#like I need to know what he looked like recording the electric solo on that song he produced

[ascendingtostardust]

Thinking heavy about Sam with an electric guitar hanging low on hips

[ikarakie]

one of the known, undisputed rules of riding in steve harrington's car: passenger seat gets music privileges.

if you brought your own tape, and won the usually vicious battle for shotgun, there was a 100% chance that the drive would be backed with music of your choice. hell, there was even a small collection growing in steve's glove box of music that wasn’t his, because people left them behind either on accident or on purpose. no one really knew what steve liked to listen to- maybe minus robin- but he always seemed happy with whatever the passenger put in.

until one day, when dustin and lucas and mike climbed into his car. dustin had won passenger seat privileges, after a rather tense game of rock, paper, scissors, and instantly reached for the tape player.

steve smacked his hand down. "paws off, henderson." he scolded, not unkindly. all three kids stared at him like he'd grown a third limb as he pulled out of the wheeler's driveway. electric guitar played at a semi-low volume.

"what the hell?!" dustin squawked. "why can't i change the tape?" steve rolled his eyes, fingers tapping along to the rhythm of the beat on the wheel. none of the kids recognised the song, and it certainly didn't seem the kind of thing steve harrington would willingly listen to.

"is it so surprising i want to listen to my own tape in my car?" steve asks. dustin shouts an affronted, 'YES!' to which steve just shakes his head and continues driving.

the man on the track sings over heavy drums and guitar, talking about how he needed someone to 'show me the things that make true happiness' and 'he must be blind.' then, there's a guitar solo that steve smiles at.

"who are you?" mike asked, suspicious. "what did you do with our steve?"

"oh, shut up, wheeler." steve meets his eye in the rearview mirror. "next one to complain loses tape privileges for their next three turns."

that does shut them up. they make idle conversation over a couple more songs before they pull up to their destination. mostly threatening each other over high scores and making bets. steve waves them off with the usual 'don't be stupid' lecture and pulls out of the arcade parking lot, the bass of whatever the next track had been audible even through his closed doors and windows.

after that, steve retains ownership of his stereo every now and then, always playing some form of heavy metal. it just becomes the norm, though never fails to confound whoever's in the car. (because, seriously? polo shirt wearing steve harrington and heavy metal?)

they only ever hear anyone else listen to it after they join hellfire. eddie invites them to his trailer to create their characters together, and when they walk in one of the songs from that dumb tape is playing from a record in the corner.

"woah! you like this music too?" lucas asks. eddie nods excitedly.

"yeah, man! you a fan?" his smile dims a little when lucas shakes his head, but dustin is quick to jump in.

"our friend steve is always listening to a dumb mixtape with this sorta stuff on it." he explains, missing how eddie's eyes light up and his smile turns a little bashful. "he used to let us play whatever we want, but ever since he got that tape he makes us listen to it sometimes when he drives us around."

"well," eddie sighs, fiddling with one of his chunky silver rings. "seems this steve knows someone with very good taste in music." there's a warm look in his eyes before he claps his hands and diverts their attention to the character sheets he printed out.

later that night, steve gets a call.

"you told me you only listened to that tape once." the voice on the other end drawls. it's low and teasing, but it's undercut with obvious wonder and fondness. steve doesn't even bother pretending to be confused.

"well, it's good." (it makes me think of you) he replies, like it pains him. eddie giggles, and steve eyes the tape in question. sat on his bedside table, 'for my stevie' scrawled across it in eddie's neatest handwriting. shitty little hearts drawn around his name and an even shittier skull at the end. "how'd you know?"

"recognised my mötörhead record." eddie coos, "told me how you revoke their music privileges to listen to it." a pause. "you're so fucking cute."

steve can't help the dorky smile that spreads over his face. the way he twirls the phone cord like a fucking lovesick loser. he cracks a joke about making eddie a mixtape featuring the likes of duran duran and tears for fears, which makes him fake retch. they chat for a little while longer, whispering 'i love you's through the phones like it was their first time saying it.

the tape stays firmly in the bmw's music rotation.

[rhapsodynew]

#everything you need to know about rock

Britain's first guitar hero who influenced everyone 

Hank Marvin was born in Newcastle upon Tyne on October 28, 1941 and grew up in a two-story family home with an outdoor toilet and no running water. From an early age, he showed an insatiable craving for music: he tirelessly mastered the banjo and piano.

But the fascination with blues, folk and skiffle inevitably led the young enthusiast to the guitar: 

"I was trying to learn how to play skiffle tunes, copy what I heard on the radio, learn how to play the melody that the singer was humming, as well as any saxophone or orchestral phrases."

At the age of nine, Hank Marvin was upset that he was prescribed glasses:

 "I was a skinny, pimply, insecure kid. And I got the big round glasses of the National Health Service in a tortoiseshell frame."

But then a cool author and performer Buddy Holly appeared from across the ocean, who forever changed the opinion about bespectacled people. Soon after, Marvin's life changed. His glasses suddenly became a fashionable rocker accessory. He got a job at an electrical engineering firm to earn money for a train to London.

Events were developing rapidly. Hank Marvin left in April 1958, in September he met the young vocalist Cliff Richard in Soho, who was trying on a jacket in an atelier, and immediately joined him on tour. When Hank returned to his native Newcastle, he was already a star and performed in front of an audience of screaming girls.

Cliff Richard's band was named The Shadows. Their music is instrumental rock classics, which to this day has not left the current repertoire. It is the "Shadows" They released the legendary hit "Apache", written by English songwriter Jerry Lordan and influenced a legion of aspiring guitar heroes. Including on the VIA "Singing guitars".

After becoming a star, Hank Marvin absorbed everything the music world had to offer: 

"I wouldn't believe it if I was told at the age of 16 that we were going to have incredible success. We played concerts all over the world. We performed in African villages. They caused riots in Germany when there were so many people on the streets that the limo almost overturned. It's an incredible experience, some frightening, and some just wow!"

Cliff Richards and The Shadows have created quite a few era-defining hits. Hank's band continued to come out and record. The line-up broke up between 1968 and 1973, but was reformed. In 1975, The Shadows took second place in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Let Me Be the One".

Hank Marvin began his solo career in 1969 with an album of instrumental compositions, in which guitar parts were accompanied by arrangements for the orchestra. He experimented with styles and materials, recording instrumental records, albums with vocals, acoustic guitars.

Hank Marvin's guitar can be heard in the recordings Roger Daltrey and Jean-Michel Jarre. Its unique sound has always remained instantly recognizable. Hank did not seek to increase the volume, preferring a light vibrato and giving his parts vocal qualities.

In the late 1970s, The Shadows impressed even punks: "During the release of the album "20 Golden Greats", people came to our concerts who looked completely out of place. When we asked why they were here, they replied, "We like the economy of your music. It's like early punk." I didn't quite understand what they were talking about, but it was nice."

With his melodic playing style and expressive "singing" phrasing, Hank Marvin inspired George Harrison, Eric Clapton, David Gilmore, Brian May, Tony Iommi, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page. One of the most loyal fans is Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits. Hank Marvin's red Strat struck his imagination as a child. They subsequently performed together.:

Even the patriarch of Canadian rock paid tribute to the leader of The Shadows as one of the architects of modern music Neil Young. No wonder one of his songs is called "From Hank to Hendrix."

He was one of the first to bring instrumental GUITAR music to the top positions. Before that, there were cool guitarists, even pioneers, some by sound, some by melodies. But The Shadow (and Marvin, as a lead guitarist, of course, occupied a dominant position) were, if not the first, then at least one of the first to bring the guitar instrumental to a leading position.

The epoch!

[tweeterwilbury]

It's really funny to me that like. Csny was already doomed from the start. Like even as a concept when you look at it it already was obvious that it Wouldnt work like just looking at stephen and neil but still they literally are mutually cursed like . Like there was almost no rational reason for neil to join them and the reason why he says he joined them is. It's literally so bad like the way he is like I wanted to have what we had on buffslo springfield but it didnt work. What did you even have on buffalo springfield that was good. It was so bad . Like he is never getting out of the loop we know it. But stephen is also never getting out of the loop which is even crazier like they are in that shit together but also. It's so bad idk . Ok let's call the guy who i hate but i love and who is better than me and that makes me feel insecure and also that WILL NOT solve our problems because we need someone to play bass and drums but he is a guitarist and we already have 3 guitarists but idkk he can play piano st least. And then things obviously start to go wrong but like it goes even worse than you would think that it would go. Because obviously the neil-stephen tension was going to doom csny from the start but then It's somehow worse than you would expect because like crosby is going through grief and also there is cocaine and. Nash is there crying in the middle of the recording studio too idk. Like it's so bad and it takes months to record it and neil is recording something else and idk it's all wrong and ofc it's all wrong. And then they make a tour and obviously it's even worse because like before people may have gone to the concerts focusing on CSN since their album was sellijg more but now people Know neil and like his solo set is crazy the loner/cinnamon girl/down by the river medley is crazy and he plays new songs and all and like idk it's very clear he is this big great songwriter and he may over shadow csn and also crosby and nash are lowkey flirting with each other during their solo sets too and meanwhile like. Stephen is full solo and ofc that would make him get much more insecure and it kinda explains the terrible long solo sets he would do like that medley with for what it's worth is so terrible it makes me feel ashamed for him but it's so pitiful like i feel bsd for him too. And then on the electric set he and neil are jumping at each other again as usual and they are making songs that are 4 minute longs have 10 minutes long guitar breaks and yknow it's the intricate rituals all again but it's still so bad. And also the thing with neil quitting because of dallas taylor ofc . But also like. Ok my point when i started this was that it's crazy that with all that neil was like Ok i will play THIS

which is a crazy song like basically romantic and i guess it's about stephen and. And like. Stephen sings it like he is answering neil which is a normal thing to do when you are very insecure about yourself and you have this friend who you hate and love who makes you feel more insecure but you also has put him in a torture chamber but you are also IN the torture chamber like you are his executioner and also your executioner and. I dont even know man you are listening to him singing and I love you and you are answering him with I love you I do which is a normal thing to say ofc and then he makes a movie like 2 years later and he includes footage of the group singing that and it literally focus on you when you answer him singing like that's Normal. I think i have done three different posts in one already. Sorry #neilphenweek2024

