#it could be a casual Q and A style tour maybe?

[zackstriker]

hot take i think the june phannouncement is gonna be a podcast

[nicoscheer]

X

He’s gonna be the fucking death of me first killing the joke and now silverscreen 😭😭😭

Indie rock icon, last shadow Puppets star and one of Merseyside’s most notable musical exports, Miles Kane, returned this year with his fifth album ‘One man Band’. Following on from his last two records which are packed with Glam stompers, the new album saw him dive back into the punchy Indie sound that first earned him waves of fans. We spoke with Miles about how his songwriting, style and sound have evolved over the years…

Q. You’ve had a productive spell recently releasing two albums in two years, have you enjoyed focusing on you solo work?

A. “Yeah, I think especially on this record. I just love making tunes, you know? I think on this one, it was great working with our James, my cousin from the Coral and Alfie Skelly too. Also, not having that pressure of a major label and just being fully in control of what I want to do. There’s always a plan and an expectation but I think I’ve really taken control of the ship on this album. I think I just got in a zone. It wasn’t a/masked but the quality of songs came quite quick, which doesn’t always happen.”

Q. How important to you is your visual identity as an artist?

A. “It’s always been massively important with me, whether it’s super stylized suits or glam rock makeup. There’s many sides to my sort of style, but on the new album I’ve just been feeling the more casual side both in life and in music. I just wanted it to be not super posed and sexy, I wanted it to feel more natural.”

Q. What drove you to write the track ‘Baggio’

A. “Im obsessed with Italian shirts and always have been as a kid. So I think it was a story about that childhood and my intriguement/ obsession with Italian football. It’s more of a song about childhood, reminiscing and remembering these specific little things. For me, it was World Cup 94, watching Italy and seeing Baggio. You could have said Oasis or something like that but Baggio’s a bit cooler and I think people around me like James and Alfie were like ‘Oh, this is so you’ because obviously they know me and I think that’s why it connected. I think at first some people were like, ‘ what are you on about there?’ but it’s these kinds of songs that I’m glad I stuck to my guts on.”

Q. Was it fun to explore the retro football style too with the single ‘Baggio’?

A. “Yeah, I love all that. I love all the old footy shirts because I think it sort of takes me back to a weird comfort memory of being a kid and I think a lot of those old footy shirts are super chic. The photo of me in the Baggio shirt wasn’t like a set up photo shoot. Chaz who plays bass was bringing his camera in and took that. I guess it was more candid and summed up the album better for me than trying to look cool or giving it the big one.”

Q. Are there any other celebrity icons or physical anchors you use to inspire your songwriting?

A. “Yeah, loads man. Rocky… fucking Al Pacino. There’s loads of wrestlers that I’ve taken inspiration from. I get very inspired by stuff like that, whether it be a jacket or it’s a bit of makeup or whatever, I’m quite obsessed. I get the mood of something I’m into and it’ll inspire me to do my version of that feeling. It sounds quite mad to explain it, but for me, that just works”.

Q. You’ve written songs on Merseyside, in London, America, at home or on tour… does your environment impact the kind of songs you’re writing?

A. “I’d say it’s more about where you’re at in your head you know. A lot of the songs on the new album were written up north and a lot was written on my couch in London where I am now. If I wanted to go and make a reggae album in Jamaica maybe that would have a big effect on it haha but, for me, I think it’s more about where I’m at in my mind.”

Q. How has Merseyside impacted you as a musician and as a person?

A. “Where you’re from is who you are, isn’t it, it’s everything. I’ve learned from all those Merseyside bands, The Coral, The Zutons, The Bunnymen, Teardrops, The Beatles. I saw them and wanted to be like them guys, you know? It was just engraved in me. I probably wouldn’t be sat here talking to you without them.”

Q. Which is your favorite track to play live off the new record?

A. “I could play this whole album live to be honest! I think ‘Never taking me alive’ is my favorite track ever to play to be honest. It’s kind of my new ‘Inhaler’ or ‘Come closer’, it’s got that big old riff and the big energy. I love that side of my tunes. Making this album I really fell in love with playing guitar again. I really want the guitar to be at the front just as much as the words are. I’ve really embraced that side of myself. Again, it’s simpler and I think that suits me. I like those other sides of me, don’t get me wrong but give me a riff and some lyrics and that’ll do me mate.”

-

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Part of the interview above

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Miles reposted with 👌🏽

-09/01/2024-

X

Oh do I love him (the lipstick paired with him so openly talking bout using glam makeup in the above interview 🫶🏽🫶🏽🥰)

Please i can’t he’s so dog dad; good to know he loves Maxie just as much as we do (the audio says “you talking to me?!”(from taxi driver)

[neo-nymph]

NCT NSFW A-Z: Jaehyun

I went to the NeoCity concert in Miami a month ago and now I can't get NCT out of my head. So I present you with this :’)

A - Aftercare

He’d probably just lay next to you for like 5 minutes to catch his breath. He’d wrap his arms under you and pull you into his side watching you with heart eyes and a subtle grin as you pant little breaths. Once he’s mellowed out he’d go all soft boy again, doing small cute things like tying your hair back so you can cool off, wiping you off with a cool towel if things got messy, getting you some water if you want. Then it’s tiny kisses on your forehead and temple, probably cringy small talk about how cute you are when you moan for him and some cuddles.

B – Body Part

On you it’s probably your legs. It might sound weird but he just finds them absolutely gorgeous. Doesn’t matter if you’re tall or short or what you’re doing. Laying on the couch with some shorts, running around in one of his shirts with your legs bare, jumping out of the pool. Anything would drive him insane. He loves pressing kisses to them when things get intimate and running his fingers across them when cuddling.

C – Cum

Not his favorite thing in the world just because of how messy and annoying to clean it is, but kinda loves putting it on you. He might even have a thing for watching you play with it. Jaehyun seems like the type to be really into facials and swallowing. Painting your cute little face with thick, white streams, watching you rub it around between your fingers or seeing the white pool disappear between your lips after fucking your mouth is like the cherry on top of his sundae.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he was into creampies too. He’d push himself inside you as deep as he could when he cums and pulls back to see it slowly seeping out and down your shaking thigh, drawing out a long sigh of satisfaction as he threw his head back and closed his eyes.  

D – Dirty Secret

Probably something like panty sniffing. Idky but I see that happening. He probably takes a pair of yours on tour to wrap around himself when he gets off.

E – Experience

I know Jae has a player attitude about him but I don’t buy it for a second. I don’t think he’s been with a ton of women, but enough that he knows what he’s doing, plus one or two extra tricks. Probably learned a thing or two from porn.

F – Favorite Position

Doggy style with your hands tied behind your back.  

He can be rough and fuck you into the bed, have his hand on your hips to keep you in place, but can still tug you up by your hair when he wants to hear your little noises.  

Hands behind your back for that little power trip.

G – Goofy

On a few occasions, like when he’s drunk. He probably can’t stop himself from cracking a goofy smile. All the way from the door to the bedroom, while making out, taking off clothes, even during the actual sex he’s making stupid jokes, giving you cringy compliments, and can’t seem to take anything either of you says or do seriously.

Also, the first time you guys are intimate together. He wouldn’t want you to be nervous, especially if you were younger/less experienced than him, so he would do his best to make the mood lighter by making jokes or being overly cute. By that I mean lots of small kisses, light taunting, etc. Anything to get you to smile, ignore your nerves and focus on having a good time.

H – Hair

Probably trims so it’s not a full on bush, but doesn’t bother with shaving totally bare. Doesn’t care what you do with yours.

I – Intimacy

Jaehyun’s a total Casanova. He knows how to read your body language and expressions extremely well, so he knows exactly what you want when you want it and how to deliver. He can be romantic and suave, cute and gentle, rough and dominating, whatever you want he’s got it.

I definitely see him being someone that shows his affection often in a lot of tiny ways, but I think his favorite way to show how much he feels for you is by getting intimate. That being said he makes the whole thing about you; your enjoyment and pleasure always come first.  

J – Jack-Off

Probably does a lot on tour. There’s a lot of time between tour stops for him to alone with his thoughts that he can’t seem to control. You’re already on his mind all the time, which didn’t help his struggle to control his desires. He prides himself on his ability to control his sexual urges, but between the lack of physical contact, the sexual dances, and you’re unforgiving voice messages, I see him jacking off pretty often. Like at least every other night, probably late after concerts.

Probably calls you for phone sex if the time zones line-up well enough. If not he probably gets off to some videos he filmed of you guys before you left or videos and voice messages you sent him a while back.

K - Kink

Maybe a power kink.  

Nothing huge, but he loves the dominating feeling that runs through him when he looks down and see’s you laying there under him, shaking vaguely, mind completely clouded in a fucked out daze as you fully submit to him. It sends him on this weird power trip and fills him with a sense of pride.

Maybe an innocence kink too.  

I only really see this happening if he’s with an inexperienced partner who’s still kinda hesitant and moves with uncertainty. He’d like guiding them and find it hot that he’d get to “train” them to do things exactly as he wanted. Looking at you move to please him with glossy baby doll eyes, a little bend in your brow as you questioned if you were doing it right would drive him mad.

L - Limits

He’s open to trying most things, but nothing super wild or extreme. He’s just past the line of Vanilla tbh.

M – Motivation (Turn-On)

When you walk around with nothing but his shirt on. It makes you look so cute to him. He likes knowing your completely him, and this is the perfect way to remind him and rile him up at the same time. Bonus points if you bend over and put everything on display for him.

N – NO (Turn-Off)

Feet.  

Don’t see much appeal past you pressing your feet against him through his pants as a tease

O – Oral

Giving: G  E  N  E  R  O  U  S. He could eat you out for hours if you let him. A classic lay on his stomach wraps his arms around your thighs kinda guy. You can try squirming all you want but he’s not letting you go anywhere. Likes when you pull on his hair. Finds it cute when you try to pull him or push yourself closer to his mouth. Lots of sucking and rolling your clit with his tongue. If he thinks you’re especially deserving he’ll use his fingers too, rough and fast just as you like it.  He’s not stopping until you cum at least twice.

Receiving: Has a decent amount of self-control, so unless he’s tied down or frustrated he won’t be very fidgety or vocal, probably just a lot of harsh breaths and low grunts. He’s naturally a dom, so you can expect one hand holding your hair into a ponytail controlling your movements. He’ll probably slump back casually in whatever seat he’s in, mouth parted lightly with small breaths escaping as he stares at you with eyes blown wide from desire. Likes fast and messy blowjobs when he’s angry or frustrated. Loves the feeling of your tight throat swallowing around his cock. Other times you can move whatever pace you want, just don’t be surprised if he starts fucking your throat by the end. He likes to hear you gag.

P – Place

He’ll fuck you anywhere in the house. On the couch, in the shower, the kitchen, on the patio. He’d be especially fond of eating you out while you sit on the island in the kitchen. Same goes for hotels and the tour bus. He’s not one for people watching, but the second you’re alone, he’ll take you on any surface he can.

Q – Quickie

I can only see these happening once in a blue moon because he likes to drag things out and take his time. Even if he randomly gets in the mood in public he’ll hold off until the event is done or find some excuse for you guys to get home. You can always expect him to be exceptionally rougher and faster than you’re used to. The pressure in his groin had him acting without logic, pulling apart your clothes, barely getting them off your body before raw dogging you against the door.  

R – Risk

Meh. Like I said before, he’s just past the line of vanilla. Risky antics aren’t typically apart of your sex life, so I wouldn’t expect anything crazy like fucking in public. Maybe he’ll whip out vibrating panties. He may decide to tease you under the table at a business dinner one night, shoving his hands down your panties. But only for a few minutes before he makes some lame excuse and takes you home.  

S – Stamina

Could probably last like 3 rounds

T – Toys

Probably uses handcuffs from time to time

U – Unfair

Like I said before, his main priority is making sure he can please you as much as possible. He probably wouldn’t go crazy with teasing. Likely just enough to make you beg him to fuck you, like rubbing you through your panties with his hand around your throat while he’s still fully clothed.

