#my favourite version of this play was taken off youtube and i cannot find it im genuinely oging to start tweaking otu

[solargeist]

Uh vampbhr would definitely be the guy to recite THAT part from Romeo and Juliet to the sun.

the stanza about the envious moon, glorious sun smth like that

Thissss part ?

Vampbur defo speaks like a Shakespearean character when referring to the sun

[gallavictorious]

What staple fics of the fandom would you recommend for someone just starting to read gallavich fic?

Hiya there, nonnie – and welcome to the glorious world of Gallavich fic, if you're new to it!

On the one hand, I'm very much the wrong person to ask because staple fics tend to be AU:s and that's not really my cup of tea. On the other hand, I am a librarian, so never let it be said I balk at giving recommendations about stuff I haven't actually read or isn't necessarily to my personal liking. 😉

To make this list, I sorted Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich fics by bookmarks on AO3 and selected the first ten that I've either seen talked about a lot or have had at least a look at myself. This is admittely not a great way to curate a rec list, so for better and more initiated recommendations, maybe check in with the the amazing ladies of @gallavichfanficlibrary? They'll have you covered! If anyone else feels like chiming in with fandom classics for nonnie, I'm sure they'd be grateful. 🙂

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace by shamlessquestions

AO3 Summary: Mickey just needs to keep his head down and stay out of trouble at his new job. Still trouble always manages to find him and when it takes the form of his red haired boss, Mickey's not sure he can resist even if he wanted to.

Comment: The Gallvich fic with the most bookmarks and the most kudos on AO3. You’ll hear this one mentioned a lot! Fair bit of explicit sex scenes.

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Ian Gallagher by shamlessquestions

AO3 Summary: "It's fuck all about heat or chemistry or any such shit, Gallagher. You and me...it's just a thing that cannot happen. The sooner we both accept that, the better off we'll be."

Comment: Mickey's the right hand man of a Chicago mobster. Club dancer (and college student) Ian starts ”dating” said mobster. Gallavich sparks fly. High stakes and quite a bit of action in this one. Explicit sex scenes.

Take Me In by MintSauce

AO3 Summary: Mickey's Dad finds out about Mickey being gay and even though Ian's not there, but he finds the Gallaghers are still willing to take Mickey in.

Comment: If you enjoy Mickey becoming friends with all the Gallaghers and bettering himself/beginning to heal from the abuse at Terry's hands, this might work for you. Heavy focus on Mickey, as Ian isn't actually there for most of the fic (though he's never far from Mickey's thoughts).

Like Real People Do by grayola

AO3 Summary: At the age of 26, Mickey Milkovich gets his first apartment, his first wifi connection, and his first kiss. How he gets from wifi to kissing is a complicated story. Mickey is socially anxious. Ian is a frustratingly lovable escort working through an app. Mickey downloads said app. The rest is history.

Comment: Fan favourite from last year. Very soft. Not a lot of plot, just Ian and Mickey falling very, very deeply in love (and dealing with their mental health issues in a lowkey, everyday sort of way). Heavy use of texts and messaging, making for something of an old-school fic feel. Explicit. A companion piece, told from Ian's POV is currently being published: Everything About You.

eighty-four by kissteethstainedred

AO3 Summary: “I slept with Mickey Milkovich last night,” Ian whispers.

“So?”

“So—” Ian stares at his phone for a second. “I slept with Mandy’s fucking brother.”

“Ian, what do you want me to say? Congratulations? You’ve been dating Mickey for almost a year,” Lip says, sounding confused as fuck. Ian blinks. That can’t be right. Ian’s only seen Mickey in pictures with Mandy. He’s never even met the fucking guy. How can he be dating him?

Comment: College fic. Time loop, so great if you’re a fan of that! Mandy plays a prominent role. At 13k words this one is way shorter than any other fic on this list.

Our Stubborn Love by TheWaywardBride

AO3 Summary: In which, after years of being separated by more than just prison walls, Ian and Mickey try to find their way back to each other.

Comment: Canon-divergent slow burn told from a bunch of different POV:s. Something of an ensemble piece, although Ian and Mickey are the focus. Doesn't shy away from Ian being in a very bad place post-5x12.

None the Wiser by loftec

AO3 Summary: AU. Slow burn. The real time accounts of Ian visiting Mickey's dingy diner and slowly becoming his friend.

Comment: WIP, with irregular but still happening updates. Domestic, with strong focus on the character's emotional lives. Mickey's a father to Yev, even though him and Svet are long since divorced. They're not kidding about the slow burn.

This is the Road To Ruin by bricoleur10

AO3 Summary: The day Ned asks Ian to rob his house the redhead almost says yes – why shouldn’t he, after all? Ned seems nonchalant enough about the whole thing, he’ll get some free expensive shit out of the deal, and if he plays his cards right maybe he can even convince Mickey to be his accomplice – but something stops him from going through with it.

The third-eldest Gallagher has never been much of a believer in fate or divine intervention or destiny or anything like that – can’t be, with the life he’s led – but he just might have become one, had he only known how that one seemingly insignificant decision had changed the course of his entire life.

Comment: Straight up canon divergence, capturing the early season Gallavich feels before hurtling down the road not taken. Some angst, but with a happy ending. Mandy and Lip play prominent parts.

Cooperative Gameplay by grayola

AO3 Summary: At nineteen years old, Ian Gallagher’s stuck. Stuck in a minimum-wage job he hates. Stuck in the same boring routine--sleep, wake, work, take your meds, Ian!, try not to lose it day after day after day. But after his little brother introduces him to MICK MILK, a frustratingly hot horror gamer he watches on YouTube, Ian's life will never be the same. ♥️

Comment: WIP (but with regular updates). Darker than Like Real People Do, but with a similarly emotional focus. Depicts online fandom on Twitter and Instagram in a rather knowing way. Explicit sex scenes. This fic, and these versions of Ian and Mickey, currently has its own fandom.

The Boyfriend Experience by anomalously

AO3 Summary: The Prompt: Ian: sex worker (male escort, explicit videos: stripping, masturbation, etc) Mickey: client who's an avid fan who gets up the courage to hire ian for "the boyfriend experience" I saw a porn star who said she only sleeps with 1 client & it inspired me.

Comment: WIP, last updated in 2017. Commonly held to be worth reading in spite of not being finished. Quite a bit of explicit sex, occasionally with a bit of BDSM thrown in.

[montosmadman]

I was tagged by @soy-celeste ages ago. This was hard but also super rewarding because I really got to take a deep dive in the murky depths of my own music library. Thanks for thinking of me, Cata💕

Task: choose TEN SONGS that describe your personal aesthetic / how you see yourself. Bonus points if you write a little explanation for each song, that‘s not a must though.

List under a read more because it turned out really long and includes some very personal and possibly triggering mental health stuff.

I'm tagging @capitanogiorgio @hendos @furiousflamewolf @checoswin and @diegoalvesisgod

1. Nakashima Mika - 僕が死のうと思ったのは

The title loosely translates to "The reason I thought I'd die" or "The time I thought I'd die". Yes, I went there right off the bat.

Let's get something straight: I'm not suicidal. I have never been actively suicidal, despite struggling with depression and anxiety most of my teenage/adult life. However, what this song captures for me is the feeling when you're not actively thinking about killing yourself, but you do have this empty feeling when you think there's no point for you being alive. And that's something I'm very familiar with.

There are a couple lines I wanna highlight, even though the whole song hits me very hard whenever I listen to it:

その木漏れ日でうたた寝したら、虫の死骸と土になれるかな

If I lie down beneath the sunlight streaming through the trees, will I become like the dirt and insect remains?

あなたのような人が生きてる世界に少し期待するよ

If people like you are living in this world, then maybe it’s alright to hope a little too.

The first line does what I talked about to above: it's the feeling when you just lie down and wonder if anything would change if you just disappeared. The second line -- last one of the song -- has more hope. It's when you find a reason to believe in the future and realize there is still a reason to live. Personally, I'm trying to hang very hard on that last thought even when the world seems to be against me.

(Full translation in a pinned comment under the Youtube video)

2. The Ark - Little Dysfunk You

No essay here. I just needed to have The Ark on the list because they're the official soundtrack of my life, the first band whose album I bought myself, and who taught me it was okay not to fit in. I even have a tattoo that says "a little dysfunk" because my best friend and I have been relating to this song long before either one of us realized we weren't neurotypical. It's the very dysfunctional ode to our friendship, and I love it.

3. Elton John - Rocket Man

I feel like this might be a universal experience growing up neurodiverse and/or an outsider. You spend years feeling like you're alone in space, on another planet, and you want to connect with people but at the same time know that once you come back, you still won't be the person others want or expect you to be. The challenge is to accept that and realize it's okay and you don't need to change yourself for others. And it really is hard when you're raised in a society where the odds are stacked against you.

4. Sanni - Jos mä oon oikee

Look, I'm giving you something in Finnish too!

Sanni is one of the Finnish artists whose breakthrough I originally missed because I was living abroad. I only properly discovered her a couple years after moving back, when I was driving a lot for my work and hence listening to the radio much more than I used to. Her songs just kept standing out from the rest: her lyrics had this amazing depth even when she was singing about mundane stuff -- like, she was finding these painful truths I hadn't ever spoken but felt very clearly.

