#i mean also gravity falls came out in 2012. before that did it still exist?

[anything-is-possible]

scrollin through kin tags and seeing all these kincalls like "if you remember x ple4se like/rb" and im just

you guys have memories?

[jkl-fff]

Ha! Well, thank you for acknowledging my basic human agency—my freedom—to answer or not answer as I see fit. Heh … Seriously, though, it’s no problem; please continue to send in any and all the questions you like. The attention and interest are, frankly, flattering. And the distraction is more than welcome—it’s fun!—so no worries.

First Time as a Teacher, How Did I Feel? This one is sorta tough, because I’ve kinda always been a teacher in one capacity or another ever since I was … gosh, 14? 15? That was when I started working as a camp counselor during the summer for the Boy Scouts (did so until I was 19). While I was there … Ho boy, I taught a ton of different merit badges—basket weaving, astronomy, emergency preparedness, first aid, wilderness survival, orienteering, small boat sailing, rock-climbing …

After that, I was on a religious mission for two years (because I was raised mormon and that’s just what mormons do) in France. Pretty much spent *all* of that time teaching people about the religion, or teaching other missionaries how to be more effective at teaching people about the religion (by Cthulhu’s carpals, I was so young and naif and desperately closeted back then … feels like it was four life-times ago …), and teaching a weekly free English class as a service to people. Though, naturally, the end goal of that was finding more people to teach about the religion, so … When that ended, I was asked to keep teaching in my home congregation, and did so until I was about … 23, and just sorta collapsed inside. Couldn’t keep pretending I wasn’t attracted to other men, couldn’t keep pretending the god I had believed in was helping me be happy, couldn’t keep pretending the whole thing wasn’t thrice-damned absurd … So I stopped.

Spent another year living in France after that, this time in the employ of their Ministry of Education as an English teaching assistant in a French high school. Then two years teaching French for one university while I got a Masters’ Degree (standard trade off: graduate students teach lower-level courses, usually getting their tuition waived, health benefits, and a modest stipend), an intense month teaching an accelerated French course for the National Guard, and finally (after a brief hiatus working for FedEx) here I am in my second year of teaching French for a different university.

To say nothing of all the Taekwon-Do teaching I’ve been regularly entrusted with since I was, like, 16 …

Like I said, it’s tough to answer this one. So constant, so regular, and for so long … I just don’t really remember how the first times at each respective task felt anymore. But I do know that it *now* feels exhilarating and energizing every time my class starts one of its French lessons. Those are kinda the times that I feel most alive during the week …

First Time Writing a ParaPines Fic, What Made Me Write It? “Adorable Like a Werekitten” (shameless plug time, read it and all my fics here: https://jkl-fff.deviantart.com/) was both my first ParaPines fic and also my first foray into fanfic altogether. According to the posting timestamp … jeez, that was on October 2nd, 2012—a little over 5 years ago … And as to what made me write it, well … ParaPines came into my life during what was a rather tumultuous time, emotionally speaking.

Back then, it was like I was adrift at sea (maybe I still am … but at least the sea is more-or-less calm now, whereas back then it felt like a maelstrom within a hurricane, and I would foundering). Happiness and companionship and love—even just as meaningful friendship outside of my family—were all things I had pretty much abandoned forever all hope of finding (gods above, I sound like an emo album from 2006!) when two things happened: I discovered some … er, ahem, um … erotic fanart of Dipper Pines (which led to discovering more fanart in general, which led to discovering Gravity Falls and ParaPines and ParaNorman, all of which I found to be some of the most fantastic and adorable things to ever exist), and I fell in love with a guy in real life.