He hates being teased. The only way you’ll get away with teasing him is if he’s tied down to a chair. Good luck dealing with him after tho

V – Volume

Not super loud himself. Moans often but not loud enough for the neighbors to hear. Probably audible if someone passes by the room or the walls are thin. Grunts and groans loudest and deepest when he cums or when you deepthroat him. Throws in some dirty whisper into your ear here and there.  

Likes for you to be loud though. Especially when he’s gotten jealous; hearing you scream his name gives him a real ego boost, particularly when he walks out between rounds and sees the members in the living room pretending they didn’t hear anything

W - Wild Card [Author’s Choice] (this one ain't so nsfw sorry lol)

I cannot stress enough how much this man loves you. You’re like a little angel to him. It’s pretty obvious that he’s a confident guy, but sometimes he gets worried that he’s not deserving of you, for reasons other than looks. That’s why he always spoils you so much, sexually and not. He hopes if he showers you enough with his love and gives you everything he believes you deserve, you’ll constantly be reminded about how much you love him and you won’t want to leave.

X - X-Ray [Dick Size]

Longer than most but not huge. I’d say 7 inches long and generously thick. You’re gonna feel the stretch every time honey.

Y – Yearning [Sex Drive]

When he’s home, not exceedingly high. You probably have sex like 3 or 4 times a week. When he’s sex-deprived on tour tho, he’s calling you like every other night to help him out.

Z – Zzz [After Sex]

I mentioned this before at the beginning, he probably needs like 5 minutes to catch his breath and he’s good. After he tends to you and you guys get all cuddly, he’ll probably fall asleep in like 30 mins to a 1 hr

[melonbreadallthetime]

Ken-chan’s Fan Event 2019

I was lucky enough to score tickets for all 3 sessions on the 24th and although the general format is the same for every session, the things said in each session are actually pretty different because of how Ken-chan decided to do things.  Each session had me in stitches, I was laughing so hard my face hurt, and overall, I had a super wonderful time.  

Check out the Read More for a full write-up and more pictures!

Ken-chan's guests for the 24th were co-stars from his current show GEKIIKE Masquerade, and they were Isaka Tatsuya and Washio Shuuto.  Shuuto has been a guest for Ken-chan before (not when I went), and I’ve actually been a fan of Isaka Tatsuya for over 10 years (from when he was Ichigo in Burimyu) so there was a hilarious war inside me between my 18-year-old-self who loved Tatsuya best to my current self that loves Ken-chan (equally?  More?  A LOT even if it’s not as long).  Shouma was also there because Shouma’s ALWAYS there; I’m pretty sure Ken-chan has never had a fan event without Shouma.  Although he’s usually there in a helping capacity, maybe emceeing, this time he was more like one of the guests and was on-stage for the Q&A and Etudes (improv skits).  Kainuma Yutaka, an actor Ken-chan met working on Nintama was the emcee.  

So the format was: Ken-chan, Tatsuya, and Shuuto would appear as a debuting idol group, perform their 2 debut singles (not original), and then there was a Q&A session with questions from the audience (we had to email questions beforehand), and then there were the Etudes (they always did three), and then Ken-chan did a present raffle for the audience, giving away solo cheki (polaroids) and one of his handmade uchiwa, and then the show would end with him taking photos with any fans who paid for a cheki with him.  Surprisingly, they also offered cheki for Ken-chan's guests, Tatsuya and Shuuto and Shouma, which is rare.  I’ve never seen an actor event where that was an option.  

1) Debut Idol Group

This portion is a gag, since these three are pretending to form an idol group together, but they basically styled themselves like one of those... color-coded, young-boys-breaking-into-the-industry, put-together-by-an-agency type idol group.  So they all had color-coded headbands (Ken-chan had red, Tatsuya had blue, and Shuuto had yellow), and they all had white T-shirts with their idol names SHARPIED on (Ken-chan's shirt read Akkun, Tatsuya’s shirt read Takkun, and Shuuto’s read Shukkun).  They also all wore these REALLY TIGHT skinny jeans with color-coded belts, and their makeup was A LOT OF BLUSH to make themselves look boyish.  Shuuto even had freckles drawn over his blush.  Ken-chan was also pitching his voice to sound much higher.  Tatsuya’s Takkun personality wasn’t all that different from himself, he was pretty silly and hammy.  Ken-chan as Akkun would stutter a lot, would not stop wiggling his hips across the stage and striking poses, and very excitable, very... manufactured idol.  Shuuto as Shukkun was SUPER SHY AND QUIET and wouldn’t really talk or move at all, he just stood on the far right towards the back of the stage with his shoulders all stiff and a terrified, deer-in-the-headlights look.  

Then they performed their two “singles” which were actually songs from like the 70’s or 80’s (I’d heard them before but couldn’t place them).  They’d play the original music video behind them and then sing (so really it was more like a karaoke session), and they actually didn’t know all the words to both songs, so they had uchiwa themselves on-stage.  One one side they had Sharpied their names (Akkun, Takkun, Shukkun), and on the other side, they’d printed THE LYRICS to the songs.  Ken-chan would sing and also DANCE by flailing like a maniac most of the time around the stage, shaking his hips constantly and striking dramatic Jojo poses, like someone drunk at karaoke who’s getting WAY too into the music but it’s great for spectators.  Tatsuya was honestly putting in a decent amount of effort too, singing nice and clearly and trying to dance along even though there was really no following Ken-chan.  Shuuto, because of his character, would stay stiff and still in the back right of the stage, quietly singing along and holding his uchiwa up to his face, very obviously reading the lyrics and not really ‘performing’ like the other two.  

Usually during the instrumental breaks in both songs, Ken-chan would try and get Tatsuya to do something ridiculous with him.  In the first session, he’d make Tatsuya bend forward so that he cold leapfrog over him sideways, and then he made Tatsuya leapfrog over him, and then they pulled Shuuto in for a 3-man pyramid and then they’d RUN back to grab their uchiwa off the table so they could start singing again in time lolololol.  Second session, they did lifts for Ken-chan; so Tatsuya and Shuuto would take either of Ken-chan's arms and lift him in an angel pose and carry him across the stage, In the third session, they kept trying to do these lifts that they didn’t really know how to do, so Tatsuya would lift Ken-chan onto his shoulders, but then he kept trying to get Ken-chan to sort of... stand? By bracing his feet on his thighs and it was not working because Ken-chan didn’t know what to do and then Tatsuya accidentally decked Ken-chan in the crotch with his head and Ken-chan dramatically rolled around the floor on-stage, clutching his crotch and the others sort of checked on him before hurrying to grab their lyrics because they were missing their cues lololololol.  

And then after the performance, Yutaka-san and Shouma would join them on stage.  They’d joke around about how Shukkun was new and that’s why he’s so nervous and not doing as well as the other two.  Yutaka-san would point out that they only formed their group recently, as in, TODAY, and Akkun said in one session, “Well he arrived last in the morning.  So he’s the new guy.  I’m his senpai by two minutes.”  

Oh and I forgot to mention that their idol group name was “Atashi,” which is (1) the most feminine way to say “I,” and (2) a reference to Arashi, the most famous Japanese boy band that’s existed since 1999.  

Then they would “transform” into themselves with an “illusion” which just meant Ken-chan would twirl around on-stage shouting, “ILLUSION!!!” and they’d flash the lights on the stage, and then the three would start acting like themselves to start the Q&A session.

2) Q&A Session

They always did about three pre-selected audience questions that had to be e-mailed in before the day, and it was fun because they would ask the question to all four of them in most cases, and usually they’d get a little de-railed and end up talking about one question for several minutes.  Most of the questions were summer-themed and resulted in a lot of really random information from all of them like how Tatsuya really likes to go riding on his motorcycle out into nature and go solo-camping, Shuuto refuses to turn on the air conditioning even in summer (to get stronger, whatever that means), and Ken-chan was actually scouted at age 15, but didn’t decide to seriously pursue work in the entertainment industry until he turned 18.  There was even some conversation about choosing to stay in entertainment, and Shuuto brought up the great point that most actors quit around the time that they’re 29 and move on to other things and/or start a family, “so the ones who stick around past thirty are the weirdos.”  And Ken-chan was like HEY and Tatsuya was like ‘yeah maybe...’  But Shuuto fixed it to say that the over-thirty actors are then some of the most wonderful senpai to learn from as a younger actor.  

One of the questions that I found really cute was one that asked how they did their summer homework back when they were in school.  Do it at the start of summer type, work on it gradually throughout the summer type, or the procrastinator.  Tatsuya said he always had a lot of anxiety about it so he was the type to do his homework little by little every day throughout the summer, and that he’s the same way now as actor.  He has nightmares about getting the script and then the tour of a play starting the next day when he hadn’t learned any of his lines yet, so he’s very diligent about memorization.  Ken-chan and Shouma were both procrastinators who put off their homework to the end, although Ken-chan also mentioned a friend he had in high school who would dedicate the first two weeks of summer entirely to vacation, and the last two weeks entirely to vacation, but would do his absolute best for three days right in the middle to finishing all of his homework then.  Shuuto said he was the type to never do his homework and run away from the teachers.  In the first session when this question was asked, there was actually a child in the audience (she looked maybe about 8?) and he noticed her and kind of immediately backtracked and said to her directly, “But that’s not good, okay?  I did a bad thing, you have to do your summer homework.”  

Tatsuya apparently really likes camping by himself, winter camping, and recently has started buying more and more camping gear.  He invited Ken-chan to go camping with him, and Ken-chan said he’d go, and Shuuto just flat out immediately refused, going, “Nope, it’s summer, there are too many bugs.”  And they were like, “Didn’t you want to be stronger?  Don’t you not turn on your air conditioning for that?” And he was just like, “This is different.”  Tatsuya mentioned recently buying an axe for camping purposes, and very casually said, “Between a knife and an axe, I prefer an axe, you know?” And everyone else was just like, “I have literally never thought about that.  Nobody thinks about that.”  

There was a question about favorite places they’ve visited when traveling, maybe for work, and it got sidetracked because they started talking about weird experiences in different places.  So Ken-chan went to this kind of foresty and mountainy area for a shoot and they were filming at night and in the distance they could see a weird red light.  They thought maybe it’s the SDF (Japanese Self Defense Force) or maybe a matsuri, except it was like 1am, so Ken-chan and several others went to go check it out.  And as they were getting closer, the light moved up, grew into a bright orb, and then suddenly vanished.  So they all thought they saw a UFO.  He also says half the people he tells this story to don’t believe him, but Tatsuya believed him because he then talked about a ghost encounter inside a theater he was performing in.  He was crawling in the space under the stage to get to the other side of the stage and there was someone in front of him that wasn’t supposed to be there because he was supposed to be first in line getting out, so he tried crawling faster to catch up, but when he turned this one corner, nobody was there.  And then they all agreed that there are definitely haunted theaters everywhere.  

When asked if there was anything recent that they started getting into, all of their answers were for super old franchises.  Ken-chan talked about getting into Pokemon cards for the first time, meeting up and playing games with Shouhei (1st Nishinoya from Engeki Haikyuu), and Tatsuya talked about how it was hard to collect Pokemon cards as a kid because you don’t have money, but as an adult you can go all in and really build the decks you want so it’s more satisfying as an adult to play the card game.  Shuuto for some reason listed Dragonball, and when asked what his favorite season or version he liked, he said, “All of it.”  And they were like, oh come on pick a favorite, and he was like, “It’s not about that.  It’s about the world.”  

There was another question that asked them to compliment the person on their right, but they were sitting in a line on stage and there was nobody to Shouma’s right, so then they all stood up in a 4-person circle, arms around each other other and touching foreheads and the emcee was like THE AUDIENCE CAN’T SEE YOU IF YOU DO THAT, SIT BACK DOWN.

