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akira-emberheart · 3 years ago

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songs I'd like to assign to the glee kids (part I)

Note: I'm pretty well known for making playlists and more playlists, and ever since seeing this post by @cracktastic about assigning, for the 100th episode, the least expected song to the least expected character, I've found myself craving to hear specific characters sing specific songs.

(I've also started another separate list to add on to that post I mentioned, but that will be a post for another day)

So after going through my music library, I came up with a small list of songs for each character that I would love to hear them sing, for various reasons, which i'll do my best to explain.

This got really long really fast, because I like to get into meta and over analyze - I'm also just very passionate about music. For that reason, I'll do 5 songs at a time for a specific character, and I'll be putting a read more.

Also, please be gentle with me - I've watched Glee a year ago, and it's entirely possible I may be missing or confusing scenes and storylines in my head. If I do, let me know!

If you read this and find yourself thinking of songs and scenarios as well, do share them with me! I'm working on actual Spotify Playlists as well.

So let's get into it -

for Kurt Hummel

> Re: Stacks by Bon Iver

"This is not the sound of a new man

or crispy realization

It's the sound of the unlocking and the lift away

Your love will be

Safe with me"

This is probably one of my favorite songs ever, and I first thought about it for Kurt after realising how beautiful his voice would sound in it, because of its crystal clear and poised quality. (I liked it so much I included it in a scene on my fanfic too).

If you don't know Bon Iver, or the history of this song, it's the last track in an album full of more..."depressing" songs. It's also the one that has a throughout tone of hope, of recovery after a hard ordeal, of taking some first steps to a better place.

I imagine it would be a good song for him around the time he meets Blaine - when the Karovsky situation is nearly over, and he starts looking back on his school year - Burt's heart attack, the bullying - and, now with Blaine in his life, and a renewed self confidence, he's finally able to confidently step into a better phase of his life and heal from all he went through.

I see this one being sung in a quiet moment of reflection, when he's alone. Maybe in the choir room, or even outdoors in a nice garden. In my fanfic I wrote it in a different context, in Blaine's room at night, so I guess that works in my head too.

***

> Enchanted by Taylor Swift

"I'm wonderstruck

Blushing all the way home

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you"

I'm very fascinated with Kurt's whole storyline in S2 - things start off so rough for him, but when Blaine comes along, and when Kurt is able to grow and shift more and assuming the person he really is, things start looking up. I chose this song for what it promises, and also because I can imagine it in Kurts lower singing register and it seems like a good one for him. Also, yes, I was a kid who owned Speak Now. Sue me.

This song is about first meeting someone very special, and that happens to be the beginning of Klaine. With the almost whispered lyrics, the slowly crescent ambiance and rhythm, it really encapsulates the feeling of everything stopping when you lay eyes in that one special person, and the flooding rush of emotions that happens right after.

Kurt had no idea how much an unsuspecting visit to a rival show coir school would change his life, even less in the midst of the situation he was in. It also seems fitting for Kurt and his early relationship with Blaine because of some specific lyrics ("This is me praying now / This was the very first page / Not where the storyline ends"). Enchanted tells the story of a special first meeting, and hints at something special to come, from the perspective of someone who is awestruck for someone.

Like the one above, this one would fit in early S2, possibly in EP6, after Kurt and Blaine's meeting at Dalton Academy. When he's back home, alone in his room, daydreaming, or when he's back at McKinley in that same afternoon.

***

> Gonna Get Over You by Sara Bareilles

"Oooh, how am I gonna get over you? I'll be alright, just not tonight But someday. Hey, I wish you'd want me to stay I'll be alright, just not tonight"

My main reason for choosing this one is because I think it fits very very well with Kurt's voice, and musical taste - its a very vibrant and poppy song, despite the more depressing theme - a post breakup promise of getting over it.

I first thought of it for S4, soon after the Breakup™, but paying close attention to the lyrics (I do tend to get stuck on just the melody sometimes), it makes more sense to place this on during the S6 Breakup - when Kurt finds out about Blaine dating Karovsky, after deciding he wants Blaine back.

So it's a hard situation for him, as we see from his breakdown in the bathroom (poor Kurt!), and he really has to come to terms with the mistakes he made (and the mistakes they both made as a couple), pick himself up, and move on.

I imagine this one being sung during an outing with Rachel, when she's trying to cheer him up and lift him up a little from his depression. My brain readily produces an image of a sunny street or a shopping mall that the two of them walk through, Kurt with some nice vivid colored clothes, finally being able to smile and ready to perhaps start moving on, or at least ready to start considering he will be okay.

***

> Killer Queen by Queen

"She keeps her Moet et Chandon

In her pretty cabinet

"Let them eat cake", she says

Just like Marie Antoinette"

This song just reminds me of Kurt. It's one of my all time favorites from Queen, and ever since watching Glee, these two are just connected in my mind. Voice wise, Kurt could definitely handle it.

It's apparently about a "high class prostitute"(? Freddie's word's, not mine), but still paints a pretty and dainty picture, and you can almost picture a porcelain faced lady in her best clothes, delicately smoking a cigarette. It also contains words that probably only Kurt can pronounce out of everyone in the glee club.

Many Queen songs were sung on Glee, but I don't think there was ever a Queen episode. For this one, I suggest a headcanon scenario, maybe during S3, when Mr. Shuester decides to have a Queen week - and Kurt isn't known for going with the obvious choices. He wants to be classy, edgy and impressive, and he sings in front of everyone, half in the choir room, half in the auditorium, perhaps with some fancy decoration and dancers behind him.

***

> The Answer by Kodaline

"You might think you found the one

Until your heart gets ripped and torn

Yeah, I used to feel bad, I used to feel like that

I still feel a bit like that"

This is another one that I picked immediately solely based on Kurt's voice - I really do like his voice with just a quiet, discrete instrumental. Looking into it further, I decided it could really work for Kurt's character.

I didn't go very deep into the intended meaning of the song, because it definitely has space for different interpretations. I choose to go with the breakup one. These lyrics here reminded me a little of the S4 breakup storyline - "We all fall down from the highest clouds / to the lowest ground" - makes me think how well Kurt's life was going once he arrived in New York, with the internship, his apartment situation with Rachel, a new and exciting place where he could freely be himself... and then he's completely blindsided by Blaine's cheating. He goes from being ecstatic and excited at Blaine's appearance, looking forward to share with him all the great things he just discovered, when Blaine's confession sends him to a well of despair, doubt and loneliness. The lyrics "You might think you found the one / until your heart gets ripped and torn" - reinforce the whole situation.

I can see him singing this not long after the breakup, on one more sleepless night, maybe walking alone through the streets of New York, or maybe in a montage of his busy daily routine, while he just gets through the day with a whole lot of emptiness weighing on his chest.

#glee #kurt hummel #glee meta #glee songs #klaine #klaine meta

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skinks · 5 years ago

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Do you have any works (i.e.; books, fics, poems, even movies, etc.) that inspire your writing?

ahhh thank you for this question!! I’ve been thinking about it for a few days, sorry this is so long. I hope this doesn’t sound too pretentious either, but who doesn’t like talking about the shit they enjoy?

In terms of the technical aspects, like style and structure, I love really visual and evocative writing. Clive Barker is great. I read a book last year called Days Without End by Sebastian Barry and he would occasionally bust out these fuckin gorgeous metaphors in the middle of the character’s very guileless narration, one that comes to mind rn is a giant herd of American buffalo stampeding over a hill, described as looking like bubbling molasses, and I thought holy shit, what an amazing way to describe something like that.

Then, and I’ve mentioned this a few times, but the Dreamboy podcast has absolutely beautiful writing, it’s lyrical and hilarious and blunt and horny and gross all at once in a way I wish I could do. One great metaphor I remember is describing a driveway as a “gray loaf”. Literally the way we’re introduced to the main character is him describing a recurring dream, with stuff like: “I open my mouth and the icy water rushes in, it hits the back of my throat and zooms down into my stomach. I feel it fill me up, and then it zig-zags its way through my intestines like a cold knife, and just before it gets to the back of my asshole — I wake up. And I throw off the covers and I look down, and my dick... is rock hard. Like — so hard that it’s actually like, bobbing up, and — oh fuck I’m late for work.” I dig those very nasty visceral descriptions of sensations, and how it doesn’t shy away from how bodies react in weird ways to weird things.

structure-wise, I’m really into writing where seemingly insignificant details are revealed to be more meaningful later on, long-form stories where everything fits together neatly. I think that’s why I like heist movies so much, Logan Lucky and Oceans 11 are great. I also like stuff where actions have real consequence, where you actually feel the stakes, y’know?

That last part about stakes doesn’t really apply to ithots because it’s super fluffy, but the small details thing, I was trying to do. I love the writing in shows like Barry and Fleabag for those aspects, or films like Hereditary, or Guy Ritchie’s better gangster movies. I tried to lay some breadcrumbs throughout the fic for stuff I knew I wanted to become significant in the last chapter, like the “you brought me weeds” thing in ch11, or their Olive Garden date in ch2. Or in ch6 at the aquarium there’s a line about Eddie rubbing his right arm if he stays in the pool too long, because I wanted to make a point about it and old breaks later. Richie saying “manhattan’s all shitty and cold this time of year” in ch1, then Eddie saying it again in New York. Everything Eddie talks about in his Big Speech lmao.

Pennywise appears to Richie as a werewolf in the novel (queercoding imo) so I say he feels like a dog “territorial and owned at once” in ch5, “a neglected dog” in ch6, follows Eddie like a dog in ch11 as well as hugging Eddie til he’s “squeaking like a dog toy”, shakes his head like a dog in ch12, feels like a dog with its head out the window, as well as saying his love for Eddie as a kid was “hairy and howling” in ch13, “lycanthropic” in ch15, and THEN it all culminates in him literally howling his love at the moon at the end, because he’s a dawwwwg but he’s a good one. Not a monster.

There’s a lot of that specifically with stuff Eddie says too, because I was kinda trying to show that he listens to Richie and values the stuff he says by having him parrot/emulate him a lot. Richie makes the Tozieritis joke in ch12 and Eddie says “There’s your Tozieritis” later For the Banter. Richie says “pull a groin, then?” in ch14 and that’s what Eddie tells him before the SNL show. Richie says “I’d have made a good cowboy” in ch5, so Eddie starts calling him “cowboy” in bed, the Die Hard quote comes back in ch13. Richie calls the Losers “chucklefucks” in ch9 and that’s the name Eddie calls them when he goes berserk in Atlanta, as well as him doing a Voice, saying “yessir” at the end because Richie says it all the time throughout the fic. And Eddie wearing Richie’s clothes a lot is a physical manifestation of that whole Thing he’s doing, kinda taking small parts of Richie onto himself. In a healthy way ofc.

So yeah, I’m into writing with good continuity, stuff like Archer or Arrested Development is the god tier for good continuity. I really wanted to try to do that.

as for like, mood and tone and visuals, I love surreal/liminal feeling stuff, I like how super hot lazy weather can feel otherworldly. Whatever feeling I get from watching The Green Mile, Donnie Darko, Happy as Lazzaro, Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line, or the parts in Ghibli or Makoto Shinkai movies where the cicadas are so loud and everything else is so still because it’s too hot to go outside. That hypnotised feeling. The illustrations in Shaun Tan’s book, Tales from Outer Suburbia, they were hovering in my head a lot, all the gold and long shadows.

The poems Snake by DH Lawrence, and Los Angeles/Boys by Rachel Sherwood. Definitely I Remember by Anne Sexton, since I put it at the start. The song Mad Man Moon by Genesis.

Also like, I write by basically imagining what I’d want to see if it were a movie, where the edits would be, what the camera’s seeing, what colour everything is. So I’d say the last two biggest visual inspirations would be the films The Fall by Tarsem Singh and Mandy by Panos Cosmatos. Idk how to describe it except that the imagery in those movies is the kind of stuff I see in my head when I close my eyes, like the line in ch15 about the stars falling to hang around in the canopy, that’s actually a dream I had when I was like 9 and the image always stuck with me. So yeah, all the surreal space stuff in Mandy or the strange nature in The Fall really speaks to me:

#long post

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 4 years ago

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Akudama 2

I think one or two of the reviews I read of this anime picked up the names of each episode are based on movies and it seems they’re right. Namely, episode 1 is Se7en while episode 2 is Reservoir Dogs...so they’re crime movies specifically.

Kanto, Hikari etc. are the names of certain shinkansen.

Playing with your own blood in front of a no violence sign and smoking in front of a no smoking sign…LOL. So edgy and yet simultaneously so fun.

…*blinks* Welp, that OP was…an experience.

…hey, Funi are hypocrites…they gave HypMic a language warning, but not this???

Come to think of it, this anime is already exactly how I’d imagine the HypMic MTC episode to go…but with more cyberpunk, of course.

…why is “are you gay?” an insult…? I thought we were past this point years ago.

…what’s up with these puppets? The shark’s shirt says “fool” on it…

The rabbit and shark’s shirts keep changing every time they spin. When they talk about poverty/rich, the rabbit shirts says “poor” and the shark’s “rich” (or something of the sort). When the shark talks about Kansai burning to the ground, his shirt says “nervousness”.

Wow, Hiroshima vers. 2…Rabbit: peace/shark:war

Hoodlum’s just a sycophant…

…ooh, so if the girl and Hoodlum aren’t part of the plan…they could f*** s*** up?

LOL, plasma shield.

“Lil’ stick”? That’s a jitte! A non-bladed weapon which is still plenty nasty by itself!

Ken the 390??? I knew UraShimaSakataSen were on this ED and I knew this was a rap ED because I heard it in AMQ before I was able to finish this ep, IIRC, but I didn’t expect the guy from BATTLE BATTLE BATTLE....

Taiso 2

A-hah! I was right on the money! Tomoyo is an actress!

Oh, it’s senu. That’s an old-timey way of negating your verbs (it’s shinai now), hence “retires not”.

I think they’re hailing Minamino as the first winner in 45 years if I understood the newspaper article on the screen right…?

Does this mean Minamino will join Leo and Aragaki…? The OP shows him with them.

The AnimeLab translation of the title is “Duelling Samurai”, but the translation on the hardsubs is “Rock-Bottom Samurai”. The word donzoko indicates the latter is correct.

I think Leo said “Rei-chan”, not “Rachel”. It’s a bit hard to hear because he’s eating though…

I think there’s only one line where he doesn’t talk like a ninja in his intro to Ayu and that’s the line where he uses keigo instead.

I think the card says “acupuncturist Kawa????” (can’t read the last character due to Britney’s thumb), but…welp, Britney’s kinda disturbing in their (not sure what pronoun to use) own way. There also appears to be an address in Ikebukuro on the card.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Leo learnt how to speak Japanese fluently from ninja movies – that’s a pretty common anime trope, like in Tada-kun’s Rainbow Samurai case. “Always make your heart rainbow!” and all that jazz.

…so that’s what the card said - Kawamoto Orthopedic Clinic.

“My shoulder would…”

Seriously, this anime is just an excuse to look at Aragaki in different outfits (and also shirtless) and I love it, LOL. (I’m such a simpleton.)

Ah…sometimes, people ask me about the days when I used to learn piano and I bring up the fact there is such a thing as “overpractice”. I thought gymnasts would know when they hit their limits in that regard, but…I guess they don’t because they’re so consumed in their passion, or they can’t see what they’re doing to themselves (because it occurs under the skin and doesn’t ache)…?

