#my decadence too had literary roots

[razorsadness]

We didn’t see heroin as a dead end. Not then, anyway. It was more of a release, of inhibitions and euphoria, an elegant method to strip away everything that came between the ego and the will, allowing us to move through the world unencumbered by emotion and anxiety. Like LSD, it made you feel as if you were reaching a part of yourself that wasn’t immediately accessible. We thought we were far-reaching—intrepid travelers of inner space. We were looking to people like William Burroughs who had trodden that path before us. We were a very well-read bunch. Our decadence had literary roots.

Another figure who was very much on our radar was Harry Crosby, the dissolute bohemian playboy poet and mystic who founded Black Sun Press and published Hemingway, Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, and Edgar Allan Poe, among others. Geoffrey Wolff’s biography of him, Black Sun, had recently come out, and if there was one book on every punk rocker’s bookshelf, that was it. We always used to joke that everyone had a copy, but how many of them had actually read it?

Crosby died aged thirty-one, as part of an apparent suicide pact. Fitzgerald at forty-four, from the effects of chronic alcoholism. This seemed innately glamorous and quixotic to us. To be young, decadent, and reckless, to live fast, die young, leave a beautiful corpse and an undeniable body of work. We were driven by the idea of decadence as its own reward, of attaining nirvana through drugs. Or else falling into an abyss. And most of us, myself included, would have embraced either of those fates, salvation or destruction, wholeheartedly.

—Kid Congo Powers, from Some New Kind of Kick

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Cyd Charisse (The Bandwagon, Brigadoon, Singin’ in the Rain)—LEGS LEGS LEGS I would sell my soul for the legs of Cyd Charisse - she oozed style and glamour and sex appeal!! And she could DANCE! She was dancing next to the greats - Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire but they are never who you're looking at because why would you when you can look at her. I will only sit through too long ballet breaks for her. If there was any woman who you could call sex on legs it was her. These dances are everything to meeee (she comes in at the minute mark) and this dance too of course is iconic. In the words of Fred Astaire 'When you've danced with Cyd Charisse you stay danced with'

Suchitra Sen (Harano Sur, Chaowa Pawa)—Suchitra Sen! She had a 25-year career in Bengali films, and was at the height of popularity for a solid two decades as half of the wildly beloved pair of Uttam-Suchitra, who were practically the entire romantic genre of Bengali films by themselves. She acted in literary adaptations, romantic comedies, (melo)dramas and inspired-by-current-events films. She was the first Indian actress to receive an international award at the Moscow International Film Festival. In 1978, after the release of her last film (a box-office flop) she pulled a Garbo and put herself out of the public eye completely. She made no appearances, gave no interviews, refused awards, all of it. She didn't even show up for her daughter's or grand-daughters' debuts! She was taken for funerary rites in a covered hearse! The glamour! The mystery! That blinding smile!

This is round 2 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Suchitra Sen:

Not to take away from her costars in Devdas (1955), but the great Indian cinematic tradition of Tragic Romantic Yearning would not, I argue, be what it is without Suchitra Sen's performance in that film. I root for things to turn out better for her every time, even though I know how things are going to go.

A Bengali cinema icon. Liked crows (per Gulzar, "It was an astonishing sight. The crows used to pick at the grapes from her hand").

Linked gifset

She once rejected Raj Kapoor's movie offer (one of the most successful actor and director at the time). She was quoted saying, “In men, I don’t look for beauty. I look for intelligence and sharp conversations. I had refused Raj Kapoor’s offer almost immediately. He came to my residence offering a lead role and, as I took my seat, he suddenly sat near my foot and offered me a bouquet of roses while offering the role. I rejected the offer. I did not like his personality. The way he behaved – sitting near my foot – did not befit a man.”

Legendary poet, lyricist, director and writer Gulzaar had this to say about her "Glad that my ‘Sir’—that’s what I call her— got the Dada Saheb Phalke award during her lifetime. Contrary to people’s perceptions, Suchitra Sen is an extremely warm and very very friendly person. I adore and respect her. But she has the right to choose her friends. Surely she’s justified in keeping away from every Tom, Dick and Harry. She’s the only example of such quiet dignity in show-biz. That’s why the media compares her with Great Garbo. Suchitra Sen is my Sir. I’ll explain. During the shooting of Aandhi she started calling me Sir. Everyone in Kolkata calls her Madame. Since I’m her junior I requested her not to call me Sir. But she insisted. (We always converse in Bengali). So I call her Sir and she calls me Sir.”

Linked musical number [won't let me display embedded for some reason]

Cyd:

Photos do not do Cyd Charisse justice, unfortunately, because she is at her hottest while dancing, which she was exquisitely good at. Just go watch her first number in Singin' in the Rain, in that green dress; nothing I could say here will be more convincing that that.

She had amazing legs, and she knew how to use them! You probably know her best from the dream sequence in Singin' In The Rain. She was such a stunning dancer, and all her dance scenes are hard to look away from.

Dancing in the Dark clip:

She's an amazing dancer and my favorite from the period. Here's her and Fred Astaire in the Band Wagon:

I just like a woman who's there to be really incredibly good at dancing.

One of the most talented female dancers in Hollywood history, but what sets her apart from other competitors for that title is that she...umm...well let's be blunt, she was the dancer who put sex into it. The one who said "Hey, you know that A+ leg tone that naturally develops from doing this for a living? Why don't I let people see that? Like at every opportunity?" She reportedly insured her legs for five million dollars after hitting it big, which just goes to show that fame makes you crazy. It should have been ten million.

Arguably the Best female dancer of her time, she supposedly insured her legs for $5 million dollars. Stole the show whenever she had a dance number, even if she went uncredited. Musicals started to go out of fashion so unfortunately she didn't have as many big roles as she should have, but those she did are unforgettable. The Broadway Melody number in Singin' in the Rain - the green dress!

She could pirouette in pointes or tear it up in taps. Fred Astaire called her "beautiful dynamite" and wrote, "That Cyd! When you've danced with her you stay danced with." Gene Kelly partnered with her three times. Her legs were (reportedly) insured for $5 million in 1952 ($57.8 million in 2024 dollars)! Everyone in this poll will be iconic, but for raw physical grace, Cyd is up there with the best.

Legs for days, beautiful dancer in the most iconic scenes of Singin in the Rain. She's glorious. As some guys sung to her in It's Always fair weather, 'baby you knock me out!'

Incredibly, Cyd Charisse only started learning to dance as a rehab exercise to strengthen her body after a childhood bout of polio. She was in high demand as a dance partner, Fred Astaire called her beautiful dynamite and said "When you've danced with her, you stayed danced with". She was one of a few leading ladies to dance with both Astaire and Kelly, declaring them both delicious. Kelly apparently was stronger, while Astaire was more coordinated. She also said her husband would always know who she had been dancing with because Kelly left her bruised, while Astaire didn't leave a mark. She's better known for her dance numbers today, but she was a leading lady in her time! Her Scottish accent in Brigadoon leaves a lot to be desired, but compared to the other actors in the movie, it's almost good. She appeared in The Harvey Girls alongside Judy Garland and Angela Lansbury in her first speaking role, but she really burst onto the scene with Singin' in the Rain and her infamous Broadway Melody Ballet number with Gene Kelly (no one could handle a length of fabric like Cyd Charisse). She was brought in because Debbie Reynolds wasn't really a dancer and Kelly was notoriously a stickler about his Vision. After that she starred opposite Astaire in The Band Wagon, which was a bit of a flop but created some enduringly incredible dance numbers. She went on to star in a number of MGM movies, and was one of the last of the Studio era stars to remain on contract. Since we've got up to 1970, I'm including her opening routine in The Silencers (1966) to show just how long she was making a splash - she's into her 40s here and still a siren:

and of course, the iconic Broadway Melody Ballet -

[ruinofchimera]

People forget or are too young to remember that when Order of the Phoenix first came out, everyone thought Lily was exceptional because she was coming to the defence of some random slimy unpopular kid she didn’t know just because it was the right thing to do. Nobody theorized for a second back in 2003 that they were friends, let alone best friends, because they DIDN’T ACT LIKE IT. She pays no attention to him in that scene because she’s so dialled in to James even at his worst. People theorized that Snape had a distant crush. Obviously JKR wrote it that way in Book 5 to conceal the Snily connection because it needed to be a big mystery reveal in book 7, but that means she needed to make Lily’s behavior - the flicker of amusement and the bantering with James while her friend is assaulted - in the Book 5 scene work retrospectively from a characterization standpoint in The Prince’s Tale. And she makes it work by painting a picture of a shaky friendship that had turned toxic long before the Mudblood incident, and not just because of his Slytherin associations and the threat of the war. He doesn’t understand why she cares about her sister, she puts all the blame on him for them stealing Petunia’s letter. He minimizes the harm Mulciber does, she tells him that he’s supposed to show gratitude to his abuser for drawing the line at murder. We’re not meant to read it as this loving, warm, equal relationship that Snape fucked up in this one moment.

I won’t even bother to hide that your writing hooked me right away. I fervently crave insights from the time when the books were just coming out and people didn’t yet see the whole picture. I find red herring to be a rather delicious literary device, so it’s a pity that I can only imagine how the final twists of the series blew the minds of the audience. Unfortunately, I was still a child at the time, so my brain cells could not yet process the subtleties of the material. Therefore, my judgments were formed after multiple re-readings in adulthood, and by that time, I had been shamelessly robbed of the intrigue.

Many fanon trends take on deeper meaning after you lift the veil of how the material was initially perceived (being misled by the narrator until the very end and all). Taking this into account, it becomes clear where the claims of Lily’s heroism may have come from. Someone in a reblog of my previous post mentioned that even Harry, who held a grudge against Snape, didn’t find the display amusing in the slightest. On the contrary, he was terrified. So even if there was no evidence of Lily and Severus’s friendship to speak of at that time, Lily’s glorification is still dubious to me. But for some people that might be enough to plant the roots of her chivalrous nature.

I see it now. You explained incredibly well why people might have overlooked the red flags in Lily as a friend, given that they didn’t perceive her as more than a mere bystander during the incident. Unfortunately, though, I have very little faith that people still base their opinions on what they read many years ago. I mean, I reread the series just last winter, and I had already forgotten a lot of important details (for example, Lily trying to make Severus feel grateful that James had saved him). And some folk intervene in discussions about Harry Potter when the last time they touched the original material was more than a decade ago? Well, if they seriously rely on their—dare I say—ancient reading, it would be so absurd it would almost be funny. Why am I even surprised? Maybe I’m just jealous of their superior memory.

