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punk-in-docs · 1 month ago

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‼️ LUST AT FIRST BITE‼️

The Lost Boys AU, feat; Vamp!Frances x Human!Birdie

3.9k words

Summary: He’s tucked away where he usually is. Playing at the lie of life, watching on from the shadows, up on the roof of the tacky gift shop, puffing on a cigarette. A lone evil fiery eye cutting in the dark. Eyes scraping over every pretty person in this crowd, and seeing who, oh who, will be his dinner.

Eenie. Meenie. Miney. You-

(The awesome blood drip banner is not mine! I found on @riottsrph ‘s page. Thank you!)

Santa Carla, 1987

The boardwalk was always packed with people. Heaving in summer. Air full of noise and screams from the denizens on the giant dipper. The snaking notched backbone that arches, governs, over this place. Gulls shriek. Flickering glare of neon and flashing bulbs filling your sight everywhere. Greedy eyes don’t know where to rest first.

People flock to this place in their hundreds. This colourful edifice that exudes joy and junk food fuelled adrenaline. Teenage euphoria, arcade games and fast thrills, right next to walls plastered with flapping scales of forever-mounting missing posters. Twitching in the sea air as people sagged with worry, gather and weep and pin up even more. Hollow smiles, dead black and white eyes, all unseeing, plead from flyers.

Too many flyers.

You had to bob and weave to get anywhere in this dense bubbling crowd.

His hand is firmly tucked in yours. Smell of sugary popcorn and hot dogs is ripe, carried with sea foam on hot summer air. Gusting over your heads as you move along.

You met Nick in the pizzeria just off the boardwalk. You’d gone for a night out with friends. You both bonded damn near instantly over pineapple on pizza. Avid fans, addicts even. You ate pizza. He flirted. You flirted back.

He comped your meal when you went to pay. “On the house babe.” With a grin that should be snapped in vogue. Stunning,

Way too stunning, even in his company issue yellow and red polo tee with the pizzeria name embroidered on the breast.

He asked you to wait by the Wave Jammer for him after his shift finished. You did. The girls send you off freshly glossed and hair fluffed, sniggering.

He walked you to your bus stop when the boardwalk lights began to dim. Clicking off one by one. Sodium streetlights the only things leaving their dozy glow. The sound of the sea lashing sand in the distance. He gave you a sweet mind melting kiss. Backed by the harmony of waves and denizens screams. Passed you a glossy pizza flyer with his number scrawled right on it in thick marker.

He’d called. He’d swung by and taken you out. Your second date had been in a cheap mom and pop trattoria uptown. Candlelight, cheap Chianti, and happy conversation which quickly ended with you screwing each others brains out, up against the brick wall in the filthy back alley with your panties dangling off your ankle.

And now here you were- on your fourth date. Quickly becoming drunk on touch. You wandered the arcade dodging sugar buzzed kids, cheeks sticky with cotton candy, and abrasive punks with neon spiked hair. You were chatting easy, and flirting over arcade games.

Tasting sea salt and red slushy off his tongue. You tugged each other along and pulled too and fro like the inky tide wrapped up in the night just beyond the border of sand and the fierce orange lick of oil can bonfires on the beach. Life was fit to burst with fun. You were young and had lovesick heart eyes for each other.

He kept on ushering you close and kissing you again. Hand across your waist. Balmy hot. Even through your dress. It’s a strappy dress, bright purple like amethyst or lilac petals. You let your hair loose. Kinky and big in the humid sea air. Lou Gramm is playing clunky rock music over the speakers.

Nick is just next level gorgeous. You have to admit. Literally panty dropping. Lips rose pink. Caramel skin. Long lashes which kiss his cheeks like he’s Bambi. Smile like a damn Calvin Klein model. And the dark sweep of coiffed curls to match. One cross earring glimmers against the backdrop of his hair.

You keep sneaking your hand in the back pocket of his trousers. Disgustingly crushing on this man. The way he loops his arm to your waist though, says he returns very that sentiment.

He looks totally casual here next to you in bleach blue jeans, sneakers, and a blood wine shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Arm slung around your waist as you lean at the balustrade looking down onto the beach opposite a tacky tourist gift shop selling keychains and chalk painted rocks. Snow globes swirl with chunky glitter from glass shelves in the window.

His arm suddenly squeezes you in closer when a gaggle of dirt bikes shriek their way up the board walk toward you, pedestrians scattered like ripples on waves to avoid being mowed flat. Four bikes. You can hear seedy rock blasting from a boom box that one of them has strapped to their bikes. WASP, you think. All shriek and shred.

They weave and race through the thinning crowds. Whooping and hollering like a pack of feral hyenas. Tongues out. Grinning sneers at people like Jack O’Lanterns. One with a backcombed blonde mullet that’s stiff with product, and made you think of a lions mane, makes a crazed face at you both. Tongue pointing out his mouth as he leers at you both especially. Tight white pants on and a swallow tail pointed coat like a dam circus ringleader flying behind him. He’s looking you up a down with a flick of his eyes. Hungrily.

As soon as they came, all noise, filth and fury, they go. Racing fast off into the night in a stinking cloud of engine exhaust and harrowing, whooping cackles.

“Jerks.” You scoff derisively. Glaring after the deafening bikes. Had Nick not pulled you in they’d have knocked you flat. He nuzzled your jawbone. Kisses you there too.

“It’s alright baby. I got you.” He smiles. You put your hand on his. Thankful. You kiss him again. His hand comes up and cups the back of your head.

It’s then you first feel it.

Something stings on your skin. Sudden and sharp. Mean. Like a bite, or a pinch. A little drop of sulphuric acid. Right at the nape of your neck. Feeling of your hair standing up on end. Skin turns to poison pinpricks.

Someone’s eyes were on you.

You pull back, Nick’s hand slips back on your neck, you’re glancing around trying to see through the thronging clouds, to catch whoever was looking at you. Your hair whips around your face from the sea air. The breeze that wraps your skin.

It brings the smell of you right on across to him. Past the stench of hot dogs, salty sandy air, and sea froth. Sweat and cheap perfume, plus the scent of some recently used pink bar soap caught in the crease of your elbow.

Drifting across. Calling to him the same way that throb of your carotid does. A full lively artery housed under sweat stroked skin. He bets you taste simply delicious. Syrupy like hot honey. He’s salivating already.

He’s tucked away where he usually is. Playing at the lie of life, watching on from the shadows, up on the roof of the tacky gift shop, puffing on a cigarette. A lone evil fiery eye cutting in the dark. Eyes scraping over every pretty person in this crowd, and seeing who, oh who, will be his dinner.

Eenie. Meenie. Miney. You-

He’s up there. Keeping shadows company. Wind carving around him on the roof. Wrapped up in a big bomber leather jacket, the words ‘GO TO HELL’ scrawled across his back in white letters, emblazoned with rhinestones. An assortment of buckles and zips hanging off him, where he perched like a bat - a bat fresh off the brooding Bauhaus nightclub scene. Not even the Santa Carla heat could penetrate his skin and warm his old, dead bones.

Bones, under lean muscles and skin glittering in so much jewellery. Studs and chains hang off his shoulders. and biker boots. Many chains, necklaces, one strand of pearls and a rosary, dripping with crosses linked across his neck - darkly ironic nature of that made him smile. A gothic dipped punk bearing holy crosses. Eyes lined in kohl. Scratchy tattoos on his arms. Fingers layered in goth rings. Daggers in hearts. Crosses and bejewelled skulls. Billy Idol eat your fucking heart out.

Don’t tempt him actually. He’s too hungry. He’d swallow a heart tonight in one clean bite.

Hair slicked back on his head, coming to a kinked curl where it brushes his collar. Eyes dipped into cinnamon brown. But in all these neons they seemed to drop acidly into nasty black. Wide and dark like a cats. Something that definitely prowls and lopes around with grave grace. Danger simmers to a boil constantly around him and every gang on this boardwalk has learned the hard way not to mess. He’s made ugly reminders when those moron gangs get too big for their knock off DM boots.

He will serve grisly reminders of why he’s the top of the food chain here - with great feral pleasure. He’s been here since before the boardwalk itself even existed. Way back when it was a victorian bathhouse for fucks sake.

He takes a deep pull. Plucks the fiery cig from his smirking mouth. Fingernails blunt and chipped painted black underneath his fingerless leather gloves. Teeth too white and sharp as he smiles. Marlboro smoke curling around carnivore teeth.

He flicks the cigarette away. Sparks spray across the roof where it lands. Done with it. He’s found his next source of satisfaction. His hunger is awake and roaming. Baying for a feed.

He watches your date take your hand. Twirl you in his arms so your hair and your pretty skirts fly. He leads you towards the cotton candy stand. You can hear the old timey jangle of fun fair music. He likes the thought of pure spun sugar - blue as cornflowers - being ready for him on the bed of your tongue.

A smirk writ across his lips as he steps, then drops fully into the shadows behind the building. His sturdy boots crunch on fast food trash as he lands. Greasy puddles capturing neon signs make up this back alley. Now his blood is pumping hot. He licks his lips.

You’re on the carousel when you feel it come back again. Stronger. Nearer. You feel a gaze burn the back of your head like someone’s stubbing out a cigarette on you.

So sudden it makes you pull back from his kiss - like you’d been suddenly jabbed with a huge hypodermic needle. Felt the chilling flush of cold poison slide into your blood.

Cause baby, that’s him all over.

Every inch caustic, acidic poison.

The worst of the very worst, of hell’s lowest dredgings.

A flush of unease grabs you. Gasping, you twist from where you’re sat on the horse. Holding the twisted pole. Bracelet sliding down your arm. That sensation- it scared you.

Music whirls in your ears. Sea air laced with the scent of kettle corn pulses around you with the red and yellow lights. You peer around to try and see in-between the poles and crowds.

You can’t see anything noticeable. No one stands out. They’re all blurs and distortion whizzing by you to a chirpy carnival tune. You watch for eyes to meet yours as you dip and bob on the horse, and none come.

“Babe?” Nick asks you. His dark brows creasing in the middle from your sudden flinching away.

Hand comes warm and comforting on your arm. Trying to bring you back. You turn. But your stomach is squirming with unease. You mask it with a smile. Sweet as the huge cotton candy he just bought you.

“It’s nothing...” You chirp. A Lie. Your hand back on his again. Letting his comforting smile buoy you. You settle your attention back to him. Not to the graze on your skin that’s coiling your spine like a fucking venom spitting serpent.

“Why don’t I go and get us something to drink huh? Maybe a lemonade?” He suggests. Swinging around the horse and lifting the back of your hand to his mouth to kiss it. The other is rubbing the back of your neck. Soothing way your clammy panic.

It makes you smile. His doting on you. Made you feel like you hung the stars. With your head spinning and your nerves nudged into the wrong side of uneasy, you could use some sugar and a welcome distraction.

“That would be great, actually...” You smile. It feels hollow even to your mind. Your head is spinning like a top on this carousel and you want something sweet to wash everything sour thats nipping at your mind, away.

He kisses you sweetly on the lips. Taste of sea salt and cherry slushie again. Savouring him before he goes. Ralph Lauren cologne. His soft curls through your fingers before he steps away. And then with a flash of that stunning smile, he hops off the carousel, and within a minute he’s gone. Swallowed into the heaving crowds.

So you bob and dip on the carousel horse all on your own. Watching the room fly by in a twirl of chilli red and golden yellow.

You’re not without company for very long.

Distracted, you scan the entrance to the carousel for Nick on what must be your final whirl around.

So distracted are you, head turned, back to him. It allows him to sneak in.

Your spine once again turns to scraping prodding needles when a drift of something comes over your shoulder. Something insidious slides to your conscious; something acrid yet smooth you take notice of. You liken it to whiskey. Smooth yet rough all at once. You hate whiskey.

Smoky cigarettes bittered with engine exhaust. A sweet tinge of cotton candy. Copper metal, warm pennies. The heavy presence of someone lingering behind you. The brush of a clammy leather jacket. The sound of a leather glove squeezing and twisting on the pole of the horse opposite you.

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing riding all on her own?” Comes a dulcet purr from beside you.

You look at the source of this voice; seeing nothing but a trouble wrapped punk suddenly stood next to you. As if materialised from the same acrid engine smoke that clings to his leathers.

Brown eyes deep enough to dive in. In this light, they are black as a cats. A smirk on his face that makes you shiver. Lips so plump and beautiful it made you think of kisses - plump lips slick with too much spit and wet tongues. He had lips that looked like paradise - the likes you’ve seen only in seedy pornos. However. Trouble virtually hummed through him like a live wire. Get too close risk getting your fingers singed, girl. Burnt ozone.

“Looking like a lost little baby bird. All alone out your nest.” He comments as you frown at him.

“I’m not on my own. I’m with someone.”You tell him. Steely ire woven to your words like chain mail. Back off creep.

“Lucky someone.” He shoots back. All panther smooth. Packed with flirt. Eyes roaming down to your legs and back up again. He can smell that pretty boys cologne and sweat he’d rubbed all over you. The stink of some prissy designer cologne. That won’t do at all.

“Can’t convince you to ditch them can I? Baby.” He smirks. Prowling around you.

“I got a bike. We could take a little drive up the beach a ways down west. Past the bluff. I know a cosy little spot. Get a campfire going.” He charms.

You feel the imperative need to keep your eyes on him. Untrusting.

He moves with such liquid fluidity not even the whirl of the carousel affects his gait. Walks with a cocksure pace like he owns the place. He’s done this before. Doubtless.

“No thanks.” You reply archly. You know trouble when it comes loping up to your side in eyeliner and jangling jewellery. Plain as the nose on your face.

Of course it doesn’t put him off one bit. It makes him dig his teeth in deeper. With glee. The challenge was the tastiest part of the chase.

He chuckles. “Only, I’m awful curious. Never seen you round here before. Now, I’d sure as shit remember a pretty face like yours.”

“I’m not a tourist. I live here.” You reply snippily. You live but two miles from here. With your dying houseplant for company and dead end job. Your only relative being your old blind great aunt, Rositsa.

“And I don’t remember wanting an annoying prick to come crashing my date, trying his luck and barking up the wrong tree entirely.” You snap back. A pretty little nasty smile on your lips. Sweet like cherries and cream.

“Breaking my heart over here, sugar.” He smiles. Undeterred.

You doubt he had one to break.

He was all smarm and swagger. Definitely sans heart.Probably had tried it on with any easy party girl who got drunk and made moony love eyes in his direction. He seems like he has some void inside. Something he tried to fill with stranger sex and drugs and trouble. And blood.

And it’s something he’ll never be able to satiate. Not with all the infinite time he’s literally got viced in his leather gloved hands.

So he daggers his way through these crowds. Chows down cheap boardwalk takeout from the golden dragon right out the cartoon. Sneaks into rides without paying. Pick pockets sunburnt tourists. Snorts lines of angel dust off filthy bathroom counters. Throws molly down his neck every night and washes it down with tequila shots. Endlessly abrasive to all authority and flirting with anything bearing a pulse. Dynamite pace predator life. Undisputed King of this neon arcade kingdom.

“Maybe I could bark up the right tree.” He seeks.

“My date will be back soon.” You say. In the hopes it shakes him off. Makes him get a clue.

“He seems to be taking his sweet ass time. Doesn’t he…. Maybe he got lost.” He decides. Voice all sing song and light.

Swaying in closer like you aren’t giving him ‘fuck off’ vibes. Eyeing daggers. How he so likes sharp things. Lust that feels like it could prick skin it’s so sharp. Theres smoke and something mysteriously copper on his breath.

“Maybe there’s a line.” You concede. Boredly done with this conversation. The carousel has to be coming to a stop soon. You want to get off this ride. It’s not fun anymore.

“Maybe he’s gotten distracted by something leggy and pretty…” He remarks with a raise of his brows. “No shortage of skirt round here.” He grins.

It feels like swallowing a boulder to admit to that. Nick was a flirt, sure. You guys weren’t exclusive. But that nasty shred of doubt made a home in your stomach. Birthed anxiety in your veins.

“Listen jerk, go play around with someone else, alright.” You snap. Eyes narrowed You pull your purse strap on your shoulder. You slip off your horse and come to stand. Ready to get off. Rides no fun anymore.

“Names Frances.” He supplies. “And uh, I’m good baby bird. Don’t have anywhere else I gotta be.”

“Lucky me.” You bite out. Tone all sharp poison.

Oh, he wanted to take you home right now and turn your goddamn bed into a crime scene - or the aftermath of a porno shoot. Maybe both if he’s feeling generous.

“Now, If you wouldn’t mind y’know….fucking off…” You make a move to pass him. You’re gonna go find Nick.

He doesn’t budge an inch.

You stand firm. Chest to chest. His arms make brackets against the poles. Closing you in. He tilts his head. The kink in his hair brushes against his collar. A ruinous little curl comes loping over his forehead.

“Come find me if you want a real date. Little bird. I’ll make good and sure that you won’t be able to walk afterwards.” He smirks.

