#paradise-theatre

[its-a-rat-trap]

my huge fixation on the rats has come back again so out of curiosity, what are some of your favorite tracks, and why?

Oh man sorry it took me so long to answer this! It ended up being harder than I thought to narrow down a list of my favorite songs but here’s (some) of my current faves at least!

Lookin’ After No. 1 - A bit of a cliched inclusion but it’s still (imo) the best example of their early punk/post-punk sound, and you can really hear how well Garry and Simon meshed with their playing. Plus I’m an utter sap and it makes me very emotional to think of Bob going from writing “Don’t give me love thy neighbor / Don’t give me charity” to. yknow. putting on the entirety of Live Aid. 

(Also don’t eVEN talk to me about the Music Machine gig, every time I think of Bob singing “Don’t wanna be like you / Don’t wanna live like you / Don’t wanna talk like you at all / I’m gonna be like me” in the face of the neo-nazi skinheads who just punched him in the face I go INSANE)

Joey’s On The Streets Again - Look I know that if we’re picking “Top songs Bob wrote about the Ireland of his childhood” then Rat Trap is understandably always gonna be at the top of the list but consider: Joey is just a better song, especially the last verse of it.

Also the Self Aid Joey performance? SO FUCKING GOOD genuinely my favorite live performance of this song that they’ve ever done

Wind Chill Factor Minus Zero - The lyrics just do it for me. I feel like a lot of people don’t think of Bob Geldof as a great lyricist but he really is and this song is just full of little clever lines like “You start to laugh (No) / You say you’ve won (No) / It’s just I lost (No) / That’s not the same (No)” that just make it SO satisfying to sing!

Also gotta put a shout out to “Real Different” for the same reason, every time I hear Bob sing “I'll fill my pocket full of stones and I'll throw 'em at the light” I just go feral asldkfjals

The Elephant’s Graveyard - You know that quote about (I Never Loved) Eva Braun that describes the song as something like the happiest most upbeat song about Hitler you’ll ever hear? The Elephant’s Graveyard is exactly like that but for police brutality and the Rats fucking made it work. 

Obviously if we’re talking about social justice themes in their songs Mondays and Banana Republic are gonna top the list but listen. Listen. Bob wrote a song specifically about anti-black police brutality in Florida that calls out the double-standards of the US justice system (“Justice isn’t blind / It just looks the other way”), made the campiest beach-themed music video for it, and somehow they completely nailed the combination. 

House on Fire - IT’S JUST A FUCKING BANGER OF A SONG! Seriously between the brass instruments and Bob’s voice it’s just such a fun and funky song, and it’s a great example of the Rats playing around with their sound in their later albums in a way that just works perfectly for them. 

Also it has more good mouth-feel lyrics in it, like the line “Doing halo hula-hoops, executing loop-de-loops / Takes a lot of skill and bad taste” is just sooo satisfying to sing !!!

Trash Glam Baby - Obligatory COB inclusion alksdjfklas I almost went with She Said No instead but they really nailed that old-school rock sound with Trash Glam Baby and I absolutely adore it. I love the little references at the start of the song, I love the reprise at the end, the video absolutely fucks, this was everything I needed from 21st Century Rats and more!

Do The Rat / D.U.N. L.A.O.G.H.A.I.R.E. - Because I couldn’t pick just one, special shout-out to both Do The Rat and D.U.N. L.A.O.G.H.A.I.R.E. for being fantastic b-side tracks! I love that Bob and the rest of the band were having fun fooling around with their releases like this. I love all the puns in Do The Rat, and the little convo at the start of D.U.N. L.A.O.G.H.A.I.R.E. both makes me laugh and makes me a little emotional now that Garry’s gone.

[aimiesposts]

IM ACTUALLY FUCKING CRYING THIS PHOTO I SAW ON TIKTOK

Everyone when the live got violated

[cloudghoulz]

idk why some of y’all think that calypso is completely innocent and should be viewed sympathetically because of her being lonely.

like ok, if you don’t interpret the “soon, into bed we'll climb and spend our time” line as implying SA (personally i’m on the fence about it), cool, that’s your opinion.

but you can’t ignore the fact that despite him telling her multiple times that he is not interested she continued to harass him.

and yes, she’s lonely. yes, she probably doesnt understand how love works. but, while that explains why she acted that way, that’s not an excuse. it still is shitty behavior.

also, correct me if i’m wrong, but i’m pretty sure trying to pressure someone into loving/dating you is considered sexual harassment.

it is also stated (via the line: “seven years, she’s kept you trapped”) that calypso is in fact the reason why odysseus is trapped.

and before any of y’all come up in here saying “calypso is cursed to fall in love with anyone that ends up on the island”. girl. that’s percy jackson lore.

anyways i’m so sick of this goddamn fandom. media literacy is definitely dead.