Whatever. Once again, your meta is a revelation to be reckoned with. I hadn't considered it from this angle before, my critical thinking is almost purring with an enjoyment.

[wihinaphe-makhoche]

5/28 thoughts: why i hate transandentalism

today's ruminations about land access and landback.

i've been listening to this really amazing podcast episode by redefining conservation, part of the the sierra club maine.

part of my work around land access (and landback) is centered around the "re-story-iation" of land, a term coined by botanist robin wall kimmerer. i've been really focused on peeling back the layers of colonialism and how much our relationship to land permeates every aspect of our lives.

as a storyteller, artist, and lover of english classes (especially through high school), its difficult for me not to bring back my thoughts to artistic and writing movements. transandentalism, for those not in the know, was an american literary, philosophical, spiritual, and artistic movement in the 1820s and 1830s. it tended to be especially focused on new england. one of the biggest influences in the movement was henry david thoreau, known for his trip to walden pond in massachusetts, as well as his experiences in the maine woods near mt. katahdin.

while i've often understood it well, being raised unitarian universalist, i've found myself questioning and resenting the movement. something about it has never sat right with me.

both nyalat and lokotah highlight excellent points that have been needling at me for over a decade-- much as today's instagram and tiktok influencers sell the aesthetic of "off the grid" and more "natural" lifestyles, so too did transandentalists preach a lifestyle in seeing the divinity in the natural world. i think its understandable to seek to return to one's perceived roots as industrialization continues to whittle away at one's sanity. but we must ask ourselves who can afford to step away-- it is much easier for the wealthy to seek aesthetic resource extraction when the cities and towns become to "dirty" or "impoverished" for their liking. the natural world to them was-- perhaps is-- "empty" now that the indigenous people had been driven onto reservations, cities, or forcibly disconnected. but whose land are they stepping into? who are they driving out in their search for divinity in the natural world? what privilege does this speak of?

today, accessing a place like acadia national park for a week is $35; not much for some, but as the cost of living continues to hike and wages continue to stagnate, this may still be "too much" for a lot of people, especially those who have been historically financially and socially marginalized. as i wait for my paycheck and college funds to come in (which keep me afloat) and watch my bank account drain (and thus ask myself if i'll be able to afford rent, my car payment, and every other bill), this becomes more poignant. who can afford to experience the natural world? do they realize how much national parks are selling an aesthetic resource, that this is a sculpted landscape?

in a conversation with my mentor earlier today, i expressed the feeling of having land access denied as an elder being stolen. to indigenous people, our relations are not just other humans, but the land and all its inhabitants. as robin wall kimmerer puts it in her book braiding sweetgrass, humans are the younger brothers of all else. the trees, plants, and animals are our older brothers and sisters, our elders, our teachers. in my journey towards reconnection, i've found that returning to culture is in community as much as it is in reconnecting with land. turtle island is and always will be my home. in not being able to access these places, we are not able to connect and speak with our elders.

im glad that people can learn to value the natural world. but i think its worth examining who is able to access it--are they wealthy? white? who lived there before, what was the purpose of the place? what are their concepts of land ownership? who are they preventing access from?

more thoughts later. but what i've been ruminating on today.

what my thoughts have been guided by today:

the "redefining conservation" podcast

braiding sweetgrass

conservation's role in indigenous land-taking

[therecordchanger62279]

HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION

     Records, and cassettes are too expensive. Compact discs are getting harder to find, and the packaging is bare bones, with prices too high for those as well. So, I spent the summer on YouTube listening to a very long list of albums I very much wanted to explore. Some I had heard once and never again. Some I’d only read about. I wanted to further my musical education, expand my horizons, and just hear things that were fresh and new – at least to my ears.

     The whole thing began when I bought Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology when it was released in the Spring. I was so overwhelmed by how good it is that for the next several weeks I immersed myself in her entire catalog. I bought several of the titles on CD, and listened to the remainder as digital downloads. I plan on writing a separate piece about the experience I had listening to her entire catalog in the space of just a few weeks. For now, I can say I understand why she’s the best selling, most beloved artist in the world. I’m only sorry I waited so long to discover why.

     After Taylor, I moved on to another artist who’s been on the scene for more than a decade, and who remains an enigma of sorts to even those who’ve been along for the ride since the beginning. Lana Del Rey, I soon learned, has eight of the best albums anyone has recorded over the past 12 years. Taylor Swift’s albums play like short stories in a literary anthology. Lana Del Rey’s albums are indie films with each song a separate scene. Neither is casual listening. I discovered on the first listen to each that I would need to really invest the time to appreciate the artistry that just overflows from both artists. As I said, more on both soon.

     In the meantime, I began to ask myself which records were still out there that I’d also wanted to hear, but never had? Which albums had I heard just once, and made a note to investigate further, and just never did for one reason or another? And in the process of searching these out, I also discovered several new albums that had slipped out this year completely under my radar that were by artists I’ve followed, and enjoyed for years. The music magazine I was reading wasn’t doing a very good job keeping me informed about these because they were too busy rewriting old stories about bands and artists I’d long ago abandoned, or about whom I already knew what I wanted to know. That’s why I let my subscription expire, and decided to do my own digging.

     One title at a time began to surface, and thanks to the magic of YouTube, I was able to hear all of these titles as often as I wanted. Below is the list with a few comments about what I heard.

Holly & The Italians – Holly Beth Vincent (1982) This is Holly Vincent’s solo album named after the band she’d recorded her debut record with a year earlier. A terrific Pop/Rock record, but almost impossible to find these days.

Home In the Heart of The Beat – Beat Rodeo (1986) One of those bands working the Roots Rock side of the street. It commands big money from online sellers these days. It’s a solid, if unspectacular effort.

Do You Wanna Ride? – Adina Howard (1995) I first heard this in one of the shops I used to frequent, and though it was an R&B/Hip-Hop record (not usually my thing at all), I liked her voice, and a couple of the songs stayed with me. When I searched it out all these years later, I expected it to be long forgotten, but it seems time has enhanced its appeal, and Howard still has a career in the business even though it was 9 years before she followed it with a second album. It holds up well, and I added it to one of my playlists.

Happy Nightmare Baby – Opal (1987) Long out-of-print, Opal was part of the Paisley Underground movement of the early 80s in Los Angeles. Kendra Smith from The Dream Syndicate, and David Roback crafted a sound that eventually evolved into Mazzy Star when Hope Sandoval replaced Smith. It’s dreamy Pop I find irresistible. I also investigated a few tracks – all I could find – from Kendra’s two solo albums, both also long out-of-print, and both quite worth a reissue.

This Is Big Audio Dynamite – Big Audio Dynamite (1985) Mick Jones put this band together after being sacked by The Clash. I have their second LP, 10 Upping Street from 1986. I like this debut, but I think the follow-up more fully realizes their efforts to meld Punk, Dance, Reggae, and Hip-Hop into one big musical melting pot.

The Longest Day (1984) / Boston, Ma. (1985) – The Del Fuegos Sort of an Americana, or Roots Rock Garage band maybe best remembered for a Miller High Life beer commercial. Like Beat Rodeo, both are pretty strong efforts, but there’s nothing spectacular that would’ve helped them sustain a longer career. Still, both albums merit a reissue.

Sheet Music – 10cc (1974) The band’s second album, and the one most highly regarded by critics. I have their debut, and this one is just as good. I’m happy to have finally heard it.

Your Saving Grace / Rock Love / Recall the Beginning…Journey to Eden / Number 5 – SteveMiller Band (1969-1972) These four early albums were missing from my Steve Miller collection. I’d never owned or even heard any of these, but after picking up Children of the Future, their debut, and Brave New World, their third album earlier this year (Sailor – which I’ve had for years - was the second) I thought it was time to catch up. These are all Psychedelic Rock records with a bit of Pop, and a helping of Blues done in Miller’s laid-back affable style. He would make far more commercial records beginning with 1973’s The Joker, but these are all essential to anyone who loves the sounds of San Francisco in the late 60s.

     In an effort to round out my knowledge of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement of the late 70s/early 80s in England, I listened to a half dozen bands and/or records that are considered cornerstones of that movement. Each of the titles listed below had their good points and bad. I didn’t consider any of them to be essential additions to my collection, but I included them all in a playlist of the period, and I can close the book on researching that particular movement now. Angel Witch, Grim Reaper, and Diamond Head were the best of the six.

Angel Witch – Angel Witch (1980)

Lightning To the Nations – Diamond Head (1980)

See You in Hell – Grim Reaper (1983)

Death Penalty – Witchfinder General (1982)

All For One – Raven (1983)

Crusader – Saxon (1984)

Be My Slave – Bitch (1983) The Bitch is Back – Bitch (1987) / Betsy (1989) Bitch was a Los Angeles Heavy Metal band with a sexy lead screamer named Betsy who left to cut a solo album a year after the band’s final LP. She’s still on the road fronting her own band today. These records sound dated today by contemporary standards, but they’re welcome additions to my playlist that chronicles the L.A. Metal scene of that period.

Bent Out of Shape – Rainbow (1983) This is the last Rainbow album I had not heard, and because I’ve always been a fan of both Ritchie Blackmore and Rainbow, I wanted to hear it. It’s not their best album, but if you’re a fan, it’s certainly worth having. I preferred the band with vocalist Joe Lynn Turner rather than Ronnie Dio, but I know that’s a minority opinion. Any record that features Blackmore’s guitar is worth hearing.

Memories Have Faces – The Loons (2024) The latest from San Diego’s premier Garage/Psych band fronted by Ugly Things publisher Mike Stax. This is one of their best records.

Smoke & Fiction – X (2024) A surprise new album from America’s greatest ever Punk band as they embark on their final tour. There are better X albums, but this one is a must for fans.

Ask The Ages – Sonny Sharrock (1991) The final record from the brilliant Jazz guitarist. Great band with Pharoah Sanders, Charnett Moffett, and the legendary Elvin Jones on drums. Bill Laswell produced. I was never able to locate a copy anywhere, but YouTube had it. Great record. If it ever gets a reissue, I’ll pick it up.

Miley Cyrus (20 track career spanning playlist compiled by The Guardian) I only knew of Miley from her Hannah Montana days, and of course I know of the controversy that’s surrounded her since. But I didn’t know the music, and I had no idea where to start. But I found a list on The Guardian website picking her 20 best songs, and that’s where I started. There were four tracks I really loved, and another half-dozen I thought were impressive. The rest weren’t bad by any means, but they weren’t particularly memorable either. I like Miley. I like her strong vocals, and her attitude about controlling her own career, and being who she is. I admire her for breaking free of the Disney graveyard where so many child stars are buried, but she’d have to be more consistent, and develop her songwriting more to keep me interested.