Before reaching one half leather clad finger over to brush a curl of hair back over your bare shoulder. His touch leaves goosebumps in its wake. Serpent slither down your spine that claws at your heels. Flushed arsenic in your blood.

“I’ll make it hard for you to walk right now if you don’t get out my way.” You threaten.

He seemed mildly turned on by the idea. “Promise or a threat?” He checks.

“Move.” Comes bitten out your mouth. All low and venomous. He likes the shape of your lips when you’re angry. Lush. Angry. He likes your lipstick too. Love to taste that.

“I hang out by the arcade. Join me when you doubtlessly get bored of that sad sack boy.” He smiles as if it’s certain. As if he already has your agreement on the subject. Loitering in the nearest arcade shadow near you, ready.

“I’ll be waiting, Birdie.” He whispers filthily into your ear. Too close for comfort.

A zip of danger as you feel hot cigarette breath ghost over the tip of your ear. His chest front brushing yours. Zips and buckles and necklaces. Cold. Makes heart race like hypoxia. You feel drunk and stunned. Scary drunk. And stunned in a nasty stinging way - like you’ve been electrified and can’t move.

You actually feel your heart internally jolt when he puts his mouth to your cheek. Presses a kiss to your cheekbone that you feel sink into your bones like acid.

You jolt. The ride slows to a stop.

You blink back into reckoning, peering around. In amongst the bubbling crowds of teens getting off. Parting around your prone form like water around a rock as you lean on the horse for mercy. You can’t see him. He’s gone. In a snap of leather and seemingly, the blink of an eye. A puff of smoke. Like those old magicians in black and white movies - masking exit in a cloud of silvery sulphur.

You get off the ride and fight your way through the throngs to come out to the boardwalk. The endless ocean before you. Black as spades as the waves lash the shore. Music follows you as you walk along to the food stands.

You kept scanning the crowds. Hoping one face would resemble his. That he’d be walking back to you with that million dollar white smile, and a couple cups of lemonade in his hands. You keep searching.

Nothing.

You get to the food stalls. Spend a lot of time weaving around people, darting tourists and sugar high kids, and hoping to catch sight of him.

Your once buoyant heart begins to sink low in your chest. Clunking down each and every one of your ribs like a bowling ball. Crushing your lungs.

You hang around by the stands, leaning against the railing, feeling the balmy wind and sea air whip your hair around. You keep scanning. Hoping this nasty little voice in your head was wrong. That he’s just lost in the crowds, and he’ll catch up to you eventually.

It’s when the crowds begin to thin out, that the last remainders of your hope does too. Strangled to a silent suffocating death.

You check your watch. They’d be closing the boardwalk gates soon. The neon lights would dim. The only sound left soon will be the papery rattle of those missing flyers where they are pinned.

You walk briskly for your bus stop in heels that are starting to pinch. Your heart the same state as your feet - ragged and sore. You brush away tears with the back of your hand as they fall. You tell yourself it’s the salt in the sea air you can taste. That’s all.

You’d let hope make a home. More fool you.

Eyes, black as a cats, watch your back all the way from the building roof where he hides. Half cloaked in shadow. Lighting up again. Wiping drips of blood from the corner of his mouth.

He smeared his mouth on his leather jacket sleeve before putting the cigarette between his teeth. Chuckling as he pulled smoke in with crimson smeared teeth. Blood rush - singing with bliss and euphoria.

His poor lost baby bird. All on her own.

❤️ Tagging the JQ babes; lmk if you want removing or adding pls ❤️

@indouloureux @trashmouth-richie @atabigail @lunatictardis @waywardrose @hillarymurray4 @lurkingprincess @ramona-thorns @joequinnswhore @iliveforotps @eddiesskittle @rose-tinted @lluviamg06 @ravensfromvalhalla @fujiihime @youaremyfamiliar @captain-tch @ghosttownwherenoonegoes @svenyves @sammararaven @feralgoblinbabe @groupie-love-71 @andromeda-andromeda @morganamoonstone @gvtosbith @munsonswhoresposts2 @shenevertricks1831 @hazzaismyreligion @sugarcoated-lame @anaisweird @cinnamoncunt @red-lipstick-bisexual @wheels-of-despair @tvserie-s-world @callmeloverr @ho-for-joequinn-fics @bettyfrommars @rip-quizilla @songforeddiemunson @cool-nick-miller @sheneedsrocknroll92 @rehfan @pedgito @dracomaledicte @gamingaquarius @mypoisonedvine @ddejavvu @sharp-and-swift t

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youremyheaven · 1 year ago

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vedic astrology observations

in my previous post, i had observed how pisces rashi and bharani nakshatra gives a native immense acting ability, here i'll provide more examples!!

the legendary indian actor, dev anand was revati moon

ewan mcgregor has UBP sun

James McAvoy has UBP mercury and venus with mars in revati

Anya Taylor-Joy has either UBP/Revati moon and most likely UBP/Revati rising she also has mars and ketu in Revati

Jessica Chastain has UBP sun with mercury and venus in Revati (amatyakaraka and atmakaraka respectively)

michael fassbender has Revati sun and venus

daniel day lewis is a bharani stellium (sun, mercury and venus)

humphrey bogart was a bharani ascendant

3 time Oscar winner, Frances McDormand is bharani moon and ketu

8 time nominee and 2 time Oscar winner, Cate Blanchett is bharani ascendant and has venus in Revati

Joaquin Phoenix, the absolute GOAT has UBP moon

Cillian Murphy has Jupiter in Bharani atmakaraka and Ketu in Bharani as well (they're conjunct)

2. expanding on my previous observation as to how many Punarvasu & Pushya women play mistresses/home wreckers or are involved in such dynamics in real life, here are a few more examples;

Revati & Rohini are two other nakshatras that crop up often

Marion Cotillard played Pablo Picasso's mistress in the movie Midnight in Paris. in real life, she was accused of having an affair with Brad Pitt when he was married to Angelina Jolie (this is a speculation). She has Pushya moon conjunct Saturn and Jupiter in Revati as her atmakaraka

Dorothy Dandridge's best known role is that of a seductress and here, in Tamango she plays the mistress of a naval captain. She was Punarvasu moon and Pushya rising

Anouk Aimee often played vamps/seductresses and in one of her most iconic roles in La Dolce Vita, she played the mistress. She has Revati mercury conjunct mars (her amatyakaraka) She was also rumoured to have had affairs with manyyy people including JFK

Carla Bruni (yes, the woman whose face Bella Hadid stole) has a very chaotic romantic life. She was in a relationship with Raphael Enthoven and was formerly his father's mistress 💀She is Punarvasu rising

Lou Andreas-Salome was a psychoanalyst, essayist and intellectual. She was muse and lover to some of the greatest European minds of her time (and all time) including Freud, Nietzsche and Rainier Maria Rilke; these men were absolutely obsessed with her and she was a major influence on their work. She has Ketu in Punarvasu

Wallis Simpson, the woman for whom King Edward abdicated his throne, thereby forever changing the course of history was still married to her second husband when she met Edward. She has Mars in Revati as her atmakaraka and Jupiter in Pushya (exalted)

Meghan Markle, the woman for whom Prince Harry left the royal family is Punarvasu rising. She has mercury conjunct rahu in Pushya

Eartha Kitt, the complete siren & seductress, who had affairs with Orson Welles, Paul Newman & James Dean and many other businessmen and heirs was a Punarvasu moon. She was a dark skinned mixed race woman who had established herself as a sex kitten in 50s & 60s America after having grown up in abject poverty; she did something that was impossible and then took it to a new extreme and became the nation's obsession

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was muse to Calvin Klein & Ralph Lauren and met her future husband JFK Junior when he was still dating actress Daryl Hannah (unsure if they began dating at this time). Their marriage was short lived as they both tragically passed away in a plane crash in 1999. She is remembered for her timeless style. She was Punarvasu moon.

Asia Argento played the titular mistress in the movie The Last Mistress, she has Jupiter in Revati atmakaraka and Saturn in Pushya darakaraka

3. I had previously observed how moon ruled/jupiter dominant/cancerian girlies tend to have a large chest 👀

now ill talk about what placements give men a naturally wide, broad, big, buff and bulky frame and body😌😋

men who have prominent Mars/Jupiter/Cancer placements are naturally big, buff and bulky and have wider frames 😌 another important factor is the involvement of a large yoni animal (buffalo yoni, elephant yoni & cow yoni imo)

Hasta & Swati have buffalo yoni

Revati & Bharani have elephant yoni

UBP & Uttaraphalguni have cow yoni

(others have already discussed how our yoni animal influences our appearance so i wont go into that; just know this much, the bigger the yoni animal, the bigger the guy)

i did not mention Mars in my post about voluptuous women because Mars influence gives a big, broad frame and does not really guarantee big breasts or curves (unless affected by other placements) so its very yang in nature

(obviously other placements will also impact a native's appearance and you can look like this and not have these placements as well!!)

let's start with the legend himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. he has Pushya sun, Punarvasu stellium (mercury, venus and rising) you can say its the steroids making him look this way (im sure they were involved in his Mr World era) but the man is in his 70s and he's a tall, broad shouldered bulky guy😌so go argue with the wall

Sylvester Stallone is Punarvasu sun and Saturn in Pushya darakaraka. He has Chitra moon conjunct Jupiter

Vin Diesel is Punarvasu sun and mars in Chitra. He has Ketu conjunct Swati ascendant

Dwayne Johnson has Chitra rising with venus & mars in Mrigashira, saturn in Rohini and ketu in Pushya

Jean Claude Von Damme has Chitra sun & rising, Uttaraphalguni moon, mercury (atmakaraka) and venus in Vishaka

Steve Howey, Punarvasu sun amatyakaraka, jupiter in Mrigashira atmakaraka, ketu in Revati and mercury in Pushya

Jason Statham, Pushya sun UBP moon Punarvasu mercury atmakaraka, mars conjunct ketu in Swati, saturn in Revati

Namjoon aka Father of Kpop has Mars in Punarvasu as his amatyakaraka and tropically most likely has Moon in 1h. Anyone who has seen those tiddies knows there is an undeniable cancer influence at play 😋🤭 He has mercury in Hasta, venus & jupiter in Swati and Ketu in Bharani 😋😋

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tumblr only allows 30 images per post so look out for part 2 <333

#astrology notes #vedic astro notes #sidereal astrology #astrology observations #nakshatras #astrology #astro observations #astro notes #vedic astrology #astroblr #astro beauty #astro community #namjoon astro

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geoledgy · 1 year ago

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oh my god i love your art so much! what are some of your biggest inspirations?

Hi! Thank you so much :D It makes me so soooo happy to hear that!

I have a few inspirations for different things. In regards to backgrounds, my 3 big ones are all artists who worked on Hanna-Barbera cartoons (examples shown below, respectively in each row): Bob Gentle, Art Lozzi, and Monte (Fernando Montealegre)

I also really like Samurai Jack backgrounds, I am unsure of who all the artists that worked on the show art, but I can identify Scott Wills' works (he has a site btw)

Also the bg art style of My Life as a Teenage Robot (I don't know who the artists are for these though)

Character designs, I am heavily inspired by various character designs of Stephen Silver (mainly Clerks & Kim Possible)

Also My Life as a Teenage Robot, Clone High, Total Drama, Dexter's Lab, & Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy are some big ones for character design inspiration as well. (Also Hanna-Barbera designs)

My biggest inspiration in regards to my art as a whole and my principle on making art is pretty much just mid-century art (approx. 40s - 70s), which if you google, there is no single main style. There's similar style trends (simple, abstract, geometric shapes) but every artist is just experimenting with different tools and techniques which makes it really fun for me, with not having to worry about having a "consistent style" or whatever. Animation wise, I also like UPA's style but my pet peeve is everyone grouping mid-century styles as "UPA". School House Rock is another good one. Also various Soviet cartoons too.

I really like the works of mid century illustrators/graphic designers: Bernice Myers, Aurelius Battaglia, Jim Flora, Mary Blair, and Lou Peters among others.

Also love the works of Saul Bass, Alvin Lustig, and Paul Rand.

There's also these 2 illustrations in particular that I'm a huge fan of but am unsure who made it (unfortunately a lot of graphic artists during this time are uncredited or I can hardly find anything about them/other examples of their works):

I also like travel posters (David Klein in particular) and National Park posters made by the WPA

Thanks for asking! I always love to share my inspirations.

#asks #i love 20th century art and design so much ive taken so many courses in it and its history hehehehe........#context is that the way people drew this way was partly due to tech limitations of the time but also embracing machines and the future #which is why a lot of it is geometric shapes

169 notes · View notes

jgthirlwell · 11 months ago

Text

2023 Year In Review

This year once again I invited some friends and colleagues to reflect on 2023

JG Thirlwell Composer Foetus Xordox Manorexia Steroid Maximus Venture Bros Archer

2023 was an intense year. The year began with the premiere of my symphony for Alarm Will Sound and ended with guesting vocalizing with Dinosaur Jr on some Stooges classics. I completed the final season of Archer. Wrote a lot of material for new Xordox and Foetus albums. Released an album of string quartets and scored a Venture Bros movie. Worked with some great singers and premiered my Ensemble project in London. I spent several months traveling and set up a small studio in Melbourne for a bit. Road tripped through NZ with my partner, Dora. I played some excellent shows in London, Colchester, Auckland, Wellington, Melbourne and Sydney. I still woke up 5am in a panic on too many occasions. And I saw some great concerts.It was difficult to whittle down this list but here are a lot of albums I enjoyed in 2023, in no particular order.

Albums

Poil Ueda Yoshitsune (Dur et Doux) Poil Ueda - Poil Ueda (Dur et Doux) Genevieve Artadi Forever Forever (Brainfeeder) Knower - Knower Forever (Brainfeeder) Ultraphauna No No No No (Dur Et Doux) Gahlmm Break A Leg (GEIGER Grammofon) Oneohtrix Point Never Again (Warp) Lankum - False Lankum (Rough Trade) Evian Christ Revanchist (Warp) Chromb Cinq (Dur et Doux) Deskartes A Kant After Destruction (Cleopatra) Gazelle Twin Then You Run (Original Score) L’Rain I Killed Your Dog (Mexican Summer) Loraine James Gentle Confrontation (Hyperdub) Royal Blood Back To The Water Below (Warner) John Luther Adams Darkness and Scattered Light (Cold Blue) Catherine Christer Hennix Solo for Tamburium (Blank Forms) Rachel Fannan Bjork Impersonations (Instagram) Regal Worm Worm! (Quatermass) Wild Up Julius Eastman Vol. 3: If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich? (New Amsterdam) PJ Harvey I Inside the Old Year Dying (Partisan) Poppy I Disagree (Sumerian) Sparks The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte (Island) Queens Of The Stone Age In Times New Roman (Matador) Time Wharp Spiro World (Leaving) Murderpact Ultraheaven (Bandcamp) RVG Brain Worms (Our Golden Friend) HMLTD - The Worm (Lucky Number) Catarina Barbieri - Myuthafoo (Editions Mego) Ligeti Quartet and Anna Meredith - NUC (Mercury KX) Mandy Indiana I’ve Seen a Way + EP(FireTalk) Kate NV WOW (RVNG) Kelly Moran Vesela EP (Warp) Kurws Powiez / Fascia (Korobushka) Fever Ray Radical Romantics (Mute) Netherlands Severance (Svart) Tim Hecker No Highs (Kranky) Bohemian Flesh Bohemian Flesh (Ojet) Pure Adult II (FatCat) Model/Actriz - Dogsbody (True Panther Sounds) Laurel Halo - Atlas (Awe) Water From Your Eyes - Everyones Crushed (Matador) Moritz Von Oswald - Silencio (tresor) REZZETT Meant Like This (Trilogy Tapes) Jess Johnson and Simon Ward 'Terminus' Virtual Reality exhibition at the Museum in Dunedin NZ.

