#for reference this release has been going for 70+ lately

[lugosis]

WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[kerryweaverlesbian]

Let me tell you about my special interest and favourite radio show BBC Radio 4's The Archers!!!! Please imbue the below with a tone of extreme glee:

BBC Radio 4's The Archers is a radio soap opera set in the fictional farming village of Ambridge. It was created in 1951 as an effort to get more farming listeners and to get more general audiences interested in farming due to the shortage of skilled farmers after ww2. The BBC tested out a variety of more dry farming programmes that failed to gain listenership, so they went to a farming conference and asked "hey what do you guys actually want from a radio show?"

And the consensus was that they wanted "a farming Dick Barton". Dick Barton was a spy drama which was half thriller and half domestic drama¹. While a farming spy thriller sounds very funny, they opted to instead make The Archers half domestic drama, half facts/debates about farming. Also they pilfered most of the writing team from Dick Barton lol.

The Archers initially had a very strong focus on the Archer family, and its cast broadened over time to now be a very wide ensemble. It is released in 15 minute segments per day, and as an omnibus² on Sundays. It is set in "the present", and always has been, so developments are happening in, kind of, real time. This means that there's a (now elderly) character who was in The Archers as a young woman is still present and the UK public has heard every part of her life, and her family's lives. There is a crazy web of dramas that is carefully recorded at the BBC and referenced as life events. For example, Nickie³ is a young mother who died of sepsis (rip) and recorded a message for her 3 year old child to listen to when he's 21. This message was then given to him literally 18 years later. Of real time. Listeners are very frequently life-long Archer fans, so there are people who heard both instances of this 18 years apart⁴. Isn't that cool!! They're keeping track of all the minutiae of a small village life from birthdays to anniversaries to that memorable stupid night out they had in their teens that their friends and family still reference to tease them. All for the sake of realism. And it works!

When The Archers was first airing, for quite a few years the cast and bbc offices frequently got post offering direct advice to the characters from members of the public who believed they were real people (or, were having fun doing some fiction writing). One very concerned letter writer offered one of the Archers come and stay at their house during a contentious unplanned pregnancy. For some of that time the cast were asked/encouraged to write back in character, but (thankfully) that practice has now stopped. Parasocial relationships have always been a thing lol.

The Archers has never been afraid to tackle big social issues. It was the first UK soap opera to have a gay wedding (with a civil partnership between Adam⁵ and Ian - contentious both due to gayness⁶ AND the class divide between them). It had a very well known and (unintentionally) well timed story about coercive control in abusive relationships with Helen Archer and her HORRIBLE ex (and now deceased haha fuck you) husband Rob which came to a head at the time the laws around coersive control were changing, so it became a central figure in explaining what this kind of abuse looks like, what it means, and how it affects people⁷. It had another big storyline about modern slavery in the UK, one about workplace bullying (very well done bc it was inflicted on Tracey whom everyone adores. And by everyone I mean. Me. I adores her. Let's go Horrobin-nation.), one really very affecting one at the moment about reconnecting with biological family very late in life, and the feelings that can bring up, and the fostering system of the 60s/70s. There was a really masterful and fairly subtle scene, after some of the Grundy family going "why in the world has our beloved George started going down the alt right misogyny pipeline when he's so surrounded by strong women??" and then it cut between the three Grundy households and in every single one of them the men waited around for the woman of the house to start making dinner and complained about it⁸.

All this might make The Archers sound like a long slew of trauma each week, but! There are always multiple ongoing storylines and SO MANY of them are comedy plots. You only get maybe 2-4 minutes of tragic stuff and then you cut away to such antics as "Linda Snell MBE is trying to put on a pantomime to her very very high artistic standards in one week while being actively sabotaged by a guy who hates pantomimes", "we were going to just have a small christmas as young flatmates but our parents all guilted us into an invite. And also the old woman who lives across the street.", "Hilda is a devil cat from Hell but someone from the family HAS to take her bc the elderly matriarch is going into an assisted living facility", "Stick in the mud, upper class The Prof. has a lodger of the rowdy laddish scottsman who wants to let his pet tarantula out to play" (the prof and jazza's relationship becomes one of the most touching and profound ones on the whole show btw). Every year there is a timetable of big village events (because, again, it's in real time!) that the audience gets to look forward to along with the characters because there's ALWAYS drama. Last year the village fête had a hostile takeover because Ed Grundy wanted to use it as aggressive marketing for his ferret business. Last year's Flower and Produce Show had an upset because a series of farcical events led to a table of pies getting destroyed, with only one remaining as the defacto victor¹⁰. And that's just from last year. Competition runs deep in this village.

As with any media I love, The Archers has its problems. It very much told from a white British normie perspective. It is set in a small rural village, so, statistically it is accurate to have it be 99% white, but it comes off as deeply self-conscious when there are non-white characters because (as an audio medium) it feels it has to clunkily find a way to say or remind the audience THIS CHARACTER IS BLACK or THIS CHARACTER IS ASIAN. I feel this doesn't efficiently utilise the strengths of an audio medium to be diverse - I had fully been picturing Welsh Natasha as south-asian bc she reminded me of a friend of mine until they introduced Ardil Shah and suddenly people were saying to him on first meeting "ah the vicar's wife is muslim..." and (really bad) "when I was a teenager I did a hate crime against an indian guy and I feel really bad about it" (??? is it Ahdil's job to absolve you???? Why put him in this position - and not interrogate in the show why it is weird to put him in this positon). Maybe they're concerned about the general public not clueing in to the fact that they're not all white if it's not spelled out very loudly in their first appearance, and they do then subsequently get storylines that aren't about race. It is true for small English villages that people will be Noticed for their ethnicity.

But Ambridge isn't a real village, it is an idealised one. If someone is really struggling to find housing, eventually the Ambridge Fairy (not a real character, just a fan term) will come along and oh look, conveniently an affordable living situation has opened up¹¹. Chelsea¹² gets an abortion and this is outed to the whole village, and there's only one or two people judging her harshly for it who eventually come around and apologise. Everyone rallies around making the Big Event go off despite the hitches! And I think more of that Ambridge acceptance and normalisation that it employs with those storylines should be extended to characters of colour. The general acceptance of south asian people in the UK increased from seeing - someone. I don't know her name I'm not a bake off head - just be happy and baking and a normal person. They could do this with the Archers, as they have already done with gay characters. Although, credit where it's due, I do believe they are doing just that with the rest of the Shah family and with Gay Paul's family.

Anyway. A big thing I love about The Archers is the intergenerational aspect of listening. Most people are introduced to it via family members (because the relationships and history are fairly complicated, it's hard to just dive in on an episode, and there's not really an obvious "start here, new listeners" place bc it's year-round, there aren't new serieses. Also as a new listener it can be hard to discern whose voice is whose and who is related to whom so sometimes you're going "are they flirting or are they cousins...? Who are they talking about...?" lmao). If you are talking to pretty much any old person in the UK, there's maybe a 70% chance they listen to or used to listen to The Archers, and can give exciting (to me) facts about characters previous storlines that I had no idea about bc to me they are "The Grandma" but to them they are "one third of a heated love triangle between two sisters and a guy, and a battle for parental approval that the other one definitively WON by dying young in a barn fire, and that pattern of child favoritism carried on through to her parenting". I am always discussing what's going on in the Archers with my parents (who also listen) and my book club (who don't).

If you want to learn more about The Archers. Listen to it if you can (it's on BBC Sounds, and on Itunes, idk how accessible it is outside the UK...). I know I said it's hard to get into but give it like 4 omnibus episodes and you'll have heard at least one complete short storyline and 4 in-episode short ones and you'll have gotten to know whoever is in those episodes. The history of their characters is an added bonus, not a requirement, and if it's important to the episode someone will say the relevant details to someone else bc they're all incurable gossips ❤️. And! You can read Flapjacks and Feudalism: Social Mobilty and Class in The Archers ed.s Cara Courage and Nicola Headlam (a book of essays on sociology through the lens of the archers. and the others in the essay book series, Flapjacks is just my favourite.) I also recommend Life on Air: A History of BBC Radio 4 by David Hendy, which only briefly and occasionally discusses The Archers but it always excites me when it does. Apparently someone was so pissed that The Archers timeslot was moved and nailed a dead fish and threatening letter to the comptroller's office door (relatable). There's also an Archers reaction podcast, TumTeeTum (named after singing along to the instrumental theme tune, although I personally go Bah bah duh bah duh bah dahhhh), a poisonous facebook group where people post the worst takes known to man and a new accompanying podcast where they interview the actors. I can't speak to the general quality of those 3 because I don't participate in them at all. My knowledge of the facebook group is from perusing it for research purposes and my general knowledge of facebook open communities. And! you can also type bbc radio 4's the archers into a search engine of your choice!!

¹when Dick Barton was being recast as Dick Barton the first actor was retiring, they did an open call for audition tapes and got one from an 8 year old who stated his qualification for the role as "I can shout really loudly". He did not get the part.

²all the segments collected together into one episode. This is how I listen.

³I actually might spell some names wrong bc. It's a radio show. Lol.

⁴not me, I only started properly listening about 6 years ago

⁵the guy who plays Adam is also voice actor for Raphael Balder's Gate 3. Reportedly also a pretty gay role lol.

⁶the current main cast Queer Ambridge Contingent are: Adam and Ian (long term married, have a little baby Xander through surrogacy, had a memorable small argument recently about how Ian is still kind of afraid to hold Adam's hand or kiss him in public even though it's Okay To Be Gay); Stella (CLOCKED her when she named her whippet "Weaver" after the woman in Alien. LESBIAN.) and her girlfriend Pip Archer (unlabelledly queer, has a little daughter Rosey who is Obsessed with Stella lmao); Rúairi (bisexual, was in a problematic sugar baby relationship with a much older woman LOL); Gay Paul the vet nurse (I am the one calling him Gay Paul no one in the show is. I call him Gay Paul because he has Gay Kevin from Riverdale energy (positive). He immediately befriended absolute Ambridge LEGEND Linda Snell MBE and had a rocky relationship with a guy who tried to strongarm him into an open relationship which Gay Paul did not want.); And I have my suspicions about newcomer Zainab. What with her not noticing/caring if teenage boys are interested in her but being deeply upset when her and Chelsea had a falling out on valentines day. I'm on the lookout. Honorable mention, Lilly's made up study-buddy Millicent who her mum became certain she was secretly dating because she'd use "studying with Millicent" as an excuse to be away from home to in fact date her SIXTH FORM ENGLISH PROFESSOR (WE HATE RUSS IN THIS HOUSE!!!!!!).

⁷I will say, I personally really did not like how they brought Rob back into her life for a while as he was terminally ill. The Archers falls back on "outsider arch villain" a little too often, and I think showing an abuse survivor happy and settled and firmly moved on without her abuser being a major player in her life was a more responsible path than He Will Always Get Some Power Over You Until He Literally Dies. But I'm not an abuse survivor, maybe some people felt seen and understood by this. It was also just geberally unpleasant to listen to lol.

