#from Boingo to beyond tour

[m0rb1dch1ld]

Ngl I cried once this was over. I wore false eyelashes that night and had to reapply them.

Rest in peace Paul Reubens.

[omegaremix]

Listen to me very carefully: never go into record collecting. Each and every one of you. I am not fucking around when I say this.

Music has become my entire life since the Brentwood era. I’d never realize I had the collectors’ (or hoarders’) gene until I figured out that I could get into anything and everything I come across. Throw in endless visits to record stores, making mix cassettes and CD’s, the advent of downloading, plus the infinite discovery of anything and everything you could possibly imagine hearing, and you end up with a life-long addiction with no cure.

I have a huge library across all formats as a result of habitual visits to record stores and donations from friends and family. I have no luxury in showing it during the age of doxxing. The amount of music I have sitting on the shelves and the time it takes to listen to it all easily surpass my remaining life expectancy.

During the Summer of ‘18 and ‘22, I decided to treat myself. I’d visit each and every record store on the island (even a couple of city locales) and spent as much money as I possibly could. No regrets. These record-store victory tours netted me literally hundreds of vinyl records, cassettes, and CDs I’d take home. I also purchased a few books along the way as well. While compulsively spending money and treating yourself is great short-term, in the long-term I easily fucked myself, and not in an Aaliyah Milan way. Bottom line: I buy more than what I listen to.

So why the backlog? Other than heavy compulsive buying, you can blame a short attention span, indifference, impatience, non-immediacy, or the low low sticker prices of used music in all formats, and it’d be very easy to shelve titles and fall behind on hearing everything. The time it takes for me to collectively visit each record store (say, 15) for a few hours is a snap of the finger compared to the entire total running time of every vinyl record, cassette, or disc I own combined. Easier to dig your own hole than it is to climb out of it.

That’s not all. There’s Real-Life Syndrome of having to balance a 40-hour workweek, time for the gym and supermarket, and other errands to be done. In my case, I have several ongoing projects with no end in sight such as running this new music blog, a radio show which I spend hours sound-editing for, graphic design, and photography.

And, there’s still more I want to do on top of that. I’ve been meaning to learn Italian and coding. I have a CD / DVD-R archive that needs salvaging before they all suffer disc rot. Plus, I have hundreds of VHS tapes needing to be digitized before fading out forever. 

Ask me why I feel the need to put myself through this? How did this chase of wanting to listen to everything all start? With a Polish goth girl. She was someone I never knew I was looking for all along. Locale, dress code, intellect, sexuality, and her sweet complexion. She mentioned The Forbidden Zone, a cult film featuring Herve Villechaise and Oingo Boingo. Right on the ‘free’ space. How could I forget? We traded playlists and later learned she was into early-era industrial, Adam Parfrey, Caspar Brotzman, and early-Eighties punk. Who else did I knew that were at her level?! The moment she asked me about Phillip K. Dick was when I was caught off-guard. She gave me a run for my money by knowing many things I didn’t while being curious by what she knew. That’s when I realized I should’ve known beforehand and be ready, instead of scrambling to find the answers.

We made plans on meeting up but that never happened. She announced she was taken, and I felt lead on and hurt beyond belief. I wondered why she did what she did and what could I have possibly done wrong. I first felt I wasn’t up to snuff and should’ve been ready to answer everything all along. But, it continued from there.

I posted a few INXS entries on my music blog. Enough for one of my long-time followers to reach out to me about it. She asked me what I thought of them and if I listened to any of their albums recently? I didn’t have much of an answer other than I grew up listening to “New Sensation”, “Devil Inside”, and “Need You Tonight”. I have four of their tapes but haven’t got around to hear them. In a way I felt embarrassed because I only heard their radio singles and never expected someone to stick me on Michael Hutchence. Oops. She got me!

I have others who are crazy for Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode. The former would be my saving grace because I’ve been a life-long fan of theirs. It made the latter feel like casual listening as I, once again, grew up listening to their radio singles. (Though, I did end up getting Songs Of Faith And Devotion when that came out and loved it.) She became the starting catalyst of me wanting to fill in most of the blanks from that point on; consistent enough for even Gene Rayburn to walk off the set in protest.

