#i do know also that i need to tell everyone about my vinyl / cd purchases when we get to that | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thirstygirlclub · 5 years ago

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Someplace Quiet - Juice x Male Reader

Just a cute request from an anon for male reader monday. enjoy! sorry it took forever to come out.

also lets talk about how sad this gif is? my heart!

Your last day in Queens was bittersweet. You had a last night out with your friends and regretted it the next morning but that was always how you could tell it was a good one. The friends you had made over the years in the NYPD were some you knew you would keep forever and would miss very much but it was time to move on; there was nothing for you in this city anymore.

The day came for you to finally make your dream come true. You had been saving for years to get enough money to open your record/music shop. You used to have a boyfriend that laughed at your vinyl record collection; calling you a hoarder and always tried to get you to update to something more modern, “Come on!” he used to say, “Just get a CD player!” but you were stubborn. There was just something about them that you loved, maybe you had good memories relating to your grandparents playing them when you were a child... or maybe you were just that guy.

Ideally, you had wanted to set up shop in New York but the rent was way to expensive and you wanted a fresh start, in a new state... someplace quiet and warm. You just wanted a new life. So you chose a tiny town in California, Charming. It sounded like somewhere quiet and full of old people that would buy records and the rent was so much more affordable than anywhere else you had looked at. It was decided. The property was in the middle of town sandwiched between a cafe and a cigar store with a small apartment upstairs. It was exactly what you were looking for.

News of the New York detective had spread around town quickly and soon enough the Sons of Anarchy had got wind of it. There was a feeling of unease and suspicion was apparent; they didn’t understand why a cop would want to move to Charming purely to open some kind of music store.

A plan had been formulated. Their informants would scope the place out and see what the cop was like before they made their presence known to him. Clay had sent Unser to do “cop talk” but so far hadn’t made any progress with finding out about the new Charming resident.

“He just kept saying he wanted a new start,” Unser told Clay and Jax after his visit, “and that’s all I could get out of him.”

It was decided that they would take a personal visit to “welcome” him to the town and maybe threaten him into telling them the real reason that he was there. Cops don’t just open up record shops for no reason.

You had only been in town for a few days, each day spent working on building shelving units and painting the walls until late at night, when you got visits from the locals. Everyone was so friendly and nice. When they found out you used to be a police officer they were always so surprised and understanding.

Then when you had officially opened up you finally got a visit from the guys you had been waiting for. The local biker gang. You knew that as soon as they had gotten wind of an ex-cop in their town they’d come to sniff around. There was nothing to be nervous about though because you weren’t there to enforce the law or arrest them; you were just getting your life together.

When the bell jingled, you looked up from where you were organizing the Dolly Parton records and smiled at the new faces. They were looking at you suspiciously.

“Hey fellas,” You greeted with a light-hearted wave, “how are you doing?”

They murmured a collective greeting and stood looking at you for a while before they dispersed, looking around your store; picking up records at random. There was two men left, an older man with grey hair and the other one looked closer to your age with blonde hair.

“What’s your deal?” The man with grey hair said, looping his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans.

“My deal?” You chuckled, “I opened up a music shop. Kids love vintage and retro music right now. I’ve always wanted to open a store like this.”

You moved passed them to behind the counter where you kept a gun and your coffee cup.

“Vintage?!” Another man asked incredulously, he had a Scottish accent, “I used to listen to these when I were a kid!”

“Says more about you than is does about me, Pal.” You replied, raising your eyebrows and sipping your coffee.

Some of the other men laughed at your jibe, the Scottish man joined in and carried on flipping through the “world music” section. Seemingly more at ease with you now the two men chuckled and leant against the other side of the counter.

“You mean am I undercover or whatever?” You asked them, then nodded when they did, “You can relax. I handed in my badge and gun weeks ago. I’m not a detective anymore.”

Before they could say anything in reply the sound of another motorcycle rumbled in the quiet Saturday air. And when you looked out of the window you felt your heart sink. You had immediately recognised the man on the back when he took his helmet off. Juan Carlos Ortiz. Your ex. He jogged over to the door and started talking as soon as it was open.

“Hey,” he breathed, “sorry Clay. Got caught up in the-”

Then he looked at you with wide eyes and froze. You mirrored his expression and the other men in the room looked between you. Juan stepped fully into the store with his face both sad and angry and pointing at you.

“What are you doing here? Did you follow me?” He asked, voice cracking slightly.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” you laughed humorlessly, “I’m not here for you.”

“Then why-”

“Because I wanted a fresh start.”

The other guys kept looking between you in confusion but apparently knowing better than to interrupt two arguing New Yorkers. Something that you had noticed, and that Juan had always liked, was that your civilian personality would drop and you’d start acting like the hood-rat you really were; like you were when you first met him. You moved out from behind your counter to face him.

Both of you were talking over each other, talking fast and gesturing wildly and getting closer until you were almost nose to nose. Suddenly you were ripped away from your ex by the blonde man and practically thrown against your counter.

“You know each other?” He asked, keeping his hand on your chest so you wouldn’t move but pointing at Juan with his other one.

“Yeah we know each other,” You spat, “don’t we Juan? Went to school together, arrested him a couple or ten times... liked being in handcuffs if I remember.”

Juan’s jaw set and he shook his head as he stepped closer but ran into the man’s other hand. The blonde man gripped onto Juan’s shirt and shook him slightly.

“Why are you here?” The grey haired man asked low and dangerously, suspicious now that he knew you and Juan had obvious history.

“’Cause I was fed up of goin’ to funerals.” You said and pushed the blonde man’s hand away from you, “Five of my buddies died in one month, Man. Five funerals, five grieving families... kids without dad’s... I was sick of my friends dying.”

Juan looked like he softened when he saw the tears threatening to fall down your cheeks but you scrubbed your eyes roughly and sniffed. You turned away from them and slowly made your way back around to your stool behind the counter; creating a barrier between you and the men who were now looking at you with sympathy.

“Get out,” you breathed and looked at Juan, “just... just get out of my store.”

"No, (Y/N)-”

“Out.”

“You said-”

“You were the one that left, Juan. Not me. You just left with a sorry on a fucking post-it note on my fridge and that was it. What am I supposed to do? Huh? Kiss and make up when you left like that?”

“It wasn’t a post-it note.”

You fixed him with a hard glare and he stepped back and away from his friends, back out the door and on his motorcycle with a last glance over his shoulder. You put your face in your hands and then ran your fingers through your hair in frustration. After a few seconds your attention was brought to the Scottish man who had put a small stack of records in front of you with his wallet out. He was looking slightly awkward.

“Oh- Sorry Pal,” you said when you noticed him before starting to ring up his purchases, “that’s... $25. Gonna give you a discount because of... that.” You gestured vaguely to the door.

“That’s fine,” he nodded.

You slid the records into a paper bag and handed them to him in exchange for the money then they left. As soon as they had, you flipped the sign over to say closed; you were exhausted after that. You hadn’t expected to see Juan again, especially not in a tiny Californian town like Charming but you had always known that when you did see him again it would have been explosive. But then you thought that maybe he had moved here for the same reason that you did.

It was like all of your energy had left you as you made your way into the back room and up the stairs to your little apartment and just slouched into bed but then not sleeping.

Days went by, quiet and warm just like you wanted, but there was always a tense feeling in your chest whenever you heard motorcycles coming down the street and you couldn’t help glancing through the large windows every time. Juan had gotten more handsome over the years he had left you and when he rode his motorcycle you could almost feel your mouth water. You also couldn’t miss the way his head would turn slightly when he drove passed either and it was like you could feel that he was looking at you.

Then, one afternoon when you were eating your sandwich and clicking through your emails to check what orders you needed to dispatch, the bell for the door rung and you looked up to greet the customer but your polite smile fell when you saw who it was.

“Look,” Juan reasoned, raising his hands almost as if in surrender, “before you kick me out again can I just talk to you?”

With a sigh and a skeptical bite of your sandwich you nodded. He stepped in fully and approached the counter before resting his hands on it. He had taken to wearing rings, you noticed.

“I’m sorry for the way I ended things,” he mumbled, now fiddling with the small stack of sticky notes you kept on the counter, “I got... scared. With your job and... everything, you know?”

He finally looked back up to you shyly, dark eyes searching your face for any sign that you were going to kick off again but finding none. He had actually forgotten how cute you were when you were eating.

“And the guys I was running with couldn’t know about us because, I mean, you know... right?”

“You could have just said that,” you told him softly and put your sandwich down, “instead of just leaving me in the middle of the night. You could have broken up with me any other way than that.”

“I know-”

“You hurt me, Juan.”

“I’m sorry.”

You shook your head looked away from him.

“Sorry about your friends. That sucks.”

You couldn’t help laughing lightly. Only Juan would talk about your friends dying like you had lost your keys but you knew he didn’t mean it in a flippant way like it sounded; he was just bad in awkward situations. When you looked back to him, he was smiling at you in the way he used too when he made you laugh; he liked making you laugh.

“Your buddies know about us?” You asked and pushed the wax paper that held the other half of your sandwich which he happily took.

“I broke it to ‘em,” Juan said around the food, “they were surprised but-” he shrugged, “-they didn’t care that much. Apparently they were kinda expecting it.”

“You are kinda gay.”

“Says you.” He snorted.

And just like that the tension was gone. He wandered around your little store, straightening out a few knick knacks on the shelves and rearranged a few things so they were in alphabetical order.

“The guys want you to come to a party,” he said after a while, “at the clubhouse.”

You tensed up. The friends he had kept in Queens weren’t the best of people and he always seemed to have a nose for trouble. From what you had heard from around town that didn’t look like that had changed too much.

“Am I gonna get beat up for being a cop? I know what your friends are like, Juan.”

“They were the old friends,” his tone was defensive and his eyebrows furrowed, “these guys are different, ok? They like you... I think. They think you’re funny.”

You pressed your lips into a hard line. You had learnt long ago to place your trust in people carefully but found yourself agreeing anyway. They had seemed nice before you had started mouthing off to Juan and even then they hadn’t been violent towards you. You really didn’t know anyone even slightly close to your age in town, Wayne Unser being your only drinking buddy but you didn’t want to talk about cop stuff all the time, so you agreed somewhat hesitantly.

It turned out that parties were the same wherever you were or whoever you were with. The Sons of Anarchy guys were fascinated by the fact that parties with your cop buddies were just as rowdy, if not rowdier, than theirs.

“How many cops did coke?” Tig was asking you, leaning in close as if you would be telling him a huge secret.

“Like... maybe four that I knew of,” You laughed and sipped your beer, “most of us smoked weed though. Gets stressful being a cop, you know?”

“Strippers?”

“All the fucking time.”

He sat back and nodded like you had impressed him and you laughed again.

“Even though you’re, you know... gay.”

“Bi, actually. Just gonna throw that out there.”

There was a collective noise of realisation because they had been wondering why you had been checking out the crow eaters while you sat with them. You didn’t want to tell them too much about yours and Juan’s sex life because it wasn’t your place but there had been a girl that you had often “shared” as she liked to call it even though you were together. You loved each other during your relationship but sometimes you wanted something different.

“Makes sense. And you and Juice were... in a relationship or just fucking or...”

You looked down and tapped your beer bottle on the table with a small sigh. You thought you may as well tell them how you had felt.

“He was the love of my life,” You said quietly with a shrug and still not looking any of them, “and it crushed me when he left. It was never just fucking with Juan. Not even at the start.”

The subject of your conversation came stumbling through the crowd of people and over to your table before flopping into the seat beside you. He looked at you through hazy, happy eyes and you knew he had been smoking too. It felt, just briefly, like old times; his head was on your shoulder while he looked at you with that dopey smile and his arm was around your waist. You weren’t over him. You would never be over him.

“I think you need to get to bed, Babe,” You laughed, the pet name just slipping out before you could stop it, “you’re only gonna fall asleep out here.”

“Only if you take me,” he rasped and you knew that if you took him you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off of each other.

“You mind helping?” You asked Chibs, “Been out of the force for a while so I’m not as strong as I was.”

The Scotsman laughed and stood, drunk himself by now, and looped Juan’s arm around his shoulder to help him stand up while you took the other one. You worked together to get him through to the rooms that were at the back of their clubhouse. You threw him onto the bed and put his feet up on the mattress. You pulled his shoes off and fought with him to slip his kutte off of his shoulders with the help of Chibs.

“Fuck sake, Juan,” You laughed and finally pulled it off, “stop being stupid and go to sleep.”

He didn’t even look at you again, just pulled a pillow down from the top and cuddled it tightly with a smile on his face. Dope always made him sleepy as fuck. Chibs patted you on the shoulder and you walked back into the bar with him before calling yourself a cab to take you back into the middle of town.

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As time went by and you and Juan got closer and closer. It was almost like old times but with the added bonus of his friends becoming like your friends. Happy and Juan would often go over to your apartment to play video games when you were working then you could join them when you closed up and your apartment had never been so clean with them both visiting. They would just stroll into the store while you were serving someone and head around the back before you could hear them going upstairs. The best thing about those two going over was that your apartment had never been cleaner even after they ate and had beer. Juan was only messy when he was drunk.