⁸also he was ??? Rewarded ??? For calling his mum a stupid slut to her face by being given a new bedroom. Which he only asked for to get revenge on his female superior at work (who was renting the place his dad owned) for doing her job and telling him how to look after the pigs safely.

⁹shoes horses and suchlike

¹⁰ there is a recipie for the winning pie somewhere on the Internet, which my parents' friend who is MORE into the archers than me has reportedly made at least twice

¹¹ something interesting in how the archers is written is that there are class based catagories that are necessarily perpetuated for archetypal storytelling. The Aldridges are moneyed, upper class snobs. The Archers are middle class (they do frequently worry about losing x thing with an especially bad year, but they're land and business owners and run artisanal cheese courses). The Grundys are working class. They work at the tea rooms and pubs and farms that the Archers and Aldridges (and others) own. These strata include other families and intermingle - Jennifer Archer became Jenny Aldridge, for example. But the dynamic of upper middle working class has been preserved through every generation of The Archers (initially VERY insulting towards the bowing and scraping working class labourers, now the Grundys, Carters and Horrobins are arguably more the main characters than The Archers. But as the financial divide irl gets steeper between a Grundy and an Aldridge, it gets less and less easy to dismiss this Ambridge Fairy "it will be okay just keep working". The characters themselves have spoken about this to each other - Clarrie despaired that she and Eddie have been working multiple jobs their entire adult lives to make ends meet and might have to work until the grave. Every windfall they get to shore them up is eventually taken away from them or used up by the needs of living. But The Archers NEEDS to have good old salt of the earth types who aren't too depressed to move to be able to continue the age old comedy of stuffy stiff upper lip rich folk vs cheerful and honest poor folk that it's always engaged in. All this isn't necessarily a bad thing but it is interesting.

¹² we LOVE chelsea in this house!!!!

[foxes-that-run]

Part 3: 70 Heart kisses 2016 on

This post is in three parts:

When Harry got the Heart tattoo

70 Heart Kisses (1D years), and

70 Heart Kisses continued. (Solo career)

The amazing @womanexile and @this-daydream-is-dangerous-13started this off with finding a good chunk of these. This is by no means a complete list, I think that would be impossible. It’s also important to note that only Harry knows what this tattoo is about, why he kisses it or if that is for one person and who that is.

2017

After no performances in 2016 the heart kiss returned with HS1 but less frequently. In early 2016 Harry and Taylor had been close but by 2017 Taylor was dating Joe and Harry was very emotional on stage. See 2017 timeline. Harry also started performing with a guitar which gave his arms something to do and I think less kisses as a result.

Late March 2017 - London- During his Behind the Album performance for HS1, he not only kissed the heart, he also kisses the guitar it’s thought she had given him as a gift! This was a major moment for Harry and one he was emotional in.  He is good at first but there’s a head in hands moment at 28:10. Then, emotional. Time stamps 32:09 during Sweet Creature  37:48 guitar kiss during ESNY 52:45 kisses OTHER arm during SOTT (when he was explaining the rest of the concert to that nervous fan in July, he described this song as “emotional but hopeful” so maybe that’s a hopeful thing, that arm has ‘Things I can’/the Eagle) 

13 May 2017 - London- secret gig at the Garage in Islington - pink pants black shirt 7:52 during Sweet Creature

19 May 2017 - Troubadour, LA, on the eve of their 5 year anniversary of May 20th, while performing Leather and Lace with Stevie Nicks (1:18), Harry started crying and kissed the heart. Harry was really excited throughout the show, they performed two ghosts as a duet after which he said he was losing his s*** (but in a cool way, with a point to presumably James). 

28 September 2017 - Radio City NY - Story of my life may have an aborted arm kiss (2:30) FTDT also (3:35). On Harry and Taylor’s 28 September anniversary. Taylor marked the day with a 70 song ‘Taylor loves’ Spotify playlist.

14 October 2017 - Phoenix - During Meet me in the Hallway (1:39). After “I walked the streets all day”  before “running with the thieves”. This was Harry's last US show and he returned to Europe. His next show was in Paris where he cried twice in FTDT on 'even my phone misses your call' twice. (1:55 and again 3:30)

2 November 2017 - Glasgow- Sweet Creature on “you bring me home” (maybe, this tour had tricky lighting) (2:19) Kiwi and Reputation were released soon after. 

2018

12 June 2018 - Nashville - Sweet Creature (2:45) Harry moves to kiss his arm but doesn’t after “you bring me home” he was in Taylor’s home city. 

30 June 2018 - Chicago - Sweet Creature, a possible other arm kiss (5:11). Taylor and Harry were both in Chicago, Taylor played New Years Day with an introduction about jumping into icy pools that Taylor Nation has cut from their version. 

2 July 2018 - St Paul - Only Angel - the other arm at 3:30 and the heart at 4:33. On the same night Harry changed the lyric of “running with wolves” to “running with you” (2:00) Taylor had played this stadium the night she had the temper trap song as arm lyrics which Harry tattooed on its anniversary. Taylor had been in nearby Chicago when Harry was there the day before and not seen this day. 

In July 2020 Taylor released Cardigan with a reference to a ‘Tattoo Kiss’:

2021

The later we go the less we really know about what is going on. The heart kisses may also have different meanings. 

The 2021 timeline is interesting, starting with talking at the Grammy’s then the Brits, Harry finished writing Harry’s House and Taylor started Midnights in this period. 

22 September 2021 - St Paul - Falling, with Two Ghosts intro (4:31). Wildest Dreams TV was released a few days earlier, Harry and Taylor had spent time in St Paul in the past. 

25 September 2021 - Chicago - Falling, at the end twice with a smile and again during Adore you. When Harry last played Chicago Taylor was also there. 

21 October 2021 - Uncasville, during thank you speech. Harry and Taylor had been in Nashville at the same time earlier that month when Harry had written Satellite.

25 October 2021 - Boston - Falling. An old selfie of Joe and Taylor from 2016 leaked a few days earlier.

27 October 2021 - Atlanta - the start of Falling (0:09) right arm kiss. On the anniversary of 1989’s release. On the same day Taylor posted an instagram reel captioned ‘Basic autumn lovers RISE’ reenacting a 2014 Tumblr post including trying lyrics to ATW ‘Just between us did he love affair maim you too?’

10 November 2021 - Sacramento - Falling - on ‘it kills me we have run out of things to say’ link. Harry wore Red to celebrate the Re-record of Red TV, which is the first of Taylor's albums with songs about Harry. 

13 November 2021 - Arizona, Falling with Two Ghosts intro (2:17), Red TV was released the day before.

19 November 2021 - LA, The Forum, in the welcome speech after thanking his support act. Taylor was in Panama to visit Joe, after Taylor returned for the All Too Well premier she wrote the majority of Midnights including You’re Losing Me. 

28 November 2021 - Long Island - Falling (4:08) Right arm kiss. After this show Harry was MIA and Olivia seen alone. The next week, Taylor wrote You’re Losing me and wore a Gucci Lion Ring to a party. 

2022

As above, we know less about Harry’s relationships now, however the 2022 timeline is also interesting. Taylor completed Midnights and based on it’s lyrics, her relationship with Joe was not great. Harry released Harry’s House and at the end of the year broke up with Olivia. 

20 May 2022 - NYC - ONO - start of Satellite (1:13) another link. On Harry’s House Release, an important life event, in New York, on the anniversary of 20 May at the start of performing Satellite for the first time. 

26 June 2022 - Hamburg during his welcome speech when introducing the support act. Harry was on his European tour dates, in the last months of dating OW. These were the first months of Harry touring the Harry’s House songs.

29 June 2022 - Stockholm - introducing Matilda (1:12 and again at 1:36) Harry said it was great to be back in Sweden (he once tweeted that same phrasing at a time Taylor was MIA in Europe and he posted a colour IG photo) and that he is happiest performing. 

1 July 2022 - Oslo when inducing Matilda, Harry told the story about the party bus, that Oslo has a special place in his heart then that Matilda has nothing to do with that story but is special. (1:50) and again when introducing WMYB (0:06) 

11 July 2022 - Munich during Adore You and LOML. (Better view of loml)

16 July 2022 Vienna - during Adore you, after the crowd saying let me adore you and him saying “okay” 

5 July 2022 - Paris - after saying “I love Paris” while introducing As It Was. Harry and Taylor have referenced Paris many times as special to them. 

31 July 2022 - Lisbon - start of Kiwi (12:49) 

1 August 2022 - Toronto - cinema - kissed the eagle covering ‘things I can’ after “it’s you, and I’m not getting over it” previous kisses have been after break ups indicating wanting to change something

10 September 2022- Madison Square Garden Night 12, LOML. Harry and Taylor were both in NY, Harry started a 5 week stint of wearing the Peace Ring. Neither Harry & Olivia or Taylor & Joe seemed friendly, with both break ups announced in coming months. 

27 October 2022 - LA - introducing WMYB (day music for a sushi restaurant dropped and 1989 anniversary). Taylor was on the Graham Norton show talking about the re-records and announcing the Eras tour. 

29 October 2022 - LA N5 in Sign of the Times 

31 October 2022 - Harryween LA Timestamp 1:50 during LOML before it's unfortunate.. 

2023

The later we go the less we really know about what is going on. The heart kisses may also have different meanings. 

The 2023 timeline is interesting, Harry had separated from Olivia, Taylors separation from Joe was announced. They were both on tour and both replaced setlist songs with older Haylor songs. 

29 January 2023 - Los Angeles, Forum Night 15 - Love of My Life - Anatomical Heart Kiss (0:42) Harry also played Medicine! Between filming Satellite and the Grammy’s

31 January 2023 - Palm Springs - during Matilda , after the lyric ‘make your tea and your toast’. (2:13) The week before Harry put Little Freak in the HSLOT set 

21 February 2023 Perth LOML, During woman re-added to the setlist. 

28 Feburary 2023 - Gold Coast, QLD - during Satellite after “do you want to talk?” (4:48)

13 June 2023 - Wembley - kissed other arm (0:06) during Grapejuice and kissed the Heart Tattoo during As It Was after “...and I’m the one who will stay” (0:41) The day before Taylor played All You Had to Do was Stay as a Surprise Song on the 10th June. Harry played Best Song Ever intro to WMYB.

17 June 2023 - Wembley - at the end of Sweet Creature Harry went to kiss the tattoo and stopped himself then looked at the crowd with a cheeky embarrassed look. (3:16). Gemma had a baby 8 months later. Taylor had a particularly emotional show that night. She gave an extra wild Champagne Problems speech and extra long and weird Betty Speech and had Aaron Dessner out to play Seven and hugs Taylor at the end. Later a photo of TR sitting with Jeff in one of the Wembley crowds surfaced months later. Interestingly, this is the anniversary of Taylors 2011 Lover Journal entry days after Harry was MIA in the US when Taylor had the Temper Trap arm lyrics in St Paul. 

