#gateshead rap

[mcmansionhell]

The Brutalism Post, Part One: Introduction

This is part one of a five-part post about Brutalism. 

University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth campus by Paul Rudolph. Photo via Library of Congress

No style of architecture so passionately divides even the most good-natured and level-headed people as Brutalism. The discourse surrounding Brutalism being “good” or “bad” is fierce and polemical. The “for” crowd lobbies on both aesthetic grounds – posting pictures of incredible and obscure structures and saying “I mean LOOK at this” – as well as political ones, citing in particular, how Brutalism was used to house thousands of people during the postwar period. 

On the other hand, the “against” crowd brings up the failed urbanism of Le Corbusier that gave us the freeways and slum clearance that split and displaced entire swaths of city fabric, proclaiming that only architects or architecture enthusiasts like Brutalism, and that this is a testament to how out of touch they are with everyday people. “If you had to live or work in these buildings,” they say, “you’d feel differently.” 

Unité d'Habitation by Le Corbusier. Photo by Thomas Nemeskeri, via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) 

I’ve been a spectator to this debate since I first lurked in the Skyscraper City forums as a high school freshman, ten years ago, when Brutalism itself sparked the interest in architecture that brings me here today. I have, as they say, heard both sides, and when asked to pick one, my response is unsatisfying. Though my personal aesthetic tastes fall on the side of “Brutalism is good,” I think the actual answer is  it’s deeply, deeply complicated. 

Still, what is it about Brutalism that makes it so divisive? Why does a short-lived substyle of modern architecture elicit such vehement passion in so many people? What does it even mean for a style of architecture to be “good” or “bad”? You can see why I’m drawn to finally sitting down and penning this series, which has been simmering at the back of my mind since I started McMansion Hell three years ago. (By the way, Happy Birthday to this blog!!!) 

Brutalism has a special way of inspiring us to ask big and difficult questions about architecture. “Is Brutalism good?” is really a question of “is any kind of architecture good?” - is architecture itself good? And what do we mean by good? Are we talking about mere aesthetic merits? Or is it more whether or not a given work of architecture satisfies the purpose for which it was built? Can architecture be morally good? Is there a right or wrong way to make, or interpret, a building? 

Ferrier Estate, a now-demolished social housing complex in South London. Photo by Tim Slessor via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)  

I have bad news for you: the answers to all of these questions are complicated, nuanced, and unsatisfying. In today’s polemical and deeply divided world of woke and cancelled, nuance has gotten a bad rap, having been frequently misused by those acting in bad faith to create blurred lines in situations where answers to questions of morality are, in reality, crystal clear. This is not my intention here. 

For centuries, the philosophical discipline of aesthetics has tried in vain to articulate some kind of clearly defined standard by which we can delineate whether or not a work of art is good, bad, moral or amoral. Architecture makes this even more complicated because unlike literature, painting, music, or art, we have to live, work, and exist in architecture. Not only does the question of whether or not we can separate the art from the artist exist in architecture, so to do questions of whether or not we can separate the building from the politics, from the culture, from the time period, from the urbanism, from the socioeconomic system, from the entire contents of everyday life in which it exists. 

Orange County Government Center, Perspective Drawing, by Paul Rudolph. Photo via the Library of Congress.

Existential questions aside, there are other reasons to write about Brutalism. First, while we’ve been hemming and hawing about it online, we’ve lost priceless examples of the style to either demolition or cannibalistic renovation, including Paul Rudolph’s elegant Orange County Government Center, Bertrand Goldberg’s dynamic Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago, and the iconic Trinity Square, Gateshead complex, famous for the role it played in the movie Get Carter. My hope is that by bringing up the nuances of Brutalism before a broad and diverse audience, other buildings on the chopping block might be spared. 

On an even broader note, I think Brutalism is worth writing about simply because a lot of people are rightly confused as to what it even is.  The common practice of identifying Brutalism by the presence of a material - reinforced concrete - too broadly defines a style that belongs to a specific era and architectural praxis. There are so many buildings and styles called Brutalist that are not Brutalist that I’ve devoted the first two installments of this series to the subject “What Brutalism Is Not,” followed, of course, by “What is Brutalism?” The goal is that these two essays will be educational and interesting (with the added bonus of providing the reader with an arsenal of information that will make them as insufferable at dinner parties as I am.)