Things only ever got tense if you were alone together so you tried to avoid it as much as possible. It only happened when Happy had gone home and Juan wanted to stick around for longer; or at a party when Chibs would conveniently be missing when you had to put Juan into bed; or that time Kozik just happened to get lost on his way to the gym.

The more you thought about it the more you realised that it seemed like they were making a conscious effort to make you spend more time together; just the two of you. You would catch them whispering sometimes but they would stop the minute you came into earshot.

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“Where do you want this shit?!” Jax called from the doorway.

You had managed to convince some of the guys to help you on delivery day. The added bribe of free beer and food definitely helped, of course. Jax, Tig and Juan were unloading the van of boxes of various items while you and Bobby looked over the invoices and checked everything was there.

“Just put it upstairs in the back room. Door’s open,” You told them, gesturing vaguely but not lifting your eyes from the invoice.

There was a shuffling of boots on wooden floor and then on the stairs as they heaved the heavy boxes up. You were just supervising the last few boxes coming out of the van when you heard Tig shouting you from upstairs.Making sure Jax and Bobby were alright finishing up, you dusted your hands off and jogged up the stairs into your apartment and through to the spare room.

“What’s up?” You asked and Tig waved you in.

“Come and look at this. I think something’s smashed,” he said and pointed to an open box the Juan was already peering curiously into.

“Seriously? What is it? A record player or- Hey!”

The second you were in arms reach, Tig had pushed you to the other side of the room before running through the open door and slamming it shut.

“Oh no!” He said sarcastically and you heard the key turning in the lock, “What’s happening? I can’t stop it.”

“Tig!” You shouted and banged the door with your fist with Juan shouting to be let out behind you, “What the fuck?!”

“It’s doing it on its own. Think your apartment’s haunted Man.” Tig laughed.

There was more laughter and you realised you had been set up. Jax and Bobby’s voices came from the other side also.

“You ain’t coming out until you fuck and make up,” Jax said, “or decide there’s nothing going on.”

“We’re sick of the soppy, awkward bullshit.” Bobby agreed,

Then there were three sets of footsteps leaving. When you looked through the keyhole you saw the light of the lounge; the bastards had taken the key with them. You huffed and pulled your phone out of your back pocket to call... someone when Juan smacked it out of your hand; making it skitter across the room and hit one of the many cardboard boxes. You looked up at him, angry and about to ask him what he was doing, when you noticed how intensely he was looking at you.

“They’re right. We need to talk,” he said finally.

“Yeah. Sure. Maybe after your shithead friends let us out of here.”

“Whenever I wanna talk to you about us you always leave. Why?”

That fucking face and those puppy dog eyes killed you, just like they had all those years ago. At a loss for words, you shook your head and looked away from him. You didn’t know what to tell him. That you still loved him and being alone with him hurt too much? That you still hated him for leaving and looking at him made you angry? Instead, you just shrugged and walked over to the window. All three men were sat on their motorcycles below, smoking and talking.

As you were about to open it to shout down to them Juan’s words cut through you and made you pause.

“You really hate me that much? You’d rather jump out of a window than be alone with me?”

“Never,” You hissed at him, whirling around to finally meet his eyes with yours, “I never hated you, Juan, not until you left. I fucking loved you. And you just... left.”

“I apologised!”

You shook your head and folded your arms before closing your eyelids over the tears that were stinging your eyes. He said he was sorry but it was too little and too late. He apologised years after he left.

“You were too late,” You told him finally.

His eyes searched your face. You were older, sure and more hardened than you had been when he left but you were the same old (Y/N) that he had left behind. You were still the man he loved more than he had ever loved anyone before or since. He never wanted to leave you. It wasn’t you he needed to escape.

“I wanna try again.”

“It’s always what you want, isn’t it Juan?” You leaned back against the window ledge with your eyes still fixed on his face, “You want to leave, you want to be friends, you want to try again. What about me?”

Now it was his turn to look sheepish and stare down at the floor, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew you were right. You were both silent. Thinking. Pining.

“You want it too,” Juan said finally, “I know you do. I know you. We’ve been friends forever. Remember the first day of middle school?”

You couldn’t help smiling at the memory. It was years ago but you remembered it clearer than almost anything else. He had shuffled up to your table at lunch with his hands buried into his pockets and looking sheepish, the same way he was looking at you now, and complimented your Metallica shirt and when you looked up you saw he was wearing the same one. You were instantly best friends; inseparable and then you fell in love slowly over the years until the end of high school and the thought of not seeing each other everyday pained the both of you. Even when you went to train to be a police officer and he started running with less than desirable people you stayed together, moved in together, planned a future. But then it ended.

“Yeah. I remember,” was all you said, tearing up slightly at the thought of how things used to be and how much they had changed.

“I want it to be like that again.”

“Your friends-”

“Aren’t like the other ones. They’re better. They care and... they accept me- us. Ok? They don’t give a shit about any of that.”

“-are in a violent gang,” You continued, annoyed that he had interrupted you, “I want a quiet life from now on, Juan. I just wanted to be someplace quiet where I could go through my day without worrying about who’s gonna die next. That’s not gonna happen if my boyfriend’s part of an MC, is it?”

The pain in his eyes almost physically hurt your heart but you hoped that he understood what you meant. You didn’t realise that you had moved away from the window; closer enough for him to touch your cheek, your hair and then to the back of your neck. The first time since he had seen you again since you always moved away when he tried anything that was more than helping you drunkenly home. You missed it.

“No one’s dying,” he said almost in a whisper, looking earnestly into your eyes and shaking his head, “I promise. I won’t get you involved in anything you don’t want to be. I love you.”

And that was all it took for you to grab him and kiss him. It was just like it used to be, exactly the same as the first kiss you had shared and the last one before he left. It wasn’t until you heard the door being unlocked and then opened that you came us for air. Tig, Jax and Bobby stood in the doorway looking at you smugly. All you did was glance at them over your shoulder, smirking, and then catching Juan’s lips with yours again then pushed him back against the wall. You heard the door shutting again and the footsteps retreating and then engines starting. Their work was done. Juan smiled into the kiss and you couldn’t help the disbelieving laugh that escaped.

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Juan kept his promise. You were kept in the dark about everything unless it was absolutely necessary. You only ever knew the bare minimum of the stuff Juan was caught up in. He helped you run your shop when he had days off and moved himself into the apartment with you.

Your days were exactly what you dreamed of; they were quiet, other than the occasional sound of motorcycles of course, and full of warm sunshine and you were happier than you had been in a long time. You even caught yourself thinking about the future again and even planning it with him. One day you would get your own house. It would have a big garage for his motorcycle and a big living room for all of your records. There would be a home gym and a large garden for the dogs you were going to get.

Then, his ideas changed and he said that he wouldn’t mind moving his gym stuff into the garage when you got a kid. The backyard would be big enough for a swingset and slide.

But that was all in the future and you just wanted to be happy in the present. And you were.

#male reader #sons of anarchy male reader #male reader monday #sons of anarchy #sons of anarchy fanfiction #sons of anarchy headcanon #juice ortiz #juice ortiz x male reader #juice ortiz headcanon #juice ortiz imagine #juice ortiz fanfiction

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vapormaison · 5 years ago

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2019 Best Japanese OST Press/Repress: Elfen Lied by Tiger Lab Records

Like many late millennials with artistic pretensions, I used to have an “Anituber” channel back in the wild west days of youtube. From 2010-2013 — roughly corresponding with my first three years in university — I reviewed DVD releases from ADV, Manga Entertainment, Central Park Media, and Geneon — all the big players in Western anime releases at the time, all dead and gone now with the rise of streaming. Everyone but Funimation — a sad irony and perhaps telling about the nature of the dubbing industry that the studio with a serial rape problem and established casting couch was the only one to survive.

In the interest of maintaining my personal ethics, posterity, and sanity I’ve long since deleted that channel. While there was definitely a “moment” on the platform for a nineteen year-old cokehead film student in front of a MacBook webcam doing his best Slavoj Zizek impression, that moment has long since passed. I’ve long since cooled on “substantive” media critique anyway. The world doesn’t need another Eisenstein-aligned Marxist analysis of Neon Genesis Evangelion — or, a 6-part series on using Lacanian techniques to develop a leftist praxis for Fate/Stay Night. Media exists in the present moment to be a salve for the postmodern hellscape we inhabit together.

As an interesting sidebar, the most popular video on that channel — raking in just north of 10k views over its lifetime from 2011-2015, was a twelve minute video essay on the 1995 anime Elfen Lied, where I asserted that it was the ultimate expression of contemporary Japanese anti-modern rage. While I don’t find myself particularly nostalgic for any of the content on that channel, I’m actually kind of proud of that one in particular.

While most of my analysis was fixated on the visuals, narrative, and recent oeuvre of its mangaka, Lynn Okamoto, and series director, Mamoru Kanbei, I did lay out a framework on why I consider it to be one of the most successful soundtracks ever produced for an anime. I did not heap this praise lightly, as that roughly fifteen year period of 1995-2010 was bookended by the OSTs of Evangelion and K-On! — and certainly proved to be one of the most sonically iconic periods that the medium has ever produced.

it was also one of the first soundtracks that spurred my own history of Japanese OST collection.

And, then, almost a decade later, I found out that Tiger Lab was releasing a vinyl of Elfen Lied.

In spite of this, when I originally the news, I felt a tinge of trepidation. This is not to throw shade at Tiger Lab, however — but at the reputation of previous releases of the Elfen Lied soundtrack in Japan. A quick adventure with google translate across the Japanese net for various Elfen Lied OST roleases — especially on CD — will reveal for you a lot of contempt from Otaku and anime-enthusiast audiophiles for any number of reasons. Most hinge on the quality of the physicals. This is often because Japanese physical media releases of anime soundtracks are often laden with fresh, exceptionally crisp and clean-sounding masters for CDs, and usually exclusive posters and other content geared toward the “collector” nature of many Otaku. This has usually not been the case with Elfen Lied.

A friend of mine in Kanagawa quipped “Sometimes it sounds better on the DVD” in regard to a number of OST releases of soundtracks from anime produced by Studio Arms with CD releases published by VAP. Admittedly, some of it must have been born in resentment, but I’ve always trusted the man’s opinion — as he’s invested a small family fortune into building a shrine of sorts to that studio’s output. He chalks up the poor release quality to the studio’s inability or lack of funds to master the content properly for a CD or HQ digital release, and VAP’s decline in release quality during the early 2000s roughly corresponding to a sale to another Zaibatsu. “Studio Arms made hentai for many years to stay solvent, maybe they could not send a good master to VAP [the publisher]” he told me. While I can’t know if it’s VAP, Arms or another studio handling the CD-master work, a cursory check of their oeuvre seems to confirm confirms that claim of his — but I acknowledge I’m wandering into uncharted waters here.

In spite of all that — I ordered the wax from Tiger Lab and was duly impressed. In lieu of reviewing each track as per my usual review format, in the following section I want to talk about my listening experience from the two formats I own the soundtrack in — the SA/VAP published CD from 2004 and Tiger Lab’s release. Once we finish going into the core differences — and why this vinyl is absolutely worth your purchase over competing physicals — I’ll go into the virtues of the listening experience on the whole.

Part 1: Comparisons of Select Tracks

I suppose the expectation is that I start off by taking about the most iconic recording from the series — the OP, Lilium. In the spirit of defying expectations, I’ll begin with what I consider a better litmus test.

My personal shit-test for a good master and press is how well it can handle a track that is sonically robust and diverse, crossing genre and form — requiring an intensive, sufficiently wide mix and refined master. You don’t get that on every OST album — but Elfen Lied offers one such potential track in particular, and that particular track happens to be my favorite composition on the entire album. Uso Sora, composed by Kayo Konishi and Yukio Kondo is a truly magnificent piece, and it’s used brilliantly in the series — for those familiar, I only need to quote one line: “M-m-mommy…?”.

It begins with lulling piano chords that gradually build in tempo and energy with the addition of percussion, and then it undergoes a full metamorphosis in its last minute or so to become an aggressive, frenetic techno piece with distorted lows and an angry drum kit. Mirroring the evolution of its subject in the show with understated aplomb, and functioning as a robust and enjoyable composition divorced from its source — it really deserve more recognition than it receives, but I do not doubt it will ever step forth from the massive shadow cast from the haunting chorals of Lilium, and the brilliantly directed visual intro that accompanied it.

Needless to say, Tiger Lab more than passed muster here, to the point where I’m almost blown away by just how good it sounds compared to the rest of my Elfen Lied related physicals. I experienced a definite brightness from the vinyl master over my stereo that I don't get from a lot of other Western label releases, like say Milano, which tends to cash in on a Westerner’s preference for warmth. Tiger Lab deserves credit for this approach, because it genuinely feels like a more authentically “Japanese” sound. In my experience, the Western labels that care the most about the dedicated audiophile adhere to this sonic profile, and Tiger Lab deserves all due credit here.