Actually, the falling in love part might have been what made everything so tumultuous emotionally … Certainly, I was not happy before him, but I was content in my unhappiness. It was a stable, dependably gray life I led before him. And then, suddenly, in my life … him. Just as suddenly, I started questioning somethings … then everythings … then ALL OF THE THINGS! Why should I linger in misery? Why cling to celibacy? What purpose was there in remaining faithful to vows I had made for a god I no longer believed in? What exactly was wrong with being gay? Why was I so convinced being gay was wrong? Why did I loathe myself so? If I had committed no fault, why shouldn’t I deserve to be as happy as anyone who was straight? Why not *all* the gay people? Why not everyone everywhere? Why not me right here and right now? Why not me … and him, with him, for him and to him and through him and by him forever and ever? Of course, it was a slow process, what with being internal and psychological. Seldom so explicit and obvious as my gloss above suggests. No, it took months and years for most of these questions to work through themselves, and honestly some of that working is still taking place even now. I hope it never stops.

But I digress. All of this gradual falling in love with him and becoming friends with him and spending time with him and pining over him and despairing because of him—all of this, and more, which had me adrift in that maelstrom in that hurricane—was taking place during and after my discoveries, as I said above, of Gravity Falls and ParaNorman and the joyous amalgam of both that is ParaPines. I was in dire straits and desperate need of something—of anything at all—that could anchor me a little, and this fit the bill. Y’see, both shows are great (great writing, great characterization, great plot development, great messages), so I could enjoy them each unironically without a sense of embarrassment. And … and and and … the ParaPines fanart was all so … so pure, so innocent, so bright and free and easy. The boys always looked so cute and happy together, y’know? As if being gay with another boy was as simple as that. No big identity struggle, no big community turmoil, no angst, no pain, no fear. Just … two gay boys being cute and happy together, with everything being as simple as that for them … Basically, everything I was craving, everything I was fantasizing about, everything I wanted for myself and him … Everything I wanted “being gay” to mean …

So I latched onto this fandom like a life preserver (it may actually have been something that preserved my life), and soon found that I just needed to contribute to it. I *needed* to write, y’know? Needed to put all of the thoughts and feeling swirling and sloshing and storming around in my head down onto paper. So I started writing for the fandom, using that writing as a means to work through some of my insecurities and anxieties about being gay, about being in love with someone who I always dreaded would leave my feelings unrequited … Heh. Poor little Norman. Though they’re all foils for parts of me, he got the brunt of all my angst, falling head-over-heels for DipDopDoblivious.

All of which to explain why I’m so invested in these two, even today, and probably will be for the rest of my life. Simultaneously, they’re now imbued with parts of my very psyche and identity, and have basically kept me from ripping myself to pieces.

Oh, and more specifically for ALaW, I saw some freakin’ adorable art by @skeletonizer featuring werecat Dipper, and sorta had to write something in which Dipper became a werecat. Like, it was too cute to be resisted. Heh. I remember being shocked at myself as I wrote it (“Really? You’re writing a story about a crossover of two characters from completely different franchises? You sunk this low?”), and trying to justify it to myself as a literary exercise (“I’m seeing if I can write in a completely different tone and style than I normally do! That’s all that’s going on here, I swear!”) so I wouldn’t feel like such a nerd/dork/geek. Ha! Although it turned out to be a slippery slope, that ParaPines fanfic, since now I’m sliding down it all “WHEEEEEEEEEE!” with no hope of every getting back up and out of it. And embrace the persona of being a nerd/dork/gook wholeheartedly (life is too short not to let yourself love what you love because of what anyone else—including yourself—might think). 

Best “mistake” I ever made, deciding to write that fanfic!

(WARNING: A LITTLE NSFW AFTER THIS)

First Kiss and First Sex *sigh* These can both be conjoined, as they happened at the same event. The memories aren’t exactly pleasant for me (or rather, memories connected with him aren’t exactly pleasant for me now … they’ve all become rather melancholy), so I’m not going to dwell on or develop the answers overmuch. It was at a New Year’s Party, one that was jampacked with people and flooded with alcohol that people had brought with them to contribute to the festivities.