18 June 2023 - Wembley link Wembley n1 during as it was another link. I think the show above sums this up. Cruel Summer was officially released as a single 2 days later.

[canonicallyanxious]

Favorite Non-2024 Album Finds

This is my first year making a proper list for albums that were not released in 2024 but i wanted to do it because, as i mentioned in my 2024 albums post, this year i started using a spreadsheet to track my album listening and logged a total of 200 (!!!!!!!) albums for 2024, 130 of which were NOT released in 2024. So it only felt right to make a new list!

My other reason for making a special post: about a year ago i became a co-mod for the album poll blog @haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll and it's seriously been a great time getting to know the other mods, researching user-submitted albums, and getting exposed to music i've never even heard of before. ya boi helps maintain the playlist which is how i found the vast majority of the albums that made it onto this list - not all of them, but you can find polls for all of them over there if you want!

And thus in commemoration of my time as a co-mod for a blog that has become very special to me, pls enjoy! full list and notes/ramblings under the cut:

10. Wabi-Sabi - Cross Record (2013) / snippet from my spreadsheet of doom: "This album caters so aggressively to my personal tastes and preferences idek what else to say about it"

9. Process - Sampha (2017) / rec from a non-tumblr friend that i loved so much sampha cracked my top 5 artists list on my spotify wrapped

8. Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? - Mckinley Dixon (2023) / rec from the beloved @boxesfullofthoughts with incredible flow and lyricism, lush and layered instrumentation, and layers of literary references that all make this a very rewarding listen

7. <I°_°I> [Robot Face] - Caravan Palace (2015) / Caravan Palace is probably one of my favorite artist discoveries from hyltta and this is my favorite album of the three i listened to from them (really saying something, they're all incredibly fun and unique in their own ways)

6. Phantom Rhythm 幽靈節奏 - 工工工 (Gong Gong Gong) (2019) / we love an iconic af partnership between acoustic guitar and bass that creates some seriously interesting and textured rhythms and melodies, punctuated perfectly by distant vocals and atmospherically moody vibes, in this house

5. Blue Weekend - Wolf Alice (2021) / I knew a couple of wolf alice songs before this, but this was their first full album i listened to and probably my personal fave of the line-up (again really saying something bc i think their whole discography is stellar!), there's just the right amount of polish to really make the vocals and lyrics shine but still maintain the raw grittiness of their sound that makes them so appealing

4. Fountain Baby - Amaarae (2023) / had i found this when it first dropped last year it would have absolutely without a doubt made my albums list, the thing i'm most impressed about this record is how it never loses momentum, Amaarae is so lyrically and musically dexterous, i love how effortlessly she switches between vibes song by song and her voice is seriously unreal

3. 加爾基 精液 栗ノ花 [Karuki Zahmen Kuri No Hana -Kalk Samen Chestnut Flower-] - 椎名林檎 [Sheena Ringo] (2003) / really and genuinely i think this album is a work of art

2. Seychelles - Masayoshi Takanaka (1976) / honestly amazed an album from the 70s made it onto this list and this high up to boot, not bc 70s music isn't great but bc my personal tastes tend toward the more recent, but what can i say, the vibes of this album are simply immaculate

1. Demon Days - Gorillaz (2005) / i know i'm disgustingly late to this but like this is one of the best albums of the 21st century and you can't change my mind

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Chappell Roan (2023) / people are going to come for me for not putting this on my proper list and i don't even know that they would be wrong for it but all i can say is i listened to a lot of albums and this record which is pop perfection is basically why the honorable mentions section of this list exists at all okay??

Transangelic Exodus - Ezra Furman (2018)

Madvillainy - Madvillain (2004)

Vows - Kimbra (2011)

[nickgerlich]

Turn The Page

I have always been a book worm. My parents instilled the value of reading at a very early age, aiding and abetting my youthful passion with frequent visits to the library, as well as occasional trips to bookstores to purchase items for what I now know was my own personal library. I am thankful, because their diligence paid off.

Throughout university, I hoarded books, even textbooks. Heck, I even bought texts for classes I could not take because my schedule was full. I was just hungry for knowledge. As an adult and a newly minted Texan—if the kind natives of the Lone Star State will allow me to make such a claim after 35 years—I could get lost for hours in Barnes & Noble and Hastings. When on travel, I would seek out the small, independent booksellers, if only because those always featured local authors and hence local flavor.

That all changed when Amazon launched in 1995. Their initial focus was only books, and their aggressive pricing strategy allowed it to make quick inroads. Whereas I loved the “library” feel of a B&N, with those dark, hard wood shelves, coffee bar, stuffed chairs that invited you to stay awhile, and the implicit message that you should be whispering, it was just too easy to shop from home. You know the drill.

Through the years, Hastings lost its battle and is now just a fading memory here in Amarillo and wherever else they had shops. Amazon introduced the Kindle in 2007, an attempt to get us to switch from tangible books to e-books. Rivals like Borders also folded, and B&N found itself hanging on for dear life. It closed many stores, launched its own ill-fated e-book reader, and prayed hard.

Today, B&N is staging a bit of a comeback. It is leaner, meaner, and more focused this time around. Actually, with a lot of its brick-and-mortar competition now out of the way, they have the space pretty much to themselves. And James Daunt, the CEO who took over in 2018, is making moves by opening five dozen new stores, and allowing each location to curate its own collection of books. In other words, they are free to reflect local interests, feature local authors, and enjoy a high degree of semi-autonomy. Why, they are becoming the independent mom-and-pop bookseller they too initially set out to destroy.

With an estimated one billion book sales each year (and about 90% being tangible), there is a lot at stake here. Book sales exceed movie ticket sales. Both are forms of entertainment, albeit very different. Movies, in spite of a lot of ticket price increases, are still cheaper than books, for which now a $30 price point is common for a new cloth-bound release, and yet we opt more for the latter.

But something funny happened as the digital era unfolded. Whereas we gladly (and quickly) changed our consuming ways of news, music, and movies, we never let go of our books. Online newspapers and streaming music and movies became the new normal. There’s something about reading a tangible book, though, manually turning the pages, smelling ink on paper, that just cannot be replicated on a tablet device. The page flip on a Kindle is a weak metaphor of the real experience. Oh, and nothing beats falling asleep on the sofa whilst reading, and awakening to your book and glasses on the floor. Priceless, I tell you.

Oddly, my university has fallen in love with e-books as our texts, and has new agreements with Cengage and McGraw-Hill to provide free access for any of their titles, as approved by the professor. I know. I do it for Consumer Behavior. This was a hard decision for a guy who has never sold any of his texts, and still has everything dating back to the late-70s.

Most students, though, don’t share that same nerdiness that I have, and I don’t know that I have ever met one yet who held on to a book just in case—you know—future reference might be needed.

I am thrilled that B&N has emerged as a survivor against the e-commerce giant that Amazon is. It does not mean that there are cracks in Amazon’s armor, or that e-commerce as a modality is teetering. No, it just means that both consumers and a big corporate chain have figured out that there is still some joy to be found in Mudville. Call it old school, new school, or just back to school, buying books at B&N is becoming the new black.

And with winter rapidly arriving, I can’t wait to hunker down at the Amarillo B&N for a few hours. They know that the longer a person stays, the more they will buy. Keep the coffee hot, I’ll be right there, credit card in hand. We have some catching up to do.

Dr “Buy The Book” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[iamnotawomanimagod]

what do you expect, want, think H5 will be like? any ideas?

Oh man, so many. None of them are very organized right now, and they're all based off my memory of things H has said/done recently, and rumors online. But here are some of my thoughts!

(Also it's gonna get a little parasocial with a whole lot of speculation.)

I have to shout out some sources here: this one that breaks down all the clues on the formylasttrick website and this one keeping track of the rumors/theories that people have so far and also this one detailing some "insider" rumors about the release of the first single/video

In short:

People are picking up big 70s vibes, references to disappearing, references to magicians/magic tricks, some rabbit hole references, maybe something about Biblically accurate angels, etc.

I've also noticed Halsey referencing some things a lot in their social media posts. Spiders were a theme of the orchestral shows they did at the beginning of 2023 (merch was sold with the phrase "the life of the spider") and H recently posted an Instagram spread that included a photo of a spider on a piano with the caption "me writing." They've also posted more than one photo of herself in wings, specifically butterfly wings and angel wings. These posts often came with references to cocoons or rebirth.

Halsey has been going through it lately, and I think a big part of why they stepped away from social media so much is because they needed to grieve privately. Their relationship with Alev, their health struggles, the death threats and SWATting scares - I think their relative silence and distance in 2023 was to protect the space they needed to heal and grow while going through a lot of tough shit. And I think this is going to be a very vulnerable album as a result, because she's had time to try to process things with a bit more distance from the public eye. This album has also been hinted at as being "A2" - aka similar to Manic in that it's an Ashley album, and not as much of a Halsey album. Less dressed up in a concept or a specific aesthetic and more abstract and reflective of a her as a complex person.

Because of that, I really have no idea where the genre is going to go, or if we'll be able to really pinpoint an exact aesthetic or vibe. Manic is - intentionally - a very all over the place album, and I think we could be hearing a similar theme with H5.

It's interesting, because one of the things that happened in the lead-up to Manic was that Halsey changed her mind. The "Nightmare" video was the first place Manic was ever teased. For awhile, H was talking about making a really angry, punk-rock, feminist rage album. And then things shifted for her, and the vibe on Manic ended up being completely different - so much so that "Nightmare" didn't find a home until IICHLIWP. And I think something similar might have happened here.

If you asked me eighteen months ago, before Halsey and Alev broke up, I would've said that I expected a fully pop album, in the vein of "So Good" and this song snippet they posted on TikTok. It really seemed like that was where they were headed. But then 2023 happened, and I think things changed. Based on the little hints we have, I think this is going to be a more 70s folk rock kind of vibe.

What I don't think it will be: a pop album, anything hip-hop/rnb a la HFK, a hard rock or industrial album, a cohesive concept album like IICHLWIP, HFK, or Badlands.

I would personally love to see something a little more stripped down. More guitar, piano, violin, less synth and vocal mods. I've kind of already had my ideal producer for H - it'll be very hard for anyone to beat Trent Reznor at this point, for me. Would be wild if they worked with Lido again, lolololol. It'll be interesting to see what direction they take for the production style.

So yeah, I don't have any really hard and fast theories, other than I think this will be a really vulnerable album, it likely won't be pop (like it first seemed it might,) and it will likely have 70s influences and the references I mentioned up top.

On the bright side, if the insider rumors are correct (and a lot of times, they are, "insider" usually just means "this celebrity's manager") we won't have to wait too long! There's allegedly going to be a single and a video to go with it in the second half of February!