That said, I had to choose the one song that's actually very upfront with this idea of being an outsider and not feeling like a part of this world. The title translates to "If I am real" and that pretty much sums it up. It's a song about feeling lonely in the middle of a crowded room, feeling like no one sees you or cares what you do. I personally have this habit of taking a step back and observing people rather than getting involved -- and even when I do, it rarely feels like it's really me out there, because I'm so used to masking and acting like everyone else just to fit in, you know?

I'll finish this off with my favourite verse, translated by yours truly. The last line especially hits home super hard no matter how many times I hear it.

Rautatieasema maanantaina ruuhkaisa Kaikilla tuntuu olevan kiire ja suunta Mä oon ulkopuolella vaik seison sisällä Jos oon jo kotona miten voi olla koti-ikävä

The railway station on Monday is crowded Everyone seems to be in a rush and have a direction I'm outside even though I'm standing inside How can I feel homesick when I'm already home

5. Shobha - Last Exit To Freedom

Full disclosure: Degrassi has been one of my comfort series for many, many years. When this song was first introduced in Next Class, it hit me really hard because it was woven into this whole storyline about depression and suicide, which at the time spoke to me a lot. I repeat, I have never been suicidal, but I do get the headspace that could drive people into it.

However, listening to it again now, it's mostly the message of hope that shines through to me. It's a song that can take two very different readings depending on what your own baggage is. And the series actually acknowledges that later on, which I think is not only beautiful but also extremely important.

There's empty places in my life and I need to breathe There's empty spaces on the map waiting there for me

I've never felt more free than when I actually drop my responsibilities and just go where I want to go. I need that space to breathe, and that's why it has always been such a relief when I could just pack up and start over in a new place. Some might call it running away from my troubles -- and they wouldn't be completely wrong -- but that doesn't change the fact that I've always valued my own freedom above any arbitrary societal norms.

6. Scandinavian Music Group - Näin minä vihellän matkallani

SMG is another one of those bands I grew up on and have seen live several times, so they needed to be here. This song is more on the "aesthetic" end of scale than how I see myself. In fact, I've many times hoped I could be like the narrator of this song. I'll give you a couple of verses to explain:

Kun minulta viedään kaikki Autan kantamaan Ja kun lopulta kaadun Teen sen näyttävästi

When everything's taken from me I'll help them carry it And when I finally fall I'll do it with a flair

Minä vihellän matkallani Näin minä vihellän matkallani Jos sen on oltava niin Olkoon sitten niin

I'm whistling on my journey See how I'm whistling on my journey If this is how things have to be Then so be it

It's this carefree attitude. Laughing in the face of hardship and controversy. There's another amazing line about getting back to the saddle after you fall and swearing you'd do it all over again. I've never been able to do that, because I carry all my old failures and pains so close to the surface, and could never just shake them off with a shrug, no matter how minor.

But on another level, I keep hearing from people who I thought knew me that I don't seem depressed. And who can blame them: on the outside, it probably looks like I bounce back from hardships really fast, because I'm so used to masking my issues that the moment I'm physically capable of doing it, I will. So you might say this song is a picture of my outer self, though it hardly mirrors what's really going on.

7. Queen - Don't Stop Me Now

I'm a firm believer that if my life was a teen movie, this is the song I'd have playing in the final scene where I'd just go "fuck that" and started dancing with @mirkwoodstock in the middle of the parking lot of something. It's my ultimate party anthem, the one that always has me dancing and singing along no matter where I am.

Back when we were at the university, Nanna and I used to go to this rock'n'roll club in town and they'd always play Don't Stop Me Now close to the end of the night, and it really became our song. Like, no matter how shitty I felt, when it came on, I'd be there, and so would she. And that's why it also deserves to be on the list.

8. Blind Channel - Died Enough For You

Throwing a rare newer song into the mix. The moment I heard this song, I knew I'd be listening to it a lot. There's also an acoustic version if you're not a fan of the genre or if you just wanna have a different perspective. Blind Channel is also representing Finland in Eurovision next week, and I'm living for it.

Advertising aside, Died Enough For You takes me to some really dark times in my life. I've been in relationships, both romantic and not, where I've been carrying the other person and giving so much of myself, risking my own mental health (which was not that good to begin with) and not getting much in return. There comes a point where you have to prioritize yourself and admit that dragging yourself into the same abyss is not going help anyone. Unfortunately, usually it takes more strength to admit that and leave than to stay in the relationship that's hurting you.

I'm still talking to some of these people, but I've learned to give myself a permission to sign off when I notice that by helping them I'm only hurting myself more. Someone else's wellbeing cannot be my responsibility when I'm struggling to keep myself afloat. And I truly hope everyone who is supporting me also knows that.

9. Aqua Timez - 真夜中のオーケストラ

Title translates to "Midnight Orchestra". Yes, it's from Naruto. I discovered it back when I was still more involved in anime fandom stuff, and fell for it again year ago when I binged the anime when to lockdowns started, because I needed an escape.

And what an escape it was. Have you ever heard a song and immediately went "I need a tattoo of this", or is that just me? I'm probably not going to get a tattoo because I don't trust non-Japanese artists to get the kanjis right, but the song still captures something very real about loneliness that's not really visible but still very much there. Like, the moment when you meet a person you can truly relate to and for the first time realize you'd been feeling lonely all that time. That's what this song describes to me.

Below are a few verses towards the end of the song. I've bolded the one that first caught my attention (and which I still have as the title of my Japan sideblog).

真夜中の詩が叫んだ「僕ほんとうは独りが　嫌いだ　大嫌いだ」 独りぼっ��で　生きてゆけてしまうなんてこと

The song of midnight cried out "I truly hate being alone more than anything" I hate to go on living completely alone…

幸せなんて　小さなスプーンで掬えるくらいで充分なんだ 分け合える人がいるか　いないかだけ

All I need is being able to scoop happiness with a tiny spoon so long as I have someone to share it with

(Full translation)

真夜中の詩は叫ぶよ「僕ほんとうは　僕ほんとうは　淋しかった」 太陽の眩しさに　かき消されても

The song of midnight cried out "I was truly, truly… lonely" Even if I were to be erased by the sun's radiance

10. Jenni Vartiainen (Apulanta) - Mato

This song, named "Worm", was originally released by Finnish rock band Apulanta in 1997. The lyrics, while they might make sense as individual statements, are basically gibberish when you combine them into one piece and try to understand the meaning. There is none. Anyways, the version I chose is a remake by another artist, first performed on the Finnish version of The Best Singers format. It doesn't make any more sense, I just like it better because Jenni is hot and she made it so much fun.

And the reason it's on this list? Welcome to my brain, folks! Sometimes, especially when I'm overwhelmed by lots of external stimuli, my mind tends to just wander wherever the hell it pleases and make connections even I don't get. It also likes to forget the stuff I said just a second a go, so I can switch subjects on the go without even noticing. It's very soothing to have music that doesn't require me to make those connections when that happens.

And now, I shall close this massive post with the first verse of this masterpiece:

Minä tahdon ulos, tahdon ulos kattilasta Minä tahdon pelastaa vielä sinutkin kiehumasta Minä tahdon lentää ulos vessan ikkunasta Minä tahdon tietää kaiken teidän karkkimaasta

I want out, I want out of this kettle I also want to save you from boiling I want to fly out of the toilet window I want to know everything about your candy land

Stay safe and take care of yourselves my dears💕

[shiftyambientmusic]

Please talk about your beef with banjos ala ur Matthew Joseph Payne post notes, i am Begging you

hooooo boy okay, this is gonna be a lot of fun. this is long as hell, so beware, and i dont trash the banjo at all so SORRY LMAO

i actually really love the banjo! i think its sound is so distinct and expressive; im not a huge bluegrass fan, but the banjo, when used properly, works SO well in other genres, such as the jazz fusion banjo of bela fleck and the flecktones (please listen to the flecktones; bela is a phenomenal banjo player, but the entire band is absolutely amazing); nonetheless, i can appreciate that virtuosity is almost a requirement to be taken seriously as a banjo player.

i think its history is incredibly interesting, both because of its undeniable influence on american popular music, but also because of its often ignored but very direct ties to minstrel shows and slavery; most people know it has its origins in africa, but people seem to like to ignore (and i have fought people on this) the fact that playing banjo was very forcibly gentrified, and transitioned in the public eye from a black instrument to a white instrument due to racism.

furthermore, while the love has diminished since i was a teenager, chiptune is still very near and dear to my heart, and i think crossover chip genres work very well - punk especially, like slime girls, i love; the diy punk ethos meshes so well with the diy culture of modifying game consoles to make music. and, of course, misusing, modifying, and otherwise pushing the limits of equipment has always been a surefire way to make extremely interesting sounds (see: musique concrete, harsh noise, and not to compare chiptune to the cultural zeitgeist that is hip-hop, but turntablism is a very good example of this as well). chiptune can be rad, and im not ashamed at all to own vacation wasteland on cassette and vinyl.