Now, I loved (love?) him, but I’ve never been under any illusions: he’s self-destructive, he’s damaged inside (more so than average people), and he’s an alcoholic as a result. That night, he imbibed freely and flitted about like a boisterous social butterfly. And I, true to my demeanor, drank only water or orange juice mixed with fresca. For the most part, I stuck to corners or quieter spaces or would linger out on the deck and watch the city in the distance (perhaps I would’ve spent the whole night out there, save that it was December-becoming-January and bitterly cold). Y’see, I’ve never much cared for parties; loud music, jumbled conversations in a raucous din, tight spaces filled with people, strangers everywhere I went … I’ve never cared for any of these. They overwhelm me and tire out my brain. But I would periodically go in search of him and check that everything was still okay, then force myself to try and socialize a little before seeking out a quieter spot again. As midnight approached, he came in search of me. He said he wanted me to be his New Year’s first kiss, and … and I had been pining for him for months at that point, dreaming of it—of my first kiss—being him, being the first person I had ever been *in love* with, saving my first kiss for him … Such a silly, romantic fool I was … so of course I acquiesced at once. Perhaps I shouldn’t have, but … Gods above, he was clumsy and uncoordinated from being drunk and there was that sickly-sweet aftertaste of booze on his lips. Yet it was the best kiss of my life—a kiss that sorta ruined kissing for me, because no other kiss has ever made me feel like that one did …

Next thing I knew, he had led me down into the basement, which was a roiling cauldron of fog (from a machine) and colored dance lights and silhouettes of other guys moving slowly to the music. The room wasn’t big and there were plenty of other guys in it, yet it felt strangely private. The fog made it impossible to recognize anyone unless you were standing right next to him, plus there seemed to be an unspoken understanding on the part of all present (all except me, who felt lost and at a loss in an alien world, since I wasn’t completely out yet and all of this was new and confusing to me) that this space was one free from the gaze and the judgment of others. Every man was anonymous down there, in a way, even to those he knew. Even to himself, perhaps. Maybe that was why he had brought me down there. Like a spatial manifestation of drunkenness, that room was a haze of socially accepted deniability to those went in. Anything that happened down there was considered to stay down there and dissolve from memory and the real world when the fog did. Inhibitions didn’t have to exist, and neither did consequences or responsibilities. [Which is all utter bullshit, by the way. You are you; you are what you do and what you say, and neither alcohol nor anonymity absolve you of responsibility for what you do and what you say, for who you are. People like to tell themselves the fairytale that these things can change you, or that it’s not really you when under their influence … but, like all fairytales, that’s bullshit people tell themselves to feel better so they can try and skip out on owning up to their own mistakes. Gods, I *hate* alcohol sometimes.] Anyway, he made out with me for a while against one of the walls. I should’ve said “no”, I should’ve told him that he was drunk and this wasn’t what he really wanted, but … When I made some feeble attempts at protest, he just said, “Shhh …” and kept going. And I was too weak to insist after that, too desperate for something more than just hanging out with him to refuse … Some other guys joined us for a bit, and he initiated a circle jerk with them. But I was only interested in him, and I guess the others picked up on that because they soon left me and him as alone as one could be in that room. He stroked me for a while, then sucked me for a while, but wouldn’t let me return the favor for long because he was “too drunk to get it up” …

The next day and every day after that, we pretended that nothing had happened—never spoke of it—though when I hinted at it … it was clear that he did remember. Crystal clear. But he wanted it to be something that dissolved with the haze of the room and the alcohol, something that wasn’t and wouldn’t then or ever be remembered, something that would never exist in the real world.

Sadly, that wouldn’t be the last time I got my heart broken by him. People think I’m smart, but I sure do make some dumb mistakes sometimes … and I make them over and over again …

Thanks again for the asks! Hopefully that downer ending on that last one won’t deter anyone from sending in more asks, though. Don’t be shy, people! Send in anything and everything you want to know! I’d be more than happy to answer them (and especially now that I just finished making myself depressed), and find them quite the fun distraction!

[lazyupdates]

Manny & Lo (Sony Pictures Classics) / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Once upon a time, Scarlet Johansson was a child actress, Samuel L. Jackson was bullied and Jeremy Renner was broke. I don’t think any of those actors could have ever known what the future held for them. Some of Marvel’s cast members came from rough times of poverty and broken families. Others had their start in acting before they were even old enough to begin school.