Finally, I might as well include my thoughts on Lilium. In short, it sounds fantastic. The mix here really brings out the most of the chorals, and provides crisp and clean sounds where you want them most. It’s also one of those tracks where you can just feel the dynamic range before you even hear it. I ended up listening to these on my Cambridges, and I’ve got to say that’s there’s something in the way they treat this particular profile of song — strongly vocal dominated, extremely muted piano, and supporting string inhabiting the negative space — absolutely incredibly. It put the KEFs to shame. I’ve always asserted that you’ve got to pair certain songs with certain speaker pairs. I’ve never been a huge devotional music guy, and I’m not entirely sure that the Cambridge or KEFs provide ideal profiles for the track. That said, Lilium sounds great anyway.

But I can envision these on a pair of high end Yamahas, or a pair of vintage Blaupunkt bookshelves sounding as stone-cold killer as Lucy when Kouta’s threatened.

I sent a rip to my friend Hiroshi, the StudioArms Shrine man, who immediately snapped up a copy after listening. I also learned that it was actually the first vinyl purchase he’s ever made after two decades of serious collecting. So perhaps that is a testament in and of itself!

Part 2: Physicality

I rarely devote an entire section to talking about the vinyl/OBI itself, but then again, Tiger Lab has put out a release certainly worthy of this. First off, the cover, which pairs perfectly with the overall aesthetic of both the series and previous soundtrack releases. I can imagine this being a release that has already attracted some attention by Japanese collectors, as the cover seems to tap into a certain sense of continuity that I know are a huge hit with that community. It certainly pairs well with my two releases from VAP, and a laserdisc set that I have. They all opt for that very iconic Klimt Vienna Secession style with appropriate creative flourishes — but I like Tiger Lab’s take on it the most. The side characters populating the back in a choral array reminiscent of the Beethoven Frieze is also a really nice touch for any enthusiast of the fin-de-siècle style.

I picked up the pink vinyl on release, one of the few pink vinyls that I’ve bought that at least feels thematically consistent with the release and not just a default “vaporwave” or “city pop” or “future funk” styling. Diclonii rock the pink hair, after all. That all said, I’m wishing now that I got the “metallic gold” edition, as its another color that feels both apropos and stunningly beautiful. With all that in mind, this is also one of the better waxes that I’ve felt in-hand, and manages to feel robust. I’ve yet to find specific info, but it certainly feels like a 180g.

In conclusion, I’ve got to give immense credit to Tiger Lab for handling this release with a class and vigor that few Japanese publishers have given it. It certainly bodes well for the future of anime releases on vinyl, and makes me eager to fill out an emergent collection.

#ost #elfen lied #bestof2019

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wtfholland · 7 years ago

Note

20, 23, 25 with tom ☺️☺️

how about CEO!tom? ;)

this ended up being so long wtf i need to control myself

Thank you for your request! :)

requests are closed! thank you so much to everyone who made requests❤️ they are in the process of being written, thanks for being so patient☺️

listen to this while reading♫

I hissed as I burnt my fingers for around the fourth time on the pan that held a roasted chicken, which was still scorching; I was attempting to remove the bird from the pan onto a much nicer and presentable dish. I spent the entire day cooking and preparing Tom’s favourite meals and dishes. I felt pretty accomplished because this was the first time I didn’t have to call Nikki over to give me a hand. The house was swimming with the most delicious smells if I do say so myself. My heart did somersaults as I set a bottle of Tom’s most favoured wine on the table, pleased with the presentation of tonight’s dinner.

He was gonna be home in about ten minutes. After triple checking that everything was in its correct place, Tessa was sleeping soundly on her plush doggie bed beside the couch so she wouldn’t try hopping on the edge of the table to swipe food, I scampered up the stairs to the bathroom to make sure I looked presentable for my man. After the news of Tom’s company getting more worldwide consumer attention, requesting and ultimately resulting in major expansion, himself and his colleagues were over the moon, bursting with nothing but joy. They had just launched one of their most anticipated events, along with charity work that was being done and Tom was ecstatic at the overwhelming feedback and success of it all. Of course, he had been building this business with his father for years and years; His brothers, mother and Harrison showing their endless support, as well as me.

Unfortunately, since the prime growth of the company, Tom and I haven’t had very much time together anymore. He was constantly working late, staying behind at the office to finish important projects, sometimes going to the bar with his work friends and coming home at around 2am, disturbing my sleep and waking up Tessa. Before there are any assumptions made, no, Tom is not cheating on me. Harrison and Tom are attached at the hip during any time of the day, except whenever he’d be with me (…which isn’t very often anymore) and Haz would always notify me that he was on his way to Tom and I’s house to drop of a very exhausted CEO. Usually, I’d only open the texts after the fact or in the morning since I’d be sleeping already. Following that, Tom would be up bright and early, ready to leave for work. I’d barely even get a goodbye before I heard the front door closing, my boyfriend leaving to work the entire day. Tonight was the night I planned to really show him how much I care for him, how much I love him and how much I miss him.

Tom and I had met four years ago in the old record store I used to work at. It was close to my university and I really needed the money, textbooks are fucking expensive. He came in, looking so out of place with his long black trench coat, suit and tie, polished shoes, and combed hair. I could hear my co-worker Joel, who was working the register, trying to suppress his cackles as he gawked at the stranger’s get up. I averted my vision away from the two and got back to stocking the records accordingly. Country, rock, alternative, disco, disco-fusion, screamo, R&B, bubblegum pop…you get the point.

“Heyah there, sir. What can I do for you today?” Joel chimed. I turned my head slightly to drink in more of the handsome stranger’s appearance. He had flawless skin from what I could see from that distance, complimented by his trimmed dark brown hair, the strands curling softly at his nape. His face was very structured, and despite the heavy coat he sported that was essentially eating him alive, you could tell he worked out; And not to mention that this guy reeked of money. He probably had enough pocket change to buy the store, maybe even the whole neighbourhood.

“Uh hi, I was wondering if you guys had any, um, records of the…Foo Fighters? I think that’s what they’re called.” Richie Rich asked Joel, clearly unsure of himself. Joel caught a glance of me ogling at the man, to which I shot daggers at him and turned back to the shelves. Country, rock, alternative…

“Ah, mate, see that girl over there? Well you’re gonna have to ask her. I just work the register, I don’t really know what the hell we’re carrying. We could be stocking a collaboration between Cyndi Lauper and Marilyn Manson for all I know!” Joel snorted. This fucking fruitcake, I swear he’s gonna get his ass fired some day. “I see. Uh, thanks.” Mr. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang said. As I heard his footsteps approach me, my arms tensed and my mind went into full panic mode. I was absolute shit at talking to guys, attractive guys, rich looking attractive guys…Country, bubblegum pop, disco, shit!

“Excuse me, miss?” a voice as smooth and luxurious as a symphony tested, fingers tapping my shoulder delicately. Country, R&B—ah, fuck it. I turned my head casually to look at the guy, up close and personal and holy fuck, I needed to change my pants. This guy was the definition of sexy. He was practically sex on legs. My lips opened and closed, making me look like a fish. C’mon, Y/N! Get your shit together. “Uh, hey there! I mean, h-hi, sir. What can I do you for?” I felt all the blood rush from my face and my eyes bulge. “Shit, I mean, not do you, I mean what can I help you with, sir? I-I stock the records and CDs and…stuff.” I panted, really studying this guy’s demeanour now that he was right in front of me. Please shut up, Y/N! Stop talking! Stop moving your lips!

I felt kind of intimidated being so close to this guy. He looked like he was made out of a million—a billion bucks while I was pretty much made out of arcade tokens with my blink-182 shirt, over-worn ripped jeans and thifted Doc Marten knock offs. He smiled at me and I was certain I had died. “Hey, the guy at the register told me to come and talk to you.” he explained. I looked past him to see Joel driving his right index finger in the space he made between his left fist, imitating his “O” face. I rolled my eyes and averted my attention back to my customer. “Oh, yeah, he’s quite the character.” I giggled. He looked down for a second and then moved his gaze back up to me. “I was wondering if you guys carried anything by the Foo Fighters. If you don’t have any vinyls, CDs would be just fine.” the stranger questioned, still grinning at me. Wow, he was beautiful.

“Y-yeah, we only have Foo Fighters on vinyl. Is that okay, sir?” I stuttered, still nervous to be in his presence. “Yes, of course, love. And just between you and me, you don’t need to call me ‘sir’, by the way. I’m only 23.” he stated. I just nodded and smiled, not too sure how to respond since he just called me love! “My name is Tom.” He stuck his hand out for me to shake and I snorted at his gesture. I accepted his hand and felt a jolt of electricity, lightening, something move up my arm and invade my body. “You say not to call you ‘sir’ but your old school actions say otherwise.” I teased, loving the feeling of his warm hand in mine. “I’m Y/N.”

We separated and I swear I saw a streak of disappointment in his eyes, but it disappeared quickly. “Hm, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” he flattered me. Holy hell, I am ready to get on my knees for this guy. When I didn’t respond (out of disbelief), he smirked and shook his head. “So I guess I’m not just old school, I’m also a cliché.” he chuckled. I let out a nervous laugh, “No, no, I…like cliché. I mean I also like original things but cliché is good too. That was really nice, thank you, Tom.” I said giddily, he nodded at me in response.

After a couple more minutes of me being a flimsy idiot, I finally showed him what he was asking for and gave him my recommendations on which records overpowered others. Tom told me about how his youngest brother starting getting into Foo Fighters and his birthday was coming up so he thought he’d surprise him with some brand new LPs.

“So, um, I hope you don’t mind me asking but do you live around here? Sorry, that sounds so creepy.” Tom questioned as I scanned a copy of The Colour and the Shape and Wasting Light. “No, it’s fine!” I reassured almost too quickly. “I actually go to Kingston University, it’s not too far from here. I live on campus with my best friend.” I described, my thumb jutting out and pointing behind me.

Tom nodded understandingly and pulled out his wallet. “I see. That’s such a coincidence because I actually own th—uh…n-nevermind.” he trailed off, suddenly looking unsure. My eyes lit up as I grabbed a plastic bag from underneath the register. “No, tell me!” I pushed. Relax, Y/N. I gently put his purchase in the bag and handed it to him. He took it from me, fingers grazing my skin. My face immediately heated up and I looked down at the register, fiddling with the buttons. Tom cleared his throat, “Uh, how much do I owe you, love?” He tapped a golden credit card against the counter. Love again. “Um, seventeen pounds.” I replied.

I’d like him to give me seventeen pounds.

I looked away as Tom punched in his pin, trying to figure out what to say next. I’ll admit, I didn’t want him to leave but I didn’t have a clue on how to stall him. I looked back at Tom shoving his wallet back into the deep pockets of his trench coat. “Look, I…I’ll tell you what I was gonna say if you…” He took a deep breath, “…go out to dinner with me.” My eyebrows basically crawled up into my hair line, they were raised so high. I was shocked. This guy, this fucking sex god is asking me out to dinner? Tom’s expression began to fall because of the silence. Y/N! Answer him, you dumb ass!

“Yes, she will!” Joel’s voice boomed from behind me, coming out of nowhere. I turned back to look at him and then back to Tom, his wild eyebrows anchored up as well. “Well, Y/N? Will you go on a date with me?” Tom repeated, leaning in closer. I was slowly melting in my shoes, a party was going on in my head. A sweet smile crept on my face, I leaned forward as well. His cologne hit me like a semi-truck, he smelt so damn good! How did I not notice this before?

“Yes, Tom. I’ll go out with you.” And that’s when my entire life changed.

I went from barely being able to afford a month’s worth of gas for my shitty little VW to being able to afford a dozen brand new Ferraris with all the gas in the world. Tom explained to me how he owned several different buildings in London, all of them under the company that him and his father have been working on for years. I was surprised with Tom being so young, having such a large empire under his command, he’s an extremely successful man. He admitted he was nervous about mentioning what he does in the record shop in fear that I would mooch off of him for money, as he told me his previous girlfriend did just that. He just wanted to protect his heart.

I assured Tom all my actions and feelings were genuine and that I didn’t care about his title or his money; If he treated me right, made me laugh like a lunatic, and just all in all made me happy, I’d never ask for anything more. Until now that is…after me quitting my job, selling my car, working harder in University than I ever have, moving into Tom’s penthouse apartment, and almost four years of dating, I’m finally about to ask him for something.

Just a little bit more attention. I don’t want to sound like one of those girlfriends, I just want things back the way they used to be; Have him crawling into bed beside me and snuggle me up to his warm, strong chest, going out on the most enjoyable dates anyone could think of, cook meals together, take Tessa on long walks, talk about our future, make love almost every night…now it was just work, work, and more work.

My mouth stretched into a wide smile as I heard the fumbling of a key at the front door. Tessa shot up, arising from her slumber and scampered towards the noise in a hurry. Tom stepped into view, squealing like a child when he saw Tess, bending down to scratch behind her ears. I brushed off the invisible dust that was on my dress and stood out off the view of the table, trying to emphasize the presentation. Tom stood up straight, caught a glimpse of me and rushed over. He picked me up and twirled me in the air. I let out a joyful gasp at the sudden gesture, placing my hands on his sturdy shoulders to support myself. He then pulled me in for a chaste kiss and set me back down to my feet.