[metalhead-brainrot]

[Album of the day] Phantom Spell - Immortal's Requiem

Murcia, Spain // 2022 // Wizard Tower Records / Wizard Tower Recordings

[Genres] classic prog rock

[Themes] immortal wizards have problems too

[FFO] Seven Sisters, Iron Maiden, prog rock/proto metal, chiptune, classic fantasy à la David Eddings.

[Thoughts]

You may have heard of Seven Sisters, a UK-based heavy metal band from that NWOTHM revival in the late 2010s;* Kevin McNeill is the frontman, guitarist, vocalist, and occasional producer. During the depths of COVID, the band (like many) was unable to record, and Kevin McNeill started this personal project, Phantom Spell.

Immortal's Requiem is simply infectious. As prog rock goes, it's not quite interested in playing the technical game, like Rush or Emerson, Lake, and Palmer,** opting instead for a more relaxed approach to progressive (McNeill lists more of his inspirations below).

Contemporary prog rock is a strange and altogether different discussion from its founders. Prog rock founders in the 70s existed in an artistic space predating metal, often cited as the inspirations for bands in the First Wave of heavy metal.*** 70s prog rock was the heaviest music of its time, the most recent innovation from the rock scene. But contemporary prog rock (and hard rock) exists in a world where metal already exists; choosing to make contemporary prog rock isn't part of the innovation game, it's revisiting an older style. And while I spend a lot of time keeping up with the innovations and trends, I think it says more about the artist in particular when they time-travel to a particular era of the past.

Phantom Spell labors over the floor with chalk in hand, taking its time to craft the perfect summoning circle to facilitate your time-travel to an era of the past. The songs are filled with sorcerous inspiration; the dramatic fantasy sung in McNeill's powerful vocals remind me of listening to Seventh Son of a Seventh Son for the first time. "Black Spire Curse" is an instrumental chiptune track (i.e. chiptune methods to prog rock ends) that serves as an ode to another musical trend from the era, shaking hands with the fantasy-focused videogames of yesteryear.

I've pretty mush said enough at this point, but I would like to highlight that when you purchase Immortal's Requiem on Bandcamp, you get access to two hidden tracks: a cover of "Moonchild" by Rory Gallagher (i.e. the greatest guitarist you've never heard of) and an alternate release of Phantom Spell's first track, "Keep On Running" (I prefer the alternate, both are good).

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* If you haven't, go listen. The instrumentation is all solid, the music inspiring, and the album artwork great.

The band name is most likely a reference to the Pleiades, seven stars that, in ancient Greek mythos, were the (cough) companions of Artemis. The Seven Sisters are also referenced as the seventh song on The Sword's 2012 album, Apocryphon.

I somehow missed the Seven Sisters on my big heavy metal kick through the late 2010s, but I'm glad I eventually found my lighted by their stars. It can be difficult to reliably encounter heavy metal of quality; heavy metal junkies seem equally enthused by every heavy metal band, an attitude that does not adequately reflect the variance in musical talent in the genre. I won't punch down on the acts that I think are overrated here (unless you ask, and then I'll share my opinions free of charge), but I'll make an effort to promote acts that should survive the NWOTHM trend.

** Which is where I typically lean within the realms of prog rock, my synaptic pathways having been thoroughly rotted out by technical death metal.

*** To this day, Iron Maiden opens all of their concerts with their cover of UFO's "Doctor Doctor." Phenomenon (1974) has been one of my favorite albums since I was a teen, a statement that is also true for my father. For me, it was the beginning of my exploration into heavy metal; for him, it was the end.

o()xxxx[:::::::::::::::::> o()xxxx[:::::::::::::::::> o()xxxx[:::::::::::::::::>

[From the band/label] Wizard Tower Records / Wizard Tower Recordings

Phantom Spell is the brainchild of Kyle McNeill. Frontman for London based classic metal stalwarts, Seven Sisters. Having established his command of songcraft over several albums with the UK's twin-guitar renegades, McNeill has decided to add a second string to his bow. Delving heart-first into a musical love letter to his favourite prog rock artists of yesteryear. As McNeill elaborates: "Musically, this is an area I've wanted to explore for a very long time. The classic prog records have truly captured my imagination and continue to inspire me. I hope that in some odd way, this can be seen as me trying to repay the favour to those bands for enriching my life – a tribute to the dorkiness and grandeur of prog rock!". A tribute, it may be. However, this is more than a mere copycat experiment. Those who have followed McNeill's work over the years have come to expect a certain level originality and attention to detail. This new project promises to follow in that same tradition. After releasing the single, "Keep On Running", in July 2021 to much praise, the stage is set for Phantom Spell's debut album. Through "Immortal's Requiem", Phantom Spell presents a spellbinding sonic journey. A journey in which fractured thoughts of a deteriorating clairvoyant are given form as cascading guitar harmonies and weaving mellotronic passages. Songs like "Dawn of Mind" and "Seven Sided Mirror" effortlessly navigate shifting sonic textures with purpose and unabashed curiosity. Akin to the theatrical majesty of those dear Kansas and Yes gatefolds tucked away in record collections worldwide. You would be forgiven for thinking this facade of shimmering synthesizers is a means of escapism from what we face in the real world. However, amidst the grandeur is a stark vulnerability on display. The driving electrified rhythms of "Up The Tower" clear the heady smog of spell-craft and make way for a direct message. After all, Phantom Spell was born in isolation. A child of the plague years and a necessary catharsis. As the project creator, Kyle McNeill, explains: "At the core of these songs are insecurities and emotions we'll all encounter in our time. Even if you're an immortal wizard". This sincerity makes for a compelling juxtaposition against the baroque instrumental passages and fleeting guitar work. The album's only instrumental track, "Black Spire Curse" showcases McNeill's aforementioned guitar work perfectly. Navigating complex melodies and Hackett-like dreamscape soloing with equal dexterity. Culminating in a grand cacophony of marching rhythms and hedonistic simplicity before gently easing in to the lull of an acoustic/hammond organ combination. Foreshadowing the awakening that is the slumbering beast, "Blood Becomes Sand". The dynamic peaks and troughs that give the album such life are on full display here. A quality that brings the listener back time and time again. With "Immortal's Requiem", Phantom Spell present a complete work. Rounded and satisfying enough within itself while presenting avenues of exploration for a later date. A fitting opening chapter to a new story!

[evelyn-in-space]

Tuesday Taylor

Here's a big post about a little doll I'm kinda obsessed with.

Tuesday, what can ya say about Tuesday? Not much, unfortunately, as the internet is not kindly to fashion dolls that were only around for three or four years in the mid-to-late 70s.

But, here's everything I have been able to find out (so far).

Tuesday Taylor was a 11.5" version of the 19" Tiffany Taylor, both produced by Ideal Toys, the same people who made Tammy. (Which I should also make a post about.)

Tuesday started production in either '74 or '75, and was made to compete with Barbie, and is often referred to as a clone, or (if you wanna be nicer) alternative.

They both had the mildly disturbing gimmick where you could twist their scalps from one side to the other so they could either be a blonde or a brunette.

Her jingle states "Tuesday is today," so I guess it's always Tuesday in the TTCU, à la Groundhog Day.

Like any good fashion doll, she also has friends*, family, and a boyfriend.

*Tuesday never had anybody marketed as her friend, but you get the idea.

Friends & Family

Taylor Jones was the African American version of Tuesday, and her hair could change from black to red and back again. Wait... if Jones is Taylor's last name does that mean Taylor is Tuesday's last name? I thought that Tuesday Taylor was like a double first name? What kind of a name IS Tuesday, anyway!?

Ahem, anyways.

Tuesday had a really beefed up boyfriend named Eric that was released roughly at the same as Tuesday. He gives off such major himbo energy that it makes me want to cry and throw up.

Dodi was Tuesday's little sister that was probably released sometime in 1977 for the Suntan line, since that's the only pictures and listings I can find of her. Dodi did not come with the scalp twisting mechanism, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on who you ask. Hey, isn't that the same name and face sculpt as Tammy's little sister's friend?! For shame, Ideal, for shame.

Dolls That Reheat Tuesday Taylor's Body Tea

Both the Dorothy Hamill and Beautiful Crissy dolls were released circa 1977. Crissy was released outside of America, as Olympic skater Dorothy Hamill is not that popular outside the states, but you know who is? Beautiful Crissy!

A Loni Anderson doll was created in roughly 1981, but it's unclear whether this is a prototype or produced in very small quantities. Only two pictures have been found of her so far.

Known Lines/Releases

Superstar

Had a walking mechanism. Circa 1978.

Suntan

Tanned/changed color when put under sunlight. Circa 1977.

Beauty Queen

Had less articulation, I guess so then she could be more easily dressed up by littler kids? Also circa 1977.

Thought there would be more? Well I did, too. But we are not that lucky. Womp womp.

Non-Doll Things

Here's some catalog pictures showcasing most of, if not all, of Tuesday's very cute, glamorous, and cheap fashion. Apparently, Tuesday can fit in most of Barbie's clothes from the same era, although Tuesday's feet are too big for Miss Barbarella's shoes. Tuesday can also fit in clothes those fugly Sailor Moon dolls made by Irwin wore, including the shoes, and they might even share the same leg sculpt, according to this site.

Tuesday's penthouse apartment and vacation house, respectively. Since Tuesday was a gimmick doll, her houses had gimmicks, too! Her penthouse could go from day to night, and her vacation house could change from one floor to two floors, and from summer to winter!

Sources

JenJoy's All Dolled Up Page

Crissy and Beth

Confessions of a Dolly Lover

Dean Reen's video on Tuesday Taylor

Loni Anderson doll listing

Dividers from here.

All images from Pinterest or the listed sources.

Please let me know if you have any extra information, or wanna correct me on something!

[thenightling]

It's kind of a cheesy kids movie / Halloween special. The Halloween that almost wasn't AKA The Night Dracula saved the world (alternate title for some home video releases and possibly some ABC affiliates, I'm not sure why it has two titles). I saw it once on TV when I was very little and then years later (around 2003) I tracked it down on VHS tape (There were no DVDs of it and no streaming yet) because I was going through a weird phase where I MAY have been shipping Elphaba from Wicked with Count Dracula, particularly Elphaba from the musical Wicked with Dracula from Frank Wildhorn's Dracula the musical. The plot of The Halloween that almost wasn't / The Night Dracula saved the world is pretty simple. The classic monsters gather because someone has threatened their favorite holiday, Halloween. It turns out The Wicked Witch doesn't want to fly her broom across the moon (Signifying that it's officially Halloween night). If she doesn't do it, it's not officially Halloween. And Halloween will fade away. It turns out she's tired of being feared and hated and so she wants to quit. In the end a little girl dressed like her helps talk her into fulfilling her Halloween tradition. And Dracula caves on her earlier strike demands. There was an odd phase in the late 70s of having Dracula dance Disco (see Love at first Bite) and he does at the end of this as well. There's also a few small references to Young Frankenstein.

Ygor / Igor: A history of the character

Okay, horror kids, history lesson.