It certainly didn’t happen overnight, but the following actors have signed themselves up to be a part of the largest grossing franchise in history, according to Forbes. From the yet to be fully introduced, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, all the way to Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, this cast makes up the globally-popular Marvel Avengers.

Take a look at some of the Avengers cast members when they were just little ones. Before the fame, before the fortune and before landing roles in record-breaking blockbuster films.

Brie Larson/Captain Marvel: This award-winning actress got her start as a Disney star. She played Courtney Enders in the 2003 Disney Channel Original Movie, Right on Track. She had her major breakthrough role in 2015’s Room which won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. Today, she’s gearing up for the release of her first Marvel film, Captain Marvel, which is set to be released in 2019.

Disney Wikia / Shutterstock

Samuel L. Jackson/Nick Fury: Samuel L. Jackson grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee during the 1950’s. In an interview on Live! With Kelly and Michael, Jackson revealed he learned to read by the age of two. He used to get beat up at school for being so smart. Today, he has the last laugh by being one of the most celebrated actors of all time. He plays Marvel character Nick Fury.

Twitter:@SamuelLJackson / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Chris Pratt/Star-Lord: Upon the release of Avengers: Infinity War, Chris Pratt tweeted out an interesting story from his childhood proving just how crazy things can work out. He told his followers that when he was 12, he bought $300 worth of baseball cards and comic books. He’d hoped they might be worth more one day. In a stack of his old comics, he found “The Infinity Gauntlet.” “Little did I know … baseball cards would end up being pretty worthless, and [the] same with comics. If I were to buy an island, it would have to be the old-fashioned way. (Like playing a character that existed in the comics),” his hilarious tweet read.

Instagram: @PrattPrattPratt / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Zoe Saldana/Gamora: In an interview with Ocean Drive magazine, Zoe Saldana revealed she was bullied as a child. She insisted the struggles she went through made her fearless. “I’ve been called everything, I’ve been told everything. And yet, the moment you realize [bullies are] coming from a place of complete fear because they knew that you were the one who was going to get away, you’re free,” she said. “Get away” is right. Today, Saldana plays Gamora in one of the highest grossing franchises of all time.

Instagram: @ZoeSaldana / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Elizabeth Olsen/Scarlet Witch: You’ve been living under a rock if you don’t know how Elizabeth Olsen got her start. She’s the little sister of the famous Olsen twins actresses, Mary Kate and Ashley. While she did live in her sisters’ shadows for quite some time, Elizabeth eventually got her own start in acting. She landing her first major role in 2011’s “Martha Marcy May Marlene”. She got the role of Marvel’s Scarlet Witch in 2014 and it looks like her career is going nowhere but up from here.

Instagram: @ElizabethOlsenOfficial / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Mark Ruffalo/The Hulk: Mark Ruffalo didn’t just fall into acting. It took a lot of hard work for him to make a name for himself. In an interview with Moviemaker magazine, Ruffalo revealed he had attended over 800 auditions before landing a big role. Today, that’s all in the past. He’s been in major films such as Shutter Island and Spotlight. And, he’s been playing the major role of The Hulk since 2012.

Instagram: @MarkRuffalo / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Scarlet Johannson/Black Widow: Scarlet Johannson had her first movie role in the film North at the young age of nine. In an interview with James Lipton, Johannson said her childhood was no walk in the park. Her parents had four children to take care of living in Manhattan, New York. They had to rely on welfare and food stamps. Today, that’s all changed, “ScarJo” is an A-list actress and plays the wicked Black Widow.

North Castle Rock Entertainment, New Line Cinema) / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Tom Hiddleston/Loki: It’s hard to believe the Tom Hiddleston on the left could ever play a villain looking that cute. Growing up in England, his mom instilled a love of film in him at a young age, according to Biography. He started out acting in theatre and slowly transitioned into film, eventually making a name for himself. Today, he plays Thor’s villainous brother Loki.