“You’re not gonna believe what happened today at work, Y/N!” Tom blurted. I smiled and raised my brows, urging him to speak. I moved a little more to the side, hoping he’d say something about how the dining table was littered with all his beloved dishes. “So Harrison told me he got an e-mail late last night from these guys in Japan who were very impressed with how successful our business has grown to be in such a short amount of time and that they were willing to fly out to London just for us to discuss some ideas over dinner, in regards to expanding the company even more! Isn’t that brilliant?” Tom exclaimed. I walked closer to Tom and wrapped my arms around him, exceptionally proud of my boyfriend and his hard work. “Oh, hey. What’s all of this?” He asked, pulling away from the hug, finally eyeing the table.

My heart leaped. I texted him earlier to let him know I had a surprise for him waiting at home after he was finished at work. “R-Remember I texted you and said that I had a surprise for you? Well, this is it! I-I just wanted to treat you tonight because, y’know…you’re always busy and so I decided to make all of you favourite foods for dinner, you deserve it! It’ll be just you and me!” I chanted. After about a minute of Tom gawking at the table, I cleared my throat and rocked on my heals, giving him a small smile, “Surprise.” I beamed. Tom’s mouth fell open and he slapped his hand to his face, groaning. “Shit, Y/N. Fuck, I’m so sorry, I forgot you told me that you had something planned.” he gasped. I shook my head, dismissing his apology like it was nothing, trying to mask my heart selfishly filling with disappointment. Of course he forgot…

“That’s alright! Anyways, you should go wash up and I’ll dish out for you. Look,” I began, pointing at the unopened wine bottle, “I thought we could drink your favourite wine too in celebration of your success!” I dragged on. Tom’s face fell, his eyebrows knotting together and a scowl appeared on his lips. “I-I’m sorry, darling but I can’t cancel on these guys. We’re in the process of trying to collaborate with them on a project that could really sky rocket the business into something I’ve always dreamed of. Could we reschedule?” My heart was instantly torn to shreds. “Your dinner with those guys is tonight?” I interrogated. Tom just nodded his head and checked his watch. Jerk.

“But…w-what about our dinner?” I continued, my voice shaking violently. I was in literal pain as I held tears back. Somehow, somewhere in my mind, I knew this was going to happen but I tried to push those thoughts into an abyss, only thinking about how well the night was going to turn out. “Look, darling, I’m sorry but I really have to get going. Traffic is pretty heavy, I just came home to drop off my stuff. I’ll make it up to you. I just…I honestly can’t miss this. It could change everything.” Tom concluded. He gave me a peck on the forehead before adjusting his jacket collar and striding back to the door. Open, close, lock.

I just stood there like a statue and stared at the door. Tess came and plopped herself next to my feet, whining for me to pet her. I halfheartedly stroked her head, my gaze still locked on the door. I chewed on my bottom lip in confusion, hurt and betrayal. He didn’t even tell me he loves me…

“He didn’t even let me know ahead of time, Tess.” I finally spoke, my hand halting its movements on her head. “He forgot about my texts a-and my surprise. He didn’t even ask me if I’d like to come with him to the dinner.” She squealed in response, understanding what I meant. “Does he just expect me to eat this all by myself?” Tessa stood up and trotted towards the table, her nose high in the air, sniffing at the lovely feast I prepared for Tom and I. Mostly Tom. I followed her footsteps after a couple of seconds, taking in the view of the lit candles, the shining wine glasses, straight set cutlery…all going to waste. My stomach growled viciously, practically screaming at me that I should eat something before I die. Huh, I’d rather die. I swiped my phone off the kitchen counter and dialled Y/F/N’s number. My fingernail clawed at the rubber phone case as I listened to the ringing.

“Hello there, doll face.” Y/F/N swooned, I could hear the glee in her voice which brought a weak smile to my face, only falling away when I remembered why I called her. “Hey! Do you, uh…are you doing anything right now? Do you want to come over for dinner?” I asked, mentally begging her to say yes. “Ah, shit Y/N, I’m sorry! I’m actually on my way out right now! I have a date with that guy that works at that sketchy coffee shop on 83rd, remember?” she explained. Right, of course! I stupidly let that slip my mind. “Oh yeah! Crap, sorry, I forgot.” I snickered, trying to mask my disappointment. “Where’s Tom? Shouldn’t he be coming home soon or something?” I heard a door lock on the other side and assumed that was the front door of her house. “No, he, uh, actually got caught up a bit back in the office with a client. He said he’d be home in about an hour and that I should invite you to dinner.” I lied through my teeth. I was too embarrassed to tell her that my boyfriend basically abandoned me to go wine and dine with his work buddies and Japanese business men.

“Ah, okay, okay. Makes sense.” she said, more background noise of her turning her vehicle on, the engine roaring, the music from the stereo flooding my ears. “Thanks for inviting me though, Y/N. I’m sure Tom will be home soon.” Y/F/N reassured. I waved my hand at Tessa, shooing her away as she made her first attempt at jumping on the table. “I’ll let you go though. I don’t want you to be distracted while driving. Text me when your date is over, I wanna hear all about it. Don’t forget about that pepper spray I slipped in your purse just in case. Oh, and also make sure to send me your location so I kn—” “Y/N! Relax you psycho, I’m gonna be just fine!” she giggled. “I’ll talk to you later, sweets. Love you!” I smiled, “Love you too, be safe.” I hung up the phone and chucked it on the couch. Tessa went back to sniffing away at the food and I let her. What was the point?

A few hours later, the table was cleared, the food stuffed carelessly in containers and in the fridge, the candles put out, the wine tucked gently back in the in-kitchen bar, the dishes washed and now me, laying in our king sized bed for who knows how many hours, alone, per usual. Tess was curled up on the floor, a rubber hippo tucked securely under her paws, acting as a sleeping buddy. Where was my sleeping buddy? I looked over at the clock. 12:47 AM. I didn’t have the will power to stay downstairs and watch TV or read or do anything. I felt so empty. I was crumbling. A tear slipped out of my eye before I heard the front door open and close. Some more shuffling went on before I made out someone coming up the stairs. I shoved my arms underneath the pillow and buried my face in the plushness of it, creating the illusion that I’ve been sleeping for a couple of hours.

The bedroom door opened and Tom’s cologne hit my nostrils. He always smelt so good! Damn you, Holland! I was fully expecting a peck on the shoulder or a caress on the crown of my head but instead, I heard him make his way to our bathroom, pushing the door slightly. I quickly sat up, noticing that Tessa was already awake, wagging her tail at her master’s presence. The faucet turned on and off before I decided to make a move. I clambered out of the bed and made my way to the bathroom while Tess observed my every move. I pushed the bathroom door open and spotted him, facing the mirror. I slowly but sensually wrapped my arms around his bare waist, all his clothes except for his boxers thrown in the hamper, and pressed my breasts against his back.

To my relief, I could see Tom smiling in the mirror through his mouthful of toothpaste foam before spitting and rinsing, me still clinging to him like a koala. He then turned around after wiping his face with a towel and wrapped his arms around me. “Hello, pretty girl.” he whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead. Finally. I looked down, “Hey.” I muttered under my breath. He gingerly placed two digits underneath my chin, moving my head up towards him. “What’s the matter, darling?” I furrowed my brows, thinking the problem was already obvious. Tom stroked my cheek, “You know you can tell me anything, darling. What’s wrong?” he pushed on. I cautiously moved away from Tom and brushed his hand away.

“I need to be honest with you…” I began, already feeling tears threatening my vision but I blinked furiously, forcing them back. I could see Tom’s entire demeanour change within a millisecond; He was leaning against the bathroom counter and had his arms crossed, which made me feel a little intimidated. “Okay, talk.” he urged. I took a deep breathe and dropped my head, digging my toes into the soft bathroom mat. “I’ve been feeling ignored by you lately…” I tried out. When I heard no response, I continued. “You’re…always working for long hours a-and I understand it’s because you’re the CEO and own the company but, whenever I wanna do something with you or go out or anything, work always gets in the way. I’ve felt this way for a while…a few months.” I admitted, eyes still locked on my toes.

A minute passed and I raised my head to look at Tom. He looked…upset. But not the regretful kind of upset, more like the upset at me kind of upset. Ugh, shut up, Y/N. “Please say something.” I sounded so desperate that it disgusted me. Tom just pushed himself off the counter and walked back into our bedroom, leaving me in the bathroom. I immediately went to follow him, not surrendering to his immaturity regarding what I just said. “Tom! What are you doing? I just told you how I felt and you’re acting like you don’t give a shit!” I called out, moving quickly to step in front of him. “You completely forgot about me today, your plans with those guys from Japan…you know how much that hurt? I understand that the meeting was important to you and could open the doors to so many more opportunities but don’t you think you owe me as much as texting me to let me know instead of leaving me in the dark? You ran in and out of the house just to ‘drop your stuff off’. I worked all day to make tonight special for you and what was I left with? Tons of wasted food and wasted hope. You’ve done this to me many times in the past too but I was too stupid to say anything and just brushed it off like it was nothing because I’ve always put your wants and needs before mine but,” I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, “what happened tonight really hurt me.”

He drooped his head, eyes burning holes into the floor, a clear mix of contradicted feelings, unsure whether to feel sorry for me or explode. I cared about Tom’s work, how much effort he’s put into the creation of this company and for what it’s become but if it comes to the point where he’s essentially neglecting his significant other, then that becomes a problem, at least in my mind. I sat down gingerly on the bed, brushing out the wrinkles on the satin duvet. Tom looked me up and down, his features riddled with irritation.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Y/N? I’m doing this all for you! I’m trying to provide for you, so don’t give me crap about how I’m constantly working! I’ve been busting my ass and working on this for my entire life.” he argued. Oh, hell no. There was no way I was gonna let him blame his busy work schedule on me. “Don’t even, Tom! Don’t you dare try pushing this on me! I never asked for any of this; Not the house, the fancy bed, the decked out bathroom, the kitchen fit for a queen…I never asked for it! All I wanted was you. When you asked me to move in with you, I didn’t care if we were poor, living in a shoebox apartment, sleeping on the floor, I just want to be with you and I still do, so don’t you dare try telling me that you’re doing this for me.” I shrieked, fisting roughly at my pyjama pants.

Tom sneered in annoyance, perhaps even disgust. I gawked at him, outraged and waiting for him to make a comeback. “You know what? You are so selfish. You don’t appreciate anything I do for you. You could be working too, y’know? No one locks you in this house or nails you to the floorboards and demands that you wait for me to come home!” he roared, getting closer to me. I quickly stood up, startling him. He took a few steps back but kept his hard glare. “I go to school, you div! I’m a full time student, I’m studying to get my bachelors, remember? Oh, probably not because you’re too busy staying at work finishing your projects and oh, talking to clients and oh, having dinner with Japanese business men, completely forgetting about your own girlfriend! I tried doing something selfless and nice for you and all I get it a petty forehead kiss and a spit in the face!” I growled. My face was red hot by this point, my breathing shallow.

My boyfriend scoffed, almost in a laughing manner. “Fuckin’ hell, you’re still going on about that? What’s the big deal? You need to calm down.” he mocked. “I work long hours, practically every single day. When I get home, I’m tired, I’m exhausted, I want to sleep. On the weekends, I’m free. I’m not required to spend every waking second of my week with you!” Tom moved around me to climb into bed. He propped his pillow up and shut his eyes tightly. “Just go to sleep, goddammit.” he grumbled. I’m hanging at the end of my rope. He’s brushing this off, like I don’t mean anything! What happened to him?I stood over him, but it was as if all feeling in my body was gone. “So what? Is this what it’s gonna be from now on? Us sleeping in the same bed, living under the same roof but not talking? Not facing hardships and being upfront and honest with each other? Tommy, I love you but you’re…you’re supposed to take care of me…” My voice trailed off into oblivion. I didn’t want to beg but I didn’t want to lose him either. By this point, there were tears running a marathon down my face; Both of my under eyes were drenched with the salty fluid. This was destroying me. “You’re supposed to be my boyfri—”

“Y/N, shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! Do you not understand fucking english?! Just shut the fuck up!” Tom roared at me, covering his face with his hands. My heart dropped, terrified at his sudden outburst. The sound of his scream was bouncing off the walls; Thomas had never, ever yelled at me before. Obviously over the duration of our relationship, we’ve gotten into little arguments but nothing too extreme. Any time we would ever disagree on something, we’d usually forget what we’re fighting about and laugh it off, or Tom would force a smile out of me and we’d have make up sex but this was…something else.

I was defeated. I did what he said, I shut up. I slumped towards my slide of the bed and grabbed my pillow, the end slightly tucked underneath Tom’s. Without giving it a second thought, I yanked it off the bed, his head falling back a bit at the sudden motion. His hands fell away from his face and he watched me go into the closet and grab one of the extra blankets we kept in there. I forced it down from the top shelf, a few other thinner blankets fell to the floor but I just left them there. I snatched my phone off the vanity beside the bed, stepped into my Chewbacca slippers and headed straight to the door of the bedroom.