But the real kick in the ass came from a friend of mine from The Great Lakes who’s a TV-show and movie connoisseur. Oh, shit. It’s been a while since I watched either of them. I used to indulge in visuals all the time up until I left Stony Brook. That’s another level of expertise I’ve been falling short of. While there are some titles we both got excited about, she’ll occasionally toss a few my way which I haven’t seen. You could tell how I’d feel every time I miss.

But, she understands and never judges anyone of falling short. If there’s any consolation, she had thrown me a few familiar names that got me down a rabbit hole of everything from 1977 to 1982. The Stranglers, The Fall, Television, Orange Juice, Pere Ubu, and more. She’s set up her Spotify playlists and didn’t mind me pilfering through her music posts. For that, I am grateful because she made me appreciate alternative, peak hipster (‘00’s), chillwave, and even synthwave more. Even I resurrected my Last.fm from two years of dormancy and gladly signed up for Letterboxd which she suggested I do. I always thank her and let her know that everything she’s sent me never goes to waste and is always appreciated.

**********

There’s quite a list of artists whom I’ve been meaning to reach back and catch up on for a long time. The Cure, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Henry Rollins, Siouxsie Sioux and more. It never ends. I feel ashamed of myself because (again) these are artists I should’ve known about from the beginning. Friends, music publications, and anything else make me feel like I missed out when they sing the praises of legendary or well-lauded artists, sounds, or albums. The same for movies and TV. The Handmaid’s Tale, Orange Is The New Black, The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm. In ways, I still feel excluded. I don’t want the other person to think that I’m bullshitting my way to their heart or friendship, but I still have that fear of being rejected and shoved out of the way because of it.

Jello Biafra did say that “not everyone can do 100%”. And he’s right. It goes for what you have in common for people: a Venn diagram in which two people’s interests overlap into one. That also goes for doing massive projects like catching up on your entire media library. It’s a tough undertaking for me to achieve, and I imagine how stressful that is while staying on top of everything. That's when another mutual put their stack of Benjis in and suggest I don’t go crazy; just simply take my time in getting my listens in one at a time. That’s now a reality. Working at home means an hour more worth of time that I would’ve spent otherwise on driving to-and-from my location. I also completed digitizing my entire personal cassette dub library. All 400 of them. That took a few months on-and-off for me to complete. And, new solid-state storage installation means I'll have everything at my fingertips.

Nowadays, I don’t worry much about falling short like I used to, and I shouldn’t. No one should compare themselves to others. Though, it’s fun when you're prepared for those specifics and get double (or even triple) the points when it hits. On the other hand, I have vinyl LPs, tapes, and discs burning on my shelves, waiting to be taken out. I feel knowledge and hard-spent money will all go to waste if I don’t get to them. And, I will. Oh, trust me, I will. I'll be doing that while fending off the constant releases of new sounds, artists, albums, and other discoveries from now until eternity. Like Atari's Tempest, you know they keep coming at you.

(Hat-tips to @sweetness-doesnt-touch-my-face, @sheisthesisterofnight, @tewz, and @xdressedinblack for the push.)

[marisasmusicreviews]

Concerts I Have Attended (list in progress)

Matchbox Twenty (Train) - September 28th, 2001, Tour 2001, Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, CA

Paul McCartney - May 4th, 2002, Driving World Tour, Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA

Fitz and the Tantrums - April 5th, 2014, Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA (Opening Act: Bad Suns)

Kenny Loggins - July 10th, 2014, Fox Performing Arts Center, Riverside, CA

Weezer - August 2nd, 2014, Del Mar Summer Concert Series - Del Mar, CA

Fitz and the Tantrums - September 28th, 2014, Riverside Municipal Auditorium, Riverside, CA

Weezer - September 6th, 2015 - Del Mar Summer Concert Series - Del Mar, CA

Foo Fighters - September 22, 2015, Sonic Highways World Tour, The Forum, Inglewood, CA

The Darkness - April 13th, 2016 - Back to the USSA Tour - Riverside Municipal Auditorium, Riverside, CA

Matchbox Twenty (Counting Crows) - July 31st, 2017 - A Brief History of Everything Tour - The Forum, Inglewood, CA