Show Stopper (1983) / Renaissance Man (1984) / Jukebox (1986) – Jamaaladeen Tacuma Tacuma is one of the premier electric bass players of his generation. I heard the first two records here when they were issued, and always intended to add them to my collection. But his label, Gramavision went bust, and I was never able to find them again. He’s putting them out again through Bandcamp, and they’re on YouTube as well. These are excellent albums, and if they’re ever reissued on CD, I’d certainly pick them up.

Steps Ahead (1983) / Modern Times (1984) – Steps Ahead When I was managing an NRM store in the 1980s, I had some musicians working for me who were devoted to Steps Ahead. I heard both of these records in-store quite a few times, and always meant to pick them up. But I waited too long, and they went out of print when the label collapsed. They’re around now as expensive imports, I believe. They still sound good to my ears, and with guys like Mike Manieri, Steve Smith, and Bill Evans in the band, their brand of Jazz Fusion satisfies.

Musicmagic – Return To Forever (1977) The final studio record from the band before they reunited more than a decade later. I never thought their work for Columbia was as good as what they’d done on Polydor, but this one was better than I remembered.

The Verbier Festival Debut Recital 2008 – Yuja Wang (2023) This was released as a download 13 years after the fact. Yuja was the ripe old age of 21 when this was recorded. She was astonishing even then, and has gone on to become the world’s premier pianist – in any genre.

Friends & Strangers – Ronnie Laws (1977) I first heard saxophonist Ronnie Laws when he released his 1976 Fever album. I liked his brand of funky Jazz as well as his tone on the sax. This record, like the other two I’ve heard, is quite good.

The Brecker Brothers (1975) Very highly regarded debut from the Breckers – Michael on sax, and Randy on trumpet. It’s funky, and the playing impeccable. I found it a little slick, and short of great tunes, but it’s worth a listen or two.

Multiplication – Eric Gale (1977) Smooth Jazz from a guitarist who brings a bit of an edge to his work. He’s an excellent player, and I like this one as much as his Ginseng Woman, and Touch of Silk LP’s.

Short N’ Sweet (2024) / E-Mails I Can’t Send (2022) – Sabrina Carpenter I’d never heard of Sabrina Carpenter until I saw a caption on a photo of her with Taylor Swift. She hasn’t got Taylor’s voice or her gift for songwriting, but this is catchy Dance/Pop with hooks everywhere, and attitude to match. I like her use of acoustic guitars on a few tracks. They lend a light, airy, almost Brazilian feel. It’s lightweight, but not aimed at somebody my age. Still, I can understand her popularity. And the newer one is the better of the two.

Back To Black – Amy Winehouse (2006) I figured I was probably the last person on Earth who’d never heard this. I always meant to, but when she died, I figured there was no point. That was a mistake because she was every bit the major talent everyone claimed she was, and in retrospect, it’s easy to feel the loss – even if it is 13 years since she passed.

Hit Me Hard and Soft – Billie Eilish (2024) A simple case of curiosity here. Her appeal is understandable. She obviously connects with her young audience. Her voice is slight, but she’s a good songwriter. Her songs are more melodic than most of what you hear these days. I picked this album because she told the press that it was the most like her of any record she’d made so far. I think she’ll be around awhile.

Ectopia – Oregon (1987) Recorded for ECM, Oregon had more of a New Age sound than the Jazz that label is known for. But whatever you call it, it’s an engaging listen.

Cloud Dance – Collin Walcott (1976) A member of Oregon, Walcott cut this album for ECM more than a decade before Ectopia. It’s similar, and a nice companion to that one as well as the three Codona albums on the label that also featured Walcott.

Spellbinder (1966) / Dreams (1968) – Gabor Szabo I’ve been a Santana fan since their 1969 debut record, but I had never heard Gabor Szabo, Carlos Santana’s biggest influence on guitar. These are two of his 60s albums – likely ones Santana knew well. It’s easy to hear what Santana incorporated into his own style, but I think it’s a case of the student surpassing the teacher.

Warm Leatherette – Grace Jones (1980) I’m a fan of Jones’s Nightclubbing album. This one preceded it, and sounds like the template for that one.

Room of One’s Own (1996) / Under the Milky Way Express (2000) – Rachel Z Rachel Z’s music has been difficult to find, and I’ve been looking since she released her excellent Sensual album this past February. The earlier title is her second album, and it’s impressive. Her stuff is melodic, and she’s got a nice touch on the keyboard. The other album is her fourth, and it’s all Wayne Shorter tunes. That one convinced me she’s a major talent. I’d like to see a reissue program for her catalog.

Faces at the BBC (box) (2024) This is 8 CDs worth of BBC archive recordings from the early 70s. I’ve only heard about a CD’s worth so far, but it’s a must if you loved Faces – and who didn’t? Truly one of the great bands of the period.

Out of the Mist (1977) / Illusion (1978) – Illusion I missed this completely first time around. I only discovered it now thanks to one of the YouTube vinyl community channels I follow by the name of Near Wild Heaven. This band was a branch of the Renaissance tree with members of that band leaving after its debut. They gave the name to a new group of musicians, and formed Illusion. The debut is an excellent Progressive Rock record – truly a lost treasure. The self-titled follow-up is almost as good, and I can only think the reason this band failed to make any real impact was because they were late to the party. By 1977 the music world was laser focused on Disco, Punk, and the kind of corporate Rock where all the bands had logos. Progressive Rock was consigned to the dustbin, and its practitioners were outcasts. Of all the records listed here, Out of the Mist is the one I would most like to see given a proper reissue. I might even overpay for it. It’s that good.

The Lost Record (2024) / Bright Lights (2021) / The Deep End (2019) – Susanna Hoffs Her latest along with her two previous releases. Those last two are albums of covers – something she does well, but more important is her knack for picking great, and lesser-known numbers by very talented songwriters. The Lost Record, an album of originals, was resurrected from the ashes of an aborted 1994 session, and it’s the best of the three. But if you like her work, there’s nothing here you won’t enjoy.

Big Science – Laurie Anderson (1982) This got so much press and so many plaudits from critics when it was released more than 40 years ago, that I think I deliberately avoided hearing it. When every critic is on to something none of my friends are talking about, I generally stay away. So, it was sheer curiosity that made me give it some time all these years later. What did I discover? I was right to avoid it all those years ago. There wasn’t a single track on it I ever want to hear again.

Tori Amos (a YouTube hits compilation playlist) Another artist whose popularity, and cult following always puzzled me. I listened to a few things when she was all the rage, and just didn’t get it. But I figured I’d try again, and see if maybe I was wrong. Though I respect her talents at the piano, and she has some nice melodies, the lyrics are often hard to hear because of her mannered vocals that tend to grate after a while. Just not my thing. But I did try.

Viva – Lone Justice (2024) Thirty-eight years have gone by since their last record, and subsequent breakup. But they’re back, intact, though I’m not sure for how long. They sound the same as they always did. But a new LP with just one original, and a mix of covers is puzzling. It almost sounds like a rehearsal just to test the waters to see if they were comfortable. Not a failure by any means, but I think we all expected more. Still, we can hope there’ll be a follow-up that will blow us all away.

At Home – Shocking Blue (1969) A Pop/Psych gem. They were so much more than just “Venus.” I intend to search out the rest of their catalog. They really had some magic.

Strawberry Alarm Clock – Strawberry Alarm Clock (1967) Sounds like the “Summer of Love.” Lightweight, nice melodies, silly lyrics, but if you were there, irresistible nostalgia.

Evolution – Sheryl Crow (2024) First new album by Sheryl I’ve heard since 2005’s Wildflowers which I bought, and sold back. I think the muse deserted her which led to a Christmas album, a collection of covers, a live record – all things artists do when the well runs dry. This new one is solid, but there’s nothing remarkable here, and I wouldn’t expect to return to it.

TexiCali – Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore (2024) A sequel to their last pairing, Downey to Lubbock, and this one is even better. It will probably land in my Top 5 for 2024.

The Border – Willie Nelson (2024) When this began playing, if I hadn't known going in who it was, I never would've guessed it was Willie Nelson. His voice is much rougher, and deeper than when I'd last heard him on record just a few years ago. Of course, as it continued to play, his old voice surfaced now and again, and there was that old guitar, and his phrasing. Once I got comfortable with the changes in his voice, I was able to hear the songs, and this is as fine a set of songs on one Willie album in some time. Recommended.

Across the River of Stars – Beachwood Sparks (2024) If you've never heard their brand of Southern California hippie pop psych, this isn't the place to start. At under thirty minutes, and without anything definitive here, this feels like a minor effort. Fans will want it, but Tarnished Gold, and Desert Skies are more substantial.

MoonDial – Pat Metheny (2024) All acoustic, very quiet Jazz guitar. Metheny describes it as a late night into morning record, and that's accurate. Not many guitarists can do this, and hold your interest for an hour, but Metheny isn't your average guitarist. Recommended.

Driven’ To Drive – Joe Ely (2024) This is essentially the same record Joe Ely has been making his entire career. If you're a fan, there's nothing here you won't enjoy. If you don't know his work, begin with The Best of Joe Ely, and work backwards. If you get hooked, circle back to this one.

Survivor – Vanessa Williams (2024) I only got through the first five tracks of this before I dismissed it. She's still got that voice, but somebody (maybe her) decided to update, and modernize her approach to appeal to a younger audience. But she's working the same side of the street as artists less than half her age, and it isn't likely she'll convert younger fans with this. All she's managed to do is alienate the older ones. I thought of someone like Tony Bennett who courted a younger audience by working with Lady Gaga. But Tony did what he'd always done as if to say, "This is me, and this is what I do. I hope you like it." That's what I wish Vanessa would've done. Stick with what you do best. But do it better, and maybe use younger songwriters, and fresh arrangements if you want a new audience. Disappointing.

Brasil – Lee Ritenour & Dave Grusin (2024) I've been listening to a lot of Brazilian music recently, so the timing on this couldn't be better. Ritenour and Grusin are masters at making records, and this will put you exactly where you want to be - on a beach, with a drink in hand, and a cool breeze blowing across the sand as you watch the sunset.

Safe at Home - The International Submarine Band (1967) Gram Parsons before he joined The Byrds for Sweetheart of the Rodeo. This is very similar to that album - particularly the original version that featured several Parsons vocals that Roger McGuinn replaced when Parsons left the band due to a dispute over shows booked for South Africa. From the evidence here, Parsons already had in mind what he wanted to do with his brand of Country music, and he would fulfill that promise with The Flying Burrito Brothers. Interesting as a curio, and as a blueprint for the Country-Rock house Parsons would build.

