marty had them open up just for us. Vintage champagne and platters of delicious food duly arrived. Then the singer who had been performing that night came back on and did another set, singing just for the likes of yours truly. I've always thought what a wonderful gesture of Elvis to have remembered us, the humble roadies, this way.”

Re the airport in the Philippines:

“George Martin, in particular, has been documented as saying 'Stupidly Alf Bicknell raised his fists.' I always thought that was pretty rich coming from a guy hundreds of miles away, safely tucked away in a recording studio. Whereas here I was, surrounded by this baying mob, desperate to tear the Beatles to pieces. It was my job to protect them. And it was obvious that reasoned arguing wasn't the answer. You don't stand there and wait till one of the band is hit. It was a case of 'it's the first blow that counts'. ”

Alf decided to leave in 1966, at Candlestick Park when they announced they wouldn't be touring any more. He doesn't go into a lot of detail about why, he just says:

“It had been two years. A magical time, with me privy to one of the most exciting times in the last century. I'd been privileged to be along for the ride. But like the band, the repetition had sort of got to me.”

Ticket to Ride, by Alasdair Ferguson and Alf Bicknell

I'm going to stop now before I type out the entire book. But there are other nice bits in it still. At one point or another he drove each of them back to Liverpool and stayed with their families. He really likes Jim McCartney: "There was a great spiritual feeling about him." He seems to genuinely like everyone. There's a bit where he drives George and Pattie to the airport after their wedding, speeding to escape the press, but when he gets pulled over the officer just pretends to give him a ticket and then holds up the reporters for him. There are the standard bits where John is a bit of a dick, and other bits where he's soft and kind. There's a bit where Alf goes to a bullfight with Brian because no one else will. A bit where he talks about Paul putting on a terrible disguise and going out to look for grandfather clocks, and everyone in the shops pretending not to know who he is. There's a bit where he runs into George in the mid-seventies and they have a hug on the pavement.

(If you're wondering why the Beatles' chauffeur called his book Ticket To Ride, yes, I was also wondering. But he does have another book called 'Baby You Can Drive My Car', so that is why. From what I can work out it's a better version of this one - because honestly outside the quotes from Alf, which I'm assuming are true, this book is badly written to the extreme. It kind of tries to dramatise everything, like 'he sighed dramatically' etc, and is full of small careless mistakes like using passed where they mean past, not once but twice. Unfortunately the other book costs a little fortune, so this one is good enough for now.)

[stewyonmolly]

i do i want to hear about your girls just in general they sound very interesting please tell us stuff random ask question : what would each of the girls’ favorite song be and why

(sorry if this wasn’t an invitation for asks, disregard this if so and have a great day !!)

this was 100% an invitation!!!

OKAY so to set the scene. imagine 22-23 yr olds who create midwest emo music & are gay.

narrator is safiya, she plays bass and is hot. sullen but raging, light-humored but heavy-hearted. she uses a second-hand bass. she is always reciting memories. she lives so deeply in the past that the present is leaving her behind. she has an enormous, paralyzing fear of death (my special gift to her. from me). her favorite song is probably daughter by loudon wainwright iii but she would never admit it. she probably says it’s ask the angels patti smith or lou reed ride into the sun

love interest is miki, she’s an amnesiac who has to get to paris, ohio; the band’s last stop on their tour is helltown, ohio so they (not without an argument, but out of girl-goodness and peace & love) decide they can bring her home. she intermittently factory-resets essentially & the girls don’t know this yet but she’s a ghost BOO. she is a ghost bc the overarching themes of the story relate to grief & music & the main question WHEN WE GO, WHAT DO WE LEAVE BEHIND? miki’s favorite song is stay by pink floyd

the other girls are eleanore (lead vocals & guitar) who is very into like crystals and thinks she is psychic (she is psychic). she is my sweetheart, she has never been in love and never will be but she loves the world so deeply and believes in magic so much that she has never once thought she’s missing out… has fuckugly fashion sense. favorite song is applejack dolly parton and ALWAYS plays it when she has aux bc she is not in the business of denying herself pleasure.

suzie (backup vocals and rhythm guitar) who is blonde and vapes a lot. tries to be sooo go-with-the-flow; it’s an excellent act on her part. she makes all the band posters and is a fantastic & utterly erratic artist; her guitar is covered in stickers she made. she acts like she is only in the band to get head bc she has permanence issues & is secretly made of fear (favorite song is james dean you let us down by dazey and the scouts but HER song is bobby jean by bruce) but

JODIE (drummer) is madly in love with her. they fall together eventually but it’s a slow process of developing trust etc… jodie is so cool and has a secret twilight obsession #twihard and loves to knit. her older sister is her best friend and she always wants to be safe more than anything, but has this constant taunting instinct to do something great, something no one has done before… it’s what attracted her to joining safiya’s band in the first place. favorite song is puetro rican jukebox by panther but she was named after the saves the day song jodie

marjorie is safiya’s lifelong best friend & the band’s manager/roadie. they have sort of a kenstewy from succession thing going but they’re not In love in the end, they just love each other … will do anything for each other. marjorie is constantly plagued by headaches and shit bc her hrt gives her migraines & it’s characteristic it’s just classic that the terrible dependence she has on everything that makes her herself hurts her too—namely safiya, who also gives her headaches :) everyone so easily assumes she is safiya’s keeper (as marjorie is very type-A and safiya is like a wild cat) but marjorie needs safiya so badly in return it’s actually embarrassing for them. marj’s favorite song is i’m not made of iron by chrissy zebby tembo

[idasessions]

About Charlotte Martin, yeah she is one of my favourite rockstar wives. But I notice that she is the most private one out of all of them, and she’s less known compared to the other girlfriends. I wish there was more information about her. I heard from Eric Clapton that she was one of his most important relationships. I heard that when she hooked up with George Harrison, he did it because Eric was having feelings for Pattie. And about her and Jimmy I know they met in 1970, but I also heard that they met a few times before then. Because Richard cole had talked about meeting her in the 60s. And since she was with Clapton during then, Jimmy probably met her a few times. I could be wrong about all this information about her, but I hope we get more pictures of her and new information about her in the future.

I think the vindictiveness in the George/Charlotte hook-up was from Charlotte and George was mostly being a ho, tbh, lol. Richard Cole was already a regular roadie in the London music scene before Jimmy and Peter Grant hired him as LZ's tour manager. One of the first groups he worked for was the Who in 1965, so I don't think Cole meeting Charlotte in the late '60s necessarily means Jimmy also met her then, since Cole was already familiar with a lot of famous faces.

[ifuckinglovestvincent]

St Vincent: “Pour a Drink, Smoke a Joint... That’s the Vibe”

Ding dong! Daddy's Home

By Johnny Davis

19/03/2021

Annie Clark, known professionally as St Vincent, picked up a guitar aged 12 after being inspired by Jimi Hendrix. During her teens she worked as a roadie and later tour manager for her aunt and uncle, the jazz duo Tuck & Patti. Originally from Oklahoma, she moved to Dallas, Texas when she was seven and later attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts for three years, before dropping out.

Clark worked as a touring musician with the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens, before releasing Marry Me, her first album as St Vincent, in 2007. By her fifth album, 2017’s Masseduction, she had become one of the most celebrated artists in music, the first solo female artist to win a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album in 20 years.

She became unlikely Daily Mail-fodder around the same time, thanks to an 18-month relationship with Cara Delevingne, and later Kristen Stewart. Her ever-changing music, dressing up-box image and head-spinning well of ideas have seen her compared to David Bowie, Kate Bush and Prince. To complete the notion of her being the "artist's artist", in 2012 she collaborated with David Byrne on the album Love This Giant.

Indeed, she is surely one of few performers today who could stand in for Kurt Cobain with what’s-left-of-Nirvana, performing “Lithium” at their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, as well as cover “Controversy” at a Prince tribute concert in 2020, with such guitar-playing fireworks its author would surely have approved.

Following the glam-influenced pop of Masseduction, St Vincent has performed another stylistic handbrake turn. Complete with a new image – part-Warhol Superstar, part-Cassavetes heroine – she has mined the textures of the music she loved most as a kid: the virtuoso rock of Steely Dan, the clipped funk of Stevie Wonder and blue-eyed soul of mid-Seventies' David Bowie, on her upcoming album, Daddy’s Home.

The title refers to Clark's own father, locked up in Texas for 12 years in 2010, for money laundering in a stock manipulation scheme, one in which he and his co-conspirators cheated 17,000 investors out of £35m. It is also, in typical Clark style, a bit of saucy slang.

Back on the promotional trail, Clark Zoomed in from Los Angeles one morning recently – fully caffeinated and raring to go. “My vices?” she pondered. “Too much coffee, man…”

What question are you already bored of being asked?

There’s not one that’s popping out. There’s no question where I’m like “Oh God, if I ever hear that again, I’ll jump off a building.” I’m chill.

I mention it because prior to releasing your last record you put out a pre-recorded “press conference”, seemingly to pre-empt every inane question the media would throw at you.

It’s so funny. It didn’t really occur like that. Originally that was supposed to be a legit green screen conference. Like, “I’ll just answer these questions ‘cos when they need to have me on ‘The Morning Show’ in Belarus they can have this and put their own graphics behind it”. But then when my friend Carrie Brownstein [collaborator and Sleater-Kinney vocalist-guitarist] and I started writing it and it became very snarky. For some reason it didn’t occur to me that “Oh, that might be off-putting or intimidating to journalists” I just thought "This is silly”. So anyway… I understand.

We're curious about your dad and the American legal system.

I have had a lot of questions about that. For some reason it didn’t occur to me how much I would be answering questions about… my hilarious father!

How do you view his time in prison?

Just that life is long and people are complicated. And that, luckily, there’s a chance for redemption or reconciliation, even after a really crazy traumatic time. And also anybody that has any experience with the American justice system will know this... nobody comes out unscathed.

You recently presented an online MasterClass: "St. Vincent Teaches Creativity & Songwriting". One of the takeaways: “All you need are ears and ideas, and you can make anything happen”. Who’s had the best ideas in music?

Well, you’ve got to give credit to people who were genuinely creating a new style – like if you think of Charlie Parker, arguably he created a new style. This hard bop that was just absolutely impossible to play. It was, like, “Check me out – try to copy me!” So, that’s interesting. I think Brian Eno, for sure, has some great ideas about music – and obviously has made some of the best music. Joni Mitchell – completely singular. I mean: think about that. There are some people who are actually inimitable – like, you couldn’t possibly even try to imitate them.

It’s a brave soul who covers a Joni Mitchell song. Although, apologies if you actually have.

No, I have not. And there’s a reason why not. Come on – Bowie. Bowie never repeated himself. David Byrne also didn’t repeat himself. He took all of his influences of classic songs and the disco that was happening at the time, and the potpourri of downtown New York music from the mid- to late Seventies… and synthesised it into this completely new, other thing. I mean, that’s impressive. Those are the ones we remember.

How hard is it not to repeat yourself?

It’s whether people have the Narcissus thing or not. Like, it’s always got to be a balance where you’re, like, “Well, I need to believe in myself to make something and be liberated. But I can’t look at that pond of my previous work and go ‘Oh you! You’re gorgeous!’” So I don’t go back and listen to things I’ve done. I finished Daddy’s Home in the fall and it was, like, “This is done” and it felt great. I loved the record and it was so fun to make. But what I did immediately afterwards was to write something completely different. But then I don’t know, ‘cos there are people who do the thing that they do just great. And you just want to hear more songs, in the style of the thing that they do great.

Right. No one wants an experimental Ramones album.

Exactly. Or, like, or a Tom Petty record. I don’t want a tone poem from Tom Petty! I want a perfectly constructed, perfectly written completely singalongable three-chord song.

The new album has a very “live” Seventies feel. I’d read that some of the tracks are first takes. Can that be right? It all sounds very complicated.

That’s not right. I should say [rock voice] "Yeah, that’s right, we just jammed…" But, you know, I’ll be honest. There are some vocal takes in there that are first takes. But it really is just the sound of people playing. We get good drum takes. And good bass takes. And I play a bunch of guitar and sitar-guitar. And it’s the sound of a moment in time, certainly. And way more about looseness and groove and feel and vibe than anything else [I’ve done before].

Amazing live albums, virtuoso playing, jamming – those were staples of Seventies music. Have we lost some of that?

I mean, I can wax poetic on that idea for a minute. In the Seventies you had this tremendous sophistication in popular music. Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan and funk and soul and jazz and rock…. and all of the things rolled into one. That was tremendously sophisticated. It just was. There was harmony, there were chord progressions.

What else from that decade appealed to you for Daddy’s Home?

It reminds me of where we are now, I think. So, 1971-1976 in downtown New York, you’ve got the Summer of Love thing and flower children and all the hippy stuff and it’s, like, “Oh yeah, that didn’t work out that well. We’re still in Vietnam. There’s a crazy economic crisis, all kinds of social unrest”. People stood in the proverbial burned-out building. And it reminds me a lot of where we are today, in terms of social unrest, economic uncertainty. A groundswell wanting change... but where that’s headed is yet to be seen. We haven’t fully figured that out. We’re all picking up pieces of the rubble and going “Okay, what do we do with this one? Where do we go with that one?” Being a student of history, that was one of the reasons why I was drawn to that period in history.

Also: that’s the music I’ve listened to more than anything in my entire life. I mean, I was probably the youngest Steely Dan fan. It didn’t make me that popular at sleepovers. People were, like, “I want to listen to C+C Music Factory” and I was, like, “Yeah, but have you heard this solo on [Steely Dan’s] ‘Kid Charlemagne’”? That music is so in me. It’s so in my ears and I feel like I never really went there [making music before]. And I didn’t want to be a tourist about it. It’s just that particular style had a whole lot to teach me. So I wanted to just dig in and find out. Just play with it.

Is there a style of music you don’t like?

That I don’t like?

You're a jazz fan...

I love jazz. Are you kidding me? I was that annoying 14-year-old who was, like, “Yeah, but have you listened to Oliver Nelson’s The Blues and the Abstract Truth?”

I love jazz. Are you kidding me? I was that annoying 14-year-old who was, like, “Yeah, but have you listened to Oliver Nelson’s The Blues and the Abstract Truth?”

That does sound quite precocious for a 14-year-old.

It’s annoying. Just insufferable. [Thinking aloud] What music don’t I like….? Here’s what can happen. And I feel like it’s similar to when an actor has some lines in a script and they’re not very good – not very well-written – so they overcompensate by making it very dramatic and really overplaying it. I would say that is a style of music that I don’t really like. Where somebody has to really oversell it and it all feels… athletic. Instead of musical or touching.

Did you put your lockdown time to constructive use?

If you need any mediocre home renovations done, I’m your girl. It was fun. I did – let’s see now – plumbing, electrical, painting. Luckily there’s YouTube, so you can more or less figure it all out. I did a lot of that stuff and I have to say it was such a nice contrast to working on music all day. Because when you’re working on music you have to create the construct of everything. You’re, like, “I need to make this song. But what is this song?” Everything is this kind of elusive castle in the sky thing. But then, if you go and sand a deck, you’ve done something. It feels really good. And it’s not, like, “What is a deck? And who am I?” You’re just, like, “This is a task and I get to do it and I can see how the mechanism works I understand it it’s not esoteric – it’s simply mechanical". I can do something mechanical. I loved it.

Which bit of DIY are you most pleased with?

Painting the kitchen cabinets. That’s a real job. We’re talking sanding. We’re talking taking things off hinges. We’re talking multiple coats. The whole lacquer-y thing at the end. That. I’m, like, “That looks pretty pro”.

What colour did you go for?

Oh, you know, it’s just a sort of… teal. But classy teal.

Of course.

Yeah. The wallpapering wasn’t as successful. But, you know, that’s fine. So that was really fun. And then I also went down a history rabbit hole. I realised I had some gaps in my knowledge about the Russian Revolution and life under the Iron Curtain and the gulags and Stalin and Lenin. So, I went down that hole. And then I was like “Oh I forgot – I haven’t read any Dostoevsky”. So I have been working on his short stories – which are great. And then Solzhenitsyn I really liked – I mean liked is a strange word to use for The Gulag Archipelago. I read Cancer Ward… All of them. I recommend all of it. And then, before that, it was a big Stasi kick. I can’t remember the last time I had time to brush up on the Russian Revolution.

There’s a lyric on “The Laughing Man”, “If life’s a joke… then I’m dying laughing”. It’s also on your new merchandise. What do you think happens when we die?

Nothing.

This is it?

Yeah. I mean, I understand that it would be comforting to think otherwise. That there might be a special place. It would be nice! The thought’s never really been able to stick for me. I would say that we are made of carbon and then we get subsumed back into the Earth and then eventually we become life again – in the carbon part of our makeup.

Well, that sounds better than an endless void.

I don’t think it would be an endless void.

In what ways are you like your mum and dad?

Let’s see. Well, my mother is a precious angel who has unwavering optimism. She is incredibly intelligent and also very nonjudgmental and able and happy to explore all kinds of possibilities. Saying that, though… it’s sounding not like me at all. I’m like my father in that I think we have very similar tastes in books, films, music and a very similar sense of humour. My mother’s so kind that it’s hard for me to… Her level of kindness and decency is aspirational to me.

How famous are you, on a scale of one to 10?

God, I mean, like, “TikTok Famous” probably a one, right? I’m gonna say – I don’t know about the number system – but I’m going to say I-occasionally-get-a-free-appetiser-sent-over famous. Which is a great place to be.

What do you look for in a date?

