#radio times march 2007

[preseriesdean]

for @spnficrecfest day nine: vintage fics 🧡 (published pre-season six)

by CANDLE_BECK

Last Day on Earth 10.8k words, rated E, published july 2009 A list of things to do if you only have one day to live, presented in inconvenient non-list form.

Eight Things You Should Know 7.7k words, rated T, published dec. 2008 Being in love with Dean is the most annoying thing.

Speechless 11.2k words, rated T, published oct. 2008 Dean loses his voice and their rapport is only moderately impaired.

Second Map of the World 13.9k words, rated E, published sep. 2010 They're on a lucky streak, and then Sam does something ill-considered, and the plot thickens.

American Myth 11.5k words, rated M, published nov. 2007 As long as you have a car, you are free, and other lies my country taught me.

by WHEREUPON

Breathing Hard 9k words, rated E, published aug. 2009 The day Dean figures it out.

Love Letter 4.8k words, rated E, published sep. 2009 It's almost fall and Sam hasn't said anything about leaving.

Head On 8.3k words, rated M, published june 2009 And then, just like that, Dean falls.

by SEVENFISTS

Wear Him Like a Habit 2.2k words, rated M, published march 2008 Their first kiss isn't an accident. It's anticipated well in advance, discussed for weeks, argued over, second-guessed.

Someone Else's Blood 6.7k words, rated E, published aug. 2006 The first time, of course, was an accident.

Life As We Know It 13.7k words, rated M, published apr. 2007 On the morning that Sam woke up, Dean ran five red lights on the way to the hospital, his half-empty coffee cup sloshing in the holder.

Just Reach Out 1.9k words, rated E, published apr. 2006 Sam wakes up slowly. The dull hum of noise in the distance resolves into Dean's voice, quietly singing along with the radio. Sam's face is stuck to the leather seat. He's been drooling a little; the corner of his mouth is wet. He moves his hand tentatively, feeling it prickle, heavy with blood. The window's rolled down.

The Art of Manly Hugging 1.6k words, rated E, published aug. 2007 Sometimes, you know, Dean just needs a goddamn hug.

by COYOTESUSPECT

Odysseus, American 10.1k words, rated M, published feb. 2010 Dean finds Peter O'Toole's recording of the Odyssey in a bin marked “Audio" in Casa Grande's only used bookstore. The place smells like cigarette smoke and old books, and it reminds him of Sam.

Divine Intervention by coyotesuspect 3.8k words, rated T, published aug. 2008 "Dude," says Sam. "I think Castiel just hit on me."

by ASTOLAT

Leader of the Pack 14.9k words, rated E, published dec. 2007 Teaching old dogs new tricks.

Inseparable 6.7k words, rated M, published jan. 2008 It was just plain sense, so Dean didn't understand why something about the way Dad said quietly, "It's time you had your own bed," made him feel guilty and confused.

Unasked 15.3k words, rated M, published june 2007 Sam doesn't ask.

Worth The Wait 4.4k words, rated E, published jan. 2008 Sam couldn't remember a time when he didn't want Dean.

Generosity 1.7k words, rated E, published may 2007 John had traded the gun; he'd have traded away more, and he was still feeling the cold dread of the moment when the demon had cocked its head like a pistol and said, "You know, I'm feeling generous today," because if it hadn't taken more, that was only because it figured what was in store was going to be worse.

by MOLLYAMORY

North of Wednesday 3.5k words, rated G, published feb. 2008 Coda to Mystery Spot.

Open Road 2k words, rated T, published may 2010 Sam's old enough to know what's good for him.

by FLESHFLUTTER

whose wings, though tattered, shall carry me home (dean/cas, sam/dean) 2.2k words, rated T, published march 2009 There is a breeze moving across the field. It stirs the long grass in lapping waves like the sea. Castiel runs his fingertips through it and remembers flying.

I'll take my chance on a beautiful stranger 3.9k words, rated M, published june 2007 If Chase were a better friend, he might try to end the game now, before Brendan loses even more money. But if Brendan is a dick at Stanford, it’s nothing compared to how he is on break.

by others

The Last Outpost Of All That Is by gekizetsu 59k words, rated E, published feb. 2008 The world ends while they’re asleep.

a journey of a thousand miles by killabeez 2.3k words, rated T, published aug. 2006 Sam spends a lot of time being afraid, but it's not the things that go bump in the night that scare him the most.

Almost At Home by balefully 24.3k words, rated E, published july 2008 Sam graduates from high school in early June in rural Tennessee. He and Dean start the summer with an all-nighter of celebration; the day after, while both fight hangovers, John calls to assign them their first hunt by themselves.

State of Love and Trust/As I Busted Down the Pretext by cormallen 2.9k words, rated M, published jan. 2010 When you know exactly what your brother's thinking, there are some chances you just don't take.

[otdiaftg]

The King's Men - Chapter Thirteen

Day: Saturday, March 9th / 10th* Time: 6:10 AM EST

Nathaniel stays on his knees and bows his head to wait. It doesn't take long. Feds melt out of the shadows like ghosts, guns out and dressed head-to-toe in tactical gear. Nathaniel is too small to be his father, but the cover of darkness helps the illusion. They don't realize anything is wrong until they yank him to his feet with rough hands and strident voices. Nathaniel finally tips his head up to look at them, and the agent closest to him trails off mid-sentence. "You're too late," Nathaniel says, even as someone radios EMS to rush on-scene. "My father is dead." "Your father," the agent says stupidly. Six men tear off down the hole so fast they almost fall, and Nathaniel hears their boots echoing off the tunnel wall as they run to check the house. He doesn't realize he's looked down at the opening until the agent snaps gloved fingers in his face. Nathaniel meets his searching look with a cool stare, and the man repeats, "Your father?" "My name is Nathaniel Wesninski," he says, "and my father is dead." It isn't at all funny, but a second later he is laughing. It sounds hysterical but he can't stop. Hands catch his shoulders and push his head down. A gruff voice order him to breathe but Nathaniel can't. He grabs at his knees for balance. Pain lances up his arms from his abused hands but he can't let go. The adrenaline of an unexpected firefight and the relief of being alive are breaking him apart, and Nathaniel finally loses the battle with his unsteady stomach. Someone holds onto him while he retches onto the concrete floor. Nathaniel spits in a vain attempt to get the sour taste out of his mouth. The hand on his shoulder tightens. "I'd rather not cuff you in the state you're in, but I will if I have to. Are you going to be a problem for us?" Nathaniel struggles to look up and focus on the man's face. "I've been a problem for nineteen years. I'm too tired to be one tonight. Just get me out of here."

Art used with permission by Emry-stars-art. Thank you @emry-stars-art!

*Due to the Leap Year, I have opted to highlight the day rather than the date to keep the events in occurrence to the 2007 year. I will continue to mark both days accordingly.

[thislovintime]

During the filming of 33 ⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee, November 1968.

Peter leaving The Monkees, post 3 of 3.