[syn4k]

a list of vines that i think the Animator vs. Animation characters would go well with

i didnt realize just how many vines there were until i made this post o7

Red (Yellow filming) - Look at all those chickens! Yellow (TSC filming) - Road work ahead? Uh, yeah, I sure hope it does. Yellow (Green filming) - Actually, that is incorrect, because according to the encyclopedia of lpslspsmmsbghfppmslm Orange (filmed and edited by Green) - I AIN'T GET NO SLEEP CAUSE OF Y'ALL, Y'ALL ARE NEVER GONNA SLEEP CAUSE OF ME Blue - FR E SH A VOCA DO Green and Yellow (filmed by Blue) - that one vine with the pots and pants banging to Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson Blue and Red (filming) - Stop, I could've dropped my croissant! Green (TSC filming) - And they were roommates. (Oh my god, they were roommates.) Green - Baby it's cold outside Green and TSC - All I Want For Christmas is You with that one guy being really excited about playing the piano and drums Purple - Stop saying I look like Chicken Little! Yellow, Green, and Blue - so how was the pasta? Purple and Gold - you are my dad (you're my dad! boogie woogie woogie :D) TDL and TCO - hey everybody today my little brother pushed me down the stairs so I'm starting a kickstarter to put him down Green and TSC - that one where the guy censors the swearing by playing the notes of the lyrics on the piano instead Red (filmed by TSC) - merry crisis! TCO, TDL, and TSC - that one with the three guys in sunglasses and blankets vibing in unison TSC (filmed by TCO) - that one guy skipping down the street to Run Away With Me by Carly Rae Jepsen Victim - ahaha, i do that The squad (Blue filming, Red getting possessed ofc) - what's your name? WHAT THE FUUUUCK [screaming] Red and Green (filming) - I want to see my little boy (here he comes) I want to see my little boy Blue and TSC - Why do we need labels? Gay, straight, we're all human! TSC and Red - CHRIS! Is that a weed? No, it's a crayon- I'M CALLING THE POLICE! Yellow and Blue - Mary! Is that a police? I'm calling the weed! Yellow - I was born in the wrong generation. I wish I was around in the thirteen hundreds where there's no clean water or electricity and everyone died from the plague. TCO - So no head? Red (filming) - chicken with the red dress on tonight standing in the dark in the pale moonlight TSC (filmed by Green) - I'm an LGBT ally and this is a safe space! [nunchucks] Yellow - Dear diary: Today I couldn't find my diary so I'm writing this on both my Kung Fu Panda 2 DVD cases TSC (filmed by Blue) - Shawty I don't, MIND (the one with kermit) Yellow and Blue - Bro, can I get a sip of that water? --It's not water. --Oh, it's vodka, I like your style. --It's not vodka. --What? --It's vinegar, PUS- TCO (Green filming) - You're all going to hell. Goodbye! TSC and Blue - hey, how much money do you have? --69 cents --hah, you know what that means! --i don't have enough money for chicken nugget :( Yellow, Red, and TDL - Johnny has 19 bottles of dish soap Red (filming) - Seal saxophone to Run Away With Me by Carly Rae Jepsen TCO and TSC - Hey Ron! Hey Billy. TSC (Yellow filming) - Psst. --What? TSC - Ah, I would, I just got too much to do tonight [slams back a beer while playing "Y'all Ready For This" on an electric keyboard] Purple and Gold (filming) - daddy? --Do I look- Green (TSC filming) - woman playing a recorder solo in her car while blasting rock music Blue (filming) - screaming rubber chicken falling off of a roof Gold and the RGBY squad - Get the F off my lawn! [runs into woods while holding a giant F] Red and TSC (filming) - WHAT DID YOU DO?? i shaved my eyebrows :)) WHY DID YOU DO THAT???? i don't know Green and TSC - guy playing the guitar and it makes human humming noises then someone else responds with guitar noises Green (Blue filming) - I'm JOHN CENA!!! [plays two recorders at once using nose]

Blue - I don't wanna be cool anymore! [throws off sunglasses, which slingshot right back onto face] Well I guess I don't have a choice. TSC (Yellow filming) - What the fuck, Richard? Victim (TDL filming) - Gimme your fucking money! [throws doll against wall] [[Law and Order: Special Victims Unit]] Yellow and Green - i spilled lipstick in your valentino bag Yellow and Red - ah, fuck, I can't believe you've done this Blue and Red (Green filming) - australian news reporter gets scared by chicken he's holding Alan and TSC (filming) - Dad, look, it's the good kush! --This is the dollar store, how good can it be? TSC, Green, Blue, and Red - what's up shorties? TSC and TDL - Why are you running? Why are you running??? Red and Green - How do you keep your pants up when performing? It's incredible? --belt. TSC, Red, Yellow, and Blue (filming) - Screaming child steals bag of McDonalds Blue and Yellow (Green filming) - WHAT ARE THOOOOOOSE? Green and Red (filming) - Airhorn prank! --Did somebody say something? RGBY and TSC (TCO filming) - owembuwe owembuwe owembuwe owembuwe- EEEEEEEE Gold, Yellow, and Blue - Who made this chicken?!! THIS IS THE BEST CHICKEN I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE TSC - Well, when Life gives you lemons! [Thomas the Train theme song] Red (filmed and edited by Green) - guy bumps head into metal doorframe edited into Wii theme song TSC and RGBY - this Red (filming) - well hello mr kitty! Red (filming) - Lilly, that was supposed to be for Christmas! Blue, Yellow, Green (filming), Red - You guys say Colorado! I'M A GIRAFFE TSC (filmed by Yellow) - [screaming into jar] Green and Yellow - who's the hottest Uber driver you've ever had? um, I've never been to oover javer Green - What I WANT TDL - [clown flicking top off of vodka bottle and chugging it] TCO (filming), TSC, and Victim - guy tosses fidget spinner to other guy and he catches it Purple (TSC filming) - fuck this shit, I'm out

[dollarbin]

Dollar Bin #12:

Mickey Newbury's Live at Montezuma Hall / Looks like Rain

I don't recommend you storm your local Dollar Bin in desperate search of this double album from Mickey Newbury.

Rather, I insist that you do so. Now.

You're still sitting there, so I'll explain what you'll get for your dollar: a seemingly unedited concert from 73 on Disc 1, and a full reissue of Newbury's 69 studio record, Looks Like Rain, as a bonus disc.

Today, on its own, copies of Looks Like Rain cost $30 to $100 or more. And that's if you are lucky enough to find a copy. As near as I can tell, just about all of Newbury's catalog is stone cold out of print in every purchase format from download to 8 track. Newbury's grandkids must have Ph.D's in economics and some kind of master plan; or they're just pissed.

But fret not. No one need pound the pavement or their discogs keyboard. No one need take out a home loan for a copy of the original record. Looks Like Rain is waiting for you in the Dollar Bin, attached to the Montezuma concert. I saw four available copies last week alone.

And so, let me now declare that this double album Is The Soundest Investment Of 2023. You heard it here first day traders: don't buy low; don't sell high. Buy Mickey Newbury.

Let's start with Looks Like Rain.

1969 was a pretty big year in music, yes? Astral Weeks and Electric Ladyland came out in late 68, so let's start the countdown of epic greatness there. The Velvet Underground, Five Leaves Left, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Dusty in Memphis, Abby Road, The Band, Songs from a Room, Let it Bleed, At San Quentin, In a Silent Way, Clouds: 1969 is not a good year in music, it's The Best Year in Music. Fairport Convention managed to release not just one, but three timeless records all in that one year.

You won't find Looks Like Rain listed alongside those albums on any best-of lists. But that's only because people are dumb. After all, look at the current presidential polling.

Newbury's 69 record offers glorious space between every note, much like Van Morrison's phrasing in Astral Weeks' or Young's soloing in Down By the River. Take a listen to She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye. The percussion and choir are barely there; a song that could be 45 seconds long, start to finish, gloriously stretches itself out to shimmer and glow, then gives way to the pulsing rain.

Newbury's lyrics throughout this record are often timeless, much like Leonard Cohen's own writing from that year. Sure, no one, short of T.S. Eliot with his patient etherized on a table, can stand alongside Cohen when he compares a bird on a wire to a drunk in a midnight choir, and no one else in that, or maybe any, year could rewrite Genesis's story of Issac as an updated Masters of War complete with a peacock waiving its fan, but Newbury offers us miniaturized perfections that set the stage for Kris Kristofferson's imminent arrival the following year. Just listen to him describe a lost love:

It's not her heart Lord, it's her mind.

She didn't mean to be unkind.

Why, she even woke me up to say goodbye.

I could go on and on. The album, with its sitars, sound effects and transitional whistling, is as experimental for country music as Abby Road or In a Silent Way were for pop and jazz respectively. Newbury's vocals ache and individualize - no one else will ever sing like this - in ways Lucinda Williams, Tom Waits and Tom Petty would spend their entire careers emulating. Nothing here is dull; everything is wholly original. I'd happily eat Newbury's poison red berries any day; and I'd chase them down with Van's cherry wine.

Just listen to T. Total Tommy. The rain gives way to a Fotheringay-like guitar piece that merges with Kenny Buttrey's insistent cymbal work (which he'd forever cement in all our minds through Heart of Gold two years later) and a beautifully bent bass line. Newbury overlays this lovely tension with his own midnight choir, finger snaps and lead vocals that are somehow wise, sad and joyful all at once. Some men kill with bullets, Newbury tells us. Others, use a pen. I'd happily listen to 16 more verses of this song but Newbury shuffles off early as we rush to flip the record.

And remember: this is just 1/2 of what you get from this Dollar Bin diamond.

Live from Montezuma Hall finds Newbury playing the part of Jerry Jeff Walker's wise uncle. At the same time Walker was guzzling Sangria in Luckenbach, Newbury was greeting his audience with humble, often incomprehensible, hilarity. But sides of the record start with Newbury rambling, first about a pot smoker halfway up in the audience, then second about a neighbor of his parents' hound dogs. I have no idea what he's saying some of the time but I love every moment, and I can understand why Kristofferson, Jennings and Nelson all bowed down to this guy even though the record buying public largely ignored him.

