#for the record I know the first version I ever heard (or I'm pretty sure) was The Band's version so it SHOULD be the one I remember

[scekrex]

Dunno how I'm supposed to start, but I have a little idea

So. Reader wanted to use a corset and asked Adam to tie it for him, but Adam, being the asshole he is, he made it too tight.

But when Reader wants to take it off inside their bathroom, he doesn't ask Adam for help, because he messed up once, so Reader doesn't want to take the risk again.

From the inside, grunts and stuff could be heard, the normal shit, but from outside, it could be interpreted as something else (ykyk).

(You can make it a crackfic or smut, dunno. Also sorry if it doesn'tmake any sense. I LOVE YOUR WORK 😭)

So this is a SFW version - if ya want a smutty sequel feel free to request :3

You're always so lovely

pairing: Adam x male!reader

warnings: language, sexual tension & homophobic language

note: beta read by @drxgonspine

You inhaled sharply as Adam tightened the corset even more. It was too tight to stand in comfortably, forcing you to arch your back and it was way too hard to breathe. “Are you trying to kill me?” you hissed at the first man who simply patted your shoulder and responded with a lazy,

“You look really fucking sexy, babes.” Well, really it was your fault for asking Adam for help with a corset in the first place, you should've known that the brunette would find a way to mess with you. “Loose it up a little, for Christ’s sake I can’t even breathe properly,” you tried to get him to do it right, but it was Adam.

Instead of listening to you, he took your complaint as a joke, not realizing that it was actually hard for you to breathe in it, so he leaned down, placed a kiss on your cheek and mumbled, “Nah, I like it when ya look like a disney prince.” And to be completely honest? That was something you had not expected to ever be said - not by Adam. Adam, the man who loved rock ‘n’ roll more than his own life, Mr. ‘I fucking rock’ himself just said that he liked to see his boyfriend all dolled up, all pretty yet handsome at the same time.

For fucks sake, Adam knew disney - why the fuck did he know what disney was? The only logical answer to that was Lute, Adam knew a ton of things simply because Lute had told him about it.

With those words however, the first man left the room. “Get the fuck back here you cunt,” you shouted from the top of your lungs, earning you a pissed of, “Shut the fuck up fag!” from your next door neighbor who seemed to be not quite the fan of you. And Adam.

Grumbling you headed towards the bathroom, it was once again your job to fix Adam’s mistake, well this time it was kind of urgent - it not only involved you, but it also caused your body to hurt like hell. Mentally you made a note to never let the taller male help you with clothes of any kind - not when it could end like this at least.

You kicked the bathroom door shut loudly, making sure the first man heard that you had entered it and locked the room from the inside before you stood in front of the mirror and breathed in as much air as possible - for the record, it wasn’t as much air as you would have liked it to be. The corset was not only tight in all the wrong places, it was also made out of some really uncomfortable material. But as you looked yourself over in the mirror, you had to give Adam one thing and one thing only: you did look like a disney prince - a pretty handsome one as well.

But looks made not up for the air your body desperately craved and therefore the corset had to leave. As soon as possible and definitely without Adam’s help. Knowing the brunette, he would tighten the thing even more before eventually putting you out of your misery - that might only be the outcome if you were to promise him something in return, which you didn’t like because he had been the person to even cause this situation and therefore your need of help. So you were determined to do this on your own, how hard could it be to take a corset off after all?

Turns out: it was harder to take that thing off than you had expected. Thirty minutes had passed and you had achieved nothing. To be completely fair you had no idea how Adam had closed it in the first place and it was kinda hard to see your back, even with that huge mirror that was hanging on the bathroom wall. So it was only normal that it took you so long - right?

Who were you even trying to fool, it was not normal, if anything it was concerning.

You were frustrated, groans, hisses of pain and grunts fell from your lips more often than you found yourself able to stay quiet. It had been a mistake to try this thing on without having Lute around - the exorcist surely would have been more gentle. And she would have helped you out of the uncomfortable thing in no time too. But Lute was not here and Adam was the only person you wanted to stay as far away from the corset as possible.

A knock on the locked bathroom door caused you to flinch, you had been quite focused on the task of getting out of that corset. “Listen bitch, if you’re inside there jerking yourself off, you better unlock the fucking door,” Adam’s voice was muffled by the wood between you and him, yet his words made it quite clear what he thought was going on inside the locked room. “I promise ya, my mouth’s way fucking better than your hand,” the first man continued without even waiting for an answer. He seemed convinced that you had been inside the bathroom for over thirty fucking mintues to jerk yourself off instead of asking him for a little help.

“Adam,” you groaned as you accidentally tightened the corset even more - you wanted to hiss at him, make it obvious that you were not trying to orgasm without him, yet that groan of his name seemed to only fuel Adam’s suspicion more. That was honestly nothing you could blame the brunette for. If the roles were reversed, you surely would have the same thoughts.

“I know babes, just fucking open the door,” the words sounded surprisingly desperate, as if he was touching himself - and maybe he was. Yet your main problem remained to be the tight corset hugging your entire upper body. “I’m not fucking jerki- oh fuck,” once again your body’s reaction to things was not helpful at all.

Your finger had gotten stuck somewhere and when you had tried to pull your hand away, you had caused skin to break and blood to leak from your finger. “Y/N, for fucks sake if you don’t open-” that was all the first man was able to say before he heart a small clicking noise and the bathroom door swung open.

“I’m not jerking myself off, you horny fuckhead,” you growled at the taller man, who seemed genuinely surprised that you had been speaking the truth - he must have been quite convinced that you had tried to orgasm without him noticing.

“You’re not. But what the fuck were you doing then?” The brunette seemed honestly confused about the situation, he visibly had trouble wrapping his mind around what was happening.

“I was trying to get out of this bullshit,” you hissed and pointed at the corset that was still tightly wrapped around your upper body - in fact it was now even tighter than it had been before you had locked yourself inside the bathroom. The first man sighted as he wordlessly grabbed you by the shoulders and spun you around so that your back was facing him. Skillful fingers were quick to unhook the corset and free your body from its tight grip on you. The thing dropped to the floor as Adam undid the last hook and you inhaled deeply, sucking in as much air as your lungs were able to hold. Oh the feeling of freedom.

“Thank you,” you mumbled as your hand came up to press against your chest. Your body was still in pain - at least a little - but you knew that would fade.

“How about you thank me by sucking my dick?” Adam grinned as he pressed his body against yours from behind, his erection meeting your asscheeks. You were not able to hold back from rolling your eyes at that, yet you moved your ass against his hips, giving him your non-verbal consent.

[crossdressingdeath]

How do you feel about everyone calling Rook, well, "Rook"? I find it kind of jarring considering it's a nickname given by Varric. It's not a proper title, or a meaningful one, in my opinion. Rook has a surname, and I'm surprised no one ever calls them by it? Even people from the same faction just decided the character's name is Rook now. Do you find it strange too or is it just me?

I don't find it strange at all, no. First I think it is important to remember that this is a video game with voice acting; much like in every previous game, Bioware has a strong incentive to give the character one name that will apply to every version of the character so that they only have to record one version of the lines where the character is referred to by name. The HoF is called "Warden", Hawke is obviously "Hawke", Quiz is "Inquisitor", and Rook is "Rook". I actually find this one to be the least strange; why are my best friends in DAI referring to me by the title I have repeatedly said I didn't want and don't like, anyway? (I suspect this is also why in DAI there were so many pet names; it would be super jarring for your lover to call you "Inquisitor", after all.) To some extent giving Rook a nickname that everyone uses will for sure have been to save time and money, because Rook is referred to by name a lot and having to record every line where that happens multiple times (for four separate VAs when Rook says their own name!) so that the different characters can be called different things would add up fast. Also I imagine there's a need in terms of marketing to give the character one single descriptor and they're not really in a position that gives them a convenient title.