Harry Styles - July 13th, 2018 - Live on Tour - The Forum, Inglewood, CA

Justin Timberlake - April 28th, 2018 - The Man of the Woods Tour - The Forum, Inglewood, CA

Justin Timberlake - February 22nd, 2019 - The Man of the Woods Tour, Honda Center, Anaheim, CA

Jonas Brothers - October 21st, 2019 - Happiness Begins Tour, Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA

Jonas Brothers - December 14th, 2019 - Happiness Begins Tour, The Forum, Inglewood, CA

Jonas Brothers - January 25th, 2020 - Citi Sound Vault, Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA

Jonas Brothers - August 20th, 2021 - Remember This Tour, Park Theater, Las Vegas, NV

Jonas Brothers - August 21st, 2021 - Remember This Tour, Park Theater, Las Vegas, NV

Jonas Brothers - October 1st, 2021 - Remember This Tour, Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Jonas Brothers - October 27th, 2021 - Remember This Tour, Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA

Russ - May 5th, 2022 - The Journey is Everything World Tour, Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA (special guests BIA, Bugus, Ktlyn, YG, Ty Dolla $ign and Big Sean)

Jonas Brothers - June 3rd, 2022 - Live in Vegas 2022, Las Vegas, NV

Jonas Brothers - June 4th, 2022 - Live in Vegas 2022, Las Vegas, NV

Rick Springfield - August 20th, 2022 - Youtube Theater, Inglewood, CA

Jessie Reyez - October 24th, 2022, The Yessie Tour, Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA

Danny Elfman - October 29th, 2022 - From Boingo to Batman to Big Mess and Beyond, Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA

Harry Styles - November 9th, 2011, Love on Tour, Kia Forum, Inglewood, CA

Smokey Robinson - December 10th, 2022 - Music & Memories Tour, YouTube Theater, Inglewood, CA

Jonas Brothers - January 7, 2023 - AT&T Playoff Playlist (Openers: Em Beihold & DUCKWRTH), Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

Jonas Brothers - March 18th, 2023 - Jonas Brothers on Broadway, (The Album), Marquis Theatre, New York, NY.

Jonas Brothers - April 25th, 2023 - Los Angeles One Night Only, The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles, CA.

Jonas Brothers - September 9th, 2023 - The Tour (Opener: Lawrence the Band), Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA.

Coldplay - October 1st, 2023 - Music of the Spheres World Tour (Opener: H.E.R.), Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA.

Jonas Brothers - October 29th, 2023 - The Tour (Opener: Lawrence the Band), Honda Center, Anaheim, CA.

Depeche Mode - December 17th, 2023, Memento Mori World Tour (Opener: Young Fathers), Crypto.Com Arena, Los Angeles, CA.

[mrwilliamcharley]

PINEO & LOEB and Sparkee are Conjuring “Ghosts N Stuff”

Halifax-based artists PINEO & LOEB and Sparkee have reunited once again for more funk-fueled mayhem. This time, they’ve worked their magic into a groovy, retro Halloween cover of Deadmau5’s iconic hit “Ghosts N Stuff”. This homage drops just in time for Halloween, and one day shy of the original song’s ten year anniversary. This remix injects the track’s upbeat electro timbre with spooky harmonic chords, phantasmical lyrics by Christiana, and Sparkee’s sultry basslines into a festive, Oingo Boingo-esque monstrous bash.

PINEO & LOEB are known for their genre-bending style that brings sounds from hip-hop, funk and rock all to energetic and uplifting measures. They’ve released tracks on The Funk Hunters’ Westwood Recordings, and Stylust’s Sleeveless Records, and have toured extensively across North America and beyond.

For Sparkee, this track is yet another in a succession of musical encounters with Deadmau5. The first of which was his resoundingly successful remix of “Strobe”, which garnered millions of plays on YouTube and accolades from Deadmau5 himself about his “impossible” basslines.

This remix of “Ghosts N Stuff” is the first track of PINEO & LOEB’s upcoming album, which will consist entirely of cover songs. Stay tuned for more from PINEO & LOEB, and keep an eye out for their forthcoming cover album!