now, a very meaningful song to me is pewter handles by matthew joseph payne; i think that the whole album is a lot of fun and has a lot of interesting things going on, but pewter handles especially is important to me, and for a time i considered it my favourite song, and despite my musical taste changing a lot since i first listened to it, id still say this is probably true - at the very least, id group it in with a number of other songs id consider my favourite song. i love the doomy guitars, the intros percussion, the flugelhorns, the off-key sing yelling, how everything devolves into a minor cacophony and finishes with a slightly subdued but intense guitar solo; i LOVE how he writes lyrics, how the meanings of some lines change completely with the context of the next line, and the imagery that they put forth (and describing someones head as "pummeled and habroneme" is SO fucking great i love it). none of the lyrics are framed like lyrics, and the entirety of the last verse is a massive run on sentence, but it works so well in the context of the song and never fails to get me going.

please listen to it:

anyway, i love pewter handles. i know it front to back; i tried to find a version on youtube to show a friend and found this version instead.

and, well, this video made me never want to listen to anything from matthew joseph payne other than his self titled album, just in case the rest of it sounded like whatever the hell this is:

not to be rude, but this is objectively bad; its mixed badly, the gameboy (while i love that hes putting it through a big old sunn) sounds like shit, the charm is gone from his voice, he can barely play the goddamned banjo, and the gripping guitar solo is reduced to boring banjo strumming that drags on. even if the production quality was higher, i cannot see this being a good combo.

so, tl;dr, i love the banjo, i am fond of chiptune, but if you do both poorly and try and mix them together, its gonna be bad. never meet your heros, kids (or at least hope they dont become chiptune banjo players).

next week ill rant in a similar fashion about my near identical experience with caleb groh

[meow-face]

Sanders Sides on the Sims Part 3

I put Sim versions of Thomas Sanders and his Sides into a world that will eventually have all of my favourite characters/people. This is what they’ve been up to: To me, this one is the funniest thing ever. But my sense of humour is warped so I can only hope that it’s funny for others too. Here goes:

-I should note that I put a bunch of toys in Patton’s room, and one of them was a “lump of clay”. I think Patton has played with it the least out of all the Sides, because everyone keeps taking it and making something new. I have made it my life goal to keep track of it at all times. So that’s the backstory on the lump of clay.

-Roman has the lump of clay AGAIN 

-The sink is broken again...

-Roman made a bunny with the clay again! He put it back on Patton's dresser.

-Patton is kneeling in a puddle from the broken sink, and playing with a toy car.

-Deceit is playing guitar.

-My Sim was trying to repair the sink but ended up walking in on Deceit in the bathroom. They're both embarrassed now.

-Roman is smushing around the lump of clay in Patton's room again.

-My Sim repaired the sink!

-Roman put down the lump of clay to hug Logan. He immediately picked it back up again. I think that maybe Logan had a plan, he hugged Roman so that he could try to get the clay. He obviously failed. Roman and Logan have been going back and fourth with the clay for a while now. When one puts it down, the other picks it up!

-Roman stopped playing with the clay again to hug Thomas. Maybe Thomas wants the clay too?

-Roman put the lump of clay back on Patton's dresser. He didn't make any shape.

-Roman and Logan have both gone to bed at 8:48 PM Sim time. Although, Thomas is playing guitar in Roman's room so I don't know if he'll be able to sleep long.

-Roman is laughing in his sleep.

-Virgil has gone to bed.

-Patton has gone to bed.

-Deceit has gone to bed. Remus is napping on his bed. Now Thomas is the only one awake, playing guitar in Roman's room while Roman sleeps. (It's probably revenge for when all the sides are watching TV in Thomas's room while he's sleeping).

-Thomas has gone to bed. It's 9:23 PM Sim time. ("Wow, they're all in bed early!" - I say as I play Sims at 1:39 In the morning.)

-I can't find Remus. He's not in bed. - UPDATE: Found him. He's taking a bath.

-EVERYONE is laughing in their sleep. 

-Remus is done his bath and is cooking some eggs and toast. It is 11:43 PM. He then proceeds to stare at a wall as he eats it, then when he's done, he puts the plate down and farts.

-Remus has taken the lump of clay. He is playing with it in Patton's room while Patton sleeps.

-Remus has made the lump of clay into a bust of who I think is George Washington. Maybe. I'm not American. Remus is now staring at it, while Patton is still sleeping behind him.

-Now Remus has gone into Thomas's room and started watching TV while Thomas is asleep. It looks like he's watching some sort of medical drama show. It is 1:34 AM Sims time.

-I should note that Thomas, nor Patton seemed bothered by Remus's activities in their rooms.

-Logan, Patton, Roman and Virgil are all up! Now it's just Deceit and Thomas. And of course Remus, who pulled an all nighter. But, it's 3:00 AM Sim time, so.. Good morning?

-I'm laughing because Patton is waking up to a George Washington bust on his dresser that wasn't there the night before.

-Patton woke up and immediately took the clay bust and smushed it. Oof.

-Deceit is up! Now it's just Thomas.

-Thomas is up! It's 3:52 AM. (That's usually around when I go to bed IRL...)

-Patton has put the lump of clay on the kitchen counter.

-Virgil almost immediately picked the clay up. 

-Remus gave Thomas a hug in the bathroom.

-Remus is off to bed. It's 4:17 AM Sim time. (Same honestly, Remus.)

-Logan is playing chess by himself.

-Someone is hiding under the covers on Thomas's bed. They're not crying, though. It might be Thomas? Jokes to cheer you up incoming either way, buddy. - UPDATE: It's Thomas. He's embarrassed for some reason.

-Thomas is feeling inspired now!

-Deceit is dancing by himself in an empty room.

-Virgil is singing in the shower.

-I always make sure to make my Sim compliment Roman a lot. I don't know if it helps him at all.

-Virgil and Roman are dancing in the kitchen now. Patton is playing with a toy car in the background.

-Deceit now has the lump of clay.

-Thomas and Logan are cheering Patton on while he plays with his toy car.

-Deceit made a clay tea pot! He put it on a table in Thomas's room.

-Remus is still sleeping. It is 8:31 AM Sim time.

-So. Remus is up now and. He walks down the stairs. Into the kitchen. COMPLETELY. NAKED. (With the Sims blurring squares of course). But. Everyone is in the kitchen. And they groaned and covered their eyes when he came down. I am trying not to wake up the entire house with my laughter.

-REMUS IS STILL NAKED AND HES DANCING

-EVERYONE IS GROANING AND COVERING THEIR EYES

-IM TAKING A VIDEO I CANNOT MAKE THIS UP

-LAUGHING AS SILENTLY AS I CAN RIGHT NOW

-REMUS IS COOKING. NAKED.

-Remus made chips and salsa. Naked. (He didn't even eat it, Virgil did.)

-Oh and Logan has the lump of clay.

-Remus is cooking something else now! Still, naked. He made mac and cheese! Naked!

-Everyone keeps being shocked and covering their eyes at Remus when they come into the room. And I mean, yeah. It's not everyday you see a naked man with a moustache eating mac and cheese in the kitchen at 11:30 in the morning.

-Logan made a bust of George Washington with the clay again. He put it in Thomas's room.

-I just noticed, Remus also has stink clouds coming from his armpits again. And he's still naked.

-Remus has the lump of clay now, he smushed the bust. Naked.

-I couldn't find Virgil for a while but I found him in Roman's room playing the guitar.

-Remus has put the lump of clay down. He didn't mould it into anything. He's still, very much, naked. Now he's just watching TV alone in Thomas's room.

-Logan just entered Thomas's room, took the lump of clay, and left. He's playing with it in the kitchen.

-Deceit actually seems pretty okay with Remus's current state. He is now reading in Thomas's room while Remus watches TV.

-Thomas is getting good at the guitar skill!

-Deceit has left Thomas's room. Remus is watching TV alone again. Naked.

-The lump of clay is on the floor now. I don't know how or when this happened.

-Now Roman is playing with the clay again.

-Patton seems the most bothered by Remus's current predicament.

-I was supposed to go and do productive things like get ready for bed 15 minutes ago but this is really too entertaining.. But it's 2:15 AM and I have to get up sorta early tomorrow..  5 more minutes won't hurt.

-Roman put the lump of clay back on the counter. It's still a lump if I ever saw one.

-Thomas just made a George Washington bust with the clay! He put it in his room.

-it's the next day IRL and I did the things. I came back into the game and Remus is now wearing clothes.

-I kept track of the lump of clay all day. First Thomas had it, he did nothing with it. 

-Remus had it for a long time, and he made another bust of George Washington. It sat in Thomas's bedroom for a long time. 

-At some point someone smushed the bust and the clay sat in Thomas's bedroom without anyone playing with it for a few days.

-Logan had the lump of clay last I saw.

-I invited everyone to a nightclub so that my Sim could perform a comedy routine. Everyone but Thomas watched. Thomas was playing the guitar the whole time. (The sides left at about 12 AM Sim time, but they left Thomas behind. Thomas stayed until about 3 AM Sim time.) After my Sim's routine finished, I had her go over and cheer Thomas on and give him a bunch of tips.

(I tried getting the video I took of Remus to post but the Sims recorded it in a really weird format. It won’t even play, and I tried uploading it as a private video to Youtube, but it still won’t let me actually download it to post. (I’m not making it public on my channel, thats where I post my animation stuff.)) But anyways, this is too fun. I might make another still! :)

[stargazing14]

Hello Calvin. Where are you?