Both of his side opening rambles give way to foot stompers, then we dive straight into some of the best white guy soul music I know of. But there's a problem lurking on Side 2...

I imagine that one of the biggest reasons Newbury's music hasn't taken off this century is the nature of his most famous song, An American Trilogy, which Elvis co-opted throughout the 70s. I'm a dad to three cool kids and they always perk up when Newbury is playing in the house. But every time American Trilogy starts up on the turntable I rush to turn it off. It's 2023. Black Lives Matter, and no one reasonable, including me, is real excited to hear Confederate marching music, even if Newbury is doing the singing.

It's a shame. If Newbury, who died over 20 years ago, had lived to see the present moment, he'd have had the chance to speak about the song and put things in better perspective. Gordon Lightfoot did a wonderful job with this kind of thing at the end of his life by frankly apologizing for the mysogenistic nature of many of his early songs.

Not everyone gets this kind of thing right though. Stephen Stills is still alive and well, and he has yet to apologize for his entire body of work. He should do so.

Now, I know nothing about Newbury's politics or attitude towards people of color. But, happily, a full listen to Live At Montezuma offers a strong potential defense against the idea that he was a racist through and through. His intro to Cortelia Clark, and the song itself, offers, to my privileged white ears anyway, the strong hope that Newbury could be deeply thoughtful and caring towards people less privileged than himself.

Okay, we talked all that through. Let's go out on a high note, shall we? Take a listen to another of Newbury's timeless classics, this one from Frisco Mabel Joy, then go spend all your hard earned cash on every Newbury record your local Dollar Bin offers. I promise great returns on your investment.

Hope you all are well. Thanks for reading.

[sunburnacoustic]

Muse Fosters Community Between the Lines of Your Favorite Song

Rolling Stone Magazine spoke to Muse fans earlier this year in 2022 about how Muse bring together a community of fans

Kwasi Boadi, July 29, 2022

In our second Welcome Sessions feature with Jim Beam, we dig beneath the live music frills to explore how strangers in the crowd become quick friends by talking to the supergroup and their most passionate fans

There’s something so communal about going to a Muse show. The experience has a way of inducing a unique catharsis. On the one hand, it’s hard to ignore the tremendous feeling of it all, from the hypnotizing laser light show to the rousing pyrotechnics and the otherworldly visuals.

But beneath the (literal) flash and frills lies something much more intimate. Fans are embracing, fists are pumping, and in spurts, the audience takes on the role of lead vocalist while they roar the lyrics of their favorite records. In these moments, complete strangers become part of something much larger than themselves because there’s community to be found between the lines of your favorite song.

“Nothing beats being in the crowd with music fans when you don’t know what the setlist is,” says self-proclaimed superfan Helen Rose Tooth. “When they start bringing out the songs, and bring out some rarities, and everybody just comes together, you get picked up by the atmosphere.”

Rolling Stone caught up with Rose Tooth and a host of other Muse diehards at a secret homecoming show in Exeter, Devon. Hosted by Jim Beam as part of their Welcome Sessions event series, the intimate gig brought Muse superfans back to the Cavern, a cozy music venue in the South West of England where the band started out by playing for some of its earliest supporters: friends, family, and classmates.

When asked about her favourite song to see live, it only takes Rose Tooth a moment to land on “Definitely ‘Knights of Cydonia’” as her answer. Tom Kirk, a longtime friend of the band, doubles down on the sentiment. ’Knights of Cydonia’ is the ultimate fan singalong. I don’t think Matt needs to even stretch his vocal cords for that anymore because the whole crowd in the arena or festival [is] just bellowing it out. It’s an electrical force of people being completely tuned into the moment like nothing else exists.”

It’s easy to hear why the record elicits a range of emotions from the Muse faithful. The song kicks off with a spellbinding harmonica solo by bassist Chris Wolstenholme. Though everyone in the house knows what’s coming next, the anticipation builds like a roller coaster inching closer to its first big drop. Then, at the perfect moment, Matt Bellamy sends the audience into an auditory free fall once he interjects with a few crackling strums of his electric guitar.

When you’re singing along to lyrics that speak to you, that feeling you get is irreplaceable, and it runs much deeper when you look to your left and see a fellow fan sharing in that communion. There’s a bond created there, an understanding that the words that made such a pronounced impact on your life have struck a chord with someone on a similar frequency. At that moment, a would-be stranger feels more like a kindred spirit.

This belief that you truly feel connected when belonging to a community is rooted in Jim Beam’s two-century history of bringing people together, and that sentiment is evident in talking to another Muse superfan, Hannah Chandisingh. “You’re all in that together”, she says. “And when they break out these really powerful songs, when you actually realize that you and the person next to you are both in floods of tears, [there’s this sense that] ‘I don’t know you, but I love you.’”

It’s a feeling that can transcend language and borders. Danny Yeates has vivid memories of his first Muse show outside of the UK. “I went to Madrid for a VIP experience in 2016,” he recalls. “The fan base was just so different. This guy literally collared me, and [we] just started singing along. Generally, in the UK, it doesn’t really happen that way. The cultures are very different, but we’re here, and the universal language is Muse.”

Muse frontman and songwriter Matt Bellamy describes this lightning in a bottle as equal parts method and magic. “It’s hard to describe the emotions that you feel on stage. Spiritual, I guess some people could describe it that way,” he says. “It’s something otherworldly. Very connective with thousands of people.”

Early on, Bellamy realised he should pen his lyrics through the lens of inclusivity. “Over the years, [I realised that] you know what? I can actually play with this and start writing songs using ‘we’ pronouns instead of ‘I’ and singing about myself. ‘Uprising’ was the big moment where I was like, ‘I’m going to change this song. Instead of it being about me, I’m going to make it about us,’ and I sort of deliberately wrote the lyrics with that in mind.”

That communal spirit can be just as stimulating for the performer as it is for the audience. Muse drummer Dom Howard speaks warmly of that synergy. “It’s an amazing feeling,” he says. “It’s kind of this really reciprocal feeling of you enjoying what you’re doing and them enjoying what you’re playing. It’s a wonderful thing where you’re very much tuned in to each other and aware of how everyone feels.”

In the mind of a songwriter, that reciprocity is a catalyst for growth because feeling understood can be an invitation to push the envelope even further. Bellamy observes that, “there’s a vulnerability in songwriting because you’re digging into workings of your personality and expressions and experiences that you’ve had,” he says. “There’s a kind of confidence that emerges over time when you realise how many other people there are in the world that can relate to that. And over time, that actually gives you a bit more confidence to maybe dig deeper.”

[neworleans-in-thearts]

The "aura" of Jazz throughout the years

Jazz- the music you think of when you see New Orleans.

Jazz heavily relies on improvisation, highlighted in solos. A person who plays in a jazz band can sound entirely different from another person in a band. Everyone has their style.

You know its jazz if it has a "swing" to it and you hear the "blue" notes. Speaking of instruments, it always sounds like one instrument is responding to another. Having a little conversation.

Jazz artists love to play renditions of songs. A popular song might have like 10 different versions.

Historically, Jazz did gain its popularity in New Orleans and formed as a combination of ragtime, blues, and march bands. Jazz itself has its own versions like traditional, swing, bebop, and cool jazz.

The first recordings of Jazz began in the late 1910s, but its predecessor, ragtime, began in 1817 at the Congo Square as the official place for slaves to play music and dance.

Lets start our journey with Mamie Smith's "Crazy Blues" from 1920.

Ooh I can hear the crackle of the recording. Feels very authentic. I can hear the instruments talking with her. I think I hear the clarinet here, its very high pitched and I'm not used to hearing it in jazz. What a good deep voice she has. She's really looking for that man.

The most traditional you can get with Jazz.

A little bit later, we got this absolute classic. "When the Saints Go Marching In." From 1935.

That man's voice though. Love the gruff and charm to it. He uses a female voice as an instrument. The classic trumpet (solo) is here and it has such nice energy. I love how he says he was happy to have "swung" the song to the audience. The clarinet here makes more sense. This is a iconic set of instruments here.

I feel like I can snap my fingers and "swing" to this song all day.

Now onto a duet from the 1950s!

This man's voice just, wow.

Okay now this is what think of when I picture Jazz. The light piano, the drum tapping with metal brush, the bass violin. Have you heard the Charlie Brown soundtrack? Sounds exactly like this. Pretty sure this is "cool" jazz.

Finally, we get to one of my favorite Jazz songs. From the 1960s.

There goes that clarinet and piano again. A bit more instruments in this song. This has that "big brass jazz band" sound- because its exactly what that means. Big band, lots of brass. It's identified by the rising sounds of the brass instruments, usually heightened at the end.

Lets move into the tech future of the 80s and listen to "All I Need is You" by David Sanborn.

So this is the first Jazz piece so far with no lyrics (Except a few words). People would call this elevator music nowadays. Immediately, I notice a new instrument- synth! That artificial piano with its light airy keys, even the bass sounds very different than previous songs- I think that must be an electric guitar too. Its super airy, and much more higher-pitched than the other songs- its really happy- and feels almost the opposite of cool jazz.

Jazz had been around for so long now. By this time, Jazz had to adapt to keep being relevant. So in response, new technology was used. And man, this fits the 80s so so well.

Lastly, lets finish off by traveling to the 21st century to see what Jazz is today.

Sound quality is astounding. Her vocals shine here. There are still the same instruments: piano, voice, drums, etc. However, this song is a jazz rendition of "Dreams" from Fleetwood Mac. Jazz renditions are popular in the 21st century, since its hard to come up with something completely original in the jazz style. This album "Beautiful Life," won a GRAMMY for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Everything in this song is so crisp!

Overall, after listening to all these songs- what was lost and retained in the "aura" of Jazz?

I can say that no instrument has really disappeared over the years. Since there are many styles of Jazz, every style calls for different instruments. The back and both conversations between instruments has been mostly retained. In short, we know there is a thread that ties all Jazz together, so not to loose the "aura" so much that we can't call it Jazz anymore.

What might have been lost is certain styles of Jazz, like the "cool" Jazz style or big brass bands, which we didn't see much in the late 20th century. If people want to hear that style of Jazz, any artist can learn the older Jazz songs and play it, as long as the license to play the song is free.