“Where are you going?” Tom piped up, a hint of concern lacing his voice. I cackled and spun around to face him. He sat up, looking like he was about to get up from the bed and come near me which was honestly the first and last thing I wanted right now. “I’m definitely not sleeping beside the man who has forgotten how to treat the woman he apparently ‘loves’.” I raged. He stared at me hard. “Y/N, I do love you. So much. I’m so—”

“You have a really funny way of showing it. You’re a jerk.” He looked hurt. Ha, good. Tom quickly climbed out of bed and came towards me as predicted. He would take one step forward, I’d take two steps back. “Just leave me the fuck alone, Holland. Go away.” I yelped, still backing out of the room. Remorse and regret traced his features, his bottom lip quivered as he started to absorb the mess he’s created tonight and every other night. “Baby, please, stay here with me. I’m sorry. I understand now. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. Please just stay here with me, I can’t sleep without you by my side.” he pleaded. I just continued walking down the dimly lit hallway. I stopped at the front of the guest bedroom down the hall, my hand on the handle. The metal was cold which sent goosebumps rolling up and down my skin.

“Don’t be sorry because you yelled at me,” I opened the door and flicked on the light. “Be sorry for neglecting me, over and over again.” I said, before stepping in the room and gently closing the door. I gazed at the bed. There weren’t any blankets or pillows, sorely for the fact that we never really let people stay over unless it was an emergency or if Harrison showed up at 3 AM drunk out of his mind because of who knows what. I tossed my pillow on the bed, it landed diagonally as the blanket soared through the air, falling gracefully on the mattress. I turned off the light and walked towards my sanctuary for the night. The bed was freezing, disheartening, lonely. I stuffed my face into the pillow and cried. I just let the tears flow and dampen the surface.

I heard Tessa scratching at the door which only made me cry harder. It was a silent cry that I didn’t want Tom to hear. I knew he was finally starting to open his eyes towards the situation and me, being so vulnerable, I wanted to forgive him. I wanted him here with me right now, with everything behind us, and just have his strong arms wrapped safely and securely around my body. The pooch’s clawing stopped after a minute, bringing me back down. I tried to sleep and I silently prayed that I could forget this night. I hated fighting with Tom. I’m not selfish, I do care about his work and understand that he’s stressed but I just want things to go back to the way that they were. When it was him and I against the world.

I awoke to my phone buzzing profusely against my forearm. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and fished around the crumpled mess of blanket to retrieve my device. When I finally found it, I had twenty two text messages and six missed calls from Y/F/N, guessing that every notification was regarding her date last night. I smiled in acknowledgement but tucked the phone under my pillow, not ready to interact with humans just yet. That lasted a good thirty seconds until I head scratching against the door again. I turned to face away from the door, assuming Tom was already up and let Tessa out of the room but the scratching just continued. I huffed and unwillingly left the now warm bed. I pulled my ridden up pyjama pants down and made my way to the door and swung it open. Tessa bolted right past me and hopped on the bed, turning in circles a few times before settling into a little ball of grey scruff. I chuckled at her as I went to step out of the room, only to have something knock into my feet, sending me crashing to the floor.

“Ow!” I exclaimed, the carpet leaving a burning sensation on my left cheekbone. “Oh, my god, Y/N! Are you okay?” a groggy voice called. I pushed myself off the ground and sat up against the wall. Tom was kneeling beside me in a split second. How’d he get here so quickly? I groaned as I looked up at him, his fingers grazing over the assumed carpet burn on my face. I flinched back, slapping his hand away. “Are you okay?” he repeated. I just stared at him in disbelief. What the hell? His eyes were bloodshot, his hair an absolute mess, I could tell he’s been running his hands through it repeatedly. I looked past him and saw his pillow and a thin, tattered blanket on the floor.

I moved my eyes back to him. “Did you sleep on the floor last night?” I questioned. He chuckled nervously and scratched the bak of his neck. “I stayed outside the guest room all night. I couldn’t sleep without you beside me. I came to get you…but after a while, I thought I’d give you some space.” he explained. My eyebrows knotted together as he dropped his head down. He leaned forward and stuffed his head in the crook of my neck. My arms instinctively moving up to caress his warm skin. “I’m sorry…I can’t believe what I said to you last night, let alone what the fuck I’ve been doing to you for the past few months, like you said.” he mumbled, his hands coming to rest of my thighs. I wrapped some strands of his hair around my fingers.

“I’m gonna be different. I have to, I want to, I need to be if I don’t want to lose you. I spent all night thinking about what you said and remembering all the times I’ve ditched you and forgot to remind you how much you mean to me. How I treated you? No boyfriend should ever do those things to their girlfriend. I never meant to do any of that to you but I still managed to. I was getting so caught up in my job and the success, I neglected and mistreated the one person who means more to me than anyone else in the entire world.” He raised his head and looked into my eyes. I could see small droplets of tears hanging onto his bottom lashes. I brushed them away gingerly with my thumb and kissed his nose. I rested my forehead against his as he sighed. “You…are the girl I want to marry and start a family with and this is not the way to do it. There are no excuses. I need to start treating you right again. I will do whatever it takes, Y/N. I love you so fucking much. Never for a single second have my feelings for you faltered. I’ll die before I stopped loving you. I’m so sorry for making you feel the way you’ve been feeling.” he concluded.

My chest tightened. This is exactly what I’ve wanted from him. I was so happy, I was thriving. “Tom?” I began, stroking his cheek with my thumb. “Yes, darling?” he replied desperately. I smiled at him contently. “I forgive you. I love you so much. Thank you.” I finished, pulling him in for a hug. He immediately snaked his arms around my body, our fronts pressed together tightly. Tom stood both of us up, not separating in the slightest. After holding each other for who knows how long, we pulled away and pressed our lips together in a mouthwatering, hungry, passionate kiss. I was finally getting my boyfriend back…He pulled away and kissed my forehead, eyelids, both cheeks, nose, and then lips.

“C’mon, my love. Let’s get a band aid on that scrape and go make some breakfast together.” Tom announced, as he turned and bent down in front of me, signalling me to jump on his back. I swooned, over the moon at what he just said. I hopped on his back and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, my fingers ghosting over his clavicles. He hooked his arms underneath the backs of my knees before playfully jumping up and down. I giggled in response, burying my face into his upper back, pressing kisses to his shoulder blades. “You’re as light as a feather, baby girl.” He declared, before taking us both to the kitchen.

I had faith in Tom that things were going to start looking up.

the ending is complete ass but i really just wanted to get this up :’)

#tom holland #tom holland imagines #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland oneshot #tom holland drabble #tom holland smut #tom holland blurbs #tom holland angst #tom holland x you #tom holland x y/n #ceo!tom

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oliverphisher · 4 years ago

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Graeme Simsion

Graeme C. Simsion is an Australian author, screenwriter, playwright and data modeller. Prior to becoming an author, Simsion was an information systems consultant, co-authoring the book Data Modelling Essentials, and worked in wine distribution.

Graeme Simsion is the internationally bestselling author of The Rosie Project, The Rosie Effect and The Best of Adam Sharp. He also co-authored Two Steps Forward with Anne Buist.

What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

I’ve long forgotten the name and author of a book about career planning I read more than forty years ago when I was at university. The author spent all but one chapter describing in painstaking detail how to build and execute a career plan, and how to stay on track in the face of setbacks and changes. The last chapter was written by someone else: an alternative approach, based on opportunism. ‘Winging it,’ he called It and it was the first time I’d heard the expression: have broad goals, but be prepared to change the plan as opportunities arise; be willing to take on something for which you’re unprepared and learn as you go; invest in new skills as they’re needed. It was a revelation—and the philosophy has defined my professional life.

I was running a thriving consultancy business when I read film critic Joe Queenan’s The Unkindest Cut, his often hilarious account of his attempt to make an ultra low budget movie. I was hooked, and followed in his footsteps, dragging my partner and friends with me, undeterred by my utter lack of experience in any facet of filmmaking. The movie was forgettable (and best forgotten) but the screenwriting seed was planted. Within a year I had sold my business, and went on to enrol in a screenwriting course while I supported myself with freelance consulting work. That was the beginning of my transition from consultant and business owner to full-time writer.

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?

The answer’s always going to be a book; I’ll try to look beyond that. So…a backup battery for my phone. I’ve hardly ever used it, but it’s eliminated low-battery anxiety.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

I spent five years studying screenwriting and—throughout that time—working on a screenplay for a romantic comedy. It won a prize but the step to production for an unknown screenwriter with an original script was just not going to happen. I should have realised that from the start: most mainstream movies are adaptations of novels—generally bestselling novels. The studios let the publishers and public sort out the winners before they invest.

So I re-wrote The Rosie Project screenplay as a novel. At first it was a means to get the screenplay noticed, but I quickly became immersed in the novel as a work in itself (which was surely necessary if it was going to be successful). And now I’m a novelist first and only an occasional screenwriter.

Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?

Pay it forward. It’s the social contract, a basic principle to live by. In the context of writing, I’ve had a great deal of luck, and I do what I can to help others who are trying to break in. So teaching, talks, mentorship, endorsement, contributing to blogs... I encourage those who might benefit from such help to do the same for others in turn. I have a book on novel writing underway—I doubt it’ll make me money, but hope it’ll be helpful to at least some aspiring authors.

You never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. – Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. In other words, practise empathy. I taught consulting skills for many years, and if consultants could do this with their clients, most of their problems would disappear. In writing, you need to be able to do it for all of your characters—if you can’t answer the character’s question ‘What’s my motivation?’ with something deeper than a stereotype (‘he’s just a boss’) or a label (‘she’s a histrionic’) he or she has no substance. That said, when I’m writing, I don’t explicitly think about my readers!

What is one of the best investment in a writing resource you’ve ever made?

I bought my first computer in 1984, and since then I’ve always typed; I can barely hand-write. You write differently when you use a word processor—and, unlike some of my generation, I’m well used to it. And I learned to touch-type—an undervalued skill.

Right now, I’m beginning a 10-day hike, and my i-Pad (with keyboard) will repay the weight it adds to my backpack: writing tool, research tool, communication tool (plus all the non-writing-related functions). For writers seeking the lightest computing solution, at present what I’m using seems to be it.

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?

I still buy CDs and have a pretty big collection of them. I’ve got a bit of vinyl too, and that’s probably even more absurd but more fashionable. Plus the high-end turntable. I suspect it’s about being able to afford things that I couldn’t when I was younger. Our kids find my consumerism pretty distasteful, but they’re reacting against growing up with it, whereas I grew up having to save for that 7-inch single of Hey Jude…

In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life?

A year ago, my partner bought me an Apple Watch (I’m sounding like a shill for Apple here, with the iPad and all). I set the ‘move’ goal (calories / kilojoules burned each day) to the highest setting and aim to hit it every day. I feel better; I’ve lost weight; I’ve been motivated to get back to the gym. I’m sure it won’t work for everyone, but so far it’s worked for me.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven aspiring author? What advice should they ignore?

Get published. As you’re starting out, write a few short stories. Get them into competitions, submit for magazines, anthologies, whatever. Agents will be less quick to dismiss you if someone has rated your work. And it’ll improve your writing. That final look at the manuscript before it goes in the envelope frequently prompts another improvement.

Join a class and / or writing group. I’m a supporter of creative writing classes: there’s a body of knowledge relevant to writing and you should know it. Why should writing be different from every other trade or profession in this regard? Plus, you need feedback—and to get used to dealing with it. Critiquing others’ writing will improve your understanding of what works and what doesn’t. And the group or class will help you keep to deadlines and connect with the industry.

Plan. OK, some writers write by the seat of their pants, but if it’s not working for you, plan. If it is working for you, meaning that you’re finishing novels, not just getting a great 30,000 words down, keep doing what you’re doing. Otherwise, do what just about every other profession does and introduce an element of top-down development i.e. plan.

Draft like it doesn’t matter. Don’t get it right, get it done. If you’ve a plan to follow, it’ll make sense, it just may not be pretty. But you’ll have a massive sense of progress and of satisfaction in getting it done. You can then come back and apply your creativity to the sentence level.

Rewrite. You should know that, but in the euphoria that accompanies the completion of a first draft, it’s easy to forget and to start sharing your work of genius. Don’t. Let it sit. Rewrite. Repeat until satisfied. I always go over what I’ve written the previous day before starting on the fresh work of the day. I can always improve it.

The best way for most of us to deal with rejection is to have more irons in the fire—another publisher to send to; another short story in competition; the new novel we’re working on.

Ignore, or take with a big grain of salt, advice on writing from anyone who isn’t a successful writer (defining ‘successful’ in the way that you yourself define success).

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession often?

Write every day. I don’t. But I work on my novel or other work-in-progress almost every day. That work may be writing, but it could be research, planning, editing, thinking about the opening sentence, solving a plot problem, reflecting on the writing process. And yes, promotion. If you’re down to participate in a public debate in the evening, don’t expect to get a lot of writing done during the day. If you want to write every day, do it, but it’s not for everyone.

Build your presence on social media (see below). I mean, sure, if you want to, but it’s got nothing to do with being a good or successful writer.

Read this book – or movie or TV series that’s in the same space as what you’re writing. You’ll be intimidated (you’re comparing a final product with a first draft), feel you’re not original and become paranoid about stealing ideas. I’ve never watched The Big Bang Theory – any overlap between Sheldon Cooper and Don Tillman is entirely coincidental.