Books

Naomi Klein Doppelganger Graham Rayman and Reuven Blau Rikers : An Oral History Thurston Moore Sonic Life Malcolm Gladwell The Bomber Mafia Tony Cohen Half Deaf, Completely Mad Brett Anderson Coal Black Morning Book Wesley Doyle Conform To Deform Primo Levi Survival in Auschwitz

Films + TV

Beef Barry Fargo The YouTube Effect Mutiny In Heaven Beau Is Afraid In The Court Of The Crimson King Oppenheimer

Concerts

01.28.23 Kodak Quartet performed at the Jack Studio Festival Event at The New School, performing a work by Khyam Allami and a stunning rendition of Ligeti’s String Quartet No 1. 02.21.23 Pure Adult opened for Gilla Band at Brooklyn Made and both were excellent! 02.22.23 Clown Core (featuring Louis Cole on drums and keys) Elsewhere in NYC. 03.02.23 Laurie Anderson performs at a drone event anchored by Lou’s guitar generating feedback drones, on the occasion of Lou Reed’s birthday .Other musicians joining the drone included Shazad Ismailey, Steven Bernstein, Stan Harrison, Briggan Krauss and more. 03.09.23 Michael Byron’s new work In One Second There Will Be A Thousand Plateaus Perhaps for two pianos and small orchestra featuring pianists Joseph Kubera and Steve Beck with Petr Kotik conducting members of the S.E.M. Ensemble. At Roulette Intermedium. 04.04.23 Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs brought the rock power and played an intense and triumphant show at Mercury Lounge to end their first US tour. 04.08.23 Amarcord Nino Rota, a reimagining of the Hal Willner’s Nino Rota tribute album, at Roulette Intermedium. 05.03.23 Genevieve Artadi played a grreat set at Public Records in Brooklyn to support her new album Forever Forever, with Louis Cole on drums. 05.27.23 Gloryhammer at Irving Plaza. Saw them in Melbourne too. 06.27.23 Sparks played a brilliant show at the Beacon Theater in NYC and I also caught them at Palais Theater in St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia on 10.26.23 07.04.23 75 Dollar Bill at Union Pool 08.20.23 BeatFox . Incredible luck to see this guy busking on Brick Lane. 08.21.23 The very wonderful Deerhoof at The Lafayette in London 08.22.23 clipping. played a killer show at Outernet in London 08.23.23 The incredible Poil Ueda from Lyon, France played in London at the Lexington + Lost Crowns 08.24.23 Swans played an epic set at The Troxy in Londo 09.24.23 TENGGER played an amazing set at the Art Gallery of NSW. 10.06.23 Fuji|||||||||||ta at Tempo Rubato in Melbourne, Australia. 10.07.23 RVG played a killer show to a packed house at Northcote Theatre in Melbourne, Australia 10.17.23 Chloe Sobek at Make It Up Club in Melbourne Australia. 10.21.23 Paul McCartney at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne Australia 10.28.23 Sarah Mary Chadwick at Wesley Anns as part of The 86 Super Saturday Festival 10.28.23 Party Dozen from Sydney played a great set at The 86 Super Saturday Festival in Melbourne Australia. 11.10.23 Devon Townsend played a beautiful, brutal and ecsatic show in Melbourne Australia at the Forum. 12.06.23 Ashley Bathgate and percussion sextet Mantra Percussion performed Matt McBane’s Topography at National Sawdust in NYC.

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Michel Langevin (aka Away/Voïvod)

My coups de coeur in 2023: TV Series: The Last of Us Music: The Damned - Darkadelic Godflesh - Purge Crown Lands - Fearless Gong - Unending Ascending Soft Machine - Other Doors Best show: KISS End of the Road World Tour in Montréal on Nov 18th Best Moments: -Recording and touring the new Voïvod album, Morgöth Tales, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band -Celebrating my 60th birthday on stage in Lyon on the Voïvod/Testament Euro tour -Jason Newsted joining the band on stage in Fort Lauderdale, USA -Eric Forrest joining the band on stage at Hellfest, France

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Lydia Lunch

https://www.lydia-lunch.net/

“Time-one long second that goes on forever” So enjoy it motherfuckers!

BOOKS

Love the World or Get Killed Trying Alvina Chamberland Mother Howl Craig Clevenger Nein, Nein, Nein! : One Man's Tale of Depression, Psychic Torment, and a Bus Tour of the Holocaust Jerry Stahl Mystic Debris Justin Gradin Niagara, NY Ric Royers The Pale-Faced Lie : A True Story David Crow The Conspiracy Against the Human Race: A Contrivance of Horror Thomas Ligotti The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe Lynne McTaggert Yuval Noah Harari Box Set (Sapiens, Homo Deus, 21 Lessons for 21st Century) Season of the Witch Cathi Unsworth Every word John Tottenham utters or writes

TOURS with Sylvia Black & Gregg Foreman, Joseph Keckler, Marc Hurtado (tribute to Alan Vega & Suicide), Ian White, Kevin Shea (Sinister Impulse), Tim Dahl & Matt Nelson (Murderous Again)

Workshop & Performance Badass Babes of Burlesque w Rita D’Albert Zebulon LA

Workshop at the University of New Mexico thanks to Greg Moss

Reading with Zoe Hansen & Ron Athey at The Philosophical Research Center LA Reading with Eugene Robinson Makeout Room SF

Finishing the documentary with Jasmine Hirst Artists - Depression, Anxiety, and Rage and premiering it in Italy

Meeting butuh Queen Azumi OE and discussing up coming performances together with Tim Dahl

Completing the 233 episode of The Lydian Spin with Tim Dahl

FUN

Nights in London & Brighton spent with Nick Soulsby, Cathi Unsworth, Billy Chainsaw, Chris Bohn, Jack Sargeant, Pam Hogg,

Tina Kit (opened for my Suicide tribute in London & Brighton) best new band of suited and booted bad boys

Squired around Europe by Sebastien Greppo, a man like no other - who so lightens my burden…

Watching every episode of The Dark Side of The Ring with Kevin Shea

Training squirrels, levitating objects, saving lives, screaming into the void.

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Mike Berdan

(Uniform) https://uniform-nyc.com/

ALBUMS

Lankum - False Lankum

Surgeon - Crash Recoil

Ryuichi Sakamoto - 12

Fellwinter - The Dawn Of Winter

Abysmal Lord - Bestiary Of Immortal Hunger

Death Kneel - Dawn Simulation

Shit And Shine - 2222 And Airport

Carnivorous Bells - Room Above All

Agonal Lust - Mankind Is A Talisman Of Misfortune

Godflesh - Purge

FIRST-TIME READS

A History Of Violence (1973) - David Cotner

Someone Who Isn't Me - Geoff Rickly

Your Dreams - Thomas Moore 4. In A Lonely Place - Karl Edward Wagner

Burn You The Fuck Alive - B.R. Yeager

The Holy Day - Christopher Norris

A Collapse Of Horses - Brian Evenson

The Devil Thinks I'm Pretty - Charlene Elsby

Let's Go Play At The Adams' - Mendal W. Johnson

Counterillumination - Audrey Szasz

MOVIES

Godzilla Minus One

CIGARS

Cohiba Magico Maduro Petit Robusto

God Of Fire Serie B Double Robusto

Padron Family Reserve no. 95 Maduro Petit Gordo

El Pulpo Toro

Tatuaje Reserva J21 Broadleaf Robusto

Atabey Benditos Double Corona

Romeo y Julieta Línea de Oro Nobles

H. Upmann Half Corona

Foundation Cigars The Tabernacle Robusto

OpusX Eye Of The Shark

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Mario Diaz deLeon (composer, Luminous Vault, Bloodmist)

ALBUMS Evita Manji - Spandrel? Eartheater - Powders Slowspin - Talisman Marta DePascalis - Sky Flesh Kalia Vandever - We Fell in Turn Eraldo Bernocchi + Hoshiko Yamane - Sabi JakoJako - Verve Surgeon - Crash Recoil Cavalera - Morbid Visions / Bestial Devastation Bell Witch - The Clandestine Gate Steve Lehman + Orchestre National de Jazz - Ex Machina

SONGS Kelly Moran - Vesela Vines - I Don’t Mind Cybotron - Maintain Barker - Birmingham Screwdriver VMO - Supergaze Omar Hisham - Adhan (Be Heaven)

EVENTS New Firmament: MONAD - Roulette Peter Evans: Being and Becoming - Roulette Anna Sperber: Amplifier - Roulette 20 Years of Shinkoyo - Roulette Anthony Braxton + Wolf Eyes - Pioneer Works Caterina Barbieri - Pioneer Works Felipe Lara + Claire Chase + Esperanza Spaulding + NY Phil TAK Ensemble: Swoonfest - The Clemente Center Kayo Dot: Choirs of The Eye - MilkBoy Cecilia Vicuña / Raven Chacon - The Poetry Project Krallice / Indocrithere / Geryon / Ocrilim - Saint Vitus Cavalera: Morbid Devastation - Irving Plaza Hulder / Blackbraid / Aeviterne - Le Poisson Rouge Eartheater / Concrete Husband - Elsewhere

BOOKS Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz - An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States

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Alexander Tucker (Microcorps)

I started off the year by releasing a project very close to my heart: Fifth Continent, a collaboration with the late Keith Collins, partner and collaborator of film maker and artist Derek Jarman. The album was partially recorded in Jarman’s cottage in the desert-like landscape of Dungeness, on the South East coastline of Kent, in the UK, with elements constructed from Collins own spoken word pieces, and environmental recordings. The album was released on James Ginzberg’s Subtext label, and we also produced Fifth Quarter, an anthology publication of writing, recollections, photography and newly commissioned artworks about Jarman, Collins and Dungeness.

Although I probably made more music than usual this year, and had a greater focus than ever on the various projects I have underway, 2023 felt like a weird and often frustrating year for me and music. About five years ago I set about teaching myself modular systems, experimenting, and recording the results as I went along. This culminated in a new solo guise primarily for electronics and the synthesis of voice and acoustic instruments, MICROCORPS (the debut album Xmit came out on Alter records in 2021). Using these systems is at the same time liberating and incredibly frustrating. For a while this year nothing felt good enough: I could feel the potential of my ideas glimmering in the distance but was unable to catch up with them. I decided to take a short break from the modular, and focused upon compositions for cello, saxophone, and clarinet. But the pull of electronics is never far, so I began processing these recordings, using granular synthesis to stretch, mutate and reorganise the audio into new pieces. As soon as you want more from your practice and yourself, things can become more laborious - it’s difficult to be in the moment and focus on what’s in front of you. I used to be happy with the immediate effects I produced, but I think this is being replaced by a different approach, something more considered, which is exciting and, in some ways, sobering - even if the results are far from what you would describe as sober. I’m also so lucky to have many friends and fellow artists around me to offer help and suggestions, to whom I’m eternally grateful. As R.Crumb says, “Keep on truckin”.

Music I dug this year: Godflesh - Purge (Avalanche Recordings) Rắn Cạp Đuôi - *1 (nhạc_gay) Mun Sing - Inflatable Gravestone (Planet Mu) RS Tangent - When A Worm Wears A Wig (The Trilogy Tapes) Arnold Dreybaltt And The Orchestra Of Excited Strings - Resolve (Drag City) Elvin Brandhi and Lord Spikeheart - Drunken Love (Hakuna Kulala) Mark Fell and Will Guthrie - Infoldings / Diffractions (NAKID) Afrorack - The Afrorack (Hakuna Kulala) Kinn - Dogtooth (First Light Records) General Magic - Nein Aber Ja (GoTo Records)

Live shows: Emptyset - Village Underground Elvin Brandhi - IKLECTIK Mick Harris/FRET – Downwards’ 30th, Centrala Mun Sing, Crys Cole, Penelope Trappes - Boundaries Festival Maxwell Sterling - Cafe OTO Pole - EartH Nik Colk Void - Too many to count! Phew - Cafe OTO Residency Acid Horse Festival Devo - Hammersmith Apollo Kinn - New Cross Road Baptist Church

Comics: In 2023 I produced a new issue of my ongoing oblique and nonlinear comic series, Entity Reunion. For this issue I drew upon my love of HP Lovecraft, using the repetition of the comic format to peel back layers of the everyday to reveal omnipotent entities underlying all reality. The viewpoint of each page is from the point of view of the protagonists, who hold an electronic device, photographing their surroundings only to capture the blurred features of some insidious face. There are also references to Lovecraft’s own fictional grimoire the Necrononmicon. I wanted that dreamlike sensation of being the protagonists of the dream but also viewing yourself as separate entity.

Books: I read nearly all of Patrica Highsmith’s ‘Ripley’ books, a bunch of John Le Carré novels, Mark Kermode’s book on The Exorcist and I’m currently working my way through the spy novelist Eric Ambler’s books. I also re-read Bruce Robinson’s analysis on Jack the Ripper and Victorian society, ‘They All Love Jack’.

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Tom Chiu (composer, Flux Quartet)

2 0 2 3 IN REVIEW

Albums Worth Exploring (including a couple entries from 2022 that I discovered late)

Bar Italia Tracey Denim (Matador)

Blur Ballad Of Darren (Parlophone)

Bush Tetras They Live In My Head (Wharf Cat)

Death Valley Girls Islands In The Sky (Suicide Squeeze)

Dummy Mono Retriever (Sub Pop)

Duster Remote Echoes (Numero Group)

En Attendant Ana Principia (Trouble In Mind)

Everything But the Girl Fuse (Verve)

Horse Lords Comradely Objects (RVNG)

Kelela Raven (Warp)

Lael Neale Star Eaters Delight (Sub Pop)

Lana Del Rey Do You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (Interscope)

Lewsberg Out And About (12XU)

Munya Jardin (Luminelle)

Slowdive Everything Is Alive (Dead Oceans)

Sweeping Promises Good Living Is Coming For You (Sub Pop)

Wednesday Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans)

Yo La Tengo This Stupid World (Matador)

Night at the Movies

Poor Things Past Lives Monster

Recurring Personal FAVES

FAVE Sandwich: Mekelburg's Clinton Hill, Brooklyn

FAVE Burger: Two8Two Bar & Burger, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn

FAVE Craft Beer Brewery Omnipollo (Sweden), brewed at Twelve Percent Beer Project, North Haven, CT

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Pierre Cerrato

Producer - Editor Floyd County Productions (Archer)

Favorite Movies/TV Archer Season 14 The Last of Us Gen V Beef This Fool Season 2 Fargo Season 5 Primo (Amazon Prime Show) The Bear Season 2 Episode Barry Season 4

Favorite Records I listened to a lot of music but these were in constant rotation. Some are from last year but what is time and who cares?

Boris/Uniform - Bright New Disease (2023) Birds in Row - Gris Klein (2022) Fleshwater - We Are Not Here to Be Loved (2022) Asunojokei - Islands (2022) Everything But the Girl - Fuse (2023) Night Owls - Versions (2022)

Honorable mention Boris - Feedbacker (2003) this was my introduction to Boris. This year is the 20 year anniversary of its release. Roberto Carlos Lange shared it with me one day while at work. He said it was something he thought I would like. Blew my mind and I have been a fan ever since.

Favorite Concerts The Cure - State Farm Arena - also saw The Cure at Riot Fest but this was better of the 2. I regret not going to Night 2 in Atlanta because they played Disintegration. H20 - Riot Fest 2023 Set Fleshwater - Riot Fest 2023 Set Future Islands - Shakey Knees 2023 Set The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Shakey Knees 2023 Set Converge / Brutus - The Masquerade Drain / Drug Church - The Masquerade Donny Benet - Terminal West Idles - Re:Set 2023 Set

Favorite Food

MF Sushi - Atlanta - went twice and each time it was a special occasion. Heirloom Market BBQ - Atlanta - best BBQ in my neck of the woods. The Aviary - Chicago - specialty cocktails with spectacular presentation. Cafe Tola - Chicago - best empanadas i've ever had in my life. Selva Negra - Miami - a solid contender for Nica food. Jaguar - Miami - great vibes, service and ceviche! No Hard Feelings - Chatanooga - great cocktails and vibes!

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Zachary Lipez

(editor at large of Creem Magazine, writer, singer of Publicist UK)

Music I made a (very) long list on my wildly popular blog, Abundant Living. But, for kicks and with the understanding that maybe you don’t feel like reading (or subscribing to) my wildly popular blog, here’s some stuff I included and some stuff I forgot (with particular attention paid to albums I think might be of particular interest to JG friends/fans but which may have slipped through the radar) (meaning: I mainly put the stuff that wasn’t on too many other lists). Fatboi Sharif Decay (Backwoodz) Skech185 He Left Nothing for the Swim Back (Backwoodz) Zohra Murder In The Temple (American Dreams) The Native Cats The Way On Is The Way Off (Chapel) Geese 3D Country (Partisan) Gold Dime No More Blue Skies (No-Gold) Algiers Shook (Matador) EXEK The Map and the Territory (Foreign) Skinhead Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt (Closed Casket) Débruit & Alsarah Aljawal الجوال (Soundway) Fairytale Shooting Star (Toxic State) Among The Rocks and Roots Pariah (Cacophonous Revival) Full of Hell, Nothing When No Birds Sang (Closed Casket) Uniform & Boris Bright New Disease (Sacred Bones) Sleaford Mods UK Grim (Rough Trade) Money&King Act Unnaturally (self released) Blu Anxxiety Morbid Now, Morbid Later (Toxic State) Nana Benz du Togo AGO (Komos) Citric Dummies Zen and the Arcade of Beating Your Ass (Feel It) Ghösh Prismassive (Ramp Local) Peasdez Fenomenologia Del Espiritu Agonico: De La Existencia Sordida Al Pendulo De La Nada (SPHC) Upper Wilds Jupiter (Thrill Jockey) Death Valley Girls Islands In The Sky (Suicide Squeeze) Raphael Rogiński Talán Body Void Atrocity Machine (Prosthetic) Feeling Figures Migration Magic (Perennial) Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band Dancing on the Edge (Sophomore Lounge) Nosaj from New Kingdom & steel tipped dove House of Disorder (Fused Arrow Records) mclusky unpopular parts of a pig / the digger you deep (self released) Advertisement Escorts (Feel It) King Vision Ultra Shook World (hosted by Algiers) (PTP)

Live Shows that Stand Out In My Memory Moor Mother/Armand Hammer/The Caretaker/Raphael Roginski for the Unsound Fest at Lincoln Center (I covered this for The Quietus if yr interested) Sleaford Mods at Coachella (profiled them for CREEM) Lydia Lunch/Zohra at St.Vitus Lydia Lunch Retrovirus last American show ever (?) at TV Eye Various skinhead/nü oï bands at the Monarch/TV Eye etc. with Liberty & Justice being the standout Son Rompe Pera at TV Eye Chisel (the Ted Leo outfit, not the neo-bootboy band with the “the” in their name) at LPR

BOOKS My phone has pretty much eliminated my ability to read. I did read the first 100 pages of more books than I care to admit. I finally finished Mark Andrews’ Paint My Name In Black and Gold: The Rise of the Sisters of Mercy and I recommend it if, like me, you think The Sisters of Mercy are better than the Beatles (or whatever inane comparison annoys your friends the most). I also discovered Gene Wolfe and read the first book in the Book of the New Sun trilogy. Otherwise, it’s pretty much been just using Louise Glück poetry as inspiration to write terrible versions of Louise Glück poetry.