I’m in my studio on [London cultural hotspot] Hornsey Road. Is this interview going to get turned into a glossy pamphlet that you’re going to sell?

No. What’s happening today. Are you making some hits?

(Laughs) Today I am getting some guide vocals recorded for a song I wrote that’s for a girl, and I don’t want to sing the guide vocals because it’s a particularly girlie song and I’m too embarrassed to send my version with me singing to the artist in question.

You do sound girlie fairly frequently, though.

Yes absolutely, I’ve got a falsetto tone that I like to use. I sang the demo of ‘Bounce’ and it was PHENOMENAL. I’m thinking of releasing that mix as some sort of iTunes bonus mix.

Amazing.

Well I don’t know about amazing – it’s certainly ‘special’. It’s a special mix.

Maybe save it for the 25th anniversary anthology.

Or maybe as an album bonus track. ‘Extra content’.

What’s the worst ‘extra content’ you’ve ever produced?

Me? I’m struggling to think of much that we’ve done. I suspect there will be some YouTube videos that I was roped into very early on. Around my first album. We did a series of YouTube videos of me just acting like a complete dickhead. But I’d been told to act like a dickhead! Showing people around my crib-in-inverted-commas when it was the Holiday Inn I was staying in. Things that were not very funny, thought of by online marketing people. Something like that. THAT’S content, but you can’t buy it. (Pause) Well you certainly couldn’t sell it.

What sort of ‘content’ will be on your new album? How much is there to hear at this stage?

Well there’s not much to hear to be honest. I could give you a blast of the second single but there’s not much point in that over the phone. The album’s not coming out until next…  Next… Let’s say next year.

That’s quite a long time. It felt like it would be this single then another then the album.

No. Well that would be the old favourite, wouldn’t it? The two-singles-then-the-album routine. But there are going to be at least four singles, maybe five. Or possibly there will never even be an album. We might get to five singles and think, ‘nah, fuck it’.

Surely after the fifth it’ll be greatest hits o’clock, job done, thank you ladies and gentlemen: GOODNIGHT.

(Laughs) OR, like in America, they do that eight-for-eight thing. Eight tracks for eight dollars. I could do something like that. But with the exchange rate it would be, er… Eight… Four… Er, I don’t know. Six? 5.6? Pounds? Er… Does that sound good?

It depends Calvin on whether the songs are any good. It would be a lot easier if the price of a download was in some way connected to how good it was.

Ah, but that’s just a matter of opinion thought isn’t it?

No.

No?

No. 

I always think this as well actually. I think there are some good songs and some bad songs and that’s just the way it is. Some things are good for different reasons, and some things are bad for different reasons.

Maybe. I don’t think this is something you can apply to every song. Maybe with two thirds of songs you can’t say whether it’s objectively good or objectively bad, but the remaining third of music, well, yes you can. You cannot use the magic on everything, but that doesn’t mean it works on nothing.

Hm. But I guess – and I’m not including you in this – most music journalists would say that their opinion holds the most gravitas when in fact a lot of them don’t know much at all.

That was an incredible backhanded compliment, to say ‘and I’m not including you in this’. Superficially flattering, but at the heart of it you are simply saying “I do not consider you a music journalist”. Amazing.

(Guffaws) Let’s just move on shall we.

Are you impressed that you mentioned several minutes ago that you had written a song for a female artist, but weren’t immediately bombarded with questions about her identity?

Yes. Well, you probably knew that I’m definitely not going to tell you because she hasn’t agreed to it yet.

Be that as it may, who is it?

I can’t tell you.

Is it someone for your album or is it someone you’re submitting a song to?

Oh it’s for my album, I don’t work on anyone else’s songs any more. I’ve had enough of all that.

What changed your mind on that?

I was always singing on my music to start with, but now I don’t need to song on it because, well, I’ve decided not to. So now every track I make can be a track by me featuring whoever. So there’s no need to give songs to anyone else. Before I needed an outlet for the more girlie songs that only girls could sing on, and now I don’t need to do that.

Most dance songs do sound good with a lady on.

Girls sound good soaring over a big riff. The female voice travels better in a club.

So who’s that female artist?

She’s not even heard the track yet!

How about three guesses?

Sure.

CHER. (Laughs) No.

Oh. Er… Who else is there?

Hahaha, ‘if it’s not Cher who else could it possibly be’! (Laughs)

No. More current.

ELIZA DOOLITTLE.

Sadly none of those are correct so now I don’t have to tell you. By the way is your office in Islington?

Yes, near it. Why?

You know you tweeted that picture of stuff you’d stuck on the wall using No More Nails?

Yes.

I recognised the window that was outside your window! I recognised it.

That’s someone’s flat. Sometimes he stands in the window with just his pants on.

(Laughs) I knew that’s where it was. I used to live round the corner. Yes. Not any more though.

So you’re currently Number 3 in the iTunes chart…

Am I? I thought I was Number 2. But obviously that’s the iTunes chart not the actual chart.

But it’s the chart that counts. Sort of.

Yes to an extent. If you listen to commercial radio…

Which we often do. Do you?

I do too. I listen to ALL RADIO.

Do you listen to Radio 4? I have done.

Do you find it occasionally quite good except when it’s a) The Archers, b) a satirical news show,  or c) ‘a play’?

It’s usually a play though isn’t it. Um… My mum used to listen to it while she was doing the ironing.  To be honest I’ve not really listened to Radio 4 for a while.

It’s useful to know about other stuff, though.

Some people think that’s important.

It is important!

No.

Because, right, well for example there’s this book called ‘A Technique For Producing Ideas’ by some bloke who used to work in advertising and it’s quite interesting if you’re interested in that sort of thing, and it’s a very short nook based on a talk he used to go round and give to people at colleges or wherever. And it’s about how to come up with ideas and how to make your brain work and all that sort of stuff, and part of it is cross referencing the matter at hand with something unrelated, and then you find the right combination of the thing you know about and the thing that’s nothing to do with it, and that’s where the spark of an idea happens. So listening to someone bang on about farming on Radio 4 is actually more useful than you might think it is.

Ah, right. Oh I see.

You know the mental wobbly bit in ‘Bounce’?

Yes.

Is there more of that on the album?

Maybe, but we’re talking about the album like it exists. Which it doesn’t yet. In the next two songs there’s none of that. I mean I love that bit. It was necessary to put it in so it wasn’t just a linear track. But at the same time, certain ‘people’ thought it was a little bit much for a certain time of day on some radio stations.

But the whole point of its amazingness is that it is, quite literally, ‘a bit much’!

It is! (Laughs) Imagine anyone just sitting there listening to the radio at home, or in the supermarket, or working in a garage… (Laughs)Some old dear’s buying eggs then all of a sudden it’s “DRNNN!! DRNNRNNN! BRNNN!!!!” It made me laugh so I kept it in, but there is an edit with it not in, for people who are susceptible to heart attacks.

Does that edit upset you?

I did it! I did it entirely through choice.

That’s like ripping the heart out of the song!

No you’re completely wrong.

Now then Calvin we know this song better that you do, listen to what we have to say.

(Laughs) No, it’s a funny thing to have in there and in a club it goes off, but it doesn’t work in every situation.

It’s very accommodating of you to do a non-mental edit.

I try to be accommodating. To start off with, five years ago or whatever, I was very precious over my songs, but it’s more important to open yourself up to the challenge of doing something that more people can get on board with.

That’s a beautiful thing.

Well I’m making songs for the radio. I’m not making songs for people who look at Drowned In Sound or whatever. I’m a commercial act! That’s what we’re trying to present me as, so, you know, you’ve got to respect that.

How well do you think you’re doing at presenting yourself as a commercial act?

Not that well. (Laughs) I love being accommodating in the musical sense, but I’m not very good at going out or trying to get my picture taken or getting off with celebrities or that kind of thing. I’m terrible at that so I’ve given up on it, and I don’t think I’m going to be a celebrity any time soon. But as far as music goes, I’d like to think of it as being an accessible thing I do.

You’ve been very polite on Twitter recently.

I have, haven’t I?

Was that your idea, or someone else’s?

As I’ve spoken to more and more people about it, people who use Twitter and mostly DJs – mostly quite a bit older than myself – it’s been interesting to see their take on it, and life generally. We’re talking worldwide DJs. People who know how the world works. It might sound strange taking advice from Tiesto but he knows what he’s on about. And he was just, like, ‘look. Don’t do that’. (Roars with laughter) And, er, I went, ‘wow. Really?’. And then I thought about it, and I was like, ‘actually who does do that? All my least favourite people, that’s who. All my least favourite people go off on Twitter and cause problems with people and chat about what annoys them’. I just thought, there’s enough of all that going on in our lives as it is, we don’t need to read it going on in someone else’s. So now I just try to do positive things.

It was quite good when you were waiting for something to arrive from, if memory serves, Ikea. That was Twitter gold.

Yes, that’s all alright but when it spills over into a rant it’s not a good look, is it? And it’s not really who I am, either – it was supposed to be quite jokey but there’s no typeface for sarcasm.

If there was a typeface for sarcasm what would the font be?