It’s been so long since I’ve been on a date. You know, I once read something, it might have been something cheesy on a card, but [it was]: if you don’t like someone, then the way they hold their fork will bother you. But, if you like someone – or love someone – they could spill an entire plate of spaghetti on your lap and you wouldn’t mind.

You play a zillion instruments. What’s the hardest instrument to play?

Well, I can’t play horns or anything like that. The French horn is supposed to be really hard. I don’t like to blag… but I’m an incredible whistler. Like, I can whistle Bach.

Is Bach a particularly tough whistle?

I think… yeah. It’s fast. And noodly.

What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we're out of lockdown?

I’m gonna get a manicure and a pedicure and a massage. Massage from a stranger. Any stranger.

What about a night on the tiles?

I will probably attend a dinner party.

That sounds quite restrained.

It sounds hella boring. Sorry.

Clubbing?

No, I don’t really go to clubs. I think in order to go to clubs you have to be a person who likes to publicly dance. And I don’t publicly dance. I mean I would feel too shy to dance at a wedding. But for some reason I will dance on stage in front of 10,000 people.

That’s why alcohol was invented.

Exactly! But I swear I would reach the point of alcohol sickness before I would be drunk enough to dance.

The effects of drugs on creativity: discuss.

Unreliable. Really unreliable. Sometimes after a day’s work in the studio you’re like, "I’m gonna have shot of tequila and then sing this a few more times, and then play". It’s okay but you peak sort-of quickly. You can’t sustain the level without getting tired. And then I would say that weed just makes me paranoid and useless. Every once in a while some combo of psychedelics can get you someplace. But, for the most part, you either come back to [the work] the next day and you’re, like, “This is garbage” or you get sleepy or hungry or distracted and you’re not really doing anything. I’ve never had opiates. Or coke or whatever. So I don’t know. I can’t speak to that. But with the slightly more G-Rated [American movie classification: All Ages Permitted] thing, it doesn’t really help.

What do you have too many of in your wardrobe?

I’m not a hoarder. I tend to have one thing that I get really obsessed with and then I wear it every day. Some people, having a whole lot of things gives them a sense of safety and security. It gives me anxiety. I can’t think if there’s too much visual noise. If there was a uniform that I could wear every day I would absolutely do that. And at certain times I have.

Like Steve Jobs?

Or, oh God, what’s her name? The Theranos lady… Elizabeth Holmes!

The blood-test-scam lady?

Well, I guess it was unclear how much of it was self-delusion and how much of it was, you know, actual fraud.

Another black turtleneck fan.

And – again, this is unconfirmed – she also adopted a very low voice like this in order to be taken seriously as a CEO.

Like Margaret Thatcher.

Did she have a low voice?

She made hers “less shrill”.

Oh yes. Yes!

What movie makes you cry?

The Lives of Others

That’s a good one.

Right. I rewatched that during my Stasi kick.

I’ll be honest, your lockdown sounds even less fun than everyone else’s.

I mean… Look, I had to educate myself. I went to a music college [Berklee College of Music] where I tried to take the philosophy class and the way that they would talk about it… it was taught by this professor who was from one of the neighbouring colleges in Boston. And it was very clear that he really disliked having to talk Kierkegaard to a bunch of music school kids. He was just so bummed by it. I’m trying to learn, “What’s the deal with Kant?” and he felt he had to explain everything only in musical terms [because he assumed it would be the only thing music students could relate to]. Like, “Well, you know, it’s like when Bob Marley…" I’m, like, “No, no, no! I don’t want that!” So I had to educate myself. This is where its led me.

Where should we ideally listen to Daddy’s Home?

Put it on a turntable. Pour yourself a glass of tequila or bourbon – whatever your favourite hooch is – and smoke a joint and listen to it. I think that’s the vibe.

Daddy’s Home is released on May 14

[earthfire-75]

Chapter Two, Part Two: That’s the Way (Sleepwalking)

“What did he-“

“Can’t you see that I’m not in the mood right now?!” I snapped. “He acted like a prick! What more do you need me to say?!”

She said nothing, Rogina decided to stand up and leave. This anger that I was feeling wasn’t just towards Cole, but to myself as well. Even if he kept his big mouth shut, seeing Robert’s face before he walked out onstage made me feel guilty. This ire that I had towards myself for potentially hurting him, especially after receiving a kiss from Rogina. My frustration was geared towards her as well for making me feel the way that I did. I guzzled down the remainder of my drink and headed back to the sideline. I kept my mind on my work as I took care of handling the instruments. Everyone did their part in making the rest of the show an explosive one. The lights went dim as Alice Cooper and The Who joined Led Zeppelin to take a bow. The crowd went wild as the sea waved their lighters. The first night was officially over the moment they returned backstage.

Congratulations were in order as they all talked amongst themselves about a fantastic first show. However the exhaustion had settled in and so it was time for them to return to the bus. The road crew got to work as the musicians were escorted out by security. I looked over to the two golden hair singers, but their backs were turned as they followed their bodyguards. I wanted to say something, yet my feet walked in the opposite direction. As I took to the stage, I saw the throngs of fans dissipate through the stadium doors,meanwhile there were others that attempted to make their way backstage. The first item that I grabbed was a tambourine, Robert’s tambourine. I held it for a moment, rubbing the stretched out skin of the percussion instrument. I quickly placed it into its container and went about the business of packing up.

With the equipment packed up and put into their proper places on the tour buses, the road crew were taken to the hotel where we would be staying. Between the bands and the roadies, the entire top floor was full. Each member of the bands got their own rooms along with G and Cole. The roadies, however, got stuck sharing rooms. At least we didn’t all have to cram ourselves into one room. A few of the roadies that didn’t seem to have any issues with me offered to let me stay with them as we ordered a late dinner and even offered me the bed. I insisted on taking the couch instead, since I didn’t pay for the room.

As we waited for the food to arrive a couple of roll-away beds were brought up and made for a few of the guys as well as an extra set of bedsheets for me. The food arrived shortly after and we ate and talked about the job. We ate as we watched a bit of TV, fighting over what show to watch like little kids and it did help to lift my mood. As we got ready for bed, I noticed a connecting door to the next room over. I shrugged to myself, figuring it probably led to Cole’s room so he could wake us in the morning a bit easier. My mind was racing as I arranged the bed sheets. Seems like so much had occurred in such a short amount of time. I was tired and ready to allow sleep to hold me in its welcoming arms. Yet I couldn’t help but wonder what would be in store for tomorrow.

I was suddenly awakened by the sound of the door being opened up and I could see Robert’s figure quietly stepping in. I turned to my side and pretended to be asleep as his feet shuffled across the carpet. I could hear him quietly grunting as he shifted onto his knees, I kept perfectly still as I steadied my breathing.

“Anjelika...” he whispered. “Anjelika, are you awake?”

Even as he spoke in such a soft tone, there was a feeling of anguish in his voice, “Anjelika, I… I um… I heard about what happened with Cole. I’m so sorry, I don’t know what that man’s problem is.”

Silence from my end, a part of me wanted to turn around and tell him to go back to his room, but I continued to listen.

“Just so you know, I think you did a great job on your first day… we all think that. Rogina feels the same way.” He sniffled, “She um… seems to think highly of you… and so do I. Well, I’ll let you rest darlin’. See you in the morning.”

Robert stood up and made his way back to his room, I heard another sniffle from him again, and then a heavy sigh before the connected door was gently shut. The guilt was flooding in the pit of my stomach as I grasped onto the pillow. I shut my eyes and tried my best to fall back asleep, yet I heard something coming from the other side of the door. Robert’s breath had become shaken as a faint and muffled sob could be heard. I wanted to reach out so that I could knock on the door and hold him, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it; even as the voice in my head ordering me to do so. The guilt was spreading throughout my body as a lump formed in my throat. I buried my face into the pillow and let out a quiet cry into the fabric. Aside from the guilt, I wish that I wasn’t feeling the other emotion that was there.

…”You will hold the fate of three hearts in your hands”…

I woke up with a start, the woman’s voice and words haunting me in my sleep. Looking over at the clock and seeing it was five in the morning, I decided not to bother going back to sleep, but instead gathered my things and headed to the bathroom for a hot shower and change of clothes. I then headed downstairs, hoping that the continental breakfast would be ready. Thankfully,it was and I got myself something to eat and a large coffee. I would need the extra caffeine today due to the lack of sleep last night.

As I sat down and began to eat the breakfast sandwich I made from the English muffin, sausage patty and cheese, Jimmy sat down across from me. “I’d like to apologize for Cole’s behavior yesterday.”

I set down my food and looked at him. “It seems everyone is apologizing for Cole’s behavior, except for Cole. But why do I get the feeling that’s not what you really want to talk to me about?”

“Straight to the point. Very well. I think there are things you aren’t telling us. I don’t mean little white lies or normal things people simply don’t think to mention. You aren’t from here, are you? I mean, from this point in time.”

I blew out a long breath, rubbing my hands down my face. “I’m gonna need something stronger than coffee for this conversation.” I muttered, taking a drink of said coffee. “You’re right, there are things I’m not telling you. Perhaps the time has come far sooner than Bonzo and I thought, but I’m not going to go into it here when other people could come in at any point and overhear.”

“Right.” Jimmy unfolded himself from his chair and grabbed himself some coffee and a sweet roll. “We can take this conversation up to my room.”

I shook my head but picked up my plate and coffee, following him back upstairs and to his room. Inside, we sat on the couch, one at each end and set our food down on the coffee table. Jimmy poured a shot of Jack into each of our coffee’s with a little knowing smile and handed me a stirrer. I took it and mixed the Jack into my coffee before taking a sip. “For all the good it will do.”

“What does that mean?” He asked.

“I’ll get to that eventually. One thing at a time, no pun intended.” Jimmy huffed out a laugh and I continued. “You were right that I’m not from this point in time, but it’s far more complicated than that. Are you familiar with the Multiverse Theory?”

“The theory that multiple, if not infinite, words exist next to each other?” Jimmy asked excitedly. “I might have heard of it…”

“Right,” I laughed.”Well, it isn’t just a theory in reality. Very few people know that, Hell, I didn’t until a few years ago. Something happened to me that I can’t explain because I still don’t understand it. But once in a while I find myself in situations like this, in a different universe. But being thrown into the past as well, is a new one.”

“I see. And this isn’t something you can control, I take it?”

No, it isn’t or I would have gone back to my own universe a long time ago and stayed there. I keep…never mind, that part isn’t important. I’m just trying to survive here until I jump again, for lack of a better term.”

“I’m sorry, Anjelika. I-“

“I’m not quite done, Mr. Page. There’s one more thing you should know. I’m like Bonzo.”

“Like Bonzo?”

“Yes. I’m a Nightbane.”

Jimmy’s eyes went wide, a combination of fear and fascination behind them. “Do…do you look like him too? In your other form, I mean.”

“I haven’t seen his Morphus, but it’s unlikely we’re even similar. Every Nightbane’s form is different. Did he not explain any of this to you?”

“Somewhat I guess. I suppose I just wanted it confirmed by another. Bonzo is the only one that we’ve ever seen or heard of. His…what did you call it? Morphus form? It looks like a demonic bear with a stigmata, I think he called it, razor sharp bits of glass sticking up out of his spine.” Jimmy was staring into his cup as he spoke, a shiver running down his spine before he took a large drink. “I called it fascinating at the time, and while true, it was also terrifying.”

“It’s been said that our Morphus forms are something we dream or how we see ourselves in a dream state. It’s why it’s called Morphus. On the flip side of that, our human forms are referred to as facades. A fake, if pleasant, cover to hide the monster underneath. My own Morphus is rare as it isn’t obviously monstrous, but I have a stigmata of my own. There’s an open wound over my heart that constantly bleeds.”

The last part seems to bring Jimmy back from his thoughts. But there was a loud knock at the door before he could respond. Peter’s voice booming through the door; it was time to start getting ready to leave. I swore under my breath and grabbed my food and coffee. Jimmy opened the door for me so I could get to the room I stayed in and get my things while I finished my breakfast. After scarfing down my food and grabbing my belongings, Jimmy and I hurried to the elevator. However a voice from the hall asked us to hold it. I placed my hand out and whose face should happen to be there but Rogina’s. She momentarily took a step back to take a quick breath before entering, her eyes looking away from mine when she mumbled a thank you. She stood on the opposite side with a bag clutched tightly in her hand. Seems like the weight of the elevator felt heavier as it went down.

Jimmy broke the silence, “Morning Rog.”

“Morning Jimmy.”

“Did you have a good rest, love?”

She shrugged, “Yeah, more or less… What about you?”

“I slept alright,” he answered.

Things became quiet once more, perhaps we were just a little tired. Rogina quietly sighed and kept her eyes on the metallic doors before her. The final ding indicated that we had arrived at the lobby floor, Rogina placed her hand on the door and allowed for Jimmy and myself to walk out. A part of me wanted to pull her aside and apologize to her. To let her know that what I had said last night was stupid and that I should have never acted that way. Yet we continued to walk towards the large group of musicians and crew members. Robert was all smiles as he was engaging in conversation with Cooper, Moon, and Townshend.

“Well someone is certainly in a merrier mood today,” Jimmy noted.

Robert replied, “How could I not be? After all, everything seems to be going so well in the tour so far-”

Pete interjected, “Careful there Robert, you don’t want to jinx this. The first leg hasn’t even finished.”

Moon rolled his eyes, “Always expectin’ the worst aren’t you, Pete? Come on, ‘ave a little fun! Loosen up will ya?”

“Keith if you couldn’t already tell, this is a very big tour for all three of us” the lanky guitarist noted matter of factly. “Besides, anything could go wrong and it will.”

Alice took a sip of his coffee and responded, “Well budget wise, you should probably stop wrecking your guitars. Those things aren’t exactly cheap.”

“It’s part of rock and roll. It’s about making a statement! You out of anyone here should know that, what with your cryptic makeup!” Pete shouted.

Rogina placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder, “Pete, it’s too early right now for you to get on your soapbox.”

Robert chuckled, “Yeah, you should probably save it for tonight’s show anyway, Big Bird.”

All eyes were on Robert as Moon broke out in laughter. Next thing he knew, Rogina had the singer in a headlock, giving him a good noogie on the top of his golden curls. The men further encouraged her, Keith exclaiming to give him a purple nurple.

Rogina smirked, “No one insults Pete, except me and Keith. Got that golden boy?”

“Suffocate him!” Keith yelled.

Robert tried to pry himself free, “How are you this strong?”

“Well unlike you, my exercise involves more than just fucking groupies,” she happily explained.

Keith bent his knees as he looked at him, “You should consider this an honour. Loads of fans would love to be in your place.”

Pete raised a brow as he crouched down to Keith, “Course when you did it, you lost a tooth. Made you look like a proper vagabond, it did.”

Rogina finally released him when she saw Peter coming over. She moved him away as she tugged out the wrinkles in her shirt, giving the mountain of a man a sweet grin and acting as if nothing happened. Peter grunted as he rolled his eyes. Seeing that unfold brought a smile to my face. There they were, not just musicians, a group of friends enjoying each other’s company. Finding ways of making each other laugh, even at another person’s expense. They looked ridiculous and their little scene did cause a fair amount of the guests and staff to notice,as if Keith’s vocals weren’t already amplifying the situation.

Robert fixed up his locks and gave her a little smirk, “I will say this much, I do love the feeling of you forgoing a bra.”

Nothing was said, all that we heard was Rogina cracking her knuckles with a harsh smile across her lips. Robert’s face went pale as his lopsided smirk tightened up and he backed away slowly. Alice stood between them and told them to break it off, reminding them that it was time to kiss and make up. And just in time too now that Peter announced that it was time to get on the bus. Robert stood behind his manager like a frightened child, Rogina stuck her tongue out as she walked past him.

As I was about to board the roadie bus, Jimmy called me over, inviting me to ride on their bus. I wasn’t sure that was a good idea, but he convinced me. “I spoke with Bonzo a bit, he thinks it’s time to tell the band and G.”

I sighed but nodded. “I want to tell Rogina too. I owe her an apology anyway.”

“Alright, I’ll go get her.”

I swallowed my nervousness and climbed up onto the bus and immediately came face to face with Bonzo, who gave me a comforting hug before taking my bag and setting it with the others. I took a seat on an empty couch and waited for Jimmy to come back with Rogina. In the meantime, another roadie sat down next to me and introduced himself.

“Hi, I’m Magnet. Well, that’s what everybody calls me anyway. We met yesterday, but I didn’t think I introduced myself. You’re Anjelika, right?”

“Yes. I remember you, you offered me to stay in the room with you and a few of the others.”

“Yeah, that was me. A pleasure to meet you, Anjelika. And, I’m sure you’ve heard it enough times already, but I still want to say I’m sorry about Cole. He’s always been a bit of a dick.”

“Yeah, well hopefully he’s learned his lesson.”

Magnet laughed. “At least where you’re concerned, I think he might’ve.”

Jimmy came back then, Rogina right behind him and the bus door closing right behind them as it started to slowly move forward. Rogina kept her eyes on mine as she came over to sit on the other side of me. I took her hand in mine and slowly turned my head toward Robert, holding out my other hand to him. Hesitantly, he took it and stepped closer to me, Magnet moved so Robert could sit next to me as well.

“I need to apologize to both of you. I’m so sorry for the way I acted yesterday. I was just still so angry with Cole…and myself. I never meant to hurt either of you. I find myself caring about both of you, far more than I want to admit.”

“Anjelika…” they spoke at the same time.

“Hold off on whatever you two are going to say, because I have more to explain.” I looked over at Magnet, then Jimmy.

“It’s alright, Magnet isn’t going to say anything. This doesn’t leave this bus, no matter what happens.”