“I just basically think that I wasn’t feeling a part of it anymore already by that point, I’d already felt like I was odd man out, and of course I quit almost immediately thereafter.” - Peter Tork, Headquarters radio, 1989

“I’d always had deep doubts, ever since the session for ‘Last Train To Clarksville.’ I walked in there with my guitar and Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart looked at me with derision and scorn, like, ‘Guitar in your hand, you fool!’ That was the end of it for me. Right there I was done with The Monkees in large measure. I struggled against it with some success at one point. But after Headquarters nobody wanted to be a recording group anymore. I did what I could, but I didn’t feel like there was any reason for me to be there anymore. I wanted to be in a rock group.” - Peter Tork, Head 1994 liner notes

“While we were making the TV Special, knowing I was not going to be there any longer, I just thought to myself — I don’t have to worry about this thing — and I just let everything slide off my back.” - Peter Tork, NME, January 25, 1969

“We never thought of replacing him — there’s only one Peter Tork in the world.” - Michael Nesmith, Melody Maker, March 1, 1969

Q: “So, when you left, did you want to be known as the former Monkee or did you want to erase that part of your past —” Peter Tork: “I tried to erase it.” Q: “— and start anew.” PT: “I tried to erase it completely.” Q: “How do you do that?” PT: “Well, you just don’t do anything connected with it, just absolutely refuse to have anything to do with it.” - NPR, June 1983 (x)

“Headquarters was by far the best album in the sense that it was us. It was honest, it was pure, and we had a great time. Peter says that the reason he quit was because after we did this album, we decided we weren’t going to be a group anymore. It broke his heart, because Headquarters was the whole reason why he’d become one of The Monkees.” - Micky Dolenz, Headquarters 1995 liner notes

“[Micky] did a great job [drumming] on Headquarters. [But] he wasn’t going to do it again, and there was nothing you could do [to change his mind]. We had to go back in the studio. He said, ‘Peter, you can’t go back.’ Eddie Hoh did the drumming [on Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., save for ‘Cuddly Toy’]. Chip [Douglas] got him ‘cause he could read [music]. The result is that you get directed stuff, there’s no group interaction, which is why I wanted the group to be on the album in the first place. You listen to Beatle albums and one of the things that makes them great is that they have found ways to use who they have to get what they want without asking anyone to do what they couldn’t do. That’s what makes group music happen. That’s all I ever hoped for, and I had it for like a minute on Headquarters.” - Peter Tork, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd. 2007 liner notes

“[Peter] admits he harbored a lot of bitterness for many years. The main bone of contention was the TV show’s producers insistence that the band members not play their own instruments. [...] ‘I was devastated at first. I originally approached The Monkees in terms of my own desire to be part of a genuine pop-rock music group. I felt like it was a professional slight to me. Like I was being excluded.’” - The Bellingham Herald, August 5, 1996

“Peter wasn’t satisfied musically [with The Monkees]. He’d been led to believe he could express himself musically. He was frustrated.” - Davy Jones, News-Press, May 14, 1977

“‘I was mostly interested in the Monkees as a musical entity,’ Thorkelson commented. ‘We didn’t fully realize that potential, and I felt ripped off.’” - The Bowling Green News Revue, May 24, 1979 (x)

“We’re all sorry to lose Peter but it was all very friendly and I personally can understand what is going through his mind, He’s a clever guy, you know, and he gets kinda restless sometimes. You should see the books he plows through… real deep stuff with words about a mile long.” - Davy Jones, Monkees Monthly, February 1969

“Peter and I were the bulk of the playing ability because we were musicians. But when Peter left it rather unnerved Davy and [Micky] — and I changed my mind [about quitting]. After all, the personal appearances were pretty well satisfying, the music was fun, and the whole thing was fairly lucrative. And Davy and [Micky] left alone would have been in real trouble.” - Michael Nesmith, Disc & Music Echo, September 19, 1970

“If the truth be known, the day Peter quit was probably the happiest day of Mike’s life. They’d never really gotten along, right from day one. Mike had always perceived of Peter as untenable, and they’d always been adversarial, if not outright combative. Finally he was out of the way. Now Mike could get on with doing what he had always wanted to do, make the Monkees his group. And I was happy to go along. I respected Mike and his music and was quite prepared to go along for the ride. [...] I saw Peter’s abdication as a minor setback at most. Basically, I think the three of us really thought that would be able to go on, just as we had before, and nobody would even notice there were only three people on stage instead of four — after all Peter didn’t sing on many of the songs anyway. How naive. […] I suppose it depends on whom you talk to, but as far as I’m concerned, the day Peter quit was the day the music died (apologies to Don McLean).” - Micky Dolenz, I’m A Believer: My Life of Monkees, Music, And Madness (1993)

[player1064]

Ok after the amazing angst one about their first time might I request a hurt/comfort… I love the complications of them being secretly together as players. Maybe Gary (srry bby) gets injured in a match and it’s scholes that has to tell Jamie and that’s how they come out to their friends or to the world, maybe Jamie’s there, idkkkkkk but something in the following of the SAF finding out one? 😁❤️

tbh like. at this point this is fully just a full length fic. perhaps I'm insane about them...

LOVE the idea of them being together in their playing days. wish I could find footage of Gary breaking his ankle but there's none!!!!!

Set as a sort of prequel to this one from a few days ago

---

17th March 2007

Jamie is on the team bus headed for Birmingham when it happens. Up front, the radio is playing match coverage, but he’s sat further back, he and Stevie too busy holding court with the players sat around them to pay it much attention. It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on what United are doing, but as it stands they’re twenty points clear of Liverpool and are certainly going to get another three today – it’s only Bolton, and they’re at home too.

So, he’s on the bus when it happens, but he doesn’t find out until the team is sat around watching Match of the Day later that evening. Even then, he doesn’t get to see the footage, the only mention that anything happened at all being a short “Gary Neville came off after 11 minutes with an ankle injury.”

His teammates cheer and Jamie tries to laugh along, but all he can think is why hasn’t he texted.

“Reckon that’s him off England squad this summer, then” Stevie says, grinning, “finally, some peace and quiet. An’ they’ll be needing someone to step in for ‘im, Carra, you might get more minutes.”

“I fuckin’ hate playin’ right back,” he groans, rolling his eyes (why hasn’t he texted why hasn’t he texted why hasn’t he texted).

He makes a show of looking at the clock, says something about needing to call his parents to let them know he’s got to the hotel alright, and high-tails it out of there to go back to his and Stevie’s empty room.

Still no texts, so he brings Gary’s number up and calls, pacing the floor while it rings.

It takes longer than usual, but eventually he’s greeted with a quiet “’lo?” and breathes a sigh of relief.

“Are y’alright, love?” he asks quickly, his words rushing together. “Only just heard, else I’d’ve called sooner – what ‘appened? That twat Lineker was so vague.”

There’s a long pause, long enough that Jamie starts to wonder if his signal’s dropped out, and then:

A voice which he now hears is definitely not Gary, saying “this is Scholes.”

“Fuck,” he hisses, and snaps his phone shut.

His phone starts ringing a few seconds later.

Jamie, because maybe he’s a bit stupid, answers it.

“Yeah?”

“Er,” he hears Scholes say, “Who’m I speakin’ to, exactly? Gaz’s only got this number saved as ‘J’.”

“Um,” Jamie says, panicking. “I’m just a friend of ‘is, heard he got injured so wanted to check he were alright.”