And in-universe, I think the thing you may have forgotten is that Rook introduces themselves as Rook to everyone. All the companions other than Harding and all the faction reps other than Rook's faction know them as Rook because that's what they were told their name was. And I can't speak to all of the faction reps, but I know that with Teia and Viago Teia does comment straight away that the two of them had heard de Riva's going by Rook these days, so it is justified as to why they're calling de Riva Rook too. Is it a perfect explanation? No. But it's more of an explanation than the other games offered for why everyone's being weirdly formal with you all the time (seriously, if it wasn't for the voice acting stuff I mentioned I'd be so mad about everyone calling Quiz "Inquisitor" all the time). Basically everyone calls you "Rook" in DAV because... that's what you told them to call you. There really isn't an ideal solution here, honestly; even surnames wouldn't work because a) everyone calling just this one specific person on the team by their surname would also be jarring (I don't much care for it with Hawke either if I'm honest) and b) it doesn't even work with every Rook. For example "Warden Thorne" sounds fine, but Viago runs a whole house full of de Rivas so him calling de Riva by their surname would be bizarre.

Basically it's not strange to me because Bioware kind of had to pick something and at least it's a name that Rook goes by of their own volition this time. Rook telling everyone to use the nickname Varric gave them instead of introducing themselves by name is infinitely less jarring than the Warden and Quiz's supposed closest friends referring to them pretty much exclusively by title was!

[rabbitechoes]

a bit of a light week, probably missed some stuff because i've been very busy, but there were still some rlly interesting songs that caught my attention! here are my thoughts on them!! if u care ... which i know u do!!! :D click here for last week's post!!

also feel free to follow me on rate your music and twitter <3

"Screamland" - Father John Misty

◇ released: Sept. 17, 2024 ◇ featured on Mahahmashana (not yet released) ◇ genres: singer-songwriter, art pop, indietronica

In the span of a few hours, Father John Misty released this new single and announced a new album. Alongside the announcement, Bandcamp announced that they were hosting an advanced listening party of the new record which I gleefully attended. I'm so glad I did. This new record is fantastic. He plays around with the Wall of Sound production style and his instrumentation and writing is as ambitious as ever. This track in particular, "Screamland," was a massive highlight. These songs are living and breathing, it's like you can feel the ideas as they come to Mr. Tillman. Brimming with brilliance. I can't wait to dive into this record again. For those that missed the listening party the album is out there if you look hard enough wait until it officially drops in November!

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"First Time" - Greg Mendez

◇ released: Sept. 17, 2024 ◇ featured on First Time / Alone (not yet released) ◇ genres: singer-songwriter, indietronica

I had never heard Greg Mendez's music prior to this new single, leading up to his debut on the Dead Oceans label. This is a very cute, somber cut that's very pleasant on the ears. Can't say it leaves the biggest impression, but it whets the appetite just fine in the lead-up to this EP. If you're on the lookout for a minimalist song to fit one of your yearning sessions, look no further!

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"God Gets You Back" - Mogwai

◇ released: Sept. 17, 2024 ◇ genres: progressive electronic, art rock, post-rock

This new track from Mogwai is a pretty decent progressive electronic track that's easy to get drawn into. There's some big, looming synths here and some lyrics penned by Barry Burns's daughter. I have to admit I'm not the biggest Mogwai fan. This is one of the only tracks I've heard from them outside of the Mogwai Young Team album, but I'm impressed! Not sure where this ranks among their discography on the whole, but I really enjoyed this song. It's just got so much energy to it. Definitely need to listen to more of their stuff at some point.

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"Psycho Killer (Acoustic Version) [feat. Arthur Russell] [2024 Remaster]" - Talking Heads

◇ released: Sept. 17, 2024 ◇ featured on Talking Heads: 77 (Super Deluxe Edition) [2024 Remaster] (not yet released) ◇ genres: folk rock, post-punk, art punk

The Talking Heads are gearing up for a "super deluxe" reissue of their debut record, Talking Heads: 77. As a treat alongside the announcement, they shared this acoustic version of their classic song "Psycho Killer" featuring renowned multi-faceted composer and cellist Arthur Russell. This is a cool rarity. It features early verses not present in the studio version and the band's energy is palpable - as it usually was. Russell's contributions are also pretty neat, adding some more fire to it all. If you're a fan of The Heads or Arthur Russell, definitely give this a go.

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"NEW! Christianity" - The Armed

◇ released: Sept. 17, 2024 ◇ featured on Everlasting Gaze (not yet released) ◇ genres: post-hardcore, noise pop, noise rock

Abrasive post-hardcore band The Armed are returning with a new EP, Everlasting Gaze. Acting as the final piece of their previous record, which I regretfully haven't listened to yet, it seems the band had more to add to that project. I can't speak on the quality of that album, but this track is pretty stellar. A weird mix of insane noise rock and dreamy verses - with the occasional screamed vocals. This song rules hard. Definitely gonna be listening to this new EP when it drops, but before then I need to catch up on their previous record that slipped under my radar.

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"Bird W/O Nest" - Alice Longyu Gao feat. Danny Brown

◇ released: Sept. 18, 2024 ◇ featured on Assembling Symbols Into My Own Poetry (not yet released) ◇ genres: art rock, indie rock, pop rap

Alice Longyu Gao has released another single leading up to her upcoming EP, this one being an art rock-y track featuring Danny Brown. I like it! It's a little clunky in places and I wish Gao's verses had some more edge to them, but they sound nice. Brown's feature was unexpected, but it's very hard for him to put in a bad performance. This is a cool little song regardless! I'm curious to hear how all of these singles come together on the EP, but we shall see soon enough!

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"Do You Realize??" - Willie Nelson

◇ released: Sept. 19, 2024 ◇ featured on Last Leaf On The Tree (not yet released) ◇ genres: country, americana

Coincidentally, the same week I see The Flaming Lips live on Weezer's Voyage to the Blue Planet tour, country legend Willie Nelson releases a cover of their song "Do You Realize??" This is a fine cover, it removes the psychedelic tones of the original in favor of rustic and soothing Americana. His voice is aged, not like a fine wine, but it's charming nonetheless. The backing vocalist is adding some much needed touches to it all. Is this cover necessary? Not really. Is it pleasant? Yeah, sure! If you like the original or Nelson's brand of old-timey country balladeering, give this a listen!

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"S P E Y S I D E" - Bon Iver

◇ released: Sept. 20, 2024 ◇ featured on SABLE, (not yet released) ◇ genres: indie folk, singer-songwriter, chamber folk

Bon Iver have returned with their most stripped-down song in years. Justin Vernon has reached back into his indie folk bag to the delight of many, myself included. For those not attuned to the band's last few records of off-kilter electronica blending with Vernon's cryptic prose, "S P E Y S I D E" is sure to excite. However, for those I have lovingly deemed the "sickos," of which I am one, this is a bit of a letdown. I still really enjoy the song, but I loved what Vernon and crew have been doing with all the weird sounds. Still, I'm excited to hear what SABLE, will sound like. I've never been disappointed by a Bon Iver project, even i,i which was wrongly overlooked by many, so I'm excited no matter what. Here's hoping the strange electronic stuff will return in some fashion!