I nodded and took a deep breath before explaining everything I had told Jimmy earlier that morning before going into things I wasn’t able to then.“There are some abilities that all Nightbane have in common. Mirror Walk, the ability to go between this world and its mirror image, what we call the Night Lands. Night vision, that one’s self explanatory. We can shapeshift between our facade and Morphus at will, are stronger and tougher even in the facade, add to that faster and more agile in Morphus. Some can even fly if they have wings….like I do.”

I held up a hand as I took another breath before continuing. “We also have abilities we call talents, most of which involve the manipulation of shadows in some way or another. Though there are some that can manipulate something that has to do with their Morphus.”

The bus was quiet for a few moments when I finished. Seven pairs of eyes looked at one another, unsure of what to say next. Grant looked towards Jonesy, the bassist appeared pale. I wondered if he looked as scared as he did when Bonzo told them about himself as well. The drummer reached out and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder, giving him a gentle rub. Silently reassuring him that everything would be alright. Jimmy sighed as he looked at the remainder of the group. Robert opened his mouth to say something, but there was nothing. Magnet stared wide eyed and shocked.

Rogina seemed frightened and a little tense, like she was ready to run out of this bus and return to her bandmates. I reached out to take her and Robert’s hands again. Robert gazed at me, and then slowly interlaced his fingers with mine. Rogina stood up and backed away. Her body was still and her face petrified, like she had just come face to face with a most horrific creature.

I felt my heart start to ache, “Rogina…”

Rogina gulped, she was like a frightened animal placed into a corner with no hope of escape. I stood up and she walked back even further, slowly shaking her head.

Robert placed a hand on my shoulder, “Anjelika, please sit.”

I just walked a little more towards her, “Please Rogina, you need to understand-”

“Get away from me. Stay back!” She screamed.

I could feel a lump forming in my throat as my eyes began to fill with tears, “Please don’t be afraid of me. I won’t hurt you. I’ve never hurt anyone!”

Robert interjected, holding my shoulders, “Rogina, everything is alright. Nothing’s going to happen. Come back.”

Rogina’s breathing had become shaken, “No! How do I know that you’re not one of them?! You?! All of you?!”

Magnet stood up, “Rogina come on, you’re overreacting. I mean Bonzo is one too.”

“What?!” Rogina screamed.

Bonzo shook his head, “Well that was certainly a great thing to spill. And at a time like thi-”

“Shut up!” Rogina shouted. She looked around frantically for the nearest exit, “I want out! Get me off this bus!”

Peter cleared his throat, “Rogina, here why don’t we have a little chat?” He placed his hands up, “And don’t worry, I’m not a Nightbane.”

Rogina shook her head, but Peter gently insisted. As terrifying as that man can be when having to deal with people that can be difficult, there was a side to Grant that made him more approachable. Like a father figure that wanted nothing more than to keep his family safe from harm’s way. He was a man with a strong voice, yet he could show kindness when the situation called for it.

Rogina still looked as if she wanted to run, but eventually nodded, following Peter toward the back of the bus and into a different room. I stood there watching until they disappeared from view, then slowly made my way back to Robert. I buried my face in his chest and started to cry, unable to hold them back anymore. The singer wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his lap, kissing my forehead softly and whispered reassurances.

Almost an hour later, Peter came back out, but there was no sign of Rogina and I buried my face back into Robert’s chest. Peter rubbed my back comfortingly as he walked past to sit down. “It’ll be ok, I think. She’s just asking for time to process.”

The rest of the ride is nearly silent, the only sounds besides the engine was Robert comforting me and Bonzo keeping John Paul calm. A few hours later, we stopped to refuel and get lunch. Everyone slowly got off the bus except for Robert and myself. When Rogina came from the back room, she stopped and looked at me, opening her mouth to say something, but closed it again and left. I stared at the door where she left before finally looking away, my eyes downcast, not even looking at Robert.

Slowly, we get up too. As much as I was not feeling hungry at that moment, I needed to eat something. I went inside with the singer and found a table away from the others and ordered a soup and half sandwich with tea for lunch. Robert sat next to me with his slightly bigger lunch, trying to radiate as much comfort and calm as he could. There was nothing that I could say to him, Rogina, or to anybody really. A part of me wished that the floor below me would open up so that I could slip into a hole and stay there. Why did I ever have to end up here? In this timeline specifically? And why must I find myself showing feelings? Knowing very well that sooner or later, probably when I least expect it, that my time here will end abruptly. I’ll find myself alone again, like always.

“Anj,” Robert whispered, holding my hand. “Darlin’ I know that you’ve had a hard couple of days, but please eat something.” He placed a hand around my shoulder and held me close to his side, “You know, when Bonzo told me about being a Nightbane… I couldn’t talk to him for three days. I just didn’t know what to say to the man.”

I kept my eyes on my food, sighing deeply.

“I don’t know what it’s like to be what you are, but I know this… I care about the ones around me, Nightbanes and humans. Just know that I care about you. And Rogina, well like G said, this will take a bit of time for her to process.”

I looked at him and nodded, but I still felt upset, as selfish as that sounded in my head. Reluctantly, I grabbed onto my sandwich and took a bite. Robert sighed quietly with relief when he saw me eat, at least I would have something in my stomach for the time being. After another bite, I excused myself and headed over to the bathroom to collect myself. I didn’t want to cry in front of anyone, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it right now. I looked at my reflection and tried to steady my breathing, hoping that I wouldn’t come out looking like such a mess. Still he was right, mortal beings have a tough time accepting something that strays from what they consider to be normal. With creatures that can shapeshift, well that’s a different story entirely. I couldn’t help but wonder what Robert must have felt when he had first learned that his oldest friend was not quite what he seemed to be. I wonder how Bonzo reacted after telling everyone in the band what he was. Did he feel lonely? Upset? Regretful?

All mopiness aside, I had to return back to the table. To my surprise, I saw Rogina sitting across from Robert as I slightly opened the bathroom door. I stayed in for a few minutes, watching her lips move as he leaned in to listen to her speak. She still appeared afraid and a bit angry at him, even though her voice sounded calm. All I could see from Robert was him either shaking or nodding his head as she continued. Rogina’s eyes then caught sight of me as I stepped out, she slowly stood up and headed back to the table with the remainder of the group. When I took my place again, I continued with finishing the remainder of my meal. I wanted to ask Robert what they were talking about, yet I couldn’t bring myself to ask. Robert looked up at me, seeing the questions behind my eyes I won’t voice. “She’s still upset, but not just at you. She’s upset with us too, the band, I mean. And Keith, apparently. I didn’t know it, but Bonzo told Keith too, about a year ago and he’s kept it a secret as well.” He took a drink of his lemonade before continuing. “She still cares about you, though. She didn’t exactly say it, but I can tell.”

We finished our lunch and I picked up some saltwater taffy. When Robert insisted on paying this time, I didn’t argue. I felt too drained to even try and I think he knew it. We went back to the bus to wait for everyone else.while we waited, the singer spoke again. “I know how this might sound, but I want you to stay in my room tonight. Just so I can keep an eye on you. After Bonzo told Jimmy and Jonesy, he didn’t want to be alone.”

Still too drained to argue, I just nodded my head. I couldn’t blame Bonzo. I didn’t want to be alone either. Curling into him, Robert pulled me into his lap and held me as I lay my head on his chest. After everyone got on the buses, we started moving again and I fell asleep on Robert’s lap.

[themattmartinfightclub]

Boyfriend’s Bestfriend

A/N: This is just straight up Nolan Fluff. It really does not get fluffier than this tbh. Also, it’s my first piece and I’m HELLA NERVOUS to be posting it but please give me all the construction criticism. I have a ton of ideas up my sleeve that I’m hoping to post as well (not all Patty based either). 

Word count: 2,089

You were just getting ready to turn the water off and get out of the shower when you heard a faint knocking at the front door. Sighing, you quickly toweled off and threw on the robe you kept on the back of the bathroom door, yet rarely used. You were pretty certain you knew exactly who was going to be standing on the other side of the threshold.  Your boyfriend, Travis, was on a roadie with his team, but you knew that Nolan, one of their star centers was at home, being deemed unfit to play this season due to a migraine condition they were trying to get under control. Taking a quick peek through the peephole, you were face to face with a black Philadelphia Flyers hoodie; the only thing visible though, was the team’s logo. A dead give away that it was in fact Nolan Patrick standing on the other side.

Swinging the door open you step aside so Nolan could come in, assuming he just wanted company for the game that was starting. 

“Hey bud, you good?”

When you opened the door you noticed Nolan was extremely pale, and looking slightly clammy, signaling he had obviously spent the day fighting yet another migraine. In response to your question, Nolan merely leaned his head against the door jam and grumbled. 

“Another migraine?”

Your question was once again answered by more grumbles before he actually spoke. 

“This thing woke me up at 4 am and I’ve been sick ever since.” 

“Alright, well, come inside. Pre-game is on in the bedroom, I just need to put on some clothes.”

“Yea, sorry about that, hun. I didn't think you would be busy this close to puck drop.” Nolan responds sheepishly.  You roll your eyes at his sudden shyness and walk toward the second bedroom which serves as your’s and TK’s closet. You knew Nolan could be shy; a guy doesn’t get the nickname “mumbles” for nothing. However, the two of you had known each other since his rookie season, spending almost as much time with him as you did your own boyfriend.  Therefore, Nolan had absolutely no reason to be acting shy just because you were in a bathrobe. When you traveled with the team, you would stay in the same hotel room as him and TK, for god's sake! However, you also knew that when Nolan’s migraines were really bad he would act like a completely different person. Gone was the sarcastic asshole who would chirp you over everything, and in his place was this shy, quite, moody boy. 

You look over your game day attire, laughing to yourself as you grab a signed, long-sleeve, Nolan Patrick shirt and a pair of leggings. The day Nolan got his first goal, you went running up to him after the game and asked him to sign your jersey. He looked at the Konecny jersey you were wearing, shook his head no, and turned on his heels back toward the locker room. A couple of minutes later he emerged with the shirt, forcing you to take off the jersey and put the shirt on before he would sign anything.

After getting dressed you head out toward the kitchen to grab a drink. “Hey Nol, have you had anything to drink today?” You call out as quietly as you can. 

“... yea… I have.” Nolan’s hesitant response makes you instantly smirk, knowing for a fact that he’s lying to you. Along with being quiet and moody when he had a migraine, he also sucked at taking care of himself. 

“Are you lying to me so I don’t make you drink anything?” 

“Ha, yea.” 

“Alright, well, I’m grabbing you a Gatorade.”

You hear Nolan sigh dramatically before responding. “Anything by yellow, please.”

“I gotchu, bud.” 

When you and TK first noticed Nolan struggling with his migraines, you made sure to do everything you could to make life easier for him, including making sure your apartment was stocked with things like Gatorade, saltines, and plenty of Excedrin Migraine meds since Nolan tended to end up in your apartment when he wasn’t feeling well anyway.  

You grab the Gatorades; one blue and one orange, some saltines, and your kindle from the coffee table and head back into the bedroom. 

When you got back to the bedroom, Nolan was already curled up, His hood was pulled down as low as it would go, and his eyes were closed. Some people might have thought it was strange how comfortable Nolan was around you. He had no problem crawling into his best friend’s bed and making himself at home. However, the two of you, and TK, were used to it. When Nolan found out he couldn’t play in the ‘19-’20 season he was crushed. When roadies began and the season was in full swing, he leaned heavily on your friendship, and since you had been with Travis since his rookie season, it always felt like your family was gone when they were traveling. 

“I brought blue and orange; pick your poison.” 

Nolan pushed his hood off and opened his eyes, giving you a teeny, tiny, smile. “Orange, if you don’t mind.” He was always overly polite when he had a migraine and this wasn’t the first time he showed up on your doorstep wanting company when he was hurting. 

“All yours darlin’. I brought you a straw too, make sure you take small sips since you’ve been getting sick all day. I also have saltines but I won’t force you to eat them… yet.” You place a kiss on his forehead and put his drink and the crackers on the table next to him, shutting the blinds once your hands were mostly empty and making sure all the lights were off.

“Damn, you’re the best.” 

“So you’ve said... If you want, we can turn the game off. I can lay here and read and get the updates on my phone.” 

He considers this for a moment before gingerly shaking his head no. “ No, it's ok, you have it pretty low.” 

“The light isn’t bothering you?”

“Nope, I’ll be ok. Plus, I want to see the game…” The end of his sentence trails off as he watches the guys hit the ice for the first period. 

“I miss them too, Nol and I know they all are dying for you to be out there again, but we can’t take any chances.”

He sighs before turning to face you. “It just really fucking sucks, I should be out there with them. Winning, losing, it doesn’t matter to me, I just want to skate again.” You hear Nolan’s voice crack and can see tears starting to form in his eyes. 

“Hey, hey, it's ok babe. I’m here and you'll be back in no time. And until then, you get to watch the games with me.” Nolan positions himself so his head is in your lap, and you start running your fingers through his hair.” 

“But what if I don’t get back out there? What if I can never play again.” You know he is crying now, which is probably why he moved so you couldn’t see his face. 

“Let’s cross that bridge when we get there. But I know it will never come to that, and even if it does, TK and I will be here every step of the way. You’re not alone, bud.” 

“Thanks Y/N.” You can feel Nolan relaxing and imagine it will only be a matter of time before he falls asleep. 

Thankfully, the boys are back tonight after the game and then they are home for a few games. You knew that would help Nolan’s mood immensely, as he would be able to spend time with his teammates at the rink. You couldn’t lie though, you had grown to love watching away games with him. When his head wasn’t a mess he was hilarious. He would chirp the guys as though he was on the ice with them, and send the team texts with insight that they would see during intermission. He had no problem jumping around your living room during plays or when the boys scored, and there were even a few times when he had thrown popcorn or pretzels at the screen when he was upset. When he did have a migraine it was just as nice to spend time with him but in a more relaxing, laid back way. You were the first to admit Travis was high strung, so spending time with his mellow friend was a welcomed change of pace. 

By the second period Nolan was out like a light, curled up and not even pretending to watch the game anymore. At the final buzzer you turned the TV off and grabbed your kindle. The boys had shut out Boston and you knew you wouldn’t get much of anything done with TK home for a few days, especially reading, so you would enjoy the downtime while you had it. 

You debated waking Nolan up and seeing if he wanted to order some dinner but decided against it when you looked over and saw how relaxed he finally looked. Instead, you shot Travis a quick text asking him to pick up some food from your favorite Chinese food place, and told him to be quiet when he came in. 

You were just dozing off when you heard the front door open and close. On any other night you would have jumped out of bed and run down the hall into your boyfriend’s arms but Nolan was still sound asleep next to you and you didn’t want to wake him. With all the lights off, Travis assumed you were already asleep so he was surprised to see you awake and waiting for him in bed. He couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Nolan sound asleep next to you, like it was his own bed. 

“Shhh, he had a really bad day. Fell asleep around the second period and has been out ever since. I didn’t want to wake him in case his migraine isn’t gone.” You should have known that sentence would jinx Nolan because as soon as you finished it he started to stir. 

“What’s up Bud? Heard you missed the game.” Travis chirped, throwing himself down on top of you in the bed and ruffling Nolan’s hair. 

“Fuck... What time is it?” Nolan questioned groggily. Even with the lights out you could tell he was feeling better. His eyes didn’t appear to be as groggy and the clammy look he had earlier appeared to have subsided. 

“It’s 1 am, I just walked in.” 

Nolan sat himself up and rubbed his face with his hands. “Alright, I’ll head to my apartment then.” 

“Nol, if you’re comfortable, just stay. There is plenty of room and it’s not like it’s the first time you and Trav have shared a bed.” You joked. Everyone always said Nolan and TK were like an old married couple and eventually they just started embracing it. Going as far as to call the day Nolan had his first practice with the team their “anniversary”. You were definitely a third wheel when it came to that relationship. 

Nolan stood up and stretched. “No, I’m ok. Thanks for everything babe.”

You push TK off of you so you can stand up to give Nolan and hug and make sure he was actually ok. He promptly kissed the top of your head as you wrapped your arms around his waist. “Seriously, thank you Y/N. I don’t know how I would deal with all of this without you.” 

“Anytime bud! Love you!” Your words come out muffled against his chest but you know he heard you when he leans his head down against yours. 

“Alright, alright, give me my girlfriend back!” 

You pull away from Nolan and laugh. “ You know he’s talking to you right? He didn’t miss me... He missed his roomie while he was gone.” You playfully roll your eyes, chirping the two boys for their well-known bromance. 

“Haha, very funny, both of you… Whatever, I’m going to bed, feel free to join me, sweetheart.” Travis states as he takes off his dress pants, not caring that Nolan hasn’t left yet. 

“Alright you two, have fun, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! And for the love of god, please don’t forget I live right below you and the walls are thin!” With that Nolan turns around and walks out, leaving you and TK to enjoy some quality time together. 

[skinks]

I’ve just had the brainwave of the FUCKING CENTURY okay

SCHOOL OF ROCK REDDIE AU

I’ve kind of had this joke with myself that Richie’s career would share similarities to Jack Black’s, if Richie ever acted in movies, and that his one professional regret is that he isn’t a member of Tenacious D.

I love and cherish metalhead Richie, I really do. I’ve posted some thots here and here about it, plus i’ve always headcanoned that he got some sound tech qualifications and worked as a roadie when he was younger.

I think he’d love the drama and the majesty and the intensity of the various genres, and in my experience, walking around high school with your ears jammed and bursting with metal is a great way to feel protected against jeering and insults. It’s like you have some of the aggression on your side, for once. He’d doodle Tolkien-inspired album covers and daydream about angels and demons and magic, he’d throw himself into his drum practice.