Minamino is basically Yurio…LOL.

That’s a cute, laidback ED. It’s called Yume? (yes, with the “?”) and it’s by Hatena, hence Leo’s shirt saying “Hatena”.

Welp, I don’t think anything supernatural will happen anymore, but…it’s still a fun anime. They toned down BB too, which should please a huge number of reviewers who found him obnoxious.

Yashahime 3

Hitokon? Short for “hito control” (hito = person)? Update: It seems the name was also kanji for “flying head root”.

“…puts one to sleep.”

“…from a place like that?”

Can a Dream Butterfly steal memories?

Moriarty 2

“Colum” (sic).

These CGI horses are gonna bug me, aren’t they…?

There is this sentiment that people need to be “saved” from poverty, especially when it comes down to African and Asian people living in slums (these days). I get the same feeling from this.

Maou-jou 3

Free advertising for Maou-jou’s home magazine! LOL!

I was wondering why those things were called “Show the Mary”…remember Mezo Shouji from Boku no Hero Academia? Same pun (the walls have ears and the doors have eyes, or something of the sort).

LOL, instead of yokudekimashita (literally, “you did good”) it’s makura ni narimashita (“you made [the book] into a pillow”). The common sentence ending for verbs means it’s funnier in Japanese, I think.

…argh! I can’t read all of Alazif’s info because of the hardsubs! Umm…”Current worry: Princess” and “Worry of the past hundred years: Destroying the demon clan” is in the box next to the logo. “Powerful magic techniques are recorded inside this book, so the demons feared it and sealed it away as a ‘forbidden grimoire’.”/”Currently, under the control of the princess, they’ve been bestowing magic and magic techniques to her, so they haven’t been used for the purpose they were made for and they’re wishing the princess would use them for not-so-stupid things” (I don’t know what pronoun to give Alazif, so I gave them 3rd person “them)…ah, someone translated the stuff for me! (That saves me a lot of time.) So Alazif is a “he”, huh?

OHKO to Demon Cleric, LOL.

SAN…? Oh, “sanity”?

Oh, Demon Cleric’s ears are black goat ears. No wonder you can’t see ‘em.

This sword is like Ex from Princess, ‘Tis Time for Torture!

HypMic 4

From here until episode 6-ish, I’ll be paying extra attention to characters’ role language. I normally do that, but I picked this anime for an assignment because I knew it had a lot of examples…yes, you heard me right. An assignment! I should be happy, but I’m wondering if my taste is going to get roasted by the normies or if I’ve gone too far with my unabashed love…

I was discussing with some of my peeps in a Discord server and…is it possible MTR will get an ED from here on out if you divide the episodes up for an almost equal amount for each division? We’ll have to wait and see.

…Oof. I’m sort of scared for this episode. It’s gonna have swearing galore…and yup, there it is, right out the gate.

Wait, why not translate wakagashira? It just means “young head” or “2nd in command”.

…well, at least they got some variation in their swearing this time…?

Hmm, normally the translation is “rabbit cop” or something toned down like that. They dialled it up to “rabbity-ass cop”. (Yakuwarigo: Samatoki = na, on the whole = very, very slang – as a former naval officer, you would expect Riou to speak formally, but he speaks as casually as almost everyone else (yamero etc.))

I’ve never seen anyone refer to Samatoki as “Kashira”. *laser stares Rentei for guest VA roles*

(Yakuwarigo: Samatoki (?) = zo)

“…why don’t you ask the cops to deal with it?” – Uh, Samatoki? Jyuto is the cop. (Well, a cop.)

I still have no idea why they subtitle the laughing…

Wait, if there’s a casino…is Dice there?!

…yup, right on cue. I didn’t think Tom and co. would be there too.

Oh, LOL. HypMic is a tourist trap anime = see those buns Tom’s eating? They’re chuukaman (Chinese buns). Makes sense in Chinatown.

It took me several watches to realise who’d passed by, but it’s…MTC in formal clothes?! (You can see part of Jyuto’s face, just to confirm it.)

Why are they wearing glasses? Even Jyuto’s wearing different glasses to the usual, LOL.

I learnt how to do some of the casino stuff while trying to get a job as a gaming customer service assistant in a huge casino joint one time. In a sense, this brings me back to then. (Update: I mean, the sound of the roulette, the sight of the board, the chips and the like. That’s what takes me back.)

(Yakuwarigo: Dice slurs his words a lot, especially when yelling things along the lines of “Please lend me moneyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” This is also true in the game.)

Dice seems to have jumped straight to “Riou”, rather than “Riou-san”.

I wonder if anyone will ever elaborate on that incident where Dice and Riou met?

(Yakuwarigo: Samatoki speaks coarsely, but not outright swearing in the source language…for an example, he says kussotare when roped into being Jakurai’s “female counterpart” for the ARB Halloween event, but he doesn’t do anything of the sort here.)

Even Ramuda uses “san” with Samatoki, most likely to emulate how Samatoki calls himself “oresama” (but with lower formality).

Ramuda-chin? That’s new.

Yakuwarigo: Gentaro spoke normally, just with desu/masu. Maybe the “perchance” was to make it blend in with his -de aru?

Uh-oh…Ramuda’s favours always are things like “dress up for me” and “hang out with me”, if the game is any indication. (One of them happens to be how Ichiro was roped into being a sorta-Kirito for the ARB Halloween event.)

This CGI…it’s not the jankiest, but it is gonna bug me ever so slightly.

I’ve noticed a lot of people in the English-speaking fandom, when they watched the anime, took a shine to MTC (because they seem to embody the entire “refuge in audacity” thing they’ve picked up on…plus that one hamster lyric people got attached to). You can see them being all “cop/gangster husbands” here if that’s your gig – it’s kind of my gig, but to be real HypMic is not a scene where I ship dudes. I’m sorry, but I just like watching pretty boys kick butt.

What warranted the dramatic glasses drop…? (LOL anyway)

That whistle…LOL. It’s like “Look at my boy fight” and “Riou’s got some sweet fightin’ moves” rolled up in one.

For some reason, when I saw the sign for the Organised Crime department, I heard the Student Council theme from Boueibu play in my head…? (Remember that harpsichord theme?) *shrugs* I dunno why that happened.

Hmm…they crossed out the subtitles using Swedish letters instead of strikethrough, huh? Didn’t know that was a limitation.

(Yakuwarigo: Jyuto = dazo)

“Wouldya look at that forlorn mug of his?” – Seeing a man taller than you (Riou is a good 190 or so cm, mind you, making him the tallest member of his division above Samatoki’s 180-something and Jyuto’s 170-something) making a sort of demented puppy-dog face…LOL.

(Yakuwarigo: Jyuto elevated himself to kimasuyo…maybe to win back Riou’s favour?)

(Yakuwarigo: The translation elevated Samatoki’s “nanda” to “the f***”. “Nanda” is not that bad – it’s casual, but doesn’t imply swearing like “ittai” is supposed to mean “the hell”.)

(Yakuwarigo: Jyuto doesn’t finish when he says “ore wa hanashi ga”. That’s called an omission, plain as that may be.)

(Yakuwarigo: Taihendaze!...Maybe that’s a bit far to call it “we’re f**ked”…? It could just be “we’re doomed!” or “we’ve got trouble!”)

(Yakuwarigo: Jyuto uses desune. He’s the most feminine of the trio by virtue of being the smallest height-wise and most polite due to his job, but he seems to bounce between casual and polite a lot.)

…wow, even the rap lyrics have the F bomb…and this time, you can see the evidence.

Natsu no mushi = bugs in the summer. Not a perfect match, but it works. (Notably, things like Gentaro’s speech and rap lyrics don’t play by the same yakuwarigo rules because you can play characters within it – e.g. the evil doctor Jakurai sometimes plays. I’ve noticed most of the songs use casual or whatever rhymes, even for someone like Doppo who’s considered more polite than most.)

…Despite the swearing…that song slaps, man! That’s great.

MTC seems to have more tragedy on average than other divisions. This is because FP and BB are quite light-hearted and mostly family-friendly with hidden depths, but MTR mostly has stalker stories. Update: That’s when they’re focussing on MTR solo. FP’s currently could get pretty dark soon and a lot of the dark/tragic stuff is not actually going to make the anime because it’s in the drama tracks/manga.

My gosh, we got to see Nemu animated!

Okay, I’m not well-versed in yakuza slang but kumicho = boss, so Samatoki would have to answer to a kumicho.

(Yakuwarigo: Notably, when Riou bows, he doesn’t elevate his speech.)

(Yakuwarigo: Jyuto = desukane)

…and randomly, rock solo postcard memory away from the sunset. (LOL) (Also, I believe I befriended Zainou during my time on WordPress. This episode title really does mean things, in a certain sense.)

Ah, it did switch! It’s just…uh, gone to an MTC version of itself (and it has the same name, “Kizuna”). So that means we wait another 6 episodes for MTR. On the other hand…what will the final version be? A whole cast version? A different song? No song at all? *shrugs* Only the future can tell us these things. (Also, why is Jyuto so loud…? That’s why I’m not a bigger fan of him. Much like Ramuda’s minna genki?, his iconic quotes like “In the building!” are so loud and silly-sounding, you just can’t get them out of your head.)

The cityscape in the middle of the disc at the ED’s start seems to have changed. I would assume that’s a Yokohama skyline.

Keiichi Nakagawa is the voice of Rentei…I should stop burning myself on guest VA appearances, this guy’s a rookie. This Nouzenkazura VA (Kenji Hamada) though is voiced by the guy who does Otegine in Touken Ranbu and isn’t as much of a rookie as Rentei’s.

Notably, where BB do the “BB sign” (as it seems to be known), MTC do a finger gun. MTR have the wolf fang, but…what is FP’s, then? Update: It’s a peace sign to the side to make an F.

Today’s new music was “Red Zone (Don’t Test da Master)”, by KLOOZ and DJ WATARAI.

*cringes at the airhorn* *briefly presses fingers to forehead, as if going to massage temples, but then removes them* The airhorn reminds me of crazy sport fans. Crazy anime fans are more civil than them, which is one reason why I don’t follow sports on the regular.

Update: Oh! The pond owl cafe in episode 2! It means Ikebukuro!...Sort of. Fukurou rhymes with ‘bukuro and ike = pond.

Akudama 3

Hmm? Is it just me or is that T in the code the kanji for “bird” (tori)?

“It’s where I belong.” – I know my reason for pursuing Japanese is a purely selfish reason – so I can stay above others in the topics I think matter to me and pursue the endless natural high that comes from the thrill of translation (which may be all one reason or two, depending on how you look at it).

Oh, the bunny and shark again.

The bunny’s shirt said “life” at one point, I didn’t understand the shark’s though.

At one point, shark: Ka (from “Kansai”), bunny: ken (authority).

At the end, shark: heaven, bunny: hell. These broadcasts look like NHK broadcasts at the end.

Most of these words are katakana, making them look foreign.

Kansai 300, 25-1.

“Move-you-s**t!” – It…seems a bit out of character for Swindler to say the swear word there.

Taiso 3

That CGI…is not the greatest.

According to Moon Land, gymnastics operates on a deduction/addition system. You add points for difficulty, but deduct points for errors like how Minamino’s feet are apart.

*sees montage* - Those CGI scenes really take out the budget, huh…?

Gymnastics moves are named after their creators…kinda like scientific names and finders.

There was a lot of commentary in Moon Land so I’m not sure what the moves are called from memory (the dialogue always did that for me), but having the reactions speak for themselves…I think the anime team has enough faith the reactions will convey everything. They did, by the way.

You can see the bone at the base of Minamino’s neck, under the skin…it’s sort of scary.

The fact you couldn’t see Jotaro’s eyes for a shot or two…that kind of unnerved me and built tension.

Oh! The men in black appear after the credits!

#simulcast commentary #akudama drive #HypMic #Hypnosis Mic #Hypnosis Microphone #Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle - Rhyme Anima #Taiso Samurai #hanyo no yashahime #Moriarty the Patriot #Yuukoku no Moriarty #maou-jou de oyasumi #Chesarka watches Taiso Samurai #Chesarka watches Yuukoku no Moriarty #Chesarka watches HypMic #Chesarka watches Akudama Drive #Chesarka watches Yashahime #Chesarka watches Maou-jou

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paulisweeabootrash · 5 years ago

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Pokémon 2.B.A. Master

I stumbled across a piece of weeb trash media I had heard of, but neither attempted nor expected to find. And it’s a bit different. Today, my friends, we are not doing an anime or manga, or even another novel. We’re doing a tie-in music album, a American blatant cash-grab based on a Japanese franchise. Oh no. Oh yes.

Pokémon 2.B.A. Master (1999)

As a young weeblet, I was a regular watcher of the first two arcs of Pokémon (Kanto and Johto). It was in both weekday and weekend timeslots, and never seemed to be broadcast in any sensible order, but I nonetheless watched it frequently and enjoyed it no matter how many times WB decided to rerun episodes I’d already seen. At some point, this CD came out, and I remember seeing ads for it when it was new. There were even televised music videos for a few of the songs, broadcast as a segment called “Pikachu’s Jukebox”. I never saw a copy of the album in person, and never expected to. Maybe it was one of those that you had to order by calling some number? I don't remember (or, frankly, care enough to look it up). Anyway, I recently encountered this in the small music section of a used book store, and I figured "why not?" And the obvious answer is "most of the contents".

The cover, in addition to using proud and unironic Comic Sans for the subtitle "2.B.A. Master", boasts that the album contains both "Music From The Hit TV Series" and "10 Brand New Songs!" The former refers obviously to the main theme of the show and every child's favorite mnemonic device, the PokéRap (or “PokéRAP” as it’s spelled for some reason?), but I'm not sure what the third song from the show is. And again, I don’t care enough to look it up. The important thing is, John Loeffler wrote all of them, and apparently an absurd number of other Pokémon-related songs. The "Brand New Songs!" here are mostly new to me, and they’re... a doozy. Except for the songs from the show, plus “Double Trouble” and maybe “Misty’s Song” if I want to be very generous, I am tempted to suggest you could get a similar musical experience in a shorter time by putting on an episode of Pokémon, playing a mix of Milli Vanilli and Boyz II Men songs over it, and banging your head against a wall.

1. Pokémon Theme

We begin with the extended version of the classic theme, this is a sure dose of nostalgia for anyone who watched the show. It sounds, considering the release date, a little outdated — I get kind of a "Beat It" vibe, not from the melody, but from the instrumentation, combining 80s-gated drums and searing electric guitar. But the theme, already one of the few TV themes out there I find enjoyable and not instantly forgettable, extends to a full length surprisingly well, avoiding getting boring or devolving into complete idiocy with lyrics. I actually like this song as a song, and you can’t convince me otherwise.

2. 2B A Master

The instrumentation in this track is absurdly 90s, and again kind of Michael Jackson-y, but is interesting and varied, especially in the sudden attention-grabbing rhythmic change accompanying the line "the greatest master of Pokémon". It shows better restraint in its use of things like record scratch noises and basslines running parallel to vocal lines that I find get really old really quickly. I actually, on the whole, enjoy this song and think the music could have been the basis for something great. “Could have” being the keyword. Lest you think I'm going to give a rosy, loving review of this album, no, it quickly gets bad. Some of the lyrics feel like such forced attempts to get Pokémon references in that I am embarrassed on behalf of the people stuck singing and rapping them, 20 years later. It’s a waste of what could’ve been a fun funky song. (Incidentally, why is the title of the song punctuated differently from the title of the album?)