     That’s the list so far. What looked to be a dull year musically has suddenly become quite interesting. Stay tuned for more.

[aadmelioraa]

Monday Morning thought - gosh do you ever think of Isildur as a Tolkienesque Prometheus-figure. Like the ring as the fire but also the sapling as the fire and the fucking volcano presence in both narratives.

I'm afraid if I start actually reading these books I'll die a death-induced-by-foaming-at-the-mouth-over-literary-characters.

OOOOH!! I hadn't thought about that exact comparison before but it's interesting because rather than stealing in defiance of divinity, when it comes to the fruit of Nimloth Isildur is sort of stealing…out of devotion to the divine? Or in defiance of a particular demigod, who wanted the tree destroyed? But both his choice and Prometheus' can absolutely be framed as the epitome of human striving, reaching with every bit of strength for better things, providing hope for others at great personal cost...and then when it comes to keeping the ring, 100% is a similar instance of unintended tragic consequences. Also the volcano stuff...yeah, shit.

You got me all worked up about the symbolism angle here, so apologies for what follows. The white tree of Númenor is a direct descendent of Telperion, the elder of two trees of Valinor, whose light is used to create the moon after the tree itself is destroyed by Morgoth…Isildur, servant of the moon, is essentially (as in, by his essence) bound to this living thing, his life and its life are tied up in each other for almost 200 years, and he refuses to let the line of the tree end, it’s like a fucking compulsion for him from the initial instance…there’s something about his unquestioning commitment that makes me insane. Stealing the fruit in the first place is such a batshit crazy thing to do, no one asked him to do it, no one said it had to be done, he just fucking left home in the middle of the night on a suicide mission, he may not have even known why but he knew he had to save a piece of this tree. It's fucking unhinged!! He almost DIES…he should have died!! But then the fruit of the tree takes root, and it lives, and so he lives. And that cycle is repeated, Isildur brings the sapling to Middle-earth and plants it in the city where his family makes their home. Then he saves a sapling of that tree when Sauron attacks them there (I imagine this is nearly as reckless a situation as the first one, but JRRT was short on the details here as with most things from this period). Looking at it from Sauron’s POV, poor little dark lord just can't catch a break, maybe all he really wants is this tree gone and a weird feral king with a very specific gardening fixation refuses to let that happen. Sauron lost his fair form when Númenor went under, but Isildur and his family and this fucking tree make it out, and continue to survive...if I were Sauron I might take that personally too lmao. 

Isildur faces so many defeats and losses between the time he steals the fruit in Númenor and his own death (and the loss of the ring), but he ensures the sapling makes it out every time. The last time he plants it, it's in memory of his brother (I won’t cry about this, I won’t cry about this, I won’t). Then Anárion’s line survives, along with the line of the tree, in Gondor, and they're the stewards who hold off the forces of Mordor for generations while everyone else is off doing their own shit. 

Ultimately, Isildur is someone who is trying to make the right choices all the time, and the worst part is he does make them consistently, even later in his life, based on the information he has access to, only to die alone tragically, knowing most of the people who he loves have died too. He kept the ring as WEREGILD, before anybody comes into my notifications with snark and pj!Elrond memes…I am forever bitter that decision was framed in the movies as anything other than the choice of a broken-hearted man trying to do right by his people and the loved ones he’d lost.

Anyway, I would love to hear if you do read the books, I have been foaming the mouth over these characters for two decades off and on and I'm still going strong...not sure if that's more a recommendation or a warning lol. I got very off topic here, sorry lol. He’s just so [incoherent screaming]

[redshift-starfire]

HOLY FUCKING SHIT THIS IS IT

Yeah no it's been like this for a while. I'm in the slightly older range of gen z and this happened to me too, and I'm still trying to recover

This describes EXACTLY what made me stop reading pretty much entirely. I used to love to read when I was younger and could scarf down a book in under a week, but then I had like 4 lit teachers in a row who did this and now I'm 23 and actively trying to re-learn how to read and appreciate literature

All of this is exactly how I experienced literary analysis at that age. We would read books at a faster pace than I found comfortable (because ADHD) and we would have to scrounge around through the passages to find the "right" details and symbolism. Meanwhile in my head I'm saying "can I just enjoy the book please? I just wanna read and enjoy this book and you're making me do all this made up stuff." None of the symbolism made sense because it was always "x means y" instead of "x has historically been used to communicate y, here's some examples. This story is but one piece of a larger discourse." Even to this day I still have trouble keeping confidence in my own analysis, because my brain still subconsciously believes that there can be only one correct interpretation

I didn't even learn about tropes until I started watching OSP at 19. I'm currently reading my 3rd novel (I only count the ones I read willingly) in over 5 years. The first time I ever read fanfiction that wasn't proofreading for a friend was a couple weeks ago. It's bad

All this is to say that is isn't just a problem with current young people. This is a multigenerational issue that has its roots in the No Child Left Behind era. This is the culmination of decades of shitty education and I'm willing to bet this is also the source of so many people having dogshit media literacy

When you understand that kids and teenagers being salty about literary symbolic analysis comes from a very real place of annoyance and frustration at some teachers for being over-bearing and pretentious in their projecting of symbolism onto every facet of a story but you also understand that literary analysis and critical thinking in regards to symbolism is extremely important and deserves to be not only taught in schools, but actively used by writers when examining their own work to see if they might have used symbolism unintentionally and to make sure that they are using symbolism effectively:

[grandhotelabyss]

Do you think the rise of autofiction is partly to blame for genre fiction being so prelevant and bad in a roundabout way? Like there is the stereotype of "I want to turn of my brain, not read some perverts sex fantasys" - which maybe got popular because there was a push for it:

Well I suspect more that it is a convenient excuse, to hide one's total content with content : If one can reduce everything either into sludge or poison, then bathing in the former may be justifiable, even if the true romantic would still rather swallow the toxins and die with whats left of dignity. IDK, I think I lost the plot of what I tried to ask tbh

Yes, I've had that thought too in the last decade, that autofiction is partially an elite countersignaling strategy against what has so far been a century of Tolkien, Harry Potter, and Marvel. I think there can be good fantasy, and if anything my attitude toward fantasy has softened as the Tolkien/Marvel version, which I didn't even like as a child, has waned. Dune is a better cultural influence. There's also obviously good and great fiction rooted in autobiography. My objection to autofiction was never so much the subject matter as the way this specific 2010s version of the autobiographical deliberately disparaged and demoted literary form and imagination in favor of some new "authenticity" guaranteed by the artlessness of the prose. This was the initial draw of Knausgård: that he did away with artifice and just let his life flow onto the page. As I've pointed out elsewhere, James Wood's review giving Knausgård the stamp of approval for American audiences deliberately contrasted My Struggle with Black Swan Green, an intricately wrought autobiographical novel by a writer better known as a fantasist. It seemed an upscale and comfortable version of what Bolaño had been celebrated for in the 2000s, his race against death to produce a fictional corpus in his final decade. But, while this might have aerated his prose by removing the time available for Flaubertian niceties—and I have no problem with that—it led him to an ever more expansive vision, not an ever narrower one. (I do understand that Knausgård has written highly imaginative novels both before and after My Struggle—I haven't read them—just as I grasp the autobiographical layer of much of Bolaño's work. Both writers are bigger than these categories.) Anyway, novels can be about anything from the writer's own childhood to futuristic life on other planets and written in any style from the most simple to the most complex. A great novel is always a leap in the dark for the writer and a surprise for the reader. I mainly object to trends as trends, because trends discourage writers from leaping and train readers to not even want to be surprised.

[thedavinoparadox]

1. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (1956)

Selenio, 31st December 2023

The first read of this month was a book which I had planned to read for quite a long time now, since I sensed that I would probably identify a lot with the main character. Well, apart from her gender. I, too tend to be a overtly dramatic, decadently melancholic dreamer whose plans always tend to look a little bit flashier and more beautiful than reality. Now that I had to read it for my university class, I finally had a reason to delve deeper into this literary masterpiece.

Emma Bovary, the wife of Charles Bovary, a doctor from the countryside has dreamed about being in love for her whole life. Now that she is married however, she has come to realize that she can’t live the life she has always imagined and thus begins to have affairs while also spending and extraordinary amount of money to adapt the Parisian lifestyle in her country home.

Emma is exactly the kind of morally grey, despicable yet charming type of protagonist I’ve come to love and adore so much. She is also absolutely insane and in many scenes behaves incredibly selfish, while also possessing a kind of intricate allure which made me unwillingly root for her. I found the writing style to be stunning and perfectly reminiscent of the aesthetic obsession which is portrayed. Overall, a wonderful read and the most perfect way to start off December.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 This Bird Has Flown Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❝ I surprised even myself when the notes rang out, clear and bright and free; they seemed to have a life of their own, as if my voice belonged to someone else. I felt a surge of exhilaration, and in my chest, a sensation akin to the flurried beating wings, as of a captive bird that'd been sprung from its cage. ❞

❓ #QOTD What song have you recently been playing on repeat? ❓

🦇 A decade ago, Jane Start had a hit, revamping a song written by world-famous superstar Jonesy into a ballad of her own design. Without Jonesy's spotlight, however, it feels like her musical career has flopped, her sophomore album never getting the praise it rightfully deserved. Now, that song haunts her, reducing her to singing private shows in Las Vegas and toilet paper jingles. When her longtime manager Pippa sends Jane to London to recharge and find inspiration, Jane encounters Tom on the flight; an Oxford professor who immediately steals her focus and heart. Can Jane find inspiration in a new love story, or will she forever remain in Jonesy's shadow?

💜 Susanna Hoffs manages to plop us right into Jane's brain from the start, allowing us to experience both her wit and anxiety firsthand. Between the musical references and Hoffs' poetic prose, each page flows like a love song, taking on its own melody. Be prepared: Jane's voice will stuck in your head like a witty pop anthem. She's all pazzazz and sass (zazz), eager to make a comeback while stepping out from behind a man's dark, long-casting shadow. You can't help but root for Jane to succeed; a character who is realistic in her self-doubts and hesitations. Hoffs brings her music industry insights into many of the messes Jane finds herself in, making each musical moment all the more enthralling.