So Ken-chan complimented Shuuto saying that he’s really kind and this is because he pays a lot of attention to the people around him and knows how to read people’s moods.  When Shuuto was complimenting Tatsuya, he started listing things going, “Well he’s an idiot...” And everyone else was like, “...in a good way, right?” And he was like yes yes, in a good way.  And then “He’s loud...” The emcee added, “In a good way.”  Followed by “He’s clumsy,” and the emcee went, “In a good way—I shouldn’t have to be adding these!!”  But since Tatsuya didn’t really know Shouma because they were meeting for the first time, Shouma said it was okay, they could skip him, but the others insisted that Tatsuya could pull it off.  So Tatsuya looked at Shouma very carefully and went, “His hair looks like Trunks.  A small, good-looking face... great smile!” And it was super cute and adorable honestly.   Then the emcee told Tatsuya and Shuuto to compliment Ken-chan, since it’s his event and all, so they both talked about how warm and inviting he is as a person, and they thought it was wonderful how much thought and effort he put into planning his events, even if he asks them to do ridiculous things, it’s with such genuine enthusiasm they’re happy to go along with his whims.  

3) Etude improv skits

And now for my favorite, the improv skits that Ken-chan always does at his events.  They did three every session, and these were probably some of the best I’ve ever seen because Tatsuya and Shuuto were so great and the dynamic between the three of them was so fun.  I’m not going to remember all of these and not in exact order, but the first one they did was in a bathhouse.  There was always one that was idol themed because of the whole Atashi thing lol.  

Bathhouse This one was a bit of a mess because the others took these little buckets and put them over their crotches like men do in public baths, Shouma was pretending to be a cleaner/staff going around mopping and cleaning, but then Ken-chan out of nowhere decided he was going to be an old woman so he was covering his chest and pinching his thighs together and shrieking any time any of the others got near him, “Iyaaahh!!  A man!! What are you doing here?!”  So then Tatsuya and Shuuto sort of... semi-switched to being women too, and Ken-chan walked through the audience to the back of the room, complaining like comical old ladies do, but there were staff members in the back of the room working the projector and the music, so he got annoyed that there were men even in the back lololol.  And then Tatsuya clutched his chest on-stage and fell over like he was in pain, so Shuuto shoved Shouma at him going, “HELP, do something!”  And Shouma bent down next to Tatsuya, checked his condition, and then screamed, “SHE’S GIVING BIRTH!!!!” Which then had all of them pulling open Tatsuya’s legs and getting up into his crotch while screaming the entire time and I just... I could not breathe.  But then it turned out Tatsuya was fine, but then Ken-chan fell over so they started spreading his legs to help deliver a baby and it was just... so much.  I don’t even remember how it ended, just that it was a mess lol.

They actually do the bathhouse prompt twice, in the first session and then the third session because they wanted to try and see if they could do it better the second time around.  They couldn’t lolololol.  But that one had Shuuto, Shouma, and Ken-chan just constantly avoiding Tatsuya and leaving him behind while he kept trying to be part of the group and was whining that they kept leaving him.  At one point they get ready to leave without him, and this involved Shuuto going and grabbing Tatsuya’s actual backpack from off-stage and bringing back an earlier joke about Tatsuya’s solo camping.  Ken-chan commented on how cool the backpack was, and Shuuto went, “It’s great for camping!  And you know, between a knife and an axe, I much prefer an axe!”  

Mermaid princess This one started with Shouma on the chairs rowing like he was on a boat, and Tatsuya wiggled (swam) over and said hi to him, which resulted in Shouma just shrieking like a maniac and passing out.  Because that’s what anyone would do when confronted with a mermaid I guess.  So then Tatsuya got all grumpy and pouty because she just wants to become a human, but, “All these human men are useless!” which, I mean, mood.  Shuuto grabbed 4 of the uchiwa off the table and made makeshift crab claws out of them to hold in his hands and walked sideways across the stage singing “Under the Sea” and then Ken-chan showed up as some other unspecified undersea presence and tries to convince Tatsuya to stay in the sea.  And then Shouma revived himself and went, “I’m not a man, I’M A WITCH!!!”  And offered Tatsuya the chance to become human, but Ken-chan grabbed Tatsuya’s arm and dramatically spun him around and HELD him REAL CLOSE and was just like, “Don’t go, stay.”  And suddenly it got WEIRDLY romantic and the witch came around going, “Don’t be fooled by his--” and Tatsuya just went, “Shut up for a sec!” And just stared longingly into Ken-chan's eyes!??!?!  He put his hand on Ken-chan's arm to start, and then it moved to his chest, and he kept inching closer, and Ken-chan kept inching closer and it was kind of like gay chicken except that NEITHER WAS BACKING DOWN and eventually they got to touching foreheads and Tatsuya whispering throatily, “I’ll stay with you,” and it was just A LOT.  OKAY.  A LOT.  I basically watched my teenage-actor-crush and my adult-actor-crush nearly kiss and it was TOO. MUCH.   Shuuto and the emcee were just off to one side of the stage laughing and generally staying out of the way by that point and even Shouma just left them be once they got to touching foreheads because it was like ooookaaayyyy you two are clearly having a moment.  

Idol auditions For some reason, they decided that the idol auditions for this one would be done like a variety show and Shouma was the host of the program with Shuuto, Ken-chan, and Tatsuya auditioning.  Shuuto was nervous and shy and could barely talk or do anything and mostly all he could say was his random generated number 3289 or something and Ken-chan was then number 56 (because what’s consistency worth) and was enthusiastic but BAD.  So he kept stuttering and flailing around and shaking his hips nonstop but none of it was meant to look good.  Tatsuya admitted he was only doing this because he wants to break out as an actor, which the host frowned upon, but then Tatsuya was actually the most impressive one lololol.  Well, comparatively anyway.  Certainly he was the coolest.  But it ended with the host announcing that the three of them could be idols together and they were like yaaaaaay!

Pokemon In the second session, the first prompt was Pokemon and Ken-chan actually prepared a lot of things for it, so then they were like IT’S NOT IMPROV IF YOU PLANNED IT ALL OUT BEFOREHAND!!! But basically the 4 of them drew cards to see who would be trainers and who would be Pokemon, and then the ones that got to be Pokemon would draw cards to see which Pokemon they’d be.  But Tatsuya admitted he didn’t know any of the pokemon past the first 150, so they told him to do his best with the first one and then gave him a second card so he could play two.   Shouma and Ken-chan were trainers, and Shuuto and Tatsuya were Pokemon, with Shuuto being Pikachu.  Shouma introduced himself as “I’m Festival Boy!!” because he was wearing a happi and obviously you never fight any named trainers in the game outside of gym leaders.  But then Ken-chan went, “I’m RedYellowGreen!.”  By the way, I was seated in the first row for this session which was RIGHT UP against the little stage and that meant being absurdly close to all of this nonsense.  Shouma told Shuuto-Pikachu to tackle and he literally went and tackled Tatsuya, knocking both Tatsuya AND Ken-chan over lololololol.  Shuuto and Tatsuya were low on the ground on all fours or crouching to be the Pokemon, and making dumb little pokemon cries the entire time, and when Tatsuya got beat on a couple more times, Ken-chan switched him out.  I missed what Pokemon Tatsuya was supposed to be first because I was too busy wheezing but the second time, he was Venusaur.  It didn’t matter though because Shuuto-Pikachu went over and shocked them both so Shouma won the battle.   The emcee had no idea what was going on because he doesn’t know anything about Pokemon, but he figured it was good because everyone was laughing so much.  But at the end, Shuuto again said, “This seriously wasn’t a proper etude!  Don’t call it that if you—just tell us what you want to do and we’ll do it!  Don’t lie!”   I couldn’t help but remember one of the third-year videos Ken-chan did with Hiroki and Justin were Ken-chan was again a trainer and Hiroki and Justin were Pokemon and Hiroki had that really great Squirtle cry and then Hiroki and Justin attacked Ken-chan, RIP.  (x)

Idol Dressing Room Shouma played the manager in this skit, who’s trying to sell them on this idea of being in this play with this one director.  Mind you, their parts are things like “long-horned beetle,” and “rhino beetle.”  Tatsuya and Ken-chan are arguing about whether or not they should, with Tatsuya being interested because of who the director is, Ken-chan thinks it’s a pain, and when they ask Shuuto’s opinion, he just quietly and shyly replies, “Let’s do it,” and they were like, “Well if Shukkun says we should, then I guess we should.”  But as soon as Shouma leaves, Shuuto drops his shy act and comes over to the other two all casual going, “Man, I hate our manager, he’s so useless!” and they all start bitching about their manager which had the emcee CRACKING UP because that’s realism right there lol.  But then Shouma came back with his happi wrapped around his shoulders because he was the director now and with a deeper voice was like, “You guys are going to be my new actors, right?  Show me a demonstration!” and then he sits down and dramatically crosses his legs and Tatsuya starts off.  Since he’s a type of flying beetle he just kind of throws his arms behind him and runs in a wiggle to mimic flying, and Shouma went, “No no no, that’s not what I’m imagining.  I need you to be more... sexy.”  So Tatsuya does it again but sexily and then Ken-chan as a rhino beetle stomps in but Shouma tells him to be more manly so Ken-chan does it again but this time with his chest SUPER PUFFED OUT (like how Shouhei was doing it when mimicking Daichi in Winners and Losers).  And he just marches up to Tatsuya and goes, ”You’re a beautiful beetle.  Let’s mate.”  And Tatsuya just goes, “Okayy~” and turns around and Ken-chan hugs him from behind and they start swaying together and I just DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY KEEP— And then Shuuto came in as the long-horned beetle and just started pulling and plucking at their hair and that ended the scene which... you know.  Okay.  I don’t really know how the idol dressing room prompt ended this way but it sure did.

Evil Organization This one was so campy I was dying real bad.  Shouma put a chair on himself and called himself the chair monster and I think he was like, trying to hire Shuuto and Tatsuya from their ‘evil organization’ to help wreak havoc so he was telling them to demonstrate acts of eeeeevillll.  So Shuuto went first, pulled up one of the chairs, and put his foot on it.  And they were like, OH MY GOD THAT’S SO EEEVILLLLL.  PUTTING YOUR SHOES ON A CHAIR???!?  I can’t even remember what Tatsuay did anymore but it was just as campy basically, and then Ken-chan made this dramatic entrance from the back and the others on-stage went into defense mode because they thought that he was making a hero’s entrance, but then Ken-chan was like, “I’ll show you evil!  I’m going to use a chair not as intended!” and laid a chair on its back on the floor and awkwardly lay across it going, “How easy it is to sleep in this chair!!”   After the skit they were all asking him, “Were you one of the evil guys?”  Ken-chan replied that he was being their leader and they all went, “THEN WHY DID YOU DO A HERO’S ENTRANCE?  COMING UP FROM THE BACK LIKE THAT?!”  

Idol group break-up This one starts with Atashi at their final performance before breaking up basically, but also starts with Tatsuya bragging about his solo debut, which is super upsetting for Ken-chan, and Shuuto continues to just be quiet and off the corner, unbothered because he just cares SO LITTLE about being an idol lolololol.  Ken-chan kept going, “Shukkun!  Aren’t you upset?  Doesn’t this bother you?  We’re supposed to be a team!”  And he just kept going “...not really.”  By the end though, they look out at the venue from where they are on-stage, the magnificent Tokyo Dome, with all its bright lights... all the sponsor ads in the distance (cue raucous laughter from the emcee)... and they get overwhelmed with emotion and decide that they’ll do their best together for their final concert.  Shuuto just stands quietly next to them and they’re like, “Are you overwhelmed, Shukkun?  Are you moved?!”  And he just goes, “...not really.”  