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[numetaljackdog]

WILT 8/3/2024

spotify//youtube

and get this. song notes under cut

Limp Bizkit - No Sex: ahaha the funny bizkit band!!!!! except this song speaks deeply to some Themes 😐<-the seriouser. pretty sure i've talked about this one in past WILTs but it just continues to strike me as unusual to hear fred like this on significant other. it's such a shameful song, definitely with some large doses of deflection and passing the blame to the woman he's addressing in the lyrics, but it connects on a base emotional level that fred rarely operated on at this point in bizkit hiztory, and an emotional level which i operate on every day of my life. this is in my top 3 lb songs

Jerk - I Hate People Like That: whenever i'm listening to this song, it's the best song in the world. i discovered this through the "crazy-ass moments in nu metal history" instagram page and loved the live video (the singer looks so cool!!) but hearing the studio version for the first time was the real jaw-dropper. recommend the whole album, some of the crunchiest, tastiest, most australian industrial i've ever heard

Deftones - Lotion: FINALLY entering my deftones era with lots of around the fur. lotion came on shuffle whilst i was mightily zooted one day and i decided that this was, in fact, the best song ever. the little vocal riff in the chorus? wild. plus ngl i do feel sickened

Fabricoh - Arm the Left: what a cool hardcore band :)

Coal Chamber - Fiend: idrc about coal chamber that much but this shit bumps

Klokwise - Bounce With This: as i believe i mentioned, this is one of my current favorite tracks from a newer nu metal band. hype as fuck, good riff, lots of bouncing. one thing i like best about klokwise is that they have a catchphrase. fucking brilliant way to build a community around your band. people can just say WISE UP and if you're with it then you immediately know what's up

Faith No More - Jizzlobber: speaking of themes and topics. i have been getting more into fnm due to reasons beyond my control and well frankly they are so bangers. "banger" doesn't really cover this one though this is straight up freak shit those vocals are crazyyyy

Cradle Of Thorns - Flesh: before videodrone was videodrone they were a strange little diy industrial outfit that made some independently-released records throughout the 90s. i've much yet to explore from the back catalog but this is a jam that's a combination of sexy and nasty and funny. included in the youtube playlist is footage of ty what's-his-name flailing and screeching like a wet little loser faggot boy

Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us: i followed the beef from about the midpoint to the conclusion and i'm still marveling at how thoroughly kendrick lamar put that man in the dirt. and made some bangers along the way, this shit is in my head everyday

Faith No More - Digging the Grave: the singing so good. that's all i really have for this one rn, this is the newest addition to the rotation

Boskat - Boiler: honestly rudeboy really deserves most of the credit for this, like yeah boskat came up with a catchy riff but otherwise it's like barely their song. plus i checked out some of their other shit and it's mid as hell. really good nu revival track but seems like a total fluke unforch. plus idk why they shied away from just saying "dick" like grow up

Joey Valence & Brae - Packapunch: been bumping some jvb recently, which is where some of the beastie posting has been coming from. i'm a little cynical about some of their new stuff like ohhhh yeah i bet you want to add nu jazz and breakcore and w/e to your sound yeah i bet your online-as-fuck audience eats that shit up. but then also i'm part of that audience and i kind of do. so i guess they've got me there. plus danny brown! i'm serious about the beastie girls thing btw

Blondie - Rapture: another legitimate claim for the title of first-ever rap rock song! which is crazy bc it comes out of nowhere. like wow this blondie song is good in the way that most blondie songs are g- hey wait what. i love new wave and art punk and other stuff too. plus debbie harry's voice sounds realllll sexy when she sings the song title

P. O. D. - School of Hard Knocks: from little nicky. it's nu memtal

Insane Clown Posse - Hum Drum Boogie: oh goody! anyway me + the crew have been jamming this album recently and this song is so funny. MY BALLS

Charli XCX - Guess featuring Billie Eilish: i like girls :) this track strikes me as like a modern take on the paradigm of older club hits where there's like a male rapper who's the main artist and a female singer who's featured and does the hook and through the lyrics the narrative of performance is that they're gonna fuck down on each other. this is that but instead of pitbull or whoever it's billie eilish. and well that's kind of awesome. becuase of lesbian sex

Natalie Portman - Natalie's Rap: i don't give a fuckkkk about snl but i love when women rap and i love when it's violent on purpose

Chris Korda - Save the Planet, Kill Yourself: i got obsessed with the church of euthanasia recently after reading a bunch about the unabomber and that led me to chris korda's music which admittedly is not something i would give a fuck about if not for everything else going on with her. i would have added "i like to watch" instead of this but for some strange reason that i just can't fathom it doesn't seem to be widely available anywhere. weird!

Insane Clown Posse - I'm Ugly: actually awful song but soooo fucking funny. and then it gets kind of hard at the end and i stand by that

BONUS TRACK!

Trapt - These Walls: fuck these guys and their shitty band but also this song is kind of real as fuck....... like yeah man i would trade everything for this. however this was almost certainly purely incidental as all their songs sound like they were made in a lab

[donnerpartyofone]

I just saw this poll that was apparently the product of a debate among non-Americans as to whether or not summer camp is real. Americans were supposed to select one of several answers describing how real it actually is and what their direct experience is with it (like "I've been to one" or "I've heard of them but never known anyone who went"), as if to prove their claim. One option suggested it was only for rich people. Never in my life did it occur to me that the reality of summer camp was up for debate, but I also never thought about the economics of it. As a kid I was just glad I didn't have to go; forced-fun is really hard on me still, I hate even friendly competitions because I am literally incompetent, and I couldn't imagine being in a situation where I wouldn't ever be alone for days or weeks at a time. We had to go to band camp, which was just a day thing at school for a month or so, and I'm sure that was a combination of our parents just wanting to get rid of us and also wanting us to have extracurriculars on our record. But it never occurred to me that proper sleepaway summer camp was out of our price range, probably because wealthiness was not part of the cliche of summer camp.

Like, the 1980s was the era of a film subgenre called snobs versus slobs, a prime example of which is the movie MEATBALLS, which pits kids at a working class summer camp against the rich jerks at a much ritzier camp nearby; the stereotypical vision was that summer camp is for everyone, but the rich people versions are less wholesome, farther away from the American-as-apple-pie camp experience god intended. I also recall a Saturday morning cartoon called Camp Candy, in which John Candy was the beloved counselor of an earnest little camp that was under threat from a rich developer--again here, money is the enemy of the salt of the earth, egalitarian decency of summer camp. ERNEST GOES TO CAMP involves scrappy juvenile delinquents at a camp that is antagonized by a greedy strip mining corporation, so money is only a theme insofar as "camp" represents something common and honest that is antithetical to contaminating wealth. The standard summer camp narrative is most often about underdogs trying to save something they love, and not about rich people either finding their souls or getting their comeuppance (unless they're the bad guys who are generally not "real", sincere campers). Personally, my closer cultural connections are with FRIDAY THE 13TH and SLEEPAWAY CAMP, which take place in rural New Jersey; nowhere is there the idea that Jason Voorhees' mom was rich, and although there's evidence of wealth regarding the first family you meet in SLEEPAWAY CAMP, the prevailing image is not of snotty prep school students, but of regular, somewhat coarse suburban kids who don't mind skinning their knees and getting their hands dirty and eating cafeteria slop dished out by a filthy pervert.