Jazz has always been about improvision, and yes, this means remediation of Jazz songs is bound to happen. But this helps keep Jazz alive.

Jazz is what you- the artist- make of it.

Thank you, for taking this tour with me!

[deppsessed]

Pre-show Ritual

Pairing: Johnny Depp x reader

Summary: Just a little backstage moment set before Johnny playing a concert and me easing my way back into the writing world.

The backstage had the usual organised, chaotic atmosphere. It felt a little like walking into a war zone, with the members of the crew wheeling around boxes of equipment, and racks of instruments all headed in the same direction of the backstage area.  Show time was around an hour away, and the preparation phase to make sure that everything was perfect was in full force, in the usual madness. 

From the hallway, outside of the dressing rooms, the sounds of an electric guitar being strummed could be heard. It was almost like a pre-show ritual of sorts for Johnny. He’d sit and play whatever came to his mind on his guitar before a show, or put on a record, sometimes playing along to that instead. It was a moment of peace for him before going out on the stage in front of a crowd of thousands. 

I took a moment to listen to him, but also didn’t want to interrupt him. So, I waited until there was a lull in the chords that he was playing before reaching out to gently knock on his door.

The door opened to reveal his familiar face, which immediately lights up into a grin – even his eyes look as if they’re smiling.  “Hi, doll.” He greets in that husky, Southern drawl. As quickly as the door opened, he has a light hold on my wrist and pulls me into the room.  “I wasn’t sure if you were going to make it tonight.” He wraps his arms around me in a tight, warm embrace. Inhaling a breath, I can smell the familiar allure of liquorice, tobacco and leather around him. Being this close to him feels warm and safe. 

“Then you don’t know me at all... Because there’s no way I was going to miss this.” Tonight’s show was one that Johnny had been excited about and talking about for weeks. With how well the tour had been going, it was no surprise that it was a complete sell-out. 

“I’m glad that you’re here.” Johnny pulls back from the hug to look down at me, and a smile crosses his lips. “You know, I think that I play better when I know that you’re there.” 

I can feel the heat of a blush rise into my cheeks. He has a way with words and knows exactly what reaction he’s going to get with them. “You sounded like you were doing perfectly fine before I knocked on the door – what was that that you were playing?” 

It was his turn to blush at the realisation of having someone listening to the solo jam session that he’d been having. “Stuff. Just a few things that I’ve been working on.” He shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly before moving across the room to the couch that he had been previously sitting on. “I’ll clear a space so you can have a seat.” 

As he brings it up, I can see what he’s talking about. The two couches situated in the room are filled with stuff. Scarves and jackets are thrown about the place along with a large quantity of leather notebooks, pens and paint brushes. It always amazes me how quickly he can clutter up a place with his stuff and things, but as he once put it, it’s a home away from home for him, a place that he can retreat to, so he does make it his space as much as he can manage.

Johnny’s idea of clearing space is moving the clutter from one couch, to making an even bigger pile of mess on the other, but I still take the chance to sit down.  “Is there anything you need? A drink? Cigarette?” He asks as he takes the spot beside me.

“I’m good.”

“Then do you mind if I–?”

He doesn’t give me much of a chance to answer, since he’s already reaching into his pocket for his rolling tobacco and papers. The way that he rolls out a cigarette is like a ritual, an art of sorts, with how he does every step with such precision. He flicks his lighter to catch the end of the newly rolled cigarette. “I’ll show you what I was playing, if you’d like—” He trails off to look at me, as if he’s asking for approval to continue.  

“I’d love that,” I tell him with a nod of my head and an encouraging smile. 

He reaches for the guitar nearby and starts to play some notes and chords, it sounds as if he’s making the strings cry and sing with his fingertips. When he stops, silence fills up and takes over the room.

“It’s beautiful, John.”

He takes a long drag on the cigarette that he’s smoking. “Do you think so? I haven’t found the right words to fit it yet, but it’s a work in progress, I suppose…” 

“I can’t wait to see what you end up doing with it.” He tilts his head to the side and moves closer, close enough that I can taste the smoke from his lips.  “Thank you.” He breathes softly. “And for being here-” He leans further forward, closing any gap between us.

“Johnny!” Just as his lips are about to touch mine, there’s a loud bang on the door and a booming voice on the other side. “Two minutes and you’re on stage. Come on! Wake up!” 

“Sorry.” He pulls away and produces a sheepish smile, like he’s a teenage boy that’s just been caught in the act. “I need to-” He scratches at the back of his neck nervously. 

“Go.” I laugh and nudge him playfully, which prompts him to stand up. “Before they call a search party and haul you out of here.” 

“Will I see you in the usual place at the side of the stage?” He asks.

I place my hand on top of his, smile, and nod my head. “I’ll be standing right there.”

[sk3tch404]

I have so many yandere idv concepts but there's this one that's been engraved into my mind . Yandere composer, and antonio with a j pop idol darling since they all have music talents plus this gives ideas for the yandere stalker type as well

YESSSS IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE

Idol darlings are sooooo unique! They can sing, dance, and put on good face (With their beauty and social ability)

And yes! Perfect stalker material for these guys.

They probably wouldn't understand jpop well since they only ever heard music coming from tangible instruments.

All these 'electronic beats' and strange sounds are very noisy but very catchy??? What is a bass beat and why is it so loud and deep? Recording studio? You can record your vocals and instruments within a studio? How does that work?

Antonio is intrigued and confused. Maybe he will get used to it since it's his darling who's introducing it to him.

Especially when he's stolen a couple of photos cards of his darling... Perhaps he'll start to even get to know the other members just so there's finally something else he could talk to them about. Doesn't actually care about them tho.

His darling's abilities are fantastic to say the least! Antonio noticed lot of the songs are about love, self esteem, and hope. Though it's kinda cheesy, its something he hasn't felt or experienced in a looong time (Well, something that wasn't apart of his violin that is)

He honestly thinks his darling should've went solo after their contract ended with the group. Even if they weren't as popular as their other members, they'd soon show their success within time. They'd shine much more beautifully if there wasn't such incompetent trash in their way.

The composer is a tricky concept indeed. We barely know anything about him, but by looking at his official announcement art, it seems that he's kinda timid and a bit serious.

I believe that all he wants to do is make good music with everything around him as an inspiration. The composer would also be intrigued, but cautious. This advanced technology seems kind of dangerous. Is his darling sure that this 'phone' isn't some sort of supernatural object? Well, yeah it does look like something powered by electricity due to it's bright glow, but how can he be so sure?

Anyways, he would totally enjoy what his darling does! Even if he doesn't quite understand or like it as much as they do.

He'd listen to every song and change the notes to fit his darling's vocal tone and style better. There's no need to have these fake high pitchy vocals when his darling could execute it with their natural voice (no hate to idols who do sing higher. Respect that shit)

Do not ask him to dance with you. He may have musical coordination due to his composing skills, but lord does he not know how to move his stiff legs.

That orchestra posture is just 2nd nature ya know?

Please do keep sending in your ideas if you want to! They're creative, refreshing, amusing, and uh, I kinda need to feed my followers after starving them for so long uh hehe.

I don't listen to jpop that much, but I do listen to kpop! Thought they're two totally different things lol

[slayingstan]

CHICAGO

| I was surprised to see, that a woman like that was really into me. |

Riri's POV: 

Riri had been in Wakanda for a couple weeks now, she was there helping Shuri develop ways to advance the 'Midnight Angels" suits. She has a habit of singing when she works and she has been in choir for years. Even though she doesn't sing many church songs anymore her voice is still amazing.

For the past couple days she's been singing tons of Michael Jackson. Every Era. She has been making Shuri listen to it as well, Shuri didn't listen to a lot of Pop, she enjoyed playing instruments instead. She played violin, piano, and electric guitar. Yet, Riri didn't know that. The constant exercise of her fingers came with many perks, but one was being able to type extremely fast. She has to invent a new keyboard for herself because of how fast she types, but once she was finished with her daily work she always took Riri to her wing of the palace. There was tons of space. 

As they walked into Shuri's highly decorated room, the princess asked "What's that song you've been singing."

Riri couldn't answer this question, she had been singing a lot. "I don't know? I've been singing all week."

Shuri huffed, and she let out the most vicious screech that contained some of the lyrics of Chicago by Michael Jackson. "I was dun dunnn to seee, la la la into meee."

Within seconds Riri was coughing and her jaw was locking from laughing so hard.

"Please don't ever sing again! I don't even recognize whatever the hell you just sung." Riri laughed through her sentence.

"I'm going to play it, since you seem to not know. Its so simple Riri." Shuri rolled her eyes as Riri continued to laugh at her efforts.

"Come now." Shuri guided Riri to an outlined wall with a little screen on it, she held her Kimoyo beads up to it and it opened. It was a room filled with instruments. Guitars hung on the walls, along side keyboards, as well as assorted records. On the floor was a drum set, and a purple Steinway piano that was surrounded by velvet ropes, and a couple of swivel chairs.

"Sit." Shuri looked at the amazed face of Riri as she spoke.

"Where did you get all of this? Do you play all of this? How much is all of this worth." Riri began to flood with questions.

"You didn't answer my question, I'm not answering yours." Shuri spoke as she grabbed a 1961 Vintage Stratocaster off of the wall, along with the a cord. 

"You play that don't you?" Riri looked to her for an answer and Shuri just smiled.

Shuri plugged it into a speaker, and sat next to it in a swivel chair and she began to tune it. 

"Who taught you to do all of this, you amaze me everyday." Riri questioned.

"My brother was a musical prodigy, most of this stuff is his. He needed a place to put it, so I let him keep all these things here in return for full access to it all. He taught me how to read music, and play just about everything. I play everything in here except that piano." There was a tinge of sadness as she spoke and looked over to the grand piano. She felt like she could still see and hear her brother playing it, now the piano sat untouched behind velvet ropes. Never to be played again.

Riri sighed softly, the two sat in a comfortable silence. Understanding was never a challenge between them two.

Suddenly Shuri plucked a string of the guitar, and it let out a roaring noise. Riri jumped a bit. Shuri played a quick warm up melody. 

"I haven't played guitar in a while, I hope I'm not rusty. Now time to play that song." Shuri played some chords that were recognizable, as she tried to get an idea of the song.