In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)?

I’ve become slightly better at saying no to requests for endorsements. I’ve had to. I feel a responsibility to read new books (especially by debut authors) but it’s easy to become overwhelmed. If I don’t write myself, a blurb from me won’t have much cred anyway!

What marketing tactics should authors avoid?

‘Buy my book’ messages on social media. In fact, with a few exceptions, using social media as a marketing tool at all. I’m an old data guy, and I’m here to tell you that Twitter doesn’t sell books. Your time will be much better spent writing a better book. In fact most ‘marketing’ effort on the part of authors would be better devoted to writing. Even book tours (especially in the US which is massively over-serviced by touring authors) generally have little impact.

Broadcast media is a different thing. If you get a chance to be on radio or TV, drop the computer and grab the microphone with both hands.

I know I’m out on a limb here, but I challenge any marketing people reading this to show me figures to disprove it.

What new realizations and/or approaches have helped you achieve your goals?

It’s human, and often helpful, to be unsatisfied, to want to stretch further. We dream of being published, but when it happens we want to be a bestseller. Then we’re not happy until we’re number one on the NYT bestseller list. And then, what about the Pulitzer? Yes, this sort of thinking will drive us onwards, but it can also drive us nuts. When I was offered a publishing contract, I reminded myself that I had achieved my goal. Anything more was gravy. There’s been a lot of gravy, and as The Rosie Project sat at no. 2 on the NYT bestseller list, I was dreaming of that ‘No 1 NYT bestseller’ blaze on the cover. It didn’t happen (The Goldfinch kept me out) and I was disappointed, but only for about ten minutes. How lucky was I? So I’ve learned to enjoy the roller coaster ride (notably with movie adaptations) and not to pin too much on external achievements.

And, perhaps paradoxically, being sanguine about success has helped me achieve it; by not dwelling on failures, but moving forward with what I want to do.

When you feel overwhelmed or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?

I don’t often feel overwhelmed. I spent a long time running a business, and you learn how to deal with overload: in my case, make a list and (in order) dump; delegate; defer; do.

And focus…hold on. I’m probably one of the more goal-driven, businesslike, organised writers around, but I’m hesitant to apply the rather American motivational model to what I do—and especially to recommend it to others. I lose my focus, I do something else. That’s a little glib, but I’m not driven by writing goals; I’m driven by a desire to write. There’s a huge difference.

That said, and being practical, I frequently find I have to force myself to sit down to the day’s writing (editing and planning are not so hard for me) but I’m soon into it. It gets easier the more you do it and have the feedback of it working. And ‘do something else’ can mean research or that blog that someone’s asked you to contribute to. It’s not an excuse for going to the pub.

Any other tips?

My most important advice to aspiring writers is that it’s a profession. Approach it as you would any other profession in terms of the amount of learning you’ll need to do and how long it will take to become expert. If you’ve worked in another profession, there’s your benchmark; if not, look to that friend who wants to be a neurosurgeon. There are more jobs for neurosurgeons than novelists. But if you have a modicum of ability and put in that level of work, you have a very good chance of success.

________

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daggerzine · 7 years ago

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A HEARTY CHAT WITH THOMAS ANDREW OF A CERTAIN SMILE

I’m not even sure how or when Thomas Andrew and I became Facebook friends a few years ago. Probably through a mutual friend, but then I started seeing posts how he had a band, called A Certain Smile. Hey, I loved Rocketship too so I had to investigate. There were a few songs here and there but he and the band were working on their debut full length, Fits & Starts. Well the record came out a few months ago and it’s a terrific little pop record. Jangle pop with solid songwriting, a healthy amount of fuzz and Andrew’s strong and sturdy vocals. Fans of records on labels like Slumberland and Creation will certainly approve. I tossed some questions Thomas’ way and he gave me the skinny on his musical journey, his love of Scottish women and the beginnings of A Certain Smile.. Read on good people….

Were you born in Philly? Did you grow up there?

Nope, I’m from NY. We moved around a bit. Born in NY then moved to Texas for my first few years, then Long Island, then Upstate. It was a bit of a constant back and forth between the two. And pretty much as soon as I could be mobile on my own, I spent as much time as I could in the City.

What was your first exposure to music? Were your parents into music? Siblings?

Don’t have any siblings, but yeah, My parents were pretty young so most of my first music exposure was 80’s college rock mix tapes my Dad’s best friend made while a DJ at SUNY Albany. I still have a bunch of them. It’s weird, but family road trips were usually marked listening to tapes with New Order, The Cure, Violent Femmes, The Velvets, JAMC, 7 Seconds, old Lemonheads stuff, the Church, and whatnot. My dad also used to like quiz me on what was playing on the local left of the dial station: 102.7 WEQX out of Vermont.

At what age did you pick up your first instrument?

I played Saxophone in grade school, and I always would just sing all the time. I guess I got a bass when I was 16 and played my first show like 2 weeks later. We opened for Violent Society and the Causalities…I was the secret pop kid at the punk shows. I went back to just singing from like 18-20 and then got my first guitar when I was about 21.

Do you remember the first record you ever bought?

I bought 2 tapes simultaneously when I was about 11 or 12: Sir-Mix-A lot’s Mac Daddy and Tom Cochrane Mad Mad World. I can honestly remember everything about that experience. I liked that Life is a Highway song I guess. And I played the crap outta that entire Sir Mix-A lot record. The first actual LP I purchased myself was Sunny Day Real Estate – Diary. I’d had records that were my parents, and I bought a bunch of CD’s but the first piece of vinyl was at the record store I’d end up working for years, and it was Sunny Day.

Had you been in bands back east? Anything the readers might’ve heard of?

I was in some crappy poppy punk/HC bands until I moved to Philly. There I started Ports of Call with my best friend. Ports started out as the original a certain smile, we recorded 4 songs and played a show, and then our bass player bailed and when we started going again we took on different names, till finally Ports happened. We released 2 records, got a little press and stuff. People may have heard of us, we’re on Spotify and Itunes…it’s pretty basic neo-shoegaze stuff, but with a lot of melody and what not. Nicest compliment I ever got was when playing this really kinda boring shoegaze fest thing, someone came up after and was like “you guys totally have a Pale Saints thing I really dig” and as everyone knows the Pale Saints are hands down the GREATEST Shoegaze band there is….so that made my life a little

When/why did you move to Portland, Oregon?

I moved to Portland about 3 years ago. Followed my Ex here for her job. I figured what I do is pretty portable and I had a record about ready, so I could just record it here and find a band…things don’t always work out as planned though. However, in the end the record is out, the band is sorted, the Ex is now just that, and I’m pretty happy in life.

When did you form A Certain Smile? Does the name come from the Rocketship record (I’ve always assumed so)?

A Certain Smile started in 2002 as a bedroom project in college. My best friend Tom and I started recording songs and started a little label with us and our friends. We had a handful of songs and got offered a show with a band I really loved, problem was we needed a name. So we started going through name ideas, and I started flipping through records I had. We would check names online to see if they were taken. Went through a handful of ideas and then hit A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness. I liked how A Certain Smile rolled off the tongue (especially how it may sound coming from an adorable Scottish girl…if ya know any…) looked it up and no one had taken it. So with 3 days to spare we took the name. I shelved it for a while, but would always bring it back out for little one off shows or some new recording ideas I’d have. When I moved to Portland I decided to just use that going forward.

Tell me about the recording of Fits & Starts? Did it take a long while to record? Any watershed moments?

We recorded it in Portland over about 3 days all together. But the songs come from about 10 years of writing. Smile was something Tom and I wrote in college, and Summer Blonde was one of the last songs I wrote for Ports. Most everything else was written before moving to Portland for the record I was about to put out before moving. I think Leisure Class is the only “new” song, written after I got here. Zach had the music for it.

The recording was super smooth at this little studio in Portland, the Magic Closet. Hold on Call and Hushed were recorded with an earlier drummer in 1 day, and then the rest a few months later with Ian over 2 days. No real watershed moments, but a lot of caffeine fueled fun. There is a great little piano thing Zach and Ian did that I’d love to put on something, we almost hid it on the Duffle Coat Single we did.

Do you feel like you fit into any kind of scene in Portland? Any bands in town doing similar stuff?

Yes and No, Portland isn’t the pop town of yore, but there are some bands that I think we fit well with. Like No Aloha and bed. , and a bunch of amazing bands that I think we fit close enough for stuff like Mini Blinds, Havania Wall, Airport, Tender Age, and more. There is a lot of good music in town. But I missed All Girl Summer Fun Band being a thing here…and I will forever be heartbroken over that. I keep trying to push Jen to make it happen again!!!

Tell us about the influence of labels like Sarah and Slumberland on your musical life.

Woosh, I don’t even know if there are words to express that. Finding Sarah and Slumberland was like finding a home, ya know? I remember the first time I heard Another Sunny Day, and the Field Mice. It was like finally hearing something that I’d been looking for forever. Something sweeter and softer than the pop punk I’d keep getting pushed on me in upstate NY. And finding Hood, the Lilys, and Boyracer…it gave me something that felt mine, and when I found people who knew these bands and labels I found instant friends and family. I used to read liner notes a lot as a kid, and pour over the thank yous for recommendations of bands I needed to check out. That’s why I included a bunch of bands we’ve played with or who’ve just influenced us in the liner notes. Cause I’d love to be that door for someone else someday!

Who are some of your favorite current bands?

I really love so many bands right now, like Martha, Kids on a Crime Spree, Rat Fancy, Eureka California, Tunabunny, Suburban Living, Star Tropics, The Fireworks…this list could go on and on. I listen to a lot of music. Recently I’ve been getting a lot of old singles that I never heard so I can play them on my radio show or at my indiepop brunch. I got so many amazing old records from Chris at Jigsaw it’s been amazing!

Who do you think is the single greatest songwriter working today?

I have to say I’m kinda amazed I have an immediate answer to this, like it just came right to my head: Neil Halstead! I swear I love everything he does, even stuff I was meh on for a while I come back and realize it is just amazing. I love Mojave 3, his solo stuff, the Black Hearted Brother record…and obviously Slowdive….though I think I’m one of 10 people who prefer Mojave to Slowdive…but whatever. Yeah Neil Halstead comes to mind immediately.

What’s next for a certain smile? Touring? More recordings?

Well first we have a second press of Fits & Starts, cause we sold the first batch in like 3 weeks. We’re doing a Pacific NW tour with Rat Fancy in December, and we’re hoping to set up a tour down through California soon as well. We’re hoping to play Athens Popfest next year, and if we can we’d love to do Indietracks and play some shows in Spain. We sold a bunch of records in Spain so it’d be rad to go over there. We have a little 3 song EP we’re putting together with the first 3 songs I wrote here in Portland, and we have another like 8 or so songs ready to go. We’re hoping to maybe put out some singles (would love to find a label who may want to help with that *wink wink to any labels reading!) yeah, that’s about it for now. Just playing as much as we can and trying to tour a bit this year.

Any final thoughts? Closing comments? Anything you wanted to mention that I didn’t ask?

Thanks for taking the time to interview us, and for listening to the record. Also for the AMAZING single you sold me J I don’t know, beyond that I guess just thanks to anyone and everyone who’ve checked out the record, it means a lot. We’re really excited to get more stuff out and hopefully meet some of you out on the road soon. Cheers!

www.acertainsmile.bandcamp.com

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gyrlversion · 5 years ago

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Phone book, whats a phone book? 20 everyday tasks that nobody does anymore

With new and efficient technology, these 6 tasks have fallen out of our daily routines. USA TODAY

Daily necessities are vanishing one by one, thanks to new and efficient technology. Stamps, maps and cookbooks still exist, but we hardly ever need them. Why place a personals ad when you can just “swipe left?”

The standard electronics, gear and ways of yesteryear have vanished as if it was never invented at all. As old formats disappear, that leaves us with the task of what to do with our memories.

Even services that seem new are vanishing in the name of progress; Apple is killing off iTunes, for example. and here’s what it means to your music and movies.

Here are some rituals that are no longer required in many households. If you’re 40 years or older, you’ll probably smile with nostalgia. Share this list on social media. Others will enjoy this trip down memory lane too!

1. Memorize a phone number

Pop quiz: How many phone numbers do you know by heart? Some people don’t even know their spouse’s numbers. How times have changed. Now, you tell your smart assistant to call someone in your contacts, or you touch their name on your phone.

The earliest cellphones required you to transfer your entire directory by hand, from the old unit to the new one; now, with cloud technology, your contacts are automatically downloaded.

What happens if you lose your phone, say, at a Disney theme park? This couple got separated and turned to Facebook for help.

2. Use a phone book to find a company to do work around your house

Generation Z may not even know what “Yellow Pages” refers to. They may not have ever seen a phone book.

Online consumer services like Angie’s List and Yelp have made finding service people easy, plus you can read other users’ ratings. One of the newer ways to find ultra-local services is Nextdoor, which has a special section for “recommendations,” along with crime watches and other local info.

3. Sell your car with a cardboard sign stuck on the windshield

Unless you’re selling your vehicle to someone you know and trust, these transactions can get sticky and even a little dangerous, especially with all the trolls. Craigslist started more than 20 years ago, and it’s still going strong, although it, too, still suffers from trolls and weirdos. If you want to sell your car, here are three sites that may be better than Craigslist.