High School girls I’m just gonna say that Shuuto and Ken-chan make the WORST high school girls.  They were getting the speech patterns down, deciding to go the Mean Girls route instead of just normal high school girls, and they kept teasing and sexually harassing the teacher, Shouma.  Shuuto just sat spread eagle in his chair, pretended to lift up his skirt and was just fanning his crotch, and Ken-chan commenting on the cute pattern of his underwear before just LIFTING BOTH LEGS UP INTO THE AIR WIDE APART like, “Look at mine!!” and then were like, “oh my gawwwdd, put your legs down, we can see everything!” and Shouma as the teacher was just like GIRLS PAY ATTENTION TO THE LESSION.  Ken-chan kept... lifting his legs up in a split... I just... SIR YOU NEED TO PUT YOUR CROTCH AWAY PLEASE.  But then the girls start gossiping about how it’s the teacher’s last day, and Shouma then does turn and says that because it’s his last day, he does have a confession he wants to make.  Tatsuya stands and shyly puts his hands together because he was playing the girl that had a crush on the teacher, but Shouma goes to Shuuto instead who was like, “Ehhh??? Gross!!!” and then Shouma went, “...then... Ken-chan!” and Ken-chan was like, “Why am I a second choice?!”   They eventually pull the emcee into the skit too, making him the principal who starts yelling at Shouma and the girls then start adding stories like, “And he touched us!  He’s a pervert, a pervert!”  When Tatsuya joins in, Shouma goes, ”Okay hang on, I definitely never touched Takkun!” and outs himself for the others.  Sadly the principal is a creep too because he’s mad, but he eventually yells, “You lucky bastard!” and the girls are like, “EHH!! EVEN THE PRINCIPAL!!!” and that’s how that one ended.  

4) Prizes For the raffle prizes, Ken-chan took solo polaroids there on the spot and also gave away one of his handmade uchiwa per session.  My friend actually won one of the polaroids in the first session!  The uchiwa went with the idol theme obviously, but he’d also asked us to make our own to bring to the event, because he would sign ours!  I didn’t know that when I made mine because the autograph announcement was like, only a couple days before the event, but yeah that’s really atypical of actor events too.  

Below is the one I made; the first uchiwa I’ve ever made actually!  It was a lot of fun.

5) Polaroids and autographs I actually got two cheki with Ken-chan and one with Tatsuya during the first two sessions because I just couldn’t let the opportunity pass.  When I showed Ken-chan my uchiwa, he was very happy and impressed and signed both sides of it “just in case” it would rub off on the plastic side.  Since he always allows a little more time for each person, I told him how happy I was to be able to make the trip from America to see him again, and he smiled wonderfully and thanked me for making the trip.  When I went back for another cheki in the second session, I asked him for a “fun pose” so he offered to do the big heart with both our arms and then told me to pull out my uchiwa again so he could sign it again “since you came back a second time all the way from Seattle.”  He’s soooo sweet!!!  

When I got my polaroid with Tatsuya, I told him that I’d been a fan of him since his Burimyu days and his eyes popped open like, “Oh wow!  That’s a really long time!”  And then he put his arm around me for a HUG basically, which is also SUPER RARE for fan events so I was very shook, but also my heart was soaring.  And then as I was leaving, he said, “Thank you for supporting me for so long, I hope I can keep meeting your expectations!”  

For all my younger followers who don’t yet have the income and means to travel and are afraid of missing out, don’t be!  It might take 10+ years before you can meet your favorite Japanese stage actor, and maybe it’s in entirely different circumstances than you could ever expect, but never say never!!!  It can still happen!

Overall, this is what I love about Ken-chan's events.  They’re never very big, which is on purpose, in small venues with close quarters, so that he can make them feel more intimate and personal and so that he can take more time for each person for cheki or for handing us the merch himself as we buy it beforehand.  He does so much that’s so atypical of other actor events, and a large part of that is because he’s independent and doesn’t belong to a major agency, hence fewer rules, and the other part is because that’s what Ken-chan loves to do.  He really wants to be really close to his fans, and other actors he has as guests comment on it all the time.  He’s not afraid to be embarrassing or ridiculous in front of us, and it’s always great in some ways to see the guests he brings and who will go along with his shenanigans.  With this group, Tatsuya and Shuuto are both over 30, in fact, they’re both older than Ken-chan (who’ll be turning 31 in September), and I think that also made for a much more off-the-cuff show because they’re all veterans and they’re so comfortable with themselves.  I don’t really know Tatsuya to do events, but he kept saying he had a great time and was real sad during the third session that they were now done.  Maybe he’ll be inspired to have his own fan events soon!  I’m sure Ken-chan can help him brainstorm.  

I feel like this day had about a dozen dreams come true, even dreams I never had prior to this day, so I had a wonderful, amazing time, and I really hope I get another opportunity in the future!

[spartanswiftie]

13 Years of Taylor event?

‪It’s 13 years of @taylorswift this year...if she decided to do a small tour of major cities and hand selected the Swifties to attend intimate shows...what would you want those shows to be like? Costuming, musically, aesthetically, etc.

I’d imagine it to be just Taylor, dressed casual sitting in a large room of Swifties (maybe a small intimate theater). No costumes...q&a kind of old school MTV Unplugged style with some music but based on the audience request. Maybe the audience could have one of those automated things at their seats to vote on songs lol. Everyone would get cookies, although I wouldn’t expect Taylor to personally bake for a semi large crowd. She would write lyrics on her arm and have a 13 on her hand and her hair would be curly. Each cities experience would be unique and it would be personal invite only. (Even though my chances of getting noticed and invited are probably 0). I think this would be such a cool experience. And at the end of course everyone would get a chance to meet her.

What do you imagine it could be like???✨🦋‬

@taylornation

[periodicreviews]

RWBY/RTX Austin 2018

Last weekend, I went to RTX Austin which is Rooster Teeth’s annual convention. Last time I went in 2016, it was about primarily to try it out, but I was also interested in seeing the RWBY panel for the plan the staff had for the forthcoming Volume 4, the first without Monty. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard Jeff Williams would be performing a concert and this turned out to be the highlight. 

I skipped 2017 because there was no Jeff Williams concert and partially due to being disappointed with Volume 4.

I bet this year on the fact that Jeff would be coming back and that turned out to be a good choice because the show did not disappoint. I don’t think the 2016/first time experience can ever be topped, but this 2018 show was equally worth the money.

After the disappointment that was Volume 4 and the mediocre Volume 5, I wasn’t as hyped about RWBY, but I figured I should still go to RTX and see it since I’d be there anyway. But admittedly I was going more for the concert than anything else.

The following is a summary of the RWBY panel #1 on Friday, the JWFO concert and Q&A, and a few other things.

RWBY pre-panel

There were several things that stood out to me at this panel.

Before the panel began, two women came out on stage to warm up the crowd. (This was after Craig from GameAttack came out to ask for donations for the Extra Life charity stream that they do). I hate to reduce them to stereotypes because I don’t really know anything about them and don’t have anything against them, but it’s the easiest way to convey the scene. Girl #1 was cosplaying as Yang. She seemed to be a very energetic and outgoing type of person and I got the impression that she is trying to get hired by Rooster Teeth in a marketing/PR role. Girl #2 was wearing a RWBY dress and was the quieter kind of nerdy girl who had a little trouble speaking either due to nervousness or she just stutters when she talks. Girl #2 also had a bat wrapped with barbed wire, like from The Walking Dead which apparently someone just gave to her as a gift.

I bring up their appearances/personalities because they mentioned they had introduced several panels together, meaning that some organizer had put them together for some reason. There just didn’t seem to be any chemistry between the two. Girl #1 would start to go off on a PR line about how beautiful all the Yangs/cosplayers looked and Girl #2 would say “I like turtles”. She didn’t actually say “I like turtles” but I’m just trying to illustrate the kind of disconnect between them.

 “So amazing!”

Girl #1 repeated this phrase at least 20 times while she was on-stage. I get she was there to hype up RWBY and RT, but maybe she went a little too far. She made it sound like everything at RTX was the best thing ever, which I get for fans, it’s a very enjoyable experience and from a PR perspective that’s what you want to convey. This is no different from something like Electric Daisy Carnival where they really push the “You are loved”/“We are all friends” message as you bake for 12 hours in the sun.

“Proud of me yet dad?”

Girl #2 said this near the end of their time and it felt like it was one of the few genuine moments during that opening.

“RWBY is the most forward facing property that Rooster Teeth has.”

Girl #1 said this and it’s one of many things she said that made me think she was trying to get hired.

“Are you guys ready for the Yang-bang with Barb?”

I cringed at this. I was completely unaware that the group selfie with Barbra Dunkleman (the voice of Yang) and other Yang cosplayers was referred to as a Yang-bang (I looked it up and that is what she tagged it as in 2016). I get that RWBY is now dark and gritty and no longer a “kid-friendly” show per se. But phrasing the selfie like this seemed to be a little too casual pun on “gangbang”.

Besides this, they went through the usual crowd questions like “Who’s here to see RWBY?”, “How many people have been to RTX before?”, “Did you guys get your merch? Oh that merch is so great.”, etc.

RWBY main panel

Once the panel officially started, I was confused as to why, just like in 2016, everyone seems so unorganized/unprepared. Maybe they think it’s funny, but I’d much rather prefer just a concise 45 minutes of presenting/banter, with 15 min for question. Kerry is always like “Oh guys, where did I put that? Is this next? Is that later? Should we just do it now?”

They announced “RWBY After the Fall” a new set of YA novels from Scholastic. It makes sense that they’re exploring the RWBY universe but it does make me wonder whether the V4 timeskip was seen as more of a business opportunity or done more in service to what would make the story better.

The most shocking thing about the panel was the discussion about how the writing process is different for Volume 6. Kerry and Miles initially started to say “In the past” but then quickly altered course and said “Let’s not talk about how we used to do it, just how we’re doing it now.” They basically described how they are writing more than one draft/getting the opinions of other people in the company who have been on the RWBY team for a long time.

It was shocking that they are doing it just now in Volume 6. I can understand Volume 1 and 2 just being a product of Monty/Miles/Kerry and 3 can kind of get a pass. But before/during Volume 4 and 5, wasn’t there anyone that said “Hey, maybe we need to do something different”? Maybe they did and it didn’t work out like they hoped. I am glad to hear that they are trying to improve the process.

The other big thing they did was to show a new character short. This one focused on the villains, mainly the White Fang/Adam. The short featured at least one new Jeff Williams vocal track and some of the animation looked amazing. In general, the animation for V4 and beyond has been decent to good, but there aren’t many instances where it really blows me away.

The short shows Sienna Khan using a chain rope weapon against multiple enemies at the same time. The chain (with a blade at the tip) moves so fluidly and the combat has a real sense of rhythm to it. Sure, you can have the greatest animation in the world, but it doesn’t mean anything if the story isn’t there to match it. I’m willing to stick around some more to see if the script improves. They did also announce a new RWBY Co director and if this short was a product of his involvement, then I like what I’m seeing so far.

Jeff and Casey Williams Q&A

When tickets first went on sale, the only option to be on the floor was to pay 60 dollars for a poster, ticket, and Q&A with Jeff and Casey. I think afterwards, you could just buy the standalone ticket, but I didn’t want to risk not being on the floor.

I get that the concert is hosted by ACL and not by RTX, but you would think there would be a little more coordination between the two organizations given that the concert appears on the RTX schedule and the graphic says “RTX presents”. On Saturday afternoon, I tried to figure out when and where the Q&A would be held. The regular guardians didn’t know and referred me to their manager. I was told to contact the venue to find out and that RTX wasn’t in charge of the event. It was just weird that RTX staff didn’t seem interested in finding out for themselves. I would bet I was not the only person to ask someone at RTX for information about the concert. Additionally the guy in charge of coordination was apparently not at RTX that day so I guess maybe he would’ve known. I ended up getting an email at 4pm telling me to go to the venue at 6pm. But for anyone who didn’t see that email, they were pretty upset that they missed it.

When I got to the venue, one of the staff members saw my Babymetal shirt and asked if I had seen them at ACL. I said no, but that I had seen them elsewhere. From that guy’s reaction and some of the looks from the other staff members, it felt like they instantly had a level of respect towards me. Like they had seen how the fans of Babymetal were at the show and thought “hey, this guy knows his good music.” Maybe I read them completely wrong. It was a very bizarre feeling because few people know what Babymetal is and fewer can read my almost illegible shirt.