🦇 It's difficult not to fall in love with Hoffs' prose from the start. Jane's narration is both musical and dizzying, captivating readers with messy emotions (the way the best songs do). However, it's difficult to love a character-driven story when the character is a little maddening. Jane hasn't entirely learned from her past mistakes (though she thinks about them often enough). She rushes to fall in love with a man she barely knows, ignoring so many BLATANT red flags in the process. While her heart follows a quick beat, the story itself drags. The beginning promises prospective growth for both Jane and her career, only to take an unexpected left turn (much like the song she FINALLY finishes), focusing on a messy love story that seems to lack any emotion outside of fear and anxiety. Jane loses herself in a new relationship, turning her into a frustrating character in a story that seems to be going nowhere until the final act. Given that the story focuses on a songwriter AND a novelist, I hoped to see better use of musical and literary references, too (which happens more so at the story's short beginning and end, but not as much in the middle).

🦇 Despite my three star-rating, this debut IS a must-read. Hoffs does a dazzling job of sweeping readers into Jane's mindset (a dizzying one at that). However, I hoped for more of a focus on Jane's music and career (what we get at the very end), especially given the behind-the-scenes insights we could have received from a Bangles co-founder. Recommended especially to all music lovers; to anyone who has found themselves stitched back together by a powerful song.

🎵 Song References 🎧 Literary Debut 🇬🇧 Set in England 🎶 Making a Comeback

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #ThisBirdHasFlown #NetGalley

[aaknopf]

In his prose debut, the poet and professor of literature Joshua Bennett tells the story of the exponential growth of spoken word poetry—of how, he writes, “a specific performance subculture came to be one of the most influential literary genres of our age.” With its roots in the Black Arts movement, spoken word grew out of the dynamic scene at New York’s Nuyorican Poets Cafe, itself the outgrowth of an East Village living-room hangout hosted by the visionary Miguel Algarín in the 1970s; he and other writers of color would gather to share and critique one another’s work, probably not imagining that the highly expressive, tell-your-truth style performance poetry they nourished would go global within a few decades—from Broadway’s Hamilton and Amanda Gorman on the inauguration stage to a robust presence in classrooms, at protests, and on campuses around the world. Joshua, a shy kid who discovered his voice in the heyday of poetry slam competitions, describes his first time out at the Nuyo in the passage below.

Excerpt from SPOKEN WORD:

On a Friday night in November of 2006, my senior year in high school, I put on a royal-blue T-shirt emblazoned with Bob Marley’s face, and a pair of red-and-white Nikes I’d purchased with my Foot Locker employee discount. I boarded the 1 train from 242nd Street after taking the BX9 bus from my childhood home, heading south for Manhattan, to a place called the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Earlier that fall, I qualified for my first city-wide youth poetry slam, which was to be held at the famous East Village bar and global center for spoken word: the most famous poetry slam venue in the world. The only other time I had been to the Village was to purchase my first album, Juelz Santana’s From Me to U, from a record shop not too far from the Cafe. I would keep the record as contraband that year—no hip-hop allowed in the house—letting its sharp cadences and outlandish tales of uptown bravado color the raps I recited to myself in the still moments between studying for English class and writing for the stage, which by November had already become my second job, alongside the gig at Foot Locker. The walk from the D train to the Cafe was an education. All the elements of my surroundings were turned up to ten: each radiant color and irrepressible sound. Bass blasting from the windows of cars, dollar pizza shops packed from wall to wall, rows of sunglasses stacked higher than any passerby. When you got to the part of Avenue C where the Cafe lives, you knew it immediately by the line that stretched all the way down the block (whether we’re talking Wednesday or Friday, it made no difference, I would soon learn), the large black awning and booth that led to the door, and the mural on the wall depicting the famed Nuyorican poet Pedro Pietri. Pietri was sketched in blue and black and surrounded by red bricks on all sides. The mural also featured five faceless figures in hats and trench coats, as if a collective composed entirely of detectives who also happened to be ghosts.

It took about twenty minutes to get to the front of the line, at which point I paid the entrance fee and stepped inside the venue. The first thing I saw was the blast of Technicolor: red and blue and bright yellow where the stage lights hit the back of the room. All the chairs in the venue were aimed toward the back of the space, where there was a bright vermilion rug onstage, and a wireless microphone in a metal stand on top of that. There were paintings all over the walls, and a DJ in the back spinning records in and out of one another at warp speed. The room was bristling, alive. On the night of that first slam, my big sister, Latoya, had just returned home from her senior year of college. She came all the way down from Yonkers to the Lower East Side to see me perform. The host that night was a poet and emcee named Jive Poetic, and the place was packed. As is custom, the DJ played Bell Biv DeVoe’s timeless hit “Poison” right after the judges were chosen and right before the sacrificial poet touched the stage. Thankfully, I didn’t draw the first slot during this particular slam. Generally speaking, no one wants to go first. When that happens, you have to set the tone for the night, and have no idea what kind of work your competitors will bring to the table. Whether you opt for a funny poem or something a bit more politically charged becomes a gut decision, instead of a strategic choice based on audience reaction and the poet who performs right before you. It’s a tough spot to be in.

Ten teenagers signed up for that night’s competition and discerning an early favorite would have been difficult amid such a large field. I did my best to stand out. As a friend’s former mentor used to say, “Your poem starts before you touch the stage”—by which she meant that the process of communicating who you are, what you are about, begins the moment the audience first sees you, before you have even opened your mouth. It may have been my first time performing at the Nuyorican, but I was familiar with the lore. I knew that when the poetry resonated, it got wild in there: people yelling, banging on tables, laughing so loudly that you could barely hear the poet. Likewise, you could just as easily tell when the crowd wasn’t into it, and that was my worst fear— not rejection so much as indifference. The point of slam is not simply to be heard. You want to be engaged, encountered, unforgettable.

The poem I performed that night was the first one I had ever written for the stage: “The Talented Tenth.” As its title suggests, it was a meditation on W. E. B. Du Bois’s theory of racial uplift (a theory, it bears mentioning, he would eventually retract). The ideas that would become “Talented Tenth” were shaped during the two-hour commute from my parents’ house to my private high school in Rye, and then back again each day. For all four years of high school, I would wake up at five a.m. and speed down the block with my laptop and books in my backpack while just about everyone else in the neighborhood, my family included, was still asleep. On those walks, I would think at length about what it meant to have been selected for this opportunity. I knew that my friends, family, and classmates from childhood all would have benefited greatly from the sort of educational resources I now had access to. Until I discovered slam, I was never able to put that feeling into words, and wrestle with what it meant to me, and for how I should live my life. Though I was exposed to poetry at home—Toya kept a copy of Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman” taped to her bedroom door—the spoken word poets who entered my life my senior year, once I started going to slams, had an energy to their work that felt altogether new. For one thing, the vast majority of the poets I met around that time were my age. They used profanity unabashedly (to my mother’s chagrin), they talked about teenage angst, structural inequality, and global revolution in evocative ways, often addressing all these subjects in the span of a single poem. I knew from the very beginning that I had found my people—and my calling.

Jive Poetic called out my name, and I walked up to the microphone to mild applause and the discernible voice of my sister yelling “Let’s go, Josh!” from the front row. I took a moment to survey the crowd, closed my eyes, and tried to reimagine the scenes that brought me to this moment. The venue was packed to the brim that night. The stage lights shone so brightly I could barely see beyond the front row. The poem began:

I am a member of the Talented Tenth W. E. B. Du Bois’s theory in the flesh The cream of the crop the best of the best or at least that’s what I’m told by my standardized tests . . .

The poem clocked in at a little under three minutes, in accordance with the slam rules I had memorized well in advance. It reckoned with my experience of double-consciousness not only as someone who is both black and American—what Du Bois describes as “two warring ideals in one dark body”—but as a child of working people who attended an elite, predominately white high school. It then moved to a much larger narrative about racial discrimination and injustice, detailing the history of segregation, lynching, and structural poverty that I had learned from my parents over the years. Like so many spoken-word performances, “Talented Tenth” was a combination of autobiography and social critique. It was my attempt to hold a mirror up to myself and my surroundings at the same time, to invite everyone within earshot to hear my story and to see a piece of themselves in it. The performance went over well, and I was awarded a near-perfect score by the judges. Ultimately, I was selected as one of the winners of that night’s slam who would go on to compete in the semifinal phase of the citywide youth poetry slam competition. After the bout, Latoya took me out to Wendy’s to celebrate. It was truly a banner night.

Sitting at the bar that evening was a man named Miguel Algarín. I had never met him, or even heard of him, before that night’s slam. When I returned to the scene in earnest during the summers after my freshman, sophomore, and junior years of college, Miguel remembered me, and would say so. He never offered advice, or feedback on individual poems, or anything like that. The point, I think, was simply to clarify that the work had resonated with him. It would take me almost a decade of study after those first encounters with Algarín to begin to understand his contribution to the art form I was every day growing to love and setting out to transform in my own way. Without my knowing it, his dreams had been the foundation for my own. 

. .

More on this book and author: 

Learn more about Spoken Word and browse other books by Joshua Bennettincluding his recently published poetry collection, The Study of Human Life (Penguin).

 Follow him @SirJoshBennett on Twitterand Instagram. 

Hear Joshua Bennett speak on “Friendship and Black Study” with Jarvis Givens at the National Museum of African American History on April 5 (registration via Eventbrite, the event will be in person/online). Joshua Bennett will participate in the Vernon and Marguerite Gras Lecture in the Humanities Series at George Mason University in Virginia on April 13 (register here; the event will be in person); he will also read in person with The Friends of the St. Paul Public Library in Minnesota on April 20.

See the young Joshua Bennett perform his piece “10 Things I Want to Say to a Black Woman.”

Visit our Tumblr to peruse poems, audio recordings, and broadsides in the Knopf poem-a-day series.

To share the poem-a-day experience with friends, pass along this link.

[autumnslance]

About Plagiarism

I left a long, planned essay on Twitter tonight. I will copy the meat of it here for y’all, as recently a friend was copied (a rarer ship in the fandom, so very noticeable by the writer and their regular beta reader) and it seems we need a Talk, kids. Links and screenshots and my rambling underway.

------

Apparently we need to discuss what is and isn’t plagiarism. Especially in FanFic where we're interacting with the same characters, settings, ideas. Let’s start with the dictionary and continue the thread from there (I like the word origin/history personally):

Definition of plagiarize

transitive verb  : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source

intransitive verb : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

The Kidnapping Roots of Plagiarize

If schools wish to impress upon their students how serious an offense plagiarism is, they might start with an explanation of the word’s history. Plagiarize (and plagiarism) comes from the Latin plagiarius “kidnapper.” This word, derived from the Latin plaga (“a net used by hunters to catch game”), extended its meaning in Latin to include a person who stole the words, rather than the children, of another. When plagiarius first entered English in the form plagiary, it kept its original reference to kidnapping, a sense that is now quite obsolete.