PINEO & LOEB x Sparkee – Ghosts N Stuff | DOWNLOAD

  PINEO & LOEB

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Sparkee

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'PINEO & LOEB and Sparkee are Conjuring “Ghosts N Stuff”

The post PINEO & LOEB and Sparkee are Conjuring “Ghosts N Stuff” appeared first on Run The Trap: The Best EDM, Hip Hop & Trap Music.

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[popentertainmentmusic]

THE US FESTIVAL: 1982 THE “US” GENERATION (2017)

Featuring Steve Wozniak, Mick Fleetwood, Stewart Copeland, Mickey Hart, Kate Pierson, Marky Ramone, Eddie Money, Carlos Harvey, Greg Perloff, Sherry Wasserman, Dr. Peter Ellis, John Collins, Andy Hertzfeld, Derek Power, Joe Sharino and Paul Block.

Directed by Glenn Aveni.

Distributed by MVD Visual. 103 minutes. Not Rated.

By the 1980s, the idea of the rock festival was pretty much on fumes in the US. The huge multi-day rock fests were a staple of the late 1960s – reaching an apex at Woodstock – but never quite recovered from the killing at the Altamonte Festival. Oh sure, there were some smaller ones that popped up through the 70s – such as California Jam, Goose Lake, Texxas Jam and Summer Jam at Watkins Glen.

Still, the idea of a huge, all-encompassing multi-day festival had not been really taken up in years.

Then came Steve Wozniak, the Apple co-founder. He was young, rich beyond his wildest dreams, and came up with the idea of throwing a three-day party with some of the biggest names in music. He had no idea how to do it, but he had money to burn and figured he would just hire the best people to put it all together.

Wozniak figured it would also be a good way to marry tech and rock and roll. Though he did not do it as an Apple project, he made a point of not bringing others from his day job to be a part of the festival. In fact, according to one of the interviewees here, his partner Steve Jobs was massively pissed that Wozniak was wasting his time and money on this plan.

Thus, The US Festival was born. (It was pronounced like the word “us,” not the initials U.S.)

Well at least in theory. It took a whole hell of a lot of preparation. This included finding the perfect venue, creating an outdoor amphitheater which could hold well over 100,000 people, and also creating a comfortable concert-going environment.

The US Festival pioneered many of the standards of the modern rock fest: A huge diamond-vision screen so that the people in the back could see well, spraying water on the concert-goers to keep them cool and hydrated (the temperatures on both days were around 110 F), strolling entertainers and a tented tech center. In fact, The US Festival set the blueprint for most of the big fests to come: Live Aid, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Van’s Warped Tour, Firefly, and many, many more.

Then there was the process of getting together the acts. The fest hooked up with legendary promoters, paid extremely well (several acts interviewed in this film said it was their biggest payday ever at the time) and before long there were a lot of big names and highly respected smaller names coming on board. Wozniak even got his wedding singer Joe Sharino a spot on the roster, though both Woz and Sharino acknowledge that they only expected him to be on a side stage with the jugglers and clowns.

It ran on Labor Day weekend of 1982 and check out this lineup of some of the biggest bands in the world at the time.

Friday, September 3, 1982: (last to first performers) The Police, Talking Heads, The B-52's, Oingo Boingo, The English Beat, The Ramones, Blairing Out and Gang of Four.

Saturday, September 4, 1982: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Pat Benatar, The Kinks, The Cars, Santana, Eddie Money, Dave Edmunds and Joe Sharino.

Sunday, September 5, 1982: Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band, Jerry Jeff Walker and The Grateful Dead (The Dead played a breakfast jam at 9:00 Sunday morning!)

That’s some lineup.

The documentary talks with members of several of the bands that played the Festival, though notably only Eddie Money was the frontperson of act. There are also tons of archival interview clips with the likes of Sting, Jackson Browne, Ric Ocasek, Carlos Santana (with an unacknowledged Herbie Hancock sitting beside him, periodically agreeing), Joey and Johnny Ramone, and several others.

And there are lots of video clips of bands performing at the Fest, including such classic songs as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ “Refugee,” The Police doing “Can’t Stand Losing,” The Cars with “Bye Bye Love,” Talking Heads singing “Life After Wartime,” Fleetwood Mac pulling “The Chain” and more.