I see some people complaining about the new Dark Universe (in Epic Universe) Ygor not having a hunched back. Or worse, there are people who don’t even know who he is or think he’s too “extra.”

In regard to the hunchback depiction, it's not just concern about it being ableist (and it kind of is). The original Ygor wasn't even a hunchback.

Let's go back in time a bit.

In the first Universal Dracula movie (1931) Dracula had a bug eating mad henchman named Renfield (actually from the original novel by Bram Stoker). In that same year Renfield's actor (Dwight Frye) played another henchman, Fritz, in Frankenstein (Not a character from the novel by Mary Shelley that the film is based on).

Both were masterfully played as at least slightly crazed by Dwight Frye. Dwight would be typecast in these sort of roles until his untimely death in 1943.

In 1935 Bride of Frankenstein would have Dwight Frye play the sinister henchman, Karl.

The first Ygor (Spelt with a "Y" instead of an "I") was actually played by Bela Lugosi in the movie Son of Frankenstein in 1939 (The movie after Bride of Frankenstein). And then again in Ghost of Frankenstein (1942). This version of Ygor had a twisted neck from a botched hanging, instead of a hunchback.

This Ygor was a manipulative schemer and wanted to place his brain in the Frankenstein monster body and at the end of Ghost of Frankenstein he was successful, essentially killing the version of The Frankenstein Monster that had been portrayed by Boris Karloff.

The transference left Ygor's intellect in tact but he went blind in the new body. Test screenings of Frankenstein meet the Wolfman (1943) met with confused reactions from people who hadn't seen Son of Frankenstein or Ghost of Frankenstein and didn't understand why The Frankenstein Monster now spoke with Hungarian / Romanian accent. The movie was then heavily edited to remove every scene of The Frankenstein Monster talking (those scenes now lost) but he still walked around with his arms out stretched because of the blinding. This is why people sometimes think of the Frankenstein monster (and zombies) as walking around with their arms awkwardly out stretched in front of them.

The next hunchbacked assistant to a mad scientist in a Universal monster movie was Daniel (Played by J. Carrol Naish) in House of Frankenstein in 1944. In this movie he was the assistant of Doctor Niemann, played by Boris Karloff.

The Igor that is the collective zeitgeist imagining of the character fully manifested in the Mel Brooks comedy, Young Frankenstein. In fact most hunchbacked depictions of Igor are from comedies. This was in 1974. Five years later a TV movie was released called The Halloween That almost wasn’t. It also had an alternate title of The Night Dracula Saved the World. This also had the hunchbacked version of Igor but he served as a sort of stand-in for Renfield in that he was assisting Dracula instead of Dr. Frankenstein.

In 1984 The New Scooby Doo Mystery Tales did a special called A Halloween Hastle at Dracula’s Castle. This also featured a version of Igor assisting Dracula instead of Dr. Frankenstein. Somehow the late 70s brought about this shift that Igor was no longer associated with Frankenstein so much and was now associated with Count Dracula and this would linger on and off for a few decades.

In 1993’s Tim Burton’s The Nightmare before Christmas a version of Igor presents Dr. Finklestein with the plans for the skeletal flying reindeer that would pull Jack’s sleigh.

In 2004 a version of Igor turned up in the movie Van Helsing, first appearing to assist Dr. Frankenstien and then it turned out his real loyalty was to a bribe given to him by Count Dracula.

In 2008 an animated film was released called “Igor” about a world where you are born to be a lab assistant or a mad scientist. And an Igor rebels against his imposed role. It seems there was some Quasimodo from The Hunchback of NotreDame influence in some later depictions.

In 2015 the movie Victor Frankenstein Daniel Radcliffe played a version of Igor who befriends Victor Frankenstein.

Today the zeitgeist idea of Igor (or Ygor) merges all these depictions together, from serious to comedy, to crazy, and treacherous, from working for the Frankenstein family to working for Count Dracula. The twisted neck of Bela Lugosi’s version has long been forgotten in favor of Daniel’s hunchback that Mel Brooks secured in our cultural consciousness as a part of Igor.

Igor doesn’t need to be hunchbacked. He didn’t even start with one. So long as he’s crazy, sinister, and a morbid little ba$tard henchman he’s fine.

And yes, he should be “extra.” Igor should never be “toned down.” He’s a drama queen. We’re talking about someone, who in his tamest depiction, manipulated his way into having his brain placed in the Frankenstein Monster’s body.

Long live the crazy henchman!

[musicarenagh]

B-MACK Speaks: New Music, Creative Processes, and Future Plans Hey boys, guess what… I had an opportunity to speak to the one and only Bruce Mack, the B-MACK!This male individual is really versatile and has multiple gifts or skills. I was happy to be able to talk to him after he released his latest funky tune “Duckgrease Burning at The Crabhouse. “ In this particular convo, Bruce was very much willing to share the meaning of his song as well as the creative process in this new track. As you would ask, it is a straight vibe!B-MACK distinctive vocal section complement each other so well with the soulful recording by MsLarayne. It is this soulful mix of funk, rhythm and blues that you will be dancing to. However, Bruce is not only a dope composer combined with the lead vocalist but a total maestro when it comes to sound production. With this attitude, he masterfully incorporates hip-hop, funk, soul, and R&B steadily into the album. It has been like that since B-MACK and his crew Michael cox on bass, Ben tyree on guitar, chris Eddleton on the drums, Leon gruenbaum on keys since their formation in the year 2017. They primarily take influence from greats such as Funkadelic and the late Charles Bradley. Bruce shared with me more about his whole journey into the world of creativity – starting from the young man who first witnessed the musical revolutions in Harlem and the Bronx and up to the present-day home studio experimenting in Staten Island. He is not only an amazing singer, his story is equally interesting, for real!You have to come with me to enter the fantastic world of B-MACK!Let's goooo! Listen to ‘Duckgrease Burning at The Crabhouse’ below https://open.spotify.com/track/3EqJNaVj6lUpURU62thKUM?go=1&sp_cid=bd24a14b968c0f6b344048ee4e7aabff&intent=addToLibrary&utm_source=embed_player_v&utm_medium=desktop&nd=1&dlsi=fa4c4ed776284865 Follow B-MACK on Facebook Twitter Soundcloud Bandcamp Youtube Instagram Tiktok   What is your stage name B-MACK Is there a story behind your stage name? It’s actually the short version of my name (Bruce Mack) that became a nickname started by the late Greg Tate - founder of the band Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber, which I’m also a contributing member of. I’ve always liked the sound of “B-MACK” as it feels simultaneously strong and joyful when I hear it. All the other band members followed suit, affectionately referring to me as B-Mack, so when I put the press release together for the recent singles I decided to relinquish using my full name and call the whole band “B-MACK”. It is more inclusive of the players as they contribute to the sound that is based around my songwriting & voice. Did it with all caps because the name is unpredictable as are the songs and I’m a big dude. Where do you find inspiration? I find inspiration in the observation of nature. I love camping, hiking and while doing so, I gaze at nature’ often making comparions to or how it applies itself to urban life. What was the role of music in the early years of your life? In my early years (1960’s-70’s), music was like a moderator for everything I witnessed going on in my neighborhoods (Harlem & the Bronx) and around the world such as the heroin epidemic, corrupt police, racism, Vietnam war, the assasinations of the Kennedy’s, Malcolm X, and MLK. Music provided a language that helped me understand it all and was therapuetic in learning that an artist could speak, sing and/or play out their social awareness. Are you from a musical or artistic family? I guess to some extent we were… there were six of us, four girls and two boys. The oldest - Emmajane has passed on leaving 3 older sibling - Florence, Delores, Walter and younger sister Lydia, all talented. Emma was a hair & make-up stylist, Delores & Florence could replicate and resize images from magazine onto a wall via drawing or painting. Walter loved singing as he does to this day in church and I often imitated him when he babysat me. But aside from Emma who had a career as a hairstylist, they never pursued careers in the arts.

Youngest sibling Lydia is a wonderful singer and went to Fiorello H. LaGuardia School of Performing Arts in New York City to do so. I always felt she was “the real deal” and remember being so impressed by her making it into that school, it is probably the most well respected performimng arts high school in NYC. She actually did pursue a career in music and invited to sing in one of her groups for a short period, but life as it can do took her in a different direction. But she did teach one of her daughters to sing and that happens to be LaRayne aka MsLaRayne who is featured on the bridge of Duckgreaser… I went to DeWitt Clinton H.S. at that time, a bit of a scatter-brain and torn between sports and music. But the vapors from my early love of music kept flowing around me… Our mother, Sallie Catherine Mack loved the performing arts, particularly dance and music, and in my formative years she always set aside time to address curiosities about what and who Lydia and I were listening to. I was a bit more curious being 3yrs older, so ‘Ma (as I called her) would tell me who the artist were and introduced me to who they were inspired by. That knowledge became important to my development in the business of music in later years and as an educator. Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry? Well, when you say “music industry” I think of the creative side as well as the business side… creatively I would say Sly&The Family Stone, business-wise I would say Tommy Boy Records. Tommy Boy was an independent record label based in NYC that made me feel empowered to create my own path to expose my writing and performing skills, which I eventually did with my good friend Kenneth A. Edmonds when we formed our own indie record labe Attic Sounds, in the mid-eighties, releasing an extended-length double-sided single ‘Chemical Pollution’ b/w ‘You Got Me’ with our band (the original) PBR Streetgang. How did you learn to sing/write/to play? I was inspired to sing by listening to recordings of Lambert Hendrix & Ross, King Pleasure, Betty Carter and other greats. I learned to sing by mimicking horn solos on James Brown recordings that featured Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley. After high school, I took voice lessons at the JazzMobile Workshop and then studdied classical voice in college. Writing came naturally to me because I connected it to abstract painting, which allowed me to put words&thoughts together in unconventional ways. This worked well for me being someone not well-read or knowledgeable with figures of speach, yet I’ve always been socially aware, historically informed, romantic with nature and empathetic. I’m also a student of Sly Stone, Joni Mitchell and Brenda Russell. I play several instruments… piano, electric bass, drumset and various percussion all self-taught. I generally acquired those skills when I would pick up an instrument attempting to create an ostinato or rhythm pattern because it would at least sound or feel like I had some ability. If it felt easy to be creative on, I would continue with it. I played around with piano and synths quite a bit because aside from it being great accompaniment with my voice, I could also convey feeling and/or the rhythm I wanted other players to capture. [caption id="attachment_55619" align="alignnone" width="2000"] I learned to sing by mimicking horn solos on James Brown recordings that featured Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley.[/caption] What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform? The P-Funk Earth Tour, 1976 at Madison Square Garden. The headliner was Parliament-Funkadelic with opening act Booty’s Rubber Band. How could you describe your music? Quirky original songs fused with an eclectic blend of edgy funk and rock. Describe your creative process. My creative process is more like a short manual of approaches. One approach very personal to me often starts with the rhythm of a melodic or lyrical phrase in my head that I’ve been repeatedly singing for days,