TV Doom Patrol Pokerface Rick and Morty (idc idc idc idc) HasanAbi twitch stream A ludicrous amount of Britbox mysteries and—passively, yes, but not without a fair amount of emotional investment—various Real Housewife shows/spinoffs

Movies Didn’t watch any new movies this year but I did have a lot of youtube videos playing in the background while I did other things, and sometimes those videos would be three hour long screeds about what was wrong with a number of movies I’d never heard of. So I feel like I got the gist.

LIFE Converted to Islam and married Zohra in January. Both choices have proven to be rewarding as all hell. Cashing in my “as a Jew I…” argument card—while simultaneously being too new a Muslim to reasonably claim either special knowledge and/or marginalization status—has really fucked with my ability to be self-righteous online. But the love that Zohra and her family have shown me has more than made up for my newfound inability to really wipe the floor with a motherfucker in the instagram comments. In fact, I liked marrying Zohra so much that I did it again in December (first time was a religious ceremony, the second time was our rendering to Caesar etc). If you know me/us and weren’t invited to either that’s because essentially no one was. As my parents couldn’t attend (on account of being dead) I didn’t really see the point of a big party. That was perhaps selfish. We love you (probably) and will have some sort of to-do in 2024.

Otherwise, I am still very much enjoying working for the new CREEM Magazine (please subscribe) and doing my newsletter (please subscribe). Musically, I lived vicariously through Zohra and the release of her first solo album. Murder In The Temple, with amazing production by Ben Greenberg and contributions by Lydia Lunch, is a synthesis of so many of Zohra’s obsessions. It’s unlike anything in the post-goth-dark-whatever sphere and I can’t express how proud I am of it and her. As for my music, I did some neat-o Scientists-esque stuff with Telematics (Sohrab Habibion, Robert Austin, and Alexis Fleisig) and Zohra and I did a Sheer Terror cover in the style of Tindersticks to commemorate Paul Bearer’s marriage. Also, I’m pretty sure my most successful band (Publicist UK) got dropped by our label (apparently taking eight years to finish a demo is a long time) so get at me if you have a low-to-mid tier label and want to put out an album of eight minute gothic metal songs with zero mosh parts, about an aging hipster loving his wife and cats and missing his dead mom and dad. C’mon, do it. You’d be printing money.

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Jim Siegel

Vivid Oblivion

Records And Other Things I Liked In 2023

Lankum - False Lankum (Rough Trade)

Milford Graves with Arthur Doyle and Hugh Glover - Children Of The Forest (Black Editions Archive)

Nakibembe Embaire Group (Nyege Nyege Tapes)

Henning Christiansen - Mediterranean Music-Water (Holidays)

Alain Goraguer - La Planete Sauvage (Expanded) (Decca)

Phill Niblock - Boston III (Alga Marghen)

Sam McLoughlin & David Chatton Barker - The Heavenly Realms (Folklore Tapes)

Svitlana Nianio & Tom James Scott - Eye Of The Sea (Skire)

Half Mortal - Creature Of Christ (Hospital Productions)

Pharoah Sanders - Pharoah box (Luaka Bop)

Ragnar Johnson & Jessica Mayer - Spirit Cry Flutes And Bamboo Jews Harps From Papua New Guinea (Ideologic Organ)

PJ Harvey - I Inside The Old Year Dying (Partisan)

Jana Winderen - The Blue Beyond (Touch)

Rezzett - Meant Like This (The Trilogy Tapes)

Arsenije Jovanovic - Sailboat Galiola Nuria's Unfinished Logbook (Pentiments)

Only Voices Vol. 1 + 2 (DDS)

Wounded Son - Pain Is All I Have For You (Hospital Productions)

Various - Cease & Resist: Sonic Subversion & Anarcho Punk In The UK 1979-1986 (Optimo Music)

Umeko Ando - Upopo Sanke (Pingipung)

Philip Jeck & Chris Watson - Oxmardyke (Touch)

Lori Vambe - Space-Time Dreamtime: The Four Dimensional Music Of Lori Vambe (Strut)

Mozart Estate - Pop-Up! Ker-Ching! And The Possibilities Of Modern Shopping (West Midlands)

Sandwell District - Feed Forward box (The Point Of Departure)

Japan Blues - Japan Blues Meets The Dengie Hundred (DDS)

Various - A Web Of Braided Willow - The Folklore Of The Wickerman (Folklore Tapes)

Surgeon - Crash Recoil (Tresor)

Mark Glynne And Bart Zwier - Home Comfort (La Scie Doree)

Ariel Kalma - French Archives Vol. III 1964-89 (Black Sweat)

Marginal Consort - 06 06 16 (St Elisabeth Kirche, Berlin) (901 Editions)

Brendan Perry - Eye Of The Hunter / Live At The I.C.A (4AD)

The Complete Obscure Records Collection box (Dialogo)

Various - Avant Garde 21xCD Box (Deutsche Grammophon)

Bill Nace Live at Public Records, December 2023

The Elephant 6 Recording Co. Documentary

Squaring The Circle - The Story Of Hipgnosis

Shame And Dignity with Stanley Schtinter and Sukhdev Sandhu at UnionDocs, NY November 2023

Godland, dir. Hlynur Palmason

Wawa Pretzel w/ Melted Cheese (Sandwich)

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Simon Karis

(CEO of Nice Music, recording artist)

Okay so fave releases of 2023

Absurd Cosmos Late Nite 'These Magic Clothes Don't Play Themselves' (Reseach Laboratories) Actress 'LXXXVIII' (Ninja Tune) Armand Hammer 'We Buy Diabetic Test Strips' (Fat Possum) Danny Brown 'Quaranta' (Warp) De-Bons-En-Pierre 'Card Short Of A Full Deck' (Dark Entries) Evian Christ 'Revanchist' (Warp) Eyes Of The Amaryllis 'Perceptible To Everyone' (Horn Of Plenty) Francis Plagne 'Into Closed Air' (Bison) Francis Plagne 'Udge' (Horn Of Plenty) Giuseppe Ielasi 'Down On Darkened Meetings' (Black Truffle) HHOST 'Windswept Italics' (Altered States Tapes) HHOST 'Veil' (Snail Editions) JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown 'Scaring The Hoes' (no label) Kassell Jaeger 'Shifted In Dreams' (Shelter Press) Khanate 'To Be Cruel' (Sacred Bones) Klein 'Doubt'/'Normani's Torment'/'STORM' (no label) L'Rain 'I Killed Your Dog' (Mexican Summer) Land's Air 'Land's Air' (Tone List) Locust 'The First Cause' (Mysteries Of The Deep) Low Flung 'The Wheel' (Snail Editions) Matt Harkin 'The Door Knocker' (no label) Nick Ashwood 'Inside The Body Of A Wave' (no label) Nuno Loureiro 'Lua Onus' (Super Pang) Patten 'Mirage FM' (555-5555) Pissed Jeans 'No Convenient Apocalypse' (Sub Pop) Princess Nokia 'I Love You But This Is Goodbye' (Arista) Red Wine & Sugar 'Turkish Coffee & Twice Baked Potatoes' (Chocolate Monk) Rezzett 'Meant Like This' (The Trilogy Tapes) Richard Youngs 'Modern Sorrow' (Black Truffle) Rory J S 'P' (no label) Rrose 'Please Touch' (Eaux) Solo Andata 'Slip Casting' (12k) WPH 'III' (no label) 100 Gecs '10,000 Gecs' (Dog Show/Atlantic)

fave back catalogue listens that made sense in 2023 Armand Hammer & The Alchemist 'Haram' (Backwoodz Studioz) Beherit 'H418ov21.C' (Spinefarm) Bernard Parmegiani 'De Natura Sonorum' (INA-GRM) Bowery Electric 'Beat' (Kranky) Charalambides 'Exile' (Kranky) Def Leppard 'Hysteria' (Mercury) Elastica 'Elastica' (Deceptive/Geffen) Elucid 'I Told Bessie' (Backwoodz Studioz) Emptyset 'Demiurge' (Subtext) Emptyset 'Recur' (Raster-Noton) Hematic Sunsets 'Musik Aus Dem Aroma Club' (Klang Der Festung) Joey Beltram 'Classics' (R&S) Ka 'Languish Arts' (Iron Works) Kim Cascone 'Cathodeflower' (Ritornell) The Kinks 'Lola Vs Powerman And The Moneygoround Part One' (Reprise/Pye) Kreator 'Terrible Certainty' (Noise International) Lol Coxhill & Morgan Fisher 'Slow Music' (Pipe/Aguirre) Low 'Hey What' (Sub Pop) Marsfield 'The Towering Sky' (Faraway Press) Massive Attack 'Mezzanine' (Virgin) Matt Harkin 'Sanctuary 1, 2015-2016' (Hobbies Galore) Maurizio Bianchi 'Endometrio' (no label/Dais) Moodymann 'Mahogany Brown' (Peacefrog) Moor Mother & billy woods 'Brass' (Backwoodz Studioz) Nearly God 'Nearly God' (4th & Broadway) Nightcrawlers '2031 AD' (no label) Richard Youngs 'Beyond The Valley Of The Ultrahits' (Sonic Oyster) Rita Revell 'I Had A Very Bad Time!' (Happy Endin') Roc Marciano 'Reloaded' (Decon) Seine Trance-Parenz Fredi Alberti 'Klaenge Aus Dem Engelsraum (Die Verdunklung Der Sonne Und Des Mondes)' (Scribble Art) Simbiosi 'Elements' (Werkdiscs) Suede 'Dog Man Star' (Nude) Valerio Tricoli 'Say Goodbye To The Wind' (Shelter Press) 100 Gecs '1000 Gecs' (Dog Show)

fave melbourne/naarm restaurants in 2023

Khabbay (Indian/Pakistani, Carlton) Laksa Village (Malaysian/Chinese, Donvale) Cinger Biang Biang (Dolan/Uyghur/Chinese, Carlton) Lim Kopi (Malaysian, Naarm/Melbourne CBD) Raya (South East Asian desserts, Naarm/Melbourne CBD) Taste Hunan (Hunan/Sichuan/Chinese, Naarm/Melbourne, CBD) Laksa House (Malaysian, Naarm/Melbourne, CBD)

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Brendon Randall-Myers

(composer, Scarcity, Marateck, Glenn Branca Ensemble)

If 2022 was the Return of the Show and the Return of Travel, 2023 was about Building Stability (i.e. making my teaching studio a primary income source), Hunkering Down to Finish Two Albums, and Re-Learning How to Be a Human Being. I also played a bunch of cool shows with Dither (collabs w/ Carla Kilhlstedt, Lee Ranaldo/Brian Chase, Amirtha Kidambi, AJ Santillan, and Laurie Spiegel; playing Electric Counterpoint on GFA), a couple fun Scarcity shows (playing with Liturgy, improvising on graphic scores by Anthony Hawley) and did some performances with Whimbrels and Contemporaneous.

These were albums I enjoyed (incessantly) at some point during 2023 that were mostly - but not exclusively - also released in 2023.

Agriculture - Agriculture Armand Hammer - We Buy Diabetic Test Strips Arnold Dreyblatt - Resolve Big Brave - Nature Morte Blackbraid - Blackbraid II Bummer - Dead Horse Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You goat (JP) - Joy in Fear Goldfeather - Change JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - SCARING THE HOES Jute Gyte - Unus Mundus Patet KEN Mode - VOID Killing Joke - Night Time Krallice - Mass Cathexis 2 - The Kinetic Infinite Model/Actriz - Dogsbody Modern Nature - How to Live Nabihah Iqbal - Dreamer Neil Young - Greatest Hits Oren Ambarchi - Shebang Pink Pantheress - Heaven knows The Prodigy - The Fat of the Land Rid Of Me - Traveling Slowspin - Talisman Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream Swans - The Beggar Trauma Bond - Winter’s Light Tristan Kasten-Krause and Jessica Pavone - Images of One Victory Over the Sun - Dance You Monster To My Soft Song! Yaeji - With A Hammer

Here were some shows I attended:

Wolf Eyes + Raven Chacon @Union Pool Liturgy @TV Eye Gamelan Dharma Swara, Ridgewood Presbyterian Church Moor Mother @Merkin Hall Object Collection @The Brick Theater Spectral Wound @Saint Vitus Pyrrhon + Barrsheadahl @Saint Vitus The Smile @Forest Hills Stadium Krallice @Saint Vitus Mediaqueer @Windjammer Sarah Hennies + Tristan Kasten-Krause @Issue Project Room Peter and the Wolf @Guggenheim Model/Actriz @Music Hall of Williamsburg

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Grace Bergere

(songwriter / singer / performer)

This year was full of firsts for me!

Definitely the most musically eventful year of my life to date. I went on my first tour playing bass with my great friends in COP/OUT, supporting Days n' Daze (A band I'd been listening to for years as a young punk kid.) I immediately realized touring is really all I want to do. I also got to tour alongside Subhumans in Cop/Out. Meeting them and getting to know them was mind expanding. They were all kind and humble thoughtful individuals, completely down to earth and engaged with everyone they spoke to. Every night across the midwest they brought the crowd to a cathartic screaming euphoric mess. Working with COP/OUT, whose message is so clear; to be good to each other, question everything even when it means swimming upstream with every bit of strength you have, filled me with hope. Playing on that tour with them, and watching Subhumans every night reminded me the power of music to affect real social change which is something I believed to have been lost in recent years. I met my great friend Jessica Mills on that tour and we still talk all the time.

I also started playing guitar in The Art Gray Noizz Quintet. One of my longtime favorite bands (that my very talented cool boyfriend happens to play bass in.) We went all across the West Coast, landing in Las Vegas. Playing with them has demanded I advance as a guitarist, stepping into Andrea Sicco's shoes. Andrea is a complete beast of a musician and all of his musical projects are awesome. Check out MOVIE MOVIE, his most recent project.

I also joined Crazy And The Brains on second guitar. They’re a super fun high energy punk band. I love being around such positive fun loving musicians and watching them bounce around while I do my best to keep up.

I recently finished recording my album at HOBO SOUND in Hoboken by James Frazee. The time and effort it took over the several years since I started, was at times grueling. But James never stopped caring or checked out. He helped me shape this album into something I am truly proud of, along with Richard Dev Greene, one of the first people to ever believe in my music. I am so grateful to both of them.

I started spending time with Victoria and Kay of Puzzled Panther. They quickly have become two of my best friends. It is so meaningful for me to have found such badass, driven young women to share a dream with. Puzzled Panther is raw and hypnotizing. They have a unique strong hold over their audience and every show of theirs I’ve been to has been fantastic. Victoria has joined me a few times on a song at my shows, and every time I believe has been one of the strongest points in my set.

I Met Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello (the first huge band I ever went to see as a young teenager.) He will be releasing my upcoming single and video for “Come And Go” on his label Casa Gogol Records in early 2024.

I just played the biggest show I’ve ever played with my solo project that plays under my name. We were on a bill with Gogol Bordello and JON SPENCER (Also one of my favorite artists.) Being on that stage standing there in front of more people I’ve ever seen in an audience from that vantage point, I felt like every second of my life was leading to that moment. Each song brought me back to the time in my life when Id written it and it felt very much like watching my life projected in front of me. It was indescribably satisfying to be on that stage. Later, in the audience, I screamed along to Gogol and watched my mom dance to songs she'd heard me blasting through the house as a kid, and felt just as moved by them as I did as a young teenager the first time I saw them.

I am so grateful to be working with Eugene. He is kind and thoughtful in his feedback and hugely supportive of me and my dreams.