However, mostly this documentary looks at the fascinating behind-the-scenes stories of the US Festival, speaking of many of the people responsible putting the show together. There is also a good amount of period video and interviews, giving you a feel for the whole event. You get some funny and inspirational stories about how things went. The documentary mostly keeps things light. It isn’t looking to turn over and stones and see what crawls out. As muckraking as it gets is going over the just slightly contentious relationship between the cantankerous Graham and the always sunny Wozniak.

Wozniak ended up losing a lot of money on The US Festival – about $12 million. However, he didn’t really care that much. He had put together one of the great parties ever and the happiness he created was worth the money for him. Of course, that would never work as a business plan, the US Festival only happened one other time in 1983. By then, Wozniak had moved on and Denver concert promoter Barry Fey took over, even adding specialty days of all metal artists and all country. It also lost $12 million, and quickly The US Festival became a distant memory and a trivia answer.

However, for three strange days, it was perfection.

Jay S. Jacobs

[readablenoise]

House of Creatives Music Festival- Day 1

The Miami music festival sets the bar for quality, experience and ambition

Miami, FL- This place has everything. Train tracks, a carousel, local vendors, MTV’s Dan Cortez. The latter part can’t truly ever be counted out as Cortez can be anywhere at anytime.

The rest however, as seemingly as it might be a nightclub description from Saturday Night Live character Stefon, is 100% true, in addition to the beyond splendid line-up of House of Creatives. A fact made even more extraordinary by the fact that the festival is only in it’s second year.

There’s no shortage of truth that Miami’s slow disappearing act of music venues made so by a rabid hunger from realtors and land developers, has been combated by the growing amount of music festivals, anywhere from the heavy hitters such as Ultra and Art Basel, to lesser knowns such as III Points. However, combine that with simple math and you quickly come to a realization that to build a music festival involves not only being inventive but most importantly, creative. The land mass of Florida is a swamp, laced with with marshlands and shimmering waterfronts, sprinkled in between multi-million dollar estates. Yet somewhere, somehow, the curators of HOC found an oasis amidst this, a carnival of delights, wonders and that Stefon esque quality we spoke of earlier. Yet throughout this, it does what all good festivals do; make you feel as if you are in a completely different place, or two.

Walking past miniture railroad tracks and a winding dirt path leads you to the daunting main stage and if you hang just a bit right, you’ll find yourself in Ibiza, with a tiki like canopy hanging next to a pretty considerably talented DJ underneath chandeliers which seemingly dance from the taped off beach, not even 500 yards away. It takes the best elements of Electric Daisy, Ibiza and T in the Park, slowly rolled all into a compact ball and incredibly, one stage.

Richie Hell kicked off the festivities, leading a calm yet drawing entry in, as well as the perfect accompaniment for Miami duo Private School to slip into; and though still in their youth as a group, the act hit all the right notes, from the Beach House like dreamy qualities of their well crafted beats. From there, Fort Lauderdale’s Kids kicked in, quite literally. Starting a killer set that spanned multiple genres and influences, all through an Arcade Fire familial type vibe, the ensemble held absolutely nothing back, without berating the audience with the potency of the set, and a refreshing look at how vibrant south Florida’s music scene is.

It’s at this point hard not to gush about the delivery of the line-up. Amidst the tease of salty beach air just over the horizion, and a William Boroughs meets Factory Records art installation, Sacred Geometry, combining music and the shapes of sound waves they produce, there was something different at every corner with a perfect soundtrack coming from the stage. From Salt Cathedral’s Columbian soul meets FKA Twigs hypnotizing vocals, and even to Caveman’s swagger, it’s a breath of fresh air to see no fillers and only thrills.

In a surprise turn of events, Sir Sly even through unfortunately being plagued by technical difficulties in addition to an injury from Landon Jacobs bested not just most of the bands that day, but delivered one of the best shows of the year.

Starting with hit “Gold”, instrument faults continued afterward with Jacobs yelling jokingly at one point “We’ll do it live!!”. Even after forcing to make “High” a stripped down version, they let nothing hinder them, instead becoming even tighter a unit and delivering one of the most outstanding sets of the day. Topped only by firecracker “&Run”, with Jacobs, bassist/keys Jason Suwito and drummer Hayden Coplen taking the energy and somehow becoming a shadow of Led Zepplin’s heyday.