“’e’s still waitin’ on some scans, but they reckon it’s broken,” Scholes says. “Gaz doesn’t really have friends, does he, outside of team. An’ you sound –”

“—Okay, good t’hear he’s alright, bye then.”

Jamie snaps his phone shut again and tosses it onto his bed, wipes both hands down his face.

Broken. Fuck. That’s him out for the remainder of the season, then, he’ll be devastated. At least he’s already racked up enough appearances to get a medal when United inevitably win the league, not that the prick needs another one of those.

This thing of theirs, whatever it actually is, it’s not been going on that long. Not even a full year, if you’re ignoring the few mistaken fumbles at England camps over the years and only counting from when they’d made it – not official, exactly, because again Jamie’s not entirely sure what it is they’d be making official – but as close to official as it’s likely to get.

Gary, the prick, would probably give him a smack if he said all that to him. It all comes a lot easier to him, the – the words, and the feelings. Jamie can almost hear him now, why’s everythin’ always so complicated w’you, Jamie, stop bein’ a baby and just admit I’m your boyfriend.

His ankle is probably broken. Jamie should be there.

He has a match tomorrow.

He sits on the end of his bed, hunched over with his head in his hands while he tries to sort through the mess in his head to work out what he’s meant to do. There’s a buzzing in his head that feels so loud he doesn’t notice the soft click of the door opening until there’s a dip in the mattress beside him and Stevie’s hand patting him on the shoulder.

“Y’alright, lad?” he asks gently, shifting his hand to rub firm circles on Jamie’s back. “We’re headin’ down for dinner soon, boss sent me to find you.”

“I’m fine,” he says automatically, but when he looks up he can see the disbelief in Stevie’s face. “I am, I just – if somethin’ happened to Alex, like, if she’d been hurt. Would you go home? Even if you’re meant to be startin’ tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Stevie replies, like he doesn’t even have to think about it. “’Course I would, you know that. She’s – y’know, she’s the mother of my children, in’t she? I’d drop anythin’.”

Jamie groans, puts his face back in his hands. “’s not helpful, Stevie.”

“Well, no, ‘cause you don’t ‘ave kids.” Stevie pauses for a second, frowns. “Unless you –”

“—No!” Jamie says quickly, shaking his head. “Christ, y’think I could ‘ave a secret family? Give us a break. No, it’s just – I dunno, I been seein’ someone, for a little bit now, and somethin’s happened, and – and I feel like I’m meant to go home, aren’t I? Help out? But I –”

“But you can’t miss the game tomorrow,” Stevie finishes for him, because of course he knows that, he knows him, knows how his head works. “So there’s yer answer. Carra, she won’t hold it against you. If she – I mean, does she love you? Are the two of yous, like – why’ve you not said anythin’?”

Jamie feels a twinge of guilt. “’s complicated,” he says with a sigh. “But we – I s’pose so, yeah. I s’pose you might say that we’re – that.”

Stevie, god bless the man, seems to lose any trace of annoyance or upset over being left out of the loop, and throws an arm around Jamie’s shoulder with a grin. “My boy’s in love!” he says, squeezing Jamie tight. “Too much of a prick to tell ‘is best mate, but what else is fuckin’ new? Look, Jay, I know you, don’t I? And if she knows you, then she’ll know you ‘ave to play this game. Long as she’s not dyin’, I’m sure she’ll understand waitin’ ‘til tomorrow evenin’ for you to get home.”

“Ha,” Jamie says humourlessly, still feeling guilt clawing away at his insides, “prob’ly won’t notice if I’m there or not, anyway.”

Stevie pats him on the shoulder one last time and then stands back up, nodding his head towards the door in question.

Jamie gets up too, but they’ve only taken a couple of steps towards the door when another wave of guilt crashes into him and he blurts out “Stevie –”

“I’m bloody starving, Carra, c’mon now.”

“Stevie,” he says again, clenching his fists at his sides. He can’t look at Stevie, is staring up at the ceiling instead as he says “’s not a girl. That I’ve been seein’. That’s why I couldn’t tell you.”

There’s a long pause, where it feels like the air between them is humming, and then Stevie just nods and says “okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They make it all the way out of the room and into the lift down to the dining room when Stevie’s brow furrows for a second and then he turns to Jamie, eyes wide.

“Carra,” he says grimly, “please tell me the guy you’ve been seeing that’s got hurt today’s not another footballer.”

Jamie feels himself blush. “Um,” he replies.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Jamie, what is wrong w’you?”

*

When Gary is wheeled back into his private hospital room, it’s to the sight of Scholesy sat in an armchair looking thoughtfully at the phone in his hands.

He blinks when he hears Gary come in, looks up with a grimace. “X-ray gone alright?”

Gary shrugs, looks away. “Broken,” he says, trying to sound nonchalant. “Like they thought. Guess it’s gonna be more’n just three weeks out, then.”

Scholesy sighs, deflating slightly. “’m sorry, Gaz.”

“Is what it is. They said I can go home now, at least, so that’s somethin’. You got all my things?”

“Yeah, give us a second,” Scholesy says, turning around to rummage through the pockets of the coat that’s hanging on the back of his chair. He pulls another phone out, opens it up. “I’ll call us a cab, yeah? Want me to stay at yours tonight?”

It takes a second to compute that if the new phone is Scholesy’s, then the one he’d been staring at when Gary came in was –

“Erm. Were there any calls for me, while I was out?”

“Yeah,” Scholesy says, back to sounding sort of distant.

Please be from my mum, Gary thinks desperately, almost wanting to squeeze his eyes shut while he waits for Scholesy to elaborate.

“Um, texts from the family, of course. But just the one call.”

He hands the phone back to Gary, who opens up the call log to see exactly what he was hoping he wouldn’t.

Still, there’s a little glowy feeling in his chest at the fact he’d called.

“Ah,” he says. “Did you, er, d’you speak to him?”

“For a minute,” Scholesy says carefully. “Said he were a friend of yours.”

“Yeah,” Gary says with a relieved chuckle. His idiot boyfriend is good for something, after all. “Yeah, he’s a good friend. Good of him to check up on us.”

Except, then Scholesy adds: “Sounded Scouse.”

“Ah, yeah,” he replies, rubs a hand over his jaw. “Well, can’t hold it against him, I s’pose.”

Except, then Scholesy looks him dead in the eye and says: “Called you ‘love’.”

Fuck,

Fuck.

“Scholesy,” he says, feeling panic rise up inside him, “Scholesy, I can explain –”

“First boyfriend in how many years and it’s a bloody Scouser,” Scholesy mutters, which –

Which isn’t what Gary had thought he’d say, not even close.

“You don’t – you don’t mind that he’s – that he’s a man?”

Scholesy frowns at him like he’s lost his marbles. “Well, what else would he be?”

“I – a woman, Scholesy!” Gary screeches.

“But you’re gay?”

“You’re not meant to know that!”

Scholesy’s eyes flit up towards the ceiling. “Oh my god,” he mutters. He looks back at Gary, voice even. “You are so annoying, d’you know that? Nobody cares about the gay thing.”

“Oh,” Gary says, even though his head is screaming other people know too???

“He sounded worried, your lad on the phone.”

Gary feels himself relax a bit as it finally clicks how nice it is to be able to talk about this. “Yeah,” he says fondly, “’cause he’s bloody stupid.”