sometimes months at a time before dropping it on a rhythm track with chord changes in Logic Pro or GarageBand. Then I will start to layer it with other sounds or instruments I am hearing. Sometimes the ideas come to me as complete arrangements and or lyrics all at once! Which is fun because I then open up the recording software and work feverishly to capture the idea and feeling. This was the case with Duckgrease Burning at The Crabhouse. Another favorite approach is jamming or collaborating live with other musicians… I’ll bring a notepad of lyrics, and as we establish grooves we like…I’ll attempt to see which what lyrics or poem might fit, then I record the session with a handheld stereo (in case the idea is sonically sound and salvageable) device, take it home, drop it into one of the DAWs (digital audio workstation) and begin experimenting, doubling instruments, adding keys, vocals, etc.. What is your main inspiration? Nature. What musician do you admire most and why? Guitarist/composer/producer Vernon Reid. Because of his ability to instigate exploration and experimentation in any genre of music. To be that is beyond self-gratification because it is inclusive of all musicians involved in projects he is at the helm of or as a side contributor. Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? Although my style has always centered around funk, it has evolved in that I now incorporate elements, concepts and genres of Afro-Caribbean, West Africa, South America and electronica. Who do you see as your main competitor? That’s an interesting and excellent question. I haven’t given it much thought, but if the late great Charles Bradley (R.I.P.) were alive… I would consider him my competition because of our closeness in vocal range, tone, how we apply our voices to song, similarity in genres and band instrumentation. Although his palette of meloncholy was much deeper. So who’s left? Hmmm…. I’ll have to say this fantastic artist based here in NYC called Blak Emoji. What are your interests outside of music? Cooking, hiking, camping, I love the outdoors! If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing? I think I would be a forest ranger or something in that field - no pun intended. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? Although I have changed, it was my fear of trusting and giving 100% of myself to the music. Doing other jobs to earn money caused me to waste energy, which resulted in a lack of discipline to practice, which in turn made it stressful for me to work as a sideman because I had to put so much more in with short periods of time to get the music together for whatever gig I was on. If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be? Increase the royalty fees paid to artist by streaming platforms. https://open.spotify.com/artist/4laJvxjPZv91uVjkRj3bbf Why did you choose this as the title of this project? During the fall of 2023, I was cooking, testing different spices and temperatures to use for cooking Duck breast and rendering duck fat aka duck confit aka duckgrease, and found in all cases it came out well and was easy to do. So after a few bites, a couple glasses of wine, and some solo dancing in the kitchen… I started using the term “duckgrease” as a metaphor for making it easy to have a good time. I was having a moment and such a good time, It made me forget my woes and the state our country is in… Then I began to imagine there being a place for everyone to go enjoy themselves as well and sat down to write this mini tale of a fictitious getaway. Pure escapism. That’s why I called this project “Duckgrease Burning at The Crabhouse! What are your plans for the coming months? Plans for the coming months include recording new songs to combine with previous releases for a full length album that will include vinyl & CDs. The release of a concept video for Silent Witness, booking B-MACK band in venues, and get to the woods! Oh and one small thing… Come

August 9th & 10, I will be performing several songs with and conducting Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber at Lincoln Center in a concert tribute to Melvin Van Peebles, directed by his son & film director Mario Van Peebles. Do you have any artistic collaboration plans Yes, producer Michael Cox and I are planning to do an album of electronica dance music with various singers and featured instrumentalists. Also looking forward to recording a duet with NYC Blues Hall of Fame bassist Pete Cummings in early summer. What message would you like to give to your fans? Thank you for indulging my work with your continuous support, and to keep yourself and children creative and uplifted with positivity during these complex times. When we all get pass the madness, there will be banana pudding waiting for us at the ‘Crabhouse! One Love.

[wengyan]

Week 7: The Slow Fashion Movement

Hi, welcome back to yet another blog post of mine! In this blog, I’ll be discussing the slow fashion movement.

Fashion plays an important role in our lives because it not only makes us more presentable but also a way to express ourselves. Fashion has always been sustainable and clothes are made to be worn as long as possible. However, in recent years, the fashion industry has appeared to be more fast. What does it mean to be fast in this context? Well, fast fashion, is a segment of the fashion industry producing trendy clothes at a low cost in high volumes. This may sound like a positive thing because of the low cost and all but that is not the case. It is causing an environmental impact that may bring harm in the long run. “It dries up water sources and pollutes rivers and streams, while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year. Even washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibres into the ocean each year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles.” (Maiti 2024)

The main purpose of this blog post is to encourage slow fashion to achieve a more sustainable fashion industry and to do our part in being more environmentally friendly. So, what is slow fashion? Slow fashion is the exact opposite of fast fashion. According to Hill (2023), slow fashion involves an understanding of and attitude towards fashion that gives considerable thought to the methods and materials needed to produce clothes. It promotes the purchase of longer-lasting, higher-quality clothing and maintains the principle of treating people, animals, and the environment fairly at every turn. 

There are plenty of advantages in slow fashion but the biggest factor is to save and improve the environment before it’s too late. The impact of fast fashion may not seem huge at the moment, but it surely is slowly contributing to global warming. Slow fashion should be encouraged because it is beneficial in the long run. Slow fashion clothings are produced at a higher quality which is made to be more durable. When our clothes have better durability, naturally we purchase fewer clothes and help reduce consumption. (Kulczycki 2021) 

Shopping and purchasing from sustainable brands are way more ideal. One recommended brand would be Nudie Jeans. Nude Jeans’ denim is 100% organic and crafted by one of the finest denim mills in the world, which has produced high-quality fabrics for over 70 years.

In summary, the fashion business has significance to our lives since it serves as a means of self-expression and presentability This blog post promotes slow fashion as a more environmentally friendly option. We can lessen the negative effects of fast fashion, contribute less to global warming, and encourage well-made, long-lasting apparel by opting for slow fashion. A useful step towards achieving this aim is to support eco-friendly companies like Nudie Jeans, which is well-known for their premium, organic denim. Ultimately, adopting slow fashion techniques helps the environment and promotes a more environmentally friendly fashion industry.

References

Hill, M 2023, What Is Slow Fashion? - Good On You, Good On You, viewed 17 May 2024, <https://goodonyou.eco/what-is-slow-fashion/>.

Kulczycki, P 2022, 10 Slow Fashion Benefits & Fast Fashion Disadvantages | Infographic, SANVT, viewed 18 May 2024, <https://sanvt.com/blogs/journal/advantages-of-slow-fashion?country=MY>.

Maiti, R 2024, Fast Fashion: Its Detrimental Effect on the Environment, Earth.Org, viewed 17 May 2024, <https://earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/#:~:text=It%20dries%20up%20water%20sources,of%2050%20billion%20plastic%20bottles>.

[mysterious-prophetess]

Stuff to keep in mind for works set in previous decades

Level of Tech

For example!

1970's is when betamax was invented—1975 to be precise. VHS came along in 1976. Home releases of films were not instantaneous and, if you're going to reference a film being on TV or VHS/Betamax/Laser Disk, you might want to research when that happened.

E.G. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was in theaters in 1980, but wasn't on home media until 1983.

Music media was on records in the 70's for the most part, but cassettes were making a huge splash by the 80's. The 90's was all about the CD, and by the 2000's, and onward, MP3s became king.

Phones—Portable phones were like purses in the 70's (and a military item at first) or in cars. In the 80's, there were huge bricks. Like, literally.

The 90's saw stuff like Nokia's and primitive flip phones and Blackberries.

People also used pagers—which sent texts because phones coudln't really do that yet. That's right, with early cellphones, you needed a WHOLE separate device to text. (BTW it was called "Beeping" and those were also called "beepers." That's what the Kim Possible theme song was talking about with "Call me, beep me, if you wanna reach me.") PDAs were more of a later 90's early 2000's thing.

The first Smart Phone wasn't in existence until 2007, when the iPhone debuted, and you needed a special cell plan to get one AND it was AT&T exclusive.

Before that point, it was a flip/slide phone world, and if your parents didn't have data (and almost no one did on a regular basis), going online cost you extra on your phone bill.

I still remember the panic of trying to cancel accidentally hitting the browser button on one of my old flip-phones.

Minutes/Data plans—people used to only have so many minutes to call people (yeah, call people) a month. I can remember some plans only had 800 minutes. Some had less. If you called someone on the wrong network, that could eat up your minutes.

Texts, when they became a thing your cellphone could do, also cost you minutes/data. Same restrictions applied.

Public Telephones—I'm sure people have seen phone boxes, and phone banks—those were real. Payphones were real. You had to put in quarters or dimes to use them (hence "Here's a quarter, call someone who cares" is a saying that has been orphaned by time and technology advancing).

Collect calls were a thing too where you dialed and it would bill the other end's phone bill.

Of course, there was a famous commercial that had people figure out how to scam collect services.....

Computers—By far, these have advanced the most. The first personal computers were from the 70's, but they were primitive and the screens only displayed green-scale text. You had to have a boot disk, and an operating disk you PHYSICALLY inserted into drives to get a computer to run and these were clunky devices. Programs needed you to use computer commands to make them run.

Floppy disks used to be actually large and floppy.

Then came the smaller "floppy" disks that were really rigid, AKA the modern save icon.

As previously stated, the 90's was when CDs became king.

USB drives weren't common until the 2000's, and they were SMALL. We're talking megabites and not Gigabites were common and the gigabite drives were EXPENSIVE. Solid state? That's within the last decade and a half or so, and those started off as super-duper expensive.

It was also during the 90s that boot software became part of the bios, likewise with the OS, and we were given more user-friendly interfaces that didn't require the command menus.

Game consoles—

In the 70's, the Magnavox Odyssey was out and it was the first.

The late 70's /early 80's consoles were actually the second gen consoles. Those include the Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Intellivision, and Vectrex. (BTW there were handhelds in this generation too) Gen 3 is where the Sega Master System and NES/Famicom come into play.

Sony didn't get into the console wars until Gen 5 with the PS1, and Xbox didn't wade into the fray until Gen 6. We are in Gen 9 right now.

This isn't even touching on landlines, tvs, and other appliances!

So, Tl: Dr—Please do research if you're writing fanfiction for works set in any era before now because tech has evolved so rapidly.

[canmom]

on D&D

there have been many a Posten floating across my slice through the tumblr database of late on the flaws of Dungeons & Dragons. this is an old, old argument - pushed by the White Wolf fans before my time, raised to a furious pitch by the Forge movement (Ron Edwards infamously declared that D&D players have brain damage), and continuing to simmer as the Forge gave way to 'Story Games', and then ebbing a bit with whatever that movement have way to. i don't even especially disagree - most of the good times I've had with D&D have been more despite the printed rulebooks than because of them.

however, it's worth considering what D&D actually is.