The third part in this series is devoted to the people of Brutalism - the architects, politicians, planners, writers, and philosophers, who signed their names to an architectural movement that spanned the globe. Finally, the last installment gathers all this information together and answers the question we’ve all been waiting for: is Brutalism good? 

The Kyoto International Conference Center, designed by Sachio Otani. Photo by Chris Guy, via Flickr. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) 

This is a series on Brutalism, but Brutalism itself demands a level of inquiry that goes beyond defining a style. Really, this is a series about architecture, and its relationship to the world in which it exists. Architects, as workers, artists, and ideologues, may dream up a building on paper and, with the help of laborers, erect it in the material world, but this is only the first part of the story. The rest is written by us, the people who interact with architecture as shelter; as monetary, cultural, and political capital; as labor; as an art; and, most broadly, as that which makes up the backdrop of our beautiful, complicated human lives. 

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Not into recurring donations or bonus content? Consider the tip jar! Or,Check out the McMansion Hell Store ! 100% of the proceeds from the McMansion Hell store go to charity!

Copyright Disclaimer: All photographs are used in this post under fair use for the purposes of education, satire, and parody, consistent with 17 USC §107. Manipulated photos are considered derivative work and are Copyright © 2019 McMansion Hell. Please email kate@mcmansionhell.com before using these images on another site. (am v chill about this)

[taykingonline-blog]

Track: Break The Matrix | Artist: Nex | Producer: Glory Beats

[orphanbrigade]

Oh boy, its been a while since I wrote anything, so it’s time for a life update!

Make me write

I’m busy working on the 100th Baby Years story. So Hopefully I’ll get that done some point this week. 

I have a few WIP’s right now. But I could do with some more inspiration, so feel free to flood my ask box with prompts, requests or general questions.

You can also force me to write by asking for a commission.

Let me know if you have any queries about the commissions, or any constructive criticisms about the pricing.

Novel Progress

Zero progress has been made.

The Store

I was just at Gateshead Comic Con! You can check out the photos of me and my stall on the Myriad Market tumblr page. (I’m also on Instagram and Facebook).

Over the next few weeks I’ll be updating my Etsy store with more listings such as the  T.O.P jewellery set.

If anyone has any ideas about other AH themed jewellery they’d like to see in the store, just let me know! I’m currently trialling DnD necklaces based off the Heroes and Halfwits characters. 

Use the coupon code ORPHANBRIGADE2018 for 15% off everything in store.

I’m currently fundraising for a couple of places. The profit anything I sell featuring a ballerina or ballet shoes goes to my dance classes fundraiser (we’re dancing in Disney Land Paris in July!!) and anything sold featuring the mars and venus sex symbols goes to Verbal Remedy, a local feminist blogging platform. I’ve written a couple of things for VR and would definitely recommend taking a look at some of the stuff on their site. 

Videos

I’ve choreographed a dance to (half) of the Camp Camp Rap Rap, so if I get the time I’ll film it and post a link on here for you guys. 

Keep Me Caffeinated

I’ve also started a Ko-fi page. I’m very new to this, so it’ll take a little while to set up. Anyone who donates will be rewarded with a fic drabble! Just leave me a message with a request if you do! (Requests can be for any AU or fandom that I have a basic knowledge of).

Re-Read Everything

The tumblr links aren’t quite up to date. So if you want to read everything in order, I’d recommend Ao3 for now! (My username is Kellisina).

[6daybrand-blog]

Break The Matrix - Artist: Nex - Producer: Glory Beats Why not have a listen to the track for you to click and play?

[originalnextv-blog]

OriginalNex Introduction

My name is “NEX” well its actually a nickname, not my real name but ... SHHHHH!  I am an eBay reseller, hip-hop artist, former actor and commedia dell’arte slapstick actor as of up to 2009.  I have also dabbled in Hip Hop music production nothing fancy but generic beats which you can find at www.soundclick.com/kdrbeats - you can also follow me directly on www.originalnex.com my official website and join my forum board, contact me direct, see my online store, listen to my music - ALL ON THAT SITE!!!