Twitter: @TwHiddleston / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Chris Hemsworth/Thor: Arguably the biggest heartthrob of all Marvel movies, Chris Hemsworth grew up in a farmland in Australia with his parents and two (also incredibly good-looking) brothers. According to E! News, he had his small screen start on an Australian soap opera. He got big enough down under to appear on Dancing With The Stars Australia. He eventually made the move to the silver screen and today he charms audiences as the hunky Thor.

Instagram: @ChrisHemsworth / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

 Chris Evans/Captain America: Chris Evans had his start in show business in the early 2000’s, landing roles in films like Not Another Teen Movie and Cellular. However, his big break came in 2011 when he got the leading role in Captain America: The First Avenger. He’s since gone on to play Captain America in seven other films along with Avengers 4 coming out in 2019.

Twitter: @ChrisEvans / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Tom Holland/Spider-Man: Tom Holland, only 21-years-old, can still be considered a little one. He told PEOPLE about his rough start in the acting world. At the age of 12, he starred in a London run musical of Billy Elliot. “There were times when I was bullied about dancing and stuff,” he said. “But you couldn’t hit me hard enough to stop me from doing it.” On he pushed, on the left we see him in the 2011 film, The Impossible. On the right, he’s Spider-Man, starring in biggest reboot ever according to Forbes. The film grossed an estimated $870 million worldwide.

The Impossible (Summit Entertainment) / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Robert Downey Jr./Iron Man: On the left, we have a five-year-old RDJ with a small role in the film Pound, which was directed by his father. On the right, we have one of the highest paid actors in the world. With a father in the film industry, it’s no wonder he became an actor. Following years of controversy in the media and addiction issues, RDJ made a major comeback. He took on the role of Iron Man in 2008 and has continued living a sober, stable life.

Pound (United Artists) / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Jeremy Renner/Hawkeye: Like most actors trying to make it in the industry, Renner started out his career completely broke. He told Business Insider that he and a friend would actually buy, live in and renovate homes in Los Angeles to keep a roof over their heads. In 1995, he made his debut in National Lampoon’s Senior Trip at the tender age of 24. Fast forward to 2018, he plays Hawkeye in one of the most successful movie franchises ever.

National Lampoon’s Senior Trip (New Line Cinema) / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Chadwick Boseman/Black Panther: Chadwick Boseman made history when he became the titular hero in Marvel’s Black Panther. The gravity of his role had special meaning to him. During press for the film, he revealed he was the victim of racism as a child growing up in South Carolina. Today,  Black Panther has gone on to break records, it became the third film ever to earn more at the North American box office than Titanic, according to Forbes.

Anderson Independent Mail / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Dave Bautista/Drax The Destroyer: Though the photo Dave Bautista tweeted is a little blurry, no amount of blur will hide those rock hard muscles. The photo on the left is him during a bodybuilding competition at the age of 18. Bautista had his start in the mixed martial arts world. He’s a six-time world wrestling champion who went on to pursue acting. It’s no wonder he landed the role of Drax the Destroyer, who else could fit that massive (in more ways than one) role?

Twitter: @DaveBautista / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

Baby Raccoon/Rocket Raccoon: Now we had to throw this one in just for fun. How cute are baby raccoons! The adorable (yet pesky) critters found in dumpsters at night has been recreated into the genetically enhanced Rocket Racoon for “Guardians Of The Galaxy.”  

Wikimedia Commons / Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia

If you found this story interesting, make sure to SHARE this post with all of your friends on Facebook. Click ‘NEXT POST’ for more stories like this!

The post Throwback: When The Avengers Cast Members Were Just Little Ones appeared first on Providr.com.

The post Throwback: When The Avengers Cast Members Were Just Little Ones appeared first on Lazy Updates.