Jeff seemed like he didn’t enjoy the stress of having to put on a big show and seemed kind of bored or just tired? Maybe RWBY fatigue is setting in and he feels kind of trapped by the constraints of the show. He talked about wanting to retire and start his Rush Limbo side project, which is music by the band Rush set in all 4-4 time in a reggae style. Obviously someone had to be that guy to ask Casey if she was single. I realize the guy thinks he is being funny or has a chance, but I think you’d be far less likely to go out with someone after subjecting them to a question like that where they are obligated to give you a response.

They floated the idea of playing shows in other locations but that seemed to be constrained by the forces at Rooster Teeth. Or maybe they’re just concerned they aren’t big enough to make any money off a tour. Jeff recommended everyone read a book called “The War of Art” which is about overcoming yourself to create the thing you’ve always wanted but never finished.

JWFO concert

The concert itself was great, but got off to a late start.

I almost forgot about all the weird things that happened while waiting for the concert to start. Someone started a sing along to Bohemian Rhapsody and several other songs. I’ve experienced the Bohemian Rhapsody sing along before, but never at another concert. When they played Numb by Linkin Park as background music, everyone sang along to that too, which is something that I have seen at other concerts at Hard Rock/House of Blues. At one point some people in the crowd erupted in shouts of “Jason?!” which I can only assume was a Heavy Rain reference. Then the crowd started to cheer whenever any technician or photographer came on stage. Again, this is not something I experience at many/if any shows.

This super hype atmosphere is fine, until it turns into everyone trying to be a comedian while there’s either a break between songs, or when the musicians are conversing on stage. Someone said like “Rest in pieces Pyhrra” or something like that at one point and sure I can handle one or two jokes or the occasional shout out. But at the end of the day, I’m here to see the band, not the crowd. I don’t blame those people in the audience trying to get Jeff or Casey to notice them and to have that deeper connection, but it gets old after a while.

There seemed to be communication issues or just not enough time to practice the ordering of the songs. Richie Branson was incredible as an opening act. I’ve seen him three times before and he is great every time. I think a lot of the audience didn’t know who he was or that there would be an opening act, but he seemed to win everyone over by the end of the first song. Adrienne Cowan, Lamar Hall, and Lydia were great again on vocals during the main act.

There were sadly no solos sections like there were in 2016. I remember vividly the extended piano solo the keyboardist performed to lead into “When It Falls”. Jeff also didn’t crowd surf this year either. But I think they were just pressed for time. Casey still seems to struggle more on some songs than others, but she was frank during the Q&A that she has a long way to go and it’s a struggle to keep up at Berklee.

Highlights for me were “Ignite” and “Smile” off the Volume 5 soundtrack.

 Other things

I spent the majority of my time in the Vendor Room playing Rock Band 4. Harmonix was there because “This Will Be The Day” is now available as DLC. But with everyone playing the same song, I think they were grateful for anyone who wouldn’t play that. There were some talented players there and it just felt good to play Rock Band after not having done it with a group in a while. I think the people in the Rock Band line were some of the friendliest I met all weekend.

I felt like I struggled socially during the whole weekend. Maybe it’s just that most con-people aren’t very good at socializing. Or it’s just me or a byproduct of going alone. Everyone else staying at the hostel I was at was interested in talking though.

I went to see an improv comedy show at the Fallout Theater. The show was called “Penalty Box” and there were a set of rules that the audience knew but the performers didn’t. So every time they violated a rule, they would get sent to the penalty box and through trial and error they would figure out most of the rules. It’s entertaining as an audience member, but as someone who is taking improv classes, I recognize how painful it is for the performers. Some of the rules prevent you from doing things that you are taught to do, resulting in at least one scene where the performers just stood still on stage and didn’t talk.

The Mega64 panel was also very enjoyable. Arcade UFO is a pretty nice arcade with a lot of games you don’t normally see in the US. I also got to see a friend I haven’t seen in a while. I have mixed feelings about Troy Baker’s “TED” talk style panel, but I respect that it was not just “another Q&A” type panel.

 Maybe I’ll go back next year.

[onestowatch]

Brandt Orange Returns With "Good Energy" from Debut Album [Q&A]

Asian-American songwriter and producer, Brandt Orange, returns from working on his Fresh Finds-featured side project, Morii Morii, with his latest single, "Good Energy." Ahead of his upcoming debut album, "Good Energy" provides listeners with a peek at what is to come for the young artist.

With popular releases like "Hands" amassing a million plays and counting on Spotify alone, Brandt Orange has already proven himself an expert storyteller, but his latest song, "Good Energy," pushes the artist's work even further. This track feels effortless, his lyrics carefully walking the line between a stream of consciousness and a crafted story. With its casual electric guitar and a less-is-more production style, Brandt Orange reveals a new sense of maturity and deliberateness with his craft.

Ahead of his supporting tour this fall with Gus Dapperton and Spencer, we spoke with Brandt Orange about his writing process, his love for Frank Ocean, and what we can expect from his upcoming debut album. 

OTW: This is your first single off of your upcoming debut album. Why did you pick this song specifically?

BO: In the past year or so, I’ve released a few singles that are pretty different thematically and sonically. It was me falling in and out of love with creating, learning countless lessons, and figuring out what in life evokes the most emotion out of me. That being said, it’s been a while since I’ve released my own music (Morii Morii), so I wanted to start the rollout with something that really shows the through-line of my writing the most. “Good Energy” was just that. I can see 15-year-old me writing these melodies and lyrics. The more I write, the more I get stuck in my head about what is good or bad. There’s a blissful ignorance about 15-year-old me writing songs that I feel “Good Energy” captures, and I hope that translates.

OTW: I know you are a very meticulous when creating your music, controlling pretty much the whole process single-handedly... How did "Good Energy" come together? Was this any different from your typical process?

BO: First off, I want to shout out one of my closest friends (and now roommate lol), Cyrus Elia. Yes - I write all my songs and do a lot of the production work on them, too, but I accredit nearly all of my creative growth in the past year to Cyrus; he’s a wizard haha. I think of him more as an executive producer on the project, making sure that what I’m trying to say gets communicated in a way that’s focused and powerful. “Good Energy” was no exception to that. I would produce it piece by piece and ask for his opinion along the way. He’d give me advice and criticisms... I wouldn’t listen to a lot of them, and then two weeks later I’d realize he was right and change them. That’s how our creative relationship has been - he’s really helped me to silence my ego in creative spaces.

OTW: "Good Energy" seems to be a very personal song, and the album is also destined to be quite intimate to your real life. What is the story you’re telling across this album? What are some of the main themes?

BO: Yeah, it’s extremely personal for me. All I’m going to say is that the album details my personal journey with character and morality. There was a breakup involved, and I also touch on me wrestling with my ethnic identity, death, and religion.

OTW: Which song from your upcoming album are you most excited about releasing? Do you have a clear favorite?

BO: I’m the most excited about a song called “Videoscreen.” I don’t think it’s gonna be a single but I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be the first track on the album.

OTW: You're going on tour with Gus Dapperton and Spencer soon, how did that come together?  

BO: It’s kind of a long story, my manager has been talking with Gus’ agency for a minute. A couple of their reps eventually came to my show at The Factory last month and I guess they liked me enough to throw me on the tour very last minute. So so grateful and super excited to play with them.

OTW: You cite Frank Ocean as one of your primary inspirations; how do you feel his work has influenced yours?

BO: It was a gradual thing for me, I didn’t fall in love with it at first. I think as I grew older, I started to relate more to his personal story, and I got to see how his personal life inspired the music that he made. I realized that he’s really just telling stories about his life. That was really powerful to me because up until that point, I was writing songs about made-up stories. Also, his attention to detail is inspiring (space, sounds, lyrics, etc.).

OTW: Here's just a fun one -- if you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

BO: John Lennon! I think there is an enigma surrounding his name that maybe precedes his works. I wonder, sometimes, if we prescribe more power and magic to his process than he did. It might have to do with his early death. For example, I think I like Paul McCartney’s writing more, but I’m more intrigued by John’s. It’s intangible and seems transcendental. I would’ve loved to work with him just to observe his process when writing a song. I have a feeling it was a lot less precious than we like to think.

OTW: Who are your Ones to Watch?

BO: Jack Samson, Benee, Hope Tala, Brandon Banks, Common Souls, Mk.gee, Taylor McFerrin, emawk, and Boy Willows just to name a few.

[bokuranosign]

“I want Tegoshi to wear naughty underwear.” -KK

April Duet Scans, with the interview having a focus on gifts! Scan credits to Inala. ^_^

Did some quick translations, didn’t read over them so sorry for errors!

Translations under the cut!!

Massu

Something you’ve received from someone recently: I get socks from stylists often. They prepare socks for our outfits right? But compared to other clothing items, it’s troublesome sometimes to return socks that have already been worn once, so sometimes I just receive them to take back home. There’s a lot of almost brand new socks that have only been worn once at home lol. 

Something you’ve given to someone recently: I haven’t given it yet but my friend just had a baby so I’m going to give them a stroller!

The most memorable gift you’ve received: I’ve been given things from all kinds of people, and all of them are important so I can’t pick the number one!? But a memorable gift I got from a senpai is quite a while ago I got camouflage pants from Imai Tsubasa kun. I still love and use them now.

This is the return gift for White Day: If I were an office worker, I think telling my female coworker something like “As a return gift for Valentine’s Day, I’ll treat you to a meal” is good. A smart adult guy! lol

The no-fail gift from vacations: If I find something I want, like a super cute keychain, it’s not like to give to anyone, but I would buy a lot and if I meet friends within a week of coming back I would give it to them. If there’s extra I can use it myself then. I went to Tanzania for a show before and I bought a lot of Masai tribe stoles (scarves). 

If you were to give a present to members now?: For Tegoshi, a bowling lane lol. When he was into bowling, he would say at interviews “I have my own gloves and shoes”, and when I would say “You even have your own lane right!”, he would say “No way!”. I just remembered this kind of back and forth lol. For Koyama I might design clothes for Sorajiro. Because it’s cute like when Sorajiro’s wearing a down jacket on cold days. I would make a Johnny’s like outfit and Koyama would give it to Sorajiro lol. For Shige, clothes. Before designing clothes for “EMMA”, there was a request to style the coordinates from clothes that already exist, and there was a tshirt made of material that I thought would match Shige, so that one!

Koyama

Something you’ve received from someone recently: 2 days before Valentine’s Day, I got pants from my mother. It was in a box for Valentine’s and she even prepared them from my friend(s).

Something you’ve given to someone recently: The other day I was doing Danshari (throwing away, getting rid of) for my clothes, and there was a knit sweater that I wouldn’t wear but was nice so I gave it to NEWS’ music producer.

The most memorable gift you’ve received: A letter I received from a certain person after last year’s “24 Hr TV”. The phrase that really hit me in the 10 page letter was “It’s becoming a show where Koyama kun’s personality is conveying the news”. I’ve decided to continue being a caster by “not trying to reach too far and by conveying things with my actual own words”, but when I read  the words “Koyama’s personality is conveying the news”, I became really happy thinking “Oh, my way of doing things was good”. The person who gave me the letter being Tokumitsu Kazuo san made it even more important. Right now I have that letter on my Kamidana. (TN: Tokumitsu Kazuo is a famous and veteran announcer. Kamidana is a Japanese religious alter/shelf thing seen in many homes)

This is the return gift for White Day: With the words “For White Day”, a NEWS CD. It works as a return gift, and they’ll listen to our songs, so it’s the two birds with one stone strategy lol. 

The no-fail gift from vacations: If I’m honest, I’m not very good with the “Omiyage policy” lol. (TN: Omiyage are the gifts you’re often societally obliged to get in Japan when you go on a trip somewhere) When I get a break from a certain job to go on a private vacation, I’ll get a big snack type gift that I can say “Please have it with everyone” with, but I almost never buy a gift for someone in particular.