[kusht-uk]

Whos with me? . . . . . #pittsburgh #gateshead #newcastle #newcastleupontyne #newcastlegateshead #rap #rapper #rapping #kusht #kush — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/3uj2pJ7

[shemakesmusic-uk]

INTERVIEW: Bea Garcia of Twist Helix

Firing on all cylinders, Newcastle’s Twist Helix are flexing their studio muscles as of late, as they pave the way for their upcoming 2020 album, Machinery. They kickstarted their 2020 by introducing their next LP with the single ‘Louder,’ an atmospheric synth-pop triumph that laid down the tone for the rest of the record. Now, 4 they’re releasing a brand-new single. ‘Frida Kahlo’.

Since bursting onto the scene 4 years ago, Bea Garcia (Synth, vocals), James Walker (Drums) and Matthew Barron (Bass) are renowned for their idiosyncratic mix of electronica and indie, which blends dramatic synths,with uplifting pop hooks and a soft Iberian lilt.

With arena-sized vocal chants that delve in and out of English and Spanish, you’re instantly drawn into 'Frida Kahlo'. Filled with intrigue from the outset, the single weaves in and out of pop, and new-wave influenced sections spurred on by giddy bouts of synthesizer and compelling jump-rope verses. Uplifting, hopeful and full of charisma, ‘Frida Kahlo’ showcases everything the band represent.

We had a chat with Bea all about the new single, what we can expect from the new album, quarantine life and much more. Read the full interview below.

Hi Bea! How are you? How have you been spending your time during this pandemic? How as it affected Twist Helix as a band?

"Hola She Makes Music! I’m good thank you, thanks for inviting me to chat about the new single!

"It’s been a really strange year to make music. The pandemic and the lockdown came at the worst possible moment for us, we’d just wrapped up our first tour dates of the year and were set to board a flight to Madrid when all of Spain was put under quarantine. So, we’ve had to improvise a bit, working digitally between two studios 1500 miles apart, it’s been a stressful experience but we’re so glad to have finished recording the new album!

"Other than that, I’ve just been locked in my flat playing countless hours of Rayman."

You recently released your new single 'Frida Kahlo'. What's the story behind the track? What does the song mean to you?

"'Frida Kahlo’ is one of those songs we could never quite finish. I had the idea for the synth lead about the time we were writing the Ouseburn album but could never quite make it fit into a song. Then last summer the group were invited to participate in a studio residency at Sage Gateshead; that time together to write with no pressures or deadlines in a space of our own really brought out the best in us. We spent the residency writing music and thinking about the relation between cultural production and cultural product and well, I don’t quite remember how it happened, but somehow the conversation turned to Frida Kahlo earrings."

'Frida Kahlo' and previous single 'Louder' are to feature on your upcoming new LP Machinery. What can you tell us about the record?

"The idea behind the album was that we would use this album to peer into the workings of the music industry, the literal workings of the machinery behind it. It’s a distillation of our own experiences, observations and our projected hopes and anxieties."

What were your musical influences for the LP? Who were you listening to around the time of writing it?

"Gosh I consume music voraciously, and I’m a total synth freak and it shows. There’s hints of everything from MGMT, The Naked and Famous, Ladytron, Gossip, Izal… It sounds weird writing it down, but being behind the keyboard the mind just sort of channels all these disparate parts into something whole."

How is Machinery different (or similar) to Ouseburn? Was the songwriting/recording process any different?

"There’s always a self-reflexive quality to our music and euphoric rush of feelings and sound. The big difference on Machinery is we’re feeling a lot less incumbered by expectations of what that sound is, we’re painting in much bolder strokes and that means rapping on some tracks, vapourwave inspired instrumentals and following synth punk tracks with brooding symphonic ballads."

Were there any other songs written during this period that didn’t make it onto the album, and if so, will you revisit them again in the future?

"Almost certainly and yes, probably, who knows. Honestly you never stop writing, even when a recording is finished and an album is released you don’t stop tinkering with it. That’s the fun of creating."

Which new artists/bands are you listening to right now? Anyone we should be checking out?