I will be playing New Years Eve with the Art Gray Noizz Quintet before Kid Congo Powers and The Pink Monkey Birds !!

This last week I can honestly say, has been the best of my life to date. Like looking out over a valley after climbing for years.

BEST SHOWS

(other than the ones I was lucky enough to play at listed above)

RICHARD DAWSON

I got to see Richard Dawson three whole times!!! it was his first US appearance. He is a completely unique force. I’ve never seen such a captivated crowd. we all cried and screamed along with him.

PIGS X 7

One of those times he was playing with Pigs x7. They quickly became another favorite band of mine despite having severe technical difficulties. it was actually kind of a highlight because their front man just started joking around and had the entire audience laughing along with him and talking for about 10 minutes. I got to see them two other times that went perfectly. What a band..

JON SPENCER AND THE HIT MAKERS

I saw them at TV Eye. I had been able to squeeze myself into the DJ booth for their set. They hammered away into some kind of magical hypnosis that made me feel like I'd taken MDMA. (I had not.) I had to lean against a wall to keep my balance. They played with Licks, a badass 60s garage rock inspired band fronted by my friend Skunk.

LYDIA LUNCH RETROVIRUS

Also driving and hypnotic and loud as hell. I was left with a similar feeling of having been dosed with something at all of their shows…

JOSEPH KECKLER

The first time I saw Joseph perform was at TV eye with Lydia Lunch. He’s completely unique. He writes gorgeous songs that he sings in an incomprehensibly wide range, sometimes in languages that he has invented himself! His seamlessly mixes humor with honest beautiful songwriting.

SONGS I LISTENED TO A BILLION TIMES THIS YEAR.

ART GRAY NOIZZ QUINTET- Lie Come True JOSEPH KECKLER- The Ride JON SPENCER AND THE HIT MAKERS- Death Ray GOGOL BORDELLO- Shot Of Solidaritine PUZZLED PANTHER- Smoke And The Mirrors We Broke PIGSX 7 - Reducer ARCHERS OF LOAF- Banging On a Dead Drum

OLDER HITS THAT WERE NEW TO ME

LAURIE ANDERSON- Poison POISON GIRLS- Fear Of Freedom CULTURE SHOCK- Things To Do CAPTAIN BEEFHEART- Tropical Hot Dog WARREN ZEVON- Desperados Under The Eves MINNIE RIPERTON- Les Fleurs BOBBY GENTRY - Ode To Billy Joe TOWNES VAN ZANDT- Highway Kind

BOOKS

Joseph Keckler- Dragon at the edge of a flat world. Mark Lanegan- Sing Backwards and Weep Miriam Toews- Fight Night

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Marc Urselli

producer / engineer / sound designer

I want to thank JG Thirlwell for inviting me to submit my 2023 Year in Review. I had never done one of these before and it's been a fun challenge to go through my calendar and social media to remember and realize how much I was able to pack into this year! Selecting and writing down all of these things also helped me further grasp and understand how tremendously privileged and lucky I am to be able to do what I love all year around, year after year, and to live my life to the fullest and according to my own wishes and my own design. I don't take this lightly and I don't take it for granted. I am very aware that it comes from hard work, limitless passion and unweavery dedication, not just luck and good fortune, but nevertheless I am grateful every single day for this life and for being healthy, being able to do all of this, and for all the people in my path who trust me, inspire me, support me, challenge me, and enlighten me!

STUDIO SESSIONS, ALBUMS & PRODUCTIONS When compiling this list, it really dawned on me how fortunate I am to be working with such incredible talents and how priviledged I am to be able to witness, participate and contribute to the creation of exceptional works such as the following:

Producing, Recording & Mixing sessions with David J of Bauhaus, Norwegian artist Ihsahn (of Emperor) & Toby Driver (of Kyao Dot), John Stanier (of Battles), Brian Chase (of Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Restless Spirit, Vicki Peterson (of the Bangles), John Cowsill (of the Cowsill Family and The Beach Boys touring band) and many others for my new RAMONES tribute album to come out next year on Magnetic Eye records

Producing, Recording and Mixing a cover of Soundgarden's song "4th of July" with my doom metal / throat singing project SteppenDoom for the Magnetic Eye album "Soundgarden (Redux) and featuring Matt Cameron of Soundgarden themselves on drums

seeing the release of Brian Carpenter's "Ghost Train Orchestra & Kronos Quartet - The Music of Moondog" album featuring Kronos Quartet (which I recorded at EastSide Sound) and many other amazing guest artists

Producing, Recording, Mixing, and Mastering a live album by Brazilian artists Zé Ibarra, Dora Morelenbaum and Julia Mestre of Bala Desejo for Glasshaus Presents & Tower Records

Mixing new albums by Glenn Max Vanderwolf (produced by Dennis Martin), by Bloodmist (Toby Driver, Mario Diaz De Leon, Jeremiah Cymermann), and by Ikue Mori & Zeena Parkins at EastSide Sound fully utilizing the analog console and the analog outboard gear (something nowadays is more and more rare)

Recording & Mixing 6 new albums by John Zorn this year alone, which brings my total JZ count to over 120 albums, and which as of this year can finally be heard on streaming platforms as well!

Recording and Producing a new album by Marco Cappelli's Italian-inspired band IDR at EastSide Sound in NYC and then going to Rome, Italy to overdub trombone and vocals with famed contemporary Neapolitan singer Raiz

Producing, Recording, Mixing, and Mastering 2 new albums by incognito jazz / blues artist Russell Orr with legendary Brian Marsella & Brian Mitchell on keys, respectively

Recording, Mixing, and Mastering two new albums by Jessica Pavone and her trio

Producing, Recording, Mixing and Mastering a "We Are the World"-type track for NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs with a song composed by Captain Beefheart / Jeff Buckley's guitarist Gary Lucas and 10 other musicians from various parts of the world playing their local instruments and singing in their mother's tongue

Recording and Mixing the new album by Italian singer/songwriter Beppe Voltarelli, produced by Simone Giuliani, which took second place in Italy's Premio Tenco

Recording a new film score by composer Billy Martin (of Medeski, Martin & Wood) and arranged by Simon Hanes (of Tredici Bacci)

Producing, Recording, Mixing, and Mastering contemporary classical music sessions commissioned by Miller Theater and Columbia University with artists such as Laura Barger & Julia Den Boer, Miguel Zenon, Matt Mitchell & Miles Okazaki, Russell Greenberg & Vicky Chow

Recording new albums by contemporary classical/jazz musicians such as Miles Okazaki, Brian Drye, Anna Webber & Matt Mitchell and others Recording new albums by amazing Latin Jazz artists such as Gili Lopes, Homan Alvarez, Rodrigo Recabarren, Benjamin Furman

seeing the HBO release of John Lurie’s “Painting with John” new season where all the music was recorded & mixed by me and seeing my face briefly on TV

recording in an old church in Italy with Adriano Viterbini and Vincenzo Vasi for a project that will come out sometimes next year hopefully

SOUND DESIGN GIGS & LIVE SOUND MIXING GIGS Similarly to the list above, I am eternally greatful for the fact that all these wonderfully talented people trust me with designing, mixing and amplifying their sound so that the rest of the world can truly and fully experience their art in the most complete, sonically articulated, detailed and full spectrum way there is! Some of these highlights include:

Mixing a 90-piece orchestra + 90-piece choir playing the score to Stanley Kubrick "2001: A Space Odyssey" live-to-picture conducted by Brad Lubman in the Auditorio Nacional of Mexico City to a sold-out crowd of 10'000 people

Mixing the Grammy Award Premiere Ceremony in Los Angeles and being there to amplify and mix the immensely talented house band led by Cheche Alara and the performances by musicians such as Samara Joy, Anoushka Shankar, Arooj Aftab and more…

Mixing the Robbie Robertson tribute concert & memorial organized by Martin Scorsese at Village Studios in Los Angeles with artists such as Jackson Browne, Jason Isbell, Rocco DeLuca, Citizen Cope, Angela McCluskey, Blake Mills and Jim Keltner

Mixing the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony concert at the White House with artists such as Dionne Warwick, Samara Joy, Joe Walsh of the Eagles, St. Vincent and others.

Sound Designing and Mixing the world premiere of "Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine" at the DNO Dutch National Opera House in Amsterdam, a beautiful performance/concert/opera directed by Peter Sellars, composed by Tyshawn Sorey and performed by Tyshawn Sorey and ICE International Contemporary Ensemble with soprano Julia Bullock

One of my sound design pieces inspired by Icelandic nature sounds and folklore was presented at the "Le Son 7" Art Gallery in Madrid between the 3rd and the 13th of May 2023, after it was presented the year before in London and will be presented in January 2024 in New York

mixing 12 shows by John Zorn in 2 days at Big Ears Festival in Knoxville TN

mixing more shows by John Zorn to celebrate his 70th birthday in places like Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Miller Theater in New York, Reggio Emilia and Modena in Italy, Philharmonie in Paris, November Music Festival in Den Bosch Netherlands and Mexico City

Mixing Brian Carpenter's Ghost Train Orchestra live at Roulette with special guests David Byrne, Karen Mantler, Joan As Policewoman AND doing so right after I mixed another matinee gig earlier in the day with the New York Choral Society

working sound for the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with musical guests Lizzo and David Byrne

Mixing Claudia Acuna at Lincoln Center

mixing Idina Menzel's performance in Trafalgar Square in London for Gay Pride 2023

playing keys (something I almost never ever do!) for Japanese electronic artist Coppé's first-ever performance in Italy

mixing my first ever K-pop gig in Times Square NY

teaching Mixing Workshops at SAE in Mexico City and MOB Studios in Rome, Italy

RECORDS In no particular order, here are some of my favorite records of 2023 that I was not involved with but I wish I had been ;-)

Anohni and the Johnsons "My Back Was a Bridge for you to Cross"

Lil Yachty "Let's Start Here"

Boygenius "The Record"

Ryuichi Sakamoto "12"

Jaimie Branch "Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((World War))"

Arooj Aftab / Vijay Iyer / Shahzad Ismaily "Love in Exile"

Peter Gabriel "I/O"

Hania Rani "Ghosts"

Meshell Ndegeocello "The Omnichord Real Book"

Bill Frisell "Four" - Ambrose Akinmusire, Bill Frisell, Herlin Riley "Owl song"

Porcupine Tree "Closure / Continuation"

Dr. John "The Brightest Smile in Town"

Spencer Zahn "Statues II"

Meshuggah "Chaosphere 25th anniversary 2023 Remastered edition"

Ennio Morricone "Segreto Songbook 1962-1973"

Sin Fang, Kjartan Holm "Angakok"

MUSIC SHOWS It's always hard for me to recount the shows I've seen because I usually see about 300-500 shows every year. LPR (Le Poisson Rouge) definitely shines through as my favorite venue and the one I've visited most often! Here are some of the highlights of 2023:

Spotlights, Imperial Triumphant, Puzzled Panthers at Saint Vitus

"La Splendida", a heavy metal opera by Laurent David & Kilter at Culture Lab LIC

Exotech 3 times, at Public Records, Mark Morris Dance Theater and at LPR

Tredici Bacci at least 2-3 times, one of which at Sultan Room

John Cale at Paradiso, Amsterdam

Plini at Melkweg, Amsterdam

Mary Halvorson Quintet at Bimhuis, Amsterdam

Thurston Moore at OCCII, Amsterdam

Jeff Goldblum at Town Hall

Xylorius White at LPR

Hal Willner's Amarcord tribute concert at Roulette

Snarky Puppy at Beacon Theater

Tim Bernardes at LPR

Groa at Taste of Iceland showcase at Pianos

JG Thirlwell & Mivos Quartet at National Sawdust

Bloodywood at Irving Plaza

Hermeto Pascoal twice, at Pioneer Works and LPR

Sexmob at Fotografiska

Grace Jones at Hammerstein Ballroom

Lisa Fisher at Blue Note

Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry / Blondie, London

Laurie Anderson & SexMob Let X=X at Barbican in London and BAM in Brooklyn - The Cult at MEDIMEX festival in Taranto, Italy - Tom Morello at MEDIMEX festival in Taranto, Italy

Emperor at Kings Theater

Ibrahim Malouff at Drom - Elan Mehler & Dave Douglas at Fotografiska

The Misfits at Prudential Center - Oumou Sangare at Brooklyn Bandshell

Red Fang at Gramercy Theater

The Eagles & Steely Dan at MSG - Tammy Faye Starlight at Joe's Pub

Julian Lage at Village Vanguard - Mdou Moctar at Summerstage

Makaya McCraven at Locus Festival, in Locorotondo Italy

Fatoumata Diawara at Locus Festival, in Locorotondo Italy

Sisters of Mercy at Cinzella Festival, in Grottaglie Italy

SunRa Arkestra at Locus Festival, in Locorotondo Italy

Robert Plant at Locus Festival, in Bari Italy

Mr. Bungle at Terminal 5

Melvins, Boris and all the other amazing bands at Desert Fest at Knockdown Center

Front Line Assembly at LPR

Peter Gabriel at MSG

Empire State Bastard at LPR & St Vitus

Cavalera Conspiracy at Irving Plaza

Swans at Music Hall of Williamsburg - Steven Bernstein w/ Millennial Territory at Dizzy's

Nick Cave & Jonny Greenwood 3 times, twice at Beacon Theater and once at Kings Theater

The Mission at LPR - Titan to Tychons at NuBlu

Dresden Dolls at Bowery Ballroom

Robert Glasper's Art Blakey tribute at Blue Note - Puzzled Panthers at Bowery Electric

Ghost Train Orchestra at Roulette

Arthur Brown in London

The Mongol Khan theater production at the Coliseum in London

8 Bit Big Band at Sony Hall

Bud Spencer Blues Explosion at Monk in Rome Italy

plus all the amazing artists I can't recall individually that I have seen at Winter Jazz Festival, Long Play Festival and Big Ears Festival

BOOKS I am sadly a slow reader and my pile of books on my bedside table is always bigger than the time awake I have when I finally do get to bed, but here are some I have read, or started to read or am planning on starting to read:

Kid Congo Powers "Some New Kind Of Kick"

Nick Cave & Seán O'Hagan "Faith, Hope and Carnage"

Warren Ellis "Nina Simone's Gum"

Rick Rubin "The Creative Act: A Way of Being"

Quincy Jones "12 Notes: On Life and Creativity"

Quincy Trouple "Miles & Me"

MUSEUMS I try to visit museums in every city I go to, whether I am on tour, working, traveling for pleasure or whatever the reason is… Art is my passion, my love and a way of life…

Museu Picasso, Barcelona, Spain

Fundcaio Joan Miró, Barcelona, Spain

The Salvador Dali Theater and Museum, Figueres, Spain

Salvador Dalí House / Fundació Gala, Cadaqués, Port Lligat, Spain

Park Gúell, Barcelona, Spain

Moco Museum, Barcelona, Spain

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

Vermeer Exhibit, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Moco Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Art on Paper, New York

Frieze, New York

Karl Lagerfled "A Line of Beauty", Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Yayoi Kusama "Infinity Mirror Rooms", Tate Modern, London, UK

Frida Kahlo & Diego Riviera House & Studio, Mexico City

Palacio De Bellas Artes, Mexico City

Museo Jumex, Mexico City

Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporanea, Mexico City

Paul Gugelmann "Poetic Machines", Aarau, Switzerland

MOVIES There are soooo many movies I still want to / need to see… I love movies but I prioritize work and live music in my life and I will only watch movies on planes, on (very very) rainy days or those rare times when I don't have a concert on my calendar, so here are a few of those rainy/non-concert films, in no particular order:

Killers of the Flower Moon (for the story, the acting and the soundtrack)

Equalizer 3 (because aside from its Hollywood-ish story and ending, it's a realistic look at how organized crime works in Italy)

Little Richard: I am Everything (for his story, his character, his music and his courage!)

Psychedelicized: The Electric Circus Stroy (for the amazing portrait of a time that's past but that changed NYC forever!)

American Symphony (for the amazing story, talent, spirit and courage of Jon Batiste)

32 Sounds (because my life is about sound…)

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song (because Leonard was an amazing artist and songwriter and singer and so many friends are in this movie)

Oppenheimer (because that history is so complex and so divided as the country in which it took place)

TRAVEL Travel is the richess of life! I travel SO MUCH that I am on a plane AT LEAST once a month and usually it is to an international location… This year was no different, so I've decided to only list 12 trips for this section:

January: Ringing in the year in a medieval tower in Barcelona and spending the first 4 days of the new year trying all the tapas bars, restaurants, food stands this beautiful city has to offer and seing the Sagrada Familia cathedral for the 3rd time in my life

February: Living in Amsterdam for 3 weeks visiting all the musuems, all the music venues and all the while working at the Dutch National Opera with some amazing folks (see list above)

March: Snowboarding the Swiss and the French alps

April: Visiting Knoxville Tennessee for Big Ears (easily the best independent music festival in the US!!!) for the 2nd time in 2 years, and hopefully the beginning of many more visits in the future!