"D&D" should not be confused with the books released by Wizards of the Coast or TSR. Nor even the other books in the D&D family in the OSR, Pathfinder, etc. these are an important part of it to be sure, and WotC would certainly like us to think that it all flows out of the books.

however, I think 'buying a D&D book without any expectations, reading it cover, and attempting to run the game as described in the book' represents probably a tiny fraction of D&D players. any more than you could discern the practices of a religion by reading their holy book.

D&D, as actually practiced, is something like that - a set of practices or sorta oral tradition. you learn what D&D is when someone invites you to a D&D group, or you listen to an 'actual play' podcast, or - like me! - you fall into forums and read libraries worth of arguments about which edition is best and game balance and funny game table anecdotes, which create a picture in your head of idealised D&D, and then off you go and try and get your friends on board. you use the books primarily as a reference. (or nowadays you go on 5e.tools instead and don't buy expensive books).

the thing is, this tradition is really good at perpetuating itself and it's as endless and weird to dig into as any long running media franchise. and because a lot of it is an echo of weird 70s shit that comes from, say, an off-brand tokusatsu figurine from Hong Kong, or an author like Jack Vance whose legacy has been kinda swallowed by D&D, there's real character. yeah, there's plenty of tedious wank too, but the density of it means it can serve the 'creative prompt engine' function of an RPG in a way that's very difficult for a smaller, more tightly focused, and tbh less stupid game to be able to do.

it's also got a huge body of folklore to immerse in. the Dread Gazebo. Tucker's Kobolds. Pun-Pun. and it's fractal. a D&D forum, a podcast fanbase, etc. will end up with their own niche injokes. (of course, so will an individual group). there's endless lore to learn about the game's own history if you're that way inclined.

now you might say, most of that doesn't depend on it being D&D, the janky system outlined in the books of WotC. and that's true! there's no reason (beyond copyright) you couldn't confront a Bulette in Burning Wheel, play a Mind Flayer in Fiasco, or even set a game of Apocalypse World in Dark Sun.

this is where one of the quiet strengths of D&D-the-product does come in though. the role of the book is mostly to lend a certain sense of concreteness. it's a rhetorical trick: if you can turn to a page of the Monster Manual and see a mindflayer with a statblock, an artwork and a couple of unique abilities, then mindflayers feel more 'real'. factor in the existence of decades of history, splatbooks expanding on the concept, articles in Dragon, modules, stories about other groups who've encountered a mindflayer, and you feel like you know something. nevermind that most of the mindflayer lore is kind of eh at best! D&D is a machine that rewards your autism, hard.

and in terms of actual game design, there are some things that D&D is very granular about, like what your character can and can't do. D&D certainly is an unbalanced grab bag of not-exactly-integrated systems with no unifying design philosophy... and that's largely to its advantage in terms of making the stuff on your character sheet feel concrete, rather than ephemeral like the freely chosen Aspects in FATE. by making the map more complicated, the supposed territory it describes (the shared fiction) might be made to feel more substantial. it's not the only way to do this, mind you - you can absolutely make something a strongly impactful, constraining part of the shared fiction without numbers and dice. but the numbers and dice provide a scaffolding, a thing to lean on when you draw a blank.

(D&D arrived at this more or less by accident mind you. you could definitely say that something like the Moves of a PbtA game are a more coherent and flexible framework for system and fiction engaging without sacrificing substance. and there's plenty of trad games besides D&D which follow the same paradigm, not least because splatbooks are good business. still, I think there is something gained by what seems at a glance to just be an unholy mess of jank).

for a new game, it can't work in the same way. it's a chicken and egg problem. if nobody's ever played your game before, you can't so easily introduce it by doing. (sure you can run it for friends, but you can't rely on most people being introduced to the game that way). there may be a small or even large community of people for any given game, or maybe fans of types of game, but you have to mostly rely on the book to build up the concept in the player's mind.

one of the most useful tools you have is genre, but that's a double edged sword. there are many games that are just 'PbtA for cyberpunk' or whatever, instantly forgettable. again, that's a tricky bootstrapping problem. somehow, a game book needs to get players enthusiastic about the premise using the familiar, introduce them to the unique quirks that make it interesting, and put them in a mindset where they're ready to extemporise in whatever idiom the game suggests. tall order!

the voice of Apocalypse World - the rulebook - is very casual, quite aggressive. 'to do it, do it', not 'when its condition is met in the fiction, the Move is triggered' as a later PbtA might put it. it swears a lot. the voice of a Jenna Moran game is full of little asides and wordplay. the voice of an Avery Alder game is exhaustingly sanctimonious, which has unfortunately spread to other authors. this aspect, the feeling you get reading it describe the stuff it wants you to do, is way more important in telling you about the game than the short story you skip over at the beginning of the book, or even any particular mechanical procedure.

the voice of modern D&D is... honestly in its current edition, painfully corporate and dull. nothing puts me off playing D&D faster than reading the class introductions! but where it has the most character unique sort of slightly arch 'game prose', kind of like an encyclopedia entry with dice rolls in the middle of a sentence. it's unabashedly nerdy, comfortingly so. this is why long lists of almost identical polearms are actually valuable. games need to have something weird and jank and inexplicable for your brain to hold on to.

however... that mass is also a weakness. because all that concrete stuff that you can lean on to flesh out and inspire your imaginings... is also a lot to digest for a potential new player. (this is a reason why I've found it hard to get into games like Shadowrun and Eclipse Phase, lacking a clear on-ramp, and my ideas clashing unpredictably with established stuff.)

compared to games with a hyper-defined setting, and games that create it all improvisationally in the first session, D&D's modular framework is actually pretty ingenious. if every campaign takes place in its own mini setting designed by the DM, there's huge libraries of stuff that could be there, so you can get that 'I recognised that' knowledge, but there's no need to digest a campaign setting or worry about lore conflicts. you can be ~intertextual~ with other D&D games - "oh yeah, my DM used that!" - without all the commitments of an official setting. (of course, D&D has plenty of those too, and many of them are pretty neat. but it's agnostic about whether you use them.) this also gives you a starting point for making your own setting. "here's a thing that's expected to be there. what's your spin on this?" is a really productive question, if the things are minimally interesting.

so being a DM is kind of a bridge between "run it by the book" and "make your own game". you have a lot of freedom, and you have fallbacks to lean on. that's actually pretty good I think.

the DM role is... you could spin it different ways. on the one hand, it gives one player vastly more work than the others, turning them into a mini game designer + master of ceremonies + multirole actor + narrative author + typically, organiser; the one who's responsible for carrying the whole thing. on the other hand... that's a stage. if you are lucky enough to play with a really good DM, the whole thing really does come alive in a way that a book, no matter how elegant or flavourful, could never convey - because it's responsive to you and you get a rapport going. of course by the same token an unengaged, unenthusiastic DM can't be saved by any procedures or rules you could imagine. in that middle ground... that's where tools like Apocalypse World's MC moves come in to help. for D&D, 'how to DM well' is in my experience communicated almost exclusively through stories and imitation - you could never learn it from the DMG.

viewed as a practice or a ritual, D&D likes to mysticise the DM, like the mad wizard who built the moldering pile etc etc. you have the pageantry of the DM's screen, hidden dice rolls, passed notes, asking for perception checks without explanation. if you play in to it (you should, it's part of the fun), you get to lean on the established image of the Dungeon Master, not just someone in a room telling a story. oh wait, is that actual magic?

incidentally, I never really ran Apocalypse World strictly 'by the book'. I was aware of the list of principles and vaguely remembered the moves, but equally, perhaps more so, I was thinking of the idea of an Apocalypse World MC suggested in discussions online. I was also of course leaning on previous experience playing D&D and other games. it worked well, better the second time when I was older, because it's like 75% about being genuinely enthusiastic and paying attention to people when you get right down to it.

all this is why it's hard to replace D&D with a suite of modern, elegant purpose built systems. most of what happens at a TTRPG table, with any 'system', is not determined by what's written in the book but some fuzzy social dynamic in a given group of people and their shared idea of what the game is supposed to be. you can try and introduce rules and procedures into that dynamic, even create a game like Firebrands where nearly every step comes from a prompt list. (the question of how much the explicit mechanics should touch social interactions and narrative structure is a matter of taste). it can be helpful, but you can also risk stifling something important that comes in improv.

viewing the broad space of indie RPGs as its own tradition, like D&D... 'indie RPGs' has its own content, a shared context of frequent ttrpg players, the type like me who are likely to try a new system every campaign. the more games you play, the more analogies you can draw and the quicker you can pick up the gist of a new game. you'll have cross-game skills in e.g. improv or breaking down systems, and an established habitus in terms of stepping into character or playing a GM-like role that can't be written in a book. if you've only ever played D&D, or no TTRPGs at all, you'll have some of that, but a lot will be unfamiliar and the benefit won't necessarily be obvious.

I do think getting into the broader space of TTRPGs is worthwhile, because... ok this is going to sound pretentious as hell but seriously, it's a ridiculously interesting art form, both the designing and the playing of them. but also that's given me a perspective to look back and say, oh, that's what D&D was all along!

what would kill D&D, WotC edition? hard to imagine. there have been splinters, like the OSR for people who like simple mechanics, high lethality and the flavour associated with older editions, or Pathfinder for people who... idk, who really like 3.5 I guess and just wanted a few balance tweaks, idk, did it diverge more? it's definitely just D&D in a funny hat though. oh and there's Dungeon World but lol, Dungeon World.

D&D-the-product-line has come close to collapsing a couple of times, once when TSR went under, again when 4e divided the 3.5e fanbase hard, but 5e being a 'pretty solid for the most part' game that managed to somehow appeal to multiple ideas of 'what D&D is', along the Actual Play renaissance selling a new generation on the idea of D&D... that saved it. maybe it's about to take another hit with this new OGL killing the secondary industry.

I don't think that most of the D&D groups out there, in it for the idea of D&D, would be playing other TTRPGs if only D&D was not so big. likely they wouldn't be doing any such thing at all, but some other dorky hobby. if WotC-run D&D goes under, I'm not sure what happens! D&D-the-practice would continue no doubt, and maybe it starts looking like the OSR, with numerous variations on a theme that don't carry the stamp of 'officialness', until one or another can become an unofficial standard. maybe it looks like open source software and some kind of nonprofit D&D foundation is created to control the source lol. would be interesting to see.

aaaaanyway. if you want your fave non-D&D TTRPGs to thrive as D&D has, here's what you gotta do. talk about them. tell anecdotes from your games, the stupid memes and injokes, what you really like about the mechanics, tell everyone about the weird fun fucked up bits of the lore. tell a story about what it means to play that game. and sure, talk about how it's different from D&D and why you like it more. that story is the bait that will get people onto that fun new RPG system and give them a handle to get started. what got me into 'Story Games' all those years ago was finding a forum with a whole bunch of people having fascinating nerdy discussions about sides of TTRPGs I'd never been exposed to in D&D.