Richie would have so much fun figuring out how to get his throat to make these noises. Although Eddie frets about vocal cord nodules and throat cancer at first, as soon as Richie manages to proudly bellow out this guttural trench of a note down in the clubhouse, Eddie’s arm hair stands on end like a startled cat, his inner gremlin kicks in and he’s like, “woah, fuck! Do that again! Can you do it for longer?! That was so cool!” meanwhile Richie preens.

ANYWAY so yeah, School of Rock AU!!!

Richie gets kicked out of his latest band and crashes with Stan and Patty, before impersonating Stan to land the substitute teacher job. He knows nothing about teaching, or children, but by god he knows music, and he discovers Mr Kaspbrak the assistant principal is ten pounds of untapped wildness in a frowny 5 pound bag.

Richie flirts, he slacks off, he wanders into Eddie’s class with his shirtsleeves rolled up one day and Eddie drops the chalk. He befriends his class of kids, introduces a bunch of 6th graders to Sabbath and Blind Guardian, helps them to win battle of the bands, and Eddie kisses him up against his extremely cool van with the airbrushed dragon in the school parking lot.

[easyfoodnetwork]

From the Strategist: 21 Best Grilling Gifts for Every Type of Grilling Enthusiast

Photo: ClassicStock/Getty Images

All the grills and grilling accessories a grill master could want, from the Strategist

At its most basic, grilling is cooking on an open flame, like what our prehistoric ancestors used to do, but if you’re not the kind of person who takes pleasure in lighting charcoal on fire and then cooking big slabs of meat on it, you might be struggling to find the best grilling gifts for someone who does. (Though even self-described grill enthusiasts sometimes need help finding an actually useful but still unique grilling gift.) So to make it easy, we rounded up 21 of the best grills and grilling accessories that would be excellent gifts for the person in your life who likes to fire it up.

For the griller who struggles with lighting charcoal

BBQ Dragon Cordless Grill Fan in Silver

Jean-Paul Bourgeois of New York City’s Blue Smoke calls the BBQ Dragon, “a fire starter’s best friend. This easy-to-use little gadget will clip onto any grill or smoker and assist you in getting those coals burning fast and evenly.”

For the griller who mostly cooks with charcoal

Panacea 15343 Ash Bucket With Shovel, Black

If anyone plays a little fast and loose with the disposal of coals, or wants a safer way to do it, this steel ash bucket will help prevent accidents. As Hugh Magnum, pitmaster at Mighty Quinn’s Barbecue, explains, “It sometimes takes as long as two days for coals to be completely cold, so you don’t put any coals for at least two days into a trash bag, or else that trash bag will go up in flames.”

For the griller who’s terrified of burns

Artisan Griller Insulated Cooking Gloves

Writer Caitlin M. O’Shaughnessy was introduced to these pit gloves by her mother, who used them to take a full turkey out of the oven. “The cotton-lined gloves are coated with neoprene rubber and designed for true-blue barbecuers who have to handle hot meat on the smoker — that means they’re also waterproof, stainproof, and (most importantly) greaseproof.” They also come recommended by Patrick Martin of Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville, who actually prefers these heavy-duty gloves to tongs, especially when working with big cuts of meat, like whole hogs.

For the griller who’s looking to streamline

Stingray 7 in 1 BBQ Tool

Swap out the tool kit for this 7-in-1 grilling tool, recommended by self-described “pretty competent outdoor griller” Steven John, who calls this “the Swiss Army knife of grilling equipment, combining all three tools and even sporting a bottle opener built into its handle.”

For the griller who loves steak

Sloan Personalized Miniature Steak Branding Iron

For Valentine’s Day, writer Leah Bhabha gifted her carnivorous boyfriend a personalized branding iron, purchased on Amazon, and it was an instant hit. “We’ve now emblazoned his initials on everything from ribs to rib eyes, and even busted out the brander for cast-iron cooked burgers (the patty’s initials were covered by the bun, but he liked it so much he branded them anyway).”

For the griller who prefers chicken

Two-in-One Vertical Chicken Roasting Pan

Nick Pihakis of Jim ’N Nicks Bar-B-Q in Birmingham, Alabama, calls this chicken-roasting contraption “one of the best ways to cook a chicken. Not only is upright roasting the optimal position to roast a chicken (fat drips away, heat surrounds the chicken 360 degrees, skin crisps up better), this cooking method allows the steam and vapors to flavor the chicken from the inside cavity out, helping it to stay moist.”

For the griller who’s also a hibachi enthusiast

Elite Platinum EMG-980B Large Indoor Electric Round Nonstick Grilling Surface

If dinner has become a bit of a slog recently, consider setting up a hibachi or Korean barbecue night and using this highly rated indoor grill to do it. Reviewers on Amazon say, true to advertising, it’s truly non-stick (so feel free to go all in on your marinades) and is just as effective at grilling vegetables as a grilling a sturdy ribeye.

For the griller who’s not sure what to do with vegetables

Sur La Table Stainless Steel Grill Basket

Steven John recommends a grill basket, “that can be placed atop any sort of grill (charcoal, gas, or even wood fire) and filled with loose veggies, shrimp, fries, and so on.” It keeps these more delicate ingredients from sticking to the grill’s grates, and, as John notes, “the grate’s cleaner, too.”

For the griller who over-checks their meat

Thermapen Mk4 Thermometer

A meat thermometer is a must-have accessory for a barbecue enthusiast to quickly and easily ensure that meat is fully cooked but not overdone. And for my money, there’s no meat thermometer better than the Thermapen. As I wrote in my review of this gadget, “What makes the Thermapen stand out from other digital kitchen thermometers is its speed and accuracy. According to the manufacturer’s website, this food thermometer can tell the real-time temperature of whatever you’re trying to measure within 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit in under three seconds. That speed makes a noticeable difference when you’re balancing a roasting pan on a hot oven door as you try to take the temperature of whatever’s inside without burning yourself or letting out too much heat,” or dealing with a hot barbecue grill. (And I’m in good company. The Thermapen also comes recommended by Amy and Mike Mills of 17th St. BBQ in Murphysboro, Illinois.)

For the griller who’s getting into marinades

Boiled Cider Syrup

In his roundup of the best condiments you can buy on Amazon, writer Hugh Merwin recommends this boiled cider, which is “kind of pure apple essence,” he explains. However, that sweetness makes it an excellent addition to a barbecue tool kit. “Grillmasters use it at the base of marinades, where it tenderizes meat and its mildly tart and subtle flavor blends in with wood smoke.”

For the griller with a small patio

Fire Sense Large Yakatori Charcoal Grill

Recommended by Leslie Roark Scott of Ubon’s Barbeque in Yazoo City, Mississippi, this large yakitori grill is ideal for those in a “tight space. It’s the perfect size for a couple of steaks, and holds heat like a champ.”

For the griller with no patio

Weber 10020 Smokey Joe

If you’re looking to gift a truly portable grill, for someone who dreams of grilling in Prospect Park, the Weber Smokey Joe is a classic choice. It’s a no-frills option, but it’s got the same durability as the larger kettle-style Weber grill.

For the indoor grill enthusiast who hates smoke

Philips Indoor Smokeless Grill

We discovered this indoor smokeless grill while watching Queer Eye on Netflix, and it’s a solid option for someone who wants to grill but is constrained by the realities of living in an apartment. It uses infrared light to heat the grill and help prevent smoking from dripping fat.

For the indoor grill enthusiast who doesn’t want another gadget

Lodge Pro-Grid Cast-Iron Grill and Griddle Combo. Reversible 20 x 10.44” Grill/Griddle Pan With Easy-Grip Handles

Though it’s more likely to smoke up your kitchen, this cast-iron grill plate from Lodge is “the indoor grill that’s closest in spirit to firing up the charcoal.” (Plus, because it’s essentially a flat piece of cast-iron, it’s much easier to store than a new appliance.)

For the griller who likes that smoky taste

Z Grills ZPG-7002E

As Steven John explains, “a pellet grill is a barbecue grill that uses an automatically fed supply of wood pellets to maintain a preestablished temperature and infuse the cooking foods with smoke aroma and flavor. Your fuel source is also your smoke source.” That means your meat takes longer to cook, but it’s also got more smoky flavor, and in his testing of pellet grills, John liked this one from Z Grills, in part because “you can load up enough wood pellets for hours of smoking with minimal refills required.”

For the griller who wants to go full pitmaster

Masterbuilt MES 130B Digital Electric Smoker

On a long hunt for the “best, not-too-massive city grill,” Lauren Levy discovered that the best barbecue grill is actually this digital smoker from Masterbuilt. That’s according to Myron Mixon, the winningest man in barbecue, who explains, “It’s a digital smoker, so you can actually punch in the temperature you want and it takes you right there from 100 degrees to 275 degrees in just a few minutes.” He continues, “The truth is, everything that someone would want to barbecue you can cook with the Masterbuilt smoker, and it’s much more delicious.”

For the griller who likes to cook low and slow

Akorn Jr. Kamado Kooker

The first rule of Grilling 101: Leave the meat be. But when you’re constantly worried about your provisions burning that can be difficult to do. That’s why the grilling enthusiasts of Amazon love the Akorn Jr., a ceramic, kamado-style grill that does an excellent job of maintaining low temperatures. Plus, it’s about a tenth of the price of the popular, kamado-style Big Green Egg grill.

For the griller who tries to keep their grill spotless

Drillbrush BBQ Accessories

I’ve written about the Drillbrush as the best tool to keep my shower clean, but the company makes different brush attachments with different stiffnesses for different purposes, like this barbecue accessories set, which can be used to detail-clean even the most grease-stained grill.

For the griller who likes to grill and chill

YETI Roadie 20 Cooler

“When you’re smoking whole hogs, you can’t go for a beer run, so you need a good cooler that’s going to keep your beer cold for the night,” wisely notes Patrick Martin of Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint. That’s why he recommends a Yeti cooler to keep by the grill. “I guarantee when you reach for a beer, it’s gonna be good and cold — just like it should be.”

For the griller who likes to carve meat

John Boos Block BBQBD Reversible Maple Wood Edge Grain BBQ Cutting Board With Juice Groove

This sturdy Boos block has a juice groove to catch any liquid that might come out when carving a big hunk of barbecue. (And this gift certainly doesn’t have to be retired once grilling season is over. It’ll also come in handy at Thanksgiving, when it’s time to carve the turkey.)

For the griller who likes eating barbecue more than cooking

Messermeister Avanta 4-Piece Fine Edge Steak Knife Set

Once they cook the meat, they’ll need something to help you eat it, and that’s where these Messermeister steak knives come in. “There’s a curious delight in using these very, very sharp steak knives to bisect a morsel of beef (or pork, or chicken, or whatever flesh you have lying around),” writes Katie Arnold-Ratliff in her ode to these. “The blade slices through the steak with tactile precision — a kind of buttery, slippery ease that makes me say every time my boyfriend and I use these knives, which is a lot, ‘Man I love these knives.’”

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2BbdFk9 https://ift.tt/2XwN1ti

Photo: ClassicStock/Getty Images

All the grills and grilling accessories a grill master could want, from the Strategist

At its most basic, grilling is cooking on an open flame, like what our prehistoric ancestors used to do, but if you’re not the kind of person who takes pleasure in lighting charcoal on fire and then cooking big slabs of meat on it, you might be struggling to find the best grilling gifts for someone who does. (Though even self-described grill enthusiasts sometimes need help finding an actually useful but still unique grilling gift.) So to make it easy, we rounded up 21 of the best grills and grilling accessories that would be excellent gifts for the person in your life who likes to fire it up.

For the griller who struggles with lighting charcoal

BBQ Dragon Cordless Grill Fan in Silver

Jean-Paul Bourgeois of New York City’s Blue Smoke calls the BBQ Dragon, “a fire starter’s best friend. This easy-to-use little gadget will clip onto any grill or smoker and assist you in getting those coals burning fast and evenly.”

For the griller who mostly cooks with charcoal

Panacea 15343 Ash Bucket With Shovel, Black

If anyone plays a little fast and loose with the disposal of coals, or wants a safer way to do it, this steel ash bucket will help prevent accidents. As Hugh Magnum, pitmaster at Mighty Quinn’s Barbecue, explains, “It sometimes takes as long as two days for coals to be completely cold, so you don’t put any coals for at least two days into a trash bag, or else that trash bag will go up in flames.”

For the griller who’s terrified of burns

Artisan Griller Insulated Cooking Gloves

Writer Caitlin M. O’Shaughnessy was introduced to these pit gloves by her mother, who used them to take a full turkey out of the oven. “The cotton-lined gloves are coated with neoprene rubber and designed for true-blue barbecuers who have to handle hot meat on the smoker — that means they’re also waterproof, stainproof, and (most importantly) greaseproof.” They also come recommended by Patrick Martin of Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville, who actually prefers these heavy-duty gloves to tongs, especially when working with big cuts of meat, like whole hogs.

For the griller who’s looking to streamline

Stingray 7 in 1 BBQ Tool

Swap out the tool kit for this 7-in-1 grilling tool, recommended by self-described “pretty competent outdoor griller” Steven John, who calls this “the Swiss Army knife of grilling equipment, combining all three tools and even sporting a bottle opener built into its handle.”

For the griller who loves steak

Sloan Personalized Miniature Steak Branding Iron

For Valentine’s Day, writer Leah Bhabha gifted her carnivorous boyfriend a personalized branding iron, purchased on Amazon, and it was an instant hit. “We’ve now emblazoned his initials on everything from ribs to rib eyes, and even busted out the brander for cast-iron cooked burgers (the patty’s initials were covered by the bun, but he liked it so much he branded them anyway).”

For the griller who prefers chicken

Two-in-One Vertical Chicken Roasting Pan

Nick Pihakis of Jim ’N Nicks Bar-B-Q in Birmingham, Alabama, calls this chicken-roasting contraption “one of the best ways to cook a chicken. Not only is upright roasting the optimal position to roast a chicken (fat drips away, heat surrounds the chicken 360 degrees, skin crisps up better), this cooking method allows the steam and vapors to flavor the chicken from the inside cavity out, helping it to stay moist.”

For the griller who’s also a hibachi enthusiast

Elite Platinum EMG-980B Large Indoor Electric Round Nonstick Grilling Surface

If dinner has become a bit of a slog recently, consider setting up a hibachi or Korean barbecue night and using this highly rated indoor grill to do it. Reviewers on Amazon say, true to advertising, it’s truly non-stick (so feel free to go all in on your marinades) and is just as effective at grilling vegetables as a grilling a sturdy ribeye.

For the griller who’s not sure what to do with vegetables

Sur La Table Stainless Steel Grill Basket

Steven John recommends a grill basket, “that can be placed atop any sort of grill (charcoal, gas, or even wood fire) and filled with loose veggies, shrimp, fries, and so on.” It keeps these more delicate ingredients from sticking to the grill’s grates, and, as John notes, “the grate’s cleaner, too.”

For the griller who over-checks their meat

Thermapen Mk4 Thermometer

A meat thermometer is a must-have accessory for a barbecue enthusiast to quickly and easily ensure that meat is fully cooked but not overdone. And for my money, there’s no meat thermometer better than the Thermapen. As I wrote in my review of this gadget, “What makes the Thermapen stand out from other digital kitchen thermometers is its speed and accuracy. According to the manufacturer’s website, this food thermometer can tell the real-time temperature of whatever you’re trying to measure within 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit in under three seconds. That speed makes a noticeable difference when you’re balancing a roasting pan on a hot oven door as you try to take the temperature of whatever’s inside without burning yourself or letting out too much heat,” or dealing with a hot barbecue grill. (And I’m in good company. The Thermapen also comes recommended by Amy and Mike Mills of 17th St. BBQ in Murphysboro, Illinois.)

For the griller who’s getting into marinades

Boiled Cider Syrup

In his roundup of the best condiments you can buy on Amazon, writer Hugh Merwin recommends this boiled cider, which is “kind of pure apple essence,” he explains. However, that sweetness makes it an excellent addition to a barbecue tool kit. “Grillmasters use it at the base of marinades, where it tenderizes meat and its mildly tart and subtle flavor blends in with wood smoke.”

For the griller with a small patio

Fire Sense Large Yakatori Charcoal Grill

Recommended by Leslie Roark Scott of Ubon’s Barbeque in Yazoo City, Mississippi, this large yakitori grill is ideal for those in a “tight space. It’s the perfect size for a couple of steaks, and holds heat like a champ.”

For the griller with no patio

Weber 10020 Smokey Joe

If you’re looking to gift a truly portable grill, for someone who dreams of grilling in Prospect Park, the Weber Smokey Joe is a classic choice. It’s a no-frills option, but it’s got the same durability as the larger kettle-style Weber grill.

For the indoor grill enthusiast who hates smoke

Philips Indoor Smokeless Grill

We discovered this indoor smokeless grill while watching Queer Eye on Netflix, and it’s a solid option for someone who wants to grill but is constrained by the realities of living in an apartment. It uses infrared light to heat the grill and help prevent smoking from dripping fat.

For the indoor grill enthusiast who doesn’t want another gadget

Lodge Pro-Grid Cast-Iron Grill and Griddle Combo. Reversible 20 x 10.44” Grill/Griddle Pan With Easy-Grip Handles

Though it’s more likely to smoke up your kitchen, this cast-iron grill plate from Lodge is “the indoor grill that’s closest in spirit to firing up the charcoal.” (Plus, because it’s essentially a flat piece of cast-iron, it’s much easier to store than a new appliance.)