3. Viridian City

The slide downhill continues. What the hell is this song? The lyrics are only marginally less stupid than the previous track, the music sounds like a keyboard "dance" preset, and it has a weird rapped/spoken "echoing" of sung lines it’s incredibly hard to imagine anyone ever liked. Ugh.

4. What Kind of Pokémon Are You?

Third time's the charm, I guess? After the previous two tracks tried and failed to force Pokémon-related lyrics that just don't work, this one at least manages to fire off a series of type-related puns. The music, however, turns back towards gratingly boring (and for some reason, the bridge comes thisclose to ripping off "Eye of the Tiger"?). Actually, no, hahaha, the lyrics remain very stupid, I think I'm just getting "ground down by a Marowak" by how bad the preceding tracks were.

5. My Best Friends

The parts move in unison too closely for my tastes, the lyrics are bland, the vocal arrangement makes it sound downright inappropriately dramatic, and what’s up with the bridge that veers off into doo-wop? The main thing this song has going for it is the vaguely pleasant piano part in the verses, which really appeals to me (it sounds familiar, although I can’t place what specifically it reminds me of). The melody of the chorus sounds even more familiar — so familiar in fact I'm starting to wonder if it's a copyright-violation-skirting ripoff of something famous. But otherwise, this is a solid “meh”, sounding like a boy band song that would only briefly have made the charts.

6. Everything Changes

And now we're back to impressions of Michael Jackson. This one's instrumentation and mood and even bits of the melody are so him that I could almost believe you if you told me this was an outtake that didn't make it onto Bad. (Although the singer sounds less like Jackson the longer the song goes on.) The lyrics, although vaguely applicable to everything, are a welcome change from the previous few tracks by not feeling like Pokémon has been painfully shoehorned in... up until the part where a clip from the show plays during a break between choruses. Ugh. Could you really not come up with a better way to make this into a distinctly Pokémon song?

7. The Time Has Come (Pikachu's Goodbye)

Yuck. The sentimental ballad (I want to call it a “power ballad”, but I’m unsure what exactly counts as one), as a general rule, is a fire hose full of melodrama best used for comedy. I don't understand how songs like this have ever been taken seriously. I would expect to hear this as the ending theme to a movie that tries to be a tragedy but can’t quite pull it off.

8. Pokémon (Dance Mix)

I assumed from the title that this was a remix of the theme song, but instead, it's just sort of a filler track... It makes almost no impression on me at all, although I do enjoy the intro’s use of "backward-sounding" and morphing synths. Otherwise, this is another track that sounds like it uses keyboard preset backgrounds.

9. Double Trouble (Team Rocket)

Okay, look, I can’t rate this one fairly. The longest-running fandom-related internal conflict of my life has been whether I'd rather be James or have James as mai hasubando, and I love Team Rocket in general as comedy relief villains. I used to enthusiastically perform their ridiculous introductory speech with a friend from band camp (I am even more of a geek than you thought). This song actually bothers to be more specific in terms of its Pokémon subject matter, meaning this is finally a song about Pokémon rather than just a generic pop song with Pokémon flavor, and it uniquely is performed by voice actors from the show, namely those who played Jesse, James, Meowth, and Giovanni. It really grates on me when the VAs talk over the singers, but unlike some of the other songs, it feels like it builds up and goes somewhere. We have at least broken free from the boringness of the last few tracks, with almost industrial percussion and chromatic and sometimes dissonant bass and synth lines that really make it a solid villain song, even though it has a hokey “rap written by people who haven’t actually listened to any rap” feel. And James’s absolutely ludicrous laugh will absolutely alienate who isn’t already a fan of the character, and most people who are, too.

10. Together Forever

The “disappointing imitation of Michael Jackson” theme returns, this time mostly in the voice. It especially pops out at me with the pronunciation of "friend" as "fraynnnndah!". Unfortunately, rather than trying to imitate Jackson’s songwriting again, this song seems to want to rip off Stock Aitken Waterman. And it succeeds at that, too well, as it somehow manages to outcompete a song those writers wrote for Rick Astley to be the worst song with this title. Also returning here: the use of clips from the show to clumsily force an otherwise generic song to be Pokémon-related. Hooray.

11. Misty's Song

Huh. Now this one is interesting. Buried deep in the album, we get something from a character POV that doesn’t just set trivia or quotes from the show to music. Yvette Laboy does a believable job filling in as the singing counterpart for Rachel Lillis's speaking voice for Misty, and I just don't find it nearly as ridiculous as the other ballads on the album, for some reason. It even portrays a tsundere as insecure rather than just an obnoxious walking trope! Sure, it's not great, but it's not bad either, especially after the other attempted ballads on here. Until you remember that it's a 14-year-old singing a love song to a 10-year-old, which... ick. It could've been sweet if put in the mouth of another character with a more age-appropriate relationship. Anyone want to rerecord this as “Kaname's Song” or something?

12. PokéRAP

Oh, educational rap. Why? It’s just unbearably cheesy and doesn’t seem to have had much thought put into it, as a general rule. And this song is no exception. Sure, I guess it has value as a mnemonic exercise (and it does a decent job of that, as anyone who still has large chunks of it memorized can tell you), but no value as music. It often doesn’t even come close to rhyming where you’d expect it to, and it's obvious that Loeffler et al weren't sure what to do with a few of the names at all — Grimer and Chansey have egregious pauses after them, for example, and Omastar is stretched across space enough for two or three names for no good reason. It is broken into convenient-sized stanzas that are only somewhat awkwardly forced into the established meter, but that meter has a too-regular feel, bouncing like a musical Superball, that even I, someone with no particular knowledge of nor interest in rap, recognize as being cheesier than Vanilla Ice. It also hasn’t aged well. The sung parts have absolutely no dynamic range and stay at MAXIMUM DRAMA LEVEL at all times. Over the past 20 years, the lyrics have also become obsolete due to the many additional generations of Pokémon media and consequently much longer list of Pokémon to memorize. Those topics have been covered in excruciating detail by Brian David Gilbert, who is much cleverer than I am, and yes, I do highly recommend sitting through that entire half-hour video. All I can really add to that is, it's considerably less annoying than certain other mnemonic songs I was exposed to growing up. A bad song, unless you’re viewing it through sheer unfiltered silliness? Yes. A surprisingly catchy song that was a good marketing move? Also yes. And 20+ years later, I still can't avoid laughing at the way he says "Wartortle".

13. You Can Do It (If You Really Try)

The album could've gone out on that upbeat note, but no, they had to go for another overblown ballad, this time trying far too hard to be inspirational. The plus side is, it's not yet another generic 80s/90s pop song. The minus side is, it sounds like something that would be playing on the PA in a church thrift store. Or a fake ad on an episode of SNL. I do not feel empowered by this level of unironic encouragement. I just feel like my eyes are rolling so hard they'll fall out. Its only saving grace is that it’s somehow not the most irritating inspirational ballad from the late 90s that was used in connection with a geek-magnet TV show.

Overall... Although I want to describe the music as being "generic" — and it is full of the tiredest parts of 80s and 90s music, wandering from orchestra hits to record scratch noises to cutesy synthesizer "dings" to what seem to be several different singers' bad Michael Jackson impressions — some of it is actually interesting! See, no matter what impression you got from what I said above, I don’t categorically hate this style of music. I made multiple comparisons to songs from Thriller and Bad because I think most of the songs on those albums are examples of how to do this genre very well. But 2.B.A. Master doesn’t just lag because I’m comparing it to widely-beloved albums. Writing this review actually sent me introspecting for quite a while about what music I enjoy and why. And I realized, many of the cheesiest and most flawed aspects of this album are also present on less-acclaimed albums I enjoy very much, like the niche The Golden Age of Wireless by Thomas Dolby and the virtually-unknown Playgrounds ‘n’ Glass by Urban Blight. But, while Dolby’s music often has the same cheesy synthesizer voices and lack of dynamics or has weirdly melodramatic moments, it’s also often clearly experimenting with particular effects and techniques, and his lyrics have evocative images or stories that make the songs really engaging. And, while Urban Blight’s lyrics are often cliche-ridden or downright idiotic, the 80s/90s pop music instrumentation and style elements are varied and used with... for lack of a better term, more discretion, I guess?, which makes me feel like their songs are building to something musically. Well, except the song “Favorite Flavor”, which is just garbage.

The point is, while neither of those examples is a great album (at least not to my taste, which I freely admit colors this), they are both still good. Unfortunately, while some songs on 2.B.A. Master approach goodness, they are the exception, not the rule. Most of the music is simple and predictable and seem to use the more grating tropes of the time like orchestra hits and record-scratch noises just because they can, and most of the lyrics are less "song about Pokémon" and more "attempts at being vaguely inspirational with Pokémon references forced in uncomfortably". Some of the songs are enjoyable in a "this was an earnest attempt” and/or guilty pleasure sort of way (and I unironically like the B-52s, so believe me, I know "this was an earnest attempt” and/or guilty pleasure music), but there’s very little on here I’d actually call good. The best track here musically, “2B A Master”, is wasted on blah lyrics, and the one that most accomplishes the goal of being a song about Pokémon, “Double Trouble”, suffers greatly from its speaking-over-the-singers vocal performance. All I can say is, I’m glad I got this album used.

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W/A/S Scores: 3/0/7

Weeb: The lyrics require some prior specific knowledge of the Pokémon anime to not be completely baffling, but Pokémon is probably the most well-known and well-entrenched Japanese franchise on this side of the Pacific, and other than that, it’s decidedly American, or at least decidedly within the musical cultures of Western Europe and the Anglosphere.

Ass: No.

Shit: AAAAAAAAH. Okay, okay, no, seriously, there are a few good points, but it’s at best average-quality 90s pop with a veneer of Pokémon over the top.

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Oh Weird: While writing this and hunting down appropriate links, I was surprised to see how many uploads of, and even covers of, songs from this album there are on Youtube. I assumed this album was a more or less forgotten piece of bad 90s media, but apparently it’s one with a significant fanbase.

Oh Cool: Maddie Blaustein, the original English-language voice actress for Meowth was also a comic editor and writer for both Marvel and DC and the Creative Director for the Weekly World News. Oh, and she was intersex and, according to one of the sources cited by the Wikipedia article, bi.

Oh No: Educational rap is still a thing, and there are resources to make your own.

#weeaboo trash #album review #pokémon #Pokémon 2.B.A. Master

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hermitknut · 7 years ago

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Animorphs: The Musical

Okay first off, a disclaimer: I outlined this originally not as a musical that would exist as an adaptation of the books, but as something that is created, maybe ten-fifteen years post-war, within the universe of the books (or more precisely, within my own post-series AU that I roughed out here - TL;DR is that Rachel’s alive and the animorphs as a group aren’t big fans of the spotlight). This affected things in specific ways, but most importantly:

Ax doesn’t want to be focused on - he doesn’t like earth music, and he doesn’t understand this form of storytelling. As such, he plays a smaller role in the show than he might deserve to.

I can’t imagine them ever telling people on earth certain things (David will be a secret taken to the grave, for example; Aftran/Karen’s involvement may have been kept quiet to protect the (still a tiny child) Karen; and while the role of the Ellimist has been shared with the Andalites it’s not exactly a well-known thing on earth because seriously can you imagine the amount of scepticism)

That said, there’s no reason this version wouldn’t work as an adaptation, it just leaves out certain things that I think we’d all miss if we were watching it IRL. I was thinking more about how the actual Animorphs would feel about their lives going on stage.

Notes:

1. I’ve used songs from actual musicals as stand-ins, and none of them are exact fits. Mostly they convey the right kind of feel and pace for the moment.

2. Each animorph has a ‘keynote’ through the show; something life-changing that they volunteered. Jake’s and Marco’s were easy; Cassie, Rachel and Tobias elected to keep their real life-changing moments to themselves (Aftran, David, and Elfangor respectively) and so theirs are a little different. Ax asked not to be given one.

3. The morphs are done with puppetry, with little emphasis placed on the transition. For small morphs (bugs and birds), the child actors can operate the puppets themselves; for battle morphs, adult puppeteers form the shape of the animal around them. This means you can see the child actor performing/emoting even within a fight scene. For the style of puppets I’m thinking of, check out the stage adaptation of His Dark Materials that was done a while back by the national theatre (some images here and here).

4. I’m also working under the assumption that we’re using pretty minimal sets, so big set changes aren’t hugely necessary.

This got SUPER long, so I’ve put it under a cut.

Act 1

The house lights go down. Over the speakers we hear a confused buzz of communication: some thoughtspeech (Marco! On your left! Keep moving!) and some radio communication (military instructions and people panicking). This cuts when the lights slam up, and we’re on the bridge of the Yeerk mothership; everything is frozen; Tobias speaks up, asking how everything came to this? [feel of Mama Who Bore Me from Spring Awakening]

A quick shift takes as back three and a bit years, it’s a busy mall. We see the kids as they are that night: Jake and Tobias bickering over the arcade games; Tobias tagging along; Rachel having dragged Cassie out shopping. There’s a chorus number here to set the mood [feels a little like Hard-Knock Life from Annie, upbeat but work-a-day], interrupted once for each animorph as they explain who they are. Tobias tells us about Jake; Jake tells us about Marco; Marco tells us about Cassie; Cassie tells us about Rachel; Rachel tells us about Tobias. They’re just one-two line descriptions (‘that’s Cassie, who Jake fancies but won’t admit it. Animal nerd.’), just enough to get a feel for who these kids are. The kids meet; decide to walk home together through the construction site.

The whole scene at the construction site has the kids at the front of the stage, looking out into the audience. We never see Elfangor (Andalite diplomatics felt it would be disrespectful to hologram him, so the director worked around this). But Tobias speaks to the audience, narrating the events of the scene (it stays fairly brief, but meaningful) and speaking Elfangor’s words (after all, he’s the one who has the right to). As they flee the scene, Chapman (whose name is changed for the show) is identified as a controller, and Tom with him.

The next day the kids end up at Cassie’s barn. They’ve all tried morphing, and now it’s time for the debate about what they’re going to do. The song of this argument is reminiscent of My Shot from Hamilton, but less solo and more alternating between the characters. Marco cutting in (like ‘Geniuses, lower your voices’ and later ‘I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory’ in the original) in counterpoint, arguing to protect themselves and their families, Tobias impassioned, Jake mediating, etc. They conclude, of course, that they’ll fight - and Marco will be with them, for now.

The first keynote is Tobias’s, opening when he comes to Jake after their first mission (not seen on stage) and can’t change back from hawk. He sings us through his journey from book #3, describing his first kill and the mall fly-through as the chorus shows us it in freeze-frame behind him [my closest match is with Deep Into The Ground from Billy Elliot, but it needs more fear/climax in it to work].

Montage time! The fighting and spying begins in earnest [Solidarity, from Billy Elliot]. As the music shifts between its two threads, we have quiet moments that continue the story - Ax is rescued in a brief scene, and Eva is revealed as the host of Visser One - but the fight returns and there is no time to stop and recover. Marco’s character shifts towards the end of the song and Cassie remarks on how much more dedicated he is now.