[of course me being me, I took it way too seriously and made a whole thing in my head about how much better these new, progressive Story Games were better than janky old incoherent Trad Games. for years I wouldn't even consider playing D&D or similar. all I can say is, I'm really glad I got over that attitude. hence this kind of post.]

[celestialboundx]

“Nono you don’t understand. MAMS should be:

Retro skyscraper capitalism industrial with liminal Pixar-Dreamworks 2000s rendering and museum modern sleek interior design mixed with wooden finish with soft lighting indoors at night and harsh office lighting indoors in the day, afternoon/late-morning blue sky sunny days in the city/park and cool blue tones on city night secret agent chase scenes. Sunset is saved for dramatic end of the movie seaside then it is allowed. Danny Elfman composition with Ben Folds execution. Orchestral piano. Credit scores are flat simple bold flashy art deco. NO BRITISH. No Tom Hiddleston. Get someone else for the role this is strictly American. 50s-60s-70s retro futurism Meet The Robinsons/Megamind/Incredible. Maybe even Curious George vibes with morning scenes. Bill Hader x Josh Gad make out scene mic booth sesh freestyle improv. Bomb threat the studio. Deliver package. Katzenberg death reference. 10AM sharp. Be there. Lock the doors.

The creators are WRONG. MAMS is NOT:

San-Francisco French Victorian loose rippled shingles orange brick lamp post swinging in the rain la la land architecture seaside shanty with uneven terrain no no NO . Not sunset diner not foggy morning not overcast or not angled sun Daniel Grubbs is already depressed he needs his sunlight before his commute. Not hetero romantic musical comedy. Not duets. Scrap Heidi all together this is a two-man show. Not Illumination-Disney-esque anything. Not pop or rap. No Owl City he has been let go unless he can work with Folds maybe for the credit score. No Shadow Dan erasure post-film. Short film shadow marriage legalization post credit scene. Lock them in the theater. Shoot anyone who looks displeased. Release date on my desk ASAP.”

[manysmallhands]

My Albums Of 2022 - Second Tier (pt. 2)

As previously explained, I've had to split these albums up into two posts because tumblr won't let me put more than ten links into one. This carries on where the previous one left off, recounting the second tier of my favourite albums of 2022 from July onwards. On we go!

July 

While Conway The Machine’s major label debut, God Don't Make Mistakes, got the better reception when it was released back in February, his collaboration with Big Ghost Ltd, What Has Been Blessed Cannot Be Cursed, was much more consistently enjoyable for me, if a little dense at times. There’s a gruesome feel that runs throughout the record and makes it heavy going to begin with, but Conway’s smart, edgy lyrics tend to lighten the mood and memorable tracks like "YBCM" and the Method Man guest spot "Scared To Death" meant that there were few albums more addictive released this year.

August

Trading in a kind of trippy soft-soul rumble, Mach-Hommy and The God Fahim's Dollar Menu 4 had a wonderfully dreamy sound, where the MCs who floated in and out of earshot were never quite as dominant vibes-wise as Fahim’s strange and hypnotic loops. But that's not to downgrade their contributions, as Mach and his guests' musings on food and hip-hop were always high quality, with beef of various kinds coming to the fore.

Your Old Droog (who also pops up memorably on Dollar Menu 4) released no less than six (count em!) EP/mini-albums this year and the quality rarely fell below excellent, increasingly placing him as one of my favourite underground MCs. Brooding funk beats, tenuous concepts and strikingly unusual reference points (what?!) were in full effect across every release, but the edgy bounce of Yodney Dangerfield was perhaps the best in a strong field.

September

If my first idea of Marina Allen was a kind of Shakin’ Judee Sill, the impression didn’t last long after hearing her excellent Centrifics album. While her voice has as much warmth and careworn experience as the 70s legends that she found herself compared to, there’s something unusual about the arrangements, especially the way they hang back and evolve rather than take the obvious route, which makes this album a slow burner and something worth returning to.

Rina Sawayama’s Hold The Girl spans genres effortlessly, shifting from pop-rock to club beats to wailing musical numbers and back again and then tying everything together in a bow of extreme melodrama. While there's a bit of deadwood in the middle, enough of it works (especially terrific single “This Hell") for it be worth sticking with for the long haul, as repeated plays bring ever more to the surface.

October

Armani Caesar is another fine talent from the Griselda stable and her fifth album The Liz 2 arrived late in the year with a wealth of diamond shimmer. Combining hard rhyming and opulent beats with a torrent of absolute filth in the lyrics, it was both hugely entertaining and offered a rare female angle on the bricks and hustle Griselda house style that made for an enlightening perspective shift.

Following on from 2019's slightly woolly Close It Quietly, Inner World Peace saw Frankie Cosmos return to the sweet but snappy guitar pop which made their name. While some of the more twisting elements of its predecessor remained, the immediacy of their best work was back to the fore, while Greta Klein’s bittersweet musings were as heartbreaking as ever

And that's it! More or less no one will read any of these posts, but it kept me occupied for a couple of weeks and that's what counts. I'd also be surprised if anyone actually listens to any of these records either (i only ever click on these things to see how many of the same albums I've got myself), but it would be nice to think otherwise I guess. They're all pretty good though: you really should do it, rare and unusual reader!

[taminoarticles]

— Tamino for Libération, 2018 (x) (Original French text)

Tamino, Amir do you hear...

Still unknown last year, the young Belgian singer of Egyptian origin wants to be circumspect in the face of the announced success.

by Gilles Renault, photo Marleen Daniels for “Liberation”published on October 26, 2018 at 5:06 p.m.(updated at 6:10 p.m.)

To well-born souls, value not waiting for the number of years, here comes another Belgian kid knocking at the door of musical fame. The Walloon Infanta Angèle, barely hatched in the light song department for children, likely to titillate the grown-ups, makes way for Tamino, 22, an indifferently Flemish - and mixed-blood - replica of a strong magnitude within an industry in perpetual quest for fresh flesh.

As recently as last year, the three syllables only referred to the Oriental Prince of The Magic Flute, a Mozartian hero pursued by a snake and saved by the Queen of the Night who, in return, commissions him to fly to the aid of her daughter. However, by the grace of the nickname connoted, the obliging ephebe becomes, in 2018, one of the most serious hopes of the European pop scene, ready to capsize the choirs.

A hundred and eighty-eight centimeters of haughty youth, swaddled in an endless black sweater (and unwearable, for a quidam) branded Ann Demeulemeester, matching the flagrant charm of a dark romanticism à la Louis Garrel, Amir Moharam Fouad wears handsome with his left ear ring. But does not seem to make much of it, in the art-deco house surrounded by greenery of the maternal grandparents, where he gives audience on his land, in Antwerp, a few days before the international release of a much awaited first album "based on a harmonious blend of oppositions, hot - cold, bright - dark, western - eastern…”.

Indeed, for months in Belgium first, then in France and elsewhere, all the halls and festivals (Printemps de Bourges, Rock en Seine, Montreux) have been rolling out the red carpet in front of the steep romanticism of the precocious English-speaking prodigy. Germinated in the spring, a song, Habibi, was enough to raise the temperature, an embrocation steeped in spleen, climbing so cheerfully in the treble that it revived this flame once fanned by the late Jeff Buckley - to stick to a filiation which he cannot escape. Since then, the fever has not gone down.

Sitting on a big gym ball behind the grandfather's desk, the neo-crooner deceives it without hesitation, while taking care to maintain the private sphere within a security perimeter: it will be necessary to be satisfied with the minimum service - "a girlfriend, for a long time" - in the taste buds department. Just as the hypothesis of a meeting at home was politely dismissed, on the grounds that the Antwerp apartment into which he moved a year ago hardly represents him, fault, already caught up in the whirlwind of concerts and the recording of the disc, to have had time to open all the boxes.

Conversely, Tamino rightly feels at home in the home of Lucas and “Nonna” Gerda, affectionate ancestors who still brood over the infant whose sleepless hours were brushed with Mozart. The little boy who “transformed the living room into a place of theatrical performance”. The child "often in his bubble who, eager for reading, promised to one day transform into films the stories that captivated him". Then the teenager who, having no Christmas present to offer his grandmother, "went to her room for an hour, writing her a song at a moment's notice" - whose framed manuscript is now hanging on the wall.

Going back in the annals, we come across another Moharam Fouad who, on stage, once caused syncope. Adored actor and prolific singer (his track record counts 900 tunes), the roucouleur who died in 2002 was one of the Egyptian figures of the golden age of Arabic song, in the 60s and 70s. Dogs don't make cats; Tamino has a deep respect for his paternal grandfather, whose guitar he now uses like a talisman; while specifying to have been especially marked, child, by the melodic unction of John Lennon, or the considerations on the life, the love and the friendship of the Prophet, of the Lebanese author Khalil Gibran.

“If I have a role to play today, it's that of a unifier through my music. A large part of the evils that overwhelm our society comes from the ignorance that generates these prejudices fueling rejection and racism", extrapolates the "citizen of the world", not stingy with clichés for which he apologizes, while praising a spirituality kindly abstruse, based on a transcendence that defies monotheisms.

Growing up in a land where the Vlaams Belang - the Flemish far-right party - is fanning the embers of intolerance, Tamino - who, due to his young age, won't vote for the first time in his life until next year , to the municipal ones - prefers to appeal to the weighting. “Certainly, with my head and my name, I know that in the event of a random identity check, in a crowd, it will undoubtedly fall on me. But to be frank, I must admit that I have never had to suffer from discrimination for all that”, assures the ephebe, born of a Belgian mother, anthropologist, and an Egyptian father working today in events, who separate when he is just 3 years old - and his little brother has just been born (two half-brothers will follow, one on each side).

Retaining the "friendliness and open-mindedness" of the first, and the "humor" of the second - a moment lost sight of and today requalified as an excellent "friend" - Tamino assures, as far as he remembers, always wanting to be an artist. Even though the study of languages and behavioral sciences do not leave the high school student indifferent, music is indeed very quickly imposed on his eyes - and his ears - as the "most natural way of expressing himself". The shyness overcome at the conservatory of Amsterdam, where he will perfect his scales at the age of 17, Tamino nevertheless continues to appreciate this loneliness which, in the past, encouraged him to "stay two hours hidden reading under the desk of the grandfather". Or to take refuge in phantasmagoria, at this age when, ordinarily, boys seriously begin to stare at girls.

"Still today, isolation is not displeasing to me, and I know very well how to adapt to silence", certifies the seed of star, whose sincerity does not seem subject to caution. Without this preventing him from adding, a little later in the exchange, that he would see no incompatibility therewith with the fact of "becoming the new Bono". A brazenness that hastens to defuse an ingenuous smile, pushing away the still distant specter of disappointed hopes.

October 24, 1996 Born in Mortsel (Belgium).

2017 Release of the song Habibi in Belgium and first big concert, at the Werchter festival.

October 19, 2018 Release of the album Amir.

November 19 Concert at the Café de la danse (full).