[theseventhhex]

HDLSS Interview

Far & Wolfy

HDLSS is a “nocturnal pop” duo from Ridgewood, NY, consisting of Far and Wolfy. ‘Selections from DUMB’ is the latest release from the duo since going on hiatus in 2012. Throughout, the range within the album explores celebrating the hope that it is possible to inhabit relative truths and think independently in a fractured post-truth era. Furthermore, embracing the multiplicity of truth and inhabiting as many POVs as possible to increase empathy also plays a key factor. For Far, as a Muslim, this is a guiding principle to avoid feeling jaded, because witnessing the demonisation of Muslims everyday gets tough. Grappling with the notion of complicity and cultural apathy, ‘Selections from DUMB’ brings to light the stark perils of modern society, whilst refreshingly maintaining a thought-provoking overall stance… We talk to Far about genre-hopping, false flags and spirituality in America…

TSH: Talk us through the idea of witnessing one's own dumbing down being central for your album 'Selections from DUMB'...

Far: The core narrative of the album came more from a personal place than trying to make a political statement or anything like that. I started writing the album as I was going through a pretty transformative period, and in the wake of this period, I began examining where self-destructive impulse comes from, as well as inclinations towards groupthink/my fear of losing the ability to think for myself (and not realising it). I wanted to delve into the notion of losing your creativity, of embracing consumption more than production which I kind of equate with dumbness. Inevitably the record also has a fair bit to do with technology, including the odd effects of the rise of social media and modern anxieties. I guess I see the album as this simultaneous out of body experience where you see yourself going on this trajectory towards destruction, yet you can’t help but exist in this tunnel vision because you are too numb, dumb and tired to really understand the gravity of the long term effects, so we end up just going on autopilot, doing what the hive mind tells us to do.

TSH: The instrumentation throughout the release covers a vast array of genres too…

Far: That's something that comes naturally because Wolfy and I are not versed in any one thing. Our friendship dates back to high school, when we were both really into post-rock and in love with Sigur Ros. Our pre-HDLSS stuff was more one genre, but now we are at a point now where we are more concerned with shaping sounds no matter their origin or context, ugly or beautiful, as opposed to focusing on any one instrument, like a guitar. Musically we are capable of diving into many genres and doing our take on them, so that’s kind of what we did, and often whatever genre we were working within aides the concept or story the song tells. Basically for us any sound is fair game if we can record/produce/sample/manipulate it, which ends up stripping the normal context and creates something new and transformative. Soon instruments and genre will be obsolete.

TSH: What lead to the notable shift in your overall sound?

Far: The shift happened when we got this new recording program Abelton. Previously, we used this early 2000’s DJ program I got free on a rebate, and we embraced using broken instruments and whatever was laying around, and then we would manipulate and add effects sort of creating electronic music out of organic instruments. But, once we got Ableton, we switched over to doing everything electronically. This was both an aesthetic choice and a necessity. It definitely opened our possibilities infinitely, because suddenly we had literally every instrument that has ever existed at our fingertips virtually. And for me, it allowed me to focus on more nuanced aspects of songwriting.

TSH: How would you sum-up your lyrical expressions?

Far: I like to create some distance between myself and the writing, so the words are sometimes an exaggerated narrator’s point of view. But mainly they draw from real life, usually something conceptual or philosophical that is grounded in something experiential.

TSH: What are the origins of a track like 'Colonizer'?

Far: That track underwent quite a few changes. It started off as a trap song, but eventually it morphed into a Caribbean sound and rhythm, so we just embraced that, kind of mirroring the whole “tropical house” trend white pop music like Ed Sheeran or Bieber. The lyrics are about appropriation, it's sort of an open letter to white people that deny white guilt and privilege.

TSH: Were you intrigued to put across a song in relation to conspiracies with 'False Flag'?

Far: Yeah, I was definitely intrigued. That track came from influences of my brother, he kind of goes down the rabbit hole with that stuff. I mean there are the obvious ones like 9/11; it's almost indisputable at this point to know that there was some inside communication or knowledge of the events taking place on that day. The question of a building being able to free-fall in that manner via a plane has been widely disputed by many experts within the field. Then there are the extremes, like Sandy Hook and how it could have been crisis actors. There are all sorts of stuff and I don't know how much I buy into, but that's the point behind the song. It's not about whether it's true or not, but instead that it provokes questions and expands the narrative. After all, the truth is just a spectrum and it's very hard to find truth in the media anyway.