Rachel’s keynote now [imagine something similar to Your Obedient Servant from Hamilton, but sung all by one person swinging between aspects of their personality] consists of some emotional elements of #32 blended with #12; no plot as such, just Rachel trying to establish herself as rightfully furious with the world as it is as her father moves away and her life becomes more violent.

Go straight to Cassie’s keynote, which incorporates parts of #29; her friends are no longer there and she is going to the Yeerk pool alone, cooperating with the Yeerk Peace Movement (her interaction with Ilim standing in, in the show, for the big shift of perspective in #19) and struggling between not wanting to hurt anyone and not wanting to abandon her friends [feels like Burn from Hamilton].

The build of the end of Act 2 is largely instrumental [feels very like Angry Dance from Billy Elliot] - it’s another montage sequence, but this is darker and faster and much more violent. The kids are thrown about, they lose limbs in morph and get back up; the stage is relatively dark with flashes of dracon fire; hologram hork-bajir and taxxons storm across the stage; Jake comes within an inch of having to kill Tom only to be pulled away by Cassie. Human controllers are out in force, trying to hunt them down. Visser Three is heard over the speakers. The final moment of the sequence sees the kids crawl, exhausted, into bed (the beds are a level up, right at the back of the stage), only to jerk awake; their parents call out and ask if something’s wrong; the kids reply together ‘Nothing. I’m fine.’ Lights out. End of Act one.

[interval where the actual animorphs in the audience eat way too much ice cream and cling onto each other a lot]

Act Two

A startlingly bright open [think The Nicest Kids In Town from Hairspray [warning for racial slur in that song], and even some of the lyrics work] - it’s the Sharing, posters and flyers everywhere, full on Disneying it up with upsetting cheerfulness as the Animorphs slip between them at school, battling exhaustion and deadlines. We see Marco forcing himself to grin at the mirror; Cassie pick out a sliver of Hork-Bajir flesh from between her teeth; Jake trying to act normal around Tom; Rachel flipping off someone trying to flirt with her.

We ease straight into Marco’s keynote as he skips school to get away from all of this stuff, ending up in town where he sees Visser One. Marco’s keynote is then #30, compressed into one song [feels like The Room Where It Happens from Hamilton, with the idea of the ‘bright clean line’ of ruthlessness repeating through the song]. When the song stops we get the ‘Mum’ ‘It’s the boy’ exchange; Eva falls and all the lights cut except a spot on Marco, who tells us that he doesn’t remember how he got down from the mountain. Cut to Marco and Jake in the forest when Marco comes back to himself. They part.

Some indication that time has passed, then we move on to Jake’s keynote - which is, of course, #31. Jake walks in on Tom and his father arguing (Tom: ‘FIVE DAYS?!?!’ Jake, aside: ‘...Five days?’), slips the other animorphs and we have the build to the scene on the docks - use a stage-revolve to show Jake frozen and Tom with the knife behind his back. It ends in chaos, and Jake pulling Tom out of the water; and meeting Marco’s eyes from across the stage, a nod of acknowledgement. [I have And All That Jazz from Chicago as a stand-in for this because of the way it builds, but really I need something with more spirals of desperation and less pizzazz].

We then move quickly through the big reveal - rescuing all the families except Jake’s - and go to living in the Hork-Bajir valley. The kids decide to recruit the auxillary animorphs, and go to the hospital [Right Hand Man from Hamilton]. For logistical reasons, James is the only one you actually see on stage.

We have a moment of peace/tension on the brink of the final mission [Who Wants To Live Forever from We Will Rock You, but probably shorter].

The final fight is shown in glimpses and flickers, until we’re on the bridge of the mothership again where we started. The Blade Ship goes down but Rachel and Tom survive (I’ll write why into an AU one day, but for now I ask you to just go with it). The six kids end up on stage, pulling close together, holding hands, frightened of the world to come [probably an unholy mix of Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story from Hamilton and Stay I Pray You from Anastasia. Everyone is sobbing]; the lights narrow until only they are lit, and they’re asking if they’ve done enough...

Lights down. End of Act Two.

So uh. Yeah. That was super long and now I’ve got to dash, but please do let me know what you think XD

#animorphs #animorphs: the musical #h's animorphs au #needs a better tag #jesus my wrists hurt now I typed that all way too fast

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bluesfortheredj · 7 years ago

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I’m sure you are bombarded with requests now and hope you can take on this hard request. This one could be used at any time, but may be a long one. A Taron x reader where Taron is gone for months and his girlfriend sneaks a little surprise in his suitcase before he leaves. She gives him a stack of envelopes with instructions to open on specific occasions-like open me now, when your feeling stressed, missing her/family, need a laugh, bored, sad, etc. & she adds extra things like photos & gifts. & May I request a Taron x Reader? Taron’s gf sends him off with a mixed cd for when he travels. She puts on some of their favorite songs and surprises him with a sweet message she recorded for him. She starts off with “Hey Tar-bear...” and tells him how much she misses/loves him and she’s always there for him. Then the music starts playing and the very last song is her singing a song she wrote for him. The song could maybe be “Stand By You” by Rachel Platten, or if you can think of a better one...go for it. Maybe Ed Sheeran helps with it? And at the end Ed says some smart ass remark that if Taron doesn’t marry her, he will.

“I hate saying goodbye,” Taron says sadly as you stand next to his waiting cab, your hands interlinked.

“So do I,” you sigh, leaning your head against his chest to inhale his comforting scent.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” he mumbles, leaning his chin on top of your head. You let go of his hands to reach around to his back and grab fistfuls of his jacket as he does the same to you, wanting to feel the warmth of each other’s bodies for as long as possible before he left.

“Taron,” you mutter into his body.

“Yes?”

“Don’t go.”

“Fuck, I wish I didn’t have to, trust me. (Y/N), I don’t think I can let go of you right now,” he admits. You laugh, and start to lean back, making it easier for him to leave. He pouts as you loosen your grip on him and he has to the do the same as you pull further away from his body.

“Now go before I start crying,” you say, eyes already welling up with tears. He leans down and kisses your lips softly, savouring the moment as much as he can by pulling away in slow motion.

“I’ll see you really soon,” he nods, backing up to the car door.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

You watch as he gets into the car, and watches you out of the window until you’re completely out of sight. Your heart starts to ache, but you feel excited about what is in store for him with this new film, and of course the little surprises you slipped into his bags. The first one is in his carry bag that he put on the back seat next to him, so hopefully he should be finding that any second now, and you walk back indoors with a smile on your face.

Taron sits in the back seat of the private taxi with a huge pout on his face as he thinks about you left at home on your own. He tries to shake the feeling, but it never seems to get any easier, no matter how many times you’ve spent time apart while he was filming before. He gets his phone out of his pocket to text you, then thinks better of it, knowing it’s way too soon, so rummages in his bag for something to amuse himself with. His fingers graze what feels like a CD, but he could have sworn he didn’t put one in his bag. Curiosity gets the better of him and he pulls the object out of his bag to see a hand written CD cover inside the plastic. The words ‘play me’ are scrawled on the front in your handwriting and you’ve drawn small hearts and stars around the edges. He smiles to himself, bites his lip in excitement, and slips it back into his bag, saving it for the plane journey.

As soon as he’s been seated on the plane, he gets the CD out of his holdall again, his eyes lighting up again as he stares at your handwriting.

“Hi, sorry, excuse me, have you got anything I can play this on by any chance?” he asks the air steward as they go to walk past him.

“I think we may actually,” he replies, going off to find a portable CD player. Miraculously he finds one and brings it back to Taron.

“Thank you so much!” Taron beams, taking it from him and plugging his earphones into it as he inserts the CD. Your voice fills his ears, and he smiles, closes his eyes, and pretends you’re sitting right next to him as he listens to your speech.

Hey Tar-bear. By now you’re probably up in the air somewhere, and I’m sat at home missing you like crazy. But I’ll be fine, because I know you’re off to do something that will blow my mind. I’m so proud of you, Taron. And no matter where you are in the world, I’ll always be there when you need me, day or night. I love you with all my heart and I can’t wait to see you whether it be through a phone or in person. Speak soon and enjoy the music.

Taron pauses the CD, taking his earphones out and placing his hands over his face as he tries to keep his emotions in check. A small tear escapes his eye, and he wipes it away immediately, taking a quick glance around at the first class cabin he was in. Luckily everyone was either asleep already, or had their nose stuck in a book. He takes a deep breath and puts his earphones back in, then presses play. His favourite songs play, ones that remind him of you, ones that remind him of his family, and then finally there’s your voice again.

Hey, I hope you liked the playlist. The next song is going to be super embarrassing for me, so I’m glad I’m not listening to this as well. You know how you always say you like my singing? Well, the next song is for you, and only you.

He listens carefully as you start to sing the last song, your voice quiet and a little nervous, but beautiful nonetheless. Taron smiles to himself and places a hand right over his heart as he takes in the lyrics.

...you catch me in your eyes, that beauty on my pillow, that holds me in the night…

Taron closes his eyes as he imagines you singing this right next to him, so close that he can reach out and touch you.

...and I wanna be your everything and more, and I know everyday I say it, but I just want you to be sure, that I’m yours, that I’m yours…

He sighs as the song ends, wanting to hear your voice on repeat over and over.

Just one more thing… I had some help with recording that song, and they wanted to give you a message. Oh! And this isn’t the last of your presents.

Hey Taron, it’s Ed, long time no see buddy! Listen, just one thing yeah, if you don’t marry this woman, I bloody will. Have a great time out there, (Y/N) will be safe and sound back here, don’t worry.

The CD ends and Taron laughs to himself at Ed’s comments. He takes his earphones out and slides his phone out of his pocket to send you a message. His fingers start typing, but there’s no way he can put in to words how he feels about that CD, everything he types seems so insignificant after that, so he decides to facetime you when he lands instead and spends the rest of the flight asleep with a grin across his face.

When he lands, he’s driven straight to the hotel and unpacks his case straight away in an effort to find his phone charger. As he sifts through clothes, he finds a stack of envelopes neatly tied up with ribbon in between his pants and his shirts.

“What the-?” he asks out loud as he unties the ribbon and looks at what’s written on each envelope. He reads them one at a time, placing them out onto the bed as he does.

Open me when you find me, open me when you’re feeling stressed out, open me when you miss me, open me when you miss your family, open me when you’re angry, open me when you’re sad, and open me when you need to laugh.

“Gah! I want to open them all now!” he whines. He picks up the ‘open me when you find me’ one and lifts the flap to reveal its contents. He pulls out a Polaroid photograph of the both of you kissing, taken by a friend at a party a few months back, and on the white border you’ve written my favourite place to be. He laughs, remembering the night and how you two had been completely inseparable.

“That’s it,” he sighs to himself, making one last attempt for his phone charger and finally finding it. He plugs it in to the wall and as soon as his phone is hooked up, he gets facetime up and presses your name.

“Oh my god Taron,” you laugh as you squint at the phone screen when you answer, “it’s like… 4am… and this is not a good look for me.”

“I love you,” he says seriously, “I really fucking love you so fucking much.”

“I love you too,” you chuckle, “what’s all this for?”

“The CD, your stack of amazing presents.”

“You haven’t opened all of them have you?”

“No! I was tempted. I’ve only opened the first one, but technically I’m missing you, family and I’m sad… So...”

“Taron!”

“What?! Can’t help what I’m feeling.”

“You just can’t be patient can you?”

“Nope,” he grins.

“Fine,” you say, rolling your eyes at him, “you can if you want, but try and save the others for at least a couple of days!”

“I will, I promise. You look so beautiful.”

“Oh my god, stop. I’m not even properly awake!”

“It’s true though. That photo you put in the first envelope, it’s my favourite place to be too, right next to you,” he smiles, looking at your sleepy face lovingly.

“Then hurry back,” you chuckle, “go get some sleep, you must be feeling exhausted after all that travelling.”

“I will, don’t you worry about that. Yeah, it’s starting to set in now, I’ll text you tomorrow.”

“Please do. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

You end the call and he pouts a little as your face disappears from his screen. He perks up when he remembers the envelopes, and decides to open four of them already. The ones for when he’s sad, missing family, missing you, and need to laugh. He places the others in his case, trying to resist the temptation to open any more, and sets out the four in front of him, ready to choose which one to open first.

The missing family one is the one he chooses to begin with, and what comes out is a photo of him with his mum and sisters, and two hand written notes from his siblings. His eyes well up, but a smile stays fixed on his face as he reads what his sisters wrote. Even you didn’t know what they’d written, so it was extra special for Taron when he found them. He dries his eyes and opens another straight away, this time the ‘sad’ one, and finds a selfie of you with a huge cheesy grin on your face and your eyes closed, along with a list of all the things you’d spoken about doing together, like camping, going to a spa, and seeing the northern lights. His grin widens as he thinks about how amazing it was that you remembered all these things, and he holds your photo in his other hand.

“This is too much,” he sighs to himself, thinking about the time and effort you put in to making all of this for him. He puts the two opened envelopes and their contents to the side and goes back to the next two.

He picks the ‘need to laugh’ one and tips out a list of the worst jokes you could find on the internet. His laughter fills the room as he reads through them, imagining you saying them to him, and his tears turn to happy ones. Once he’s composed himself again, he chooses the last one he’s going to let himself open tonight, the one for when he’s missing you. He takes a deep breath before opening it and out slips two pieces of paper. One has a collage of photos of you and Taron on it, the biggest one in the middle being a picture he took on his phone of the two of you cuddled up in bed, your bare shoulders showing above the covers. He remembers the warmth of your skin against his and closes his eyes for a few seconds to relish in the memory, even though in reality it had been a matter of hours ago that you were wrapped around each other in bed. The other piece of paper had a hand written note from you on it.

I miss you too, Tar-bear. Won’t stop until you’re back. X

“Fuck,” he exhales, his breath catching in his throat as he tries to hold back tears again. He decides that’s enough for tonight, and props up the photos next to his bed, then finally climbs in and goes to sleep.

It takes him five days until he has to open the ‘angry’ envelope. You’d had a rough day at work and when Taron had phoned you, you’d broken down in tears about how your manager was continuing to bully you out of your job, and you didn’t know how much more you could take. When you’d calmed down and the conversation had ended, he’d almost punched the wall of his hotel room, but managed to control his feelings when he thought of your envelopes again. He rushed to his suitcase and pulled it out, ripping it open without hesitation. There’s a CD inside, and he puts it into the DVD player in his room to play it. The song that plays is Three Little Birds by Bob Marley, and by the end of the song, Taron’s singing along, the words he said to you minutes before.

“Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause every little thing’s gonna be alright,” he smiles.

It was another two weeks until he needed to open the ‘stressed out’ envelope. He was missing you like crazy, and it drove him to distraction while on set, fluffing up his lines a couple of times. He felt frustrated with himself, but managed to carry on through like the professional he is. When he got back to the hotel, he went straight for the envelope and when he opens it there’s a note.

Text me the word ‘stressed’ x

He does as you say, waiting patiently by his phone until it beeps with a message from you. As he unlocks his phone and your message appears, his eyes light up with excitement upon seeing your half naked body. You exchange photos and short messages for the next hour or so until you both relieve yourself of stress, then he rings you up, still out of breath.

“That was hot,” he says.

“I know! We should do that more often.”

“Definitely. Video chat next time though, yeah?”

“I dunno, I feel kinda-”

“Sexy. You’re so fucking sexy, (Y/N).”