[tilac-f-f]

Playing Rusty Lake Games

I play them again but I still don't understand the main story. Youtube didn't help.

[cyrtaregina]

[its-your-girl-geekerella]

9 days till the Wisdom Saga!

[bowtothepal]

I dont really post much anymore but I do follow epic the musical and Jorge. If you haven't checked it out yet this guy is literally the next lin Manuel Miranda and the ending of love in paradise has absolutely rocked me to more core. Chills. Just straight chills everytime.

[pink-alchemy]

[widevibratobitch]

well if i had a house like my aunt's i wouldnt wanna divorce my bitch of a husband either

[apogean-tides]

I was today years old when I learnt that one of Runaan's early concept designs was rejected for being too "spicy" and now it lives rent free in my head

Me: side thigh slits. what's so spicy about them?

Also me: *watches Hell's Paradise for the first time* o-oh. OH.

[remaininginshadows]

So after several failed attempts at starting this idea, I can now with the correct contacts and backing in London with tailors and seamstresses. I have not the ability and funding to create.

The Brilliant Original 1986 Suit

From the stage musical ‘The Phantom

Of the Opera’.

This suit will be based on the exact styles of the 1880s period. Using the close to or exact fabrics used then.

With help from the following locations. (Help Credit)

Victoria Albert Museum

Gieves and Hawkes (Savile row London)

Historical Textiles and Fabrics Mill.

And a Ex Dresser and Costumer from Her/His Majesty’s theatre from 2007/9.

Looking forward to starting this project.

Monthly progress will

Be recorded on Tumblr.

(Please note this is not a cosplay costume this is for the Art of Historical costume interpretation)

[aimiesposts]

You guys don't understand how much I love Kallber Scombomb

(Not in a weird way)

[cyrtaregina]

Le spectacle de la nature est toujours beau!

[its-your-girl-geekerella]

EPIC: The Wisdom Saga (pt. 2)

Okay, let's try this again. I am much more sane and have had time to process my thoughts about this Saga.

"Legendary." I gotta admit, it was better than I thought. I knew that everyone else knew the song already, and the way it was being hyped up made me a little wary of it. But it was, in EVERY WAY, amazing. It gets stuck in my head all the time. And we can't forget "L-L-L-L-Legendary"

"Little Wolf." Another amazing song. My favorite part was when Athena showed up and explained Quick Thought. "Oooh, maybe I pushed you a bit too hard" made me laugh.

"We'll Be Fine." Very emotional, and I honestly love it. And of course the "Warrior of the Mind" riff is iconic.

"Love in Paradise." Yay, Time Dive! Babs Wangui is the ABSOLUTE best. Calypso might be my 2nd favorite character. Besides, I've been singing this song for months and to hear it fully produced is a dream come true. The Odysseus suicide attempt is INSANE and I did NOT see it coming. A part of me wonders why Ody screamed Athena's name at the end there, though. Is it because he thought that she was literally the only one who could possibly help him? Or, did he conflate his memories to believe that all his problems started when he split with her?

"God Games." The almighty. It slapped, 100%. My favorite "levels" in order are Hera(yet another section I've been singing for months), Aphrodite/Ares, Apollo, and Hephaestus. The instrumental at the end, though? "Warrior of the Mind"/"Legendary?" Makes me cry every time.

All-in-all, my ranking would be:

God Games

Love in Paradise

Legendary

We'll Be Fine

Little Wolf

I have ZERO complaints for this Saga, and I have listened to it about 20 times since it came out.

Also, Zeus sucks.

[iwasonlydancing]

Song of the Day #206

"The Best of Times" by Styx from Paradise Theatre, 1981

[just-get-through-this-night]

styx hello kitty-fied