I do get the idea (just now, from searching the internet) that summer camp is exorbitantly expensive nowadays due to inflation (and probably escalating greed, just like with everything else), but even though it can involve room and board etc for days or weeks, I never acquired the prejudice that camp in general was only for the upper crust, like I'd assume about ski school or uh sailing lessons or I don't know what. And I mean there's a lot of stuff like that in mainstream media, where e.g. blue collar families have homes and possessions that are WAY too nice, or something like that. It's just something film and TV creators do to make things more inviting and less depressing, I think, and that can skew popular conceptions of how expensive certain things actually are. But I'm looking at a Reddit right now confirming my perception that versions of summer camp were available to middle class Americans in the 1960s-80s, and that the idea that the price tag of it would compete with college tuition is pretty recent. But it's still funny to me how often I see people on here assuming that if they've never personally experienced something, no matter how often they've heard of it, then it's probably not real. That's some protagonist syndrome shit right there. Just because you've seen an artificially enhanced version of something on TV doesn't mean it's a fake idea contrived to make an idiot out of you. You can do that all by yourself.

[libertineangel]

Hey Clashblr, check these out

Since there's a few of you around now that are still getting into some of the deeper cuts, I thought I'd put together a post highlighting some of the oft-forgotten obscure material for you to check out. Gonna stick it under a cut, 'cause there's a fair bit and Youtube links take up a lot of space on the dash.

Fasten your seatbelts, hold onto your hats, let's go yeah?

First up we have The Escapades of Futura 2000, lyrics by the man himself with music written & played by the Clash. Futura was the rapper on Overpowered By Funk, and also a graffiti artist who accompanied the band on the Combat Rock tour across the US painting stage backdrops live through the gigs. This particular upload is the 12" mix, which has a good extra minute over the version released last year on The People's Hall.

Here we've got the complete double-sided 12" 19-minute experience of This Is Radio Clash - the track we all know and love to open, then the more commonly remembered B-side Radio Clash (almost identical, not quite the same), then things get real funky with Outside Broadcast, and Radio Five ties it all together. Those last two have never seen a reissue on any compilation whatsoever, probably the most obscure tracks in their entire official discography.

This one's Robber Dub, a remix of Bankrobber from Mikey Dread (not to be confused with Rockers Galore, his other remix that actually features him on vocals). Featured on Super Black Market Clash but interestingly not in the "complete" Sound System box set, an omission that's always perplexed me.

Speaking of, I'd thoroughly recommend checking out both of the mentioned collections if you're not familiar, between Super Black Market & Sound System you've got every officially-released song other than those two Radio Clash extras - so, with that in mind, let's dive into the real offcuts that never even made it onto a record.

How's about seven and a half minutes of Topper playing around with a drumkit & piano to start us off? Some people still don't believe this is even The Clash, that someone scrounged up some random sounds and stuck it on a bootleg, but that's bollocks because I'm pretty sure bits of it ended up in Hell W10, their endearingly crap short film from '81 (watch it here, it's a 50-minute London crime drama). What people are wrong about is that it was ever going to be on Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg, because this is the real tracklist; relatedly, there's alternate mixes of most of those tracks around if you care to look for them, they're not hard to find, except for the high-quality acetate rip that surfaced two years ago that has been scrubbed off the face of the fucking internet, from the 20 minutes I just spent searching it seems even Internet Archive wasn't able to withstand the might of CBS. Anyway...

OK, so technically this one has made it to a record, but that record was the Vanilla Tapes bonus disc of the 2004 reissue of London Calling, it never actually got beyond demo stage. Honestly I doubt they ever really expected or intended it to, sounds to me like the band having fun in the studio, but fun it is. There's actually a few demo-only Vanilla Tapes tracks I could stick here, but this is long as fuck already so instead I will simply give you the lot to peruse at your leisure.

Sticking with demos that eventually got an obscure release, this one is from the Give 'Em Enough Rope sessions but wasn't heard until the On Broadway compilation in '91. It's a solid number of course, they hardly put a foot wrong, but it's nothing groundbreaking.

This is from that same compilation, from the same sessions, it's a cover of the classic soul tune and I like it. Understated, gentle but with that pained passion in the vocals Mick carries so well, and that nice subtle bass is a sweet touch.

Our last couple of tracks are live numbers, and this one's a special one-off performance with the great Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, from the 10th June date of their infamous Bond's residency. He wrote it specifically to perform with the band, six minutes of cantankerous complaining about just about any ideology you care to name while the band (and their sound man, gotta credit those perfectly-timed dub echoes) give a strident backing. Topper was on fucking fire for those gigs, just listen to that kick drum.

And finally let's close out where they began, way back in '76 with Keith Levene. This one's probably my favourite of their earliest offcuts, but personally I prefer an even earlier version of it that Youtube doesn't seem to have, from their third ever gig (and first known recording) at the classic Screen on the Green punk showcase. Five of the thirteen tracks on that setlist never made it to the studio, plus it includes the original lyrics to I'm So Bored With You, and it's all here.

[threebooksoneplot]

love this podcast so much! this is probably a bit of a nuts ask but i just wanted to let you guys know that you've genuinely helped me in real life- I was approached by two Mormon missionaries today (i live in the UK so it was Unexpected to say the least) and for the entirety of the conversation I was remembering how you mentioned on one of your episodes (99% sure it was you guys) about how being on missionary is most Mormons' first experience of the wider world so you should do your best to be polite etc. all the context you gave genuinely helped me navigate the conversation so much lmao, you guys are entertaining AND educational 10/10

oh wow!! daaaamn, good for you!

and yeah, that sounds like something we would say. I (G) can't seem to dig up receipts right now but the tl;dr is that oftentimes, door-to-door evangelism of the kind mormon missionaries and jehovah's witnesses engage in is less effective at converting people, but highly effective at reinforcing to the group's members that all outsiders are Cruel And Sinful and therefore you should never leave The Church because that's where the only good and kind people are.

but also, like, 90% of the time the reason I (G) try to be kind to mormon missionaries is because they're like 20 and have never been allowed the simple joy of a macchiato (but must try to fill that void with vile concoctions of dr pepper, gummy worms, and half 'n half, apparently.)

also, let the record show that "being kind" does not mean showing any interest whatsoever in converting to mormonism, or leading them on to that effect! but it costs $0 to wish them a nice day and be a shining example of how wearing spaghetti straps does not in fact lead to sacrificing live goats to satan.

anyway. we're proud of you, anon! glad you like the ole podcast 🤠

—G

yeah this is awesome to hear!! and even to add onto this, that sort of advice is pretty good to utilize just in general when talking to people from these ultra-conservative, super-sheltered (and yes, usually religious) upbringings. like G said, you don't need to lie to them and make them believe that "oh yeah totally i'm absolutely going to see you this sunday and I sure will consider changing the entirety of my belief system/morals!" but, yknow, just be kind. it's good to do even for Normal Regular people you see on the street. but this isn't sesame street so I won't start that brand of schoolyard lecture.

semi-related, but a little tangential: my super-strict catholic high school used to invite mormon missionaries to come and 'speak with' specific religious classes (usually the TrulyCatholic bitches took these) every year. and every year we heard about how "lol the ridiculous mormons keep coming and being nice to us to try and talk about their religion as if we're EVER going to change our minds and believe in their FAKE and WRONG version of christianity?? isn't it so stupid that they're so patient and kind to us even as sister catherine anne stands back and lets us bully—I mean, debate these guys? anyways I wonder when the morons—I mean, mormons, will stop coming back. 😌💅"

and to this day I still think about those guys! because I never understood their willingness to come back every year, and I could not fathom why they were consistently so nice. learning more about mormonism through this podcast has really helped my ex-catholic ass look at the outside world and be like "oh, we were the assholes. I mean, I knew that already, but shit." and tbh i'm sure they honestly loved coming to my school, because nothing will solidify your own stance/opinion on a group of 'outsiders' than a mob of privileged ravenous catholic teenagers. anyways, let that be a refrain for you on your new day-to-day: don't be like the catholics, be kind. amen 🙏