"We got the new Bugeye album through the post this morning which is just a superb collection of spikey disco-punk ferocity. We’ve also been touring a bit with a band from Leeds called Artio, and have loved hearing their EP Backbone, I won’t spoil the surprise too much, just think Alt-Rock meets Synth-Pop. Trust me you’ll love it."

With having a lot of time to reflect recently, if there was one thing you could change about the music world today, what would it be?

"Speaking as an artist signed to a European label and on behalf of the other two thirds of Twist Helix that as of this year will no longer be European citizens, we’d really like our freedom of movement back please."

You have been so busy and accomplished so many awesome things in the last four years. What would you say has been the biggest highlight for Twist Helix so far? And why?

"Honestly, for all the wonderful experiences we’ve had and places we’ve been I think just keeping the group going and having the determination to see through a third album is a huge achievement. We love making and performing our music and as long as there’s still a couple of crazy people who want to hear shouty happy unabashedly Spanglish synth pop, we’ll keep doing it."

Finally, what do you have planned now we're getting back to some sort of normality? I expect you're itching to get out on the road to tour the album following its release and when it is safe to do so?

"Absolutely and we’re over the moon that the majority of festival bookings we had this year have kept in touch and intend to honour the booking for 2021. That said, we’re not going to rush into it unless we can feel comfortable in doing so. We work closely with the venues and promoters that support us, and while this has been a difficult time for all involved, we’re behind them 100%. It’s not been talked about in the press but before the UK went into lockdown (or didn’t if you compare our version of it to say what happened elsewhere in Europe) many venues were showing the leadership our government lacked and closed their doors before the government so belatedly intervened. They did that to their expense because they put the wellbeing of their staff and their patrons ahead of profit. I’ve got nothing but respect for them."

Twist Helix · Frida Kahlo

Photo credit: Jay Dawson

[torentialtribute]

Chris Waddle recalls a mad time in Marseille, music… and the mafia

Thirty years ago, Chris Waddle became Britain's most expensive football player this summer when he joined Olympique Marseille from Tottenham Hotspur for £ 4.5 million.

On a gray August night in his native Northeast, Waddle met Sportsmail for a beer to reflect on three colorful years on the Cote d & # 39; Azur …

Chris Waddle met a Sportsmail for beer reflecting on three colorful years in Marseille

Waddle won three consecutive Ligue 1 titles and was a European Cup second during his stay

The Vauxhall SRi Turbo hit 100 km / h on the deserted toll road from Aix en Provence when flashing blue lights illuminated its rearview mirror.

& # 39; I was late for training, & # 39; Waddle remembers. & # 39; The police officer started on the usual, "Do you know what speed you are going?". Then he stopped himself and looked at me, "Waddle?!"

& # 39; He tore off the bottom of the speed ticket and asked me to sign it. "Souvenir," he said. "No fine". & # 39;

Before he left, the officer asked Waddle why he was driving too fast. He explained that the training started within 15 minutes. & # 39; So then he said: & # 39; Follow me & # 39 ;, turn on the blue light and give me an escort! & # 39;

WADDLE ON … ERIC CANTONA

& I liked Eric. He was a fool, but he was dry. We had a team dinner and Jean-Pierre Papin was just kidding. Eric never liked Papin. Papin stuck his fork in this vinegar bag and thought it would hit me if he injected it. Except, it's machine gun Eric – his forehead, mouth, chin, chest. I couldn't stop laughing. The rest were silent. They thought, "Eric finally has his chance to kill Papin." He grabbed his napkin, slow to death, and dabbed all the vinegar. He looked at me and said, "You want to grow up." Then to Papin: & You are a little boy. I'm going to bed & # 39 ;. & # 39;

In a city of the Mafia line, Waddle discovered that you didn't need connections to the underworld if you were the darling of the Stade Velodrome.

& # 39; If I took parking tickets down the desk, the guy would just tear off and save the characteristic part. I must have had 80 and never paid for it. & # 39;

It was all very different from life in London, where he played for Spurs and England, but enjoyed relative anonymity.

& # 39; Suddenly, I was chased by shopping malls by screaming schoolgirls, & # 39; says Waddle, now 58. & # 39; You hit without emergency exits and jump into cars. I think, "What is this all about?"