With a bar set this high, the standards become more and more difficult to top, a situation Whomadewho was not only prepped, but made for. The Copenhagen based trio arrived on stage in shimmering gold outfits that left a ponder, all of which cut out as soon as they started playing. The group occupied every inch available of the space with their sound alone, which bounced everywhere from The Rapture, Blondie and incredibly even Primus, with remarkable musicianship and bass riffs clean as a new landscape with every note. It’s here I have to a rare personal note: I have never seen a crowd more fascinated, as well as a quiet chatter in between the red hot tracks of who was playing. The secret danger in festivals is that due to the volume of heavy hitters, there’s a 60% chance that research into a band you saw will result in a half promised social media follow but never cultivating in more than that. The band can take pride that I highly doubt that would have happened, as the energy and excitement was as thrilling as the dances that ensued.

It’s a powerful note to leave on, and one that would later be hard to top as Metronomy took the stage. Whether by the exuberance of WhoMadeWho, the England based headliners delivered a career spanning set best cataloging their disco ethos and one that fit in theory perfectly with the festival. The act feel almost as if they arrived from a time machine, combining a modernized style and interesting stage set-up with the eclectic creativity of the 80’s that’s only ever been done correctly by the likes of Chic, Oingo Boingo and Heaven 17; a talent best showcased in “The Bay”, which is something to be seen live. Combine these elements and though the result was a tight set-up, the set left an unsettling feeling of something to be desired, not helped by the sound level which seemed to be turned up to an uncomfortable amount, said at the risk of sounding like an old man who’s lawn was just manicured.

And from Miami neon, it’s an interesting transition to get to alt-J, a band that are a testament to professionalism. The trio’s set up, an inspired take on NIN’s light show from the “Hesitation Marks” tour, separate the trio of lead vocalist/guitarist Joe Newman, keys/vocals Gwil Sainsbury and Thom Sonny Greene, from each other as well as barrier from reality, all the while not breaking the untoppable chemistry the band have with each other.

Opening with “House of The Rising Sun, an almost Gaelic like song that could feel at home in Game of Thrones, Sainsbury and Newman use a Simon & Garfunkel like delivery of using vocals as an instrument of it’s own. And contrary to how you may perceive that comment, it’s a difficult thing to master, let alone pull off. It’s one of the elements that make alt-J a very viable triple threat, winning the coveted Mercury and Ivor Norvello’s, as well as being nominated for a Grammy all with different albums, and deservedly so.

There is an undeniable drawing effect live, whether as a fan or a newcomer, which cannot be denied. In addition to the extraordinary composition and a sprinkling of different time signatures in-track that Green does an excellent job of doing. Each track feels something like the score to a storybook tale told by a Father to his daughter from generations past painted by sheer imagination. “Something Good" might paint the princess in the castle, and the dragon that must be fought. “3WW”, where the hero is put under a spell that only love can conquer. This ethereal feel the band thrives on, accentuated in “Bloodflood”, a Pink Floyd like ode.

House of Creative’s interesting shift from Metronomy, a by all means dance reliant band, to alt-J comes with a drastic change in temperature that could prove catastrophic in the wrong circumstances. But the transition feels wholly natural as the shift goes from the feet to the soul, creating an unspoken unity in the silent swaying. Closing with “Left Hand Free”, featured recently in last summer’s “Captain America: Civil War” fitting as Peter Parker’s introduction, and “Breezeblocks”, it couldn’t have been a more fitting end, leaving on the same note of professionalism they entered with.

As security flashed their lights to a silent choreography, reflective signs now lit and displaying large gator warning signs near bogs, that same Lewis Carroll feeling somehow entered the air again, or perhaps it was there all along. Alice’s imagination exaggerated everything she found benign in the looking glass of her choosings, cats becoming purple cheshires and flowers turning momeraths. And that’s what a good music festival does: turn a dust field into a dance floor, and a beach into Ibiza. And who doesn’t want to step into the looking glass every now and then? -Jenelle DeGuzman