Scholesy hums thoughtfully. “What’s ‘is name?”

Ah, right. There is still that one, teeny tiny little problem.

“Um,” he says. “’s name’s Jamie.”

There’s a brief second while Scholesy’s brain works through the complicated equation of ‘Jamie + Scouser’, and Gary can tell the exact moment it computes because his eyes go wide and he says “Carragher?”

[thelionandthelark]

Some of the actors who participated in the Brazilian soap opera adaptation of Les Misérables in 1967

Sadi Cabral as The Bishop Myriel

Born Sadi Sousa Leite Cabral (September 10, 1906 – November 23, 1986) he was an actor who was active between the years of 1923 and 1986. In addition to being an actor, he was also a announcer, scriptwriter, screenwriter, director, dancer, lyricist and producer.

Leonardo Villar as Jean Valjean

Born Leonildo Motta (July 25, 1923 - July 3, 2020), he was an actor who was active between the 1950 and 2011. His career, like many actors of the time, began in the theater; and to this day he is considered one of the best Brazilian actors, and was acclaimed by many colleagues in the profession.

Both of his parents were Spanish immigrants from Andalusia, and he was the youngest of 7 siblings.

Otávio Augusto as Javert

Born Otávio Augusto de Azevedo Sousa (January 30, 1945), he is an actor, comedian and director who originally began his activities in 1965, and continues with them to this day. He has many credits involving films, plays and other soap operas.

Laura Cardoso as Fantine

Born Laurinda de Jesus Cardoso Balleroni (September 13, 1927), she began her career in 1950. However, her love for acting began many years before her adult life. As a child, she used to play theater with her friends in the neighborhood; and at the age of 15, she decided to finally pursue an artistic career, starting her work in radionovelas.

"She is one of the actresses who has acted the most in the country, with more than 100 works [...] including more than 60 soap operas. She has also made 30 feature films for the cinema."

Chico de Assis as Félix Tholomyès

Born Francisco de Assis Pereira (December 10, 1933 – January 3, 2015) he was a Brazilian playwright who began his activities in 1953. I believe that of those mentioned so far, he was the only one who was not actively in the acting field. Although he participated in some soap operas, the focus of his work was most directing and producing plays.

Maria Isabel de Lizandra as Cosette

Born Maria Isabel Reclusa Antunes Maciel (June 5, 1946 – March 14, 2019) she was an actress of soap operas, series and plays who was active between 1963 and 1998.

She starred in Les Misérables early in her career, making it the fifth soap opera in which she appeared.

Serafim Gonzalez as M. Thénardier

Born Seraphim Gonzalez (May 19, 1934 – April 29, 2007) he was an actor and sculptor who was active between 1946 and 2007. Like the actor who played Jean Valjean, his parents were also Spanish immigrants.

And here's a fun fact about him: Here in Brazil, there is another very famous soap opera called "Mulheres de Areia" (I think in English it would be something like "Sand Women") and there is the original version, and the remake made two decades later. He participated in both versions. He was the one who sculpted the sand statues that appeared throughout the story.

Cacilda Lanuza as Mme. Thénardier

Born Cacilda Lanuza de Godoy Silveira (September 1, 1930 – June 17, 2018) she was an actress of theater, cinema and television. In addition, she also worked as a television host, radio broadcaster, writer, reporter and announcer.

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday, Deacon Blue henchman Ricky Ross.

Born Richard Alexander Ross on December 22nd 1957 in Dundee he attended the High School of Dundee, an independent school in the City.

Ricky played keyboards in various local bands before releasing an album, So Long Ago, through indie label Sticky Records in 1984. Advised to put a band together by his publishers, he formed the six-piece Deacon Blue a year later, which went on to score two number one albums, When the World Knows Your Name and Our Town: The Greatest Hits, and 17 Top 40 singles before disbanding in 1994.

After signing a solo deal with Epic and released his second solo album What You Are, and achieved a minor hit with lead single “Radio On,” but due to poor sales, he was dropped and his 1997 follow-up, New Recording, was distributed through his own label. Two more solo albums followed: This Is the Life (2002) and Pale Rider (2005), but after signing a publishing deal with Warner Chappell in 1999, Ross focused most of his attention on writing for other artists. He penned hits for James Blunt and Jamie Cullum, and contributed to albums by Will Young, KT Tunstall, and Emma Bunton while at the same time making sporadic appearances with a re-formed Deacon Blue.

In 2007, Ross became a regular DJ for BBC Radio Scotland with his Americana-based Another Country show, and teamed up with wife Lorraine to form Ross McIntosh, who released an alt-country album, The Great Lakes, through Cooking Vinyl in 2009. He released the solo album Trouble Came Looking in 2013, and toured the record acoustically.

For his seventh album, Ross recorded Short Stories, Vol. 1 in just two days in Hamburg. The record featured re-recorded Deacon Blue tracks as well as original solo pieces.

Deacon Blue’s ninth studio album City of Love was released on 6th March 2020. In February 2021, they released their tenth album entitled Riding on the Tide of Love to commercial success in both the UK and their native Scotland. As of 2020, Deacon Blue's total album sales stood at seven million, with twelve UK top 40 singles, along with two number one albums in both the UK and Scotland.

The band kick off a tour on March 7th 2025 in Dunfermline, the The Usher Hall, Edinburgh on the 30th, before heading to England, Wales and Ireland before finishing offat the Hydro in Glasgow in October.

[brian-in-finance]

A Tale of Two Tonys

and Brian knows the difference 😉

Part Three of Four

It was suggested elsewhere in July* Brian confuses the Tonys’ roles. It’s also suggested one Tony entered the spotlight only when a(n imagined) narrative required a participant. (*Waited for today’s Happy Birthday 🥳)

Long before TV-Outlander…

A chuffed Tony McGill, The Fratellis’ manager, enjoys watching music legend Pete Townshend perform with the band at the Spin Magazine Party at Stubbs BBQ during SXSW 2007, 16 March 2007, Austin, Texas

‘We don’t want to be a pop band’

A multi-platinum album, songs sung by football crowds - it's all rosy for the Fratellis. Not that they think so, they tell Caroline Sullivan

It's late afternoon outside Amsterdam's Paradiso club, and the small group of teenagers hanging around on the steps have just seen something to get excited about. "Jon!" a girl calls, as Fratellis singer Jon Lawler - Jon Fratelli when he's on stage - appears from around the side of the building, on his way to soundcheck for that night's show. The girl and two friends detach themselves from the others and scramble over to Lawler, whose skinny frame and halo of curls say "pop star" as surely as if he were toting around a platinum disc.

"Jon, can you do us a favour?" When Lawler nods indulgently, she continues: "Could you send the support band out?"

After an instant's bemused silence, he echoes: "The support band?"

"We really want to meet them," she explains.

"I'll see what I can do," he tells her and walks off, shaking his head as if he can't believe it. This must be one of the times when Lawler wonders whether selling 1.5m copies of the Fratellis' debut album, Costello Music, actually means anything. For every true believer who sings their songs at football matches and crams into venues to see them, there seems to be someone else who would rather meet the support band. Or, worse, is a critic who regards the group as beery louts.