4. Figure out math in your head

Few of us ever carried calculators with us to the grocery store. In contrast, pretty much everyone with a smartphone uses it to do basic calculations, no matter where or when you need it. In fact, you don’t even have to jab numbers anymore, physical or virtual: Tell Siri to solve a math problem, or command Alexa to do that pesky long division for you, along with countless other handy skills.

5. Call and ask a family member, “Where are you?”

Find My Friends changed the family-safety landscape by geographically connecting iPhone users. This app was a life-saver for parents with kids, adults taking care of aging parents, and countless others. Phone Tracker is a free app for iPhone and Android-powered phones that not only tracks location but also messaging and web activity.

Analog clocks may be teetering on extinction. (Photo: robas / Getty Images)

6. Tell time by hands on a clock

Like cursive writing, analog clocks may be teetering on extinction. Few people with smartphones bother with watches anymore, unless they’re fashion statements or fitness trackers. With digital clocks dominating our computers and hardware, those 12-numeral timepieces may become pure novelties.

Even your trusted alarm clock has received a tech makeover. Click or tap for three apps that monitor your sleep cycle, and wake you up when you’ll feel the most rested.

7. Make photo albums

It’s hard to imagine printing an image at a one-hour photo store, taking back your packet of 4×6 snapshots, and then meticulously pasting them into a faux-leather photo album. Given the ease of digital photography, and the innumerable images you could produce on a regular day, you’d fill up entire shelves in no time.

Photo-sharing services like Flickr and Amazon Cloud and have existed for some years, and now some apps will help you organize your photos and keepsakes, some of them from well-known companies like CVS and Walgreens.

8. Have a CD or record collection

Wasn’t it cool back in the day to walk into a shabby-chic apartment and see those shelves of CDs? Wasn’t it a joy to flip through boxes of vinyl records? Napster was the first sign that music could exist as a tiny, virtual MP3 file, and then iPods basically dealt the death blow.

Today, music exists as a digital index on a screen. Purists may love their turntables, but CDs have probably gone the way of the wax cylinder.

9. Make mixtapes

There was something so special about a mixtape. We spent hours finding the right song, then lining up two cassettes to copy a song. So many lovers cemented their relationships using a blank tape and a few dozen favorite albums.

Now, you can drag and drop a digital playlist in seconds.

10. Call a theater to get movie times

Back in the day, you’d dial a theater and listen to its endless-loop recording of movies and times. Sometimes, you’d catch it mid-loop and have to wait for it to start at the beginning to get all the movie.

With Google, type “movie times,” and the search engine will list films based on your location. You can also ask your personal assistant, such as Google Home, what films are playing at the cineplex and what time they’re on, along with tons of other tricks and Easter eggs.

Blockbuster: There’s only one store left in the entire world

Perks: Amazon expands free one-day shipping for Prime members

11. Record your favorite programs on tape

All year, we’d wait for “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “The Wizard of Oz” to pop up on TV. When they did, we’d push a VHS tape into the machine and wait until the proper moment to press “record.”

When TiVo emerged, it streamlined this process by making scheduled recordings even simpler. Now, with streaming services, web archives and easy-to-purchase downloads, the timing of a broadcast barely matters anymore. But as you cut on the cord on traditional cable television, make sure you pick the services that best meet your interests and budget.

12. Watch shows when they are broadcast live

In the same vein, we rarely have to sit in front of the television, eagerly waiting for a “major network event.” Services like Hulu and YouTube convert a huge amount of national television into a digital format, and local news stations log most of their important segments onto their websites.

13. Run to the store for a last-minute gift

Curses! You forgot a Mother’s Day gift! Should you change your whole schedule so you can rush to the store and hurriedly pick something out? If you have Amazon Prime and live in an Amazon hub, there’s no need. You can order same-day delivery and have that gift couriered to your front door.

It’s just one of the many benefits you probably didn’t know Amazon offers. Click here for more than 20 lesser-known perks that come with your Amazon Prime membership.

14. Cut things out of the newspaper

When I was a kid, my dad used to cut out articles from the newspaper and put them in my lunchbox. I miss those days. If Dad were still alive today, he’d do what most of us do: Tap or click a button to share content by text or email. Speaking of sharing information, do you get my newsletters? Dad would like that!

15. Send a handwritten letter

Don’t get me wrong: It’s still wonderful to receive a postcard from faraway places. You might say that email, texting and video conversations have made handwritten letters even more special. But no one is forced to transcribe their thoughts by hand and drop those letters in a mailbox. Heck, nowadays, we use voice dictation to write messages.

16. Looking up the spelling of words in the dictionary

Spellcheck is nearly as old as word processors, and many of us have grown up expecting Microsoft Word to underline our mistakes in red squiggles. But autocorrect takes this concept a step further, guessing what we intended to write and correcting our errors.

This can be handy for clumsy thumbs, but it can be embarrassing when autocorrect guesses wrong.

Rare is the phone booth where you handle a dirty phone and put in a coin to make a call. (Photo: Jefferson Graham)

17. Use a phone booth to make a call

Phone booths are making a comeback in open floorplan offices where there is no privacy. But rare is the phone booth where you handle a dirty phone and put in a coin to make a call. The last holdouts may be an airport or a particular part of town, but even international travelers can usually nab a SIM card the moment they step off the plane. Did you know you can use your cellphone as a walkie-talkie? Here’s how.

18. Carry cash

I remember my dad telling me, “Always carry a ten dollar bill because you never know when you’ll need it.” In a world of debit cards and P2P apps (person-to-person), we rarely have to carry cash anymore. So what happens when your phone is dead, there’s no one around and all you have is a phone booth? Luckily, most public phones in the U.S. are outfitted with credit card strips.

19. Use a travel agent

Travel agents can be essential for elaborate vacations, but for general flights, services like Kayak and CheapFlights have completely transformed how we book our passage. You can compare hundreds of airlines and agencies in seconds for the best deal. If you’d like to save even more, use Google Flights to find the cheapest airfare. Here are five ways Google Flights can really help you save as long as you’re flexible with your travel schedule.

20. Getting your old checks back from the bank every month

Oh, people still write checks, and physical paychecks are still routine methods of payment, but I doubt this antiquated practice will last much longer. Even depositing checks has become digitized, thanks to ATMs that scan the piece of paper and print a facsimile on your receipt.

That said, online banking does open a whole universe of security risks. If you’re not sure whether your phone’s banking app is secure, there are three critical steps you can take.

Any long lost tech you’d like to add to this list? Drop your ideas to me on Twitter.

What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call Kim’s national radio show and tap or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to or watch the Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet, television or computer. Or tap or click here for Kim’s free podcasts.

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joementa · 7 years ago

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Week Of July 10, 2017.

Wow. What a week to come back from vacation! There was a TON of music news announced during the week, so much that it nearly made me dizzy and was difficult to keep up with. I tried to do as best as I can to track all of it. We start off with some of the most important news – the next release was announced in the series of Bruce archives show. This one is from October 20, 2009, the last Bruce show ever played at the Spectrum in Philly. The show is really great, but would you expect anything different? Highlights include “The Price You Pay” as the opener. I wasn’t at the show but I would have soiled my pants if I saw that open. Why? It hadn’t been played at all since 1981! Then later in the night they played “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher”, definitely one of the best songs ever, and Bruce hadn’t played it since 1977. There also is a cool cover of The Drifters’ “Save The Last Dance For Me”, and a guest appearance by Mad Dog Lopez. Then Bruce brings it on home with my favorite song ever, “Rosalita”, to close out the show.

As you can tell by my notes above, this is another Bruce archive release that deserves a purchase. All of the order info is available right here. CDs don’t ship until August 7. If you haven’t checked out any of the Bruce archive releases, I don’t know what you are waiting for. Each one of them is worth it, and you are making a huge mistake if you don’t check them out. I listen to them all of the time, especially in the summer when I do a lot of driving.

Earlier in the week, DMB announced a massive box set to celebrate their 25th anniversary (which actually occurred last year). On July 28, they are releasing a box set consisting of 25 previously unreleased songs, with performances going back to 1993 and all the way up to 2015. The box set comes with FIVE LPs, as well as a hard-cover book. According to their website, only 2500 of these will be made, so you really need to make sure that you order it as soon as possible. The pre-order info is right here. I ordered mine within minutes of getting the email announcement – and if you’re in the Warehouse, you could have (and should have) done the same thing. Being in the Warehouse is worth it, and this is just one example. While I’m sad that DMB isn’t touring this year, I’m excited to have this live boxset to enjoy the last couple months of summer. DMB is a great summer band!

I haven’t mentioned Pearl Jam too much lately. Music-related news has been relatively quiet from them, and I haven’t been listening to them that much. But that might soon change! They just announced a new release in their archive series, the famous Soldier Field show from July 11, 1995, in EV’s hometown of Chicago. The show has been bootlegged before. However, this is an official release, and it looks like they used the original multi-track tapes to increase the quality. If you are a member of the Ten Club (which you should be), you have until September 10 to pre-order. I’m really excited to get this. I saw the back cover of the release, and it says “sponsored by no one”. I’m good with that!

One album I am really excited for is the new Lana Del Rey album, Lust For Life. I think she makes great music, and I love listening to her in the summertime, especially late at night. Lust For Life comes out THIS FRIDAY, July 21. The tracklist has finally been released, and there are a bunch of pre-order options available in her official store. You can find the info right here. Unfortunately the vinyl doesn’t come out until September 22. While I’m definitely getting the vinyl, I can say that there’s no way I’m waiting that long to hear the album!

Here are a few other new albums to note.

Tori Amos’ next album is called Native Invader and it comes out on September 8. She also announced a bunch of tour dates, which recently went on sale. It doesn’t look like there are a lot of tickets left to most of her shows, so I wouldn’t wait to buy tickets. I’ve heard she puts on a great show! Unfortunately I probably won’t be able to catch her on this tour, so I will have to look forward to the next time she’s around.

Noah Gundersen is a really great singer and songwriter, and I’ve been a fan of his for a few years now. You NEED to hear his song “Middle Of June” – and I’m willing to make this easy for you. Here is a link to the song. Check it out NOW. Anyways, his new album is called White Noise, and it’s out September 22. You can find the pre-order info here. There’s also a link to a 7” of two non-album songs. And of course we are getting some tour dates. I think you are smart enough to find out what those dates will be. I’ve never seen him live before, and I’ve had competing priorities in the years’ that he has come to my area, so I’m really going to try to catch a show in the fall. I hope I can make it.

One of my favorite albums from this year is Gargoyle by Mark Lanegan Band. It’s a really great album. In September, he’s putting out a remix EP of 6 songs from the album. I haven’t heard anything from it, but it sounds interesting. The pre-order info is here. While you’re waiting for that, pick up 3 reissues that come out on August 25 – Scraps At Midnght, Field Songs, and I’ll Take Care Of You. I don’t know everything by Mark Lanegan ,but I’ve heard a lot, and it’s all great music.

Paramore’s new album After Laughter is awesome, and it’s one of my favorite ones so far from this year. The melodies are very catchy, the music is very ‘80’s-like, and the lyrics are very heavy and substantive. I really think you should listen to their new album if you haven’t yet. And like most musicians, Paramore is touring in support of their new album. A lot of the tour dates are already sold out, so you probably want to buy tickets as soon as you can. I’ve never seen them live before, but I’m excited to catch them in the fall. Plus, Best Coast is opening a bunch of the shows. They’re also a great band. So get you to see TWO great bands in just one night. You can’t complain about that!

I don’t have too many shows coming up over the next few weeks, but that’s okay for me because I have a couple of big life events to keep me busy. However, I did get to go see Ed Sheeran earlier in the week. Wow, what a show! I’m always amazed at how ONE GUY is able to capture the attention of 20,000 people in attendance. It usually requires a BAND to do what he does. And he’s just one person on stage. Everyone was locked in to the show, singing along, dancing, and screaming (they were DEFINITELY screaming). I think it takes a real talent to do what he does, and you have to give props when it’s due. He definitely deserves it.

And in the end, we come full circle. Obviously Bruce is one of my biggest musical influences, and Dylan has been one of Bruce’s biggest musical influences (and mine too). Hopefully you already know that Tulsa, Oklahoma is in the process of opening a collection of Dylan’s personal archives. Rolling Stone recently got an early peak at some of items, and you can (and should) read about it right here. This collection seems like a dream come true, and I can only hope I’m lucky enough to check it out one day. One of the Dylan scholars said that there’s enough information here so that a separate book could be written about EACH Dylan album. Let’s hope that happens!

#music #vinyl #concert #live music #bruce springsteen #dave matthews band #dmb #dave matthews #pearl jam #eddie vedder #lana del rey #tori amos #paramore #noah gundersen #best coast #bob dylan #dylan

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brokenmusicboxwolfe · 8 years ago

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I saw:

Star Wars- If you don’t know the story you won’t care. Why bother summerizing when you can rant!