“Ideas” is fuzzy in the Merriam-Webster definition. There are story archetypes that exist in many forms. Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth/Hero's Journey outlines many famous stories. And it's popular to say that “Avatar” is “Dances with Wolves” is “Pocahontas” is “The Last Samurai” etc.

But note how while those films have similar plotlines--”Military Guy falls for Native woman, learns to appreciate her Culture, stands up to Evil Bosses”--none of them execute those ideas in the same way. Sully’s story is different from Dunbar’s not just cuz one’s a Science Fiction epic and the other a Western. Disney's “Pocahontas” Very Loosely takes history and uses the same story beats. The Last Samurai uses the Meiji era Westernization. Same ideas, different executions, even beyond settings.

None of these are plagiarizing each other though the ideas are similar. They’re told in their own ways, own language; both in the genres they belong to (Western, Pseudo-History, SciFi, Animated) and how characters interact with each other and settings. Original dialogues (variable quality).

We also see this in books as similar novel plots get published in waves so we end up with bunches of post-apocalypse teen revolutionaries or various vampires or lots of young wizard stories all at once. Sometimes ideas just happen like this; multiple discovery, simultaneous invention, concurrent inspiration, cognitive emergence are all phrases I’ve seen for it. So it happens in original content as well, and legality gets fuzzy (Also why you don't send authors your fanfic ideas).

In existing properties, this gets trickier but even “Elementary”’s Holmes and Watson are nothing like the BBC’s “Sherlock” characters. Who are nothing like other versions of the Detective and his Doctor pal over the decades in various media properties.

FanFic's in a similar position where like Sherlock Holmes we play with the same characters, setting, and storyarcs but give our own spin to them. People can and will have similar ideas about plots. Trick is to use your own words. Take the characters and make the story your own.

I have a good example courtesy of @raelly-writing​. We both ship Wolcred. We both wrote soft post-Paglth’an scenes with Thancred and our WoLs. Both features the couples helping each other undress, examining injuries, bathing, bantering. My fic was written soon after 5.5 part 1 came out. Dara’s is much more recent. Yet at no point reading hers did I feel she was copying my words. The PoVs differ. Our characters focus on different things. Mine has a mini-arc concerning the Nutkin.

The links for comparison’s sake (and maybe leave kudos/comments if so inclined please and thanks). Note while the scenes are very similar no phrases are written in the same way. Mine: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25417882/chapters/76059467 Dara’s: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26067565/chapters/81832915

Dara and I both hang out in certain Discords and I know conversations about Thancred and WoL caring for each other post-battle has come up in those channels and we've both participated. It’s a stock FanFic scene to boot. Cuz it's soft and feels warm and snuggly.

I HAVE been copied before, back in WoW. My case is pretty clear cut so here are the images of my old RP Haven profile (1st, old RP website) and the plagiarist’s RSP (2nd, an in game mod to share descriptions and basic info). 

This was a decade ago on Shadow Council and I think the character deleted so any Availa’s in WoW now aren’t the same person. I left the names to point out what changed. Just the names and a word or 2 to make sense for the class changes as well. Otherwise lifted directly from my RP profile.

The funny part is how the person got caught. Literally walked into our weekly RP Guild meeting that I was running and asked to join. Folks noticed right away the similar backstory; after all there may have been more Outland-born Azerothians. My initial excitement at a character I could weave into our story turned to gut-twisting rage and grief as I recognized my own exact words though. Words I’d carefully crafted and constantly iterated on to improve over time (before and after this incident, until the site died).

When caught they tried to claim their significant other had leveled the character for them and made up the backstory based on Skyrim. If you know WoW’s Outland story and Skyrim’s plot you know how ridiculous that is. Also tried to lie about other drama I knew about thanks to roommate's characters but hey. I had to be blunt that I’d shared the info with Haven mods and other guild officers Alliance and Horde. That we would not “laugh about this” one day though lucky this was “just” RP not original or academic work. Cuz if it'd been monetized or academic I would've raked them through the coals.

I felt violated. Hurt. Had anxiety attacks. They took MY WORDS and tried to claim them as theirs. Have another character born in Outland trained by Draenei; Awesome! Our characters have an instant connect in similarities and differences of that experience. Don’t steal my characters wholesale!

Then the audacity of trying to come into my guild as if no one would notice. ShC wasn’t a large server by then, still active but not nearly Wyrmrest Accord or Moon Guard big. My character was well known due to my writing and RP. Speaking of how easy it is to get caught in specific spaces...A case of a self-published novelist getting noticed for plagiarizing fanfic was discovered recently (explicit erotica examples through the thread).

One way they got noticed was how much content they put out in only a year, lifted from fandom. The examples in Kokom’s threads show how the material was altered but still recognizable. In some cases, just the names are changed as in my experience. In other passages more has changed but you can still see the bones of the original fic poking through in the descriptions and character interactions, even with adjustments made.

Similar ideas happen. Similar plots exist. Same 'ships with friends are fun! In FanFic we’re working with the same material. It’s possible to write a similar scene differently. To make that scene and characters your own. All we’re asking is not to copy others' words. Others' characters. Others' specific phrases and descriptions used to bring those words, those characters, to life. Use your own. In the end you’ll be happier.

I get wanting to have what the perceived “popular people” have. I get seeing concepts others succeed with and wanting some of that too. We all get a bit jealous now and then for various reasons. Sometimes we don't even realize it, consciously. But do it in your own way. Maybe check to see if you’re getting a bit too close to the “inspiration” you admired, maybe reread often. Don’t hurt your fellow creatives. If you do and get caught don’t try to double down. Have the grace to be abashed at least and work to do better. Eventually you WILL get caught. All it takes is once to throw all else you've done into question. Ao3 doesn’t take kindly to plagiarists. Nor do a lot of fan communities focused on writing and RP. Getting back that trust is hard. The internet doesn’t forget easily, for good or ill.

[theshedding]

Lil Nas X: Country Music, Christianity & Reclaiming HELL

I don’t typically bother myself to follow what Lil Nas X is doing from day to day, or even month to month but I do know that his “Old Town Road” hit became one of the biggest selling/streamed records in Country Music Business history (by a Black Country & Queer artist). “Black” is key because for 75+ years Country music has unsuspiciously evolved into a solidly White-identified genre (despite mixed and Indian & Black roots). Regrettably, Country music is also widely known for anti-black, misogynoir, reliably homophobic (Trans isn’t really a conversation yet), Christian and Hard Right sentiments on the political spectrum. Some other day I will venture into more; there is a whole analysis dying to be done on this exclusive practice in the music industry with its implications on ‘access’ to equity and opportunity for both Black/POC’s and Whites artists/songwriters alike. More commentary on this rigid homogeneous field is needed and how it prohibits certain talent(s) for the sake of perpetuating homogeneity (e.g. “social determinants” of diversity & viable artistic careers). I’ll refrain from discussing that fully here, though suffice it to say that for those reasons X’s “Old Town Road” was monumental and vindicating. 

As for Lil Nas X, I’m not particularly a big fan of his music; but I see him, what he’s doing, his impact on music + culture and I celebrate him using these moments to affirm his Black, Queer self, and lifting up others. Believe it or not, even in the 2020′s, being “out” in the music business is still a costly choice. As an artist it remains much easier to just “play straight”. And despite appearances, the business (particularly Country) has been dragged kicking and screaming into developing, promoting and advancing openly-affirming LGBTQ 🏳️‍🌈 artists in the board room or on-stage. Though things are ‘better’ we have not yet arrived at a place of equity or opportunity for queer artists; for the road of music biz history is littered with stunted careers, bodies and limitations on artists who had no option but to follow conventional ways, fail or never be heard of in the first place. With few exceptions, record labels, radio and press/media have successfully used fear, intimidation, innuendo and coercion to dilute, downplay or erase any hint of queer identity from its performers. This was true even for obvious talents like Little Richard.

(Note: I’m particularly speaking of artists in this regard, not so much the hairstylists, make-up artists, PA’s, etc.)

_____

Which is why...in regard to Lil Nas X, whether you like, hate or love his music, the young brother is a trailblazer. His very existence protests (at least) decades of inequity, oppression and erasure. X aptly critiques a Neo-Christian Fascist Heteropatriarchy; not just in American society but throughout the Music Business and with Black people. That is no small deal. His unapologetic outness holds a mirror up to Christianity at-large, as an institution, theology and practice. The problem is they just don’t like what they see in that mirror.

In actuality, “Call Me By Your Name”, Lil Nas X’s new video, is a twist on classic mythology and religious memes that are less reprehensible or vulgar than the Biblical narratives most of us grew up on vís-a-vís indoctrinating smiles of Sunday school teachers and family prior to the “age of reason”. Think about the narratives blithely describing Satan’s friendly wager with God regarding Job (42:1-6); the horrific “prophecies” in St. John’s Book of Revelation (i.e. skies will rain fire, angels will spit swords, mankind will be forced to retreat into caves for shelter, and we will be harassed by at least three terrifying dragons and beasts. Angels will sound seven trumpets of warning, and later on, seven plagues will be dumped on the world), or Jesus’s own clarifying words of violent intent in Matthew (re: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” 10:34). Whether literal or metaphor, these age old stories pale in comparison to a three minute allegorical rap video. Conservatives: say what you will, I’m pretty confident X doesn’t take himself as seriously as “The true and living God” from the book of Job.

A little known fact as it is, people have debunked the story and evolution of Satan and already offered compelling research showing [he] is more of a literary device than an actual entity or “spirit” (Spoiler: In the Bible, Satan does not take shape as an actual “bad” person until the New Testament). In fact, modern Christianity’s impression of the “Devil” is shaped by conflating Hellenized mythology with a literary tradition rooted in Dante’s Inferno and accompanying spooks and superstitions going back thousands of years. Whether Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, Scientologist, Atheist or Agnostic, we’ve spent a lifetime with these predominant icons and clichés. (Resource: Prof. Bart D. Erhman, “Heaven & Hell”).

So Here’s THE PROBLEM: The current level of fear and outrage is: 

(1) Unjust, imposing and irrational. 

(2) Disproportionate when taken into account a lifetime of harmful Christian propaganda, anti-gay preaching and political advocacy.

(3) Historically inaccurate concerning the existence of “Hell” and who should be scared of going there. 

Think I’m overreacting? 

Examples: 

Institutionalized Homophobia (rhetoric + policy)

Anti-Gay Ministers In Life And Death: Bishop Eddie Long And Rev. Bernice King

Black, gay and Christian, Marylanders struggle with Conflicts

Harlem pastor: 'Obama has released the homo demons on the black man'

Joel Olsteen: Homosexuality is “Not God’s Best”

Bishop Brandon Porter: Gays “Perverted & Lost...The Church of God in Christ Convocation appears like a ‘coming out party’ for members of the gay community.”