I don’t know. Maybe that’s why there isn’t one. Upside down?

That would be ridiculous.

Well you can’t have italic can you. Bold?

Let’s not have bold.

Capital letters are interesting. People who write all emails in capital letters, I always wonder what’s going on there. Do you remember when Alan McGee was on Twitter? That’s where I took my lead from and, er, it lost me a lot of friends. (Laughs)

What else would you like to discuss today?

Oh I don’t know! You tell me! Come on. Is this meant to be just a chat? I thought it was supposed to be an interview!

Which female artist are you writing that song for?

Oh I can’t tell you that. If they agree to it, then… Well, they haven’t even heard it yet.

Who else is on this selection of tracks that may or may not form your third album?

So far it’s Kelis, me… Er… Hm…

You need to get on with that.

No seriously it’s fine, most of the tracks are done, it’s just a question of lining up the people and dropping off the sacks full of cash.

How much is Kelis? Oh actually you were working with her anyway weren’t you…

I’ll tell you what, I’m getting some great remixes in because I keep promising people things. I’ve got quite a list of things I need to get back to people on as a result. It’ll be fine. It’s JUST A BIT OF FUN.

Perhaps everyone should just CALM DOWN and HAVE A LAUGH.

Well that’s what it is. Everyone just needs to fucking calm down, breathe, enjoy life.

Right, get back to work.

You too!

[topiom]

KSI vs Logan Paul 2 LIVE: YouTube stars clash in LA - latest updates and undercard results | Daily Mail Online

KSI beat Logan Paul in a huge grudge rematch at Staples Center which saw the YouTube stars face off in a bid to end their beef once and for all.

In a closely-fought contest which saw both fighters hit the canvas, British YouTuber KSI emerged victorious, winning 57-54 56-55 while one judge scored it 56-55 in favour of Paul.

In the YouTubers first encounter they fought in Manchester with the result concluding in a majority draw, with the judges scoring the fight 57-58 in favour of KSI and the other two scoring it a 57-57, 57-57 draw. 

Follow Sportsmail's Ollie Lewis who will provide live coverage of this clash including undercard fights Billy Joe Saunders vs Marcelo Coceres and Devin Haney vs Alfredo Santiago.

Ollie Lewis

Host commentator

That's all from us tonight

Thanks for joining us for our coverage of KSI v Logan Paul 2 this morning. 

For all the criticism garnered against the pair, KSI and Paul provided us with the most entertaining fight of the night, and their commitment to the sport cannot be questioned.

Billy Joe Saunders and Devin Haney will be pleased to come away with victories in front of a huge watching audience, but will perhaps be left to feel they could have put on more of a show on the big stage.

05:54

KSI and Logan Paul speak

KSI: 'Last year I was scared. This time I just kept going and going. 

'They saw how much bigger he was, but I was like 'screw that, I'm going to work my a** off!'

'Your boy has done it. I am victorious!

'I'm a dog. I keep saying it. 

'It took me about a minute or two to figure how I was but I came back. I don't want people to think "he's weak, he's not a fighter" I am a fighter and I keep going.

'I have never worked so hard man, in the ring, in camp it was tough man but I was ready and I was on fire. 

'It takes a big man to get in the ring, and you're a big man. Thank you for a good fight bro.'

LP: 'I just want to say fair play to JJ you are one of the toughest people I know and I wish you the best.'  

KSI WINS BY SPLIT DECISION!!!

Those two points deducted have cost Logan Paul. The judges scored it 55-56 57-54 56-55 in favour of the Brit who looked rocked in the fourth round but recovered remarkably to win it on enemy soil.

ROUND SIX

Paul makes good use of the jab again to keep KSI at bay but the Brit is so determined to land the all important haymaker, but nothing doing. 

This is going down to the cards. How on earth is this going to be decided? One knockdown, two points taken off Logan Paul who finished strongly after KSI's bright start.

05:34

ROUND FIVE

The effect of that upper cut cannot be underestimated. KSI looks to have had a load of confidence sapped as he looks to cover up from big Paul shots. 

If the american finds that killer instinct he can finish this in the sixth round. It's going to a grandstand finale. 

05:30

ROUND FOUR

Sharp start to the round for Paul who lands a clean one-two on KSI, who is forced to back up. And then KSI goes down! Paul lands a clean upper cut while holding KSI's neck.

That seemed to daze KSI who has taken a few moments to gather his thoughts. The referee has scored the knock down but has deducted two points because Paul hit KSI while he was down. 

This is a big thirty seconds in the corner for KSI who looks stunned.

SHANNON BRIGGS IN THE CORNER TO PAUL

'What the f*** are you doing? Get behind the jab!'

ROUND THREE

KSI continues his barrage of wild swings and Paul is slowing down remarkably. The American is on his knee but the referee rules no knock down. 

Paul seems reluctant to use his right hand while his jab is falling short. This is bubbling away nicely

05:20

ROUND TWO

Logan Paul is using the jab well to keep KSI at a distance, but he can't evade another looping overhand right which catches Paul, leaving a mark just below the left eye. 

Based on the first two rounds, Paul is the better boxer technically, and KSI may blow himself out with the many missed shots so far.  

05:16

ROUND ONE

KSI is looking to close the range on the much larger and more imposing Paul. KSI swings wildly but can't quite catch the American, while Paul lands a sweet left hook of his own. 

A good first round, which the judges may give to KSI based on intent. 

05:12

We're almost ready to go

National anthems have been played, with an interesting violin version of God Save The Queen, before the Star-Spangled Banner is sung.  

Michael Buffer does his bit. Logan Paul's introduction is met by a chorus of boos while KSI lets out a roar across the ring with arms spread wide. 

The fighters are given their final instructions by the referee and we are moments away.

05:04

KSI is making his way out now to music by Rick Ross.

The Brit is in a red gown and a black and red mask. A rather subdued entrance for the big personality. 

First up...Logan Paul

Anticipation is building inside Staples Center as a Logan Paul montage is played on the big screen. 

Despite being the hometown fighter, boos ring out for the Ohio-born YouTuber. Paul is dressed in a custom made hoodie with the American flag, and his Maverick brand logo on his chest. 

Paul enters the ring and raises his right arm to the crowd, marching around the four corners, before climbing on the corner post to the crowd. 

04:59

It's the moment we've all been waiting for

We are moments away from the ring walk here and the broadcaster has shown the tale of the tape, with the added stat of the subscribers that KSI and Logan Paul have yielded. 

Minus the 600,000 difference in subscriber count, the most prominent difference between these two would seem to be the huge 6 lbs weight differential in favour of Logan Paul.

Michael Buffer is on the mic and the fighters are about to make their way into the ring.

04:51

ROUND ONE

What an absolutely farcical round of boxing that was. With 11 seconds remaining, Batista was clubbed to the canvas with a shot to the back of the head. With a little convincing from the referee to continue, the 35-year-old gets back to his feet to finish the round. 

The ref had taken a point off of Ababiy for that and as the bell sounded for the end of the round Batista decided to launch at Ababiy, leading to the referee disqualifying the veteran. 

That recklessness may just have cost him in the pocket.

04:45

Not long to go now

Just one more fight to go before the main event you've all been waiting for. 

Nikita Ababiy takes on Jonathan Batista in a four round contest.

UP NEXT! 💥@KSIOlajidebt and @LoganPaul settle it all in the ring #KSIvsLoganPaul2 📲 Book to watch here: https://t.co/VRyaSNKnjb pic.twitter.com/uWRCMBSake

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing)

04:39

Haney: 'I dislocated my right shoulder'

'I felt like I could have done better. In one of the rounds i dislocated my right shoulder but i was a true champion and carried on and got the win.

'I threw a right hand and overextended but it's alright I showed I was a true champion and can fight through anything.

'He was very crafty, I showed that I could adjust.

'In 2020 I want all the top guys. I want to unify. Me and Lomachenko can get it on. I'm going to take a rest but in 2020 i want all the big fights.' 

04:35

DEVIN HANEY WINS BY UNANIMOUS DECISION

All three judges score the contest 120-107 in favour of Haney as The Dream retains his WBC Lightweight championship.

A complete shut out on paper, but very little sparkle from that one.

ROUND TWELVE

The crowd jeers as this one comes to a close. A disappointing night for Devin Haney, the much-touted future of American boxing. 

The 20-year-old should win this comfortably on the cards, but it hasn't been pretty at all. 

Eddie Hearn said he wanted to give boxing fans world class fights on this undercard. It has to be said that the two world championship contests tonight have fallen flat. 

Haney lands a clean overhand right and, as has been the case since the fifth round, Santiago clinches.

But the champion hasn't changed his approach at all to pose new questions to the challenger throughout this contest.

ROUND TEN

Between rounds Haney complained to his team of Santiago's clinching on the inside, the young man is certainly frustrated with how the night is unfolding. 

The 20-year-old continues to stalk his prey but can't land anything decisive enough to put him away. 

04:20

ROUND NINE

Better from Haney, who lands up top before thundering a big body shot on the challenger, who clings for dear life to smother the pace of his opponent. 

Haney tries to repeat the body shot but finds his strike land below the belt and the referee intervenes. 