For the griller who likes that smoky taste

Z Grills ZPG-7002E

As Steven John explains, “a pellet grill is a barbecue grill that uses an automatically fed supply of wood pellets to maintain a preestablished temperature and infuse the cooking foods with smoke aroma and flavor. Your fuel source is also your smoke source.” That means your meat takes longer to cook, but it’s also got more smoky flavor, and in his testing of pellet grills, John liked this one from Z Grills, in part because “you can load up enough wood pellets for hours of smoking with minimal refills required.”

For the griller who wants to go full pitmaster

Masterbuilt MES 130B Digital Electric Smoker

On a long hunt for the “best, not-too-massive city grill,” Lauren Levy discovered that the best barbecue grill is actually this digital smoker from Masterbuilt. That’s according to Myron Mixon, the winningest man in barbecue, who explains, “It’s a digital smoker, so you can actually punch in the temperature you want and it takes you right there from 100 degrees to 275 degrees in just a few minutes.” He continues, “The truth is, everything that someone would want to barbecue you can cook with the Masterbuilt smoker, and it’s much more delicious.”

For the griller who likes to cook low and slow

Akorn Jr. Kamado Kooker

The first rule of Grilling 101: Leave the meat be. But when you’re constantly worried about your provisions burning that can be difficult to do. That’s why the grilling enthusiasts of Amazon love the Akorn Jr., a ceramic, kamado-style grill that does an excellent job of maintaining low temperatures. Plus, it’s about a tenth of the price of the popular, kamado-style Big Green Egg grill.

For the griller who tries to keep their grill spotless

Drillbrush BBQ Accessories

I’ve written about the Drillbrush as the best tool to keep my shower clean, but the company makes different brush attachments with different stiffnesses for different purposes, like this barbecue accessories set, which can be used to detail-clean even the most grease-stained grill.

For the griller who likes to grill and chill

YETI Roadie 20 Cooler

“When you’re smoking whole hogs, you can’t go for a beer run, so you need a good cooler that’s going to keep your beer cold for the night,” wisely notes Patrick Martin of Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint. That’s why he recommends a Yeti cooler to keep by the grill. “I guarantee when you reach for a beer, it’s gonna be good and cold — just like it should be.”

For the griller who likes to carve meat

John Boos Block BBQBD Reversible Maple Wood Edge Grain BBQ Cutting Board With Juice Groove

This sturdy Boos block has a juice groove to catch any liquid that might come out when carving a big hunk of barbecue. (And this gift certainly doesn’t have to be retired once grilling season is over. It’ll also come in handy at Thanksgiving, when it’s time to carve the turkey.)

For the griller who likes eating barbecue more than cooking

Messermeister Avanta 4-Piece Fine Edge Steak Knife Set

Once they cook the meat, they’ll need something to help you eat it, and that’s where these Messermeister steak knives come in. “There’s a curious delight in using these very, very sharp steak knives to bisect a morsel of beef (or pork, or chicken, or whatever flesh you have lying around),” writes Katie Arnold-Ratliff in her ode to these. “The blade slices through the steak with tactile precision — a kind of buttery, slippery ease that makes me say every time my boyfriend and I use these knives, which is a lot, ‘Man I love these knives.’”

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2BbdFk9 via Blogger https://ift.tt/2Xyq7C0

[kaspbrakatitagain]

a comprehensive list of all of my wips

compiled mostly so I don’t forget them/so @lastofthetangelos will bully me into writing them

MULTI-CHAPTER FICS

Richie Tozier’s Bangin’ Long Drive Mixtape: the fic that started as a reddie road trip AU and devolved into a lot of college angst but it’s fine because they’re happy by the end

Home Ground: a monster hunting AU where the events are determined by me playing a one-person game of the ttrpg Monster of the Week and writing out the results

When I Sing, You Sing Harmonies: an AU where Richie is in a band who take it upon themselves to tour the country over the summer of 1996 and Eddie is dragged into being a roadie by his college roommate. Shenanigans, songwriting, and strange cases of déjà vu ensue

a possible post-chapter 2 fic about Richie and Eddie living together in LA told through each of the other Losers’ visits to their house. Don’t hold me to this one

An Apocalypse AU, maybe?? This one might be a series of one-shots

ONE-SHOTS

Quick Fix: In which Eddie gets injured more often than be would like and Richie has been using the same go-to solution since the first grade

Richie Tozier’s Comprehensive List of Useless Eddie Kaspbrak Trivia (tm): y’know I wrote this out as a joke title but I actually kind of like it so... that might be what I name the fic. Self explanatory.

An Open Letter To The Boys Who’ve Held My Heart: A history of Richie Tozier liking boys and learning there’s nothing wrong with that

Girl’s Night: Just... Beverly Marsh having the female support system she deserves. Also and excuse for me to write more Patty Uris and Kay McCall

Six Drink Eddie: Y’know the Santiago Drunkness Scale from Brooklyn 99? That but it’s Eddie

Put Your Lips Close to Mine (as long as they don’t touch): a fic where we work through some of Eddie’s internalized homophobia because he deserves and needs some help

a fic about Richie and Bev deciding to fake date and Eddie can’t figure out why it bothers him. (Spoilers: he’s jealous and dumb)

.........................................I might write a Suite Life on Deck AU. I’m incredibly tempted.

[thecoleopterawithana]

Hi, I just found out your blog, and I really like it! Lots of things about John and Paul. I find their relationship very interesting and intriguing. About LSD, why do you think it took Paul so long to take it with John? I remember reading somewhere that Paul took it in the end of 1965 or in then begging of 1966 with some of his friends from London, but somehow he didnt want to take it with John. Do you think he was afraid?

Hey there, @righimoraes! I’m glad you’re enjoying what you came across so far! And yeah, your choice of words is absolutely perfect; I think it was those very same characteristics that captivated me so much in the first place (besides the utter beauty involved in a creative process of this magnitude).

I must warn you, this got terribly out of hand, so prepare for a proper testament! But I’d love it if you showed the patience to plough through to the end and let me know what you think!

Now, you can’t begin to imagine how happy I was when you brought up the LSD! Because, in my personal opinion, if there is a change in tune in the middle of this whole symphony that can be described as ‘intriguing’ it is that 1st acid trip they took together. For me, it’s only surpassed in terms of sheer mysteriousness by India.  But let’s look at the timeline that preceded it first.

As the story goes, John and George were the first to unwittingly come into contact with the famous lysergic acid diethylamide 25, somewhen between March and April of 1965, in the London home of Dr John Riley, George’s cosmetic dentist. 

The experience, as they describe it, was fantastic and life-changing. 

We’d just sat down and ordered our drinks when suddenly I feel the most incredible feeling come over me. It was something like a very concentrated version of the best feeling I’d ever had in my whole life. It was fantastic. I felt in love, not with anything or anybody in particular, but with everything. Everything was perfect, in a perfect light, and I had an overwhelming desire to go round the club telling everybody how much I loved them – people I’d never seen before.

- George Harrison, Anthology

John too seemed to have a rather good trip, as he fondly recalls all the crazy shenanigans they got up to that night.

George somehow or another managed to drive us home in his Mini. We were going about ten miles an hour, but it seemed like a thousand. And Pattie was saying, ‘Let’s jump out and play football, there’s these big rugby poles’ and things like that. I was getting all this sort of hysterical jokes coming out, like with speed, because I was always on that, too. George was going, ‘Don’t make me laugh!’ Oh God! It was just terrifying. But it was fantastic.

- John Lennon, Lennon Remembers by Jann Wenner

So amazingly reality-shattering was the whole ordeal, that the two Beatles felt it was crucial to share this new-found enlightenment with the rest of the band.

John and I had decided that Paul and Ringo had to have acid, because we couldn’t relate to them any more. Not just on the one level – we couldn’t relate to them on any level, because acid had changed us so much. It was such a mammoth experience that it was unexplainable: it was something that had to be experienced, because you could spend the rest of your life trying to explain what it made you feel and think. It was all too important to John and me. So the plan was that when we got to Hollywood, on our day off we were going to get them to take acid. We got some in New York; it was on sugar cubes wrapped in tinfoil and we’d been carrying these around all through the tour until we got to LA.

- George Harrison, Anthology

And so, on 25 August 1965, while on break from their tour, John and George share the wonders of LSD with Ringo. Roadies Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans respectively partake and stay straight to keep an eye on things. Paul declines.

Curiously, it was a particular encounter in this LA party that inspired John to write ‘She Said She Said’.

He was describing an acid trip he’d been on. We didn’t want to hear about that! We were on an acid trip and the sun was shining and the girls were dancing and the whole thing was beautiful and Sixties, and this guy – who I really didn’t know; he hadn’t made Easy Rider or anything – kept coming over, wearing shades, saying, “I know what it’s like to be dead,” and we kept leaving him because he was so boring! And I used it for the song, but I changed it to 'she'” instead of 'he’. It was scary. You know, a guy… when you’re flying high and [whispers] 'I know what it’s like to be dead, man.’ I remembered the incident. Don’t tell me about it! I don’t want to know what it’s like to be dead!

- John Lennon, All We Are Saying by David Sheff

In the same way Paul is absent from this episode, he is notably not featured in the Revolver track itself.

And so begins the months-long effort (especially on John’s part), to try and pressure Paul into dropping acid with them (him).

Paul felt very out of it 'cause we were all a bit cruel. It’s like, 'We’re taking it and you’re not.' 

- John Lennon, Lennon Remembers by Jann Wenner

As you see, making him feel excluded was one of the prefered methods of manipulation. And it came both in the form as literal exclusions from the song making process (see above) and perhaps more insidious attempts at eliciting jealousy. I think one of the pawns in John’s famous ‘mind games’ ended up being George himself. The latter seemed quite happy to fill the vacancy as the main travel companion, the one with the shared life experiences, and all the closeness that brought.   

After taking acid together, John and I had a very interesting relationship. That I was younger or I was smaller was no longer any kind of embarrassment with John. Paul still says, 'I suppose we looked down on George because he was younger.’ That is an illusion people are under. It’s nothing to do with how many years old you are, or how big your body is. It’s down to what your greater consciousness is and if you can live in harmony with what’s going on in creation. John and I spent a lot of time together from then on and I felt closer to him than all the others, right through until his death. As Yoko came into the picture, I lost a lot of personal contract with John; but on the odd occasion I did see him, just by the look in his eyes I felt we were connected.

- George Harrison, Anthology

Finally, John - his idol, his hero - regarded him as an equal! 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to belittle John and George’s relationship, because the dynamic was also fascinating, and it was with each other that they could explore the more spiritual questions of their existence, something they couldn’t quite do with the more down-to-earth pair of Paul and Ringo. But that doesn’t invalidate the fact that the person John seemed most desperate to share this incredibly intimate experience with was Paul. 

On his part, Paul was, as you correctly supposed, rather afraid. We must remember that he was always the most cautious out of all the four. As he put it:

John – he’s got movement. He’s a very fast mover. He sees new things happening and he’s away. Me – I’m conservative. I feel I need to check things. I was last to try pot and LSD and floral clothes. I’m slower than John, the least likely to succeed in class.

- Paul McCartney, The Beatles by Hunter Davies

In the Anthology, he spells it out quite clearly.

But I really was… frightened of that kind of stuff. Cus it’s what you’re taught when you’re younger! ‘Hey! Watch out for them devil drugs!’. So… so when acid came ‘round, we’d heard you’re never the same. It alters your life and you’ll never be the same again. And I think John was rather excited by that prospect; I think I was rather frightened by that prospect! [huffs] Just what I need! You know? To have some funny little thing where I never get back… home again! You know? Oh, jeez, you know? May not be the greatest move… So I delayed. And I was seen to sort of stall a little bit, I think, within the group. Cus a lot of peer pressure- I mean, talk about peer pressure! The Beatles?

Paul McCartney, Anthology

It must have been a rough few months of resisting for Paul, as he recounts multiple times how straining it was to be the one on the side while your band, your closest family, continues to increase the rift between you in an effort to make you jump. 

Thoroughly worn down, Paul finally capitulates on 13 December 1965. That night, John and Paul had returned to the Scotch of St James nightclub, where on the previous day the Beatles had their end of tour celebrations. There they met  The Who’s John Entwistle and the Pretty Things’ former drummer Viv Prince, but most importantly Nicky Browne, Tara Browne’s wife, who invites them all back to their London home on Eaton Row. Paul and some others accept the offer. John declines.

This time, when Tara Brown suggests they drop acid, Paul relents.

I was more ready for the drink or a little bit of pot or something. I’d not wanted to do it, I’d held off like a lot of people were trying to, but there was massive peer pressure. And within a band, it’s more than peer pressure, it’s fear pressure. It becomes trebled, more than just your mates, it’s, 'Hey, man, this whole band’s had acid, why are you holding out? What’s the reason, what is it about you?’ So I knew I would have to out of peer pressure alone. And that night I thought, well, this is as good a time as any, so I said, 'Go on then, fine.’ So we all did it.

- Paul McCartney, Many Years From Now by Barry Miles

Of that first trip itself, Paul had this to say:

It was such a mind-expanding thing. I saw paisley shapes and weird things, and for a guy who wasn’t that keen on getting that weird, there was a disturbing element to it. I remember looking at my shirtsleeves and seeing they were dirty and not being too pleased with that, whereas normally you wouldn’t even notice. But you noticed and you heard. Everything was supersensitive.

- Paul McCartney, Many Years From Now by Barry Miles

You’ll notice that contrary to the other Beatles’ recounts of their experiences while on LSD, Paul’s are often described with more negative words, with ‘disturbing’ being a recurring adjective. 

Now, if you are wondering why Paul took LSD with a group of acquaintances but not with his own band (or rather John), that’s when we enter the realm of speculation. Might it have been a matter of pride, a small victory in the way of ‘okay, I saw what it was all about, but on my terms, not because you pushed me into doing it with you’? Might have. 

But again, here (as in most places) I find that the most likely motivator was fear. There was, after all, a lot more at stake in a life-changingly intimate experience with your best friend and partner – the same partner with whom you’re not entirely sure just how intimate you want/should/can be – than with a bunch of strangers. So Paul probably would rather sacrifice the heavy significance John was sure to place on ‘first times’, in order to more cautiously scout the whole affair. If this is the motivation behind these events, then it should be seen as a sign of just how important his relationship with John was to him, that he was so careful not to screw it up. (What a pity then that John himself seemed to require big bold moves, entire leaps of faith, as a declaration of true affection…)

Meanwhile, John had become increasingly enthralled with the escapism offered by acid and used it regularly. As his at the time wife, Cynthia - for whom the intimacy suggested by the chemical felt false and manufactured - recounts:

When John was tripping I felt as if I was living with a stranger. He would be distant, so spaced-out that he couldn’t talk to me coherently. I hated that, and I hated the fact that LSD was pulling him away from me. I wouldn’t take it with him so he found others who would. Within weeks of his first trip, John was taking LSD daily and I became more and more worried. I couldn’t reach him when he was tripping, but when the effects wore off he would be normal until he took it again.

- Cynthia Lennon, John

For Paul, however, his experiences with LSD seemed not to have freed him of his doubts, for it would only be on 21 March 1967, more than a year later, that he would finally choose to take acid with his songwriting partner, in the well-known episode.

While recording the song ‘Getting Better’ for Sgt Pepper, John mistakenly took and LSD pill instead of a stimulant.

I thought I was taking some uppers, and I was not in a state of handling it. I can’t remember what album it was but I took it and then [whispers] I just noticed all of a sudden I got so scared on the mike. I said, 'What was it?’ I thought I felt ill. I thought I was going cracked. Then I said, 'I must get some air.’ They all took me upstairs on the roof, and George Martin was looking at me funny. And then it dawned on me. I must have taken acid. And I said, 'Well, I can’t go on, I have to go.’ So I just said, 'You’ll have to do it and I’ll just stay and watch.’ I just [became] very nervous and just watching all of a sudden. 'Is it alright?’ and they were saying, 'Yeah.’ They were all being very kind. They said, 'Yes, it’s alright.’ And I said, 'Are you sure it’s alright?’ They carried on making the record.

- John Lennon, Lennon Remembers by Jann Wenner

In this particular instance, John is misremembering, for the session did not proceed when the others realised what was happening. As George Martin recalls it:

We stood there for a minute or two, with John swaying gently against my arm. ‘I’m feeling better,’ he announced. Then he looked up at the stars. 'Wow..’ he intoned. 'Look at that! Isn’t that amazing?“. I followed his gaze. The stars did look good but they didn’t look that good. It was very unlike John to be over the top in that way. I stared at him. He was wired-pin-sharp and quivering, resonating away like a human tuning fork.No sooner had John uttered his immortal words about the stars than George and Paul came bursting out on the roof. They had come tearing up from the studio as soon as they found out where we were.They knew why John was feeling unwell. Maybe everyone else did, too - everyone except for father-figure George Martin here!It was very simple. John was tripping on LSD. He had taken it by mistake, they said - he had meant to take an amphetamine tablet. That hardly made any difference, frankly; the fact was that John was only too likely to imagine he could fly, and launch himself off the low parapet that ran around the roof. They had been absolutely terrified that he might do so. I spoke to Paul about this night many years later, and he confirmed that he and George had been shaken rigid when they found out we were up on the roof. They knew John was having a what you might call a bad trip. John didn’t go back to Weybridge that night; Paul took him home to his place, in nearby Cavendish Road. They were intensely close, remember, and Paul would do almost anything for John. So, once they were safe inside, Paul took a tablet of LSD for the first time, 'So I could get with John’ as he put it- be with him in his misery and fear.What about that for friendship?