If you were to give a present to members now?: For Shige, I want to give him an extension cord. The other day when I was on Shige’s transportation car the extension cord in there was a mess. It wasn’t like the stylish Shige. I want to find a cool switch-based one for him. For Massu, alcohol. I’m trying not to drink alcohol until around before my concerts, so there’s a lot of alcohol that I’ve received building up at home. I can’t give him my top tier, but I can give him a second line wine! lol. For Tegoshi, I recently gave him about two pairs of underwear but I’ll give him around 5 more for the tour. I want Tegoshi to wear naughty underwear. I’ll give him the type that’ll get him teased on “Itte-Q” where they’ll be like “You’re wearing some amazing ones~” lol.  

Tegoshi

Something you’ve received from someone recently: I got cookies from Sapporo from my friend. I coincidentally met them on the day they got back, so they gave it to me like “Here, omiyage!”. I’m also the type who buys omiyage frequently when I go somewhere. I even give it to the person at the front desk of my apartment saying “Thank you everyday”.

Something you’ve given to someone recently: I found the phone case my friend had mumbled “I want this one” for on the net, so I bought it and gave it to them last time I hung out with them.

The most memorable gift you’ve received: The binding (part you put on shoes) for my snowboard I got as a birthday present from hyde from L’arc-en-Ciel. I also had plans to go snowboarding with him so it made me extra happy.

This is the return gift for White Day: I would go out for dinner. Not a material thing, but beautiful scenery and delicious food, delicious wine... I would give this kind of situation as a present!

The no-fail gift from vacations: No-fail? I would buy the typical ordinary gift from the area, like chocolates with the name of the place on them, no matter if they taste good or bad. Also for myself I try to buy myself a sticker to put on my suitcase and a shot glass to put in my showcase at home.

If you were to give a present to members now?: To Shige chan, I would give him shoes that don’t have the pivot on the heel. The sounds of his heels are soo loud when he walks around. He’s at the top of my “Heel sound ranking” of all the people I’ve met in my life lol. The other day when we were recording the extra video for our Album, when Shige chan was coming closer the sound like “Gan! Gan!” was a like is Gozilla attacking!? It’s not a thing, but if I could give feelings or thoughts, I would give Massu “Tegoshi’s positive thinking” lol. It’s super easy if you can think of everything as a plus like me~. If I could choose ignoring price, I want to give Koyama a oxygen capsule. He really looks after his health, but surprisingly he gets tired easily and gets sick easily too. He works hard as a caster every day so when he goes back home he could read a newspaper in the oxygen capsule and get “stamina recovery and information gathering’ done in one go to prepare for the next day!

Shige

Something you’ve received from someone recently: Tangerines. My friend in Wakayama sent me a box. They get bad a little at a time, so I’m trying hard to eat them, but it’s hard to finish by myself. I turned it into 100% juice with the slow juicer I got from Koyama, and added carrots to change the flavor, and when I finally thought “Just a little more...”, my friend from Shikoku contacted me saying “I’ll send you tangerines” lol.

Something you’ve given to someone recently: I still haven’t given it to them, but there’s something I’ve been thinking of giving. I got this delicious rice from a farmer I met on location for a show. Koyama often says, “I like rice!”, so I asked him if he wanted half, he replied “Oh, I also got ‘rice that goes with fish’ on location the other day so I’ll give some to you!” We promised to trade rice lol. 

The most memorable gift you’ve received: A portrait a illustrator friend of mine did and framed of me. Also a oil painting homage that my artist friend did of a Ukiyoe I like. Sharaku (famous ukiyoe artist) is doing the “Chankapaana” pose!

This is the return gift for White Day: For a casual return gift, things like aroma candles, preserved flowers, super expensive hand towels, a bit good quality pen; aren’t these kinds of things good?

The no-fail gift from vacations: It depends on the location, so there’s no such thing as no-fail one. But when I went to Cuba by myself I got Koyama a “I LOVE CUBA” tshirt on purpose as a joke lol. 

If you were to give a present to members now?: For Koyama, maybe a glass. When the four of us were in “Oshareism” he was saying he collects Edo Kiriko. From now on for every birthday maybe I’ll give him a small glass. For Tegoshi, I would find a movie he might like. Cause last year, when he was into a foreign zombie drama, he didn’t go out to play and quietly watched it at home lol. So to tie him down at home, I would send Tegoshi a box chock full of DVDs. For Massu, maybe the expensive Senkou-hanabi that was around 1000 yen for one that they were talking about on “Mirai Theater” would be good. It’s super beautiful and I think he would be moved. Massu’s also a summer baby.

[cutsliceddiced]

New top story from Time: We Were Planning to Sell Our Home Before the Pandemic Hit. Now, the Real Estate Market May Never Be the Same

We were on a mission and refused to see the signs. For years, my husband and I have dreamed of selling our small house in the Bay Area and moving someplace more rural, more affordable. After we had a baby, those dreams finally got upgraded to plans. We chose a real estate agent. We settled on a price. And we spent every free hour getting the house ready, planning to put it up for sale just in time for the annual spring rush, when families look to resettle between school years.

Even after the coronavirus started to spread in the United States, we convinced ourselves it would still happen and kept going — cleaning the grout, repainting the patio, starting to pack up. Then six Bay Area counties, including ours, became the first in the nation to issue stay-at-home orders on March 16. Open houses were shuttered. At that point, we had to admit that our plans were, at best, on hold.

Leonard Steinberg, an industry veteran at real estate company Compass, likened the day the pandemic was declared — 3/11 — to 9/11, a turning point that united people and upended business. As back then, the initial effects on the housing market were chaotic. Supply dried up as sellers pulled homes off the market or didn’t put them on. New construction slowed. As millions lost their jobs and programs started allowing homeowners to suspend mortgage payments, lenders panicked and made it harder to get loans. Some states deemed realtors essential, some didn’t. By mid-April, the number of homes under contract had plunged 43% nationally, according to a report from real estate company Redfin.

About eight weeks in, the chaos is easing. People have figured out how to transfer property with minimal human contact, and the way we buy and sell our homes may never be the same. There are plenty of upsides to not letting 100 strangers traipse through your bedroom, and everything from drive-through title signings to virtual “open houses” could save time and stress. A kind of “Covid contract” has even come into use, allowing buyers to walk away if they successfully bid on a house without visiting it but don’t like what they see in real life.

Yet these glimmers of what the future may look like don’t quell the uncertainty that homeowners are facing. It’s hardly the most urgent problem in the world, but like many of the 65% of Americans who own their homes, our house is by far our most important asset. How much we are worth depends on what it is worth. There were spreadsheets of comparable sales in our area that helped us settle on a price in the old times. But this new reality is, in many ways, an incomparable one.

For the first several weeks, it was easy to decide what to do, because we couldn’t do much. Our plans to list the house were indefinitely paused. Even after real estate was deemed an essential service in California at the end of March, selling was all but impossible for us. According to our county order, showing occupied homes was still not allowed.

We were now occupying our home at an unprecedented rate, and the idea of moving out to sell it was laughable. Huddled in our Lysol-coated kitchen, we tried to strategize. Should we put the house on the market as soon as possible or wait until it became clear what letter of the alphabet our economy resembled?

It was heartening to see prices remain steady, despite economic tumult. Nationally, homes prices have been slightly up from last year, in part because a big chunk of buyers and sellers moved to the sidelines at the same time. “Supply and demand sort of reduced in concert with each other,” explains Richard Green, director of the Lusk Center for Real Estate at the University of Southern California.

Plus, unlike during the Great Recession, “there was an acute housing shortage pre-pandemic,” says Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors. “And now there are even fewer listings.” Yes, some sellers are offering discounts to close a deal amid all the precarity, but many buyers “are essentially offering whatever the list price is.” Buyers in some markets are frustrated by a lack of choice, he adds. That could point to an opportunity. But most sellers also plan to buy a home, which means they too could be stuck with limited prospects.

According to the Redfin report, supply and demand have begun creeping back up in places that deemed real estate an essential service. Despite the pandemic, people remain motivated to move, for happy reasons and sad ones. Workers are still relocating for new jobs. Women are still getting pregnant. The newly unemployed — at last count, at least 33 million — are being priced out of expensive areas and going in search of fresh opportunities.

When I asked Yun if he’d try to sell soon or hold out until later in the year, he wasn’t bullish on waiting. His cited seasonal decline that tends to happen every winter. But there are additional considerations this year, including the nerve-wracking election, which could wreak more havoc on the economy, and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. In many places, stay-at-home restrictions are now being loosened; in our area, real estate rules are relaxing. Maybe the economy will have improved in several months. Maybe layoffs will have stopped and rehiring will have begun. Maybe people will feel more confidence to buy. But a second wave of the virus could also send us back into lockdown limbo.

Green says everyone has to consider their individual circumstances. If job requirements or financial pressures require a move, so be it, he says, despite the unknowns. “But if you don’t have to, I would hang on until we’re through all of this,” he says. The rub, of course, is that we don’t know how long that will be, or what “all of this” will look like day to day.

In places where realtors have been able to do showings, they’ve often been private tours. Agents might walk through with just two people at a time, after they open all the doors and turn on all the lights to discourage shoppers from touching things with their own hands. Title companies have started closing deals in parking lots, and notaries are figuring out how to notarize online.

In some cases, buyers aren’t even visiting their new house until after the contract is signed. There were always reasons that people were willing to do this. Consider: people who buy condos in luxury high-rises before the building is complete, or far-away buyers who rely on a relative to check a place out. But the pandemic has pushed more to consider it. “I thought people were going to tour homes virtually but then not really buy them,” says Glenn Kelman, CEO of Redfin. Actually, he says, they have been.

On a recent Friday, I signed up for a virtual “open house” conducted via Zoom by an agent in Portland, Ore. “Feel free to put any questions in the Q&A box, and I’ll check those after each level,” he said as he began a looping tour of a modern four-story townhouse. Flying in the face of typical marketing practice — in which all personal or chore-related things are hidden from view — he showed not just the highly styled living spaces but closets that still held things like hangers and half-deflated birthday balloons.

3D tours, made using cameras and software sold by companies like Matterport, are also helping buyers and sellers minimize in-person perusing. According to Matterport’s CEO, RJ Pittman, an estimated 10% of listings in America currently include one of their 3D tours. Unshockingly, the Silicon Valley veteran is willing to make bold claims about the future. “Houses will be bought and sold online just like everything else,” Pittman says.

Some agents have also been more transparent with their 3D scans during the pandemic, as they try to turn them into a replacement for the real thing. The inside of cabinets, the water heater, the creepy stairs leading to a storage area, it all gets snapped. “Now we need to photograph the good, the bad and the ugly,” Ruth Krishnan, an agent in San Francisco, told me while restrictions on showing occupied homes remained in effect.

While incredibly detailed, these tours can be wonky to navigate, much like Google Street View. (On one, I got stuck on a porch and couldn’t click my way back inside.) Still, they’re enough for some. A 3D tour recently helped convince a couple Krishnan represented to make an offer on a place sight unseen, after the sellers said no one could visit until a contract was signed. “We spent a lot of time online with the marketing materials, and come Monday we were one of four people that wrote an offer,” Krishnan says. “It was a multiple-counter situation. We ended up prevailing.” The buyers had the right to walk after visiting the next day, but they liked what they saw and are now the happy owners of a $2.2 million home, secured with a 2.875% interest rate.

These kinds of contracts are not new, but the pandemic has altered attitudes toward them, says Kelman. “Sellers used to dislike that and now they’re kind of relieved,” he says. “You don’t want twenty different looky-loos walking through your place.”

The pandemic didn’t just change the way we look at homes. The agent we’re working with, like many others, started requiring buyers to prove they have the funds to purchase a house before they can visit. Weeding out casual browsers before they reach the threshold may have lasting appeal, even if it disappoints some house hunters.

Sellers also face new considerations when it comes to the facts they’re required to disclose when listing a house. Typically, those include physical defects like termite damage or a wonky step. Now some realtor associations have started recommending that sellers tell buyers if someone on the property has tested positive for COVID-19. When I asked our realtor about this, she replied with a note from the company’s attorneys: “Until I see some governmental entity tell me I don’t have to, I would disclose.”