04:17

ROUND EIGHT

There's no doubt that Haney is in control of this fight, but he will be disappointed that the tempo has slowed so considerably since that strong fifth round. 

Santiago is a tough puzzle to solve but on current evidence the likes of Luke Campbell and Vasilily Lomachenko won't be too concerned by this performance.

04:13

ROUND SEVEN

Fairly pedestrian round there. Perhaps the big occasion of being a defending champion for the first time is getting to the 20-year-old. 

Haney ends the round in the ascendancy as Santiago scampers for cover but the bell separates the two men. 

Haney will be disappointed with that round. The champion seemed to have taken his foot off the gas as Santiago looked to buy himself time by engaging in the clinch when Haney gets close. A good recovery round for the challenger.

04:04

Much like Billy Joe Saunders, things haven't been going too swimmingly for the overwhelming favourite. 

Haney is now finding his way through, unloading heavy shots on Santiago which land clean. 

And down goes Santiago, that had been coming this round. The wheels have come off big time for the challenger as Haney goes through the gears, landing a big right hand that puts down the man in bright green. 

If it wasn't for the bell, that could have been curtains for the challenger, who looks upset in his corner. 

04:00

ROUND FOUR

Did not expect this. Santiago switches to southpaw and lands a clean shot on Haney. The challenger is making life tricky for Haney, setting a fast pace and managing to land counter strikes on the champion. 

The 5' 11'' man is proving an awkward proposition for Haney, who is frustrated with Santiago's willingness to clinch at every opportunity.

Haney is looking to find his rhythm here. You sense that once he does, it could be a very quick ending for Santiago, who isn't causing too much trouble for the 20-year-old. But the challenger will take heart from his opening three rounds here.

A rather tentative opening three minutes with both men looking to pounce to counter punch the other. Haney whips his right hand across but fails to land anything meaningful on Santiago, but boy does he look sharp. 

03:44

The fighters make their way to the ring

Haney and Santiago are in the ring, with the Dominican Republic fighter sporting a bright green pair of shorts as his entourage wave Dominican flags while David Diamante introduces the challenger. 

The Dream is in silver shorts lined with purple and looks at complete ease, bouncing lightly on his toes in his corner. 

The fighters come together as the referee gives his instructions. We are moments away now. 

03:27

Next up is hot prospect Devin Haney as he defends his WBC lightweight title against Alfredo Santiago.

03:21

Billy Joe Saunders: 'Canelo...take me while you think I'm spent'

'There's no excuse. I knew from Round 9 I have to get this man out of here. I wanted to impress the American crowd and i hoped you enjoyed the knockout that's all i could give you tonight.

'I knew to stay calm, people might have said 'he's taking this a bit slow' but I knew I had to turn it up at some point.

'I could see he was wearing down, I was making him miss and then I was trying to find that left hand over the top. Once he went down once I knew that was it.

'Canelo...take me while you think I'm spent. Take me now.'

03:13

The second knockdown was the pick of the bunch, as Saunders landed a beautiful rear upper cut that sent the Argentine sprawling. 

03:12

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS WINS

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS WINS! The Brit comes off his stool like a man possessed and knocks down Coceres THREE TIMES before the referee steps in to call the contest off. It certainly wasn't pretty but the 30-year-old gets the job done.

What on earth did Dominic Ingle say before that round?

ROUND 10

Dominic Ingle is becoming increasingly animated in the Saunders corner as he implores his charge to get the better of Coceres. 

Coceres is a man full of confidence, lowering his hands and taunting Saunders. This debut isn't going according to plan.

Demtrius Andrade not impressed by Billy Joe tonight

03:04

ROUND 9

So tough to separate Saunders and Coceres this round. Neither man is afraid to back down, with Saunders looking to turn up the pace in the final 30 seconds of that round. 

Saunders is not oozing the class and composure that we are used to seeing from him. This is a far more gritty performance. 

03:01

ROUND 8

Eight rounds in and Saunders is absolutely fighting with the scorecard in mind. The Brit landed scoring punches this round, with an emphatic one-two on Coceres. 

The Argentine seems to have been cut above the eye by that one. 

ROUND 7

Another nip-and-tuck round. Both fighters aren't afraid to mix it up, fighting on the inside and outside but Coceres is outworking Saunders. 

For every body shot Saunders lands, the challenger is landing double. 

ROUND 6

We're halfway through and on balance, Saunders is edging the rounds, but he will have to step up a gear in the second half of this fight. 

Coceres lands a sharp counter right straight as Saunders threw a left. The Brit performs an Ali shuffle as the bell sounds but he lost that round/ 

02:48

ROUND 5

A strong round for Coceres. The Argentine has seen some good results from his straight right hand tonight, landing one flush as Saunders looks to impose his will.

The challenger looked to be on the front foot that round and is still very much in this contest.  

02:44

Saunders' glove touches the canvas but the referee rules no knockdown, just a slip from the 30-year-old. 

What's happened here then? Coceres takes another shot below the belt and turns away from Saunders, the referee goes to separate the pair but the Brit lands a shot on an unexpected Coceres. The referee warns Saunders and the contest continues.

Coceres ends the round backing Saunders up but the Hertfordshire-born man looks unfazed by his opponent's power.

02:39

ROUND 3

Good work from Saunders in the opening stages of round three to evade a flurry of shots from Coceres before countering with a sweet left hook. Coceres momentarily has Saunders on the ropes but the Briton escapes any punishment despite landing a right hand flush on the champion. 

A quarter of the way through this one and Saunders is in control. 

Both Saunders and Coceres have their hands down as both men look to beat the other to the punch. There is a slight pause in the action after Saunders landed a low blow on Coceres with the Argentine returning fire with a couple of sharp shots. Better round for the challenger, although nip and tuck as to how the judges scored that one. 

02:31

ROUND 1

A good opening round for Saunders, as the champion takes the centre of the ring before landing numerous jabs on Coceres. 

The Brit ends the round with a flurry of shots at the Argentine who was backed into the corner as Saunders looks to feel out his opponent.

02:24

Saunders and Coceres make their ringwalks

The fighters make their way to the ring, with Argentine Coceres sporting a vibrant blue hoodie with a cap, while WBO champ Saunders looks energised and ready to showcase his talents to the watching world.

David Diamante introduces the judges, referee and fighters for this world championship bout, as the pair come head-to-head with the referee giving his final instructions.  

We are moments away from action here folks.

Meanwhile...Devin Haney is in the house

HANEY IN THE HOUSE 🏠@Realdevinhaney makes the first defence of his WBC world lightweight title on the #KSILoganPaul2 card tonight 📲 Book to watch here: https://t.co/VRyaSNKnjb pic.twitter.com/Sp7FFAjWcA

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing)

Saunders looking to be embraced by new crowd

The 30-year-old has taken a leaf out of Tyson Fury's book, donning red and white shorts representing the colours of the American flag as he looks to attract an array of new fans at the Staples Center. 

02:09

Billy Joe Saunders to make his US debut next

We've had knockdowns, points decisions and even a marriage proposal in an exciting undercard but up next is Billy Joe Saunders, as the WBO Super Middleweight Champion makes his US debut this morning against Argentine Marcelo Esteban Coceres.

02:06

KSI is in the building

British YouTube superstar has arrived at the arena. The 26-year-old looks to be in a calm mood as he rolled up with his entourage moments ago. 

Welcome to Staples Center, KSI 🇬🇧#KSILoganPaul2 pic.twitter.com/eYvt6Rfl5S

— DAZN USA (@DAZN_USA)

01:31

Logan Paul has arrived

Logan Paul has taken this fight week in his stride. The 24-year-old was up against it in August 2018 when he made his boxing debut in front of a hostile Manchester crowd, but the American has cut a relaxed figure this week. 

With younger brother Jake in tow, the bookies' favourite has arrived at Staples Center.

01:16

Billy Joe Saunders arrives at Staples Center

Billy Joe Saunders will be looking to make a statement as he makes his US debut with Matchroom Boxing. 

The 30-year-old has had a stop-start career having taken his foot off the gas since his emphatic win over David Lemieux in 2017. Here's hoping this morning's fight with Marcelo Esteban Coceres can kickstart mega-fights with Canelo and GGG. 

BJS x USA 🇬🇧 @bjsaunders_ arrives ahead of his world title defence on the #KSIvsLoganPaul2 undercard 👉 Book to watch the fight here: https://t.co/VRyaSNKnjb pic.twitter.com/12BNNT95ni

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing)

01:08

A look at the coaches

The prospect of going head-to-head with no head protection and smaller gloves has meant that both KSI and Paul have had to take their preparations with the utmost seriousness, and they have both got wise coaches in their respective corners.

Paul has brought in the help of former two-time heavyweight champion Shannon 'The Cannon' Briggs, whose cries of 'Let's Go Champ' have appeared to have gotten under the skin of the KSI camp.

Meanwhile, KSI has stuck by young trainer Viddal Riley, a highly respected up and coming fighter himself. Riley has a 3-0 record in professional boxing and was in the corner for the first fight in Manchester as well as for the win over Joe Weller. 

There has been plenty of back and forth between the two coaches, with Briggs threatening 'to break his [Riley's] f***ing jaw' at the press conference on Thursday.