"Alright here we go." She began to play the chorus of 'Chicago' and Riri instantly caught on.

"This girl she had to be, an angel sent from heaven just for me. She said she didn't have no man raised the kids the very best she can." Riri sung with the guitar. Shuri began to sing the ad libs, the only part she seemed to be good at.

Shuri decided to throw in a guitar solo, purly for the purpose to showing off. She played until she noticed she cut one of her fingers and started to get blood on the guitar. 

"That was a sign for you to stop being such a show off." Riri joked. 

Shuri hastily wrapped her finger with bandage, and used a cleaning wipe on the body of the guitar. She laughed at Riri's joke. 

"Eh, I don't think I will ever stop trying to one up you. Let's get out of here. " Shuri smiled.

Shuri grabbed Riri's hand and lead her out of the room back into the main bedroom.

[anabsolutetrainwreck]

for your eyes only || h. styles

warnings: swearing, references to drugs

word count: 2.5k

summary: harry is feeling the pressure of making his new album...

You were already in bed by the time Harry got home. Though still awake, your eyes were heavy and your body ached for rest. But you’d never been able to sleep without knowing Harry was safe at home. 

The slamming of the front door echoed through your house. You listened silently as he hung up his coat and kicked off his shoes. You heard him wander into the kitchen, turn on the tap and pour himself a glass of water. After a couple of minutes, he ventured upstairs, heading straight into the bathroom. He began brushing his teeth. 

All the while, you stared out the window of your bedroom. It looked out onto the London streets, dimly lit by the street lights. The bedroom was dark, only illuminated slightly by the outside sky and all of its stars and the moon. 

Harry had been at the studio all day. He’d been stressing about writing his new album. He had started coming home late and leaving early. You barely saw him anymore. You always left him some leftovers in the fridge for him to eat when he got in or take for his lunch. Every time you tried to ask him if he was okay or if he needed to take a break, he’d just shrug you off and tell you he was fine. 

You’d seen a similar thing when he was making his first album, but it was never as bad as this. You’d seen it when he was trying to finish Watermelon Sugar, but it was never as bad as this. 

You felt the bed sink beside you, which consequently woke your cat, who was sleeping at the bottom of your bed. His name was Podge. Rolling over to face Harry, you smiled softly at him. You wanted to be angry at him for never telling you where he was anymore or prioritising his album over your relationship, but you just couldn’t be. You always knew where he was. He went to the studio all day and then would go back to Sarah and Mitch’s for a bit during the evening. “How are you?” he whispered, wrapping his arm around your body.

“Tired,” you replied, squeezing him tightly.

He pressed his lips lazily to the top of your head. You smiled at the feeling of his touch. “Go to sleep then,” he mumbled. 

“But I haven’t seen you today. And I won’t see you tomorrow,” you sighed. “I just miss you. And I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine, love. You know I’d tell you if I wasn’t.”

You sat up, turning back to him. He frowned, propping himself up against the headboard. “That’s the thing. I don’t think you would tell me.”

“What? Where did you get that idea?” 

“Well, you never told me when you were making your first album. You never told me when you were trying to finish Watermelon Sugar. You don’t have a great track record of being transparent when it comes to telling me when you’re not okay,” you explained. “Instead, all you do is come home and go to sleep. Then you wake up before me to get to the studio early. And even when you finish at the studio, you go back to Sarah and Mitch’s. She’s fucking pregnant, Harry, give them some time alone.”

He sat there and took it like a small child being scolded by his mother. He played with his fingers as you tried not to shout. You both knew it would only be a matter of time before you broke and all your feelings would come pouring out. 

The sound of Podge whining at the bottom of the bed interrupted your heated rant. He plodded his way up to the two of you, settling in between you both. He often did that. He’d clamber up to the top of the bed to sleep between your bodies when everyone was comfortable.

Harry reached down to run his hand along Podge’s soft back. You sighed, throwing the covers off your legs. “I’m going to get a drink,” you told him as you left him alone in the bedroom. 

He watched you leave. He didn’t call out or beg for your forgiveness. That was never how arguments were handled in your relationship. He sighed, getting comfortable in bed again, waiting for your return. The sound of Podge purring was enough to calm his nerves as he listened to you pour yourself a glass of water in the kitchen. He listened carefully as you walked around a bit, before he heard the back door open and close. 

You often went outside to take a moment to collect your thoughts whenever you and Harry got into an argument. Harry knew this. 

You set your glass down as you sat down on the bench against the wall. The fabric was cold against your thighs. You looked up at the bedroom window, wondering whether Harry was contemplating everything you’d said or if he was comfortably falling asleep. 

Harry waited for you to return. You never did. You’d gone to sleep in the spare bedroom. The two of you were too tired to take it too further tonight. So, you both slept, knowing tomorrow would either be full of shouting and tears of frustration or pettiness. 

However, when Harry woke in the morning, he climbed out of bed to apologise to you. Podge followed after him, his claws loud on the floor. But you were gone. The bed in the spare bedroom was made. He slowly made his way down to the kitchen, his nerves getting the better of him. Had you really left? 

There was a note on the kitchen counter by the bowl of fruit. ‘GONE OUT FOR BREAKFAST WITH GEM’. Harry looked over at the clock on the wall. It was thirteen minutes past nine. But he didn’t know when you’d written the note. He quietly poured himself a glass of orange juice and buttered some toast. He went out into the back garden, sitting down in the very spot you’d sat in a few hours earlier. 

The weather was nice. The sky was blue and there was a moderate breeze in the air. His phone buzzed on the table, the screen lighting up to reveal the picture of you he had set as his lock screen. Your slightly pixelated smile was electric through the screen as you cradled Podge in your arms when he was just a kitten. 

The notification was from Mitch. He couldn’t make it to the studio. Harry replied quickly, telling him it wasn’t a problem. It was Saturday anyway. Granted, Harry could probably do with a day off. But, even when he lay in bed all day doing absolutely nothing, he was still working.

That was the trouble with making an album: it plays on your mind until it’s finally out in the hands of the public. More so, Harry noticed, with his solo albums. And that was why Harry seemed to spend every waking moment in the studio. He figured that he might as well be in an environment where he can turn his epiphanies into harmonies.

He heard the front door open and close. You were home. Harry finished the remnants of his orange juice. Podge appeared in the doorway, rubbing his head along on the edge of the threshold. Shortly after, you followed. You were standing in the doorway, shuffling awkwardly. “Not going to the studio today?” you asked, sitting down opposite him. 

He shrugged, “Might do. It’s still early yet.”

You nodded. There was no pettiness. There was no shouting. There was just silence with intervals of small talk. Harry watched you as you fiddled with your fingers, your knee bouncing. You were nervous, he could tell. “How was Gemma?” he asked. 

“She was great,” you replied. “Asked how you were.”

“Yeah? What did you tell her?”

“I said you were fine,” you shrugged. “Just busy with the album.”

He nodded slowly, “Right.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, sitting up straight. You felt Podge run his body along your leg beneath the table. “What? Was I wrong to say that?” you asked, worrying that you’d done something wrong. 

He shook his head quickly, “No, no.”

Harry didn’t say anything more. He was closed off. There was something he wasn’t telling you. You’d been with Harry long enough to know this. Usually, he was quite open with you. He told you what felt like everything. But this never applied to his music. His job. You and his job were two separate things. He made that explicitly clear from the very beginning. You were never to get mixed up with his music and his music was never to get mixed up with you. The line between the two was never blurred. 

But this meant he hardly ever told you when he was struggling or when he felt like he needed a break from it all. You only ever heard songs when they were finished. You only ever saw music videos when they were complete. You had only ever been to one awards show with him - the 2020 Brits. You had never even seen the inside of the studio. You had only met his band on a handful of occasions, all of which had been on nights out or for celebratory dinners, never when they were rehearsing. 

It was like he was leading two lives. 

“You are okay, aren’t you?”

He nodded, “Sure. Just a bit stressed.”

You sighed, exasperated, “You always say that! Every time I ask if you’re doing alright, you just shrug and tell me you’re ‘a bit stressed’. Harry, ‘a bit stressed’ isn’t spending every day at the studio. It isn’t spending all night at the piano, trying to get a song just right. It isn’t constantly comparing yourself to other artists, trying to work out what worked for them and what didn’t. It isn’t getting high every time you fuck something up. It isn’t acting like you have no life outside of the music you make.”

“I don’t! I don’t have a life outside of the music I make. Don’t you get it? I’ve dreamed of this my entire life. I reached the top with the band. And once you’ve had a taste of what it’s like to own the fucking world, everything you do becomes about trying to get there again. It’s like a fucking drug. When it’s been in your system once, it lives there forever and you can’t stop thinking about it. You crave it,” he snapped. You winced as you watched him become so worked up, tears of frustration falling down his cheeks. He dragged his fingers through his hair, tugging on the strands harshly. 

It took you a moment to absorb everything Harry had said. Last night, it had only been a matter of time before you’d broken. Today, it had only been a matter of time since Harry broke. You were sick of it. Harry was sick of it. You let out a shaky breath, nodding slowly as his words registered, “I don’t know if you need to hear this from me. I don’t know if anyone has ever actually said this to you. But you’ll never be as big as the band.”

Harry looked up, his eyebrows knitted together. He looked offended. As anyone would be, you supposed. “What?” he squeaked out. 

“I know it’s brutal. And I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but you’re never going to be as big as the band. And it’s shit, Harry, I know. But you’re a fifth of that band. Some fans left with Liam, and some left with Zayn, and some left with Louis, and some left with Niall. And some left with you. And some left with all five of you. But the point is you’re missing four of the components you had when you owned the world. That band was fucking massive, Harry.”

He didn’t say anything for a while. You didn’t expect him to. You’d said all you felt you needed to say to him. And, while you knew you’d never be able to relate to exactly how Harry was feeling, you’d seen the devastating consequences stardom has on a person. You pressed on, “You owned the fucking world, Harry. But you owned it with four other guys. And I don’t think you could do it on your own.”

He sighed, nodding, “It’s just hard.”

“I know, baby. But it won’t get easier if you just don’t stop. You need to step back from this toxic mindset you’ve got yourself into. You literally just won a Grammy, give yourself a break,” you said. 