- George Martin, Anthology

He seemed especially fond of Paul’s attitude, for he reiterates the point in his own memoir.

Paul’s thoughtfulness in going home with John was typical of one of the best sides of his character.

- George Martin, All You Need Is Years

And so Paul drove both of them back to his home in Cavendish, where the moment had finally presented itself for him to go on a little journey with John.

I thought, ‘Maybe this is the moment where I should take a trip with him. It’s been coming for a long time. It’s often the best way, without thinking about it too much, just slip into it. John’s on it already, so I’ll sort of catch up.’ It was my first trip with John, or with any of the guys. We stayed up all night, sat around and hallucinated a lot.

Me and John, we’d known each other for a long time. Along with George and Ringo, we were best mates. And we looked into each other’s eyes, the eye contact thing we used to do, which is fairly mind-boggling. You dissolve into each other. But that’s what we did, round about that time, that’s what we did a lot. And it was amazing. You’re looking into each other’s eyes and you would want to look away, but you wouldn’t, and you could see yourself in the other person. It was a very freaky experience and I was totally blown away.

There’s something disturbing about it. You ask yourself, 'How do you come back from it? How do you then lead a normal life after that?’ And the answer is, you don’t. After that you’ve got to get trepanned or you’ve got to meditate for the rest of your life. You’ve got to make a decision which way you’re going to go.

I would walk out into the garden – 'Oh no, I’ve got to go back in.’ It was very tiring, walking made me very tired, wasted me, always wasted me. But 'I’ve got to do it, for my well-being.’ In the meantime John had been sitting around very enigmatically and I had a big vision of him as a king, the absolute Emperor of Eternity. It was a good trip. It was great but I wanted to go to bed after a while.

I’d just had enough after about four or five hours. John was quite amazed that it had struck me in that way. John said, 'Go to bed? You won’t sleep!’ 'I know that, I’ve still got to go to bed.’ I thought, now that’s enough fun and partying, now … It’s like with drink. That’s enough. That was a lot of fun, now I gotta go and sleep this off. But of course you don’t just sleep off an acid trip so I went to bed and hallucinated a lot in bed. I remember Mal coming up and checking that I was all right. 'Yeah, I think so.’ I mean, I could feel every inch of the house, and John seemed like some sort of emperor in control of it all. It was quite strange. Of course he was just sitting there, very inscrutably.

- Paul McCartney, Many Years From Now by Barry Miles

There it is then. The main event. And it was just as profoundly intimate as they’d hoped/feared. 

I urge you, again, not to get lost on the fantastically romantic imagery of eye contact to the point of merging, but to notice the slightly uneasy light in which Paul paints the entire episode, with the resurgence of ’disturbing’. And so my tag for the whole LSD scene is born: “How do you come back from it?”

Because these two got to the point of losing their own identities in the other, they truly became One, and they were not ready for it. It was everything John wanted and everything Paul was trying to avoid, and I think it started to destroy them.

And even if John thought this was the level of closeness he ought to be at with Paul (for reasons that I tried to express in the first posted opinion of mine), even he reckoned later that the LSD induced smashing of his ego was more detrimental to his mental and emotional health than beneficial.

I had many [bad trips]. Jesus Christ. I stopped taking it 'cause of that. I mean I just couldn’t stand it. I dropped it for I don’t know how long. Then I started taking it just before I met Yoko. I got a message on acid that you should destroy your ego, and I did. I was reading that stupid book of Leary’s and all that shit. We were going through a whole game that everybody went through. And I destroyed meself. I was slowly putting meself together after Maharishi, bit by bit, over a two-year period. And then I destroyed me ego and I didn’t believe I could do anything. I let Paul do what he wanted and say, them all just do what they wanted. And I just was nothing, I was shit. And then Derek [Taylor] tripped me out at his house after he’d got back from LA. He said, 'You’re alright.’ And he pointed out which songs I’d written, and said, 'You wrote this, and you said this, and you are intelligent, don’t be frightened.’ The next week I went down with Yoko and we tripped out again, and she freed me completely, to realise that I was me and it’s alright. And that was it. I started fighting again and being a loud-mouth again and saying, 'Well, I can do this,’ and 'Fuck you, and this is what I want,’ and 'Don’t put me down. I did this.’

- John Lennon, Lennon Remembers by Jann Wenner

Paul’s overall opinion on acid was as follows:

Sometimes it was a very very deeply emotional experience, making you want to cry, sometimes seeing God or sensing all the majesty and emotional depth of everything. And sometimes you were just plain knackered, because it would be like sitting up all night in a train station, and by the morning you’ve grown very stiff and it’s not a party any more. It’s like the end of an all-nighter but you haven’t danced. You just sat. So your bum might be sore, just from sitting. I was often quite wiped out by it all but I always thought, Well, you know, everybody’s doing it.

The thing I didn’t like about acid was it lasted too long. It always wore me out. But they were great people to be around, a wacky crowd. My main problem was just the stamina you had to have. I never attempted to work on acid, I couldn’t. What’s the point of trying, love?

- Paul McCartney, Many Years From Now by Barry Miles

On 17 June 1967, the whole ‘Paul admits to taking LSD’ debacle happens, and though he defends his statement and his position to the press, by then the bands interested in the substance had started to wane, when some of the disillusionment over the whole drug-cult started settling in. 

By 26 August 1967, the Beatles had publicly renounced drugs and started looking for the answers to life’s big questions with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his system of Transcendental Meditation. 

(But we know how similarly those endeavours ended, with bitter disillusionment and an even greater rift within the band and John and Paul themselves. That, though, is another story.)

And in the end (for those brave few that endured this far), I too see this whole LSD dabbling as exactly what they thought it would be: life-changing. It was a definite turning point (so much so that I chronologically tag it as the Bridge of the piece) in their relationship. They had reached total togetherness. But something there, maybe the restrictions they imposed unto themselves of what is socially acceptable, maybe something even more crucial in human nature that repels us from totally losing a concept of self (despite how much escapism we sometimes desire), made it so they couldn’t handle that. And if this startling realization didn’t start, it definitely enlargened the fractures in the partnership.

But what do you guys think? I’d love to hear your opinions. Especially considering their ‘67 seemingly happy communal living. Maybe India was the true turning point. Maybe it was sooner, when they stopped touring and ‘living in each other’s pockets’. Please let me know your thoughts, and once again, thank you so much for this ask!

[idasessions]

Famous Muses & Groupies in Rock Music Pt. 3

GROUPIE: Lori Mattix/Maddox (modeling name Lori Lightning)

Researching this woman is honestly such a headache that I almost wasn’t even sure where to start….So I guess we’ll begin with everything we know to be definite fact. Lori was born on November 11th, 1958, and raised in Los Angeles with her single mother and three sisters. By the time Lori was in middle school, her mom (supposedly a talent agent or a waitress depending on the source) started signing Lori up for photoshoots in music magazines like Creem and Star (a vintage groupie rag, not the modern tabloid). In these photos, Lori was usually posing in skimpy outfits with fellow teen models and friends Sable Starr, Shray Mecham and Karen Umphrey to appeal to the rock music scene. From these modeling gigs and her friendships with baby groupies Sable and Queenie Glam, Lori very quickly spent nearly all her free time at clubs on the Sunset Strip from about 1972-75. She’s possibly the most profiled and interviewed baby groupie from back then, and still lives in LA running her own clothing boutique when she isn’t glamorizing her groupie days as ‘the best time ever’ or whatever.

[Note: this entry ended up three pages long….Good luck following this mess]

Besides this, everything regarding Lori’s reputation as a teen rock groupie gets very muddled and confusing. During an interview in 1985 with writer Stephen Davis for the sensationalist Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods, Lori states that she was with Jimmy Page from 1972 to ’75 and he was the only rockstar she was involved with. But in Pamela des Barres’ 2007 groupie compilation Let’s Spend the Night Together, Lori claims she lost her virginity to David Bowie and Sable in a threesome before she met Jimmy, and that she hooked up with a ton of musicians. In the 2010 filmed version of Pamela’s book, Lori makes no mention of Sable being involved in her alleged incident with Bowie. In the 2004 documentary A to Zeppelin, Lori sloppily says she was “a vir—I mean come on, I was like a baby then,” when she met Jimmy. In a 2015 interview with the publication Thrillist, Lori claims she originally turned down Bowie after he propositioned her and didn’t sleep with him until 1973, even though she occasionally suggested that the incident was more likely to be late 1971 or early 1972. She also claims in this article that she continued to keep in touch with Bowie intimately for the rest of the decade, when previously she suggested it was only a one-night stand.

The people over at Medium penned a rather informative expose in 2016 on how inaccurate her stories are on her alleged hook-up with Bowie based on date history. Though it should be noted the piece doesn’t include that in the 1997 punk scene biography Please Kill Me, Sable participated in a rare interview where she revealed she and Lori did meet Bowie in 1973. But Lori got cold feet at the last minute, and only Sable ended up fooling around with the musician. The journalist of the Medium article also gives Lori a little too much credit on the legitimacy of her affiliation with Jimmy Page, as there are a lot of contradictions there too.

As has been reported by multiple sources, Jimmy infamously left his main US groupie Pamela des Barres for Lori while the three of them were partying on the Strip when Zeppelin was in Hollywood. Pamela usually says this happened at the Whisky a Go-Go in either 1972 or 1973. There is photographic proof of Jimmy, Pamela and Lori together at the English Disco that was originally credited on Getty Images as John Bonham’s 24th birthday party on May 31st, 1972. But the only problem is that the band was not in California the week of his birthday, and only played in the state for the last week of June. Zeppelin was however in Los Angeles on his birthday the following year, and the band’s hair and wardrobe in the party pictures match closer to how they looked in summer ’73 rather than ’72. The incident also seems more likely to have happened in ’73 as Lori was Jimmy’s date to a press event at the Continental Hyatt House sometime in June 1973. Both Jimmy’s and Lori’s hairstyles there are identical to how they looked in the English Disco photos as well.

On the 2007 DVD Way Down Inside, Lori says she first met Jimmy randomly at a pool party on the roof of the Hyatt House. In the Let’s Spend the Night Together documentary, she says she met him backstage at the Hollywood Palladium. In the book version and in Thrillist, she claims he personally called her house to introduce himself—but in LSTNT she says they first physically met clubbing at the Whisky before hopping over to the Hyatt House, while in the 2015 interview she says she met him in person at the Hyatt House and then they left to party at the Rainbow. In A to Zeppelin, she claims that Jimmy contacted publicist Lee Childers to set up a date for her to meet the band after he saw one of her photoshoots, rather than call her personally. On Instagram, Lori posted one of the photos of herself with Jimmy and Pamela at the English Disco with a caption stating that was the night she was introduced to Jimmy. If the two did meet backstage, it would have had to have been on either May 31st or June 3rd, 1973 when the band played the LA Forum, as LZ never performed at the Palladium. If he did set up a supposed date, it was probably the night he dumped Pamela. The pool party claim would also make sense, as the week Jimmy and Lori met, the infamous episode where Bonzo threw George and Pattie Harrison into a pool during his birthday party also happened. Except apparently this party was in Laurel Canyon, not at the Hyatt House, and Lori has never been name dropped in retellings of that story.

Besides the month of June in 1973, the only other confirmed time Jimmy and Lori were together is the week of May 10th, 1974, when Jimmy ditched her at the Swan Song label opening party in LA for older groupie Bebe Buell. Bebe went into detail in her 2001 memoir Rebel Heart, of how Lori became hysterical when she realized Jimmy was leaving her for Bebe. The model recalled Lori jumping her and wildly pulling her hair in anger at Bebe ‘stealing’ Jimmy from Lori. Lori conveniently leaves this accusation out when she talks about the break-up. So this is about four to five weeks in Los Angeles when Lori could have socialized with Jimmy, and quite possibly the only times they saw each other in 11 months.

In Hammer of the Gods, Lori asserts she was secretly on tour with the band for two years. Except that between June 1973 and May 1974, the band was only on tour for a month in July. In the novelized Let’s Spend the Night Together, she insists Jimmy arranged to have her visit him in NYC whenever he wasn’t in LA. Lori would eventually completely backtrack ever traveling as a teen and claim she only saw Jimmy when the band was in LA. In the Thrillist piece, she claims that they would travel back to Hollywood after every show and spent the whole summer of 1973 in the city. Not only did the band reportedly spend the last week of touring staying at NYC’s Drake Hotel, but journalist Lisa Robinson tagged along on this tour, and remembers LZ spending nights in a lot of major US cities. Lori’s also infamously said numerous times that she had to be kept locked up (either on tour or in his LA hotel room depending on the interview) while she was with Jimmy because she was underage. Seeing as how there are three different sets of famous party pictures of the pair posing together, taken by professional photographers and originally published the years they were shot, that doesn’t make much sense.

In both Hammer of the Gods and Way Down Inside, Lori says she was kidnapped by LZ roadie Richard Cole, who allegedly yelled at her to get into his car before taking her to Jimmy’s hotel room. In the Thrillist piece, she says Zeppelin manager Peter Grant was the kidnapper and he tossed her into their limo. In a Q&A Lori participated in after the premiere of Let’s Spend the Night Together in 2010, she suggests Jimmy himself kidnapped her. (In the same Q&A, Lori also says that Jimmy broke up with her when she was ‘16’ right after the FBI got involved with the band’s hotel safe theft in NYC. But this obviously isn’t true, as the FBI incident was only two months after she met Jimmy in 1973.) In A to Zeppelin, she makes no mention of any kidnapping and says she just followed him back to his room. Lori has also continually asserted that she and Jimmy spent the rest of the night in his room ~falling madly in love.~ 🙄

Lori says in the Thrillist piece that she had to hide when Zeppelin went back to LA after the FBI got involved in a theft from the band’s hotel safe in NYC at the end of July 1973. In Let’s Spend the Night Together, she erroneously states that the theft happened in 1975, right after she was flown out to visit Jimmy, and then quickly forced to go back home. But many biographies, including A to Zeppelin, report that the band just went back to England after the FBI episode without any mention of Lori. There are photos of Lori partying with musicians after the theft, but most of them are with Iggy Pop and the New York Dolls in LA.

It is also interesting to note that of all the pictures of Lori with musicians from 1973-75, the rockstar she was photographed with the most is Sylvain Sylvain of the NY Dolls. The two of them are even featured in the documentary All Dolled Up (2005) partaking in PDA in vintage 1973 footage. But funny enough, she’s never talked about Sylvain in interviews. Probably because all the photos and footage of them together were at the same time frame she knew Jimmy, and that disputes her story of how she and Jimmy were committed to each other the whole time they were together.

Other things that are likely fake/made up by Lori:

In most interviews, Lori claims that her mom gave Jimmy her blessing to go out with her teenage daughter because he didn’t have a criminal record and ‘wasn’t a terrorist.’ I mean…I guess this could be true, but it has to be the worst excuse I’ve ever heard of a parent letting her 14-year-old child date a man pushing 30.

In the Let’s Spend the Night Together book, Lori has a story of how Jimmy once saw her smoking a cigarette, then forced her to smoke a whole pack, and that made her never smoke again. Three months after Jimmy dumped Lori, she was photographed smoking at Keith Moon’s 28th birthday party, as well as in a personal picture from the early 1980s.

Lori likes to brag about how Robert Plant and Jimmy would dedicate concerts to her while she was with Jimmy, but within the 11 months they were familiar with each other, there were only two shows in LA. Both at the Forum on May 31st and June 3rd, and neither known bootleg recordings of either show feature any shout outs to her.

Lori has gone as far as to say that when she was in LA and Jimmy was back in the UK, he would call or write her every day. Seeing as how in 1973-74, Jimmy was in another country writing, recording and producing songs on the album ‘Physical Graffiti;’ living with model Charlotte Martin and their daughter Scarlet; and having an additional affair with Krissy Wood, he might have been a bit too busy to include some teen halfway across the world. Lori also claims that Jimmy had to choose Charlotte over her because they had a toddler together, and that he would be a jerk to Charlotte to prove he loved Lori. (Never mind the fact that Lori simultaneously calls Jimmy the ‘sweetest’ man ever.)

Some articles and blog posts state Lori and Jimmy got back together for a while in the ‘80s, but this conflicts with Jimmy’s own relationship history as there were only two years in between his separation from Charlotte in 1983 and the meeting of his first wife Patricia Ecker in 1985. On top of that, whenever he would visit the US in the ‘80s when he wasn’t with Charlotte or Patricia, he was usually with a photographer named Ashley Hamm. (Could this man be anymore promiscuous.) A few times, including in Thrillist, Lori has said she still keeps in touch with Jimmy. Yet he has never mentioned her publicly and there have never been any personal photos of them together, such as on Lori’s social media, where she’s posted photos of herself reuniting with Pamela, Rodney Bingenheimer, Robert and Sylvain in modern times.

A lot of LZ books and posts state that the song ‘Sick Again’ is about Lori and her fellow baby groupie friends. This…actually is true, but the tone of the lyrics is intentionally sarcastic as Robert was known to be one of the few rockstars that era not interested in teen girls. He even said in a 1975 Rolling Stone interview that he felt sorry for the Star girls revolving their lives around how many celebrities they could meet.

TL;DR: Lori was a real, legit groupie in the mid-1970s. There are enough pictures of her with dozens of celebs and other groupies to vouch for that. Feel free to judge these adult men for getting involved with teenagers, they mostly deserve it. But it’s also pretty obvious this woman was not in serious, long-lasting, or romantic relationships with any of these rockstars and just likes being famous, no matter what context. (And she is a terrible, terrible storyteller).