00:55

So...why are they fighting?

One word. Ego. KSI, or JJ as he is known to his friends, and Logan Paul are both at the summit of the YouTube world, boasting a collective 40 million subscribers on the platform.

The pair have never experienced the taste of defeat, and are vying for the number one spot as the top entertainer in the internet world. With a six-round bout with no headguards and ten ounce gloves deemed the appropriate environment to settle their grudge. 

A win this morning will give the victor a huge boost while the loser will be made a 'meme' for the foreseeable. 

00:52

Living the high life

As their respective stars have risen, so have the pair's bank balance. From buying a Lamborghini Aventador, to designing a $500,000 diamond necklace, KSI is not shy in flaunting his wealth.

Meanwhile Logan Paul is no stranger to the lavish lifestyle either. The 24-year-old bought a £4.8million mansion in 2017 and owns a collection of custom cars. 

Sportsmail took a look into the extravagant lifestyles of the two men.

This Saturday, two of YouTube's wealthiest stars take to the ring where 'the biggest event in internet history' will take place. Here, Sportsmail takes a look at the lavish lifestyles of KSI and Logan Paul.

Who are KSI and Logan Paul?

A fight of this scale has certainly divided the boxing community, with many deeming it an insult to the sport that two novices with very little experience are taking to the biggest of stages this morning.

But who are KSI and Logan Paul? Sportsmail gives you the run down here

YouTube duo KSI and Logan Paul are to go toe-to-toe once again inside the squared circle. Sportsmail provides you with what you need to know on the pair and the fight on November 9.

An exciting night of boxing is ahead of us

The two internet stars are set to make their ringwalks at around 4am, with a number of exciting bouts to take place on the undercard.

WBC Lightweight World Champion Devin Haney is set to make his first defence of the belt when he takes on Alfredo Santiago on home turf. The American is undefeated in 23 bouts and at 20 years old has been earmarked as one to watch as a future star.

Meanwhile, Britain's Billy Joe Saunders will make his US debut with new promoter matchroom as he defends his WBO Super Middleweight belt against Marcelo Esteban Coceres.    

00:08

Hello and welcome to our coverage of KSI v Logan Paul

Welcome to our coverage of this morning's highly-anticipated fight between YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul. 

The pair are fighting again after their draw at Manchester Arena in the summer of 2018, but this time the bout is being promoted by Eddie Hearn and backed by Sky Sports and the mega money of DAZN in the sunny climes of Los Angeles. 

  Share or comment on this article:

KSI vs Logan Paul 2 LIVE: YouTube stars clash in LA - latest updates and undercard results

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[airadam]

Episode 111 : Pay Attention!

"Classical soul, I got the nastiest flow"

- Sean Price

We had to open the show with an Aretha Franklin track to mark her sad passing this month, and you'll hear her essence at various points throughout the episode. I'm just about beating the buzzer to get this one out on time, but I'm sure you'll agree it was worth the effort!

Manchester shows for the month;

Beatnuts, The Bluntskins, Didjit, Air Adam | September 19th, Whiskey Jar

Havoc, Big Noyd, DJ L.E.S, Seven Spherez | September 24th, Joshua Brooks

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Aretha Franklin : Rock Steady

We had to start things off with a classic from the Queen. This 1971 single from the "Young, Gifted, and Black" album isn't short on legends, with Donny Hathaway on electric piano and organ, and Bernard Purdie doing the business on the drums. A much covered and much sampled record, all trying to get just a hint of the flavour of the original. 

Pete Rock : Aretha

A perfect instrumental for me to come across this month, drawn from the golden period in which Pete Rock was on production for InI's unreleased (but heavily bootlegged) debut album. This beat wasn't used, but it comes to us courtesy of the 2017 "Lost Sessions" release alongside nine other previously-unreleased instrumentals.

[DJ Premier] Gang Starr : 92 Interlude

I just had to include this - an interlude beat from the "Daily Operation" LP that built around just a tiny incidental piece of a famous Aretha Franklin track and put other producers on notice when it comes to how Primo picks gold!

JR & PH7 ft. Chuuwee : Meadowview Morning

Thank you Spotify for dropping this one into one of my playlists! The German producers JR and PH7 have made a brief appearance on the show previously, but their work on this track from "The South Sac Mack" is really something. They come up with a jazzy but sombre instrumental which perfectly fits the trio of Sacramento MCs telling tales of life in their corner of the world. 

Hieroglyphics : Oakland Blackouts

Keeping it over on the West Coast, the Hiero crew have always been reliable as a source of bars upon bars. The "3rd Eye Vision" album is creeping towards twenty years old, but is still an excellent listen! Opio of Souls of Mischief is on production for this one.

Termanology : Are You Sure?

We don't hear Erick Sermon's name brought up enough when it comes to some of the greatest producers, so I'm glad Termanology linked up with him for this head-nod groove on his latest album "Bad Decisions". This is almost Term's version of Gang Starr's "The Planet", with him telling the story of coming to New York from Massachusetts and having to work to establish and hold his position. I won't give away the hook sample in case it's uncleared, but it's also a quality record :)

Sean Price : Director's Cut

This one has an unusual structure - a series of short two-bar "scenes" separated by two-bar sections of commentary. It's raw street business with a dash of humour as you'd expect from Sean P, gracing the Khrysis beat with some classic jewels. If you like this track, then the "Jesus Price Supastar" LP is a must in your collection.

DJ Agent M : Keeping Me In The Dark

Agent M is a producer and DJ from Leeds whose 2018 beat tape "Closure" is the sound of him working through a period of loss. This track is based around a classic sample, which is not just flipped for the sonics but also for the title.

Kev Brown : Voltron

It's been an extremely long wait for a proper follow-up to Kev Brown's 2005 debut LP "I Do What I Do", but finally he returns with "Homework" - twenty-nine tracks for a grateful audience! It's a partly vocal and partly instrumental album, with many tracks clocking in at under two minutes long. This was an initial standout for me, and while it's tickling my head as though there's a familiar sample, it wouldn't surprise me to find out that everything was played from scratch - Kev certainly has the capability.

The Game ft. Faith Evans : Don't Need Your Love

I've got to be honest - the lead-up to the release of The Game's debut album, "The Documentary" felt like one of the first times I felt as though the industry was really trying to force-feed an artist into the scene. He'd only been rapping for a relatively short time (for that era) before this LP came out, and has to be credited for building his skills in such a short time, but the Dr. Dre co-sign and G-Unit affiliation was of course what put him over the top. He's still active nowadays though, and has absolutely earned his place. Anyway, the first album had two tracks I really enjoyed - "Put You On The Game" and this, a track straight from the heart with Faith Evans blessing the hook. Havoc of Mobb Deep is on production with a beat that isn't what you might expect from him in terms of sound, but is right there at the standard of quality that he'd set.

DJ Cam ft. Cameo : Love Junkee (Dilla Remix)

You may or may not know it, but you cannot deny that this is a serious tune! The original was cool, in a relaxed and organic way, with Cameo an extremely welcome guest to proceedings,  but Dilla turned it into a banger. Incredibly minimal on the surface, but packed with lots of little subtleties if you listen closely enough. If you can hear past that thumping low end! Get yourself a digital copy of both versions, and thank me later.

Zapp : Computer Love

I've said it before, but Zapp were something like fifteen years ahead of the advent of internet dating! This is a stone classic record, sampled and flipped countless times, and one which I'm glad to have enjoyed as a new track when it was released back in 1985! Shirley Murdock features as half of the lead vocal duet alongside Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band, and the great Roger Troutman (RIP), who also wrote the song, comes in on the talkbox. Apparently Charlie Wilson's record label thought this wasn't going to be a hit...I assume much crow has been eaten since! You can find this as a single, on the "The New Zapp IV U" album, and on many compilations.

Onra : Wait A Minute

This needed a bit of additional looping to be long enough to fit here, but it fit so well in terms of sound that it had to be done. It's taken from the new "Nobody Has To Know" album, the instrumental story of a secret relationship.

Sean Price : 60 Bar Dash

Sean P again with a stream of the disrespectful lines we love him for, on a record from relatively early in his solo career - you can find this on the B-side of the "Boom Bye Yeah" 12" single. PF Cuttin is on production, working a break you might know from the first Diamond D album.

De La Soul : The Art Of Getting Jumped

I always enjoyed this one and the 80s Aretha sample that makes up the hook! Underrated but big tune from the "Art Official Intelligence : Mosaic Thump" album, all about those times when the pack strikes and isn't concerned with fighting fair...

Eric B & Rakim : Set 'Em Straight

If you don't have the "Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em" album, then you probably don't know this track - it wasn't a single, it's not a club track, but my goodness, it's dope. The title is perfect, as Rakim takes the time to primarily put other MCs in check, but also correct one or two false rumours of the time, including that that he was supposedly locked up on Rikers Island for selling drugs. Pure heat from the very early 90s.

Blade : Rough It Up

Long before his union with Mark B (RIP) that many of you will know him for, Blade was an MC who absolutely personified the grind and the real DIY attitude. His first LP, "The Lion Goes From Strength To Strength", was in my opinion the original crowd-funded album, and the determined and defiant nature required to undertake such a task in 1991 is evident on this early 12"! He's talking about his real life right down to washing dishes to pay the bills, over a soup of funk cooked up by his own hand alongside the underground legendary engineer/producer "No Sleep" Nigel. I learned about this record when Pete Tong played it as a brand new tune on Radio 1, and it made me a Blade fan for life.