—shannon

[dwaekkicidal]

Guess who's back

Back again

Shady's back

Tell a friend

I'm sorry I didn't come by earlier but I have a few deadlines to meet *cough* book rep *cough* and I had to study and I was out with friends and shit so I didn't talk to anyone outside my close contacts :< *Chrissapointed in herself*

Ahenyways I need to yap to someone so be prepped for a long ass thing (*huff* and no, it's not what you think it is you dirty minded lil otter ---)

So thing one I'm going nuts about is I can't fliPPING FIND THIS FUCKING FIC RRRRRAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH >:c

I'm like genuinely enraged over here bcuz my stupid ass didn't save the link and like I wanna read it so bad rn its unhealthy ... Worst thing is I remember finding it over a taglist and I've checked all the accs on the taglist and it's not there :(( and when I look for the title it doesn't come up 😔😔

Secondly, SKZ music. [I'm sorry but I can't talk abt it to anyone irl] I'm not even talking about the music videos, or the meanings behind the words and lyrics, I'm just referring to the tracks on Spotify.

MIROH. Voices. YAYAYA. My pace. District 9. Grow up. Astronaut.

Sure, it's not the whole album, but- excuses-moi??!!?? Just to start on MIROH. It's like, funny bcuz of the instrumentals but the text gives it like a serious vibe too and the rapping -- (we love) oh and not to forget the lion and the eagle fighting in the background.

Then, Voices. To this day, I can't decide if it's:

"step out on the(m) voices"

OOOOOORRRRRRRR

"still battle them voices"

And I haven't done research, so may this rest in the MLD* forever.

(*MLD = Misheard Lyrics Department)

Then, YAYAYA. I'm amazed by the genre range of stray kids because to me that's one of the most rock/metal songs I've heard. And then to imagine Jiji playing it on a fancy e-guitar... I mean I'm delusional but even that is out of reach. On that note, Changbin's raps are giving *✨sparkle sparkle✨* lately, especially bcuz I feel like in SKZ2020 his rapping is pretty present? Iykyk I don't flippin' know how to phrase it.

On the note of Changbin, I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the first part he has in my pace. And in general his parts in that song. Idk how to phrase it (again) but I really think it's absolutely cool that his voice sounds so... this is gonna sound so weird... Scratchy. Like he's just been screaming his loungs out doing god knows what and then recording. And he sounds like a duck lmfao (I can't explain what I mean because I don't have enough standard vocabulary for this but yeh), like his voice is kinda deep but also like light and like squawky/scratchy and like idk what I'm rambling here :3

(ot8 speaking btw)

District 9, no comment. Just vibin' n enjoyin' in front of the bathroom mirror.

Grow up is giving kdrama final episode happily ever after outro//lofi study session in a library vibes. .... Delusions kicking and picturing that kdrama scenario rn, smh...

Astronaut: "MC happily moving back to their childhood hometown after being abroad for ten years Roadtrip" and filming/vlogging on the way back - kinda vibe. Or one of those DIY videos with the nice music and annoying DIYs.

Next up, Charmer. I don't know shit about the meaning of the text but ain't no way I won't vibe to that banger. It's just me being an uneducated little shit, ik, but who needs translations if I get the vibe without it?

Then, Novel. I don't speak a single syllable Japanese. But holy mother o' God, will I be shouting that

"MASHIRO NAKAMI NI OMOI" *so sorry if this ain't the correct romanization, I do it by ear so-*

either quietly when I have my earpods in and and have to get ready for bed or really loud when I'm out in the fields with my music.

On that note, I also dislike if theres a Japanese AND a Korean version of a song that I like. Like, with THE SOUND, I really like the Japanese version but I also kinda like the Korean version but I always have high hopes it's the Jap ver and then I get disappointed when it isn't but I'm also too lazy to kick the kor ver from my playlist :/

So I'm really exhausted rn because I had a sleepover at my friend's, technically speaking a girl's night ( = >2 hrs of sleep for me) and technically I wanna say bye rn but. Hold up.

So we're four girls, and out of us all I'm likely the most clingy. Like, I luv hugs and holding hands (in a platonic way) and cuddles and Skinship and et cetera , and it was like:

TV

Friend 1 - Friend 2 - Me - Friend 3

And 1&2 took up very much space so 3 almost fell off the couch.

And then we were like watching horror movies (my requests for anime or httyd were denied bcuz it's kid's movies and they all liked horror movies better)

Anyhow, my hand ended up on 3's thigh. Like, in a "I'm her boyfriend" kinda manner. I didn't notice. (HOW???) Then, SHE noticed and went like, ey let's take a snap and send it to my ex and pretend you're my bf!

spoiler alert, if anything I'd be gf material. I mean, yes, compared to hers my hands are huge and yes my voice is quite low/deep but bf? Ik it was pretense but still... I mean my boys kinda count me as a boy too but that's different.

Yesterday I also learned, it's genetically stated if you're straight or homosexual. Like, it's in your DNA if you're straight, bi, gay, asexual or any other identification there is. The only thing you really do is realize what you are and label yourself like it. Come to talk about it, what's your opinion on the LGBTQ community?

Did you drink any macha already this week? Or does your fancy drink change with season? And if so, what do you drink? I drink hot chocolate and children's punch. Like, the steaming hot fruit juice if you know what I mean.

Love,

- 🦦

dont be sorry or disappointed in urself! :)) ive also been really MIA especially on tumblr. ive still been writing on the side but i havent been on here much since i last posted lol

i genuinely love most of the skz songs ive heard, but out of all the "noise" music MIROH and My Pace are probably in my top 10 (miroh is prob in my top 3 tbh lol)

im bisexual so im part of lgbtq community :3 and all of my closest friends (minus the two hetero men lol) are lgbt as well!

no matcha this week :(( ive been out of the powder to make it at home and i havent been able to go out to a cafe/dunkin donuts to get it made for me </3

[if-one-of-us-falls]

Morning View XXXII first impressions

or: one of my fave albums got re-recorded after 23 years and I'm here to shout about it into the void

My overall impression is that they did a decent job! It's still an enjoyable listen. I've read they added in some of the changes they do while performing live, and it did give an almost live-like experience, but with studio quality. Brandon Boyd's voice became annoyingly nasally, I think due to some kind of surgery, and I miss the original's beautiful and clear vocals. He still sounds great in the high notes though, and he can definitely still rock. Kudos to the drummer for consistently kicking ass throughout the album. A lot of the fun was from getting excited every time I realized which song was coming on. I still really want to see them live.

Nice To Know You The new intro is so ethereal! I'm not sure what to make of the choir-like backing vocals along the entire song. They don't hurt.

Circles The riffs in the beginning feel a little stiff and disconnected, but once the verse kicks in it feels better. I love the energy in the bridge. The ending is also pretty cool.

Wish You Were Here This one was a miss for me :( it lacks the flowing, almost liquidy sound of the original that made it one of my favorite songs. I don't know what kind of magic sauce they put in the original, but it's missing here, and the vocals don't make it any better.