“That’s the point. I won a Grammy for Watermelon Sugar. What if I can’t make that again?” he sighed.

“Harry, you’ll never be able to make it again. Surely that’s the beauty of it all, right? Nobody wants to hear you put out another Watermelon Sugar. I can guarantee your fans would be happy to listen to what you want to make,” you said. 

It felt so foreign to be talking to Harry about these kinds of things. You’d reassured him and given him advice on all sorts, but never about the music industry. That was his area of expertise. But spending time with Gemma always put you in some sort of healthy frame of mind.

You reached across the table to squeeze his hand. There was no way you could still be angry at Harry for spending so much time away from the house. He wiped away the stray tears that clung to his cheeks. He reached down to cuddle Podge, who’d jumped up onto the bench at some point or another. “Thanks,” he said quietly, finally looking you in the eyes. “I’m sorry for getting so worked up over this. It’s so pathetic.”

“Don’t apologise, H. I love you and I’m always gonna be here for you. Please don’t be embarrassed about these things. I’ll never judge you for being emotional,” you smiled softly. 

“You’re too good for me,” he said, grinning across at you. 

You leaned back in your chair, shrugging, “Probably. I do think of this relationship as more of charity work.”

He laughed, “You’re so selfless!”

“I know! What can I say, some heroes don’t wear capes,” you smirked. 

It was moments like these, with the sun beaming down at the two of you, that you’d missed. Harry was smiling again. It felt like something you hadn’t seen for weeks. 

The truth was, Harry had always found it easier to express his feelings through the art of music. And, while this posed many benefits for him, it meant that, when he was trapped with writer’s block, he found it difficult to free himself of the burdening stresses of his industry. 

You got to your feet, extending your hand to Harry, “Come on, you’ve not had a shower for days. You stink.”

[issaxcharlie]

We say we're friends, we play pretend (1/2)

Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x Fem reader

Summary: Charlie and Y/N were best friends and a couple as teens, after their breakup they meet again 4 years later on the bootcamp of JATP and have to work together. Will something else happen or they are just friends?

Charlie must have imagined something like this could happen. Since Kenny discovered her 5 years ago, she has been a really close friend to the director, participating in some way or another in almost all his projects.

In front of him after years, Y/N Y/L, his childhood best friend and ex-girlfriend. The young actor is not going to admit that he saw every single one of her projects or how moved he was by her in each one of them, many times even thinking of maybe sending her a little message saying the incredible job she did.

But he never found the courage.

It’s weird to remember how he spent most of his life next to the woman, now one of the top youth artists with multiple musicals and movies on her hits list. They always had a strong bond, every single day together. Sleepovers, music classes, dancing classes, homework, parties, movie nights, hockey, illness days, pretty much everything. At the age of 15 they began a very sweet and innocent relationship that ended at 18 when Y/N moved to New York to work in her first leading role.

The break up was on good terms but painful, so painful that both preferred to lose contact completely than to have the other from time to time opening the wound again and again.

And there she was. As beautifil as ever, speaking happily with Kenny while Madison and Owen jump up and down, Jeremy smiles and Charlie looks like he wants to throw up.

“Y/N Y/L, my golden star. She is the official composer of the soundtrack, and she will be supporting you throughout the album process as well as helping Paul and me in other creative aspects, I know she is the same age as some of you but she has a lot of experience in this and all the necessary preparation so don't hesitate to get all the knowledge you can out of her."

Everyone introduces themselves until the guitarist is the only one left, luckily for him, he’s in voice rest these two weeks so he literally cannot speak.

They both look nervous but the moment their eyes meet their complicity comes out and both smile slightly.

“He’s Charlie, he is in voice rest but we are fans of yours. We cried yesterday watching your last musical, it was just brilliant." Owen lets out hardly breathing, Y/N turns with a smile to see the Canadian boy who wants to kill his friend and then commit suicide.

“Thank you! This is going to be such an interesting experience.” The singer murmurs as she winks at Charlie.

2 hours later they had both been avoiding each other, Y/N writing in a corner while the band and Kenny discuss costumes with Soyon, in which at least half an hour has been wasted trying to understand what Charlie is trying to say with the few words he writes with an apple pencil on his ipad in his horrible handwritting.

Y/N gets frustrated and goes to where they are, approaching behind Charlie's shoulder to see the iPad. She quickly identifies the two words, one so crossed out that it looks like a doodle, but years copying each other's homework pays off.

"He's trying to say that if Luke isn't going to wear bandanas, at least consider wearing beanies." The young woman says as she leans on the shoulder of who was her first love.

Charlie freezes at their proximity, blushing a little at the feeling of being close after so long. Luckily his castmates don't realize it because all their attention is on her.

“You are just good for everything huh? Even deciphering hieroglyphs." Owen comments, smiling at her and winking exaggeratedly to make her laugh.

Charlie can't help but feel insecure with the situation. It could be a friendly thing but If Owen really tries to flirt with her, he doesn't know how he would react. Is sad enough not having her in his life anymore, having her as his best friend's girlfriend would just be too painful.

Now, he knows he’s exaggerating, and a lot. But he has to do something about it. Better safe than sorry.

He stretches his neck to meet the eyes of his ex-girlfriend, who is now only inches away. She quickly gets flustered, but hides it pretty well. The problem is that he knows every gesture perfectly and sees through her mask.

“Wh- What, Gillespie?” She manages to say, Charlie can’t help a smile seeing the way she still reacts towards him.

When you know a person completely, every facet, every gesture, every peculiarity, speaking without words is as natural as breathing. And they had both forgotten how amazing it feels to have someone in your life who is this compatible and magnetic.

They start a conversation, she answers to who secretly still believes as her person while he continues making gestures and mimics that no one else understands, writing a word from time to time to make the talk flow better.

"I know. Hey, it's not my fault! So you excuse yourself with the ‘can't talk’ thing huh? how convenient. Yeah, Ok, I will. I said I will!" Her words are the only thing that they manage to get out of the conversation that the secret ex-couple is having, since no matter how much attention they pay to him, they have no idea how Y/N manages to decipher it.

"I have no idea what's going on but I'll take it as a miracle, I was just going to suggest ignoring Charlie these 2 weeks." Jeremy jokes, everyone nods their heads.

“I mean, it’s still a good option.” Madison replies.

The 14 days go by quickly, and with the former couple spending time together daily, rehearsing Charlie's guitar solos together, with Y/N translating his horrible scribbles, or sometimes simply being close to each other enjoying the company, absentmindedly placing their hand on the other's leg or their forehead on their shoulder for a few seconds during the breaks.

Basically the whole team has noticed the flirtatious smiles and the looks, but Charlie was the weakest rival of both and the one who could release some information about it, and without being able to speak they basically ran out of an informant, since the young singer didn’t let go a word about her unexpected chemistry with the guitarist except the typical ‘we are just good friends’.

But without a doubt the energies began to multiply on Monday when Charlie arrived with the green light to be able to speak and start singing in rehearsals. Madison couldn't attend the first few hours because she was at school, so Y/N was going to cover her so the boys could practice.

“The first on the list is Finally Free, the place where we are going to record it only gave us two weeks from now so it will have to be one of the priorities. For the first rehearsal just vibe with the song and we’ll discover where to go from there. Oh, and good luck keeping up with my golden star, you’ll need it."

Y/N starts the first verse on the keyboard, and gets up to sing the chorus in the center, trying to ignore Charlie and looking up at Jeremy. She hadn’t heard him sing for a couple of years, but the same butterflies appear in her stomach and she knows that she will melt if she looks into his eyes.

Unfortunately for her, Kenny doesn't have the same plan, and just before the second verse ends he tells her to walk over to Charlie, who immediately smiles and sings the pre-chorus with much more enthusiasm. The energy they radiate floods the place, both getting closer and closer. By the time the bridge arrives, their foreheads are practically against each other, their lips only an inch apart, and with a confidence and comfort while singing to each other that makes all those who suspected that there was something between them now practically sure.

Luckily there are only Jeremy, Kenny, Owen and Paul in the room, who decide to play a game of divide and conquer now that the snitch part of the equation can speak.

“Y/N, can you come with me for a moment? I have a new idea for ‘Wow’ and a fresh pair of eyes is just what I need.” Paul says, sacrificing himself for the greater good.

“Yeah, of course, I’ll be right back.” The singer takes the opportunity to leave this staring game with Charlie and quickly walks away from the guitarist, who winks at her in a flirting way in response.

The moment they walk out the door, everyone turns to see Charlie, who has no idea what they're up to.

“What?”

"After what just happened you just can't keep pretending nothing's happening. Man, that was more intense than the whole Troyella moments during all three movies." Kenny pretends to be offended for a second and then nods.

"I have never seen anything like this in all my years of career."

“Yeah dude it was electric.” Owen replies, smirking.

“She’s my person.” Charlie mumbles.

If he’s being honest with himself, deep down he always knew she was the only one for him. But that realization was freaking scary. What's next if the only person for you has already turned the page? gave up without a fight? what's left?

"What?" The three ask in unison, and Charles begins to sing like a bird.

“We grew up together and then we lost the way. Like in those romantic movies where just everyone knows they belong together except the childhood best friends and then they end up ruining their lives by being in denial.”

“From what I saw getting back on track shouldn't be too difficult, Charlie. I assure you that whatever you feel she feels it too. Her eyes don’t lie." Jeremy tries to reason with him.

“Leave your teen problems behind. You are old enough to decide what you want and find a way to make it work. But you have to stop pretending that nothing is happening first." Owen scolds his friend.

“Do you love her?” Jer asks.

“That answer is always going to be yes, I just could never stop loving her even If I tried. And I did.” He really did. The surprise he got when the second he had her close to him his heart began to beat like crazy and all he wanted was to hug her and fix everything. It was as if when seeing her eyes time hadn’t passed, as if only the day before they’d been goofing around together. That bond is so big that he doesn’t believe it’s possible to break.

“Then do something about it, bro! Go get your girl back!” Jeremy advises while Kenny smiles.

“Yeah man, it’s ‘Now or never’ like her song, and I guess ours too now? Since she wrote it for Sunset Curve? Well, anyway, it’s like our song says.” Owen exclaims excitedly.