K-Def : Get A Clue

I needed something funky for this spot, and with the help of a bit of looping to make it a suitable length, I found it on K-Def's "Willie Boo Boo" collection, which is one that the beat heads should definitely have in their collections.

Aretha Franklin : Young, Gifted, and Black

What can you say? I thought this soaring anthem would be a great record to end the episode on. Nina Simone was the original writer (with Weldon Irvine) and performer of this song, back in 1969, but just three years later Aretha released this incredible version as the title track of her eighteenth (!) studio album. I certainly remember hearing many versions of this track as a child, and this is the perfect time to bring it out for all of you. Turn up the volume and take in the mastery.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

[thebigcitynightsband]

no news

Hello and Greetings.

Nothing has changed. Everything has changed. It is the best of times, it is the worst of times. There is a rich white guy running the country below us, there is a rich guy running the country we live in. The Toronto Maple Leafs are struggling to clinch a playoff spot, while the Blue Jays are playing in the Grapefruit League, getting ready for their season down in Florida. Okay, so maybe some things have changed.

We are sitting on anywhere from 25-50 songs, some of them already recorded except for vocals, as with Better Days Are A Toenail Away and Heck ‘Em All. There are others that haven’t been recorded or even fleshed out. I wrote a new song last night that sounds like a mix between “Guy I Know” and Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter.” I demoed it so I wouldn’t forget it.

What Are We Doing?

Nothing. Nothing at all. I haven’t seen James since last May and I haven’t seen Ryan since November, when he dropped off my mixer downtown Brampton while I was visiting a friend.

I have no idea how to fix this situation at the moment. I work most Fridays and Saturdays. I have at least two Sundays off a week, but I can’t always get to Brampton and the guys don’t always want to come down here to jam at the Rehearsal Factory.

I have been enrolled in a drug rehabilitation program for the past long while, a program that involves group meetings and individual counselling with an addictions counsellor. The type of treatment involved would likely cost its participants thousands of dollars per year, given the expertise and intensity of the doctors involved, but for me and for others, it costs considerably less than that, about a hundred dollars a month. That’s the financial cost. The social cost is a bit heavier: I have to submit a urine test every single day.

What this means is I have to be at Bloor and Lansdowne once a day, every day, to submit a sample or I will be kicked out of the program. There are no second chances, there are no doctor’s notes for illness. You simply cannot miss a single day. Period. The fact that I have been doing this for months now should demonstrate my devotion to the program and how seriously I’m taking it, but just in case it doesn’t, I’ll say it here: I am taking this program very very seriously. It has given me back my life.  On weekdays this requirement isn’t too onerous, seeing as the clinic is open from 8am to 5pm. Since I work in the service industry and my work day usually begins between 2 and 4 pm, it’s not too difficult for me to get up a half hour earlier than I normally would and head over to pee in a cup. It’s a small price to pay for a program that has helped me so much. On weekends, though, it’s a lot harder, because the window of time I have to be at the clinic is seriously shortened. On Saturdays I have a four hour window, from 8am-noon. Not bad. On Sundays, I have a 90-minute window. If I am not there between 10am and 11:30am, I lose my spot in the program. Which I don’t want to do given that this program has essentially given me my fucking life back. I cannot understate the extent to which this program has helped me. It literally saves peoples lives.

But if I were to go to Brampton on a Saturday evening to play music, and then stay over there, I would be completely dependent on transit to get me back to Toronto before the clinic closes at 11:30am. This would likely entail getting up at 8am in Brampton, since transit takes so goddamnn long and I’d be taking three different types: Brampton Transit, GO Transit, and TTC. Things can get a little shifty there.

Best case scenario would be to go to Brampton on a Sunday morning after hitting the clinic, since I could crash there and then take my time getting back to Toronto the next day, since the clinic doesn’t close on Mondays until 5pm. But both James and Ryan work on Mondays, and Ryan has family obligations, and James usually doesn’t like to do stuff on Sunday afternoons cuz he has to get up so early the next day, so I’m not sure we’d be able to get too much done on a Sunday afternoon, especially since the earliest I could be in Brampton is around 12:30 or 1pm, depending on when the GO bus leaves Union station.

So it would make the most logistical sense for me to go to Brampton on a Sunday when both Ryan and James have a Monday off, like on May 24 weekend, unless Ryan’s going camping that weekend, which he usually does, so…

I dunno. Hopefully I can get a Saturday off soon and we can jam at Bathurst and Richmond for a few hours and work on some new material. We’ll worry about recording whenever the hell I can get to Brampton, which depends on my work schedule.

What Am I Doing?

I’ve been working a shitload of hours lately as a server/bartender for an events company, meaning I work a lot of weddings and corporate gatherings. With wedding season just around the corner and my home venue opening the outdoor terrace midway through April, I’ll be working even more soon; six days a week from mid-April to mid-December, without a break. Finding a way to shoehorn some recording into my schedule during that time will be a challenge, but I’ll try my best. I will.

A few days before last Christmas I joined my friends Mark Hornich and Michael Schooley in Hamilton to play some music. I’d been hanging out with Mark every other week or so last summer, writing songs on acoustic guitars, for a project that we’ve been trying to put together since at least 2011.

Since that first jam in Hamilton, me, Mark and Michael have met up every other week, sometimes once a month but usually more often, at various spaces across the city, sometimes Paul’s Boutique, sometimes the Richmond-Bathurst rehearsal spaces, to play our songs, of which we now have six, complete with vocal melodies and lyrics and everything.

We’ve challenged ourselves to be show-ready by May, and we’ve hit our target early. As far as I’m concerned we could play a show next weekend without making fools of ourselves, though another two jams wouldn’t hurt either. Mark played in one of my favourite local bands of all-time, Crop Failure, and Michael played in an excellent instrumental band from Kitchener-Waterloo called New Wings, that my old band Sleep for the Nightlife played with once in Waterloo in a café next door to a movie theatre downtown. I actually taped some of that set and uploaded it to YouTube a few years ago, and I’ve played a lot of shows with Crop Failure with old bands like GIANTS and Sleep for the Nightlife, and The Big City Nights Band have played with C.F. a couple times too, so there’s a lot of overlap here in terms of the scene and shows played together. We all come from the same scene, and we’re all old enough to know that we don’t need to try to conquer the world or “make it big” or anything like that. We’ll be content with playing a few decent shows here and there, and making a good EP or LP that might catch a few people’s ears. That’s about the extent of our ambitions right now. The tentative band name for this project right now is Traffic Yeller, though none of us are sure if the name is permanent. While is does connote a certain energy and anger, none of us are totally sure if it describes us properly. So we’ll see. Either way, we’ll continue to make music together this year and will hopefully play a show sometime soon. If we get one booked, I’ll letcha all know.

In the meantime, I’m obviously going to try to finish some Big City Nights recordings this year and put out some records. As I’ve said before, we have enough material to release at least two albums, maybe even three or four. No, we don’t see each other as much as we used to, and we don’t play anywhere near as many shows as we used to, but we’ll try our best to match the output we somehow tallied in both 2010 and 2012, years that saw us release four full-length recordings, all of which I still stand behind, from records I did mostly myself like Gimme Gardens and Dancing Days, to albums we all contributed equally to like Yawns Beyond, Oscillation Drills, Popular Favourites, Might Minutes, and Under the Overpass.

I’d like to document the recording of our upcoming records, if possible, as it’s always fun to go back and watch videos like the making of Oscillation Drills or Yawns Beyond or West Bestern. So I’ll try to make sure someone has their camera phone running at all times whenever we get together next. And it’s also about time we update our default photo on the bandcamp, which was taken by Jessica Fisher in summer 2010. So I’ll try to organize a photo shoot asap, but it’s not at the forefront of my worries. The music comes first, naturally. So if a new photo should appear, rest assured that we’ve taken care of the audio aspect and have some new recordings on the way.

No shows booked at the moment but we’ll be trying to get something going soon, some shows with the Flying Museum Band to celebrate the tenth anniversaries of our respective first albums. Our tenth anniversary is actually around this time…as I recall the album coming out in either March or April 2007 and playing our goodbye show @ All Stars in Bramalea that May. So I’ll have to go back and get some exact dates. Born to Bar Band is a solid effort, even though it’s a little difficult for me to listen to now, since my vocals were so rough on that record. Our live staple, “Catch You,” for example, has been played at almost every show we’ve ever done, so that when I hear the version on B2BB I barely recognize it.

No shows, no new music. Overall, taking the last ten years into account, this is uncharacteristic of the Big City Nights Band. But I know all too well that, in the  past few years, this has become the norm. Not a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on. I’m working hard on my problems and have been staying on top of things in the past long while So it’s about time I focused some energy on this long-neglected band, my favourite band that I’ve ever played in. I’m tired of old memories, I want to make some new ones.

And when we do finally get around to making those new ones, you’ll be the first to know.

That’s the news, or lack thereof, lose yer blues.