Just a Phase Again, something is missing. It's like the guitar is slightly stiffer, more blunt than the original. The vocals at the final chorus don't rise high enough above the instrumentals, which spoils the awesome cathartic feeling that moment had in the original song. The feminine backing vocals caught me by surprise, but they sound good! And they make sense, with this song likely being from a woman's perspective ("call it women's intuition..."). The sneaky metallic sound at "they'll be throwing quarters at you on stage" was also a nice touch.

11 am The little "please" added before the last verse has my entire heart. The high notes don't quite hold up in this one :( I was sorry to see the moody, kind of muddy instrumentals replaced. Overall it feels like the same song with slightly less pleasing vocals.

Blood on the Ground I enjoyed this one! It has great energy, and the high notes are actually great. Brandon's rhythmic almost rap verses hold up way better than the rest of his vocals, it really just feels like a live performance. And the lyrics are so fun hehe

Mexico Beautiful song, and I would have been perfectly content with it if I hadn't heard the even more beautiful vocals of the original.

Warning nope. That nasally voice is taking over. no thank you.

Echo I'm torn about this one because it's one of my most listened to songs. I just love the original so much, mostly because of those lovely smooth vocals. The new version feel rougher, less floaty. The feminine back up vocals are back to soften it, which is nice. I do really like the new outro, and the drums are wonderful. It’s probably the best adaptation on the album, because it simply makes the song into something new.

Have You Ever Don't record me on that, but I think I might actually like this version better than the original 😮 It has such great energy! I love their heavy sound, it gets me completely in the zone.

Are You In The intro is nice, the instrumentals are smooth and flowing... I don't like the vocals in the beginning. It's sad because Brandon's technique and delivery are just as good as the original, but the voice itself is not as nice. Not his fault. After that, though, when we're back to the higher register, he sounds great.

Under My Umbrella This one I definitely like better than the original. Nice rhythm, nice energy, and the effect on the vocals in the beginning is a lot more subtle and less sterile. It just works better for me. I also liked the oriental bit before the final chorus.

Aqueous Transmission I was worried about this one, but it worked out. It's not as relaxing as the original, it's almost overwhelming at times, but it's still beautifully done. I'm glad they kept the frogs.

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

The Wild Bunch 1995 Reggae / Roots Reggae / Rocksteady / Dub

First off, let me just say that I am in total awe of this crop of reggae instrumentals from the 60s and 70s here. So much music since has come with so much more fuss and technological advancements, and yet an unscalable pile of the stuff that came out after this doesn't seem to come close to how good a bunch of these simple tunes still are. In a broad sense, all these songs' formulas are pretty simple, but they really still just manage to click so damn well 😌.

From this comp's liner notes:

During the past eight years, Trojan have pioneered the 'Revival' Reggae scene. Our re-issue programme has preserved some of the best vocals ever recorded in Jamaica, but with the emphasis being placed on some of the island's many talented singers in recent years, the musicians have tended to be ignored. This current release reverses that trend by turning the spotlight onto the 'players of instruments', and in so doing we pay tribute to Kingston's legendary session men.

Now, because nearly all of these are straight-up instrumentals, they all pretty much operate in the same way, and each of them seem to have one thing in common that ends up either making or breaking the tune: the lead instrument. Because reggae riddims are inherently repetitive and steady, if left alone, they will naturally get stale. So, it takes a good melody of some kind to be laid atop that riddim in order to lend the song some much needed variety. And in a whole lot of these 27 tunes, that ends up coming to remarkable fruition.

It's hard to even really know where to begin with this album since there's so much goodness to be found within it, but the thick, whistle-ringing improvisational organ of Lloyd Charmer's "Ling Tong Ting" is an absolutely terrific place to start. Then the JJ All Stars get topsy-turvy with the audio channels on "Memphis Underground," by sending the melodic leads exclusively and *very prominently* through the left, and 90% of the riddim through the right; Herman Marquis' "Tom's Version," whose intro I'm pretty sure I've heard sampled in at least one hip hop tune before (Wu-Tang, maybe? It's honestly driving me crazy that I can't put my finger on it), then follows by doing a wonderful job of harmonizing its organ and trumpet, yielding this fully warm and satisfying haze; the legendary Augustus Pablo, who singlehandedly managed to transform the melodica from a mere plaything for children into an instrument with serious gravitas, shows why on a rootsy piece of dub called "Great Pablo;" and then towards the end, we get a bit of a surprise with a piece of gospel-reggae that's actually not an instrumental: the Harry J All Stars "Holy Moses," which is aided by a small set of female singers whose deployment of soul harmonies reminds of the backup singing that can be found on a bunch of Bob Marley hits.

But the closing title tune by the Music Doctors may be both the most remarkable and most fun track of them all, for the simple fact that it uniquely trades its leads between—not things like guitars, horns, and organs—but just bass and drums. And the bassist just seems to carefreely play this laid-back and very recognizable piece of melody from The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back;" it's so good!

So, a phenomenal collection of rare Jamaican reggae instrumental classics here, from the genre's premier label itself, Trojan. Yesterday, I posted about an excellent metal cassette from 1985 that's also called The Wild Bunch, and given how good that that album was, I really didn't think that this one could outdo it, but it very much did!

Highlights:

Selwyn Baptiste - "Mo' Bay" Boris Gardiner - "Memories of Love" The Dynamites - "Phantom" Sound Dimension - "Soul Food" Lloyd Charmers - "Ling Tong Ting" The Aggrovators - "The Sniper" JJ All Stars - "Memphis Underground" Lynn Taitt & The Jets - "Love Me Forever" Herman Marquis - "Tom's Version" The Tennors - "Copy Me Donkey" Winston Wright - "Heads or Tails" Augustus Pablo - "Great Pablo" Harry J All Stars - "Holy Moses" Music Doctors - "Wild Bunch"

[trannydean-moved]

ur spn oc intrigues me so much. i couldn't find the post u mentioned this in so i may just be misremembering but i'm p sure u mentioned some sort of spn musician au with him? and i have been so curious about that pleaasse 🙏 i need to know the details

oh yeah!!! my au where dean is a musician 🥰🥰🥰 it's actually inspired by two different fanfics i like (texas state of mind by palominopup and starstruck by peanutbutterjelly-pie. tbh i haven't finished starstruck but i love what i've read so far). i love this one, but i don't have the most planned out for it yet 💔 but here's what i've got so far:

dean is a (probably country) musician who has had writer's block (or the song writing version of this?) for a hot minute and he's been really pressed into needing to get inspiration for something new. sometime makes him remember his two "best friends" (THEY WRRE ALL GAY FOR EACH OTHER. duh) from high school, and he suddenly gets inspiration for a song. it's a love song ofc, like he's confessing his feelings and expressing his sorrow of not keeping in contact with them, and talking about how he'll prolly never see em again so he's sad about that.

he writes it and records it and releases it, and it's a huge hit. there's also lots of controversy surrounding it because no pronouns outside of i/me/my are mentioned in it, and the two names used (jaime and cas) are both technically gender neutral! so everyone's like "okay is this two guys??? two girls???? a guy AND a girl???" (btw both jaime and cas are non-binary so HA none of those options are right 🥰). so like the song gets popular both bc it's a hit and bc it's talked about so much bc people are trying to puzzle out the entire context of the song.

meanwhile, both jaime and cas hear the song, whether it's because they keep up with dean even tho they haven't been in contact since the end of highschool, or they just hear it on the radio bc it's playing everywhere rn. both are shocked, bc like "🥹🥹 omg he remembers me... he remembers US". they've all been living separate lives for a while, it's been at least 15 years since they all last saw each other. like dean went to a college far away, cas and jaime lingered a little before they just moved on to do their own thing because dean was gone, and they didn't see the point of sticking around their old hometown, and it hurt too much to be together with dean not there as well. they were THEE trio!! they weren't whole without dean :(

and now all three of them seriously reminsce about their old high school "friendship" and it becomes painfully clear to all three of them that yeah. they weren't just friends. they definitely were more than that. but what can they do about that now??

well first thing's first, jaime decides to look cas up in the phone book of the place jaime last knew he was at. he's surprised and relieved to see cas' number was still there, and he calls cas. he's basically like "hey so have you heard what's been playing on the radio lately"

and cas is like "um yeah...."