“You’ve persuaded me,” you laugh, “why were you feeling stressed?”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry. I’m all good now. Only five days until I can come home and properly thank you for all these amazing gifts.”

“You sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

“I’m sure. You must be tired, get some sleep and I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he says softly.

“Okay, you’d best get thinking about how you’re going to thank me,” you say, letting Taron hear the smirk in your voice.

“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” he grins to himself.

@ericaprice2008 @brianagunter @reedusteinrambles @bohemianrhapsody86 @lizziespidiepridie @thestrawberryblondehobbitbatch @marvelmakeuplover @fluffyeggsy

#taron egerton #taron egerton imagine #taron imagine #taron egerton x reader #taron egerton fanfiction #request #Taron Egerton request #reader insert #fanfic #fanfiction #fluff #taron fluff #imagine

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catherinecaycewrites-blog · 5 years ago

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7 Playlists for a Day without Coffee or Sex, It’s all About You

Personally, no decent human being should ever go through the morning without at least one hearty cup of their favorite blend of morning java, but if it just isn’t your thing, or after that one cup, you need to power through your day, nothing speaks better to the mind, body and soul than music. Music speaks to the human spirit like nothing else can. It can alter your emotion with the simple change of 5 chords. It can lift your spirits, make you cry, fill you with rage for war, and soothe your soul. So, if you need to keep your pep up through the day without drowning in caffeine, the simplest way to complete this Herculean task is to create playlists for various times of the day to meet your unique needs.

Obviously, these lists are going to be diversified depending on whether you are male or female and your particular favorite genre of music. I like to think of myself as fairly open-minded and well-versed in all music styles from pop, rock, country, metal, punk, and rap and from every generation going back to the 60’s (No, I’m not that old, I’m just a music aficionado).

Breaking up the day, so that you’re always jamming to good tunes to get you through your workday, start your day with some lively wake-up and shake it up music that will put a smile on your face and get you ready for your day.

7-9 am

I Prevail: Blank Space - Don’t get me wrong, I used to jam out to Taylor’s Swift’s version, but once you’ve heard this version, sorry Taylor, there’s just no comparison, but don’t worry Taylor, you still made our lists. https://youtu.be/czb_CZfWko8

Gwyn Stefani: Holla Back Girl – Fun, cute video too! https://youtu.be/Kgjkth6BRRY

Rachel Platten: Fight Song – If you ever needed an inspirational song to get you going? Blare this one at level 10 and sing it out loud while either putting on your makeup ladies or (shaving – come on guys, you can do it.) https://youtu.be/xo1VInw-SKc

Skillet: Invincible – Rock it out and bang your head while you fix your hair. https://youtu.be/Qzw6A2WC5Qo

Iggy Azalea – Fancy: A white girl’s fairly good attempt at pop and rap mixture gets you dancing around the room while you are getting dressed and keeps you moving. https://youtu.be/O-zpOMYRi0w

Anna Kendrick – Cups: Made famous by Pitch Perfect, once really can’t help but smile and try to keep up with the hand motion and rhythm of this catchy tune; it will definitely keep you moving. https://youtu.be/cmSbXsFE3l8

Eminem- Til I Collapse: I don't need a Transformer to make me move to Eminem, he always gets my butt hustling in the morning with his sheer talent of wordplay, meaning, and rhythm. https://youtu.be/ytQ5CYE1VZw

Ed Sheeran – Castle on the Hill: Ed Sheeran has an iconic future ahead of him. He can do no wrong musically. This song has you dancing while happily reminiscing about every good moment you ever had, prepping you for a wonderful day. https://youtu.be/K0ibBPhiaG0

50 Cent – In Da Club: Like a lot of rap songs, I have absolutely no idea what 50 Cent is saying other than it’s My Birthday, we are dancing in the club, and it has a great dancing beat. The clean version works for me because then when I do recognize a word, it’s not an unnecessary curse word that I don’t know its reference. https://youtu.be/5qm8PH4xAss

The Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men: So, just for pure oldies and shock fun value, I threw this goodie in. Most men will say they hate it, but they won’t bother skipping it as they gather their briefcases, and the women who recognize it will enjoy this blast from the past. https://youtu.be/l5aZJBLAu1E

Survivor – Eye of the Tiger: Those first four beats were superiorly orchestrated purposefully to light a fire under any listeners caboose and get them motivated to charge the hill! The theme song to many inspirational movies, and commercials, it is designed to get you're a** out the door. https://youtu.be/btPJPFnesV4

The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – Something Just Like This: While grabbing a quick breakfast, bite, or protein shake, this is a perfect song to move and hum along to. I also must say, that as an ex-English teacher I LOVE when pop-culture references historical or literary figures. This song refers specifically to Achilles and to Hercules, and if even one curious teenager looks up either of these figures to understand the lyrics better, I applaud the artist and am thrilled that a child had the courage to educate themselves! https://youtu.be/FM7MFYoylVs

G-Eazy & Kehlani – Good Life (The Fate of the Furious): From the last in the Fast and the Furious series, the hip upbeat duo is a surprising find for me. Very upbeat catchy pop/rap song; Kehlani truly makes the song a hit; personally, I could listen to it without G-easy and enjoy it just the same. Her voice is a true harmonious pleasure to listen to especially in a rap song when lyrics can be difficult to understand, her voice is wonderfully crystal clear. https://youtu.be/FG9M0aEpJGE

Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On: As you’re grabbing your keys and heading out the door, this catchy little tune is a great reminder that if today is a rough or difficult day, “just hold on” it will be over soon. https://youtu.be/Vt4Tq89R8u0

Walk the Moon – Shut Up and Dance: Getting you ready for your next playlist, or for the day, this is another great motivational song. I love listening to it when I’m having a down moment. I listen to just the chorus; when life is getting you down, when you have to do something you just don’t want to, suck it up, shut up and dance, and everything is going to be o.k. https://youtu.be/6JCLY0Rlx6Q

You slide in the seat of your car pepped up and ready for a fantastic day at work, and we need to keep that momentum up, so while you are driving and while you are at work, keep these songs playing in the background to keep your energy levels burning without that caffeine buzz.

9-11 am

Five Finger Death Punch - Battle Born: One of the newer rock bands in the past few years, FFDP is one group that can always keep you pumped, and Battle Born will have you prepared for the battles at work once you listen to this song.

Rush – Freewill: Masters of lyrics, rock legends Rush has no problem ever motivating anyone to do anything. Whether an old fan or a new listener, Freewill is the song to get you hooked to their legendary music and keep you moving through the day.

Jessie J- Masterpiece: This song is 20, 30, and even 40 something's generationers tribute song. If you need a song to become your own personal self-improvement or growth song this is the one. Jesse J's dynamic, fun and hyped up song teaches us that you are never too old to keep improving on your own masterpiece. https://youtu.be/PTOFEgJ9zzI

Avril Lavigne- Never Growing Up: Piggybacking on the idea of improving yourself, Avril’s song is a rebellious decree that no matter what age, you don’t “have” to grow up entirely. Hold on to some of the kid in you, it will keep you young and healthy. https://youtu.be/sXd2WxoOP5g

Beyonce – Irreplaceable: For every human, male or female, that has ever been wronged in a relationship, Beyonce has written the quintessential upbeat and empowering "don't let the door hit you in the a** on the way out" song, proving to everyone, they deserve to be treated with respect, honor, and loyalty. https://youtu.be/2EwViQxSJJQ

Big & Rich – Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy: Jumping around a bit, we throw some country in there with Big and Rich to get you feeling a little frisky. How can you help it? You have just booted your cheating partner out, and now you’re ready to get your country on and jump back in the saddle.

Lady Gaga – Bad Romance: However, Lady Gaga is there to seductively and vigorously remind you, men, that no matter what happens, she will always be there for your bad romance and love. https://youtu.be/qrO4YZeyl0I

Justin Timberlake – Can’t Stop this Feeling: While Justin dances his way into the hearts of the women, with his seductive eyes and smile, crooning how he can’t stop his feelings for you.

Shawn Mendes – Treat You Better: These songs are designed to keep you energized and motivated, and how can you not be when Shawn’s words are ones you have sometimes longed to hear and to an upbeat tempo. https://youtu.be/lY2yjAdbvdQ

Eminem – Lose Yourself: Just when you are feeling soothed, loved, and lively you are bombarded and shocked even more awake with an instant cappuccino shot of Eminem reminding you that now is the moment to grab life by the … reins. This is your moment, this is your day, continue having a great one and go to the meeting you need to, talk to the client, the boss, deal with a demanding situation with all the confidence you now have. https://youtu.be/_Yhyp-_hX2s

Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl: You have successfully dealt with the first issue of the day, time to enjoy a moment with the lively, voice of Ed as he imaginarily grabs and squeezes your hand in celebration of getting over the first hump. https://youtu.be/87gWaABqGYs

Imagine Dragons – Demons- Imagine Dragons assure you that they will be with you to help you along the way the rest of the day to help you face the rest of your work demons. https://youtu.be/mWRsgZuwf_8

Kiss – Rock and Roll all Night: Old school, back when people knew how to rock and roll all night, KISS’s Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley will remind you or teach you and get you hyped up “real” rock style.

David Bowie & Mick Jagger – Dancing in the Street: Once you've been properly schooled or reminded Rock icons David and Mick will take you out dancing just for a bit of fun and to confuse the heck out of you and to prepare you for the next fun upbeat hit.

Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun: There is no possible way to have an upbeat playlist sans caffeine without including this notorious and timeless pop classic to send you off to your next meetings or lunch hour.

You’ve made it halfway through your workday, and you’ve vaulted over hurdles like an Olympic champion and all without extra java. You’ve got this. Music is your “green” way. You don’t need Monster, Coffee, or Red Bull, not when you have the power of harmonious spirited vibrations supporting your whole being into the next part of your productive occupational day.

11am -1pm

Dead Milkman- Stuart: When you get the next chance, perhaps on your lunch break, prepare yourself for underappreciated but righteously awesome funky punk. If you have even the slightest intelligent yet sarcastic, witty and dark humor in you, you will love this song and play it multiple times and for your friends if you already haven’t.

Violent Fems- Blister in the Sun: Staying with a funky lunch, who doesn’t jump up and down when they think of big hands? It's impossible to be sad, tired or depressed to 80's dance-punk. However, stay too long in this genre, and no one is responsible for your hairdo the next day.

Maroon 5- Animals: First of all, if you haven’t seen the video, on your lunch break, male or female, watch it. When did sadistically, stalker, slaughterhouse, blood fetish become so damn sexy? I’m not sure which is hotter, the thumping pulse and tempo or the two beautiful bodies intertwined in pig’s blood (huh?) It goes to prove that music can make anything sexy, the fact that the bodies are Adam Levine and his beautiful model partner have nothing to do with it. https://youtu.be/qpgTC9MDx1o

David Guetta – Hey Mama ft Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha, & Afro Jax – One listen and good or bad, you will be stuck humming this dance beat in your head for days. Nicki Manaj is too trendy for her own good. https://youtu.be/uO59tfQ2TbA

Taylor Swift – Bad Blood & Look What You Made Me Do: See Taylor, I told you, that you made the list. This is probably one of her best songs in a while. It's dark and edgy for her yet it still has a pop and faster-paced tempo that keeps you moving. https://youtu.be/QcIy9NiNbmo https://youtu.be/3tmd-ClpJxA

Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do: Personally, Ellie is hit or miss; however, she made a center bullseye with this one. Just the slightest bit of a slower tempo, it still keeps you swaying. Time for a little digesting.

Fall Out Boy- Centuries: Don’t get too comfortable. Time to bring that tempo right back up and remind yourself that today, you are taking over the world.

Mary Lambert – Secrets: Oh My Gosh! In love with this song! It has everything a contemporary pop song should have including a public service message. Keep up the great messages tagged to phenom songs.

ShineDown – Sound of Madness: Time for a little raging. Shinedown is another newer amazing thrash worthy hard rock band that you just want to rock out to.

Madonna – Material Girl: the key to your playlists are to constantly keep changing genres so your mood stays elevated. Madonna alone is everything anyone would ever need to stay elevated, and all of her songs work too.

Justin Beiber – Love Yourself: If you were to tell me I would like a boy band type of singer, let alone Beiber a year ago, I would have laughed. However, I have an out with this song; I heard it prior to knowing it was the Beiber, and it is catchy, so I fell in love with its appealing tunes and moveable melodies.

Michael Jackson – Beat It: No playlist would ever be complete without the world’s most iconic and legendary performer, Michael Jackson. I selected Beat It for the simple message to remind yourself to never let anyone take advantage of you at work. Stand up for yourself and watch how fast people change their tune.

Three Days Grace – Pain: The drum and bass line in this song along with the lyrics in this rock song get your head instinctively banging forward. Blood molecules rush forward steadily in a four-count mood stimulating jam.

Pitbull – Greenlight ft. Flo Rida, LunchMoney Lewis: A little odd rap song: however, what it lacks in oral originality, it makes up for in rhythm and fun progression.

Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive: Lunch is over, and this oldie but goodie happily reminds you that you are going to make it through the rest of the afternoon.

The next few hours are the most critical in the no oral chemical digestive stimulant part of the day. Right after lunch, your tummy is full, so your body is using energy to digest the food. The afternoon sun is warming the building extra, so either you may get comfortably warm or the office turns the temperature down and the cooler air cools your body’s temperature into a resting sleep state. Now is the time to stay alert. Your next playlist needs to be hard, heavy, maybe a little angry and dangerous to keep your fuel levels up.

1-3 pm

Halsey – Castle: We are going to start off with a little anger and sexual vengeance. Straight from The Huntsman, the blend of throbbing bass and angelic church choir background is a beautiful way to express not only The Evil Queen but any wronged person seeking vindication.

Eminem & Rhianna – I Love the Way You Lie Part I & II: In the spirit of staying a little bitter with adrenaline, no rap song does it better than the sexy blend of Eminem & Rhianna’s two songs answering each other back to back.

Skillet- Not Gonna Die: If Eminem isn’t successful with his threats, Skillet reconfirms that no matter what happens to you, forcefully pull yourself through. Find your inner strength and know you will survive.

Tyler Farr – Redneck Crazy: Just so we don’t go too dark, too quickly and send a biting e-mail, we can still maintain the heightened mood but a little lighter in a Country way. Going Redneck crazy is sometimes a healthier way to blow off steam.

Halestorm – Daughters of Darkness: There are too few women in rock and metal, so when you find a badass b**** who brings the house down with her jams such as Lizzy Hale, you crank up the noise, even if you put in your earbuds, hiding in the bathroom stall, and you freaking jam.

Buck Cherry – Crazy Bitch: Pretend you have a tummy ache if you must, just to listen to one more crazy and wild song to throw your adrenaline into overdrive.

Tu Pac – Keep Ya Head Up: He might not be the father of rap, but this soulful poet known throughout the world for his meaningful lyrics was definitely the king. Even if you hate rap music, you can’t hate Tu Pac.

Avenged Seven-Fold – A Little Piece of Heaven: Are you ready for a hyper, sick and twisted ride through demented-ville that will have you impulsively bebopping along with it? If you like silly, sick and twisted things, watch the animated video, seriously funny.

Marilyn Manson – Beautiful People: Speaking of sick and twisted visual things… I’ve never understood Manson’s look, but I love his dark techno sound; it speaks to my inner dark child.