It was a French love affair with an Englishman nicknamed & # 39; Magic Chris & # 39 ;, a stylish winger with effortless genius who won three consecutive Ligue 1 titles and a Second Place European Cup in 1991.

He even hit the charts thanks to a rap duet with teammate Basile Boli, although he did not scale up the heights of Diamond Lights, the single he released with Glenn Hoddle making the British top 20 in 1987.

Marseille gave him the nickname & # 39; Magic Chris & # 39; because he was a stylish winger with effortless genius

He recalls that the local police were more than willing to write down a number of motor violations WADDLE ON … BASILE BOLI

59019]

& # 39; He said: & # 39; Do you want to sing a song with me? It is an African-European rap. "I said," That sounds terrible, I am a serious singer, have you never heard of Diamond Lights? "Anyway, I agreed. We recorded the video and they dressed me like John Steed from The Avengers, wore a bowler hat and a brolly and dancing! The video came on TV one evening, oh my god! It came on number 1 in Albania! I said to him before Euro & # 39; 92: "Stuart Pearce is harder than you." Does he do that? Pearcey Headbutts when France played England! & # 39;

]

Later, the Marseille Waddle supporters were said to be the second best player of the 20th century. He smiles as he is reminded.The winner was Jean-Pierre Papin, the productive French striker who, on arrival in the south, owned Waddle of France, and laughs too.

& # 39; Papin had a few problems with his wife, "he says." I would be in my room and your ears would be louder I didn't understand a word but I think, "That's not a conversation." You'd be in the kitchen for breakfast and it would start again, and I think, "Where's the shooting chair? Get me out of here!"

Now sitting in a quiet corner of De Kroon pub in Gateshead, just around the corner from his in-laws and where the locals lovingly greet this famous but familiar face, it feels far away from chez Papin and that summer of 1989.

Waddle takes us back: & # 39; I was happy at Spurs, but they told me: & # 39; Marseille has arrived. We've put a silly price on your head, but they want to pay & # 39 ;. I said, "Why didn't you tell them £ 10 million then?" Next, I left. & # 39;

Waddle became the third most expensive player in the world – only Diego Maradona and Ruud Gullit had cost more. He left his wife and a one-year-old daughter in London while he acclimatized and landed in Marseille. & # 39; A journalist at the airport asks me: & # 39; Are you looking forward to playing at the Stade Velodrome? & # 39; … & # 39; Of course. & # 39;

& # 39; He then said: & # 39; Which song do you start tonight? "I think," Hey, what is he talking about? Did Diamond Lights come out in France? "

& # 39; He says: & # 39; You're the Pink Floyd singer? & # 39; they played at the stadium that night! I think:" Wait a minute, I wonder if Maradona and Gullit had this? "

But Waddle didn't make the right notes in those first months.

& # 39; I was far from the pace, "He says. I had done it in the preseason. My first day was in 95 degrees heat. At the end I am lying there, my face bright red. The boys called me Roast Beef! & # 39;

Waddle and Sportsmail & # 39; s Craig Hope met in Gateshead, just around the corner from his in-laws

[1945908]

The supporters of Marseille call Waddle the second best player of the 20th century

However, Papin had a softer side, at least after his wife left the kitchen. I would ask him: "What does the newspaper say?" He would say: "Waddle … did well today, getting better". I would look at the numbers and it was 4 out of 10. "How can they say I'm fine?" He would say, "Ah, it must be a printing error."

& # 39; In fact, it said I was a c ** p and he was trying to protect me. I liked Papin. A player. & # 39;

Waddle was certainly not protected by the press. & # 39; It was all, "Waddle, what a waste of money". I said, "Listen, give me three months to get fit and write what you want." I got about three hours! & # 39;

Then one night in October, everything changed. His goal against PSG in a 2-1 home win remains the most iconic of his career. There are T-shirts, prints and murals that show their bravery.