"we should go see him"

"how the hell are we going to do that?? he doesn't just have his home address on his twitter profile 🙄 it's not going to be easy"

"oh come on, who ever says true love is easy?" and jaime says this mostly jokingly, like to break the ice of THAT conversation. despite how jokingly he says it, it's PRETTY obvious from the song that dean is in love with them both still, and he really misses them. dean is SO in love with them and really, jaime and cas feel the same too. and cas ends up agreeing, of course, because jaime is obviously right about meeting dean again.

cas and jaime meet up and are sooo awkward and silly while trying to figure out how they're going to see dean again. they find out when dean's next concert is and they decide that's a perfect place to reunite with dean. tho cas is like "it's going to be difficult for him to notice us when there's tens of thousands of people at the concert"

and jaime's like "we'll MAKE him notice us" and cas is quite worried about what that could mean.

unfortunately i haven't thought of how exactly they're going to get dean to notice them yet. but somehow they do, and dean is SO excited, and he puts his whole pussy into that concert just for them 💕💕💕

then they ofc reunite afterwards and there's lots of awkwardness bc NONE of these guys can be normal 🙄🙄🙄 BUT it's cute and it's going to be cool.

[dollarbin]

Nickel Bin #1:

I'd Be Talking All the Time by Ringo Starr

We're starting all kinds of new nonsense this week here in the Dollar Bin. My famous brother publishes five days a week on Doom and Gloom From the Tomb. He's out of control. He's also concise, a word I clearly don't have much of a relationship with.

But there are certain moments going forward when I will declare that it's time for me, and you, to dive in and consider a single song, rather than an entire album. In such moments, we'll be reveling in the Nickel Bin rather than the Dollar Bin: you'll have less reading to do and therefore more time to spend on push ups and protest.

Sounds pretty sweet to me, but if you're unimpressed, please direct all complaints to Stephen Stills; most of the bad things in life are his fault, yes?

This inaugural edition of the Nickel Bin is a follow up to my recent post on Ringo Starr. I sought out his Nashville record after surviving Goodnight Vienna and I'm here to tell you people that Beaucoups of Blues is Ringo's masterpiece. The whole of Side A contains all the best things in life when it comes to Nashville and Ringo: throwaway lyrics, humble musicianship, even humbler song lengths, slick baton passing between the fiddler and Ben Keith's impeccable steel guitar, and Ringo's ridiculous - but also quite earnest - vocals.

The whole thing is a ton of fun; just look at the crew behind it all. Looks like a boy's school's marching band's 20th high school reunion when only one guy is still handsome (Ben Keith, first row flush right) and only one guy became rich and famous (Ringo, obviously).

Because I've never created a rule I didn't immediately break on this blog I'll play you two songs today. The first is the most inappropriately joyful and upbeat song about prostitution I've ever heard. Only Starr could make sex work sound like a wholesome, back slapping good time.

This will be a great campfire song for the new summer camp I've got in development. Campers will come together at the end of each evening for swaying, smiling sing-a-longs: Reed's Heroin, Young's Borrowed Tune, and Cohen's Chelsea Hotel will feature prominently in the songbook and at the end of each evening the counselors will lead a stirring, sweet dreams version of Waits' What's He Building in There? We'll call it Trauma Camp; sign your kids up!

Anyway, what I really wanted you all to hear this evening is the last song on Side 1, I'd Be Taking All the Time. The song is fine, but it's the last 20 seconds that are worth your time all the time. Just listen to Ringo refer to himself in the 3rd person! I say that only Jonathan Richman, Rafi and Ringo can get away with such audacity.

And be sure to hang out for Ringo's last note: I dare you to listen to Ringo's voice crack without smiling. He sounds like he's the newest member of Jerry Jeff Walker's Lost Gonzo Band and is heading down to Marble Arch Station, or like he's jumping off Bob Pollard's roof.

I don't know why Ringo looks so bummed on his album cover when he's so good at making us laugh.

Cheers, Everyone.

[thephantomcasebook]

You know, about the Matt, Emma, Olivia thing … I’ve heard so many versions, one of which is that they were protesting Sapochnik/Hess’s script, not the new one, and they’re part of the reason for the rewrites and Grrm was on their side. This doesn’t completely make sense as it seems Emma and Olivia liked Sapochnik’s ideas… but then again Hess was the one who made Larys a creep and Daemon a domestic abuser, so maybe they were protesting those elements, which I’m sure she would have tried to make worse? Because I honestly can’t see Matt sticking his neck out over simple disagreements about the characters, even the DV stuff, he is on record saying that at the end of the day, he does what’s in the script. He gives opinions/suggestions and improvs some things as any actor does, but he seems pretty willing to do whatever. Like I just don’t think he cares that much about HOTD, beyond his job as an actor. I can’t see him raising a stink about the script unless it was truly egregious and Emma and/or Olivia were legitimately uncomfortable with something (and I don’t mean uncomfortable as in Olivia wants Alicent to be a lesbian and is mad she’s not, I mean there’s some really serious sexual or domestic violence). Idk, that’s just the vibe I get from him based on interviews, but maybe he’s more invested than I think. I do agree that Olivia is probably too invested in her headcanons and is arguing with the writers about it, but I think that might be a separate issue from the alleged meeting the three of them had with the execs. I guess I just err on the side of believing that HBO would absolutely be willing to put an actress in an unnecessarily degrading scene for shock value (and that Hess would insist on these scenes as part of her “men are evil” pseudo-feminist agenda) considering GOT’s history.

Look, I'll always be up front with you, nonny.

I'm completely open to being 1000% wrong on everything.

If Cooke was out there defending the sanctity of Alicent and Criston's relationship, cause, Hess wanted to ruin them, or ruin Criston's character. I'll gladly take my Katana, basket hat, and a bindle of food, and leave the village with my braid cut from my dishonor.

But from everything I've ever seen of Olivia Cooke through the years, I just don't believe she capable of something that selfless for the integrity of a show that she has made crystal clear that she does not care about. She's an activist first and an actress way down the list. Cooke would do anything to press her message, and I don't think that she'd go out of her way to protect a male role or character to the tune of fucking her entire career for the creative integrity of something she sees only as a stepping-stone.

From my prospective, as someone who deeply distrusts activists of any kind - for good reasons - I'd genuinely believe that Cooke was trying to defend Sapochnik and Hess's original creative vision of this being a tyrannical story of how patriarchy destroyed a Lesbian Romance. And that them going over the show runner's heads triggered the studio to bring in a ringer to completely dismantle that vision and bring the breakaway producers and cast to heel.

However, I do keep open and will entertain the slight - however small - idea that Hess had tried to ruin Criston's character and lean into that all the men on team green - all men in general - are evil. Just because, it seems that the studio acted by bringing in a third party to story edit after the alleged incident. And there is a possibility that they got Hess benched for the former head writer of "The Crown" who has experience writing character driven assembles about royalty.