Kim Burrell: “That perverted homosexual spirit is a spirit of delusion & confusion and has deceived many men & women, and it has caused a strain on the body of Christ”

Falwell Suggests Gays to Blame for 9-11 Attacks

Pope Francis Blames The Devil For Sexual Abuse By Catholic Church

Pope Francis: Gay People Not Welcome in Clergy

Pope Francis Blames The Devil For Sexual Abuse By Catholic Church

The Pope and Gay People: Nothing’s Changed

The Catholic church silently lobbied against a suicide prevention hotline in the US because it included LGBT resources

Mormon church prohibits Children of LGBT parents to be baptized

Catholic Charity Ends Adoptions Rather Than Place Kid With Same-Sex Couple

I Was a Religious Zealot That Hurt People-Coming Out as Gay: A Former Conversion Therapy Leader Is Apologizing to the LGBTQ Community

The above short list chronicles a consistent, literal, demonization of LGBTQ people, contempt for their gender presentation, objectification of their bodies/sexuality and a coordinated pollution of media and culture over the last 50+ years by clergy since integration and Civil Rights legislation. Basically terrorism. Popes, Bishops, Pastors, Evangelists, Politicians, Television hosts, US Presidents, Camp Leaders, Teachers, Singers & Entertainers, Coaches, Athletes and Christians of all types all around the world have confused and confounded these issues, suppressed dissent, and confidently lied about LGBT people-including fellow Queer Christians with impunity for generations (i.e. “thou shall not bear false witness against they neighbor” Ex. 23:1-3). Christian majority viewpoints about “laws” and “nature” have run the table in discussions about LGBTQ people in society-so much that we collectively must first consider their religious views in all discussions and the specter of Christian approval -at best or Christian condescension -at worst. That is Christian (and straight) privilege. People are tired of this undue deference to religious opinions. 

That is what is so deliciously bothersome about Lil Nas X being loud, proud and “in your face” about his sexuality. If for just a moment, he not only disrupts the American hetero-patriarchy but specifically the Black hetero-patriarchy, the so-called “Black Church Industrial Complex”, Neo-Christian Fascism and a mostly uneducated (and/or miseducated) public concerning Ancient Near East and European history, superstitions-and (by extension) White Supremacy. To round up: people are losing their minds because the victim decided to speak out against his victimizer. 

Additionally, on some level I believe people are mad at him being just twenty years old, out and FREE as a self-assured, affirming & affirmed QUEER Black male entertainer with money and fame in the PRIME of his life. We’ve never, or rarely, seen that before in a Black man in the music business and popular culture. But that’s just too bad for them. With my own eyes I’ve watched straight people, friends, Christians, enjoy their sexuality from their elementary youth to adolescence, up and through college and later marriages, often times independently of their spouses (repeatedly). Meanwhile Queer/Gay/SGL/LGBTQ people are expected to put their lives on hold while the ‘blessed’ straight people run around exploring premarital/post-marital/extra-marital sex, love and affection, unbound & un-convicted by their “sin” or God...only to proudly rebrand themselves later in life as a good, moral “wholesome Christian” via the ‘sacred’ institution of marriage with no questions asked. 

Inequality defined.

For Lil Nas X, everything about the society we've created for him in the last 100+ years (re: links above) has explicitly been designed for his life not to be his own. According to these and other Christians (see above), his identity is essentially supposed to be an endless rat fuck of internal confusion, suicide-ideation, depression, long-suffering, faux masculinity, heterosexism, groveling towards heaven, respectability politics, failed prayer and supplication to a heteronormative earthly and celestial hierarchy unbothered in affording LGBT people like him a healthy, sane human development. It’s almost as if the Conservative establishment (Black included) needs Lil Nas X to be like others before him: “private”, mysteriously single, suicidal, suspiciously straight or worse, dead of HIV/AIDS ...anything but driving down the street enjoying his youth as a Black Queer artist and man. So they mad about that?

Well those days are over.  

-Rogiérs is a writer, international recording artist, performer and indie label manager with 25+ years in the music industry. He also directs Black Nonbelievers of DC, a non-profit org affiliated with the AHA supporting Black skeptics, Atheists, Agnostics & Humanists. He holds a B.A. in Music Business & Mgmt and a M.A. in Global Entertainment & Music Business from Berklee College of Music and Berklee Valencia, Spain. www.FibbyMusic.net Twitter/IG: @Rogiers1

[steampunkforever]

On The Vibe Shift And Architecture

I’ll attempt to keep this from turning into a multi-part essay on the concept of Form and Art and Public Works under modernity, and while I’m at it I should clarify that I’m less rooted in architectural theory as I am in greater literary and structural (small S) cultural philosophies. Most of this is observation on larger cultural trends. Feel free to contradict this with YOUR cool architecture studies stuff but do know that if you do it in a condescending manner I will drop an anvil on your head.

The past 20 or so years have really been the years of referential style. After 9/11 America as a country looked to the past for structure and familiarity. Just as the 30s had Europe clawing at symbols of Rome for specific reasons we will not mention here, there was a need for strength. For symbols of it. For callbacks to when things were “Ok” that also blended with the eternal nostalgia train of new generations making enough money to buy reproductions of their youth. The late 90s and early 2000s already had y2k fears, 9/11 just made things that much more drastic.

Maybe it’s just me, but the past two decades have been a nonstop nostalgia fest. A whole 20 years of being born in the wrong generation. First the yearning for the white picket 60s in the wake of the war on terror before shifting in a hard pivot to the stongman antics of the 80s as a country in the midst of post-9/11 Obama-failure culture warring longs for a Ronald Reagan to sort things out (This includes the left, they just wanted their iron-fisted iconoclast in the form of Bernie or Hillary). We did get a hollywood republican president but he obviously wasn’t what they wanted. Too volatile.

Now we’re in many ways clear of that, at least for now. The world order is set to rights for the moment, with the international community firmly united against Russia and whatnot. A boring man sits in the white house. They’re making the Ford Bronco again (a last gasp for retro?). It’s feeling very post-watergate in a way.

Partly thanks to @kontextmaschine I’ve been thinking more and more about the Vibe Shift, and a return to permissiveness as the punk thing to do definitely looks to be in the cards. Social Justice is important as ever, but the 2017 pink hat crowd gets irrelevant, they’re uncool. It’s no longer punk rock to be uptight about things. I think part of the vibe shift might be a culture tired of looking backwards in a 20-year retrospective on the last century. A generation that doesn’t remember the 90s now reaches adulthood and is ready to make new things and look at the future with a fresh light. Sure, y2k is back, but with it things ironically feel like we’re ready to look forward again. It feels like normal nostalgia.

My predictions on what 2020s will bring architecturally aren’t really that groundbreaking. “The cutting edge of technology will no doubt influence design” is not a controversial statement, after all. What I will say is that a melding of the natural form and recent AI-driven understandings of structural design will most likely be seen. 3D printing and VR Imaging are all the rage, and a lot of prefab will be undoubtedly influenced by this. I think the 70s-into-y2k ultramodern style nostalgia will meld splendidly with this. LED Lighting allows for crazy light fixtures too.We’re over the grit and realism, and I think some fanciful design is on the horizon for sure.

I foresee advances in futurist sustainability, not only with callbacks to Carter era solar-panels-and-Syd-Mead Design (look at Genesis/Kia/Hyundai’s EV design!) but with a mature look at mitigating carbon output and the environmental impact buildings exact on the environments they’re constructed on, both as singular units and as a whole.

For as much as I loathe them, I think the unattractiveness of suburban culture/commutes paired with the inaccessibility of single family housing (partly due to the whole Airbnb scourge) will drive the design trend toward apartment blocks and more 5-over-1 housing, hopefully with innovations intended to make them less exactingly ugly and shoddy. [Dear reader, do know that they will not stop being ugly and shoddy] This is America-specific, I know, but 

Energy-wise i feel that Nuclear power is one crusading republican away from finally being brought back properly, and if the bleeding hearts on both sides can rub the idpol out of their eyes they’d see that the energy-to-pollution-ratio makes nuclear--a technology that’s only gotten cleaner, safer, and more efficient--the greenest energy we’ve had in a long time. Expect massive twitter fights about this. In any case, I hope to see cooling towers once again dot the skyline. 

I’m interested in how the cottagecore trend towards more agrarian aesthetics will interact with the steel-siding industrial future look that a lot of the 2010s held, and how the split (at least in America) between the Urban young professional and the settled-down homeowner will marry the two aesthetics. The vibe shift gets a little fuzzy here, or at least is made so in my mind by the commodification of aesthetic as identity rather than as consumption.

I’m not architecturally educated enough to do anything more than basic predictions on “I see trends, socially.” [Dear reader, I am talking out of my butt] I’ll try not to add unprompted additional thoughts to this if I can help it. No promises.

[power-of-wilh]

If you had to define your perfect aesthetic right at this moment what would it be?

My perfect aesthetic is a bit of a mess. Aesthetic can be a baseline for how to live life for a lot of people and I definitely think it is for me.

Dark academia is definitely where I like to lean for a base line. The university aesthetic and blazers and loafers and being consumed by knowledge is all very great. But I also like to mix solarpunk/eco punk in because what’s more punk than saving the planet that’s being destroyed by capitalism? And Punk Academia IS a thing. So it’s not so far off from where I’m at. So Eco Punk Acadmia? Solar Punk Academia?

So “Eco Punk Academia” if i has to give my specific aesthetic a specific name, would look like punk academia or dark academia but with a more sustainable twist. A bit more hippie roots. Similar to the initial homesteader movement behind cottagecore. But in blazers and tweed pants lol.

No one would have to go extreme with it and cut out all plastic from their lives or wear only natural materials. But moving even slightly away from things that are bad for nature does make an impact, dispite what media says. Small steps do affect. Dark academics dream of leaving a literary mark on this world a lot. Why not leave both? A mark of art and a mark of helping nature heal. I think the two fit nicely together.

Examples:

Buying second hand books to recirculate the books we already have printed so their precious paper doesn’t get destroyed. Bonus: The little annotations previous owners have done that most academics already adore.

Thrifting clothes as to not attribute to the fast fashion market. Thrifting old clothes for their patterns and recycling them into something new. Upcycling and DIYing things to fit the aesthetic. Plus who doesn’t love a great 1980s plaid pair of trousers?

Reading about all the cultures and countries not taught in public schools. Seeking out knowledge otherwise not taught is very punk of you.