Kelly Clarkson – People Like Us: One of her lesser known songs, it’s a little dark for her, but sends a great message and will really lift your spirits.

Bonnie Tyler – I Need a Hero: After Kelly reassures you that you are not alone, sometimes you then just want a helping hand. Shrek and other media tools have used this great Classic Pop song as the perfect example to show that we all need rescuing sometimes.

Bullet for my Valentine – Tears Don’t Fall: Even if we feel like we might fall, fail or mess up, never let them see you cry. Keep it together, only a few hours more. You are stronger than you realize, you have made it this far, bang on a little more.

Stone Sour – Made of Scars: Life has left you full of lessons and experiences, and you have come out the other end a better person because of it. Yes, you have scars inside and out. Wear them proudly; they are your rock badges of glory and all you have accomplished.

Billie Idol – Rebel Yell: It’s 2:30, you might be feeling a little tired, you might be feeling challenged. What are you going to do? That’s right! Yell at life and tell it to, “Bring it, ‘More, More, More’”. You are a champion and will not be defeated.

Kelly Clarkson – My Life Would Suck Without You: You might need some words of encouragement though. At this moment, take a break and call your partner, friend, child or anyone you love and can't live without and tell them how much they mean to you. Hearing their voice will make you feel better, it will release endorphins into your bloodstream, make you smile, and give you a natural high with a shot of energy, and if you choose, share this cute song with them.

MC Hammer – You Can’t Touch This: Even with its opening chords, you can tell that while the song isn't "Hammer Time", MC always brings the groove. Something about this dance classic makes you want to go up to your office friends or nemesis and put your hand out, singing "Can't touch this", and walk away laughing, feeling a bit refreshed.

You have made it through the hump. Way to go! Don’t you feel amazing? You should, and be proud, but now is not the time to slack off. Now, is the time to figure out a quick break period before you go home. It’s time to squeeze in some exercise and go for a medium walk around the building, up and down the stairs, something. Get a solid 15 minutes of cardio in, while jamming out to the next playlist designed to keep your spirits soaring.

3-5 pm

Elle King – X’s & O’s; The first part of the list is upbeat pop created to get your butt moving. Elle’s sassy tune throws you in a confident mood and puts a stride in your step.

Pink – Raise a Glass: Pure Perfection is found in Pink because she doesn't care what anyone thinks (new lyrics?). All her songs display her unique style, but none more than this one that encourages you to join her.

Maggie Lindemann - Pretty Girl: Newish to the music scene, Maggie follows Pinks lead with the same message but a fresh style. Keep strutting with this one.

Blues Traveler – Hook: If you don't remember this one or have never heard it, get ready for an auditory explosion of music, allegory, and resonance mastery that you have to play it again and again.

Grease – You’re the one that I want: I had to throw one musical in, and no one can resist Grease! Everyone knows it, and can’t resist singing along to Olivia’s and John’s duets.

Little Mix – Black Magic – While searching around YouTube, I stumbled across the cute, teeny bopperish treasure that I couldn’t help but add because, well, it made me smile and want to move.

Taylor Swift - Shake it Off: Almost ready to go back inside, so let's power up this last one with Ms. Swift one more time. Shake off all the stress and worry of the day; it's almost over, and a cold beer or drink is waiting for you as a reward for the day.

Linkin’ Park - In the End: You are now back in your office, at your desk, or wherever you are stationed, pulling through the last hour and need to really feel the burn to pull through. Rest in Peace Chester Bennington, lead singer of Linkin’ Park, who died 7/20/2017, your music though will keep us going.

Saliva – Ladies and Gentlemen: As an advanced educated woman in her _0’s, I should not find a video with two females boxing appealing, so I have to blame it completely on the music. As mentioned before, the power of music is fierce. It has the power to convert the most formidable of opponents into allies. If music was a lawyer or a head of government, the world would be unified.

Drowning Pool- Bodies: When you need a song to fuel your inner fire, here it is. The percussions engage you and envelop you, making you one with the metal sound.

Harlee Steinfeld – Love Myself: You’re going to need to cool down a bit after the last one, so this pop song helps keep you up while calming you down. However, listening to the words, I’m convinced this a reply to Mr. Beiber; however, after doing research, the two singers are friends. Maybe she just got the idea off his song. Young pop singers???

Dr. Dre – I Need a Dr.: This song reaches out to the listener, speaks of human bonds, mistakes, life, and how you can ruin everything in seconds. Its profound, deep and rhythmic. The blending of voices telling the story is poetry in synchronization.

DMX – Party Up (Up in Here): DMX is another amazing storytelling rapper; however, this particular song is written purely to express getting one’s frustrations out. I think I must play this song at least twice a day.

Martina McBride – Independence Day – Time for a little Country. The countdown has begun, and you have done phenomenally at work today. Martina belts out your freedom about to come.

Dead Kennedys – Take this Job and Shove It: (cartoon factory whistle WHOOOO) The best 5 o’clock song for parting down the elevator and boogying out to the car.

You made it through the workday without those chemical stimulants. I knew you had it in you the whole time. Now, time to prepare for the car ride home possibly prepping for dinner. If you get stuck in the grind, and you start getting heavy-eyed, just turn up the volume. There are some mellower, older, nostalgic tunes, mixed with hip new stuff. Listen, reminisce, learn, love, repeat.

5-7 pm

Change – John Waite: We are going to start with the 80’s generation. Very few people will remember this (God, I can’t believe I’m saying this) 80’s oldie, some people might remember the artist (not to be confused with Tom Waites, and remember at the beginning when I said I had a wide range of music tastes); however, this great 80’s hit has one of the best timeless messages, so I continue to return to it and remind myself.

Rick Springfield – Jessie’s Girl: Staying in the 80’s Springfield was always on the charts. This Top Ten hit would be a hit even by today’s standards, but I’ll beat the person that tries to remake it.

Quit it Millennials! Yes, the 80’s were the best, but you don’t get to live them by trying to remake them. You missed them, too bad. Janis died before I could see her in person, but I wouldn’t dare desecrate her memory by redoing Me and Bobby McGee. Off soapbox, back to playlists. (Big Smile!)

Duran Duran -The Chauffeur: My favorite British 80's pop-rock band ever; however, I did not choose one of the megahits. If you know the band, but don't know this song, you must listen to it. Simon's voice is a sultry sin, and the keyboard notes are hypnotic. I think I went through ALL of puberty in the one playing of this song. I listen to it now, and nostalgically I am transported to an imaginary tropical oasis where all my fantasies are answered.

Aha- Take on Me: Greatest keyboard rift of the 80’s. Every teenager with big hair sang the rift along with the words. The video made music animation famous, and it is impossible to be tired or depressed when listening to this song.

Fun – Some Nights: And a quick snap back to present day, but at least it is with a “fun” song, that became an instant hit. You will find yourself awake and singing along.

Maroon 5 – Pay Phone: Another one of my favorite Maroon 5 songs; especially the version with Wiz Khalifa rapping in the center.

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody: Now, I’m taking you back in time again. If you do not know this song, you have lived under a rock your entire life, and it is time to come out and join the rest of the human race an experience the glory that is the Queen’s finest rock opera.

Don Mclean - American Pie: Here, ladies and gentlemen, again, is a song that if you don’t know, you should. It is a part of American pop culture music history. It is forever burned in the minds of millions across multiple generations. It’s referenced in English classes as one of the most symbolic and metaphorical songs, and the refrain will stay with you so that you too will sing it “until the day that you die”.

Eagles – Hotel California: Another must know epic song, the Eagles are the sound of generations, and don't say, "but Hell froze over." To your elders, you sound like ---------s. Learn these songs younger generation; learn them by heart, and teach them to your children, so when someone says, "You can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave," you can contribute intelligently.

Abba - Dancing Abba: Swedish Pop Rock icons, all of the songs of this group became instant hits; they could not err. They proved it again to new generations with the stage performance and later movie Mama Mia. For decades people gleefully sing their songs; they had a “song to sing”, and they amazed the world when they did.

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama: In the 70’s Southern Rock became a popular genre, and nobody played it better than Skynard. Numerous hits mark them as Southern Rock Gods, but this one will keep you awake better than any coffee or even “sweet tea”.

Charlie Daniels Band- Devil Went Down to Georgia: Another Southern Rock genius, Charlie not only rocked the South, he rocked the globe, and this song will forever be branded in history because of a boy named Johnny and his hot golden fiddle playin’ fingers made you kick your heels up.

Bee Gees- Stayin Alive: The other genre that kept the 70’s moving was Disco. Feathered hair and leisure suits were considered “cool”, and John Travolta made the movie that this song came from “hot”. Well, part of that sentence is true.

Jimmy Buffett – Margaritaville: If you don’t know what a Parrot Head is, it’s time you learn. Any lover of Mr. Buffett’s island, tropical rock music that has ruled and entertained for almost 50 years is considered a Parrot head.

You have made it home, you have had your first drink of the evening, and you have even had dinner. You are truly amazing. Look at what a kick-ass playlist can help you do. Now it is time for a little downtime, you time. Grab that second beer, glass of wine, water, or favorite beverage and find your favorite lounging spot. Sit out on the deck, cozy up in an overstuffed couch or chair, take a hot bubble bath and plug into these songs whose whole purpose is to keep you entertained, relaxed, yet alert because you know and love them so well you will sing along. Again, most of these artists are Music Legends from Decades ago, and if you are unfamiliar with them, it's time to be musically educated on what you missed out on.

7-9 pm

Fleetwood Mac – Silver Springs: We start out our playlist with the goddess of 70’s Folk Rock. Stevie Nicks flows through time agelessly, she continues to sing, perform and seduce you with her voice regardless of the song, and this one is no different.

Elton John – Little Jeanie: The best and most unique styled writer, artist, and performer, for almost 50 years. Knighted by the Queen of England for his talent, Sir Elton’s creative genius is noticed in everything he does, and this song is no different. This song, once you know it becomes a part of your core being.

CCR – Southern Cross: When you’re ready to get lost on an ocean of eternal pleasant yearning for endless waters, skies and stars, to feel the pull of a cosmic force that connects you to the artist and the universe, then this is the song.

Zac Brown Band – Colder Weather: Even though Zac had already been established in the Country industry for a few years, it was this song that first caught my attention, from one gypsy soul to another I was caught.

Rascal Flatts – God Bless the Broken Road: Sticking with Country for a moment, as stated earlier, music has the ability to reach people’s emotions in a way that very few other things can. This song will not only reach the depth of you, it slowly glides over your skin, and down your back and down to your toes encouraging you to call your partner and tell them how much you love them.

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car: Tracy’s timbre is unparalleled. If you are unfamiliar with her work, start here and work your way through her albums, no other female artist creates a deep and rich quality that echoes memories across the ages.

Jewel – Hands: Rolling from one deep song into another, Jewel reaches her audiences with her ability to reverberate her voice at key points. All of her songs send chills and creates goosebumps that always amazes me.

Alabama – Song of the South: Don’t get too relaxed. Bringing back the Southern Rock, Song of the South represents the whole Southern Rock movement and will have you back rockin’ in a matter of moments.

Jimmy Buffet – Son of a Son of a Sailor: Slightly moving over to our oceans again, our lead Parrothead makes you want to leave dry land forever and take on the life of a pirate even if it is 100 years too late.

James Taylor – Sweet Baby James: We couldn’t get through these playlists without a mention of Mr. Taylor, like many of the other iconic geniuses, his music is where legends are made. The imagery of this song sprays across whatever room you are sitting in as he sings his story to you.

Phil Collins – Against All Odds: In 1984, the title movie came out. It was a romantic thriller film, and its soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy. This song was deservingly nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Once you listen to it, you will understand why. Collins’ music was everywhere for twenty years, and it was always a hit.

Bread – Goodbye Girl: Another title song representing the movie from which it was written, this great 70’s song represents a 1977 comedy-drama film written by Neil Simon. The song’s lyrics are wistful and encourage the listener to believe in love.

Air Supply – Making Love Out of Nothing of All: Many artists write and sing about love and pull at our heartstrings; that's the purpose of a love song. However, no other duo in music history before or since has mastered the art of the love song like Air Supply. Every song they laid track to was purposefully written to open your chest and pour every metaphor, simile, and allegory possible about love and coat your heart with them. You will ache, rejoice, weep, laugh, yearn, celebrate, and every other possible emotion associated with the word love when listening to their music.

Meat Loaf – Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad: Air Supply supercharged you with the greatest love song, and now Meat Loaf, the world’s greatest Rock Opera writer and singer will melt you with this epic song.

Righteous Brothers – Unchained Brothers: To finish off your day, playlist, and songs of love, I leave you with a love song from 1963 when love had a different meaning to people. It lasted forever, it really was eternal, people stayed true. It was a time before cell phones when you talked face to face and people communicated to work through their issues instead of relying on technology. It was a much simpler time in many ways, and maybe in many ways, it proves the point that ignorance is bliss, but doesn't some bliss in your life sound good?

TADA! We made it together! You made it without your oral stimulants and instead relied on the power of auditory emotional stimulation created by the only thing I know that can change the way a person feels every two and a half minutes (the length of an average song). We jumped from generations and genres, tempos and beats to create energy levels that were needed at specific times. Only music can do this. I challenge you to find more songs and add them to our playlists, remembering to add songs that only keep you supercharged and pumped up. PLAY ON!

#blogpost #music #playlist #playlists

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multsicorn · 7 years ago

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and i can live inside my head

@todaydreambelievers - slightly belated meta from last week, 1x01.

"You might laugh because every time I sign my name I put a gold star after it, but it's a metaphor, and metaphors are important. My gold stars are a metaphor for me being a star.

And just so we're clear, I want to clear up that hateful rumor that I was the one who turned that closest case Sandy Ryerson in because he gave Hank Saunders the solo I deserved."

The very first lines that Rachel speaks in Glee are 1., a voiceover directed at some imagined audience, and 2., not entirely true. This is interesting because Glee's a show about performance (among other things). And in her bedroom, or walking down the hallway, by herself… Rachel doesn't have an audience. But she's desparately lonely. And so she imagines that she does.

Interestingly, she doesn't concieve of it as a sympathetic audience. 'You might laugh' - that's what she expects from everyone, even from people she only imagines. Nor are the things that she tells it, in her own head, congruent with the things we see outside - she denies turning in Sandy Ryerson, while we see that very thing.

Rachel imagines an audience, and then she tells a story, exaggerated for dramatic effect, maybe, a narrative of her life, to it. If your real life sucks - try to live in a story. Whether that means playing a character on stage and in song, or inside your head.

on my own, pretending he's beside me…

Everyone's Glee audition songs establish their character. (Or maybe just what they want? Kurt wants to be seen, Mercedes wants respect. Tina wants to shock people.) And Rachel is lonely - and she wants to not be alone.

But "On My Own" isn't only a song about loneliness. It's a love song. Specifically, a song about pining for and imagining the presence and/or affection of someone who doesn't notice you're there.

and i know it's only in my mind, that i'm talking to myself and not to him…

Like, oh, everyone at McKinley, vis-a-vis Rachel. It's a longing for a very specific type of not being alone: for having someone who's in love with you, and escaping - either that specific form of loneliness - or being alone, in general, in that way.

"I need a male lead who can keep up with me vocally."