May: Spending time in sunny Los Angeles and plotting a way to spend more time there and make music

June: Visiting London twice in one month to work and see amazing music shows, theater shows and art exhibits

July: coming back from London on July 6th only to realize that strangely there is no travel for the rest of this month! So weird and unusual!

August: Spending the month in Puglia, Southern Italy eating good food, kitesurfing in the Adriatic and Ionium sea, seeing tons of concerts and playing one myself!

September: arriving in Mexico City and getting my very own police escort motorcade to make it in time from the airport to the theater

October: On tour with John Zorn in Italy, France and the Netherlands

November: Flying to Los Angeles with a 36 hour notice for a concert I was hired for in secrecy having been told "we need a mixing engineer who can mix music for a room full of musicians" and showing up for the Robbie Robertson tribute orgnaized by Martin Scorsese with people like Joni Mitchell and Leonardo DiCaprio in attendance

December: DC-to-DF aka flying to Washgington DC to work at the White House and then flying straight to Mexico City I've finished the year with travel to my motherland of Switzerland, my fatherland of Italy and my second home of London UK!

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DJ Food aka Kevin Foakes

Music: Kosmischer Laufer - Volume 5 LP (UCR) Soia, Julien Sénélas, Jérôme Vassereau - In C for 11 Oscillators and 53 Forms LP (unjenesaisquoi) Cate Brooks - Tapeworks DL (Cafe Kaput) Memorials - Music For Film: Tramps! LP (State 51 Conspiracy) King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse… LP (Album of the year) Brian Eno - The Lighthouse radio station (Sonos) (most listened to) Niholoxica - Source of Denial LP (Crammed Discs) SareemOne - Olivine Window Coast Contra - Breathe & Stop Freestyle/Never Freestyle/Scenario Freestyle Move78 - Grains LP Heiroglyphic Being - The Moon Dance LP (Apnea) Raj Pannu - Past Crimes EP 12" (To Pikap Records) Gordon Chapman-Fox - The Nine Travellers LP (Castles In Space Subscription Library)

Gigs / Events: Beyond The Streets exhibition @Saatchi gallery, London Sunroof / Finlay Shakespeare @iklectik, London The Light Surgeons - The Consensual Hallucination @iklectik, London Memorials at the State 51 Summer Psych party @State 51, London FogFest2 @iklectik, London JG Thirlwell & Ensemble @Bush Hall, London Machina Bristronica, Bristol Visiting Peel Acres with Eilon Paz for Dust & Grooves Nihiloxia @the Jazz Cafe, London

Design / Packaging: Yves Malone - A Hello To A Goodbye LP (Castles In Space) Drumetrics - Phuzzle (Drumetrics) Waclaw Zimpel - Train Spotter LP (State 51) David Boulter - Factory 3" CD (Clay Pipe Music) Fluctuosa - Wetware EP 12" (Analogical Force) Fluxus - Orbit & Shine LP (Castles In Space) Floating Points - Birth4000 12" (Ninja Tune) Cate Brooks - Easel Studies LP + badge (Clay Pipe Music) Brian Eno - Top Boy OST CD (Beatink)

Books / Magazines / Comics: Medical Grade Music - Steve Davis & Kavis Torabi (White Rabbit) Doctor Strange - Fall Sunrise - Tradd & Heather Moore (Marvel) Tales To Enlighten - The New Testament - Matt King and James Edward Clark Pop - Milton Glaser (Phaidon) Kevin O'Neill Apex Edition (2000AD) Mark Stafford - Salmonella Smorgasbord (Soaring Penguin Press) Savage Impressions - Bruce Lichen (Independent Project Records) Hexagon Bridge - Richard Blake (Image) Monica - Daniel Clowes (Fantagraphics) Acid Valley - Luke Insect Petrol Head - Rob Williams & Pye Parr (Image) Lawless - Dan Abnett & Phil Winslade (Rebellion) Giant Robot Hellboy - Mignola/Fegredo (Dark Horse) Facelss & The Family - Matt Lesniewski (Oni Press)

Films: Barbie Squaring The Circle : The Story of Hipgnosis

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littlequeenies · 1 month ago

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May Fung Yee Pang (龐鳳儀, 庞凤仪) (born October 24, 1950) is an American former music executive. She worked for John Lennon and Yoko Ono as a personal assistant and production coordinator. When Lennon and Ono separated in 1973, Pang and Lennon began a relationship that lasted more than 18 months. Lennon later referred to this time as his “Lost Weekend”.

Early Years and Education

Pang was born in Manhattan. She is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and grew up in the Spanish Harlem section of New York City with an elder sister and an adopted brother, both of whom were born in China. Pang’s mother owned and operated a laundry business in the area. The Pang family left Spanish Harlem when the tenements where they lived were scheduled to be razed, moving to an apartment near 97th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan.

After graduating from Saint Michael Academy, Pang attended New York City Community College. She aspired to be a model, but modelling agencies reportedly told her she was too “ethnic”.

Pang’s early jobs included being a song-plugger, which meant encouraging artists to record songs written by songwriters. In 1970, she began work in New York as a receptionist at ABKCO Records, Allen Klein’s management office, which at that time represented Apple Records and three former Beatles: Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

Relationship with John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Pang was asked to help Lennon and Ono with their avant-garde film projects, Up Your Legs Forever and Fly, in December 1970.

Pang was then asked to be Lennon and Ono’s secretary and factotum (domestic worker) and gofer (employee who specializes in the delivery of special items to their superior(s)) in New York City and Britain, which led to a permanent position as their personal assistant when the Lennons moved from London to Manhattan in 1971.

Pang coordinated an art exhibition in Syracuse, New York, on October 9, 1971, for Ono’s This Is Not Here art show at the Everson Museum. Ono’s show coincided with Lennon’s 31st birthday, and a party was held at the Hotel Syracuse, which was attended by Ringo Starr, Phil Spector, and Elliot Mintz.

“Lost Weekend”

In mid-1973, Pang was working on the recording of Lennon’s Mind Games album. Lennon and Ono were having marital problems, and Ono suggested to Pang that she become Lennon’s companion. Ono explained that she and Lennon were not getting along, they had been arguing and were growing apart, and that Lennon would start seeing other women. She pointed out that Lennon had said he found Pang sexually attractive. Pang replied that she could never start a relationship with Lennon as he was her employer and married. Ono ignored Pang’s protests and said that she would arrange everything. Ono later confirmed this conversation in an interview.

In October 1973, Lennon and Pang left New York for Los Angeles to promote Mind Games, and decided to stay for a while, living at lawyer Harold Seider’s apartment for a couple of days and then Lou Adler’s house. While there, Lennon was inspired to embark on two recording projects: to make an album of the old rock ‘n’ roll songs that inspired him to become a musician, and to produce another artist. In December 1973, Lennon collaborated with Phil Spector to record the oldies album Rock ‘n’ Roll. Lennon’s drinking and Spector’s erratic behavior (which included his firing a gun in the studio control room) caused the sessions to break down. Then Spector, who claimed to have been in a car accident, took the session tapes and became unreachable.

In March 1974, Lennon began producing Harry Nilsson’s Pussy Cats album, thus named to counter the “bad boy” image the pair had earned in the media with two drinking incidents at the Troubadour. The first was when Lennon placed a Kotex on his forehead and scuffled with a waitress at a concert given by Ann Peebles, who had released “I Can’t Stand the Rain”, one of Lennon’s current favorite records; and the second, two weeks later when Lennon and Nilsson were ejected from the same club after heckling the Smothers Brothers. Lennon thought it would be a good idea for the musicians to live under one roof to ensure they would get to the studio on time, so Pang rented a beach house in Santa Monica for her, Lennon, Nilsson, Ringo Starr and Keith Moon to live. At this time, Pang encouraged Lennon to reach out to family and friends. He and Paul McCartney mended fences and played together for the first and only time after the breakup of the Beatles. Pang also arranged for Julian Lennon to visit his father for the first time in almost four years.

Julian began to see his father more regularly. Lennon bought Julian a Gibson Les Paul copy guitar and a drum machine for Christmas in 1973, and encouraged Julian’s interest in music by showing him some chords. “Dad and I got on a great deal better then,” recalls Julian. “We had a lot of fun, laughed a lot and had a great time in general when he was with May Pang. My memories of that time with Dad and May are very clear—they were the happiest time I can remember with them” The cover of Julian’s seventh album, Jude, features a childhood photo of him taken by Pang.

In June 1974, Lennon and Pang returned to live in Manhattan. Lennon stopped drinking and concentrated on recording. Lennon previously had cats while he lived at his Aunt Mimi’s house in Liverpool; he and Pang adopted two cats that they named Major and Minor.

In the early summer, Lennon was working on his Walls and Bridges album when the couple moved into a penthouse apartment at 434 East 52nd Street. On August 23, Lennon and Pang claimed to have seen a UFO from their terrace, which had a panoramic view of Queens. To gain access to the deck, Lennon and Pang had to climb out of their kitchen window. On the night in question, a naked Lennon excitedly called Pang to join him on the deck outside and they both watched a circular object silently floating less than 100 feet away. Lennon called Bob Gruen—Lennon’s “official” photographer—and told him what had happened. Gruen suggested Lennon should call the police, but Lennon laughed it off, saying, “I’m not going to call up the newspaper and say ‘This is John Lennon and I saw a flying saucer last night.’” Gruen called the local police precinct which confirmed that three other people had reported a sighting, and the Daily News wrote that five people had reported a sighting in the same area of New York where Lennon and Pang lived. Lennon references the incident in the song “Nobody Told Me”.

Walls and Bridges rose to the top spot on the album charts. Lennon achieved his only number-one solo US single in his lifetime with “Whatever Gets You thru the Night”. Pang’s is the voice whispering Lennon’s name on “#9 Dream”. “Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)” was written about her. Julian played drums on the album’s last track, “Ya Ya”. While recording Walls and Bridges, Al Coury, vice president of promotion for Capitol Records, got possession of the chaotic Spector session tapes and brought them to New York. Lennon completed his oldies album, which was titled Rock 'n’ Roll, with the same musicians he used on Walls and Bridges. Pang received an RIAA gold record award for her work on Walls and Bridges and continued her work as production coordinator of Lennon’s Rock 'n’ Roll album, where she was credited as “Mother Superior”. Pang also worked on albums by Nilsson, Starr, Elton John and David Bowie.

While visiting Mick Jagger at Andy Warhol’s compound in Montauk, New York, Lennon and Pang saw a Scottish-style cottage for sale close to the Montauk Point Lighthouse. Lennon asked a real estate broker to put in an offer for it in February 1975.

In the same month, Lennon and Pang were also planning on visiting Paul and Linda McCartney in New Orleans, where their band Wings were recording the Venus and Mars album, but Lennon reconciled with Ono the day before the planned visit, after Ono said she had a new cure for Lennon’s smoking habit. After the meeting, he failed to return home or call Pang. When Pang telephoned the next day, Ono told her that Lennon was unavailable because he was exhausted after a hypnotherapy session. Two days later, Lennon reappeared at a joint dental appointment; he was stupefied and confused to such an extent that Pang believed he had been brainwashed. Lennon told Pang he had reconciled with Ono and their relationship was over. Over the coming years, Pang quietly met Lennon a few times but their relationship was never rekindled.

Lennon lamented this period publicly but not in private. Journalist Larry Kane, who befriended Lennon in 1964, wrote a comprehensive biography of Lennon which detailed the “Lost Weekend” period. In the interview with Kane, Lennon explained his feelings about his time with Pang; “You know Larry, I may have been the happiest I’ve ever been… I loved this woman (Pang), I made some beautiful music and I got so fucked up with booze and shit and whatever.”

At the time Lennon had his 18-month relationship with Pang, he was in a period of his life that he later referred to as his “Lost Weekend”, in reference to Charles R. Jackson’s 1944 novel with the same title.

The 1980s and Beyond

After Lennon returned to Ono, Pang started working for United Artists Records and Island Records as a public relations manager, working on albums by Bob Marley and Robert Palmer.

Pang published her memoir Loving John in 1983. The original 500-page book focused mainly on Pang’s role on Lennon’s albums and sessions. It was updated and renamed John Lennon: The Lost Weekend and was edited down to 300 pages, concentrating mostly on the sensational aspects of their relationship. It also included postcards that Lennon had written to Pang during his travels throughout the world in the late 1970s. Pang claims that she and Lennon remained lovers until 1977, and stayed in contact until his death.

Pang married record producer Tony Visconti in 1989; the couple divorced in 2000. They had two children, Sebastian and Lara.

Pang remains in touch with some of the people from her time with Lennon, and Paul McCartney invited her to Linda McCartney’s memorial service after she died in 1998. She was an invited guest at The Concert for George in 2002 and remained close to Cynthia Lennon and Lennon’s first son, Julian.

Although having had no contact for 30 years, on October 9, 2006, Pang accidentally met Ono in Iceland, on what would have been Lennon’s 66th birthday. Ono was in Iceland to unveil a sculpture in Reykjavík and was staying in the same hotel.

Pang’s book of photographs Instamatic Karma was published in 2008. Besides the candid personal portraits, the book contains some historically important photographs, such as Lennon signing the official dissolution of the Beatles’ partnership, and one of the last known photographs of Lennon and Paul McCartney together. John’s first wife Cynthia Lennon also provided a back cover endorsement, acknowledging Pang’s role in reuniting Lennon with his estranged first son, Julian.

Around 2010, Pang started her own jewelry business. She designs stainless-steel feng shui jewelry.

Recent Years

Around 2020, Pang started her own jewelry business. She designs stainless-steel feng shui jewelry.

The Tribeca Film Festival announced the 2022 premiere of The Lost Weekend: A Love Story, a 97-minute documentary about Pang’s life and relationship with Lennon, on June 10 via virtual home viewing. The film was produced and directed by Eve Brandstein, Richard Kaufman and Stuart Samuels. The Lost Weekend appeared in theaters internationally for a limited run April 13th and 14th 2023 and became available via streaming and on BluRay in October 2023.

Coinciding with the release of the 2022 documentary, Pang published a collection of her photographs of Lennon which were made available for sale in an touring exhibition called The Lost Weekend: The Photography of May Pang.

Pang still resides in New York City. She volunteers with an animal shelter called Animal Haven in New York and owned a dog that was rescued after Hurricane Katrina. She also co-hosts an Internet talk radio show, Dinner Specials with Cynthia and May Pang, at blogtalkradio.com, with on-air partner Cynthia Neilson.

*CHECK OUR MAY PANG PHOTO ALBUM HOSTED AT GOOGLE PHOTOS*

#May Pang #bio #muse #model #1970s #1980s #author #artist #photographer #producer #jewelry designer #backing vocalist #personal assistant #secretary #google photos #sharing is caring #link #join

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cum-insidepls · 2 years ago

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As pupilas do jogador dilatam quando ele olha pra Harriet. Ela estava ainda mais linda do que na foto. — Lou! Você veio! — A mulher diz animada e deixa um beijo rápido em sua bochecha, bem perto dos lábios.

— Claro que vim, princesa — ele responde ao se levantar e a abraçar novamente, dessa vez arrastando a mão na cintura fina da modelo, gesto que fez Harriet se arrepiar.

Ela prolonga ainda mais o aperto. Não queria deixar os braços de seu amante. Mas como não podia causar alarde no meio da festa, deu apenas mais um

beijo em Louis, dessa vez no pescoço. Aproveitou pra exalar a fragrância de Louis, se deliciando com aquele cheiro que tanto amava. Gostava de pensar que ele havia usado somente para satisfazê-la. — Hm, tá tão cheiroso. Eu adoro esse perfume! — Exclama ao se afastar um pouco de Louis, ficando apenas perto o suficiente pra ouvir sua voz.

— Adora, é? — Louis pergunta com um sussurro, mordendo os lábios ao dar uma boa olhada no corpo da mulher. — Você está uma baita de uma gostosa.

Ainda que fosse acostumada a ser sempre paparicada, Harriet ainda ficou envergonhada com o elogio. Ela cruzou as pernas longas e suas bochechas ficaram ainda mais rubras. — Gostou? — Pergunta ao tentar esconder um sorrisinho bobo. — Eu mesma fiz a meia calça! E o vestido é Calvin Klein. Não é muito chamativo mas achei que ia ficar bom com o batom vermelho. — Diz orgulhosa. Louis sabia o quanto ela amava moda, e ouvia atentamente tudo que ela dizia sobre o assunto, ainda que não entendesse e nem se interesse sobre. Passaria horas vendo seus olhinhos verdes brilharem ao falar de um desfile ou de uma campanha que iria estrelar.

Harriet era uma modelo muito renomada para sua idade. Estava começando a fazer trabalhos grandes, aparecer em capas de revista e pensava até em criar sua própria grife daqui a um tempo. E é claro que Louis morria de orgulho dela. Amava participar, ainda que fosse pouco, daquele mundinho, vê-lá brilhar nas passarelas e estrelar grandes marcas.