There are reams of reviews, both for Costello Music and their new album, Here We Stand, that portray the Glasgow band as yobs making music for yobs. Like it or not (and they don't), the Fratellis have been designated this era's custodians of the oik-rock tradition. So Lawler and his bandmates, bassist Barry Wallace and drummer Gordon "Mince" McRory, are in an odd position. On the one hand, they're a proper pop phenomenon: Scotland's biggest group, winners of the 2007 Brit award for British Breakthrough Act, inescapable to anyone who watches football (Chelsea Dagger has become the nation's terrace chant of choice) and all-round band of the people. But on the other, they're reviled by many for the very reasons others love them. And that greatly annoys Lawler, who, as the middle-class son of two teachers, probably has more in common with the Fratellis' critics than with the people who buy their records.

"You can't pick your fans, can you?" he asks, having settled himself at an outdoor table overlooking the canal that runs behind the Paradiso. "But we're grateful to have fans. And I think when people describe us as a band to get drunk to, or a party band, it shows you how out of fashion rock'n'roll is. We get described as a pub band, but that's what rock'n'roll is. Twist and Shout was three chords and 'C'mon, c'mon, c'mon' - it was nonsensical. But that was why it was effective."

Lawler's passion is melody; he wants to write songs that postmen whistle and football crowds chant and radio stations keep on rotation. "People don't trust melody," he says. "I've always been a huge fan of the Beatles and Pink Floyd, people who use melody. I don't understand dance music. Melody, a tune - it's primal."

Is that what accounts for those 1.5m sales? He laughs softly. "I don't know the complex answer, but the simple answer is that a good band will get an audience. I knew as soon as we started to play together that we had it, 'cos I'd listened to the radio and it was all Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party, and I knew from the first minute that this was the one that was going to work. There was a click, and I knew."

His instincts were spot-on. Brought together in 2004 by an ad posted in a Glasgow music shop, the trio played their first gig early in 2005. By the end of 2006, they had a No 2 album. Lawler was then 27 and had been around the block several times, working by day at a Ministry of Defence call centre - most of his wages went to his ex-wife, who he'd married as a teenager, and their son - and writing songs at night. Wallace and McRory were similarly dividing their lives between day jobs and nighttime music "careers" (the new song Shameless draws attention to the fact that many of their competitors are "half as old as I am" and seem "younger every night", though Lawler claims to be unfazed by the prospect of turning 30 next year).

The initial media coverage was adulatory, but the Fratellis reacted as if the media were a particularly pesky fly. In early interviews, they sulked, fabricated stories (their Wikipedia entry still lists Fratelli as their common surname, as per their lie that they'd all dropped their real names and adopted it) and failed to charm. "[The press] did dance around us for the first few months," Lawler acknowledges, making it clear that he hadn't been happy about it. Eventually, though, the press got the message: the Fratellis didn't like them. They responded in kind. "Lots of the bands we love, like Zeppelin and Floyd, were also hated by the press," Lawler says with an air of quiet vindication. "We did two cardinal sins with the press: we took the piss, then stopped talking to them."

Despite the chippiness, Lawler is very likable. He's articulate and introspective - in contrast to colleague Barry, who whiles away the pre-soundcheck minutes by showing a group of roadies that he can insert a lit cigarette into his belly-button and "smoke" it - and admits he's not a natural frontman. "I'm introverted by nature. I'd give it to Mince in a flash, 'cos he's got that exuberance." Well, there's a revelation, since Mince doesn't do interviews or photos, and today is out visiting Amsterdam's famous coffee shops.

Seeing himself as a lyrics-and-tunes man rather than a performer, Lawler now confesses that he doesn't think much of Costello Music. "I agreed with some critics about it. There was a decent percentage of it that I didn't like. It has a pop sheen, and we don't want to be a pop band." He's much happier with Here We Stand, which the band insisted on producing themselves. "The only reference people had for us was the first album, and that really bugged me. That's why we didn't use a producer on this, 'cos we didn't want anybody else getting their hands on it. It was the album I was desperate to make, and I think it'll change a lot of opinions."

A tiny spider chooses this moment to appear on the table. When he sees it, he blanches and hastily moves to another seat. "I'm scared of spiders," he says, mildly embarrassed, which leads to an anecdote about his wife phoning him on tour in Munich a few days ago to announce timorously that she had found a spider in their house, and what should she do? Mrs Lawler is a key character in the Fratellis' story, a burlesque dancer whose stage name was Chelsea Dagger, she was the inspiration for the band's signature hit. "Her name was a play on Britney Spears. I remember the night I wrote it - I found the notebook with the lyrics the other night. It came to me really quickly. I was going [sings the familiar refrain] 'Do-do-do-do-do-do' and it was so easy to write that I couldn't believe nobody had ever used [the melody] before."

He is, however, much more satisfied with the music on Here We Stand, which, unlike most second albums, is not much concerned with the experience of suddenly being famous. "I don't like to reveal too much or pour out my heart and soul, but I'm really proud of the lyrics on this album. When I hear them, I smile to myself and think I've done some good work. I'm really proud of a line in Shameless: 'Won't you make sure my mother gets half my weight in gold/ Tell her I just did what I was told.'"

He sits back and waits for my reaction. "Hmm," I say. He goes on: "If someone else had written that, I'd have been really jealous." But is he as pleased with Here We Stand's first single, Mistress Mabel, which is a load of rhyming gibberish ("Headline ratbag, so they told her/ Last night's nametag across her shoulder") set to mid-tempo pub-rock? He isn't. "Mistress Mabel is absolutely the worst lyrics I've ever written. I'd had the song for ages and just couldn't think of lyrics that meant anything to me."

Later, the Fratellis provoke the same reaction from their Dutch audience as they would from a British crowd: it's all unbridled dancing, singalongs and a sweaty sense of fraternity. The band's manager, Tony McGill, watches with me. Chelsea Dagger, of course, spurs the place into a frenzy of churning hands and feet, and McGill is shouting. It's hard to hear him, but he's saying something about the tune having been used as the theme to a Dutch TV show. Which seems about right. Pop like this is universal, and the Fratellis have earned their place in the pantheon of British groups who move crowds by hitting them with songs that they'll be singing all the way home.

· Here We Stand is out now. The Fratellis play the Glastonbury Pyramid stage tonight.

The Guardian 27 June 2008

Remember… we get described as a pub band, but that's what rock'n'roll is. Twist and Shout was three chords and 'C'mon, c'mon, c'mon' - it was nonsensical. But that was why it was effective. — Jon Fratelli

Later edit: “Waited for today’s Happy Birthday” in the first paragraph should say “yesterday’s.” The birthday is 12 October. I got busy, posted late, and forgot to update. Oops… (This bit won’t show up on reblogs posted before 19 October 2024.)

[mariacallous]

U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has reportedly selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in a move aimed at energizing the Democratic Party’s progressive base in Midwestern battleground states ahead of a tight presidential election in November.

Walz, a 60-year-old second-term governor as well as a former high school teacher and congressman, was relatively unknown on the national stage before U.S. President Joe Biden abruptly withdrew from the presidential race and endorsed Harris as his successor on July 21.

Since then, Walz has emerged a leading voice in Democratic lines of attack on Republicans, repeatedly referring to former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, as “weird.”