[boqvistsbabe]

Karaoke Night Pt. 1

I just got this idea randomly earlier when I was watching some of the old videos. Its based off of the karaoke video but I am changing some things. I’m not promising how good this is…

Requested: Nope.

Word Count: 1.3k (I think)

Warnings: Nothing except a few swears (if you see anything please let me know)

Also I’m writing this on my phone (I will mostly write on my phone) so it might format weird and I also probably won’t edit until I have time. Grammar is gonna be bad and it’s probably gonna be choppy but here it is:

You were helping behind the scenes with Andrea to film the Karaoke video with the boys. You had been working with Andrea for about a year now. You worked mostly behind the scenes but sometimes you would help interview.

Today you were helping shoot a video about a few of the guys’ favorite songs, well that’s what they were told. What they didn’t know is that they might have to sing some of their favorite song. You knew most of them couldn’t sing for the life of them, others could kind of hold a tune if they really tried.

The shoot was almost done, only one person left. Nolan. Only two of the guys sang and one of them was Travis and he was just goofing off. Tk

had just finished up and him and a few of the other guys were sitting around the room so on the floor in various places. They all wanted to watch Nolan’s part for some reason so you had told them it was fine as long as they stayed quiet when the camera was going.

When Nolan walked in his eyes found you first. Of course you didn’t notice cause you were scolding Travis for knocking something over. Nolan smiled to himself, you were so comfortable with his team. He loved that about you, you just connected with the rowdy boys. Though you were much like Nolan himself, quiet and introverted.

You walked over to Andrea and asked her if she needed anything for this last section. She said there wasn’t anything she needed help with; so you started picking up the mess Travis made when he knocked over a little side table. Once you finished with that you plopped down gently next to Tk so you could watch Nolan’s segment.

You’d never tell the boys but Nolan was your favorite. He seemed to understand you and how you were feeling without you having to explain. He always took care of you when you got a little too tipsy at the bar. Always taking you home and making sure you felt okay before cuddling you until you fell asleep. Each time leaving water next to your bed for when you woke up. And you would do the same for him. When he was away on a roadie that you didn’t go on he would call you after a game no matter how it ended; just so he could hear your voice. If it was a loss you would comfort him because without a doubt he would beat himself up over it. He was your safe person and you were his.

Nolan was sat down and talking to Andrea before the camera was on just so he knew what he was doing. He had one time told you that part of the reason he didn’t like interviews was because he didn’t like being out on the spot. So you had discreetly told Andrea this so either you or her would give him a rundown before if you had the chance. This was the one time that you didn’t tell him, it was supposed to be a surprise after all.

When it started she just asked him what his favorite song was Sunglasses at Night by Corey Hart. He seemed relieved now cause he thought the questioning was done. Tk knocked his shoulder into yours and you looked at him. He had a shit-eating grin on his face cause he knew what was coming next.

“So by any chance if I played it, would you sing along with it?” Andrea asked him.

“I Uh…” Nolan’s face was turning a darker shade of pink than normal and he was looking anywhere but at Andrea.

“Hey Patty man do it, you can sing and you know it!” Tk said across the room.

“I don’t know about that bud.” Was the only response.

“Please man? Drinks are on me tonight if you do. You have the voice of an angel bud, the whole world deserves to hear it.”

By then you had gotten up and were standing next to the camera. Nolan’s eyes met yours and he looked very confused and uncomfortable.

“I-I guess I could do part of it…” he mumbled.

“Nols honey you don’t have to unless you want to.” You whispered.

“I know I just figured I might as well do it now so he doesn’t make me do it later tonight.”

You nodded in understanding. Some of the guys, their girls, and you were going to a karaoke bar tonight. You felt someone stand next to you..

“Just wait, you’re gonna be surprised.” Tk mumbled to you.

Nolan was fidgeting while he was waiting for them to be ready. They were getting him a microphone and the speaker connected so it would sound clear through the video. Since the camera was off you walked up to him and grabbed his hands in yours.

“Hey bud look at me.” you murmured. You waited till he met your eyes with his blue gray eyes.

“You can still back out of this you know? And if Tk bothers you I can beat him up.” You joked. And it worked there was that beautiful smile.

“It’s fine. I want to start singing more and he knew that; so I gues this his way of helping me.”

“I’m just hurt by the fact that you didn’t tell me that you liked singing and from what Tk has been saying you’re good.”

“I don’t know I still think it’s kind of weird that I do. And I promise I’m not that good, Tk is just… being Tk.”

“It’s not weird but okay. You do your thing.” You squeezed his hands before dropping them and walking back to stand by Tk. Everything was ready for him they just had to start the camera.

“Okay so you just agreed to sing this, how are you feeling?” Andrea asked him.

“Uh pretty nervous but oh well.” He shrugged his shoulders as he answered her question.

“Okay, are you ready?” He just nodded in response. Then the music started playing.

I wear my sunglasses at night

So I can, so I can

Watch you weave then breathe your story lines

Nolan’s voice was smooth as he softly sang the words into the microphone. You know you weren’t the only one entranced by his beautiful voice. He was starting at the ground as he continued singing the next part.

And I wear my sunglasses at night

So I can, so I can

Keep track of the visions in my eyes

When Nolan felt comfortable enough he looked up to meet your eyes. You were standing there looking at him like he put the stars in the sky. He didn’t understand why though, he was mediocre at best. No matter what Tk said.

You had tears in your eyes when he finished. You don’t know why, it wasn’t even a sappy song. Well you knew why, it was because Nolan’s voice was so gosh damn beautiful. You were looking at the ground trying not to look like a weirdo for almost crying over that. But of course Tk noticed.

“See I told you he was good. Y’all should sing together sometime.”

“I don’t sing.”

“Yes you do. Karly told me you do. She said you were good.”

“Well she is wrong.” With that you turn on your heel to go find Nolan. Only to bump right into him and stumble backwards. He grabbed your hands so you didn’t completely fall.

“Hey. You okay?” He questioned after looking in your eyes and seeing tears.

“Yeah. It’s just, and this is gonna sound stupid, but your voice is so beautiful.” You mumbled to him.

“Honey that’s no reason to cry.” He chuckled as he tugged you into his arms for a hug.

“It is for me,” you mumbled into his chest,” now you have to let me go so I can go home and take a nap before we go out.”

“Fine omi guess I let you go, but only cause I get to see you later tonight.” He pressed a quick kiss to the top of your head before pulling back and smiling before letting you go.

As you started your car you thought about how the night could go. You were excited.

Constructive criticism welcome but please don’t be mean. And yes I know it’s formatted badly but I don’t really care at the moment.

(You can probably tell when I started to rush it since my medicine was kicking in and I at least wanted to finish this part tonight lol)

Taagging: @dunnwithlyfe @jamiedrysdales @thatflyersfan @scheifefe @kempe @mxltifandoms06 @puckshitbitch @tysjostys @mxltifandoms06

[girlsbtrs]

Forever Warped: A Final Goodbye

After nearly 25 years, a staple part of summer is finally coming to an end as we know it. Since 1995 Warped Tour has been home to punks, misfits, and everyone in-between; allowing people of all ages to come together for one day and take in such an eclectic mix of music and culture. With the pressure of the final tour upon them fans made sure to take complete advantage of their last chance and came out by the thousands, selling out multiple dates across the country and even in Toronto, Canada. GBTRS was lucky enough to be able to attend both the sold-out Toronto date as well as the Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and make memories alongside Vans Warped Tour for one last time.

Fans in Canada turned out in the masses, proving to Kevin Lyman and the tour that it was well worth the hassle of crossing the border with hundreds of band and crew members. Selling out The Flats at Budweiser Stage, thousands of eager fans filled the waterfront and enjoyed watching their favorite acts from the past and present. I couldn't help but start my day with Doll Skin, a band we have worked closely with through our Roadie For A Day program, and to say I was blown away was an understatement. Watching these women give an energetic and tantalizing set was a rush, you've got to keep your eyes on this band because they're going to take the world by storm.

I spent a lot of time in Toronto checking out the bands on the Owly.fm Stage, most are up-in-coming acts that hustle all summer to perform and captivate their audiences. As It Is, who recently spoke back on negative comments made toward mental illness from a member of another band on the tour, played an amazing set full of songs ranging from fan-favorite "Dial Tones" to new songs like "The Stigma (Boys Don't Cry)" and vocalist Patty Walters spoke to his battles with mental illness and let the crowd know that they're not alone in their struggles. Other high energy acts like Chase Atlantic and Don Broco filled the day and kept fans dancing into the night.

A Warped Tour wouldn't be complete without taking in some metal and hitting up the Mutant White Lightning Stage to catch Dayseeker live finally. Well hyped up throughout the tour, Dayseeker was sure to not disappoint with a crushing set that reminded me why I ever started coming to Warped Tour in the first place. Being able to discover new music that moves you and find acts that carry such passion for what they do is revitalizing.

Special guests Silverstein hopped on the tour in Toronto and their hometown crowd poured their love and hearts back into the band with a sea of fans watching and dancing as they played their set. Similarly, Sum 41 attracted the largest crowd of the day, with thousands of fans piling up onto the beach to catch their only set on the final run of Vans Warped Tour. Playing tons of nostalgic fan favorites from their album Does This Look Infected? and of course, closing the set with "Fat Lip". Seeing Sum 41 was one of the most pinnacle, final Warped moments for fans, most who had listened to these songs when they originally came out in 1995. Having that sense of nostalgia tied with the finality of this last tour made for a cathartic experience for all that chose to take part in it.

Day two brought GBTRS through Cuyahoga Falls, OH for more adventures and special guests. Kicking off the morning fans fried their brains with a band called The Maine and enjoyed dancing and singing along to new bops off of their most recent album Lovely Little Lonely and old songs like "Girls Do What They Want". Even security guards were caught smiling and every photographer in the photo pit couldn't help but join in on the singalong. A special surprise came after The Maine's set over at the Transform Stage with a Canadian melodic-hardcore band called Widmore. Creating an emotionally driven and captivating set to a small crowd of fans, Widmore blew me away with both their sound and performance.

The first special guest of the day came from Knocked Loose, playing one of five dates on the Mutant White Lightning Stage. Fans and Warped crew members alike were eagerly awaiting this set, filling up the stage and mosh pits to show Knocked Loose love. Vocalist, Bryan Garris shouted out women in hardcore during their set and they gave the high octane performance they are known and loved for. Right after was the other special guest for the beautiful and sunny day in Ohio, Underoath, who only played three dates on the bill and this date being their last. Charging the Journey's Left Foot Stage, thousands of fans gathered to watch the legendary act grace the Warped Tour stage for one last time. Dozens of crowd surfers made their way to the front of the crowd and just a chance of getting close to the band and fans of every age could be caught losing their minds in the moment.

Every set seemed to be more intimate and emotional than ever before, as each day there was an ever-lingering finality knowing that it'd be the last time these bands would play these stages in these cities. Despite being in the first week of a twenty-day stretch without a day off, crew members and bands still spilled their hearts into every moment and ensured that fans were both safe and having fun. Heading back to the Owly.fm Stage for the second day I made sure to catch Sleep On It, a Chicago, IL based alternative/indie band known for charming performances. They lived up to my expectations and kept fans of all ages enticed in their set, having a fan as young as seven in the crowd on her mom's shoulders.

I sealed the night with two Warped Tour veterans who have been staple acts on the bill for years now, Mayday Parade and Every Time I Die. Take a moment to soak that sentence in, what tour will we ever be able to see a pop-punk act play right before a chaotic metal/hardcore band again? Both bands were sure to include nostalgic fan favorites like "Jersey" and "Jaime All Over" for Mayday Parade, and "Underwater Bimbos from Outer Space" and "No Son of Mine" from Every Time I Die allowing fans to create new memories attached to old songs. Every Time I Die put on the wild and highly interactive performance they're widely known and loved for, with multiple members diving themselves into the crowd and giving fans every ounce of their energy for that half-hour segment.

Warped Tour, for so many of us, has been a refuge and solace in the summer; a place where no matter who you were, or what you looked like, you could be yourself and immerse yourself completely into the music of every genre. A place where you can take advantage of non-profit organizations like Hope For The Day and The Canvas Foundation and learn how to express yourself and forever be reminded you're not alone. With twenty-four long, exciting, and unpredictable years under its belt, Warped Tour will always hold a special place in the heart of every misfit kid out there. So here's to being Forever Warped, may the memories you made with the tour last you a lifetime!

- article and photography by Sam Reed

[tuseriesdetv]

Guía de series: Estrenos y regresos de mayo 2020

Tenemos mucha suerte de seguir más tiempo con el confinamiento, así podremos disfrutar con calma de todas estas series y de todas las que tengamos atrasadas. Además, hay mucha comedia entre las novedades.

¡Feliz mayo!

Leyenda:

Verde: series nuevas

Negro: regresos de otras series

Naranja: miniseries o series documentales

Amarillo: tv movies, documentales, especiales o pilotos

Morado: season finales

Púrpura: midseason finales

*

Calendario de series

1 de mayo:

Hollywood (1T completa), Into the Night (1T completa), Casi feliz (1T completa), Mrs. Serial Killer, The Half of It y All Day and a Night en Netflix 

Trying (1T) en Apple TV+ 

Betty (1T) en HBO

Upload (1T completa) y Amaia: Una vuelta al Sol en Amazon

Charmed (2T finale) en The CW 

3 de mayo: 

Billions (5T) en Showtime

Rick & Morty (4bT completa) en Hulu

Good Witch (6T) en Hallmark

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (1T finale) y Good Girls (3T finale) en NBC 

4 de mayo:

Reno 911 (7T) en Quibi

The Neighborhood (2T finale) y Bull (4T finale) en CBS 

5 de mayo: 

The A Word (3T) en BBC One

El ministerio del tiempo (4T) en TVE

Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind en HBO 

The Conners (2T finale), Bless This Mess (2T finale) y Mixed-ish (1T finale) en ABC 

6 de mayo:

Becoming en Netflix

SEAL Team (3T finale) en CBS

Riverdale (4T finale) en The CW 

7 de mayo:

Blindspot (5T y última) en NBC

Brassic (2T completa) en Sky

Bruh (1T) en BET+ 

8 de mayo:

Dead to Me (2T completa), The Eddy (1T completa), Valeria (1T completa) y 18 regali en Netflix

Solar Opposites (1T completa) en Hulu

Madres (1T completa) en Amazon

Dynasty (3T finale) en The CW

MacGyver (4T finale) en CBS

10 de mayo:

I Know This Much Is True en HBO

The Rookie (2T finale) en ABC

11 de mayo: 9-1-1 (3T finale) en FOX

12 de mayo:

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend (especial interactivo) en Netflix

The Flash (6T finale) en The CW

13 de mayo:

The Wrong Missy en Netflix

American Housewife (4T finale), Single Parents (2T finale) y Schooled (2T finale) en ABC

14 de mayo:

Station 19 (4T finale) y How to Get Away with Murder (series finale) en ABC

Katy Keene (1T finale) en The CW

15 de mayo:

The Great (1T completa) en Hulu

La unidad (1T completa) en Movistar+

White Lines (1T completa) y Chichipatos (1T completa) en Netflix

The Blacklist (7T finale) en NBC

17 de mayo:

Hightown (1T) en Starz

Snowpiercer (1T) en TNT

The Simpsons (31T finale), Bob's Burgers (10T finale) y Duncanville (1T finale) en FOX

18 de mayo:

Stargirl (1T) en DC Universe

Dead Still (1T) en Acorn TV

19 de mayo: Sweet Magnolias (1T) en Netflix

20 de mayo:

The 100 (7T y última) en The CW

SWAT (3T finale) en CBS

Motherland: Fort Salem (1T finale) en Freeform

22 de mayo:

Control Z (1T completa), The Lovebirds y Survive the Night en Netflix

Homecoming (2T completa) en Amazon 

25 de mayo:

Barkskins en National Geographic

Grant en History

27 de mayo:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (7T y última) en ABC 

Love Life (1T) y On The Record en HBO Max

Grant en History

29 de mayo:

Space Force (1T completa) en Netflix

Ramy (2T completa) en Hulu

Central Park (1T) en Apple TV+

Defending Jacob (1T finale) en Apple TV+ 

*

Estrenos de series

Hollywood (Netflix)

Descrita como una provocativa e incisiva carta de amor a la edad de oro de Hollywood, sigue a un grupo de aspirantes a actores y directores que intentan triunfar sin importar el precio después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y muestra y examina los injustos sistemas y prejuicios basados en raza, género o sexualidad y las dinámicas de poder que continúan hasta hoy y cómo se vería la industria del entretenimiento si hubieran desaparecido. Con Darren Criss (Glee, American Crime Story), David Corenswet (The Politician), Samara Weaving (SMILF, Ready or Not), Jeremy Pope (Choir Boy, Ain't Too Proud), Laura Harrier (Spider-Man: Homecoming, BlacKkKlansman), Patti LuPone (Pose, Penny Dreadful), Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men, Mr. Mercedes), Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, The Normal Heart), Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story, The Politician), Queen Latifah (Chicago, Hairspray), Maude Apatow (Euphoria, Girls), Joe Mantello (The Normal Heart), Jake Picking (Patriots Day, Dirty Grandpa), Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite, Condor), Rob Reiner (All in the Family, New Girl), Harriet Harris (Desperate Housewives, Frasier) y Michelle Krusiec (The Invitation, Hawaii Five-0).

Creada por Ryan Murphy (Feud, American Crime Story) junto a Ian Brennan (Glee, Scream Queens). Diez episodios.