Is what Rachel says to Mr. Schue - who agrees, and I'm way madder at him than I am at her. He has responsibilities to his other students! To Kurt and to Artie! Who are both far better singers than Finn anyway!

… but I digress, because what Rachel leaves unsaid, but what I believe she meant, is, given the rest of the episode (and beyond), "I need a male lead who can keep me from looking like a loser when we perform together." (Even the rest of the conversation supports this reading: Rachel says repeatedly, "I'm tired of being laughed at," and "I'm not gonna make a fool out of myself.") And neither Kurt nor Artie count as non-loser 'leading man material' in the shark-infested waters of McKinley High.

(Nor, I daresay, in the imaginary movie set up in Rachel's mind - to be maximally fair to everyone.)

you better shape up, cause i need a man, but my heart is set on you…

And then Will blackmails Finn into joining the Glee Club, and flash cut to the next scene, Rachel's singing "you're the one that I want" at (and, out-of-universe, about) him. Her hopes for a "male lead" have been answered!

(Almost. He still needs to learn to sing. He better shape up, as she says. But he does fit the part!)

And this is reinforced, hilariously, in the first conversation we ever see them have.

"You're very talented. I would know, I'm very talented too."

LOL RACHEL <3. Although the fact that Rachel (especially early on) always refers to 'talent' to compliment people is more poignant when you think about it than it is lol-worthy. Anyway… that's a side note. More relevant is what else Rachel has to say.

"I think the rest of the team expects us to become an item. You, the hot male lead, and me, the stunning young ingenue everyone roots for."

No, Rachel, no one expects you to get together. (Except viewers because this is in fact a TV show, but none of them are supposed to know that!) Your fellow Glee clubbers all have their own lives and don't care that much about yours.

… But, let's go back to the narrative that I said Rachel was constantly telling inside her head. She asked casting - er, the world? Mr. Schue? - for an appropriate 'male lead' - she wanted and yearned for one, anyway, and look at what did just drop in her lap!

And here's the part that I struggle to explain. I know it, because I was Rachel in high school. (I've always said that.) I've lived this logic - or, illogic! - that I'm trying to lay out here, too….

Rachel's not living in just any story. (I mean. She's not living in a story, at all. But in terms of what she imagines, to cope with life and to escape and maybe just cause she loves it.) She's living in a musical. (She likes to imagine that she's living in a musical: and somehow, at this moment, it seems that the real world wants to go along). And so she needs, first: a male lead, to be with her, and to fill that role; and, secondly, one who can sing.

eta a couple of things:

* This construction of romance via narrative can almost certainly be interestingly compared to what we’ve all talked about with Klaine - having and deconstructing a fairytale romance (or mutual expectation thereof), and ultimately constructing something real.

* ‘and i can live inside my head’ is also a lyric from ‘on my own,’ just fyi.

#glee stuff #tdb rewatch #1x01 #c: said what she meant #jukebox musical did you mean my life

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stephanmasnyj-blog · 8 years ago

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The Making of a Masterpiece: An Interview with Big Thief

Photos by Stephan Masnyj and Shay Mehr

Big Thief has been riding a steady wave of acclaim since the release of their debut record Masterpiece in 2016. Adrianne Lenker’s lyrics often center on large epiphanies found in small moments; finding out that no one can “kiss away my shit” in a car ride on “Paul,” or the first moment of falling in love at a diner in “Masterpiece.” These heartfelt stories are wrapped up in fuzzy rock songs that have kept listeners captivated for months, and we spoke to guitarist/ songwriter Buck Meek about the inspiration behind these songs, Big Thief’s experience at SXSW, and what we can expect from the band in 2017.

SM: If I'm correct this is your second SXSW in as many years; coming around this time does it feel any different from you guys? I know Masterpiece hadn’t been put out yet so there was a lot of buzz around the band and when the record came it seems like the band hit a new level of popularity. Does it feel different to be back?

BM: Definitely. As far as SXSW shows we were able to schedule our shows a little more specifically. Like all the shows we're playing this year I'm really excited about, whereas last year I feel like we were sort of paying our dues a little bit; you know just kinda playing where we could get [booked]. We played some awesome shows last year too but there were a few more shows that were filler in between the big ones. This year everything we're doing this year is really exciting and a little more high profile. Of course we're doing the Luck Reunion at Willie Nelson's Ranch which is a big honor. Rachel Ray's thing will be awesome too.

SM: It seems like for a lot of bands SXSW is a sort of "make or break" moment, and even from hearing what you said about last year it seems like you guys tried to take the opportunity to play anywhere that you'd be able to be heard. Did it feel like that the first time around? That this was your best shot at a big break?

BM: We try to never feel like that, no matter how big the show is. We try to visualize any night as just a basic show to our friends. That's a meditation that our band tries to maintain no matter what so I guess we looked at it like that.

SM: I guess that's a good way to remain even keeled throughout the process while other people can tend to make a big fuss about everything around you.

BM: Exactly. And I'm from Austin. I'm from Wemberly which is south of Austin and I petty cabbed SXSW like seven years in a row before we played it last year, so I was going into it really comfortable with the city and the layout and everything. There was no mysticism behind it for me which I think helped too.

SM: From your perspective was it strange to always work around the festival and for the first time be on the other side as one of those bands that it seems like everyone was talking about in the area?

BM: Yeah that was really exciting for me. To be on the inside looking out was really fun. And I love the energy there. For me it's a gathering... and of course there's a whole bunch of controversy about SXSW as a corporation and there always will be. But as a musician, being there surrounded by musicians feels really powerful; it almost feels like the gathering of our tribe. It's like seeing the vans everywhere, all the leather jackets and guitar cases. It's just really exciting you know?

SM:Yeah. I've never bee here myself but I was looking around and noticed a sign that said "Live band vehicle parking only" and I thought it was funny to see such a specific designation like that in a city.

BM: Yeah totally. It's so cool. It feels like a mass migration of our people.

SM: You guys are all from different areas of the country. I know you worked with Adrienne (singer/songwriter for Big Thief) on a few EPs before Big Thief started, but how did you guys come together as a collective group?

BM: Well I had actually gone to a five week summer program at the Berklee College of Music when I was 14 or 15 years old to study the guitar. I didn’t like my roommate, he was a punk (laughs). So I was sort of scoping out the scene looking for a roommate and I met this kid named Max at the cafeteria and we became fast friends. We ended up switching roommates so we could room with each other and spent the five weeks skipping every class and running around Boston eating Krispy Kreme donuts and making trouble. We became really good friends. Then he went back to Israel. This was before Facebook and we were kinda just teenagers; we lost touch basically and didn’t talk for ten years.

Around the time Adrianne and I were touring the duo stuff we were in Brooklyn and ran into Max on the street randomly. So I talked to him for the first time in ten years. And Adrienne and I at that time had just started to write more Rock and Roll songs, because before we had been playing acoustic music. She got this electric guitar and started writing songs and we knew we needed a band and we ran into max around that time and started playing in the basement and found a drummer (Jason Berger), who played drums on Masterpiece. We booked our own tour and went on a month-long tour of like house parties and stuff. And at the end of that tour we made Masterpiece. Our dear friend James engineered the record which was a big help. We basically just had no money and wanted to make a record and we asked James about it and he was really excited about it so he helped us. At the end of that session we had to part ways with Jason (the original drummer), and Jason knew all the material by heart from engineering the session and started playing drums in the band.

SM: It seems crazy that you would run into your friend on the street ten years later. That must’ve been the most fortuitous chance occurrence in some time.

BM: It was. And he had just moved to New York to play music again for the first time in forever and we needed a Bass player so it all worked out well. Very serendipitous

SM: Speaking of New York and Brooklyn; despite being from different areas and backgrounds you guys are still considered a "Brooklyn" band. Do you feel like that city and that scene has had a big impact on your development? I've heard that the scene there is shrinking in many senses and it's harder for artists to thrive. Do you feel that in any sense?

BM: I think thats BS. I think New York is - in all of my travels all over the world - I think thats the healthiest music community I've ever scene by far. The most thriving. Yeah, I think it's thriving and probably always will. Just the nature of that city; it's so big and there's so many creative communities and they all serve as these venn diagrams for each other. Every band is constantly expanding and contracting into one another; everyone I know has like ten bands and they’re always falling apart and going on tour and getting too big and moving to different cities. I think it's a very living organism. Maybe the bands in NY don’t last as long as they do in other communities because its such a thriving place and the organisms are constantly eating each other. But I do think it's very alive. It's [alive] on a more energetic level, it's like more alive and inspirational because... I dunno it's hard to explain. Because it’s so alive I think everyone that’s a part of it is very inspired. Almost to the point where sometimes it can go too far in the sense that people's attention span can become very short with it. But it's powerful.

SM: I feel like NY has this restless energy where everyone is constantly moving 100 miles a minute, so I can imagine that would translate to an artist community where you have all of these people having so many ideas and almost busting at the seams trying to get them all out.

BM: Yeah. Like for me I can look at it from my perspective. I've been in NY for six years and it's like I moved there and I was a part of this band Moishe Circus. And then I started my own band for my songs, and as soon as that started cranking I started playing shows and building a scene. Then I started in Big Thief and that kind of overshadowed everything for a minute. When Big Thief had time off I would go back to my solo stuff. Then Adrianne and I started this little punk rock called Pencil that played a bunch of shows and started building this momentum. But ultimately Big Thief started touring really heavily. it's constantly expanding and contracting. I guess you could look at it as kinda tragic that all of these projects are falling by the wayside but its all part of the same movement. And everyone there seems to have that same experience. It can be really bittersweet. It can be really hard when we come back to New York after tour we like dip into this community that we're constantly in and out of now. it can be really sentimental.

SM: I can imagine it’s strange to come back to a community where you thought everything you knew was set is now totally different and people have changed, or come and gone and done other things. it's like a different place every time you come back

BM: Yeah. But it's never dead you know? It always just changes. That’s the way New York is. Neighborhoods are the same way. They're constantly eating each other.

SM: I’m curious to know how the writing process goes for you guys. Are the songs usually fleshed out by the time you hit the studio to record? Or do you sort of contribute your own parts as you're going through the recording process?

BM: It’s a little bit of both. With Masterpiece she had written most of those songs in the year or two prior to recording the record. She wrote a handful of them when we were just playing them as a duo. And then we put the band together and she wrote a handful more. And then “Interstate” was actually written in the van on the way to the studio. “Masterpiece” I think was written a couple of weeks before the recording session. We were at a little folk festival and Adrienne had just written that song on acoustic guitar. “Masterpiece” and “Interstate” were two songs we had never played before as a band until we got to the studio. Everything else I think we had been rehearsing a ton and playing during tour. A few things that we hadn’t even touched. Our producer Andrew Starlow who is one of our dearest friends was a big part of the arrangement process. Especially for the newer stuff like “Masterpiece”.

For example I think we started with the newer stuff during the recording process, because I think we just wanted to get in the zone. So we recorded “Vegas,” “Paul,” and “Real Love” first since we had pretty tight arrangements for those. And it went really smoothly. Towards the end of the session Andrew had heard “Masterpiece” being sung solo by Adrianne at some point. He had us all come out to the front porch where we recorded music. He had Adrienne teach us “Masterpiece” and the chords — but only by ear. He didn’t let us have our own instruments; he just had Adrianne sing us the song and we had to learn it by ear. After she played the song a few times, he had us repeat the chords like he was an elementary school teacher out loud like five times in a row. We went inside and we listened to Neil Young's "Danger Bird" on a studio super loud. And he had us go in and record it immediately without rehearsing it at all. I think we kept the second take. The first take there were a few errors but the second take was super fresh. But anyway the writing process is Adrienne is a songwriter and she always brings the song to the band and we hash out our parts together. Everyone brings their part to the table.

SM: I heard that you guys had a second record finished as far back as last year. Will that be coming out this year? Is it stylistically different than Masterpiece or in the same vein?

BM: Well I cant say too much about it yet, but we did start a record last year. We've had a lot of time to work on this one so we've been slowly finishing it. It should be coming soon in not too long.

SM: Is there anything listeners can look forward to on your tour this year? Is there new material being played live?

BM: We do have a ton of new material in the shows. We have been playing it all year. We were just in Australia and Adrianne just wrote us a new song there and we integrated it into our set. I think our set is becoming more dynamic. Masterpiece is super emotional and there’s a lot of heavy material on that record. A lot of our new stuff I feel like is maybe a little more ethereal or elegant. There's some really deep ballads that she's written lately. I think the dynamic of our set is expanding a bit which is nice. It’ll be a lot of fun.

#Interviews

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harrisonchute · 8 years ago

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You Are Not Alone!: Rachel Bloom @ Riot LA 2017

A note of thanks

One of my insecurities about doing normal people stuff is that it’s normal ‘people’ stuff. It’s not even the ‘normal’ part that bothers me anymore, I’m pretty sure. As a lifelong solo act, this has been a challenging, if lame, central struggle. I can go to movies by myself now, though I always feel like a loser in doing so. Concerts and comedy shows? No way. I’m not that culturally unaware. A protest march is somewhat more unique, but I probably wouldn’t have shown my support for women if I couldn’t get my buddy to go with me.

I’d heard about the Women’s March via Planned Parenthood’s mailing list, and noticed it was A) a thing, and B) the day before I was going to see Rachel Bloom live at a comedy festival. Though it’s a defamatory admission, the reason I was determined to roll out of bed that Saturday morning was because I couldn’t not publicly support women in 2017 and then bring myself before Rachel Bloom 24 hours later. It was powerful, yet utterly non-existent psychic shame, and trust me -- I knew the whole time how ridiculous I was being. Granted, she did open the show by asking who went, and I did raise my hand. Worth it? By that point, the event might’ve been its own reward, just a guess. I’m pretty sure she said, “Of course you were all there, you piece of shit liberals.”

Now, going to see Rachel Bloom live at a comedy festival certainly sounds like normal people behavior, but I have a hidden talent of spinning these things into my personal brand of weirdness. In this case, I attended by my lonesome, and for an impressively convoluted reason.

I thought about asking my buddy from the march, but the prospect bottomed out once filtered through my demented mental algorithms. In essence, I thought about asking her to go see Rachel Bloom just as I had thought about asking her to do an episode-by-episode Crazy Ex-Girlfriend companion podcast called Bagels After Midnight and thought about relating to her that really great joke Rachel Bloom made this one time and so on. We get it, you really like Rachel Bloom. At some point, people have to shut up about TV, but it’s so fucking hard.

And so, I went to the comedy festival alone, and it was weird. Hey, maybe I’m just waiting in line and my friend is late. Maybe my friend is late as I’m sitting down and the show starts… “Is this seat taken?” A person, to my right. “Uh… No.” No, it is not. Crossing this social more agitates the other insecurities: I can feel my ballooning mullet snake down my neck, my posture isn't correct, I'm probably not showing enough teeth when I laugh, or I'm showing too much.

Master of staring

Sometimes we like to keep ourselves free of spoilers. I’d specifically gone into this show without having seen footage of her previous live performances, so I didn’t know what to expect. Musical comedy or standup? Probably the first, so does that mean it’s a straight run of songs? It turned out to be a balance of both, which was really great -- though I could hardly get over the surreality of being in the same room as someone so towering. I’m a relatively emotionally mature adult, but I get starstruck in an instant, and there’s no bigger star to me right now than Rachel Bloom.