Walz now faces an uphill battle of expanding his national visibility in a fledgling presidential campaign with less than 100 days to go until Election Day. The rival Democratic and Republican tickets reflect vastly different views on the United States’ role in the world, though it’s unclear how much foreign policy will be a factor for voters in the upcoming elections.

Trump and Vance have expressed skepticism toward U.S. alliance systems, and Vance in particular has become a vocal critic of continued U.S. aid to Ukraine as it fights its war against Russia, arguing that the United States should instead direct its military resources to countering China. Harris is expected to continue the Biden administration’s policy of supporting Ukraine. On the Middle East, however, Harris is facing mounting pressure from the progressive flank of the Democratic Party to reassess the U.S. relationship with Israel as it carries out its controversial war in Gaza—a driving issue for Arab American voting constituencies in battleground states such as Michigan.

Some progressive groups proactively campaigned to keep Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro—whom Harris was also considering as a potential vice presidential choice—off the Democratic ticket because they opposed his support for Israel.

Walz has hewed to the mainstream Democratic position of supporting Israel, but he has criticized Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and called in March for the United States to push for a cease-fire. “I’ve asked for these humanitarian pauses to get folks out. … I want this thing to end; I don’t want a cease-fire to last for a week or something like that. We need a permanent solution,” he told Minnesota Public Radio at the time.

Walz grew up in Nebraska and worked as a teacher first in China, then in Nebraska, and finally in Minnesota. He also served for 24 years in the U.S. Army National Guard, rising to the rank of command sergeant major. During his time in Congress from 2007 to 2019, Walz served on the House Armed Services Committee, overseeing U.S. military policy and spending, where early on he became a sharp critic of the Iraq War and opposed sending additional U.S. troops there.

In 2009, Walz visited Syria and met with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as part of a congressional delegation that unsuccessfully tried to pressure Syria to stop the flow of arms to militant groups in Iraq, where Minnesota National Guard troops were deployed at the time.

He later opposed then-President Barack Obama’s plan to order military strikes on Syria in 2013 in response to Assad’s use of chemical weapons, citing opposition from constituents to further involving the U.S. military in conflicts in the Middle East. “This man [Assad] is a monster and the situation is horrific, but that is not compelling enough to come up with a plan that is not well thought out and in the best interest of this nation,” Walz said at the time.

Walz won his seat five more times before stepping down to run for governor in 2018.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

NIGHTWISH Singer And SABATON Drummer Welcome Their Second Child

NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen and SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl have welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lucy.

Jansen and Van Dahl already have a six-year-old daughter named Freja, who was born on March 15, 2017.

The Dutch-born vocalist revealed the news in a social media post earlier today (Friday, October 20). She shared a photo of her, Hannes, Freja and Lucy holding hands, and she wrote: "There she is! With great happiness we can announce the birth of our second daughter Lucy! Big sister Freja is delighted with our dark haired little girl too!

"Health is not a given fact, and so it's humbling to report that both our baby girl as mom are in a great one! We are enjoying these special moments to the fullest and ask for understanding of our privacy in this intimate time! Big thanks for all the love and support we received during the pregnancy! We have now welcomed our dear Lucy into this beautiful world".

Shortly before Freja was born, Hannes was asked by Spain's Metal Journal whether his family situation would have an impact on his ability to tour with SABATON. Hannes said: "Well, you know, as far as I'm concerned, nothing will really change, 'cause this is what I do, an this is… this is what I do to make a living. People have had kids before in this business. So, to stop any worries — 'cause I know a lot of people are worried [about me] quitting the band — I will stay in the band. And as far as I can say, when it's time, I need to go and be there with my family. But when I've done that, I'm going back to touring. So I won't leave. I will be there."

Jansen herself had spoken about the challenges of raising a child while being in a touring band like NIGHTWISH. She told Finland's Radio Rock in 2016: "Of course, it's a very challenging combination, and I was very happy that the way [NIGHTWISH is] today — or, actually, have always been — it's a very open group; we can talk about things. And the guys, actually, were curious. A few months ago, we started talking about it, like, 'So, 2017… How about kids? Yeah?' So it's great to think about things together: how can we combine it? Also 'cause my partner is in a successful band, touring a lot. Yeah, then you need the cooperation of the people that you are family with also. So I am not afraid that won't work. It will be a challenge, for sure, but, yeah, a little SABATON or NIGHTWISH daycare program sounds lovely, doesn't it? [Laughs]"

Jansen also dismissed rumors that she would leave the band after welcoming her first child. She told Mariskal Rock TV: "No, I won't [quit NIGHTWISH]. I love this way too much; don't worry. You don't even have negative speculations one way or another. Things are great, and let's keep on doing this forever."

NIGHTWISH played its last concert before its current break from touring on June 17 at Lemonsoft Stadion in Vaasa.

In November 2022, Floor revealed that she was "cancer free" after undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis.

In April, NIGHTWISH surprised fans by announcing that the band was not going to be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future and would be not be touring in support of the group's next studio album, which is tentatively due in 2024.

Floor's debut solo album "Paragon", arrived in March.

As part of NIGHTWISH, Jansen has landed two number one albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal bands, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.

Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member. NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." , which was also an international success.

Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".

In 2019, Jansen participated in the popular Dutch TV show "Beste Zangers" where she scored a big hit with "Phantom Of The Opera" together with Henk Poort. She was recognized with a Dutch Popprijs award — a prestigious accolade for artists that has made important contributions to Dutch music. In the same year, her first solo tour sold out in less than 24 hours.

Jansen performed live with NIGHTWISH for the first time on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon. Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013.

[i-am-still-bb]

Fast Car

Timeline + Links

orange = still in progress, so not fully posted

Before

October 2000 - Auto (Tumblr / Ao3)

September 2001 - 3/4 Birthday (Tumblr / Ao3)

October 2001 - Camping (Tumblr / Ao3)

May 2003 - Something's Wrong (Tumblr / Ao3)

January 2004 - Shivering (Tumblr / Ao3)

June 2006 - Mutual Pining (Tumblr / Ao3)

October 2007 - Smashed (Tumblr / Ao3)

November 2007 - Poisonous Words (Tumblr / Ao3)

November 2007 - rainy evenings (Tumblr / Ao3)

February 2008 - First Kiss (Tumblr / Ao3)

July 2008 - Sharing Food (Tumblr / Ao3)

June 2009 - A Weekend Away (Tumblr / Ao3)

July 2009 - Dazed (Tumblr / Ao3)

July 2009 - Crutches (Tumblr / Ao3)

July 2009 - Sunset (Tumblr / Ao3)

October 2009 - Hiding (Tumblr / Ao3)

October 2009 - Righteous Anger (Tumblr / Ao3)

February 2010 - "Feed me poison, fill me 'till I drown." / "Just hold on." (Tumblr / Ao3)

April 2010 - Body Modification (Tumblr / Ao3)

May 2010 - “Too late, too late, your love gave me life” (Tumblr / Ao3)

After

December 2010 - Breaking Point (Tumblr / Ao3)

December 2010 - "I'll call out your name, but you won't call back." (Tumblr / Ao3)

March 2011 - Radio Silence (Tumblr / Ao3)