Researching alternative energy sources and technologies to give you hope for the future while stimulating the massive need to comsume knowledge that comes with the Academia community. Ex: Algae Farms and Solar roads.

Wearing more natural fabrics when possible. Plastic is bleeding slowly into the ocean due to the fake fabrics of fast fashion. And a good cotton button up is still such a practical style staple.

Being mindful of brands that use recycled materials and supporting them when you can or at least spreading the word.

Switch from Google or Bing to Ecosia for your search engine needs. You can go on academic tangents while planting trees from the comfort of the library or your home.

Researching “yard culture” and maybe even choosing to go against it. Who needs a lot of inch high grass when you could have an orchard and wander it late at night like a victorian ghost?

Fighting for human rights is also both very punk and very dark academic.

Diversify your dark academia. Read books from cultures and races different from your own. Broaden the knowledge you’re consuming. Spread inclusivity because everyone deserves to be able to thirst for knowledge and be welcomed.

Researching the Art Nouveau Movement that inspires Solar Punk. Not only is it a study into what inspires the Solar Punk culture but also a study into architecture, history, and art. I also find Art Nouveau to be more decadent than Art Deco.

Only buying vintage leather because not only does vintage leather just fit the aesthetic but to support the ending of the inhumane leather industry.

Starting the dark academia cult of your dreams and creating a secret game to see how much trash you can pick up to clean your campus or town without people noticing. Normal cult secrecy with a little bit of helping the planet thrown in.

Ultimately, my aesthetic is based around the personal believe I hold that the hedonism of dark academia doesn’t have to support the killing of the planet, not that is ever expressly did before hand.

Hedonism is often going against the grain anyways. Why not go against the grain and be punk and help the planet all in a blazer covered in patches about nature? Or growing a bunch of grapes wear you previously mowed your yard to create your own wine to share with your prep school friends? Why not debate the climate change issues while attending the posh universities Dark academia covers? Why not contain multitudes?

So in short punk academia, but anyone into dark academia usually likes to be wordy and talk too much 😅

Mix aesthetics, be your own person, confuse everyone.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael in the Mainstream: Artemis Fowl

Since the early 2000s, Artemis Fowl has been languishing in development hell, and it really is a mystery as to why. The series has everything you could possibly want for a blockbuster young adult franchise: it’s a charming blend of science and fantasy with rich worldbuilding and mythology, it has enjoyable and even complex characters who go through great character arcs over the course of the series, it has an enjoyable major antagonist, an insufferable smug villain protagonist who goes through a stellar redemption arc over the course of the series, and tons of crazy heists that combine scheming and fairy magic. There was no reason this couldn’t have existed as a competitor to the Harry Potter series, but alas, it was not to be. The young adult fantasy franchise languished for decades in development hell, until finally Disney pulled it out and put Kenneth Branagh at the helm. Finally, we were going to get the Artemis Fowl adaptation we deserved!

Except we didn’t.

Artemis Fowl is legitimately one of the worst adaptations of any work of fiction ever. It has been held up alongside The Last Airbender and The Lightning Thief as part of the Unholy Trinity of terrible adaptations, and I’m not even going to try and pretend that this “Honor” isn’t well and truly earned. This film is an utterly abominable bastardization of the beloved franchise, to the point where this feels like an entirely different story that had familiar names slapped on it at the last second. If you want to know what horrific extents this film has butchered the story and characters, read onward, but there’s no way I’m going to pretend this film isn’t awful right off the bat.

There is literally nothing in this film that works. Nothing at all. Starting from the opening scene, the establishing shots, you can tell things are wrong – there are news people around Fowl Manor? Mulch is being interrogated? What is going on? The film from the word go is simply making one thing absolutely and abundantly clear: this is not the Artemis Fowl you know. The film goes out of its way to do the opposite of the franchise, merely using names and vague concepts in an attempt to sucker fans into watching it. Butler’s first name, an emotional reveal from the third book, is common knowledge; Opal Koboi, a cunning and threatening major villain who was the antagonist for almost every novel starting with the second, is here reduced to basically a personification of the voice on the phone from Scream; Root, once a short-tempered man who was hard on Holly as a method of tough love to push her to be the very best LEP had to offer to prove women belonged on the force, is here a woman who, while just as angry as ever, robs Holly of a major part of her arc and reduces her to plucky female sidekick. And even outside of that, as its own thing, the movie is just utterly incomprehensible. The story is rushed and confusing, with lots of exposition and action but with no context or cohesion. Things happen and things go from scene to scene, but none of it makes any sort of sense. A character will switch allegiances within a few minutes, characters will somehow find a way to survive deadly attacks offscreen… the worst offender is a character death they try to push off as emotional, despite there being no reason to care for this character, and when all hope seems lost, a deus ex machina saves the day! My wife, who is unfamiliar with the series, and I, a huge fan, both struggled to figure out what was going on at any given point; the movie is really that bad at communicating what is happening, which is even more baffling because the film is a pathetic hour and a half in length, a distressingly short amount of time to establish a new science-fantasy franchise of this scale.

The characters are almost all terrible. Artemis is the standout with how awful he is; no longer the cunning criminal masterminds of the book, Artemis here is more of a somewhat smug little brat who is overly emotional and, worst of all, NICE. He’s so nice in fact that by the end of the film he has managed to speedrun his character development and arcs with Mulch and Holly, who consider him their close friend and ally. Butler is pretty bad here as well, mostly because he is given almost nothing to do and is seemingly only there because he was in the book. In fact, his crowning moment – when he took on the troll – is instead given to Artemis and even Holly, with Butler ending up severely injured. It’s a bit nasty that they changed Butler to be black and then had his (white) master steal his greatest moment; it’s giving me flashbacks to Kazaam. Opal is hit pretty bad as well; being made the big bad of this loose adaptation of the first book’s plot – which is amusingly one of the few books she had absolutely no role in – wouldn’t be so rough if she was more of a presence and not just some vague, hooded figure who threatens Artemis over the phone and generally does nothing to warrant being an adaptation of the baddest bitch in the series. She’s rather ineffectual and they even try and give her a sort of sympathetic motivation, one where she resents humans for pushing her kind underground. It really is a disgusting waste of a character who could easily rival heavy hitters like Voldemort in the awesome and theatrically evil department.

Holly is almost okay, but her entire arc and a big chunk of her narrative purpose is robbed by making Commander Root a woman. Root, played by Judi Dench, is honestly one of the better characters since Dench has Root dropping lines like “Top o’ the morning to ya” with gravelly deadpan seriousness which makes the character unintentionally hilarious, but the cheap laughs don’t really make up for butchering the story of one of fiction’s finest ladies. As a side note, they have made Holly 100% white despite her skin being described as nut brown rather frequently in the book, and the now white Holly together with Artemis steal away Butler’s biggest moment. And that’s not even getting into how they neutered Juliet, who has also been race lifted but was turned into a child who barely appeared in the film. I’m not usually one to toss about racism accusations, but there’s a lot of red flags here that Branagh’s usual colorblind casting just doesn’t excuse.

The most consistently enjoyable performance is Josh Gad’s as Mulch. From the moment he was cast, I knew he’d do a good job and capture the spirit of the character, and he does! ...sort of. The decision to have Mulch be a giant dwarf and narrate the story in a crappy Batman impression while also violating literally the most important law of fairy culture (don’t tell the humans anything about us) by spilling the beans to M16 is unbearably stupid, and a lot of his jokes are just relentlessly unfunny. But I think that Gad does leak a bit of that Mulch charm at a few points, and it’s apparent he at least somewhat gets his character, which is not something that can be said for anyone else in this film. Sadly, much like his standout performance as Lefou in the live action Beauty and the Beast, he can’t possibly save the trainwreck of a film he’s in.

I guess I’m not entirely surprised by this film. I mean, a lot of quality young adult literature from the past two decades has been horrifically mangled in the wake of Harry Potter – Inkheart, The Golden Compass, The Lightning Thief, Ender’s Game, and Eragon – so this movie really isn’t an anomaly. But it is the culmination of a horrible trend. This is the zenith of horrible young adult adaptations, or perhaps I should say the nadir of adaptations as a whole? For all the flak I could give those other adaptations, on some fundamental level they still understood something about the source material. Ender’s Game still understood it could not erase the ending where children are revealed to be being conscripted to perform the ethnic cleansing of an alien race. Eragon couldn’t completely ruin Saphira, try as it might. The Lightning Thief… well, I mean, I guess the Medusa scene was mostly faithful. But Artemis Fowl? Artemis Fowl goes out of its way to be the opposite of its literary counterpart that there is no way to justify even saying it is based on the book by Eoin Colfer; it would be like having a movie about kids hanging out at the mall and doing mundane stuff, except they’re all named Jesus and Peter and Paul and then saying it’s based on the Bible. Just using names doesn’t mean anything, you actually have to use the themes and characterizations too, and this movie does none of that.

This movie is most comparable to The Emoji Movie. Neither of these works really deserve to be called a “Film” since they are basically whatever it is they’re trying so desperately to be stripped down to the bare essentials. The Emoji Movie is the most basic, by-the-numbers animated adventure film with a “be yourself” message you could ever hope to see, with a story so absolutely basic that just watching the trailer will allow you to predict the every motion of the plot. Artemis Fowl on the other hand is the most cliche-ridden fantasy epic franchise-starter you could imagine, and that’s if you’re able to penetrate the ridiculously dense and cluttered story and are able to make sense of what’s going on. I can think of absolutely no one this film could ever appeal to. There’s not a single redeeming thing about it. The movie is flashy, trashy junk that should never have been released, and Disney honestly did the right thing by releasing this on their streaming service because it would be outright disgusting to charge movie ticket prices for this tripe. The fact Disney has more faith in the eternally-delayed New Mutants theatrically speaks volumes about the quality of this film.

I can’t in good conscious say that this is the worst film of all time. F4ntastic is probably a much worse butchering of characters than this film; Disaster Movie is much more horrendously offensive and unfunny than this; hell, Chicken Little is probably a worse Disney movie because as awful as everyone in this film is, at least they aren’t Buck Cluck! But I don’t think there’s a single movie I hate more than this one. Lucy can finally move over and sleep easy knowing that the fact it’s not based on a pre-existing work has finally saved it from the #1 spot on my worst list; Artemis Fowl is now the reigning champ. Kenneth Branagh should be ashamed of himself for making and releasing this (and doubly ashamed for having the gall to unironically compare his slaughtering of Artemis Fowl’s character to Michael Corleone), Disney should be shamed for putting more money into this film than they did into BLM charities, and I hope that Eoin Colfer finds whatever he was paid worth it to see his greatest creation butchered and disrespected like this.