Many in the business world have been pulling for a V-shaped recession, one that sees things bounce back quickly, though pundits are now predicting that the rebound will come slower. While the usual spring rush isn’t happening, Yun believes it still will. Kelman is also optimistic, up to a point. “I just have an asterisk on San Francisco or New York,” he tells me.

Among the changes the pandemic has wrought are some that could cool such markets. One is attitudes about density. Even when packing a lot of people into one place is no longer forbidden, the shine may be off cramped, high-priced urban spaces that require a lot of interaction with elevator buttons. And after this grand remote-work experiment, some employers in those cities may have second thoughts about the need for workers to come into the office.

Kelman says that “a major tech company” he cannot name has told Redfin that it expects 25% of its workforce to start working remotely full-time after this. According to Buzzfeed News, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sent an email on Tuesday telling many employees that they could work from home forever. The company is headquartered in the heart of San Francisco.

We’ve half-joked with our realtor that the test for buyers is no longer asking if they can imagine living in a place but if they can imagine quarantining there. Will suburbs rebound as city-dwellers start caring more about their proximity to a backyard? Will young families abandon metros for unglamorous hometowns where Mom and Dad can help with the kids? The ability to have a high-paying job might be a reason to shell out $1.25 million for 900 sq. ft., but what if you can move to Boise and still collect New York City pay? For people like us, who are living a 30-minute commute away from downtown San Francisco, our fate could turn on whether such trends materialize and how they do.

Counties in the Bay Area recently extended the stay-at-home order through the end of May. But our realtor just told us that showings of occupied homes are now allowed, so long as the residents are not there when the home is shown. So we’re back to strategizing about what is safe and what is smart when it comes to this basket that so many of our eggs are in. We’re back to comparing the value of consistency and change. In the end, that may be the real calculation we rely on.

via https://cutslicedanddiced.wordpress.com/2018/01/24/how-to-prevent-food-from-going-to-waste

[cynthiajayusa]

TLC: From Top to Bottom

TLC never had to go chasing their gay fans – we came to them. And not just because “Waterfalls,” one of pop history’s most prominent HIV/AIDS-awareness anthems, made a generation of LGBT people more sexually responsible, or because “Unpretty” affirmed you’re fine just the way you are. Ever since their debut dropped in 1992, the self-proclaimed “prissy tomboys” – nobody could wear condoms quite like Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas – led us all to embrace our own crazy, sexy, cool selves, gender norms be damned.

But when Lopes, the trio’s swagging rapper, was killed in a car accident in 2002, T-Boz, 47, and Chilli, 46, took a long break from the recording studio to tour and pursue solo ventures. Now, 15 years post TLC3D, and thanks to a Kickstarter that funded the project, one of pop music’s flyest girl groups is taking their final bow with their self-titled fifth studio album TLC and opening up to their gay fans.

And no, they didn’t just stick to the rivers and lakes they’re used to. During our nostalgic and, ahem, educational interview, TLC talked about how “No Scrubs” gets the queers “crunk”… and, you know, just casually reminisced on that time they got schooled on what it means to be a top and a bottom.

Have you ever been to a gay club when “No Scrubs” comes on? Because you’ve never seen anything gayer or more inspiring.

T-Boz and Chilli: (Laughs)

Chilli: You know what’s funny? One of my friends works for VH1 and, oh my gosh, it’s hilarious. He’s gay and I’m the only girl who could be his play girlfriend he tells me, and he always sends me – and, I mean, he just sent one the other day – video of when “No Scrubs” comes on, and he’s like, “Chilli, I love you!” And he’s singing and showing me everybody singing. It is crunk!

So, I take it you’re aware of your LGBT following?

T-Boz: Oh, very aware. Very, very, very! The thing I love about our fans is, we’ve grown with them and they’ve grown with us. Some of them have kids now, so we have generations there. But, yes, we are very, very, very aware of the community, honey, ’cause all of our friends let us know. I love it!

When did you first know you had a gay following?

T-Boz: I did a party around (1994’s) CrazySexyCool and that was one of the best parties I hosted. I learned so much! Like, I didn’t know there were certain terms and stuff! They hooked me up with a lot more knowledge of stuff that went on than I really realized. I was like, “Ohh?!” It was just such a free, fun party. No judging. No anything. It was just one of the best environments I had ever been in, so I thought that was cool. So, probably around ’95-ish when I was really aware.

What did you learn about the gay community that night?

T-Boz: I learned what a top was, a bottom was. And versatile! (Laughs) I learned all of those terms! I was like, “Oh my god – this is so cool.”

Chilli: Oh, Lord. Oh, Jesus. I wasn’t at that party!

Sounds like you really missed out, Chilli. When was your gay awakening then? Ha!

Chilli: (Laughs) I don’t know why I feel weird saying it now, ’cause you already said it! The bottom part. And you know… the top. I keep laughing!

Ha! Moving on to the new album: Which songs on it do you hope become gay club anthems?

Chilli: It’s funny that you kind of break it down like that. But really and truly, for me personally, I just kind of feel like when we make our songs, we make them for everybody. I mean, everybody. So, you never know who’s gonna like what the most. I guess we’ll find out in time by what song really speaks to whomever and what’s the most popular one that’s being played at certain clubs. It’s kind of harder to gauge that one for me.

T-Boz: I think “Perfect Girls.” The three I’ve heard mostly from my gay friends have been “Perfect Girls,” “Scandalous” and “Start a Fire.” Those are the top three. But I think “Perfect Girls” has a message that’s been universal no matter what sex you are – anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t love themselves from the inside out or have a goal they’re trying to reach but can’t ’cause they’re looking at people who they think are perfect. But there’s no such thing!

What do you remember of the LGBT community’s response to “Waterfalls” when it first came out?

T-Boz: We did a campaign for Pfizer, and there was a new cocktail out. We did seminars and it was really cool because we let it be known that there was a new drug from this company and it could help HIV/AIDS patients. They would come up to us; they felt like we were their voice. It was such an epidemic at the time, so they just felt like we were speaking for them.

Chilli: It was basically about bringing more awareness (to it) because nobody really talked about it. It was kind of just hush-hush, even though these things were happening. It was like, “People are getting sick, they’re dying and nobody is really talking about it much.”

T-Boz: People even said they thought about committing suicide and it helped save their lives. We started really seeing the seriousness of it, especially when we did charity events. We got a lot of calls for charity events for AIDS benefits, so it started making a really big difference. We basically got one of our wishes through that song, because we always wanted to help change and save lives.

Gay icon Bette Midler covered “Waterfalls” a few years ago – what was it like hearing her rendition?

Chilli: That was an honor. It was an honor because she is legend, oh my god. That’s legendary right there! And not only that, but she contributed to our Kickstarter campaign. We were shocked. We couldn’t believe, like, ‘Bette Midler?!’

During “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Tatianna showed some TLC love when she did T-Boz drag. Did you tune in for that?

T-Boz: (Laughs) I absolutely saw it and I loved it! I put it on my page; I reposted it.

Chili: I don’t think anybody ever has (dressed up as me). Maybe I’m boring! I’m no fun, I guess. (Laughs) I just got the long, wavy hair. And I don’t hardly wear any wake up, so I don’t think I’d be a fun person to dress up as, is what I’m thinking.

T-Boz: Yeah, I’ve seen T-Boz drag more than once, actually. It’s cool to see different renditions of myself. It makes you go, “Oh, that’s how you see me!” (Laughs)

What do you remember from RuPaul’s visit to the set of the “No Scrubs” video in 1999?

Chilli: I remember the first time I saw him – and at first I didn’t know even it was him because he wasn’t in drag! He was just walking around with no makeup and it was so funny. But then, when he smiled, it was like, “Oh, that is RuPaul.” You know that smile anywhere. And he was so sweet too. And really tall! (Laughs)

T-Boz: He just came to show love. He was just there to support us, which I thought was awesome. That was it. He was just showing love.

At the start of your career, you rocked a tomboy look. How intentional was your subversion of gender? And what did that do for your lesbian following?

Chilli: This is how we looked at it: We call ourselves “prissy tomboys” ’cause we’re super girly, but we’re tomboys at the same time, so we felt like we represented all the girls who did not feel comfortable wearing a tight dress. We represented that crew. Then lettin’ everybody know you don’t have to wear a tight dress to be sexy – it’s the attitude. So, even though we had baggy clothes and all that kind of stuff, we were still feminine, So, again, whoever gravitated toward that and felt comfortable, we helped them feel more comfortable. That’s how it was, because we didn’t wanna wear tight dresses! We still don’t really like dressing like that.

Did your style give the ladies the wrong idea – that you were lesbian? What do you remember of those rumors?

T-Boz: I got most of it! They was always after me, child! (Laughs) All the lipstick lesbians – everybody! Child, I got everything. But that doesn’t bother us. Ultimately, no matter what your sexual orientation, we were standing up for anybody that felt like they didn’t fit in. We were letting them know you can still be sexy in boy clothes, you can rock this, you don’t have to be naked or half-dressed. You can be yourself and be just as fly.

As editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service, Chris Azzopardi has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. Reach him via his website at chris-azzopardi.com and on Twitter (@chrisazzopardi).

source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/07/26/tlc-from-top-to-bottom/ from Hot Spots Magazine http://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2017/07/tlc-from-top-to-bottom.html

[demitgibbs]

TLC: From Top to Bottom

TLC never had to go chasing their gay fans – we came to them. And not just because “Waterfalls,” one of pop history’s most prominent HIV/AIDS-awareness anthems, made a generation of LGBT people more sexually responsible, or because “Unpretty” affirmed you’re fine just the way you are. Ever since their debut dropped in 1992, the self-proclaimed “prissy tomboys” – nobody could wear condoms quite like Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas – led us all to embrace our own crazy, sexy, cool selves, gender norms be damned.

But when Lopes, the trio’s swagging rapper, was killed in a car accident in 2002, T-Boz, 47, and Chilli, 46, took a long break from the recording studio to tour and pursue solo ventures. Now, 15 years post TLC3D, and thanks to a Kickstarter that funded the project, one of pop music’s flyest girl groups is taking their final bow with their self-titled fifth studio album TLC and opening up to their gay fans.

And no, they didn’t just stick to the rivers and lakes they’re used to. During our nostalgic and, ahem, educational interview, TLC talked about how “No Scrubs” gets the queers “crunk”… and, you know, just casually reminisced on that time they got schooled on what it means to be a top and a bottom.

Have you ever been to a gay club when “No Scrubs” comes on? Because you’ve never seen anything gayer or more inspiring.

T-Boz and Chilli: (Laughs)

Chilli: You know what’s funny? One of my friends works for VH1 and, oh my gosh, it’s hilarious. He’s gay and I’m the only girl who could be his play girlfriend he tells me, and he always sends me – and, I mean, he just sent one the other day – video of when “No Scrubs” comes on, and he’s like, “Chilli, I love you!” And he’s singing and showing me everybody singing. It is crunk!

So, I take it you’re aware of your LGBT following?

T-Boz: Oh, very aware. Very, very, very! The thing I love about our fans is, we’ve grown with them and they’ve grown with us. Some of them have kids now, so we have generations there. But, yes, we are very, very, very aware of the community, honey, ’cause all of our friends let us know. I love it!

When did you first know you had a gay following?

T-Boz: I did a party around (1994’s) CrazySexyCool and that was one of the best parties I hosted. I learned so much! Like, I didn’t know there were certain terms and stuff! They hooked me up with a lot more knowledge of stuff that went on than I really realized. I was like, “Ohh?!” It was just such a free, fun party. No judging. No anything. It was just one of the best environments I had ever been in, so I thought that was cool. So, probably around ’95-ish when I was really aware.

What did you learn about the gay community that night?

T-Boz: I learned what a top was, a bottom was. And versatile! (Laughs) I learned all of those terms! I was like, “Oh my god – this is so cool.”