TSH: How did you go about forming 'Cult of Dumb'?

Far: That one is made out of samples entirely. We downloaded stems from this band we love Twin Sister posted on their site, and at first we were going to do a remix, but instead it ended up being a cover/mashup of 2 of their songs (that is actually coming out soon). I then took that file and cannibalised some of the sounds to make an entirely new song. That actually happens a lot with us where remixes turn into a new song entirely, and I end up making new vocal melodies. Making that song out of samples was intentional to reinforce the idea that no-one really owns anything, as the song is about the cult of capitalism, and how we are addicted to the things that dumb us down.

TSH: Do you very much feel that's there's a lack of spirituality in America?

Far: Yeah, for sure. I'm not necessarily critiquing Americans and I'm not really pessimistic as a person. If anything, I’ll criticise myself before I criticise someone else. But it’s something I see in myself. Growing up as a South Asian American, I was more concerned with assimilating and being accepted as an American and not being singled out as the one brown kid in school than maybe embracing my own culture as much as I should have. I moved around a lot as a kid, so it was hard to ever really fit in mostly white schools, but music definitely helped me form my identity and find like-minded people. Music brings me peace and is even spiritual for me. But now at this age when I reflect on past depression and this void that has been central to my life, I do recognise the value of religion and spirituality. I find it sad that assimilation in this country is sometimes at the cost of one’s culture/religion/spirituality. I see that in my family and how certain cultural things have been lost, which is true for any immigrant family. Maybe Americans aren't as religious because being pacified by quick fixes is the American way, but I'm guilty of that too. The lack of spirituality is a critique of my life in America too - how I've lived and how I can change that.

TSH: Did your parents growing up in Kenya impact you at all?

Far: Yeah, in some ways. Both of my parents are from Kenya, they met in England and my dad went to school in England before moving to America for graduate school. Both of them came from large families and I think placed America on this pedestal, as many people around the world do. America was a chance to change things and achieve more. So I think sometimes when immigrants come here, some are quick to embrace American ways and perceive the West as better. People growing up in post-colonial societies bring baggage of white superiority complexes. So it’s easy to come here and kind of lose the essence and spirituality because America replaces those values, and America represents this opportunity for more, and we all want to make our parents proud and achieve more due to the sacrifices they made for us to get the chance to do so. So yeah, I think in those ways it does affect me, because I am only realising now the damage done and my responsibility, and perhaps how I can try and repair some of it by learning and carrying on traditions.

TSH: What gives you most clarity in your daily life?

Far: Music is definitely my happy place. I also have a day job as a teacher and I love doing that as it provides a nice counterpoint to music. I feel music is so insular, it can be selfish and self-involved, so I love the balance of teaching and seeing a direct impact on kids.

TSH: Do you kick back and watch much TV?

Far: Yeah, I love the Adult Swim kind of stuff. I really enjoy watching Rick and Morty, Tim and Eric, those Bret Gelman specials, Moral Orel… I enjoy the absurdity side of that kind of stuff, the kind of dark humour stuff.

TSH: As you look ahead, what ideas do you have in mind for future work?

Far: Well, this is our first proper full length after taking a hiatus in 2012. The work we did back then one was more DIY and hap hazard, that first record was not really thought of as an album, therefore getting this latest record done was a huge accomplishment for us. We have made so much music that we have enough for a companion album and that's how we thought of things when we set out to make this record. We want to put out more music, still under the same 'DUMB' umbrella, as we're not done with this concept because we haven't really encapsulated the whole thing, so we have more music coming. The companion to 'DUMB' will be more personal and more narrative driven, as opposed to using genre to tell stories and concepts; I think it might be more accessible too, ha! More immediately than that companion album are two other works, one is a covers EP, and the other is a remix album. So lots to come!

Selections from DUMB