“Ohhh, musical inspiration, let me try. ‘Get up, get out, relight that spark’.” Jeremy sings to Charlie.

“Jer, you are a genius. If you think about it wake up is actually a pretty good soundtrack song for this situation. ‘It's not what you lost, It's what you'll gain raising your voice in the rain’.”

They both keep singing the song until they reach the bridge, Charlie tries to look frustrated but a slight smile escapes his face.

They are right, he still hasn't lost this fight.

👻PART 2 RIGHT HERE

[callmeglamtrash]

Ok I don’t know wtf is wrong with me that it look me this long to finally listen to the album but here we go. I’m doing it now and here’s my live reaction. God help me. I’m actually panicking. I’m not normal lmao.

More Power

“You won’t get the girl you want, but you’ll get the girl you need”. Whoa. Everyone is saying this, but the choir is really interesting. This lyrics are really humble and sweet but also really fucking heavy. It is honestly making me feel some type of way being the first song. There’s also an air of religiosity about it too which is very interesting. I really expected this song to have Andrew Wyatt’s writing all over it but it’s actually not at all what I expected.

Diamond in the Dark

Ok wow wow wow. BANGER. So different for him but damn it works. Has a real 70’s vibe on the vocal recording (the echo effect etc) but also modern instrumentally. This one has Andrew Wyatt all over it with the heavy strings in that musical bridge but it’s also quite different for him at the same time.

Don’t Go Halfway

I don’t think Liam had any hand in writing this song. I think he has a writing credit on it so he has to a degree but I think it was heavily influenced. Honestly I know a lot of people like this one but it feels like a filler song to me. Reminds me a bit of Invisible Sun which I wasn’t a huge fan of either.

C’Mon You Know

Obviously not a first impression for this one. I know it’s had a lot of mixed reviews but I like it. It’s happy. It’s very Liam. I can totally see this as a sports anthem which I think is exactly what it was written for. His voice on this one is top notch as well. I am a big fan of synth in rock music and I think the bridge sounds like a wind chime and that makes me smile. I also love the choir in it.

Too Good for Giving Up

WOW the vocals on this one. Also “Look how far you’ve come. Stronger than the damage done.” Omg baby….yesss. It doesn’t feel like his writing but man do I hope these are his words for himself or that he really goes introspective with this one. It has a country twang to it which is really interesting. Again very different from anything he’s ever done.

It Was Not Meant to Be

Why do I feel like this was written about Nicole? This one also sounds really modern and different for Liam. I really like the groovy baseline in the bridge. The fade in and fade out is so very Beatles though. I kind of hate it but whatever. The song is good, the end is ridiculous LOL.

Everything’s Electric

An obvious and absolutely banger. Still as obsessed as the first time I heard it. I actually would still call it my fav song on the album so far.

World’s in Need

Another one that was a fav from first listen. I’m obsessed. This might also be a contender for best song on the album. Imagine having Liam Gallagher write a song like this about you? I actually think it’s so cute that some of the only songs where Liam is the only writing credit are mostly love songs. Debbie, you lucky bitch. Also I love that little acoustic guitar solo in it. And Andrew Wyatt hitting with the heavy strings lol. It really is his signature.

Moscow Rules

I LOVE this! It’s dramatic. It’s dark saloon theatrical. I literally could see this being a Panic at the Disco or My Chemical Romance song. Which in my world is a huge compliment. I love this kind of music that paints a picture in your head and tells a story. Obsessed. Hit us with those strings Andrew. But my fav strings (cello) as well as FLUTES??! Ok this might actually be my favourite song….like ever? Like of all Liam songs?? My jaw is on the floor right now.

I’m Free

People always think these “hate songs” are about Noel but I always feel like he’s writing them about himself and that makes me so sad. That being said, this song is hard and heavy and a rock and roll banger. Also the reggae kind of bridge is really cool. I’m really loving the creative liberties Liam gave his writers and producers because he really let them get experimental and so far it’s really worked. They all sound so different and borrow from so many different influences but at the same time they sound like they belong on the same album.

Better Days

Another one I loved from the first time we got to hear it. Uplifting and beautiful. Ok but one thing, Tove Lo is a writer on this song?? How incredibly random. Anyway, already loved it and still love it.

Oh Sweet Children

There’s something clumsy about the instrumentals in this one that bothers me. I do like the raw vocals. I don’t know about this one though. There’s also a part in the last minute where someone in the background goes like OHHH BABAHBAHA and I laughed out loud when I heard it. Like were they drunk when they recorded this? So far my least fav.

The Joker

I mean we all agree this song is obviously about Noel, right? It actually makes me sad. But it’s also a really good song. Again, sometimes I wonder if the hateful words are actually written about himself but regardless this song is clearly about their dynamic and Liam’s redemption arc. The “disappear into the choir” closing lyric before the choir carries the song out is a nice touch too.

Wave

Heavy and light at the same time. Really cool writing and production. I like how the vocals are really clean and crisp but the guitar is really gritty and heavy and then it has really light airy synth. To tie such different sounds together like that is really challenging and they do it perfectly. I really like this one.

OK so overall, I’m really happy with it. It’s so different but in a good way. It’s not too much of a departure from what you love from Liam but is also really innovative, not just as far as Liam’s music goes but as rock music goes in general right now. As I said before, I’m really happy Liam has clearly given his writers and producers a lot of artistic liberty and was really open to trying new things and that really made this album stand out.

I speculated before that Liam was a lot more involved in the writing on this album and I still stand by that. I’m pretty sure this is the first album he has a writing credit on every song (someone can fact check that?). There’s only a couple songs I suspect he was fairly hands off with. I think that coupled with the more kind of experimental sound of some of these songs is why Liam has been a little timid and insecure about this album but he should be so proud of it. I do notice now that he’s gotten a lot of positive feedback about it he’s opening up more about it so I hope he feels as proud as he ought to for this album 😊

[nitpick7]

Ayo anyone wanna see my essay on why removing Anybody Have A Map made the Dear Evan Hansen movie worse? It is slightly long

Disclaimer: I did like the movie (I cried three times), but I think they made some stupid decisions with it.

Dear Evan Hansen movie + musical spoilers under the cut, plus a fair amount of DEH neg/crit

Instead of Anybody Have A Map, they just have Evan's mom say "Hey are you writing those letters to yourself? Also you should ask the kids to sign your cast" before he goes to school and sings Waving Through A Window. They ignore every other part of the song and quickly insert the only thing from the song that's absolutely needed to understand the story so Evan can go be angsty at school. We don't even meet the Murphys until they meet Evan in the principal's office to tell him about Connor.

Disclaimer part 2 electric boogaloo: I complain about Evan a lot here. It's not because I think his experiences aren't valid and it's not because I'm trying to demonize people with mental illnesses or something. I know that his own struggles influenced his bad decisions. That doesn't mean they weren't bad decisions. He still did shitty things and he wasn't justified (listen to Words Fail), but I know it was influenced by his mental health.

On with the complaining!

First of all, the movie opens with Waving Through A Window? It feels like they're putting the most popular song first as a desperate grab for your attention to convince you the movie is good and like... they really didn't need to do that. Waving Through A Window is right after Anybody Have A Map, it's not like anyone's gonna walk out of the theatre after one (really good) song.

Anybody Have A Map establishes a few things: it shows us that both of these families are struggling so that we know immediately that the Murphys' perfect facade is fake, it shows us that Connor was a dick to his family (this is very important), and obviously it tells us why Evan was writing letters to himself. It also introduces us to the two main families at the same time so we know this story isn't just about Evan.

By starting the movie with an Evan solo song instead of the group song, they frame Evan as the one main character, the only person whose perspective we need to understand. But Evan is incredibly flawed, just like everyone else, and by making us think the story is only about him, it immediately makes us (the audience) more inclined to believe that Evan is always in the right and less inclined to consider everyone else's side of the story. Evan is an incredibly unreliable narrator, he's always going to frame his actions as correct, or at least excusable, even when he's actively hurting/lying to other people.

All of the Murphys get introduced through interacting with Evan instead of interacting with each other. This makes it seem like the Murphys only exist for Evan, but the entire point of the climax is that everything doesn't exist just for Evan! Evan is not part of their family, he can't just use everyone around him for his own benefit, and all of the Murphys have lives outside of him. When they're introduced through Evan, they're introduced as existing for Evan. Anybody Have A Map introduces them separately from Evan instead of attached to him.

Without Anybody Have A Map, we never actually see Connor being mean to Zoe, so she just looks like an asshole for not being sad about her dead brother. To make up for it, she's constantly having to tell the audience why she hated him, tripping over herself to talk about all the shitty things he did to her because we don't have Anybody Have A Map to show us their interactions. Zoe ends up complaining about her brother the entire time, so when it gets to Only Us and she says that she doesn't want everything to be about her brother, it seems out of character for her.

And with the removal of Anybody Have A Map, we don't ever see Connor interact with his own family in the movie. Anybody Have A Map is the only time we get to see Connor with his family. It shows us that Connor really was an asshole to his family, it justifies Zoe hating him, and it gives his mom more dimensions by showing her struggling to keep her family together even with everyone fighting against her. Without that, the writers ended up ignoring the most basic piece of writing advice - "show, don't tell" - to fill in the missing information from the song.

In the movie, all we get of Cynthia Murphy is... her being sad about Connor and refusing to admit that he ever did anything wrong. She's just boring and annoying in the movie, but in the musical, we get that bit at the beginning that shows her as an actual person with actual motivations! By cutting Anybody Have A Map, they made her into a more one-dimensional character.

So in a bit of a conclusion: Anybody Have A Map establishes the Murphys as main characters separate from Evan and shows us Connor's relationship with his family instead of telling us about it. It sets the scene for the story before just jumping into "Evan is sad and alone uwu anxious depressed soft boy" and makes everyone a better, more three-dimensional character. Getting rid of it meant that they had to do backflips to justify everyone's decisions during the movie instead of setting everything up at the beginning.