Estreno: 1 de mayo Estreno en España: 1 de mayo en Netflix España

Trying (Apple TV+)

Todo lo que quieren Nikki (Esther Smith; Cuckoo, Uncle) y Jason (Rafe Spall; Roadies, The Big Short) es un hijo, la única cosa que no pueden tener, así que deciden adoptar. Conociendo a sus disfuncionales amigos, sus excéntricas familias y sus caóticas vidas, ¿estará de acuerdo el comité con la adopción? El reparto cuenta con Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter, Pride), Daren Boyd (Fortitude, Lucky Man), Jackie Mouzo, Robyn Cara (Life), Jonathan Rhodes y Phil Davis (Poldark, Riviera).

Comedia escrita por Andy Wolton y dirigida por Jim O'Hanlon (Catastrophe, Inside No. 9). Ocho episodios.

Estreno: 1 de mayo Estreno en España: 1 de mayo en Apple TV+ España

Betty (HBO)

Comedia inspirada en la película Skate Kitchen (2018) que se centra en un grupo de chicas de Nueva York que practican skateboarding. Repiten en sus papeles Rachelle Vinberg, Nina Moran, Kabrina Adams, Dede Lovelace y Ajani Russell.

Creada, escrita y producida por Crystal Moselle (Skate Kitchen) y Lesley Arfin (Love). Dirigida por Moselle. Seis episodios.

Estreno: 1 de mayo

Estreno: 2 de mayo en HBO España

Upload (Amazon)

Sitcom en la que Nora (Andy Allo, Pitch Perfect 3) es una trabajadora de atención al cliente en un ambiente de realidad virtual en el que puede vivir la gente después de morir y al que llega Nathan (Robbie Amell; The Flash, A Series of Unfortunate Events) tras sufrir un accidente de coche.

Con Kevin Bigley (Sirens, The Moodys), Allegra Edwards (Briarpatch), Zainab Johnson (American Koko), Elizabeth Bowen (Fargo, No Tomorrow), William B Davis (Continuum, The X-Files) y Owen Daniels (Space Force).

Creada, escrita y dirigida por Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks and Recreation). Diez episodios.

Estreno: 1 de mayo

Bruh (BET+)

John (Barry Brewer, Games People Play), Tom (Mahdi Cocci, The Gifted, Sistas), Mike (Phillip Mullings Jr., American Soul) y Bill (Monti Washington, Games People Play) son cuatro amigos afroamericanos ya en la treintena que buscan guía y apoyo entre ellos mientras tratan de aprender a ser independientes, ya sea en temas amorosos o laborales. Con Chandra Currelley (Madea's Big Happy Family), Candice Renée (Bodied), Alyssa Goss (The Bobby Brown Story), Caroline Harris (Shook), Brandon Sutton, Angela Marie Rigsby (Too Close to Home) y Sarah Hudson (Bluff City Law).

Creada, escrita, producida y dirigida por Tyler Perry (Sistas, Too Close to Home). Veinticuatro episodios.

Estreno: 7 de mayo

The Eddy (Netflix)

Drama musical ambientado en París y centrado en un pianista (André Holland; Castle Rock, Moonlight), divorciado y con una hija adolescente (Amandla Stenberg; The Hate U Give, The Hunger Games), que se ha convertido en el dueño de un club y mantiene una relación intermitente con Maja (Joanna Kulig; Cold War, Hanna), una cantante que tiene problemas con la bebida. Les acompañan Tahar Rahim (The Looming Tower, The Last Panthers) y Melissa George (The Slap, The Good Wife).

Escrito por Jack Thorne (National Treasure, This Is England) y con música original de Glen Ballard. Dirigido por Alan Poul (The Newsroom, Six Feet Under). Damien Chazelle (La La Land, Whiplash) producirá y dirigirá dos de los ocho episodios.

Estreno: 8 de mayo

Estreno: 8 de mayo en Netflix España

Solar Opposites (Hulu)

Comedia de animación sobre una familia de alienígenas que abandona su planeta y se muda a un suburbio de Estados Unidos. Con las voces de Justin Roiland (Adventure Time, Gravity Falls), Sean Giambrone (The Goldbergs, Clarence), Mary Mack (Golan the Insatiable) y Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs, Reno 911!).

Creada por Justin Roiland (Rick & Morty). Ocho episodios. Ya está renovada por una segunda temporada.

Estreno: 8 de mayo

I Know This Much Is True (HBO)

Miniserie que explora la identidad estadounidense siguiendo las vidas paralelas de dos gemelos en la segunda mitad del siglo XX. Protagonizada por Mark Ruffalo (The Normal Heart, Spotlight), Melissa Leo (I'm Dying Up Here, Treme), Rosie O'Donnell (SMILF, The Fosters), Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife, The Fall), Imogen Poots (Roadies, 28 Weeks Later), Juliette Lewis (Secrets & Lies, Wayward Pines), Kathryn Hahn (Transparent, I Love Dick), Guillermo Diaz (Scandal, Weeds), Aisling Franciosi (The Fall, Clique), John Procaccino (The Good Wife, Madam Secretary), Rob Huebel (Transparent, Childrens Hospital), Philip Ettinger (One Dollar, First Reformed), Michael Greyeyes (True Detective, Fear The Walking Dead), Brian Goodman (Chance, Rizzoli & Isles), Bruce Greenwood (The Resident, American Crime Story), Marcello Fonte (Dogman), Tom Stratford, Simone Coppo y Bethany Kay.

Basada en la novela de Wally Lamb (1998). Escrita, dirigida y producida por Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine). Seis episodios.

Estreno: 10 de mayo Estreno en España: 11 de mayo en HBO España

The Great (Hulu)

Comedia sobre el ascenso al poder de Catalina la Grande y la relación con su esposo. Protagonizada por Elle Fanning (Maleficent, A Rainy Day in New York), Nicholas Hoult (Skins, X-Men). Completan el cast Phoebe Fox (Close to the Enemy, The Hollow Crown), Adam Godley (The Umbrella Academy, Breaking Bad), Gwilym Lee (Jamestown, The Midsomer Murders), Charity Wakefield (Close to the Enemy, Wolf Hall), Douglas Hodge (Catastrophe, The Night Manager), Sacha Dhawan (Iron Fist, Mr. Selfridge) y Sebastian De Souza (Skins, Medici: Masters of Florence).

Escrita por Tony McNamara (The Favourite). Diez episodios.

Estreno: 15 de mayo

White Lines (Netflix)

El cuerpo de un famoso DJ de Manchester es encontrado en Ibiza veinte años después de su misteriosa desaparición y su hermana regresa a la isla a investigar. Con Laura Haddock (Guardians of the Galaxy, Da Vinci's Demons), Daniel Mays (Good Omens, Rogue One), Marta Milans (El embarcadero, Shazam!), Juan Diego Botto (Good Behaviour, Plenilunio), Nuno Lopes (São Jorge), Laurence Fox (Lewis, Victoria) y Angela Griffin (Turn Up Charlie, Ordinary Lies).

Creada y escrita por Álex Pina (La casa de papel, Vis a vis) y producida por Andy Harries (The Crown, Strike Back) y Cristina López Ferraz (La casa de papel, Vis a vis).

Estreno: 15 de mayo Estreno en España: 15 de mayo en Netflix España

Hightown (Starz)

Drama que trata la actual crisis de muertes por sobredosis de opiáceos en Estados Unidos y que se centra en Jackie (Monica Raymund; Chicago Fire, Lie to Me), una chica lesbiana de Provincetown, Massachusetts que trabaja como agente federal en el servicio nacional de pesca marina y tras encontrar un cadáver en la costa, se obsesiona cada vez más con resolver el asesinato mientras se enfrenta a su adicción. Le acompañan James Badge Dale (The Departed, 24), Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break, Deception), Dohn Norwood (The Sinner, Hell on Wheels), Shane Harper (Happyland, Awkward), Atkins Estimond (Lodge 49, StartUp) y Riley Voelkel (The Originals, The Newsroom).

Escrita y producida por Rebecca Cutter (Gotham, The Mentalist) y producida por Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI, Lucifer).

Estreno: 17 de mayo Estreno en España: 17 de mayo en Starzplay España

Snowpiercer (TNT)

Después de que el mundo se convierta en un desierto helado, los humanos que quedan vivos viajan en un tren gigante y en constante movimiento donde se mantienen la lucha de clases, las injusticias sociales y la política de la supervivencia.

Forman el reparto Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind, Requiem for a Dream), Daveed Diggs (Hamilton, The Get Down), Mickey Sumner (Battle of the Sexes, Low Winter Sun), Iddo Goldberg (Salem, Peaky Blinders), Sheila Vand (Undone, Argo), Lena Hall (Becks), Annalise Basso (Captain Fantastic, Slender Man), Jaylin Fletcher (The Female Brain), Sasha Frolova (Red Sparrow, Little Women), Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead, Westworld), Rowan Blanchard (Girl Meets World, The Goldbergs), Karin Konoval (The Good Doctor, Dirk Gently), Timothy V. Murphy (Quantico, True Detective), Happy Anderson (The Knick, Mindhunter), Sam Otto (The State), Stephen Lobo (Continuum, Travelers), Katie McGuinness (Hollywood, Roots), Miranda Edwards (Arrow, The Magicians), Susan Park (Briarpatch, Fargo), Manoj Sood (Salvation, Insomnia), Dylan Schmid (Shut Eye, Once Upon a Time), Mike O'Malley (Glee, My Name Is Earl), Andrea Ware (Van Helsing), Shaun Toub (Homeland, Lois & Clark), Jonathan Lloyd Walker (Continuum, Flash Gordon), Kelly-Ruth Mercier (Bates Motel), Roberto Urbina (Narcos, Recovery Road), Aleks Paunovic (Van Helsing, iZombie), Shaun Toub (Homeland, Iron Man), Kerry O'Malley (Shameless, Annabelle), Aaron Glenane (Picnic at Hanging Rock) o Fiona Vroom (Altered Carbon, The Man in the High Castle).

Adaptación de la película de 2013. Creada por Graeme Manson (Orphan Black). Diez episodios. Ya está renovada por una segunda temporada.

Estreno: 17 de mayo

Stargirl (DC Universe)

Courtney Whitmore (Bella & the Bulldogs, The Goldbergs) es una estudiante que descubre que su padrastro (Luke Wilson; The Royal Tenenbaums, Roadies) fue un superhéroe en el pasado. Además, recibe el poderoso bastón cósmico de Starman (Joel McHale; Community, The X-Files) y se convierte en miembro de una nueva generación de superhéroes. Con Amy Smart (The Butterfly Effect, Felicity), Trae Romano, Cameron Gellman (Heathers), Neil Jackson (Absentia, Sleepy Hollow), Hunter Sansone (Drama Drama), Yvette Monreal (Matador, Faking It), Christopher James Baker (True Detective, Ozark), Henry Thomas (The Haunting of Hill House, Better Things), Joy Osmanski (Santa Clarita Diet, Shameless), Neil Hopkins (Lost, Matador), Nelson Lee (Ten Days in the Valley, Sneaky Pete), Kron Moore (The Oval), Jake Austin Walker (Rectify), Meg DeLacy (The Fosters, Recovery Road), Anjelika Washington (Runaways, We're Not Friends), Lou Ferrigno Jr. (SWAT, How I Met Your Mother), Brian Stapf (The Purge, The Walking Dead) y Hina Khan (Hit the Floor).

Creada por Geoff Johns (The Flash, Arrow) y producida por Greg Berlanti (Arrow, Riverdale). Trece episodios.

Estreno: 18 de mayo

Estreno en España: 19 de mayo en HBO España

Dead Still (Acorn TV)

Ambientada en Irlanda a finales del siglo XIX, sigue a un conocido fotógrafo de cadáveres que investiga los asesinatos de los fallecidos. Estará protagonizada por Michael Smiley (Luther, The Aliens), Kerr Logan (Cormoran Strike, Game of Thrones), Eileen O'Higgins (Brooklyn, Mary Queen of Scots), Aidan O'Hare (Jackie), Jimmy Smallhorne (Clean Break), Mark Rendall (Versailles, Transporter), Peter Campion (Derry Girls, Brooklyn) y Martin Donovan (Big Little Lies, Boss).

Escrita por John Morton (People Like Us, W1A) y dirigida por Imogen Murphy (Red Rock; Can't Cope, Won't Cope) y Craig David Wallace (Slasher, Murdoch Mysteries). Seis episodios.

Estreno: 18 de mayo

Sweet Magnolias (Netflix)

Adaptación de la serie de novelas de Sherryl Woods sobre tres mujeres y amigas de Carolina del Sur que lidian con el amor, el trabajo y la familia. Con JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Once Upon a Time, Kevin (Probably) Saves The World), Brooke Elliott (Drop Dead Diva), Heather Headley (Chicago Med, She's Gotta Have It), Chris Klein (American Pie, The Flash), Jamie Lynn Spears (Zoey 101, All That) y Justin Bruening (Good Behavior, Grey's Anatomy).

Escrita y producida por Sheryl J. Anderson (Charmed, Detective McLean). Producida también por Woods. Diez episodios.

Estreno: 19 de mayo

Estreno en España: 19 de mayo en Netflix España

Control Z (Netflix)

Cuando un hacker empieza a revelar los secretos más íntimos de muchos estudiantes, se desata el caos en el instituto. Los más populares comienzan a ser acosados, los marginados ganan estatus y todos se convierten en sospechosos. Sofía (Ana Valeria Becerril; Las hijas de Abril, Muerte al verano), una empollona sin amigos, intentará descubrir y detener al hacker mientras sufre todo un proceso de autodescubrimiento. Completan el reparto Michael Ronda (Soy Luna, Como dice el dicho), Yankel Stevan (Papá a toda madre, Como dice el dicho), Rodrigo Cachero (Las malcriadas), Lidia San José (Paquita Salas, A las once en casa), Zión Moreno (Gossip Girl), Luis Curiel (Doña Flor y sus dos maridos, Como dice el dicho), Samantha Acuña, Andrés Baida (Los elegidos; Like, la leyenda), Patricio Gallardo (Silvana sin lana; Tony, la chef), Macarena García (Papis muy padres; Like, la leyenda), Iván Aragón (El Chapo, Enemigo íntimo) y Xabiani Ponce de León (Violetta, Esto no es Berlín).

Creada y escrita por Carlos Quintanilla Sakar (La bandida, Rosario Tijeras), Adriana Pelusi (Rosario Tijeras, Sin rastro de ti) y Miguel García Moreno (La candidata, La esquina del diablo).

Estreno: 22 de mayo

Estreno en España: 22 de mayo en Netflix España

Barkskins (National Geographic)

En Canadá, en el siglo XVII, ocurre una misteriosa masacre que amenaza con provocar una guerra en la región. Los colonos, de todas las clases sociales, que buscaban fortuna en el Nuevo Mundo se encuentran con bosques profundos y oscuros e indígenas que les reciben con desdén pero saben que necesitarán buscar alianzas con los recién llegados para sobrevivir. Con David Thewlis (Wonder Woman, Harry Potter), Marcia Gay Harden (Pollock, Mystic River), Christian Cooke (Ordeal by Innocence, Witches of East End), Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk, The White Queen), Thomas M. Wright (Top of the Lake, The Bridge), Tallulah Haddon (Kiss Me First, Black Mirror) y James Bloor (Dunkirk).

Adaptación de la novela de Annie Proulx (Brokeback Mountain) publicada en 2012. Escrita y producida por Elwood Reid (The Chi, The Bridge). Ocho episodios.

Estreno: 25 de mayo

Love Life (HBO Max)

Comedia que sigue el camino desde el primer amor hasta el último. La primera temporada estará protagonizada y producida por Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air) y nos mostrará a un novio distinto de Darby (Kendrick) en cada episodio. Con Scoot McNairy (Halt and Catch Fire, True Detective), Zoe Chao (Strangers), Sasha Compere (Miracle Workers) y Peter Vack (The Bold Type, Mozart in the Jungle).

Creada por Sam Boyd (In a Relationship) y producida por Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks, Other Space). Diez episodios.

Estreno: 27 de mayo

Space Force (Netflix)

Comedia sobre la gente encargada de formar la fuerza espacial, la sexta rama que quiere crear Trump en las Fuerzas Armadas. Con Steve Carell (The Office, The 40 Year Old Virgin), Lisa Kudrow (Friends, The Comeback), John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich, The New Pope), Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation, House of Lies), Diana Silvers (Booksmart, Ma), Tawny Newsome (Brockmire, Bajillion Dollar Propertie$), Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley, Crazy Rich Asians), Alex Sparrow (UnREAL, The Vatican Tapes), Noah Emmerich (The Americans, The Spy), Fred Willard (Modern Family, Eveybody Loves Raymond), Jessica St. Clair (Playing House, American Housewife), Don Lake (The Bonnie Hunt Show) y Owen Daniels (Upload).

Creada y producida por Steve Carell (Angie Tribeca, The 40 Year Old Virgin) y escrita por Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks and Recreation).

Estreno: 29 de mayo

Central Park (Apple TV+)

Comedia musical de animación centrada en los cuidadores que viven en Central Park y acaban salvando el parque y básicamente el mundo. Contará con las voces de Josh Gad (Frozen, Angry Birds), Leslie Odom Jr. (Smash), Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, 30 Rock), Kristen Bell (Frozen, Gossip Girl), Stanley Tucci (BoJack Horseman, The Hunger Games), Daveed Diggs (Undone, Ferdinand) y Kathryn Hahn (Transparent, Mrs. Fletcher).

Creada por Josh Gad y Loren Bouchard (Bob's Burgers). Trece episodios. Ya está renovada por una segunda temporada.

Estreno: 29 de mayo