& # 39; I was fed up with my life now & # 39 ;, he begins, given a surprising answer to the question: & # 39; Can you tell us something about that beautiful night? & # 39;

But Waddle wants to offer some context. They didn't know where to play me. They bought me as a No. 10, but I wasn't. They called me in: "Chris, we've paid you a lot of money …". I think: "Here we go, they send me back to Spurs". But they wanted to know why I was wrong. & # 39;

Waddle grabs a notepad and sketches a football field. & # 39; It was like a scene from & # 39; Allo & # 39 ;, Allo! I said to the coach: "You play me earlier, I want to play & # 39; there & # 39; I drew circles everywhere to explain – it must have worked. & # 39;

Waddle initially struggled for fitness, but soon impressed French fans when he hit his stride

Waddle explains how he had lunch with a mafia boss but refused to be sucked into conty oversy

His recreation shows a front three with Abedi Pele on the left, Papin in the middle and himself on the right, but with a permit to roam the field. & # 39; That week we finally moved to our house in Aix. I said to my wife, "This is it now, if it doesn't work at Christmas, we'll probably be started anyway."

The goal. & # 39; It was 0-0 and our left back lifted the ball into the area. It was just me and the keeper, Joel Bats. He runs to me, but I skipped it over him. I thought, "Oh, I'm probably offside, I just stop it with a rear wheel." I looked around. In the flag I was over the billboards. From there it all started. & # 39;

WADDLE ON … CARLOS MOZER

& # 39; A defender from Brazil signed with me at the same time. We drove to training together. We didn't have a common language. I think: "This will be a long three miles". Suddenly he says "Kevin Keegan". I think for a moment and say "Skin". He says "Gary Lineker". I'm going, "Jairzinho." This continues all the way to training. We get back in the car and it starts again. Bryan Robson. So I say "Rivellino". Glenn Hoddle. "Tostao". We did this for three days! He now has a restaurant in Lisbon. I saw him a few years ago. I just said & # 39; Jairzinho & # 39; and we couldn't stop laughing. & # 39;

Come May 1990, Marseille was champion and Waddle, scorer of 12 goals, could park the Vauxhall wherever he wanted. He was a favorite of club president Bernard Tapie, the foolish politician, and everyone wanted a piece of him.

& # 39; I was invited to lunch at the port. This old man sits down next to me. I look at my teammates: "Who is this?" Then I saw the gun in his coat.

& # 39; One of the boys went to the toilet, so I ran after him: "Who is that?" "One of the Mafia bosses, he just wants to meet you". I shook his hand and was polite – but I didn't go on the Maradona road! & # 39;

That summer, in Italia & # 39; 90, Waddle and Maradona could have met in the final, if the first had not blown a penalty over the bar in the shootout defeat of England against the final West Germany champions in the semi-final.

Waddle returned in March the following March for a quarter-final of the European Cup against AC Milan. They drew 1-1 in the San Siro and it was aimless with 15 minutes to go in the second leg when Skin crossed from the right and Papin flicked to Waddle.

played Waddle against Red Star Belgrade in 1991 European Cup final that Marseille lost

After missing a penalty on Italia & # 39; 90, Waddle insisted a and that he was not willing to take one in Bari

& # 39; I would probably never try that shot again, a right-foot volleyball, & # 39; he says. & # 39; Once it leaves your foot, it is a bit of a snail, dice. Then you think: "You know what, it has a chance that this … it is inside!"

Then a few floodlights went out notoriously and Milan walked away. The referee said Marseille were winners and UEFA agreed, later banned Milan a season. Not that Waddle remembers many of the final phases.

& # 39; Looking back, I play with scented salts in my hand. (Paolo) Maldini had his elbow hit against my head. You should never play today.

& # 39; Anyway, Gazza was my guest that night. We then drank a beer and my head started to turn. Then I am sick and my legs are gone. I am lying on a stretcher and am being lifted in an ambulance! Gazza says, "Where are you going?" I said, "Where do you think I'm going?" I was in the hospital for a week. & # 39;

Waddle was finally back in Red Star Belgrade in Bari. After a golden stalemate it went to penalty & # 39; s. & # 39; I didn't take any, I sat in the dugout & # 39 ;, he says. & # 39; Because of Italia 90? Absolutely. I don't even take one now on a Sunday morning. & # 39; Red Star won the shootout 5-3.

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