Era uma pena que não pudesse dizer que aquela mulher era sua.

— Está perfeita — comenta um tanto tristonho ao lembrar daquele pequeno detalhe. Porém logo o seu sorriso volta. Um sorriso bobo. Sabia exatamente o que estava fazendo, e com quem estava mexendo. — Me diz, se vestiu assim pra mim ou pro corno do seu namorado? — Pergunta num tom provocativo.

Harriet olha para os lados, aflita, verificando se alguém mais tinha ouvido a fala anterior. — Não fala assim, Lou.

— O caralho! — Exclama, um pouco mais alto e bravo do que gostaria. Sabia que não podia ficar com raiva de Harriet pela situação, afinal, ele aceitou estar ali. Aceitou ter apenas parte dela, pois sabia que era melhor que não ter nada. A mulher abaixa a cabeça, olhando para os próprios pés e morde o inferior da boca, formando um biquinho fofo nos lábios. Isso faz com que seu cabelo longo esconda parte de seu rosto, e Louis faz questão de afastar os fios dali e colocar para trás da orelha ornada dela. — Responde minha pergunta, princesa.

— Pra você — ela afirma, olhando fixamente para os olhos azuis do jogador. — Só pra você.

Talvez fosse o tom que Harriet usava pra falar com seu amante, talvez fosse as unhas afiadas arrastando delicadamente no braço dele, ou a forma que os lábios vermelhos se mexiam conforme ela falava que havia se arrumado todinha apenas para ele. Mas uma coisa era certa. Harriet sabia exatamente como deixar Louis louco.

Ela sabia deixar ele hipnotizado, e sem esforço algum. Sabia fazê-lo sentir a extrema necessidade de estar com ela, de de desejá-la, de tocá-la. Mas também conhecia seus limites, e sabia que não ia conseguir se segurar por muito tempo. Já conseguia sentir os biquinhos de seus seios ficando durinhos apenas ao imaginar tudo que queria fazer com Louis quando finalmente tivessem um tempo à sós.

<…>

O quarto era maior do que ele imaginava. Não tinha janelas, apenas uma outra porta que levava ao um banheiro com uma hidromassagem no centro. Havia um sofá espaçoso no cômodo, além de uma penteadeira bagunçada com maquiagem, um cabideiro e cadeiras espalhadas.

Louis se sentou em uma delas e abriu as pernas, descansando a mão em cima do membro adormecido. Jogou a cabeça pra trás, encarando o teto e arrastando levemente a mão ali. Sua mente só pensava em Harriet. No momento que ela passaria por aquela porta, tiraria aquele vestidinho e eles foderiam até alguém pará-los. Seu coração vibrava com ansiedade, e seu corpo respondia da mesma forma.

Ele sorriu de si mesmo. Não estava assim há tanto tempo sem transar, e mesmo assim aquela mulher o fazia sentir como a porra de adolescente na puberdade.

Quando começou a desabotoar sua calça, com os olhos fechados e a boca semi-aberta, ouviu o ranger da porta. Não se deu o trabalho de verificar quem era.

— Começando sem mim, gato? — Uma voz conhecida pergunta.

Segundos depois, Louis escuta o barulho da tranca, e só então olha para Harriet. A mulher estava exatamente como antes, mesmo depois de ter dançado tanto na pista, ainda estava perfeitamente linda, segurando uma taça de champanhe. Ela deixa o vidro em cima da penteadeira e desfila na direção do jogador.

Louis se levanta, ficando cara a cara com a modelo. — Você demorou — aponta, passando delicadamente os dedos pela bochecha maquiada da mulher.

— Então não vamos perder nem mais um segundo — no segundo seguinte, os lábios vermelhos de Harriet estavam nos de Louis, o beijando apaixonadamente. As línguas se arrastavam uma na outra, numa perfeita bagunça. Eles não se importavam com mais nada naquele momento se não em saciar o desejo ardente que sentiam um pelo outro. Seus braços finos se entrelaçavam no pescoço do homem e suas unhas fincavam na pele. Louis era tão sensível ali que se arrepiou de imediato, e correspondeu o estímulo ao arfar contra a boca de Harriet e descer suas mãos até a bunda arrebitada da modelo. Deu um leve tapa antes de apertar forte ali e depois mais um tapa, dessa vez mais forte.

As mãos desceram até a coxa de Harriet e Louis puxou o vestidinho preto pra cima, para que a bunda da mulher ficasse desnuda. Sorriu bobo ao sentir a renda da calcinha, tão pequeno que mal cobria sua bunda direito. Havia secretamente dado essa lingerie pra Harriet no dia do seu aniversário e a peça tinha se tornado sua favorita desde então. Quase sempre que Harriet envia suas fotinhas safadas pra ele, era aquela calcinha que ela usava. Ele ergue o pano, puxando até que ficasse entre as bandas de Harriet, o que arranca um gemido rouco da mulher.

— Eu esqueci de mencionar, também tô usando seu presentinho. — Harriet separa seus lábios pra dizer. Ela se afasta do homem e dá uma giradinha para Louis observar bem a peça vermelha. Era tão pequena, uma calcinha fio-dental que mal cobria a buceta direito. Era possível ver os pelinhos ralos que ela tinha na virillha e parte dos lábios da xotinha. Louis também não deixou de notar o quão molhada estava aquela pecinha tão delicada. Exibia um piercing de estrela no umbigo, que balançava conforme ela se aproximava dele novamente, dessa vez ficando atrás do jogador.

— Puta merda, neném — ele geme com a visão, sentindo o pau ficar cada vez mais endurecido. — Assim você acaba comigo.

— Eu não tô fazendo nada. — Harriet se defende, mas ela mentia. As mãos passeavam pelas costas do amante, passando também por sua cintura, e então pelo membro do jogador. — Ainda.

Louis apenas arfava, com os olhos fechados, aproveitando a sensação de Harriet tocando seu pau por cima da calça enquanto deixava uma trilha de beijos em seu pescoço. — Você tá tão lindo com esse terno — ela sussurra em seu ouvido. Tira delicadamente o paletó do homem e joga a roupa pra longe, se apressando em voltar a tocar o amante. As unhas arranhavam os músculos fortes, protegidos apenas pelo blusão preto. Começou a deixar leves mordidas na nuca de Louis, se segurando pra não dar chupões fortes na pele morena. — Aposto que várias putas ficaram dando em cima de você. Você não deu confiança pra elas, deu, Lou?

Tomlinson está tão hipnotizado com a sensação de ser tocado por Harriet de forma tão sútil e excitante que esqueceu de responder a pergunta. Então, subitamente, os dedos que antes o massageavam delicadamente agora apertavam seu membro com força. — Deu ou não, Louis?

Ele nega freneticamente. Não era mentira que algumas mulheres tentaram ter algo com ele naquele noite, o chamando para dançar ou se tacando pra cima dele. Mas naquele noite, apenas uma pessoa o teria. — Nem por um segundo, princesa — responde ele. — Meus olhos ficaram em você o tempo todo.

Em um movimento rápido, Harriet puxa o pau duro de Louis para fora da cueca. As pernas do jogador se enfraquecem e sua única resposta é gemer alto. Ela deita o queixo no ombro do amante e começa a o masturbar lentamente, arrastando o polegar na fenda da cabecinha, que já começava a vazar um líquido viscoso e transparente. — Você já tá tão duro. — Ela não se prolonga ali, ao invés disso, rodeia o corpo do jogador e novamente fica frente a frente com ele. Louis avança, tentando a beijar, mas ela não permite. Ela abre os botões do blusão, deixando beijos por toda pele que estava a mostra, demorando ainda mais no peitoral. Com a peça completamente aberta, ela arranha levemente o abdômen definido de Louis e arrasta a ponta do dedo na linha de pelos que ia do umbigo até o cós da cueca box enquanto olhava diretamente nos olhos azuis.

Harriet coloca a língua pra fora provocativamente e lambe os lábios de Louis, e sem que ele percebesse, tira do peito um elástico. — Pra você amarrar meu cabelo — ela entrega o elástico para Louis.

— Por quê eu amarraria seu cabelo? — Louis pergunta, confuso, mas pega o elástico mesmo assim. — Ele está lindo assim… oh.

Antes que terminasse a frase, Harriet se ajoelhou no chão, fazendo Louis suspirar instantaneamente. O jogador sabia o que viria agora. Suas mãos vão automaticamente para os cachos da modelo, agarrado o couro cabeludo com força ao que obrigava a mulher a olhar pra ele. Ela o olhava com devoção, e como uma boa cadela, abre a boca, esticando bem a língua perto do pau do jogador. Com a mão livre, ele faz um leve carinho na bochecha dela e depois arrasta o dedo pelos lábios borrados de batom para então cuspir agressivamente em seu rosto. E mais uma vez em sua língua.

Assim, Louis não demora mais um segundo para enfiar seu comprimento rígido na boquinha de Harriet, que aceita tudo de bom grado. — Porra! — Ela começa a chupar com disposição, dando o seu melhor para engolir tudo. Mas era difícil, pois Louis era extremamente grosso. Mesmo assim, ela continuou, ignorando a dor que começava a sentir na mandíbula e no canto dos lábios. — Isso, deixa minha pica toda suja com seu batom de puta — o jogador a incentiva, começando a movimentar o quadril pra frente e pra trás. — É isso que você é, né? Uma vadiazinha que não consegue ficar longe do meu pau. Imagino o que o babaca do seu namorado ia pensar se soubesse que você fica assim tão sedenta quando tá comigo.

Vamo pra mais uma não finalizada amores! Feliz ano novo!

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lisamarie-vee · 5 months ago

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#vintage magazine #interiors #1950s #arnold saks #lou klein #graphic design

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dailyunsolvedmysteries · 1 year ago

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Infamous Poisoning Cases: Solved and Unsolved

In November 2014, a Pennsylvania jury convicted Dr. Robert Ferrante of the April 2013 cyanide murder of his wife, neurologist Autumn Klein. Prosecutors were able to establish that Dr. Ferrante bought cyanide, ostensibly for stem cell experiments related to his research into ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and that he had come up with a plan to kill his wife because she wanted to have another child. He also may have believed she was planning to divorce him. Robert Ferrante was sentenced to life in prison in February 2015.

In April 2003, 16 members of Gustaf Adolph Evangelical Lutheran Church in the small farming community of New Sweden, Maine, fell gravely ill after a meeting where they'd had coffee brewed in an urn. Walter Reid Morrill, age 78, died from the side effects, and 15 other parishioners were seriously ill. Just five days after the fateful meeting, congregation member Daniel Bondeson, age 53, committed suicide. Bondeson killed himself with a rifle. He allegedly left a suicide note that read like a confession to the mass poisoning. The contents of Bondeson's note have never been made public, and the case is still considered unsolved.

He had moved on with life and was reporting for a Missouri radio station when James Keown was arrested for the 2004 antifreeze poisoning of his wife, Julie. The couple was living in Waltham, Massachusetts when Julie died, and that was where Keown went on trial in 2008. In court, jurors learned Keown had crippling debt and wanted the $250,000 payout from Julie's life insurance policy. His solution was a steady diet of antifreeze in her Gatorade.

#unsolved #unsolved mystery #cold cases #poison #poisoned #crime

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wrestlinghistorywithkay · 14 days ago

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The Forgotten Women’s World Champion: The Sandy Parker Story

( Note : I was scrolling through Facebook and the topic of this article was brought to my attention. I wanted to share the story of professional wrestling’s first black womens’ champion. )

We all have watched women such as Jacqueline , Jazz , Sasha Banks/Mercedes Monè, Bianca Belair , Naomi, Jade Cargill , Sonya Deville, Awesome Kong / and Alicia Fox/Vix Crow make history. However, have you heard of a wrestler named Sandy Parker ? If not , here is her story .

Sandy Parker was born on November 1, 1944 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Parker would be raised by her grandmother as her mother couldn’t raise her. Parker would describe herself as a ‘ Tomboy’ when during her childhood due to her love of fighting , tree climbing, and playing baseball. However , her love of fighting would lead her to the having a career in the wrestling business.

Parker became obsessed with professional wrestling when she was a teenager after attending one match . She kept going to the weekly shows , even going as far as Seattle, Washington, to attend shows before a friend of hers suggested that she start training to follow her dream of stepping into the squared circle . Thus , Parker took her friend’s advice and traveled four hours to Michigan to start training . While in Michigan, she trained under Lou Klein , Lucille Dupree , and Mary Jane Mull. In 1969 , at the age of 23, Sandy Parker would make her in ring debut . Therefore , Parker would find herself in South Carolina to train under veteran wrestler , The Fabulous Moolah. Parker would soon leave Moolah’s school due to having personal issues with Moolah about her double standards. Parker , who was Lesbian, stated in a 2008 interview that Moolah didn’t want her going to gay bars and was two-faced. Parker would train under another veteran wrestler , Mildred Burke, after leaving Moolah’s school.

During the early 70s , Parker would form a tag team with Sue Green. They would go on to defeat the team of Toni Rose and Donna Christanello for the NWA Women’s World Tag Team Championships in 1971. Thus, in 1972 , they would lose the championships to Rose and Christanello. Their title change would be unrecognized. Parker would be in a match against her rivals again, but , with Debbie Johnson as her partner . The two would be unsuccessful in their attempt to become the new tag team champions. This match would occur at the Super Bowl of Wrestling.

Parker would start a tour of Japan in the early 1970s where she would make history . Parker would become the first Black woman to become the WWWA World Single Champion in 1973, defeating Miyoko Hoshino. This championship was a part of the All Japan Women’s Wrestling promotion. She would also become an eight time WWWA World Tag Team champion. She would become the NWA United States Women’s Champion and World Tag Team Champion. When she returned from Japan in 1975, she would have a match against Jean Antoine in Oregon. This would be the first women’s wrestling match in 50 years. Parker would also have a cameo in the show , ‘ The Bionic Woman ’. Parker retired in 1986.

In 2022, Parker was hospitalized in Las Vegas , Nevada. She would lose all contact with her family and her friends. Parker’s friend and fellow wrestler , Susan Green , reached out on Facebook to try and find her. However , Greg Oliver , a wrestling reporter , would find out that she would pass away in June of 2022. Her passing would now be coming to light.

My Final Thoughts:

I don’t understand why Sandy’s death is now being brought to those who knew her personally and to the wrestling community. Knowing that she had to deal with a lot of racism and homophobia was just sad. I’m glad that wrestling has become for everyone . We see wrestlers such as Sonya Deville and Nyla Rose who are a part of the LGBT community killing it in the ring. We also see wrestlers such as Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks/Mercedes Monè who made history main eventing Night 1 of WrestleMania 37. I wanted to tell Sandy’s story because I feel like she was forgotten which breaks my heart . Please look her up and learn about her life and career!

I Love All Of You ,

- Kay

#wrestling legend #womenswrestling #vintage wrestling #classic wrestling #national wrestling alliance

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cottoncandythetrashpanda · 2 years ago

Note

Saw you reblog that fanfic writers post so I come with the questions to ask!!!!

1. Share a song that makes you think of [fic title]

2. Do you read/reread your own fics?

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

4. How many WIPs do you have right now?

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write?

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now?

8. What project(s) are you currently working on?

These questions are literally all so good and I wanna send them all but don’t want to overwhelm you too much so starting with this ❤️

=D ahhhh alright let's gO

1. Since you didn't specify a fic I'll just go with one that's on my mind rn- Half N Half! Eine Kleine by Kenshi Yonezu makes me think of this au; the vibes don't. Really match with what I have written and especially what I've released thus far. But earlier on in development it was gonna be a little more melancholy of a fic hehe so the melancholy love/loss song remains associated with it

2. I do! I always reread them before posting for last minute editing, obviously, but I usually come back to them at some point long after that (unless it was Really poorly written lmao). I've never posted about my jjba chatfics on here but they're the ones I reread most often.

3. Well... Honestly it's gotta be those jjba chatfics lol. But if I had to pick one I've actually posted about on Tumblr, it would be Life By The Sea. I may not be in the mcyt fandom anymore but writing that fic just felt good, it was so sweet. If I ever went back and finished one of my old mcyt AUs, it would be that one.

4. Oh god um... ones that I'm actively working on? 5. If we count ones that are just single paragraphs or outlines or ideas or whispers in the back of my mind the number is probably endless.

5. Any of my ideas for interests I've moved on from, sadly and obviously, but besides abandoned fandoms... Well, I've had some fic ideas that I thought about just to get the creative juices flowing that I'd feel uncomfortable putting to paper because they're kinda too dark. Nothing absolutely horrible, I guess, but not the kind of thing I'm really comfortable writing down? Hamlet type shit.

6. Man I actually don't have any right now. When I was really into Jojo I had a few comfort fics and in my mcyt phase I would read and reread a few Silverwing fics though. I just haven't found any yet for my new fandom.