But, like I said, I could be completely wrong. And I'll own it if I am ...

But I just don't think Cooke capable of falling on her sword. There is something incredibly angry and spiteful about her and the way she expresses her opinions and agendas, you can feel it. And I just don't think she's capable of anything but pushing her agenda and personal bullshit, not caring about anything or anyone.

As for Matt Smith ... look, I can't be objective about him. I've been a fan of Lily James for years and years, and he did something to that girl, something bad, and she's been running - hurting herself and others - to get away from it. And anyone who knows anything about her, knows that Matt Smith has everything to do with it. She ran all the way to Los Angeles, to the other side of the world, to get away from him. I don't know, so I don't comment ...

But I don't trust any story where Matt Smith stands up for women.

[spacefoxy-irl]

hihi so umh todays i got my first kiss record ( dynasty and creatures of the night ) but my dynasty one is a brownish colour and my creatures of the night one is this pretty purple and im not sure if you own kiss records but i trust you for my info about kiss soo yeah do you know if this is normal or not or if its rare im not sure!

I'm not 100% sure about the Dynasty one... don't think I've ever heard of a brownish version of the cover but I DO know of the purple Creatures one.

This one?

It's the 7" single for the title track. It's pretty normal single release as far as I know.

[tuiyla]

Something that I still find insane with Glee is just how much professional content was put out about it, both during and after the show. They had the actual show, the concert tours, the (3D) concert movie, the reality show specifically to get cast on Glee (two seasons of it which is one more than most shows even get now), the billboard charting songs/albums, the cast podcasts, and the recent fucked up docuseries. Not to mention the insane number of "Glee Audition" YouTube videos and other fan-created content like SimGM, fanfics, covers, GIFs, etc. I genuinely cannot think of a single other show that has ever had that much going on around it. No matter where you looked or what kind of content, you'd likely run into something Glee related. I first learned about the show because my classmates would singing "Don't Stop Believing" on our bus all the time, like the entire bus would sing the entire song. No one and no where was safe.

Also books and other merchandise iirc?

It's truly an insane scale. I think there were similar properties, but not at the same intersection of teen media and music as Glee was. Music really elevated it above other TV shows, in terms of revenue as well, I'm sure. I mean, what other show I could do as something as unhinged for as the singing database? They just produced so much content, and to think that the cast had to not only learn their lines and do the acting but record their songs AND learn choreography and do talk show appearances and other promos on top of that is already wild. Add to that the tours and musical appearances? It gets to a level that I'm pretty sure should have been illegal. Like, for real, the Glee cast was so infamous for being crazy overworked that it shouldn't have been allowed. Hard enough to film 22 episodes a year and that's without all the extra stuff.

And the fan stuff! That can be a tremendous amount even if the property itself isn't as accomplished as Glee was but you're right, that was - and continues to be! - impressive too. Again the scale of it, organized events and forums and popular videos like SimGM. You really couldn't go anywhere without Glee content.

I think I've mentioned this once or twice before, but I heard Landslide for the first time through the GCV. I didn't search for the Glee version; I had just read The Perks of Being a Wallflower and I wanted to know what the tunnel song sounded like. This is September of 2012 btw. So I typed landslide into youtube and the very first result, probably the second and even third, was the Glee version. So that was the one I listened to for years, exclusively, even though I had zero to do with Glee at that point. I'm sure there were other GCVs that sneaked into my life and certainly the mainstream, too. The show itself had a stranglehold on pop culture but the music was a whole new level. Glee was a machine producing so much content and I can only assume making an obscene amount of money. Idk what the cast got paid but I'd be willing to bet it wasn't enough.

Through godawful documentaries or in more positive ways but Glee's still part of the public consciousness because that kind of omnipresence doesn't just go away. Fascinating. Kinda terrifying. But very very interesting.

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 3rd July

Two songs this week, both of them probably not ones you could sing off the top of your head, and both aiming for a sort of cute romance. One succeeds more this than the other.

Who Wrote the Book of Love - The Mudlarks (peaked at Number 8)

This is an annoying song. Like, really annoying. It's a cover of an American original by a spectacularly poorly-named doo-wop group rom New Jersey called the Monotones, who were apparently inspired by the rhythm of a line of a "Pepsodent" toothpaste commercial (!), but our artists here are the Mudlarks, a mixed vocal group who also covered Lollipop a few weeks back.

Absolutely none of which explains the bizarre accent that the singer seems to be putting on who handles the I wonder who line. Every time I hear it, I think they might have been going for a completely different accent. Either way, they failed. It's baffling, a real goofy "ah-ha wun-derrr hu" sort of vibe.

Anyway, fresh off the confusion of this, we launch into a song that really belabours a metaphor about a relationship as a book, complete with a tedious chapter summar section, ans lots of rather ill-conceived lines like the one where they sing Baby, baby, baby, I love you, yes I do, / It says here in this book of love, ours is the one that's true. Which sure sounds sweet, but if my guy had to check a book to know he was in love, I'd not be particularly enamoured.

Adding to this, there's just something a bit abrasive and in-your-face about it all. It's between the very fast pace, or the way the singers are really belting, with a rather jarring thumping sound punctuation some lines. To be fair, this was in the original, and was apparently inspired by a kid bouncing a ball against the wall of the garage where the Monotones were recording. But it's all a bit startling, taken together.

The song has a legacy, though, not least because it inspired the "book of love" lyric in the song American Pie, which I'm starting to suspect will really pop, if this project ever gets there. So the original of this song is clearly in the public consciousness for a while post-1958. It also gets covered a bunch. But yeah, I don't like it much, sorry Mudlarks. Third time lucky?

Big Man - The Four Preps (2)

This is more like it, though the recording quality on the only version I can find is... interesting. I quite like the echoy vibes it creates, though, combined with the tight harmonies. It's kind of giving Beach Boys? Or perhaps I'm deluding myself.

Either way, it's a fun song. Our singer starts singing about how I was a big man yesterday / But boy you ought see me now. Intriguing, off the bat. And we get some context, about how I bragged too long that your love was strong / There'd never be another guy, and how he was proven wrong. So she left him for somebody else, I think - but the plot thickens, because then we've got lines begging the singer's love If you will just forgive me dear / I'll never break another vow / I broke so many yesterday / And boy you oughta see me now. It's a cautionary tale - cheat on your girl, and she might just find somebody better!

And I like the tone of regret, throughout. Our singer's clearly gone through the wringer and done some self-reflection and come out the other side with some perspective, leading to my favourite line, the one about how the only thing that made me big was you. Which is honestly actually pretty sweet, as a sentiment. Not sure if I'd give this guy another shot, still, but as pathetic grovelling apologies go, it's a compelling one.

Musically, the whole thing's very pretty, too, with lots of tight harmonies and doo-woppish instrumentation and, most excitingly, what sounds like a proper, resonant grand piano, which is confusing the first time you hear it in the intro, but that gives the song a welcome oomph when it comes back underneath the chorus. It's not the kind of sound I've heard much yet, that sort of mix of proper rock and roll music and a more orchestral, classical touch. We've had the sweeping classical backing of pre-rock and roll ballads, but this feels different, and is probably why it feels a bit Beach Boys. I like it, a lot.

Yeah, I think my pick this week is clear. Still, neither song was awful. I just enjoyed the piano and grovelling a bit too much.

Facourite song of the bunch: Big Man