Chilli: Oh, Lord. Oh, Jesus. I wasn’t at that party!

Sounds like you really missed out, Chilli. When was your gay awakening then? Ha!

Chilli: (Laughs) I don’t know why I feel weird saying it now, ’cause you already said it! The bottom part. And you know… the top. I keep laughing!

Ha! Moving on to the new album: Which songs on it do you hope become gay club anthems?

Chilli: It’s funny that you kind of break it down like that. But really and truly, for me personally, I just kind of feel like when we make our songs, we make them for everybody. I mean, everybody. So, you never know who’s gonna like what the most. I guess we’ll find out in time by what song really speaks to whomever and what’s the most popular one that’s being played at certain clubs. It’s kind of harder to gauge that one for me.

T-Boz: I think “Perfect Girls.” The three I’ve heard mostly from my gay friends have been “Perfect Girls,” “Scandalous” and “Start a Fire.” Those are the top three. But I think “Perfect Girls” has a message that’s been universal no matter what sex you are – anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t love themselves from the inside out or have a goal they’re trying to reach but can’t ’cause they’re looking at people who they think are perfect. But there’s no such thing!

What do you remember of the LGBT community’s response to “Waterfalls” when it first came out?

T-Boz: We did a campaign for Pfizer, and there was a new cocktail out. We did seminars and it was really cool because we let it be known that there was a new drug from this company and it could help HIV/AIDS patients. They would come up to us; they felt like we were their voice. It was such an epidemic at the time, so they just felt like we were speaking for them.

Chilli: It was basically about bringing more awareness (to it) because nobody really talked about it. It was kind of just hush-hush, even though these things were happening. It was like, “People are getting sick, they’re dying and nobody is really talking about it much.”

T-Boz: People even said they thought about committing suicide and it helped save their lives. We started really seeing the seriousness of it, especially when we did charity events. We got a lot of calls for charity events for AIDS benefits, so it started making a really big difference. We basically got one of our wishes through that song, because we always wanted to help change and save lives.

Gay icon Bette Midler covered “Waterfalls” a few years ago – what was it like hearing her rendition?

Chilli: That was an honor. It was an honor because she is legend, oh my god. That’s legendary right there! And not only that, but she contributed to our Kickstarter campaign. We were shocked. We couldn’t believe, like, ‘Bette Midler?!’

During “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Tatianna showed some TLC love when she did T-Boz drag. Did you tune in for that?

T-Boz: (Laughs) I absolutely saw it and I loved it! I put it on my page; I reposted it.

Chili: I don’t think anybody ever has (dressed up as me). Maybe I’m boring! I’m no fun, I guess. (Laughs) I just got the long, wavy hair. And I don’t hardly wear any wake up, so I don’t think I’d be a fun person to dress up as, is what I’m thinking.

T-Boz: Yeah, I’ve seen T-Boz drag more than once, actually. It’s cool to see different renditions of myself. It makes you go, “Oh, that’s how you see me!” (Laughs)

What do you remember from RuPaul’s visit to the set of the “No Scrubs” video in 1999?

Chilli: I remember the first time I saw him – and at first I didn’t know even it was him because he wasn’t in drag! He was just walking around with no makeup and it was so funny. But then, when he smiled, it was like, “Oh, that is RuPaul.” You know that smile anywhere. And he was so sweet too. And really tall! (Laughs)

T-Boz: He just came to show love. He was just there to support us, which I thought was awesome. That was it. He was just showing love.

At the start of your career, you rocked a tomboy look. How intentional was your subversion of gender? And what did that do for your lesbian following?

Chilli: This is how we looked at it: We call ourselves “prissy tomboys” ’cause we’re super girly, but we’re tomboys at the same time, so we felt like we represented all the girls who did not feel comfortable wearing a tight dress. We represented that crew. Then lettin’ everybody know you don’t have to wear a tight dress to be sexy – it’s the attitude. So, even though we had baggy clothes and all that kind of stuff, we were still feminine, So, again, whoever gravitated toward that and felt comfortable, we helped them feel more comfortable. That’s how it was, because we didn’t wanna wear tight dresses! We still don’t really like dressing like that.

Did your style give the ladies the wrong idea – that you were lesbian? What do you remember of those rumors?

T-Boz: I got most of it! They was always after me, child! (Laughs) All the lipstick lesbians – everybody! Child, I got everything. But that doesn’t bother us. Ultimately, no matter what your sexual orientation, we were standing up for anybody that felt like they didn’t fit in. We were letting them know you can still be sexy in boy clothes, you can rock this, you don’t have to be naked or half-dressed. You can be yourself and be just as fly.

As editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service, Chris Azzopardi has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. Reach him via his website at chris-azzopardi.com and on Twitter (@chrisazzopardi).

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/07/26/tlc-from-top-to-bottom/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/163454451845

[hotspotsmagazine]

TLC: From Top to Bottom

TLC never had to go chasing their gay fans – we came to them. And not just because “Waterfalls,” one of pop history’s most prominent HIV/AIDS-awareness anthems, made a generation of LGBT people more sexually responsible, or because “Unpretty” affirmed you’re fine just the way you are. Ever since their debut dropped in 1992, the self-proclaimed “prissy tomboys” – nobody could wear condoms quite like Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas – led us all to embrace our own crazy, sexy, cool selves, gender norms be damned.

But when Lopes, the trio’s swagging rapper, was killed in a car accident in 2002, T-Boz, 47, and Chilli, 46, took a long break from the recording studio to tour and pursue solo ventures. Now, 15 years post TLC3D, and thanks to a Kickstarter that funded the project, one of pop music’s flyest girl groups is taking their final bow with their self-titled fifth studio album TLC and opening up to their gay fans.

And no, they didn’t just stick to the rivers and lakes they’re used to. During our nostalgic and, ahem, educational interview, TLC talked about how “No Scrubs” gets the queers “crunk”… and, you know, just casually reminisced on that time they got schooled on what it means to be a top and a bottom.

Have you ever been to a gay club when “No Scrubs” comes on? Because you’ve never seen anything gayer or more inspiring.

T-Boz and Chilli: (Laughs)

Chilli: You know what’s funny? One of my friends works for VH1 and, oh my gosh, it’s hilarious. He’s gay and I’m the only girl who could be his play girlfriend he tells me, and he always sends me – and, I mean, he just sent one the other day – video of when “No Scrubs” comes on, and he’s like, “Chilli, I love you!” And he’s singing and showing me everybody singing. It is crunk!

So, I take it you’re aware of your LGBT following?

T-Boz: Oh, very aware. Very, very, very! The thing I love about our fans is, we’ve grown with them and they’ve grown with us. Some of them have kids now, so we have generations there. But, yes, we are very, very, very aware of the community, honey, ’cause all of our friends let us know. I love it!

When did you first know you had a gay following?

T-Boz: I did a party around (1994’s) CrazySexyCool and that was one of the best parties I hosted. I learned so much! Like, I didn’t know there were certain terms and stuff! They hooked me up with a lot more knowledge of stuff that went on than I really realized. I was like, “Ohh?!” It was just such a free, fun party. No judging. No anything. It was just one of the best environments I had ever been in, so I thought that was cool. So, probably around ’95-ish when I was really aware.

What did you learn about the gay community that night?

T-Boz: I learned what a top was, a bottom was. And versatile! (Laughs) I learned all of those terms! I was like, “Oh my god – this is so cool.”

Chilli: Oh, Lord. Oh, Jesus. I wasn’t at that party!

Sounds like you really missed out, Chilli. When was your gay awakening then? Ha!

Chilli: (Laughs) I don’t know why I feel weird saying it now, ’cause you already said it! The bottom part. And you know… the top. I keep laughing!

Ha! Moving on to the new album: Which songs on it do you hope become gay club anthems?

Chilli: It’s funny that you kind of break it down like that. But really and truly, for me personally, I just kind of feel like when we make our songs, we make them for everybody. I mean, everybody. So, you never know who’s gonna like what the most. I guess we’ll find out in time by what song really speaks to whomever and what’s the most popular one that’s being played at certain clubs. It’s kind of harder to gauge that one for me.

T-Boz: I think “Perfect Girls.” The three I’ve heard mostly from my gay friends have been “Perfect Girls,” “Scandalous” and “Start a Fire.” Those are the top three. But I think “Perfect Girls” has a message that’s been universal no matter what sex you are – anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t love themselves from the inside out or have a goal they’re trying to reach but can’t ’cause they’re looking at people who they think are perfect. But there’s no such thing!

What do you remember of the LGBT community’s response to “Waterfalls” when it first came out?

T-Boz: We did a campaign for Pfizer, and there was a new cocktail out. We did seminars and it was really cool because we let it be known that there was a new drug from this company and it could help HIV/AIDS patients. They would come up to us; they felt like we were their voice. It was such an epidemic at the time, so they just felt like we were speaking for them.

Chilli: It was basically about bringing more awareness (to it) because nobody really talked about it. It was kind of just hush-hush, even though these things were happening. It was like, “People are getting sick, they’re dying and nobody is really talking about it much.”

T-Boz: People even said they thought about committing suicide and it helped save their lives. We started really seeing the seriousness of it, especially when we did charity events. We got a lot of calls for charity events for AIDS benefits, so it started making a really big difference. We basically got one of our wishes through that song, because we always wanted to help change and save lives.

Gay icon Bette Midler covered “Waterfalls” a few years ago – what was it like hearing her rendition?

Chilli: That was an honor. It was an honor because she is legend, oh my god. That’s legendary right there! And not only that, but she contributed to our Kickstarter campaign. We were shocked. We couldn’t believe, like, ‘Bette Midler?!’

During “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Tatianna showed some TLC love when she did T-Boz drag. Did you tune in for that?

T-Boz: (Laughs) I absolutely saw it and I loved it! I put it on my page; I reposted it.

Chili: I don’t think anybody ever has (dressed up as me). Maybe I’m boring! I’m no fun, I guess. (Laughs) I just got the long, wavy hair. And I don’t hardly wear any wake up, so I don’t think I’d be a fun person to dress up as, is what I’m thinking.

T-Boz: Yeah, I’ve seen T-Boz drag more than once, actually. It’s cool to see different renditions of myself. It makes you go, “Oh, that’s how you see me!” (Laughs)

What do you remember from RuPaul’s visit to the set of the “No Scrubs” video in 1999?

Chilli: I remember the first time I saw him – and at first I didn’t know even it was him because he wasn’t in drag! He was just walking around with no makeup and it was so funny. But then, when he smiled, it was like, “Oh, that is RuPaul.” You know that smile anywhere. And he was so sweet too. And really tall! (Laughs)

T-Boz: He just came to show love. He was just there to support us, which I thought was awesome. That was it. He was just showing love.

At the start of your career, you rocked a tomboy look. How intentional was your subversion of gender? And what did that do for your lesbian following?

Chilli: This is how we looked at it: We call ourselves “prissy tomboys” ’cause we’re super girly, but we’re tomboys at the same time, so we felt like we represented all the girls who did not feel comfortable wearing a tight dress. We represented that crew. Then lettin’ everybody know you don’t have to wear a tight dress to be sexy – it’s the attitude. So, even though we had baggy clothes and all that kind of stuff, we were still feminine, So, again, whoever gravitated toward that and felt comfortable, we helped them feel more comfortable. That’s how it was, because we didn’t wanna wear tight dresses! We still don’t really like dressing like that.

Did your style give the ladies the wrong idea – that you were lesbian? What do you remember of those rumors?

T-Boz: I got most of it! They was always after me, child! (Laughs) All the lipstick lesbians – everybody! Child, I got everything. But that doesn’t bother us. Ultimately, no matter what your sexual orientation, we were standing up for anybody that felt like they didn’t fit in. We were letting them know you can still be sexy in boy clothes, you can rock this, you don’t have to be naked or half-dressed. You can be yourself and be just as fly.

As editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service, Chris Azzopardi has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. Reach him via his website at chris-azzopardi.com and on Twitter (@chrisazzopardi).

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/07/26/tlc-from-top-to-bottom/