March 2012 - "I'm fine." (Tumblr / Ao3)

October 2022 - "I tend to deflect when I'm feeling threatened." / Blindfold (Tumblr / Ao3)

November 2022 - Brass Knuckles (Tumblr / Ao3)

November 2022 - "Who's there?" (Tumblr / Ao3)

December 2022 - ? (Tumblr / Ao3)

May 2023 - reunion (Tumblr / Ao3)

May 2023 - Dead Batteries (Tumblr / Ao3)

May 2023 - "People don't change people, time does." (Tumblr / Ao3)

May 2023 - California Dreaming (Tumblr / Ao3)

Meta

missing them (Tumblr / Ao3)

“You drew stars around my scars; But now I’m bleeding.” / Scars / “Let me see.” (Tumblr / Ao3)

[razbb]

as much as i am fucking psyched to see janelle live soon i am a little tiny bit sad that i didn't get to see any of her previous metropolis related concerts just bc i am such a SLUT. for those 4(ish) albums. they're everything to me. especially the earlier albums with the big ol classical/opera elements cuz of course you gotta take the space opera literally! of course.

and what's not to love. a nonlinear storyline about a bisexual android who fell in love with a human. her being a revolutionary! in more than one way! in a literal sense, in the story she is explicitly fighting for equal android rights obviously, the way sci fi and fantasy is SUPPOSED to be imo. like escapism is fun but when youre really using the genre it is solidly rooted in real life historical and/or current politics, right, making the themes hit harder. making your art reach peoples hearts. making it ART! instead of art.

and real early 2007 we get forbidden love themes on top of you know the songs setting the scene and pleading to the president for a change and fighting for equal rights. and TEN YEARS AGO, 2013, before gay marriage was legalized in the US, we get the very explicitly queer songs like Q.U.E.E.N! (am i a freak because i love watching mary....say will your god accept me in my black and white...even if it makes others uncomfortable i will love who i am!...categorize me i defy every label...).

and i love the snips of radio, and the start with march of the wolfmasters setting up the metropolis story. the evolution of the pop style over the years following the pop trends of the time while staying quirky and unique in her own way.

and age of pleasure is, well, a new age. a really hot really horny really fuckin good new age! and cindi mayweathers story was pretty much done being told. and i am completely ok with that. i can and will keep those albums on repeat. but they're beloved to me and i would pay maybe an exorbitant amount of money for a several hour metropolis performance. i don't think it'll happen. she's very popular but that kind of thing needs CHART TOPPING popular, which is always gonna be more mainstream stuff. she'd have to compromise her style to fit that.

anyway. back to listening to every janelle monáe album in order on loop forever. and you should join me

[otdiaftg]

Neil tugs hard at the cuffs, trying to yank his hands out of her reach, but there is no give in the metal. For a blinding moment it reminds him of Christmas break at Evermore, and Neil's wavering control cracks a little further. "Stop it." "Stop me," Lola returns, and cuts a stinging line down from the base of his finger to the thick flesh of his thumb.

She covers his hand with burning lacerations before moving on to the next one. When she is done she slides over and leans between the front seats. She traces Neil's tattoo with the tip of her blade. "We read all about your feud with Riko. What a convincing act! In another life you could have been an actor. Tell me, did you really think his collar would protect you from us?" "It doesn't matter." "It does. I can't take you before your father with such a stain on your face. Rome?" Romero reaches for the dashboard. Something clicks as he presses it, and Neil scans the array of buttons for a hint of what he's done. It isn't the radio, and none of the lights are on to indicate he's clicked on the heater. That leaves only one possible solution, but Neil refuses to believe it. Denial doesn't change facts: soon enough the dashboard cigarette lighter pops free of its lock with a metallic cling. Romero pulls it out and holds it up. Neil leans away from it with a heated, "You're sick."

Day: Saturday, March 9th / 10th* Time: 1:35 AM EST

*Due to the Leap Year, I have opted to highlight the day rather than the date to keep the events in occurrence to the 2007 year. I will continue to mark both days accordingly.

[harrisonarchive]

Photo by Neal Preston.

“I remember one of the most fun nights I had was sitting around the table while they were writing. Of course, I just kept my mouth shut, just wanting to savor every word. I thought I was going to be hearing these amazingly profound lyrics, and I sat there and I laughed so hard because I heard these incredible lyricists all singing the silliest things! Rhyming the dumbest sounding things!” - Jim Keltner (aka Buster Sidebury), BBC Radio 2, 2007

“I think the one thing I remember is there was never a negative moment doing that. We really enjoyed that. I think we made it for us really [laughs], because I love all those guys. We’re all pretty good friends and we just enjoyed each other’s company really. At times it just seemed the album was an excuse to hang around with each other really.” - Tom Petty, BBC Radio 2, 2007

“[F]ive guys sitting around in a circle with acoustic guitars. Someone would come up with a chord sequence, another would contribute lyrics or a bridge. ‘We usually went by group decision,’ Tom Petty recalls. ‘We were pretty honest with each other. In recording or writing, when somebody gets the right part, everybody knows. The lucky thing is that it was all real talented people around — and good people, you know, no negativity, nobody wanting to be more famous than anybody. It was fun.’” - Musician, March 1990 (x)

[jansses]

In celebration of The Eras Tour 100th show posting my experience last 09 March 2024 at National Stadium Singapore…

💚💛💜❤️🩵🖤🩷🩶🤎🤍

I don’t know where to begin. Months have passed, and the feeling is still surreal. I don’t know how to recover from this experience—seeing my childhood dream flashback before my eyes.

 

Debut became my gateway to the world of Swiftie Lore. I vividly remember early 2007, the first time hearing your song on the radio, (TOMG) it was sad and broken but full of hope. That moment instantly became my core memory of entering your world: full of stories of heartbreaks, betrayals, and lies but, most importantly, how you're able to overcome and turn those into weapons to achieve dreams and aspirations and to be loved without any conditions.

 

Your performance of “Should’ve Said No” cements my determination to attend your concert one day, no matter what it takes. A concert I want to be in, with all your reveal, the guitars, singing in the rain, and the unstoppable headbanging, the unbreakable arc of your spines and the stare each pause and most specially the PEP talk each segment. Oh if only Friendster/Myspace could speak right now they’d tell the world the whole journey how I crave to see it live. Looking back at it, all those things I wish for came through unexpectedly, I DID.

 

Since then, I have been gatekeeping you like no other. Your exceptional talent and devotion to your fans have resonated so resoundingly that even critics, egoists, and skeptics have been unable to diminish the legacy you have forged. You are undeniably outstanding, often revered as "The Music Industry" itself. Your triumph has been unmistakable, deeply felt, and cherished by us, your loyal supporters. This moment and experience will undoubtedly form a narrative that I will recount throughout the entirety of my life.

 

This journey will delve deep into the rabbit hole of my core memory

To those reading this: never give up on your dreams. As a little boy, I achieved big dreams that I once thought impossible. This moment will always be remembered.

 

I’d like also to express my gratitude to everyone who supported me from the very beginning - warm hugs and lots of love.