She works a unique ‘set’ by leading into each song with narration punctuated by jokes, and this is itself punctuated by the random interjections she seems prone to -- needled by the plane overhead (or is it sound from another event?), noticing her mom in attendance on her iPad, interacting with the audience, asking Adam Schlesinger if it’s cool to premiere the long-awaited “Period Sex” right now.

On paper, you might think of this show’s music/stand-up blend as a ‘gimmick,’ like the comedian who builds ventriloquism into an act. But it feels so natural, you imagine it’s less a performance and more what Rachel Bloom would be like if you ran into her on the street. Though she bowls you over with hilarious song and dance, for her, it’s just casual conversation. She really makes getting on stage and talking about HPV look effortless.

She also runs at light speed -- her classic Golden Globes speech delivered at 500 WPM just about describes it. Like with Keegan Michael-Key, you sense this excited, intense genius that unfolds faster than most people can say words. It’s a hell of a thing to watch.

The whole package allows for a range of expression hitting a natural flow. She can speak to an issue directly, then sing about it, then comment on either or anything, controlling the atmosphere perfectly. It may have been too surreal for me to fully process, and as a result I can’t 100% visualize seeing her on stage in hindsight, but she remains so human, democratizing the individual’s capacity for greatness -- you can too!

At about 5:00, after we’d seen a few singers and speakers, the director of The Invisible War among them, we decided to call it. My legs were really tired. As we walked around downtown Los Angeles, my buddy wondered aloud, turning a lot over in her head -- the promises and calls-to-action which were so loud and impassioned, too much so to simply prove empty later on. “I really hope something comes of this. What if it’s all for nothing?”

“It’s about organization,” I say.

“Yes, but what does that mean??”

In one of the stand-up segments, Bloom started talking about having OCD as a child, related anxiety of which continues to the day. She asked if anyone else had or has OCD: “Just shout ‘I’m alone’!” she said to the audience. A few people whooped, but I don’t know that I heard any “I’m alone!” And yet, perfectly in step, she shouted back: “You are not alone!” What is unsolicited inclusion?

Between boosting for Prozac, revealing startling personal details (you don’t listen to an interview with Rachel Bloom without hearing one), and performing “The OCDance,” it’s comedy as solidarity. It is the same through-line as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, that the platitudes you hear, of ‘we’ll figure this out’ and even ‘you are okay,’ begin with ‘you are not alone,’ and suddenly they don’t feel so vague.

Whether it’s a two million-strong protest march or the fruits of a wild, unique comic career, this message is so, so powerful. It may not suggest the next step, but it’s positioning us at the starting line -- together, finally. We all have issues (who doesn’t) which the world had systematically told us to be ashamed of, that we were better off insecure. Rachel Bloom is among those talking back at said system, helping us heal those wounds by finding the words to express pain and sadness. She overcame horrific bullying and life on the tightrope between society and its fringe, emerging as a fearless, optimistic, badass force of a human being. She’s cool.

A true inspiration, who if nothing else, nearly entirely desexualized boobs for me. I don’t mourn that, and Christ, whenever she’s swinging those things around, my phantom breasts start howling.

Per the lyrics, she did beckon the audience to join her for “You Stupid Bitch” toward the end. I’m sorry, lady -- there’s no way. You must be crazy.

You can see fan discussion and analysis of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend over on Bagels After Midnight, a YouTube channel. More videos on the way, urgently, as the two existing installments are now outdated, following the renewal.

#Crazy Ex-Girlfriend #rachel bloom #comedy #riot la #women's march

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armeniaitn · 4 years ago

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What Broadway Fans Need to Know About the Eurovision Song Contest and the Netflix Movie ...

New Post has been published on https://armenia.in-the.news/politics/what-broadway-fans-need-to-know-about-the-eurovision-song-contest-and-the-netflix-movie-24955-26-06-2020/

What Broadway Fans Need to Know About the Eurovision Song Contest and the Netflix Movie ...

With audiences continuing to enjoy theatre from the comfort of their couches; Netflix’s new offering to home-bound movie-musical lovers tackles a side of musical theatrics with which few Americans are familiar: the Eurovision Song Contest.

Now entering it’s 66th year of competition, Eurovision has been described as the “European Idol” of music festivals, garnering over 300 million viewers a year. In Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (out June 26), a spoof on the actual international music competition, Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams play a pair of down-on-their luck Icelandic singers desperate to represent their country in the contest with their song “Volcano Man.”

For anyone who follows Eurovision (of which there is a small, but growing, and deeply obsessive fandom), people know that this is more than just a song contest. In the past two decades, the show has also been a platform for airing regional political conflicts. The long-standing tension between the nations of Armenia and Azerbaijan take the stage each year as both countries refuse to award the other points. In 2009, Azerbaijan even went so far as to arrest and question 43 of its citizens who (it discovered) text-voted for the Armenian song. Similarly in wake of the annexation of Crimea, Ukraine banned the 2017 Russian artist from performing, when the show was hosted in Kiev. (Let’s not even get started on the political and social backlash given the fact the singer was also a woman in a wheelchair).

Dan Stevens in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga Courtesy of Netflix

Alongside the deep political intrigue, the contest is memorable for a type of theatricality one can only imagine arises from the fever dreams of its producers. From octogenarian Russian grandmothers baking bread on stage while singing “Party for Everybody,” to a backup dancer running in a life-sized hamster wheel, and even a number featuring hyper-sexualized Polish milk-maids; the contest has been a factory for a niche type of music and stage performance beloved by Europe. In the preview for The Story of Fire Saga, fans can see the filmmakers have done their research; there is a clip of Will Ferrell running around on a hamster wheel.

For theatre-lovers, Eurovision has seen its fair-share of golden Broadway moments: Riverdance, before coming to Broadway, premiered as a Eurovision interval act at the 1994 competition. ABBA won the 1974 contest with their hit “Waterloo”, and even Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber himself composed the U.K.’s song in 2009.

Playbill spoke with Savan Kotecha, the Grammy-nominated executive music producer of the new Netflix film, to find out more about bringing the specific brand of Eurovision music to an American movie musical.

Savan, before signing onto the project, what was your exposure to Eurovision? How did you learn about it? Savan Kotecha: I lived in Sweden for 15 years and my wife is Swedish so I was exposed to Eurovision while I was living there. I remember the first year I was there people kept inviting me to their “Eurovision Parties,” and I was like, what in the world is that? Someone described it to me as the “Musical Super Bowl.” I was like, what in the world is this? It took a few years to really get into it, but it’s a really beautiful event that celebrates the diversity of Europe. I love that all the countries vote but can’t vote for themselves, and some years politics come into play, as well, depending on various world events.

Americans as a whole are pretty unfamiliar with Eurovision. When thinking about the score of the film, what did you want audiences to take away or understand about the music of Eurovision? It’s all about big numbers that also represent the countries involved. It’s a celebration of pop music and national pride for the countries who participate.

Rachel McAdams and Will Ferrell in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga Courtesy of Netflix

Is there anything you’ve learned from watching other musical films that you brought into the scoring of this film? How do you see this movie differing from those? This one was pretty different than some of any other musical films…. so I didn’t really have a reference other than the contest itself. We really wanted to make these songs feel that they could actually compete in the contest separate from the film.

What was the process like of creating music to match the personalities and personas of the characters in the film who are all also competing in Eurovision? How do they help further the narrative of the film? The characters were so rich with various layers, and—after reading the script and speaking to David [Dobkin- the Director], Will [Ferrell] and Andrew [Steele] [the writers]—I was able to get a good grasp on finding their “musical voice.” So I approached the songs like I would for any big pop artist. Trying to write from their perspective and create a sound for each act that not only represented their personalities but also represented the countries they came from. I think especially a song like “Husavik” helped push forward the love story in the film. It was written from Sigrid’s [McAdam’s character] perspective. She loves music but she also loves her life, she just wanted Lars [Ferrell’s character] and nothing more. I think the song helped her character express that in a way that finally made Lars understand.

“Volcano Man,” the first song released from the film, has received a lot of positive reactions on social media, and within the Eurovision fan community. How did you balance the pastiche associated with Eurovision music, and create something that would also have widespread appeal? The credit for the creation of “Volcano man” should go to Gustav Holter and Christian Persson. I called them up and told them we needed an opening number, to imagine it starting with Will’s voice doing a pulsing “huh huh huh” thing and build around that. I also gave them the reference of the episode of Friends where Ross sees himself as a serious musician! They ran with that and really nailed it! With all the songs I wrote or put together for this film, I made sure the melodies felt really strong. Because to me, melody is the universal language and if you have a great melody you’ll appeal to more people no matter how you “dress” the song with lyrics and production.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga premieres on Netflix June 26.

Read original article here.

#Armenia #Politics

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thegloober · 6 years ago

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Private Life

Sometimes you want something so badly that you chase it for years, and the quest takes over everything.

That’s what happened to Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) and Richard (Paul Giamatti), the protagonists of “Private Life,” a comedy-drama about a forty-something New York couple who are desperate to become parents.

Rachel is 41. She’s not as fertile as she used to be. Richard is 47. He has just one testicle, and it happens to be blocked. This is a terrible state of affairs for any couple, but a comic gold mine for actors who express frustration as brilliantly as these two. We sense early on that Rachel and Richard’s obsession distracts them from dealing with longstanding issues in their marriage, and maybe individual neuroses as well. Richard was once an acclaimed actor and theater impresario. He now runs a pickle-making company. Rachel is a writer who’s trying to finish a new novel. She’s finding it hard to stay focused with all the obstetrical drama going on. They know having a child is a long shot. They’ve tried various procedures and treatments and flirted with adoption and surrogates. They refuse to give up. Should they?

The first part of “Private Life” follows Rachel and Richard through the medical system, undergoing tests to figure out if they have a specific problem that can be fixed by science. Their fertility sherpa, Dr. Dordick (Denis O’Hare), speaks frankly of the obstacles in their path. They hear him but don’t absorb the facts as deeply as they should—or maybe they’re just hopeless optimists. Richard and Rachel are close with their in-laws—Richard’s brother Charlie (John Carroll Lynch), his second wife Cynthia (Molly Shannon), and Cynthia’s college-age daughter Sadie (Kalyi Carter)—and lean on them for emotional support and sometimes more. There’s a bit of drama early on when Richard asks Charlie for a loan to pay for a medical test. Cynthia explodes, warning him that they’ve been at this forever and that he needs to stop enabling them.

The movie shifts into a different mode—less raucously funny, more tenderly observant—when Sadie, a budding fiction writer herself, moves in with Richard and Rachel, and the couple asks if she’d carry their baby. (The movie makes sure to spell out that none of them are related—Charlie being Richard’s stepbrother and Cynthia’s second husband.) Sadie is intrigued. She needs the money. She loves Richard and Rachel. And she’s at her own crossroads in life, and maybe feeling it’s time for a gesture as dramatic as anything in the short stories that she loves (or in fiction written by classmates that she gripes about—mostly “thinly veiled autobiographical crap about their upbringing;” Sadie is oblivious to the fact that she’s living some of the same cliches she despises in the fiction and the lives of others).

I don’t want to go into too much detail about the bulk of the story because the plot takes a lot of twists and turns, some predictable, others unexpected, and because what’s important are the observations, visual as well as verbal, embedded in each scene. The film’s writer-director, Tamara Jenkins (“Slums of Beverly Hills,” “Savages“) is a brilliant chronicler of upper-middle class white people and their foibles, and her eye for detail is anthropologically exact, empathetic but never begging for sympathy. She’s aware that these people can be myopic and petty, and that they’re so wrapped up in their individual dramas that they fail to appreciate what they do have; but she also understands the deep biological urges that drive Richard and Rachel, who spent the first part of adulthood committing to an artist’s life without taking on responsibility to anyone but each other.

Some of Jenkins’ humor pushes right to the edge of farce without tipping over, as when Richard justifiably blows up at his wife’s mistreatment by a visiting doctor, then realizes he’s overdoing it and making a spectacle of himself. (Nobody does righteous snits better than Giamatti.) Other times, the film digs into the minutia of marriage and family life with the surgical precision of Mike Leigh, capturing fleeting images and moments that sum up an experience. The personalty test that Sadie takes in order to be cleared as a surrogate includes statements which, viewed in tight close-up, seem nearly poetic in their strangeness (“Evil spirits possess me at times.” “I would like to become a singer.”). A quick iris-to-black as Rachel succumbs to anesthesia, followed by a blurry shot from her point-of-view as she wakes up and sees a package of animal crackers and a bottle of apple juice on a meal tray, sum up the dreamlike feeling of suspension that accrues when you spend a lot of time in doctor’s offices, hospitals, and operating rooms, with their blank walls and identically uniformed employees. (Hahn, who’s on a roll these days, is at the top of her game, handling Jenkins’ barbed dialogue and the story’s many reactive closeups with equal skill.)

The dialogue, especially between Rachel and Richard, is just as astute. We see what drew them together (a shared love of creativity plus undeniable comic chemistry) as well as the despair that they hide from each other for fear of making a tense partnership unpleasant. Each sometimes feels that their failure to conceive is the other’s fault, and Jenkins weaves social messaging into their reasons for waiting, acknowledging it as a factor without telling us if she thinks they made good or bad decisions. Richard stings Rachel by suggesting that she’s assigning blame for their situation onto the mixed messages she received about family and career back in college. “You can’t blame second wave feminism for our ambivalence about having a kid!” he groans. To the film’s credit, neither is portrayed as being entirely wrong.

The movie also succeeds as a portrait of a particular urban lifestyle—creative people living beyond their means because they don’t want to give up youthful dreams of the big city—as well as the larger forces that conspire to make their existence precarious and unrealistic. The Lower East Side New York neighborhood where Rachel and Richard have lived for decades has become almost entirely gentrified (except for their block, which Sadie says is “very ‘Serpico’). The site of Richard’s old theater company is a bank branch. Condos are springing up everywhere, promising a tourist-like experience of a city that no longer exists.

But of course, Richard and Rachel were probably in the first wave of bourgeois settlers back in the ’90s, and as such, they have to accept some blame for how things have changed. When Sadie, out for a walk with her possible future egg donors, spots a billboard advertising luxury apartments with the slogan “Live in Luxury, Party Like a Punk,” she snarls, “It’s like an open invitation for assholes.” The movie is aware that they’re also the assholes. When they visit Richard’s brother and her family in the suburbs, they’re seeing a likely future. If they leave the city, does it mean they surrendered? If they don’t conceive, does it mean all of that time and money was wasted?

It’s becoming increasingly hard for films like this to have a big impact on audiences, in part because stories about recognizable, present-day adults of every social class have been largely driven from theaters and onto TV and streaming platforms. Anything that doesn’t involve special effects and some kind of world-ending threat is deemed “low stakes” or “television” and thus not worth leaving home to see. (This one is getting a hybrid release from Netflix, playing a small number of theaters while debuting online.) But when the story is told in as engaging and fair-minded a way as it is here by Jenkins—who’s as adept with lyrical images as she is with snappy dialogue, and allows us to laugh at the characters even as we feel for them—it’s as immersive as any blockbuster, sneakily so. This film is a reminder that the smallness of life can feel huge when we’re in the middle of it. A perfect final shot sums up everything “Private Life” has been telling us and showing us, while letting us imagine Rachel and Richard’s destiny for ourselves.

Source: https://bloghyped.com/private-life/

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