I do think the movie could've benefitted from Disappear but then again, it could've benefitted from the whole "Connor being the visual/vocal representation of Evan's justifications for why keeping up the lie is helping people" thing in general, but they got rid of that so Disappear wouldn't have worked. (I am salty that they got rid of that thing but whatever) The Anonymous Ones worked instead and it was a good song, so sure, why not I guess? /neutral

I could also complain about how they got rid of To Break In A Glove, Disappear, and Good For You, but none of those decisions actually impacted the story too much. To Break In A Glove and Good For You both got replaced with some tell-not-show cutscenes that gave us the same information in a less interesting way (and Larry got less character development without To Break In A Glove), and Disappear got replaced with an Alana song which was honestly pretty good so i'm fine with that one.

Now for some good changes that the movie made!

The Anonymous Ones was a good song, I actually really liked that. I'm disappointed that they got rid of Disappear, but they replaced it with another song that served the same purpose while also giving Alana more screen time and character depth! And it was a genuinely good song, I really enjoyed it and it made me like Alana more!

I really liked the ending of the movie. In the musical, there are literally no negative consequences for Evan, Zoe even forgives him at the end. She fucking forgives him for lying to her entire family about their dead son and and taking advantage of them because it "brought them closer together". And the internet never finds out what he did! He does all this terrible shit, lies to the entire fucking world, and gets away scot-free. And he never learns anything real about Connor. The movie changes all of that.

Connor's song was also a great addition! Every time we saw Connor in the musical, he was either being a dick or he was a fantasy version of himself made by Evan and/or Jared. Seeing that Connor can, in fact, be a nice person, that Cynthia's belief in him wasn't misplaced, was so satisfying. He really was just a meaner version of Evan a troubled kid lashing out at the world in self-defense. He wasn't an entirely bad person.

The Murphys still decide not to tell anyone what he did, but then Evan decides (on his own!) that he needs to own up to what he did. He records a video of himself admitting to what he did, shifts all the blame to himself, and then goes out of his way to fix his mistakes in any way he can. He says that his biggest regret is not getting to know Connor while he had the chance, so he goes online to find anything he can. He reads Connor's favorite books, tries to find anyone who might be able to tell him what Connor was like, and when he receives a video of Connor playing his song in rehab, he takes the time to send the video (through the mail, on a flash drive) to the Murphys, Jared, and Alana.

Evan doesn't contact Zoe at the end, she contacts him instead. She doesn't forgive him, and he doesn't ask for forgiveness. He knows what he did was wrong and he owns up to it and tries to fix it as much as possible, knowing full well that it could ruin his life. He does the right thing for the first time in the entire fucking movie (that's hardly even an exaggeration) and it's such a good ending. It makes more sense and is more satisfying than the musical.

The Dear Evan Hansen movie was not nearly as bad as the reviews say it was. It wasn't as good as the musical, it had its own problems, but it also made some good changes that I think made the story better. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed it and most movies aren't perfect anyway. It really could've benefitted from Anybody Have A Map, though.

[natromanxoff]

22 - Cars & Queenie Days

Hi there Queenie people.

What a strange little weekend this one turned out to be. Let me start by saying that most of my stories seem to have something to do with alcohol, but we were all a hell of a lot younger then, and I for one cannot do that anymore, well not all the time. Although a few days ago an old friend made a guest appearance, the Kurgen was let loose on the streets of Bondi which seemed to start a string of Queen type events. It all started about midday on Saturday when a friend of mine phoned and suggested lunch, what a fantastic idea as it was a lovely hot sunny day, so we met in a nice place with a garden and ordered the first bottle of wine, and it was the Linda Lovelace of vino, it went down very quickly and easily. During the course of the afternoon I phoned my mate Steve and said he should join us, which he did at about 8pm, and we finally moved indoors to have dinner, after sitting in the sun and guzzling wine for the last six hours, and needless to say I'm pissed so we ordered some more food and what turned out to be the last bottle of plonk for the evening.

Half way through dinner Rebecca decided she was to out of it to continue, and wisely went home, leaving the Kurgen and his mate, who has decided he's gonna catch up with me, what a good friend eh, but him getting drunk means me becoming a complete gibbering idiot. After dining we moved next door to the bar where the whisky was flowing very rapidly and the idiot telling one barmaid she looked like a cheap hooker, while swearing his undying love to another. Oh, get me another drink Steve, I think I need one. It finally gets to 1am and time to head home, it's been a long day, and while trying to negotiate the 10min walk I was complaining that my right leg wouldn't work, usual drunken crap.

What has this got to do with Queen I hear you ask, well, apart from the fact that a million years ago I worked for them for a while, not very much. Steve and myself eventually got back to my place and I got phoneitis and I had the need to speak with everyone from my dodgey past, so, phone book out and lets go. Pride of place went to Mr Deacon who was lucky to be speaking on the phone so the Kurgen, after two tries, couldn't get through. Time up for you pal, next. Broughie. He always calls me when he's legless, now it's his turn to try and decipher what I'm on about. When I got through to Trip I can remember saying, "Where the f*** are you?" And do you know what, I have no idea what the answer was, though he did say they cancelled a couple of shows, and everyone was having a great time. This is fun, lets spend some more money. The next call started with, "Mr Taylor, it's Mr Taylor here." Sorry Rog, but you did pick up the phone. I did tell him I'd listened to his new stuff on his website and it's the best stuff he'd done in years, and I have an awful feeling I said that I didn't like 'Happiness,' but he did say that he reads my memoirs, so if you get to see this Mr T. I'll try and be a bit more sober next time I call.

Jacky followed, phone was busy (No it wasn't, we were out, you left a message!!) , gotta move on, I'm on a roll now. A new game, lets try and track down my ex in LA, no luck, thank god, and with that my new accountant Steve took the phone away from me, thanks dear boy. He clears off around 3 and I hit the sack and descend into a coma. Ring ring.....ring ring. Its 9am, who the f*** is phoning in the middle of the night, so, with head pounding I track the phone down and had to raise a bit of a giggle, it's Broughie and now he's pissed and he told me that in nearly twenty years of knowing me, that is the worst he's ever heard me try and talk, to which I reply that this is the worst I've ever felt.

Spandau's Tony Hadley was the next person I speak to, what a diamond geezer, always nice to chat with him. Sunday was a non-existent day with a phone that had no sympathy for me and kept ringing, amazingly it's still in one piece. A wet Monday and I'm still feeling a bit iffy, but come afternoon I receive a package in the post, I like little surprises, so when I walk in and turn the radio on Bo Rap is playing, and when I open my pressie it's from the ever gorgeous Jacky who has very kindly sent me RT's Electric Fire. You know what I mean, his new CD not the electric fire out of his bedroom. I'm glad I told him it was great, cause it is, in my humble opinion, possibly the best thing he's done. That was a hell of a lot of words just to say " go and buy Electric fire and put it in the charts, you won't be disappointed".

I was chatting with Greg Fryer, the fireplace restorer, and we're both looking forward to the Australian convention in a few weeks, although I might be drinking lemonade as I made the idiot promise that "I'm never drinking again". Some time ago somebody asked me a question which went something like, "When you were in the studio with just Roger or the Cross, was it a bit of an anti climax after working with Queen as they were such brilliant musicians." I don't know if I'm missing something here, but as Roger was a solo artist, a member of the Cross and also in Queen, surely that must make him brilliant. Well, whatever your name was, no it wasn't boring it was mostly fun. When he was producing other acts I must admit that I did a lot of sitting around doing bugger all, and I every act were ok as people, though once Jimmy Nail had a hit he did get a rather large ego and changed into a real prat.

Virginia Wolf had two old buddies of mine in the band, Joe Burt and Jason Bonham, so when we went to Ibiza to record it was party time from start to finish, though Jason did go overboard a bit, so to protect us more than him we sent him back to England. I was only involved in one Cross album, Shove It, and that was just going to be another RT solo album so he played all the instruments himself.

I think I've mentioned before that we drove the Bentley to Montreux, well this was the time. The plan was to spend three or four days in Montreux recording then go to Gstaad to write some more songs. That was the excuse because we had a huge chalet there and the idea was to do a lot of skiing and a bit of writing, which is exactly what we did. It was in Gstaad that Roger came up with the idea of forming a band, and after a hard day on the slopes we would sit around at night working out a plan on putting a band together. On the subject of Bentleys and Gstaad I feel obliged to tell you just how much bad luck RT has with his cars.

When he bought his first Range Rover he claimed "You can park them on a sixpence." We had to tow him out of a ditch. His Ferrari burst into flames on his way to the south of France, and his Aston Martin also burst into flames. He hardly ever drove the Bentley, it was my baby and I loved it and never had any problems. Dominique decided she was going to join our little ski trip and was coming to Gstaad, now don't get me wrong, I love Dom, a fine lady, still is, it's just that I didn't fancy the hour drive down the mountain and then the hour along the motorway to the airport. On the day of her arrival RT surprised me by saying he was going to pick her up, that'll do me, drop me off at the chair lift and have a nice drive. A very pleasant afternoon was spent on the piste so when I get back to the house I'm ready for some mindless computer games, and while in the middle of shooting some aliens the phone rings and it's Dominique asking where Roger was as he's not at the airport to pick her up.

The only thing I can say is for her to hang on because he left in plenty of time so he should be there, and I'm back to saving the world. Hours later the door flies open with Roger ranting and raving and saying something about F-in-cars. What's his problem? I look out the window and in the driveway is a VW Golf, so the obvious question is, "Where's the Bentley?" When his lordship finally calmed down he explained that when he got to the motorway there was a blizzard, so he had to have the windscreen wipers on full, but the one on the drivers side came off, so he stopped the car and was groping around in the snow looking for it, and he found it and put it back on. So far so good, except a couple of miles further on it came off again, and this time it was nowhere to be seen. Now try and picture the situation. Swiss motorway, lots of snow falling, very expensive black Bentley and a very famous pop star hanging out the window while driving so he can wipe the snow off the screen so he can see. Not a very good look at all.

On arrival at Geneva he took the car to the Rolls Royce dealer to get fixed, and it wasn't long after this that I said my final goodbye to a trusty friend. Roger on the other hand said Good F***ing Riddance. I have an equally pathetic driving story when we were in Rio, this time it was the two of us, a convertible and one hell of a lot of rain. Next time might be right to tell you how we put the Cross together from the first ad. onwards. Before I go I have a question for Jacky. Do you remember all those bacon sandwiches we had at the auditions? That's it for now Bye

Crystal