Yep, I still call the first film “Star Wars” or “the original Star Wars”. Look, I’m old enough that as a little girl I saw it more than once in it’s original release back in 1977, and it was just called Star Wars then. It was called that for a long time. Wanna see how much history I had with Star Wars before the rebranding?

When I saw my first academy awards (or actually fell asleep a few minutes in...I was little!) hoping to see it win Best Picture. Halloween and me in a Princess Leia costume Mom made me and then R2D2 on my birthday cake. I saw The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi at their releases, each at least twice. My family had the 8mm cut down film version, then I worked my ass off one summer to buy the films at rental price, then eventually upgrading to a VHS widescreen set. I’d seen the movies 100 times each before the 20th anniversary, and I know because I counted! The Star Wars Holiday Special (yes, it’s original airing), the fun animated Droids and Ewoks, the so bad I never wanted to see them again Ewok tv movies, tons of making of specials and guest appearances of people from the films. The entire run of the original Marvel comics. I fell asleep to the music on 8track every night and then during the day I’d play my drums and cymbals to the vinyl soundtrack. (My parents were very understanding! LOL) I’d also listen to the “Story of Star Wars”record (flip as the tractor beam pulls them in), that Meco disco album, and upgraded the soundtracks, first to tape and then CD...more than once. I had lightsaber battles so feirce with my brother we had to get new ones to replace the smashed up old ones. My room had several posters and I wore Star Wars tee shirts. I collected tons of action figures, dolls, plushes, model ships, blasters and the like, right up until the figures went on clearance post Jedi (just found an old package yesterday between books). Too much merchandise to count. I wore my Han Solo vest every day one year in high school, purchased through the fan club I’d been a member of since it started. I read every single book or magazine to do with the movie or spun off it I could find. And through all of it back then Star Wars was still the default title of the first film....

So, as you can tell, I had a long history of just knowing it as Star Wars. Childhood. Teen. Young adult. While the “A New Hope” subtitle was added to the crawl in one of the rereleases, it was just Star Wars when anyone talked about it. I can’t remember now exactly when the rebranding got aggressive, with the anniversary in 1997 or the release of the prequels, but for at least 20 years I only ever heard anyone call it Star Wars.

When Lucasfilms started to try to make “A New Hope” a thing I kind of rolled my eyes. No one was confused by the film series for Planet of the Apes, The Thin Man or The Pink Panther sharing a name with their first films, so why bother? Now, I can get that after the subtitle got added to the opening crawl that it would make sense technically to make the titling of the films uniform. But I also knew it didn’t matter. It isn’t like it was a person asking you to use another name. The only people that cared were the more obsessive fans that liked to be smug about knowing the “real” title and George BLOODY Lucas. I rolled my eyes and doubted people would rewrite their memories just to make them happy.

I was wrong.

And so here we are at a time where people mock you if you call it “Star Wars” insteas of “A New Hope” So why do I still defiantly cling to the original title? Because it’s part of the mutilation and rewriting Lucas started doing. I’d been bothered reading interviews when I was a girl where he would contradict himself on the stories behind the stories, going so far as to claim things were “always” intended that reading early drafts showed no mention of. But ok, I knew creation is a process and some people want everyone to think it’s actually just a miraculous whoosh springing out fully formed. And despite the fact I knew full well that other people worked on the films, in the case of Empire and Jedi other directors and writers, I still shrugged it off and gave him the ultimate credit for everything. He was flawed and human, with an ego under that mild exterior, some of what he said was total BS and maybe my brother was right after watching an interview when he said the god of the Star Wars universe had no one anymore to question him...but still I trusted Lucas.

I was wrong.

Never mind the mind blowingly huge problems with the prequels, my disilusioning started right here, with the Special Editions. Most of the changes were pointless but some actually seemed to damage the films. Take my top three grumbles:

1) Tatoonie should NOT be a rosy pink! Before it was bright clear sunlight, unrelenting hot, parching and desolate, unforgiving...now it’s all pretty, colorful and warm. It reduces the sunbaked heat, but more important the dry barren sense of a colorless place Luke would ache to leave.

2) Han’s conversation with Jabba should not be in this film. I know it was filmed originally and cut for technical reasons, I’ve had a bootleg of it since my first convention, but loosing it was a good thing. Jabba should remain a shadowy unseen threat, someone that wants Han’s hide enough it looms over our scoundrel until the third film. The reveal of Jabba gains power in Jedi because you don’t know the extent of his powers but he’s supposed to be scary and we see him up in a position or authority over the room. Here Jabba looses power by not only being on the same level as Han and seeming smaller, but for crying out loud there is the gag of Han stepping on his tail while seeming completely unconcerned! And speaking of people being reduced...Boba Fett is this mysterious bounty hunter not just some damn henchman to Jabba. What part of mysterious don’t they get!

3) Mos Eisley does not need to me so cluttered up with CGI characters! This is a middle of nowhere planet with a scattered population and a climate many people wouldn’t enjoy. Sure it’s a spaceport but with buildings, many of which are at least partly underground as relief from the environment. The streets actually gain a sense of unease by being underpopulated, giving a sense that people (of whatever sort) could be watching from doorways. Like you could be attacked and no one would notice. But nope, now it’s bustling, so full of effects life that they actually wreck the look of shots by having gratitous critters and droids moving to block us seeing our characters.

Yes, I didn’t mention the Greedo thing. It doesn’t bother me as much as the rest, but you all know that if Lucas HAD wanted to film it that way originally it would have been just as easy as what we got.

Still, I wouldn’t be bothered at all if this was just an alternate version. Blade Runner, E.T. and others have given you a choice of which version to watch in DVD sets. I was sure both versions would stay easily available.

I was wrong.

Lucas decided that whatever version was his current take should be the only one out there. The DVDs with the original (close enough) cuts long ago went out of print (and in my case the DVDs failed!) so if you want to see Star Wars not going to look at all like my first 100 times seeing it.

And that’s my problem. Rejiggered versions have become the only version. If out of preference, curiosity or nostalgia you want to see something from before the monkeying around you have to look to illegal means. As far as Lucas is concerned he would like everyone to pretend any prior versions existed. History is rewritten and we aren’t supposed to grumble. All hail the genius of Lucas or some rot and forget anything you saw on screen and anything he said before. And it bugs me because I resent being told to forget

Retitling the movie, not subtitle but what we are supposed to call it, is just a tiny part of the emperor’s dictates. And my refusal to use that name is symbollic. In fact this insignificant gesture is a bit like something....Now what’s the word?

Ah yes.

Rebellion.

LOL

But not to worry. My generation will die off eventually. Those that grew up without special editions, prequels, and so forth will die out. In 100 years everyone will call it “A New Hope” and will not even realize anything was ever changed. But for now some of us still remember another Star Wars.......

One last note: I think the double whammy of the SEs and the prequels did something I thought impossible....I fell out of love with Star Wars. I rarely watch it since I only have the SE and when I do I spend some of the time grumpy at alterations I don’t like and all of it a bit empty. It’s the only time in my life that I’d ever stopped loving anyone or anything. For me usually live cools but the warmth remains to quickly rekindle. When the Force Awakens came out I felt my affection return a bit to the franchise for the first time this century and I thought my love could be reborn. But tonight, rewatching Star Wars, I realized something has been permanently lost. It no longer hurts to watch but the heart has gone out of it for me........

#movies #star wars

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get-therecord-straight-blog · 8 years ago

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Remember When Records & Videos: Greensboro, NC

I must say, 2017 has its perks so far. We are barely into the year and we’ve found time to stop at several of our favorite record stores already (if you know how busy our schedules usually are you’d be impressed, too, haha). Yesterday we were fortunate enough to have an impromptu record shopping day in Greensboro. There are several spots in Greensboro (CFBG, Hippo, as well as a few used book stores that sell records and antique shops), but today I’m going to talk about Remember When Records & Videos. Last time I reached out to the internet I offered a 100% positive review of one of my favorite spots in Raleigh, but this one will be a little different as it is not one of my favorite spots.

Let’s start with the positives! The owners of this establishment is an older gentlemen (whose name I believe is John) and his wife. They are both very nice, and John has adequate knowledge of his inventory. Location: It’s on Gate City Boulevard which is a very busy street in Greensboro. It’s easy to find and in a pretty large space. Upon your arrival you’ll find that the shop is FULL of product, and I mean FULL. Every genre of music is represented with a pretty wide selection. Each genre is organized by artist in alphabetical order AND each artists records are sorted in order of release date. Pretty cool, huh? It makes the shopping experience very smooth, and quick if you need it to be. All of the records are in plastic protectors with a price sticker on the top right corner that also includes a grade (M, M-, VGP+, etc.). Again, makes shopping pretty easy, right? In addition to tons of inventory that is so well organized, I will also give credit where credit is due- John’s inventory isn’t full of what I call “filler” inventory. Filler inventory is all of that stuff that no one buys or wants. I believe it’s main purpose is to pad the shelves and make them look fuller (in all fairness, every record store is bound to have some of that, it’s just that some have so much more than others). Remember When has good stuff. Pretty rare finds, all of the typical/popular records by any given band, a huge selection of 45′s, decent selection of CD’s, wide variety of DVD’s/VHS’s and almost all of the inventory is in great condition.

So, now that I’ve given all of the positives let’s discuss the real reasons that I don’t enjoy shopping at Remember When. Although I have found a few things in John’s store that I have purchased I usually don’t leave with much because the pricing is just too damn high. Now, you may say, “If all of the merchandise is in excellent condition then you’re paying for the quality that you’re getting.” In some cases I would be inclined to agree. However, there is a such thing as run-of-the-mill records- the stuff you find everywhere; there’s nothing particularly special about them, they’re not rare, not first pressings, not sealed, not colored, not picture-vinyl, just.... a record. These types of records usually run- in almost every record store I’ve been in (up and down the east coast), as well as most online listings- between $1-$10 (maybe more depending on the record and/or artist, but we won’t get into all of that). My point is that you can expect about a $4-$5 mark up, if not more, from Remember When. I have literally seen records in slightly worse condition than ones I own for triple the price I paid for it. Now, I’ve seen a lot of debates online about pricing vinyl, and there are some folks out there who use the Goldmine Record Album Price Guide, which is a decent GUIDE, but in my opinion doesn’t mean you should price your records exactly the way it tells you to (I have a feeling that this could be the case at Remember When, however, I don’t know that to be true). Now, everyone has the right to price things the way they fit, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to pay it. In my opinion, the price mark ups here far outweigh the great selection. I’d be much happier to spend a whole lot more money on, well, MORE things. My partner and I have been known to spend damn near $200 in some record stores on product in mint condition, and come home with over 50 records. If we spent $200 in Remember When we’d come home with about 10-12 records, which is probably over estimating at those prices.

Next on my list of grievances is, and I truly don’t mean this to sound as horrible as it will, is the owner himself. I stated earlier that he is very nice, and he IS. The issue I find I’m having when I shop at Remember When is that he sort of hovers. He is extremely protective of his inventory and watches you very closely. As a retail manager I get it! Really, I do. However, I do believe in boundaries. I understand in the retail business that areas of my store will get “junked up” by customers and disorganized. Well, my friends, John is not having that. There are signs posted throughout the store asking that you put things back exactly where you got them so not to mess up the order (which, again, I get it), but in addition to the signs I’ve seen him approach customers when placing things back on the shelves telling them to just give it to him so the order wasn’t compromised. Now, I don’t disagree with the principal. He has worked very hard to put all of these things in order to make his customers’ shopping experience as easy and pleasant as possible, however, it feels as if you are being harassed, honestly. Additionally, there are also signs asking not to take the records out of the sleeves. Again, it is not the request that I take issue with, but the enforcement of this policy. Just as the owner watches closely to ensure you’re not placing things back where they don’t belong, he watches you like a hawk to ensure you’re not taking them out of the sleeves once you’ve picked them up. Now, I will say, of the few things I’ve purchased from him, I have never gotten anything that wasn’t exactly in the condition that the grading on the front sleeve stated it would be in. His grading can certainly be trusted, so I have no issues with not taking it out to look at it (although new customers may be a little more apprehensive about taking his word for it. Frequent vinyl buyers know that sometimes people aren’t 100% honest about the grading system- but John is!). What I’m saying here is that the closely monitored shopping experience makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable. I’m almost scared to touch anything for fear that I will be chastised, and therefore don’t really sift through everything but instead kind of scan the tabs with artists names to see if there’s anything I want to sift through. For me, this takes away from the fun of record shopping. What I like about shopping for vinyl is the hunt. I enjoy flipping through the records, taking them out, reading the track lists, and even sliding the record itself out and taking a look at it. Remember When takes away most of what I love about record shopping.

I know it seems that I’ve torn them a new one. Honestly, I don’t HATE this place. In fact, the selection, the condition of the selection and the variety makes this place one of the best record shops around. Correct the pricing and customer service issues and I’d be shopping here all of the time! Unfortunately, the factors discussed here makes shopping at Remember When a less than enjoyable experience. Although, if I’m ever in search of a specific title that I don’t mind paying a hefty price for I’d definitely check in with them. Give them a shot, though, if you’re in the Greensboro area and decide for yourself!

#RememberWhenRecordsandVideos Vinyl Records VinylRecords ForTheRecord NowSpinning

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