7. God I don't think I could even count them. There's about 3 prominent ones though, there's Meemaw Cassandra AU, there's my Rise/87 crossover, there's the Lou Jitsu x Reader- wait no ignore that last one-

8. Currently I'm working on chapter three of Half n Half, the prologue for Broken Masquerade, Chapter 2 of my Chatfic, a Cassandra-focused more or less canon compliant oneshot, aaaand one of my... non-tumblr friendly projects for an anime I like hehe.

#candy answers #whOo =D thank you!!#long post #if anyone else sends any in ill answer them tomorrow im pretty tired rn

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wren-idkfeather · 7 days ago

Text

They fall out of their bed into the cold, unforgiving concrete of a New York alleyway. They look all over the place frantically, confused, until they meet the eyes of a newly-mutated Splinter.

He shies away, and they know immediately why they were placed there. Even if it wasn't the reason for it, they knew they had to help him as much as they could without doing harm. It took them a lot to speak first, as it always did, but they would smile warmly at him, turning towards him with crisscrossed legs.

"Hey. Would you like some help with those four?" They glance at the turtle tots in his arms. He clutches the chirping, clicking, and squirming turtles closer.

"Who are you? Why are you offering your help?" He narrows his eyes. "You do not know me, do you? Who sent you after me?" They pause, their smile wavering for a moment, taking a deep breath and shaking their head before continuing with another warm smile.

"I haven't ever really had a real name, so... just call me Pink for now. I'm... an oracle of sorts." It wasn't entirely a lie, but the full truth could come later. "I do know you, but nobody sent me after you. I just want to make sure your children's future is at least somewhat better than what I have seen."

He hesitates, looking the teen human over for any lie, any indication that they were mystic as they said. They had short, side-parted hair, bike shorts, no shoes, glasses, and a ripped-up, black Calvin Klein shirt(who was that?) over a lime-green tank tank top. There seemed to be nothing to support their claim.

He studies their face, seemingly genuine- they could still be good at lying, so he would test them. "If that's true... what's my name?"

Pink huffs a nervous laugh. "Which one? You have like, three. These four," they gesture at the chirping turtles in his arms, "know you as Splinter. And dad, obviously, but that could apply to many people, so whatever. Your most recent name was Lou Jitsu, and your first name was... I think Yoshi Hamato? Hamato Yoshi, sorry- I forgot about the order switching thing, sorry." They rub at the back of their neck, smiling awkwardly with another breathy laugh.

It was... certainly something, but not enough for Lou. His mouth forms to a thin line. "Right. Then... how did I end up with these four?" he asks, holding up the three turtles in his arms. Wait, three?

Pink makes an odd noise, reaching quickly for the escaping box turtle. "Going up..." they coo, pulling him closer. He reorients himself in their palm, and Pink can't help but smile at the little one's innocent confusion. Lou feels his hair stand on end, but the fear dampens when Pink only reaches to delicately scratch at the top of the turtle's head.

"Hey, little guy," they coo softly, visibly melting as he chirps and leans into it. They shake their head, turning back to the new father in front of them. "Sorry. They were...

...made artificially by a goat yokai who aimed to make soldiers to defeat a prophesied evil. He got the enemy wrong, and... he won't realize that, not for a long while. But he was successful in creating the turtle-teens to stop this threat." They smile warmly, still looking down at the bundle of cuteness still squirming in their palm. Lou doesn't respond, processing their words with an indescribable but subtle emotion.

The box turtle attempts to climb onto Pink's wrist, which causes them to clasp him in between their hands with a cat-like noise. He chirps and clicks in annoyance. "I know, but you can't, you'll fall off." He attempts again, and they click twice, which he finally understands, sitting back in their palm.

They smile again, giggling as they go to gently pet the top of his head, which he chirps happily at. "I can't stay mad at you, you little cutie..." Lou's eyes widen as he notices the human behind them a moment too late.

Pink clutches the box turtle close as a human yanks them to their feet. "Get away from this poor girl, you foul man!" Pink yanks themselves out of the woman's grip, turning towards her.

"That's my dad, woman!" they snap, thinking of the lie quickly. The woman only seems offended.

"Then he should be turned into the police! No drug addict should be taking care of a teen girl." Pink scoffs, scrunching their nose and baring their unstraightened teeth.

"He got fucked over by capitalism, dumb bitch! Now go before I bite your head off in self-defense!" The woman scoffs, only backing off and leaving once Pink growls at her. Pink huffs, Lou's eyes widening at how easily they went to defend him and his new children.

He pauses, thinking before turning back to Pink with a question. "Pink." They turn back to him. "If... my children really grow into teens, where is it that we live?" Pink hesitates, trying to think of how to say it.

"I... know what it looks like, but not exactly where it is. But you're right, we should go as soon as we can." They uncover the box turtle in their hand, turning so Lou can see him. "I can carry this one and L- this one." They crouch in front of Lou, pointing to the red-eared slider and holding their hand out. Lou barely hesitates before nodding and letting Pink grab the noisy turtle from his arms.

The softshell notices him gone and clicks incessantly, the slider doing the same as Pink realizes their connection has been since mutation. They comfortingly churr to the best of their ability, hoping that by sounds and gestures, they will get across their point to the new mutants.

"You're not being abandoned, you'll be able to see him the entire time. It's okay, you're still together." *Chrrp, chrrr-rr...*

They click a couple more times before getting the point, at which point Pink goes to stand up, shuffling the turtles to the same arm and offering a hand to Lou. He accepts, keeping the snapper and softshell close as he begins to follow the kind human through the alleyway.

They look through the alleyways, out into the streets- they grab a conveniently-placed ladder, turning and looking out onto the oddly-barren streets of New York. They go once they realize the coast is clear, heading to the nearest sewer grate. Lou cringes, following them.

"A sewer?..." Pink nods, lifting it with surprising ease.

"Yes- you would've gone this route, anyway," they explain, setting the ladder to go down it with their free hand. "And even if we're not close to the lair, it's still better to travel underground where no one can see us." They take a deep breath, nervously and slowly turning to head down the ladder first as Lou keeps a lookout for any people or cars.

He follows in silence, letting Pink take the remaining turtles from his arms temporarily so he can close the grate behind them. The snapping turtle tries waddling down the tunnel, but Pink spots him.

"Hey-*Chrrrp-click!*" He turns his head, and Pink points to him, then flaps a free hand towards themselves. "You, stay close. *Clickclick, chrrrp.*" He comes back, leaving Lou confused as he walks over.

"How do you keep doing that?" he asks, taking the softshell in his arms. He moves to the snapper, but Pink lightly stops him.

"If he wants to walk alongside us, let him- it's not hurting him as long we keep him from going too far," they say softly, keeping an eye on the curious older turtle as they grab the ladder. They walk along for a few moments, then Pink hums.

"For your question, you kinda need a mama tone," they start, keeping their gaze on the snapper as they speak. "It's kinda universal across species. It's a mix of that, and speaking their language. Clicks usually mean "hey, pay attention," or "there's something bothering me," so it's got more of a negative connotation. Chirps and churrs have a more positive connotation, so I've been using them interchangeably so the boys know there's no immediate danger." Splinter nods along, a bit surprised at how calm this kid appears to be.

...They travel along in relative silence together, occasionally interrupted with soft clicks from Pink when the oldest turtle strays too far.

...

"So... you know our future." Pink glances at Splinter. "What... what are they named?" Pink smiles.

"I didn't want to interfere with your process," they answer softly. "What do you wanna name them?" Splinter hums, thinking for a moment.

"...you started with an L for this one earlier." He points to the red-eared slider in Pink's arms, and they nod. He pauses, thinking. "...Leonardo, then." Pink smiles, humming and nodding for him to continue.

"...hm. Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael," Splinter decides, pointing to the softshell, box turtle, and snapper in turn. Pink hums.

"Actually, you swapped them."

"What?"

"I'm joking, sorry," they admit with a laugh. "You also name them after colors, if I remember correctly- they end up colorcoded at least, and you've definitely called them by said colors before. You- hey! *Click-ick!*" Raphael turns his head, staying close. "Hold his hand please- he's been going too far too often." Splinter holds out his hand, and they all pause so Raph gets situated, holding onto his father's hand. They continue as before.

"As I was saying, Leo's color is blue, Mikey's orange, Donnie's purple, and Raph's red. That's... actually why I named myself Pink," they admit, looking away. "I thought I might as well try to fit in in some way. Since... I don't know. I think I'm gonna have to stay with you guys, that's all." Splinter blinks in surprise.

"What?" Pink raises an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, "what?" I've been walking around with you guys in the sewers looking for your future lair. Why is it so surprising that I'm staying with you guys?" He shakes his head.

"No no no, I cannot take you in. You must have a family somewhere that cares for you, right?" Pink continues to look away.

"I mean... I did, but you saw the portal I fell out of. I can't go back home anymore."

"But then... how are you taking all of this do easily?" Pink shrugs.

"I'm weird like that- I never really grieved like a normal person. Besides, I figured I was supposed to be here. Be it fate or some powerful being with an intention, I couldn't just do nothing if I knew what would happen to you all."

...

"...what... do you know, then?"

...

"...not... as much as you might think. My vision was given to me a long time ago, and I don't have it with me. But I do know the important things. Oh- like this place!" Pink exclaims, looking around what appears to be a normal sewer system to Splinter. They turn to him, smiling. "The lair should be close by! Follow me."

They head to the nearest place connecting the sides of the tunnels, quickly heading across with the turtles and ladder still clutched in their arms. Leonardo clicks at the distance from Donatello, and Pink pauses sheepishly to wait for Splinter with the remaining two turtles. Raphael clicks and chirps in mild distress.

"*Chrrrp,* I know, we'll rest in just a second- can you pick him up, please?" Splinter nods, crouching and adjusting so he can tiredly scoop up the clicking snapper. Pink continues to lead the way, making sure not to go too fast as they turn the corner and head straight down the tunnel.

Pink giggles, heading into a wide open space, leaving Splinter to blink as the sunlight filters through a grate in the ceiling. He looks around the space in awe- it's not too special, but it's large, and relatively clean.

Pink turns back to face him, smiling. "Welcome, movie star Lou Jitsu, to you and your kids' new lair!" They drop the ladder on the floor, going to sit on the ground with their legs crossed and let Michelangelo and Leonardo explore a small spot of the floor.

"It's not much right now, but it'll be amazing in the future." Splinter sits by them, setting down Raphael and Donatello, who immediately crawls over to happily reunite with his twin. Pink continues to smile at the small bundles of joy, but Splinter spots the tiredness in their eyes.

"Hey- Pink." They turn to him, their smile just barely faltering as he opens his arms to them. They pause, their face going to rest, then turning to a frown as tears well in their eyes. They scoot over, accepting the hug and letting themselves cry softly in Splinter's arms. There's a solemn look on his face, and he holds them closer, accepting that they're now also his to protect.

Leonardo starts to click after a few moments, and Pink turns back to the turtle tots, wiping at their eyes. "*Chrrp? Chrr-rrp?*" He continues clicking, and for once, Pink seems at a loss as to what's wrong. They turn to Raphael, clicking to get his attention.

"Raph. Can you tell me what he needs? Food, sleep?" They pat at their stomach, then turn their head to rest on their hands and close their eyes. They chirp questioningly, nodding to Leonardo. Raphael pauses, then chirps questioningly at Leonardo, who answers with clicks. Raphael pauses again, mimicking Pink and patting his stomach.

Pink huffs a laugh, the both of them surprised at that working. "Thank you, buddy," they coo softly, leaning in to press a kiss to his forehead, and he chirps happily.

"But how are we supposed to feed them?" Splinter asks, and Pink turns to him. "It's not like I can get a job with, well... this whole situation." Pink smiles as he gestures to his face, then they pause.

"I think... maybe to start out with, you might need to go to the surface and steal things for us. That sounds bad, but I'm serious- I'm the only one still human enough between us for a job, like you said."

"I did not-"

"Implied, then. We need to keep my face clean so I can find something to do to ethically take care of the money situation."

"Ethically? How old are you?"

"Fifteen, but they won't know the difference if I say I'm eighteen. I'm pretty much full grown already, and I can excuse anything else as being baby-faced." Leonardo's clicks grow louder, and Pink's expression hardens a bit.

"Look, we can work out the details later. I can take care of the turtles for now, you need to go up there and grab something they can eat."

"But-"

"Splints, do we really have any other options? We can't ask the humans for help. They'll just freak out. And if we go to the Hidden City, who knows who could find us. Just go grab some baby formula, water, and stuff to mix it with for right now. And grab anything else you think we'll need for tonight. Now go!"

Splinter pauses, then nods, standing up and grabbing the ladder before heading towards the tunnel they entered from. Pink sighs, comforting Donatello as he clicks distressedly at his father's absence.

It's gonna be okay... it's gotta be. It has to be. あなたわひとりじゃない. You're not alone, Yoshi. You're not alone, Pink one.

———

Carol O'Neil hums, flipping the page of her book. Kirby O'Neil is nearby, playing with their young daughter April within the kid-friendly library.

"Excuse me, ma'am? I'm really, really sorry to interrupt your reading." Carol looks up from her book, meeting the gaze of a nervous, short-haired, glasses-wearing teen. She reads their employee tag, finding the name "Rose Splinterson," before looking back up. Why are they an employee here at the library?

"Yeah? What did you need, sweetheart?" Carol asks softly, putting a bookmark in her book and closing it in her lap. Rose sighs, looking around a bit.

"It's- I'm so sorry to bother you, ma'am."

"No- honey, you're fine. What's wrong?" Rose hesitates.

"It's just- I've got a situation, and it's gonna sound a bit crazy. Especially because you may or may not be one of the only ones I know of that could help..." Carol raises an eyebrow, reaching towards her bag.

"Well, it's not really crazy, but I've got-"

"Nonono, not that," they interrupt, now seemingly more nervous than ever. "Not that at all. I've- look, I've got some people that need help, and I can't help them alone." Carol's expression hardens.

"Dear, do you need me to call the cops?" she asks, her voice low.

"No- nonono! Just... it's hard to explain without proof of the problem's existence. Do... do you mind just taking a small walk with me to show you? I promise, we'll be right back in here with your husband and kid as soon as possible, it should only take a few minutes."

...Carol pauses. This feels like a scam, but at the same time... there's no indication that this person is lying. A mother always knows, after all. She nods, and Rose sighs in relief, letting her stand up from her chair and sling her bag over her shoulder.

"Thank you so much- I'm on break, this won't take long at all." Carol nods.

"Of course, baby. I just need to tell my husband-"

"Yes, of course, that's fine, I get it. Go ahead, I'll be at the entrance," Rose murmurs, quickly heading to the door. Carol knows she should be... more afraid than she is, but there's something telling her to continue on.

"Kirby, honey?" He looks up as she walks over. "Would you mind keeping your eyes on April for a minute? This sweet girl's asking me for help, and I just can't say no." He nods, smiling and playfully saluting.

"Yes, ma'am! You go on, I've got- wait, where's April?!" He looks around frantically, and Carol smirks, pointing to a giggling April disappearing into the bookshelves. Kirby yelps and heads after her, while Carol affectionately rolls her eyes before heading to the entrance of the building.

Rose is holding their arms, rubbing at them and hopping a bit on their feet. They spot Carol coming over, and they go to hold onto their bag's crossbody strap.

"Again- thank you so much for doing this for me, Mrs. O'Neil." Rose holds open the door for her, and she hesitates but steps out. They follow her, glancing at her before heading to the side of the building. Carol hesitates once more, every bone in her body telling her to turn back. But she continues on.

She gets closer, listening intently for anything dangerous and instead finding... chirps?

She turns the corner, meeting the eyes of a still-nervous Rose. They're standing near what appears to be a homeless man, holding four... odd-looking turtles, who he's quietly shushing.

"Oh... oh, baby..." Carol steps closer. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't take in a man, his daughter, and four turtles.

"This- this is... Yoshi," Rose murmurs, glancing down at the man who pulls back his hood to reveal animalistic ears. Carol's eyes widen. "And... we need help. You can already see, he's- y'know, not human. We found a place to live, we just need help with... almost everything else, really," they murmur.

"These four aren't normal turtles, either." The largest one looks between Rose and Mrs. O'Neil, chirping a question that Rose nods to. He wags his tail, waddling towards her and hugging her leg with another chirp. "They're... essentially the minds of human kids. Well- babies, and that one's kind of a toddler, but... still. I was hoping, maybe- since you're a mom, yourself... you would understand us and could help?"

...Carol looks up from the turtle tot at her feet, looking over the situation again. Why... why did they choose her, out of everyone? Why did this teen trust her in the first place?

...

She couldn't just leave them. She sighs, crouching down and gently resting her hand on the chirping snapper's head. "Of course I'll help you, baby. You are gonna have to explain a couple things, though." Rose chuckles softly.

♡~~——☆——~~♡

I WAS gonna add another section, but this post is already insanely long in my book 😅

so... I made another AU lolololol(that isn't leo-focused for once! people have done this before, but ykyk lolol)

#wrens bs

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