Sending you lots of love and hugs, Miss Forever T-Swizzle @taylorswift @taylornation . I promise this won't be the last time I see you perform live 😊

 Swiftie 2007 Est

P.S. Please release "I’d Lie" for the TS TV Vault; minor changes - 18 instead of 17 PLEASE 😊

[boricuacherry-blog]

Meet Gina Figueroa, the Boricua Woman Who Inspired and Co-Wrote D'Angelo's Grammy-Nominated "Really Love"

She doesn't fear speaking truth to power, laying it all out with real-recognize-real, Lower East Side Nuyorican humor. The daughter of two Puerto Rican nationalist activists, Fig's story is one of salsa and funk, disco block parties on FDR Drive, Fania and Marvin Gaye blasting from street corner boomboxes. She grew at these block parties, but they were shadowed by a dangerous reality. "We would be dancing and there would be stabbings and shootouts 20 feet away. That was how I grew up."

The explosive creative power of 80s New York City street culture immersed Gina in the world of funk, salsa, and soul, inspiring her to embark on her own musical endeavors. "I was in these funk rock and soul bands, but I always had a need to get back to my roots so to speak. Even though that's part of my roots too, I needed to express myself in Spanish."

As Trenier describes, Gina employed her good taste to boost D'Angelo's creative potential during the recording of his second studio album. "Gina was always around [in the studio]...she always telling him, 'That's not good enoug...' She was a worldly cool chick, and he was like, 'Yo, I've never met a Puerto Rican.'"

"Spanish Joint" captures that exhilaration, the heart-rending rapture of falling in and out of love. Their intimacy was tender and life giving, but short-lived. "It became very turbulent. A lot of jealousy, a lot of possessiveness...We started fighting, and then we burned that shit to the ground. We burned down the house on that one," she remembers.

The relationship fizzled in 1999, and D'Angelo embarked on the Voodoo tour in March 2000.

And in the course of a few short years, he withdrew from the stage and his peers, falling victim to substance abuse.

Gina says they kept in touch despite the creative drought, and one day around 2005-2006, D'Angelo called her up from his home in Richmond, Virginia. "He said he had written a song about me and he was playing it to me over the phone." Those simple piano keys were the skeleton of what would become "Really Love." "I was kind of mad at him," she admits. "I always felt like he could never be just my man, and I used to cry about that. This guy's like Robert Johnson to me. He's my blues man." The song kindled stinging memories, but Figueroa says it was a beautiful return to form for D'Angelo.

In 2007, Questlove leaked an unfinished version of the song to Triple J Radio in Australia. At the time, Figueroa had not recorded her spoken word intro for the song, until D'Angelo called her into the studio for a listening session in 2011. "I was freaking blown away. That was what was to become Black Messiah...It was so beautiful, and at that point he told me, 'This is your song.'"

Figueroa was skeptical about the dedication. "I was like, 'Yeah right, pendejo.' This guy's a smooth operator. He did not write this song about me, and I just don't believe it."

"I was like, 'Yeah right, pendejo.'"

D'Angelo explained his plans to add an overture - what would become Brent Fischer's stirring string arrangement. After talking and hanging out in the studio for awhile, Gina improvised her spoken word intro. "I sat face-to-face with him and recited my spoken word to him. I told him about our love story. That was like my poem and my story to him."

It was the thorn in my side."

[scotianostra]

Happy 61st birthday to The Proclaimers Charlie And Craig Reid born on 5th March 1962.

Growing up in Edinburgh, Cornwall, and the Fife town Auchtermuchty, they listened to early rock & roll and country, gravitating toward artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Hank Williams. After playing in various punk bands during their school years, they formed The Proclaimers in 1983 and… 

Growing up in Edinburgh, Cornwall, and the Fife town Auchtermuchty, they listened to early rock & roll and country, gravitating toward artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Hank Williams. After playing in various punk bands during their school years, they formed The Proclaimers in 1983 and quickly developed a regional fan base with a particularly devoted following in Inverness. As an acoustic duo singing -style harmonies in the mid-‘80s.

After touring with the Housemartins the Scottish duo were signed by Chrysalis records, they were immediately compared to the Everly Brothers. Considering their energetic, melodic folk-rock, the comparison made some sense, even though the Proclaimers didn’t really sound like the Everlys. Instead, the band was a post-punk pop band, aggressively displaying their thick accents on sweet, infectiously melodic songs about love, politics, and life in Scotland. After two albums in the late '80s,This Is the Story and Sunshine on Leith, the second featured one of my fave songs by the twins, My Old Friend The Blues, a Steve Earle song about depression.

The band disappeared for several years, suffering from personal problems and severe writer’s block. When their 1988 song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” was used in the 1993 film Benny & Joon, the duo began to receive massive radio airplay in America, sending them into the Top Ten in the U.S., as well as the rest of the world; it was their first taste of worldwide success.

Luckily, the band was close to completing their third album at the time, Hit the Highway, leaving them in a position to capitalise on their success. The single Let’s Get Married received little attention, and the band pretty much disappeared in the eyes of the general public, but diehard fans like myself knew they were special and still had loads to offer.

They made various contributions to several movie soundtracks – Dumb & Dumber and Bottle Rocket – during the latter part of the decade, but family priorities took full scale.

The new millennium gave us a much more fresh sounding Proclaimers. They inked a new U.S. deal with Nettwerk, and Persevere marked Craig and Charlie Reid’s fourth album, and my favourite. It was a return to form; singing about the grim and glory of their native Scotland, but also a sign of the prime of life, my pick of the album being Scotland’s Story which drew parallels between historical migrations to Scotland and arrivals of more recent immigrants. The song list included the beautifully crafted My Act of Remembrance, which paid tribute to their late father, if you haven’t listened to it please do on the YouTube video I have posted.

Arms of steel, hair of gold Royal blue eyes, with a rebel soul You scared me, you still do But I loved you More than you ever knew….

The band’s fifth effort, Born Innocent, appeared on their own imprint Persevere in February 2004, produced by fellow Scot Edwyn Collins, Restless Soul followed a year later, the song When Love Struck You Down is another strong song by the brothers. Life with You in 2007 gave us the song of the same name which is a karaoke favourite in Scotland. I sing the older songs from the 80’s myself.

The Proclaimers have given us 12 studio albums and they tour worldwide, my favourite wee anecdote from the Reid's is regards their song Throw the R away. The record companies who were keen to sign them told them unless they ditched the Scottish accents they would not be successful, the song tells us

You say that if I want to get ahead The language I use should he left for dead It doesn’t please your ears.

In an interview a couple of years ago Charlei commented “it was a conscious thing, because we were singing about where we live, our experiences and it just felt stupid to sing in an English or American accent.” Quite right too.

In 2020 Craig and Charlie are amongst fellow Scots Bill Paterson, Rebus writer Ian Rankin, and bizarrely Irish-American actress Saoirse Ronan, who have lent their voices to a new audio guide for Edinburgh Castle. I have never used the guides myself, but may do so on my next visit to see how they sound.

The boys have now released their 12th studio album, Dentures Out featuring 13 songs clocking in at a lean, tight, focused 34 minutes.

Charlie and Craig are in the middle of a world tour just now, having played North America they are now in Australia, then onto New Zealand before heading home for dates in Wales and England, then gigs in Kelso, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The song I have chosen, I hope reflects the Scottish attitude that we welcome all immigrants into our country with open arms.